SA's knockout phobia, Kohli's love for chases

Fatigue no excuse for sloppy Australia (88)

Australia's early exit from the World T20 could be put down to sloppy cricket on the field from a squad that looked old, unbalanced and ill-suited to the challenges of Bangladesh

Why Pakistan must change to fit Akmal (79)

They have long mistaken his fearlessness for irresponsibility and clipped his wings. But he can't be denied for long

Sobers supreme (59)

Sixty years ago today, a 17-year-old Bajan cricketer made his debut for West Indies, and went on to touch with his genius all those who saw him play for the next two decades

Why do we over-react when changing cricket's rules? (58)

Instead of helping umpires react instinctively to situations, we have burdened them with misleading technology that has turned them into second-class citizens

Time for Bangladesh to pay their faithful back (50)

Bangladesh's fans' love seems unconditional. Despair is always quickly shelved to give their 'Tigers' all support their can muster. The question is, can the team show they deserve that adoring public?

'My best T20 innings' - Kohli

Match Point: Kohli, a smart thinker

Virat Kohli has rated his matchwinning, unbeaten 72 against South Africa in the World T20 semi-final as his best T20 innings considering the importance of the match. While Kohli said the Indian dressing room was calm at the innings break, he added that there was pressure during the chase, but he did not want to let South Africa know that.

"Depending on the importance of the match, yes, you can say it is my best T20 innings," Kohli said. "But I have struck the ball better in T20s in other games. I have also timed the ball better than I did today and have managed to score five or six boundaries very fast. Today it was difficult as I had to work hard for the knock. But as per the importance of the game, this knock tops it.

"I wanted to play an important knock when the team had entered the semis. I was in good form, so I though it is better that I stay till the end. In T20, it is very important that a batsman stays till the end. It's not like there was no pressure. It wasn't easy. Pressure was there. But it is important that you don't show it to the opponents. They are a world-class attack and the slightest mistake against them can cost you. I just wanted to stay calm and was keen to back myself."

Kohli's reputation as a reliable chaser continues to grow. When asked how he adapted while batting second in T20s compared to one-dayers, Kohli said his calculations became quicker, and also credited the start given by Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane in this match. "It's all about analyzing how many runs have been scored before I walk in to bat and what rate we are going at. Today we got off to a flying start, we were going at 10 runs an over in the first three. It gave me time to settle myself in. If we were six runs an over, I could have gone for my strokes and I probably could have got out. People don't realise the importance of those small starts but I think the way Rohit and Ajinkya batted initially, it set the platform perfectly for us, it put the pressure right back on South Africa and it allowed me to play myself in and stick to my plans.

"It's very difficult to break it down in a T20 game because as I said, rush of blood, plus it is a shorter format. Those calculations come down, they become smaller, become quicker. You need to think really quick, when to score, when to defend. I think it is all about how many their main bowlers have bowled or how many overs the part-timers are going to bowl, how many runs you need to score off the part-timers and the main bowlers. It's all about when I walk in to bat, I look at the score board, what the situation is like and talk to my partner, what we can do from there on."

Kohli scored 40 of his 72 runs in singles and twos, and had only three dots. He went as far as saying that a single was as important as a six in this format. "That's something I always believe. I was on 20 not out off 17 balls (17 off 16 actually) without hitting a boundary. If you can do that and the opposition knows if I can get two boundaries in between, my strike rate goes up to 150, around that. It is very important to keep rotating the strike which, in a rush of blood, you always keep looking for boundaries. But as long as you keep rotating the strike and not lose wickets at the same time, the opposition captain has to think about a lot of things after that because if you can place the ball for two runs thrice in an over and the sixth ball goes for a boundary, it is a brilliant over for you. So I think it's very important to know the importance of singles and doubles in T20 cricket as well."

South Africa held back Dale Steyn for the death but India were able to take 22 off his second and third overs. Kohli said it was crucial to put pressure on the leader of the attack.

"Against a quality bowling attack, you need to be on top. It's important to put pressure on a world-class bowler like Dale. That's why the key is to score off the other bowlers so that he doesn't have too many runs to defend. That's why if you take six or seven runs off him, when he comes to pick wickets, it's more frustrating for the opposition. The plan was to not give him wickets. I think we ended up scoring 11 an over off him and that wasn't the plan at all. Once you start frustrating the opposition and not allow them to stick to their plans, the game starts falling in your way and that's what we decided to do."

MS Dhoni played out a dot ball in the penultimate over to allow Kohli the chance to hit the winning runs. Kohli was thankful to the captain for the opportunity. "Yes, he gave me a chance. I had told him 'aap khatam karo, lekin unhone bola is match mein main tujhe aur kuch nahin de sakta. Tuney acchi batting kari hai, to ye mera gift hai tere liye' (I told him, you finish it. But he said, I cannot give you anything else in this game. You have batted well, so this is my gift for you).

"I said 'that's very kind of you' and I accepted it. Hitting the winning runs is a wonderful feeling and I am grateful to him for allowing me the opportunity to hit them."

Trail goes cold for South Africa

Their failure at this stage was no mystery. South Africa haven't won a knockout game at a global tournament since 1998, perhaps the only puzzle was that they got so close

South Africa have stuck doggedly to the scent throughout this World T20, like a hard-bitten gumshoe detective chasing up leads, scribbling down notes and piecing together clues. But this was a case too far for them. The trail went cold as Virat Kohli waltzed off through a crowded street scene with a twinkle in his eye, while Faf du Plessis and his men scoured the area to no avail. Catch me if you can.

They nearly solved the biggest mystery of all, their knack for being knocked out. This was a courageous attempt in unfamiliar conditions against a team that has yet to be really ruffled and a batsman in his pomp. India pulled off the highest successful run chase against South Africa in T20. Du Plessis' side had prevailed by single-run margins in their three previous games but they couldn't beat out a confession this time.

Unlike the South Africa teams of caricature, this was not a well-oiled machine that conked out on the first incline. Their issues were manifold and much discussed. Hashim Amla's proficiency as a T20 opener; AB de Villiers' best batting position; the purpose of Albie Morkel. Should Aaron Phangiso have got a game on the slowest wicket the team encountered? Which left-arm seamer would you give your right arm for?

The files of evidence were piling up for du Plessis, who like any good cop had problems of his own. Unfit for South Africa's opening game, he was suspended for overseeing a slow over rate in the next two. In the semi-final, he took a slug from his hip flask and batted with a streetwise aggression, dragging the innings through the first ten overs by its lapels and setting it up for further interrogation by his partner, de Villiers.

But they needed all the pieces of the jigsaw to fit together. De Villiers had pushed England out of the competition with a Catherine wheel 69 off 28 balls in his last innings but here he managed to hit a half-tracker to a man on the boundary. He walked off cursing. The stats, du Plessis has never tired of reiterating, say de Villiers performs best when he comes in after the tenth over. He arrived at 13.6 and departed at 15.3. You can't defenestrate India in that small a window.

JP Duminy, who came in at No. 4, finished unbeaten with 45 from 40. "Could AB have batted quicker than that?" wondered du Plessis afterwards, rhetorically. Plenty were ready to offer an answer. Duminy has batted everywhere from No. 3 to No. 6 at this tournament but his consistency helped South Africa through their group and 172 at least gave them something to bowl at - even if being only four down suggested some fuel remained in the tank.



	With Steyn searching for wickets, India were able to steal boundaries. That meant they could be more circumspect against South Africa's one genuine slow-bowling threat, Imran Tahir.

Morkel was due to be the next man in, though a record of 33 runs from four previous innings did not promise much. At least he didn't bowl any wides in his two unremarkable overs. Dale Steyn, whose body could not on this occasion match his unbendable will, began with an errant delivery down the leg side - the first of nine conceded by five different bowlers - as South Africa's line of questioning wavered.

"If you're looking to win a World Cup it's really important that you do the small things and the basics well and that's definitely one of the things tonight that put us on the back foot," du Plessis said. "Nine extra balls, not just the extra runs but you have to consider the amount of runs that they score from that extra ball. So you're probably looking at a 15-20-run swing just by bowling nine wides.

"If you want to win close games, beat quality opposition like India, you've got to make sure you do those one percenters really well. When the pressure is really high, you can almost afford five wides but as soon as it goes to the nine-ten mark you're under pressure from the word go."

With Steyn searching for wickets, India were able to steal boundaries: Rohit Sharma's flat six and Yuvraj Singh's punch down the ground ruined otherwise tight overs. That meant they could be more circumspect against South Africa's one genuine slow-bowling threat, Imran Tahir.

"I think Imran bowled well, his figures were good," du Plessis said. "But obviously from a tactics point of view they made sure not to give him too many wickets because when he does get wickets his tail is up. It's hard to expect Dale every time to be a match-winner for us, he's also human. He's going to have days when he's not just cleaning guys up. Dale bowled well but the batsmen were up to the task and they played him very well. You have to give credit to them. Dale and Imran are our danger men, and India's batsmen handled them very well."

The hunch that Duminy's offspin might pick a lock or two was another curiosity. Du Plessis cited his ability to turn the ball away from India's left-handers but of his three overs, all but three deliveries were faced by right-handers (for the record, one those three did nearly pin Yuvraj lbw). Duminy opened the bowling because South Africa "felt there was a bit of grip"; Rohit and Ajinka Rahane took 14 off the over and India were away.

