Agencies, Oval (London) A disciplined Sri Lanka set up a semifinal date with India in the ICC Champions Trophy as they knocked out holders Australia by posting a 20-run win, with veteran Mahela Jayawardene caressing his way to an unbeaten 84-run knock on Monday.

Jayawardene made his runs off 81 balls to propel Sri Lanka to 253 for eight in their 50 overs, leaving Australia with a near impossible task of chasing down the target in 29.1 overs to ensure a semifinal berth at the Kennington Oval. Australia couldn’t achieve the target in the required overs and were eventually all out for 233 in 42.3 overs. During the course of his innings, the elegant Jayawardene crossed 11,000 runs in this form of the game, the eighth cricketer to do so. In Sri Lanka’s bowling department, Nuwan Kulasekara was the pick of the lot as he finished with impressive figures of three for 42 in his nine overs.

Going into the match, Sri Lanka’s recent success against Australia provided them the psychological edge — in the last 10 ODIs played between the two sides, Sri Lanka have won six while they drew the ODI series 2-2 earlier this year in Australia. A last-wicket stand of 41 runs between Clint McKay (30) and Xavier Doherty (15 not out) frustrated the Lankans before Tillakaratne Dilshan pulled off a brilliant catch off his own bowling to seal the issue in his side’s favour.

The move not to bring back strike bowler Lasith Malinga, with Australia on the verge of defeat, was surprising. But Dilshan’s blinder ensured it was Sri Lanka, and not New Zealand in the last-four stage. Adam Voges top-scored for Australia with a 62-ball 49 while Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade blazed their way to 32 and 31 respectively. Lahiru Thirimanne contributed 57 for Sri Lanka while Mitchell Johnson was the best Australian bowler with figures of three for 48. Sri Lanka were off to a poor start losing two wickets with just 20 runs on the board. The islanders lost Kusal Perera early, seamer Mitchell Johnson having the left-handed batsman trapped in front of the wicket.

Clint McKay took the big wicket of Kumar Sangakkara when he had the experienced Sri Lankan batsman, trying to play his trademark shot through the cover region, caught by Glen Maxwell. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lahiru Thirimanne added 72 runs for the third wicket to steady the ship, before left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty sent back the opener, caught at slip by a diving Shane Watson for a 58-ball 34. After labouring his way to a patient 57 off 86 balls, Thirimanne was done in by Johnson as he pulled a short and quick delivery outside off to Watson at midwicket. Jayawardene then brought all his experience into play as he played an elegant innings to guide Sri Lanka to a respectable total.

Jayawardene was involved in a useful partnership of 65 for the sixth wicket with Dinesh Chandimal, who contributed 31 off 32 balls. Senior pro Jayawardene hit 11 fours, including a few cheeky ones, during his knock. Jayawardene got off the blocks with two successive fours off Maxwell’s left-arm spin. A boundary over cover was followed by a reverse-sweep. Falkner’s low full toss was effortlessly played down the leg-side for a four before Jayawardene chipped McKay over cover for same result. The former skipper then took on Johnson, playing the left-arm pacer for two fours in the innings’ 44th over.

All it took for Jayawardene was a nudge and a tap to find the ropes. Shane Watson started Australia’s innings with a boundary through covers but that was all he could do as the all-rounder was bowled by Kulasekara. Phillip Hughes lasted barely 10 balls as he too was shown the door by Kulasekara. Maxwell was cleaned up by Malinga after smashing five fours and a six.

SCORE BOARD

Sri Lanka Innings: K J Perera lbw M Johnson 4, T Dilshan c S Watson & b X Doherty 34, K Sangakkara (wk) c G Maxwell & b C McKay 3, L Thirimanne c S Watson & b M Johnson 57, M Jayawardene not out 84, A Mathews (c) b J Faulkner 12, D Chandimal c Phil Hughes & b M Johnson 31, N Kulasekara runout (M Wade) 6, R Herath runout (M Marsh) 2, L Malinga not out 2. Extras: 18. Total: 253. Bowling: Mitchell Johnson 10-0-48-3, Clint McKay 10-1-51-1, James Faulkner 9-0-60-1, Shane Watson 4-0-14-0, Xavier Doherty 10-1-30-1, Mitchell Marsh 2-0-12-0, Glenn Maxwell 5-0-26-0.

Australia Innings: S Watson b N Kulasekara 5, P Hughes c K Sangakkara & b N Kulasekara 13, G Maxwell b L Malinga 32, G Bailey (c) runout (N Kulasekara) 4, A Voges c S Eranga & b R Herath 49, M Marsh b A Mathews 4, M Wade (wk) c T Dilshan & b N Kulasekara 31, J Faulkner c K Sangakkara & b R Herath 17, M Johnson c N Kulasekara & b S Eranga 4, C McKay c & b T Dilshan 30, X Doherty not out 15. Extras: 29. Total: 233. Bowling: Shaminda Eranga 8-1-40-1, Nuwan Kulasekara 9-0-42-3, Lasith Malinga 9-0-60-1, Rangana Herath 10-0-48-2, Angelo Mathews (c) 3-0-21-1, Tillakaratne Dilshan 3.3-0-11-1.

Agencies, Jakarta Defending champion Saina Nehwal on Thursday entered the quarterfinals of the Indonesian Super Series Premier after registering a comfortable straight-game victory over Sayaka Takahashi of Japan.

RMV Gurusaidutt advanced to the quarterfinals of the men’s singles with a hard-fought win over Kazumasa Sakai of Japan, while it was curtains for Sourabh Varma. World number two Saina took 39 minutes to outplay her 24th ranked opponent 21-13, 21-19 in a women’s singles second round match at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. The 23-year-old from Hyderabad will take on Carolina Marin of Spain in the quarters.

Saina, seeded second, relied on her smashes and superior net play to steer clear of her Japanese rival. The two started on equal footing and were tied till 6-6 before Saina surged ahead to open up a gap of six points. The Japanese managed to clinch a few straight points to reduce the gap to 13-14 at one stage, but the Indian showed her class and easily wrapped up the first game 21-13. Takahashi got her act together in the second game as two rivals got engaged in a fierce battle.

Tied at 12-12, the Japanese won three points on the trot to make it 15-12 and then succeeded in maintaining a slender lead over Saina. But the higher ranked Indian battled on and turned the tables at 18-18 and eventually roared back into the contest. After an intense fight, Saina finally won the game and the match 21-19. Gurusaidutt prevailed 21-12, 9-21, 21-19 over Sakai in a contest that lasted a little less than an hour.

After a comfortable 12-21 win in the opening game, Gurusaidutt was completely outplayed by his opponent in the second game. The deciding game was a see-saw battle and the scores were tied at 17-17 before the Indian upped the ante in time to advance to the next stage. Gurusaidutt will meet Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia in the last-eight stage. In another men’s singles match, Sourabh was thrashed by the third seeded Pengyu Du of China 16-21, 6-21 in 37 minutes. India’s campaign ended in both mixed doubles and women’s doubles categories.

