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Kings snatch a royal win
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Mumbai Indians will be looking to consolidate their position in the table with a win over Pune.
Sehwag takes incredible on-spot decisions, says Jayawardene
Geetika’s London hopes in limbo
Geetika Jakhar’s chances of going to the Olympics hinge on the qualifier in Finland.
Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba has made a miraculous recovery after suffering a cardiac arrest on-field.
Shiva, Vikas make winning starts
Sol Campbell retires
Pawan Negi celebrates taking a wicket against the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. — PTI
Sports secy meets players, coaches at NIS Patiala
MI sign Smith as Johnson’s replacement
Hockey
Sumit Narwal shines
Everton helb by Stoke City
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Bangalore, May 2 Chasing 159 for a win, Kings started their chase in style, and despite losing Shaun Marsh early, Mandeep Singh carried on his good work to keep the momentum going. He was extremely well supported by Nitin Saini, who also went on to score a fine half century. Mandeep departed after making a fine 43, but skipper David Hussey joined the party with his massive hitting prowess. But just when it seemed that the chase would be a straight forward one, Saini departed, and that was followed by fifteen minutes of madness. Azhar Mahmood, David Hussey and Abhishek Nayar were all run out as the Kings’ batting started running thin. But Piyush Chawla calmed their nerves and brought the smiles back when he hit Vinay Kumar for a six off the penultimate ball to win it. Earlier, Chris Gayle cashed in on a dropped chance to smash a blazing 71 and help Royal Challengers Bangalore score a competitive 158 for five. Punjab did everything right till the first half of the innings after winning the toss but script changed in the last 10 overs as they conceded 99 runs. Led by Praveen Kumar, who bowled a sensational spell of 4-0-8-0, Punjab were brilliant in the first 10 overs as they had restricted the host to 58 for one despite Gayle present there right from the first ball. Gayle was on 39 when he was dropped by substitute David Miller in the first ball of the 13th over off Parvinder Awana. The Caribbean creamed Awana for two fours and a six in the same over to shift the momentum in his side. Mahmood (3/20), not only dismissed Gayle but also scalped Andrew McDonald and AB De villiers on the final over of the innings. However, the way Punjab had dominated the proceedings in the first-half, they would be disappointed to have allowed Bangalore let off hook. Gayle, who was scratchy and uncomfortable with Praveen's moving ball early in the innings, thrashed Harris for three consecutive boundaries in fourth over of the innings. Kohli played patiently from the other end and looked to build the innings instead of going for his shots. Gayle brought 50 runs on the board for RCB with a massive six off Piyush Chawla, who leaked 29 runs in his first two overs. Soon Gayle posted RCB's total to 100 in the 13th over when he showed disdain to Parvinder Awana by tonking him to a massive six. Before that Gayle reached to his half century cutting Awana for a boundary. Kohli joined the party in the next over, belting Abhishek Nayar for a six bringing 100 runs partnership with Gayle in 14th over. Gayle then smacked him for a six.
— Agencies
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Warriors look to bounce back against Mumbai
Pune, May 2 Their second defeat to bottom-placed Deccan Chargers within a week has made their task to reach the last-four stage of the tournament even more difficult. In fact, the Sourav Ganguly-led unit will have to win all their remaining matches to make a claim for the semi-final berth. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, are in a comfortable position compared to their rivals, but the team's inconsistent performance has not allowed them to gain any momentum in the series so far. Harbhajan Singh's boys have so far managed 10 points from nine matches and are currently placed at No. 3. Their batting line-up came under fire against the Chargers in their previous encounter at home. Though, the team managed to chase down the small total of 100 runs with five wickets in hand, their discomfort against quality pace bowling of Dayle Steyn was there for all to see. The team banks heavily on Sachin Tendulkar at the top, and with the veteran not looking his best since returning from a finger injury things do not look very good for Mumbai and unsettled opening pair adds to their woes.
