Pak, India agree to resume cricket series

Pakistan on Thursday said it had agreed to play a total of six cricket series against India from 2015 to 2023, the first since the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks suspended play between the teams.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said it had signed an MoU with the Board of Control for Cricket in India to play the six series.

A PCB official said the first series could be held in the United Arab Emirates next year, with Pakistan hosting India for two Tests, three ODIs and two T20 matches.

"A total of 14 Tests, 30 ODIs and 12 T20 matches would be part of these six series," chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad said.

Since 2007, the BCCI has not played a proper bilateral Test series with Pakistan due to political and other reasons, particularly after the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

India suspended all series with Pakistan after the 2008 attacks, which New Delhi blamed on militants based across the border.

The two countries played one short series of three ODIs and two T20 matches in India in December 2012 otherwise they have met only in ICC organised events or the Asia Cup.

The official also stated that efforts were underway to sign formal agreements with the BCCI under which in case series are held as part of the Future Tour Programmes some compensation can be made available to the host country.

"This MoU is part of our conditional support we have agreed to give to the recent governance and other changes in the ICC led by India, England and Australia," another official confirmed.

He added six of the four expected series in the next eight years would be hosted by Pakistan either at home or at neutral venues.

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Atletico Madrid And Barcelona Set Up Title Decider

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will meet in a winner-takes-all La Liga decider next Sunday after both sides drew their penultimate games.

An outstanding save by Malaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero denied Atletico the opportunity to wrap up the Primera Division title at their Vicente Calderon stadium.

The Argentinian goalkeeper produced a fingertip save to keep out a curling shot from Adrian in the final minute of stoppage time, ensuring the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

It sets up a mouthwatering showdown between Atletico and their nearest title rivals Barcelona next weekend, with Diego Simeone's side only requiring a point to lift their first league title in 18 years.

Barcelona played their part in setting up the decisive clash against Atletico on the last day of the season after they drew 0-0 against strugglers Elche.

Those results mean Barcelona must beat Atletico at Camp Nou to claim the league honours.

Atletico lead Barca by three points but victory for the Catalans would give them their 23rd Liga crown on head-to-head record, having drawn with Atleti earlier in the season.

Celta Vigo ended any lingering hopes Real Madrid had of league glory by claiming a 2-0 victory over Carlo Ancelotti's men at Estadio Balaidos.

Brazilian forward Charles capitalised on two errors from Real to bag a brace and leave the visitors five points behind leaders Atletico with just one match remaining.

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Glenn Maxwell Is The Maddest ‘Mad Max’ Of Them All

There was a time when Aravinda de Silva would walk into the ground with just one intention – to literally smash every ball out of the park. Once he got going, he was hard to stop... he would try shots that others thought impossible, he went about re-inventing the wheel, so much so that his berserker brand of batting earned him the nickname ‘Mad Max.’ “It was after the 1986 tour of India that they started calling me Mad Max. I guess it was probably the way I approached the game in the initial stages of my career. I tried to get on top of the bowler right from the start and I believed a lot in myself. I was able to do that at a very young age,” De Silva once said in the interview. Cut to day-night match in the circus known as the IPL. The venue was Sharjah. Cheteshwar Pujara was in the middle when Glenn Maxwell walked in to bat with the score on 2-10.

Pujara was struggling to get the ball beyond the 30-yard circle. He was giving it his all but the ball simply wasn’t going anywhere – bringing back memories of VVS Laxman trying to slog in his first IPL season. Then, Maxwell, who is also known as Mad Max, stepped up and showed how it is done. The first four balls got him two runs and then he decided he had had enough of a look in. The fifth ball disappeared over deep square leg; the sixth was smashed over mid-on for four. The 25-year-old Aussie had kick-started an innings of manic proportions. Maxwell’s ability to play without any fear makes his really hard to plan for. Take for instance, the three reverse-swept fours he hit off Rajat Bhatia in the 11th over. Most batsmen will play the reverse sweep maybe once in an over to throw the bowler off his line – it is after all a risky shot but Maxwell played it so often and so well that it even threw the field settings in disarray.

A look at Maxwell’s wagon wheel reveals he is just as deadly on both sides of the wicket – 41 runs on the off-side and 48 runs on the leg-side. He manipulated the field with his unorthodox shot-making and then when the gaps appeared he used classical strokes to make the most of the lapse. By the time, he was dismissed after making 89 off 45 balls (8 fours, 6 sixes) – he had done enough to give KXIP a fighting chance despite Pujara’s innings. David Miller came in a finished the job but Maxwell set it up. Now, he has done this before. In the first match of IPL 7 against CSK, he scored 95 off 43 balls as KXIP had chased down a target of 206. In the World T20, he smashed 74 in a losing effort against Pakistan. But the manner in which he took on Saeed Ajmal showcased a talent beyond just big-hitting. In February 2014, Victoria lost six wickets for only nine runs in the worst ever start to a Sheffield Shield innings. Then Maxwell (127) came in and hit an 89-ball hundred in a losing cause but it guided his team to a respectable total.

