We felt the pressure - Dhoni

| A

MS Dhoni was confused with emotion for a moment after hitting the winning runs, before he reached for a stump © AFP Enlarge

It was the first time in six weeks that could be heard doing what can only be described as giggling. Usually self-contained, the India captain arrived at the underground media conference room, World Cup medal around his neck, Man-of-the-Tournament at his side, and turned into someone else.

Twisted into a knot of concentration and anxiety for six weeks during the World Cup, now that the title has been won, Dhoni suddenly found he could let all the tension go, take a step back from the edge, and relax. More than once in a 25-minute conversation, Dhoni collapsed in mirth, pressing the microphone to his forehead because he couldn't remember the first part of two long questions he had been asked. Or it may have been because one of the questions wanted his reaction to some public sentiment that he should now try to run the country.

Normally he replies to questions only in English, even when asked in Hindi. But on Saturday night, Dhoni switched languages several times as he spoke of the strains his team had been under during the World Cup.

"The pressure you go through is a lot; we felt it throughout the tournament," he said before describing what it was like inside the Indian team's bubble. "If you ask the players, they were not eating well because of anxiety. Not pressure, but anxiety. There would be food in front of you but you wouldn't feel like eating it."

To find a way to adjust to the nervousness, Dhoni said the players tried dealing with nerves in differnt ways. "We said avoid it, do this, do that," but the strain was always felt. However, everyone in the squad had, Dhoni said, eventually coped well. "The kind of extra responsibility that each and everybody had was enormous. This is what we had wanted to achieve; we had set our eyes on it one-and-a-half years ago."

Sitting next to him was Yuvraj, the player who exemplified both the performance India put in and the anxiety they had been through on their way to becoming the first team to win a World Cup final at home. When Dhoni was asked how Yuvraj had been in the dressing room during the tournament, he replied with a smile: "He has been vomiting a lot," and then went on to answer the question.

Yuvraj told ESPNcricinfo, as he crossed the Wankhede to return to his dressing room, that he had been physically ill several times during the tournament. "Anxiety, anxiety," he explained. "This was the World Cup and that anxiety can really be heavy."

The burden that Yuvraj and his team-mates had been carrying around over the last six weeks suddenly fell away after the final. Everything had turned into lightness. When he first entered the media conference room, Yuvraj climbed onto the dais, calling out loudly to the journalists: "badhaiyaan ho, badhaiyaan ho [congratulations, congratulations]". During the session the two men traded jokes, and towards the end, Yuvraj was heard saying under his breath to his captain in Hindi: "short answer, please."

Dhoni is not given to particularly short answers, except when he kills a question with a joke. He spoke lucidly of what was going through his mind after he hit the winning runs. "Emotionally, I was confused; I wanted a wicket [stump]". But he found himself at the centre of the pitch with Yuvraj at the other end. "I thought hug-vug we will do later, first take the wicket." He then ran over to his own end to pull out the stump, after which Yuvraj jumped on him, pulling him into a bear hug. "It was an emotional moment," Dhoni said. "I was confused, I didn't know what to do at the time, how to show my emotions."

The decision to promote himself up the order ahead of the in-form Yuvraj had also, Dhoni said, been taken under a certain kind of pressure because of the risk it involved. "It was a big decision, I knew that if I promoted myself and didn't score runs I would be asked why I couldn't stay back? If I promoted myself there would be two left-hand batsmen after me and if I got out the side may have been in trouble."

He said the decision was based on the logic that as Gambhir was batting well, all Dhoni would need to do was rotate strike. Also, India knew the dew factor was going to kick in and Dhoni believed he had the added advantage of being able to read Muttiah Muralitharan's doosra. "I have played a lot with Murali [for the Chennai Super Kings] and I know his doosra quite well, and he knows that also. I was able to put a bit of pressure on him"

The advantage of running well with Gambhir - their partnership extending back to their India A days in 2003-2004 - also tilted the decision towards promoting himself. "We don't take risky singles but try to convert one or one-and-a-half runs into two runs. It was an ideal combination and we were batting together after a long time. We ran well, and backed each other. We knew if we took the game close enough with the Powerplay left, we would achieve the target even if the runs needed were eight an over."

Dhoni is now India's most successful captain in limited-overs cricket, having won both the World Twenty20 and the World Cup, and when asked to explain his success, he laughed. "I'm lucky. I always get good players. The players have responded to me even if it's a Test side, where there were senior players who were part of the side before I started playing for India. Then, the youngsters coming in have contributed a lot, they have been willing to give more than 100%." He said it was "the character of the individuals [in the team] that helped us win this trophy."

India's win came inside the refurbished Wankhede Stadium, where the stands are now built on a vertical climb and the capacity has been reduced to 33,000. On Saturday night, however, the sound created was amplified as the partnerships for the third and fourth wickets grew. The crowd, Dhoni said, gave the batsmen strength. "During the Gambhir-Kohli partnership, ever run was applauded as if it was a boundary."

The dew on the ground had helped the Indian batsmen, as did the easing up of the wicket. But the key according to Dhoni was the combined effort. "It was a pressure game, but everyone contributed. When you share the pressure then it becomes easy."

India's performance at the World Cup, Dhoni said, had been based on a plan that was born about 18 months ago and was a result of methodically resting and rotating players. "We wanted to win the trophy for each other first. The first thing you want to do is give them [team-mates and support staff] happiness; to see it in their eyes."

He said that rather than try to expand the number of people for whom the World Cup was to be won, the team said: "Okay let's concentrate and keep it small. If you do well and win the World Cup, the whole country has a share in it."

India planned final for a year'

A | A

Sachin Tendulkar was carried around his home ground on his team-mates' shoulders © Getty Images Enlarge

Harbhajan Singh wept into the India flag, Yuvraj Singh couldn't hold back tears either. Sachin Tendulkar, not used to having his feet off the ground, for a change felt comfortable on the shoulders of his team-mates as they took a lap of the Wankhede. He was being taken around a ground that had once . All that didn't matter today. A life-long dream had been achieved in a sixth attempt; in front of his home crowd, at a ground where he played most of his domestic cricket. MS Dhoni, Yuvraj, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir followed with their arms around each other's shoulders. Virat Kohli, playing in his first World Cup and inconsolable when he had got out earlier, sang Chak de India to the crowd.

There was delight, there were tears of joy, there was contentment. There was relief after a campaign in which their every move was noticed, dissected and criticised or praised. It was a moment nobody could take away from the Indian team. They took their time as they celebrated. Slowly, savouring each moment. Months of tension, build-up, sleepless nights, inability to eat regularly, cramps, vomit, sweat, toil; all of it was over, and in their hands was the World Cup.

Gary Kirsten's contribution was not forgotten. After Tendulkar had been around the ground on the strong and reliable shoulders of Yusuf Pathan, the team chaired Kirsten too, who was coaching India for one last time. An equally loud applause followed. Quietly, Paddy Upton, the mental conditioning coach, and Eric Simons, the bowling coach, watched. They watched men become kids, they watched and heard, 33,000 people's gratitude.

"There have been some incredible moments in my involvement with sport, but this has got to be the highlight," Upton told ESPNcricinfo.

Upton spoke of the year the team had been through: the anticipation, the preparation, the hard work. "We set on this a year ago. Gary and myself and Eric Simons asked the question, 'Are we ready to win the World Cup?' And we felt we had the team to win it, the skill and the talent, but mentally we possibly weren't ready."

