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Morkel blitz pulls off stunning heist Mascarenhas, Marsh steer Kings to first win of season |
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Pollard shines as Mumbai overpower Rajasthan
Chance for Knight Riders to get even with Royals
Australia win a thriller
Chetri to lead India in
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
Shiva, Sumit clinch gold
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Morkel blitz pulls off stunning heist
Chennai, April 12 Chasing a stiff 206, Morkel blasted three sixes and two fours off the penultimate over bowled by Virat Kohli as the hosts overhauled the target in the last ball to record the second highest runchase in IPL history. Faf du plessis (71) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (41) were the other notable scorers for Chennai who have now got their campaign back on track after two successive defeats. The home team turned the complexion of the game in the 19th over with Morkel racking up 28 runs and needed 15 runs in the last over. Morkel perished in the second ball of the last over bowled by Vinay Kumar but Dwayne Bravo (25) did the star turn by taking the team to the victory in the tense dying moments of the cliffhanger. With two runs needed in the last ball, Ravindra Jadega edged the ball to the boundary to send the home crowd in a frenzy and trigger wild celebrations in the Chennai dug-out. It was a remarkable come from behind victory for Chennai, who looked down and out at one stage but RCB skipper Daniel Vettori's gamble to give Kohli the 19th over backfired in a big way. Earlier, Chris Gayle hit a blistering 68 and shared a 109-run stand with Kohli (57) to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to a mammoth 205 for eight. But that proved insufficient in the end. From the start of the chase, Chennai tried to make a match of it with Fa du Plessis (71, 46b, 5x4, 4x6) and Suresh Raina (23, 14b, 3x4, 1x6), and then captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (40, 24b, 1x4, 2x6) playing valuable knocks. But their efforts appeared to have fallen short as Muttiah Muralitharan provided crucial breakthroughs at the right times. After a breathtaking diving return catch to send back Murali Vijay (11) in his first over, Muralitharan dismissed Fa du Plessis and then Raina just as the two were shaping well for a big score. Dhoni, who promoted himself to number 4, started to strike the ball well but with the asking rate climbing up, the target always looked near impossible. But Morkel, who came at the fall of Dhoni's wicket in the 19th over, turned the match completely. In the first innings, Gayle's explosive innings resulted in Bangalore scoring the highest score so far in the current edition. Chennai bowlers had no clue on how to stop Gayle as the Caribbean marauder clobbered them all over the park with six sixes and two fours in his 35-ball knock. Kohli played sensibly, a second fiddle to Gayle, for his 46-ball knock, which was laced with five fours and two sixes. Paceman Doug Bollinger was the most successful bowler for Chennai with three wickets, all of them coming in the last over when he dismissed Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara (0) and Raju Bhatkal (0). In all, Bangalore lost four wickets in the final over and scored just seven runs, including a last-ball six. Gayle raced to his half-century with two consecutive sixes off Shadab Jakati and in just 27 balls. It just followed a monstrous hit off Dwayne Bravo as Gayle hammered one off fellow Caribbean out of the park. Ravindra Jadeja finally dismissed Gayle by having him caught by Bravo. The visitors lost wickets in a heap in the death overs when they went for big shots. — PTI SCOREBOARD Royal Challengers Bangalore Agarwal c Bravo b Morkel 45 Gayle c Bravo b Jadeja 68 Kohli c Plessis b Bollinger 57 de Villiers c Jakati b Morkel 4 Tiwary c Raina b Jadeja 8 Bhatkal c Raina b Bollinger 0 Pujara b Bollinger 0 Vettori run out 1 Vinay Kumar not out 6 Zaheer not out 0 Extras (B-2, W-14) 16 Total (8 wkts, 20 overs) 205 Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-162, 3-174, 4-198, 5-198, 6-198, 7-199, 8-199. Bowling: Ashwin 4-0-46-0, Bollinger 3-0-24-3, Morkel 4-0-37-2, Bravo 4-0-30-0, Raina 1-0-21-0, Jakati 2-0-27-0, Jadeja 2-0-18-2. Chennai Super Kings Murali Vijay c & b Murali 11 Plessis c Kohli b Murali 71 Raina c Bhatkal b Murali 23 Dhoni c Dilshan b Zaheer 41 Bravo not out 25 Morkel c Agarwal b Vinay 28 Jadeja not out 4 Extras (LB-1, W-2, NB-2) 5 Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 208 Fall of wickets: 1/56 2/88 3/128 4/163 5/192 Bowling: Vettori 4-0-30-0, Zaheer 4-0-32-1, R Vinay 4-0-53-1, Bhatkal 2-0-35-0, Muralitharan 4-0-21-3, Kohli 2-0-36-0.
