It’s ridiculous to play cricket in unsafe Pak, says Symonds

Sydney: In the wake of the fresh spate of bomb blasts in Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy slated to be played in September, Aussie all-rounder Andrew Symonds has said that he was yet to be convinced about how safe it was to be playing in Pakistan.

Symonds, who arrived home from a West Indies tour yesterday, said he was yet to be convinced whether it was safe to play in Pakistan

“My feelings haven’t changed a great deal. I don’t mind the odd game of cricket for Australia, but it is only a game at the end of the day, and putting yourself in a position where you’re not safe, to me is ridiculous,” The News quoted Symonds as saying.

Players from Australia, New Zealand and England have expressed concern over playing in Pakistan after a deadly suicide blast in Rawalpindi, one of three venues for the tournament. Symonds had first raised objections about Australia’s scheduled Test tour of Pakistan in April, which was eventually cancelled following a wave of suicide bombings.

Meanwhile, acting Australian captain Michel Clarke refused to express an opinion, and instead preferred to leave the call up to the game’s administrators. He said he would wait to hear what Cricket Australia (CA), the Australian Cricketers’ Association and the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided on the issue.

Shane Watson said he would play for his country wherever he was asked. “Personally, I’d go anywhere, I’ll play anywhere, I just want to play for my country. That’s what I’ve worked so hard for, the injuries I’ve had, pretty up and down times over the last year, so I’d do anything to play for my country so wherever we have to go, I’ll go,” Watson told reporters.

Source: ANI

Exhausted Dhoni opts out of Lanka Test series

Indian ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has opted out of the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka citing exhaustion caused by non-stop cricket.

Dhoni, who had hinted of his desire to take a break after a hectic Asia Cup in Pakistan, met BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah to convey it officially.

"Dhoni met BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah and expressed his wish to take a break. He wants to opt out of the Test series," BCCI sources told PTI.

The wicketkeeper-batsman has been playing non-stop for the past one year that included an 80-day tour of the UK, the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa, an ODI series against Australia and a Test and ODI series against Pakistan at home, a more-than-a-two-month long tour Down Under, a Test series against South Africa followed by the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Just days after the 44-day IPL, in which he played the most matches as his team the Chennai Super Kings were the finalists, the Indian captain was back in action in the tri-series against Bangladesh and Pakistan followed by the Asia Cup.

Faced with a hectic schedule at the Asia Cup, which saw India twice play back-to-back matches, Dhoni had sarcastically quipped that the teao react with vice-President Rajiv Shukla saying "any tired player should inform the board".

And taking a cue from the Board vice-President, Dhoni has conveyed that he needs a break to save himself from being burnt-out.

India beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets and March into the finals

So true are the tracks at the National Stadium here, that even a score of around 310 is never safe. Once again, teh team batting second made a mockery of the big score they chased. The Indian batsmen found few devils in the pitch and none at all in the bowling as they sailed to a comfortable win over Sri Lanka to book a place in the final of the Asia Cup.

Chasing Sri Lanka's 308-8, India comfortably reached 310-4 in 46.5 overs.

India now take on Sri Lanka again in the final on Sunday, while Pakistan and Bangladesh play for statistics on Friday.

There were times when India looked like getting into some sort of trouble, especially when they lost Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in quick succession. The two had put on 99 runs together before Sharma was run out going for the 100th.

However, Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma ensured that there were no alarms.

Three stands, the one between Dhoni and Raina, along with the 92 runs put in earlier by Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, and the unbeaten stand between Yuvraj and Sharma, ensured that India were never in no trouble.

Dhoni played like he is expected to, but seems to sometime not manage to do. His 67 was instrumental in ensuring that India's middle-order did not come under any pressure, and carried on with the good work later.

The distinction between the two sides was quite clear. India, needing to win this one, were nervous and unsure, while Sri Lanka, already in the final, were relaxed, but still had a great chance to put thing beyond India's reach.

But the fielders found their feet late in the game and managed to pull Sri lanka down to 308-8, which may not be impossible to chase.

Sri Lanka at one stage were looking good for at least 320, if not more, but from the 41st over onwards, India managed to put into some long yards, and restricted the batting.

Chamara Kapugedera was the man for Sri Lanka, scoring a fine 75, while Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Silva contirbuted 50 apiece. Among the Indian bowlers, no one really seemed to make much headway though RP Singh, returning to the XI, returned figures of 1-44 off 10 overs, quite decent under the circumstances. Irfan Pathan went for 80 off 10 overs.

The fielding left a lot to desire, and the ground fielding was absolutely abysmal early on in the innings, esepcially with the bowlers -- Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Pragyan Ojha and Ishant Sharma -- fluffing on the ground off each other.

In the afternoon, the coin didn't favour Mahendra Singh Dhoni as India were left to field first in the match they must win to stay alive in the Asia Cup.

India made two changes in the team, with RP Singh and left-arm spinner Ojha coming back into the team, replacing Yusuf Pathan and Piyush Chawla.

The Indians, who were rated favourites in the tournament, and looked good to carry on the ratings in the league stage, suddenly find themselves in a corner.

They lost to Pakistan by a fair distance on Wednesday, and that didn't do their run-rate any favours. However, even that also comes into play if they manage to beat Sri Lanka on Friday.

Sri Lanka naturally decided to give some of the fringe players an outing, as they have already booked their seat in the final.

It is now left to India to get their act together.

Younus Khan unbeaten ton helped Pakistan beat India by 8 wickets

Younus Khan hit a magnificent century as Pakistan achieved a much needed eight-wicket win against India in the Asia Cup Super League match at the National Stadium here on Wednesday.

Younus boosted Pakistan's quest with an unbeaten knock of 123 off 117 balls to help his side overhaul India's total of 308-7 for their fifth successful run chase in one-day internationals, the fourth against their arch-rivals.

The win helped Pakistan stay in the tournament and leaves them hoping that India lose to Sri Lanka on Thursday. The hosts would then seek to beat Bangladesh on Friday.

India, on four points from two matches with one win and two carry over points from the first round, need a win Thursday to reach the July 6 final.

Titleholders Sri Lanka have already qualified for the final with wins over Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Younus, declared man-of-the-match, shared a crucial unbroken 144-run stand for the third wicket with stand-in captain Misbah-ul-Haq who hit seven boundaries and a six in his unbeaten 62-ball 70.

Misbah hit paceman Praveen Kumar for a boundary to bring victory with 4.3 overs to spare.

The 30-year-old Younus hit Kumar for his ninth boundary to reach his fifth one-day hundred off 99 balls.

Younus, who also completed 5,000 one-day runs when on 36, hit eleven fours and a six to outshine Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 76 which lifted India to an imposing total.

Pakistan raced to a solid start of 65 before Salman Butt (36) was run out in the eighth over. Opener Nasir Jamshed, who came in after captain Shoaib Malik was ruled out due to dehydration, hit an aggressive 53 with nine boundaries.

When Jamshed retired hurt after suffering cramps, Younus and Mohammad Yousuf (21) took Pakistan to 165 when Yousuf was bowled by leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.

