!!!!!CRICKETER BLOG !!!!!!: 04/01/2009

World Cup shifts base from Lahore to Mumbai

The 2011 World Cup is shifting base from Lahore to Mumbai and India expects to get a "big share" of the 14 matches that were initially allotted to Pakistan.

The Indian board (BCCI) is hosting a meeting in Mumbai tomorrow where the tournament's organising committee will be reconstituted without representatives from Pakistan, which was stripped of its co-host status this month due to the prevailing political situation in the country.

A decision is also expected to be taken to move the tournament's central organising secretariat, its operational nerve centre, from Lahore to Mumbai.

Apparently, the re-allotment of Pakistan's 14 matches will also be discussed at the meeting. "Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are the co-hosts and out of those two, Bangladesh has only one venue to host all the matches," BCCI sources said. "So obviously, India will expect to get a big share of those matches."

The sources, however, admitted that one potential hurdle for the event would be if Pakistan refuses to play its matches in Indian venues because of cross-border political tensions. "In that case, Pakistan's matches will have to held in Lanka or Bangladesh but there's two years to go and it's too early to comment on that now," the sources said.

The ICC executive board on April 17 had resolved not to hold any 2011 World Cup matches in Pakistan because the "uncertain political situation" in the country would have made it difficult to "deliver a safe, secure and successful event".

In January, the PCB had named Salman Sarward Butt, a banker, as managing director of the tournament's central organising secretariat but Haroon Lorgat, the ICC's chief executive, is now expected to announce a new set-up in Mumbai after Tuesday's meeting. Sharad Pawar, the ICC vice-president, heads the tournament's organising committee.

India to host 2011 World Cup final

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India will host the final and one semi-final of the 2011 World Cup while Sri Lanka will stage the other semi-final, the tournament's organising committee decided in Mumbai on Tuesday. India will host 29 of the 49 matches across eight venues, Sri Lanka will host 12 in three venues while Bangladesh will stage eight at two grounds as well as the opening ceremony on February 18, 2011.

The quarter-finals will be shared among the three neighbours, with Bangladesh hosting two. The committee also decided to shift the tournament secretariat from Lahore to Mumbai. BCCI's chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty was appointed the event's managing director in place of Pakistani banker Salman Butt. The organising committee, headed by ICC vice-president Sharad Pawar, will include an operations and planning group comprising the Bangladesh Cricket Board senior vice-president Mahbubul Anam, Indian board secretary N Srinivasan, Sri Lanka's Duleep Mendis and Shetty. Haroon Lorgat, the ICC's chief executive, said IS Bindra, the special adviser to the ICC, would be a key person in the management of the World Cup.

He swept aside questions on whether Pakistan would boycott the World Cup in protest at being denied hosting rights, saying "we will cross the bridge when we come to it." The ICC had to decide on the redistribution of Pakistan's 14 matches after it removed the country from the list of hosts because the "uncertain political situation" would have made it difficult to "deliver a safe, secure and successful event" in Pakistan.

Lorgat said the security concerns of the various ICC members and the players would be addressed with the formation of a special committee headed by Shashank Manohar, the BCCI chief, to oversee security details. "The security arrangements are very important and a special committee... would put together security plans for the successful conduct of the World Cup in 2011," he said.

"We are confident of organising a very successful World Cup," Lorgat said.

The subcontinent last hosted a World Cup in 1996, when India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka shared the games. The final was in Lahore, where Sri Lanka beat favourites Australia in a famous win.

All-round Clarke ensures series lead

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Pakistan's propensity to self-destruct cost them the lead in this series in dramatic manner, a batting collapse against spin handing Australia an improbable win. Michael Clarke, the Australian captain, turned in a superb all-round performance with a gritty 66 in the face of some penetrative spin bowling before picking up 3 for 15 amid Pakistan's middle-order chaos. His spin partners, Nathan Hauritz and Andrew Symonds, helped defend a below-par score of 198 as Pakistan fell short by 27 runs.

Spinners have been making headlines in the IPL in South Africa and the story today wasn't any different in the northern hemisphere. Pakistan's own spin trio strangled the runs and picked up three wickets and, by the time their openers Salman Butt and Ahmed Shehzad added 95, the hosts looked set for a series lead. That's when spin worked its magic again.

The cycle-stand collapse - in which shoddy shot selection played no small part - had strong statistical parallels with Australia's in Dubai during the first ODI. Back then, Australia slipped from 95 for 1 to 122 for 9. Today, Pakistan's collapse started at 95 and ended 76 runs later.

The game had drifted from Australia during the first 22 overs of the chase with Pakistan comfortably placed in terms of the required rate and wickets in hand. Only a lapse in concentration from the batsmen could have resulted in a breakthrough and exactly that caused Butt's downfall when he poked Hauritz to Clarke at first slip. The bowler had caused a few flutters in his previous over when he beat the left-hander and the fielders may have sensed that something was about to give. The next ball stopped on Younis Khan, who chipped it to a diving Andrew Symonds at midwicket and Australia had two in two. Misbah-ul-Haq negotiated the hat-trick ball and, in the next over, hit Symonds for a straight six. That prompted the captain to bring himself on and his move paid immediate dividends, Misbah holing out to long-on off the very first ball. The next delivery was an arm ball that Shehzad failed to read and was bowled. Once again, two off two.

That brought together Malik and Afridi, and there was a period of relative calm for Pakistan, though not without the odd scare - including an appeal for a stumping when the third umpire pressed the button for the red light by mistake. One sensed, though, that Afridi wouldn't last too long - and sure enough, determined to break the shackles with a big hit, he advanced down the track and edged to slip. Pakistan had lost half their side in the space of 28 runs and the Australians, having smelt blood, didn't need a second invitation to move in for the kill.

The rest of the wickets were a blur. A miscommunication between Kamran Akmal and Malik, over a single that was there for the taking, summed up the utter confusion. Two balls later, Akmal chipped Bracken to mid-on and he too was history. Yasir Arafat went for a slog and was bowled, Tanvir pulled and top-edged before Umar Gul threw his bat and was bowled Stuart Clark, bringing the match to an end

The drama overshadowed Australia's own struggles with the bat, and Clarke's return to form couldn't have come at a better moment. He was the spinners' bunny in South Africa and in the first ODI but today the fluency returned. He walked in after James Hopes' run-out - off a direct hit by Younis - and eased off the blocks with some crisply timed shots and soft punches down the ground off the seamers. He added 46 for the third wicket with Haddin to help Australia after the loss of two quick wickets.

His effort against the spinners was more impressive given that the ball was gripping and turning and Afridi was varying his pace and slipping in the odd googly. While he attacked the batsmen and looked to pick up wickets, the others - Malik and Saeed Ajmal - teased with flight and cramped the batsmen for room and in general kept it simple.

Clarke wasn't afraid to use his feet but Afridi cleverly dropped the ball short and forced him to defend. He hit the odd wide delivery to the boundary and began to push the singles with a lot more ease in the company of Callum Ferguson, who managed to rotate the strike with Clarke in a 54-run stand, though it included a 10-over spell without a boundary.

Clarke broke the spell with a cover-driven boundary off Ajmal and, in the 38th over, Australia took the batting Powerplay. Clarke pulled Afridi to square leg but the bowler had his revenge when he fired one short, quick and forced the batsman to check his shot. He ended up chipping it tamely to Afridi and was gone - but not before a match-winning 66.

Tendulkar and Jayasuriya overwhelm Kolkata

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Many a time over the last 15 years or so fans of this great game have wondered what it would be like if Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya opened together in a limited-overs game and really turned it on. Today they got a glimpse.

The two masters of the limited-overs game, with a combined age of nearly 76, treated Port Elizabeth to the cleanest, purest exhibition of batting that this season of the IPL has seen. Tendulkar paved the way with a sublime innings and Jayasuriya followed suit with an explosive hand, the veteran pair combining to raise a century stand in 52 balls that flummoxed Kolkata Knight Riders. That stunning opening assault formed the crux of Mumbai Indians' 187 and though Kolkata restricted the damage with six wickets for 48 runs after the tactical break, the damage had been done. Their only realistic chance at victory rested on their explosive openers' shoulders but once they were gone inside three overs the chase was basically kaput.

