Virat Kohli guides India to one-day win over Australia

Tim Paine watches Virat Kohli flash a drive through the covers

Virat Kohli shrugged off cramp to hit 118, his third one-day century, and guide India to a five-wicket win over Australia in Visakhapatnam. India lead the three-match series 1-0 after the opener was washed out. Australia were slow for much of their innings, but ignited late on as Michael Clarke (111) and Cameron White (89) put on 84 from the last five overs. That left India to chase 290, and they got there with seven balls left thanks largely to the efforts of Kohli, 21. He scored his runs from 121 balls, and built India's chase with partnerships of 137 with Yuvraj Singh (58) and 84 from 58 balls with Suresh Raina (71 not out from 47).

After finally departing when clubbing debutant John Hastings to long-on, Kohli watched from the stands as skipper Mahendra Dhoni was bowled by Hastings for a duck. But Saurabh Tiwary, playing his first one-day international, provided a level head at one end as Raina kicked on to take India past the winning line without further alarm. The home side won the toss on a slow wicket, handing debuts to Tiwary, 20, and opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan, 24. With seamer Vinay Kumar and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwan playing only their second matches it was a very inexperienced side. Australia matched them in that department, as first one-day international caps were dished out to Hastings, 24, and fellow New South Welshman Mitchell Starc, 20, leaving Clint McKay as the only frontline seamer with experience at this level.

The tourists' batting was not at full strength either, and openers Tim Paine and Shaun Marsh were slow to get out of the blocks, both departing before the end of the eighth over which came with Australia's total on 16. Clarke, skippering while Ricky Ponting rests ahead of the Ashes, was initially very cautious. Impetus came instead from Mike Hussey (69 from 77 balls), before Clarke and White took toll over the closing overs. India's chase was more even-paced, though the openers also failed to provide a platform. McKay took three wickets to keep Australia in the game, but once Yuvraj and Kohli began to find their range the momentum was with India all the way through to the end. Australia looked a beaten team well before the finish which was scarcely imaginable when White was smashing the Indian bowling to all parts, hitting six sixes and six fours. "White's innings was unbelievable and I thought 290 was enough, but India chased well," said a rueful Clarke afterwards.

Second one-day international, Visakhapatnam: India 292-5 beat Australia 289-3 by five wickets

71 Runs in 47 Balls with 9 Fours & 1 Six

58 Runs in 87 Balls with 5 fours

89 Runs in 49 Balls with 6 Fours & 6 Sixes

111 Runs in 139 Balls with 7 Fours & 1 Six

2010 commonwealth games in Delhi - with Medal Tally

The 2010 commonwealth games are going to be held in Delhi,India with population over 15 million, compared to (2006 games hosts) Melbourne's 3.5 million and Greater Menchester's 2.5 million population at 2002 games. The commonwealth goes is a multi sport event held every 4 years involving the elite atheletes of the Commonwealth of Nations. the first such event, then known as the British Empire Games was held in 1930. the name changed to British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1954, to British Commonwealth Games in 1978, and assumes the current name of Commonwealth Games in 1978.

Common Wealth Games are scheduled and organized every four years. India is hosting this prestigious multi-sport event for the first time. Commonwealth Games 2010 will be held in Delhi from the third day of October and will last till fourteenth day of the month. Eighteen other countries have earlier hosted the event. This is the ninth time this event is coming up with the name commonwealth. The Delhi Commonwealth 2010 are the nineteenth Common Wealth Games. No such event with many sports has been conducted in the Indian history till now. The estimated budget for the event has come up to around US$ 1.6 Billion. This budget does not include external developments like the construction of roads, airports and other structures. A recent survey reported that Commonwealth Games 2010 would be the most expensive event to be ever held in the history of Commonwealth Games. The first glimpse of this event will come alive from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies are scheduled to take place. The event covers many aquatic events such as swimming, outdoor events such as tennis and badminton, indoor events like squash and table tennis are also included, athletic events like 400m dash and 800m dash are also there in the event list. These events are scheduled at venues like Dhyan Chand stadium, Indira Gandhi and many other stadiums.