In August last year, in a match between India A and Australia A, Maxwell came in to bat with his side’s total on 152-8. He responded with typical belligerence to smash an unbeaten 145 of 79 balls. There are more such instances but what becomes evidently clear from these knocks is that nothing can faze Maxwell. His belief in his ability to do what others consider impossible is the gift of confidence built on consistently achieving the targets. "I don't get burdened by pressure," he told IPLT20.com after the game. "Pressure is something that you put on yourself. I put pressure on myself before a game or before I go out to bat. But once when I go out there to bat, I just enjoy it and have a little bit of fun. I look at the total and take it from there." At this point, Mumbai Indians must be wondering why they left him on their bench for a majority of last season. Perhaps, the idea was to keep him away from the other teams. If it was that, then it was a master stroke because now Mad Max has been set loose and no one is safe.

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Nadal Battles Wardrobe Malfunction In Monte Carlo

Rafael Nadal is battling a wardrobe malfunction that has forced him to alter his serving routine at this week's Monte Carlo Masters.

When he has failed with his first serve, Nadal has had to ask for another ball rather than plucking one from his shorts, because he has been experiencing problems with his pockets.

"The ball comes out of the bottom of them and gets in the way," the Spaniard told Teledeporte on Thursday after dispatching Italy's Andreas Seppi to reach the quarter-finals.

"We'll try to sort it out for the next tournaments but here it won't be possible. When you have been doing something the same way for so many years, when there is a change you have to think about it and it makes things a bit more difficult," he said.

"But it's better to do it that way than have the ball popping out of the bottom of your shorts which is quite uncomfortable," he added.

Nadal won in Monte Carlo eight times in a row between 2005 and 2012 before losing to Novak Djokovic in last year's final. The Spaniard is sponsored by U.S. apparel maker Nike.

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Michael Phelps To Come Out Of Retirement

Michael Phelps is coming out of retirement, the first step toward swimming at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The 22-time Olympic medalist will compete for the first time since the 2012 London Olympics at a meet in Mesa, Arizona, on April 24-26.

USA Swimming said on Monday that Phelps is expected to join fellow Olympians Ryan Lochte and Katie Ledecky at the Arena Grand Prix at Skyline Aquatic Center.

Phelps returned to training last fall and re-entered the US drug-testing program. He has completed his six-month waiting period to be eligible for competition by the US Anti-Doping Agency.

Phelps turns 29 in June and is the winningest and most decorated athlete in Olympic history. He captured 18 gold medals and 22 medals overall at the last three Summer Games. He broke Mark Spitz's record for a single Olympics by winning eight gold medals at Beijing in 2008.

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Jose Mourinho In A Hurry To Get All The Way To Lisbon

Jose Mourinho's touchline dash after Chelsea scored the goal that clinched their Champions League semi-final place on Tuesday was not done just because he wanted to celebrate with his players by the corner flag.

Although it evoked memories of his famous victory sprint and knee-slide with Porto against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2004, the coach explained he had something else in mind near the end of their 2-0 win over Paris St Germain.

The Portuguese leapt out of his technical area and sprinted away, punching the air with his right fist after Demba Ba's 87th minute stike levelled the aggregate score at 3-3 and saw Chelsea qualify on the away goals rule.

"I didn't go to the corner flag to celebrate, but you can see I can run," Mourinho told reporters at Stamford Bridge.

"I went to tell them the changes we had to make. There were three minutes plus added time left and the way we were playing was too risky.

"I wanted Demba Ba to play in front of the defenders and (fellow substitute striker) Fernando Torres to defend (PSG's) Maxwell. I tried to use them in different jobs."

It speaks volumes for Mourinho that he tried to get through to his men when they were screaming in delight and the noise from the delirious home fans was at its peak on an incredibly tense night.

Having glimpsed success, he was not prepared to waste a moment securing it as he stayed on course to become the first man to lift the European Cup with three different clubs after his triumphs with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010.

He could get the chance to do it at the end of May at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon, the home ground of Benfica, the club where he was briefly in charge at the start of his coaching career before reaching the heights of the European game.

domestic league titles in England, Portugal, Italy and Spain.

The Portuguese has won all nine European competition quarter-finals he has been involved in - eight in the Champions League and one in the UEFA Cup.

His team outfought PSG in the end as the French side, 3-1 up from the first leg, dominated the early part of the game before visibly wilting in the face of unrelenting Chelsea pressure in the second half when they were already 1-0 down after Andre Schuerrle scored in the 32nd minute.

Mourinho added: "I think we did enough at beginning of the second half to score before we did. In the second half we totally dominated and we had all the possession. But it was difficult for us to penetrate.

"We did it in training yesterday, with three different systems, all of which we used. The players knew what they had to do. Demba Ba made a crucial finish for us.

"It was a deserved win that the team that tried to defend was punished. The team that played with their heart deserved to go through."

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Dhoni Defends Underfire Yuvi, Says He Tried His Best

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday did not sound convincing as he desperately tried to defend Yuvraj Singh whose painstaking 21-ball 11 put paid to India's hopes of a historic treble.

India's quest ended in heartbreak as a gutsy Sri Lanka produced a clinical display to win their maiden ICC World Twenty20 trophy with a convincing six-wicket victory here.

"It was an off day for Yuvraj. He tried his best but it's not easy to come in and start slogging from ball one," Dhoni said at the post-match press conference, though his statement lacked conviction.

There were a few questions on Yuvraj which he completely deflected during his shortest media interaction in the whole tournament.

Asked if there was a message for Yuvraj when he got stuck in the middle, Dhoni said, "No, he was just trying his best. That's the most you can do."

Dhoni was specifically asked about Yuvraj's future in this current set-up considering others have more or less performed their duties or at least have age on their side. The smiling skipper gave an open-ended reply. "Indian cricket season is over...The next selection is far away, so let's not talk about it."

