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Noel Whelan has given his reaction following the release of Newcastle United’s arbitration statement.

The Lowdown: Statement released

Earlier this week, the St. James’ Park faithful released a statement on their official website asking for the upcoming arbitration process to be made public.

This is only possible if the Premier League agree to it as well, otherwise the process will remain confidential.

The Tyneside club also claimed that they have ‘nothing to hide’ with regards to the process, and even suggested that the top flight should have ‘no reason to be afraid of the public spotlight’, providing that they have acted ‘lawfully and properly’, and thus should be wanting to make it public too.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Whelan, who is now a pundit after playing as a striker for the likes of Leeds United and Coventry City, has since given his reaction to Football Insider after reading the statement, suggesting that the Premier League should have no reason not to accept the North East club’s request, but admitted that they do have a lot of power:

“You would only say things like that when you’ve got backup and you believe it.

“The club wouldn’t stand face to face with the Premier League. You wouldn’t out them and ask them to make it transparent otherwise.

“I’m sure they’ve got very good lawyers, Mike Ashley. They wouldn’t be calling them out if they weren’t brave enough and didn’t have the evidence to do that.

“They are the Premier League and they govern us.

“Whether Manchester United, Liverpool or Manchester City. They have the power. Huge power.

“I don’t see any way the Premier League cannot give somebody a reason or show them evidence on what they’re asking for.”

The Verdict: Premier League must compromise

The Premier League surely have to compromise and accept the Magpies’ request to make the process public if they have nothing to hide.

Both sides are clearly confident that they can gain a positive result from the arbitration case, and the top flight should show this by allowing it to be made public.

The hearing is set to be pivotal over the direction of where the takeover is heading, and if it goes in the favour of the Toon, then the takeover process can be accelerated, which would offer some light at the end of the tunnel.

The Premier League would have to give their full cooperation of course, and so NUFC will have to come to an agreement with them if results go their way.

In other news, find out what update Liam Kennedy has dropped on the CAT takeover case here!

The most worrying aspect of the first Test was the form of Stuart MacGill

Brydon Coverdale27-May-2008
Stuart MacGill picked up two wickets to finish the Test, but struggled against the middle order © AFP
Several concerns emerged from Australia’s effort in the first Test, where they were seriously challenged by the world’s No. 8 team, but the most worrying aspect was the form of Stuart MacGill. The team management has been adamant that MacGill remains the top spinner in Australia and can be a valuable asset for the next couple of years. His performance in Jamaica might have the selectors and coaches wondering if they spoke too soon after his return from surgery.MacGill’s match figures of 4 for 143 look reasonable and he finished off the Test with two wickets in two balls when he removed West Indies’ No. 9 and No. 11 batsmen. The big problem was that he never seemed like getting a middle-order wicket in the second innings. On the fifth day of a match where the pitch was playing tricks, against a team not adept at handling high-quality spin, it was a telling result.The timing was not ideal for MacGill, who is trying to convince his doubters that he is still a match-winner after having an operation on his right wrist in December. The surgery dealt with the carpal-tunnel syndrome that had troubled him in Hobart in November, when he had a miserable match against Sri Lanka and delivered some wild full tosses due to numbness in his hand.He declared the operation a success and made a reasonable comeback in the Pura Cup, which makes it even more baffling that he was back to wayward ways at Sabina Park. MacGill has always been prone to sending down loose balls, but it was forgivable because so many other deliveries would be potential wicket-takers. Unfortunately, in his comeback Test, his ripping legbreaks were too often long-hops, while the full tosses remained.His analysis flattered him. The two wickets to finish the game were genuine tailenders, while of his two successes in the first innings, the ball that got Shivnarine Chanderpaul was such an ordinary full toss that Chanderpaul himself, the most occasional of legspinners, would have been ashamed of it. He was also largely responsible for giving West Indies a sniff on the final day when his poor spell allowed Darren Sammy and Denesh Ramdin to build a handy partnership after Stuart Clark and Brett Lee, who rattled the top order, were taking a much-needed break.For a man who shows little joy at picking up wickets and rarely appears satisfied on the field, it was strange that MacGill seemed so unperturbed by his struggles. Is the desire still there? He claims that he is desperate to play at the highest level for as long as possible, but if he changes his mind he has other things to fall back on, including a television career that began with a wine programme last year.At 37, he is already looking older than his years – the grey crew cut doesn’t help – and after he also battled with a knee injury and general fitness late last year, there must be some lingering doubts in the minds of Australia’s decision-makers over whether he really is a long-term option. Their problem is that in the domestic scene the spin cupboard is alarmingly bare. Shane Warne always had a grand sense of timing and his announcement that he would consider an Ashes return – if asked – came at an awkward moment for MacGill.Still, one bad match does not mean a man who has taken 207 Test wickets at a strike-rate of 53 should be written off. But what MacGill can count on is that he will be monitored very closely in the Caribbean.