Though the preparations are in full swing, the recent news reveals a complete lack of coordination among the various authorities and a slow progress in the final handing over of various venues that may eventually cause a serious threat to the successful handling of the event. Surrounded by countless controversies the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010 seem to be heading towards chaos and ultimately embarrassment for one and all. Though these problems, namely, money transfer issues, slow infrastructure development etc have been recognized and efforts are being made to remove the glitches we still need to keep our fingers crossed for the same. The entire nation has pinned its hope to the success of the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010 as it will serve as a window to showcase India as a country that can host other multi sports events like Olympics in the future. The Common Wealth Games are organised by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), a union of around 70 countries lying in the major continents: Asia, Africa, America, Europe, Carribean and Oceania. The CGF was formed in the year 1930 by Bobby Robbinson with a firm will of promoting and celebrating an atmosphere of unique, friendly, world class Games in these member countries and also strengthening the harmonious mutual relations between the Commonwealth countries. The three foundation principles of the Common Wealth Games Federation are: Humanity, Equality and Destiny! These are the parameters held responsible by the Commonwealth Games Federation for every momentous decision taken within the federation.

To improve the standard of living of the residents and the societal norms; the Commonwealth Games Federation is also a staunch supporter of education and awareness via sports and recreation. The distinguishing feature of the Common Wealth Games is, its formation based on history, as compared to the geographic and climatic factors responsible for the formation of other world sport associations. It also bags the honour of being the only Games Federation that has a common language for conversation i.e. English. For this reason, the Commonwealth Games have also been coined as "Friendly Games", and thus; have been a source of inspiration amongst the Youth of the Commonwealth Nations, to excel in games and sports. The last or recent Commonwealth Games were conducted between 15-26 March 2006; in Melbourne, Australia, the capital of Victioria state and the second largest city of the Kangaru Continent. India will also be hosting the Common Wealth Games for the first time and Asia for the second time; in 2010, in Delhi, the capital city of India. The sports that will comprise of these Common Wealth Games are Cycling, Netball, Rugby, Weightlifting, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Aquatics, Athletics, Gymnastics, Hockey, Badminton, Basketball, Bowls, Boxing and Triathlon.

History of Commonwealth Games

The first Commonwealth Games were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada. “Bobby” MM Robinson, an influential figure in Canadian athletics finally put into action a sports plan that had been talked and discussed amongst Commonwealth nations for almost three decades.  Eleven countries with 400 athletes in total participated in the first Commonwealth Games. A sum of $30,000 was provided by the City of Hamilton to these nations to help cover traveling costs. Since then, the Games have been conducted every four years except for 1942 and 1946, due to World War II.  From 1930 to 1950 the Games were known as the British Empire Games, then the British Empire and Commonwealth Games until 1962. From 1966 to 1974 they took on the title of British Commonwealth Games and from 1978 onwards they have been known as simply the Commonwealth Games. The city of Hamilton proved a gracious first host of the Commonwealth Games movement and is as important to it as Athens is to the Olympics. Then called the British Empire Games, the sociological, cultural and political makeup of the Commonwealth Movement has altered substantially since 1930.

The inaugural Games was utilitarian and very down to earth, proving that more doesn’t necessarily mean better. The athletes’ village was the Prince of Wales School next to the Civic Stadium, where the competitors slept two dozen to a classroom. Despite missing some basic comforts, the participants were unanimous in their praise for the Games and Hamilton’s hospitality. Eleven countries sent a total of about 400 athletes to the Hamilton Games. Women competed in only the swimming events. The participant nations were Australia, Bermuda, British Guiana, Canada, England, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. The Hamilton Games featured six sports: track and field, boxing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving, and wrestling and ran at a cost of $97,973.00. 

1930 Commonwealth Games 16-23 August, Hamilton, Canada

1934 British Empire Games 4-11 August, London, England

1938 British Empire Games 5-12 February, Sydney, Australia 

1950 British Empire Games 4-11 February, Auckland, New Zealand

1954 British Empire & Commonwealth Games 30 July – 7 August, Vancouver, Canada

1958 British Empire & Commonwealth Games 18-26 July, Cardiff, Wales

1962 British Empire & Commonwealth Games 21 November – 1 December, Perth, Australia

1966 British Commonwealth Games 4-13 August 1966, Kingston, Jamaica

1970 British Commonwealth Games 16-25 July, Edinburgh, Scotland

1974 British Commonwealth Games 24 January – 2 February, Christchurch, New Zealand

1978 Commonwealth Games 3-12 August, Edmonton, Canada

1982 Commonwealth Games 30 September – 9 October, Brisbane, Australia

1986 Commonwealth Games 24 July – 2 August 1986, Edinburgh, Scotland

1990 Commonwealth Games 24 January – 3 February, Auckland, New Zealand

1994 Commonwealth Games 18-28 August, Victoria, Canada

1998 Commonwealth Games 11-21 September, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2002 Commonwealth Games 25 July-Aug 4, Manchester, England