Agencies, London A chanceless unbeaten 134 from Kumar Sangakkara inspired Sri Lanka to a seven-wicket win over an overly cautious England today to leave Champions Trophy Group A wide open ahead of the final two matches.

A victory in the day/night clash would have taken England through to the semi-finals as one of the top two and defeat would have dumped Sri Lanka out but all is now left to play for with New Zealand leading the group on three points.

England, who next face New Zealand in Cardiff on Sunday, and Sri Lanka are on two points with Australia on one ahead of their meeting with Angelo Mathews’ side at the Oval on Monday. England’s batsmen earlier took their time in trademark style before some last-over fireworks by Ravi Bopara helped them make 293 for seven amid woeful Sri Lankan fielding. Meanwhile, Sangakkara also completed his 15 ODI ton in 111 balls.

James Anderson gave England the breakthrough that they desperately need when he dismissed Mahela Jayawardene during their Champions Trophy clash at The Oval on Thursday. Both Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene had put up a rock-solid 85-run partnership for the third wicket to ease Sri Lanka’s runchase of 294 runs. England brought back their premier fast bowler Anderson during the batting power play hoping to break the partnership which was beginning to pose a threat to them.

Anderson succeeded into breaking the stand and Jayawardene walked back to the pavillion after scoring 42 runs, with 3 fours and a six. Graeme Swann gave England their first break by getting rid of Tillakaratne Dilshan (44) after a solid 92-run stand for the 2nd wicket. Dilshan was caught by Joe Root near boundary line just after Sri lanka crossed 100-mark in 21st over. Dilshan’s dismissal was soon followed by Kumar Sangakkara’s fifty that came off59 balls. Dilshan and Sangakkara steadied Sri Lanka after losing opener Kusal Perera early.

Pacer Anderson gave England a good start by sending back Sri Lankan opener Perera in the third over with just ten runs on board. Perera was caught by Ravi Bopara at long on after scoring 6. Earlier, a gritty show by the top order and a fiery cameo by Bopara in the final over guided England to a challenging 293/7. Jonathan Trott top scored for England making 76 while Alastair Cook and Joe Root scored 59 and 68 respectively. Ravi Bopara chipped in with a quick-fire 33 off 13 balls. Bopara scored 28 runs of the final over, smashing three sixes and two boundaries.

Asked to bat, England got off to a slow start as they managed to scored just 38 runs in the first ten overs. Shaminda Eranga gave England first blow by dismissing Ian Bell in the 12th over at the score of 48. Eranga got Bell caught by Kusal Perera at mid-wicket after his 20-run knock off 37 balls. However, Captain Cook and Jonathan Trott accelerated the scoring rate with their respective half centuries.

The duo guided England past 100 in 24th over and kept Sri Lankans in search for a breakthrough. The England captain finally fell in the 29th over of the bowling of left-arm spinner Rangana Herath as he was trapped LBW while attempting a sweep shot playing across the line. Cook called for review which went against him. Joe Root then joined Trott and kept England marching towards a big total. The duo shared 87 runs for the third wicket from 13.3 overs before the former was out in the 42nd over with Herath taking his second wicket, also a LBW decision.

It was left to Root and Eoin Morgan (13) to get the maximum out of the slog overs but both perished in consecutive balls in the 46th over as England lost the initial advantage a bit. Root was foxed by a Malinga slower delivery as the ball took the top edge for Mahela Jayawardene to take an easy catch at deep midwicket. Next ball, Morgan was adjudged LBW as he missed a fuller delivery.

Sri Lanka then tightened grip with quick wickets of Jos Butler (0) and Tim Bresnan (4). However, Bopara’s aggressive batting took England to massive total. For Sri Lanka, Malinga, Herath and Eranga grabbed two wickets each while Kulasekara got a wicket. Sri Lanka will look for a vastly improved batting performance against hosts England as they try to stay afloat in the Champions Trophy.

SCORE BOARD

England Innings: A Cook (c) lbw R Herath 59, I Bell c KJ Perera & b S Eranga 20, J Trott lbw R Herath 76, J Root c M Jayawardene & b L Malinga 68, E Morgan lbw L Malinga 13, J Buttler (wk) c K Sangakkara & b N Kulasekara 0, R Bopara not out 33, T Bresnan b S Eranga 4, S Broad not out 7. Extras: 13. Total: 293. Bowling: Nuwan Kulasekara 10-0-42-1, Lasith Malinga 10-2-58-2, Shaminda Eranga 10-0-80-2, Angelo Mathews (c) 6-0-28-0, Rangana Herath 10-0-46-2, Tillakaratne Dilshan 4-0-29-0.

Sri Lanka Innings: K J Perera c R Bopara & b J Anderson 6, T Dilshan c J Root & b G Swann 44, K Sangakkara (wk) not out 134, M Jayawardene c (sub) J Bairstow & b J Anderson 42, N Kulasekara not out 58. Extras: 13. Total: 297. Bowling: James Anderson 10-0-51-2, Stuart Broad 8.1-0-67-0, Tim Bresnan 10-0-63-0, Joe Root 3-0-27-0, Graeme Swann 10-0-50-1, Ravi Bopara 6-0-33-0.

Agencies, Kochi Reiterating that he believed in Indian Judiciary, India speedstar Sreesanth, who was arrested and released on bail in the alleged spot-fixing in the sixth edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), today expressed his strong desire to come back to Team India.

Talking to reporters at his residence after he arrived his home after spending 27 days in Tihar Jail, he said, ‘I want to play again. This is my great desire. I will start my training soon. After 27 days I have to take good food.’ Expressing gratitude to all, he said he was very happy to get bail and arrive in his city. Stating that he could prove his innocence in the case, Sreesanth said, ‘I have already stated that I have confidence in judiciary.

Whatever may be, I got bail and the trial will begin soon. I am waiting for the outcome.’ Stating that he wanted to forget all the past, he said such a situation should not come to even his enemies as the experience was so pathetic in the Tihar Jail. Asked whether he had any feeling that he was trapped in the case, he said, ‘I am not making any remarks on trapping. I can say one thing, wait and have patience. I know I did not make any mistake. Even though there was some conspiracy in my arrest, I hope that all truth in this regard would come out soon and all will be smooth.’

When asked whether Jitu Janardhan was involved in the episode, the ace blower replied, ‘I have no complaint against anybody. Because, I came know from there (Delhi) that he also did not commit any mistake. So I am not complaining against any one.’ Sreesanth said though no BCCI officials visited the jail, they all supported him through messages, as there was no communication facility available in the jail. He expressed hope that he would join Team India on the South African tour and would come back with wickets, even though he had doubts about his inclusion in the Indian squad.

Agencies, Birmingham The Champions Trophy Group A match between Australia and New Zealand was abandoned because of rain at Edgbaston, here today. New Zealand had reached 51 for two from 15 overs chasing 244 for victory when rain forced the players off the field and the umpires called the game off at 1815 local time.