That did not deter Younus who in company of Misbah brought up the win.

Misbah said containing India was crucial.

"We bowled well and staged an important comeback after India had a fiery start and once we restricted them to 308 we were sure that it was a chaseable target and Younus ensured it with a brilliant knock," said Misbah.

Dhoni admitted losing quick wickets had put pressure on the batting.

"We lost four wickets which put us under pressure," said Dhoni. "Then the only way to stop Pakistan was to get wickets which we couldn't."

Earlier India almost spoiled a robust start of 88 provided by Virender Sehwag (49) and Gautum Gambhir (35) but Dhoni added 112 runs for the fifth wicket with Rohit Sharma (58) to steady the innings.

Sehwag smashed six boundaries and two sixes during his 33-ball knock, while Gambhir hit four boundaries before Pakistan hit back taking three wickets off just nine balls in the space of three runs.

Paceman Rao Ifktihar, who finished with 3-51, had Gambhir before Abdur Rauf, one of three changes in the Pakistan team, removed Sehwag and Suresh Raina (one).

Yuvraj hit four boundaries and a six in his 32-ball 37 but his fall left India struggling at 129-4

Sharma and Dhoni steadied the innings through their 139-ball partnership. Sharma hit four boundaries during his 71-ball knock.

Dhoni miscued a heave off Sohail Tanveer in the penultimate over and was caught by wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed. He added 41 for the seventh wicket with Irfan Pathan who finished 38 not out.

Sri Lanka in the Finals of Asia Cup

Sparkling centuries from Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara powered defending champions Sri Lanka to a crushing 158-run win over Bangladesh Monday to reach the final of the Asia Cup.

Jayasuriya celebrated his 39th birthday with an 88-ball 130 while Sangakkara scored 121 to help Sri Lanka pile up a mammoth 332-8 before Muttiah Muralitharan took 5-31 to bowl Bangladesh out for 174 in 38.3 overs.

Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 64 runs in the opening match of the Super League on Sunday. They have six points after winning two matches and carrying over two points on account of their win over Bangladesh in the first round.

India, who beat Bangladesh on Saturday, also have four points. They come face to face with Pakistan in a crucial match on Wednesday. If they win, India will meet Sri Lanka for a repeat of the 2004 final, here on July 6.

The match was a one-sided affair after Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and opted to bat, with the innings built around a massive 201-run partnership for the opening wicket between Jayasuriya and Sangakkara in 169 balls.

Jayawardene was full of praise for the two centurions.

"Both Sanath and Sangakkara played well and ensured we made a solid total. It was disappointing to lose wickets in the middle order but then Muralitharan bowled very well to help us qualify for the final," said Jayawardene.

Bangladesh failed to match the strokeplay of the two left-handed Sri Lankans. Only Raqibul Hasan (52) and opener Nazimuddin (47) offered resistance in an otherwise listless batting display.

Nazimuddin was run out after hitting seven boundaries and a six during his 59-ball innings, while Hasan smashed seven boundaries during his 63-ball knock before Muralitharan had him caught by Jayawardene.

Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons admitted the Sri Lankans were too good for his young team.

"They were too good for us on the day. It was a big target and Muralitharan was too hot to handle," said Siddons of the Sri Lankan wizard.

It was Muralitharan's ninth five-wicket haul in limited overs cricket.

Earlier, Jayasuriya and Sangakkara punished the hapless Bangladesh attack.

Jayasuriya was ruthless from the outset, hitting shots with power and precision. He took just 31 balls to reach his half-century.

He continued in the same vein to reach his 26th one-day hundred off 55 balls -- the sixth-fastest hundred in one-day internationals -- with 14 boundaries and five sixes.

Jayasuriya becomes the second oldest batsman to score a one-day hundred behind England's Geoff Boycott, who scored a century against Australia at Sydney in 1979 when he was 39 years and 51 days old.

Jayasuriya miscued a drive off leg-spinner Alok Kapali and was caught in the 28th over. In all he hit 16 boundaries and six sixes during his devastating knock.

Sangakkara was steadier as he batted around Jayasuriya and took runs whenever he had the opportunity. He reached his hundred off 117 balls before he was bowled by left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak in the 44th over.

The 30-year-old left-hander hit 16 boundaries and a six off 128 balls.

Sri Lanka lost their last eight wickets for just 99 runs. Alok Kapali and Reza took two wickets apiece.

Watch Live Cricket Action on Satellite TV

There is some great cricket action available to watch on satellite tv. If you live in the UK then Setanta Sports is the recommended sports broadcaster, they have won the rights to show the upcoming Asia Cup and of course the recent IPL cricket tournament which has proved a big hit amongst cricket fans all over the world.
Setanta is available on Sky satellite, virgin media and now broadband. Their cricket package is an ideal way to watch live cricket either in the comfort of your own home or live streaming on your computer and do not forget they are also showing live Premiership football and new for 2008, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as they aim to qualify for the World Cup 2010.

Asia Cup 2008 Schedule - Fixtures

The Asia Cup will be an interesting tournament as it gives young-guns the opportunity to play with the big-guns of international cricket. Relatively inexperienced teams like UAE and Hong Kong get to play with with experienced teams like India and Pakistan which not only helps then in building their game, but also helps generate interest in this sport in their countries.

The schedule for the Asia Cup 2008 is as under :

Tue 24th June
Group A - Bangladesh v United Arab Emirates
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Time : 16:00 IST, 11:00 GMT

Tue 24th June
Group B - Pakistan v Hong Kong
National Stadium, Karachi
Time : 16:00 IST, 11:00 GMT

Wed 25th June
Group A - Bangladesh v Sri Lanka
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Time : 15:00 IST, 10:00 GMT

Wed 25th June
Group B - Hong Kong v India
National Stadium, Karachi
Time : 15:00 IST, 10:00 GMT

Thu 26th June
Group A - Sri Lanka v United Arab Emirates
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Time : 15:00 IST, 10:00 GMT

Thu 26th June
Group B - India v Pakistan
National Stadium, Karachi
Time : 15:00 IST, 10:00 GMT

Sat 28th June
TBC v TBC
National Stadium, Karachi
A2 v B2
Time : 16:00 IST, 11:00 GMT

Sun 29th June
TBC v TBC
National Stadium, Karachi
A1 v B1
Time : 16:00 IST, 11:00 GMT

Mon 30th June
TBC v TBC
National Stadium, Karachi
A1 v A2
Time : 16:00 IST, 11:00 GMT

2nd July 2008
Wed 2nd July
TBC v TBC
National Stadium, Karachi
B1 v B2
Time : 16:00 IST, 11:00 GMT

Thu 3nd July
TBC v TBC
National Stadium, Karachi
A1 v B2
Time : 16:00 IST, 11:00 GMT

Fri 4nd July
TBC v TBC
National Stadium, Karachi
A2 v B1
Time : 16:00 IST, 11:00 GMT

Sun 6nd July
Final - TBC v TBC
National Stadium, Karachi
Time : 16:00 IST, 11:00 GMT

(All matches will be played in Day/Night conditions under floodlights)

Sreesanth ruled out of Asia Cup

Shantakumaran Sreesanth has been ruled out of the Asia Cup later this month after he failed to recover successfully from a side strain injury he picked up in the IPL.

