India beat West Indies by 7 wickets

JOHANNESBURG: India pulled off a consolation win over the West Indies in the Champions Trophy, beating a depleted Caribbean side by seven wickets in the low-scoring final Group A match on Wednesday.

Scorecard | Points Table

India were already knocked out of the elite ICC event after Australia defeated Pakistan by two wickets in a nerve-wrecking another Group A match earlier in the day.

To the irony of the Indians, Australia had to loss against Pakistan and India had to beat West Indies by a big margin if Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men have to make it to the semi-finals.

India rode on Virat Kohli's unbeaten 79 and Dinesh Karthik's 34 to overhaul the West Indies score in 32.1 overs after Praveen Kumar (3/31) and Ashish Nehra (3/22) ran havoc with the new ball and then Harbhajan Singh joining the party with two wickets to bundle out the Caribbean side for 129 in 36 overs.

Earlier, put into bat, West Indies had a tottering start to their innings and lost half of their side inside 17 overs with Darren Sammy (23), David Bernard (22) and Devon Smith (21) top scoring.

Chasing the modest target, India received the bad news from Centurion that Australia had beaten Pakistan just two over into their innings and the frustration soon became visible, with Gautam Gambhir inside edging a Kemar Roach delivery on to his stumps.

Rahul Dravid marked his arrival at the crease in style, flicking Roach for a boundary in the first ball he faced but the veteran right-hander fell to a terrible mix up with Karthik with India slumping to 16/2 after four overs.

With no pressure under their belt, it was an ideal platform for Karthik and young Kohli to impress upon the selectors and the duo grabbed the chance with both hands and played cautiously to share an 88-run third wicket stand.

Kohli was aggressor among the two as he hit Bernard for three boundaries in the 26th over to reach to his half century, while Karthik played the role of shit-anchor, dealing in ones and twos with occasional hits to the fence.

Kohli struck nine fours and three sixes while Karthik found the fence four times.

Karthik's sedate innings finally came to an end in the 28th over with Tonge breaking the partnership, held at mid-on by Travis Dowlin.

Earlier, Indian pacers exploited the spongy Wanderers track to the best effect as Praveen drew the first blood removing Andre Fletcher (0) in the last ball of the opening over of the innings.

Comeback man Nehra then dealt double blow, removing Kieran Powell (5) and Smith in the same over.

The lanky left-arm pacers' outswinging delivery got the outer edge of Powell's bat as West Indies were reduced to 26/2 in 7.2 overs and three balls later Smith perished while chasing an away going delivery.

Praveen struck again in the 11th over, removing skipper Floyd Reifer (1) when he had him caught behind by Karthik.

Five overs later, India skipper Dhoni also decided to roll over his arm and registered his first ODI wicket when he cleaned up Dowlin to reduce the West Indies to 57/5 in 16.4 overs.

Sammy (23 off 38) and Bernard did show some resistance, sharing 32 runs for the sixth wicket before leg-spinner Amit Mishra induced the later with a flighted delivery outside the off stump, only to hand Dravid his second catch of the day.

Sammy was the next to depart with Nehra striking in the first ball of his second spell. The West Indian batsman swats a short ball off his pads but to his irony he found out Mishra at the deep square leg to see the Caribbeans reel at 99 for seven after 29.1 overs.

Harbhajan also registered wickets against his name, picking up Royston Crandon and Roach at the fag end of the West Indies innings. The off-spinner first disturbed Crandon's timbers and then Roach gave a catch to Gambhir at silly point.

Praveen then cleaned up the West Indies batting line up when he caught last man Gavin Tonge off his own bowling to finish off the proceedings.

Australia beat Pakistan by 2 wkts, end India's campaign

CENTURION: Defending champions Australia pulled off a dramatic last-ball victory over Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller to romp into the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy and bring a pre-mature end to India's listless campaign.

Scorecard | Points Table

The Australians had to rely on their tail-enders to achieve the two-wicket victory in the very last ball in a nail-biting contest which saw fortune fluctuating from one team to the other till the very end.

In a must-win encounter, Australia first restricted Pakistan to a modest 205 for six and then just about managed to scamper home on a spongy SuperSport Park track to knock India out of the eight-nation tournament.

The Aussies were cruising along comfortably at 157 for three at one stage before five wickets fell in quick secession to completely change the complexion of the game.

Needing four runs to win from the last five balls, Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz took the team home much to the relief of a tensed Australian dressing room.

The Aussies completed their Group-A engagement with five points and moved into the semifinals as the top team from their group. They had earlier defeated the West Indies while their match against India was washed out.

It was a disciplined bowling display by the Australians who exploited the conditions well to restrict the free-flowing Pakistani batsmen with only Kamran Akmal (44), Mohammad Yousuf (45) and Misbah-ul Haq (41) being the notable scorers.

The Aussies then rode on Michael Hussey's defiant 64 to scamper home, but not before some hiccups which provided a nail-biting end to the contest. Captain Ricky Ponting (32) and Tim Paine (29) also chipped in with useful scores.

Put into bat, Akmal, Yousuf and Misbah-ul Haq provided a semblance of resistance on a tricky Centurion pitch to leave the Aussies to score at 4.10 runs per over to secure a berth in the semi-finals.

