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Night of the knights
Kings look to get back to winning ways against DC
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De Villiers lauds openers for laying foundation for chase
Rajasthan hope to consolidate against struggling Warriors
CSK can qualify: Albie
Sharath, Shamini eye final Olympic chance
Mary Kom, Sarita leave for World Boxing C’ship
India enter semifinals of Junior Asia Cup
Poonia sets new national record, wins silver in Hawaii
International stadium at Haldwani
Devendro settles for silver in Kazakhstan President’s Cup
Chinese athletes turn vegetarian ahead of London Olympics
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Night of the knights New Delhi, May 7 With Brendon McCullum and Jacques Kallis going great guns, the target was reachable. But Umesh Yadav struck two deadly blows, scalping Kallis and McCullum off successive balls, to put KKR under stress, at 3 for 128. But with only 26 runs needed from 29 balls, the target was within the reach of KKR, and their cause was helped by a poor all-round display by the hosts. Daredevils should blame themselves for the defeat, as some loose bowling (seven wides), dropped catches and misfielding cost them dear, as they suffered their second home defeat, and third overall. Kolkata Knight Riders thus not only avenged their eight-wicket defeat to Daredevils at the Eden Gardens in the second match of IPL V on April 5, but also jumped to the lead with 17 points from 12 matches — a point ahead of Daredevils, though the hosts have played one match less. Captain Gautam Gambhir led from the front by putting on a 68-run opening-wicket partnership with McCullum. After Gambhir’s exhit, McCullum’s 56 proved the lifeline in KKR’s eventual triumph. When Virender Sehwag falls early, Delhi Daredevils fail to hoist a substantial total, and that is what happened today, as they folded up for 153 for 9. Sehwag won the toss and batted first, but the start was not so breezy, as Brett Lee bowled a fiery maiden over, beating David Warner thrice on the off side. After Bret Lee’s maiden over, Sehwag set the stands afire when he carted Pradeep Sangwan over mid wicket for the first boundary, and then hit him for another four and a huge straight six to take 16 runs off the hapless left-arm pacer, who also hails from Najafgarh like Sehwag. Sangwan conceded 17 runs in the over, and then it was Warner’s turn to show Lee his place by hitting him for a huge six and a four, as Lee was blasted for 15 runs in the third over. After three overs, Delhi Daredevils were 34 for no loss, but the law of averages finally caught up with the Delhi captain. SCOREBOARD Delhi Daredevils Warner McCullum b Kallis 21 Sehwag lbw b Kallis 23 Jayawardene run out 30 Taylor c Bhatia b Sangwan 16 Irfan st McCullum b Narine 36 Nagar b Lee 10 Ojha c Tiwary b Narine 2 Morne run out 0 Nadeem not out 0 Aaron run out 1 Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-11) 14 Total: (9 wkts, 20 ovrs) 153 Fall of wickets: 1-40, 2-49, 3-95, 4-100, 5-125, 6-146, 7-152, 8-152, 9-153. Bowling: Lee 4-1-39-1, Sangwan 4-0-42-1, Kallis 4-0-20-2, Narine 4-0-23-2, Bhatia 4-0-26-0. Kolkata Knight Riders McCullum c Sehwag b Yadav 56 Gambhir b Aaron 36 Kallis c Naman b Yadav 30 Tiwary c Irfan b Morne 8 Yusuf not out 7 Das not out 1 Extras (b 4, lb 5, w 7) 16 Total (4 wkts; 18.4 ovrs) 154 Fall of wickets: 1-68, 2-128, 3-128, 4-147. Bowling: Irfan 3-0-28-0, Nadeem 4-0-32-0, Morne 4-0-35-1, Yadav 4-0-30-2, Aaron 3.4-0-20-1.