That was in Dambulla where, as Virender Sehwag mentioned, they started visualising the World Cup final. "We had planned a year ago what we needed to do in order to set ourselves up to win the World Cup," Upton said. "For a year we have been talking about when we play the final in Mumbai, and it was amazing yesterday [Friday] to reflect in the team meeting and say, 'Guys we have been talking about exactly this for a year, and we have been preparing for it and we know we are ready.' So while there were nerves, we went in with the confidence that we are better prepared than the opposition."

Some of the players had been struggling to sleep properly, but Upton believed - as it now seems - in something preordained. "Strangely I slept quite comfortably, because the job was done, we just needed to go and act out the script that was already written."

The nerves he felt towards the closing moments, despite himself being a mental conditioning coach, he said was a feeling like no other. "I get bloody nervous. Believe you me. It was magnificent."

The greatest moment of his greatest achievement in sport was watching the players weep. And looking after the mental side of players who perhaps are under the most pressure in world cricket, he has seen them in tears of anguish too. "The greatest moment today was getting together with the team in the middle of the pitch; and just seeing the looks on the guys' faces, and the tears running down their cheeks. Tears of joy and relief and ecstasy. It was a special moment."

India were a step ahead of us' - Sangakkara

The World Cup eluded Kumar Sangakkara's team in a gripping final © Getty Images Enlarge

, the Sri Lanka captain, took heart from his team's performance to reach the final of the World Cup but described the defeat to India in Mumbai as "hugely disappointing". It was Sri Lanka's third defeat - starting with the World Cup in the West Indies, followed by the World Twenty20 in England - in a global tournament final since 2007 and Sangakkara regretted not grabbing what he said was a "once in a lifetime opportunity."

"It is hugely disappointing but satisfying as well in a strange sense because we understand the magnitude of what we've done to get here," Sangakkara said. "We can be proud of the way we played our cricket. We tried exceptionally hard to win games, but today unfortunately we couldn't convert."

Sri Lanka had the upper hand after Mahela Jayawardene scored a sublime century to take them to 274 and Lasith Malinga struck early to remove the Indian openers. There had been confusion during the toss, which had to redone after, as Sangakkara claimed, Dhoni thought his counterpart had called incorrectly, while the others weren't able to hear the call. Sangakkara won the second toss but said the score his team managed after batting first wasn't adequate given the depth of the Indian batting line-up. "Batting first and putting those runs up on the board was never enough the way the Indians batted," he said. "Their batting is unbelievable. They probably have the best top seven in ODI cricket."

Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni struck match-winning 90s to get India's chase on track after those two early setbacks, and Sangakkara admitted his bowlers didn't apply enough pressure. "After we got the first two wickets, we weren't really tight enough with our bowling. We bowled quite a few loose balls and Gambhir and Kohli made us pay for that. MS really stuck it out there and saw through the tough periods. Once they matched and then went past the asking-rate, it was very difficult to pull them back.

"It was a great pitch, it lasted throughout. It turned a little in the middle part of the innings but the Indians are great players of spin. We didn't bother them too much today apart from Malinga's two wickets at the start."

Dhoni's calm leadership under pressure has come in for praise this tournament and Sangakkara joined in. "Dhoni has been the epitome of captain cool. He's intelligent, very smart in the way he does things.

"It's a combination of various factors that has helped them win in different conditions. We also have played very well against them, but playing at home they took that inspiration that one step further."

Sangakkara also lauded Jayawardene for helping Sri Lanka overcome a slow start and set a challenging target. It was the time a batsman ended up on the losing side in a World Cup final after scoring a century. "It was an exceptional innings. He made this wonderful stage his own. He really showed us what he is capable of and what a classy player he is. He got us to where we reached, otherwise we were looking at a total of 240-250.

"It doesn't matter how often you play each other. It is the World Cup final. You need to do something special. We had that in Jayawardene and they had that in Gambhir and Dhoni. They were one step ahead of us."

Sangakkara also acknowledged the contribution of Trevor Bayliss, the Sri Lanka coach, who will be stepping down. "Trevor grounded us very well. A lot of old-fashioned hard work, a lot of common sense. He's a man of few words but what he does say really counts. He's been one of our most successful coaches."

Dhoni and Gambhir lead India to World Cup glory

	MS Dhoni played a masterful captain's innings to steer his side to World Cup success © Associated Press Enlarge
Related Links

Twenty-eight years on from the match that transformed the history of world cricket, India recaptured the crown that Kapil Dev and his men first lifted at Lord's in 1983, and this time they did so in their very own back yard. An iron-willed 97 from was matched for intensity by the finest captain's innings since Ricky Ponting in Johannesburg eight years ago, as trumped a poetic century from to pull off the highest run-chase ever achieved in a World Cup final.

Against a triumphant backdrop at the Wankhede Stadium, victory was sealed by six wickets with 10 balls to spare, as Dhoni - who had promoted himself to No. 5 to heap extra lashings of responsibility onto his own shoulders - rushed through the gears as the victory target drew nearer. With 15 required from 17 balls, he flicked Sri Lanka's only true threat, Lasith Malinga, through midwicket for consecutive boundaries, before smoking Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on to finish on 91 not out from 79 balls, and spark the most delirious scenes of celebration ever seen on the subcontinent.

However, the final margin did little justice to the tussle that had preceded it. Even the toss ended up being disputed, as Kumar Sangakkara's initial call was drowned out by the crowd, but it was the ebb and flow of Zaheer Khan's day that epitomised the fluctuations of a compelling contest. Zaheer opened his account with three consecutive maidens and the scalp of Upul Tharanga in a peerless spell of 5-3-6-1, only to be clobbered for 17 and 18 runs in his ninth and tenth overs, as Sri Lanka monstered 63 runs in the batting Powerplay to post an imposing 274 for 6.

And India's day got much worse before the team's fortunes began to inch upwards. Virender Sehwag had hit a boundary from the first ball of six of India's previous eight innings in the tournament, but this time Malinga's slingers dealt him a second-ball duck, as he skidded a full delivery into his back pad. And then Sachin Tendulkar, for whom the script had seemingly been written, was drawn into a loose drive by a fast Malinga outswinger, having set the stadium on standby for instant history with 18 sumptuously accumulated runs from his first 12 deliveries.

At 31 for 2 in the seventh over, India were struggling to keep their toehold in the contest, and it was all too much for a faithless few in the crowd who turned their backs and set off for home. But Gambhir and Virat Kohli epitomise a generation that does not easily accept defeat, and their third-wicket stand of 83 laid the foundations for an epic turnaround. The prospect of a seam-friendly surface, allied to the grievous loss of Angelo Mathews to a thigh strain, had tempted Sri Lanka into four key changes to the team that had triumphed over New Zealand in Colombo, and with Muttiah Muralitharan lacking bite in the final wicketless appearance of his 19-year career, Malinga alone could not carry the day.

	Gautam Gambhir held India's fortunes together in the final © AFP Enlarge

The hard-hitting of Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera had been instrumental in hoisting Sri Lanka's total to such heights, but in their primary role as front-line seamers they lacked menace and were all too easy to squeeze as 119 runs came from their combined allocation of 17.2 overs. The newcomer to the squad, Suraj Randiv, caused a moment of alarm with his high-kicking offspin when Gambhir, on 30, was dropped by a diving Kulasekara at long-off, but as the innings progressed, his lack of guile proved costly. The decision to omit both Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, whose combined efforts had been so effective against England and New Zealand, is one that will haunt Sri Lanka for years to come.

