Port Elizabeth, May 10
Riding on twin unbeaten half-centuries from Jean-Paul Duminy and Ajinkya Rahane, Mumbai Indians snapped their three-match losing streak with a convincing 16-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League here today.

Electing to bat, Mumbai posted a challenging 157 for two from their 20 overs, thanks to Duminy (59 not out) and Rahane (62 not out), and restricted Bangalore to 141 for seven to record their fourth win from 10 matches and keep semifinal hopes alive.

Mumbai's good batting performance was complemented by their bowlers who bowled a tight line and length. Harbhajan Singh was the most successful bowler with 2/15 while Dhawal Kulkarni, Lasith Malinga, Dwayne Bravo and debutant Chetanya Nanda took a wicket apiece.

Bangalore were never in the run chase, losing wickets in quick succession in the early overs and no substantial partnership to boast of -- the highest being the 23 between openers Jacques Kallis and Virat Kohli.

Their top five batsmen -- Kallis (12), Kohli (20), Robin Uthappa (4), Ross Taylor (16) and Rahul Dravid (10) -- did not contribute much and Bangalore ended their 20 overs 16 short of Mumbai total.

Wicket-keeper Mark Boucher waged a lonely battle with a valiant unbeaten innings of 33-ball 48 which was the highest score for Bangalore.

Bangalore looked like to be off to a good start with Kallis finding a few boundaries early on but gradually they lost momentum with wickets falling in quick succession.

Kallis was first to go for a 10-ball 12 in fourth over, holing out to Kulkarni at third man while trying to cut Bravo.

Uthappa's poor form continued as he was out cheaply for four next over, offering an easy catch to Tendulkar at mid-wicket off Kulkarni.

From 31 for two after the fifth over, Bangalore clawed to 58 for four after the 10th with Kohli and Dravid falling during that period.

Kohli had to take the risk to accelerate the run rate and in doing so he gave Nanda his first IPL wicket in the sixth over while Dravid was run out in the 10th over.

The former India captain was well short of his crease while running for a second run with Harbhajan dislodging the bail after picking a Malinga throw from the deep.

Bangalore batsmen tried to accelerate the run rate which has shot up to over 10 after the 10th over and over 11 after the 15th, and they fell one by one in doing so.

Taylor fell to Malinga while playing a big shot, Roelof van der Merwe (3) was brilliantly stumped by wicketkeeper Yogesh Takawale off an impressive Harbhajan who also claimed Vinay Kumar's (7) wicket.

Boucher and captain Anil Kumble (seven not out) needed 40 off the last two overs but that was too tough a task and they could score only 23.

Earlier, Duminy and Rahane shared 104 runs from 72 balls for the third wicket, the highest for that wicket in the IPL, after openers Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya had departed by the eighth over at team total of 53.

Scoreboard

Mumbai Indians:

Jayasuriya lbw b van der Merwe 29

Tendulkar c Boucher b Vinay 0

Rahane not out 62

Duminy not out 59

Extras (w 7) 7

Total (2 wickets; 20 overs) 157

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-53.

Bowling: Kallis 3-0-23-0, Vinay 4-0-30-1, Mithun 4-0-42-0, Kumble 4-0-32-0, van der Merwe 3-0-17-1, Appanna 2-0-13-0.

Royal Challengers:

Kallis c Kulkarni b Bravo 12

Kohli c Duminy b Nanda 20

Uthappa c Tendulkar b Kulkarni 4

Taylor b Malinga 16

Dravid run out 10

Boucher not out 48

van der Merwe st Takawale b Harbhajan 3

Vinay st Takawale b Harbhajan 7

Kumble not out 7

Extras (lb 6, w 8) 14

Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 141

Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-31, 3-40, 4-58, 5-73, 6-90, 7-114.

Bowling: Kulkarni 4-0-24-1, Malinga 4-0-37-1, Bravo 4-0-27-1, Nanda 4-0-32-1, Harbhajan 4-0-15-2. — PTI

Whether there was less life in the wicket for a quicker bowler when Delhi Daredevils batted or more to their pace attack than Kolkata Knight Riders was the question.

It was, in fact, a bit of both; the bottom line being the latter drowned once more – by seven wickets, with 17 balls to spare – as their opponents weren’t really stretched by a target of 124 in 20 overs.

