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India will tour West Indies for a four-match Test series in July-August after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) resolved their differences with their Caribbean counterparts to end a year-long impasse. "The BCCI and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) have resolved outstanding issues arising out of the abandonment of the tour of the West Indies team to India in 2014," the BCCI said in a statement on Saturday. "With this understanding, bilateral series as part of the Future Tours Programme will be resumed with the Indian cricket team touring the West Indies in July-August, 2016 for a four-match Test series." "BCCI is happy to resume their bilateral ties with WICB. We recognise that West Indies has a huge role to play in the development of cricket and we are happy to support their endeavours," BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said. "This tour will further strengthen the bond between the Indian and the West Indian fans, who have over the ye...

Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh has been an inspiring figure not only because of his contributions to the sport of cricket, but also because of his victorious battle against cancer. To narrate his story and inspire the youth, the cricket icon released a book titled, 'The Test of My Life' in 2013. ANI spoke to Yuvi and asked him whether he would like to do a biopic. The 34-year-old all-rounder said, "My priority is cricket for now. Of course, I would love to tell my story through a film but only when I would think of hanging my boots." Yuvi, who was present at the MTV Youth Marketing Forum 2016, also spoke about his own start-up foundation YouWeCan. "Under YouWeCan, we have provided education to kids whose families have lost money for their kid's cancer treatment. We have done over a lakh of cancer detections in rural areas and also, we have been able to generate 600 jobs till now. So, YouWeCan is heading the right way," he said. As far as cricket is ...

Kings XI Punjab on Saturday replaced captain David Miller with batsman Murali Vijay following the side's five losses out of the six matches played so far in this edition of Indian Premier League (IPL). Punjab, who are yet to win an IPL title, are at the bottom of the standings. They had finished at the bottom in the 2015 edition as well. “Kings XI Punjab announces M Vijay as the Captain for Kings XI Punjab for the remaining part of the IPL 2016 tournament," the franchise said in a statement. Apart from his failure as the captain, Miller has struggled to contribute as a batsman as well. The South African left-hander has scored a meagre 75 runs from six outings. "David Miller continues to be an integral part of the team and is a very strong player of the squad," the statement added. Punjab travel to Rajkot to play Gujarat Lions on Sunday. Punjab also announced that they will be playing their last three home matches in Mohali on May 7, 9 and 15 respectively. Nagpu...

The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council announced on Friday that Vizag will be the neutral venue for Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants home matches after May 1 for the ongoing season. Cricket fans in the capital also have cause for celebration as Delhi has been awarded the two qualifiers which were originally scheduled to be held in Pune and Nagpur. "The governing council extended gratitude towards the government of Rajasthan and thanked the Rajasthan sports minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar for the efforts to get the Sawai Mansingh Cricket Stadium ready for hosting the matches. However, due to paucity of time and uncertainty surrounding whether the matches will be held or not, the governing council decided that Vizag will be neutral venue for both Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants," the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced in a statement. "Both the IPL franchises have expressed satisfaction and are keen to embrace Dr. Y.S. ...

The IPL is now at the halfway stage for most teams and they will have found out what is the combination that works for them and what they are better at doing, setting targets or chasing totals. Most teams are opting to chase because the bowling of most teams is below par. While there will always be some exceptional bowlers, most teams do not have the kind of deadly combination that can curtail the runs that the opposition gets. So skippers on winning the toss are prepared to chase for they are confident that with their batting they will be able to chase any target. The only exception seems to be in the double headers where those teams playing in the afternoons prefer to bat first and field once the fierce sun has gone down, even though at some venues their bowlers may have to contend with the dew factor and unable to grip the ball as firmly as they would like. Mahendra Singh Dhoni did that in the afternoon game against Hyderabad and won comfortably. On the other hand in the eveni...

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Mumbai: Mumbai Indians assistant coach Robin Singh heaped praise on skipper Rohit Sharma for his match-winning unbeaten 68 which guided the hosts to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage Batting first, KKR posted a competitive total of 174/5 in 20 overs, thanks to skipper Gautam Gambhir's 45-ball 59. In reply, riding on skipper Rohit's innings alongside Kieron Pollard's quick-fire 17-ball 51 not out, the hosts chased down the target comfortably posting 178/4 in 20 overs. "No, he is been pretty successful in all formats, if you talk about Test cricket that is different ball game, but in the shorter formats he is one of the top batters after Virat Kohli," Robin Singh said, lauding Rohit Sharma in the post-match press conference here on Thursday night. "His (Rohit's) game suits this format more than anybody else, he has got fantastic range of strokes, with our team there are lot of so he is able to pla...

