Saina beats Shixian to cap brilliant year with 4th Super Series title Read more: Saina beats Shixian to cap brilliant year with 4th Super Series titl

HYDERABAD: The dragon-slayer is back. Packing lots of venom in her smashes, moving swiftly on the court and employing deception in the drops to devastating effect, Saina Nehwal landed her career's best win by clinching the Hong Kong Super Series title. In a pulsating final on Sunday, Saina tamed Shixian Wang of China 15-21, 21-16, 21-17.

Capping a path-breaking year with a scintillating show, the shuttle sensation silenced the critics who questioned her ability to tackle the Chinese, who fear only two players in the world - Saina and Tine Baun. Though they have managed to work out Tine, Saina has been a thorn in the flesh. Their worst fears came true when the Hyderabadi stunned their Asian Games gold medallist.

Saina, who broke into the top five in March, won three back-to-back titles this June, the Commonwealth gold in October and the prestigious Hong Kong Super Series on Sunday.

"This is the biggest victory of my career. I am feeling great. This has been a brilliant year for me and finishing the season with a big win is just amazing. I can't ask for more," Saina said from Hong Kong.

Saina had lost to Shixian in the quarterfinals of the World Championships. "I have been saying that she's not a very tough player. I am always confident playing her. But beating Pui Yin Yip (to whom Saina lost in the Asiad quarters) and Shixian is really pleasing. This being the last big tournament of the year, I wanted to give my best," Saina said.

Saina was off to a shaky start losing the first game 15-21 but stormed back in style taking the next two games. The 71-minute battle between the gritty 20-year-olds witnessed long rallies, power-packed cross court smashes and even bodyline hits.

Saina shot off to an early lead of 11-5 in the second game and did well to keep the momentum going. Starting on the tougher side in the decider, Saina went into the break with a 11-9 lead and once she moved to the comfortable side of the court, she dominated her rival.

"It's a fantastic victory, the best in her career so far. She has been very consistent throughout the year. We will work hard towards sustaining the momentum," said her coach Pullela Gopichand. Even after this win there may not be a great jump in her ranking. She may still remain at four or move to No.3.

Read more: Saina beats Shixian to cap brilliant year with 4th Super Series title - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/badminton/Saina-beats-Shixian-to-cap-brilliant-year-with-4th-Super-Series-title/articleshow/7089623.cms#ixzz17xzBFQGj

Injury scare for Tendulkar, hit on helmet during practice

CAPE TOWN: The Indian cricket team suffered an injury scare as Sachin Tendulkar escaped unhurt after he was hit on the helmet by a rising delivery from fast bowler Umesh Yadav during pre-series training at coach Gary Kirsten's academy.

A delivery from the uncapped right-arm paceman caught Tendulkar by surprise as it hit the left side of his helmet as he ducked, expecting the ball to rear up higher and pass overhead during the morning training session at Claremont Cricket Club last evening.

Tendulkar, who was among the second batch of players who reached, took the very audible whack with great calmness, even as colleagues in both his and the other nets swiftly turned heads out of concern for his well-being.

The 37-year-old veteran of 174 Tests simply stooped a little, removed the helmet and inspected it, while Yadav rushed in but heaved a sigh of relief after laying his hands on Tendulkar's head which apparently did not have any signs of taking the blow.

Tendulkar then carried on serenely as if nothing had happened and shortly afterwards S Sreesanth sent him a shortish ball that barely climbed knee height, which caused some amusement.

He was batting on a strip which was with some up-and-down sort of bounce apparently prepared by Kirsten as part of preparations for the three-match Tests series against South Africa starting at Centurion on December 16.

"You can't control these sorts of situations in a net environment. It even happens in India; guys get hit on the glove and so on. You just have to hope nothing too serious occurs," said Kirsten afterwards of Tendulkar's minor scare.

"Interestingly enough the one net here is pretty flat and low and the other is going around a bit. The guys wanted to use the one that was more (spicy). I'm pretty excited about that; we'll use the one that's going around a bit again tomorrow," he said.

Kirsten wanted to simulate the South African pitch conditions as best as possible as India are not having any warm-up game before the Test series.

The Indian squad will reach Centurion on Monday.


Read more: Injury scare for Tendulkar, hit on helmet during practice - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-south-africa/top-stories/Injury-scare-for-Tendulkar-hit-on-helmet-during-practice/articleshow/7078394.cms#ixzz17m73ExFM

Tendulkar turns down record liquor endorsement offer

MUMBAI: True to his promise and character, Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar has refused a mega offer to endorse a liquor brand. Experts in the commercial endorsement business say it would have been the highest-ever deal for an Indian sportsperson had it been clinched.

A spokesperson from World Sports Group (WSG) -- who look after his endorsements -- confirmed the offer but said they cannot give details of the deal offered. "He did get an offer but we are not in a position to name the company or give details of the offer," said the WSG spokesperson.

TOI has learnt that the offer, a one-year contract, was much higher than what Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently signed for a three-year deal with Vijay Mallya's UB Group, which is worth Rs 26 crores. Sources say Tendulkar was offered as much as Rs 20 crore annually.

A former player who is also close to Tendulkar said the maestro is living up to the promise he made to his father Ramesh Tendulkar many years ago. "His father had advised him against endorsing alcohol-related or tobacco products soon after he had made the Indian Test team.

Anyways, money can never lure Tendulkar and this offer is a classic example of how he believes in his principles and values his cricket," said the player who once led India to a famous win under Tendulkar's guidance.

The general belief is that the UB Group approached Tendulkar with the deal before signing Dhoni but Arun Pandey, who heads Rhiti Sports Management and is a close business associate of the Indian captain, said they have no idea about it. "We have no knowledge about who approached Tendulkar or the offer that was made to him," said Pandey.

