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Johannesburg: Murali Vijay and Mike Hussey cracked a sparkling half-century each as Chennai Super Kings were crowned the Champions League Twenty20 winners with their eight-wicket victory over Warriors in the grand finale. Vijay (58 off 53 balls), who was let off when on 34, cracked his third half-century of the tournament while the other opener Hussey played sheet anchor and remained not out on 51 as Chennai chased down the small target of 129 with one over to spare. Spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (3/16) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2/16) shared five wickets as Chennai restricted Warriors to 128 for seven after the South African champion side elected to bat at the New Wanderers Stadium. Vijay underlined his emergence as a fine Twenty20 batsman by becoming the highest run getter of the tournament with 294 runs from six matches, eight more than Warriors captain Davy Jacobs. Vijay's 53-ball innings was studded with six fours and two sixes while Hussey hit only three fours from 46 balls in ...

Chandigarh, Sep 24 : Australia spinner Nathan Hauritz on Friday admitted that it would be a "tough challenge" to bowl against Sachin Tendulkar in the upcoming Test series but said the champion batsman too is vulnerable to mistakes. "He (Tendulkar) is the world's best batsman, he is unbelievable. I am looking forward to bowl to him, in what I know, is going to be a tough challenge. But people make mistakes and Tendulkar too can make mistakes," Hauritz told reporters ahead of the three-day practice match against Board President's XI starting here tomorrow. Hauritz, who made his Test debut against India at Mumbai six years ago and took the prized wicket of Tendulkar in that match, will be leading the Australian spin attack during the two-Test series starting here on October 1. "I would be looking to bowl in the right areas but lot depends on the wicket as it has been raining here. Generally, the wickets don't turn much here after the first two days,...

Islamabad, Sept 24: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said the tour of England was the most difficult of his cricket career and he struggled to cope with the fallout from the off-field controversies. The Pakistan team returned early Friday after a scandal-filled tour in which spot fixing allegations against its cricketers overshadowed England's victories in the test and limited-overs series. "It was tough because of the controversies and became very difficult to cope with. Every time we went out of the hotel people passed remarks against us," Afridi told reporters in the southern port city of Karachi on Friday. The International Cricket Council suspended three Pakistan cricketers pending an investigation after a British tabloid accused the trio of accepting bribes to bowl no-balls at specified times in the Lord's test against England. Another Pakistani cricketer, Wahab Riaz, was questioned by British police over the spot fixing allegations. Riaz was also involved in a co...

BANGKOK (AP): Thailand has given Rafael Nadal a welcome more suitable for royalty than a tennis player upon his arrival for a tournament in Bangkok. Nadal will take part in the Thailand Open beginning Monday. Fresh from his U.S. Open victory, Nadal was greeted with flower garlands at the airport and was led through throngs of reporters by tennis officials and police. The world's top player had been a late withdrawal from the tournament the previous two years, but is injury free for this year's event. After a few days at a beach resort, Nadal will meet Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and visit Parliament next week before turning to tennis.

London: An ugly altercation between Pakistani fast bowler Wahab Riaz and England batsman Jonathan Trott threatened to spoil cricketing ties between the two countries, reports the Mumbai newspaper DNA. The report says, the two players grabbed each other by the throat amid continuing tension over match-fixing allegations. The incident took place a day after Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ijaz Butt said England players deliberately threw the third one-day international at the Oval. Riaz, who was questioned by the Scotland Yard for his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing scandal, was walking past Trott during a training session when the England batsman reportedly taunted him. "How much are you going to make from the bookies today?" Trott reportedly asked Riaz. An enraged Riaz reacted with a comment against Trott's family. The two players then threw their pads at each other before grabbing each other by the throat in public view. The squabbling pair had to be separated by En...

