Khel Samachar/Sports News

Indian runners Mandeep and Murmu suspended after failed dope test

2011-06-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: Two top Indian athletes - Mandeep Kaur and Juana Murmu - were on Wednesday suspended and faced the prospect of a two-year ban after flunking an out-of-competition dope test.

The 'B' samples of both the athletes returned positive for anabolic steroids in the tests conducted by International Association of Athletics Federations.

Mandeep, who had won gold in Commonwealth and Asian Games 4x400m relay and Juana, who finished fourth in the Asian Games, were suspended immediately after the reports of the 'B' samples were known this evening.

Mandeep and Juana's 'A' samples were taken by an international agency - International Doping Tests and Management of Sweden - on behalf of the IAAF at NIS Patiala and tested at National Dope Testing Laboratory.

The samples were taken out of competition at NIS Patiala on May 25.

Mandeep's 'B' sample had adverse analytical findings for epimethandiol, metabolites of methandienone and stanozolol while Juana's had epimethandiol and metabolites of methandienone.

The duo have been provisionally suspended by Athletics Federation of India till the hearing by a NADA panel is completed. The NADA panel will hand the punishment after the hearing.

Since it was the first dope offence for the two athletes, their punishment would range from a warning to a two-year ban.

AFI sources said that the two athletes have told the officials that their positive result could be due to food supplements they had taken from outside the NIS where they had been training.

The development is a huge setback for the country as both were in the yet-to-be-announced Indian team for the Asian Athletics Championships to be held in Kobe, Japan from July 7.

The duo are certain to be dropped from the team as now their 'B' samples have returned positive.

Moreover, it could be difficult for India to qualify for the London Olympics in women's 4X400m relay race as Mandeep has been an important member of the quartet for some time.

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Venus' sixth sense saved Serena's life

2011-06-14T05:04:00.001-07:00

EASTBOURNE: Venus Williams has always taken her role as big sister to Serena very seriously but never before had she thought a bit of family intuition would end up saving the life of the 13-times grand slam champion.

Serena, who once starred in the American medical drama ER, found herself in the centre of her own health scare in February when she had to undergo emergency treatment after a life-threatening blood clot was found in one of her lungs.

Had it not been for a tip off from Venus, Serena may have been prevented from making her long-awaited comeback to competitive tennis this week in the Wimbledon warm-up tournament in the British seaside town of Eastbourne.

"I remember I was in the gym and Serena called me and said 'my foot's swelling'," Venus, who is celebrating her 31st birthday this week as she too makes a comeback, said in an interview.

"My physio and I were both there and I said 'you need to look up online on symptoms of blood clots'. So she did and our physio went back and what do you know, it was.

"She had lot of the symptoms and thank god she did not ignore it because that could have been dangerous.

"I wasn't with her so it wasn't like I could do anything... but I just suggested because it was one of the symptoms. I did not believe this could even happen to her."

Already known as a tennis champion, fashion designer and interior designer, Venus never thought her limited medical knowhow could prove so crucial.

"Someone like Serena, who's a champion and a legend and has spent her whole career and lifestyle being healthy, it's hard to expect her to have a health problem like she did," added five-times Wimbledon champion Venus, who is making her own comeback after missing six months with an abdominal injury.

"Everyone was surprised, including us. "Thankfully we were able to recognise it and help her to get treatment right away. A lot of things you can think 'gosh, this is not really happening to me as I'm super healthy' and it can happen to anyone."

Like Serena, Venus also had to bide her time on the sidelines as she allowed her battered and bruised body to recover from a series of injuries that have limited her participation to just the grand slams over the past year.

This week, she seemed to lap up the atmosphere at the picturesque setting of Devonshire Park, where her face was plastered across dozens of billboards and hoardings dotted around the tennis complex.

KEEN HISTORIAN

Dressed in a white tracksuit over a bright pink tank top, she did not appear to have a care in the world as she strode purposefully into the ground's Champagne Bar area, only stopping once to sign a giant tennis ball for a young boy.

Venus, a keen historian of tennis, knows that no woman over 30 has won a grand slam trophy in over two decades.

But such a statistic does not concern the statuesque American, especially since recent trends show that those aged around 30 are most likely to succeed.

Over the past 13 months, Li Na and Francesca Schiavone have won French Open crowns aged 29, while 28-year-old Kim Clijsters is the U.S. and Australian Open champion and Serena, 29, is the Wimbledon holder.

"Tennis has changed a lot. People are now trying to be healthier and everyone's believing they can play longer. I think the days of retiring at 27 are over," explained Venus.

"By the time you get to the age I am, that's when you really start to understand the game and you can take advantage of that. So I'm going to stay and take advantage of all my experience."

Her vow to play on will strike fear into rivals, especially since the Williams sisters have ruled Wimbledon in nine of the past 11 years.

Critics have been laying into the women's game in recent weeks, saying it is suffering an identity crisis as the public at large can barely recognise any of the current top 10.

Should either of the Williams sisters triumph at Wimbledon on July 2 after barely playing any match for months, it will again raise questions about the strength of the women's tour.

Venus, however, dispelled suggestions that a Williams' victory will only highlight the poor state of the women's game.

"If we come back and play well, that's credit to our games. It's not easy to win majors because if it was, everyone would be doing it," said Venus, who expects a low seeding at the grass slam since injury means she is ranked outside the top 30.

"We have dropped ranking points and that's part of being off but at this point we're happy to be back, we're here to play, we're in the draw and that's what matters."

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Sania-Vesnina lose French Open doubles final

2011-06-03T21:44:00.001-07:00

BANGALORE: The Czech combine of -- Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka -- made it a payday to remember in Paris. The unheralded pairing, who became only the sixth unseeded team in 30 years to win a major title when they clinched the French Open women’s doubles crown on Friday, took home the euros 330,000 purse, up for grabs at Roland Garros.

India's Sania Mirza and Russian Elena Vesnina, the seventh seeds, picked the wrong day to go off colour, going down 4-6, 3-6 in the title round. The Indo-Russian pairing, who dropped a set for the first time this fortnight in the semifinal on Wednesday, had to settle for euros 165,000.

The opening set was a sea-saw contest. The Czechs broke Sania's serve in the third game and Vesnina's in the fifth to run up a 5-1 lead. In the seventh game, on the Indian's serve, the Czechs had two set points at 15-40 and a third at advantage, but the Indo-Russian pair battled hard to push the game to deuce before holding serve. They broke Hlavackova at love in the next game to narrow the lead to 3-5. Vesnina then held serve to make it 4-5.

In the tenth game, with the big-hitting Hradecka serving for the set, the Indo-Russian team pushed hard, taking the game to deuce but the Czechs closed out on their fifth set point on the back of a 189 kmph serve.

Vesnina, who finished runners-up in the French Open with Victoria Azarenka in 2009, struggled with her serve on Friday. She was broken in the opening game of the second set, but the seventh seeds fought back breaking Hlavackova in the fourth game to level at 2-2. Vesnina, however, was broken in the fifth game and the Czechs did well to hold on to that.

In the eighth game, the favourites had a chance to break Hlavackova, they even had a breakpoint, but the 24-year-old held out to give her team a 5-3 lead. Hlavackova and Hradecka then broke Vesnina in the ninth game, closing out on the second match point after 81-minutes of play.

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Federer shatters Djokovic streak to reach French Open final

2011-06-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

PARIS: Roger Federer brought Novak Djokovic's 41-match winning run since the start of the year to a sensational end Friday as the Swiss legend reached a fifth French Open final and a fourth Paris title showdown with five-time champion Rafael Nadal.

Federer, the 2009 winner, stunned the world number two Serb 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), a victory which not only shattered Djokovic's hopes of making a first Roland Garros final, but also stalled his bid to take over as world number one.

World number three Federer, whose last Grand Slam final had been at the 2010 Australian Open where he wrapped up a 16th major title, sealed a memorable win with his 18th ace in a tie which finished at 2135 (1935GMT) in gathering gloom.

Having reached his sixth Roland Garros semifinal playing a carefree brand of no-pressure tennis, he also left Djokovic one win short of matching John McEnroe's 1984 record of a 42-match unbeaten start to a season.

In a rollercoaster of a first set, Djokovic was surprisingly broken in the first game, distracted by the commotion in the crowd behind him caused when a spectator collapsed.

But the Serb was back on level terms for 1-1 with a break back before fighting off four break points on his next serve to hold for 2-1.

A huge inside-out backhand gave Djokovic another break for a 4-2 lead but Federer, with a roar of emotional support behind him, stormed back, retrieving the break and holding to love for 4-4.

Federer saved two set points in the 11th game before Djokovic, furious at being handed a time violation by French umpire Damien Dumusois, got the better of a gruelling 27-shot rally to hold and lead 6-5.

The Swiss, who had converted just two of 10 break points in the opener, held to send the set into a tiebreak which he claimed when Djokovic netted a forehand after 70 minutes on court.

Federer fought off two break points in the first game of the second set and broke Djokovic to lead 3-1 when the Serb, clearly unsettled and distinctly under par, ballooned a forehand long.

A rattled Djokovic soon trailed 4-1 and then needed to fight off four break points in the sixth game to keep his campaign on track before Federer, nerveless on serve, stretched his advantage to 5-2.

The world number two was close to breaking point and fought off five set points in the eighth game.

But the 29-year-old Federer was soon two sets to love ahead when a weary Djokovic netted.

Under siege, Djokovic had given up a further 12 break points in the second set with Federer crucially converting the only one he needed to do in the fourth game.

However, showing the fight which has brought him seven titles in 2011, Djokovic carved out the only break of the third set in the second game on his way to cutting the deficit.

Serve dominated in the fourth set as the sky over Paris became increasingly darker, before Djokovic unleashed a brutal service return to break for a 5-4 lead.

In an enthralling conclusion, Federer hit back for 5-5 and fought off two break points to nip ahead at 6-5 before Djokovic held for a tie break.

The Serb saved two match points but was powerless to keep out the Swiss star's 18th ace which sealed the semifinal after 3hr and 39mins of enthralling action.

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Miami triple threat strikes first in NBA finals

2011-06-01T21:51:00.002-07:00

MIAMI: There might be a new sheriff in town, but this is still Wade County.

Dwyane Wade erupted for 15 points in the second half - including a late 3-pointer that put the game out of reach - as the Heat won Game 1 of the NBA Finals over the Dallas Mavericks, 92-84, at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

In his first Finals game since earning Finals MVP in 2006, Wade finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Teammate LeBron James led the Heat with 24 points - the final two coming on a booming alley-oop from Wade with 40 seconds left in the game. Miami nearly had three double-doubles, with James and Chris Bosh (19 points) each pulling down nine rebounds.

But after struggling to find his game through most of the Eastern Conference Finals - a and although James proved yet again just how limelight-ready he is -- it was Wade's late trey and overall play that delivered the biggest surge of electricity through a team and a town.

"Once that three went down," James sadi, "I knew he was feeling really good."

"Understanding that Dallas is a great offensive team, I thought we played well defensively," Wade said. "That allowed us to get out and get some good shots on the other end. Obviously I made some shots tonight. But we all made plays down the stretch that helped us win the ballgame."

Dirk Nowitzki led the scoring for the Mavericks, who shot just 37.3 percent from the field. Nowitzki finished with 27 points, including another perfect night at the line, going 12-for-12 in free throws.

Wade's performance keyed a dominating second half by the Heat, who out-scored the Mavericks, 49-34, in the final 22 minutes to pull away late.

Neither team shot well (38.8 percent for the Heat, 37.3 for the Mavs), but the Heat hit 41 percent (16 of 39) in the second half, compared to just 36 percent for the Mavericks.

"They have two very good closers, two of the best in the game," Nowitzki said of Wade and James. "Dwyane made some big shots there in the fourth quarter, and LeBron has been shooting the ball really well this Playoffs. [Wade] had some open looks and really made some tough shots."

"I think in order for us to win basketball games, we have to defend, and we have to get stops," James said. "And our offense will speak for itself when we continue to get stops."

Outside of rebounding (46-36 over the Mavs), the Heat's most unlikely advantage came in bench scoring, where they held a 27-17 edge over the usually potent Mavs reserves. Of Dallas' 17 bench points, 12 came from Jason Terry. Cumulatively, the reserves shot 4-of-22, including a 1-for-8 performance from backup point guard JJ Barea.

"I thought we rushed some shots," Nowitzki said. "We just got to finish."

The shooting woes kept the game close until the Heat pulled away in the final minutes. Until Wade's dagger of a 3-pointer from the top of the key put the Heat up, 82-73, with just over three minutes left, neither team had led by more than eight points.

But until Wade took over, the Mavs looked to be the ones headed for the win.

Shawn Marion hit a jumper to put Dallas up, 46-43, to open the second half. Nowitzki followed a 19-footer after a Chris Bosh miss on the inside. A possession later, DeShawn Stevenson hit a 3-pointer from the corner with no one within 10 feet of him to put Dallas up eight points with 10:03 left in the third.

"He checked for the wind," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "He had three days to shoot that. And we didn't get anybody near him."

Down eight, the Heat called timeout.

"We needed to lock in," James said. "We just weren't paying attention to detail about how we were going to defend this team coming into the game."

From there, Wade took over.

First came a reverse lay-in on the ensuing Heat possession. Then, after a steal by Mike Bibby and an assist from LeBron James, came another finish at the rim for Wade, who'd spent most of the first half on the outside.

"They answered. They responded well," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle. "During that period they were making a run at us. I thought we did a good job of hanging in. And again, I thought there were some critical situations where we needed to somehow come up with one loose ball here or go make a shot there that would have made a big difference. But it didn't happen."

Over the course of the next 10 minutes, the Heat went on a 22-10 run to close the quarter and turn the tides of the game. James and Wade scored nine and eight points, respectively, over the run.

But every time the Heat would threaten, the Mavs would answer. Turnovers traded hands, shots clanged off metal. But with 1:12 left in the third, James strode to the top of the key, pulled up and hit a three.

Miami would never trail again. Then, as if to underscore that this was the Heat's game, James hit a fall-away three at the buzzer that carried him far out of bounds to put Miami up, 65-61, heading into the fourth.

"Daring me to shoot, that's pretty much gone," James said. "I think people will still live with keeping myself and keeping D-Wade on the perimeter, but it's just my confidence. I put a lot of hard work into it, and understand that you have to be a two-way player in this league. .... Tonight once again I shot the ball extremely well from the outside, but more importantly, it helped our team get a win. That's what it's all about."

True to form, both teams started off slow, with the Heat taking an 11-5 lead after the first 6:30 of the game. But after Jason Kidd hit two threes on two straight possessions after a Mavericks timeout, the three-point barrage began.

As both defenses clamped down on the lane, the teams combined for 12 threes over the final 17 minutes of the first half, with both shooting 6-of-14 from behind the arc.

Mario Chalmers had a big second quarter, hitting three 3-pointers - two of them from the exact same spot on the baseline - after missing his first three shots of the game. Chalmers keyed an uncharacteristic quarter for the Heat, one in which they settled mostly for shots from long range, going 5-for-8 from behind the arc with Wade and Mike Miller both hitting threes.

"I feel like after I hit the first one I hit two more, and I wanted to keep going, but the quarter ran out," Chalmers said.

Neither team shot particularly well from the field in the first half, though, with the Mavericks posting a 38.2 shooting percentage and the Heat firing at 36.6 percent.

Wade's first half did nothing to dispel the rumors that he might be at least slightly injured, with only two points in the first quarter and seven for the half on 3-of-10 shooting.

"Maybe this will be something that will spark him," Spoelstra said. "All I care about was he made a lot of winning plays on both ends of the court there in the fourth quarter. I'm not going to over-analyze his first half."

The Heat held a 22-19 edge in rebounding before the break, but had a 9-5 edge on the offensive boards - including one massive two-handed put-back by Bosh early in the second quarter that fired up the crowd.

Pargat Singh threatens hunger strike

2011-06-01T21:51:00.001-07:00

NEW DELHI: Former hockey captain Pargat Singh wants a movement on the lines of 'Save the Tiger' campaign to save hockey, the 'national game'. This is one of the many plans the former Olympian revealed on Wednesday in his bid to help India regain the old glory.

Pargat is also contemplating a hunger strike on National Sport Day, August 29, to draw the attention of the people to hockey's plight.

"We should stand up and do everything for hockey and should not spare anyone who's mediocre," he told reporters here, taking a dig at some of the administrators running the game in the country.

"I request the honourable Supreme Court to resolve the pending issues in the best interest of the game and the players." He also said that the mechanism of coaching in the country needed serious attention. "We don't have a single coach of international repute," he said, adding that the country also required at least 500 artificial turfs to draw people back to the game.

"A country like India needs at least 500 artificial turfs in the next five years in order to beat international teams. And to put the plan into effect, we need a 100-day action plan under the aegis of the sports ministry."

He urged the government that hockey be accorded a special status like the National Emblem or the National Anthem. "The sports ministry should also think of a special National Game code to help the sport attain special status for development."

He also appealed for at least 10 lakh people to register for the signature campaign at www.cleansportsindia.org which he plans to take to the Prime Minister on August 29.

"I also appeal to my fellow Olympians to come forward and save the game. I appeal to them to adopt their districts and write to the sports minister to become a part of the National Game movement. We need vision, leadership, money and infrastructure and there should be no room for petty politics in sports. We need to put up a united front for the sake of the game and ensure that we win again at the Olympics."

Pargat, who is was on Tuesday named in a Hockey India panel to find foreign experts for the national team, criticised the national body for its approach. "Till date, my proposals tabled in December last year haven't been implemented. There is total chaos. I still don't know whether we will get a foreign coach or an advisor on time but I will try my level best," he said.

While admitting that it may be difficult to identify quality experts in 15 days, Pargat said India might find it very difficult to qualify for the London Olympics given the way things are. "In the current set-up, it is highly unlikely that India will qualify for the Olympics. I am not very optimistic. All I can say is that it will be a big challenge for the team."

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Sania-Vesnina beat Huber-Raymond to enter French Open finals

2011-06-01T21:50:00.001-07:00

PARIS: Sania Mirza stormed into her first Grand Slam doubles final as she and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina defeated American duo of Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond in a thrilling three-setter in the semifinals of the French Open on Wednesday.

French Open 2011

Seeded seventh in the tournament, Sania and Vesnina beat their fourth seeded opponents 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in 105 minute semifinal contest at the Roland Garros.

In the final, the Indo-Russian combo will face the unseeded Czech duo of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka who beat third seeded pair of Vania King of United States and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-3 in another semifinal.

This is Sania's third Grand Slam final appearance in her career - the first two being in the mixed doubles in the Australian Open.

Sania and ace compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi had won the Australian Open mixed doubles in 2009 while they were the losing finalists in the same Grand Slam tournament in 2008.

Sania, who paired up with Vesnina only in February, had a strap around just below her left knee but did not show any apparent problem as she played some superb winning shots across the net.

Sania and Vesnina broke their opponents early in the first set to race to 4-1 ahead before pocketing it 6-3 in 30 minutes.

The second set was a longer affair with both sides breaking serves though Sania and Vesnina were broken thrice in their serves to lose it 2-6 in 38 minutes. In the deciding set, Sania and Vesnina broke their opponents' serve in the first game itself and held theirs to take a 2-0 lead.

Kolkata Knight Riders thrash Pune Warriors India by 7 wickets

2011-05-19T21:29:00.001-07:00

NAVI MUMBAI: A challenging wicket provides a gripping contest. Not necessarily between the teams but at least between the bat and ball. This was on display when Pune Warriors tried to spoil Kolkata Knight Riders' party at the DY Patil stadium on Thursday night.

The 'contest' was largely limited to first innings only. And it meant Pune's aspiration to beat the Big Brother remained just a wish.
Kolkata Knight Riders hammered them by seven wickets with more than three overs to spare. The win gives them a remote chance to finish in the top-two and qualify for the 'soft' semifinal (winner goes to final, loser plays the quarters) if Mumbai lose to Rajasthan.

Pune will visit Delhi for the Saturday game in a match to avoid wooden-spoon while Adam Gilchrist's Kings XI Punjab are almost out of play-off contention due to their inferior net run rate.

Yusuf Pathan made use getting promotion despite being clueless on many occasions. Batting at No. 4, he made 29 off 25. Surprisingly, the fours came behind point before a trademark six off Bhuvnesh Kumar over long-on.

Captain Gambhir (54, 46b, 7x4s) was his usual self: crafty yet quiet; effective but not belligerent. The target of 119 was a child's play for his team. Pune's sloppy fielding came as unwanted bonus and without enough runs on the board, leggie Rahul Shrama wasn't a big weapon.

Kolkata won the toss, opted to bowl and restricted Pune Warriors to 118 for seven. Yuvraj Singh batted at No. 6 and top scored with 24 off 26 with two fours.

The wicket unexpectedly behaved a bit differently and assisted the spinners more. And that led to some odd happenings. The spin troika of Yusuf, Shakib Al Hasan and Iqbal Abdulla bowled 11 overs between them and conceded 51 runs for five wickets.

KKR's specialist paceman L. Balaji was 'introduced' to the attack in the 20th and last over and took two wickets. Gambhir, who rotated his bowlers superbly, gave two overs on a trot to his pacemen just once despite having the likes of Balaji, Brett Lee and Jacques Kallis in his ranks.

When Robin Uthappa came in to bat, he faced a slip and silly point. Even his 'dot' ball (immediately after Balaji failed to judge his catch at deep mid-wicket) was applauded by non-striker and former KKR captain Sourav Ganguly.

Ganguly took 19 balls before hitting his first boundary. He ran 12 singles of his own and ran his partners' 12 runs too.

During the drinks break, KKR bowling coach Wasim Akram was seen inside the ropes having a chat with his wards.

Though off-spinner Yusuf gave KKR the first wicket (Jesse Ryder playing amateur dolly to long-off), it was the 'visitors' left-arm spinners Abdulla and Shakib who were a treat to watch.

Abdulla's first ball turned sharply as Manish Pandey tried to search for it. A ball in the same over held its line and had him lbw. Shakib bowled tight line and had Calum Ferguson stumped with a ball that dipped in and turned away sharply. Despite all this, the batsmen had their moments.

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Indian Grand Prix could be moved to December

2011-05-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: If Bernie Ecclestone manages to have his way, the Indian Grand Prix, scheduled for October 30 as the second-last race of the 2011 season, might be moved to December 4, the Formula One season's finale.

Keen to let Bahrain Grand Prix back into the schedule after protests in the kingdom made racing action impossible earlier in the year, F1 boss Ecclestone, world body FIA and Bahrain officials are in discussions and according to Autosport, a motorsports website, Indian officials have been asked to look at a race date change to help accommodate the race at Sakhir.

Jay Pee Sports International, which is developing the 5.14 km-long Buddh International Race Circuit, has not been informed officially. "We've also just read online reports regarding this development.

"We haven't heard anything from the FIA till now. As far as JPSI is concerned our homologation is on August 1 and race is on Oct 30," said the spokesperson.

A decision on Sakhir race will be taken on June 3 but the big bosses want the end of season schedule reshuffle sorted out before that.

If the race at Sakhir happens, there would be a two-week gap before the Abu Dhabi GP on November 13, after which the young driver test would take place from November 15-17. Brazil would then keep its current November 27 date, with India hosting the race on December 4.

FIA president Jean Todt said at the Turkish Grand Prix two weeks ago that he was happy to give Bahrain more time.

"We completely sympathise with the problems that are happening, and we all understand that it would not have been possible to keep the Sakhir Grand Prix as the first race of the championship," he said.

"I think if you are in a difficult situation, you need support. That is our responsibility. We need to give some support and it will penalize nobody to have a final answer by June 3."

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Tiger Woods still remains biggest sports celebrity: Forbes

2011-05-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

MIAMI: Tiger Woods has not finished a tournament atop the leaderboard in 18 months. Nonetheless, Forbes says the world's former No. 1 golfer remains the biggest celebrity in the sports world.

Woods is No. 6 on Forbes' annual "Celebrity 100" compilation of the most powerful people or groups in the entertainment business, the highest rank of any of the 19 athletes who made the list.

Miami Heat star LeBron James is 10th, up 18 spots from a year ago, and the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant was at No. 14 for the second straight year.

Lady Gaga tops Forbes' overall rankings, followed by Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber, U2 and Elton John.

Woods will fall out of the top 10 in golf's world ranking next week, the first time he'll be 11th or lower since 1997. His last tournament win was at the 2009 Australian Masters.

His star power apparently remains nearly as bright as ever.

Woods was No. 5 on Forbes' list in 2010, when the magazine estimated his annual earnings at $105 million - $30 million less than what it estimated him to make over the most recent 12-month period. Even after taking major endorsement hits following the scandal that ended his marriage, Woods still made $22 million more than Bryant in the past year, Forbes said.

Forbes listed James' earnings at $48 million, up $5 million from the previous year, and ranked him No. 2 behind only Winfrey in terms of media visibility. Forbes said its formula includes pretax income for the year ending May 1, media visibility and social media power through Facebook and Twitter.

Tennis star Roger Federer was 25th on the list, placing him fourth among athletes.

The Heat had two of the top 100, with Dwyane Wade (No. 57) joining James. And the New York Yankees also had two mentions, with Alex Rodriguez at No. 49 and Derek Jeter at No. 69, tying him with actress Julia Roberts.

Other sports figures on the list: David Beckham and Phil Mickelson (tied at No. 35), Cristiano Ronaldo (No. 43), Rafael Nadal (No. 46), Tom Brady (No. 55), Dwight Howard (No. 59), Lionel Messi (No. 62), Peyton Manning (No. 72), Maria Sharapova (No. 80), Serena Williams (No. 84), Venus Williams (No. 86) and Danica Patrick (No. 96).

Combined, Forbes said the 19 athletes on the list this year earned a combined $647 million.

Among those from the sports world who were ranked in 2010 but fell off the most recent Forbes celebrity list were Michael Jordan (20th in 2010), Floyd Mayweather (31st), Shaquille O'Neal (52nd), Manny Pacquiao (55th) and Lance Armstrong (65th).

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Vijender to tie the knot with Delhi girl Archana

2011-05-15T21:37:00.001-07:00

CHANDIGARH: This is one news likely to break a million hearts. Olympic bronze medallist boxer Vijender Singh, known as much for his powerful punches as for being a heartthrob, has been knocked out by love. After a series of denials, Vijender has finally admitted he is all set to marry "long-time friend" Archana Singh, who is Delhi-based, at his village Kaluwas in Bhiwani on May 17. Arrangements for the wedding are already underway and the reception is scheduled for May 18.

