The ‘Fab Four’

It’s time for some performance…!

It's time for the 'Fab Four' of Indian cricket to stand up and be counted against the best.Come October 9 and India will renew their rivalry against Australia in a four-match Test series.

There is no doubt that the series will be hard-fought with players on either side of the battle line striving hard to outwit each other.

The collective failure of Tendulkar,Dravid,Laxman and Ganguly in Sri Lanka raised eyebrows over their future in the team, but without doubt the awesome quartet needs only a challenge as mighty as the Australians to get that fire back in their bellies and strike a winning cord.

And, traditionally, the likes of Tendulkar, Laxman and Dravid have fired at various crucial stages in an India-Australia Test series.Past record bears ample testimony to this fact.

None would forget the epic innings played by Laxman and Dravid, both in the 2001 Kolkata Test and the 2003 Adelaide Test, to rescue India and guide them to victory.

Tendulak's penchant for scoring big hundreds against the Aussies is not new either. Remeber he scored two 150-plus scores earlier in the year in Sydney and Adelaide and almost got close to the three-figure milestone in Melbourne and Perth as well.

Rest is history for Tendulkar against the Aussies. Probably, the only weak link in the India armour as far as batting is concerned is Ganguly, who hasn't had much success coming his way against the world champs.However, his brilliant counter-attacking ton in the 2003 Brisbane Test will always be firmly etched in his fans' memories.

'Fab four' still have two years of cricket left: Akram

While, Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has termed the increasingly shrill debate on the future of Indian cricket's 'fab four' meaningless, saying the quartet still has two years of international cricket left.

Akram feels it is hard to imagine an Indian team without Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman right now.

"I don't understand why this debate was started in the first place? Everybody is asking when will they retire but why only them? There is Anil Kumble also, he is also in the same age bracket ... Why is his name not being discussed?" he asked in an interview.

"Agreed that the young Indian team did well in the one-day series in Australia and the senior batsmen did not do all that well against Sri Lanka in the Test series but failure in one series cannot be the criteria to ask for a player's omission. The four of them can still play for a couple of years," he added.

The legendary pacer, who scalped 414 Test and 514 one-day wickets, said instead of showing the door to the seniors, the BCCI should make sure that youngsters get a chance to play alongside them.

"Test cricket is a serious affair and you need a mix of youth and experience. If you have to groom youngsters there is no better way than to make them play with the seniors. This way, they will learn a lot. If the youngster is willing, he can learn even while fielding," he explained.

Fab four burdened by own expectations: Dhoni

But, More than the expectations of fans and scrutiny by the experts of the game, Indian cricket's 'Fab Four' are burdened by their own high expectations which puts them under pressure every time they step on the field, feels India one-day skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Asserting that senior batsmen -- Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid -- still have a lot to offer, Dhoni said the quartet deserves a graceful exit as and when they decide to call it a day.

"There is more pressure on them because of their own expectation level and the fear of performance because they have set the benchmark so high that to be there always... there is more pressure that comes from within.

"I don't think you can really write them off, they have plenty in them. But at the same time you have to look into the future. It's all about transition, making a respectful last few years in their international career," Dhoni said.

Dhoni, who has impressed the game experts with his cool head and mindful strategies, also defended seniors place in the Test side.

"Do we have an option? We definitely have players who are talented and can make it big, but at the same time, it's not really about talent, their adaptability and preparation matter," Dhoni told NDTV in an interview.

Speaking about the four-Test series against the Australians, Dhoni said the hosts were well prepared to take on the World Champions.

"Preparation wise, I think, we could not have done an inch more than what we have done. It's all about execution of plans and hopefully, the team will adapt and play better cricket," he said.

Sri Lanka win the series 2-1

Mendis makes his debut in style!

Malinda Warnapura and Mahela Jayawardene shared an unbeaten stand of 101 to guide Sri Lanka to a 2-1 series win over India with a day of the third Test in Colombo to spare.
Both batsmen struck half-centuries as the home side completed a comfortable eight-wicket victory.

Needing 122 to win in their second-innings, Sri Lanka recovered from the loss of two early wickets to cruise home on 123 for two.

The hosts were stuttering after losing Michael Vandort for eight and Kumar Sangakkara for four, to slip to 22 for two, but Warnapura (54) and Jayawardene (50) calmed the nerves.

India, reflecting on their Test series loss to Sri Lanka, have a reason to believe they were beaten not so much by their hosts as by unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis, who remained an unfathomable mystery.

The 23-year-old army officer badly bruised India's batting pride during his team's 2-1 victory in the series that ended in Colombo at the P. Sara ground on Monday, capturing 26 wickets.

It was the best by any bowler in a debut three-Test series, surpassing Englishman Alec Bedser's 24-wicket haul against India at home in 1946.

Mendis was instrumental in ruining the Indian batsmen's reputation for playing spin better than pace as he overshadowed even Muralitharan, the world's leading wicket-taker with 756 Test scalps.

Tendulkar, who was 172 short of breaking retired West Indies captain Brian Lara's world record of 11,953 Test runs before the series, could manage just 95 in six innings without a half-century.

Laxman impressed only in patches as he scored 215 runs, while Dravid made 148 and Ganguly 96.

Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir alone salvaged their reputations, playing key roles in their team's victory in the second Test in Galle.

Sehwag smashed an unbeaten 201 and 50, while Gambhir made successive half-centuries to give solid starts. But it was the only occasion when the Sri Lankan spin duo looked under pressure.

Australia takes control in the first test

Clark leaves Windies in deep trouble

Stuart Clark's impressive bowling stifled the West Indies' top order, as Australia consolidated its advantage after making 431 in its first innings.

Australia, overnight 301 for four, was bowled out for 431 a half hour before tea.

Symonds led the visitors on day two with a 115-ball knock that started patiently and finished aggressively, and included eight fours and two sixes.

Symonds and last man Stuart MacGill frustrated West Indies in a stand of 32 before Edwards uprooted MacGill's middle stump to claim five for 104, his sixth five-wicket haul in tests.

West Indies replied with 115 for three with Clark's accuracy rewarded with three for 18 from eight probing overs.

The experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul (25 not out) and Runako Morton (23 not out) shared an unbeaten stand of 47 to boost the home team in the early evening at Sabina Park.

The scores:

Australia — 1st Innings:P.Jaques lbw b Edwards 9, S.Katich c Sammy b Edwards12, R.Ponting c Parchment b Bravo 158, M.Hussey c Bravo b Jaggernauth 56, B.Hodge c Ramdin b Edwards 67, M.Johnson c Powell b Sammy 22, A.Symonds (not out) 70, B.Haddin c Ramdin b Sammy 11, B.Lee lbw b Edwards 4, S.Clark c Bravo b Powell 3, S.MacGill b Edwards 2; Extras (2nb 2b 13lb):17. Total (all out in 126.5 overs) 431.

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-37, 3-174, 4-293, 5-326, 6-350, 7-368, 8-383, 9-399, 10-431.

West Indies bowling: Powell 29-4-99-1, Edwards 26.5-4-104-5, Sammy 29-7-45-2, Bravo 22-6-61-1, Jaggernauth 20-0-74-1.

West Indies — 1st Innings: DS Smith b Clark 32, Parchment c Haddin b Clark 9, Sarwan c Haddin b Clark 7, Morton not out 23, Chanderpaul (not out) 25; Extras (11nb 1b 7lb) 19: Total (for 3 wkts in 37 overss) 115.

Fall of wicket:1-47, 2-62, 3-68.

Australia bowling: Lee 11-4-25-0, Johnson 10-1-40-0, Clark 8-1-18-3, MacGill 6-0-24-0, Symonds 2-2-0-0.

The Kings XI enter semis, beats The Deccan Chargers

Marsh was declared Man of the Match.

Kings XI Punjab cemented their semi-final berth with six-wicket victory against bottom-placed Deccan Chargers with three balls to spare in the 48th fixture of the DLF Indan Premier League.

Required to score 176 runs for their ninth victory from 12 matches, Kings XI Punjab scored 178 for 4 in 19.3 overs.

Kings XI Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh won the toss and elected to field. Deccan Chargers scored 175 for 4 in 20 overs. Adam Gilchrist and Rohit Sharma who hit half centuries, were their main scorers.

Both openers made light of the competitive total set by the Chargers as they put on a partnership of 84 runs in only 7.4 overs with Marsh scoring 60 and Sangakkara equaling his own record of fastest fifty by reaching the mark in a mere 23 balls.

Though captain Yuvraj Singh failed yet again with the bat, Mahela Jayewardene and Piyush Chawla ensured the Kings XI had no hiccups in reaching the target.With their ninth win in 12 matches, the Kings XI Punjab joined the Rajasthan Royals at the top of the league table with each having 18 points though Royals have played one match less.

The Scores:

Deccan Chargers: A. Gilchrist b Powar 50, H. Gibbs b Gagandeep Singh 44, Rohit b V.R.V. Singh 50, Y. Venugopal Rao c Chawla b Sreesanth 2, C. Silva (not out) 23, S. Styris (not out) 1; Extras (lb-4, w-1): 5; Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs): 175.

Fall of wickets: 1-79, 2-111, 3-149, 4-163, 5-149.

Kings XI Punjab bowling: Sreesanth 4-0-29-1, V.R.V. Singh 4-0-40-1, Powar 4-0-20-1, Chawla 4-0-31-0, Gagandeep 3-0-33-1, Yuvraj 1-0-18-0.

