English players should opt for IPL: McCullum

London: New Zealand master blaster Brendon McCullum believes the Indian Premier League has more to offer England players than the big-money Stanford games.

McCullum has taken the shortest form of the game by storm, notching a staggering world record score of 158 not out from 73 balls in the IPL.

“I played with the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting in the IPL and you can't help but develop when you train alongside those guys,” he said.

“The England guys would benefit for that reason. Financial gains are part of it but the best part is the experience,” The Sun quoted him, as saying.

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“We're not jealous of the Stanford games. The ball is in the player’s court - if you perform you can earn lucrative contracts from cricket,” he added.

The big-hitting batsman is convinced his time in India has helped him to develop his game. And he reckons England's finest should now do the same. And with reported earnings of 350,000 pounds from his Kolkata Knightriders deal, rather than the winner-takes-all element of the Stanford games, it is easy to see why.

“Scores like the one I got for Kolkata don't come around everyday but I know I have more of the same in me. I'd be disappointed if people didn't see us as joint favourites. Ok, England has the momentum but this is where we are most comfortable,” he said.

“We're quietly confident and have a great chance to turn around our tour,” McCullum added.

Symonds in another walking controversy

Sydney: Andrew Symonds is not a walker, but he also makes it a point to rub it in by acknowledging that he was out and it's for the umpire rule it.

The volatile Queenslander was involved in another walking controversy on the opening day of the third Test at Bridgetown, Barbados, when he was lucky not to have been given out by umpire Mark Benson after gloving Dwayne Bravo to wicketkeeper Dinesh Ramdin in Australia's first innings.

Benson refused to raise his finger and West Indian blood boiled and the Barbados crowd booed after Symonds' reprieve, reports The Australian.

It was a pivotal moment because Symonds, who was 14 at the time, went on to make 52 and lead a revival of sorts as Australia reached 226 for seven on a rain-reduced first day.

It was not the first time that Symonds, a confirmed non-walker, has been the beneficiary of a major umpiring blunder.

During the controversial Sydney Test last summer against India, Steve Bucknor ignored a blatant caught behind appeal when Symonds was 30. The Queenslander went on to make a match-turning 162 not out.

West Indies skipper Chris Gayle was refusing to let the Symonds incident sour a great day for his side.

"It's up to the individual what he wants to do at that particular time -- there is nothing we can do," Gayle said. "That's cricket.

"Sometimes it goes your way, there is nothing you can do about it, but carry on with the game."

Tribunal bans Shoaib for 18 months, fines Rs 7mn

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board's appellate tribunal on Saturday reduced the five-year ban on Shoaib Akhtar to 18 months, while imposing a hefty Rs seven million fine on the maverick pacer.

Tribunal head Justice (rtd) Aftab Farrukh announced the decision after a hearing in Lahore which was attended by the fast bowler.

Shoaib had originally been banned for five years by the PCB for several disciplinary violations on April 1 after he lambasted the board for denying him a central contract.

He had also alleged that PCB chief Nasim Ashraf asked for money to get him signed up for the lucrative Indian Premier League. He later withdrew the comments after being threatened with a Rs 200 million defamation suit by the PCB.

The pacer then appealed against the ban and the tribunal suspended the punishment for a month to allow him to play in the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders.The tribunal resumed hearing last week and its members were divided on whether to uphold the ban, reduce it or lift it completely.

The reduced 18-month ban means that Akhtar would remain out of the national squad for the upcoming Asia Cup and the Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan.

Pakistan beat India to lift Kitply Cup

Dhaka: Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his teammates failed to climb the run-mountain as Pakistan shoved a 25-run defeat down India's throat to lift the cricket tri-series title here on Saturday.

Despite dominating the tournament with characteristic ruthlessness, the Indians failed when it mattered most and choked in the final to allow an under-pressure Pakistan avenge their league match defeat and run away with the silverware.

