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Mumbai Indians look to stop Royals
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IPL: Players’ earnings to go over the roof
Shoaib-PCB truce
Slapgate: Nanavati shocked by footage
I have not mellowed down, says Sreesanth
Climbers prepare for final assault on Everest
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Chennai, May 6 Leading the side in absence of injured regular skipper VVS Laxman, Gilchrist won the toss, marshalled his bowlers well and then top-scored for the side with a 36-ball 54 to guide the team to a morale boosting win. Chasing 145, Deccan Chargers cantered to 148 for three in 18 overs with Scott Styris (36 not out), Rohit Sharma (23) and Shahid Afridi (20 not out) making impressions with the bat. Today’s loss completed a hat-trick of defeats for the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side, which has been clearly hit by the exit of the Australian duo of Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey, apart from the big-hitting Kiwi Jacob Oram. The Deccan Chargers did well to restrict the Chennai Super Kings for a modest 144 for seven wickets. And when they set about the task of chasing, though the side lost Herschelle Gibbs (10) early, Gilchrist, batting with a squash ball inside his gloves, looked in tremendous hurry as he went after the Chennai bowlers. Protea spearhead Ntini bore the brunt of his wrath in the sixth over when the left hander hit him for a couple of sixes, with a boundary sandwiched in between. Albie Morkel too came in for some harsh treatment as the Deccan Chargers score kept swelling. The pacer finally had his moment when Gilchrist went for a fierce cut, which found S Badrinath at point, who was seen wringing his palm in pain. Gilchrist's brisk 54 came off 36 balls and was studded with seven boundaries besides a couple of sixes. Earlier, in their stipulated 20 overs, Chennai Super Kings could score only 144 for the loss of seven wickets against some good bowling performance by the Deccan Chargers. Deccan Chargers bowlers rattled the top order of Chennai by taking wickets at regular intervals. Super Kings’ openers once again failed to give a good start to their team. Opener Parthiv Patel fell cheaply to Vijayakumar when the score was just four on the board. Stephen Fleming, who hit some aggressive shots, however, could not carry on to get a big score as he was dismissed by his compatriot Styris. Anirudha, son of former Indian opener Krish Srikkanth, who was promoted up in the order failed to deliver the goods. The rescue act came when S. Raina and Dhoni joined together and scored 32 runs for the fifth wicket. However, both Raina and Dhoni fell cheaply to Bangar and B. Ojha, respectively. When Chennai Super Kings were struggling at 86 for six, J.A. Morkel and Joginder Sharma did some work. Finally, M A Gony scored 15 runs in just six balls with two sixes, to give Chennai Super Kings a moderate total. — Agencies Scoreboard Chennai Super Kings Parthiv c RP Singh b Vijaykumar 4 Fleming c Rohit Sharma b Styris 14 Anirudha c Afridi b RP Singh 1 Raina c Rohit Sharma b Bangar 32 Badrinath c Gibbs b Afridi 0 Dhoni c Afridi b Ojha 23 Morkel not out 29 Joginder b RP Singh 16 M Gony not out 15 Extras (lb-6, w-4) 10 Total (7 wkts, 20 overs) 144 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-15, 3-33, 4-43, 5-82, 6-86, 7-124 Bowling: Vijaykumar 3-0-17-1, RP Singh 3-0-12-2, Styris 3-0-24-1, Afridi 3-0-27-1, Bangar 4-0-36-1, PP Ojha 4-0-22-1. Deccan Chargers Gilchrist c Badrinath b Morkel 54 Gibbs c & b Gony 10 Styris not out 36 Rohit Sharma c Badrinath b Murali 23Afridi not out 20 Extras (lb-1, w-2, nb-2) 5 Total (3 wkts, 18 overs) 148 Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-78, 3-125 Bowling: Ntini 4-0-37-0, Gony 3-0-15-1, Morkel 4-0-26-1, Joginder 3-0-45-0, Muralitharan 4-0-24-1. Player of the Match: Gilchrist (Deccan Chargers)
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Mumbai Indians look to stop Royals