Mumbai's first five overs were busy, without being spectacular. Tendulkar was beaten a couple times by Ishant Sharma but upper-cut a six and flicked a four in Ashok Dinda's first over. That set the tone for a busy innings, taken up a level when he pulled Ishant for six from outside off stump.

While Tendulkar whisked the ball off his pads and slapped through point, Jayasuriya didn't get much strike. His first shot in anger was a chip just over extra cover's fingertips and a signature clip to fine leg followed. Mumbai were 45 for 0 in five overs. What followed was carnage.

Jayasuriya, who was on 8 as Tendulkar scurried to 30, launched Sourav Ganguly's gentle military-medium stuff for consecutive sixes; Tendulkar swept Ajantha Mendis for six; Chris Gayle went for ten in six balls; Mendis was dumped for two sixes by each batsman in his second over. Tendulkar's fourth six, a deft pick-up over midwicket off Mendis, raised his fifty from 34 balls. Jayasuriya had blasted 33 from 13 balls. The 100 was up in 8.4 overs. When the tactical break was taken Tendulkar was 60 off 39 and Jayasuriya 43 off 21, Mumbai 111 for 0.

For a man who has only played one international Twenty20, Tendulkar batted with amazing fluency. He got the wrists into play superbly, pulling and cutting hard, and used his crease to negotiate the pacers. Mendis wasn't even allowed to settle; Gayle was effortlessly reverse-swept.

There were no crude shots, no cross-batted slogs from Tendulkar and Jayasuriya. This was clinical hitting - each veteran knew the field and backed himself to pick the gaps. It was the experience of 1138 combined international games coming together in a mesmerizing mosaic of boundaries. In between clearing his front leg to lift Mendis there were clever late dabs from Tendulkar, neat tickles from Jayasuriya.

That assault was in stark contrast to the second half of Mumbai's innings, when Kolkata regrouped. The scoring slowed after the break and Tendulkar fell to Laxmi Shukla, looking to take the ball from off stump and work it to leg. Harbhajan Singh strode in, clubbed 18 from 8 balls, and sent a full toss to deep midwicket. Jayasuriya looked for width but instead chipped to cover for 52 from 32 balls. Then Abhishek Nayar was run out, Dwayne Bravo top-edged to the deep, and Shikhar Dhawan edged Ishant. Gayle bowled a decent last over and Mumbai were unable to end on with a flurry.

Kolkata needed almost 9.5 runs an over inside a stadium rumbling like a Jay Z amplifier, and the pressure of chasing a large total under lights affected the Kolkata openers early in their innings. Brendon McCullum shouldered arms to his first ball before he steered Lasith Malinga to point. Gayle thumped Bravo for the 152th six in the IPL only to edge his West Indian team-mate to slip.

Sourav Ganguly wasn't allowed to come onto the front foot and so he used his feet to loft Bravo down the ground for six and four, and with that try for some momentum. But Ganguly struggled to find the boundaries thereafter and Brad Hodge never really threatened with 24 off 22 balls. Both were to fall against the tidy seam-up bowling of Nayar in successive overs, the last nail firmly hammered into Kolkata's coffin.

Nayar, Bravo, Zaheer Khan and Malinga didn't have to do much but keep it near the stumps and wait for an urgent shot. Each struck rather easily and the rest of the batting card made for disappointing reading as Kolkata fell short by 92 runs. From 71 for 3 when Hodge fell, Kolkata folded for 95 in 15.2 overs.

A powerful batting display was followed by an efficient, shining effort in the field, aptly demonstrating that Mumbai pretty much have all the bases covered.

Chennai can't stop the Deccan Charge

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If you'd looked at the schedule before the IPL, and been told that of the two teams facing each other for the first match of April 27th, one had won 3 games on the trot while the other had only 1 win off four games, you'd have assumed Chennai had won 3, while Hyderabad had won 1. But such is the nature of T20, the headlines were the same, but with the teams reversed. Chennai needed to win this match to keep its title hopes alive, while Hyderabad didn't want to break its winning momentum.

Adam Gilchrist won the toss and inserted Chennai on a fresh pitch that looked likely to help the bowlers early on, before easing out. Fidel Edwards got his mandatory wicket in the first over, when he had Parthiv caught behind off the second ball of the match.

However, Hayden was in a murderous mood, and he treated purple cap holder RP Singh with scant respect. The fall of Raina after a good cameo, didn't deter Hayden. But as he's done everytime for Hyderabad, Pragyan Ojha put a stopper in Chennai's plans, with two big wickets in one over - those of Dhoni and Hayden, both not getting hold of the ball and getting caught. In what is becoming a worrying situation for Chennai, Albie Morkel came, hit one, and went. chennai need him to perform better than he has done so far in the tournament, because the Albie that has turned out for Chennai is a far cry from the one who terrorised the Australians a few short months ago.

For today though, Jacob Oram was the man for Chennai, and it was due to his lusty hitting at the end, that Chennai reached a total of 165 for 6.

It seemed to be competitive during the mid-innings break.

Someone forgot to tell that to Herschelle Gibbs and Adam Gilchrist though. In a display of batsmanship not yet seen in the IPL so far, they raced to 60 off just 4 overs, reaching the fastest 50 of the IPL in the process. Dhoni was forced to bring on Murali inside the power play, and he bowled the first sane over of the innings when he conceded 'just' 6 runs.

In desperation, Dhoni turned to part-timer Raina for the last over of the powerplay, but the gamble worked, when he got Gilchrist to cut one straight into gully's hands. Gilchrist departed for 44 off 19 balls. With his wicket, the scoring rate slowed down from a manic 15 runs per over to saner proportions, and Raina struck again when he had Laxman caught in a similar manner to Gilchrist.

Rohit Sharma and Gibbs then kept Hyderabad on course with a useful partnership of 39, but just when Hyderabad looked to be in control, Rohit fell, but with 42 needed off 38 balls, it was still very much Hyderabad's game. Chennai pulled things back though, especially through Murali's last over, where he gave just 2 runs and got the wicket of Dwayne Smith, until it came down to 8 needed off the final over. Gibbs then settled the issue with a six off the first ball that Balaji bowled, and with a single and a four off the next two, Hyderabad were home, sitting firmly at the top of the charts with 4 wins out of 4 matches.

Man of the Match: Hercshelle Gibbs for his superb innings of 69 not out off 56 balls, which anchored the chase. He started off matching Gilchrist stroke for stroke, but then settled down to a more sedate pace, ensuring that one end was held up, and finished off the chase in style.

Turning Point of the Match: Gilchrist and Gibbs onlslaught in the initial overs of the chase. The start ensured that the batsmen coming in would have it much easier, and importantly allowed them to see out Murali's overs safely without needing to take any risks against him.

Soundbytes: "It's not about getting close, it's about winning" - MS Dhoni couldn't have summed up his team's plight better. 3 losses - 3 close games, and the pre-tournament favourites suddenly face a struggle to qualify for the semi-finals.

"Oh I'm not revealing that!" - Adam Gilchrist, on being asked what his theory was for not bowling Pragyan Ojha at the death.

All-round Irfan stars for Punjab

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Two pairs of left-handers played key roles as Kings XI Punjab steamrolled Rajasthan Royals in Cape Town. Punjab struggled after early losses and it was left to Kumar Sangakkara to weigh in with his first half-century of the tournament and the star of the day, Irfan Pathan, to provide the momentum for a fightback. Then, defending a total of 139, Punjab were indebted to double-wicket overs from Irfan and Yusuf Abdulla at the start.

Both left-arm seamers did a sterling job under the Newlands lights, mixing their line and length impressively to check a shaky batting line-up. Rajasthan, who had set themselves a realistic chance of victory in the field fell 27 runs short.

Rajasthan's chase of 140 wasn't a tall order, but their fate was sealed by a rampant left-arm seam attack who snaffled four wickets in the first five overs. Having contributed with the bat, Irfan grabbed two wickets in his opening over. He drew a top edge from Swapnil Asnodkar with a short ball and produced a thin edge off Graeme Smith's bat with a fuller, away-swinging delivery. Rajasthan were 9 for 2.

