Udana picks up wade

Wayamba were gunned down for a dismal score of 106 inside 20 overs by a high-quality seam bowling effort backed by some scintillating fielding by upbeat Victoria Busrangers side.

Only Mahela Jayawardene (51 0ff 40 balls) and skipper Jehan Mubarak (44 off 30 balls) provided some resistance in the top order as other batsmen collapsed like pack of cards.

hings looked all right for Waymba when Mahela and Mubarak were going fine, but once Mubarak fell things unravelled quite quickly for them. Siddle took 4 wickets and the tail capitulated in no time.

Earlier winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Wayamba lost opener Jeevantha Kulatunga in the very first ball off the second over. He was clean bowled by pacer James Pattinson for 0.

Soon Mahela Udawatte followed him to pavillion with some brilliant fielding by Clint McKay who hit the stumps directly from the mid off region.

Then Jehan Mubarak and Mahela Jayawardene provided some stability to the team but once Mubarak departed, Bushrangers' bowlers made little work of Wayamba middle order and tail. Five players for Wayamba did not trouble the score.

For Bushrangers, Peter Siddle was the pick of the bowlers with 4/29. James Pattinson and Andrew McDonald took two scalps each.

Bravo won the match for us : Tendulkar

Durban: Mumbai Indians' captain Sachin Tendulkar on Sunday heaped praise on West Indian Dwayne Bravo for his all-round effort that set the platform for the thrilling two-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore in a Group B match of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament here on Sunday.

Bravo scored a 23-ball 29 and together with Saurabh Tiwary (38 not out) stitched a quickfire 64-run sixth wicket stand to take Mumbai to 165 for seven.

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Bravo also came up with two crucial wickets - Robin Uthappa and Ross Taylor - during Bangalore's innings which was instrumental in Mumbai's narrow victory.

"Bravo brought us back both with the bat and the ball," Tendulkar said after the victory even though it came too late as Mumbai have been knocked out of the tournament on net run rate.

"We had a great game. I think first half of our batting was not that great but Bravo brought us back. The idea was to concede less runs in Malinga's (penultimate) over so that Zaheer could build pressure in the last over.

"But this game is full of uncertainties. All credit to Virat; he batted well till the end," he said.

Bangalore skipper Anil Kumble blamed his side's sloppy fielding for the loss.

"We bowled well till Bravo and Tiwary took the game away from us. Last five overs we conceded too many runs. Dravid and Virat got us some hopes but in the end it didn't prove sufficient. We had a close game. We just need to be very positive and take more catches," said Kumble.

"I think fielding let us down today. Otherwise, I am really satisfied with the performance."

Man-of-the-Match Bravo said he was satisfied to have contributed to the team's victory with both bat and ball.

"I had a good run with both bat and the ball. When bowling, I just thought of keeping the ball as straight as possible and I got two important wickets. I am happy with the win," he said.

Mumbai thrilling win

Durban: An absolute thrilling cameo from Virat Kohli (47 off 24 balls) turned the 165-run chase into a spine-chilling last-ball climax that eventually ended with Bangalore losing by just two runs at Kingsmead on Sunday. Mumbai, though, crashed out of the tournament despite winning.

Chasing the Mumbai score after Sachin Tendulkar elected to bat first, Old-guards Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis got Bangalore off to a flying start until debutant Abu Nechim struck to remove Kallis (15) and Dwayne Bravo got Robin Uthappa (6) and Ross Taylor (9) caught in quick succession to give Mumbai much-needed breakthroughs.

Indian Statesman Dravid meanwhile completed his half century as the Bangalore team neared 100. But as soon as they crossed the triple-figure mark, Harbhajan Singh castled big-hitting Cameron White (7) to tilt scales in Mumbai's favour.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli's innings soon gathered momentum, whacking Nechim for a six. The young debutant, though, came back well in the same over to control the damage.

The Delhi batsman Kohli, playing for Bangalore, hit the death-over expert Malinga for three consecutive boundaries in the penultimate over to leave his team needing 13 runs off the last six balls.

Such was the impact of Kohli's 24-ball 47 runs, that it made Dravid's 71-run effort look pedestrian but in the end, both didn't prove enough.

Needing three off the last Zaheer Khan ball, a top-edge off Kohli went straight up that saw wicketkeeper Ambati Rayudu circling under it to safely glove the ball and the match for Mumbai.

Man of the Match Dwayne Bravo was the most successful bowler for Mumbai taking 2/23 in his four overs while Zaheer, Nechim and Harbhajan took one apiece.

Earlier in the evening, Bangalore not only kept Mumbai's scoring in check but also continued to chip in at the wickets, restricting Sachin's team to a scoring rate of just over six at the halfway stage.

Praveen Kumar removed Sachin (11) and Rayudu (3) was lapped in the slips by Rahul Dravid off Vinay Kumar that signaled the worst possible start for Mumbai.

Bangalore bowlers continued to thwart every run-making attempt, with Kallis removing fellow-countrymen Duminy (10) in the process.

