The Hindu : Sport : ‘Hayden’s dismissal was the turning point’

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Tuesday, Sep 25, 2007
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Sport

‘Hayden’s dismissal was the turning point’

Durban: Australian stand-in skipper Adam Gilchrist termed the dismissal of his opening partner Matthew Hayden by paceman S. Sreesanth as the moment which turned the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup in India’s favour.

“I felt Sreesanth was the difference in that game. I felt like we were in control, particularly with Matty and Symmo there, but then that big over. Getting Matty out just turned things their way,” the wicketkeeper-batsman said.

Sreesanth took the wickets of both openers and his spell that yielded only 12 runs in four overs was the difference between the sides, along with Yuvraj Singh’s whirlwind innings of 70 off 30 balls.

“Yuvraj is in a great mindset. He’s confident and seeing the ball well. He is just trusting himself. Crowds love play without fear,” Gilchrist said.

He also praised his opposite number Mahendra Singh Dhoni for making smart bowling changes.

“I thought Dhoni captained beautifully tonight. He just chose the right times to bowl those bowlers in the last three or four overs.”

The Australians were not able to find their feet in the championship and the skipper felt that lack of practice was their undoing.

“A bad start and then a win and a loss and a win. We never really got into a great rhythm. Probably to be expected from the break we had — and the lack of preparation. But by the time tonight (the semi-final) came around, we’d played enough to be ready.” — PTI

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