Published>Wed, Apr 14 10 12:11 PM
Chennai, April 13 -- Kolkata Knight Riders captain Sourav Ganguly won the toss and elected to bat against Chennai Super Kings in a must-win Indian Premier League match here today. Teams: Kolkata Knight Riders: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Ajit Agarkar, Angelo Mathews, Ashoke Dinda, Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle, David Hussey, Iqbal Abdullah, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha.
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Published>Wed, Apr 14 10 11:39 AM
Ludhiana, April 14 -- Indians players beat Pakistan 58-24 to grab the inaugural Pearls World Cup Kabaddi Punjab 2010 title at the Guru Nanak Stadium here on Monday. The victorious Indian team received Rs 1 crore while Pakistan team got Rs 51 lakh.
Indian captain Mangat Singh Mangi was adjudged the best stopper of the tournament and Canadian Kuljit Singh Malsihan the best raider. Both were awarded a tractor each.
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Published>Wed, Apr 14 10 11:25 AM
New Delhi, April 14 -- Lalit Modi appears to have bitten more than he can chew. After revealing the names of the stakeholders of the Kochi franchise on Twitter, the IPL chairman is under fire from two fronts - the franchise and, more importantly, the BCCI. The angst caused by the revelation can be gauged from the BCCI's, the parent body of IPL, reaction. In a stern e-mail, Shashank Manohar, the president, has accused Modi of "a serious breach of confidentiality clause in the agreement". Going to the extent of calling his action as unbecoming of IPL chairman, Manohar lambasted Modi for making public statements on issues that had not been discussed by the IPL governing council. "Your making such statements is detrimental to the interests of the board, and I propose to discuss this issue at the governing council meeting," he wrote. Manohar further said Modi's action had severely compromised the integrity of the governing council and Board, and asked him not to make any statements on the issue till the matter was brought up in the governing council.
Suresh Chela Ram, Modi's sister-in-law's husband, holds the largest stake in Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt Ltd.
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Published>Wed, Apr 14 10 11:09 AM
Jaipur, April 14 -- Twenty20 can be cruel. The man, who was praised for the Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) early upswing this year, played a hand in his team's defeat on Monday. Jacques Kallis failed to come up with the big shots during power play and it had a cascading effect on the team as they crashed to a 13-run loss to the Deccan Chargers. With six wins from 12 games, Kumble's men are still second in the points table. But another loss can jolt their semi-final chances. The score of 152 wasn't a tall target, and, having done the hard work to restrict the Chargers, it is obvious that the RCB bowlers would be feeling let down by the batsmen. But Kumble surely wouldn't allow the defeat to upset their next two matches. And this should be enough to send alarm bells ringing in the Royals camp. Shane Warne tasted defeat in Jaipur against the Mumbai Indians and if his side have taken lessons from the match, they would first like to get their basics right. Run outs are the worst possible way to lose wickets, and the Royals showed how panicky they can get.
Warne has not used either Tait or Morne Morkel in the last two matches and it will be interesting to see if he unleashes any one of them against the RCB.
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Published>Wed, Apr 14 10 10:59 AM
New Delhi, April 14 (IANS) The frosty relations between India and Pakistan have made it increasingly difficult for sportspersons from neighbouring countries to go across the border to participate in international events. Pakistan's top shuttler Wajid Ali Chaudhry is concerned about the uncertainty and perennial tension affecting the players.
Wajid, who is part of a six-member Pakistan team for the Badminton Asia Championships, said he and his colleagues had almost given up hope of making the trip because of the hassles in getting clearances.
Like other Pakistani teams which had their tales of woe in coming to take part in the Commonwealth Games test events in the last two months, the badminton players also had their share of travails.
'We would have returned home from the Wagah border if the Indian high commissioner to Pakistan had not faxed the necessary papers of clearance in time for us to proceed,' Wajid told IANS.
Wajid gave the example of the Pakistani rugby Sevens team, which arrived in India only on the day of the tournament earlier this month for the Asian championship, forcing a change in the draw and the schedule of fixtures.