Mumbai: Mumbai Indians assistant coach Robin Singh feels that a player like Kieron Pollard is valuable to any T20 side as he has the ability to make any opposition jittery with his big-hitting prowess. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage The big-bodied Trinidad and Tobago all-rounder hit six sixes in his 17-ball-51 to win a tricky match for Mumbai Indians against KKR with ease. "What is really important that when you have someone like Pollard coming in at the backend and you have Jos Buttler just ahead of him, oppositions are never safe with any sort of score on the board. As you saw it's just the question of one over in the game which changes the course of the game, people like Pollard actually you need to have in any team," Robin, one among the innumerable number of support staff in defending champions dug-out told mediapersons after the match. "His (Pollard's) game has matured over the years (and) in the last season he played similar knocks like this right compar...

Pune: Australia's batting sensation Usman Khawaja has replaced injured South African Faf du Plessis for Rising Pune Supergiants. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage "One of our mainstays Du Plessis has injured his finger during the course of the last match and has returned to South Africa for further treatment. We wish him speedy recovery," coach Stephen Fleming said in a statement here. "We are glad to have roped in Usman Khawaja in the team. His presence will definitely be an advantage to the team and could be pivotal in bolstering the position of the side in the tournament," he added. Khawaja, who also opens for Australia, has been in great form in the T20 format with his exploits in the Big Bash League. He was also the leading run-scorer for Australia in the recently-concluded World T20, averaging 35.75 with a top score of 58. "His imperious form for the Sydney Thunders in the Big Bash League victory last season and being the leading run-scorer for Austr...

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In a big blow to Rising Pune Supergiants, star batsman Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the IPL with a broken finger. Du Plessis tweeted the news of his injury and said that he will be out of action for six weeks. And so my Ipl tournament unfortunately comes to and end.Broken finger and out for 6 weeks.Thanx India and @RPSupergiants been fun Faf Du Plessis (@faf1307) April 28, 2016 Du Plessis was the saving grace for Pune and was their second-highest run-scorer with 206 runs. Pune had lost Kevin Pietersen earlier due to a calf injury and du Plessis' injury further adds to their woes. Pune are yet to name a replacement for the South African. via Sify.com http://ift.tt/26x5Zi4

Chris Gayle no longer owns the record for the fastest ton! Reportedly, a Trinidad and Tobago batsman, Iraq Thomas, has smashed the fastest Twenty20 century breaking Gayle's record 30-ball hundred. It seems the T & T batsman reached the feat in just 21 balls, which is a world record in domestic cricket. The 23-year-old cricketer from Tobago recorded this feat during a match in the Tobago Cricket Association's T20 tournament at Louis D'or on Sunday while representing Scraborough/Mason Hall. Thomas remained unbeaten on 131 (off 31 balls) as his team chased Speyside's target of 152 in just eight overs. Earlier in 2013, Gayle had smashed a 30-ball century for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during IPL Season 6 and had remained unbeaten on 175. According to Trinidad Guardian, Thomas had played a match earlier the day before facing Speyside. In the first match he smashed 97 (from 53 balls) against Charlotteville. "I ...

Chris Gayle no longer owns the record for the fastest T20 ton! Reportedly, a Trinidad and Tobago batsman, Iraq Thomas, has smashed the fastest Twenty20 century breaking Gayle's record 30-ball hundred. It seems the T & T batsman reached the feat in just 21 balls, which is a world record in domestic cricket. The 23-year-old cricketer from Tobago recorded this feat during a match in the Tobago Cricket Association's T20 tournament at Louis D'or on Sunday while representing Scraborough/Mason Hall. Thomas remained unbeaten on 131 (off 31 balls) as his team chased Speyside's target of 152 in just eight overs. Earlier in 2013, Gayle had smashed a 30-ball century for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during IPL Season 6 and had remained unbeaten on 175. According to Trinidad Guardian, Thomas had played a match earlier the day before facing Speyside. In the first match he smashed 97 (from 53 balls) against Charlotteville. ...

Image Courtesy: RCB Guess who's back in town? New daddy Chris Gayle has returned and it was party time for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Skipper Virat Kohli welcomed the World Boss and how! Check video: via Sify.com http://ift.tt/1VDXYEn

Image Courtesy: RCB Guess who's back in town? New daddy Chris Gayle has returned and it was party time for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Skipper Virat Kohli welcomed the World Boss and how! Check video: via Sify.com http://ift.tt/238uWMb

Mumbai: On a high after a consistent performance in cricket's shortest format lately, India's promising young seamer Jasprit Bumrah on Wednesday revealed that iconic pacers Wasim Akram, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson are the bowlers he looked up to and admired. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage "I admire a lot of bowlers. My all-time favourite bowlers are Mitchell Johnson, Wasim Akram and even Brett Lee. I used to watch their videos and I used to bowl," Bumrah said at a press conference here. "I had to learn from everybody -- from Mitchell Johnson I have learnt a lot. I have learnt a lot from Lasith Malinga, Zaheer Khan. Whenever I go to a senior bowler, I ask questions. There is not a particular role model but I try to learn from any senior bowler who has played international cricket." Bumrah's Indian Premier League (IPL) side Mumbai Indians come up against Kolkata Knight Riders in a high-octane Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Wankhede Stadium ...

