MUMBAI: Left arm seamer Irfan Pathan Tuesday admitted that he is set to marry his girlfriend Shivangi Dev soon.

Irfan's family members have approved his yet-to-be-scheduled marriage to Shivangi, a Canberra-based chartered accountant.

The wedding ceremony would be held in Vadodara.

Shivangi is the daughter of Virendra Dev, a diplomat working with Indian High Commission in Australia.

The love birds met for the first time during India's tour of Australia in 2003.



Left arm seamer Irfan Pathan made his international cricket debut in 2003 against Australia.

Irfan has played 29 tests for India so far and clinched 100 wickets. In the 107 ODI matches he has appeared in, Irfan has dismissed 152 batsmen.

Irfan, who can also bat well, has 1,105 runs under his belt in tests with 102 being his top score.

In 50-over games, he has 1,368 runs to his credit.

Irfan was the Man of the Match in the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup final in which India defeated Pakistan to clinch the inaugural tournament.

Vaughan announces retirement from international cricket

BIRMINGHAM: Former England captain Michael Vaughan announced his retirement from all professional cricket with immediate effect here at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old Yorkshire batsman said the time was right for him to step aside and allow a new generation of players their chance to shine.

Vaughan, England's most successful Test captain, has not played for his country since tearfully resigning the captaincy in August during the home series loss to South Africa.

His career has been blighted in recent years by a knee injury and speculation about Vaughan's future intensified after Vaughan failed to win a place in England's squad for the Ashes series against Australia which starts next week in Cardiff.

Vaughan, who stressed he'd made no plans yet about his future, said he was encouraged by the way in which England under coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss were developing as a team.

Vaughan's record as captain during his five year spell in charge from 2003-2008 of 26 victories, 11 defeats and 14 draws, make him England's most successful skipper in terms of overall wins.

England's 2005 Ashes series win - which included a nailbiting two-run win at Edgbaston - was the crowning achievement of Vaughan's time as captain with his knee problem leaving him sidelined for months at a time.

Unsurprisingly, his form as a batsman - which had seen him touch the realms of greatness during the 2002/03 tour of Australia when he made three hundreds - also began to decline.

Desperate for one last series against Australia, Vaughan vowed to regain his place through sheer weight of runs but so far this season he has managed just 147 runs in seven County Championship innings for Yorkshire.

Meanwhile the emergence of Bopara, who this year has made hundreds in three successive Tests against the West Indies, at No 3, also dented Vaughan's hopes of a recall.

Vaughan scored 5,719 Test runs in 82 matches at an average of 41.44 with 18 hundreds and a best of 197 against India at Trent Bridge in 2002.

Fit Flintoff desperate for the Ashes.

Andrew Flintoff's last Ashes experience was the lowest point of his career, but he insists memories of those dark days in Australia have long since been banished as he prepares for another crack at the urn. The pain of the 5-0 whitewash during 2006-07 was in stark contrast to the heady highs of victory in 2005, but as the 2009 campaign draws closer Flintoff wants to start afresh.

He is desperate to make the most of the next two months of Ashes action after winning his latest fitness battle following knee surgery. For a while it looked as though it would be a close race to be fit, but he has had three weeks with Lancashire and is now looking forward to facing Australia again, eager to grab every opportunity that comes his way.

"The last Ashes was the low point of my career. Probably the last series emotionally was the stronger of the two," he said. "But all that is behind us. We have got a very new team and, rather than dining out on 2005 or dwelling on 2006-2007, it is all about what happens over the next six weeks. It is the biggest thing for an Englishman to play in. I don't need any extra incentive. I just want to perform."

"As for any mental scars, I wouldn't say there are a great deal there. There are a lot of things that have happened in my life since then. I am just looking forward to playing. The one thing for me is when you play, have confidence, but more importantly enjoying it. Going into this series, I am going to enjoy playing."

The timing of Flintoff's injury early in the IPL caused plenty of controversy with an Ashes summer looming, but the allrounder is grateful it happened when it did.

Andrew Flintoff's last Ashes experience was the lowest point of his career, but he insists memories of those dark days in Australia have long since been banished as he prepares for another crack at the urn. The pain of the 5-0 whitewash during 2006-07 was in stark contrast to the heady highs of victory in 2005, but as the 2009 campaign draws closer Flintoff wants to start afresh.

He is desperate to make the most of the next two months of Ashes action after winning his latest fitness battle following knee surgery. For a while it looked as though it would be a close race to be fit, but he has had three weeks with Lancashire and is now looking forward to facing Australia again, eager to grab every opportunity that comes his way.

"The last Ashes was the low point of my career. Probably the last series emotionally was the stronger of the two," he said. "But all that is behind us. We have got a very new team and, rather than dining out on 2005 or dwelling on 2006-2007, it is all about what happens over the next six weeks. It is the biggest thing for an Englishman to play in. I don't need any extra incentive. I just want to perform."

"As for any mental scars, I wouldn't say there are a great deal there. There are a lot of things that have happened in my life since then. I am just looking forward to playing. The one thing for me is when you play, have confidence, but more importantly enjoying it. Going into this series, I am going to enjoy playing."

The timing of Flintoff's injury early in the IPL caused plenty of controversy with an Ashes summer looming, but the allrounder is grateful it happened when it did.

Murray, Federer and Serena into semis of Wimbledon Tennis.

LONDON: Andy Murray of Britain finally finished off a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory over No. 19 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland to reach the quarterfinals of Wimbledon Tennis.

Five-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer won easily, as did two-time runner-up Andy Roddick and No. 4 Novak Djokovic.

Venus Williams, like Federer chasing a sixth title at the All England Club, was way ahead when her opponent, former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic, quit with a thigh injury. Williams’ younger sister, Serena, herself a two-time Wimbledon champion, and No. 4 Elena Dementieva were never challenged in their straight-set victories.

One surprising run ended in the fourth round. Melanie Oudin, a 17-year-old qualifier from Marietta, Ga., who never won a Grand Slam match before last week, lost to No. 11 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-4, 7-5.

Tuesday’s other matches are No. 2 Serena Williams against No. 8 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Dementieva against unseeded Francesca Schiavone of Italy, and Safina against unseeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany.

The men get a day off before their quarterfinals Wednesday, when the match ups will be No. 2 Federer vs. No. 22 Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, Murray vs. 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, Djokovic vs. No. 24 Tommy Haas, and Roddick vs. 2002

Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, who lost the first two sets but came back to beat No. 23 Radek Stepanek 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.

Younis says team need performance, not big names.

COLOMBO: Pakistani skipper Younis Khan said he believes on performance rather than big names and optimistic that his team will produce positive results during Sri Lanka tour.