They were as good as home following the 17th, bowled by Wayne Parnell, as three boundaries leaked off the edges of Suresh Raina's bat. Parnell had replaced Steyn, to allow the latter to bowl the 18th and 20th overs. "If Steyn bowled the 17th and Parnell the 18th, you would have asked me the same question," du Plessis grimaced. The observations will remain on file but South Africa have been taken off the investigation.

Their failure at this stage was no mystery. South Africa haven't won a knockout game at a global tournament since 1998 (when they won the ICC Knockout Trophy, ironically). Perhaps the only puzzle was that they got so close.

Kohli sharpened under pressure

Pressure is supposed to be an impediment to executing your skills. It hacks away and blunts it. Not for Virat Kohli

Why is it nearly always him? Why is it he is who is nearly always standing out there at the end of a victorious chase? There are others in this story, of course. There always are others. There is always a supporting cast. There is space even in this format for an opening dash. Likewise, there is also space for a closing sprint. But why is it he who nearly always runs and wins the marathon, for which there is a space even in the shortest format. Why does a high-pressure chase in a world tournament semi-final appear like an algorithm being executed at Virat Kohli's command?

He goes at a strike-rate of 163.63 and still, scores comfortably more than half his runs in singles and twos. He says a single is as important as a six in a format where run a ball is universally considered slow. A format in which the defending champions think only sixes matter. He does not hit his first till his 17th delivery, but that does not stop him from already logging more than run a ball by then. Notice the timing of that six. It comes immediately after a partnership has ended, and the opposition is looking to tighten things. But it does not come against the specialist bowler. He does it against the part-timer.

The closing sprinter does his job in the matter of an over. But the marathon is still going on. The opposition's best bowler will bowl two of the last three overs. Now there is no question of picking bowlers like it was earlier. So the best fast bowler in the world is taken for two fours in an over. Flicked over midwicket. Charged at and carved over point.

Skill. High-quality skill. Skill that nearly always comes good under pressure, when it is dearly needed to. Pressure is supposed to be an impediment to executing your skill. It is an impediment for most. It hacks away at your skill, blunts it, even though it has been honed over years and years and seems as natural as eating.

This format can blunt your skills even further with its everything-or-nothing, ultra-condensed nature. Look at what happened to Pakistan and West Indies, powerful, explosive sides both. They had to chase big runs or the tournament was over for them. They just bottled up. Forget going down swinging, they could not even summon themselves to make a decent attempt. The pressure had blunted them so much.

Here we have a man who does the very opposite. Pressure sharpens his skills. It gives him an extreme, eerie clarity of mind. He talks lucidly about continuing to pick up singles and twos to avoid that "rush of blood", that screaming instinct which will implore you to hit a boundary every time you play a couple of dot balls in T20. So what does he do? He just cuts off the dot balls completely.

Kohli faced 44 deliveries, of which three were dots. The first one was the first delivery he faced, a 145 kph lifter that nearly every batsman hopeful of batting for any length of time would play out safely. The second one, his 25th, was a superb slow bouncer which he tried to get away, but only managed an inside edge. The third, his 39th, was a quick outswinger that he tried to drive, but was beaten.



	India have chased four times this World T20. Three times Kohli has been there when the winning runs were hit with scores of 36, 57 and 72*.

Astonishing as just three dots in a 44-ball innings are, at least two of them were not intentional from Kohli, and the one that was intentional was also quite a wise choice. So barring that first ball, at no point during his knock was Kohli's intent to not score runs.

And just like his skills are sharpened under pressure, so is his intent. We do not need to peer into the make-up of his innings to know that. This intent business is always overpowering, in-your-face coming from Kohli, although he might want to temper a few manifestations of it when he becomes the captain. Kicking a ball in anger because a team-mate misfields. Waving his bat in frustration if his batting partner, a quite senior one at that, turns down a second run. Pumping his fist when he hits a boundary, especially the ones that appear to come at exactly the moment a big shot is required. Celebrating with raw passion after he has tamed another chase.

India have chased four times this World T20. Three times Kohli has been there when the winning runs were hit with scores of 36*, 57* and 72*. The fourth time, by the time he fell he had practically ended the match with his 54. Why? Why is it him again and again and again?

"Is that a valid question?" he says, before laughing, and then responding. "I think anyone in the world does the same things. Cricket is played more between your ears than your technique. If you can mentally be strong then you can tell yourself to stay on the wicket.

"Today, till about 20 runs, I didn't hit a boundary. It's about staying patient and staying calm and not thinking about how many runs or balls are remaining. It is important to back yourself which I think everybody does with time. Once you start scoring runs you start believing in yourself more. That's something I try to do and try to keep myself in that zone. There is no secret. Everyone wants to do well, everyone wants to score."

Which is what the point is. Everyone wants to, but he is able to, much more than many others are. Like tonight, when there was an able supporting cast. And there was King Kohli.

Sammy defends wait-and-watch approach

Was it the rain? Or was it Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels? West Indies needed 81 to win from 37 balls with six wickets remaining when a hailstorm ended the first semi-final of the World T20, leaving Sri Lanka winners by 27 runs by the Duckworth-Lewis method. Gayle made 3 off 13, and Samuels was unbeaten on 18 off 29 when the rain came down.

Darren Sammy said it was disappointing to go out under the rain rule, and refused to answer when he was asked whether West Indies could afford Gayle and Samuels taking as much time as they did. When he was asked a related question about the high number of dot balls faced by Gayle and Samuels, Sammy admitted that both had not been able to deliver in this tournament, but said that both had performed in the past.

"When you lose a cricket game, people tend to point out all different areas where that should have happened, this should have happened," Sammy said. "But I am sure if you look at all the games we have played, there are more than 27 dots [25, between Gayle and Samuels].

"Probably 50-something dots. It's not ideal for Twenty20 but we've developed a formula in which that works for us. We know we are a boundary-hitting team. We know we have got to improve in rotating the strike but if you look at the way Gayle plays, he normally gives himself some time to get used to the wicket and catch up in the end. But the thing is, in this tournament he has not carried.



	I guess the Almighty wants them to leave on a high, so I guess they have one more game to try and win a World Cup and leave on a high Darren Sammy on Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene

"Marlon has not been batting well for us. It is one area - we always tell him, whatever rate you walk into, you try to keep it at that or increase it. Yes, we could say Marlon has not had the best of tournaments but he is one of our better batsmen and in the last World Cup (in 2012), he was the star for us. People have a few dips in form."

West Indies began with 17 runs off the opening over but scored only 13 off the next five of the fielding restrictions. Sammy and Dwayne Bravo had catapulted them home against Australia in a tense chase and also nearly doubled the score against Pakistan in the last five overs. The captain pointed to that and said West Indies could have pulled it off again.

"Gayle and [Dwayne] Smith have a very clear idea of how they want to go and play. The first over, we were off to a flyer but they brought on the offspinner (Sachithra Senanayake) and (Lasith) Malinga who bowled really well at Gayle and Smith. We were again behind the eight-ball and just when Bravo looked like picking it up like he did in the last game, he got out but we still had the belief that we could get 12 runs an over in the last six. I guess we have been doing that in this tournament. It is just disappointing but there is nothing we could do about it."

Sammy praised Sri Lanka for their display and said the rain gods had intervened because they wanted Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, both of whom will be retiring from T20 internationals at the end of the tournament, to win a world limited-overs title after four losses in finals in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012.

"Disappointing to come out of the tournament like this but credit to Sri Lanka. They won the toss, batted first. Probably they knew that some (bad) weather was around. But we have had a good run in this tournament, it is just sad that we got knocked out by the D/L system. But that's life. You move on and we will start planning for the next T20 World Cup.

"I took it like 'you know what, we have won a World Cup'. We are a praying team, we know God normally answers our prayers but today, I guess two gentlemen who have played for Sri Lanka, given a lot not only to Sri Lanka cricket but cricket on the whole, I guess the Almighty wants them to leave on a high, so I guess they have one more game to try and win a World Cup and leave on a high. Probably that's the reason why God put a hand in this match. I am sure I will have another shot at playing the T20 World Cup and we are looking forward to winning it again in the near future."

Sri Lanka thrive before the storm

Before the hail, lightning, gust and rain, it was Sri Lanka who were bossing it at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Their fielding, bowling and decision-making pushed West Indies on the back foot for 13.5 overs of the chase.

Dinesh Chandimal's decision not to play in the semi-final can be seen as a defensive move, especially coming from the team's appointed captain himself. But it was daring of the man not to play, and let the winning combination stick. And it worked, with his replacement Lahiru Thirimanne hitting a crucial 44.

It was only fitting for Angelo Mathews, the only Sri Lanka player to have played all 17 games of a long stay in Bangladesh, to play a major role in taking them a stage they would have targeted when they landed in Bangladesh. And he was quick to praise Chandimal for stepping aside for the team's benefit, a rare occurrence but one that made complete sense.

"It was a collective decision," Mathews said. "The selectors, management and Chandimal [decided]. We have to do what is best for the team all the time, regardless of who you are. I think he opted out because he wanted the best XI on the park. So I think it was a great and brave decision."

For the second game running, Sri Lanka has showed the importance of bowling tight and backing it up with strong fielding. They have been doing it in Bangladesh since January 27, when they started their long sojourn in the country. They have been beaten the home side 1-0, 2-0 and 3-0 in the Tests, T20s and ODIs respectively as well as winning the Asia Cup. But despite playing 17 matches so far, Sri Lanka's fielding standards have hardly dropped and they have looked even better at the fag end of a very long tour.

