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Spain, May 03: Italian Valentino Rossi claimed his first victory of the season in the Moto GP category of the Spanish Grand Prix, the third leg in the world motorcycling championship.
Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, on a Honda, and Australian Casey Stoner on a Ducati finished second and third respectively as Rossi, an eight-time world champion, took the lead of the world championship standings.
Rossi had a consistent and determined performance to thank for his first win of the season, and impressive 98th of his career, that has given him an 11-point overall lead over Stoner.
Rossi now has 65 points, with Stoner, who won the season-opening leg in Qatar, on 54.
However the Italian admitted it should be a fight to the death for this season's crown.
"There's been three winners in three races, so it looks like the championship will be very tight this year. I will have to stay very concentrated at each and every race," said Rossi, who was surprised with his victory.
"It's been a strange weekend. On Friday (free practice) I was very fast then Saturday I had a lot of problems with the bike. We then made a few technical changes before the race and things seemed to work better as of this morning.”
"During the race once I'd overtaken Jorge (Lorenzo) I managed to slowly creep up on Casey - we overtook each other two or three times - then on Pedrosa who, in this position isn't easy to overtake."
Starting fourth on the grid behind Spanish teammate Jorge Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Stoner, Rossi overtook the Australian on the sixth of the race's 27 laps before then trying to chip away at Pedrosa's advantage.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Rossi reigns in Spain MotoGP
Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, on a Honda, and Australian Casey Stoner on a Ducati finished second and third respectively as Rossi, an eight-time world champion, took the lead of the world Liverpool beat Newcastle 3-0
London, May 03: Liverpool beat Newcastle United 3-0 at Anfield on Sunday to keep up their pursuit of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table and send Newcastle deeper into relegation trouble at the bottom.
A goal off Yossi Benayoun's knee and a diving header from Dirk Kuyt put Liverpool in control in the first half and substitute Lucas headed in the third late on.
Second-placed Liverpool moved on to 77 points with three matches to play. Leaders United have 80 points and four matches remaining.
Newcastle, who had Joey Barton sent off in the second half, remain in the relegation zone with 31 points from their 35 matches. With three games to play they are three points behind Hull City, who occupy the safe 17th spot.
Sunderland, who are also battling against the drop, host Everton in a 1500 GMT kick-off.
Milan stay in Serie A hunt with Catania win
Rome, May 03: AC Milan kept their slim title hopes alive with a comfortable 2-0 victory at Catania courtesy of goals from Filippo Inzaghi and Kaka.
Veteran Inzaghi's strike took his record to 11 goals in his last eight matches while Kaka's strike was his 15th of the season in Serie A and followed up a pair of penalties last weekend against Palermo.
The victory reduced Inter Milan's lead at the top of Serie A to seven points but, with just four matches left, second-placed Milan would need their city rivals to suffer a spectacular collapse to win a first scudetto since 2004.
Third-placed Juventus's hopes all but mathematically ended as substitute Jose Ignacio Castillo scored an equaliser deep into injury time for relegation-threatened Lecce in a 2-2 draw in Turin.
In Sicily it was plain-sailing for Milan who opened the scoring on 27 minutes after former world player of the year Kaka burst into the area and then teed up Inzaghi for a typical poacher's finish.
Milan then sealed the match seven minutes into the second period as Kaka swept home the loose ball after Lecce goalkeeper Tomas Kosicky pushed out David Beckham's header.
It was Milan's fifth win in a row and also took their tally to 21 goals in their last eight matches.
But even so, coach Carlo Ancelotti had to fend off speculation about his future after the match, responding ironically to suggestions he will join Roman Abramovich's Chelsea in the summer.
Nadal wins fourth Rome Masters after epic final
Rome, May 03: World number one Rafael Nadal won his fourth ATP Rome Masters title on Sunday beating reigning champion Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 in the final.
Nadal extended his winning run on clay to 30 matches in just over a year while Djokovic's failure to retain his title saw him lose the world number three spot to Briton Andy Murray.
Although the match ended in two sets it was a high quality and close run affair until the very end when Djokovic wilted and Nadal ran away with it.
Djokovic played brilliantly at times but the main difference was in unforced errors where he made 40 to just 22 from Nadal.
Kuznetsova downs Safina in final
Stuttgart, May 03: Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Russian compatriot and world number one Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-3 in the final to win Stuttgart's WTA tournament to bring an end to her losing streak in finals.
The fifth-seed needed just one hour and 19 minutes to beat the highest-ranked player in the world in straight sets to claim the winner's prize of a new Porsche sports car.
Having beaten Olympic champion Elena Dementieva in Saturday's semi-final, Kuznetsova finally broke her losing streak here having lost the last six finals she had reached on the WTA tour.
