The Latest: Finch says Khawaja set to miss semifinals

By Associated Press 07 July 2019, 12:00AM

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on Day 38 of the Cricket World Cup (all times local):

9:40 p.m.

Australia captain Aaron Finch says No. 3 batsman Usman Khawaja might not be available to play the Cricket World Cup semifinal against England on Thursday.

Khawaja injured his left hamstring in the 10-run loss to South Africa.

Finch said it "doesn't look ideal" for Khawaja and that he imagines the batsman will have to be replaced in the squad.

On the match against England, Finch said: "It's going to be a blockbuster. It doesn't get much bigger than that, Australia vs. England in the World Cup semifinals."

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9:25 p.m.

Australia will face fierce rival England in the Cricket World Cup semifinals after slipping from the top of the group standings with a last-over, 10-run loss to South Africa despite David Warner's latest century.

Faf du Plessis' 93-ball 100 underpinned South Africa's 325-6 in Manchester, and two pieces of magic from wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock — a cheeky run-out and a leaping, one-handed catch — left the Australians struggling on 119-4, with batsman Usman Khawaja also retired hurt.

David Warner (122) and Alex Carey (85 off 69 balls) put on 108 for the fifth wicket, but neither could see Australia home as shadows lengthened on the field in the day-nighter at Old Trafford.

Khawaja, with his injured left hamstring, came out to bat at the death but didn't last long and Australia needed 18 to win off the last over.

Nathan Lyon was caught in the deep off the next-to-last ball.

Instead of finishing in first place and playing trans-Tasman neighbor New Zealand back in Manchester in the first semifinal on Tuesday, Australia must travel south to Birmingham to play the tournament host two days later.

It's another huge England-Australia match in a summer that will conclude with the Ashes series. Either England, which went into the tournament as the world's top-ranked ODI side, or defending champion Australia will be eliminated.

India will take on New Zealand in the other semifinal.

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8.30 p.m.

David Warner is out for 122, removed by a brilliant diving catch by Chris Morris off Dwaine Pretorius.

Australia is 227-5 and needs 99 runs from 10.5 overs.

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8.20 p.m.

David Warner has struck his third century of the Cricket World Cup, and holds the key to Australia chasing down a target of 326 to finish top of the group.

It was a run-a-ball hundred for the opener, who has joined Shakib Al Hasan and Rohit Sharma in passing 600 runs for the tournament.

After 37 overs, Australia was 215-4.

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7:30 p.m.

Quinton de Kock has produced two pieces of wicketkeeping magic to move South Africa closer to a closing win over Australia at the Cricket World Cup.

The gloveman flicked Rabada's throw onto the stumps while looking the other way to run out Marcus Stoinis for 22 in the 19th over. Then De Kock leapt high to take a one-handed catch to remove Glenn Maxwell for 12 off the bowling of Rabada.

Australia was 125-4 off 25 overs, requiring 201 more runs to win at 8.40 at over.

If the Australians lose, they will finish second in the table and play England in the semifinals.

South Africa is looking to win its third match of the tournament.

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6:25 p.m.

Australia has lost two wickets and seen another batsman retire hurt in the opening 10 overs of its reply to South Africa's 325-6 in the Cricket World Cup.

Captain Aaron Finch (3) fell on the 13th ball of the innings, giving 40-year-old Imran Tahir a wicket in the final one-day international of his career.

No. 3 batsman Usman Khawaja attempted to play on after injuring his left hamstring — he received lengthy treatment — but was forced off in the fifth over, when on 6 and with the score 20-1. He will come into bat again if required.

Steve Smith replaced him and lasted six balls before being trapped lbw by Dwaine Pretorius for 7. He decided not to review and it was a good call because Pretorius' ball was clipping the bails.

After the end of the powerplay, Australia was 44-2. David Warner was 23 and Marcus Stoinis was on 4.

With India beating Sri Lanka, Australia must win to finish top of the group and play New Zealand back in Manchester in the first semifinal match.

If they lose, the Australians will face England at Edgbaston on Thursday.

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6:05 p.m.

India chased down 264 to beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets with 39 balls to spare in Leeds.

Already through to the semifinals next week, India needed to beat Sri Lanka and hope Australia loses to South Africa in their ongoing match, to finish top of the group stage. India did its part, at least.

Sri Lanka recovered from 55-4 to post 264-7, considered a challenging total on a dry, used Headingley pitch.

But India made light of the chase, reaching 265-3 after openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul hit centuries and combined for a tournament-best 189 stand.

Sharma was out for 103 in the 31st over, becoming the first player to hit five hundreds in a single World Cup. His sixth in World Cups overall also tied the record held by Sachin Tendulkar.

