Saturday 19th March, 2011 15 Patel reminds Ponting of Sehwag

BY RUSSELL PALIPANE 211 and chase the total with ease. to Canada’s advantage and Ponting “He plays a lot like him (Sehwag),” said his team would be better against s Hiral Patel smashed the likes Ponting is quoted as having said, after Pakistan. “We didn’t know much about of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait to his team’s seven- win over the him and the others. We just saw some Aall corners of the Chinnaswamy North Americans in a Group A match, clippings of them. He needed some Stadium during a World Cup match in Wednesday night. room and played some amazing shots,” Bangalore, Australian Ricky Ponting felt it would be difficult for Ponting, who has not had much suc- Ponting said the Canadian batsman the title-holder to fight back if bigger cess with the bat in the recent past reminded him of Indian swashbuckler teams get off with the kind of blistering said. Virender Sehwag, The Hindu reported start that Patel gave to the Canadians. “But Pakistan, we know their game on its online edition datelined March 17. “We did well to get and better,” he said before adding, “It’s Patel’s blazing 45-ball 54-run innings restrict them. But against good teams always great playing Pakistan. One had the Australians on the backfoot, with deeper line-up (it would be never knows about Pakistan. They before the defending champion hard),” Ponting said. have been good, but against New regrouped to bowl out the Canadians for The unknown factor probably worked Zealand they were ordinary.”

Encapsulating a bygone era of the burly Mohan de Silva are However, Royalists Prasanna Ashok Jayawickreme, Dai cricket, the 1975 teams of Royal determined to reverse the result. Kariyawasam and Lasantha Pathmanathan, Kevin Balthazar, and S. Thomas’ will play a repeat The Thomians remain convinced, Subasinghe and Mahesa (Tarzan) Lionel Gunasekera, Eran of the inaugural Mustangs that if the weather had stayed Abeynayake of S.Thomas’ have Wickremeratne, Lasantha Trophy encounter. The match clear, they would have won that flown in from abroad to take part Subasinghe, Ravi Canagasabai, will be played in memory of for- match as they were cruising in this memorable occasion. Palitha Amarasinghe, S. S. G. mer Thomian cricketer, the late towards a win, with many wick- The match will be played Lalith Ratnayaka, Lawton, Janaka who played during Edirisinghe and Capt. 1975 to 1977. Ajith Peiris. Lalith was the vice Royal–Thomian inaugural Mustangs S. Thomas’: Mohan captain in 1977 and de Silva, Sasi Ganeshan, incidentally shares a Sabu Weerasuriya, 33-year-old unbroken Dayal de Silva, Dayalan record for the highest Trophy teams to meet again Supramaniam, Lakmaal ninth wicket partner- de Zoysa, Mahesa ship in the Mustangs Trophy encounter. ets in hand. tomorrow at the Royal College (Tarzan) Abeynayake, Although the Royal team, cap- Of the original teams, two grounds, Reid Avenue, Colombo. Pelham Juriansz, Suraj tained by Prasanna Kariyawasam prominent cricketers who also Dandeniya, Arittha is confident of repeating the represented the Sri Lanka, Saliya The two teams will be made Wikramanayake, Githanjal result of 1975 which they won on Ahangama and Ranjan up from the following: Rajapakse, Eric Wikramanayake, a faster run rate after rain inter- Madugalle (Chief Match Referee Royal: Prasanna Dr. Manjula Karunaratne, Sunil rupted play, the Thomians, led by – ICC) will be unavailable. Kariyawasam, T. M. S. Saldin, Peiris and Kapila Waidyaratne.

