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Chennai not good enough for Lions
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Aces ready for Titanic clash
Durban, October 16 Spirited to the core and unbeaten so far, qualifiers Auckland Aces would be up against a tough challenge when they take on South African side Titans in their second Group A match on Thursday.
Batsmen face baptism of fire in Oz: Arthur
Tendulkar, Zaheer to play in Ranji opener
duleep trophy
Bowlers hand East lead over South Zone
Lara brand ambassador of Chittagong Kings
Broad-KP talks will end England rift
Tricky KGA is the new Open house
Raghav upsets Akshay in junior tennis
McLaren want Hamilton to feel the love
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Chennai not good enough for Lions
After being sent into bat, Chennai posted a challenging 158 for six with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni top-scoring with 34 but the Lions chased down the target with three balls to spare in a thrilling Group B match that went down the wire at the Newlands. Opener Gulam Bodi smashed a 46-ball 64 to play a big role in the Lions' win. The local side now are in a very good position to make it to the semifinals having beaten defending champions Mumbai Indians in their opening match on October 14. Chennai, who had lost to Sydney Sixers in their opening match on October 14, squandered a sensational start in their defence of 158. Pacer Doug Bollinger (2/18) got two quick wickets early on to reduce the Lions to eight runs for two in the third over but Chennai allowed the local side to wriggle out of the tight spot and then to eventually win the match. Chennai will now have to win both their remaining matches to have any chance of making it to the semifinals. Scoreboard CHENNAI SUPER KINGS Plessis c Phangiso b Morris 25 Vijay lbw b Phangiso 22 Raina c Petersen b de Bruyn 20 Dhoni c Symes b Tanvir 34 Jadeja c Symes b Phangiso 21 Morkel c Tsolekile b Nannes 4 Badrinath not out 27 Saha not out 0 Extras: (lb 3, w 2) 5 Total: (6 wkts; 20 ovrs) 158 Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-69, 3-70, 4-102, 5-106, 6-156 Bowling: Tanvir 4-0-36-1, Nannes 4-0-46-1, Morris 4-1-24-1,Phangiso 4-0-17-2, Symes 2-0-14-0, de Bruyn 2-0-18-1. highveld lions Petersen lbw b Bollinger 0 GH Bodi c Dhoni b Morkel 64 Q de Kock c Dhoni b Bollinger 5 McKenzie c Raina b Ashwin 33 Symes not out 39 Morris not out 12 Extras: (b 1, lb 4, nb 2) 7 Total: (4 wkts; 19.3 ovrs) 159 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-8, 3-101, 4-115 Bowling: Bollinger 4-0-18-2, Hilfenhaus 4-0-25-0, Ashwin 4-0-42-1, Plessis 1-0-14-0,Jadeja 3-0-20-0, Morkel 3.3-0-35-1
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Starc reality hits Yorkshire hard
Cape Town, October 16 The English outfit was earlier restricted to 96 for nine in their allotted 20 overs. This was Sixers' second win of the tournament, the first was against the IPL outfit Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. Left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc was the star of the day as he returned impressive figures of three for 22 on a pitch where there was no major demons, making the batsmen's job much easier even before the chase had begun. In pursuit of a small total, opener Michael Lumb led the way with a quickfire 24-ball 43. His knock was studded with eight fours and he was there in the middle when the winning runs were scored. Skipper Brad Haddin chipped in with a 41-run knock, which came off just 21 balls, and was laced with eight hits to the fence. It was always going to be a herculean task for Yorkshire after their batsmen were done in by the Aussie pacers, with Starc leading the way. It was always going to be a herculean task for Yorkshire after their batsmen were done in by the Aussie pacers, with Starc leading the way. Playing probably in his last match after Cricket Australia decided to pull him out of the tournament in view of the upcoming Test series against world number one South Africa, Shane Watson picked up two for 27 from his four overs. The figures were even better for Pat Cummins as the young pacer was measly in his four-over spell in which he conceded just 13 runs while claiming two wickets. However, it was Josh Hazlewood who dealt the first blow on Yorkshire when he bowled Andrew Gale in the sixth over. Last match's hero Moises Henriques chipped in with the wicket of Joe Root, before the trio of Starc, Cummins and Watson took over. Yorkshire needed to bowl out of their skins But that was not to be. Brief
Scores: Yorkshire PA Jaques 21, JE Root 25, A Lyth 18,GS Ballance 8, MA Starc 3/22,PG Cummins 2/13, S Watson 2/27; Sydney Sixers: ML Lumb 43, B Haddin 41, S Watson 11, Ryan Sidebottom 1/28, Azeem Rafiq 1/21.
