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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Sehwag, Gambhir back in full-strength Test squad

Virender Sehwag, who is yet to fully recover after undergoing surgery on his shoulder, has made it to 17-man India squad for the Test series in England, but will miss the first two weeks of the tour to give him time to recuperate further. Sachin Tendulkar returned to the squad after skipping the West Indies tour to rest, while Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth made comebacks from injury breaks. Yuvraj Singh, who missed the West Indies tour with a chest infection, also forced his way back into the Test plans following his excellent performance in the World Cup. M Vijay and Virat Kohli, who have so far failed to impress in the West Indies Tests, were dropped, while Suresh Raina's strong show in the same series helped him...

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India take charge on rainless day

India 308 for 6 (Dhoni 65*, Mukund 62, Laxman 56, Raina 50) lead West Indies 204 by 104 runs.. The Windsor Park Stadium in Dominica staged its first full day of Test cricket on which India consolidated their position of strength, albeit after going through a couple of worrying phases against a depleted West Indies attack missing the services of Ravi Rampaul due to a viral infection. Abhinav Mukund and VVS Laxman overcame the pressure inflicted by a fiery opening spell from Fidel Edwards and Darren Sammy to build a platform for a substantial lead, and Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni ensured India stayed on track after a couple of freak dismissals that included some slick wicketkeeping from Carlton Baugh threatened to undermine the hard...

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Dhoni should have been punished - Harper

Daryl Harper, the former international umpire, has said the ICC's failure to take any action against India captain MS Dhoni for criticising his decisions in the first Test against West Indies reflected the advent of "selective management" in cricket. This was the chief factor in his decision to retire prematurely from umpiring. He said he felt targeted by the Indian team during the game and was speaking out now on those incidents because the ICC "chose not to". Harper, who quit before his scheduled 96th and final Test in Dominica, also revealed an incident that occurred after Praveen Kumar was removed from the attack for repeated running on the pitch. Dhoni, Harper claimed, approached him after that and said "We've had problems...

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A contest that's equal to the hype

There is a scene in the acclaimed documentary Fire in Babylon in which the great West Indians of the 1970s and 80s reflect on the "Calypso" generation that preceded their rise to world domination. Turning up, giving everyone a good show, then losing in a charming fashion - just as they did on the tied-Test tour of Australia in 1960-61 - was a trait that may have proved endearing, but it was one that Clive Lloyd's mean machine soon made it their mission to banish. A similar change of mindset has taken hold of India's cricketers in the space of a generation. Twenty-one years ago, almost to the week, these two teams took part in one of the most acclaimed mismatches of all time -the Lord's Test of 1990, when Kiran More's fumble...

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Dhoni bullish on 2000 more Tests

The world is changing but there's no reason Test cricket won't survive another 2000 matches, India's captain MS Dhoni has said. Dhoni was speaking on the eve of the Lord's Test between England and India, which has the distinction of being the 2000th Test, as well as the 100th between the countries and the first of what is expected to be a closely fought series. The milestone comes at a time when Test cricket is under threat from the shorter forms of the game - Twenty20, the newest format, and the revival in popularity of the ODI following the World Cup earlier this year. Asked whether he thought Test cricket would survive another 2000 matches, Dhoni offered a nuanced response. "What's important is to see where it's going and...

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Broad reduces India's advantage

India 24 for 1 trail England 221 (Broad 64, Praveen 3-45, Ishant 3-66, Sreesanth 3-77) by 197 runs For the first two sessions of an overcast day in Nottingham, India's fast bowlers dominated England's batsmen with swing and seam movement to have them on 124 for 8. The end of England's innings, however, came later than India wanted it to. Stuart Broad led a stirring counterattack after tea, and confronted by his aggression, India went to pieces. Their bowlers lost their successful lines and lengths, MS Dhoni deployed defensive fields, and the lethargic fielders were exploited. Broad and Graeme Swann had a 73-run partnership for the ninth wicket at 6.25 per over, which propped England up to 221. The injection of adrenaline Broad had...

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