The Memphis Grizzlies closed out their shock series defeat of the San Antonio Spurs in game 6 on Friday night to complete the first round of the playoffs. They will open up the conference semi-finals with game 1 at Oklahoma City, but few eyes outside of the involved will be looking their way on Sunday. There aren't too many household names lined up in that game, although that may well change in years to come for these teams on the rise. Instead, later on Sunday comes a game featuring almost nothing but big names. While Oklahoma are near unanimous favourites to take out the Grizzlies, opinion is very divided on the Miami Heat-Boston Celtics match-up.
While much of the press surrounding the season, and it's "Decision" origins, would seem to portray the series as a team of champions vs a champion team style argument, that clearly sells the Celtics short. With Pierce, Garnett and Rondo in their side, they are clearly not short of champions. Th match-ups versus the triumvirate of Wade, Bosh and LeBron James have eyes focused for plenty of basketball reasons, but plenty will be watching, wanting the Heat to fall. The English soccer fans that decry the spending of Manchester City and Chelsea, or Real Madrid, the baseball fans that despise Yankees' payroll, the Test cricket fans who hate the IPL will all sympathize with the NAB fans watching only to see the Heat lose. For those of us more neutral in such matters, we can sit back and hope for epic sporting contest between champions of all stripes. LeBron James might have the most to prove, but amidst all the hype around his battle with the Celtics, it's worth remembering it's just the conference semis.
Which brings us to the other four teams. The LA Lakers stalled in mid-air before recovering power to close out their series 4-2 against New Orleans, and they will start as strong favourites against the Dallas Mavericks. As defending champions, and featuring the not insignificant talents of Kobe Bryant and his supporting cast, the winners of the Heat-Celtics match-up shouldn't be popping any premature corks.
In the last pairing, the Chicago Bulls will start as strong favourites against the Atlanta Hawks. the Bulls came into the playoffs with the best league record, but their first round playoff series win over the Pacers was far from emphatic. Carlos Boozer struggled throughout the series, and Derrick Rose will correspondingly carry plenty of pressure on his shoulders heading into the match-up with the Hawks. No one expected Atlanta to get past Orlando, and Chicago will be playing plenty of attention to how the Hawks managed to shut down the Magic despite some still pretty decent numbers for Dwight Howard.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
IPL: Mumbai Crash to Rampant Rajasthan
Mumbai have looked close to invincible for the most part in this tournament - even in their loss to Kochi they still racked up 2/182 but were let down by their bowling. This time out against Rajasthan, their much vaunted batting line-up just never got into gear and they were restricted to under 100. Not bowled out...restricted, constricted. Andrew Symonds top-scored with just 17 (26 balls) as Mumbai could only make 8/94 with four boundaries and two sixes. Tendulakr went for seven and Pollard limped to four from fifteen balls. Shane Warne continued his fine form finishing with 1/14 from his four overs, but he wasn't the most economical of his side's bowlers as Botha returned the stunning figures of 2/0/6/3 - destroying the middle order and any chance of a respectable total.
The pitch was far from perfect for twenty20 cricket, although the home fans weren't likely to complain. However, Mumbai's attack could only force the Royal's batsmen to graft out the win - they were never able to get the penetration to make the chase interesting. Malinga picked up one, but Harbhajan Singh went wicketless and the runs were chased down for the loss of just three wickets with eleven balls to spare. Botha completed a fine match, hitting 45 from 39 balls.
Mumbai remain top despite the loss, but with some loss of aura, and with Rajasthan suddenly looking more deserving of equal second place. In the other match today, Pune struggled to another loss as Kohli and Gayle blasted Bangalore to 181, and Pune were held to 155 in reply, despite some hard hitting from Ryder and Yuvraj. Bangalore joined Rajastan on second, while Pune and Delhi sit at the bottom.
The pitch was far from perfect for twenty20 cricket, although the home fans weren't likely to complain. However, Mumbai's attack could only force the Royal's batsmen to graft out the win - they were never able to get the penetration to make the chase interesting. Malinga picked up one, but Harbhajan Singh went wicketless and the runs were chased down for the loss of just three wickets with eleven balls to spare. Botha completed a fine match, hitting 45 from 39 balls.
Mumbai remain top despite the loss, but with some loss of aura, and with Rajasthan suddenly looking more deserving of equal second place. In the other match today, Pune struggled to another loss as Kohli and Gayle blasted Bangalore to 181, and Pune were held to 155 in reply, despite some hard hitting from Ryder and Yuvraj. Bangalore joined Rajastan on second, while Pune and Delhi sit at the bottom.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
IPL: Back to School with Kochi
When was the last time you read a scorecard that read 0,4,0,0,0,0 - yeah, that was primary school for me. Kochi staged a little back to school party, collapsing to 6/11 before finally manging to assemble some kind of backbone. By that stage, Ishant Sharma had the unlikely figures of 2/0/6/5 - that's five wickets for six runs, but that hardly matters. By that stage such luminaries as Jayawardene, Brad Hodge and Brendon McCullum had been and gone and Kochi were about to be bowled out for 74. Somehow, they managed to lose to a side that had only two batsmen in double figures, and failed to chase down Deccan's 129 by 55 runs.
The Chargers had struggled early, but managed to make 129 thanks to Sangakkara's 65 and Cameron White's supporting 31. It might have been so very different if Sreesanth hadn't overstepped in knocking over Sangakkara's off-stump in the fourth over when the Sri Lankan was only on 5. A question of inches, but a decisive one.
Jadeja and Perera eventually brought a stop to Kochi's trauma, but Dale Steyn came back to finish off the tail and leave Kochi well short of a seemingly mediocre tally. Sharma was named man of the match, but Sangakkara's performance may have been harshly judged - only White otherwise reached 30, and Sangakkara's catches put the top 3 Kochi batsmen back in the sheds. The important thing for Sangakkara and his Deccan teammates is that the win leaves them level with Kochi with three wins from seven and still well in contention to move on. Without Sangakkara and Sharma's efforts today, they'd be struggling to still be in contention.
The Chargers had struggled early, but managed to make 129 thanks to Sangakkara's 65 and Cameron White's supporting 31. It might have been so very different if Sreesanth hadn't overstepped in knocking over Sangakkara's off-stump in the fourth over when the Sri Lankan was only on 5. A question of inches, but a decisive one.
Jadeja and Perera eventually brought a stop to Kochi's trauma, but Dale Steyn came back to finish off the tail and leave Kochi well short of a seemingly mediocre tally. Sharma was named man of the match, but Sangakkara's performance may have been harshly judged - only White otherwise reached 30, and Sangakkara's catches put the top 3 Kochi batsmen back in the sheds. The important thing for Sangakkara and his Deccan teammates is that the win leaves them level with Kochi with three wins from seven and still well in contention to move on. Without Sangakkara and Sharma's efforts today, they'd be struggling to still be in contention.
UEL: Ugly Side of Spanish Football...and Messi
Lionel Messi shone through the red mist to give fans of football something to cheer as he give Barcelona a 2-0 lead to take home. Critics of football, and even those fans in Britain who deplore theatrics, had plenty to moan about as the first half degenerated to the point where Barcelona's reserve goalkeeper was sent off at the interval for his part in an ugly melee. In a first half devoid of much interest, or attacking intent as Real Madrid seemed happy to play out a 0-0 draw despite being at home, two near simultaneous incidents late in the first half ignited tempers. Barcelona players ran to surround the referee, gesticulating up field as Pedro writhed on the floor holding his face as Real's defender Arbeloa did his best to look innocent. Replays showed that Arbeloa may at worst have impeded a run from Pedro, but could easily have been ruled the other way as Pedro seemed to have little intent to go around the defender. In any case, no contact was made with Pedro's face or head, and he will lucky not to be sanctioned later, and a few of his teammates into the bargain for their wild protests.
However, Barcelona may have got some mileage out of the incident over and above Arbeloa's yellow card, and despite the sending from the bench of Pinto, as Real Madrid's Pepe was harshly shown a straight red in the second half. Once again, Barcelona's players mobbed the referee, and may well have impacted the decision. Jose Mourinho wasn't happy with what he saw, and ended in the stands after some presumably sarcastic jibes to the fourth official. Down to ten men, Real were unable to hold out to the end as the class of Messi came to the fore with two well taken goals, the second a brilliant solo effort that could easily be written off as mundane so easily did Messi cut through Real's defence.
And so both semi-finals might appear to be all over on the strength of matching 2-0 away wins for Manchester United and Barcelona. Real probably have more chance of an upset than Schalke, but purists may well be hoping for a Barcelona-United match-up at Wembley, and all will be hoping for a better spectacle than was witnessed today.
However, Barcelona may have got some mileage out of the incident over and above Arbeloa's yellow card, and despite the sending from the bench of Pinto, as Real Madrid's Pepe was harshly shown a straight red in the second half. Once again, Barcelona's players mobbed the referee, and may well have impacted the decision. Jose Mourinho wasn't happy with what he saw, and ended in the stands after some presumably sarcastic jibes to the fourth official. Down to ten men, Real were unable to hold out to the end as the class of Messi came to the fore with two well taken goals, the second a brilliant solo effort that could easily be written off as mundane so easily did Messi cut through Real's defence.
