Somerset beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 5 wickets

Roelef van der Merwe may not be an easily recognisable name but the right-handed batsman packs too many punches. The all-rounder stole the thunder from his more illustrious countrymate Jacques Kallis, who earlier had struck a brilliant unbeaten 74 (65b; 4x4, 4x6) to salvage the Knight Riders' innings.

Chasing 162 in their Champions League Group B match, Somerset lost Chris Jones with 15 on the board but van der Merwe stood tall as his audacious strokeplay stunned the Knight Riders. He struck nine fours and two sixes - one of which was a stunning reverse sweep off Shakib al Hasan - in his 40-ball 73.

He and Peter Trego (28; 33b, 3x4) added 105 runs for the second wicket as Somerset seemed cruising towards victory.

However, Trego's run out turned the tide and the Knight Riders prised out a couple of wickets to bring the game back to life. But the Somerset batsmen didn't crack under the pressure and calmly collected the runs to take full points from the game.

Earlier, a well-paced half-century from Kallis and a Yusuf Pathan special breathed life into the Knight Riders' innings. Consistency may not be his forte but what Yusuf can do is to change the course of the innings in the blink of an eye. The big-hitting Baroda all-rounder did just that to take Knight Riders' to a competitive 161/3.

Pathan, who seemed far from comfortable running between the wickets, smashed four sixes off a hapless Arul Suppiah in the 15th over of the innings to bring the Knight Riders back into the game. The Kolkata outfit got 78 in the last six overs to make up for the poor start that they had after electing to bat.

Pathan remained unbeaten on 39 off 21 balls with four sixes to his credit but it was Kallis who provided the framework upon which Pathan built on. After Gautam Gambhir choose to make first use of the wicket, opener Manvinder Bisla got his side off to a flying start with two boundaries off the first two balls of the innings. But it was too good to last and Bisla (17; 13b, 2x4, 1x6) fell to medium-pacer Lewis Gregory.

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi the nawab on the field and off it Is No More...

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was marked down as potentially one of the finest cricketers in the world while at Oxford a car accident cost him his right eye. However 'Tiger'continued to generate amazement with his batting as well as captaincy.

The Nawab of Pataudi Junior, as cricket knows him, died on Thursday at the age of 70.Otherwise known as Mansur Ali Khan, he was the son of a cricketer who played for England in the 1932-33 Bodyline series, again in 1934, and then led India on the 1946 tour of England, when the boy was five years old. That boy, fondly known as ‘Tiger’ to teammates and friends, revealed a special batting talent at Winchester College and Oxford University, and played for Sussex between 1957 and 1970, captaining the county in 1966.

Young Pataudi was marked down as potentially one of the finest cricketers in the world while at Oxford, but just before the Varsity match of 1961, he was involved in a car accident in which he lost his right eye. Astoundingly, having worked in the nets until he was satisfied that he could bat again at the highest level, he made his Test debut for India against England in Delhi later that same year, and generated amazement together with widespread admiration by scoring 103 at the Corporation Stadium, Madras, in his third Test.

Ten weeks later, ‘Tiger’ Pataudi found himself captaining India in the West Indies after Nari Contractor had suffered a serious head injury from a Charlie Griffith bouncer. The young man did his valiant best, but India were swept away 0-5. Then, in 1963-64, he led India against the visiting England side captained by MJK Smith, and failed in his first seven innings. People were shaking their heads and asking how a man with one eye could expect anything better.

Pataudi then came up with one of the most famous innings in Test history: 203 not out at the Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi, India’s first double-century in a Test against England.

Still only 23 next season, he took on Bob Simpson’s Australians, making 128 not out at Madras and 86 and 53 in the next Test, at the Brabourne Stadium. His third Test century came off New Zealand’s bowling at the Eden Gardens early in 1965, soon followed by another in Delhi. Two years on, he failed against the touring West Indies side, though he fell to spin rather than pace. Onlookers had, by now, become largely oblivious to his visual handicap.

As glorious as any of his Test innings was his 148 against England in the 1967 Headingley Test, which had people wondering how good he might have been with two eyes.He scored freely from the bowling of John Snow, Ken Higgs, Robin Hobbs and Ray Illingworth.

Later that year, Pataudi led India in Australia and New Zealand, scoring steadily all the way, and stroking an 85 at Melbourne which persuaded Lindsay Hassett to compare him with Don Bradman. Pataudi battered fast bowler Graham McKenzie as if he were a mere medium-pacer.

