South Africa’s T20 captain Faf du Plessis praised Imran Tahir’s control and variations after his side’s three-wicket victory over England, in which the bowler took 4 for 21

Firdose Moonda20-Feb-2016

Imran Tahir’s almost two-year-old son Gibran predicted that his father would end up with a four-for in the first T20I against England but no one can guess what the legspinner would have had done had he taken a fifth, not even the man himself.”I was talking to my wife earlier and she asked my son, ‘How many wickets is daddy going to take today?’ and he said ‘two plus two.’ That’s what he said and I’m really happy I got it,” Tahir stated after the match, which South Africa won off the last ball with three wickets to spare.Tahir’s third and fourth wickets, Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali, came off successive deliveries and he was inches away from taking a fifth to complete a hat-trick when Chris Jordan missed a googly that carried over the top of the stumps. Had the ball hit, Tahir would have “probably ended up in the crowd but I am not sure.” Faf du Plessis guessed that his bowler may have “run up the mountain” in delight but perhaps Tahir would have instigated a group hug – similar to the one he smothered du Plessis in when Moeen Ali was dismissed.Du Plessis was at cover when Tahir dished up a full delivery to Ali, who picked out the South African captain exactly as the side had planned. “We get excited when stuff we are working on falls into place. That was a big hug between me and Immi because that’s exactly what we wanted to do,” du Plessis said. “I said make him hit the ball to me at cover and he did exactly that.”Tahir final returns of 4 for 21 equalled his career-best effort and ensured England did not get away after Alex Hales and Jason Roy’s blazing start. “His control tonight was great. He bowled one full toss but the rest was exceptional. He spun the ball both ways,” du Plessis said. “He wins games of cricket on his own. As a captain, that’s a huge weapon to have. Even though they had a great start, I knew that on that surface, Immi was going to be a handful.”But South Africa almost bottled the advantage Tahir gave them and had to rely on another individual effort to chase down a small target of 135. Chris Morris scored 15 runs off the final over and two off the last ball to pull South Africa over the line. After his heroics in the Wanderers ODI, Morris has earned the moniker ‘Chuck Morris’, but du Plessis explained there is a trick to bringing out the big-hitter’s destructive best.”The key is to get Morris to the crease not when there are four overs left but when there are one or two overs left. He is very good at clearing the rope. He can hit sixes from ball one,” du Plessis said. “Him and David Wiese can both do it. It just makes your batting line-up so destructive. When it’s going for you, like it is for Morrie, it’s important that you ride the wave and he is doing that. He is winning games and that makes him an x-factor player.”Du Plessis believes that South Africa have collectively improved in do-or-die situations and he hopes this will stand them in good stead at the upcoming World Twenty20. “In the last two years, I think we have made some big strides. That’s all you can do. You can try and get better at pressure moments,” he said. “That’s the only difference between games like these and games in the World Cup. The World Cup is 10-15% more pressure. If we can do well in games like this, like we did tonight, that’s great learning for us.”

Arsenal transfer target Declan Rice is now 'pushing' for a summer move, according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook.

Who could Arsenal sign this summer?

As per recent reports, it appears central midfield is a major priority for transfer chief Edu and manager Mikel Arteta as a host of top players in that position are linked to joining.

As well as Rice, the likes of Moises Caicedo of Brighton, Barcelona star Raphinha and Everton midfielder Amadou Onana have all been mentioned in the last week.

Meanwhile, in other areas, Arsenal are reportedly in talks with the agents of Leicester City playmaker Youri Tielemans – who is looking set to leave the King Power Stadium as a free agent.

Across the pond, the north Londoners are also said to be targeting one of South Americas most exciting prospects Vitor Roque – who is also wanted by rivals Chelsea.

Arteta's side may have the pull to convince this crop of players to join them, especially considering they're currently eight points of clear of closest challengers Man City at the top of the Premier League table.

