Mohali, May 23
Looks like Shane Watson did George Bailey a good turn of late. Why else would Kings XI drop Glenn Maxwell, the demolition man of the tournament, from the playing XI in a game that was extremely crucial for Rajasthan Royals? As if taking out the Maxwell threat from the equation wasn’t a favour big enough for Rajasthan Royals, the Kings XI rested Sandeep Sharma too, their leading wicket-taker, who has a superb record at the Mohali stadium in first class cricket too.

To be fair to Kings XI, they could afford to try out the bench warmers and rest their overworked players having already made the play-offs. But whatever may have been the reason for the duo’s exclusion, the Royals couldn’t have hoped for a better stroke of luck going into the crucial match.

The Royals, however, didn’t make use of the Kings’ generosity and failed to nail the victory that would have propelled them into the play-offs. The Royals’ 16-run loss meant the fight for the fourth play-off spot will stay alive for a few more matches with Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad too joining the race.

What was most surprising about the loss was the lack of urgency and energy on the part of the Royals to chase down the 180-run target. Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson, after opener Karun Nair was dismissed, were going at almost run-a-ball till the eighth over.

And when they probably began thinking of raising the tempo, Rishi Dhawan pegged them back by removing Rahane and skipper Shane Watson on successive deliveries. Two more wickets by local boy Karanveer Singh pushed them down into the dumps. Brad Hodge and James Faulkner, their crisis men, tried to put them back on the track but it was too late to rescue the team for them too.

Earlier, Kings XI appeared missing Maxwell until the 17th over when Kings XI (133 for 4) appeared lumbering to one of their lowest scores in the tournament. But in the next three overs, skipper Bailey and David Miller made up for his absence to a large extent by smashing 46 runs in the last three overs, and taking the score to challenging 179. Overall, the total was the result a collective effort, with everyone save Virender Sehwag chipping in at least 25 runs. Once Sehwag and Manan Vohra saw the team off to a brisk start, the following batsmen kept the tempo going.

Scoreboard

Kings XI Punjab:
Sehwag c Malik b Faulkner 18(8)
Vohra run out (Binny) 25(20)
Marsh c Rahane b Malik 40(35)
Saha c Rahane b Tewatia 27(20)
Miller not out 29(20)
Bailey not out 26(18)
Extras: (b 3, lb 7, w 3, nb 1) 14
Total: (4 wickets; 20 overs) 179
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-54, 3-113, 4-119
Bowling:
Malik 3-0-29-1
Watson 2-0-16-0
Faulkner 3-0-39-1
Cooper 4-0-25-0
Tewatia 4-0-24-1
Tambe 4-0-36-0

Rajasthan Royals:
Rahane b Dhawan 23(26)
Nair c Bailey b Balaji 11(6)
Samson st Saha b Karanveer 30(29)
Watson b Dhawan 0(1)
Binny c Marsh b Karanveer 7(10)
Tewatia c Karanveer b Patel 16(13)
Hodge st Saha b Patel 31(18)
Faulkner not out 35(13)
Cooper c Marsh b Patel 2(2)
Malik not out 1(2)
Extras (lb 4, w 3) 7
Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 163
Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-56, 3-56, 4-70, 5-83, 6-101, 7-128, 8-130
Bowling:
Balaji 4-0-37-1
Hendricks 4-0-57-0
Dhawan 4-0-25-2
Patel 4-0-24-3
Karanveer 4-0-16-2

Mumbai, May 23
Mumbai Indians carved out a 15-run victory over Delhi Daredevils in a must-win match and remained in the hunt for a play-off berth on Friday.

After squandering an electrifying start given by openers Michael Hussey and Lendl Simmons, MI lost the plot as their last eight wickets fell for 33 runs to be all out for 173.

