Will England learn from IPL?

At a time when there is talk of multi-million dollar winner-take-all matches and the increasing possibility of being allowed to take part in future Indian Premier League tournaments, it is hardly surprising that England players want to hang onto their places in the one-day squad.

But selectors do not have to concern themselves with the financial considerations of players - their job is a straightforward one, namely to try to pick teams capable of achieving consistent success in all forms of the game.

The squad announced for next month's Twenty20 international and 50-over matches against New Zealand is basically the same one beaten by the Kiwis earlier this year - except for the replacement of Phil Mustard with Tim Ambrose as keeper.

Loyalty is appreciated by players - perhaps less so by supporters - but some decisions are downright baffling.

If the England selectors have been watching the TV coverage of the IPL, they have clearly learnt nothing.

Among the highlights have been Brendon McCullum's 158 not out off 73 balls, Sanath Jayasuriya's 114 not out off 48 balls, Adam Gilchrist's 109 not out off 47 balls and, most recently, Shaun Marsh's 115 off 69 balls.

What those innings have in common is that they were all played by openers able to bat in a manner which mixed skill, power supreme confidence and audacity.

Those are the qualities needed at the top of the order in Twenty20 cricket, and if England are to have a chance of winning the ICC World Twenty20 when they host it next year, they have to find batsmen capable of taking the bowling apart right from the outset.

All of that brings me to Alastair Cook.

I have nothing but praise for the way he has established himself as a top quality, reliable Test match opening bat.

He certainly has plenty of skill (or talent or natural ability, call it what you will). But does he have the power for big hitting from the start of an innings? Does he have the supreme confidence to look for sixes in the opening over of a match? Does he have the audacity to attempt shots which would leave the authors of old-time coaching manuals weeping into their handkerchiefs?

Cook's two Twenty20 international appearances and four Twenty20 Cup matches for Essex have so far brought him a grand total of 59 runs - and in 50-overs cricket for England, his strike rate of 68 is hardly that of a dasher (McCullum's, by contrast, is 88).

Should he really be part of England's one-day plans?

Luke Wright will, presumably, continue at the top of the order in the Twenty20 side, having done the job in New Zealand. But who will partner him with Mustard out of the equation?

Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara are perhaps the most likely choices - but which England batsmen best fits the criteria I set out earlier. No, I'm not talking about Dimi Mascarenhas, although he certainly has power and audacity - I'm talking about KP.

Pietersen needs to bat as many overs as possible in the shortest form of the game and if he comes off, why not let him keep the job for the 50-overs games as well?

I am concerned that his current habit of shuffling in front of his stumps makes him a prime lbw candidate with the white ball swinging about but he, more than any other England batsman, has the talent to adapt.

Come on England - be bold!

Punjab likely contenders to win over Chennai

With Shaun Marsh in awesome touch and the combination of other players they possess, King's XI Punjab have a distinct edge over Chennai Super Kings when the two teams clash in the second semi-final of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
The left-handed opener from Western Australia stole the thunder from all the batsmen and has been a real revelation for the fans of the game with his superb batting style, classical cricketing shots being its cornerstone.

He appears as a major stumbling block in front of the Chennai side as he emerged as the highest run-getter (593 runs from 10 games) in the competition despite not playing in the initial part of the 59-day event.

The victors of this tie would take on the winners of tonight's first semi-final between table toppers Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils in the June 1 summit clash of the 44-day Twenty20 event, which has been a huge hit in the country.

The strength of Punjab lies in the fantastic array of batsmen they have apart from Marsh who has been opening the innings of late with Australian all rounder James Hopes.

In Sri Lankans, with Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene the team possesses two of the finest talents in the world.

Then there are Yuvraj, who has surprisingly underperformed in a format which he dominated thoroughly in the inaugural World Cup last September in South Africa which India won and the dangerous Luke Pomersbach to add meat to the middle order.

Marsh, given a reprieve by Robin Uthappa early on, took the match away from Mumbai Indians at the same venue on May 21 in the company of Pomersbach and Chennai Super Kings will be wary of the duo's abilities to score at a fast clip.

The very strong Punjab batting is backed up by efficient bowling manned by S Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, V R V Singh and Piyush Chawla, giving the team a truly formidable look.

Chennai Super Kings, who finished third in the points table behind Rajasthan and Punjab do have the wherewithal to compete against their rivals, but man for man they fall a bit short.

They certainly will feel the absence of former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming at the top of the order. He has gone home to be with his wife who's expecting a child and in his absence Parthiv Patel is expected to open the innings with S Vidyut or Anirudha Srikkanth.

It's in the top of the order where Chennai look weak as compared to Punjab while the middle order has Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath, Dhoni and exciting South African all rounder Albie Morkel - a good line-up but clearly weaker than their rivals'.

Makhaya Ntini seems to have rediscovered some of his rhythm but Dhoni would be wary of his proclivity to go back to bowling loose balls.

Morkel, Manpreet Gony, the fit-again Laxmipathy Balaji and spin ace Muttiah Muralitharan give the Chennai attack a healthy look and would need to be at their best to put shackles on the strong Punjab batting order.

Teams (from):

Punjab King's XI: Yuvraj Singh (C), Mahela Jayawardene, Shaun Marsh, James Hopes, Kumara Sangakkara, Luke Pomersbach, Irfan Pathan, Ramesh Powar, Piyush Chawla, Uday Kaul (wk), S Sreesanth, V R V Singh, Tanmay Srivastava, Karan Goel, Gagandeep Singh. Coach Tom Moody.

Chennai Super Kings: M S Dhoni (Capt.), Parthiv Patel, Vidyut S, Anirudha S, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, A Morkel, M Muralitharan, L Balaji, Manpreet Singh Gony, Makhaya Ntini, Joginder Sharma, Chamara Kapugedara, Abhinav Mukund, Joginder Sharma, R Ashwin, Sudeep Tyagi. Coach: Kepler Wessels.

Umpires: Darryl Harper and Asad Rauf

Third Umpire: K Hariharan

Match Referee: S Venkataraghavan

Hours of play: 2000 hrs to close of play.

Pressure on Hayden to end his One-day career

Injured Test opener Matthew Hayden could face pressure to end his One-day career as Australia reviews its plan to nurse him for the 2009 Ashes series.

Hayden`s Test career has stalled with an achilles tendon injury that will force him home from the tour of the West Indies and has left his playing future in limbo.

Scans have revealed the possibility of major tendon damage and it is possible Hayden could need surgery.

But the 36-year-old will not have a clear diagnosis until he sees specialists in Melbourne on his return to Australia.

The loss of Hayden is a big blow for the Caribbean campaign but an even bigger worry for the opener, considering he will have missed four of Australia`s past five Tests with tendon injuries.

Medical staff fear the recurring tendon injuries - including the hamstring tendinitis that flared last summer and caused him to miss the Perth Test - may be genetic.

Australia hopes to have Hayden fit for the Champions Trophy one-day tournament in Pakistan in September, but he will have to review his One-day plans.
Hayden is desperate to cap his glittering Test career with another Ashes win in 2009 and selection chief Andrew Hilditch has gone on record to say he wants Hayden to play in England next year.

But Australia has a busy schedule in the next 18 months and Hayden could be best placed to give away the one-day game to ensure he is in the best possible shape for the Ashes series.

Australia has One-dayers against Bangladesh, the Champions Trophy, a Test series in India, a home summer against New Zealand and South Africa, Test series in South Africa and Pakistan and the Twenty20 World Cup before the Ashes series.

Hayden`s first challenge, though, will be shaking off a right achilles problem that has proved far more troublesome than first thought when it became apparent during his Indian Premier League stint last month.

`He`s been here two weeks now and he`s no better now than when he got here,` skipper Ricky Ponting said Thursday in Kingston, Jamaica.

`It`s just not going anywhere, so we just want him to get home and assess him... and get him back on a strengthening programme to get him right for the Champions Trophy.

`Selectors are really aware of what we have to do to get these guys through the next 12-18 months, so we`ll do whatever is appropriate. If guys need time off to get some rehab, then they`ll have it. Definitely the next 12 months poses more challenges than we`ve ever had,` the Australian captain added.

Before last summer Hayden had played 86 Tests in succession, the seventh-longest streak in history, but there are concerns the wear and tear of 15 years of international cricket is catching up with him.

The sight of Hayden hobbling and not taking part in training for the second Test provided a sure sign that he would be sent home.

`With the large volume of cricket to be played over the next 18 months, it was decided he should return to Australia,` team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said

Delhi drubbed as Watson steers Jaipur into the finals

The much anticipated clash turned out to be a no-contest as Jaipur stormed into the finals of the Indian Premier league with a comprehensive 105-run win against Delhi on Friday.