Pataudi junior’s 46 Test matches brought him 2,793 runs at 34.91, with six centuries. All told, including his matches for Oxford, Sussex, Delhi and Hyderabad, he scored 15,425 runs in First Class cricket at an average of 33.67, with 33 centuries, the highest being that wondrous 203 in Delhi.

He had a debonair air about him and utilised a waspish sense of humour to keep his friends and acquaintances on their toes. His business involvements included editorship of Ananda Bazar’s Sportsworld magazine, and some modelling, and he resided in property in Pataudi and in the family palace in Bhopal.

He married the actress Sharmila Tagore, who bore him a son and two daughters. ‘Tiger’ Pataudi’s passing will be mourned not only across India but in England, where he made many friends.

KKR BEAT ACES IN QUALIFIER

Yusuf Pathan took two wickets in an over to rock Auckland Aces' run chase against Kolkata Knight Riders in the second CLT20 qualifier match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.
Pathan scalped Jimmy Adams (18) and Rob Quiney (0) in the tenth over soon after Aces' lost Lou Vincent (40) in the previous over.

Vincent and Adams compiled a 59-run stand to lead Auckland Aces' run chase after their chase got off to a disastrous start as Martin Guptill was run out on the first ball without facing a ball.

Knight Riders run charge hit a roadblock when they lost four wickets in three overs as they were restricted to 121/6 by Auckland.

Manvinder Bisla hit a 32-ball 45 before Michael Bates had him caught by Martin Guptill in the covers.

Openers Bisla and Jacques Kallis gave Knight Riders a fine start bringing up the team's fifty in the seventh over.

Auckland Aces came back in the game after the dismissal of Bisla.

Andre Adamas first clean bowled Yusuf Pathan and in the next over Robert Quiney took a superb diving catch at deep mid-wicket to dismiss Kallis (33) off Kyle Mills.

Mills struck again three balls later when he clean bowled Manoj Tiwary and in the next over Jimmy Adams ran out Ryan ten Doeschate with a direct hit.

Knight Riders then lost their sixth wicket when Shakib Al Hasan was run out by Andre Adams.

This was after Knight Riders captain Kallis won the toss and chose to bat.

In the run up to the tournament the Knight Riders received a huge setback in the form of captain Gautam Gambhir, who has been ruled out of the qualifiers after suffering a concussion when he hurt his head while attempting a catch during the England-India Test series.

To add to Knight Riders' problems, Gambhir is also uncertain for the main tournament if the Kolkata outfit progresses.

But Gambhir's absence, notwithstanding, the Knight Riders still hold an edge over Auckland.

On paper, the Kolkata outfit looks far more superior and stronger than the Kiwi side as it boasts of quality international cricketers like Eoin Morgan, Jacques Kallis, who has been named captain in place of Gambhir, Brett Lee, Yusuf Pathan, Manoj Tiwary and Laxmipathy Balaji.

On the other hand, the Auckland Aces too has some international flavour in captain Gareth Hopkins, Martin Guptill, Chris Martin, Daryl Tuffey and Kyle Mills.

Teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders: Jacques Kallis (Capt.), Manvinder Bisla, Shreevats Goswami, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Ryan ten Doeschate, Shakib Al Hasan, Rajat Bhatia, Brett Lee, Iqbal Abdulla, Jaidev Unadkat.

Auckland Aces: Gareth Hopkins (Capt.), Jimmy Adams, Martin Guptill, Lou Vincent, Robert Quiney, Colin Munro, Andre Adams, Kyle Mills, Ronnie Hira, Michael Bates, Chris Martin.

Champions League T20 2011: Complete fixture & schedule

After the qualifying round the, the group stage match will start from September 23. The first match of the Group stage will be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Warriors.

There are total 13 club teams, including four top IPL teams, participating in the CLT20 2011.

CLT20 teams: Auckland, Cape Cobras, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Leicestershire, Mumbai Indians (MI),  New South Wales, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Ruhuna, Somerset, South Australia, Trinidad & Tobago, Warriors.

There will be total 20 matches in the group stage follwed by two semifinals and final match.