Yuvraj Singh had opened the bowling with Ramesh Powar but Irfan's success encouraged him to go for an all-pace attack. Abdulla's first over was tidy, costing just six, and his second was disastrous for Rajasthan. Rob Quiney got a faint tickle on one down the leg side and a leaden-footed Dimitri Mascarenhas heard the death rattle second ball when he played around an offcutter.

That left Rajasthan 27 for 4, anxiously needing a partnership and Yusuf Pathan - Man of the Match in their last game - to fire. Yusuf began by picking his brother for a couple fours only to perish sweeping in Piyush Chawa's first over. Another bowling change had worked and Punjab were all over Rajasthan.

Chawla tossed it up and was rewarded with another wicket. The asking-rate kept increasing and it proved too much for Ravindra Jadeja (37) and Shane Warne, who scampered smart singles but couldn't find the boundaries during their 60-run association. Abdulla came back with Rajasthan needing 38 from two overs and cleaned up Jadeja first ball. Irfan gave just six in the last over to cap a great game. That Rajasthan didn't manage one six told a story.

Irfan's two early wickets were crucial defending a small total but that could have been smaller without his contribution with the bat when Punjab were four down for not much. Karan Goel was run out first ball - the second time in the day a wicket had fallen in that manner - before Kamran Khan and Munaf Patel struck. Warne's decision to use each of his pace bowlers in one-over bursts worked wonderfully. There were no consecutive overs for any bowler from the Wynberg end and each time Kamran and Munaf came back they struck first ball.

Kamran removed Ravi Bopara courtesy an athletic dive from Munaf at mid-on and Munaf rcame back to dismiss Yuvraj with one that swung way. Punjab slipped to 48 for 4 when Mahela Jayawardene scooped Munaf to a sliding Kamran at mid-off.

It was Irfan who provided much-needed ammunition. He wasn't always assured against spin, but backing himself to swing freely through the on side he helped Punjab rebuild. Warne and Yusuf were hit for a six each by Irfan, the quicker deliveries were smartly worked square on the off side, and a handy partnership of 75 in 59 balls had begun. Irfan kept up the momentum with some sweetly-timed strokes on the off side, the best of the lot being a cut off Warne when he came back on.

Sangakkara's 60 held the innings together. So often a calm, controlled batsman, he combined his usual elegance with a range of aggressive shots; cutting deftly, pulling powerfully and even launching Warne into a raucous crowd. Mascarenhas found just a hint of swing but too often served up four-balls; Sangakkara took him for three cracking boundaries. A powerful partnership had set up a final flourish but Rajasthan dismissed Irfan and Sangakkara in the 19th over to set themselves a gettable target.

But in the end there was no denying Punjab, piloted to victory by the all-round heroics of Irfan, their brightest star.

Dilshan guides Delhi to victory

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For a while it looked like Delhi Daredevils' batsmen had been a tad complacent while chasing a modest target, which Bangalore Royal Challengers' bowlers defended tenaciously, but an unbeaten half-century from Tillakaratne Dilshan completed their third consecutive win in the tournament. The six-wicket victory took Delhi level with Deccan Chargers on top of the points table, with six each.

The only highlight for Bangalore, who suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, was the performance of their weak bowling attack, who kept them in the game longer than most people expected. Their top-order batsmen, despite changes to personnel and order, disappointed once again. Their overseas players failed to fire, and their fielding went to pieces just when they had a sniff at pulling off an upset win.

Delhi lost their openers, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, early and Dilshan and AB de Villiers went about chasing the target of 150 calmly. They hardly attempted expansive shots, preferring instead to play the ball into gaps and run swiftly between the wickets. The spinners, Anil Kumble and KP Appanna, bowled a tight line and length and conceded few boundaries. As a result Delhi had scored only 64 for 2 after 10 overs but the equation - 86 runs off the last 10 - was manageable.

Dilshan was perhaps lucky to survive a run-out appeal soon after the tactical time-out. He was short of his crease when Ross Taylor's throw hit the stumps, but the third umpire was not convinced that Boucher had not broken the stumps with his glove before the ball found its target. de Villiers, however, fell soon after, bowled by a delivery from Appanna that turned past the bat from outside leg to hit leg stump. Dinesh Karthik started brightly, clouting a four and a six, but fell soon after, caught by Jacques Kallis at deep cover, and left Delhi at 106 for 4.

At this point Bangalore had 43 runs to defend in the last four overs. That was when they needed to raise their game but their fielding let them down during the 17th over, which was bowled by Kallis. Dilshan took a single after smashing the third ball out of St George's Park, and Mithun Manhas lofted the next towards long-on. Robin Uthappa, who's having a nightmare of a tournament with the bat, misjudged the catch: he came in too far only for the ball to fly over his head for four. Manhas pulled the next ball to deep midwicket where Appanna mis-fielded to allow another boundary. Delhi scored 19 runs off the over, needed only 24 off the last three, which they managed with ease.

Delhi's batsmen have been their strength so far in the tournament, but today their bowlers laid the platform for victory by restricting Bangalore to 149. They were challenged by Pietersen and Taylor during an aggressive partnership, but the two spinners, Daniel Vettori and Amit Mishra, struck on either side of the strategic time-out to throw Bangalore off course.

Delhi's dominance began with the first ball of the match. Dirk Nannes produced a perfectly pitched delivery which angled across Kallis, who had replaced Jesse Ryder as opener. Kallis thought the ball could be left and shouldered arms, only to hear it clip the top of off stump. It was the fifth time in five matches that a Bangalore opener had been dismissed for a duck.

Uthappa had scored 32 runs in four innings at a strike-rate of 71 before today, but Bangalore have almost no option but to play him. His innings ended on 3 when he top-edged a pull off the front foot against Ashish Nehra, when he should have been playing back.

Pietersen had said at the toss that he "had to do something today". He and Taylor made slow starts, but stepped up a gear against Nehra in the fourth over. Bangalore were 45 for 2 after the Powerplay at which point Virender Sehwag introduced spinners from both ends. Mishra was able to tie the batsmen down, but Vettori wasn't. Taylor cut him deftly for four, and Pietersen charged and hit him over long-on to take 13 runs off his compatriot's first over. In his second, Pietersen swept powerfully to the boundary but a moment's rashness cost him his wicket the very next delivery. Pietersen attempted to switch-hit Vettori's quicker ball through midwicket, but missed and was bowled, falling for 37 in the last over before the tactical time-out.

Mishra dealt Bangalore a crippling blow in the first over after the break, trapping Taylor leg before with a googly. Bangalore were struggling at 78 for 4, but managed to reach 149 largely due to Boucher's blows over the leg-side boundary in the penultimate over.

All-round Symonds sees Australia through

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Andrew Symonds may have cut his Rastafarian beads, but he showed tonight there had been no cutback on his competitive spirit or his aptitude as Australia levelled the series 1-1. His two-wicket over, in the face of a marauding Shoaib Akhtar, had kept Pakistan down to a par total, but his bigger contribution came with the bat when Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal threatened to run through Australia for the second time in a row.

Afridi and Ajmal had undone James Hopes' good work at the top, bringing the game right back into the balance, when Symonds came in to bat. Hopes, filling in for the injured Shaun Marsh at the top of the order, had put Australia on their way to a chase of a tricky 207, before Ajmal and Afridi struck in back-to-back overs.

The contest was always going to come to life when the spinners came on. Before that Hopes had weathered the storm from hostile and accurate Shoaib and Umar Gul. That initial spell resulted in the early wicket of Brad Haddin, but Hopes counter-attacked and brought the run-rate within manageable proportions.

From 19 for 1 in six overs, Hopes cut and drove Gul and Shoaib for three boundaries and a six in the next three overs. Australia reached 70 for 1 in 14 overs, when spin was first introduced.

Australia tried to play the mind game, going for the batting Powerplay immediately, and trying to delay the introduction of the dangerous spinners. Pakistan played ball, and went on with Afridi and Ajmal anyway. From 70 in 14 they moved to 91 in 20 in a tense period of play.

In the 21st, Ajmal got Watson with a doosra, the batsman looking to pull without reading the spin. In the end Watson tried unsuccessfully to pull out of the pull, and top-edged. In the next over, Afridi beat a Hopes sweep with a straight and full delivery.