Virender Sehwag after winning the toss was pushed on to the back-foot early in the game and he was forced to stay there for the entire match as Jaipur walked all over Delhi, first with the bat and then with the ball. Shane Watson (52 and three for 10) was once again the hero of the show as he top-scored for Jaipur and then took three wickets to rip the heart out of Delhi’s batting.
After posting a mammoth 192-9 with some audacious strokeplay, Jaipur’s bowlers were on the money from the word go and it took all of 16 overs to knock-out Delhi.
Delhi buckle under pressure
A stiff 193-run target was always going to be a mountain to climb for Delhi but once they had lost their top three for 24 runs, the task was too demanding for the middle-order. Watson sent back Sehwag (three), Gautam Gambhir (11) and Shikhar Dhawan (five) and Delhi’s backbone was broken.
And it was always going to be downhill from there as Manoj Tiwary (zero), Farveez Maharoof (six) and Dinesh Karthik (10) failed to put on a fight. Tillakaratne Dilshan (10) stood his ground for a while but he too crumbled under pressure. Delhi lost their last five wickets for just 12 runs.
Munaf Patel (three for 17) and Warne (two for 20) along with Watson proved too hot to handle as Jaipur booked a much deserved spot in the final two.
Jaipur willows flow and flourish
Though Delhi managed regular breakthroughs but they could not halt Jaipur’s surge, who never allowed the scoring-rate to sag. And it was once again Jaipur’s men-in-form who came good in the crunch game. Graeme Smith (26), Swapnil Asnodkar (39), Watson (52) and Pathan (45), all came to the party at a belter in Wankhede to give Delhi a mountain to climb.
The Jaipur batsmen pulled out everything from the drawer as audacious strokeplay along with chancy shots kept the score moving at a neck-break speed. And if it was not for a superb last over by Mohammad Asif, the target for Delhi could have been well over 200.
Blazing beginning
Smith pulled a hamstring while taking a quick run and was almost run out. But the injury turned to be a boon for Jaipur as the southpaw opened his shoulders to smash the Delhi attack. Even the ever-reliable Glenn McGrath was taken to the cleaners as Smith bludgeoned three consecutive boundaries in the Aussie’s third over.

Asnodkar from the other end was his blazing self, manufacturing some of the most astounding shots. After being dropped by Farveez Maharoof off Yo Mahesh’s first ball, Asnodkar smacked the first six of the game two deliveries later.
And just when it seemed the Jaipur openers will run away with the game, Maharoof redeemed himself for the dropped catch.
Maharoof turns it around
With bowlers getting flayed all over, it took brilliance in the field for Delhi to bounce back in the game. Smith’s cameo came to an end when Shikhar Dhawan took a blinder in the deep and one ball later Asnodkar’s fierce square-cut sent the ball right down Manoj Tiwarys' throat.
Jaipur’s surprise move to send Sohail Tanvir (five) failed as the Pakistan player could manage only one lusty blow before he became Maharoof’s third victim.
Watson whacks, Pathan pounds
But Delhi lost the momentum as quickly as they had gained it. Watson came to the middle with all guns blazing. The all-rounder in a space of two overs pounded three towering sixes as the Delhi bowlers ran for cover. Yo Mahesh, who gave away 50 runs in his full quota, was taken for 21 in the 11th over.
After Kaif was bowled by Amit Mishra for 12, Pathan joined Watson and from there began a tremendous surge by Jaipur. The duo went for everything with not the slightest of inhibition in their batting.
Pathan was at his powerful best, striking the ball as cleanly as ever and clearing the boundary ropes with far too much ease for Virender Sehwag’s comfort.
With Jaipur piling on the runs, Watson went on the all-attack mode and after a 28-ball 52, Mishra finally cleaned up the Aussie. But Pathan was in no mood to relent as the audacious Pathan took McGrath for 16 in the pacer's last over. The hard-hitting player hit three boundaries and four sixes in his 21-ball knock till he was run out in the last over of the innings.

England Name 14-Man Squad For Five ODIs And One Twenty20 International Against New Zealand

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced a 14-member one-day squad under the captaincy of Paul Collingwood for the five-match NatWest Series and one-off NatWest International Twenty20 against New Zealand.
England one-day squad:Paul Collingwood (Durham, captain)Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire)James Anderson (Lancashire)Ian Bell (Warwickshire)Ravi Bopara (Essex)Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)Alastair Cook (Essex)Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire)Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)Owais Shah (Middlesex)Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)Chris Tremlett (Hampshire)Luke Wright (Sussex)

India ODI Squad For Bangladesh Tri-Series And Asia Cup Announced

The national selectors once again ignored former captains Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly for one-day selection but rewarded youngsters Yusuf Pathan and Pragyan Ojha for their good showing in the IPL by including them in the 15-member squad for next month’s tri-series in Bangladesh and the subsequent Asia Cup in Pakistan, which was named today.
INDIA ODI SQUAD FOR BANGLADESH AND ASIA CUP:Squad: M S Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh (vice-captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir , Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan , Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, S Sreesanth, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Piyush Chawla , Pragyan Ojha.

Zaheer Khans Rules Himself Out Of Bangladesh Tri-Series - Tendulkar May Pull Out

India's ace pace bowler Zaheer Khan has ruled himself out of next month's short tri-series in Bangladesh due to an Achilles injury.

A heel injury which was first sustained by Zaheer in the Boxing Day Test against Australia last year has once again come back to haunt him.
As Indian selectors sit down on Friday to pick the ODI squad, Zaheer's name will be missing.
At the same time there will be a few other names and some youngsters, who may make the trip to the neighbouring country for the tri-seires against Bangladesh and Pakistan from June 8 to 15.
Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan will be the fast bowling options with India.
There were reports that master batsman Sachin Tendulkar might pull out of the Bangladesh series to rest his troubled groin. Although Tendulkar did make an appearance in the latter half of the IPL for Mumbai Indians, Sourav Ganguly, who had a good IPL with the bat may be back in the team.
Gautam Gambhir and Virendra Sehwag will serve as other opening options.

Lawson may face PCB wrath for giving interview

Coach Geoff Lawson may face a few hard questions from the Pakistan Cricket Board top bosses after talking on some contentious issues in an interview to a local radio in Sydney.

Lawson, presently on vacation in Sydney and due to return on May 30 to resume his coaching assignment with the Pakistan team, admitted in the interview that there were differences between him and chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed.

According to sources, neither PCB Chairman Nasim Ashraf nor governing body members of the board are going to be pleased with these comments of Lawson.

Lawson said he was concerned with the system of ad-hocism in selection matters in Pakistan cricket and also that some senior players were not fulfilling their responsibility completely.

"I don`t want to take names publicly, but yes I tell these players to their face that I don`t care about big names and I want performances and for this I will even give more chances to young players," Lawson was reported as saying in the interview.

Lawson also said that the ad-hocism prevailing in selection matters was a big problem and it was true that on many issues he had differences with the selectors.

Sources said Salahuddin, after the home series against Bangladesh in April, had sent a written complaint to the board over the attitude and behavior of Lawson on several occasions.

Lawson also claimed in the interview that he had turned down a coaching offer from the lucrative Indian Premier League because of his contract with the Pakistan board.

Interestingly, Lawson left on vacations soon after the Pakistan and Bangladesh series ended on April 20 while the IPL started on April 18.

Lawson, a former Test pacer, made it clear he turned down the lucrative IPL coaching offer because he wanted to fulfil his commitments with the Pakistan board until August, 2009.

"I have a two-year contract with them and while this year the Champions Trophy is the most important event for us, my long term aim is the 2011 World Cup. After my two year contract expires, I will sit down with the board and review how the team has progressed and where we stand but I took this offer with the next World Cup in mind," he said.

The Pakistan board has a strict code of conduct for its players, team officials and selectors on making statements and giving interviews on contentious issues.

Lawson may face PCB wrath for giving interview

Coach Geoff Lawson may face a few hard questions from the Pakistan Cricket Board top bosses after talking on some contentious issues in an interview to a local radio in Sydney.

Lawson, presently on vacation in Sydney and due to return on May 30 to resume his coaching assignment with the Pakistan team, admitted in the interview that there were differences between him and chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed.

According to sources, neither PCB Chairman Nasim Ashraf nor governing body members of the board are going to be pleased with these comments of Lawson.

Lawson said he was concerned with the system of ad-hocism in selection matters in Pakistan cricket and also that some senior players were not fulfilling their responsibility completely.

"I don`t want to take names publicly, but yes I tell these players to their face that I don`t care about big names and I want performances and for this I will even give more chances to young players," Lawson was reported as saying in the interview.

Lawson also said that the ad-hocism prevailing in selection matters was a big problem and it was true that on many issues he had differences with the selectors.

Sources said Salahuddin, after the home series against Bangladesh in April, had sent a written complaint to the board over the attitude and behavior of Lawson on several occasions.

Lawson also claimed in the interview that he had turned down a coaching offer from the lucrative Indian Premier League because of his contract with the Pakistan board.