Johannesburg: Bangalore Royal Challengers' top-order fired in unison as they humbled the Lions by six wickets to reach the semifinals of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament here on Tuesday. In a virtual quarterfinal, Royals first restricted the Lions to 159 for six and then achieved the target with six balls to spare to become the first IPL team to reach the last four stage of the T20 tournament. Openers Manish Pandey (44) and Rahul Dravid (33) set the tone for a successful runchase with the former India skipper turning out to be the main aggressor. Virat Kohli then hit a whirlwind 29-ball 49 in pressure cooker situation to see the team through. Earlier, Alviro Petersen smashed a 29-ball 45 while Robert Frylinck provided the late charge to help Lions post a competitive 159 after they decided to bat first. Pandey started the proceedings for RCB, hitting Deacon for the first boundary. Soon Dravid got into the act and blasted consecutive boundaries off O'Reilly in the second ...

Port Elizabeth, Sep 21: Jolted out of their comfort zone by their super-over loss against Victoria Bushrangers, Chennai Super Kings face a do-or-die battle when they take on unbeaten Warriors in the Champions League Twenty20 Group A match here on Wednesday. Chennai notched up two easy wins -- against Central Districts and Wayamba XI -- in their first two matches before losing to Victoria Bushrangers in the Super Over and they now need nothing less than a win in their last group match tomorrow to make it to the semifinals. Warriors, on six points after winning all their three matches, would also want to register a win though they may sneak into the last four in case of a narrow loss tomorrow. With a net run rate of plus 0.975 as against plus 0.366 of Victoria, who also have six points from four matches, Warriors can make it to the semifinals in case of a narrow loss and in that case Victoria will be out of the tournament. In terms of net run rate, Chennai, on four points now, are sittin...

London: England's Andrew Flintoff, regarded as one of the finest all-rounders of the game, today announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing down the curtains on a 12-year career which was marked by nagging injuries and controversies. The 32-year-old Flintoff, who had announced his retirement from Test cricket after the 2009 Ashes triumph in the Oval Test, decided to quit all forms of the game with immediate effect because of a long-standing knee injury. Flintoff, who played 79 Tests and compiled 3845 runs (ave 31.77) and claimed 226 wickets, was considered one of the most talented cricketers to emerge from England in recent times though there were some critic who felt he did not justify his immense potential. In 141 one-dayers, Flintoff scored 3394 runs (ave 32.01) and took 169 wickets while he featured in seven Twenty20s claiming five scalps. His achievements in the cricket field were at times overshadowed by a series of controversies, which ranged from waving h...

Durban : A battle of strategy is on the cards when in-form Royal Challengers Bangalore take on an impressive South Australia in the Champions League Twenty20 Group B encounter here on Friday (Sept 17). Both the teams have started their campaign in the T20 championship on a winning note and would strive to register another victory tomorrow to consolidate their position on the points table. Anil Kumble-led Bangalore side, who finished third in the Indian Premier League III earlier this year, started their journey in the tournament by crushing a low-profile Guyana by nine wickets. On the other hand, South Australia first snatched an 11-run victory over Lions and then inflicted a humiliating five-wicket defeat on another IPL side, Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians.For Kumble's men everything fell in place against Guyana and now they have to guard against complacency before tomorrow's tough encounter at the Kingsmead ground. Experienced all-rounder Jacques Kallis commendably led ...

Rosario (Argentina): Australia defeated South Korea 2-1 on Friday (10th September) to claim fifth place in the Women's Hockey World Cup in Argentina. In other playoff games, New Zealand defeated China 3-0 for seventh place whilst India beat South Africa 4-3 to claim ninth. India took on South Africa for the battle for ninth place in the Hockey World Cup. The Indians swept into a 2-1 lead thanks to two strikes from Rani Rampal - her sixth and seventh of a productive tournament - but Vida Ryan equalled the scores for the African side. Saba Anjum then restored India's lead with a strike from a penalty corner before Jaseet Handa showed skill in the D to fire in India's fourth. Pietie Coetzee scored a third for South Africa but it was too little too late as India held out for a 4-3 win and ninth place. There was some consolation for South Africa - 10th place was its best finish since 1998 when they finished seventh. New Zealand took on China for seventh spot. Krystal For...