After twin tons by Salman Butt (129 retired hurt) and Younis Khan (108) propelled Pakistan to 315 for three, India faltered early in their chase and eventually folded for 290 in 48.2 overs.
Dhoni (64 off 59 balls) and Yuvraj Singh (59 off 56 balls) tried their best but their batting colleagues failed to convert the starts.

A strong start was pre-requisite for such a mammoth chase and with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir (40 off 33 balls) in red hot form so far, India expected another solid foundation from the openers.

But law of averages finally caught up with Sehwag, who scratched around for his two runs before giving Shoaib Malik a simple catch off Sohail Tanvir at mid-off in the second over.

Rohit Sharma (24) joined Gambhir in the middle and kept India in the hunt with some fluent stroke-play. The duo seemed to have steadied the ship when Umar Gul came up with a two-wicket burst, removing both in successive overs.

Rohit's fluffed pull found Nasir Jamshed at deep backward square leg, while Gambhir cut it to backward point to the same substitute fielder to leave India reeling at 79 for three inside 13 overs.

Yusuf Pathan too could not convert and threw away his wicket after a run-a-ball 25, as did Suresh Raina (24) after the left-hander had put on 73 runs with Yuvraj. As long as Yuvraj was in the middle, India seemed right on course but Shahid Afridi had other ideas and he snared the left-hander in the 32nd over to jolt India. Yuvraj's 59-ball 56 included five boundaries, besides a six.

Dhoni and Irfan Pathan (28) kept India afloat for some more time but at the end of the day, it was simply not enough.

Earlier, Pakistan rode on a 205-run second wicket stand between Butt and Younis Khan to amass 315 for three.

With Pakistan Cricket Board chief Nasim Ashraf in attendance, Malik and his under-pressure teammates had extra reasons to put up a better show and they decided to take a slow but steady approach which clearly paid off.

The sedate start proved the lull before the storm and after Butt and Younis laid the perfect foundation for a big score, Misbah-ul-Haq threw his bat to good effect and chipped in with a 33-run cameo off just 21 balls as the side went past the 300-mark.
Dhoni used as many as eight bowlers, including Suresh Raina, but with little success.

After Shoaib Malik won the toss and decided to take first strike of the Sher-e-Bangla track, Pakistan decided to shun extravagance and keep enough wickets in hand to provide that late burst.

Butt curbed his natural aggression while Kamran Akmal (15) was straitjacketed. But with the first nine overs yielding just 29 runs, Akmal decided to break free and hit Irfan Pathan for a four but the pacer had his revenge in the next delivery as he sucked the batsman into tickling one behind the stumps where Mahendra Singh Dhoni took the catch. Butt had that fortune of the brave too as Rohit Sharma grassed one after the Pakistani had cut hard at a Praveen Kumar delivery while batting on 19.

Having found his feet, Younis stepped out to hit Virender Sehwag out of the park and he then slog-swept Piyush Chawla for a similar treatment to bring up the team's 150.

Though subdued compared to his elder partner, Butt helped himself to occasional boundaries as he cantered to his seventh ODI century, celebrating the feat by hitting Chawla over the ropes.

Younis too soon notched up his fourth ODI century, which came off 92 balls, but could add only eight more runs before offering a skier to Sehwag off Ishant Sharma to fall after a 99-ball knock which was studded with eight hits to the fence, besides three sixes.

Butt and Misbah then threw caution to the winds and went after the Indian bowlers, who, for the first time in the series, looked clueless. Butt eventually retired hurt in the 46th over but that was hardly a consolation for Dhoni's team as runs came thick and fast.