Interestingly, Lawson left on vacations soon after the Pakistan and Bangladesh series ended on April 20 while the IPL started on April 18.

Lawson, a former Test pacer, made it clear he turned down the lucrative IPL coaching offer because he wanted to fulfil his commitments with the Pakistan board until August, 2009.

"I have a two-year contract with them and while this year the Champions Trophy is the most important event for us, my long term aim is the 2011 World Cup. After my two year contract expires, I will sit down with the board and review how the team has progressed and where we stand but I took this offer with the next World Cup in mind," he said.

The Pakistan board has a strict code of conduct for its players, team officials and selectors on making statements and giving interviews on contentious issues.

Ranking

ICC Test Team Ranking,

AUSTRALIA 138

SOUTH AFRICA 115

INDIA 113

ENGLAND 106

SRI LANKA 103

PAKISTAN 100

NEW ZEALAND 83

WEST INDIES 81

BANGLADESH 0

ICC ODI Team Ranking

AUSTRALIA 130

SOUTH AFRICA 128

NEW ZEALAND 116

INDIA 112

PAKISTAN 110

SRI LANKA 106

ENGLAND 106

WEST INDIES 95

BANGLADESH 46

IRELAND 18

Injured Hayden to sit out series

Australia batsman Matthew Hayden will miss the rest of their Test series against the West Indies after failing to recover from an Achilles injury.

He missed the first Test in Kingston, which Australia won by 95 runs, and will return home for treatment.

The second match of the three-Test series starts in Antigua on Friday.

"Matthew Hayden's right Achilles tendon injury has not made sufficient progress," said Australian team physio Alex Kountouris.

"With the large volume of cricket to be played over the next 18 months it was decided he should return to Australia to undergo rehabilitation and consult specialists," he added.

"This means he will (also) not be available for the five one-day internationals against West Indies."

The 36-year-old left-handed opening batsman is one of Australia's most experienced players, and was the leading run-scorer at 2007 World Cup.

With Hayden going home, Brad Hodge will stay with the Test squad and Cricket Australia will make a decision later on who will replace the opener in the one-day squad.

Michael Clarke, who missed the victory at Sabina Park as he was on compassionate leave, will be available for the second Test, with Hodge or Simon Katich standing down.

Injury ensures Brad Hodge`s Caribbean tour is over

Brad Hodge will leave the West Indies wondering if and when he will wear his baggy green cap again.

Almost a decade ago, another Australian Matthew Elliott departed the Caribbean after being rattled by a West Indies attack that still included the great Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose.

He appeared for Australia only once more as a replacement for Ricky Ponting five years later before fading away.

If, as expected, Michael Clarke and Hayden take up their familiar positions for the second Test, and Australia thanks Hodge for helping out in a crisis, he can at least leave Antigua with his head high, according to a report in The Age.

In contrast with the ugly dismissal that preceded his spectacular dumping from the Test team in 2005-06, which came three innings after a double-century against South Africa, the 33-year-old will know he contributed something substantial by helping to dig Australia out of trouble in his second-innings partnership with Andrew Symonds. Two weeks ago, when Hodge was woken up in Kolkata by a Cricket Australia phone call and told to head to Jamaica, he at least received reassurance that he had not fallen out of contention altogether and remained ahead of David Hussey in the Test pecking order.

Barring another crisis of injury or form, Hodge will probably meet his wife Meg and young son Jesse in Manchester, and play out the season with Lancashire.

Tough task for selectors in ODI squad selection

The national selection panel meets here tomorrow to pick the team for next month`s ODI tri-series in Bangladesh and the subsequent Asia Cup in Pakistan amid speculation that youngsters who have done well in the Indian Premier League might be given a chance.

The tri-series in Bangladesh will be held from June 8-14 and would be followed by the Asia Cup in Pakistan. The five-member selection panel led by Chief Selector Dilip Vengsarkar will also have to decide on the fate of senior players Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

The two former India skippers were not picked for the last ODI series played by India, the triangular series in Australia that India won for the first time by a comprehensive 2-0 margin over the reigning world champions in this format of the game.

A lot would depend on what ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni wishes as also the inputs from coach Gary Kirsten. The duo is scheduled to attend the meeting at the Cricket Board`s headquarters here. The Bangalore and Kolkata teams led by Dravid and Ganguly failed to sparkle in the IPL and have been knocked out of the competition before the semi-final stage.

The two senior batsmen put up a mixed show with the bat, but what may tilt the scales against their inclusion could be the fact that both are not the fleetest of fielders as compared to younger rivals.

PCB wants Akram as bowling coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board wants former Test captain and legendary pacer Wasim Akram to take over as the national bowling coach.

PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf said Akram was offered the job last year but he refused citing his commitments as a commentator.

"He said due to his commitments he wouldn`t be able to take up the bowling coach position on long term basis," Ashraf said.

"But he still took out time to hold a coaching camp for young bowlers last year where he spotted Sohail Tanvir and recommended him to us," he added.

Akram, who is currently holding a specialised camp for young fast bowlers in Lahore, has said that if the board made him a proper offer he would give it a serious thought as he wanted to give back something to Pakistan cricket.

Akram also denied denied reports that Indian Premier League outfit Kolkata Knight Riders had offered him a coaching job.

"Neither has any offer come nor have I approached anyone for this," he stated. Meanwhile, Ashraf said he would meet Akram soon to personally offer him the national bowling coach`s job yet again.

"His feedback is very valuable to us," he said.

Marsh century conquers Rajasthan

Kings XI Punjab scored an important win over Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL semi-finals as they beat the tournament favourites by 41 runs in the concluding league game at Mohali on Wednesday night.

Opener Shaun Marsh struck a brillaint 69-ball 115 as Kings XI Punjab posted a daunting 221-3, but Rajasthan Royals managed only 180-7 in their 20 overs.
Though both teams have qualified for the semi-finals, Punjab will start their knock-out phase on a positive note while Rajasthan may have conceded psychological points to their rivals as they chose to rest Shane Warne in today's match.
Scoreboard
PunjabS Marsh c Trivedi b Watson 115J Hopes c Salunkhe b Y Pathan 51Y Singh run out (Y Pathan) 49L Pomersbach not out 1Extras: 5 ( b:0 lb:1 nb:1 w:3)Total: 221-3 (20) Curr. RR: 11.05
FOW: J Hopes (133-1, 13.4), S Marsh (213-2, 19.2), *Y Singh (221-3, 20)

RajasthanM Patel 4 0 37 0S Watson 4 0 40 1Pankaj Singh 3 0 48 0D Salunkhe 3 0 23 0S Trivedi 4 0 48 0Y Pathan 2 0 24 1

RajasthanM Patel 4 0 37 0S Watson 4 0 40 1Pankaj Singh 3 0 48 0D Salunkhe 3 0 23 0S Trivedi 4 0 48 0Y Pathan 2 0 24 1

Fernando, Jayasuriya Help Mumbai Rout Bangalore In IPL

Mumbai Indians outclassed Bangalore Royal Challengers in all departments of the game as they signed off their IPL campaign with an emphatic nine-wicket victory at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore today.

The rain-curtailed match saw Mumbai winning the toss and electing to bat first in an 18 overs a side contest.
Dilhara Fernando, who could have possibly messed up Mumbai's chances of qualifying for the semis the other night against Rajasthan, could not have done anything wrong today. He made amends for his poor final over last match and produced a wonderful performance with the ball to return four wickets, a run out and a catch to walk away with a man of the match prize.
Fernando's blitz reduced Bangalore to 122-9 in 18 overs while Mumbai, led by the experienced Tendulkar and Jayasuriya ensured that the match was pocketed with 12 balls to spare.
Jayasuriya was his aggressive self as he blasted 54 and added 96 for the first wicket with Tendulkar, who remained unbeaten on 40.
Scoreboard
MumbaiS Jayasuriya c Akhil b Steyn 54S Tendulkar not out 40R Uthappa not out 19Extras: 13 ( b:0 lb:2 nb:0 w:11)Total: 126-1 (16) Curr. RR: 7.88
FOW: S Jayasuriya (96-1, 11.3)
BangaloreA Kumble 4 0 45 0D Steyn 4 0 14 1P Kumar 2 0 21 0V Kumar 3 0 25 0B Akhil 3 0 19 0
BangaloreM Boucher c Uthappa b Fernando 18S Goswami c Nehra b Fernando 20Misbah-ul-Haq c Tendulkar b Fernando 0R Dravid b Smith 11C White c Fernando b Smith 26V Kohli c Takawle b Nehra 0B Akhil lbw b Smith 5P Kumar run out (Fernando/Takawle ) 8V Kumar c Uthappa b Fernando 23A Kumble not out 0Extras: 11 ( b:0 lb:0 nb:1 w:10)Total: 122-9 (18) Curr. RR: 6.78
FOW: M Boucher (35-1, 5.3), Misbah-ul-Haq (36-2, 6), S Goswami (39-3, 7.1), C White (74-4, 11.4), V Kohli (76-5, 12.2), *R Dravid (82-6, 13.1), B Akhil (83-7, 13.3), V Kumar (122-8, 17.5), P Kumar (122-9, 18)
MumbaiS Pollock 4 0 23 0A Nehra 3 0 21 1D Fernando 4 0 18 4D Kulkarni 3 0 34 0D Smith 4 0 26 3

Ness-SSP spat no "violation of law": Bindra

Punjab Cricket Association president IS Bindra downplayed the controversy generated by a spat between Kings XI Punjab team co-owner Ness Wadia and a senior police officer, saying it was a minor issue and did not "constitute violation of law".

