BCCI considers delaying IPL with polls looming

New Delhi: A fall-out of the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore could be the IPL. After Home Minister P Chidambaram said providing security for matches while the elections are on will be difficult, the BCCI has told CNN-IBN that it will be willing to make adjustments, but only minor ones.


"We are open to making minor adjustments in IPL schedule," BCCI President Shashank Manohar said on Wednesday. "No IPL match will be held in a city where polls are being held that day."


IPL team owners, too, have raised raising concern about player security. Shilpa Shetty, Bollywood actress and co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals said, "The only thing that IPL board can do at this point is to beef up the security. It's a really sad day for sports... for such an unfortunate thing to happen. But I'm trying to be positive and I empathise with the cricketers who have suffered, the Sri Lankan cricketers, and the umpire who got hurt."


On the other hand, New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram, who plays for Chennai Super Kings, has said that he will reconsider coming to India.


"I think there are definite questions to be asked," Oram said. "The IPL has given me an economic freedom that I didn't even dream about, but I have a family now. Cricket's important, but it is not as important as my life. Lalit Modi and the IPL have given assurances that the security will be beefed up for the event. (But) I'll be thinking twice before going to play in the sub-continent."


Oram's concerns were echoed by the Federation of International Cricketers' Association's (FICA) Chief Executive Tim May who said, "We have written to the Indian Premier League on behalf of our members requesting an ability for player representatives to be involved in the evaluation and construction of security for the event."


"An increasing number of players have expressed a desire for an independent level of comfort surrounding security arrangements for this event," May added.


Reiterating the Indian Government's stand on IPL matches, ICC vice-president and former BCCI boss Sharad Pawar has said that the board should respect the decision.


"I don't think in India one should worry," he said. Unlike Pakistan, security forces are competent, our public is alert, and I don't think that's the situation here. But still if the Government is saying one has to understand the background and understand the situation."

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/bcci-considers-delaying-ipl-with-polls-looming/38791-13.html

Dravid & Co. to play in Kiwi domestic season

Wellington: New Zealand Cricket on Sunday confirmed that six Indian players would turn out in the domestic championship as warm-up to the Test series, diffusing the tension between BCCI and Kiwi players' Association over the involvement of ICL-linked players in the tournament.


The six Indians -- VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Amit Mishra, Murali Vijay, Laxmipathi Balaji and Dhawal Kulkarni -- would play in the next two rounds of the State Championship.


The Indian players have been included only in those state teams, that do not feature ICL players.


Dravid will play for the State Canterbury Wizards against the State Central Stags at Rangiora, from March 6-9.


Leg-spinner Mishra will turn out for the Stags in the same game. Laxman will appear for the State Otago Volts against the State Wellington Firebirds for whom Balaji will be turning out at Dunedin, on similar dates.


In the next round from March 13-16, Vijay and Kulkarni will play for the Stags and Firebirds respectively at Napier.


The Test series begins in Hamilton on March 18.


"No Indian players will appear for the State Auckland Aces or State Northern Knights. This avoids any potential issues over the involvement of ICL players in the games. The Aces and Knights sides already have an overseas player in their teams," the NZC statement said.

Canterbury's ICL-contracted players, Chris Harris and Shane Bond, were only contracted by Canterbury to play State Shield and T20 matches and therefore not considered for the State Championship," the statement added. The inclusion of the Indians in the state teams was agreed upon by the NZC, the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association and the six Major Associations.


However, things could have taken an ugly turn after the Board of Control for Cricket in India withdrew Sachin Tendulkar and Dinesh Karthik from an invitational Twenty20 match on Friday since it involved an Indian Cricket League player, Hamish Marshall, in the NZCPA side.


The BCCI move came as a surprise to the hosts and in a counter offensive, the NZCPA had said it would not allow players linked with the rebel league to be dropped from the state teams to facilitate the Indians.


Given the scenario the BCCI would have had no choice but to withdraw the six players from the warm-up matches since it is against any contact with those linked with the ICL, a situation which could have proved costly for the visitors.


India coach Gary Kirsten thanked NZC for accommodating the players so they could get vital match practice.


"Because of the tight schedule and no warm up match it would have been difficult for those players straight off the plane I think it sets a good example," said Kirsten.

NZC Chief Executive Justin Vaughan was happy that the NZCPA and Major Associations had been able to work out a solution. "There have been a number of issues to work through, including the involvement of ICL players, NZC's rules around overseas and qualifying players, player allocation, scheduling and travel arrangements," said Vaughan.