The same injury forced him to miss the Bangladesh Tri series as well.

The BCCI confirmed that the fast bowler, who is currently undergoing a rehabilitation programme at the National Cricket Academy, has been advised two weeks rest to recover.

"According to BCCI Physio Paul Close at NCA, Sreesanth was declared unfit for the Asia Cup. His bowling rehabilitation programme will start on June 23 and he requires further two weeks of rehabilitation before full recovery," BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah said in a release.

Source : CricBuzz.com

ICC backs Pakistan to stage successful tournament

Pakistan was given a vote of confidence Tuesday by international cricket bosses as it gears up to host the Champions Trophy later this year.

International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ray Mali said he was confident Pakistan would put on a good tournament as the country had experience of running such events in the past.

The tournament, from September 11-28, involves all the major cricketing powers -- Australia, South Africa, India, England, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

Pakistan also host the six-nation Asia Cup involving defending champions Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates from June 24 to July 6.

Mali, who arrived with other ICC officials for Wednesday's launch of the biennial Champions Trophy, said: "The Asia Cup will give Pakistan an opportunity to rehearse for the Champions Trophy."

Mali and other ICC officials held talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over preparations for the event.

PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf gave assurances on security.

"The ICC is launching the event in Lahore on Wednesday and that is an ample proof that there are no problems. We have made foolproof security arrangements for the event," said Ashraf.

It will be the first time that Pakistan has staged a major sporting event since hosting a quadrangular tournament in 1997. Pakistan also hosted some matches of the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.

Australia put off their March-April tour to the trouble-hit country this year over security fears.

Shoaib set to appeal against reduced ban

Karachi: Controversial Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar will appeal against the reduced 18-month ban slapped on him by the appellate tribunal of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), his lawyer said on Monday.

Though the tribunal actually reduced the original five-year ban to 18 months while slapping a Rs 7 million fine on the pacer, Shoaib's legal counsel Abid Hasan Minto said the fast bowler would appeal against the punishment as he was not happy with the ruling.

"Shoaib feels the 18-month ban is still very harsh and unjustified given the reasons for his being banned. We will either appeal in the High Court or perhaps even before the tribunal," Minto said.

"We have to first go through the full judgment of the tribunal in which it reduced his ban from five years to 18 months and fined him Rs 7 million. After this we will decide where to appeal but in principle we have decided to appeal," Minto said.

The three-member tribunal, headed by retired Lahore High court judge Aftab Farrukh, had earlier found the original five-year ban too harsh. But while reducing it to 18 months, the tribunal also fined the fast bowler Rs 7 million.

Minto said the appeal would also be against the fine.

Shoaib was initially banned for five years by the disciplinary committee of the board in March who found him guilty on several counts of violating the players code of conduct and also violating a two-year probation period imposed on him since last year.

The pacer who has represented his country in 46 Tests and 138 One-day Internationals has remained in conflict with the board since last year when he was also banned for 13 matches and fined Rs 3.4 million for hitting teammate Mohammad Asif with a bat in South Africa.

Shoaib had said after the tribunal decision that he was not happy and very disappointed as he wanted to play for Pakistan as soon as possible.

Minto said the 180-month ban was still harsh and could prevent Shoaib, 32, from resuming his international career soon.

Ponting nowhere near Tendulkar, Lara's status: Boycott

Ricky Ponting might have joined the 10,000-run-club, but he has no comparison with India's master Sachin Tendulkar, who is technically correct and has caught the imagination of the public over the years, former English batsman Geoff Boycott has said.

He said he considers Ponting as the world's best batsman at present, but he had not reached the all-time status enjoyed by his fellow modern-day greats - Tendulkar and West Indies' Brian Lara.

"Lara and Tendulkar are iconic figures, which is about more than being just a terrific player. They have captured the imagination of the public. They haven't just scored runs: Lara twice got the record of most Test runs and he still holds the record of the highest score in Test cricket. Those are huge figures. And, the way he bats is just very special," the Daily Telegraph quoted him as saying.

Boycott added: "Sachin is technically correct against all kinds of bowlers and the way he took Shane Warne apart when he came to India makes him more than just a terrific player. Sorry, I don't think Ponting is in the same league as Lara or Tendulkar."

About the Aussie skipper, he added: "Ponting ... is a top-class player and I think most people would vote him as the best player over the last couple of years,"

During the second Test against the West Indies in Antigua, Ponting became the seventh player to pass 10,000 Test runs. He is also just the fourth player - along with recently retired West Indian Lara, and Indian duo Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid - to reach 10,000 runs in both Test and ODI cricket.

Chanderpaul carries bat for third innings

Shivnarine Chanderpaul carried his bat for the third consecutive innings but once again lacked support from his team mates as West Indies were dismissed for 216 on the second day of the third Test on Friday.

Although Chanderpaul compiled 79 not out Australia, who are 1-0 up in the three-match series, still took a first innings lead of 35 runs with left-arm pace bowler Mitchell Johnson capturing four for 41.

Left-hander Chanderpaul has scored two centuries against the Australians and only once in five innings has he failed to make at least a half century. He has scored 392 runs so far in the series for an average of 196.

The Australians added just 25 runs to their overnight 226 for seven but Ricky Ponting's side soon bounced back with the ball. Brett Lee removed both openers, captain Chris Gayle (14) along with opener Sewnarine Chattergoon (6) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (20) was a victim of Stuart Clark before lunch, caught brilliantly by Mike Hussey at backward point.

After the interval, Xavier Marshall continued to a lively 39 before he went caught by debutant Beau Casson off Andrew Symonds, a soft dismissal for a batsman who had looked settled.

Chanderpaul and Bravo consolidated, putting on 60 for the fifth wicket before Bravo once again failed to build on a solid start. The Trinidad all-rounder had made 29 before he was caught behind, flicking a leg-side delivery from Johnson.

Then came the by now traditional lower order collapse. Denish Ramdin, Sulieman Benn, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, and Fidel Edwards all went without reaching double figures as the last five wickets fell for just 28 runs.

India confident of executing final plans

Everything's peachy for India going into Saturday's final against Pakistan. There were concerns over a team coming right out of the IPL, but India have made the transition from Twenty20 to 50-over matches with two clinical victories. The batsmen have scored at more than six an over and the bowlers have dismissed the opposition in both league matches.

"There are no issues," Gary Kirsten, India's coach, said. "The team's playing well at the moment. We've had to remain focused on our preparation and at the same time give the guys rest. We've tried to balance the two and everyone's feeling good about tomorrow."

Both of India's innings in the tournament have got off to terrific starts. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir added 155 in 21.3 overs against Pakistan and 85 in 10 against Bangladesh. Both have scored more than fifty on each occasion and their success has left the middle-order with not much to do.