The 25-year-old Vijender, known as 'India's David Beckham' abroad, returned on Sunday after winning a bronze in the Arafura Games, and says he and Archana, 23, decided to take the plunge just a few days back. "It's a new chapter of my life and I am obviously excited. It's a bout in which loss is victory. After thinking over it for a long time, both of us decided to get married. It is a private occasion and I hope my privacy is respected," Vijender told TOI on Sunday. His father Mahi Pal Singh, agreeing that the match was a "hush-hush" affair, added: "Both have been friends for quite some time now. In keeping with his wishes we have given our consent to the love marriage."

Wedding cards have already been sent out to "very few near and dear ones". Vijender's coaches and fellow campers at NIS Patiala got the invite only on Sunday after Vijender's return from Australia, where he won in the 81kg category for the first time.

Presently working in the British Embassy in Delhi, Archana is the daughter of a Congress activist, Surinder Singh, from Muzaffarnagar in UP. Coach Gurbax Singh said, "Vijender called up today morning to invite me for the wedding. His friends and fellow boxers are eagerly waiting for the party. I wish him all the best in a new phase of his life."

"We want to keep it a low-key affair," Vijender's father said.

toi

Olympic marathon champion Wanjiru dies after jumping from balcony

2011-05-15T21:36:00.001-07:00

NYAHURURU: Kenyan Olympic marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru was killed when he jumped off the balcony of his home late on Sunday, police said on Monday.

Police said they were trying to ascertain whether the 24-year-old - the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon at Beijing in 2008 - had deliberately killed himself by jumping off the balcony at his home in Nyahururu, a town in the Rift Valley, some 150 km (94 miles) northwest of the capital Nairobi.

Jaspher Ombati, the regional police chief for the area, said Wanjiru appeared to have suffered internal injuries after the fall and was confirmed dead by doctors at a nearby hospital.

"I can confirm that Wanjiru is dead. It is not yet clear whether it was a suicide or if he jumped out of rage, or what caused him to fall to the ground," Ombati said.

"He jumped from his first floor balcony to the ground. He was bleeding from the nose and the mouth, and may have suffered internal injuries," the police chief said.

Ombati said police were investigating a possible love triangle that could have been behind the death of Wanjiru, a former winner of the Chicago and London marathons.

Ombati said the athlete's wife Triza Njeri had come home to find Wanjiru in bed with another woman, had locked the couple in the bedroom and ran outside.

Wanjiru then leapt from the balcony, he said. Ombati said Njeri and Wanjiru's female companion are assisting police in investigating the death.

Last December, Wanjiru was charged in court with threatening to kill Njeri and illegal possession of an AK-47 assault rifle.

Njeri later withdrew her accusation of attempted murder against him in court, saying the couple had reconciled.

He also suffered minor injuries from a car crash in January when he swerved to avoid an oncoming truck, hit a pot hole and rolled his car.

Wanjiru defied the heat of Beijing in 2008 to triumph in an Olympic record time at the games held in China.

As a young man, Wanjiru moved to Japan in 2002 to attend high school after winning a cross country selection trial in Kenya.

toi

Swapnali Yadav makes swimming history

2011-05-10T21:54:00.001-07:00

MUMBAI: Twelve-year-old Andheri girl Swapnali Yadav created history yet again when she became the youngest-ever to win the women's category in the Kimberley National Lake Argyle Swim in Kununurra, Western Australia. Besides being the youngest, she's also the first Indian to win the event.

The Andheri lass had won the first Kimberley National Lake Argyle Swim that was held on April 30 in Australia's second-biggest artificial lake.

Swapnali was a special invitee for the 20km Open swim in the 80km picturesque lake, which is infested by about 35,000 crocodiles. She took 7 hours, 7 minutes and 24 seconds to finish overall second. "It was a real challenge," said Swapnali of Bombay Cambridge school, Andheri. "But I was confident of completing the swim. My dream is to represent India in the Olympics and swim the English Channel." The feat also earned her a place in the Limca Book of Records. She is being trained by Raju Palkar.

TOI

Injury-hit India chase hat-trick of Azlan Shah titles

2011-05-04T22:07:00.001-07:00

IPOH (Malaysia): Battling with a spate of injuries and non-selection of two star players - Sandeep Singh and Sardara Singh - double defending champions India will seek to complete a hat-trick of titles at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament that begins on Thursday.

Five-time gold medallists at the Azlan Shah Cup, India were adjudged joint winners along with South Korea last year when the final was disrupted by bad weather.

The Indians had earlier won the cup outright in 2009, and they currently share the tournament record of five titles with Australia, who are seeking to test their new crop of players ahead of next year's London Olympics.

The seven-nation round-robin tournament, which will end with a title showdown on May 15 between the top two placed teams, also feature Asian Games champions Pakistan, Asian Games silver medallists Malaysia, Great Britain, South Korea and New Zealand.

Pakistan and hosts Malaysia have retained the bulk of the Guangzhou Asian Games squad.

Last year's gold medal at the Asian Games has provided a new-found belief to the Pakistan side, which had not won any significant title since the 1994 World Cup, while Malaysia are now reaping the dividends of investing in young players over the past few years.

Injured former captain Rajpal Singh and Tushar Khandekar's absence could affect the Indian team's strike power, while the decision to keep out Sandeep and Sardara will put additional pressure on India's defence.

Sandeep and Sardara were not considered for selection as they did not secure sanction from the national federation before proceeding to play in the Belgian League. The duo also did not report for a preparatory camp in New Delhi ahead of the tournament.

Seasoned striker Arjun Halappa will lead the Indian team, which will be banking a lot on its midfield in the event, which is also seen as a preparatory tournament for next year's Olympic qualifiers to be held on its soil.

The shock semifinal loss to Malaysia in the Asian Games has forced India once again to play the Olympic qualifiers.

In 2008 Beijing Games, eight-time champions India had failed to feature in the starting line-up of the Olympics for the first time in 80 years.

India's chief coach Harendra Singh, expectedly, said the competition here would be tough as most of the teams are looking to fine-tune their line-ups in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

Incidentally, Harendra was deputy to former chief coach Jose Brasa at the Asian Games and was widely criticised for announcing his resignation in the middle of the event after India's semifinal defeat to Malaysia.

Even though Indian hockey officials were reported to be in favour of a foreign coach, Harendra was again put in charge as they could not find a replacement for Brasa.

Warming up for the tournament with a 5-3 victory over New Zealand on Tuesday, the Indians are bracing to take on South Korea in their tournament-opener on Thursday followed by a game against Britain 24 hours later.

Ahead of Thursday's match, the Indians will be taking heart from the fact that they had defeated South Korea to claim the Asian Games bronze in Guangzhou.

Much to the liking of India, the Koreans are persisting with a young team as they are presently in a transition phase with several established players set to fade away soon.

In the warm-up game against New Zealand, India scored from penalty corners through Dhananjay Mahadik (2), Rupinder Pal Singh (2) and Baljit Singh Chandi, while Matt L'Huiller slammed home a hat-trick in his debut game for the Black Sticks.

Among other teams in fray, Britain draws a majority of its players from the England line-up, which won the European Cup two years ago and made the semifinals of the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi.

It will be India's first encounter against the British side since the Commonwealth Games semifinals when the Indians fought back gallantly in the closing stages of the match to score a win.

Asian Games champions Pakistan, three-time Azlan Shah winners, are backing themselves to reclaim the title after eight years.

Hosts Malaysia, who have never won the tournament, are looking to improve upon their three silver medals, while Australian coach Ric Charlesworth is hoping to test his second-string side in the absence of half a dozen players from his 2010 squad that became the first team to clinch the World Cup, Champions Trophy and Commonwealth Games in the same year.

The Azlan Shah Cup was the only event last year where the Australians failed to emerge on top of the pedestal.

Tournament fixtures:

May 5: Pakistan vs New Zealand, India vs South Korea, Britain vs Malaysia.

May 6: Pakistan vs South Korea, India vs Britain, Australia vs Malaysia.

May 8: India vs Australia, Britain vs Pakistan, South Korea vs New Zealand.

May 9: Australia vs Pakistan, Britain vs New Zealand, India vs Malaysia.

May 11: New Zealand vs Malaysia, Australia vs South Korea, India vs Pakistan.

May 12: Australia vs Britain, India vs New Zealand, South Korea vs Malaysia.

May 14: Britian vs South Korea, Pakistan vs Malaysia, Australia vs New Zealand.

May 15: Final.

Bob Houghton likely to 'quit' by weekend

2011-04-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: Referees and linesmen the world over are subject to the choicest abuse by irate players, coaches and fans. Like it or not, it's part of their job. But seldom would have an abuse saved a football federation like Dinesh Nair's racism charge against India's football coach Bob Houghton has rescued the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

As things stand, a golden handshake between the AIFF and Houghton is now only a matter of time - even as early as this weekend.

Sources within the federation cite that officials are quite keen to leverage the racism charge to get rid of the South Africa-based Englishman with immediate effect, as continuing to foot the coach's $30,000 per month salary until his contract ran out in 2013 was causing a huge dent to their already fragile financial condition. Summarily sacking him would also entail paying the entire amount - something to the tune of over Rs 3.2 crore.

It is likely that the removal of Houghton would be delivered shortly, and the see-off will comprise no more than four month's salary as compensation and no further mention of the charge brought up by Nair during the friendly against Yemen in Pune last October.

While Kushal Das, general secretary of the AIFF allayed any such notions insisting that "Bob Houghton's reply (to the racist abuse charge) was still being examined, and no decision had been arrived at", they are eager to see off the matter before the current month is out, because dragging it until May would mean paying the coach another month's salary. Another reason being cited for the apparent rush is that one of the federation's top officials will be unavailable for the remainder of the month due to personal reasons without whom Houghton's ouster cannot be manoeuvred.

When contacted, Houghton who is currently in Goa, refused to comment.

With the AIFF apparently still awaiting the Rs 7.5 crore second installment of the Rs 31 cr deal with their main sponsors (as per the understanding the first installment amount is being used to conduct the I-League), sources indicate that the mood within the cash-strapped federation is very uneasy.

Secure in the knowledge that Houghton would be worried if the charge showed up in an otherwise impressive resume, and subsequently harm his employment opportunities which centres around Asian and African teams, the AIFF promptly played up Nair's charge.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Houghton may have an offer to coach the Hong King national side, and is keen to get out of the Indian mess as soon as possible. In fact, it is understood that the offer for a negotiated compromise may have come from Houghton's lawyers itself, something that the federation is willing to take up given its precarious financial condition.

On the face of it, it seems another coach has fallen to Indian football's ways. This time the players' favourite Houghton.

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Delhi to host hockey Champions Trophy from December 3,2011

2011-04-15T04:45:00.000-07:00

LAUSANNE: The prestigious Men's Champions Trophy Hockey tournament will be held in New Delhi from December 3-11, the FIH announced on Friday.

Top eight countries of the world, including Olympic champions Germany and 2010 World Cup winners Australia, will take part in the tournament.

The other countries to participate in the tournament are the Netherlands, England, Spain, South Korea and Pakistan, besides hosts India.

According to the official dates announced by the FIH for nine major events this season and next year, the FIH Women's Champions Trophy will be held in Argentina from January 28-February 5.

The FIH Champions Challenge I will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from November 26-December 4.

New Delhi will also host the first of the 2012 London Olympics qualification tournaments for men and women from February 15-26.

Six men's and six women's teams will battle out for a lone spot each in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Three 2012 Olympic qualification tournaments will have three host nations with a men's and women's tournament running at the same time.

The next Olympic qualification tournament will take place from March 14-25, 2012 in Beerschot, Belgium. It will be followed by the third Olympic qualification tournament in Kakamigahara, Japan from April 25-May 6.

The trio of joint tournaments is the final opportunity for teams to qualify for 2012 Olympic Games with the winner of each men's and women's event earning a place in London.

The teams assigned to the qualification tournaments will not be known until the completion of all of this year's continental championships, which will be after the Pan American Games, scheduled to finish on October 29.

Winners of the five Continental Championships earn an automatic berth to the 2012 London Olympics.

Following the continental championships, teams that do not automatically earn a berth to the Olympics will be placed into one of the three qualification tournaments, depending on where they finish in their continental championships and how many places their continental federation has been allocated for the Olympic qualification tournaments.

"The 2012 season will be one of the busiest and most important in recent history. Our regular schedule will be supplemented with the Olympic qualifiers and of course the Olympic Games themselves, making it non-stop hockey during the year," said FIH President Leandro Negre.

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Paes-Bhupathi clinch Miami title, become World No.1

2011-04-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

MIAMI (USA): Adding to the joy of India's cricket World Cup triumph, veteran tennis players Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won their second title of the season by clinching the Sony Ericsson Open to become number one in the ATP World Tour Doubles team rankings.

Third seeded Bhupathi and Paes rallied to beat second seeded Belarusian-Canadian pair of Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor 6-7(5), 6-2, 10-5.

IOC issues a warning

2011-03-24T04:55:00.000-07:00

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cautioned the Union Sports Minister that the proposed sports legislation could threaten India's participation in international events, especially the Olympic qualifiers and Olympic Games, if stipulations being imposed on the National Olympic Committee and National Sports Federations (NSFs) were not modified so as to respect the autonomy of the Olympic Movement.

In a letter to Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge), Ajay Maken, on Tuesday, the NOC Relations Director of the IOC, Pere Miro, stated that it was not the IOC's intention to interfere directly in the process of legislation formulation by the Government of India.

However, he pointed out, organisations of the Olympic Movement in India — the NOC and National Federations in particular — would be “directly impacted and affected by this new sports legislation.”

Miro stated that the internal operations (including the composition of the bodies, decision-making mechanisms, holding of meetings, election process, age limit, if any, number of terms for the elected office-bearers, mechanisms for resolving disputes etc.) should come under the jurisdiction of the sports organisations.

Ind vs Aus: Sehwag doubtful for quarterfinal against Australia

2011-03-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

AHMEDABAD: Uncertainty remained on the availability of dashing opener Virender Sehwag for India's make-or-break World Cup quarterfinal match against defending champions Australia on Thursday, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Wednesday.

"We will take a call on Virender Sehwag late this evening or tomorrow morning before the start of the game. All the others are fit and available for selection," Dhoni said at the match-eve media conference at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera.

Sehwag, who lit up the tournament with a breathtaking 175 against Bangladesh in the opening match at Mirpur on February 19, missed India's last Group B tie against the West Indies at Chennai on March 20 after aggravating his old knee problem during the course of the tournament.

He played last against South Africa at Nagpur on March 12, scoring a half century.

Dhoni said the Indian team would certainly miss Sehwag if he is unable to play on Thursday against the world's top-ranked ODI outfit.

"It's really good to have Virender Sehwag opening the innings. He can play an aggressive game. He can change the course of the game in the first five overs, give the team the kind of momentum that is needed," said Dhoni.

On Tuesday, the Delhi dasher did not take part in the warm-up session but later joined the team in the batting practice for half an hour.

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Pak vs WI: West Indies blown away by Pak spin

2011-03-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

MIRPUR: With every passing game, Pakistan's form is looking more ominous. Their skipper Shahid Afridi has led from the front and been devastating with his leg-breaks, ensuring that from dark horses before the tournament, Pakistan are now one of the favourites.

On Wednesday, they pulverized past a hapless West Indies to sail convincingly into the semifinal, fashioning a 10-wicket win after spinning out Darren Sammy's men for a mere 112 at the Shere-e-Bangla stadium.

They now await the winner of the India-Australia game in Ahmedabad on Thursday. This is the sixth time in 10 World Cup campaigns that Pakistan have booked a place in the last four. A combination of effective spin bowling and dismal technique did the Windies in.

Afridi was again at the forefront, grabbing 4/30 to destroy any hopes of a batting recovery after Mohammad Hafeez prised out two early wickets.

Once Chris Gayle fell early, the Windies fell apart, and it was obvious some veterans in the team were also past their prime. They simply failed to get the scorecard moving after being reduced to 16/3 before Afridi came to the party and wrecked their hopes further.

At one point, Afridi was on the verge of a hat-trick when he dismissed Kieron Pollard and Devon Thomas off successive deliveries. Chanderpaul played a lone hand, remaining unbeaten on 44, but he too did not look his best. The Windies lost out on everything but the toss.

Hafeez followed up his impressive bowling display with a fluent, unbeaten 61 when Pakistan chased, notching up his maiden World Cup half-century and the Man of the Match award in the bargain. The Windies were so dispirited after their batting effort they failed to dislodge Kamran Akmal too.

The West Indies will return with a bagful of worries. Their team composition needs a rethink, and their batsmen must learn to cope with spin. Four of their batsmen were trapped in front of the wicket. Overall, the team struck only seven boundaries while Hafeez himself notched up ten fours.

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We will keep Sachin on 99 tons: Ponting

2011-03-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

AHMEDABAD: Apart from aiming to do everything right with a view to pull off a coup against hosts India at the Motera on Thursday, Australian captain Ricky Ponting also has a prayer on his lips that Sachin Tendulkar does not get his 100th hundred against them.

"Sachin has had an amazing couple of years. His last 15 months have been unbelievable. It's absolutely inspirational for everyone, but we only hope the 100th ton doesn't come on Thursday. He'll be doing everything to make sure he gets it, and we'll be doing everything to make sure he stays on 99 for a bit longer," said the Australian captain.

All Ponting is concerned at the moment is Thursday's match and nothing less than a win.

"It doesn't get any bigger, playing India in the quarterfinal in India. It's one of the biggest games I have played as captain. It's going to be enjoyable and exciting. Like us they too will be a bit anxious about the outcome of the game as well," he said.

"Thursday's match will not be about individuals, not about Ponting and Sachin. India are one of the favourite teams, and if we want to win the World Cup we have to win on Thursday."

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Ind vs Aus: India on the edge as Men in Blue face Australia

2011-03-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

AHMEDABAD: This is it. Hold your breath when India take on Australia on Thursday, for there will be no second chances. The biggest stage, and the crucial moment, has arrived.

Where India and Australia stand in ODIs/World Cup

Reputations are at stake for MS Dhoni and his beleaguered counterpart Ricky Ponting. India lost to Australia in the 2003 World Cup final and endured an awful campaign in 2007, but the scales have tilted since. This isn't the invincible Australia of old. Rather than a sublime and uplifting battle between two powerhouses of the international game, current form indicates this second quarterfinal might be more of a scrap.

Neither side has been awe-inspiring in the build-up to this moment. Both have obvious chinks in the armour just waiting to be exploited, and both need to shed the blow-hot, blow-cold approach which has characterized their campaign so far.

Then there's the enormous pressure breathing down their necks, especially Dhoni's men. India are playing at home and millions expect nothing less than victory. The backlash, in case of defeat, will be painful. Australia have dominated this stage for so long that this bunch of players wouldn't like to be remembered as children of a lesser god. Whichever team can raise its game now will go through to meet Pakistan.

As many as six players in Dhoni's current squad were losing finalists in 2003 and will be looking to make amends. It's a great opportunity to settle an old score. Yet, making a statement of intent might not be easy, even though the Motera is expected to be dry and spin-friendly. India's bowling, apart from Zaheer Khan, has been ordinary. Time and again, they have faltered in the Batting Powerplay. Even the middle-order has collapsed twice. Australia's pacers can be a handful. Can the sight of a familiar opponent get the competitive juices flowing?

The issue of Virender Sehwag's fitness is another complication the team could have done without. The opener is struggling with a troublesome knee and Dhoni said a call on his availability would be taken in the morning. Sehwag, however, spent a lot of time at the nets fielding and batting, and seems more likely to play than not.

The Australians too have been anything but impressive. Ponting's time seems to be running out. His form and confidence is under the scanner and his fierce temper has shown through. Controversy and bad blood seems to be hounding the Aussies and they've been forced to maintain a quieter profile. The loss to Pakistan meant drawing the curtains on a 34-game unbeaten streak in this tournament and this loss of aura is a boost for opponents.

Will this be India's turn to deliver a knockout blow?

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Ind vs Aus: Tendulkar, Ponting get ready for final World Cup duel

2011-03-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

AHMEDABAD: The quarterfinal clash between Australia and India, on Thursday, is not only about who stays in the hunt for the title but also about two of game's modern day greats Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting squaring off in a World Cup game for what appears to be one last time.

The two ageing warriors would like to stamp their superiority and propel their side to the last four stage on March 24 at Motera's Sardar Patel Stadium.

Neither of the two is expected to be around in 2015 when the next edition is scheduled to be held Down Under.

In the previous meeting between the two sides in the World Cup, that took place in the summit clash of the 2003 edition in Johannesburg, Ponting came out trumps with his unbeaten century took the game away from India even before the Men In Blue came out to bat.

Ponting's blistering 140 not out, in only 121 balls with a staggering eight sixes and 4 fours, had propelled Australia to an imposing 359 for two.

Chasing the huge Australian total, Tendulkar could score only 4 and despite Virender Sehwag's run-a-ball 82, India fell well short of the target and Australia walked away with cricket's most coveted prize for the second edition running.

On Thursday, in front of a vociferous 50,000-strong crowd, the Indian master has the chance to make ample amends for what happened eight years ago and also step into the record books as the first batsman to have scored 100 centuries combined in both forms of cricket - Tests and ODIs.

Tendulkar has had a very good tournament individually, with superbly crafted tons against England and South Africa at the league stage, though both efforts could not power India to victories, with the first match tied and the second ending in a narrow defeat.

Ponting, on the other hand, has had a horrendous run with the bat. In six matches, he has mustered a miserly 102 runs with 36 being his best effort at a poor average of 20.40, less than half his 358-match career average.

Ponting's ODI average in India against the hosts is also an impressive 44.86 from 24 games, but the second and last of his two hundreds in this country was notched eight years ago in Bangalore.

The Tasmanian has looked a pale shadow of his domineering style and is under tremendous pressure to keep his captaincy though teammate Michael Hussey felt otherwise.

Hussey brushed aside reports in Australia that Ponting's captaincy was at stake, at a media conference here today and said the entire team was backing the struggling skipper.

"No worries at all. He has been fantastic, best man for the job and has been for a long time. He's certainly got the full support of all team members," Hussey said.

Ponting has also been lambasted in the media for losing temper on the field of play and off it too, as well as for not walking after clearly edging behind the stumps while Tendulkar did the exact opposite a day later and was hailed for his sportsmanship.

"He's been criticized over minor things. They have been blown out of proportions. He's been playing well and just like a champion rises to the occasion at the right time, on Thursday we will see the best of Ricky Ponting," Hussey said in his skipper's defence.

In five duels against Australia in World Cups, Tendulkar's best effort thus far has been a splendid innings of 90 in a league game at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium in 1996, and his average against them is a modest 28.20 spread over four World Cups.

Thursday's match provides both these stalwarts, among the all-time great batsmen in the game, a last chance to impose their stature in head-to-head battles in the premier ODI tournament.

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This is the most important tournament of my life: Sachin

2011-03-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

AHMEDABAD: Finally, the word is out. Sachin Tendulkar has conceded that this is the most important tournament of his life.

Typical of the man, though, he has made sure that his feelings have remained in the private domain. TOI had to dig deep to find out how much importance he attaches to this World Cup.

Having started his WC career in 1992, he has featured in as many as six World Cups, including the ongoing one. By 1996, he had not only become the bulwark of the Indian batting but also the most feared player as far as the opposition went.

While he has broken virtually every record out there, he has always longed for the one missing crown: the World Cup title. He missed out the T20 world title when he, and Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, withdrew from the tournament in South Africa and Mahendra Singh Dhoni scripted a memorable victory.

At 37, he knows it's a now or never opportunity. It's generally believed this could be his farewell World Cup and he realizes nothing could be sweeter than winning it at home. It would complete his mission in cricket and make him the greatest player the game has seen, if he already isn't that.

"Yes, it is the most important tournament of my life," Tendulkar had told his closest friends, and most in the team are also aware of his determination.

Like always, though, he is making sure that it doesn't become a self-before-team cause. "Everyone wants the team to do well," he has told his mates. "I need to focus all my energies on how to go about doing my job."

What remains unsaid is that this is the perfect setting not only for him but also the team. India, of course, take on mighty Australia in the quarterfinals on Thursday. If they get past them, they might well face Pakistan in the semis. And then South Africa (if form and odds don't go awry). Seems daunting.

Tendulkar, though, is clearly driven. He has worked hard for the tournament and you could see him straining every sinew on Tuesday too, here at the Motera. He happily spent a few hours under the blazing sun so that his body is not caught napping on match day.

That's not all. He has watched most of the other games closely, in the sanctity of his hotel room. He has been doing his homework and devising his own strategies.

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How the teams stack up in the World Cup quarterfinals

2011-03-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

1st quarterfinal: Pakistan vs West Indies
Venue: Dhaka
Date: March 23

Pakistan's form: Inconsistency has been Pakistan cricket's second name. However, in this tournament they seem a determined lot. They lost to New Zealand but raised the bar against bigger teams like Sri Lanka and Australia to top Group A. Will West Indies be easy pickings?

What makes them dangerous: Their unpredictability. With them, the opposition doesn't know what's in store. Pakistan have a potent bowling attack which can dismantle any batting line-up, as Sri Lanka and Australia already know. With the bat, they have enough experience in the middle order too.

Players to watch out for: Skipper Shahid Afridi, who has led with vigour and panache and also been extremely effective with his leg-breaks: 17 scalps at 11.47 make him the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. His tally includes two five-wicket hauls too. Seamer Umar Gul is the other man in form and is equally dangerous both with the old and new ball.

West Indies' form: Patchy so far. They still haven't beaten any Test team except Bangladesh in the last two years. Looked threatening against minnows but struggled against the big boys like England, India and South Africa. Have often failed to hold their nerves in crunch situations.

What makes them dangerous: They are a compelling blend and have quite a few match-winners. Players like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Devon Smith and Darren Bravo can take the game away from the opposition within no time. They have a good bowling attack which can be effective under any conditions. Besides, they are a vastly improved fielding unit.

Players to watch out for: Openers Chris Gayle (162 runs @ 54) and Devon Smith (293 @ 48.83) have provided solidity to the West Indies batting lineup while Kieron Pollard (179 runs, SR 158.40) has given the team momentum lower down. Kemar Roach (13 wickets @ 12) and Sulieman Benn (12 wickets @ 19.83) have been instrumental with the ball.

2nd quarterfinal: India vs Australia
Venue: Ahmedabad
Date: March 24

India's form: Have blown hot and cold so far. Haven't clicked as a unit at key moments and that cost them dearly against South Africa and England. Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands did not pose much threat while the West Indies surrendered meekly. Scope for improvement given they are one of the favourites.