Besides Dhoni, the UB Group has also signed up four other players for promotion of their brand McDowells.

Read more: Tendulkar turns down record liquor endorsement offer - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Tendulkar-turns-down-record-liquor-endorsement-offer/articleshow/7080733.cms#ixzz17m5HpKvo

India clean sweep ODI series against Kiwis

CHENNAI: India rode on a clinical show by their bowlers and Parthiv Patel's unbeaten half century as they crushed a hapless New Zealand by eight wickets in the fifth and final one-dayer to complete a 5-0 series whitewash on Friday.


Stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir lost the toss but that proved to be a blessing in disguise as Indian bowlers came up with a disciplined effort to bundle out New Zealand for 103 in just 27 overs, the lowest total for the Kiwis against India in ODIs.

Chasing a meagre 104 for a win, India stuttered initially with Gautam Gambhir (0) and Virat Kohli (2) falling early but Prathiv (56 not out) and Yuvraj Singh (42 not out) kept their cool to take the home side past the target with 28.5 overs to spare at the M A Chidambaram Stadium.

Patel struck the winning runs - a four - as India reached 107 for two in 21.1 overs to rout New Zealand and wrap up a remarkable performance by a young side without senior players Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh.

It was India's second instance of a 5-0 series whitewash against any country, having achieved the feat against England in 2008-09.

This also turned out to be best ever victory against New Zealand by India in one dayers. India won this match with 173 balls to spare with eight wickets in hand, its earlier best against the Kiwis was 160 balls to spare with seven wickets to spare.

New Zealand ended their tour of India on a humiliating note. They had lost the three-match Test series 0-1 before the five ODIs. The loss in the fifth ODI was also their 11 on the trot after beating India by 200 runs at Dambulla on August 10.

India, however, made a wobbly start in their run chase with Gambhir, who had scored back-to-back centuries to end as series top-scorer, dismissed cheaply in the third ball for a duck.

Gambhir edged a Nathan McCullum delivery to wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum when he went for a cut shot and three overs later Kohli was caught at the slip by Ross Taylor off captain Daniel Vettori to leave India at 10 for two in the fourth over.

The target was too small to bother India but Yuvraj and Parthiv played sensibly as they settled down without taking much risk. But once they settled down, the Indian duo was not troubled by the New Zealand bowlers.

Parthiv hit Kyle Mills for three fours in the ninth over before hoisting Vettori for a six. Yuvraj also joined the party with a four and a six off Nathan McCullum in the same over. He also hoisted Grant Elliot for another six towards the close of run chase.

Parthiv's unbeaten 56 came from 70 balls from which he hit six fours and a six while Yuvraj's 46-ball unbeaten 42 was studded with six fours and two sixes.

Earlier, India put up an impressive bowling display to bundle out a struggling New Zealand for a paltry 103.

Off-spinner R Ashim continued to impress with figures of three for 24 while Ashish (2/34), Yuvraj Singh (2/5) and Yusuf Pathan (2/11) scalped two wickets each to destroy the Kiwis.

New Zealand's 103 is the lowest by a team against India and also the lowest in the ground after Zimbabwe's 139 against Australia on October 30, 1987.

New Zealand's struggle can be gauged from the fact that only four of their batsmen - Brendon McCullum (14), Jamie How (23), Scott Styris (24) and James Franklin (17 not out) - could manage double figures.

Opting to bat after winning the toss, New Zealand never got going as they lost wickets at regulare intervals to finally surrender at 103 in 27 overs.

Praveen Kumar (1/20) started New Zealand's downfall when he had opener Martin Guptill caught behind by Parthiv Patel in the fourth ball with the visitors yet to open their account.

McCullum, who looked susceptible during his stay at the crease, followed suit when he was caught plumb in front of the wicket by Ashish Nehra after the batsmen went for a wild cross-batted shot. His 10-ball stay at the wicket was studded with three hits to the fence.

It was double delight for Nehra in his next over when he achieved his 150th career wicket in the form of Ross Taylor.

Making good use of the extra bounce, Nehra sent a short delivery to Taylor (9), who went for a pull only to get a top-edge, which was gleefully accepted by Patel to leave New Zealand reeling at 28 for three.

How and Styris then tried to ressurect the Kiwi innings with an 43-run fourth wicket stand before three quick wickets in a span of four runs did the visitors in.

Yuvraj, Ashwin and Pathan then combined well with the ball to destroy the Kiwis.

Yuvraj started it all, first castling How's timbers and then getting Elliot lbw for a duck in consecutive overs.

In between Ashwin removed dangerman Styris and then Pathan too chipped in with the wickets of Daniel Vettori (9) and Nathan MCCullum in consecutive overs to reduce New Zealand to 92 for seven in 24 overs.

If not for Franklin's gutsy 24-ball 17, New Zealand would have struggled to cross the 100-run mark.

Ashwin signed it off for India in the fourth and sixth delivery of the 27th over, claiming the last two Kiwi batsmen - Kyle Mills and Tim Southee.

Read more: India clean sweep ODI series against Kiwis - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/new-zealand-in-india/top-stories/India-clean-sweep-ODI-series-against-Kiwis/articleshow/7077669.cms#ixzz17iSE8ZrD

Kapil, Richards, Imran back India but Ranatunga bats for Lanka

NEW DELHI: Kapil Dev and Sir Vivian Richards feel that India are run-away favourites to win next year's ICC Cricket World Cup, but Imran Khan and Arjuna Ranatunga added a note of caution about their ability to soak in the pressure of playing at home.

That, in a nutshell, was how the former captains and legends in their own rights felt about how things will pan out in a couple of months' time as the marquee event starts on February 19.