Mathews praised the effort of his team-mates as well as the coaching staff for the unflagging levels. "It is all the hard work that the boys do. I think they have been managed pretty well. When you play the intensity every other day, it takes a lot out of you. You need to manage yourself and still work really hard.

"Fitness, fielding and skills, we were consistent in the last couple of months in these areas. It will be ideal to win the title and go back home."

After Sri Lanka posted 160 for 6, Dwayne Smith began with a bang, caning Nuwan Kulasekara for 17 runs in the first over. On cue, Sri Lanka started to bowl better lengths, drying up the runs. By the time Chris Gayle was put out of his misery in the fifth over by Lasith Malinga, Sri Lanka had put a foot on the door that had started to slam on them. Smith was gone in the same over, and from then on, the fielding came to the fore.

West Indies are generally not the most athletic side between the wickets, preferring to dealing more in big shots. So it was important that the boundaries were cut off, and it started with Tillakaratne Dilshan in the eighth over when he slid to save a boundary, and repeated it in the 10th over. Apart from these two, there were several other mini-stops and slides that cut off whatever the West Indies were trying to add.

Mathews said it was important to pick up wickets when they got wind, quite literally, of rain nearing Mirpur. It prompted Malinga to bowl more in the first six overs, instead of keeping most of his quota for the death.

"After the first half, we heard there might be bit of rain. We just had to keep them tight because they have some big hitters who can't be stopped if they got going.

"We had to take wickets to push them back. Lasith came to bowl in the first six overs which he doesn't do normally, but we needed our best bowler to come and take wickets"

Sri Lanka could have been expected to be tired against New Zealand in their last group game and in the semi-final, but they sprung up at the right time and look on the way to a perfect ending to their stay in Bangladesh.

Why Jaipur, Raipur and Dharamsala missed out

The major talking points of the schedule of the India leg of the IPL were the omission of Raipur and Jaipur from the list of host cities, and Ranchi having been preferred over Kochi as Chennai Super Kings' second home. The IPL authorities have said that the changes were made due to lack of security assurances from some of the state governments.

Jaipur missed out because of the inability of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) to acquire requisite state government clearances. "We have not got the No-Objection Certification (NOC) from them," IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal said. It has been understood that the court-appointed BCCI-IPL president Sunil Gavaskar has extended the deadline for all the shortlisted IPL venues to provide NOC from their respective police authorities by Wednesday (April 2).

While RCA officiating secretary KK Sharma was unavailable for a comment, a RCA insider revealed it was a win-win situation for all stakeholders. "The state association is in a mess. Election results are held by the court. The BCCI is against the RCA. And even the team owners were not so keen on Jaipur as their first choice, so everyone is happy," said the insider. This will be the second time Ahmedabad will feature as the home venue for Rajasthan Royals, after hosting four Royals home matches in 2010.

Although no one from Royals was available for an on-record comment, it is understood that the franchise was not interested in Jaipur due to the various on-going controversies in the RCA. Even last year the franchise was kept on edge till a last-minute turnaround by the Rajasthan Sports Council allowed the Royals to play at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur which had been locked out earlier. "Ahmedabad has three-times bigger capacity, has three times less hassles and more sponsors are available for the franchise," a former RCA official said.

There had been few problems in Raipur last year, when two of Delhi Daredevils' home games were held at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium. ESPNcricinfo understands that the franchise had requested to host two more matches this year, following the overwhelming response for both matches. Biswal said Raipur missed out since it was "not necessary to have so many venues" this season.

Like Raipur, Dharamsala, the picturesque venue in Himachal Pradesh that had emerged as Punjab's second home venue over the years, does not find a slot in this season's schedule. The reason is the same as Jaipur's. "Despite writing to the relevant police authorities twice and a HPCA representative meeting them in person for providing the requisite security cover for IPL games, they just didn't even bother to respond - either in affirmative or negative," said Vishal Marwaha, secretary of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association. "This just shows that the state government just didn't want IPL matches to be played in Himachal."

As a result, Kings XI will play two of their home games in Cuttack, the home city of IPL chairman Biswal. According to Mohit Burman, a co-owner at Kings XI Punjab, the franchise had asked for Ahmedabad as the first alternative. "They had consulted us and even if Cuttack was not our preference we are happy," Burman said.

The Chennai Super Kings will also play two of their home games outside the city they are based in, hosting them in Ranchi - the hometown of India and Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni. Super Kings had received tremendous response for their 2013 Champions League Twenty20 games in Ranchi. As a result, despite Kerala Cricket Association TC Mathew having announced that Kochi was set to host "a couple of CSK home matches", Ranchi got the nod of the IPL authorities.

It is understood that during their meeting with the IPL officials in Chennai in February had been asked to submit their shortlist of alternate venues other than their home grounds. And the BCCI insiders said they have done their best to accommodate most of their requests.

"It's extremely impossible to adhere to each and everyone's preference," an official said. "Without going into the specifics of an individual venue, I would say that considering the logistical challenges and the operational considerations, we have drawn a schedule that would suit virtually everyone. We have to factor in kit and crew movements, also the fact that every team has to get at least one game in a weekend double header."

The IPL starts on April 16 in the UAE, where 20 matches will be played, and shifts to India on May 2 with the final scheduled for June 1 in Mumbai.

Guts key to spin bowling - Ashwin

R Ashwin believes the "guts" shown by the Indian spinners to flight the ball and overcome the fear of being hit in T20s has been the major factor for India's success

Manjrekar: Ashwin, Mishra's skills have helped India

A legspinner tossing the ball high, giving it a rip with his wrist to lure the batsman out before getting it to dip, grip, turn and earning a stumping. An offspinner tossing the ball high, giving it a tweak with his fingers to draw the batsman forward, getting it to drift, grip, turn and earning an outside edge to slip. These are not dismissals you normally associate with Twenty20 cricket. But these are just two instances of what Amit Mishra and R Ashwin have been able to achieve in this World T20.

Both spinners have had principal roles to play in each of India's four successive victories in the group stage. On three of those occasions, they have not had the weight of runs backing them, as India relied on their preferred strategy of chasing. All three of those matches - against Pakistan, West Indies and Bangladesh - were 'live' ones, with qualification for the knockouts dependent on their results. Mishra was the Man of the Match against Pakistan and West Indies; Ashwin got the award against Bangladesh.

Two subcontinent sides supposedly accustomed to playing spin, and a third which has backed itself to hit the big shots under pressure, and have done so in crunch matches against Pakistan and Australia. None of them managed even 140 against the Indians.

The conditions have been spinner-friendly in Bangladesh, particularly so in Dhaka. MS Dhoni has said it has been one of the main reasons why the Indian slow bowlers have done so well. Ravindra Jadeja hasn't been among them, though. It is not really his style to lure batsmen with flight and guile.

But no matter how much the conditions support you, it takes tremendous heart for a spinner to bowl slow when the temptation is to fire it in quick. To overcome the ever-present fear of getting hit in T20 and toss the ball up. For one spinner to do it in a single T20 is itself remarkable. For two in the same XI to do it over the course of a world tournament with so much control is incredible. Ashwin, and particularly Mishra's, biggest achievement this World T20 has been to consistently beat this fear, and do so without the security of a big total to defend every time it mattered.

This absence of fear, or presence of "guts", over four matches is what South Africa will be up against. It was a term Ashwin used several times ahead of India's semi-final clash. "In terms of variation of pace, you need a lot of guts," Ashwin said. "If you're at the top of your game, you can land the ball exactly where you want it to land.

But apart from that, to actually slow the ball down when the batsman's going after you is a key component of this particular game, for which you need quite a lot of guts. And if you've gone for a six, it requires even more guts to come back the next ball. Those are the key components of a winning game, as far as I'm concerned."

It tells you a lot about a spinner's state of mind when he says the ball is behaving as he wills it. "In the last two or three months, I feel that I'm probably at the top of my bowling game," Ashwin said. "When I reach that phase, I pretty much don't practice at all. That's a phase I'm in right now. The ball is landing exactly where I want."

South Africa will have to counter Mishra and Ashwin on a helpful and unfamiliar surface - they have been playing in Chittagong so far - and that too in a knockout. Bowlers have not had to contend with heavy dew turning the ball into soap in Dhaka, like it did so often in Chittagong.

South Africa have probably the most nerveless innovator among current limited-overs batsmen in AB de Villiers, and they will need to keep calm when it comes to taking on spin. South Africa also have the Super 10 stage's leading wicket-taker in Imran Tahir, who's managed 11 wickets in less helpful conditions with his mix of quick sliders and googlies.

He's had a well-publicised visit from Shane Warne in the Mirpur nets. Will he stick to what has worked for him in Chittagong, or will he use more flight and turn like the Indians have? Whatever method he uses, Ashwin said it would again come down to the same word - guts.

"When it comes to international cricket, there's a very small margin between the quality of spinners. Everybody's bound to have a certain amount of quality in them. It's all about the mental make-up of the spinner and the amount of guts he has in that particular scenario," Ashwin said. "It'll be handling pressure that makes the difference, because Imran Tahir has been in top form. And I expect (Aaron) Phangiso to play. When that happens, you're pretty much evened out on the amount of spinners both teams will play. It comes down to how well your spinners handle it."

Apart from pressure, the spinners might also have to deal with a wet outfield, as rain is expected around the time of the match on Friday. The last time rain came down in an India game in a World T20, against Australia in 2012 in Colombo, it contributed to their exit from the tournament, as their three spinners found it difficult to grip the ball. Even Mishra and Ashwin, for all their heart, could struggle if it rains again.