2006 Commonwealth Games Australian city of Melbourne, 15 and 26 March 2006.

2010 Commonwealth Games 3 October - 14 October, Delhi, India 

 

India Win the Border-Gavasakar Trophy 2010 in Benguluru

India Win The Test Series Against Australia

India v Australia, India won by 7 wickets, India complete a 2-0 sweep India last won a Test in Bangalore in 1995, when they beat New Zealand. They have played seven Tests since and lost four. Overall, India have won only four of the 18 Tests at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, while Australia have won two out of four at this venue. MS Dhoni: “This toss the bowlers won’t mind too much with me losing! The forecast is for cloudy throughout the day; hopefully the moisture will remain and help the bowlers. We can’t reckon about the first Test , not past nor future. Just concentrate on this game. M Vijay in for Gambhir, Pujara for Laxman and Sreesanth for Ishant.” Sachin Tendulkar got Man of the Match and Man of the Series Prizes MS Dhoni received the Border-Gavasakar Trophy from Sunil Gavaskar

Man Of The Match & Man Of The Series "SACHIN TENDULKAR".

Sachin Tendulkar in Double Century at 2nd Test Match

2nd Test Match Border-Gavasakar Trophy 2010 Score Board

Bangladesh Beat New Zealand 4-0 in five ODI series 2010

Bangladesh beat New Zealand by three runs to complete an unprecedented 4-0 series win in Mirpur

Daniel Vettori wanted to win the last game of the series to salvage pride. After New Zealand failed and lost 4-0, the talk in Mirpur was that he shed a few tears and later called it the worst tour of his career, asking his team to learn from the opposition and not embarrass him in India. Throughout the last decade, those actions were a Bangladesh captain's prerogative but the last fortnight, and perhaps the last two months, have been refreshingly different for him. Previously, special moments in Bangladesh cricket were made memorable mostly by the celebrations that followed. The wins themselves never grew into something bigger, except for bigger defeats. Consistency always played only a cameo. After the disastrous defeat to Netherlands in July, even their inner circle started cold-shouldering the players. Bangladesh's coach Jamie Siddons then decided that the summer's frustration could only be blown off through plain old hard work, in the form of a camp that spanned a month and a half. Bangladesh's players had never spent so much time training, according to the experienced Shahriar Nafees and few regular journalists. All of a sudden, they had net and fielding sessions from 8am to 4pm, a drastic change from Bangladesh's training method over the years. 

Mahmudullah, an allrounder, said the practice had a substantial impact on his batting, particularly on his role in the slog overs and the batting Powerplay. "I spent a lot of time practicing the lofted shots," he said. "I'm usually around when the batting Powerplay is on, so it's important that I can clear the in-field. This camp was so long that I could work on all aspects of my batting." Riyad wasn't successful during this series but he believes his goal of playing the World Cup will become closer if he can spend enough time preparing. Tamim Iqbal was so pleased to be allowed to bat for more than four hours, he decided to do so with an injured wrist (it doesn't seem like a great idea now). With Shakib Al Hasan also busy taking wickets for Worcestershire, no one was idle. During this time in previous years, Bangladesh either sat at home in the rain or got mauled in Sri Lanka. Like Tamim or Mahmudullah, nobody complained about the gruelling schedule. The players realised the extended time in the nets, in front of the bowling machine or at the centre wicket, was perfect preparation. Why nobody thought of this before is baffling, and though it was implemented late, the results were evident in early October. During the training camp, Bangladesh hired a new fielding coach, Julian Fountain, and a psychologist. A couple of weeks before New Zealand landed, they were given a bowling coach in Ian Pont. 

Fountain's effect on the team is visible in the increased frequency of a Nafees dive, or the way Naeem Islam's throw hit the stumps with ferocity in the dying moments of the fourth game against New Zealand. Shafiul Islam and Abdur Razzak also took catches that Mirpur will not easily forget. Former captain Khaled Mahmud believes Fountain has done a lot to improve the fielding, a discipline Bangladesh has been poor at. "Julian obviously has made a difference, though it can be too early to say," Mahmud, who was Bangladesh's assistant coach until before the series, said. "He has taught some innovative techniques which has improved the boys' fielding." Pont, too, has made an instant impact with the fast bowlers: Shafiul and Rubel Hossain bowling accurate yorkers and learning slower deliveries in only two weeks. Bangladesh won three of the four games in the last over because those well-directed deliveries had the New Zealand batsmen swishing at air. It is the two constants in the team, though, Siddons and Shakib, that provided the steely determination and calming influence which had eluded Bangladesh's psyche. Shakib has stood out for those so used to watching the mental fragility of someone like Mohammad Ashraful. It has also been easier for Shakib to lead by example because he is Bangladesh's only regular performer. His contributions are indicative of the tremendous hunger he has developed in the last two years. The boys listen to Shakib as much as they listen to Siddons. 