"They are the No. 1 in the world (in Test matches) and have a volatile crowd behind them. They have something to defend. The team is going to South Africa where pitches will be different but it can prove to be helpful as they prepare for the World Cup," legendary West Indian batsman Richards, who was the member of the 1975 and 1979 World Cup winning squad, said.

'King Richards', however, wasn't too sure about how West Indies will perform although he admitted that the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard do have the talent to go the distance.

"Some prayer would obviously help," he said in lighter vein. "On a serious note, they do have the talent but they need to get things organised a bit. May be they need a catalyst who could inspire them like Arjuna did with the Sri Lankan team during the 1996 World Cup."

For Kapil Dev, the first step should be towards reaching the semifinal and taking it from there.

"If you want to win the World Cup, you need to play well in those 20-30 days. Also the fact that they are going to South Africa before that would be of great help like we had a tough tour of West Indies right before the 1983 World Cup. We played tough cricket in the Windies and subsequently in the World Cup.

"Similarly if the Indians do well in South Africa, it would be a great confidence booster. Even if they don't, they know they will be playing in front of the home crowd," Kapil said pointing out that the likes of Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir will play key roles.

About Harbhajan Singh's lean patch with the ball, Kapil said, "It's matter of time before he gets back to form. The only thing is that he needs to mentally feel that he can do it."

While Imran Khan termed India as favourites, he cited how West Indies and Pakistan were favourites in the 1983 and 1987 editions but buckled down under pressure.

"I remember going into the semifinal feeling confident. However, we made mistakes and couldn't handle the pressure. The same thing happened with West Indies in 1983. Just after Viv got out, they wilted under pressure," Imran said.

The iconic former Pakistan skipper also said that the key to winning World Cup lay in having two batsmen who can play well throughout the tournament and others building the innings around their knocks.

Sri Lanka's World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga termed his country as favourites and didn't forget to mention that Indians tend to crumble when they play in front of huge crowds in pressure cooker situation.

"I have seen the Indian team fail in pressure situations while playing in front of 100,000 people. There are times when the expectations are huge and it takes a toll," Ranatunga said.

The burly former skipper feels that Lankans have a potent combination with experienced players such as Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga, Muralitharan to name a few.

"However, I believe the team of 1996 had a better middle-order as we had players such as Aravinda D'Silva, Asanka Gurusinha, myself, Roshan Mahanama, Hasan Tillekratne."

Read more: Kapil, Richards, Imran back India but Ranatunga bats for Lanka - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/Kapil-Richards-Imran-back-India-but-Ranatunga-bats-for-Lanka/articleshow/7071195.cms#ixzz17gNAo6hj

Rampaging India look for series whitewash

CHENNAI: High on confidence after steamrolling the opposition in the first three matches before snatching an improbable win in the next, a rampaging India would look to rout New Zealand with a 5-0 series whitewash in the fifth and final one-dayer on Friday.

The young Indian side have done remarkably well in the series in the absence of senior players like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh who have been rested ahead of the tough tour to South Africa.

A 5-0 series whitewash would be a sweet revenge for India for the 2-5 drubbing during their visit to New Zealand in 2003. It would also be a humiliating defeat for New Zealand since the two sides played each other since 1975-76.

Fortunately for cricket fans in Chennai, who have seen abandonment of matches due to inclement weather in the recent past, sun has come out brightly since Wednesday after continuous rain for the past few days.

With weather gods relenting, the ground is expected to be fully dry up and a full match appears to be on the card at the M A Chidambaram Stadium.

Most of the top-order Indian batsmen have been among runs in the series, with the exception of Murali Vijay, and one or two have raised their hands in all the four previous matches to take the side to comfortable victories.

The only time India had hiccups in the series was in Bangalore on Tuesday with the home side in trouble at 188/5 at one stage while chasing a daunting target of 316 runs.

But from the way Yusuf Pathan butchered New Zealand bowlers to single-handedly take India to a five-wicket victory with seven balls remaining, it seemed that this young side would not lose any match in this series.

Yusuf's blitzkrieg unbeaten 123 of 96 balls and useful contributions from Saurabh Tiwary (37 not out), Rohit Sharma (44) and Parthiv Patel (53) must have boosted the confidence of the side that they can go for a whitewash.

Stand in skipper Gautam Gambhir has led from the front, hitting back to back centuries to top the batting averages for four matches. Gambhir has scored 329 runs with an average of 164.50, followed by Virat Kohli (232 runs; 77.33 average).

Gambhir himself was upbeat with the chance to complete a memorable series clean sweep.

"We need to win this game. It is important. It would be good to have five wins in a row and wind up the series before heading for South Africa and it would be useful," he said.

In the bowling front though, India will have to improve upon their performance in the last ODI in Bangalore where they leaked runs at the death overs, an oft-repeated problem for the side.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has done a decent job in the series so far with eight wickets from four matches though he was expensive in the last ODI. Yusuf and Yuvraj Singh have also chipped in with useful contributions with six and three wickets with the former taking 3/49 in Bangalore.

Left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra has been a bit of a let down having taken just three wickets in the four matches by conceding 197 runs. Zaheer Khan, having missed the first two ODIs due to injury, has taken two from the two matches.

For New Zealand though it has been a tough tour of India having lost the three-match Test series 0-1 and an ODI whitewash looming.

The Daniel Vettori-led side would, however, be happy with the way they had cornered India in Bangalore before a Yusuf special bailed the home side out.

New Zealand top-order batsmen fired in unison for the first time in the series in Bangalore to post 315 and Vettori would be looking for a repeat of that here if the visitors want to end their otherwise forgettable tour on a winning note.

After a much-improved show by his players in Bangalore, Vettori said he would focus on winning the last match though the series has already been decided.

"We still think we can still win matches. We will approach the game in the morrow like the way we do every game to keep motivated in not losing focus since the one-day series had already been decided," he said.