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Mascarenhas, Marsh steer Kings to first win of season Mohali, April 12 Mascarenhas picked up five wickets as Kings chased down a rather paltry 116 with ease. And the good news for the home team didn't stop just there as their most prolific scorer over the past four seasons, Shaun Marsh hit a solid half-century to lead the chase. But their reply started on the worst possible note as Paul Valthaty was cleaned up by Ashok Dinda off the very first ball. Captain-cum-coach Adam Gilchrist was then joined by Shaun Marsh and the two steadily built up the platform required for the chase. But just when the chase was heading into the realms of a formality, Angelo Matthews got rid of Gilchrist, who was brilliantly caught by Steve Smith on point. Punjab boy Mandeep then joined Marsh and the two batted with purpose, before Mandeep edged a delivery from Rahul Sharma to send a simple catch to Steve Smith. Surprisingly, Piyush Chawla came out to bat, but the leggie made a handsome contribution of 21 as he and Marsh saw the Kings home for their first win of the season. Earlier, Dimitri Mascarenhas picked up five wickets as Kings XI Punjab restricted the Pune Warriors to a meager 115 all out in 19 overs. Winning the toss, Gilchrist opted to field first on a pitch that had been exposed to brazen weather a day before. Sourav Ganguly came out to bat with Jesse Ryder, but the two faced some awkward moments from the word go as Praveen Kumar got the ball talking. The ball was nipping back and the life in the pitch seemed to have infused some fresh air to the Kings attack as well. But somewhat ironically, the first breakthrough came via a run out after Ryder was left stranded due to a misunderstanding with Ganguly. Team Pune were looking to bounce right back as Ganguly was then joined by the in-form Marlon Samuels. But Mascarenhas had other plans. He first got rid of Ganguly as a leading edge flew into the hands of Shaun Marsh, and then in the same over, got rid of Samuels with a delivery that dipped just a little, but enough to rattle the stumps. That wicket had the crowd roaring, and it didn't subside till the very end. SCOREBOARD Pune Warriors Ryder run out (Hussey) 7 Ganguly c Marsh b Mascarenhas 16 Samuels b Mascarenhas 2 Uthappa c Bipul b Mascarenhas 17 Mathews lbw Harmeet 11 Manhas b Mascarenhas 31 Smith b Chawla 13 Pandey c Hussey b Harmeet 0 Sharma c Mandeep b Mascarenhas 2 Nehra not out 2 Dinda run out (Awana) 2 Extras (B-4, LB-3, W-5) 12 Total
(all out, 19 overs) 115 Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-28, 3-29, 4-51, 5-77, 6-99, 7-100, 8-108, 9-110. Bowling: P Kumar 4-0-19-0, Awana 4-0-18-0, Mascarenhas 4-0-25-5, Harmeet 3-0-23-2, Chawla 4-0-23-1. Kings XI Punjab Valthaty b Dinda 0 Gilchrist c Smith b Mathews 21 Marsh not out 64 Mandeep c Smith b Sharma 10 Chawla not out 21 Extras 0 Total (3 wkts; 17.4 overs)116 Fall of
wickets: 1-0, 2-50, 3-70 Bowling: Dinda 3-0-18-1, Nehra 3-0-22-0, Samuels 3.4-0 -27-0, Mathews 3-0 20-1, Ryder 2-0-12-0, Sharma 3-0-17-1.
