ICC World Twenty20: Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin star in India's 73-run win over Australia

ICC World Twenty20: Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin star in India's 73-run win over Australia India's win meant that they were the table toppers in Group 2 and also the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far. Mirpur: India continued their dream run in the ICC World T20 as they pounded a listless Australia by a whopping 73-run margin to emerge Group 2 champions with an all-win record, here on Sunday. Put into bat, India scored 159 for seven with Yuvraj Singh showing glimpses of his destructive self with an innings of 60. On a slow track, Yuvraj initially struggled before blasting four sixes and five boundaries in a 43-ball knock. (Highlights) Indian bowlers then faced little problems in skittling out the Aussies for a mere 86 in 16.2 overs as Ravichandran Ashwin registered dminating figures of 3.2-0-11-4. (Pics) This was India's most facile win in a T20 match. (Points Table) The intensity was right there for the entire duration even in an inconsequential match as India would certainly be favourites going into the semi-final encounter for the first time in seven years. (Yuvraj not worried about batting form) None of the Australian batsmen could show stomach for fight as Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men excelled in all departments yet again. The Aussies were clueless against the spinners, circumspect against the pacers and the Indian fielders were excellent throughout the duration. (Dhoni happy with Yuvraj's performance) Ashwin got the first breakthrough when Finch tried to slog him and Kohli took a simple catch at mid-on. Cameron White (0) looked distinctly short of match practice as he miscued while trying to drive Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the up and Ravindra Jadeja judged it well running backwards from his mid-on position. Young Mohit Sharma, getting the first match in place of Mohammed Shami, then bowled an off-cutter which breached through Shane Watson (1)’s defence. Watson’s sequence of scores in this World T20 has been 4, 2, 1. David Warner (19) and Glenn Maxwell (23) can win matches on their day but they were simply interested in trying to slog the spinners across the line. Watson’s slog sweep off Ashwin was taken brilliantly by Rohit Sharma running forward from his deep mid-wicket boundary position. It was 44 for four and the match was sealed when Maxwell tried an audacious reverse sweep off the Tamil Nadu tweaker to get bowled. Operating from the leg-stump line, it was a straighter one and only the batsman was to blame for his downfall. With half of the team back in the dug-out before the completion of 10 overs, the match was all but sealed. Skipper George Bailey (8) hit a six and the second cross-batted heave was his dismissal. Brad Haddin (6) on current form wouldn’t have lasted longer against Amit Mishra as Australia were down on their knees at 75 for seven. Earlier, Yuvraj finally got some form going his way with an impressive 60 as it enabled India to post a competitive total on the board. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni also played the role of second fiddle to perfection contributing 24 in an 84-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Dhoni lost the first toss in the tournament and as Ashwin had said on Saturday, were forced “swim a tsunami” considering the adverse conditions for batting first on a slow Sher-e-Bangla track. It wasn’t conducive for strokeplay as the Indian batsmen found out while trying to set a decent target. The Australian slow bowlers did a decent job in these conditions as India managed only 59 in the first 10 overs. Australia opened their bowling with Brad Hodge and he got success removing the in-form Rohit Sharma (6) with a slider which the player tried to drive but got a thickish outside edge which went to James Muirhead standing at backward point. Virat Kohli started with a slog sweep off Glenn Maxwell that went for a six and followed it by guiding Mitchell Starc to the third man boundary. But it didn’t last long enough as he tried to hoist leggie Muirhead over long-off but failed to clear Cameron White stationed for that catch. Kohli’s 23 came off 22 deliveries with two fours and a six. Ajinkya Rahane was gone when Bollinger got a delivery to pitch on the off-middle line, which moved a shade with Rahane trying to steer it down. Brad Haddin held a regulation catch. He scored 19 off 16 balls but couldn’t utilize the opportunity he got due to Shikhar Dhawan’s failure. India were reeling at 52 for three when Suresh Raina joined Yuvraj. Yuvraj was nervous from the onset as he was not middling the ball. A couple of times, he even misjudged the singles which could have cost India a wicket. Raina also looked in trouble as the slowness of the pitch affected his stroke-making. Trying to hit his way out of trouble, the left-hander tried to hoist Maxwell but was caught by Aaron Finch at long-on. Raina managed only six. Yuvraj finally broke shackles when Muirhead bowled successive half-trackers which were posted in the deep mid-wicket stands as 17 runs came of that particular over which was the 14th of the innings. The first one bounced more than the second one but both met with the same fate. Dhoni also got into the act after settling down as he first lifted Bollinger for a boundary over extra-cover and then hooked Starc for a six. Then came the shot of the innings when Yuvraj just stood and hit Starc over deep extra cover for a stunning six. Yuvraj reached his half-century off 37 balls when he deposited a Watson full-toss over deep square leg for a six. http://sports.ndtv.com/icc-world-twenty20-2014/news/222529-icc-world-twenty20-india-vs-australia?pform=showcase