— PTI |
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Aces ready for Titanic clash
Having defeated IPL champions Kolkata knight Riders last night, Auckland is a team on a roll given that it had won both its qualifying matches as well. Devoid of any big stars, the Gareth Hopkins-led team has been a surprise package with its gritty performances. Titans are also interestingly a similar unit and it should be a battle of equals.
But being the hosts, Titans will have slight edge even though Auckland have also adjusted remarkably after arriving quite early for the tournament. Meanwhile, Kolkata will take on Sydney Schorchers.
— PTI |
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We need to play smart: Gambhir
Cape Town, October 16 “We need to play some smart cricket, some better cricket than what we are capable of and try to get the results in our favour. Hopefully, we can win both our remaining games," said Gambhir at the post-match presentation ceremony. “We need to win our next two games, that`s very important for us," he added. Gambhir said Azhar Mahmood`s 10th over made all the difference in which the veteran all-rounder struck twice to dismiss Jacques Kallis and Manoj Tiwary. “Azhar`s first over turned the entire momentum in their favour. We lost two wickets in that particular over. The way they (Auckland Aces) bowled, a lot of credit should be given to them," he said. Auckland Aces captain Gareth Hopkins lavished praise on Mahmood for his superb all-round show and said the win against the reigning IPL champions has done their confidence a world of good. “The win against KKR has really boosted our confidence. Those two wickets by Azhar helped us a lot in restricting them. We got off to a good start with the bat and we left it to the master Mahmood to finish it off as well as he does," he said. Man-of-the-match Azhar Mahmood expressed happiness over his performance. “I am quite pleased with my performance. We prepared really well, two weeks before the tournament and it has paid off. Martin Guptill and Vincent started off really well and I was able to finish off. Hopefully, I can keep my form going.”
— PTI |
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Sachin to get Order of Australia honour
New Delhi, October 16 Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard made the announcement today while visiting a cricket clinic here and said Tendulkar would receive the honour from Simon Crean, Minister for the Arts and Minister for Regional Australia, when he visits India. The 'Order of Australia' is an order of chivalry to recognise Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service. The 39-year-old Tendulkar will be awarded an AM, which is one of the six grades in the Order of Australia. “Cricket is of course a great bond between Australia and India. We are both cricket-mad nations. I am very pleased that we are going to confer on Sachin Tendulkar, membership of the order of Australia (AM)," Gillard told reporters here. "This is a very special honour very rarely awarded to someone who is not an Australian citizen or an Australian national. He is away playing cricket - surprise, surprise but the award will be conferred on him by minister Crean when he visits India,” she said. “So, a special honour and a very special recognition of such a great batsman. The honour is very special and Sachin is a very special cricketer." Tendulkar, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, will become only the second Indian after former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee to get the honour. Sorabjee was made an Honorary Member of the Order of Australia (AM) "for service to Australia-India bilateral legal relations" in 2006. Tendulkar, however, is not the first non-Australian cricketer to be made an Order of Australia AM as in 2009, West Indies legend Brian Lara was also made an honorary member for his service to Australia-Caribbean relations by promoting goodwill, friendship and sportsmanship through the sport of cricket. Another West Indies legend, Clive Lloyd, is an Honorary Officer in the Order of Australia, having been conferred the award way back in 1985. Another West Indian, Sir Garfield Sobers, was also made a member of the Order of Australia in 2003. Gillard was accompanied by members of the Australian indigenous cricket team.