"This is an excellent solution that means we're able to offer the incoming Indian players appropriate preparation in first-class conditions and at the same time give our domestic sides an incredible opportunity to play alongside some of the great names in international Test cricket.


"For some of our young players especially, the chance to spend four days on the park and in the dressing room with players of the calibre of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid is priceless," he said.


Players association executive manager Heath Mills, who was vocal against the BCCI, was also satisfied that a compromise could be worked out.


"New Zealand Cricket and the Major Associations have done well to achieve that through the use of six players in the State Championship," he said.


"Each Major Association is allowed one overseas player under our contracting environment which is something we have always supported and encouraged so this outcome fits nicely with that," said Mills.

Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/dravid--co-to-play-in-kiwi-domestic-season/38701-13-2.html

Good start laid foundation for win: Dhoni

Napier: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday lauded the opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar for laying the foundation of the 53-run victory over New Zealand in the first one-dayer here.


Dhoni, who himself played a crucial unbeaten knock of 84 runs at the number three position, said the difference between victory and defeat on Tuesday was the 69-run opening stand between Sehwag and Tendulkar which allowed the middle-order batsmen to free their arms in the later stages of the innings.


"I think the start is important for us. Over the years we have seen if we get a decent start, we have got the firepower to capitalise on that and specially with the 20 overs of power-play it gets really very difficult for the bowlers to contain us.


"If we get a good start more often then we will get a good score which our bowlers can defend," he said after the match.


"The openers role is very important, but I think Raina's knock was fabulous. He came in at a time when he had to decide whether to go after the bowling or not. He went by his instinct, whatever he saw, he played according to the merit of the ball. I think it was a brilliant innings," he added.


Asked whether the Indians came out with a different gameplan on Tuesday after the two consecutive Twenty20 defeats at the hands of the hosts, he said, "During the toss I have said it has happened to us in the past that in the Twenty20 games we tend to go out all guns blazing and at times we fall short of the target, but our 50 overs approach has been good.


"We also committed mistakes but overall our approach has been good till now. We made a few errors in the middle but overall I am quite happy with the performance."


Dhoni, who was adjudged man-of-the-match for his tactical innings, also lauded pacer Praveen Kumar (2/28) for his exploits with the ball in his first outing on Kiwi pitches.


"He (Praveen) is one bowler who does very well in conditions where there is something for him. He can swing the ball both ways and is a street smart cricketer. He knows his limitations and that's the best part," he said.


Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori blamed his bowlers for the defeat and said his side was a far better bowling unit than what they have displayed on Tuesday.


"Right from the start India outplayed us. We just couldn't get right with the ball. I was pretty disappointed with the way we bowled, we are a lot better bowling unit than what we have displayed today. We were also a bit sloppy on the field and lacked execution," Vettori said.


He praised for Raina and said the left-hander's blazing 66 off 49 deliveries took the game away from them.


"Raina's innings probably brought little bit of momentum back in the middle stages. He played exceptionally well and took the game away from us.


"Dhoni, Sehwag are quality players, if you give them a chance, they will grab it," Vettori said.


Asked if the Duckworth-Lewis method made the run chase difficult for his side, Vettori said, "No, we got our figures wrong. We were not looking forward to chasing 105 off 7. We put ourselves in the situation with the way we bowled."


"I suppose losing a couple of wickets in the beginning also didn't help us, because when you are chasing a big target, you need to get a good start," he added.

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/good-start-laid-foundation-for-win-dhoni/38753-13.html

1st ODI: India thrash New Zealand by 53 runs (D/L)

NEW DELHI: India beat New Zealand by 53 runs according to the Duckworth Lewis method in the first ODI of the series at McLean Park in Napier on Tuesday. With this win, India took a 1-0 lead in the 5-match series.

Chasing a revised victory target of 216 in 28 overs, the Kiwis managed 162/9 in the game that was marred by two rain interruptions.

New Zealand lost 4 wickets in 5 balls to be reduced to 132/9 in 24.1 overs.

It was Harbhajan Singh who started the Kiwi slide when he took 3 wickets in 4 balls. Harbhajan first dismissed Martin Guptill went for the slog sweep but got the height not the distance as Gautam Gambhir took a fumbling catch. Next delivery, Neil Broom charged down the pitch, missed the straighter delivery and was stumped by Dhoni. Kyle Mills survived the hat-trick ball but edged the next delivery to first slip for Virender Sehwag to take the catch.