Real Madrid, Barca keep on Atletico's tail

MADRID: Gareth Bale scored twice as Real Madrid recovered from two consecutive league defeats to beat Rayo Vallecano 5-0 on Saturday. Atletico Madrid remain top of La Liga as they came from behind away to beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1, while Barcelona rounded off a fine week by overcoming stiff resistance from local rivals Espanyol to win 1-0 thanks to a late Lionel Messi penalty. Victory for all three title contenders means that Atletico maintain their one point lead over Barcelona with Real a further two points adrift in third. Bale also teed up Cristiano Ronaldo to open the scoring at the Bernabeu as the Potuguese continued his run of scoring in each of his last 10 games for club and country by bursting past two Rayo defenders before slotting low into the corner. Karim Benzema then failed to connect with an open goal to aim at and Bale also passed up a huge chance as he kicked the ground when attempting to chip Ruben Martinez. Dani Carvajal eventually made the game safe when he registered his first goal for the club from Ronaldo's cut-back 10 minutes after half-time. Bale then took over as he tapped home Angel di Maria's unselfish cross before running half the length of the field to slot home his 16th goal of the season to make it 4-0. And Alvaro Morata rounded off the rout with a fine curling effort 12 minutes from time. It was a far tougher day for Atletico and Barca as they had to grind out difficult wins away from home. Atletico got off to the worst possible start as Aritz Aduriz cushioned a long ball into Iker Muniain's path and he sent a perfectly weighted lob over Thibaut Courtois and just under the crossbar. Diego Costa had a chance to reply soon after as he was played in by Koke, but his shot was too close to Gorka Iraizoz and the keeper parried the ball to safety. The Spanish international made amends with a similar chance nine minutes later when he was again sent through on goal by Koke and this time finished low into the far corner for his 33rd goal of the season. Costa was left cursing his luck twice in quick succession at the start of the second period as he raced onto another long ball and shot inches wide before being clearly tripped by Aymeric Laporte inside the area, but the referee waved away his penalty claims. Atletico did get the game's all-important third goal, though, as Costa fed Filipe Luis on the left and his cross was headed home at close range by Koke. Courtois was forced into one brilliant save from a towering header by Aduriz as Athletic pressed for an equaliser. But they couldn't find a way through and the hosts finished the game with 10 men as Laporte saw a second yellow card for chopping down Costa five minutes from time. Barcelona were also made to work for the three points as Messi scored the only goal from the spot 14 minutes from time after Javi Lopez was adjudged to have handled inside the area. Espanyol were then reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Kiko Casilla saw a straight red card for blocking Messi's goalbound effort with his hands outside the area. “Derbies are always the same and you have to win them,” said a relieved Barca boss Gerardo Martino. http://www.dawn.com/news/1096623/real-madrid-barca-keep-on-atleticos-tail

World T20 : Fixtures

25th Match, Group 1: Netherlands v New Zealand at Chittagong Mar 29, 2014 (15:30 local | 09:30 GMT)

26th Match, Group 1: England v South Africa at Chittagong Mar 29, 2014 (19:30 local | 13:30 GMT)

27th Match, Group 2: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka Mar 30, 2014 (15:30 local | 09:30 GMT)

