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Simmons stings Kings XI
ICC clean chit to McCullum, inquiry into media leak
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21 DAYS to go
Sports Authority of Punjab in the pipeline
Lin Dan looks to break into top-8
BAI to bid for world senior championship
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Simmons stings Kings XI
Mohali, May 21 The seven-wicket win helped the defending champions hold on to the proverbial straw as Kings XI Punjab lived up to their reputation of performing below par at their home ground in Mohali.
Mumbai won the toss and managed to restrict the home team to an average 156/8. Punjab’s smoking guns didn't quite boom the way they had so far. Glenn Maxwell (2), Virender Sehwag (17) and rest of the guns went silent in their first home match this season. George Bailey (39), backed up Manan Vohra and Shaun Marsh, gave the total some muscle. Having applied the choke, Mumbai came out firing on all cylinders and scored about 100 in the first ten overs. The twenty-nine-year old West Indian, Simmons, smashed three boundaries off Sandeep Sharma to score 13 runs in the very first over, signaling what lay ahead for the crowd’s favourites. Three overs later, Simmons targeted Hendricks, smashing three boundaries in his over. Mumbai were 43/0 and the sucker punch had been delivered. Simmons could now afford to go slow, scoring a four or a six off every over and rotate the strike. Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma were pushed to the background as Simmons held the centrestage. The target was never a threat, and Kings XI’s only chance lay in someone coming up with something spectacular. That, however, didn’t happen as Sandeep, their main hope, went wicketless, conceding 37 runs in three overs. And with that Punjab’s hopes were dashed. The match was over in the 19 over even as Mumbai (159/3) showed no haste in finishing off the match. They could have done it two to three overs earlier but for Simmons inching towards his century. Simmons's innings was characterised by flat-batted hits and some fierce square cuts. In the end it was comfortable win for Mumbai, who jumped to fifth spot on the table, with their net run rate taking them above Royal Challengers and Sunrisers. To make the play-offs, they will need to win their remaining two matches and hope the result of other matches too go their way. Kings XI, though, can already start planning for the play-offs. Scoreboard Kings XI Punjab Mumbai Indians MOM: Lendl Simmons
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ICC clean chit to McCullum, inquiry into media leak
Dubai, May 21 ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said the leak of McCullum's testimony was an extremely serious matter. “We are taking all steps available to us to urgently investigate how certain information in the form of statements has come to find its way into the media, so that we can provide reassurances to the stakeholders within the sport so that they can continue to place their trust in the hands of the ACSU and the anti-corruption units of the respective Member Boards in protecting the integrity of the sport,” he said in a statement. “Of course, we recognise that this is a deeply concerning development for the stakeholders in the fight against corruption in the sport of cricket, and we wish to emphasise that Brendon McCullum is not under investigation in this matter,” he asserted. “While we have privately offered our full support to Brendon, we do so now publicly not only to confirm that, by assisting with the ACSU's enquiries, he has acted quite properly in accordance with his responsibilities as a professional cricketer, but also correct any misperception that he is somehow under suspicion,” he added. Rejecting aspersions being cast on McCullum, Richardson said the stumper-batsman deserves nothing but applause for coming forward and cooperating with the governing body. “He is to be commended for his actions and we deeply regret that aspects of his statement are now in the public domain,” Richardson said. International cricket was rocked by leaks of McCullum's testimony in which he admitted to being approached by a top player for match-fixing. The ICC was further embarrassed by reports emerging that a top ACSU official allegedly had links with an Indian bookmaker during World Twenty20 in Bangladesh. Australian team corruption free, says Clarke
Australia captain Michael Clarke is disappointed at the alleged involvement of international cricketers in matchfixing but was “happy, satisfied and confident” that his own team was not corrupt. Clarke said any kind of corruption in the “greatest sport in the world” was unwelcome but did not think it was a problem in Australia. “As an Australian cricketer, I'm very proud of what this current team has done and achieved and I think we are educated very well in what is right and what is wrong,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m extremely confident about the players I'm playing with, this Australian team, all know very clearly that there's no room for corruption in our team.” — Agencies |
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Knights on the threshold
Kolkata, May 21 The Knight Riders have shown glimpses of their form in the triumphant 2012 season when they enjoyed their largest winning run of six matches, a record they would look to emulate after notching a high five with an eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings here on Tuesday night. Robin Uthappa's belligerent 39-ball 67, his fourth half century of the season, followed by Shakib Al Hasan's unbeaten 21-ball 46 ensured that the Knight Riders cantered home with two overs to spare. The win was significant as it brought on a four-point divide between the top four and bottom four teams, a gap that would be difficult to bridge especially for teams like Bangalore and Hyderabad who are not technically out of contention. The Knight Riders had begun the home stretch more than a month after the season seven began in UAE but it was worth the wait as they have bounced back strongly from a four-match losing