On the first delivery of the next over bowled by Zaheer Khan, Ian Butler edged to fine leg for Munaf Patel to take the catch.

The Kiwis lost their fifth wicket on the first ball when play resumed after the second rain interruption when Jacob Oram played a sweep and went for the run not knowing that the ball was up in the air just behind him and Mahendra Singh Dhoni ran him out.

The Kiwis lost their fourth wicket when Grant Elliott hit through the covers and went for two runs but was not fast enough to beat the throw from Virender Sehwag into the hands of Dhoni and was run out. The rain came down at that very moment.

New Zealand lost their third wicket in the form of Ross Taylor to be reduced to 81/3 in 15.5 overs.

Trying to break the shackles imposed by the Indian spinners, Taylor (31) went for a sweep shot but edged the Yusuf Pathan delivery to short fine leg for Sachin Tendulkar to take the catch. Taylor added 58 runs with Martin Guptill for the third wicket.

Praveen Kumar took two wickets to reduce New Zealand to 23/2 in 7.4 overs.

Praveen got the second breakthrough when Kiwi opener Jesse Ryder (11) hit high up in the air for Virender Sehwag to take the catch in the covers.

This was shortly after New Zealand got off to a worst start possible losing Brendon McCullum without any run on the board.

Praveen drew first blood for India in the second over when McCullum top edged to fine leg for Harbhajan Singh to take the catch.

Earlier, riding on half-centuries by Virender Sehwag, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina, India scored 273/4 in 38 overs.

Dhoni remained not out on 84 off 89 balls with six hits to fence, while Raina smashed 4 sixes and 5 fours in his quickfire knock of 66 that came off 39 balls.

Yusuf Pathan hit a six and 2 fours in his unbeaten knock of 20 that came off 10 balls.

The 100-run partnership between Dhoni and Raina came after India lost Yuvraj Singh and Sehwag in quick succession to be reduced to 131/3 in 22.4 overs.

India lost the third wicket when Dhoni flicked to deep mid-wicket and called Yuvraj for two who was not fast enough to beat the throw from Martin Guptill into the hands of his captain Daniel Vettori to run out the southpaw who scored 2 runs.

Sehwag smashed 77 off 56 balls before he was dismissed to reduce India to 121/2 in 18.2 overs.

Ross Taylor took a superb catch diving to his left to end Sehwag's innings and give New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori his first wicket. Sehwag hit a six and 11 fours in his belligerent knock.

Sehwag reached his 34th ODI fifty with a pull over square leg that was his eighth hit to the fence.

Ian Butler gave New Zealand the first breakthrough when he dismissed Sachin Tendulkar to put India at 69/1 in 9.4 overs.

Sachin edged a rising delivery into the hands of keeper Brendon McCullum after hitting 2 fours in his 23-ball 20.

Sehwag and Tendulkar resumed the Indian innings after the match was reduced to 38 overs per side.

According to revised playing conditions, three bowlers could bowl eight overs, and two could bowl seven. The first powerplay was of 8 overs, the bowling powerplay be of 4 overs and the batting powerplay be of 3 overs.

Rain stopped play after Sehwag and Tendulkar took India to 27/0 in 4.3 overs.

Sehwag was his usual aggressive self having raced to 23 off 19 balls with the help of 5 hits to the fence, while Tendulkar has looked more composed in his short stay at the crease and got off the mark with an on drive that fetched him three runs.

The rain interruption came after Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first.


Soruce:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Specials/India-in-New-Zealand/News/1st-ODI-India-draw-first-blood-at-Napier/articleshow/4215628.cms?curpg=2

Paes moves to number six, Sania slips to 88

NEW DELHI: Indian ace Leander Paes replaced his estranged partner Mahesh Bhupathi at number six position in the ATP doubles rankings, released on Monday.

Paes now has 6940 ranking points, just 15 more than seventh placed Bhupathi. Rohan Bopanna moved to 72 with 1705 points after gaining three spots.

In the singles, Somdev continued to be India's highest ranked player at 150.

In the WTA rankings, Sania Mirza slipped to 88 from 75 in singles and lost nine places in doubles to stand 72nd.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

will retire after 2013: Isinbayeva

BEIJING: Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva wants to retire after the 2013 world championships in Moscow.