Although a bit streakily, Daredevils’ openers recorded 53 in 6.4 overs before Gautam Gambhir, still leading the side in the absence of Virender Sehwag, edged to point off Moises Henriques, working up a decent pace.

Ishant Sharma, lynchpin of Knight Riders’ attack, was brought back for a second spell. David Warner, who had earlier slashed Ajit Agarkar for six, greeted him with a pull to long on for four.

Next ball, Sharma had him caught behind; and he finished the over by having Tilakaratne Dilshan caught on the boundary line at square leg off a bouncer.

The Wanderers, sympathetic to the underdogs, came to life with a roar. But at the commercial intermission after 10 overs, camouflaged as a “strategic break”, Daredevils were 72 for three as compared to Knight Riders’ 52 for five.

Much to the delight of the crowd, Abraham de Villiers, one of their national celebrities, finished the job.

Rather unusually, given the turnover in the Indian Premier League, Knight Riders enjoyed a five day break since their last outing.

Equally strangely, their previous engagement was against Daredevils. But neither the rest nor the recent familiarity with the opposition seemed to make a difference.

They were nine for three after the second over, after Gambhir inserted them in a late afternoon atmosphere not unhelpful to swing.

Brendon McCullum began by hooking Ashish Nehra in the first over, but perished lbw in the same.

If this wasn’t disconcerting, Brad Hodge was caught at slip off one that slanted away from him in the same over. In the next, Morne van Wyk tucked Dirk Nannes obediently to square leg.

At the non-striker’s end, Saurav Ganguly looked on grimly; then, effortlessly chipped a good length ball from the rampaging Nehra to extra cover for six.

Yashpal Singh delivered a couple of beefy blows. But Amit Mishra tempted him with a tossed up delivery outside off stump, which the Services man holed straight into the hands of extra cover.

The 36 runs between him and Ganguly for 4th wicket was the best of KKR innings. Wriddhiman Saha came and went, top-edging a sweep off Mishra to the ‘keeper.

And Henriques, having narrowly escaped being run out, was beaten in the air by Mishra, whose return was an impressive three for 14.

The ball wasn’t turning that much; and Ganguly pulled one slightly short of a length from Mishra to the grass bank behind midwicket to take full advantage of a “freehit”.

But under pressure to step it up, the former India left-hander (44 off 45) inelegantly sliced one to thirdman off the aggressive Nannes (two for 15).

Agarkar’s under achievement as a batsman is one of the enigmas of Indian cricket. A clean striker of the ball, he even has a test hundred at Lord’s to his credit. Now in adversity, he was defiant.

Having been granted two lives, he pulled Rajat Bhatia to midwicket for six and followed this with a drive to the same area for another half a dozen at the expense of Pradeep Sangwan.

Eventually, he (39 off 29) was caught in the deep attempting to repeat the shot off the last ball of the innings.

Scoreboard

Knight Riders:

McCullum lbw b Nehra 6

Ganguly c Warner b Nannes 44

Hodge c de Villiers b Nehra 0

van Wyk c Bhatia b Nannes 0

Yashpal c Bhatia b Mishra 13

Saha c Karthik b Mishra 0

Henriques st Karthik b Mishra 2

Agarkar c Manhas b Sangwan 39

Kartik not out 11

Extras (lb 2, w 5, nb 1) 8

Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 123

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-7, 3-9, 4-45, 5-46, 6-56, 7-88, 8-123.

Bowling: Nehra 4-0-29-2, Nannes 4-0-15-2, Sangwan 3-0-32-1, Dilshan 4-0--18-0, Mishra 4-0-14-3, Bhatia 1-0-13-0.

Delhi Daredevils:

Gambhir c Hodge b Henriques 18

Warner c van Wyk b Sharma 36

AB de Villiers not out 40

Dilshan c Henriques b Sharma 1

Karthik not out 17

Extras (b 2, lb 5, w 6) 13

Total (3 wickets; 17.1 overs) 125

Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-66, 3-69.

Bowling: Ishant 4-0-23-2, Henriques 4-0-35-1, Agarkar 3-0-19-0, Sarkar 1.1-0-19-0, Hodge 1-0-2-0, Kartik 4-0-20-0.