And so both semi-finals might appear to be all over on the strength of matching 2-0 away wins for Manchester United and Barcelona. Real probably have more chance of an upset than Schalke, but purists may well be hoping for a Barcelona-United match-up at Wembley, and all will be hoping for a better spectacle than was witnessed today.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
UEL: Manchester United Cruise to 2-0 win at Schalke 04
Manchester United went a long way towards booking their place in the Champion's League final with a convincing 2-0 win in the first leg away to Schalke 04. Despite squandering a raft of chances in the first half, with recent hero Javier Hernandez a leading culprit, United eventually were rewarded with two goals in as many minutes from Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney in the second half.
Not that United's players were entirely responsible for the goalless first half - Schalke's goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, was brilliant and has surely greatly enhanced his transfer value with the performance. Rumours have been swirling for months that Bayern Munich and Manchester United have been chasing his services, and Arsenal must be another contender, although Arsene Wenger has been less than assertive in bolstering his defensive stocks of late, and may well be an under-bidder to Manchester United, even in Bayern remain favourites.
Schalke have a mountain to climb in the return leg at Old Trafford, and it's hard to see United being as generous at the back as Inter was when Schalke managed a three goal victory there. This time, they will be doing well to escape with a morale boosting draw on last night's evidence, and United's quest for a Premier League and Champion's League double remains well on track.
Barcelona travel to the Bernabéu to face Real Madrid in the first leg of the other semi-final tomorrow.
Not that United's players were entirely responsible for the goalless first half - Schalke's goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, was brilliant and has surely greatly enhanced his transfer value with the performance. Rumours have been swirling for months that Bayern Munich and Manchester United have been chasing his services, and Arsenal must be another contender, although Arsene Wenger has been less than assertive in bolstering his defensive stocks of late, and may well be an under-bidder to Manchester United, even in Bayern remain favourites.
Schalke have a mountain to climb in the return leg at Old Trafford, and it's hard to see United being as generous at the back as Inter was when Schalke managed a three goal victory there. This time, they will be doing well to escape with a morale boosting draw on last night's evidence, and United's quest for a Premier League and Champion's League double remains well on track.
Barcelona travel to the Bernabéu to face Real Madrid in the first leg of the other semi-final tomorrow.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Rearview Mirror
If you slept through the weekend, here's what you missed:
IPL - Mumbai underlined their credentials as the team to beat with a resounding performance against the Deccan Chargers. After a steady opening stand between Tendulkar and Davy Jacobs, Mumbai lost three wickets for no runs in six balls to be a somewhat precarious 4/70 in the tenth over, with Tendulkar and Pollard back in the change room. Amit Mishra did most of the damage, finishing with the fine figures of 2/14 from his four overs. However, Mumbai's batting depth came to the fore, with Rohit Sharma (56 from 34 balls) and Andrew Symonds (44 from 33) combining for an unbeaten 102 run partnership to get Mumbai to 172 - helped by 40 runs from the last two overs from Steyn and Christian. In reply, Deccan were never really in the hunt, hitting just one six as they finished 37 runs short of Mumbai's total. Once again, test retiree Lasith Malinga was Mumbai's star weapon, and man of the match, finishing with the stunning figures of 3/9 from four overs, with a catch and a run out into the bargain. Malinga now has 16 wickets in the tournament at an average of just nine runs per wicket, and an economy rate barely above six runs an over.
Now in second place on the wicket taking list is another test retiree, although one who played his last test more than four years ago and never played Twenty20 for his country. Shane Warne took 3/16 from four overs to lead Rajasthan to an easy eight wicket victory over Kochi. Warne's ongoing success at the age of 41 will continue to cause angst in Australia as his home country continues to search for a credible successor.
EPL - Manchester United moved a big step closer to the title with a 1-0 win over Everton, as in-form Javier Hernandez's 84th minute winner left them six points clear of Chelsea with four matches to play. Arsenal's faint hopes were snuffed out over the weekend with United's victory and the Gunners conceding a 90th minute winner in a 2-1 loss on Sunday at Bolton Wanderers. Chelsea's resurgence continued, with a 3-0 win over West Ham taking them three points clear of Arsenal. Fernando Torres finally registered his first goal for Chelsea after 15 hours of anguish. At the other end of the table, West Ham, Wolves and Wigan are currently in the three relegation slots, with Blackpool and Blackburn the most nervous teams above them.
Football - in Spain, Barcelona edged closer to the title with a 2-0 win over Osasuna, while Real Madrid stayed alive in the title race, and provided plenty of value for money for the crowd with a 6-3 win over Valencia. Whether Real would be awarded the La Liga trophy even if they won the title must be in doubt after they managed to destroy the Copa Del Rey trophy after winning the cup midweek over Barcelona with an injury time winner from Ronaldo. Sergio Ramos dropped the trophy from the team bus - under its back wheels. Pieces were recovered at the scene, and a replica is currently being displayed while the jeweler who made the trophy tries to work out if the original can be salvaged.
NBA - the first round of the playoffs reached decision time with the New York Knicks being the first team sent packing as the Boston Celtics completed a series sweep with a 101-89 win on Sunday. Oklahoma City could sweep the Denver Nuggets when the teams meet in game 4 on Monday. Miami missed their chance to sweep the Sixers as Philadelphia rallied for an 86-82 win in game 4, and the Indiana Pacers were able to pull their series back to 1-3 with a win over Chicago. Orlando Magic shot 2-23 from three-point territory to lose 85-88 and trail Atlanta by 3-1 in their series, while Portland and Dallas are tied at 2-2, struggling San Antonio trail the Memphis Grizzlies 2-1, and the LA Lakers disappointed again, falling to a 2-2 tie with the New Orleans Hornets after going down 93-88 on Sunday night.
NHL - the Chicago Blackhawks, defending champions, clinched a 4-3 overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks to force a decisive game 7 in Vancouver, as they continue their unlikely rally from 3-0 down in the series. Washington, Nashville and Detroit have already won through in their series.
AFL -Three games remain in round 5, including the blockbuster Anzac Day match between in-form Collingwood and Essendon. However, the big news of the round was the stunning comeback debut win for the Gold Coast Suns in their match with Port Adelaide Power. Richmond also tasted victory for the first time this season with a seven goal to two last quarter enough to overcome North Melbourne. Carlton had a tough fight before overcoming Adelaide and St Kilda failed to impress in a narrow victory over Brisbane.
IPL - Mumbai underlined their credentials as the team to beat with a resounding performance against the Deccan Chargers. After a steady opening stand between Tendulkar and Davy Jacobs, Mumbai lost three wickets for no runs in six balls to be a somewhat precarious 4/70 in the tenth over, with Tendulkar and Pollard back in the change room. Amit Mishra did most of the damage, finishing with the fine figures of 2/14 from his four overs. However, Mumbai's batting depth came to the fore, with Rohit Sharma (56 from 34 balls) and Andrew Symonds (44 from 33) combining for an unbeaten 102 run partnership to get Mumbai to 172 - helped by 40 runs from the last two overs from Steyn and Christian. In reply, Deccan were never really in the hunt, hitting just one six as they finished 37 runs short of Mumbai's total. Once again, test retiree Lasith Malinga was Mumbai's star weapon, and man of the match, finishing with the stunning figures of 3/9 from four overs, with a catch and a run out into the bargain. Malinga now has 16 wickets in the tournament at an average of just nine runs per wicket, and an economy rate barely above six runs an over.
Now in second place on the wicket taking list is another test retiree, although one who played his last test more than four years ago and never played Twenty20 for his country. Shane Warne took 3/16 from four overs to lead Rajasthan to an easy eight wicket victory over Kochi. Warne's ongoing success at the age of 41 will continue to cause angst in Australia as his home country continues to search for a credible successor.
EPL - Manchester United moved a big step closer to the title with a 1-0 win over Everton, as in-form Javier Hernandez's 84th minute winner left them six points clear of Chelsea with four matches to play. Arsenal's faint hopes were snuffed out over the weekend with United's victory and the Gunners conceding a 90th minute winner in a 2-1 loss on Sunday at Bolton Wanderers. Chelsea's resurgence continued, with a 3-0 win over West Ham taking them three points clear of Arsenal. Fernando Torres finally registered his first goal for Chelsea after 15 hours of anguish. At the other end of the table, West Ham, Wolves and Wigan are currently in the three relegation slots, with Blackpool and Blackburn the most nervous teams above them.
Football - in Spain, Barcelona edged closer to the title with a 2-0 win over Osasuna, while Real Madrid stayed alive in the title race, and provided plenty of value for money for the crowd with a 6-3 win over Valencia. Whether Real would be awarded the La Liga trophy even if they won the title must be in doubt after they managed to destroy the Copa Del Rey trophy after winning the cup midweek over Barcelona with an injury time winner from Ronaldo. Sergio Ramos dropped the trophy from the team bus - under its back wheels. Pieces were recovered at the scene, and a replica is currently being displayed while the jeweler who made the trophy tries to work out if the original can be salvaged.