"I plan to finish there in front of my home crowd and I plan to succeed there," the world record holder from Russia said on Monday. "I will retire after 2013."

Isinbayeva, who vaulted 5.05 metres in last year's Olympics, said she could go as high as 5.30 before she quit. "My bar must be higher than 5.20... and 5.30 is possible. I will try to achieve this," she said in Beijing where she captured her second successive Olympic gold medal. "Technically there is no problem."

Last month the 26-year-old vaulted 5.00 in Donetsk, Ukraine, her 12th indoor world record and 26th in total. Chinese sportswear retailer Li Ning confirmed last week that Isinbayeva had signed a sponsorship deal with the company.

No details on the size or length of the contract were available but sources earlier said it would be worth $1.5 million annually for five years, a record amount for a track and field athlete.

Li Ning was founded by the 1984 Olympic triple gymnastics gold medallist who last August lit the cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games.

Isinbayeva, the 2008 female athlete of the year, plans to defend her world title in Berlin in August.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I-will-retire-after-2013-Isinbayeva/articleshow/4213609.cms

Serena tops Venus to win Billie Jean King Cup exhibition

NEW YORK: Serena Williams beat her older sister Venus 6-4, 6-3 to win the Billie Jean King Cup exhibition on Monday, marking the return of women's tennis to Madison Square Garden after a nine-year absence.

Australian Open champion Serena, who defeated 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 6-3 in her one-set semi-final, collected $400,000 in the first women's matches at the Garden since the 2000 WTA Championships.

Venus, winner of her last two tournaments in Dubai and Acapulco, settled for $300,000. The reigning Wimbledon champion beat world number three Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 6-4 in her first match.

The Serbs got $250,000 each in the $1.2 million event. "Venus and I are so excited to be playing here," Serena said after an arduous final, during which she slipped over while chasing a baseline retrieval and later crashed onto the blue court when trying to reach a backhand volley.

"It was really good, really intense," the 27-year-old world number one said.

Venus, who leads the sisters' WTA tournament head-to-head series 10-9, said: "I tried but Serena was too good."

The first set turned on a marathon, with a tense ninth game that reached deuce nine times. Serena finally cracked her older sister's serve on her eighth break point for a 5-4 lead before serving out the set.

Before the Williams match, an emotional ceremony was held to honour women's sports pioneer and equal rights campaigner King, keynoted by former President Bill Clinton.

"There were millions of young women all across America who couldn't play sports or pursue dreams that were thought to be the province of boys," Clinton said. "That was before Billie Jean King.

"She's done a lot not only to help women pursue their tennis dreams but other dreams well beyond athletics. She has probably done more than anyone in the world to empower women and to educate men."

King said: "The seeds for this historic event were planted almost 40 years ago when nine of us, signed a $1 contract to play a tournament in Houston.

"We had such big plans for our sport. We dreamed of playing in the world's greatest arenas, like Madison Square Garden."

The exhibition was also used to spark a youth registration push called "Tennis Night in America" with 750 facilities in all 50 states holding sign-up parties for youth tennis programs built around screenings of the Billie Jean King Cup event.

Soruce:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Serena-tops-Venus-to-win-Billie-Jean-King-Cup/articleshow/4216229.cms

Liverpool look to restore title bid

LONDON: Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has identified the injury problems suffered by Fernando Torres as the main reason the club's title challenge has wilted.

The Spanish striker will be missing again when Liverpool face Sunderland on Tuesday when they hope to close the seven-point gap to Premier League leaders Manchester United.

An ankle injury picked up in the Champions League victory at Real Madrid last week is the latest knock for Torres who has managed just 15 league matches for Liverpool this season.

"The worst thing has been the injuries to Torres," Benitez said on Monday. "He is our striker. He scored a lot of goals for us last season and this season could have been totally different with him.

"(His ankle) is improving but it's still too early for him," added Benitez, who is hopeful that the Spaniard will return for the Champions League second leg against Real next week.

Liverpool have managed only 10 points from their last seven league games and have watched champions United pull away at the top on the back of 10 consecutive victories.

"We must keep going in the title race, to try to win each game as it comes along," Benitez said. "There are still lots of points to play for."

Chelsea and Liverpool are in action hoping to cut the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester United with Arsenal facing bottom side West Brom aiming to boost their flagging Champions League hopes.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Liverpool_look_to_restore_title_bid/eplarticleshow/4218302.cms

Firing in Lahore, Sri Lanka cricket team members injured

LAHORE: Six members of Sri Lanka's national cricket team have been wounded after gunmen opened fire on their vehicle in Lahore, Pakistan, according to reports.