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Kings look to get back to winning ways against DC
Hyderabad, May 7
After posting a more-than-challenging 181 for two on the board, Deccan bowlers failed to rise to the occasion as de Villiers scored a whirlwind 47 not out off just 17 balls to to guide RCB to the five-wicket win with seven balls to spare. There would be added pressure on Deccan tomorrow as they will play in Hyderabad for the first match in this tournament. Deccan's batting, off late, has fired with big-hitting Cameron White, who has scored three half centuries in the last five games, Shikhar Dhawan, captain Kumar Sangakkara and Daniel Harris all finding themselves among runs. But what Deccan lacks is firepower in its bowling department. Barring Dale Steyn, the Hyderabad team does not have quality bowlers in their ranks. Their domestic pacers in Veer Pratap Singh, A Ashish Reddy and Anand Rajan have also failed to provide the South African speedster ample support from the other end. The spin department also lacks sting with leg-spinner Amit Mishra resembling a pale shadow of himself. Kings XI, on the other hand, is still in with a chance of making it to the knockout stages having garnered 10 points from 11 games. The Punjab side would make a determined bid to win against a struggling Deccan tomorrow to improve its position in the points table. After consecutive wins over defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kings XI suffered a 43-run defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals in their last game. And come tomorrow, the Adam Gilchrist-led side would be hoping to return to winning ways as a single defeat in the remaining five games could jeopardise their play off chances. Former Pakistani all-rounder Azhar Mahmood's presence in the side, after his visa issue was resolved, has meant that Punjab have struck the right balance. The 37-year-old Mahmood, now a British national, seems to have infused new energy in the side, which looked down in the dumps at one stage. The aggressive medium pacer has not only impressed with his wicket-taking abilities and temperament in crunch situations, but also made useful contributions with the bat. Stand-in skipper David Hussey's leadership has revived the sagging fortunes of the team. In the absence of Gilchrist, who is nursing a hamstring injury, Hussey has led the team from the front scoring 263 runs from 11 games so far with a half century to his credit. But leading the pack among Kings XI batsmen are Aussie left-hander Shaun Marsh (290) and domestic player Mandeep Singh (284). In the bowling department, medium pacer Praveen Kumar and find of this season, Parvinder Awana have been doing a good job. The inclusion of Ryan Harris has further bolstered Punjab 's bowling arsenal. Even though he is costing a few runs, leg-spinner Piyush Chawla has reapead rich dividends with the ball for Kings XI and is presently the third highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 14 scalps to his name so far. — PTI
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De Villiers lauds openers for laying foundation for chase
Bangalore, May 7 De Villiers, who scored a whirlwind 47 not out off just 17 balls, helped RCB score 72 runs in the last 3.5 overs to overhaul Deccan's stiff target of 182 with seven balls to spare. But de Villiers said if not for the 64-ball 91-run opening stand between Dilshan and Gayle, chasing the target would have been next to impossible. "We collapsed a few times in the IPL before. So we needed our openers to build a foundation to launch a blitz right at the end which they did, and luckily I was there in the end to do the job," he said at the post-match press conference last night. De Villiers also credited young Mayank Agarwal for scoring quick 18 runs off just 6 balls, which according to him set the tone for the chase towards the end. "Some of the players around me played amazing knocks. Mayank, above all, pushed the button by hitting two sixes and a boundary. He took risks even before I did. His knock set the game perfectly for me to finish off," he said. De Villiers, however, considered himself lucky to rip apart countryman Dale Steyn in the 18th over, which cost Deccan a whopping 23 runs. He said overheard Deccan skipper Kumar Sangakkara's communication to Steyn before the start of the over, which helped him to mould his game accordingly. "Luckily I heard Sangakkara communicating to Steyn to bowl short of length at me, and I maneuvered my stroke accordingly. From then on I knew Dale would bowl fuller and played my strokes in anticipation," he said. — PTI
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Rajasthan hope to consolidate against struggling Warriors
Pune, May 7 The Sourav Ganguly-led Pune have lost five of their last six clashes although the defeat margins in the last two have been just one and seven runs. The last time they won was on April 21 when they got the better of formidable Delhi Daredevils. Rajasthan too had been struggling until they crushed Kings XI Punjab by 43 runs on May 5. Before that win, they too had lost three matches on the trot. With the coming of all-rounder Shane Watson and pacer Shaun Tait, Rajasthan have got the balance in both bowling and batting. With skipper Rahul Dravid and young gun Ajinkya Rahane doing well at the top and the middle order too responding, batting has not been much of a problem for them. But they have failed in conquering tight matches. Pune too have lost close matches and their morale have taken a beating with five defeats in a row. Rajasthan would look to pile on the misery of the hosts.