Champions League Twenty20 2011: Schedule and fixture:

Fri Sep 23        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


1st Match, Group B - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Warriors
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore    

  
Sat Sep 24        
10:30 GMT | 16:00 local
16:00 IST   


2nd Match, Group A - Cape Cobras v New South Wales
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai    

  
Sat Sep 24        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


3rd Match, Group A - Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai    

 
Sun Sep 25        
10:30 GMT | 16:00 local
16:00 IST   


4th Match, Group B - Warriors v South Australia
Eden Gardens, Kolkata    

 
Sun Sep 25        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


5th Match, Group B - TBC v TBC
Eden Gardens, Kolkata    

  
Mon Sep 26        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


6th Match, Group A - Mumbai Indians v TBC
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore    

 
Tue Sep 27        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


7th Match, Group B - TBC v South Australia
Eden Gardens, Kolkata    

  
Wed Sep 28        
10:30 GMT | 16:00 local
16:00 IST   


8th Match, Group A - New South Wales v TBC
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai    

  
Wed Sep 28        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


9th Match, Group A - Chennai Super Kings v Cape Cobras
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai    

 
Thu Sep 29        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


10th Match, Group B - TBC v Royal Challengers Bangalore
Eden Gardens, Kolkata    

  
Fri Sep 30        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


11th Match, Group A - Mumbai Indians v Cape Cobras
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore    

  
Sat Oct 1        
10:30 GMT | 16:00 local
16:00 IST   


12th Match, Group B - South Australia v TBC
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore    

  
Sat Oct 1        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


13th Match, Group B - TBC v Warriors
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore    

 
Sun Oct 2        
10:30 GMT | 16:00 local
16:00 IST   


14th Match, Group A - Mumbai Indians v New South Wales
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai    

  
Sun Oct 2        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


15th Match, Group A - Chennai Super Kings v TBC
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai    

  
Mon Oct 3        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


16th Match, Group B - Royal Challengers Bangalore v TBC
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore    

  
Tue Oct 4        
10:30 GMT | 16:00 local
16:00 IST   


17th Match, Group A - Cape Cobras v TBC
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai    

  
Tue Oct 4        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


18th Match, Group A - Chennai Super Kings v New South Wales
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai    

  
Wed Oct 5        
10:30 GMT | 16:00 local
16:00 IST   


19th Match, Group B - Warriors v TBC
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore    

 
Wed Oct 5        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


20th Match, Group B - Royal Challengers Bangalore v South Australia
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore    

  
Fri Oct 7        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


1st Semi-Final - TBC v TBC (1st Group B v 2nd Group A)
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore    

  
Sat Oct 8        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


2nd Semi-Final - TBC v TBC (1st Group A v 2nd Group B)
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai    

  
Sun Oct 9        
14:30 GMT | 20:00 local
20:00 IST   


Final - TBC v TBC
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai 

Mr. Dependable bids Good Bye to ODI cricket...

India lose 5th ODI, end England tour winless

England Players Celebrate After Winning Their Series Of One Day International Cricket Matches Against India On Friday

England prevailed yet again. India’s bleak tour stumbled to its lowest point when England won the fifth and final match of the NatWest Series at the Sophia Gardens here on Friday. England won by six wickets and blanked India 3-0 in the series.". This was India’s eighth loss to England on this tour inclusive of four Tests, lone Twenty20 and three ODIS.

India posted 304 for six in 50 overs and England had to re-orient itself to three revised targets thanks to the rain. First it was scaled down to 295 from 47 overs and then it became 270 from 40 overs and finally it was pegged at 241 from 34 overs once the skies opened up after India had bowled 9.1 overs. England scored 241 for four in 32.2 overs.

Prior to the resumption of play, England lost the aggressive Craig Kieswetter after R. Vinay Kumar darted one back. The opener had constantly flicked fours off his toes but the same shot undid him against the Indian seamer, who replaced an injured Praveen Kumar in the playing eleven. Skipper Alastair Cook (50, 54b, 5x4) and Jonathan Trott (63, 60b, 3x4) then chugged along. Trott clouted a six off Munaf Patel but the rain returned and forced another revision in target.

When the match resumed, there was a touch of drama as Parthiv Patel `caught’ Trott off Munaf and exultantly threw the ball up. Trott had begun to walk away when Cook alerted him that a `no-ball’ had been called and England continued its pursuit. Cook and Trott raised 79 runs for the second wicket before Virat Kohli stepped in and broke the partnership.

Cook, dropped by Rahul Dravid of the previous ball, took a mighty heave against Kohli and lost his timber. England stayed in the hunt though as Trott and Ian Bell bludgeoned a few meaty blows especially in a Ravindra Jadeja over that went for 21 runs. India chimed back into the game when R.P. Singh and Jadeja lured ambitious but fatal shots from Bell and Trott.

There were no further alarms for the host as Ravi Bopara and specifically debutant Jonathan Bairstow (41 n.o., 21b, 1x4, 3x6) played a flurry of big hits as the batting Power Play (overs 29 – 31) went for 42 runs. The Indian shoulders slumped and with a bowling attack further weakened by an injured Munaf leaving the field, the contest was well and truly over.