Steyn eventually marked his run-up in the 11th over and peppered Tiwary with fast short-pitched stuff. The tactics of holding Steyn back paid the richest dividends possible when Steyn gunned down both Dhawan (41) and the dangerman Pollard (0), reducing Mumbai to a sorry-looking 84/5 in 13 overs.

Bravo's dropped caught and bowled chance by Kumble proved costly, with the West Indian turning it on for Mumbai with a 17-ball cameo of 29 runs. It turned out to be the much-needed fillip for the Mumbai innings that looked in tatters for the most part.

The 18th over, bowled by Kumble, went for 22 runs, where Bravo hit two towering sixes and a boundary. It also brought up the 50-run partnership between Bravo and Tiwary.

Steyn, though, soon took care of Bravo, which saw Tiwary taking over with 38 runs of 30 balls. And when Harbhajan (14) too got a few useful runs at the end, the IPL runners-up notched up a challenging 165/7.

Anil Kumble not only went wicket-less but gave away 45 runs in his four overs. Daley Steyn was the pick of the Bangalore bowlers with 3/26.

Late assault takes Mumbai to 165

Durban:Late onslaught by Saurabh Tiwary and Dwayne Bravo gave the much-needed fillip to the Mumbai Indians who reached a competitive 165/7 after a shaky start. Dale Steyn was the most successful bowler for Bangalore with a spell of 3/26 at Kingsmead on Sunday.

Bangalore bowlers not only kept Mumbai in check but also continued to chip in at the wickets, restricting Sachin's team to a scoring rate of just over six at the halfway stage after they chose to bat first.

Sachin Tendulkar and Ambati Rayudu's early dismissals severely dented Mumbai's chances to put up a big total in the all-important encounter against Bangalore. While Praveen Kumar removed Sachin (11), Rayudu (3) was lapped in the slips by Rahul Dravid off Vinay Kumar.

JP Duminy got off to a scratchy start but to his credit, stayed at the wicket which was the need of the hour for Mumbai.

But Bangalore bowlers continued to thwart every run-making attempt by Duminy and Dhawan, thereby tightening the noose. While Uthappa failed a chance to stump Dhawan off Anil Kumble, wicket came from the other end when Duminy (10) could hit only as far as the long-off fielder off Kallis.

Sachin still held Kieron Pollard back, prompting Kumble to do the same with Steyn as Saurabh Tiwary strode into middle. But Steyn eventually marked his run-up in the 11th over and peppered Tiwary with fast short-pitched stuff.

The tactics of holding Steyn back paid the richest dividends possible when Steyn gunned down both Dhawan (41) and the dangerman Pollard (0), reducing Mumbai to a sorry-looking 84/5 in 13 overs.

Bravo's dropped caught and bowled chance by Kumble could have spelled absolute doom for Mumbai but the senior Indian citizen failed to latch onto it.

The partnership Mumbai searched throughout the innings, came much too late for them in the form of a team-up between Bravo and Tiwary. It turned out to be the much-needed fillip for the Mumbai innings that looked in tatters for the most part.

The duo upped the ante from the 17th over onwards but Bravo was particularly severe on Kumble, hitting the skipper for two towering sixes and a boundary in a 22-run 18th over. That also brought up the 50-run partnership in just 30 balls.

Steyn, though, soon took care of Bravo's 17-ball cameo of 29 runs with a full-toss that looked above waist height but was adjudged below it by the square-leg umpire.

Harbhajan (14) got a few useful runs at the end before being run out but Tiwary was the one who held fort for Mumbai with his 38 runs of 30 balls that helped the IPL runner-up reach a competitive 165/7.

The most economical bowler of the tournament until now, Anil Kumble, not only went wicket-less but gave away 45 runs in his four overs. Daley Steyn remained the pick with his 3/26 while Vinay Kumar was the most economical giving away 16 runs en route to taking one wicket.

Lions Vs Guyana, Group - B

Johannesburg: Riding on Ethan O'Reilly's 4/27, Richard Cameron's 42-ball 78 not out and skipper Alviro Petersen 57 not out off 38 balls, the Highveld Lions raced home to a 9-wicket victory over a hopeless Guyana team at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Chasing a decent target of 148, Lions got off to bad start losing their opener, Jonathan Vandiar (8 off 11 balls) in the third over to Esuan Crandon.

But that was the only moment of glory for Guyana as Lions skipper Alviro Petersen and Richard Cameron played a superb innings to give Lions an easy win with 4.5 overs to spare.

The Guyanese bowlers were blown away by the exploits of Petersen and Cameron as they blasted the bowlers to all parts of the ground.

Petersen, who showed signs of returning to form in their last outing, opened up and dispatched Eusan Crandon for a four and a six in the fifth over to accumulate 15 runs.

In the seventh over, Cameron also got his act together and dispatched Crandon for two fours and a six to bring up his team's 50. He was merciless in his approach and hammered the Guyanese bowlers to all parts of the ground.

