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Rain threat looms large
Kolkata’s hopes washed away |
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Aussies fire a salvo
Aussie duo a treat to watch: Sangakkara
SRK not to cheer team
Bhupathi’s remarks childish: Paes
Racism Row
Recall me or I’m joining IPL: Bopara
Champions League
Manchester United celebrate after beating Chelsea in the final of the UEFA Champions League final at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on Wednesday. — AFP
photo
Sikkim to miss Bhutia during Santosh Trophy
Raikkonen makes sizzling start
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Rain threat looms large
Mohali, May 22
Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers: 8 pm Going by the current form, Kings XI start heavy favourites against the VVS Laxman-led Hyderabad team, which is lying at the bottom with just two wins out of 11 games. Inexplicably, the Hyderabad team has failed to deliver despite the presence of so many big names in the side. It is their inability to come good and play as a team that has left them in the unenviable position. A look at the team comprising the celebrated cricketers such as Herschelle Gibbs, Adam Gilchrist (wk), Shahid Afridi, Chamara Silva, RP Singh, Scott Styris, Chaminda Vaas and Rohit Sharma led by stylish Laxman is enough to put any rival team on alert. But the continued failure of the team has rendered them a favourite punching bags in the 44-day competition. Kings XI Punjab, on the other hand, look like a well-oiled machinery having the right players at the right spots. It is their awe-inspiring batting that has served them admirably. Besides, their bowling and fielding has not been found wanting. Ever since he has started opening the innings, Shaun Marsh has been the scourge of bowlers of any rival team. In fact, it is the stupendous success of Marsh at the top that has been one of the biggest reasons for the success of the Kings XI Punjab. The ease with which the Australian left-handed batsman paces his innings has been a revelation. It should be lesson to other batsmen besides having a sobering effect on the team. In the match against Mumbai Indians yesterday, Marsh, as usual, was irresistible after the early fall of James Hopes. It was his 81-run knock along with that of flamboyant Luke Pomersbach, who clobbered unbeaten 79, along with some excellent ground fielding that paved the way for a victory against an in-form Mumbai Indians. Hopes, Jayawardene, Sangakkara and others have played their part in batting. It is, however, the unexpected form of hard-hitting Pomersbach has been the icing on the came. The left-handed batsman is yet to be dismissed after three innings. With knocks of 34, 25 and 79 runs, all unbeaten, in the last three matches, at a strike rate in excess of 160, Pomersbach has given Kings XI batting an impregnable look. It is this strong batting, in fact, that has never really allowed an adverse opportunity to Yuvraj Singh to come in the middle, put his head down, concentrate hard and graft his innings of substance. After he notched up 57 against Rajasthan Royals nearly a month back, Yuvraj has been going through a lean patch. But hard to keep out, the local favourite and the livewire in the field, played his part yesterday. Bowling left-arm spin, he effected the crucial dismissals of Robin Uthappa and Shaun Pollock and then ran out No 11 batsman VS Yeligati the last over that brought the winning spree of Mumbai Indians to a halt. Both the team will prey for the weather to be clear, allowing an uninterrupted play on the morrow. As for Laxman, he should draw inspiration from the Bangalore Royal Challengers, who stunned one and all yesterday, pulling the rug from under the feet of MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings, third-ranked side on the points table. Already languishing at the bottom and nothing but pride to play for, Deccan Chargers will do well to take the field with positive intent and go all out for a win. With some of the dreaded names in international circuit in the ranks, an impressive outing, if they manage, will ensure a cracker of a contest, provided, of course, if the weather permits! |
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Kolkata’s hopes washed away