He would be looking to James Franklin, who scored a superb 98 not out in Bangalore if they want to post a big score and chase down a big target.

With the big guns like Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor and Scott Styris coming a cropper, Franklin is the top run-getter for New Zealand in the series with 170 runs from two matches

New Zealand bowlers have not done better than their batting counterparts in the series with frontline bowlers like Kyle Mills and Tim Southee coming a cropper. Andrew McKay has been the most successful bowler with seven wickets from four matches.

The Teams (from):

India: Gautam Gambhir (Capt), Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Pathiv Patel, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel.

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (Capt), Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Jamie How, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Grant Elliot, Kane Williamson, Gareth Hopkins, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Andy McKay, James Franklin.


Read more: Rampaging India look for series whitewash - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/new-zealand-in-india/top-stories/Rampaging-India-look-for-series-whitewash/articleshow/7070326.cms#ixzz17gMg10E2

Warne coy over Ashes return

LONDON: Shane Warne is keeping cricket fans in both England and Australia guessing on whether he is ready to make a stunning comeback to Test cricket during the ongoing Ashes series.

England's crushing innings and 71 run win in the second Test at Adelaide this week, which put the Ashes holders 1-0 up with three to play, has left Australia facing the prospect of losing a series to their oldest rivals on home soil for the first time since the 1986/87 season.

Such has been the Australian attack's lack of penetration that in England's last two Test innings they've taken a mere six wickets for a huge collective total of 1,137 runs.

That has intensified the clamour amongst fans and some sections of the home media for Australia leg-spin great Warne to return to national service even though it is nearly four years since the 41-year-old, who has 708 Test wickets to his credit, retired from the five-day format following the 5-0 Ashes whitewash of England in 2007.

Warne flew into London on Wednesday for a promotional visit and then told social networking site Twitter: "Just landed in London, it's freezing and was welcomed by press and photographers asking am I making a comeback?

"What have I missed???"

The Victorian has not exactly encouraged such calls but, ever the showman, he hasn't exactly discouraged them either.

Earlier, in his column for London's Daily Telegraph newspaper, Warne, also a television cricket pundit and chat show host, wrote: "There has been a bit written in Australia and people have been asking me about making a comeback.

"All I can say is that it is very flattering to hear those words."

Prior to Australia's 2009 Ashes series loss, Warne -- as he has yet to do this time around -- said he would answer an emergency call from Australia captain Ricky Ponting.

"If there were no other spinners around and Ricky came out and said 'Mate, can you please help us out for this one-off tour, we need you' that is something I would weigh up," Warne said at the time.

Australia decided they could do without him then and, even if Warne makes himself available, would they pick him now?

Andrew Hilditch, Australia's chairman of selectors, is under intense scrutiny.

As a Test batsman Hilditch was ridiculed for the way he repeatedly fell into a hooking trap during England's 1985 Ashes series win, but if he recalled Warne only for the move to be unsuccessful, the fall-out would be something else.

Warne is still playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Twenty20 Indian Premier League ( IPL) but the Victorian's last competitive game in what is professional cricket's shortest format was in April.

And ex-England off-spinner Shaun Udal said he found it hard to believe Warne, his captain when they played for English county side Hampshire, would return to Test duty during the Ashes.

"He's not played four-day or five-day cricket for the last three or four years," Udal told Sky Sports. "He's only played Twenty20 cricket.

"To be out of the international, particularly the Test match arena for such a long period of time and then to walk straight back in would be a tough ask, even for a great such as Shane."

But former England captain Andrew Flintoff, the standout performer alongside Warne during England's 2005 Ashes series win, said he would be genuinely delighted to see the spin star back playing Test cricket.

"I'd love to see Warnie play again, it would be unbelievable," Flintoff told the Melbourne Herald-Sun.

"Warne's aura would bring something to the side, he'd make a difference in the dressing room," the now retired all-rounder added.

"They're missing that bloke to give the rest confidence -- for 15 years, the guy who did that was Shane Warne."


Read more: Warne coy over Ashes return - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/ashes-2010-yearn-for-urn/top-stories/Warne-coy-over-Ashes-return/articleshow/7069078.cms#ixzz17aPx3FjF

3,000 hits at the nets for success in SA: Kirsten

JOHANNESBURG: Indians have traditionally struggled to adapt to hard, bouncy wickets of South Africa and coach Gary Kirsten wants his top batsmen at least 3,000 hits at the nets to be battle-ready before the Test series starting at Centurion on December 16.

"There are two vital aspects to winning in South Africa - first, the guys have to play with huge amounts of courage and determination. Second, they have to understand how to set up their game as bowlers and batsmen in these conditions. It's as simple as that," Kirsten said.

"To achieve that requires a lot of repetition in the nets and to be comfortable. I want each of the batsmen to have hit of 2000-3000 balls by the time the first Test starts," said the former South African opening batsman.

Kirsten, who has brought the Indian players at his Claremont Cricket Club Academy in Cape Town for pre-series preparations, said the outcome of the high-profile series, touted as the unofficial Test Championships, will finally boil down to which team copes pressure better.

"We have the ability in our batting to put bowlers under pressure in any conditions. To win a Test you need to capture 20 wickets and I don't believe the conditions will determine whether we can take 20 wickets or not. Pressure will be the determining factor. We need to execute properly otherwise we'll be the ones under pressure. We'll be up for it from ball one," he was quoted as saying.

Kirsten said the three-match Test series between the world's number one and two Test sides starting at Centurion on December 16 could be decided by a few key moments in one or two sessions.

"Test cricket is all about momentum and playing well for periods of time in a match that can turn a whole series around. Both sides have strong batting line-ups. If they both bat well, it will come down to one or two sessions to decide the series. The key for us is to get some players into good form early on in the series," he said.

