Paine century drives Australia A to series win

Australia A 316 for 5 (Paine 134, Ferguson 48) beat Pakistan A 301 (Latif 100, Ghani 53, Bollinger 3-53) by 15 runsScorecard
Tim Paine smashed 13 fours and five sixes © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Khalid Latif Tim Paine
Matches: Australia A v Pakistan A at Brisbane
Series/Tournaments: Pakistan A tour of Australia
Teams: Australia Pakistan
Australia edged ahead of Pakistan in a high-scorer at the Allan Border Field to take the one-day series 2-1. Opener Tim Paine cracked 134 to steer his team to an imposing 316 before his counterpart Khalid Latif responded with an exact 100, which wasn't enough as Pakistan fell short by 15 runs.
Pakistan's decision to send the home team to bat backfired as the first two partnerships cost 66 and 108 runs respectively. Callum Ferguson supported Paine in the second-wicket stand with 48. Paine's century came off 124 balls, smashing 13 fours and five huge sixes before being dismissed by Fahad Masood. The Australian innings got a real boost between the 34th and 40th overs when Paine and Adam Voges added 69. Moises Henriques and Jason Krejza then pushed the score past 300 with cameos towards the end.
Pakistan got off to a quick start but lost two wickets before the fifth over. Two half-century partnerships, driven by Latif, put Pakistan on track but the chase lost momentum when Latif fell in the 33rd over to the left-arm spinner Jon Holland. Latif scored at more than a run-a-ball and his knock included ten fours and two sixes. Sheharyar Ghani made 53 before falling in the 40th over, but the steady fall of wickets hurt Pakistan's efforts in keeping with the asking rate.
Paine said he expected a high-scoring encounter. "I enjoyed batting today and it was good to put on some solid partnerships, firstly with David Warner and then with Ferg (Callum Ferguson) after that," Paine said after the match. "I thought 316 was a good score but we knew they would come at us hard, and we're just happy to come away with the win."
He also praised Latif's knock. "His (Khalid Latif) innings was first-class and really helped them through that middle part of the game and they got some momentum up so it was great when Dutchy (Jon Holland) was able to pick him up."
Pakistan round off their tour with a Twenty20 game at the same venue on Saturday.

Top Records of T20 World Cup 2009.

Best Bowlers In T20 World Cup 2009.

Best Bowling Figures In An Innings In T20 World Cup 2009.

Player	Overs		Mdns		Runs		Wkts		Econ			Team		Opposition		Ground		Match Date		Scorecard
Umar Gul	3.0		0		6		5		2.00			Pakistan		v New Zealand		The Oval		13 Jun 2009		T20I # 107
Shahid Afridi	4.0		0		11		4		2.75			Pakistan		v Netherlands		Lord's		9 Jun 2009		T20I # 98
WD Parnell	4.0		0		13		4		3.25			South Africa		v West Indies		The Oval		13 Jun 2009		T20I # 106
AR Cusack	3.0		0		18		4		6.00			Ireland		v Sri Lanka		Lord's		14 Jun 2009		T20I # 108
LMP Simmons	3.0		0		19		4		6.33			West Indies		v Sri Lanka		Nottingham		10 Jun 2009		T20I # 100

Most Runs In T20 World Cup 2009.

Player			Mat		Inns		NO		Runs		HS		Ave		BF		SR		100		50		0		4s		6s
TM Dilshan (SL)			7		7		1		317		96*		52.83		219		144.74		0		3		2		46		3
JH Kallis (SA)			5		5		1		238		64		59.50		188		126.59		0		2		0		28		4
CH Gayle (WI)			5		5		1		193		88		48.25		144		134.02		0		2		0		21		8
Kamran Akmal (Pak)			7		7		0		188		57		26.85		150		125.33		0		1		0		15		7
AB de Villiers (SA)			6		6		1		186		79*		37.20		120		155.00		0		2		0		16		6
ST Jayasuriya (SL)			7		7		0		177		81		25.28		153		115.68		0		1		1		22		5
KC Sangakkara (SL)			7		7		2		177		64*		35.40		163		108.58		0		2		1		15		2
Shahid Afridi (Pak)			7		7		2		176		54*		35.20		125		140.80		0		2		1		16		3
Younis Khan (Pak)			7		6		3		172		50		57.33		123		139.83		0		1		0		11		3

High Scorers In T20 World Cup 2009.