Batting was not easy then, what with Test fields in place and the ball turning big, and Australia coming off a monumental collapse in the previous game. Ajmal and Afridi attacked, but Symonds tackled them superbly. Even early on in the innings, he picked Ajmal's doosra. For good measure he let Ajmal know every time he saw the away-spinner. His 58 comprised only four boundaries and a six, the first of which was the team's first boundary in 17 overs.

The value of Symonds' knock grew when put in comparison with his partner Michael Clarke's effort. Clarke struggled to pick the spin, and was patchy all the way through. At one point, out of a 58-run stand Clarke had scored only eight.

Symonds' sensible batting also coincided with Pakistan gradually running out of the spinners' quota, and with a small total to defend they had to bring back the pace bowlers on. Once that happened it was a cruise for Australia, with close to four an over required.

Even that small target was thanks to Symonds' effective over at the death. Shoaib's 14-ball 25 had lifted Pakistan from 176 for 7, but just when it looked he would take Pakistan to a more competitive total, Symonds struck with two in the 46th over to not even allow them a full quota of 50 overs.

That was not the last twist of a slow yet dramatic first innings of the game. A disciplined Australia had done well to pull Pakistan back after they had threatened twice to move out of their grasp.

First it was Younis Khan who recovered from a sluggish start to get into fluent mode only to be dismissed for 28. Then Shahid Afridi played an uncharacteristically responsible innings, but when he looked set to launch Pakistan into the safe zone, Hopes got him with seven overs to go.

Following the early run-out of 17-year-old debutant Ahmed Shehzad, Pakistan made an edgy start. Salman Butt and Younis were literally edgy against Nathan Bracken and ODI debutant Doug Bollinger, both left-arm seamers. They troubled both the batsmen with their angle and movement both ways. By the end of the ninth over Pakistan had crawled to 28 for 1, having faced a maiden each from both the bowlers.

With Hopes came the change of angle, and Younis helped himself to three boundaries in his first two overs. In the next seven overs Pakistan doubled their score, mainly via Younis who scored 20 off 14 during that period. The sight of Ben Laughlin lit his eyes up, a short loosener first up widened them further, and an edge resulted as he went to cut the leather off the ball.

Two more wickets, punctuated by an especially asphyxiating spell by Bollinger, meant Pakistan were struggling in the middle overs, five down for 122. Bollinger went for 26 in his 10 overs, including a middle spell of four overs for five runs.

But then Afridi lifted them, not looking to hit the ball out of the ground every time he faced up. The main feature of his innings was his late-cuts, and placement for quick runs. He actually faced 40 balls, the most he has since his 52-ball 85 against Zimbabwe last January. Afridi also read the game well, picking a slower ball early during the Powerplay, when Australia had both third man and fine leg up in the circle. That was his only six. Afridi, along with Ajmal, provided Australia with a tough examination, but he was not the best allrounder on the night.

Bopara half-century leads Punjab to clinical victory

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Ravi bopara compiled a supremely-paced innings, one that could rival AB de Villiers' century because it came during a run-chase, to give Kings XI Punjab their first victory of the tournament. He scored steadily without taking too many risks and just when the chase entered its final phase Bopara accelerated with tremendous speed to consign Bangalore Royal Challengers to their third consecutive defeat.

The groundwork for the win was laid by Punjab's bowlers who made their first sunny match-day count. Yusuf Abdulla, who had bowled three overs for 39 before this match, struck at crucial moments in Bangalore's innings. Abdulla's four strikes, and Irfan Pathan's three in the final overs, were vital in restricting Bangalore to 168, a target which allowed Punjab's batsmen to play according to a plan.

Chasing under lights at Kingsmead can be tricky and Punjab approached their chase cautiously. Their openers, Karan Goel and Bopara, played few big shots, focusing instead on scoring at nearly eight an over by pushing the ball into gaps. They scored only 44 off the first six overs and Bopara's pull off Jacques Kallis, which sailed over the square leg boundary at the start of the seventh over, was the first six of the innings.

Goel fell soon after, run out after a stand of 52, and the batsmen that followed - Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh - also paced, rather than pushed, their innings. Punjab ensured that the asking-rate didn't spiral out of control, but with 60 runs needed off the last five overs, they couldn't afford any slip-ups.

Bopara ensured there weren't any. He launched into Praveen Kumar in the 16th over, smashing him for sixes over long-on and deep backward square leg and took 19 runs off the over. Yuvraj pulled and glanced two fours off Kallis in the next over to reduce the equation to 28 off three. And when Bopara pulled a full toss and powered another full ball over the leg-side boundary, the game was nearly won. Yuvraj reached the target with a straight six with a whole over to spare, completing a clinical chase.

The calmness that Punjab exhibited during the chase was absent during Bangalore's innings. Bangalore's openers once again failed to put a partnership together with Robin Uthappa chasing and edging Pathan's wide delivery in the second over. It was the fourth time in as many matches that Bangalore were losing an opener for a duck (Jesse Ryder twice, Praveen and Uthappa once). Ryder, however, finally got off the mark this season, punching his third ball off Ranadeb Bose to the cover boundary.

Kallis started in high gear, pulling a short ball from Pathan over the long-leg boundary and lofting Abdulla's first ball over cover point for four. Ryder also hit Pathan to the point boundary and Bangalore seemed to have shrugged off their Powerplay troubles: their average in the first six overs was 36 runs for the loss of 2.33 wickets and today they were 48 for 1 off 5.1 overs.

Abdulla, however, wrecked their momentum, bowling Ryder as he attempted to play a pull. Two balls later, he struck a tremendous blow, drawing Kevin Pietersen into spooning a catch to cover off a slower ball. Rahul Dravid once again entered with his team in trouble - 48 for 3 - but this time he failed to contribute. Tied down by the spinners - Bangalore scored only 22 between overs six and ten - Dravid attempted to smash Piyush Chawla down the ground and skied a catch towards long-on.

Kallis and Taylor had added 61 in quick time before Abdulla returned to induce a mis-timed pull from Kallis with a slower short ball. Taylor continued to attack, slog-sweeping Chawla into the stands at deep midwicket, but he eventually became Adbulla's fourth wicket. Pathan picked up quick wickets towards the close and Bangalore finished several runs short of what they would have aimed for.

Flintoff out of IPL due to knee surgery

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England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is to undergo surgery on his right knee, ruling him out of the upcoming two-Test series against the West Indies.

Flintoff has returned from South Africa, where he was playing in the Indian Premier League, to undergo the surgery but England cricket chiefs expressed confidence that their star player would recover in time for the World Twenty20 in June and the Ashes series starting in July.

That will be greeted with scepticism in some quarters however, given Flintoff's long history of injuries.

And the fact that Flintoff suffered the injury while playing in the IPL will inevitably spark debate about whether a player with his injury record should have been taking part in the competition rather than concentrating on preparing for England's summer Tests.

The Lancashire star, England's outstanding performer in their 2005 Ashes win over Australia, tore the meniscus in his right knee while playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

Scans at a Durban hospital detected a slight medial meniscal tear and after they were viewed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)'s medical supremo Nick Peirce, it was decided that Flintoff should return to London.

He will undergo a keyhole operation early next week and Peirce put the recovery period at three to five weeks.

Peirce said: "Clearly this is a huge disappointment for both the player and the IPL team. This sort of degenerative injury though is one that could have happened at any time anywhere.

"The procedures we put in place meant that the ECB medical staff were alerted about the problem immediately and we thank Chennai for their cooperation."

Hugh Morris, England Cricket Managing Director, added: "Andrew has been extremely unlucky with injuries but if there is one saving grace it is that the injury has occured now rather than on the eve of either the World Twenty20 or the Ashes.

"Having the surgery now means that Flintoff should be available for both those events although he is certain to miss the series against the West Indies."

Sachin turns 36 - has one dream left

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Sachin Tendulkar turns 36 today. The master batsman has scaled every summit in the game - except for one. He has not yet been part of a World Cup winning team. But come 2011, the master blaster is all set to change that, when the World Cup is held on the subcontinent.

When asked at a recent function what his dreams were, he laughed off the question saying, "You only dream when you are asleep." But then he added, "I want to win the World Cup for India."

The captain of the Mumbai Indians got a surprise from his team when he found that they had organized a surprise birthday party at the team hotel.

Speaking to reporters, the always humble Sachin said, "It is the good wishes and blessings that count a lot. My family is joining me tomorrow, so am really looking forward to it."