"It [the opening partnership] is important but we're not expecting too much," Kirsten said. "It might happen such that we don't get that partnership. It will obviously be nice to have it because they [Sehwag and Gambhir] score at a good rate and it sets our innings up. We've also got to be willing to know that we might lose a wicket early on. But we've got quality [middle-order] batsmen who can apply themselves in that situation."

It is an area which Pakistan can look to capitalise on: take out Sehwag and Gambhir early and put the middle order under pressure. Another aspect of India's play which Pakistan can target is the fifth bowler. In their previous encounter, Praveen Kumar's four-wicket burst with the new ball crippled Pakistan's innings but, if they can keep wickets intact, their batsmen could play aggressively against Yusuf Pathan, Yuvraj Singh and Sehwag.

An area where India scores heavily over Pakistan, however, is in the field. Yuvraj, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina cover plenty of ground between them in the inner circle and fielders such as Yusuf and Irfan Pathan have strong arms from the boundary. "It [fielding and fitness] is certainly an area that we're working very hard on," Kirsten said. "It's nice to have a lot of youth because there's energy and enthusiasm, which is great. They are very keen to prepare well physically. We're placing a lot of emphasis on that. We're still a long way from where we want to be but we're heading in the right direction."

The key for India is to ward off complacency. Both Kirsten and Mahendra Singh Dhoni said if they played to potential, India would win more often than not. However, Kirsten expected a different and far more competitive Pakistan outfit for the final. "They are going to be motivated and determined and we know they can play good cricket. We like to try and stay away from worrying about the opposition too much apart from expecting them to play at their best. We feel if we can execute our plans the way we want to, we are going to be difficult to beat."

The last final between India and Pakistan was at the World Twenty20 in Johannesburg and memories of Misbah-ul-Haq scooping the last ball to Sreesanth at short fine leg are still vivid. Dhoni said India had got the better of Pakistan over the last four years or so. His team would look to do the same come Saturday.

Pakistan Crush Banlgadesh By 70 Runs

Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi took three wickets each in a 70-run win over Bangladesh on Sunday to extend Pakistan's winning streak to 12 limited-overs internationals. After being sent in to bat and posting 233 in 39.3 overs, Pakistan restricted Bangladesh to 163 for eight in 40 overs in the rain-shortened, series opening match.

Half centuries by Salman Butt and Mohammad Yousuf set Pakistan on course for victory.

Opener Butt scored 70 before he was caught off Alok Kapali's bowling, and Yousuf added 59 before Pakistan lost its last five wickets for six runs in the hunt for quick runs and was all out with three balls to spare.

Riaz, who replaced paceman Mohammad Asif, removed Shahriar Nafees (9), Roqibul Hasan (8) and Dolar Mahmud (0).

Afridi conceded only 19 runs for his three wickets, including opener Tamim Iqbal for 29.

Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful's emerged from his form slump, laboring for 93 balls to finish unbeaten on 56. Abdur Razzak remained not out on 26 when Younis Khan ended the match with a maiden over.

Earlier, recalled spinner Razzak claimed 3-35, while all-rounder Kapali took 3-49.

A rain-soaked outfield at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium delayed the start of the day-night game by nearly two hours, reducing it to 40 overs per side.

Pakistan drafted in Riaz to replace paceman Asif, who was dropped from the squad after being arrested in Dubai for allegedly carrying an illegal substance.

Pakistan has a day off before its match against archrival India on Tuesday. Bangladesh's next match is against India on Thursday. The series final is scheduled for June 14.

Sreesanth may not play in Bangladesh tri-series

Due to side strain sustained in the IPL Sreesanth may not be able to play the Bangladesh Tri-Series.

Niranjan Shah said that Sreesanth sustained the injury during the Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals match in Mohali.

"Sreesanth has got a left side strain from the last IPL game at Mohali. This is confirmed by MRI scans and currently he still has some effusion in the region. Sreesanth is planned to join the Indian team for the Bangladesh tour tomorrow," Shah said in the release.

"So it is undecided whether he is going to play or not at the moment" Shah said.

New and improved Balaji

CHENNAI: Lakshmipathy Balaji shied away from the camera and microphones when he made his comeback into bigtime cricket through Team Chennai in the IPL. He said his time had not come to speak to the media and he did not budge even when he took a hat-trick. But he broke his silence to speak about his injury, bowling action, career, his IPL experience and his future plans. Excerpts:

How difficult was it to bowl at the death in the final of IPL?

They had an easy target in the last over. Scoring eight runs from an over was not impossible. When Dhoni asked me to bowl the final over, I was confident of handling the pressure. In such a high-intensity game, bowling was not easy. Every moment was electrifying. I tried my best to turn the match in our favour, but I was unlucky.

What did Dhoni's say before the final over?

He did not give me any instruction. Dhoni just told me to do whatever I felt was the best. I didn't try to experiment and bowled my natural deliveries. The match was fought till the end and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What is your view on Dhoni's captaincy?

He is a cool customer and has become a matured skipper. He has got nerves of steel and never shows his emotions on the field. I have learnt many things from him. Dhoni has been a great source of encouragement for me.

In Twenty20, where every ball is like a free hit to the batsman, as a bowler how do you strategise those four overs?

The format does not allow too much experimentation and I never tried to do anything exceptional. To me keeping a nagging length is important and if you consistently bowl on the off-stump with a proper field, batsmen will find it difficult to hit. Moreover, in a T20 match, where every ball changes the match situation, you need to adapt with the situation fast.

You had a long lay-off due to injury but made a decent comeback in the IPL. How does it feel now?

I just wanted to knock the door and I'm happy do get a platform like this. It feels great to play with international players after such a long break. I'm taking things slowly and looking forward to the next season. My rehabilitation took time. I've worked very hard and I'm trying my best to get ready for future battles.

How was the IPL experience?

I enjoyed each and every match. It gave me a huge mental boost. I'm happy to play a few matches for Team Chennai and share the experience with so many international greats after a long time.

You've changed your bowling action.

Yes, I did. My doctor Vijay Ranawat advised me to do so.

Australia sends back-up for injured Haddin

Antigua: Cricket Australia Friday said Luke Ronchi would be sent to the West Indies as a 'shadow' wicketkeeper after gloveman Brad Haddin broke a finger in his debut Test.

Haddin, who took on the role of Australian wicketkeeper following the retirement of Adam Gilchrist in March, suffered the injury during the first Test of the tour at Kingston last month.

Cricket Australia said 27-year-old Western Australian wicketkeeper Ronchi would travel the West Indies as soon as possible to provide back-up following scans of Haddin's right hand during the second Test in Antigua.

"Due to Brad Haddin's injured finger and as a precaution against him missing the third Test and a part of the one-day series, Luke Ronchi will join the Australian touring team," national selection panel chairman Andrew Hilditch said.

"The need for Luke to remain with the squad will be decided as Brad Haddin's fitness becomes clearer," he added.

Ronchi, a right-hand bat, scored a century during Australia A's tour of Pakistan in September 2007 and last season hit the fastest hundred in Australian domestic one-day history during a match against New South Wales.

