Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011

Chris Gayle launches a straight drive, Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011, Chennai, May 27, 2011

Chris Gayle whips through the leg side, Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011, Chennai, May 27, 2011

Chris Gayle gives it the proverbial kitchen sink, Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011, Chennai, May 27, 2011

Mayank Agarwal scored 41 off 31 balls, Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011, Chennai, May 27, 2011

Lasith Malinga loses his purple hat, Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011, Chennai, May 27, 2011

Munaf Patel congratulates Chris Gayle on a terrific innings, Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011, Chennai, May 27, 2011

Sachin Tendulkar steers through the off side, Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011, Chennai, May 27, 2011

Harbhajan Singh slugs one over midwicket, Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011, Chennai, May 27, 2011

Daniel Vettori picked up three wickets, Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011, Chennai, May 27, 2011

Abhimanyu Mithun took a sensational catch on the boundary to dismiss Kieron Pollard, Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011, Chennai, May 27, 2011

Bangalore celebrate James Franklin's wicket, Bangalore v Mumbai, 2nd qualifier, IPL 2011, Chennai, May 27, 2011

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Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final

Zaheer Khan watches the ball go past him, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

Saurabh Tiwary concedes four overthrows Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

M Vijay and Michael Hussey ran superbly between the wickets, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

M Vijay celebrates his fifty, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

M Vijay takes a breather, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

M Vijay and Michael Hussey added 159 for the first wicket, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

Virat Kohli congratulates M Vijay, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

MS Dhoni sends one over long-on, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28

In the match that mattered most, Chris Gayle made a duck, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

R Ashwin dismissed Bangalore's openers, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai

R Ashwin is about to be mobbed after dismissing Chris Gayle, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

Mayank Agarwal is bowled, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, Ma

Shadab Jakati had AB de Villiers lbw, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

Dwayne Bravo's spectacular attempt to catch the ball is in vain, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

Saurabh Tiwary loses his bat, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

Chennai celebrate their second IPL title, Chennai v Bangalore, IPL 2011, Final, Chennai, May 28, 2011

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Afridi admits violating PCB code

Shahid Afridi has replied to the PCB's showcause notice and accepted that he has violated the code of conduct, further stating his willingness to face whatever disciplinary action will come his way.

"We have received Shahid Afridi's reply and he has accepted violation of the code of conduct," Nadeem Sarwar, the PCB media manager, told ESPNcricinfo. It is believed that while accepting the breaches in the reply, Afridi explained the cause of his actions and specifically, going to the media and announcing his retirement. Afridi is said to have been upset about learning of his removal from the ODI captaincy through media reports and so responded by going to the media first himself.

ESPNcricinfo also understands Afridi has expressed a desire that his situation with Hampshire be resolved. Afridi was due to play for the county in the Friends Life t20 but the PCB revoked his No-Objection Certificate leading to, for the moment, a suspension of his registration as an overseas player by the ECB. The ECB and PCB have been in touch through a busy day, and sources close to Afridi say there is a possibility the deal could still go ahead if the boards come to a resolution, though PCB officials insist it will not be as straightforward as that.

Hampshire are understandably keen to come to a resolution as quickly as possible. "The club would like to make it clear that although we respect this decision we have been, and continue to, urge the PCB to rethink this matter, and we are keen to have Shahid playing for the Royals at some point in the season," said a statement released by them on Wednesday - the day their Twenty20 campaign began with a match against Somerset at The Rose Bowl.

As far as the reply is concerned, the board's legal advisor will now be consulted over its contents before a way forward emerges. Though the advisor, Taffazul Rizvi, has not yet received the letter, he said the act of the response and acceptance doesn't condone the breach itself. "When you accept or own an act, that is tantamount to a mitigating circumstance for a disciplinary tribunal while passing a judgment," he told ESPNcricinfo. Essentially, the disciplinary process will now be carried out to its legal and logical end, which could mean the board appointing an inquiry officer to investigate the matter further.

On Thursday, in any case, the board will officially begin to look into the root cause of the whole affair: Afridi's spat with coach Waqar Younis. Board officials will meet Waqar first and discuss issues arising from the management report of the tour to the Caribbean. It was during the ODIs that Afridi and Waqar clashed over selection, one dressing room dispute in particular that officials are concerned about, which was leaked out to the media. Intikhab Alam, the team manager who tried to mediate between the two on tour, will also be interviewed. Once that is out of the way, the Afridi issue will come back on the agenda, presumably with more background information in the bag.

Beyond that the picture remains unclear. Afridi has stressed his retirement is conditional and not permanent, though earlier today he said again that he would not play under this administration. One senior board official told ESPNcricinfo that they still considered Afridi an asset to the national side but insisted that he go through the entire disciplinary procedure for a list of breaches and be punished if necessary.

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Seniors deserved a break - Raina

Suresh Raina, who is India's captain for the limited-overs leg of the tour of West Indies, has admitted there will be huge expectations from his team despite the absence of some big names.

"[Being captain] is a great challenge to me and I'm really looking forward to that," Raina said on the team's arrival in the Caribbean. "We have good players who want to do well in this series. They have done well in first-class cricket and the IPL or in the World Cup team."

