Jaipur blasts cast a shadow over IPL
Shaken Oz players persuaded to stay

Sydney/Jaipur, May 15
Australian cricketers in Indian Premier League's (IPL) Rajasthan Royals team led by Shane Warne have been shaken by the Jaipur blasts but IPL organisers say they have been persuaded to stay back.

IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi said the apprehensions of the overseas players in the Rajasthan Royals, including captain Shane Warne, about security in Jaipur after the serial blasts have been addressed after the steps being taken were explained to them. They have decided to return to the Pink City from their holiday in Goa, he added.

The Australian media reported that Shane Warne, compatriot Shane Watson and South Africa captain Graeme Smith were terrified by the Jaipur blasts and may return home.

“They (players) were a little perturbed. They were not clear about the actual situation on the ground. Their understanding was based on media reports. But now we have told them about the security arrangements and they are happy with the steps IPL has taken,” Modi said.

Modi said the heightened security measures would be in place at Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh stadium during IPL matches.

The Rajasthan Royals will take on the Bangalore Royal Challengers at the stadium on Saturday. Serial blasts had rocked the city on Tuesday evening, killing 61 people and injuring 216.

"No bags, bottles and lighters will be allowed in the stadium. Everybody will be frisked while entering and leaving the stadium. The players will be completely cordoned off, and nobody will have access to them," Modi said.

The players earlier said they would not return to Jaipur unless they received absolute guarantees about their safety and security.

"We won't be moving until we have absolute guarantees, written guarantees from heads of (these) states and from heads of security," manager of Rajasthan Royals Darren Berry told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

"There was a real option of getting on the plane and getting out of here. It is terrifying. To think I was standing in the exact location the bombs went off only two days ago... it was a couple of kms from the team hotel.”

“The whole country has gone into lockdown," Berry was quoted as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"These games are getting big crowds. People over here tell me this has nothing to do with cricket, it is political... but if some people are prepared to cause this type of damage, detonating bombs in peak-hour to harm the most number of people possible... 50,000 people come to the stadium to watch the games," he said.

Modi however claimed the players were on their way back to Jaipur. “All Australian players who will play on Saturday are returning (from Goa). They are comfortable with the security arrangements," he said.

IPL chief executive Fraser Castelino said 'security is a concern' but the government is leaving no stone unturned to see that everything falls in place. "We are working closely with the state government," he said.

Cricket Australia said it was relieved to know that Australian cricketers associated with the IPL and Jaipur were all safe and well.

It said it noted that the "IPL has undertaken to increase security around tournament and that the games scheduled in Jaipur are going ahead. We've been liaising with player managers to ensure that the players are ok". — IANS

New Delhi, May 15
Right-arm Amit Mishra played the spin trick with a hat-trick in the final over to guide Delhi Daredevils to a thrilling 12-run victory over Deccan Chargers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 Cricket Championship at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here tonight.

It could have been anybody's game with Deccan Chargers needing 15 runs in the last over of the match to overhaul the Daredevils total of 194.

Mercifully, Delhi Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag had preserved Amit Mishra for the decisive final over, and the tweaker did not disappoint his skipper by scalping Ravi Teja, Pragyan Ojha and R.P. Singh off the first three balls. Off the next three balls, he conceded just two runs as Deccan Chargers were restricted to 182 for 9.

It was a wise decision by Sehwag to preserve Amit for the death over after his brilliant first two overs which yielded two wickets for just six runs — that of Shahid Afridi and Hershelle Gibbs. He dismissed Afridi with his very first ball to make his intentions clear and in the end, he had the dream figures of 4-0-17-5 to join Laxmipathi Balaji in the hat-trick club.

Like Balaji, Mishra took his hat-trick in the last over of the match to complete his five-wicket haul and also was declared the Player of the Match.

The Deccan Chargers were keeping abreast of the required run-rate of 9.8 per over when Amit Mishra was introduced in the seventh over from the Pavilion end and in the next over Rajat Sharma was brought in from the far end.

From 71 for 1 at the end of the sixth over, the visitors slumped to 78 for 3 at the end of the ninth over. These intelligent bowling changes were indeed the turning point as Bhatia too bowled a tight first two overs, giving away just seven runs though he was punished for 19 runs by Rohit in his third spell, with a sequence of 6-2-6-4-1-0 hits.