Akmal's knock, during which he struck six boundaries, helped Pakistan recover from early jolts, while Yousuf tried to hold the innings together with a defiant 69-ball 45.

Pakistan started on an attacking note with Shahid Afridi, promoted to open the batting, cracking two boundaries off paceman Peter Siddle in the second over of the innings.

But Afridi (15), who struck three boundaries during his brief 18-ball stay, failed to make it big and became the first man to depart when his ambitious pull off Mitchell Johnson (2-45) found James Hopes in square leg region in the eighth over.

Other opener Akmal then paired up with skipper Younis Khan (18 off 49) to stitch up a 45-run partnership for the second wicket, before Shane Watson sent Akmal packing in the 19th over.

Akmal, who was handling the Australian bowlers with elan, went for a pull off Watson, but only managed to bottom-edge the ball which then fell onto the base of his leg stump.

Australians, including the new-ball pair of Brett Lee and Siddle, maintained good line and length from the very beginning to keep Pakistan run-rate under check.

Medium pacer Hopes inflicted the third blow by removing skipper Younis, who was slowly getting his eyes in, as Johnson pouched his mistimed shot in 14th over.

After the 32nd over, when Pakistan was struggling in 123 for four and making 200-run mark looking a difficult task, Yousuf, who scored three boundaries, and Misbah-ul-Haq (41 off 53) chipped in with some valuable contributions.

Misbah, who had cracked four boundaries before returning to the dugout after hitting his own wickets in the last over, pushed up Pakistan's run-rate towards the end of the innings.

Besides Johnson, Watson scalped two wickets for 32 runs, while both Lee and Hopes chipped in with one wickets each.

Chasing the modest target, Australia got off to a good start as Shane Watson (24) and Paine produced a 44-run opening partnership, before Watson fell prey to paceman Umar Gul in ninth over.

Australia suffered their second loss when Afridi's wicket-bound delivery found Pain's leg after three overs.

Ponting came when Australia were at 59 for two and joined hand with Michael Hussey to add 81 runs to the board. Ponting (32), who struck just one boundary during his 64-ball stay, made some patient contribution.

Hussey, who struck six fours and a six during the 87-ball innings, fell prey to Navel-ul-Hasan in the 41st over, leaving Australia at 174 for five.

The contest took an interesting turn when Mohammed Asif, playing his first match after the end of year-long ban, struck twice in the 42nd over.

After dismissing Hopes (1), Asif also scalped Cameron White (5) just after three balls in the same over.

However, Lee and Hauritz held their nerves to complete the task for Australia.

Goal machine Ronaldo seals another Real victory

MADRID: Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo made it nine goals in seven games by bagging a brace as Real Madrid's 'Galacticos' defeated 10-man Marseille 3-0 on Tuesday in their first Champions League match in front of their Santiago Bernabeu crowd.

It means Real have now won all seven of their matches this season, two in the Champions League and five in the league, and sit top of Group C with a maximum six points.

Real blitzed Marseille with three goals in six minutes; Ronaldo, who now has four Champions League goals in two games, scored two and won the penalty that led to the other.

"Cristiano is a player that can make a difference at any moment and is always capable of scoring a goal," said stand-in captain Guti.

"We want to try and get through this group as soon as possible by winning it. For now we have a big league game on Sunday against Sevilla who are on a roll but then so are we."

Marquee summer signing Ronaldo opened the scoring on 58 minutes and then won a spot-kick three minutes later which saw Marseille centre-back Souleymane Diawara dismissed for a second yellow card.

Kaka converted the penalty kick and Ronaldo struck again in the 64th minute to show why Real paid a world record 94 million euros for his services.

Ronaldo went off shortly after his second goal with a knock to his right ankle which makes him a doubt for Sunday's match with Sevilla.

AC Milan's shock 1-0 defeat at home to FC Zurich gives Real a three-point lead in the group and Madrid now have a double-header against Milan starting at home on October 21.

"We are scoring goals and not conceding them, which is always good," said Xabi Alonso. "We have two games against Milan now which will test us. The first game is at home so we have to make that advantage count."

Captain Raul, the all-time top-scorer in the Champions League, had to be content with a place on the substitutes' bench as new French star Karim Benzema started against his compatriots.

Ronaldo and Kaka joined Benzema in an attacking trident with Xabi Alonso and Fernando Gago employed in defensive midfield.

There were familiar faces to the Real fans in the Marseille line-up as Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze and veteran striker Fernando Morientes returned to their old stomping ground.

Heinze spent two seasons at the club before being let go by incoming coach Manuel Pellegrini in the summer while Morientes won three Champions League titles with Real and was given a warm welcome from the home fans.

Off the pitch there was a beefed-up police presence, after Marseille's last visit to Madrid saw them clash with baton-wielding riot police at the Vicente Calderon during a group match with Atletico Madrid.

There was no repeat of those ugly scenes, though, and the match took centre stage although it was a low-key opening from Real, who only had a half-chance from Sergio Ramos to show from the first 20 minutes.

Marseille, fourth in their domestic league, had a chance of their own on the quarter-hour mark but Iker Casillas was on his toes and raced out to swipe the ball from visiting captain Mamadou Niang.