				Players		Runs		Balls		4s		6s		SR			Team	Opposition		Ground		Match Date		Scorecard
				TM Dilshan		96*		57		12		2		168.42			Sri Lanka	v West Indies		The Oval		19 Jun 2009		T20I # 115
				CH Gayle		88		50		6		6		176.00			West Indies	v Australia		The Oval		6 Jun 2009		T20I # 92
				ST Jayasuriya		81		47		10		3		172.34			Sri Lanka	v West Indies		Nottingham		10 Jun 2009		T20I # 100
				AB de Villiers		79*		34		5		6		232.35			South Africa	v Scotland		The Oval		7 Jun 2009		T20I # 94
				DPMD Jayawardene		78		53		9		1		147.16			Sri Lanka	v Ireland		Lord's		14 Jun 2009		T20I # 108
				LMP Simmons		77		50		12		1		154.00			West Indies	v South Africa		The Oval		13 Jun 2009		T20I # 106
				TM Dilshan		74		47		11		1		157.44			Sri Lanka	v West Indies		Nottingham		10 Jun 2009		T20I # 100
				LJ Wright		71		49		8		0		144.89			England	v Netherlands		Lord's		5 Jun 2009		T20I # 90
				Yuvraj Singh		67		43		6		2		155.81			India	v West Indies		Lord's		12 Jun 2009		T20I # 105
				DJ Bravo		66*		36		4		3		183.33			West Indies	v India		Lord's		12 Jun 2009		T20I # 105
				KC Sangakkara		64*		52		7		0		123.07			Sri Lanka	v Pakistan		Lord's		21 Jun 2009		T20I # 116
				JH Kallis		64		54		7		1		118.51			South Africa	v Pakistan		Nottingham		18 Jun 2009		T20I # 114
				CH Gayle		63*		50		8		2		126.00			West Indies	v Sri Lanka		The Oval		19 Jun 2009		T20I # 115
				DA Warner		63		53		6		1		118.86			Australia	v West Indies		The Oval		6 Jun 2009		T20I # 92
				AJ Redmond		63		30		13		0		210.00			New Zealand	v Ireland		Nottingham		11 Jun 2009		T20I # 102
				AB de Villiers		63		51		7		0		123.52			South Africa	v India		Nottingham		16 Jun 2009		T20I # 113
				KP Pietersen		58		38		5		3		152.63			England	v Pakistan		The Oval		7 Jun 2009		T20I # 95
				JH Kallis		57*		49		5		1		116.32			South Africa	v England		Nottingham		11 Jun 2009		T20I # 103
				BB McCullum		57		54		6		0		105.55			New Zealand	v South Africa		Lord's		9 Jun 2009		T20I # 99
				Kamran Akmal		57		51		5		1		111.76			Pakistan	v Ireland		The Oval		15 Jun 2009		T20I # 110
				KC Sangakkara		55*		42		4		2		130.95			Sri Lanka	v Australia		Nottingham		8 Jun 2009		T20I # 97
				HH Gibbs		55		35		8		1		157.14			South Africa	v West Indies		The Oval		13 Jun 2009		T20I # 106
				RS Bopara		55		47		5		0		117.02			England	v West Indies		The Oval		15 Jun 2009		T20I # 111
				Shahid Afridi		54*		40		2		2		135.00			Pakistan	v Sri Lanka		Lord's		21 Jun 2009		T20I # 116

ICC World Twenty20: Dilshan powers Sri Lanka to final

Sri Lanka 158 for 5 (Dilshan 96*) beat West Indies 101 (Gayle 63*, Mathews 3-16, Muralitharan 3-29) by 57 runs.

t will be an all-Asia final at the ICC World Twenty20 after Sri Lanka maintained their unbeaten record by crushing West Indies by 57 runs at The Oval. Tillakaratne Dilshan added another installment to his breathtaking tournament with an unbeaten 96, the highest score of the event, as his team-mates struggled for momentum. Angelo Mathews then stunned West Indies with three wickets in the opening over before the spinners strangled the middle order, leaving Chris Gayle forlornly unbeaten on 63, carrying his bat as no one else reached double figures.