"It did not constitute violation of law," Bindra said when faced a volley of questions from mediapersons on Wadia allegedly accusing Mohali`s senior superintendent of police, Ranbir Singh Khatra and his cops of stealing liquor and T-shirts and calling him a "mean and lowly person".

On the issue of a DDR having been lodged by the Mohali SSP against a smoking incident involving IPL commissioner Lalit Modi in the PCA`s long room in an earlier match, Bindra said, "Mr Modi had felt sorry and he told us that he was under the impression that the long room area was a private area and one could smoke there."

Asked to comment on what had led to the incident between Wadia and Khatra on Friday during the IPL match between Kings XI and Deccan Chargers, Bindra said he was in his office on the upper floor of the stadium when he was told that some "unpleasant dialogue" was taking place between the two. "I rushed down and took them inside a room and I thought the matter was sorted," Bindra said.

He, however, refused to divulge what had led to Wadia venting his ire on the police officer, who has already lodged a complaint with Mohali`s deputy commissioner Rahul Bhandari about the incident.

"What happened between three of us is confidential and I cannot divulge its details," said the former IAS officer.

Asked if the issue had been sorted out, why then Khatra lodged a complaint accusing Wadia of having publicly insulting him, Bindra said the two were adults and could sort out the issue if they felt anything needed to be sorted out.

Kings XI CEO Neil Maxwell also issued a statement today, saying that the Punjab team management has presented its side of the story to the concerned authorities and it will not make any further comments on the issue.

"With regard to certain statements that have appeared on the television and media, we would like to state that we have placed all the facts and our submissions before the appropriate authorities and leave it to their good judgment to determine what is in the best interest of the sport and law and order," the statement said.

Bindra said the Mohali SSP has done an "excellent job" as far as security arrangements are concerned and hoped he would continue doing so in future.

On the issue of Mohali Police slapping a bill of Rs 1.88 crore on the PCA for providing security for IPL matches in the aftermath of the Wadia-SSP spat, Bindra made it clear that both PCA and BCCI are "non-profit making bodies discharging public functions".

"Let me make it abundantly clear to everyone that we are a non-profit making public body and that is why we get income tax and entertainment duty exemption," he said, adding PCA always settles the amount to be paid to police or others before the event is held
He questioned how the Mohali police could demand money after the event is held.

"We always pay for certain items and pay for the police welfare fund and provide free meals to cops on duty," he said, adding PCA functions with "total support and coordination" from the government.

IPL performance should count for India selection: Sehwag

Indian Premier League`s Twenty20 format may not attract purists but selectors should consider IPL performance before picking the Indian squad for the tri-series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in Pakistan, according to Virender Sehwag.

The Delhi Daredevils captain said IPL has transcended boundaries to reach people in the furthest corner and so it would be wrong to completely ignore the players` performance in the Twenty20 league.

"IPL performance should matter. Everyone is watching IPL.

I`m getting SMS from England, Pakistan, West Indies, all saying we are doing well. I think selectors should take IPL performance into account when they select the Indian squad," Sehwag said today.

According to him, a number of youngsters have made their mark in the IPL and they should, on a rotational basis, be blooded. "So many youngsters have done well in the tournament.

For us, Shikhar Dhawan has done well, so did V Yomahesh and Pradeep Sangwan. "India play a tri-series in Bangladesh, they play Asia Cup in Pakistan and then there is Champions Trophy. A lot of cricket is to be played this year and I think selectors should, on rotation, give chances to the youngsters to play alongside the seniors," he said. Sehwag admitted the Daredevils owed it to lady luck as they sneaked their way into the IPL semifinals after Shane Warne`s Rajasthan Royals pipped Sachin Tendulkar`s Mumbai Indians in a thriller at Jaipur yesterday.

Bangladesh name uncapped pace bowler for ODI series

Bangladesh named uncapped pace bowler Dollar Mahmud in a 14-man squad for next month`s One-day international series with India and Pakistan.

Bangladesh also recalled wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim and batsman Mehrab Hossain jnr for the Tri-Nation series which they begin against Pakistan in Dhaka on June 8. The final, also in Dhaka, is on June 14.

Middle-order batsman Shakib Al Hasan and pace bowler Syed Rasel, who played in April`s series in Pakistan, were omitted from the latest squad. Shakib is taking academic examinations and Rasel is injured.

Opener Zunaed Siddique and wicketkeeper Dhiman Ghosh have been dropped.

Reserve days have been arranged in case monsoon rains disrupt the matches. Meteorologists said monsoons were likely to spread across Bangladesh by the second week of June.

Squad: Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Mashrafe Mortaza, Mahmud Ullah (Riadh), Tamim Iqbal, Aftab Ahmed, Abdur Razzak, Farhad Reza, Shahriar Nafees, Nazim Uddin, Roqibul Hassan, Shahadat Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Dollar Mahmud. Bangladesh will add left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain to that lineup in a 15-man squad for the six-nation Asia Cup series in Pakistan from June 24 to July 6.

Bangladesh are in Group A with Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates. Group B comprises India, Pakistan and Hong Kong.

Injury-Hit Flintoff Out Of New Zealand One-Day Series

England will miss all-rounder Andrew Flintoff for the home one-day series with New Zealand as he is yet to recover from a side strain.

England commence their five-match one-day series from June 13, which will be preceded by a Twenty20 international.
The one-day squad will be announced on Friday.
"I don't know the exact dates of the one-day series but I've still got a few weeks before I'm fit so I'm not sure what the chances are of me being fit for that. I saw Geoff Miller and Peter Moores last week and they're not going to rush me back," Flintoff was quoted as saying to AFP.
"I've not got a fixed date yet on when I can play and I think I'll know more once I start doing more running and then get back into the cricket again.
"These things have a history of taking six weeks and it will be three weeks on Thursday since I did it," Flintoff added

Suresh Raina Guides Chennai Into IPL Semi-Final

Suresh Raina's unbeaten 54 guided Chennai Super Kings to an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Deccan Chargers Hyderabad and secured his team a semi-final berth in the Indian Premier League today.

The must-win game for Chennai, which was played at Rajiv Gandhi International stadium,Hyderabad saw the visitors chasing the victory target of 148 with four balls to spare as Raina finished off the proceedings with a six and completed his fifty to take his team into the semi-finals.
Earlier, Hyderabad were restricted to 147-8 after they decided to bat first on winning the toss.
Venugopal Rao (46) and Ravi Teja (40) were the chief contributors for Hyderabad.
For Chennai Albie Morkel and Laxmipathy Balaji claimed 2 wickets each while Muttiah Muralitharan, Gony and Ntini picked one wicket each.
ScoreboardChennaiP Patel c Afridi b Sarvesh 20S Fleming c Gilchrist b Vijaykumar 14S Raina not out 54MS Dhoni c Gibbs b Ojha 37A Morkel not out 12Extras: 11 ( b:0 lb:3 nb:0 w:8)Total: 148-3 (19.2) Curr. RR: 7.66
FOW: S Fleming (26-1, 3.2), P Patel (59-2, 8.3), *MS Dhoni (115-3, 15.2)
HyderabadRP Singh 4 0 32 0D Vijaykumar 3.2 0 32 1S Afridi 3 0 20 0Sarvesh Kumar 2 0 18 1P Ojha 4 0 28 1S Styris 3 0 16 0
HyderabadA Gilchrist c Mukund b Gony 5H Gibbs c Balaji b Ntini 8S Styris b Muralitharan 20Venugopal Rao run out (Gony) 46Ravi Teja c Mukund b Morkel 40S Afridi c Raina b Balaji 1A Yadav b Morkel 0RP Singh c Morkel b Balaji 10P Ojha not out 1Extras: 16 ( b:1 lb:8 nb:0 w:7)Total: 147-8 (20) Curr. RR: 7.35
FOW: H Gibbs (11-1, 2.2), *A Gilchrist (15-2, 3.3), S Styris (57-3, 10.1), Ravi Teja (133-4, 18.3), Venugopal Rao (134-5, 18.4), A Yadav (134-6, 18.5), S Afridi (146-7, 19.4), RP Singh (147-8, 20)
ChennaiM Ntini 4 0 24 1M Gony 4 0 21 1A Morkel 4 0 36 2M Muralitharan 4 0 22 1L Balaji 4 0 34 2

Twenty20 Is "Serious" Cricket, Vouches England All-Rounder Andrew Flintoff

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff believes that cricket's shortest form Twenty20 is being taken seriously as more money is coming into it.