Arsenal have a real chance to end their near-20 year wait for a domestic crown, and if Edu can seal deals for some of the club's top targets later this year, it's safe to say these are exciting times to be a supporter.

Now, as per talkSPORT reporter Crook, it is believed that one of Arsenal's main priorities – England international Rice – has adopted a firm exit stance.

The Hammers captain is apparently 'pushing for a summer move' as the Gunners target him, coming amid West Ham's worry of having to sell other key players like Jarrod Bowen.

Should Arsenal sign Rice?

The 24-year-old has been praised for his 'sensational' form for the east Londoners in recent seasons and it's hard not to see why going by the numbers.

As per WhoScored, Rice is West Ham's best-performing player by average match rating and has featured over more league minutes than any other Irons star – making their most interceptions per 90 in that time.

Former assistant boss Stuart Pearce recently said this to talkSPORT on the player:

"He’s got so much more in his locker. He’s got a brilliant range of passing.

“When I talk about getting teams turned, he is in a key position to get us turned and go forward with diagonal passes or forward passes through the lines.

“He’s got a great range of passing. I’ve seen it first hand for two years."

Homegrown also, Rice could seemingly add a real degree of steal Arteta's midfield.

Elyse Villani top-scored with 43 from 35 balls to keep Australia women’s semi-final challenge firmly on track in Delhi, as Ireland’s disappointing campaign came to a close with a seven-wicket defeat, their fourth loss in as many outings

The Report by Andrew Miller in Delhi26-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMegan Schutt’s three-for kept Ireland to 91•Associated Press

Elyse Villani top-scored with 43 from 35 balls to keep Australia Women’s semi-final challenge firmly on track in Delhi, as Ireland’s disappointing campaign came to a close with a seven-wicket defeat, their fourth loss in as many outings. Australia’s qualification to the next round was secured following New Zealand Women’s big victory against South Africa Women a few hours later. *On a slow surface, the same one that was used for England’s men’s match against Afghanistan and will be back in action for their Group 1 showdown with Sri Lanka tonight, boundaries were scarce and dot balls plentiful as Ireland struggled for headway after being asked to bat first.Thanks to a doughty trio of 20s from their top three, Clare Shillington, Cecelia Joyce and Kim Garth, who top-scored with 27 from 46 balls, they eventually reached 91 for 7 in their 20 overs. However, as a measure of their struggles, that total was their second highest of the competition, behind the 115 for 8 they made against Sri Lanka.The tone for Ireland’s innings was set in the first 11 balls, from which they failed to score a single run, and though Shillington in particular responded impressively with three fours and a solitary six through midwicket in her 22 from 18 balls, her team-mates struggled to obtain the same momentum.Megan Schutt returned Australia’s best figures of 3 for 29, but it was Rene Farrell’s accurate medium pacers that really derailed Ireland’s challenge.With 2 for 11 in her four overs, Farrell combined with the spinners Kirsten Beams and Jess Jonassen to squeeze the life out of the contest, and she was aided by some exceptional work in the field as well. Two direct-hit run-outs came on her watch, as Jonassen pinged down the stumps to remove Laura Delany before Villani did likewise to Mary Waldron from the final ball of the innings.Ireland’s total never looked like being enough to challenge the irrepressible Australians, the three-times reigning champions whose key defeat to New Zealand earlier in the tournament has left them guarding against complacency as they seek their habitual place in the knockout stages.Australia did ship two early wickets in their reply – Isobel Joyce’s brilliant one-handed scoop at midwicket to remove Alyssa Healy was followed by Meg Lanning’s swipe across the line to be bowled for 8 by Garth. The ball seemed to keep a touch low as it plucked out Lanning’s middle stump, which was a sight that may have some bearing on how the men’s match pans out.Villani and Ellyse Perry, however, combined for the key stand of Australia’s chase – a third-wicket alliance of 54 in 7.4 overs that featured the sort of power, placement and judgement of a single that their opponents had been unable to match.Villani struck six fours before miscuing a wipe over mid-off to give Garth a hard-earned second wicket, but by that stage Australia needed just seven runs to win. They might also have removed Perry late in the chase, when she hoisted a full-toss from Ciara Metcalfe to deep midwicket, only for the dismissal to be overturned because the ball was above waist-height.*GMT 16:43 – This report was updated to reflect that Australia are through following the result of the New Zealand-South Africa match

