Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Phoenix suns burnt chicago bulls


The Phoenix Suns booked their place in the playoffs with a 111-105 triumph over the Chicago Bulls.
Jason Richardson led the Suns with 27 points, while Steve Nash added 22 with an impressive performance and Amare Stoudemire pitched in with 21.
Flip Murray and Derrick Rose poured in 23 points each but it was not enough to prevent the Suns from recording their eighth consecutive victory.
Elsewhere, Kevin Durant - the league's second-highest scorer - once again led the way for Oklahoma City Thunder as his 26 points helped them cruise to a 111-93 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Elton Brand top-scored for the 76ers with 22 points, while Andre Iguodala added 21.
It was a tighter affair at the Houston Rockets who edged out the struggling Washington Wizards 98-94.
Rookie Chase Budinger hit a go-ahead jump shot with 28 seconds remaining as he poured in a career-high 24-points to snap a four-game losing streak for the Rockets.
Washington's woes continue and Andray Blatche's 31 points could not prevent them crashing to their 16th defeat of the season.
Meanwhile, Danny Granger scored 33 points as the Indiana Pacers clinched their eighth home win, brushing aside the Sacramento Kings 102-95, and the Los Angeles Clippers went down 107-89 at the Milwaukee Bucks.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Federer in 4th round



Roger Federer reached the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, but was made to sweat by Frenchman Florent Serra.
The top seed won 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (7/3) in one hour 32 minutes to set up a meeting with Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.
The Swiss star dropped his serve three times, but converted three of the eight break-point chances he had, including two in the second set, and held his serve when it counted.
Serra was let down by his first serve, making just 49%, but Federer will also look to improve on his mark of 58% in the next round.
"Sure, I still have to tidy up my game a bit, having had one break up in the first and two breaks up in the second; it's normally something that doesn't get away from me," said Federer.
"But I thought he came up with some good stuff, and that made it difficult for me to close it ouT... I don't think I gave it to him. I think he went to get it, which is a big difference."
Berdych, the 16th seed, was a 6-4 7-5 winner over Horacio Zeballos of Argentina.
A single break gave Berdych the first set and two more followed in the second, Zeballos claiming one of his own.
The second-highest seed left in the draw, Robin Soderling made lighter work of his match, needing just 65 minutes to defeat Philipp Petzschner 6-1 6-2.
The number five seed will face Chilean Fernando Gonzalez after the ninth seed eventually saw off Juan Monaco 6-7 (4/7) 6-4 6-2 to record his sixth victory in as many games over the Argentinian.
Elsewhere, seventh seed Marin Cilic edged out Marcos Baghdatis 6-3 6-4.
There was little to choose between the pair, who both dropped just four points on their first serve, but the Croat managed to twice break Baghdatis and the Cypriot did not even enjoy a single break-point chance.
Cilic faces Fernando Verdasco in the fourth round after the number 10 seed struggled to a 3-6 7-6 (7/4) 6-1 win over Jurgen Melzer.
The Spaniard got off to a sluggish start before eventually battling through in just over two hours.
American Mardy Fish, Andy Murray's conqueror, claimed another scalp with a 7-5 6-3 win over 29th seed Feliciano Lopez.
Fish carved out 13 break points, converting just two, but saved the two he faced to claim victory.
He will meet 13th seed Russian Mikhail Youzhny who edged out Stanislas Wawrinka 1-6 7-6 (7/5) 7-5.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Indian team Squad for T20 World Cup


Karnataka speedster R Vinay Kumar was today rewarded for his consistent performance in domestic cricket while leg-spinner Piyush Chawla staged a surprise comeback into India's 15-member squad for next month's Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies.

The 26-year-old Vinay Kumar, who has been impressive in the ongoing IPL, was the only new face in the squad to be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Barring Vinay's inclusion and the recall of Uttar Pradesh leg-spinner Chawla, there were no major surprises in the squad announced by the BCCI secretary N Srinivasan after a selection panel meeting in Mumbai.

Pacers Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth and RP Singh, who were in the provisional 30-member list, failed to figure in the squad while spinners Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra also missed the bus.

Delhi batsman Virat Kohli, who was in the ODI squad against South Africa last month, was also left out of the squad for the event to be held in the Caribbean from April 30 to May 16.

"We have selected the best team for the Twenty20 World Cup. We are happy with the performance of every member of the team. They have shown consistency," chairman of selectors Krishnamachari Srikkanth said after picking the squad.

"The Twenty20 World Cup is still one month away and we hope that this team will do well in the event," he said.

Srikkanth also said as of now there is no worry.

"Everyone is hundred per cent fit and all the fitness certificates have been submitted to the Board. All the members are fit and fine," he said.

Ashish Nehra, who has not played a single match in the ongoing IPL because of a rib cage injury, has been included in the squad with the selectors expecting the gangling paceman to be fully fit for the mega event.

Vinay has forced his way into the team on the back of his consistent performance in domestic cricket, claiming 46 wickets in the Ranji Trophy. He has so far captured 202 wickets in 54 first class matches with eight for 32 his best figures.

The diminutive Chawla pipped Ojha and Mishra for the second spinner's berth in the squad which has Harbhajan Singh as the spin spearhead.

Chawla returns to the Indian team after a gap of nearly two years, the 2008 Asia Cup in Pakistan being his last appearance.

Chawla, who plays for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, has done a decent job with the ball so far, which prompted the selectors to include him in the squad.

Gambhir, who is also carrying an injury, has been included in the squad and will partner his Delhi team-mate and vice-captain Virender Sehwag at the top of the order.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has also been named in the squad with the selectors preferring to have a cover for captain Dhoni who has just recovered from an injury.

In the run-up to the selection meeting, several former cricketers wanted Sachin Tendulkar, who has been in red hot form, to be part of the Twenty20 squad, but the champion batsman had made it clear that he had no intentions of playing the shortest format of the game for the country.

The squad has five specialist batsmen in vice-captain Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma, two all-rounders in Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja.

Jadeja had been banned from this year's IPL and the all-rounder has appealed against the decision. A verdict on the appeal is expected soon.

Besides Vinay Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar were the pacers in the squad.

Zaheer and Harbhajan were making a return after missing India's last Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka in December last.

Others who were dropped from the 30-member provisional list announced earlier for the April 30-May 16 mega-event were Sudeep Tyagi, Abhishek Nayar, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, Abhimanyu Mithun, Manish Pandey, Munaf Patel, Murali Vijay and Ravichandran Ashwin.

