I am not good at Twenty20 cricket: Pietersen

LONDON: The most expensive IPL player and flamboyant England batsman Kevin Pietersen has confessed he is not good at playing the hugely popular Twenty20 format but vowed to make amends during in the World Championships, beginning next week.

"I'm not very good at Twenty20 cricket, am I?" Pietersen said on the eve of the World T20 Championships in England.

"The more you play T20 cricket the better you become and I haven't played a lot of it, and I'm not very good at it," he was quoted as saying by 'The Mirror'.

Pietersen, who was not a part of the inaugural edition of IPL, played only six matches in the IPL-II in South Africa.

Pietersen disclosed he had developed new theories to suit his batting to the quickest format of the game.

"I just know that I will get much better at it. I've worked out some new theories about how to go about my batting in T20 and that will make a difference, hopefully starting next week!" he said.

The 28-year-old ex-England captain, who failed to impress as the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain in IPL, said he loved the experience.

"I made a great captain didn't I," Pietersen said in a lighter vein.

"We won two out of six when I was there and then Anil Kumble took over and they got to the final.

"People are going to take pot shots at me over the IPL and the money I earned in two weeks, but it was such a great experience. I loved it," he said.

He sought to explain the reason behind gaffes like not knowing the names of his RCB team members even at time of toss in IPL.

"To captain the side four days after arriving and not knowing what some of the guys did and not knowing most of their names made it a huge task for me. I wasn't as focused on my batting as I was on trying to learn guys names and what they did," he said.

It was less than two years ago that Pietersen called Twenty20 a 'silly game with silly shots' but he admits his attitude to the game has since changed.

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4596898.cms

NEW DELHI: As expected, heads are rolling in the Knight Riders camp following the team’s dismal performance in IPL 2. The first one on the chopping
block is none other than head of cricket operations John Buchanan, the former Australia coach whose controversial stint, according to sources, is set to come to a premature end.

In a bid to hit upon a winning formula for next year’s tournament, co-owner Shah Rukh Khan has decided not to renew Buchanan’s contract. Many members of Buchanan’s core coaching staff are also likely to get the axe. These include Buchanan’s son Michael, who was hired by the team as a strength trainer, coach Mathew Mott of New South Wales, fielding coach John Deeble, assistant coach Brad Murphy and wicket-keeping coach Wade Seccombe.

The franchise is expected to take some tough, swift decisions in the wake of the debacle in South Africa, where KR, with Brendon McCullum at the helm, finished last among the eight teams on the points table. Even in the inaugural edition of the T20 tournament, their performance wasn’t much to crow about. Now, the team management might finally be in the process of pulling out all the stops to ensure that investors and fans are better rewarded.

Sources suggest the team is keen on someone with prior experience of coaching in the subcontinent, either an Indian or a foreigner. Names like former Bangladesh coach Dave Whatmore, who is now at the National Cricket Academy, ex-Pakistan coach Richard Pybus and even former players like WV Raman and Paras Mhambrey are doing the rounds.

‘‘It too early to say who will come in as a replacement but Buchanan is certainly not going to carry on next year,’’ sources told TOI

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Knight-Riders-all-set-to-dump-Buchanan/articleshow/4601566.cms

Dhoni relishing World Twenty20 after IPL

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Dhoni relishing World Twenty20 after IPL

LONDON: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is looking forward to uniting all the talents at his disposal during the World Twenty20 in England after competing against his team-mates in the Indian Premier League.

India are the defending World Twenty20 champions after winning the inaugural edition in South Africa two years ago.

Since then the IPL, a lucrative franchise Twenty20 tournament that features the world's best players, has burst on the scene although this year it was played in South Africa because of security concerns.

"Of course it is a pleasure representing your country after the IPL where you have limited talent in your side," Dhoni told reporters at Lord's here on Sunday.

"But here we have plenty of options and we have the cream of the IPL so there is less pressure on each and every individual."

India supply more IPL players than any other nation but wicket-keeper batsman Dhoni, the captain of the Chennai Super Kings, said this was not an advantage in itself.

"The IPL will help us but not only us. There are quite a few players from other countries but most of our players are in the IPL.

"The best thing is that our youngsters will know how to handle pressure, when in the last over you need 10 or 15 runs, everyone in our side has faced that situation.

"It's good exposure for our guys to play against guys like Brett Lee and Shane Warne.

India have been drawn in Group A alongside Asian rivals Bangladesh - who defeated India at the 2007 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean and Ireland - who beat both Bangladesh and Pakistan in the West Indies two years ago.

"In Twenty20, there is no such thing as a weak side, an individual can take the game away from you," Dhoni explained. "If we take care of the immediate steps, the result takes care of itself."

Reflecting on India's success in South Africa, where they beat arch-rivals Pakistan in a thrilling final, Dhoni said: "We can't live on or relish the memories, we have to turn up and do everything from scratch again, it's not about the past.

"Cricket is a very cruel game, the moment you relax is when you are in trouble," Dhoni said.

Asked how the team had developed, Dhoni joked: "I've got quite a few grey hairs. That's one change, the plus point is that in the last three years there have been fewer changes in the side.

"The individuals involved have played 80 to 90 one-day internationals, helps me personally. I can pick ideas according to the situation. Also the fielding has evolved compared to what it was. We have raised the bar."

India, who still have a doubt over the fitness of fast bowler Zaheer Khan's shoulder injury, come into this event without batting great Sachin Tendulkar.

'The Little Master' has opted out of international Twenty20s and Dhoni said: "He's among the greatest, it's tough, you always want a player like Sachin in your side.

"But he wasn't at the last T20, the guys are getting used to it. But he has a big impact in the dressing room, the amount of ideas he has is amazing."

Much has been made of the impact various strategies might have on the outcome of Twenty20 matches but Dhoni said: "It's about how quickly the individual adapts, about what he does on the field.

"It's not only about strategies but how you implement and how the individual you are planning against reacts. If it was all about strategy Sachin would have been sorted out by now and he's been playing for 20 years."

India begin their Group A campaign against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge on Saturday.

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Dhoni-relishing-World-Twenty20-after-IPL-/articleshow/4600858.cms

Team India leaves for England to defend World T20 crown

Mumbai, May 29: Despite fitness concerns over pace spearhead Zaheer Khan and the players’ fatigue factor looming large, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was today optimistic about India retaining the World T20 Championship in England.

“We have a very balanced side, very strong in batting. We bat right down to 8 or 9. This is not to say we lack in bowling. We have a strong bowling attack too,” he told a press conference here before departing with teammates for London by an afternoon flight.

“We have some outstanding talents in our team and we need to focus on playing to our potential without worrying about the result. We have to give 100 per cent and hopefully we can defend the title,” he said about the team’s prospects in the tournament starting June 5.

Dhoni said the team’s most experienced pacer Zaheer Khan was less than fully fit and hoped the injured left-arm bowler would be available for the holders lung-opener against Bangladesh on June 6 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

“Zaheer is not one hundred per cent fit, but we hope he would be fit by the time of our first match. We are hoping he would get fit by the 2nd or 3rd (of June),” the flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman said. Zaheer hurt his bowling shoulder during the Indian Premier League on May 3 in South Africa and underwent a scan that showed inflammation in the joint.

He has not played competitive cricket since then. Though fears have been expressed in some quarters, including by team coach Gary Kirsten, that his players may be jaded after playing non-stop since the beginning of the tour to New Zealand, Dhoni brushed them aside by saying every Indian player would now be used to this.

“We are all used to it by now. I came into international cricket in 2004 and have slowly got used to it. The weather in India is such that we can play cricket almost right through the year at various parts of the country. It’s not a concern,” he expressed confidently.

Dhoni said he was very pleased that he had plenty of options with regard to non-regular bowlers, especially in the spin department and that all his players have the experience of handling pressure by playing in the IPL.

“We have plenty of options with our part time bowlers, especially spinners. We have Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh who have taken hat-tricks in the IPL. We also have Suresh Raina. Yusuf Pathan is there too,” he said.

“International cricket is about handling pressure situations well and the team that handles pressure better would do well. We have someone like Ravindra Jadeja with limited international experience but with high talents. He has played against some top fast bowlers and spinners in the IPL and has learned to handle pressure,” Dhoni said.

The India skipper was not too concerned about the team's opening combinations due to the indifferent form of opening batsmen Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir and bowlers Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan.

“I am not at all worried. Both the openers (batsmen) are very talented. As regards opening bowling combination we have not yet decided who will do it. You have seen spinners too opening the bowling in the IPL. Teams have to take gambles,” Dhoni said.

He said the team members would have to make best use of the days they have at their disposal after reaching England prior to India’s opening match.

“Its good we have warm-up games against tough sides like New Zealand and Pakistan. We also have practice sessions and need to make use of these,” the Ranchi-born Dhoni said. (PTI)

Cricket Australia unveils schedule for 2009-10

MELBOURNE: Australia will play six Tests, 10 ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals on home soil against West Indies and Pakistan as per the 2009-10 International Program announced by the Cricket Australia on Wednesday.

The 2009-10 schedule again sees two separate five-match, head-to-head Commonwealth Bank Series against the West Indies in January followed by a series against Pakistan in February.

There will be another three KFC Twenty20 Internationals this summer, one against Pakistan and two against the West Indies in February.

Australia will play Pakistan on home soil for the first time in a Test series since 2004-05, when they won 3-0.

The Aussies will start on November 26 in Brisbane against the West Indies, with the subsequent matches in Adelaide (December 4-8) and Perth (December 16-20).

The Test series against Pakistan will start from December 26 with the traditional Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, followed by the second Test in Sydney (January 3-7) and the third at Hobart (January 14-18).