Player of the match: Mishra

Other than the crass concessions to commerce, the organisation of the 2nd Indian Premier League has been outstanding.

Even at the Wanderers, the Lord’s or the MCG of South Africa, where authorities are said to be somewhat officious, the arrangements are excellent.

But security considerations understandably override other aspects. Not even the electronic media accreditation is valid for the car park.

I asked the local constabulary if I should simply use public parking instead of exerting to fetch a car park ticket from inside the ground.

“Baba (a friendly term, which could also mean “chief”, often used by blacks here),” he said, “I wouldn’t risk it; it’s sure to get nicked!”

Crime, including car theft, is at an all time high in South Africa. Analysts say this is caused by the joblessness and poverty of significant sections of South Africans, further aggravated by penniless refugees pouring in from neighbouring Zimbabwe, where unemployment has reached a staggering 90 percent.

Needless to mention, I accepted the policeman’s advice, hurriedly got myself a card for the secure parking lot – a rugby field adjacent to the cricket stadium – and planted my vehicle there.

The bird’s eye view that one gets of the cricketing oval and resplendent boxes and galleries around it – generally referred to as a replica of a bullring – also brings to prominence a cluster of tall trees behind the “centenary pavilion” on the northern end of the arena.

These represent the outer rim of a golf course. Indeed, the greenery in this sprawling city is a healthy example for planners anywhere.

A wander around the concourse surrounding the concrete is illuminating – an amazing reflection of hospitality.

Signs at every point in the premises have “DLF IPL” written on it – notices you would consider to be permanent have been altered for the occasion.

Even the escalator doors have colourful reproductions of players in IPL outfit. It is as if the venue belongs to the IPL. It’s a kind of customisation unheard of, unseen anywhere else in the world!

And the adaptation doesn’t end there. Beef burgers have given way to chicken burgers, not to mention “Halal Samoosas”.

There was a danger of alcohol prices escalating because the IPL management demanded a share of the revenue from liquor retailing during its matches.

This wasn’t easy for the Wanderers’ bosses to agree to; given its “pouring rights” contract. However, whether the matter has been resolved or not, tariff at Sunday’s game remained unchanged.

Why have so many apparently easy catches been dropped in the current IPL? The explanation, according to local pundits, is that the ball falls faster in the highlands than in the coast, thus leading to misjudgement and hard hands on the part of even skilful catchers.

The central part of South Africa is a high altitude plateau, where logically leather travels faster than at sea level.

Statistically, more catches may have been spilled inland, but the constant change in velocity as the teams frenetically criss-cross the country could also be a reason.

Besides, the ball is becoming slippery in the evening dew, although an application of chemicals on the grass has been attempting to minimise this effect.

Kuantan, May 10
Defending champions India started their Asia Cup campaign on a disastrous note, going down 2-3 to arch-rivals Pakistan in a nerve-wrecking rain-marred Pool B match at the Wisma Belia Kuantan Hockey Stadium here today.

With today's win and the draw against China yesterday, the three-time former champions Pakistan, who lost to India 1-2 in the Azlan Shah Cup here last month, are assured of a place in Thursday's semi-final, while India will have to win their last pool match against the Chinese on Tuesday to qualify for the last four stage.

India-Pakistan encounters have always been nail-biting and today's match was no exception with the traditional rivals starting the game on a high pace note and seemed in no mood to give an inch to each other.

Both the teams displayed very high speed and attractive hockey in the pulsating opening half with the ball continuously moving from one end to the other.

Pakistan were the more aggressive of the two sides and thay found the net as early as in the fourth minute through Tariq Aziz from the top of the semi circle but umpire John Right ruled out the goal due to an infringement and in turn gave a 16 yard hit to the Indians.

Stung by Pakistan's early attacks, the Indians stepped up their offensive and very nearly came to scoring in the 13th minute only to be denied by experienced Pakistan custodian Salman Akbar.

India opened the scoring against the run of play after Prabjot Singh converted a rebound from skipper Sandeep Singh's penalty corner in the 15th minute.

With two minutes remaining for the breather, Pakistan struck back with Hasneem Khan scoring with a reverse stick from a well build up counter attack. — PTI

Barcelona, May 10
Britain's Jenson Button led a Brawn GP one-two triumph at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday for the Formula One championship leader's fourth victory in five races.