Rahul was out for 111 in the 41st over, gloving a catch behind to give Lasith Malinga his 56th wicket in World Cups, good for outright third on the all-time list.

For Sri Lanka, Angelo Mathews led with 113, his third career ODI century, all of them against India.

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5:45 p.m.

A plane flying political banners over the Cricket World Cup match between India and Sri Lanka in Leeds has irked the International Cricket Council again.

The plane has passed Headingley stadium towing banners reading, "Justice for Kashmir," and "India stop genocide & free Kashmir."

A plane trailed another political banner over Headingley during the Pakistan-Afghanistan match last weekend.

The ICC said on Saturday it was disappointed at the latest incident.

It said it protested to West Yorkshire Police last week, and the ICC said the police promised to prevent it, especially because Headingley was under the flight path of nearby Leeds Bradford Airport.

India and Pakistan have fought several wars over control of Kashmir, the Himalayan region which both countries claim and is de facto divided between them.

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5:10 p.m.

Australia must chase down 326 to get the win it needs to guarantee first place in the Cricket World Cup group stage.

South Africa scored 325-6 off its 50 overs in Manchester, with captain Faf du Plessis scoring 100 off 94 balls — the team's first century this tournament.

The Proteas got off to a fast start by reaching 73-0 by the end of the opening powerplay. Australia offspinner Nathan Lyon removed openers Quinton de Kock (52) and Aiden Markram (34), before Du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen (95) put on 151 runs for the third wicket.

It was South Africa's highest score this World Cup.

If the Australians win, they finish top of the group and will play trans-Tasman rival New Zealand back in Manchester in the first semifinal on Tuesday.

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5 p.m.

Rohit Sharma has become the first player to score five hundreds in a single World Cup.

A pull of a Kasun Rajitha delivery to the square leg boundary, his 14th four, brought up his latest hundred for India in the group match against Sri Lanka in Leeds.

Sharma's third hundred in a row also tied him with Sachin Tendulkar for the record of six overall at World Cups.

Sharma was out to Rajitha soon after for 103, and India lost its first wicket on 189 in the 31st over.

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4:40 p.m.

India seemed to be in a rush to beat Sri Lanka, reaching 152 without loss after 25 overs in its chase of 265 to win in Leeds.

Rohit Sharma, who already has four hundreds in this campaign, was 81 not out off 75 balls.

KL Rahul was 68 off 75 balls.

At the same point, Sri Lanka was 102-4.

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4:30 p.m.

Faf du Plessis has scored South Africa's first century of this Cricket World Cup in the team's last game.

The captain reached three figures in 93 balls. It was his 12th ODI century.

He was dismissed the same over for 100, leaving the Proteas on 265-3 after 43 overs.

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3:20 p.m.

Seeking a big win after a disappointing Cricket World Cup campaign, South Africa made a fast start and is 144-2 halfway through its allotted 50 overs against Australia.

Quinton de Kock (52) and Aiden Markram (34) scored 73 runs in the opening powerplay and put on 79 for the first wicket. Offspinner Nathan Lyon then removed both openers, Markram going to a sharp stumping by Alex Carey and De Kock miscuing to Mitchell Starc at backward point.

Australia captain Aaron Finch, who lost the toss, has mixed up his attack in an attempt to slow down the Proteas, making eight bowling changes in the first 20 overs. Occasional spinner Steve Smith was brought into the attack in the 17th, much earlier than usual.

Starc, the leading wicket-taker at this World Cup, has been wayward and gone for 34 off four overs.

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis is 35 not out, with Rassie van der Dussen also in the middle on 8.

South Africa cannot qualify for the semifinals and is on 5 points from eight games.

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2:30 p.m.

Angelo Mathews' third career ODI century led a comeback by Sri Lanka to give them a fighting chance against India in their Cricket World Cup group match at Headingley.

Sri Lanka was in deep trouble at 55-4 in the 12th over, but Mathews fashioned a rescue in a stand of 124 with Lahiru Thirimanne (53) and 74 with Dhanajaya de Silva (29 not out) to see them post 264-7.

Mathews was out for 113 in the 49th over.

Sri Lanka is locked out of the semifinals, but would enjoy spoiling India hopes of topping the group.

Sri Lanka successfully defended 232 at Headingley two weeks ago, beating England by 20 runs. And this latest total will challenge India on a dry, used, cracking pitch. Captain Virat Kohli wanted to bat first, but lost the toss.

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1:10 p.m.

South Africa won the toss and will bat first against Australia under cloudy but brightening skies in Manchester.

Needing a win to guarantee topping the group, Australia will be unchanged at Old Trafford.