Mumbai, May 6 The home team, which is likely to miss the services of injured icon player and captain Sachin Tendulkar for their seventh match running, have turned the corner with superb victories over Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils. But the Mumbai outfit, sixth in the table going into their needle clash under lights, have a tough task at hand now as it aims to halt the relentless progress of the Shane Warne-led and coached Jaipur franchise, which has surprised one and all with their brilliant performance after their only loss in the lung opener to Delhi. First and foremost, the Mumbai Indians' batsmen need to convert their starts into big innings, as conceded by their veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya yesterday who said that in a Twenty20 game at least one batsman in the top order needs to bat up to the 15th over. A fascinating contest could evolve between Jayasuriya and the great Warne in the middle overs. For this to happen the Mumbai top order needs to take head-on, Pakistani Sohail Tanvir, who had a sensational 6-14 haul that floored Chennai Super Kings at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium two nights ago, and the likes of Munaf Patel and Siddharth Trivedi. The confrontation between the Marauder from Matara and the spin wizard from Oz should whet the appetite of the large crowd of over 50,000 that regularly assembles at this venue on what is widely expected to be the last match here of the season. It would also be very interesting to see how Young Indian Turk Robin Uthappa, who has flattered mostly to deceive so far, shapes up against the wily old fox who relishes such battles. It is a pity that Warne is unlikely to get another chance to match his spin might against the man who has given him nightmares in Tests Tendulkar. Then the Mumbai Indians' bowlers, from among whom stand-in skipper Shaun Pollock has been the pick, would need to deliver the goods against a good batting line-up in which South African captain Graeme Smith and Australian all rounder Shane Watson are a major stumbling blocks. Mumbai Indians' fielding has been near-spotless during their victories at the Eden Gardens and at their backyard, and if they can continue to maintain these levels then they can put the Royals under severe pressure. Under the leadership of Warne, domestic cricketers like Goa's Swapnil Asnodkar, Saurashtra's Ravinder Jadeja and Mumbai's Dinesh Salunke have found their feet for the visiting team and it's a huge plus in their favour, the confidence these cricketers sport now when confronted by international players. The visitors are on a roll and their relentless march towards the last four would get only a jolt if they lose tomorrow and a victory would enhance their hopes to a large extent. The teams (from): Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (Capt.), Swapnil Asnodkar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Kaif, Kamran Akmal (wk), Taruwar Kohli, Mahesh Rawat (wk), Dimitri Mascarenhas, Pankaj Singh, Munaf Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Graeme Smith, Sohail Tanvir, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson, Dinesh Salunke. Coach: Shane Warne. Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar (Capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Luke Ronchi (wk), Ajinkya Rahane, Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Shaun Pollock, Loots Bosman, Dominic Thornely, Manish Pandey, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Aniket Chavan, Siddharth Chitnis, Gaurav Dhiman, Dilhara Fernando, Musavir Khote, Dhawal Kulkarni, Rajesh Pawar, Saurabh Tiwary, Ashwell Prince, Rohan Raje, Pinal Shah (wk), Swapnil Singh, Yogesh Takawale (wk) and Vikrant Yeligati. Coach: Lalchand Rajput. Hours of Play: 8 pm to 11 pm. — PTI
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IPL: Players’ earnings to go over the roof
Melbourne, May 6 The IPL had put a cap of $ five million (just over Rs 20 crore) for the franchises this year to prevent the very rich team owners from splurging too much. But with the inaugural edition turning out to be a major success, the players are set to reap the rewards in the next season. "If we hadn't done that, I can tell you that our players would already be the highest-paid across any sport in the world," IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi was quoted as saying in 'The Daily Telegraph'. "It will happen - if not today, then tomorrow. Because once the franchises have established themselves, it will be a free-for-all," he added. The report stated some leading Australian cricketers like Matthew Hayden and Brett Lee can expect a several-fold hike in their pays when they go back to play the next season after their short stints this time. Indian ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who fetched the maximum bidding price of Rs 6 crore this season, reportedly told a senior Australian player last week that extraordinary contracts of up to $ 14-15 million were likely to be introduced by the next season. Hayden confirmed that players were up for a financial windfall when the next season of the IPL gets underway. "From what I have heard, some of the stuff (payments) this year could be just the tip of the iceberg," Hayden said.