NBA - the first round of the playoffs reached decision time with the New York Knicks being the first team sent packing as the Boston Celtics completed a series sweep with a 101-89 win on Sunday. Oklahoma City could sweep the Denver Nuggets when the teams meet in game 4 on Monday. Miami missed their chance to sweep the Sixers as Philadelphia rallied for an 86-82 win in game 4, and the Indiana Pacers were able to pull their series back to 1-3 with a win over Chicago. Orlando Magic shot 2-23 from three-point territory to lose 85-88 and trail Atlanta by 3-1 in their series, while Portland and Dallas are tied at 2-2, struggling San Antonio trail the Memphis Grizzlies 2-1, and the LA Lakers disappointed again, falling to a 2-2 tie with the New Orleans Hornets after going down 93-88 on Sunday night.
NHL - the Chicago Blackhawks, defending champions, clinched a 4-3 overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks to force a decisive game 7 in Vancouver, as they continue their unlikely rally from 3-0 down in the series. Washington, Nashville and Detroit have already won through in their series.
AFL -Three games remain in round 5, including the blockbuster Anzac Day match between in-form Collingwood and Essendon. However, the big news of the round was the stunning comeback debut win for the Gold Coast Suns in their match with Port Adelaide Power. Richmond also tasted victory for the first time this season with a seven goal to two last quarter enough to overcome North Melbourne. Carlton had a tough fight before overcoming Adelaide and St Kilda failed to impress in a narrow victory over Brisbane.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
IPL: Mumbai Stay Top as Delhi Flay Punjab
The even nature of the current round of IPL was underlines when bottom side Delhi Daredevils recorded their second win of the competition with a blistering batting performance against Kings XI Punjab. With all teams except Pune now having played five or more matches, all sides have won at least twice, and except for top team Mumbai, all sides have now lost twice.
In Saturday's match, the home side's opening pair's potential was finally fully realised. Their only other significant partnership of the tournament was a 75 run start that helped their side chase down Pune's 187, but they went well beyond that today, and at a pace that left Punjab reeling. Both openers made 77, with Warner's 48 ball effort put in the shade by Sehwag's 35 ball carnage. Even when Sehwag departed in the 12th over with the score on 146 there was no let up for Punjab as Venugopal Rao and Naman Ojha kept up the attack. Chawla was the only bowler to go for under 10 an over as Delhi finished with 4/231. David Hussey's first outing saw his first three deliveries all hit for six, before claiming Sehwag with his fourth.
In reply, the Kings XI gave it a decent shot, with Shaun Marsh hitting six sixes in a 46-ball 95, but despite their moments, Gilchrist, Hussey and Valthaty were unable to provide enough support to reach what would have been a record Twenty20 chase.
Thus Mumbai are now the only team with just one defeat in what is a pretty crowded table with just over a third of the group stage completed. Mumbai certainly look to be the team to beat with only Valthaty ahead of Tendulkar on the run aggregate list, with Malinga a run away leader on the wicket taking list and Harbhajan Singh in equal second place.
In Saturday's match, the home side's opening pair's potential was finally fully realised. Their only other significant partnership of the tournament was a 75 run start that helped their side chase down Pune's 187, but they went well beyond that today, and at a pace that left Punjab reeling. Both openers made 77, with Warner's 48 ball effort put in the shade by Sehwag's 35 ball carnage. Even when Sehwag departed in the 12th over with the score on 146 there was no let up for Punjab as Venugopal Rao and Naman Ojha kept up the attack. Chawla was the only bowler to go for under 10 an over as Delhi finished with 4/231. David Hussey's first outing saw his first three deliveries all hit for six, before claiming Sehwag with his fourth.
In reply, the Kings XI gave it a decent shot, with Shaun Marsh hitting six sixes in a 46-ball 95, but despite their moments, Gilchrist, Hussey and Valthaty were unable to provide enough support to reach what would have been a record Twenty20 chase.
Thus Mumbai are now the only team with just one defeat in what is a pretty crowded table with just over a third of the group stage completed. Mumbai certainly look to be the team to beat with only Valthaty ahead of Tendulkar on the run aggregate list, with Malinga a run away leader on the wicket taking list and Harbhajan Singh in equal second place.
AFL: Gold Coast Notch Memorable First Victory
The Gold Coast Suns had played three matches, and taken three heavy beatings heading into their Round 5 clash with Port Adelaide. The Power's form has been less than convincing, but a last up win over Adelaide and home ground advantage suggested that Gold Coast were unlikely to do much better than a moderate beating on this trip. Well into the third quarter, the script was being dutifully followed as Port Adelaide led by 40 points.
However, led by captain Gary Ablett and number one draft pick David Swallow, the Suns stormed home with a six goal to one last quarter to steal the points. Even then, they had to endure a shot after the siren from Port's Justin Westhoff that could have left them empty-handed. But Westhoff's shot missed, and history was made. Questions that were being asked about the desire and commitment of Gold Coast stars like Ablett will again be directed at Port Adelaide. Although another loss to the Adelaide Crows will ensure that Port Adelaide are copping only part of the Adelaide heat.
Gold Coast can look forward to the rest of their debut season knowing they won't go winless, lifting a significant burden. In coming weeks they face Essendon, Brisbane and Adelaide. They will have suddenly realistic hopes of winning the last two of those matches after today's heroics.
However, led by captain Gary Ablett and number one draft pick David Swallow, the Suns stormed home with a six goal to one last quarter to steal the points. Even then, they had to endure a shot after the siren from Port's Justin Westhoff that could have left them empty-handed. But Westhoff's shot missed, and history was made. Questions that were being asked about the desire and commitment of Gold Coast stars like Ablett will again be directed at Port Adelaide. Although another loss to the Adelaide Crows will ensure that Port Adelaide are copping only part of the Adelaide heat.
Gold Coast can look forward to the rest of their debut season knowing they won't go winless, lifting a significant burden. In coming weeks they face Essendon, Brisbane and Adelaide. They will have suddenly realistic hopes of winning the last two of those matches after today's heroics.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Rearview Mirror
If you slept through the weekend, here's what you missed:
FA Cup - Stoke City made the FA Cup final for the first time in their long, but not quite illustrious career, where they will meet Manchester City, seeking their first trophy in a long time...longer even than Stoke. Read more here.
EPL - Manchester United may have crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of their neighbours, thus ending their chances for treble glory, but they moved a big step closer to winning the Premiership when Arsenal were held to a draw by Liverpool. Scoreless well into injury time in the second half, Arsenal seemed to have grabbed a vital victory when Robin Van Persie scored from the penalty spot. However, enough time remained, mostly driven by a long delay for Carragher to go off after a nasty head collision, for Liverpool to earn a penalty themselves. Dirk Kuyt coolly converted, to leave Arsenal six points behind United, with only six matches remaining. Not surprisingly, the extended injury time and late penalty were too much for Arsene Wenger who confronted both the officials and his opposing number, Kenny Dalglish, after the final whistle. Never one to keep his disappointments to himself, the Frenchman said "We conceded a penalty after 11 minutes when the referee said there was eight minutes of injury time. I don't see where those three minutes came from and it was no penalty. We have been badly done in the two games here. Against Sunderland we scored a regular goal and were not given a penalty that was 100%, then today we got caught back like that. It is a period where we have not the biggest luck, that's for sure." Whie Sir Alex Ferguson isn't afraid to express similar sentiments about Premier league refereeing, I suspect he wasn't on the phone later to offer his condolences.
IPL -the even nature of the fourth iteration of the IPl was underlined over the weekend as the remaining undefeated teams all lost, and the three teams seeking their first points all duly won. Paul Valthaty continued his heroics, following his crushing century against Chennai with a superb allround performance against Deccan. After taking four wickets, he picked up where left off with the bat and smacked 75 off 47 balls with a further five sixes. With Gilchrist pipping him in the race to 50, the Kings XI Punjab's opening combination will be causing plenty of headaches for upcoming opposition.
NBA - the playoffs are under way, with some major first up upsets as the LA Lakers lost at home to the Hornets, while the San Antonio Spurs carried their indifferent end of season form into the playoffs, crashing 101-98 to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Orlando magic also lost at hom, to the Atlanta Hawks, despite a massive 46 point, 19 rebound game from Dwight Howard. Jameer Nelson had 27 points in support of Howard, but no other player had more than six, while the Hawks had five players score 13 or more.
NHL -the ice hockey playoffs are also underway, with 16 teams doing battle. Top finisher in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks took a 3-0 lead over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, while the NY Rangers pulled a game back on the Eastern Conference's top pleaced Washington to trail 2-1 in the series.
AFL -Round 4 saw more of the same, with new boys Gold Coast Suns hammered by Melbourne, going down by 90 ponts, despite winning their first quarter of the season. Collingwood also carried on their merry way, disposing of Richmond by 71 points, as did Geelong with a good win away to Sydney. For the third time in four rounds there was a draw, with Essendon and Carlton slugging it out this time. Elsewhere, Port Adelaide rebounded from a sluggish start to win over Adelaide, Hawthorn edged home over West Coast, and Fremantle were too good for North Melbourne.