But this was a victory that still had to be grasped, and India found the men who were willing to do so. The 22-year-old Kohli, who was greeted with a stern word of encouragement as he replaced the outgoing Tendulkar, showed all the mettle for the big occasion as he eased along to 35 from 49 balls before falling to an outstanding return catch by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who dived full-length across the crease to intercept a leading edge. But it was Gambhir and Dhoni to whom the ultimate duty fell. Their 109-run stand was the highest by an Indian pairing in three World Cup final appearances, and even when Gambhir gave away the chance for an unforgettable century with a tired charge and slash at Perera, the result was no longer in doubt.

Gambhir struck nine fours in a 122-ball statement of indomitability, and both he and Dhoni required treatment for stiff backs as the sapping Mumbai heat took its toll. Dhoni at one stage looked so immobile that a precautionary retirement seemed the only logical response, but after some harsh work from the physio he resumed his stance and responded with another trademark filleting of the extra cover boundary, an area in which he scored six of his eight fours - three of which helped to blunt Murali's attacking instincts.

Both teams contained numerous veterans of World Cup final defeat, with no fewer than five Indians still remaining from the team that lost to Australia back in 2003, and as a consequence this was a match thick with performances that spoke of the wisdom of experience. Though each of the previous five centurions in finals had gone on to lift the trophy, as well as seven of the nine teams that had had the chance to bat first, Jayawardene had the misfortune to become an exception to both rules. His stunning 103 not out from 88 balls was proof that finesse has as much of a place at this level as brutality, but ultimately it was not enough to deny India their destiny.

Four years ago at Sabina Park, Jayawardene produced a supreme century against New Zealand to carry his side to their second World Cup final, but this was an innings of even more exquisite application. He came to the crease with his side under the cosh at 60 for 2 in the 17th over, having been throttled by Zaheer's supreme new-ball spell. But he responded with a tempo that scarcely wavered from a run a ball, until with Kulasekera for company, he opened his shoulders to power through to his hundred from 84 balls.

For an occasion of this magnitude, cool heads were the order of the day, and though his final figures did not show it, no-one was cooler in the opening exchanges than Zaheer. On his watch, Sri Lanka were limited to 31 for 1 in their mandatory Powerplay, their lowest ten-over score of the tournament, and the hapless Tharanga was restricted to two runs from 20 balls before snicking to Sehwag at slip, whose sharp low take epitomised a fielding effort that was rarely less than totally committed. Then, when he returned in the 37th over, Zaheer deceived Chamara Kapugedera with a beautiful slower ball that was driven to short cover, on route to equalling Shahid Afridi as the tournament's leading wicket-taker, with 21.

And yet, the speed with which his figures were vandalised was astounding. Though each of Jayawardene's 13 fours was a classy stroke in its own right, none was better than the last of them, an inside-out cover-drive to one of Zaheer's trademark outswinging yorkers, as he premeditated the late movement and filleted the ring of fielders on the off-side. The outright acceleration came from the other end, however, where Kulasekera made 32 from 30 balls before his sacrificial run-out led to a pat of gratitude from Jayawardene as they parted. And then, by the time Perera, who made 22 from nine balls, had sealed his onslaught with a dismissive thump for six over midwicket, the decibel levels in the Wankhede had plummeted.

But run by run, over by over, minute by minute, India picked themselves up, dusted themselves down, and turned the screw on Sri Lanka with a determination that a lesser group of men could not have begun to muster, amid the sure knowledge that several billion countrymen were investing all their hopes in their actions. And though he himself played just a walk-on part in the wider drama, it was Tendulkar who was chaired from the field as the celebrations began in earnest. "He's carried the burden of our nation for 21 years," said the youngster Kohli. "It was time to carry him on our shoulders today."

Magnificent Meth stars in Tuskers win

Matabeleland Tuskers are the new Logan Cup champions. Depleted, without five of their key players, they beat a Mountaineers side that had gone unbeaten this season by 18 runs, a remarkable achievement. The key factor was their steadily improving swing bowler Keegan Meth, who has finished the season with at an average of just 13.31. Impressing with his deceptive swerve and accuracy, he has also had decent returns in both the domestic and . In this match he took 13 wickets at a cost of only 109 runs, as well as scoring a vital 65 in Tuskers' second innings, in a truly inspirational all-round performance.

Mountaineers began the day requiring a further 148 runs, with eight wickets in hand, and it was clear at the start of the day that the result of the match would most likely hinge on the result of the battle between Hamilton Masakadza and Meth - and Meth won it convincingly. Masakadza off-drove a single off Keith Dabengwa in the second over of the day to take the home side's total to 100, and put him on strike for Meth's next over. He pushed fatally outside the off stump, edged a catch to the wicketkeeper and departed for 14 to scenes of jubilation from the fielders - indeed Tuskers were once again somewhat excessively noisy in the field, especially early on.

The experienced South African Jon Beukes added 16 confident runs off 14 balls, with three fours, but he was then given out lbw on the front foot to Meth, and the middle order then surrendered meekly. Donald Tiripano, the nightwatchman, had held an end up grimly for almost an hour, but edged a low catch to second slip off Meth to depart for 5 off 42 balls. Prosper Utseya, who has often been a man for a crisis in the past, was this time another lbw victim to Meth for a single, and Benjamin Katsande lasted only three balls before edging to the keeper. After a middle-order collapse in which four wickets fell for seven runs in just four overs, Mountaineers had slipped to 125 for 7.

Meth began to tire but was kept on in the hope was taking the decisive wickets, but Timycen Maruma and Shingi Masakadza kept him out with some defiant batting and started to attack Dabengwa, who had been blocking up the other end. Dabengwa, Tuskers' stand-in captain for this game in the absence of the injured Gavin Ewing, was faced with the dilemma of whether to continue with Meth or rest him, but just as the time for a decision imminent Meth struck again. Shingi Masakadza had been trying to counter his movement and upset his length by going down the pitch to him, which brought the keeper up to the stumps; the batsman did it once too often and was stumped for 17 to reduce Mountaineers to 155 for 8.

Maruma decided to take advantage of the wearied bowler, now in his eleventh over, smiting him for two mighty leg-side sixes in succession. In the meantime Dabengwa gave way to Chris Mpofu, but Tendai Chatara gave Maruma unexpected support, with five well-selected boundary hits off the fast bowler. They survived until lunch, and then Tawanda Mupariwa replaced the exhausted Meth. He quickly produced a rising ball that Maruma, on 36, edged at an awkward throat height to the keeper, who dropped it. After two overs from Mupariwa, Dabengwa brought back Meth, but he no longer had the power to terrorize and the batsmen were able to keep the scoreboard ticking over comfortably and get within 50 runs of their target.

When Maruma reached an admirable fifty, only another 24 runs were needed to win. But, tragically, a mix-up between the batsmen led to his being run out for 51 and the fighting partnership of 69 was ended. Natsai Mushangwe tried to hit out, but was caught in the outfield off Mpofu and the Logan Cup went to Matabeleland Tuskers.

