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DIBRUGARH, SUNDAY, MARCH 20
PAGE 11
WT20: Pakistan post 119-run target for India to chase in Pak-India thriller The match has been reduced to a 18-overs-a-side after it was delayed by an hour due to a wet outfield in which Pakistan managed to score 118 for a loss of 5 wickets giving India a 119run target. Pakistan made one change in the team which won against Bangladesh . They brought in fast bowler Mohammad Sami in place of left-arm spinner Imad Wasim while India are unchanged. India were unchanged since
their loss to New Zealand on the opening day of the Super 10s. Currently placed fourth in a group of five, they needed to win, or they will have to rely on other results going their way.
Nehra, Jasprit Bumrah. Pakistan: Sharjeel Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi (captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Irfan.
The toss happened at 8.10 pm, after a ceremony that featured Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sunil Gavaskar, Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The crowd were happy to indulge though considering the stalwarts who were on the stage. India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (captain & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Ashish
Indian players celebrate the fall of Shoaib Malik
Nehwal,Prannoy race into semifinals of Swiss Open
Saina Nehwal ANI Basel, Mar.19 : Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal has romped into the semi-final of the USD 120,000 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament after thrashing seventh-seed Sayaka Sato of Japan in the women's singles event here. The Olympic bronze med-
allist outplayed her Japanese opponent 21-15, 21-14 in a contest that lasted for 52 minutes last night. Nehwal, who had bagged the Swiss Open title in 2011 and 2012, will next face third-seed and her fierce rival Wang Yihan for the final-berth. Earlier on Thursday, Saina
dropped three places to sixth in the latest BWF world rankings following a quarter-final loss at the All England Championship. She battled through injuries last year and had to miss out on a few tournaments this season, including the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold and South Asian Games. Meanwhile, compatriot P.V Sindhu knocked out of the tournament after going down 13-21, 15-21 at the hands of HE Bingjiao of China in their quarter-final clash. In the men's singles event, 13th seed H.S Prannoy also produced an imperious form to advance to the next round of the tournament after trouncing Thailand's T a n o n g s a k Saensomboonsuk 21-18, 22-24, 21-9 in a one-hour contest.
Hamilton edges out Rosberg to grab Australian GP pole position
Lewis Hamilton ANI Johannesburg, Mar.19 : Reigning Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton continued his imperious form as he emerged as the quickest driver in the third and final practice session to
seal pole position in the 2016 Australian Grand Prix on Saturday. The British driver, who topped the previous two practice sessions as well, finished the race in one minute 25.624 seconds ahead of
Windies have the calibre to be destructive: Darren Sammy
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PTI Bengaluru, Mar 19 : The contract row back home has cost them a couple of good players in the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 but West Indies captain Darren Sammy today said he is not the least bit concerned as the ones who are in the side have enough calibre to be simply destructive. West Indies annihilated England in their opening World T20 match in Mumbai with swashbuckler Chris Gayle hammering the event's fastest hundred that came off just 47 balls. The comprehensive win has renewed the team's self-belief, which had taken a hit during the payment row with the Cricket Board after which players such as Darren Bravo opted out of the event. "Yes we are missing important players but once we execute our plans then we can be very de-
structive. It's cricket and it's an event that we enjoy playing. So, whatever issues, they are behind us. Our focus is on winning matches and we want to take it step by step," he told reporters on the eve of tomorrow's match against Sri Lanka here. "It the calibre of the players in the squad that I am concerned about," he added. Asked whether it is a revenge match since West Indies lost to Sri Lanka in the semifinals of the previous World T20, Sammy said, "I wouldn't say it is revenge. If this match was the final then we could think on those lines but it is a group game." "We respect them a lot and we have had great games between us. Hope it is a good game tomorrow. We want to keep winning. We want to execute our plans. You saw it against England." .
Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg, who clocked one minute 25.800 seconds for the second place. Meanwhile, four-time world champion S e b a s t i a n Ve t t e l f e l l 0.228 seconds adrift of Hamilton's time to finish third in the final practice session of the seasonopening F1 race,Sport24 reported. Mercedes seem to be well placed for the qualifying round where the new format will see drivers eliminated one by one every minute-and-a-half rather than being dismissed at the end of each session. The Australian Grand Prix will take place in Melbourne on Sunday.