"The Sri Lanka tour will be a big challenge," Younis said. " We will have to leave our World Cup win behind and focus on what is a very tough assignment against Sri Lanka," said Younis while addressing a press conference here after a launching ceremony of the trophy.

Younis admitted there was more pressure on Pakistan after their success in England but said his squad had the potential to take whatever came their way.

"In Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka have a wise captain and their team is balanced with quality players, so we will have to be at our best to get positive results," he said.

"It will be double pressure on us because our people want wins in every match and after the Twenty20 success they want more success and that can put pressure on us, but we are ready for it.

"Twenty20 cricket was different and now Test cricket is different, it seriously tests the abilities of a player whereas I don't think the abilities of a player can be gauged in a Twenty20 match."

"Kaneria gives us variety and along with Saeed Ajmal supplements our spin bowling," said Younis, "so it will be a keen contest between two balanced teams and I hope it will be a great series."

Pakistan will play three Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20. The tour begins with a three-day warm-up match in Colombo on June 29.

Swine flu fears hit All England Club.

LONDON: Some staff members at the Wimbledon tennis championships have reported “flu-like” symptoms but the competition will continue “as normal”, organisers said on Monday.

Ian Ritchie, the chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which runs the annual grand slam in southwest London, sent a message to staff to inform them of the situation.

Club sources told AFP that a handful of ball boys and ball girls were affected but nobody had been confirmed as having contracted the A(H1N1) virus. More than 4,300 swine flu cases have been diagnosed in Britain.

Sri Lanka name squad for first Test with Pakistan.

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene will miss the first Test against Pakistan in Galle on Saturday after fracturing his finger, skipper Kumar Sangakkara said Monday.

Jayawardene, 29, who picked up the injury during a practice match, will need about two weeks to recover.

"With Jayawardene out of action, we have a vacancy at the moment. We are not looking at a specialist wicketkeeper, but one who can also score and put some runs on the board," Sangakkara told reporters as the 15-man squad was named.

With Sangakkara himself able to keep wicket, the selectors are looking at playing either Angelo Mathews, Kaushal Silva or Chamara Kapugedera, with the latter most likely to get the nod as an extra batsman.

The squad:
Kumar Sangakkara (Captain), Muttiah Muralitharan, Malintha Warnapura, Tharanga Paranavithana, Mahela Jayawardena, Thilan Samaraweera, Tilakaratne Dilshan, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Ajantha Mendis, Thilina Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekera, Dhammika Prasad, Kaushal Silva and Suranga Lakmal.

Coach: Trevor Bayliss (ENG)

Brazil win Confederations Cup.

JOHANNESBURG: A stunning second-half comeback from Brazil gave them a 3-2 victory in the Confederations Cup final against a brave USA side in Johannesburg.

USA raced into a first-half lead through Clint Dempsey in the 10th minute to stun their more illustrious opponents, and a further shock was to be inflicted at a packed Ellis Park Stadium.

Landon Donavon coolly finished off a swift counter-attack from Charlie Davies in the 27th minute to double his side's lead, and leave Brazil's players and supporters utterly bewildered.

The second half was one-way traffic, as Brazil continued to pour pressure on their opponents with unrelenting waves of attacks, and Dunga's side got their eventual rewards.

A clinical finish from Luis Fabiano in the first minute of the second half gave his side the momentum they needed, and although a Kaka headed goal was wrongly adjudged to have not crossed the line, it did little to stifle their conviction.

Fabiano converted the rebound from Robinho's fierce shot in the 74th minute, which thundered off the crossbar, to prompt a double-defensive change from USA coach Bob Bradley.

As Brazil showered their opponent's box with crosses, it seemed that Fabiano's hat-trick may have been imminent, but it was the gangly defender Lucio who powered a headed winner with six minutes left from Elano's corner.

KINGSTON: Hosts West Indies leveled their four match one day international series with India here with an emphatic eight-wicket victory, despite a magnificent 95 runs by Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Dhoni struck six fours and two sixes from 130 balls, as he almost single-handedly led an Indian revival, but West Indies' final target of 189 in 50 overs was never going to be treacherous.

India bowled steadily, but West Indies reached the target with 95 balls to spare, following a workmanlike 85 from 102 balls from Runako Morton, and a typically robust 64 from 46 balls from Chris Gayle.

India had won the high-scoring, opening match last Friday by 20 runs at the same venue.

Sara wins tennis title at PTF complex.

ISLAMABAD: Top-seed Sarah Mehboob Sunday clinched the title of National Ladies Tennis Championship; while, boys Under-19 title was carried away by Heera Ashiq.

Sara defeated Ashna Shaheel 6-4 and 6-3 in the event’s final at PTF Complex Islamabad.

In boys’ under-19 event, Heera’s rival Faizan Khurram was declared hurt retired in the first set with Heera ahead 4-1.

PTF member Shahida Kausar Farooq distributed the prizes among the winners.

India to play triangular series in Sri Lanka.

NEW DELHI: India will play a triangular one-day international tournament in Sri Lanka in September with New Zealand as the third team, the country's cricket board said on Saturday.

The teams will play each other once with the top two advancing to the final, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement.

"A total of four matches will be played during the short tour," it said adding that the itinerary will be announced shortly.

The Indian team is currently playing in a four-match one-day international series in the West Indies after an early exit from the World Twenty20 in England.

The biennial Champions Trophy, to be hosted by South Africa and involving the top eight teams, is also scheduled for September.

Ivanovic reaches fourth round at Wimbledon.

LONDON: Ana Ivanovic powered into the fourth round at Wimbledon with a straight sets defeat of Australia's Samantha Stosur on Saturday.

The Serbian 13th seed beat the 18th seed 7-5, 6-2 in an hour and 10 minutes on Court 2.

The 2007 Wimbledon semi-finalist, and former world number one, faces either defending champion, and third seed, Venus Williams or Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro for a place in the last eight.

Coaches empty-handed amid lavish prizes for players.

KARACHI: A coach plays key role in victory of any team but it appears as Intikhab Alam had no hand in Pakistan’s historic win in the World Twenty20 Cup.

Intikhab Alam who as coach brought two World Cups for Pakistan, received the prizes of only Rs 78,125 while each and every player of the victorious team was showered with huge prizes. Even the players who appeared for the first time in international cricket have become millionaires after winning the tournament but this is strange to note that coach Intikhab Alam and assistant coach Aaqib Javed could not get upto Rs 100,000.

Intikhab was the coach of the national team which had won the 1992 World Cup while Aaqib Javed was a playing member of the team and played as fast bowler in that event.

The biggest beneficiary in the World T20 Cup is captain Younis Khan. The amount of prizes he received has crossed the figures of Rs7.5 million.

MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid from Manchester United has been finalised, the Spanish club confirmed, with the Portuguese set to officially join the Spanish giants on 1 July.

