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Tuesday, Jul 08, 2008
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Sport - Cricket

Lanka retains title

Principal Correspondent

Karachi: An old tale of capitulation against Sri Lankan spinners was replayed on a forgettable Sunday for M.S. Dhoni’s men. And as defending champion Sri Lanka defeated India by 100 runs in the final and retained the STAR Asia Cup at the National Stadium here on Sunday, memories of botched chases flitted past.

Vinod Kambli’s tears and the 1996 World Cup semifinal, Asia Cup final 2004 and India falling short by 25 runs. These are scripts spun together by the guile of Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan and Upul Chandana.

Add Ajantha Mendis (six for 13) to these names as he flummoxed the Indians and helped Sri Lanka’s 273 in 50 overs, assume alarming proportions in a tournament where 300 plus scores was the minimum yardstick. India scored 173 in 39.3 overs with Virender Sehwag’s 60 (36b, 12x4) atop the order and Dhoni’s (49) sanity in the middle being the exceptions as Sri Lanka cruised to its fourth title triumph in the Asia Cup.

SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka: (in 49.5 overs) 273.

India: G. Gambhir c Dilshan b Vaas 6, V. Sehwag st Sangakkara b Mendis 60, S. Raina b Mendis 16, Yuvraj b Mendis 0, M.S. Dhoni c Sangakkara b Vaas 49, Rohit lbw b Mendis 3, R. Uthappa lbw Muralitharan 20, Irfan c Jayawardene b Mendis 2, R.P. Singh b Mendis 0, P. Ojha (not out) 6, Ishant b Kulasekara 8; Extras: (b-2, w-1) 3; Total: (in 39.3 overs): 173.

Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-76, 3-76, 4-93, 5-97, 6-135, 7-154, 8-154, 9-160.

Sri Lanka bowling: Vaas 9-0-55-1, Kulasekara 6.3-0-26-1, Thushara 8-0-51-0, Mendis 8-1-13-6, Muralitharan 8-0-26-1.

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