The Squad:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag (v-c), Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, R Vinay Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Dinesh Karthik.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Houston Blown away by lakers


The LA Lakers bounced back from a terrible performance against the OKC Thunder to claim a 109-101 victory over the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers flirted with their lowest points total in the modern era yesterday, but looked a different side on Saturday, typified by Pau Gasol's 30 points.
The Dallas Mavericks beat the Golden State Warriors 111-90 on the back of Rodrigue Beaubois' best ever performance, bagging 40 points.
The New Orleans Hornets fell out of playoff contention as the slipped up 112-101 against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Brandon Roy claimed 28 points for Portland.
The Washington Wizards saw their franchise record losing streak pushed to 15 games as they last 103-87 to the Utah Jazz.
Carlos Boozer led the was for the Jazz with 22 points, while Deron Williams added 20 and 12 assists.
The New Jersey Nets got back losing ways with a 106-83 defeat by the Chicago Bulls.
Following a two-game winning ruin which ensured they would not be setting a new mark for the NBA's worst ever season, New Jersey were brought back down to earth by Jannero Pargo's season-high haul of 27 points.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Rajasthan Royals win the match Royally


Jaipur captain Shane Warne believes their win over Hyderabad would serve as a warning to the rest of fray in the Indian Premier League.
This was their third straight win and leaves them on course for a semi-final berth, a remarkable turnaround following three consecutive defeats at the start of the tournament.

"Part of the turnaround is about preparation and planning, but a lot of it is about executing those plans," Warne said.
"We have a good buzz in our squad at the moment, we executed our plans really well and everyone contributed.

"It was a good result and an emphatic win and I think it sends the message to the rest of the IPL that Jaipur are playing good cricket and we are here to stay."

Warne paid rich tribute to the way his players have performed.

"You just cannot create team spirit and you cannot force it on the team. It has got to come from within," Warne said.

"We appointed Yusuf the vice-captain this morning and we also have a leadership role for Munaf Patel, the other senior player in Indian cricket in the team.

"We have lots of good chats and honest talks and I thought all the guys have responded beautifully.

"We have started to play good cricket and everyone has played their role. I am very proud of the guys today."

Warne revealed part of the plan was to be strong in their home games.

"We have only lost one game in two IPL seasons at home and we would like that record to stay.

"We'd like the opposition to feel uncomfortable when they come in because this is our fortress."

Hyderabad skipper Adam Gilchrist admitted his team had performed poorly.

"We were pumped and to be honest we were outplayed in pretty much everything we did," he said.

"We were pretty soft in some areas and allowed them to dominate which, to their credit, they did.

"We have a few games coming in a row now so the good thing is we can put it behind us and move on pretty quickly and get into the next challenge.

"We have things to think about definitely after this game, but we have also done pretty well as a side until this game.

"We would have to see what we can improve on which after tonight's performance seems to be quite a bit. But it is something we will work on."

Friday, March 26, 2010

Delhi Dare Devil wins over Banglore


Stand in Delhi skipper Dinesh Karthik could not contain his glee after his side defeated Bangalore on Thursday.
Gautam Gambhir’s return from Sri Lanka after a successful ayurvedic treatmemt was an icing on the cake for a team that was in desperate need of a win.

"I am very, very happy," Karthik said after the game. "We worked very hard for the win."

"The wicket we knew would turn as it did, since it was a bit dry and a score of 180 would always be challenging.

David Warner has been a great asset. He has done well for Australia and he is doing well for us. It is a blessing to have him, since he takes the pressure off Virender Sehwag."

"We fielded extremely well and the run outs were a  great boost. We really needed to bounce back with a win and that is what we did."

Bangalore skipper Anil Kumble was naturally a little downcast but given that his side is in a great position, he wasn't overly bothered with the loss.

"Naturally, we would have loved to win, but full credit to Delhi, they played really well," the veteran said.
"After the kind of start Delhi got off to, I think we did really well to pull them back.

"We began our batting well but a couple of run outs and some poor shot selection cost us," he added.

Asked if fielding first after winning the toss was the right decision, Kumble said: "It was always going to be a slow track, but our batsmen are in good form and we were expecting to win. It just didn't work out that way."

Thursday, March 25, 2010

New York Knicks beat the Denver Nuggets


Indeed the performance done was such a flawless one and a convincing victory..Toney Douglas got nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as the New York Knicks beat the Denver Nuggets 109-104.
Danilo Gallinari scored 28 points and Al Harrington 23 for the Knicks, who were 12 points down early on.
Carmelo Anthony poured in 36 points in vain for the Nuggets, who remained three wins from clinching a post-season berth.
Jason Kidd scored a season-high 26 points on his 37th birthday as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-96.
The Charlotte Bobcats got a franchise-best 36th victory on the season, beating the Washington Wizards 95-86 in overtime, and the Indiana Pacers got their first win in 10 road matches, prevailing 98-83 against the Detroit Pistons.The match was such a sensational one.Hope they rock on this season,.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Raina Disappointed and looking forward to next match

It was a dismal performance by Chennai super kings batsmen.They didn't have any answer for the questions asked by Bangalore bowlers.Not even one strong innings came from Chennai batsmen and they didn't put up a good fight.Barely able to contain his disappointment, Chennai Super Kings’ stand-in skipper Suresh Raina pointed out that the two dropped catches off Robin Uthappa proved decisive in his team’s defeat to the Royal Challengers Bangalore here on Tuesday night.

“We dropped two catches and also didn’t bat well. I think, we have to relook at our batting line-up,” said Raia who is deputizing for an injured Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The Super Kings have lost three of their five matches and remain on four points, but more significantly, with a negative Net Run Rate that could come into play in the event of a tie for positions on conclusion of the league phase.

With nine more matches to be played, five of them at home where the Super Kings do not enjoy a good track record, having lost both the games at Chapauk, the road to the knock-out phase is getting steeper for a team that was a finalist in 2008 and semi-finalist last year.

Obviously, Dhoni’s forced absence in view of the elbow injury is hurting the Super Kings far more than they care to admit, especially in the middle-order that has proved to be a let-down.

“Hopefully, Dhoni should be with us in Mumbai for the next game. He is recovering well,” said Raina while adding that his team had not chased well in the last two games.

However, he chose to put on a brave front saying the players are looking forward to the next game in Mumbai later this week. “We have to back ourselves and do well in our next match,” he asserted.

The two dropped catches when he was on five and 25 allowed Uthappa to prosper to an extent that he simply annihilated the Super Kings bowling that conceded 67 runs in the last five overs to move from 104 for three to the eventual 171 for five.

Uthappa remained not out on 68 that came off 38 deliveries and includes six sixes (all of them in the last four overs) and three boundaries.

Raina said the team will be practicing harder for the games ahead and was hopeful of better performances in their bid to get back to winning ways.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Paul Gasol leads Lakers to victory



Pau Gasol had 28 points and Kobe Bryant added 24 as the Los Angeles Lakers posted a 99-92 win over the Washington Wizards.

The win was the sixth on the bounce for the defending NBA champions and current

Western Conference leaders, while defeat for the Wizards was their 11th in a row.

The Atalanta Hawks secured a play-off berth with a 119-114 win over the San Antonio Spurs in overtime.

The Hawks' first win over San Antonio in five years came about despite a season-high 38 points from Spurs star Manu Ginobili.

LeBron James had 15 points and seven assists and JJ Hickson added 13 points and eight rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers posted a comfortable 104-79 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Danny Granger scored 32 points to send the Indiana Pacers on their way to a 121-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Carl Landry scored 24 points in the Sacramento Kings' 102-89 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Kevin Martin led Houston with 28 points as the Rockets edged a tight game with the New York Knicks 116-112. David Lee had 27 points and 20 rebounds in defeat for the Knicks.