Karachi: No top Pakistani cricketer has applied for the position of head coach of the national team with some prominent players including Mohsin Khan, Moin Khan and Aaqib Javed insisting they didn't want to waste their time on paperwork when the cricket board has already made up its mind to appoint a foreign coach. According to a reliable source in the Pakistan board, only two low profile former Pakistan players including Manzoor Ellahi had applied for the head coach position by the deadline of 25th April which the PCB had set for interested candidates to send in their documents. "The PCB has made up its mind to have a foreign coach. If they are sincere about giving a chance to a Pakistani they can speak directly to me," former test pacer, Aaqib Javed seen as a front runner for the job until recently said. Aaqib said he didn't send his application as the coaching committee which will shortlist the head coach included Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja, who had already advi...

New Delhi: His whirlwind 82 brought Delhi Daredevils agonisingly close to victory and Chris Morris termed it as his "best innings in T20 cricket" but said it was "upsetting" to eventually go down by one-run against Gujarat Lions during an IPL match here. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage Coming out to bat at a difficult time with Daredevils tottering at 57-4 in 10.4 overs while chasing a challenging 173, Morris blasted 82 off just 32 balls studded with four boundaries and eight sixes. He notched up his fifty in just 17 balls, the fastest half century of the season. The South African shared 87 runs for the fifth wicket with country-mate JP Duminy (48 off 43 balls) to take Daredevils on the brink of a sensational win before experienced Praveen Kumar and Dwayne Bravo produced brilliant final two overs to restrict Daredevils to 171 for five. "It probably was my best innings in T20 cricket. I could have missed a straight one first ball and looked like an absolute idi...

Mumbai Indians have signed up West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor to replace injured Sri Lankan paceman Lasith Malinga, who also missed the World Twenty20 with a recurring knee injury. England fast bowler Chris Jordan has joined Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement for injured Australia paceman Mitchell Starc, the Indian cricket board said. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage Starc has been ruled out of the Twenty20 league with a foot problem, opening the door for Jordan, who impressed with his death bowling in the recent World Twenty20 in India, where an Eoin Morgan-led England lost to West Indies in the final. The 27-year-old Sussex bowler joins Morgan and national team mates Jos Buttler and Sam Billings in the eight-team event, in a sign of the England board's softening stance towards a league which attracts the biggest names in international cricket. At Bangalore, Jordan will be part of a dressing room also including Indian batting m...

New Delhi: Indian hopes of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi reuniting at the Olympics were dashed on Wednesday with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) informing the All India Tennis Association (AITA) that no 'wild cards' are available for the Rio Games. "We have received several enquiries regarding applications for 'wild cards' for the Olympic tennis event and I wanted to take this opportunity to once more clarify that 'wild cards' do not exist in the Olympic tennis event," ITF secretary general Juan Margets said in a letter to the AITA. "In previous Olympic Games, the ITF had a degree of discretionary oversight on the allocation of final qualification places (ITF Places), which might have been considered similar to the concept of wild cards in other events," Margets wrote. "Now, in line with International Olympic Committee requirements, this has changed for Rio 2016. While final qualification places remain, they are now allo...

Mumbai: On a high after a consistent performance in cricket's shortest format lately, India's promising young seamer Jasprit Bumrah on Wednesday revealed that iconic pacers Wasim Akram, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson are the bowlers he looked up to and admired. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage "I admire a lot of bowlers. My all-time favourite bowlers are Mitchell Johnson, Wasim Akram and even Brett Lee. I used to watch their videos and I used to bowl," Bumrah said at a press conference here. "I had to learn from everybody -- from Mitchell Johnson I have learnt a lot. I have learnt a lot from Lasith Malinga, Zaheer Khan. Whenever I go to a senior bowler, I ask questions. There is not a particular role model but I try to learn from any senior bowler who has played international cricket." Bumrah's Indian Premier League (IPL) side Mumbai Indians come up against Kolkata Knight Riders in a high-octane Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Wankhede Stadium ...