Gilchrist bowled over by IPL

Melbourne: Adam Gilchrist is amazed by the ever-increasing love for cricket in India and compared the Indian Premier League (IPL) next to Sydney Olympics."It was quite overwhelming to see an event capture the attention and mindset and imagination of a country quite like it," Gilchrist was quoted as saying in The Australian Friday."The only thing I can think of that was comparable was maybe the Olympics when they were in Sydney. But the Olympics was about two weeks, this was 45 days every night," said the former Australia vice-captain.Gilchrist, who retired from all cricket in Australia at the end of last season, could not believe the passion and interest of Indians in cricket could go to another level with IPL."It felt like that at 8pm the whole country would tune in no matter what the game was or who was playing. It was front page of the papers every day. The whole concept will be looked back on as a landmark in the history of cricket.""The great discussion at the moment is whether we carve out a window (in international cricket) for the IPL. I envisage that potentially, within 10 years, it could be more a case of trying to carve out a window for international cricket as this format becomes more of a staple diet," Gilchrist said.

Salman, acrobats, laser show lend glamour to IPL final

Mumbai: Though Shah Rukh Khan was not there, fellow Bollywood actor Salman Khan danced with a bevy of starlets to popular chartbusters amid razzmatazz, setting the tempo before the start of the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) final between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals here on Sunday.

Salman, always a crowd puller, had the audience swaying as he performed to songs from his forthcoming film with an entourage of 24 dancers in the background. Kim Sharma, Shamita Shetty, Dia Mirza and Sameera Reddy also shared the stage with him at the DY Patil Stadium in Nerul.

They also danced to the theme songs of the eight teams that participated in the first edition of the IPL.

His performance was followed by those from four trampoline acrobats, eight German wheels and eight German spinning wheels.

The multi-million-dollar IPL opened in Bangalore on April 18 with similar touches of glamour, leading to the 'cricketainment' that inaugurated the new chapter in the history of the game.

A laser show with 40 giant flames, followed by four para gliders and a fifth stunt man preceded the finale which had 16 dancers, all stunt artists.

Then it was the turn of the battery of IPL commentators, who made their presence felt in multi-coloured kurta-pyjamas.

Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar led the team of commentators, which also had Ravi Shastri, Arun Lal, Damien Fleming of Australia and Rameez Raja from Pakistan.

Speeches from International Cricket Council (ICC) president David Morgan, Indian cricket board president Sharad Pawar and IPL chief Lalit Modi over, it was time for folk dances.