'The point is: why does this happen to Pakistani players going over to India or your teams going to our country when no other overseas player faces a problem in getting the clearances?
'I request the governments of both the countries, on behalf of all sportspersons, to keep the procedures simple, and don't make it difficult for us. Politics has no place in sports. The sportspersons should not suffer because of strained political ties between the two countries. In fact, use sport to bring the people in the two countries together.'
'See what is happening in cricket. The two countries are not playing bilaterally and you know how much excitement an India-Pakistan match generates and interest among the fans in the subcontinent.'
Wajid said keeping Pakistani cricketers out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) made matters worse.
'The IPL is a big tournament; naturally all Pakistani fans would like to see our cricketers playing here. Instead, they are sitting at home when all international players are playing in the IPL. It does make you feel bad; such a thing should not have happened.'
Wajid said the Commonwealth Games is an important event for Pakistani sportspersons.
'There are so many test events happening before the Commonwealth Games. These are all world class events and we can learn so much playing here. The Games are critical for Pakistani athletes. We do not want to miss them for other than sporting reasons.'
As for badminton, Wajid says India's standard has gone up by leaps and bounds.
'There was a problem in our national federation and we are participating in an international event after one year. This gap is huge in any sport. I was doing well in the singles and was in the top 100 but then slipped. We have to pick the pieces again and it takes time to regain rhythm.'
'In contrast, Indian badminton is really looking up. Saina (Nehwal) has been amazing. She is up there with the world's best,' said Wajid.
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Published>Wed, Apr 14 10 10:51 AM
R Ashwin bowled a virulent opening spell before Suresh Raina played an annihilative 78-run knock to bring Chennai Super Kings back in the semifinal hunt as the hosts scored a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in their crucial IPL match here today.
The Chennai team with this win, which came with 6.3 overs to spare, has virtually shut the semifinal door on Kolkata, who are languishing at number seven in the points table.
Chennai have jumped to second position from six in the points table and are tied on 12 points with four other teams as the race to the semifinals is hotting up.
Ashwin's devastating three-wicket spell, in which he polished off the Kolkata top-order, set up the win as all Kolkata could manage on the board in the make-or-break match was just 139 for eight after electing to bat at M A Chidambaram stadium.
Wicket of Mathew Hayden was the lone blot in Chennai's chase as Raina's sublime knock, bejewelled with 11 fours and three sixes, did not give any chance to Kolkata to claw their way back in the match.
Raina's destructive innings came off just 39 balls and the left-hander finished the match in style with a six off Iqbal Abdullah as Chennai overhauled the target in 13.3 overs.
Murali Vijay played an unbeaten 50-run knock and supported Raina well with the duo raising an unbeaten 137-run partnership for the second wicket.
After cheap dismissal of Mathew Hayden (0) in the very first over, Raina ensured Chennai do go the Kolkata way and annihilated the rival attack with his fiery strokes.
The diminutive southpaw began his corrosive knock by hitting Ashok Dinda for three boundaries, of which two were exquisite off-side drives, in the paceman's first over.
Raina treated Kolkata bowlers with utter disdain and each and every Kolkata bowler bore the brunt of his fury.
In just six overs, Chennai had scored 67 runs and the match was very much in their hands.
Raina rattled up his half-century with a massive six off Abdullah after consuming just 24 balls. The fifty was laced with 10 boundaries.
Earlier, Ashwin's (3/16) devastating spin bowling spell punctured Kolkata's hopes of a good start as they lost four wickets at a score of 19 inside fifth over.
It was 73-run fifth-wicket partnership between Manoj Tiwary (27) and Angelo Mathews (48) that pulled Kolkata out of dire straits and gave something to their bowlers to defend.
Tiwary's 31 ball knock ended when he attempted to hit Suresh Raina out of the park but could only find Murali Vijay in the deep.
Mathews got out in the last over and hit two sixes, both off his compatriot Muttiah Muralitharan, and an equal number of fours in his run-a-ball innings.