For the ODIs, India will be without regular captain MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, and Zaheer Khan, who have been rested, while Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag miss out through injury or illness. Dhoni and Zaheer are set to return for the Tests, but the other seniors are set to miss the entire series. The tour will also be Duncan Fletcher's first assignment with the Indian side.

Raina said the senior players "deserved a break" and was hopeful the youngsters in the squad would make the most of the opportunity. "We have a young team here and they are focused on doing well for India and I am excited to see how they perform over the next few weeks."

West Indies lost their recent ODI series to Pakistan and will once again be without opener Chris Gayle, who was the top run-getter in the IPL, but has been left out for the first two ODIs. When India last played ODIs in the West Indies in 2006, they lost 1-4. The two teams subsequently met in the World Cup earlier this year when India won by 80 runs in Chennai, en route to their tournament triumph. Raina, however, said India would not be complacent. "The West Indies team has been playing good cricket for the past few months and we are not going to take them lightly," he said.

The only Twenty20 game will be played on Saturday at Port of Spain, while the five-match ODI series begins at the same venue on June 6.

Meanwhile West Indies beat the High Performance Centre (HPC) team by 11 runs in a practice Twenty20 game in Couva on Thursday. Batting first, West Indies were restricted to 145 in their 20 overs on what appeared to be a good batting pitch. Opener Lendl Simmons carried on his good form from the Pakistan series, top-scoring with a rapid 43, while Danza Hyatt made 22.

Uncapped left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie, who has been picked in the Twenty20 squad, and Christopher Barnwell shared two wickets apiece as HPC were restricted to 134 for 6. Wicketkeeper-batsman Shane Dowrich was their mainstay with 52 off 41 balls.

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West Indies v India, Only Twenty20,June 4, 2011

Suresh Raina poses with the winners' trophy, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

Christopher Barnwell slugs a big hit out of the ground, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

Darren Bravo cuts behind square, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

Marlon Samuels forces one down the ground, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

Harbhajan Singh nipped out the top-scorers of the innings in his final over, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

Munaf Patel disturbs Andre Fletcher's stumps, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

Lendl Simmons is about to be given out in controversial circumstances, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

S Badrinath hoists an extra-cover drive, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

Rohit Sharma goes big down the ground, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

Yusuf Pathan slugs a big hit into the stands, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

Rohit Sharma punches at one, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

S Badrinath led India's recovery, West Indies v India, Only Twenty20, Port of Spain, June 4, 2011

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West Indies crumble after good start, go down 2-0

Followers of modern West Indies cricket won't be surprised. It is painfully familiar. They put behind them yet another disappointment, make a good start, capitalise on it in the middle part, but stumble at the last mile. It happened this Saturday, when they were all over India with the ball, but lost all discipline and control in the last five overs. Today with the bat, they got off to a solid start, ensured minimal damage to the spin threat of Amit Mishra, accumulated steadily in the first 40 overs to reach 192 for 3, and then lost four wickets for five runs, reaching only 240 in the end.

Led by a 120-run second-wicket stand between Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel, India reached home without a bother, except for the rain break at the end of the 22nd over, which left them a slightly stiffer revised target of 83 more off 90 balls. Kolhi and Parthiv came back, and for about five minutes kept taking undue risks. Kohli and Suresh Raina, though, unfurled a few big ones to finish the game off in a hurry. In scoring his 19th score of fifty or more, Kohli also became the third-fastest Indian to 2000 ODI runs.

West Indies had little to celebrate in the end, but it was not always like that. Not when Lendl Simmons, Kirk Edwards, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels had given them a good start. Yet all they could look at was dispiriting. Two well-set batsmen were stumped to a part-time bowler. Another half-centurion got out to a full toss. Kieron Pollard joined Dwayne Bravo in the 42nd over, and immediately they took the batting Powerplay. Pollard went back for a duck. Bravo was soon caught at long-off, and when the catch was completed he had not even left his crease, an image that summed up the sudden brain freeze. That they still managed to reach their highest score of a home season that is seven-matches old, beating 221, speaks volumes of how ordinary the season has been.

If all this was enough to drive the coach and the captain up the wall, their strategy in the field too left a lot to be desired. Their two legspinners, who had kept them alive in the previous game with a combined effort of 20-1-76-3, were not used until the 17th over on a turning pitch. By then, though, the game had slipped out of their grip.

Smart Stats

Virat Kohli became the 21st Indian batsman to aggregate 2000 ODI runs. In 56 matches, Kohli has 2037 runs at an average of 44.28

Kohli reached the landmark of 2000 runs in 53 innings making him the third-fastest Indian to the mark after Sourav Ganguly and Navjot Sidhu, who got there in 52 innings

Lendl Simmons scored his fifth half-century in his last six innings. He has scored 314 runs in six innings at an average of 62.80. Prior to that, he scored just two half-centuries in his first 19 innings

Ramnaresh Sarwan scored his tenth half-century against India in ODIs. He now has 1191 runs from 27 matches at an average of 62.68

Amit Mishra's 4 for 31 is best bowling performance in ODIs and his first four-wicket haul. His previous best was 3 for 40 against Sri Lanka in 2010

It is the third time in seven ODI series in the West Indies that India have won two ODIs. On the previous two occasions in 2009 and 2002, they went on to win the series by a margin of 2-1

The 120-run stand between Kohli and Parthiv Patel is the second-highest for the second-wicket for India in ODIs against West Indies

That legspin was the way to go on this pitch was amply demonstrated by Mishra. His dangerous first spell of six overs might have yielded only one wicket, but he was only too happy to provide rope to the batsmen intent on suicide towards the end, finishing with another maiden and three more wickets.

