Kochi Tuskers Kerala beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 runs

OLKATA: Kochi Tuskers continued their winning run defeating Kolkata Knight Riders by six runs at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday night.


Their third successive victory helped the Mahela Jayawardene-led side share the top position (with six points) along with the Knights and Mumbai Indians.

Kochi Tuskers successfully defended a modest total of 132 runs after KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir won the toss and asked the visitors to bat first.

Even Jayawardene felt 130-140 runs would be a par score on the same track where the Royals were bowled out for 81 two days ago. Surprisingly, the KKR management who complained about the nature of the track after their victory in the previous match, opted to stick to the same pitch in spite of curator Prabir Mukherjee offering them a separate rectangle which had some grass on it.

The Tuskers played the right card picking up Muttiah Muralitharan in place of Thisara Perera. The legendary spinner did a star turn picking up one wicket giving away only 18 runs.

Except Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary, who perhaps knows this track best, none of the KKR batsmen could apply themselves on a track where stroke-making was difficult.

Tiwary single-handedly led the charge after the early dismissals of Jacques Kallis (6) and Gautam Gambhir (3). The Knights lost the battle when Tiwary fell for a well-made 46 (51 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes) in the 17th over.

Yusuf Pathan, who earlier shone with the ball, bagging three for 20, failed to click with the bat leaving the lower order with an impossible job.

Defending a low score of 132, Kochi new ball bowlers RP Singh and R Vinay Kumar gave the team a perfect start removing both the inform batsmen Kallis and Gambhir to put pressure on the hosts straight from the word go.

Although the 34-run fourth wicket stand between Tiwary and Eoin Morgan raised some hopes, the Kochi spinners - Ravindra Jadeja, Ramesh Power and Muralitharan - put the brakes on KKR's run flow and ultimately help script another memorable victory.

Lankans' likely exit: The sum of all losses

NEW DELHI: Mahela Jayawardene and several other Sri Lankan players are likely to miss the business end of IPL 4 after their sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage on Wednesday reiterated that they would be required to report for a preparatory camp by May 5 for their upcoming tour of England.

Captained by Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Lankans play their first game against Middlesex from June 14-16.

Playing XI regulars such as Jayawardene, Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara may each miss out on at least five crucial league matches. If their team enters the semifinals, the number goes up further. In a league where currently only four points separate the top team from those in the basement, the new Lankan twist could radically impact the final outcome.

HERE'S a look at how the exit of Lankan players might affect the tightest IPL ever:

Kochi Tuskers Kerala:

Without skipper Jayawardene's motivating presence, Kochi Tuskers might well be doomed. Jayawardene's classy 56 off 36 balls played a key role in the newbies' improbable triumph over Mumbai Indians. The Tuskers, who are short on quality, will also miss paceman Thisara Perera. Thankfully, they will continue to enjoy the services of Muttiah Muralitharan, who has retired from international cricket.

Mumbai Indians:

The team must be happy that paceman Malinga is not in the Test squad for the England tour. Which means he will be playing throughout for Mukesh Ambani's team. Few have been able to negotiate Slinga's high-speed, swinging yorkers. However, the Mumbai team will miss paceman Dilhara Fernando who has been called for national duty.

Chennai Super Kings:

The defending champions have a problem defending totals this season. Skipper MS Dhoni and company must take blame for letting the peerless off spinner Murali go. But perhaps they were hoping to make long-term profit with newcomer Suraj Randiv who plies similar trade. The Lankan Board's decision now means their plans have gone awry. CSK are extremely lucky that medium-pacer Nuwan Kulasekara is not part of the Lankan Test squad. Kulasekara, who gets the ball to move both ways, could have been unplayable in English conditions.

Deccan Chargers:

Skipper Kumar Sangakkara's smashing 49 off 35 balls helped the IPL 2 winners carve out a stiff win against Delhi Daredevils. Without his leadership, the team could meander like a rudderless ship.

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

He may not be in the best of form but Dilshan can walk into any T20 side anytime. His absence would mean another blow to the struggling Vijay Mallya side. There's a flip side to every story. Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils do not have a single Lankan player in the squad. They will gain by the weakening of their opponents. Pune Warriors India had all-rounder Angelo Mathews in their ranks but lost him to injury before a ball was bowled in IPL 4.

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I don't have temperament to play Test cricket: Afridi

KARACHI: Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has defended his decision to quit Test cricket, saying he does not have the temperament to play the traditional format of the game.

Afridi though feels that he should not have ended his Test career without completing the series against Australia in England last year.

"My decision was absolutely the right one. I don't think I am a Test-temperament player, hence it's best that instead of me, players more suited to Test cricket are selected," Afridi said.

Afridi had quit the five-day format after Pakistan lost to Australia at Lord's, last year.

Afridi said he did not become the Pakistan Test captain by choice and he was pressurised to take up the job in the interest of the team.

