Ponting warns England against half-fit Flintoff

Australia in England 2009

Ricky Ponting with the World Twenty20 trophy at a press conference, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, May 29, 2009
Ricky Ponting: refreshed after sitting out the IPL © Getty Images

Australia's captain Ricky Ponting believes that England will be taking a massive gamble if they risk playing a half-fit Andrew Flintoff in the Ashes later this summer, and offered a veiled criticism of the decisions of both Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen to take part in the recently concluded Indian Premier League in South Africa.

Facing the media at Trent Bridge following the Australian squad's arrival in England on Thursday morning, Ponting spoke of how "relaxed and rejuvenated" he felt after opting out of the IPL and taking a four-week break from the game, and suggested that in hindsight England's star players might have been better off following his example.

Instead, Flintoff is facing an anxious race against the clock after requiring surgery on a knee injury sustained while playing for the Chennai Super Kings at the IPL, while Pietersen, who captained Bangalore Royal Challengers in the opening rounds, last week missed his first international cricket for two years when he decided to rest an Achilles injury during the ODI series against West Indies.

Flintoff and Pietersen each fetched US$1.55 million at this year's IPL auction, and with that sort of outlay, Ponting said he understood why they decided to take part in the tournament. "There was obviously a great incentive for those guys to go and play with the amount of money they went for and I guess they were always coming back from the IPL early for the Test matches.

"But for us it was a great opportunity to step away from cricket for a few weeks and make sure we're in the best shape we could be in," he added. "For me it was pretty simple, it was about how long our summer was and how much cricket we played. It was a good opportunity for me to have a couple of weeks off cricket and make sure that when I got here for the start of this tournament I was in the best physical and mental shape I could be."

Ponting's men arrived in the country with considerably less fanfare than their predecessors in 2005, which is understandable given the retirement of big names such as Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. But the youthful verve of a squad made up largely of the team that beat South Africa on home soil in March will, in Ponting's estimation, have a significant advantage over their wearier English opponents.

And no-one seems wearier right now than Flintoff, who was England's main man in the 2005 triumph, but was at the helm 18 months later when Australia recaptured the Ashes with a 5-0 whitewash Down Under. After recently undergoing knee surgery, he was withdrawn from the World Twenty20 squad earlier this week, and now has little more than a month in which to prove his fitness, starting with a County Championship fixture for Lancashire at Liverpool on June 17.

"That's going to be the great decision the England selectors are going to have to make come the first Test," said Ponting. "Flintoff is obviously very important to their make-up and set-up. Maybe, as we saw in 2007, if he's not 100% fit then maybe that sort of impact he can have around the team is not there.

"From 2005 to 2007 we saw two completely different players and that had a lot to do with the level of fitness that he had under his belt going into each series. That's where they're going to have a tough decision to make.

"I don't know where Pietersen's at at the moment, I'm not sure how bad his problem is, but they could face something similar there as well."

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Henry revels in Barca success

Champions League

Thursday 28th May 2009

Thierry Henry feels he made the right decision staying at Barcelona following a disappointing first season with the club.

The France international recovered from a knee injury to play in the Champions League Final last night, and achieved one of his career goals by winning the European title as the Catalan club secured a 2-0 triumph over Manchester United.

"I didn't arrive at Barcelona just to win the Champions League but to win everything," he said.

"The coach (Pep Guardiola) wanted me to stay. He was the man that convinced me to stay."

Henry played against Barcelona in the Champions League Final three years ago with Arsenal but was on the losing side.

He was a doubt for this week's showdown with United but recovered from a ligament injury to his right knee that had kept him out since early May.

Henry is not just celebrating a European title but a treble as Barcelona are the first team in Spain to win the Primera Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League in the same season.

"This is incredible," he said. "I had wanted to win the Champions League for a long time.

"It´s something that I was missing. It´s a special feeling because to win a treble in modern football is not easy and yet we have done it.

"No Spanish team has achieved what we have, to win a treble, and I think everyone will remember this Barca side.

"I´m delighted because I always wanted to make history at this club and we've done just that.

"Now we will celebrate."

Henry is also relieved that he was able to overcome his injury in time.

"For me it´s wonderful to have been able to make it to the final and play," he said.

"It's not easy to come back after several weeks out of action but just like Andres Iniesta, we were determined to play."

Henry insisted that nothing came easy for Barcelona this season.

The Spanish champions went into the final without four regular defenders, with central duo Rafa Marquez and Gabriel Milito out injured and backs Eric Abidal and Dani Alves both suspended.

But the strength of Pep Guardiola´s side is such that numerous other players were able to contribute.

"I think this game is a mirror of a season." he said. "It doesn´t matter which player plays, it is the team as a whole that has done the job.

"Our strength was doing what we have done all season, which is to keep possession, play touch football and recover balls.

"We executed our plan of attack, as usual.

"I don´t know if we won the tactical battle, but Manchester United also played attacking football.

"The whole team played well.

"We had several players injured and suspended but those who came out to play did a great job.

"I knew before the game that I had never lost in Rome. Rome for me is a great city."

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West Indies labour in huge chase

England v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Edgbaston

25 overs West Indies 110 for 4 (Chanderpaul 32*, Ramdin 6*) need 219 more runs to beat England 328 for 7 (Prior 87)

Matt Prior continued his fine form with a career-best 87 to put England on course for a huge total  

England moved closer to a series win as West Indies laboured to 110 for 4 at the half-way point of their huge run chase at Edgbaston. Stuart Broad and James Anderson continued their impressive form with an early wicket each, while Runako Morton was run out in a hopeless mix-up with Shivnarine Chanderpaul and West Indies' problems deepened when Dwayne Bravo was trapped lbw after a sparky 26.

If they were to have any realistic hope of chasing down 329, West Indies needed a big innings from their captain, but after two early boundaries Chris Gayle fell in the third over when he spooned an attempted pull to mid-on. After a brief shower, Ramnaresh Sarwan opened his account with consecutive fours off Broad only to fall in the next over when he miscued a drive to cover where Andrew Strauss held a smart one-handed catch jumping to his left. With two key players gone, Chanderpaul just tried to make sure that no more damage was done as he and Morton played cautiously.

Broad gave Chanderpaul a real working over from around the wicket, beating him three times in two overs with the line that has caused problems all tour. Broad may have had the wicket for his effort if Strauss hadn't had the one slip stood very wide when the edge was found and flew to third man.

Tim Bresnan helped maintain the pressure created by the opening pair and Morton was itching to try and break the shackles, but a breakdown in communication cost him his wicket. After pushing the ball into the covers he raced back for a second only to see Chanderpaul planted firmly in his crease and Morton had no chance to get back.

Bravo finally brought some spark to the innings with a punchy start to his knock, getting off the mark with a straight six off Dimitri Mascarenhas followed by an effortless flick through square leg. In Mascarenhas' next over Bravo launched him over wide long-off for another six, but England missed a chance to dismiss him when Matt Prior failed to gather a stumping chance in Graeme Swann's first over. But it didn't prove costly as Bresnan trapped him leg before on the back foot in the next over to confirm that this match is only heading one way.

England 328 for 7 (Prior 87, Shah 75, Strauss 52, Taylor 3-59) v West Indies

Two days ago the England bowlers excelled to set up a winning position at Bristol; this time it was the turn of the batsmen to put their side in sight of a series win at Edgbaston. Matt Prior hit a career-best 87 and added 149 in 20 overs with Owais Shah, to build on the solid base provided by Ravi Bopara and Andrew Strauss, as England amassed an imposing 328 for 7, the highest ODI total at the ground.

It was another depressingly poor show from West Indies who couldn't maintain any consistency with the ball, gave away free-hits and often fielded with little conviction. England, though, were again on top of their game as they paced the innings impressively, compiling 81 off the first two Powerplays then making use of the batting option by adding 55 in five overs as Prior and Shah made the most of the fielding restrictions. Some clean late striking meant England took 98 off the last 10 overs and it will take a huge effort for a dispirited team to chase down the target.