streak in the first leg with a rethinking in the batting order. It has been a resurrection for Uthappa who last featured for India more than two years ago in T20. Uthappa`s has been phenomenal after being promoted up the order with his last seven innings reading 47, 65, 47, 46, 80, 40 and 67. He would surely be looking forward to being in contention for India`s England tour. With 489 runs from 12 matches, Uthappa leads run charts among the Indians and lies next to Orange cap holder Glenn Maxwell who has 531 from 11 matches. With skipper Gautam Gambhir, Uthappa also put on two century-plus partnerships in the last six matches. With the duo in sublime form, it has been a case of building a strong foundation to make it easy for the middle order which has not been tested the way the team think tank would have liked to. All their five wins have come chasing the target with a strong foundation by the openers after their bowlers have restricted opposition teams to below 160. Yusuf Pathan had a brief run along with Ryan ten Doeschate in their win against Sunrisers Hyderabad but it would be interesting to see how Knight Riders set a total if they were put in. Royal Challengers are well aware that even two wins in a row won`t help their playoff chances if some other results don`t go their way. On the batting front, Chris Gayle and Parthiv Patel have looked out of form and in their match against Hyderabad, Royal Challengers had a woefully slow start scoring just 48 runs from the first 10 overs. Gayle scored 14 from 20 balls, while Yuvraj Singh was equally sloppy in a 25-ball 21, something that took the match away from them. Bangalore can, however, count on Virat Kohli`s return to form after the captain scored his first half century this season to lift their total to 160/6 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. This being an afternoon start, both teams would be wary of the severe heat wave prevailing in this part for about a month now. — PTI
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Kallis sat out in team’s interest: KKR
Kolkata, May 21 A vital cog in Kolkata's scheme of things, Kallis has missed last three matches in a row and four in total and their assistant coach Vijay Dahiya said he himself had opted out to make a winning combination. “He's a champion, a legend of the game. It's a very very difficult call but credit must be given to Kallis for that as well. You have a couple of players, support staff, captain and vice captain sitting together while picking up a playing XI. He's part of that. “On a couple of occasions he himself has said on this particular wicket the other guy would be more useful. He has opted out in a couple of games saying that this combination would be better for the team,” Dahiya told reporters on the eve of their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore here. The 2012 champions have bounced back from a four-match losing streak to post five wins on the trot and Dahiya said it's the self belief and the team environment that had played a crucial role. “The kind of environment we have in the team is amazing. We had a couple of close games, we knew we were there. If we can get hold of a couple of key overs we can get hold of that. The self belief has been fantastic and the environment created by the coach is very good. “In last couple of years, we have an open policy. Anybody can come in and give suggestions on and off the field. That speaks about the team. It's a very plus point with the kind of environment that we have.” — PTI |
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Indian men sign off with victory
New Delhi, May 21 With India-Germany levelled at 2-2, the onus fell on Gurusaidutt to give the hosts a consolation win after losing their first two ties against Malaysia and South Korea. The young Hyderabadi shuttler delivered the win against Lukas Schmidt after an energy-sapping battle. The game saw the fortunes fluctuating too often, but Gurusaidutt scripted a come-from-behind victory to bring back smiles on the faces of coaches U Vimal Kumar and Pullela Gopichand. After Lukas pipped him in the first game, Gurusaidutt trailed 1-9 in the second and it appeared all over for him. However, the vociferous crowd infused a new energy in Gurusaidutt's game as he made an impressive comeback to win the game and push the tie into the decider. The third game saw both playing a lot of drops and cross court shots, but it was Gurusaidutt who emerged triumphant. The Indian could not control his emotions after his victory and ran towards Kumar and Gopichand to hug them. “We badly wanted to win this tie. Germany is a very good team and it's great that we pulled it off against them. I started off badly in the second game, trailing 1-9, but the crowd support really pumped me up. I wanted to win this tie to finish on a winning note,” said Gurusaidutt. Gopichand too praised Gurusaidutt for his fighting abilities and said he will remember this match for long. “He will remember this match for a long time. I am happy that Guru managed to pull it off,” he said. Kidambi Srikanth was the first to take the guard against Marc Zwiebler in the opening singles of the inconsequential tie. Srikanth, who had been blamed by Indian captain Parupalli Kashyap for their loss against Korea, did not disappoint this time and eked out a hard-fought 21-18 18-21 21-18 win over Zwiebler. In the first doubles, the Indian pair of Manu Attri and Sumeeth B Reddy lost to Michael Fuchs and Johannes Schoettler 15-21, 6-21. It was a disappointing show by the men's doubles pair as they failed to read the game of their opponents and dished out below-par badminton, especially in the second game. The focus then shifted to Kashyap, but the World No. 21 lost a marathon battle against Dieter Domke 21-23, 21-14, 14-21. Kashyap gave glimpses of his fighting skills when he came back from behind to win the second game, but Domke prevailed in the decider. In the second doubles, the pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Jerry Chopra put on a methodical display of all-round badminton to beat the duo of Peter Kaesbauer and Josche Zurwonne 21-9 17-21 21-19.