After everything the two countries have been through, it is fitting that Sri Lanka will meet Pakistan in the final. However, unlike Pakistan's campaign which has burst into life after a slow start, there has been a sense of destiny about Kumar Sangakkara's team reaching the Lord's showdown. Sri Lanka's run has been a triumph of mental strength and character and they now have the chance to mark their return to the international scene following the Lahore terror attack with a trophy.

They have played as a team throughout, but their position in the final was down to Dilshan's outstanding individual effort. His innings was the highest for Sri Lanka in Twenty20 and, in a quirky statistic, the innings briefly gave him the highest percentage of a completed innings before Gayle's lone hand nipped ahead. Dilshan looked set for the tournament's first century until losing the strike towards the end. However, with Dilshan set for the closing stages, 60 runs came from the final five overs with Mathews playing a valuable four-ball cameo with two final-over boundaries.

However, that was only the start of Mathews' role in the game. It was a surprise when he was handed the new-ball at the start of the tournament, but has been a constant presence upfront. Nothing, though, had come close to matching this effort. With his second ball he removed Xavier Marshall - who had replaced Andre Fletcher following three consecutive ducks - via an inside edge. It would become a common form of dismissal.

Two balls later, Lendl Simmons was slightly unlucky when he went across his stumps and the ball ricocheted from his thigh pad onto leg stump. That was the end, though, and Mathews' third was the vital wicket of Dwayne Bravo as he too got an inside edge into middle stump. A stunned West Indies were 1 for 3.

Gayle, too his credit, played the situation and even opted to leave a couple of deliveries as he collect his thoughts. Normal service resumed with three boundaries when Lasith Malinga came on early to bowl the fourth over and Isuru Udana was swung for six over long-on. Then came the spinners and coupled with some brainless shot selection, the game was over.

Ajantha Mendis trapped Shivnarine Chanderpaul on the sweep as he and Muttiah Muralitharan made the middle order prod and poke as though playing with their eyes closed. Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was dropped on 2 by Mendis running round from long-on, was soon held by the omnipresent Mathews and Kieron Pollard was made to look a novice when he was stumped off a wide. Mendis' 2 for 9 were Sri Lanka's most economical Twenty20 figures, but Murali's 3 for 29 reminded everyone of where the mystery began.

Sri Lanka's innings was a curious affair, none more so than when Sanath Jayasuriya was labouring over a 37-ball 24. He never looked comfortable, changing his bat four times, before top-edging to short fine-leg. That the opening stand was still worth a profitable 73 in 10.3 overs was down to how well Dilshan played. He drove, flicked and swept (but never quite scooped, although he tried) his way to a 30-ball half century while partners came and went.

Sangakkara was superbly caught at backward point and Mahela Jayawardene clipped straight to short-fine leg as three wickets fell for four runs. It was down to Dilshan to give Sri Lanka's strong attack something to defend and he cashed in on two full tosses by Pollard. Placement was key to Dilshan's display and each time the bowlers strayed he managed to make the most of it.

The innings found some important momentum in the 17th over when Bravo was taken for 18 as he struggled to find his length. Dilshan cracked three boundaries and Chamara Silva then joined in when he swung the final delivery one bounce to the square-leg boundary. Silva's contribution to a stand of 50 in six overs was just 11, before he fell trying to reverse hit Sulieman Benn, but it put Sri Lanka on track for the type of score they have regularly defended and from there they never looked like losers. One more victory on Sunday would complete one of cricket's greatest stories.