However Daredevils’ batsmen, whose confidence is in the pits, could only manage 158 in the end despite gutsy efforts from JP Duminy (45 no) and Manoj Towary (41). Skipper Kevin Pietersen (44) got a start but played one of the worst shots of the tournament off Harbhajan Singh’s bowling. Mumbai have one more game at hand against Rajasthan Royals on May 25 to complete their round robin engagements. — Agencies

Scoreboard

Mumbai Indians:
Simmons c Parnell b Imran 35 (25)
Hussey run out (Karthik/Jadhav) 56 (33)
Rohit b Unadkat 30 (21)
Pollard c Karthik b Unadkat 11 (8)
Rayudu c Vijay b Nadeem 2 (3)
Tare c Jadhav b Imran 14 (8)
Harbhajan c Vijay b Parnell 2 (3)
Gopal run out (Karthik) 11 (10)
de Lange c Karthik b Imran 1 (2)
Ojha run out (Tiwary/Karthik) 2 (2)
Bumrah not out 0 (2)
Extras (lb 6, w 3) 9
Total (all out; 19.3 overs) 173
FoW: 1-87 2-120 3-140 4-141 5-151 6-157 7-161 8-168 9-171 10-173
Bowling:
Parnell 3.3-0-26-1
Kaul 2-0-21-0
Unadkat 2-0-24-2
Nadeem 4-0-28-1
Duminy 4-0-31-0
Tahir 4-0-37-3

Delhi Daredevils:
Vijay st Tare b Gopal 8 (12)
Pietersen b Harbhajan 44 (31)
Karthik b de Lange 7 (13)
Tiwary c Hussey b de Lange 41 (31)
Duminy not out 45 (29)
Jadhav not out 7 (5)
Extras (lb 3, w 2, nb 1) 6
Total (4 wickets; 20 overs) 158
FoW: 1-43 2-59 3-61 4-146
Bowling:
Bumrah 4-0-36-0
de Lange 4-0-32-2
Ojha 4-0-33-0
Gopal 3-0-20-1
Harbhajan 4-0-30-1
Pollard 1-0-4-0

Wellington, May 23
Disgraced New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent, who stands accused of fixing two county matches in England, said he is ready to be held accountable for his actions and has not made a plea bargain to escape tough punishment.

In a statement issued through his lawyer Chris Morris, Vincent said he has received the 14 charges of corruption against him by the England and Wales Cricket Board. “Lou Vincent confirms that overnight he received charges from the English Cricket Board. He will work through these and the process for dealing with the charges as required by the ECB,” his lawyer stated. “He further confirms the charges arise from the matters he has disclosed to the authorities, and he remains accountable for his actions of the past.” The fact of the charges, and more are likely, dispel any notions of a plea bargain having been done as unfortunately appears to be wrongly suggested by others,” the statement read.

In a first of its kind case, Vincent and his former Sussex county team-mate Naved Arif were charged by the ECB for fixing the outcome of a county match in 2011.

Vincent, who has already confessed to fixing and has been under investigation by ICC’s ACSU, was charged with a total of 14 offences in relation to two county matches played under the ECB’s jurisdiction in August 2011 — a T20 match between Sussex and Lancashire and a 40-over game between Sussex and Kent.

Arif, a Pakistani living in England, was charged under the ECB’s Anti-Corruption Code, with six offences in relation to the 40-over game between Sussex and Kent in August 2011.

Both players have been provisionally suspended from all cricketing activities organised, authorised or supported by the ECB, ICC, any other National Cricket Federation and member of any other National Cricket Federation, the ECB said in a statement on Thursday. The charges, which were issued by the ECB, rather than the ICC, came just days after Vincent had given anti-corruption detectives details of fixing rackets.

Umar approached for fixing?

Karachi: The ghost of match-fixing is back to haunt Pakistan cricket with reports emerging that Umar Akmal was approached to fix matches during a 2012 tour of the UAE but the batsman immediately reported the matter to his team’s security manager.

A source aware of the incident told PTI that Umar had been called up regularly by a number from India in which the caller thrice attempted to coax him into entering a fixing racket promising him lucrative returns for his cooperation. “Umar after being pestered by this unknown caller informed the Pakistan team’s security manager who brought the matter into the notice of the ICC’s ACSU immediately,” the source disclosed.