In fact, the exit of Venugopal Rao off the last ball of the penultimate over bowled by Glenn McGrath greatly aided Delhi's cause as Rao was going hammer and tongs against the Delhi bowling when he was caught by substitute Shoaib Malik for 35 (18b, 3x4, 2x6). Though McGrath proved costly, conceding 42 runs in his four overs (five came off an over throw), he had the dangerous Deccan skipper Adam Gilchrist caught by Dilshan for 14, after being hit for two boundaries by his former Australia team-mate in his opening over.

Earlier, when Sehwag was held by R.P.Singh off Vijay Kumar off the last ball of the first over, after Gilchrist chose to field on winning the toss, Daredevils looked in deep trouble. But Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan slowly and steadily built up a partnership which produced a 133-run second wicket stand in 14.1 overs.

After Gambhir left, stumped by Gilchrist off Pragyan Ojha for 79 (48b, 7x4, 3x6), Shikhar Dhawan carried on the good work to remain not out on 68 (52b, 8x4). Farveez Mahroof, dropped by Rohit Sharma off R.P.Singh when on 1, went on to add 19 off 11 balls with two huge sixes while Tillakaratne Dilshan made a crackling 16 off just six balls with two boundaries and one six. The win has put Delhi back in the reckoning for a semifinal berth.

Scoreboard
Delhi Daredevils
Gambhir st Gilchrist b Ojha 79
Sehwag c RP Singh b Vijaykumar 0
S Dhawan not out 68
Maharoof c Rohit Sharma b Ojha 19
Dilshan run out 16
M Tiwary not out 4
Extras (lb-3, w-5) 8
Total (4 wkts, 20 overs) 194
FoW: 1-7, 2-140, 3-166, 4-190
Bowling: Vijaykumar 4-0-24-1, RP Singh 4-0-50-0, Sarvesh Kumar 3-0-24-0, Styris 4-0-33-0, Venugopal 2-0-23-0, Afridi 1-0-18-0, Ojha 2-0-19-2.

Deccan Chargers
Gilchrist c Dilshan b McGrath 14
Afridi c sub (de Villiers) b Mishra 33
Gibbs b Mishra 22
Rohit Sharma b Maharoof 35
Styris c sub (de Villiers) b Maharoof 29
Venugopal c sub (S. Malik) b McGrath 34
Ravi Teja c sub (S. Malik) b Mishra 9
RP Singh st Karthik b Mishra 1
Ojha c Dilshan b Mishra 0
Vijaykumar not out 1
Sarvesh Kumar not out 1
Extras (lb-1, w-2) 3
Total (9 wkts, 20 overs) 182
FoW: 1-21, 2-71, 3-75, 4-114, 5-154, 6-171, 7-180, 8-180, 9-180
Bowling: McGrath 4-0-42-2, Asif 4-0-51-0, Maharoof 4-0-39-2, A. Mishra 4-0-17-5, R. Bhatia 4-0-32-0.

Player of the match: A. Mishra (Delhi Daredevils)

Mumbai, May 15
An engrossing and no-holds-barred battle for vital points to book semifinal spots are on the cards as resurgent home team Mumbai Indians take on a revitalised Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium here tomorrow night.

Among the many small battles that make up the overall picture would be the raw pace-versus-ace encounter between Kolkata's Shoaib Akhtar-Ishant Sharma combine and the Sachin Tendulkar-Sanath Jayasuriya duo of the hosts.

Jayasuriya’s power-packed display yesterday, when he carted the Chennai Super Kings' bowling around with gay abandon in his amazing 114 not out including 11 sixes and nine fours, would surely have increased the crowds hunger to witness similar pyrotechnics with the bat from the home team.

Mumbai Indians, with Tendulkar at the helm since yesterday after he missed the first half of their round robin campaign due to a groin injury, were in the sixth spot with eight points following their fourth win on the trot after a dismal beginining.

Two points ahead of the home team are the Knight Riders led by Sourav Ganguly and a victory for either would be a huge setback for the losing outfit in their race to advance to the knock-out stage of the 44-day competion that ends with the summit clash at the D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on June 1.

The key to the match, perhaps, will lie in how well the double act of Jayasuriya and Tendulkar shape up against the controversial and temperamental Akhtar, who demolished the Delhi Daredevils top-order in his devastating opening spell two nights ago.