What makes them dangerous: The batting. The top seven is probably the most potent in the world. If they click as a unit, they have the ability to tear apart any bowling attack and bat the opposition out of the game. Crowd support and knowledge of local conditions are other factors that can work for the team.

Players to watch out for: Yuvraj Singh (284 runs @ 94.66 and 9 wickets @ 25.22) has held the middle order together with great responsibility. Openers Sachin Tendulkar (326 @ 54.33) and Virender Sehwag (327 @ 65.40) have also made their starts count. Zaheer Khan (15 wickets @ 14.86) has been right on the money and has provided the breakthroughs whenever needed.

Australia's form: The Australian juggernaut was on a roll before they being confronted with a spirited Pakistani side. With rain disrupting the game against Sri Lanka, they haven't beaten any big team except New Zealand. They were also stretched by minnows Canada and Kenya.

What makes them dangerous: Australia are a good all-round side and most of their players are multi-utility players. They know what it takes to perform in pressure-cooker situation too. Many players in the side were the part of the 2007 World Cup and 2009 Champions Trophy winning teams.

Players to watch out for: Michael Clarke has been the man in form with an average of 112.50. Openers Shane Watson (265 runs@53) and Brad Haddin (279 runs @ 55.80) are doing the job perfectly and so are the pace trio of Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait, who share 32 wickets among them.

3rd quarterfinal: South Africa vs New Zealand
Venue: Dhaka
Date: March 25

South Africa's form: Have looked the most complete team. Have covered most of the bases and that has reflected in their performance. Unlike other teams, they crushed minnows Netherlands and Ireland with precision. They were ruthless against Bangladesh and West Indies while clinching victory out of the jaws of defeat against India. Their only loss came against England in Chennai.

What makes them dangerous: They have a man for every job. Their batsmen provide enough cushion for their pacers, who are the best in the world. This time, they have variety in their attack too and the spinners have stood up to be counted.

Players to watch out for: Hashim Amla (299 runs @ 49.33) and AB De Villiers (318 runs @ 106) have been in the form of their lives. The spinning duo of Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir has taken the oppositions by surprise, sharing the bulk of the spoils during the league stages.

New Zealand's form: New Zealand's form has been patchy. They were brilliant in all departments against Pakistan in Pallekele but were ordinary against Australia and Sri Lanka. Against the minnows, they were dominant.

What makes them dangerous: New Zealand have quite a few match-winners in their side. On their day, players like Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram can single-handedly win matches. They have a good record in ICC tournaments too.

Players to watch out for: Ross Taylor (245 runs@ 81.66) loves subcontinent conditions. Unlike his other teammates, he enjoys facing spin and is equally effective at the crease even when the ball is reversing. Opener Martin Guptill too has been solid. Tim Southee (14 wickets @ 15.07, eco: 3.95) has been a revelation.

4th quarterfinal: Sri Lanka vs England
Venue: Colombo
Date: March 26

Sri Lanka's form: Are bigger than the sum of their parts and one of the top favourites. Except for the loss against Pakistan, the Sri Lankans have been very clinical. Besides crushing the minnows and New Zealand, were looking good against Australia too before rain marred the tie.

What makes them dangerous: Team combination. The top order is getting runs, the pacers are among wickets and the spinners are always a force to reckon with. So far, the middle order hasn't contributed.

Players to watch out for: Kumar Sangakkara is the leading run scorer in the tournament. Muttiah Muralitharan has shown glimpses of his old form too.

England's form: Watching England has been as exciting as it has been frustrating. They huffed and puffed to victory against The Netherlands, lost to Ireland and Bangladesh but beat South Africa in a thriller and played one of the most exciting games of the tournament against India. They clinched another thriller against the West Indies, winning from an almost impossible situation. Is luck on their side this time?

What makes them dangerous: Just like Pakistan, England have been an unpredictable side. On paper, they look one of the best teams and have so far shown the ability to hold their nerves in crunch situation. Fringe players have risen to the occasion. England are a bunch of fighters who never give up.

Players to watch out for: Man-in-form Jonathan Trott (336 runs) has shown he has a good head on his shoulders. Spinner Graeme Swann (12 wickets @ 20.66) is showing his worth in conditions that favour batsmen more than bowlers.

India are better off facing world champs than Lanka at Motera

2011-03-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: For the most part, on Sunday evening, India would have been tempted to take the easy route ahead: lose to West Indies and avoid Australia in the quarterfinal.

After all, the world champions are a daunting mission, even if they are not in full flow; but the fact is India probably have a much better chance to quell Australia in Ahmedabad than the other option: Sri Lanka

The Lankans would surely have been trickier: their batting is versatile while their bowling has a mysterious ring to it, thanks to the three Ms: Malinga, Murali and Mendis. The Motera track would also have suited them better.

On paper, it would have been an equal battle, no doubt, with India even starting as slight favourites. But that itself would have been the tricky part: India would have slipped into complacency and could easily have ended up with egg, or worse, on their faces.

Now, they will be on their guard: they know giving Australia even a slim chance, a minor opening, is akin to jumping off a cliff. : India, themselves, are a dangerous side when they are pushed into a corner, when nothing but a victory can salvage them.

There are, however, better reasons for being more comfortable against Australia: first and foremost, the aura around them has long been busted; secondly, they don't even have the right balance or wherewithal to claw out of squishy holes.

After the defeat against Pakistan, they would even be somewhat tentative; this is the best time to hit them, before they recover their poise or arrogance. They have a flourishing top order and a menacing pace attack too; but the middle order lacks the old assurance, even with the return of Mike Hussey.

Most importantly, their spin component might not be good enough to stop the Indian run-machine. If India can survive the opening spell, or don't lose too many early wickets, they can reasonably expect to avenge the 2003 WC humiliation. Harbhajan, Ashwin and Yuvraj can then complete the final rites of Australia's demise.

In the other quarters, Pakistan are unexpectedly looking the most assured; they may have lost one match too but they don't look disjointed or dispirited at all. It almost looks like the quibbling before they came here didn't even happen.

West Indies will have to get everything right at the start itself to pull off an upset. They need a towering performance from either Gayle or an over-powering one from Roach; otherwise, they are too brittle to finish off a match. They have already disintegrated under pressure, not once but twice.

South Africa face an unpredictable Kiwi side and will begin a little more confidently. They will, however, feel the world closing in on them: it is the knockout stage and they know things can go awfully wrong any time now. They have, no doubt, the strongest line-up, with enough firepower in pace and variety in spin. New Zealand won't find it easy to get past them.

Sri Lanka probably have the easiest match; England have clearly looked tired and uninspired. They have the players to make one last lunge for it but do they have the chutzpah for it? Worse, they will be playing Sri Lanka at home, which is never an easy proposition; and despite the presence of Swann, they might get trapped in a spin tangle.

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So, the possible semifinal line-up: India vs Pakistan and South Africa vs Sri Lanka.

India are bookies' favourite to lift World Cup

2011-03-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: India might face the monumental task of overcoming four-time champions Australia in the quarterfinal at Ahmedabad on March 24, but for bookies, MS Dhoni & Co are the runaway favourites to win the 2011 World Cup.

Top betting site Ladbrokes is offering odds at 3/1 for India to lift the trophy on April 2 in Mumbai. In other words, a bet of Rs 1,000 on India will earn you a profit of Rs 3,000 if Team India justifies its billing. Another leading betting website, Williamhill, also tips the hosts to win the Cup. While India get top billing at 3/1, South Africa, at 10/3, are the next close favourites. Another betting site, www.bet365.com, gives South Africa, at 3/1, the top billing, with India only slightly behind at 10/3.

At Ladbrokes, India gets favourable odds at 8/13 to beat Australia on Thursday night, while for the Aussies, the figure is 5/4. Williamhill too tips India, at 4/6, to vanquish the Oz (6/5). South Africa, who topped Group B, the pool in which India were placed, and Sri Lanka are the other teams favoured to win the crown, says Ladbrokes. The Proteas enjoy odds of 7/2, while the Lankans are tipped at 9/2.

If Ladbrokes' estimation comes true, India are likely to meet Lanka or South Africa in the final. For both eventualities, the odds are at 5/1.

As for the other quarterfinals, Shahid Afridi's Pakistan are tipped to beat the West Indies at Mirpur. South Africa, the bettors think, should not have a problem against the Kiwis at Mirpur, while Lanka are expected to have it easy against England at Colombo.

If the Cup goes the bookies' way from here, it should be an India versus Pakistan semifinal at Mohali, with Dhoni's boys making it to the summit clash.

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Somdev jumps to number 73 in singles ranking

2011-03-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: Reaping rich reward for his fantastic run at the Indian Wells Masters, Somdev Devvarman on Monday jumped 11 places to achieve his career-best singles ranking of 73 in the latest ATP list.

Somdev reached the pre-quarterfinals in Indian Wells, eventually losing to finalist and top seed Rafael Nadal but not without giving a good fight to the world number one Spaniard.

Rohan Bopanna, who along with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan reached the semifinals of the doubles event at the same tournament, also improved his ranking by four places to 15.

The Indo-Pak pair had lost to eventual champions Alexandr Dolgopolov and Xavier Malisse.

Leander Paes (7) and Mahesh Bhupathi (5), however, remained static.

In the WTA list, Sania Mirza broke back into the top-100 as she stands 99th in the singles list with a jump of eight places.

This week Sania is seeking to qualify for the Miami event in the USA. She has been seeded 19th and will take on Chinese Xinyun Han in the first round.

The doubles title win at the Indian Wells tournament helped Sania jump 21 places to 33.

Sania and Elena Vesnina of Russia had beaten Bethanie Mattek and Meghann Shaughnessy in the summit clash.

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Sehwag sports numberless jersey in World Cup

2011-03-21T06:37:00.001-07:00

NEW DELHI: Rival bowlers desperate to see the back of India's flamboyant opener Virender Sehwag early at the World Cup can now blame the back of his shirt when they are being smashed to all corners of the ground.

The dashing opener, who used to have the number 44 on his back, is now sporting a numberless jersey at the tournament after advice from numerologists.

It seems to work with Sehwag in top form at the World Cup where he has 327 runs from five games at an average of 65.40.

Sehwag is not alone in his quirks and superstitions as most of the players in the Indian team are known to consult astrologers and numerologists while adhering to set routines in the hope of success.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni sports number seven, since his birth date is July 7, while Yuvraj Singh has a 12 to match his birthday of December 12.

Yuvraj also sports a black thread - believed to ward off evil spirits - on his wrist on advice from his mother.

Promising Indian batsman Virat Kohli has no qualms in admitting he is superstitious.

"Earlier, I used to wear the same pair of gloves with which I'd been scoring," he told the Kolkata Telegraph.

"That phase has gone as now I look for comfort. Now the superstition revolves around wearing black wristbands."

Paceman Zaheer Khan attributes at least some of his success to his lucky charm -- a yellow handkerchief that he keeps with him in every crucial match.

But it was a red one which did the trick for former Australian skipper Steve Waugh, a gift from his grandparents, while India's Mohinder Amarnath, who played in the 1983 World Cup winning team, kept a red handkerchief with him.

Sachin Tendulkar is known to put on his left pad first and is fussy about his favourite bats. He would rather use a battered, taped-up bat than trust a new one.

His family doesn't watch TV when he is batting, fearing that he will get out early if they do.

Even fans try to do their bit to help their teams.

A radio station in New Delhi is running a campaign which urges listeners to do the same thing routinely on each day that India play.

So there are fans drinking milk before the start of a match or sitting on the left side of the sofa all through the game.

"I only eat non-vegetarian stuff while watching India play," said Pritam Sinha who works as a research associate in Delhi.

"Be it fish, chicken or mutton. It brings India good luck and wards off evil forces."

Former India captain and opener Krish Srikkanth recalled how members of the 1983 World Cup winning squad were asked not to move from their positions when Kapil Dev was batting to glory in a key match against Zimbabwe.

"The point was I was standing outside the dressing room on a cold, windy day, with a cup of coffee in my hand. And I didn't move for the next two hours or so! I wanted to go to the toilet, but Man Singh (the manager) said 'no'," recalled Srikkanth of the match at Tunbridge Wells in England.

"To tell you the truth it wasn't easy. Actually, it was tougher than battling it out there in the middle.

"Believe me, it stayed that way till Kapil walked back with a triumphant 175 not out. Not just me but the entire team stood at the same spots.

"It was one of the greatest knocks in any form of cricket, but I would like to think that I had, in my own little way, made a small contribution."

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India should play three spinners against Australia, feels Akram

2011-03-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels that India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni should use three specialist spinners in the quarterfinal against Australia in order to exploit the weakness of Ricky Ponting's men against slow bowlers.

"If the wicket in Ahmedabad offers turn, then MS Dhoni should definitely opt for three spinners since the Aussies don't play spin that well," Akram told said in an interview.

Sri Lanka had adopted a similar strategy during their clash against the Aussies on a turning track at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo on March 5. However the Lankan spin-trio of Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath did not get a chance to showcase their skills as the match got washed out.

However, Akram added that in case the pitch at Ahmedabad is a flat one, then the ploy to stack the side with spinners may backfire on India.

"Playing so many spinners on a batting track may spell doom for India since the slower bowlers will not get much assistance from the surface," Akram said.

India have played with two specialist spinners in four out of the six league games in this tournament. However they haven't played a single match yet with all three spinners ( Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin and Piyush Chawla) in the eleven.

One major worry for Team India, going ahead into the knockout stages, will be the back-to-back batting collapses against South Africa and the West Indies. While they lost nine wickets for only 29 runs against the Proteas in Nagpur, Dhoni and company performed marginally better on Sunday losing their last seven wickets for the addition of only 51 runs.

Akram mentioned that despite this recklessness by the most-famed batting line-up in the world, there is not much reason to worry for the fans.

"Yes, the India batting has collapsed badly twice. But I don't think there is any major reason to worry as these things happen by chance. At the same time, you have to plan your innings and cannot afford to slog every delivery. I am quite sure the experienced Indian middle-order will learn a lot out of their mistakes," concluded Akram.

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Djokovic upsets Nadal to win Indian Wells title

2011-03-20T22:01:00.001-07:00

INDIAN WELLS: Novak Djokovic claimed his third ATP World Tour title in a perfect season by beating top-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the Indian Wells ATP tournament on Sunday.

The unstoppable Serb shrugged off the loss of the opening set to outlast the world number one in a gripping match lasting two hours 25 minutes at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, extending his remarkable record for the year to 18-0.

Australian Open champion Djokovic, who overcame Swiss world number two Roger Federer in the last four, broke Nadal twice in the final set before sealing victory when the Spanish left-hander netted a forehand.

It was the Serb's second triumph in the elite ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells, having first won the title here as a 20-year-old in 2008.

"I want to congratulate Rafa on a great tournament," third-seeded Djokovic said courtside after celebrating victory by clenching both fists. "He had to lose but he has started off the year very well.

"It's always a pleasure to play you. For me, you are the greatest player ever and a good friend so I wish you good luck."

Nadal, the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion, applauded the Serb for his third successive tournament win of the year.

"You started the season fantastic so all the best for the rest of the season," the Spaniard said after his own record for the year slipped to 14-3. "Well done. I lost today but I lost to one of the greatest."

BROKE BACK

The opening set went with serve until Nadal broke Djokovic in the fifth game but the Serb immediately broke back in the sixth, pumping his right fist in delight after hitting a backhand winner down the line.

However the Spaniard regained control by breaking Djokovic in the seventh, after his opponent dumped successive backhands into the net, to lead 5-3.

Nadal then held to love in his next two service games to win the first set in 48 minutes.

The second set was almost a mirror image of the first with three successive breaks of serve paving the way for Djokovic to level the match.

He broke Nadal in the sixth game after the Spaniard hooked a forehand wide before failing to hold his own serve in the seventh.

The Serb immediately recovered, though, by again breaking in the eighth and he shook off a strong challenge by Nadal in the ninth, holding serve with his sixth set point after his opponent pushed a two-fisted backhand wide.

Roared on by flag-waving Serbian fans in the stadium's upper tier, Djokovic effectively closed the door on the Spaniard by with service breaks in the first and third games of the final set.

The Serb fired down aces to hold serve in the fourth and sixth games before sealing victory in the eighth on his first match point when Nadal dumped a forehand into the net.

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Ind vs WI: India beat West Indies by 80 runs, face Australia in quarters

2011-03-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: The skeletons had started to tumble out of the cupboard when Zaheer Khan struck. Devon Smith got out, the brittle West Indian middle-order crumbled, and India glossed over the flaws with an 80-run victory.

But along the course of the Chepauk struggle on Sunday evening, it was there for everyone to see that this Indian team is not in best shape.

The lottery of knock-outs beckon the co-hosts now and a couple of good days may still take India to the final, but on current form, it can be safe to say that Dhoni and Co. are definitely not the favourites in this tournament any more.

West Indies is a team desperately short of talent these days and the side they fielded on Sunday (without Kemar Roach and Chris Gayle) would have struggled against any decent opponent. But there was a time in the game when it seemed that India would face the humiliation of losing to this team as well, which had its last ODI win against a Test playing nation (barring Bangladesh) two years back.

Yes, there were a few positives. Yuvraj Singh (113 and 2-18) shone both with the bat and ball, Virat Kohli (59) looked impressive during his stay at the wicket, Ashwin showed the world that he is perfectly cut out for the big stage, but the basic flaws that are bothering this team have still not been ironed out.

The pace attack (barring an odd Zaheer spell) looked pedestrian and it never seemed that Munaf Patel could take a wicket. Add to that his fielding, which always puts India 15-short in the field. Had it not been for the wily, old Zaheer who brought all his experience into play ---India would probably have cut a sorry figure on Sunday.

Another huge trouble area for India is the batting PowerPlay. They struggled with it, despite holding it back till the 46th over. The hosts lost 28 runs losing four wickets and failed to bat out even the 50 overs.

Both Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina, who are fighting for the same slot, failed once again and Dhoni will have to spend sleepless nights pondering over his combination for the semifinal.

But then, the big plus emerging out of Sunday's 'practice match' before the quarterfinal clash against Australia is the form of Yuvi. He held the innings together, played some lovely shots on both sides of the wicket and took India to 268. With the ball too, he came up with a couple of crucial breakthroughs after Zaheer had struck.

He gave the ball a little bit of air and extracted some turn that fooled the likes of Andre Russell and Devon Thomas.

If Yuvi was the star of the show, Ashwin, too, showed that it won't be a bad option if the team management plays him in the quarterfinal. He was given the new ball and in the first six overs that he bowled, he gave away 18 runs. He got the carrom ball to work as well, getting Kirk Edwards plumb in front that went the other way.

But the likes of Darren Bravo, Smith (81) and Smith (39) did run India ragged for a while and there were murmurs in the ground whether India were looking to lose so that they can avoid Australia.

When Zaheer got Smith

Returning for his second spell, and bowling his third over, Zaheer Khan produced a dazzling slow full-length delivery making the ball swing reverse to beat Devon Smith, who was going great guns having made 81 runs. Trying to go for a drive, Smith missed the line of the ball that cut in after pitching and disturbed the stumps. The breakthrough turned the tide in India's favour opening the floodgates as West Indies found the going tough and the climbing asking rate eventually got to them. Zaheer continued to pick two more wickets to finish with figures of 6-0-26-3. It was yet another super class show by India's leading pace bowler.

Yuvraj Singh 113 (123 b, 10x4, 2x6)

Yuvraj Singh has shown one and all why skipper MS Dhoni backs him so much. The lefthander came into the World Cup with poor form, but ever since the half-century against England, he has been in wonderful touch. Against the Windies on Sunday night, the stylish left-hander was at his best, stroking 113 off 123 balls to pivot India to a respectable 268. Together with Virat Kohli, who scored 59, Yuvraj added 122 for the third wicket to steer India out of troubled waters. Later, Yuvraj took two wickets too to bag his third Man-of-the-Match award in the tournament.

Yuvraj (113) recorded his first century in World Cup, eclipsing his 83 off 46 balls against Bermuda in 2007. His Cup tally is an impressive 660 runs, average 50.76 and strike rate 90.78.

Ravi Rampaul (5-51), had a superb World Cup debut logging his career-best and his first five-wicket haul in ODIs. He also became the second West Indies bowler and the sixth overall to capture five wickets on World Cup debut.

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SA vs Ban: South Africa thrash Bangladesh by 206 runs

2011-03-19T03:25:00.000-07:00

DHAKA: Lonwabo Tsotsobe grabbed 3-14 on his World Cup debut as mighty South Africa sent Bangladesh crashing out of the tournament with a 206-run victory on Saturday.

Jacques Kallis made 69 and Faf du Plessis hit a run-a-ball 52 to lift South Africa to 284-8 after Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to take first strike on a slow, sluggish wicket.

Bangladesh, needing a win to qualify for the quarterfinals, were shot out for 78 in reply after Tsotsobe ripped through the top order and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson claimed 4-12 at the end.

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan made 30 but none of the other 10 batsmen reached double figures as Bangladesh almost matched their lowest one-day total of 58 against the West Indies earlier in the tournament.

The emphatic win not only cemented South Africa's place as Group B winners with 10 points, but also carried India and England into the quarter-finals with the West Indies set to take the last spot.

Bangladesh ended the league with six points, the same as the West Indies, but their run-rate is so poor that even a massive win by India over Darren Sammy's men on Sunday will not help.

Tsotsobe, who was given a chance only because pace spearheads Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel were rested ahead of the bigger matches, seized the opportunity in style.

The 27-year-old left-arm seamer silenced a sell-out crowd of 25,000 home fans at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium when he had Bangladesh's main batting hope, Tamim Iqbal, caught behind for five in his second over.

Tsotsobe bowled Imrul Kayes and Shahriar Nafees and off-spinner Johan Botha trapped Junaid Siddique leg-before to dash Bangladesh's hopes.

Mushfiqur Rahim was caught in the slips off Peterson and Mohammad Mahmudullah was run out as Bangladesh slipped to 58-6 by the 22nd over.

Peterson had Shakib caught behind and then removed Shafiul Islam and Abdur Razzak in one over and bowled Naeem Islam to end the innings.

Earlier, Kallis mastered the slow wicket to hit five boundaries and a six in his ninth World Cup half-century, sharing a fourth wicket stand of 82 with Faf du Plessis.

They laid the platform for a late assault which saw the lower order batsmen smash 92 runs in the last 10 overs.

South Africa made a solid start as Smith and Hashim Amla (51) put on 98 for the first wicket by the 21st over.

Smith, on 26, survived a close call for leg-before when he asked for a review after being given out by umpire Daryl Harper.

Replays indicated an on-field call - which usually means the batsman has to go -- but Harper overturned his own decision to the surprise of bowler Razzak.

Smith equalled his best score of 45 in this World Cup, against the West Indies in the first match, before he was stumped off Mahmudullah attempting a big hit.

Amla fell two overs later when he played a delivery from Razzak onto his stumps to make South Africa 107-2.

When JP Duminy was caught down the leg-side by the wicket-keeper while trying to hook Rubel Hossain, South Africa were 141-3.

SL vs NZ: Sri Lanka thump New Zealand by 112 runs

2011-03-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: Sri Lanka showed why the World Cup favourites tag sits pretty next to them as they thrashed New Zealand by 112 runs in the day-night clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.

The result enabled them to top Group A with nine points from six games. Sri Lanka now can't finish lower than second spot in the table and that too is possible only if Pakistan beat Australia in Colombo on Saturday.

More than the win, what will delight the co-hosts is the fact that their key players are back in top form ahead of the quarterfinals. After winning the toss and batting first, the 1996 champs were led by an inspired ton from skipper Kumar Sangakkara (111, 128 balls, 11x4, 2x6) and a stylish 66 (90 balls, 6x4) from vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene. Their 145-run third-wicket alliance enabled them to recover from a shaky 19 for 2 in 4.3 overs to a match-winning total of 265-9.

With the ball, Muttiah Muralitharan showed the spin and drift of old times and mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis too proved difficult to negotiate as New Zealand, going well at 82-2 at one stage, just collapsed in a heap as a result of the M&M magic.

The game belonged to the Sri Lankan skipper though. He has been in great touch right through the World Cup and Friday's 111 saw the southpaw top the run-getter's tally with 363 at a Bradmanesque average of 121. He was also brilliant behind the stumps, effecting a smart stumping off the bowling of Muralitharan to get rid of the young Kane Williamson.

Apart from scoring runs, it was the manner in which he took the responsibility of guiding the innings after openers Upul Tharanga (unfortunately run out at the bowler's end) and Tillakaratne Dilshan were packed off early. The way he controlled the powerplay overs was educative, especially for teams like India, who tend to try and do too much in them.

It was Sangakkara's first World Cup hundred and his first ton in 63 ODIs after his hundred against Bangladesh in June 2008 in the Asia Cup at Karachi.
Murali injures knee, hamstring

While Sri Lanka were thrilled after their 112-run shellacking of New Zealand in their last Group A encounter of the World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday, they were a touch worried over key bowler Muttiah Muralitharan's fitness. Murali injured his knee and hamstring while going for an impossible second run and got run out. Man of the match and Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara, though, appeared confident about Murali's availability for the quarterfinal next Sunday. "He will be fine. We are heading back home now and it's important that we give him a rest. He has hurt his knee and hamstring, but he should be fine for the quarters." That Murali picked up 4-25 in eight overs despite his injury proves that he will be fine with some rest.

Ever since he took the charge of the Sri Lankan team from Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara has believed in leading from the front. The 33-year-old has been in golden touch in this tournament and he carried that form against New Zealand. He turned out to be a Man Friday for the Lankans. It was his first century since June 2008 and came after a long gap of 63 innings. Sangakkara's 11th hundred may not be a fluent one but he will cherish this as it came in a winning cause. It was a perfect One-day knock from the Sri Lankan captain, who fought adversities with utmost calmness and then showed his natural flair. His 128-ball 111 contained 12 fours and two big sixes.

How many times in their illustrious careers, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have stepped up and taken Sri Lanka to safety. Even they would have forgotten the counting! However, for spectators, it's always a treat to watch these two stalwarts batting together. On Friday, Sri Lanka had lost early wickets of in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga with just 19 runs on the board. The Wankhede wicket was offering some assistance to the bowlers. The duo put their heads down; gave due respect to good balls and after getting their eye in, dispatched bad deliveries with class and authority. Their 145-run third-wicket stand set up the game for Sri Lanka, who posted enough runs for their bowlers to defend.

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Federer reaches semis at Indian Wells

2011-03-18T22:05:00.001-07:00

INDIAN WELLS: World No. 2 Roger Federer defeated Swiss compatriot and doubles partner Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Indian Wells ATP tennis tournament on Friday.

