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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outNathan Hauritz achieved his maiden five-wicket haul•Getty Images

The Australians rounded out 2009 with their most clinical final day bowling performance of the year to seal a 170 run victory over Pakistan. Nathan Hauritz, placed on notice by Australia’s selectors prior to the series, claimed his first career five-wicket haul as Pakistan crumbled from 3 for 170 overnight to be all out for 251 shortly after lunch on the final day.Hauritz’s ability to exploit wearing pitches had been called into question of late, not least by Andrew Hilditch, and he proved himself worthy of the challenge on Wednesday. Unable to replicate the biting turn that accounted for Faisal Iqbal the previous day, Hauritz instead utilised flight and bounce to challenge Pakistan’s lower and middle orders and was rewarded with four final-day scalps.Australia began the day in emphatic fashion with Mitchell Johnson removing Umar Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq with consecutive deliveries in his first over. Hauritz then repeated the dose with the back-to-back dismissals of Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Aamer shortly after the first drinks break to extinguish any hope of an improbable Pakistan fightback.Mohammad Yousuf showed admirable determination to post 61, but support for the Pakistan captain was thin on the ground. With wickets falling in clusters, the Australians required only four overs after lunch to seal victory and claim a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-three series. The result took their Test record in 2009 to an encouraging seven wins, three defeats and three draws; a substantial improvement on their 5-5-4 record from the previous year.The younger Akmal was the first victim of the final day, pushing at a fast, swinging delivery from Johnson that was claimed millimetres above the MCG turf by a tumbling Brad Haddin. Misbah fell to an identical mode of dismissal, albeit to a straighter ball, leaving the tourists’ hopes of a fightback in tatters less than an over into the day. Kamran Akmal denied Johnson his hat-trick, but almost triggered one for Hauritz when, after an hour of stern resistance, he was stumped attempting a reckless charge to a slower, bouncing delivery. Hauritz then beat Aamer for bounce with his next ball, resulting in a gloved catch to Simon Katich at short leg.Abdur Rauf survived Hauritz’s hat-trick delivery – which featured the rare sight of nine fielders around the bat – but fell soon after to Doug Bollinger. Rounding out a forgettable match, Rauf played onto his stumps to expose the Pakistan tail shortly before lunch. Hauritz completed the rout after the break by removing Yousuf to another bat-pad catch, and Saeed Ajmal to a wild swipe that was accepted by Shane Watson, who was later named Man of the Match.The breakthroughs ensured Johnson and Hauritz a positive end to a 2009 campaign that has proved testing in the extreme. Both bowlers have been subjected to criticism – Johnson for his erratic ways during the Ashes series, Hauritz for his lack of penetration on deteriorating tracks – but have emerged better for the experience. Though not quite back to his wrecking ball ways of South Africa, Johnson is nonetheless a bowler far improved from that which struggled for much of the Ashes series. Hauritz, meanwhile, has continued his steady evolution as an international spinner, as demonstrated by his subtle changes of flight and angle on Wednesday.For Pakistan, there is much to ponder before the Sydney Test. The selection of Rauf over the experienced and versatile Umar Gul was flawed, and the catching at the MCG largely lamentable. The likely return of Danish Kaneria and the possible reintroduction of Younis Khan could prove a significant boost for the tourists, but on the evidence of the past five days, there remains much work to do.If nothing else, Pakistan have at least closed the chapter on the that was 2009. In a year that witnessed the Lahore terrorist attack, and the subsequent stripping of host venue status, the Pakistanis can look ahead to the New Years’ Test with hope for healing and renewal.