"Obviously there is more money coming into it, there's people watching and you have got things like the Indian Premier League," Flintoff was quoted as saying yo Sky Sports News.
"It is taken seriously. We (Lancashire) have got to the finals three times now and not progressed to win it and it does hurt. As I say, we do take it seriously, there will be a lot of sides now that will be practising for next month's extravaganza," Flintoff added.

Nepal bowler takes 10 wickets

Nepal's Mahaboob Alam made cricket history as he took all 10 Mozambique wickets for just 12 runs in their WCL Division Five game in Jersey.

Alam's performance was the best bowling in a limited overs international at any level and the first all-10 in any ICC Affiliates or Associates competition.

African side Mozambique were bowled out for 19 in 14.5 overs at Grainville as Nepal won by 219 runs.

He told the tournament website: "I never thought I would get 10 wickets."

The 26-year-old continued: "I managed to get the ball to swing for me and then I thought I was in with a chance of getting wickets.

"Once I got my eighth wicket, I thought I could get all 10 in the match.

"I did think the bowler at the end may get one or two wickets as he was getting the ball to skid on but fortunately for me he couldn't get a wicket. I am very happy."

There were nine ducks in the Mozambique innings, with only Syed Shah (nine) and Shoaib Younus (two not out) getting off the mark.

This record overtakes the previous best of nine for 16 set by Deubu Eliaba of the Cook Islands against New Caledonia in 2002.

Gough to retire at end of season

Yorkshire captain Darren Gough has confirmed that he will retire at the end of the season.

"I think I've had a good innings. It's time to call it a day," said the 37-year-old former England fast bowler.

"Although Yorkshire asked me if I would stay for another year, I thought the time was right for me to call it a day at the end of September."

Gough, who made his first-class debut in 1989, played 58 Tests and 159 one-day internationals for England.

Gough returned to Yorkshire as captain last year after three seasons with Essex. In his two spells at Headingley, he has taken 444 wickets, and also scored 2,774 runs.

He was still in two minds about whether this season would be his last as recently as six weeks ago.

"If my passion at the end of the season is like it is now, I may change my mind. I think it's just a case of wait and see if I am being totally honest," he told BBC Leeds.

"I've just got to see how this season goes. I love playing cricket, I love what I do.

"At some point I have to say 'not anymore' but, if Yorkshire have a good season and so do I, then you never know."

But the emergence of talented youngsters like Ben Sanderson and Oliver Hannon-Dalby, who have both played for the first team recently, has helped persuade Gough that the time will be right for him to go at the end of the summer.

With a history of knee problems behind him, Gough admitted he was finding it harder to play four-day Championship cricket.

"When Hoggy [Matthew Hoggard] gets back from his broken thumb it will make selection a little bit easier, but at the moment we are short of experienced bowlers," he said.

"We have brought in two young pacemen over the past fortnight and there is plenty of talent at the club, but our youngsters are not yet quite ready for regular cricket."

Gough achieved celebrity status off the field when he won the BBC's Celebrity Come Dancing competition in 2005, but insisted his decision to quit was "nothing to do with the entertainment business".

He added: "I will still enjoy playing the game and will probably turn out for a pub team or something like that."

Former Yorkshire captain Geoff Boycott paid tribute to Gough's contribution to the club.

"He's done a brilliant job - he's lifted the place with his enthusiasm, his smile; the team had a great year last year, good spirit in the dressing room, which is what we wanted, we wanted to turn it round and get people enjoying the game," Boycott told BBC Five Live.

"It's just a fact that unfortunately we got him at the end of his career. If he could do two years, which he decided to do at the end of last year, we were happy with that."

Gayle to return for West Indies

West Indies captain Chris Gayle will return from a groin injury but spinner Amit Jaggernauth is dropped for the second Test with Australia in Antigua.

Gayle missed the 95-run first Test defeat in Jamaica in which Jaggernauth took just one wicket on his debut.

Fast bowler Jerome Taylor is also expected to play despite missing the first Test with a sore back.

But batsman Ryan Hinds, who was in the 14-man squad for Jamaica but did not feature, has also been left out.

Xavier Marshall, who acted as emergency fielder in the first Test, has also been included in the 14-man squad.

"In the ideal world we could take a bigger squad and he would still be with the squad," coach John Dyson said of Jaggernauth.

"It's just a matter of looking at the balance of the team and getting the right mix."

West Indies: Chris Gayle (captain), Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Runako Morton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Sulieman Benn, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards, Darren Sammy, Brenton Parchment, Xavier Marshall.

Strauss' Ton Gives England A Six-Wicket Win Over New Zealand In The 2nd Test At Old Trafford

Opener Andrew Strauss struck a fine hundred (106) as England beat New Zealand by six wickets to go 1-0 up in the three Test series at Old Trafford.

Needing 294 for victory, England moved on to 171-2 at lunch on day 4 with opener Andrew Strauss going strong on 73 not out and scoring his third consecutive fifty of the series while captain Michael Vaughan played a solid knock of 48.

But once Vaughan was out, Strauss added 85 for the third wicket with Kevin Pietersen (42) to take the team within striking distance.

Once Strauss was out, Ian Bell (21*) and Paul Collingwood (27*) finished off the formalities to leave New Zealand high and dry.

In retrospect, New Zealand will rue the loss as it was they who were ahead on the first innings with a big lead of 179. But a poor second innings performance of 114 all out gave England a great chance of sneaking back into the Test match as Strauss scored his second hundred against Kiwis this year to put England ahead in the series.

SCOREBOARD
New Zealand 1st Innings 381

New Zealand 2nd Innings 114

England 1st Innings 202

England 2nd Innings
Andrew Strauss c R Taylor b I Brien 106
Alastair Cook c J Marshall b D Vettori 28
Michael Vaughan c B McCullum b C Martin 48
Kevin Pietersen run out (I Brien) 42
Ian Bell not out 21
Paul Collingwood not out 27
Extras: b - 9, w - 0, nb - 6, lb - 10 25
Total:(297 for 4 in 88 overs) 297 Run Rate: 3.38

Fall Of Wickets
1/60 (Alastair Cook, 20.5 ov.), 2/150 (Michael Vaughan, 50.2 ov.), 3/235 (Andrew Strauss, 69.4 ov.), 4/248 (Kevin Pietersen, 72.2 ov.)

Bowling: New Zealand
Chris Martin 13 1 45 1
Kyle Mills 6 0 17 0
Daniel Vettori 35 7 111 1
Iain O'Brien 20 3 62 1
Jamie How 1 0 4 0
Jacob Oram 13 1 39 0

Mumbai shattered; lose out off last ball

The last ball that never should have been, one misfield by Dilhara Fernando and a fumble by Sanath Jayasuriya sent Mumbai Indians into a corner they did not need to be in as they went down to Rajasthan Royals by five wickets. Niraj Patel and Ravindra Jadeja came together for a sensational sixth wicket partnership which carried Jaipur to 146-5.
It looked impossible for Jaipur when they lost Yusuf Pathan, Shane Watson and Mohd. Kaif in the middle overs and Mumbai looked all set to score a vital win.
However, youngsters Patel and Jadeja were involved in a sensational unbeaten 69-run stand that ended the match in a improbable win for Jaipur, who haven't lost even one match at home.
Fernando had a bad match overall, as he dropped Swapnil Asnodkar intially, and the youngster went on to score a quick 17, which, in view of the way teh game ended, was crucial.
Jaipur also recovered from a disastrous last over by Shane Watson when they were fielding.
Jaipur's win will be celebrated in Delhi as well, as the Delhi Daredevils have now qualified for the semi-finals.
Mumbai have their back to the wall, as they now need Chennai Super Kings to beat Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, and also beat Bangalore Royal Challengers in an away game.
Mumbai now have 12 points from 13 games whole Chennai have 14 from the same number of matches.
Earlier, Sohail Tanvir continued with his sensational form in the India Premier League, claiming 4-14 off four overs as Mumbai scored 145-7 after being sent in to bat by Jaipur skipper Shane Warne.
It needed a poor last over by Watson and some educated long-handle from Yogesh Takawale to take them to the total, as the over went for 25 runs.
The tension was evident in the Mumbai batting in a match have to win to keep their semi-final hopes on the track. Sanath Jayasuriya failed to set the stadium alight as he had done in the previous games, while skipper Sachin Tendulkar continued to display mediocre form.
The bowling was tight and the pitch slightly variable, but event that did not merit the kind of display from the openers, and the middle-order, especially after the openers had played till past the 10th over.
Watson had incredible figures, giving away just five runs in his first two overs, and then went for 25 in his third.
Warne and Rajasthan Royals have little to lose in the league, having cemented a slot for the semi-finals, so they decided to allow Mumbai to get first use of the pitch after winning the toss.
Mumbai, on 12 points from 12 games, desperately need to win this one, and also the next against Bangalore Royal Challengers.
Mumbai had begun the tournament disastrously, losing four straight games, but then they came back to win five on the trot, which foes on to reflect the length of the tournament, and also the fact that teams can see great and pathetic form, all within one week.
Jaipur on the other hand were probably the most underrated of the sides, and have ended up being the best in the business.
Teams: Rajasthan Royals: Swapnil Asnodkar, Kamran Akmal, Yusuf Pathan, Mohd. Kaif, Shane Watson, Ravindra Jadeja, Niraj Patel, Shane Warne (capt), Sohail Tanvir, Siddharth Trivedi, Pankaj Singh.
Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Dwayne Smith, Robin Uthappa, Abhishek Nayar, Shaun Pollock, Manish Pandey, Yogesh Takawale, Rohan Raje, Dilhara Fernando, Ashish Nehra.