Ref Mahanama urges Windies, Australia to calm down

St John's (Antigua): After a series of umpiring bloopers marred day four of the second Test between Australia and the West Indies, match referee Roshan Mahanama told captains Ricky Ponting and Ramnaresh Sarwan to calm down their respective teams.

Zimbabwean umpire Russell Tiffin produced three shocking decisions in a short span of five minutes to rattle the West Indian batting line-up. It caused hostilities to bubble as Australia reached 244/6 to forge out a 371-run lead at stumps.

The flashpoint came when Andrew Symonds refused to walk after appearing to glove a ball to the wicketkeeper. Several Windies fielders confronted Symonds and the situation continued to fester, with Mahanama summoning rival captains after the end of the days play to ensure both teams avoided future conflict.

Former Sri Lankan batsman Mahanama did not hit either side with an official warning but spoke to both skippers to try to stamp out any lingering tension between the teams.

''They were told to be cool. The skippers were told that we wanted to finish the Test without having any problems. It was a preventative thing,'' Mahanama said

The situation was sparked when Tiffin's three mistakes ruined the Windies' hopes of a challenging first innings total.

The West Indies were bowled out for 352, losing their last six wickets for 38.

Right-arm pacer Brett Lee took 5-5 with reverse swing in an astonishing 18 balls, but he had Tiffin to thank for his figures.

Three of his victims appeared to be not out, with Dwayne Bravo ruled caught behind after the ball came off his hip and Denesh Ramdin and Darren Sammy being adjudged lbw after being hit outside the line of the off-stump.

It was reminiscent of some of Steve Bucknor's blunders in Australia last summer, which led to his sacking at the demand of a furious Indian side.

Australia call-up Watson for one-dayers

Melbourne: Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, who excelled in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament, has been named as the replacement for Matthew Hayden in Australia's one-day side to play the West Indies.

Hayden has been ruled out of the tour with an Achilles tendon injury.

"It is obviously disappointing for Matthew Hayden and the Australian side that injury has forced him out of the one-day tour of the West Indies ... however this does create an opportunity to reintroduce Shane Watson back into the Australian one-day side," Fox Sports quoted the Chairman of Selectors Andrew Hilditch, as saying.

"Approximately 18 months ago, we identified Shane as someone we thought could open the batting for Australia in one-day cricket. And in the opportunities he has had since, he has played that role extremely well. He also adds great flexibility to our bowling attack in this format of the game.

"Shane has had a disappointing run with injuries but finished our interstate season well and has sustained his fitness levels throughout the IPL tournament.

"Shane is an exciting young player and deserves his opportunity to return to the Australian side."

Watson, 26, last played for Australia in the 2007 Cricket World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Barbados.

He scored 472 runs at an average of 42 in the Indian Premier League, will join the Australia team together with rest of the one-day squad members in Barbados during the third Test.

Australia play one Twenty20 match and five one-dayers against West Indies.

PCB swings into action to bail out Asif

Efforts are on, in full swing, to assist Mohammed Asif and bail him out of his detention in Dubai for the possession of drugs. There is no charge sheet that has been filed against him yet but the PCB has already sent in legal help. The results of the blood tests are yet to be out after which a final decision is expected.

A few days back Mohammed Asif was bowling his heart out for the Delhi Dardevils in the IPL semi-final and now the pacer is cooling his heels in Dubai, caught in the net of a drug-scandal yet again.

He flew out from Mumbai on Sunday and that morning itself he was detained at the Dubai airport for possessing what sources confirmed to CNN-IBN was a small amount of opium.

"Our team which includes Nadeem Akram (Director, Human Resources) and our lawyers met Asif and told us that he is in a good spirit and is looking forward to return to Pakistan," said PCB’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Shafqat Naghmi.

According to sources Asif was carrying the contraband in his wallet. Asif also claims that he unaware that he was even carrying it and it was a medicine prescribed by a local doctor for his long-term elbow injury.

"Asif said that he was detained because he possessed a medicine, which the authorities are unsure about and hence will check on it," stated Naghmi.

Dubai authorities have conducted various drug tests on Asif and his fate now lies in those results. PCB and the Pakistan government it seems are trying hard to get Asif off the hook lightly.

"We are hopeful that the entire matter is a mistake or a harmless issue," said Naghmi.

But drug laws in UAE are some of the harshest in the world and it may not be an easy task for Asif to get out of the dock that easily.

Pakistan announce squad for triangular series

KARACHI: Pakistan selectors have named senior batsman Muhammad Yousuf in their 16-man squad for a triangular One-day series in Bangladesh from June 8.

India and Bangladesh are the other teams in the competition, which ends on June 14.

Yousuf had not been considered for recent Twenty20 events and was also rested for part of a series against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

"We have picked the best possible squad for what would be a tough tournament," said chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed.

"We have also picked a few young players to give them exposure."

Selectors have called up left arm pacer Wahab Riaz and batsman Nomanullah, who made their one-day debuts recently.

Squad:
Shoaib Malik (Capt), Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Muhammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Muhammad Asif, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftkhar, Wahab Riaz, Nomanullah, Fawad Alam, Bazid Khan.

Final : Rajasthan Royals Vs Chennai Super Kings

Yusuf Again Shines with Bat & Ball

Attacking all-rounder Yusuf Pathan scripted a memorable last-ball victory for Jaipur against Chennai in a thrilling final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) that more than made up for the two lop-sided semi-finals.

Pathan grabbed three crucial wickets and then produced a belligerent half-century as Jaipur chased a challenging target of 164 to lift the trophy in the first edition of the championship, which brought several of the world’s top players together in a double-league format played among eight city teams.

The Jaipur team, by far the most consistent in the championship with 11 wins in 14 league matches, were deserving winners under Aussie great Shane Warne. Having thrashed Delhi on way to the final, they were on a roll with all-rounders Pathan and Shane Watson proving their match-winning capability time and again.

The two were once again in the thick of things and looked set to take the match away from Chennai with a useful partnership before some quick wickets set them back.

Pathan struck his fourth fifty of the tournament, his racy 56 off 39 balls studded with three fours and four sixes. Jaipur eventually won by three wickets, Warne seeing the team through in the company of Sohail Tanvir after they needed 18 off the last two overs and then eight off the last over bowled by Lakshmipathy Balaji. A wide ball followed by a fumble from wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel helped Jaipur breath easy in the final over and Tanvir drove through the leg side to get the one run needed off the last ball.

Jaipur did not have a good start chasing a challenging target as they fell to 42-3. But Pathan’s 65-run stand for the fourth wicket with in-form batsman Watson, who struck 28 off 19 balls with three fours, put them back on track.

Pathan continued to torment the bowling even after Watson’s departure, once carting Muttiah Muralitharan for two consecutive sixes. He was lucky to be let off twice, Suresh Raina dropping a skier off Muttiah Muralitharan when he was on 13, and then MS Gony failing to latch on to a return catch on 33. The all-rounder was also lucky to escape in a mix-up with Warne a little later.

