'Devastated' Cairns exploring legal action against IPL

Deepak Jain>Wed, Jan 06 10 01:09 PM

Wellington, Jan 6 (ANI): Former New Zealand allrounder Chris Cairns, who is devastated after the Indian Premier League removed his name from the list of cricketers up for a player auction, is exploring legal action.

Cairns' London-based legal representative Andrew Fitch-Holland hit out today at media reports quoting IPL boss Lalit Modi as to the reasons behind Cairns' sudden removal from the auction list of 97 players.

A report on leading cricket website Cricinfo was removed, and Fitch-Holland said he would be seeking apologies and retractions after Modi's "defamatory remarks" were quoted elsewhere, Stuff.co.nz reports.

"Chris is appalled at the reckless way in which unsubstantiated gossip has been put into the media by a person holding such a position as Modi," Fitch-Holland said in a statement.

Fitch-Holland added Cairns, 39, was never the subject of any investigation or finding of misconduct during his short stint in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL).

The IPL themselves had instigated discussions with Cairns regarding his availability for their forthcoming tournament, Fitch-Holland said.

"Modi's comments and the subsequent publication of them by others have had an immediate and highly damaging effect on Chris' reputation and indeed on his future within the game," the statement said.

The statement didn't explain why Cairns name had been removed from the auction list as he sought to revive his career in the lucrative IPL.

Cairns was suspended from the rival ICL in October 2008 on what was described as "disciplinary grounds" after captaining the Chandigarh Lions in three matches.

His then-team-mate and former Indian international Dinesh Mongia was also suspended over alleged match fixing charges. (ANI)

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England furious over ball tampering charges on Broad, Anderson

Deepak Jain>Wed, Jan 06 10 12:53 PM

England coach Andy Flower has said that he has been taken aback by the ball-tampering row which overshadowed day three of the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

Flower's comment came after the South African team raised their concerns over shots of fast bowler Stuart Broad treading on the ball with his spikes and James Anderson poking at it with his fingers at an early stage of the second innings.

"Over the years we have seen a lot of tall fast bowlers stop the ball with their boot, so I don't see anything sinister in it at all," The Telegraph quoted Flower, as saying.

The images can hardly be considered conclusive evidence of tampering, but the South African team alleged that the two bowlers were trying to alter the condition of the ball to aid reverse swing, one of England's most potent weapons.

The incident was made official by South Africa at the close of play, which ended with the host nation at 312 for two, 330 runs ahead of England with two days to play.

"We have raised our concerns with the match referee over the condition of the ball and we have left it to him to decide whether action is necessary," a South Africa spokesman said.

Meanwhile, England spokesman said: "We firmly rebut any accusations of ball tampering."

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Powar struggle for Delhi as hosts tighten the noose

Deepak Jain Wed, Jan 06 10 12:49 PM

Mumbai, Jan. 6 -- Mumbai have almost assured themselves of a spot in the Ranji Trophy final. Off-spinner Ramesh Powar ensured that Delhi didn't get the crucial first innings lead with a five-wicket haul. In reply to the hosts' first innings total of 500, Delhi were bowled out for 211. Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer refused to enforce the follow-on and his team was 123 for four in the second innings at the end of the third day of the semi-final. Mumbai, with a lead of 412, will have to play some silly cricket to lose this match from here and are most likely to meet Karnataka in the final. Mumbai's campaign this season had been affected by some insipid bowling. Barring one instance against Himachal Pradesh, they have been unable to bowl out the opposition twice. In the previous match against Haryana in Rohtak, it was Powar who got his team the crucial first innings lead with a four-wicket haul. And here at the Cricket Club of India on Tuesday, Powar continued with that form to bowl a devastating post-lunch spell. It was the first five-wicket haul for any Mumbai bowler this season and it came in a span of 24 balls. The deadly second spell read 5.3-3-9-5. Till then, Delhi were fighting at 188 for four but were bowled out in eight overs. Powar was introduced from the pavilion end in the 14th over of the day and proved largely ineffective in that spell of seven overs. He got all his wickets from the far end. Delhi lost overnight batsman Shikhar Dhawan early in the day but Rajat Bhatia and Gaurav Chabra hardly had any problem dealing with the Mumbai attack. It stayed that way until Jaffer decided to bring Powar back into the attack from the far end, almost an hour after lunch. The change in ends seemed to do the trick for Powar as he got the ball to turn and also extracted bounce with his tantalisingly flighted deliveries. In the 72nd over, Delhi skipper Rajat Bhatia tried to sweep Powar and missed the ball to see his stumps disturbed. This was the wicket Mumbai desperately wanted as he looked in sublime touch. The right-hander had hit Iqbal Abdulla for a couple of big sixes. Next batsman Bisht survived only two deliveries. The third one he faced was pitched on length, the batsman tried to defend. The ball turned in sharply to find the gap between bat and pad to hit the stumps. Powar had his two-wicket maiden. Romesh Powar came back in the next over to send back Pradeep Sangwan, who was surprised by the bounce and turn and spooned a catch to short leg. Abdulla then trapped the in-form Chabra in front of the wicket.