— PTI |
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Shoaib-PCB truce
New Delhi, May 6 The former Pakistan captain said the PCB's decisions on Akhtar were "baffling" and would make a "good Bollywood comedy." "First you ban him and then you suspend it to facilitate something. After that, Naseemsaab (Naseem Ashraf, PCB chairman) and Shoaib are on TV, a politician mediates to sort out the matter and then, Naseemsaab drops his case. I think a good Bollywood director can make a hit comedy film," Akram was quoted as saying by Mobile ESPN, Tuesday. "And Shoaib should eventually join politics," he added. Shoaib Akhtar is likely to play for the Kolkata team against Bangalore Royal Challengers Thursday, but subject to passing a fitness test. But Akram says the publicity-hungry Akhtar will be all fired up. "Once Shoaib sees the crowd and, of course, the babes around, I think he'll be able to perform. It will take him just a couple of games to get fit and since he has to bowl just four overs in a match, he doesn't need much fitness," he said. Akram said the PCB's ways and means were ridiculous, and slammed Akhtar for using political help to weave his way out of the mess.
— IANS |
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Slapgate: Nanavati shocked by footage
Mumbai, May 6 "What I saw was shocking but it has made my job easier. It will also help me in my further investigation," he told reporters after viewing the footage of the incident, that took place after an Indian Premier League match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab on April 25. Nanavati saw the footage at the BCCI headquarters here with IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi, Board Secretary Niranjan Shah and Joint Secretary M P Pandove. The Ahmedabad lawyer will submit his inquiry report on the matter to Board President Sharad Pawar on Monday. Nanavati took the statement of match referee Farokh Engineer and will also speak to Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput, who was allegedly standing behind Harbhajan when he slapped Sreesanth after the match. He has already spoken to umpire Amish Saheba, who was suspended for a match after criticising Sreesanth's behaviour in an interview. Saheba had, however, denied making any statement against Sreesanth. With this, Nanavati is expecting to wrap up the investigation by Sunday and send his findings to the BCCI chief on Monday. Yesterday Nanavati had summoned Harbhajan and Sreesanth to Ahmedabad this weekend. "I have summoned them. They have been told to come either on Friday or Saturday. Harbhajan will be coming on Friday. Sreesanth is yet to confirm a date," he had told PTI yesterday. Nanavati was asked by the board to probe the incident after Harbhajan was banned from the rest of the IPL by its disciplinary committee. On whether Harbhajan could be punished twice for the same offence, Nanavati said "according to the BCCI contract, he gets match fee for the whole year. He is also getting money separately for playing in IPL." "If he is getting paid by both IPL and BCCI at the same time, he will be punished twice", he added.
— PTI |
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I have not mellowed down, says Sreesanth
Bangalore, May 6 Relieved after putting behind the unpleasant memories of recent past, Sreesanth denied the slapping row, which saw Harbhajan being banned from the remainder of the IPL, had curbed his aggression. "No, I've not mellowed down," insisted the pacer in the post-match press conference. "I don't focus on the history but only focus on the present. I'm only concentrating on hitting the right areas." The Kings XI Punjab pacer rocked the Bangalore Royal Challengers in last night's Indian Premier League match by claiming two wickets off successive balls in the first over of the innings, a blow the hosts could not recover from. The Rahul Dravid-led Bangalore side was eventually skittled out for 126 in 19.2 overs, a target the Punjab side overwhelmed in 18.2 overs losing four wickets. Sreesanth's bowling figure of 4-0-16-2 earned him the Man of the Match award. The sprightly pacer said he just enjoyed the feeling of playing at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. "It's always nice to play at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. I always cherish it. There was no strategy as such when I bowled the first over, only that I was all charged up," he said. Coach Tom Moody felt his wards did not play perfect cricket but still looked title contender. "We did some fundamental mistakes but were lucky enough not to be punished for that. The results have been good for us and at the end of the league we may be serious contenders," Moody said.