They have struggled as a batting unit as young Indian players Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Mithun Manhas have failed to make an impact. Their foreign imports too have not clicked in a way the team had hoped them to. The only saving grace is the bowling of pace duo Angelo Mathews and Wayne Parnell. Pune are languishing at the eighth position and will have to win all their remaining four matches to be in contention for play-offs berth. Rajasthan are at number six and can challenge Royal Challengers Bangalore and defending champions Chennai Spuer Kings for a place in the play-offs if they come up with good shows in their remaining five matches. — PTI
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CSK can qualify: Albie
Mumbai, May 7 "The finishing is not upto the mark. It is not something we are used to. It is just the closing of the games, whether batting or bowling. It is just one bowl at the crucial time. If we get the small basics at the right time, it would make the difference," Morkel told PTI at the sidelines of a promotional event. — PTI |
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Sharath, Shamini eye final Olympic chance
Patiala, May 7 It is pertinent to mention here that Indian paddlers Ankita Das and Saumyajit Ghosh have already made it to the Olympics. Their berths came through the continental quotas after they topped from the South Asian region. While Ankita Das defeated K Shamini 4-3 in a nail-biting match to clinch the Olympic spot, Ghosh drubbed A Amal Raja 4-0 and made it to the mega event. Giving information in this regard, Bhawani Mukherjee says with all top players of the world already qualifying for Olympics, the qualifying chances of Indian paddlers are very bright. “This is the last qualifying event and all the top players of the world have already qualified and therefore not compete in this tournament. Moreover, the Indian players have been in good form with K Shamini and A Sharath Kamal and A Amal Raja losing their Olympic berths by close margins. We are just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping to grab a least two more berths,” he added.
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Mary Kom, Sarita leave for World Boxing C’ship
Patiala, May 7 The event assumes historic significance because it is for the first time that women boxing has been introduced in Olympics. Moreover, since women pugilists have been enjoying top spots in the world for past many years, this particular event is also the biggest bet for a gold medal for India in the forthcoming Olympics. Though only three weight categories have been included in Olympics- 51 kg, 60 kg and 75 kg- the women pugilists are extremely excited as they will at least get a chance to contribute in Indian tally during the mega event. The Indian squad which has been selected for the Championship includes, MC Mary Kom (51 kg), L Sarita Devi (60) and Pooja Rani (75 kg) for the Olympic weight categories and other players are Pinky Jangra (48 kg), Sonia Lather (54 kg), K Mandakini Chanu (57 kg), Meena Rani (64 kg), Neetu Chahal (69 kg), Jenny RL (81 kg) and Kavita Chahal (+81 kg). Talking to The Tribune before leaving NIS, Patiala, where the women pugilists are undergoing the pre-Olympic training camps, Sarita Devi said she was all set for the Championship and will not disappoint Indian fans. “We have been fighting all these years to get the women boxing introduced in India and now that out dream has come true, we will not let anything dash it. We have been provided with the best of facilities and the coaches have been taking so much pain to see us win. How can we not win an Olympic berth?” she smiles. Throwing light on the current situation, coach Chandra Lal said the girls are in their best form ever and have left no stone unturned to match up with their male counterparts in winning Olympic berths. “Finishing second behind China in the recent Asian Championship with 2 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 2 bronze medals - three of those medals (two gold and one silver) coming in the Olympic weight categories- girls are on a new high. Expecting a rich medal haul, Indian Boxing Federation’s Secretary General Brig PK Muralidharan Raja said he was hopeful of a berth in all three weight categories. “It is a very tough call. Though there are two Olympic spots each in 51 kg and 60 kg in the Asian quota, there is only 1 spot in the 75 kg weight category, which certainly makes things more challenging for Pooja. In case, both the players rubbing shoulders in the final of 75 kg are from Asian continent, only the win winning gold will be selected for Olympics. However, the girls are extremely confident and I hope their hardwork pays off,” he added.