Dhoni and Gambhir lead India to World Cup glory

MS Dhoni played a masterful captain's innings to steer his side to World Cup success © Associated Press Enlarge

Twenty-eight years on from the match that transformed the history of world cricket, India recaptured the crown that Kapil Dev and his men first lifted at Lord's in 1983, and this time they did so in their very own back yard. An iron-willed 97 from was matched for intensity by the finest captain's innings since Ricky Ponting in Johannesburg eight years ago, as MS Dhoni trumped a poetic century from to pull off the highest run-chase ever achieved in a World Cup final.

Against a triumphant backdrop at the Wankhede Stadium, victory was sealed by six wickets with 10 balls to spare, as Dhoni - who had promoted himself to No. 5 to heap extra lashings of responsibility onto his own shoulders - rushed through the gears as the victory target drew nearer. With 15 required from 17 balls, he flicked Sri Lanka's only true threat, Lasith Malinga, through midwicket for consecutive boundaries, before smoking Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on to finish on 91 not out from 79 balls, and spark the most delirious scenes of celebration ever seen on the subcontinent.

However, the final margin did little justice to the tussle that had preceded it. Even the toss ended up being disputed, as Kumar Sangakkara's initial call was drowned out by the crowd, but it was the ebb and flow of Zaheer Khan's day that epitomised the fluctuations of a compelling contest. Zaheer opened his account with three consecutive maidens and the scalp of Upul Tharanga in a peerless spell of 5-3-6-1, only to be clobbered for 17 and 18 runs in his ninth and tenth overs, as Sri Lanka monstered 63 runs in the batting Powerplay to post an imposing 274 for 6.

And India's day got much worse before the team's fortunes began to inch upwards. Virender Sehwag had hit a boundary from the first ball of six of India's previous eight innings in the tournament, but this time Malinga's slingers dealt him a second-ball duck, as he skidded a full delivery into his back pad. And then Sachin Tendulkar, for whom the script had seemingly been written, was drawn into a loose drive by a fast Malinga outswinger, having set the stadium on standby for instant history with 18 sumptuously accumulated runs from his first 12 deliveries.

At 31 for 2 in the seventh over, India were struggling to keep their toehold in the contest, and it was all too much for a faithless few in the crowd who turned their backs and set off for home. But Gambhir and Virat Kohli epitomise a generation that does not easily accept defeat, and their third-wicket stand of 83 laid the foundations for an epic turnaround. The prospect of a seam-friendly surface, allied to the grievous loss of Angelo Mathews to a thigh strain, had tempted Sri Lanka into four key changes to the team that had triumphed over New Zealand in Colombo, and with Muttiah Muralitharan lacking bite in the final wicketless appearance of his 19-year career, Malinga alone could not carry the day.

	Gautam Gambhir held India's fortunes together in the final © AFP Enlarge

The hard-hitting of Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera had been instrumental in hoisting Sri Lanka's total to such heights, but in their primary role as front-line seamers they lacked menace and were all too easy to squeeze as 119 runs came from their combined allocation of 17.2 overs. The newcomer to the squad, Suraj Randiv, caused a moment of alarm with his high-kicking offspin when Gambhir, on 30, was dropped by a diving Kulasekara at long-off, but as the innings progressed, his lack of guile proved costly. The decision to omit both Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, whose combined efforts had been so effective against England and New Zealand, is one that will haunt Sri Lanka for years to come.

But this was a victory that still had to be grasped, and India found the men who were willing to do so. The 22-year-old Kohli, who was greeted with a stern word of encouragement as he replaced the outgoing Tendulkar, showed all the mettle for the big occasion as he eased along to 35 from 49 balls before falling to an outstanding return catch by Tillakaratne Dilshan, who dived full-length across the crease to intercept a leading edge. But it was Gambhir and Dhoni to whom the ultimate duty fell. Their 109-run stand was the highest by an Indian pairing in three World Cup final appearances, and even when Gambhir gave away the chance for an unforgettable century with a tired charge and slash at Perera, the result was no longer in doubt.

Gambhir struck nine fours in a 122-ball statement of indomitability, and both he and Dhoni required treatment for stiff backs as the sapping Mumbai heat took its toll. Dhoni at one stage looked so immobile that a precautionary retirement seemed the only logical response, but after some harsh work from the physio he resumed his stance and responded with another trademark filleting of the extra cover boundary, an area in which he scored six of his eight fours - three of which helped to blunt Murali's attacking instincts.

Both teams contained numerous veterans of World Cup final defeat, with no fewer than five Indians still remaining from the team that lost to Australia back in 2003, and as a consequence this was a match thick with performances that spoke of the wisdom of experience. Though each of the previous five centurions in finals had gone on to lift the trophy, as well as seven of the nine teams that had had the chance to bat first, Jayawardene had the misfortune to become an exception to both rules. His stunning 103 not out from 88 balls was proof that finesse has as much of a place at this level as brutality, but ultimately it was not enough to deny India their destiny.

Four years ago at Sabina Park, Jayawardene produced a supreme century against New Zealand to carry his side to their second World Cup final, but this was an innings of even more exquisite application. He came to the crease with his side under the cosh at 60 for 2 in the 17th over, having been throttled by Zaheer's supreme new-ball spell. But he responded with a tempo that scarcely wavered from a run a ball, until with Kulasekera for company, he opened his shoulders to power through to his hundred from 84 balls.

For an occasion of this magnitude, cool heads were the order of the day, and though his final figures did not show it, no-one was cooler in the opening exchanges than Zaheer. On his watch, Sri Lanka were limited to 31 for 1 in their mandatory Powerplay, their lowest ten-over score of the tournament, and the hapless Tharanga was restricted to two runs from 20 balls before snicking to Sehwag at slip, whose sharp low take epitomised a fielding effort that was rarely less than totally committed. Then, when he returned in the 37th over, Zaheer deceived Chamara Kapugedera with a beautiful slower ball that was driven to short cover, on route to equalling Shahid Afridi as the tournament's leading wicket-taker, with 21.

And yet, the speed with which his figures were vandalised was astounding. Though each of Jayawardene's 13 fours was a classy stroke in its own right, none was better than the last of them, an inside-out cover-drive to one of Zaheer's trademark outswinging yorkers, as he premeditated the late movement and filleted the ring of fielders on the off-side. The outright acceleration came from the other end, however, where Kulasekera made 32 from 30 balls before his sacrificial run-out led to a pat of gratitude from Jayawardene as they parted. And then, by the time Perera, who made 22 from nine balls, had sealed his onslaught with a dismissive thump for six over midwicket, the decibel levels in the Wankhede had plummeted.

But run by run, over by over, minute by minute, India picked themselves up, dusted themselves down, and turned the screw on Sri Lanka with a determination that a lesser group of men could not have begun to muster, amid the sure knowledge that several billion countrymen were investing all their hopes in their actions. And though he himself played just a walk-on part in the wider drama, it was Tendulkar who was chaired from the field as the celebrations began in earnest. "He's carried the burden of our nation for 21 years," said the youngster Kohli. "It was time to carry him on our shoulders today."

Toss taken twice after confusion over call

A

Heads? Tails? Let's do it again. © Getty Images Enlarge

The World Cup final ran into confusion before the first ball was bowled. The coin had to be tossed twice after the match referee Jeff Crowe said he had not heard Sri Lanka captain Kumara Sangakkara's call the first time. The Wankhede Stadium was not yet filled to its 33,000 capacity, and the noise was yet to reach its peak. Commentator Ravi Shastri, who was hosting the toss, said it had fallen heads the first time. There were then a few moments of confusion as Crowe said he had not heard the call and so the toss that had been carried out was null and void. When MS Dhoni threw up the coin again, Sangakkara called 'heads' and the coin fell Sri Lanka's way.