Kings XI Punjab: S. Marsh c Gibbs b Styris 60, K. Sangakkara c Silva b Rohit 50, Yuvraj Singh c R.P. Singh b Ojha 17, Luke Pomersbach c Rohit b Ojha 13, M. Jayawardene (not out) 14, P. Chawla (not out) 16, Extras (lb-3, w-5): 8; Total (for four wkts. in 19.3 overs): 178.
Fall of wickets: 1-84, 2-117, 3-137, 4-149.

Deccan Chargers bowling: R.P. Singh 3.3-0-37-0, Vijaykumar 2-0-24-0, Rao 2-0-23-0, Styris 4-0-36-1, Rohit 4-0-25-1, Ojha 4-0-30-2.

England in control on day 1 of the Second Test in Manchester.

Taylor makes a contolled half-century

England's Ryan Sidebottom took two wickets in seven balls to spoil what threatened to be an ideal start to the second Test by New Zealand at Old Trafford here Friday.

On another day curtailed by drizzle and bad light, England had New Zealand 136 for four with dangerman Brendon McCullum back in the hutch for 11 and Daniel Flynn retired after being struck in the visor by a bouncer from James Anderson, a blow so gruesome it knocked his front left tooth out and on to the stumps.

But a combination of poor bowling and predictable tactics allowed the visitors to recover, and when a second bout of a bad light ended play for the day they had reached 202 for four from 54 overs.

Black Caps skipper Daniel Vettori won the toss and elected to bat first on the Old Trafford wicket, however only 54 overs were possible because of rain and bad light.

Jamie How's fine 64 was an innings that threatened to make England's day one to forget until Anderson found the edge of his bat with a good one after lunch.

Ross Taylor hit an unbeaten 67 as New Zealand ended the first day of the Second Test against England 202-4.

The Score:

New Zealand — 1st innings: J. How c Ambrose b Anderson 64, A. Redmond b Sidebottom 28, J. Marshall lbw b Sidebottom 0, R. Taylor (batting)67, B. McCullum c Collingwood b Panesar 11, D. Flynn (retd hurt) 4, J. Oram (batting) 22; Extras (6lb): 6. Total (for 4 wkts in 54 overs) 202.

Fall of wickets: 1-80, 2-86, 3-102, 3-123.

England bowling: Sidebottom 16-6-33-2, Anderson 12-0-66-1, Panesar 13-1-62-1, Broad 13-3-35-0.

Australia takes charge on day 1 of the first test

Ponting back in form!

Ricky Ponting's excellence at Sabina Park yesterday has given his Australian side immediate control of the first Test of this Digicel series.

The Australian leader imposed himself on a depleted West Indies attack to craft 158 (17x4, 1x6) in eight minutes short of six hours.

Dominating in century partnerships with Michael Hussey (56, six fours) and Brad Hodge (53 not out, 6x4, 1x6), Ponting led Australia to 301 for four at the end of the day.

Ponting's 35th hundred in 118 Tests gave Australia the upper hand and lifted him ahead of Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara into second place on the all-time list of Test centuries. India's Sachin Tendulkar leads with 39 in elite five-day cricket.

Ponting may have found his side in trouble after Fidel Edwards had struck early to remove openers Phil Jaques and Simon Katich, however he showed all his battling qualities to ensure it was a ultimately a poor day for the hosts.

And when he was finally dismissed for 158 before the close of play, the Baggy Greens were in complete control.

The scores:

Australia — 1st Innings: P.Jaques lbw b Edwards 9, S.Katich c Sammy b Edwards 12, R.Ponting c Parchment b Bravo 158, M.Hussey c Bravo b Jaggernauth 56, B.Hodge (not out) 53, M.Johnson not out 1; Extras (2nb 2b 8lb):12. Total ( for four wkts in 87 overs) 301.

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-37, 3-174, 4-293.

West Indies bowling: Powell 20-2-69-0, Edwards 14-0-56-2 Sammy 17-2-45-0, Bravo 16-4-47-1, Jaggernauth 20-0-74-1.

Knightriders-Daredevils match called off due to heavy rain

The Kolkata Knightriders washed out!

Heavy rain caused the abandonment of Thursday's IPL clash between the Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders before a ball was bowled, the first match to be washed out in the tournament so far.

The weather left both teams frustrated as Kolkata were eliminated from the race for the semi-finals while Delhi need to beat Mumbai and hope the Indians lose their other two remaining games to have a chance of advancing.

Heavy rain lashed the Feroz Shah Kotla until around 9.15pm local time and despite the best efforts of the ground staff, poor conditions in the outfield made play impossible.

The washout leaves Delhi team (13 points from 13 games) with a must-win situation on Saturday in their remaining fixture against Mumbai Indians (12 points from 11 games) also at the Feroz Shah Kotla. However that fixture too is threatened by the forecast of thunderstorms for the next three days.

A victory in that game would take them to 15 points, three above Mumbai who will then have to win their remaining two games to reach the semi-finals. If that game is washed out as well, then one win for Mumbai will suffice.

Alternatively, if third-placed Chennai (14 points from 12 matches) lose both their remaining two matches, the Daredevils will make it to the last four. Shane Warne's top-of-the-table Rajasthan Royals (18 points from 11 matches) are assured a place in the semis

At last some good times for The Royal Challengers

Kumble and Steyn takes Banglore home!

Bangalore Royal Challengers, placed at the bottom of the Indian Premier League (IPL) points tally, pulled off a stunning 14-run win against hot favourites Chennai Super Kings here Wednesday night.

Earlier, Royal Challengers, who won the toss and decided to bat first, could score only a paltry 126 for eight in 20 overs. In reply, Super Kings wasted a good start and threw away their wickets to end up at 112 for eight.

The Royal Challengers, out of contention for a semi-final berth, put forth yet another poor performance with the bat as their innings progressed at the snail’s pace with Super Kings bowlers giving little away.

The batting line-up never really recovered from the disastrous start and worse was to follow as Virat Kohli fell for 10, lofting Muttiah Muralitharan to deep mid-wicket where Morkel took a brilliant, tumbling catch.

Only late in the innings did the run-rate pick up as Dravid (47, 39b, 5×4) and Praveen (21, 11b, 1×6, 2×4) played some attacking shots to save the blushes.

Anil Kumble’s 3-14 and Dale Steyn’s 2-28, the twin strikes in the 14th and 16th over, enabled Bangalore Royal Challengers to defeat Chennai Super Kings.

Gony was pick of the Super Kings bowlers with a spell of 4-1-11-2 as he dismissed both openers, Kallis (5) and Sreevats Goswami (10) in his second and fourth overs.

The defeat at the M A Chidambaram Stadium meant that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men, with 14 points from 12 matches, will have to wait further to book their semifinal berth.

The scores:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: J. Kallis c Fleming b Gony 5, S. Goswami c Patel b Gony 10, V. Kohli c Morkel b Muralitharan 10, R. Dravid c Dhoni b Morkel 47, Misbah c Parthiv b Balaji 4, M. Boucher lbw b Morkel 17, B. Akhil (not out) 6, P. Kumar b Morkel 21, V. Kumar b Morkel 0, A. Kumble (not out) 2, Extras (lb-3, w-1): 4; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 126.
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-22, 3-33, 4-41, 5-76, 6-97, 7-124, 8-124.

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Ntini 4-0-27-0, Gony 4-1-11-2, Muralitharan 4-0-19-1, Balaji 4-0-34-1, A. Morkel 4-0-32-4.

Chennai Super Kings: P. Patel c & b Kumble 24; S. Fleming c Akhil b Kumble 45; M.S. Dhoni c Kumble b Vinay Kumar 4; S. Raina (not out) 21; S. Badrinath lbw Kumble 1; A. Morkel c V. Kumar b Steyn 1; S. Vidyut c Kallis b Steyn 0; M. Gony c Steyn b P. Kumar 4; L. Balaji (run out) 0; M. Ntini (not out) 0; Extras (lb-2, w-8, nb-2) 12; Total (for eight wkts in 20 overs) 112.

Fall of wickets: 1-60, 2-65, 3-85, 4-87, 5-93, 6-93, 7-108, 8-110.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Steyn 4-0-28-2; P. Kumar 4-0-26-1, Kumble 4-0-14-3; Kallis 4-0-15-0; V. Kumar 3-0-23-1, Akhil 1-0-4-0.

The Kings XI win a thriller

A well crafted fifty… but, 1 run short!

Kings XI Punjab halted Mumbai Indians' winning streak with a thrilling one-run victory off the last ball in the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium.

In a thrill-a-minute frenzied final phase of the match, the home team - chasing the visitors' 189 for four - were dismissed for 188 after losing their last six wickets in three overs and one ball in a dramatic change of fortunes.

Seemingly cruising to a comfortable victory with captain Sachin Tendulkar (64) on song, Mumbai Indians suddenly lost the plot and a clutch of wickets - mostly to run-outs and the list included their skipper - to end up on the losing side.

Five run-outs (Tendulkar, Dwayne Smith, Siddharth Chitnis, Ashish Nehra and Vikrant Yeligetti) turned the match in favour of the visitors.

Earlier, After being put into bat, the Kings XI went on to make 4 for 189 from their 20 overs with Marsh (81 off 56) and Pomersbach (79 not out off 50) the stars of the show in Mumbai.