On 26 minutes the Senegalese star skipped past Pepe but had to shoot from an acute angle and Casillas was on hand again to save with his chest.

It was a warning that appeared to spur Real into action and Benzema went agonisingly close twice.

First of all the ex-Lyon striker saw a brilliant overhead kick go just over and was then thwarted in a one-on-one by goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.

In the second half Real found their stride and took the lead through a route-one goal, with Pepe's long ball finding Ronaldo who carefully placed a low shot beneath the advancing Mandanda.

The former Manchester United man then drew a foul from Diawara which earned the defender a second yellow card and allowed Kaka to put Real 2-0 up with a confidently taken penalty.

Ronaldo continued his rich vein of form in front of goal with an easy tap-in to wrap up the game after slick inter-play between Benzema and Kaka.

Sharapova gives Pan Pacific Open a facelift

Former world number one Maria Sharapova [ Images ] continued her salvage operation at the Pan Pacific Open by screeching into the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

Wearing a pink dress, the Russian beat compatriot Alisa Kleybanova 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 -- to the relief of Tokyo organisers after a flood of early upsets at the $2 million event.

"It took a while to get my reaction and instincts back today," Sharapova, ranked 25th in the world following shoulder surgery last October, told reporters.

Seventh seed Jelena Jankovic [ Images ], the highest-ranked survivor, avoided the rush for the exit after Russian Elena Vesnina retired with a thigh strain while trailing 6-1, 3-0.

A tournament which began with nine of the world's top 10 players at least kept its remaining two as eighth seed Victoria Azarenka [ Images ] of Belarus also powered on.

The world number nine, a three-times title winner on the women's WTA Tour this year, beat Czech Lucie Safarova [ Images ] 7-5, 6-4 to set up a quarter-final with China's Li Na [ Images ].

Sharapova recovered from an error-strewn first set to reach the last eight of a tournament she won in 2005.

The 22-year-old called coach Michael Joyce on court for advice at the end of the set before storming through the second to level the match and turn the tide in her favour.

Pumping up the volume as the ferocity of her hitting increased, Sharapova secured the crucial break at 2-2 in the decider by smashing a forehand return across court.

The three-times grand slam winner sealed victory with a vicious kick serve that bamboozled Kleybanova and celebrated by blowing kisses to all corners of the crowd.

FRESH BREATH

"Michael's come on court a few times this year," said Sharapova, referring to the on-court coaching rule approved for this season by the WTA Tour.

"I use it to give me a little boost of energy, not change anything drastically. He just gave me a few pointers. It pumps you up a little bit, gives you that fresh breath of air."

Sharapova's next opponent is Czech Iveta Benesova [ Images ], who knocked out Taiwanese qualifier Chang Kai-chen -- shock conqueror of world number one Dinara Safina [ Images ] -- with a 7-5, 6-2 win.

Jankovic, who finished 2008 as the world number one, was cruising when Vesnina threw in the towel in cold conditions under a closed centre court roof as rain lashed Tokyo Bay.

"My goal is to make the (WTA Tour's season-ending) championships," the world number eight said. "I'm really not worrying about what's happening to the other seeds."

Jankovic next plays 14th seed Marion Bartoli [ Images ] after the Frenchwoman scored a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over Russia's [ Images ] Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova [ Images ].

Safina, second seed Venus Williams [ Images ] and French Open [ Images ] champion Svetlana Kuznetsova [ Images ] all lost their opening matches on Monday after first-round byes.

Waugh, Akram inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

The International Cricket Council [ Images ] (ICC [ Images ]) and the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) on Wednesday acknowledged the services to cricket of some of the all-time greats of the game with five new inductees to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Herbert Sutcliffe, Clarrie Grimmett, Victor Trumper, Wasim Akram [ Images ] and Steve Waugh were inducted into the Hall of Fame, bringing the total number of players in that exclusive club to 60.

Upon hearing the news, Steve Waugh said: "It is a great honour to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and to see my name feature alongside such greats of the game, including the likes of Don Bradman.

"To be named in the new five inductions this year alongside fellow Australia [ Images ]ns Victor Trumper and Clarrie Grimmett is something I wouldn't have imagined for myself when I first started playing for Australia.

"I'm extremely grateful to know I was voted in by the current living members of the Hall of Fame and to see myself alongside the likes of so many other cricketing heroes is something I am very proud of."

Wasim Akram said: "This honour is the perfect icing on the cake of a decent career. It is a great feeling to know your contribution and achievements in this fascinating sport are being acknowledged in such a way.

"When I started playing cricket, it was my dream to play with stalwarts like Imran Khan [ Images ] and Javed Miandad [ Images ]. And now, to be put in the same group, which also includes legends who were inspirational and role models for every cricketer, is extremely special.

"Matches against India have always been the most memorable ones for me, especially our victory at Chennai in 1999 where more than 40,000 spectators gave us a standing ovation. Victory at Melbourne [ Images ] in the 1992 World Cup in front of 88,000 spectators and the reception we received upon our return is something I'll cherish for the rest of my life.

"I am delighted and honoured to have represented my country for 18 years. I thank all my mentors, family members, fans and team-mates for helping me to join the galaxy of real superstars in this ICC Cricket Hall of Fame."