The washout of the tie was a body blow for Daredevils’ hopes of staying on course for a semi-final berth as they have earned only 13 points from as many matches with a match to go against Mumbai Indians at home on Saturday. @@Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, have two more matches to go with 11 points already in their bag, while Knight Riders have tallied 11 from 13 matches.@@A win for Daredevils today would have raised their tally to 14 points. Rajastan Royals have already booked a semifinal berth with 18 points while Kings XI Punjab with 16 points in their kitty and a match against Knight Riders in hand, are also assured of a last four berth. @@Though the one point earned by the Sourav Ganguly-led Knight Riders may not alter the fortune of the team, having suffered seven defeats, it has certainly complicated things for Daredevils. @@Delhi has been experiencing rains of varying intensity, in spurts and for long spells, for the past two days. The Capital was awash with rains again today morning. Still,@@there was hope of the match being played as the sun shone brightly during the day, before ominous clouds gathered in the evening and it started raining again; first as a drizzle and then gained in velocity to soak the Ferozeshah Kotla beyond playable conditions.@@Though a couple of super soppers and an army of ground staff were pressed into service under the supervision of Kotla wicket curator Radhey Shyam Sharma, the ground had taken such a heavy drenching that there was no hope of getting it ready for even a shortened game before the deadline set for the match to commence --11.10 pm. @@Rival captains Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly took a round of the ground, but so much water had seeped in, despite being protected with covers, that no way a ball could have been bowled. And expectedly the tie was called off at 10 pm. @@A near-packed stadium bore with the inclement weather in the hope of witnessing a keen contest, but the rain gods had other plans. Ultimately it was a clash of the titans that was not to be. |
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‘IPL responsible for injuries’
Melbourne, May 22 While opener Matthew Hayden has already been ruled out of the first Test due to a recurring tendon problem, Australia's team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris confirmed up to half the side was carrying niggling injuries. ''To be honest, he (Hayden) is not the only one with tendon problems in the team. You would find at least half of them would have some sort of tendon injury,'' Kountouris was quoted as saying by the 'Sydney Morning Herald'. ''They have all got little tendon things and you can throw a blanket over six or seven of them. It is a bit of luck, to be honest; some people get away with them and some don't,'' he said. But Hayden's injury could be blessing in disguise for Brad Hodge, who was called midway from the IPL as a replacement for Michael Clarke. ''The way things are going. Hodgey could find himself in a Test spot that he might have thought passed him by,'' captain Ricky Ponting said. Hayden is certain to miss the first Test and it is possible he could find himself out of the three-Test series as the medical staff fear that it may be genetic. ''There is a belief there might be some sort of genetic disposition to getting tendon problems,'' Kountouris said. ''There is a lot of research now going into genetics, looking into the gene pool and whether that has anything to do with it. It is not like a muscle strain when you can predict healing times. ''They don't actually heal, they sort of hang around. At the moment, he has tried running a few times and it gets stirred up, so we are trying to be as conservative as we can. ''He has had other tendon problems in the past so it wasn't a surprise,'' he added. Before the summer, Hayden had played 86 consecutive Tests, the seventh-longest streak in history, but there are now grave concerns the wear and tear of 15 years of international cricket are rapidly catching up with the 36-year-old. — UNI
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Aussie duo a treat to watch: Sangakkara
Mohali, May 22 Batting for Punjab, both have been a revelation. Continuing his astonishing run in the IPL, Marsh dished out another superlative performance with the bat and bagged a Man of the Match award against the Mumbai Indians yesterday, while Pomersbach was no less impressive, scoring an unbeaten 79. The Sri Lanka vice-captain said the the stint in the IPL will stand in good stead for the two Aussies and go a long way in giving a boost to their international career. “Whosoever sees them bat can learn a lot,” he observed. Refusing to go into the permutations and combinations and how the team was taking the match tomorrow as the Kings XI Punjab had virtually made it to the semifinals, Sangakkara remarked that the team was focussed more on giving a good performance on the field. “We are playing to win and are quite proud as cricketers with what we have achieved in the field so far,” he said. “I am progressing quite well, but the way the guys are playing there is no need to change the team composition. Anyway, a final decision on whether I am playing or not will be taken before the start of the game,” the attacking wicketkeeper batsman replied when asked whether he will take the field tomorrow or not. About his superb batting, a visibly pleased, Luke Pomersbach said: “Yes, I am getting starts. In the last match it was much more than that. When somebody as good as Shaun (Marsh) is batting at the other end, it is bound to have an impact on the batsman at the other end”.