Clark stars in Australia's victory

Stuart Clark and Brett Lee shared five wickets to bowl Australia into a match-winning position in the opening Test against West Indies on Monday.

At the interval, West Indies, chasing 287 to win, reached 117 for six in their second innings with Denesh Ramdin not out on 22 and Darren Sammy not out on 13 in a morning period extended by half-hour to compensate for time lost for bad light the previous evening.

In their opening spells, Clark removed Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, and Dwayne Bravo, and Lee sent back Runako Morton and Shivnarine Chanderpaul to send West Indies reeling to 82 for six on the fifth and final day of the Test at Sabina Park.

Clark has been the pick of the Australia bowlers with four wickets for 22 runs from 17 overs, and Lee has provided spirited support with two for 56 from 16 overs.

Clark gave Australia a welcome start when he removed Sarwan and Smith in the first half-hour of the morning to leave the home team 60 for three. Sarwan was caught at extra cover for 12 in the third over of the morning from Clark to a fine catch from Andrew Symonds.

The West Indies captain was squared-up and was essaying a flick at a full length delivery and the ball flew from the leading edge high to the left of Symonds, who stretched himself, and contorted his body to allow him to palm the ball up before he quickly turned and clutched the ball with\ both hands.

Clark's dismissal of Smith was far more straightforward. The left-handed opener was adjudged lbw for 28 in the seventh over of the morning, when he offered no shot to ball that pitched and straightened.

Lee came close to removing Runako Morton, when the batsman was nearly bowled on one, after he inside-edged a delivery and almost played it into the stumps before he had the presence of mind to kick it away.

But there was no saving Morton, when he drove at a full length delivery from Lee, missed, and was adjudged lbw to Lee for four.

Lee was in the middle of an inspired spell, and had Chanderpaul dropped on five, when the left-hander edged a well-pitched delivery straight into the lap of first slip fielder Simon Katich, and next ball, he had an appeal for an lbw verdict turned down.

But Lee was on the receiving end, when Chanderpaul uncoiled and responded with a crunching pull through mid-wicket for four. The Australia strike weapon however, had the last laugh, when he held a return catch to remove Chanderpaul for 11.

Clark piled on the pressure, when he removed Dwayne Bravo for a duck caught by the short mid-on fielder deliberately positioned for the batsman's penchant to play uppishly through the leg-side.

But Australia could not complete the demolition job before lunch, since Sammy joined Ramdin at the crease, and they batted through the last hour before the interval to stem the fall of wickets.

Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin dropped Ramdin on one off Lee, and short leg fielder Phil Jaques dropped Darren Sammy on four off leg-spin bowler Stuart MacGill, but the Aussies remained on track for victory.

Australia have won 12 of the last 13 Tests they have contested against West Indies. They hold the Frank Worrell Trophy - symbol of Test supremacy against West Indies - and they have not lost a Test series in the Caribbean since 1991.

The second Test between the two sides starts on May 30 at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, and the third Test starts on June 12 at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The Aussies also contest a Twenty20 International and five One-Day Internationals.

Miandad warns PCB of IPL backlash

Former Pakistan skipper Javed Miandad has said that the Pakistan version of the Indian Premier League may be detrimental to the country. Pakistan, inspired the success of the BCCI initiated IPL, is set to launch their own version of the tournament in their domestic scene. Even Australia has plans to begin an IPL inspired tourney.

Miandad has warned the PCB that this sort of a competition which churns in big money might destroy Pakistan cricket by bringing down the quality of cricket.
"The involvement of too much money will destroy the game of cricket. It (IPL) lacks quality and a cricketer can never get the confidence he needs as a player. Even the greatest of bowlers cannot do anything about conceding sixes and fours," Miandad said.
Miandad opined that the quality of cricket was going down and Pakistan should only look at playing quality opponents to sustain the high standard of the game.
"One reason for this is that talented players are not being groomed properly. Also, we are not playing against high ranking teams and competing with the weaker sides which doesn't improve your game," Miandad stated.
"It is contesting against quality teams like Australia and India that your potential is truly put to the test. But this is not the case at present," added the 50-year old.

Panesar responds in battle of the spinners

Monty Panesar produced his best Test bowling figures of 6-37 as England fought back on an intriguing third day against New Zealand at Old Trafford.

They appeared to have no hope at all after losing their last six wickets for 50 to concede a first innings lead of 179, as Daniel Vettori claimed 5-66.

But Panesar struck twice in an over and reached 100 victims in his 28th Test as the Kiwis stumbled to 114 in reply.

Facing a target of 294, England lost Alastair Cook but were 76-1 at stumps.

For England to have a scent of victory seemed inconceivable for the first half of the third day, again played out in a biting north-easterly wind.

Even when Aaron Redmond drove to gully in the 10th over of the Kiwi second innings there was still a subdued air in the crowd, such was the dominance of New Zealand's position.

No doubt aware of the pressure to deliver given Vettori's success, Panesar was introduced in the 10th over and struck with his 12th delivery when Jamie How was lbw to one which straightened sufficiently.

Although he did achieve some sharp turn, accuracy proved to be his chief weapon.

Having had numerous appeals rejected during the series, Panesar ousted the dangerous Brendon McCullum and first innings centurion Ross Taylor.

With Daniel Flynn unable to bat and Jacob Oram suffering from a sore neck, Vettori promoted himself to number six but top-edged a sweep shot to deep square-leg and for the first time in the match New Zealand had lost their way.

Panesar recorded his best Test figures when Mills also top-edged a sweep, and in doing so reached the 100-wicket milestone one match quicker than Vettori.

Although Oram eventually came out, he was soon caught off Ryan Sidebottom, who wrapped up the innings when Iain O'Brien thumped a catch to mid-off.

New Zealand's collapse mirrored that of England in the pre-lunch session.

Kevin Pietersen had an early reprieve when he got an inside edge into his pad and the ball looped to the keeper, but there was virtually no appeal.

It did not prove significant, however, with Pietersen adding just a single before he succumbed almost inevitably prodding forward speculatively to Vettori.

The ball turned perfectly to take the edge and flew through to slip.

O'Brien jagged some deliveries in sharply, and he soon had Ian Bell caught at first slip, Ross Taylor juggling with the catch but holding on.

A hopelessly out of sorts Paul Collingwood trudged back to the pavilion in the next over after having little notion of how to play Vettori, who was often finding dramatic bounce in addition to turn.

The procession continued, Tim Ambrose gave Taylor a third slip catch and Panesar was brilliantly caught by McCullum diving at full stretch low to his left.

After the patient 60 from Andrew Strauss, the only England first innings batsman to emerge with any credit was Stuart Broad, who was positive in defence and quick to seize on run-scoring opportunities.

When Panesar was out, two were still needed to avoid the follow-on but Broad hit some shots through the covers reminiscent of his father on the 1986-7 Ashes tour, before he was last out caught at deep cover.

England's batting was put into context somewhat by New Zealand's effort, and whatever technical frailties may be highlighted, an absorbing finale is in prospect.

New Zealand were hopeful of a more substantial breakthrough in the final 27 overs of play after the stranglehold their bowlers enjoyed during the morning session.

But whether reeling from the shock of being dismissed for their second lowest total at Old Trafford, or anxious about throwing away a winning position, the New Zealand attack was not so effective second time around.

The opening combination of Chris Martin and Kyle Mills was a curious one, given the problems fellow seamer O'Brien had caused earlier in ther day.

And Cook and Andrew Strauss played in an assured manner until Cook was caught at short leg off Vettori for 28.

Australia fight for survival after collapse

A 52-run, fifth-wicket stand between Brad Hodge and Andrew Symonds stabilised Australia before lunch, but their batting continued its meltdown in the second innings in the opening Test against West Indies on Sunday.

At the interval, Australia, leading by 119 runs from the first innings, were 93 for six in their second innings with Symonds not out on 30 and Brad Haddin not out on 10.