New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have signed England all-rounder Chris Jordan for the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage According to a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI, Jordan has come in as a replacement for Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who was ruled out of the remainder of the IPL due to a foot injury. Jordan had built a reputation as a 'death overs' bowler during England's campaign at the World Twenty20 recently, taking six wickets in a tournament where his side lost to the West Indies in the final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Jordan will join fellow English cricketers Jos Buttler, Sam Billings and his national T20 captain Eoin Morgan in the IPL. ajb/bg via Sify.com http://ift.tt/1VDEYpr

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Mumbai: Indian discard and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday said his primary aim is to score runs for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise and help his team win rather than think about a comeback to the national side. Two-time winners Kolkata sit comfortably at the top of the points table with eight points from five games, having won four and lost just one. Kolkata face defending champions Mumbai Indians in a high-octane clash at the Wankhede Stadium here on Thursday. "When it comes to making a comeback, I have said this number of times that, at the moment, I am concentrating on getting runs for KKR, that's my primary job and try help KKR win," Gambhir said at the pre-match press conference. "Rest the other things, comeback, no comeback other things are all by products of what I do in the IPL. My job is to play well for KKR and help them win and score runs. Hope I can continue that way." "Rest I don't think too m...

New Delhi: Delhi Daredevils, the underachievers of earlier IPL seasons, are witnessing a complete turnaround this year and young batsman Sanju Samson credits mentor Rahul Dravid for the change in fortunes of the side. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage Barring one bad day in office, the Daredevils have enjoyed a near perfect campaign so far in the tournament. After the loss to Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets in their tournament-opener, the Daredevils bounced back strongly. They comfortably beat Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in their next three games to be placed third in the eight-team standings with six points from four games. "Obviously, it's a very young and fresh team. We have lots of youngsters in the team so a mentor like Rahul sir motivates us to perform. It's good to see that we all are doing well under him," Samson said on the eve of their match against Gujarat Lions. In the last match against defending champions Mumbai ...

Sunrisers Hyderabad fast bowler Ashish Nehra has stated there was no need to press the panic button following their 34-run loss via the Duckworth-Lewis method to Rising Pune Supergiants in the Indian Premier League clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage Chasing a paltry target of 119, Pune Supergiants were cruising towards victory and were 94 for three in the 11th over before rains brought a premature end to the match on Tuesday. Australia captain Steve Smith (46) piloted the run-chase while receiving able support from South African teammate Faf du Plessis (30). "We don't need to panic just after losing one or two games. It is part of the T20 game. We played good three games, but 145-150 would have been a good score," said Nehra, who returned to the side after recovering from injury. The veteran bowler observed that defending a modest total is always difficult for bowlers as they tend to go for runs while trying var...

Rafael Nadal has asked the International Tennis Federation to publish the results of his drug tests following an accusation of doping by a former French cabinet minister. The 14-times grand slam champion said on Monday he was suing Roselyne Bachelot, a former health, sports and social affairs minister, after she alleged the Spaniard had failed a drugs test. The Spaniard wrote to the ITF asking his drug test results to be made public, British media have reported. "It can’t be free any more in our tennis world to speak and to accuse without evidence," media reports quoted the 29-year-old as saying. "Please make all my information public, please make public my biological passport and my complete history of anti-doping controls and tests. From now on I ask you to communicate when I am tested, and the results, as soon as they are ready from your labs." Nadal has never failed a drug test. The ITF declined Nadal's request but said the player was free to publish th...

Rising Pune Supergiants' Ashok Dinda expressed relief after the team's win via the Duckworth/Lewis method against Sunrisers Hyderabad, finally bringing to an end a run of four defeats in IPL. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage "It's very nice to win the match. It was important. We played well, batting and bowling and fielding also," he said at the post-match press conference late on Tuesday night after RPS won by 34 runs in the rain-hit match. Electing to bowl after winning the toss, RPS restricted Sunrisers to a poor 118 for loss of eight wickets. In response, Pune made 94 for three in 11 over before rain interrupted the match. Replying to a query, Dinda, who was Man of the Match, said the rain did not help the team in any way. "No, sometimes it's disturbing. Because, we are going and coming back again. For batsmen, it is very tough," he said. Dinda was happy to have got the crucial wicket of SRH captain and batting mainstay David Warner. "A pl...

Mumbai: Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, among the richest sportsmen in the country, on Tuesday recalled a time in his life when he did not have money to hire a cab for a ride home from the railway station on his return from Pune after an under-15 cricket game. "I was only 12 years old and was selected to play for the Mumbai under-15 team. I was excited, carried some money and we went to Poona (Pune) to play three matches and it started raining there," Tendulkar said at the launch of 'digibank' initiative of DBS. "When I got my turn, I was out on 4, run-out. I was only 12 and could barely run at a decent pace. I was disappointed and came back to the dressing room crying and after that I did not get another chance to bat," he said. "Because it had rained, we had nothing to do the whole day, except to go out, watch a movie and eat. Without knowing how to spend my money and how to equally pace myself and save money, I finished everything and when I came b...

