Ponting hurt but no cause for worry
Ricky Ponting was hit by a cricket ball in the nets but the team management assured he is fine an there is no cloud of doubt over his availability for any of the World Twenty20 matches.Micheal Husssey struck the ball in the nets at trent bridge which hit ponting on the right wrist ahead of Australlia's warm-up match against Bangladesh..
Spinners will play a major role,says Dhoni
Delhi Daredevils beat Rajasthan Royals ,stays on top
Thereafter, Delhi focussed on keeping wickets intact even if runs didn’t come along as expected. But that was until Munaf ruined his earlier efforts with a disastrous 19th over, conceding 25 runs.
He bowled a no-ball to de Villiers, who despatched the half-volley straight for six. Munaf experimented with a slower delivery for the free-hit. De Villiers pulled him for a boundary. Two boundaries later, Dinesh Karthik pulled him for a six over mid-wicket.
When the chase began, Jaipur were hardly in the game. Graeme Smith went for a duck, Rob Quiney scored just six, Naman Ojha fell for nine and the only partnership to talk about was the 55-run stand for the fourth wicket. The rest who followed also fell like nine pins.
In reply, Rajasthan had a bad start when Graeme Smith upper cut to Aavishkar Salvi off Dirk Nannes in the second over. In the next over, Rob Quiney pulled Ashish Nehra to Nannes at deep fine-leg.
The defending champion was in further trouble when Naman Ojha found Virender Sehwag at extra cover. Ravindra Jadeja’s promising 24 came to an end after Salvi extracted bounce to force the batsman into an outside edge to wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik.
Karthik was in the scheme of things again when Yusuf Pathan sent the ball to short third man.
Munaf managed three boundaries in the final over, but the task was beyond his reach.
Combining well
Before that match-defining over, de Villiers and Dilshan had combined well for a responsible 87-run partnership for the third-wicket. Rajasthan had a forgettable day in the field, dropping two catches and failing to effect a run-out towards the end.
Rajasthan skipper Shane Warne and Johan Botha utilised the conditions effectively, but de Villiers and Dilshan were prepared to counter them with singles and twos, an approach that ensured runs came at the end.
ICC rejects PCB's 'spurious' claims
ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat rued that Pakistan decided to take the legal course to resolve the matter and hoped it would "withdraw its spurious claims".
"We used our response to clarify inaccuracies and misunderstandings in the PCB's claim. We also pointed out that the ICC Board agreed only that WC 2011 matches should be moved away from Pakistan, not that the PCB should be removed from its position as a joint host of the event itself," he said.
"We are naturally disappointed that the PCB has chosen to pursue its grievance with the ICC through legal channels but, having received correspondence from its lawyers, we have now responded," Lorgat said in a statement.
Lorgat made it clear that game's world governing body had the power to shift the location of ties in the best interest of its members who grow on revenue from ICC tournaments.
"The ICC Board's decision was a sad one to have to take but it was taken on the basis of what was best for all 104 of the ICC's Members," Lorgat said.
"The suggestion the ICC Board was not empowered to decide that matches should be moved away from Pakistan and that such a decision was 'legally flawed' is also incorrect and without foundation. The ICC Board is the policy-making body for international cricket and has broad powers under its constitution," he said.
"The ICC Cricket World Cup is our flagship event. It generates the majority of ICC event income for our great sport and without that income many of those Members would struggle to operate or grow the game in the way they are currently able to," he added.
The ICC CEO said the PCB would only divert funds in other direction instead of development purpose by pursuing the matter through legal channels.
"We hope it realises that by attempting to pursue
"We also hope that the PCB will reflect on this matter, withdraw its spurious claims and, as a responsible Full Member, engage with us in an appropriate manner.
"Given that fact, we need to deliver a tournament that is safe, secure and, above all, successful and it was on that basis that the decision was taken that matches could not be played in Pakistan.
the matter through legal channels, it will result in the diversion of funds and resources better served to ensure a safe, secure and successful tournament in 2011, something that will benefit all our Members, including Pakistan," he said.
