Kevin Pietersen's Indian Premier League dreams dashed by Mumbai Indians

Opting to bat first in the first IPL semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, the Indians were lifted to a formidable 184 for five by superb batting performances from Saurabh Tiwary (52 not out), Ambati Rayudu (40) and an excellent cameo from Pollard (33).

The West Indies international then took three for 17 in his four overs as the Royal Challengers caved in and were restricted to 149 for nine in what eventually fizzled out into a one-sided game.

 Related ArticlesIPL investigators scrutinise payments to English playersModi: I'll be vindicatedIPL cricket bomb attacks ordered by 'betting mafia'Virender Sehwag ruled out of World Twenty20IPL 2010: YouTube Top 10Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff on Indian Premier League A-list, but England team-mates will miss out

The Royal Challengers initially gained the edge when Dale Steyn had Sachin Tendulkar caught by Ross Taylor in the second over for nine, his first single-figure score in the competition this year, and his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan was then run out for 12.

Abhishek Nayar (22) and Rayudu, however, briefly arrested the slide and lifted the Indians' run rate with a flurry of boundaries which had the Royal Challengers rattled and left their side poised nicely on 54 for two at the end of the powerplay.

Captain Anil Kumble called the Royal Challengers into a huddle during the strategic time-out and, when they returned, Kumble brought himself and Pietersen on to bowl from either end.

Pietersen secured the breakthrough by removing Nayar and Kumble struck in his second over to scalp JP Duminy cheaply, and the Royal Challengers again had the advantage as the two spinners put the brakes on the scoring.

But Kumble slipped up when he brought on Virat Kohli in the 14th and Tiwary, who had joined Rayudu at Nayar's dismissal, immediately eased the pressure by hitting the part-time bowler for a six in an over which yielded 10.

Tiwary then cut loose and, with Rayudu chipping in nicely, the Indians easily wrested the initiative.

Rayudu fell after a 67-run stand with Tiwary, but his replacement Pollard smacked three sixes and a four in his 13-delivery stint as the Indians finished on a high.

The Indians carried the momentum into the second innings as Jacques Kallis (11), who had earlier conceded 25 from two overs, completed a forgettable match when he edged Lasith Malinga to wicketkeeper Rayudu.

Although several batsmen got starts thereafter, the Royal Challengers lost wickets regularly and were out of the contest long before the final delivery.

Pietersen (19) was castled by Harbhajan Singh in the bowler's first over immediately after fielding restrictions were relaxed.

Although Robin Uthappa (26) and Rahul Dravid (23), who had opened alongside Kallis, briefly kept the chase alive, their dismissals within the space of two deliveries pegged the Royal Challengers back.

Pollard, who had removed Uthappa in his first over, then had Kohli caught behind and it was all over bar the shouting.

View the Original article

IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch's love and knowledge of sport was unsurpassed

Since my early teens, my life has been inextricably bound to sport, whether competitive, political or administrative. And there are two people to whom I owe an eternal debt of gratitude.

One was my father, who steered my career from its first tentative steps to an Olympic stadium. The other, Juan Antonio Samaranch, who left us on Wednesday, had an equally profound influence on a large part of my sporting landscape.

 Related ArticlesIngram takes World Cup bowAjulu-Bushell a step closer to joining Team GBDaley intends to stay on topAinslie's double dreamSport on televisionIOC president Jacques Rogge set to step down after 2012 London Olympics

In 1981 I was invited by Samaranch, who only a year earlier had become the International Olympic Committee's seventh president, to attend the Olympic congress in Baden Baden alongside a clutch of other competitors. As ever, with the sixth sense of a seasoned sailor seizing upon a changing wind – long before anyone else – he knew that the athlete had to be at the epicentre of the decisions being made on their behalf by sporting organisations.

Up until this point, although they were often the first thought, they were, in essence, the last consideration. As a sports leader, Samaranch was different. He knew instinctively that if the movement were to modernise, it could only do so by taking the athletes with him on that journey.

At the end of the conference I was asked to present a synthesis of our deliberations. Shortly afterwards, he announced the formation of the first Athletes' Commission – ostensibly made up from those of us in Baden Baden. Thomas Bach, Pal Schmitt and Kip Keino were among those who went on to reach the upper echelons of administrative sport in their own countries and the IOC. There were many more who now hold prominent positions in international federations and even government, who all owe those posts to the foresight of the Catalan. Within a few years, the Athletes' Commission was an integral part of most international federations.

Shortly after joining the Athletes' Commission I was appointed to the UK Sports Council and not, of course, without asking his opinion first – and he was always on hand and generous with his time.

It was this friendship that probably persuaded him to offer me a wild card after being dropped from the British team for the 1988 Games in Seoul. For understandable reasons, the British Olympic Association did not welcome this overture from Lausanne with unalloyed joy. In the end, I sat out the Games as a spectator.

At the Atlanta Games six years after I'd retired, buried in a political career and with less day-to-day contact with sport, he invited me to watch the 1500 metres final with him. At the end of the evening, he turned to me and, with a clipped command, announced he was leaving and that I should follow. We were ushered from the stadium and arrived at the basketball venue, the Georgia Dome, for the Dream Team v Yugoslavia final. At half-time, again he told me to follow. We disappeared into the bowels of the stadium, only to reappear on the apron of the court.

A few moments later, he presented Muhammad Ali with the gold medal that he supposedly threw away after winning the Olympic heavyweight crown in Rome, when refused service in a restaurant in his hometown. It was a moment I will never forget. In the car returning to the hotel, I asked him whose idea it was. He smiled and with clear pride said, "It was mine".