QPR are reportedly not pursuing a deal for Sheffield Wednesday forward Josh Windass, according to West London Sport. 

What’s the story?

The Rs finished the 2020/21 season ninth in the Championship table, and will be hoping they can build on a hugely impressive second-half of that campaign under the management of Mark Warburton.

QPR finished that season strongly, and the club’s supporters will have every reason to believe that they could mount a serious push for promotion into the Premier League next term.

Warburton has already acted swiftly in making Charlie Austin’s loan spell a permanent one, with the 32-year-old catching the eye with a number of strong showings whilst at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium on a temporary basis from West Brom.

But QPR were rumoured to be interested in a deal to sign Windass ahead of the new Championship campaign, as Warburton looked to add depth to his attacking options over the summer, which could have potentially been a strong addition to the QPR team.

It’s a bold transfer stance to take by QPR

Windass still has one year remaining on his contract with Darren Moore’s side, and Sheffield Wednesday are seemingly keen to keep him at the club for the upcoming League One season, with Dejphon Chansiri reportedly valuing Windass in the region of £5million, which is likely to ward off any interest in his signature.

Windass was branded as ‘explosive’ by his father Dean Windass in a previous interview with Football FanCast, and he could have been the ideal signing for the Rs to take them to the next level.

The 27-year-old netted ten goals and was on hand to provide six assists in 44 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday last term, although his efforts weren’t quite enough to see the Owls avoid relegation into the third tier of English football.

QPR have both Charlie Austin and Lyndon Dykes as their main attacking options, but they could certainly have benefitted from adding strength in depth to their frontline this summer, and Windass would have provided them with just that.

Sheffield Wednesday are playing a risky game over Windass’ future though, as they’re likely to be pricing him out of a move away from Hillsborough this year, whilst also running the risk of losing him for nothing at the end of the 2021/22 season.

QPR’s rumoured stance on Windass is a somewhat surprising one though, and it’ll be interesting to see whether that could change in the future if another interested party was to register a formal bid for his services this summer.

It’s exactly why fans of the side may be worried at the prospect of missing out on a player like Windass, and what he could have potentially done at the club in terms of strengthening Warburton’s attacking options.

For now though, the Rs will be looking to make a positive start to the new Championship season, when they take on London-based rivals Millwall on the opening day of the campaign, in what is likely to be a closely-fought battle between both teams.

A round-up from the latest Twenty20 Cup matches where there are some incident-packed games