Match facts

Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1330 GMT)4:18

Agarkar: Good test for all teams ahead of World T20

Big Picture

It was all telenovela in 2015. MS Dhoni as the hero who had gone on to be perceived as villain. “If I am the reason for all the bad that is happening to Indian cricket, definitely I would love to step away.” R Ashwin was the steadfast sidekick. “If my captain asks me to die on the field, I’ll do it.” And Mustafizur Rahman was the shy, rising star; he had become a world-record holder after playing two ODIs and you could barely get two words out of him. All he would do was flash that big, toothy grin and say he was happy to perform for the team. There is no sign of a resumption of the ad wars, but the rest of the protagonists are back for season two, with the added twist of an Asia Cup and World T20 implications.Bangladesh’s limited-overs team has maintained their Mirpur stronghold jealously since failing to chase 106 against India in 2014. They have played 19 matches and won 14 of them. The trouble is, out of those five losses, three have come in T20Is. With their one-day cricket in prime order, the coach Chandika Hathurusingha has been concentrating on building skills that are vital to success in the shortest format. The team goes into the Asia Cup after a couple of camps in Khulna and Chittagong.India are not light on preparation either. They have been playing T20 cricket since the start of the year (the carnival continues through to May with the IPL) and are quite certain of their first XI. The only issue might be some of the players in that XI have not had enough match practice. Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and the returning Virat Kohli have been merciless in their plunder of runs that the middle order has not had much to do. Over six matches, Yuvraj Singh has faced only 26 balls and rookie allrounder Hardik Pandya 18. India do not seem to be worried though, as both Dhoni and Kohli have said their players are well tuned to T20 cricket thanks to the IPL.

Form Guide

(last five completed matches)India WWLWW
Bangladesh LLWWL

Watch out for

Yuvraj Singh signs in at the dotted line under returning old favourites. Fifteen years since his international debut, he is still madly sought after. The last three IPL auctions have netted him a whopping Rs 37 crores. At the team hotel in Dhaka, he was spirited aside by a few players from the Oman team to take some pictures and share some secrets. It is unlikely that anyone will ever forget what happened the last time he was in these parts, but with a Sri Lanka rematch and a clash with Pakistan around the corner, maybe he has the opportunity to do something about that.Mahmudullah signs in at the dotted line under captain’s understudy. He is seen as an option to take over Bangladesh after Mashrafe Mortaza having led Barisal Bulls, a team sans any big names, into the final of the Bangladesh Premier League. But he is not seen as the best fit for T20s. He tends to be grilled about his strike-rate a lot and when the question was put forward this time, he quipped that he will try to hit the first ball he faces in the Asia Cup for six.

Team news

Dhoni returned fitter and leaner after a rare break from international cricket just before the Australia tour in January, but suffered an onset of back spasms two days out from India’s first match of the Asia Cup and three weeks out from their first match of the World T20. The team management said he was recovering well and will be assessed before the match. If he is not fit, Parthiv Patel, who last played for India in 2012, has arrived as back-up. But if Parthiv is brought in, will he fit in the middle order or at the top where he’s had most of his success in domestic limited-overs cricket?India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk)/Parthiv Patel, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Ashish NehraCoach Hathurusingha was impressed by Mohammad Mithun in the Chittagong camp, so he could get a first look in ahead of Imrul Kayes. Both Taskin Ahmed and Abu Hider might miss out while Nasir Hossain too could be benched with Nurul Hasan taking wicketkeeping and late-hitting duties.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Soumya Sarkar, 2 Mohammad Mithun, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Nurul Hasan (wk), 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Arafat Sunny, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Al-Amin Hossain

Pitch and conditions

Mirpur sprung a green pitch on India’s juniors at the Under-19 World Cup and more recently, the final game of the Asia Cup qualifiers played under lights helped the new ball dart around considerably. If the early phase is seen through, however, lots of runs are on offer. There is also the slim possibility of rain playing spoilsport.

