Scoreboard

Trinidad & Tobago

Simmons lbw b Edwards 7(7)

Perkins lbw b Edwards 38(32)

Darren c & b Suman 14(17)

Ganga run out 0(2)

Dwayne run out 11(19)

Ramdin st Gilchrist b Symonds 15(16)

Pollard b Edwards 31(14)

S Ganga not out 13(11)

Mohammed not out 2(5)

Extras (lb 8, w 6, nb 4) 18

Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 149

FoWs:1-19, 2-53, 3-53, 4-83, 5-92, 6-125, 7-135.

Bowling: Edwards 4-0-32-3, RP 4-0-22-0, Styris 1-0-10-0, Suman 3-0-24-1, Symonds 4-0-25-1, Ojha 4-0-28-0.

Deccan Chargers

Gilchrist c Pollard b Simmons 51(36)

Laxman lbw b Dwayne Bravo 4(6)

Abhinav c Ramdin b Dwayne 1(3)

Symonds run out 2 (4)

Sharma c Dwayne b Badree 25(24)

Styris run out 14(13)

Venugopal c Ramdin b Rampaul 30(19)

Suman not out 9(10)

RP Singh b Dwayne 5(5)

Edwards run out 0(1)

Ojha not out 0(0)

Extras (lb 1, w 3, nb 1) 5

Total (9 wickets; 20 overs) 146

FoWs:1-15, 2-23, 3-30, 4-85, 5-86, 6-125, 7-137,8-145, 9-145.

Bowling: Rampaul 4-0-29-1, Dwayne 4-0-24-3, S Ganga 2-0-17-0, Pollard 1-0-13-0, Mohammed 3-0-21-0, Simmons 3-0-16-1, Badree 3-0-25-1.

Bangalore, October 14
Local favourites Bangalore Royal Challengers will hope to maintain their upswing while Victoria Bushrangers are keen to put behind their defeat against Wayamba Elevens when they lock horn in the first League B match of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament here tomorrow.

Both took the same stop-start route to the Super Eight stage, tasting both win and defeat before eventually making the top-eight cut. With little margin for error in the League segment, both the teams would be hoping to get off to a winning start tomorrow.

For Kumble and his teammates, playing before home crowd can work both ways. While it would ensure that there would not be any dearth of support, it also means additional pressure, which the Indian Premier League runners-up would have to cope up with.

The local favourites did not start well, losing their tournament opener to Cape Cobras by five wickets before South African old warhorse Jacques Kallis inspired them to a comprehensive 80-run win over Otago Volts that cleared their Super Eight passage.

Bangalore’s top-order is formidable enough to give sleepless nights to any attack and with Kallis, Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli and Ross Taylor in good nick, Victorian bowlers have their task cut out tomorrow. And even if the top order fumbles, the Challengers can rely on Rahul Dravid to bail them out, something the former India captain has done time and again in his illustrious career.

In comparison, their bowling unit may look a little low on glamour but Victoria would do well not to underestimate an attack that includes Praveen Kumar, Kallis, Kumble and Roelof van der Merwe. Victoria Bushrangers, however, can draw inspiration from the fact that they bulldozed the mighty Delhi Daredevils by seven wickets with 20 balls to go in their tournament opener.

It was a surgical display by Shane Harwood, Clint McKay and Andrew McDonald who restricted the Daredevils to a meagre 98 for eight before Rob Quiny and captain Cameron White saw them through. The Victorian giant-killers, however, stepped on a banana skin in their next encounter against the lowly Wayamba Elevens, losing the low-scoring tie by 15 runs even though it could not halt their Super Eight march.

Once again, the Victorians bowlers did a decent job against the Lankans restricting them to 118 for nine but their batsmen goofed up, managing just 103 runs even though they had lost just four wickets.

Squads (from): Royal Challengers Bangalore: Anil Kumble (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Balachandra Akhil, Rajesh Bishnoi, Mark Boucher, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Manish Pandey, Ross Taylor, Robin Uthappa, Roelof van der Merwe and Vinay Kumar.

Osaka, October 14
Sania Mirza became the first player to reach the quarter-finals of the Japan Open on Wednesday, beating Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine in Sania Mirza straight sets. The 22-year-old Mirza, who won the Australian Open mixed doubles with Mahesh Bhupathi this season, took advantage of a rash of double faults from Kutuzova on her way to a 6-4, 6-3 win.

Karachi, October 14
Anguished and perplexed by the stinging criticism he faced after Pakistan’s semifinal loss in the Champions Trophy, Younus Khan says a feeling of being betrayed by people in the echelon of power pushed him into resigning from captaincy.

“I did what I thought was the right thing. I have worked very hard to keep this team united for the last eight months despite problems. So when anyone accuses me or the team of fixing matches then I have no option but to resign,” Younus said in an interview.

Younus said apart from being hurt by allegations of match fixing, there were some other issues as well that prompted him to hand over his resignation to Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt. “I don’t want to elaborate on them but the last eight months have been tough for me and I have still tried to do my best as captain and player to unite the team,” he said.

I will have a very frank discussion with the Chairman of the board whenever he invites me to discuss my resignation, because some issues need to be sorted out like the term of my captaincy

“I played with a broken finger in the Champions trophy because I wanted the team to do well. I have always tried to lead from the front. I may have made some mistakes but my intentions have only been for the betterment of the team and Pakistan cricket,” he added.

Younus said after putting in so much effort, it was natural for him to feel upset when fingers were pointed at his decisions and the team's performances. Younus also indicated that he was not satisfied with the board's way of dealing with certain issues concerning the team. “I will have a very frank discussion with the Chairman of the board whenever he invites me to discuss my resignation, because some issues need to be sorted out like the term of my captaincy,” he said.