The £80m fee breaks the previous world-record of £56m, set earlier this summer, which Real Madrid paid for Milan's Brazilian forward Kaka.

"Real Madrid and Manchester United have signed a final agreement for the transfer of the rights of Cristiano Ronaldo from 1 July," a statement on Real's ­website said.

Ronaldo, who joined United in 2003 for £12.2m, is set to earn a reported €13m (£11m) a year in Spain, making him the highest paid footballer in the world. He will be presented at the Santiago Bernabeu on 6 July.

Pakistan eyeing victory in Sri Lanka.

World Twenty20 champions Pakistan are going to Sri Lanka after winning the World Twenty20 Cup in England. The 15-man squad, including pardoned rebel Indian league players Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq, starts the current tour on June 29 with a three-day side match in Colombo. The first Test starts at Galle from July 4.

The other two Tests will be played in Colombo (July 12-16 and July 20-24) followed by one-day series and the Twenty20 match.

All-rounder Shahid Afridi, declared man-of-the-match in Pakistan’s semifinal and final win in the World Twenty20, will skip the Test leg of the Sri Lanka tour but will be available for the limited over matches.

Injury-prone paceman Shoaib Akhtar, who missed the World Twenty20 due to groin problems, was also not considered for selection for the Sri Lanka tour. Also axed from the squad was paceman Sohail Tanvir, part of Pakistan’s winning team in the World Cup.

Rookie 17-year-old paceman Mohammad Aamir, the find for Pakistan in their World Twenty20 win, will supplement the attack along with the more experienced Umar Gul and Razzaq.

Also returning to the squad is paceman Abdur Rauf, who played four one-day matches last year but was never selected for the Tests.

What do you expect from Pakistan team in this series? Your views in this regard will be welcomed.

Who invented cricket?

Hey fellows, here is a very nice artical i want to share with you its on cricket and i think you will enjoy it. its on how cricket started and got this huge popularity.
We know who invented the telephone. The Russians say it wasn’t America’s Alexander Graham Bell but a Russian named ‘Bellokovsky’ or ‘Grahamovitch’ or someone equally outlandish. Back in the days of the Soviet Union and Khrushchev’s shoe-thumping “We will bury you era, some gung-ho Russians even claim to have invented the Cunard ocean luxury liner “The Queen Mary”.

For some years now, we’ve even known who invented the “war against terrorism” — and, no, it definitely wasn’t a Russian this time. I mean, even the Russians — in their most vodka-drenched moments — would think twice before claiming George W. Bush as one of their own.

These, however, are trivial questions. The real question, even, perhaps, the central question of our time, or indeed of any time, for that matter, at least in those far-flung outposts of the former British Empire where the game is played, is (wait for it): who invented cricket?

Now, the British, let’s face it, flung some of those far-flung outposts of empire pretty far, as Nineteenth Century atlases will readily testify. But even the Brits must have been rocked back on their heels with shock & awe to learn recently that their arch enemies, the French, invented cricket! “The French!” “Sacrilege!” One can imagine ancient Englishmen muttering darkly into their gin-and-tonics at the Long Room at Lord’s “They’ll be telling us W.G. Grace was a Frenchman next!”.

Be that as it may, this astonishing claim concerning the inventor of cricket has been put forward by Didier Marchois, a former president of the French Cricket Federation, who told Britain’s Sunday Express in a recent interview that he has unearthed documents that show that cricket was being played in France “as early as the 13th Century.”

According to Monsieur Marchois, off-duty French soldiers whiled away the hours before meeting a sticky end on the fields of Agincourt at the hands of the English bowmen with a quick 20-overs game.

Agincourt was a famous battle fought in France in 1415, which the English, led by King Henry V, won. There are scenes of this battle in Shakespeare’s play “Henry V,” but the Bard of Avon makes no mention of cricket being played by the French soldiers before hostilities commenced.

Other documents reportedly uncovered by M Marchois reveal that King Louis XI of France was asked to spare the life of a player who had unsportingly killed an opponent during a match in the French port city of Calais in 1478. And cricket was reputedly the favourite sport of Louis XIV (1638-1715). He was also called the “Sun King” because of the beauty and riches of his court at Versailles.

Thirty thousand workers are said to have laboured for more than fifteen years to create the beautiful palace and gardens at Versailles for Louis XIV. Several treaties were signed here, including one that formally ended the First World War and inadvertently set the stage — because of the inequitable terms the treaty imposed on Germany — for the even bloodier Second World War.

Given the nature of the historical events associated with Versailles and the central place the edifice occupies in the French consciousness, it’s not surprising that the French government has now announced a $ 450 million plan to renovate the Sun King’s palace. It must be the mother of all renovations given that you could probably run the government of many a small Third World country for a year or more for that amount of money.

But that’s another story. What concerns us, here, is the origin of cricket. A duck in cricket, of course, is no score at all. But it is well camouflaged. It is really the left-over of the much more descriptive “duck’s egg”. A duckís egg looks like a zero, “nothing”. Americans, however, seem to prefer geese, and in their version of the game a no score thus appears as a “goose egg”. But who would ever guess that in tennis this egg (the French l’oeuf) hatched “love”?

Which brings us back to the good M Marchois, who claims that the first recorded modern cricket match is found in the archives of the Paris Cricket Club, dating back to 1864. “Cricket was born in the north of France and taken across the channel by English soldiers who picked it up from us during truce periods in the Hundred Years War,” Marchois told the Sunday Express, “with a twinkle in his eye.”

The Hundred Years War between England and France, which, in fact, lasted 116 years (1337-1453), resulted from royal quarrels, particularly over land, and ended in the defeat of the English as they were pushed back out of France. Generations of English and French youth died in the conflict, resulting in feelings of thinly disguised ill will between the two countries that have continued to this day — all the talk about one Europe and a European Common Market notwithstanding.

Could it be, then, that it is these same feelings of ill will that have now prompted the French to lay claim to having invented cricket, that most quintessentially English of sports? Or was the former president of the French Cricket Federation just indulging in a bit of harmless English-baiting when he said that cricket was a French game?

Whatever the case, the fact of the matter is that cricket historians since the early 19th Century have sought in vain to date the birth of cricket. But it will remain for ever shrouded in mystery.

Many clues have been dug up as to the game’s antiquity. We know, for example, that cricket was old when the Tudors were young. The Tudors were an English royal dynasty that ruled from 1485 to 1603. Henry VIII (1491-1547), the most famous English king (1509-47), was a Tudor king.

The most well-known fact about Henry VIII is that he had six wives. His first wife, Catherine of Aragon, failed to bear him a son, but the Pope would not allow him to divorce her. As a result, the Church of England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, and Henry married Anne Boleyn. She was later found guilty of adultery and Henry had her head cut off.