Royals wins a thriller
DURBAN: Rajasthan Royals stayed in the hunt with a thrilling, last-over win over Mumbai Indians at Kingsmead here on Thursday. Mumbai needed four off the last over with three wickets in hand but a leg-before and two run-outs ended its charge two runs short of the Royals’ 145. Mumbai came within a whisker of overhauling the target despite a sluggish start, principally due to a late-innings blinder by Abhishek Nayar (35, 18b, 4x4, 1x6). Man-of-the-match Shane Warne finished with figures of 4-0-24-3. J.P. Duminy fell when he chopped Trivedi on to his stumps, but Tendulkar kick-started with a six off Pathan and took 18 runs (including three consecutive boundaries) off Ravindra Jadeja in the 15th over. Smith lost his patience against Harbhajan and pulled him straight to Duminy at mid-wicket. Yusuf Pathan forced boundaries off Malinga and Harbhajan, but bungled up against Nanda, his sweep finding Malinga at deep square leg in the tenth over. Mumbai needed 48 off the last five overs when Warne snapped up Sachin (40, 30b, 4x4, 1x6) with a straighter one, Earlier, Royals’ 145 was largely based on Rob Quiney’s 51 (40b, 5x4, 2x6) and Ravindra Jadeja’s 42 (32b, 4x4, 1x6). Warne put his side in and the opening pair of Smith and Quiney stroked its way to 43 at almost a run-a-ball before Sachin brought the spinners on. Dramatic last over By the time Nayar was out in the 19th over, he had brought Mumbai to within five runs of the target. Munaf Patel stepped up to bowl the final over and trapped Kulkarni with his second ball. Chetanya Nanda was run-out on the third and though Harbhajan scampered a single, Lasith Malinga fell short of his ground to hand Royals a thrilling win. Shane Warne brought himself on and struck almost immediately, inducing Rahane into a top-edge to Abhishek Raut at mid-on. Mumbai’s ploy of opening with Dwayne Bravo and Yogesh Takawale failed when the former miscued a pull off Munaf Patel in the second over. Mumbai’s miseries worsened when Takawale gloved Trivedi to the wicket-keeper in the sixth over and the side was 23 for three when Tendulkar and Jayasuriya got together. The pair took the score to 54 at the midway mark; Mumbai needed 92 to win off the last 10 overs. With the asking rate inching to ten after resumption, Warne claimed his second victim, luring Jayasuriya into skying one to mid-wicket. Quiney stepped up the pace after resumption, flat-batting Bravo over his head for six and flicking the same bowler to fine-leg to bring up his 50 off 37 balls. Ravindra Jadeja provided the push from the other end, picking Harbhajan for four boundaries one of which threaded the gap between point and cover. Jadeja was caught at long-on trying to force the pace. Tight bowling by Bravo and Jayasuriya restricted Royals to just seven runs off its last two overs. Rajasthan Royals: R. Quiney b Malinga 51 (40b, 5x4, 2x6), G. Smith c Duminy b Harbhajan 19 (19b, 3x4), Yusuf c Malinga b Nanda 17 (14b, 3x4), R. Jadeja c Bravo b Jayasuriya 42 (32b, 4x4, 1x6), S. Chitnis c Nayar b Bravo 6 (8b, 1x4), N. Ojha c Rahane b Jayasuriya 1 (4b), J. Botha (not out) 2 (3b), S. Warne (run out) 0 (0b); Extras (lb-3, w-4): 7; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 145. Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-65, 3-126, 4-141, 5-142, 6-144, 7-145. Mumbai Indians bowling: Kulkarni 4-0-29-0, Malinga 4-0-28-1, Bravo 3-0-30-1, Duminy 3-0-17-0, Harbhajan 4-0-31-1, Nanda 1-0-4-1, Jayasuriya 1-0-3-2. Mumbai Indians: D. Bravo c & b Munaf 1 (3b), Y. Takawale c Ojha b Trivedi 18 (22b, 2x4), A. Rahane c Raut b Warne 3 (7b), S. Jayasuriya c Yusuf b Warne 16 (21b), S. Tendulkar lbw b Warne 40 (30b, 4x4, 1x6), J.P. Duminy b Trivedi 4 (5b), A. Nayar (run out) 35 (18b, 4x4, 1x6), Harbhajan (not out) 7 (8b), D. Kulkarni lbw b Munaf 1 (4b), C. Nanda (run out) 0 (1b), L. Malinga (run out) 0 (1b); Extras (lb-3, w-14, nb-1): 18; Total (in 19.5 overs) 143. Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-23, 3-23, 4-56, 5-76, 6-103, 7-140, 8-142, 9-142. Rajasthan Royals bowling: Yusuf 3-0-25-0, Munfa 3.5-0-22-2, Trivedi 4- 0-19-2, Warne 4-0-24-3, Botha 4-0- 32-0, Jadeja1-0-18-0.
