Delhi are on course to finish top of the standings after the group games, but Sehwag, perceived by many as his side's key performer at the start of the tournament, has struggled to make an impression at the top of the order.
But the India star is hoping to play himself into form before the knockout phase begins.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Terry: Referee was not good enough
Chelsea captain John Terry has launched a scathing attack on Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo.
The England international claimed that he was not good enough to take charge of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona
Ovrebo rejected four clear penalty appeals from Chelsea - two for handball - as Chelsea went crashing out to a 93rd minute goal from Andres Iniesta.
The Blues were coasting to victory and a repeat of last year's final against Manchester United when Michael Essien put them in front with a stunning volley in the ninth minute.
But while Iniesta's late strike earned Barca a place in the May 27 final in Rome, Terry let rip over the Norwegian official's performance.
His comments may now land him in hot water with UEFA but the England captain was adamant that Ovrebo was not up to the job.
"Over two legs Barcelona played well but the fact is that, in this game, we had six or seven penalty claims waved away and that is astonishing," fumed Terry.
"Anywhere else, anywhere else in the world that would not happen.
"You can see he might not have given the first one, but come the second where Nicolas Anelka puts it round Gerard Pique and he slams it down with his hand?
"It's decisions like that which are wrong - Darren Fletcher misses the final after being sent-off for Manchester United on Tuesday, a bad decision.
"He can't play in the final and neither can we, because of a bad decision in this match."
Terry would not accuse UEFA of a conspiracy to deny the London side a repeat of last year's final against United but he lashed out at the governing body for appointing such an inexperienced referee.
"The word conspiracy is maybe the wrong one," said Terry. "It's difficult when players are so high on emotion after a game.
"However, people are saying we shouldn't have reacted the way we did.
"But the fact is, six decisions went against us in front of 40,000 people. And for the ref to not give one of them is unusual.
"So it's not surprising for us to come off the field and show that emotion.
"Why did we get a referee who has officiated in 10 games in the Champions League in his career?
"To be given the Champions League semi-final, that's not good enough."
Ovrebo refused to hand Chelsea first half penalties when Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda were both hauled down inside the area.
Then in the second half, Pique clearly handled and in the last minute, after Barca's equaliser, Michael Ballack's shot hit the arm of Samuel Eto'o.
Ballack was so incensed that he ran fully 40 yards protesting alongside the referee and was eventually yellow carded.
But worse was to come on the final whistle when Drogba, who had been substituted in the second half, appeared from the tunnel to confront the Norwegian.
The Ivorian was kept away from Ovrebo by Chelsea stewards but then hurled foul-mouthed abuse down the TV cameras.
His rant of "It's a f****** disgrace" in front of the watching millions forced Sky to apologise for his behaviour.
Ovrebo has amazingly been picked to officiate at next year's World Cup finals despite courting controversy in Euro 2008.
He took charge of qualifying matches in the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008 before a two match appearance at the latter tournament.
Ovrebo refereed Germany's opening match against Poland and was also in charge of Italy's 1-1 draw with Romania.
However, he was widely criticised for awarding the Romanians a dubious spot-kick and incorrectly ruling out an Italian goal.
He apologised for his errors and did not referee another game in the tournament.
end
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The England international claimed that he was not good enough to take charge of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona
Ovrebo rejected four clear penalty appeals from Chelsea - two for handball - as Chelsea went crashing out to a 93rd minute goal from Andres Iniesta.
The Blues were coasting to victory and a repeat of last year's final against Manchester United when Michael Essien put them in front with a stunning volley in the ninth minute.
But while Iniesta's late strike earned Barca a place in the May 27 final in Rome, Terry let rip over the Norwegian official's performance.
His comments may now land him in hot water with UEFA but the England captain was adamant that Ovrebo was not up to the job.
"Over two legs Barcelona played well but the fact is that, in this game, we had six or seven penalty claims waved away and that is astonishing," fumed Terry.