His other wives were Jane Seymour, who died while giving birth to a child, Anne of Cleves, who Henry divorced, Catherine Howard, who was executed, and Catherine Parr, who lived on after Henry’s death. But while his wives had a torrid and frequently fatal time of it, England, under Henry, became richer and more powerful than it had ever been. If there’s a moral in the story, historians have yet to discover it.

We know, too, that Englishmen played cricket as well as bowls at the time that the Spanish Armada — a collection of armed ships sent by Spain — was sighted in 1588. The Spanish were defeated by the English navy led by Sir Francis Drake. He was a good bowls player, famously remarking that there was time enough to finish his game before dealing with the Spanish Armada. But whether he was an equally good cricketer is something that history unfortunately doesn’t tell us.

Historian Andrew Lang wrote: “No one invented cricket. Like almost everything else cricket was evolved.” The 18th-Century historian, Joseph Strutt, suggested that, “The pleasant and manly exercise of cricket originated from club-ball.” The late H. S. Altham, greatest of all cricket historians, endorses the findings of an earlier researcher identified only by his initials “H. P.-T.” who had supported the derivation from club-ball.

John Nyren writing in 1833 says that this game “appears to have been no other than the present well-known bat-and-ball.” The Reverend James Pycroft in “The Cricket Field” (1851) also identifies club-ball as “the name which usually stood for cricket in the 13th Century.” F. S. Ashley-Cooper writing in 1922 endorses Pycroft’s view in a summary of the evidence.

But what was this club-ball? “H. P.-T” points out that it is a generic term, as football and handball used to be. It stood for any game in which a club and a ball were used. It is, in fact, the ancestor of most English ball games. We may never discover when cricket ceased to be club-ball and became itself. Cricket, in fact, just grew up.

Two fruit-baskets gave the world basketball. Football was so called not because a ball was kicked with the foot, but because it was a game played “on foot” — to distinguish it from polo, played, of course, on horseback, though there’s also cycle-polo and even (would you believe it?) elephant-polo, which is played in certain parts of India.

But what of the word “cricket” itself? Well, apparently, it’s simply the diminutive of “cric” — the little cric or curved staff and more especially a shepherd’s staff or crook. Are cricketers “crooketers”, then? Perish the thought that anybody should ever have the temerity to call them that. Did someone say, “Match-fixing”?

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West Indies level series beating India in 2nd ODI .

KINGSTON: Hosts West Indies levelled their four match one day international series with India here on Sunday with an emphatic eight-wicket victory, despite a magnificent 95 runs by Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni struck six fours and two sixes from 130 balls, as he almost single-handedly led an Indian revival, but West Indies' final target of 189 in 50 overs was never going to be treacherous. India bowled steadily, but West Indies reached the target with 95 balls to spare, following a workmanlike 85 from 102 balls from Runako Morton, and a typically robust 64 from 46 balls from Chris Gayle. India had won the high-scoring, opening match last Friday by 20 runs at the same venue. The series concludes with a pair of ODIs - this coming Friday and Sunday - at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St. Lucia. India have only themselves to blame for their defeat, after they plunged to 82 for eight in the 22nd over after choosing to bat. But Dhoni staged a rearguard action in the form of a 101-run, ninth-wicket stand with Rudra Pratap Singh before they both fell in the space of six balls as India were dismissed for 188 in 48.2 overs. Singh made 23, and left-hander Yuvraj Singh, a century-maker in the opening ODI two days earlier, got 35, and was the only other batsman to reach double figures. When Yuvraj square drove Ravi Rampaul for the last of his five fours, he became the fifth Indian batsman to score 7,000 runs in ODIs But India were undermined by Rampaul. He snared a career-best four wickets for 37 runs from 10 overs. India's demolition was completed by Dwayne Bravo with three for 26 from nine overs, and Jerome Taylor with three for 35 from 9.2 overs. Denesh Ramdin also became the latest wicketkeeper to snare five catches in an ODI innings. India were in trouble from the outset in defending their total, when Gayle and Morton put on 101 for the first wicket inside the first 16 overs. Rohit Sharma made the breakthrough, when he had Gayle caught at long-off, and gave India a boost, when Ramnaresh Sarwan was stumped for 15 to leave West Indies 132 for two. But India failed to make further headway, and an unbroken stand of 60 between Morton and Chanderpaul carried West Indies over the threshold. The West Indies achieved the victory, when Harbhajan Singh was clattered over long-on for Morton's second six. Earlier, India were on the back-foot from early on , when Dinesh Karthik was caught behind for four off Taylor in the first over. Gautam Gambhir was also caught behind for a duck off Rampaul, who also had Rohit Sharma caught at second slip for the same score in the space of three balls in the second over. India were seven for three, when Dhoni joined Yuvraj, and they breathed life into the innings with a stand of 47 for the fourth wicket. But Yuvraj became the first of five wickets which fell for 28 in the space of 56 balls, and by the halfway stage, India had lost the majority of its batting. Dhoni reached his 50 from 87 balls, when he worked Dave Bernard Jr into square leg for two, and with R.P. Singh frustrated West Indies until the 48 th over when Bravo struck. Singh was caught at mid-wicket before Taylor brought the innings to a close in the next over when he bowled Dhoni with a slower ball.

Federer settles in at Wimbledon as history beckons.

LONDON: Roger Federer's bid for a record 15th Grand Slam title got underway in familiar fashion as the five-times champion settled into Wimbledon's new-look centre court with a straight sets demolition of Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun.

Federer, the men's favourite in the absence of injured champion Rafael Nadal, recovered from going a break down early in the first set to win 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 and set up a second round meeting with Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who had a similarly straightforward win over Argentina's Agustin Calleri.

Fine, dry conditions ensured there was no need of the new retractable roof that has been installed above Wimbledon's most famous court as part of an 80-million-pound upgrade.

Federer also went largely untested and his post-match comments betrayed his confidence that he is destined for his seventh consecutive final.

Novak Djokovic, the man seeded to meet Federer in the semi-finals, endured a much more testing afternoon. The Serb was forced to battle for three and a half hours to complete a 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (7/1), 6-2, 6-4 win over France's Julien Benneteau.

Djokovic next faces German qualifier Simon Gruel but the tournament is over for James Blake, the 17th seed, and Spanish left-hander Feliciano Lopez, the 21st seed who lost in five sets to Slovakian Karol Beck.

Blake's demise was the more surprising. The American had arrived here with high hopes after finishing as runner-up to Andy Murray at Queen's but he could not reproduce that form here and was comfortably beaten 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) by journeyman Italian Andreas Seppi.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the French ninth seed who could present Federer's first real threat if both men advance to the last eight, had to battle hard to overcome Kazakhstan's Andrey Golubev 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5).