Bopara and Strauss began watchfully to judge how much assistance the pitch offered after all the recent rain, but it soon became clear that it was a pretty lifeless surface. Ravi Rampaul struggled with his line to gift England some early momentum, although Jerome Taylor was a more threatening prospect. Bopara found the early boundaries, but Strauss got into his stride with consecutive fours off Rampaul - a strong cut and a well-timed pull - as the bowler continued to serve up a poor mixture.

Fidel Edwards, recalled after surprisingly missing the Bristol game, was introduced for the tenth over and nearly removed Strauss, on 16 at the time, with his third ball, but Kieron Pollard spilled a tough chance at point. He'd made good ground to reach the ball, but couldn't hold on as his elbows hit the ground.

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Deccan snatch title in tense finish

Bangalore Royal Challengers v Deccan Chargers, IPL final, Johannesburg

Deccan Chargers 143 for 6 (Gibbs 53*, Kumble 4-16) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 137 for 9 (Ojha 3-28, Symonds 2-18) by six runs

Andrew Symonds was gutted when he got out, but made up with his aggressive fielding and body language, and smart bowling © Associated Press

Deccan Chargers invoked the bull in their emblem to successfully defend a modest total, beat Royal Challengers Bangalore and win a tournament they had ended up last in the previous season. They bowled with fire, fielded aggressively and sledged and hustled - almost literally - to victory in a final that twisted and turned and lived up to the occasion.

The last of those turning points was the 15th over, bowled by Andrew Symonds, who matched his verbal skills from earlier in the night with the wickets of Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli off back-to-back deliveries. Bangalore were 99 for 6 when the over started, and Taylor had looked dangerous during his 20-ball 27. That Symonds over, though, was symbolic of the night: every time a batsman got away from the bowling, a breakthrough pulled the batting side back.

Defending a total three less than what Bangalore chased easily in the semi-final, Deccan came out pumped, their energy reflecting in their behaviour. Symonds shadowed the latest tyro, Manish Pandey, all the way from the dugout to the crease. Pandey was a marked man during his innings. Symonds followed him wherever he went, giving him lip. Ryan Harris matched the aggression with the ball, clocking 145kmph constantly in the first over, a maiden.

Jacques Kallis looked to take the pressure off his 19-year-old partner. In Harris' next over Kallis took two boundaries to get the chase going. RP Singh brought the balance back when Kallis pulled onto his stumps but out came Roelof van der Merwe, who used adrenalin to push Bangalore further towards the target.

van der Merwe got a mouthful from Symonds and Harris, but he responded by hitting two sixes off one Harris over. Despite the maiden, Harris had gone for 23 in three overs. Even after Pragyan Ojha got Pandey with the first ball he bowled, van der Merwe's pyrotechnics kept Deccan at a distance.

One ball summed up the adrenalin rush van der Merwe was feeling. Beaten in the flight by Ojha he managed an edge which saved him from being stumped but he also dropped his bat. He picked his bat up as he ran the first run, and turned a two into a three, saving himself from the run-out by sprinting down the middle of the pitch and diving into the stumps at the non-striker's end.

One six later the adrenalin got the better of van der Merwe as he jumped out to Ojha and was stumped. The tension was palpable, and it sort of got to a senior pro like Rahul Dravid too. As Bangalore targeted Harmeet Singh, Dravid missed a scoop and was bowled. Bangalore still held the edge, though, with Taylor and Mark Boucher in.

Taylor looked like taking Bangalore home coolly, hitting three fours and a six, until Symonds got him on the pull, with a touch of extra bounce. Adam Gilchrist pulled off a smart stumping down the leg side next ball, and it was all down to Boucher now.

Gilchrist tried to get through Harmeet's last over, during which the youngster claimed Boucher on the cut. The bowling allocation was planned perfectly: RP had two left, and Ojha and Harris one each. Bangalore, with two wickets in hand, needed 27 from the last two overs, and 15 from the last, but RP Singh and Ryan Harris kept their cool despite a six from Robin Uthappa.

Amid the tension of the second innings one felt for Anil Kumble, who spent the most of the last over at the non-striker's end and saw his dream crash. Earlier Kumble had celebrated like a teenager but bowled like the veteran champion he is, and kept Deccan down to a manageable target.

He bowled the first over of the match, took Gilchrist out, then came back in the ninth to dismiss Symonds. That wicket was crucial because Symonds had been dropped on 5 by Dravid, and was reminding Bangalore eerily of the line his batting partner Herschelle Gibbs was apocryphally told during the 1999 World Cup. Kumble again came on in the 17th over to break a dangerous 52-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Gibbs, when the two had taken Deccan to 110 for 3.

Towards the end Gibbs played a bizarre little innings. He had been inconspicuous in his struggle to score runs earlier, and didn't make much effort to farm the strike in the end. He faced only six balls in the last three overs, and kept taking twos in the last over to hand the strike over to Harris. He had batted the whole 20 overs for less than 60, much like Sachin Tendulkar, in more trying conditions, had in the first match of the tournament. Somehow they both ended up winning.

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Efficient Bangalore outplay Chennai

Royal Challengers Bangalore v Chennai Super Kings, IPL semi-final

Royal Challengers Bangalore 149 for 4 (Pandey 48, Dravid 44) beat Chennai Super Kings 146 for 5 (Parthiv 36, 2-38) by six wickets

It was Pandeymonium again for the bowlers 

Last things first. Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers, placed at the bottom last year, will face each other in the IPL final tomorrow. And lightning does strike twice. Ask Chennai Super Kings. They had shot under by setting Bangalore 147, but would have thought of it as a fighting total. Manish Pandey, who came out of nowhere and scored a century in the last game, didn't think so. His 35-ball 48 almost killed the chase, and a minor hiccup later Bangalore were in the final.

If anything this was an even better innings, both in terms of the quality of strokeplay and in terms of this being a far bigger match. He got going with a square-drive in the first over, following a ball both wide and full. As if to say it was no fluke, he brought out a more classical square-drive, down on one knee, to the next delivery. Jacques Kallis matched that start with back-to-back square-cuts of equal ferocity and beauty in the second over.

But within seven deliveries Bangalore lost Kallis and Roelof van der Merwe. To pull them out of the shock Pandey produced boundaries with a back-foot punch and a drive on the run in two deliveries in the fourth over. Out of habit the slogs came out in the next two overs, but he cleared the leg-side field with them. By the end of the Powerplays Pandey had reached 29 off 14 deliveries, six fours, four of them along the ground, and Bangalore needed only 88 from 84.

Pandey had batting with him the best man possible, Rahul Dravid, whose classical strokeplay and superb planning had a calming effect on the 19-year-old at the other end. His straight-drive off Shadab Jakati and flick off Albie Morkel were shots as good as any played in the night. The key moment was always going to be when Muttiah Muralitharan, held back by MS Dhoni, would come on to bowl.

Murali started off with a big lbw shout against Pandey, and after that Dravid made a conscious effort of keeping the youngster away from the fox. Pandey finally fell when he went to slog-sweep the other spinner, Jakati, and a turnaround was in the offing. Fifty-three were required in 45 balls then, and Dravid seemed to have it under control until Murali came back and got him lbw in the 16th over. After an asphyxiating over, Bangalore required 35 off four overs.

Chennai needed a gamble then, after all other bowlers had been taken for runs. Suresh Raina bowled the next over, and both Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli took a six off him. The decisive, and the most symbolic, blow came in the next over when Kohli read a doosra, stepped out to Murali, and hit him straight down the ground for a big six. Bangalore's fifth win in a row was all but sealed.

The win, though, looked far away when Parthiv Patel stunned them after they had put Chennai in. The whole talk before the semi-final centered around the orange cap holder Mathew Hayden and whether he would be back for the big match. But Bangalore were hit from an unexpected quarter. It's not often you go outscoring Hayden in good form, and if you do you better be playing exceptionally. That's precisely what Parthiv did for a brief while.

Parthiv was attacked with short bowling, but he brought out the pulls, the cuts, and the upper-cuts. In the first six overs Chennai raced away to 52, and Hayden hadn't even warmed up by then. In fact Parthiv had reached 32 off 20 deliveries, while Hayden was still 13. What odds would punters get for that?