The Mumbai Indians opening duo, two cricketers who have played the maximum number of one-day internationals in their career, will have to be at their best to keep out the menacing Akhtar and his comrade-in-arm Ishant Sharma for the home team to either post a challenging total or chase successfully.

From among the rest, Ajit Agarkar, who knows the conditions here well, Umar Gul of Pakistan and Ashok Dinda, can provide adequate support to the pace spearheads of Knight Riders, owned by Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan.

The toss also would be crucial as the side that wins it would, in all probability, put the rival team in on what's expected to be another track offering copious bounce as was the case last night when there was a lot of pace and lift for the speedsters.

Both teams go into the high-profile clash with a lot of momentum, with Knight Riders winning their last three ties and the hosts having won their last four matches. — PTI 

Today’s match:  Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders 8 pm

Chandigarh, May 15
First, the scorching four-wicket burst from charismatic and a charged up Shoaib Akhtar and then the sizzling knock from “Marauder of Motera” Sanath Jayasuriya.

The IPL is again at its thriving best. Before these two superlative efforts, the IPL had started heading towards a stage where it faced danger of being too predictable.

The lacklustre Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers were languishing at the bottom with no chance of reaching the semis.

Even though they registered three victories on the trot after Shaun Pollock took over the reins of captaincy, after an insipid start, Mumbai Indians were not expected to last the distance and the race for the four semifinals berths looked like turning into fight at best between five teams.

Among these four teams, after an impressive run, Delhi Daredevils had hit the rough patch. Lack of batting firepower in the middle order had made the Virender Sehwag-led side look vulnerable.

Table leaders (14 points) Rajasthan Royals with maverick Shane Warne at the helm are well set brushing aside any opposition that came their way with ease.

With talented Australian batsman Shaun Marsh going great guns and looking unstoppable in the previous match against Royal Challengers to be backed by Kumara Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and skipper Yuvraj Singh and a decent bowling attack at the their disposal, meant second spot holder Kings XI Punjab (12 points) were well on course.

Having turned the corner after after a prolonged dismal run in the wake of the exit of the impressive trioka of Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Jacob Oram, Chennai Super Kings, occupying the joint second spot along with Kings XI, is a formidable outfit capable of going far.

That left just one spot to be decided to complete the semifinal line-up. But the recent virtuoso performances from Jayasuriya and Akhtar for Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, respectively, have injected fresh interset in the IPL.

In the match yesterday, Mumbai suddenly looked a different outfit following the sudden return to form of Jayasuriya and the taking over of Sachin Tendulkar as skipper.

It was vintage Jayasuriya, who was itching to get a big knock under his belt after failing to get one despite getting impressive starts in earlier matches.

Playing his favourite short-arm pulls in the square-leg region and powerful cuts in the point area, Jayasuriya looked unstoppable and put away everything in the range with utter disdain. With Jayasuriya in this kind of form coupled with the sobering influence Tendulkar has on the field, besides his unique ability to innovate has given Mumbai a combative look.

After seeing the pyrotechniques of the great Jayasuriya, Dhoni was candid enough to admit that with Jayasuriya, in the kind of form he displayed, even a bigger total would not have been safe.

While accepting the Man of the Match award, Jayasuriya looked mightily relieved having finally got to the three-figure mark in style enabling his team maintain the winning spree, credited his knock to the presence of Tendulkar at the other end.

The awesome form of Jayasuriya, taking over of reins by Tendulkar, the presence of ever-reliant Shaun Pollock and the marked improvement shown by the comeback seamer Ashish Nehra in the past couple of matches. All these signs augur well for Mumbai. And any skipper taking Mumbai lightly should do it at his own peril.

Following the heroics of Akhtar, Kolkata suddenly has acquired a different look. Having tasted blood right in his first outing in the IPL, Akhtar will be tough to handle as was the case yesterday when the pitch offered some bounce.

Akhtar in the process proved that despite a prolonged lay-off he had lost none of his guile and ferocity. The Rawalpindi Express proved that on his day, he could turn the match on its head within the space of a couple of overs.

With fiery Akhtar bowling in tandem with ever-improving and dangerous Ishant Sharma, Kolkata can now boast of the new most potent new ball attack in the competition. It is the presence of this deadly duo that gives Kolkata a huge edge over its rivals.

The IPL organisers could not have asked for more. With one controversy after the other continuing to dog the otherwise popular League, the performance of Jayasuriya and Akhtar could not have been more timely. The duo deserve credit for rendering the podium race more meaningful and engrossing.