Cricinfo staff17-Jun-2008North Division
Michael Vaughan looks over injured team-mate Andrew Gale, and both soon had to leave the field © Getty Images
Jacques Rudolph and Anthony McGrath added 121, both hitting half centuries, although Yorkshire were made to sweat for their six-wicket win against Leicestershire, the match coming down to the last ball at Grace Road. Yorkshire began the final over needing seven, but just four singles came from five balls. It left Chris Taylor – only playing because of an injury to Craig White – needing three off the last delivery, and he did it in style with a six off Jim Allenby. Rudolph (56) and McGrath (59) did most of the work after coming to the crease at the same time. In a bizarre incident, Michael Vaughan was run out and Andrew Gale retired hurt off the same ball. Vaughan turned for a second, only to see Gale flat-out with a twisted ankle. Vaughan couldn’t beat a direct hit from Jacques du Toit, while Gale also had to leave the field. HD Ackerman anchored Leicestershire innings with 57 off 51 balls, but despite some meaty blows from Dillon du Preez their total wasn’t quite enough and they remain winless.Click here for John Ward’s report on a high-scoring game between Lancashire and Durham at Old TraffordMid/West/Wales DivisionRob White chose the perfect time to hit his best Twenty20 score as Northamptonshire chased down 171 to beat Gloucestershire at Milton Keynes. White’s brilliant 94 off 57 balls, including eight fours and three sixes, ensured Northamptonshire had 10 balls to spare in their chase. Nicky Boje helped him complete the job, although his share of a 110-run stand was just 27. White’s hitting took the limelight away from Hamish Marshall’s dazzling display after he’d launched 59 off 33 deliveries. Gloucestershire lost Craig Spearman early, forced to retire hurt after a delivery from Johan van der Wath cracked into his helmet causing a cut.Warwickshire kept themselves in touch near the top of the group with a seven-wicket victory against local rivals Worcestershire at New Road. Jonathan Trott produced a measured innings at the top of the order as Warwickshire reached their target with 10 balls to spare, but Worcestershire didn’t help their cause with some sloppy fielding. Despite losing just four wickets, Worcestershire struggled to build momentum during their innings after the initial aggression from Vikram Solanki and Graeme Hick was broken. Solanki continued to a 48-ball 50, but the Warwickshire bowlers did a good job restricting the scoring in the later overs. Spinners Ant Botha and Ian Salisbury proved difficult to attack and Man-of-the Match Neil Carter’s four overs went for a miserly 14 runs.Peter Trego’s 79 off 50 balls put Somerset on course for their first Twenty20 win of the season with a 15-run success against Glamorgan at Taunton. Herschelle Gibbs kept the visitors in with a chance, taking Glamorgan to 117 for 1 in the 13th over alongside Robert Croft. But Croft was caught at backward point for a 37-ball 50 and the run chase lost its way. Somerset had got off to a shaky start, losing Marcus Trescothick and Justin Langer cheaply, but Trego played a mature innings. He added 59 for the fourth wicket with Craig Kieswetter, who should have been run out on 4 but Croft fluffed the take at the bowler’s end. It was a costly error.South DivisionDanish Kaneria played a key role in helping Essex to a seven-wicket victory against struggling Sussex at Hove. Kaneria’s four overs cost just 18 runs and included the key wickets of Murray Goodwin and Chris Adams. Goodwin was well-set on 47 and preparing for a late charge when he was bowled by Kaneria, who earlier trapped Adams lbw for 2 as he attempted a reverse sweep. From 123 for 3 Sussex’s innings fell away dramatically as the last seven wickets went for 21 in 21 balls. Essex stuttered slightly at 69 for 3, but an unbroken partnership of 77 between Grant Flower and James Foster made the target appear very comfortable as victory came with three overs to spare. The defeat all but ends Sussex’s hopes of making the knock-out stages.

Midlands/West/Wales Division Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Northamptonshire 4 4 00 0 8 +1.265 716/78.2 630/80.0 Warwickshire 4 2 0 11 6 +0.295 434/58.1 430/60.0Glamorgan 4 1 1 0 24 -0.025 340/40.0 341/40.0 Worcestershire 4 1 2 0 1 3-0.555 459/58.0 494/58.2 Somerset 41 3 0 0 2 -0.330648/80.0 673/79.5 Gloucestershire 4 03 1 0 1 -0.759 631/80.0660/76.2

North Division Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Lancashire 4 31 0 0 6 +1.434 616/76.0527/79.0 Durham 4 3 10 0 6 +0.145 519/63.5 535/67.0 Nottinghamshire 3 2 1 00 4 +0.483 453/54.2 432/55.0Derbyshire 5 2 3 0 04 +0.086 645/87.0 607/82.5 Yorkshire 4 2 2 0 0 4-0.529 602/75.0 636/74.2 Leicestershire 40 4 0 0 0 -1.427531/80.0 629/78.0

South Division Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Middlesex 44 0 0 0 8 +1.285583/72.0 545/80.0 Kent 4 31 0 0 6 -0.283 640/79.5664/80.0 Essex 4 2 20 0 4 +0.113 520/72.0 519/73.0 Hampshire 4 2 2 00 4 +0.100 721/80.0 713/80.0Surrey 4 1 3 0 02 -0.616 577/78.0 593/74.0 Sussex 4 0 4 0 0 0-0.634 626/80.0 633/74.5

Carlton Palmer has offered his opinion on whether or not James Ward-Prowse would be interested in joining Aston Villa…

What’s the talk?

The former Premier League midfielder has suggested that the Southampton captain would be tempted by a switch to Aston Villa this summer. Dean Smith is reportedly keen on snapping the England international up in the coming weeks and Palmer believes that they are a club he would like to join.

The former England international told Football FanCast: “If you’re being linked to Aston Villa, it’s an exciting time. It’s a young team with a great management team in Dean Smith and John Terry. It’s a club you’d want to go and join.

“He loves Southampton but if you’re ambitious, you want to go on and be the best you can. He’ll want to claim international honours and that’s only going to happen if you’re playing for a strong side.”