There had been angry reactions from the fans and he got a bit serious while answering a query. "Look, you need to understand that fans can be angry but they can't be more disappointed than the individual who is out there in the middle.

"As a player, you don't want to do badly in front of 40,000 people. You don't want to drop catches, but off-days happen. And it can happen with any athlete. May be it was an off-day for him [Yuvraj].

"Fans will be disappointed but it is the player who is always more disappointed than the fans," he explained.

When someone asked if Yuvraj's innings "robbed the team" of momentum, Dhoni seemed like wanting to put an end to the endless queries. "It's a team thing. So let us not talk about individuals.

"We wanted to score as many runs as possible in the last four overs but credit to Lankan bowlers. They bowled perfect wide yorkers. I, for one, know that Malinga bowls these superb wide yorkers. They got only one wide during that phase. They executed their plans brilliantly.

"We were a bit disappointed at the break for not having scored more than 130 but then we were thinking about Champions Trophy. It was also a 20-over match but here we had one fielder more outside the circle," the skipper said.

As for why he didn't start with his best bowler Ravichandran Ashwin, Dhoni defended the move saying, "We wanted to use Ashwin in the middle overs against left-handers. So we couldn't start with him. But the pacers went for runs and I had to bring him early and he also got a wicket.

"Also the wicket changed a bit under lights as the ball started coming onto the bat," he added.

Dhoni tried to count the positives from the tournament, having been consistent right from the practice match against England.

"The spinners have bowled well as they got a bit of help and turn from the track. Virat has been brilliant for us as he has been in the last one and half years and even more. We were consistent from start and hence there weren't too many changes in the playing XI."

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ICC World Twenty20: Virat Kohli Leads India To The Final

India stormed into the final of the ICC World T20 with a resounding six-wicket victory over South Africa, with Virat Kohli once again rising to the occasion with a scintillating unbeaten 76 here on Friday.

Chasing a competitive target of 173, India completed the task with five balls to spare to reach their second World T20 final. The reigning ODI world champions will lock horns with Sri Lanka in the title clash on Sunday.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni deliberately played a dot ball to ensure that the day's hero got a chance to score the winning stroke off Dale Steyn.

Kohli produced his best T20 International knock when it mattered the most, scoring his runs off just 44 balls and with the help of five fours and two sixes.

Suresh Raina's 21 off 10 balls was equally important in the final context of the match as India reached the final for the first time since the inaugural edition in South Africa.

Needing 51 off the last five overs, Kohli upped the ante as he smacked Imran Tahir over deep mid-wicket for a huge six to complete his 50 off 35 balls. But Tahir got a breakthrough when Yuvraj Singh (18) didn't get the elevation and A B de Villiers took one of the best catches of the tourney, running from his long-on position.

New man Raina got into the act immediately as he pulled Wayne Parnell behind deep fine leg for a six to bring down the equation. An uppish shot through vacant third man and an inside edge meant that Parnell gave away 17 runs. The over proved to be the turning point as India got the equation down to 23 from three overs.

Indian started the chase with a flurry of boundaries, including three in J P Duminy's first over. Ajinkya Rahane's was a backfoot punch through the covers while Rohit Sharma got an edge through slips and banged the next past mid-off as 14 came off the opening over.

Albie Morkel got the new ball from the other end and Rohit's spanking square cut got him his third boundary. His fourth boundary came when he pulled Morkel over the mid-wicket fielder.

With 23 from two overs, India's chase was on the right track.

Dale Steyn was promptly brought in and the last ball of his opening over was slashed over point by Rohit for a six.

However, Rohit was gone when he offered a skier off Hendricks, as skipper Faf du Plessis ran from his mid-off position to take well-judged catch. Rohit's 24 came off 13 balls with four boundaries and six.

The 50 came off five overs as Rahane moved towards the leg-side to lift Parnell over extra cover for a huge six.

Parnell had his revenge when he bowled one just short of length and Rahane's short arm jab was taken by de Villiers, running from mid-wicket boundary position. Rahane took 30 balls for his 32 that had two fours and a six.

Kohli played himself in and his first big shot was a six off Duminy.

When Hendricks bowled a short one, Kohli pulled him behind square as the 100 came up in the 13th over. The script then pretty much unfolded on expected lines as India romped home comfortably.

Earlier, Du Plessis came back from his one-match suspension with an attractive half-century as South Africa posted a challenging total. Riding on Du Plessis' 58 off 41 balls and senior campaigner Jean-Paul Duminy's 40-ball 45, the Proteas scored their highest total against India in the tournament so far.

David Miller's 12-ball 23 helped to prop up the total.

Barring Ravichandran Ashwin, who had brilliant figures of three for 22 from his four overs, other Indian bowlers had a disappointing day in office.

Amit Mishra gave his worst performance (0/36 in three overs) of the tournament, even as Dhoni was unable to complete the quota of his three specialist bowlers.

The most impressive part about South Africa's batting was that their batsmen did not try to fight the conditions. Du Plessis showed the virtue of spending some time before going on the ascendancy, while the seasoned Duminy also played an important hand in the team's total.

The Duminy-Du Plessis pair added 71 runs in 8.4 overs for the third wicket, laying the foundation for a fighting score.

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Team India Says Yuvraj Singh Fit For World T20 Semi

India received a boost ahead of Friday's World Twenty20 semi-final against South Africa when Yuvraj Singh was declared fit following an ankle injury, an official said.