FA Cup - Stoke City made the FA Cup final for the first time in their long, but not quite illustrious career, where they will meet Manchester City, seeking their first trophy in a long time...longer even than Stoke. Read more here.
EPL - Manchester United may have crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of their neighbours, thus ending their chances for treble glory, but they moved a big step closer to winning the Premiership when Arsenal were held to a draw by Liverpool. Scoreless well into injury time in the second half, Arsenal seemed to have grabbed a vital victory when Robin Van Persie scored from the penalty spot. However, enough time remained, mostly driven by a long delay for Carragher to go off after a nasty head collision, for Liverpool to earn a penalty themselves. Dirk Kuyt coolly converted, to leave Arsenal six points behind United, with only six matches remaining. Not surprisingly, the extended injury time and late penalty were too much for Arsene Wenger who confronted both the officials and his opposing number, Kenny Dalglish, after the final whistle. Never one to keep his disappointments to himself, the Frenchman said "We conceded a penalty after 11 minutes when the referee said there was eight minutes of injury time. I don't see where those three minutes came from and it was no penalty. We have been badly done in the two games here. Against Sunderland we scored a regular goal and were not given a penalty that was 100%, then today we got caught back like that. It is a period where we have not the biggest luck, that's for sure." Whie Sir Alex Ferguson isn't afraid to express similar sentiments about Premier league refereeing, I suspect he wasn't on the phone later to offer his condolences.
IPL -the even nature of the fourth iteration of the IPl was underlined over the weekend as the remaining undefeated teams all lost, and the three teams seeking their first points all duly won. Paul Valthaty continued his heroics, following his crushing century against Chennai with a superb allround performance against Deccan. After taking four wickets, he picked up where left off with the bat and smacked 75 off 47 balls with a further five sixes. With Gilchrist pipping him in the race to 50, the Kings XI Punjab's opening combination will be causing plenty of headaches for upcoming opposition.
NBA - the playoffs are under way, with some major first up upsets as the LA Lakers lost at home to the Hornets, while the San Antonio Spurs carried their indifferent end of season form into the playoffs, crashing 101-98 to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Orlando magic also lost at hom, to the Atlanta Hawks, despite a massive 46 point, 19 rebound game from Dwight Howard. Jameer Nelson had 27 points in support of Howard, but no other player had more than six, while the Hawks had five players score 13 or more.
NHL -the ice hockey playoffs are also underway, with 16 teams doing battle. Top finisher in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks took a 3-0 lead over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, while the NY Rangers pulled a game back on the Eastern Conference's top pleaced Washington to trail 2-1 in the series.
AFL -Round 4 saw more of the same, with new boys Gold Coast Suns hammered by Melbourne, going down by 90 ponts, despite winning their first quarter of the season. Collingwood also carried on their merry way, disposing of Richmond by 71 points, as did Geelong with a good win away to Sydney. For the third time in four rounds there was a draw, with Essendon and Carlton slugging it out this time. Elsewhere, Port Adelaide rebounded from a sluggish start to win over Adelaide, Hawthorn edged home over West Coast, and Fremantle were too good for North Melbourne.
FA Cup: Manchester City to Face Stoke City in Final
The two finalists for this year's FA Cup final had contrasting battles in their respective semi-finals at Wembley Stadium over the weekend, but both left with joy and the hope of ending long trophy droughts. Manchester City overcame their neighbours Manchester United in a typically tense game, where the only goal came from Yaya Toure in the 52nd minute following a terrible error from Michael Carrick. United, famed for late comebacks, were unable to pull this one out of the fire, hindered by the sending off of Paul Scholes for a foot planted high into the thigh of Pablo Zabaleta. Manchester City return to the FA Cup final for the first time in 30 years, when they lost to the Argentinian-inspired Tottenham Hotspur in a replay, hoping to end 35 years without a trophy.
Attempting to stop them on May 14th will be Stoke City who obliterated Bolton Wanderers 5-0. The contest was effectively over after 30 minutes as Stoke took a 3-0 lead, but they pushed on with a dismantling of a disappointing Bolton side to reach their first ever FA Cup Final. They will be seeking to win only their second ever trophy, their only previous win being the League Cup in 1972.
Attempting to stop them on May 14th will be Stoke City who obliterated Bolton Wanderers 5-0. The contest was effectively over after 30 minutes as Stoke took a 3-0 lead, but they pushed on with a dismantling of a disappointing Bolton side to reach their first ever FA Cup Final. They will be seeking to win only their second ever trophy, their only previous win being the League Cup in 1972.
Friday, April 15, 2011
IPL: Tendulkar Ton, But No Respect
When you go up against Mumbai in an IPL match, you know you have your work cut out for you. In Tendulkar and Malinga, they have two of the most dangerous players going around. Tendulkar might not be the most explosive batsman in the competition, but who else has made 200 in an ODI? If Kochi fans, yet to taste victory in IPL4, had been told that Tendulkar was going to make an unbeaten century, and that Malinga would disturb the woodwork of both opening batsmen, they may well have given the proceedings at unbeaten Mumbai a wide berth. However, they would have missed a stunning win by their side if they had done so.
Mumbai batted first, and only lost the wickets of Jacobs, for an uncharacteristically slow 12 off 21, and Rayudu for a well made 53 from just 33 balls. Tendulkar dominated proceedings, reaching an even hundred in the last over, off just 66 balls. Despite neither Pollard or a finally fit Andrew Symonds facing a ball, Mumbai set an imposing 2/182 for Kochi to chase down. And after just eight runs came from the first two overs, Kochii's fans must have been concerned.
But then the third over came, and changed the complexion of the match. Malinga bowled his second over, and the belligerent New Zealander Brendon McCullum hit three of the first four balls to the boundary. Jayawardene did the same to the last, and with 17 from the over, the chase was on. Malinga was to return later and hit the stumps of both openers, but by then both had fifties. McCullum led the way with 81 from 60, but Jayawardene's 56 from 36 was even faster. And by the time Jayawardene left, there was only 54 needed from 37 and Jadeja's unbeaten 25 from 11 made easy work of that. There would have been some nerves when MCullum was cleaned up by Malinga at the start of the 18th over, with 27 still needed from 17, but Brad Hodge is an experienced figure to be coming in at that stage of proceedings.
Two dot balls were followed by two boundaries from the last three, and with 19 required off 12, the odds were in Kochi's favour. As it was, only half of those were needed as Jadeja finished the match with a flourish - back to back sixes off Murtaza. McCullum was named man of the match, and Pune were left as the only unbeaten side in the competition. In Tendulkar, Pollard, Symonds, Harbhajan and Malinga, Mumbai might have plenty of star power on display, but Kochi reminded us that there are plenty of matchwinners spread through this competition.
Mumbai batted first, and only lost the wickets of Jacobs, for an uncharacteristically slow 12 off 21, and Rayudu for a well made 53 from just 33 balls. Tendulkar dominated proceedings, reaching an even hundred in the last over, off just 66 balls. Despite neither Pollard or a finally fit Andrew Symonds facing a ball, Mumbai set an imposing 2/182 for Kochi to chase down. And after just eight runs came from the first two overs, Kochii's fans must have been concerned.
But then the third over came, and changed the complexion of the match. Malinga bowled his second over, and the belligerent New Zealander Brendon McCullum hit three of the first four balls to the boundary. Jayawardene did the same to the last, and with 17 from the over, the chase was on. Malinga was to return later and hit the stumps of both openers, but by then both had fifties. McCullum led the way with 81 from 60, but Jayawardene's 56 from 36 was even faster. And by the time Jayawardene left, there was only 54 needed from 37 and Jadeja's unbeaten 25 from 11 made easy work of that. There would have been some nerves when MCullum was cleaned up by Malinga at the start of the 18th over, with 27 still needed from 17, but Brad Hodge is an experienced figure to be coming in at that stage of proceedings.
Two dot balls were followed by two boundaries from the last three, and with 19 required off 12, the odds were in Kochi's favour. As it was, only half of those were needed as Jadeja finished the match with a flourish - back to back sixes off Murtaza. McCullum was named man of the match, and Pune were left as the only unbeaten side in the competition. In Tendulkar, Pollard, Symonds, Harbhajan and Malinga, Mumbai might have plenty of star power on display, but Kochi reminded us that there are plenty of matchwinners spread through this competition.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
UEL: Schalke 04 and Real Madrid Complete Semi Line-Up
Taking substantial cushions in to the second legs on Wednesday, neither Real Madrid or Schalke 04 were expected to be troubled in progressing through to the semi-final stage of the Champions League. Their respective opponents, Tottenham and Inter Milan were at least looking to salvage some pride, even if a miracle was too much to hope for. However, neither Spurs or Inter were able to improve their fans' moods, with Spurs losing 1-0 at home as Real completed a 5-0 drubbing, while Schalke won 2-1 at home to finish 7-3 victors over Inter.