The team has so far experimented with their opening combo with Richard Levi, Adrian Blizzard, James Franklin, Davy Jacobs, Ambati Rayudu and T Suman all having a shot at the top spot. Their middle order too has looked a bit susceptible, with Rohit Sharma looking good in patches and Franklin too not having a consistent run with the bat. Dinesh Karthik has also been out of colour. Rayudu has come good with the bat in the last few games and Mumbai will hope that he continues. Bowling looks good for the visitors with Lasith Malinga spearheading the pace department. However, an off-colour Harbhajan Singh has failed to lead the pack from the front. The tweaker has so far managed three wickets from the tournament and apart from his previous outing he has looked a distant shadow of his past. Pune, meanwhile, have a settled batting line-up with Michael Clarke getting into the mix. Robin Uthappa and Steven Smith have been consistent with the bat and Ganguly too has come good of late. The real worry, however, is their bowling. Apart from Wayne Parnell and Bhuvneshwar Kumar nobody was impressive with the ball against Chargers and with Ashok Dinda still nursing a side strain, Pune will have to make their choices cautiously. — PTI
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Sehwag takes incredible on-spot decisions, says Jayawardene
New Delhi, May 2 Captaincy, according to Jayawardene, is not difficult provided one has done his homework
properly. "Leading a side might look complex but once you have done your homework, it's not that difficult a job. If you are not prepared well enough, then your on-field options become lesser and you will have trouble". "At Daredevils, we have had some very good team meetings where we have analysed the strengths and weaknesses of other sides along with our support staff. KP has also big role so has Morne (Morkel) and Nadeem," he said. By his own admission, opening the innings with Virender Sehwag has been an enriching experience. "When you have Dilshan or Sehwag opening the batting, they like to control the proceedings. They are players who can even hit the good balls for boundaries and my job at the other end is to rotate strike and enjoy their batting. When Viru is in full flow, all you do is to crack a few jokes in between the overs and may be analyse the opposition team's bowling options," the 34-year-old Sri Lankan captain said.
— PTI |
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Geetika’s London hopes in limbo
Patiala, May 2 Distressed Geetika while talking to The Tribune said it was unfortunate that she had not received her visa till today evening because “The competition is very close but I am keeping my fingers crosses. “Our team is leaving the country tomorrow and I don’t have any idea about my visa till now. Someone from the federation had gone for my visa at the embassy today but I have been informed by WFI that till 6.30 pm, the visa was not given. I just hope I get it well in time to make it to the competition because it is a lifetime opportunity and I cannot afford to miss it. Even if others have left the country, I can always join them there,” she added. WFI Secretary General Raj Singh when contacted in this regard said we are trying for a visa. “Geetika has not been granted visa yet but she can always join the squad in Helsinki even if we leave. Now, the court has given a decision in her favour, who are we to stop her from competing in the qualifier? We have already dropped Anita’s name and added Geetika’s. Rest depends upon her visa,” he added. Perturbed with non-granting of visa to Geetika till date, her father Satbir Singh Jakhar said it was hopeless that such senior player has to struggle to get visas for competing in a tournament which can open the doorway of London Games for her and in turn make the country proud. “What could be more miserable than the fact despite struggling so hard all these years and winning laurels for the country, Geetika looses her only chance to compete in the Olympic qualifying event, all because of a visa the WFI should have managed before hand. When she was declared winner and selected, there was no point in messing up things in the first place. Even if we ignore that, the Delhi High Court had given its decision on February 27. The Federation had enough time to get her visa but they applied today itself, which is really disturbing," added Satbir Singh. Notably, it is not the first time that Indian grapplers have faced visa problems. Sometime back, two female wrestlers of the Indian squad Babita and Sakshi were denied visa by the Uzbekistan Embassy due to which India had to enter the competition with only five wrestlers. Both Babita and Sakshi are international fame wrestlers. While, Babita is a silver medallist at the World Junior Wrestling Championship and Commonwealth Games, Sakhshi too is a bronze medallist at the World Junior Wrestling Championship and have been travelling abroad quite often.
