Colour and spectacle as Commonwealth Games open

Sun, Oct 3 IANS

New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) Watched by millions across the globe, the 19th Commonwealth Games got off to a spectacular start here Sunday evening amid traditional Indian music, dance and a burst of colour at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the heart of the city.

Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Indian President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh watched as 1,000 drummers stirred up a thumping beat, puppets danced in the air and thousands of children gathered at the packed stadium to sing a welcome to the world.

After the Indian national anthem was sung, the opening act, 'Rhythm of India', set the mood for the much awaited sports event with electrifying energy.
The 'shankh naad' (auspicious blowing of conch shells) and fireworks then lit the sky like dawn.

A helium aerostat crowned the stadium and suspended puppets danced to life when drummers from across the country gathered in unison claiming that India has arrived.
Celebrating the best of India, seven-year-old Keshava from Puducherry drummed up beats on his tabla, his fingers flying in rhythm and watched by a capacity crowd of 65,000 that had packed into the stadium to watch the Games begin.

As the 'Rhythms of Life' came into life and the drummers filed out, Indian schoolchildren took centrestage and, led by well-known vocalist Hariharan, sang out 'Su Swagatam' to welcome the 6,700 athletes as well as officials and visitors to the city.

The song reached a crescendo with a Sufiana qawwali, illustrating the charms of syncretic, secular India.

They formed a 'namaste', the age-old Indian greeting with hands folded, in the vast field. A collective roar echoed in the stadium as the participants, in a rapid fluid movement, held aloft white sheets to splash red paint and show up intricate henna designs.

All along the ceremony, the moving lights on the helium balloon continued to change their hues, projecting life size revolving images of the action on the ground.
With the welcome over, it was the turn of the athletes parade.
Dressed in the colours of their country, the athletes from 71 countries and territories filed past the appreciative crowd, waving and cheering.

Rest of India leaves Mumbai with mammoth task

Oct 2, (Cricinfo- espnstar)

Rest of India extended their advantage on the second day, leaving Mumbai with the mammoth task of having to surpass 668 to gain a potentially decisive first-innings lead. Though Dhawal Kulkarni struck with three early wickets, Parthiv Patel's hundred and half-centuries from Virat Kohli and R Ashwin ensured the day belonged to Rest of India.

There was hope early in the morning for Mumbai, after seamer Kulkarni dismissed Abhinav Mukund, S Badrinath and captain Yuvraj Singh in quick succession. Both seamers Kulkarni and Usman Malvi got some away movement outside the off stump.

Parthiv Patel's 13th first-class century pushed Rest of India beyond 650 © Cricinfo Ltd

Kulkarni bowled a nagging length and had the left-handers in trouble with the angle from round the wicket. He got Mukund, who had looked a bit tentative, to edge an away-going delivery to gully in the ninth over of the day. Badrinath, meanwhile, had been pushed onto the back foot by the away movement. Four overs later, Kulkarni bowled Badrinath, six short of a hundred, as he played from the crease to a delivery that came in with the angle. Much was expected from Yuvraj, but he didn't last long. In his next over, Kulkarni took out his middle stump with a fuller one from round the wicket; Yuvraj playing all around it from the crease. Rest of India, on 353 for 1 at one stage, were suddenly 367 for 4.

But Kohli and Parthiv ensured the advantage didn't slip, adding 158 for the fifth wicket at close to five runs an over. Kohli stuck mostly to the Sunil Gavaskar school of batting. Anything outside off was left alone with a monk's discipline, and when the bowler pitched it straight or drifted onto his pads, he took full toll, driving gracefully and powerfully in the arc between extra cover and mid wicket.

One over from Abhishek Nayar, about an hour before lunch, typified Kohli's approach. The first ball was full, close to off stump, and was straight driven for four in a flash. The next four balls, wide outside off, were left alone. When Nayar pitched the last delivery fuller and closer to the stumps, he was hammered through extra cover. However, like Shikhar Dhawan on the first day, Kohli missed out on a hundred when in total control, hitting a Ramesh Powar long hop straight to midwicket on 90.

If Kohli dominated against the seamers, Parthiv was all footwork against the spinners, welcoming Powar with consecutive boundaries. He went over the infield when they flighted the ball, rocked back to play the cut and pull when they dropped it short, and was quick to use his feet on most occasions. Fifteen of his 18 fours came against the spinners. One of them to the midwicket boundary off Iqbal Abdulla brought up his 13th first-class century.