"Anywhere else, anywhere else in the world that would not happen.
"You can see he might not have given the first one, but come the second where Nicolas Anelka puts it round Gerard Pique and he slams it down with his hand?
"It's decisions like that which are wrong - Darren Fletcher misses the final after being sent-off for Manchester United on Tuesday, a bad decision.
"He can't play in the final and neither can we, because of a bad decision in this match."
Terry would not accuse UEFA of a conspiracy to deny the London side a repeat of last year's final against United but he lashed out at the governing body for appointing such an inexperienced referee.
"The word conspiracy is maybe the wrong one," said Terry. "It's difficult when players are so high on emotion after a game.
"However, people are saying we shouldn't have reacted the way we did.
"But the fact is, six decisions went against us in front of 40,000 people. And for the ref to not give one of them is unusual.
"So it's not surprising for us to come off the field and show that emotion.
"Why did we get a referee who has officiated in 10 games in the Champions League in his career?
"To be given the Champions League semi-final, that's not good enough."
Ovrebo refused to hand Chelsea first half penalties when Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda were both hauled down inside the area.
Then in the second half, Pique clearly handled and in the last minute, after Barca's equaliser, Michael Ballack's shot hit the arm of Samuel Eto'o.
Ballack was so incensed that he ran fully 40 yards protesting alongside the referee and was eventually yellow carded.
But worse was to come on the final whistle when Drogba, who had been substituted in the second half, appeared from the tunnel to confront the Norwegian.
The Ivorian was kept away from Ovrebo by Chelsea stewards but then hurled foul-mouthed abuse down the TV cameras.
His rant of "It's a f****** disgrace" in front of the watching millions forced Sky to apologise for his behaviour.
Ovrebo has amazingly been picked to officiate at next year's World Cup finals despite courting controversy in Euro 2008.
He took charge of qualifying matches in the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008 before a two match appearance at the latter tournament.
Ovrebo refereed Germany's opening match against Poland and was also in charge of Italy's 1-1 draw with Romania.
However, he was widely criticised for awarding the Romanians a dubious spot-kick and incorrectly ruling out an Italian goal.
He apologised for his errors and did not referee another game in the tournament.
end
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No comments
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
watch Pakistan vs Australia Twenty20 live streaming
"Results of at least two matches could have gone in our favour but the Australians showed more professionalism and discipline and we need to improve in these areas ourselves," Younis said in an interview.
"But I don't have a magic wand to make things happen quickly. Improvement in performance and consistency in the team will only come with time. And every player has to show and take responsibility for the team it is not just the captain who can do everything," he said.
Younis said he needed more support from other team members to concentrate on his captaincy and own batting.
"I need more support from my support team because I spent a lot of time with the players in this series. I know that I have to get runs to set the right example. I want to concentrate on my batting and captaincy," Younis said. The captain said he was satisfied with the performance of controversial fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar who ended with just three wickets in four matches.
"But I don't have a magic wand to make things happen quickly. Improvement in performance and consistency in the team will only come with time. And every player has to show and take responsibility for the team it is not just the captain who can do everything," he said.
Younis said he needed more support from other team members to concentrate on his captaincy and own batting.
"I need more support from my support team because I spent a lot of time with the players in this series. I know that I have to get runs to set the right example. I want to concentrate on my batting and captaincy," Younis said. The captain said he was satisfied with the performance of controversial fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar who ended with just three wickets in four matches.
watch Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings live streaming
Kings XI didn't have the best of starts in the tournament as they began with back-to-back defeats against Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders in two rain-marred ties.
To their credit, the Mohali outfit showed tremendous resilience and engineered three wins on the trot to put their campaign back on track.
The momentum snapped when the lowly Royal Challengers Bangalore upset their apple cart but once again Yuvraj and his men bounced back by beating the Kolkata Knight Riders two days ago, also settling scores with the side which had beaten them in their first encounter.