Robin Soderling, Nadal's conqueror at the French Open, also went through, the 13th seed accounting for Luxembourg's Gilles Muller 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-1, 6-2.

There were no major upsets in the women's draw with Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva and Maria Sharapova all easing through, although Sharapova was briefly in trouble when she trailed 1-4 and 3-5 in the first set to Ukrainian qualifier Viktoriya Kutuzova.

The Russian recovered however to win 7-5, 6-4 and set up a second round meeting with Argentina's Gisela Dulko, one of the few women who can compete with her in the glamour stakes.

Serena Williams, who could face Sharapova at the quarter-final stage, swept Portugal Neuza Silva aside 6-1, 7-5 and had an ominous warning for her rivals.

There was disappointment for the home supporters when 15-year-old Laura Robson, last year's junior champion, led by a set and a break before going down to former Daniela Hantuchova, a former world number five.

Hantuchova now faces last year's surprise semi-finalist Zheng Jie, who battled to a 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4) victory over Kristina Barrois of Germany.

Also into the second round are India's Sania Mirza, who secured a 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 win over big-hitting German Anna-Lena Groenefeld, and Michelle Larcher de Brito, the 16-year-old Portuguese player whose noisy grunting caused controversy at the French Open.

Larcher de Brito was relatively muted during a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Klara Zakopalova but insisted she would not hesitate to turn up the volume as the going gets tougher.

Federer, Sharapova into Second Round of Wimbledon Tennis.

LONDON: Roger Federer got his bid for a sixth Wimbledon title off to a solid start with a straight-sets first-round win over Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei.

The Swiss star opened proceedings on Centre Court in the absence of injured defending champion Rafael Nadal.

And despite dropping serve early on, the world number two came through 7-5 6-3 6-2 in one hour 44 minutes.

Fourth seed Novak Djokovic had a much tougher time against Julien Bennteau, winning 6-7 (8-10) 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 6-4.

Federer, who is trying to win a record 15th Grand Slam title, will play Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in round two.

Former champion Maria Sharapova, who has already written off her chances of a Wimbledon repeat as she feels her way back from a shoulder injury, moved into the second round.

The Russian, seeded 24, battled to a 7-5, 6-4 win over Ukrainian qualifier Viktoriya Kutuzova and will now face fellow tour glamour girl, Argentina's Gisela Dulko for a place in the last 32.

Sharapova, who made the quarterfinals of the French Open and the semi-finals of the Wimbledon warm-up event at Birmingham, insisted her right shoulder was fine.

Afridi devotes T20 victory to Swat people. KARACHI: The hero from Pakistan cricket team in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup Shahid Khan Afridi has said our ambitions were to relieve the restive nation by winning the world cup and I devote our victory to the people of Swat. Talking to Geo news on his return to country, he said the prayers of the people set the ways for our victory, my seniors kept my moral high and boosted my confidence as the tournament progressed. He advised political leaders to get united as our national team is and they must learn lesson from our commitment, he added.

We're better prepared than the England, says Ponting.

AUSTRALIAN captain Ricky Ponting reckons his men are going to be better prepared for the first Ashes Test than England thanks to their premature exit from the World Twenty20. The skipper scoffed at suggestions his side had shown signs of being underdone by being bundled out in the opening round of the Twenty20 competition a fortnight ago. He said the early departure had allowed his side precious time to hone their skills for the longer form of the game in English conditions before the opening Ashes clash in Cardiff starting July 8. "How could we be undercooked?'' Ponting said. "We have just had more preparation than we were ever going to have. "I am not sure where the undercooked part comes from. "If you look at what we have done I guess we are going to be better prepared than the England side, so I have no problems with our preparation at the moment. "I mean going out of the Twenty20 when we did, although disappointing as it was, if there was a positive for us it meant that we got an extra couple of weeks to turn our eyes and attention to getting right for the first Test match.'' England spent an extra week playing in the World Twenty20 before missing out on reaching the semi-finals of the tournament on home soil. Andrew Strauss's men play Warwickshire in a three-day warm-up match at Edgbaston starting on July 1. Australia's four-day tour match against Sussex at the County Ground in Hove starts at 2000 AEST on Wednesday. The tourists will also fine-tune their game in a four-day tour match in Worcester next week.

US Beat Spain to Reach Confederation Cup Final.

BLOOM FOUNTAIN: USA caused one of the biggest surprises in Confederations Cup history by beating European champions Spain to reach Sunday's final.

Jozy Altidore scored the opener when he turned his marker Joan Capdevila to fire in from 15 yards.

Fulham's Clint Dempsey doubled the lead in the second half when he converted Landon Donovan's pass from close range.

The most significant was that they prevented Spain from setting a new world record of 36 matches without defeat.

Gilchrist Plugs Cricket As An Olympic Sport.

LONDON: Adam Gilchrist, the retired Australian cricket international call for the sport to make a concerted effort to be included in the Olympics. "The single best way to spread the game globally," said Gilchrist, "is for the ICC to actively seek its inclusion as an Olympic sport." "Without doubt the Olympic movement provides one of the most efficient and cost effective distribution networks for individual sports to spread their wings globally. It would be difficult to see a better, quicker or cheaper way of spreading the game throughout the world." Several moves have been made by the game's administrators in recent years to begin a campaign to get cricket back in the Olympics.

PTCL Awards Rs 3 Million to Victorious Team. Of T20 World Cup.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tele-Communication (PTCL) has awarded cash prizes of Rs 3 million to the victorious Pakistan team of the World Twenty20 Cup.

President and chief executive officer PTCL Waleed Irshad distributed cheques among the players.

Captain Younis Khan and allrounder Shahid Afridi were given Rs 0.5 million each while Rs 2 million were distributed among the rest of the team.

Waleed Irshad said on this occasion that the Pakistan cricket team has achieved a great honour for the nation by winning the World Cup and the team deserves encouragement.

Pakistan hockey team announced for England tour

LAHORE: An 18-man Pakistan hockey team has been announced for the tour of England. The team will be captained by Zeeshan Ashraf. Chairman selection committee Hasan Sardar announced the national squad here at the National Hockey Stadium on Thursday. Hasan Sardar said that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) wants to make the best possible team before the World Cup Qualifying Round. Captain of the team Zeeshan Ashraf said that beside playing against England, matches should also be held against Germany, Holland and Spain for getting a good preparation before the World Cup Qualifying Round. On this occasion, coach of the national team Shahid Ali Khan said if the players perform well then the team management would have more options for selecting a better team. The Pakistan team will leave for England on June 27. Before playing the three-match series against England, the national team will also play a practice match on June 29. The PHF secretary, Asif Bajwa will again became the manager of the team and visit England with the team in this capacity.

