Watson denies forcing Warner issue

LONDON: Shane Watson has denied any role in forcing Australia cricket chiefs to take action against David Warner for the opener's attack on England's Joe Root.

Earlier this month, Warner was fined Aus$11,500 ($11,000) and suspended until the start of the Ashes in Nottingham on July 10 by Cricket Australia. The sanctions were for punching Root in a Birmingham bar following Australia's Champions Trophy loss to their arch-rivals.

The fall-out from the saga then took a shock turn when coach Mickey Arthur was sacked on Monday, just 16 days out from the Ashes.

Following Warner's suspension, there were reports in the Australian media that officials had only decided to discipline Warner after Watson had complained about double standards.

Watson was one of four players dropped from the Test side during a 4-0 series loss in India earlier this year for failing to hand in a written feedback requested by team management.

Watson told a sports website on Friday that Arthur's actions in India had set a "dangerous precedent" and lauded new coach Darren Lehmann.

But he insisted he had not done anything to make officials suspend Warner.

"Absolutely not," Watson said when asked if he had informed Arthur of events at the Walkabout bar in Birmingham.

"In the end, the coaching staff and Mickey and the leadership group found out about Dave's incident off their own bat.

"It had absolutely nothing to do with me in any way shape or form and I'm not sure why that was brought out in the media because it certainly wasn't the truth.

"They obviously found out, there were some people who were in and around the incident at the time who had relayed the information, so it certainly had nothing to do with me."

Watson has been told by former Australia batsman Lehmann he will be one of Australia's openers in the Ashes and scored 90 in the ongoing tour match against Somerset in Taunton.

"The way Darren operates is a more light-hearted way (than Arthur)," Watson said.

England begin their defence of the Ashes against arch-rivals Australia in the first of a five-Test series at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on July 10.

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Upbeat India face WI in tri-series opener

KINGSTON (JAMAICA): On a roll after their Champions Trophy triumph, the Indian cricket team would aim to continue the unbeaten run when they take on the West Indies, who would be eyeing revenge, in their opening clash of the tri-nation ODI series on Sunday.

The Indians got barely a few days to rejoice after their Champions Trophy win before boarding the flight to the Caribbeans and fatigue could be the only worry for a side which looks in unbeatable form.

The West Indians, on the other hand, would be eager to extract revenge for the loss to India in a Champions Trophy group match.

The hosts have in fact, started impressively in the ongoing series mauling Sri Lanka in their lung-opener. The biggest positive from the game was the return to form of Chris Gayle, who was slightly off-colour in the Champions Trophy.

Gayle's marauding hundred, which included seven sixes and nine fours, helped the West Indies overhaul a 209-run target in a mere 37.5 overs. He would without doubt be the backbone of the West Indian batting against India as well.

Both the sides are well aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses as their key players have played in the Indian Premier League either with or against each other.

Interestingly, rival captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo are Chennai Super Kings teammates while Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle turned out for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

A look at the teamsheets will, however, give India the edge. Their batting looks in awesome form. Rohit Sharma, as an opener, proved to be a success in the Champions Trophy.

His partner Shikhar Dhawan is also in sublime form and was the star of India's title-winning campaign. And it is unlikely that India will disturb the winning combination that saw Dinesh Karthik promoted to No. 4 and Dhoni up at No. 5 ahead of Suresh Raina.

On the other hand, in spite of their enormous potential, the West Indies remain a fickle lot. But there is no denying that West Indies have the experience and the talent to give the Indians a run for their money.

Gayle, Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels can see off India's new ball bowlers -- the troika of Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma -- but will have to apply themselves.

West Indies will surely test the Indian batsmen with both speed and spin. Pacers Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul can be a handful while spinner Sunil Narine will always have a few tricks up his sleeve.

Squads (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav.

The West Indies: Dwayne Bravo (capt), Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Devon Smith, Darren Sammy, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Sunil Narine, Tino Best, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach.

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Upbeat India face Windies in tri-series

KINGSTON (JAMAICA): On a roll after their Champions Trophy triumph, the Indian cricket team would aim to continue the unbeaten run when they take on the West Indies, who would be eyeing revenge, in their opening clash of the tri-nation ODI series on Sunday.

The Indians got barely a few days to rejoice after their Champions Trophy win before boarding the flight to the Caribbeans and fatigue could be the only worry for a side which looks in unbeatable form.

The West Indians, on the other hand, would be eager to extract revenge for the loss to India in a Champions Trophy group match.

The hosts have in fact, started impressively in the ongoing series mauling Sri Lanka in their lung-opener. The biggest positive from the game was the return to form of Chris Gayle, who was slightly off-colour in the Champions Trophy.

Gayle's marauding hundred, which included seven sixes and nine fours, helped the West Indies overhaul a 209-run target in a mere 37.5 overs. He would without doubt be the backbone of the West Indian batting against India as well.

Both the sides are well aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses as their key players have played in the Indian Premier League either with or against each other.

Interestingly, rival captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo are Chennai Super Kings teammates while Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle turned out for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

A look at the teamsheets will, however, give India the edge. Their batting looks in awesome form. Rohit Sharma, as an opener, proved to be a success in the Champions Trophy.

His partner Shikhar Dhawan is also in sublime form and was the star of India's title-winning campaign. And it is unlikely that India will disturb the winning combination that saw Dinesh Karthik promoted to No. 4 and Dhoni up at No. 5 ahead of Suresh Raina.

On the other hand, in spite of their enormous potential, the West Indies remain a fickle lot. But there is no denying that West Indies have the experience and the talent to give the Indians a run for their money.