Stats and trivia

• Since 2014, Bangladesh batsman have scored at 132.33 in the last four overs, which is the worst among Full Members in T20Is. In the Powerplay, the Bangladesh batsmen’s strike-rate of 112 is second worst after Pakistan’s.
• In T20Is since 2014, India’s No. 5 to No. 7 have averaged just 16.78 – only Hong Kong, Nepal and Papua New Guinea have averaged worse.

Quotes

“As many different teams as we play before the World T20, it gives us an opportunity to assess what the teams are like, what the balance is like, what their strengths and weaknesses are and where we stand against them.”
“We had all our experiments done against Zimbabwe in January. There’s no room for any such experiments in the Asia Cup. This is a very important tournament ahead of the World T20.”

West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta is “back in the squad” for their Europa Conference League game against KAA Gent, according to David Moyes.

What's the latest injury news on Paqueta?

The Brazilian arrived in the Premier League back in August when he put pen to paper on a five-year deal from Lyon and during his 28 appearances to date, has been a real standout performer at the London Stadium. As per WhoScored, the Irons talisman is currently the E20 outfit’s top-performing defensive player and second overall with a match rating of 6.85, but he has recently been on the sidelines.

The Nike-sponsored star was missing from the matchday squad for Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Fulham, with the boss detailing that he picked up a minor knock to the ankle during the previous 5-1 defeat to Newcastle United, though a positive update on his situation has now emerged.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Moyes confirmed that Paqueta will be available for selection for tonight’s fixture under the lights against Gent. As quoted by West Ham’s official website, he said:

"Paqueta got quite a bad knock [against Newcastle] and he trained a little bit on Friday. We thought he'd be okay [for Fulham], but his ankle was too puffy. But he's trained a couple of days [this week] and he's back in the squad."

Will Paqueta's return be positive for West Ham?

Paqueta’s technical ability has been lauded a “total joy” by journalist Josh Bunting and it’ll be a massive boost for Moyes to have him at his disposal for West Ham’s highly anticipated European showdown.

The Brazil Soccer client has provided three assists and scored two goals across all competitions this season, including one assist in six Conference League outings, so is capable of stepping up to the plate and contributing to efforts in the final third (Transfermarkt).

Even when he’s not on the scoresheet, the left-footed ace ranks in the 96th percentile for shots at a rate of 2.29 per game – higher than any other Irons midfielder – when compared to other players in his position at the top level over the past year (via FBref).

Paqueta is additionally a wonderfully versatile operator, having played in defensive, central and attacking midfield over the course of the current campaign, so is a useful option for the manager to have available for selection and he will undoubtedly have a huge role to play should he be given the nod tonight.

Marlon Samuels, Man of the Match in West Indies’ World T20 final victory, had scores to settle with Shane Warne and Ben Stokes afterwards