England 251 for 3 (Collingwood 105*, Trott 87) beat South Africa 250 for 9 (Petersen 64, Amla 57) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPaul Collingwood and Jonathan Trott had plenty to celebrate as England’s one-day series finally got underway at the second attempt in Centurion, and the pair duly set about doing so in style. England’s most experienced one-day cricketer joined forces with one of the country’s newest recruits to produce a brace of allround performances that smothered South Africa’s ambitions on a sluggish rain-affected track, and guided their side to an improbably comprehensive seven-wicket victory with four overs to spare.In the end it was a cakewalk – as comprehensive in its own way as South Africa’s 84-run pummelling on this same ground in the second Twenty20 last week. Chasing a meagre target of 251 (which was only nine runs more than England had been set in that game in 30 fewer overs) Collingwood and Trott came together in the 12th over with England teetering a touch on 45 for 2, but thereafter they scarcely blinked. A third-wicket stand of 162 in 30 overs put the result beyond doubt long before Trott ended their alliance by flicking Charl Langveldt to deep midwicket for 87.It was a disappointing end for Trott (and he showed his frustration by bashing his pad with his bat as he left the pitch) but, like Kevin Pietersen five years ago, his first 50-over match against his former countrymen was a triumph nonetheless. He opened the innings in place of Joe Denly and Alastair Cook, who was ruled out before the start with a back strain, and anchored the chase with an unflustered 119-ball innings. Mickey Arthur’s vocal criticism of his selection was clearly not without purpose – South Africa’s coach recognised him as a threat, but there was nothing that he or his bowlers could do to rattle Trott’s resolve.The main man of England’s day, however, was their newly confirmed record-holder. Collingwood has now played in 171 ODIs – one more than England’s stalwart of yesteryear, Alec Stewart – and rarely can he have featured so prominently in so many facets of a contest. His day began with a stunning two-handed pounce in the gully to intercept an AB de Villiers cut, and it was crowned with a drive through mid-on to bring up his fifth ODI century. But in between whiles, it was Collingwood’s canny spell of medium-pace – 6-0-24-2 – that really stymied South Africa’s momentum, and transformed a challenging target of 280-plus into an eminently obtainable one.To all intents and purposes, the match was won and lost in those habitually becalmed overs in the middle of South Africa’s innings. Hashim Amla – opening in place of Jacques Kallis, who has been ruled out of the series with a rib fracture – had chugged along to a serene half-century, and JP Duminy had just belted the legspinner Adil Rashid out of the attack in a premeditated assault, when Andrew Strauss opted for a double bowling-change. Collingwood’s cutters were a predictable choice on this surface; Trott’s medium-pacers, on the other hand, were not.Paul Collingwood produced an outstanding display as England took the series lead•Getty Images

But between them they had the desired effect. Amla was instantly unsettled by the lack of pace, and having survived a tough caught-and-bowled chance from Collingwood’s fifth delivery, he immediately popped a looping chance to Strauss at short cover. In their next ten overs, South Africa were limited to just one shot in anger – a bullish smack for six as Alviro Petersen advanced down the wicket – and had Strauss’s butterfingers not accounted for three dropped catches of varying difficulty, Collingwood would have racked up his 100th ODI wicket, and Trott his very first.Tactically, however, Strauss could hardly be faulted. He correctly gambled on bowling first at the toss, despite vivid memories of what Smith and the absent Loots Bosman had done to his team last week, and he was instrumental in the early extraction of Smith for 12, as he persisted with a slip to Tim Bresnan, and was rewarded with a well-channelled delivery and a simple edge into his midriff.And Strauss’s decision to turn to Trott, whose career-best 7 for 39 came in the Championship six long years ago, was a masterstroke. Aided no doubt by the fear of falling to a man about whom so much has been said on this trip, South Africa’s batsmen allowed him to rumble through seven overs for 21, with just a solitary boundary coming from his final over.When England’s turn came to bat, the lessons of South Africa’s were clearly visible. Trott and Strauss shared in a 28-run stand for the first wicket which came to an end when Strauss attempted to work Langeveldt into the leg-side but instead lobbed a leading edge to de Villiers at point. But it was Pietersen’s dismissal that was the most instructive. In a typical attempt to raise the tempo, he aimed a slog at Albie Morkel and lost his leg stump for 4 from seven balls, whereupon Trott and Collingwood refused to allow themselves to be hurried – literally in Trott’s case, as he was handed an official warning for time-wasting between deliveries.Needing a wicket, Graeme Smith recalled Dale Steyn to the attack in a bid to force the breakthrough, but Collingwood latched onto the extra pace to bring up England’s hundred with back-to-back boundaries. A minor bout of cramp then nearly did for Trott, as he was forced to scamper when called through for an ambitious second run, but South Africa’s resolve was effectively broken in the 27th over, when Langeveldt overstepped, and Collingwood deposited the resulting free hit into the stands for six.There was just time before the end for Eoin Morgan to reprise his formidable finishing skills with a classy 27 not out from 18 balls, but happily for all Englishmen in the ground, he wasn’t able to deny Collingwood a richly deserved milestone, which was brought up six balls before the end. England’s improbable record against South Africa has now been extended to six wins in seven completed games. If it wasn’t for all the evidence to the contrary, you might suspect they were beginning to find some measure of consistency.