Amar'e Stoudemire led Phoenix with 18 points as the Suns defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 93-87.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Sharapova at indianwells




Maria wears a yellow and blue Nike outfit as she competes at Indian Wells tournament in California.Looking forward what the tennis queen has got in for us.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Chennai superkings expecting for a win



Mohali will need to be more than ordinary if they are to upset a rampaging Chennai in their own backyard.
Mohali have lost all their three matches and their batsmen and bowlers have failed to perform as a unit.

In all the three matches, Mohali had worked themselves into a position from which they could have won. But they lost each time. Kumar Sangakkara’s men will have to get over the last-minute jitters against Chennai, who look well-settled, formidable and are clear favourites.

Matthew Hayden has been fantastic so far for Chennai. Suresh Raina also looked quite at ease with captaincy in the absence of regular skipper MS Dhoni. And, much to Mohali’s displeasure, their bowlers -- Albie Morkel, Balaji and Muttiah Muralitharan are also coming into their own.

Mohali have match-winners in skipper Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. However, they require Yuvraj Singh to fire. They team can also do with some contribution from Irfan Pathan, who dazzled against Hyderabad, and Sreesanth to take wickets upfront. If Piyush Chawla is influential with his leg-spin, it will be a bonus. The side is desperately missing the injured Brett Lee's bowling at the death.

Meanwhile, Dhoni could return to action sooner than expected, with the wicketkeeper-batsman likely to take the field against Mumbai on March 25.
Chennai vs. Mohali: Head to Head

Played: 5
Won by Chennai: 5 (Winning % 100.00)
Won by Punjab: 0

Approaching milestones:

- Matthew Hayden (872) requires 28 runs to become the fourth batsman after Gilchrist (1056), Raina (928) and Gambhir (901) to complete 900 runs or more in the IPL.

- Suresh Raina (928) needs 72 to become the second batsman after Gilchrist to complete 1,000 runs in the IPL.

- Irfan Pathan, with just one wicket, would be moving into the second place with 35 wickets behind RP Singh (41).

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Hayden's knock boost Chennai's morale



Mathew hayden has won the match single handedly for chennai against the delhi dare devils.The very long worry of hayden's form was on its peak and he gave a fitting reply to all his critics

Hayden’s 43-ball blitz, with his long handle Mongoose bat at his age of 38, left a packed Feroze Shah Kotla awestruck on Friday evening. The innings not only helped Chennai beat Delhi comprehensively, the yellow shirts will not only be favourites against Kings XI but could rise on top of the league table.

Hayden was a revelation. His 24-ball 50 was a record but it was his excellent cricketing shots that changed the complexion of the game. The Aussie was classy during his partnership with stand-in skipper Suresh Raina. The duo produced 50 of only 23 balls for the third wicket. Hayden also proved that there was no devil in the Kotla wicket.

A five-wicket victory against Delhi and their stupendous win over the Kolkata Knight Riders have given Chennai the momentum from which they could only get better with their morale high. By contrast, the morale of Punjab XI is at its lowest and even Tom Moody can’t find ways to lift his professional stars.

Punjab captain Kumar Sangakkara has been in poor form. As skipper, he has done precious little to lift his team. The form of Yuvraj Singh has also been a concern. Among the overseas skippers in the League, only Adam Gilchrist has been successful. At the Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, Punjab will start as underdogs as Chennai will surely ride their home support.

Chennai’s batting strategies have worked well so far. The top three contributing 150 has been the key and the home team will look for an encore against beleaguered Punjab.

Chennai skipped nets on Saturday but the Kings XI will train under lights. Skipper MS Dhoni is likely to sit out Sunday’s game to rest his injured elbow.

Friday, March 19, 2010

IPL CHEERLEADERS- CONTROVERSY



It was only going to be a matter of time before a self-righteous Indian politician's underwear bunched up in manufactured rage or TRP hungry television channel whipped up a fake controversy over the Washington Redskins cheerleaders.

Although there are some predictable criticisms from the usual suspects among the country's moral police, so far the extent of protest seems remarkably subdued in a tradition-bound nation. While one cannot guarantee that it would remain so, it is possible that the 'outrage' over the cheerleaders would not amount to anything much.

Cheerleading comes to India at a time when its movies have significantly demystified the female body with its many raunchy songs in which girls dress and dance far more provocatively than what was on display at the Indian Premier League's Twenty20 game in Bangalore. In the past decade or so the inelegantly named "item numbers" in Hindi movies have immunised the young against any possible shock. The amount of crotch grinding and artless suggestiveness that Hindi movie starlets engage in some of the "item numbers" far surpasses anything that the cheerleaders might do.

Those who know about cheerleading in the US would know that while at some level it is undeniably voyeuristic, its moves and choreography are by no means designed to be titillating. It is true that cheerleaders wear clothes that barely leave anything to the imagination, but the overriding appeal of cheerleading is athletic rather than erotic.

The introduction of American style cheerleading seems inevitable as cricket is acquiring some of testosterone of American football. Sure it was once a game where every cover drive or a leg glance was applauded by indolent British lords and lesser aristocrats from the sidelines. Every time they harrumphed, a retinue of their servants went scurrying about to bring them tea and sandwiches.

Those who know about cheerleading in the US would know that while at some level it is undeniably voyeuristic, its moves and choreography are by no means designed to be titillating. It is true that cheerleaders wear clothes that barely leave anything to the imagination, but the overriding appeal of cheerleading is athletic rather than erotic.

The introduction of American style cheerleading seems inevitable as cricket is acquiring some of testosterone of American football. Sure it was once a game where every cover drive or a leg glance was applauded by indolent British lords and lesser aristocrats from the sidelines. Every time they harrumphed, a retinue of their servants went scurrying about to bring them tea and sandwiches.


Now cricket is a glamour sport where fetching and well-endowed young women with supple bodies vigorously cheer from the sidelines. The purists may feel offended that the game is cheered by women who do not know a bat from an umpire, but that is the nature of evolution. It is as much entertainment as it is a sport. What would the purists rather have - empty stands for a five-day test match or a full-house for a three-hour game of unbridled excitement? If cheerleaders can bring in more spectators, cricket will be the better for it.

Cheerleading, like beauty pageants, is an institutionalised celebration of the female form in the US. It is impossible to find a cheerleader who is not desirable. But beyond the obvious, it requires a fair degree of athletic skills, particularly when it comes to tumbling. Cheerleading is almost a part of the school curriculum. Young girls begin to train for this art form which is somewhere between gymnastics and dancing. Done well and with finesse, it looks rather easy. But, in fact, it can be very demanding physically.

Cheerleading as an attractive sideshow to football games has been in existence since the 1880s in America. It acquired most of its contours of today, including its rhythmic yell, in 1894 when an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota called Johnny Cambell, bored of sitting quietly in the bleachers, started yelling "Rah, Rah, Rah! Sku-u-mar, Hoo-Rah! Hoo-Rah! Varsity! Varsity! Varsity, Minn-e-So-Tah!" from the sidelines. It has since gone on to become an increasingly well-defined physical activity, which involves dancing, tumbling and a whole lot of other tricks.