Pakistan Cricket Board security official Nadeem Iqbal says the team members were injured near the Gaddafi stadium where they were due to arrive to play in the second test against Pakistan.

Sri Lankan team manager, Brendon Kruppu, confirmed the incident and said the team's players, Kumar Sangakkara and Ajantha Mendis, are among the injured.

"We are assessing the situation," Pakistan cricket board chief Ejaz Butt said.

In Sri Lanka, sports minister Gamini Lokuge said two other players, Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Samaraweera, had been taken to hospital in Lahore, AFP reports.

Unidentified gunmen attacked the bus taking the Sri Lankan cricket squad and its police escort to a cricket stadium in Lahore, according to witnesses and cricket officials.

Six policemen and two civilians have been killed, a police official said. The attack was likely the work of "well-trained terrorists," Lahore police chief, Habib-ur Rehman, said, according to AFP.

The police chief said 12 gunmen attacked the convoy near Lahore's Gaddafi stadium with rockets, hand grenades and automatic weapons and were involved in a 25-minute shoot-out with the security forces.

The Test match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan stands cancelled. Sri Lanka is to immediately pull its national cricket team out of Pakistan following the gun attack, Sri Lanka cricket chief Duleep Mendis said.

Security concerns have plagued Pakistan for years and some foreign sports teams have refused to play here.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/6-Lanka-cricketers-wounded-in-Lahore-attack/articleshow/4215872.cms

Samaraweera, Sangakkara injured in shootout

LAHORE: Six members of the Sri Lankan cricket squad were wounded when around a dozen gunmen attacked their bus as it drove under police escort on Tuesday to a stadium in the Pakistani city of Lahore, witnesses and officials said.

Lahore Police chief Habib-ur-Rehman said five people were killed in the attack by the unidentified gunmen, who fired AK 47s and rockets and hurled grenades as the team bus drove to the 60,000-seater Gaddafi stadium in the eastern city.

Sri Lankan media, quoting the sports minister, said five players, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavithana and Mahela Jayawardene, and an assistant coach were wounded.

"We are assessing the situation," Pakistan cricket board chief Ejaz Butt said.

Team captain Mahela Jayawardene's father said his son had just called his wife from Lahore to say that he too had suffered minor injuries in his leg during the attack that shocked the nation.

One explosion was also heard at the stadium. The attackers later escaped in separate groups. The liaison officer of the Pakistan team said players of the host nation have been sent back to the hotel.

"The Sri Lankan players are presently safe at the Gaddafi stadium and they are getting treatment," one PCB official said.

The Lahore second Test between Sri Lanka and hosts Pakistan has been called off, a Sri Lankan cricket board official said.

"We are trying to bring the team back as quickly as possible. The Test match has been cancelled," the official said on Tuesday.

Unidentified gunmen attacked the bus taking the Sri Lankan cricket squad and its police escort to a cricket stadium in Lahore, according to witnesses and cricket officials.

Five policemen have also been killed as the police van escorting Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore was fired upon. Confirms the police chief in Lahore.

Sources also claimed that the police had received a threat on Monday that the Sri Lankan team would be attacked so a different route was used to transport the team to the stadium.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Samaraweera-Sangakkara-injured-in-shootout/articleshow/4215879.cms

Johnson stars as Australia take 1-0 lead

Johannesburg: Australia bounced straight back from a home series defeat when they beat South Africa by 162 runs on the fifth day of the first Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Monday. South Africa survived until after tea on the final day before being bowled out for 291.


Their resistance was worn down by accurate, disciplined Australian bowling. Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson sealed the win when he bowled Dale Steyn eight balls after tea.


Man of the match Johnson finished with four for 112. He took four for 25 in the first innings and also made 96 not out with the bat.


While Johnson was the main strike bowler, he received excellent support from fellow seam bowlers Peter Siddle (three for 46), Ben Hilfenhaus (two for 68) and Andrew McDonald (one for 31), who all applied relentless pressure on the South African batsmen.


Australia were beaten 2-1 in a home series against the same opponents earlier in the season.


They need to win or draw the return three-Test series to retain their International Cricket Council Test championship.


A young and inexperienced Australian team, which included three new caps, set up the win by dominating the first three days. The tourists recovered from 38 for three and 182 for five to reach a first innings total of 466, then bowled out South Africa for 220.