Herbert Sutciffe's son, John, said: "My dad would have loved this award and reveled in it. He was a great player who had a Test average up there with the very best members of the Hall of Fame. There's no doubt he would have been delighted with this honour."

Clarrie Grimmett's son, Vic, said: "I'm tickled pink! It was a brilliant surprise to receive this news. Dad was quite shy and reserved, but he was a lovely man who would have been delighted with this award. This is very special."

Speaking about his grandfather, Victor Trumper III said: "I read everything about my grandfather in his memorabilia. He achieved some great things in his personal and cricket life. He led a very selfless life and never chased fame but took great pride in what he achieved."

A rigorous process is followed when selecting new inductees to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. First, a long list of nominations was collated from names provided by all the current living members of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame (of which there are 33) along with the ICC management. The long list was then broken down into a short-list of 10 names by the nominations committee.

This year's nominations committee was made up of ICC President David Morgan, current living Hall of Famer Ian Chappell, journalist and broadcaster Christopher Martin-Jenkins, FICA president Jimmy Adams, Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) chairman David Kendix, former New Zealand [ Images ] women's player Catherine Campbell and current Sri Lanka [ Images ] batsman Mahela Jayawardena.

The short-list of nominations was then sent out to the ICC Hall of Fame voting academy where voters were asked to choose their top five inductees, awarding five points to their first choice, four to their second and so on.

The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame voting academy is made up of the following, ICC President David Morgan, all 33 current living members of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, a representative of the each of the Full Members (total of 10), a member of the media from each of the Full Members (total of 10), an Associate and Affiliate representative (HRH Prince Tunku of Malaysia), a representative of ACS (David Kendix), FICA chief executive Tim May and one women's cricket representative (Rachael Heyhoe-Flint).

ICC President David Morgan said: "In the long history of our great sport there have been a number of players who have excelled above their peers and the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame is a way of acknowledging that enormous contribution they have made to the game.

"The pleasure and entertainment those greats have provided to generations of cricket supporters down through the years must not be forgotten. This Hall of Fame is a good way of doing that and it will be one of the lasting legacies of this ICC centenary year.

"I would like to congratulate Wasim and Steve as well as the families of the other three inductees for their achievements. They can rightly take their place among the giants of the game."

The ICC Hall of Fame initiative forms part of the ICC's centenary celebrations which are focused on celebrating the unique heritage of the game and cricket's enduring spirit.

Desperate India take on Windies, pray for a Pakistan win

JOHANNESBURG: Their survival hinging on a favourable result elsewhere, India take on West Indies in a must-win match on Wednesday, hoping that arch-rivals Pakistan do them a favour by beating Australia in their final group A engagament of the Champions Trophy.

India approach on Wednesday's game against the West Indies with a prayer on the lips that Pakistan would somehow prevail over Australia by a big margin in the day's first game in Centurion.

If it happens, India would need to up their net run-rate dramatically, besides winning the match, to stand a chance of making the last-four stage

India presently has a net run-rate of -1.08 whereas Australia has a massive advantage of +1.00 in their favour.

Australia won their opening game against the West Indies by 50 runs and India lost theirs by 54 runs. So if India is to go past Australia's net run-rate, they ought to cover the difference of 104 runs between the two teams.

For instance, if Australia lose their game by 25 runs, India needs to win theirs against the West Indies by 80 runs to prevail and go through to the semi-finals.

However, if Australia bat first and score 250 runs, India need to get their runs inside 40 overs for them to go through.

Clearly such complications don't bode good things for India.

West Indies, despite missing most of their key players due to the ongoing contracts dispute, are no pushovers.

In their first game against Pakistan, they had the latter on ropes after Younis Khan's team had set itself up for a small chase. Pakistan, at one stage were reeling at 76 for 5, chasing 134 to win, when Umar Akmal bailed them out with his sensible batting.

In their second game, West Indies first had Australia on the backfoot and later in the evening, they batted beyond their skins to give the world champions a true scare.

Their fast bowling unit is more than competent which has settled itself nicely at the Wanderers.

India's bowling worries would also ease at the Wanderers where the pitch has consistently afforded bounce even though the swing factor isn't on. They quickly need to adapt themselves.

India's bowling could go unchanged despite the fact that having a five-strong attack did little to stop the Aussie batting from notching up 234 runs in 42 over.

Ishant Sharma too seems very low on confidence and was hammered by Australian batsmen last night.

It would not come as a surprise if he is rested though the bounce at the Wanderers pitch might as well give the lanky pacer a shot in the arm.

Batting hasn't done too badly and the experienced line-up, despite missing the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag, shouldn't find it tough to negotiate what is esssentially a second-string attack.

Even with their fighting spirit, West Indies are a rag-tag side and it would be interesting to see how they keep themselves motivated in an inconsequential game for them as they are already out of semifinal contention after their losses to Australia and Pakistan.

Teams (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh.

West Indies: Floyd Reifer (C), Darren Sammy, David Bernard, Tino Best, Royston Crandon, Travis Dowlin, Andre Fletcher, Kevin McClean, Nikita Miller, Kieran Powell, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Devon Smith, Gavin Tonge, Chadwick Walton, Daren Powell.

