all over at the SCG. Short ball outside off, PK has a big swipe at it and inside-edges onto the stumps. Australia have had lots of upheaval and three different captains during the tournament, but they are into the final.
Australia vs India, 10th Match at Sydney, Feb 26 2012 - Match Result
Right then, that completes our live coverage of this game. Here is Dan Brettig's report of the day's play. We'll soon have plenty of analysis and opinion from Sid Monga in Sydney. I'll be back on Tuesday to bring you India's last league game, perhaps India's last game on this disastrous tour. Sri Lanka will start off as favourites, and will only need to deny the bonus point to confirm their spot in the finals. Until Tuesday, on behalf of the ESPNcricinfo team, this is Nitin Sundar signing off.
As always, India fans have some scraps of hope to hold onto. If India win with a bonus point on Tuesday, and if Australia beat Sri Lanka in the last league game (make those big IFs, with salad dressing on top), India can still sneak into the final. At the moment, they don't deserve to. A win without a bonus point in Hobart won't do for India. They will then end up on 14 points, and Sri Lanka already have 15.
Watson: "Very nice start as a captain, it all worked out very well. It helped that wickets fell at appropriate times. I kept trying to get the bowlers and their ends right. I felt good and had a lot of fun today. [On the David Hussey issue] In the end it looked like David Hussey was looking to protect himself. I have full faith in Taufel and Bowden.. [I like the captaincy], but will like to see Clarke back."
Warner is Man of the Match: "I needed some runs under the belt and put my head down today. A bit of a lazy shot towards the end, a brain explosion ... The key for me is that if I get my defence right, the big shots come off."
Dhoni: "Definitely not a good night. We got off to a decent start, after that we used the part-timers when Pathan got injured. We were a bit confused, but overall we were happy with the first half. But the second innings, we left too many overs for Nos. 7,8 and 9. We have not performed to potential in these ODIs, it was an ideal opportunity for the youngsters. I am sure they have learned a lot. We need to bat well. Unfortunately we lost all the tosses and kept batting in tougher conditions."
The wheels have come off this Indian team. MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher will be looking at the last couple of weeks and wondering how they managed to spiral to such ignominious lows after delivering that nerve-shredding tie against Sri Lanka. At that point, SL were without a win in the tournament. Since then, India have been as abject as Sri lanka have been good.
Australia are in the final, but they will know there's plenty of work to do before those games. Their batting in the last ten overs was disastrous today, and a better team would have made them pay for it.
tossed up outside off and spinning away, PK thinks of it and then lets it go.
full ball to PK, defended back to the bowler.
he does a Walsh now, and nonchalantly lets one go outside off.
Yadav has a monster swing at a length ball outside off. He made room and did a whirlpool on his toes, and it is a miracle that he's still on his feet. What a mild stroke.
no-ball for height as Lee loses control of the yorker and bowls it straight at Yadav's hip.
PK backs away and swings wildly at a short ball and it goes off the edge to third man.
The doors are closing on India. Australia will be through to the final once they win today. India will then need to beat Sri Lanka with the bonus point on Tuesday and hope that Australia put it past Sri Lanka in the last league game. At the moment India don't look capable of even denying bonus points, leave along getting them.
Irfan is gone, India are going down and Australia are likely to get a bonus point too. Lee sends down a full toss, Irfan tries to heave over the leg side and gets a top edge that takes off. When it comes down, there's a Hussey under it. Not much chance of anyone from that family dropping catches.
slower ball, drops short and slips wide of off stump.
Lee responds with a near-perfect yorker just outside off stump. Irfan can't get it away.
Irfan is summoning his inner Ganguly now. He's smoked Lee over long-on for a monster six. Good juicy length ball, Irfan leaned out and banged it through the line with a straight bat. That was thumped, Praveen was taking cover the moment Irfan made contact.
Praveen Kumar will come out to join Irfan. How well he bowled to set up this game for India at the start of play ...
leading edge! Makes a belated entry to this game. Ashwin tries to tickle a ball sliding well down the leg side and gets a leading edge that loops up and drops into mid-on's hands.
Ashwin advances again, Doherty goes full and wide of off stump, and Ashwin squeezes it straight to point.
some release in this Powerplay. Ashwin charges out and carts another full toss comfortably over the covers. It was four once he cleared the infield.
angled into the pads, no room to work with. Ashwin defends to the leg side.
back of a length, Irfan hangs back and chops to the off side for one.
Doherty is using the full toss as a wicket-taking option? He nearly gets one here, as Irfan skips out. The high full toss catches him unawares, but he still lofts it straight. Forrest at long-on moves to his right and lunges forward, but can't get there.
low full toss on the pads as Ashwin backs away, and he can't get it away.
angled into Irfan's pads, he works it square for a single.
Ashwin takes on the bouncer. It is 135 kph and he is a touch late on the shot, but gets away with a top edge that clears the infield. Three runs taken as wide mid-on runs back to field.
Sydney Cricket Ground | |
Toss | Australia, elected to bat first |
Series | |
Season | 2011/12 |
Player Of The Match | |
Match number | ODI no. 3250 |
Hours of play (local time) | 14.20 start, First Session 14.20-17.50, Interval 17.50-18.25, Second Session 18.25-21.55 |
Match days | 26 February 2012 - daynight (50-over match) |
Umpires | |
TV Umpire | |
Reserve Umpire | |
Match Referee | |
Points | Australia 5, India 0 |