Windies firepower gives them the edge

Sri Lanka and West Indies won three matches and lost one each in the group stages of the World Twenty20, and their overall batting and bowling stats are fairly similar. West Indies have the marginally better batting numbers, with a slightly higher scoring rate and average, while Sri Lanka have a marginally better bowling average. Both teams have taken exactly 31 wickets, which shows there's little to separate the two teams.

Both teams have had one match in which they leaked more than 170 runs - West Indies conceded 178 against Australia (but still managed to win) while Sri Lanka went for 190 against England. Both have also had a couple of excellent bowling performances: Sri Lanka shot out Netherlands for 39 and New Zealand for 60, while West Indies bowled out Bangladesh for 98 and Pakistan for 82.

In terms of scoring patterns, though, there is some difference. West Indies have relied heavily on boundaries: they've struck almost twice as many sixes as Sri Lanka, and have scored almost 66% of their runs in fours and sixes. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have played about 15% fewer dot balls than West Indies.

Overall stats for SL and WI in the World T20 2014
	Batting			Bowling
	Runs scored	Average	Run rate	Wkts taken	Average	Econ rate
Sri Lanka	513	23.31	7.97	31	14.48	6.87
West Indies	645	26.87	8.09	31	15.74	6.36

How SL and WI have scored their runs
Team	1s/ 2s/ 3s	Dot-ball %	4s/ 6s	Boundary %
Sri Lanka	134/ 36/ 0	40.26	49/ 14	57.61
West Indies	136/ 32/ 1	47.29	57/ 27	65.77

The bowling comparison

Spin has played a prominent role in the campaigns of both teams so far. West Indies have had Samuel Badree at the start of the innings, and Sunil Narine through the middle and end overs, while Sachitra Senanayake and Ajantha Mendis were Sri Lanka's spin options through much of the tournament, before Rangana Herath made his tournament debut against New Zealand and completely blew them away with figures of 5 for 3.

Overall, West Indies have been more reliant on their spinners: they've bowled more overs than the seamers, and have accounted for 19 of their 31 wickets. Badree is the third-highest wicket-taker of the tournament, while Narine's economy rate of 4.50 is second only Bhuvneshwar Kumar's, among bowlers who have bowled at least 10 overs in the tournament. And then there has been Krishmar Santokie, the unsung hero for West Indies: no one's talked much about him, but he has taken six wickets at an average of 13.83 and an economy rate of 5.59. (Click here for West Indies' batting and bowling averages in the tournament.)

For Sri Lanka, Nuwan Kulasekara has been superb, taking six wickets at 11.67 and an economy rate of 5.83, but Lasith Malinga has had a relatively quiet tournament, taking three wickets in 12 overs. (Click here for Sri Lanka's batting and bowling averages in the tournament.)

Pace and spin stats for SL and WI
	Spin				Pace
	Overs	Wkts	Average	Econ rate	Overs	Wkts	Average	Econ rate
Sri Lanka	25.0	13	12.76	6.64	40.2	13	21.07	6.79
West Indies	41.4	19	12.31	5.61	35.0	12	20.91	7.17

In terms of their bowling performances in different stages of an innings, both Sri Lanka and West Indies have been superb during the Powerplay overs, taking plenty of wickets and restricting the runs. Both teams have taken 11 wickets in the first six overs - the most by any team in the tournament - though Sri Lanka have a slightly better economy rate. There's little to choose between their stats in the middle overs too, but in the last five, West Indies have a better economy rate. Sri Lanka have conceded 9.55 per over in the last five, thanks to their games against England and South Africa, when they went for 48 off 26 balls and 45 off 30 in the last five overs.

WI and SL with the ball so far in the tournament
	First 6 overs		6.1 to 15 overs		Last 5 overs
	Average	Econ rate	Average	Econ rate	Average	Econ rate
Sri Lanka	10.45	4.79	21.81	7.61	10.44	9.55
West Indies	11.90	5.45	25.60	7.11	10.10	6.06

West Indies' last five overs blitz

As mentioned earlier, West Indies have been strong boundary hitters in the tournament, and they've been especially destructive in the last five overs of their innings. Their run rate in the last five is 12.55, a period during which they've scored 247 runs in 118 balls. Darren Sammy alone has caused immeasurable damage to the opposition bowling figures during this period, scoring 99 off 39 balls during this period, at a staggering run rate of 15.23 per over. Dwayne Bravo hasn't done badly either, scoring 54 from 24. Sri Lanka's run rate of 9.83 in the last five isn't too bad (141 runs from 86 balls), but this is clearly a period that has belonged to West Indies.

Sri Lanka's strength has been more in the middle overs, when they've scored at a brisk pace without losing too many wickets. Mahela Jayawardene has been at the forefront in this aspect, scoring 74 off 50 balls during this period (run rate 8.88) and getting out just once.

WI and SL scoring patterns in the tournament so far
	First 6 overs		6.1 to 15 overs		Last 5 overs
Team	Average	Run rate	Average	Run rate	Average	Run rate
Sri Lanka	24.00	7.30	40.80	7.55	14.10	9.83
West Indies	53.33	6.66	21.63	6.61	24.70	12.55

The Mirpur factor

West Indies also have the advantage of having played all their matches in Mirpur - which is the venue for the semi-final - while Sri Lanka have played in Chittagong. However, conditions in Mirpur have favoured spin more than in Chittagong, which should suit Sri Lanka as well: spinners have bowled twice as many overs in Mirpur compared to Chittagong in the main stage of the tournament, and achieved better economy rates. (Click here for the stats of spinners at the two venues, and here for the pace bowlers' numbers.)

The head-to-head history

Sri Lanka and West Indies have played five Twenty20 internationals so far, all of them in the World Twenty20. While Sri Lanka won the first four, West Indies beat them in the big game, the final of the 2012 edition, by 36 runs. Four of the five matches between them have been won by the team batting first.

In matches between these two teams, Jayawardene has been the top batsman, scoring 202 runs at a strike rate of 133.77; Tillakaratne Dilshan isn't far behind in terms of aggregate, scoring 187 at a strike rate touching 160. West Indies' batsmen have been relatively quiet, with Chris Gayle scoring only 73 in four innings.

Among the bowlers, Mendis has stunning stats: in 20 overs he has figures of 13 for 82, an average of 6.30 and an economy rate of 4.10. Malinga, though, has leaked almost 9.50 runs per over against West Indies. Narine has played only two games against Sri Lanka, but has been his usual self, taking 3 for 32 from 7.4 overs.

India wrap up 2016 berth with narrow win

India Women 106 for 7 (Mithali Raj 39, Sania Khan 3-15) beat Pakistan Women 100 for 9 (Nahida Khan 26, Nida Dar 24*, Soniya Dabir 3-14) by 6 runs
Scorecard

India Women booked a place in the 2016 Women's World T20 with a narrow win over Pakistan Women in the qualification play-off in Sylhet. Six teams - the four semifinalists and the two winners of the play-off games - qualify directly for the next edition of the tournament, while the other teams go into a separate qualifying tournament.

Chasing 107, Pakistan lost wickets regularly, three of them to medium-pacer Soniya Dabir, but useful knocks from their No. 3 Nahida Khan and No. 9 Nida Dar had kept them in the hunt. At the start of the final over, Pakistan needed 17 to win with two wickets in hand and Nida at the crease on 19. Shubhlakshmi Sharma conceded a four to Batool Fatima second ball of the over, and a two and a leg-bye of the next two balls to leave Pakistan needing nine off the last two. Fatima, however, was run-out off the penultimate ball and Nida only managed a single off the last ball, leaving India winners by six runs.

Having chosen to bat, India's top three made decent starts but nobody kicked on to make a big score as the rest of the batting collapsed. Mithali Raj hung around to make 39 and was sixth out, off the penultimate ball of the innings, as India lost their way, going from 64 for 1 to 106 for 7. Medium-pacer Sania Khan was Pakistan's most successful bowler, with three wickets.

IPL teams face hit in sponsor revenue

With just two weeks for the start of the IPL, many franchises are yet to finalise deals with sponsors. Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore are understood to be the five franchises that have been unable to close deals including finding a front-chest sponsor, a valuable space where the brand is most prominently displayed on the shirt front.

Brand experts predicted a "tough year" claiming the franchises would suffer a deep cut of 20% in their sponsorship revenues which would be exacerbated by the loss in ticket revenues as a result of the first phase of the tournament being played in the UAE.

Uncertainty over the venue for the second half of the IPL, the economic slowdown, clash with the federal elections and the controversies that have emanated from the corruption scandal during last year's IPL are factors that have affected sponsorships.

According to Mohit Burman, one of the owners at Kings XI, as soon as the IPL announced the first 20 matches would be played in the UAE, sponsors sent a warning signal. "One of our sponsors, Lux Cozy, decided to not renew a three-year deal," Burman said. "They pulled out immediately. This year is sort of a mess. The uncertainty over the venues did hamper us. First they said it could be one of - or a combination of - South Africa, UAE and Bangladesh as the overseas venue due to the elections. Now we still do not know where the second part will be held. As it is, the market is soft and due to the recent controversies it has had an impact on the franchise costs."



	"The gate money would be reduced, the sponsorship would be reduced, there are fewer teams so the central revenue would be also be reduced" Mohit Burman, co-owner of Kings XI Punjab

Burman agreed that the overall revenues this season would be significantly lesser than previous seasons. "The gate money would be reduced, the sponsorship would be reduced, there are fewer teams so the central revenue would be also be reduced."