Earlier India’s imposing total was built upon Kohli’s 107 (93b, 9x4, 1x6) and Dravid’s 69 (79b, 4x4). The duo’s 170-run third-wicket partnership off 160 deliveries proved to be the perfect base for M.S. Dhoni’s powerful blows in his unbeaten 50 (26b, 5x4, 2x6).

India started well through a 52-run partnership between Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane but their dismissals demanded solidity and comfort, which Dravid provided along with Kohli. The veteran, playing his last One Day International, was cheered vociferously by the crowd and a group of fans held aloft a banner that read: “The only reason we are here is to show our gratitude to Dravid.”

The initial volleys were Dravid’s punch off Jade Dernbach and Kohli’s wristy four off Graeme Swann. The two men then pushed the scoreboard at an easy canter before Kohli sliced a few over the in-field. The alliance gained weight with its first 100 runs coming in 111 balls and Dravid watched his younger partner gallop ahead. Soon Kohli reached his fifty while Dravid had two lucky streaks as he nearly dragged a square-drive on to his stumps and then watched a catch go down.

Dernbach suffered on both occasions and the second reprieve must have hurt the seamer as he got a hand to the ball in his follow-through. Kohli meanwhile played inside-out drives and reached his sixth ODI hundred. Dravid’s century would have been a perfect fairytale but that remained a dream as he missed the line against Swann, who also scalped Kohli.

Dhoni then played his power-packed strokes including the helicopter shot while the England attack lost its radar. Later in the night, the Indian skipper watched the culmination of a miserable tour and his `Man of the Series’ award was hardly any consolation.

The scores.

India: Parthiv Patel c Bresnan b Swann 19 (39b), A. Rahane c Finn b Dernbach 26 (47b, 3x4), R. Dravid b Swann 69 (79b, 4x4), V. Kohli (hit wicket) b Swann 107 (93b, 9x4, 1x6), S. Raina c Bresnan b Finn 15 (15b, 1x6), M.S. Dhoni (not out) 50 (26b, 5x4, 2x6), R. Jadeja c Bopara b Dernbach 0 (1b), R. Ashwin (not out) 0 (0b). Extras (b-1, lb-11, w-6): 18. Total (for six wkts., in 50 overs): 304.

Power Plays: One (Overs 1 – 10): 43/0; Bowling (11 – 15): 14/1; Batting (45 - 49): 51/1.

Fall of wickets: 1-52 (Rahane), 2-57 (Parthiv), 3-227 (Dravid), 4-236 (Kohli), 5-284 (Raina), 6-288 (Jadeja).

England bowling: Bresnan 9-0-62-0, Finn 10-1-44-1, Dernbach 10-0-73-2, Swann 9-0-34-3, Samit 8-0-55-0, Bopara 4-0-24-0.

England: A. Cook b Kohli 50 (54b, 5x4), C. Kieswetter lbw b Vinay 21 (17b), J. Trott c R.P. Singh b Jadeja 63 (60b, 3x4), I. Bell c (sub) Tiwary b R.P. Singh 26 (21b, 2x6), R. Bopara (not out) 37 (22b, 3x4, 1x6), J. Bairstow (not out) 41 (21b, 1x4, 3x6). Extras (lb-1, w-1, nb-1): 3. Total (for four wkts., in 32.2 overs): 241.

Power Plays: One (Overs 1 – 8): 44/1; Bowling (9 – 11): 21/0; Batting (29 – 31): 42/0.

Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Kieswetter), 2-106 (Cook), 3-160 (Bell), 4-166 (Trott),

India bowling: Vinay Kumar 6.2-0-42-1, R.P. Singh 7-0-51-1, Munaf 4-0-26-0, Ashwin 4-0-25-0, Jadeja 5-0-52-1, Kohli 6-0-44-1.

Novak Djokovic wins the US Open

Novak Djokovic's incredible year of dominance continued as he beat defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-4 6-7 (3/7) 6-1 to win the US Open.

The world number one had beaten his rival in each of their previous five meetings this season, all finals, and got the perfect start at Flushing Meadows as a run of six consecutive games saw him take the opening set.

And although Nadal, who beat Djokovic in last year's final, battled his way back into the match in the third set in particular, every time it seemed he might be getting the upper hand his opponent upped his game still further.

It was a fourth grand slam title for Djokovic and the third of an extraordinary 2011 in which he has won 64 out of 66 matches.

Djokovic looked set for a more comfortable win when he led 6-5 in an epic third set featuring numerous breaks of serve, only to be broken again and forced into a tie-break.