Younus said he was astonished by the sharp criticism as he had led the team to the Twenty20 World Cup title just a few months ago. “As captain in the last eight months I have set certain goals for myself and the team and I just want to know what this criticism against me is about. Has the team not shown any improvement in the last eight months? Is there no difference in the performance of the side now?” he asked.

Sources said Younus is also upset at the way the board Chairman had been entertaining the team officials and some players in separate meetings without bothering to talk to him. Younus said he would not like to be called for any hearing of the parliamentary body in future as his job was to perform as a player and not to give explanations to everyone about the team’s performance.

“The board and team officials are the ones who are the right people to give answers if anyone wants to know anything about the team,” he said. — PTI 

Bathinda, October 14
Various agencies, including the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), have projected a magical figure of 96 to126 medals out of a total of 863 medals at stake for the Indian contingent at the New Delhi Commonwealth games at New Delhi within less than a year’s time.

However, that figure, so enchanting it may appear to be, seems to be just on paper, if India’s preparations for the sporting extravaganza are any indication to go by. In the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth games India won a total of 69 medals while in the 2006 Melbourne edition the Indians ended up winning 50 medals.

However, this time taking advantage of the home environs, Indians are looking at a figure of 96 to 126 medals of various hues. IOA sources reveal that preparations of various Indian contingents are going on a tardy note with the government yet to invite tenders for the equipment of sportspersons.

The IOA and SAI have not even devised a way to monitor the preparations of players attending national camps and to top it, sportspersons, fearing injuries, are not going all out in their training since the government is yet to insure them.

Some time ago there were reports that the agencies would devise a foolproof system to monitor the preparations of Indian athletes, but till now this has not been done. However, Rahul Bhatnagar, Joint Secretary (International Sports Division), Ministry of Sports, says, “We will insure players soon. As far as equipment of sportspersons is concerned, SAI is making all out efforts to procure the same.”

IOA sources disclose that a special software was also to be developed through which various National Sports Federations (NSFs) could not only keep a tab on their players performances prior to the New Delhi Games but also keep a watch on others nations’ preparations. However, that software has yet to be developed.

To this Rahul Bhatnagar said, “For some disciplines the software is in place. For others we are talking to the people concerned.” Sources revealed that as per plans, equipment in various disciplines was to be given to sportspersons at least a year ago, but till yet tenders to purchase this equipment have not even been invited.

The players were supposed to be protected by an accidental and medical insurance since last year, but even this has not been done so far. The IOA is hoping for a maximum 35 medals for the discipline of shooting.

However, the total tally may well fall much below this mark as shooters training at the Balewadi range in Pune have yet to get a pistol coach. Moreover, the national camp had been discontinued on two occasions citing technical reasons.

According to IOA estimates, the Indians hope to garner 30 to 35 medals in shooting, 10 to 12 in weightlifting, 21 in wrestling, 6 to 8 in boxing, 4 to10 in athletics, 2 to 4 in swimming, 4 in archery, 2 to 4 in badminton, 2 in cycling, 2 to 4 in squash, 4 to 6 in table tennis and 2 to 4 in tennis. 

BRIEFLY

Mumbai to host 2011 World Cup final
MUMBAI: Mumbai will host the final, along with two other matches, while Mohali will host one of the semifinals of the 2011 cricket World Cup to be organised jointly by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The Local Organising Committee met here on Wednesday to finalise the venue-based distribution of the 29 games that India is scheduled to host. The rest of the 20 games of the 49-match event have been awarded to Sri Lanka (12) and Bangaldesh (8). — PTI

Gael Monfils reacts after wining a point against Lleyton Hewitt during the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai on Wednesday. — Reuters

Patil new NCA director
NEW DELHI: Former India batsman Sandeep Patil will take over as Director of Cricket Operations of the National Cricket Academy, Bangalore, replacing Dav Whatmore who resigned from the post recently. Patil, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning squad, will take over charge with effect from November 1, a BCCI release said on Wednesday. — PTI

CA welcomes WI breakthrough
MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia on Wednesday welcomed a breakthrough in negotiations over a West Indies’ player dispute, opening the possibility of a full-strength team to tour Australia next month. The West Indies Cricket Board and West Indies Players’ Association said on Tuesday that nearly all the outstanding matters in their dispute over pay and contract issues had been settled. — AFP

‘Narain, Chandhok talented’
NEW DELHI: Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok have no dearth of talent, but they have to work on their adjustment skills to be successful in Formula One, according to former F1 ace David Coulthard. “You have great drivers like Karthikeyan and Chandhok. But then it would be difficult to say how they would perform if you put them in the (F1) car,” Coulthard said. — PTI

Togo’s Boussari Akinsola (R) and Japan’s Keisuke Honda battle for the ball during their friendly match in Sendai, northern Japan on Wednesday. — AFP

New engine partner for Williams
SAO PAULO: Former Formula One champions Williams will have a new engine partner next season after announcing the end of their Toyota deal on Wednesday. “Toyota has been a very decent partner who have always respected our independence and provided us with a first-rate technical product,” said team owner Frank Williams in a statement. — Reuters

Nadal advances, Potro out
SHANGHAI: Top seed Rafa Nadal marched into the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters with a thoroughly entertaining 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 victory over James Blake on Wednesday. U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, however, joined the growing casualty list at the $3.24-million tournament, retiring because of a wrist injury while 7-5, 2-1 down to Jurgen Melzer. — Reuters

Shooter Keshav bags gold
JALANDHAR: Keshav Krishna Ladhar, a student of a local school bagged a gold medal in the 45th Punjab Rifle Shooting Championship organised by the Punjab Rifle Shooting Association from October 10 and 11 held at Mohali. Keshav, a Class XII student of government senior secondary school, Jamsher, won the gold in the under 12- age group. — TNS