A flurry of wickets just when Jaipur seemed to have the match in their grasp, made the proceedings interesting. Pathan was run out to a direct throw from Raina as Jaipur fell to 143-7 after cruising along at 107-3.

Pathan was not only lucky to get some chances while batting but also while bowling, because he was backed really well by some superb fielding earlier in the day. After a colourful opening ceremony delayed the match by 15 minutes, Pathan took centre-stage to return a fine bowling analysis of 3-22 that pegged the opposition back and prevented a free flow of runs despite a steady start provided by Parthiv Patel (38).

Pathan got his first wicket as Sidharth Trivedi took a lovely diving catch in the deep after Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan (16) pulled in an effort to clear the mid-wicket boundary. Pathan got success again when wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal pouched a fine catch on second attempt with Patel trying to cut the ball. Akmal also caught Albie Morkel (16) in a melee to give Pathan his third scalp.

Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni came up with brisk knocks later in the innings to keep the team’s hopes alive. Left-handed Raina scored a quick 43 off 30 balls and Dhoni 29 off 17 balls, both batsmen hitting two sixes and a four each.

Jaipur, who suffered a major blow before the match with the injury of Graeme Smith, brought in Akmal. The extremely impressive Niraj Patel also earned a comeback for the crucial clash.

Chennai, who decimated Mohali in their semi-final game on Saturday, made no changes to their playing eleven.

Toss won by: Jaipur Status : Match Ended Batted first : Chennai Batted Second: Jaipur

Match Result: Jaipur beat Chennai by 3 wickets
Man of the match: Yusuf Pathan
Man of the Series: Shane Watson

Chennai

Batsman	Status	Runs	Balls	4's	6's
Parthiv Patel (W)	c Kamran Akmal b Yusuf Pathan	38	33	5	0
Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan	c Ravindra Jadeja b Yusuf Pathan	16	14	1	1
Suresh Raina	c Ravindra Jadeja b Shane Watson	43	30	1	2
Albie Morkel	c Kamran Akmal b Yusuf Pathan	16	13	0	2
MS Dhoni (C)	not out	29	17	1	2
Chamara Kapugedera	c Swapnil Asnodkar b Sohail Tanvir	8	12	0	0
Subramaniam Badrinath	not out	6	2	1	0
Manpreet Gony
Lakshmipathy Balaji
Muttiah Muralidaran
Makhaya Ntini

Total: 163 for 5 in 20.0 overs Run Rate: 8.15 Extras : 7 (b - 1, w - 3, nb - 1, lb - 2, Penalty - 0)

Fall of wickets:1/39 (Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan 5.2 ov.), 2/64 (Parthiv Patel 9 ov.), 3/95 (Albie Morkel 12.4 ov.), 4/128 (Suresh Raina 16.2 ov.), 5/148 (Chamara Kapugedera 19.1 ov.)

Bowlers	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Wides	Noballs
Sohail Tanvir	4	0	40	1	1	0
Shane Watson	4	0	29	1	1	1
Munaf Patel	2	0	14	0	0	0
Yusuf Pathan	4	0	22	3	0	0
Siddharth Trivedi	2	0	21	0	0	0
Shane Warne	4	0	34	0	1	0

Jaipur

Batsman	Status	Runs	Balls	4's	6's
Niraj Patel	b Manpreet Gony	2	11	0	0
Swapnil Asnodkar	c Suresh Raina b Albie Morkel	28	20	4	0
Kamran Akmal (W)	run out (Makhaya Ntini)	6	7	1	0
Shane Watson	b Muttiah Muralidaran	28	19	3	0
Yusuf Pathan	run out (Suresh Raina)	56	39	3	4
Mohammad Kaif	c MS Dhoni b Muttiah Muralidaran	12	9	0	1
Ravindra Jadeja	c Chamara Kapugedera b Albie Morkel	0	1	0	0
Shane Warne (C)	not out	9	9	1	0
Sohail Tanvir	not out	9	7	0	0
Siddharth Trivedi
Munaf Patel

Total: 164 for 7 in 20.0 overs Run Rate: 8.2 Extras : 14 (b - 1, w - 5, nb - 2, lb - 6, Penalty - 0)

Fall of wickets:1/19 (Niraj Patel 3.1 ov.), 2/41 (Swapnil Asnodkar 6.1 ov.), 3/42 (Kamran Akmal 6.4 ov.), 4/107 (Shane Watson 14.1 ov.), 5/139 (Mohammad Kaif 17 ov.), 6/139 (Ravindra Jadeja 17.1 ov.), 7/143 (Yusuf Pathan 17.4 ov.)

Bowlers	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Wides	Noballs
Makhaya Ntini	4	1	21	0	0	0
Manpreet Gony	4	0	30	1	0	0
Albie Morkel	4	0	25	2	3	2
Lakshmipathy Balaji	4	0	42	0	1	0
Muttiah Muralidaran	4	0	39	2	0	0

Delhi Win By 105 Runs

Watson steers Jaipur into the finals

The much anticipated clash turned out to be a no-contest as Jaipur stormed into the finals of the Indian Premier league with a comprehensive 105-run win against Delhi on Friday.

Virender Sehwag after electing to field was pushed on to the back-foot early in the game and he was forced to stay there for the entire match as Jaipur walked all over Delhi, first with the bat and then with the ball. Shane Watson (52 and three for 10) was once again the hero of the show as he top-scored for Jaipur and then took three wickets to rip the heart out of Delhi’s batting.

After posting a mammoth 192-9 with some audacious strokeplay, Jaipur’s bowlers were on the money from the word go and it took all of 16 overs to knock-out Delhi for a paltry 87.

Delhi buckle under pressure

A stiff 193-run target was always going to be a mountain to climb for Delhi but once they had lost their top three for 24 runs, the task was too demanding for the middle-order. Watson broke Delhi's backbone when he sent back Sehwag (three), Gautam Gambhir (11) and Shikhar Dhawan (five) with just 24 runs on the board.

And it was always going to be downhill from there as Manoj Tiwary (zero), Farveez Maharoof (six) and Dinesh Karthik (10) failed to put on a fight. Tillakaratne Dilshan (33) stood his ground for a while but he too crumbled under pressure. Eventually, the game finished on humiliating lines for Delhi as they lost their last five wickets for just 12 runs.

Munaf Patel (three for 17) and Warne (two for 20) along with Watson proved too hot to handle as Jaipur booked a much deserved spot in the final two.

Jaipur willows flow and flourish

Though Delhi managed regular breakthroughs but they could not halt Jaipur’s surge, who never allowed the scoring-rate to sag. And it was once again Jaipur’s men-in-form who came good in the crunch game. Graeme Smith (26), Swapnil Asnodkar (39), Watson (52) and Pathan (45), all came to the party at a belter in Wankhede to give Delhi a mountain to climb.

The Jaipur batsmen pulled out everything from the drawer as audacious strokeplay along with chancy shots kept the score moving at a neck-break speed. And if it was not for a superb last over by Mohammad Asif, the target for Delhi could have been well over 200.