New Zealand needed to bat for at least 20 overs for a result to be determined by the Duckworth/Lewis scoring method so both teams were awarded one point each. New Zealand top the group standings with three points from two matches and Australia, who lost to England in their opener, have one. England will qualify for the semi-finals if they beat Sri Lanka tomorrow. The Australians, missing injured captain Michael Clarke and suspended opener David Warner, struggled on a slow wicket after winning the toss.

Shane Watson was caught by wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi off fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan for five and Phil Hughes was run out for nought after sharp work by Martin Guptill to leave Australia reeling on 10 for two. Captain George Bailey and Matthew Wade steadied the innings with a third-wicket partnership of 64 and Bailey scored 55 off 91 balls before he was bowled by spinner Nathan McCullum. Adam Voges made a breezy 71 off 76 balls, including seven fours, but he became McClenaghan’s third victim when he mistimed a full toss straight to Brendon McCullum at short extra cover. Experienced New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori completed miserly figures of none for 23 from his 10 overs and McClenaghan took four for 65.

Glenn Maxwell collected 18 runs off the 49th over, including two sixes, to lift Australian hopes. New Zealand also struggled in reply, pace bowler Clint McKay claiming the wickets of openers Martin Guptill (8) and Ronchi (14) before the rain came. Australia, already without captain Michael Clarke because of a recurrence of his longstanding back problem, suffered a fresh blow before play started when opening batsman Warner was dropped as a disciplinary measure. Warner was left out following allegations he’d physically assaulted Root in a Birmingham bar in the early hours of Sunday morning following the defeat by England. Adam Voges’ top-scored with 71 in a total of 243 for eight with George Bailey, Australia’s stand-in captain, making 55 after winning the toss.

New Zealand left-arm quick Mitchell McClenaghan took four for 65. There was a moment of unintentional humour before play started when, during a montage of messages from team captains on the giant screens at Edgbaston, Clarke urged spectators to “drink within their boundaries”. But there was nothing funny for Australia about a collapse to 10 for two in what was a repeat of the 2009 Champions Trophy final they won in South Africa. Shane Watson was caught behind off McClenaghan and Phillip Hughes was run out for nought by Martin Guptill, racing in from cover. But coming in at 10 for two, Bailey — who said Tuesday now was not the time for Australia “panic stations” — calmly repaired the early damage.

New Zealand off-spinner Nathan McCullum (two for 46) checked Australia’s progress with the wickets of Matthew Wade and Bailey. Voges fell when he holed out off McClenaghan. But Glenn Maxwell, brought in for Warner, added late impetus with an unbeaten 29 off just 22 balls including two sixes and a four. The Black Caps’ reply started in fine style when Luke Ronchi, a former Australia international now playing for his native New Zealand, drove Mitchell Johnson through the covers for four.

But New Zealand were soon 26 for two as Clint McKay had Guptill caught at point and Ronchi taken at gully. Kane Williamson was 18 not out and Ross Taylor unbeaten on nine when the match was halted. New Zealand conclude their group programme against England in Cardiff on Sunday, with Australia facing Sri Lanka at The Oval on Monday.

Agencies, Cardiff Chasing 139 to win, New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by one wicket in their Group A match of the Champions Trophy which was held at Cardiff on Sunday.

Barring former skipper Kumar Sangakkara who stood tall amidst ruins, scoring 68 off 87 balls with eight boundaries, others simply didn’t have any clue against controlled seam bowling by seasoned Kyle Mills (2/14) and young left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan (4/43).

Spinners Daniel Vettori (1/16) and offie Nathan McCullum (2/23) also complemented the pacers well as Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals. Such was the dismal show of the batsmen that as many as eight out of 11 failed to reach double figures. As Sangakkara waged a lone battle, he never had anyone who was able to stay long enough to put up a semblance of fight.

It was skipper Brendon McCullum’s inspirational catch in the slips off the very first delivery of the match that set the tone. Kusal Perera (0) flashed hard at an outgoing delivery from Mills as McCullum pulled off a stunner in the slip cordon. Tillakaratne Dilshan (20) hit a few boundaries before he was cleaned up by McClenaghan with a fuller delivery.

Their miseries compounded when Mahela Jayawardene (4) padded an arm ball from Vettori, while talented Dinesh Chandimal (0) got an inside edge off Mills. At 34 for four, Angelo Mathews (9) joined Sangakkara and the duo added 31 runs before the shipper shuffled a wee bit too much to lose his leg-stump off McClenaghan. The other notable partnership was between Sangakkara and Thisara Perera (15) for seventh wicket that yielded 36 runs.

SCORE BOARD

New Zealand Innings: M Guptill c M Jayawardene & b S Eranga 25, L Ronchi (wk) c K Sangakkara & b S Eranga 7, K Williamson lbw L Malinga 16, R Taylor lbw R Herath 0, J Franklin lbw T Dilshan 6, B McCullum (c) b L Malinga 18, D Vettori lbw L Malinga 5, N McCullum lbw L Malinga 32, T Southee not out 13, K Mills runout (T Perera) 3, M McClenaghan not out 1. Extras: 13. Total: 139. Bowling: Lasith Malinga 10-2-34-4, Shaminda Eranga 8-0-45-2, Rangana Herath 10-0-36-1, Tillakaratne Dilshan 6.3-1-12-1, Thisara Perera 2-0-4-0.

Sri Lanka Innings: K J Perera c B McCullum & b K Mills 0, T Dilshan b M McClenaghan 20, K Sangakkara (wk) c K Williamson & b N McCullum 68, M Jayawardene lbw D Vettori 4, D Chandimal c L Ronchi & b K Mills 0, A Mathews (c) b M McClenaghan 9, L Thirimanne runout (K Williamson) 9, T Perera c D Vettori & b M McClenaghan 15, R Herath not out 8, S Eranga c K Mills & b N McCullum 0, L Malinga c Ross Taylor & b M McClenaghan 2. Extras: 3. Total: 138. Bowling: Kyle Mills 6-0-14-2, Mitchell McClenaghan 8.5-0-43-4, Daniel Vettori 6-1-16-1, Tim Southee 7-1-25-0, Nathan McCullum 8-0-23-2, Kane Williamson 2-0-16-0.

Agencies, New Delhi Chasing 171 runs, West Indies held their nerves to pull off a nerve-wrecking 2-wicket victory over Pakistan in their Champions Trophy clash at The Oval in London on Friday. West Indies did seem to lose the plot at one stage when their batsmen crumbled against a fiery Pakistan bowling attack.

In the end, however, Kemar Roach (5*) and Denesh Ramdin (11*) played it cool and took the match home for the Windies with 56 balls to spare. The Windies struggled throughout their innings as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Dwayne Bravo was the latest casualty for West Indies when he was caught plumb by Saeed Ajmal soon after Kieron Pollard fell victim to Wahab Riaz. Riaz had Pollard (30) caught behind by Kamran Akmal after the West Indian put up a fighting 43-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Dwayne Bravo.