In the four series in South Africa since 1992, India have lost each time and out of 12 previous Tests played in South Africa, the Proteas have won six matches and India one - at in their last tour in 2007 - with five draws.

Kirsten, under whom India had lost only two of their last 25 Tests, said the players are aware of lack of success on South African soil.

"This is a country where India haven't had much success, so winning here would be a big deal. The players are fully aware of that stat. But we are not focusing on the final outcome," Kirsten said.

"We are working towards making sure we do the right things on a daily basis. If that stacks up all right then come January 6 we'll be in with a shout."

Read more: 3,000 hits at the nets for success in SA: Kirsten - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-south-africa/top-stories/3000-hits-at-the-nets-for-success-in-SA-Kirsten/articleshow/7064616.cms#ixzz17VcrlMg3

Kohli, Gayle retained by Challengers and Knight Riders

MUMBAI: Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Shane Warne and Shane Watson are now part of the list of 'marquee' cricketers who are not likely to figure in the player auctions next year.

Royal Challengers Bangalore has retained Kohli, Knight Riders have held back Gayle, Mumbai Indians have opted for Harbhajan, Pollard and Malinga while Rajasthan Royals-now back in the picture-have signed up with Warne and Watson.

Interestingly, till Tuesday evening, Delhi Daredevils had nothing to say about Gautam Gambhir and Deccan Chargers had not shown any interest in either Adam Gilchrist or Rohit Sharma. While Chargers remained unavailable for comment, B Vanchi, director of cricket operations for Daredevils said: "As of now we have only signed Virender Sehwag."

Sehwag, along with Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, M Vijay and Albie Morkel were the first set of cricketers to be retained. Royals were emphatic about Warne and Watson coming on board. "We're glad to have them back. Warne's captaincy in IPL has been the flavour of the tournament. Watson has been invaluable in his contribution as allrounder. As of now, we can confirm that the two are on board," Royals' chief marketing officer Raghu Iyer told TOI.

Meanwhile, the Knights have opted to hold back Gayle, the swashbuckling opener who seemed to have enjoyed his stay with the Kolkata franchise despite the team's awful showing in 2009 and 2010.

Mumbai Indians had a problem of plenty even as they settled for Harbhajan, Pollard and Malinga. Among others, Zaheer Khan, Saurabh Tiwary, Dwayne Bravo and JP Duminy were players who could've been contenders if not for the four-player (with maximum three Indians) retention rule.

Malinga for his bowling in the death overs, Pollard for his batting strike rate, Harbhajan as one of the best off-spinners were the best possible choices. As for Kohli, he seems to be the hottest property ahead of IPL 4.

So much so that most franchisees are eagerly waiting to see if the Delhi batsman makes it to the auction next year. And that is precisely the reason why Challengers have decided to retain Kohli.

Interestingly, Challengers were not supporting the idea of player retention, when it was first suggested to the governing council.

GAMEPLAN

Mumbai Indians

Players retained: Sachin Tendulkar, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh

Chennai Super Kings

Players retained: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, M Vijay, Albie Morkel

Royal Challengers

Players retained: Virat Kohli

In reckoning: Ross Taylor

Delhi Daredevils

Players retained: Virender Sehwag

In reckoning: Gautam Gambhir, Dirk Nannes/ Ashish Nehra, Dinesh Karthik

Kolkata Knight Riders

Players retained: Chris Gayle

In reckoning: None

Rajasthan Royals

Players retained: Shane Warne, Shane Watson

In reckoning: Yusuf Pathan

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/iplarticleshow/7062491.cms

Pathan leads India to five-wicket win over New Zealand

BANGALORE: Yusuf Pathan butchered the New Zealand bowlers as he struck a 79-ball century to guide India to a fantastic five-wicket victory in the fourth ODI on Tuesday.

Courtesy Yusuf's (123, 96 balls, 7x4, 7x6 and three for 49) all-round performance, India now lead the five-match series 4-0.

When Kyle Mills came on to bowl the 43rd over India needed 72 runs off 42 deliveries. The senior Pathan hit Mills for three boundaries and a huge six over mid-wicket. He took 21 runs from the over and brought equation down.

In the next over he hit Andy McKay for a flat batted tennis shot over long to complete a well deserved maiden century in ODIs.

The best of the seven sixes was the one off Mills which was hit more than 100 metres hitting the roof of the stadium and disappearing further.

Even an hour's delay due to rain couldn't stop Yusuf as he lifted Vettori for a huge six of the first delivery he faced after break.

Yusuf had two fruitful partnerships --- first with Rohit Sharma (44, 48 balls, 4x4, 1x6) when they added 80 runs in 13.5 overs and then 133 runs with Saurabh Tiwary (37 not out 3x4, 1x6) for the sixth wicket

This was incidentally the highest run-chase in an ODI at this ground. It was young Saurabh who finished the proceedings with a six off Nathan McCullum.

Parthiv Patel (53, 57 balls, 8x4) playing his first one day match after six and half years got his maiden ODI fifty. Along with skipper Gautam Gambhir (27, 24 balls, 4x4), he added 67 runs for the first wicket before Gambhir was out trying to cut a widish delivery from left-arm seamer Andy McKay.

Virat Kohli (0) who has been in splendid form was out when he mistimed a hook shot after McKay dug in one short and was holed out at long leg where Kyle Mills took a simple catch.

Patel whose innings was full of flashy shots through the third-man and point region completed his fifty in the company of Yuvraj Singh (20) who started off with a six but couldn't get elevation trying to hit off-spinner Nathan McCullum over mid-wicket as Jamie How took a smart low catch.

Earlier, James Franklin once again turned out to be an unlikely hero with the willow as his smashing innings of an unbeaten 98 from only 69 deliveries helped New Zealand reach a commanding 315/7 in 50 overs.