wrapped. Wozniacki resumed serving and of pressure on from you the first point, and if won the next two points to go up 3-0 you’re not the one doing that it becomes dan- As Hiral Patel before Azarenka signaled she was done. gerous. The most important thing is I got They hugged at the net and myself together and I focused and regrouped.” Wozniacki patted Azarenka on the shoul- Robredo hurt himself in his straight-sets der. win over Sam Querrey, and an MRI on England alive at “Victoria is one of my best friends Wednesday night confirmed the injury, which on the tour, and to see her in pain on the will keep him out of the Miami tournament. court and to see her get injured was not Del Potro has beaten three seeded players, nice for sure,” Wozniacki said. including defending champion Ivan Ljubicic, World Cup, drama During their match, a Japanese flag to get this far. He’s in the semis for his fourth was tied to the chair umpire’s tower and written on it in black marker were straight tournament after injuries derailed not over yet? the words, ‘Our thoughts are with you! him for much of last year. Caroline and Victoria.’ After Azarenka He has two days to practice and rest for CHENNAI, India (AP) - instead. left, Wozniacki untied it and held it up Saturday’s semifinal against either top-ranked Somehow, England is still alive It’s finally out of England’s in tribute to the victims of the recent Rafael Nadal or Ivo Karlovic, who were to meet in the World Cup, but the nervous hands after a hair- under the lights Thursday night. drama may not be over yet. raising run where the team earthquake and tsunami. England ended its Group B lost games it should have won “It’s just devastating to see what’s “I believe much in my serve, in my game, campaign with a now custom- and somehow saved games going on in Japan,” the Dane said. and my weapons. So maybe against Rafa I can ary late scramble to remain in seemingly beyond them to fin- “We just wanted to show that we’re feel the same,” said Del Potro, who once ranked contention with an 18-run win ish the group stage with three thinking about them over there.” fourth in the world. “Even if I win, I know it’s over West Indies on Thursday. wins, two losses and a tie. Wozniacki had asked her manag- a long road to be in the top again.” Andrew Strauss’s team “We have obviously got to hopes the upset losses which rely on the other results going have complicated its progres- our way and if we do progress sion - and left its fate still in this tournament we have hanging - don’t strike the likes got to be a lot better than we of South Africa and India. have been,” captain Strauss If an under-strength South said. “We are not going to hide Africa loses to Bangladesh on behind the fact that we won Wozniacki, Sharapova Saturday in Dhaka and an (vs. West Indies). under-pressure India falls to “We have got to be a lot bet- West Indies on Sunday in ter, we have got to be more Chennai, England will almost consistent but it’s one of those certainly be sent home from situations where you have got the World Cup and all the to be in it to win it.” advance at Indian Wells great escapes will have been And England are still in it, for nothing. with only an unlikely slip by Only a heavy defeat for both the Proteas and pre-tour- er to locate a Japanese flag. He India in that scenario would nament favorite India enough finally found one, two hours save England on run rate - and to bring the rollercoaster ride send the co-host packing to a sudden, shuddering halt. from Indian Wells. “I said, ‘You better take your Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, top, looks away as car and drive Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, receives treatment during over there and get Shakib confident Bangladesh a break in their quarterfinal match at the BNP Paribas that flag to me,”’ she Open tennis tournament, Thursday, March 17, 2011, in said, smiling. “Victoria Indian Wells, Calif. The two players brought out a helped me out, what to can reach quarters Japanese flag in support following the earthquake and write. I wanted to do it Tsunami than struck the country last week.(AP Photo) Azarenka DHAKA, Bangladesh Bangladesh had a stunning so perfectly that my (AP) - Shakib Al Hasan gives two-wicket win over England retired in the first set due to an injury. hand almost cramped when I was doing his Bangladesh squad as much after crushing Netherlands by it.” of a chance as anyone of mak- six wickets in Chittagong. INDIAN WELLS, California (AP) - Top- By reaching the semifinals for her ing the World Cup quarterfi- Those wins combined with an ranked Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the fourth straight tournament, Wozniacki guar- nals. earlier win over Ireland have BNP Paribas Open semifinals when Victoria anteed she will retain the No. 1 ranking The onus is on Bangladesh given Bangladesh six points Azarenka retired with a hip injury while trail- through the upcoming two-week Sony to win the Group B match from five matches, two points ing 3-0 in the first set Thursday. Ericsson Open in Miami. against South Africa on behind group leader South On the men’s side, 25th-seeded Tommy Sharapova needed more Saturday after England stayed Africa, one behind England Robredo withdrew before his quarterfinal than two hours to over- alive in the competition with a and India and equal with West against Juan Martin del Potro because of a come Peng in a match dramatic win over the West Indies. All bar England have a Indies - a loss for the English game remaining. strained left abductor muscle he injured in his that featured 13 service would have meant elimination The confidence in the match a day earlier. breaks. They traded in the group stage and given Bangladesh team has risen Wozniacki next plays Maria Sharapova, breaks in the first four Bangladesh a spot in the since a nine-wicket loss to the who outlasted Peng Shuai 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 to reach games of the third set. knockout round along with West Indies resulted in angry her first semifinal of the year after missing the Serving at 3-2, South Africa, West Indies and fans throwing stones at last five weeks with a viral illness. Sharapova won the final India. Shakib’s home and the West Wozniacki broke for a 2-0 lead after the four games of the match, Only South Africa is Indies team bus. first two games went to deuce. She was leading clinching it with an inside- assured of advancing ahead of “The boys are confident 30-0 in the third game when Azarenka called out forehand off Peng’s sec- the last two Group B matches because two back-to-back wins for a trainer. ond serve. on the weekend, and is likely will help build ... confidence, Azarenka lay on the court and had her “I was playing really well to be resting key players. we will take it to tomorrow’s upper left thigh massaged before she took a 10- After back-to-back wins game,” he said, adding that for the first set and a half and over Netherlands and Bangladesh really had nothing minute medical timeout. While she was gone, then really let her back in the England, Skakib says, “If we to lose and it would be the Wozniacki went behind a wall on court to game,” said Sharapova, who had can stick to our plan, we have other teams under more pres- stretch her legs and talk to her coach. 13 double faults. “She’s a really Maria Sharapova a very good chance to win and sure because expectations Azarenka returned with her left thigh aggressive player and puts a lot qualify for the second round.” were higher on them.