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Nuwan toys with Pakistan!!!

2009-07-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

Seamer Nuwan Kulasekera took a career-best 4-21 as Sri Lanka took early charge of the second cricket Test after bowling Pakistan out for a paltry 90 on Sunday.

The tourists, electing to bat on a wicket that provided early assistance to the seamers, slumped to their lowest total against Sri Lanka after being reduced to 19-4 by the seventh over of the match.

Sri Lanka ended the opening day at 164-3 in reply, leaving them well-placed to build on the 50-run win in the first Test at Galle last week that gave them the lead in the three-match series.

Skipper Kumar Sangakkara led the way with an unbeaten 81 after adding 54 for the second wicket with Tharanga Paranavitana and 51 for the third with Mahela Jayawardene.

Sri Lanka's left-arm fast bowler Thilan Thushara chipped in with two wickets and spinner Ajantha Mendis dismissed the last three batsmen as Pakistan were shot out in 36 overs 45 minutes after lunch.

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik was the lone batsman to defy the Sri Lankan bowlers at the P. Sara Oval, returning unbeaten on 39.

Pakistan caved in just as they had done in the second innings of the Galle Test where, needing 97 more to win on the fourth morning, they lost their last eight wickets for 46 runs.

Pakistan's 117 at Galle was their lowest against Sri Lanka, but it took just one more innings to fall below that mark in a reckless display with the bat.

Eight batsmen failed to reach double figures, while debutant Fawad Alam was the second highest scorer after Malik with 16 in 81 minutes.

Pakistan batsman Misbahul Haq later denied the batsmen lacked temperament at the crease, but admitted such collapses "happen with Pakistan".

"I don't want to take the credit away from their bowlers, we all got out to good deliveries," Misbah told reporters.

"Kulasekera bowled really well. It was very difficult to play him with the ball seaming about.

"These things happen with Pakistan. But we look forward to getting Sri Lanka out early tomorrow and [coming] back into the match."

Kulasekera, 26, who leads the International Cricket Council's rankings for one-day bowlers, showed he was equally adept at taking wickets in the traditional five-day format with a remarkable opening burst.

The right-arm seamer, who grabbed 4-71 at Galle, tore through the Pakistani top order in only his eighth Test with three wickets in 15 deliveries at the cost of just three runs.

Kulasekera said he was rewarded for sticking to the basics in helpful conditions.

When Sri Lanka batted, Malinda Warnapura was leg-before to Umar Gul for 11, before off-spinner Ajmal had both Paranavitana (26) and Jayawardene (19) caught close to the wicket.

News By:Afp, Colombo

The Championship Wimbledon 'Roger is the best'

2009-07-07T00:33:00.000-07:00

Pete Sampras hailed Roger Federer as the greatest player of all time on Sunday after the Swiss superstar surpassed his Grand Slam record with a sixth Wimbledon title.

Federer claimed a 15th major with an epic 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 win over America's Andy Roddick in a 4hr 16min final which featured the longest concluding set in a men's final here.

"In my book, he's the greatest of all time. He has his critics and people point to Rafael Nadal beating him, but for me he's the greatest. He is a legend and an icon," said Sampras, who won seven Wimbledon titles in his career.

"He is a great champion and a good guy. He's very humble, which I like."

Sampras predicted that Federer, who is still only 27, can go on and set more Grand Slam records.

"He can win 17, 18 majors at least. He's only 27 and he can do it if he stays healthy."

The American, who played his last Wimbledon in 2002, flew in overnight to see Federer launch an assault on his record of 14 which Federer equalled when he won a first French Open in June.

"He is effortless when he plays. He serves big, has a great forehand and his backhand. I'm a fan of how he plays, what he's about... he's a class guy on and off the court.

"He's fun to watch. Just his athletic ability, what he's able to do on the run. I think he can and will break every tennis record out there."

Australian legend Rod Laver, the only man to win two calendar Grand Slams, praised the Swiss star's ability on the court.

"Roger is one of those players who keeps the ball in play, has miraculous forehands and backhands," said the 71-year-old.

"It was a great final. Andy is a threat with that serve of his but I think he was very tired by the end."

Bjorn Borg, a five-time Wimbledon winner, predicted many more titles for Federer.

"He can play for three more years at least. If he stays away from injury and is eager to win there will be many more finals," said the Swede.

Borg added: "He simply does not have any more weaknesses left in him. It is such a pleasure to see him play. To me, Roger Federer is the right model for anyone aspiring to be a tennis player.