Nadal stormed into a 5-1 lead and, after Djokovic dragged it back to 5-3, some questionable shot selection from the Serbian gave Nadal three set points, the first of which he converted when Djokovic powered a forehand into the net.

Djokovic received treatment for an apparent back problem before the start of the fourth set and took a full medical time-out after holding serve in the opening game.

But with everything now seemingly in Nadal's favour, Djokovic defied the odds to break for a 2-0 lead on his fifth break point - his second having gone begging when a broken string sent a forehand sailing long.

The Serb was rejuvenated and broke Nadal again in the sixth game for a 5-1 lead and a second chance to serve out for the title.

This time there was to be no mistake and a forehand winner sealed a dramatic victory.

"It's an incredible, incredible feeling," Djokovic said. "I've had an amazing year and it keeps going but every time I play Rafa it's a big challenge and I want to congratulate him on a great tournament.

"I wish we have many more tough matches in upcoming years."

Nadal paid tribute to Djokovic, adding: "Obviously I'm disappointed but this guy is doing unbelievable things so congratulations Novak and your team for everything. What you did this year is probably impossible to repeat.

"I try my best in every moment, these kind of matches are very difficult, it brings your body to the limit.

"I tried to play great but he always makes a fantastic comeback. That's tennis, I tried my best and am happy with what I did. I ran to every ball and fought until the last ball.

"This year I lost a lot of finals against him but I won a lot in the past and the only thing I can do is try my best every day to keep improving and for sure I will come back next year and try my best."

NOVAK DJOKOVIC FACTFILE

1987: Born May 22 in Belgrade.

1999: Joins the Nikola Pilic academy in Munich, Germany.

2006: June - Reaches French Open quarter-finals, where he is beaten by David Nalbandian.

July - Wins first title at the Dutch Open in Amersfoort.

2007: February - Wins the Miami Masters to climb into the world's top 10.

June - Reaches the French Open semi-finals, losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.

September - Loses the US Open final to Roger Federer in straight sets.

December - Ends the year as world number three.

2008: January - Wins Australian Open after defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7/2) in the final, becoming first Serbian to claim a singles grand slam title.

June - Loses to Nadal in straight sets in semi-finals of the French Open.

July - Crashes out in the second round at Wimbledon to Marat Safin.

August - Wins bronze medal in singles at Beijing Olympics.

September - Loses to Federer in US Open semi-finals.

2009: January - Cannot successfully defend Australian Open title as he retires in fourth set of quarter-final against Andy Roddick citing heat exhaustion, muscle cramps and soreness.

July - Loses to Tommy Haas in quarter-finals at Wimbledon.

September - Defeated by Roger Federer in semi-finals of US Open.

2010: January - Knocked out by Tsonga in five sets in quarter-finals of Australian Open, but still moves up to career-high number two in the rankings.

June - Loses in five sets to Jurgen Melzer in French Open quarter-finals.

July - Loses to Czech Tomas Berdych in straight sets in Wimbledon semi-finals.

September - Loses in four sets to Nadal in US Open final, having beaten Federer in a thrilling five-set semi-final.

December - Helps Serbia win Davis Cup for the first time with a 3-2 victory over France in the final in Belgrade. Ends the year ranked third in the world.

2011: January - Beats Federer in semi-finals of Australian Open to set up meeting with Andy Murray in the final. Crushes Murray 6-4 6-2 6-3.

June - After adding titles at Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid and Rome, to start the year with 41 straight victories, Djokovic's winning run comes to an end when he loses to Federer in the French Open semi-finals.

July 1 - Beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets to reach first Wimbledon final. Victory also means Djokovic will overtake Nadal to become world number one.

July 3 - Beats Nadal 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3 in the final to win his first Wimbledon title.

September 12 - After saving two match points before beating Federer in the semi-finals, Djokovic beats Nadal in four sets in the US Open final for his third grand slam title of the year and 64th win from 66 matches.

England tie with India after rain curtails match

England recorded their second tie in the space of six months against India but nonetheless clinched the NatWest Series today - thanks to Ravi Bopara's career-best 96.

Confusion took over as to the outcome at Lord's for several minutes after a third interruption for rain terminally ended England's chase of 280 for five, on 270 for eight.

But it was eventually confirmed that, with England and the Duckworth-Lewis par score reading identically, these two teams could not be separated - just as at Bangalore in their World Cup group match back in March.

The hosts therefore lead 2-0 with only one match to play, at Cardiff on Friday. But whether they remain on course for an unprecedented whitewash of their opponents across all three formats this summer is perhaps a moot point.