While Ajmal put a serious dent to the chase when he dismissed dangerous Chris Gayle (39) with his doosra, Mohammad Hafeez got the big wicket of Marlon Samuels (30). Hafeez bowled a little wide, just out of Samuels reach and got him stumped. Gayle and Marlon Samuels had managed to steady the West Indies run chase by building a 63-run partnership for the third wicket after they found themselves in early trouble by the loss of two wickets. Riaz bowled beautifully to take out veteran Ramnaresh Sarwan for just a run. Facing a short-pitch delivery, Sarwan uncomfortably tried to steer it away from his body but failed in his attempt. Instead, he edged it towards the wicket-keeper.

Mohammad Irfan led the Pakistan bowling attack by dismissing Johnson Charles and Darren Bravo early to rattle the West Indies batsmen. The 7-foot pacer managed to extract extra bounce from the pitch which troubled the batsmen constantly. Irfan took out Charles (9) with a bouncer. In his next over, he bowled a short-pitch delivery which Darren Bravo failed to successfully manoeuvre and edged it to the wicket-keeper. Left-arm pacer Junaid Khan provided an apt support to Irfan from the other end by maintaining the pressure on West Indies batsmen. The West Indies innings started after a 20 minutes delay due to rain. Earlier, a disciplined West Indian bowling attack led by Kemar Roach and Sunil Narine bundled out Pakistan for 170 runs.

Late charge by skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (96 n.o.) failed to take Pakistan over the 200-mark. Misbah kept running out of partners on the other end as West Indies bowlers took wickets at regular intervals. From the beginning, Pakistan batsmen were unable to break the shackles put into place by West Indian bowlers. Kemar Roach had started the rot with his aggressive spells which saw Pakistan struggling at 15/3. Pakistan’s downfall started with the wicket of opener Imran Farhat (2). Roach had bowled a length delivery which Farhat had tried to cut but, instead, got a healthy edge towards the slips where skipper Dwayne Bravo took it with one-hand. Next to go was much experienced batsman Mohammad Hafeez (4).

Roach bowled a quick but fuller delivery, wide off the crease. Hafeez completely missed the line and was cleaned bowled. Roach’s third victim was Asad Shafiq. The West Indies pacer bowled a short-pitch bouncer to the batsman who tried to cut the bowl but was taken by Ravi Rampaul at short-leg. The lanky pacer ended his spell with impressive figures of 28/3. After getting off to a shaky start, skipper Misbah-ul-Haq along with opener Nasir Jamshed (50) tried to consolidate the crumbling Pakistan innings by putting up a 90-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

It was the highest partnership for Pakistan in the game. Both Misbah and Jamshed completed their half-centuries to give their dug-out a sigh of relief. But Jamshed gave his wicket away straight after reaching his seventh ODI fifty when he failed to drive a Sunil Narine delivery over the covers. Ravi Rampaul took a simple catch in the long-off. Next man to bat Shoaib Mallik did not understand the need of the hour to stay put and lofted the ball at mid-wicket straight to Dwayne Bravo. Mallik went for a duck giving Narine his second wicket.

Kamran Akmal (2) was the next person to walk back to the pavillion after failing to pick the carrom ball and edging it back to the wicket-keeper. With the dismissal of Akmal, Pakistan’s tailenders came into play but they too were not able to contribute much to the scoreboard. Wahab Riaz was run out as he tried to back up Misbah too far and while Saeed Ajmal too got run out trying to take a run where there was none.

Chris Gayle took a superb catch in the slips off a Dwayne Bravo delivery to dismiss Junaid Khan who went back to the pavilion without adding any runs to the scoreboard. Last batsman Mohammad Irfan tried to give his skipper the much-needed support to help Pakistan get to a decent total. But a short-ball by Rampaul saw Irfan out and Mibah gutted as he was denied his century after fighting hard for his team. Earlier, West Indies captain Bravo won the toss and chose to bowl against Pakistan.

SCORE BOARD

Pakistan Innings: I Farhat c DJ Bravo & b K Roach 2, N Jamshed c R Rampaul & b S Narine 50, M Hafeez b K Roach 4, A Shafiq c R Rampaul & b K Roach 0, Misbah-ul-Haq(c) not out 96, S Malik c DJ Bravo & b S Narine 0, K Akmal(wk) c D Ramdin & b S Narine 2, W Riaz runout (DJ Bravo) 6, S Ajmal runout (R Rampaul) 2, J Khan c C Gayle & b DJ Bravo 0, M Irfan c DJ Bravo & b R Rampaul 2, Extras b – 0, lb – 1, w – 5, nb – 0, Total – 6. Total: (170 all out in 48 overs) 170 (3.54 runs per over) Bowling: Kemar Roach 10-4-28-3, Ravi Rampaul 10-0-39-1, Dwayne Bravo(c) 9-0-29-1, Marlon Samuels 5-0-17-0, Sunil Narine 10-1-34-3, Kieron Pollard 4-0-22-0
West Indies Innings: C Gayle b S Ajmal 39, J Charles c W Riaz & b M Irfan 9, D Bravo c K Akmal & b M Irfan 0, M Samuels st K Akmal & b M Hafeez 30, R Sarwan c K Akmal & b W Riaz 1, K Pollard c K Akmal & b W Riaz 30, D Bravo(c) lbw S Ajmal 19, D Ramdin(wk) not out 11, S Narine c K Akmal & b M Irfan 11, K Roach not out 5, Extras b – 0, lb – 10, w – 5, nb – 2, Total – 17 Total: (172 for 8 in 40.4 overs) 172 (4.23 runs per over) Bowling: Mohammad Irfan 9-0-32-3, Junaid Khan 7.4-0-36-0, Saeed Ajmal 10-1-38-2, Wahab Riaz 10-1-42-2, Mohammad Hafeez 4-0-14-1

Agencies, Dubai

“It is never easy but the Indian team has a good set-up. It will be the first time it will be in a world championship without the great man but I strongly believe the India team has a good record and a good team to go out there and do really well,” Kumble was quoted as saying in an ICC release.

Describing Sachin Tendulkar`s impact on the world cricket, Kumble said it won`t be easy to replace someone like Tendulkar in the ODI format.
“It is never easy to replace someone like Sachin Tendulkar. Not just because of his on-field credentials but what he brings outside of it in terms of the respect that India gets.

“The atmosphere changes when he walks onto the field whether it is in India, Pakistan, Australia or England. Wherever he has toured, people have come to watch him play. This is something the people of the UK will probably miss during the ICC Champions Trophy,” he added.
Kumble, one of the legends of the game, who played 132 Tests and 271 ODIs, said the Champions Trophy in England will be a challenging and closely fought tournament in which the momentum of the sides will be crucial.