"I didn't want to accept, but I was under pressure to accept it. I was advised that the unit that I had built [in ODIs] should be continued in Tests too. I didn't want to back out or let the team down. The team was going through a difficult phase and we were trying to re-build the team (hence I accepted)," he said.

"However, I had made it clear that if I didn't enjoy it, I would leave. I should not have quit after that first Test, but I realised that Test cricket is not for me," he said.

Afridi said the ODI side need to learn to utilise the batting powerplay well.

"Quite a few teams have faced problems with regards to the batting powerplay. For us, when we take the batting powerplay, we start losing wickets, so then we thought it's probably best to delay the powerplay and take it right at the end to avoid losing wickets earlier.

"I do realise we have this problem. The coach and I have discussed this in detail and hopefully we will see some better results on this in the upcoming series in the West Indies."

Afridi said he was happy to play the role of a floater batsman and was focusing more on his bowling which had paid rich dividends in the World Cup in which he took 21 wickets.

"For the past three or four years, I am a bowling all-rounder. I have focused a lot on my bowling in this period and Alhamdolillah it has worked well."

"I should use my batting according to the situation. There should be no set position for me," he said.

The all-rounder also remained unfazed by criticism about his batting performances.

"Definitely, there is criticism and I always take the criticism positively. The West Indies tour and the Zimbabwe tour are good series for me to regain my batting form. I acknowledge that recently I may not have worked as hard on my batting as I should have, but I have addressed that."

Afridi said he enjoyed playing under Wasim Akram and also regarded Moin Khan and Inzamam-ul-Haq as good captains.

"I enjoyed my cricket a lot under the captaincy of Wasim bhai. And my performance was good too. Moin bhai was also a tough cricketer and a fighting captain. Inzi bhai was good too. So these would be my top-three, the three captains under whom I enjoyed my cricket a lot," he stated.

When it came to naming the coach who inspired him the most, Afridi could not look past the late Bob Woolmer.

Describing Woolmer as the 'best coach' he had played under, Afridi in particular was full of praise of the Englishman's ability to motivate the players.

"Bob Woolmer has to be the best coach. His coaching style was great, so when a player wasn't performing, Bob Woolmer would sit with the player, chat with him informally, all this to ensure one's spirits didn't fall and the player wouldn't get demoralised. That was a great quality in him, as players do need that," he said.

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Mumbai Indians beat Pune Warriors by seven wickets

NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians pulled off a thrilling seven-wicket victory over Pune Warriors in their IPL clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.


It was one of the rare games where a side chasing is in full control despite the match going into the final over and the final ball.

Scorecard

A walk in the park for Mumbai and they have bounced back in style after the loss to Kochi.

Sachin played the sheet-anchor once again and though he fell, the others took them home. Mumbai played at their own pace and the game dawdled along after Rayudu fell. Pune needed to take wickets early on, once they failed to do so, the game was all over.

After the early loss of James Franklin, Sachin Tendulkar and Ambati Rayudu steadied the Mumbai Indian innings.

Mumbai Indians lost their first wicket early in pursuit of 119 runs to win against the Warriors.

James Franklin (6) got forward and just chipped the leg stump full ball down mid on as Mithun Manhas took a simple catch.

Robin Uthappa smashed a quick-fire 45 but top-order of Pune Warriors India put up a pathetic display and were shot out for 118 in 17.2 overs against Mumbai.

Uthappa cracked a six and six fours in his 27-ball knock to help Pune rally from a sorry-looking 17 for four and get past the 100-run mark which may not be enough on the good batting track.

The initial damage was done by Assam seamer Abu Nechim Ahmed, who replaced an injured Harbhajan Singh in the playing XI today.

He took two wickets in three balls in the fourth over before Munaf Patel also grabbed a couple in three balls to leave Pune on the ropes at 17 for four.

Uthappa's cameo ended, courtesy an outstanding catch in the deep by West Indian Kieron Pollard.

Although there weren't any big partnerships but Uthappa was involved two such efforts which yielded 35 each. First one was for the fifth wicket with Mohnish Mishra (12) and the next for the sixth wicket with Murali Kartik (11).

Munaf Patel was easily the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai, ending up with three for 8 in 14 deliveries.

Abu Nechim grabbed two for 13 while Ali Murtaza made ample amends for his costly 19th over during the defeat against Kochi Tuskers Kerala last week by opening the bowling and returning with figures of two for 18.

Warriors, who are eager to get back to winning ways after losing to Delhi Daredevils three days back, made a reasonable start after opting to bat when openers Jesse Ryder and Tim Paine put on 16 with the former being the aggressor.

But things went horribly wrong in the fourth and fifth overs when they lost four wickets in the space of just 7 balls, including that of in-form opener Ryder for 12.

Former India U-19 pacer Abu Nechim, came on to bowl the third over was the unlikely hero.

Ryder mistimed a pull-shot as Nechim fed him with short stuff and Tendulkar took a smart overhead catch running backwards.

If that wasn't enough, Mithun Manhas (0) followed suit when he edged one to Ambati Rayudu who kept today instead of Davy Jacobs.