Siddons' three-year long influence on the batsmen has caught everyone's eye. "There is no secret to my coaching," he said. "We worked on skills that we never even tried this time and the players' development has come in three years. It takes time but we are almost there now." Tamim's development from a shot-a-minute opener to the team's best batsman has been attributed to Siddons. Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Raqibul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah have grown from domestic to genuine international players under him. The 4-0 scoreline against New Zealand could act as a trampoline for some players, especially Nafees, Suhrawadi Shuvo and Nazmul Hossain, who are a step away from playing the World Cup. It won't be a straightforward re-entry for Ashraful, or even Mashrafe Mortaza, given his litany of injuries. Trouble for Bangladesh in the future could come in the form of shirking responsibilities, which was one of their failures after the wins in the Caribbean in 2009. It would be an easy option for these boys, as well as the cricket board, which has made the mistake of contracting Fountain and Pont only until the World Cup. This series, however, is evidence of two things: that hard work pays off, and Bangladesh too can win from tight situations. After every victory, Bangladesh sing Amra Korbo Joy, a Bangla version of 'We shall overcome', with more energy because they now believe a win is not merely a one-off. They believe success in ODIs is very much a reality, especially when the bigger battles of preparing mind and body have already been won. 

5th ODI Match Score Board Details & Pics

4th ODI Match Score Board Details & Pics 

3rd ODI Match Score Board Details & Pics  

2nd ODI Match Score Board Details & Pics 

1st ODI Match Score Board Details & Pics 

Leander wins Shanghai Masters doubles title

Leander Paes and Jurgen Melzer clinched the Shanghai Masters title

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Beginning their partnership on a fantastic note, Leander Paes and Jurgen Melzer clinched the Shanghai Masters title with a 7-5, 4-6, 10-5 victory over Poles Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in the final in Shanghai on Sunday. The third seed Austrian-Indian duo had ended the 20-match winning streak of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan en route to the summit clash. Paes, 37, won his second title of the season, and the 44th of his career. The Indian teamed with Lukas Dlouhy to win the Miami Masters earlier in April. "I have tremendous respect for Jurgen. I think that he's one of the most hard working and talented tennis players I've seen over the past 20 years that I've been on the tour," Paes said after wining the title. "He's beaten two No. 1's in the same week: Rafael Nadal (in the singles third round), then the Bryan brothers last night. For me it's a big honour to play with Jurgen. Not only is he a Grand Slam champion at Wimbledon this year, but I consider him one of the great talents in tennis and a good guy," Paes added.

"As Leander said, beating two No. 1's in the same week is great. But finishing it off with a title, it's my first title in a Masters 1000 event," said Melzer. The third seeds rallied from a break down at 4-5 in the first set to win the final three games and clinch a one-set lead. The sixth-seeded Fyrstenberg and Matkowski broke decisively in the ninth game of the second set to level the match, but quickly fell behind in the Match Tie-break as Melzer-Paes raced to a 7-1 advantage. It was a lead they would not relinquish as they went on to seal victory in 83 minutes. The 29-year-old Melzer won his third tour-level doubles title of the season, following wins at Wimbledon and Zagreb with Philipp Petzschner. He was also a runners-up in Bangkok with Jonathan Erlich two weeks ago. Melzer has already secured his place at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals with Petzschner, while Paes is in a strong position to qualify with regular partner, Dlouhy. They are currently No. 3 in the 2010 ATP Doubles Team Rankings.

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Sachin Tendulkar hits sixth double century

Master Blaster "SACHIN TENDULKAR"

Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday completed his sixth double hundred in Test cricket, adding to the mountain of runs he has accumulated in his over two-decade career. Tendulkar continued to grind the Australian bowling attack on the fourth day of the second and final Test in Bangalore.  Tendulkar, who was unbeaten on 191 at the end of the third day's play, reached the landmark in the sixth over of the day. This is Tendulkar's second double century against Australia, the first one being an unbeaten 241 in Sydney in January 2004. Tendulkar is the only batsman in the world to hit a double century in ODI cricket. Tendulkar is the only man to post 1,000 runs in a calendar year on six occasions -- with Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Brian Lara hitting this milestone five times.