"The last time Australia played Pakistan in Hobart it was a thrilling encounter that saw a magnificent partnership between Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist steer Australia to victory on the final day. It was a fine example of Test cricket," Cricket Australia chief executive officer James Sutherland said.

"In addition to the 3 Mobile Test, Hobart will also host their first KFC Twenty20 International against the West Indies in February.

"Melbourne hosts back-to-back international matches in early February. A KFC Twenty20 International against Pakistan is followed by the opening Commonwealth Bank Series match against the West Indies two days later," he added.

After the Tests, Australia will play Pakistan and West Indies in back-to-back five-math ODI series starting January 22.

Centurion may host Indo-Pak match during Champions Trophy

KARACHI: India may lock horns with their archrivals Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy at Centurion on September 26, according to the tentative itinerary for the tournament to be announced soon.

According to details, the match would be played at the same venue, where India had defeated Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup.

India has been clubbed with Pakistan, Australia and the West Indies in one group, while New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka and South Africa are in the other group.

According to the tentative itinerary, Pakistan will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against the West Indies on September 24 in a day-night encounter in Johannesburg. They would play Australia at the same venue on September 28.

The Champions Trophy was originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan in September-October last year but ICC postponed and eventually moved out the event of the strife-torn country due to security reasons.

Sources said that since the biannual Champions Trophy had already been delayed by a year, the ICC was contemplating not staging the tournament in 2010 and concentrating on the next Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies.

TOI

Zaheer to leave for England with Team India: Sources

MUMBAI: Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, is set to leave with the India's Twenty20 squad for the World Cup in England, BCCI sources said on Thursday.

"The team is set to leave tomorrow. If there was anything about it (concerns over Zaheer's fitness) we would have let it be known to the media," BCCI sources.

Doubts had cropped up about Zaheer's availability for the World Championship when he stayed back in South Africa after the conclusion of IPL for a treatment to his injury.

Zaheer, who played for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, suffered the injury on his bowling shoulder while diving to stop a drive off Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Robin Uthappa in Johannesburg.

He underwent a scan that indicated some inflammation and the team management said the injury was not as serious as was thought before the scan. But he did not take part in the remaining matches of Mumbai Indians.

The left-arm pacer, who was not a part of the triumphant squad that clinched the title in the inaugural edition two years ago in South Africa, has emerged as chief wrecker for India in the recent series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4589793.cms?TOI_Cricket_mostread

Men in Blue who matter at the T20 World Cup

India's squad for the first Twenty20 World Cup was a mixture of players who were on the comeback trail, some who were establishing themselves and Indian players Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and MS Dhoni during their Twenty20 match against New Zealand in Christchurch.

It was astonishing therefore, when Dhoni & Co scaled the pinnacle. The combination this time though appears much, much stronger. TOI takes a peep at the super-strong 15-member squad.

MS Dhoni (captain)Age: 27
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Team Chennai
M-13; Runs-304; HS-58*; Avg-43.42;
SR-131.60; 50s-2

No other Indian captain has received as much fan fare as this man. There is a belief that Dhoni can do almost anything, including the impossible. So much gets written and spoken about his captaincy and man-management skills that his batting and keeping gets forgotten. He is seriously good in both these departments too.

Virender Sehwag Age: 30
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Team Delhi
M-11; Runs-198; HS-50; Avg-19.80; SR-143.47

Didn't set the IPL on fire with his performances. Got injured and had to sit out and that affected his rhythm. But impact players like him are one innings away from returning to top form. The only problem for him is motivation. India's first two games are against Bangladesh and Ireland and he has a reputation of struggling against the minnows.

Gautam Gambhir Age: 27
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Team Delhi
M-15; Runs-286; HS-71*; Avg-22.00; SR-102.87

Had a brilliant season till the IPL began and then strangely went off the boil. But Twenty20 is very much his forte and his ability to walk down the track and hit the bowlers over the top psyches them out. In England, where the ball will swing and seam in June, that tactic will also prove to be handy as it will negate movement.

Harbhajan Singh Age: 28
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Mumbai Indians
M-13; Best-4/17; Avg-21.33; Eco-5.81; SR-22.0

Is in top form, but wasn't used very smartly by Sachin Tendulkar. If the pitches in England have a bit of moisture as is expected, he will get some help. Has adapted his bowling well to T20 and his faster one is a great tool. Don't discount his big hitting which may come in handy lower down.

Ravindra Jadeja Age: 20
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Team Jaipur
M-13; Runs-295; HS-42; Avg-26.81; SR-110.90
Bowling: M-13; Wkts-6; Best-3/15;
Avg-25.16; Eco-6.47

Was one of the mainstays for Team Jaipur. He can strike the big blows and rotate the strike well. His left-arm-spin is underrated, but can cause havoc. Watch out for him in the field. His quick-silver fielding in square-off positions can trigger run outs. Is a safe catcher too.

Zaheer Khan
Age: 30
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Mumbai Indians
M-6; Wkts-6; Best-3/31; Avg-23.66;
SR-21.00; Eco-6.76

Got injured at a vital time in the IPL as he looked to be in very good form and great rhythm. He will return to the country where he rediscovered his zest for bowling and reinvented himself after being shabbily treated by the Chappell regime. He can strike in the powerplays and apply the squeeze by bowling yorkers in the death. Can strike meaty blows low down the order too.

Praveen Kumar Age: 22
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Royal Challengers
M-13; Wkts-13; Best-3/30; Avg-30.30;
Eco-7.93; SR-22.90

Will love English conditions as he is a swing bowler. Has the knack of getting wickets in his first over. Has a good yorker and slower one.

Pragyan Ojha Age: 22
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Team Hyderabad
M-15; Wkts-18; Best-3/21; Avg-19.33; Eco-6.50 Indian players Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and MS Dhoni during their Twenty20 match against New Zealand in Christchurch.


The young left-arm spinner first come into the limelight at last season's IPL, and to his credit, Ojha has done well to keep himself in the fray with consistent performances. A smooth action allows Ojha to flight the ball well and exploit any available turn. Within the team, he faces competition for a slot with Ravindra Jadeja, who can bat much, much better than him.

Irfan Pathan Age: 24
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Kings XI Punjab
M-14; Runs-196; HS-39; Avg-19.60, SR-124.05
Bowling: Wkts-17; Best-3/35;
Avg-22.94; Eco-7.74

The swing and the pace may still not be like what it was back in 2003-04, but Irfan still remains a very good bowler, primarily because of the confidence with which he performs in crunch moments. His heroics in the previous T20 World Cup did much to put his career back on track. In conditions that aid swing and seam, Pathan could be a huge asset. Ideal man at the death with the bat too.

Yusuf Pathan Age: 26
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Team Jaipur
M-13; Runs-243; HS-62*;
Avg-20.25, SR-132.78
Bowling: Wkts-7; Best-3/34;
Avg-34.71; Eco-6.94

Team Jaipur's lethal weapon brings in brute power and ruthlessness to a glittering batting line-up. Shane Warne feels Yusuf is the best hitter of the cricket ball since Andrew Symonds and the leg-spin legend isn't way off the mark. Can be used a floater in the batting order. Can be more than useful with the ball.

Suresh Raina Age: 22
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Team Chennai
M-14; Runs-434; HS-98; Avg-31.00, SR-140.90
Bowling: Wkts-7; Best-2-17;
Avg-23.42; Eco-5.92

His awesome strokeplay is fast elevating Raina into a select group of batsmen whom bowlers fear in world cricket. Has done superbly well ever since recovering from an injury that forced him to fade away after a promising start. Has grabbed all the opportunities that came his way both in the IPL and with the Indian team where skipper MS Dhoni trusts him with the crucial No. 3 position.

Ishant Sharma
Age: 20
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Knight Riders
M-11; Wkts-11; Best-2-15; Avg-27.00; Eco-6.90

Hasn't been at his best in the IPL, but Ishant is a great bowler and expect him to fire on all cylinders during this summer. One only has to ask Australian captain Ricky Ponting about his class! On pace-friendly English wickets, Ishant may just get his bite back. After an ordinary IPL season, the tall pacer would be only too keen to bounce back in style.

Rohit Sharma Age: 22
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Team Hyderabad
M-16; Runs-362; HS-52; Avg-27.84, SR 114.92
Bowling: Wkts-11; Best-4/6;
Avg-14.63; Eco-7.00

He emerged as probably the most dangerous finisher this IPL, but there's another aspect about his cricket that's been recently discovered. They are his gentle off-breaks which appear innocuous but can suck a batsman into playing a false stroke. Sharma's career took off with the first T20 WC, but with the competition getting stiffer and his own form not being consistent, things haven't been all too perfect for this Mumbai youngster. He must surely be eyeing this tournament as a vehicle to stake a permanent claim for a berth.

RP Singh Age: 23
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Team Hyderabad
M-16; Wkts-23; Best-4/22; Avg-18.13; Eco-6.98

Arguably the bowler of this season's IPL, RP would be looking to carry his form to England. The left-arm seamer was superb during India's last tour of England, bowling the perfect line and length for those conditions. His IPL exploits will surely lead to other teams studying him in more detail. With Zaheer recovering from an injury, RP could well turn out to India's trump card with the ball. Can he turn out to be the bowler of T20 WC too?

