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Australia’s Matthew Hayden celebrates on completing his century during the Super Eight match against New Zealand in St George’s on Friday. — Reuters photo
Sachin, Sourav omitted from ODI squad
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TODAY'S MATCH
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Lara calls it a day
Windies, England want to finish on winning note
Cricket to debut in 2010 Asiad
Taipei blank India
JCT eyeing full points against Sporting Clube
Umrao contests Malhotra’s statement
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By George! Aussies just too good St George’s, April 20 The previous highest winning margin in a match between two Test-playing nations was 202 recorded by England against India in a 60-over game during the first tournament in 1975. Matthew Hayden (103), Ricky Ponting (66) and Shane Watson (65 from 32 balls) set up Australia’s total of 348 for six. New Zealand could manage only 133 from 25.5 overs in reply with opener Peter Fulton last man out for 62. Spinner Brad Hogg was the wrecker-in-chief with a haul of 4-29. New Zealand face Sri Lanka in the first semifinal on Tuesday, while Australia clash with South Africa on Wednesday. Earlier, Hayden continued his tremendous form to propel Australia to a huge total. The prolific left-hander scored his third hundred in the ongoing competition as the world champions once again crossed the 300 mark comfortably. Hayden’s 103 came off just 100 balls and contained 10 fours and two sixes. After the early exit of Adam Gilchrist, he had important partnerships with skipper Ponting and Michael Clarke to lay the foundation for a big score. The burly Queenslander added 137 for the second wicket with Ponting (66 in 70 balls) and followed it up with a stand of 72 with Clarke (49 in 47 balls). That set the stage for the Shane Watson in the final 10 overs as the all-rounder, returning from injury, provided the perfect finish to the innings with a whirlwind knock of 65. After Hayden’s dismissal in the 33rd over, the New Zealand bowlers came back strongly to restrict the scoring before Watson took control. The 48th over of the innings bowled by Mark Gillespie went for 24 runs as Watson hit him for two sixes and as many fours. The Kiwi attack missed speedster Shane Bond and Jacob Oram. Scoreboard Australia Gilchrist c Gillespie Hayden c&b Styris 103 Ponting c Taylor b Patel 66 Clarke b Franklin 49 Hussey c Styris b Franklin 37 Symonds c Mason b Patel 11 Watson not out 65 Hogg not out 0 Extras (lb-1, w-5, nb-10) 16 Total (6 wkts, 50 overs) 348 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-144, 3-216, 4-233, 5-257, 6-334. Bowling: Mason 3-0-27-0, Franklin 8-0-74-3, Patel 10-0-48-2, Vettori 10-0-60-0, Styris 10-0-50-1, Gillespie 6-0-67-0, McMillan 3-0-21-0. New Zealand Fulton b Hogg 62 Fleming c Ponting b Tait 12 Taylor c Hussey Styris c Hayden McMillan lbw Tait 1 Franklin b Watson 6 McCullum c Hussey Vettori c Symonds b Hogg 4 Gillespie c McGrath b Hogg 2 Mason c Gilchrist b Tait 0 Patel not out 0 Extras (w-7, nb-2) 9 Total (all out, 25.5 overs) 133 Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-29, 3-77, 4-80, 5-89, 6-111, 7-117, 8-127, 9-133. Bowling: Bracken 4-0-27-0, Tait 6-0-32-3, McGrath 4-0- 25-2, Hogg 6.5-1-29-4, Watson 5-0-20-1.
