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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016
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Sensational De Villiers powers RCB into final
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Chasing 159, RCB looked down and out at 29 for five before de Villiers smashed 79 off 47 balls to script a sensational comeback and take
IN PRIME CONDITION: Moises Henriques
the team home in 18.2 overs
BENGALURU: AB de Villiers played a breathtaking knock to singlehandedly lead Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fightback and take them into the Indian Premier League (IPL) final with a thrilling four-wicket win over Gujarat Lions here on Tuesday. Chasing 159, RCB looked down and out at 29 for five before de Villiers smashed 79 off 47 balls to script a sensational comeback and take the team home in 18.2 overs. The Lions were outdone by one man’s class as the efforts of Dhawal Kulkarani and Dwayne Smith went in vain. With the spectacular win, RCB are into their third IPL final and one step away from their maiden title. Lions on other hand will have another chance to make the summit clash in the Qualifier 2 in Delhi on Friday. The RCB were expected to overcome the target with minimum fuss but tricky batting conditions
BREATHTAKING KNOCK: Royal Challengers Bangalore’s AB De Villiers, centre, celebrates with teammates after guiding the team to victory over Gujarat Lions in Bengaluru on Tuesday. – PTI
at the normally batting friendly Chinnaswamy made the job tougher for them. Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle can close the game in a space of a few overs but the devastating opening pair had an off day. Kohli, who has been in sensational form this IPL, suffered a rare failure when he dragged a wide one off Kulkarni on to his stumps, stunning the crowd into silence. The disappointment on the face of India’s star batsman was evident as he walked back into the dressing room. The two of his four hundreds in the competition had come against the Lions. The odd ball stopping on a slower surface made the task more challenging. Gayle too was out in
Kulkarni’s over as he attempted a whack over midwicket to see his stumps rattled. Kulkarni kept bowling in the off stump corridor and that worked brilliantly for him. Lokesh Rahul was caught at first slip the following ball and Kulkarni was on a hattrick. Kulkarni ended up with a career best figures of 4 for 14, albeit in a losing cause. Soon after, RCB had lost half their side with de Villiers left to pull off a herculean task. The South African, as he often he does, brought his team back into the game and involved Iqbal Abdulla (33 not out off 25) in a unbeaten 91run stand for the seventh wicket. The team needed 49 off the last 30 balls but de Villiers paced his
innings perfectly to take the team with 10 balls to spare. He ended with five sixes and as many boundaries in his special knock. Earlier, Smith hammered 73 off 41 balls to help Gujarat Lions recover from a disastrous start and post a competitive total. Smith hammered six sixes in his whirlwind knock and shared an 85-run stand with Dinesh Karthik (26 off 30) after Lions lost their top three batsmen for nine runs. Watson was the stand out bowler for the hosts, ending with four wickets for 29 runs in his four overs. Brief scores: Gujarat Lions 158 in 20 overs (Dwayne Smith 73; Shane Watson 4/29) lost to RCB 159/6 in 18.2 overs (AB De Villiers 79 n.o., Iqbal Abdulla 33 n.o). - PTI
FOOTBALL
Oman U-16 team to undergo training camp MUSCAT: Oman national under-16 team coach Yacoub Al Sabahi has called up 27 players for the first of a series of domestic training, which is scheduled to start on June 1. The camp will take palce at Sultan Qaboos Sports Com-
plex in Bausher till June 6. The OFA has also planned for another camp from June 11 to 21, during which the team are also scheduled to play a few friendly matches. Another camp would also be organised from June 25 to July 3. List of players: Arshad Al Alawi,
Mohammed Al Alawi (Al Arouba), Naji AlGhailani, Omar Al Midailwi (Sur), Sultan Bashir, Najib Al Shijaibi (Al Nasr), Mohammed Al Shekaili, Islam Al Hinai (Ibri), Yaqdhan Khamis, Yahya Hamood, Isam Khamis, Mutasim Al Bakri, Yousef Al MAlki, Nawaf Al Harasi, Faisal Al Nadabi (Seeb), Yousuf Al Shiyadi, Moham-
med Al Shukaili, Mohammed Al Khamisi (Al Suwaiq), Thamir Al Zaabi, Mohammed Al Qaidi (Al Salam), Imad Al Jaradi, Khalid Al Hadabi (Al Musanna), Haider Al Ajmi (Saham), Hamza Al Shukaili (Al Rustaq), Mohammed Al Miqbali (Sohar), Al Bara Al Mawali (Al Shabab) and Muaz Al Jahdhami (Bausher).
Australia recall Henriques, Starc for Sri Lanka tour MELBOURNE: Australia allrounder Moises Henriques is in line for his first Test in three years after being named in the squad for their three-match tour of Sri Lanka in July and August. The 29-year-old seam bowler played the last of his three Tests during the ill-fated 2013 tour of India where Australia were whitewashed 4-0 and four players were stood down for a match in the infamous ‘homework-gate’ episode. Henriques failed to make an impression with the ball during that series but injuries to Peter Siddle and James Pattinson have opened the door for the Madeira-born cricketer to stake another claim in the top-ranked Test nation. “Henriques comes into the squad to give the flexibility of an additional all-rounder option, having already shown he plays and adapts well to spin-friendly conditions,” chairman of selectors Rod Marsh said in a team release on Tuesday. “He has been working hard with his fitness and we believe he is in prime condition to serve us well should he be selected to play.” Fast bowler Mitchell Starc and left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe were also named in the 15-man squad on Tuesday for the matches in Pallekele, Galle and Colombo. Lethal left-armer Starc returns to the test set-up for the first time since he broke down with a foot
injury during the inaugural daynight test against New Zealand in Adelaide last November. He leads a pace attack featuring Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jackson Bird, with Pattinson missing the series due to a recurrence of stress fractures in his back and Siddle also nursing a back injury. O’Keefe, who played just his second Test in January in the series finale against West Indies in Sydney, will provide the option of a second spinner to back up regular Nathan Lyon. “We know his ability, he takes wickets continually in first class cricket and he impresses when we select him to play Test cricket,” Marsh said of the 31-year-old. Australia have retained the batting lineup which soundly defeated New Zealand and West Indies over the home summer. Sri Lanka host the first Test in Pallekele on July 26, with matches in Galle (August 4) and Colombo (August 13) to follow. The teams will also play five One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches. The squad: Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Moises Henriques, Peter Nevill, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Steve O’Keefe, Jackson Bird, Nathan Coulter-Nile. - Reuters