Three-time former winner Federer advanced to the semifinals where he will face Serbian Novak Djokovic who defeated Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-4.

"I have had a wonderful hard court swing," Federer said. "I had a good start to the year, a good six months. I am excited, pretty healthy and really motivated."

Federer set up match point with a thundering forehand down the line then clinched the win when Wawrinka punched a backhand wide ending the 64-minute match on centre court.

The Swiss pair are also teaming up in the doubles draw. No sooner had they finished their singles match then they had to get ready to return to the main stadium court to play doubles against Spaniard's Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez as the first match on the night session.

In their only previous meeting this year, Federer crushed Wawrinka in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. He eventually lost to Djokovic in three sets in the semifinals and Djokovic went on to win the title.

"Wimbledon wasn't that bad," Federer said on Friday.

Federer's win not only sets his first semifinal match against third seeded Djokovic since the Australian Open but the outcome will determine the number two ranking in the world. Federer has a 13-8 career record against Djokovic.

World No. 3 Djokovic has been blitzing his opponents the last few months and is currently on an 18-match win streak dating back to last year's Davis Cup final.

Saina avenges loss to Eriko, reaches quarters in Swiss Open

2011-03-18T06:56:00.001-07:00

NEW DELHI: Saina Nehwal avenged her All England quarterfinal loss to Eriko Hirose with a thrilling three-game victory over the Japanese in the second round of the Wilson Swiss Open Super Series in Switzerland.

Second seed Saina beat All England finalist Eriko 21-15 17-21 21-11 in a match which lasted close to an hour to set up a clash with sixth seed Bulgarian Petya Nedelcheva in the quarterfinals.

Nedelcheva defeated qualifier Karin Schnaase of Germany 21-12 21-11 last night.

Eriko had beaten Saina in the quarterfinals of the All England Championships last week and the Japanese got off to a good start in the first game in Switzerland.

She opened up a four-point lead at 9-4 in the second round but Saina caught up with her and moved ahead to pocket the opener.

Her back against the wall, Eriko came back strongly in the second game and moved neck-and-neck with Saina before surging ahead from 17-16 to equalise.

In the decider, world number four Saina didn't give any chance to her rival and shut the match with ruthless precision moving to 13-5 first and then holding on to it as Eriko crumbled.

In men's singles, Ajay Jayaram also reached the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 15-21 23-21 21-19 victory over 16th seed Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark in the third round last night. He will take on fourth seed Sung Hwan Park of Korean in the next round.

Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas beat sixth seeds Mads Conrad-Petersen and Jonas Rasmussen of Denmark 17-21 21-15 21-15 in the men's doubles category.

The Indian duo will next take on fourth seeds Chieh Min Fang and Sheng Mu Lee of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals.

In women's doubles, there was disappointment in store for Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist lost 16-21 12-21 to seventh seeds Shizuka Matsuo and Mami Naito in the pre-quarterfinals last night.

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Tendulkar eyes ton of tons in World Cup group finale

2011-03-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: Sachin Tendulkar can complete another landmark on Sunday by hitting his 100th international hundred as India tackle West Indies in the World Cup's final group match.

Both sides have yet to make sure of their quarterfinal places, although the qualifying picture from Group B will become a lot clearer after South Africa, who are already through, face hopefuls Bangladesh in Dhaka on Saturday.

As well as the qualification picture, most of the 38,000 fans at the Chidambaram Stadium will be anticipating Tendulkar's 100th international hundred.

The India star moved to 99 centuries (51 in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals) with a majestic innings of 111 in his side's previous group match against South Africa.

However, even a 'Sachin special' was not enough to prevent a three-wicket defeat by South Africa where India, on a belting batting pitch in Nagpur, contrived to lose their last nine wickets for just 29 runs as they slumped from 267 for one to 296 all out.

"When you hit those big shots, you tend to forget that you are playing for the country and not for the crowd," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

Runs are set to be harder to come by in Chennai, where no batsman managed a fifty on a typically bowler-friendly pitch during England's nailbiting 18-run win over the West Indies on Thursday.

The good news for India is that West Indies have no equivalent of Proteas' fast bowler Dale Steyn.

But their batsmen, who will be expected to bat far more sensibly in the powerplay after collectively losing their heads against South Africa, will do well not to under-estimate a youthful Windies attack that troubled England.

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo took three wickets on his one-day international debut while lively seamer Andre Russell almost produced a match-winning all-round performance with four wickets and a dashing 49.

Had the West Indies, who lost their last four wickets for just three runs on Thursday, won both they and India would now be in the quarterfinals.

However, West Indies coach Ottis Gibson was encouraged by much of the England match, saying: "We are starting to show the resilience we are going to need to beat teams like England and India on Sunday and the big boys."

For India, the debate over whether to play off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is reaching a key phase.

Dhoni has been steadfast - his critics would say stubborn - in support of struggling leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.

Ashwin, praised by Dhoni for his mental toughness and stability, has yet to bowl a single over at the World Cup.

But Sunday's match is taking place on Ashwin's home ground and there will be those in the Indian camp arguing that it is better to bowl the 24-year-old this weekend than risk playing him 'cold' in a quarterfinal.

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SL vs NZ: Kiwis need 266 runs to win against Sri Lanka

2011-03-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: Kumar Sangakkara led from the front to hit a fine 111 as Sri Lanka posted 265-9 in Friday's World Cup clash against New Zealand which was marred by an unsavoury catch controversy.

The Sri Lankan skipper also put on 145 runs for the third wicket with his deputy Mahela Jayawardene (66) to pull his team out of early trouble in the day-night match at the Wankhede Stadium.

The two teams have already made it to the quarterfinals and the result of this game will determine their final Group A positions.

Sri Lanka lost opener Upul Tharanga early when he was run out in the third over after Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat in hot and humid conditions.

Tharanga backed up too far and Tim Southee (3-63) managed to get his hand to a straight drive from Tillakaratne Dilshan before the ball rolled on to hit the stumps.

Dilshan followed his partner to the pavilion soon, lobbing a simple catch to Jacob Oram off Southee while trying to go for an ambitious shot on the leg side, plunging Sri Lanka to 19-2.

Jayawardene got embroiled in a controversy early in his innings.

The former captain tried to play a defensive shot in the 24th over against off-spinner Nathan McCullum but ended up chipping the ball back to the bowler.

McCullum dived and managed to get his right hand under the ball to cap what looked like a stunning effort.

But even as McCullum broke into a celebration, TV umpire Amish Saheba was called in and he ruled it not out.

A furious McCullum and Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor angrily protested the decision with on-field umpire Asad Rauf.

Jayawardene, then on 26, hit six fours in a dour 90-ball innings before being adjudged trapped leg before off Southee, a decision he asked to be reviewed but in vain.

Sangakkara played a captain's innings, racing to his 11th century and completing 9,000 one-day international runs in the process, the fourth Sri Lankan player to the mark.

This was Sangakkara's first three-figure score in 63 innings, having gone without a ton since June 2008.

He was bowled by McCullum in the 42nd over after facing 128 balls and hitting 12 fours and two sixes.

Angelo Mathews provided the late impetus to the innings with an unbeaten 41 off 35 balls.

Eng vs WI: England beat West Indies by 18 runs to stay afloat in World Cup

2011-03-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: England kept their World Cup campaign alive by beating blow-hot-blow-cold West Indies by 18 runs on Thursday.

In a ding-dong battle, England first wasted a good batting start (79-1 in the 11th over). But after being 151-6, their last four wickets added 92 runs to take the tally to 243.

When West Indies made 58-0 in eight overs, it looked an uphill task for Strauss' men. But they stuck to it by removing the middle-order of West Indies in quick succession, especially Pollard. On a challenging track, Andre Russell and Ramnaresh Sarwan showed great resilience to take it from 150-6 to 222. But once they lost Russell, nerves played a part and the West Indies lost.

Spinners Graeme Swann and James Tredwell shared seven wickets between them on a helpful track and Ravi Bopara varied his pace to scalp two.

West Indies started the chase of 244 by throwing caution to the wind. They probably thought survival was difficult on this track. The strategy seemed to have worked when Chris Gayle hammered away, hitting pacemen Tremlett and Bresnan (1-0-18-0) out of the attack. Probably, it was a mistake in hindsight as it brought another spinner Tredwell (Swann opened from the other side) into the attack.

Tredwell had Gayle (43 off 21, 8x4s, 1x6) lbw; Prior made a brilliant stumping of the off-balanced Smith and skipper Strauss plucked Darren Bravo at first slip. All the three lefties fell to off-spinner (Dhoni please note: Peterson was leftie and Bhajji an off-spinner).

Sammy and Thomas then played on to the stumps against Bopara.

Pollard hit two typical sixes after playing out one maiden over. But classy offie Swann had him lbw to a turner. Russell was generally quiet but he also hit three sixes, the one being particularly contentious. Strauss appeared to have caught him at long-on off Swann, but unclear TV footage and the shadow of the boundary line ads seemed to have put a doubt in the TV umpire's mind. And he passed that advantage to the batsman.

But Tredwell got Russell lbw. Swann, in his last over, got Sarwan caught at short-leg and Roach caught by Tremlett, running in and diving in front at mid-off.

Earlier, at 121-2 in the 22nd over, with Jonathan Trott in sublime touch, England lost the momentum despite the lack of relentless pressure from the bowling attack.

Matt Prior was bowled through the gate by Andre Russell. But the bigger culprits were Andrew Strauss (top edged a difficult high catch to Chris Gayle, who ran back from mid-wicket) and Eion Morgan (edged a reverse sweep to the wicket-keeper).

James Tredwell couldn't have asked for better World Cup debut than this. England had their backs against the wall and a loss would have thrown them out. However, Tredwell delivered when it mattered the most. Every time Andrew Strauss threw the ball to him, he came up with a breakthrough. He was brought in when Chris Gayle was belting England's bowlers all over the park. He trapped the dangerous Gayle in front and then sent back Devon Smith and talented Darren Bravo. Later on, when the West Indies were cruising with the 7th wicket stand between Ramnaresh Sarwan and Andre Russell, he claimed Russell's wicket.

It seemed as if the game against England was going to be one dominated by Andre Russell. The pacer had picked up four wickets for 49 to bowl England out for 243 after Strauss had won the toss and chose to bat on a two-paced and dry pitch. After Pollard was dismissed for 24, England had West Indies down for the count at 150 for 6. The experienced Ramnaresh Sarwan needed someone to hang around and it was Russell who put his hand up. Tonking sixes, he scored an entertaining 49 and took West Indies to within 21 runs of a quarterfinal berth. His dismissal to Tredwell's off-spin started the collapse and the West Indies lost four wickets for three runs.

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Indian playing XI row heats up

2011-03-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: All is not well in the Indian camp.

Right from the time the World Cup squad was selected, the selectors and skipper MS Dhoni were not sharing the same thought process. With the group stage almost done and dusted, the rift has only increased.

It's understood that Dhoni's "stubbornness" regarding team selection hasn't gone down too well either with the BCCI bosses or with the selectors. And now, with just a couple of days to go for the crucial game against West Indies at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth met Dhoni & Co at the team hotel just before they were to come for practice. One understands that a few harsh words were spoken and the team management was asked to have a closer look at the playing XI. Dhoni has been extremely stubborn on the issue of playing with Piyush Chawla as the second spinner and the selection committee thinks that "it's time R Ashwin is given a chance".

A couple of days back, two selectors had a talk with Dhoni and he was clearly told that "Chawla has got enough chances" and that Ashwin should be in the playing XI. But the skipper was not ready to budge, even though there are senior members in the team who believe that the TN offie should get his chance.

Chika, despite his stature, has never interfered with the playing XI, but now that things have gone too far, there was no other alternative for the chairman but to have a talk with the team management. He clearly communicated the displeasure of the selectors but finally left it to the captain to take his call.

BCCI secretary N Srinivasan was also present and was a witness to the conversion between the chairman of selectors and the captain.

Later, Chika was present at the IIT Chemplast ground as well where he caught up with the other members of the team. The chairman had a long conversation with coach Gary Kirsten and later he was seen having a talk with the bowlers. As the media swarmed around him for a sound byte, he refused for the time being. "We will have a talk after India win the West Indies game," Chika said trying his best to deflate the tension.

Meanwhile, Suresh Raina has been given indications from the team management that he will play Sunday's game. The left-hander has mentioned to his close friends that he is making mental preparations to play the game.

Ashwin vs Piyush

What works in favour of Ashwin:

- His ability to bowl in the Powerplays. The off-spinner is known to contain the batsmen.
- Has done well in the Chennai, which is home turf for him.

What not for Chawla:

-Hasn't been able to contain batsmen or take wickets.
- Is under immense pressure to perform.

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Canon may pull out IPL ads

2011-03-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: As the crisis in Japan deepens, Canon India, a subsidiary of the Japanese imaging and optical products major, has pressed the panic button. In a major setback to its plans, Canon India is contemplating pulling out from advertising during the Indian Premier League (IPL) starting April 8.

The Japanese multinational which specializes in products like cameras and photocopiers plans to launch a new range of cameras next month and was going to put out a new campaign starring its brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar. But with supplies being hit, the company is not sure of being able to fulfil the demand if it goes ahead with the media campaign.

Alok Bharadwaj, senior VP, Canon India, told TOI, "With the launch of a new campaign we expect demand to be created for the product but with issues on the supply side the decision on whether we will go ahead with the mass media campaign will be taken in a couple of days."

However, an official broadcaster of the IPL-SET Max said there is no clause which can allow for any advertiser to pull out from the tournament under any circumstances. "There is no question of any advertiser pulling out once the contract is signed. Such provisions are not part of the terms and conditions," said Rohit Gupta, president of Multi Screen Media (the parent company of SET Max).

Canon, along with other Japanese companies, has increased its advertising and marketing spends over the last one year to ramp up its presence in the country.

Sony, one of the biggest exporters of electronics out of Japan, has been on an overdrive and signed on the Indian cricket captain M S Dhoni before the start of the ICC World Cup to garner market share away from its Korean rivals LG and Samsung, but the Japanese electronics major said it cannot comment on any expected cuts in marketing and advertising budgets post what happened in Japan. But given the ongoing crisis, with the kind of destruction that has been brought about by the earthquake and the tsunami and now the threat of a nuclear meltdown, the Indian subsidiaries of Japanese multinationals may have to cut costs and resort to austerity measures. In fact, Canon has cancelled a foreign jaunt that it had organized for its trade partners as a mark of respect to the victims back in Japan and also to cut unwanted expenditure.

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Aus vs Can: Ponting compares Patel with Sehwag

2011-03-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

BANGALORE: As Hiral Patel smashed the likes of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait to all corners of the Chinnaswamy Stadium during a World Cup match, Australian captain Ricky Ponting said the Canadian batsman reminded him of Indian swahsbuckler Virender Sehwag.

Patel's blazing 45-ball 54-run innings had the Australians on the backfoot before the defending champions regrouped to skittle out the Canadians for 211 and chase the total with ease.

"He plays a lot like him (Sehwag)," Ponting said after his team's seven-wicket win over the North Americans in a Group A match on Wednesday night.

Ponting felt it would be difficult for the title-holders to fight back if bigger teams get off with the kind of blistering start that Patel gave to the Canadians.

"We did well to get wickets and restrict them today. But against good teams with deeper batting line-up (it would be hard)," Ponting said.

The unknown factor probably worked to Canada's advantage and Ponting said his team would be better against Pakistan.

"We didn't know much about him and the others. We just saw some clippings of them. He needed some room and played some amazing shots.

"But Pakistan, we know their game better," he said before adding, "It's always great playing Pakistan. One never knows about Pakistan. They have been good but against New Zealand they were ordinary."

Ponting has, so far, failed to live upto his billing in the World Cup, but hoped he would click in the bigger games.

"There wasn't much left for me to do today. Hopefully, I am saving them for the big matches," he said.

Asked about his angry reaction following his collision with Steve Smith while taking a catch, Ponting said, "It wasn't a great reaction. But it wasn't designed or intentional. It just happened in the spur of the moment. If it looked bad, I apologise."

Australian opener Shane Watson, who struck a 90-ball 94, said, "It was one of those innings which took a while to get going."

Talking about his opening partner Brad Haddin, with whom he was involved in a record 183-run stand, Watson said, "I think the way he batted tonight and against New Zealand was brilliant.

"I think we are building a very good partnership at the top of the order."

Canada skipper Ashish Bagai made his disappointment obvious after his side failed to capitalise on the good start.

"It's very, very disappointing. The lack of experience showed. They have some good wicket-taking bowlers," Bagai said.

About the team's overall experience in the tournament, he said, "It's a young side and I think the bowling has been fantastic throughout the tournament. They will take a lot of positives which will help them grow and make Canada a lot stronger in the next five years," he said.

Bagai also felt that they should get to play against better oppositions on a more consistent basis.

"If we can get some decent competitions, it doesn't matter to me even if its an A level tournament, that will help the side tremendously. We need some help in the next five years," Bagai said.

"For a nation that's trying to grow, it takes more than just six games," he said.

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Team India mulls over pace partner for Zaheer

2011-03-17T00:58:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: With off-spinner R Ashwin almost certain to make his World Cup debut against the West Indies on Sunday, the Indian team management is now sweating it out to decide who will share the new ball with Zaheer Khan as the second pacer in the playing XI.

According to sources, Team India is divided between Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra.

If some members of the team are banking on Munaf's recent form, the others are backing Nehra for his wealth of experience. Sources said that the final call on this is yet to be taken, but Nehra enjoys considerable backing of some of the top players in the team. Will this translate into Nehra getting the nod for the West Indies match?

But this is of great significance for Nehra, especially at a time when the Delhi pacer is been getting a lot of flak for conceding 13 runs in the last over against South Africa on last Saturday. While Munaf has taken nine wickets in the World Cup so far, Nehra has claimed four from two outings in the tournament. "It's a tough call for the team management for sure. Clearly, Munaf is bowling well but Nehra is backed by the seniors despite that last over against South Africa," another team insider told TOI.

Backing someone in a crisis is heartening, especially for a team whose bowling attack lacks consistency. But for former Indian medium-pacer Manoj Prabhakar, Nehra does not look the right option. "If one has to pick either of the two, I would bat for Munaf. Nehra is not looking confident as a bowler right now," Prabhakar, who coached the Delhi Ranji team this season for which Nehra plays, feels.

Agreed another former medium-pacer Roger Binny. "Going by the current form, Munaf has the upper hand. Ideally, Nehra would have been the first pick, but of late he has struggled with injuries and hasn't played regular competitive cricket for the last two months. So, it's showing in his bowling performance. You need at least two or three matches under your belt to get your rhythm right," Binny said.

Eng vs WI: England meet West Indies in now-or-never contest

2011-03-17T00:57:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: An inconsistent England are expected to rejig their line-up with the hope of beating West Indies in their final World Cup Group B match on Thursday to keep alive their quarterfinal prospects.

Out of form pace bowler James Anderson may have to pave way for Chris Tremlett, while Matt Prior is expected to drop down the batting order so that either Ravi Bopara or Ian Bell can partner captain Andrew Strauss at the top.

Having tied their match with India and gone down to Ireland and Bangladesh, a victory would keep England afloat even though Strauss and his men would move into the quarterfinals only if other Group B results also favour them.

Strauss and off-spinner Graeme Swann have recovered from a stomach bug to join the team that looked jaded in the tournament.

West Indies, on the other hand, will be banking on fit-again opener Chris Gayle and in-form all-rounder Kieron Pollard to provide the batting firepower that would take them through to the quarterfinals.

Captain Darren Sammy expects coach Ottis Gibson's experience of working with England to provide them the insider knowledge that would come handy in this contest.

STATBOX

Facts and figures relating to the Group B World Cup match at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Thursday.

Head-to-head record: West Indies lead 41-37 (NR: 4)
In the World Cups: England lead 4-1
In the sub-continent: England lead 3-1

* The teams first played each other in Sept. 1973 at Headingley, Leeds when England chased down a modest 181 in a thrilling one wicket win. The response to that match set in motion the creation of the World Cup in 1975.

* Since then England are still seeking their first 50-over World Cup while West Indies are a pale self of the indomitable bunch that dominated the first two editions.

* England camp (LWLTW) have to beat West Indies if they are to have any hope of reaching the last eight. Even then if other Group B results do not fall their way, England might find themselves as the only test-playing nation not to make the cut.

* West Indies (WWWLL), on the other hand, have had a poor year, fell behind Bangladesh in ODI rankings and then lost to South Africa in their opening Cup match. Since then they have gone from strength to strength having dismissed Netherlands, Bangladesh and Ireland easily.

* West Indies need to win one of their remaining games against England or India to confirm their place in the quarter-finals. If they win both matches, they could finish as group leaders.

* It is likely to be a clash between the English batsmen in form - Andrew Strauss (298 runs), Jonathan Trott (289 runs) and to a lesser extent, Ian Bell (193 runs) - against the West Indian in-form bowlers - Sulieman Benn (12 wickets at an economy of 4.43) and Kemar Roach (11 wickets at 4.00)

* The West Indies batsmen have not been in the best of forms, besides Devon Smith (202 runs), while the English bowlers have really struggled against most oppositions, other than South Africa, with Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan (nine wickets each) being the only consistent bowlers.

* England will have a slight advantage having played in Chennai earlier in their win against South Africa, where the pitch was not a very high scoring one and good line and length bowlers were rewarded for their toils.

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Shoaib Akhtar to retire after World Cup

2011-03-17T00:56:00.000-07:00

COLOMBO: Pakistan's maverick paceman Shoaib Akhtar, whose colourful career has been a heady mix of on-field brilliance and off-field controversy, will quit international cricket after the World Cup.

"Yes, I will quit international cricket after the World Cup" the 35-year-old said.

"I have taken this decision after much thought. Pakistan's last match in this World Cup will also be my last. I hope that will be the final on April 2."

Akhtar made up his mind after Pakistan's 110-run defeat against New Zealand, in which he went for 70 runs in his nine overs.

He was rested for the match against Zimbabwe on Monday and was thought to be an unlikely starter for Saturday's last Group A match against Australia.

Akhtar, who made his international debut in 1997, took 178 wickets in 46 Tests, the last of which was against India at Bangalore in 2007.

He is three wickets short of 250 in 163 one-day internationals and has taken 19 wickets in 15 Twenty20 internationals.

Pakistan squad members hugged him in the dressing room on Thursday before captain Shahid Afridi embraced him as the players entered the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo for practice.

Akhtar, known as the Rawalpindi Express during his tearaway days as one of Test cricket's most feared if unpredictable talents, once cracked the 100mph barrier at the 2003 World Cup.

At this World Cup, which was always likely to be his swansong, Akhtar looked neat and tidy with figures of 0-10 and 2-42 against Kenya and Sri Lanka respectively.

He missed the win over Canada but was then smashed all over the park at Pallekele against New Zealand, with figures of 1-70, before being dropped for the game with Zimbabwe.

His career will always be remembered for a series of fitness problems, discipline violations as well as a doping offence that put the brakes on achieving his true potential.

Most recently he was fined $2,000 for breaching discipline after the defeat to New Zealand.

Team manager Intikhab Alam confirmed the fine, which was levied after an on-field spat with wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, who missed two chances off his bowling.

Akhtar and the now banned Mohammad Asif failed drugs tests in 2006 and were suspended for two years and one year respectively, both of which were lifted on appeal.

Fitness problems forced him to miss the 2007 World Cup while he was fined heavily and banned for 13 ODIs after he hit Asif with a bat two days before the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa.

In 2008 he was banned for five years after publicly criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board following his exclusion from the list of centrally contracted players.

The ban was reduced to 18 months by a tribunal, which levied a fine of 7.0 million Pakistani rupees ($105,000 at the time). His appeal against the ban is still pending.

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Spirited Somdev goes down fighting to Nadal

2011-03-17T00:55:00.000-07:00

INDIAN WELLS (USA): Somdev Devvarman put up a spirited fight against Rafael Nadal but the world number one eventually managed to tame the lion-hearted Indian in straight sets in the pre-quarterfinals of the ATP BNP Paribas Open.

Somdev went down 5-7, 4-6 but not before making the Spaniard work hard for every point in a contest that lasted close to two hours -- the first set alone accounting for more than an hour.

The 26-year-old Indian, known for his fighting spirit and appetite for long-drawn matches, seemed set for another marathon when he was locked 5-5 with Nadal in the opening set itself.

The world number 84 Somdev got a crucial break point in the 11th game, his second of the set, but could not convert it handing the advantage back to the Spaniard.

That is where the difference in rankings and experience showed as Nadal managed to break the Indian in the very next game to finally seal the set in his favour after slogging it out for more than an hour.

The second set went on serve till the eighth game before Nadal managed to convert the only break opportunity to edge past the Indian.

South Africa reach Cricket World Cup quarters

2011-03-16T03:17:00.000-07:00

South Africa became the fifth team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, comprehensively ending Ireland's hopes and ramping up the survival pressure on illness-hit England.

JP Duminy agonisingly missed a century by just one run as the Proteas recovered from a poor start to make 272 for 7 in Kolkata before Ireland were dismissed for 141 to lose by 131 runs.

"We wanted to qualify. We've got one round robin game left against Bangladesh and hopefully three good games in the knockout phase. We've done the first part of it now," said South Africa captain Graeme Smith.

South Africa were struggling at 117-5 before Duminy and World Cup debutant Colin Ingram (46), replacing the injured AB de Villiers, put on 87 for the sixth wicket at an eerily quiet 65,000-capacity Eden Gardens. The 26-year-old Duminy, who also added 65 for the seventh wicket with Johan Botha, was on 99 when he skied a mistimed drive into the safe hands of a diving Kevin O'Brien in the final over.

Ireland were dismissed in the 34th over with Gary Wilson top-scoring with 31 and Morne Morkel and Robin Peterson claiming three wickets each.

"We started off pretty well. We got couple of wickets up front. We thought it was important to get wickets to peg them back and I thought we did that pretty much throughout," said Ireland captain William Porterfield.

"We were happy enough at half-time with chasing 270. It was not out of our reach but we consistently lost wickets."

South Africa now top Group B and have joined the four qualifiers from Group A in the quarter-finals -- New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Their victory leaves India, West Indies, Bangladesh and England scrambling for the last three spots in their pool.

England's problems piled up on Tuesday when captain Andrew Strauss and off-spinner Graeme Swann missed training with stomach problems and were rated doubtful for the clash against the West Indies in Chennai on Thursday. Fast bowler Jimmy Anderson also needed treatment on a shoulder injury.

England must beat the West Indies to have a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals, but even then they will need other results to go their way.