The Gujarat Lions continue to impress and progress up the points table. Despite Virat Kohli's superb century, they did not get distracted by the applause for the Bangalore skipper and kept their focus on the job at hand. They have taken the hard decisions about their team combination and left out those who seemed to be living on past performances. Ever since the 2014 edition where he bowled those two full tosses on the leg-stump to the Mumbai Indians which were easily walloped for sixes, Faulkner has just not been the same bowler. Why he bowled that second quickish delivery when the slower one earlier in the over had gone for only a single is something that only he can explain. His first quickish delivery had gone into the stands so one would have thought that he would not attempt another one when all that Mumbai Indians needed to qualify was a boundary or a six. With the scores level a Mumbai win with just a single would not have enabled them to qualify but it would have been the...

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Five players who have represented the country are apparently under investigation by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on suspicion of their involvement in a brawl and disorderly conduct in Faisalabad where they played National One-day Cup matches. Umar Akmal, Mohammad Nawaz, Bilawal Bhatti, Avais Zia and Shahid Yousuf landed in trouble after television channels reported they had gone to watch a dance show/drama at a local theatre on Sunday night and got involved in the brawl. Television channels showed brief footage of Umar Akmal arguing with some people at the theatre and than angrily gesturing at them before being led to his car by a fellow player. Sources said that the brawl broke out when some of the players demanded that a dance song routine be repeated from the female artists on stage. Umar came out with a denial of being involved in any brawl or disorderly behaviour at the theatre and advised the media to stop prying into his personal life. “Talk or write about me or my cricket ski...

Mumbai: India's star batsman Virat Kohli said on Monday that he has learnt to be honest both on and off the field over a period of time which has helped him change the perception of his fans and win back their faith. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage "Everyone knows which person (Sachin Tendulkar) I have idolised from the start, there is nothing new in that. He has been my idol from the beginning. At first when my fans grew, that time I was a bit frustrated that people think me to be a different sort of a human being, but I am not that sort. I have worked hard and wanted to change the perception of people, my friends and family know me how I am. But over a period of time I have learned that you have to be honest and concentrate and be dedicated to your work," Kohli said at the launch of Virat FanBox in partnership with Privy Plex here. The 27-year-old batsman has been in sublime form lately, bagging the man of the tournament award in the recently concluded World Twenty20, a...

Madrid: Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he was going to sue former French sports minister Roselyne Bachelot for alleging he had used performance enhancing drugs. The news on Monday came a day after Nadal won the Torneo del Godo in Barcelona for a ninth time to add to his win in Monte Carlo a week previously, reports Xinhua. "I am making public the defamation lawsuit against Roselyne Bachelot that I have filed today April 25 before the Paris law courts. This legal proceeding was instigated after Bachelot made offensive remarks last March on Le Grand 8 program on French channel D8," Nadal said in the statement. Bachelot had said in the wake of Maria Sharapova's positive in this year's Australian Open that Nadal's 12 month absence through injury in 2012 was "without doubt due to a positive (drug test). When you see a tennis player who stops playing for long months, it is because he has tested positive and because they are covering it up...

Mohali: Disappointed at his side's fifth loss in six matches in the IPL, Kings XI Punjab‘s Australian import Glenn Maxwell minced no words and said that ordinary bowling and fielding has let the team down. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage "We are giving opposition a lot of chances whereas we are not getting those chances which is probably the reason we are at the bottom at the moment," Maxwell said at the post-match press conference after KXIP lost to Mumbai Indians by 25 runs. Parthiv Patel (81) and Ambati Rayudu (65) weaved a 137 run-partnership to help Mumbai set a target of 190 for KXIP to win. Maxwell top-scored with a 56 off 39 balls, while Shaun Marsh (45 off 34 balls) and skipper David Miller (30 not out off 17 balls) were the other main contributors as Punjab fell short by 25 runs chasing the victory target. Maxwell rued at the mistakes KXIP committed against Mumbai which he said cost them the game. "We had Parthiv (Patel) a couple of times but there was a n...

Mumbai: West Indies' star all-rounder Andre Russell said on Monday that it wasn't good on the part of compatriot Marlon Samuels to put his padded legs on the table, during the entire press conference, as he replied to the questions of the mediapersons after the World Twenty20 win. Samuels struck an unbeaten 85 to steer West Indies to victory over England in the World T20 final recently to bag their second World title. Samuels, who was named the man-of-the-match, addressed the media in a carefree style. "A lot of people ask me if he (Samuels) is from Jamaica. He is from Jamaica but he is a different Jamaican. He is a confident fellow. He has won the World T20 twice, as you know after winning the World T20. He played a tremendous knock against Sri Lanka in 2012 and he had done it again in the final against England this year," Russell said at the launch of Sansui's new premium television series here. "I heard that when he went inside the post match press conf...