“Momentum will be the key to success in this short and sharp tournament, and the teams will need to get the momentum right from the very start and carry it on throughout the tournament. You cannot afford a hiccup. It`s a great format where every match counts and every match is like a final. That`s the criticality of every game in the ICC Champions Trophy,” said Kumble, who took 337 ODI wickets in his illustrious career. “The event is in the early part of the English summer, so the other big challenge would be to adapt to the conditions, which could potentially change even during the course of a match.

That`s the beauty about playing in the United Kingdom,” he added.
He said the fitness of match-winners will also play an important role during the June 6-23 tournament. “As the ICC Champions Trophy will be at the back of the India Premier League as well as a few international series, the fitness of key players will be extremely important.

I think advantage will be with the side that will have the most match-winners fit and available for selection,” said Kumble, one of the most respected and influential voices in cricket. The ICC Champions Trophy will be staged at Cardiff Wales Stadium, Edgbaston and The Oval.

Australia, which has been placed in Group A along with England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, will be aiming to complete a hat-trick of titles having won the event in 2006 and 2009. Group B includes traditional rivals India and Pakistan, as well as South Africa and West Indies.

Kumble was a member of the India side that was declared joint-winner with Sri Lanka in the ICC Champions Trophy 2002, and also played in the 1998 and 2000 editions when the event was called ICC Knock-Out.
He said teams will have to be on top of its game from the first ball.
“It is a great event because the format is so tight and tough. You will have to be on top of your game from ball number one. There are other teams that are playing really well in the ODI format. So, everyone will be keen to win the tournament.

“The Champions Trophy is a great preamble to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. In 18 days of cricket, you will see in action all the best cricketers from the top eight countries in what will be a great spectacle,” said Kumble.
India will take on South Africa in the tournament opener in Cardiff on June 6.

Agencies, St Petersburg A shock International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to remove wrestling from the 2020 Olympic Games programme and then include it in a shortlist of sports for those Games was no mistake, IOC president Jacques Rogge said today.

Wrestling was taken off the programme in February in a move that stunned the sporting world but it managed to join baseball/softball and squash this week as one of three sports that will be considered for inclusion in the 2020 Games. The IOC will elect the winning sport at its session in Buenos Aires in September. “I do not see shortcomings in the system, I do not see errors in the system,” Rogge told reporters at the end of a three-day executive board meeting.

The IOC set out to revamp the Games programme to make it more relevant to a younger generation of fans and sponsors but, with wrestling back as a candidate for inclusion, the procedure has been heavily criticised for having achieved little change. “We do not want change for change,” Rogge said. “The purpose is to have the best possible Olympic Games.” Rogge, whose 12-year stint at the helm of the IOC comes to an end in September, said the body had been adding sports to the programme for decades before deciding to cap the number at 28. “When I was elected (in 2001) we were at the end of a period where sports were only added – from 20 (sports) at the Seoul Games in 1988 to 28 in Sydney in 2000.

“There was a need to put a cap on the size of the Games but we felt we could not freeze the programme and we needed change.” Rogge said the IOC’s decision in February to exclude wrestling, which had been in every Games since 1896 apart from 1900, was right as it prompted immediate changes within the federation and the sport. He shrugged off suggestions that a return of wrestling to the Games at the IOC session in Buenos Aires would defeat the purpose of the exercise. “If there is the consideration that one sport is better than the other it should be chosen even if it is an existing sport,” said the Belgian surgeon.

“Do not bring a new one in for the sake of a new one.” IOC Vice-President Thomas Bach, seen as a frontrunner to succeed Rogge, said wrestling had got the message and shaped up just in time. The sport made changes in rules and competitions and in its organisation and took action on gender equality. “Wrestling gave a very good presentation, you could clearly see they got the message,” Bach, one of six presidential hopefuls, said. “They took the right decisions. Sometimes for great reforms you need pressure.”

Agencies, Mumbai Speaking for the first time since the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing scandal broke out, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar today said the events of the last two weeks have been ‘shocking and disappointing’. ‘Developments in the last two weeks have been shocking and disappointing,’ said Tendulkar in a statement.

Tendulkar said the authorities must take sincere steps to get to the root of the issue and ensure that credibility of the game is restored. The champion batsman, who retired from IPL after his side Mumbai Indians won the title recently, said as a cricketer he has always learnt to play in the true spirit of the game. ‘It has always hurt me when the game of cricket is in the news for the wrong reasons. The developments in the last two weeks have been shocking and disappointing.

As cricketers we are always taught to go out, fight hard, give our very best and play in the true spirit of the game,’ Tendulkar said. The master blaster said it was important that the authorities get to the root of the problem. ‘During this difficult phase, I join every cricketer, from the boys in the maidans across the country to those who represent clubs, states and the country, who trust the authorities to take sincere steps to get to the root of the issue,’ he added. ‘The faith reposed by the millions of fans should be justified and we owe it to them to ensure that Indian cricket is all about pride and joy,’ the statement added. Tendulkar’s statement on the spot-fixing scandal is of great importance since none of the current Indian cricketers have spoken on the issue, since it broke out about two weeks ago.

Agencies, Birmingham MS Dhoni said on Thursday that the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal controversy has not affected the reputation of Indian cricket, and he will speak about the issue at the right time. Dhoni said, “Indian cricket’s reputation not affected because of spot-fixing scandal.

I will answer questions on controversies definitely when the time comes. I want to keep the side away from everything.” He added: “Let’s just say there are some people in Indian cricket who are mentally weak. Indian cricket’s reputation is not affected by the spot-fixing scandal. I have not answered questions regarding this [scandal] to the Indian media and I will not answer the English media as well.”

Dhoni insisted that he will speak on the issue at the right time, as he wants the team to concentrate on the ICC Champions Trophy 2013. “I will definitely answer questions on the controversy at the right time. I want to keep the team away from everything but the Champions Trophy at the moment.” Dhoni saod. The Indian captain, having avoided the media before and after the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL), maintained a stoic silence on the spot-fixing scandal that has, among others, also led to the arrest of CSK’s Team principal Gurunath Meiyappan during his press conference on May 28 in Mumbai.

On expected lines, BCCI issued a diktat that the journalists attending the press conference won’t be allowed to ask questions on the spot-fixing scandal, which rocked the cash-rich league leading after the arrest of three cricketers including India international S Sreesanth, PTI reported. Meanwhile, BCCI President N Srinivasan has rejected the allegations of the board gagging Dhoni during a press conference, ahead of the team’s departure to England for the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.

Agencies, New Delhi In a new development, IPL governing council today appointed a three-member commission to probe into spot-fixing scandal. The panel comprises of two retired judges and Honorary Secretary BCCI.

Two independent members are-Justices T Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian. The third member is Honorary Secretary BCCI Sanjay Jagdale. The three-member panel shall inquire into the IPL spot-fixing scandal and submit its report to IPL governing council. Mumbai police and Delhi police are already investigating the scandal. Meanwhile, S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan have been sent to judicial custody till June 4.

Former Indian Captain Kapil Dev has come out in defence of BCCI president N Srinivasan. In an interview to an English news channel, Mr Dev said Srinivasan cannot be penalised for the actions of his relative and when asked straight question whether you would have resigned had you been in place of Srinivasan, the former captain said ‘No’.

