RANCHI: Chennai Super Kings started their Champions League TWenty20 campaign with a convincing win over Titans at the JSCA International Stadium Complex here Sunday.

Super Kings easily chased down the target of 186, as they reached 187 with seven balls to spare after Mike Hussey and Suresh Raina struck 47 each. Dwayne Bravo struck a quick 38 while Subramanian Badrinath remained unbeaten on 20 off 20 balls to ensure the four-wicket win.

Super Kings, however, suffered a poor start as Murali Vijay was bowled by Roelof van der Merwe in the opening over. Till then the Titans had the momentum courtesy AB de Villiers’ brutal innings of 77 and plenty of wayward bowling that took them to 185 for five in 20 overs.

But if Super Kings bowlers were wayward, Titans were worse. Raina and Hussey got the freedom to open their arms. The flood gates were opened after Rowan Richards, Morne Morkel and Marchant de Lange gave away 13, 24 and 14 respectively off the third, fourth and fifth over.A

It took away the pressure from Super Kings. Raina and Hussey added 89 for the second wicket at over 12 an over before Raina fell to David Wiese in the eighth over.A

Raina’s 47 off 28 balls was studde with two sixes and five fours while Hussey with seven fours and a six in his 26-ball innings.

Brief scores: Titans 185/5 in 20 overs (De Villiers 77, Davids 52; Bravo 2/34). Chennai Super Kings 187/6 in 18.5 overs (Hussey 47, Raina 47, Bravo 38; Richards 3/29). Chennai Super Kings won by four wickets.

Islamabad: Former Pakistan captain and pace legend Wasim Akram has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow the Pakistani players to take part in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).

Stating that Pakistani players will help add more talent to the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament, the ‘Sultan of swing’ said that if Pakistani players are allowed to take part in the tournament then it will help raise the bar of the event, the Daily Times reports.
Akram, who was the bowling consultant of current IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders, further said that he had always believed in keeping sports separate from politics, adding that the fact that Pakistani bowlers are better than the Indian ones will benefit the IPL.
Pakistan cricketers have not been allowed to take part in the IPL after the first edition mainly due the diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Although Pakistan umpires, commentators and coaches will feature in the ongoing sixth edition of the IPL but no cricketer has been invited for the event, the report added. (ANI)

KARACHI (Reuters) – Pakistan’s most-capped player Inzamam-ul-Haq has called on the current team to show a more positive attitude with the bat in the remaining test of their three-match series against South Africa.
South Africa defeated Pakistan by 211 runs in the first test and then beat them by four wickets in the second test in Cape Town on Sunday.
“I thought we were in with a good chance to win the second test but a passive approach in batting cost us the match,” Inzamam told Reuters on Monday.
“What concerns me is the scoring rate of our batsmen. Even after getting settled in if they are not going above three runs per over against the world’s top side than how can we expect to beat them?”
Inzamam said centuries to Younus Khan and Asad Shafiq on the first day of the second test should have set the tone.
“But we continued to play under pressure from their bowlers who are no doubt the best in the world but certainly not invincible,” he said.