According to a franchise chief executive, the enthusiasm among sponsors for the IPL is not the same as it was in the first five years. "It is very difficult to get sponsorships. The IPL has taken a big beating. Everybody is negotiating - there is a massive decrease in sponsorship costs," the franchise CEO said. This CEO said he had been trying to close deals over the past month but the sponsors, mainly local, were not keen.

Yet, the CEO remained optimistic. "We are in advance talks with a bunch of people. (But) The market has been bad," he said. According to him, during the last meeting the IPL had with franchises in Chennai last month, they were told that a definite schedule would be announced in a few weeks. "The second half schedule has not come in yet. People are still waiting. If somebody wants to spend big bucks would they just bet blindly? So you need a schedule to plan the stuff, budget depending on where the matches are."

The front-chest sponsorship is worth anywhere between INR 10 crore ($1.67m) to 20 crore per season. Muthoot Finance did not renew their three-year contract with Daredevils. Ultratech Cements brought to an end a long-running relationship with Royals. Kings XI, who had two different sponsors after Emirates pulled out in 2011, is understood to have failed to find a sponsor for even one of the six advertising slots available on a team-shirt.

According to the CEO the local sponsors' biggest challenge is building brand engagement when matches are set to be held overseas. "Say some of my home matches are being played outside due to the clash of the elections, my sponsor today is not sure whether he wants to advertise outside. It is not about the TV logo anymore. It is also about activating in the local market," he said. "This is becoming ridiculous. I hope they release the (final) schedule."

Brand experts agree it is going to be gruelling summer for franchises with an estimated minimum cut of 20% in the sponsorship costs. "That is a serious cut. Moreover there will also be impact on the gate revenues with the first phase being played overseas. It is going to be a tough year," said Vinit Karnik, a top official at GroupM ESP, media planning agency.

According to Karnik he had predicted a year ago that sponsorship costs were likely to go down, and not because of the scheduling issues. "This is a peculiar year. When IPL started in 2008 most of the franchises had inked three year deals and some had signed five-year contracts with sponsors. Most of the big deals were for three-year which got renewed for another three year and re-opened in the seventh year. The five-year deals were extended by a year.

"So the seventh year (2014) was the year of a lot of supply where most of the franchises' deals were up for renewal. It is a typical demand-supply situation. If there are eight teams and there are on an average six to eight assets (sponsors) which means about 50-60 assets open in the market."

North retires from Australian cricket

Former Test batsman Marcus North has sprung a surprise by announcing his retirement from Australian domestic cricket at the age of 34 and after a season in which he was named Sheffield Shield Player of the Year.

North will exit on a high after what he declared was his most enjoyable season, a summer in which he topped the Shield run tally with 886 at 63.28 and played in the first Shield final of his 15-year career, albeit an unsuccessful decider for Western Australia.

The resurgence of Chris Rogers as a Test player in his mid-thirties might have given North a glimmer of hope of resuming his 21-Test career if he maintained his form, but such a recall would have been a long shot and North said he could no longer maintain the fight and desire needed for a full summer.

His success during 2013-14 was all the more remarkable given that he struggled for runs last season and was dropped from the Western Australia side, but he reinvented himself as an opener and began this summer with three centuries from the first four Shield rounds. It resulted in the second most prolific campaign of his Shield career - his only better season was in 2003-04, when he made 984 at 54.66.

However, 2013-14 became a tragic summer for North away from cricket when his brother Lucas was killed in a road accident in late November. After spending some time away from the game following the accident, North returned for the BBL and then helped Western Australia to their first Shield final since 1998-99, the year before he made his debut for his state.

"I felt it was the right time to move on, in many ways, from family reasons through to the way I feel about my cricket at the moment," North said. "I really enjoyed arguably one of the best seasons in my career, but it's exhausting and I've got to the stage now where it's a big effort to maintain that over a season.

"When the times get tough and you feel that you're not going to be able to drag yourself out of it, well I've always said that's about time to move on and that's how I feel. The guys are in a really good place now and you're starting to see the influence of Justin [Langer, the WA coach] and his coaching group coming through. We're playing a tougher brand of cricket now and there's a tougher attitude within the group.

"It's their journey now and it's time for them to enjoy that. It's a huge bonus [to go out on my own terms] and I'm just so grateful to get another opportunity this year after last year and I'm thrilled I made the most of it. It would have been a fairytale finish to win a final as well, but to play in one is special to me as well. It reflects the cricket we played all year."

Although North will leave the game on a high, there is no doubt that the peak of his career personally was being a regular member of Australia's Test side during 2009 and 2010. North effectively replaced Andrew Symonds at No.6 in the Test team and scored a century on debut in Johannesburg, helping Australia to a memorable 2-1 series victory in his first trip with the team.

He followed that with a strong Ashes tour in 2009, when he scored two centuries and was fourth on the series run tally across both teams with 367, and overall his record of five hundreds in 21 Tests suggests a man who was at home at the highest level. However, North's major problem in Test and state cricket was his tendency for peaks and troughs - he matched his five Test tons with five ducks and a string of low scores led to him being axed during the 2010-11 Ashes in Australia.

For Western Australia, North was a solid performer for a decade and a half, and he took over the state captaincy from the newly retired Langer for the 2007-08 season, relinquishing it in October 2012. Langer, who played with North and then coached him, said North had always been a talented batsman who finally towards the end of his career found the consistency that had often eluded him in the past.

"You always judge a person's character by the way they come back from adversity and Marcus relinquished the captaincy, he was dropped from the Warriors last year and then to come back and have a standout season is a real credit to his character," Langer said. "Marcus was my vice-captain for about three years and took over from me as captain.

"Playing together, I always appreciated his talent and, while he would be the first to admit that he was always striving for consistency in his career, when he was on, he was a magnificent player to watch. Looking back on his career - and we've spoken a lot about this, firstly when together and now since coaching - he's always been striving for that consistency and the irony is that, now, in what has become his last year, he's probably found that formula which works so brilliantly."

Although North will not play for Western Australia next summer he is yet to decide on his BBL future and will make himself available for county cricket, while also exploring business opportunities in the UK. His departure makes it the second successive year that the season's leading Shield run scorer has immediately retired from Australian cricket, after Ricky Ponting topped the tally in 2012-13, his final summer for Tasmania.

Gavaskar reaches out to franchises

Sunil Gavaskar will hold his first media conference as the BCCI president - IPL in Dubai on Wednesday. There was some confusion ahead of that formal interaction, however, and possibly not of Gavaskar's making, emanating from a BCCI statement that said he had briefed franchises and held a discussion with them on Monday.

Franchises contacted by ESPNcricinfo denied there was any meeting held, except for a "courtesy" conference call in which Gavaskar and IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal spoke briefly.

"Mr Sunil Gavaskar, Interim President, BCCI - IPL, had a discussion with the franchises on Pepsi IPL 2014, earlier today," Monday's statement said. "He briefed them on the preparations for the 2014 season. The franchises shared their views and extended their support and cooperation for a successful Pepsi IPL 2014."

Five franchises said nothing of this sort had happened. "They are making it look like there was a meeting," one franchise head said. "There was a conference call that Gavaskar and Biswal had with franchises. It was a courtesy call and nothing else."

"I don't know of any meeting or any call," a co-owner of another franchise said.

It is understood, however, that Gavaskar has begun the process of talking to the owners separately. The chief executive of another franchise confirmed that his team's owner had spoken with Gavaskar.

Franchise officials indicated that Gavaskar, while he was keen to understand the kind of changes they wanted, was indirectly trying to assess their opinion of Sundar Raman, the IPL chief operating officer. "That call was almost hinting at what needs to be done with Sundar Raman," the franchise head said.

Gavaskar was acting on the instructions of the Supreme Court, which last week, while giving him charge of the BCCI's IPL functions, had asked him to work out whether he wanted the services of Raman, the de facto head of the tournament.

Raman, an advertising professional, had been hired by IPL founder-chairman Lalit Modi to be his right-hand man when the tournament started. After Modi's expulsion in 2010, Raman grew equally close to BCCI president N Srinivasan, whose ouster from the BCCI last week called Raman's position into question.

Raman has never been a favourite among franchise officials but they acknowledge he is indispensable to the tournament. "He has been there right from the beginning of the IPL," the franchise head said. "So he has grown into the manager who has made himself indispensable. The fear is if he goes, it might be more trouble than him being there. So let him at least be there."

In fact officials say the tournament's smooth running will minimise the scope for Gavaskar to make any difference. "This is too short a time for anybody to make an impact," the franchise owner said. "At the end of day IMG run the league operationally. IPL officials [the BCCI] have barely any role to play other than sending emails. Otherwise, ticketing, accreditations, matches, appointments of the officials is managed by IMG. So as far as leadership goes, there is hardly anything anyone can do."

The franchise executive said the one thing he could expect of Gavaskar was to help the IPL announce the final schedule for the second phase of the tournament. "Although the BCCI indicated that the second phase of the IPL would be played in India, we are still are waiting for the schedule," he said. "We can then plan our stuff and convince sponsors."

Pakistan consumed by waves of panic

The performance against Australia gave Pakistan fans hope but, not for the first time, they produced a polar opposite display

Pakistan never fail to surprise us, do they? If you had come expecting a thriller between two similar, explosive T20 sides, what you got instead was Pakistan showing us multiple, and all equally self-destructive, states of panic.