After Kohli fell, Parthiv and Ashwin compounded Mumbai's misery with the fourth century-plus stand of the innings at almost a run-a-ball. Ashwin played with all the assurance of a batsman averaging in the late-30s in first-class cricket. He lofted and cut the spinners, and pulled the seamers for boundaries. He mixed the powerful shots with some deft late cuts and guides, getting to his seventh first-class half-century with one such steer to third man.

Kulkarni returned to take two late wickets to finish with his seventh first-class five-wicket haul. But he sorely lacked support from the other bowlers, and had Ajit Agarkar been able to bowl (he didn't take the field today because of dehydration), maybe the story could have been different for Mumbai.

Their openers began well though, facing ten overs without any fuss. Mumbai will need a gargantuan batting effort to make anything out of this match.

SCORECARD

Mumbai 26 for 0 (Jaffer 18*) trail Rest of India 668 (Mukund 161, Parthiv 125, Badrinath 94, Kohli 90, Dhawan 83, Ashwin 73, Kulkarni 5-148) by 642 runs

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Mohali test update Day 2

Oct 2, (PTI)

Following are statistical highlights of the second day of the first cricket Test between India and Australia here today. # Mitchell Johnson, during the course of his brilliant 47 off 66 balls, has become the 12th Australian all-rounder to accomplish the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets. # Johnson's aforesaid innings is the highest by number eight Australian batsman at PCA Stadium, Mohali. # Johnson and Tim Paine have shared a 82-run stand -- a partnership record for Australia for the seventh wicket at Mohali. # Doug Bollinger has recorded his third duck in Tests -- one each against Pakistan, the West Indies and India. # Zaheer Khan (5/94) is the second bowler to capture five wickets in an innings for India against Australia at Mohali. In the 2008-09 Test, Amit Mishra had claimed five for 71. # Virender Sehwag's outstanding knock (59 off 54 balls) is his eighth fifty against Australia -- his 23rd in Tests. # Among the batsmen with 300 runs or more in Tests in 2010, Sehwag's strike rate of 92.69 is the highest. # Sehwag's aggregate of 850 in eight Tests is the third highest in 2010, next only to Jonathan Trott (England) -- 880 and Sachin Tendulkar (India) -- 867. # With fifty-plus in eleven Tests in a row, Sehwag has equalled a record, held by West Indian Viv Richards and India's Gautam Gambhir. # Paine (92) has recorded his maiden Test half-century, bettering the 47 against Pakistan at Lord's in July 2010. # Zaheer Khan has now taken five wickets in an innings 10 times -- three times against Australia. # Zaheer has bagged five wickets in an innings at home three times -- twice against Australia and once against Sri Lanka. # Zaheer has taken his wickets' tally to 27 at 22.40 runs apiece in five Tests -- the most by an Indian bowler in 2010. # Australia (428) have recorded their best total at PCA Stadium, Mohali -- their first total of 300-plus at this venue. # Shane Watson's well-compiled second Test hundred (126) is his best innings, outstripping the 120 not out against Pakistan at Melbourne in December, 2009. # Pragyan Ojha has bowled marvellously, capturing just one wicket, his economy rate of 2.18 is his best in a Test innings when he bowled at least 25 overs in an innings. # Hilfenhaus and Paine put on 54 for the ninth wicket -- Australia's best at Mohali. # In three successive innings against Australia at Mohali, Virender Sehwag and Gambhir have registered opening stands of 50-plus -- 70 and 182 in 2008 and 81 on the second day of the present Test. # Ishant Sharma, for the first time, has delivered 10 no-balls -- the most bowled by him in a Test innings.

Salman Butt forced Aamir into fixing: sources

Sep 27 (Agencies)

In a shocking revelation, Mohammad Aamir has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that he was lured and dragged into spot fixing by suspended Test skipper Salman Butt.

The young left-arm pacer is presently serving suspension by the ICC for his alleged involvement in spot fixing during the fourth Test against England at Lord's last month, along with Butt and Mohammad Asif.

Sources in the PCB said that Aamir had told chairman Ijaz Butt that he never wanted to be part of this "business" (spot fixing) but was forced into it by Butt and Asif. "Aamir had gone to Butt and claimed he was innocent and a victim of the "seniors power lobby" in the team," a source told PTI.