Yuvraj Singh Age: 27
IPL 2009 stats: Played for Kings XI Punjab
M-14; Runs-340; HS-58*; Avg-28.33; SR: 115.64
Bowling: Wkts-6; Best-3/13;
Avg-23.66; Eco-7.10

Wasn't at his best in the IPL. Probably the burden of captaincy had something to do with it. Here, with that responsibility in Dhoni's hands, Yuvi will just have his batting to bother about. The previous World Cup saw the classy left-hander smash six sixes in an over, and the fans will be expecting him to sizzle in this edition as well. His left-arm spin, buoyed by the two hat-tricks that he netted in the IPL, is a dangerous weapon as well.

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Men-in-Blue-who-matter-at-the-T20-World-Cup/articleshow/4590811.cms?curpg=2

ICC to beam World T20 in 216 countries

New Delhi, May 26: The soaring popularity of Twenty20 cricket has prompted the International Cricket Council (ICC) to expand its base and reach a record 216 countries through television coverage in World Twenty20 beginning in England from June 5.

The inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007 was a huge success. India, the financial hub of the sport, won the Championship and soon Twenty20 cricket became the new flavour in the cricket mad nation.

It not only created a new and younger fan base for the sport but also entered the unexplored markets of China and America where there was no existence of the traditional five-day Test and One-dayers.

It also gave birth to lucrative Twenty20 tournaments like Indian Premier League (IPL). ICC is looking to cash in on the popularity and enter new markets like Russia with this year’s World Twenty20.

“We expect the ICC World Twenty20 to be the most viewed cricket event in the history of the game, which is a significant achievement considering it is just the second-ever staging of this event,” said Campbell Jamieson, ICC general manager, commercial.

“Through its various broadcast partners worldwide, this event can be viewed in 216 countries.”
“If the current trends are anything to go by, we expect that this event will continue to grow and become even bigger in the future. At the inaugural edition in 2007 in South Africa, the ratings were very high not just in the Indian subcontinent, which always has a huge cricket following, but across all participating countries and beyond,” he said.

“China is an important country for us and we know that Twenty20 can make cricket popular there. We would be also entering completely new destinations like Russia with this World Twenty20.”

“We expect a 30 to 40 per cent increase in viewership this time. Despite the economic slowdown, the game has never been in such a strong position globally as it is today. The tickets for most number of days are already sold-out.”

RC Venkateish, managing director, ESPN Star Sports, ICC’s global media right and broadcast partners, said they will be aiming a wide viewer base.

“It will be telacast in 216 countries across the world. This is almost double of what we achieved in the 2007 edition. Even in terms of on-air sales, we have written 80 per cent more revenue as compared to the last edition. We have signed 10 sponsors and an additional 20 corporates for spot-buys on live as well as pre-post programming,” he said. “We had set huge benchmarks in the inaugural edition of the ICC World Twenty20 and we are confident that we will raise the bar this time again.” (IANS)

Deccan Chargers beat Bangalore to lift IPL crown

JOHANNESBURG, May 24 (PTI): Adam Gilchrist and his never-say-die Deccan Chargers teammates pipped Royal Challengers Bangalore by six runs in a humdinger to be crowned the second Indian Premier League champions here today.

Chasing a modest 144 for win, Bangalore rode on cameos from Roelof van der Merwe (32) and Ross Taylor (27) to come near the mark but eventually halted at 137 for nine in the final match.

Put into bat, the Chargers had earlier found their nemesis in Anil Kumble (4/16) and it took Herschelle Gibbs' unbeaten 48-ball 53 and Andrew Symonds' brisk 33 to reach 143 for six.

Despite the defeat, Kumble's was a towering presence today. The Bangalore captain won the toss, made the right decisions, struck with the ball whenever the tie threatened to slip through fingers but still found himself at the wrong end of the contest.

For Bangalore, the target was not huge but they lost Jacques Kallis (16) and the in-form Manish Pandey (4) early to find themselves in a spot of bother.

Coming at number three, van der Merwe had a busy time in the middle but even his lusty hits were not enough.

He copped some sledges from Andrew Symonds and ran some crazy runs before hitting Ryan Harris for two sixes in the same over. Symonds too was hit out of the park before Pragyan Ojha cut short the South African's eventful 21-ball stay. PTI

KKR would have done better under Ganguly: Dinda

Kolkata: Had Kolkata Knight Riders played under the leadership of former India skipper Sourav Ganguly in the Indian Premier League, they might have avoided the tag of tournament-laggards, feels teams young pacer Ashok Dinda. “Dada (Ganguly) knows us (the Bengal cricketers) inside out. He knows what are our strengths and weaknesses. Our performance would have been better under his captaincy. He would have been successful in getting the best out of our players,” Dinda said on his arrival here today. Dinda arrived with his teammates including Ganguly, Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Wriddhiman Saha from South Africa, where they finished their IPL campaign at the bottom of tally. Ganguly, however, declined to talk to the waiting media. Under New Zealander Brendon McCullum the Kolkata side had a disastrous campaign as the Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan-owned side earned the dubious distinction of losing eight matches on the trot. After failing to make the semi-finals, Knight Riders however, put up a resurgent performance towards the end to win their last two encounters and finished with three wins against their name. Shukla, who ensured defending champions Rajasthan Royals’ exit from the IPL by guiding Kolkata to a four-wicket victory in their last match, said it was a good experience to play IPL in abroad. “We have to take the positives out. There were few bright spots like Brad Hodge and my form in batting. Dinda also did well with the ball. We have to count the positive aspects. There is a lot to improve upon and hopefully we will do better next time,” said Shukla. (PTI)

IPL 2: 1st semi-final

Centurion, May 22: Adam Gilchrist’s hurricane innings of 85 runs in 35 balls sealed the fate of the Delhi Daredevils in the semi-final here today. Chasing 154 to make it to the finals, Gilchrist simply took the match away from the Daredevils in the first 6 overs giving the Deccan Chargers a comfortable 6-wicket win.

Earlier, Tillakaratne Dilshan’s breezy half-century helped Delhi Daredevils recover from a nightmare start and post 153 for eight against Deccan Chargers in the first semi-final of the Indian Premier League, here today.

Sri Lankan Dilshan survived two dropped catches and a run out attempt to score 65 off 51 balls and alongwith captain Virender Sehwag (39) and AB de Villiers (26), helped Delhi reach a competitive total.

Dilshan, who started off with a pulled six off RP Singh, and Sehwag produced a counter-punch that saw Delhi recover from two down without opening their account.

Adam Gilchrist’s decision to put Delhi Daredevils to bat after winning the toss seemed vindicated when they suffered a twin blow in the very first over, Ryan Harris removing openers Gautam Gambhir and David Warner in quick succession.

Gambhir tried to hoist the Australian over the top but only found RP Singh at third man without opening his and Delhi’s account.

Warner slashed the next ball to Herschelle Gibbs at point and Delhi were in trouble with two down without any runs on the board.

It brought Sehwag and Dilshan together. The duo was in ominous form as they drove, cut and pulled with effortless ease and at the half-way stage, Delhi had raced to 83.

However, the first over after the break accounted for Sehwag. Andrew Symonds trapped the Delhi skipper in front of the wicket for 39. His 31-ball knock included five hits to the fence. Sehwag’s departure put the breaks on Delhi before Dilshan, accompanied by AB de Villiers, got the team back on track.

The Sri Lankan brought his 50 off 35 balls with a four and De Villiers then hit two sixes to push the run rate.

The South African fell for 26 (off 21 balls) and Dinesh Karthik (9) went soon after. (PTI)

Sachin points to lost opportunities

CENTURION: Sachin Tendulkar will return home a disappointed man. However, that won’t happen only after he gives a few members of his team a piece of his mind.

On Thursday, after Mumbai Indians suffered another loss, which brought the curtains down on a frustrating sojourn, Tendulkar just fell short of picking a few names who he thought were responsible for the team’s early exit. Or so it seemed.

He was specific in what he meant when he said "except for two losses - one against Bangalore Royal Challengers when they chased the target with nine wickets to spare and the second, today, when Team Delhi chased 165 easily - the rest were tight games. If you lose a match after needing six runs from nine balls and with four wickets in hand, then I don’t know what to say," he said.

After that began a barrage of post-series analysis in which the Mumbai Indians skipper talked the talk of a disjointed individual. Other than thanking the team owners for their support and saying that the IPL had once again proved to be a huge hit among fans, the rest of his sentences were coated with anger, sadness and a tinge of sarcasm.

"We lost matches from winning positions, games that could’ve been easily won," he said.

In one of the matches, Abhishek Nayar scored 35 runs in 17 balls but got out with just four runs left for victory. In another game, in which Rohit Sharma took a hat-trick for Hyderabad, Nayar strode out and hurled his bat across to a straight delivery and got bowled. He was required to be patient because JP Duminy, at the other end, was batting well. That was another case of snatching a defeat from the jaws of victory.

Tendulkar didn’t take Nayar’s name but it was evident where his anger was directed. He also added that middle-order batsmen Shikhar Dhawan and Sourabh Tiwary leaving the tournament mid-way because of injuries spoilt Mumbai’s plans.

However, sources inform that Dhawan and Tiwary were both asked to return home by the team management despite the fact that they could’ve been fit in a few days had they been in South Africa. It is to be seen if Tendulkar took the decision or the management decided to send these players back.

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Sachin-points-to-lost-opportunities/articleshow/4561893.cms

Delhi take on Deccan in the first semi-final

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Karthik-Dilshan-Not-big-stars-but-deliver/articleshow/4562149.cms

CENTURION: It's semifinal time and Team Delhi are on top. Their opening duo hasn't been at its best, but that hasn't stopped them from looking a formidable unit right through the tournament.

If the star of the middle-order has been AB de Villiers, there have been two silent performers in the team who have always chipped in with useful performances at the right time to take Delhi out of trouble.

Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dinesh Karthik are not the biggest stars of the Delhi team, they are not used to too much stardom at the national level either. While Karthik is still coming to terms with the fact that he is not in the T20 World Cup team, Dilshan is finally relishing the opportunity to bat up the order, which he doesn't always get while playing for Sri Lanka.

"Most of my career, I have batted down the order at No. 5 or 6. But I always prefer going up and I think that has a lot to do with my success in the tournament so far," Dilshan told the TOI. It's the bounce in the South African wickets that the Sri Lankan is also enjoying. "These are the wickets I have always loved batting on. I can play on the backfoot and that has helped me immensely here," Dilshan added.

The right-hander, who captained Sri Lanka in a one off T20 game against India, feels his success also has a lot to do with the innovative shots he plays. "To be a good T20 player, you've to play those chip shots here and there. A lot of hard work goes into perfecting those shots and I think it's all paying off now," the Lankan added.

It's these innovative shots that has made Karthik a potent customer in T20 cricket as well. "I don't know whether to take it as a compliment when people say I am becoming a T20 expert. I guess I have done well in all forms of the game and I try these shots even when I am playing the longer version," Karthik said.

Karthik was a member of the T20 World Cup winning team in South Africa and when the news came that he is not there this time, it did disappoint him. "It obviously felt bad, but I knew my job was to keep performing. It's good that the IPL has gone well for me so far," the Tamil Nadu keeper added.

His Team Delhi coach Greg Shipperd, too, believes the secret behind Karthik's success is his "allround skills".

"He is easily the best wicketkeeper batsman in the country after MS Dhoni. Coming at No. 6, he is our perfect allrounder, and so is Dilshan. He often comes up with those few good overs which become vitally important. These two have really gone a long way in lending the much-needed balance to our team," Shipperd said.

For the duo, it's just a matter of keeping it going for two more games. "We have done everything well in the tournament so far. We're extremely confident that it will be the same in the last two games as well," said Karthik.

Team Delhi	Team Hyderabad
Last year's ranking : 4 Captain: Virender Sehwag Coach: Greg Shipperd Record: Matches-14, Won-10, Lost-4	Last year's ranking: 8 Captain: Adam Gilchrist Coach: Darren Lehmann Record: Matches-14, Won-7, Lost-7
Team form: But for a brief period, they have maintained pretty high standards for themselves right from the beginning of this event. It can be assured that they won't let all their good work be undone with one bad show!	Team form: They have improved tremendously from the last season, and look a tight, determined unit this time. The glitch is, they tend to throw the game away from winning positions.
Drawing board: Get Gilchrist early. They must somehow get past the dangerous Symonds too.	Drawing board: RP and Ojha need to be at their best. Get Symonds in early. Let him take out his Ashes ouster frustration!
X-factor: Gambhir can re-discover his form in a big game.	X-factor: Pragyan Ojha's left-arm spin can be troublesome.
Key stars: Nehra, Warner, Sehwag.	Key stars: Symonds, Gibbs, RP Singh, Gilchrist
Probable team: Gambhir, Warner, AB de Villiers, Dilshan, Karthik, Manhas, R Bhatia, Sangwan, Mishra, Nehra, Nannes.	Probable team: Gilchrist, Gibbs, Suman, Symonds, Rohit, Venugopal, Teja, Harris, Shoaib, Ojha, RP Singh

Manish Pandey comes of age

BANGALORE: Before his pyrotechnics against Team Hyderabad on Thursday, wherein he registered the first IPL century by an Indian and the second of this edition, Manish Pandey’s claim to fame was mostly confined to his participation in the victorious U-19 World Cup campaign in Kuala Lumpur two years back.

The KL campaign got him a berth in the inaugural IPL where he wore the colours of Mumbai Indians and returned home with fond memories of fruitful interaction with his seniors, including Sachin Tendulkar. Pandey, who has made Bangalore his home in pursuit of cricketing excellence, originally hails from Nainital, Uttarakhand.

The 20-year-old has played in the city since his school days, thanks to his father GS Pandey, an Army man who wanted his son to make it big on the cricket field.

Pandey made his first class debut for Karnataka last season and his scores did not do full justice to his potential. Two half-centuries in the debut season was definitely an under-achievement.

Aggression is part and parcel of Pandey’s batting and T20 suits him well but it is his sound defensive technique and wide repertoire of strokes that has made him the next big hope from Karnataka. Add agile fielding to that and you have a complete package.

Looking for redemption after a disappointing Season One, Pandey was an automatic choice for Royal Challengers with his attacking instincts serving him well. He had to bide his time to get a look-in but now, there may be no looking back.

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Manish-Pandey-comes-of-age/articleshow/4562217.cms

Semis are totally different ball game, says Kumble

CENTURION: Victorious Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Anil Kumble on Thursday expressed his happiness for progressing to the semi-finals of the Indian Premier League and feels from here on it is anybody's game as on a given day any side can outsmart the other.

Royal Challengers today defeated Deccan Chargers by 12-runs to move to the third spot in the points table and qualify for the semifinals where they will meet Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.

Although Deccan Chargers lost today, they also qualified for the semi-finals as the fourth team and will take on mighty Delhi Daredevils on Friday.

"It's a great thing for us considering what happened last year. Even the start, we started well this year and then slumped to four losses in a row and then came back again," Kumble said after the match.

"Happy to get into the semis. From here anybody can win on their day. So we back ourselves with the way we played in the last four games. It's been brilliant and will take this confidence going into the semi-final," he added.

The Bangalore skipper was full of praise for young Manish Pandey who scored a brilliant 114 off just 73 balls to set the platform for the victory.

"Brilliant hundred. Manish had a few opportunities but didn't get to bat. In the other games he was batting lower down the order so we just took a chance and send him up and he came off really well.

"I mean the way he really batted was brilliant," Kumble said.

He also lauded Balachandra Akhil for taking up the responsibility in the bowling department in Kallis absence.

Kallis left the field after bowling his first over due to an injury and in his absence Akhil responded to his captain's call picking up two crucial wickets for 18 runs.

"Defending 170 on a good wicket against Deccan was a brilliant effort," Kumble said.

Meanwhile, losing skipper Adam Gilchrist admitted that his side was totally outplayed by Royal Challengers today.

"We were outplayed today. We aren't as sharp as we would liked to be. It would have been nice to have a positive result going into the semis.

"But now we gonna freshen up our mind. Now its totally different with four teams in the race. Any one can beat any one else on their night," Gilchrist said.

He also lauded Pandey for his magnificent batting and said the 19-year-old took the game away from the Chargers with his power hitting.

"It might be a one individual performance, it might be the whole team chipping in. We saw a fine hundred tonight and that took the game right from us," the former Australian wicket-keeper said.

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Semis-are-totally-different-ball-game-says-Kumble/articleshow/4562388.cms

Bangalore Royal Challengers beat Deccan Chargers by 12 runs

CENTURION: The IPL has thrown its first unknown Indian superstar. Manish Pandey came from nowhere to smash an unbeaten 114 that helped Royal Bangalore Royal Challengers celebrate victory against Deccan Chargers at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

It not only helped Royal Challengers beat Team Hyderabad by 12 runs, but also allowed them a day’s breathing space before the semis. They will now take on Team Chennai on Saturday while Gilchrist’s men will be up against Team Delhi, the table toppers, on Friday.

The game was all about the little-known Pandey, who became the first Indian to score a century in the IPL. Royal Challengers coach Ray Jennings took a gamble by sending Pandey to open the batting, and the 19-year-old, after the initial struggle, cut loose.

He made a little room for himself and anything pitched in his zone kept vanishing into the stands. Pandey was an absolutely unknown quantity for Hyderabad captain Adam Gilchrist and he just didn’t know how to contain him.

He shuffled his bowlers around, but the Karnataka batsman simply marked his spots and found the gaps with effortless ease. There were a couple of dropped chances, but that doesn’t take anything away from the stupendous effort of the teenager in such a pressure game.

He only got a little quiet when he was past 95, but Pandey made that up brilliantly once he crossed his century.

A couple of huge hits followed and as he finished the innings off with an over-boundary, Gilchrist was the first one to come up and congratulate him.

The Aussie legend, though, got his team off to a whirlwind start, and along with Herschelle Gibbs, they put on 68 runs off 6.5 overs.

Even after Gilchrist got out, Gibbs kept up the chase with some breathtaking batting. When Robin Uthappa dropped Gibbs at long-on, the Hyderabad fans believed it might just be their day, but that was not to be.

Gibbs departed soon after and when Symonds and Rohit Sharma got out a little later, it was all over for Hyderabad.

Royal Challengers were once again well served by the bowling of captain Anil Kumble and B Akhil who both got two wickets each while giving away very little.

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4561404.cms

Royal Challengers beat Deccan Chargers by 12 runs

CENTURION, May 21 (PTI) Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Deccan Chargers by 12 runs in their last league encounter of the Indian Premier League here today.

Brief Score: Royal Challengers Bangalore: 170 for four in 20 overs. (Manish Pandey 114 not out, Roelof van der Merwe 23; Pragyan Ojha 2/32).

Deccan Chargers: 158 for six in 20 overs. (Herschelle Gibbs 60, Andrew Symonds 18; Anil Kumble 2/23, Virat Kohli 2/18). PTI

Super Kings and Kings XI to clash for semis berth

DURBAN: Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab will fight for a semi-final spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday.

Super Kings lost their last match to bottom-placed Kolkata Knight Riders which left them on 15 points and requiring a victory in their last league match to make the semi-final cut.

If they lose, they will have to depend on the results of other teams to reach the semi-final.

For Kings XI Punjab, who are on 14 points, a loss will see the end of their title hopes.