Some 115 years after it was introduced in the US, cheerleading has come to India thanks to Twenty20, the tarted-up version of the more staid Test and one-day cricket. It is just as well because in the new "cricket on crack", as the Twenty20 version is so illustratively called, the actual game seems incidental. A young beer swigging spectator in Bangalore said in his just acquired fake American accent on ABC News, "They are hot. They are rockin'. I want their numbers." Two more young men chimed in, "They are drop-dead gorgeous. To be honest, we are ardent cricket fans. But today we did not see a single ball of cricket."
They did not have cricket on their mind. They had the cheerleaders on their mind with their bright red pompoms, yellow bikini tops, shorts and white high-heeled boots. It was an erotic fantasy come true. Unless you are differently inclined, who does not like girls with taut bodies in tight outfits and high-heeled boots flailing their limbs? Vijay Mallya, the ever-glad-eye owner of the Royal Challengers team, has understood that in order for his latest business to be attractive, he has to have attractive people selling it.

Although it may still offend the sensibilities of some, the changing trend of popular tastes suggests cheerleading could strike roots in India. Of course, like everything else it is bound to be Indianised, which might mean less skin than in the US.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Cavaliers Seal Divisional Title

LeBron James fell just short of a triple-double as the Cleveland Cavaliers sealed their over the Indiana Pacers.

The win ensured the Cavaliers their second consecutive Central Division championship.

James poured in 32 points, pulled down nine rebounds and contributed nine assists as the Cavs ran out 99-94 winners to become the first team to seal a divisional crown this season.

Antawn Jamison added 17 points and claimed nine rebounds for the Cavs, while the Pacers were led by 19 points and 15 rebounds for Troy Murphy, and 20 points for Roy Hibbert.

Chris Bosh sank a 16-foot jumper with two seconds left in the game as the Toronto Raptors registered a 106-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks to halt a five-game losing streak.

Bosh also reached the milestone of scoring 10,000 career points in the second quarter as he ended the night with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Andrea Bargnani led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors while Jamal Crawford enjoyed a season-high 33 points in defeat for Atlanta.

Andre Iguodala scored 20 points and Jrue Holiday added 19 as the Philadelphia 76ers ended a five-game losing streak with a 108-97 win over the New Jersey Nets, while Paul Pierce drained 29 points and Kevin Garnett added 22 as the Boston Celtics saw off the New York Knicks 109-97.

Michael Jordan tasted success in his first game as Charlotte owner as the Bobcats fought back for a superb 100-92 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Stephen Jackson scored 20 points and Stephen Graham 19 as the Bobcats recovered from a franchise record-equalling 19-point second-quarter deficit to take the win.

Vince Carter hit 24 points and added eight assists as the Orlando Magic beat the San Antonio Spurs 110-84, while Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 11 rebounds as the Utah Jazz ran out 122-100 victors over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Caron Butler poured in 27 points and Dirk Nowitzki 26 to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 113-106 win over the Chicago Bulls, who slumped to defeat for the ninth game in succession.

Aaron Brooks hit a franchise-record seven three-pointers for Houston as the Rockets downed the Memphis Grizzlies 107-94.

Anthony Tolliver enjoyed a career-high 30 points as the Golden State Warriors downed the New Orleans Hornets 131-121. David West weighed in with 36 points and 15 rebounds for New Orleans.

Chris Kaman poured in 20 points as the Los Angeles Clippers ended an eight-game losing sequence with a 101-93 triumph over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Jordan takes control of Bobcats

Michael Jordan has become the first ex-player to become a majority owner of an NBA team

This was after the league's board of governors voted unanimously to approve his purchase of the Charlotte Bobcats.

The basketball legend's purchase of Bobcats Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Charlotte Bobcats, gives the 47-year-old a controlling interest in the companies that operate the Bobcats and the franchise's Time Warner Cable Arena home.

"Purchasing the Bobcats is the culmination of my post-playing career goal of becoming the majority owner of an NBA franchise," said Jordan after the vote today.

"I am especially pleased to have the opportunity to build a winning team in my home state of North Carolina.

"I plan to make this franchise an organisation that Charlotte can be proud of, and I am committed to doing all that I can to achieve this goal."
Jordan, who is thought to be second only to Tiger Woods in sport's all-time personal fortune stakes, made his name as a shooting guard at the Chicago Bulls, where he won six NBA titles and was named the league's Most Valuable Player on five occasions.
Jordan has been a part-owner of the team since 2006 and has already been running basketball operations at the Bobcats.

Financial details have not been officially disclosed, but it is understood Jordan has splashed out US dollars 275million to secure a controlling interest.
Bob Johnson, who paid US dollars 300million for the expansion team that began play in the 2004-05 campaign, has transferred control of the franchise to Jordan after a six-year tenure as the majority owner of the NBA's 30th franchise.
Since entering the NBA, the Bobcats have accumulated debts of around US dollars 150 million.

Johnson said: "The best decision I made since acquiring the Bobcats was to convince my friend Michael to become an investor in the Bobcats and to appoint him as managing member of basketball operations.

"He has always been committed in his work to promote and develop the team and has extended his expertise to Bobcats Sports & Entertainment, including his recommendation that I hire Larry Brown as head coach.

"As the new majority owner of the Bobcats, his dedication will be stronger now more than ever.

"I am confident that Michael's leadership will bring success to the Bobcats whether it's measured by on the court performance, success as a business, or making a positive impact in the Charlotte community."

With 17 games remaining in the 2009-10 regular season, the Bobcats are currently pursuing their first play-off appearance.
NBA commissioner David Stern commented: "We are pleased that Michael Jordan's purchase of majority ownership of the Bobcats was approved by the NBA's Board of Governors and closed in such a smooth and expeditious fashion."

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Chennai superkings great victory

Chennai bowlers put up a good show to help their side register a comfortable 55-run victory against Kolkata at Eden Gardens.

Justin Kemp dismissed two wickets of hosts Kolkata in quick succession as he packed off Angelo Mathews and Rohan Gavaskar.
Muralitharan followed soon by claiming the eighth one in Laxmiratan Shukla. R Ashwin then accounted for the penultimate wicket in Shane Bond. Murali Kartik was the last one to get run out.

Justin Kemp accounted for the fifth Kolkata wicket in skipper Sourav Ganguly as Morkel took the catch at deep midwicket.

Albie Morkel and Manpreet Gony struck early to rock Kolkata's ship as the hosts started their 165-run chase on a dismal note.

Ashwin caught Brad Hodge off Morkel to land the first wicket. Gony then accounted for Manoj Tiwary to deal another blow.

Then Laxmipathy Balaji got the better of Wriddhiman Saha's middle stump to send the third one packing.

After that Dhoni did a neat job behind the stumps to help Balaji land his second wicket in Owais Shah.

Skipper MS Dhoni and Subramaniam Badrinath brought Chennai back into the fray after Kolkata dealt them quick successive blows. Dhoni hit a half-century (66) and Badrinath also contributed 43 runs to lead Chennai to 164/3.

Brad Hodge accounted for the third Chennai wicket in Suresh Raina.

Murali Vijay was the second batsman to depart when Laxmi Shukla got the better of his stumps.