Royal Challengers stuns Super Kings
Durban: Lowly Royal Challengers Bangalore humbled fancied Chennai Super Kings by two wickets in an Indian Premier League thriller, to inject some life in its bid for a semifinal berth, here on Thursday. Following Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision to bat, Chennai Super Kings posted a modest 129, built largely around Matthew Hayden’s breezy 38-ball 60, but the Bangalore side reached the target with two balls to spare. For the winner, New Zealander Ross Taylor scored a sedate 50-ball 46 and added 56 runs with Virat Kohli (38 off 35) to fashion its second consecutive victory. With five runs needed from the last over, Taylor fell to Jacob Oram but R. Vinay Kumar kept his cool and hit a four to seal the issue. The Super Kings maintained a strict line and length to stifle the Bangalore top-order but ran out of steam as the match progressed. Taylor and Kohli held their nerve and paired up to pull the Royal Challengers out of the pit before Oram caught Kohli off Lakshmipathy Balaji. Experienced Mark Boucher (5) also could not carry the flag and fell prey to Muttiah Muralidharan but Vinay Kumar did not make any mistake, guiding the side to a thrilling win. Spinner van der Merwe separated the pair just when it was looking dangerous by brilliantly taking a reflex catch to remove Dhoni. Kumble got the big breakthrough when Hayden failed to gauge a floater and Vinay Kumar took a good catch near the ropes. Once Hayden returned, none of the Chennai batsmen could do much as the side settled for a below-par total. Earlier, Chennai opener Hayden, who adorned his innings with five fours and three sixes, did not find enough support from his colleagues. Only two other batsmen — Suresh Raina (13) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (18) — managed double digit scores. The Super Kings lost six wickets for only 28 runs with Oram, S. Badrinath and Albie Morkel falling cheaply. Hayden looked at his best and cracked three boundaries in the second over off medium pacer R. Vinay Kumar and then smote Praveen Kumar into the stands in the next over. Anil Kumble brought South African Jacques Kallis into the attack in the fourth over and the all-rounder justified his skipper’s decision. Kallis inflicted the first blow sending back opener M. Vijay. Kallis struck again in the sixth over when Suresh Raina failed to negotiate a rising delivery and Roelof van der Merwe dived forward to pouch a well-judge catch. Dhoni then paired up with Hayden to stitch a 45-run partnership. Kumble described the win as “important” for his side, crediting it to Ross Taylor and a superb catching effort. “It was so important, it was fantastic effort. Our catching was brilliant,” Kumble said after snapping Chennai’s five-match winning streak by defeating them by two wickets. “In the end, Taylor did it for us,” he added. Kumble said the team executed its plan barring a few things. “We wanted to get Haydos (Hayden) early but that did not happen. Still, overall our plan was successful,” he said. The veteran leg-spinner would not get carried away by the win as he said “I would like to take one game at a time.” Chasing a modest 130, Bangalore got off to a disastrous start as Chennai’s new-ball pair of Albie Morkel and Sudeep Tyagi struck early. Opener Kallis departed after Morkel’s wicket-bound delivery found his leg in the first over, while in the next over Rahul Dravid’s ambitious cut found Badrinath at backward point, leaving Bangalore struggling at 12 for two. Things were further complicated when the other opener, Robin Uthappa again departed cheaply, trapped by Albie Morkel. It was finally left to Taylor and Kohli to pull Bangalore out of the pit. Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed his team’s laid-back fielding for breaking its winning streak in the IPL. “Our fielding has been suspect in the tournament so far.” You have to be fast and agile on the field. We have been a safe fielding side but not a brilliant one,” Dhoni said. Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-48, 3-93, 4-101, 5-107, 6-118, 7-118, 8-118, 9-128. Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Kumble 4-0-12-2, Vinay Kumar 3-0-30-2, Praveen 3.4-0-35-1, Kallis 4-1-18-2, van der Merwe 4-0- 29-1, Akhil 1-0-2-0. Royal Challengers Bangalore: R. Uthappa lbw b Morkel 6 (4b, 1x4), J. Kallis lbw b Morkel 0 (1b), R. Dravid c Badrinath b Tyagi 8 (7b, 2x4), R. Taylor c Dhoni b Oram 46 (50b, 2x4, 1x6), V. Kohli c Oram b Balaji 38 (35b, 4x4, 2x6), M. Boucher c Hayden b Muralitharan 5 (5b, 1x4), R. van der Merwe (run out) 3 (6b), B. Akhil c Tyagi b Oram 0 (2b), Praveen (not out) 12 (6b, 1x6), R. Vinay Kumar (not out) 6 (2b, 1x4); Extras: (b-4, lb-1, w-3) 8; Total: (for 8 wickets; in 19.4 overs) 132. Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-12, 3-30, 4-86, 5-91, 6-104, 7-107, 8-125. Chennai Super Kings bowling: A. Morkel 4-0-13-2, Tyagi 2-0-21-1, Balaji 4-0-32-1, Jakati 4-0-25-0, Muralitharan 4-0-24-1, Oram 1.4-0-12
Harsh-Van’t Hof in last eight
ICC panel to meet on May 27
Djokovic enters third round at Madrid Open
  Novak Djokovic returns a ball at the ATP Madrid Masters. (AFP Photo) |
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