In contrast, the defending champions under Warne had a rather rollercoaster ride with agony and ecstasy following each other with amazing regularity.
The opening match debacle against the Royal Challengers Bangalore was followed by the washed out tie against Mumbai Indians. Beating the Knight Riders gave them their first taste of triumph and they went on to get the better of the mighty Delhi Daredevils and redoubtable Deccan Chargers, losing to Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings in between.
To their credit, the Mohali outfit showed tremendous resilience and engineered three wins on the trot to put their campaign back on track.
The momentum snapped when the lowly Royal Challengers Bangalore upset their apple cart but once again Yuvraj and his men bounced back by beating the Kolkata Knight Riders two days ago, also settling scores with the side which had beaten them in their first encounter.
In contrast, the defending champions under Warne had a rather rollercoaster ride with agony and ecstasy following each other with amazing regularity.
The opening match debacle against the Royal Challengers Bangalore was followed by the washed out tie against Mumbai Indians. Beating the Knight Riders gave them their first taste of triumph and they went on to get the better of the mighty Delhi Daredevils and redoubtable Deccan Chargers, losing to Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings in between.
watch Bangalore Royal Challenger's vs Rajasthan Royals live streaming
"I think I was a little tense during the initial matches but I have settled down. Now, I have some confidence going. I played my natural game yesterday. And I am very happy that we won the match," he was quoted as saying in the IPL website.
With Rajasthan placed at number three, Smith said his new found confidence will help his team to make it to the final four.
"No, I did not want to set a score for myself. I just wanted to be positive today. I just wanted to be myself on the field. Hopefully, I can use the confidence in the coming matches to help my side secure a semi-final berth," he said.
The left-handed South African also lavished praise on his opening partner Naman Ojha.
"Naman Ojha was awesome. He allowed me to play some positive cricket. It was great to have a good opening partnership in the match. Our top-order has struggled, so it feels good to make the amends," he said.
With Rajasthan placed at number three, Smith said his new found confidence will help his team to make it to the final four.
"No, I did not want to set a score for myself. I just wanted to be positive today. I just wanted to be myself on the field. Hopefully, I can use the confidence in the coming matches to help my side secure a semi-final berth," he said.
The left-handed South African also lavished praise on his opening partner Naman Ojha.
"Naman Ojha was awesome. He allowed me to play some positive cricket. It was great to have a good opening partnership in the match. Our top-order has struggled, so it feels good to make the amends," he said.
watch England vs West Indies 1st Test Day1, Day2, Day3, Day4, Day5 live streaming
Bopara, dropped after his hundred in Barbados in March due to a change of team composition, took advantage of being dropped on 76 after lamely turning to Brendan Nash at square-leg off Fidel Edwards.
"It is not my fault I get dropped," Bopara said. "I just have to take advantage of it.
"I was about to turn around and walk off. It caught me by surprise that he dropped it."
Bopara reached three figures 13 overs from the close and acknowledged his landmark with a sign to write his name on the famous honour's board at the ground.
"I am really proud," he said. "When you come to Lord's to play county matches, you wonder if your name will ever be up there.
"I have always wanted to test myself as to where I am in my game and that's the best test I have had so far."
Some would argue that a spell in the Indian Premier League is not the best preparation for Test cricket but Bopara used it positively.
"It is not my fault I get dropped," Bopara said. "I just have to take advantage of it.
"I was about to turn around and walk off. It caught me by surprise that he dropped it."
Bopara reached three figures 13 overs from the close and acknowledged his landmark with a sign to write his name on the famous honour's board at the ground.
"I am really proud," he said. "When you come to Lord's to play county matches, you wonder if your name will ever be up there.
"I have always wanted to test myself as to where I am in my game and that's the best test I have had so far."
Some would argue that a spell in the Indian Premier League is not the best preparation for Test cricket but Bopara used it positively.
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