Two of their best bowlers, Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul, cracked under pressure and gave away a combined 59 runs in three overs at the death. The top order went down heaving, and the middle order shut shop in response.

It was one of those nights from Pakistan. As was the night when they had sparked that incredible Australian collapse earlier in the tournament. We know both happened, separated by a matter of a few days. We also know Pakistan are capable of both kinds of displays within such a short span. We can try to delve into what happened and how it happened. Exactly why it happened, we will never really know.

Each wave of panic against West Indies only brought about another, albeit different one, from the following cast. When the opposition is 84 for 5 after 15 overs, and you have overs left from two of the most experienced and best T20 bowlers in the world, the last thing you are expecting is for both of them to lose it suddenly. And Gul lost it so much in the 18th over that as many as three fielders ran up to him at various points in the over with words of advice, or encouragement, or whatever it was that they felt could work at that moment.

Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir. All those interventions did not stop the over from going for 21. They also revealed Pakistan's state of mind at that point. When three different men are needed to rush to your premier fast bowler, all in the span of half an over, you tell the opposition you are on the edge, and are expecting the worst.

And the worst came in the next over. Ajmal is usually the master of these situations. He will toss one up a bit more, or he will hold it back a bit more, or he will bowl the one that turns the other way from which the batsman was expecting it to. And the batsman will have a clueless slog and fall. None of this was happening. Ajmal instead bowled short, he bowled flat, he bowled quickly. He became what your average spinner is usually at the death in limited-overs cricket - a massive risk. For that one over, he lost the aura that makes him Saeed Ajmal. He will doubtless regain that, as he did after the 2010 World T20 semi-final, but the damage had been done again.

Heaven knows how the Pakistanis felt walking off the field at the break, having allowed West Indies to nearly double their score in five overs. Heaven knows what was spoken in the Pakistan dugout at the break. All we saw was that their top order and middle order came out in two extreme states of trance - one suicidal by dint of action, one suicidal by dint of not acting at all.

Ahmed Shehzad can be excused for getting a ripper of an inswinging yorker first ball. Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal and Shoaib Malik cannot be. Not for facing a collective, unproductive 14 deliveries between them. But for reacting in such a frenzied manner that would have you believe they had been collectively unproductive for 14 overs, and that frenzy was the only way out.

To be 13 for 4 in the sixth over is nowhere near the start you want when you are chasing 167 in a virtual quarter-final. To bottle up like Sohaib Maqsood, and particularly Hafeez, did is probably the worst response you want from your middle order when you are 13 for 4.

Pakistan consumed 40 deliveries before they hit their first boundary. One-third of a T20 innings without a single boundary. One-third of a 20 innings that had already seen a batsman heave to mid-off, and two batsmen stumped. And yet, there was not a single boundary during the fielding Restrictions. Maqsood and Hafeez added 24 in five overs. And then fell within an over of each other. It was like the cast of a play frozen in extreme stage fright after the opening acts had bungled their lines by trying too hard too soon.

If you admire Pakistan cricket for showing you the Australia collapse, tonight you were dealt so many shocks you went numb. You then attempted to make sense of each of them. Batsmen throw their bats around in T20, and as Dwayne Bravo said, even the best bowlers go for runs at the death. The top order had no choice but to try and make the most of the fielding restrictions. The downside was that they could fall while doing so, and they did. The middle order, as Hafeez said, was faced with too many jolts too soon and had absolutely no momentum to build on.

You weigh up all these arguments. Maybe they are justified standalone, maybe they are not. But how do you find explanations for such a collective and varied brain freeze? Which is why, exactly why it happened, we will never really know.

Hafeez apologises for Pakistan performance

Mohammad Hafeez was asked pretty direct questions after Pakistan failed to make the World T20 semi-finals with a heavy defeat to West Indies.

He was asked if he was considering resigning as T20 captain and if he was the No. 3 batsman the side needed. He was asked why Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik were persevered with. He was asked if the Pakistan team management was good enough. In reply, Hafeez apologized to the people of Pakistan for his team's unsuccessful campaign and said that the entire team was collectively responsible.

"After a loss, such things come up," Hafeez said. "But you have to keep in mind that no team wins because of any one individual or loses because of any one individual. It was a good display overall, but in this match, we didn't play well. We take collective responsibility. It's not one person's responsibility. The entire management, all the players, are equally responsible.

"The management has worked hard with the players. All the plans, they were able to reach the players, gave us all the practice. At the end of the day, the players have to deliver, they have to execute the plans. In this tournament, especially in this match, if the execution wasn't good, then the responsibility lies with the players, not the management. But as a team, we didn't do well. All of us have to accept it.

"I apologise to the people of Pakistan as captain and on behalf of the team that we couldn't live up to their expectations. But these things happen in cricket. You are the same person who plays good and bad cricket. But it is important that you take the good things going forward and maintain that."

There were few good things for Pakistan against West Indies. They gave away too many runs at the death, lost too many early wickets, and could not get going in the chase at all. Hafeez said his batsmen's shot selection had been wrong. "The plans were in place but once the pressure got on to them, our best bowlers Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul didn't do the basics right. They leaked too many runs towards the end. We didn't get the momentum in our favour.

"We played some of the shots which were not there and losing too many wickets in the first six overs really cost the game. The batsmen have to take the responsibility. There was never any one innings that came forward. When the momentum is not with you, you get to see this kind of cricket where even good teams can collapse."

Hafeez had a disappointing World T20 personally as well, making 55 runs from four innings at a strike-rate of 72.36. While admitting that he could not perform in this tournament, Hafeez felt that overall, he had done alright in the position. "From the last one and a half years, I have been doing this for the team, playing at No. 3 because the management want me to do this and I have been doing very well at this. Unfortunately, in this tournament, I couldn't get the runs I wanted to. It happens sometimes in cricket - you try your level best but things don't work for you. This is one such tournament. I am disappointed with my own form, I couldn't score runs for the team. You have to accept it, you have to move forward from here."

When asked if moving forward meant dropping those who had not performed, Hafeez said that was the domain of the selectors. "Good and bad, you must take them together and look to the future. The selectors will look at it, they will see who are the players that need to be replaced. That is their job. The team is selected by the selection committee, but the responsibility is not any one individual's. If the players haven't played well, then they must take the responsibility."

Malik and Akmal had a poor World T20 as well, making 52 and 48 runs respectively in four innings each. Hafeez acknowledged that they had fallen short of expectations. "They will also be sad. The selectors have trusted and picked them for a big tournament like this. But they didn't live up to those expectations. They are good players, they have played well for Pakistan but you are right, in this tournament there were not good performances from them. But Kamran's keeping is a positive. He has kept well, there have always been question marks over his keeping. Unfortunately, as an opener, he didn't bat as well. As for Shoaib Malik, he is a senior player, both haven't done very well."

West Indies bring back their fear factor

The ultimate entertainers, West Indies now have the batting power to match the threat their fast bowlers brought in the 1980s

Croft: Sammy and Bravo played with confidence

West Indies may have a formula for T20, or they may just let it flow through them. Modern players often talk about going out on the field and expressing themselves but it appears to be only the West Indies team that truly do so, at least in this format of the game.

Whether dancing to calypso, Korean pop or some local folk number, West Indies' style has proved just as catchy as it was two years ago. The energy levels as they celebrated a sensational torpedoing of Pakistan were a little down on the party-hard reaction to beating Australia a few days ago, with just a few perfunctory giddy-ups for the cameras, but West Indies emanate conviction that their method is as sound as their arms are strong. With or without all the carry on, they are the World T20 entertainers.

Darren Sammy has become as powerful a symbol of this as Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, stars of their triumphant 2012 World T20. Tony Cozier has written about his resurgence in the finisher's role - innings in Auckland and Antigua, Barbados and Mirpur over the last few months underscore the point with all the emphasis of one of Sammy's flat sixes - and here the captain gave another tingling display of his dead-eye death batting.

As Saeed Ajmal, the premier spinner in this format, was crunched back down the ground in the 19th over, Sammy celebrated banishing the ball from his presence by pumping his fist back and forth, as if ramming home the metaphorical advantage. Ajmal had already gone the distance twice before, at the hands of Dwayne Bravo, who also belaboured Umar Gul - the second-most successful T20 bowler around - for consecutive sixes. Bravo was run out at the start of the final over but Sammy drove remorselessly on, thumping and jiving.

Asked previously about West Indies preference for dots over dash, sixes over singles, Sammy said it was just a natural inclination as to how to play the game. Suresh Raina belittled the approach, to which Sammy responded: "If he thinks we are only six-hitters, then stop us from hitting sixes." India managed it, convincingly; Pakistan did not. Of West Indies' 166 for 6, 51 came in singles, twos and a three; 106 flowed in boundaries.

"In those situations, the best of them all go for runs," Bravo said of the disdain with which Ajmal and Gul were treated. "We had nothing to lose, we were under pressure. So I said to Sammy, as long as we stay still, don't worry about picking Ajmal or trying to rotate, just stay still, keep our eyes on the ball, we're powerful enough if we get close to the ball to hit it over the ropes. Our aim was to get at least 135 to 140 with the start we got but the self-belief we have, the form and the power we have, the momentum went with us, we finished positive and got to 160."

The power of West Indies' T20 batting - missing Kieron Pollard, too - has replaced the fear factor of their fast bowling in Tests 30 years ago. They use it to bludgeon opponents, intimidate them, shrugging off the chance to run ones and twos in favour of full-frontal assault. As with Samuels' tinderbox innings in the final of the last World T20, this match reinforced the sense that they are rarely ever out of a game.