Cameron was particularly severe on Christopher Barnwell and Royston Crandon as he treated both the bowlers with disdain, dealing with them in fours and sixes.

In the 14th over, Cameroon clobbered two sixes off Devendra Bishoo to take his side closer to the victory target.

Petersen completed the proceedings with a four and a six off Lennox Cush in the 15th over.

Earlier put into bat by Highveld Lions in a bright sunny afternoon, Guyana scored a respectable total of 148/9 runs in their quota of 20 overs.

Lions' bowlers started in a superb fashion by picking Travis Dowlin in the first ball of the second over. Dowlin was judged in lbw for just 7 on the bowling of Ethan O'Reilly.

Ethan O'Reilly was pick of the bowler for Lions as he finished with superb spell of 4/27 in his four overs.

Skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan failed to capitalize on his superb start, Sarwan looked in fantastic form as he hit four classy boundaries in his innings of 21 from just 16 ball before he was caught at point by Jean Symes on the bowling of Craig Alexander. Soon Sewnarine Chattergoon followed him back to the pavillion.

Chattergoon was out chipping the length ball straight to the mid on throats on the bowling of O'Reilly, who picked up his second wicket of the match.

Batsman Christopher Barnwell and Steven Jacobs then tried to consolidate the Guyana's innings with 37 run stand before Barnwell was run out to leave Guyana tottering at 79/4 in 12 overs.

Guyana's middle and lower order fell like pack of cards.

Right handed batsman Steven Jacobs was dismissed going for the maximum for fighting 34 off 37 balls. Jacobs was caught in the long off on the bowling of Aaron Phangiso and Guyana were reeling at 88/6 in the 14th over.

Jonathan Foo and Royston Crandon lost their stumps on the bowling of O'Reilly trying to up the ante for the team.

Last minute effort from Derwin Christian and Lennox Cush gave a final push to Guyana effort and helped them to reach a respectable score of

Craig Alexander and Aaron Phangiso picked up one scalp each.

Victoria got perfect opening against us : Dhoni

Port Elizabeth: Disappointed after losing to Victoria Bushrangers via the Super Over, Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday said that a good opening partnership played crucial role for the Australian side in the Champions League Twenty20 match here.

"The opening in batting went perfect for Victoria. They played well, but at the end of the day it is disappointing to lose such a close match," Dhoni said after the Group A encounter.

"For sometime it was raining and so the ball was going to the batsmen well. But later we came back well and spinners did good job. (Suresh) Raina also did well," he added.

Riding on Vijay's 53-ball innings, CSK posted 162 for six in 20 overs but then Victoria also managed the exact score and the encounter had to be stretched into the Super Over.

He also defended his decision to use R Ashwin during the Super Over, from which Victoria took 23 runs.

"Ashwin is a bowler who has a lot of variations. So I though the fast bowlers may not do that well," he said.

Meanwhile, his Victoria counterpart David Hussey said he was happy to get the full points against the Indian Premier League side.

"Today we got the points and I am happy that Ashwin bowled the Super Over. It was good performance by the team," he said.

Mumbai Vs Bangalore a Virtual QF

Durban: Bangalore's loss on Friday against the South Australia Redbacks has given the Mumbai Indians a ray of hope to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League T20 and turned their game against fellow IPL side on Sunday into a virtual quarter-final clash.

With one win from three games and the last league outing on Sunday, Mumbai know that they must win this game to keep their hopes alive of making it to the last four. It definitely helps that they have a positive net run rate and a big win will only help them as the photo-finish in the race to the second semi-final spot hots up in this group and will in all probability be decided by decimals.

The Lions, who are placed fourth in the group, will eye a win against Guyana in the first game of the day. A win will put them on four points and also put them within striking distance of a semi-final berth with one game left to play. Bangalore too have two games left, but the team management will surely like to register two straight wins to wrap up a semi-final spot without any more hiccups.

Only Mumbai have Sunday's game to play and therefore, cannot afford to lose the plot now. They have paid for the price of batting and bowling inconsistently and have been stunned by less-fancied sides in two games.

The Sachin Tendulkar-led side had promised a lot with their impressive IPL season but have just failed to click as a unit here.

Except for Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga, who has bagged six wickets by conceding 83 runs in the three matches, none of the Mumbai Indians bowlers have made a mark and that has been the main reason for their tough times in this tournament.

Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh have been disappointing so far. Zaheer has taken just one wicket having conceded 105 runs in the three matches, while Harbhajan has scalped two at the expense of 86 runs.

On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore began the tournament with an easy nine-wicket win over Guyana with South African Jacques Kallis starring with the bat and ball. They, however, were brought down to earth with a humiliating eight-wicket loss to South Australia Redbacks on Friday.

Without Kallis, the Anil Kumble-led side failed in both batting and bowling as they were shot out for 154 and then none of their bowlers, including the captain himself and South African Dale Steyn, making much impact against the Australian side.