The dashing left-handed batsman hurt his left ankle while playing football with team-mates on Wednesday, but the Indian squad's media manager R.N. Baba said there was no cause for worry. "Yuvraj is fit. He will attend practice," Baba told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka.

The 32-year-old overcame a lean trot to smash an attractive 60 off 43 balls, containing four sixes and five fours, against Australia on Sunday. Yuvraj, who was man of the match during India's World Cup-winning campaign in 2011, was diagnosed with a rare lung cancer later that year and received chemotherapy treatment in the United States.

Meanwhile, Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin refused to tip his team as the favourites to beat South Africa, despite being the only unbeaten team in the 16-nation tournament.

"When it comes down to the semi-finals, it's anybody's game," the off-spinner said. "Whoever plays well on that particular day will have the advantage."

Ashwin said India, who won the inaugural World Twenty20, was not taking into consideration South Africa's reputation for choking in major events.

"They'll have to use it for themselves for our advantage," he said. "We are not looking at things like that or what happened in the past. If they want to do it, it's their problem."

If India win the tournament, they will become the first team to hold all three major titles, having won the 50-over World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy last year.

But Ashwin insisted the hat-trick was not on the team's mind. "We've never been a team that believed in talking about all these things, because it's only going to make things tougher for you," he said.

"There are four teams in the semi-finals, everybody has a 25 percent chance to win." Defending champions West Indies meet Sri Lanka in the first semi-final later on Thursday.

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Yuvi Misses India's Practice Session Due To An Ankle Injury

The left ankle injury during Tuesday's barefoot football match forced Yuvraj Singh to opt out of the team training session on Wednesday.

Yuvraj sustained the injury during the team's customary football session at the BCB Academy in Mirpur. Later, he was seen limping with his left ankle being protected by a crepe bandage.

Yuvraj did not accompany the team for the training session at the Khan Saheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah. He was advised to stay back in the team hotel and take rest.

"Yuvraj singh had a blow on his left ankle. For precautionary reasons, he is taking rest today," said the team's media manager Dr RN Baba in a media release.

It is not known whether he will train on Thursday or not

While the extent of the injury is not known, the idea of trainer Sudarshan to do something different could well cost the team dearly if Yuvraj does not get fit for Friday's semi-final match against the South Africans.

Interestingly, Yuvraj had sustained a serious knee injury in 2006 before a Champions Trophy game against Australia in Mohali.

Back then, the Indian team, coached by Greg Chappell, played a game of 'kho-kho' for entertainment and Yuvraj twisted his knee while turning.

But on Tuesday, the team did not play football to start off training and straightaway started with their serious net session.

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Spirited Netherlands Stun England, Win By 45 Runs

England suffered an embarrassing 45-run defeat by the Netherlands at the World Twenty20 on Monday to end a dismal few months at a new low point.

England, already eliminated from the tournament after defeats by New Zealand and South Africa, were bowled out for 88 chasing a modest 134 for victory in their final Group One super 10 match.

Logan van Geek and Mudassar Bukhari took three wickets each for the Dutch, who also defeated England by four wickets in the opening match of the World Twenty20 at Lord's in 2009.

Captain Stuart Broad took three wickets for 24 runs as England's bowlers restricted the Netherlands to 133 for five wickets after opting to field first.

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India Beat Bangladesh By 8 Wickets To Move Into World T20 Semis

India walked through Bangladesh's total of 138 to win by 8 wickets - their third victory in a row - and reach the ICC World Twenty 20 semis for the first time in seven years, thanks to another superb show by the spinners and a partnership of 100 runs between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Opting to bowl after winning the toss, MS Dhoni once again managed to limit the opposition to a manageable total as Amit Mishra continued his good form with figures of 3 for 25. R Ashwin was equally difficult for the Bangladeshi batsmen to face as the offspinner finished with figures of 2 for 15.

Rohit and Kohli then made a mockery of the run-chase despite losing Shikhar Dhawan (1) early. The duo scored half-centuries while Bangladesh were guilty of some sloppy fielding and letting Rohit away when he was on 36.

The Indian duo then didn't allow Bangladesh a way back into the game as they brought up their personal landmarks. Rohit (56) fell to a soft dismissal hitting a full toss straight to point.

Kohli remained not out at 57 off 50 balls, while Dhoni - who came ahead of Yuvraj to bat for the first time in this tournament - notched up 22 in 12 balls.

The win took India top of the Group 2 with 6 points.

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Supreme Court suggests Gavaskar as BCCI Chief

The Supreme Court has said it will pass an order on the Indian Premier League spot-fixing and betting scandal on Friday and has proposed that former India captain Sunil Gavaskar could take over as the interim chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in place of its embattled president N. Srinivasan.

Gavaskar told media, "I will be happy to do what the Supreme Court asks me to do. I will feel honored."

The court on Thursday also suggested that Indian Premier League teams Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals should not be part of the seventh season beginning in the United Emirates on April 16, as they are being investigated in the case. Both teams are former champions, with Chennai winning the IPL twice.

The Supreme Court bench has also proposed that no one associated with Srinivasan's company India Cements should be part of the BCCI. India Cements owns CSK and it also employs Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sunder Raman, the man who runs the IPL. Srinivasan is the Managing Director of Indian Cements.

The court has asked the Board to reply to its proposals on Friday.