Tim Nielsen addressed the media after the second day’s play in Adelaide and declared Australia’s bold intention to push for an innings victory. He might well have wished to retract those comments when Shane Watson fell to Sulieman Benn’s second ball on Sunday – a dismissal that prompted a chain of events that left Australia slumping from 0 for 174 overnight to all out for 439. But the fault for Australia’s 12-run first-innings deficit was hardly that of the coach.Instead, it was the batsmen’s failure to capitalise on starts that ensured West Indies gained a lead after the opening innings for the first time on Australian soil in 12 years. In what is fast developing into a worrying trend, only one of the last 12 Australian batsmen to have passed 50 has gone on to reach triple figures. Nine of those half-centuries have been scored in the opening two Tests against West Indies but, as yet, no one has bettered Shane Watson’s 96 in Adelaide.Certainly, much of the credit for this belongs to West Indies, whose bowlers have shown levels of discipline and consistency at the Gabba and Adelaide Oval their batsmen have yet to match. The towering Sulieman Benn was always going to prove a handful out of the footmarks on a hard, turning Adelaide wicket, while the pace and unrelenting accuracy of Kemar Roach have proven a constant menace.But disciplined West Indian bowling is not the only factor behind Australia’s century drought. Whether it is lack of focus and application at crucial junctures, big-game pressure or technical deficiencies, Nielsen will be most keen to find the source of the issue before England’s arrival in 10 months. That so many of Australia’s batsmen are reaching 50 indicates form is not the issue, but their inability to assert themselves thereafter is posing problems for the coach.The last Australian batsman to post triple figures was Michael Hussey, whose fighting 121 at The Oval in August may have saved his Test career but not the Ashes. Speaking after the third day in Adelaide, Hussey played down the significance of the team’s lack of recent Test centuries.”We had some good partnerships but we couldn’t quite break through that barrier and go on and get a really huge partnership and get ourselves into a real position of strength,” Hussey said after being dismissed by Roach for 41. “It’s often the case here in Adelaide, you can find it difficult to get some real scoring momentum going and then if you do lose a couple of wickets suddenly the fielding team have the momentum.”It would have been nice to go on but it wasn’t actually easy out there. It was quite hard work. You make one mistake and unfortunately you’re on your way. It’s certainly the goal of the team to go on from good starts but I don’t think we should make an issue of it because if you start making an issue of getting to 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, then you start tensing up at those times when you still need to keep playing your natural game. Hopefully we’ll turn those starts into big scores soon in the future.”One of the cornerstones of Australia’s decade of success from the mid-1990s was the ability of their batsmen to convert starts into imposing totals. Steve Waugh was among those to speak of the mental discipline required to push through the 50s and beyond, but such powers of concentration have eluded the Australians of late.Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting have surpassed 50 a combined five times in Australia’s last three Tests, but have lost their wickets to rash strokes on more than one occasion. Michael Clarke added his name to the list when he fell to Benn for 71 on Sunday, prompting the Bajan spinner to wonder aloud as to the reasons behind Australia’s lack of converted centuries.”The pitches that we’ve played on so far at Brisbane and here have been good,” Benn said. “Even I have got starts on them so I can’t see it being that hard to get starts for anyone. I guess if you keep plugging away and bowling hard and be patient you can get some results as a bowler.”