"It is such a pleasure to just watch him play. His shot-making has got better and I doubt there is any shot he cannot make in any part of the court."

News By: Afp, London

Roger Federer the best ever

Umar Gual Record 5 wicket In T20 World Cup

2009-06-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

In frist time in t20 world cup Umor Gual Pick-up 5 wicket in his carrier. 20 overs New Zealand 99 (Gul 5-6, Razzaq 2-17) v Pakistan
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Pakistan seem to have bitten another bullet. At the toss Younis Khan seemed relieved, almost trying to suppress laughter, when he called this a do-or-die match. It was as if he liked that there was no choice left, and his team showed they relished being in such a situation. On the evidence of the first innings, Younis' bowlers had put his team on the path of doing. Abdul Razzaq, formerly a pariah and now making a comeback to official cricket after two years, struck with the fourth ball he bowled, and then in his third over to skittle the New Zealand top order, which was followed by Umar Gul's destruction. Gul was on a hat-trick twice and also became the first bowler to take a five-for in Twenty20 internationals. Those two spells sandwiched a period when the spinners choked the life out of the middle order as a weakened New Zealand, missing Jesse Ryder and Ross, stumbled to a meagre total on a belter of a pitch at The Oval.

How Pakistan would want to thank BCCI for the "amnesty" they accorded the ICL players. For Pakistan had bowled yet another ordinary first over. The first and last balls, from Mohammad Aamer, were boundaries, in between there was poor fielding and no dot balls. Had even Razzaq got off to a poor start, Pakistan would have had to bring Gul on early, which is not their original game plan. But Razzaq got Brendon McCullum before he could cause severe damage, and then Martin Guptill with a trademark straight delivery that the batsman missed. He exulted with arms open, more of a reaction than you can usually draw from Razzaq. Welcome back, Pakistan cricket was poorer without Razzaq.

Razzaq's first wicket was the first dot ball of the innings, but by the time Aamer and Razzaq were done with their three-over spells, New Zealand had barely doubled their score at 1.3 overs. Time, then, for spinners to come on. For the first time, with the medium-pacers having put them in a favourable position. Time also it was for the fielders to raise their game, which they did. Diving saves, hustling fielders, and accurate bowling meant that Scott Styris and Jacob Oram struggled even to rotate the strike.

When it got too much for Oram, he stepped out to Shahid Afridi, in the 10th over, and skied a faster delivery. At the end of that over, Afridi's figures read 2-0-3-1. And because the opening bowlers did their job, Younis had Gul saved up for the last eight overs. At 72 for 4 after 12 overs, New Zealand had their task cut out, facing the yorkers from Gul and trying to accelerate.

Styris tried to put Gul off his rhythm right in his first over, and all he managed was a top edge to long-on. But this was Afridi's moment. He ran from mid-on, his eye on the ball falling over his head, his hands stretching out at the right moment and finishing the catch metres inside the boundary. Pakistan fielding had come a long way from being the laughing stocks of the tournament.

Following that dismissal, it was all Gul, his accuracy and his late swing. Peter McGlashan tried to paddle him next ball, but was undone by the in-dipper. James Franklin saved the hat-trick, but couldn't deny the irresistible Gul for long. With a change of ends, he cleaned up Nathan McCullum and Franklin with straight and fast bowling. Kyle Mills, though, fell to a slower one, giving Gul the five-for and another chance for a hat-trick. The hat-trick didn't come, but New Zealand managed just 27 since Gul's introduction to the attack. When the euphoria of this performance dies, Pakistan will thank a man returning to international cricket for allowing Pakistan to go ahead with their preferred bowling strategy.

Umar Gul Set New Record in T20 world cup against NZ

Most Popular Video OF T20 World Cup 2009

2009-06-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

VIDEO OF ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2009 GROUPS & SCHEDULE

T20 World Cup 2009 - Captains eye glittering Prize

Yuvraj Singh Hits Longest Six of T20 world cup vs Aus

T20 World Cup 2009 Best Of Luck Pakistan

T20 World Cup: India v Bangladesh

2009-06-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

Ed Hawkins wonders whether Bangladesh can stun MS Dhoni's India as the world champions begin the defence of their T20 title under the lights at Trent Bridge

In a surprise move, the whole Indian team turned up at a press conference on Friday to deny reports of a rift between senior players. The skipper, MS Dhoni, read out a short statement claiming the team was "as good as it has ever been with each individual supporting each other on and off the field."

Talk is cheap and if there are problems within the camp then the place which they will surface is out on the field, starting against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge on Saturday.
It is unlikely there is a rift, though. India have looked a tight unit in their warm-up matches and had there been problems they would surely not have beaten Pakistan with such ease.