28th Match, Group 2: Australia v India at Dhaka Mar 30, 2014 (19:30 local | 13:30 GMT)

13th Match, Group A: Ire. Women v SA Women at Sylhet Mar 29, 2014 (15:30 local | 09:30 GMT)

14th Match, Group A: Aus Women v Pak Women at Sylhet Mar 29, 2014 (19:30 local | 13:30 GMT)

15th Match, Group B: Bdesh Wmn v India Women at Sylhet Mar 30, 2014 (15:30 local | 09:30 GMT)

16th Match, Group B: Eng Women v SL Women at Sylhet Mar 30, 2014 (19:30 local | 13:30 GMT)

Maradona willing to come to Pakistan

After a day of tiki taka in which Diego Maradona compared the Argentina Football Association (AFA) to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and the PFF Marketing Consultant Sardar Naveed Haider Khan replied with a tongue-in-cheek comment that the Argentina legend should come visit Pakistan, it has come down to this.

Maradona is willing to come to Pakistan.
In a communication between Sardar Naveed and Maradona’s manager Gustavo Amador Moure, shared with Dawn.com, the latter has asked the PFF to send an official invitation for the 53-year-old football great.
“We would wait for the mandate from the PFF to schedule a meeting with Diego’s lawyer and advance this situation as soon as possible,” Moure, of the ABC Sports Agency, says in his e-mail.
“Diego knows something [about Pakistan] as Ahmer Kunwar [of British-based sports management company TouchSky Sports] spoke to me about the possibility of doing something with him in Pakistan.”
So far, it’s a stunning development.
And if it does happen, Sardar Naveed believes it will be huge for football in Pakistan.
“Football in Pakistan is in need of help and support,” Sardar Naveed told Dawn.com.
“What better help can there be than a player of Maradona’s stature coming to Pakistan,” he asks.
“He’s regarded as one of the greatest players to have played the game of football.
“Not only that, but he enjoys great popularity in Pakistan.
“Imagine what were to happen if he would arrive at the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport in Karachi or the Allama Iqbal Airport in Lahore.
“Fans would throng by the thousands just to get a glimpse of him.
“The interest that would create for football in the country, especially the interest in Pakistani football, would be immense.”
Sardar Naveed added that the PFF would be sending the official invitation to Maradona very soon and urged the government to play their part in making it happen.
“This is an opportunity for the government of Pakistan to step in and make it happen for the growth of football in Pakistan,” he said.
Maradona has previously been to the sub-continent – both times to India – and has been treated to rapturous welcomes on his arrival.
He first came to India in 2008 when he set up a football academy in Kolkata with his latest visit there coming in 2012 when he launched a jewelry store in Kerala.
His visit to Pakistan, though, would be solely for football.
“It would be massive for the country’s football if Maradona were to come to Pakistan,” Pakistan’s most decorated football coach Tariq Lutfi told Dawn.com.
“Even if he was to come for a day and spend some time with our national players, that would motivate them to a new level.”
Maradona, who spearheaded Argentina to the 1986 FIFA World Cup, is the honourary sports ambassador for the Dubai Sports Council (DSC).
He coached Dubai-based club Al Wasl for a year before he was fired in 2012. He was also Argentina’s coach in the 2010 FIFA World Cup where they were knocked out by Germany in the quarter-finals.
So far it seems Maradona’s arrival would come through a collaboration between the PFF and TouchSky Sports.
TouchSky Sports are UEFA-licensed match agents and were behind an initiative to arrange a series between the football teams of Pakistan and India in England in 2011.
The series never took place after TouchSky Sports cited they hadn’t received adequate money from the sponsors to hold the series titled ‘Clash of the Titans’.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1096156/exclusive-maradona-willing-to-come-to-pakistan-says-agent