Chennai lost an important wicket in Matthew Hayden as Ishant Sharma dismissed him as soon as he got off the mark.

Chennai skipper MS Dhoni called right at the toss and chose to bat first against Kolkata at Eden Gardens.

With back-to-back victories, Kolkata must be raring to go against Chennai in their IPL match today.

His decision to promote Virender Sehwag to the opening slot had made history, a benchmark for a captain's thinking ability. Now Sourav Ganguly is at it again. He is trying to do the same with Manoj Tiwary. For Sehwag, it was in the longest version of the game and for Manoj, it is in the shortest version.

But the impact is the same! Manoj, too, had never opened in his entire cricketing life except on one or two club matches, before he was instructed to do the same for Kolkata by Sourav.

Playing XI:
Kolkata: Sourav Ganguly (C), Brad Hodge, Manoj Tiwary, Owais Shah, Laxmi Shukla, Rohan Gavaskar, Angelo Mathews, Wriddhiman Saha (W), Murali Kartik, Ishant Sharma, Shane Bond.

Chennai: Murali Vijay, Matthew Hayden, Suresh Raina, Justin Kemp, MS Dhoni (C) (W), Subramaniam Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Muttiah Muralidaran, Manpreet Gony.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Kolkatta vs chennai

With back-to-back victories, Kolkata must be raring to go against Chennai in their IPL match today.
By Kashinath Bhattacharjee
His decision to promote Virender Sehwag to the opening slot had made history, a benchmark for a captain's thinking ability. Now Sourav Ganguly is at it again. He is trying to do the same with Manoj Tiwary. For Sehwag, it was in the longest version of the game and for Manoj, it is in the shortest version. But the impact is the same! Manoj, too, had never opened in his entire cricketing life except on one or two club matches, before he was instructed to do the same for Kolkata by Sourav.
The most important thing is, the Kolkata captain does not believe in giving only one chance. If the experiment fails, the temptation to discard the option is the order of the day. Probably, Sourav cannot forget those four years from 1992 to 1996 when he was thrown out of the international circuit after only one match at Brisbane in 1992. He faced it. So, he realizes the pain. And, he believes, there should always be a second chance. When life has no problem in providing one second chance, why should not he?
"Believe in yourself, believe in the team" is his motto. So, Manoj Tiwary, the 24-year-old got the opportunity to open the innings at his home ground and made the most of it by claiming the man of the match award through his 29 ball 50 against Bangalore, on Sunday. Now he is raring to go after the Chennai bowlers. The confidence of the captain is really infectious for all his teammates.
Against Chennai, Manoj and Brad Hodge will open the innings again. And for Chennai, there is no Dale Steyn or Jacques Kallis to open the bowling attack. The young Indian talent, Sudeep Tyagi and the South African Albie Morkel will share the new balls. In fact, that is an area of concern for Chennai since none of them impressed in their first match against Hyderabad.
Stephen Fleming, the thinking brain behind the Chennai team, however, declined to agree. "In the sub-continent, even a bowler with 150-160Km does not make a difference. Spinners can cause havoc and in that area, who's better than Muttiah Muralitharan? We have him with us. He is raring to go, too. Then there is Aswin and Raina, too, can bowl some overs. So, we are happy."
With the arrival of Shane Bond, Kolkata versus Chennai seems to be a battle between Kolkata bowlers versus Chennai batsmen. Although he had reached Kolkata on Monday morning, Bond might get a nod from the team management who are keen to make it three out of three. And Bond might be another trump card for Dada and CO.
But, the problem is, who to drop among the foreigners if Bond is to be included in the playing XI? Kolkata is running short on batsmen. So, Brad Hodge and Owais Shah are certainties. Angelo Mathews now is untouchable. Only option is Langeveldt. If that happens, they would again play a bowler short ie back to square one.
Yet, Bond can get the nod keeping in mind his devastating effect on the opposition. Initially, he had joined the Rebel Indian League in 2007. The best fast bowler after Sir Richard Hadlee in the New Zealand will be eager to make a difference in his debut match at the Indian T20 Championship as well as on his first outing at Eden.
Both the Kolkata opening bowlers will have to re-ignite themselves for an old battle against the mighty Matty Hayden. His new bat and determination to prove his worth to the team is making the battle an interesting one. Murali Vijay is labelled as a player ‘from the BCCI president's cabinet' who earns regular calls from national selectors in case of injuries to the first XI players. He has a proven record in the longer versions. However, his credentials in T20 are yet to be proved.
Suresh Raina has been a hit in international circuit while Badrinath has done the same in domestic matches. How these two young Indians batsmen excel against the Kolkata bowlers, Chennai captain MS Dhoni will be concerned.
The most interesting battle will, however, be the ex and present Indian captains. Kolkata still believes, Dhoni did not want Sourav in the one day team. There was a time when Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, was unceremoniously treated by the Eden crowd over Sourav's removal from the national team. It was such an issue that when the Indian team reached Mumbai from Kolkata, some of the teammates were forced to remark that they had ‘reached home'!
For Dhoni, however, the enmity with Dada's army in Kolkata is not at the same intensity level. But how can one deny the undercurrent?
That sets the perfect tone for the match billed as ‘Captain courageous versus captain cool'.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Kolkatt knight riders

Juhi meets Mamata
What was Juhi Chawla doing at Mamata Banerjee's residence?
The co-owner of the Kolkata team had visited the Railway Minister's home in Kalighat on Monday to invite her to see the Kolkata versus Chennai match at Eden on Tuesday.
However, the Railway Minister had to leave for Delhi on Monday and she left just after talking to Chawla. She said that if she goes, she would enjoy the match from the galleries.
Later, Juhi said, "Yes, it would have been great to have her at Eden." But her duties as the Central Railway Minister are much bigger than to be present at a cricket match.
However, for Juhi, the Bollywood heroine, it was indeed great to meet Miss Banerjee at the headquarter of Trinamul Congress and spend 20 minutes with her.
SMG on RG
It was a delightful timing from Sourav Ganguly, once again!
He had asked Rohan Gavaskar to bowl against Bangalore when Rohan's illustrious father Sunil Gavaskar was commentating.
The day after, when Gavaskar was attending a question-answer session with the trainees of the Pailan cricket academy, a boy could not restrain the temptation to query about his son's future with the Kolkata team.
"It's good that he has found a place in Kolkata. Now he has to perform when he gets the opportunity and help the team to do better", said the batting legend.
Rohan, however, did not get the chance to bat for his team in his first match and his only over had costed his team 11 runs. Rohan would definitely try to contribute more to the team's cause when he gets another opportunity.
Incidentally, the junior Gavaskar too, had joined the rebel Indian League when the Indian T20 championship began two years before. Last year, all those cricketers involved in the rebel league were allowed to return to the domestic circuit and the ex-Bengal skipper found a place in Dada's team.
Fake tickets, 3 arrested
With the introduction of Computers, it's now so easy to design fake tickets. A professional group was working on it for Kolkata matches at Eden. Designs were made in computers and the tickets were printed digitally. But, Kolkata Police caught three of them, namely Md Faiyaz, Sarfraj Ahmed and Mirajul Haque. And recovered at least 130 fake tickets.
Faiyaz was caught first outside Eden. 30 fake tickets were found. Later, from him, Police got the name of Sarfaraz and from his house around hundred fake tickets were found. Sarfaraz used to scan the tickets and the fake tickets were printed at Mirajul's press in Keshab Sen street. Police arrested him, too. From Mirajul's press, all the CPUs, mother CDs, paper for printing tickets were ceased.
Police believes, there are more people involved in the crime. The hunt will be on, said the DCDD 1, Dayamanti Sen.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Mavericks go down to the nicks