But Anil Kumble and Bangalore regrouped fast. Smart bowling changes and smart bowling thereafter kept pulling Chennai back whenever they threatened to move too far out of reach. The result? A late assault never came. It was Kumble, who brought some control to the proceedings, coming in to bowl the sixth over. And then when Hayden went for one six too many off R Vinay Kumar and mis-hit to long-on, Kumble seized the opportunity.

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Raging Gilchrist carries Deccan into the final

Deccan Chargers v Delhi Daredevils, IPL semi-final, Centurion

Deccan Chargers 154 for 4 (Gilchrist 85) beat Delhi Daredevils 153 for 8 (Dilshan 65, Sehwag 39, Harris 3-27) by six wickets

Adam Gilchrist made the semi-final his own

There's no rust on this baby. Adam Gilchrist didn't just blow the Delhi Daredevils out with a blitzkrieg but also backed up his vow at the end of a disappointing 2008 to give fans in Hyderabad more to cheer for in 2009. Gilchrist played a pivotal role in bringing last season's wooden spoon holders this far and tonight, in the cauldron of a semi-final, he treated Centurion to a stunning display of hitting. His assault on Delhi's bewildered bowlers turned what threatened to be a tricky chase into a no-contest as Deccan chased down 154 with six wickets in hand and 14 balls to spare. Deccan have duly earned the right to be in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Gilchrist had looked like a man with a plan when, at the toss, he said Deccan would field and try and keep the opposition to an achievable target. With teams not always chasing down totals in the vicinity of 160 easily under lights at Centurion, Deccan's chase wasn't expected to be an easy one. It took Gilchrist five deliveries to dismiss such thoughts. Dirk Nannes, one of the success stories of this IPL, was flayed for five consecutive boundaries in the first over, Gilchrist pulling, cutting and driving with power. Nannes was not needed again until the 11th over by which time Deccan were well on their way.

That assault set a trend that continued through Gilchrist's innings as he made the semi-final his own. Ashish Nehra bowled Herschelle Gibbs for a duck but Gilchrist was in a hurry, clobbering Pradeep Sangwan's first three balls for four, four and six. No frills, just excellent bat speed and powerful wrists. In three overs Deccan were 41 for 1, out of which Nehra's first over cost just three.

Nehra's second was nowhere as controlled. Gilchrist drove a no-ball for four and drilled the free hit for a straight six to raise Deccan's fifty in 23 deliveries - his contribution being 48 from 14 balls. His half-century needed just 17 balls, the fastest of the IPL. Virender Sehwag came on for the first and last time in the tournament, with Gilchrist plundering three successive sixes in a 25-run over. It was the Gilchrist of old, the man who put the fear of God in bowlers the world over.

Why Sehwag brought himself on before Amit Mishra and the crafty Rajat Bhatia on a sluggish track will go down as one of the IPL's blunders, because the legspinner struck almost immediately. Gilchrist fell for a superb 85 from 35 balls one delivery before the strategic break, but the damage had been done. Mishra then cut Andrew Symonds off before he could finish the job, finishing with 3 for 19. Rohit Sharma walked out with 17 required from 38 balls and closed the deal in T Suman's company.

Matters had veered to and fro throughout the first half of the match but Deccan's reining Delhi in to 153 ultimately proved decisive. Tillakaratne Dilshan had played a crucial hand, holding it together after Delhi's openers fell to Ryan Harris in the first over, and then providing the momentum as well when quick runs were needed. Deccan regrouped through Symonds and Harmeet Singh initially and Harris and RP Singh thereafter, only allowing Delhi 70 in the last ten overs.

A scoreline of 0 for 2 had little bearing on Dilshan. He led a charmed life, pulling his first ball just over deep backward square leg's fingertips for six and edging the second between gully and slip for four. Sehwag nearly ran him out next ball when he punched the ball to midwicket and then changed his mind.

While Sehwag got tall to work the ball to the leg side, Dilshan preferred to back away and squeeze it through backward point and third man. He used the uncomplicated strategy of judging the length early and then slapping it either off the back foot or front. When Pragyan Ojha slowed his pace and offered room Dilshan flayed him for boundaries, and when Symonds did the same he was cut away. Gilchrist was given a tough time in setting a field for Dilshan, who was adept at picking runs anywhere in the park. A drop behind the stumps when Dilshan was 30 didn't help.

After a maiden first over, Delhi scored 83 in nine. Runs came thick and fast and Gilchrist turned back to Symonds, who finally broke an 85-run alliance with a straighter one that Sehwag needlessly tried to paddle. Symonds and Harmeet choked runs and Deccan did well to take four wickets, including two run outs in the 20th over that only cost eight. Sehwag would have been pleased with 153 after Delhi were 0 for 2 but that was before Gilchrist stepped up. Delhi have now been thrashed in consecutive IPL semi-finals after dominating the league stages.

Gilchrist's praises have been sung in this tournament - he came into the game leading their run list - and tonight he deserved no less than a chorus.

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Pandey century takes Bangalore to No. 3

Bangalore Royal Challengers v Deccan Chargers, IPL, Centurion

20 overs Royal Challengers Bangalore 170 for 4 (Pandey 114*) beat Deccan Chargers 158 for 6 (Gibbs 60, Akhil 2-18, Kumble 2-23) by 12 runs

In a campaign that has included matches insipid and inspiring the Royal Challengers have well and truly come to life. Maintaining the momentum of three consecutive runs, they pulled the rug from under Deccan Chargers' feet and went to No. 3 in the points table, setting up a semi-final clash with the Chennai Super Kings.

At the end of a clinical win, Bangalore can thank Manish Pandey and RP Singh. Promoting Pandey to open in a pressure situation, Bangalore nearly lost him in the third over but RP's gross misjudgment at third man settled the nerves and then some. Either cutting solidly or swatting and slapping with efficiency rather than grace, Pandey grabbed the opportunity and notched up just the second century this season - and first by an Indian in both seasons. Few in South Africa would have heard of the Under-19 batsman but should remember him after this amazing effort.

Teams have struggled to defend under lights at Centurion, and Bangalore were put on the back foot as Herschelle Gibbs waded into the attack. But Anil Kumble took pace off the ball and once Gibbs and Andrew Symonds were dismissed in relative succession it all got too tough for Deccan, who will face Delhi Daredevils in the first semi-final tomorrow.

RP's drop in the third over came after Jacques Kallis pulled his seventh ball to short square leg. It proved a costly error. Pandey began his innings looking out of sorts, twice inside-edging Ryan Harris on the bounce to Adam Gilchrist and top-edging safely to third man. Batting as though Bangalore needed to chase 250, Pandey clouted the ball through the leg side with gay abandon.

Roelof van der Merwe showed a liking for RP on the leg side, twice crashing him over through and over mid-on for boundaries, and weighed in with 23 from 18 balls. After he was well stumped off Symonds in the tenth over, Pandey weighed up the situation and hung on. By this time he was 33, and on resumption after the strategic break dumped T Suman's offspin for consecutive sixes to raise his half-century. Now his timing had improved considerably and Bangalore were going at seven an over.

Very strong through the leg side, Pandey's main scoring option was the swipe across the line. RP returned to bowl the 14th over and Pandey reminded him of his reprieve, swatting and edging fours. He continued the same way after Pragyan Ojha accounted for Rahul Dravid in the next over, clearing his front leg and slogging against the turn. The caress - Pandey steered Jaskaran for four - was followed by the clubbed - next ball disappeared for six - and the fortuitous - an edge beat Gilchrist for four - as Pandey moved to 97 at the end of the 17th over.

The landmark came up with a single down the ground and there wasn't much fanfare. Virat Kohli took a cue and pulled six more, followed by a top edge that dropped safely between two clueless fielders, and deposited the last ball over the ropes. That last over summed up the course the two teams had run.

With Gilchrist struggling for timing, Gibbs took over the responsibility of scoring and did so in imitable fashion. He survived a shout against an Kumble topspinner when on 5 but didn't refrain from walking across his stumps, lapping and pulling the bowlers to distraction. Kallis hobbled off a troublesome hamstring and Gibbs decided to take on Praveen Kumar. The first two balls were short-arm-flicked for sixes, the third was lapped for four, and Gilchrist put away a low full toss. Gibbs then dismissed van der Werwe for a couple sixes upon introduction. Taking full toll of the half-volleys and stray balls that were on offer, Gibbs blasted 45 of the 68 runs added by the openers, lashing boundaries on both sides of the wicket.