Blazing beginning

Smith pulled a hamstring while taking a quick run and was almost run out. But the injury turned to be a boon for Jaipur as the southpaw opened his shoulders to smash the Delhi attack. Even the ever-reliable Glenn McGrath was taken to the cleaners as Smith bludgeoned three consecutive boundaries in the Aussie’s third over.

Asnodkar from the other end was his blazing self, manufacturing some of the most astounding shots. After being dropped by Farveez Maharoof off Yo Mahesh’s first ball, Asnodkar smacked the first six of the game two deliveries later.

And just when it seemed the Jaipur openers will run away with the game, Maharoof redeemed himself for the dropped catch.

Maharoof turns it around

With bowlers getting flayed all over, it took brilliance in the field for Delhi to bounce back in the game. Smith’s cameo came to an end when Shikhar Dhawan took a blinder in the deep and one ball later Asnodkar’s fierce square-cut sent the ball right down Manoj Tiwarys' throat.

Jaipur’s surprise move to send Sohail Tanvir (five) failed as the Pakistan player could manage only one lusty blow before he became Maharoof’s third victim.

Watson whacks, Pathan pounds

But Delhi lost the momentum as quickly as they had gained it. Watson came to the middle with all guns blazing. The all-rounder in a space of two overs pounded three towering sixes as the Delhi bowlers ran for cover. Yo Mahesh, who gave away 50 runs in his full quota, was taken for 21 in the 11th over.

After Kaif was bowled by Amit Mishra for 12, Pathan joined Watson and from there began a tremendous surge by Jaipur. The duo went for everything with not the slightest of inhibition in their batting.

Pathan was at his powerful best, striking the ball as cleanly as ever and clearing the boundary ropes with far too much ease for Virender Sehwag’s comfort.

With Jaipur piling on the runs, Watson went on the all-attack mode and after a 28-ball 52, Mishra finally cleaned up the Aussie. But Pathan was in no mood to relent as the audacious Pathan took McGrath for 16 in the pacer's last over. The hard-hitting player hit three boundaries and four sixes in his 21-ball knock till he was run out in the last over of the innings.

Preview Semi-final 1, Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils

A high-octane contest between two well-balanced sides is on the anvil when table toppers Rajasthan Royals take on the confident Delhi Daredevils in the first semi-finals of the Indian Premier League here on Friday.

The two teams, which finished first and fourth in the preliminary 56-game phase of the Twenty20 league, look evenly matched ahead of what promises to be a top-drawer stuff in front of a capacity crowd at the Wankhede Stadium.

The team that holds its nerves better and grabs chances that come its way would go through to the summit clash against the winners of the second semi-final, on May 31, between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings.

The Shane Warne-led Jaipur, impregnable at home, had finished with only three losses from their 14 preliminary phase ties and have a 1-1 head-to-head record against the Daredevils, led by Virender Sehwag, who got into the last four with seven wins and 15 points to their credit.

Both had lost their matches to hosts Mumbai Indians when they visited this metro earlier and those ties were held in DY Patil Stadium. Both must be wishing fervently that a change in venue for this knock-out tie would bring in happy tidings.

Both the teams have depended on their top-order to fire well and pile up a big total, and middle orders of both the sides looked a bit under-prepared when chips were down.

They would be keen to topple the top three rival batsmen cheaply to gain a big advantage.

Tracks at the Wankhede for the IPL have helped the seam bowlers by providing lateral movement and extra bounce and someone of the calibre of Delhi Daredevils' champion bowler Glenn McGrath would relish rolling his arm over here.

The battle between McGrath, with support from Sri Lankan Farveez Maharoof and V Yo Mahesh, and Rajasthan's successful innings launchers Graeme Smith (416 runs) and Swapnil Asnodkar could be crucial to the game's outcome.

The same applies to the Sohail Tanvir-Shane Watson-Munaf Patel combine who will be up against the marauding Delhi opening pair of Gautam Gambhir (523) and Sehwag (403), as well as another in-form batsman at number three, Shikhar Dhawan.

Tanvir, with his extra quick bowling arm action, has been a real revelation in the IPL and has hardly been collared by any rival batting line-up, indicated by his superb haul of 21 wickets at just 10 runs per victim.

The left-armer has been outstanding both in the beginning and at the death and is a major threat that needs to be negotiated well by the Delhi batsmen who did not play against him in the previous two clashes.

Rajasthan possess a better spin attack in the great Warne and his understudies Yusuf Pathan and Dinesh Salunkhe while Delhi depend on Amit Mishra, for the most part, with Sehwag chipping in with his off breaks. But seam bowlers are expected to play a bigger role at the Wankhede.

Delhi have had a sizable break of five days going into the tie while Rajasthan, without a few key players including Warne, were outclassed by Punjab King's XI on Wednesday.

Winning the toss and fielding first has become the order of the day for matches which commence at 8 pm and the trend is likely to continue on Friday.

It has been largely rain-free so far in Mumbai, barring light drizzles, and the IPL authorities must be hoping that the weather remains clear over the next few days.

The high prevailing humidity, however, is not only uncomfortable for the players but also an indicator that rains are around the corner.

IPL Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals

Marsh ton conquers Rajasthan

Kings XI Punjab beat Rajasthan Royals by 41 runs in the last league match of the Indian Premier League at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on Wednesday.

The win, Punjab's 10th in 14 matches, had no effect whatsoever on the league standings though. Rajasthan, despite suffering what was their third loss in 14 matches, finished on top of the table with 22 points, two ahead of second-placed Punjab.

Scorecard

Chasing a mammoth 222 to win, and with Graeme Smithand Swapnil Asnodkar being rested, Rajasthan got off to a terrible start losing Mohammad Kaif (1) and Younis Khan (3) inside five overs.

Niraj Patel (57) and Shane Watson (22) put on 49 runs for the third wicket before the former, who was again impressive in his 39-ball knock that contained 10 boundaries, was cleaned up by Piyush Chawla.

Watson also fell to Chawla, while trying to accelerate, but thereafter Yusuf Pathan (39) and Kamran Akmal (24) treated the crowd with some exquisite hitting.

The brief stand (33 runs) ended when Akmal, whose eight-ball knock included a four and three huge sixes off Sreesanth, became Chawla's third victim.

Rajasthan needed 61 runs off the final three overs, and that, proved to be a tough ask, much tougher than their initial target.

Yusuf Pathan's 15-ball knock, that contained three hits to the fence and three huge ones over it, was brilliantly caught by Shaun Marsh off James Hopes in the penultimate over. Hopes also caught Dinesh Salunkhe (6) off his own bowling in the same over.

Rajasthan needed 44 off the last over from Irfan. And they got just two.

IPL coverage

Rajasthan ended at 180 for seven.

Earlier, Marsh notched up his maiden IPL century to power Kings XI Punjab to a massive 221 for three.

The left-handed Australian was in a furious mood and punished all the rival bowlers to all corners of the park as he produced a scintillating 115-run knock off just 69 balls.

His amazing century, sixth of the tournament, was studded with 11 fours and seven sixes.