It proved unlucky 13 for the Dallas Mavericks as their long winning streak ended in a 128-94 defeat to the New York Knicks.
Bill Walker's career-high 23 points and 22 more from Wilson Chandler did much of the damage.
Luis Scola exploded for a career-high 44 points and 12 rebounds as the Houston Rockets beat the woeful New Jersey Nets 116-108.
Scola took advantage of dreadful defence from the Nets to make 20 of his 25 shots in a win that keeps the Rockets' slim playoff hopes alive.
The Golden State Warriors dealt another big blow to the playoff hopes of the Toronto Raptors as Stephen Curry scored 35 points and added 10 assists in a 124-112 victory.
The Raptors have now lost four straight as they cling to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Atlanta Hawks watched a 28-point lead whittled down to single figures but still held off the Detroit Pistons to win 112-99.
Joe Johnson had 26 points on a night when the Hawks shot a season high 63%.
The San Antonio Spurs did what they always do against the Los Angeles Clippers - win - with George Hill collecting 14 points and a career-high 11 assists in a 118-88 victory.
It was the Spurs' 16th straight victory over the Clippers.
The Denver Nuggets racked up their sixth straight victory as they beat the Memphis Grizzlies 125-108.
JR Smith scored 19 of his 30 points in the second half, while Carmelo Anthony had 24 points and Chauncey Billups 22.
Dwight Howard had 28 points and 15 rebounds as the Orlando Magic made it eight wins out of eight, beating the Washington Wizards 109-95.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Indian cricket Board to get richer

Even before the start of the third edition of the IPL, the BCCI bagged deals worth thousands of crocres of rupees.
With a number of brands fighting to make their mark in the Indian Premier League, the Indian Cricket Board's is set to get only richer.
Acording to the Economic Times, regardless of the T20 tournament's ability to keep the crowd interest going, the world's richest cricketing body is learnt to be richer by nearly Rs 750 crore, up 25% from last year, after sewing up a raft of deals.
The IPL has bagged three-year deals with internet giant Google and general entertainment channel Colors inked in January, which are worth at least Rs 80 crore and Rs 100 crore, respectively, as reported by the newspaper.
The Indian T20 Series also earned sponsorship deals with Swiss watch brand Banderlier, Karbonn Mobiles, Indiagames, Maxx Mobile, V Rock Mobile and Global Cricket Ventures for merchandising, which collectively are worth at least Rs 125 crore a year.
Tyre company MRF also joined the IPL brandwagon by sponsoring the blimp, a balloon that floats over the stadium, in a deal said to be worth Rs 15 crore a year.
"OUR estimate is that IPL-3 will witness a 25-30% growth in revenues," said Basabdatta Chaudhury, CEO, Madison Media.
He also told the national daily that new deals like the theatrical rights sold for Rs 330 crore for 10 years also helped boost IPL revenues this year, besides the many sponsorship deals.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Dadagiri Back in Kolkatta

That unmistakable pride in stride firmly in place again, Sorav Ganguly looks in command of his knights from Kolkata.

“It's all about building an atmosphere within the team. The game should be played freely”, Sourav Ganguly declared unhesitatingly in the crowded press conference the two most important things that had transformed his Kolkata team this season.

There was no mention of John Buchanan. Nobody dared to utter his name. Surely, Dada would never. The ‘revolutionary’ Multiple-captains theory has found its place in the waste paper basket. Kolkata has begun winning, convincingly.

“Everyone is doing his best. The players, the support staff. The format does not allow us to relax. You don’t have time. Just got to keep playing shots. And we are doing just that”, said the rejuvenated captain Ganguly.

His team has won back to back matches now against the last year’s champions and runners. A turn around, possibly unbelievable, even a few days earlier. They had won only three matches out of 14 in the last edition of the Indian T20 championship in South Africa. Now their record stands at two out of two. It must be satisfying for the man, back at the hot seat.

And his decisions have already started paying back. To involve Wasim Akram as the bowling consultant was his brainchild. See the impact. Bangalore was 4/35 within 7.2 overs and could never come back from there. Angelo Mathews, critics’ man of the match with 4/19 and the catch of Manish Pandey, was unplayable while Ishant and Langevelt, the two opening bowlers just refused to allow the batsmen go after them. The only Pakistani involved with the Indian competition is having an influence hard to go unnoticed.

“He (Wasim) is working with the bowlers. He speaks to them regularly and that’s a great lesson for all of them - Ishant, Langevelt, the rookie Varun Arun or the experienced Shane Bond (when he comes). The itinerary does not give us much time to practice but it is helpful for the bowlers to have someone like him with them. I hope he stays with the team for many years”, said Ganguly.

He would be in an enviable position when four foreigners – Chris Gayle, David Hussey, Brendn McCulum and Shane Bond – arrive. But will not it be difficult for him o chose, especially since the foreigners are firing on all cylinders for him?

“All of them are top class international stars. And we are winning our matches. I’ll pick the team according to the form, the conditions. We will see it when they arrive.”

His another recruit, Manoj Tiwary, was adjudged the man of the match with his 29-ball 50. Manoj had represented Delhi in the first two editions. This season, Sourav was instrumental in bringing him from there. And Tiwary earned him another victory.

“Manoj has talent. Cheteswar (Pujara) and Wriddhiman (Saha) too, are talented youngsters. What they need is opportunities to show their talent. In this tournament, they are getting the chance. Today, Manoj played really well. He set the game for us. I just hope that he continues to play like this which will be good for him and for our team as well.”

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Anthony fails to ground

Carmelo Anthony's 45 points were in vain as the Denver Nuggets lost 125-123 to the Houston Rockets in a thrilling game.
Aaron Brooks took his game tally to 31 when he netted the crucial points for the Rockets with just under three seconds left in the contest before Anthony missed a three-pointer on the buzzer.
Kevin Martin also scored 29 points for Houston, who ended the Nuggets' six-game winning run.
Kobe Bryant drained 29 points and Pau Gasol 26 as Western Conference leaders the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 124-121.
The Lakers were almost denied a third straight win at the death, however, as Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis both missed with three-point efforts in the final moments that would have forced overtime.
Curry nevertheless ended with scored 29 points for the slumping Warriors.
New York duo Danilo Gallinari and Toney Douglas made the difference as the Knicks eased to a 94-84 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Gallinari scored 21 points Douglas weighed in with 20 as the Knicks extended the 76ers' losing streak to five games.
Al Harrington added 15 points for the Knicks while Jrue Holiday top-scored for Philadelphia with 18.
Carlos Boozer scored 23 points as the Utah Jazz defeated the Washington Wizards 112-89.
Deron Williams also added 17 points and 11 assists for the hosts while Andray Blatche scored 24 points in defeat for the Wizards, who saw their losing streak increase to eight games.
A balanced Boston Celtics display secured a one-sided 119-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Michael Finley weighed in with 15 points each while Kevin Garnett drained 14 points and had eight rebounds.
Will Bynum chipped in with 16 points and seven assists for the ailing Pistons.
The New Orleans Hornets condemned the Clippers to an eighth straight loss with a 108-100 victory in Los Angeles.
David West scored 24 points for the victors, who also benefited to the tune of 18 points and 14 assists from Darren Collison.
Emeka Okafor was the Hornet's stand-out performer with 14 rebounds and 12 points.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Nadal into last 16