Hodge and Symonds added 52 for the fifth wicket, after Australia crashed to 18 for 5, when nightwatchman Mitchell Johnson was caught behind off Daren Powell for four in the first over of the morning.

Australia had continued from their bed time total of 17 for 4, and the early wicket would have been the right tonic for West Indies.

But Symonds joined Hodge and they steadied the ship with circumspect batting punctuated with the odd boundary. Symonds came close to being run out on 11 though, when Hodge failed to respond to his urgings for a second run.

Fortunate for the Australian batsman, Powell's throw to Denesh Ramdin was wide of the mark, and the West Indies wicketkeeper had too much work to do to complete the run out.

Just when it appeared that the two Australian batsmen were getting into the thick of things, Hodge was caught behind off Dwayne Bravo for 27 edging a well-pitched leg-cutter that Ramdin swooped low to clutch with his right hand.

Daren Powell has been the most successful West Indies bowler with three wickets for 20 runs from 12 overs, and Fidel Edwards has supported with two for 38 from 13 overs.

Australia have won 12 of the last 13 Tests they have contested against West Indies. They hold the Frank Worrell Trophy - symbol of Test supremacy against Windies - and they have not lost a Test series in Caribbean since 1991.

Sachin faces Warne Challenge | Mumbai's Royal test

Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar said he is looking ahead to renew his famous rivalry with Shane Warne when his team locks horn with the Rajasthan Royals in a crucial Indian Premier League match here on Monday.

Tendulkar and Warne, despite being good friends off the field, have featured in many duels with the Indian coming out with flying colours on most occasions.

Though Warne has retired from international cricket, Sunday's match once again pits him against Tendulkar, who said he was looking forward to facing the leggie again.

"I'm looking forward to play against Warne. He is a great bowler and I have always loved the challenge of facing him," Tendulkar said here.

"He has always been a fantastic, challenging and a terrific player. We are competitive on the field but otherwise, we are good friends," he added.

After losing two close matches against Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils, the Mumbai team is in a do-or-die situation tomorrow, but Tendulkar still oozed confidence.

"After our defeats in the initial four matches, we have always been in this situation. Every match became important for us. It is nothing new, we have been in the same situation before," he said.

Reminded that Rajasthan Royals were in rampaging form, a nonchalant Tendulkar said, "They are playing well but it does not mean that we cannot beat them. We only have to play to our potential."

Dwelling on the defeats in the last two matches, Tendulkar said, "Both were very close matches, which we lost either by one run or in the last ball. Otherwise, we were always there."

Ganguly leads from the front to snatch a thrilling victory

With nothing to lose, Kolkata skipper came out firing all guns to lead from the front, scoring an unbeaten 86, while Umar Gul chipped in with a brilliant all-round performance to help their team clinch a thriller against Mohali on Sunday night, making sure that the hosts get their much needed face-saving victory before bowing out of the IPL here at the Eden Gardens.

Chasing 175, Kolkata had almost accepted their defeat, when Man-of-the-Match – Umar Gul walked in to join his skipper in the middle with six wicket down and all recognised batsmen back inside the pavilion.

Gul (24; 11 balls, 1x4, 3x6) along with Ganguly (86; 53 balls, 6x4, 6x6), who stood his ground right throughout the innings, stole 49 runs during their seventh wicket stand to snatch the 3-wicket victory from the jaws of defeat with 2 balls to spare, leaving Mohali in a state of shock.

After losing their sixth wicket in the form of Aakash Chopra with the scorecard reading a miserable 106-6 in 15.3 overs, Ganguly started to take his chances and was ably supported by Gul.

In a Piyush Chawla’s over, the former India captain took 18 runs, hitting 2 towering sixes to give a glimpse of hope to the home crowd, before he and Gul managed to take another 16 runs of a Sreesanth’s over to bring Kolkata right back on track.

Although, VRV Singh gave the much-needed breakthrough to Mohali by sending off Gul in the penultimate over but by then the Bengal southpaw was in a mood to finish it off.

Taking the responsibly, he denied the new batsman Ishant Sharma from taking a run in the last ball of the 19th over in order to keep the strike.

With 15 runs needed in the last over, Yuvraj brought in Irfan Pathan but Ganguly was determined to go for the kill and with two massive sixes, a two and a one, he handed out the formidable Mohali a defeat in 19.4 overs.

With Mohali already having booked a place in the last four of the IPL, a confident batting line-up toyed with Kolkata’s bowling after they opted to bat first earlier.

Keen to keep the winning momentum, Mohali batsmen dominated the proceeding with Kumar Sangakkara hitting his fourth IPL fifty and Shaun Marsh scoring 40 to pile up 174-6 in their allotted 20 overs.

In reply, Kolkata openers - Ganguly and Salman Butt put on a fine 45-run partnership in 5.2 overs, yet they never looked in the contention as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals thereafter.

However, they once again bounced back in the last four over.

Earlier, Sangakkara smashed a superb 45-ball 64 with 7 fours and 2 sixes, besides putting on an impressive 83-run partnership in 57 deliveries with Marsh for the second wicket as they sent the fielders on a leather hunt, while Kolkata made a mess of it all on the field with a number of dropped catches and sloppy fielding.

It was the lone bowler in Umar Gul (4-23), who had some success against the visitors but even he failed to pose much of a threat, expect for in the last over when he took two wickets in consecutive balls to return Irfan Pathan (7) and Piyush Chawla (0) to restrict Mohali reaching nearer to 200-run mark.

Mohali lost James Hopes (13) early but it failed to have any significance on their scoring rate with opener Marsh and Sangakkara simply keeping the rhythm going.

And thereafter, skipper Yuvraj Singh (18-ball 27) played a cameo, putting on 31 runs with Mahela Jayawardene (11 not out) before the former got run out in the penultimate over.

In the last over, Gul conceded only four runs besides taking two wickets to put some brakes.

Earlier, for the hosts, spinner Ajantha Mendis from Sri Lanka made his debut and took one wicket as well.

Teams:

Kolkata: Salman Butt, Sourav Ganguly (capt), David Hussey, Debabrata Das, Aakash Chopra, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ajantha Mendis, Umar Gul, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda.

Mohali: James Hopes, Shaun Marsh, Yuvraj Singh (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Piyush Chawla, Tanmay Srivastava, Ramesh Powar, Irfan Pathan, VRV Singh, Sreesanth.

Samuels to contest two-year ban

Marlon Samuels' lawyers, Churchill Neita and Delano Harrison, have indicated that they will press for a judicial review against the two-year ban imposed on the batsman by the West Indies Cricket Board. On May 9, a disciplinary committee deemed that Samuels had breached section C4 of the ICC's Code of Conduct regulations, which involves receiving money, benefit or other reward which could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute.

"From the outset, we wish to make it pellucidly clear that we propose to challenge the findings of the majority [3 to 1] by way of judicial enquiry, as we believe a most grave injustice has been done by their finding of our client's liability of one of the ICC's disciplinary offences," the lawyers said in a statement issued yesterday.

It was added that the disciplinary committee had found "no basis upon which to find that Mr. Samuels acted dishonestly or in a corrupt manner." They were also "amazed" at the committee's ruling, and considered the reasons given by them to be "flawed and in defiance of logics".

The lawyers raised the following points to make a case for their client:

* "The evidence in the hearing was that the hotel bill paid for our client by Mr Mukesh Kochar was a loan from a friend and father-figure which was to be repaid on Marlon's return to the West Indies."
* "The evidence in the hearing was that Mr Mukesh Kochar was not a bookmaker."
* "The evidence in the hearing was that Marlon only came to need a loan because money which he had expected to earn from a contract to participate in a television reality show that would have earned him a sum considerably in excess of the hotel bill, did not in fact materialise. Further, his credit card which he had tendered to meet the bill, was declined."

They also pointed out that the aforementioned loan agreement came two weeks after the alleged offence and after the West Indies had completed their tour of India in January 2007, and that the disciplinary committee had "agreed unreservedly" with them that "there has not been proved against Mr Samuels, any element of corruption."

They said the judgement was not an unanimous one, with Aubrey Bishop opposing the final decision made by the four-man committee which also included Richie Richardson, Justice Adrian Saunders, and Lloyd Barnett.

Concluding their statement, the attorneys said: "It is because of the foregoing why we consider that an application for judicial review stands a realistic chance of success and we, therefore, propose to pursue it actively."

Late Strikes From New Zealand Leave England Struggling

New Zealand picked up two England late in the day to confirm a position of strength after two day's play in the second Test at Old Trafford.After Ross Taylor hit an unbeaten 154 out of their 381, New Zealand removed England's top three as well as nightwatchman Ryan Sidebottom with the home side closing on 152 for four, still 229 runs behind.