On Tuesday, the court had said that N. Srinivasan should step down as BCCI president to ensure a fair inquiry into the IPL betting and match-fixing scandal and had given the Board two days to respond. The two-judge bench slammed what it called Srinivasan's  "nauseating" refusal to resign while allegations of illegal betting and spot-fixing involving his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan an official of the CSK, are being investigated.

A final order is expected on April 16, the day IPL 7 is scheduled to start. Mumbai Indians, the defending champions, will clash with Kolkata Knight Riders in the first match at Abu Dhabi.

In court on Thursday, the BCCI offered that Srinivasan could "step aside" while a time-bound inquiry was conducted in the case. It also appealed that Srinivasan be allowed to take over as the International Cricket Council's first chairman of the Executive Committee, come July.

Harish Salve, who is representing petitioner Aditya Verma, secretary of the Cricket Association of Bihar, sought a criminal investigation into spot-fixing allegations and petitioned that the Chennai Super Kings team should be terminated. 

A court-appointed committee headed by retired High Court judge Justice Mukul Mudgal had on February 10 said that it had found the involvement of Meiyappan in the illegal betting case.  The committee had been set up by the Supreme Court in October last year.

The BCCI's lawyers on Thursday requested the judges to let the Board hold its own inquiry as recommended by the Mudgal report. "We will have to think hard for the benefit of cricket and then pass the order," the Supreme Court bench said.

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World T20: Gayle A Threat As India Run Into Windies

After a thumping win over Pakistan on Friday in their World Twenty20 opener, Team India will now have to brace up for the defending champions West Indies when the two team square up against each other in Mirpur on Sunday. Added to that Indian bowlers have to gear up for the firepower of Chris Gayle.

The Indians have started the tournament as they comfortably overcame Pakistan's resistance thanks to some impressive bowling and solid batting. The spin trio of Amit Mishra, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja impressed the most as they restricted Pakistan to just 130 for 7 and later on some impressive batting by Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma helped them reach the target with ease.

But West Indies will be a different ball game all together. Although the spin trio are in good form but a rampaging Gayle can take away the game at any point of time with his blazing bat and he will surely be the man to India would like to get early. Although, Gayle does not has the best of footwork as he believes in 'stand and hit' technique and the Indian pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami can't afford to have an off day. But spinners might still trouble the 'Jamaican Marauder' as Ashwin successfully employing a round the wicket technique to bottle up batsman and Mishra inviting him to come out by flighting his deliveries, it will be a challenge for Gayle to devise a counter strategy.

On the other hand, the Indian batsmen had an easy day in office against Pakistan with a smaller target to chase. Both Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma added solid 50-run stand for the openeing wicket but once again they failed to make most of the start and would be hoping to finally get a big score under their belt. Virat Kohli once again proved about his worth by seeing India through in the last match along with Suresh Raina, who also got his touch back and these are positive signs.

Yuvraj Singh had an off day as he failed with the bat and dropped a catch as well, so this match against Windies can be a good opportunity for him to get few runs in order to keep his place intact ahead of Ajinkya Rahane in the middle order. One have a feeling he will play the whole tournament unless something goes horribly wrong.

It will be interesting to see how Indian batsmen will counter Sunil Narine on Bangladesh's slow, turning pitches. Having proved himself in the Indian Premier League and international cricket, Narine is a tremendous asset and may well find himself taking the new ball at times. Ravi Rampaul, Krishmar Santomie, Bravo and Narine make up for a lethal bowling combination and an engaging contest between bat and ball could be expected.

India: MS Dhoni (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Amit Mishra

Windies: Darren Sammy (c), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Krishmar Santomie

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India, Pak Renew Rivalry At 2014 World Twenty20