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India enter semifinals of Junior Asia Cup
Malacca, May 7 Having registered two wins and a draw, India collected seven points to move into the last four stage. India needed to score a victory against China to top the pool but the Chinese packed their defence well as they did not let the Indians yield any generous leeway. The Chinese even threatened to pull off a draw and the Indian defence had to stretch themselves in the second half to keep their rival forwards at bay. India took a long time to settle down. It was winger Antil who tapped in a melee to give India the much needed goal in the 19th minute. There were many chances to go up subsequently but the forwards in Malak Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Satbir Singh were wayward inside the circle. After the teams changed sides with the scorecard reading 1-0 in India's favour, China scored the equaliser 15 minutes into the second half when Yu Xin connected a Zhang Zhixuan's hit in from the top of D much against the run of play. — PTI |
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Poonia sets new national record, wins silver in Hawaii
New Delhi, May 7 After her first attempt was called foul, Krishna threw the discuss to 56.96, 64.76, 62.68, 61.55 and 63.68 meters respectively to end her campaign on an impressive note in the Hawaii event. Reigning Olympic champion Stephanie Brown Trafton of USA won the gold medal with a throw of 66.86 meters, while Gia Lewis-Smallwood pocketed the bronze with an effort of 63.97 meters. Krishna, who had qualified for the London Olympics after clinching a gold medal in the women's discus throw event of the Fling Throw Meet in Portland, USA earlier this summer, is ecstatic after ending her long wait of breaking the national record. Krishna's husband and coach Virendar Poonia hoped that his wife would cross the 65 meters mark in the upcoming London Olympics. — PTI
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International stadium at Haldwani
Dehra Dun, May 7 Thirty-six acres of land has already been acquired for this purpose, the minister said. An amount of Rs 25 crore has been sanctioned by the Finance Commission for construction of the stadium, the first of its kind in the hill state, Hridayesh said. The Sports ministry has given its nod for providing 25 per cent of the cost of the project to the Uttar Pradesh Construction Corporation, the executing agency. —
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Devendro settles for silver in Kazakhstan President’s Cup
New Delhi, May 7 The 20-year-old, who beat Olympian and 2010 Asian Games silver-medallist Birzhan Zakipov in the semis, was up against Cuba's top light flyweight boxer and a bronze medal winner at the 2010 Youth World Boxing Championships -- Yosvany Veitia -- in the title clash. He started well keeping pace with his Cuban opponent and after the opening three minutes of play, the scores were knotted at 4-4. But with the beginning of the second round, Veitia, with his sound defence and precise combinations, took the game away from the Indian boxer. Devendro attacked vigorously in the final round but could not penetrate Veitia's guard as much as he would have liked. In the end he lost the bout on points 11:15. "It was a difficult bout and the Cuban had a sound technique, I tried hard to get inside and fight but did not get many chances to score. Nonetheless I am happy with my performance; this tour has been a big learning curve for me and it will help a great deal in my preparations for the Olympics," said Devendro after his bout. Chief National Coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu, who is accompanying the team, said, "Devendro did well to reach the finals of the tournament, he beat some good and experienced boxers along the way. "Like I said at the beginning of the tour, it is the experience and learning from tours like these that is important to us. Winning medals is an added incentive and motivation, it always helps." Earlier, Asian Games silver medallist Manpreet Singh (91kg) and debutant Kanwar Preet Singh (+91kg) had to settle for bronze medals after losing out in the semifinals of their respective weight categories. — PTI
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Chinese athletes turn vegetarian ahead of London Olympics
Beijing, May 7 Yang Hongbo, head of catering for 700 always-hungry, high-performance athletes at the Jiangsu Sports Training Centre, said he is having a terrible time to find beef that is "safe" for his charges to eat. He is worried if the athletes eat the meat of animals that were raised on feed containing clenbuterol, they may end up being disqualified. Yang said he had contacted many slaughter houses throughout the province, and even travelled to Beijing several times to search a supplier that can guarantee additive-free beef. "No company dares to sign a contract promising their meat does not contain clenbuterol or ractopamine," Yang told state run Global Times. — PTI
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Kolkata Knight Riders took revenge on Delhi Daredevils when they inflicted a six-wicket defeat on the hosts in the Indian Premier League at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here tonight. Chasing 154 for victory, KKR coasted to 154 for 4, with eight balls to spare.
A more balanced Rajasthan Royals side would look to strengthen its position in the clogged points table when it takes on struggling hosts Pune Warriors in an Indian Premier League match, here tomorrow.
The Sourav Ganguly-led Pune have lost five of their last six clashes although the defeat margins in the last two have been just one and seven runs. The last time they won was on April 21 when they got the better of formidable Delhi Daredevils.
Highly decorated women pugilists, five-time world champion MC Mary Kom (51kg) and five-time Asian Champion L Sarita Devi (60kg), will now play for the dream they have cherished throughout their sporting career as the Indian squad leaves the country tomorrow to compete in the first and the last London Olympics Qualifying Tournament-2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship- that begins at Qinhuangdao, China from the May 9.
New Delhi, May 7
Having won just two out of the 11 matches they played so far in the tournament, Deccan is presently languishing at the bottom of the team standings with just five points. Though Deccan batsmen put up an impressive show against Royal Challengers Bangalore yesterday, the lacklustre performance of their bowlers and AB de Villiers superlative batting poured cold water on the Hyderabad outfit's hope of staging a comeback. 
Pune were hoping that the addition of Michael Clarke in their ranks would give a boost to their batting but the Australian skipper is yet to fire. In three matches he has scored 56 runs, out of which 41 came in one match. 