Sidharth Monga at Eden Gardens03-Apr-2016″Badass” is a word often thrown around lightly. Not for Marlon Samuels. Having won his second Man of the Match award in World Twenty20 finals, Samuels came for his press conference still in his pads. The England press conference was on when he arrived, and he sat and waited, accepting congratulations from those working in the media centre. About five minutes had gone by when he finally lost patience, and inquired when the thing would start. He had come without the West Indies media manager and he was going to do things media managers lose their jobs for.Finally Eoin Morgan left the press conference room. They didn’t look at each other. Samuels walked in. Sat sideways because he was wearing pads, and couldn’t stick his legs under the table. The ICC representative, who was going to coordinate the press conference, tried to explain to him the cameras were in front. In a heaving room, though, Samuels had the audience on side. Without moving his head, he looked at the cameras and asked, “Are you ready for me?” No one objected. They’d be damned if they objected to him.And then, just to make himself more comfortable, Samuels placed his feet on the table, spikes and all. The ICC representative tried to talk him out of it. Samuels just wanted to be comfortable. He had played some of the most gorgeous straight drives under immense pressure just minutes ago. Surely nobody minds him not giving the cameras the perfect angle. The ICC records this press conference on a camera just to the right or the left of the player. All it is likely to have got is the spikes talking. And the words stung more than his scorching hits.There is history between Shane Warne and Samuels. During a BBL match in January 2013, Samuels seemed to have grabbed Warne’s Melbourne Stars team-mate David Hussey as he turned for a second run. Warne indulged in some shirt pulling when Samuels came out to bat. Then a Warne throw from close range whizzed by Samuels’s face after which Samuels threw away his bat in anger.Warne the commentator has also not been very complimentary of Samuels, who doesn’t like it. When accepting his Man of the Match award, Samuels said he had only Warne on his mind when he woke up, and – following criticism of his dismissal against India in the semi-final – that he knew he would turn up for the final. Then he displayed his trophy to the cameras and said, “This is for Shane Warne.”At the press conference he laid into Warne some more. “Every team I play for, Shane Warne has a problem with me,” Samuels said. “I don’t know what, I’ve never disrespected him, it seems he has a lot inside him that he needs to come out with. I don’t appreciate the way that he continues to talk about me, and the things he keeps doing. I don’t know, maybe it is because my face is real and his face is not.”Ben Stokes, who also has some history with Samuels, came in for stick as well, after their ongoing tussle through the final. Samuels was waiting for the third umpire to rule on a catch – eventually he was given not out – when he and Stokes had a word. Once the umpires confirmed Samuels was to come back, he gave Stokes an angry word or three. After the match was won, Samuels removed his jersey and rushed across to be in front of the England dressing room to gesticulate. He was later fined 30% of his match fee by the ICC for “abusive and offensive language” directed at Stokes.Marlon Samuels and Ben Stokes exchange words•Getty Images

“Stokes is a nervous laddie,” Samuels said when asked of his chat with Carlos Brathwaite before the last over, off which West Indies needed 19 to win. Brathwaite hit four consecutive sixes to win the match with two balls to spare. “So what I tell Braithwaite is to just hold his pose, and he’s going to bowl a couple of full tosses, as always, and it will work in our favour. And he played a brilliant knock at the end there to give me a little break down at the other end.”Stokes came in for further anger. “Well, he doesn’t learn,” Samuels said. “They keep telling him when he plays against me, do not speak to me because I’m going to perform. I didn’t even face a ball and he had so much to say to me that I know I had to be right there at the end, again.”Samuels said that the needling kept him going. “That’s what I thrive on,” Samuels said. “That’s why I’m still around for so long, despite so much ups and downs. I’ve turned my life around in the last five years, and I wake up every day and give thanks to god and to my kids, this is what I am doing for them.”For some inexplicable reason the press conference was ended abruptly at six minutes. Samuels wanted to talk more. He asked for more questions. At this moment he was laying into everything that moved. The ICC representative, though, put his foot down. Perhaps it was Samuels’ posture, perhaps it was the lack of political correctness. They might want to control him off the field, but on the field Samuels couldn’t be controlled on the night.

Leeds United director of football Victor Orta could be set to leave his position at Elland Road if the Whites are able to survive the drop this season.

Could Orta move on sooner rather than later?

The Spaniard has recently spoken to media back in his homeland of his desire to return to Spain at some point in his career:

“Being Monchi’s successor, in any team, I don’t know if it’s something I’m prepared for, but obviously at some point, I want to return to Spain," he said.

