Port of Spain, June 4
Team India made a winning return to international cricket, in their first outing since the World Cup win in April, as they won against the West Indies in the tour-opening Twenty20 international match by 16 runs here today.

West Indies started cautiously in pursuit of their target, but apart from a 41-run knock from Darren Bravo and a late six-hitting cameo from Chris Barnwell, no West Indian batsman threatened to take the game away from the visitors.

Earlier, India recovered from a top-order collapse, triggered by Darren Sammy's four wicket haul, to post a competitive 159 for six.

Sammy had shocked the visitors with four wickets inside the first nine overs before top-scorer S Badrinath (43), Rohit Sharma (26), Yusuf Pathan (15 ) and Harbhajan Singh (15) brought up the rear to underline the depth of the tourists batting. Sammy once had three wickets off a mere eight balls as Indians advanced their score by only eight runs and lost Virat Kohli (14), Parthiv Patel ( 26) and Suresh Raina (2) to be 56 for four in the ninth over.

Kohli had smashed two sumptuous fours off fast bowler Andre Fletcher and was slipping into top gear when Sammy deceived him with a slow off-break which he lofted into the covers. Sammy was on a hat-trick when Patel slashed the very next delivery to point after making a promising 26 off 20 balls with two fours and a six.

Raina survived the hat-trick ball at the start of Sammy’s next over but he too tried to force the issue all too soon and was caught well by the mid-on fielder running backwards.

India had lost its first wicket to Sammy as well who was surprised by a lifting delivery and could only guide it to the wicketkeeper with the side of his blade.

It was a bad stroke made to look worse by India's makeshift opener as he stood his ground, contesting the appeal, till the umpire had to give him the marching orders.

India got a lucky break when middle-order bat Badrinath was caught at short extra-cover off Ravi Rampaul, returning for his second spell, only for third umpire to rule that he had overstepped the bowling crease in his delivery. — PTI

Scoreboard

India

Patel c Samuels b Sammy 26

Dhawan c Fletcher b Sammy 5

Kohli c Hyatt b Sammy 14

Badrinath c Fletcher b Bishoo 43

Raina c Barnwell b Sammy 2

Rohit b Barnwell 26

Yusuf not out 15

Harbhajan not out 15

Extras (lb 1, w 10, nb 2) 13

Total (6 wkts; 20 overs) 159

Bowling: Rampaul 4-0-38-0, Russell 2-0-26-0, Sammy 4-0-16-4, Nurse 4-0-23-0, Bishoo 4-0-31-1, Barnwell 2-0-24-1.

West Indies

Fletcher b Munaf 11

Simmons c Kohli b Ashwin 9

Bravo b Harbhajan 41

Samuels c Patel b Harbhajan 27

Hyatt not out 14

Sammy c Kohli b Praveen 0

Barnwell not out 34

Extras (lb 4, w 3) 7

Total (5 wkts; 20 overs) 143

Bowling: Praveen 4-1-27-1, Harbhajan 4-0-25-2, Ashwin 4-0-30-1, Munaf 4-0-35-1, Yusuf 4-0-22-0.

Paris, June 4
Li Na made sporting history at the French Open on Saturday when she became the first player from China to win a Grand Slam singles title.The 29-year-old from Wuhan defeated defending champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-4, 7-6 (7/0)) to take her place in the pantheon of Chinese sports stars.

Li clinched the watershed win with a superb 7-0 tie-break performance in the second set, falling onto her back in the red dirt when Schiavone hit long on match point

It was a thrilling display of shot-making from the Chinese player who has said she hopes that by winning a Grand Slam title she will act as a catalyst for the growth of tennis in her giant homeland.

For 30-year-old Schiavone it was a bitter pill to swallow one year after she upset the odds to become Italy's first and so far only Grand Slam women's champion.

"I was 4-2 up and she tried to come back, but I just had to stand up again and I made it. I think everyone in China will be so excited," said Li. "I was nervous but I didn't want to show my opponent."

Schiavone said: "She played well. I couldn't push her from the baseline. Then we were closer. One has to lose, one has to win. She deserved to win."