Dominant India humble hosts, enter WT20 semis

DHAKA: Leg-spinner Amit Mishra continued his awesome form as India roared into the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 with an eight-wicket demolition of hosts Bangladesh in Dhaka on Friday. Mishra, who was man of the match in both the previous wins against Pakistan and the West Indies, finished with three for 26 as Bangladesh were restricted to 138-7 in the group two match of the Super-10s. India surpassed the modest target with nine deliveries to spare to record their third successive win and book a semi-final berth even before their last league match against Australia on Sunday. Rohit Sharma made 56 and Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 57, the pair sharing a 100-run stand for the second wicket after Shikhar Dhawan had been dismissed for one in the third over. Australia, who lost to the West Indies earlier on Friday, are virtually out of the race after two defeats. Barring any major upsets in the last two round of matches, Pakistan and the West Indies will battle for the second semi-final spot from the group. Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with two for 15 as Bangladesh batsmen faltered in front of a sell-out home crowd of 25,000 at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium. Opener Anamul Haque top-scored with 44, but it was Mohammad Mahmudullah's unbeaten 32 off 23 balls that boosted the hosts after they were reduced to 82-5. Mahmudullah, who hit five fours and a six, put on 49 for the sixth wicket with Nasir Hossain. Bangladesh slipped to 21-3 by the fifth over after Ashwin dismissed Tamim Iqbal and Shamsur Rahman off successive deliveries. Mishra also claimed two wickets off consecutive balls in the final over to ensure the batsmen were left to chase a small target. When India batted, Dhawan was bowled by Al Amin Hossain before Sharma and Kohli put on their match-winning stand. Sharma was caught at point off Mashrafe Mortaza in the 16th over when 26 more were needed for victory, but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni sealed the win with a six off Ziaur Rahman.

Court installs Gavaskar as interim BCCI chief

Obama in Saudi for talks overshadowed by mistrust

RIYADH: US President Barack Obama sought Friday to allay Riyadh's criticism of his policies on Syria and Iran, telling the Saudi king their two countries remain in lockstep on their strategic interests. He also assured King Abdullah that the US “won't accept a bad deal” with Iran, as global powers negotiate a treaty reining in Tehran's controversial nuclear programme. “The president underscored how much he values this strategic relationship”, a senior US administration official said, after Obama met for some two hours with the king on a royal estate outside Riyadh. In an interview aired on US television later Friday, Obama defended his administration's decision not to use military force in Syria, saying that the United States has its limits. The US leader's comments came in an interview taped ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia, which was angered by his 11th-hour decision last year to pull back from strikes against the Syrian regime over its use of chemical weapons in the country's civil war. “It is, I think, a false notion that somehow we were in a position to, through a few selective strikes, prevent the kind of hardship we've seen in Syria,” Obama told broadcaster CBS in Rome. “It's not that it's not worth it,” he added. “It's that after a decade of war, the United States has limits.” ”And it's not clear whether the outcome, in fact, would have turned out significantly better,” he added. Now in its fourth year, the bloody civil war has claimed more than 146,000 lives and displaced many others, causing a refugee crisis in the region. A 'common interest' on Iran Earlier, White House officials said part of the discussions would focus on ways to “empower” Syria's moderate opposition. But officials shot down as untrue reports that the US administration was planning to give Riyadh a green light to ship man-portable air-defence weapons, known as MANPADs, to the beleaguered moderate Syrian opposition. “This was not a trip or a meeting designed to coordinate detailed questions or types of assistance to Syrians”, added the US official added, who asked not to be named. Riyadh also has strong reservations about revived efforts by Washington and other major world powers to negotiate with Iran. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, long wary of Shia Iran's regional ambitions, views a November deal between world powers and Iran on Tehran's nuclear programme as a risky venture that could embolden Tehran. The interim agreement curbs Iran's controversial nuclear activities in exchange for limited sanctions relief, and is aimed at buying time to negotiate a comprehensive accord. Obama made clear to the king that the US was “determined to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, that we've gone into the talks eyes wide open, but that we believe this is a common interest in stopping proliferation to Iran”, the US official told reporters. He also stressed that Washington remained “very much focused on Iran's other destabilising activities in the region”. Iranian-Saudi rivalry crystallised with the Syrian conflict: Tehran backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, while several Gulf Cooperation Council states support the opposition rebels. 'Reassurance visit' Obama's stand on events reshaping the region “have strained relations, but without causing a complete break”, said Anwar Eshki, head of the Jeddah-based Middle East Centre for Strategic and Legal Studies. US security and energy specialist professor Paul Sullivan said Obama meeting King Abdullah could “help clear the air on some misunderstandings”. “However, I would be quite surprised if there were any major policy changes during this visit. This is also partly a reassurance visit,” he added. The two leaders were also expected to discuss Egypt, another bone of contention since the 2011 uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak, who was a staunch US and Saudi ally. The kingdom was angered by the partial freezing of US aid to Egypt after the army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last July — a move hailed by Riyadh. Meanwhile, US officials said Obama did not raise the issue of human rights with the king despite appeals from US lawmakers and rights groups. Dozens of US lawmakers had urged Obama to publicly address Saudi Arabia's “systematic human rights violations” and efforts by women activists to challenge its ban on female drivers. “We do have a lot of significant concerns about the human rights situation”in Saudi Arabia, the second administration official said, mentioning in particular “women's freedoms”. Saudi activists have urged women to defy the driving ban and get behind the wheel on Saturday, the second day of Obama's visit. >

