SL vs Eng: Sri Lanka crush England by 10 wicket for World Cup semifinal

Sri Lanka reach World Cup semifinal 2011 and will have to clash with New Zealand, by the way Srilanka crush England by ten-wicket and definite defeat over England in their quarterfinal match in Colombo today.

Sri Lanka easily reached 230-run, the victory target in 39.3 overs with the help of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga. Both hit unbeaten centuries as England bowlers failed to make any breakthrough to dent the hosts run chase.

Dilshan's tenth ODI century(108), that came off 115 balls, was studded with 2 sixes and 10 fours.

Tharanga hit a six and 12 fours in his 11th ODI century(102) that came off 122 balls.

Earlier, Jonathon Trott and Eoin Morgan hit contrasting half-centuries to help England reach a respectable 229/6.

The 29-year-old Trott finished with 86 and put on 91 for the fourth wicket with Morgan (50) after England, electing to bat in the day-night game, were reduced to 31/2 on a slow, flat pitch at R. Premadasa stadium.

Patience was the key word for Trott as he negotiated the four-pronged Sri Lankan spin attack but failed to lift the innings in the final overs as England managed just 23 in the batting power-play.

Trott fell in the 49th over, caught off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan who finished with 2/54 in what could be his last international match before retirement.

He hit only two boundaries off the 115 balls he faced as Sri Lanka's bowlers kept a tight line and length in the final 10 overs.

Trott had added 64 for the third wicket with Ravi Bopara (31) after England lost captain Andrew Strauss (five) and make-shift opener Ian Bell (25) by the ninth over.

He brought up his fourth half-century in the tournament with a reverse sweep off Tillakaratne Dilshan in the 33rd over.

Morgan, dropped at 16 off Ajantha Mendis, got two more lives when Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath dropped him in the space of three balls in one Muralitharan over.

The 24-year-old left-hander completed his 11th half-century with a sharp single off Lasith Malinga but in the same over he miscued a lofted drive and was caught in the covers by Mathews.

Morgan hit four boundaries during his 55-ball knock.

The winner will meet New Zealand in the first semifinal in Colombo on March 29.

Scorecard

Nagpur schoolboy scores 461 not out !!!!

NAGPUR: Unsurprisingly, 15-year-old Ali Zoren Khan , a Std X standard student of Saraswati Vidyalaya, scored a stupendous unbeaten 461 for NCA against Reshimbag Cricket Club on Friday.

Idolizes Sachin Tendulkar. And like most youngsters playing cricket, he aspires to play for India.

Well, like his idol - who first shot into the limelight by posting a record 664-run stand with Vinod Kambli as a schoolboy, too made waves on Friday by scoring 461 not out for the Nagpur Cricket Academy against Reshimbag Cricket Club in an inter-academy tournament conducted by the Vidarbha Cricket Association.

It was the highest score by an Indian schoolboy, eclipsing the 439 by Mumbai's Sarfaraz Khan in a Harris Shield tie in November 2009. It is still not clear, though, whether left-hander Ali's innings will be recorded as the highest individual score in school cricket.

"Since this is a recognized tournament of the Vidarbha Cricket Association, it must be a record but I can't confirm it yet," noted statistician Mohandas Menon.

In his seven-hour innings, Ali, a Class 10 student of Saraswati Vidyalaya, faced 308 balls, hit 64 fours and cleared the 60-yard boundary 12 times. "I could have scored 500 but we had a plan to bat till lunch as we needed enough time to bowl them out twice. So no regrets," he said.

Thanks to Ali Zoren's effort, NCA, resuming at 805 for 4, amassed 1,025 for the loss of 5 wickets in 125 overs. Apart from Ali Zoren, three other batsmen too made centuries. Menon was also not able to confirm if the team score was a record.

Though he was unbeaten on 364 on Day 1 and was chasing a record, Ali said he slept well on Thursday. "My coach told me about Sarfaraz's record and I was determined to cross it."

How ever, I decided to play my natural game and didn't miss out on any bad delivery today,'' he said. When the golden moment came, Ali Zoren's celebrations were restrained. It was enough to suggest that no score was satisfying enough for this youngster.

Ali Zoren's parents Shalah and Mujaffar Khan, who watched his marathon effort, were on cloud nine. "We hope he continues to work hard and makes us more proud,'' they echoed.

Ali Zoren, whose elder brother Aman played for Vidarbha Under-15 three years back, is already being looked as a bright Vidarbha prospect. Surprisingly, he started as a bowler but childhood coach Mangesh Pandit saw Ali Zoren's batting potential. "He had natural batting talent. I never stopped Ali Zoren from bowling but made him believe that if he worked hard, he could become a very good batsman. The results are there for everyone to see,'' said Pandit.