Replays of the toss indicated that Sangakkara called heads the first time as well, and the call is audible to producers of the host broadcasters ESPN-Star Sports. Sangakkara's head was lowered when he called. However, Dhoni appears to have heard it as a tails call, and he turned towards Shastri saying, "We'll bat". But neither Shastri nor Crowe had heard Sangakkara's call, Crowe due to the noise and Shastri because he was looking up at the coin. When Shastri looked across to Crowe, the referee said, "I didn't hear it." There was then a brief conversation and it was decided the toss had to be held again.

Crowe was also the match referee at the 2007 World Cup final when the teams went off for bad light but were to forced to return and play out the remaining overs in darkness. He had overseen a mistake by the officials that led to the game resuming in near total darkness. The officials had forgotten that, as 20 overs had been bowled in the second innings, a result could be declared. Crowe, when pressed at a post-match news conference, blamed that error on now retired South African umpire Rudi Koertzen, who was the television replay official for that match.

Magnificent Meth stars in Tuskers win

Matabeleland Tuskers are the new Logan Cup champions. Depleted, without five of their key players, they beat a Mountaineers side that had gone unbeaten this season by 18 runs, a remarkable achievement. The key factor was their steadily improving swing bowler Keegan Meth, who has finished the season with at an average of just 13.31. Impressing with his deceptive swerve and accuracy, he has also had decent returns in both the domestic 40-over and . In this match he took 13 wickets at a cost of only 109 runs, as well as scoring a vital 65 in Tuskers' second innings, in a truly inspirational all-round performance.

Mountaineers began the day requiring a further 148 runs, with eight wickets in hand, and it was clear at the start of the day that the result of the match would most likely hinge on the result of the battle between Hamilton Masakadza and Meth - and Meth won it convincingly. Masakadza off-drove a single off Keith Dabengwa in the second over of the day to take the home side's total to 100, and put him on strike for Meth's next over. He pushed fatally outside the off stump, edged a catch to the wicketkeeper and departed for 14 to scenes of jubilation from the fielders - indeed Tuskers were once again somewhat excessively noisy in the field, especially early on.

The experienced South African Jon Beukes added 16 confident runs off 14 balls, with three fours, but he was then given out lbw on the front foot to Meth, and the middle order then surrendered meekly. Donald Tiripano, the nightwatchman, had held an end up grimly for almost an hour, but edged a low catch to second slip off Meth to depart for 5 off 42 balls. Prosper Utseya, who has often been a man for a crisis in the past, was this time another lbw victim to Meth for a single, and Benjamin Katsande lasted only three balls before edging to the keeper. After a middle-order collapse in which four wickets fell for seven runs in just four overs, Mountaineers had slipped to 125 for 7.

Meth began to tire but was kept on in the hope was taking the decisive wickets, but Timycen Maruma and Shingi Masakadza kept him out with some defiant batting and started to attack Dabengwa, who had been blocking up the other end. Dabengwa, Tuskers' stand-in captain for this game in the absence of the injured Gavin Ewing, was faced with the dilemma of whether to continue with Meth or rest him, but just as the time for a decision imminent Meth struck again. Shingi Masakadza had been trying to counter his movement and upset his length by going down the pitch to him, which brought the keeper up to the stumps; the batsman did it once too often and was stumped for 17 to reduce Mountaineers to 155 for 8.

Maruma decided to take advantage of the wearied bowler, now in his eleventh over, smiting him for two mighty leg-side sixes in succession. In the meantime Dabengwa gave way to Chris Mpofu, but Tendai Chatara gave Maruma unexpected support, with five well-selected boundary hits off the fast bowler. They survived until lunch, and then Tawanda Mupariwa replaced the exhausted Meth. He quickly produced a rising ball that Maruma, on 36, edged at an awkward throat height to the keeper, who dropped it. After two overs from Mupariwa, Dabengwa brought back Meth, but he no longer had the power to terrorize and the batsmen were able to keep the scoreboard ticking over comfortably and get within 50 runs of their target.

When Maruma reached an admirable fifty, only another 24 runs were needed to win. But, tragically, a mix-up between the batsmen led to his being run out for 51 and the fighting partnership of 69 was ended. Natsai Mushangwe tried to hit out, but was caught in the outfield off Mpofu and the Logan Cup went to Matabeleland Tuskers.

Magnificent Meth stars in Tuskers win

Matabeleland Tuskers are the new Logan Cup champions. Depleted, without five of their key players, they beat a Mountaineers side that had gone unbeaten this season by 18 runs, a remarkable achievement. The key factor was their steadily improving swing bowler Keegan Meth, who has finished the season with at an average of just 13.31. Impressing with his deceptive swerve and accuracy, he has also had decent returns in both the domestic 40-over and . In this match he took 13 wickets at a cost of only 109 runs, as well as scoring a vital 65 in Tuskers' second innings, in a truly inspirational all-round performance.

Mountaineers began the day requiring a further 148 runs, with eight wickets in hand, and it was clear at the start of the day that the result of the match would most likely hinge on the result of the battle between Hamilton Masakadza and Meth - and Meth won it convincingly. Masakadza off-drove a single off Keith Dabengwa in the second over of the day to take the home side's total to 100, and put him on strike for Meth's next over. He pushed fatally outside the off stump, edged a catch to the wicketkeeper and departed for 14 to scenes of jubilation from the fielders - indeed Tuskers were once again somewhat excessively noisy in the field, especially early on.

The experienced South African Jon Beukes added 16 confident runs off 14 balls, with three fours, but he was then given out lbw on the front foot to Meth, and the middle order then surrendered meekly. Donald Tiripano, the nightwatchman, had held an end up grimly for almost an hour, but edged a low catch to second slip off Meth to depart for 5 off 42 balls. Prosper Utseya, who has often been a man for a crisis in the past, was this time another lbw victim to Meth for a single, and Benjamin Katsande lasted only three balls before edging to the keeper. After a middle-order collapse in which four wickets fell for seven runs in just four overs, Mountaineers had slipped to 125 for 7.

Meth began to tire but was kept on in the hope was taking the decisive wickets, but Timycen Maruma and Shingi Masakadza kept him out with some defiant batting and started to attack Dabengwa, who had been blocking up the other end. Dabengwa, Tuskers' stand-in captain for this game in the absence of the injured Gavin Ewing, was faced with the dilemma of whether to continue with Meth or rest him, but just as the time for a decision imminent Meth struck again. Shingi Masakadza had been trying to counter his movement and upset his length by going down the pitch to him, which brought the keeper up to the stumps; the batsman did it once too often and was stumped for 17 to reduce Mountaineers to 155 for 8.

Maruma decided to take advantage of the wearied bowler, now in his eleventh over, smiting him for two mighty leg-side sixes in succession. In the meantime Dabengwa gave way to Chris Mpofu, but Tendai Chatara gave Maruma unexpected support, with five well-selected boundary hits off the fast bowler. They survived until lunch, and then Tawanda Mupariwa replaced the exhausted Meth. He quickly produced a rising ball that Maruma, on 36, edged at an awkward throat height to the keeper, who dropped it. After two overs from Mupariwa, Dabengwa brought back Meth, but he no longer had the power to terrorize and the batsmen were able to keep the scoreboard ticking over comfortably and get within 50 runs of their target.