Kings XI Punjab will be high on confidence after two back-to-back wins against Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers.

In their last match, against Deccan Chargers, Kings XI Punjab pulled off a close win defending a low total of 134 runs.

Their bowling looks in good shape with Irfan Pathan and Brett Lee in fine touch. The slower bowlers in Ramesh Powar and Piyush Chawla, too, have provided breakthroughs at important times. And skipper Yuvraj Singh has been a revelation with the ball, claiming two hattricks in the tournament, one coming against Chargers on Sunday.

Yuvraj would hope to carry the same form in batting that looks shaky and is dependant on Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, whose return after missing the match against Chargers would bolster the team.

Super Kings will have to quickly regroup themselves after their loss to Knight Riders.

Skipper Dhoni minced no words when he asked his bowlers to raise their game after they failed to defend a target of 188.

Super Kings batting is the best in the tournament with Matthew Hayden, Suresh Raina, and Dhoni in top form.

The bowling has been a let down time and again in the tournament.

Super Kings had confidently thrashed Kings XI in the first match and Dhoni is confident of a similar result.

"It is a must win situation for us. We were in a similar situation last year as well and had to win our last match to move into the semis," Dhoni said.

"We will go out and play our cricket and hope that we reach the semis."

"The guys have to realise that they need to perform. It's about how the players raise their bar of performance in such situation. We have a fantastic side and hope for the best," he said.

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Super-Kings-and-Kings-XI-to-clash-for-semis-berth/articleshow/4552884.cms

Warne gets ready for 'The Last Waltz'

DURBAN: If Shane Warne had been a movie star, he'd be the lead protagonist of a remake of The Last Waltz that would probably be playing at this theatre called IPL.

He's got all that it takes -- fame, charisma, talent, a successful career and even that bad-boy image they so love.

There's one hitch though. If his 'Last Waltz' has to become a hit here, he'll have to bring out all that's there in his box full of magic.

If he fails even once, the remake of a movie that was a 2008 blockbuster will hardly have takers anymore. Warne and his bunch can take the flight back home.

Knowing this, Team Jaipur arrived from Bloemfontein to Durban, and true to his superstar image, Warne's checking out from the airport to checking in at the team hotel invited nothing but absolute fan frenzy.

Durban's cricket fans know what's playing at the Kingsmead Park on Wednesday and somehow, it seems, they also have a gut feeling that 'The Last Waltz' will be entertaining.

The "Warnie" chants went on as the Jaipur squad left the hotel for a short but tedious net session at the stadium. From the moment they arrived there till the time they left, every outsider -- be it a fan or journalist or even curious bystanders - were asked to stay away from the practice area. You couldn't watch what was going on nor speak to anyone. "Can you keep off this area please?"

Darren Barry and Jeremy Snape, Warne's coaching lieutenants, weren't accessible either. "It's going to be tough mate," they said when asked to speak on Wednesday's game.

Warne hardly stayed away from his players. The Aussie has shortlisted the four overseas players he's going to have in the side, or so it seemed when he spent the afternoon alongside Graeme Smith, Johan Botha and Lee Carseldine. Rob Quiney, who has been opening for Jaipur, might just get some rest and make way for Swapnil Asnodkar once again.

Warne, it also seems, has little choice but to repose all his faith on the same young Indian bunch that did him proud last season. Therefore, Asnodkar opens with Smith, whose form has been a worry for Warne, while Abhishek Raut, Naman Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja will make the middle-order alongside Botha and Carseldine.

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Warne-gets-ready-for-The-Last-Waltz/articleshow/4553395.cms

Relaxed attitude helped us do well: Kumble

JOHANNESBURG: Royal Challenger Bangalore captain Anil Kumble on Tuesday said taking one game at a time and not thinking too much about their position in IPL table has helped them do well and be in the hunt for a semi-final spot.

"We took one game at a time. We did not look at the table, where we stand and what will happen. We just went out to play to win a game of cricket. That has helped (our team)," Kumble said after his side's seven-wicket victory over table toppers Delhi Daredevils.

He praised South African Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid and Praveen Kumar for playing big roles in winning the match.

"I am happy to win the match. Everybody chipped in and the partnership between (Jacques) Kallis and (Rahul) Dravid helped up to win the match. The early wickets taken by Praveen (Kumar) helped us chase a smaller total," Kumble said.

Delhi captain Virender Sehwag rued that the early wickets in their innings did them in.

"We did not get a good start. We lost two wickets in the first over. May be we were a bit relaxed having already qualified for the semi-finals. We will pick up ourselves and try and win the next game," he said.

"We have to have a good start. AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne (Dilshan) and (Dinesh) Karthik are in form in the middle order so me and Gautam (Gambhir) will have to fire. That his is the only concern for us before the semifinals," he added.

Asked about his poor form in the tournament, having aggregated just 109 runs from nine innings, Sehwag said, "I am not worried about my form. I am just one innings away from getting back to form. May be I will return to form next game."

Man-of-the-match Kallis said in big games like today's senior players will have to raise hands and deliver and he was happy to do that.

"In big games senior players will have to come through. I did that today I am happy. The boys are settled now. In between we had four straight losses but we have come back from that and the boys are confident," he said.

On the 70-run partnership for the second wicket with Rahul Dravid, Kallis said, "The wicket was a bit slow and we thought if we keep wickets intact we would be able to score later. A 150-plus score would have been a different story."

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Relaxed-attitude-helped-us-do-well-Kumble/articleshow/4553551.cms

DURBAN: The seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings may have lifted some of the gloom in the Kolkata Knight Riders' beleaguered camp but is not welcome news for Rajasthan Royals, who face the Brendon McCullum-led side in their must-win last league encounter on Wednesday.

The Shane Warne-led side have stuttered in this season's Indian Premier League campaign and have rarely looked like the defending champions.

Injuries and the absence of some of last year's key players have affected Royals' progress this season. They have won six of their 13 matches with an equal number of defeats against their name.

With 13 points, they need victory against the Knight Riders to brighten their prospects of a semi-final berth, though, Rajasthan would still have to depend on other results.

Knight Riders, who have long been out of a semi-final reckoning, would love to play spoilsport and finish their campaign on a high after a disastrous run that saw them lose eight successive matches.

McCullum's good form with the bat ought to be another piece of worrying news for Warne, who himself is struggling with a hamstring injury.

Rajasthan will depend on Graeme Smith and Yusuf Pathan to put runs on the board.

South Africa skipper Smith has had an inconsistent tournament so far and would be keen to set things right.

Yusuf is not a grafter. For him to deliver, the team needs to give him a platform from where he can launch his arsenal.

The bowling would once again depend on Warne to pull the strings while Munaf Patel's performance at the start would also prove crucial.

With the monkey off their backs, a relieved Knight Riders would be looking to put in a final performance that matches their talent.

Sourav Ganguly would like to prove detractors wrong and finish on a high while McCullum and Brad Hodge would hope to maintain last night's tempo.

http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4552496.cms

Win more important than hattrick: Yuvraj

Johannesburg, May 18: Overjoyed to claim his second hat-trick in the IPL this year, Kings XI Punjab skipper Yuvraj Singh said not personal milestones but his team winning matches, would mean more to him.

Yuvraj claimed three wickets of Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds and Venugopal Rao to return with figures of three for 13 and lead his team to one-win against Hyderabad Deccan Chargers here yesterday.

“Well, the win was very important for us. It was a collective team effort. It was an interesting game. Hat-trick is not as important as winning the game. I was happy that I got the second hat-trick of this tournament,” Yuvraj said.

However, the all-rounder said he did not realise that he had already claimed the hat-trick and it was only after he looked at the giant screen that he came to know about the milestone.
“I actually didn’t realise. I didn't know, because Gibbs was out off the last ball. So I was thinking I have a hat-trick ball, so I had a slip and a silly point in. Then I bowled a ball and I thought I missed my hat-trick, it didn’t matter. Then I read on the screen that I have got a hattrick,” he added.

Well aware of Rohit Sharma’s exploits with the bat, Yuvraj also praised Irfan Pathan, who bowled well to restrict the Chargers just one run short of the Kings XI total, which also included the wicket of the Mumbaikar.

“I knew Rohit played few more balls, we would have lost the game. Because he was batting so well. Last game also he batted brilliantly. He took his team home from nowhere and today he did the same.”

Yuvi hattrick sees Punjab go through

Johannesburg, May 17: Yuvraj Singh produced his second hat-trick of the tournament to guide Kings XI Punjab to a much needed one-run victory over Deccan Chargers Hyderabad in a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here today.

The Punjab skipper picked up the crucial wickets of Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds and Venugopal Rao to produce glowing figures of three for 13 in his four overs which more than made up for an indifferent effort with the bat and also earned him the man-of-the-match award.
A heroic effort from Rohit Sharma (42) took the Chargers within sniffing distance of a win but the Kings XI held on by the skin of their teeth.

Punjab desparately needed a win in order to stay in the race for a semi-final spot. They have succeeded in their quest and now have 14 points from 13 matches to rise two spots to fourth on the points table.

Deccan also have 14 points from 13 games and continue to be third on the table.
Needing 135 runs for victory, the Chargers were off to a sizzling start with Adam Gilchrist (23) and Herschelle Gibbs (26) smashing 30 runs off the first three overs.

The introduction of Romesh Powar brought immediate dividends with the off-spinner accounting for Gilchrist and Tirumalsetti Suman (0) with consecutive balls in his opening over.
Powar’s flighted delivery induced Gilchrist to come out of his crease only to see wicket-keeper Sangakkara dislodge the bails.