Bangladesh have tried four different opening combinations in warm-ups. Tamin Iqbal is certain to bat at No 1 while in pole to be his partner appears to be Junaid Siddique.

It is important to be aware that under lights at Trent Bridge, swing bowlers could enjoy themselves. In the five 50-over floodlit internationals played in Nottingham three have been won by the side batting first. The other two matches resulted in wins for the side batting second but they were chasing small totals. Light rain is forecast.

Bangladesh have performed creditably in their warm-ups - they made 181 against Australia - and are unlikely to fear India. Don't forget they dealt them a terrible blow by sending them packing from the previous 50-over World Cup.

If they are to reduce their odds - let alone spring a surprise - one of their gun players must produce. Mohammad Ashraful, the batsman, and Mashrafe Mortaza, are fine performers while the all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan is a potential star of the tournament.

Mahmudullah, the 23-year-old right-hander, will be the value as Any Other Batsman once the Bangladesh market has settled. He has top scored three times in warm-ups in England and also made a fifty versus the Netherlands. Gautam Gambhir, at [3.70], is India's favourite. Look out for Suresh Raina and Sharma, however.

India vs Bangladesh T20 Preview

NBA Finals 2009

2009-06-05T04:17:00.000-07:00

The 2009 NBA Finals is the championship series of the 2008–09 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic will face the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in a best-of-seven series.

At the beginning of the season, who believed in the Magic? Not even Ronald McDonald would have thought that they would have come this far...ESPECIALLY after they lost Jameer Nelson to a season ending injury. But here they are in the Finals, taking after Kevin Garnett and yelling out"ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE."

This is becoming quite the David vs. Goliath story. Underdogs are always fun to watch - very few think they can do it, and when their backs are against the wall, they tend to fight back hard. In the pregame interview, Dwight showed he had the right attitude.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have a one, Kobe Bryant, a man that is quite detested by players, coaches, and even Warrior fans. He's already got three rings, says that Kobe-LeBron puppet commercial, but who doesn't want a fourth? Especially since all sports analysts claim that he can't do it with the original Man of Steel- Shaq. Always great to hear him speak...

Crazy...we'll see. Maybe Pau will by your new big man? If I recall correctly, that didn't quite work out for your last year.

However, I will say this - just like the Ball Don't Lie, Stats Don't Lie either.

It's going to be hard for the Magic, no doubt to keep The Black Mamba from spitting his poison. Pietrus is changing his kicks for the matchup - think that'll change his game too?

You forgot to add in score Dwight. You have to score.

It's going to be a daunting task - no doubt. But I'm always in favor of the underdogs. SEE WARRIORS VS. MAVERICKS 2007 PLAYOFFS.

It's going to be Magical....

Top 10: Plays from the 2008 NBA Finals

England v Netherlands Match Preview

2009-06-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Hosts England will face Netherlands in the first game of the ICC World T20 2009 on the 5th of June in a Group B encounter.

The Netherlands had only played four Twenty20 internationals before arriving in England but after some shaky performances, they seem to have discovered their best XI with Eric Szwarczynski likely to drop out, having lost his opening batting slot to Alexei Kervezee and one of Tom de Grooth or Peter Borren taking the final middle order slot.

The twelve who England put out against West Indies on Wednesday suggested that Graham Napier, Rob Key and Owais Shah will be the men to miss out here. Given the flat nature of the Lord's pitch and the fact that spinners do well in this form of the game, they may be tempted to play both Adil Rashid and Graeme Swann which means that one of the seamers will miss out, possibly James Anderson, given Stuart Broad's greater facility with the bat.

While England will go into the game as overwhelming favourites, they will do well to remember that the Scotts had given them a run for their money in the first warm-up game. Chasing a mediocre total, England had needed 19 of the 20 overs to get there, and at one stage, things had started looking interesting for the underdogs. It is often said about cricket that when you think that you have had it by the scuff of its neck, it bites you in the bum, and there is no other format like T20 that underlines this saying more! England will need to be wary of being complacent against their lesser opponents.

This is not to say that England doesn’t have the personnel to crush any such surprising resurgence. Ravi Bopara smashed a half century against the West Indies in the warm-up, in turn continuing with the purple patch that he has been in ever since the start of the Indian Premier League. On the other hand, Kevin Pietersen’s surprise admission that he is not a very good T20 player may just be a ploy to keep the pressure off him or a candid expression of the truth. Given his scores in the Indian Premier League as the captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, it does look like the latter.