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SRK not to cheer team
Kolkata, May 22 Making an oblique reference to his being debarred from the players’ dugout at the Eden Gardens by the ICC’s Anti Corruption officials, Shah Rukh said in an sms to his players that he was still trying to understand the code of conduct expected of him at the matches. “I am still trying to understand the code of conduct expected of me at the matches of the IPL, ICC Etc. After I understand it, I will decide whether to accept it or not. Till such time, I will be with you guys at the hotel, in the meeting, but won’t come for the matches,” he said. Denying suggestions in a section of the media that his absence from the field had something to do with the team’s poor performance, he said “please don’t ever feel it is anything to do with us as a team. I am as dedicated to my Knights as I am to my kids. Only, I won’t be coming to the class room till the headmasters rules are understood by me. I am a bit anti-Establishment kind of a guy, so I apologise for this quirk to you all”. Shah Rukh, who owns the Kolkata Knight Riders team, also denied any rift involving him, captain Sourav Ganguly and coach John Buchanan saying such things were normal when the scale was not tilted in one’s favour.
— PTI |
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Bhupathi’s remarks childish: Paes
New Delhi, May 22 Paes admitted he doesn’t see his estranged partner eye-to-eye on virtually every issue but insisted Bhupathi should put aside the difference keeping in mind the country’s interest. “I find it really silly. It is childish on his part because we are hurting ourselves in the process. At the end of the day, both of us are losers,” Paes said, reacting to Bhupathi’s e-mail to the All India Tennis Association in which he said he would prefer to team up with Rohan Bopanna, instead of Paes, in Beijing. “It’s unreasonable and ridiculous to claim that any other pair would do better than me and Mahesh,” Paes told reporters here today. Bhupathi had said there was no communication between him and Paes and with the pair not playing together on the ATP Tour, they are bound to reach Beijing under-prepared. In such a scenario, Bhupathi said he would prefer teaming up with Bopanna. Paes held Bhupathi responsible for lack of any communication between them. “I’ve always tried to communicate but it has always been a one-way communication. He has not communicated with me even once. He has communicated only through letters and e-mails to the AITA,” he said. — PTI
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Racism Row Mohali, May 22 Two London-based cheergirls hired by the Kings XI Punjab team through Wizcraft International Entertainment, event management company, had raised a furore when they alleged that they were asked not to be at the stage just before the first IPL match between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super KIngs in Mohali played on April 19.@@ “I am not in a position to comment on the issue. Good luck to them who reported the matter,” Maxwell said. @@ The BCCI has taken the stand that no probe could be ordered unless a formal complaint is lodged with the Indian Premier League.@@ What is intriguing about the controversy is that the issue cropped up more than one month after the incident took place.@@ Otherwise a grand success, the IPL can ill afford another controversy at this juncture plagued as it has been by a spate of controversies ever since it was launched with great fanfare at Bangalore on April 18.
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Recall me or I’m joining IPL: Bopara
London, May 22 "The decision I made (not to join the IPL) was just based on this season. I don't know what my decisions will be in the future, but if things continue as they are, and the offer comes along again, then I'll have a think about it, and if things haven't change for me with regards to England then I may have to reconsider my options," Bopara was quoted as saying by 'The Guardian'. Earlier this month, the youngster claimed turning down an IPL offer in order to concentrate playing for Essex to brighten up his chances of a comeback to the national side.