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Watson wins battle with Symonds

Shane Watson is back in Ricky Ponting's squad; now he just has to force his way into the starting line-up © AFP

Shane Watson and Andrew Symonds are two large, strong men, and like a pair of gunslingers in a western movie, this town ain't big enough for them both. During the 2006-07 Ashes, Symonds shot back into Australia's Test team while Watson, his then Queensland team-mate and rival allrounder, was injured. Now it's Watson who has gained a place for the return tour of England at the expense of Symonds.

Australia's selectors faced a tough decision on which allrounders to include in their 16-man squad. Watson and the incumbent Andrew McDonald were preferred ahead of Symonds, who in the past year has twice been stood down from the team over behavioural issues.

It could mean the end of the Test road for Symonds, who turns 34 next month. But Watson was unequivocal when asked how he felt about shooting down his colleague's Test dreams.

"Good. It means I'm playing Test cricket and performing well," Watson said. "It's been an interesting battle between me and Andrew Symonds.

"Initially I got my opportunity in the [2006-07] Ashes and unfortunately I got injured and he made the most of that opportunity that he got and has been performing well over the last couple of years. But of recent times he hasn't helped himself in regards to what he's been doing and I've just got to make the most of the opportunity that's presented itself."

Watson has been chosen subject to fitness as he continues his recovery from a groin strain suffered during the series against Pakistan in the UAE, but he is not considered in any real doubt. Still, the latest injury was a setback for Watson, who had returned to the ODI side as a batsman only, having been diagnosed with back stress fractures during the home summer.

That ended an 11-month injury-free run for Watson - the longest such period since the opening couple of years of his first-class career. He drew immense confidence from stringing together a complete tour of India last October, when he played all four Tests, and it reconfirmed in his mind that he did not want to be pigeonholed as a limited-overs specialist.

"It was massive. Those ten or 11 months that I had from the IPL through the West Indies tour and then on to the India series as well gave me a massive amount of confidence to know that I can get through," he said. "There's been a few setbacks after that but it's just finding the perfect balance of what I'm trying to do.

"The opportunities that I had in the Test series in India just fuelled it even more to understand that Test cricket is the absolute ultimate in every single way. Mentally, technically and physically it pushes the boundaries so to be part of the biggest Test series for Australia is going to be so exciting."

The chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch praised Watson's ability to bat anywhere in the top six and his quality fast bowling. Neither he nor the captain Ricky Ponting felt that Symonds' Test career was over, but that Watson was simply the better option for the balance of the team in England.

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Broad trumps Sarwan's century

England v West Indies, 2nd npower Test, Chester-le-Street, 4th day

West Indies 188 for 5 (Nash 1*, Ramdin 0*) trail England 569 for 6 dec (Cook 160, Bopara 108) by 381 runs 

Ramnaresh Sarwan's century lifted West Indies, but Stuart Broad brought them back to earth © Getty Images

Ramnaresh Sarwan claimed his fourth Test century in six Tests against England to lead West Indies' resistance on the fourth morning at Chester-le-Street, but Stuart Broad trumped his efforts with a brilliantly hostile spell on a flat deck, to revive England's hopes of wrapping up a 2-0 series victory.

In a defiant morning session played out under bright blue skies, Sarwan added 99 for the fourth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, but Broad claimed both the big guns in contrasting styles, leaving West Indies rocking at 188 for 5 at the break, with Brendan Nash and Denesh Ramdin charged with the task of saving a still distant follow-on.

First to go was Chanderpaul, who had been content as ever to play the sheet-anchor role. Until his dismissal, his only problems had come from Graeme Swann, who nearly claimed his wicket for the third time in three innings when Paul Collingwood claimed a flying one-handed catch at slip, only for the umpire to correctly adjudicate that the ball had come straight off his toe.

But in the end it was Broad who made the breakthrough in the second hour of the morning with a clever piece of bowling from around the wicket. He drew Chanderpaul forward with a good-length delivery, but rolled his fingers over the ball to create an offcutter, and Matt Prior behind the stumps did the rest.

Sarwan responded in pugnacious style, driving with typically crisp authority and shrugging off the effects of a painful blow to the nether-regions when James Anderson jagged a lifter back into his box. But once Chanderpaul had fallen, he upped his ante, and rushed to his hundred with a blazing straight drive off Broad followed by a cracking pull in front of square.

But those strokes merely stoked Broad's ire, and in a brilliant response he blasted Sarwan from the crease with a trio of vicious lifters, the third of which ballooned off his glove to Bresnan at slip as he attempted to ride the bounce. England were jubilant, an opening had been forged, and the afternoon session promises to be an uncomfortable one for West Indies.

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Cool Sangakkara takes Punjab to victory

Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab, IPL, Bloemfontein

Kings XI Punjab 123 for 4 (Sangakkara 43*) beat Delhi Daredevils 120 for 9 (Karthik 32, Lee 3-15, Sreesanth 2-20) by six wickets

Brett Lee was the pick of Punjab's proficient attack, and his success ultimately proved decisive 

For the first time in what has been a mediocre campaign, the Kings XI Punjab arrived at the ground with three words carved in their minds: find a way. Yuvraj Singh, with his team in a do-or-die scenario, decided on fielding first on an obscure track and his bowlers vindicated that, limiting Delhi Daredevils to 120. They nearly muffed up a small chase, losing early wickets in a chaotic first six overs and then struggling after the strategic time-out, but yet again Kumar Sangakkara's level-headedness and Irfan Pathan's clutch hitting came up trumps. Delhi failed to hold it together defending a poor total, but can still make the semis even if they don't win any of their remaining games.

The side clinging on for hope before the semi-finals played with grit, while the one on song with near-flawless performances this season turned in a poor display. Brett Lee handed Virender Sehwag another poor score, Sreesanth dismissed Delhi's most consistent pair, and Lee returned with an inestimable wicket-maiden 17th over to help set up an achievable chase.

If any Delhi batsman needed time at the crease ahead of the semi-finals, it was Sehwag, but he again fell cheaply, ticking a short Lee delivery down the leg side. Sehwag has yet to cross 38 in this tournament - and seven innings have added up to only 107 runs. In the next over, Gautam Gambhir steered the ball to deep backward point, stole one, but didn't run the first one hard enough and was done in by a good throw.

With two wickets from four matches at 69.50 at an economy rate of 10.69, coming into this match, you could have said Sreesanth was lucky to get another chance. But he got it together today with four tidy overs of nippy medium pace that accounted for AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Sreesanth got his act together by hitting probing lines and finding just the hint of swing needed to keep the batsmen guessing, and though he didn't have further success, the damage had been done.

Punjab kept a check on proceedings during the Powerplay, allowing only four boundaries, one of which was down to poor fielding by Lee at third man. Dinesh Karthik and Mithun Manhas strung together a 50-run partnership but neither was allowed to cause much damage. The 17th over was priceless for Punjab, during which Lee had Farveez Maharoof ducking, slashing and fishing before knocking him over. Lee picked up his third wicket with the first ball of the penultimate over and finished with 3 for 15. He bowled fast, bent the ball back on a couple occasions, and offered the batsmen nothing. It was just what his captain would've expected given Punjab's predicament.

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Canny Bhatia steals one for Delhi

Deccan Chargers v Delhi Daredevils, IPL, Durban

Delhi Daredevils 173 for 7 (Karthik 44*, de Villiers 44, Ojha 2-26) beat Deccan Chargers 161 (Gilchrist 64, Symonds 41, Bhatia 4-15, Sangwan 3-18) by 12 runs

Pradeep Sangwan helped Delhi endure the Gilchrist blitz before Bhatia cleaned up the middle and lower order 

Rajat Bhatia, arguably the best allrounder in India's domestic cricket, announced himself at the world stage tonight. Everything about Bhatia, his pace, his demeanour, his run-up, suggest an innocuous medium-pacer, but he was canny and deadly at the death, taking four wickets for four runs as Deccan Chargers choked to lose once again to Delhi Daredevils. Chasing 174 Deccan needed 25 in three overs, with six wickets in hand, but lost them all for just 12 runs.