Although there have been four warm-up games at this venue over the last few days, they can't really be taken at face value, given that these matches have been played with varying levels of intensity.

Of more relevance might be the two Twenty20 Cup games played here this season, in which Surrey racked up 186 and Kent managed 191, both teams batting first. Admittedly, the Middlesex bowling was pretty toothless, but nonetheless, with previous Twenty20 Cup scores here exceeding 200 on occasions, we can safely assume this is a good batting track. There doesn't appear to be too much disadvantage batting second here, even in day-night games, other than the pressure that comes with having to chase what is usually a big score.

2009 ICC World Twenty20

2009-06-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 is a Twenty20 cricket tournament scheduled to take place in England in 4th June 2009.It will be the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugural event in South Africa in September 2007. As before, the tournament will have 12 teams compete - the Test-playing nations and three qualifiers.
The 2009 event may involve just 8 teams in a 9-day event, the full 12-team tournament was confirmed, featuring the Test-playing nations and two qualifying associate nations. However, in July 2008 Zimbabwe, under pressure from South Africa and England over political matters related to Robert Mugabe, pulled out of the tournament of their own volition, creating an additional space for an associate nation.

Qualification was achieved by the finalists of the tournament held in Belfast from 2-4 August 2008, between Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands, Canada and Bermuda. Ireland and the Netherlands, having reached the final, qualified outright, while Scotland won the third place playoff to also qualify.

Groups:

The groups were revealed on 31 October 2007, based on finishing positions at the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 and the successful qualifying associate nations. The initial four group format is the same as that used at the 2007 tournament.

In Group A

India
Bangladesh
Ireland

In Group B

Pakistan
England
Netherlands

In Group C

Australia
Sri Lanka
West Indies

In Group D

New Zealand
South Africa
Scotland

Fixtures Of Group Match

5 June 2009
16:30 GMT D/N

England v Netherlands
Lord's, London

6 June 2009
09:00 GMT

Scotland v New Zealand
Kennington Oval, London

6 June 2009
13:00 GMT

Australia v West Indies
Kennington Oval, London

6 June 2009
17:00 GMT D/N

Bangladesh v India
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

7 June 2009
12:30 GMT

Scotland v South Africa
Kennington Oval, London

7 June 2009
16:30 GMT D/N

England v Pakistan
Kennington Oval, London

8 June 2009
12:30 GMT

Bangladesh v Ireland
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

8 June 2009
16:30 GMT D/N

Australia v Sri Lanka
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

9 June 2009
12:30 GMT

Pakistan v Netherlands
Lord's, London

9 June 2009
16:30 GMT D/N

New Zealand v South Africa
Lord's, London

10 June 2009
16:30 GMT D/N

India v Ireland
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

10 June 2009
12:30 GMT

Sri Lanka v West Indies
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Safina blasts way in final

2009-06-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

Dinara Mikhailovna Safina is one of Russian professional tennis player.she is ranked World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association in 27 april,2009. She has been two times runner-up in two Grand Slam singles tournaments and won the women's doubles title at the 2007 US Open with Nathalie Dechy. Her one of best achievement at 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing where she got silver medal in women's singles. She is the younger sister of former World No. 1 men's player Marat Safin.
Dinara Safina blasted her way into the French Open final for the second year in a row on Thursday by outgunning Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-3.

Safina lost in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart to Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia and Samantha Stosur of Australia.Some of her opponents say that she is not worthy of being the world No.1 until she does so.

Cibulkova, at 1.61 metres a full 21 centimetres smaller than her opponent, got off to the perfect start breaking Safina's serve in the opening game and holding her own for a 2-0 lead.Safina bounced back immediately through winning five games in a row including two breaks of serve to reassert her authority.

It was clearly a case of Safina's power-hitting down both flanks against Cibulkova's movement about court and tactical guile with most games going to several deuces.

The youngest of the four semi-finalists at 20 years old, Cibulkova staved off a set point to hold her own serve and she had Safina muttering away to herself in the next game after she opened it with a double fault.

But the Russian steadied the ship and took a one-set lead in 49 minutes thanks to a barrage of shots that had Cibulkova scampering about from side to side in a effort to stay with her.

The Slovak held serve to open the second set and then had two break points in the following game, but failed to take them as two unforced errors allowed Safina to get back to deuce.

The Russian held and three games later she grabbed a vital break of serve when an under-pressure Cibulkova netted a tame backhand.

Safina though struggled once again on her following serve and had to save three break points before moving into a 4-2 lead.