Fans have hasty memory back the context is India vs Pakistan. The song may have lit up almost the Indian side of the connection taking place in all three previous World Twenty20 meetings thus in the distance and wide in the midst of the two nations, but fresh in the memory will be who inflicted the last wound.
An Indo-Pak fight is a showpiece issue in all auditorium; and a propos the cricket pitch, in the subcontinent, it gains monumental proportions. Friday, the third Jumma of March 2014, will be one such hours of daylight.
There were epoch, during the forward '80s and '90s, as soon as Indian public resigned to a beat if a go accompanied by adjoining Pakistan fell just approximately a Jumma (Friday prayers in the mosque), especially by now Javed Miandad hit Chetan Sharma for a last-ball six to win an ODI in Sharjah.
But the clock ticked along, and India have come a fair isolate by now subsequently. The Sourav Ganguly epoch vacuumed all scare out of Indian minds and Dhoni carried the legacy run, keeping India's unbeaten folder in all World Cups nicely guarded.
In as many as eight attempts - five time in 50-greater than World Cup and thrice in World Twenty20 - Pakistan have unsuccessful to breach the Indian fortress.
But Shahid Afridi's belligerence neighboring to R Ashwin not far off from speaking March 2 opened the wound Miandad had inflicted in 1986. Afridi's boom-boom won Pakistan the Asia Cup game in the last on pinnacle of by just one wicket, and it's that memory fans will carry to Mirpur concerning Sunday - Indians looking for revenge, Pakistanis to cause unconventional millstone.
A received regulate for India past the Asia Cup loss will be the reward of MS Dhoni, who sat out the tournament due to an disconcerted. He will be backing to captain the side that has Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina promote as skillfully for a format that suits them the best.
But Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez, nicknamed 'Professor' by his team-mates, doesn't relationships much into that. "The absence of any one individual or his compensation to the side doesn't make that much difference," Hafeez said during a media conference in Dhaka.
In as many as eight attempts - five era in 50-again World Cup and thrice in World Twenty20 - Pakistan have unsuccessful to breach the Indian fortress.
But Shahid Afridi's assault adjacent-door to R Ashwin in tab to March 2 opened the wound Miandad had inflicted in 1986. Afridi's boom-boom won Pakistan the Asia Cup game in the last on zenith of by just one wicket, and it's that memory fans will carry to Mirpur upon Sunday - Indians looking for revenge, Pakistanis to cause optional appendage hardship.
A okay correct for India past the Asia Cup loss will be the reward of MS Dhoni, who sat out the tournament due to an cause offense. He will be broadcast to captain the side that has Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina benefits as proficiently for a format that suits them the best.
But Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez, nicknamed 'Professor' by his team-mates, doesn't available much into that. "The absence of any one individual or his compensation to the side doesn't make that much difference," Hafeez said during a media conference in Dhaka.
"Yes, MS Dhoni's leadership and compensation is a key factor as he has finished well, but we won't enter the game following the mindset that we won in the Asia Cup because he was not there," Hafeez added.
Dhoni's counterpart is right in the larger slope. But in an Indo-Pak game, small approve-ups add into a exploit. For instance, Ashwin will see to concur scores following Afridi and Umar Gul will be after Virat Kohli's number, though Dhoni will proclaim to unsettle Saeed Ajmal.
On that note, some view it as the venerated Indian batting vs Pakistani bowling contest.
Led by the wily Saeed Ajmal gone the nagging Afridi upon his side and buoyed by the return of Umar Gul, Pakistan bowling can test the best and very has an edge. On the added hand, India have names following Kohli, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Raina, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma who can determined the ropes regularly.
While most positions air settled in the Indian pedigree-occurring, it's likely that Ajinkya Rahane replaces the out-of-form Rohit as Dhawan's commencement fashion tallying, upon the premise that Rohit can bat equally taking into consideration than ease in the center order - as he has finished for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
It's the bowling that India aren't much confident not quite. Mohammad Shami, Varun Aaron and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been going on and by the side of, though Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra are second compared to Ajmal and Afridi's spinning talents.
The see eye to eye will in addition to kick-off the issue decrease of the tournament - the Super 10 stage, where two teams (maybe Bangladesh and Ireland) from the qualifying stage will connect the peak eight Test nations.
India and Pakistan are in Group 2 of the Super 10, clubbed when the defending champions West Indies, a hungry Australia and one of the two qualifiers. So the archrivals will have to be au fait of the threats live the length of their neck, making the organization dangerous sufficient to verify net rule rate to find one or both of the semi-finalists.
But that be the matter in the middle of can be kept for higher than the blockbuster upon March 21.
India hot-happening results:

India warm-up results:

Match 1: Lost to SL by 5 runs

Match 2: Beat England by 20 runs

Pakistan warm-up results:

Match 1: Beat New Zealand by 7 wickets

Match 2: Lost to South Africa by 8 wickets

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Warm-Up Loss Could Affect Pakistan Against India: Inzamam

Furious with the Pakistan cricket team after its heavy loss against South Africa in a warm-up match, former captain Inzamam-ul Haq feared the defeat will bog the side down in its much-anticipated World Twenty20 Championship opener against arch-rivals India.

Pakistan's batting collapsed miserably for 71 as they prepared for Friday's crucial pressure game against India.

"The players need to work on weak areas in the nets ahead of the match against India so that the same mistakes are not repeated again. I always told the players never lose your sleep over it or think too much about the match. But I just hope this defeat to South Africa does not play up on the minds of our players when they take on India," Inzamam said.

Inzamam said opener Sharjeel Khan did not merit a place in the playing XI and an out-of-form Shoaib Malik should have been dropped.

"No matter how big or senior a player is, if he is not in form as I suspect some of our players are, he must be dropped. Because matches against India are all about confidence and being able to sustain the pressure. Out-of-form players can never be expected to keep their nerves in such a demanding match," he said.

Inzamam, however, had a word of encouragement for the Pakistan team.

"I remember when we went for the 1992 World Cup, we lost all six of our practice matches and yet we went on to win the World Cup. But then we had an inspirational leader like Imran Khan and some world class performers in Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram. So I would say let's not read too much into this result against South Africa.

But the former captain, who played 120 Tests and 378 one-day internationals said it was good that the weaknesses of the Pakistan team had shown up in the warm-up match. He said that while India had depth in the batting department but the form of their bowlers in one-dayers and T20 matches would be a source of great concern for their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"Their bowlers are struggling to defend even decent totals and our batsmen should not be afraid to attack them from the word go," he said.

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India Lose To Sri Lanka By Five Runs In World T20 Warm-Up

Indian team's batting woes continued in the familiar sub-continental conditions as they lost their opening warm-up tie of the ICC World T20 against Sri Lanka by five runs on Monday.

Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 153 for six and then bowled out India for 148 in exactly 20 overs.

Needing 12 off the last over bowled by Lasith Malinga, Indians could get only six as the Lankan slinger finished with figures of 4 for 30 from four overs. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not bat in this unofficial match.

India's inability to finish a close match again came to the fore as the likes of Suresh Raina (41), Yuvraj Singh (33) and Virat Kohli (17) all failed to convert their starts.

Ravichandran Ashwin's all-round show (3 for 22 and 19 runs) was the lone bright spot in the opening encounter.