Marsh went back to the hut in the last over while trying to smash Watson for a big shot.

Skipper Yuvraj Singh's late blitzkrieg helped the team get past 200 run-mark. He hit a blazing 16-ball 49-run cameo before getting run out on the last ball of the innings.

The Punjab southpaw smashed two four and half a dozen sixes, including three consecutive in Siddharth Trivedi's over and shared a 80-run stand with Marsh for the second wicket.

Earlier, Marsh together with opening partner Hopes (51), who hit an elegant half-century, provided a rollicking start to the Punjab team after being sent in to bat by rival skipper.

Together they put up 133 runs for the opening wicket, which was best for the Kings XI Punjab in the tournament.

Marsh was at his best as he displayed an array for mesmerising shots all around the park.

The left-handed Aussie played furious cut shots, elegant straight and cover drives, fierce pulls and raced away to his sixth half-century of the tournament in just 27 balls.

He pulled leg-spinner Salunkhe for a boundary on the leg side to get to his fifty and in the process became the highest run-getter in the tournament.

All the bowlers were at his mercy as he hit them at will, giving enough headache to Watson, who was leading the side in the absence of Shane Warne.

He brought up his hundred after facing 58 balls when he got a single off Pankaj Singh's over, 17th of the innings.

Hopes did not get much strike initially and played a second fiddle to Marsh yet played an important part in laying the strong foudation for the big score.

Hopes opened up later and hit paceman Trivedi for three consecutive boundaries in the 11th over to bring the 100 for the hosts off just 63 balls.

He then lofted Yusuf Pathan for a huge six on the leg side in the 12th over and stole a couple a ball later to reach his third IPL fifty consuming just 30 balls.

However he fell to the same bowler when he tried to hit him for the maximum, did not connect well, and ended up in the hands of Salunkhe in the deep.

But by then he added 133 runs with Marsh in 13.4 overs, decimating the rival attack with his individual 35-ball 51-run knock, including seven fours and a six.

IPL Bangalore Royal Challengers v Mumbai Indians

Fernando inspires consolation win

Mumbai Indians put up an all-round display to end their Indian Premier League campaign with a thumping nine-wicket victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers Wednesday. The win though came late for Mumbai Indians, who went out of the semifinal contention after losing three close games in a row, which made them dependant on other teams' losses to reach the last four. Scorecard Set to chase a paltry 123 to win, Sanath Jayasuriya (54 off 37) and Sachin Tendulkar (40 not out) made it a lopsided contest and reached the target with 12 balls to spare. The experienced duo paced their innings beautifully, punishing the bad deliveries. Jayasuriya smashed four sixes and four boundaries while Tendulkar batted around him without taking any risks. The match was reduced to 18-overs a side after rain delayed the start by an hour and a half. The lacklustre Bangalore Royal Challengers finished their campaign at the seventh place in IPL points tally. Dilhara Fernando, who gave away 15 runs in the last over in their must-win match against Rajasthan Royals to see his team lose, was the pick of the bowlers Wednesday, taking four wickets that cost just 18 runs in his quota of four overs. Fernando bowled a controlled spell and restricted the Bangalore Royal Challengers to a low score. Shaun Pollock and Ashish Nehra bowled a disciplined line to Bangalore openers. They made scoring difficult for openers Shrrevats Goswami (20) and Mark Boucher (18). IPL: Full coverage Fernando was all fire right from the start and took three wickets for three runs in his first two overs to rock Bangalore's start. From 35 for no loss, the hosts were reduced to 39 for three. The damp outfield conditions made scoring difficult for the batsmen. The pressure of losing three early wickets meant Bangalore had hit only five boundaries in the first 10 overs. Cameron White (26) hit two fours and a six in Dhawal Kulkarni's second over that cost 18 runs. Devon Smith removed White in the next over and Bangalore then lost few quick wickets. R Vinay Kumar (23) and Anil Kumble (11) boosted the scoring late down the order.

Sachin is enjoying captaincy

New Delhi: Team India captaincy may have been a crown of thorn for Sachin Tendulkar but the Indian Premier League has been a completely different experience and the champion batsman says he is thoroughly enjoying skippering the Mumbai Indians in the ongoing Twenty20 extravaganza.

Tendulkar, who had two rather forgettable stints as Team India captain, said he was feeling good to be back at the helm.

"It has been good," Tendulkar told reporters on Friday, on the eve of the Mumbai side's crucial IPL encounter at the Ferozeshah Kotla. "I've enjoyed being out in the middle and it feels quite good as I'm leading after a long time," he said.

A groin injury kept him out of the first half of the IPL and former South Africa skipper Shaun Pollock stepped forward as the makeshift captain.

Finally back to the action, Tendulkar said the presence of two former international captains -- Pollock and Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya -- have made his job easier.

"With Shaun and Sanath's help, it has become easy. In fact all the players are thinking about solution to the various problems we face on the field and chipping in with ideas," Tendulkar said.

He also felt that his return to the side has lent more balance to the top order. "I think the experience factor was lacking in the top order and Shaun and Sanath had too much responsibility on their shoulders. Now that I'm back, the responsibility got shared among us," he explained.

The Mumbai captain looked determined to erase the memories of their last match defeat against Kings XI Punjab and said he was not looking back. "You still have a lot of cricket to be played. After the first four matches too, people had a lot of opinions about us but we tried to play well and the same effort would be there."

"We don't want to look back. Even when we were on the winning streak, we didn't think about past matches and the outlook would remain same," he said.

On Saturday's match, Tendulkar said the idea would be to remove Delhi Daredevils skipper Virender Sehwag and run-machine Gautam Gambhir cheaply.

"I have played a lot with both of them. They are quality players and quite dangerous too. Efforts would be to send them back quickly because they are the two key players, who have scored most of the runs for the side."

Asked if Saturday's match would see a renewal of his well-documented battle with former Australian spearhead Glenn McGrath, Tendulkar said, "I've always maintained that the match is played among 22 players and not just two individuals. What eventually matters is how 11 members of a particular side fare."

Tendulkar also said that Pollock was recovering fast from a stiff back. "He is getting well and I think he would be fit for Saturday's match," he said.

Asked if there was any difference in the pressure of playing for the country and an IPL franchisee, Tendulkar said his intensity never dips, irrespective of opposition and occasion. "I always hold the bat thinking of scoring runs, whether I'm playing in the IPL, for India or against my son. I love the game and respect it and give my best whenever I play."

He said he never shies away from any challenge, rather confronts it. "When you embrace challenge, it becomes fun. The more you try to run away from it, the more it would chase you."

On the IPL, Tendulkar said it was his gut feeling that the Twenty20 extravaganza would prove a hit. "I always felt IPL would be a success. You have all the top players, it's a shorter version and fast-paced -- I knew people would enjoy it."

"But I still feel Test cricket is ultimate and people should enjoy that. I don't think ODI would be much affected by the IPL." Asked if age could be a factor in this format, Tendulkar said, "I've said it time and again that it's not age but performance and form that eventually matter."

Source : MSN News