Pre-match favourites South Africa fought back in the second innings but had an almost impossible mountain to climb. South Africa started the day on 178, still with an outside chance of chasing down a target of 454.


For the first hour, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis batted solidly. But then Amla clipped a ball from Siddle to midwicket to be out for 57.


First innings century-maker AB de Villiers made only three before he was trapped leg before by the persistent medium-pacer McDonald.


The key breakthrough came in the third over with the second new ball when Kallis was bowled off an inside edge by Johnson for 45.


In Johnson's previous over, Kallis was given out by umpire Billy Bowden but Kallis asked for a referral and was reprieved by television umpire Asad Rauf because the ball pitched marginally outside leg stump.


Kallis scored 40 off 85 balls before Amla's dismissal but then went into survival mode. He faced another 54 deliveries in scoring five more runs before he drove at a wide ball from Johnson, which deflected into his stumps off an inside edge and a pad.


JP Duminy and Mark Boucher survived for more than 20 overs before Duminy was caught at second slip off Siddle for 29.


Morne Morkel was caught off a weak pull shot for the second time in the match, giving Johnson his third wicket of the innings, before Boucher was bowled off an inside edge by Hilfenhaus for 24.

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/johnson-stars-as-australia-take-10-lead/38717-13-1.html

India set Kiwis 274-run target in rain-hit game

Napier: Virender Sehwag got India off to a flier in the opening one-dayer after captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat against New Zealand at McLean Park in Napier on Tuesday.


His partner Sachin Tendulkar, however, was out caught behind to Ian Butler for 20 just as India started to accelerate.


Sehwag began in blazing fashion but rains halted play after 4.3 overs before resumption not before the game was reduced to a 38-over contest.


Ishant Sharma, the Indian fast bowler, was unable to make it for the final eleven owing to a shoulder injury as Praveen Kumar replaced him while ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar was back in action after missing the Twenty20 series, which India lost 0-2.


Munaf Patel was also back in the eleven. Irfan Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit Sharma made way for the one-day regulars.


For New Zealand, young speedster Tim Southee was a notable omission while all-rounder Jacob Oram returned to the side.


Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel.


New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (captain), Jesse Ryder, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Neil Broom, Jacob Oram, Ian Butler, Iain O'Brien, Kyle Mills.

Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/dhoni-leads-indian-charge-in-napier/38739-13.html

Lankan players escape with minor injuries in attack

New Delhi: Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan was cancelled on Tuesday after about 12 unidentified gunmen opened fire on Sri Lanka's team bus near the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore on Tuesday morning. The Lankan team was on its way to the stadium for the third day's play of the second Test.


Six Sri Lankan players are believed to have been injured in the attack. According to reports, Thilan Samaraweera was shot in the chest and was operated upon, following which it was announced that he is out of danger. Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Chaminda Vaas and Thilan Thushara were also injured in the attack. However, Sanath Jayasuriya confirrmed CNN-IBN over the phone that all the players were safe.


According to GEO TV, five policemen who were part of the security ring for the Sri Lankan players were killed on the spot, while two died in the hospital.


Apart from firing at the team, even grenades were lobbed at the Lankan team bus and rocket launchers were reportedly used.


The security in-charge of the Gaddafi stadium was also quoted as saying that some Sri Lankan players were still inside the stadium and that star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was safe.


The Lankan team media manager said the team taken to high security zone.


Cricinfo's Sri Lanka editor Charlie Austin said there was some explosion before the firing started. He also said that skipper Mahela Jayawardene had also been hit in his ankle.


The area was cordoned off and Kalashnikovs have been recovered from the spot.


Security concerns in Pakistan have troubled tours in that country before as well. As many as three tours were cancelled in the last year alone.


Australia pulled out of their scheduled visit, while the International Cricket Council (ICC) postponed the Champions Trophy one-day tournament in September.


That postponement was followed by the cancellation of India's tour to Pakistan that was scheduled to be held this Januaray and February. The decision was taken after relations between the neighbours deteriorated further following the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.


The tour had always been under doubt due to the security situation in Pakistan and it was further put in jeopardy by the terrorist attack in Mumbai.