At the start, after being hit for a massive six by Chris Gayle (7) in the first ball of the third over, Ashwin got his revenge in no time as he had the Caribbean batsmen stumped in the next ball.
Four balls later he had Brendon McCullum (0) caught by Muralithran just behind the short fine leg.
Aussie paceman Dough Bollinger (2/15) added to Kolkata's misery by trapping Ganguly (10), who though was unlucky to be adjudged leg-before by umpire Sanjay Hazare as the TV replays showed the ball would have missed leg stump.
The Kolkata players, sitting in the dug out, had hardly recovered from the shock start that Ashwin returned to cause more ripples by dismissing David Hussey (0) in the first ball of the fifth over to be on a hat-trick.
Huseey's dismissal was a terrific piece of work by Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the wicket.
Ashwin would have got his hat-trick but for umpire Simon Taufel decision as the Australian ruled out the catch appeal against the new man in Angelo Matthews of Sri Lanka.
TV replays showed that ball indeed touched the gloves of Mathews before landing in the hands of close fielder.
From there on the Sri Lankan made full use of the umpiring error and in company of Tiwary repaired the innings well.
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Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 03:11 PM
The ball with which Uruguay beat Argentina in the first World Cup final is what first catches the eye on entering the Football Museum at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo.
Made up of 36 thick brown leather panels, a faded white lace, and encased in a transparent box, it is surrounded by sepia photographs, 80-year-old newspaper cuttings and ancient boots -- distant reminders of Uruguay's rich past of two Olympic and two world titles between 1924 and 1950.
Uruguay's 2010 World Cup coach Oscar Washington Tabarez, however, is adamant his team, representing a small country of 3.5 million people, would not dwell on that past when they head to South Africa for the June 11-July 11 finals.
"I think we're on the right track in that we have very clear ideas as to what a World Cup is," the 63-year-old told Reuters in an interview surrounded by the memorabilia.
"I think my players know (what a World Cup means) and they will know it at the right moment."
Uruguay have been drawn in Group A for the finals where they meet 2006 finalists France, hosts South Africa and finally Mexico in the group stages.
Tabarez, who also took the side to the 1990 finals where they lost to hosts Italy in the second round, said he could draw from that experience to try and improve his team's preparation for South Africa.
"So far, in the World Cups since 1970, we've not done well in the finals so this is a new chance to try to improve," he said in reference to Uruguay reaching the 1970 semi-finals in Mexico but falling in the first round in 1974 and 2002 and second in 1990.
"We're convinced we'll get (to South Africa) in the form that matches our expectations, to get through the first round fundamentally from the first match," Tabarez said.
"That will be difficult because any of the four teams has the potential and any can be eliminated, which I don't see in the other groups."
Uruguay needed 20 matches to reach the 2010 finals after finishing fifth in the 10-nation, 18-match South American group following a 1-0 defeat at home by Argentina that sent Diego Maradona's team through.
They then survived a two-legged playoff against fourth place CONCACAF team Costa Rica, winning 2-1 on aggregate after a nerve-racking 1-1 draw at home in the decider.
"On an emotional level, the qualifiers are more difficult (than the finals) because you're up against the possibility of pursuing a dream or being left empty-handed," said Tabarez, an urbane former Montevideo schoolmaster.
"So the climate at a World Cup is not the same, but it's more demanding in terms of the rivals you could meet, especially from a possible second phase.
"To play against one of those rivals and win is to go down in history."
Tabarez said a World Cup always produced a surprise team and pointed to the likes of North Korea in 1966, Cameroon in 1990, Croatia in 1998, Turkey and South Korea in 2002.
"So far, none of the surprise (teams) has won the world championship ... I have the hope that we can be a surprise.
"If we are, we'll have things that the other surprise teams didn't have because of our history."
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Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 02:39 PM
Ludhiana, April 13(ANI): Indian Kabaddi players brought cheers to fans across the country as the team defeated archrival Pakistan by 58-24 score in the final match of the World Cup Kabaddi 2010 played in Ludhiana on Monday. The Punjab government announced jobs for each player of the winning team and also gave a cheque of 10 million rupees to the team. Meanwhile, Pakistan Kabaddi captain also lauded efforts of Punjab in promoting the game.
