Paes-Black clinch Australian Open mixed doubles title: Sandeep Mishra

Paes-Black clinch Australian Open mixed doubles title: Sandeep Mishra

Melbourne: Leander Paes claimed his eleventh Grand Slam title after he, along with his Zimbabwean partner Cara Black, won the Australian Open 2010 mixed doubles championship here on Sunday.

The top seeded pair of Paes and Black beat 10th seeds Ekaterina Makarova of Russia and Jaroslav Levinsky of Czechoslovakia in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 just about one and a half hour.

They broke their rivals as early as in the third game and save for a couple of breaks lost on Black’s serve, the Indo-Zimbabwean pair seemed hardly troubled by Makarova and Levinsky, who committed far too many unforced errors.

Black, whose net game and serve were the weak links for the top seeds, raised her game when it mattered after getting some pep talk from Paes.

Having lost her serve twice, Black held it in the all-important 12th game before Paes smashed a winner to clinch the opener 7-5.

The emotionally charged Paes exulted and an equally enthusiastic crowd cheered him on in the stands.

With momentum going in their favour, Paes and Black broke their rivals in the very first game of the second set.

Makarova and Levinsky has their moments but they were far too few in a match which left them amazed at Paes’ athleticism.

They could only watch wide-eyed as the veteran Indian reached out to chase unlikely winners at the net and inspire his partner in moments of doubt.

This is Paes and Black’s second title together, the first being the 2008 US Open.

Paes and Black had made back-to-back Grand Slam finals — Wimbledon and the US Open — last season but faltered at the finishing line in both the events.

Paes has been a former mixed doubles’ champions at Melbourne Park and that triumph came in 2003 when he was partnering American legend Martina Navratilova.

Paes thanked the fans and Black for their support after the win.

“I want to thank fans in India and those who came here to support us. Tennis is our bread and butter but most important is that you make relations. Cara, I am blessed to have you as my partner. Thanks for supporting me,” Paes said.

The admiration was mutual as Black too showered praise on Paes.

“Paes is a fabulous partner. I am thankful to him that he stuck with and took the hard shots rightfully. He is a great partner,” she said

Posted By Sandeep Mishra

Mithun, Saha named in India’s Test squad

Ravaged by injuries to key players, India today infused fresh blood into its Test squad by naming Karnataka pacer Abhimanyu Mithun and Bengal wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha for the first Test against South Africa beginning in Nagpur on 6th February.

With experienced batsman like Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh ruled out of the series because of injuries, the selectors recalled Tamil Nadu middle-order batsman S Badrinath in the team and dropped wicketkeeper batsman Dinesh Karthik.

While 20-year-old Mithun was rewarded for his splendid show in the domestic circuit by emerging as the highest wicket taker in the Ranji Trophy season, the inclusion of the diminutive Saha came as a surprise.

Apart from Mithun and Saha’s inclusion, there were no other suprises in the squad announced by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan after a meeting of the selection committee in Mumbai.

Dravid, who sustained a face injury in the second Test against Bangladesh, has been advised rest for three weeks while Yuvraj Singh has also been ruled out of the Test series due to an injury to his left wrist.

Stylish batsman VVS Laxman, who had also suffered a finger injury during the Test series against Bangladesh, has recovered sufficiently to be drafted into the squad.

Uttar Pradesh paceman Sudeep Tyagi, who also featured in the squad that toured Bangladesh, has retained his place largely because S Sreesanth’s injury

India will eye T20 revenge in ODI series: Gayle

Bested in the World Twenty20, revenge-thirsty India would come down hard on West Indies in the forthcoming ODI series, believes home side captain Chris Gayle.

West Indies not only beat India in the Super Eight stage of the World Twenty20 but also laid bare their frailty against rising deliveries which was exploited well by England. Gayle believes the side under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, however depleted, would seek to settle score in the four-match ODI series starting here on Friday.

“We have a big game on Friday against India. We’re all looking forward to it,” Gayle said.

“India is always a good One Day team and they will be looking to beat us based on their Twenty20 disappointment,” he added.

Gayle said even though India would be without star batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, the bunch is still good enough to make life miserable for the hosts. “Sehwag and Tendulkar are two world class players but they still have quality players to step up and they have a lot of experience in one day cricket.

“They still have quality players in Yuvraj (Singh), Harbhajan Singh, (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni, (Ishant) Sharma and a lot of guys to give us a lot of trouble,” Gayle said.

“So it’s not a situation where we will say it’s a walkover. It’s never a walkover against India,” he added. Having led the side to the semifinals of the World Twenty20, Gayle said he was happy with the support from all quarters.