England would have prevailed by the narrowest of margins had Bopara himself not been well-caught on the deep mid-wicket boundary off Munaf Patel, the last twist in a see-saw match and the second wicket in as many balls.

Bopara's dismissal to the last ball of the match, instantly following the run-out of Graeme Swann by Patel off his own bowling, caused a D/L recalculation which brought the teams level and cancelled out a minor advantage England had held for much of the previous half-hour.

A stand of 169 between Mahendra Singh Dhoni (78 not out) and Suresh Raina (84) had carried India to a defendable total - which England challenged strongly thanks to Bopara and Ian Bell (54).

After the early loss of both England openers to successive RP Singh deliveries, and Jonathan Trott soon afterwards, Bopara and Bell's stand of 96 jockeyed a favourable position.

But when Bell undid much of the hard work by holing out to long-off, where substitute fielder Manoj Tiwary took a good catch, it was time for Bopara to prove his worth.

In 62 one-day internationals, his previous best was 60.

But after one piece of fortune, just clearing Singh straying off the long-on rope off Raina on 62, he very nearly won the day with a 111-ball innings which contained six boundaries.

Craig Kieswetter had been England's first man out when he failed to get enough on an inside-out hit and was well caught at wide mid-off, and then from the first ball of Singh's next over Alastair Cook picked out extra-cover.

Trott was unable to play a telling innings either, attempting to pull a ball that was far too full from Praveen Kumar.

Bell and Bopara reacted with good sense and skill, manoeuvring the ball around without undue risk.

But where Dhoni and Raina had stayed put to finish the job, Bopara was left to organise the rest of England's chase after Ben Stokes chipped a catch back to go cheaply to R Ashwin.

As at The Oval two days ago, Tim Bresnan proved an admirable ally to Bopara - until he lost his off-stump trying to attack Singh (three for 59) on the back foot, while Swann added a breezy 31.

Dhoni had earlier come to his team's rescue for the second successive match with the bat, allowing Raina to play the role of chief aggressor.

India were never in the disarray they encountered on Friday, but nonetheless in need of revival when their captain and Raina joined forces.

The innings was curiously-paced, but once Raina and Dhoni got moving, England took plenty of punishment - not least Stuart Broad, who was unable to finish the final over after appearing to injure his right arm in delivery.

Openers Ajinkya Rahane and Parthiv Patel went from crawl to sprint in a stand of 65 in 14 overs, which ended when the former missed a swinging full toss to be lbw to Broad.

Patel then miscued an attempted pull to become Broad's second victim in as many overs at the start of his spell.

Swann's knack of instant wickets has deserted him of late, but returned two-fold in his first over to see off Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid.

Cook, who had once more won an apparently important toss, was criticised in England's nervy victory two days ago for failing to stay on the attack when India hit trouble.

He again sat in rather than posting close catchers as Raina and Dhoni took time to establish themselves.

A slip might have caught Dhoni on six, off Steven Finn, and the India captain took advantage.

He and Raina protected remaining batting resources, a safety-first tactic which worked perfectly and meant they were well set to muscle 58 in the batting powerplay - including one over from James Anderson which went for 18 - and 109 in the last 10.

Raina might twice have been run out with direct hits, on 20 and 63, and Cook needed increasing amounts of time to set a field to contain India's fifth-wicket pair.

Dhoni followed his partner past a 58-ball 50, leaving England with a taxing run chase which ultimately had no definite conclusion

Nadal ready for Djokovic battle

Rafael Nadal believes Monday's US Open final against Novak Djokovic will be a match played principally in the mind.

The pair have been the standout players of 2011 and their meeting at Arthur Ashe Stadium will be a sixth of the season, all of them in finals.

So far Djokovic has won the lot, including a momentous victory in the Wimbledon showpiece in July, after which Nadal admitted his legendary mental powers had failed him when he most needed them.

The clash will also be a rematch of last year's Flushing Meadows final, which Nadal dominated, and he said: "This year I lost the last five matches against him, five finals. This will be the sixth.

"That's an advantage for him. He's obviously the favourite for the final, and I know I have to do something better than the other matches to try to change the situation.

"I have my game, and I beat him in the past playing my game. The thing is to play my game very well and be strong enough mentally all the time, fight every ball, believe in the victory in every moment. That's something that, for moments this year, I didn't.

"But just play aggressive, try to play a similar match to last year here. I saw that match a lot of times and I know what I have to do."

That Djokovic is in the final at all is remarkable given the situation he found himself in against Roger Federer on Saturday.