From 17 for two, it suddenly became 17 for four with Tim Paine (2) and skipper Yuvraj Singh (0) were sent back by Munaf. While Paine got one that climbed pretty fast clipping the off-stump as he tried to pull, Yuvraj had minimal footwoork as he nicked it to give Rayudu his second catch.

Uthappa, who came in at the fall of the second wicket then started a repair job with Mohnish Mishra.

Uthappa hit a four and six off Pollard to provide some momentum to the team's total however Mishra who hit two boundaries was holed out in the deep off Ali Murtaza's bowling with Warriors tottering at 52 for five.

Then it was Kartik who joined Uthappa as they added another 35 runs to take the total to 87 before Kartik chipped a fuller delivery from Malinga to Andrew Symonds at mid-on.

Uthappa who looked good enough and deserved a half century was finally gone when he tried to hit Murtaza but Pollard's acrobatic effort cut short his innings.

At 98 for seven, it was difficult for the Warriors to put up a respectable T20 score. Leggie Rahul Sharma (13, 9 balls) hit a six and four off James Franklin to take the score past 100 but Munaf got his third wicket as he was caught bu Murtaza at deep point.

The worst part about Pune's batting was they failed to utilise 16 deliveries in the end which could have meant another 25 runs if they had wickets in hand.

Teams (from):

Pune Warriors: Jesse Ryder, Tim Paine(wk), Mithun Manhas, Robin Uthappa, Yuvraj Singh(c), Mohnish Mishra, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Murali Kartik, Rahul Sharma, Shrikant Wagh, Alfonso Thomas

Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar (c), Ambati Rayudu (wk), Abu Nechim, Rohit Sharma, James Franklin, Andrew Symonds, Kieron Pollard, Rajagopal Sathish, Lasith Malinga, Ali Murtaza, Munaf Patel

Sri Lanka rejects BCCI request on IPL players

COLOMBO: In what could strain the relations between the BCCI and Sri Lanka Cricket, the Lankan government and SLC have decided to stick to their decision of calling back national cricketers, playing in the IPL, by May 5.

Early this month they had ordered the players to return to the country to prepare for the upcoming England tour.

Though no meeting took place between the BCCI and SLC but Indian officials did speak to their Lankan counterparts on the matter and requested them to let their players play in the Twenty20 event at-least till May 15.

But sports minister Mahindanada Aluthgamage and the Cricket Board (SLC) have decided to ignore the Indian request.

A Sri Lankan Cricket source said on Wednesday that Aluthgamage, Sri Lanka Cricket and the national selection committee had lengthy deliberations on Tuesday on the matter.

Accordingly some 11 Sri Lankans including the star players Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and the newly appointed Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan would have to abide by the Sri Lankan decision.

Aluthgamage has said that interests of Sri Lankan cricket was his priority and Sri Lankans would be sending a polite explanation on the decision to the Indians.

Sri Lanka summoned all IPL players to return in order to prepare for the tour of England which starts on May 10.

Former captain Sangakkara, now leading Deccan Chargers, said the players will have to abide by the Sri Lanka Cricket decision but expressed hope that two boards would sort out the issue.

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Sourav Ganguly's IPL dream may not be over yet

KOLKATA: Sourav Ganguly's Indian Premier League (IPL) dream may not be over yet as the former India captain on Wednesday said that he is still hopeful of a comeback in the fourth edition of the ongoing Twenty20 extravaganza.

Asked whether he could be seen playing in the ongoing IPL, Ganguly told a television channel, "...Dekhte paabe (you will see). I am keeping my fingers crossed."

There may be a latest window of opportunity for the 38-year-old, as it is believed that Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene who is the skipper of Kochi Tuskers Kerala will leave for Sri Lanka in the first week of May for the upcoming tour of England.

Ganguly is tipped to lead the debutants Kochi outfit once Jayawardene leaves for the national duty.

The Lankan cricketers have been asked to return home early to prepare for the national team's tour of England, getting underway on May 14.

This gives a fresh lease of hope to the former Knight Riders skipper, who did not find any takers during in the IPL auction in January, after his former franchise Kolkata Knight Riders did not retain him.

It is learnt that the Kochi team management had tried to rope in Ganguly in place of injured Australian recruit Steve Smith.

However, the IPL rules did not permit this as the Australian's base price ($200,000) was lower than that of Ganguly ($400,000).

Kochi had previously sought permission from the BCCI to recruit Dada outside the auction but IPL's Governing Council had rejected the move.

Meanwhile, asked to pick four sides to make it to the semifinals of the IPL, Ganguly said, "It's difficult. But Kolkata Knight Riders are doing well, apart from Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Kochi Tuskers.

"Knight Riders were in a similar position even last year. So it's all about maintaining the momentum," said Ganguly.

He also said that Knight Riders should include wicketkeeper-batsman Shreevats Goswami ahead of Manvinder Bisla, who has been opening the batting and keeping the wickets.

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