India were off to a disastrous start as Shikhar Dhawan (2) played a lazy shot off Kulasekara to be holed out at mid-off while Rohit Sharma (4) was caught at the deep mid-wicket boundary off a Malinga delivery.

Ravichandran Ashwin's all-round show (3 for 22 and 19 runs) was the lone bright spot in the opening encounter.

India were off to a disastrous start as Shikhar Dhawan (2) played a lazy shot off Kulasekara to be holed out at mid-off while Rohit Sharma (4) was caught at the deep mid-wicket boundary off a Malinga delivery.

ALSO SEE Sangakkara to retire from T20Is after World T20

Raina looked more comfortable on a low-bounce track as he played those customary lofted shots in the region between extra cover and mid-off. He also lofted Kulasekara for a six over mid-wicket.

He was looking good for a big knock as he reached 41 with the help of five fours and a six. But the 31st ball he faced saw him fail to reach to the pitch of the delivery. Ajantha Mendis was the bowler and Raina couldn't clear Rangana Herath at long off boundary.

Ajinkya Rahane offered a simple return catch to Sachitra Senanayeke as India were in deep trouble at 56 for four.

Yuvraj was having a bit of trouble initially reading Senanayeke's deliveries but he broke the shackles by coming down the track to hit left-arm spinner Rangana Herath over long-on for a six. He also picked up Mendis' carom ball early to hit another six over long on.

Kohli started off on a promising note smacking 17 off only eight balls as the duo added 32 runs in quick time before Malinga struck.

Coming back for his second spell, Malinga got Kohli to play away from his body and he dragged it back onto the stumps. Yuvraj was gone trying to steer Kulasekara and Sangakkara took a fine diving catch behind the stumps.

The left-hander hit two sixes and two fours in his 28-ball stay at the crease. Once Yuvraj was gone, it was difficult for the others to finish the game.

Earlier, Ashwin gave a good account of himself as two-time finalists Sri Lanka upped the ante in the end to put on a competitive total after being sent into bat.

Ashwin ended with impressive figures of three for 22 in his four-over spell as the batsmen had lot of trouble playing their strokes on a slowish track at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Amit Mishra (1 for 38 from four overs) got some stick but also bowled a few good balls while Raina (1 for 12) was lucky to get a wicket.

Nuwan Kulasekara with 21 off 14 balls and Thisara Perera with 18 from 11 deliveries added 30 runs in the last three overs to take the score past 150.

Among the pacers, Varun Aaron worked up good pace in his three overs to end with one for 18 as Mahela Jayawardene (30) and skipper Dinesh Chandimal (29) were the only ones in the top-order, who looked like scoring a few runs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was taken for 17 runs in his final over as he finished with figures of none for 33 from three overs.

Mohammed Shami's inspiring effort in the field definitely helped in lifting the spirit of the team. Having bowled an over at full tilt, the speedster stationed at mid-off dived full stretched to take a brilliant one-handed catch that dismissed Kusal Janith Perera (21) off Aaron's bowling.

Dilshan, on the otherhand, looked ill at ease both against pacers as well as spinners as he simply could not get off the blocks.

Jayawardene, however, looked attacking from the start as his mistimed pull shot off Shami went over Dhoni's head for a boundary. But the very next shot was a beauty as he bisected the point and gully fielder to find another boundary.

When Ravindra Jadeja was introduced into the attack, Jayawardene muscled him behind square leg boundary for a six.

The veteran right-hander slog swept leggie Amit Mishra over square leg for another maximum.

But Mishra had his revenge off the very next ball when he varied the length. He altered it by a feet and Jayawardene was induced into playing early offering an easy return catch which Mishra had no problems in pouching.

Finally, Dilshan's misery ended when he was adjudged leg before after being struck on the frontfoot trying to flick an Ashwin delivery. Sangakkara played the worst shot among the top order batsmen as he literally gifted Raina a wicket.

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Djokovic Beats Federer To Win Indian Wells ATP Masters

World number two Novak Djokovic of Serbia outclassed Roger Federer by tiebreaker to win the Indian Wells ATP Masters title for the third time, Xinhua reported Monday.

The Serb beat Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) Sunday to add another title to those he captured in the California desert in 2008 and 2011.

"I think I played a good game to break back," Federer said. "Got the first serve returns back, and then played well from the baseline.

"He  took advantage of that," he said. "So it was an interesting end to the match, no doubt.

"I think he played well. At the end he made sure he kept the ball in play and I might have made a few too many errors when it really mattered," said Federer.

The Swiss had won the event four times: in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2012.

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Nadal And Sharapova Beaten At Indian Wells

Rafal Nadal and Maria Sharapova were both knocked out of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells on Monday after stunning upsets at one of the world's biggest tournaments outside the four grand slams.

Nadal was sent packing by Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) after Sharapova fell to Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi 6-3 4-6 7-5 as last year's men's and women's singles champions both crashed out.

Nadal blew a 4-2 lead in the deciding tiebreak after the Spaniard had fought his way back into the match.

Nadal beat Dolgopolov in the final of the inaugural Rio Open last month but the Ukrainian got his revenge on the world number one in the Californian desert.

Giorgi, a 22-year-old ranked 79th in the world made the fourth round of the U.S. Open last year as a qualifier, but her win over the world number five Russian was the biggest of her career.

"I did not play a good match at all," said Sharapova, who dropped serve eight times and committed 58 unforced errors.