He said Umar’s prompt action and cooperation in reporting the approach was much appreciated by the Pakistan team management and the ICC ACSU at that time. The source said the approach was made during the Pakistan and England series in the UAE in 2012.

“Umar was part of the Test squad and also of the one-day squad that Pakistan lost to England,” the source stated. — Agencies

Patiala, May 23
In a major upset on the final day of the boxing trials for the Commonwealth Games, Pinki Rani defeated Olympic medallist MC Mary Kom in the 51kg weight category, improving her chances of making it to the final squad.

In the day’s first bout, Pinki and Mary Kom slugged it out hard. With each round, the bout got more intense and by the time the four rounds ended, the coaches seemed clueless about who might have won. It was a tie, following which the judges were asked to review the scores, and after that the decision was given in Pinki's favour.

Mary Kom didn't seem very pleased.

Later, chief coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu indicated that the selections were not yet final. “All the people who won the final bouts today won’t necessarily be in the final contingent. The announcement would be made later," he told The Tribune.

In the 60kg category, L Sarita Devi emerged a clear winner against Pavitra. Pooja Rani drubbed Neetu Chahal in the 75kg category despite getting a warning.

In the men's section, L Devendro Singh (49 kg) knocked out Amandeep Singh in the very first round. It was the only bout that got over in the first round.

Madan Lal drubbed Gaurav Biduri and Shiva Thapa defeated Md Hasumuddin in the 52kg and 56kg categories, respectively. In the 60kg category, veteran Akhil Kumar, fighting against Rohit Tokas, could not finish the bout following a technical knockout due an injury as his nose started bleeding profusely. Tokas was declared the winner. In the 64kg category, Manjeet Jangra won despite Manjit giving him a very tough fight. Very close bouts were witnessed in the 81kg and +91kg categories, in which Sumit Sangwan defeated Kuldeep Singh and Praveen defeated Satish Kumar, respectively.

There was some disappointment in the 91kg category as young Amritpreet Singh lost to Dinesh Kumar. Amritpreet dropped his gum-shield thrice, as a result of which he was warned twice.

In the 75kg category, the bout between Vijender Singh and Vikas Krishnan could not take place as Krishnan had sustained a cut above his left eye yesterday and was not allowed by the medical team to fight.

Kuldeep cries foul

Kuldeep Singh, who lost to Sumit Sangwan in the 81kg category, said the trials were a sham as the selectors had already decided the team. He said he had clearly won today's bout. “I have been training for years now and despite being a deserving boxer, have never been given an opportunity to contest in any major international tournament,” he said. “Even as I have remained the national champion, I was never given an opportunity to show my talent. Earlier, I have been competing in the 75kg category for years and was just used as a sparring partner for Vijender Singh. I was given some small international tournaments once a year so that I didn’t show my anger openly but there is a limit to my patience. Now that I have changed my weight category, I still have to face this bias."

Chief coach Sandhu refuted the allegations. “We have used the new scoring machine to ensure maximum transparency,” he said. “Still, we will do a thorough review of the bouts and will announce the final team only after proper screening.”

Meanwhile, a team of National Anti Doping Agency collected the dope samples of all the winners.

New Delhi, May 23
The Indian women had to be content with a bronze medal in the Uber Cup Finals after losing to Japan 2-3 in a fiercely-contested semifinal at the Siri Fort Sports Complex on Friday.

Despite world No. 8 Saina Nehwal and world No. 11 PV Sindhu providing India a 2-0 lead, India failed to deliver the knockout punch in front of a vociferous home crowd, losing the third singles and two doubles.

Before the start of the tournament, chief national coach Pullela Gopichand had insisted that the two singles and the first doubles remained India’s strength in the Uber Cup. But, on a day when it mattered the most, the world No. 36 doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa failed to fire in unison and India paid a heavy price of their heart-breaking loss to the world No. 4 pair of Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi.