Kuznetsova changed both her coach and moved back to Moscow last year from Spain to train and the Stuttgart champion said the win here is proof she is on the right track.
"I changed so many things in the last year, pretty much everything you can change in your career, so this win is a good sign," she said.
"I love being in Moscow, I love being back home, my soul feels at home in Russia."
Punjab Kings XI overpower KKR in a thriller
Port Elizabeth, May 03: Punjab Kings XI clinched a thriller of a match with Mahela Jayawardene providing the firepower with his brilliant fifty.
Punjab outfit won with Irfan Pathan scoring the winning run off the last ball of the match. Things could not have been more thrilling for either of the squads that left the Kolkata Knight Riders vanquishing at the end yet again.
At the beginning of the innings, Simon Katich and Sunny Sohal had played cautiously but fell cheaply as skipper Yuvraj Singh did battle it out on the turf with the Kings XI total reading 81 for the loss of three at the end of 10 overs, but failed to capitalise. Punjab Kings XI had started off their campaign on the wrong foot, losing Sangakkara for a duck in the first over itself but the batsmen held their nerve at the death overs.
It was Brad Hodge’s day as he sculptured his second IPL fifty and took Kolkata Knight Riders tally to a competitive 153 at their innings’ end. His blitzkrieg 70 off 43 indeed set the tone for a thriller of a contest.
Sourav Ganguly had come to the crease with a lot on his shoulders as the match was more about pride this time around and with a big innings due, he showed promise early-on. Ironically, his innings came to an abrupt end after he managed 22 off 17 deliveries.
In another disappointment for Shah Rukh Khan’s side, Brendon McCullum played a rather lazy innings (19 off 31 balls) which came to an end with Piyush Chawla spinning the fatal delivery. The skipper yet again failed to infuse the side with an inspiring knock.
The duo of skipper McCullum and Hodge had held fort at the end of 10 overs as KKR posted 52 in their first half.
In search of an elusive morale-boosting victory, Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and elected to bat first against the Kings XI Punjab.
Punjab Kings XI had started off their campaign on the wrong foot, losing Sangakkara for a duck in the first over itself but the batsmen held their nerve at the death overs.Gambhir says Daredevils face opening dilemma
Johannesburg, May 03: With David Warner grabbing the opportunity with both hands and sizzling in his IPL debut, Delhi Daredevils would have an opening slot dilemma when regular captain Virender Sehwag returns from an injury, stand-in skipper Gautam Gambhir said.
Asked about team composition for Tuesday`s match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Durban, Gambhir admitted there was an issue to deal with.
"We haven`t decided as yet. Once Sehwag is back, then we will decide about the team composition, particularly on the openers," Gambhir said. "In my opinion, deciding on the openers is key, after that, it then does not matter who bats in which order," he said.
Sehwag, currently nursing a finger injury, and Gambhir have not been able to replicate their batting prowess in this year`s IPL.
In Sehwag`s absence, Warner opened the innings against Chennai Super Kings last night and hit a 40-ball 51 to make his mark.
Gambhir conceded the explosive Australian was in red hot form.
"The way Viru demolishes the attacks from the word go, we knew we are going to miss him. But fortunately we had David Warner in the squad. The way he batted was wonderful and he making a fifty on his debut was great," Gambhir said.
Gambhir`s own form has not been anything to write home about and the left-hander felt time was ripe to come out of the bad patch.
"It is important when you want to contribute to the team. Now we have eight more matches to go I hope I will be able to strike back. I would love to contribute with the bat," he said.
Overall, Gambhir said, the Daredevils have done well in the tournament so far, notwithstanding the occasional hiccups.
"I think we are still at the top of the table, so imagine if we had performed well where we would be," he said.
"I think we have a good chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. There are times when we have lost out wickets trying to take our chances. One can`t be really consistent in this format of the game," added the left-hander.
My batting in IPL has been pathetic: Dhoni
Johannesburg, May 03: His flop-show in the Indian Premier League has left Mahendra Singh Dhoni frustrated and the Chennai Super Kings skipper has no qualms admitting that his batting has been "pathetic" so far in the tournament.
"I think my batting is pathetic in the tournament so far," Dhoni said.
Chennai is riding high on back-to-back wins but Dhoni`s reputation as an explosive batsman is at stake after the star player managed just 107 runs at an average of 21. Dhoni said he was desperate for a good knock.
"All the big-hitters including Albie Morkel, me and Jacob Oram didn`t really click. We need to perform in the future as we are a side that relies heavily on its batting.”
"If one of us clicks in future and with our top-order performing well we can give good targets to our bowlers to defend. And that is our strategy," Dhoni said.