They put on 134 runs for the second wicket after fellow Australian James Hopes went for a golden duck.

Captain Sachin Tendulkar top-scored with 65 for the Indians but they ultimately fell one run shy in their chase.

Yuvraj Singh took 2 for 12 and Shanth Sreesanth 2 for 35 for the Kings XI.

The scores:

Kings XI Punjab: J. Hopes c Shah b Pollock 0, S. Marsh c Shah b Chitnis 81, L. Pomerbasch (not out) 79, Y. Singh c Smith b Chitnis 7, M. Jayawardene c & b Fernando 1, I. Pathan (not out) 9. Extras (lb-3, w-9) 12. Total (for four wickets in 20 overs) 189.

Fall of wkts: 1-1, 2-134, 3-148, 4-150.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Pollock 3-0-14-1, Nehra 3-0-34-0, Yelligetti 4-0-43-0, Chitnis 4-0-40-2, Fernando 4-0-36-1, Smith 2-0-19-0.

Mumbai Indians: S, Jayasuriya lbw Sreesanth 20, S, Tendulkar (run out) 65, D. Smith (run out) 20, A. Nayar c Srivastava b Chawla 27, R. Uthappa c Marsh b Yuvraj 9, S. Pollock c Chawla b Yuvraj 0, P. Shah c V.RV. Singh b Sreesanth 5, S.Chitnis (run out) 15, D. Fernando (not out) 2, A. Nehra (run out) 0, V. Yeligetti (run out) 2. Extras (b-1, lb-10, nb-1, w-9) 21. Total (in 19.6 overs) 188.

Fall of wkts: 1-36, 2-81, 3-127, 4-159, 5-159, 6-163, 7-170, 8-183, 9-186.

Kings XI bowling: Sreesanth 4-0-35-2, Pathan 4-0-37-0, V R V Singh 4-0-56-0, Chawla 4-0-22-1, Hopes 2-0-13-0, Yuvraj 2-0-12-2.

IPL trophy Unveild

It's a handcrafted and very expensive rotating trophy - Modi

Indian Premier League chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi, Vijay Jain, CEO of Orra and designer Mona Mehta together unveiled the winners’ trophy at an event at the Cricket Centre here in Mumbai on Monday.

"It's a handcrafted and very expensive rotating trophy, the value of which, I will not reveal. It has been crafted by ORRA's design team," said Modi at the trophy unveiling function.

"The winning team will get a replica of this trophy," he explained.

The trophy for the inaugural DLF Indian Premier League comprises a wooden backdrop with logos of all the teams engraved within, signifying the unity and sportsmanship of the participating teams.

Yellow and blue sapphires make up the map of India signifying the passion of the IPL that has captured the imagination of the entire nation while rubies on the map highlight eight franchises and cities in which the matches are being played.

The logo of the IPL is handcrafted in wood with a batsman in gold leaf holding a diamond bat. The gold weight of the statue is 691.15 grammes.

Rajasthan Royals into the semi-finals

SRK’s dream comes to an end

Faced with a modest target of 148, Royals had to endure some initial reverses, but Mohammad Kaif (34, 31b, 4x4) and Man-of-the-Match Yusuf Pathan (42, 18b, 5x4, 3x6) ensured the team won by six wickets with 21 balls to spare.

Earlier, After Kolkata posted a disappointing 147 for eight off their 20 overs, a double wicket maiden from Umar Gul looked to have turned things in their favour. But, Pathan and Mohammad Kaif (34 off 31) steadied the ship and saw Rajasthan comfortably home.

It is all over for Kolkata Knight Riders. For the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side the inaugural DLF-Indian Premier League is almost over though it has two more matches left.

Kolkata Knight Riders have lost seven out of the 12 games they have played in the competition. Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab have won seven games each. Only Deccan Chargers and Bangalore Royal Challengers, with nine defeats each, have lost more games than Kolkata Knight Riders.

The scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders: S. Butt lbw b Patel 24, Md. Hafeez c Asnodkar b Patel 4, S. Ganguly c Kaif b Trivedi 32, D. Hussey b Pathan 11, D. Das b Tanvir 31, L.R. Shukla c Asnodkar b Tanvir 15, W. Saha (not out) 11, A. Agarkar (run out) 5, U. Gul c Kaif b Tanvir 7, I. Sharma (not out) 2; Extras (lb-2, w-3): 5. Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 147.

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-40, 3-71, 4-95, 5-118, 6-123, 7-129, 8-142.

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Tanvir 4-0-26-3, Patel 4-1-22-2, Watson 4-0-36-0, Trivedi 3-0-26-1, Warne 3-0-21-0, Pathan 2-0-14-1.

Rajasthan Royals: G. Smith c Saha b Gul 24, S. Asnodkar c Saha b Sharma 5, S. Tanvir c Butt b Gul 13, Md. Kaif (not out) 34, S. Watson b Ganguly 19, Y. Pathan (not out) 48; Extras (lb-4, w-3): 7. Total (for four wkts. in 16.3 overs): 150.

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-42, 3-42, 4-69.

Knight Riders bowling: Dinda 4-0-32-0, Sharma 3-0-23-1, Agarkar 3-0-30-0, Gul 3.3-1-30-2, Ganguly 2-0-24-1, Shukla 1-0-7-0.

Warne keen for a comeback in the upcoming Ashes 2009

Shane Warne says he could be willing to come out of retirement for next year's Ashes Tour of England.

The 38-year-old quit the Test arena in 2007 following Australia's 5-0 win over England, and retired from all first-class cricket earlier this year.

But Cricket Australia's Philip Pope says the story is a "fairytale".

"We should all have a bit of perspective. Stuart MacGill is looking as fit as I've seen him in the last few years," he said.

"He's over in the West Indies taking wickets, he's preparing to play a Test match for Australia.

"I spoke to Shane when he came into the office before he left for India and this kind of story certainly wasn't on his agenda."

Warne also conceded a possible shock return to the Test arena would be a "fairytale", but said he was prepared to consider the option if the side required him.

"If Australia really needed me and there was no one else around, and Ricky (Ponting) thought I could do the job, you would weigh up the options," Warne said.

"If Stuey (Stuart) MacGill fell over and broke his leg, and there were no other spinners around, and Ricky came out and said, 'Mate, can you please help us out for this one-off tour? We need you', that is something I would weigh up.".

"If you could just turn up and play Test cricket, that would be cool. I would definitely consider that."

Australian captain Ricky Ponting was cool on the suggestions of a Warne return, also showing full confidence in MacGill's ability.

"He [Warne] has never mentioned that to me about coming back for the Ashes and I don't think that will happen," Ponting was reported as saying in The Australian.

"If he [MacGill] keeps himself fit and has the desire and passion to to keep playing cricket then I'm pretty sure he would be good enough to get the Ashes job done."

While, Ricky Ponting says Shane Warne is bowling as well as ever but doesn't believe the legspin king is plotting a Test comeback for next year's Ashes.

Warne's fabulous return in the Indian Premier League - 14 wickets at 18.78 - has sparked a frenzy of interest as to whether he could make an incredible 2009 Ashes return in his favourite hunting ground of England.

However, Ponting is virtually certain Australia has seen the last of Warne, who has even retired from playing county cricket for Hampshire.

The Test skipper has endorsed Stuart MacGill, fresh from taking 4-79 and 3-50 in a tour match against a Jamaican XI in the West Indies, as Australia's probable 2009 Ashes spinner.

However a Warne comeback for the Ashes cannot be completely ruled out given his love affair with England and the fact that MacGill's body could fail him again.

One thing is for sure, Warne has not lost his ability to knock over the world's best players and looks as if he could return to Test cricket without missing a beat.

But Ponting doesn't expect to have Warne in his Ashes weaponry. "He has never mentioned anything to me about coming back for the Ashes and I don't think that will happen," Ponting said.

"We all knew when he retired it wasn't anything to do with his bowling, we knew he could keep bowling well for a number of years if he wanted to."

Warne's IPL stint has reinforced that he would have been a great Australian captain. His leadership of the Rajasthan Royals, a team short of starpower, has been superb and his captaincy is largely the reason they are at the top of the IPL ladder.

Warne retired in January 2007, ending his 145-Test career with a haul of 708 wickets at an average of 25.42, a world record at the time.

First Npower test end with a draw

Oram strikes a fascinating century

Brendon McCullum, the lower-middle-order batsman promoted to hit a run-a-ball 97 in the first innings, made a single mistake at Lord’s as New Zealand saved the first Test – and it threatened to cost his side dear until the giant all-rounder Jacob Oram came to its rescue with a century made at Grand Prix speeds.

Oram's risky approach handed England several sharp chances to get him, though none were taken. When he was on 28, a flashing edge off Sidebottom skimmed over Paul Collingwood's hands at second slip. After tea, a leg-side flick off Panesar almost stuck with Ian Bell when he tried to hold it at short leg, but the ball rolled free. The same two were involved in a dash to catch his skied pull off James Anderson, though initial hesitation by both men meant that neither got there.

Without Oram's contribution, as well as a more traditionally steadfast one from debutant Daniel Flynn, the visitors might have left London for Manchester one down.

The pair added 132 for the fifth wicket, though Flynn's share was just 22. Yet his innings of 29 took up 163 minutes until the teams shook hands at 5pm, a vital effort in keeping England's bowlers from scenting victory.