Wellington: New Zealand Cricket says it is receptive to playing a day-night test during its tour to India this year if certain conditions are met. An announcement last week by an Indian official that one of the Tests on New Zealand's tour would be a day-night match took New Zealand by surprise. But a meeting between NZC chief executive David White and Indian officials has smoothed the way for the first day-night test in India, likely in Mumbai. India will trial a pink ball in domestic matches to determine how it wears and how well it can be seen in local conditions. New Zealand played Australia in the world's first day-night test in Adelaide last year. White said NZC believed day-night tests would play a big part in cricket's future. via Sify.com http://ift.tt/1SLrGH7

Madrid: Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he was going to sue former French sports minister Roselyne Bachelot for alleging he had used performance enhancing drugs. The news on Monday came a day after Nadal won the Torneo del Godo in Barcelona for a ninth time to add to his win in Monte Carlo a week previously, reports Xinhua. "I am making public the defamation lawsuit against Roselyne Bachelot that I have filed today April 25 before the Paris law courts. This legal proceeding was instigated after Bachelot made offensive remarks last March on Le Grand 8 program on French channel D8," Nadal said in the statement. Bachelot had said in the wake of Maria Sharapova's positive in this year's Australian Open that Nadal's 12 month absence through injury in 2012 was "without doubt due to a positive (drug test). When you see a tennis player who stops playing for long months, it is because he has tested positive and because they are covering it up...

Mohali: Mumbai Indians opener Parthiv Patel gave credit to top order batsman Ambati Rayudu and bowlers for his side's 25-run victory over Kings XI Punjab in their IPL match. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage Parthiv's 58-ball 81 and Rayudu's 37-ball 65 were followed by a disciplined bowling effort by the likes of Jasprit Bumrah (3/26), Tim Southee (2/28) and Mitchell McClenaghan (2/32) as Mumbai earned their third win in the tournament. Invited to bat, Mumbai Indians rode on Patel's 81, his best in IPL, and Ambati Rayudu's knock to post 189 for 6 against Kings XI Punjab. Parthiv heaped praise on Rayudu for the way he batted, taking pressure off him after Mumbai had lost their skipper Rohit Sharma in the first over itself for a duck. "I think having an in-form batsman with you makes your job easier. I have had five innings and could not get going in first five games. To have an in-form batsman with you, you can take a bit of pressure off yourself. Rayudu did exa...

Rajkot: Indian batsman Suresh Raina who for the first time is leading a side -- Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League (IPL) -- says he has learnt the tricks of the trade from the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Stephen Fleming who have been successful skippers for their countries. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage Lions are at present second on the points table with eight points from five games, with Raina earning a lot of plaudits for the show so far. Raina played eight IPL editions for now-suspended Chennai Super Kings where Dhoni and Fleming played big roles since the inception of the southern outfit in 2008. "I have played alongside many players in the IPL who have captained their countries. I have learnt a lot from the likes of Baz (Brendon McCullum), (Dwayne) Bravo, (Stephen) Fleming and MS Dhoni," Raina was quoted as saying by the iplt20 website on Monday. Elaborating on his relationship with Dhoni, the present Rising Pune Supergiants skipper, Raina said: ...

Karachi: Five players who have represented the country are apparently under investigation by Pakistan Cricket Board on suspicion of their involvement in a brawl and disorderly conduct in Faisalabad where they played National One-day Cup matches. Umar Akmal, Muhammad Nawaz, Bilawal Bhatti, Ovais Zia and Shahid Yousuf landed in trouble after television channels reported they had gone to watch a dance show/drama at a local theatre on Sunday night and got involved in the brawl. Television channels showed brief footage of Umar Akmal arguing with some people at the theatre and than angrily gesturing at them before being led to his car by a fellow player. Sources said that the brawl broke out when some of the players demanded that a dance song routine be repeated from the female artists on stage. Umar came out with a denial of being involved in any brawl or disorderly behaviour at the theatre and advised the media to stop prying into his personal life. "Talk or write about me or my ...

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Hyderabad: Kings XI Punjab all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was on Monday fined 25 percent of his match fee for breaching the Indian Premier League (IPL)'s code of conduct against Sunrisers Hyderabad. IPL 2015 - Complete Coverage Hyderabad beat Punjab by five wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on Saturday. "Mr Maxwell admitted to the level 1 offence (Article 2.1.8) of abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during a match and accepted the sanction of a fine of 25% of his match fee," an IPL statement said. "For Level 1 breaches of the IPL Code of Conduct, the Match Referee's decision is final and binding." Maxwell's team-mate batsman Shaun Marsh was also reprimanded, receiving an official warning for breaching the code of conduct against Hyderabad in the match. "Marsh admitted the Level 1 offence (Article 2.1.8) of abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during a matc...