“The support has been brilliant. The guys gave me their full support and I gave them the same sort of support and respect which they deserve. It’s been enjoyable.

“Captaining the West Indies has done a lot for me individually and I’m really happy and grateful to be captaining West Indies and the entire region,” Gayle said.

“It’s a privilege and hopefully I can continue from strength to strength and give everyone something to cheer about. Hopefully we can wrap up this series and am looking forward for a lot of things,” Gayle said.

Saina lead India’s charge in Malaysian Open

Brimming with confidence after her historic Super Series win in Indonesia Open, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal will spearhead Indian challenge in the Malaysian Open Grand Prix Gold, beginning in Johar Bahru from Wednesday.
Second seed Saina, who beat world number three Chinese Lin Chang in the finals of the Indonesian Super Series last week, faces world number 39 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk of Thailand in her opening match in the women’s singles category.

Compatriot Aditi Mutatkar will take on Mingtian Fu of Singapore in the other singles match.

Among the men, third seed Chetan Anand will lock horns with Malaysian Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin, while ninth seed Aravind Bhat will meet Dane Sune Gavnholt in their respective opening tie.

16th seed Anup Sridhar, who created a flutter defeating world number two Dane Peter Gade to reach the quarterfinals of the Singapore Open, will cross sword with Japanese Koichi Saeki.

Meanwhile, P Kashyap, seeded 12, will look to recreate his recent form in the Spanish Open and Open Volant d’Or, when he lock horns with Kazuteru Kozai of Japan.
Kashyap finished runnersup in Spanish Open and Open Volant d’Or last month.
Budding player Anand Pawar will start his campaign against Malaysian Wei Feng Chong, while Ajay Jayaram will meet another Malaysian Chong Chieh Lok in his first round match.

In the mixed doubles category, number one seed Indian pair of V Diju and Jwala Gutta will take the challenge of Malaysian combo Mohd Fairuzizuan Mohd Tazari and Pei Tty Wong.

No Indian player in ICC’s World T20 squad

No Indian player could make a cut in the ICC World Twenty20 team following their dismal performance in the Twenty20 World Champiosnhip.

* Pakistan clinch World T20 title   |   Scorecard
* Younus dedicates World T20 title to nation
* Prez, PM congratulate Pak team on T20 win

Younus wants to lead Pak to 2011 World Cup win
Even after becoming the second Pakistani captain to win a World Cup with the Twenty20 format triumph, Younus Khan is not a satisfied man and now wants to emulate Imran Khan by winning the 50-over World title in 2011.

* Younus Khan quits T20 international   |   Profile
* Afridi may become Pakistan’s next T20 skipper
* Younus pleads with world to come to Pakistan

India start training for ODI series against West Indies
India on Sunday had their first training session since arriving in the Caribbean ahead of the four-match one-day series against the West Indies.

* Edwards to miss first two India ODIs   |   India aims to put T20 failure behind them
* West Indies can sting like bee, Gayle warns Dhoni   |   India arrive in the Caribbeans

Yousuf, Razzaq return to Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka
World Twenty20 champions Pakistan on Monday unveiled the 15-man squad to tour Sri Lanka next week, including in the line-up pardoned rebel Indian league players Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq.

* Razzaq, the forgotten hero!   |   Intikhab wants players to focus on SL series

West Indies can sting like bee, Gayle warns Dhoni

West Indies skipper Chris Gayle has warned India that his side could “sting like a bee” in the one-day series starting next week in the Caribbean following their agonising World Twenty20 semifinal defeat to Sri Lanka.

“We might fly like butterflies but we can sting like a bee,” said Gayle, mocking at Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s assertion that his side would look to compensate for their World T20 debacle with series-win in the Caribbean.

Dhoni, before he left for the Caribbean, had vowed to bring cheer back to the Indian fans and triumph in the four-match one-day series, the first one starting at Kingston, Jamaica on June 26.

Dhoni has more or less reiterated his desire in Kingston after his arrival at the Norman Mailey airport on Thursday. “In 20/20, once you lose the initiative at the start, it’s very difficult to come back… so that’s one big difference when it comes to T20 and 50-over cricket,” said Dhoni.

“The team that plays consistent cricket over the series will come out as winners. We have to play consistent cricket and I think that will be the key for us,” he said. The one point though on which both Gayle and Dhoni appeared to be sharing the same platform was the reaction of the fans.

“I hope this place in the semi-finals would bring the smile back on the face of our fans. Though let me tell you they are very hard to please and want us to win at all times. I can only say to our fans: keep supporting and stop cursing,” said Gayle.

Dhoni too has more than once pointed to the emotional nature of millions of Indian cricket fans.