When Bhatia came to bowl his final spell, Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds had almost hit Delhi Daredevils into submission. After Gilchrist's powerful 33-ball 64, Symonds had chased smartly, mixing the big sixes with chipped couples. Twenty-five from 18 looked as innocuous as Bhatia is reputed to be, but when Symonds missed a low full toss from Bhatia things became interesting.

Dwayne Smith was fooled by a slow legcutter two balls later, and the game had turned. A big choke followed as Venugopal Rao gloved an Ashish Nehra bouncer next over, and RP Singh ran himself out after failing to get bat to another bouncer. Soon Deccan found themselves needing 14 off the last over, and Bhatia was accurate with his slower balls again, removing Pragyan Ojha and Shoaib Maqsusi.

It was a night when Delhi's domestic bowlers undid two Australian heavyweights. That Delhi could entertain hopes of winning the match despite the amazing hitting was thanks to the 18-year-old Pradeep Sangwan. When Sangwan came on to bowl, Deccan had raced to 30 in two overs. Sangwan removed T Suman in his first over, and claimed Rohit Sharma in his second, which was a maiden as well. Deccan scored 50 in the Powerplays, despite only three runs off two Sangwan overs.

If Sangwan seemed to be playing a different game from his colleagues, Gilchrist wasn't too far off that either. Unlike Delhi's domestic players, Deccan were hampered by their domestic batsmen who seemed to be caught in the headlights. By the strategy break, Gilchrist had peppered the leg-side boundary with five sixes between long-on and square-leg, scoring 63 from 31. Others - Suman, Rohit, Ravi Teja and extras - contributed 20.

It was Sangwan again who struck after that time-out, getting rid of Gilchrist with a yorker outside off, which the batsman played on. Still Gilchrist left the chase in able hands, Symonds, who came in at a surprisingly low No. 5. Right from the off, Symonds showed he was in great touch, hammering sixes and finding gaps in the field nonchalantly. With Delhi's main bowlers bowled out, the chase seemed in the firm control of Symonds, until Bhatia struck out of the blue.

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Dazzling Bravo hands Mumbai big win

Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians, IPL, Centurion

Mumbai Indians 122 for 2 (Bravo 70*, Tendulkar 41*) beat Kings XI Punjab 119 for 9 (Sohal 43, Duminy 2-15) by 8 wickets

Dwayne Bravo made little work of Kings XI Punjab's 119, scoring an unbeaten 70 to take Mumbai Indians to an eight-wicket win © Associated Press

For the second time in two meetings between these teams, Kings XI Punjab batted first and scored 119, but unlike the game in Durban, there was no redemption in the field this time as Mumbai Indians swept to an eight-wicket win to move up to 11 points and fourth in the points table. The win was set up by Mumbai's offspinners - Harbhajan Singh, JP Duminy and Ajinkya Rahane returned combined figures of 4 for 29 in nine overs to launch a stunning comeback. Dwayne Bravo ensured a hiccup-free run-chase with a magnificent unbeaten 70 in an innings full of expansive drives and pulls.

Mahela Jayawardene's absence due to a leg injury sustained during the previous game hit Punjab badly: not only did they miss his calm presence in the middle order, it also meant there were six left-handers in the top eight, since his replacement was Luke Pommersbach. That suited Sachin Tendulkar's offspin theory perfectly, and Punjab didn't help their cause with some reckless shot-making and brainless running between the wickets.

After the first five overs, though, it seemed this match would be a run-fest just like the previous one of the day, when Ross Taylor's heroics had lit up Centurion. Punjab rattled along to 50 off a mere 32 balls, with Sunny Sohal (43 off 23) plundering boundaries at will, either shuffling across his stumps to flick to leg, or giving himself room to carve sixes over point. Soon, though, Harbhajan came into the attack, beat Kumar Sangakkara with his first three deliveries, and from there Punjab had little to cheer as Tendulkar quickly latched on to the offspin theory.

Coming in to bowl in the eighth over, Harbhajan immediately settled into a magnificent rhythm. Bowling from round the stumps to the left-handers, he flighted the ball, got it to drift in, and the spin away sharply. Sangakkara was clueless off the first three deliveries, and then lost that contest comprehensively when he played all over one from Harbhajan's next over.

Duminy was soon pressed into the attack, and he responded with two strikes in his second over, first getting Wilkin Mota to hoick one to Harbhajan, who juggled repeatedly before holding on, and Yuvraj Singh, who paid the price for hitting against the turn. The twin offspin success prompted Tendulkar to try Ajinkya Rahane, and that move paid off too, as Pommersbach played a rash head-in-the-air shot that typified Punjab's approach.

In between all the spin trouble, Punjab contributed to their own downfall with some extremely sloppy running between the wickets. Mota gave it away with one such effort, making no effort to get back into his crease when Tendulkar misfielded at midwicket.

The bowlers had done much more than had been expected of them, and Bravo and Tendulkar ensured the run-chase would be a canter. Punjab nailed a couple of wickets - including that of Sanath Jayasuriya - to give them some initial hope, but Bravo, who survived a tough caught-and-bowled chance off Irfan Pathan early in his innings, ended the momentary high with a fearsome assault on Sreesanth which turned the momentum completely Mumbai's way.

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Delhi wallop Kolkata to go top

Delhi Daredevils v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, Johannesburg

Delhi Daredevils 125 for 3 (de Villiers 40*, Warner 36) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 123 for 8 (Ganguly 44, Agarkar 39, Mishra 3-14) by seven wickets

Amit Mishra kept Kolkata on the mat with his triple-strike © Associated Press

The reduced canvas of a Twenty20 game is supposed to shorten the gulf between sides but in Johannesburg there was no hiding the difference in quality between the two teams at opposite ends of the table. Another commanding performance from Delhi Daredevils helped them sweep past struggling Kolkata Knight Riders and regain their No.1 spot. After their bowlers, led by Ashish Nehra and Amit Mishra, had restricted Kolkata to a paltry total, the batsmen - led by AB de Villiers - kept the chase in hand and strolled to victory with seventeen balls to spare.

It initially seemed Brendon McCullum would script a surprise after he swatted the game's second ball for six and jumped out with intent on the next. However, he was wrongly adjudged lbw off Nehra's next delivery, with the ball going over and wide of offstump, and Delhi gained an advantage they never relinquished.

Worse was to follow for Kolkata three balls later, when the reliable Brad Hodge edged to first slip for a duck. Morne van Wyk, one of the few bright spots in Kolkata's campaign, continued the procession by slapping a Dirk Nannes short ball to square leg. By the end of the second over Kolkata had lost three of their foreign recruits for nine runs.

Sourav Ganguly and Yashpal Singh tried to get their side back on the rails. Ganguly carved one into the Kolkata dug-out in the fourth over, and Yashpal collected a couple of hard-hit boundaries in the next. The singles were also being picked off, and Ganguly was looking extremely good, particularly square on the off side.

Enter Mishra. He got rid of Yashpal and Wriddhiman Saha in his first over, and Kolkata slid to 46 for 5 after eight. There was some less than assured running between the wickets when Ganguly and Moises Henriques were together before Henriques became Mishra's third victim after an uncomfortable eight-ball stay that yielded two runs.

Prime Numbers

271

The number of runs scored by AB de Villiers, who tops the batting charts for Delhi Daredevils

35

The number of runs added for the eighth-wicket partnership between Ajit Agarkar & Murali Kartik, the best in the tournament

67.75

de Villiers' batting average - the best in the tournament so far

134

Kartik's bowling average in the tournament

Kolkata were then content to take the singles, cutting out most risks - Ganguly opening up only on a free hit, clobbering Mishra over long-on for a massive six. Ajit Agarkar also found some rhythm against Pradeep Sangwan, lofting him for a couple of boundaries. Just as Kolkata seemed to be recovering a bit, Delhi got rid of Ganguly.

Agarkar then threw his bat around to take his side into triple-digits, taking his chances with some uppish shots, to finish on a 29-ball 39.