Dhaka: Bangladesh One-Day International captain Mashrafe Mortaza believes left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman can revolutionise cricket in the nation if he plays for 10 or more more years. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage The 20-year-old has taken international cricket by storm and is presently plying his trade for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL). But Mortaza also says that the youngster is not a machine and must be rested when needed. "His body is not a machine. Mustafizur is an asset for Bangladesh, we must realise that. We have to make sure that Bangladesh gets the highest service he has to offer, so that he can play for at least 10-12 years for Bangladesh. I believe, Mustafizur will change Bangladesh cricket," Mortaza was quoted as saying by bdnews24.com on Monday. In the IPL, players have failed to read him and he is one of the most economical bowlers in the competition, when asked about it Mortaza said, "Mustafizur's success was expected...

Pune: Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir said it was a big gamble to push Suryakumar Yadav up the order but he is happy it paid off as they notched up a thrilling two-wicket win over Pune Supergiants in a hard-fought IPL encounter on Sunday. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage Suryakumar was asked to bat at number three after Manish Pandey, who is down with chicken pox, was left out of the playing XI. The Maharashtra cricketer blasted a 49-ball 60 to guide KKR to their third successive win. "It is a very important win because me and Robin did not perform. Suryakumar, the way he batted, it was unbelievable," Gambhir said after Umesh Yadav blasted a six in the last ove to take Kolkata home, reaching 162-8, with three balls to spare. "Manish was a big blow, so to push someone like Surya was a big gamble. He gives us a lot of options." Gambhir, however, said they need to improve in their bowling department. "We didn't bowl really well. In the last 3-4 ...

Hyderabad: On a roll after three consecutive wins, a resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad will start as overwhelming favourites against struggling Rising Pune Supergiants in an Indian Premier League match on Tuesday. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage After losing two games in a row, Sunrisers turned their fortunes around by posting comprehensive wins against Mumbai Indians (by 7 wickets), Gujarat Lions (by 10 wickets) and Kings XI Punjab (by 5 wickets). The Hyderabad outfit is occupying the fourth spot in the eight-team standings with six points from five games. On the contrary, Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Supergiants are languishing at the seventh spot with just two points from five encounters. Despite injuries to its key players, including Yuvraj Singh, Ashish Nehra and Kane Williamson, the Hyderabad side has been on a high with the team clicking collectively in the last three games. SRH captain and swashbuckling Australian batsman David Warner has been in great form and is presently the seco...

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis lost the chance to win their 14th title as they suffered defeat in the final of the Stuttgart Open here in Germany. The Indo-Swiss pair failed to capitalize on their first set victory and were beaten 6-2, 1-6, 6-10 by the French pair of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic. Mirza and Hingis were looking to clinch their first title since February, but the second seeded French Pair pulled off a stunning win to upset the Australian Open champions. Earlier, the top-ranked pair had made a second-round exit at the Miami Masters following their first straight-set loss at the Indian Wells since the summer of 2015.  via Sify.com http://ift.tt/1rbE72D

Rajkot: Gujarat Lions opening batsman Dwayne Smith says they would have faced no difficulty even chasing down a 200-plus target since the Royal Challengers Bangalore attack lacks teeth. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage "Their bowling line up is not as strong and even a target of 200 runs could have been chased against them on this wicket," Smith said after Lions beat RCB by six wickets, chasing 181 here last night. "We won the first three matches and then lost a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, I am happy that Lions team has got back on winning track," he added. The West Indies batsman made quick-fire 32 off 21 balls with three fours and two sixes while opening the batting with Brendon McCullum (42). Skipper Suresh Raina (28) and Dinesh Karthik (not out 50) made useful contribution with the bat in Lions' victory. Smith said Kane Williamson's over in which he fetched 25 runs was turning point of the match. "It's my natural game to play aggressiv...

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Karachi: Senior batsman Younis Khan has triggered another controversy in Pakistan cricket by returning home midway from the ongoing Pakistan Cup one-day tournament in Faisalabad. A reliable source told PTI that Younis left the tournament after match referee Aziz Rehman fined and summoned him for a disciplinary hearing. He was captaining the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa outfit. "Younis left because he felt his reputation was being tarnished at this stage of his career, and this was not acceptable to him," the source said. "Younis was not happy with the standard of umpiring and when the referee summoned him for a disciplinary hearing over some remarks he had made to fourth umpire Rashid Riaz after Friday's match, he decided to leave the tournament in protest," another source confirmed. KPK team manager Mukhtar Hussain confirmed that Younis had left and that Test batsman Ahmed Shehzad would now lead the team in the prestigious competition. "Younis first had a run-...