The little master also said that he was still enjoying every moment of playing the game. "I would like to achieve the enjoyment factor. It is important to enjoy the game and only then will you come out with your best and that's what I want to do," he added.

Yusuf Pathan - A 'Super Over' Hero

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Rain again dominated the proceedings before the start of play leading to a delay. The Knight Riders captain Brendon McCullum won the toss and he elected to bowl first. The Newlands pitch had offered assistance to the seamers and spinners in an equal proportion during the earlier games. Kolkata made four changes in their line-up. Sanjay Bangar, Mendis, Agarkar and Anureet Singh were the ones included in the final eleven. Rajasthan also had three changes in their team. They brought in Rob Quiney in place of Tyron Henderson while Swapnil Asnodkar made way for Abhishek Raut. The 25 year old Paul Valthaty was also included in the team.

Jaipur were off to a sloppy start when Valthaty and Rob Quiney got out in quick succession. While Valthaty got out to the young Anureet Singh, Ishant Sharma brought about the dismissal of Quiney after being hit for a six off his previous delivery. Jaipur were struggling at 14/2.

Yusuf Pathan walked to the crease and looked all set to take the attack to the Knight Riders. He went about his batting in his regular fashion, blazing away his blade. Smith played the ideal side-kick to Pathan, rotating the strike.

A partnership of 56 runs was brought to an end when Graeme Smith was dismissed by the magical Ajantha Mendis after a referral to the third umpire. Mendis struck again in the same over to dismiss Pathan on 42. After 10 overs, Rajasthan Royals once again were in a precarious position at 78/4.

Ravindu Jadeja and Dimitri Mascarenhas started the rescue work. Together they started building on a partnership hoping to take Rajasthan to a defendable score. With four overs remaining, Ravindu Jadeja tried to step on the accelerator. However he skied an Ishant Sharma delivery and was caught by Yashpal Singh. Mascarenhas on the other hand, played some impressive strokes until he left for the dugout after being dismissed by Anureet Singh.

An exciting last over saw Rajasthan reach a score 150 thanks to two sixers and a four by Abhishek Raut.

Gayle started Kolkata's chase with mammoth hits blazing off his bat much to the delight of the crowd and the team owner Shahrukh Khan. Rajasthan struck back by picking up the Knight Riders captain Brendon McCullum. The captain mis-hit a Mascarenhas delivery and was brilliantly caught by Kamran Khan.

Laxmi Ratan Shukla came in at number three and immediately got a lucky break when the Rajasthan keeper Rawat dropped a skier off Pathan's bowling. An interesting contest was in store when Shane Warne came in to bowl. Gayle and Shukla started off by approached his bowling in a cautious manner. However, the spin wizard Shane Warne tempted Gayle to go over the top, only to be caught by Jadeja.

Rajasthan's latest find, Kamran Khan picked up his first wicket when Shukla was out to a dazzling catch by Rawat, behind the stumps. Kolkata went into strategy break at 67/3 requiring 84 runs off 10 overs.

Munaf Patel struck immediately after the break, sending back Brad Hodge, after an attempted drive found the keeper's hands. Sanjay Bangar joined the former India captain Ganguly and together, they put on 23 runs. Just when things were looking good for Kolkata, Bangar gave Kamran Khan his second wicket when he drove uppishly to Smith at backward point.

The 'Prince of Kolkata' took the fight back to Rajasthan. He started off by hitting consecutive sixers off Munaf Patel; one of which came from a free hit. Yashpal Singh gave him good support from the other end as Kolkata inched closer to the target set by Rajasthan. Rajasthan got their next wicket when Yashpal Singh, much to the fury of Ganguly, got out to Shane Warne in the penultimate over. At this stage Kolkata required 7 runs of 6 balls with 4 wickets remaining.

Kamran Khan was asked to bowl the last over and he started off with a wide. Two singles, a dot ball and two leg-byes came of the first three balls. Ganguly was out for 46 off the fifth ball, caught behind by Rawat. Leading up to an nail-biting finish, two runs were required off the last ball. Ishant Sharma was on strike and could only manage a single after an attempted second run led to his run-out. The match ended in a tie resulting in the 'Super Over' being employed for the first time ever in the IPL.

Kolkata were the first to bat during the 'Super over'. The exciting left-armer Kamran Khan was given the ball by his captain while Gayle and McCullum wielded the bat. The first two balls resulted in two singles. Kamran bowled a wide off the third ball. The next three deliveries saw Gayle take toll of Kamran Khan by hitting him for three consecutive fours. However, he got out on the last ball after a great catch by Rob Quiney. Kolkata managed 15 runs.

It was Ajantha Mendis who came to bowl the 'Super Over' for Kolkata. Yusuf Pathan took strike accompanied by Ravindu Jadeja at the other end. Pathan started off by hitting Mendis for a six off his first ball. Yusuf skied the second delivery over the bowler's head but the ball fell just in between the converging fielders. The third ball saw Pathan blast Mendis for a six over mid-wicket. Rajasthan required just 2 runs off 3 balls. Yusuf finished it off with a boundary and Rajasthan clinched the cliff-hanger in grand style.

Post Match Quotes:

McCullum: Yeah it's pretty disappointing obviously. We thought we were going to get ourselves across the line and even in the Super over we thought we had a reasonable score but the way Yusuf came out and played... He just blew us away. Sourav did incredibly well to get us back into the game. It's incredibly disappointing but we've got a game in two days time so we've got to try and rebound. (For the super over) I think Ishant was an option but in the end Mendis, he's an incredible bowler. Things could have gone differently if we had that catch taken (on the second ball) who knows how it would have unfolded.

Warne: The crowd was fantastic. In those situations, both sides would have looked back and said we would've done that. For Yusuf Pathan to just walk out there and club a few sixes like that, well done to him, it was fantastic. (On choosing Kamran Khan for the last over): I thought about Yusuf. Kamran gave 6 runs off that last over, I thought he did it well. If you can bowl such a good last over, you can bowl the super over.

Trivia:

Kamran Khan picket up his maiden IPL wicket when he dismissed Laxmi Ratan Shukla.

Ganguly hit the first six of a free hit in the IPL 2009 after Munaf Patel bowled a no-ball.

The Rajasthan-Kolkata match was the first ever tied match in the IPL.

'Super Over' was employed for the first time ever in the IPL after the Rajasthan-Kolkata match ended in a tie.

AB De Villiers masterclass ensures Delhi win

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Question: you are an immensely talented batsman. You've just had a fabulous 2009, average 61.57 at a strike rate of over 91 in ODIs, and 70.66 in test matches. You are playing for one of the title favourites in the IPL, and yet, despite your considerable talent, you find that the opening batsmen of your team are the only ones being talked about - by the opposition, by the fans, by the commentators, by the experts. And then, in a crunch match against the other title favourites, they both fall in the first two overs. What do you do?

Answer:Well if you're AB De Villiers, you play a masterly innings, played at a strike rate of nearly 200 but with every shot a pleasure for the aesthetic eye, and you provide a rare instance when individual brilliance trumps over the collective efforts of a well oiled unit. A moment of victory for Man against Machine, if you will.

The match that was billed as the clash of titans, pitting the two tournament favourites against each other, lived up to all the pre-match hype.

On a pitch that looked like a belter, Virender Sehwag won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first.

Chennai had an unchanged side, while Delhi made one change, but not the expected one. Ashish Nehra came in for Yo Mahesh, while there was still no sign of Glenn McGrath - who had the fourth best economy rate in last year's IPL (among bowlers who had bowled at least 40 overs).

Lakshmipathy Balaji gave Chennai a dream start by removing the dangerous Gautam Gambhir off the first ball of the match, when he lazily shouldered arms to a ball that caught a feather touch on the way to Dhoni. The next over, the second half of the dream opening pair also went, when Sehwag top edged a pull to Albie Morkel at mid-on, and suddenly Delhi's middle order was exposed.

However, Delhi fans needn't have feared. In Dilshan and AB De Villiers, the Daredevils found men who were upto the challenge. Dilshan was dominant initially, free stroking his way to 50 off 24 balls, but he fell immediately after. De Villiers however, picked up from where Dilshan left off, and then moved into a zone of his own. He got some support from Dinesh Karthik, and then in a stunning partnership with Manoj Tiwary, he made 65 off the 74 runs they scored. His masterclass ensured that Delhi ended up at an imposing 189 for 5 - the highest total of IPL 2009 so far.

