Shane Watson scripts Australia won by 7 wickets

2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka

Shane Watson's 51 and 3 for 26 with the ball helped Australia to a comfortable seven wicket win against Ireland.

While chasing the target of 124, Shane Watson made 51 runs and David Warner scored 26 runs. both of them add 60 runs in the first seven overs. Australia reached target in 15.1 overs.

Watson's 51 consists of five fours and three sixes. Earlier he got 3 for 26 runs including the wickets of Kevin and Niall O'Brien. Australia restricted Ireland to 123 for 7.

At 33 for 4, Kevin O'Brien and Niall O'Brien recoverd Ireland to post decent total on the board, Kevin O'Brien got 35, Niall O'Brien made 20 runs.

Scorecard:

Ireland 123 for 7 in 20 Overs

Kevin O'Brien 35, Shane Watson 3-26, Mitchell Starc 2-20.

Australia 125 for 3 in 15.1 Overs.

Shane Watson 51, David Warner 26

Man of the Match : Shane Watson

Ajantha Mendis Sets up big win for Sri Lanka in a opening Match

2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanaka

Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by 82 runs in the opening game of the ICC World Twenty20 in Homantotoa. Jeevan Mendis performs both bat and ball, He scored unbeaten 43 runs and also taking 3 wickets. Ajantha Mendis take 6 for 8, the best bowling figures in the ICC World Twenty20 History.

Zimbabwe won the asked to Sri Lanka bat first, Sri Lanka made a good solid start. Sangakkara and jeevan mendis recoverd the Sri Lankan innings from 82/3. Sangakkara made 44 runs and Jeevan mendis scored unbeaten 43 helped to Sri Lanka 182 for 4 on the board

While chasing Zimbabwe start steadly but Ajantha Mendis came into bowl the wickets are falling into regular intervals. Zimbabwe captain Brendon Taylor out for a first ball. Ajantha Mendis took 6 for 8 and Jeevan Mendis got 3 wickets for 24 runs. Finally Zimbabwe all out for 100 runs.

Sri Lanka 182 for 4 in 20 overs

Zimbabwe 100 allout in 17.3 overs

Ajantha Mendis got Man of the Match Award for his best bowling performance.

Kumar Sangakkara sweeps three major awards

Colombo: Former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara walked away with three awards at the ICC Awards ceremony 2012. He bagged the LG People's Choice Award, ICC Test Cricketer of the Year Award and the ICC Cricketer of the Year Award.

Sangakkara won the LG People's Choice, which was introduced in 2010, for the second year in a row. This award is chosen by cricket fans around the world who vote for their favourite player. Other contenders for the award this year were Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, James Anderson and Vernon Philander.

For the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year Award, Hashim Amla, Vernon Philander and Australia captain Michael Clarke were Sangakkara's competitors but he pipped them to the post. During the performance period, 4 August 2011 and 6 August 2012, he played 14 Tests and in 27 innings and rattled up 1,444 runs at an average of 60.16, including five centuries and five half-centuries. His highest score of 211 came against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in October 2011, while he also scored 199 not out against the same side on home soil in Galle.

Virat Kohli wins ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year 2012 Award

Colombo: India's middle-order batsman Virat Kohli has been named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year 2012 at the LG ICC Awards in Colombo. During the performance period, he played 31 ODIs and compiled 1,733 runs at an average of 66.65, including eight centuries and six half-centuries. His highest score, 183, came against Pakistan in the Asia Cup on 18 March 2012.

The independent voting academy of 32 highly credentialed cricket experts put Kohli first, ahead of such talented and in-form players as Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga as well as Kohli’s India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Kohli said upon receiving the honour said, "I think I have tried to keep things as simple as possible and it's worked for me on the field."

"This year has been a learning curve along the way from the seniors in the team. It's been an all-round effort and I'm very happy to have won this award.

"It's always nice to be recognised by the ICC and it's a great feeling and it's the first time I've won one of these awards and it feels great," he added.

England beat South Africa by 28 runs to square the series

Jos Buttler's quickfire 32 not out provided the platform for England to beat South Africa by 28 runs in the third and final Twenty20 international at Edgbaston on Wednesday. Victory saw World Twenty20 champions England, who head to Sri Lanka on Thursday to defend the title they won in the Caribbean two years ago, square this three-match series at 1-1 with one no result.

Opener Craig Kieswetter made 50 off 32 balls with three sixes and three fours and together with Buttler, whose previous England best was 13, he put on 48 in 14 balls. South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel's third ball of the match was a huge wide that sped past Proteas captain and wicketkeeper AB de Villiers on its way to the fine leg boundary, with 16 runs in all coming off the first over. But South Africa pulled things back in the second over when Parnell bowled recalled opener Michael Lumb middle stump.

South Africa suffered an early setback when the big-hitting Richard Levi was bowled by Tim Bresnan for one. And they lost Faf du Plessis for eight when he became debutant left-arm spinner Danny Briggs's first Twenty20 international wicket, the Hampshire bowler deceiving him in flight as the batsman hit across the line and got a leading edge to mid-off. Briggs took 1 for 16 in two overs. But Hashim Amla, a thorn in England's side throughout this summer, was still there, having hit his 100th four of the season in all formats. After six overs South Africa were 51 for two, needing a further 68 runs from their final five overs for victory. However, Amla fell for 36, off 27 balls with six fours, when he slogged offspinner Graeme Swann to Jonathan Bairstow in the deep.

That left South Africa 53 for 4 off seven overs and in the next over, seamer Jade Dernbach conceded just two runs. From then on, there was no way back for the Proteas.

India lose to New Zealand by one run in a cliffhanger

Chennai: New Zealand pipped India by one run in a thrilling Twenty20 international in Chennai on Tuesday to ruin cancer survivor Yuvraj Singh's return to big-time cricket.

Brendon McCullum smashed 91 off 55 balls as the Kiwis posted 167 for 5 and then restricted the hosts to 166 for 4 despite Virat Kohli's 70 from 41 deliveries and a valiant 34 from Yuvraj.

India were cruising at 120 for 2 in the 14th over when left-arm seamer James Franklin turned the match around by having Kohli caught in the deep. The dismissal put the brakes on the scoring, leaving India needing 13 runs off Franklin's last over.

Franklin bowled Yuvraj with the fourth ball when six more were needed, but new batsman Rohit Sharma could manage only four runs from the last two deliveries.

McCullum led the charge for the Black Caps with 11 boundaries and three sixes before he was bowled by left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan. McCullum added 90 runs for the third wicket with Kane Williamson (28) after the Black Caps had lost openers Rob Nicol and Martin Guptill by the second over.

Taylor and Oram plundered 21 runs in the last two overs, which proved costly for India in the end.