— PTI, Reuters
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Sachin, Sourav omitted from ODI squad
Mumbai, April 20 Giving no reasons for their decision on Tendulkar and Ganguly, chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar and BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah merely said they have been "rested". The decision comes against the backdrop of Tendulkar not putting up an impressive show in India's disastrous World Cup, while Ganguly managed only a modest performance. Tendulkar managed just 64 runs in three matches of the World Cup at 32.00, while Ganguly aggregated 162 runs at an average of 54. Twentyone-year-old Bengal batsman Manoj Tiwary was the lone new face in the 15-member ODI squad, while leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, off-spinner Ramesh Powar, opener Gautam Gambhir and paceman RP Singh were recalled in the team announced by Shah after a nearly two and half hour meeting of the selection committee. Tiwary was rewarded for his consistent performance in the domestic circuit where he averages an impressive 57.50 in 15 first-class matches so far. Responding to the cricket board's diktat to pick a "young team" following the World Cup debacle, the five selectors recalled some young players for the 23-day tour beginning on May 7. The Indians will play three one dayers and two Tests. Virender Sehwag, who has been going through a prolonged lean patch, was retained in the one-day team but was not lucky enough to find favour in the longer version of the game. "Dinesh Karthik and Wasim Jaffer are our specialist openers. Karthik scored 60-odd runs last time he played and both of them got good partnerships (in South Africa)." Paceman VRV Singh and off-spinner Ramesh Powar forced their way back into the Test squad while 27-year-old Mumbai left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar was the only new face in the side. Shah said Pankaj Singh (Rajasthan), Ranadeb Bose (Bengal), Ishant Sharma (Delhi), Pragyan Ojha (Hyderabad) and Yo Mahesh (Tamil Nadu) have been asked to join the camp in Kolkata to be held from May 2-6. The team will leave for Bangladesh on May 7. Rajesh Pawar’s slow left- arm spin has fetched him 214 scalps in 59 first-class matches.
— PTI
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Bridgetown, April 20 The West Indies captain, who turns 38 on May 2 and is regarded as one of the all-time greats, announced that tomorrow’s Super Eight match against England — his 299th ODI — would be his swansong appearance. “...I want everyone to know that tomorrow I’m going to bid farewell to all international cricket as a player,” Lara said after leading his side to their lone Super Eight win in the World Cup against Bangladesh yesterday. Lara’s decision came as a shock for most because at the start of the World Cup, he himself had said that he would like to stretch his Test career to the age of 40 and beyond. Facing a barrage of questions over his future after yesterday’s match against Bangladesh, Lara stunned the press conference with his announcement. “I’ve already spoken to the board and players about my decision. I was very confident that I’d play my 300th game at the World Cup. It wasn’t to be, so be it,” remarked a sombre Lara. Speculation was rife in cricket circles over Lara’s future since the West Indies failed to reach the semifinals of the World Cup. “Let’s not talk about the spilt milk. We’ve got to move on and focus on the future,” said Lara who commented he had been thinking about his future for a while. However, it would appear that the failure of West Indies team as well as his run-ins with selectors and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) forced the batting genius to take the step. “West Indies cricket is something I hold dearly to my heart. I’ve had a very good run. That’s testimony to the fact that I’ve been out there toiling for West Indies cricket. I’ve enjoyed every single day.” Lara also said that he would like to be remembered as a player who entertained the spectators. “I’ve come out there and tried to entertain. This is a sport where people pay to come through the turnstiles to be entertained.” “I’d like people to leave the ground and say they enjoyed watching Brian Lara play and enjoyed watching the West Indies play.” The batting genius said he was proud of what he has achieved in his 17-year-long career. “Another thing that I’m proud of is that I’ve been knocked down so many times, both as a player and a person, and come back. I need to thank my parents for that, for being able to go out there in the face of adversity and perform. It's a family trait.” Lara denied that his decision had anything to do with the contractual issues the players were having with the WICB. Tenth of the 11 children born to Bunty and Pearl Lara, the batting great made his Test debut in 1990 against Pakistan at Lahore. His first Test century was a sparkling 277 against Australia at Sydney. Lara eventually went on to name his daughter after the city.