Overall, Dhoni said he was satisfied with his team`s performance and lauded new find Shadab Jakati, the left-arm spinner who took four wickets in last night`s match against the Delhi Daredevils.
"It is a very open tournament and people are always looking for fresh talent. Jakati was part of our side even last year. We had a decent batting line-up last year, so we used to play an extra batsman to strengthen our batting," Dhoni said.
"But this season things have changed, the spinners are able to get good amount of purchase from the wicket as the innings progress. The batsmen tend to go after the spinners and take their chances and that this is one of the reasons why spinners have been so successful in the tournament," Dhoni said.
Dhoni said with youngsters doing well, the selectors would be spoilt for choice when they pick the Indian squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in England in June.
"The more difficult it becomes the better for us. We will go with the best 15 players in the ICC World Twenty20. So I am quite happy," he said.
Dwelling on his team, Dhoni said it`s a balanced squad and hence the task of picking the playing XI was a difficult one.
"More often you will see these four overseas players in our playing XI - Matthew Hayden, Muttiah Muralitharan, Jacob Oram and Albie Morkel. They are an integral part of the team. Until and unless someone gets injured or loses form we are not going to change them.”
"So, it is not really difficult to pick the playing XI," he added.
Deccan-Chennai tie promises to be a humdinger
East London, May 03: Pulled back by two successive losses after their fairytale unbeaten run, Deccan Chargers is in for a tough contest against Chennai Super Kings, a side riding high on two consecutive wins, in the Indian Premier League here tomorrow.
Adam Gilchrist`s Deccan Chargers, which finished at the bottom of the table last season, surprisingly won four successive matches before hitting a rough patch with defeats in the last two matches.
Losses to Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals may not have affected the side`s number one status in the IPL points table but the twin debacles would have definitely dented the morale. In contrast, it has been a revival of sorts for Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s Chennai, which interestingly beat Rajasthan and Delhi to get its IPL campaign back on track after a rather disappointing first week for a team that was runners-up last year.
The key to Deccan`s success has been Gilchrist`s rampaging form with the bat, brilliantly complemented by fellow opener Herschelle Gibbs.
The duo has done the bulk of scoring for Deccan with Gilchrist amassing 210 while Gibbs has 191 runs to his credit in the six matches the team has played so far.
In fact, their early dismissals were a major reason for the side`s losses in the past two matches.
Chennai, on the other hand, has relied way too heavily on Australian opener Matthew Hayden (246) -- the tournament`s leading scorer right now even though Suresh Raina has also chipped in with valuable contributions.
Raina is currently second on the leading scorers` list with 232 runs, including a fifty. But skipper Dhoni is yet to click and his form is vital for Chennai down the order.
Deccan holds a slight edge even in bowling, having the tournament`s second highest wicket-taker medium pacer R P Singh, who has taken 12 wickets so far, in its fold.
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha has been in good nick as well picking up 10 wickets in six matches.
Chennai`s bowling, however, lacks the bite with the exception of star off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who has taken five wickets in the five matches he has played.
Left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati, however, sizzled against the Daredevils last night, picking four wickets and Dhoni would be tempted to go in with a two-pronged spin attack again.
Chennai has the momentum going into the match but if Gilchrist and Gibbs click, Deccan might just race away with the game.
I hope Ponting is captain for rest of my career: Clarke
Abu Dhabi, May 03: Stand –in Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke has enhanced his status with a one-day series victory against Pakistan, but says that he is in no hurry to inherit the job permanently from incumbent Ricky Ponting.
An unbeatable 3-1 lead against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, culminating in his unbeaten century in Abu Dhabi on Friday night, has enhanced his position beyond doubt, but Clarke says he looks forward to Ponting’s return at the helm of affairs.
Clarke has hardly put a foot wrong with his captaincy. He has kept team spirits high despite the pressure they faced after being skittled by Pakistan`s spinners in the series-opener to continue what had been a disappointing recent one-day record.
His field placements and bowling changes have mostly worked beautifully, most notably in game three when Australia engineered a Pakistan collapse of 10-76 to snatch a pivotal win.
Clarke was also in charge last time Australia won a one-day series, against Bangladesh in Darwin last September.
"Every single time I get the chance to captain Australia I love it, it`s wonderful. But for me it`s about playing as well, it`s about being in this team. The feeling in the group this whole tour has been wonderful,” Clarke said.
"It`s not about the captaincy for me, I`ve enjoyed it, don`t get me wrong, but I can`t wait to get our skipper back. I`ve always said and I`ll continue to say I hope he`s my captain for the rest of my career, because if that`s the case our No.3 batter is a brilliant player," he added.
Coach Tim Nielsen said Clarke`s "brilliant" efforts confirmed his status as a team leader, regardless of the captaincy tag.