When Maruma reached an admirable fifty, only another 24 runs were needed to win. But, tragically, a mix-up between the batsmen led to his being run out for 51 and the fighting partnership of 69 was ended. Natsai Mushangwe tried to hit out, but was caught in the outfield off Mpofu and the Logan Cup went to Matabeleland Tuskers.

'I couldn't control my tears of joy'

Several Indian players couldn't control their emotions © AFP Enlarge

"I couldn't have asked for anything more than this. Winning the World Cup is the proudest moment of my life. Thanks to my team-mates. Without them, nothing would have happened. I couldn't control my tears of joy."
Sachin Tendulkar, who's played six World Cups, on his best moment

"I took a quite few decisions tonight, if we hadn't won I would have been asked quite a few questions: Why no Ashwin, why Sreesanth, why no Yuvraj, why did I bat ahead?! That pushed me and motivated to do well"
MS Dhoni puts a light spin on his selection decisions ahead of India's title win

"This is unbelievable. The Under-19 World Cup, then the World Twenty20 but this is the most special. For Sachin, for everyone else."
Yuvraj Singh, the Player of the Tournament, sums it up

"Very proud of everyone, especially Mahela who rose up to the occasion and put up a great hundred. When you look at this Indian team anything less than 350 looks less! They deserved this title, the way they played in front of a great crowd."
Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, is gracious in defeat

"All credit goes to Sachin Tendulkar. We played for him. Beating Australia and Pakistan and now this, its a dream come true."

Gautam Gambhir, who gave India the upper hand in the final with his 97

"It means the world to me. I have been part of the three World Cups. This is for the nation. Thank you very much, we love you. This cup is for the people. Love you India!"
Harbhajan Singh was among several Indian players who shed a tear following India's victory

"This goes out to all the people of India. This is my first World Cup; I can't ask for more. Tendulkar has carried the burden of nation for 21 years; It was time we carried him. Chak de India!"
Virat Kohli leads the Tendulkar tributes

'We're going to miss Murali terribly' - Sangakkara

India deprived Muttiah Muralitharan of the send-off he sought © Associated Press Enlarge

rued not being able to give the perfect send-off in what was his final international appearance for Sri Lanka and admitted the team would "miss him terribly." Sri Lanka were beaten by six wickets in the World Cup final by India in Mumbai and Murali, on one of his rare off days, went wicketless in eight overs and conceded 39 runs.

"It's one of those rare days when he hasn't really done the job for us, but it happens maybe once in a 100 games," Sangakkara said. "We're going to miss him terribly. Unfortunately we couldn't give him a great send-off but that's the way it goes. We were outplayed and we have to accept that."

Sri Lanka had done well after winning the toss, posting 274 thanks to a superlative century from Mahela Jayawardene. They were in command when Lasith Malinga dismissed India's openers, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, early in the chase. But the Indian middle order stepped up with Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni reviving the innings with match-winning half-centuries.

Murali was dealt with easily by Gambhir and Dhoni, who hit him repeatedly to the extra-cover boundary. Murali had come into this game with a groin injury, and while it was considered a risk to play him, the game was just too big to leave him out. Sangakkara, however, said fitness didn't affect Murali's performance.

"He's our best bowler, even if half-fit," Sangakkara said. "But he was fine, he was almost at full fitness when he played today. I don't think it was an issue."

Murali had ended his Test career on a high, picking up a wicket with his final delivery to win Sri Lanka a game against India last year. And while that perfect ending eluded him this World Cup, Sangakkara summed up what he meant for Sri lanka. "Murali is the icon of Sri Lanka," he said. "As a champion on the field and off the field. As a human being and a cricketer, I don't think there is anyone to match him."

New Zealand ease to 97-run victory

	A century stand between Ashish Bagai and Jimmy Hansra was the highlight for Canada but they suffered another heavy defeat © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Ashish Bagai | Jimmy Hansra | Brendon McCullum | Ross Taylor Matches: Canada v New Zealand at Mumbai Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup Teams: Canada | New Zealand

New Zealand walked to an easy 97-run win over Canada in Mumbai and sealed their place in the quarter-finals. They romped unchallenged to 358 for 6 and then held Canada to 261 for 9 in reply. 's century, and a brutal late assault from and the lower middle order, put the score well out of Canada's reach. ensured Canada at least reached their highest total of the tournament, but there was never even a hint that they would mount a challenge against New Zealand's effort.

Canada won the toss and Bagai chose to bowl, hoping to take advantage of any early-morning moisture on a pitch that had a typically reddish tinge to it. But after a reasonably disciplined start the bowlers' lines started to waver and Brendon McCullum, in particular, took a heavy toll. He repeatedly rifled cuts and drives through or over the off side, and had entered the 30s at better than a-run-a-ball when New Zealand's fifty came up in the ninth over.

Canada struck through some dogged medium pace from Harvir Baidwan and a stellar piece of wicketkeeping from Bagai, who has greatly enhanced his reputation behind the stumps in the course of this tournament. He held onto a thick edge, standing up, to get rid of Martin Guptill.

McCullum passed fifty and soon tired of accumulation when the field was set back, reverse-sweeping John Davison for the first boundary in six overs and then jumping down the track to swat legspinner Balaji Rao high over long-off. Jesse Ryder, who had tempered his usual aggression to reach 38 from 55 balls, looked to follow suit against Davison soon after but sliced across a flighted offspinner to present Henry Osinde with an easy catch at long-on.

Taylor flicked Osinde twice to the leg-side boundary to kick-start his innings and partnered Brendon McCullum to his third ODI hundred in the 36th over. With New Zealand's two most devastating batsmen at the crease, the batting Powerplay was called for immediately afterwards, but Brendon McCullum was its first victim when he slapped Baidwan straight to Ruvindu Gunasekara at extra cover.

Though Rao picked up two wickets in the remaining overs, including that of Taylor for a 44-ball 74 that included four mighty sixes in the space of a single over, Canada completely unravelled in the field as the score went stratospheric. A whopping 74 runs came from the batting Powerplay, and 122 from the last 10 overs, including 31 from the final over of the innings during which Rizwan Cheema was removed from the attack for his second beamer of the innings.

The signs were ominous for Canada when Ruvindu Gunasekara slashed at the first ball of Kyle Mills' second over and Taylor timed his leap to perfection at first slip to pluck the ball out of the air one handed. The boundary had still not been reached when, two overs later, Zubin Surkari hung his bat out limply at another Mills outswinger to offer Taylor his second catch.

Canada were 4 for 2 and sinking fast, but Bagai and Hiral Patel wasted no time in launching a spirited fightback. Their effort was no doubt helped by a premature end to Mills' spell when he pulled up lame one ball after he had dismissed Surkari, clutching at his left knee in some pain and leaving the field straightaway.

After a nerveless, shotless start to his innings Patel took Tim Southee on in stirring fashion, targeting the off side in a series of imperious thumps. He reached a fluent 31 but was then undone by a well-directed bouncer from Jacob Oram that cramped him for room, a thin edge nestling safely in Brendon McCullum's gloves.

Their partnership had stretched to 46 at a good rate before it was broken, and Bagai's contribution had been steady, composed accumulation. He went into the 30s with a classy loft over cover off Nathan McCullum and continued in much the same gear in Hansra's company.

