S P O R T S

‘We’re not just trying to compete’
Colombo, October 8 An exultant West Indies cricket captain Darren Sammy said winning the World Twenty20 title, the team`s first major trophy in 33 years, has proved that the Caribbeans are gradually moving towards reclaiming their past glory.   West Indies skipper Darren Sammy poses with the trophy at the Independence Memorial Hall in Colombo on Monday. — Reuters

Samuels’ good luck charm
Colombo, October 8
Marlon Samuels turned up with more than just his best form in Sunday's final. The 31-year-old Jamaican, architect of West Indies' 36-run victory over the hosts, was seen wearing a yellow neckerchief, which he later described as his lucky charm.

That’s how it panned out in Sri Lanka

6 ‘crooked’ umpires caught in TV sting
New Delhi, October 8
A sting operation by India TV has revealed that six umpires were ready to be bribed into manipulating decisions during the recently concluded Sri Lanka Premier League and the Twenty20 World Cup.

India slip a rung to third in T20 rankings
Dubai, October 8
The Indian cricket team's disastrous World Twenty20 campaign on Monday pushed it to third place in the ICC T20 rankings while this year's champion West Indies jumped five places to grab the second spot.

Kohli in ICC World T20 XI
Colombo, October 8
Virat Kohli was the lone Indian cricketer to find a place in the ICC World Twenty20 men's XI of the tournament. Kohli scored 185 runs in India's five matches. Suresh Raina was named 12th man. In the women's XI, Poonam Raut was the only Indian to make the cut.

KKR to begin CLT20 campaign on Oct 13
Johannesburg, October 8
After 20 days of high voltage cricket ended in title triumph for the West Indies, it will be an opportunity for some of the Indian boys, who missed the semifinal berth in the ICC World T20, to redeem themselves when the Champions League Twenty20 kicks off here on Tuesday.

North knocking on the doors of Duleep trophy semifinals
Chennai, October 8
Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra grabbed three wickets each as North Zone shot out West Zone for a mere 164 in their first innings on the third and penultimate day to virtually seal a semifinal berth in the Duleep Trophy here on Monday.

Messi, Ronaldo trade blows Madrid, October 8 Real Madrid came away with a point but failed to secure the victory they needed to trim the gap on leaders Barcelona when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo each struck twice in an attritional 2-2 draw in La Liga on Sunday.   Real Madrid defenders trail Lionel Messi on Sunday. — Reuters

Jeevan advances in national tennis
New Delhi, October 8
Some matches were business-like, some produced upsets while a couple ended abruptly with retirements on the opening day of the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship.

‘We’re not just trying to compete’
West Indies skipper Sammy says the team is heading in right direction

Colombo, October 8
An exultant West Indies cricket captain Darren Sammy said winning the World Twenty20 title, the team`s first major trophy in 33 years, has proved that the Caribbeans are gradually moving towards reclaiming their past glory.

“We`re not trying just to compete any more, we believe we can win against good opposition. We showed signs of that in the last year or so, but we were not winning. Hopefully, this can be the start of something good for the West Indies team and the people," Sammy said.

The West Indians, who have struggled at the international level for over two decades, were, for a change, among the teams favoured to do well in the tournament. And they did exactly that, dancing their way to the title.

Sammy, whose place in the team itself has been questioned several times, proved his worth in the crunch match. “We will definitely cherish this moment. I will for sure. We`re going to relive it every day of our lives. This is the best moment for me in any cricket. This here (the trophy) is for the Caribbean people,” Sammy said.

“West Indies fans all over the world have been craving success. I know they`re partying from Jamaica down to Guyana. And we know how to party. I think they`ll need a lot of bartenders." The all-rounder said despite the sometimes harsh criticism he came across about his worth in the side, he always believed in his abilities.

“The commentators get paid to speak. The media get paid to write stories. I get paid to play cricket," Sammy said.

“Critics will always be there. Someone might find something wrong I did today even though we won. That does not worry me. The most important thing is that the team did well,” he added. “And I always say I live my life one way. Christ came to this earth, did nothing wrong and yet was crucified. I`m nowhere close to that man. We have a strong belief in God. He works in mysterious ways. He performs wonders," Sammy said.

Another hero of the 36-run victory was Marlon Samuels who smashed a 56-ball 78 to lift the team to 137-6. The veteran was at a loss of words to describe his emotions.

“It is hard to explain what this victory means to me and my team. The West Indies are finally going well again, we have a great future," he said.

Sammy, meanwhile, said his team went about its job quietly and peaked at just the right time.

“Once we play the way we can, we`ll always be a force to reckon with. We didn`t brag about it but believed we could go out there and take it one game at a time," Sammy said. “I said `hurdle by hurdle,` and today was the final one. The coach said we`re climbing to the top of a mountain, and that`s where the prize is. — Reuters

Samuels’ good luck charm

Colombo, October 8
Marlon Samuels turned up with more than just his best form in Sunday's final. The 31-year-old Jamaican, architect of West Indies' 36-run victory over the hosts, was seen wearing a yellow neckerchief, which he later described as his lucky charm.