After recovering from two sets down, the world number one then saved two match points on his opponent's serve, the first with the sort of forehand return more normally attempted in a practice match, before reeling off four games in a row to triumph.

It was a virtual repeat of their clash at the same stage of the tournament last season, and Nadal, who beat Andy Murray in four sets, admitted he felt sorry for Federer.

"Hats off to Roger," said the Swiss player's great rival. "I think he deserves to be in the final because it's hard to lose two years in a row with a similar situation.

"But Novak this year is playing at a fantastic level mentally obviously, and he won a few matches that in normal conditions he's supposed to lose. That's big confidence."

Djokovic echoed Nadal in highlighting the mental battle as the key to Monday's result as he seeks a third grand slam title of the season and a first US Open crown.

The Serbian, who has won 63 out of his 65 matches this season, said of Nadal: "I know that I have a game that is good enough to win against him. I have proved that this year on three different surfaces, so I believe that I have a good chance.

"I need to go out on the court believing I can win. But we're talking about a player who has won 10 majors already in his career and he's only 25. He's defending his title.

"I think last year throughout the whole tournament and in the final I have never seen him serve better. So I think again it depends on my serve and his serve, as well. It's going to be a tough match."

This weekend has seen the US Open remember the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the 10th anniversary, and Nadal took time in his on-court interview last night to pay his own tribute.

The 25-year-old added: "It was really fresh for me at that moment, because I was there, at the top of the twin towers, four months before. I came here for a holiday with my family. So I really didn't believe what happened.

"It's a hard day for all the people here in New York, all the people in America. But I think for all the people around the world, too.

"Because this kind of tragedy for everybody is hard to accept, hard to understand. I am not an exception. I felt much pain and I suffered too."

Rain denies India that elusive win

Rain came between India and win as England were left with 11 runs to win with effectively just one more wicket in hand in the dying stages at Lord's.
England recorded their second tie in the space of six months against India but nonetheless clinched the NatWest Series - thanks to Ravi Bopara's career-best one-day international score of 96.

Confusion took over as to the outcome of the fourth ODI at Lord's for several minutes after a third interruption for rain ended England's chase of 280 for five, on 270 for eight.

But it was eventually confirmed that, with England and the Duckworth-Lewis par score reading identically, these two teams could not be separated - just as at Bangalore in their World Cup group match back in March.

The hosts therefore lead 2-0 with only one match to play, at Cardiff on Friday.

England would have prevailed by the narrowest of margins had Bopara not been well-caught on the deep mid-wicket boundary off Munaf Patel, the last twist in the match and the second wicket in as many balls.

Bopara's dismissal to the last ball of the match, instantly following the run-out of Graeme Swann by Patel off his own bowling, caused a D/L recalculation which brought the teams level and cancelled out a minor advantage England had held for much of the previous half-hour.

A stand of 169 between Mahendra Singh Dhoni (78 not out) and Suresh Raina (84) had carried India to a defendable total - which England challenged strongly thanks to Bopara and Ian Bell (54).

After the early loss of both England openers to successive RP Singh deliveries, and Jonathan Trott soon afterwards, Bopara and Bell's stand of 96 jockeyed a favourable position.

But when Bell undid much of the hard work by holing out to long-off, where substitute fielder Manoj Tiwary took a good catch, it was time for Bopara to prove his worth.

In 62 one-day internationals, his previous best was 60.

But after one piece of fortune, just clearing Singh straying off the long-on rope off Raina on 62, he very nearly won the day with a 111-ball innings which contained six boundaries.

Craig Kieswetter had been England's first man out when he failed to get enough on an inside-out hit and was well caught at wide mid-off, and then from the first ball of Singh's next over Alastair Cook picked out extra-cover.

Trott was unable to play a telling innings either, attempting to pull a ball that was far too full from Praveen Kumar.

Bell and Bopara reacted with good sense and skill, manoeuvring the ball around without undue risk.

But where Dhoni and Raina had stayed put to finish the job, Bopara was left to organise the rest of England's chase after Ben Stokes chipped a catch back to go cheaply to R Ashwin.

As at The Oval two days ago, Tim Bresnan proved an admirable ally to Bopara - until he lost his off-stump trying to attack Singh (three for 59) on the back foot, while Swann added a breezy 31.

Dhoni had earlier come to his team's rescue for the second successive match with the bat, allowing Raina to play the role of chief aggressor.

India were never in the disarray they encountered on Friday, but nonetheless in need of revival when their captain and Raina joined forces.

The innings was curiously-paced, but once Raina and Dhoni got moving, England took plenty of punishment - not least Stuart Broad, who was unable to finish the final over after appearing to injure his right arm in delivery.