The pair added 125 for the fourth wicket, a partnership dominated by ones and twos but punctuated by a couple of strong shots whenever a bad ball was bowled. Though there was no chance it could result in a win, there was still the achievement that it was Canada's second-highest against a Test-playing nation, beaten only by Geoff Barnett and Ian Billcliff's 177-run stand against Bangladesh at the 2007 World Cup.

Bagai went to fifty by spanking a full toss from Kane Williamson to the cover boundary, but the searing heat of the Mumbai afternoon after he'd also kept wicket for the first half of the game began to take its toll. As cramps set in Bagai began to hit out in search of a century, but perished when a flashing drive resulted only in a thin edge behind.

It was cramp that did for Hansra too, and he retired on 53 - his second half-century in successive games - soon after the batting Powerplay was taken in the 41st over. The match had long ceased to be a contest by that stage, the situation typified by Davison's amateurish run-out, but Canada's lower order did at least throw the bat around and Hansra returned to the crease after rehydrating to ensure they batted out the full 50 overs.

They can at least take some comfort in the way they have improved as a team in the course of this tournament. For their part, the win means New Zealand now top the Group A points table.

Hughes hundred sets up New South Wales win

Phillip Hughes made 115 in the New South Wales win © Getty Images Enlarge

Phillip Hughes' first hundred in more than a year delivered victory to New South Wales, but it wasn't enough to earn them hosting rights for the Sheffield Shield final. The Blues will travel to Hobart for the decider, which starts on Thursday, after Tasmania secured a home final with their four-wicket win over South Australia in Adelaide.

At least New South Wales will enter the contest with some form behind them, and the efforts of Hughes were particularly pleasing for the Blues. He made 54 in the first innings and 115 in the second, his first century since February 2010, and when he fell to Michael Hogan, New South Wales still needed 29 more runs with four wickets in hand.

Ben Rohrer (70 not out) guided the Blues home for a three-wicket win, with Trent Copeland at the crease on 4 when the winning runs arrived. Nathan Coulter-Nile picked up three wickets, and six for the match, for the Warriors, who finished the Sheffield Shield season in fourth position.

Netherlands out to ruin hosts' party

Netherlands out to ruin hosts' party

: A | A

Netherlands drew the wrong group in this World Cup. They must feel rotten every time they watch Canada and Kenya go through the motions in the other group. However, Group B has been richer for their presence, and they have contributed in their own way in making the group interesting, not least by scoring 292 against England and having India at 99 for 4. Now that they cannot make it to the quarter-finals, Netherlands draw motivation from knowing that they can make the group even more interesting by ruining on a party or two.

"I am not too sure how it will suit Ireland, as in them trying to qualify, but Bangladesh are right in the mix to qualify," Peter Borren, their captain, said. "Ireland also there or thereabouts. It definitely will be our intention to ruin that party for them, and I guess it's nice at this time with our games against Bangladesh and Ireland. It's good that they still have a bearing on the tournament, on the qualification for the next round. It is a very strong group, and we have seen it's not been easy to predict results. It's just great that we can go in there, and the matches that we play still count."

If Netherlands manage to cause an upset in their next game, against Bangladesh, they will have done them a major disservice, for then Bangladesh will have to win against South Africa to have any shot at making it to the next round. They can draw inspiration from their only international meeting with Bangladesh, a six-wicket win in Glasgow, but they know the Glasgow result matters as much to Chittagong as Scotland does to this World Cup.

"There is no doubt we get some positives out of the win we had against Bangladesh last year," Borren said. "We have played them once, and we have had that win. It was in completely different conditions, foreign conditions for Bangladesh, and the end of a long tour for them. We take positives out of it, but we are very realistic about the challenge we are going to confront tomorrow, and in these conditions Bangladesh are obviously a very difficult team to beat."

	Netherlands have no hopes of qualification, but can ruin a party or two © Getty Images Enlarge

Netherland's big challenge will be no prior knowledge of the conditions that have managed to surprise the best of the teams. Moreover they have hardly played Bangladesh at top levels. "Our knowledge of our opponents and the conditions are pretty limited," Borren said. "We have watched them play quite a bit, and we saw them play here in Bangladesh, against England the other night, so we are pretty aware of what we are going to come up against. And conditions as well, something we have practised quite a lot playing against spin on slow wickets, coming into this tournament. I guess the match tomorrow, the conditions that we are going to get, are the epitome of what we have been training for."

Netherlands will try to prey on the fact that Bangladesh have a lot more to lose, and that they can be an inconsistent side. "Tomorrow, us coming here and beating Bangladesh at home would be an upset I guess," Borren said. "As we have seen, Bangladesh can be an unpredictable team, a team which has its problem with consistence. After a really good win they had the other day, I know we still have a good chance of beating them tomorrow. That's what we'll be looking to do."

Netherlands might not have much to lose in terms of progression to the next rounds, but they have their goals to attain. Having played the tough teams until now, they are looking to turn a corner in terms of results. "Coming into this tournament we wanted to create chances to win games, and we wanted to try and take those chances," Borren said. "So far we've had a pretty difficult draw, we've come up against four top teams probably, on paper. Obviously tomorrow and Ireland are not going to be easy games.

"But you know we have played against four top teams, we have played two good games against England and I think we competed well with India the other day। Two disappointing performances against South Africa and West Indies in between. To be honest, we have played those four really really tough games, we now look to win these two last games. If we can leave having played four tough games, playing well in them, and then winning these two last games, I think we will be very happy with that."

Plenty at stake for buoyant Bangladesh

Ryan ten Doeschate has to step up © Getty Images Enlarge

The Big Picture

Bangladesh have said the right things in the aftermath of a stunning win over England that has kept their quarter-final prospects alive. Though the euphoria of that thriller is yet to die down among the public, who've reacted to that performance by showering rewards upon the players, the coach and the team have their feet firmly on the ground. In what has proved the more competitive and the more interesting group this competition, the race for a place in the final eight remains wide open, the doors completely shut only on Netherlands. But the Dutch are out to ruin a party or two, and in their upcoming games against Bangladesh and Ireland, they meet two teams they would have had a realistic expectation of beating at the start of the World Cup.

The Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons has warned against complacency. He has admitted beating South Africa - Bangladesh's last game in the group stage - will be difficult, making the Netherlands fixture a virtual must-win encounter. Their net run-rate of -1.241 is also a concern, one that can be offset with wins in their remaining matches. And there is a good chance their fate rests on the mercy of other results, given overcoming South Africa is likely to be an uphill task. England drifting out of contention with a loss to West Indies and Ireland being shut out by South Africa will open up possibilities for Bangladesh.

While Netherlands are capable of springing a surprise, they'll know they are up against a superior team based on performance. And their task will be made more difficult by their inexperience in Bangladesh conditions, with the slow and low pitch and the hosts' arsenal of spinners presenting a daunting challenge. After inflicting an upset, Bangladesh have reason to believe. But to be at the receiving end of one tomorrow will be a slip-up that will leave them an endangered species in Group B.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

Pakistan seek Pallekele revival

Waqar Younis and Shahid Afridi had plenty to muse over after the 110-run loss to New Zealand © AFP Enlarge

In their opening three matches, Pakistan quietly assembled three confident victories - including an 11-run win over the much-fancied Sri Lanka team - and displayed the kind of unlikely unity and focus that made them seem like serious World Cup contenders. Add a charismatic leader in inspirational form and the echoes of 1992 had their fans dreaming. But then, on their last outing in Pallekele, Pakistan's enchanting instinct for implosion returned spectacularly as they tumbled to a 110-run defeat to New Zealand.