New Delhi, May 15
Top seed Lu Yen-hsun of Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) swept aside Australian Colin Ebelthite to storm into the semi-finals of the $50,000 SAIL Open ATP challenger at the DLTA complex here on Thursday.

Ebelthite was no match for the World no. 90 Taiwanese who registered an easy 6-1, 6-4 victory over the Australian who on Wednesday thrashed the lone Indian hope Ashutosh Singh in straight sets.

Yen-hsun next faces fourth seed Japanese Go Soeda who beat wildcard Mohammed Ghareeb 7-5, 7-5. Ghareeb, with his big serve and stroke variation, kept Soeda on the toes, but it was the Japanese who snapped crucial breaks in both sets.

In the other quarterfinal, Dane Kristian Pless came from behind to register a hard-fought 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over Alex Bogdanovic of Britain. An error-prone Pless struggled with his forehand in particular as he sprayed ball all over the court in the first set.

Just when it looked Bogdanovic will close the match in straight sets, breaking Pless in tenth game of the second set to make it five-all, the Dane broke back as the Briton double-faulted. Pless won the next game to force a third set.

Pless now meets American Brendan Evans who outplayed Australian Samuel Groth 7-6, 6-4 to enter the semifinal after making couple of first round exits in the challengers before coming here. — IANS 

Mahilpur, May 15
It was a ball game with a difference and the spectators could not have enough of it. Being termed as the Indigenous Football League in this rural area of Doab, the enthusiasm among players from nearby villages and the audience has to be seen to be believed with entire families from villages within a radius of more than 15 km around this town staying put till well past midnight for the final game.

That the home team walked away with the coveted trophy proved to the icing on the cake for the local crowd that rooted for their heroes.

The final match was played under floodlights at the improvised playground of the Government Senior Secondary School between Mahilpur and Bhagtupur. The hosts won 2-1.

Captained by Manjinder Singh, the Mahilpur boys began on a promising note but could make little headway in face of deft footwork of their rivals.

However, the winners tightened their grip and the Gurkanwal converted a brilliant field pass by Asif in the 17th minute of the first half to put them ahead by 1-0 amidst thunderous applause from a record crowd.

Labhi, who was awarded the Best Player of the tournament award, scored the equaliser through a field goal in the 32 minute in the first half.

Manjinder Singh scored the second field goal for the winners in the 25 minute in the second half, again off a good pass from Asif. 

Ipoh (Malaysia), May 15
India thwarted a series of late charges from Pakistan to notch up a stunning 2-1 win over arch-rivals and stay in contention for the title in the Azlan Shah hockey tournament here today.

Indian drag-flickers Sandeep Singh (6th minute) and Diwakar Ram (20th) rose up to the expectation by scoring a goal apiece, while veteran Pakistani mid-fielder Mohammad Saqlain (58th) netted the lone goal for his side.

With their third straight win in the tournament, India have now garnered nine points from five matches.

The Indians were in the attacking mode from the beginning and Shivendra Singh led the forwardline with command producing two good chances that went abegging.

But in the sixth minute, Sandeep unleashed a power-packed shot to convert India's first penalty corner and give his side 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later, Sandeep had another chance to shoot at the Pakistani post, but this time his attempt was rather predictable and the rival goal-keeper Rashid had no problem in palming it away.

Banking on the third short corner, Diwakar Ram brought the second goal for India. With both Sandeep and Diwakar on guard to have a go at the goal, the Pakistanis had a little doubt about whom to tackle and the younger of the drag-flickers fired his shot which hit Rashid's shoulder before deflecting to the roof of the net.

The amateurish-looking Pakistanis were completely off-colour in their approach. While the defenders were too cautious, the attackers were half-hearted and tentative.

They wasted as many as four penalty corners in the first half.

Pakistan's best chance of the session came towards the end when an experienced Saqlain sent in a beauty of a cross to Waqas Akbar on the top of the circle. But the latter could not utilise the opportunity to reduce the margin.

Pakistan adopted a comparatively aggressive approach in the second half and created several forays though without tasting any success.

On one occasion, they had nearly scored a goal when a Shakeel Abbassi initiated move was marvelously taken forward by Mohammad Zubair. The ball then went to Waqas who guided it to Rehan Butt. But the attempt ultimately was foiled by Indian goalkeeper Adrian D'Souza to the utter frustration of his rivals.