After scoring 70 in the previous match at Vadodara, Franklin hit 12 boundaries and three huge sixes today during his 88-minute stay at the wicket. The southpaw hit couple of sixes and boundaries each as 22 runs were scored off Ashish Nehra's over which was the 50th of the innings.

It was due to Franklin's mayhem that Black Caps managed 63 runs in the last five overs as they crossed the 300-run mark.

Along with Nathan McCullum (13 no), Franklin, who came to bat in the 30th over added 64 runs for the eighth wicket after the Indian bowlers were successful in stopping the flow of runs during the middle overs when it didn't look like the visitors would be able to cross 300-run mark.

Earlier, put into bat New Zealand openers Martin Guptill (30, 25 balls, 5x4) and Brendon McCullum (42, 42 balls, 8x4, 1x6) showed positive intent right from the onset as they went after both Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar who made a comeback in this match.

McCullum in fact stepped out and slashed hard for a six off Praveen while Guptill also hit a number of boundaries. However, Ashish Nehra had the last laugh when he got Guptill after being hit for successive boundaries with Yuvraj Singh taking a good catch in the cover region.

Nehra got his second wicket when Jamie How (4) poked at an away going delivery and Yusuf Pathan standing at widish second slip fumbled but ended up taking the catch.

McCullum who looked good for a big score was sent back by offie Ravichandran Ashwin when his mistimed aerial shot was smartly taken by Rohit Sharma standing at mid-wicket.

The score was 91 for three at that stage. Then there was a 78-run fourth wicket partnership between Ross Taylor (44, 73 balls, 3x4) and Scott Styris (46, 48 balls, 3x4, 1x6). The duo didn't take any undue risk as they took the score to 170 before Styris was holed in the deep by Saurabh Tiwary off Yusuf Pathan's bowling.

Pathan (three for 49) turned out to be the most successful bowler as he made good use of the bowling Powerplay as he was able to breach through the defences of rival skipper Daniel Vettori (17) and Kyle Mills (1).

Ashwin in the meantime got his second wicket when he was able trap Taylor plumb in front.

Read more: Pathan leads India to five-wicket win over New Zealand - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/new-zealand-in-india/top-stories/Pathan-leads-India-to-five-wicket-win-over-New-Zealand/articleshow/7062204.cms#ixzz17UYWLIFK

England crush Australia in second Ashes Test to take 1-0 lead

ADELAIDE (Australia): England crushed Australia by an innings and 71 runs after a spectacular collapse of wickets early on the final day in the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.


The tourists ran through the Australians after snaring the important wicket of Mike Hussey and spinner Graeme Swann finished with five wickets for 91.

It was England's first Test victory in Adelaide since 1995 and their 100th overall against Australia.

Australia now have the difficult task of having to win two of the remaining three Tests to overhaul England and win back the Ashes they lost last year.

England are now well on track to winning an Ashes series in Australia for the first time since 1986-1987.

England thoroughly deserved their comprehensive victory after skittling Australia for 245 on Friday's first day and replying with a massive 620 for five declared, to hold a 375-run innings lead.

The tourists broke through with the big wicket of Hussey, and claimed three wickets in four balls with James Anderson removing Brad Haddin and Ryan Harris with successive balls and Marcus North following two balls later to Swann.

Hussey, who has been Australia's best-performing batsman in the series with 195 in first Brisbane Test and 93 in the first innings in Adelaide, was out for 52 in the third over of the second new ball by Steven Finn.

Hussey attempted a pull shot but top-edged to mid-on where James Anderson pocketed the catch to the delight of the Barmy Army fans on the scoreboard hill behind him.

Wicketkeeper Haddin, who scored 136 in the first Brisbane Test, fell on first drinks caught behind off Anderson for 12 and the ball after the break Harris was out lbw for a first-ball duck.

North was out lbw to Swann after an England referral and it was only a matter of time before England mopped up the last wickets of Xavier Doherty and Peter Siddle to claim victory.

England's win came with news that paceman Stuart Broad had been ruled out for the rest of the Ashes series with torn abdominal muscles.

Broad is expected to leave for home this week to begin his recovery process ahead of next February's ICC World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Australia are also likely to be without opener Simon Katich for the rest of the series with an Achilles tendinopathy problem.

England amassed their fifth highest innings in Ashes Tests with their 620 for five and their second best in Australia, only surpassed by a 636 scored in Sydney in 1928.

Read more: England crush Australia in second Ashes Test to take 1-0 lead - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/ashes-2010-yearn-for-urn/top-stories/England-crush-Australia-in-second-Ashes-Test-to-take-1-0-lead/articleshow/7057033.cms#ixzz17PFT15mQ

India to play New Zealand in 4th ODI at 14:30 p.m

India face-off against New Zealand again today at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore at 14:30 p.m. local time.

But for all intents and purposes the ODI series is dead as India has won 3 of the 5 matches that are supposed to happen.

But that is not the whole story as there will be a lot of pulsating action simply because the die-hard Kiwis, outplayed totally in the ODI series, have a reputation to protect and they will be looking to fightback.

On India's side, the new skipper Gautam Gambhir would be hungry for more wins to bolster his reputation for a MS Dhoni-less future. After all, Virender Sehwag is there too and Gambhir is very much down the order.

There are a lot of reputations to be made, and money to be earned, and that will require that all concerned really fuel a battle worth watching.

In this equation add the mouth-watering masala of Virat Kohli and other youngsters out to prove their worth, there is surely a lot of good cricket that is going to be played.

Do tune in.