The next ball was a similar delivery which beat Suman to crash into the middle-stump.
The double blow saw the run rate dip a little with Gibbs and Symonds adopting a more cautious approach. PTI

Tendulkar tempted injured Warne to play

Durban, May 15: It was the old rivalry against Sachin Tendulkar that tempted Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne to ignore a serious hamstring injury and take the field against Mumbai Indians with a heavily strapped leg.

Warne was almost certain to miss the game and the rest of the IPL after he picked up the injury when he was batting against Deccan Chargers, on Monday night at Kimberley.

But playing against Tendulkar was something that the maverick Australian leggie was not going to miss out at any cost after the previous encounter was washed out due to rain.

Rajasthan Royals director of coaching Darren Berry revealed that Warne ignored all warnings and took the field.

“With Sachin Tendulkar in their (Mumbai Indians) team, there was no way to stop him (Warne). His leg was strapped up but he said he was playing. And when he says he is playing, it doesn’t matter what we are saying. I think without a doubt all players look up to him. He is one of the greats of all time,” Berry was quoted as saying by iplt20.com.

As expected, Kingsmead witnessed a fantastic duel between Tendulkar and Warne. Tendulkar stroked his way to 40 off 30 balls but Warne had the last laugh by trapping the batting maestro leg before the wicket and also spun Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling win with his three-wicket haul. Warne was also adjudged the Man of the Match.

“The way Tendulkar was whacking the ball I thought it was very tough for us to win the match,” said Warne.

Rajasthan Royals’ high performance coach Jeremy Snape said that physio John Gloster worked hard to get Warne back on field.

“To be fair, our physio John Gloster has worked really hard with Warnie for the last few days. He (Gloster) has been putting ice on his leg and massaging the injured leg day and night to get him ready. I think he should be credited for this and it paid rich dividends for us,” said Snape. (IANS)

Bangalore stun Chennai by 2 wickets

Durban, May 14: Lowly Royal Challengers Bangalore humbled fancied Chennai Super Kings by two wickets in an Indian Premier League thriller to inject some life in their bid for a semifinal berth here today.

Following Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision to bat first, Chennai Super Kings posted a modest 129, built largely around Matthew Hayden’s breezy 38-ball 60 but the Bangalore side overwhelmed the target with two balls to spare.

For the winners, New Zealander Ross Taylor cracked a sedate 50-ball 46 and added 56 runs with Virat Kohli (38 off 35) to fashion their second consecutive victory.
With five runs needed from the last over, Taylor fell to Jacob Oram but R Vinay Kumar kept his cool and hit a four to seal the issue.

Earlier, Chennai opener Hayden, who adorned his innings with five fours and three sixes, did not find enough support from his colleagues as only two other batsmen—Suresh Raina (13) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (18)—managed double digit scores.

Chennai lost their six wickets for only 28 runs with Oram (7), S Badrinath (2) and Albie Morkel (7) falling cheaply. Hayden looked at his best and cracked three boundaries in the second over off medium pacer R Vinay Kumar and then smote Praveen Kumar into the stands in the next over.
Anil Kumble brought South African Jacques Kallis into the attack in fourth over and the all-rounder justified his skipper’s decision by inflicting the first blow to Chennai, sending back opener M Vijay (5) cheaply.

Kallis struck again in the sixth over when Raina failed to negotiate a rising delivery and Van der Merwe dived forward to pouch a well-judge catch.

Dhoni then paired up with Hayden, who was looking solid on the other end, to stitch a 45-run partnership.

Spinner Merwe broke the pair just when it was looking dangerous by brilliantly taking a reflex catch to remove Dhoni (18 off 20).

Kumble got the big breakthrough when Hayden failed to gauge a floater and Vinay pouched a good catch near the ropes.

Once Hayden returned, none of the Chennai batsmen could do much as the side settled for a below-par total.

Chasing a modest 130, Bangalore got off to a disastrous start as Chennai's new-ball pair of Albie Morkel and Sudeep Tyagi struck early in the innings.

Opener Kallis (0) departed after Morkel’s wicket-bound delivery found his leg in the first over, while in the next over Rahul Dravid’s (8) ambitious cut found Badrinath in backward point area, leaving Bangalore struggling at 12 for two.

Things only compounded for Bangalore when another opener Robin Uthappa (6) also departed cheaply after being given lbw off Morkel in the fifth over.

Chennai bowlers maintained a strict line and length to stifle the Bangalore top-order but ran out of steam as the match progressed.

Taylor and Kohli held their nerve and paired up to pull Bangalore out of the pit before Oram caught Kohli off paceman Lakshmipathy Balaji.

Experienced Mark Boucher (5) also could not carry the flag and fell prey to Muttiah Muralitharan but Vinay Kumar did not make any mistake, guiding the side to a thrilling win. (PTI)

Rajasthan Royals clinch a thriller

Durban, May 14: Mumbai Indians went down to the Rajasthan Royals by 2 runs thereby making their chances of a semifinal spot bleak. Sachin Tendulkar (40) and Abhishek Nayar (35) gave the Mumbai side some hopes but Warne’s side kept its cool and went on to collect 2 vital points. Earlier, Rob Quiney hit his maiden fifty, while Ravindra Jadeja hammered a breezy 42 as Rajasthan Royals posted 145 for seven against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League here today.

A 43-run opening stand between Graeme Smith (19) and Quiney (51) set the stage for a late charge and even though Yusuf Pathan (17) did not click today, Jadeja’s 32-ball knock ensured the Royals had a decent total to defend even though they looked like getting 160 at some stage.
Rajasthan skipper Shane Warne, nursing a hamstring injury, caught everyone by surprise when he walked out for the toss which he won and opted to bat first.

The idea was clearly to shun extravagance early in their innings as the left-handed duo of Smith and Quiney seemed happy rotating the strike and helping themselves to the occasional boundaries.

Batting on 10, Smith got a life when JP Duminy spilled a tough chance at point off Dhawal Kulkarni, a lapse the youngster later atoned for.

Duminy’s innocuous off-spinners troubled Smith, prompting Mumbai captain Sachin Tendulkar to press Harbhajan Singh into service and decision immediately paid off.

Smith went for a heave that found Duminy in the deep to give him his moment of redemption. Yusuf Pathan (17) sizzled before he fizzled out, Lasith Malinga’s well-judged catch off Chetanya Nanda ending his 14-ball stay.

Jadeja hit Harbhajan for two fours in the same over before hitting Duminy out of the park, a treatment he meted out to Bravo too.

His aggression rubbed on Quiney as well and the Victorian hit Bravo for a six and followed it up with a four to bring up his maiden IPL fifty before a Malinga yorker crashed through his defence.
Malinga bowled well at death again and it was largely to his stifling accuracy that Rajasthan eventually settled for a score below their own projection.

Malinga’s compatriot Sanath Jayasuriya also bowled a brilliant last over, claiming two wickets, including Jadeja’s, for just three runs. (PTI)

Brilliant Bhatia helps Delhi beat Chargers

DURBAN, May 13: Brilliant bowling by Rajat Bhatia towards the end helped Delhi Daredevils snatch a 12-run victory against Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League here today. Bhatia’s (4/15) medium pace first bowled Andrew Symonds (41), who was going great guns, and then knocked Dwayne Smith’s stumps (1) to bring Delhi back into the game after they looked down and out following Adam Gilchrist’s hurricane 33-ball 64.

It was a match that swung one way to the other after Delhi posted a competitive 173 for four following wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik’s breezy 44 and excellent batting by Tillakaratne Dilshan (37) and AB de Villiers (44). In reply, Gilchrist made the most of two dropped chances to play a captain’s knock that saw balls flying over the ropes at regular intervals. Gilchrist, who was dropped by Amit Mishra and then AB de Villiers on 28, cut, drove and punched his way to 50 in just 24 balls.

However, just as in other matches in the tournament, the strategy break proved to be the Chargers’ undoing.

Left-arm pacer Rahul Sangwan (3/18), who had earlier accounted for Tirumalsetti Suman (3) and Rohit Sharma (6), came back to dislodge Gilchrist’s stumps. PTI

Bravo, spinners lead Mumbai to easy win

Bravo, spinners lead Mumbai to easy win

Centurion, May 12 (PTI) Dwayne Bravo's sparkling unbeaten knock of 70 runs coupled with their spinners' magical bowling kept Mumbai Indians in the race for a semifinal spot as they humbled Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets in their Indian Premier League match here today.
Mumbai spin trio of Harbhajan Singh (1/9), J P Duminy (2/15) and Ajinkya Rahane (1/5) wreaked havoc with their splendid spells and set the stage for the revenge win as they restricted Punjab to a paltry 119 for nine.

Sunny Sohal with his fearless 43-run knock was the top scorer for Punjab after Yuvraj Singh chose to bat at the Supersport park.

Mumbai's chase began on shaky note with the failure of Sanath Jayasuriya (4) but Bravo, cashing in on a dropped chance, steered Mumbai to a comfortable win with his 59-ball knock, bejewelled with seven fours and three sixes.

With this win, Mumbai returned to the top-half of the points table.

Bravo, who was dropped on nought by Irfan Pathan on his own bowling in the second over of the innings, hit S Sreesanth for two huge sixes and two fours to begin the firework and then lofted Yuvraj for a massive six over the sight screen.

The West Indies batsman shared an unbeaten 82-run stand for the third wicket skipper Sachin Tendulkar, who provided good support to him with his unconquered 29-ball 41.

Punjab had beaten Mumbai early in the event. PTI

Kings XI Punjab pip Deccan by three wickets

Kimberley, May 9: Kings XI Punjab bounced back into contention with a nail-biting three-wicket victory over Deccan Chargers in a Indian Premier League thriller here today.