Root delighted by his `special` innings in Proteas' World T20 drubbing
England prolific batsman Joe Root ANI Johannesburg, Mar.19 : England prolific batsman Joe Root has described his innings during the side's two-wicket win over South Africa in World T20 clash as his best ever in the shortest format of the game, adding that it was very special as he achieved it in a world championship. The 25-year-old smashed six fours and four sixes in his 83run knock off just 44 balls as England sensationally chased
down a target of 230 runs with two balls to spare. It was the second-best chase in the history of T20 cricket and also England's highest ever total in the format. Describing his innings as `massive`, Root admitted that England had gained a lot of confidence with the victory, insisting he hopes his side would continue to do well with the bat in the upcoming group stages as well,Sport24 reported. South Africa all-rounder JP Duminy praised Root for his match-winning performance, saying that he had always been an anchor in the team in spite of the format he plays in. With the win, Eoin Morgan's side have gained two points in the Group A table. They will now lock horns with Afghanistan at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Bangladesh's Arafat, Taskin suspended for illegal bowling actions ANI Kolkata, Mar.19 : Bangladesh off-spinner Arafat Sunny and fast bowler Taskin Ahmed have been suspended from bowling in the international cricket by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after an independent assessment found their bowling action to be 'illegal'. The duo underwent assessment in Chennai, where majority of Arafat's deliveries were found to have exceeded the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the regulations, while some of Taskin's deliveries were illegal. As a result of these suspensions, the Bangladesh cricket team is permitted to apply to the ICC World T20 Event Technical Committee for their approval to replace the two bowlers for the remainder of the event. In accordance with Article 6.1 of the ICC Regulations, Arafat's and Taskin's interna-
Gardens today. The afternoon brought with it sunshine and lifted the hopes of cricket fans anxious to see two traditional rivals clash together for what has been deemed a match more important than the Final of the WT20.
Before the toss, former players were honoured with their achievements recognized in the field of cricket. Pakistan's former skippers Imran Khan, Waseem Akram and Waqar Younis were bestowed with bouquets for their services to the game.
As evening dawned, the clouds returned with thunder and lightening and lots of rain. Covers had been put in place on the outfield as a precautionary measure in the afternoon, but with less than three hours for the match to start analysts began discussing possibilities of a six over clash and even the possibility of the match abandoned due to rain.
Heavy rainfall hit Kolkata on Saturday morning ahead of the much anticipated Pakistan-India match in the ICC World Twenty20 championship here at Eden
The official International Cricket Council account on Twitter however remains hopeful that the clouds and rain will hopefully clear up
soon. Pakistan and India facing off, is always viewed by fans as a treat and often one bigger than the final match of the series. Ahead of the fixture off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin termed the match a bigger contest than the traditional rivalry of the Ashes, Shaun Tait told Geo News' Faizan Lakhani that he views a clash between the two teams to be a tight match. Meanwhile, Pakistan coach Waqar Younis sees the rivalry as something the cricketers should be proud off. The ICC account had posted earlier in the afternoon that precautionary measures are in place due to the rain forecast. Geo News' reported on ground in Kolkata also reports clear skies with a forecast of showers and thunder.
Gayle storm alert as WI square off against Sri Lanka PTI Bengaluru, Mar 19 : High on confidence after their emphatic victory over England, the West Indies will once again look for an explosive knock from Chris Gayle to inch closer to a semifinal berth when they take on defending champions Sri Lanka in a World Twenty20 Super 10 Group 1 match here tomorrow. The West Indians showed ominous form in the triumph over England but the Lankans are expected to put up a stronger challenge to them. Gayle could, however, prove to be the trump card for the West Indians after setting the tone with a 47-ball hundred against England -- the fastest ever in World Twenty20. Should his bat roars the way it did against England, the Lankans will find it nearly impossible to stop him from steering West Indies. Both the sides are not short on experience with Angelo Mathews and Tillakaratne Dilshan being the Lankan mainstays. As far as the batting of the West
Chris Gayle Indies is concerned it will revolve around the power-hitting Gayle who hammered 11 sixes against England. Perfect foil for Gayle at the other end would be Marlon Samuels, who would be keen to continue the form which he hit against England in the previous match. Samuels struck eight fours in his 37 before Gayle's brutal strikes took West Indies home.