However, when you have a batting lineup that has Hayden, Raina, Dhoni, Flintoff, Albie Morkel and Badrinath, no total can be considered safe, and Chennai came out intending to prove just that. Matthew Hayden - who the Australian selectors must seriously be thinking of calling out of retirement - blazed away to 50 off 22 balls - thereby equaling his own record set in his previous match for the fastest 50 of the tournament. At the halfway stage or 'strategy break' - also called the 'grab-all-the-money-you-can' break - Chennai were very well placed at a 106 for 2, with Raina and Dhoni at the crease. Even though Dhoni fell soon after, Chennai looked on course and when they needed 51 off 35 balls with Albie Morkel and Andrew Flintoff at the crease, they looked like favourites to win.

But some superb bowling at the death by Ashish Nehra, Avishkar Salvi and the ever reliable Daniel Vettori, ensured that Chennai's runs were choked, which led to suicidal run-outs and manufactured shots that ended up in the hands of fielders.

Eventually Chennai fell 9 runs short, close enough to sound a warning to other teams that no total is beyond their reach, but far enough to give Delhi the psychological edge and possibly assume the mantle of the front-runner for the tournament.

Man of the Match:

AB De Villiers for playing what has been the innings of the tournament so far. He started normally, picked up the pace towards the middle, and exploded at the end. A perfectly paced and constructed innings, scored under pressure with two of the main batsmen back in the pavilion inside the first 2 overs.

Turning Point of the Match:

Albie Morkel dropping AB De Villiers, when the latter was on 50 off 35 balls. AB went on to score a further 55 runs off just 19 balls.

Symonds, Watson in as Australia bat

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Toss Australia chose to bat v Pakistan

International cricket welcomed its newest ODI venue - Dubai Sports City - for the first ODI of the five-match series between Pakistan and Australia. Batting first seemed the best option on a sun-baked pitch and it was Michael Clarke who called correctly,opting for an opportunity to pile on the runs. His counterpart Younis Khan said he would have done the same and reckoned a score of 260-270 was chaseable on this surface.

Pakistan went in with three seamers and as always, the attention will center around the mercurial Shoaib Akhtar. Umar Gul and Rao Iftikhar Anjum complete the trio and the spin duties will be shared between Shoaib Malik, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi.

Making a comeback for Australia will be Stuart Clark, who will be saddled with a lot more responsibility given Nathan Bracken's recent struggles and an injury to Brett Lee. Another player who will be looking to wipe the slate clean following a series of off-field troubles is Andrew Symonds. David Hussey makes way for him in the middle order and the top order has been overhauled following the ODIs in South Africa, with Shaun Marsh returning from injury.

The glitz of the IPL may steal the attention of viewers from across the globe but the importance of this series cannot be underestimated. It's a series between a team craving for cricket and another craving for a rest after a back-breaking summer.

Australia are affected by pull-outs and injuries and their bench strength will be tested, not for the first time this season. It will be upto their virtual second-string side to prove they are playing to win and not treating this series as a mere formality.

It's a home away from home for Pakistan and the team will embark on a new era in a new country, but in their hearts, their players will hope this arrangement of overseas games is only temporary.

Pakistan (from) 1 Salman Butt, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Rao Iftikhar Anjum, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Saeed Ajmal.

Australia (from) 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Brad Haddin (wk), 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Callum Ferguson, 7 James Hopes, 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus

Gayle helps Kolkata home in rain-hit game

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saurav ganguly made yet another comeback, this time with the ball, to help Kolkata Knight Riders keep Kings XI Punjab down to 158 for 6. Thereafter, Chris Gayle made the most of two dropped chances to dishearten Punjab and take Kolkata 11 ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis par-score when heavy rain ended the match in the 10th over.

Ganguly had been quiet in the lead-up to this tournament; he had lost his captaincy and looked out of sorts in scoring 1 in 12 balls against Deccan Chargers. Today, though, he made his statement with the ball, taking two wickets in his first over and pulling Punjab back from a solid-yet-unspectacular start.

When Ganguly came on to bowl, Irfan Pathan, promoted to No. 3, had just taken Ishant Sharma for 14 in his third over, and Punjab had moved along to 46 for 1 at the end of six overs. Thirty-two of those had come from Irfan's bat, in 17 deliveries.

And then Ganguly struck, fortuitously at first. Irfan went for a six to the deep midwicket area and was caught smartly by Murali Kartik at the boundary. Two balls later, Ganguly got Ravi Bopara, the opener, to edge to the new captain, Brendon McCullum. Both men were elated, the captain with his bowling change, the bowler having proved a point, and both ran in different directions to celebrate and eventually hugged each other.

Punjab moved from 46 for 1 in six to 67 for 3 in ten overs before a rain interruption. Following that, Punjab enjoyed two of the best overs of their innings. Yuvraj Singh hit a six off Ganguly to take 14 off his third over. Yet, Ganguly ended with figures of 24 for 2 off his four. And just after the rain break, in perhaps a poor tactical move, McCullum brought Chris Gayle on, who had trouble gripping the wet ball and bowled three wides in his 14-run over.

Yuvraj couldn't quite manage a reprise of his six sixes in an over at the same venue, during the inaugural ICC World Twenty20. And once he top-edged Moises Henriques in the 16th over, falling for 38 off 28, caught by Yashpal, Punjab were always struggling.

Thirty-six came off 26 balls after Yuvraj's fall, thanks largely to Mahela Jayawardene, who scored 31 in 19, and took the last over, bowled by Ashok Dinda, for 16, the biggest over of the innings.

But the hitting from Irfan, Yuvraj and Jayawardene paled in comparison with Gayle's. He played the first two overs quietly, and enjoyed a dropped sitter by Karan Goel at short midwicket off Yusuf Abdulla. It was a forgettable day for Goel, who had earlier scored a seven-ball duck.

Once Gayle carved Irfan over cover-point in the third over of the innings, the floodgates opened. From 4 off 8 balls, he reached 31 off 15 through a calculated assault on the left-arm opening bowlers. And then, in the fifth over of the innings, the game breaker came. Irfan was spanked straight and pulled square off the first two balls, and then Gayle showed him the greens, teeing off to over wide long-on.

By the time Gayle was dropped again, by Kumar Sangakkara, off a Piyush Chawla googly, he had taken the match out of Punjab's reach as the dark clouds gathered.

For the second game in succession, Punjab have been curtailed by rain, but this time they succumbed to Ganguly and Gayle, as opposed to their first match, when Delhi's chase was reduced to a six-over hit-out.

Classy Chennai steamroll Bangalore

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chennai Super Kings' big-name foreign players stepped up to get the campaign back on track after the opening-day reverse against Mumbai Indians. Matthew Haydenrolled back the years to crack a quick half-century, Muttiah Muralitharan put another nail in the coffin of the spinners-have-no-place-in-Twenty20 theory, and Andrew Flintoff sparkled with bat and ball to sink Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Bangalore may have revamped their side this year, but turned in a performance reminiscent of their dire showings last season. The batting has yet to fire in two games, and the bowling was clueless against the initial onslaught from Chennai's openers.

After a weekend when the bowlers mostly held sway, the Chennai openers staged a display of vintage Twenty20 batting to provide just the start MS Dhoni would have wanted after winning the toss. Hayden was at his bullying best, and the hallmarks of his batting were on view: the walk-down-the-track to club the quicks, the muscular sweeps against the spinners. There was plenty of finesse among the fireworks as well, gentle glides to third man, and some caressed drives through cover.

Jacques Kallis, surprisingly picked ahead of Jesse Ryder, bore the brunt of Hayden's hitting. His first three deliveries disappeared for boundaries, and Hayden rounded off the over with a blast over long-off for six, 20 runs in that fifth over had Chennai flying at 56 for 0.

Pietersen rang in the changes but they were to no avail. Vinay Kumar was taken for two fours in the next over, and part-timer Virat Kohli gifted a couple of fours in the seventh which had Hayden racing to his half-century.