— PTI
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We are in good nick: Jayawardene
St George's, April 20 Playing in their final second-round match, Sri Lanka bundled out Ireland for 77 and raced to 81 for two wickets in just 10 overs to complete the win in three hours at the National Stadium here Thursday. "We've played enough competitive games, we've played eight-nine games now in a month and we have been playing some really good cricket," Jayawardene said. "It was a good performance today for us, making sure that we put our foot down and play really good cricket." Jayawardene said that Sri Lanka played "good cricket" to win the game, reported Caribbean Media Corp. "Ireland has been a really good side, they have performed really good against a lot of the sides in the tournament. They had a brilliant World Cup and we knew we had to make sure we played some really good cricket to do that win and we managed to really put them down today," he said. "I'm not taking anything away from my boys today, they played really good cricket so this win coming before the semi-finals was a boost." If the standings remain as they are after Australia's match against New Zealand Friday, it would mean that Sri Lanka would head to Jamaica to do battle with New Zealand in the first semi-final at Sabina Park Tuesday. Looking ahead to the possibility, Jayawardene said despite not having played in Jamaica throughout the tournament he was confident his team would adjust to whatever conditions they found. "We are not bothered about the conditions. We just need to go to Jamaica, have a look at it and we'll make sure we adjust to it pitch, that's what we've done this whole World Cup," Jayawardene pointed out. "Like I said from the first game, we needed to adjust to these conditions. Every venue offered us different conditions, in Trinidad for the first round games it was moving around doing a lot, there was bounce there but we adjusted." Jayawardene said he was ready for whatever kind of pitch his team would get. "Guyana and here are probably similar wickets, Antigua offered us something different so everyone has to do that adjust so we are sure we can do the same in Jamaica and have a great game." — IANS
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Windies, England want to finish on winning note
Bridgetown, April 20 While on one hand Brain Lara will walk out for one last time to the middle thus bringing down the curtains to his illustrious career spanning more than 16 years, there will be Duncan Fletcher guiding England for the last time after an eventful eight years at the helm. Although both the teams have no chance of making it to the semi-finals as they have defeated only Bangladesh in Super Eight league while losing to all others, they are not going to take it lightly and are expected to go full stretch to win. ''We would like to win because we would like to give parting gift to our coach Fletcher. And a last win before we leave the World Cup stage would be a perfect one,'' said England captain Michael Vaughan, acknowledging that his own job is also at stake. A similar opinion was voiced by vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan who fielded questions of journalists instead of Brian Lara. Lara has an uncanny habit of producing big innings whenever he plays against England. His world records 375 (before being erased by Matthew Hayden) and 400 came against England and that is why Vaughan is worried that Lara can play one of those majestic innings. Both the teams have another reason to go for a win. They are meeting again for another series in just 20 days time. As Kensington Oval is expected to help pace bowlers, Lara would like to use his firepower one last time on this wicket. He has Daren Powell, Corey Collymore and Jerome Taylor besides Dwayne Bravo to rattle England batting lineup before a sell out home crowd. England will be banking heavily on Sajid Mahmood, Andrew Flintoff and James Anderson for generating pace. — UNI
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Cricket to debut in 2010 Asiad
Mumbai, April 20 ''India and Pakistan were the drivers... and they will come with their best teams because it will be a big competition,'' OCA president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah told the Asian Cricket Council Web site. ''Asia's four Test-playing nations have committed to sending their best available teams,'' he added.