Match Name: Champions Trophy 12th ODI
Teams: India vs West Indies
Venue: New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Time: 1800 IST
Channel: Star Cricket
Past scorecards:
India vs Australia
India vs Pakistan

Australia aim for semi-final berth against Pakistan

CENTURION: A semifinal berth well within their grasp despite the wash-out against India, defending champions Australia take on a rejuvinated Pakistan in their final group A match of the Champions Trophy on Wednesday.

If Australia win, they would book their place in the semifinal no matter what happens in the India-West Indies match.

But if they lose and India win, Ricky Ponting's world champion side has to ensure that its net run rate remains ahead of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men as the two teams would be tied on three points each in such a scenario.

The Australians have had a reasonably good tournament, wining the opening match against the West Indies before dominating the abandoned game against India.

Ponting has led from the front in both the matches, scoring a couple of crucial fifties and putting together match-saving partnerships in tough conditions.

The biggest concern for the Aussies would be all-rounder Shane Watson. Pushed to the opening slot some time ago, the big-hitting right-hander has come a cropper in the tournament so far, managing two ducks.

He has looked uncomfortable facing up to the new ball and it remains to be seen if he would be persisted with at the top.

The other opener Tim Paine has, however, adjusted well to the slot. Paine batted through a testing period in the match against India to make a fifty and stabilize the Australian innings.

Mike Hussey also seems to have rediscovered some of his lost form, against India, by scoring a morale-boosting half century.

The bowlers didn't get a chance last night as the heavy downpour forced abandonment of the match.

But Brett Lee and Co. were not too impressive against the West Indians in the opening match, in which the rag-tag Caribbean team gave a mighty scare to the world champions.

The Centurion track has been a batting paradise and it would take quite an effort from the Aussie bowlers to contain an in-form Pakistani line-up.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have little to be concerned about.

They are already in the semis and would be aiming to get some match practice before the last-four stage begins on October 2.

Skipper Younis Khan, who played with a fractured finger in the crucial win over India, might consider resting himself ahead of the knockout round.

It's a match that would decide the semifinal complexion despite the fact that one of the teams has absolutely nothing at stake.

Teams: (from)

Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Callum Ferguson, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, Peter Siddle, Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Cameron White, Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger.

Pakistan: Younis Khan (captain), Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Anjum, Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Yousuf, Naved-ul-Hasan, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul.


Match Name: Champions Trophy 12th ODI
Teams: Australia vs Pakistan
Venue: SuperSport Park at Centurion
Time: 1300 IST
Channel: ESPN
Past scorecards:
India vs Australia
Pakistan vs India

New Zealand beat England by 4 wickets

JOHANNESBURG: New Zealand defeated England by four wickets in their crucial last Group B match to enter the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy in style at the New Wanderers on Tuesday.

Scorecard | Points Table

New Zealand not only won, in what can be regarded as a must-win match for them, but also ensured that they top their group and throw Sri Lanka out of the tournament. With two wins out of three games, England also progressed to the last four stage from Group B.

Brendon McCullum (40 off 39 balls) and Martin Guptill (53 off 58) starred with the bat to seal the match for New Zealand with 22.5 overs to spare after Grant Elliot (4/31) and Shane Bond (3/21) ran havoc in overcast conditions to skittle out England for a paltry 146 in 43.1 overs.

For England Paul Collingwood (40 off 58 balls) and Ravi Bopara (30 off 51) were the notable run-getters while Stuart Broad shone with the ball with figures of 4/39.

Chasing a modest 147 for victory, McCullum and Guptill started the proceedings on a breezy note pilling up 66 runs in the first 10 overs.

McCullum was in a hurry to finish off the match and was the severe among the two Kiwi batsmen, hitting James Anderson for two boundaries in the fifth over.

Ryan Sidebottom was the next bowler to face McCullum's brunt. The flamboyant right-hander sliced one miles over the deep point boundary and then smashed the ball through point three balls later.

With McCullum's pyrotechnics in full flow, it seemed there was no devil in the pitch as England encountered during their innings. Not a single English bowler was at the Kiwi wicket-keeper's mercy as he upper cut Anderson for a six and then pulled Broad for four in the next over.

McCullum finally prey to Broad, caught by Bopara at point but not before making quickfire 48 off 39 balls with four fours and three sixes.

With New Zealand needing 59 runs off 37 overs, victory was just a formality and Guptill, in Neil Broom's company, took up the onus on his own shoulder to see the Kiwis home.

But a flurry of wickets at the end gave some late jittery to New Zealand as Broad leading from the front with the ball.

Guptill saw a tame end to his classy innings in the 19th over, edging one to Graeme Swann at the first slip off Anderson. He struck seven fours and a six during his stay.

But it was Broad's three wickets at later stages that made life little difficult for the Kiwis.

He picked up Ross Taylor in the 20th over, caught at second slip by Swann, who dived full length to his right to take that with one hand inches from the ground and then followed it up with the wickets of Elliot and Gareth Hopkins, both edging to wicketkeeper Morgan.

Sidebottom too registered a wicket against his name scalping Broom (17 off 36) caught by Morgan in the 27th over with New Zealand needing just seven runs for victory.

Earlier, Elliot utilized the bouncy conditions to great effect, running through the England middle order while Bond supported him ably with three wickets to bowl out the Englishmen cheaply.