Parthiv was not quite as fluent, always keen to throw his bat and loft towards midwicket. There were plenty of mishits while he attempted that stroke, but there was one glorious pull off Dale Steyn which sailed over the square-leg boundary. By the time the tactical time-out came around, Chennai had sprinted to 106 for 0.

Kevin Pietersen may have been paid the big bucks for his flamboyant batting and captaincy, but it was with his amiable offspinners that he made an impact. His first ball bowled Parthiv, who made a meal of a slog-sweep, and Hayden was run out by a direct hit from Rahul Dravid at point off the next delivery. Only eight runs came off the next three overs.

Suresh Raina and Dhoni played some sumptuous strokes, but there too many singles and dot balls to keep the run-rate at the stratospheric levels the openers had maintained. It was left to Flintoff to make a 13-ball 22, including a flat six over square-leg off Steyn, to push Chennai along.

The boundaries may have been brought in at St George's Park, but 180 was always going to be a tall order for Bangalore. Their experiment to open with Praveen Kumar failed when he was bowled in the first over.

Kallis started to make amends for his lacklustre bowling with some eye-catching strokes steering Bangalore to 40 for 1 after five overs. However, he perished when, after a Pietersen-esque jumps across the stumps, he missed a full ball from Morkel to be trapped lbw.The miserly Flintoff then struck, getting Ross Taylor when a wild swipe only went as far as the bowler.

Worse was to follow. Murali, bowling from round the wicket, trapped Pietersen for a duck with a straighter one, and the unconvincing Robin Uthappa was stumped after being drawn forward by a flighted delivery which dipped and turned. Bangalore had slid to 51 for 5, and the chase was shipwrecked.

With the asking-rate spiralling upwards, Bangalore set about throwing the bat around, and the inevitable indiscreet strokes had them bowled out for 87.

5:46 PM Edit This 0 Comments »

With IPL version 2.0 all set to dazzle its audience in the same manner that IPL 1.0 did, it's time to stick one's neck out and jump into astrologer territory and make predictions for what will unfold. There is the risk of ending up with egg on my face, but there is also the infinitely satisfying reward of having an 'I-told-you-so' smirk on my face to consider. So here goes (drumrolls reaching a crescendo) - Ladies, Gentlemen and those who merely watch the cricket to ogle at the cheerleaders - the predictions for how teams will fare.

The four semi-finalists this year are likely to be the following:

Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals.

Here is why:

Both Chennai and Delhi have used a smart buying strategy and built a very good core of Indian players. Bearing in mind that of the playing XI, seven have to be Indians, this is a hugely important fact.

Mumbai and Rajasthan are also well balanced, and with Rajasthan you have to take into account the X-factor of Warne's charisma and the franchisee's talent-spotting ability.

To take my prediction (and my sticking-out-neck) further, Chennai and Delhi are the teams that I see contesting the finals on the 24th May. They edge out the other two, simply because they look better balanced in all the departments of the game - they have powerful batting lineups and bowling attacks with considerable teeth. Mumbai and Rajasthan are also brimming with potential - and I canâ€™t wait to see how Ryan McLaren and Graham Napier of Mumbai and Tyron Hendersen of Rajasthan perform - but they're not quite at the level of Chennai and Delhi.

I see Punjab and Hyderabad at the bottom of the table this season. Hyderabad has a very weak bowling attack, and as last year showed, an awesome batting line-up on paper is no guarantee of even an average performance. Their batting would need to click in every match for them to have a chance at all - and I don't see that happening.

Change Hyderabad to Punjab in the above paragraph and you have the story for the King's Eleven, except that their batting, if anything, looks weaker than Hyderabad's on paper. Punjab will be sorely hit by the absence of Brett Lee, James Hopes and Sreesanth - leaving their bowling looking like an orphaned child. They sorely need Shaun Marsh to be fully fit and available, which also doesn't seem likely.

The Bangalore and Kolkata outfits seem to have got their strategy wrong. After Pietersen leaves, the Bangalore captain would be Jacques Kallis - whereas he hasn't done enough last time to merit an automatic selection in the starting XI. Including him at the expense of either Boucher, or Cameron White or Ross Taylor might not be the soundest strategic move.

As for Kolkata, their balance - like last time - doesn't look good enough. They will also be sorely hit by the absence of Pakistani and Australian players. And Chris Gayle is available for only 2 weeks. If that wasn't enough, Buchanan (who probably needs to stop reading Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' and start reading Don Bradman's 'The Art of Cricket') has stirred up a hornet's nest with his multiple captain theory. Somebody ought to tell the man, that captains are not like orgasms - multiple ones are not a good idea.

Tendulkar not playing to prove anything

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Sachin Tendulkar today said he is not playing cricket to prove anything to anybody but because of the sheer love of the game and he is still enjoying the game.

"I have not started playing cricket to prove anything to anybody and I don't think even Rahul (Dravid) or any other does that. We started playing because of the love of the game and while doing that at times we perform and at times we don't," Tendulkar said.

"People say you should do this and that but the important thing is the enjoyment and your contribution to the team. It need not be about big runs or wickets, even making a small contribution to the team it matters. It's all about contribution and satisfaction," he added.

Tendulkar, who holds the record of scoring most runs in both Tests (12,773) and ODIs (16,684), said for him it's not about statistic but enjoyment and satisfaction.

"Statistics could be a form of reflection of what a player has contributed but for me it is about enjoyment and not statistic. If you have statistics but there is no fun factor or hunger to play and then there is no use of playing," Tendulkar told 'Times Now'.

"I am still enjoying playing the game which rules my heart. There is still competitiveness (in me) I want to win and don't want to lose," he said.

IPL ties spring surprise, prove pundits wrong

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Surprises galore. That has been the story so far in the second season the IPL. The pundits have been proved wrong as the bottom rung teams of last season have made a march throwing the tournament wide open.

The smiles were there in plenty as the Deccan Chargers romped home against Kolkata Knight Riders. For a team that won just two matches last time around, a new change of guard and the timely addition of a few key personel seem to have done the trick. Their captain though did see the irony of it.

Also getting a move on since last year seem to be the Bangalore Royal Challengers. Though their batting failed against Rajasthan, inRahul Dravid and Kevin Pietersen they have two men who know that Twenty20 is not always slam bang cricket.

Rahul Dravid who powered Challengers to victory against Rajasthan Royals says: "Conditions like this in South Africa will give me a chance. You have got to play some good cricket shots on wickets like this. You have to really play some good cricket, proper cricket here."

Spare a thought for the defending champions. Getting bowled out for the lowest score ever in the IPL is not a great start, their charismatic skipper though is optimistic.

Delhi Daredevils is the only top team from last year that has bucked the trend and started on a winning note. Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians too seem to have the arsenal to go all the way. But one bad match does not necessarily write off the other teams. Looks like it's going to be quite a close tussle this time.

Cricket’s Bollywood bonanza!

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THE Eastern Cape is bracing itself for an invasion of Indian culture, Bollywood glitz and glamour and fiery cricket action as the much-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off in the province.

Cricket fans will be treated to the first of 10 matches to be held in the province from Monday when the Chennai Super Kings take on the Bangalore Royal Challengers at Nelson Mandela Bay‘s Sahara Oval St George‘s.

The national IPL tournament kicks off with a lavish opening ceremony at Cape Town‘s Newlands stadium today.

“We‘re in frighteningly good shape ahead of Monday‘s first match,” said Bay IPL tournament manager Tony Gavin. “Cricket fans will have a very good chance of seeing Bollywood stars travelling with their teams.”

Gavin said fans would be able to soak up unique entertainment as well as Indian cuisine, specially added to the catering menu for the event.

“Preparations have gone much more smoothly than we thought. The hospitality and help at the stadiums has been immense and our hats go off to EP Cricket,” he said.

“The involvement of local stars has certainly boosted appeal. Who doesn‘t want to see Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher playing on the same team and there are also going to be some great showdowns, such as (England player) Kevin Pietersen facing (teammate) Andrew Flintoff.”

Billed as the world‘s greatest cricket spectacle, the tournament – relocated to South Africa after security fears in India – will see glamorous Bollywood stars accompany the massive media and management entourage following each of the eight IPL teams.

With tickets selling fast, organisers are expecting full stadiums for the seven matches to be held in the Bay and the three at East London‘s Buffalo Park, with Bollywood-flavoured carnivals planned to back up the on-field action.

