Chennai cruise into T20 semi-finals
Michael Hussey had a major role in Chennai Super Kings’ consistent batting performance in the Indian Premier League last season and the Australian opener seemed to have extended his golden run in the Champions League Twenty20 tourney as well.
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| Michael Hussey on his way to a half-century. |
Hussey smashed an unbeaten half-century to guide Chennai to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Brisbane Heat in a one-sided Group B encounter at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Saturday night. It was Chennai’s third consecutive victory and helped them clinch a semi-final spot in the tournament.
Hussey, who remained not out on 57 off 48 balls, made Chennai’s victory easy after he added 75 runs in just 9.2 overs with his opening partner Murali Vijay, who made an aggressive 42 off 27 deliveries with two sixes and five boundaries.
Even after Vijay’s dismissal, sent back by Ben Cutting, Chennai faced no pressure because Hussey had a reliable partner in Suresh Raina, who chipped in with a cameo of 23 from just 15 balls with two sixes and one boundary. The duo added a quick-fire 41 from just 4.4 overs, hastening Chennai’s victory surge.
Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni joined Hussey after Raina was trapped infront by Daniel Christian, and the Dhoni-Hussey pair smashed 24 runs from 11 balls and powered Chennai to an easy victory with 25 balls to spare.
Dhoni remained not out on 13 from five balls, including one six and one four.
“We thought we would be chasing 120-odd runs, but it was very well done with the help of Raina, Hussey and Vijay,” Dhoni said.
Earlier, Brisbane found it difficult once spinners were introduced and Chennai took firm control of the match after Ravindra Jadeja bagged two wickets in the seventh over. The all-rounder bowled an economical spell, finishing with 2-18 from his four overs. Ravichandran Ashwin was miserly as well, giving away only 10 runs from his four-over spell and picked up the wicket of Chris Lynn, who chipped in with 29 off 24 balls. Even part-time spinner Raina had an excellent time, taking one wicket for nine from his three overs.
Mohit Sharma had two scalps, but proved a bit expensive, going for 35 runs from three overs.
Brisbane finished with 137 for 7 in 20 overs, thanks mainly to an unbeaten 71-run seventh-wicket partnership between Cutting and wicketkeeper Chris Hartley. The duo rescued the team from a precarious position of 6-66 and added some quick runs. Fast bowler Cutting was at his aggressive best, smashing five sixes in his 25-ball 42, while Harley played a calm knock of 35 from 32 deliveries with the help of three boundaries.
Brisbane, after being sent into bat, had a disastrous start when they lost opener Dom Michael for a duck, but James Hopes hit four delightful boundaries in his 14-ball knock of 20.
UAE aim for another landmark win
Dubai: The UAE will take a big step towards qualifying for the 2015 World Cup if they can beat Namibia in the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cricket League (WCL) at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The hosts, who created history by bowling Namibia out for just 39 in their 158-run victory on Friday, play the same opponents from 2pm aiming for a 2-0 clean sweep that would put them in a strong position in the race for a place in the Australia and New Zealand tournament.
The UAE are currently third in the WCL standings with 16 points and victory on Sunday would take them to second, above the Netherlands courtesy of winning more matches.
Only Afghanistan, who have to play back-to-back matches against Kenya at Sharjah later this week, could then deny the UAE as two wins would put them one point ahead in the second and final World Cup qualification spot.
Speaking to Gulf News on the eve of the crucial match, skipper Khurram Khan said: “We needed a big win [on Friday] to keep the team morale high and the momentum going. It was indeed a wonderful and confident performance. We just need one more win to finish the tournament on a high. We will try again to repeat such a performance.”
Khan once again led from the front with figures of 4.4-2-2-3 with his left-arm spin and went on to praise his spinners. “We have proved again that our spinners are the best among the associate countries. I was delighted to be among the wickets as I hadn’t bowled after the Canada tour.”
Khan revealed that the wicket was on the slow side and praised his batsmen for putting up a good score. “It was great batting from Shaimon Anwar, Mohammad Shafiq and Rohan Mustafa. We posted a challenging total of 197.”
UAE team coach and former Pakistan Test star Aaqib Javed, who has transformed the team since taking over in February last year, is delighted with his team being able to perform well despite being under the pressure of trying to qualify for the World Cup. “Our bowlers held up really well in the conditions,” he said. “I am extremely pleased with Shadeep Silva’s performance.”