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Akhil, Devendro on target
Patiala, May 21 The opening bout, between veteran Akhil Kumar and Anil Kumar, gained great significance because if Akhil makes it to the squad, it would crown his comeback to the international arena after a gap of almost three years. Akhil didn’t disappoint the coaches and fans and fought fiercely to win his first bout. Another power-packed bout was between Gaurav Bidhuri and Santosh Harijan. Gaurav, with his well calculated moves and powerful punches, managed to sneak past Santosh in a close bout. In the women’s category, Pinky Rani and Sarju Bala displayed some superb moves and combinations, cheering up the onlookers. Pinky won their bout. The bout between Preeti Beniwal and Chaoba Devi too was packed with action, and international pugilist Preeti slowly but surely outpunched Choaba. New scoring machine
The selection committee finally implemented all new rules during these bouts. In the earlier trials for the core group held almost 10 days ago, the committee had allowed the male boxers to box with headgears, though the International Boxing Association (AIBA) has done away with them. But in the current trials, the male pugilists were barred from wearing headgear. Also, a new scoring machine was installed for the first time in India to calculate the scores. Chief coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu informed that Kishan Narsi, member of the ad-hoc committee of Indian Olympic Association and executive member of AIBA, had brought the machine to India to ensure that these trials are conducted with the new system. The new scoring machine is developed by Swiss Timing, the official timing company of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The new AIBA Scoring System is designed to ensure fair play and transparency. The new system is based on the Ten Point Must-System with five judges around the ring. Out of these five judges, only the scores of three, who are randomly chosen by a computer, are taken into account. Nobody knows until the end of the bout which judges' scores are being considered. CWG Trials: Today’s Results
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Brazil’s Cup of woes may spill over due to protests
Rio de Janeiro, May 21 Starting last June, protesters angry about the money Brazil is spending to host the football tournament have regularly marched outside the small restaurant he manages in downtown Rio de Janeiro. One night, they smashed the windows and even destroyed the espresso machine. Instead of hiring extra workers during the Cup, as he once planned, Ferreira is now focussed on how to limit the damage. “We need the World Cup to be a success on and off the field so everyone can win from this,” he said. Expectations that the World Cup might bring a big boost to Brazil’s economy have been replaced by more sober forecasts and fears that street demonstrations and other problems could chase away business and tarnish the country’s image. President Dilma Rousseff’s government estimates the month-long event could add over half a percentage point of economic growth this year and more than half a million jobs. Economists are, on average, more conservative. They see a boost closer to 0.2 percentage points, according to a recent Reuters poll. The economy is expected to grow just 1.6 percent this year, putting pressure on Rousseff as she seeks re-election in October. “It would be worse if we didn’t have the Cup, but the tournament will not save our economy from a pretty bad year,” said Fabio Bentes, economist with the National Confederation of Commerce, which represents retailers and service companies. It’s a long way from the euphoria of 2007, when Brazil was awarded the right to host the tournament. — Reuters
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Sports Authority of Punjab in the pipeline
Jalandhar, May 21 Sources in the Sports Department have revealed that the proposed body will begin its operations initially from the existing sports infrastructure in various cities. Jalandhar will have centres of excellence for hockey, badminton and wrestling, running at the Burlton Park (hockey) and at the Raizaada Hansraj Stadium (wrestling and badminton). While Burlton Park already houses the renowned Surjeet Hockey Academy, more players could be lodged at the recently constructed International Sports Hostel, also inside the park. Similarly, the hostel inside Raizaada Hansraj Stadium could also be used to lodge players joining the wrestling and badminton centres. While Mohali would be the centre for shooting, athletics and kabaddi centres would be set up in Ludhiana. A football centre will come up at Hoshaipur; Patiala will get centres for kabaddi and boxing. A shooting centre will be opened at Badal village, the ancestral village of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. As for the organisational set up, the Director General will be assisted by four directors, who will take care of training, administration, diet requirements and field operations. Each director would be assisted by a chief coach and 3-4 other coaches. Also, the players selected for these centres will get a diet allowance of Rs 800 per day. Tajinder Singh Dhaliwal, Sports Director, Punjab, confirmed that the institution was in the pipeline, but he refused to divulge the details. “Presently, the proposal is under consideration. We are checking the feasibility of the project. Once Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal approves it, we will give all the details,” he said.