— Reuters
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Christchurch, April 20 India will now fight for 3 to 10 place while Chinese Taipei will take on Thailand, the topper of pool 'A', in the finals tomorrow. The winner of the two teams will advance to the World Group II play off in July. In the absence of star player Sania Mirza, coach Enrico Piperno had said their goal was to maintain their place in the group, which they had already achieved. The Indian team started on a negative note with Shikha Uberoi bowing down 3-6, 2-6 to Chan Chin-Wei in the first singles match. Things were no better for the subcontinental team in the second singles duel as well as Sunitha Rao, an American Indian debuting for the country, was defeated with an identical margin by Hsieh Su-Wei. In the doubles match, Ankita Bhambri and Tara Iyer appeared to be posing some resistance in the first set against the Chinese Taipei duo of Hsu Wen-Hsin and Hwang Hsuan but they were blanked in the second set. The Indian pair lost 4-6, 0-6 to Wen-Hsin/Hsuan. Piperno said India next play Uzbekistan in 3-4 classification match tomorrow. The coach said he was satisfied with the team's performance, especially in the difficult conditions and against the tough team. "At the end of the day, I am not disappointed. The weather was windy and cold and we unfortunately ran into a tough team like Chinese Taipei. They were the favourites and we were the underdogs," he said. He said it was, however, a close match and not a lopsided one as the scores suggested. "Sunita had a niggling problem in her stomach muscle and Shikha was low on confidence but they played close matches. It was not as the scores suggested," he said. — PTI
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JCT eyeing full points against Sporting Clube
Chandigarh, April 20 Having notched up a couple of impressive victories recently, a fully charged JCT appear determined to maintain their dream run. A victory tomorrow will not only be sweet revenge for the sixth-round humiliation suffered at Goa on February 23, but will also propel the mill men to the third position. Of the 14 matches played so far, JCT have won six and lost five while three ties were drawn. Among the most impressive wins were the 3-2 and 3-0 victories over Dempo and Air-India recently. Sporting Clube de Goa, who finished fourth last year with 25 points, have lost some of their firepower. While Nigerian striker Edeh Chidi shifted his loyalty to JCT this season, other promising players like Hardeep Singh Saini signed for East Bengal. Nevertheless, star Nigerian striker Macpherlin Dudu Omagbemi in his usual role upfront continues to hog the limelight. In fact, Sporting Clube's fortunes rest with this burly Lagos striker. Of the 15 goals scored by Sporting Clube, Dudu Omagbemi alone has accounted for 10 and he is now among the leading scorers in the NFL. With 17 points from four victories and five draws, Sporting Clube are currently placed seventh in the league. The Goan outfit beat title contenders Mahindra United 1-0 on January 22 at Mumbai through a goal by Dudu Omagbemi and later JCT 2-0 on February 23 at Goa with goals from Dudu and Wilton Gomes. The other two victories were registered against East Bengal (2-0) and Mohammedan Sporting (3-1). The success against East Bengal was credited to foreign recruit Earnest Jeremiah who scored both the goals. However, in a dramatic turn of events, Jeremiah was sacked last month leaving Dudu burdened with added responsibility. Coached by Clifford Chukuwama, Sporting Clube, runners-up in the Federation Cup, do have quality players like goalkeeper Felix D'Souza, international Rajesh Meetei, foreign recruit Bello Razzak, Felip Gomes, Wilton Gomes, Nicholas Rodrigues, and Joseph Pereira. Wilton Gomes and Joseph Pereira have also been among the scorers. Among the new faces in the Sporting Clube line-up is Harmanjot Khabra, who incidentally gave his side the lead in the Federation Cup final against Mohun Bagan at Kolkata on December 30. Prior to the start of the NFL, JCT and Sporting Clube clashed in the Durand Cup semifinals in New Delhi where the mill men triumphed 1-0 thanks to a goal by Edeh Chidi. In the current league, Chidi has played a pivotal role for JCT upfront. Assisting him in the attack is international Sunil Chhetri, who with ten goals, is also among the leading scorers in the NFL. With the ever-confident Karanjit Singh under the bar and a reliable defence manned by stopper back Anwar and overlapping wing back Baldeep Singh to bank upon, JCT's growing confidence has already caused ripples in football circles. Tomorrow, the mill men may take another leap in their quest for the title, which has eluded them for the past one decade. The kick-off is at 4.30 pm The following are the latest standings of the teams in the 11th National Football League after taking into account the result of Friday’s match between Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting at Kolkata (read under teams, matches played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, and points):
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Umrao contests Malhotra’s statement
Chandigarh, April 20 He said the games were allotted in 1976 at the general assembly meeting of Asian countries. The meeting was held at Montreal during the Olympics. “I represented India at the meeting and was instrumental in getting the games allotted as Indira had given her full backing to host the event,” he said.
— TNS
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Mumbai, April 20
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“I’m only 37. A lot of players go on to play till their 40s. There’s a lot of work to do to get West Indies cricket back on track,” he had said.