Teams:

India (From): Gautam Gambhir(c), Parthiv Patel(w), Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Saurabh Tiwary, Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Murali Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Ashish Nehra

New Zealand (From): Brendon McCullum(w), Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Scott Styris, Grant Elliott, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori(c), Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Andy McKay, Tim Southee, Gareth Hopkins, Jamie How

New Zealand tour is important for me: Tanvir

Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir, who has made a comeback to the national team for the New Zealand tour, says that at one stage he feared a knee problem would have ended his flourishing cricket career.

Tanvir told PTI that he had serious doubts of ever playing cricket again after he underwent a major knee operation last year in Australia.

"I can't express the feelings at seeing my name back again in the Pakistan team because it has been a long and lonely journey for me to get back and recover from the knee injury," he said.

"Honestly speaking, even after I had the operation, I had lot of doubt whether I would be able to make a comeback. At one stage, it looked as if my cricket career was over as I was on crutches for two months and I could not walk without them."

"But I worked hard because cricket has always been the biggest passion in my life," he added.

The left-arm pacer, who had won the best bowler award in the first edition of Indian Premier League while playing for Rajasthan Royals, said he had to put in a lot of hard work and effort to complete his rehabilitation process.

"When I started playing in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and took a bagful of wickets and also scored runs, I was very disappointed when the selectors did not play me in the series against South Africa."

"But now I feel it was a sensible and correct decision from them as it allowed me more time to complete my recovery," Tanvir said, adding the doctors had also advised him to avoid playing in the series held in UAE as the conditions were not conducive for bowlers.

Tanvir said it had been a very difficult period of over nine months for him since the knee operation.

"It is not easy for a professional sportsman to recover from a major injury. There is lot of pain and self doubt involved in this process. At times it's been a very lonely journey and difficult experience. Recovering from this serious injury has been a huge relief for me," he said.

The knee injury that surfaced late last year saw Tanvir lose a lucrative contract to play Twenty20 cricket in Australia for Victoria and also miss out on his Pakistan national team duty.

"Today I am more confident and I know I can do a lot for Pakistan cricket. This New Zealand tour is going to be very important one for me because eventually I want to perform to a level where the selectors pick me in the World Cup squad because playing in that tournament is my biggest ambition right now," he said.

He pointed out that playing domestic cricket had helped him gain back his confidence and bowling rhythm.

Tanvir's last appearance for Pakistan was in a Twenty20 international against New Zealand in Dubai in November 2009.

© PTI

Sri Lanka slips two places to fifth

Sri Lanka has dropped two places to fifth spot in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table following its drawn series with the West Indies, which concluded in Pallekele on Sunday.

The three-match series ended 0-0 after a combination of bad weather and a resurgent West Indies performance with both bat and ball deprived the home team of a single victory. With the men from the Caribbean ranked four places below Kumar Sangakkara's side prior to the first match, a drawn series has knocked SL down to 109 ratings points, behind England and Australia, which in turn both gain one place as a result.

The ICC Test Championship table is updated only at the end of each series so the effect that the ongoing Ashes series will have on the ladder will only be known after the fifth and final Test early in January.

Meanwhile, the West Indies has gained points for managing to avoid defeat in the series and is now placed just three ratings points behind Pakistan in seventh position.

© ICC

England set Australia 375 runs to save Test

England declared their first innings at 620 for five leaving the leg-weary Australians 375 runs to save the second Ashes Test on the fourth day at the Adelaide Oval on Monday.

Skipper Andrew Strauss finally called a halt to the run onslaught with Ian Bell unbeaten on 68 and wicketkeeper Matt Prior not out 27.

England only lost the wicket of Kevin Pietersen for his highest Test score of 227 in the 40 minutes of free scoring where the tourists added 69 off nine overs.

Pietersen smashed spinner Xavier Doherty's first ball of the day through midwicket for four but he went for a big swing at the next ball which turned sharply out of the rough to Simon Katich at slip.

It was Pietersen's highest Test score off 308 balls with 34 fours and a six and he shared in a 116-run partnership with Ian Bell in 125 minutes.

Pietersen surpassed his previous his highest Test score of 226 against the West Indies in May 2007.

England have amassed 1,137 runs runs for six wickets in their last two innings in this series.

On Sunday Pietersen became the fifth Englishman to score a double century in Australia and his first century in 28 Test innings since his 102 against the West Indies at Port-of-Spain in March last year.

Prior had a life when he overturned an lbw decision against him on three off Peter Siddle by an umpire's review.

Australia's plight bordered on the comical when Ricky Ponting and Marcus North came hurtling in for a high catch off Prior at deep midwicket but they both pulled out to avoid a collision and the ball plopped safely to ground much to the mirth of England's Barmy Army fans.

To add to Australia's woes, Katich was limping from an Achilles injury and had to be managed by skipper Ponting to prevent England's batsmen from capitalising on his immobility.

The forecast was for afternoon rain.
© AFP

Cook and Trott make Aussies pay for missed chances

STAFF WRITER 9:32 HRS IST

Adelaide, Dec 4 (AFP) England made Australia pay for fielding bungles to make steady progress after the home side's modest first innings total on the second day of the second Ashes Test on Saturday.

The Australians, defending 245, their lowest Adelaide first innings total for 17 years, struck in the day's opening over to remove skipper Andrew Strauss but there was no further joy as the temperatures climbed at the Adelaide Oval.

First Test centurions Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott were building a solid partnership and steering England to a burgeoning innings.

At lunch, Cook was unbeaten on 35 with Trott on 39 in England's 90 for one to trail by 155 runs.

Strauss fell cheaply and Trott had two lives in a shaky start for England chasing Australia's modest first innings total.

American media shocked at FIFA World Cup snub

STAFF WRITER 9:45 HRS IST

New York, Dec 4 (AFP) American media reacted with shock to FIFA's decision to snub a US bid for the 2022 World Cup in favor of Qatar, some dubbing the move a "money grab" from a nation rich in oil and natural gas.