India Set West Indies 189 to Win in 2nd Odi.

Kingston: Electing to bat first, India were all out for 188 against West Indies in the second cricket one-day international at Sabina Park here today.

Brief Score:

India: 188 all out in 50 overs. (Mahendra Singh Dhoni 95, Yuvraj 35; Ravi Rampaul 4/37).

Indian captain MS Dhoni once again won the crucial toss and elected to bat first against West Indies in the second ODI here at Sabina Park in Kingston.

India were 94 for eight in 25 overs against West Indies in the second one-day international at Sabina Park here today.

India looked down the barrel with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (33) waging a lonely battle as he lost half his men inside 15 overs with three batsmen going for a duck.

The visitors had a pathetic start losing Dinesh Karthik (4), Gautam Gambhir (0) and Rohit Sharma (0) -- to be left tottering at eight for three in 1.4 overs.

Yuvraj Singh (35) and Dhoni then staged a recovery before the left-hander was sent packing by Taylor in the 12.1 over.

Yousuf Pathan (0) also didn't last long and was done in by a short-pitch delivery off Dwayne Bravo exactly 13 balls later. Ravinder Jadeja (7) also gave a catching practice to Denesh Ramdin off Rampaul, while Harbhajan Singh edged one from Bravo.

Praveen Kumar also was back in the hut after some time as India reeled at 82 for eight in 22 overs.

India has made one change in the side. Praveen Kumar replaced Ishant Sharma.

West Indies have also made one change in the final eleven. Lionel Baker has paved the way for Ravi Rampal.

India: MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, RA Jadeja, Praveen Kumar, YK Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Kartik, RP Singh, Ashish Nehra.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Dwayne Bravo, Dinesh Ramdin, S. Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Shrawan, Jerome Taylor, DM Bravo, RS Morton, Ravi Rampal.

Dhoni & Co. have started their Caribbean tour on winning note after the humiliating T20 World Cup defeat. Team India defeated West Indies by 20 runs in the first ODI to take 1-0 lead in the series.

India will take on West Indies in the second ODI today at Sabina park. India will try to stretch the lead here today.

In the first ODI, West Indies have shown caliber to chase big total. India should be careful against the host.

West Indies will try to level the series here today.

Sabina park is known for batting paradise. India scored mammoth total of 339 runs in the first ODI. So it is sure that cricket fans will enjoy Twenty20 flavour in ODI match here today.

Once again, Last match hero Yuvraj Singh will be the trump card for the Team India. The elegant southpaw smashed quickfire century in the first ODI.

The biggest problem for Team India is fielding and bowling. Team India missed several run out chances and given 29 extras in the first India.

Dhoni have to adopt some different strategy for today's match.

Arsenal Football News.

The latest Arsenal team news and all the latest news from The Emirates Stadium for the 2009/10 Premiership season. Read all the latest Arsenal team news, including match reports, transfer news and injury and suspension news, with unique coverage and reporting from Premiership Latest.

The Gunners manager Arsene Wenger, who joined Arsenal in 1996, is the only non-British manager to win the Double in England, having done so in 1998 and 2002. In 2004, he became the only manager in FA Premier League history to go through the entire Premiership season without a loss.

Inzamam courted by American Premier League.

Inzamam-ul-Haq and up to seven disaffected members of the Lahore Badshahs ICL franchise are in discussions with an American entrepreneur who hopes to establish an international Twenty20 tournament in New York City.

Inzamam confirmed to Cricinfo that he had received an approach from Jay Mir, the president and CEO of American Sports And Entertainment Group Inc, who has drawn up plans for a six-team American Premier League, to be staged in October on a converted baseball field in Staten Island, NYC.

"He has made an offer to us, but we have a contract with the ICL, and if our ICL contract allows us, then we will sign with the APL," said Inzamam. "It is a new venue, and it would be exciting to play in America. Someone has given us an offer, but when we see our ICL contract, then we will sign. Hopefully there will be no problem."

Other players in the frame for the competition include Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat and Mohammad Asif, who has no ICL affiliations, but whose career has been in limbo ever since he was arrested in Dubai last year on drug-smuggling allegations. One man who is not on the APL wish-list, however, is Mohammad Yousuf, who would almost certainly make an instant return to the Pakistan side if he managed to cut his ties with the ICL.

"If someone is playing for Pakistan then I don't know what the position of the player is in his contract with the PCB, but for other players it is free to sign with anyone," said Inzamam. "It is not an official tournament because it is not ICC-recommended. If there is a contracted player, they may have a problem, but ICL players should be free to sign."

An ICL official told Cricinfo that the league's contracts allow its players to play in other tournaments as long as there is no clash of commitments.

Mir, 32, has lined up a three-year staging deal with the minor-league baseball team, Staten Island Yankees. Using a franchise and auction system similar to the IPL, he hopes to draw up six "international" sides - Premium Pakistan, Premium Indians, Premium West Indies, Premium World and Premium America - the final side drawn from the best of the talent on show from approximately 15 million cricket fans who already live in the USA. A spokesman for the Yankees confirmed that they were in talks, adding that they were "very excited" at the prospect of bringing cricket to the city.

"It is a cricket revolution in America," Mr Mir told Cricinfo. "The venue is an absolute fit for the historic nature of this event. It has a capacity of approximately 10,000 spectators and has state-of-the-art facilities, and every spectator can view the beautiful Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson River from their seat."

Mir added that he had lined up an agent in England who would help recruit players for the World XI, and that he had been in negotiations with the former West Indies captain, Richie Richardson, whom he hopes will act as both a coach and a recruiter for a potential West Indies team.

"I'd be happy to get involved in cricket in the US because there's a big market," Richardson told Cricinfo. "I know a lot of former West Indies players in particular feel a need to help promote cricket in the US, because we believe that if cricket can be developed there it can help cricket in the region and this part of the world. We're very keen to do whatever we can to help."

John Aaron, the secretary of USACA, offered a cautious reaction to the news of the tournament. "USACA has no affiliation whatsoever, nor was its blessing sought in promoting the tournament," Aaron told Cricinfo. "The entrepreneurial sprit is alive and well in the USA, therefore many individuals continue to seek opportunities to arrange events such as the one described.

"USACA welcomes any and all forms of cricket development and promotion of the sport," he added, "whether it is under the auspices of the national organization or private individuals. That's what makes America great. However, I would hasten to add that October in New York is not the most ideal of weather conditions to have a cricket tournament, unless it is indoors."

"They are trying hard to develop cricket in the US," added Richardson. "It's not easy, but they are trying. They need to unite as much as possible though, because that's the only way they are going to get support from the ICC. It's a massive country, with so many associations, and the important thing is to form a national body that governs cricket properly."

American Premier League.