With their last-eight place already assured, Pakistan coach Waqar Younis now wants his team to beat defending champions Australia in their final group match on Saturday.

The 1992 champions eased into the last eight with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe on Monday and now face Australia, who are on an unbeaten 33-match streak in the World Cup.

"They are such a big team, world champs, and haven?t lost for ages," said Waqar of Australia, whose last defeat in the event came at the hands of Pakistan in 1999.

Meanwhile, Canada's John Davison, who once held the record for the fastest World Cup century, will retire from international cricket after his side's final match against Australia.

Davison, born in Canada but brought up in Australia, smashed his famous hundred off just 67 balls against the West Indies at Centurion in 2003.

"I suppose it's pretty fitting it's against Australia," 40-year-old Davison said of his final international match on Wednesday.

Australia's Matthew Hayden broke Davison's record at the 2007 World Cup and it was broken again at the ongoing tournament by Ireland's Kevin O'Brien, who reached three figures off just 50 balls against England.
© AFP

New Zealand call-up Tuffey for Mills cover

2011-03-16T03:16:00.000-07:00

New Zealand called up seamer Daryl Tuffey into their World Cup squad as cover for the injured Kyle Mills.

Tuffey is expected to join the team in Mumbai on Friday when the Black Caps, who have already made sure of their quarter-final place, face Sri Lanka in their last Group A match.

"With Kyle Mills suffering from a quad strain we felt it was important to cover our bases," said New Zealand selector Mark Greatbatch.

"The medical team are working hard to get Kyle fit and we are hopeful he will still play a big part in the World Cup so bringing in Daryl is a precaution.

"Getting Daryl over to India early gives him the best chance of adjusting to the different time zone and conditions should he become part of the official squad."

The 32-year-old Tuffey has played 94 one-day internationals, taking 110 wickets.
© AFP

SA vs Ire: Duminy anchors South Africa into last eight

2011-03-15T21:26:00.000-07:00

KOLKATA: Jean Paul Duminy put his hand up when the chips were down to help South Africa march into the World Cup quarterfinals from Group B on Tuesday.

Resurrecting a crumbling innings with a tailor-made 99 (103 balls, 6x4, 1x6), Duminy gave his bowlers a big enough total to see off Ireland by 131 runs under lights at the Eden Gardens.

Almost miraculously, the ominous dark clouds which filled up the March sky didn't open up, letting Duminy haul the Proteas up from a precarious 117 for 5 to 272 for 7. Morne Morkel (3-33) then ensured there was to be no second miracle by gobbling up openers William Porterfield and Paul Stirling in his first two overs to finish the match as a contest then and there.

Jacques Kallis (2-20) made up for his failure with the bat by getting the hard-hitting Niall O'Brien --- the third Ireland batsman to perish to a catch behind the stumps on a pitch which offered true bounce and some encouragement for the bowlers all through. The SA spinners --- who have had huge success in the tournament --- joined the party to hasten the end and douse Ireland's flickering hopes of squeezing out a knockout berth, with Robin Peterson pocketing three scalps.

Graeme Smith's men became the first team to book a last-eight slot from the topsy-turvy Group B with 8 points, and will surely top the group if they get the better of Bangladesh in Dhaka later this week.

As for Ireland, who can at best finish with four points if they beat the Dutch at Eden on Friday, it was an agonizing end to a day which began so promisingly for them. Two dropped catches apart, they fielded like champions --- cutting off runs by the dozen, running out Smith and Kallis, and pulling off a couple of stunning catches including the one Kevin O'Brien took running back from mid-on to deny Duminy his hundred. Their bowling, for two-thirds of the SA innings, was impressive as well, with spinners George Dockrell and Paul Stirling doing a sterling job.

Boyd Rankin and Trent Johnston, the pair of six-foot-seven new ball operators, bowled well in the first 10 overs before being taken to the cleaners in the final 10.

Yusuf Pathan & the disorder within

2011-03-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

The debate over the 'needless' promotion of Yusuf Pathan in India's World Cup game against South Africa at Nagpur over the weekend just doesn't seem to end.

Sent in to bat at No. 4, with India cruising at 267 for 2 in 40 overs, and 26 balls of batting Powerplay still left, Yusuf drove Dale Steyn straight in the hands of Graeme Smith at cover to start what has now become India's most infamous collapse.

What could have prompted the team management and Indian captain MS Dhoni to promote Pathan at No. 4 especially when he had more established and proven batsmen like Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and himself waiting in the shed? It surely couldn't have been the dasher's record when he bats higher.

Like the great Australian wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist, who hardly ever performed in Tests when the team was say 450-5 and almost always delivered when they were in a 150-5 scenario, Yusuf too revels in a crisis. If you look at all his important knocks, they have come whenever India have badly needed them.

South Africa breathing down India's neck in ICC ODI ranking

2011-03-15T04:17:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: Riding on their moral-boosting three-wicket victory over India, South Africa have jumped two rating points to join the 1983 world champion on 118 points in the latest ICC team ranking.

South Africa, chasing a formidable total of 296 runs ran home after Robin Peterson smashed Ashish Nehra for 14 runs of the last over to bring their World Cup campaign back on track after losing their last encounter against England.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men, however, are still placed at number two behind Australia, who lead the table with 131 points. South Africa leapfrogged Sri Lanka to claim the number three spot, missing the second rank by a fraction of a point in the chart which was released on Monday.

The batting chart remained more or less the same with South Africa's Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers continuing their good show at the top at the first and second spot.

Virat Kohli, the lone Indian in the top three, slipped a place to the fourth, swapping the position with Australia's crisis-man Michael Hussey.

Virender Sehwag (eighth), Sachin Tendulkar (ninth) and Dhoni (sixth) retained their position in the top ten.

South African speedster Dale Steyn, whose fiery spell of 5-50 saw India lose nine wickets for just 29 runs after going strong at 267 for one, made a jump of five places to achieve the career-best ranking of three.

Zaheer Khan is ranked 16, while off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is placed at 19th spot. Munaf Patel made a jump of ten places to finish at 32.

New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori enjoys the top position with another South African fast bowler, Morne Morkel following him at number two.

There is no change in the top four rankings in the ODI all-rounders list with Shakib Al Hasan still leading the field.

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World Cup: Ireland win toss, elect to field against SAfrica

2011-03-15T03:54:00.000-07:00

STAFF WRITER 14:6 HRS IST

Kolkata, Mar 15 (PTI) Ireland captain William Porterfield won the toss and elected to field in their Group B match of the cricket World Cup here today.

Both the sides made only one change each from their last match eleven.

South Africa brought in Colin Ingram for injured A B de Villiers while Andre Botha made way for Trent Johnston in the Ireland playing eleven.

The Teams:

South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Morne van Wyk (wk), Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Robin Peterson, Johan Botha, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn.

Ireland: William Porterfield (capt), Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Niall O'Brien (wk), Gary Wilson, Kevin O'Brien, Alex Cusack, Trent Johnston, John Mooney, George Dockrell, Boyd Rankin.

Kings XI Punjab announces final squad for IPL IV

2011-03-15T03:53:00.000-07:00

STAFF WRITER 15:20 HRS IST

Chandigarh, Mar 15 (PTI) Kings XI Punjab today announced a 23-member final squad for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, scheduled to be held from April 8 to May 28.

Kings XI Punjab will be led by Australia's ace cricketer Adam Gilchrist, who led Deccan Chargers to win the IPL two title in South Africa.

At the helm is Michael Bevan, the Team Coach, who brings with him valuable years of experience and expertise and will be responsible for training and guiding the players throughout the season.

"All our players have their distinctive qualities yet complement each other to form a team. This team will bring in a new perspective and vigor to the game and we promise our fans an exhilarating and action?packed season of cricket in IPL 4," COO of Kings XI Punjab, Col Arvinder Singh said in a release.

Somdev knocks out Malisse, to meet Nadal in last 16

2011-03-15T03:47:00.001-07:00

INDIAN WELLS ( California): India's Somdev Devvarman won the last five points in the third-set tie-break to knock out Belgian Xavier Malisse 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5) to set up a pre-quarterfinal encounter with World No. 1 Rafael Nadal at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

Somdev, who is playing his third main draw here, was down 2-5 in the tie-break when he reeled off five points to win the hard-fought match on Monday at the BNP Paribas Open in two hours.

The 26-year-old India No. 1, ranked 84, who had never won a Masters 1000 match before coming here, beat Frenchman Adrian Mannarino and then upset 19th seed and World No 22 Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in the first two rounds.

Nadal outplayed Ameican qualifier Ryan Sweeting, 6-3, 6-1 in 68 minutes. This is the second time the Spaniard defeated the 22-year-old American this season, having beaten him at the Australian Open in January.

Somdev, who played the Chennai Open final in 2009 and the South African Open final last month, won the first set against the 2007 Chennai winner comfortably, but the Belgian came back strongly in the second to force the issue to a third set.

The Indian, the Commonwealth and the Asian Games gold medallist, was at the exit door when Malisse jumped to 5-2 in the tie-break. Somdev hung in to take five points in a row to clinch the set and match.

Somdev, a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) singles champion playing for the University of Virginia, defeated top-ranked American John Isner in the 2007 final and retained the title the next year. He came here after beating World No. 45 Janko Tipsarevic in straight sets in the Davis Cup tie in Novi Sad earlier this month.

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SA vs Ire: South Africa wary of fighting Irish

2011-03-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

KOLKATA: South Africa will be wary of Ireland's fighting spirit when they seek to nail down a World Cup quarterfinal place on Tuesday.

Ireland have been the most impressive of the non-Test nations, pulling off a shock win over England and testing favourites India and the West Indies before losing.

South Africa, with six points from four games, will be assured of a place in the last eight with a victory while Ireland, with two points from four matches, only have a slim chance of qualifying.

The momentum is currently with South Africa who bounced back strongly to defeat India by three wickets in a tense finish in Nagpur on Saturday after losing a close match to England.

"Saturday's win is a massive step forward in the self-belief department for us and we can play with a bit more freedom," South Africa captain Graeme Smith wrote in his column in an Indian newspaper on Monday.

"That doesn't mean we think we can just walk in and knock Ireland over on Tuesday. Many of the guys in Ireland have played county cricket. As a team they have got good cricket sense, can be dangerous and have to be taken seriously."

South Africa have shown they have depth in both bowling and batting. Their spinners, Imran Tahir, Robin Peterson and Johan Botha, were superbly backed by pacemen Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel in previous games.

The Pakistan-born leg-spinner Tahir, with 11 wickets in three matches, missed the last game due to a fractured left thumb and South Africa have to decide whether to play him against Ireland.

South Africa's batting looked solid against India, especially after Jacques Kallis's return to form with a 69 in Nagpur after contributing just 21 in the first three matches.

"We know South Africa are one of the favourites to win this World Cup. Hopefully, they will relax a bit (after India's match) and give us a chance," said Ireland all-rounder Andre Botha.

"Maybe they will have a couple of hangovers. We know we have to win the last two games and we are not going to back out. Everyone's up for the challenge."

Ireland not only made India battle for victory with their gritty display, but also gave a scare or two to the West Indies before losing by 44 runs inn Mohali.

"It's not just the West Indies game, we were in with a chance even against Bangladesh and India, but failed to get over the line," said Botha.

Ireland are sweating over the fitness of in-form paceman Trent Johnston who suffered a knee injury against India.

Johnston, who missed the last match, is his team's second-highest wicket-taker with six in three games.

Teams (from):

South Africa: Graeme Smith (Capt.), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk.

Ireland: William Porterfield (Capt.), Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, Niall O'Brien, Kevin O'Brien, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, John Mooney, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Gary Wilson, Andrew White, Ed Joyce.

Pitch conditions: Batsmen are likely to dominate the proceedings at the Eden Gardens as the pitch offers even bounce. There will be something in it for the bowlers as the match progresses but they need to keep a tidy line and length.

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Pak vs Zim: Rain plays spoilsport again in Pallekele

2011-03-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: Rain stopped play again as there was another frustrating delay in the match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in their World Cup Group A clash in Pallekele on Monday.

Zimbabwe's batting Powerplay is reduced to two overs. When Pakistan bat, their mandatory Powerplay is for the first nine overs, and four overs each for the batting and bowling Powerplays.

Pakistan's target will be adjusted as per the Duckworth Lewis method.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi dismissed Greg Lamb as Zimbabwe lost their fifth wicket.

Afridi took a simple return catch to take his first wicket off a googly to reduce Zimbabwe to 84/5 in 23.5 overs.

Taking full advantage of overcast conditions, Abdul Razzaq and Umar Gul struck early as Zimbabwe got off to a poor start.

Razzaq struck on the fifth ball of the match when he had Brendan Taylor caught behind by Kamran Akmal and in the next over Gul trapped Regis Chakabva plumb in front of the wicket to reduce Zimbabwe to 5/2 in 2 overs.

Gul struck again in the sixth over when he had Vusimuzi Sibanda caught by Misbah-ul-Haq at first slip to reduce Zimbabwe to 13/3.

Wahab Riaz gave Pakistan the fourth breakthrough when he had Tatenda Taibu caught by captain Shahid Afridi at mid-off to reduce Zimbabwe to 43/4 in 12.4 overs.

This was after Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura won the toss and chose to bat in overcast conditions.

The start of the match was slightly delayed due to wet outfield.

Pakistan have brought in Wahab Riaz and Asad Shafiq and rested Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Akmal.

Zimbabwe have replaced Chris Mpofu and Sean Williams with Shingirai Masakadza and Vusimuzi Sibanda.

Teams:

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (Capt.), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shahzad, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Abdur Rehman, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz.

Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (Capt.), Brendan Taylor, Regis Chakabva, Tatenda Taibu, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Craig Ervine, Greg Lamb, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer, Shingirai Masakadza, Raymond Price.

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Ganguly to play for MCC in Dubai Twenty20

2011-03-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: After being ignored by all ten IPL franchises at the players' auction a few months ago, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly will be playing in the Emirates Airline Twenty20 tournament in Dubai, next month.

Ganguly has been included in a star-studded MCC ( Marylebone Cricket Club) side that will take part in the event starting on April 1, a release said.

"It is an honour and a pleasure to represent MCC. I am absolutely delighted to have been invited to play for the club in the Emirates Airline Twenty20 competition," Ganguly was quoted as saying.

"I thoroughly enjoyed captaining the MCC side that took on the Pakistanis at Lord's last summer, and I am thrilled to get another opportunity to play for MCC."

"I am looking forward to continuing my relationship with MCC, and participating in this exciting new venture for the club," added the Bengal stalwart, who played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three IPL seasons but will not be seen in action in IPL-IV commencing next month.

MCC would be taking on English county champions Nottinghamshire, Durham, Sussex and defending champions Fly Emirates XI in the T20 tournament which would also feature current and former players like Monty Panesar, Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Chris Read.

"It is a great honour to have Sourav Ganguly competing at the Emirates Airline Twenty20 and we are looking forward to welcoming this legend of the game to Dubai," said Tournament Director, Matthew Jackson.

"The Dubai crowd are certainly in for a treat with this kind of talent on display at Sevens cricket ground. With the likes of Sourav in their line-up, the MCC side look to be strong contenders for the title.

"They certainly won't have it all their way, however, with some top-class players and former internationals in the other teams as well," he added.

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Ban vs Ned: Bangladesh beat Netherlands by 6 wickets

2011-03-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

CHITTAGONG: Bangladesh cruised closer to World Cup quarterfinal qualification on Monday with a six-wicket victory over the Netherlands.

Slow left armer Abdur Razzak took three wickets and opener Imrul Kayes stroked 73 not out to give Bangladesh its second victory in Chittagong in four days, keeping alive its chances of reaching the last eight.

Bangladesh will qualify if West Indies beat England on Thursday in Chennai. Otherwise, the entire population of 150 million will be cheering the team on when it plays South Africa in Dhaka on Saturday.

The Bangladesh team opened the World Cup with a loss to co-host India in Dhaka, then beat Ireland by 27 runs. Any encouragement gained from that was lost in a nine-wicket defeat to the West Indies, when Bangladesh was bowled out for just 58 runs.

On Monday, the innocuous Dutch bowling attack presented few challenges on a flat Chittagong wicket and Bangladesh passed the total in the 42nd over.

Imrul shared a 92-run second wicket partnership with Zunaed Siddique. His unbeaten 73 came off 113 balls that included six boundaries, and he was declared man-of-the-match.

Tamim Iqbal was bowled for a duck in the fourth ball of the innings as Mudassar Bukhari struck.

Zunaed scored 35 off 52 balls before he was caught by Pieter Seelaar off Peter Borren in the 21st over.

Coming in at four, Shahriar Nafees added 37 runs from 60 balls before he was bowled by Tom Cooper.

For Netherlands, only Ryan ten Doeschate, with 53 not out, managed a decent innings as the Dutch fell victim to four runouts, a stumping and slow spin.

Bangladesh made the first breakthrough in the 10th over after captain Shakib al-Hasan trapped Wesley Barresi lbw for 10.

No. 3 batsman Mudassar Bukhari (6) was the second man to go, caught by Mushfiqur Rahim off Abdur Razzak. He also trapped Tom de Grooth lbw for 4 and took Atse Buurman for a duck, caught by Imrul Kayes.

But ten Doeschate, the best Dutch batsman, came in at number five and was left stranded when Bangladesh tore through the tail. His 50 took 65 balls and included two fours and a six.

Abdur Razzak took 3-29 but Shafiul Islam was the pick of Bangladesh's bowlers even though he didn't take a wicket. He finished with figures of 0-15 from 9.2 overs, starving the Dutch of run-making chances.

Bangladesh made two changes from the team that had a two-wicket win over England, bringing in Sohrawardy Shuvo and Shahriar Nafees in place of Naeem Islam and Raqibul Hassan.

Netherlands also made two changes, bringing in Atse Burrman and Adeel Raja.

Beckham launches last quest for MLS title

2011-03-14T02:33:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES: David Beckham launches his last bid to add a Major League Soccer championship to titles won in England and Spain when the Los Angeles Galaxy kick off the 2011 season on Tuesday at Seattle.

Beckham, who won six English Premier League titles with Manchester United and a Spanish championship with Real Madrid, insists he is more interested in helping the club than seeking private glory.

"It's not about validating my time here with the Galaxy. It's not all about myself being a success," Beckham said. "Of course I want to win trophies and championships, but the most important thing is the club."

The Galaxy's hopes last season ended with a Western Conference finals loss to Dallas, who went on to fall to Colorado in the title match.

But once again Los Angeles appear to have the pieces they need to let Beckham leave America a winner.

The Galaxy have arguably the league's best player in Landon Donovan and one of its top coaches in Bruce Arena.

The departure of Edson Buddle to Europe has been offset with the acquisition of Juan Pablo Angel from the New York Red Bulls, and while the aging Angel is no doubt slowing down, he remains a lethal finisher.

As Beckham enters his final season with the Galaxy, former French international Thierry Henry begins his first full campaign with a Red Bulls team that are title contenders in the East.

The Red Bulls made one of the most dramatic turnarounds in MLS history last season, going from last in the league in 2009 to first in the Eastern Conference in 2010.

Manager Hans Backe, going into his second season with the club, said he and the players are now a comfortable unit.

"I think overall with the team, everyone is more aware of the foundation," he said, adding that it will be up to Henry and Rafael Marquez to lead the way now that they have had a full pre-season to tune their partnership.

"They have been a different class in the pre-season compared to when they arrived last year," Backe said.

"Those guys have tons of experience and they have to make a difference every game."

MLS commissioner Don Garber said signing Beckham has been a great success for the league and he wants to see more marquee names head Stateside to boost the league's profile.

But Garber said there are plenty of other players to be excited about, including US World Cup defender Jay DeMerit (Vancouver), US forward Charlie Davies (DC United), Mexican national team regular Omar Bravo ( Kansas City) and 18-year-old Colombian Fabian Castillo (FC Dallas).

But the biggest buzz as the season approaches was not about a player but a place: the Pacific Northwest where the addition of two new teams promises a three-way regional rivalry with the hugely successful Seattle Sounders.

The Sounders averaged more than 30,000 fans per match last season, and the expansion Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps are hoping to emulate that success.

Both of the new teams have sold out their season-ticket allotments.

The Whitecaps, with NBA star Steve Nash as one of their owners, have sold 16,500 season tickets, and before playing their first game are the league's leader in sponsorships.

The Timbers have sold all of their 12,500 season tickets with fans anticipating a rivalry with Seattle.

"Rivalries are a big part of the sport overseas," Garber said. "We hope we can learn some lessons from what is driving the interest of fans these three clubs have. We should be able to replicate some of that."

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World Cup: Slim chance India may miss the cut

2011-03-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

KOLKATA: Twenty three days into the 2011 World Cup and with 15 matches in Group B already behind us, if there is still a lingering doubt about Team India's passage to the next round, blame it on those who jumped the gun, prompting skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to labour under the misconception that his team has already made the cut.

Contrary to general belief, India are not yet guaranteed of a place in the last eight, nor the Proteas, who held their nerves splendidly in Nagpur on Saturday to put it across the blundering hosts.

There is a very slim possibility that the Men in Blue - with seven points, from three wins and a tie, under their belt - may fail to make the cut under one particular scenario.

If India in their final match lose to the West Indies, who in turn lose to England; Bangladesh win their remaining two games against Netherlands and South Africa and Graeme Smith's side beats Ireland, it would leave three teams (WI, SA and Bangladesh) with eight points apiece, leaving India and England tied on seven points each.

The fourth and final spot will then be decided on Net Run Rate (NRR). India currently have a much better NRR (+0.768) than England (-0.013), but a big defeat to the Windies and a big win for England can mean end of the road for Dhoni's boys.

South Africa, too, have to win at least one of their remaining two games (Ireland and Bangladesh) to confirm their quarterfinal ticket. If South Africa and the West Indies win their remaining games, India will go through as the third team. On the other hand, if the calypso boys oust England and lose to India, Dhoni and Co will finish 2nd in the group. They may even top it, in case the Proteas falter in one of their matches.

Bangladesh must first beat the Netherlands and hope that Sammy's boys will pull the plug on England before taking on South Africa.

ICC's UDRS comes under scanner once again

2011-03-11T20:38:00.000-08:00

MOHALI: The ICC on Friday faced an embarrassing situation when the Umpire Decision Review System yet again came under the scanner after well-set Ireland batsman Gary Wilson fell victim to the system at a crucial stage of a Group B World Cup match against West Indies.

Chasing 276 for victory, Ireland were in with a great chance, placed at 199 for five in 41.3 overs with Wilson batting on 61 off 62 deliveries and giving him company was all-rounder Alex Cusack.

But the complexion of the match changed completely when Wilson was given out LBW to Sammy by an erring Sri Lankan umpire Ashoka De Silva, who has messed up his verdicts in this tournament a couple of times.

De Silva adjudged Wilson lbw to Sammy with a ball that struck the batsman outside the off and was moving in with the seam.

Not convinced with the decision, Wilson immediately went for the review and TV replays later showed that the batsman was struck on the pad outside the stumps while he was attempting a late cut and the ball was just about kissing the off stump.

The third umpire in-charge Bruce Oxenford of Australia too was not convinced that Wilson fell at the wrong side of the decision and left the verdict on on-field official De Silva.

Even though, De Silva did not change his mind, an agitated Wilson refused to leave the ground which forced the Sri Lankan umpire to again go back upstairs. But in the end, after a review of the review of the original call, the Irish right-hander was given out, which clearly brought UDRS again under the scanner.

Wilson lbw dismissal did not go down well with Ireland skipper William Porterfiled, who said that the verdict eventually cost them the game.

"It cost us the match. The technology is supposed to eradicate mistakes, but in this case it didn't," a visibly upset Porterfield said in the post-match press conference.

"It was a pretty crucial decision. In my opinion they got it wrong. According to me, the UDRS was working so far but if you get decision like this I don't know," he added.

The controversial UDRS came under flak from the onset of the World Cup and as the tournament progressed the situation only became worse for the ICC.

Ironically, UDRS was at the receiving end on numerous occasions in this tournament, including India's matches against England and Ireland.

During the tied India-England Group B match at the same venue on February 27, on-field umpire Billy Bowden stuck to his decision of ruling England's Ian Bell not out for a leg before appeal against him by the Indian team when he was rapped on the pad by Yuvraj.

India called for a review of the decision and technology showed that the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps but for the pad coming in the way. But the point of impact was more than 2.5m from the stumps and the batsman stayed on as Bowden stuck to his original call.

Even batsman Bell felt he was out and started walking back to the dressing room before he was asked to come back to the crease and continue his innings, and the incident created a major furore with India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni going to the extent of criticising DRS and the International Cricket Council (ICC) for introducing it in the mega-event.

In the India-Ireland match also Irish batsman Alex Cusack was given out out LBW to Yuvraj Singh even though the point of impact of the ball on the pad was more than 2.5 metres from stumps.

Australian umpire Rod Tucker initially ruled Cusack not out off Yuvraj in the 44th over but after a review appeal by India, he reversed his decision and gave the batsman out though TV replays showed the point of impact at the pad would have been more than 2.5 meters from the stumps.

Cusack, the eighth Ireland batsman to be out and Yuvraj's fifth victim in the match, was well down the track, his backfoot nearly a foot outside the crease and his front foot also well down the track though HawkEye showed the ball would have hit off and middle at a comfortable height.

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Piyush Chawla needed extra game: MS Dhoni

2011-03-11T20:34:00.000-08:00

NAGPUR: Having achieved the first target of qualifying for the knockout stage, India should now be looking to turn the rest of the group matches for some useful practice and ward off the weaknesses that have plagued them on the way. The league tie against South Africa will show India their weaknesses and also what to expect when the tournament enters the next phase.

"We are already in the quarterfinals but getting two big games always helps you to get that bit of momentum going your way. But as I have always stressed, doing well on that particular day is more important," MS Dhoni said after the team's only practice session at the VCA Jamtha Stadium on Friday.

Although, India's passage into the quarterfinals was not as smooth as expected, the Indian skipper is pleased with the performance so far.

"We have had a tie. We have batted first and scored runs and also chased successfully in the last two matches. We have played on good batting tracks and also on pitches which are slow in nature. So we have had a lot of exposure," he explained.

He firmly defended the decision to persist with Piyush Chawla ahead of R Ashwin despite the leggie not in the best of form. He also took a dig at the journalists for criticising the youngster heavily. "Frankly, I am not bothered by what others say. When I select a team, I try to look at it as how honest I am. Piyush needed a game more than Ashwin because of the kind of applause he has received from you people," he said.

