Samson, Malik propel Rajasthan to emphatic win

September 22, 2013

RajasthanJaipur, Sep 22: Rajasthan Royals began their Champions League Twenty20 campaign in superb fashion as they thrashed defending champions Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in their Group A match, here on Saturday.

It was good all-round show by the hosts as they first restricted the visitors to 142 for seven, using helpful conditions well, and then comfortably overhauled the target with two balls to spare at Sawai Man Singh stadium.

Opener Sanju Samson survived an lbw decision off left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson at individual score of one and went on to score a 54-run knock, that set up the victory.

Samson shared a 74-run stand for the second wicket with Ajinkya Rahane (33) after early fall of skipper Rahul Dravid and then Shane Watson Watson came up with a breezy 27 to steer the side to finish line as Rajasthan yet again proved that they are a force at home turf.

Mumbai, who were asked to bat, owed their total to skipper Rohit Sharma (44) and burly West Indies batsman Kieron Pollard (42) even as paceman Vikramjit Malik (3/24) did well for the hosts with his three-wicket haul.

Samson, who had impressed in IPL-VI, and Rahane steadily build the innings, relying on rotation of the strike.

They punished bad deliveries with some exquisite shots and were hardly troubled by the Mumbai bowlers. It was one poor shot that ended Rahane’s knock as he was early into a pull shot off Rishi Dhawan, found a bottom-edge which fell on to his stumps.

Samson too departed after completing his half-century but Watson and Stuart Binny ensured that the good work does not got waste.

The two shared a 41-run stand for the unbeaten fourth wicket. Watson took 22 balls for his knock and hit two sixes while Binny’s 27 came off 14 balls with three fours and a six.

Binny finished the match with in style with a six off Coulter-Nile over long-on.

Earlier, Mumbai Indians were struggling at 43 for four at one stage but Sharma stabilised the innings with his sensible batting while Kieron Pollard hit some lusty blows towards the end to up the run-rate. Sharma’s 44 came off 37 balls with three fours and two sixes while Pollard took 36 balls for his 42, laced with six boundaries including two sixes.

The hosts had things under control under helpful conditions for paceman as it rained before the match but Mumbai scored 55 runs in the last five overs to make it a good contest.

Dwayne Smith (9) had began fantastically with an elegant cover drive off the first ball of the match but was trapped by Malik. The short ball kept low and Smith was caught plumb.

Tendulkar punched two boundaries off James Faulkner and one off Shane Watson but the pitch had something for the bowlers, so the IPL champions made a steady start. But things changed quickly as Malik bowled Dinesh Karthik (2) and Tendulkar (15) was caught behind off Binny when he tried to drive a good length ball.

score board

MUMBAI INDIANS: Dwayne Smith lbw Malik 9, Sachin Tendulkar c Samson b Binny 15, Dinesh Karthik b Malik 2, Rohit Sharma c Samson b Watson 44, Ambati Rayudu (run out) 3, Kieron Pollard c Samson b Malik 42, Harbhajan Singh (run out) 8, Nathan Coulter-Nile (not out) 12, Rishi Dhawan (not out) 0; Extras (LB-2, W-5) 7; Total (7 wkts; 20 overs) 142

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-26, 3-38, 4-43, 5-95, 6-130, 7-141.

Bowling: Ashok Menaria 2-0-9-0, Vikramjeet Malik 4-0-24-3, James Faulkner 4-0-31-0, Shane Watson 3-0-26-1, Stuart Binny 2-0-13-1, Rahul Shukla 2-0-6-0, Kevon Cooper 3-0-31-0.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS: Rahul Dravid c Pollard b Coulter-Nile 1, Ajinkya Rahane b Dhawan 33, Sanju Samson c Smith b Pollard 54, Shane Watson (not out) 27, Stuart Binny (not out) 27, Extras (LB-4, W-2) 6, Total (3 wkts, 19.4 overs) 148

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-79, 3-107.

Bowling: Mitchell Johnson 4-0-38-0, Nathan Coulter-Nile 3.4-0-22-1, Rishi Dhawan 4-0-17-1, Pragyan Ojha 1-0-13-0, Harbhajan Singh 3-0-22-0, Kieron Pollard 3-0-20-1, Dwayne Smith 1-0-12-0.

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News Network
July 5,2020

Colombo, Jul 5: Sri Lanka batsman Kusal Mendis was on Sunday arrested for knocking down a pedestrian while driving, police said.