Indian captain MS Dhoni has asked his top order batsmen to fire if India are to take a lead in the ODI series, which now stands at 2-2 with three matches to play. Dhoni blamed the defeat in the third ODI in Mohali on a collective failure of the top order after the bowlers did well to restrict Australia to 250 on a good batting track.India began briskly in their chase and were in the game till the 24th over at 113 for 3, before Yuvraj Singh was run out off a direct hit by Ricky Ponting. Dhoni was the fifth wicket to fall, for 26, and his dismissal left a lot of responsibility on the lower order.”Top order batsmen need to bat well and not rely on the lower order,” Dhoni said on the eve of the fifth game in Hyderabad. “If you are playing with seven batsmen, it’s better to get a big score from six of them rather than use the seventh, who we call as a backup batsman, especially when you are chasing.”If one among the top order gets a big score it becomes easy for us as the others can rotate around him. If we have a good start we can get on to a big score so as to dictate terms and play according to your pace.”Dhoni justified Ravindra Jadeja’s position at No.7 and insisted that he was in the team as a bowling allrounder. Jadeja bowled seven overs for 27 but scored only 7 as the pressure mounted in the chase.”He’s (Jadeja) filling in the space of bowling allrounder. He’s bowling really well,” Dhoni said. “His batting is also important. Batting at No.7 is not about getting big fifties or 70s. It’s about scoring quickly. And if we are batting second and if we lose wickets every batsman is needed to score extra runs on the board.”Dhoni, however, was happy with the way his bowlers had performed. They conceded only 27 runs and took four wickets in the batting Powerplay, which Australia took in the 44th over. They also didn’t allow Australia to get off to a flier in the chase of 355 in Nagpur.”The last couple of games Harbhajan [Singh] had bowled really well,” Dhoni said. “I can’t complain much. The (new ball) bowlers have always gotten off to a good start.”Ashish Nehra has been the pick. Praveen [Kumar] has also done well. Ishant Sharma had a couple of off games for him. He’s done well in a couple of them. Last game, he got targeted a bit. I’m quite happy with the performance of the bowlers overall.”With the business end of the series virtually reduced to a three-match contest, Dhoni warned his team against taking their foot off the pedal.”Now we can see it as a three-game series. Every game is important now. It’s important not to have an off day. As the number of games gets reduced there’s no time to recover.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Ashley Noffke troubled his old team with bat and ball•Western Australian Cricket Association

Ashley Noffke moved from Queensland because he wasn’t a first-choice limited-overs player, but he was responsible for defeating them on his Western Australia debut. Noffke, the Man of the Match, stayed calm following a mid-innings collapse that left the hosts 6 for 83 chasing 161 in the FR Cup season-opener and steered them home with 43.Western Australia started with thoughts of a bonus point against the defending champions, but were held back by the first-gamers Ben Cutting and Alister McDermott, who gained two wickets each. The Warriors lost 5 for 33 before Noffke arrived for safe partnerships with Theo Doropoulos and Brett Dorey, who added 15 not out.Noffke and Dorey, who had already caused problems with the ball, backed up with a stand of 49 which ended with three to win. Noffke clipped Ben Laughlin to square leg, but Brad Knowles ensured the celebrations with three balls to go.The chase was looking easy until Marcus North (19) was unlucky to be McDermott’s first wicket on debut – the bowler didn’t appeal for the catch behind, with the ball hitting the pad – and it sparked a highly worrying period. Adam Voges hadn’t scored when he miscued a pull off Laughlin to leave the hosts at 3 for 55 and a further blow came six runs later with McDermott’s inswinger to David Bandy. Cutting followed up by removing Wes Robinson for 24 and it seemed to be Queensland’s game.Shortly after Laughlin was called up and was hit for consecutive boundaries by Luke Ronchi, but by the end of the over he had edged behind to leave Western Australia at 6 for 83. Noffke would not give up and with Dorey benefitted from two Powerplays, while Craig Philipson, diving at midwicket, dropped Noffke with 20 runs to win. McDermott was impressive with 2 for 21 from 10 while Cutting collected 2 for 26 and Laughlin led with 3 for 33.Western Australia’s mix of new and old bowlers was guided by Dorey, the only local fast man in the attack, as he gained 3 for 29 and was well supported by Noffke and Knowles (3 for 53). Noffke was virtually impossible to hit and returned 1 for 19 after giving up only seven runs in his first seven overs, including four consecutive maidens. Both Dorey and Noffke, the opening bowlers, enjoyed the friendly conditions and having a new ball at each end as part of a change in the one-day regulations.Nathan Reardon played across the line to Dorey and was lbw in the fifth over before Noffke struck in the next with one coming back into Ryan Broad (4), leaving them at 2 for 11. Lee Carseldine, the No. 3, was the only batsman to make a mark with an important half-century, but his partners fell too quickly to allow a big total.Carseldine went for a well-made 54 when Voges took a fine catch at backward point to give Knowles, formerly of Victoria, his first wicket and add to Queensland’s troubles by having them 5 for 86. By then Michael Hogan (1 for 31), who was recruited from New South Wales in the off-season, had struck his first blow by picking up Philipson (0) and Dorey had forced Glen Batticciotto (10) to play on. Dorey’s 10 overs ended with Chris Simpson’s lbw and North’s offspin was also suffocating. Hartley chipped in with 36 to ensure the Bulls had something to defend.