Durban: Openers Michael Klinger and Daniel Harris scripted a dramatic run chase as South Australia inflicted a humiliating five-wicket defeat on Mumbai Indians in a thrilling Champions League Twenty20 match on Tuesday. Skipper Klinger (50) and Harris (56) shared an 81-ball 112-run opening partnership to set the foundation for the successful run chase as South Australia reached the target with three balls to spare and inched closer to the semifinal berth. Earlier, Mumbai Indians recovered from a shaky start to post a challenging 180/7, courtesy a solid batting display by Saurabh Tiwary (44), Ambati Rayudu (38) and Kieron Pollard (36). Mumbai Indians paid the price for their sloppy fielding and pathetic bowling to succumb to their second defeat in as many matches and now stands on the brink of elimination. Chasing 181 to win, South Australia made a watchful start and reached 27 for no loss in the first five overs, with Michael Klinger and Daniel Harris hitting two and one boundary respec...

NEW YORK: World number one Rafael Nadal completed a career Grand Slam title sweep on Monday by capturing his first US Open crown, defeating Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. The 24-year-old Spanish left-hander overwhelmed Djokovic with uncanny shotmaking to win the 1.7 million-dollar top prize as well as his third consecutive Grand Slam crown and his ninth Grand Slam title overall. Nadal became the seventh man to complete a career Grand Slam sweep, joining Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver, Don Budge and Fred Perry in having won Wimbledon and the US, French and Australian Open titles. Showers pushed the final to Monday for the third year in a row and halted the match for one hour and 48 minutes, but rain only delayed Nadal's reign on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts despite losing his lone set of the fortnight. A ninth Slam title moved Nadal alone into seventh on the all-time list, passing Agassi, Perry, Ken Rosewall and Ivan Lendl and moving on...

NEW YORK: Novak Djokovic clawed his way back from the brink of defeat to beat Roger Federer in an epic semifinal at the US Open on Saturday and join Rafael Nadal in Sunday's championship. Djokovic, who lost to Federer in New York the past three years, twice came back from a set down and saved two match points to win 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 after a match of unrelenting tension and incredible shotmaking from both players. The Serbian world number three, who thumped himself in the head with his racket during the third set as the frustration began to build, jubilantly threw his arms into the air after sealing victory and planted a sloppy kiss on the court. "It's one of those matches you'll always remember in your career. I'm so thrilled to be in the final," Djokovic said in courtside interview. "To be honest, I was just closing my eyes and hitting forehands as fast as I can on the match points ... I managed to come back. I was very lucky." Djokovic's...

NEW YORK: Kim Clijsters defended her US Open title on Saturday by crushing the challenge of a shell-shocked Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-1. It was a blowout of a final with Clijsters clamping a stranglehold on the game from the start and never allowing the less-experienced Russian a chance to claw her way back into it. The popular Belgian second seed clinched her third Grand Slam title after exactly one hour when she whacked another forehand winner past a bewildered Zvonareva. "A little bit of experience definitely helps," she said. "It's tough (for Zvonareva), but it took me six or seven finals until I finally got one." A distraught-looking Zvonareva said: "Kim just played tremendously well and she deserved to win." The 27-year-old Clijsters was playing in her third US Open final, having won the title in 2005 and last year when she stepped out of a two-year retirement, during which she gave birth to a baby girl, to become the first wildcard to take the troph...

NEW YORK: Following are the results of Thursday matches at $22.7 million U.S. Open : Singles= Men= Quarterfinals= Mikhail Youzhny (12), Russia, def. Stanislas Wawrinka (25), Switzerland, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Rafael Nadal (1), Spain, def. Fernando Verdasco (8), Spain, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. Doubles= Women= Semifinals= Vania King, United States, and Yaroslava Shvedova (6), Kazakhstan, def. Cara Black, Zimbabwe, and Anastasia Rodionova (9), Australia, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Mixed= Championship= Liezel Huber and Bob Bryan (1), United States, def. Kveta Peschke, Czech Republic, and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, Pakistan, 6-4, 6-4. Exhibition Doubles= Pat Cash, Australia, and Mats Wilander, Sweden, def. Martina Hingis, Switzerland, and Anna Kournikova, Russia, 7-5. Champions Team Tennis= Team Kramer (Pat Cash, Michael Chang, Martina Navratilova, Chanda Rubin), def. Team Gibson (Tracy Austin, Mary Joe Fernandez, Todd Martin, Mal Washington), 14-11. Junior Singles= Boys= Third Round= Jiri Vesely (4), ...