— PTI |
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United’s magic moment in Moscow
Beat Chelsea 6-5 on penalties to clinch final
Moscow, May 21 United’s 37-year-old goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, appearing in his third final 13 years after his first with Ajax Amsterdam, saved the decisive spot kick from substitute Nicolas Anelka. The victory completed a famous double for the Old Trafford-team who pipped Chelsea to the Premier League title 10 days ago. It was an emotional triumph for United, coming 50 years after the Munich air disaster, and there was a huge cheer for one of the survivors, Bobby Charlton, when he joined the team at the presentation of the trophy he lifted in 1968 before Alex Ferguson led the team to a second success in 1999. “We’ve had fate on our side all season and I felt that fate played its hand with John Terry slipping,” Ferguson said of the Chelsea captain’s penalty miss. It was a heartbreaking night for Terry, who had the chance to take the trophy to Stamford Bridge for the first time but sent what would have been the winning penalty against the outside of the post. “John Terry’s a man’s man. Not many centre halves will stand up and say I will take the last penalty because everybody knows that’s the thing it can hang on,” said Frank Lampard, whose equaliser had cancelled out Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener. United’s Portugal winger had been inexplicably left unmarked to head home a curled right-wing cross from fullback Wes Brown for the 42nd goal of his all-conquering season. The goal brought the game to life as Van der Sar prevented a Rio Ferdinand own goal with a terrific instinctive save while Chelsea’s Petr Cech kept out Carlos Tevez's stooping header and then tipped over Michael Carrick’s follow-up drive. Chelsea had shown little but levelled when Essien’s long-range shot was deflected into the path of Lampard, who duly dispatched it from six metres. The Londoners looked much more energised in the second half as Michael Essien and Michael Ballack fired shots just over. Ryan Giggs, the only survivor from United’s treble-winning 1999 final team, came off the bench in the 87th minute for his 759th appearance, breaking Charlton’s club record. But he could not fashion a repeat of the storied last-gasp victory of that year and the game went into extra time. Chelsea maintained their momentum and Lampard scooped a shot against the bar within four minutes of the restart but they needed Terry to deny Giggs a fairytale goal by heading the winger’s shot over the bar with Cech beaten. As the clock ticked down -- towards 2am local time -- tempers boiled over and Drogba was sent off for slapping Nemanja Vidic. The shootout first went Chelsea’s way as Ronaldo, who had missed a penalty early in the semi-final against Barcelona, saw his effort saved. Ballack, Juliano Belletti, Lampard and Ashley Cole all scored for Chelsea but when Terry failed the momentum shifted. Anderson and Giggs netted for United and, although Salomon Kalou was on target for Chelsea, Van der Sar blocked Anelka’s effort to secure the giant silver trophy once again. — Reuters
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Sikkim to miss Bhutia during Santosh Trophy
Gangtok, May 22 Three more key players, besides Bhutia, would not be available for the same reason, SFA general secretary Menla Ethenpa said today. The three are East Bengal player Nirmal Chhetri and two members of national under-16 team -- Ashish Chhetri and Bigendra Rai. Keeping these limitations in mind, the Sikkim Football Association has picked a 20-member squad, Ethenpa said adding the boys should do well in the national football tournament as it would be held in similar weather condition as prevailed back home. Sikkim has been drawn with Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Chandigarh in Pool A and play their lung opener with Tamil Nadu on May 26. A five-day training camp for the state team was held at Paljor Stadium recently. The squad: Bimal Bagdas, Karma Tsering Lepcha, Tashi Rapden, Rupen Rai, Karma Lhendup, Robin Gurung, Sonam Bhutia, Don Tshering Lepcha, Sagar Rai, Rohit Ansari, Milan Lepcha, Sanju Pradhan, Tshering Lepcha, Kiran Tamang, Ong Tshering Lepcha, Sisil Karthak, Engphuhang Subba, Bikash Jairu, Nim Tshering Lepcha and Bir Bahadur Pradhan. Coach: Thupden Rapgyal, Manager: Arjun Rai. — PTI
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Raikkonen makes sizzling start
Monaco, May 22 The Finn, championship leader and winner in the Mediterranean principality with McLaren in 2005, roared around the tight and twisty street circuit in 1 minute and 15.948 seconds. McLaren, the favourites on Sunday despite being beaten by Ferrari in their last four races, followed on the timesheets with Britain’s Lewis Hamilton second and Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen third. Hamilton, seven points adrift of Raikkonen, was 0.268 seconds off the Ferrari’s pace. The session was interrupted for more than 15 minutes when a drain cover worked loose on the uphill slope.
— Reuters |
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Mohali, May 22
In an emotional outburst, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan today said that he would stay away from the remaining matches of the Indian Premier League till he understood the code of conduct expected of him at the matches, a statement which has the potential to throw the Indian Premier league into a fresh controversy.
New Delhi, May
22