The captain played down the 'expectation factor' saying the team is more concerned about the process of doing well continuously rather than winning. "We are not thinking about the expectations. We are focusing on improving the performance all the time. There are areas for improvement and we are aware of that. Fielding cannot improve overnight but I think we haven't done too badly," he said. He expected bigger starts from the openers because it will help the middle and lower order to carry the momentum further. "If our openers can bat as long as possible, it will be good for us. Because, from what we have seen, if Sachin and Viru get going, it is difficult to stop them," he said.

Dhoni had hit back-to-back hundreds at VCA Jamtha ground when he promoted himself to No.3 position last year. Will he push himself up the order this time also? "Records are fine but that doesn't mean that I will again come up. It all depends on the match situation," he clarified.

We look for a big partnership, says Smith

South African captain Graeme Smith is surprised that his spinners have come to the fore and caused some confusion in the minds of the opposition. "Our spinners were quite successful in this World Cup. It is a welcome thing for us. Our fast bowling attack was predictable. With spinners coming to the fore, our opponents will be little more careful now. They will have to do more thinking to tackle us," said Smith during the press conference on Friday.

Smith also had a word of praise for MS Dhoni. "I have got a lot of respect for MS. I like him as a person and as a captain. A team has its own philosophy. India have a powerful batting line-up and they have used their part-timers well. The key to success against India is to have a partnership going," he said.

The SA captain did not think game against India is the biggest match of the World Cup. "I don't look at it that way. There is lot of cricket to be played. One thing in our mind is that we would want to win tomorrow," said Smith.

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Serena makes plans for July return

2011-03-10T20:44:00.001-08:00

WASHINGTON: Serena Williams, recovering from the removal of a blood clot in her lung as well as a nagging foot injury, plans to play tennis in July for the Washington Kastles of World TeamTennis.

The nine-team US league, which will stage a 36th season from July 4-24, announced on Thursday that Williams is scheduled to play in Washington on July 7 against the Boston Lobsters and when the Kastles visit Sacramento on July 9.

The reigning Wimbledon champion had said after her surgery for a blood clot that travelled from a leg into her lungs that she was hopeful of a summer return, but was unsure exactly when she might be back on the court.

The former world number one, a 13-time Grand Slam champion, would need to be ready by June 20 to defend her Wimbledon title. The women's final is set for July 2.

Williams has not played a top-level match since last year's Wimbledon final after cutting her right foot on broken glass at a restaurant last July.

Williams suffered a pulmonary embolism and underwent an emergency operation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles last week, a health scare she called "the scariest moment in my life".

"Luckily enough, I was able to catch it soon enough that my career won't be affected," Williams told NBC on Wednesday. "I love tennis and now more than anything I have so much to look forward to just playing.

"I really just want to come back and do well."

Venus Williams, Serena's elder sister and a five-time Wimbledon winner who has seven Grand Slam titles overall, plans to play for the Kastles on July 5 against visiting Kansas City despite being sidelined currently with an injury.

Venus Williams withdrew from the Australian Open with a right hip injury and has not played since, unable to defend her only titles from 2010 last month at Dubai and Acapulco.

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Federer primed for another run at top spot

2011-03-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

INDIAN WELLS: Roger Federer says his priority in the coming months is to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, but before he can achieve that the Swiss star knows he has to start winning Grand Slam titles again.

"I have really been playing well the last six months and that is what I look at, not that I didn't make it to the final of the last four Grand Slams," Federer said.

Second-seeded Federer is fully primed for his first match on the weekend after being awarded a first-round bye at the $9 million Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters Series tournament.

The 16-time Grand Slam winner lost in the final of his last tournament to Novak Djokovic in Dubai. Federer has only played three tournaments this year and hasn't made the final of the last four Grand Slams.

That is a far cry from 2006-2007 when he won six of eight Grand Slam events. Djokovic has been especially troublesome for Federer of late, beating Federer in the Australian Open final in January.

"It is part of my big goal this year to get back to No. 1 because I like being world No. 1 more than No. 2," said the three-time Indian Wells champion, who held the top ranking for 285 weeks.

"I was happy about the way I played in Dubai. I won four in a row. I didn't play my best against Novak. Even though I lost the finals, I haven't thought about that match for two weeks."

Federer has reached two finals in three tournaments this year, winning in Doha. This is the first time in eight years Federer hasn't held a Grand Slam title. He has 14 wins this year and just two defeats, both losses being to Serbia's Djokovic.

Clearly if he is to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, Federer is going to have to figure out a way to solve Djokovic, who is seeded third at Indian Wells.

Federer and Djokovic are in the bottom half of the 96-player men's draw and so could be headed for a semi-final showdown.

"He is in a good spell right now," Federer said of Djokovic. "He is playing well so. It will be interesting to see how he plays here."

Federer was relaxed and calm Thursday as he met with reporters for the first time since arriving in Indian Wells.

He said he tries not to dwell on defeats even if someone has his number like Djokovic obviously does.

"Losing doesn't rattle me much," Federer said. "For me after a loss it is time to move on. Of course, it is difficult when you lose but you have to move on.

"It is OK to look at a lost match but I prefer to get over it as quickly as possible because this is an important time of the season."

Federer hasn't played as much at this point in the season compared to previous years but he says he is in a good frame of mind.

"I am confident," he said. "I played three tournaments and it is a good start. I don't have any injuries and I am fresh.

"I am now going into an important stretch of the season."

Federer says one aspect he appreciates more about competing in the California desert is the relaxing pace of life in the laid-back retirement community.

"I remember coming here (in 1999) and I was always being mistaken for other players so I have come a long way," Federer said.

"I have had some good years here at Indian Wells. At first I thought it was a bit slow here. As a teenager I thought I needed a bit more New York and London atmosphere. But now it is nice to get a calm tournament before going to Europe and so forth."

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I faced better batsmen than Sehwag: Holding

2011-03-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: Virender Sehwag might be one of the most destructive batsman in modern day cricket, but former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding says he played against better batsmen than the India opener during his playing days.

"I think I came up against better batsmen than Sehwag ever can be. I think people like Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas - I have gone up against better batsman than Sehwag. Sehwag hammers the ball all around, though his technique is a bit ordinary," Holding said.

Holding said if he was bowling to Sehwag, he would never give him room outside the off-stump.

"He loves the ball outside his off stump. If I was to bowl at Sehwag, he would not see a ball outside his off stump unless he was sleeping and dreaming.

"You would see every ball in line with his body and that is how you've got to bowl to Sehwag. Don't give him room outside his off-stump for him to extend those arms and we'll see how he scores. I am not saying that he will not score runs at all but he certainly won't score as fluently as he is scoring now," the legendary pacer, who has 249 wickets from 60 Tests and 142 from 102 ODIs, said.

Talking about the ongoing World Cup, Holding admitted that pitches for the tournament are heavily in favour of the batsmen, but added that if one has the pace, he can be successful on any surface.

"If you have pace, you can be successful as we have seen," he was quoted as saying by pakpassion.com.

"I don't think I would have been too worried about bowling on them. I went to India in 1983. I got thirty wickets in five Test matches. If you have pace, you can be successful," Holding corroborated his claim.

About India's chances in the World Cup, he reckoned that the only way they can win the title is by chasing.

"India have fantastic batting, and I think their best chance of winning is to chase targets, not to set targets. That's because their bowling is not the type of bowling that's going to prevent teams from getting big targets as we saw when they made 338 (against England)."

According to him, Australia and South Africa are the other teams to watch for in the tournament.

Asked about the ICC's decision to limit the number of teams from the next World Cup to 10, Holding said the game's apex body would do well to keep at least two associate members in megaevent.

"I do not agree with four associate teams playing in the World Cup. I said that in 2007 but people ridiculed me. What you need to do is reward the two that go into the finals of their tournament. No more than that. But you can't take them all out as the ICC have now done for the next World Cup. I think that's ridiculous."

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Harbhajan's form a worry for India

2011-03-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: After two scratchy wins over minnows Ireland and the Netherlands, and their inability to force a win over England despite rustling up a total of 338, India's halo as World Cup favourites has dimmed considerably.

Fans are already suffering from frayed nerves, critics have kept their knives sheathed out and the media has brought down expectancy quotient by several notches.

The authority of a side boasting champion class is lacking. There are obvious weaknesses in some areas, especially fielding and bowling. Then, the logic behind team composition has also come under the scanner. Are India playing the best possible XI? Are they sure about their game plan? Is the strategy working?

Skipper MS Dhoni's answers to some vexed questions have not really silenced the skeptics. But what has added weight to growing disenchantment is the performance of the batsmen who made heavy weather of modest targets against Ireland and the Netherlands.

But is the situation really so bad that desperate measures need to be applied at once? Can't we believe Dhoni when he says his team would peak at the right moment in the World Cup? Well, Dhoni's positivism has not been matched by the show on the turf. But since every cloud has a silver lining, let's look out for some.

Coming to India's batting woes, very clearly the absence of a challenging environment caused a lowering of guard in recent games. That's why Sachin Tendulkar, of all batsmen, lost patience and committed hara-kiri against both Ireland and the Dutch. Virender Sehwag played like he does. But his recent ODI record suggests that he would have been just a bit more restrained if he was playing against one of the major teams.

There is a strong chance that we will see a slightly more responsible Sehwag against South Africa and West Indies. Gautam Gambhir has been a bit unlucky with his dismissals but can hope to ride on the law of averages now. Of course, Yuvraj Singh is proving to be the all-rounder India were always looking for. His confidence in the stratosphere, Yuvraj can be the engine to India's flight.

About Harbhajan Singh's lack of wickets, Dhoni had an interesting theory: "Teams are simply blocking him out, not wanting to give him wickets."

This is something Sourav Ganguly had also said on TV a few days back. This line of thinking has merit as teams do tend to be defensive against top bowlers. But Harbhajan will have to step up when bigger teams confront India. The good thing with the feisty sardar is that he loves a good scrap and may show his true colours when it's crunch time.

India also have R Ashwin up their sleeves. He has not been played despite a clamour for his inclusion in the XI. But, it may prove to be a blessing in disguise for India for his novelty value will be high as and when he is unleashed.

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Jayawardene dismisses Dilshan's dope rumour

2011-03-10T00:47:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene on Wednesday dismissed media reports that star batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has failed a dope test conducted during the ongoing ICC World Cup 2011.

Addressing a press conference one the eve of their group A match against Zimbabwe on Thursday, Jayawardene said there was no truth in the story as Dilshan was not among the Sri Lankan players who gave sample for dope tests.

"We have had two players tested. Dilshan is not one of them. The players are Ajantha Mendis and Chamara Silva. I am not too sure about where this story has come from but there is no truth in it," Jayawardene told reporters ahead of Sri Lanka's match against Zimbabwe.

Early in the day, the media circle was abuzz with the story that Dilshan has failed a dope test conducted by the International Cricket Council.
© PTI

Bangladesh tense but ready for England, says Shakib

2011-03-10T00:46:00.000-08:00

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has admitted his team-mates were tense ahead of Friday's crucial World Cup match against England, but said the task was not beyond them.

The Tigers, who have just one win from three games, will almost certainly drop out of the race for the quarter-finals from Group B if they lose the day-night game at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium.

"The boys are tense, but they are also confident that they can put up a good show," said Shakib.

"We have prepared well for the game. We have worked hard in the last few days. I have tried to take the pressure on myself, so it eases the pressure on them.

"I think we have a very good chance in this match. We have to play good, positive hard cricket. If we play our best cricket, we can beat any side in the world."

Bangladesh, who began the tournament ranked eighth in one-day cricket, have played uninspiring cricket so far, leaving millions of their fans angry and frustrated.

The Tigers crashed to their lowest one-day total of 58 against the West Indies in Dhaka last Friday, losing the game by nine wickets in the first session itself.

Shakib, whose home was attacked by angry fans after the match, was at a loss to describe the feeling after the embarrassing defeat.

"I can't really put a finger on what happened, except that we batted poorly," the captain said.

"Hopefully, such a performance happens only once in a lifetime. We have learnt our lessons."

Shakib said Bangladesh had not batted well in the tournament, putting the side in a precarious position.

Batting form deserted the tournament co-hosts after a brave, but unsuccessful chase of India's 370-4 in the opening match when they replied with 283-9.

They were shot out for 205 by Ireland, fought back to restrict the non-Test nation for 178 under the Dhaka lights, before hitting a new low against the West Indies.

Opener Tamim Iqbal and captain Shakib Al Hasan are the only batsmen to score half-centuries in the tournament.

The loss to the West Indies saw angry reaction from fans and local media, with newspapers blaming "arrogant" Shakib for the poor show so far.

But the captain played down the media criticism and fans' behaviour after stones were thrown at the West Indies and Bangladesh team buses last Friday.

"The good thing is that we try not to read newspapers, or worry what is written in them," said Shakib.

"How do I describe the crowd? When we play well, they cheer us. When we do badly, they abuse us. It will be better not to think of the crowd."

England, with five points from four games, will book an early ticket to the quarter-finals if they beat Bangladesh and the West Indies down Ireland in Mohali earlier on Friday.

But the tourists will take the field without the injured duo of Kevin Pietersen and fast bowler Stuart Broad, who have been replaced by Eoin Morgan and Chris Tremlett.

"England will obviously miss Pietersen and Broad," said Shakib. "But Morgan is a very good player who has done very well against us in the past.

"But we have to guard against all the players and do our home work well."
© AFP

Pakistan still puzzled by Kamran conundrum

2011-03-10T00:45:00.000-08:00

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said that blundering wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal will not be made a scapegoat and fans should expect a traditional World Cup rollercoaster ride.

The 29-year-old Akmal has endured a blitz of criticism after his calamitous performance against New Zealand where two horror blunders allowed Ross Taylor to escape on nought and eight before the batsman smashed an unbeaten 131.

New Zealand's 110-run win was Pakistan's first defeat in the tournament and prompted calls for Akmal's younger brother Umar to be handed the gloves for the remaining group games against Zimbabwe and Australia.

That would leave Kamran to play as a specialist batsman, even being promoted to open.

Umar, who kept wicket in three Twenty20 internationals and a one-dayer last year, was seen practising keeping in the team's net session on Thursday.

"Kamran has done a lot of hard work for this World Cup, but he has not lived up to that level, and we suffered a lot after he couldn't perform," said Afridi.

His lapses allowed New Zealand to post a challenging 302-7 in Tuesday's game, after mustering a whopping 100 runs off the last five overs, after struggling at 202-4 in 45 overs.

Afridi stressed that Pakistan, who face Zimbabwe on Monday, should not panic as they are still well-placed to reach the quarter-finals.

"Kamran has won lots of matches for Pakistan in the past, he is a very talented cricketer, and I think we are at a stage where we shouldn't panic. There are other players who are not performing - it's not only Kamran.

"We need to back them. If we make several changes we can face problems in future matches, so we will see if Kamran plays the next game or not. From my side, I think we should give Kamran confidence.

"He is a good player and we expect that he will do better."

Afridi urged fans back home to forget the defeat to New Zealand and that following Pakistan is always a nerve-racking affair.

"Because of the way we have batted, bowled and fielded everyone should get angry but then we have to forget this anger and we should have confidence for the next match," said the captain.

"Everyone realises that we have made big mistakes but if you look at Pakistan cricket over the last 50-60 years it's quite normal for our team."

Afridi said Pakistan still need to solve their problems with their opening pair.

"We are here with perfect openers and I don't think we can take a chance on Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez. But we might open with Kamran, that's one of the options," said Afridi.

Pakistan's best opening partnership in four matches was just 28 against Sri Lanka.
© AFP

India still World Cup favourites: Clarke

2011-03-10T00:41:00.000-08:00

BANGALORE: India are still favourites to win the World Cup according to Australia's Michael Clarke despite being held to a tie by England and pushed hard before beating Ireland in the group stage.

Co-hosts India have yet to lose in this World Cup as indeed do defending champions Australia, although they had to make-do with a no-result washout against Sri Lanka last weekend.

India and Australia have been kept apart in a World Cup first round where the 14 competing teams are split into two pools of seven, with the top four in each going through to the quarterfinals.

But that hasn't stopped Australia vice-captain Clarke keeping a close eye on India's progress.

"India are still the favourites because they are playing games in their home conditions, I think they have got a very strong squad," said Clarke.

"India playing at home are always favourites."

Australia, bidding for a fourth straight World Cup title and fifth in all, have not lost a match at the tournament since 1999 but top-order batsman Clarke was cautious as to whether they could maintain that unbeaten run.

"We are happy with the way we have been playing but it is a long, long way to go in the tournament."

Australia have welcomed experienced Michael Hussey into their squad after the batsman, left out on account of a hamstring problem from which he has now recovered, was called-up to replace fast bowler Doug Bollinger.

"Having a left-hander in the squad will surely help," Clarke said of Hussey. "You have to be experienced no matter what the conditions are.

"He has played a lot of cricket in the subcontinent and he is going to play a huge part (in the World Cup).

"So far the guys in the middle-order haven't had much of an opportunity but this is just the start of the tournament and experience in the middle-order will surely help as the tournament goes on.

"In the past he has shown us he can go out and win games on his own in any form of the game. So I am very confident that having Hussey around is going to help us."

By the time Australia face Kenya at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Sunday it will be a week since they took the field for their rain-affected clash against Sri Lanka.

However, Clarke insisted having time to spend honing your game was always a plus point when in India.

"I think the most important thing while playing in the subcontinent is to improve your skill to play in these conditions.

"As the tournament goes on I think spin is going to play an important part and obviously we have seen reverse-swing as well. I think, as a batsman, when you get to a training session you are working on those sorts of things."

TOI

Dutch pressure game will help India: Dhoni

2011-03-10T00:40:00.001-08:00

NEW DELHI: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his team had a good workout against the Netherlands and the pressure they faced would stand them in good stead for tougher World Cup challenges ahead.

India laboured to a five-wicket win at New Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla stadium after bowling the Dutch out cheaply for 189, virtually sealing their place in the quarterfinals.

Openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar tore into the Dutch bowling, reaching 69 in the eighth over before Sehwag was the first to go, sparking a mini-collapse that reduced India to 99/4.

But Dhoni said losing wickets meant batsmen lower down the order, including Yuvraj Singh (51 not out) had enjoyed crucial time in the middle ahead of matches against more powerful nations.

It was a almost a carbon copy of the win against Ireland, where India also found themselves in trouble at 100-4 in reply to a modest total of 207, with Yuvraj also hitting a half-century in that game.

"Any side you're playing, if you're 100/4 you are under a bit of pressure, especially if the wickets are slow and low and if you are expected to win easily, so that was a decent win for us," Dhoni said after Wednesday's victory against the Dutch.

"It's a good experience to have because you're all of a sudden in the quarterfinals or against a stronger side," he added.

"You don't want your middle order, your lower middle order, to get exposed. It's good that most of the batsmen have got a decent hit in the games they have played."

The skipper said the quick start when batting had been a bid to improve their run rate.

"When you're playing some of the so-called weaker sides in the world you try to get as many runs as possible with the new ball and when you're trying to do that your batsmen play aggressive shots and it's not all the time you'll be successful," he said.

Dhoni said it was important to take wickets with the new ball as a way of slowing the opposition but backed his bowlers to perform.

India have struggled to force early breakthroughs in their matches so far with the exception of the Ireland game, where paceman Zaheer Khan took two early wickets.

"I think we've got quite a few talented bowlers who can really swing the ball and even if there's no swing for them they can bowl a tight line and get the batsmen out."

And the skipper said off-spinner Harbhajan Singh would come into his own as the tournament progressed. So far he has taken just two wickets in four matches.

"I think as the tournament heats up in the coming few games you'll see a different Harbhajan Singh," adding that better opponents would bring out the best in him.

Dhoni said it was important for the team to pick up momentum with matches against South Africa and the West Indies to come before the quarterfinals.

"You may have a bad day or one individual has a brilliant day and you may be out of the tournament so I think you have to be at your best, especially in that part of the tournament."

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India hope to trade on Kirsten's inside knowledge

2011-03-10T00:40:00.000-08:00

NAGPUR: India will be relying on South African coach Gary Kirsten for crucial inside knowledge when the two sides meet in the World Cup on Saturday.

India are virtually assured of a quarterfinal berth ahead of their blockbuster Group B clash, but Kirsten is aware of the dangers posed by his compatriots, still smarting from their six-run loss to England.

All the Indian players have lauded Kirsten's role in improving the dressing-room atmosphere, with record-breaking batsman Sachin Tendulkar saying the team owed their successes to the coach.

"Gary has been instrumental in making our batters play plenty of deliveries in the practice session. During net practice, he himself bowls thousands and thousands of balls," said Tendulkar.

"He has been an important member of the Indian squad along with the other support staff. I have enjoyed my game under him. He is really putting in a lot of effort."

Indian cricket has been improving since former Proteas opener Kirsten took over in 2007 after a turbulent era under Australian coach Greg Chappell.

The South African was appointed at a time when fans in the cricket-crazy nation were fast losing faith in the team, especially after a humiliating first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup under Chappell.

It is a tribute to Kirsten's skill and professionalism that India has been improving each year, eventually securing the number-one ranking in Tests and number two in one-day internationals.

India became a formidable force both at home and away under Kirsten, having recently drawn for the first time a tough three-Test series in South Africa and been involved in a close one-day series against the same opposition.

"They have got very different ideas and very different thinking. I have enjoyed bringing the Indian style and a South African influence and connecting the two," Kirsten had said before the World Cup.

"It is important that they know I'm there and that I will work as hard as possible on helping them prepare for games.

"After all it is the player who needs to be clear in his head in the pressure situation during game time. He can't call to the coach to think for him."

As Kirsten is unlikely to continue as coach after the World Cup due to family commitments, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team will be determined to cap his stint with a major success.

"Apart from having good players in the side, he (Kirsten) was the one thing, you can say the best thing that happened to Indian cricket," said Dhoni.

"He has given the Indian team whatever he could, the best he could, and of course it was a pleasure to have him in the side."

India's best under a foreign coach at the World Cup came in 2003 when former New Zealand captain John Wright played a key role in the team's march to the final in South Africa with Sourav Ganguly as captain.

TOI

Ind vs Ned: Yuvraj helps India beat Netherlands by 5 wickets

2011-03-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: As twilight merged into night at Ferozeshah Kotla, the din became louder. The party was on and the raucous crowd was having its fill as Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag tore into the modest Netherlands attack. Just 190 needed to wrap this one up against the minnows, it was celebration time. Suddenly, the grand march towards victory became a painful lurch towards the post as profligate Indian batsmen gave new sheen to the expression, "cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties."

Sehwag, Tendulkar and Pathan sacrificed their wickets while trying to finish the game before the waiters stopped serving evening tea in the dressing room. Virat Kohli's expansive drive only helped the ball hit the off-stump and Gautam Gambhir was unlucky to see his leg-stump clipped around his legs.

From 69 without loss to 99 for four and then 139 for five was almost surreal. The tension in the air was palpable, just as it was in the last game against Ireland. The old firm of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni then took charge and sanity was restored. India won the World Cup Group B game on Wednesday by five wickets with more than 13 overs remaining, also making to the quarterfinals in the process. But with tougher tests coming up, doubters would still be shouting from the roof tops, such was the display overall.

Yuvraj turned in another remarkably saviour-like, man-of-the-match performance to soothe nerves and see India home. He was nagging with ball (9-1-43-2) and resolute with the bat (51 not out, 73 balls, 7x4). One was reminded of what Dhoni said on Tuesday in the pre-match press meet: "I'm a great fan of Yuvraj Singh."

In the first half of the day, the script went the way India's spin doctors would have wanted it to. A web of spin on a low, slow and turning Kotla track, not your 'ideal' One-day wicket by any means, suffocated the life out of Dutch batsmen. The visitors huffed and puffed their way to 189 all out in 46.4 overs after winning the toss and batting first.

That spin would be the order of the day was established quite early when Pathan replaced Ashish Nehra after the comeback man had bowled just one over of his medium pace. Star off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was in operation by the seventh over and soon, Piyush Chawla too was creating confusion in the Dutch ranks with his assortment of leg-spinners, googlies and flippers.

All this while, Yuvraj, fresh from a five-wicket haul in the last game against Ireland, was rubbing his hands in anticipation. It was not long before he also got his chance to make hay in the sun, which he did immediately by picking up a wicket in his first over.

The medium-pacers, especially Zaheer Khan, also benefited from the pressure applied by the spinners. Zaheer picked up three in his second spell to help India wrap up the innings in a hurry. The Netherlands essay, which had a promising start, began misfiring as soon as the tweakers came on. The Dutch batsmen did not have the wherewithal to counter quality spin in these conditions. Thus, the 56-run opening stand proved a flash in the pan as wickets fell at regular intervals.

It was left to skipper Peter Borren to launch a late riposte with a breezy 38 off 36 balls. He crashed Yuvraj for two fours in the 42nd over of the innings and then whack two sixes off Chawla in the 43rd to bring some substance to the total.

Chawla finally found a track where he could turn the ball and hoodwink the batters. Of course, the Dutch could not exert too much pressure on him but his confidence would have got a fillip nonetheless. He could even turn his googlies which normally do not turn much.

A wickets, though, eluded Harbhajan once again, despite the sardar bowling his full quota. In the field, the hosts looked flat. They might be saving the fire for the bigger tests. But it's fielding which exhibits the collective attitude of a group. And since skipper Dhoni has himself thrown the towel — he said India's fielding can't improve — one cannot hope for anything better. Besides a lack of quality effort from many in the field, two return catches were fluffed, one each by Chawla and Yuvraj, though both were tough ones.

In tight games, this lack of intent may cost India dearly.

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Tendulkar first to reach 2,000 World Cup runs

2011-03-09T21:13:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: Indian superstar Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday became the first batsman to score 2,000 World Cup runs, reaching the mark by hitting three consecutive fours in front of legions of fans in New Delhi.

Tendulkar opened the batting with Virender Sehwag at Ferozeshah Kotla stadium, and they put on 69 for the first wicket in reply to the Netherlands' total of 189 before Sehwag was out for 39.

Tendulkar was dismissed for 27 off 22 balls, caught near the long-off boundary by Bradley Kruger off the bowling of Pieter Seelaar.

The 37-year-old, playing his 40th match at his sixth World Cup, made his bow at cricket's showpiece tournament in 1992.

Before Wednesday's match he had hit five centuries and 13 fifties in World Cups.

The next player on the list is Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, who has 1,577 runs in 42 matches.

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Spain lead FIFA rankings, Argentina head Brazil

2011-03-09T21:12:00.001-08:00

ZURICH: World Cup-winner Spain stays atop the FIFA monthly rankings and Argentina rises above Brazil to be South America's best.