News,Views and entertainment sites

Sports news cricket news upadtes Interesting News,Views and entertainment sites 01.http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/ 02.http://www.foxnews.com 03.http://news.sky.com/ 04.http://www.bollywood.com/ 05.http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/ 06.http://www.hollywood.com/news/ 07.http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle >

Match schedule ICC T -20 Bangladesh

http://icc-cricket.com/world-t20/fixtures/men

India will be tougher to beat with Dhoni back: Afridi

LAHORE: Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi said Thursday he was hopeful of a quick recovery from injury in time for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh next week after his exploits at the Asia Cup.
The 34-year-old hurt his groin during the recent one-day tournament, which concluded last week and was also held in Bangladesh.
As a result he will not fly out with the team early Friday, and instead travel on Monday.
“I am recovering well and (will) hopefully play at least one warm-up match,” Afridi told reporters.
He is set to miss Pakistan's first warm-up match against New Zealand on Monday.
Pakistan's second warm-up match will be against South Africa on March 19.

Link:http://www.dawn.com/news/1092917/india-will-be-tougher-to-beat-with-dhoni-back-afridi

Bangladesh get Afghan revenge, Nepal crush Hong Kong

Hosts Bangladesh crushed Afghanistan by nine wickets to exact sweet revenge in the World Twenty20 opener at Mirpur, while Nepal bulldozed Hong Kong by 80 runs in another one-sided group A match in Chittagong on Sunday.
Barely two weeks after being stunned by the same opponents in the Asia Cup, Bangladesh skittled Afghanistan for 72 runs in 17.1 overs and cruised to victory with eight overs to spare for the loss of one wicket.
It was an ominous sign for Afghanistan when they lost Mohammad Shahzad to the first ball of the tournament after being asked to bat first at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.
Shakib Al Hasan was denied a hat-trick but claimed three wickets for eight runs with his smart left-arm spin as only Gulbadin Naib (21) and two other Afghan batsmen reached double figures.
Bangladesh got off to a flying start before losing Tamim Iqbal (21) in the eighth over.
Fellow opener Anamul Haque (44 not out) played aggressively and brought up the winning runs with his third six to boost Bangladesh's chances of reaching the Super 10 stage.
In the battle between tournament debutants at Chittagong, Gyanendra Malla (48) and captain Paras Khadka (41) missed half-centuries but powered Nepal to 149-8 after being put into bat.
In reply, Hong Kong reached 58-3 at the halfway stage before a spectacular collapse saw them dismissed for 69 in 17 overs.
For Nepal, the left-arm spin duo of Shakti Gauchan (3-9) and Basant Regmi (3-14) shared six wickets as slow bowlers dominated the opening day of the tournament.

Saudi bans books at fair in wide-ranging crackdown 

http://www.dawn.com/news/1093723/saudi-bans-books-at-fair-in-wide-ranging-crackdown