Muralitharan reaches 800 Test wicket landmark

Published>Thu, Jul 22 10 03:37 PM

Galle, July 22(ANI): Retiring Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on Thursday reached the 800 Test wicket mark with the final delivery of his Test career.

Muralitharan achieved the feat on the final day of the first Test against India at the Galle International Stadium, when he had last man Pragyan Ojha caught at slip by Mahela Jayawardene.

That wicket sparked off wild celebrations in Galle with Muralitharan, holding the ball aloft, being carried off the ground by his Sri Lankan teammates, as fireworks went off, Sky Sports reports.

The 38-year-old had begun his final match on 792 wickets, and his first innings figures of 5-63 made sure that he needed just three wickets in the second innings to reach the magic mark.

He removed Yuvraj Singh with the last ball of the fourth day, and trapped fellow off-spinner Harbhajan Singh lbw early on day five.

Muralitharan will retire from Test cricket after the match. He is expected to continue playing ODIs, including the 2011 World Cup to be staged in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.

Born in Kandy, Muralitharan has also taken 515 wickets in 337 one-day internationals, and a further 13 in Twenty20 internationals.

Top Test wicket-takers: 1. Muralitharan 800, 2. Shane Warne 708, 3. Anil Kumble 619, 4. Glenn McGrath 563, 5. Courtney Walsh 519 (ANI)

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Sri Lanka 32 runs away from winning 1st Test against India

Thu, Jul 22 10 03:21 PM

Galle (Sri Lanka), July 22 (PTI) Chasing 95 to win, Sri Lanka were 63 for no loss in their second innings at tea on the final day of the first cricket Test against India at Galle International stadium here today. Tillakaratne Dilshan (37) Tharanga Paranavitana (21) were at the crease at the break. Brief Scores: Sri Lanka: 520 for 8 dec and 63/0 in nine overs (T Dilshan batting 37, T Paranavitana batting 21) . India: 276 and 338 (Sachin Tendulkar 84, VVS Laxman batting 69; L Malinga 5/63, M Muralitharan 3/114).

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Muralitharan milestone sets Sri Lanka on course

Thu, Jul 22 10 03:17 PM

Muttiah Muralitharan took his 800th wicket with the final ball of this test career to dismiss India for 338 in their second innings on Thursday, leaving Sri Lanka needing 95 runs for victory in the first test.

Pragyan Ojha was the last wicket to fall after India's tail battled valiantly to save the opener of the three-match series, the number 11 caught brilliant at first slip by Mahela Jayawardene for 13 to set off wild celebrations in Galle Stadium.

Muralitharan's unique feat of becoming the first bowler to achieve the mark was greeted by fireworks and the entire Sri Lanka team hugged the off-spinner before carrying him shoulder high to the dressing room.

Earlier, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa flew in by helicopter to watch a few minutes play and spoke to Muralitharan, who also had a large number of family members watching in the stands, and the rest of the team.

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Dronacharya awardee boxing coach backs Kaushik

Thu, Jul 22 10 02:57 PM

New Delhi, July 22 (PTI) Facing allegations of sexual harassment from his players, former Indian women''s hockey coach M K Kaushik found support from Dronacharya awardee boxing coach O P Bhardwaj who felt accusations against his old friend were nothing but a conspiracy. Bhardwaj, the first Indian boxing coach to be honoured with the Dronacharya award, said he has known Kaushik for years and it was impossible to believe that the celebrated coach would sexually harass girls under him. "I have known him for years and we have even travelled together on various multi-sport international events. The allegations against him cannot be true," Bhardwaj told PTI. "He is a dedicated person and from my own personal experience I can vouch for his integrity and character. I think all these allegations are just an attempt to malign him," he added. Kaushik has resigned from the job, vowing never to come back after one of the players -- supported by the rest of the team -- sent a signed complaint against him to the national federation. Asked what could have prompted the entire team to go against Kaushik, Bhardwaj said the coach might have been targetted as he has been around for more than a decade. "He is an old coach and anybody who is there for so long, generally becomes a victim of those trying to get his position. One thing is for sure, it is a conspiracy to malign him," Bhardwaj said.

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Ingram replaces Ryder in NZ squad for Lanka tri-series

Thu, Jul 22 10 02:47 PM

Wellington, July 22 (PTI) Opener Peter Ingram today replaced hard-hitting batsman Jesse Ryder in New Zealand''s one-day squad for tri-series against India and Sri Lanka starting August 10. The 31-year-old Ingram will join the team in Darwin to prepare for the series, to be played in Dambulla. "We considered a few players but felt that an experienced opener was required so Ingram got the nod. Aaron Redmond was in contention but was unavailable due to his wedding overseas and that opened the door for Ingram," selector and coach Mark Greatbatch said. "Ingram played in our last ODI series against Australia at home and we were looking for top order cover so he was the natural choice," he added. Ryder pulled out of the squad for the series due to an elbow injury. New Zealand Squad: Ross Taylor (captain), Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins, Nathan McCullum, Andy McKay, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, B.J. Watling, Kane Williamson.

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SPORT RACE

Thu, Jul 22 10 02:37 PM

Hyderabad, Jul 22 (PTI) Following are the second day''s Hyderabad Monsoon Race results 1st Race: The Guntur Plate Div.I (about) 1100 M Cat II My Tyson (M/s Sk Kassam, K S N Murthy and Dr Yamanial Waghray) 56 B Shinde First Dixie Bell 54.5 P S Chouhan Second Rio Granade 56 Deep Shanker Third Airborne Magic 56 A Imran K Fourth All 12 ran Won By: 1-3/4 l, 1 l, 3 l Time: One minute 09.27 seconds Winner Trained By: Sk Kassam Favourite: Dixie Bell Tote Paid: Rs 34 for win, Rs 8, Rs 6 and Rs 17 for places SHP: Rs 20 Forecast: Rs 95 Quinella: Rs 29 Tanala: Rs 689 paid on 118 tickets. .

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India all out for 338 in second innings

Thu, Jul 22 10 02:21 PM

Galle (Sri Lanka), Jul 22 (PTI) India were all out for 338 in their second innings, setting Sri Lanka a target of 95 runs on the fifth and final day of the first cricket Test here today. Brief Score: Sri Lanka 1st innings: 520 for 8 declared. India: 276 and 338 in 115.4 overs. (Sachin Tendulkar 84, VVS Laxman 69; Lasith Malinga 5/50, Muttiah Muralitharan 3/128).

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