In what was the oldest Grand Slam singles final in 21 years, the combined ages of the two players was 60 years and 79 days. Schiavone was looking to her claycourt expertise and experience of winning here last year to make the difference, while Li said that having played and lost a Grand Slam final already this year in Australia would help her confidence.

With the final broadcast live on television in China, where interest in her exploits has spiralled, Li had the first break point of the match on a sultry, still afternoon on the Philippe Chatrier centre court but she clattered a forehand long.

A tense, closely-fought start to the final pitted the wiry Schiavone's vicious top spin and tactical guile against the more powerful flat-hitting of the athletic Li and it was the Chinese seventh seed who drew first blood in the fifth game. A poorly executed drop shot from Schiavone gave Li two break points and she took the second of these when an under-pressure Schiavone hit a forehand wide.

Li then held serve three consecutive times to take the first set 6-4 in 39 minutes and she looked in total charge of the final going into the second set.

She earned three more break points as Schiavone struggled to contain her weight of shot and the Chinese player let out a shout of triumph as she converted the final one of those.

Schiavone badly needed to find an answer to her opponent's domination and by throwing in some more variety in the next game she crafted her first break point of the final in the next game.

Li though swatted that aside with a big first serve and then confidently moved out into a 2-0 lead. Another netted drop shot gave Li a further break point in the fifth game, but with the court wide open the sixth seed blasted a shoulder-high forehand into the net with a 4-1 lead on offer.

Li was proving steady as a rock on her own serve as she comfortably held for 4-2 and she saw another break point against Schiavone go astray in the next game. The missed opportunities immediately came back to haunt her as she flung in three unforced errors when serving for a 5-3 lead and Schiavone pounced to secure her first service break of the match.

Both players then held serve twice to force the tie-break. Li dominated that from the start, sweeping it 7-0, to gleefully write her name into the record books. — AFP 

London, June 4
Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan helped deny England a breakthrough as the tourists tried to put their series-opening batting collapse behind them at Lord. Sri Lanka were 101 without loss in reply to England's first innings 486, a deficit of 385, at tea on the second day of the second Test here today.

Dilshan was 54 not out and fellow opener Tharanga Paranavitana 32 not out. It was all a far cry from Monday's collapse in Cardiff where Sri Lanka were dismissed for just 82 as England won the first Test by an innings and 14 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

England missed a chance to separate the openers when, with the score on 37, left-hander Paranavitana, on 13, edged fast bowler Steven Finn, recalled in place of the injured James Anderson, to Alastair Cook at third slip. But Cook, fielding in the spot vacated by the retired Paul Collingwood, failed to hold the chance despite getting both hands to the ball.

Dilshan, meanwhile, played his natural free-scoring game, hooking Chris Tremlett, one of England's trio of 6ft 5in plus seamers, for six on his way to a 58-ball fifty as Paranavitana dropped anchor. Earlier, England were bowled out for 486 on the stroke of lunch, with wicketkeeper Matt Prior making 126 -- his fourth Test hundred. Prior, together with Stuart Broad, who made an elegant 54, took a toll of Sri Lanka's attack during a a seventh-wicket stand of 108 in 91 balls.

England, who had slumped to 22 for three after losing the toss Friday, resumed on 342 for six after Cook (96) and Eoin Morgan (79) had both fallen short of a hundred. Prior was 73 not out overnight and Broad, offering good support, 17 not out.

However, Prior went from 86 to 94 with two fortunate fours, edging seamer Suranga Lakmal just short of wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene and next ball nicking him through the slips. Prior, on 94, then saw an edged drive off left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara dropped by normally relaible second slip Mahela Jayawardene.

Broad then completed a 47-ball fifty with his ninth four before Prior's luck held again when he went to 99 byedging a cut off Lakmal between keeper and first slip for four.

A quick single took Prior through to a century off 107 balls with 17 fours. It was Prior's second Test century at Lord's, following his 126 not out against the West Indies on his Test debut in 2007. Broad, primarily a fast-medium bowler but also a left-handed batsman, like his father Chris, the ex-England opener, was eventually plumb lbw to Welegedara.

The persevering bowler finished with four for 122 in 28 overs having been recalled after missing the first Test. Prior then fell to left-arm spinner Rangana Herath's third ball Saturday, bowled on the slog-sweep, having once again provided England with valuable and quick runs. — AFP