Spain leads an unchanged all-European top three from the Netherlands and Germany. Argentina is up one place at no. 4 and Brazil slips to no. 5.

Argentina was rewarded for a 2-1 victory over Portugal in a friendly, while Brazil lost 1-0 to France.

Croatia climbs one to no. 8, trading places with Portugal. Greece completes the top 10.

Italy rose two to no. 11 and Asian champion Japan is also up two at no. 15.

Ghana leads African countries at no. 16. The United States dropped one to no. 19 but still leads CONCACAF region teams.

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Gautam Gambhir

2011-03-09T01:14:00.000-08:00

Country: India

IPL Team: Kolkata Knight Riders

Cover (Rs crore): 32.4

Gautam Gambhir from Kolkata Knight Riders is getting the highest individual insurance of 32 crore.

Ind vs Ned: Netherlands opt to bat against India

2011-03-09T01:06:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: Netherlands captain Peter Borren won the toss and chose to bat against India in their World Cup clash at Ferozeshah Kotla in New Delhi on Wednesday.

India have rested Munaf Patel and brought in Ashish Nehra.

Indian captain MS Dhoni said they would have batted first as the track is expected to go slow. But quickly added it is nice to get exposure for chasing runs. Regarding team change, he informed Nehra is back in the side in place of Munaf. Further he said that they would look to improve on their fielding and also added that they have to bowl well initially and in the Powerplay overs.

Dutch skipper Borren said that chasing has not been good for them and they will try to do the same thing that they did against England. Added they need to be disciplined in their bowling against the powerful Indian batting.

This match affords India just about the last chance to hammer out strategies and gameplans before big battles become the order of the day. After this tie, India play South Africa and West Indies, two formidable opponents, in their final group matches before the knock-outs begin.

India, who have eyes firmly fixed on the quarterfinal spot, would like to finish on top of the group to facilitate an 'easy' outing in the last eight. A victory over the Dutch, the underdogs, will serve that purpose nicely.

India are the only team who have yet to taste defeat in their group and that record is unlikely to be broken against the under-performing Dutch who have still to register a win.

A strong performance against the Dutch will not only give India a strong net run rate but also pave their way to the knockout round.

The only weak link for the Indians has been their bowling which has been exposed time and again.

India's frontline bowlers failed to find much success against a spirited Ireland and had it not been for a five-wicket haul by part-time spinner Yuvraj Singh, they could have been in trouble.

The home side are unlikely to be tested against the Netherlands, who ran England close in their opener, thanks to a sparkling 119 from Ryan ten Doeschate, but have since struggled.

The Dutch scored an impressive 292 against England but slumped to a huge 215-run defeat to the West Indies and lost by 231 runs against South Africa.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt.), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra.

Netherlands: Peter Borren (Capt.), Eric Szwarczynski, Wesley Barresi, Tom Cooper, Ryan ten Doeschate, Alexei Kervezee, Bas Zuiderent, Tom de Grooth, Bradley Kruger, Mudassar Bukhari, Pieter Seelaar.

TOI

India vs Netherlands: Online ticket struggle

2011-03-09T01:05:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: While for cricket enthusiasts around the world, watching the World Cup is a dream, spectators for the India-Netherlands match on Wednesday were bitter and aggrieved. For 26-year-old Vishal Patel, who had flown in from London with his parents Mukesh and Pallavi especially to watch four matches after booking tickets six months in advance, getting tickets from the online ticket collection counter was an arduous task on Tuesday.

"I had booked tickets for four matches in Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai and Nagpur. While tickets for the Chennai match, which is the last match of these four, were mailed to us while we were still in London, I had to mail the online ticketing agency repeatedly before getting any indication as to what would happen to the rest of our tickets. We were finally told just days before we left that the tickets would be available at the different venues. But when we reached Ferozeshah Kotla stadium on Tuesday, we were told that our tickets had been mailed to our London address on Monday. This is ridiculous."

The family then had to allegedly argue with the ticketing counter representative for a long time before he finally agreed to give them their tickets. "We have all our papers, passports and everything they had asked for in the confirmation email sent by the ticketing agency. However, the tickets were given to us only after much argument and we were made to pay an added "entertainment tax" even though there was no such mention in the confirmation of the tickets or the later correspondence we had with them. This is just a money-making scheme. When we picked up the tickets in Bangalore's ticketing counter, there was no such problem nor were we asked for any extra money," said an incensed Mukesh Patel.

The family had arrived in Bangalore on March 5. Vishal has a mehendi tattoo on his right forearm showing off his cricketing enthusiasm which his sister Kajal had drawn for him.

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Cricket-Netherlands elect to bat v India

2011-03-09T01:04:00.000-08:00

Netherlands captain Peter Borren won the toss and elected to bat against India in their World Cup Group B match on Wednesday.

India are aiming to maintain their unbeaten run at the event after beating Bangladesh and Ireland and tying with England, while Netherlands are seeking their first win in four matches.

Injured Stuart Broad ruled out of World Cup

2011-03-08T20:55:00.000-08:00

CHITTAGONG ( Bangladesh): England fast bowler Stuart Broad has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup due to a side strain, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Tuesday.

Broad, 24, will join teammate Kevin Pietersen on the sidelines after picking up the injury during his four-wicket haul in England's six-run win over South Africa in Chennai on Sunday.

Seamer Chris Tremlett is expected to replace Broad, but the ECB will need to apply to the World Cup technical committee first.

The ECB said Broad will leave Chittagong for home in the next 48 hours for further assessment that will "determine his recovery and rehabilitation timescale".

The ECB's chief medical officer Nick Peirce said the side strain was a new problem for Broad, who suffered an abdominal injury during the recent Ashes tour of Australia which caused him to miss the last three Tests.

"Stuart felt some discomfort following the South Africa match and our initial assessment indicated a strain to his left side," Peirce said in the ECB statement.

"Subsequent scans have confirmed a significant side strain injury - where the muscle attaches the rib - that will rule him out of the remainder of the World Cup.

"This is a new injury, separate from the abdominal tear suffered during the Ashes, that requires a period of recuperation and rehabilitation and the duration of this recovery period will be determined following further assessment in the UK."

It is the second injury blow for England inside 24 hours after star batsman Pietersen left for home to undergo a hernia operation.

Pietersen will be replaced by Eoin Morgan.

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Pak vs NZ: New Zealand thrash Pakistan by 110 runs

2011-03-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

PALLEKELE: Ross Taylor enjoyed an unforgettable bash on his 27th birthday. And the tab was picked by Pakistan. In an exhilarating display of explosive hitting, Taylor smashed an unbeaten, career-best 131 that included seven towering sixes, and inspired New Zealand to thrash Pakistan by 110 runs in a key Group A encounter on Tuesday night.

Moving outside the off-stump, going down on one knee and smashing the ball repeatedly over the mid-wicket region, Taylor went absolutely berserk as Kiwis notched up 92 runs off their last four overs to take their score to a daunting 302 for seven after electing to bat. Pakistan produced an equally sorry performance with the bat and managed just 192. Only Abdul Razzaq (62) showed stomach for a fight, adding 67 runs in a ninth-wicket partnership with Umar Gul.

This was Pakistan's first defeat in the tournament, and a big one too. New Zealand enjoyed their best One-day game in a long, long time and also produced one of their finest World Cup performances.

On Tuesday, however, Ross was the boss. There are a few people the Kiwi needs to send a 'thank you' card to after his memorable party. The first on that list must surely be Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who dropped him twice, the second chance an absolute dolly, even before Taylor could get off the mark. The second 'card' must have skipper Daniel Vettori's name on it. The captain kept his faith in Taylor even after his long run of failures.

Just before this game, Vettori rubbished the query that he was re-thinking Taylor's position in the team. "I think your best players are the ones that help you win the World Cup. And Taylor is definitely one of our best. He likes to take the responsibility and performs when he is in form. I expect him to win a game for us at some stage of the tournament. And hopefully it is tomorrow." Vettori's faith was repaid and how!

The third 'Thank you' card must be addressed to Pakistan pacemen Shoaib Akhtar and Abdul Razzaq. Both fed Taylor with 'hit-me' balls. Towards the end, Taylor and Jacob Oram (25, 9b, 1x4, 3x6) tore Pakistan into shreds plundering 85 off just 22 balls for the seventh wicket.

Akhtar gifted full tosses which Taylor whacked over mid-wicket. Twenty-eight runs came off that 47th over but there was more to come. Razzaq, who bowled the 49th, gave away 30 as Taylor hit three sixes and two fours. Till the 47th over, Pakistan had the game well under control. Martin Guptill's 57 (86b, 6x4) was the only thing New Zealand could cheer about. Then 'Typhoon Ross' happened.

Pakistan have to blame themselves for having persisted with a blundering Akmal. Their fielding was, as usual, pathetic and the slog overs bowling clueless. The batsmen panicked under the weight of the opposition's heavy total and perished to full, swinging deliveries from the Kiwi bowlers, who bowled a far better line and length than their Pakistani counterparts.
Later, Taylor even got to lead the Kiwis, as Vettori hurt his knee. What a special night on a special day!

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Ind vs Ned: India eye Dutch feast on way to quarters

2011-03-08T20:46:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: Wednesday's World Cup game against the Netherlands affords India just about the last chance to hammer out strategies and gameplans before big battles become the order of the day. After this tie, India play South Africa and West Indies, two formidable opponents, in their final group matches before the knock-outs begin.

India, who have eyes firmly fixed on the quarterfinal spot, would like to finish on top of the group to facilitate an 'easy' outing in the last eight. A victory over the Dutch, the underdogs, at the Ferozeshah Kotla will serve that purpose nicely. In fact, skipper MS Dhoni declared on Tuesday that the hosts were looking at a comprehensive win.

Going by form and pedigree, that looks like the most likely result of this clash. But as Netherlands captain Peter Borren reminded everyone, "Cricket is a funny game, we've seen it before in this World Cup." So, India will be trying to nip in the bud any 'rebellion' that may rise from the Dutch ranks.

The major point of interest is the eleven India will field on Wednesday. The batting line-up is settled. What is exercising the minds of the captain and his advisers is the bowling department. Will off-spinner R Ashwin play in place of the largely unimpressive Piyush Chawla? Is Ashish Nehra fit enough to get a game at his home ground?

There has been a clamour for Ashwin to be included in the eleven, especially after Chawla's indifferent performance against Ireland in India's last game. But Dhoni, did not divulge anything about the combination he was thinking of going in with. He did, though, says, "Ashwin is a very good bowler who has done really well for us. If our bowling does not click, he is an option." India have probably missed a trick by not opening the bowling with a spinner in any of the games so far. The move could have especially served them well against England.

Harbhajan Singh opened the bowling for India at the T20 World Cup last year almost throughout the event and proved a miserly customer. Ashwin too has experience of bowling with the new ball, an advantage he brings to the table. With two frontline and two support spinners in the eleven, India can afford to bowl one upfront, more so on low-slow, turning tracks like the one at Kotla. Some leading teams have done that to good effect in this World Cup but not India, despite having many tweakers in the armoury.

On Wednesday too, spinners, and slowish bowlers, are going to play a pivotal role because the track promises to keep low and afford turn. Harbhajan, Chawla, Ashwin and even Yusuf Pathan were turning the ball a fair way while bowling on the side pitch during training on Tuesday. Belting runs won't be easy and those hoping for a run-spree are likely to be disappointed.

India would like to finish this one off in a hurry. But if Ryan ten Doeschate and Co are given any leeway, the tale can become a gripping one. And there lies the beauty of the World Cup.

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Tamim urges emotional Bangladesh fans to calm down

2011-03-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

Chittagong, March 7 (Reuters): Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has called on fans to cool their passions and be patient if the World Cup co-hosts do not meet their sky-high expectations.

Their supporters in Dhaka reacted with fury on Friday after the nine-wicket Group B defeat by West Indies with stones thrown at the visiting team's bus.

"I request the fans not to do any silly things," Tamim told reporters in Chittagong on Monday.

So far, Bangladesh have won one of their three games, losing also by 87 runs to co-hosts India in the tournament opener on Feb. 19 but beating Ireland in between their defeats.

"We will win some days and lose some days as that is cricket and they need to support us through good times as well as bad times," said the left-hander.

Bangladesh faced the wrath of fans after a rampant West Indies attack skittled them out for their lowest ever ODI total of 58 runs.

The fans booed the Bangladesh team at the ground and threw their shoes on to the road in front of their bus on their return to the team hotel, a huge insult in the country.

The attack on the West Indies team bus was taken very seriously by Bangladesh security forces and politicians, leading to the tightening of safety measures including the introduction of armoured personnel carriers to accompany team buses.

Bangladesh's elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested at least 28 in connection with the stoning of the bus, though local media said all of them were released on bail.

Police said they also detained a fan in Chittagong on Sunday for showing his thumbs to Bangladesh players, again a big insult in the country.

"He (the fan) realised his mistake and was also repentant. We released him following a request by the players," Deputy Police Commissioner of Chittagong told Reuters.

Vice-captain Tamim hoped a good show against England in their next match on Friday in Chittagong would change the perception of fans about the Bangladesh team.

"I am sure one good game will change the total scenario and you will see a different Bangladesh team," he said.

Morgan confirmed as replacement for Pietersen

2011-03-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

The ICC has confirmed the Event Technical Committee of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 has approved Eoin Morgan as a replacement player for the injured Kevin Pietersen in the England squad.

The confirmation was conveyed to the England and Wales Cricket Board on behalf of the committee. Morgan will replace Pietersen who has a hernia injury.

Any injury-based replacement requires a written submission to the event technical committee along with a diagnosis from a medical practitioner as to the extent of the injury. Once replaced, a player may not return to the squad save as an approved subsequent replacement for another injured player.

Morgan is a 24-year-old middle-order batsman and has played in 38 ODIs for England in which he has scored 1,160 runs at an average of 40.

Pietersen is the 14th player to be replaced in the tournament.

As with all players in the tournament, the eligibility of a replacement player is subject to approval by the ICC before that player can be officially added to the squad.

The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 consists of David Richardson (ICC, chairman), Prof. Ratnakar Shetty (Tournament Director), Campbell Jamieson (IDI representative), Anil Kumble (host nominee), David Lloyd (independent nomination) and Sanjay Manjrekar (independent nomination).

Hansra, Bagai take Canada to rare win

2011-03-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

New Delhi, March 7 (AFP): Jimmy Hansra struck a fine half-century under pressure as Canada defeated Kenya by five wickets on Monday to register only their second victory ever in a World Cup.

Hansra hit seven fours and two sixes in his knock of 70, his best in 11 one-day internationals, to help Canada overhaul Kenya's 198 with 27 balls to spare in the day-night clash at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.

The Indian-born Hansra, who came in to bat with the team reeling at 48-3, put on 132 runs for the fourth wicket with his captain Ashish Bagai to ensure the efforts of fast bowler Henry Osinde (4-26) did not go to waste.

Bagai remained unbeaten on 64 off 97 balls with seven fours.

Canada's previous World Cup win came against Bangladesh in the 2003 World Cup at Kingsmead, South Africa.

The result had little bearing on the quarter-final hopes of either teams, languishing at the bottom of the Group A points table.

Canada's chase began in a dramatic fashion with opener Rizwan Cheema being ruled leg before wicket off the second ball of the first over but the batsman asked for a review and the decision was overturned.

Cheema though did not last long as he was bowled by Elijah Otieno after carting the paceman for a six and a four in the same over.

Zubin Sarkari was run out by a direct throw from Kenya captain Jimmy Kamande and opener Ruvindu Gunasekera was stumped off the bowling of off-spinner James Ngoche.

Ngoche could have picked up a second wicket in the same over when Hansra hit straight to mid-on but Seren Waters dropped a sitter, a mistake that was to cost the Kenyans.

Earlier, Osinde picked up three wickets in his opening spell to help reduce Kenya to 57-5 by the 15th over before a fightback by Tanmay Mishra and Thomas Odoyo.

Mishra hit a composed 73-ball 51 for his fourth half-century in one-day internationals and Odoyo also chipped in with 51, containing five fours and a six.

Osinde struck early for Canada, removing opener Morris Ouma off the second ball of the innings and his partner Waters in the fifth over.

The paceman then sent back David Obuya to grab his third wicket before Harvir Baidwan brought an end to a promising knock by Collins Obuya (31). Veteran Steve Tikolo (12) was given out lbw.

Kamande sought to rebuild the innings with Mishra, putting on 52 runs for the sixth wicket but portly leg-spinner Balaji Rao had him caught behind for 22.

Mishra's dogged fightback came to an end when he holed out tamely to Surkari off part-timer John Davison in the 43rd over.

Sri Lanka vs Australia: Saturday offers Lankans a chance of redemption

2011-03-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

COLOMBO: In India, even the heaviest World Cup defeat is forgotten if the team has managed to beat Pakistan along the way. It's a bit of the same in Sri Lanka. Beat Australia and rest assured, an exit will be accepted. Indeed, if the home team can put it across the four-time World Champions, unbeaten in their last 31 World Cup games, at the R Premadasa on Saturday, Sangakkara and Co. will be immortalized.

Sri Lankan fans and cricketers don't love anything more than beating Australia. They still haven't forgotten Murali's Boxing Day humiliation at the hands of umpire Darrell Hair in 1995. They haven't forgotten how some of their key players were wrongly given out during the Tri-series finals in Australia. They still haven't forgotten the fact that the Australian team chose not to travel to Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup, citing security reasons.

Saturday offers the Lankans a chance of redemption. So what if their only World Cup win came on March 17, 1996 on a famous dewy night in Lahore? So what if their World Cup record stands at 1-6? So what if they have been soundly thrashed by Australia in their last four World Cup meetings?

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan skipper, who has been part of the team in their last four losses to Australia, stressed how this team is different. "I don't think the belief in those teams was as strong as it is now."

The captain's optimism stems from the fact that the core of the World Cup team is the same compared to the side that won an ODI series in Australia. "When we went to Australia on our last tour, the key changes that we made was to get our attitude and the way we looked at the opportunity of winning and our mental strength right. Those changes are more important than the technical changes."

Another reason why the Sri Lankans can puff their chests out on Saturday when they walk out for the national anthems is the absence of the great names in the Aussie team. Their perennial tormentors, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath have retired. Captain Ricky Ponting is the only great player in this team which many have suggested will crumble against spin. That's one area in which the Lankans have a problem of plenty.

There is already talk that the hosts will go in for a three-pronged spin attack (Muralitharan, Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis) considering the fact that historically, the pitch here becomes slower and batting gets very difficult.

But that was the story when Ponting and Australia contested an ODI here on February 27, 2004. That was the last time Australia played Sri Lanka on this ground. And most people observe that the wicket has changed character after being relaid. "The new stadium looks fantastic and by what I have watched, I don't think the toss will be that much of a factor," reckoned Ponting. Indeed, even his opposite number felt batting second shouldn't be difficult.

But what will be difficult for Ponting and the rest of the guys is decoding Lasith Malinga. The Lankan slinger picked up 6/38 including a hat-trick against Kenya and he is no doubt very much on the Australian minds. "He was one of the main topic of discussion in our team meeting. We were talking about the various ways to play him. His bowling in the middle overs, with the older ball, is particularly good. So we have to make sure when he comes into bowl in the middle overs, we don't let him take wickets."

The Aussies too have pace to challenge Sri Lanka. In Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait, they have an explosive and potent fast-bowling attack. Australians have always loved to challenge notions and theories. There is a theory doing the rounds that an all out pace attack in the sub-continent won't win you big moments of the big games in the World Cup. By 10 pm on Saturday, we'll get to know if the theory is right or wrong.

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Davis Cup: Somdev Devvarman draws India level with Serbia

2011-03-04T21:12:00.001-08:00

BELGRADE: Asian and Commonwealth Games champion Somdev Devvarman defeated Janko Tipsarevic to pull India back level at 1-1 with defending titleholders Serbia on the opening day of their Davis Cup World Group first round tie.

Viktor Troicki, who sealed his country's victory against France in December's 2010 final in Belgrade, put Serbia into the lead in Friday's first singles on the clay at Novi Sad.

He raced into a two set lead over Rohan Bopanna, who then clawed his way back into contention to set up a cliffhanger which the Serb eventually won 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3.

"It was a tough match. I came back after 2-0 and I am disappointed I couldn't manage to win," Bopanna told reporters.

Devvarman then levelled the tie with a 3-0 defeat of Tipsarevic, although the Serb player dug deep, leading 4-1 in each of the opening two sets with the Indian winning 7-5, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3).

"I feel for Janko because he probably didn't have enough time to adjust from Delray Beach, where it was a lot warmer and that much easier to serve," Devvarman said.

"I served well, kept fighting and always believed I could win the match," he added.

Serbia, missing their best player, world number three and Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic, will be represented by their strongest pairing of Ilija Bozoljac and Nenad Zimonjic in Saturday's doubles where they come up against Bopanna and Devvarman.

India suffered a major blow to their chances after Grand Slam-winning doubles pair Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi were forced to withdraw due to injuries.

But Devvarman was confident his team still had a chance to defeat the Serbs.

"We definitely believe now we can win this tie and we will go out there to give it our best shot," he said.

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Tendulkar says no to honorary doctorate

2011-03-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

BANGALORE: Citing professional reasons, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is said to have turned down the honorary doctorate to be conferred on him by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS).

Tendulkar is said to have told the RGUHS V-C, registrar and two syndicate members that he wasn't inclined to accept the varsity honour as he was still active in professional cricket. He said that he had declined similar honour from other universities abroad and respected the decision of the university to confer the title on him.

The university is now awaiting an official regret letter from him, which will be forwarded to governor HR Bhardwaj, who is the chancellor of the university.

The health varsity syndicate will meet on March 8 to discuss the issue. With Sachin declining the offer, some members say that the university might not confer honorary doctorate in this year's convocation.

In a strange coincidence, two universities - RGUHS and University of Mysore - chose to honour the cricketer this year. The University of Mysore is yet to communicate to him their decision to honour him.

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Mistaken identity: Bangladesh fans attack Windies team bus

2011-03-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

DHAKA: The West Indies team bus came under attack from angry Bangladesh fans while it was leaving the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Mirpur on Friday evening.

The team was on its way back to the hotel at about 6.30 pm local time soon after a compelling nine-wicket victory over the hosts. There was a power failure and the area was plunged into darkness when the incident happened. The fans mistook the bus carrying the Bangladesh team, informed the local police chief. No player was injured in the incident but the window panes of the bus were cracked.

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle was, however, rather disturbed by the attack and immediately tweeted saying, "This is ridiculous!!! Damn!!! World Cup with so much security and this happens. Big joke. Trust me I'm not keen here. Every player lay flat!!!"

The West Indies team media manager Philip Spooner later informed that all the team members were safe. "We left the ground, on our way back to the hotel, a couple of stones did hit our window. Two windows were cracked, but not shattered. Both the teams are now back to the hotel and are safe.

"Everything is fine, everybody is safe. Nobody is injured, no one is hurt. Our manager will notify the respective boards and the ICC. He has spoken to the team and we will leave on Saturday. There is no panic, everybody is fine," Spooner wrote. "They thought that it was the Bangladesh team bus and hurled stones at it," said Imtiaz Ahmad, Mirpur's deputy police commissioner and chief of security.

Bangladesh Cricket Board president Mustafa Kamal apologized saying, "It is unfortunate. There was sufficient security, yet it happened. We are very sorry."

The BCB chief further said that the bus came under the attack soon after it moved out of the security ring of the police outside the stadium. "The stones were flung from afar and six of them hit the windows of the bus," said Kamal.

Spooner, however, said that only two stones hit the windows. The West Indies team will leave for India where they play Ireland in Chandigarh on March 11.

There were incidents of violence, elsewhere too, as fans were disgusted by the home team's poor display. A bus was torched at the Dhaka University (about 10 kms from the stadium) as students watching the match on a giant television screen lost their cool.

Shakib's house stoned

DHAKA: The angst of the Bangladeshi fans continued till late in the night here in Dhaka with the team captain Shakib Al Hasan's house too being targeted. Irate fans attacked Shakib's residence in Keshabmur area of Magura, around 100km southwest of the capital.

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World Cup: India-Ireland game tickets sold out

2011-03-04T03:16:00.000-08:00

BANGALORE: If after the India-England tie and Ireland's shock defeat of England, you had suddenly woken up and thought of queuing for a ticket to Sunday's game between India and Ireland, don't bother. "All tickets for the game are sold out," declared Javagal Srinath, the KSCA secretary, on Thursday. "The tickets went on sale from February 18 to 28 and are all gone," he added.

The former India pacer explained exactly where the tickets, all 39,221 of them, went. "With the chairs in the major portion of the gallery being removed, the capacity has gone up to 39,221 (from 38,000). Of this 31% were sold across our counters as well some other retail outlets. A further 21% were sold online, making it 52% for the public," he said.

Going by the stated figures, the KSCA has sold nearly 20,000 tickets to the public, up from the 7,000-odd they had said were sold for the India-England game. Those were the numbers sold at the counters, with online sales not being made public either by the KSCA or the online agency.

The remaining tickets for the India-Ireland game were accounted for by Srinath as follows: Clubs: 10%, corporate sales: 14%, ICC (free of cost tickets): 4%, ICC (option to buy tickets): 6%, BCCI / KSCA invitees: 13%, other state associations: 1%.

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World Cup: Indian team not taking chances for Ireland match

2011-03-04T03:09:00.000-08:00

BANGALORE: Ireland's upset victory over England must have certainly sent some danger signals to the Indian camp. The home team must have nursed thoughts of resting Zaheer Khan against Ireland in the next match on Sunday but this result could change everything. No wonder, the Indian paceman was in action at the nets at the KSCA B ground on Thursday.

Before Kevin O'Brien took the wind out of the England side on Wednesday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, there was a possibility that Zaheer Khan, India's bowling spearhead, would be wrapped in cotton wool and kept away from the matches against the minnows, who have all on a sudden become the dark horses. With the bowling line-up as fragile as Zaheer's body in recent times, it would have made great sense to keep the left-armer, who single-handedly changed the game around against England on Sunday last, away from action.

Not anymore, after Kevin O'Brien's assault on the English bowling and a total as big as 327 chased down in almost unrealistic fashion. But now India's main task is to beat Ireland in Bangalore on Sunday and the Netherlands in Delhi on Wednesday to qualify for the quarterfinal and then take stock to see if anyone needs to be rested.

Zaheer took his time taking to the ball but when he did, he didn't exactly hold back. He is not used to bowling too much at the nets and invariably will not bowl at all on match eve but as and when he does bowl, he is dead serious. So much so that even at the nets, he is one bowler who uses the measuring tape to mark his run-up.