His superb knock took Tendulkar's aggregate for the year so far to 1194 runs at an average of 99.5. On Day 3, Tendulkar wrote another record by his name by making a 150-plus score for the record 20th time, surpassing Brian Lara's 19. He also became only the third batsman, after David Gower and Jack Hobbs to score 3000 Test runs against Australia. On the second day of the Test, Tendulkar had passed 14,000 Test runs, taking just 12 innings to race there - the fastest he has ever gone from one 1,000-run mark to the next. Tendulkar now has 95 international centuries, including 46 in ODIs.  With just five centuries left to complete a ton of tons in international cricket, Tendulkar is expected to complete the 50 Test centuries by the time the three-Test series against New Zealand ends next month.

Following is the list of Tendulkar's double centuries in Test cricket:

Opponent	Venue	Year
New Zealand	Ahmedabad	October 1999
Zimbabwe	Nagpur	November 2000
Australia	Sydney	January 2004
Bangladesh	Dhaka	December 2004
Sri Lanka	Colombo (SSC)	July 2010
Australia	Bangalore	October 2010

Shooters make India proud at CWG; win two gold and a silver

Shooters Anisa Sayeed and Rahi Sarnobat

Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang

Shooters Anisa Sayeed and Rahi Sarnobat gave India its second gold as they won in the 25m pistol pair event at the Commonwealth Games on Tuesday. Onkar Singh and Deepak Sharma also won silver medal in 50m Air Pistol Pair event.Earlier today, Olympian gold winner Abhinav Bindra and World Champion Gagan Narang won their first gold medals in the Pairs 10 m Air Rifle Mens event. Bindra scored 595 and Narang scored 498.  World champion Tejaswini Sawant is also to be seen in action in the 50m 3P pairs event with Lajjakumari Gauswami. while veterans Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati will play against Sri Lanka at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium. In boxing, some of India's best pugilists, including Olympic bronze winning boxer Vijender Singh, Akhil Kumar, Suranjoy Singh, Jai Bhagwan and Dinesh Kumar will be seen in the ring. On Sunday, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil and Prince Charles jointly inaugurated the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here. The opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games was marked by a cultural extravaganza, dance, music and fireworks. Over 6,500 athletes and officials from 71 teams representing 54 Commonwealth member states are participating in the Games being held from October 3 to 14 in Delhi. (ANI)

India win Mohali cliffhanger to go up 1-0 against Australia

India Vs Australia Match At Mohali

VVS Laxman overcame his sore back to become the hero of a nail-biting one-wicket victory for India, who retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in dramatic fashion in Mohali. In one of the most memorable finishes in recent history, Pragyan Ojha picked up two leg-byes off Mitchell Johnson to seal the result, which until that delivery could also have been a tie or an Australian win. The match was firmly in Australia's grasp when the No. 10 Ishant Sharma joined Laxman with 92 runs still required, but the pair ground Australia down and left a dejected Ricky Ponting still winless as a Test captain in India. The visitors' hopes were raised again when Ben Hilfenhaus (4 for 57) trapped Ishant lbw - although the ball would have missed leg stump - with 11 runs needed.In the final, chaotic scenes, Australia continued to attack, desperate for one wicket. They thought they had it two balls before the winning runs were struck, when Mitchell Johnson rapped Ojha on the pads only to have a strong lbw shout denied. Adding to the commotion, Ojha wandered out of his crease and a throw from gully that would have found him short missed the stumps and ran away for four overthrows. When the winning leg-byes arrived, the Indian players streamed onto the field as the Australians thrust hands on heads. For sheer on-field tension, the finish ranked up there with Australia's last-minute SCG win of 2007-08. But that match was overshadowed by claims of poor sportsmanship; this time there should be no such post-script.