And so the stage is set for a massive semi-final confrontation between the two Spanish giants in Madrid and Barcelona. The two legs will be preceded by two other clashes between the pair, as they will meet at the Bernabéu in La Liga this Saturday and then the Copa Del Rey final in Valencia next Wednesday. Real will host Barcelona in the first leg on the 27th of April before travelling to Camp Nou on May the 3rd. The tension in Spain will be unbearable over the next three weeks, at least, with the title still up for grab, although anything less than a Madrid win on Saturday would see Barcelona putting the champagne on ice as they enjoy an eight point lead at this stage.
The other semi final will see Schalke host Manchester United on April 26th before the return leg at Old Trafford on May 4th. The final will be held at Wembley on May 28th. Real Madrid have previously won the title nine times, Barcelona three, and United twice. It would be Schalke's first final appearance if they were to overcome United.
And so the stage is set for a massive semi-final confrontation between the two Spanish giants in Madrid and Barcelona. The two legs will be preceded by two other clashes between the pair, as they will meet at the Bernabéu in La Liga this Saturday and then the Copa Del Rey final in Valencia next Wednesday. Real will host Barcelona in the first leg on the 27th of April before travelling to Camp Nou on May the 3rd. The tension in Spain will be unbearable over the next three weeks, at least, with the title still up for grab, although anything less than a Madrid win on Saturday would see Barcelona putting the champagne on ice as they enjoy an eight point lead at this stage.
The other semi final will see Schalke host Manchester United on April 26th before the return leg at Old Trafford on May 4th. The final will be held at Wembley on May 28th. Real Madrid have previously won the title nine times, Barcelona three, and United twice. It would be Schalke's first final appearance if they were to overcome United.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Cricket: Hussey Century Powers Australia to Clean Sweep
The Australian bowlers struggled to contain a Bangladesh batting line-up that finally turned up to play, but the damage had already been done by another dominating batting display from the visitors who wrapped up the ODI series 3-0. Shane Watson continued where he left off after the second game's stunning perfomance, blasting eleven fours and three sixes in making 72 from just 40 balls. Ricky Ponting, asked to open as Brad Haddin was rested, played second fiddle to Watson again, finishing with 47 from 50, while Michael Clark also made 47.
Steve Smith was given a chance to build a score, promoted to four, but only added five to the one run he had made in his only other knock in the series. Adding to his woes, he later went wicketless, and his form suggests that he will welcome Australia's break from international cricket, although there must be question marks as to where he will fit into the ODI or Test teams when Australia heads to Sri Lanka later in the year.
There might also be question marks over Mike Hussey's role going forward, but he spoke loudly and clearly with words and bat to suggest there is plenty of Mr Cricket yet to come. Coming in after 19 overs, with Australia 3/142, Hussey made his first ODI century in four years, before being dismissed in the last over for 108 from 91 balls. Making mention of his late start to international cricket, Hussey stated that he was keen to keep playing while he had plenty to offer on and off the pitch, and said that the same could be said for Ricky Ponting. With few viable alternatives pushing through from the younger generation, Ponting, Hussey and Simon Katich might all play on for a while yet.
Australia finished on 8/361 and it was hardly conceivable that Bangladesh might even get close given their sluggish batting in the first matches (210 and 229), but they were aggressive from the outset today. Tamim Iqbal hit Mitchell Johnson for a four and a six in the opening over, and finished with 32 from 17 balls before Johnson had his revenge and yorked him in the fifth over. The top 4 all contributed runs, with Imrul Kayes making 93 from 95, and Hafees (60) and Mahmudullah (68no) also playing fine innings. However, they were never really in the hunt with such a massive chase, and a pair of Shane Watson wickets in the 39th over, ended any real hopes of getting close.
Australia's spinners went wicketless, in contrast to Shane Warne's continued fine form in the IPL, with Smith, Doherty and Clarke combining for 0/91 off 16 overs. The selectors will have plenty to think about on that side ahead of the Sri Lankan tour. The batting side is looking a bit happier, with Clarke, Hussey and Watson all making centuries here, and Ponting looking like he may be able to reboot his career with some decent knocks in the last couple of weeks. Hussey was awarded man of the match honours here, and no prizes for guessing that Watson was man of the series, finishing with 294 runs.
Steve Smith was given a chance to build a score, promoted to four, but only added five to the one run he had made in his only other knock in the series. Adding to his woes, he later went wicketless, and his form suggests that he will welcome Australia's break from international cricket, although there must be question marks as to where he will fit into the ODI or Test teams when Australia heads to Sri Lanka later in the year.
There might also be question marks over Mike Hussey's role going forward, but he spoke loudly and clearly with words and bat to suggest there is plenty of Mr Cricket yet to come. Coming in after 19 overs, with Australia 3/142, Hussey made his first ODI century in four years, before being dismissed in the last over for 108 from 91 balls. Making mention of his late start to international cricket, Hussey stated that he was keen to keep playing while he had plenty to offer on and off the pitch, and said that the same could be said for Ricky Ponting. With few viable alternatives pushing through from the younger generation, Ponting, Hussey and Simon Katich might all play on for a while yet.
Australia finished on 8/361 and it was hardly conceivable that Bangladesh might even get close given their sluggish batting in the first matches (210 and 229), but they were aggressive from the outset today. Tamim Iqbal hit Mitchell Johnson for a four and a six in the opening over, and finished with 32 from 17 balls before Johnson had his revenge and yorked him in the fifth over. The top 4 all contributed runs, with Imrul Kayes making 93 from 95, and Hafees (60) and Mahmudullah (68no) also playing fine innings. However, they were never really in the hunt with such a massive chase, and a pair of Shane Watson wickets in the 39th over, ended any real hopes of getting close.
Australia's spinners went wicketless, in contrast to Shane Warne's continued fine form in the IPL, with Smith, Doherty and Clarke combining for 0/91 off 16 overs. The selectors will have plenty to think about on that side ahead of the Sri Lankan tour. The batting side is looking a bit happier, with Clarke, Hussey and Watson all making centuries here, and Ponting looking like he may be able to reboot his career with some decent knocks in the last couple of weeks. Hussey was awarded man of the match honours here, and no prizes for guessing that Watson was man of the series, finishing with 294 runs.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
UEL: Barcelona and Manchester United Win Through To Semis
There were no surprises on Tuesday night, with Barcelona winning 1-0 away for a 6-1 aggregate win over Shakhtar Donetsk thanks to a Lionel Messi goal, while Manchester United won 2-1 at home for a 3-1 aggregate against Chelsea. Javier Hernandez gave United the lead late in the first half and Chelsea looked sunk when they were reduced to 10 men with 20 minutes to go. Didier Drogba gave the Blues hope though when he scored in the 77th minute. At that stage, a second goal would have put them though on away goals, but Manchester United hit back almost instantly with a well taken goal from Ji-Sung Park to seal Chelsea's fate for another year.
The semi final line up will be completed tomorrow night, but are near formailities with Real Madrid and Schalke 04 taking near insurmountable leads into their second legs with Tottenham and Inter.
The semi final line up will be completed tomorrow night, but are near formailities with Real Madrid and Schalke 04 taking near insurmountable leads into their second legs with Tottenham and Inter.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Cricket: Shane Watson Smashes Record for Most Records
When I awoke to the news that Shane Watson had hit fifteen sixes in an innings, I could scarcely believe it. Not because I didn't think the powerfully capable opener was capable against a limited Bangladesh attack, but because I was surprised Bangladesh had made enough runs to make it necessary. I had given up on their innings when Nafees was dismissed for 56 at 5/88, as my main interest at that stage was whether he could beat Viv Richards' record for highest percentage (69.5%) of team total in an ODI. Little did I know...
Bangladesh recovered from their dawdling start (opener Imrul Kayes made 5 off 41) to make 229, thanks to a fine middle order knock from Mushfiqur Rahim who finished unbeaten on 81 from 80 balls. A target of 230 was unlikely to challenge Australia unduly, but few would have suspected they would get there in 26 overs. Watson was away quickly, and when Haddin departed for just 8, Watson already had his 50 (from 26 balls, with four sixes). Ponting came out and was mostly content to nudge it around for singles as Watson continued to flay the attack. His second 50 was more sedate, containing just two more sixes as he reached his 100 off 69 balls.
By now he was apparently too tired to run much, so decided to hit out in a "six OR out" variation on backyard's cricket "six and out". He didn't get out. He moved to 150 in just 14 more balls with a further five sixes, and finished unbeaten on 185 off 96 balls with 15 fours and 15 sixes, a new high score for an Australian in ODIs, passing Matthew Hayden's 181. It was an ODI record number of sixes in an innings, as well as a new high for most runs in boundaries. Most startlingly, he made 79.7% of Australia's runs, smashing Richard's record.
Had Australia had a few more runs to chase, he could have joined Tendulkar as the only double centurions in ODI's. However, Tendulkar got there in the 50th over - Watson was on track to do it inside of 30! The heat and fatigue meant it was unlikely he would have lasted for 50 overs anyway, but it's amazing to think he was on track to pass Bradman and Mark Taylor's record high score in an innings by an Australian in international cricket (334 in Tests).