Lange must strike

Johan Lange must strike and pounce on any potential doubts in Ward-Prowse’s desire to stay at Southampton this summer. If there is even the slightest suggestion that the midfielder could be convinced to ditch the Saints and join Villa, Lange must explore every possible avenue to bring him to the Midlands, as he could be a terrific addition to Smith’s squad.

Ward-Prowse is a proven Premier League-quality midfielder who is heading into the peak of his career at the age of 26. He has played more than 250 games in the English top flight and has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.87 or higher in each of the past three campaigns, exceeding 7.06 in two of them. This shows that he has the consistency and ability to be a top player at this level, and that is why Villa would benefit from his arrival.

Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl lauded Ward-Prowse as “outstanding” at the end of last season as the midfield maestro was named the club’s Player of the Year for his impressive efforts throughout the campaign.

The Austrian told the Daily Echo: “It’s not surprising for me, a player who played every minute this season is unbelievable.

“His physicality and his performances are outstanding. That’s our captain on the pitch and he is on the way that he is a very important player for this club for the long term, I think.”

John McGinn managed the highest WhoScored rating out of all of Villa’s central midfielders last term with a score of 6.88. Douglas Luiz, his main midfield partner, achieved a rating of 6.67 and comparing them to Ward-Prowse highlights the improvement the Saints skipper would bring to the side. The £75,000-per-week beast earned an eye-catching 7.07 rating whilst scoring eight goals and setting up another seven, which is more than McGinn and Luiz combined.

Therefore, he could provide a significant step-up in regards to Smith’s central midfield options. This is why Lange must pursue a deal for the Southampton man and do all that he can to prise him away from St Mary’s ahead of next season.

AND in other news, Aston Villa must act swiftly to sign £40m beast, he’s “Drogba-esque”…

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Real Madrid star Raphael Varane recently and the Frenchman could be a serious upgrade to Nuno Santo’s defence should he join the club this summer.

What’s the word?

Although the 28-year-old looks to be on the verge of joining Manchester United this window, journalist Duncan Castles has claimed on the Transfer Window Podcast that Spurs are also keen on signing him.

If Spurs were able to convince the World Cup-winner to make the switch to North London this summer, they would be getting a player with a vast amount of experience at the very top, as he has won 19 trophies in his career with Real Madrid and France.

An upgrade to Spurs’ defence?

Spurs’ defence let them down on a number of occasions last season, with the likes of Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez proving themselves to be far too error-prone, whilst Toby Alderweireld looks past his best and is reportedly keen on leaving the club this summer.

Therefore, defensive additions are a must if Santo’s side are to challenge for a top-four spot in the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, and there look to be few better options than Varane, especially with Madrid seemingly wanting to get rid.

Last season saw the centre-back make 31 appearances in La Liga for Los Blancos, scoring two goals and averaging a solid 6.85 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

This is better than every Spurs centre-back other than Alderweireld managed last season, so it seems clear that Varane would be a serious upgrade on the options currently available at the North London club.

Real Madrid teammate Eden Hazard was full of praise for Varane last summer, saying:

“Then you have Raphael Varane. I’ve come across some fantastic defenders during my career, such as John Terry and Vincent Kompany.

“I think that although [Varane] is still young, he’s already one of the best centre-backs of all time. His partnership with Sergio Ramos is wonderful.”

Therefore, if there is any possibility that Spurs can hijack Manchester United’s deal for Varane then they should try and do so, as it would significantly improve their defensive options ahead of the new campaign.

AND in other news, Spurs have concrete interest in wonderkid striker…

A 32-member Stanford Superstars Twenty20 squad has been announced for the US$20 million winner-takes-all match against England on November 1