Last man Parvinder Awana could, at his best, get a thick outside edge, which was caught by Jaffer at second slip, ending the visitors' first innings and prompting celebrations among his teammates.

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And the Somdev saga continues...

Deepak Jain Wed, Jan 06 10 12:39 PM

Chennai, Jan. 5 -- The Somdev Devvarman story keeps getting better in Chennai. Unlike last year, when he did not have much to lose, the 24-year-old came into the tournament with the burden of crowd expectations and defending his 150 ranking points this week. But once he had shaken off the early nerves, Somdev didn't let any of that matter. He stayed on par with one of the most experienced sluggers on tour, Rainer Schuettler, before dismissing the 85th ranked German 7-5, 6-2 in the first round at the Chennai Open on Tuesday evening. He will run into Serbian fourth seed Janko Tipsarevic in the next round on Wednesday. Trained and chiselled at the University of Virginia, the Indian is in touch with the times. Solidity and athleticism rule the age of hard courts, and Somdev is learning both. His first round match against Schuettler wasn't overwhelming, neither was the German's challenge. A regular visitor to India, Schuettler failed to get any rhythm and was beaten by a man with legs almost ten years younger than his own. The German only tried to mix things up and come to the net towards the end as a last resort, and was able to disconcert Somdev. But he had left a little too much for a little too late. A finalist here in 2009, Somdev did not get off to the best of starts, slipping 0-2 and 2-5 in the first set. But he came back to win seven straight games and pushed the German farther away from the finish line.

With Schuettler off his game, Somdev could still stick to his limitations and wriggle out of the match.

Source: Web Search

Somdev stuns Schuettler

Deepak Jain>Wed, Jan 06 10 11:59 AM

Two completely different sets of fans were planning to take over the Nungambakkam stadium on Tuesday. The first, with Viking helmets and blue-yellow flags in support of Sweden's top seed Robin Soderling had rehearsed their synchronised chants to perfection, but their yells wound down to a whimper as their man crashed out in the opening round.

The second band, wearing t-shirts that spelled out S-O-M-D-E-V, gathered their strength as Somdev Devvarman, growing in confidence with every fist-pump, rallied from 5-2 down against his favoured opponent Rainer Schuettler to win 7-5 6-2.

Ranked 85, the German got a headstart with an early break, and even though the Indian broke back immediately, all signs pointed to the road ahead being littered with obstacles. When Schuettler got another break in the sixth and then increased his lead to 5-2, there was absolutely no indication of what was to follow - a run of seven consecutive games in Somdev's favour. Scheuttler lost his forehand sense, Somdev began slamming winners down the line, across the court, and everywhere but within his rival's reach.

He took the first set 7-5, a situation that was unimaginable to everyone except maybe the Indian himself just a few games ago, and right at the beginning of the second, denied Schuettler an opportunity to stage a comeback, breaking him in the first game. A lob sailing over the 33-year-old on break point, landing right on the line as he continued staring at the ball.

The double break looked like just a matter of time, considering the errors the veteran was making, and it duly arrived, with Somdev's ripping crosscourt forehand making it 4-1. The 24-year-old sealed it in the eighth game with a backhand which the German gave up on. "I kept telling myself to hit simple shots, make the points shorter. I knew I have the ability. When I was a break down in the first, I knew it was just a single break and I could come back," said Somdev. Next up for him is fourth seed Janko Tipsarevic, ranked 38th in the world and armed with a fierce serve.