From 84 for 5 at the end of the 15th over, Bravo and Sammy ran amok for another 82 runs from 30 balls. Perhaps the only way they could get better (other than jogging just a couple more singles) would be to implement a pre-War Test trick and reverse the batting order, somehow convincing Sammy to play each five-over block as if it were the last five overs - with the fall back of Gayle, Samuels and the rest to come in if he failed. Bradman would surely approve.

"This is the first game that we lost wickets in the first six overs, so we were trying to consolidate but at the same time whenever we got a boundary we keep losing a wicket again," Bravo said. "So in the middle overs, it calmed down. We've proved ourselves, in Twenty20 cricket we know how the game plays, if you take the game right down to the end anything is possible, as long as we don't give up and keep faith and have that self-belief that if we bat 20 overs we're going to get a decent total.

"But we have to bat 20 overs, so at no point can we let what happens in the middle overs get the better of us, that comes with experience and self-belief. We still had Andre Russell and Sunil Narine to bat. It's good we did not panic at 84 for 5 and take the game all the way down to the end. We showed in the Australia game what the difference can make as long as we have clean hitters at the wicket, so that's our aim, that's our strong point and we use it to the best of our ability."

Bravo, who is enjoying a purple patch in West Indies maroon, spoke of the team's passion and enjoyment for the game, something else that Twenty20 has helped to resurrect in the Caribbean. "All West Indians are like that, we just want to entertain our fans, most of all the people of Bangladesh come out every game and support the tournament so it's important that we give them their money's worth," he said. If West Indies' manage to carry off the title again, it will be in the manner of all great entertainers: leaving us wanting more.

Captain Bailey's 'most disappointing game'

George Bailey has called Australia's big defeat to India in the World T20 the "most disappointing game" of his captaincy tenure. Australia were bowled out for 86 chasing 160, and Bailey was particularly gutted at the way his batsmen folded, saying they had failed to deliver the improvement that was asked of them after two close defeats to Pakistan and West Indies.

"Unexpected. Disappointing. I'd go so far as to say it is the most disappointing game that I've led from this team for three years," Bailey said. "I'll give all credit to the Indian bowlers, they obviously bowled well. I certainly do not think our batters can hold their heads particularly high in terms of our shot selection, our match awareness, our game sense, all the stuff that we spoke about in the last game that we were not particularly happy with. We asked for improvement and we certainly did not have that."

When asked if there was embarrassment in addition to the disappointment, Bailey said the former was limited only to himself. "If I was embarrassed I'd say it is with my own performance. I'm disappointed with the team, with the way we batted but I have got pretty big faith in these guys and I'm not sticking up for them in terms of ... we all could've made better decisions and done things differently if we had our chance again but I am not embarrassed for anyone, apart from myself."

Australia were not faced with a particularly demanding asking-rate at the start of their chase but they tried too many shots and lost half their side before the halfway mark. Bailey said while Australia's overall approach in the format was to be aggressive, it did not translate to being reckless.

"If I am thinking back to our T20 form over the last 12 months or so, I reckon that is the first time we have scored under 170. So yep, we certainly want to be aggressive and we want to dictate the game but there does have to be a back-up plan. That is the responsibility of us in the middle order to understand where the game is at and you have got a perfect example in the other side from the way Yuvraj (Singh) managed that innings from where India were. I think runs-wise, at about the tenth-over mark, we were roughly the same. We had lost three or four more wickets. That probably sums up our mindset and the mistakes that we made."

Australia needed Bangladesh to defeat Pakistan in the afternoon game for them to stay alive in the tournament, but that wasn't to be. When asked if having been knocked out before the start of the India game meant a dip in motivation levels, Bailey admitted his players' minds may not have been entirely on the match, but refused to accept that as a reason for not performing well.

"I hope not. Certainly not. Clichéd, but any team you are playing for Australia, you would hate to think that people need extra motivation... that is not an excuse. We feel like we played a couple of good games of cricket but we have been on the losing side of them so for us tonight ... without being disrespectful to Bangladesh, it would have been a shock to us if Bangladesh had beaten Pakistan so we were not arriving here expecting miracles.

"There was enough for us to prove by playing India and playing well against a side who we think are going to be close to tournament favourites, and to win that game and prove that we are a really good side over here and we deserve to go better, but not to be."

Yuvraj fulfils weight of expectations

Probably as much as Yuvraj wanted to succeed, India also dearly wanted him to. His captain's faith in him was vindicated against Australia after a string of failures

India tick all boxes ahead of semi-finals

'Matter of one innings'. 'Matter of one innings'. They kept saying it, and we kept hearing it. Didn't come against Pakistan. Didn't come against West Indies. Didn't get a chance to come against Bangladesh.

Australia was the last chance. This had to be that one innings. And Yuvraj Singh made it count. Their senior batsman finding some form has to be the biggest takeaway for the Indians from this game, although they would have also been delighted with how their spinners confounded a batting line-up for the fourth successive time in the tournament.

Probably as much as Yuvraj wanted to succeed, India also dearly wanted him to. They did what they could in training, giving him several short, sharp stints of batting practice one day, a solo, longer one the other. During their training session before the Australia match, Yuvraj had an extended batting workout, fielding coach Trevor Penny's sidearm device giving him plenty of throwdowns. MS Dhoni usually watches his players practise from a distance, and does not get too involved, but this time, he stood right behind the single stump at the bowlers' end, watching Yuvraj closely.

Australia was to be the final opportunity before the knockouts, and Dhoni wanted to make sure his premier player was getting the most attention. After seeing him time a few drives and defend solidly, Dhoni even bowled a few offbreaks to Yuvraj.

India had also thrown their weight behind Yuvraj publicly. 'We all know what he can do once he gets going,' was the refrain. But even the best batsmen can stutter and stumble when they are out of touch, and when they are under pressure. That Yuvraj was feeling the pressure was evident. You did not need to see the way he had batted, particularly against West Indies, to realise that. It came across even in the way he was carrying himself on the field - brooding and seemingly occupied with himself. It came across when he reflected in disappointment at his struggle against West Indies even as his team-mates nearby celebrated India's second win of the tournament.

Till the time he whipped Brad Hodge to the deep midwicket boundary, Yuvraj was quite nervy. There were two close run-out calls where he slipped on the pitch, there were plays-and-misses against both spin and pace. Yuvraj was on 13 off 21 when he came down the track to Hodge. He then realised he was nowhere near the pitch. He stopped, adjusted his bat-swing and whipped it, against the turn. There was a fielder at long-on, but it was timed too well and had too much power - the combination that is the hallmark of Yuvraj when he is in flow.

Now he needed some fortune. James Muirhead provided him successive short balls that sat up and were smacked for sixes over deep midwicket. Early in his innings, Yuvraj had tried to do hit a Glenn Maxwell short ball but had missed it completely. That phase was over now, the nerves had been put away, and the confidence had been restored considerably.

Dhoni said with a smile that it was one question less that he would have to answer in press conferences now that Yuvraj had rediscovered his touch. "Yuvi's innings was brilliant," Dhoni said. "The way he paced his innings, and the best part was that an innings like this was needed for him, where he can be expressive and just be himself. It was an ideal opportunity today. He went and played a few deliveries and then he expressed himself. We all know the kind of batsman he is. He can clear any ground in the world and it does not matter whether it is a fast bowler or a spinner bowling. Initially he may struggle for the first five or seven deliveries. It is your good luck if you get him out, if not, he will take you out of the game."

It was also India's good luck that Yuvraj came good just in time for the semi-finals. Dhoni probably might not be bowling offbreaks to him in the nets again anytime soon.

'The middle order was tested' - Dhoni

Everything is working like a charm for India in the World T20. They were able to do in their first three games what they like doing- win the toss, bowl, and restrict the opposition to a moderate target. With a semi-final spot earned after three successive wins, they wanted to bat first in their final group match against Australia. So George Bailey won the toss and asked India to do exactly that.

The top order had done most of the batting in the first three games, so India wanted the middle order, especially Yuvraj Singh, to be tested ahead of the knockouts. So Australia reduced them to 66 for 4. Yuvraj was not one of those four, and in the familiar company of MS Dhoni, revived India to 159 for 7, rediscovering his touch on way to making 60 off 43. No wonder Dhoni was pleased at the workout his batsmen, especially Yuvraj, got against Australia and felt the experience would help them in case they needed to set a target in the knockouts.

"We wanted to bat first in this game," Dhoni said. "Once we lost the toss it wasn't really in our control. Overall very happy that we were able to bat first and set the target. The middle order was tested. After we lost a couple of wickets, the ball wasn't really coming off the wicket, so it was slightly difficult for the batsmen to freely rotate. That's the kind of scenario that we may encounter in the coming game.

"There was no dew at all because of which the ball was gripping even more because of which shot-making wasn't easy at all. In this situation, 140-145 is a very good score. When you have 145 in mind and move forward and you have good batsmen in your side, then you end up with 155-160. In these wickets, 10-15 runs is a lot. I think we had the right approach because of which we could get nearly 160.

"Because the wickets are on the slower side and at times you tend to look at may be 160 is still a good score (to defend), you need to accelerate and you lose too many and you end up getting 130. I think in the middle period Yuvraj batted really well. He gave himself time. It was an ideal opportunity for him to see through the initial 10-15 deliveries and we all know the kind of batting line-up we have. Anyone who eats up the deliveries initially and stays till the end, he makes much more than the balls he faces. That's a big positive for us and overall the whole batting line-up got a bit of batting."