England took the wickets of Jacob Oram (38) and Daniel Vettori (one) through run outs before they were frustrated by Kyle Mills, who made his maiden Test fifty, before he was bowled by James Anderson off an inside edge.Cook swooped with a direct hit to run out Oram while Monty Panesar took advantage of some poor running to remove Vettori, the pair departing within two overs of each other.After lunch, England lost their way, twice dropping Taylor and twice offering up four overthrows with some appalling work in the field.With Daniel Flynn unable to bat, Taylor smashed five sixes, playing as many shots as he had tried at Lord's but this time with the license to do so, and most of them came off. Anderson picked up his fourth wicket when Chris Martin was bowled for a three-ball duck.England made a steady start to their reply, Cook and Andrew Strauss playing patiently and picking off the bad balls. Cook's innings ended in somewhat unlucky fashion when an Iain O'Brien delivery jagged back markedly, as if he had bowled a leg-break, to rap him on the pads and he was sent on his way for 19.Michael Vaughan got off the mark with a glorious cover driven four before the break, but scored his runs at a desperately slow pace, succumbing shortly before the close to a Vettori delivery that he played all round to be trapped in front. He had made 30 runs from 133 balls.In between those wickets, Andrew Strauss was brilliantly caught by Brendon McCullum off of O'Brien, falling on England's most dreaded number 111 after he had made a neat 60.England's poor day was compounded when one ball after nightwatchman Sidebottom edged Vettori for four, he edged straight into the hands of Jamie How at slip to leave England in a precarious position overnight.Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell, two men who owe their team some runs, were the overnight batsmen with Pietersen on 22 and Bell on four.How scored 64 on day one to set up New Zealand's position.

Australia batting collapse after Chanderpaul hundred

Australia suffered a rare batting collapse at the start of their second innings after Shivnarine Chanderpaul survived a stunning blow to the head and scored his 18th Test hundred for West Indies in the opening Test.
Australia, leading by 119 runs from the first innings, fell to 17 for four in their second innings when bad light stopped play nine overs early on the third day at Sabina Park.
Fidel Edwards put the skids on the visitors with two wickets for 11 runs from four overs, and Daren Powell gave admirable support with two for five from five overs.
This followed another epic innings of 118 from Chanderpaul which lifted West Indies to 312, in reply to Australia's first innings total of 431.
Stuart Clark was the pick of the Aussie bowlers with three wickets for 63 runs, Brett Lee captured three for 59, Mitchell Johnson took two for 63, and Stuart MacGill two for 100.
Australia were looking to build on their healthy lead but Phil Jaques was caught behind for five, the left-handed opener groping at a delivery moving away from the line of the off-stump.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting led his side's batting in the first innings with a majestic 158, but he had no answer when Daren Powell squared him up and had him caught at third slip for five to leave his side 11 for two.
But more drama was to come, when Edwards gained a palpable lbw verdict to dismiss makeshift left-handed opener Simon Katich for one, and next over, Australia suffered another blow, when Powell bowled Mike Hussey for one.
This all unfolded after Chanderpaul took a blow to the back of his head from a sharply, rising delivery from Lee and lay immobile on the pitch for several minutes.
The doughty left-hander, however, received medical attention of the field, and rose a little unsteadily to his feet before he carried on and reached his landmark, when he drove Stuart Clark straight down the ground for two.
But Lee had three wickets in the last hour before tea to pull the rug from under West Indies, after they had fought through the first half of the match to reach 260 for four.
Lee toiled 19 overs before claiming his first wicket of Dwayne Bravo, then added the scalps of Denesh Ramdin and Powell that sent West Indies crashing to 268 for eight at the tea break.

Lee struck an important blow, when he had Bravo caught at first slip for 46 edging a loose drive at a delivery outside the off-stump.
Australia would have been delighted to see the back of Bravo, after he came to the wicket in the closing stages of the morning period and emerged after lunch to spearhead the West Indies assault.
MacGill was the main target of Bravo's aggression and he was principally responsible for destroying the figures of the Aussie leg-spin bowler, as he struck all three of his sixes and a couple of his fours off him.
Australia continued to bowl with discipline, but Bravo and Chanderpaul kept West Indies going with a stand of 64 for the fifth wicket before Lee stepped in to transform the complexion of the match.
Lee had Ramdin caught behind for a duck in his next over, when the West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman too, drove loosely outside the off-stump.
Mitchell Johnson bowled with pace, but little accuracy, and he too, was struggling to find his first wicket until Sammy whipped an over-pitched delivery on leg-stump and was caught at mid-wicket.
Lee then had the sight that all fast bowler relish, when he bowled Powell for three with a well-directed yorker that extracted the middle-stump.
This carnage was in stark contrast to what transpired before lunch, when West Indies strode confidently to 197 for four at the interval.
Australia failed to make much headway in the morning period, as Runako Morton and Chanderpaul batted with enterprise to add 128 for the fourth wicket.
But Australia scalped Morton in the last 10 minutes before lunch, after he and Chanderpaul breathed life into the West Indies with contrasting half-centuries.
The Aussies made batting difficult throughout for the two West Indies batsmen, but Morton, in particular, and Chanderpaul remained steadfast to give the home team hope of staying competitive in the match.
Lee worked up a decent head of steam and gave a stern examination to Morton's technique with little success. Lee peppered Morton with a number of short, rising deliveries which the batsman either evaded or took on the body.
Clark, whose three wickets the previous evening had put the skids on West Indies, opened the bowling from the other end, and induced an edge past second slip for four from Chanderpaul early in the period.
But the Australians continued to bowl good lines and lengths, but Morton eventually reached his 50, when he lofted MacGill for a straight four, shortly before Chanderpaul turned Johnson behind square leg for a single to reach his milestone.

Karthik scripts thrilling win to keep Delhi alive

He was India's original man for Twenty20 cricket. Dinesh Karthik guided India to win in their first ever T20 international in South Africa, and led Tamil Nadu to victory in the country's first domestic Twenty20 tournament.
That Karthik, once India's first choice Test wicketkeeper but now beleaguered from the team, would be writing one more such script to keep Delhi in the hunt for a berth in the semi-final of the inaugural IPL with a thrilling five-wicket win over Mumbai here on Saturday, might be coincidental as well as predictable. Cricket indeed writes such stories.
Karthik's 32-ball unbeaten 56, laced with four immaculately timed boundaries and three sixes saw Delhi home along with Farveez Maharoof (20 not out) with a ball to spare. Needing eight from the final over, Maharoof struck two vital fours from the last two balls off Ashish Nehra, who plays first-class cricket for Delhi.
Desperately needing a win from their last match in the league stages, Delhi were chasing 177. And having lost Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan, the trio who has done the bulk of the scoring, Delhi's middle order was faced with a test of character.
For a diminutive batsman, Karthik got stuck into the Mumbai bowlers when the home side appeared to be in the doldrums on 89-4, which included the wickets of Shikhar Dhawan and Tillekeratne Dilshan in consecutive balls off Dwayne Smith.
To add to their woes, Mumbai had a shocking night on the field with repeated lapses, the ball going through Andre Nel's hands for a boundary being an instance.
It was the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium here that saw the renaissance of Sanath Jayasuriya more than 12 years ago. The Sri Lankan opener defied logic and rewrote cricketing chapters with his pyrotechnics on his way to leading his side to World Cup glory.

And at 38, Jayasuriya continued to ridicule notions of age while hammering the Delhi bowlers to embarrasment as Mumbai piled up 176-8 and agony for Virender Sehwag's men on Saturday, who were in desperate need of a win to advance to the semi-finals.
Jayasuriya carted 66 runs in trademark fashion off 42 balls, assisted by five sixes and six fours. But there began Mumbai's misery as the veteran batsman wasn't backed up from the other end as the bowlers, led by Vijaykumar Yomahesh's 4-36, staged an impressive fightback, before Robin Uthappa smoked an unbeaten 23-ball 46 to add bulk to the score.
The Kotla crowd got their pay-per-view encounter first up, with Glenn McGrath renewing his age-old rivalry with Sachin Tendulkar. However, Tendulkar's early fall and Jayasuriya's firing blade set up an intriguing battle with Delhi's bowlers.
Brett Geeves bore serious brunt of Jayasuriya's onslaught, carted for 50 from his four overs, but McGrath and Amit Mishra's miserly ways kept the brakes on Mumbai's scoring, as did untimely dismissals of Dwayne Smith, Abhishek Nayar and Shaun Pollock.
Delhi, who needed a definite win from the game and some luck from other fixtures, saw their previous game washed out here against Kolkata, while Mumbai played out a thriller against Mohali where they went down by a run.
Teams:
Delhi: Virender Sehwag (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, Manoj Tiwary, Brett Geeves, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dinesh Karthik, Farveez Maharoof, Amit Mishra, V Yomahesh, Glenn McGrath.
Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Robin Utahppa, Dwayne Smith, Abhishek Nayar, Shaun Pollock, Pinal Shah, Siddharth Chitnis, Dhaval Kulkarni, Andre Nel, Ashish Nehra.