“Our fans are very emotional…they don’t take to defeat lightly. (After defeat), if they don’t boo then that would be abnormal. When we lost the 2007 World Cup, they even did my antim sanskar (last rites),” the Indian had said.

Indians are missing four of their key players in the series - Sachin Tendulkar has opted out owing to finger injury while Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina are also missing for injury reasons.

The West Indies would be sweating over the fitness of fast bowler Fidel Edwards who pulled out of the semi-final clash against Sri Lanka with a back injury at the Oval on Friday.

After the opening match on June 26, the two team will play in Jamaica (June 28) and St. Lucia (July 3 and 5).

Live: Afridi ends Sanath-Dilshan onslaught

Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi struck in his successive overs to remove Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan in their Super Eight match at Lord’s.

* Live Scorecard   |   Match Report   |   Head 2 Head
* Player Records   |   Venue   |   Ask Jadeja

India face first real challenge against the West Indies
After a cakewalk against minnows in the league matches, India would be in for their first real challenge as they square up against the Windies in their Super Eight in the ICC World Twenty20 on Friday.

* Dhoni relaxed about Gayle storm   |   Won’t bat at No. 3 throughout WT20: Dhoni
* ‘Getting Gayle will be an advantage’   |   India walk over Ireland with 8-wicket win

Kallis shines in South Africa’s 7-wicket win
Jacques Kallis smashed unbeaten 57 and fetched two wickets to help South Africa thrash England by 7 wickets in their World Twenty20 Super Eight match.

* Scorecard   |   Head 2 Head   |   Venue   |   Player Records
* Smith praises teenage seamer Parnell

Kiwis trounce sloppy Ireland by 83 runs
New Zealand’s excellent performance in all the departments of the game left Ireland gasping as the Kiwis won the 13th World Twenty20 clash convincingly by 83 runs.

* Scorecard   |   Head 2 Head   |   Player Records   |   Venue   |   Highlights
* McCullum in awe of Redmond   |   So far, so good for Kiwi star Redmond

Karthik replaces injured Sehwag in World Twenty20

ndia’s title defence received a body blow on Tuesday with vice-captain and opener Virender Sehwag ruled out of the Twenty20 World Championship with a shoulder injury.

* Sehwag, Harbhajan skip nets; cold war with media on
* India start World T20 campaign with a win

Live: Seelaar strikes again, Younis falls
Netherlands’ Pieter Seelaar struck for the second time to send back Pakistan’s Younis Khan (36) in the 18th over of their World Twenty20 match at Lord’s.

* Live Scorecard   |   Match Report   |   Head 2 Head
* Player records   |   Venue   |   Ask Jadeja

Proteas upbeat against New Zealand in a ‘dead’ tie
South Africa coach Mickey Arthur has insisted his side will be at full strength for their World Twenty20 group game against New Zealand even though it is a ‘dead’ tie.

* Injured Vettori doubtful against South Africa
* South Africa maul Scotland   |   New Zealand beat Scotland by 7 wkts

Sri Lanka knock Australia out of World T20
Kumar Sangakkara’s unbeaten 55 and Dilshan’s quickfire fifty knocked Australia out of the ICC World Twenty20 following their 6-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka.

* Scorecard   |   Head 2 Head   |   Points Table   |   Player Records   |   Venue
* English press relish Australia’s T20 exit   |   Ask Jadeja
* We committed too many mistakes: Pontinga

Live: Johnston rips off B’desh top-order

Ireland pacer Trent Johnston’s triple strike has sent three Bangladesh batsmen - Zunaed Siddique, Mohd Ashraful and Shakib Al Hasan - back in the hut during their World T20 match at Trent Bridge.

* Live Scorecard   |   Match Report   |   Head 2 Head
* Player records   |   Venue   |   Ask Jadeja
* When Bangladeshis failed to redeem their pride

Australia gear for must-win Sri Lanka clash
Ricky Ponting’s Australia must perform or face an embarrassing early exit from the World Twenty20 when they take on emotionally-charged Sri Lanka on Monday.

* Head 2 Head   |   Player Records   |   Venue
* Ponting tells Australia to sharpen up   |   Gayle force too much for Oz

Pakistan Chief Selector Qadir quits
The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Selection Committee Abdul Qadir on Monday tendered his resignation to PCB and Chairman PCB accepted the same.

* Younis, Intikhab at loggerheads: Reports   |   England beat Pakistan by 48 runs
* Schedule   |   Player Records

Ruthless Proteas please Smith
South Africa captain Graeme Smith said his side had “sent a message” after their crushing 130-run win over Scotland at the ICC World Twenty20.