This comes at a time when the Whites are fighting for their life at the wrong end of the Premier League table with a potential return to the Championship on the cards.

And speaking on his podcast, journalist Phil Hay has claimed the Spaniard could leave Leeds to join a 'major' Spanish club:

"It wouldn't be any surprise to me if he went from Leeds to see him at a Spanish club – you know, a fairly major Spanish club.

"And I think – I always say this – there are a lot of people in the game who really rate Orta and I don't think he'll be short of offers particularly."

Could Leeds improve on Orta?

Orta's time in Yorkshire has certainly had its ups and downs both on the pitch and off it as the Whites have endured their struggles in the last two league campaigns.

Having survived the drop on the final day of the season last year, Leeds have failed to improve much with three points separating them from the bottom of the table.

And along the way, Orta has found himself in the middle of controversy with sections of the Leeds fans where he has allowed his emotions to get the better of him.

Incidents at Elland Road have seen the Spaniard hit out at the home fans with incidents seeing him shush sections of the home crowd.

In relation to his actual job, the director of football has certainly had his hits and misses since arriving in Yorkshire with the likes of Raphinha proving his best buy.

But there have definitely been some poor additions under his tenure with the likes of the Jean-Kevin Augustin debacle coming under Orta's time at Elland Road.

It has been a difficult last two seasons for Leeds and Orta's managerial decisions may have played into that with the appointment of Jesse Marsch clearly not working out.

But it will be interesting to see whether the potential takeover from 49ers Enterprises could see Orta leave sooner rather than later if it does go ahead over the summer.

West Ham United are increasingly likely to lose Gianluca Scamacca this summer, amid growing interest in the striker from several Italian clubs, according to a report.

The Lowdown: Summer rebuild needed?

West Ham may be in need of a significant rebuild in the summer transfer window, given that several key players are now being linked with a move away from the London Stadium.

Declan Rice’s departure has been much-discussed in recent months, with it recently emerging that Arsenal are in pole position to land the midfielder, amid interest from the likes of Chelsea.

The Hammers being able to keep hold of their key players is likely to hinge on whether they are able to retain their Premier League status, with Lucas Paqueta tipped to quit if they go down, despite only joining the club last summer.

There have also been recent reports that the club’s hierarchy are looking for a manager to replace David Moyes, being linked to Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri, as well as Reims’ Will Still in recent days.

The Latest: Scamacca to depart?

As per a report from Football Insider, the Irons are becoming increasingly likely to lose Scamacca in the summer, with several Italian clubs, including Juventus, looking to sign the striker.

Like Paqueta, the Italian is unlikely to stay at the London Stadium if West Ham are relegated, and Juventus are one of the clubs actively monitoring the situation.

However, the Serie A club are currently being investigated for their financial practices over the past few years, which could have a significant impact on their ability to bring in new signings.

The Verdict: Major blow?

There have been some promising signs from the Rome-born marksman this season, scoring a total of eight goals in 27 appearances, which is a decent enough record, however it would not be a major blow if he left the club.

Moyes has clearly been unimpressed by the 24-year-old who Trevor Sinclair called ‘superb’ in recent weeks.

Scamacca’s ‘physical data’ is apparently not up to scratch, according to Moyes, which has led to a period of exclusion from the first team, being benched for the last four Premier League matches.

Sky Sports presenter Joe Thomlinson has compared the forward’s situation to that of Sebastian Haller, who was unable to make an impact at the London Stadium, but has since gone on to be a real success elsewhere, scoring 21 goals in 31 league games for Ajax last season.

Scamacca may be given a new lease of life next season if Moyes leaves the club, however it is very hard to envisage him going on to reach his potential under a manager that is clearly unimpressed by him, and it may be best for all parties if he moves on.