Pakistan captain Younis Khan is keen to launch a players’ association and is believed to have already contacted the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA) in that regard.Younis, who met FICA chief Tim May in London during the World Twenty20 in June seeking details about the formation of players’ association, said he had discussed the issue with current and former players in Pakistan and was also planning to meet PCB officials.”I want to work for the betterment of cricketers in Pakistan because there are several players who are in a lot of financial problems,” Khan said. “I don’t want any confrontation with the PCB and we are not making a group against the board.”Khan, who led Pakistan to victory in the World Twenty20 said he just wanted “to gather the players for their own rights.” He is expected to have another sitting with May during the Champions Trophy which begins from September 22 in South Africa.It is a significant development in Pakistan cricket given the almost constant cycle of players developing differences with one another, or with board officials. Player management is also a fledgling concept here and until recently, most players were not formally represented by any party.A players association may help resolve situations such as those faced by a number of Pakistan players earlier this year, when they could not take part in the second IPL season, and had to forego considerable earnings after the Pakistan government didn’t give them permission to play in India (even though the tournament was eventually staged in South Africa). The players tried to resolve the situation by contacting the president of the country, Asif Ali Zardari (also patron of the PCB) and through their agent, but the matter is still pending.Many ex-players have long felt such an association was necessary and attempts to organise one have been made before, by Asif Iqbal and Majid Khan among others, but never to any great success. Senior players such as Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik have also voiced their support for such an association.

New Zealand opener Tim McIntosh is disappointed after missing a second Test hundred on another rain-hit day in Galle. He prevented the New Zealand batting order from falling apart with a solid 69 off 226 balls in 292 minutes but was trapped lbw by Muttiah Muralitharan.”It was very disappointing to do that much work and face that many balls and then for one ball you get out,” McIntosh said after the day’s play. “You want to go on and get your three figures but I am pretty happy getting some runs. I like to convert fifties to hundreds, I am a bit disappointed, but I’ll take that I guess.”McIntosh was trying to wear down the Sri Lankan bowlers by batting time which was New Zealand’s plan to tackle the varied bowling attack. “I was trying to bat time, wear them down and make them come back after a spell if they can. First time batting out here, its different. [There’s a] lack of bounce and a turning wicket. I guess I had to spend as much time as possible because I got guys around me who played quite freely.”In terms of ticking runs over at a certain rate, it became quite a challenge when you got both spinners bowling so accurately. With a semi-defensive field set it’s not easy to keep attacking like you would like. I guess I spent as much time as possible trying to get partnerships going.”Despite McIntosh’s knock, New Zealand still lost wickets and were 281 for 8, trailing by 171 runs at the end of the day. “No one wants to lose wickets in clumps, that’s what any team tries to avoid, but we didn’t do that well today,” said McIntosh.He had spoken to two former New Zealand batsmen, John Wright and Matt Horne, before the tour of Sri Lanka and said that their advice had “helped”. “Both of them gave me some good feedback on what to expect and what the conditions are going to be like.”The time we spent with Saqlain [Mushtaq] was really good for us. We hadn’t faced these sorts of deliveries before and he taught us how to look for it and how to go about playing it.”