Kolkata: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, who announced his retirement from IPL last night after his team, Mumbai Indians won the championship, for the maiden time, at the Eden Gardens, feels there could not be any better send-off for him.

“This is my last IPL season. I think this is the right time to stop. I am retiring from it. The journey has been fantastic and this is the icing on the cake!” Sachin, in a post-match interview announced that he has played his last IPL match. “I am happy that the sending was perfect. For World Cup I had to wait for 21 years but for this I had to wait for only six years. Also this is special for me as I won’t be playing in IPL next season,’ the maestro added.

The ace cricketer, who injured his hand, was not part of the playing eleven in the final against the Chennai Super Kings but feels its the right time to call it a day. “I think this is the right time to stop playing IPL. Just got to accept the reality that this would be my last season. I can’t just wait to touch the trophy and this is the right time to say thank you to everyone. It’s never too late to win a trophy,’ a beaming Tendulkar said when another legend Sunil Gavaskar asked whether he would play opening match of Mumbai Indians at Wankhede next year.

Asked about how it felt playing at 40, he said, “Anil (Kumble) said that 40 is just a number. There were optional practise days but entire team turned up. Things don’t come easily but we were prepared to go through the grind.” The iconic batsman also thanked his fans for their unrelenting support. “A big thank you to all the supporters. I think this is the right time to stop playing this tournament. I’m 40 and have to accept the reality. The tournament is exciting but it’s tiring as well. The body clock changes and there is no time to rest.

With all that, a lot of adjustments are required and it has been a fantastic outing for us this year,” he said. Mumbai Indians thrashed CSK in the final by 23-runs to lift the title for the maiden time. Meanwhile, with yesterday’s loss, CSK became the first team to have lost two consecutive finals IPL finals – to Kolkata in 2012 and to Mumbai in 2013. CSK also lost the inaugural final to Rajasthan Royals in 2008.

Agencies, New Delhi Former captain Sunil Gavaskar feels that inclusion of IPL governing council members in the commission to enquire into the charges levelled against Chennai Super Kings official Gurunath Meiyappan should not arise any doubts whatsoever on the fairness of the probe.

BCCI president N Srinivasan on Sunday announced that the Meiyappan issue would be probed by a three-man commission with two from the five-member IPL governing council being members and that has led to questions on whether the inquiry would be fair or not. Gavaskar does not see any issue in two IPL GC members being part of the probe. “For us to doubt the integrity of the IPL GC members is not just on.

It is not fair to doubt their integrity only because of the fact that they are going to probe the Gurunath issue,” Gavaskar said. “The BCCI has probed many things connected with internal matters of the Board and if there were no issues in those how can there be any problem in this case? The call of the three-man Commission will have to be respected,” he said. On the speculation that former captain and IPL GC member Ravi Shastri could be a member of the commission, Gavaskar said, “I don’t know anything about the composition of the commission, but I think Ravi would not be able to give much time in the coming days as he would be commentating during the Champions Trophy in UK.” On a comment by former India opener Arun Lal, who also took part in the programme, Gavaskar said, “I want to clarify that I and Ravi are not currently contracted to the BCCI.”

Gavaskar said that the issue of whether Meiyappan was a team principal or owner of CSK would have to be dealt by the commission. “The three Rajasthan Royals players who were arrested were contracted players of the franchise. But as far as Meiyappan is concerned, the team management has said that he was not connected with the team. The whole issue will be looked into by the Commission,” he said. Asked about Srinivasan describing S Sreesanth and his two Rajasthan Royals teammates as accused while he did not do so while referring to Gurunath, Gavasakar said it was just a matter of semantics.

“It is a matter of this or that. Not everybody is fluent in their language. Many a times you cannot express what you want to convey. It’s not a big deal and let’s not go about these semantics. All these people are under investigation by national agencies. Let the police complete their investigation,” he said.

Admitting that he takes Kolkata Knight Riders` defeats “personally”, superstar Shahrukh Khan Sunday stressed that the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches have been a learning experience for him and his children. “I got to learn a lot (from IPL)…to learn how to lose but not become losers.

My children have also learnt a lot. “They haven`t learnt that much from my profession. But this completely uncontrolled, unbridled excitement,ups and downs and not knowing what`s happening has taught them to be better people. So I thank IPL,” Shah Rukh told a TV channel while promoting his forthcoming release “Chennai Express”. Conceding to missing most of his team`s matches in the series, he said he has to juggle with the entertainment aspect in both cricket and films. “I couldn`t come (to Eden Gardens).

I was shooting my film and am injured too…I wanted to complete the movie.. I had a choice though. People would have been happy anyway watching the league matches,whether I am present or absent. “Or if my film comes out , people will be happy watching it too. I have to balance it out between cricket`s entertainment and film`s entertainment,” said Shah Rukh. , whose “Chennai Express” comes out on Aug 8. The Bollywood `badshah` admitted feeling “really sad” when his team, KKR, does not perform to expectations. “I missed all the matches.. specially we didn`t make it to the play offs.

We are the defending champions. When my team was not doing well, I feel really sad. I take it personally in terms of my emotions.. in terms of my children because I feel their life`s learnings are through this IPL,” he said. Of the 16 IPL matches KKR played, the team won six and lost 10, thereby ruining its chances of qualifying for the play-offs this season. Eden Gardens hosted the final of the sixth edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) between two-time champions Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians Sunday.

Agencies, Kolkata

The board also confirmed that it had encashed part of the franchise’s bank guarantee.
‘The BCCI can however, confirm that, in order to satisfy the balance of the 2013 franchise fee of Rs 120 crore, which was overdue and owing to BCCI since April 3, 2013, it has encashed part of the bank guarantee put in place by Sahara Adventure Sports Limited,’ a statement, issued by BCCI Honorary Secretary Sanjay Jagdale said.

‘Once the April 3, 2013 due date had passed, the Governing Council had two letters sent to Sahara Adventure Sports Limited – one on April 12, 2013 and the second on April 24, 2013 – requesting settlement of the overdue amount,’ the BCCI statement said.
‘No payment was made and no response was received to the second letter and so, in order to protect its interests, the BCCI was forced to encash the guarantee,’ it added.
Yesterday, Sahara had issued a press release saying it was withdrawing from the IPL over financial differences with the BCCI.

Sahara had also complained that the process of arbitration which began soon after the franchise initially pulled out in February, 2012 was not progressing as the BCCI had not agreed on any arbitrator. But BCCI retorted by claiming that it was Sahara which was stalling the negotiations.

‘The BCCI cannot be held responsible since every one of the eminent retired judges suggested by the BCCI was not found acceptable by the franchisee,’ the board said.
‘In order to break this impasse, a letter was sent to Sahara Adventure Sports Limited, proposing that as the claimant to the arbitration, it should approach the court to
appoint an arbitrator so that the process could move forward. Again, no response was received to this suggestion,’ the BCCI statement said.