The Score:

New Zealand — 1st innings: 277.

England — 1st innings: 319-9.

New Zealand — 2nd innings: J. How c Cook b Broad 68, A. Redmond c Strauss b Anderson 17, Marshall lbw b Sidebottom 0, Taylor lbw b Panesar 20, B. McCullum c Ambrose b Anderson 24, Flynn (not out) 29, Oram b Sidebottom 101, Vettori (not out) 0; Extras (1nb 4b 5lb): 10. Total (for six wkts in 86.2 overs): 269.

Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-52, 3-99, 4-115, 5-252, 6-269.

England bowling: Sidebottom 21.2-4-65-2, Anderson 19-5-64-2, Broad 17-4-5-41, Panesar 24-8-56-1, Pietersen 5-0-21-0.

Daredevils win by 5 wkts, keeps semi’s hopes alive

Sehwag takes The Daredevils home

Virender Sehwag's brief but explosive innings set the tone as the Delhi Daredevils raced to a five-wicket victory over the Bangalore Royal Challengers on Monday, winning with 10 balls to spare.

McGrath, who cost Delhi a pittance at $315,000, returned trademark tight bowling figures of 2 for 15 off his allotted four overs as the Daredevils restricted the hosts to 7 for 154 off 20 overs at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Earlier, after being put in to bat, Bangalore Royal Challengers continued their characteristic wobbly start to post a modest 154 for 7, raised mainly on India’s under-19 captain Sreevats Goswami's debut half century 52 (42b, 7x4, 1x6) and Misbah-ul-Haq's 47 (25b, 2x4, 4x6) late charge.

The result sees Bangalore's hopes of progressing to the semi-finals ended, but Delhi remain on course.

The scores:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: J. Kallis c Karthik b Maharoof 25, B. Chipli c Bhatia b McGrath 2, S. Goswami c Dilshan b Maharoof 52, R. Dravid b Dilshan 9, Misbah-ul-Haq (not out) 47, C. White (run out) 1, B. Akhil (run out) 3, P. Kumar b McGrath 2, Zaheer (not out) 4; Extras (w-9): 9. Total (for 7 wkts in 20 overs): 154.

Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-41, 3-73, 4-102, 5-105, 6-122, 7-126.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: McGrath 4-0-15-2, P. Sangwan 3-0-51-0, Yomahesh 4-0-25-0, Maharoof 4-0-13-2, Bhatia 4-0-47-0, Dilshan 1-0-3-1.

Delhi Daredevils: G. Gambhir (run out) 39, V. Sehwag c Chipli b Praveen 47, A.B. de Villiers c Goswami b Steyn 21, Dilshan st Goswami b Kumble 4, S. Dhawan (not out) 16, D. Karthik c White b Kumble 6, F. Maharoof (not out) 13; Extras (b-1, lb-6, w-5): 12. Total (for 5 wkts in 18.2 overs): 158.

Fall of wickets: 1-90, 2-100, 3-121, 4-123, 5-132.

Royal Challengers bowling: Steyn 4-0-26-1, Zaheer 3-0-37-0, Praveen 2-0-33-1, Kallis 2-0-16-0, Akhil 3.2-0-21-0, Kumble 4-0-18-2.

Mumbai Indians claim their fifth successive win

Dwayne Bravo helped on building a competitive score

Mumbai Indians claimed their sixth Indian Premier League win in a row with a 25-run victory over the chronically underperforming Deccan Chargers.

Sanath Jayasuriya, Abhishek Nayar and Dwayne Bravo all reached 30 for the Indians and, though none could go on, they still posted a competitive total of 178 for seven.

Ashish Nehra kept Gilchrist quiet and then Sri Lankan fast bowler Dilhara Fernando, who was playing instead of Shaun Pollock, delivered the knockout by seeing off Gilchrist and Sharma in his first over to leave the Chargers reeling at 20 for 3.

Y Venugopal Rao 57 (38b, 4x4, 3x6) top scored for the Hyderabad team with a sparkling knock. While, D.B. Ravi Teja 37 (27b, 2x4, 3x6) played a fighting knock.

Earlier, Sanath Jayasuriya continued his flamboyant form, smithing 36 in just 15 balls. He and Sachin Tendulkar, who made a rather more sedtae 23 off 19 balls, got Mumbai off to a flyer and then Abhisek Hayar, with a breezy 24-ball 38 and West India all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who made 30 off 17 balls, took Mumbai up to their sizeabale, but not impregnable total.

Mumbai are now in an excellent position to reach the semi-finals, while defeat for the Chargers confirmed the inevitable - their chances of progressing are over.

The scores:

Mumbai Indians: S. Jayasuriya c R.P. Singh b Venugopala Rao 36, S. Tendulkar c Silva b Afridi 23, D. Thornely lbw b Afridi 8, A. Nayar c Sharma b R.P. Singh 38, R. Uthappa c Afridi b Venugopala 7, D. Bravo b R.P. Singh 30, P. Shah b R.P. Singh 10, Y. Takawale (not out) 5, R. Raje (not out) 1; Extras (lb-11, w-7, nb-2): 20. Total (for seven wkts in 20 overs): 178.
Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-72, 3-72, 4-96, 5-150, 6-156, 7-175.

Deccan Chargers bowling: Vijaykumar 2-0-24-0, Zoysa 3-0-37-0, Venugopala Rao 3-0-25-2, R.P. Singh 4-0-35-3, Afridi 4-0-23-2, Ojha 4-0-23-0.

Deccan Chargers: A. Gilchrist c Shah b Fernando 13, S. Afridi c Thornely b Bravo 0, R. Sharma lbw b Fernando 6, C. Silva c Takawale b Nayar 17, Y. Venugopala Rao c Shah b Bravo 57, D. Ravi Teja b Bravo 37, N. Zoysa (not out) 10, H. Das (run out) 2, R.P. Singh (not out) 3; Extras (b-1, lb-3, w-3, nb-1): 8. Total (for seven wkts in 20 overs): 153.

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-20, 3-20, 4-56, 5-130, 6-136, 7-145.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Nehra 4-0-29-0, Bravo 4-0-24-3, Fernando 4-0-38-2, Raje 2-0-19-0, Nayar 3-0-18-1, Thornely 1-0-8-0, Jayasuriya 2-0-13-0.

First Npower test heads to a draw

Vaughan reaches to a scintillating century.

Michael Vaughan scored a superb hundred on the fourth day against New Zealand, an innings which rescued England from a slippery 208 for 6 to hand them a useful 42 run lead.

Vaughan's hundred allowed England to reach 319, a first-innings lead of 42 that New Zealand's openers had whittled down to just two runs by the end of play. With one day of the match remaining, some spectacular bowling is needed if a result is to be reached today.

Vaughan guided England to a first innings lead with seven wickets down, made runs in his own good time and reached his 18th Test century in five hours which showed that conditions were tricky.

He survived torture from the captain-spinner Daniel Vettori, a tight spell when the new ball came and refused to let the departure of his mates disturb his concentration.

It was not all about Vaughan though. New Zealand may be considered world cricket’s perennial underdogs, in particular when they land on these shores, but their never say die qualities kept them in the game led by Daniel Vettori who picked up five for 69.

Vettori wrapped up England’s innings with Vaughan’s wicket, his 250th in Tests, to become the firts over seas spinner since Mushtaq Ahmed in 1996.

The Score:

New Zealand — 1st innings: 277.

England — 1st innings: A. Strauss lbw b Oram 63, A. Cook c McCullum b Martin 61, M. Vaughan c Marshall b Vettori 106, K. Pietersen lbw b Vettori 3, I. Bell c McCullum b Martin 16, P. Collingwood c Taylor b Vettori 6, T. Ambrose lbw b Vettori 0, S. Broad b Oram 25, R. Sidebottom c Taylor b Mills 16, M. Panesar c Flynn b Vettori 0, J. Anderson (not out) 0; Extras (12nb 1w 3b 7lb): 23; Total (All out in 111.3 overs) 319-9.

Fall of wickets: 1-121, 2-148, 3-152, 4-180, 5-208, 6-208, 7-269, 8-317, 9-318,10-319.

New Zealand bowling: Martin 32-8-76-2, Mills 22-3-60-1, Southee 16-2-59-0, Oram 19-5-45-2, Vettori 22-4-69-5.

Superkings defeat The Knightriders by D/L method

Ntini claims a hat-trick

The Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings DLF-IPL T20 match at the Eden Gardens came to a halt today following rain accompanied by gusty wind with a speed of 100 kmph.

In the end the visitors won by two runs via the Duckworth/Lewis method having reached 55 for no loss against a target of 53.

Chennai Super Kings were 55 for no loss after eight overs with Stephen Fleming on 32 and Parthiv Patel on 19 when the match was stopped.Kolkata Knight Riders were 46 for the loss of two wickets at this stage.

Yesterday also, Kings Eleven Punjab won the match against Delhi Daredevils through Duckworth and Lewis method.

Earlier, Salman Butt’s 54-ball 73 helped the Knight Riders set a target of 150 and the Super Kings’ opening pair of Stephen Fleming and Parthiv Patel seemed in control when the squall struck.

Meanwhile, Ntini took the third IPL hat-trick dismissing Sourav Ganguly in his third over, before taking the wickets of Debabrata Das and Australian David Hussey with successive balls.

The scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders: S. Butt lbw b Balaji 73, Md. Hafeez c Gony b Ntini 6, S. Ganguly b Ntini 2, D. Das b Ntini 27, D. Hussey b Ntini 0, L.R. Shukla (not out) 13, W. Saha (not out) 15; Extras (b-2, lb-7, w-3, nb-1): 13; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 149.
Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-28, 3-114, 4-114, 5-122.

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Ntini 4-0-21-4, Gony 4-0-17-0, Muralidharan 4-0-41-0, Balaji 4-0-36-1, Morkal 4-0-25-0.

Chennai Super Kings: P. Patel (not out) 19, S. Fleming (not out) 32; Extras (lb-1, w-3): 4; Total (for no loss in eight overs): 55.

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Akhtar 2-0-14-0, Ishant 2-0-16-0, Dinda 2-0-10-0, Agarkar 2-0-14-0.

Chennai Super Kings won by three runs (D/L method)

Rain takes The Kings XI home

Jaywardane plays it fine

Mahela Jayawardene's six off the final ball earned the Kings XI Punjab a six-run victory over the Delhi Daredevils in a rain-affected Indian Premier League match on Saturday.

The Sri Lankan pulled a long hop high over deep mid-wicket from the last ball to take his side to 94 for three after the Duckworth-Lewis method reduced the target to 89.
Luke Pomersbach (25 not out) helped maintain the momentum at the other end, launching Maharoof and Bajat Bhatia for maximums in back-to-back overs.

Electing to bat, Daredevils got a mere 11 overs as rain halted play twice. The game resumed and Daredevils managed 118, getting just three runs in the final over by James Hopes. The Punjab team did well to restrict the revised target to 123 even as Sehwag remained unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls with two fours and five sixes.

The scores:

Delhi Daredevils: G. Gambhir b Powar 40, V. Sehwag (not out) 51, S. Dhawan c Chawla b Powar 8, T. Dilshan c Pomersbach b Hopes 8, F. Maharoof c Powar b Hopes 0, S. Malik (not out) 1; Extras (lb-2, w-7, nb-1): 10; Total (for four wkts. in 11 overs): 118.

Fall of wickets: 1-75, 2-104, 3-115, 4-116.

Kings XI Punjab bowling: Sreesanth 3-0-33-0, Pathan 2-0-13-0, V.R.V. Singh 2-0-33-0, Powar 2-0-22-2, Chawla 1-0-13-0, Hopes 1-0-2-2.

Kings XI Punjab: S. Marsh c Dhawan b Sangwan 2, J. Hopes c Malik b Mishra 4, Yuvraj c Maharoof b McGrath 23, M. Jayawardene (not out) 36, L. Pomersbach (not out) 25; Extras (lb-2, w-2): 4. Total (for three wkts. in eight overs): 94.

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-30, 3-31.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: McGrath 2-0-18-1, Sangwan 1-0-12-1, Mishra 2-0-21-1, Sehwag 1-0-22-0, Maharoof 1-0-11-0, Bhatia 1-0-8-0.

(Kings XI Punjab win by six runs (D/L method)

Rain again plays the game for England

Cook goes to a half-century.

Dozen Tests ahead of the Ashes series next summer, all England needed at Lord’s on Saturday was time spent staring out of the dressing room window hoping the rain would stop.

Play began 25 minutes late after morning drizzle and the players left the field shortly after midday when the rain returned.

Alastair Cook, 43 not out overnight, added 10 runs for his 10th Test half-century compiled from 79 balls with six fours. Andrew Strauss was on 31.

Afterwards promised inspections drowned in the rain, TVs around the ground showed the Cup final three miles away at Wembley; and the biggest cheer of the day came when Portsmouth missed an open goal! It was still raining at Lords where the match was called off half an hour after the Cup final ended.

The Score:

New Zealand — 1st innings: 277.

England — 1st innings: A. Strauss (batting) 31, A. Cook (batting) 53; Extras (nb-5): 5; Total (for no loss in 30.2 overs) 89.

New Zealand bowling: Martin 13-2-36-0, Mills 9.2-1-19-0, Southee 3-0-19-0, Oram 5-0-15-0.

The Rajasthan Royals continue their winning streak

Smith plays a good knock with some good luck!

Rajasthan Royals put themselves on the verge of a place in the semi-finals of the Indian Premier League with a 65-run win over Bangalore Royal Challengers.

South Africa captain Smith 75 (49b, 8x4, 2x6) received excellent support from Swapnil Asnodkar 50 (44b, 7x4, 1x6) and Shane Watson 46 (28b, 6x4) as the Royals made 197 for one in their 20 overs.

Bangalore never really challenged and finished on 132 for nine - despite India skipper Rahul Dravid's superb 75 (36b, 6x4, 6x6).

Having won the toss and inserted the opponents in, Dravid would have loved to get on the board early, but the luck was where it has been all these days, safely away from the Bangalore Royal Challengers team.

The balls did not take the outside edges, and the ones that made that cardinal error of doing so, missed the fielders and went to the boundary. The Powerplay brought 51 runs, what was better was that they managed to keep the wickets column to zero.

Making the semifinals now seems a mere formality, with Royals winning its sixth straight match in its backyard.

The scores:

Rajasthan Royals: G. Smith (not out) 75, S. Asnodkar c Misbah b Kumble 50, S. Watson (not out) 48, Extras (b-1, lb-4, nb-1, w-18) 24, Total (for one wkt. in 20 overs): 197.
Fall of wicket: 1-109

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Zaheer 4-0-46-0, Praveen 4-0-30-0, Kallis 4-0-39-0, Razzak 2-0-29-0, Kumble 4-0-32-1, Kohli 2-0-16-0.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: J. Arun Kumar c Trivedi b Tanvir 0, V. Kohli b Tanvir 3, Misbah c sub (Taruwar Kohli) b Munaf 0 , J. Kallis c Y. Pathan b Trivedi 20, C. White c Trivedi b Munaf 10, R. Dravid (not out) 75, D. Patil c Jadeja b Warne 9, Praveen Kumar c Kaif b Warne 0, Zaheer Khan c & b Warne 1, A. Kumble c Rawat b Tanvir 8, A. Razzak (not out) 0, Extras (w-6) 6, Total (for nine wkts. in 20 overs): 132.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-2,3-5, 4-31,5-40,6-73,7-73, 8-83, 9-118.

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Tanvir 4-0-10-3, Munaf 4-0-21-2, Watson 2-0-6-0, Warne 4-0-23-3, Trivedi 2-0-23-1, Pathan 2-0-28-0, Jadeja 2-0-21-0.

Sarwan named captain for the first test in Jamaica

Gayle yet to recover from injury

Middle-order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan will lead the West Indies against Australia in the first Test at Sabina Park, Jamaica from May 22 to 26.

Dwayne Bravo was named vice-captain when the squad was announced by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Friday.

Injury has forced West Indies captain Chris Gayle out of the 14-man squad for the opening Test against Australia starting on 22nd May in Jamaica.

Gayle is still suffering from a groin injury and Ramnaresh Sarwan will lead the squad in his absence.

The left-handed Gayle has been struggling with the injury since the final One-Day International of the three-match series against Sri Lanka last month.
It forced him out of the Indian Premier League where he had been contracted to the Kolkata Knight Riders for US$800,000.

After impressing selectors with his leadership on the tour of South Africa earlier this year, Gayle was named captain for the Sri Lanka series where the Windies drew the Test series 1-1 and won the ODI series 3-0.

West Indies squad:Ramnaresh Sarwan (captain), Dwayne Bravo (vice-captain), Sulieman Benn, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Ryan Hinds, Amit Jaggernauth, Runako Morton, Darren Sammy, Devon Smith, Brenton Parchment, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Jerome Taylor.

Weather plays the game but England keeps it steady

Sidebottom bowled a fabulous spell

There are occasions when Test cricket appears to do little to promote itself and yesterday was one of them. Hardly a drop of rain fell on the famous old ground but only 55.4 of the scheduled 98.5 overs were completed as bad light ruined the second day of the first Test. Impenetrable cloud cover forced the players from the field on five occasions, much to the frustration of a sizeable and patient crowd.

In the play available Ryan Sidebottom once again starred, taking the four remaining New Zealand wickets for the cost of five runs in 10.1 immaculate overs. In reply to New Zealand's total of 277 England had reached 68 without loss when, you guessed it, bad light stopped play for a fifth and final time.

Sidebottom encapsulated the weird and often contradictory nature of this great game. He was as good yesterday as he had been poor the day before, rediscovering his accuracy and menace. Clearly his confidence had returned as well, for, with the second new ball due, he rushed up to Steve Bucknor before the umpire had finished waving the ball in the air to signal its immediate use.

With the new “pill” in his hand, Sidebottom might have had a wicket with his first ball – Kyle Mills coming perilously close to being leg-before - and got one with his second, a full, swinging pearler that rocked back the batsman’s off stump. He cleaned up Tim Southee in similar fashion and then Vettori, so that his bald figures of the first day took on a hirsute look. His 10.2 overs yesterday brought him four wickets for five runs. The spectators will hope for a similar change of fortune today.Long before he was last man out most of the spectators would have settled for a slog or two.

Young Southee, who proved he was a promising hitter in the latter stages of the final Test two months ago, was overwhelmed rather than bowled. However, but by the time New Zealand was finished there had been three stoppages for bad light and by the time Andrew Strauss and Alistair Cook had made 15 the grey mist descended again.