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Impressive England cruise to 10-wicket win

England 377 for 32 for 0 beat West Indies 152 and 256 (Nash 81, Ramdin 66, Swann 3-39, Broad 3-64) by 10 wickets

Graeme Swann removed Shivnarine Chanderpaul cheaply again and finished with six wickets in the match © Getty Images

With more than two days to spare, England began a Test series on a winning note for the first time in 14 attempts and won at Lord's for the first time since 2005 as they wrapped up a convincing 10-wicket success against West Indies. A positive sixth-wicket stand of 143 between Brendan Nash and Denesh Ramdin made England work during the afternoon session, but either side of that there was precious little resistance as they were left a simple target of 32.

This was England's first victory in a live Test since they beat New Zealand, at Trent Bridge, last June, since when they have only once bowled a side out twice. This time England's bowlers shared the honours with Graham Onions adding two more scalps to his impressive debut haul, while Graeme Swann took his match tally to six and in the process removed Shivnarine Chanderpaul for the second time in the game.

When the home side were beginning to get a little frustrated by the efforts of Nash and Ramdin, Stuart Broad made his impression on the innings with an impressive display of aggression towards the lower order which ended with the removal of Nash for a fine, gusty 81 that enhanced his battling reputation. At the ended of one of the many frustrating days of toil in the Caribbean Broad pleaded for a pitch with some more assistance, so it was important that England made the most of conditions in their favour.

However, what was particularly impressive was how a young unit worked together with the swing of Anderson being complemented by the extra bounce of Onions and Broad. Swann's return cemented his standing as England's premier spinner, and only Tim Bresnan - limited to seven overs in the match - was left without a real chance to make an impression, though he did take a fine gully catch to dismiss Fidel Edwards.

After their horrendous collapse of 8 for 53 yesterday West Indies needed to restored some respectability. Showers delayed the start by an hour and initially there was some solid resistance from Lendl Simmons and Devon Smith. However, that all changed when Onions replaced Broad at the Nursery End and Simmons tried one of his favourite leg-side clip, but failed to keep the ball down and Alastair Cook snapped up a smart catch at square leg.

Next over Swann was introduced into the attack to have a crack at his bunny, Smith, but he gained an even more valuable scalp. One ball after being cut away for four, as Chanderpaul escaped a pair, he found the inside edge and the ball ballooned off pad into the hands of Ravi Bopara at silly point. Chanderpaul's tally of four runs in the match was the lowest of his career.

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Gul and Afridi demolish Australia

May 7, 2009

20 overs Pakistan 109-3 (Akmal 59*) beat Australia 108 (Watson 33, Gul 4-8, Watson 3-14) by seven wickets

 

Umar Gul became the highest wicket-taker in Twenty20s, and his 4-0-8-4 were nearly the best-ever figures 

Umar Gul took a wicket first ball, Shahid Afridi took two in his first two balls, and Australia imploded bizarrely after a flying start from Shane Watson. From 42 for 0 in four overs Australia went to 73 for 5 and 108 all out, a target Pakistan chased down easily after an early wobble. Australia had fielded almost a second XI, and played like that.

The first innings of the match was as frenetically eventful as the second was assured and sedate. Gul's 4-0-8-4 had just one run more than the best-ever figures in Twenty20 internationals. Afridi followed his double-wicket maiden with another wicket and nine more runs in the next two overs, as the Australian batsmen kept playing for the non-existent spin. The collapse was just as spectacular as Watson's onslaught on Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanvir. It was ironically a missed inside edge by Aleem Dar that started the slide.

No less a bizarre innings would have been fit for a day when the match started one-and-a-half hours after the toss while waiting for Dubai's Sheikh, an esteemed guest for the match. A day when Younis Khan pulled out at the 11th hour because of a fever. A day when Misbah-ul-Haq, the stand-in captain, said at the toss that Younis stepped down to give Fawad Alam an opportunity.

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ICC World Twenty20, 2009 India Squad

MS Dhoni

Captain/keeper

Age 27 years 301 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm medium

Virender Sehwag

Vice-captain

Age 30 years 196 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Gautam Gambhir

Age 27 years 202 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Legbreak

Harbhajan Singh

Age 28 years 305 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Ravindra Jadeja

Age 20 years 149 days

Playing role All-rounder

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Slow left-arm orthodox

Zaheer Khan

Age 30 years 209 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Left-arm fast-medium

Praveen Kumar

Age 22 years 214 days

Playing role Bowler

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm medium

Pragyan Ojha

Age 22 years 241 days

Playing role Bowler

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Slow left-arm orthodox

Irfan Pathan

Age 24 years 189 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Left-arm medium-fast

Yusuf Pathan

Age 26 years 168 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Suresh Raina

Age 22 years 158 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Ishant Sharma

Age 20 years 244 days

Playing role Bowler

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm fast

Rohit Sharma

Age 22 years 4 days

Playing role All-rounder

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

RP Singh

Age 23 years 149 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Left-arm fast-medium

Yuvraj Singh

Age 27 years 143 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Slow left-arm orthodox

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ICC World Twenty20 Pakistan Squad

Younis Khan

Captain

Age 31 years 156 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm medium, Legbreak

Ahmed Shehzad

Age 17 years 162 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Legbreak

Fawad Alam

Age 23 years 208 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Slow left-arm orthodox

Kamran Akmal

Wicketkeeper

Age 27 years 111 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Misbah-ul-Haq

Age 34 years 341 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Legbreak

Mohammad Aamer

Age 17 years 21 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Left-arm fast-medium

Saeed Ajmal

Age 31 years 202 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Salman Butt

Age 24 years 209 days

Playing role Batsman

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Shahid Afridi

Age 29 years 64 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm medium, Legbreak googly

Shahzaib Hasan

Age 19 years 130 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Shoaib Akhtar

Age 33 years 264 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm fast

Shoaib Malik

Age 27 years 92 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Umar Gul

Age 25 years 20 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm fast-medium

Yasir Arafat

Age 27 years 53 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm medium

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ICC World Twenty20 Bangladesh Squad

Mohammad Ashraful

Captain

Age 24 years 301 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Legbreak

Abdur Razzak

Age 26 years 323 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Slow left-arm orthodox

Junaid Siddique

Age 21 years 186 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Mahmudullah

Age 23 years 89 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Mashrafe Mortaza

Age 25 years 211 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm fast-medium

Mithun Ali

Age 19 years 80 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Mushfiqur Rahim

Wicketkeeper

Age 20 years 245 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Naeem Islam

Age 22 years 124 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Raqibul Hasan

Age 21 years 208 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Legbreak

Rubel Hossain

Age 19 years 123 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm medium-fast

Shahadat Hossain

Age 22 years 270 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm medium-fast

Shamsur Rahman

Age 20 years 333 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Shakib Al Hasan

Age 22 years 41 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Slow left-arm orthodox

Syed Rasel

Age 24 years 305 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Left-arm medium-fast

Tamim Iqbal

Age 20 years 45 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Slow left-arm orthodox

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T20 World Cup Australia Squad

Ricky Ponting

Captain

Age 34 years 137 days

Playing role Higher middle order batsman

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm medium

Michael Clarke

Vice-captain

Age 28 years 33 days

Playing role Lower middle order batsman

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Slow left-arm orthodox

Nathan Bracken

Age 31 years 235 days

Playing role Bowler

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Left-arm fast-medium

Brad Haddin

Wicketkeeper

Age 31 years 194 days

Playing role Wicketkeeper batsman

Batting Right-hand bat

Nathan Hauritz

Age 27 years 199 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Ben Hilfenhaus

Age 26 years 51 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm fast-medium

James Hopes

Age 30 years 193 days

Playing role All-rounder

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm medium

David Hussey

Age 31 years 294 days

Playing role Lower middle order batsman

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm offbreak

Michael Hussey

Age 33 years 343 days

Playing role Opening batsman

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm medium

Mitchell Johnson

Age 27 years 184 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Left-arm fast

Brett Lee

Age 32 years 178 days

Playing role Bowler

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm fast

Peter Siddle

Age 24 years 161 days

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm fast-medium

Andrew Symonds

Age 33 years 330 days

Playing role All-rounder

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm medium, Right-arm offbreak

David Warner

Age 22 years 190 days

Batting Left-hand bat

Bowling Legbreak

Shane Watson

Age 27 years 322 days

Playing role All-rounder

Batting Right-hand bat

Bowling Right-arm fast-medium

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Bopara ton holds England together

England v West Indies, 1st npower Test, Lord's, 1st day

 

England 289 for 7 (Bopara 118*, Swann 7*, Edwards 4-53) v West Indies

 

Ravi Bopara was an immediate success after being promoted to No. 3 as he held England's batting together at Lord's  

Every time England have started a series in recent memory it has been preceded by talk of new eras before failing, often spectacularly, to deliver but Ravi Bopara's assured century, in his first innings at No. 3, suggests that this time might be different. It was a vital innings as the home side wobbled against the pace of Fidel Edwards, who claimed three quick wickets to rattle the middle order, but Bopara found crucial support from Matt Prior and Stuart Broad as honours ended even on 289 for 7, although West Indies rued a batch of dropped catches.