Simmons and Sarwan had worked hard in denying Mishra in that first spell, following up on a partnership of 57 for the first wicket. Even then, with a newish ball, Mishra was beating outside edges with balls pitched outside leg. The googly was a mystery for the majority of that spell.

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Solid India rule out defeat, set for victory push

India batted West Indies out of the game through a cautious second-innings effort on the fourth day. Only 90 minutes were lost to rain, a vast improvement on the previous two days, but scoring remained difficult on a difficult track with ample bounce and seam movement. West Indies were thwarted by two rookies - Abhinav Mukund and Virat Kohli - and two veterans - Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. At some time during the Dravid-Laxman association, the hosts resigned themselves to waiting for a declaration.

The declaration wasn't quite on India's mind on the fourth day; they needed to make sure they got into a position of safety first. Looking at just the scorecard, it might be easy to criticise India's pace - 206 runs added in 83.2 overs - but on the lively pitch that must have also retained moisture, under overcast skies, with low bounce creeping in, and on a heavy outfield, they couldn't quite afford to be casual.

That batting wouldn't be easy was clear from the first 10 minutes or so, when Ravi Rampaul removed M Vijay with a late outswinger. Another low score wasn't a great result for Vijay a day before selection for the England tour.

Dravid had similar problems with away swing and extra bounce, but he managed to keep the ball down with soft hands and an angled bat, getting eight runs off two deliveries that could have easily taken his wicket early on. The bottom hand kept coming off the bat as Rampaul got the ball to rear up from a length. Dravid was 9 off 32 when he flicked uppishly towards square leg, but the replays couldn't conclusively prove that Adrian Barath completed a clean catch. Nor did the replays prove otherwise.

While Dravid remained solid after that shot, Abhinav gave a better account of himself than he did in Jamaica. As Sunil Gavaskar observed, he made an adjustment to his technique, preferring moving back and across to the forward press that was a feature of his batting in Jamaica. He wasn't completely comfortable, but he didn't back away from the menacing bounce. He copped one on the helmet, but otherwise picked runs off deflections. Once in, he played a good-looking cover-drive off the comparatively slower Darren Sammy, and was good square on off side against the quicker bowlers too.

Fidel Edwards, though, softened him up with bouncers after lunch. After he managed to get out of the line of two accurate bouncers, both kicking off a length, Abhinav got one with his name on it. This time he dropped the bottom hand, but the ball had the top hand on its mind, denying him what would have been a maiden international fifty.

That brought together the old firm of Dravid and Laxman, who denied the bowlers until they started bowling well outside off. Laxman, who scored 85 in the first innings, looked hardly in any trouble. He was welcomed with a searing bouncer, but the next one he pulled away for four.

The ball still misbehaved, the bat handles still kept getting jammed, the bats still kept getting beaten, but the outside edges were not to be found. Inch by inch, the partnership aggregate went to 3,682 runs, No. 11 on the all-time list. Unsurprisingly a ridiculously misjudged single provided West Indies the only chance during their 65-run partnership, but the throw from cover missed the stumps. Dravid was 32 then, India 111. By the time the next chance arrived, through a fastish offcutter from Edwards, Dravid had reached 55, and India 154.

Then came a spell of play Kohli will look back at with much satisfaction. Edwards to Kohli so far in the series has featured bouncers, fuller ones, blown kisses, patted backs. Edwards resumed much of the same. Two slips, a gully, a forward short leg and a backward short leg awaited as Edwards bowled bouncers in the vicinity of 90mph. The first few weren't quite accurate, and Kohli avoided them. At the other end, incredibly Kohli was allowed to bat with a long-off in place. He still was in no hurry, and was still on a pair when Edwards started afresh. This bouncer was accurate, jumped towards Kohli's throat, hit the handle, and fell just wide of the diving forward short leg. Eighteen balls on a pair. A near catch. Laxman walked up, said something, patted Kohli's back. Next ball bouncer. Back in the crease. Pull. Six.

This series is the first time in Kohli's career that he has been made to look a bit out of place, but he fought with discipline to come back unbeaten on 25 off 97. After testing him at the start of the innings, West Indies were too quick to spread the fields, and didn't even take the new ball in the evening, an acceptance that only one team could now force a result.

Walking back with Kohli was Laxman, whom West Indies failed to ruffle. The pair had helped give India an opportunity to score quick runs on the fifth morning and allow their bowlers to have a crack at West Indies in the chase.

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