Martin and Mills bowling, Cook and Strauss defending and the lights in the library of the old pavilion gleaming through the gloaming.

All these factors mocked the efforts of the MCC who send out daily mails begging people to pay £65 to make their way through the Grace Gates. They have to be kidding, don’t they?

The Scores:

New Zealand — 1st Innings: J. How c Ambrose b Anderson 7, A. Redmond c Cook b Anderson 0, J. Marshall c Strauss b Broad 24, R. Taylor c Collingwood b Broad 19, B. McCullum b Panesar 97, D. Flynn b Anderson 9, J. Oram c Strauss b Sidebottom 28, D. Vettori b Sidebottom 48, K. Mills b Sidebottom 10, T. Southee b Sidebottom, C. Martin (not out) 0; Extras (b - 16, lb - 14, w - 1, nb-3): 34; Total (all out in 86.2 overs) 277.

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-18, 3-41, 4-76, 5-104, 6-203, 7-222, 8-258, 9-260 10-277.

England bowling: Sidebottom 28.2-12-55-4, Anderson 20-5-66-3, Broad 24-4-85-2, Collingwood 3-1-11-0, Panesar 11-2-30-1.

England — 1st Innings: A. Strauss (batting) 24, A. Cook (batting) 43; Extras (nb – 1): 1; Total (for zero wkts. in 21.3 overs) 68.

New Zealand bowling: C. Martin 8.3-2-24-0, K. Mills 5.0-0-10-0, T. Southee 3.0-0-19-0, J. Oram 5.0-0-15-0.

Mumai Indians crush The Knightriders to an easy victory

The Kolkata Knight Riders tumbled like a pack of cards with only three batsmen managing to get into double figures.

The Kolkatta Knight Riders were condemned to the lowest total in the Indian Premier League as the Mumbai Indians cruised to an eight-wicket win.

Shaun Pollock laid the early groundwork for Mumbai with three wickets, while there were two apiece for Dwayne Bravo, Rohan Raje and Dominic Thornely as the Knight Riders were bowled out for just 67.

Tendulkar chipped in with four catches as Dwayne Bravo (two for 13), Rohan Raje (two for 16) and Dominic Thornely (two for seven) joined the party.

Sanath Jayasuriya then took control of the chase, firing 48 off 17 balls to lead Mumbai to victory with 14 and a half overs remaining.

Pollock's a deadly four-over spell, bowled on the trot on a helpful Wankhede track, ripped the heart out of Kolkata Knight Riders as they were shot out for the lowest score in the tournament.

The worst score previously in the tournament was Bangalore Royals' 82 against Knight Riders, which came off only 15.1 overs.

The scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders: S. Butt c Tendulkar b Pollock 13, A. Chopra (run out) 1, S. Ganguly c Takawale b Thornely 15, D. Hussey c Takawale b Pollock 2, Mohd. Hafeez c Uthappa b Pollock 5, W. Saha c Tendulkar b Bravo 1, L.R. Shukla b Raje 0, A. Agarkar c Tendulkar b Bravo 15, S. Akhtar c Tendulkar b Raje 2, Ishant c & b Thornely 4, A. Dinda (not out) 1; Extras (lb-2, w-6): 8; Total (in 15.2 overs): 67.

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-16, 3-21, 4-28, 5-29, 6-35, 7-55, 8-60, 9-65.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Pollock 4-0-12-3, Nehra 3-0-17-0, Bravo 3-1-13-2, Raje 2.2-0-16-2, Thornely 3-0-7-2.

Mumbai Indians: S. Jayasuriya (not out) 48, S. Tendulkar c Saha b Akhtar 0, R. Uthappa c Ganguly b Ishant 9, D. Thornely (not out) 1; Extras (lb-5, w-4, nb-1): 10; Total (for two wkts. in 5.3 overs): 68.

Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-48.

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Akhtar 2-0-29-1, Ishant 2.3-0-29-1, Agarkar 1-0-5-0.

McCullum misses out on a century

A blazing McCullum helps New Zealand fightback in the first npower Test against England.

Brendon McCullum fell cruelly short of a Lord's hundred once again after instigating a New Zealand fightback in the first npower Test.

“It was bitter-sweet,” admitted former Glamorgan player McCullum, whose run-a-ball effort was considerably slower than his recent unbeaten 158 in the Indian Premier League.

“Obviously it’s disappointing not to have made a hundred and still be at the wicket but I am very proud to have stepped up to the challenge of moving up the order.

“It takes a bit of bravery at times to play like that because you open yourself up to criticism if it doesn’t come off.

“But I enjoy playing like that. It gives me satisfaction and hopefully when it comes off it gives others satisfaction as well.”

Having reached tea unbeaten on 36, McCullum went on the rampage after the interval to add a further 61 off just 42 deliveries as England let things slip.

Wicketkeeper McCullum, promoted to number five for this series, hit a swift 97 before being bowled by Monty Panesar off his pads.

That meant the Black Caps were 208 for six on day 1 when bad light stopped play but things had been much worse as England claimed the first five wickets inside 32 overs after Michael Vaughan won the toss.

The Scores:

New Zealand — 1st Innings: J. How c Ambrose b Anderson 7, A. Redmond c Cook b Anderson 0, J. Marshall c Strauss b Broad 24, R. Taylor c Collingwood b Broad 19, B. McCullum b Panesar 97, D. Flynn b Anderson 9, J. Oram (batting) 23, D. Vettori (batting) 5; Extras (b-12, lb-8, w-1, nb-3): 24; Total (for six wkts. in 52.1 overs) 208.

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-18, 3-41, 4-76, 5-104, 6-203.

England bowling: Sidebottom 18.1-5-50-0, Anderson 12-3-42-3, Broad 15-3-70-2, Collingwood 3-1-11-0, Panesar 4-1-15-1.

Amit Mishra spins Daredevils to victory

It’s not only a batsman’s game anymore!

In a game dominated by batsmen, unsung leg-spinner Amit Mishra picked up five wickets, including a hat-trick in the crucial last over of the match, to keep Delhi Daredevils afloat in the DLF-Indian Premier League.

Leg spinner Amit Mishra took a hat-trick as Delhi Daredevils beat Deccan Chargers by 12 runs in their Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 match at the Feroze Shah Kotla stadium here Thursday. Chasing a target of 195, Deccan Chargers scored 182 for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs. Mishra removed Ravi Teja, Pragyan Ojha and RP Singh off successive balls in a dramatic last over to record the second hat-trick of the tournament. His final figures read 4-0-17-5.

Earlier put in to bat, the hosts lost skipper Virender Sehwag (0) in the first over, but Gambhir and Dhawan shared 133 runs in just over 14 overs to give the innings direction even though the hosts eventually fell shy of the 200-mark.

Gautam Gambhir was the top scorer with 79 while Shikhar Dhawan made 68.Gambhir's 48-ball pyrotechnics was studded with seven hits to the fence and three sixes. Dhawan's sedate unbeaten knock spanned 52 balls and included eight boundaries.

The duo laid the perfect foundation for a late burst but Gambhir's dismissal, stumped off a wide ball from Pragyan Ojha, came as anti-climax. But with Farveez Maharoof (19 off 11) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (16 off 6 balls) weighing in with useful cameos, Delhi went on to end up with 194 for four what proved a match-winning score.

The scores:

Delhi Daredevils: G. Gambhir st. Gilchrist b Ojha 79, V. Sehwag c R.P. Singh b Vijaykumar 0, S. Dhawan (not out) 68, F. Mahroof c Rohit b Ojha 19, T. Dilshan (run out) 16, Manoj Tiwary (not out) 4; Extras (lb-3, w-5): 8; Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs): 194.
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-140, 3-166, 4-190.

Deccan Chargers bowling: Vijaykumar 4-0-24-1, R.P. Singh 4-0-50-0, Sarvesh 3-0-24-0, Styris 4-0-33-0, Venugopala Rao 2-0-23-0, Afridi 1-0-18-0, Ojha 2-0-19-2.

Deccan Chargers: A. Gilchrist c Dilshan b McGrath 14, S. Afridi c (sub) de Villiers b Mishra 33, H. Gibbs b Mishra 22, Rohit b Maharoof 35, S. Styris c (sub) de Villiers b Maharoof 29, Venugopala Rao c (sub) Malik b McGrath 34, Ravi Teja c (sub) Malik b Mishra 9, R.P. Singh st. Karthik b Mishra 1, P. Ojha c Dilshan b Mishra 0, P. Vijaykumar (not out) 1, P.M. Sarvesh Kumar (not out) 1; Extras (b-1, w-2): 3; Total (for nine wkts. in 20 overs): 182.

Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-71, 3-75, 4-114, 5-154, 6-171, 7-180, 8-180, 9-180.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: McGrath 4-0-42-2, Asif 4-0-51-0, Maharoof 4-0-39-2, Mishra 4-0-17-5, Bhatia 4-0-32-0.

The Mumbai Indians thrashed The Superkings to a fabulous win

People had come to see Tendulkar but it was jaysurya who steal the show

Sri Lankan veteran Sanath Jayasuriya blasted a scintillating 45-ball century to lead to the Mumbai Indians to a comfortable nine wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.

Chasing 157 to win, the Indians romped home for the loss of only one wicket and with 37 balls to spare for just their fourth win of the tournament.