Bangladesh recovered from their dawdling start (opener Imrul Kayes made 5 off 41) to make 229, thanks to a fine middle order knock from Mushfiqur Rahim who finished unbeaten on 81 from 80 balls. A target of 230 was unlikely to challenge Australia unduly, but few would have suspected they would get there in 26 overs. Watson was away quickly, and when Haddin departed for just 8, Watson already had his 50 (from 26 balls, with four sixes). Ponting came out and was mostly content to nudge it around for singles as Watson continued to flay the attack. His second 50 was more sedate, containing just two more sixes as he reached his 100 off 69 balls.
By now he was apparently too tired to run much, so decided to hit out in a "six OR out" variation on backyard's cricket "six and out". He didn't get out. He moved to 150 in just 14 more balls with a further five sixes, and finished unbeaten on 185 off 96 balls with 15 fours and 15 sixes, a new high score for an Australian in ODIs, passing Matthew Hayden's 181. It was an ODI record number of sixes in an innings, as well as a new high for most runs in boundaries. Most startlingly, he made 79.7% of Australia's runs, smashing Richard's record.
Had Australia had a few more runs to chase, he could have joined Tendulkar as the only double centurions in ODI's. However, Tendulkar got there in the 50th over - Watson was on track to do it inside of 30! The heat and fatigue meant it was unlikely he would have lasted for 50 overs anyway, but it's amazing to think he was on track to pass Bradman and Mark Taylor's record high score in an innings by an Australian in international cricket (334 in Tests).
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Rearview Mirror
If you slept through the weekend, here's what you missed:
The Masters - A thrilling final day that had as many as many as ten players still in contention into the back nine, and eight of them have at least a share of the lead at times, eventually saw South African Charl Schwartzel come through the pack with four closing birdies to win by two shots on fourteen under. Overnight leader Rory McIlroy had a horror day, losing his four shot lead early, and proceeding to fall back through the field to finish in a tie for 15th after shooting 80. Away from McIlroy, the standard amongst those in contention was very high on the day. Tiger Woods surged early and, despite missing two short putts in the round, was the clubhouse leader at ten under when he finished. Adam Scott was the leader at that stage on eleven under, and made some great saves on the back nine to finish at -12, in a tie for second with fellow Aussie Jason Day. The top six finishers all shot under 70 on Sunday, and it was an amazingly composed finish from Schwartzel to ride through the pressure in such style for his first major.
IPL - The latest instalment of the IPL has kicked off, with many of the World's leading cricketers in evidence. Or in many cases, former leading cricketers. Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist are among some big names that many occasional viewers of cricket would be surprised to find still going around. Shane Warne did little to quieten the calls for his resurrection to the Australian team by leading the Rajasthan Royals to a comfortable victory in their opening match, finishing with 2/21 off four overs. (Meanwhile, the Australian team is playing Bangladesh and trying to resurrect Cameron White's leg spin.) The most notable performance so far saw Malinga run through Delhi, finishing with 5/13 as they were bowled out for 95. Mumbai cruised to victory with Tendulkar continuing his fine World Cup form.
AFL - Round 3 saw Collingwood see off their first major challenge this season, as Carlton matched them for much of the game. In fact, across three of the quarters, the scores were even. Unfortunately for the Blues, Collingwood won the second quarter and the match by 28 points, and saw off a short lived challenge in the third quarter, helped by Jarryd Blair who finished with five goals. Gold Coast had another tough outing, falling to the Bulldogs by 71 points, while big margins were also recorded as Essendon continued St Kilda's disappointing start, Hawthorn were far too good for Richmond, and Geelong thumped Port to keep pace with the Magpies. Fremantle and Sydney had strong away wins at Adelaide and West Coast, but Brisbane fell just short away to Melbourne.
EPL - Arsenal returned to form with a 3-1 win away to Blackpool, but made no headway as leaders Manchester United won 2-0 at home to Fulham. Chelsea also won, while Manchester CIty travel to Liverpool on Monday night. Arsenal still trail United by 7 points, but have a game in hand and will host United early next month in what may be a crucail match. However, Arsenal will need to improve their consistency if they are to still be in the hunt when that match takes place.
The Masters - A thrilling final day that had as many as many as ten players still in contention into the back nine, and eight of them have at least a share of the lead at times, eventually saw South African Charl Schwartzel come through the pack with four closing birdies to win by two shots on fourteen under. Overnight leader Rory McIlroy had a horror day, losing his four shot lead early, and proceeding to fall back through the field to finish in a tie for 15th after shooting 80. Away from McIlroy, the standard amongst those in contention was very high on the day. Tiger Woods surged early and, despite missing two short putts in the round, was the clubhouse leader at ten under when he finished. Adam Scott was the leader at that stage on eleven under, and made some great saves on the back nine to finish at -12, in a tie for second with fellow Aussie Jason Day. The top six finishers all shot under 70 on Sunday, and it was an amazingly composed finish from Schwartzel to ride through the pressure in such style for his first major.
IPL - The latest instalment of the IPL has kicked off, with many of the World's leading cricketers in evidence. Or in many cases, former leading cricketers. Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist are among some big names that many occasional viewers of cricket would be surprised to find still going around. Shane Warne did little to quieten the calls for his resurrection to the Australian team by leading the Rajasthan Royals to a comfortable victory in their opening match, finishing with 2/21 off four overs. (Meanwhile, the Australian team is playing Bangladesh and trying to resurrect Cameron White's leg spin.) The most notable performance so far saw Malinga run through Delhi, finishing with 5/13 as they were bowled out for 95. Mumbai cruised to victory with Tendulkar continuing his fine World Cup form.
AFL - Round 3 saw Collingwood see off their first major challenge this season, as Carlton matched them for much of the game. In fact, across three of the quarters, the scores were even. Unfortunately for the Blues, Collingwood won the second quarter and the match by 28 points, and saw off a short lived challenge in the third quarter, helped by Jarryd Blair who finished with five goals. Gold Coast had another tough outing, falling to the Bulldogs by 71 points, while big margins were also recorded as Essendon continued St Kilda's disappointing start, Hawthorn were far too good for Richmond, and Geelong thumped Port to keep pace with the Magpies. Fremantle and Sydney had strong away wins at Adelaide and West Coast, but Brisbane fell just short away to Melbourne.
EPL - Arsenal returned to form with a 3-1 win away to Blackpool, but made no headway as leaders Manchester United won 2-0 at home to Fulham. Chelsea also won, while Manchester CIty travel to Liverpool on Monday night. Arsenal still trail United by 7 points, but have a game in hand and will host United early next month in what may be a crucail match. However, Arsenal will need to improve their consistency if they are to still be in the hunt when that match takes place.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Cricket World Cup: Ireland Ponder Challenge To Exclusion
Cricket Ireland are considering a legal challenge to the ICC decision to drop the non-Test playing nations from the next instalment of the World Cup, to be played in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. While it would appear beyond doubt that the tournament needs to be restructured, and shortened, omitting the up-and-comers would appear to be both unromantic and short-sighted at the same time. Imagine if FIFA decided to do away with its World Cup qualifying and decided just to award places to the the top 16 ranked nations? Or if the Football Association in England decided to limit the FA Cup to the four League divisions.
Rather than excluding teams whose upsets contribute the early interest to the tournament (eg O'Brien's stunning innings to lead Ireland to victory over England) as well as removing the major ambition for the non-test playing nations, the ICC should be going the other way and attempting to make the World Cup appealing to a larger percentage of the globe.
The 2011 tournament featured 14 teams playing 49 matches over 43 days. By contrast, last year's football World Cup in South Africa featured 32 teams playing 64 games over 31 days. What's the big difference? Cricket featured two groups of seven, while football had eight groups of four. Cricket could easily move to four seeded groups of four - football seeds and sorts its groups for diversity - allowing two teams from each through to the quarter finals. That would shrink the group games from 42 in 2011 to 24 in 2015 while allowing in two extra teams. It is easy to argue that those extra teams wouldn't be up to scratch, but Sri Lanka progressed quickly from that status in 1975 to winning the tournament 21 years later. Incidentally, the first tournament in 1975 was played in two weeks.
Talk of one-day cricket's demise in the face of Twenty20 is clearly premature. The tournament was undoubtedly too slow to get going, but was ultimately gripping, and a better showcase of talents like Steyn and Tendulkar than the lottery of the game's shortest form. The ICC may be left with a tough choice. Twenty20 cricket may be best suited to a global franchise system, leaving the nations to concentrate on Test and one-day cricket. However, it will be hard for the ICC (and the national bodies) to turn their back on the riches Twenty20 is delivering.
Rather than excluding teams whose upsets contribute the early interest to the tournament (eg O'Brien's stunning innings to lead Ireland to victory over England) as well as removing the major ambition for the non-test playing nations, the ICC should be going the other way and attempting to make the World Cup appealing to a larger percentage of the globe.
The 2011 tournament featured 14 teams playing 49 matches over 43 days. By contrast, last year's football World Cup in South Africa featured 32 teams playing 64 games over 31 days. What's the big difference? Cricket featured two groups of seven, while football had eight groups of four. Cricket could easily move to four seeded groups of four - football seeds and sorts its groups for diversity - allowing two teams from each through to the quarter finals. That would shrink the group games from 42 in 2011 to 24 in 2015 while allowing in two extra teams. It is easy to argue that those extra teams wouldn't be up to scratch, but Sri Lanka progressed quickly from that status in 1975 to winning the tournament 21 years later. Incidentally, the first tournament in 1975 was played in two weeks.