The American Premier League is a Twenty20 cricket league based in the United States of America. The league is scheduled to start on October 6, 2009 and is owned and promoted by Jay Mir. It is unsanctioned by the International Cricket Council, the sports world body, and as a result is regarded as a "rebel" league.

Current season or competition: 2009 American Premier League
Sport	Cricket
Founded	2009
Commissioner	Jay Mir
No. of teams	6 international teams
Country(ies)	United States
Official website	http://americanpremierleague.us/

Affiliation

The American Premier League has been in contact with the USA Cricket Association but has not formally applied for approval.^[1] The International Cricket Council has issued a memo to member nations stating that the event is unapproved and warning nations not to release their players to the event.

Format/Venue

The league will be played twice a year and will be held at one venue, baseball's Richmond County Bank Ballpark. The APL has a three year deal with minor league club the Staten Island Yankees who own the venue.^[

Proposed Teams

Six teams are expected to take part in the first event;

• Premium Pakistan
• Premium India
• Premium Bengal
• Premium West Indies
• Premium World
• Premium America

Signings

As an unaffiliated league the APL has been targeting players who are affiliated with the other "rebel" league, the Indian Cricket League, and recently retired internationals.

Staff

• Sir Richard Hadlee - executive consultant^.
• John Emburey - Premium World Coach.
• Richie Richardson - Premium West Indies Coach.

Players

• Inzamam ul-Haq
• Abdul Razzaq
• Rana Naved-ul-Hasan
• Imran Farhat
• Imran Nazir
• Mohammad Asif
• Saqlain Mushtaq
• Adam Hollioake
• Graeme Hick
• Jason Gillespie
• Damien Martyn
• Lance Klusener
• Nathan Astle

IPL Franchises Eager To Field Pakistan Players Again After ICC T20 Win.

	Sohail Tanvir could represent Rajasthan Royals at Lord's next month © AFP

Pakistan's title win in the ICC World Twenty20 has sparked a buzz among the IPL franchises who are now hoping that players from the victorious team will be available to play in the league next year. It may happen sooner rather than later: Sohail Tanvir could play for his IPL franchise next month, when Rajasthan Royals, the 2008 champions, play Middlesex at Lord's in a one-off game.

Manoj Badale, the Royals co-owner, told Cricinfo that Tanvir, who was part of Rajasthan's IPL-winning team last year, will play the game on July 6, "subject to availability". The match between Rajasthan and Middlesex Panthers, last year's English Twenty20 champions, will take place two days before the first Ashes Test and is being organised by the British Asian Trust. Pakistan are scheduled to start their Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle on July 4 but Tanvir does not figure in the 15-member national squad.

Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, is clear that the league has "no problems" letting Pakistani players play the next edition in India in March 2010 but said it's for the governments of the two countries to decide. And franchise officials are now hoping for some clarity to emerge on the issue after political tensions between India and Pakistan prevented those players from participating in this year's competition.

Joy Bhattacharya, team director of Kolkata Knight Riders, said all the IPL teams would "definitely welcome them back" if Pakistan players were made available next year. Amrit Mathur, chief operating officer of Delhi Daredevils, said they would "look at recruiting more players" from the World Twenty20-winning team, if such an opportunity arose. Ray Jennings, coach of Royal Bangalore Challengers, said that the return of Pakistan players would be a "very good thing" that will strengthen the system.

Eleven Pakistani players, including Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul, the stars of Pakistan's World Twenty20 campaign, were recruited by the Kolkata, Rajasthan, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore franchises before the inaugural IPL. However, the franchises opted to retain the contracts of only four of them - Akmal and Tanvir (Rajasthan), Misbah-ul-Haq (Bangalore) and Gul (Kolkata) - after it became clear that they would not be able to play in the second season of the league.

Even these four contracts are on a suspended status after the terror attacks in Mumbai last year led to a chill in political ties between India and Pakistan. In fact, no Pakistani team has been invited for this October's Champions League, the multi-nation, inter-club competition jointly organised by the boards of India, South Africa and Australia. "We have no problems in letting the Pakistan players play," Modi, who is also chairman of Champions League, told Cricinfo. "It's for the two governments to decide. The Pakistan government has to clear their players to play in India and the Indian government has to allow them to play here."

"We have always wanted the Pakistani players," Bhattacharya said. "Gul, especially, is a valuable player for Kolkata. Why only Kolkata? I am sure every IPL team would welcome them back. But we are aware that there are extraneous factors that will influence any decision on this issue."

Kolkata also had Shoaib Akhtar and Salman Butt in their squad in 2008 but chose to terminate the two contracts. "Pakistan has some of the best Twenty20 players and the title win in England only proved that," Bhattacharya said. "To a large extent, the format suits players from Pakistan. Fast swing bowling and natural, uncomplicated batting is what Twenty20 demand and Pakistan have those."

Mathur said that Delhi hoped for clarity to emerge on the issue soon. "We had two Pakistan players in the first year and if they are made available next year, we will look at signing more players from the Pakistan team," he said.

Delhi had signed Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan captain, and fast bowler Mohammad Asif in 2008 but terminated both contracts. Asif's contract was terminated after the player was banned for a year following an adverse dope result during the inaugural IPL edition.

Deccan Chargers, the IPL champions this year, had signed Shahid Afridi for US$675,000 in 2008 but chose to terminate his contract this year when they were informed that he would not be allowed to play. "There is no point looking back," PK Iyer, the managing director of Chargers' parent company, Deccan Holdings, said. "The South Africans were the flavour of the season this year, and it could be the Pakistanis next time. But it is not in our hands."

Jennings, who coached Bangalore to the IPL final this year, said that Misbah is a "key player" for his team. "It would be a very good thing if they are made available," Jennings said. "The more players that are available, the better it is for the system. But having said that, it is not for me to decide."

Rajasthan, meanwhile, were keen to field Akmal, too, at Lord's next month but the wicket-keeper has been named in the Pakistan squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka and will not be available for the charity game. The Royals had also signed up Younis Khan last year but opted to terminate his contract later. On Sunday though, the Pakistan captain turned his back on the Indian league and announced that he won't play the Twenty20 format any longer.

India vs West Indies 2nd ODI

Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica will be the venue on Sunday, June 28, 2009 for the Second ODI between West Indies and India.

When India came here in 2006, they had a mixed bag of results. They won the test series 1-0 but lost the ODI series to the hosts 4-1.

There is no Sachin Tendulkar, Sehwag, Raina and Zaheer Khan in the Indian squad, but still the team looks strong. West Indies surprisingly did not include Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy in the playing squad. However, there is a new entrant, Darren Bravo, the younger sibling of Dwayne. Fidel Edwards will miss the 2 ODIs owing to his back injury and this certainly weakens the string.