South Africa opener Hashim Amla is out with a knee injury — reportedly sustained playing football before practice on Friday — and was replaced by left-arm spin bowler Tabraiz Shamsi. Aiden Markram will move to the top of the order and partner Quinton de Kock.

There have been four games in Manchester so far, and all have been won by the team batting first.

Lineups:

Australia: Aaron Finch (captain), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon.

South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis (captain), Rassie van der Dussen, JP Duminy, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi

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12:15 p.m.

India was in charge at Headingley, where Sri Lanka was laboring at 102-4 halfway through its allotted 50 overs.

Angelo Mathews, 26 not out, and Lahiru Thirimanne, 22 not out, were fighting to restore Sri Lanka to respectability.

They came together at 55-4 in the 12th over.

Opener Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera edged behind on 10 and 18, respectively, giving fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah his 100th and 101st one-day internationals wickets. He's the second fastest India bowler to 100 wickets, in 57 innings, one more than the rested Mohammed Shami.

Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, making his first appearance of this World Cup, got Kusal Mendis stumped on 3 in his first over.

Hardik Pandya got the big wicket of Avishka Fernando, the teenage century-maker in the last match. Fernando, on 20 off 21 balls, tried ramping Pandya at the last second, and gave wicketkeeper MS Dhoni his third catch of the match.

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10:50 a.m.

India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah needed only 10 deliveries in Leeds to grab his 100th wicket in one-day internationals.

Sri Lanka captain and opener Dimuth Karunaratne top-edged behind on 10 in the fourth over, and prompted Bumrah to jump around celebrating.

Bumrah's 15th wicket of this World Cup reduced Sri Lanka to 17-1.

Bumrah's ODI wickets have come at an average of 22, the best rate of anyone to take more than 20 wickets for India.

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10:15 a.m.

Sri Lanka won the toss and is batting first against India in Leeds.

India captain Virat Kohli said he would have batted first, too.

India made two changes after beating Bangladesh by 28 runs on Tuesday in Birmingham.

Yuzvendra Chahal is rested for left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and allrounder Ravindra Jadeja makes his first appearance in this World Cup for fast bowler Mohammed Shami.

Sri Lanka made one change after beating the West Indies by 23 runs on Monday in Chester-le-Street. Veteran allrounder Thisara Perera is in for Jeffrey Vandersay.

Conditions are dry but cloudy overhead.

Lineups:

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Kusal Perera, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Lasith Malinga, Kasun Rajitha.

India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (captain), Rishabh Pant, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.

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9:45 a.m.

Ian Gould will umpire his last cricket international when Sri Lanka and India take the field at Leeds.

Gould is notable for his practice of not employing a standard ball counter, instead using six Bahraini dinars to count deliveries.

This will be his 140th ODI, 13 years after his first. The Englishman has also officiated in 74 tests.

This is his fifth World Cup, and fourth as an umpire.

He kept wicket for England in the 1983 World Cup, and played 18 ODIs.

One of his best moments as a player was in the fourth test of the 1982-83 Ashes, as Australia chased 292 for a series victory. On the field as a substitute, Gould caught Australia captain Greg Chappell on 2 with a stunning low grab in the covers off the bowling of Norman Cowans. England won the test by 3 runs.

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9:30 a.m.

The Cricket World Cup semifinals finally fall into place on Saturday when the group stage concludes with a double-header.

Australia, the group leader, has the inside track to finish No. 1. The defending champion plays South Africa in Manchester in a day-night match.

Win, and Australia stays in Manchester to play New Zealand in the first semifinal on Tuesday.

Lose, and India then must beat Sri Lanka in Leeds to top the group.

But Australia is expected to win, and so is India, which would leave the latter facing top-ranked England in the second semifinal in Birmingham on Thursday.

Australia and South Africa meet for the 100th time in one-day internationals. Australia has won 48, and South Africa 47.

Openers David Warner and captain Aaron Finch have five 50-plus scores at this World Cup. No Australian has ever hit six in a single tournament.

Also, teammate Mitchell Starc needs four more wickets to become the fifth bowler to reach 50 in World Cup history.

Sri Lanka leads India 4-3 in previous World Cup matchups.

India captain Virat Kohli hasn't scored a hundred for nine consecutive innings, his longest drought in four years.

Teammate Rohit Sharma has four centuries, tied for the most in a single World Cup. He has five centuries overall in the tournament, only one less than the record held by Sachin Tendulkar.

Sri Lanka paceman Lasith Malinga needs one more wicket to separate himself from Wasim Akram and take third place outright on the World Cup all-time list. One more wicket for India's Jasprit Bumrah will be his 100th in ODIs.

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More AP cricket: www.apnews.com/Cricket and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

By Associated Press 07 July 2019, 12:00AM

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