The West Indies also seem unaffected by the absence of allrounder Kieron Pollard, opener Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo. Mystery spinner Sunil Narine is not there to trouble the rival batsmen with his unorthodox bowling, but the Caribbeans still have a decent spin trio of Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, and Marlon Samuels.
After 15 years, Serena back in final of Indian Wells Taskin Ahmed tional suspensions will also be recognised and enforced by all the members for domestic cricket events played in their own jurisdiction. The two bowlers, however, will be allowed to play in domestic cricket events played in Bangladesh with the consent of their cricket board. Earlier, Arafat and Taskin had been reported for suspect bowling actions during their side's opening match in the T20 format's pinnacle event against the Netherlands in Dharamsala on Wednesday.
Serena Williams ANI Indian Wells, Mar. 19 : World number one Serena Williams progressed through to her first final of the BNP Paribas Open
since 2001 after overcoming third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska in the women's singles event here. The American veteran rattled
off 11 of the final 12 points to complete a 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) victory over her Poland opponent in the thrilling semi-final contest that lasted for one hour and 35 minutes. Following the win, Williams said that it seemed to be unbelievable to return to the finals of the event after a span of 15 years. Williams has now set up a summit showdown against 13th seed Victoria Azarenka, who outclassed Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic 7 - 6 (1) , 1 - 6 ,6 - 2 for the final-berth. If Williams manages to clinch this year's Indian Wells title then she will become the first player to earn the hat-trick in the tournament.
WI take on Bangladesh in Women's World T20 PTI Chennai, Mar 19 : Their campaign off to a positive start after a hard-fought win over Pakistan, West Indies will look to continue the good run in the ICC Women's World Twenty20 when they take on a struggling Bangladesh in a Group B match here tomorrow. West Indies rallied to eke out a narrow fourrun win over Pakistan in their World T20 opener and they would to look produce a better performance against Bangladesh, who are smarting from consecutive losses against India
and England. On paper, West Indies are the hot favourites against minnows Bangladesh, who qualified for this World T20 like Ireland in the tournament at Thailand last year. However, the Caribbean side has a few issues to sort out. Skipper Stafanie Taylor was only bright spot in West Indies' batting during their last match against Pakistan as they could muster only 1038 and they will have to address their batting woes ahead of the bigger clashes -- England (March 24 at Dharamsala) and India
West Indies Women's cricket team (March 27 at Mohali) -which awaits them in the tournament. The Caribbean side boast off as a balanced side with experience and youth. Captain Stafanie
Taylor has been the highest run-getter for them for the last five years and had also become the first West Indian woman to surpass the 2000 mark in this format.
Similarly, off-spinner Anisa Mohammed have carried the bowling attack on her shoulders. The 27-year-old's haul of 3 for 25 against Pakistan on Wednesday helped her to cross the 100 wickets mark. Besides these two, Shaquana Quintyne, Devendra Dottin, Stacy Ann King and Merissa Agilleira are capable of stitching useful partnerships. Bangladesh, on the other hand, have lost both their matches to India and England, the top two teams in fray, after their batting failed to produce the fire-
works. Bangladesh have a couple of good batswomen in openers Shamin Akhtar, Captain Ayashe Rahman, Rumana Ahmed and Nigar Sultana but they need to combine well to put up sizeable stands. Spinners Fahima Khatun and Rumana Ahmed could be their main strike bowlers considering the slowness of the wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here. Both the spinners have been among wickets during the last two matches and will look to continue their good work tomorrow.
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Kolkata, Mar 19: India captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bowl against Pakistan in the crucial match of the World Twenty20 Super Ten Group Two here at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.