Early exit for Soderling

Soderling did everything wrong in his opening set against 100th-ranked Robby Ginepri, and except for a brief period in the second, that trend continued right till the end of his 6-4 7-5 loss. He was tight on his backhand, the forehand often landed long , and Ginepri sensed his chance and poured in the aggression. "Everything went wrong today, I didn't feel comfortable at all. I haven't felt this bad on a tennis court in a long time," Soderling later said.

Rohan, Prakash lose

Stanislas Wawrinka looked determined to make his India visit last longer than the first round this year, and he did just that after a quick 6-1 6-4 victory over Indian wild card Rohan Bopanna. Prakash Amritraj also fell to the serve of American Michael Russell earlier in the day, losing 6-3 6-1 to the world No. 83.

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Thilan's ton wins it for Lanka

Deepak Jain>Wed, Jan 06 10 11:57 AM

India and Sri Lanka have faced each other so often in the recent past that matches featuring them have started seeming like reruns. The teams have played each other in three bilateral series over the past 18 months, apart from a tri-series in Lanka ahead of the Champions Trophy last year and, apart from Sreesanth and a few new faces in the Lankan outfit, most players - even the likes of Virat Kohli and Suraj Randiv - are quite familiar with the members in the opposition.

In fact, as Sri Lanka seemed to lose their way in pursuit of their target of 280 after looking comfortable for a major part of the chase, the game seemed to be heading towards a predictable finish as well - with the Lankans choking in the end. That was when 20-year-old Thissara Perera - playing his third ODI - decided to announce himself on the big stage. Walking into bat with 54 required off 39 balls, the left-hander smashed an unbeaten 15-ball 36 to finish the job and give Sri Lanka a five-wicket win with two overs to spare.

At the other end, Thilan Samaraweera, who despite his terrific record in Tests has struggled to replicate that form in the ODI format, was the unlikely hero, scoring his second ton - an unbeaten 106-ball 105 - to guide the pursuit to perfection. While Samaraweera and Sangakkara were involved in their 122-run third-wicket stand, Sri Lanka were in complete control of their chase - just as they were at Rajkot. The Lankan skipper fell to a loose shot for 60, while Thilana Kandamby and Suraj Randiv too fell in quick succession, leaving Perera to blast his team home in the end.

Fiery start

The Indian innings earlier began with the now customary flourish, as Virender Sehwag ensuring India scored at more than a run-a-ball, striking Chanaka Welegedara for a boundary off the second delivery he faced in his innings before hitting Suranga Lakmal for three fours on the trot. The seventh over provided a few entertaining moments, when Welegedara had Sehwag caught behind off a no-ball, and provided the Indian opener with two free-hit opportunities. The tall Lankan left-arm paceman, who earlier bowled Gautam Gambhir for eight, ended the disastrous 10-ball over on a happy note though, getting rid off Virat Kohli. He followed up by bringing the Sehwag show to a premature end in his next over, and for the first time in the match, it seemed like the script was being altered.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni who came in with India at 71 for three in 8.4 overs began slowly, nudging singles and looking to rebuild the innings. He managed to do that in Yuvraj Singh's company - the left-hander striking a fluent 84-ball 74 - but fell just when he looked to go from restorer to aggressor, Perera came into the attack. Perera, who had opened the bowling in his first two ODIs, wasn't brought onto bowl till the 32nd over but he didn't take long to make an impact, first getting Dhoni caught-behind for 37, before accounting for Yuvraj in his third over.

The pair of Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja then added 65 runs between them, before Welegedara returned to pick up the first five-wicket haul of his ODI career. Harbhajan Singh brought some uniqueness into the contest with the comical manner of his dismissal - attempting to hit a full toss wide outside off-stump towards the on-side, he managed only to hit it to point.

India, who had looked on their way to cross the 300-run mark, fell well short, with the left-arm pace duo of Thilan Thushara and Welegedara ensuring that only 18 runs were scored off the last five overs for the loss of four wickets. In the end, the last five overs of both innings had proved to be the deciding factor.

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Brisbane International men's singles results

Deepak Jain Wed, Jan 06 10 11:29 AM

REUTERS - Brisbane International men's second round results on Wednesday (prefix denotes seeding; * indicates new result)

* 2-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) beat Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. (Ukraine) 5-7 7-6(4) 6-2

James Blake (U.S.) beat Marc Gicquel (France) 6-3 3-6 7-6(8)

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