In the first singles, Saina continued with her rampaging form as she quelled the challenge of Minatsu Mitani 21-12 21-13 to put her team ahead 1-0.

It was yet another clinical performance from the Olympic bronze medallist Saina as she beat the world No. 12 Japanese 21-12 21-13 to take a 4-2 head-to-head lead.

"It was not an easy match. She is a very tricky player. I am happy with my movements today. It's good that I am beating the top players. I am playing much better than the London Olympics. I have improved as a player. Nobody had expected me to do this well but I am happy with my performance,” said Saina after her victory. Sindhu has either developed a special liking for three-setters or she doesn't want to learn from her past mistakes. Despite possessing immense talent and a great attacking game, Sindhu is yet to gain experience in dealing with big match situations. A day after beating world No. 24 Indonesian Bellaetrix Manuputty in a marathon battle, which lasted 84 minutes, Sindhu again made heavy weather of the second singles tie against Sayaka Takahashi today.

Sindhu delivered the crucial win for the hosts to put them 2-0 ahead, but not before saving as many as five match points. She converted the sixth match point to romp home victorious 19-21 21-18 26-24 in one hour 12 minutes — much to the relief of her coaches, teammates and an equally tensed P Vijaya, her mother. In the first doubles, Jwala and Ashwini lost a hard-fought battle against their Japanese pair, 12-21 22-20 16-21 in exactly one hour.

“I should have played with more positivity. They were under pressure but we allowed them the chances. I was at the wrong end, both strategically and tactically. I didn’t play well today,” Jwala told reporters.

In the third singles, PC Thulasi lost to Eriko Hirose 14-21 15-21, before the Japnese pair of Miyuki Maeda and Reika Kakiiwa put the hosts out of the competition with a clinical 21-14 21-11 win over Saina and Sindhu in just 39 minutes. 

Results

(India lost 2-3 to Japan) Saina Nehwal beats Minatsu Mitani 21-12, 21-13; PV Sindhu beats Sayaka Takahashi - 19-21, 21-18, 26-24; Misaki/Ayaka beat Jwala/Ashwini 21-12, 20-22, 21-16; Eriko Hirose beats PC Thulasi 21-14, 21-15; Miyuki Maeda/Reika Kakiiwa beats Saina Nehwal/PV Sindhu 21-14 21-11.

Lisbon, May 23
Atletico Madrid have a chance in Saturday’s Champions League final not only to claim their debut European crown but to deny their loathed and vastly wealthier neighbours Real Madrid a record-extending 10th.

Atletico have already outperformed this season in securing a remarkable La Liga triumph, shattering the domestic dominance of Real and Barcelona and becoming the first team other than the big two to win the Spanish title since Valencia in 2004.

They are also back competing with the continent’s elite after a lengthy absence and the first showpiece between teams from the same city in the 59-year history of the European Cup is their second final after they lost out to Bayern Munich in 1974.

Real, the world’s richest club by income who have splashed more than 600 million euros on players over the past five years, are appearing in their 13th final, but the first since their last success in 2002.

Their vast outlay is proof of Real president Florentino Perez’s obsession with winning what is known in Spain as “la decima” (the 10th).

After Real’s La Liga campaign faltered in the final weeks of the campaign, failure in Lisbon would be a massive blow to the construction magnate’s prestige.

“From the first day a player arrives at the club, he is already saying that he has come to win the ‘decima’,” former Real forward Predrag Mijatovic said. “There is too much pressure being put on the players,” added the Montenegrin, who scored the winner in Real’s 1-0 Champions League final triumph against Juventus in 1998. “The best way to take the sting out of this obsession is winning.”

Atletico, known as “the mattress makers” after their red and white-striped shirts, and Real, who play in all-white and are nicknamed “the meringues”, have met only once before in continental competition, in the European Cup semifinals in 1958-59.

Real went through to what was their fourth consecutive final after winning a replay in Zaragoza.