Rafael Nadal declared himself happy with his recovery from injury as he breezed into the last 16 of the BNP Paribas Open.
Nadal had no trouble in routing Croatian Mario Ancic 6-2 6-2 as he continued his comeback from a knee injury which had sidelined him since the quarter-finals of the Australian Open at the start of the year.
The Spaniard was not required to deal with a break point and prevailed four times on Ancic's normally formidable serve.
He will next face the 15th seed John Isner, who prevailed 7-6 (7/3) 6-4 in an all-American clash with Sam Querrey.
"Coming back from an injury you have to start slowly," Nadal told Sky Sports 2.
"But I am pleased with the way I am playing, and I am in the next round so that is the important thing."
He added: "I am playing at the good level with my forehand when I touch the ball all the time.
"I try to do something - playing aggressive, playing long, changing the direction - so that's very important."
Second seed Novak Djokovic was forced to battle through a final-set tie-break to reach the last 16.
All seemed to be going to plan for the Serbian as he took the opening set 6-3 with a solitary break, but Kohlschreiber upped his first-serve percentage to 73% in the second and broke three times to take the set 6-2 and level the match.
Two breaks apiece saw a topsy-turvy third set go the distance, but Djokovic prevailed 7/3 in the tie-break to clinch victory in two hours and 35 minutes.
Tenth-seeded Fernando Verdasco of Spain was a high-profile victim as he crashed out 6-0 6-3 at the hands of 19th-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych in 59 just minutes.
Berdych now meets Viktor Troicki of Serbia, seeded 29, who enjoyed a walkover win on Sunday due to Nikolay Davydenko's broken wrist.
Eleventh seed Juan Carlos Ferrero crashed out in three sets to Juan Monaco.
The Argentinian, seeded 21st, took the opener on a tie break and, after Ferrero levelled courtesy of his only break, he responded to win 7-6 (7/2) 3-6 6-3.
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain defeated 26th-seeded Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in three sets, 4-6 6-2 6-1, while Ivan Ljubicic, the 20th seed from Croatia, was a 6-2 6-3 winner over Argentinian qualifier Brian Dabul.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Clijsters,azarenka exit-indianwells

Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka crashed out in contrasting styles at the BNP Paribas Open in India Wells.
Azarenka slumped to a 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 reverse at the hands of 28th-seeded Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, while the 14th-seeded Clijsters, who has made a strong return to the WTA Tour after coming out of retirement, had no answer to Russian 23rd seed Alisa Kleybanova, who posted a 6-4 1-6 7-6 (7/4) triumph.
Ninth seed Flavia Pennetta was another eye-catching casualty as Shahar Peer completed a three-set victory.
Italian Pennetta had battled back from a set down to win the second on a tie-break and take the match into a decider. But her 17th-seeded Israeli opponent broke four times in a dominant third-set display to complete a 6-4 6-7 (4/7) 6-1 triumph and set up a last-16 clash against Jelena Jankovic.
Sixth seed Jankovic was forced to play her best tennis in a near three-hour encounter with Italy's Sara Errani, who took the first set in convincing fashion.
Serbian Jankovic rallied to take the second on a tie-break before just edging a keenly contested decider for a 2-6 7-6 (8/6) 6-4 win.
Defending champion Vera Zvonareva, seeded 12th, advanced with a 6-2 6-3 win over Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia, while eighth seed Sam Stosur dropped just three games in disposing of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in 72 minutes.
The Australian was on top in the first set, a first-serve ratio of 63% helping her to a 6-3 success.
And she stepped up a gear in the second, winning 27 points out of 40 and converting all three of her break points to conclude a 6-3 6-0 win.
Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro posted a 6-4 3-6 6-1 win over 27th seed Agnes Szavay of Hungary, while 13th-seeded Belgian Yanina Wickmayer saw off Italy's Roberta Vinci 6-1 3-6 6-3.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Penetta crashes

Flavia Pennetta lost in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open as Shahar Peer completed a three-set victory in Indian Wells.
Italian Pennetta had battled back from a set down to win the second on a tie-break and take the match into a decider.
But her 17th-seeded Israeli opponent broke four times in a dominant third-set display to complete a 6-4 6-7 (4/7) 6-1 triumph and set up a last-16 clash against either sixth seed Jelena Jankovic or a second successive Italian opponent, Sara Errani.
There were no such problems for eighth seed Sam Stosur, who dropped just three games in disposing of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in 72 minutes.
The Australian was on top in the first set, a first-serve ratio of 63% helping her to a 6-3 success.
And she stepped up a gear in the second, winning 27 points out of 40 and converting all three of her break points to conclude a 6-3 6-0 win.
Russian 12th seed Vera Zvonareva eased past Latvian teenager Anastasija Sevastova 6-2 6-3 in 68 minutes despite wasting 11 of her 14 break points.
Second seed Caroline Wozniacki rounded out the day's action with an impressive 6-0 6-3 victory over Russia's Maria Kirilenko.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

King james leads cavs over celtics

The Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers confirmed their superiority with a 104-93 victory over the Boston Celtics.
LeBron James scored 30 points and Antawn Jamison, back from injury, had 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Cavaliers scored another impressive win over an Eastern rival.
The battle for home-court advantage in the Western Conference remains as tight as ever, with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, and Portland Trail Blazers - who are fifth, sixth and eighth in the standings respectively - all winning.
Kevin Durant got 35 points and Russell Westbrook added 30 and 11 assists as the Thunder beat the fourth-placed Jazz 119-111, cutting Utah's advantage to one game.
The Suns are one game back on Oklahoma City after beating the New Orleans Hornets 120-106.
Amare Stoudemire had 36 points and 12 rebounds, while Steve Nash collected 13 points and 12 assists in his 1,000th NBA game.
Nicolas Batum got 22 points to help the Trail Blazers beat the Toronto Raptors 109-98.
The seventh-placed San Antonio Spurs were not in action.
The Charlotte Bobcats keep on rolling as Stephen Jackson had 28 points and Raymonds Felton 16 in a 96-89 victory over the Orlando Magic.
The win keeps Charlotte firmly on track for their first playoff appearance.
Dwyane Wade exploded for 38 points as the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers to keep their playoff push on track.
It was a third straight win for Miami, who have a four game cushion over ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
Jerry Stackhouse scored 20 points and Andrew Bogut added 17 and 12 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks edged out the struggling Indiana Pacers 98-94.
Rookie Tyreke Evans had 29 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds as the Sacramento Kings beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-100.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Nuggets pick up fifth straight victory

Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points and added 12 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets beat the New Orleans Hornets for their fifth straight win.
Chauncey Billups added 21 points for Denver, who now have a two-game advantage over Utah for third place in the Western Conference.
That is because the Jazz went down 95-87 to the Milwaukee Bucks, who racked up a fifth straight win with a late charge.
The game was tied with 28 seconds left, but after Ersan Ilyasova scored on a putback it was all Milwaukee.
John Salmons had 24 points and Brandon Jennings added 23 for the Bucks.
The Charlotte Bobcats recorded their fifth win in a row as they held off a rally to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-98.
Stephen Jackson scored 24 points to keep the Bobcats on course for their first play-off appearance in franchise history.
The Los Angeles Lakers gave one lead away before rallying to top the Phoenix Suns 102-96.
The Suns came from 15 points down to lead in the final quarter, but the Lakers came back once more.
Kobe Bryant led the way with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, but was also guilty of seven turnovers.
LeBron James made his return from a two-game absence to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 100-95 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
James, who has been suffering with an ankle injury, collected 23 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
Kevin Durant recorded his franchise-record 36th 30-point game of the season and the Oklahoma City Thunder needed all of his 32 points to hold off the New Jersey Nets 104-102.
Durant sealed the win from the free-throw line after Devin Harris missed a chance to put the NBA-worst Nets on top in the final seconds.
Paul Pierce scored 20 points and Rajon Rondo added 16 and 11 assists before both took a breather in the final quarter as the Boston Celtics easily snapped a two-game losing streak, routing the Indiana Pacers 122-103.
The Miami Heat remain on course for the play-offs after beating the ailing Chicago Bulls 108-85.
Jermaine O'Neal scored 25 points and Quentin Richardson added 23.
Richard Jefferson led the San Antonio Spurs to a 103-85 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, with 19 points, nine rebounds and three assists in his first start in seven games.
Will Bynum dished out a career-best 20 assists to help the Detroit Pistons to a 101-87 win over the Washington Wizards.
Zach Randolph's 24 points and 11 rebounds lifted the Memphis Grizzlies to a 119-112 win over the New York Knicks.
Brandon Roy scored 28 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 110-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Nadal eases through indianwells

Rafael Nadal cruised into the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Rainer Schuettler.
The third-seeded Spaniard will now meet Mario Ancic in the next round, with the unseeded Croatian having struggled past Frenchman Julien Benneteau 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.
Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic survived a disastrous second set to defeat Mardy Fish 6-1 0-6 6-2.
The World number two had five double faults before triumphing over the American - who is ranked 104 places below him - just as he did in the final two years ago.
Also going through was fifth seed Russian Nikolay Davydenko, who beat Ernests Gulbis 6-4 6-4.
Fernando Verdasco, seeded 10th, cruised past Ramon Delgado 6-4 6-1, and will now face Tomas Berdych, who beat Florent Serra.
The highest-profile loser of the day was Croatian Marin Cilic, the eighth seed who went down 7-6 (3-1) 6-0 to Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
There were also victories for John Isner, Sam Querrey, Juan Monaco, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Brian Dabul, Ivan Ljubicic and Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Viktor Troicki advanced when Pablo Cuevas retired after just one game.

Sharapova goes out of indianwells

An elbow injury has cost Maria Sharapova her shot at reclaiming the BNP Paribas Open title she won in 2006 after she lost 6-3 2-6 6-3 to Zheng Jie.
An elbow injury has cost Maria Sharapova her shot at reclaiming the BNP Paribas Open title she won in 2006 after she lost 6-3 2-6 6-3 to Zheng Jie.
The 10th-seeded Russian was leading the final set 3-2 in Indian Wells when her right elbow flared up, and she lost the remaining four games to crash out.
Fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva had no such trouble dispatching Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6-4 6-2, while fifth-seed Agnieszka Radwanska also advanced with a straightforward 6-1 6-0 victory over Gisela Dulko.
Marion Bartoli, seeded 11th, saw off Jill Craybas 6-2 6-0, while 19th seed Aravane Rezai saw off 15th seed Francesca Schiavone 6-7 (4-6) 7-6 (4-2) 6-4.
Nadia Petrova beat Shuai Peng 6-1 7-5, while British qualifier Elena Baltacha was soundly beaten by Alicia Molik 6-0 6-2.
Second seed Caroline Wozniacki rounded out the day's action with an impressive 6-0 6-3 victory over Russia's Maria Kirilenko.

Gallery permission

The CAB President Jagmohan Dalmiya clarified that permission was taken for the temporary stand in the Eden Gardens.

Dalmiya came out with this statement after a FIR was filed against the Cricket Association of Bengal for breaching the fire safety rules.
Hours after the FIR was filed at the instance of Fire Services minister Pratim Chatterjee, the CAB President's statement said, "We are law-abiding citizens and we
always obtain the necessary permissions from the relevant authorities before any event.

"It happened during the last ODI in December, during the Test match in February and this time for IPL too."

Dalmiya claimed that the CAB had taken the permission of the fire brigade and obtained a go ahead from them earlier this month by depositing Rs 2,50,264.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Henin crashes out indianwells

Justine Henin will not be repeating her heroics of the Australian Open at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells after crashing out in the second round.
The Belgian, who completed a remarkable comeback from a 19-month retirement by making it to the final in Australia last month, went out 6-2 1-6 6-4 to Argentinian Gisela Dulko.
American Vania King went close to upsetting second-seeded Carolina Wozniacki - taking a 4-1 lead in the third set - but eventually lost 5-7 6-2 6-4 to the Dane.
Fourth seed Elena Dementieva was also tested before beating Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-4 4-6 6-0 to go through.
Fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska had a much easier time of it, however, going through when Russia's Anna Chakvetadze retired hurt while trailing 6-2 5-3.
Tenth seed Maria Sharapova fought back to beat fellow Russian Vera Dushevina 4-6 7-5 6-2.
Also going through were Jill Craybas, Marion Bartoli, Francesca Schiavone, Aravane Rezai, Kirsten Flipkens, Elena Baltacha, Alicia Molik, Zheng Jie, Nadia Petrova, Shuai Peng and Maria Kirilenko.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Djokovic

Mardy Fish came back from losing the opening set to advance in the BNP Paribas Open where he will meet Novak Djokovic.
Fish, a former finalist here, struggled early but rebounded to beat Michael Berrer of Germany 1-6 6-1 6-3.
He will now face the man who beat him in the 2008 final of this tournament.
Wild-card Carlos Moya was also among those who advanced, but he made hard work of beating American qualifier Tim Smyczek 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-5).
Mario Ancic of Croatia came back to beat American Bobby Reynolds 4-6 6-3 6-4.
Also progressing were Pablo Cuevas, Florent Serra, Ramon Delgado, Kevin Anderson, Jeremy Chardy, Rainer Schuettler, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Fabio Fognini, Daniel Koellerer, Brian Dabul, Ryan Harrison, Philipp Petzschner and Ernests Gulbis.