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Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 02:25 PM
Lahore, Apr.13 (ANI): Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan, who is facing a year's ban imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), would decide whether to challenge the board's decision in a court of law or not in the next couple of days.
Khan's counsel Ahmed Qayyum said he (Khan) is yet to decide whether to file a petition in court or lodge an appeal with the PCB, and a final decision in this regard would be taken later this week.
"Younis has signed all concerned documents and his case is very strong, but we have to look in to all aspects of the issue. That is why we are taking our time to decide on whether to go to court or file an appeal with the board," The Daily Times quoted Qayyum, as saying.
Earlier, Khan had sent a letter to the PCB, asking it to explain reasons for imposing a ban on him, but the board had directed him to file a formal appeal. (ANI)
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Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 02:19 PM
London, Apr 13 (ANI): Portsmouth boss Avram Grant is being tipped to claim another giant FA Cup scalp by slaying his former club Chelsea in the final.
Grant stepped in to manage Chelsea when Jose Mourinho was sacked in September 2007. That season the Israeli guided them to second in the Premier League and Champions League runners-up before being axed.
Portsmouth players face star-studded old club of Grant in the May 15 season finale at Wembley after stunning Tottenham in their semi-final on Sunday.
The Blues have not lost to Pompey since December 1960 and after completing another double over them this season, The Sun reports.
Midfielder Michael Brown, who was excellent in the shock win over old club Spurs on Sunday, believes Grant could have one more shock up his sleeve next month.
Brown said: "If anybody knows how to beat Chelsea, it's Avram. Nobody expected us to beat Tottenham, but we did and I am sure he'll be looking to do it again against Chelsea.
"If we win, it will be something very special. Chelsea will be a tough, tough game - but with the magic of the FA Cup and a little help from Avram, you never know."
When Grant joined the South Coast in November, he was given an impossible brief of trying to keep the team in the top flight amid the well-documented financial chaos and ownership rows.
That aim was dealt a fatal blow when the Premier League deducted the club nine points for going into administration.
"We got relegated on Saturday but it didn't even sink in. Nobody mentioned it. In our minds, the league has been long gone, we were only worrying about the semi-final. This softens the blow as far as going down is concerned.
"Relegation was almost out of our control with the points deduction but we knew we could do something about the FA Cup," Brown said. (ANI)
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Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 02:11 PM
Lahore, Apr.13 (ANI): Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan, who is facing a year's ban imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), would decide whether to challenge the board's decision in a court of law or not in the next couple of days.
Khan's counsel Ahmed Qayyum said he (Khan) is yet to decide whether to file a petition in court or lodge an appeal with the PCB, and a final decision in this regard would be taken later this week.
"Younis has signed all concerned documents and his case is very strong, but we have to look in to all aspects of the issue. That is why we are taking our time to decide on whether to go to court or file an appeal with the board," The Daily Times quoted Qayyum, as saying.
Earlier, Khan had sent a letter to the PCB, asking it to explain reasons for imposing a ban on him, but the board had directed him to file a formal appeal. (ANI)
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Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 01:25 PM
New Delhi, Apr.13 (ANI): International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat is expecting a India-Pakistan final in the upcoming T20 World Championship in West Indies, and believes that the Team in Blue would try its best to repeat the success of 2007, when it won the coveted title in London.
Speaking during the ICC 2010 World T20 Championship trophy unveiling ceremony here, Lorgat said he expects India to give its all to pocket the championship for the second time.
"India will not have enjoyed having to relinquish possession of the trophy and I have no doubt they will be doing everything in their power to win it back from Pakistan this time around," Lorgat said.
India will launch its campaign against the new members of international cricket, Afghanistan, in St. Lucia on 1 May, and Lorgat said that he is sure that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team would not be taking the match lightly.
"Through qualification for this event, the Afghanistan players have shown themselves to be worthy of a place among the big boys and I'm sure Team India will not be taking them lightly. It should be a fascinating match," he said.