London: Fearing a violent backlash in Pakistan for his alleged involvement in the spot-fixing scandal, pacer Mohammad Asif is considering taking political asylum in Britain. According to a report in 'The Daily Telegraph', Asif, who is currently in England for investigations into the scam exposed by a British tabloid, had a 35-minute meeting with an immigration lawyer last Friday. "(Asif) said he feared the allegations of fixing certain events in a recent Test match against England could make him the target of dangerous criminal gangs linked to the illegal betting underworld," the newspaper reported. The cricketer reportedly asked the lawyer "if there was a way to stay in Britain and discussed the asylum process." "He didn't say anything about asylum at first," said the lawyer. "He just said, 'What's the way to stay?' Then we told him there's the student way - you can come here to study - or you can apply for a work permit. ...

Rosario (Argentina) : The Indian women's hockey team ended a three-match losing streak by upstaging Japan 2-0 in its penultimate pool match of the FIH World Cup at the Jockey Club here. The team -- which was convincingly beaten in their first three matches against the Netherlands, Australia and Germany -- led 1-0 at half time with Rani Rampal scoring in the 14th minute. Jasjeet Kaur Handa accounted for India's second goal from a penalty corner in the 43rd minute. With this result, India have leapfrogged Japan into fourth place in the Pool 'A' standings. The star of the Indian team was once again the 15-year-old striker Rani Rampal who scored her fifth goal of the tournament. She finished off a slick attack with Poonam Rani and Saba Anjum to ensure that her name continued to be on the scoresheet of every match that India has played in this World Cup. Japan had large spells of possession in the first half but were often frustrated by superb work from the Indian mid-fielde...

New York : Five time former Champion Roger Federer marched into the quarter-finals of the US Open on Monday (Sept 6) with a 6-3 7-6 6-3 win over 13th seed Jurgen Melzer. Women's top seed Caroline Wozniacki also progressed to the final eight with an impressive 6-3, 6-4 victory over former champion Maria Sharapova. Wozniacki will now face unseeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova, who put out the number 11 seed and 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 7-5, 7-6 (4). Also through to the last eight is Vera Zvonareva who outclassed her opponent, Andrea Petkovic 6-1 6-2. In the men's draw, Novak Djokovic and Gael Monfils both progressed in straight sets, past Mardy Fish and Richard Gasquet respectively, while Robin Soderling recovered from losing the opening set to beat Spain's Albert Montanes 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. Bright sunshine bathed the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Monday, as the 2010 US Open entered its second week with the completion of the fourth round in ...

Indore: Allrounder Yusuf Pathan is confident of regaining his place in the Indian squad and the dashing batsman said he is looking to put up a good performance in the forthcoming domestic cricket tournaments. "I am leaving no stone unturned in practice. I am confident that I will return to Indian team after giving a splendid performance in the forthcoming domestic cricket," Pathan told reporters on the sidelines of an event last night. The 27-year-old Yusuf, who has earned a name in one-dayers and Twenty20, said he also wanted to play Test Cricket for the country. "Every cricketer has a dream to play test cricket at the international level," he said. Yusuf declined to say anything on the recent match fixing episode involving Pakistani cricketers. PTI

New York: Top seed Caroline Wozniacki stayed on course for her maiden Grand Slam title on Monday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Maria Sharapova in a pulsating fourth-round tie. In the end, it was Sharapova's vulnerability on serve at key points that proved to be the main difference, handing vital breaks to the Dane through double faults in each set. Wozniacki will play unseeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia for a place in the semifinals. "It was a tough match. She is a great player and I knew it wasn't going to be easy," last year's runner-up said. "I got a lot of experience from last year and that helped me a lot today." The world number two went into the match having dropped just three games in her first three outings in New York, the least in a Grand Slam event by any woman since Mary Pierce at the 1994 French Open. She had also won three out of the last four WTA tournaments in the build-up to New York and had enjoyed a 17-1 win-loss record since Wimbledon...