On that occasion Ishant was the last man out as the sun set over Sydney; in Mohali he was every bit as important as Laxman, with a defiant innings of 31 in their partnership of 81. But Laxman was the star. The Australians will wonder how they let such a golden opportunity slip; the answer lies in the hands, or wrists, of one of their chief tormentors of recent years. Entering the final day, Ponting's men feared Sachin Tendulkar, who went to stumps unbeaten on 10, much more than they were concerned about Laxman. They knew that in the first innings VVS had been very, very sore. He'd batted at No. 10, with a runner, and was hampered in his strokeplay. Two days later, the man with the most unique initials in cricket was very, very stubborn. Again he had a runner, Suresh Raina, but just as important were the eight boundaries he struck in his 73, which came from 79 deliveries. Had he not started to farm the strike in the dying stages, he would have finished with a strike-rate of more than 100 for only the fourth time in his 188 Test innings. Laxman flicked the ball through gaps and was always looking to counterattack as Ponting continued to set aggressive fields. His approach was critical, for Australia had all the momentum in the hour before lunch when Doug Bollinger, who did not take the field after lunch due to abdominal stiffness, made two breakthroughs, including the key wicket of Tendulkar for 38.
 
But try as they might, Australia under Ponting simply haven't been able to close out a victory in India. In 2008 he was over-defensive, failing to push for wickets and grab opportunities when they arose. This time Ponting didn't do much wrong; Laxman was just too good. India began the day needing 161 runs and for an hour they were cruising, as Tendulkar and Laxman brought the target down with a rapidity that alarmed Ponting. Nathan Hauritz had picked up the night-watchman Zaheer Khan, caught at slip, but was leaking runs and when he conceded 14 off an over, Ponting knew the fast men were his only option. Cheers went around the ground as Tendulkar passed 1000 Test runs in a calendar year for the sixth time in his career, and it seemed that he was destined to deliver India to victory. But his desire to score quickly brought his undoing, when he tried to cut Bollinger over the cordon to the vacant third-man region.

The ball was too close to his body and he steered it to gully, where Michael Hussey grabbed the sharp chance. Tendulkar was gone, and the atmosphere cooled down slightly as the runs began to dry up. Then came the second big moment of joy for Australia, when the presence of a runner cost MS Dhoni his wicket. Laxman drove Bollinger to mid-on and his runner Raina took off for what should have been a comfortable single. But Dhoni appeared confused by Laxman remaining in his ground and the hesitation was enough to give hope to the fielder Hilfenhaus, whose superb direct hit at the striker's end finished Dhoni's stay on 2. When Bollinger's fast, well-directed bouncer had a fending Harbhajan Singh caught at slip two balls later, Australia were in control. Laxman and Ishant had other ideas, and the rest is history. The great shame is that this is only a two-match series.

Full ScoreBoard (India Vs Australia)

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South Australia ease into semis with three in three

Michael Klinger excelled in both leadership and batting to steer South Australia into the semi-finals

Delightful fast bowling from Shaun Tait, solid back-up medium-pace from Daniel Christian and a near-perfect chase from Daniel Harris and Michael Klinger, who continues to cling onto the golden bat with his third match-winning fifty in three games, took South Australia Redbacks to the semi-finals of the Champions League. For about 25 overs, this had everything a Twenty20 game should have. Tait's pace like fire, sensational fielding, Ross Taylor's counter-punching, Tait's comeback to get Taylor, Dillon du Preez's stunner in the second half of the innings, some more special fielding, and Christian's three-wicket last over. Dale Steyn and Praveen Kumar followed it up with a spirited defence, but the South Australia openers played sensibly, taking sharp singles and getting occasional boundaries. Once South Australia had kept the opening seamers wicketless, Royal Challengers Bangalore's bowling became progressively looser, misfields and dropped catches found their way in and the last 100 runs were a cruise in the heavy Durban breeze. Tait set up the night beautifully. He didn't quite burn the speed gun, but bowled quick enough and got disconcerting bounce from deliveries fuller than bouncers. Manish Pandey top-edged a quick back-of-a-length ball in his first over, and an inside edge to a surprise full toss saved Rahul Dravid in his second. In between those overs, Callum Ferguson accounted for Robin Uthappa with a diving catch at cover-point even as all eyes had moved to the square boundary. 

Taylor, though, seemed to be playing a different game, racing along to 46 off 26 out of a team total of 62 by the end of the eighth over. Then Klinger, who had got Dravid through the early use of Aaron O'Brien's left-arm spin, called back Tait. That was the easy part. It is not easy for the bowler who knows he has to give his captain a wicket in six deliveries. Tait started with a short ball, not quite the bouncer, that beat the keeper. Later in the over, Taylor bent his knees to play a length ball. It seemed the correct action until it kicked up to take the shoulder of the bat. Job done. Klinger was making superb bowling changes; legspinner Cullen Bailey removed Virat Kohli in his first over. du Preez then produced the surprise of the night, giving anything pitched on a length some tonk, hitting four sixes and a four in his 26-ball 46. Harris, running from long-on towards cow corner, almost latched onto one of those. He dived full length to his right and took the catch, then realised his proximity to the rope, and flicked the ball back in. A relay throw found both du Preez and Cameron White at the same end, but the replays showed Harris' shoulder had just touched the boundary-rope skirting before he released the ball. Strangely, though, the umpires called it a four when it should have been a six. 