Chennai vs Rajasthan Final Images

Rajasthan win inaugural IPL

Rajasthan Royals beat Chennai Super Kings [Images] by three wickets (and off the last ball) in the final of the inaugural Indian Premier League [Images] at the D Y Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Scorecard
Chasing a target of 164, Rajasthan began on a disastrous note, losing three wickets inside seven overs with just 42 runs on the board.
Niraj Patel (2) was cleaned up by Manpreet Gony in the fourth over and Swapnil Asnodkar (29) and Kamran Akmal (6) were dismissed in the space of three balls (of an Albie Morkel over), the latter needlessly run-out.
However, the in-form duo of Shane Watson (28) and Yusuf Pathan (56) put on 65 runs in just 45 balls for the fourth wicket in a partnership that brought Rajasthan back in the game.
Watson was impressive in his 19-ball knock, which had three hits to the fence, before he was cleaned up by a beautiful delivery from Muralitharan.
The Sri Lankan also snapped up Mohammad Kaif (12) off his final delivery (the last ball of the 17th over) and Morkel dismissed Ravindra Jadeja (0) with the very next delivery to brighten Chennai's prospects.
Rajasthan were precariously placed at 139 for six, needing 25 runs with 17 balls left.
Then the worse happened. Pathan, who surived three chances to post his fourth half century of the tournament, saw his luck run out finally.
Pathan, whose 39-ball knock contained three hits to the fence and four huge ones over it, was run-out to a direct hit by Suresh Raina.
But Rajasthan captain Shane Warne [Images] was not to be denied his moment of glory.
Rajasthan needed 18 runs off the last two overs and eight from the final over, bowled by Lakshmipathy Balaji.
Warne (9 not out) and Sohail Tanvir [Images] (12 not out) took their team home, the latter hitting a boundary off the last ball.
Earlier, Rajasthan Royals [Images] used their bowling resources intelligently to restrict Chennai Super Kings to a modest 163 for five wickets.
Royals skipper Warne won the toss, asked the rival team to bat first and then captained the side imaginatively with his field placings and bowling changes, never allowing the Super Kings to settle down on a slow-pace track.
The Super Kings owed their score mainly to an enterprising 43 by in-form one-down batsman Suresh Raina, who faced only 30 balls while hitting two pulled sixes and a four.
The UP left-hander, back in the Indian one-day team, built on a decent start of 39 in 5.2 overs provided by Parthiv Patel (38 in 33 balls) and Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan (16 in 14 balls).
But his dismissal in the 17th over, when he threatened to cut loose, derailed Chennai's plans for a more healthy total.
The most impressive bowler for the Royals was off-spinner Pathan, who grabbed three for 22 in two spells, while Watson accounted for the wicket of Raina.
The Super Kings, who had lost their two home and away ties earlier in the tournament against the same opposition, began their innings on a cautious note on a slow-paced track of low bounce on which the ball did not come on freely to the bat.
Parthiv and Sivaramakrishnan played it safe against Tanvir, who had grabbed six for 14 against them on May 4 at Jaipur.
Seeing the mood of the two openers, Warne removed the Pakistani left-arm pacer, the most successful bowler in the tournament, after only one over.
The run-rate perked up when Vidyut played an inside-out cover drive off Watson and then was lucky when his top-edge flew over the third man fence for a six.
Parthiv, coming into the match on the back of an unbeaten 51 last night in the semifinal against Punjab King's XI, was content to see off Tanvir by facing five dot balls and then hitting his first four. He was also lucky to see his top edge off Munaf Patel [Images] race to the fence.
Warne replaced Watson with Pathan after five overs, in which 39 runs were scored, and the move paid off immediately when Vidyut pulled a short ball for Jadeja to bring off a fine front-diving catch at mid-on.
Warne rung in quick bowling changes to unsettle the second wicket duo of Parthiv and fellow left-hander Raina, who had powered their team to a nine-wicket win over Punjab King's XI with an unbeaten century stand.
The 50 of the innings was raised in the seventh over and then Parthiv, after pulling off spinner Pathan for his fifth four, departed. He edged an attempted off-glide to wicket keeper Akmal who juggled with the ball before completing the catch.
In-form Raina, who made 54 not out against Deccan Chargers in his team's last preliminary phase tie and followed it up with 55 not out against Punjab, continued his good run by stroking the ball well. He was hardly troubled by the spinners and pulled the great Warne for a six.
Morkel (16) also pulled Warne disdainfully for a six into the stands in the 12th over after the first 10 had yielded 75 runs. The South African all-rounder also swung Pathan over mid-wicket for his second six before he got out in the same over, 13th of the innings.
In trying to repeat the shot he ballooned a catch to stumper Akmal who took a tumble over Mohd Kaif, who also went for the ball, while managing to hold on to the sphere to provide Pathan his third wicket.
The 100 came up in 80 balls after which Raina swung Siddharth Trivedi, bowling his second spell, for a six. Later skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni [Images] (29 not out in 17 balls) lofted Warne, bowling his last over, over the straight field for another six to take Chennai Super Kings to 117 for three with five overs remaining.
Raina fell in trying to clear the long off area and was caught just inside the rope by Jadeja after which Dhoni and Chamara Kapugedara added 20 runs before the latter holed out to the deep off Tanvir in the last over.
Dhoni, who hit a straight second six in Tanvir's last over, and S Badrinath (6) remained unbeaten at the end of the innings.
Rajasthan were without opener Graeme Smith [Images] and made two changes to the side which won the semifinal against Delhi Daredevils [Images] while Chennai retained the side that won them the semi final against Punjab King's XI.