At the end of last summer, I sat with him in Spain. In his 90th year his grasp of not just international sport but the global condition was breathtaking. There was always that disarming moment when you thought you were imparting information that was fresh, only to be politely told that he'd known at least six months earlier. And you knew he did.

He had the rare quality of grasping granular detail but never letting it get in the way of the broader vision. He was quite simply the most intuitive politician I have ever met.

He pulled the movement together after the Moscow boycott and moulded it into the powerful global movement it is today – reducing dramatically the potential for further damage in the tit for tat boycott in Los Angeles and, again, holding the rings so astutely during the Seoul Games, staged in a country recognised by less than half the diplomatic world, which is testimony alone to that assertion.

But what many of his chroniclers miss was his sheer love and encyclopedic knowledge of sport. As a spectator his concentration was total. His knowledge of the current crop of competitors and their form was astonishing. And that was the same in almost every Olympic sport.

It will come as no surprise when I write that the first person I went to see after being appointed chairman of the London 2012 bid team was this man. "Of course you have to do it," he said impatiently. "You have a responsibility."

Then a short pause, "of course, you're not going to win". This was not the occasion to push my luck, particularly as Madrid were also in the running.

Just before our first Athletes' Commission meeting, nearly 30 years ago, he briefly addressed the group, "I want you all to challenge me, to challenge the movement and to challenge sport". Much has been written about his presidency, events chronicled and analysed. He led from the front and he unquestionably challenged us all. I shall miss him.

View the Original article

NBA Playoffs results round-up

Results from 20 April 2010

Western Conference First Round:

Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (8)

A magnificent 39 point performance from Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant ensured Los Angeles came out on top in a very tense battle at the Staples Centre in front of a star-studded crowd. David Beckham, Kid Rock, Charlize Theron and Jack Nicholson were all in the crowd to see the Lakers win 95-92, which gives them a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Thunder power forward Jeff Green missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer that would have taken the game to overtime but it was an encouraging performance by the young team led by small forward Kevin Durant who had 32 points. Spanish power forward Pau Gasol was also influential for the Lakers as he recorded his second double-double of the series with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Next match: Thursday 22nd April

Phoenix Suns (3) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (6)

Jason Richardson hit four three-pointers in his 29 points as the Phoenix Suns thrashed the Trail Blazers to draw the series level at 1-1. The Suns won every quarter in a dominating 119-90 win with Canadian points guard Steve Nash dishing out 16 assists. Veterans Andre Miller and Marcus Camby were crucial in the Blazers win over the Suns on Sunday but combined for just 18 points last night as the Phoenix ran them ragged. Power forward Amare Stoudemire (18 points) and small forward Grant Hill (20 points) ably assisted Richardson and Nash as the Suns cruised to victory.

Next match: Thursday 22nd April

Eastern Conference First Round:

Boston Celtics (4) vs. Miami Heat (5)

Celtics star Ray Allen was on fire as Boston destroyed the Miami Heat to take a 2-0 lead in the best of seven series. Allen scored on nine of his 11 field goal attempts, including seven three-pointers as he led the Celtics with 25 points. Boston were without suspended power forward Kevin Garnett but Glen Davis filled in brilliantly for the former MVP with 23 points and eight rebounds. Not even 29 points from All Star Dwyane Wade kept the Heat close as they were beaten 106-77.

Next match: Friday 23rd April

Atlanta Hawks (3) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (6)

View the Original article

Schmeichel: Froch v Kessler is the Super Six Series decider

Carl Froch's showdown with Mikkel Kessler will decide who wins the Super Six Series, claims Peter Schmeichel.

Andre Dirrell and Arthur Abraham may have something to say about the comments from Schmeichel, who is presenting Danish TV's coverage of the fight, but Froch v Kessler is the fight everyone has been looking forward to since the Super Six began.

Saturday's contest, which is exclusively live on Primetime, is finely balanced as the current WBC super-middleweight champ Froch takes on the former holder of the crown in Kessler.

Kessler's stock may have fallen since he faced Joe Calzaghe in their unification clash in November 2007 and the Dane is coming off a shock loss to Andre Ward.

But he has the plus of home advantage and the fight will take place in front of several thousand screaming Danes in Herning.

The unbeaten Froch, who despite being a year older than Kessler is much the fresher fighter, was unhappy about having to fight in Herning, which is the Danish equivalent of Kettering, and hard for his fans to reach.

His travel plans were also affected by the volcanic dust cloud and he finally arrived in Denmark today - four days later than he had originally planned.

That aside, everything else has gone like clockwork for Froch, who, like our other champions Amir Khan and David Haye, likes to put on a show for the fans.

View the Original article

Lens to let Dindane play final

Lens president Gervais Martel has confirmed the club will allow Aruna Dindane to play for Portsmouth in the FA Cup final, for the sake of the on-loan striker.

Dindane has become a regular for Pompey since arriving on a season-long loan in August but should he play another match it would trigger a clause requiring them to pay £4million to Lens.

The cash-stricken club can ill afford that sum and Martel has suggested Lens could now waive that fee.

Lens confirmed on their website that they have decided to allow Dindane to play for Portsmouth in the final against Chelsea, while the Ivory Coast striker could also feature in their final three Barclays Premier League games against Bolton, Wolves and Everton.

Martel added on www.rclens.fr: "There remains some problems to sort out with the English club. But I gave priority above all to the human aspect.

"I couldn't prevent the player from preparing for the Cup final against Chelsea. And moreover, above and beyond this final, there is also the next World Cup for him with his country the Ivory Coast.

"It was impossible to deprive him of a possible World Cup call-up. I couldn't block the player because of difficult discussions between Portsmouth and Lens."

The 29-year-old earned the penalty which Kevin-Prince Boateng scored to book Pompey's place in next month's FA Cup final with victory over Tottenham at Wembley.

View the Original article