Another source revealed that Aamir, regarded as one of Pakistan cricket's most promising young talent, had told manager Yawar Saeed about the pressure being exerted on him by Butt.

"Aamir's claim is that he just did what he was told to do. He is claiming innocence now and says he didn't even know Mazhar Majeed was introduced to him by Butt and Asif," the source said.

Quite a few former Test captains, and even Pakistan's former President, Pervez Musharraf, have urged the ICC to show leniency towards Aamir, all of 18.

But chief selector, Mohsin Khan said that he didn't agree with the viewpoint that Aamir should be shown leniency because of his age.

"I don't buy this argument because if you can do something wrong at 18, you can keep on doing it later as well. If these three players are found guilty they should be punished, including Aamir," Mohsin said.

The chief selector insisted that no cricketer was indispensable and there should be no compromise on discipline and commitment towards your team and country.

"Aamir must be punished if he is guilty. I just hope that that these three are eventually cleared because they have already damaged the reputaion of Pakistan cricket and the country," Mohsin said

Chennai Super Kings Champion on CL T20

The champions are all smiles at the Bullring, Warriors v Chennai, Champions League Twenty20, Johannesburg, September 26, 2010 © AFP

Confetti rains down on the new Champions League Twenty20 champions, the Chennai Super Kings, Warriors v Chennai, Champions League Twenty20, Johannesburg, September 26, 2010 ©AFP

Chennai Super Kings pose with the Champions League Twenty20 trophy, Warriors v Chennai, Champions League Twenty20, Johannesburg, September 26, 2010 ©AFP

The Chennai players are ecstatic after their triumph, Warriors v Chennai, Champions League Twenty20, Johannesburg, September 26, 2010 ©Associated Press

It can't get bigger than this: Dhoni

Sep 27, (Agencies)

An emotional Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said it could not get bigger for his side to bag their second title of the year by by winning the Champions League Twenty20 title here.

Dhoni heaped praised on his team-mates for playing as a cohesive unit to bag their second title in five months after winning the Indian Premier League in April.

"It is a big moment. We are playing for the last time as a unit. We know some players will no longer be with us after the IPL auction. It is an emotional moment," he said after his side scored an easy eight-wicket win over Warriors in the lopsided grand finale at the New Wanderers Stadium.

"It can't get better, winning the IPL and now the Champions League Twenty20," he said.

He also gave credit to the team's success this season to coach Stephen Fleming and the "fantastic" foreigners.

"Fleming took over as coach and we wanted to create an atmosphere that was good for the younger players. The senior players have really done a good job. We had some fantastic foreign players like Mike Hussey and Matthew Hayden who had really helped out the youngsters," Dhoni said.

"I am really happy with the performance in the knockout stages. The bowlers had done really well. The pacers have done well but we had banked more on the spinners throughout the tournament. The line that Ravichandran Ashwin bowled with Muttiah Muralitharan was crucial. Laxmipathy Balaji was also very good," he added.

He said his side had faced some fitness issues initially but overcame them to win the tournament.

"The start of the tournament, a few of the players were infected with flu. But we overcame that and lifted the trophy. It was really satisfying," said Dhoni.

"The environment has been superb. We got a lot of support in Durban. It was 50-50 support for both sides here," he said.

Warriors captain Davy Jacobs said his side was disappointed to have lost in the final but admitted that Chennai deserved to win.

"We are disappointed but Chennai deserved to win. They beat us twice in the competition and they deserve to win it," he said.

"We got off to a good start but their spinners tied us down. We lost wickets and some momentum and never recovered from there. We couldn't get over the line but we're happy to have been in the final," he added.

Fast bowlers thrive after North century

Sep 26 (Cricinfo.com)

The Australians continued their dominance of the warm-up match against the Board President's XI in Chandigarh by producing another powerful performance on the second day. They suffered a blip with the bat, with Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke falling early, but Marcus North scored a brisk century to lead them to 505.



Ben Hilfenhaus bagged three wickets on the second day © AFP

Their fast bowlers then made inroads early in the Board President's XI innings. Ben Hilfenhaus struck twice in an over to remove Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane, and Peter George, a rookie fast bowler, also picked up two wickets. The home team was struggling at 90 for 6 before a breezy half-century from legspinner Piyush Chawla lifted them to 143.

Scorecard

Board President's XI 143 for 6 (Chawla 64*, Hilfenhaus 3-28) trail Australians 505 (Watson 115, Katich 104, North 124) by 362 runs