"Qatar? Really? Has the FIFA cartel seriously lost all of its soul? Is it only about the dirty oil money? Does it really care about growing the game? Or lining its pockets?" asked Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley.

"This decision is strictly a money grab. All this announcement does is fuel the already-existing suspicions of collusion that have haunted the entire bid process."

Comments about Qatar's extreme heat and lowly football status, 113th in the FIFA rankings, were common.

"It's not like Qatar has been growing a domestic league the way the United States has," Kelley said.

Gambhir elects to bowl against New Zealand in 3rd ODI

STAFF WRITER 8:54 HRS IST

Vadodara, Dec 4 (PTI) India skipper Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to bowl against New Zealand in the third One-day international at Reliance Stadium here today.

India have made two changes to their side with paceman Zaheer Khan coming in place of S Sreesanth and Ravindra Jadeja taking place of Suresh Raina.

New Zealand line-up has been bolstered by comeback man Brendon McCullum, who takes place of indisposed Jamie How.

Paceman James Franklin replaces Tim Southee.

India are 2-0 up in the five-match series.

Teams:

India: Gautam Gambhir (C), Murali Vijay, V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel and Zaheer Khan

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (C), Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Gareth Hopkins?, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Andy McKay and James Franklin.

HC extends IPL's deadline for signing up 4 star players

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Friday extended the deadline for the IPL franchisees to sign up their respective "marquee" players till December 8.

The High Court passed the order during the hearing of petitions filed by Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab against termination of its contracts by the Cricket Board (BCCI).

Each IPL franchisee can sign up four players from its earlier season's squad. The BCCI had set a deadline of December 6 for submitting list of signed up marquee players.

Kings XI on Thursday said that deadline must be deferred, because at present players would not be willing to negotiate with it, since the franchise's contract with BCCI stands terminated.

Rajasthan Royals has secured a stay on its termination of from independent arbitrator Justice BN Srikrishna, which the BCCI has challenged before the High Court.

Kings XI, on the other hand, could not get relief in arbitration, as Justice Srikrishna recused himself.

BCCI terminated contracts with Kings XI and Rajasthan Royals on the ground that both franchisees changed their respective ownership patterns without informing the board.

Refuting this charge, senior counsel Darius Khambata on Friday argued that Lalit Modi, "who was the face of IPL", was aware of changes in ownership of Kings XI, and he consented to them, when actor Preity Zinta, one of the share-holders of Kings XI, intimated him about it.

BCCI's lawyer said that cricket body did not accept copy of Modi's endorsement on which Kings XI was relying. Arguments would continue on December 6.

Russia and Qatar to host 2018 and 2022 World Cups

ZURICH: Russia and the tiny Gulf state of Qatar were awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on Thursday after an acrimonious bidding war marred by allegations of corruption and illegal deal-making.

The bombshell conclusion to two years of frenzied lobbying saw world football supremo Sepp Blatter reveal the winners following a secret ballot of 22 FIFA executive committee members in Zurich.

The announcement means the World Cup will be staged in two countries which have never hosted the event before following the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

Russia prevailed in the 2018 race, upsetting England and joint bids from Spain and Portugal and Belgium and the Netherlands.

The outcome represented a stunning comeback for Russia, whose campaign had believed to be in trouble after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin declined to join the lobbying effort in Zurich.

Putin had also launched a stinging attack on England's bid on the eve of the vote, accusing the country's media of "smearing" officials.

But the shock of the day came in the 2022 race, where Qatar beat off stiff competition from the United States, Australia and Asian rivals South Korea and Japan in a remarkable result.

Qatar 2022 bid president Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani promised: "We won't let you down. You will be proud of us, proud of the Middle East."

Qatar's win came despite serious reservations being raised about the logistical problems of staging the football tournament in the Gulf during the searing heat of the summer months.

Although the Qataris have promised to build an array of state of the art stadia which are climate-controlled, the technology has never been tested on a large-scale before.

The results brought the curtain down on the most controversial World Cup votes in years, with FIFA facing myriad allegations of corruption which led to two executive commitee members being suspended.

FIFA president Blatter has acknowledged that the decision to stage votes for two tournaments at the same time was a mistake, making illegal horse-trading between bids inevitable.

An increasingly acrimonious climax to the campaign saw Spanish and Russian officials issue veiled attacks earlier Thursday as the respective bids made their final presentations to FIFA voters.

Spanish FIFA member Angel Villar Llona hit out at British media reports which exposed corruption within the organisation, describing them as "slander."

Meanwhile in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also hit out at perceived "intrigue and blackmail" surrounding the vote.

"We stand for world sport developing according to its own laws, independent of the political environment," Lavrov said. "And it should especially not be subject to intrigue and blackmail."

Russian bid officials steered clear of fuelling the war of words in their final presentation earlier Thursday however, instead emphasising the country's readiness to host the tournament for the first time.

"We are ready. Most of the infrastructure is planned and budgeted for and the World Cup will accelerate this," bid chief Alexei Sorokin said.

England 2018 officials declined to respond to the criticism, but were left dejected after launching a heavyweight increasingly optimistic after lobbying offensive led by Prime Minister David Cameron, heir to the throne Prince William and football icon David Beckham.

All three men took to the stage Thursday to appeal for the tournament.

"I love football, we English love football - that's why it would be such an honour for us to host the 2018 World Cup," Prince William said.

However an outbreak of crowd trouble at an English League Cup match between Birmingham and Aston Villa late Wednesday embarrassed England's bid.

Read more: Russia and Qatar to host 2018 and 2022 World Cups - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Russia-and-Qatar-to-host-2018-and-2022-World-Cups/articleshow/7030726.cms#ixzz171LizAEe