Put into bat under overcast conditions, England started on a disastrous note, losing their skipper Andrew Strauss for naught in the second ball of the innings sneaking a Kyle Mills (1/19) rising delivery to wicket-keeper McCullum.

To the disappointment of England fans, ICL returnee Bond struck in back-to-back overs to see the Strauss-led side tottering at 13/3 after six overs.

Opener Joe Denly was Bond's first casualty, clean bowled off a delivery that came in after pitching and then last match hero Owais Shah, in search of a big hit over square leg, gave away a simple catch to McCullum.

Collingwood and Morgan tried their level best to stabilise the England innings, adding 37 runs in 13.1 overs before the latter's struggling 40-ball nine run innings was cut short by Ian Butler. Morgan was caught by Ross Taylor in the first slip after McCullum fumbled it.

With wickets tumbling from the other end, Collingwood preferred to counter-attack and hit James Franklin for a six over long-on before he fell to a blinder by out-stretched Taylor off Elliot's in the 24th over with England scoreboard reading 80/5.

As if these was not enough Elliott struck double blow, first scalping Luke Wright and then new man Broad in back-to-back overs to take New Zealand to a commendable position in their must-win match.

Wright edged one to McCullum and Broad gave away a simple return catch to the right-arm pacer to see England in deep trouble.

Elliott's ploy to bang the ball short paid rich dividends as he struck again to claim his fourth wicket of the day.

Swann goes for the pull, again a little late into the shot, gets the top edge and McCullum waits endlessly for the law of gravity to take effect and watches it into his palms to register his fourth victim of the day.

Bopara was the next to go, caught plumb in front of the wicket by Bond. He hit two boundaries in his fighting innings.

But Sidebottom (20 off 41) and Anderson were in no mood to give up without a fight, sharing 29 run for the last wicket to take the England to 146 before Sidebottom chipped it straight to Taylor at midwicket off Kiwi captain Vettori.

Vijender becomes world number one

NEW DELHI: Olympic and World Championship bronze medallist Vijender Singh has achieved yet another first for Indian boxing by becoming the world's top-ranked pugilist in the middle weight (75kg) category. (Watch Video )

The 23-year-old Bhiwani boxer, who won India's maiden World Championships medal in Milan earlier this month, has 200 points and is ranked higher than the reigning champion Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan.

Atoev, to whom Vijender lost in the World Championship semifinals, is third in the list with 2100 points and Olympic silver medallist Emilio Correa Bayeux (2500) of Cuba occupies the second spot in the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) list updated after the Milan event.

"I am obviously elated at being ranked the highest in the world. It's a fantastic feeling and would motivate me to do better in future events," Vijender, who broke India's Olympic jinx with his bronze in the Beijing Olympics, said.

Among the other Indians, former world youth champion Thokchom Nanao Singh has slipped three places to eighth with 1400 points in the light fly weight (48kg) category.

Nanao, a silver medallist in this year's Asian Championships in China, lost in the second round of the World Championships.

Olympian Akhil Kumar, whose World Championships campaign was cut short in the first round itself due to a wrist injury, has gone down a rung to 10th in feather weight (57kg) category with 1050 points.

Fellow Olympian Jitender Kumar (54kg) also lost some ground because of his first-round exit in Milan as he dropped a place to 14th with 838 points.

Suranjoy Singh was 17th in the fly weight (51kg) category rankings.

World Championship quarterfinalist Dinesh Kumar held on to his sixth spot with 1550 points in the light weight (81kg) category.

Jovetic stuns Liverpool, holders Barca win

MILAN: Shaggy-haired Stevan Jovetic lit up a largely predictable Champions League night with both goals in Fiorentina's surprise 2-0 win over Liverpool on Tuesday.

The Montenegro striker, only playing in the Group E clash because Alberto Gilardino was suspended, beat the offside trap to net the 28th minute opener and then touched in a cross at the near post nine minutes later to stun the five-times winners.

"I am very happy, to score two goals against Liverpool is a big thing," he told Italian television after ending a tough period for Fiorentina, who lost their group opener. Club president Andrea Della Valle also resigned last week.

While Jovetic was bursting onto the scene in Florence, Lionel Messi was reaffirming his position at the very top of the world game with a typically stylish strike in Barcelona's 2-0 home win over Dynamo Kiev.

Dynamo had their chances, with Andriy Shevchenko blasting over on his 33rd birthday, but Pedro sealed Barca's win with some more nifty footwork on 76 minutes.

The holders top Group F with four points from two games after Champions League debutants Rubin Kazan were unlucky to only draw 1-1 with 10-man Inter Milan in Russia.

Argentine forward Alejandro Dominguez put the hosts ahead when he surged past Lucio to fire home and although Dejan Stankovic pegged them back, Mario Balotelli's second-half dismissal left the stuttering Italian champions clinging on.

"Given the circumstances of the game, It is a point gained. Our opponents started better, they pressed and had their fans urging them on as it was their home debut," coach Jose Mourinho said after Inter's seventh Champions League game without a win.

Arsenal had to wait until the last 12 minutes to seal a 2-0 home win over Olympiakos Piraeus in Group H with forwards Robin van Persie and Andrei Arshavin on the score sheet while AZ Alkmaar drew 1-1 with Standard Liege in a Benelux battle.