Bopara's display stood out for its maturity and calmness. He scored a hundred in his previous Test innings before being dropped and has now been thrust back in such a key position. He was also one of the clutch of players to have recently returned from the IPL and, while it wasn't the best of days for all of them, Bopara and Edwards showed that the adjustments can be made.

The No. 3 position has become the most vexing position in England's batting order since Michael Vaughan vacated it towards the end of last summer. The last hundred from the position was Vaughan's 106 against New Zealand in the corresponding fixture last summer. Ian Bell and Owais Shah were unable to take their opportunity and so the mantle has been passed to Bopara, the most exciting of England's new-look selections, and he has responded in full to the confidence shown by Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss. This will be his position for the Ashes.

He had two lives, on 76 and 100, as West Indies' fielding fell apart in the final session and survived a perilously close lbw on 40 against Sulieman Benn that was heading towards middle. However, his strokeplay, especially his driving, was classy from the beginning and he showed the best footwork of England's top five.

His hundred arrived off 207 balls after a fairly length wait in the 90s, but even then his nerves didn't show. After tucking the ball into the leg side he calmly saluted the ground before making a rectangle symbol, imitating writing to his team-mates - he wanted his name on the honours board straight away. That's confidence for you.

West Indies missed a real chance to take a grip on this match. Edwards' post-lunch spell of 6-2-15-3 reduced them to 109 for 4 and when Prior fell shortly after tea a total of 193 for 5 could have gone either way. But the visitors were then struck by a spate of dropped chances - still a problem in this improving West Indies side - as six were put down in the final session. Broad was dropped five times in making 38, with Chris Gayle guilty for one at first slip, alongside the two lives given to Bopara.

Three of those chances came off Edwards, who deserved better support after producing the spell that put West Indies on top during the middle session. For the first two hours the bowling had been too short on a pitch offering little, despite Gayle's decision to bowl, and Andrew Strauss had been their only success when cutting at Jerome Taylor. There had clearly been a team talk during the interval about bowling fuller and it worked with great effect.

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Sharma heroics ensure Deccan win

Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians, IPL, Centurion

Deccan Chargers 145 for 6 (Sharma 38) beat Mumbai Indians 126 for 8 (Duminy 52, Sharma 4-6) by 19 runs

Mumbai Indians squandered a crucial opportunity to grab a spot in the top four, losing to Deccan Chargers by 19 runs in a see-saw game where they had held the cards for the most part. An unlikely hat-trick by Rohit Sharma, which included the wicket of a threatening JP Duminy, followed up on a pivotal double-strike by RP Singh to remove the explosive pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya to shut Mumbai out of the game.

Deccan Chargers 145 for 6 (Sharma 38) v Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians' bowlers kept Deccan Chargers on a leash, limiting them to 145 for 6   

Failure up the order had proved pivotal in Deccan Charger's stark turnaround after emerging frontrunners in the tournament with four consecutive wins, and proved their undoing yet again as they struggled to a competitive score on a sluggish pitch at Supersport Park. In a competition where spinners have thrived, it was Mumbai Indians' pace attack that gave them the initiative, with their two new inclusions Dhawal Kulkarni and Rohan Raje impressing in their respective spells.

Glichrist's decision to bat was motivated by a hard, dry surface which he felt would last out the day, but Deccan did have to contend with an out-of-touch Gibbs struggling to find his groove at the other end. Mumbai bowled to a plan, and while Lasith Malinga seemed intent on targeting the batsman's toes, his new-ball partner Kulkarni concentrated on probing the right-hander with the away swinger. He didn't have to wait too long as Gibbs, desperate for some form, was sucked into a drive off just his fourth ball that he edged to Tendulkar to finish with two ducks in his last three innings.

Tirumalasetti Suman merited a promotion after chipping in with useful contributions in the middle order in each of Deccan's three successive defeats, and almost justified the move with two sweetly-struck sixes over the bowler's head in Harbhajan Singh's first over. But he failed to live up to the promise, giving into temptation trying to cut a short ball from Dwayne Bravo who induced an edge with some extra bounce.

It's not very often that Gilchrist cedes the floor to another batsman, but his guarded approach with Suman going strong at the other end, assumed a naturally aggressive tone once he fell, signaled by a monstrous six over deep midwicket - again off poor Harbhajan - that landed on the roof. But Mumbai's new selections continued to be vindicated as even the seasoned Gilchrist failed to curb his frustration with the modest run-rate, swinging across the line to be bowled by an unspectacular, yet accurate Rohan Raje.

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Dhoni and Jakati ensure huge win

Chennai Super Kings v Deccan Chargers, IPL, East London

Chennai Super Kings 178 for 3 (Hayden 43, Dhoni 58*) beat Deccan Chargers 100 (Smith 49, Jakati 4-22) by 78 runs

Chennai Super Kings soared to the top of the points table with their third consecutive win, beating Deccan Chargers by an overwhelming 78 runs at Buffalo Park. The game was effectively won when Deccan were reeling at 1 for 3 and the chase took a surreal turn when Dwayne Smith blazed a cameo to redress the imbalance. But when he departed, yet another procession followed as Shadab Jakati took his second consecutive four-wicket haul. MS Dhoni led from the front with an unbeaten fifty to set up the win and his form coincided with his team's sudden upswing.

More to follow...

20 overs Chennai Super Kings 178 for 3 (Hayden 43, Dhoni 58*) v Deccan Chargers

MS Dhoni announced his return to form with an unbeaten 58 © AFP

Chennai Super Kings batted like a team on the upswing by posting a score of 178 for 3 on an unforgiving surface for bowlers at Buffalo Park. Matthew Hayden set the tone with a raw display of muscle power and the intimidation didn't cease when Suresh Raina hammered a cameo and MS Dhoni played the innings which marked a welcome return to form.

Deccan's openers set a fine example in the previous encounter between these sides and today, Chennai returned the favour. Hayden and M Vijay powered Chennai to a stand of 61 in just under seven overs thanks mostly to Hayden's assault which forced Adam Gilchrist to shuffle the bowlers early on.

Hayden's intention was the dent the bowlers' psyche and they didn't do themselves any favours by spraying it to too short, wide, or both. RP Singh came in for some harsh treatment in his second over when Hayden flat-batted him over cover before slashing over third man. It wasn't the most attractive display of batting though. Hayden chased a few deliveries while nailing his foot to the crease and a couple of attempted slogs found thin air. A scoop to short third man ended his innings but his quick 43 was enough to set the platform.

The lack of elegance was compensated for by Vijay who batted with finesse and fetched boundaries off crisply-timed offdrives. He was prepared to play a more backroom role and ensured Hayden had the bulk of the strike. Vijay went over the rope once with a clean front foot pull off Dwayne Smith but when he tried to take on T Suman, he holed out to long-off.

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Akmal ton ensures consolation win

Pakistan v Australia, 5th ODI, Abu Dhabi

Pakistan 254 for 3 (Akmal 116*, Misbah 76*) beat Australia 250 for 4 (Watson 116*, Ferguson 41*) by seven wickets

Akmal stroked 13 fours during his 115-ball innings

A scintillating century from Kamran Akmal helped guide Pakistan to book-ending victories in the five-match ODI series against Australia. Akmal's knock off 115 balls, his fifth ODI century, meant he top scored in both of Pakistan's successful run-chases this series and begged the question as to why he had not batted in the top four throughout.