Marsh gets CA contract, Doolan misses out

Alex Doolan has missed out on a Cricket Australia contract for 2014-15 despite being the incumbent No.3 in the Test team, while Shaun Marsh and Phillip Hughes have both been given deals. Cricket Australia has announced an 18-man contract list, down from 20 last year, with Ed Cowan, Patrick Cummins, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus, Clint McKay and Matthew Wade all left out having been contracted last year.

Doolan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Usman Khawaja and Adam Voges had all been upgraded to full contracts during the year having made enough appearances for the national team, but all missed out on deals for next year. There were no additions from outside the group of contracted players, with Marsh, Steven Smith, Chris Rogers and Aaron Finch all holding on to their places having been upgraded throughout the year.

While most of the omissions were reasonably predictable, the absence of Doolan suggests that the selectors might look to Hughes or Marsh to fill the No.3 role when Australia next plays Test cricket, against Pakistan in the UAE in October. The fact that Hughes and Marsh are also considered ODI options may have helped their cause, given that Australia will host a World Cup during the next contract period.

Hughes was axed from the Test side during the unsuccessful Ashes campaign in England last year and has not worn the baggy green since, although he was part of the squad for the Test tour of South Africa and remains a prolific run scorer at domestic level. Marsh was recalled to the Test side in South Africa in spite of his lack of recent first-class runs and scored 148 in the win in Centurion, but was then dropped after making a pair in the next Test.

Doolan played all three Tests in South Africa and showed the kind of class that has appealed to observers of his Sheffield Shield form for Tasmania, but too often he squandered his starts and finished the trip averaging 31. John Inverarity, the national selector, said Doolan remained in the thoughts of the national selection panel (NSP) despite missing out on a contract.

"Alex Doolan was close to receiving a contract and he is highly regarded by the NSP as the incumbent number three batsman in our Test line-up," Inverarity said. "He made his Australian debut less than two months ago and we look forward to him building strongly on the promising start he made in the three Test series in South Africa."

The other player singled out by Inverarity as narrowly missing out on the 18-man group was Coulter-Nile, who has made himself a regular in the Twenty20 and one-day sides over the past year.

"Nathan Coulter-Nile also came close as he has had some impressive white-ball performances for Australia and was in the Test Squad for much of the Australian summer," Inverarity said. "The NSP would like to see Nathan continue to progress well and have another strong season in 2014-15."

The only contracted player who would be considered solely a short-form specialist was Finch, whose destructive batting at the top of the order in the T20 and ODI teams sits at odds with his struggle to perform for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield. George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell are likely to be more active in the short forms than Test cricket, although both men have worn the baggy green in the past 13 months.

Not surprisingly, Hilfenhaus and Cummins were cut having not represented Australia since 2012, while Cowan was unlikely to hold his deal having slipped out of the Test team after the first Ashes Test in England. McKay played 14 of a possible 16 ODIs since the current contract period began on July 1 last year but might face a challenge to retain his spot in the side, while Doherty has also fallen down the list.

Khawaja's absence from the list was expected after he was axed from the Test team in England, while Wade's demotion might raise the prospect of another gloveman such as Tim Paine challenging him for the position as backup to Brad Haddin. Voges was a solid ODI performer during the year but missed out on a deal, although it would not be surprising if he won an upgrade over the summer with a World Cup around the corner.

"This year, 18 [players] was deemed to be the natural cut-off point, and those who are on the brink and just outside will have the opportunity - if they earn selection - of being upgraded," Inverarity said. "It's up to them, those who are outside, to perform well, win selection and be upgraded."

The next contract period begins on July 1 this year and will include two Tests against Pakistan in the UAE, four Tests at home to India and a Test series away in the West Indies, and possibly the opening stages of the next Ashes series in England. The World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is the major limited-overs event on the calendar, scheduled to take place in February-March.

Logistics manager first India Cements employee to be withdrawn

MA Satish, India's logistics manager, has been withdrawn from India's squad in Bangladesh following a Supreme Court directive to not engage India Cements employees in any of BCCI's activities till further notice. Satish, a former Kerala player, will return to India as soon as his replacement joins the squad in Dhaka.

"I would like to inform all of you that Mr MA Satish (logistics manager of the Indian team) will be going back to India as soon as the replacement for him joins the Team. There has been a delay in the visa process for his replacement due to the weekend," RN Baba, media manager of the team, said in a media release.

This is the first bit of action after the Supreme Court directive to cut through the dual roles a handful enjoy in India Cements and the BCCI. BCCI president N Srinivasan is the vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements, which also owns Chennai Super Kings, the IPL team at the centre of alleged betting and spot-fixing controversy.

This conflict of interest has been questioned by the counsels representing Cricket Association of Bihar during the court case against the BCCI in the aftermath of the IPL corruption scandal. In its interim order on Friday, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court said, "We also direct that till we deliver the judgement, none of the employees of India Cements Limited or its associate companies (except cricket players or commentators) will perform any of the duties assigned to them by the BCCI."

On Saturday, Sunil Gavaskar also assumed duties as the BCCI president as part of another Supreme Court directive. Earlier in the day Gavaskar said through a release he had met IPL chairman Ranjib Biswal and the management staff in Dubai, and had been briefed on various aspects of the 2014 season.

England can hold heads high - Broad

Stuart Broad said England could leave the World T20 with their "heads high" despite going out of the competition after their second defeat in three games. Broad admitted to the wearying effects of a long and arduous winter of touring but was looking forward to the opportunity for rest and recovery before England begin a "new era" in May.

England lost by three runs to South Africa, ending their chances of reaching the semi-finals. A young and slightly experimental squad will play one more game, against Netherlands on Monday, before heading home as the ECB prepares to appoint a new head coach. Broad said he was uncertain about his own future as T20 captain and may miss the start of England's season as he attempts to get over a chronic knee injury.

"We've had a lot of positives come out of this World Cup but we can hold our heads high with some of the performances we've put in," Broad said. "If we had got out of the group there would have been a lot of surprised people. We're disappointed but we've done some good stuff with the squad available to us.

"We lost key men through injury. We can hold heads up high and at the end of the day T20 is an entertainment business and I don't think anybody is going to leave the ground today disappointed with nearly 400 runs scored, sixes, fours, and catches."

The county season gets underway next weekend, with the chance for several players to push for recognition as England look to begin afresh after losing heavily in Australia and following up with mixed results in the Caribbean and Bangladesh. Ashley Giles, the limited-overs coach, is favourite to succeed Andy Flower in charge of England across all three formats, with the ECB expected to hold interviews for the position in early April.

"It's going to be a new era of English cricket isn't it?" Broad said. "It has been a tough winter. We've been away a huge amount of time so there are some fantastic opportunities available for players in the summer. We don't know the shake-up of the Test side but you know the opportunities will arise and that's exciting for players to be involved in. I expect to see some excellent performances this summer, guys really desperate to play, hungry to succeed for England and we'll have to play some good cricket to beat Sri Lanka and India.

"It's an exciting time to be part of English cricket. Change is exciting from time to time. It's been a really tough winter, we've not had a huge amount of success. Australia was a really tough tour, back-to-back Ashes over the past nine months is as tough as it gets for a cricketer, not just on the field but off it too with all the hype that comes with Ashes cricket. So it has been a draining winter and I'll have to be honest, I'm looking forward to a bit of a break come Tuesday."

Broad has been T20 captain since 2011, when England experimented with a tripartite system. He has twice led England at the World T20, both times on the subcontinent, with the next tournament due to be held in India in 2016. Asked about continuing in the role, he said: "I don't know, there's going to be a decision made on coaching staff so there might be a few changes in the next two months or so. I'm probably going to be unavailable for the start of the season in one-day cricket to sort my knee out."

A period of rehabilitation will be required for Broad to get over his patellar tendonitis, an injury that has resulted from his heavy workload over the winter, and discussions with whoever is appointed to take charge of England will determine the way forward. England begin their season with an ODI against Scotland on May 9, followed by limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. The first Test of the summer begins on June 12.

"I need a rehab period on my tendonitis, which is generally about an eight-week period so whether I take just four weeks in April to play in May and then take a couple of months after the season I don't know but it's got to the stage where it's really sore and I need it sorting out. You know in international cricket you can't perform at your best when you're carrying an injury. We've managed it pretty well but it's in the hands of the medical staff and a bit of negotiation with the head coach when that's decided."

England made 193 for 7 against South Africa, their joint fifth-highest score batting second in T20s, despite no one scoring more than 38. The total surpassed their record chase against Sri Lanka from two nights ago but England paid for conceding 55 runs from the last three overs, as AB de Villiers scorched his way to an unbeaten 69 off 28 balls. Broad credited de Villiers for a match-winning innings as the bowlers, particularly Jade Dernbach, again came in for punishment.

"We've come up three runs short and there's some pretty clear ways we could have stopped those three runs," Broad said. "We didn't particularly field well, but that can happen in these conditions. We didn't have the one guy going to get the Hales-like knock like he did the other day or 60 or 70 you realistically need in these sorts of chases.

"But sometimes you have to hold your hands up and that knock from AB de Villiers is as good as you'll ever see. He hits the ball 360 degrees and targeted the short boundary with fantastic success. We tried to go for yorkers but in these conditions it's unrealistic to get your yorkers consistent with a bar of soap. He took it away from us in those last few overs. If we'd been chasing 170 it would have been pretty gettable."

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