It would hardly matter in the end. Nor would the drop catch in the next over when du Preez drilled one short and wide delivery back at Bailey. For just when du Preez looked like setting a formidable target, Christian produced a bouncer to get him out. The 2.5 overs after that produced just 20. Harris and Klinger, already with a century stand in this tournament to their credit, then backed up their contributions in the field with another match-winning effort. They are both pretty similar in their batting styles: strong on the cut, low on risks, and possessing motor feet. It is difficult to tell them apart. Their running between the wickets, at times with the ball dropped on the pitch, frustrated the bowlers. In the second over, Klinger struggled against both Steyn's pace and sharp inward movement. If this was a tennis rally, Klinger had been pushed right into a corner. From there he produced the winner, first through an on-drive for four, then back-to-back cut fours in Steyn's next, with not much width on offer. du Preez, who made up for Jacques Kallis' absence with the bat, ceded territory with the ball, bowling gentle length deliveries in the sixth over. Harris hit him for three boundaries to bring up South Australia's 50. From then on the stroke-play grew more attractive, the batsmen matched each other shot for shot, Dravid missed a tough chance at point when Klinger was 31, Pandey dropped a fairly easy one when Harris was 43 and the asking-rate fell below a run a ball in the 13th over. Despite the two quick wickets that followed, it ceased being a contest too soon for a match that had such an intense first half.

South Australia Redbacks 155 for 2 (Klinger 69*, Harris 57) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 154 (Taylor 46, du Preez 46, Christian 4-23, Tait 2-23) by eight wickets

Match Scorecard

Doncaster 0 - 0 Leeds United

Doncaster and Leeds shared the points

Doncaster and Leeds shared the points after a highly entertaining Yorkshire derby at the Keepmoat Stadium. Leeds' Davide Somma and Rovers' Dean Shields both hit the woodwork in a first half played at a high tempo but short on real goalscoring chances. The pace did not drop after the break, with Somma getting the ball in the net with 15 minutes left, only to be denied by the off-side flag. Rovers tried for a late winner but Alex Bruce was imperious in Leeds' defence. Doncaster began the game the brighter, pinning Leeds back straight away with their intricate passing, but when they first came close to getting on the score sheet, it was by more direct means. 

Leeds' Bradley Johnson fouled James Coppinger wide on the right, and when Martin Woods fired in a free-kick, Somma failed to connect as he tried to clear the ball, forcing a fumbled save from Shane Higgs. Within minutes Somma was in the thick of the action at the other end, as he brushed aside a featherweight Rovers defence to unleash a shot which keeper Neil Sullivan turned onto the bar. It was then the turn of Shields to hit the woodwork for Rovers, with a right-foot curling shot against the far post from the left-hand side of the pitch. In the second half, Somma looked to have marked his first start for Leeds with a goal as he followed up Johnson's blocked shot, but was correctly flagged for off-side. The home side refused to give up, continually harrying the Leeds defence, but Bruce in particular proved to be an immovable object and prevented them finding a route through to goal.

Position	Team	P	GD	PTS
1	QPR	6	15	16
2	Cardiff	6	8	13
3	Doncaster	7	2	12
4	Millwall	6	7	11
5	Ipswich	6	2	11
6	Leeds	7	0	11
7	Burnley	6	3	10
8	Barnsley	6	1	10
9	Norwich	6	1	10
10	Scunthorpe	6	3	9
11	Reading	6	3	9
12	Watford	6	2	9
13	Swansea	6	1	9
14	Coventry	6	0	8
15	Nott'm Forest	6	0	7
16	Hull	6	-4	7
17	Middlesbrough	6	-5	7
18	Sheff Utd	6	-6	7
19	Crystal Palace	6	-4	6
20	Leicester	6	-4	5
21	Bristol City	6	-5	5
22	Derby	6	-4	4
23	Preston	6	-8	3
24	Portsmouth	6	-8	2

Wigan Warriors 42-18 Hull Kingston Rovers

Wigan (24) 42
Tries: Richards, Farrell, Goulding 2, Leuluai, Gleeson, J Tomkins
Goals: Richards 7