Pune: A disappointed Rising Pune Supergiants head coach Stephen Fleming said they are still struggling to find the right combination after the new outfit slumped to its fourth consecutive defeat in the ongoing Indian Premier League. IPL 2016 - Complete Coverage After the win over defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Supergiants suffered four consecutive defeats -- the latest being the two wickets loss against Kolkata Knight Riders last night -- to languish at the second last spot in the eight-team standings. And Fleming said it is always difficult to build a new team. "We just need to move on. As a new team we are trying to develop a culture and some camaraderie, it does take a lot more work. So we are working hard but it's tough," the former New Zealand skipper said at the post-match press conference last night. "We are just trying to find a combination. Because we are new team, we are trying to understand wh...

Colombo: Sri Lanka's Test opener Kaushal Silva was taken to hospital Sunday after being hit on the head by a cricket ball while fielding in a domestic match. Sri Lanka Cricket said that Silva was struck during a match in Pallekele. His scans were clear, but he was flown to a hospital in the capital Colombo for further tests and observation, the cricket body added. Silva has played 24 Test matches for Sri Lanka and scored 1,404 runs at an average of 31. "Kaushal was fielding at short leg when he got hit," espncricinfo.com quoted national team manager Charith Senanayake as saying. According to Senanayake, Sri Lanka vice-captain Dinesh Chandimal "swept right onto the back of Kaushal's head. He did take evasive action, but still the ball hit him." The website said Silva was wearing a helmet with additional padding, a design introduced for player safety after the death of Australia batsman Phillip Hughes after being struck by a ball on the head in November 2...

Kolkata: Despite having not qualified for the chess World Championship this year, Indian legend Vishwanathan Anand on Sunday said he wishes to continue and come back harder next time around. For the first time in 10 years, there will be a World Championship without Anand, who has won the crown as many as five times. On March 28, Anand played out a thrilling draw with Anish Giri of Holland but bowed out of contention to win the Candidates after the 13th and penultimate round. "I do not wish to retire now. If I stop having fun, then I might consider it. But not now. When I eventually will, it will be a kind of a shock because this is what I have been doing throughout my life," Anand told reporters here at an event where he was awarded the P.C Chandra Puraskaar. Asked what went wrong this year at the Candidates, Anand said: "I don't know, it was strange. I was having highs in the tournament. I defeated (Levon) Aronian and (Sergey) Karjakin. But at the same time I w...

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The winning streak of Gujarat team has been halted and the Bangalore team is having an up and down tournament. Both these teams face off on Sunday and will try to wrest the initiative and get back to winning ways. Bangalore defended a total against the Pune team and thus became the only team to do so twice so far in the tournament. So far teams chasing have won most games as the pitches have played true and not deteriorated at all. It is a tribute to the curators that despite all the heat humidity and water issues they have produced such magnificent pitches where teams batting second also have had no problems. The spinners therefore have not been as dominating in the tournament as in the past where the ball has started to turn in the first few overs itself. The teams that are doing well are those whose openers are batting for the bulk of the overs. When that happens not only is one end taken care of but there is also a well set batsman batting for most of the innings and that is a h...

Quinton de Kock loves Indian bowling attacks. He smashes them at will and gets runs in just about every outing. Yes, the IPL is not only about Indian players but also about overseas players and there are many bowlers from other countries but it does not seem to make a difference to de Kock as he just goes on and on. The beauty about his batting is the simplicity that he brings to it. He plays conventional cricketing shots at the start of his innings while he gets used to the bowlers, the pitch, the bounce and turn and as he settles down he widens the arc of his shots and hits the ball all round the park. A lot of batsmen try as soon as they come in to bat to play across the line and perish quickly enough for it is never easy to do so even on the flattest of pitches. This time around there have been some magnificent pitches and that’s why there have been successful chases of good scores by the teams batting second. David Warner is another batsman who has been in tremendous form and m...

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen will miss the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season due to a calf injury, the flamboyant stroke-maker has said. The 35-year-old faced only one ball in Rising Pune Supergiants' match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday but retired hurt after he damaged the muscle when he turned sharply back to the crease when he aborted an attempted single. "Over & out, India! Injuries are all part of the job! Horrible tear in my calf!" Pietersen said on his Instagram account. "Sad to be leaving a really great bunch of boys but looking forward to being back with my family! London bound for a summer off! Vacation till November!" Sacked by England in 2014 after repeated run-ins with team management, Pietersen has not completely abandoned hope of a return to international cricket. He is toying with the idea of an improbable comeback with the country of his birth once he is eligible to represent South Africa next ...