The city neighbours have met four times this season. In La Liga, Atletico won 1-0 at Real’s Bernabeu stadium and they drew 2-2 at the Calderon in the return, while in the two-legged King’s Cup semifinals Atletico were on the end of a 5-0 aggregate drubbing. Those encounters are unlikely to have much impact on the Champions League final, with Atletico, unbeaten in Europe this term and on a high after wrapping up the La Liga title and Real under enormous pressure to avoid what would be a humiliating reverse. — Reuters

Live on Ten Sports, 12.15 am (Sunday)

London, May 23
The title of World Cup all-time top scorer is driving Germany forward Miroslav Klose to get fit for the tournament in Brazil next month after an injury-plagued season, the 35-year-old said on Friday.

Klose, preparing for his fourth World Cup, has scored 14 goals in his previous tournaments and is joint second with fellow German Gerd Mueller on the all-time scorers’ list behind Brazilian Ronaldo on 15. “Those who know me know that this is indeed an aim of mine,” Klose said at the squad’s northern Italian training camp.

Klose can also break Mueller’s 40-year-old Germany scoring record of 68 goals before the World Cup with one goal in friendlies against Cameroon and Armenia on June 1 and June 6 which would take his tally to 69. — Reuters

Paris, May 23
Two fellow Spaniards who have already beaten him on his favourite clay surface could lie in wait for favourite and defending champion Rafael Nadal at the French Open. Friday’s draw, conducted by Nadal at Roland Garros, also handed women’s champion Serena Williams a tricky route.

Eight-times champion Nadal plays American Robbie Ginepri in Round One but Nicolas Almagro and David Ferrer are seeded to face him in the fourth round and the quarterfinals respectively. Almagro surprisingly beat Nadal in the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open while Ferrer, who the Mallorcan beat in last year’s French Open final, knocked him out at the same stage at the Monte Carlo Masters.

“Last week in Rome was tough physically but sometimes you need these things. I played a bit better during the tournament,” Nadal said.

Defeat by Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final meant Nadal has lost three matches on the European claycourt swing for the first time in a decade, raising doubts over his form.

Djokovic, chasing the only Grand Slam title missing from his collection, takes on Portuguese Joao Sousa in the first round en route to a possible semifinal showdown against former world number one Roger Federer.

Fourth seed Federer plays Slovakian Lukas Lacko in the first round while his fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, the third seed, faces a tough first round against plays Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in round one.

Wawrinka is seeded to meet Nadal in the semifinals. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

India’s oldest cricketer Madhav Mantri no more
Mumbai: India’s oldest Test cricketer Madhav Mantri died a natural death on Friday, said Mumbai Cricket Association. Mantri was aged 92 and a bachelor. He is survived by several relatives including nephew Sunil Gavaskar. Mantri was a wicket-keeper-batsman who played four Test matches for India. Apart from the 1951 match in India, he played two in England the following year. His last match was in Dhaka in the former East Pakistan in 1954-55. He scored 63 runs, took 8 catches and had one stumping dismissal to his name. Mantri's career in the Ranji circuit spanned 25 years where he ran up a total of 2787 runs with an average of 50 per match. Under his captainship Bombay won three Ranji Trophy titles in the 1950s. In his later years, Mantri headed the MCA through the 1980s and early 1990s and was the last cricketer to head the body before politicians came into the picture.

N Korea to participate in Asian Games in S Korea 
Seoul: North Korea said it will send athletes to this year's Asian Games in South Korea, the first time it has participated in a major sporting event there for more than a decade and despite simmering cross-border tensions. "The Olympic Committee of the Dprk (North Korea)... decided to dispatch Dprk players' group" to the Asian Games to be hosted by South Korea's western port city of Incheon, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (Kcna) said.

KKR eye top-two finish, take on resurgent SRH
Hyderabad: Kolkata Knight Riders are once again the team to beat as they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday. Sunrisers Hyderabad would look to keep their playoff hopes alive in the concluding league match. In another match, Bangalore will take on CSK. — Agencies