Talk of one-day cricket's demise in the face of Twenty20 is clearly premature. The tournament was undoubtedly too slow to get going, but was ultimately gripping, and a better showcase of talents like Steyn and Tendulkar than the lottery of the game's shortest form. The ICC may be left with a tough choice. Twenty20 cricket may be best suited to a global franchise system, leaving the nations to concentrate on Test and one-day cricket. However, it will be hard for the ICC (and the national bodies) to turn their back on the riches Twenty20 is delivering.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
UEL: Four Ties, Four Clear Favourites
There was plenty of anticipation in the build up to the European Champions League quarter finals, but there was more expectation of tough contests than a shower of goals. The scoreline in Manchester United's 1-0 win at Chelsea was more the expectation than the avalanche of goals that was witnessed. Going into the second legs next week, only Chelsea amongst the defeated teams will realistically hope to overcome their deficit after two nights of carnage. Tottenham, Inter and Shakhtar will hope to restore some pride while picking themselves up off the canvas to finish off their domestic seasons.
United were somewhat fortunate to escape from Stamford Bridge with their lead intact, after Chelsea were denied at least one penalty in the closing stages. Torres was booked for a dive after going down in a challenge from Valencia, although there seemed to be some contact, even if not enough to warrant a penalty. The same could not be said of a tackle from Evra on Ramires shortly before, where the United player seem to be doing his best imitation of a large pair of scissors trying to remove Ramires's lower legs. A terrible tackle, and an equally terrible non-decision from the referee. So United escaped with a 1-0 lead which Chelsea will have realistic hopes of overcoming after their 2-1 win their last year. The goal from Wayne Rooney is worth a few views - a superb swinging ball from Carrick out to Giggs on the left, a superb first touch and acceleration from the seemingly ageless 37-year old to take the ball to the goal line and Bosingwa out of the equation, followed by a deft pull-back to Rooney who nonchalantly slid it in first time off the post. Something from the training ground, with Chelsea filling in for the orange cones.
In Barcelona, the home side waltzed past Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1, although when Shakhtar pulled it back to 3-1 in the 59th minute through Rakitskiy, they were far from out of it. Barcelona had always been in control before then, with Iniesta opening proceedings in just the second minute and Dani Alves (34th minute) and Pique (53) adding to the party. Unfortunately for the visitors, before their fans could retake their seats, Barcelona slotted home a fourth a fourth through Keita, sucking the wind out of any comeback, while Xavi put the tie beyond doubt with a late fifth.
On Tuesday night, Real Madrid had spanked Tottenham 4-0, with the visitors starting disastrously. Adebayor started the scoring in just the fourth minute before Peter Crouch set a new Champions league record by receiving two yellow cards in just sixteen minutes. Down to ten men, and short up front, Spurs were unable to really pressure Mourinho's side, and it was just a case of how many. Adebayor added a second before an hour, and Di Maria and Ronaldo sewed up the contest in the last twenty minutes.
The real surprise of the week came in Milan, where Inter were coming off a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of their neighbours AC Milan. They seemed on their way to making amends with a rapid goal from Stankovic in the first 30 seconds. An opportunistic strike from near the halfway line caught out the Schalke 04 keeper who had come off his line to clear an early attack. Matip equalised for the visitors, before Milito put Inter back in front after 34 minutes. Edu brought Schalke level again before halftime, but things were to get much, much worse for Inter. Three more goals poured in during the second half for Schalke, including an own goal from Ranocchia, and the Italians had defender Chivu sent off for the second time in four days, leaving Inter with a mountain to climb in the return fixture next week. At least they'll have some company on the climb.
United were somewhat fortunate to escape from Stamford Bridge with their lead intact, after Chelsea were denied at least one penalty in the closing stages. Torres was booked for a dive after going down in a challenge from Valencia, although there seemed to be some contact, even if not enough to warrant a penalty. The same could not be said of a tackle from Evra on Ramires shortly before, where the United player seem to be doing his best imitation of a large pair of scissors trying to remove Ramires's lower legs. A terrible tackle, and an equally terrible non-decision from the referee. So United escaped with a 1-0 lead which Chelsea will have realistic hopes of overcoming after their 2-1 win their last year. The goal from Wayne Rooney is worth a few views - a superb swinging ball from Carrick out to Giggs on the left, a superb first touch and acceleration from the seemingly ageless 37-year old to take the ball to the goal line and Bosingwa out of the equation, followed by a deft pull-back to Rooney who nonchalantly slid it in first time off the post. Something from the training ground, with Chelsea filling in for the orange cones.
In Barcelona, the home side waltzed past Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1, although when Shakhtar pulled it back to 3-1 in the 59th minute through Rakitskiy, they were far from out of it. Barcelona had always been in control before then, with Iniesta opening proceedings in just the second minute and Dani Alves (34th minute) and Pique (53) adding to the party. Unfortunately for the visitors, before their fans could retake their seats, Barcelona slotted home a fourth a fourth through Keita, sucking the wind out of any comeback, while Xavi put the tie beyond doubt with a late fifth.
On Tuesday night, Real Madrid had spanked Tottenham 4-0, with the visitors starting disastrously. Adebayor started the scoring in just the fourth minute before Peter Crouch set a new Champions league record by receiving two yellow cards in just sixteen minutes. Down to ten men, and short up front, Spurs were unable to really pressure Mourinho's side, and it was just a case of how many. Adebayor added a second before an hour, and Di Maria and Ronaldo sewed up the contest in the last twenty minutes.
The real surprise of the week came in Milan, where Inter were coming off a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of their neighbours AC Milan. They seemed on their way to making amends with a rapid goal from Stankovic in the first 30 seconds. An opportunistic strike from near the halfway line caught out the Schalke 04 keeper who had come off his line to clear an early attack. Matip equalised for the visitors, before Milito put Inter back in front after 34 minutes. Edu brought Schalke level again before halftime, but things were to get much, much worse for Inter. Three more goals poured in during the second half for Schalke, including an own goal from Ranocchia, and the Italians had defender Chivu sent off for the second time in four days, leaving Inter with a mountain to climb in the return fixture next week. At least they'll have some company on the climb.
Monday, April 4, 2011
NCAA: Butler Fall at Final Hurdle Again, UConn Too Good
Throughout the first half, Butler showed the best of their Bulldog spirit as, despite poor shooting, they scrapped and fought and restricted Connecticut to just 19 points and took a three point lead into the locker room. Butler were unable to get anything going, relying on the occasional three-pointer to keep the scoreboard operator awake. Still, their hustle was keeping UConn quiet enough that Shelvin Mack's late, long three-pointer gave them a 22-19 lead.
However, the second half was a bridge too far, with Butler missing makeable shot after makeable shot, while UConn finally warmed up enough to quickly take control. Unlike last year, when Butler were able to hang tough to take the game to the wire, or a final basket rim to be precise, UConn had this game sealed well before the buzzer. Kemba Walker finished with 16 for the champions, supported by 11 points and 11 rebounds from Oriakhi, but Butler's 12 from 64 shooting was the telling statistic. Mack led Butler's scoring with 13, while Matt Howard went 1-13 on field goal shooting. It wasn't expected to be pretty, but I doubt even in their worst nightmares did Butler supporters think it could get this disturbing.
However, the second half was a bridge too far, with Butler missing makeable shot after makeable shot, while UConn finally warmed up enough to quickly take control. Unlike last year, when Butler were able to hang tough to take the game to the wire, or a final basket rim to be precise, UConn had this game sealed well before the buzzer. Kemba Walker finished with 16 for the champions, supported by 11 points and 11 rebounds from Oriakhi, but Butler's 12 from 64 shooting was the telling statistic. Mack led Butler's scoring with 13, while Matt Howard went 1-13 on field goal shooting. It wasn't expected to be pretty, but I doubt even in their worst nightmares did Butler supporters think it could get this disturbing.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Rearview Mirror
If you slept through the weekend, here's what you missed:
Cricket World Cup - India proved too good for Sri Lanka in the final. See the write-up here.
NCAA - The Final Four on Saturday saw two excting games, and a return to the final for Butler who were able to see off Virginia Commonwealth 70-62. In Monday's final they will meet Connecticut, who overcame Kentucky 56-55 in a tense match.
AFL - Round 2 saw another convincing performance from reigning premier Collingwood, another draw, and a thumping for debutants Gold Coast. Collingwood dominated North Melbourne throughout the game to run out 87 point winners with Travis Cloke kicking five goals while Dane Swan finished with 40 possessions. Gold Coast made their debut in the AFL, but the party was spoilt by a ruthless visiting Carlton side. The Blues blitzed Gold Coast in the first quarter, all but ending the contest with a nine goal to one rout, but kicked on to win by 117 points. Chris Judd outclassed Suns skipped Gary Ablett, and was well supported by Murphy and Gibbs, while Garlett and Walker finished with five apiece up front. In the second draw in two weeks, St kilda went a behind closer to winning this week, but split the points with a gallant Richmond side.