India have also had time to beef-up their personnel for the four-match series to mitigate against the injuries which have robbed them of star batting duo Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, the latter of whom was sorely missed in the World Twenty20, plus Zaheer Khan and Suresh Raina.

Now ranked as the third-best ODI side in the World, India will see this as a chance to leapfrog Australia, and take aim at chart-toppers South Africa, setting the stage for another invigorating series.

India hasn’t played an ODI series since they prevailed in New Zealand in March, but they have lost only three of their last 18 matches, and have emerged as one of strongest ODI sides over the last year.

But they face a West Indies side with their own demons to exorcise, following a miserable Test and ODI series against England.

The home team, however, marginally redeemed themselves with a semi-final place in the World Twenty20 in which they beat England to reach the final four.

India Beat West Indies In 1st Odi.

Jun 27, 2009: Powered by Yuvraj Singh's century knock, India on Friday defeated West Indies by 20 runs in the first match of four-ODI series in Kingston.

Electing to bat first, India piled up 339/6.

Yuvraj hit 131 runs off 102 balls. His spectacular knock included seven 6s and 10 boundaries.

Dinesh Karthik, who opened the innings with Gautam Gambhir, made 67. M S Dhoni scored 41 runs, while Yusuf Pathan and Harbhajan Singh remained not out on 40 and 21 runs respectively.

Dwayne Bravo took two wickets for the West Indies. Jerome Taylor, Lionel Baker and David Bernard scalped a wicket apiece. Dhoni got run out.

Chasing the total, the hosts got off to a good start with Chris Gayle and Morton putting up a partnership of 65 for the first wicket.

Gayle made 37 runs, while Morton scored 42 runs.

Shivnarain Chanderpaul was the top scorer for the side with 63 runs. Ramnaresh Sarwan hit 45 runs.

Indian bowling attack failed to live up to its standard with the West Indies losing the game by a small margin.

Pathan and Ashish Nehra, who made a comeback in the side after a long gap, picked up three wickets each. Harbhajan Singh, R P Singh and Ishant Sharma dismissed a batsman each. Sarwan got run out.

Yuvraj was the adjudged Man of the Match.

Pakistan Announces Squad For Sri Lanka Tour.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced 15-member squad for the tour of Pakistan team to Sri Lanka which is scheduled to begin in next month.

Mohammad Yusuf, who has not played Test cricket since 2007, has been included in the Pakistan squad as he has been granted amnesty by PCB after ending his contract with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Former ICL player Abdul Razaq has been also included in Pakistan squad as he had already rejoined PCB and he was also a part of Pakistan T20 team which won the ICC T20 World Cup title. Yousuf said that it is difficult to play again in the International cricket after such a long gap but he will try his best to adjust himself quickly.

Shahid Afridi has been rested for the Test series and he will join the Pakistan team for ODI series against Srilanka. The first Test runs will be played at Galle from July 4-8 at Galle while Colombo will host the remaining two test matches at P Sara Oval from July 12-16 and Sinhalese Sports Club Ground from July 20-24.

Pakistan squad includes Younis Khan (captain), Salman Butt, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Yousaf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamir, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Razzaq, Abdul Rauf, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka Final Sends Strong Message

KARACHI (AFP) - Pakistan and Sri Lanka playing in the World Twenty20 final on Sunday will send a strong message to the world that cricket cannot be brought down by terrorism, former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja said.
A militant attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3 ended Pakistan's chances of hosting any international matches in the near future following earlier concerns about security.
"It definitely is a message to the world that unfortunate circumstances can't pull them down, cricket will survive and has survived terrorism," Raja told AFP.
"It is great news for the people of both the countries who have been hit by terrorism and that passion will not dwindle in adversity," said Raja.
"I would also want both the captains Younus (Khan) and (Kumar) Sangakkara to make strong comments before and after the match."There should also be a message to the cricket world that don't take Pakistan for granted and help live cricket in this country. Our cricket has suffered because of unfortunate circumstances."
Pakistan cricket has been hit hard by events since the 9-11 attacks on the United States in 2001 and ensuing war in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Australia have twice refused to tour Pakistan since then and instead played Pakistan on neutral venues in 2002 and 2009.

Royal Challengers set up title clash with Deccan Chargers

JOHANNESBURG: Manish Pandey was a seven-month toddler when Anil Kumble played his first game for India. Now, 19 years later, they came together to joyfully star in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s dramatic entry into Sunday’s final of the DLF Indian Premier League against Deccan Chargers.

The fearless Pandey picked up his second successive man of the match award for his blazing 48 (35 balls, seven fours) as he mocked at the 147-run target set by Chennai Super Kings. Along the way, he grew in stature as he grabbed the opportunity to bat with another legend answering to the name of Rahul Dravid (44, 39 balls, six fours).

It really was Kumble who pulled the game back for Royal Challengers Bangalore with his calm leadership at a time when Chennai Super Kings openers Parthiv Patel (36, 27 balls, seven fours) and Matthew Hayden (26) had put on 61 runs in just seven overs. Marshalling his resources well, he managed to hold back the most expensive Vinay Kumar’s fourth over until the very end.

More than that, he used Roelof van der Merwe’s left-arm spin along with the new ball bowlers Praveen Kumar and Jacques Kallis creatively. Backed by some superb fielding by a unit that desperately wanted to enjoy a win on Saturday, Royal Challengers Bangalore bowlers were able to curtain Chennai Super Kings to just 146 for five in 20 overs.

The fact that last year’s runners-up managed just 85 runs in the 14 overs after Hayden’s fall is a commentary not just on Royal Challengers Bangalore’s determination but also on Chennai Super Kings’ inability to get things going despite Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s ploy of having a left-right combination in those overs.

Dhoni himself was unable to hit a boundary in his 30-ball tenure that fetched him 28 runs. Suresh Rainia, such a prolific scorer this season, struck one four and a six in his 20 but came up short when it mattered most. His fall in the 15th over meant that Dhoni and the others came under immense pressure and the team finished 15 to 20 runs a winning score.

The competitive score of 146 was rendered inadequate by the Pandey-Dravid partnership of 72 runs that set the stage for Virat Kohli to blast 24 runs off 17 balls (one four, two sixes) and Ross Taylor to hit 17 off 12 deliveries (two sixes) to seal Royal Challengers Bangalore’s entry into the final with six wickets and seven deliveries to spare.

The sub-plot in the match – an on-field battle between former India captain Kumble and his successor Dhoni – ran out in the veteran’s favour, with his side coming together with another stunning team performance. For all their towering performances in the 14 matches before, Dhoni’s batsmen, notably the man himself, and bowlers did not measure up on the big day.

And the irony was not lost on anyone – two teams that finished seventh and eighth last season – had stunner the more fancied sides in the semifinals to set up an incredible title clash on Sunday.