Javed also praised Anwar, who is set for a landmark achievement. “Anwar batted really well,” he said. “He is only a few runs off from becoming the leading run scorer of the tournament. Mustafa and Shafiq did an excellent job in lifting UAE to a challenging total.”
Anwar, who top scored with 54 runs, has piled up 568 runs and is just 27 runs behind Kyle Coetzer of Scotland as the highest run-scorer of the tournament.
BCCI race: no plum post for Dalmia, Srinivasan still rules
Jagmohan Dalmiya, interim chief of the Indian cricket board who who bailed it out during a crisis period, was left without any plum post and had to be satisfied with being only the chairman of the North East Development Committee at the board's Annual General Meeting (AGM) here Sunday. At the AGM of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) here Sunday, Dalmiya's name was doing the rounds for the post of Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman, which post finally went to Ranjib Biswal.
Sources told IANS that it was Dalmiya's age that went against his appointment as the IPL chairman. Dalmiya, 73, was the given the charge to promote the game in the northeastern states.
The appointment of Biswal as the IPL chairman was severely protested by the Dalmiya-headed Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). The only key position that went to the CAB was that Chitrak Mitra retained his seat as the vice-president.
While Dalmiya, a former BCCI and International Cricket Council (ICC) president, missed out on a plum post, his three junior colleagues in the CAB found places in other important committees.
CAB joint secretaries Subir Ganguly and Sujan Mukherjee were named in the IPL governing council and NCA sub-committees while treasurer Biswarup Dey was promoted from the NCA sub-committee to the finance committee.
A top office-bearer in the BCCI told IANS that it was Srinivasan's manouvre to keep out Dalmiya.
"Srinivasan was the man who was instrumental in banning Dalmiya from the BCCI. Srinivasan knew that giving any more power to Dalmiya could have spelt doom for him in future," the official said on the condition of anonymity.
Dalmiya took over as the interim chief of the BCCI in June after Srinivasan had to step aside as the board president after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested by Mumbai police on charges of betting after the spot-fixing scandal broke out in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dalmiya ensured smooth sailing for the BCCI during its most troubled times.
Spinner Monty Panesar feared England career was over
England spinner Monty Panesar has admitted that he thought he had destroyed his international career after being fined for urinating on a nightclub doorman.
The incident occurred two months ago, after Panesar was asked to leave a club in Brighton on the English
The 31-year-old was fined by police and released by county side Sussex, but he was nonetheless named in the England squad for the return Ashes series in Australia later this year.
He says that he regrets the incident, but insists that it was not a deliberate act.
"I know it looks terrible, but I wasn't as drunk as people believe," he told British weekly newspaper The Mail on Sunday.
"Yes, I'd had a lot to drink, but I wasn't paralytic. I was asked to leave and then got caught short. The next thing I knew the bouncers were shouting at me and running after me.
"I swear I didn't see them and I had no intention of purposefully urinating on them or near them. To be honest, I barely went (urinated) at all and I'm pretty sure I didn't hit them."
He added: "The next morning I woke up and thought, 'What have I done?'
"My first reaction was that I'd just thrown my England career away, maybe even my whole cricket career. I felt very lonely and very depressed. It was a very dark time."
However, after joining Essex for the remainder of the domestic season, he called the England management to apologise for his behaviour and was rewarded with an international recall.
"I just can't tell you how thrilled I am with the selection," Panesar said.
"It's an incredible boost I needed as a cricketer and as a person, after a chapter in my life I'm ashamed of."
Matters were made worse when a video of Panesar being restrained by bouncers from the club emerged a few days after the incident, which his new Essex team-mates took great delight in showing him.
"I knew it was out there, but I hadn't seen it and had no wish to, either," Panesar said.
"But the boys showed it in the dressing room and had a friendly laugh at my expense. It's how sport deals with things like this.
"I was fine with it but, of course, it didn't make great viewing. I've seen it now, I lost whatever dignity I had, and I have no intention of ever seeing it again."
Panesar was the subject of fresh controversy this week when the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) handed him a suspended one-game ban for acting in a "potentially threatening and intimidating" manner towards Worcestershire's Ross Whiteley.
"I wouldn't say I was either threatening or intimidating," Panesar said.
"But I will admit to becoming incredibly frustrated because I was having no luck at all, with inside edges and catches falling just short.
"I have to be aggressive when I bowl, but it was a minor incident that I accept. The ECB and I have spoken about it and I must be mindful of my behaviour, but it's not seen as a problem by England."
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