After restricting the formidable Deccan Chargers to 168 for 5, built around Andrew Symonds’ unbeaten 60, the Kings XI Punjab rode on Mahela Jayawardene’s quickfire 23-ball 48 and some lusty hitting by the tail-enders to scamper home with just one ball to spare.

Fortune fluctuated from one team to the other till the dying moments before Kings XI, who desperately needed a victory to keep themselves afloat in the tournament, tilted the balance in their favour on a tricky track at the De Beers Diamond Oval.

With nine runs required from the last over, Punjab’s Piyush Chawla cracked a boundary off pacer R P Singh's first delivery and then held nerves to rotate strikes with Brett Lee to achieve a competitive target of 169.

Punjab’s Sri Lankan import Mahela Jayawardene, with his fighting 48 off 23 balls, laid the foundation of the win which denied the Deccan their second victory on the trot. Earlier, put into bat first, Symonds cracked an unbeaten 60 off just 36 balls to guide Deccan Chargers to competitive 168 for 5.
The burly Australian, playing his first match in the second edition of the Twenty20 event, pulled the Hyderabad team out of the pits when they were struggling at 73 for 4. Symonds, who found an able ally in Y Venugopal Rao (32 off 25) to add crucial 95 runs for sixth wicket partnership, adorned his innings with four sixes and two boundaries.
Deccan skipper Adam Gilchrist started on an attacking note by sending fourth ball of the first over off paceman Brett Lee across the rope, followed by two more boundaries off Irfan Pathan’s in the next over.
S Sreesanth inflicted the first jolt to the Hyderabad team by dismissing Gilchrist (20 off 16 balls) just when the Australian was getting into the groove after hitting three boundaries and a huge sixer. Lee, who was playing first match in second edition of the Twenty20 tournament, extracted good swing in his early overs to make the life of Deccan batsmen difficult on a pitch which clearly offered a lot to the bowlers.
Playing on an untested pitch at De Beers Diamond Oval ground, batsmen struggled to make big hits while the bowlers ruled the roost throughout the proceedings as the balls were coming slowly to the bat.
South African Herchelle Gibbs (13) also had to head back cheaply after falling prey to spinner Piyush Chawla. Gibbs decided to go after Chawla’s good length delivery in seventh over but failed to middle the ball as Mahela Jayawardene took a sharp catch diving to his left.
The Deccan were struggling at 70 for 3 wickets during the strategy break after Wilkin Mota sent T Suman (27 off 17 balls) packing in the 10th over. Lee bagged his first wicket in the IPL when he struck the Hyderabad team in the first over after the strategy break dismissing Rohit Sharma (9).
Chasing 169, opener Sunny Sohal gave Punjab an attacking start with his 17-ball 30, which he made with the help of four boundaries and a sixer. Sohal cracked two consecutive boundaries off Rohit Sharma in the second over and then sent medium pacer S M Shoaib across the rope through aerial route in next over.
Sharma disturbed Punjab’s rhythm with twin blows in the fifth over, which also bring an end to the 41-run opening partnership. Sharma first dismissed Sohail in the third ball of the over and then sent his opening partner Simon Katich (9 off 11 balls) packing after two deliveries as Venugopal Rao pouched both the catches.
Shoaib struck the Punjab side at crucial juncture, just when skipper Yuvraj Singh and Kumar Sangakkara were getting their eyes and trying to recover from the twin loss.
The Hyderabad bowler first disturbed the furniture of Sangakkara (25 off 18) in the 10th over before inducing an edge to dismiss Yuvraj Singh in last ball before the strategy break, leaving Punjab at 86 for 4.
The dismissal of Yuvraj, who was looking dangerous and just started stepping on the accelerator, bogged down Punjab's run rate after 10th over. The team might have expected some lusty shots from Irfan Pathan (10 off 12) but he did not give much trouble to the scorers as Shoaib pouched a diving catch off T Suman’s delivery.
However, Jayawadene’s fighting innings which he built with the help of three sixes and one four before getting run out in the 18th over, kept the hope of Punjab team alive. (PTI)

Symonds, Lee, Hussey cleared for IPL

Dubai, May 8: Cricket Australia (CA) has cleared controversial all-rounder Andrew Symonds, pacer Bret Lee and David Hussey to play in the closing stages of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa.

However, Shane Watson, Nathan Bracken and James Hopes have been told to stand down from the Twenty20 tournament after they failed medical tests.

Symonds (Deccan Chargers), Lee (Kings XI Punjab) who returned to Australian squad after four months in the one-off Twenty20 International against Pakistan here, and Hussey (Kolkata Knight Riders) were cleared to fly to South Africa immediately after the match.

But Watson, who had been a revelation at the top of the order during the series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, will fly out to Australia today after suffering a groin injury during his team’s loss in the T20 yesterday.

“Shane has suffered a mild groin strain while batting. He will return home for scans and rehabilitation. His condition will be reviewed in coming weeks to determine his availability for the ICC World Twenty20 in the United Kingdom,” team doctor Trefor James said in a CA statement.

Watson was named player of the IPL last year after leading the Rajasthan Royals to the inaugural title.

Hopes, who was aiming to play with the Kings XI Punjab, and Bracken, who would have turned out for the Bangalore Royal Challengers, will also return home early due to ongoing injury complaints.

“James Hopes and Nathan Bracken have existing knee problems and it has been decided that a period of rest and rehabilitation over the next two to three weeks will be the best preparation for both players ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in the United Kingdom,” James said.

“With the amount of cricket the one-day international players have played since early January this year and given the Australian team’s schedule for the next 12 months, it is important we continue to manage player workloads and injury concerns.” (Agencies)

My team KKR likes me: SRK

Shah Rukh Khan

is back in Mumbai, coughing and wheezing, he’s got a congestion — it’s not what you’re thinking

He returned to vote, now he’s shooting for Karan Johar, getting kids Aryan and Suhana ready for school, while watching his IPL team Knight Riders take a beating in South Africa over television like you and me.

Tuesday night, it was like that again, with the Bollywood Badshah’s knights losing poorly to Delhi in Durban and thereby becoming the first of the eight teams to bite the dust in the race to the semis. Shah Rukh, however, was not in mourning. “What can I say,” he laughed, “we’ve had a string of losses, but we haven’t lost motivation, what we’ve got to do is see where we take the team from here. Some of the matches were close and almost broke our hearts. But the others were complete losses. We had nothing to prove. So I told the boys, go out and have fun!”

He’s aware that the Knight Riders, despite being written off as the worst-performing team in the IPL, is the most valued brand of the T20 tournament. The Economic Times pegged its brand value at $42.1 million, followed closely by Mumbai Indians at $41.6 million and Team Rajasthan at $39.5 million. “Personally, that doesn’t make me happy,” Shah Rukh regretted. “What is a brand? I, as an actor, am a brand... and that puts pressure on myself to perform better and make sure my films do well. Brand is all about giving quality content.

Our cricket content has to improve if it is to be deserving of the top brand spot. That didn’t happen last year. So we tried harder. It didn’t happen this year. Now we need to build the brand up again from scratch on content... rather than other social aspects. I’m happy, of course, that the business is doing well, we have the maximum sponsors and are making money. But the money needs to be put where the product is.”

The team’s hopes have perished this IPL as well, but he isn’t ready to look at the next season as yet. “I believe when you’re down, you shouldn’t take decisions; and when you’re up, you shouldn’t either. Just step back and relook at the situation. That’s what I’m doing,” said the actor. Did his absence in South Africa affect the morale of the team? “Not really,” replied Shah Rukh. “I had decided at the start to be with them for 15 days. The boys are depressed, they can’t do more, and my being around only makes it worse for them. My presence in the dressing room makes them break down. I’m fond of all of them and they like me. But my goodness comes in the way of losses. The defeat gets highlighted because I own the team. They feel worse because they think Shah Rukh Khan has been let down and is hurt... though I don’t show it. Whereas when I’m away, they’re able to go out and play cricket normally.”

Does he have a Chak De! message for his disheartened team? “They are all professional players, they play cricket the whole year, and win or lose... they just get on with the next game. I can’t tell them how to play. But I hang around them. Some players are cynical in defeat. Others raring to go. I meet the two up, sit and chat with them, tell them not to be disturbed. We have lost as a team, we don’t have what it takes to win, and we can’t go on depending on hope. I really can’t find fault with anyone. The idea is we go up and come down together. If I jump up and cheer when somebody hits a six then I must also be prepared to go down with them when they fail. The important thing in sports is that it teaches you how to lose, but not to become a loser. Sports always gives you the chance to come back. It’s a great leveller. The whole success in my life is because I think like a sportsman. There’s always another chance. But I wish I didn’t have to learn this lesson so fast!”

TOI

IPL: Rajasthan beat Bangalore by 7 wickets

CENTURION: Shane Warne’s young bunch of nondescripts are at it again. Gradually they’re picking momentum, seizing opportunities, beginning to gel as Bangalore Royal Challengers' Roelof van der Merwe is clean bowled by Rajasthan Royals' Amit Singh at SuperSport Park in Centurion.


On Thursday, the manner in which they demolished Royal Challengers by seven wickets, bowling at an economy rate of close to just five runs per over, restricting Anil Kumble’s side to a mere 105 and then chasing the target with five overs to spare was truly an indication of them rising to the occasion again.

Nothing seemed to go wrong right from the toss for Warne. As if he had mastered the conditions here, the skipper elected to field, and began the attack with young Amit Singh, in whom he is now placing his confidence given Kamran Khan’s absence.