Steven Smith interspersed an effective tap-and-run routine with creative big shots to direct Rising Pune Supergiants’ batting effort against Gujarat Lions

Arun Venugopal in Pune30-Apr-2016Steven Smith’s batting can look like a revved-up remix of a Michael Bevan special. Revisit a Smith innings and you will find that your brain hasn’t registered many breathtaking shots – all you may see are images on loop of his restless twitching at the crease, wristy bunts to the leg side and borderline-crazy running. But when you look up the scorecard, there’s a dandy 54-ball 101 staring you down in all its cold authority. How cool is that?Against Gujarat Lions, Smith only had to wait till the third over to unleash his coolness. When he joined Ajinkya Rahane, his fellow busy accumulator at Rajasthan Royals in the past, Rising Pune Supergiants were scoring at a below-par rate. It took Smith only two overs to crank it up. After flicking a first-ball four and loosening up with a few singles, he shot out of the crease to bash the medium pace of Praveen Kumar through the covers. Next ball, Praveen attempted to swing it in to catch him out on the shuffle, but couldn’t beat Smith’s late leg glance, which gave him four more.Smith broke his tap-and-run routine again in the next over by charging seamer Dhawal Kulkarni, who spotted the movement early and bowled a slower ball wide of off. But Smith waited and, with his back leg in the air, stretched out to give the ball a meaty thunk. Four more to the score. From 22 for 1 in four overs, Supergiants had reeled in 26 more in two overs to end the Powerplay at 48 for 1.

Steven Smith on Pune’s bowling.

“I thought we were a bit disappointing with the way we bowled. I think we chopped and changed a little bit too much, rather than being nice and patient and hitting a good line and length, and making them go after the good balls. Any time you do that your chances of taking a wicket [increase] and if you take a wicket up top when you’re chasing 195, it makes things very difficult.”
On Supergiants’ two wins coming in away games
“Usually it’s the other way around isn’t it? In a tournament like this it doesn’t really matter where you play; it’s about going out there on any given day, giving it your all. It’s obviously about winning more to get yourself into that top four and, at the moment, we’re not doing that and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Rahane, meanwhile, was on 23 off 23 balls and might well have stagnated under pressure, or hit out rashly, had Smith not taken it upon himself to ensure the run flow remained fluent. Supergiants scored 37 in the next four overs, despite the field being spread and only three boundaries hit. There were only four dot balls in this period, as Smith pushed himself and Rahane to race through for singles and twos, mostly after cleverly placed dabs and nudges to the leg side – overall, 39 of Smith’s runs came in this fashion.Smith did enjoy a bit of good luck in the tenth over when debutant chinaman bowler Shivil Kaushik overstepped while forcing Smith to sweep one on to his stumps. Smith merrily carted the free-hit over long-off for six; the no-ball, he said, switched him to attack mode.”Probably around [that] point when I said to Rahane, ‘I will go [after the bowling] and you keep batting as you are doing,'” Smith said. “It was nice batting with Ajinkya. He is very quick between the wickets. That’s the kind of player I like to bat with. I like to hit the gaps and run ones and twos.”Lions’ captain Suresh Raina then engaged his death-over specialists – Dwayne Bravo and James Faulkner. Smith was Jackie Chan-esque in response, slipping in a boundary amid a sequence of singles like a punch following pokes to the eye. In the 13th over, he swivelled into a sweep-hoick to put away Faulkner’s slower one for six, before clipping the next ball – a low full toss – wide of long-on and bolting with two runs in mind. Under pressure to prevent the double, Ravindra Jadeja failed to gather the ball which hurried to the fence.While he shuffled around to the seamers, Smith remained still in the crease against slow men Jadeja and Kaushik, getting underneath their fuller deliveries to dispatch them for three straight sixes. All the while he never missed an opportunity to pinch a run, which explained why he finished with just 10 dots. Even when Rahane was about to be run out after backing up too far, Smith was ready for the overthrow in case Bravo missed the stumps. He and Rahane formed a dynamic pairing at long-off and long-on as well but, unfortunately for him, like Virat Kohli, his first T20 century coincided with a mediocre bowling effort from his team.