Standard substitute Moussa Traore scrambled in the equaliser in stoppage time to leave both sides on one point.

Group E leaders Olympique Lyon plundered a 4-0 victory at Hungary's Debrecen after Kim Kallstrom had slammed in from the edge of the area on three minutes to start the rout.

Bosnian Miralem Pjanic, who had set up Kallstrom, then curled in a delightful free kick and later crossed for Sidney Govou to make it 3-0 with a header.

Bafetimbi Gomis scored the fourth with a superb lob six minutes after the break.

Sevilla were also in goals, notching up a 4-1 win at Rangers in Group G after Abdoulay Konko's finish early in the second half had set them on their way to six points from two games.

Adriano, Luis Fabiano and Frederic Kanoute boosted the Spanish side's goal difference with Nacho Novo's late strike offering little consolation to the Scottish champions.

Romania's Unirea Urziceni, making their home debut in the competition like Rubin, Debrecen and Alkmaar, had a Dacian Varga equaliser to thank from their 1-1 draw with VfB Stuttgart in the same group.

Australia and India frustrated by rain

Centurion: Australia reached 234 for four off 42.3 overs before heavy rain forced the abandonment of their ICC Champions Trophy Group A match against India at Centurion on Monday.

Both teams earned a point, leaving India without a win in the competition.

Pakistan head the group on four points and they will play Australia, on three, at Centurion on Wednesday.

India have one point from two matches and will conclude their group fixtures when they take on the winless West Indies in Johannesburg, also on Wednesday.

If Australia beat Pakistan those two teams would progress to the tournament semi-finals.

Australia's innings was powered by half-centuries from Tim Paine, Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey.

Opener Paine and Ponting shared a second-wicket stand of 84 runs off 86 balls before Paine was caught at mid-wicket byHarbhajan Singh off the bowling of leg-spinner Amit Mishra.

Paine departed for a sparkling 56 including seven fours and a six but Ponting found a willing ally in Hussey as the pair put on 88 runs for the third wicket.

The 34-year-old Ponting played a steady hand in compiling 65 runs off 88 balls before he was run out attempting a second run thanks to a direct hit from Gautam Gambhir on the deep cover boundary.

Ponting's dismissal left Australia on 175 for three but the left-handed Hussey, who has struggled for runs recently, returned to form in scintillating style as he raced to his 23rd one-day half-century off just 45 balls.

Hussey eventually fell for 67 runs off 65 deliveries when he was caught at long-off by Sachin Tendulkar off the bowling ofIshant Sharma before heavy rain forced the players off.

India off to a rousing start

India got off to a rousing start as Ashish Nehra sent the dangerous Shane Watson back to the pavilion in his second over.

Watson went for a pull only to baloon the ball to waiting Harbhajan Singh at midwicket. The Aussie batsman didn't bother to trouble the scorers.

With just three on the board, Tim Paine was joined by in-form Ricky Ponting. The pair steadied the innings and took the total beyond the 50-run mark.

Australia will play Pakistan in the final: Duminy

His team out of the tournament after a 22-run defeat against England [ Images ], South African middle order batsman Jaen-Paul Duminy has predicted that Pakistan would win the Champions Trophy [ Images ].

"With us now on our way to our respective homes, my tournament prediction for the final is: Australia [ Images] vs Pakistan. I'm not much of a betting man, but I'm going for Pakistan. They are looking like the form team of the tournament," he said.

Duminy said he was hugely disappointed at South Africa [ Images ] having failed to do well in the tournament at home.

"... another failed ICC [ Images ] campaign. The disappointment levels are huge, especially coming so close on the back of the T20 World Championship exit. I took that defeat very personally, but this one has really hit as a team.

"After all the hype of coming into the Champions Trophy as the No 1 team in the world, and then to end last in our group is hugely disappointing. We know we have let a lot of people down. The tournament is in our backyard and we really wanted to give the people of South Africa something to celebrate," he wrote in his column for Independent Online.

"We've got no excuses because as team we knew what we had to do. All we can do is learn from these demoralising defeats and hope when the next time comes around we can implement our skills under pressure," Duminy said.

Duminy was though all praise for his captain Graeme Smith [ Images ] who fought a lone battle in the match against England.

"Oh captain, my captain! What an innings by Graeme. The skip must have played one of the most outstanding one-day international innings of all time."

Tevez double lifts Man City to win over West Ham

Manchester City got back to winning ways in the Premier League after their derby setback when two goals by Carlos Tevez [ Images ] inspired a 3-1 home victory over the Argentine's former club West Ham United on Monday.

Tevez, whose goals helped West Ham avoid relegation in 2007 before he moved to Manchester United [ Images ], scored after five and 61 minutes as City completed a deserved win.

Monday's result rounded off an entertaining weekend of Premier League action with the 10 matches producing 37 goals.

Manchester United, 2-0 winners at Stoke City, top the table on 18 points, ahead on goal difference of Chelsea, who dropped points for the first time this season when they lost 3-1 at Wigan Athletic.

City's win took them to 15 points, alongside Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, who had thumping victories over Burnley and Hull City respectively. Arsenal [ Images ] and Aston Villa have 12.

West Ham remained third-last with four points from six games.