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Lin Dan looks to break into top-8
New Delhi, May 21 “I am looking to break into the top-eight in the world rankings. That’s the target for the year,” Lin Dan said. His aim is to qualify for the year-end BWF Super Series Finals, which will feature the best eight men’s and women’s singles and doubles players. They will battle it out for the top prize money of $500,000. The tournament is the climax of the 12-leg BWF Super Series circuit. Lin Dan had hopes of playing in the Copenhagen World Championship from August 25 to 31, but the Badminton World Federation (BWF) denied the Chinese star a wild card. Last year, BWF had given Lin Dan a wild card for the tournament and he went on to beat Malaysia’s world No.1 Lee Chong Wei in a controversy-marred final in Guangzhou, China. In the final, Lee retired midway amidst allegations that the air-conditioning system was switched off to suit Lin Dan. “I wanted to play in the World Championship, but one can’t do anything as this is the format of the game. I am not arguing about that. I respect the format, but I think as a professional player, it’s not right to judge your success rate by just one World Championship. I just want to keep on playing my game,” he said. The BWF is contemplating introducing a new scoring system as an alternative to the existing system and has asked the players for their feedback on three alternatives. These systems are: a) Two games of 21 (current setting) and the third game to be played for 11 points (two points clear setting; decisive point at 14-al b) Three games of 15 points (setting at 19) c) Five games of 9 points (setting with two points clear; decisive point at 12-all) The current scoring system, which follows a rally of three sets of 21 points each, was updated in 2006. Lin Dan said he opposed any change. “It (scoring system) has been changing for quite some time, from 9 to 15 to 21… Now they are planning to change it back. I think this is not the best part of badminton, to change the scores time and again,” he signed off.
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BAI to bid for world senior championship
New Delhi, May 21 It seems the Badminton Association of India (BAI) has an answer. “We have decided to bid for the BWF World Senior Championships in 2017. A lot of people had been asking what's next after the Thomas and Uber Cup. So this is our answer to their question. We will be bidding for the championships,” senior a BAI official. The BWF is seeking bids for the World Senior Championships, which determines the World Champions in each of the five disciplines — men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles in the following age categories — over 35, over 40, over 45, over 50, over 55, over 60, over 65 and over 70. “But there is a bad news for badminton fans in Delhi. If the BWF decides to give this event to BAI, Siri Fort will not be an automatic choice. This time we have identified three new venues after receiving expression of interest from state associations. These are Pune, Vizag and Cochin,” said the official. The BWF will announce the host city during the BWF Council sessions in March, 2015. |
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Lendl Simmons breathed in some hope for the struggling Mumbai Indians with a century, taking them to an effortless win over table-toppers Kings XI Punjab at their home ground on Wednesday.
The seven-wicket win helped the defending champions hold on to the proverbial straw as Kings XI Punjab lived up to their reputation of performing below par at their home ground in
Mohali.
When Adilson Ferreira hoped for big crowds during the World Cup, this wasn’t what he had in mind.
Starting last June, protesters angry about the money Brazil is spending to host the football tournament have regularly marched outside the small restaurant he manages in downtown Rio de Janeiro. One night, they smashed the windows and even destroyed the espresso machine.
As a team, Mumbai did not have much to shout about, but Simmons gave them the bragging rights of sorts as he became the first player to score a century this season. Mumbai went into the game as underdogs, fighting to stay in the tournament. Punjab, on the other hand, looked majestic atop the points table. 
When Adilson Ferreira hoped for big crowds during the World Cup, this wasn’t what he had in mind.