Mendis hit a 74-year-old man, killing him in the wee hours, in the Colombo suburb of Panadura.

He is to be produced before a magistrate later today, police said.

The 25-year-old wicket-keeper batsman has represented Sri Lanka in 44 Tests and 76 ODIs. Mendis was part of the national squad which had resumed training after the Covid-19 lockdown.

Sri Lanka's international assignments, including a tour by India, have been cancelled due to the pandemic.

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News Network
July 25,2020

New Delhi, Jul 25: Former India spinner Anil Kumble said that he has never understood why people compared him with Australia's Shane Warne.

Kumble was doing an Instagram live session with former Zimbabwe pacer Pommie Mbangwa and it was then that the spinner also talked about being the third-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.

"It feels really wonderful to finish with these many wickets. I never bothered about statistics or what my average should be, I wanted to bowl the whole day and be the one to take wickets. To finish as the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests alongside Murali and Warne is very special. All three of us played in the same era, there were a lot of comparisons, I do not know why people compared me with Warne. Warne was someone really different and he was on a different plane," Kumble told Mbangwa during the interaction.
"These two guys could spin the ball on any surface so it became really difficult for me when they started comparing me with Warne and Murali. I learnt a lot by watching them both bowl," he added.

The Indian spinner announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008. He finished with 619 wickets in the longest format of the game.

He has the third-highest number of wickets in Tests, only behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia's Shane Warne (708).

Kumble is the second bowler in the history of international cricket after England's Jim Laker to take all ten wickets in an innings of a Test match.

He had achieved the feat against Pakistan in 1999 at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. Kumble had bowling figures of 10-74 from 26.3 overs in the second innings of the Test match.
Kumble will be coaching Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

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News Network
April 28,2020

Chennai, Apr 28: Former Karnataka batsman J Arun Kumar was on Tuesday appointed coach of the USA cricket team and listed earning a Test status, by his own admission a "far-fetched" thought at the moment, among his long-term goals.

Jak, as he is known in the cricketing circles, has worked with the Karnataka team for several years and as batting coach with IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab.

"... Following an exhaustive recruitment process, former first class Ranji Trophy and IPL player and coach, J Arun Kumar, had been identified as the preferred candidate for the next men's head coach," USA Cricket chief executive Iain Higgins said on its website.

The CEO added, "He travelled to the USA to meet support staff, selectors and players at a talent camp in Houston and to continue those discussions with us.

"I'm delighted to say that we have subsequently reached agreement with Jak that he will take up the role and be permanently based in the United States as and when his working visa has been obtained."

Arun Kumar was also in charge of a fledgling Puducherry team before quitting in February owing to differences with the association officials.

The COVID-19 pandemic has however prevented a prompt departure for the United States.

"Of course, the COVID-19 crisis has now presented some challenges around the scope of the role in the short/medium term, but we look forward to completing all of the arrangements and to welcoming him more formally in due course," Higgins said.

Arun kumar, who scored over 7,200 runs in first-class cricket and over 3,000 runs in List 'A' games, had guided Karnataka to a treble for two successive seasons -- Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Irani Cup -- in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Delighted to get the role, the 45-year old said he has a vision for USA cricket, including making it a Test-playing nation.

"The first thing is based on my visa and when the coronavirus situation will end in the US, so it's all based on that. At what time my visa will be approved, that's when I will be heading there.

"There are long, mid and short-term goals and my vision obviously will be that the USA in the coming years will be one of the Test playing nations.

"It's a far-fledged goal, but yes, that's the vision and as of now the short term will be World Cup league.

"We will have to be the top side in that and then go to the next level," Arun Kumar told PTI in an interaction.

He further said the immediate aim is to get the team together after a bad run in Nepal.

"Priority is to get the team together, we had a bad run in Nepal, so obviously the team is on little down slide, so we will get up and the immediate short-term goal is to get in touch with players.

"This lockdown gives us time to actually know each other, although we are spread out in different parts of the country, and it is gives us time to connect better and work on certain mental and tactical aspects of the game," he added.

Arun Kumar had been in the US briefly some time ago and had met some officials, selectors and players at a camp in Houston.

"I met some officials, selectors and players at a talent camp in Houston and got an insight of what I can expect in the future and based on those we have designed a pathway for junior to senior cricket and women's cricket.

"It is a work in progress," he said.

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