The Mumbai crowds came to see Sachin Tendulkar but he made only 12 and it was fellow opener Jayasuriya who was in irresistible form as the home side chased Chennai's 156 for six off 20 overs.

Earlier, the Mumbai Indians pace attack put them on the rack on a bouncy track to restrict them to 46 four in the ninth over before Badrinath and Dhoni led their revival with a splendid stand.

Badrinath, struggling initially before picking up pace, struck his second successive half century in the IPL and shared a 95-run fifth-wicket stand with Dhoni to take Chennai to 156 for six.

Badrinath made 53 off 32 balls with seven fours and two sixes while his skipper Dhoni made an unbeaten 43 in 35 balls with six fours and a six.

The scores:

Chennai Super Kings: S. Vidyut c Raje b Pollock 16, S. Fleming b Kulkarni 26, S. Raina c Takawale b Bravo 1, S. Badrinath c & b Bravo 53, C. Kapugedara c Takawale b Kulkarni 0, M.S. Dhoni (not out) 43, A. Morkel c Uthappa b Kulkarni 5; Extras (lb-3, w-9): 12; Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 156.

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-28, 3-46, 4-46, 5-141, 6-156.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Pollock 4-1-9-1, Nehra 4-0-31-0, Bravo 4-0-37-2, Kulkarni 4-0-33-3, Raje 3-0-33-0, Thornely 1-0-10-0.

Mumbai Indians: S. Jayasuriya (not out) 114, S. Tendulkar b Joginder 12, R. Uthappa (not out) 16; Extras (lb-4, w-12): 16; Total (for one wkt. in 13.5 overs): 158.

Fall of wicket: 1-82. Chennai Super Kings bowling: Goni 3-0-31-0, Morkel 3-0-44-0, Balaji 2-0-9-0, Joginder 3-0-24-1, Muralitharan 2-0-20-0, Kapugedera 0.5-0-26-0.

BCCI slaps Bhajji with a five ODI ban

Sreesanth also warned

Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has been suspended for five one-day internationals for slapping his Indian team-mate Shanth Sreesanth during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 competition.

A statement from the board said the disciplinary committee, which met on Wednesday, had decided to invoke Rule 3.2.1 of the BCCI regulations wherein the maximum punishment is "a ban up to a maximum of five ODIs and/or three test matches".

The ban means the 27-year-old off-spinner will miss the forthcoming tri-series in Bangladesh in June and the start of the Asia Cup in Pakistan.

"What I did was wrong. Sree is like my younger brother," said Harbhajan after the IPL's ban was announced on 28 April.

"I regret my actions that have hurt his feelings. I am very apologetic about the whole incident," added the spinner, who also admitted his actions were "grossly wrong".

TV cameras failed to capture the incident but paceman Santh was seen crying afterwards.
The BCCI also warned Santh, saying it would take "appropriate decision" if the fast bowler did not improve his on-field behaviour.

On April 28, Harbhajan was banned for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season after being found guilty of slapping by the match referee.

The incident occurred after the Mumbai team, captained by Harbhajan in the absence of the injured Sachin Tendulkar, lost to Sreesanth's Mohali.

Television pictures showed Sreesanth, an international team-mate of Harbhajan's, in tears after the game.

Harbhajan's international ban comes four months after he was involved in a row on the controversial tour of Australia.

He was initially banned for three tests after being found guilty of making alleged racist remarks towards Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds.

But the spinner was subsequently let off with a fine following an appeal.

The night belonged to The Kolkata Knightriders

The Rawalpindi Express expressed The Knightriders to victory

An inspired bowling performance by Shoaib Akhtar helped Kolkata Knight Riders score a 23-run win over Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League match here yesterday.

After having his five-year cricket ban suspended for a month pending appeal, Shoaib Akhtar may have been out to prove a point, and he couldn't have done it in much more spectacular style.

Bowling at a shade over 93mph, Shoaib ripped through Virender Sehwag, Gautan Gambhir, AB de Villiers and Manoj Tiwary in just three overs. Shell-shocked Delhi subsided to 110 all out, 23 runs short of Kolkata's 133 for 6. Shoaib finished with four for 11.

Earlier winning the toss Knightriders choose Kolkata opener Salman Butt's 48 was the best individual total of a low-scoring encounter that saw the Daredevils fail to chase down the Knight Riders' meagre total of 133 for six. Amit Mishra's 31 was as good as it got for the visitors, who managed just 110 runs before they were bowled out inside 18 overs.

Meanwhile, Knight Riders decided to release five of their fringe players — Ranadeb Bose, Sourasish Lahiri, Rohan Banerjee, Yashpal Singh and C. Pujara — to bring down the size of the contingent to 18 from 23.

This, as explained by the team ‘boss’, Shah Rukh Khan, was done to allow the coach John Buchanan to concentrate on the core group with the IPL nearing an end.

The victory continues a marked turnaround in fortunes for the Knight Riders, who are now on a three-match winning streak after suffering four successive defeats.

The scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders: S. Butt c McGrath b Yomahesh 48, A. Chopra c Maharoof b Sangwan 13, S. Ganguly b Yomahesh 7, D. Hussey c Tewari b Maharoof 31, T. Taibu (run out) 7, L.R. Shukla c Gambhir b Maharoof 10, W. Saha (not out) 5, I. Abdullah (not out) 1, Extras (lb-3, w-7, nb-1): 11, Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 133.

Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-47, 3-87, 4-99, 5-119, 6-129.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: McGrath 4-0-22-0, Sangwan 4-0-29-1, Yomahesh 4-0-34-2, Maharoof 4-0-25-2, Mishra 3-0-13-0, Sehwag 1-0-7-0.

Delhi Daredevils: G. Gambhir c Hussey b Akhtar 10, V. Sehwag c Saha b Akhtar 0, A.B. de Villiers c Taibu b Akhtar 7, M. Tiwary lbw b Akhtar 9, S. Dhawan b Dinda 7, T. Dilshan (run out) 25, A. Mishra c Ishant b Shukla 31, F. Maharoof (run out) 10, V. Yomahesh b Shukla 3, P. Sangwan c Hussey b Shukla 0, G. McGrath (not out) 0; Extras (lb-1, w-7): 8; Total (in 17.5 overs): 110.

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-17, 3-28, 4-28, 5-43, 6-67, 7-101, 8-105, 9-105.

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Akhtar 3-0-11-4, Ishant 3-0-18-0, Dinda 4-0-29-1, Ganguly 4-0-23-0, Abdullah 3-0-22-0, Shukla 0.5-0-6-3.

Tendulkar all set to make his IPL debut

“I am fit o play now”

Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar is likely to play in the match against Chennai Super Kings on May 14 at the Wankhede Stadium, team coach Lalchand Rajput revealed after a practice session at the Bandra Kurla Complex here on Sunday.

"Yes I will be playing the match on May 14. I feel very comfortable. It has been tough and disappointing to have missed the two tests against South Africa and the first seven IPL ties," Tendulkar told reporters after a strenuous practice sessions under lights."It has been hard work and with help from the physio, I am getting there" Tendulkar, who has not played a competitive match since March-end due to a groin injury, said.

Tendulkar said though ace South African all-rounder Shaun Pollock had done a commendable job as captain, resurrecting the team's fortunes after a string of defeats in the first four matches, he would take over the reins now that he is fit.

"Shaun Pollock was the makeshift captain and has done a terrific job but I will be captaining the side," Tendulkar said.

He will open the innings with Sri Lankan ace Sanath Jayasuriya for the Mumbai Indians against Chennai, Tendulkar said.

A poor IPL run from The Banglore Royal Challengers

Dravid blames the batsmen

Rahul Dravid seemed to have given up hope for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL when he said that the team would "play for pride" in their remaining six matches. At the bottom of the eight-team double-leg round-robin tournament with four points, Royal Challengers need to win at least five of the games to have any chance of making the semi-finals. It is indeed a tough ask for a team which is not only affected by poor performances on the field but bothered as much by developments off it.

A dejected Rahul Dravid blamed poor batting for his team's ordinary show in the ongoing IPL but chose to keep mum on team owner Vijay Mallya's criticism of their team selection decisions.
"That is true that we have not been able to click. It is disappointing. Batting has been an area of concern," Dravid said at the post match media-meet.

"I do not want to speak publicly on the (Mallya's) comments. Selection and performance are two different things and people have to perform so that the team gets on to the winning track. I will speak at an appropriate forum," he said when scribes asked him about Mallya's criticism.

"Please do not ask such questions. I do not want to comment on those things," he added.

Dravid also said all their efforts to get a winning combination have proved futile so far.

Dravid on the edge of the sword

Mallya not happy!

Mallya bought Bangalore Royal Challengers for Rs 464.3 crore.

Mallya said Sharma backed Dravid to the hilt and even in the second auction, where the captain was not present, the former CEO discouraged Mallya to buy players of his choice.

"When Rahul Dravid was not present in the second auction, I wanted to acquire some players but Charu Sharma was very tentative about them. I mean I bought Misbah-ul Haq because I was determined to do it. There were other players I was discouraged about," Mallya said.

"I was very tempted to bid for players whom I wanted but they held me back. Obviously things have turned out differently," he said. Mallya asserted, "People have to realise that the DLF IPL has a corporate side. Neither Dravid nor I like being at the bottom of the DLF IPL."

Meanwhile, sources say Rahul Dravid offered to quit as captain following the team's poor performance

Mallya upset with his team

Whose mistake is it?