"(It's for) good luck," Samuels, who hit a match-winning 78 runs off 56 balls and claimed one wicket for 15 runs to walk away with the man-of-the-match award, said in the presentation ceremony.

“I take it on tour and I decided I am going to wear it in the final. I batted with it underneath my shirt and I field with it outside. Thought it would bring some luck today."

Asked if he would keep it around his neck when he partied on Sunday night, Samuels said, "No definitely, I'm going to give it some rest until the test series starts in Bangladesh. That's what I'm looking for. I need to set my standard to get at least five centuries per year." Samuels, who was banned in 2008 for passing on team information to a bookmaker during a one-day series in India in January 2007. “Everything what happened to me in my life is important, everything that happened to me in tough times. I know that I'm someone who never gives up," Samuels said. — Reuters

6 ‘crooked’ umpires caught in TV sting

New Delhi, October 8
A sting operation by India TV has revealed that six umpires were ready to be bribed into manipulating decisions during the recently concluded Sri Lanka Premier League and the Twenty20 World Cup.

India TV, which had earlier conducted a sting operation on corruption in India's domestic cricket circuit, has come up with a footage showing six umpires from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka willing to give wrong decisions during a game.

The umpires are Nadeem Ghauri and Anees Siddiqui of Pakistan, Nadir Shah of Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka's Gamini Dissanayake, Maurice Winston and Sagara Gallage.

Amongst the officials talked to by India TV on camera, only Shah and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid represent the current umpires panel of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The channel, however, said that Sharfuddoula refused to give any favour in lieu of money offered by their undercover reporters.

But Shah, who has officiated in 40 One-day Internationals and three T20 Internationals, was ready to fix any match at international or domestic level. Shah also claimed that Pakistani batsman Nasir Jamshed fixed matches in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), according to India TV. In another video of the sting, Sri Lankan umpire Gallage is showing agreeing to leak information on the pitch, weather, toss, and the playing XIs of India and Pakistan ahead of their World Twenty20 warm-up match on September 17 in exchange for Rs.50,000. He was the fourth umpire in that game.

Dissanayake went a step ahead and claimed that by providing liquor to the Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) officials, one can get any work done. During the reporter's conversation with Ghauri, a former ICC umpire from Pakistan, the latter promised to do "anything" in exchange of money. He has officiated in 43 ODIs and 14 Tests, with his last international game back in November 2010.

The channel said Ghauri's countryman Siddiqui was also ready to get a decision in favour of India for money. Siddiqui promised that he would "manage" the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) into accepting a decision favourable to India. Reacting to the sting operation, the ICC called upon India TV to turn over any information which could assist its "urgent investigations into this matter".

The ICC also said that none of the umpires named were involved in any of the official games of the Twenty20 World Cup. — TNS/Agencies

India slip a rung to third in T20 rankings

Dubai, October 8
The Indian cricket team's disastrous World Twenty20 campaign on Monday pushed it to third place in the ICC T20 rankings while this year's champion West Indies jumped five places to grab the second spot.

India, ousted at the Super Eight stage, are a point behind the Caribbeans at 120 in the rankings which continue to be led by this year's World T20 runners-up Sri Lanka, the ICC said in a statement. In the rankings for players, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli held on to their respective fifth and 10th positions despite the team's overall poor show.

West Indies' success in the event was reflected in the player rankings as well with man of the match in the final, Marlon Samuels and impressive young spinner Sunil Narine, both recording rises of 20 places in the batting and bowling list respectively. Samuels, who hammered 78 and took one for 15 in the 36-runs victory over the host Sri Lanka, leapt 20 places to 18th in the batting rankings and was up seven places to equal ninth in the all-rounders' table. Both represented career-best ratings as did his improving bowling ranking of 60th — up 19 places.Sunil Narine's three for nine in the final capped an impressive tournament and his 20 place move took him to equal 13th in the bowling rankings with a career best rating of 638.

Chris Gayle, who dominated the event's semifinal against Australia, moved into second place in the batting rankings behind Brendon McCullum. Gayle leapfrogged player of the tournament Shane Watson who dropped to third in the batting rankings but maintains his position as number-one all-rounder. — PTI

Kohli in ICC World T20 XI

Colombo, October 8
Virat Kohli was the lone Indian cricketer to find a place in the ICC World Twenty20 men's XI of the tournament. Kohli scored 185 runs in India's five matches. Suresh Raina was named 12th man. In the women's XI, Poonam Raut was the only Indian to make the cut.

Finalists Sri Lanka and West Indies contributed a total of five players to the men's team with Mahela Jayawardene as captain. In the women's team, finalists Australia and England provided nine players with again the losing captain in the final, Charlotte Edwards, selected to lead the team. Edwards was also named on Sunday as the women's player of the tournament.