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/lankan-players-escape-with-minor-injuries-in-attack/38740-13.html

Contractor to visit Windies

Mumbai, March 1: Four decades after suffering a near-fatal skull injury while ducking into a bouncer in a tour game, former India captain Nari Contractor will visit the Caribbean later this month as a special invitee to witness the formation of blood banks named after the first black West Indian cricket captain, Sir Frank Worrell.“It (1962) was not a happy tour, but I’m going there for a cause and will be visiting the various islands. I have not visited them after returning in 1962,” said the former left-handed opener whose injury, sustained against Barbados and West Indian paceman Charlie Griffith, needed a surgical operation and a steel plate to be fitted into his skull. One of the men who donated blood when he was in the hospital fighting for his dear life was his rival captain Worrell who himself, ironically, died of Leukaemia (Blood cancer) five years later. (PTI)

Samaraweera, Sangakkara make merry

LAHORE, March 1: A serene 204-run partnership between Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera allowed Sri Lanka to soak up the pressure of three early wickets and reach a comfortable position by the end of the opening day at Lahore. It might have been a different story had Faisal Iqbal held on to a chance offered by Sangakkara when he was 55. Sangakkara fell just before the close, but Sri Lanka would be satisfied with the day’s effort after being put in to bat on a pitch with uneven grass cover. The surface was expected to assist the fast bowlers initially but there were enough dry areas to keep the spinners interested as the match progresses.

India can rise to 2nd in ICC rankings

DUBAI: The Indian cricket team has the chance to rise up a notch and replace Australia as the second-placed team in the ICC one-day rankings if it manages to whitewash New Zealand 5-0 in the series starting tomorrow.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team is currently third, four ratings points behind second-placed Australia and five behind top team South Africa.

A clean sweep will put India ahead of Ricky Ponting's men by a fraction of a point but it would remain just behind the Proteas in what would be an extraordinarily tightly packed leader-board with one ratings point separating the top three ODI teams in world cricket.

For its part, New Zealand can move up to third ahead of India if it wins the series 4-1 or better but it will drop as low as sixth if it suffers a 5-0 defeat.

The series is also an opportunity for some of the top players to make further gains in the rankings.

Dhoni is currently enjoying the top spot in the rankings for batsmen but team-mate Yuvraj Singh is hot on his heels in third position.


Source:http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/articlelist/1715249553.cms

Hurt India aim to make amends in first ODI

NAPIER: Their pride hurt in the Twenty20 internationals, India would be aiming to rediscover their winning momentum when they take on a rampaging New Zealand in the first match of the five-ODI series starting on Tuesday.

A defeat in the first day-nighter at the McClean Park would mean India, who will miss the services of Ishant Sharma because of injury in the first match, would have to play catch-up with the Black Caps who are on a high after blanking the fancied visitors 2-0 in the Twenty20 series.

If India began their 48-day sojourn as the favourites, the tide has cruelly turned against them. They have been outdone by a set of talented all-rounders, who could be classified as batsmen-bowlers, bowler-batsmen and a swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman.

India desperately lack a match-winning all-rounder and in Ravindra Jadeja they had one in the making, but the left-hander has returned home after the T20 internationals. His alacrity in the field coupled with his all-round abilities would have been of value to the side.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/4211799.cms

Force India targets regular points in 2009

BANGKOK: Force India is targetting regular points finishes in the 2009 Formula One season, team principal Vijay Mallya said on Sunday.

The 2009 car, the VJM02, will make its testing debut in Jerez, Spain, on Sunday, with the team eager to get a first gauge on performance with a new Mercedes engine, and McLaren-supplied gearbox and hydraulics.

The team did not get a championship point in its inaugural 2008 season, but billionaire boss Mallya had high expectations for the coming campaign.

"To be brutally honest, I would not be happy if we didn't show some much improved, and much needed, performance," Mallya said.

"What we really set out to do over the winter was to put in place structures, procedures and partnerships that would give improvement, but crucially, no excuses.

"I would like to see a strong start, rising to points mid-season and a definite improvement in qualifying. Regular points finishes should be the aim."

Force India has switched from a Ferrari engine to Mercedes for the 2009 season. It has had a busy off-season adjusting the car for the new drive train, but also to the many changes in regulations for the season ahead.

Along with rule changes to aerodynamics which forced all teams to redesign their chassis, this season will see the return of slick tires and the introduction of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS).

KERS converts the energy created in the action of braking, stores it, and allows it to be used intermittently to provide a power boost when required.

"Our car is fully KERS compliant, but whether we run the system will be decided jointly by Force India, McLaren and Mercedes," the team's design director Mark Smith said.