The strong presence of top international and local cricketers in the event had further boosted local interest, said Gavin. Playing for the Bangalore Royal Challengers, ousted England captain Pietersen – who hails from South Africa – will face Flintoff who is playing for the Chennai Super Kings. Flintoff was rumoured to be behind Pietersen‘s public axing as captain earlier this year.

Other big names involved in the tournament include South Africa‘s Kallis, Boucher, Makhaya Ntini and Proteas captain Graeme Smith, while Australian cricketers taking part include such greats as Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds. Aside from Pietersen and Flintoff, other England teammates participating include Ravi Bopara and Paul Collingwood.

IPL newcomer Tyron Henderson, of East London, will also be in action when he plays for his team, the Rajastan Royals.

But it is the fireworks off the field in the form of players‘ wives and girlfriends – or Wags – which has local glitterati-watchers in a frenzy. Already glamorous Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, co-owner of the Kings XI Punjab, has wowed Bay residents after she touched down in the city earlier this week before heading to Cape Town to watch her team take on the Delhi Daredevils tomorrow.

Top Bollywood actor-producer Shahrukh Khan is also bound for the Bay when the team he part- owns, the Kolkata Knight Riders, take on the Mumbai Indians on April 27, while starlet Shilpa Shetty will most likely follow the team she has shares in, defending champions Rajasthan Royals, when they face the Deccan Chargers on May 2.

Zinta will return in early May when her team takes on the Kolkata Knight Riders. She will be accompanied by action hero Akshay Kumar, brand ambassador for the Delhi Daredevils, and movie heartthrob Hrithik Roshan, who is flying the flag for the Mumbai Indians.

Fellow screen icon Katrina Kaif will follow the Bangalore Royal Challengers on Monday. Adding international “Wag” flavour will be UK reality TV star Jessica Taylor, wife of Pietersen, as well as blonde bombshell Katie Johnson, voted Australia‘s fairest cricket Wag in a recent internet poll, as she keeps an eye on boyfriend Symonds, playing for the Deccan Chargers.

Thousands of loyal Indian IPL fans are expected to follow their teams over the next five weeks with a staggering 40000 hotel rooms countrywide said to be booked, while IPL chief executive Lalit Modi said he expected 10000 fans to fly in during the course of the tournament.

Gavin agreed with Modi‘s predictions, saying: “We‘re expecting large contingents of fans who have followed their teams.”

Pakistan appeals ICC to review decision

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Karachi: Pakistan Sports Minister Pir Aftab Shah Jillani has asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to review its decision to shift the 2011 World Cup matches from the country due to security reasons. Describing the ICC's decision as a big blow to Pakistan cricket, he said it was taken in utter haste as there was still two years left for the tournament. Jillani said the government was even willing to use the military to provide security and protection for the World Cup matches in Pakistan. "That was an option available to us but I think the ICC has acted in haste and must reconsider its decision as this could have far ranging effects on Pakistan and its cricket set-up," Jillani, a former first class player said here. Pakistan was scheduled to host 14 matches, including a semi-final, of the 2011 World Cup to be held in the sub-continent. He also criticised the nation's Cricket Board (PCB) for failing to convince the ICC and its member countries to keep the World Cup matches in Pakistan. "They (PCB) could have done more then they did. I don't think they did their homework well enough to contest this move to shift the World Cup matches from Pakistan," Jillani said. Meanwhile, Pakistan cricket team captain Younis Khan, who is in Dubai for the one-day series against Australia, said he was extremely disappointed and sad at the ICC's decision to shift the megaevent out of Pakistan. "It is very disappointing but at this moment I don't want to make anymore comments on it and my focus right now is to motivate the team to do well in the series against Australia," Younis said.

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam also joined forces and said the ICC's decision had left the players in a state of utter depression. "The news took all the players by surprise and the atmosphere was pretty gloomy after the news came through. But after an off-day today, we have told the players to start concentrating on the matches against Australia as our immediate aim is to win the series," Alam said.

Windies shrug off IPL effect

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West Indies coach John Dyson shrugged off the Indian Premier League absences of skipper Chris Gayle and pace spearhead Fidel Edwards as the Caribbean side looked ahead to their Test series against England.

Both Gayle and Edwards will not link up with the touring party until May 2, but former Australian batsman Dyson does not believe the absence of the captain will be a handicap and reckons it will be a challenge for acting skipper Denesh Ramdin.

"Ramdin is an experienced cricketer now and I think this will do his cricket the world of good as well, giving him the responsibility to lead the team and test out his captaincy skills. I am not all that worried about that," said Dyson.

Fellow experienced players Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jerome Taylor have been given a little extra time to recuperate after winter injury niggles and will only fly in for the game with Essex at Chelmsford starting on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the West Indies, who beat England 1-0 in the Test series in the Caribbean earlier this years, begin their tour on Monday with a warm-up against Leicestershire.

The first Test starts at Lord's on May 6.

"I think we caught England on the hop in the West Indies," said Dyson whose side went on to lose the one-day series on home soil against England 3-2.

"I think they came out thinking they were just going to have a net and just get ready for the Ashes.

"They got caught being a little bit too complacent in the West Indies. I don't think they will be that complacent again.

"I think they will be out for revenge. It is our challenge to make sure that they don't get it in the return series over here."

Bangalore look to build on momentum

1:03 PM Edit This 1 Comment »

Match facts

April 20, 2009
Start time 16.30pm (14.30GMT)

Big Picture

Midway through the second match on the opening day, it appeared Monday's game would feature the two losers from Saturday. The stunning fightback from the Bangalore Royal Challengers means, though, that the Chennai Super Kings will be playing catch-up when the two teams clash in Port Elizabeth.

It'll also be the first game in that venue, so both teams will have to assess the conditions afresh and plan accordingly. The batting - apart from Rahul Dravid and, to some extent, Matthew Hayden - was disappointing for both teams, and the trick could well be to scale down the target score and instead keep wickets in hand at the start. Dravid handled the conditions expertly; now it's for Jesse Ryder, Robin Uthappa and Ross Taylor to learn some lessons from that knock and tighten up.

Chennai were patchy with the bat too, and unlike Bangalore, their bowlers didn't run through the opposition line-up. These are still early days in the tournament, but another defeat will make Chennai the early laggards of IPL season 2, which would be a huge comedown from their heroics last year.

Player form guide

Bangalore: Dravid and Anil Kumble were the obvious form players from the first game, but all the Bangalore bowlers did their jobs. The onus is now on the batsmen to adapt to the conditions and ensure that a 17 for 3 situation doesn't happen again.

Chennai: Hayden didn't show much rustiness, while MS Dhoni fought hard towards the end, but the rest of the batting needs to step up. The bowling was inconsistent too, with Andrew Flintoff letting the team down in the final overs.

Watch out for

Steyn v Hayden: Dale Steyn had a hand to play in hastening Hayden's retirement, dismissing him three times for 58 runs in 107 deliveries in the Test series in Australia. Hayden will want some revenge, and he'll have a fair chance in a format that is far more loaded in favour of batsmen.

Friendly fire

Pietersen v Flintoff: The two England big guns will be pitted against each other, and expect sparks to fly when Flintoff comes racing in to bowl to Kevin Pietersen.

Team news

Bangalore have little reason to change the combination that worked the magic against Rajasthan: the bowling attack was fabulous, and the batting, while disappointing, has too much class at the top to warrant a change after one failure.

Bangalore Royal Challengers (probable) 1 Jesse Ryder, 2 Robin Uthappa (wk), 3 Ross Taylor, 4 Kevin Pietersen (capt), 5 Rahul Dravid, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Balachandra Akhil, 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 R Vinay Kumar, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Dale Steyn.

Chennai will probably include Albie Morkel for the unimpressive Jacob Oram, while Muttiah Muralitharan could come in to beef up the bowling attack.

Chennai Super Kings (probable) 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Andrew Flintoff, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 S Badrinath, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Joginder Sharma, 9 Manpreet Gony, 10 L Balaji, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.

Head-to-head record

The two teams split the matches they played against each other last season, and the margins were almost identical too: Chennai won the first won game by 13 runs, while Bangalore won by a 14-run margin in the return clash.

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