BCCI claimed that it had always ‘acted in accordance with its franchise agreement’ with Sahara Adventure Sports Limited, and was not able to enter into a private negotiation on the quantum of the franchise fee which was offered by Sahara Adventure Sports Limited in its response to the Invitation to Tender floated by the BCCI in March
2010.

Brad Hodge’s late order blitzkrieg helped  Rajasthan Royals romp home in the Eliminator I of the IPL 2013  as they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by four wickets at the Feroz  Shah Kotla ground here tonight.

Hodge, who scored 54 off just 29 deliveries, kept his calm under intense situation as the Royals were reduced to 102 for 6  at one stage by some disciplined bowling from the Hyderabad side. His match-winning knock was studded with two boundaries and five massive sixes.

With the Royals needing 10 from the last over, Hodge dispatched Sammy for two consecutive maximums in the first two deliveries to bring the smiles back to the side, which was marred by the spot-fixing scandal in the past week with three players S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan in the middle of the ‘royal’ mess.
Chasing a tricky target, the Royals did not have the most auspicious of starts as they lost skipper Rahul Dravid cheaply for just 12 runs.

Dravid, who got a leading edge was caught at point by Karan Sharma off Ishant Sharma. His 10-ball innings composed three boundaries. After the fall of Dravid, Aussie all-rounder Shane Watson joined opener Ajinkya Rahane and the duo played cautiously taking the score past 50 in the seventh over. Watson, however, fell in the very next ball after hitting a brilliant four and was caught brilliantly by Darren Sammy at the boundary line off leggie Karan Sharma. Wickets began to tumble after Watson’s dismissal as Sammy uprooted the stumps of keeper-batsman Dishant Yagnik, who failed to open his account.

With his team tottering at 53 for three, the onus was on Rahane, who however, failed to handle the pressure and was brilliantly caught and bowled by leg-spinner Amit Mishra.
Rahane hit a lone six in his 18 off 20 balls. All-rounder Stuart Binny, who came to the crease at the fall of Rahane, showed much hara-kiri and was bowled by Sammy leaving the side reeling at 57 for 5.

Royals, who were recovering from the early jolts, raced to the 100-run mark in the 16th over with Brad Hodge and Sanju Samson steadying the ship with a 45-run stand.
Samson, who scored 10 from 21 balls, however, fell to a fast, furious and swinging delivery from Dale Steyn leaving the Royals’ at 102 for 6 at the end of the 16th over.
For the Sunrisers, Mishra kept a tight miserly line leaking only 16 runs from his four overs with one wicket. Sammy scalped two wickets for the Sunrisers. Hodge was delared the man-of-the-match for his knock. With this morale-boosting win, the Royals will now take on Mumbai Indians in the second qualifier on May 24 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

SCORE BOARD

Rajasthan Innings: R Dravid (c) c Karan Sharma & b I Sharma 12, A Rahane c & b A Mishra 18, S Watson c D Sammy & b Karan Sharma 24, D Yagnik (wk) b D Sammy 0, S Binny b D Sammy 2, S Samson lbw D Steyn 10, B Hodge not out 54, J Faulkner not out 11. Extras: 4. Total: 135. Bowling: Dale Steyn 4-0-23-1, Ishant Sharma 3-0-31-1, Thisara Perera 3-0-14-0, Karan Sharma 2-0-24-1, Darren Sammy 3.2-0-27-2, Amit Mishra 4-1-16-1.

Hyderabad Innings: P Patel (wk) c Samson & b V Malik 1, S Dhawan c S Trivedi & b J Faulkner 33, H Vihari c K Cooper & b V Malik 1, C White (c) c K Cooper & b S Trivedi 31, D Sammy runout (D Yagnik) 29, T Perera c D Yagnik & b S Watson 11, B Samantray runout (J Faulkner) 14, K Sharma not out 2, D Steyn not out 4. Extras: 6. Total: 132. Bowling: Vikramjeet Malik 3-0-14-2, James Faulkner 4-0-28-1, Shane Watson 4-0-32-1, Siddharth Trivedi 4-0-18-1, Kevon Cooper 4-0-36-0, Stuart Binny 1-0-2-0.

Agencies, New Delhi “Disgusted’’ by the BCCI’s attitude, Sahara Group, owner of Pune Warriors, today pulled out of the cash-rich IPL over financial differences with the national cricket board. The decision comes three years after it bought the franchisee for 370 million dollar.

Sahara said it will not rejoin the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament even if the entire franchise fee was waived off. ‘’…we would not keep the IPL franchisee even if the entire franchisee fee is waived off. It is firm and final decision of Sahara to withdraw from IPL,’’ the Sahara Group said in a statement. ‘’In 2010, Sahara had bid Rs 1700 crore for IPL franchisee on the basis of revenue calculation on 94 matches. It was tricky on the part of BCCI to put the number in media as 94 matches for getting bigger amount. But we got 64 matches only,’’ it added. Pune Warriors finished eighth in the sixth season of the IPL, winning four out of the 16 matches they played.

This is the second time Sahara have pulled out of the IPL; they quit on the day of the 2012 auction and withdrew from sponsorship of the Indian team. ‘’We and Kochi Team immediately protested and requested BCCI to reduce the bid price proportionately for viable IPL proposition. Nothing was heard. We waited with confidence that such a sports body should have sportsmanship spirit,’’ it said. ‘’We continuously requested BCCI for Arbitration from June 2011. But BCCI is only concerned about money and not about the genuine interests of the franchisee. Thus, (when) we could not penetrate BCCI’s deaf ears, we announced our withdrawal in February 2012,’’ it added. Sahara said it was tempted to withdraw from the Indian cricket team’s sponsorship also but refrained from doing so in the interest of the players.

‘’There is a very strong urge in us to withdraw from the Indian Cricket Team Sponsorship from today only. But, interest of the players will suffer if we do so. ‘’We share an excellent relationship with the players and will not want such dedicated sportsmen who serve the country with so committment to get affected financially due to unsporting attitude of the BCCI,’’ the Group said. ‘’So we have given time to BCCI to get the new sponsorship in place from January 2014, as we will continue the national team’s sponsorship only up to December 2013 that’s the expiry date of the present agreement.’’

Agencies, New Delhi Chennai Super Kings made a grand entry into the final for the fifth time in six years after thrashing Mumbai Indians by 48 runs in the first qualifier of IPL VI here on Tuesday tonight. It was indeed a fine all-round display by the MS Dhoni-led side which put them ahead of Mumbai in the enitre game at the jam-packed Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.

Chasing a mammoth total of 192, Mumbai were bundled out for 144 in the 19th over. Earlier, an unbeaten 140-run partnership between Michael Hussey (86) and Suresh Raina (82) powered Chennai to a big total. After the stunning performance with the bat, Chennai excelled in the bowling and fielding. For Chennai, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo were the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets each. Mumbai faltered at the start of the chase as they lost opener Aditya Tare (7) in the second over of their innings off Albie Morkel. Tare was trying to hit over the in-field but failed to meddle it with the middle of the bat and it’s lobbed gently for the fielder Murali Vijay at mid-on.