Hull KR (14) 18
Tries: Fox 2, Cockayne
Goals: Dobson 3 

Wigan partially atoned for last week's home defeat by Leeds as they booked a place in the play-off semi-finals. Pat Richards, who crucially missed three kicks last Sunday, was bang on form this time, converting all of impressive Wigan's seven tries. Richards, Liam Farrell, Darrell Goulding (2), Thomas Leuluai, Martin Gleeson and Joel Tomkins all crossed. And that sets up a tough choice for Wigan's neighbours St Helens when they make their Club Call on Sunday night. Saints must now opt between Wigan and the winners of Saturday's second elimination semi between Warrington and Huddersfield to decide who they will play next weekend. Wigan were forced to reshuffle their side following the loss of stand-off Paul Deacon with a groin injury, Sean O'Loughlin taking over at stand-off, with Farrell switching to loose forward and Harrison Hansen coming into the second row. But they looked like they had got last Sunday night's last-gasp 27-26 loss to Leeds out of their system when they made their customary quick start at the DW Stadium. Just four minutes had elapsed when, from emergency stand-off Sean O'Loughlin's looped pass, Richards galloped in at the left corner for his 32nd try of the season. 

The Wigan points machine then further proved that normal service was resumed when he duly added the extras. Yet within five minutes Rovers had stunned the home crowd with two tries. First, centre Ben Cockayne fed winger Peter Fox to slide in at the right corner for the first of his two tries, then two quick grubber kicks did the trick for Rovers' second try. Scott Murrell's first kick cannoned off a Wigan leg before falling kindly for Ben Fisher, who stabbed another kick through, which this time fell perfectly for Cockayne to run onto. Michael Dobson kicked both goals, but Wigan were then back on level terms within five minutes when they got a lucky break of their own. Mark Riddell's forward pass went unspotted to allow Farrell his second try in as many games, Richards kicking the touchline conversion. Even then, Rovers reclaimed the lead at 14-12 when Dobson guided home a penalty. But, just four minutes later, after one near miss when Shaun Briscoe punched the ball out of his grip just as he was about to snake out an arm and score, Goulding did get his first try, set up by Sam Tomkins. Then came an alarm for the home side when Tomkins needed urgent attention to a dislocated finger. And, although he had to undergo running repairs before having the loose digit slotted back in at half-time, he was soon back scything through Hull KR with a run that got Goulding over for his second try - the winger's 27th of the campaign. 

Richards slotted that one too, to make it four from four with another superb touchline conversion - and a 24-14 lead at half-time. But, within 15 minutes of the restart, it was all over as a contest and the home side were gliding to within 80 minutes of their first Grand Final for seven years when they ran in two tries in three minutes from Leuluai and Gleeson. Hull responded when, from another Dobson grubber, Sam Tomkins made the mistake of letting it run, allowing Fox to pounce for his second try. But Wigan had the final word when, despite having blood still seeping from a bandaged first-half head wound, Joel Tomkins neatly jinked his way in for try number seven - and the Warriors' fifth straight win over Hull KR. 

Wigan coach Michael Maguire said:

"It's a credit to the lads for the way they bounced back from last Sunday. It was probably good for us to play tonight. "It allowed us to find our attack and execute the way we did, while our defence is definitely where it needed it to be. "It's probably done us the world of good. It gave some of our players who haven't played a lot of footie over the last few weeks more time. They will get a lot of confidence out of tonight." 

Hull KR coach Justin Morgan said:

"Nobody is happy about losing but I thought we were beaten by a top quality side. I've got to give them plenty of credit. They put us under pressure and forced our hand. "I'm very proud of my team. They really had a dig. Our execution wasn't great but all the way to the end we were trying to score points. "I'm sure when we sit down and reflect, we'll be reasonably satisfied with the season. I'm sure the disappointment will spur us on. We've got a group who are very determined to learn from tonight's experience and come back bigger, better and stronger." 

Wigan: S Tomkins, Goulding, Gleeson, Carmont, Richards, O'Loughlin, Leuluai, Fielden, Riddell, Coley, Hansen, J Tomkins, Farrell.
Replacements: Paleaaesina, Prescott, Tuson, McIlorum. 

Hull KR: Briscoe, Fox, Welham, Cockayne, Colbon, Murrell, Dobson, Vella, Fisher, Clinton, Newton, Galea, Netherton.
Replacements: Lovegrove, Wheeldon, Cook, Hodgson. 

Referee: Richard Silverwood (Dewsbury). 

Attendance: 11,133.