Phillip Hughes has vowed to hit back after the disappointment of his Test sacking and regain his spot in the line-up. Hughes, 20, was replaced by Shane Watson in Edgbaston to end an up-and-down start to his international career.In South Africa, Hughes scored two centuries in his second Test, but struggled in England when Andrew Flintoff and Co aimed short balls at his body. While he is unlikely to get a chance to regain his spot on this trip, he will not give up hope.”I started very strongly in my first five Tests but I got dropped,” he told Fox Sports. “That’s the risk that happens when you play the game of cricket and play for Australia. It’s obviously very disappointing but you have to try to bounce back and be as strong as you can. I will try to improve my game in all aspects.”Since missing out in Birmingham, Hughes has spent time in the nets trying to overcome the problems that resulted in only 57 runs in three innings. One helpful team-mate has been Watson, who spoke with Hughes after training on Wednesday to keep his spirits up.”We’ve had a number of chats about how Shane’s been in and out of the side with injuries and how he has bounced back,” Hughes said. “He talked about his frustrations over the past couple of years about playing a couple of games and then having to sit out.”He said that sometimes it could take you a week or two to get your mind fresh. He always looked on the positive side of things. His advice was to always stay positive.”

Rajesh Kalia, the former Haryana Ranji Trophy player, has died aged 58, due to a heart problem.An opening bowler, Kalia made his debut in 1970-71 and played nine first-class games over three seasons. His best figures of 3 for 70 came against Railways at Chandigarh’s Sector 16 Stadium in 1970. He ended his career with 13 wickets at 34.53.

Match facts

May 24, 2009
Start time 16.30 local, (14:30 GMT)

Big Picture

Anil Kumble has bowled like the champion he is•Associated Press

And so, as a blockbuster second season of the IPL reaches its summit, two of its biggest success stories clash in the finale in Johannesburg. They also happen to be the two most unlikely sides given how they fared in 2008. Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore were the two bottom-placed teams then, now they’ve busted out of the basement and made the house their own.Not many would have given Deccan or Bangalore a chance this year to get to the top four. But having pulled off amazing turnarounds and tasted difficult periods earlier in the tournament, both teams have undoubtedly deserved to get where they are today.Deccan started with four wins, imposed themselves, stumbled, but got it together when it mattered. The manner in which they – rather their captain Adam Gilchrist – crushed Delhi Daredevils in the semi-final was stirring. Gilchrist has led the side well and has been their top run-getter for the second season running. Apart from RP Singh, owner of the purple cap, there haven’t been true stand-out performers. Herschelle Gibbs has been inconsistent, Pragyan Ojha has lost some bite in the latter stages, and while Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds have contributed they haven’t been stunning.If Deccan have been inconsistent, Bangalore reached the worst level of desperation. The last match they lost in this tournament was the last they could afford to. And they have won their last five games, much like Australia’s victorious campaign in the 1999 World Cup.The major factor in Bangalore’s rise has been Anil Kumble, who took over the captaincy from a beleaguered Kevin Pietersen. In 2008 Bangalore’s selections of a few final XIs raised some eyebrows, but most unflattering was their habit of choking when victory was in front of them. Kumble changed all that by setting an example that the seniors followed.Bangalore’s younger Indian players didn’t start off well at all, but the seniors’ performances started to rub off. Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar and Virat Kohli have chipped in with vital contributions to keep the team buoyant in the competition. This has been a team that has paid a lot of attention to preparation.On form – they’ve won five in a row, four of them against semi-finalists – Bangalore are a confident side and will be boosted by the knowledge that they beat Deccan last time. However, after forcefully knocking out the top-ranked side in the semi-finals, Deccan will be confident as they face their southern compatriots. Both Gilchrist and Kumble have handled the captaincy with aplomb, and will not want to let the slightest chance go abegging.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWWWW
Manish Pandey’s rise has been exceptional. Hardly given a run last season, he delivered with the first IPL century by an Indian and followed up with another Man-of-the-Match effort in the semi-final. Statistically and psychologically Pandey’s form will worry Deccan, because that century came against them. Cameos from Taylor and Kohli have come at right times, and Kumble and Roelof van der Merwe have delivered in pressure situations with their varieties of spin.Deccan Chargers: WLLWL
Deccan rode into the final on Gilchrist’s broad blade and shoulders; an encore should seal them the trophy. The bowling got itself together after Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virender Sehwag threatened to run riot, but what Deccan really need is for Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma to click. Gibbs made a duck after hitting a brisk half-century in the final league match, and Rohit has only one half-century in the tournament. If he can replicate either of the two flawless finishes against Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, Rohit can be a big threat.