Match facts

March 28, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT)1:52

Manjrekar: Back South Africa to win this one

Big Picture

There were no visible tears when Sri Lanka were knocked out of the World T20, but to see Angelo Mathews and his men speak, and to read their tweets the next day, there is clearly some hurt. More than one member of the team has expressed a feeling of letting “the whole country down”. As doomed as this Sri Lanka campaign had always seemed, pain still struck when failure became tangible. For someone like Mathews, this is the first time in his career the team is exiting a world tournament before the knockouts have begun.South Africa’s exit was not as dramatic as their penultimate-ball loss to New Zealand in the World Cup last year, but they will be no less affected. Players like Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers are into their 30s now, and have limited chances to taste big-tournament glory – particularly now that the World T20 has switched to a four-year cycle. This time, at least, they will be saved the “chokers” tag. Despite their hoard of monumental talents, South Africa just did not get going in this tournament.As each team attempts to pick itself up to play for pride, South Africa do appear the better team. Sri Lanka’s top order did not play seam well against England, which is a weakness the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris, and – if he gets a game – Dale Steyn could exploit. With so many South Africans in the IPL now, it is difficult to say which team will be more comfortable in these conditions.Sri Lanka also have a little more than their self-esteem on the line: they are looking to snap their seven-match losing streak against Full-Member opposition.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: LWLLL
Sri Lanka: LLWLL

In the spotlight

In an up-and-down few months for South Africa, Imran Tahir has been among their most consistent performers. He has taken five wickets in his three games this tournament, and was excellent against West Indies, returning figures of 13 for 2. Sri Lanka’s right-handers have not fancied legspin in recent months, and what’s more, some of the players in this team will have bad memories of last year’s World Cup quarter-final in Sydney, which Tahir had excelled in. His bowling may define Sri Lanka’s middle overs.Picked, then dumped, then picked again, Jeffrey Vandersay has come into the side and been perhaps the find of Sri Lanka’s woeful tournament. He was outstanding against West Indies, delivering four gripping overs on a turning track. Though his control was slightly wonky in the next match, he still took 2 for 26, and showcased a venomous googly. A third good performance in a row will give the team and its fans hope that the future can be brighter than the present.

Teams news

South Africa may give Farhaan Behardien a match, with Aaron Phangiso also likely to retain his place. David Wiese could be rested.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt.), 4 Rilee Russouw, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 David Miller, 7 Farhaan Behardien, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Aaron Phangiso, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Imran Tahir.With Angelo Mathews likely to be ruled out with a hamstring injury and Dushmantha Chameera also having sustained a blow to a finger, both are likely to be left out for the dead rubber. Dinesh Chandimal is the likely replacement captain. Suranga Lakmal and Shehan Jayasuriya are likely to come into the XI.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dinesh Chandimal (wk)(capt.), 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Milinda Siriwardana, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Chamara Kapugedara, 6 Shehan Jayasuriya, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Dasun Shanaka, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Jeffrey Vandersay, 11 Suranga Lakmal

Pitch and conditions

There was a little slowness to the Kotla surface on Saturday evening, but batsmen who had their eye in were also able to play their shots. The weather is not expected to impede play.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have won three T20Is and lost two against Sri Lanka. Their World T20 head-to-head is even, at 1:1.
• Of batsmen who only played in the Super 10s stage of the tournament, Quinton de Kock has the third-highest run-tally, of 144 from three innings.
• This is only the second time in six World T20 tournaments that Sri Lanka missed out on a knockouts spot. The other occasion had been in the inaugural tournament in 2007.

Quotes

“We’ve got a lot to play for. You never want to leave the World Cup on a bad note. We are hoping we put things back together and come up with a good victory.””This year it was helpful for spinners. A lot of spinners have done well – especially the leg-spinners. Though we are out of the competition, we fight hard – that’s the Sri Lankan spirit.”