Openers Ajinkya Rahane and Parthiv Patel went from crawl to sprint in a stand of 65 in 14 overs, which ended when the former missed a swinging full toss to be lbw to Broad.

Patel then miscued an attempted pull to become Broad's second victim in as many overs at the start of his spell.

Swann's knack of instant wickets has deserted him of late, but returned two-fold in his first over to see off Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid.

Cook, who had once more won an apparently important toss, was criticised in England's nervy victory two days ago for failing to stay on the attack when India hit trouble.

He again sat in rather than posting close catchers as Raina and Dhoni took time to establish themselves.

A slip might have caught Dhoni on six, off Steven Finn, and the India captain took advantage.

He and Raina protected remaining batting resources, a safety-first tactic which worked perfectly and meant they were well set to muscle 58 in the batting powerplay - including one over from James Anderson which went for 18 - and 109 in the last 10.

Raina might twice have been run out with direct hits, on 20 and 63, and Cook needed increasing amounts of time to set a field to contain India's fifth-wicket pair.

Dhoni followed his partner past a 58-ball 50, leaving England with a taxing run chase which ultimately had no definite conclusion.

Cricket's grave new world in 9/11 aftermath

A View Of Lord's Cricket Stadium In London

After the Twin Towers fell, international sport faced an unfamiliar world which sent Pakistan cricket into the wilderness but also kickstarted a rare good news story from embattled Afghanistan.

The fallout still haunts Pakistan with cricket, the country's number one sporting obsession, in an almost constant cycle of turmoil.

With the country on the frontline of the US-led war on the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, two home series, against Australia and West Indies, were relocated in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

That has now become a regular storyline.

In 2009, the Sri Lankan team were attacked in Lahore, leaving eight people dead with Pakistan immediately stripped of its staging rights for the 2011 World Cup.

The incident was even described in some quarters as 'cricket's 9/11' and Pakistan's national team have since become nomads, playing 'home' series in England, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates.

"Cricket suffered a severe setback when the Sri Lanka team was directly attacked in March 2009," Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC), told AFP.

"Before that tragic incident, we held the premise that sporting teams had a low risk of being targeted. That incident changed our outlook on the safety and security landscape forever."

Ironically, the only team brave enough to venture into Pakistan has been Afghanistan, who played three tour games earlier this year.

Afghanistan, whose players first learned the game growing up as refugees, narrowly missed qualification for the 2011 World Cup after a meteoric rise through the divisions.

But they did qualify for the 2010 World Twenty20 in the Caribbean and were runners-up at the Asian Games in China last year.

"Even people who don't understand cricket pray for our success," said Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal.

"Now the name of each player is known in every street and alleyway of Afghanistan. Cricket is so popular now that people feel proud naming their babies 'Karim Sadiq' or after some other Afghan player."

Even US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was impressed by the unlikely rise of the team.

"If we are searching for a model of how to meet tough international challenges with skill, dedication and teamwork, we need only look to the Afghan national cricket team," she said.

But the legacy of 9/11 is never far from cricket in the strife-torn region.

When Afghanistan undertook their three-game tour in May, authorities had to pull a match scheduled to take place in Abbottabad, the town where US forces shot dead Osama bin Laden on May 2.

Tension between India and Pakistan has seen the best of Pakistan's players unable to take part in the money-spinning Indian Premier League, a tournament which has made millionaires out of lesser talents.

For many in the game, the spot-fixing crisis which engulfed Pakistan last year, and led to bans for Test skipper Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, was partly a product of the team's isolation from such riches.

Against this background has been furious lobbying behind the scenes to convince international rivals that it is safe to tour the country.

But the ICC insist they will not be rushed into making any decisions they may live to regret.

"We all appreciate that acts of terrorism are beyond the control of sports administrators. Notwithstanding, cricket has always sought to continue playing the game without compromising the safety and security of players, officials, media and spectators, which is paramount," added Lorgat.

"We now have risk management strategies in place and we are in the final stages of adopting a safety and security code that will assist in mitigating the risks in preparing safe and secure environments for international cricket to be played around the globe."

Back in the United States, where cricket and its mind-boggling customs remain a mystery, the sport was used as a bridge between disaffected Asian youngsters and New York police in the aftermath of 9/11 when a grassroots league was formed.

One of the players, Fazar Showan, believed the idea could only improve relations which were tense at the best of times.

"It gives us Muslim kids a change to feel welcome with the police officers and not feel like they are going to come and try do some thing to us because they think we have a bomb or some thing, you know what I mean," he said.