Warner rocks again, Daredevils stay alive

May 2, 2013

Warner_rocksRaipur, May 2: David Warner fired yet again as Delhi Daredevils chased down a tricky target of 137 with ease after initial hiccups against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Veer Narayan Singh stadium here on Wednesday night.

After their experienced duo of Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayawardene failed to get going once again, it was left to Warner and the young Unmukt Chand to guide the team home with 13 balls and seven wickets to spare.

Warner (64 not out), who has been is tremendous form, struck his fourth half-century this season to take his team to their third win in 10 matches and keep their faint hopes of a berth in the playoffs alive.

It was not a particularly imposing target to chase but when Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayawardene were caught out in the slips, there was pressure on Warner and Unmukt (37). But the duo ensured that there were no setbacks as they built a stand of 95 which sealed the match.

Warner has the experience and the maturity to deal with tight situation, but the way Unmukt batted must have gladdened the hearts of the DD management. It was the difference in the fielding standards of the two teams which, however, made a telling impact on the match.

While DD plucked some excellent catches, KKR just disintegrated in the field, letting off both Warner and Chand. KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir had a particularly bad day in office. He was run out without facing a ball and dropped a sitter offered by Sehwag.

However, defending a not-too-big total, he showed an aggressive intent and kept a slip in place till the ninth over. That move paid dividends as both Sehwag and Jayawardene were caught by the lone slip.KKR, however, let off a fine opportunity when Manvendra Bisla missed a stumping chance against Warner. From thereon, the DD batsmen slowly took control of the game and gained a crucial win.

When KKR opted to bat first, they lost their top half with just 50 on the board, by the 10th over. They were able to post a fighting total thanks the likes of Rajat Bhatia, Debabrata Das, Sumit Narwal and Brett Lee as KKR added 86 runs in the final 10 overs.

Shikhar, Hyderabad hit peak form

Hyderabad, May 2: From his trademark cuts, pulls and drives — each shot played with amplified flourish — to twirling his moustache triumphantly, we have already seen plenty of examples of Shikhar Dhawan's penchant for style ever since he smashed the Australian attack on his way to establishing a remarkable record in March-the fastest Test century on debut. On Wednesday, as the 27-year-old left-hander walked out to bat, his task was a straightforward one, taking the Sunrisers from Hyderabad over the line in their pursuit of a modest target of 130.

The Uppal pitch had not been an easy one to start with, and even the in-form Mumbai Indians batsmen had been forced to choose circumspection over outright assault as an option to survive on it. And with Hyderabad desperate to bounce back to winning ways after a string of losses, Dhawan would have been expected to play a sheet-anchor's role to guide his team to victory. To his credit, he did remain unbeaten in the end and even scored the winning run eventually.

But while he wielded the bat, the pitch, opposition bowling or the pressure of the run-chase hardly seemed to matter to Dhawan.

And he dished out another exemplary display of his talent and attitude with a thrill-a-minute knock, hitting more boundaries than any other batsman and recording a better strike-rate than anyone else on a day which could have belonged entirely to the bowlers if not for him. Dhawan hit nine boundaries and one towering six off Harbhajan Singh in his unbeaten 55-ball 73 as Sunrisers raced to a seven-wicket win with two overs to spare. With their fourth win in as many games at Uppal they also continued to ostracise the previous franchise's jinx at home along with augmenting the 'tigers at home' theme of IPL VI.

While most expected the run-chase to be a tricky one, Dhawan put all those fears to rest in the very second over with a belligerent assault on Dhawal Kulkarni. He first puched the right-armer past mid-off for four before stepping down the wicket, forcing Kulkarni to pitch short and cutting him away fiercely for another boundary. He then welcomed Harbhajan with a six, and never let the rest of the Mumbai bowlers settle.

The boundaries kept coming at regular interims, but the visitors did manage a stranglehold briefly when skipper Kumar Sangakkara was dismissed. It was Dhawan again, who got Sunrisers back on track with a spate of boundaries of Dwayne Smith in his only over, taking the medium-pacer for 15 runs. There was no looking back for the hosts, as they cruised to a comprehensive win with their talisman leading the way.

ISHANT keeps it tight

It was another Team India star who shone with the ball for Hyderabad earlier in the day. And Ishant Sharma took the bowling honours with figures of 2/15 in his four overs, including the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar-bowled again-and Dinesh Karthik.

Run-scoring itself proved an arduous task for the Mumbai batsmen, and they never really got going. The fact that they had to depend on 41 singles during their innings is a fair indicator of that. Mumbai did have wickets in hand as they sought to pick up pace during the death overs. But all they managed was five boundaries in the last seven overs with three in the last one from Thisara Perera. Not surprisingly, the Sunrisers hardly broke sweat during their chase, especially with Dhawan holding the reins.

Sunrisers have been the unexpected high-risers of the tournament and have constantly punched above their weight. That too they have done that without their belligerent opener's acclaimed services. Now with Dhawan back and in flow, Hyderabad look set to create many more upsets in the coming weeks.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 129 for 4 in 20 ovs (D Smith 38, AT Rayudu 34 n.o, I Sharma 2/15) lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad 130 for 3 in 18 ovs (S Dhawan 73, H Vihari 25; Harbhajan Singh 1/35)

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News Network
April 26,2020

New Delhi, Apr 26: The idea of having a full-fledged women's IPL is in a "progression stage" and a World Cup title for India can actually help in turning that into a reality sooner than later, says former captain Anjum Chopra.

Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian team sailed into the final of the last women's T20 World Cup, but was thrashed by home favourites and defending champions Australia when it mattered the most.

Chopra, one of the country's most decorated women cricketers, said a World Cup title triumph would have brought about a generational shift to the women's game in cricket-mad India.

"Women's IPL in the progression stages. From one game at the start we had four last year in the Women's T20 Challenge, and this time it was supposed to be seven. It has progressed," Chopra said.

"If the women's team had won the World Cup this year, the number of matches would have been more. There is a big difference between winners and runners up."

Chopra had a successful career spanning over 17 years during which she represented India in six World Cups while becoming the first woman cricket to appear in 100 One-day Internationals.

She added, "A victory (in final of last T20 World Cup) would have been a complete generational shift in a much more progressional manner."

Referring to the rapid strides the women's game has made the world over, she praised the International Cricket Council (ICC) for "consciously building it up".

"ICC has bifurcated viewership numbers also very well for Indian audience."

The icing on the cake was a near-packed Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the World Cup final between India and Australia, and that was not lost on Chopra, who is now a respected analyst and sportscaster.

"To have 80,000 people watching the final that's commendable. That definitely a boost," said Chopra, who holds the distinction of leading India to their first ever Test series win.

A World Cup triumph and the "mind set would have gone to different level altogether", she believed.

Asked about the chatter around pay disparity in Indian cricket, her simple message was win more to earn more.

"There is already pay parity in Australia. Because both teams have won the World Cups more than any other nations.

"If you start winning, then I am sure things will be different. It's also about how much you are able to generate as a team.

"I would say sky is the limit for them."

With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing sporting activities to a standstill, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the fate of many big events lined up in the near future.

While the IPL has been put on hold indefinitely, the pandemic has thrown the men's T20 World Cup, scheduled for October-November in Australia, into doubt.

"There has been a suggestion that if we are hosting the World Cup in October, then play the IPL as preparation ground for World Cup."

That is only if the situation improves in the coming times.

"It's difficult to see, to gauge where sport will be after this. For sure it is not going to be where it was before. Even if it opens up tomorrow it couldn't be the same.

"Can sports people can get back to work without worry? We don't know when this is going to be under control."

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News Network
June 24,2020

New Delhi, Jun 24: Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has slammed UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for not allowing recreational cricket to resume.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had described the cricket ball as a 'natural vector of disease' and ruled out recreational cricket's return in the country.

Hearing Johnson's argument, Vaughan tweeted: "Hand sanitiser in every players pocket. Use every time you touch the ball ... SIMPLE ... Recreational Cricket should just play from July 4th ... utter nonsense it's not being allowed back ... #Cricket."

Johnson was responding to a question from Conservative MP Greg Clark in the House of Commons, and it was then that Johnson said that it is too soon to lift current restrictions to allow the return of recreational cricket.

"The problem with cricket as everybody understands is that the ball is a natural vector of disease, potentially at any rate. We've been around it many times with our scientific friends," ESPNCricinfo had quoted Johnson as saying.

"At the moment, we're still working on ways to make cricket more COVID-secure but we can't change the guidance yet," he added.

Johnson had announced various relaxations on Tuesday, but the return of recreational cricket was not a part of them.

However, this statement given by Johnson will have no impact on the Test series between England and West Indies, scheduled to begin from July 8.

However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has said that it is looking to resume recreational cricket in the country around July 4.

The board has also said that cricket is a low-risk sport as it is a non-contact sport.

"We believe that cricket is a non-contact sport, with very low risks of exposure, and that it can be played as safely as many other activities being currently permitted," the ECB said in an official statement.

"It is our strong desire to work with Government to see the return of recreational cricket on or around 4th July, as they continue to lift other restrictions more broadly across society," it added.

All international cricket has also been suspended since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, it is set to resume to from July 8 as England and West Indies will lock horns in the three-Test series.

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News Network
May 2,2020

Melbourne, May 2: After becoming the number one side in Test cricket, Australia's head coach Justin Langer has said that his team has won back the respect of the country.

Australia dethroned India from the top spot in Tests and now the Men in Blue are in the third place.

Langer came in as the coach of Australia after the 2018 ball-tampering scandal and it took him some time to get the side back to winning ways.

Ever since the return of David Warner and Steve Smith, Australia went on to become a commendable side and the results reflect that.

"We have got lots of work to do to become the team we want to be. But over the last couple of years, not only have we performed well on the field, we have performed well off it. We have earned some respect back from other teams around the world but also from Australia," Langer said in an official statement.

"When we started on this journey, there had been a lot of talk about Australia wanting to be No. 1 in the world in all three forms of the game.

We took a different approach. Not once did we talk about being No. 1 ranked in the world. We wanted to be No.1 in our values and process. That is what I am most proud of," he added.

In the latest ICC rankings update, that rates all matches played since May 2019 at 100 per cent and those of the previous two years at 50 per cent, Australia (116) have taken over from India as the top-ranked side in the ICC men's Test team rankings with New Zealand (115) remaining in second place.

India is now third with 114 points. With only two points separating them, this is the second closest the top three teams have been since the Test rankings were launched in 2003.

The closest for the top three teams were in January 2016, when India had led Australia and South Africa by a single point.

Australia has also moved to the top spot in the T20I rankings for the first time in the format.

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