Cricinfo staff22-Jul-2008
Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul are part of the 32-man squad © AFP
A 32-member Stanford Superstars Twenty20 squad has been announced for the US$20 million winner-takes-all match against England on November 1. The squad includes Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo, as well as notable performers from the Stanford Twenty20 domestic tournament.”This is a squad of the best performers in the two editions of the Stanford 20/20 tournament we’ve had so far and the best players in the region,” Viv Richards, the chairman of the seven-member selection committee, said. “It was a difficult task to select the top 32 but our selection panel believes that these players will provide us with the firepower and all the other resources to prevail over England in what is the richest prize in team sport history.”Richards said the squad would be whittled down based on how the players fare in training. “The difficult task of further reducing this training group to the playing squad lies ahead, so we will have to pay keen attention to how the players cope in the training camps which will be held in Antigua in the coming months.”Dave Mohammed, the left-arm spinner who won the Player-of-the-Tournament award last season, provides spin-bowling options along with his Trinidad team-mate Samuel Badree, the legspinner, while John Eugene, the only centurion in Stanford 20/20 history, is the oldest player in the mix at 37. The squad includes four wicketkeepers, with Denesh Ramdin the likely contender for selection ahead of Andre Fletcher, Lyndon James and Aldermond Lemond.Eldine Baptiste, the former West Indies and Antigua allrounder, has been appointed the head coach, and he will be assisted by Roger Harper and Anguilla coach Cardigan Connor. The squad will be trimmed down once the dates for the preparatory camp are announced.Stanford Superstars squad: Samuel Badree, Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Lennox Cush, Travis Dowlin, Rayad Emrit, John Eugene, Andre Fletcher, Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Chad Hampson, Monctin Hodge, Danza Hyatt, Lyndon James, Sylvester Joseph, Aldermond Lesmond, Xavier Marshall, Dave Mohammed, Nelon Pascal, William Perkins, Kieron Pollard, Daren Powell, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor, Kelbert Walters, Tonito Willett.

Gary Stead, the former New Zealand opening batsman, has replaced Steve Jenkin as coach of the national women’s team

Cricinfo staff25-Jul-2008Gary Stead, the former New Zealand opening batsman, has replaced Steve Jenkin as coach of the national women’s team. Stead, also a coach at the New Zealand Cricket High Performance Centre, takes over eight months before the World Cup in Australia.”With the ICC Women’s World Cup and Twenty20 just around the corner we were looking for the best quality coach as well as continuity moving into these tournaments,” Justin Vaughan, New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive said. “Gary is an outstanding coach and has been assisting with the coaching of the side. He is a natural fit for the position. I am confident that he is the right person to take the team forward and deliver results.”Stead played five Tests for New Zealand in 1999 before retiring from first-class cricket seven years later. He joined the high performance centre in 2004 and coached the Canterbury women’s team in 2007-08, when they won the State League.Stead said he was looking forward to his new assignment, with the women’s World Twenty20 in England to follow in June, after the World Cup. “This team has a very exciting period of cricket ahead with World Cup and ICC World Twenty20 in the next 10 months,” Stead said. “My focus will be for the team to win both of these.”I want to encourage the White Ferns to play an exciting style of cricket. There are some enormously talented players in this country and I believe I can assist in their game and match awareness to take them forward.”

Sheffield Wednesday defender Julian Borner is edging closer to sealing a summer exit from Hillsborough, according to a fresh update.

The Lowdown: Borner expected to leave

The Owls were relegated to League One back in May, having agonisingly failed to stay in the Championship on the final day of the season.

A number of established names will have moved on by the time the 2021/22 campaign gets underway, with Borner looking like being one of those, following constant rumours surrounding his future.

The centre-back is widely expected to enjoy a new challenge this summer and an update has now arrived, courtesy of Yorkshire Live‘s Dom Howson.

The Latest: Fresh update emerges

The report claims that Borner is expected to join Hannover 96 in the coming days, bringing an end to his time with Wednesday.

A ‘six-figure sum’ is mooted, with the 30-year-old German leaving the club with a total of 70 appearances and four goals to his name.

The Verdict: Inevitable summer move

While losing Borner is a blow for Darren Moore, it was fairly clear that the defender wasn’t going to be content with playing in the third tier of English football.

The hope is that the six-figure fee that the Owls receive for his services can be used on bringing in new signings that are tailor-made to thrive in Moore’s style of play.

In other news, two clubs are thought to be eyeing up a move for one Sheff Wed player. Find out who it is here.

India made the most of the toss, a vicious turner in the second innings and Sri Lanka’s feeble batting to record their first bilateral one-day series triumph on the island

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran27-Aug-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

