India lose to NZ, but Yuvraj makes successful return

September 12, 2012
Yuvi_Came_back

Chennai, September 12: India faltered towards the end of their chase to lose the second and final Twenty20 International against New Zealand by a run here Tuesday. The match, however, saw a successful comeback for Yuvraj Singh.


India failed to come up with finishing touches after sitting pretty at 129 for three and needing 39 off the last 30 balls.


It seemed skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (22 not out) and comeback man Yuvraj Singh (34) would take India past New Zealand’s 167 for five but the Black Caps bowled brilliantly in the death overs to pull off a stunning victory.


The hosts ended at 166 for four as Virat Kohli’s spectacular 70-run knock went in vain. Brendon McCullum was the top-scorer for New Zealand with a whirlwind 91 off 55 balls.


Medium pacers Kyle Mills (2-17) and James Franklin (2-26) contained the flow of runs when it mattered most with the latter denying the home team a win in the final over. The hosts needed 13 off the last six balls and a four of the last one but Rohit Sharma (4 not out) could only come up with a couple, sending a stunned silence over the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.


The win also ensured a series win for the visitors after the Hyderabad wash out and something to cheer about going into T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka starting next week. India, on the other hand, are yet to beat the Kiwis in the shortest format of the game.


The silver lining for India was Kohli’s sublime form and Yuvraj’s show with bat and ball. Irfan Pathan (3-31) too impressed, swinging his way to a three-wicket haul.


But Kohli and Pathan’e efforts were expectedly overshadowed by the return of Yuvraj, who got an overwhelming reception from the boisterous Chennai crowd every time he moved on the field.


The southpaw, playing his first international game in nine months after overcoming a rare germ cell cancer, dispelled all speculations on his fitness.


He showed glimpses of his old self during his 26-ball stay at the wicket, ending in the last over of the match after being bowled by a slower one off Franklin.


He came at the crease after Suresh Raina’s dismissal made it 86 for two in the 11th over, and India needing another 82 for the win. The stadium erupted when he guided one off his hips for single to get off the mark.


The highlight of his innings was the two sixes he hit off Daniel Vettori and Jacob Oram. The one against Vettori was his trademark lift over long-on while he cleared his left leg to smash Oram over deep mid-wicket.


During the New Zealand innings, McCullum took Indian bowlers to the cleaners and helped his team set an imposing total.He got good support from Kane Williamson (28) and skipper Ross Taylor (25 not out).


McCullum and Williamson were involved in a blazing 90-run stand after the Black Caps lost opener Rob Nicol and Martin Guptill inside the first two overs.


Williamson was a spectator to some powerful-hitting by McCullum for most of the 66-ball partnership.


The dangerous wicket-keeper batsman smashed 11 boundaries and three sixes before Pathan bowled him with a slower ball.


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News Network
March 23,2020

Colombo, Mar 23: Sri Lankan batting great Kumar Sangakkara has said he is currently in self-quarantine, following his government's guidelines for those recently returning from Europe, which has now become the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The authorities are concerned over people returning from the most-affected COVID-19 countries in Europe not registering with the police and practising isolation.

"I have no symptoms or anything like that, but I'm following government guidelines," Sangakkara told News First.

"I arrived from London over a week ago and the first thing was there was a news bulletin saying that anyone who had travelled from within March 1 to 15 should register themselves with the police and undergo self-quarantine. I registered myself with the police."

The former captain said this even as the government confirmed there have been at least three cases of recent returnees attempting to hide the novel coronavirus symptoms from authorities.

Both Sangakkara and his former teammate Mahela Jayawardene have been active on social media, urging Sri Lankans to avoid panic and to exercise proper social distancing, as the country went into curfew on Friday evening.

Sri Lanka has so far reported more than 80 active COVID-19 positive cases in the country.

Across the world, the number of infected has crossed three lakh besides a death toll of more than 14,000 people.

Meanwhile, former Australia pacer Jason Gillespie has also gone into a two-week isolation after returning from the United Kingdom.

Gillespie, who is the head coach at Sussex, had been in Cape Town with the team for a pre-season tour, which was cut short as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

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News Network
June 10,2020

Kingston, Jun 10: "Enough is enough", said West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as he opened up on the raging issue of racism and called for "respect and equality" for black people, who have faced discrimination for years.

Bravo joined the likes of his former captain Darren Sammy and Chris Gayle in denouncing racism in the wake of African-American George Floyd's killing at the hands of a white police officer in the USA.

"It's sad to see what's going on around the world. As a black man, we know the history of what black people have been through. We never ask for revenge, we ask for equality and respect. That's it," Bravo told former Zimbabwe cricketer Pommie Mbangwa in an Instagram live chat on Tuesday.

"We give respect to others. Why is it that we are facing this over and over? Now enough is enough. We just want equality. We don't want revenge, war.

"We just want respect. We share love and appreciate people for who they are. That's what is most important."

The 36-year-old, who has played 40 Tests, 164 ODIs and 71 T20Is for West Indies, said he wants the world to know that they are powerful and beautiful people and gave the example of greats such as Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan.

"I just want our brothers and sisters to know that we are powerful and beautiful. And at the end of the day, you look at some of the greats of the world, whether it is Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan we have had leaders who paved the way for us," he said.

Two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain Sammy had earlier alleged that a racist nickname was used to address him during his IPL stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad and demanded an apology.

Sammy said he was called 'Kalu' while he was in India. 'Kalu' is a derogatory word to describe black people.

Gayle, who too plays in the IPL, took to Twitter to back Sammy, saying that racism does exist in cricket.

"It's never too late to fight for the right cause or what you've experienced over the years! So much more to your story, @darensammy88. Like I said, it's in the game!!," Gayle tweeted.

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News Network
June 20,2020

Jun 20: Bengaluru FC (BFC) have signed Brazilian striker Cleiton Silva for a one-year deal, the ISL club said in a statement on Saturday.

As per the agreement, BFC have the option of extending Silva's contract for another year.

The 33-year-old, who started his career with Brazilian side Madureira, moved to Thailand where he spent the better part of the decade playing for Muangthong United and Suphanburi, apart from stints in Mexico and China.

Silva, who also operates on the wing, became the first foreign player to reach the 100-goal mark in Thailand and finished top scorer of the Thai League 1 for two seasons. He also tops the charts of the all-time leading scorers of the League.

His biggest success came at Muangthong where he racked up 57 goals in 79 appearances and won three major trophies in as many seasons at the club.

The Brazilian, who was in talks with the Blues last season before the deal didn't materialise, said he was glad to have finally made the move.

"I've signed with Bengaluru FC because I want to be a champion and this is a club that is always after titles. I have that opportunity once again at BFC. I want to make the club and its fans happy. I have been following the club for some time now because we were in talks a while ago. And I liked what I saw. I am looking forward to making my way to Bengaluru and am excited to meet my new teammates, the fans and embrace the city," said Silva.

Silva, thus, became BFC's first new foreign signing of the season after the club had handed extended deals with Juanan Gonzalez, Dimas Delgado and Erik Paartalu.

Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat said Silva's addition was an important one, given his penchant for scoring.

"Cleiton has a proven track record when it comes to scoring and this is an area we needed to strengthen on the squad. The goals aside, he even has an eye for a quality final pass and we're looking forward to working with him," he said.

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