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On-field Cardiac Arrests: Players need to learn CPR
New Delhi, May 2 While 25-year-old Italian footballer Piermario Morosini succumbed to the attack during an Italian second division match on April 14, Bolton Wanderers’ midfielder Fabrice Muamba survived, thanks to the people who knew how to perform CPR after he collapsed during the FA Cup. CPR is a technique used to manually circulate oxygenated blood supply to the heart and brain which extends the chance of reviving the victim. CPR kept Muamba’s vital organs functioning, till he received definitive treatment at reaching the hospital, and was able make a recovery. Even in India, 28-year-old football player, D Venkatesh died during a district football league match in Bangalore last month, which once again highlights the importance of learning the basic techniques of CPR and first aid skills which can help save a life in emergencies. Former Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia also feels that learning CPR can save many lives in emergency. “It is very important for all sportspersons, not only footballers to be aware of basic life saving techniques like CPR. What happened to the Venkatesh was unfortunate,” said the former skipper, who retired a few months back. One of the companies which offers similar solutions on the growing health and safety needs is the Gurgaon-based VIVO Healthcare. VIVO’s training programs focus on CPR and first Aid skills. Biggies like DLF, Genpact, KFC, Air France, Leela, Oberoi, BMW and Mahindra, are among the business houses, which have employed the services of VIVO to get their employees trained for some of the programs. Bhutia feels even sportspersons should be introduced to such orientation course as it can help save lives on the field. “Knowing these little things can always come in handy in case of an emergency at any point of time and not only while playing,” he said. — PTI
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Shiva, Vikas make winning starts
New Delhi, May 2 After a scintillating performance at the AIBA Asian Olympic Qualifying Event, Youth Olympic silver medallist Shiva (56kg) and World Championship bronze medallist Vikas (69kg) registered contrasting wins on the opening day of the event. While Shiva had to dig deep against Prudkiy Oleg of Ukraine, Vikas powered through with ease against local lad Ashkeev Madiyar. Shiva, who secured his London Olympics berth en route to winning gold at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Astana last month, faced some tough opposition from the Ukrainian boxer. He was down a point after the opening three minutes of play (3-4) but came back strongly in the second round. With some swift counter-attacks and combinations, the 18-year-old turned the table and soon gained the advantage (8-7). In the final round every time Prudkiy stuck, Shiva immediately reciprocated with his lightening fast jabs. He finally won the contest 12-10. Shiva, the youngest Indian boxer to secure an Olympic berth, will have to be on the top of his game in the next round as he takes on Cuban boxer Alvanes Estrado. In the welter weight division, Vikas faced little resistance from Ashkeev Madiyar of the Almaty team. The 2010 Asian Games gold medallist dominated proceeding right from the beginning, never letting his opponent settle into a rhythm. — PTI
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London, May 2 The strong central defender, 37, made 646 appearances for five different clubs between 1992 and 2011, as well as playing 73 times for England and taking part in three World Cups and three European Championships. He made his professional debut as an 18-year-old for Tottenham Hotspur where he was revered as the team's captain and outstanding player for 10 years before signing for north London rivals Arsenal — a move that provoked fury among Spurs fans. However, he enjoyed considerable success with Arsenal, winning two league titles and two FA Cups as well as scoring in the 2006 Champions League final which Arsenal lost to Barcelona. He was a member of the Gunners 'Invincibles' side that went through the 2003-4 Premier League season unbeaten, and he also played for Notts County, Portsmouth, where he captained the side to their 2008 FA Cup victory, and Newcastle United. His final game was for Newcastle in March 2011. — Reuters
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Watson’s wicket was special, says Negi
Jaipur, May 2 "I was just trying to stop the flow of runs. It was a good wicket and they (Rajasthan batsmen) played a few bad shots too. The wicket of (Shane) Watson was the prized one because he is such a good player," said Negi who also accounted for the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Brad Hodge and Ashok Menaria apart from Watson. Asked to bowl after six overs with Rajasthan comfortably placed at 56 for no loss, Negi ripped apart the home team's batting line-up to restrict them to a modest 141 for six. Asked whether skipper Virender Sehwag gave him any specific instruction before coming on to bowl, Negi said, "He (Sehwag) told me that Rajasthan batsmen play a lot of inside out shots over extra cover. So he asked me to keep balls a bit short so as to not allow them to go for such shots. This worked to perfection."