Watch out for

Adam Gilchrist v Praveen Kumar: Brutal objective v crafty swing bowling. Cosmic experience v smart head on young shoulders. As it stands, it’s 2-0 to Praveen. Surprising as it may sound, Praveen took Gilchrist out, early, in both the finals of the CB Series last year. In two matches this season Gilchrist has taken just 18 runs off 12 balls from Praveen. Gilchrist won’t count it as a decisive comeback.RP Singh v Manish Pandey: The IPL’s highest wicket-taker against the latest young star to emerge. RP hasn’t been at his best over the last few games, and Pandey has two Man-of-the-Match awards on the trot. During his century Pandey faced nine balls from RP, and took 20 runs, including a big six over long-on. RP has loads of experience to go with success against better batsmen, so how he varies his craft against an enthusiastic and trigger-happy opener is an intriguing battle.A typical big-match knock from Adam Gilchrist could make the final one-sided•Associated Press

Anil Kumble v Rohit Sharma and Gilchrist: Kumble has led superbly with the ball in Bangalore’s winning streak. In Bangalore’s last game against Deccan, Kumble dismissed Rohit first ball and allowed Gilchrist only five runs from eight balls. In their earlier match Rohit hit 24 runs off 10 Kumble deliveries and Gilchrist took 13 from 11. Kumble will need to be at his craftiest best against two of Deccan’s sweetest hitters.

Team news

With B Akhil injured for the semi-final, Bangalore recalled R Vinay Kumar. His first three overs cost 32, but Vinay picked up Matthew Hayden and then Jacob Oram in the final over, which only cost six runs. He should keep his place, meaning Bangalore are likely to field an unchanged side.Royal Challengers Bangalore: (probable) 1 Manish Pandey, 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 Roelof van der Merwe, 4 Rahul Dravid, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Robin Uthappa, 8 Mark Boucher (wk), 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 R Vinay Kumar, 11 Anil Kumble (capt.).If D Ravi Teja recovers from a hamstring injury he may come back for Azhar Bilakhia. Ryan Harris should hold his place after that two-wicket first over against Delhi.Deccan Chargers: 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt./wk), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 T Suman, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Azhar Bilakhia/D Ravi Teja, 7 Venugopal Rao, 8 Harmeet Singh, 9 Pragyan Ojha, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 RP Singh.

Stats and trivia

• Eight batsmen have scored more than 350 in the tournament, but only one of them – Adam Gilchrist – will be on view in the final. Kallis, Bangalore’s highest scorer, has an aggregate of 346.
• Teams chasing have won five out of six times in night games in Johannesburg. In all three games that Bangalore have played here, they’ve chased and won.
• Gilchrist has scored 86 runs off 63 balls in two innings against Bangalore. In contrast Kallis, Bangalore’s highest run-scorer, has only scored 20 off 21 balls in two innings against Deccan. Pandey, though, scored 114 in just one game.
• Bangalore’s five wins in a row equal’s Chennai’s winning streak earlier in the IPL, and is a record for this tournament.

Head-to-head record

The last time these teams met Pandey downed Deccan with a century in Centurion. Prior to that Gilchrist and Rohit’s power-hitting ensured Deccan romped to a 24-run win earlier this season, in Cape Town. Bangalore won both their matches last year: the first one a thriller by three runs, and the next comfortably by five wickets.