The 143-run stand between Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni set up India’s match-winning total of 258 © AFP
India made the most of the toss, a vicious turner in the second innings and Sri Lanka’s feeble batting to record their first bilateral one-day series triumph on the island, completing a stunning turnaround from the crushing defeat in the opener in Dambulla. Mahendra Singh Dhoni led from the front with his batting and on-field captaincy but this was a team performance as India recovered from a shaky start to choke Sri Lanka out of the match.It turned out to be a great toss for Dhoni to win: Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis would have been virtually unplayable if they got to bowl second, and India’s strategy of going in with four bowlers would also have been exposed. It didn’t initially seem that way as India’s top order floundered in the face of some disciplined bowling. There were no yorkers, no bouncers and no slower balls, just old-fashioned line-and-length to slow down the openers – only four boundaries came in the first ten overs. Kohli survived a couple of early chances before he started to grow in confidence.At the other end, Gambhir was starved of the strike and perished when attempting to up the run-rate. That brought Yuvraj Singh to the crease for a short, troubled and runless stay. Chaminda Vaas became the fourth man to take 400 wickets in ODIs when Yuvraj was too early on an offcutter and edged it to short midwicket. Kohli unleashed some wristy shots to bring up his maiden half-century but soon paid the price for playing away from his body, an inside edge on to his stumps giving Thushara a wicket in his first over.The score read 81 for 3 before Suresh Raina and Dhoni took charge. Both were decisive with their footwork, regularly charging down the track to negate the spin, or playing right back and reading the spin off the pitch. The running between the wickets was sharp, and with Raina playing some breathtaking lofted drives, the stuttering run-rate got a lift.Vaas the workhorseWith the wicket of Yuvraj Singh, Chaminda Vaas became the fourth bowler to take 400 ODI wickets, the second Sri Lankan after Muttiah Muralitharan.Vaas is one of only four players to complete the double of 2000 runs and 300 wickets in ODIs. The others are Wasim Akram, Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock.His 8 for 19 against Zimbabwe in Colombo in December 2001 remains the best bowling figures in an ODI.Vaas’ 23 wickets in the 2003 World Cup is the second-best haul in a single edition of the tournament; Glenn McGrath bettered it in 2007.He is one of three bowlers to have taken two hat-tricks in ODIs, Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq being the other two.Vaas has been consistent both home and away: he has taken 81 wickets at home at an average of 27.51, 151 away at 28.04 and 168 on neutral venues at 27.08.He has had considerable success against top-order batsmen of his generation: Vaas has dismissed Stephen Fleming 11 times in 29 matches, Saeed Anwar 11 times in 38, Adam Gilchrist 10 in 27, Herschelle Gibbs 9 in 24, Sourav Ganguly 9 in 33 and Sachin Tendulkar 9 in 49.They batted sensibly, cutting out the risks, and it wasn’t until India were out of trouble that the more chancy strokes – the reverse-sweep and the paddle-sweep – were brought out. While Raina played the big shots, including a massive pull for six over midwicket off Muttiah Muralitharan, Dhoni was content with some quick singles and twos – there were only four boundaries in his 71.The spin threat was negated and the pair had powered India to a commanding 224 for 3 in the 41st over before Thushara struck. He had Raina holing out to mid-off and dismissed a tiring Dhoni soon after, leaving two new batsmen to deal with the wiles of Murali and Ajantha Mendis. They throttled the runs, which resulted in more wickets falling, and Thilan Thushara, who had never taken more than two wickets in an ODI before, took two in the final over to complete his five-for.The tricky target didn’t seem enough as Sanath Jayasuriya started in a typically murderous mood , using his favourite cut shot to pepper the off-side boundary. As he made merry, his partner Malinda Warnapura toiled at the other end. Warnapura scratched around without scoring before finally being adjudged lbw off Munaf Patel for 0 in the seventh over.Munaf combined well with the accurate Zaheer Khan, who kept it on a back of a length around off, to stifle the runs and with only 10 runs coming in six overs, Kumar Sangakkara went for his shots. There was a cover drive for four, but his next stroke was an attempted cut, which took the bottom-edge and cannoned into his leg stump.Jayasuriya then took over. Boundaries started to flow in every over: a bouncer on leg stump was pulled over deep backward square leg for six, and an over-the-bowler’s-head drive off Praveen. The fifty came up with a pull over midwicket for four and he repeated the shot two balls later, this time for six. He had made 60 of Sri Lanka’s 74 before an outside edge off a sharply turning Harbhajan Singh delivery was superbly held by a diving Raina at slip.Sri Lanka’s hopes, as it has in several matches this series, rested with their captain, Mahela Jayawardene, but he was soon run out attempting a suicidal single. That left them at stuttering at 104 for 4, with all their big-name batsmen dismissed. The pitch had by now deteriorated to the extent that even a part-time spinner like Yuvraj was difficult to negotiate. Thushara followed up his five-wicket haul with a spirited 40 but it was too tall a task for the lower order and they ended up 46 runs short.