* South Africa maul Scotland, win by 130 runs   |   Scorecard   |   Head 2 Head
* Statistical highlights   |   Merwe, Botha shine in SA vs Pak warm-up tie

Superb India overwhelm Pakistan

India secured an impressive nine-wicket victory over fierce rivals Pakistan at the Oval in their final warm-up match for the ICC World Twenty20.

Pakistan posted 158 for six but India cruised home with 18 balls to spare thanks to openers Rohit Sharma (80) and Gautum Gambhir (52 not out).

Earlier, South Africa continued their positive build-up to the tournament with a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka.

And Scotland were beaten by the Netherlands by seven wickets.

A large, excitable Oval crowd were treated to a scintillating game of cricket, played out between rivals India and Pakistan.

Despite the early loss of Shazaib Hasan, Pakistan hammered the Indian bowlers for 45 in the first four overs thanks to 25 from Ahmed Shahzad and 19 from Kamran Akmal.

India hit back though with three wickets in five balls to temporarily halt the Pakistan momentum - the next boundary did not come for another 42 deliveries.
partnership of 50 between Misbah-ul-Haq and Younus Khan steered Pakistan past the 100-mark before the latter was stumped by Mahendra Singh Dhoni off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh for 32.

A useful and unbeaten 25 was added by next man Yasir Arafat, with Misbah finishing on 37 not out as Pakistan posted 158 for six.

India’s run chase was measured but ruthless as openers Gambhir and Sharma efficiently took the game away from Pakistan.

Without ever resorting to unnecessarily forceful shot-playing the two moved along at roughly nine an over until their partnership was broken, nineteen runs short of victory when Sharma was caught by Shahzad off Mohammad Aamir for 80.

Dhoni joined Gambhir and the two saw India to a comfortable nine-wicket win with three overs remaining, the winning run coming courtesy of a wide.

Sri Lanka were unconvincing in Tuesday’s four-wicket victory over Bangladesh and were made to look distinctly ordinary at Lords by an excellent South Africa, who fully justified their tag as one of the favourites for the upcoming tournament.

Dale Steyn led the initial destruction of the Sri Lankan order, claiming two early wickets before Herschelle Gibbs ran out Jehan Mubarak to leave them in disarray at 16 for three.
Any momentum Sri Lanka hoped to build following these early blows were scuppered by the regular surrendering of wickets as they stumbled to 44 for seven; with only three boundaries in a score of 17 from Kumar Sangakkara worthy of note.

Late order runs, primarily from Angelo Mathews (28) and Nuwan Kulasekara (24 not out), enabled Sri Lanka to limp to 109 for nine.

The South African chase got off to a poor start with powerful duo Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis falling cheaply in the first two overs.

A.B. De Villiers, so impressive in the recently concluded IPL, steadied the ship along with Gibbs but with only two boundaries in the first ten overs their progress was steady at best.

When Sri Lanka did finally hold a catch - Lasith Malinga holding onto a lofted drive from De Villiers at long on off the bowling of Isuru Udana - it was too late to rescue the game.

Malinga bowled Gibbs two short of his half-century, before JP Duminy struck a boundary to seal a comfortable six-wicket victory.

The match attracted protests outside Lords regarding the Sri Lankan side’s participation in the tournament in light of events in the country, where intense fighting has been taking place between government forces and the Tamil Tigers.
“We are here for cricket, not politics. Cricket unifies all races and religions and we are a united team,” said Sri Lanka team manager Brendon Kuruppu.

At the Oval, Scotland made a bright start to their innings - they were 48 for one after seven overs - but were unable to maintain the momentum.

Kyle Coetzer looked in good form at the crease, making 39 from 28 balls, but struggled to find a good batting partner with Fraser Watts the only other man to make 20.

Netherlands’ opening bowler Dirk Nannes bowled 16 dot balls in his four overs, providing the platform for Edgar Schiferli (three for 33), Pieter Seelaar (three for 25) and Mudassar Bukhari (two for 27) to limit Scotland to 128 for nine.

After the early loss of Darren Reekers, Alexei Kervezee and Bas Zuiderent quickly regained the initiative for the Netherlands, bringing them to within 18 runs of victory with four overs remaining.

The wicket of Kervezee (for 62) followed quickly by Zuiderent (for 46), gave Scotland hope but Daan van Bunge struck a victory-sealing boundary with half an over to go.

“It can only be described as a lacklustre display,” said Scotland captain Gavin Hamilton. “The most disappointing point was that we made the same mistakes as yesterday.”

The Netherlands have called 17-year-old Tim Gruijters into their World Twenty20 squad as a replacement for Ruud Nijman, who suffered back and leg injuries during a previous warm-up game against Bangladesh.

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