But the opener Dwayne Smith did not stop there as he smashed five boundaries and four sixes to complete his half century in mere 21 balls. MS Dhoni then made some changes in tactics as he introduced off-spinner R Ashwin in the 8th over but Smith hit a four and a six to unsettle Ashwin. Dhoni called Ravindra Jadeja to ball next over and the left armer got the crucial breakthrough as he dismissed Smith. Smith was looking to tonk it over the leg side but got a thick outside edge that spooned up for Raina to take a straight-forward catch. The West Indian made 75-run partnership with Dinesh Karthik (11) for the second wicket. Jadeja scalped his second wicket of Karthik lbw to make it 95 for three for Mumbai. All the reponsibility was now lying on Kieron Pollard (24) to do some magic for the men-in-blue.

The fans here demanded big hitting from Pollard and the all-rounder did not disappoint his fans as he hit two back to back mega sixes off Jadeja. But the magic did not last for long as the spinner got rid of the West Indian in the very next ball. He was caught by Hussey in the leg side inside the circle. Opting to bat first, Hussey and Raina hit Mumbai bowlers to all parts of the ground as the men-in-blue skipper Rohit Sharma was seen dejected with his pace attack at the jam-packed Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. Hussey hit ten fours and two sixes in his innings facing 58 balls while Raina smashed five boundaries and as many maximums.

Openers Hussey and Murali Vijay (23) got Chennai off to a solid start as the Australian hit a four in the very first ball off pacer Mitchell Johnson. Hussey and Murali took the side past 50 in the seventh over. The Mumbai skipper then introduced Kieron Pollard in the 8th over and the all-rounder gave his side the only wicket of Vijay.

Vijay was caught by Dwayne Smith at deep square-leg. Mr Cricket continued his brilliant run to notch up his sixth half-century of the tournament in just 40 balls with seven hits to the fence. Suresh Raina then joined Hussey and helped Chennai reach three figure mark in the 13th over. The 50-runs partnership between Raina and Hussey came in 33 balls. Raina completed his fifty with a superb six off Pollard. The duo completed their hundered-run partnership in 59 balls.

SCORE BOARD

Mumbai Innings: D Smith c S Raina & b R Jadeja 68, A Tare c M Vijay & b A Morkel 7, D Karthik (wk) lbw R Jadeja 11, R Sharma (c) c DJ Bravo & b C Morris 8, K Pollard c M Hussey & b R Jadeja 24, A Rayudu c C Morris & b Mohit Sharma 15, H Singh c M Vijay & b DJ Bravo 0, M Johnson c S Raina & b DJ Bravo 6, L Malinga c M Hussey & b DJ Bravo 0, P Ojha c DJ Bravo & b Mohit Sharma 0, M Patel not out 0. Extras: 5. Total: 144. Bowling: Mohit Mahipal Sharma 3.4-0-32-2, Albie Morkel 3-0-26-1, Chris Morris 3-0-26-1, Ravichandran Ashwin 2-0-17-0, Ravindra Jadeja 4-0-31-3, Dwayne Bravo 3-0-9-3.

Chennai Innings: M Hussey not out 86, M Vijay c Dwayne Smith & b K Pollard 23, S Raina not out 82. Extras: 1. Total: 192. Bowling: Mitchell Johnson 4-0-40-0, Munaf Patel 3-0-32-0, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-26-0, Lasith Malinga 4-0-45-0, Pragyan Ojha 2-0-20-0, Kieron Pollard 3-0-28-1.

Agencies, London England secured the convincing victory over New Zealand they demanded in the first test at Lord’s but question marks remain over the make-up of their team for the Ashes series against Australia starting in July.

The fast bowling of James Anderson and Stuart Broad was largely responsible for the 170-run win over the New Zealanders who more than held their own for three days of the match against a team ranked six places above them. England openers Alastair Cook and Nick Compton failed to score above 32 in their two innings and with the reliable but limited Jonathan Trott at number three, there is a growing feeling the top order may struggle to lay a solid platform and score quickly enough to put opponents under pressure.

One solution might be to promote Joe Root to open, the 22-year-old enhancing his burgeoning reputation with scores of 40 and 71 against New Zealand made with a blend of careful defence and ruthless attacking strokes. Opening with Root would also free up a place in the middle order for Kevin Pietersen if the powerful right-hander recovers from injury in time to face Australia. Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott believes Compton, despite his two test centuries in the recent series in New Zealand, is struggling. “Nick Compton is under pressure for his place because of the ways he got out at Lord’s,” Boycott wrote in the Daily Telegraph today.

“His strength is patience, concentration, good defence and the ability to bat for long periods and give England the platform for the stroke players later on.” Compton made 16 in the first innings at Lord’s but, frustrated by the accuracy of the New Zealand bowling, he charged down the wicket to spinner Bruce Martin and sliced a catch into the covers. “It was not smart, did not look good and cost him his wicket,” Boycott said. “We were all thinking what the hell did he do that for?” In the second innings Compton was comprehensively bowled by left-armer Neil Wagner. “He was late on an 80 mph delivery with a gap between bat and pad you could drive a bus through,” Boycott said.

“Nick bats with such intensity, expending so much mental energy and there is a rigidity and stiffness to his batting.” NO DANGER Cook, as the captain and with more than 7,000 test runs to his name and 24 centuries, is in no danger of being dropped but Boycott thinks he has a weakness against left-arm fast bowlers. He was dismissed by Trent Boult in both innings at Lord’s, caught by the wicketkeeper and third slip. “Cook has a problem with left-arm over-the-wicket seamers,” Boycott said. “He does not judge the line of what to play and what to leave very well.”

Australia have Mitchell Starc in their squad, a quicker bowler than Boult and one of the best left-arm fast bowlers in the world. “Good footwork is nearly always the key to good batting so he needs to make a bigger stride forward,” Boycott said. “As captain, if the Aussies find a chink in his batting and start getting him out cheaply he will lose confidence. So he needs to sort it out.” Cook was heartened by the form of Anderson and Broad who took 15 wickets between them and bowled New Zealand out for just 68 in their second innings. “Broad has done it on numerous occasions now,” Cook told reporters.

“He bowls in the high 80s and from a great height. With the ball swinging it is very hard. I know as an opening batter that if you challenge off stump as much as he does it is very hard. “That hour of Jimmy and Broady bowling was as good as I have seen as an opening spell.” The second test starts at Headingley, Leeds on Friday and England may consider playing Tim Bresnan on his home ground in place of Steven Finn, who took four wickets in the first innings at Lords’s but struggled for rhythm. Bresnan’s inclusion would also strengthen the lower order batting which failed miserably at Lord’s, with Broad’s unbeaten 26 in the second innings the only double figure score contributed by numbers 7-11 in the England batting line-up.