City, who won their first four league games of the season before their stoppage-time 4-3 defeat by Manchester United, were on top from the start at Eastlands.

They went ahead after five minutes when Martin Petrov squared for former Hammers hero Tevez to fire in from close range.

Tevez had two more good early chances before West Ham grabbed an unexpected equaliser after 24 minutes when a Radoslav Kovac shot was deflected in by striker Carlton Cole, only for Petrov to restore the lead eight minutes later with a well-struck free kick.

Man City took charge after the break and made it 3-1 on the hour when Tevez was left unmarked for the second time to head in a free kick from Craig Bellamy, another former Hammer.

Striker Roque Santa Cruz, bought for 17.5 million pounds ($27.79 million) from Blackburn Rovers, came on 10 minutes from the end for a belated debut but could not convert the one decent chance he got as City finished on top.

Tendulkar and Yousuf will the hold key: Akhtar

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar [ Images ] feels that the result of the Champions Trophy [ Images ] clash between arch rivals India and Pakistan would depend on the performance of senior players like Sachin Tendulkar [ Images ] and Mohammed Yousuf.

"Big players like Tendulkar and Yousuf are great because they perform in the big events. Tomorrow they would be under a lot of pressure and it would be a test of their experience and skills to see how they contribute for their teams," he said.

"There is pressure on all the players because an Indo-Pak match is always a big event and every player wants to perform a big feat and become an overnight hero. Such a match can turn a player into a hero or zero very quickly so the pressure and intensity levels are always high," he added.

Interestingly, Akhtar said he could sense internal problems in the Indian team ahead of Saturday's match.

"I don't know but as a professional cricketer I don't see the smoothness or closeness in the Indian team that was visible in the last few years," Akhtar said.

"In the last few months you can sense things are not right in the Indian team although I don't know the reasons for this," he said.

Akhtar, who played in the 2003 World Cup match against India at the Centurion which Pakistan lost, predicted a high scoring match.

"The Centurion pitch is traditionally good for batting and help the spinners as well so I think the slow bowlers from both sides could play a decisive role," said Akhtar.

Akhtar said pacer Mohammad Asif [ Images ] should be fielded against India despite the fact he has not played competitive cricket for last 16 months.

"Asif should play. I don't care even if they have taken his dope test. The dope test results will come after a week. He is a match winner and if I was captain I would definitely gamble on him in such a high profile fixture," the Rawalpindi pacer said.

He also advised the team management not to drop Yousuf if captain Younis Khan [ Images ] returns to the side after missing the first match.

Onions strikes early

Graham Onions strikes the first blow for England as he finds the edge of Sri Lanka opener Sanath Jayasuriya

The perfect out-swinger from Onions saw Jayasuriya edging the ball and was snapped up by England wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

Eoin Morgan's unbeaten half-century helped England get off to a winning start in the ICC Champions Trophy after an emphatic six-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in the Group B match at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, on Friday.

Morgan carried England home with his unbeaten knock of 62 from 83 deliveries, inclusive of seven boundaries, as England recovered after a couple of early wickets to coast to 213 for four in 45 overs.

Image: Graham Onions celebrates the wicket of Sanath Jayasuriya
Photographs: Reuters

Kirsten distances himself from controversial dossier

India cricket coach Gary Kirsten on Friday sought to distance himself from a controversial dossier that encourages cricketers to indulge in sexual activities, saying he had no role in drafting the document nor was it intended for team strategy.

Two days after the unusual document made headlines and left the cricketing world bemused, Kirsten said he was deeply hurt about quotes attributed to him, that he has been trying to encourage the players towards sexual activity in order to improve their performance.

Kirsten said the document was prepared by mental conditioning expert Paddy Upton and he read about it for the first time only two days ago.

"My family and I have been deeply offended and hurt by the many allegations that I encouraged the Indian players to engage in sexual activity before a match," Kirsten read out a prepared statement at a press in Centurion.

"I would like to state that I have never, and I repeat, never encouraged or told the team or any player to engage in any form of sexual activity. These allegations are absolutely not true and completely against my religious and moral beliefs," he said.

The former South African opener said Upton's report was just to provide information to the players and not to be used as team strategy.

"The leaked article was compiled by Paddy Upton and provided information for the players on relationship between sexual activity and sports performance. I never wrote the article and read it for the first time two days ago. It has never been and never will be part of team strategy", Kirsten said

"I have been deeply disturbed by these false allegations and wish to focus my attention on helping Team India have a successful Champions Trophy [ Images ]."

The Indian players were handed a four-part document that broadly envisaged active sexual life, disciplined food and sporting habits, aimed at helping them on and off the field.

The document, the contents of which were quite unusual, looked back into India's history, its food habits and lack of aggression.

Injury-ridden India will miss top players

Injury-hit India are looking to draw inspiration from history when they take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their Champions Trophy opener in Centurion on Saturday.

Already missing star performers Virender Sehwag and pacer Zaheer Khan, India were dealt another massive blow when middle-order mainstay Yuvraj Singh was forced to return home after fracturing a finger on his right hand.

Yuvraj's absence has left a gaping hole in the Indian line-up and, in all probability, young Virat Kohli will take the dashing left-hander's place.

Image: Virat Kohli
Photographs: Reuters