— PTI |
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Batsmen face baptism of fire in Oz: Arthur
Australia are hoping to reclaim cricket's world number one ranking over a packed Test schedule in the year ahead, starting with the first of three against top-ranked South Africa in Brisbane on November 9. "It's going to be about the batters," Arthur said of the series. "It is going to be about which top six can adapt better, which top six is going to be more consistent over the three Test series. I think both top sixes are in for a real baptism of fire." Arthur said the ability of the Australian batsmen to hold off South Africa's bowling line up, which includes pacemen Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander, was an opportunity to prove themselves. On Australia's side, selector John Inverarity said there could be as many as five pace bowlers in the squad for the first Test at the Gabba, with James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Starc all in the mix. "We're just delighted that we've got the pace bowling on tap that we have," Inverarity said. The toughest choice for Australian selectors will be that of wicket-keeper and whether to name the more experienced Brad Haddin over Matthew Wade. "We are aware of all the factors; I mean the fact that Matthew is 24 and rising and Brad turns 35 about now," Inverarity said. “Obviously Matthew is more for the future, but we're very focused on who deserves and who will be best against South Africa." Cricket Australia also defended its decision to withdraw Shane Watson midway through the Twenty20 Champions League in South Africa to have the all-rounder
fresh. — PTI Watson to return amid burnout fears
SYDNEY: Shane Watson is set to return home from the Champions League Twenty20 amid fears of burnout and a lack of activity in the longer form of the game, Cricket Australia said. CA boss James Sutherland said Watson's situation was being monitored closely ahead of the Test series with South Africa, which begins on November 9. Sutherland said he expected the key player to return home this week to give him a rest and possibly have a four-day Sheffield Shield game for NSW, before tackling South Africa in the Brisbane Test. "We are reviewing his load and circumstance very closely ... I think it's reasonably well known that it's likely he won't see the tournament out," he said. "We're concerned about Shane. His injury record is unfortunate and what that tells us is that we need to monitor him and manage him very carefully and we are."
— PTI |
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Tendulkar, Zaheer to play in Ranji opener
Mumbai, October 16 Sachin and Zaheer are likely to play in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy opener at the Wankhede Stadium. They have expressed their interest to play in the game," said MCA's joint secretary Nitin Dalal today. The opening game between Mumbai and Railways is scheduled from November 2 to 5. Tendulkar, 39, had last played for his home association in his 33rd match for Mumbai, in the final against Uttar Pradesh in January, 2009, at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi Stadium when the matches in the tournament was held at neutral venues. Though the senior India batsman made only single digit scores in both innings, Mumbai walloped UP by 243 runs to clinch the title for the 38th and penultimate time, under Wasim Jaffer's captaincy. Tendulkar had played in the semi final too, in that 2008-09 season, against Saurashtra and notched a century at Chennai. Zaheer, 34, played two games last season to get into the groove for the international matches after an injury lay-off. He played against Orissa at Cuttack and against Saurashtra at Rajkot, his 27th and last appearance in Mumbai colours. The presence of Tendulkar and Zaheer for the tournament opener would be a major boost for Mumbai who would be without their most experienced Ranji batsman Jaffer for the first three games as he is set to go on a Haj pilgrimage. Jaffer told me yesterday that he would not be available for the first four games but has changed his mind and told me today he will be unavailable for only the first three games," informed Dalal. Jaffer is set to miss the home game against Railways, the second and match against Rajasthan and Hyderabad.
— PTI |
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duleep trophy
After North scored a commendable 451, the Central Zone riding on Bhuvenshwar's unbeaten 120 (12x4, 3x6) are tantalisingly close at 442 for nine. In fact, the 10th wicket partnership between Bhuvenhwar and Rituraj Singh who is batting on 21 yielded an astonioshing 100 runs. The fact that these runs came in less than 22 overs is also laudable. While this match will always be remembered for Yuvraj's double hundred, Bhuveneshwar's innings is no mean achievement considering he batted with the tail for the better part of his innings. A win will certainly make his maiden first class ton even more memorable. Starting the day at 146/5, skipper Mohammed Kaif who contributed 64 and glovesman Mahesh Rawat (71, 131 balls, 9x4) took the score to 219 before former India player was dismissed. Rawat was dismissed at the score of 251 while Praveen Kumar hit three sixes in his quickfire 27 before Amit Mishra dismissed him. At 293 for eight, Murali Kartik (22) joined Bhuvneshwar as the pair added 49 runs for the ninth wicket to take the score to 342 before the former gave a catch to Yuvraj Singh at first slip to become Mishra's fourth victim. With 110 runs still to get and a wicket in hand, it looked like a mere formality for North to get a sizeable first innings lead but Bhuvneshwar and Rituraj defied all odds as they negotiated both pace and spin with aplomb. While Mishra bowled 39 overs for his four wickets, the fact that he had given away 151 runs will certainly pinch him. Brief Scores: North Zone 1st Innings: 451 Central Zone: 442/9 (Bhuvneshwar 120 batting, Mahesh Rawat 71, MKaif 64, A Mishra 4/151).
