'Gayle storm' blows away Kings XI in one-sided game

Bangalore, May 7 (IANS) An all-round brilliant performance by Chris Gayle, first with the bat and then with the ball, saw Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) demolishKings XI Punjab by 85 runs in a one-sided Indian Premier League match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in this tech hub late Friday.

Chasing a stiff 206-run target for a desperate win, Kings could score only 120 for nine wickets in their 20 overs, with Man of the Match Gayle snapping up three wickets for 21 runs in four overs after smashing a hurricane century (107) in 48 balls and proving to be the match-winner.

Hit by a Gayle storm of nine mighty sixes and 10 boundaries that earlier enabled RCB score 205 for six wickets in 20 overs, Kings made a disastrous start when captain Adam Gilchristwas brilliantly run out by Asad Pathan on the very first ball of speedster Zaheer Khan.

With an asking rate of 10.25 runs an over, it was an uphill task for the Kings frontline batters, including the in-form Paul Valthaty, to chase the target as the top five in the order were packed off in eight overs for a mere 50 on the board.

Barring Valthaty, Dinesh Karthik and Ryan McLaren, who crossed the 20-mark, the remaining batsmen struggled to keep the strike rotating as they fell one after the other to a tight bowling and brilliant fielding display by RCB.

In contrast to 11 sixes by RCB, including two by AB De Villiers, the Kings had a lone overboundary from Praveen Kumar, who remained not out 15 with two hits to the ropes in the seven balls he faced.

Besides Gayle, who scalped Valthaty (21), Karthik (20) and Piyush Chawla (5), RCB's left-arm pacer Srinath Arvind was the most successful bowler with four wickets for 14 runs in four overs.

Gayle, whom RCB signed up lately, stunned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) when he hit 102 in 55 balls April 22 in Kolkata with seven sixes and 10 boundaries. He followed it up with four sixes and four fours to 49 runs in 26 balls against Pune Warriors April 29.

Earlier, put in to bat after Gilchrist won the toss and opted to field, RCB made 205 runs for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs.

As is his wont, Gayle electrified the stadium with mighty sixes and fours and sending the frenzied fans into raptures.

Though Kings' McLaren got an initial breakthrough when he got other opener Tilakaratne Dilshan caught by Praveen for 16 in the fifth over, Gayle ripped apart their bowling attack hitting sixes and fours at will.

After Gayle was out at 154 in 15th over, caught by Harris off spinner Chawla, Royals lost Kholi at 155. A rearguard action by AB De Villiers with two sixes and two fours and Saurabh Tiwary saw RCB cross the 200-mark for the first time in the current tournament.

Harris was the most successful bowler for Kings XI, bagging three wickets for 38 runs.

Andy Flower 'excited' about working with multiple England captains

London, May 6 (IANS) England team director Andy Flower is 'excited' about the prospect of working with multiple cricket captains but has reservations on its efficiency as it is being introduced for the first time.

Flower's comments came after England appointed Alastair Cook as the One-day captain, Stuart Broad as the T20 skipper and retained Andrew Strauss as the leader of the Test side.

Flower, who signed a fresh contract with the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), said he is not sure about the outcome of having different captains but the experiment is 'worth giving it a try'.

'I hope and believe the new leadership team can work,' The Telegraph quoted Flower as saying.

'It has never been tried before so we are excited about the opportunity it provides us. We don't know 100 percent whether it will work or be the most effective and efficient system but we are going to give it a try. With the quality of people with us, we form a good leadership team.'

Flower dismissed the argument that Cook and Broad will also be seen as possible successors to Strauss in the Test side.

'No, it's not a shoot-out between them at all and one of the things I would ask of these two young guys is that they approach this in a very mature fashion.'

'I trust them to do so. Everyone here is fully behind Andrew Strauss. He and I feel very comfortable with that and these two young captains will learn a lot from him. I think they are lucky to have him there as a sounding board so I don't see any problem in that regard,' he said.

RCB batter Kings XI into submission

Bangalore, May 6 (IANS) Riding on opener Chris Gayle's century (107 in 49 balls),Royal Challengers battered a luckless Kings XI Punjab by 85 runs in their Indian Premier League match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here Friday.

Set to score 206 after putting RCB in to bat, Kings Xi could manage only 120/9 in their 20 overs.

Frenzied fans brew carnival atmosphere in Bangalore

Bangalore, May 6 (IANS) A summer holiday, a cool night and a home team brought about 20,000 frenzied fans to the flood-lit Chinnaswamy Stadium late Friday to watch the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) take on Kings XI Punjab in their Indian Premier League tie.

After Kings XI skipper Adam Gilchrist won the toss and opted to bowl first, the fans were in hurry to settle down to watch RCB's opener and big hitter Chris Gayle play in style with Tilakaratne Dilshan at the other end.