Stage set for blockbuster finale

Match factsSunday, June 1Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)
Shane Warne's leadership has been the story of the IPL (file photo) © Martin Williamson

The Big PictureAs the summer blockbuster comes to an end, two of its biggest superstars clash in the finale in Mumbai. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, captain of the Chennai Super Kings, is the highest-paid player in this league but his counterpart in the Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, has delivered better results; his success at this year's tournament would be the equivalent of the box-office returns of a Shahrukh Khan starrer.
A win for Dhoni would justify his US$1.5m price tag but would also be a last-minute twist to the fairytale ending that would hand Warne the trophy. Warne's dual role as captain and coach of Rajasthan has been the story of the season: an entire team costing less than two-and-a-half times Dhoni's price, whose owner's low-budget strategy even got the thumbs down from the IPL's chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi, was moulded into a successful unit.
However, don't write off Dhoni just yet. His first stint as captain was at the World Twenty20 in South Africa, where an unfancied India claimed the title, and here his team were written off after the exodus of international stars, but Dhoni and Co have battled the odds to reach the final.
One factor in Chennai's favour is that Graeme Smith, whose batting has been the cornerstone of several Rajasthan innings, has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Also, Rajasthan were routed by the Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Sports Academy, the venue of the final, and Warne termed the surface "easily the worst of the IPL" as the ball stopped before coming on to the bat.
On form, Rajasthan are favourites and their confidence will be boosted by their two earlier victories against Chennai. However, after convincingly knocking out the formidable Kings XI Punjab in the semi-finals, Chennai won't be too worried about the underdog status.
Form (last five completed matches, most recent first)Rajasthan Royals: WLWWWChennai Super Kings: WWLLW
Watch out for ...
Dhoni v Warne: Both are unconventional captains. And both thrive in big-match situations.
Sohail Tanvir: Tanvir has been lethal in the tournament and Chennai are his favourite opponents - he has taken nine wickets in his previous two encounters against them.
Rajasthan's power-hitters v Muralitharan: Several of Rajasthan's big-strikers, including Shane Watson and Yusuf Pathan, favour the arc between square leg and mid-on. How Muttiah Muralitharan handles the threat will be intriguing.
Team newsWarne termed the loss of Smith as "huge" but Kamran Akmal's presence softens the blow. Akmal's inclusion could force Mahesh Rawat, who was their wicketkeeper in the semi-final, to sit out. Niraj Patel, who has impressed in the limited opportunities he has got, could be drafted in to strengthen the batting order.
Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Niraj Patel, 2 Swapnil Asnodkar, 3 Kamran Akmal (wk), 4 Shane Watson, 5 Mohammad Kaif, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Shane Warne (capt), 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Munaf Patel.
Chennai are likely to retain their winning XI unless Dhoni decides to pick Joginder Sharma, who bowled that dramatic final over against Pakistan in the World Twenty20 final last year, over L Balaji, who had a poor outing in the semi-final.
Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 S Vidyut, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt) 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 S Badrinath, 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Manpreet Gony, 9 L Balaji/Joginder Sharma, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Makhaya Ntini.
Stats and trivia
Fifteen of Sohail Tanvir's 21 wickets have come during the last five overs of an innings, a period during which he's conceded only 5.85 an over, the best economy-rate among bowlers who've bowled at least 20 balls between overs 16-20.
After a lacklustre run, Suresh Raina has peaked at the right moment - his unbeaten fifties in the previous two games have secured important wins.
7.91 - The average run-rate at the DY Patil Stadium, where three IPL matches have been held. The average run-rate of the tournament is 8.31.
Quotes"I would be lying if I say I am not feeling the pressure, but we are ready for it [the final]."Mahendra Singh Dhoni after Chennai's emphatic semi-final victory
"The wicket at the DY Patil has helped seamers more. It's a bit up and down. We have a well-balanced attack to do well there."Shane Warne fancies his bowlers' chances
"On form [Rajasthan] Royals are on a roll but Chennai can be dangerous as they proved against us."Tom Moody, Kings XI Punjab coach, sits on the fence when asked to pick the IPL winner

Can Chennai halt Rajasthan's juggernaut?