— PTI |
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Sports secy meets players, coaches at NIS Patiala
Patiala, May 2 Giving information in this regard, Executive Director of NIS LS Ranawat informed that after he reached here in the morning, he toured the entire campus in order to find out all activities being carried out by NIS and what were the other requirements of the institute. The main aim of his visit was to get acquainted with the institute and to find out the details of various academic and sports activities that were going on here. Meanwhile, Deb visited all the national camps, including Table Tennis, Boxing, Wrestling and Weightlifting, and personally interacted with players and coaches about the Olympic preparations. Congratulating the players who had already qualified for the Olympics and wishing good luck to others who are to compete in future qualifying tournaments, he urged the players to work hard. He also enquired about the status of training and health facilities being provided to them and also if there were other requirements, so that they could be fulfilled at the earliest.
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MI sign Smith as Johnson’s replacement
New Delhi, May 2 Smith, who had played for Mumbai Indians during the inaugural edition of IPL and represented Deccan Chargers in the next two editions, was roped in after Johnson failed to recover from a toe injury and was ruled out of IPL V. "Mumbai Indians have signed West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Smith as replacement for Mitchell Johnson. The Australian fast bowler was ruled out to play IPL by Cricket Australia due to injury," a Mumbai Indians statement said. "Dwayne Smith is expected to join Mumbai Indians team on Thursday, 3rd May 2012," it added. Johnson, who represented Australia in 47 Tests, 107 ODIs and 28 Twenty20 internationals, had undergone a surgery in his left foot recently. — PTI
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Hockey
London, May 2 If not for a brilliant P R Sreejesh, the margin of defeat could have been higher as the Indian custodian made as many as six saves under the goal. Australia were by far the dominant side on display and it showed in their game when they surged ahead in the 23rd minute through a field goal from Ford. That was what both the sides managed in the first half as Australia went into the breather with a 1-0 lead. After the change of ends, it took Australia just seven minutes to double the scoreline when Ghodes scored through another field goal. If that was not enough, the Australians took the game away from the reach of India when Luke
Doerner scored from a penalty stroke to make the scoreline 3-0. India will play Great Britain in their second match of the tournament at the pink and blue turf of the River Bank Arena, the main venue for hockey in the London Olympics, tomorrow.
— PTI
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Sumit Narwal shines
New Delhi, May 2 Scores:
O.N.G.C: 240 for 7 (Sumit Narwal 72, Radhey Shyam Gupta 42, Suhail Sharma 35, Gurvinder Singh 3/31).H.P.C.A: 179
(Prashant Chopra 55, Sumit Verma 32, Sarandeep Singh 4/47, Vikramjeet Malik 2/25, Sumit Narwal 2/31). Wednesday's match: Indian Air Force vs L.B.Shastri - Roshanara ground. |
Stoke, May 2 Everton took the lead at Britannia Stadium from Peter Crouch's own goal - the 1,000th goal in the Premier League this season - when Stoke left back Marc Wilson's clearance hit the striker in the back and the ball went into the net a minute before halftime. Jerome leveled by bursting forward and holding off two defenders before firing past goalkeeper Tim Howard. Everton is three points above fierce Merseyside rival Liverpool in seventh place with two rounds remaining. Stoke rose to 13th. — Reuters
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Even after winning a decisive battle against the Wrestling Federation of India in Delhi High Court, there seems to be no end to the miseries of 63-kg weight category female grappler Geetika Jakhar from Haryana. Though the Indian wrestling squad is leaving the country tomorrow to compete in the last Olympic qualifier that will begin at Helsinki, Finland, from May 4, she has not yet received her visa.
Gayle and Virat Kohli (45 off 42) shared a 118-run partnership for the second wicket. Ahmar Mahmood's strikes in the end helped Punjab to restrict Bangalore to a total which was manageable for their batsmen to chase.
Pune are currently lingering at the seventh place in the points table just ahead of Kings XI Punjab, with four wins from 10 matches.
"Viru has done a splendid job. During the course of the tournament, I have seen him take incredible decisions on the spur of the moment and they have really paid off. He is an instinctive leader. In T20 cricket, you need to make quick decisions and for that you need to have a clear mind," Jayawardene told PTI during an exclusive interview here today.