On the morning, it was not just Zaheer who was serious. The bowlers were all there, perhaps having realized that they have come under flak for the right reasons; they must have also realised that a placid pitch does not mean they are helpless. Even Harbhajan Singh was seen flighting the ball for a change.

The most impressive was Ashish Nehra, whose one shout of anguish for a ball he dropped down the leg side to Virat Kohli said it all. The Indians have been doing a lot of planning in the last three days, mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton even holding a drawing board discussion before the start of the nets on Thursday. And obviously one of the points that must have come up is the futility of bowling on both sides of the wicket and making batting even easier in the batsmen-friendly conditions.

Interestingly, after India's tied game last Sunday, some reports underlined the fact that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was clueless when England, led by their own skipper Andrew Strauss, went on the rampage. But what could Dhoni have done if the simple practice of 'bowling to the field' was not followed. And just as he can't tell Sachin Tendulkar or Virender Sehwag how to bat, he cannot be expected to tell Harbhajan and company how and where to bowl.

Which is perhaps why the management, instead of having their boys spending all the time batting and bowling, started the morning practice by asking them to throw some tennis balls into buckets. It was probably an exercise to improve concentration and cohesion, whatever that meant. After that the team was persuaded by Tendulkar to unveil their own version of the sprinkler dance made famous by the English players after their Ashes triumph.

It may all may have been done to keep the spirits going but the bottom line is this: Come Sunday, India are up against another challenge. It may be against Ireland but the fact that the tickets have been sold out means that the fans at least haven't taken anything for granted.

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WI vs B'desh: West Indies beat B'desh by 9 wickets

2011-03-04T03:08:00.000-08:00

DHAKA: West Indies produced a thumping performance to beat Bangaldesh by 9 wickets in their World Cup Group B match at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Friday.

Earlier, Left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn claimed four wickets while Kemar Roach and Darren Sammy bagged three wickets each as West Indies destroyed World Cup co-hosts Bangladesh for 58 in their third match in Dhaka on Friday.

Bangladesh looked out of sorts from the very first over when paceman Roach had Tamim Iqbal caught by Sammy at second slip for a duck in the third ball of the innings.

Sammy, coming as first change bowler, struck with his third ball to take other opener Imrul Kayes for five.

Bangladesh never recovered from the damage and lost wickets at regular interval to be dismissed in 18.5 overs.

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Pakistan should not play quarters in India: Akram

2011-03-03T21:05:00.000-08:00

KARACHI: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi is right in saying that the team should top the group to avoid playing its quarterfinal match in India, feels former skipper Wasim Akram.

"I agree with what Afridi and coach Waqar Younis have said that they would not like to play their quarterfinal in India," Wasim said from Colombo.

The former fast bowling great pointed out that it would be better for Pakistan to play their quarterfinal in Sri Lanka or then in Bangladesh.

"In these two countries Pakistan will get a lot of support and many Pakistani supporters will find it easier to reach these countries to back their team compared to India," Wasim said.

He said there was always extra pressure playing in India for Pakistani players and that is why they were looking at remaining in Sri Lanka for their quarterfinal.

"But I don't think it will be a problem playing their semifinal or final in India because by that time the team would have played a knockout match and would be over their nerves," he added.

Wasim also advised the Pakistan team to avoid giving too many statements in the media.

"I think their main focus should be on cricket you don't need to discuss everything in the media. There should be an element of secrecy about which team you are playing or if any player is unfit. No need to discuss everything in the press," he said.

Pakistan's former captain Imran Khan also backed the policy of players giving minimum statements in the press.

"It also depends on who is speaking because when you come into the media you must be able to express your thoughts clearly many times I have seen that cricketers have landed up in trouble because what they wanted to say and what they eventually said was not the same thing," Imran stated.

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World Cup: Indian team not taking chances for Ireland match

2011-03-03T21:04:00.001-08:00

Muralitharan itching to have a go at Ponting & Co before his exit

2011-03-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

COLOMBO: Muttiah Muralitharan and Australia go back a long way. It's a relationship that started off on a terribly acrimonious note 16 years ago, when the legendary off-spinner was called for chucking for the first time Down Under. Over the years, it kept getting worse, with even the Australian Prime Minister openly questioning the world's highest Test and ODI wicket taker's action.

Of late, though, it has only got better. To the extent that the Aussies were keen on flying down the Lankan great to impart a lesson or two to their budding tweakers, a possibility that would seem like a joke when the tensions were at their worst between the two parties.

With Muralitharan in the final twilight of a glorious career, all bad blood seems to be a thing of the past... but there is still something about Australia that fires up the old fox. Before he walks away from the limelight, Murali would love to make the Aussies dance to his tune for one last time. And his words before Sri Lanka's big game against Australia on Saturday night at the Premadasa radiated as much. The 38-year-old is in no mood to take Australia's no-more-invincibles status for granted. For him, the challenge won't be easy, but it will have to be won.

"Australia have won in all conditions. They have won the last three World Cups in a row. They are still the No 1 side in one-day cricket. They are the team everybody wants to beat," he cautioned on Thursday after the Lankans sweated it out for three hours at the P Sara Oval to brace up for the bout.

The Aussies have looked inadequate against spin, both in the warm-up games and in the opener against Zimbabwe. Murali, however, doesn't think that the Aussies look under-cooked against a turning ball, and lack experience. "Whether it is spin or pace, the Aussies play it well and are experienced. They have players who have been there for eight-nine years in the team," he points out.

Sri Lanka won their first-ever ODI series against Australia last year Down Under. Shouldn't that be a major confidence booster? "That win was memorable and we can take heart from it, but this is a new game, and that result counts for nothing."

The newly-laid Premadasa pitch too should reduce the Aussie fears, he assures. "It is not a typically Sri Lankan wicket, the batsmen can hit the ball around. It will basically be 50-50. The wicket takes a bit of spin, but remains good for batting," he says.

The spin king then tried to lessen the hype around the clash. "We are just taking it just as another game. Our main objective is to qualify for the quarterfinals."

In between, he wanted to treat this as "just another game". "Everyone in the team is upbeat. We are anxious to beat them," he said. When an Aussie journalist asked him if he would have loved to have more left-handers amidst Ricky Ponting & Co, he flashed a cheeky smile, before saying: "It doesn't matter. I love bowling to the right-handers more than the left-handers."

The match, going by Murali's words, won't be able to match the abnormally high-scoring epics that India is witnessing. "In Sri Lanka, if you are really batting well, you can score more than 300. But in Indian conditions, smaller grounds and faster outfields mean 350 is achievable."

Murali conveyed his displeasure about the "stupid" spot-fixing allegations against a couple of players in the Lankan team and "the need to play well rather be emotional about this being my final World Cup," but he was open to the idea of helping spinners in any part of the world in the future, even Australia. "If anyone wants my expertise, I will definitely help. It is something God has given me. And it is something that I can pass on to other people."

Before doing all that, he surely wants one more 'parting' crack at the Aussies.

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Sachin and India: Tale of two majestic growth stories

2011-03-03T03:28:00.000-08:00

The 1990s was a time of awakening for the Indian economy. It was a time of VCRs, Walkmans and Maruti-800s. It was an age when still cameras needed roll film, there was only one Bachchan, Air India was still making money and the gift-toting NRI uncle was treated as a VIP. It was also the era of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.

If Manmohan Singh broke the shackles of the nation's economy in 1991, the same happened on the cricket field through the bulky bat of a 5-foot-5 batsman with a squeaky voice and the most vicious on-drive ever. Tendulkar, with his middle-class upbringing in suburban Mumbai's Sahitya Sahawas, went where no man had gone before.

As our economy began its majestic rise, the nation saw hope in this genius from Indian cricket's capital. Finally, we had a player who went after the impossible. If Gavaskar was the man who staved off defeat, Tendulkar was the prodigy who always eyed victory... he was the competitor who gave the opposition a taste of their own medicine. Cowed down for years, it was time for India to hit back, whether in business or on the cricket pitch — and hit back we did, with aplomb.

In Sachin, Indians saw the aggression of Richards, the technique of Gavaskar, and the heart of Kapil. And when he entertained them, they forgot their troubles, rooting for the "little bundle of dynamite" who made 'blond bombers' look pedestrian. For Sachin, failure was not an option. Old women prayed for him, executives skipped office, and an entire generation dreamt of becoming cricketers. While the 'Little Champion' was at the crease, there was always hope.

Carrying a super-heavy bat, synonymous with the burden of the nation he bore, he had his days on the pitch and as had our roaring economy. If there was desert storm in Sharjah where he single-handedly destroyed the Australian attack), then there was also the sensex crossing the 10,000 mark. 'Sensexational' said one TOI headline, 'Batman Begins' said another. Our forex reserves went up at the same speed with which 'Tendlya' accumulated hundreds. "We lost to Sachin," Aussie captain Steve Waugh once said.

As India's software engineers began putting their stamp on global markets, a resurgent Team India, inspired by Sachin, started doing something they had rarely done before — winning abroad. Once that barrier was breached, there was no looking back.

Of course, it's not just his batting talent that has always been revered (or the fact that he turns the ball more than any Indian spinner)...but also the humility that this magician brings to the turf. This is the same person who sits atop a mountain of advertizing cash. Remember the commercial where every kid wears a Sachin mask, or the one where the soundtrack screams 'Sachin aala re', echoing the thoughts of millions of Indians. Even now, he seems omnipresent.

Through the years, as India's economy gained momentum, the economy of the Tendulkar household didn't do too badly either. Sachin's pathbreaking multi-crore deal with WorldTel made him cricket's first millionaire. Not that he let it affect his game. He stayed in the zone, the monk with the Ferrari.

Now, 20 years after the reforms that transformed our sleeping economy into a crouching tiger, and ages after an enthusiastic boy convinced his skipper to let him open the innings, we are one of the two fastest growing big economies in the world, while that teen with the squeaky voice has become a legend. Still, when he goes out to bat, India holds its breath.

Batting for posterity
• Sachin has scored highest aggregate runs and maximum 100s and 50s in both Tests and ODIs game. He also holds the record of most 90s in ODI, getting out 18 times in the 90s
• Has hit 1,943 ODI and 1,892 Test fours, which is the highest for any batsman
• Played 177 Tests and 446 ODIs, the highest by any player
• His 21-year, 71-day career is the longest among current players as well as cricketers who have played more than 100 Tests
• Is the only player to score more than 1000 Test runs six times and 1000 ODI runs seven times in a calendar year
• In the 2002-03 ICC World Cup, he scored 673 runs, the highest for any player
• In 1998, he scored 1,894 runs in ODIs, the highest number of runs scored by any batsman in a calendar year
• Has scored 9 hundreds against Australia, the highest against any team by a single batsman
• Has scored 1,778 runs in the 42 innings he has played at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in UAE, his highest on any ground
• Has faced 778 different bowlers, of whom 528 have failed to get him out even once
• Of the 250 bowlers who managed to get him out, Brett Lee has been the most successful, scalping him 14 times
• Sachin has scored 600 runs off Muralitharan, his highest off any bowler
• Has faced 47,788 balls in international cricket. This is equal to 7,965 overs
• In his over 21-year career, he has spent 1,145 hours on the pitch
• The total distance he has run to score all these runs works out to 711 km

Breaking loose
• Where It All Began | New industrial policy announced on July 24, 1991, opening up several sectors to private players and doing away with licences in many others
• Coming of NSE | Incorporated in Nov 1992, recognized as stock exchange in April 1993; debt market trading begins in June 1994, equity market in Nov 1994
• Privatization of Skies | 1992 private airlines allowed to fly scheduled flights. East-West, Air Sahara, Modiluft, Jet Airways among the early entrants
• FIIs Enter Market | Jan 1993 (just $200,000 over the whole month)
• Growth Rate | In 1994-95 (6.4%), 1995-96 and 1996-97 (8.0%), GDP grows at 6%-plus for three years running for the first time. In 2005-06 (9.5%), 2006-07 (9.7%) and 2007-08 (9.2%), it grows at 9%-plus for three years in a row
• Internet entry/penetration | VSNL offers dial-up net connections in six cities on Aug 14, 1995. The number of users in India has now crossed an estimated 100 million
• Delhi Metro Launch | DMRC incorporated on March 5, 1995, construction starts on October 1, 1998, first segment (Shahdara to Tis Hazari) inaugurated on Dec 24, 2002
• Golden Quadrilateral | In 1999, work starts on project to link Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Chennai, Chennai-Kolkata and Kolkata-Delhi through four-lane highways totalling over 5,800 km
• IT Superpower | Infosys and NIIT become first IT scrips in sensex on Nov 16, 1998; Satyam follows on Apr 10, 2000, HCL Technologies on Jan 10, 2002, and Wipro on Nov 10, 2003
• Malls/multiplexes | Crossroads Mall opens in Mumbai in Sep 1999, perhaps the first such complex in India
• NREGA | Enacted on August 25, 2005, scheme launched on Feb 2, 2006 from Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh
• Mobiles cross 50-million mark | In 2005. In Oct 2004, no. of mobile subscribers (44.51 million) crossed no. of fixed line subscribers (43.96 million) for the first time
• Auto Sales | Annual passenger vehicles sales cross 1 million for the first time in 2004-05. Sales of all categories of vehicles cross 10-million mark two years later in 2006-07
• Sensex crosses 10k mark | February 6, 2006 intra-day, February 7, 2006 close
• Dish TV | First allowed in India in July 2006, there are now six DTH service providers with total subscribers estimated at 20 million.
• IPL | Started in 2008
• Nano's entry | Arguably the world's cheapest car rolls out on June 3, 2010

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UDRS fine with me, says Vettori

2011-03-03T03:27:00.000-08:00

AHMEDABAD: The controversial Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) has been in news after Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni termed the system as flawed.

However, New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori, whose team plays Zimbabwe at Motera Stadium on Friday, gave full marks to the system. "I have always maintained in the last two years that UDRS is good for the game," said the Kiwi skipper.

Coming to New Zealand's immediate task in the tournament, Vettori said the match against Zimbabwe was a must-win for both the teams. He said that though it will be a disadvantage for them to have not played Zimbabwe too often, the Black Caps are up for the task. "We have not seen too much of them recently. But we are in a must-win situation and have to play well to progress to the knockout stage," the skipper said.

"We have seen different kind of attacks in this tournament. If it was pace in the match against the Aussies, here it will be a lot of spin. But we are prepared for what Zimbabwe have got - a variety of spinners," he said.

When asked if New Zealand, like Zimbabwe, would go for spin first up, the skipper said it would depend on what team they would actually field.

"We have done that in both our previous games. The wicket here is pretty good. We played a Test match here not so long ago and we know it's going to be a good wicket," Vettori said.

He quickly added that New Zealand would surely play two spinners as it gives them the right balance. "Nathan Mc-Cullum and myself give the team a good balance as both of us we can bat as well," said Vettori adding that Kyle Mills, who had missed first two matches, is fit and likely to share the new ball with Tim Southee.

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British press slams 'shamed' cricketers after Irish loss

2011-03-03T03:24:00.001-08:00

LONDON: England's "shamed" cricketers came in for a slogging in the British press on Thursday after they crashed to a humiliating defeat against minnows Ireland in their World Cup match in Bangalore.

"England shamed by O'Brien," the tabloid Sun said in its headline.

"England were left looking like a pub side as Kevin O'Brien smashed the fastest ever World Cup century," the paper claimed.

England looked to be cruising in Wednesday's Group B match after accumulating 327 in their innings and reducing Ireland to 111/5. At this point, odds of an Ireland win were as long as 400-1.

However, pink-haired all-rounder O'Brien, who had never reached fifty in his nine previous World Cup innings, blasted a scintillating century to turn the match on its head.

The Telegraph's editorial attempted to put the shock three-wicket defeat into context.

"Over the years, England's national sports teams have been on the wrong end of some infamous defeats," it said.

"Until yesterday, America's 1-0 victory in the football World Cup of 1950 was probably the most notorious. But the extraordinary triumph of Ireland's cricketers in their World Cup group match in Bangalore must rank alongside any sporting upset of yore."

Richard Hobson, writing in The Times, lauded the swashbuckling batsman's unusual style.

"With dyed pink hair, Kevin O'Brien looked more like the frontman in a punk rock band than a cricketer yesterday and there was a strong element of punk about the innings that has left England clinging to their World Cup place," Hobson wrote.

"Bold and brash, raw and uninhibited, it was the equivalent of a snarling, two-fingered salute to the mainstream," he added.

The Telegraph's Simon Briggs highlighted O'Brien's unorthodox journey from club cricketer for the Papplewick and Railway Union teams to World Cup matchwinner.

"If it is a long way from Papplewick and Railway Union to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, the shift from club cricket to the World Cup must be bigger still.

"But on the evidence of this insouciant innings, no one has told Kevin O'Brien, England's demolition man," Briggs added.

BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew predicted England would find it hard to regroup after the breathtaking defeat.

"We've had a week of superlatives in Bangalore - the greatest matches, the greatest centuries in England's game against India, but clearly as a one-day innings Kevin O'Brien's magnificent 113 from 63 balls is up there with the best of them.

"England will be devastated by this result, (they) look like a team that will not go any further than the quarter-finals," Agnew said.

The Guardian's Kevin Mitchell echoed Agnew's concerns.

"Nobody in the aftermath on Wednesday seemed able to put a name to the malaise," Mitchell said.

"It was not tiredness... or was it a lack of diligence on the practice field, said those close to the action. However, through the prism of television at home, the image was clear enough in their body language."

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It's experiment time for Dhoni & Co

2011-03-03T03:24:00.000-08:00

BANGALORE: Just consider this: Indians have played their matches on a Saturday, Sunday and are again slated to play on Sunday. Maybe, it is just coincidence; maybe, it was planned. After all television companies have to get a return on their huge investment and thus the reluctance to take a chance even with India matches on weekdays.

The schedule has anyway given India enough rest between matches to recharge, not just physically but also mentally. For the past two days now, post the hard-fought tie against England, the Indians have been taking it easy in the team hotel, taking their mind off cricket and doing just enough with their bodies to keep them tuned.

On Wednesday, keeping in mind the afternoon match between England and Ireland, eight of the team members went through a light morning session at the KSCA B ground, while the seniors Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh stayed away along with Sreesanth and Suresh Raina. Dasher Virender Sehwag, away in Delhi to consult his personal doctor, hadn't rejoined the team until the evening.

With three more days to go for the match against Ireland (March 6), which will be followed by the one against the Netherlands in Delhi on March 9, the think-tank has obviously been busy.

Having found it tough to defend two totals of well above 300, questions are bound to have come up about the combinations to field in the remaining matches. Whether to stick to the four bowlers-seven batsmen theory, one that has served them for a long time, or if a fifth bowler at the expense of the seventh batsman would be the better option, would be the topics of discussion.

To chase or set targets in case they win the toss again is also likely to be debated. The standard practice is in day-night conditions a team winning the toss would bat first unless there are definite chances of dew. Well, accepted standards have to be set aside as the Indians have encountered some unusual problems, especially after having done so well with the bat.

A lot of work then for the think tank first, followed naturally by the implementation of those final plans. With two minnows up next, it is time to try out a few plans.

Praveen back after surgery

Along with the Indian World Cuppers, also present at the NCA on Wednesday, for altogether different purposes, were VVS Laxman and Praveen Kumar. Having missed out on the World Cup after being part of the original squad, Praveen is in town to continue his rehabilitation.

Only last week Andrew Wallace, the same surgeon who has treated Tendulkar in the past and whom Praveen had consulted for an opinion that led to his exit from the World Cup team, operated upon Praveen's elbow in London.

Back after the surgery, the seamer spent some time on Wednesday chatting with Ashish Nehra, himself affected by back spasms for the past week or so. Nehra, incidentally bowled off a full run-up on the day.

Test batting star Laxman, also rehabilitating after issues with his back, has been in Bangalore for the past couple of days.

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Why India doesn't look like a Cup winner

2011-03-01T21:11:00.000-08:00

It's rather bizarre when the captain of the national team walks into a press conference after a game and blames the conditions on the back of one of the most clueless bowling and fielding displays in recent memory.

In a way, that statement sums up the situation: India's problems lie with the bowling and fielding but there is little or nothing that the captain can do about it (he in fact admitted in that same presser that there was nothing he could do about the fielding), so the only thing left really is to blame the conditions.

The batting, mercifully, seems to be in top form with two near-perfect performances in Mirpur and Bangalore, but against that, a bowling unit that could not defend 338 runs under lights against an England team coming off a 6-1 defeat and with a dismal track record in Indian conditions does not augur well for India's prospects in this Cup.

Restrict or dismiss?

One of the most interesting things about this Indian bowling attack is that it is not designed to dismiss the opposition, but merely to restrict the runs they score. In other words, this attack's job description is damage control, whether we bowl first or last. The problem therefore is two fold: As any novice knows, the only way to really check run-scoring is by wickets and by not being able to do that, the bowling unit ensures that the pressure on it, and on the team's batting, is relentless. Secondly, to really perform even a defensive role to optimum, the bowlers need support in the field -- and India is by far the worst fielding unit in this competition. Keep in mind that this is not the IPL with very short boundaries; these games are being played on larger grounds, and that means that the slow Indian fielders have more ground to cover, and end up conceding easy twos where other teams keep things down to a single or none. And - the real bad news - Dhoni has admitted in as many words that India has slow movers in the field, and hence the fielding is not likely to improve by much.

So that is the situation - a bowling unit with a defensive mindset, and a fielding unit that is not geared to back up that game plan.

Clueless bowling upfront

The bowling performance against England was a mix of heightened complacency, glaring incompetence and tactical naivete. The team seemed to think that by virtue of having put 338 runs on the board, the game was already won and all anyone had to do was roll their arms over, for England to roll over and play dead. The first few overs of the run-chase perhaps accentuates this point: the bowlers ran in with no field; the field placing was defensive in nature; and neither bowlers nor fielders showed any sign of intent, thus allowing the England openers to dominate from ball one. All of this was manifest in the amount of boundaries conceded on either side of the wicket, through a succession of short and wide half-trackers and gimme balls on the pads. Between them, Munaf and Zaheer bowled only 15 balls on full length in the entire game (and two of those deliveries got the wickets of Strauss and Pietersen).

Consider the effect, from a game plan point of view: If India's plan is to defend a high score and allow pressure to do its work, such bowling at the outset produced the reverse effect - by leaking free runs, it ensured that England was always ahead of India on the chase, and ended up reversing the pressure.

To make things worse, the captain and his bowlers appeared to be talking different languages. In the past, Dhoni has successfully used the defensive ploy, packing one side of the field and getting his bowlers to bowl with discipline on that side. Here, for instance, when he set a leg side field, the bowler responded with one short and wide of off stump; when he brought fine leg in to block the single, the bowler drifted the ball onto the pad, allowing the batsman to get the four through that region...

India now is confronted with the need for a major course correction. Its next game is against the Dutch, and India needs to put on the park a bowling side capable of taking ten wickets. The question is, who? Giving Sreesanth a go would be a good idea. Taking Harbhajan aside and asking him to forget his self-imposed role as container, and concentrate on wicket-taking, would be another. Ravichandra Ashwin, the naturally attacking off spinner, could well be given a go. One thing is for sure - if you only have four bowlers, and barring Zaheer the others are essentially defensive in nature, then when you go up against the bigger teams, it won't matter how many runs your batsmen get; the opposition will hunt the targets down with ease.

Spinners - predictable length, poor field placement

There has been much talk in the press about how the Indian bowling is heavily spin-based and why the so-called variety in the spin department gives India a good chance to go all the way. Piyush Chawla was preferred to Ravichandran Ashwin, probably because of past experience on a "warm-up" track against Australia and sadly, his performance didn’t come through. For starters, the basics were all over the place, his preferred length being short long-hops as opposed to the classic leg-spinner who earns his cents by tossing the ball up, fuller length at best. His start was predictably nervous, and as the game wore on, control became virtually non-existent. Secondly, whenever the lad decided to toss it up, he did so at a "sweeper’s length" and most of the English batsmen swept him without the need for thought. The other culprit there was in keeping with the theme of the show - field placements for well...bad bowling. As a leg-spinner, you would almost bargain for being hit against the turn or being driven, and a half-attacking field is by far the most important incentive you give a leggie, but in this case, you had the Indian skipper push people deeper as the game progressed, and somewhere that did affect Chawla. His length got shorter and shorter, even to some of the lower-order England batsmen.

Ditto for Harbhajan Singh, who by consensus is one of India’s "match-winning" bowlers. It was rather unusual to see Dhoni have a long on in place as Ian Bell walked out on the back of two quick wickets; what that did was tell the batsman that there was an easy, pressure-releasing single to be had at will. What made it worse was that such a mindset was deployed against a team that is considered weak against spin.

There is a quirk in the Dhoni style of captaincy that few talk about. When he has relatively smaller totals to defend (as for instance in the warm up against Australia) he attacks and looks for wickets. But whenever his batsmen gives him runs to work with, he reflexively tends to defend. There is a problem here: if you don't trust your bowlers to attack and get you wickets, the bowlers will over time adopt a defensive posture almost as a matter of course. Harbhajan is a case in point. And the question is, if you don't attack when you have three hundred and more on the board, then when?

Disappointingly, and similar to Kumar Sangakkara's Sri Lanka the previous day against Pakistan, India's spin attack almost runs out of ideas when there are two set batsmen on the wicket. They start bowling shorter lengths, the flight is almost non-existent, the field is often an invitation for the batsmen to keep doing what they prefer, and with a fielding unit that's not the quickest around, not enough pressure is created. The middle-overs are where the Indian fielders put up a body language that reflects utmost disinterest in proceedings, when a tight performance is what will really help bowlers at a time when the opposition is looking to consolidate.

Fear of defeat

Based on the evidence of the last two games, the mindset of the Indian bowlers and fielding unit seems to be a fear of defeat, probably because of the hype and heightened levels of expectation that India will win the Cup. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the case, prompting Dhoni to seek refuge in safe, defensive and conservative tactics.

In many ways, this campaign is a unique one for India, in the sense that they're not just the on-paper favourites (as they usually are in every World Cup, thanks to the hype machine) but one that has the conditions, the home support, and at least as far as the batting is concerned, the players to go all the way.

For that to happen, though, two things are mandatory: The team mindset needs to shift into one of relentless aggression, and the bowling unit as one has to put its hand up and shift its focus to striking hard and often, irrespective of the totals the batsmen put up.

The good bit is, the weaknesses are not out in the open - and India has two games against the associate nations to get its ducks back in a row.

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