Chosen by a group of experts, the team was aimed at being suited for Sri Lankan conditions on the basis of performances in the tournament only. Statistics were used but were not the sole basis for selections. In all, there were three players from beaten finalists Sri Lanka and two from champions West Indies while Australia, England, New Zealand and Pakistan were also represented in the 12-member men's squad.

Players who were considered included AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn of South Africa, David Warner of Australia, Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Smith and Sunil Narine (West Indies).

Team: Chris Gayle (West Indies), Shane Watson (Australia), Virat Kohli (India), Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka - captain), Luke Wright (England), Brendon McCullum (New Zealand), Marlon Samuels (West Indies), Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), Mitchell Starc (Australia), Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan), Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka). — PTI

KKR to begin CLT20 campaign on Oct 13

Johannesburg, October 8
After 20 days of high voltage cricket ended in title triumph for the West Indies, it will be an opportunity for some of the Indian boys, who missed the semifinal berth in the ICC World T20, to redeem themselves when the Champions League Twenty20 kicks off here on Tuesday.

The league will witness four Indian Premier League franchisees — this season's IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) — vying for the coveted title.

However, the action will start with the qualifying round, which begins with the match between Sri Lanka's Uva Next and England's Yorkshire, both of whom are making their debut in the cash-rich tournament. The encounter between Thilina Kandamby's men and Andrew Gale's unit will be followed by the clash between Auckland Aces and Sialkot Stallions, who are also laying their claim in the championship for the first time. A total of six teams, that will be contesting to make their entry into the main tournament, have been segregated in two different pools with the top team from each group advancing to the next stage.

While Pool 1 consists of New Zealand's Auckland Aces, England's Hampshire and Pakistan's Sialkot Stallions, Pool 2 comprises of Trinidad & Tobago, Uva and Yorkshire.

The Indians though will not be seen in action before the main tournament, which kicks off on October 13, when Gautam Gambhir-led KKR take on Delhi Daredevils.

Daredevils have still to prove themselves in this championship and it will also be an opportunity for their new skipper Mahela Jayawardene to redeem himself after he lost the final of the World T20 Championship to the Caribbean side.

The 35-year-old was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the side after Virender Sehwag reportedly requested to be relieved from the burden of captaincy to concentrate on his batting.

Jayawardene, however, stepped down as the captain of the Lankan T20 side after losing to the West Indies and it remains to be seen how he handles this team against the world's top T20 playing sides.

The KKR, on the other hand, will be eager to maintain their winning momentum and will be out there to prove that their victory in the IPL was no fluke but a well deserved result.

The side boasts of some of the big names like Brendon McCullum and Jacques Kallis, apart from a good mix of Indian players in their ranks and will definitely look to better their previous show in the tournament.

Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have tasted success in this championship earlier, with CSK winning the 2010 edition and MI lifting the trophy a year later. Apart from the top-four IPL teams, the championship will also witness South Africa's Highveld Lions and Titans and Australia's Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers in the main round. — PTI

North knocking on the doors of Duleep trophy semifinals

Chennai, October 8
Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra grabbed three wickets each as North Zone shot out West Zone for a mere 164 in their first innings on the third and penultimate day to virtually seal a semifinal berth in the Duleep Trophy here on Monday.

Messi, Ronaldo trade blows

Madrid, October 8
Real Madrid came away with a point but failed to secure the victory they needed to trim the gap on leaders Barcelona when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo each struck twice in an attritional 2-2 draw in La Liga on Sunday.

A stuttering start by Jose Mourinho's side had left them eight points behind their great rivals after six matches, threatening to derail their title defence.

While they will take comfort from preventing Barca making it seven wins out of seven this term, they may feel they let slip an opportunity in the opening league 'Clasico' of the campaign after Ronaldo gave them a 23rd-minute lead in front of almost 100,000 fans packed into an electric Nou Camp arena in Barcelona.

Messi levelled eight minutes later after a defensive lapse by Pepe and the Argentine World Player of the Year curled in a stunning free kick just after the hour to make it 2-1. — Reuters

Jeevan advances in national tennis
M.S. Unnikrishnan/TNS

New Delhi, October 8
Some matches were business-like, some produced upsets while a couple ended abruptly with retirements on the opening day of the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship.

Men’s top seed Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan made a quick wrap of his match against Vijay Kannan, 6-2, 6-2, first thing in the morning. Second seed Virali Murugesan also advanced when Rajat Maheshwari of Maharastra pulled out with a hamstring strain after losing the first set 0-6.

Among the women, fourth seed Shweta Rana was made to sweat by Shreya Pasricha of UP before winning 6-4, 6-4. Tarranum Handa got an easy ride against Abhilasha Ahuja, winning 6-2, 6-0 while Megha Sehrawat made short work of Disha Saigal 6-3, 6-2. Eighth seed Vaniya Dangwal advanced with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Niku Amin.