Kamran Akmal's incompetence enraged all but his blindest supporters and allowed Ross Taylor to flog 114 off a shambolic final six overs of the innings. Just as it looked as though his time had surely past, Pakistan's team management stood firmly behind Kamran, and his younger brother Umar - the only alternative behind the stumps - picked up a finger injury. There are doubts over whether Umar will play, even just as a batsman, which would deprive Pakistan of their second-highest run-scorer in the tournament and means they are likely to persist with the eight-batsman strategy. Up against a Zimbabwe side that has failed to match the scrapping resilience of some of their past World Cup outfits, Pakistan can expect an immediate revival in their fortunes. A win would take them to eight points, level with New Zealand in the Group A table.

Meanwhile, the wave optimism surrounding Zimbabwe in the lead-up to the tournament has been dashed by a series of heavy defeats. Until Sri Lanka gifted a clutch of late-over wickets, Zimbabwe had gone 78.1 overs and given away 448 runs without taking a wicket across their two defeats to New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Their decision to play two specialist seamers against Sri Lanka was at odds with the spin-heavy strategy that had underpinned their progress over recent months, but perhaps betrayed the lack of confidence in captain Elton Chigumbura. Since taking over as leader 18 matches ago he taken only two wickets, at 158 each, and his batting too has fallen: averaging 17.57 in that period. A naturally free-spirited player, the burdens of leadership haven't sat comfortably and his team might be better off allowing him back to the ranks soon.

Form guide

(
Among the carnage that was Pakistan's fielding effort against New Zealand, stood out. Finding swing first up and reverse swing later he carries the seam attack. Lasith Malinga and Kemar Roach have shown that the lesser teams are vulnerable to a tirade of yorkers and, when on song, nobody is as skilled at delivering them as Gul.

has provided the of a lacklustre Group A with his take on the upper cut. In the first World Cup since the Twenty20 revolution really took hold, it displays the huge challenges facing modern bowlers. Outside of that, his classic, upright driving a tight defence make him Zimbabwe's best player, and for a while against Sri Lanka he looked as good as any top-order batsman in the tournament. Pakistan's bowlers have folded under the pressure of a Taylor before and if Brendan can get going Zimbabwe may yet spring a surprise.

Murali will play even with discomfort - Bayliss

Sri Lanka coach insists will play in the World Cup final despite continued worries over his fitness. Muralitharan, who turns 39 next month, skipped practice on Thursday at the Wankhede stadium and has struggled with niggles through the course of the tournament, including a hamstring injury, a side strain, a troublesome knee and a groin issue.

There was speculation that he would be rested for the semi-final against New Zealand in a bid to allow him time to be fully fit for the final, but he played despite not being in the best physical condition. The final will be Muralitharan's last international game. "Chances are good that Murali will play," said Bayliss. "He completed 10 overs in the semi-final, and such is the character of the man that he will play even with discomfort."

The fitness of allrounder is also a worry for Sri Lanka. Veteran seamer and offspinner are being for the injured pair, but Bayliss confirmed Sri Lanka had not applied to the ICC to have them included as official replacements. "We have asked for them just to be on the safe side, but Muralitharan and Mathews will be given as long as possible to prove their fitness," he said.

	Muttiah Muralitharan will play through the pain barrier in order to finish his international career with a World Cup final © Getty Images Enlarge

Bayliss was bullish about Sri Lanka's chances of winning a second World Cup title after their triumph in 1996, and suggested the pressure would be on India as the home team and tournament favourites. "We have played good cricket through the tournament and have done well against India in the past," he said. "The pressure will be on India since they are playing at home, but we are familiar with the conditions in Mumbai.

"If we concentrate on what we do the best then we can play some good cricket and if we play good cricket, we are going to be very difficult to beat. This match is 50-50 at this stage. Obviously, there will be a lot of pressure on India to perform at home. We have been able to do that in the last couple of games and come out with two good wins. The boys are quite confident about their chances in this World Cup.

"Yes, we have played India on a number of occasions and have beaten them before on a lot of occasions. [But] it [the final] is a difficult assignment. In the last three years, we have played 35 matches and this will be the 36th one. We have beaten them on a number of occasions. Our guys are confident we can play well and win."

Nehra may miss final with injured finger

size: A | A

	Ashish Nehra picked up two wickets against Pakistan © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links News : Nehra injury creates selection dilemma Players/Officials: Ashish Nehra Series/Tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup Teams: India

has fractured the middle finger on his right hand putting a question mark over his selection for the final against Sri Lanka on Saturday. Ranjib Biswal, the Indian team manager, confirmed the development but said the team would only take a call on Friday about whether or not he could play. "Nehra has a fractured finger, which was revealed from the scans taken this morning," Biswal said. But Gautam Gambhir, who went off the field during Pakistan's innings in the semi-final having felt some pain and did not return, is expected to be fit for the final. Biswal said they would clarify the position on Gambhir tomorrow.

Nehra picked up the injury while attempting a catch against Pakistan. He was fielding at deep midwicket when he attempted to pick up a pull by Shahid Afridi against Yuvraj Singh. Nehra, not known so much for his deftness in the field, charged forward to pick the ball that was dying on him at the very last minute. Replays confirmed the ball had bounced in front of him but Nehra's attempt drew applause from his team-mates as well as the fullhouse. Unfortunately, Nehra was grimacing in pain and immediately had his finger taped.

Since the injury was on his non-bowling hand, Nehra was able to get through three more overs in the match. However, there are worries he will not be able to field.

It was a bit of a surprise to see Nehra in the first XI during the semi-final, given that the man he replaced, R Ashwin, had been impressive in the two matches he had played in the tournament. Despite Nehra's performance of 2 for 33, and Munaf Patel's 2 for 40, India captain MS Dhoni said after the game that India had misjudged the pitch and should have played another spinner.

Ashwin may well have returned in place of either Nehra or Munaf for the final in any case, and will almost definitely be in the side if Nehra does not recover. The only other pace option India have is Sreesanth, who has been left on the sidelines since the first game of the tournament.

Nehra had missed the first two matches of the tournament with a sore back and was brought in for the group-stage game against Netherlands. Against South Africa in Nagpur, he went for 65 runs in 8.4 overs, 16 off which were scored in the last over of the game, consigning India to defeat. He was then left out for India's next two games, before returning for the semi-final.

Afridi asks to be rested from West Indies tour

Shahid Afridi wants a break during the West Indies tour © AFP Enlarge

Pakistan's limited-overs captain and other senior members of the team may be rested for the upcoming West Indies tour that begins on April 18.

"I am yet to decide on the West Indies tour," Afridi said at a press conference following Pakistan's World Cup exit. He also hinted at rest for other seniors in the side, but the PCB is yet to respond.

Pakistan have had a draining schedule in recent times, starting with the World Twenty20 in April 2010 followed by the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and a tour of England, which included full series against Australia and the home side. Next was another full-fledged bilateral series in the UAE against South Africa, and a long tour of New Zealand, before the team returned to the subcontinent for the World Cup. In addition to their gruelling on-field commitments, the Pakistan team also hurtled from one off-field controversy to another, including the spot-fixing scandal and Zulqarnain Haider's mysterious exit from the team hotel in UAE.

The West Indies tour includes a Twenty20, five one-dayers and two Tests, and allows the players less than three weeks for rest.