And so it is that the Indian Premier League's finale will feature the team that started off like an express train, and another that has enjoyed the smoothest ride through the six weeks. The wheels threatened to come off for the Chennai Super Kings after that 4-0 start, but they regrouped from the loss of their Australian contingent to stitch together the victories that have taken Mahendra Singh Dhoni to the threshold of another major Twenty20 triumph. The Rajasthan Royals were hammered in their opening game, but have since scripted the sort of fairytale that Eric the Eel and other underdogs could only dream about. Both demolished their semi-final opponents, and there will be no shortage of confidence on either side as two of the most intuitive leaders in the game face off for the sport's richest prize.
After thumping the Delhi Daredevils to take their deserved place in the final, Shane Warne had appeared quite indifferent when he was asked which team he would prefer to face. There was little doubt though that he expected it to be Kings XI Punjab. After all, of all the teams in the IPL, they had been most adept at absorbing pressure. The chase against Delhi in a game decided by Duckworth/Lewis had been timed to perfection, and they had also enjoyed a thrilling last-ball win against the Mumbai Indians.
But with Chennai reprising their early-season form, there was nothing majestic about the men from Punjab. With the stakes higher than ever, they took the pressure as well as a Coke can would a hobnailed boot. The established internationals like Yuvraj Singh and Mahela Jayawardene were the main culprits, and Dhoni could afford to stick to the tried-and-tested script after initially springing a surprise by throwing the new ball Muttiah Muralitharan's way.
It helped that his pace bowlers were absolutely outstanding. On a pitch that offered plenty of bounce, Makhaya Ntini was always going to be a factor, and so it proved. But it was Manpreet Gony, the son of Punjab in Chennai yellow, that took the vital wickets of Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj, bowling a maiden along the way. Throughout the tournament, his accuracy and consistency have been eye-catching, and in favourable conditions, he excelled by not getting carried away.
Gony and Ntini, supported splendidly by the ever-impressive Albie Morkel, will face their sternest test against a Rajasthan team that has already beaten them twice. Graeme Smith's muscular hitting may be missing, but in Kamran Akmal, Warne has a replacement who certainly doesn't lack flair or hitting ability. Shane Watson will be desperate to emphasise his most-valuable-player status in the game that matters most, while Swapnil Asnodkar and Niraj Patel will be encouraged to adapt the no-fear approach that has served them so well thus far.
Shane Watson will be desperate to emphasise his most-valuable-player status in the game that matters most (file photo) © AFP

The key to the contest will be Rajasthan's bowling, the most varied and effective in the competition. Sohail Tanvir has been the best new-ball bowler on view, while the heavy ball that Watson bowls was far too much for Delhi's star-studded batting to cope with. Siddharth Trivedi's changes of pace have been tough to get away, while Munaf Patel has eased back into the national reckoning with the accuracy that first caught the eye.
And then, there's Warne, the piper calling the tune. The rave reviews that his captaincy has earned have slightly obscured the fact that he also has 19 wickets for the tournament. On a helpful pitch, like the one he got in the semi-final, no one can rip a legbreak quite like he does. The straighter one has also fetched him wickets, as has the aura that appears to intimidate some batsmen even before they settle into the stance.
Both teams have got superb performances out of their Indian contingents. Suresh Raina, S Badrinath and the remodelled L Balaji have excelled for Chennai, while Warne has inspired top-drawer efforts from Ravindra Jadeja, Munaf, Trivedi and Asnodkar. Warne was insistent that it was the seven Indian players who were the real key to success. "You expect the four foreign guys to do a job," he said. "But it's the local players that can be the difference between winning and losing."
Dhoni, who has led India to victory at the World Twenty20 and in the CB Series, has had a charmed life as leader so far. But in Warne, he's up against perhaps the greatest big-match player there's ever been. It should be some contest.