In other matches, Geelong ground out a tough win at Fremantle, West Coast had a good win away to Port Adelaide, Sydney ran down a near five goal deficit to sneak the points against Essendon, and Hawthorn kicked badly but still had too much for Melbourne.
EPL - It was all Manchester on the weekend as Arsenal and Chelsea were held to draws by Blackburn and Stoke, while Manchester United came from two down to win 4-2 at West Ham with a hat-trick from Wayne Rooney. On Sunday, Manchester City put five past Sunderland in a match that was pretty much all over when Tevez made it 2-0 after 14 minutes. Arsenal now trail United by seven points with a game in hand.
Cricket World Cup - India proved too good for Sri Lanka in the final. See the write-up here.
NCAA - The Final Four on Saturday saw two excting games, and a return to the final for Butler who were able to see off Virginia Commonwealth 70-62. In Monday's final they will meet Connecticut, who overcame Kentucky 56-55 in a tense match.
AFL - Round 2 saw another convincing performance from reigning premier Collingwood, another draw, and a thumping for debutants Gold Coast. Collingwood dominated North Melbourne throughout the game to run out 87 point winners with Travis Cloke kicking five goals while Dane Swan finished with 40 possessions. Gold Coast made their debut in the AFL, but the party was spoilt by a ruthless visiting Carlton side. The Blues blitzed Gold Coast in the first quarter, all but ending the contest with a nine goal to one rout, but kicked on to win by 117 points. Chris Judd outclassed Suns skipped Gary Ablett, and was well supported by Murphy and Gibbs, while Garlett and Walker finished with five apiece up front. In the second draw in two weeks, St kilda went a behind closer to winning this week, but split the points with a gallant Richmond side.
In other matches, Geelong ground out a tough win at Fremantle, West Coast had a good win away to Port Adelaide, Sydney ran down a near five goal deficit to sneak the points against Essendon, and Hawthorn kicked badly but still had too much for Melbourne.
EPL - It was all Manchester on the weekend as Arsenal and Chelsea were held to draws by Blackburn and Stoke, while Manchester United came from two down to win 4-2 at West Ham with a hat-trick from Wayne Rooney. On Sunday, Manchester City put five past Sunderland in a match that was pretty much all over when Tevez made it 2-0 after 14 minutes. Arsenal now trail United by seven points with a game in hand.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
NCAA: Butler to face UCONN in Final
Butler have made it back to the final with a 70-62 win over VCU, and they will meet Connecticut, who overcame Kentucky 56-55. The Butler Bulldogs were led again by Shelvin Mack who finished with 24 points as their defence were able to slow down VCU after a fast start.
The final will be played on Monday.
The final will be played on Monday.
Cricket World Cup: Dhoni Takes India to Title
Perhaps it wasn't quite the dream day that the Indian nation wanted, but they'll take it. They hoped to see Sachin Tendulkar light up the Wankhede Stadium as he made his 100th International century, taking India to World Cup glory. Instead they got their captain, MS Dhoni, playing a classic captain's knock, helping them ease past Sri Lanka for what ultimately was a comfortable victory. As an emphatic exclamation point on the tournament, Dhoni ended proceedings with a dramatic six over long on to finish unbeaten on 91.
Earlier, as Tendulkar departed for 18, with Sehwag already out for second-ball duck, things looked decidedly grim for India. However, Gambhir played a brave innings, unfortunately throwing his wicket away three short of a deserved century. His 83 and 109 run partnerships with Kohli and Dohni, turned the tide - along with Dhoni's brave gamble to promote himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh.
Sri Lanka were never able to exert enough scoreboard pressure, a legacy of leaving themselves around 30 runs short of what they needed after a tardy start to their innings. Tharanga scratched around for half an hour before departing for two, and when Dislhan left in the 17th over, the run rate was still below four an over. Jayawardene made a brilliant century, the first on a losing final side, finishing unbeaten on 103 off 88 balls. Some late hitting from Kulasekara and Perera boosted Sri Lanka to 274, with 63 runs coming in the final five power play overs. Zaheer Khan had his figures wrecked in the onslaught after three early maidens.
India ran down the target without the same firworks - the four highest scoring overs of the match all belonged to Sri Lanka - but they also avoided conceding any maidens. Two of the giants of the game, Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan, had little impact on the contest. Dhoni and Gambhir made up for Tendulkar, but only Malinga looked likely to make inroads into the Indian line up. Murali finished with 0/39 off his final eight overs in international cricket, and Malinga couldn't add to his two early scalps.
Ultimately, India's strength of depth carried the way in the tournament. Six of their batsmen reached 90 in the tournament, while only four of the Sri Lankans reached 50. Similarly, four Indian bowlers took nine or more wickets, compared with two for Sri Lanka. It was another brave showing from Sri Lanka in the World Cup, but India were too good too often, and MS Dhoni can lead the celebrations with pride. Yuvraj was deservedly named player of the tournament for his allround performance, while Tendulkar finally ends with a World Cup title, and the satisfaction of 482 runs and two centuries in the tournament.
Earlier, as Tendulkar departed for 18, with Sehwag already out for second-ball duck, things looked decidedly grim for India. However, Gambhir played a brave innings, unfortunately throwing his wicket away three short of a deserved century. His 83 and 109 run partnerships with Kohli and Dohni, turned the tide - along with Dhoni's brave gamble to promote himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh.
Sri Lanka were never able to exert enough scoreboard pressure, a legacy of leaving themselves around 30 runs short of what they needed after a tardy start to their innings. Tharanga scratched around for half an hour before departing for two, and when Dislhan left in the 17th over, the run rate was still below four an over. Jayawardene made a brilliant century, the first on a losing final side, finishing unbeaten on 103 off 88 balls. Some late hitting from Kulasekara and Perera boosted Sri Lanka to 274, with 63 runs coming in the final five power play overs. Zaheer Khan had his figures wrecked in the onslaught after three early maidens.
India ran down the target without the same firworks - the four highest scoring overs of the match all belonged to Sri Lanka - but they also avoided conceding any maidens. Two of the giants of the game, Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan, had little impact on the contest. Dhoni and Gambhir made up for Tendulkar, but only Malinga looked likely to make inroads into the Indian line up. Murali finished with 0/39 off his final eight overs in international cricket, and Malinga couldn't add to his two early scalps.
Ultimately, India's strength of depth carried the way in the tournament. Six of their batsmen reached 90 in the tournament, while only four of the Sri Lankans reached 50. Similarly, four Indian bowlers took nine or more wickets, compared with two for Sri Lanka. It was another brave showing from Sri Lanka in the World Cup, but India were too good too often, and MS Dhoni can lead the celebrations with pride. Yuvraj was deservedly named player of the tournament for his allround performance, while Tendulkar finally ends with a World Cup title, and the satisfaction of 482 runs and two centuries in the tournament.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Cricket World Cup: The Final - India v Sri Lanka
The final looks to be an evenly matched contest. Two in-form top orders ready to set up victory for their sides, whether setting a near-unbeatable target, or chasing down whatevr score is thrown their way. Both middle orders look a little under done, although on paper India have the edge. That may prove crucial, although in the bowling stakes I give the edge to Sri Lanka, which may balance out that batting depth. In the end, I think it will quite possibly be decided by the crowd. Or at least whether India use the crowd to help them rise to their best, or buckle under the weight of expectation and underperform on the biggest stage.Therefore, I think India would definitely want to bat first, have Sehwag and Tendulkar get them away to a good start, and surf the emotion to a high score.
In 2003, Ponting had pretty much batted India out of the contest with a brilliantly belligerent innings, but losing Tendulkar in the first over pretty much killed the chase before it began. India won't want to be in that place again. If they are going to make 300 without Tendulkar contributing, it's much more likely to be batting first. Of course, the stage is set for Tendulkar - the home final, the chance for his first World Cup, and on the verge of being the first man to reach 100 international centuries. If the stars align, India will deify Tendulkar to a whole new level. Of course, there's someone on the other side who knows a thing or two about greatness. Muralitharan may just have one match winning performance left in him. What a way for these two veterans to go out - unfortunately one of them needs to lose for the other to win.
<Edit>See Kersi Meher-Homji's preview here. I'll leave it to him to call Murali 'controversial' or otherwise.
In 2003, Ponting had pretty much batted India out of the contest with a brilliantly belligerent innings, but losing Tendulkar in the first over pretty much killed the chase before it began. India won't want to be in that place again. If they are going to make 300 without Tendulkar contributing, it's much more likely to be batting first. Of course, the stage is set for Tendulkar - the home final, the chance for his first World Cup, and on the verge of being the first man to reach 100 international centuries. If the stars align, India will deify Tendulkar to a whole new level. Of course, there's someone on the other side who knows a thing or two about greatness. Muralitharan may just have one match winning performance left in him. What a way for these two veterans to go out - unfortunately one of them needs to lose for the other to win.
<Edit>See Kersi Meher-Homji's preview here. I'll leave it to him to call Murali 'controversial' or otherwise.
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