"(I've) never played against her, but she's someone that doesn't give you much rhythm. She's quite aggressive, but some shots she hits incredible for a long period of time.

"Sometimes they go off a bit. But, if I'm speaking about my level, it was nowhere near where it should have been."

Giorgi will play her countrywoman Flavia Pennetta in the next round after she beat Australian Sam Stosur 6-4 3-6 6-1.

There were no other major surprises although Britain's Andy Murray was forced to dig deep to see off promising Czech Jiri Vesely and avoid a similar fate.

The Wimbledon champion won 6-7 (7-2) 6-4 6-4 but only after clawing back from the brink of defeat against the 20-year-old Vesely.

Murray lost the opening set despite going up an early break but then struggled on serve against the left-handed Vesely, ranked 77th in the world.

The Scotsman was broken six times in the match and trailed in both the second and third sets but fought back each time, reeling off four consecutive games to seal victory.

"It was just one of those matches where there wasn't one period where I thought that the level of tennis from both of us was high at the same time," said Murray.

"That can create a lot of breaks and a lot of sort of back and forth swings in the match. It wasn't just the start of the match that was frustrating. The whole match was."

Murray will play Canada's big-serving Milos Raonic in the next round as he bids to win one of the few North American hardcourt titles to have eluded him.

Switzerland's former world number one Roger Federer also advanced after he was pushed all the way by Russia's Dmitry Tursunov before winning 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-2).

Federer, who won his 78th career singles title in Dubai earlier this month, will play either German Tommy Haas or Japan's Kei Nishikori in the fourth round.

"I feel like I'm in a good place," said Federer, a four-time champion at Indian Wells. "I know what my solid level is. Even if I won 6 and 6 today, I just feel like I was calm and served for the set.

"Okay, got broken. Still managed to stay calm. Down ... in the second; stayed calm and came back. So those are the moments where you feel there is confidence around somewhere."

China's Li Na, the top seed in the women's draw, had no problems booking her place in the fourth round, beating Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-3 6-4.

Despite dishing up nine double-faults and having her own service broken twice, Li was far too strong and streetwise for Pliskova, wrapping up the win with an ace.

"At least I could win the last point and stay in the tournament," Li said.

"If you're a tennis player, you'll make double faults. At least I can improve my serve even more from here."

Li is looking to win her first Indian Wells title and continue her great start to the year after capturing the Australian Open.

Her next opponent is Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak, who defeated Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-0.

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Samuels Bats And Bowls Windies To Victory

Marlon Samuels's all-round performance gave West Indies a 1-0 lead in the three-match Twenty20 International series against England with a 27-run victory at Kensington Oval here.

Samuels scored a stroke-filled unbeaten 69 as West Indies reached 170 for three and then restricted England to 143 for nine, taking two wickets Sunday.

With the victory West Indies sent out a challenge to other teams that they are in fine fettle to retain their World T20 title in Bangladesh later in the month, though they have concerns over the fitness of their match-winning spinners Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree.

Narine only bowled two overs and left the field after hurting his right knee in the field while Badree, who claimed three for 17 in his four overs, hurt his fingers of his bowling hand attempting to take a return catch.

“He’s (Narine) is being looked after, so fingers crossed everything is alright,” said West Indies captain Darren Sammy.

The West Indies won the toss and decided to bat first with a challenging start from Smith and Gayle. Smith was off the mark with the first ball, hitting Stuart Broad for six and West Indies piling 19 runs off the first over.

When Smith was bowled by Ravi Bopara for 27 in the sxith over, West Indies were already 57 runs on the board and then Chris Gayle and Samuels provided a showpiece of batting display.

Gayle scored a quickfire 43 off 35 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes before leg before wicket to James Tredwell.

A 54-run partnership from 38 balls between Samuels and Andre Russell took West Indies to 170 after Lendl Simmons was dismissed for three.

Samuels’ half century came up off 28 balls and was unbeaten on 69 with Russell on 24, setting England a challenging 171 for victory.

"I've been working hard, it was a wonderful crowd so I had to come out and play. They loved Carl Hooper and I came out to play in his style. It worked out well for us as we have some wonderful spinners,” said Samuels.

Bopara (2-23) and James Tredwell (1-16) were the successful bowlers for England.

The visitors never seriously threatened the Windies’ total and were reeling on 55 for 5 midway through their innings.

Only Tim Bresnan and Ravi Bopara made useful scores to England’s total of 143 for 9. Bopara made 42 and Bresnan was unbeaten on 47 as Samuel Badree and Samuels saw West Indies close in on the victory.

Samuels, who finished with 2 for 21, was the man-of-the-match.

"We didn't get going, but that's something that can happen in Twenty20 cricket, especially when you're chasing a decent score," said England captain Stuart Broad.

"It's certainly not something to panic about."

Broad, however, hinted that he may miss the remaining two matches of the series on Tuesday and Thursday because of tendonitis in his knee.

West Indies will look to take an unassailable lead in the second match Tuesday at the same venue.

Brief scores:

West Indies 170 for three (Marlon Samuels 69 not out, Chris Gayle 43, Dwayne Smith 27, Andre Russell 24; Ravi Bopara 2-23, James Tredwell 1-16).

England 143 for 9 (Tim Bresnan 47 not out, Ravi Bopara 42, Eoin Morgan 19; Samuel Badree 3/17, Marlon Samuels 2/21, Sunil Narine 1/8).

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