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Pollard shines as Mumbai overpower Rajasthan
Mumbai, April 12 Pollard smashed four sixes and six fours and also put on a whirlwind partnership of 96 runs off just 52 balls with Ambati Rayudu (47) to power hosts to a season-high 197 for six in front of a packed Wankhede Stadium. The West Indian then snapped up four wickets to add to his half-century and also took a catch which won him the man of the match award. Chasing a daunting 198 to win, Rajasthan put up a spirited fight but lacked firepower to cross the finish line. Owais Shah struck a brilliant 76 off just 42 balls with five fours and as many sixes and Ajinkya Rahane contributed 40 runs under pressure but that only helped Rajsthan muster 170 in 19.4 overs. Shah and opener Rahane forged a stand of 82 runs in 57 balls to pull Royals from a sorry-reading seven for two to 89. After Rahane's exit, Shah got an able partner in Ashok Meneria (20) and the two kept the Royals firmly in the hunt with a quick-fire partnership of 45 in 18 balls before Malinga snapped up Shah and next man Johan Botha in four balls to arrest the visitors' progress. Despite the best efforts of Meneria and the rest, the Royals were fighting a losing battle. Munaf Patel, who had taken the wickets of rival skipper Rahul Dravid and Shreevats Goswami off successive balls in his first spell, came back to pick up two more and ended up with fine figures of four for 28 while Malinga secured two for 13. The victory, their third in four ties and the first at home this season, enabled MI log on six points and go two points clear of the rest of the field. Earlier, the big-built Trinidadian came to the crease when the home team had slumped to 68 for three in the ninth over and smashed the ball around in his inimitable style. Pollard hammered off-spinner Johan Botha for 22 runs in one over and then carted left-arm slow bowler Ankeet Chavan for a couple of fours and a six before holing out to long on fielder Ajinkya Rahane off the last ball of the 17th over. The giant West Indian added 96 runs in a blazing fourth wicket stand off just 52 balls with Rayudu (47 not out in 32 balls) to help MI finish with a tall total on a wicket that helped slow bowlers. — PTI SCOREBOARD Mumbai Indians Levi b Hogg 29 Suman c Trivedi b Amit 10 Rohit b Hogg 21 Rayudu not out 47 Pollard c Rahane b Chavan 64 Karthik c Trivedi b Cooper 0 Franklin c Rahane b Amit 2 Harbhajan not out 18 Extras (b-1, lb-5) 6 Total (6 wkts, 20 ovrs) 197 Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-59, 3-68, 4-164, 5-173, 6-177. Bowling: Chavan 4-0-41-1, Amit 4-0-29-2, Cooper 4-0-43-1, Hogg 4-0-31-2, Trivedi 3-0-25-0, Botha 1-0-22-0. Rajasthan Royals Dravid c Suman b Munaf 3 Rahane c Levi b Pollard 40 Goswami c Karthik b Munaf 0 Shah b Malinga 76 Menaria c Rohit b Pollard 20 Botha c Pollard b Malinga 2 Cooper b Munaf 14 Chavan c Karthik b Pollard 4 Hogg c Franklin b Munaf 2 Amit b Pollard 0 Trivedi not out 5 Extras (lb 1, w 2, nb 1) 4 Total (all out; 19.4 ovrs) 170 Fall of wickets:: 1-7, 2-7, 3-89, 4-134, 5-136, 6-153, 7-162, 8-162, 9-163. Bowling: Malinga 4-0-13-2, Patel 3.4-0-28-4, Franklin 2-0-22-0, Ojha 2-0-19-0, Harbhajan 4-0-43-0, Pollard 4-0-44-4.