— PTI |
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Bowlers hand East lead over South Zone
Visakhapatnam, October 16 The East bowlers, led by Iresh Saxena and Samar Quadri, bowled out South Zone for 244 in 82.4 overs in their first innings to eke out a narrow 23-run lead. However, the East batsmen failed to capitalise and lost six wickets for 129 runs at stumps at Dr. Y S Rajasekhara Reddy stadium here. With just four wickets left, it will be intestering to see how the East batsmen fair in the first hour of play tomorrow. If they fail to survive the initial moments, then South Zone's Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey could take the game away from East. Earlier, Qadri and Saxena picked up two wickets each and Ashoke Dinda claimed one as South Zone could add just 110 runs to their overnight score of 134-5, to end 23 runs behind East's first innings score. However, East played poor cricket in their second essay as barring skipper Natraj Behera (60), none of the batsmen could make any mark. Behera had eight fours in his 113-run innings. Dheeraj Jadhav (21) and Anustup Majumdar (22) also got starts but failed to convert them as East Zone finished the day at 129-6 in 52 overs. Stuart Binny (2/25) was the pick of the bowlers for South, while R Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun, R Aushik Srinivas and Amit Verma picked up one wicket each. Earlier, Samantray took 3/22 in 14.1 overs as South Zone now depend heavily on their last recognized batting pair of left-hander Amit Verma and wicketkeeper CM Gautham who now need to add another 134 runs in order to get first innings lead. Samantray, who is known for his ability to move the ball got rid of Karnataka trio of Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Stuart Binny as South Zone seemed to be in a spot of bother after a solid stand of 69 between Robin Uthappa (40) and Abhinav Mukund (19). Brief Score: East Zone: 267 all out and 129 for six (Natraj Behera 60; Stuart Binny 2/25); South Zone: 244 all out (R Vinay Kumar 61; Biplob Samantray 3/41).
— PTI |
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Lara brand ambassador of Chittagong Kings
“I am excited and honoured to announce that Brian Lara has agreed to join us as the brand ambassador of Chittagong Kings," owner of the franchise, Sameer Quader Chowdhury said. Lara is also expected to be a part of the Chittagong Kings' delegation at the players auction on December 7. “He will also be with us throughout the BPL campaign, which starts on January 17. — PTI |
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Broad-KP talks will end England rift
London, October 16 Pietersen was sent into exile during the Test series against South Africa after sending provocative text messages to the opposition that contained criticism of then England captain Andrew Strauss. The 32-year-old was dropped for the final Test and has since been left out of the one-day series against South Africa and then World Twenty20 tournament in Sri Lanka, while Strauss retired from all forms of cricket during the controversy. But Pietersen has now apologised for his behaviour and recently signed a new central contract with England after agreeing to enter a "re-integration" process. The next step in bringing Pietersen in from the cold will be a meeting with his England teammates and coach Andy Flower. Meanwhile, The BCCI is on Wednesday expected to decide on the request made by (MCA) to shift the second tour game of the England team from BKC Ground to DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
— Agencies |
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Kapur seeks to end 7-year drought
Bangalore, October 16 Kapur is in fine form ahead of the $1.25 million Asian Tour event as he finished fifth in Macau last week and is currently 10th on the Order of Merit. “As a kid growing up my dream was always to win my national open. Every golfer wants to win their national open as it is a fifth Major for them,” said Kapur, whose sole Asian Tour victory was in 2005 in Thailand. “I think my consistency is better and I’m getting closer to winning. I’m disappointed I’m not able to win more. That plays on my mind but you realize you have to be patient. I’ll be sticking to what I’ve been doing and keep knocking on the door and hopefully it will open soon,” added Kapur, who has three top-five finishes on the Asian Tour this season. He will face challenges from 40 winners, including in-form Gaganjeet Bhullar, who won his fourth Asian Tour title last week, defending champion David Gleeson of Australia and Peter Hanson of Sweden, ranked 25th in the world.