As is his wont, the tall Gayle didn't disappoint the home fans as he opened up with a four and followed it up with two mighty sixes of Ryan Harris to see RCB post 47 runs in the first five overs.

Sporting RCB's red jerseys and flags, with the Indian tricolour on their cheeks, boisterous fans rooted for the home team by cheering and whistling for every run, boundary and six Gayle was scoring in the company of first Dilshan and then Virat Kohli.

'We have come to see the 'Gayle storm' hit the stadium again as in the last match, when he hit four mighty sixes and four fours to make 49 runs in 26 balls April 29 against Pune Warriors. With four sixes and five fours, he has already set the stadium on fire,' gloated Rishi Kumar, a 21-year post-graduate student.

When Gayle raced to 50 in 28 balls with five 4s and four 6s, the stadium was electrified with blaring music, trumpets blowing and frenzied fans rocking.

'Gayle is one guy who can not only turn the match on its head, but also ensure victory single-handed. As the shorter version of the game is a batter's delight, it's a joy to see the opener hit seven sixes and still going strong,' Pradeep Bijur, 32, a techie, told IANS.

With three wins on trot after losing three games consecutively earlier, the home crowd is betting on RCB to maintain its winning momentum for a slot in the play-offs and a firm berth in the finals May 28.

Former Pak cricketer Qadir criticises Mohsin Khan for selection fiasco

Lahore, May 7 (ANI): Former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Qadir has criticised the chief selector Mohsin Khan for going public with his differences with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the selection matters.

"He must have first chosen a proper way to talk to the PCB chief Ijaz Butt and discussed with him, the reservations he had. There should not be any media talk or threats of resignations." Qadir told The Nation. He said the present selection system is faulty and that merit should be the sole criterion for selection as it enhances the standard of the game. He also laid stress on the need for an independent selection procedure, free from political pressures.

He pointed out that Khan should pick the squad in consultation with PCB members.

He said players should be selected on the basis of the performance of past two years'.

He backed cricketers like Silakot, Ayub Dogar, Naveed Yasin and Amir Sajjad who have been consistent in domestic circuit of cricket.

He also laid stress on the need for promoting cricket at the grassroot level in Pakistan. (ANI)

Tillakaratne seeks protection over fixing

Colombo, May 6, (AFP) - Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Hashan Tillakaratne on Friday demanded police protection before he shares information on alleged match-fixing with authorities.

"As an eyewitness to match-fixing, I will reveal the names of those involved if my security is guaranteed," Tillakaratne told reporters after the Criminal Investigations Department grilled him for the second time this week.

His wife Apsari said the family feared for their lives, as they have received several death threats warning against identifying those involved.

Now an opposition politician, Tillakaratne claimed last week that Sri Lanka players had been fixing matches since 1992 and told reporters on Tuesday that he would name names to the International Cricket Council.

"I made the statements (about match-fixing) neither to get political mileage nor to put anyone in an awkward position," he said on Tuesday.

"I made the comments in good faith and I will share the information with the ICC. The exercise was meant to protect the game and the players we all love so much."

Tillakaratne, who played 83 Tests and 200 one-dayers during a 15-year career, said he had kept quiet for so many years as he feared for his life.

Tillakaratne's allegations have raised a storm, with former skipper Kumar Sangakkara challenging him to prove his claims.

"It's interesting to see what he has to say and if he has anything more than allegations," said Sangakkara, who quit as captain after Sri Lanka's defeat to India in the World Cup final. "It's dangerous to throw names around."

Waqar, Afridi on collision course over selection issue

Karachi, May 6 (PTI) Pakistan coach Waqar Younis and skipper Shahid Afridi are on collision course after it was revealed that latter isn't too happy with the former's interference in selection matters.

Afridi is so upset with Waqar's behaviour that he was reluctant to play the last two ODIs against the West Indies and was persuaded by manager Intikhab Alam to lead the team.

Pakistan lost both the matches but still managed to win the series 3-2.

Sources aware of developments in the team also disclosed that Afridi had even left the team meeting held before the fifth and final ODI match because of his differences with the coach.

"It was Intikhab who spoke with Afridi and told him that being the team captain it was his duty to play if fit and that if he had any grievances he should discuss it with the board on returning home."

"Not only Afridi, but it appears some of the other senior players are apparently not happy with the way Waqar is handling things in the team and particularly his role in selection matters," a source revealed.

Interestingly the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt also had to hold a meeting with chief selector Mohsin Khan on Thursday to convince him to not resign after the latter blamed Waqar for interfering in the matters of the national selection committee.

Mohsin had made his displeasure clear when the PCB changed the squad for the tests in the West Indies submitted by the national selectors on the insistence of Waqar Younis.

"Waqar apparently has rubbed Afridi and some of the other players the wrong way with his growing control and authority in the team."

"He and Afridi have had differences on the tour over selection matters and these issues date back to the World Cup as well," the source added