Akmal combined superbly with Misbah-ul-Haq to reel in Australia's total, the highest run-chase of this tough series, after being thrust together with Pakistan in trouble at 56 for 3. Their unbroken stand of 198 was an ODI record for the fourth wicket against Australia.

Misbah was the ideal foil for Akmal, who was ignited by Misbah's energetic running, and the pair complimented each other perfectly to frustrate the Australian bowlers. While Akmal pounced on any width from either the fast bowlers or spinners, flaying the majority of his 13 boundaries through the off side, Misbah walked across his crease frequently, working the bowlers into the vast expanses on the on-side. Their running between the wickets was outstanding but it was the constant flow of boundaries that kept the scoring rate high.

Pakistan began their pursuit horrendously with another terrible mix-up between Ahmed Shehzad and Salman Butt, resulting in Butt's run-out in the first over without facing a ball. The problems compounded when Younis Khan, after his most fluent innings of the series, holed out to deep long-on and Shehzad made a horrible error in judgement to gift Nathan Hauritz two wickets and leave Pakistan struggling at 56 for 3.

But the promotion of Akmal proved a master-stroke from Younis while the experience of Misbah was invaluable.

Australia had one chance to break the pair. Michael Clarke could have ended a cramping Akmal's day on 97 as he strained for a single. The usually deadly Clarke missed from backward point and from there it was a fait accompli with Akmal cutting loose after Pakistan took the batting Powerplay in the 46th over.

It was a disappointing result for the Australians after they produced their best batting display of the series on the back of Shane Watson's second one-day international century

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Raut shepherds Rajasthan to victory

Deccan Chargers v Rajasthan Royals, IPL, Port Elizabeth

Rajasthan Royals 142 for 7 (Raut 36*, Carseldine 39) beat Deccan Chargers (Suman 41*) 141 for 5 by by three wickets

 

Yusuf Pathan was Man of the Match © AFP

Rajasthan Royals prevailed in a see-saw chase which included three wickets in two overs and 51 runs in seven. Disciplined spells of bowling were followed by some nerveless batting, though misfields and dropped catches from Deccan Chargers contributed to the close finish.

Yusuf Pathan, having starred with the ball early in the piece, took Rajasthan to within 11 of victory with two overs to go. Abhishek Raut, who played an anchoring role with an unbeaten 36 off 23 balls, was joined by Shane Harwood in the middle and Dwayne Smith fumbled a run-out chance with 10 needed off 10.

Some anxious moments ensued as Deccan argued that only one of the two runs that Raut and Harwood ran during the run-out attempt could be counted since the umpire had already signalled a referral at the end of the first run. But the deduction did not amount to much after Rohit Sharma failed to collect a ball and let it go for four instead. That eased the pressure on Rajasthan, who needed only two off the final over. Fidel Edwards bowled two dot balls but messed up a possible run-out of the third. Raut and Harwood took two singles to finish the game with two balls to spare.

But it had looked like Deccan had their fifth win in the bag when Rajasthan found themselves at 3 for 3 at the end of two overs. Graeme Smith slashed a catch to third man after having nearly got run out, following which Swapnil Asnodkar, again slow to react to a call, gave up his wicket as Lee Carseldine nearly reached his crease. Naman Ojha gave RP Singh a wicket-maiden after his struggle to pick the line ended with a catch to Herschelle Gibbs at point. At the end of three overs Rajasthan were 5 for 3, as opposed to Deccan who were at 27 for no loss at that stage.

Then Ravindra Jadeja and Carseldine added 51 in seven overs - Carseldine hitting five fours in 11 balls - but the two fell within four balls of each other. Rajasthan went into the strategy break marginally ahead of Deccan at the end of 10 overs - 60 to their 58 - but had lost two wickets less in hand. Shane Warne pushed Yusuf down the order and brought himself and Raut up in a move that worked. The over immediately after the strategy break was the most effective as Warne first pulled Venugopal Rao for a six to midwicket, was dropped off the next, slogged another six off the third before Raut joined in with a four to fine leg.

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Yousuf claims he has resigned from ICL

Mohammad Yousuf says he is available to play for Pakistan whenever his country needs him © Getty Images

Mohammad Yousuf has claimed that he has "resigned" from the ICL after he decided last month that his priority was to play for Pakistan. The move potentially paves the way for Yousuf's comeback to the national side, as the PCB recently announced it was willing to talk to players who leave the ICL before the end of May and consider their cases for an international return on an individual basis.

"I spoke to Younis [Khan] about a month and a half ago and I resigned from the ICL after that," Yousuf told Cricinfo. "We both talked about how the country comes first and playing for them is the priority so I decided. I am available whenever the country needs me."

Reports had been swirling around Pakistan since the end of March that Yousuf and a group of other players were considering quitting the ICL after the March-April edition of the league was suspended. ICL players including Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq sought out Younis last month to try and find a way back into the national set-up, after fearing that the ICL - or at least their future participation in it after the deterioration in Indo-Pak ties - might present a tenuous prospect.

It is believed that Younis made no recommendations or promises, only telling the players that the priority should be to play for Pakistan, whatever that involves. "Younis was of the view that as they hadn't come to him before they signed up for the ICL, he doesn't understand why they came to him when they wanted to leave it," a source present at the meetings told Cricinfo. "He also pointed out that he cannot guarantee selection as that is a decision in which other parties, and not just the captain, are also involved." After some consideration and communication with Pir Aftab Shah Jilani, Pakistan's sports minister, Yousuf resigned from the league, though no official public statement had been made, either by any of the players, or the ICL, until now.

There appears, however, to be some confusion over the exact nature of Yousuf's actions. Though Yousuf said his contract with the league was now "finished" the ICL maintains that he is still on contract, though he has been released to play for Pakistan. "Yousuf's ICL contract has not been terminated," Roland Landers, the ICL spokesperson, told Cricinfo. "We have given him a temporary release so that he can play for his country."

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Raina gem inspires Chennai to victory

hennai Super Kings 164 for 5 (Raina 98, Badrinath 29) beat Rajasthan Royals 126 for 9 (Jadeja 37, Balaji 4-21) by 38 runs

In a demonstration of power-hitting with which he carried Chennai Super Kings in the first IPL, Suresh Raina again showed his ability to dominate and, when the need arose, get out of a jam. Chennai were in early trouble after being put in to bat but the early loss of the openers to Shane Warne's introduction of spin didn't deter Raina, who dispatched the Rajasthan Royals attack to all parts of SuperSport Park. His one-man show was complemented by a disciplined and enthusiastic fielding display - including a wicket and two catches to the man of the moment - and Chennai wrapped up victory by 38 runs.

The spade work for victory had been done with a gem from Raina. His blazing innings started and ended in the face of adversary but it didn't show on his face or in his choice of shots. Chennai had lost their leading run-scorer, Matthew Hayden, and Parthiv Patel to loose shots against Yusuf Pathan, who opened the attack with Dimitri Mascarenhas. But after that edgy start Chennai were put back on track through a 67-run liaison between Raina and S Badrinath. Raina was due a good score and he decided attack was the best way of defence.

He took the initiative early on, taking Mascarenhas for four and six and then clubbing Yusuf over long-off for six more. Badrinath was promoted ahead of MS Dhoni, Jacob Oram and Albie Morkel with Chennai in trouble and he reciprocated with a smart cameo of 29. He relieved the pressure with three off-side boundaries and hit Yusuf out of the attack. Badri's inventiveness - making room, getting the wrists into play, lofting over the infield - allowed Raina to continue blazing and he carved a brilliant front-foot six over point off Munaf Patel's first delivery.

Once he found his tempo, Raina was unstoppable. A deft tickle for four off Siddharth Trivedi was one for the purists, a thick inside-edge next ball for the same result just the bit of luck Raina needed to script an epic. He continued to produce punishing pulls and gorgeous shots down the ground, but the slice over cover-point was the sight of the evening. Shane Warne was pulled and cut for boundaries in his first over as Raina reached fifty from 27 balls.

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