— PTI Indian Open Facts Field 156 players (Asian Tour 104, PGTI 36, Invites 16) Prize Money $1.25 million New home For the first time in its history, the Indian Open will be played at a venue not in New Delhi or Kolkata Venue KGA, a par-71 Course
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Tricky KGA is the new Open house
The 125-acre KGA is to Indian golf what The Crucible is to World Snooker or Madison Square Garden is to boxing. This is indeed high praise, for Madison Square Garden is revered as the Mecca of boxing while the multi-activity Crucible is synonymous with the World of professional Snooker
In fact, KGA, when compared to the Royal Calcutta Golf Club or the Delhi Golf Club, two other venues where the Hero Indian Open has been staged, is a relative newcomer. All 18 holes at KGA came into play only in 1989. KGA was designed by former British Open winner Peter Thomson-headed architects M/s Thomson Wolveridge and Associates. KGA received a real fillip when William Swan renovated the course five years ago. Changes for Indian Open
To start with, the eminently birdie-able 357-yard par-four 1st hole has been made more challenging by converting it to a 200-yard par-3 for the Indian Open. This has resulted in bringing the bunkers and rough guarding the green into play very soon. Golfers landing in the rough would have a harrowing time as the length of the grass in the rough has been allowed to grow from 40mm to 70mm. What makes this doubly challenging is the huge number of water bodies, bunkers and trees. Thus caution would be the watchword while getting the ball out of the rough. The fairways, though, are well manicured and golfer-friendly, with the 12mm grass providing the right cushion for those divots. Moreover, the fairways, particularly around the landing area, have been widened to 22m, from 16-18m. These changes should facilitate better second shots. The undulating greens, though, are another matter altogether. They would be super fast with a speed rating of 10 on the stint (also known as stimp) meter. Good form and touch in putting would make a huge difference on these greens. KGA is a tough course for the average weekend golfer. But these are not your average club hackers — tournaments like the Hero Indian Open are bread and butter for them. They play to beat the course every single day and hence a winning score of 15 under par should be cause for cheer. |
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Raghav upsets Akshay in junior tennis
New Delhi, October 16 In other key matches, sixth seed Deepak Vishwakarma was knocked out by Sai Nikhil 7-5,6-4 while seventh seed Dhruv Pal Singh lost to Aryan Goves 2-6, 1-6. Eighth seed B.R. Nishep swamped Param Pun 6-0,6-1 though many other matches went to the extra distance as the juniors put up a good fight, before winning or losing. Nishep, who is the top seed in the under-14 section, came back on court in the afternoon to take in his stride Rian Randole 6-1, 6-2. In the girls’ under-16 section, top seeded Snehadevi rolled past Jahnvi Gupta 6-1, 6-0 while second seed P Yadlapalli also had it easy against Sama Sathvika 6-2, 6-0. Third-seeded Snehal Umesh Mane bounced back after losing the first set, but it was still tough going for her before she prevailed over Karman Kaur Thandi 1-6, 6-4, 7-6. Fourth Akshara Iska downed Gayatri Kumaraiah 6-0,6-1, fifth seeded Himani Mor defeated Eeshita More 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 as all the seeded players in the girls section moved into the second round. |
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McLaren want Hamilton to feel the love
The 2008 world champion, who returns to Woking on Friday for some work in the simulator before the Indian Grand Prix, declared his title hopes over for another season on Sunday after finishing 10th in the Korean Grand Prix. His gritty performance in wrestling a damaged car to the finish prompted team boss Martin Whitmarsh to dig deep into his bag of superlatives, however, in declaring it possibly the most hard-fought single point he could recall in his decades at McLaren. Hamilton has had a hard time of late, on and off the track. His decision to depart and his postings on Twitter, for some of which he has had to apologise, have intensified media scrutiny of his state of mind.
— Reuters |
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