"It`s confirmed for everybody what we thought we knew. He`s had success in the past when he had filled in for Ricky as a captain, both in Twenty20 and one-day cricket, and we were very confident he would have success as a leader here," Nielsen said.
Clarke said while thankful for the leadership experience, the series win outweighed any personal gains.
Australia will be looking to continue their winning streak in Sunday`s dead rubber in Abu Dhabi.
ICC tells USACA to follow IPL model in America
New Delhi, May 03: ICC principal adviser I S Bindra has urged the United States Cricket Association to develop a Twenty20 tournament on the lines of the Indian Premier League to counter the unauthorised American Premier League, which is set to roll out in October.
"I feel that regulation is not the only way to curb unapproved ventures. You need to have a successful alternative, too, like how the BCCI developed its Premier League as a viable model (to the ICL)," Bindra said.
Bindra, who is entrusted with the task of developing the game in the grassroots level in US, said having an IPL-style tournament will generate funds for the purpose.
"The ICC has advised cricket officials in America to install an IPL model to capitalise on the Twenty20 boom and generate funds for the game`s grassroots development in the USA," Bindra told reporters.
I get nervous while watching Yusuf bat: Irfan
Port Elizabeth, May 03: They play for two different teams in the Indian Premier League, but Irfan Pathan said he feels the pressure watching his brother Yusuf bat and prays for him.
Yusuf, playing for defending champions Rajasthan Royals, continues to make headlines with his dazzling display in the second edition of the IPL and Irfan said he liked to watch his brother in action.
"I get very nervous while I am watching him (Yusuf) bat. I just don`t want him to get out," Irfan said.
Asked about the on-field rivalry between the two brothers, especially when he is bowling to Yusuf, Irfan who plays for Kings XI Punjab said, "Then it`s a different matter."
Yusuf`s knock in the super over against Kolkata Knight Riders was a perfect example of power-hitting and Irfan too agrees that it was one of his brother`s best efforts ever.
"No one will ever forget that Super Over. The way he batted that day was simply superb. The whole scenario around the over was tremendous, so Yusuf`s effort was amazing," the left-arm all-rounder was quoted as saying.
India behind World Cup move from Pakistan: Mani
Abu Dhabi, May 03: A former president of cricket`s governing body today accused India of being behind the decision to shift World Cup 2011 matches away from Pakistan which has further isolated the troubled country.
"The decision to move the World Cup out of Pakistan was ill-conceived and taken in haste and I am afraid to say that India has a big hand in this (decision)," Ehsan Mani, former president of the International Cricket Council (ICC), told reporters.
The ICC last month stripped Pakistan of its share of World Cup matches, citing the "uncertain security situation" in the country as the reason for its decision. The matches will now be held in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Mani, who is from Pakistan, said the decision on the World Cup was not on the agenda of the meeting.
"From what I have heard, seen and spoken to PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) and number of other people, it wasn`t on the agenda at all in the meeting, the issue on the agenda was security situation in Pakistan after attacks on the Sri Lankan team.
"If the intention of the ICC and its members was to move the World Cup 2011 away from Pakistan, it should have been properly discussed, proper concept papers should have gone out so that the PCB could have been prepared.”
"A decision of this magnitude should have been discussed at length but I am afraid it`s an ill-conceived decision made in haste."
Mani -- who was ICC president between 2003 and 2006 -- said the World Cup was awarded to four countries and not one.
"I was the president when the WC 2011 was awarded to four countries, not awarded to individual countries, and these four countries were committed to provide a security assessment 18 months before, which is August 2009, so I question why they made it in April," said Mani.
"India is taking control and just claiming they will host all matches, it`s totally unacceptable," said Mani of India who will now host 29 matches, Sri Lanka 12 and Bangladesh eight.
Mani also blamed India for isolating its old rival Pakistan.
"I believe that is the case (isolating Pakistan). I believe politics is mixed into cricket. Pakistan and India have got together, even at the time of uncertain political situation and it was historic that Pakistan and India revived cricket in 2004.”
"Cricket should cut all barriers and should not be used as it is used by our neighbours to isolate Pakistan," he said.
Mani also backed suggestions from former Pakistan captains Imran Khan and Javed Miandad that South Asia should have swapped World Cups with Australia and New Zealand.
"It would have been logical that all the countries should have got together and swapped the World Cup 2011 with Australia who were due to host the 2015 World Cup as situation in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is not good either.”
"But the reason why it`s not happening is the next ICC president will be from India and he would not like this to happen in India when he is the president," said Mani of Sharad Pawar, the next ICC president.
Mani said he would make every effort to convince the ICC to allow Pakistan to host its World Cup matches at the neutral venues of Abu Dhabi and Dubai where Pakistan are currently playing their one-day series against Australia.