For the ninth year in a row, victory at the Circuit de Catalunya went to the driver starting from pole position with Button taking the chequered flag 13.0 seconds ahead of Brazilian team mate Rubens Barrichello.

Australian Mark Webber was third for Red Bull, his second podium finish of the season, ahead of team mate Sebastian Vettel.

Spain's Fernando Alonso had the home crowd roaring when he snatched fifth place on the final lap from Ferrari's Felipe Massa.

Brazilian Massa, who led for a lap after the first pitstops, had to slow in closing laps to save fuel with the team warning him that he risked not making it to the finish.

The three points were still the first of the season for last year's overall runner-up. Germans Nick Heidfeld in a BMW-Sauber and Nico Rosberg for Williams were seventh and eighth, respectively.

Button, with five career wins to his credit, was overtaken at the start by Barrichello but forced himself back in front of the Brazilian with an astute strategy shift from three stops to two. The Briton is now 14 points clear of his 36-year-old team mate.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen retired while McLaren’s world champion Lewis Hamilton was ninth and lapped by his winning compatriot.

The safety car was deployed for four laps after a pile-up involving Toyota's Jarno Trulli, both Toro Rosso drivers and Force India's Adrian Sutil as the field powered through the second corner. — Reuters

Chandigarh, May 10
The seventh Jagpal Memorial Junior Inter School Basketball Tournament for boys and girls concluded with Lawrence School, Sanawar (boys) and Welham Girls, Dehra Dun laying claim to the winner‘s title.

The first half witnessed a neck to neck fight between Sanawar and Sherwood but Sanawar easily overpowered the game scoring 33-18. Jaideep from Sanawar showed excellent command over the game and contributed 17 points.

In the girl’s team, Welham Girls, D.Dun defeated Pinegrove by 24-06. Aishwarya Nandini and Simran Arora were the top scorers.

In the first semi final, Sherwood College thumped Vivek High (Chd.) by 22-08 with Mehta contributing the maximum of 10 points. Sanawar beat Pinegrove 32-09.

The girls team semifinal‘s were played between Pinegrove School and Y.P.S. (Mohali). The score was 18-08 in favour of Pinegrove. Welham Girls easily beat P.P.S. (Nabha) to storm into the finals with a score of 17-03.

Aishwarya Nandini and Simran Arora of Welham’s were adjudged the most promising player and the best scorer of the tournament respectively.

Amongst the boys, the award of the most promising player was bagged by Abhay Mankoti of Sherwood College, Nainital. Jaideep Atwal from Sanawar was declared the best scorer of the tournament.

BRIEFLY

ICC to review referral, D/N Tests
London: Controversial umpiring referral system and the feasibility of holding day-night Tests will be on the anvil at the two-day meeting of International Cricket Council's cricket committee, beginning at Lord's on Monday. The committee, headed by West Indian Clive Lloyd, will decide if the much-debated referral system, which allows either two or three unsuccessful appeals per innings, should be adopted permanently in international matches following trials in four Test series during the past nine months. — PTI

Phelps ‘lapping’ it up
London: Michael Phelps has had his fantasies with a pair of strippers, boasted about taking dope and cries a lot after getting drunk - these are some of his secrets spilt by a lapdancer. Theresa White claimed the Olympic swimming star is far from the all-American boy everyone thinks he is. The 25-year-old, who first met the champ at a strip club on a drunken night out last November, revealed the gold medallist turned into a cry baby after his controversial marijuana pictures surfaced. "I saw Michael after the photos were published in February and he got really upset. He turned to me and said, 'I can't believe that happened. I'm terrified my career will be over.' — ANI

Ledley King gets bail
LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur captain Ledley King has been released on bail after being arrested for alleged assault outside a London nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning, British media reported. Tottenham said in a statement: "The club is aware of an incident involving Ledley King in the early hours of Sunday morning. We await details and information and it would be inappropriate to make any further comments at this time." — Reuters

Asian weightlifting in Pune
New Delhi: India will host the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Pune from August 1 to 10, according to Indian Weightlifting Federation. According to the website of the federation, which was launched this month under directives of the Sports Ministry, the 62nd Men and 25th Women Senior National Weightlifting Championships will be held at Udaipur in Rajasthan from December 25-29. — PTI