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Chance for Knight Riders to get even with Royals
Kolkata, April 12
The timing could not have been better for the Knights to capitalise as the Royals are coming after a battering at the hands of Mumbai Indians in their last match yesterday. With the Knight Riders' next match (vs Kings XI Punjab on Sunday) also scheduled at home, maintaining the winning momentum will top their agenda. Whereas Rahul Dravid's men appear a bit tired with the hectic scheduling, the Knights are fortunate to get a day's extra break after their win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday. It took the think-tank a bit of chopping and changing to get to the winning mode after the back-to-back losses against Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals in season five. The four changes in the line-up meant that skipper Gautam Gambhir elevated himself to his usual slot, dropping out of form Kiwi opener Brendon McCullum, a move that set the tone in their much-needed maiden victory this season. Gambhir led the way with a brisk 39-ball 64 to set up a total of 166, which eventually turned out to be a winning one. But their biggest plus point was the inclusion of veteran seamer Laxmipathy Balaji whose fired-up spell of 4-1-18-4, after Kallis took the prized-scalp of Chris Gayle, set the victory. "Balaji is a quality bowler and has the capability to take wickets on any pitch. Hats off to him for the way he bowled. This was the best spell that I have ever seen in a Twenty20 competition," Gambhir said. "It feels nice to finally get a win under our belt. To be honest, it was a team effort. I am pretty happy by the performance of the boys." KKR would hope that sports psychologist Dr Rudi Webster give some mantra to the explosive Yusuf Pathan. For Dravid and Co, having experienced their first defeat in Mumbai, their first in an away match, it would be a challenge to conquer the odds outside home. — PTI
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Bridgetown, April 12 Australia were cautious before tea but with the light fading fast, they stepped up the run-rate in the final session despite losing six wickets in the process. Spinner Narsingh Deonarine took 4-53 as West Indies exposed the Australia tail but with Mike Hussey (32) taking an aggressive approach, Australia were able to cross the finish line before darkness fell. The victory completed an outstanding turnaround from the tourists who at one stage in their first innings were 250 for seven chasing 449 for nine declared before Ryan Harris and the tail produced invaluable resistance. — Reuters Brief scores West Indies: 449 for 9 declared and 148; Australia: 406 for 9 declared and 192 for 7. Australia win by 3 wickets
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Chetri to lead India in
Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
New Delhi, April 12 The seven-nation tournament will feature Argentina, Great Britain, India, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and Pakistan. The tournament will be played on blue artificial pitch with yellow balls on a round-robin league format, culminating in positional playoffs on the last day. India will open their campaign against New Zealand on May 24, to be followed by matches against Korea, Britain, Malaysia, Argentina and Pakistan. India have annexed the Azlan Shah title on five earlier occasions — in 1985, 1991, 1995, 2009 and 2010. The team: Goalkeepers: Bharat Chetri and Sreejesh PR; Defenders: Sandeep Singh, VR Raghunath and Rupinderpal Singh; Midfielders: Birendra Lakra, Sardar Singh, Manpreet Singh, Gurbaj Singh and Kothajit Singh Khadangbam;Forwards: SV Sunil, Dharamvir Singh, Sarvanjit Singh, Gurwinder Singh Chandi, Shivendra Singh, Danish Mujtaba,. S.K Uthappa and Tushar Khandker. |
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New Delhi, April 12 The 18-year-old Shiva (56kg), who is the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics, defeated Syria's Wessam Salamana 18-11 to clinch his second successive senior international gold medal. The 19-year-old Sumit (81kg) beat Tajikistan's Dzhakon Qurbanov 14-9 to bag his maiden senior international gold in his debut event. Besides these two, Vijender Singh (75kg) also booked a London berth by making the semifinals of the last qualifiers for the July-August mega-event. Four Indian boxers-L Devendro Singh (49kg), Jai Bhagwan (60kg), Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Vikas Krishan (69kg) -- had already booked their Olympic berths in last year's World Championship. The Assam-lad, who displayed fantastic reflexes and came up with precise jabs, took a narrow 5-4 lead in the opening round. Although his rival matched him in aggression, the Indian was more accurate in his placement of punches, winning the second round 5-3 to make it 10-7. Shiva capitalised on his opponent's draining energy levels in the final three minutes to win comprehensively in the end. "Shiva put up a fantastic performance. He is a very promising talent," said national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu. Sumit adopted a wait-and-attack approach in his bout, sizing up his rival in the opening three minutes before taking a slender a 2-1 lead. It remained just a point's lead after the second round as well after Qurbanov clawed his way back to tie it 5-5. Sumit made an aggressive start to the final round, connecting some telling jabs and left hooks to unsettle his rival and clinch the bout comfortably. Two other Indian boxers, Manpreet Singh (91kg) and Paramjeet Samota (+91kg), missed out on a London berth and settled for bronze medals in the event. — PTI
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Albie Morkel turned the game on its head with some lusty hits as Chennai Super Kings snatched a sensational five-wicket victory in the very last ball against Royal Challengers Bangalore in a dramatic IPL match here today.
Kolkata, April 12
Australia won an exciting first Test against West Indies by three wickets on Wednesday as Michael Clarke's team were rewarded for their positive approach. After West Indies were bowled out for 148 before lunch on the final day, the tourists were set a victory targer of 192 in two sessions.