Force India has retained the same driver pairing for 2009, with experienced Italian Giancarlo Fisichella joined by German Adrian Sutil.

Fisichella, who has been in Formula One since 1996, is hoping the technical shake-up will help lift Force India up the grid.

"This year is maybe the biggest change for many years, with KERS, slick tires, downforce and new aero rules, so it's very exciting," Fisichella said.

"It would be good to see all the teams mixed up and to be able to fight for points. If the car is good, why not even for the podium?"

Sutil was hoping for greater reliability in the coming season after finishing only seven of the 18 races in 2008.

"If the car is really good, as we all hope it will be, we should hope to get into the points and make the most of it, but right now I don't want to predict results or say too much, I just want to have a season without any problems and a much higher finish rate," Sutil said.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

India win fourth Test, series with New Zealand

AUCKLAND: A double strike in the second half gave India a 2-0 win in the fourth and final men's field hockey Test against New Zealand on Sunday, giving them a series win by the same margin.

India's Dilip Tirkey and Sandeep Singh stepped up after a scoreless first half.

Tirkey nailed a penalty corner strike in the 43rd minute and Singh followed suit in the 67th minute, flicking the ball into the top left of the goal.

New Zealand felt they should have been ahead just before the interval when the ball hit an Indian body, stopping a certain goal, but India successfully appealed on the grounds that the ball first hit a New Zealand player's foot.

The Indians were then spectacular on the counter-attack in the second half, exposing the inexperience of the New Zealanders who were frequently punished for turnovers.

India won the second Test 2-1, while the first and third Tests were drawn 1-1.

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Ogilvy dominates Casey to win Match Play title

MARANA (Arizona): Geoff Ogilvy enhanced his status in the game by clinching his sixth PGA Tour title with a commanding 4 & 3 victory over Britain's Paul Casey in Sunday's final of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Three up after dominating the morning round, the Australian world number eight covered the first nine holes of the afternoon in five-under 31 before sealing the win with a birdie at the par-four 33rd.

It was Ogilvy's third World Golf Championships (WGC) title, following his successes in the 2006 Accenture Match Play Championship and last year's CA Championship in Miami, and will lift him to fourth in the world rankings on Monday.

Englishman Casey, who had not trailed in any of his five previous matches at Dove Mountain's Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, lost the opening hole of the day to Ogilvy and never got back on level terms.

"It's a very satisfying week to play well," Ogilvy, 31, said after appearing in the tournament final for a third time in four years and extending his win-loss record at the event to 17-2.

"Tucson has been good to me this last week in February. For the last three or four years, it has been fantastic. I really enjoy this format and I just love playing in the desert."

The Australian, who claimed his only major victory at the 2006 US Open, won his maiden PGA Tour title at the 2005 Tucson Classic.

Casey, foiled in his bid to triumph for the first time on the US circuit, paid tribute to his good friend and neighbour in Scottsdale, Arizona.

"He just played excellent golf all day," the 31-year-old said after a sweltering afternoon in the Arizona desert. "He holed the putts when he needed to. I threw a lot at him and he didn't flinch."

Ogilvy, who has already established a formidable reputation as a matchplay golfer, birdied the opening hole in the afternoon round to go four up before Casey clawed one back by sinking a six-foot birdie putt at the par-five 20th.

The Englishman appeared likely to cut the deficit to two when he coaxed in a curling 40-footer to birdie the 22nd but Ogilvy responded by holing his putt there from 15 feet.

The next two holes were halved before the Australian stretched his lead to four after confidently rolling in a seven-footer to birdie the par-four 25th.

Ogilvy struck a dagger blow at the par-five 26th, hitting his second shot to six feet and knocking in the eagle putt to trump Casey's birdie there and forge five ahead.

Although Casey bogeyed the par-four 27th to trail by six, he won the par-five 29th with a conceded eagle putt and the 31st with a birdie to extend the match.

After both players drove just short of the green at the 343-yard 33rd, Ogilvy chipped up to six feet and knocked in the birdie putt to seal victory.

Ogilvy, who beat American Davis Love III 3&2 to win the 2006 title at La Costa, had birdied three of the first nine holes in the morning to go four up and set the tone for the day.

Although Casey picked up form after the turn and spectacularly holed out with a six-iron from 204 yards to eagle the par-four 10th, Ogilvy's flawless six-under 66 put him in command at lunch.

In the consolation match played over one round, American Stewart Cink beat Britain's Ross Fisher one up to secure third place.

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