The Pakistani forwards, who found some rhythm after the change of ends, showed more urgency to spirit several moves, but either their untidy finishing or the never-say-die Indian defence put out their ambitions.

Pakistan pulled one off in the 58th minute when they got a penalty stroke off a good move. Saqlain easily put it past Adrian to open the account for his side.

A minute later, deliberate blocking of Sunil brought another penalty corner for India, but Diwakar's low drag-flick hit the Pakistan goal-keeper's heel to narrowly miss the target.

Adrian then showed a lot of courage and agility to ward of at least three deadly attempts from the Pakistani forwards and keep India's chances alive for a much-required win.

In their last league engagement, India will meet hosts Malaysia on Saturday. — PTI

Rome, May 15
American Serena Williams and holder Jelena Jankovic moved into the quarterfinals of the Italian Open on Thursday with wins over unseeded opponents.

Fifth seed Williams tamed lively Italian wildcard Sara Errani 6-4, 6-3, while Serbian fourth seed Jankovic strolled past Russia's Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-1.

Williams twice came back from a break down in the first set before taking Errani's serve in the final game with the help of two big smashes and a net-cord winner.

Italy's last hope in the tournament also proved a worthy opponent in the second set, when former world number one Williams again recovered to clinch the match.

Jankovic played assured tennis, mixing her strokes well, but Kirilenko made some careless errors and at one stage blasted a ball into the stands in frustration.

Manchester (England), May 15
Zenit St Petersburg has won its first European trophy in its first attempt, beating Rangers 2-0 in the UEFA Cup final.

Igor Denisov scored the first goal in the 72nd minute after playing a one-two with Andrei Arshavin, cutting through the Rangers defence and beating goalkeeper Neil Alexander.

Konstantin Zyryanov added the second in injury time, tapping the ball over the line off a pass from Fatih Tekke.

Denisov had escaped being penalised for a handball early in the second half.

Zenit coach Dick Advocaat, who led Rangers from 1998-2002, won his first European title with the victory yesterday. He leapt in the air at the final whistle.

The Zenit players then put on gold shirts and gave their opponents a guard of honour, applauding as the Scottish team filed past to collect their runner-up medals. Zenit dominated the first half, having the greater possession and nearly all the chances at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Alexander stopped attacks from Zenit captain Anatoliy Tymoschuk, Radek Sirl, Zyryanov and Alexander Anyukov, while Arshavin sent a shot into the side netting and Viktor Fayzulin headed over the bar.

Rangers finally mustered its best first-half chance in the 37th when Steven Whittaker headed over the bar. Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot also escaped punishment for an alleged handball incident late in the first half.

Rangers played with more energy in the second period, enjoying its best chances of the match in the 54th when Jean-Claude Darcheville had a shot pushed away by goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev and Barry Ferguson hit the post with rebound.

That sparked Rangers into action and Whittaker had a shot deflected wide in the 64th. — AP

Patiala, May 15
Authorities at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) refused to hand Pritam Rani Thakran, Arjuna awardee and veteran of 350 internationals matches for India, the diploma in sports coaching at the institute’s 45th graduation ceremony held here yesterday.

They said that Pritam had failed to appear in two subjects of the allied sciences paper.

Confirming this, G.D. Fortgalland, incharge (academics), said that Pritam failed to take her general theory and methods of training (GTMT) and physiology examinations due to which her diploma had to be put on hold.

She will given her diploma once she clears her exams in the supplementary exams to be held at a date to be announced later.

Pritam Thakran, who during her peak had earned the sobriquet of being the “Dhanraj Pillay of Indian women’s hockey” for her flair and versatility on the turf, got a wind of things to come and left the institute on Tuesday.

The NIS executive director L.S. Ranawat said that they had gone all out to help Pritam and had even got special permission from the Sports Authority of India’s Academic Council when she opted to play for the country in the Olympic pre-qualifiers held at Kazan in April.

However, Pritam said that all this happened because she was on national duty and added that she had repeatedly asked the NIS authorities to take her allied subject exams before the diplomas were awarded.

In the discipline of hockey, 19 students were given diplomas while the failed ones included Pritam Thakran, international Helen and Lalhiming Kimy, who had shot into the limelight with her role in the Hindi blockbuster “Chak De India”.