Singh gave Warne four wickets and more importantly he conceded just 19 runs from his four overs. It seemed like the seniors, including Munaf Patel, Lee Carseldine, Morne Morkel and Warne himself, had to rally around the youngster’s performance.

Another youngster in whom Warne places immense confidence gave the next best performance with the ball after Singh. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets, all of them important ones, that of Robin Uthappa, Mark Boucher and Virat Kohli. The triple strike enabled Jaipur to take firm control of the proceedings.

Chasing 105 was never going to be difficult, especially if one took into account Jaipur’s batting effort against Kings XI Punjab in the previous match and the efforts of Graeme Smith, Lee Carseldine and Yusuf Pathan.

However, none of the three played a role in the game as much as young wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha did. Ojha scored close to half of Royal Challengers’ total.

In fact, the manner in which he finished the game with two fours and a six off Praveen Kumar, it left little doubt in the minds of those watching this Rajasthan team that Warne’s young brigade were so full of confidence.

Except for Roelof van der Merwe’s one over in which he gave away 11 runs, none of the Royal Challengers bowlers bowled too badly either. However, it was the small target that made the chase look easier.

TOI

Massive win for Rajasthan Royals

Durban, May 5: Rajasthan Royals rode on Graeme Smith and Naman Ojha’s blazing fifties and debutant pacer Amit Singh’s sensational bowling to trounce Kings XI Punjab by a massive 78 runs and register one of the biggest wins in the Indian Premier League here today.

Put into bat, Smith (77) and Ojha’s (68) scintillating batting helped Rajasthan post the tournament’s highest total—211 for four—before restricting Punjab to 133 for eight.

Smith and Ojha shared a 135-run stand for the opening wicket, which is so far the biggest partnership of the event.

Chasing the mammoth total, Punjab never looked in hunt and lost half their side with just 39 runs on board by the eighth over.

Skipper Yuvraj Singh (48) stood tall among the ruins and was the only Punjab batsman to put up some resistance in a contest which was unexpectedly lop-sided. Yuvraj’s knock comprised three fours and an equal number of sixes.

Punjab’s demolition was initiated by Amit Sigh who struck with the first and the last ball of his opening over itself to leave Punjab 2/2.

The 27-year-old ended the game with dream figures of 3/9 in four overs. Amit first induced an edge from Sunny Sohal (0), whose misjudged shot landed safely with Shane Warne at the slips. Karan Goel (1) became his next victim while trying to clear the deep square leg. The ball soared in the air for while before Shane Harwood caught hold of it.

Later in the match, Amit also picked up Yuvraj’s wicket when the Punjab skipper mis-hit a short delivery to Harwood at square leg.

Within just three overs of Karan and Sunny’s dismissal, Punjab were dealt a massive blow when Simon Katich was castled by Siddharth Trivedi off the last ball of his opening over.
Katich (10) attempted to smash a yorker but only managed an inside edge that uprooted his off-stump and left Punjab reeling at 25 for three in the fourth over.
Kumar Sangakkara (10) didn’t last long either stumped by Ojha off a Yusuf Pathan delivery. Mahela Jayawardene (9) folowed him to the dug-out, departing after hitting a six in the eighth over.
Jayawardene was dismissed by Harwood after the Sri Lankan cut a short delivery only to be caught by Trivedi at third man.
The rest of the Punjab line-up failed to put up a fight as Punjab succumbed to the massive loss.
Earlier in the match, Rajasthan were off to their best start of the event making 92 runs in their 10 overs before the strategy break. Playing only his second IPL match, Ojha was sent in to open the innings with Smith and the the 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman justified the move with a 51-ball knock. Smith, out of sorts so far in the event, was cautious to start with but soon cut loose to send Punjab bowlers on a leather hunt.

The South African’s innings came off just 44 balls and was studded with 12 boundaries and a six. He was dismissed in the 15th over while trying to loft a Ramesh Powar delivery over long on, only to be caught by Piyush Chawla.

But before that, Smith and Powar had laid the foundation for a big total for Rajasthan.
Ojha, who was dismissed for a duck in his first match, gave a perfect start to Rajasthan’s innings, hitting Powar for two massive sixes and a four in the very first over.

Ojha struck five boundaries and an equal number of sixes during his knock.
Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh tried seven bowlers in a bid to stop the run flow but none could do the trick for him.

Punjab and the tournament’s most successful bowler Yusuf Abdulla conceded 44 runs without picking up a wicket in the three overs that he bowled.

S Sreesanth, playing his first IPL game after recovering from a back injury, was not as expensive to start with but was taken to task in his fourth and final over, which left him with figures of 0/44.
Powar’s only wicket of Smith proved way too costly as he ended up giving away 33 runs in his three. (PTI)

No place for ICL trio in PAK T20 squad

Controversial pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar and Saeed Ajmal, who was reported for a suspect action, find themselves in the Pakistan squad for the Twenty20 World Cup but there was no place for the three Indian Cricket League players who were initially picked in the list of probables.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced the 15-member squad leaving out the ICL trio of Imran Nazir, Abdul Razzaq and Rana Naved.

"The selectors have considered only those players who were eligible to play for Pakistan. Since the board has got information of only Mohammad Yousuf resigning from the ICL, no other ICL player was considered for selection," a PCB official said.

He pointed out the board had made it clear that players would have to resign from the ICL first before being eligible to consider for national selection.

"Only Yousuf has resigned while we have no such information about Razzaq, Nazir or Naved," he said.

The three banned players were initially named in Pakistan's preliminary squad of 30 for the World Cup but then removed and put in the reserves list with the PCB taking permission from the International Cricket Council to consider the trio if they severe their ICL ties.

The board announced recently that any ICL player could be considered for national selection once he resigns from the rebel league.

But the PCB had also made it clear it would decide on case to case basis what penalty to impose on the ICL player before he could play for the national team again. Asked about the selection of Ajmal whose bowling action was reported during the one-day series against Australia, the official said he would be undergoing a review of his action soon and if the ICC bowling action review committee didn't clear him in time, a replacement would be named.

The selectors have also picked two uncapped youngsters, left-arm pacer Mohammad Aamir and hard hitting opener Shahzaib Hassan in the squad that includes 13 of those who turned out for Pakistan in the one-day series against Australia.

The selectors have also kept faith in Akhtar although he took just three wickets in four matches against Australia in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

"I think picking Shoaib is a sensible thing because he is experienced and he can manage four overs in a match," a selector said.

Pakistan finished runners-up in the inaugural T20 World Cup held in South Africa, losing to India in a closely contested final.

The Pakistan squad: Younis Khan (capt), Salman Butt, Ahmed Shehzad, Misbah-ul Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Sohail Tanvir, Shoaib Akhtar, Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Shahzad Hasan and Mohammad Aamir.

© PTI

Teams for World T20 Championships

The Twenty20 World Cup is scheduled to start on 5th June, and most teams have announced their squads for the event already.

England: Paul Collingwood (c), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Andrew Flintoff, James Foster (wk), Robert Key, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Eoin Morgan, Graham Napier, Kevin Pietersen, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

Banagladesh: Mohammad Ashraful (c), Mithun Ali, Raqibul Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Tamim Iqbal, Naeem Islam, Mohammad Mithun, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shamsur Rahman, Syed Rasel, Abdur Razzak, Junaid Siddique, Mahmud Ullah

India: MS Dhoni (c, wk), Virender Sehwag (vc), Gautam Gambhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Yuvraj Singh

Pakistan: YOunis Khan (c), Mohammad Aamer, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Kamran Akmal (wk), Fawad Alam, Yasir Arafat, Salman Butt, Umar Gul, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahzaib Hasan, Shoaib Malik, Ahmed Shehzad, Sohail Tanvir

South Africa: Graeme Smith (c), Johan Botha (vc), Yusuf Abdulla, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin Ontong, Robbie Peterson, Dale Steyn, Roelof van der Merwe

Sri Lanka: KUmar Sangakkara (c), Muttiah Muralitharan (vc), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Nuwan Kulasekara, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Jehan Mubarak, Indika de Saram (wk), Chamara Silva, Thilan Thushara, Isuru Udana

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (c), Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Brendom Diamanti, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum (wk), Nathan McCullum, Peter McGlashan, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor.

updates to follow

© Cricbuzz

South Africa pick Kallis, Botha for World Twenty20

The South African selectors on Monday recalled all-rounder Jacques Kallis for the World Twenty20 tournament in England during June.

They also named off-spinner Johan Botha as vice-captain.

He underwent an independent test of his bowling action in Perth last Thursday after being reported for having a suspect action during a one-day series against Australia last month.

Cricket South Africa is awaiting the test report, which could result in him being barred from bowling in international cricket.

Kallis, 33, has played in only four of South Africa?s 18 Twenty20 internationals and appeared to have been discarded for the shortest form of the game when not selected for two home T20 internationals against Australia.

He was a controversial omission when South Africa hosted the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007.

But he has been performing well for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) being played in South Africa and his bowling is regarded as a valuable asset in English conditions.

There are no surprises or new caps in the 15-man squad and coach Mickey Arthur said he was delighted with the selection.

"It is a team with plenty of options - great depth to the batting and plenty of bowling options. It is also an outstanding fielding unit," he said.

Ten of the players are with IPL teams and several, including batsmen AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs and Kallis, left-arm fast bowler Yusuf Abdulla and left-arm slow bowler Roelof van der Merwe, have been in good form.

Squad

Graeme Smith (captain), Johan Botha (vice-captain), Yusuf Abdulla, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robbie Peterson, Dale Steyn, Roelof van der Merwe

Cricbuzz