London: The International Cricket Council has reportedly asked Pakistan's suspended Test captain Salman Butt and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal to give their mobile phone records for an investigation into possible spot-fixing during the Asia Cup in June. According to the 'Daily Mail', Akmal and Butt were contacted by the ICC after "suspicions arose during the Asia Cup. " The ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit have told the duo to release details of their mobile phone records during the tournament in Sri Lanka. "They expect the full cooperation of both players but have yet to receive a response from the Pakistan camp, " the newspaper reported. The ICC reportedly wrote to them on August 21, days before a British tabloid's sting operation had Butt implicated in a spot-fixing scandal leading to his suspension pending an inquiry. The newspaper also reported that 18-year-old pace sensation Mohammad Aamir "will be told he could avoid a life ban if ...

NEW YORK: Britain's Andy Murray was knocked out of the U.S. Open in the third round Sunday, losing 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-3 to No. 25 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland. Murray alone bears the burden of Britain's hopes for its first male Grand Slam champion since 1936. He was a popular pick to go far at Flushing Meadows; he was the runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Open and at this year's Australian Open, also on hard courts. "I have no idea whether I'll win a Grand Slam or not. I want to. But if I never win one, then what? If I give 100 percent, try my best, physically work as hard as I can, practice as much as I can, then that's all I can do," said the 23-year-old Murray, who was treated by a trainer for leg and elbow issues. "It's something I would love to do. It's a very difficult thing. I don't know if I'll win a Grand Slam or not. But I'll give it my best shot." He served poorly against Wawrinka, putting only half of his first...

Defending champion Kim Clijsters progressed to the fourth round of the US Open with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic at Flushing Meadows on Friday (3rd September). In other women's third round matches, Russia's Elena Dementieva had a comfortable straight sets victory over Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, while Australia's Sam Stosur beat Sara Errani of Italy 6-2, 6-3 and two-time winner Venus Williams easily saw of Luxembourg's Mandy Minella 6-2, 6-1. In the men's second round, Great Britain's Andy Murray thrashed Jamaica's Dustin Brown 7-5, 6-3, 6-0, while world number one Rafael Nadal was given a stern test by Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin before coming through 6-2, 7-6 (5), 7-5. Play got underway on time at the US Open on Friday despite Hurricane Earl bearing down on the East Coast. Russia's Elena Dementieva was first up at Arthur Ashe Stadium in her third round match against Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia. The 12th seeded Dem...

London: Pakistan on Friday lashed out at the ICC for suspending three of its players facing 'spot-fixing' charges and sought to insinuate that its President Sharad Pawar had a hand in the decision. Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain, Wajid Shamsul Hasan threatened to sue the ICC for its unethical decision of suspending the players and said it was trying to make Pakistan a "scapegoat" for its inefficiency. "The three players met me requested me to ask the Pakistan Cricket Board not to consider them for the rest of the series because they wanted to clear their name and honour. Accordingly, I conveyed their requset to PCB chief Ijaz Butt who accepted it but all of a sudden the ICC came out with the notice," he said. The Pakistan High Commissioner was particularly critical of ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and President Sharad Pawar, saying he sensed a "conspiracy" behind the suspensions. "When Lorgat came to me I told him that the pl...

NEW YORK (AP) _ Defending champion Kim Clijsters and two-time winner Venus Williams advanced to the third round at the U.S. Open in straight-sets wins Wednesday that were overshadowed by a concussed Victoria Azarenka's collapse on the court. Azarenka, a 21-year-old on the rise in the WTA rankings, paused about a half-hour into her second-round match against Argentina's Gisela Dulko , then staggered, stumbled and collapsed to the court. The 10th-seeded Azarenka rolled over to rest her head on her arm, and a trainer rushed over. She eventually was helped into a wheelchair, her yellow visor askew atop her head, then taken to a hospital, where tests showed she had a mild concussion. As a record-breaking summer suffocates New York, the temperature on the courts at Flushing Meadows topped 100 F (38C). But tournament referee Brian Early said Azarenka's problem did "not seem to be primarily a heat-related illness." Indeed, Azarenka herself later revealed she fell in the g...