— PTI |
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Federer settles score with Canas
Rome, May 6 Canas went into the game as one of the few players on the tour to hold a winning record against the world number one, but Tuesday's result evens things up at three wins apiece. Federer made an assured start, breaking Canas in the middle of the first set before producing two aces and a delightful drop shot to hold his serve to love at the end of it. Unseeded 2001 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero came from behind to beat German Nicolas Kiefer 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. Sixth seed Andy Roddick breezed into the third round with a 6-1, 6-4 win over fellow American Mardy Fish. The top US player showed no signs of being rusty in his first game of the year on clay, polishing off the first set in 23 minutes. Fish put up stiffer resistance at the start of the second, producing some thumping forehand winners before Roddick broke in the seventh game of the set. Serena Williams eases into 3rd round
Berlin: Fifth seed Serena Williams brushed aside Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-3 in the second round of the German Open on Tuesday. Earlier, seventh seeded Russian Elena Dementieva took less than an hour to overcome Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1, 6-2 while Marion Bartoli, the eighth seed, breezed past the Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova 6-0, 6-3. Unseeded Russian Vera Dushevina upset Switzerland's Patty Schnyder, beating the ninth seed 6-2, 6-3 in their first-round match. Lucky loser Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan, who replaced the injured Amelie Mauresmo in the draw, made the most of her good fortune to beat another Frenchwoman, Aravane Rezai, 7-5, 7-5 in the first round.
— Reuters |
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Kalmadi to head IHF’s ad hoc panel
New Delhi, May 6 The IOA which suspended the IHF on April 28, tightened its grip over the federation by appointing its office bearers as members of the ad hoc committee. Besides Suresh Kalmadi, other members of the committee are (IOA secretary General) Randhir Singh, (vice president) Mohd Aslam Khan, (treasurer) Ashok Kumar Mattoo and (joint Secretary) Rajiv Mehta. The IOA also named three advisors to the ad-hoc committee. They are N Ramachandran (advisor marketing), Bob Davidzon (advisor administration) and Ric Charlesworth( advisor technical). Top sources told UNI that there was intense pressure on the IOA from various quarters and former Olympians to be included in the ad-hoc committee. ''There were so many claiments for five posts, it was just not possible to accommodate every body, so it was decided to have committee comprising of IOA officials. In any case Rajiv Mehta was also joint secretary in the prrevious regime of the IHF,'' the sources said. The sources admitted that there will be lot of heartburn as no senior player found a place in the committee ''However, the formation of five member selection committee comprising of former olympians took care of that.'' ''Randhir Singh is a six-time Olympian, Mohd Aslam is an avid hockey follower, Ashok Mattoo is an able sports administrator,'' the sources said while justifying the formation of this committee. ''We hope the players and hockey lovers will extend their cooperation to the new committee to help put the game back on the rails,'' they added.
— UNI |
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Climbers prepare for final assault on Everest
Everest Base Camp, May 6 In a departure from the usual tight control of information about the project, China mountaineering team spokesman Zhang Zhijian listed the full team of climbers, which also includes eight Han Chinese and one climber from the Tujia minority. Zhang would not disclose when the final ascent would take place and said the heavy snow over the weekend had been a minor setback to the task of getting the Olympic flame to the top of the world’s highest mountain. “The heavy snowfall has destroyed the routes we fixed and the camps we had prepared,” he told a news briefing. “Our climbing torch bearers are busy rebuilding the routes and camps. It has affected us a little but not too much.” The three women in the climbing team include experienced 39-year-old Ji Ji, whose husband Rena was killed when a rockslide hit his car on his way to climb the 26,509-ft Gasherbrum 1 peak in Pakistan in 2005. In 1999, Ji Ji and Rena became the third married couple to summit Everest together. Ji Ji returned to Pakistan last year to claim the Gasherbrum 1 peak, the world's 11th highest, for her late husband. The oldest climber is 45-year-old Luoze, while teenager Ding Chen, still a couple of months shy of his 20th birthday, is the youngest. Zhang said the team had been selected for their passion for the Olympics, their physical condition and recommendation by their work unit or institution. “Many of them are not professional climbers, especially the Han Chinese,” he said. “They are mainly university students, but they have the passion. They do have experience of climbing at least one summit of more than 6,000 metres.” The flame that will be taken to the Everest peak was taken from the main Olympic torch when it arrived in Beijing in March. Organisers have kept plans for the ascent a closely guarded secret for fear that it may be hit by protests. Anti-Chinese demonstrations disrupted the international stretch of the longest torch relay in Olympic history after the March 14 riots in Lhasa sparked off unrest in Tibetan areas of western China.
— Reuters |
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