Lorgat urged cricket fans across the world to make the T20 championship starting April 30 a huge success and a 'celebration of cricket in the Caribbean'.
"The event is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the proud and illustrious history of cricket in the Caribbean while also embracing the new, vibrant and talented next generation of cricketer. The West Indies is one of the great cricket territories and is a significant part of our shared cricket identity," Lorgat said. (ANI)
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Published>Tue, Apr 13 10 01:09 PM
TWENTY20 has captured the imagination of one and all and the WorldT20, which will be held in the West Indies in a few weeks, promises to be another action-packed entertainer. But despite the immense popularity of the shortest format of the game, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is convinced there can be only one World Cup, which is of the 50- over format.
'' What we are going to have in the West Indies at the end of the month is the World Twenty20. For the ICC, the World Cup is the 2011 event in the ( Indian) subcontinent,? ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat, told M AIL T ODAY on Monday.
Since the time Lorgat arrived in the Capital, he has been hearing a lot about how the IPL has been a super hit in India. But he is not one bit worried that the popularity of this circus is going to affect the ICC properties.
'' We have got our cycle right now. We have the World Twenty20 this year, the World Cup next year and the Champions Trophy in 2012. Each event has its own importance,? said Lorgat.
More than the effects of T20 cricket, it?s the sheer volume of cricket which has Lorgat concerned.
At a time when people are wondering if the World Cup will lose it sheen because of the T20 format, Lorgat had a word of advice for the BCCI. '' They need to take care of the 15 or 16 Indian players who are so busy with various forms of cricket.
Players need to be preserved and I think when someone like Ricky Ponting skips a series, it is good. In fact, all the teams need to take care of the load on their players,? he said.
Talking specifically about the World Cup in the sub-continent, Lorgat is excited about the progress being made. ''We are keeping a close watch on the work happening in India as well as Sri Lanka. I am aware there has been delay at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. But there is a lot of time and work will be completed on time,'' Lorgat felt.
Talking about the more serious issue for the World Cup, which is the quality of pitches, Lorgat says there is nothing to be worried about. ''We have got Andy Atkinson as our special consultant. He is in touch with various venues,'' said Lorgat.
Talk veered around to the Kotla pitch, which has again come in for criticism during the IPL matches. ''Yes, Delhi is a worry and work specifically needs to be done on it. Andy will work with the DDCA and we hope the pitch will be fine. We are aware about what happened in December when the ODI against Sri Lanka was abandoned,'' said Lorgat.
Talking about security, which is a big aspect of the 2011 World Cup, Lorgat was composed.
''Today, be it New Delhi or London, security is a concern. We at the ICC now have our network of security experts who are in touch with various countries,'' said Lorgat, before quickly wanting to know if work in progress for the Commonwealth Games was on time.
Shifting focus to Test cricket, Lorgat said: ''Test cricket has attracted attention as a good number of matches have been played in recent times. People are going to watch Test cricket and the battle for the No 1 ICC ranking was gripping where it involved India, Australia and South Africa,'' said Lorgat.
The ICC CEO thinks a lot more will soon happen to ensure Test cricket gets a further boost. ''Right now, Test cricket is a bilateral series. There will be a lot more interest if it can grow.
In the next few months we do expect there will be some new proposals and the interest will grow,'' says Lorgat.
In his own words, he wants ''Test cricket to have a (points) table like other sports''. ''We want to create a context for Test cricket,'' he added.
Talking about cricket in the Indian sub continent, Lorgat said it was important that Pakistan played cricket. ''We all know how the situation is. But rather than not have any cricket in Pakistan, it is important at least they play in neutral venues,'' he says. ''Right now, it is not possible to speculate on the return of cricket to Pakistan. It all depends on the macro view in the sub- continent. We do not have a crystal ball to gaze at,'' said Lorgat.
''When the environment sorts itself out and we know Pakistan is ready, cricket will return to Pakistan,'' added Lorgat. ''We surely want cricket to return to Pakistan but it cannot compromise on security and safety,'' is his firm belief.
Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.
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