The internal bickering in the Bangalore Royal Challengers team came out in the open on Monday with team owner Vijay Mallya lashing out at captain Rahul Dravid and former CEO Charu Sharma for the side’s poor show in the DLF-Indian Premier League.

“I was very tempted to bid for players whom I wanted, but they held me back,” he said.

He said Sharma backed Dravid to the hilt and even in the second auction, where the captain was not present, the former CEO discouraged Mallya from buying players of his choice.

“When Dravid was not present at the second auction, I wanted to acquire some players, but Charu Sharma was very tentative about them.

“I mean I bought Misbah-ul-Haq because I was determined to do it. There were other players I was discouraged about,” Mallya said.

Sharma, however, said he did not have any role in players’ selection.

“How could you think that I would have a say in the selection of the playing XI when you have great players like Rahul Dravid and Test captain Anil Kumble in the side?” Sharma asked.
He said the team lost a few close matches and Mallya needed to have faith in the team management.

On his sacking, Sharma said, “Well, if I say I’m not feeling hurt, I’d be wrong.”

Mallya said “Charu Sharma was appointed CEO because I thought he understood cricket and he would add value to the team and the entire Royal Challengers initiative.”

Mallya said Patel’s appointment was necessitated because he was tired of complaints that the team did not have good practice facilities in its base in Bangalore.

“When I was questioning the performance of the team, all I was told was that practice facilities are bad, then I was told there was no bonding in the team... so everything was blamed on a particular event or lack of infrastructure”, he said.

“So I said to myself that things can’t continue like this and I brought Brijesh Patel. He is the secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association and who better a person to provide match facilities and whatever else the team needs at its base in Bangalore. He understands cricket as well,” Mallya explained.

He also made it clear that IPL had an unmistakable corporate face, which makes it evidently distinct from other tournaments.

“At the end of the day people need to understand that the IPL has a corporate side to it, and a very definitive corporate side at that. It is not at all cricket in the traditional sense.”

Now that the team’s semifinal hopes have gone up in smoke, Mallya expects Dravid and his teammates to win a few matches to salvage some pride. “I want Rahul Dravid to do the best for the team and to produce some good results for us because I don’t think Rahul Dravid enjoys being at the bottom of the league tables, and certainly I don’t.” Mallya added.

The Kings XI march to another smashing win

Marsh continues his impressive run with another fluent knock

Western Australia's Shaun Marsh has produced another outstanding batting performance to lead the Kings XI Punjab to a nine-wicket win in the Indian Premier League.

The Kings XI, guided by Marsh's brilliant 74 from 51 balls at the top of the order, cruised to victory with more than four overs to spare.

Marsh, 24, has scored 295 runs at the phenomenal average by Twenty20 standards of 98.33.
He smashed nine fours and two sixes to lead the Kings to 144 for one in reply to Bangalore's 143, and clinched the win with a single to cover off Praveen Kumar with more than four overs to spare.

Earlier, The Royal Challengers had stumbled to 143-8 after opting to bat first.

It was an unimpressive effort from the visitors with Mark Boucher's 39 the top score. Punjab seamer Shantha Sreesanth claimed 3-29.

The result moves the Kings XI up to second in the points table, while the Royal Challengers remain bottom having now lost seven of their nine matches.

The scores:

Bangalore Royal Challengers: J. Arunkumar c Jayawardene b Sreesanth 1, V. Kohli b Chawla 21, Misbah-ul-Haq hit wkt. b Sreesanth 21, C. White c & b Chawla 10, R. Dravid b I. Pathan 29, M. Boucher (run out) 39, Praveen b Sreesanth 5, Vinay Kumar b V. R. V. Singh 1, Zaheer (not out) 1, A. Kumble (not out) 0; Extras (b-5, lb-2, w-8): 15; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 143.

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-36, 3-49, 4-74, 5-102, 6-123, 7-129, 8-139.

Kings XI Punjab bowling: Sreesanth 4-0-29-3, I. Pathan 4-1-23-1, Chawla 4-0-33-2, V. R. V. Singh 4-0-15-1, Yuvraj 2-0-14-0, Hopes 2-0-22-0.

Kings XI Punjab: S. Marsh (not out) 74, J. Hopes c Steyn b Vinay Kumar 27, L. Pomersbach (not out) 34; Extras (lb-5, w-4): 9; Total (for one wkt. in 15.4 overs): 144.

Fall of wicket: 1-42.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Steyn 2-0-33-0, Zaheer 4-0-35-0, Praveen 2.4-0-15-0, Vinay Kumar 2-0-11-1, Kumble 4-0-36-0, Kohli 1-0-9-0.

A sweet revenge for the Rajasthan Royals

Watson shines as The Royals qualify for the semi-finals.

Shane Watson starred with bat and ball to carry the Rajasthan Royals to a three-wicket win over Delhi Devils in the Indian Premier League tonight.

Watson took 2-21 from his four overs as Delhi made 7-156. He then struck 74 (40 balls, 5x4, 5x6) as Shane Warne-led the Royals reach the target with five balls to spare.

Earlier, Royals, which has been the dominant team in the IPL, depended on its seamers to deliver the goods. They responded in an admirable manner and restricted Daredevils to 156.

With this win The Rajasthan side keeps its unbeaten home record intact and also become the first tema to qualify for the semi-finals.

The scores:

Delhi Daredevils: G. Gambhir b Trivedi 31, V. Sehwag c Kaif b Watson 17, S. Dhawan (run out) 3, A.B. de Villiers c Warne b Mascarenhas 20, D. Karthik c Rawat b Mascarenhas 13, A. Mishra b Trivedi 4, T. Dilshan (not out) 18, F. Maharoof c N. Patel b Watson 39, V. Yomahesh (not out) 0; Extras (b-1,lb-6, w-4): 11; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 156.

Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-52, 3-68, 4-92, 5-94, 6-100,7-154

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Mascarenhas 4-0-29-2, Watson 4-0-21-2, Munaf 4-0-24-0, Trivedi 4-0-28-2, Warne 4-0-47-0.

Rajasthan Royals: Y. Pathan (run out) 8, G. Smith c Yomahesh b Mishra 24, M. Kaif (run out) 1, S. Watson (run out) 74, R. Jadeja b Mishra 6, D. Mascarenhas b Sehwag 9, S. Warne b Maharoof 11, N. Patel (not out) 4, M. Rawat (not out) 5; Extras (b-2, lb-7, nb-3, w-5): 17; Total (for seven wkts. in 19.1 overs): 159.

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-15, 3-86, 4-99, 5-127, 6-150, 7-150.

Delhi Daredevils bowling: McGrath 4-0-12-0, Maharoof 4-0-22-1, Sangwan 4-0-33-0, Yomahesh 2.1-0-35-0, Mishra 3-0-27-2, Sehwag 2-0-21-1.

The Knightriders are back to the winning ways

Dada back in stunning form

Sourav Ganguly was at his aggressive best as Kolkata Knight Riders secured a 23-run victory over the Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League.

The former India captain fired 91(57 balls 11 x 4, 5 x 6) as the Knight Riders posted an imposing total of 204 for four.

Ganguly and David Hussey put on 102 for the third wicket. Hussey struck an unbeaten 57 (29 balls, 4 x 4, 3 x 6).

Ganguly even took two catches and two wickets as the Chargers managed 181 for seven in reply. And was named The Man of the Match.

Chasing a formidable 205, though Rohit Sharma (33, 24 balls, 3 x 4, 2 x 6) came up with yet another impressive knock it was for a lost cause again. So was the scintillating effort from Venugopala Rao (71 not out, 42 balls, 4 x 4, 6 x 6) which included two stunning sixes — one over point off Ishant Sharma and another over mid-wicket off Umar Gul. Knight Riders bowlers looked menacing on the same pitch by virtue of their consistent line and length with Dinda picking three wickets.

Despite Rao's fine innings, the hosts finished well short on 181-7 from their 20 overs. The result sees Kolkata remain in fifth spot in the Indian Premier League standings with eight points, while Deccan are struggling down in seventh with just two victories from nine matches.

The scores:

Kolkata Knight Riders: S. Butt c Gilchrist b Vaas 4, A. Chopra (run out) 24, S. Ganguly c R.P. Singh b Vijay Kumar 91, D. Hussey (not out) 57, T. Taibu c Teja b R.P. Singh 9, L.R. Shukla (not out) 14; Extras: (lb -1, w -3, nb-1) 5. Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs) 204.
Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-73, 3- 175, 4-190.

Deccan Chargers bowling: Vaas 3-0-36-1, Vijay Kumar 3-0-21-1, Styris 3-0-28-0, R.P. Singh 4-0-59-1,Venugopal 4-0-24-0, Bangar 1-0-10-0, Ojha 2-0-25-0.

Deccan Chargers: A. Gilchrist c Ganguly b Dinda 24, H. Gibbs c Butt b Dinda 5, D. Ravi Teja c Saha b Gul 10, R. Sharma c Ganguly b Dinda 33, S. Styris c Shukla b Ganguly 5, Y. Venugopala Rao (not out) 71, S. Bangar c Chopra b Ganguly 2, C. Vaas b Shukla 9, R.P. Singh (not out) 6; Extras: (lb-8, w-4, nb-4) 16. Total: (for seven wkts. in 20 overs) 181.

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-41, 3-41, 4-63, 5-95, 6-123, 7-161.