Gayle, Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels can see off India's new ball bowlers -- the troika of Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ishant Sharma -- but will have to apply themselves.

West Indies will surely test the Indian batsmen with both speed and spin. Pacers Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul can be a handful while spinner Sunil Narine will always have a few tricks up his sleeve.

Squads (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav.

The West Indies: Dwayne Bravo (capt), Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Devon Smith, Darren Sammy, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Sunil Narine, Tino Best, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach.

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Windies, India will deliver cracker: Bravo

KINGSTON ( Jamaica): West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo is undaunted by the threat posed by a new-look Indian team and said Sunday's game between the two sides would be a "cracker of a contest".

"I know it is going to be a cracker of a game. We know India are a very good team; it is going to be a very good game. Both teams are very strong in bowling and batting. Let us see how Sunday comes out," Bravo said ahead of their tri-nation one-day series game against India at Sabina Park.

West Indies began their campaign in the tournament with an easy six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka, courtesy opener Chris Gayle's 100-ball 109, which included nine fours and seven sixes while chasing a 209-run target.

On the other hand, India are on a roll after their Champions Trophy triumph and would aim to continue the unbeaten run when they take on the hosts, who would be eyeing revenge after their eight-wicket defeat in a league match of the eight-nation tournament.

Bravo was all praise for Man-of-the-Match Gayle for his first one-day international ton in almost a year, which paved the way for his team's comfortable victory and hailed him as the best batsman in the world.

"Chris is the best batter in the world and is our best player, and we are always happy to see him getting runs," he said.

"We know it has been a while since Gayle has made a century, he has been getting starts but when he gets a start on a wicket like this he has to cash in," Bravo said.

Bravo said Gayle's good form at the start of the tournament augurs well for the team as well as the West Indies cricket.

"He has eased off the pressure now. I know that at the back of his mind he felt that he wasn't scoring big for us and he knows how important he is as a player for us. I am very happy that he scored another hundred and batted deep into the innings and I know that once Chris is in that kind of form, it is good for us as a team and good for the West Indies cricket," he said.

Meanwhile, Gayle was happy to have got the runs in front of his home crowd.

"It has been a while since I have got a century. The last one was against New Zealand last year at the same place, so it is good to repeat and get another century in front of my home crowd. More importantly, we got a win. Coming from England and getting a ton was a good thing for me," he said.

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'Sammy deserved longer try at captaincy'

TORONTO: Former West Indies cricket captain Clive Lloyd says Darren Sammy should not have been relieved of his duties as skipper of the regional side for one-day internationals.

Sammy, who has been retained as captain of the T20 and test teams, was removed as leader of the ODI squad and replaced with Dwayne Bravo who captained the side in the just ended ICC Champions Trophy.

Lloyd, who led the West Indies during an era when they were world beaters, says the St. Lucian all-rounder deserves to be retained as captain since he has performed well in the role.

"I don't have a problem with Dwayne's (Bravo) captaincy; he is a fine cricketer and can be called upon anytime," said Lloyd on Thursday.

"But I think Sammy has taken over the responsibility at a difficult time and he has done well since then and deserved a longer try, however, I am confident they will do well against Sri Lanka and India in the Caribbean."

The former Windies captain was speaking in Toronto where he was part of the Guyana delegation celebrating the country's 47th Independence anniversary.

Lloyd has expressed confidence in West Indies ability to win the tri-nation series starting Friday involving India and Sri Lanka but says the bowlers need to show more consistency.

"I strongly believe we have a very good and balanced team but the guys have got to play to the best of their abilities; the bowling's a little weak, they need to work and try different bowlers," said the 68-year-old.

"Kemar Roach is an excellent bowler and he should be the one to look at while I think they should try Guyanese fast bowler Ronsford Beaton; he is very impressive."

The West Indies, led by Bravo, start their campaign against Sri Lanka at Sabina Park Friday before taking on India at the same venue Sunday.

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Key bookie in IPL fixing scam arrested

NEW DELHI: Suspected key bookie Jitendra Singh alias Jeetu was on Friday arrested by the Delhi Police in the IPL spot-fixing scandal from Ahmedabad, 40 days after the scam surfaced.

The sleuths of elite Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested Singh from Ahmedabad after zeroing on him in the wake of arrest of three cricketers -- S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan along with several of bookies and fixers.

The police claimed that it had a transcript which shows Singh being in constant touch with Chandresh Patel alias Chand and was fixing deals ahead of every cricket match.

According to police, Singh was sponsoring travel and other activities of both the bookies as they provided him with an access to all the three cricketers.

Bookies -- Chand and Manan -- are alleged to have been supplying women to Sreesanth for which the money, according to Delhi Police, was also being sent by Singh.

Singh, originally a resident of Ahmedabad, had been on the run for the last 40 days and sleuths had been tracking him since then.

Police claimed that his arrest may give fresh leads into the murkier scandal that rocked the sporting extravaganza.

Both Chand and Manan are out on bail and Police may now ask them to appear before it for a fresh round of questioning, the sources said.

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Strauss backs England to punish Aussies

LONDON: Former England captain Andrew Strauss believes his country have never been stronger favourites to win the Ashes after Australia's descent into chaos in recent weeks.

Strauss, who masterminded back to back Ashes triumphs in 2009 and 2011 before retiring last year, has been stunned by the turmoil gripping the Australia squad ahead of the forthcoming series between the old rivals in England.

Australia batsman David Warner missed the majority of the recent Champions Trophy after being suspended for punching England star Joe Root in a Birmingham bar.

Then just weeks before the July 10 start of the Ashes, Australia sacked coach Mickey Arthur and replaced him with Darren Lehmann, while captain Michael Clarke asked to step down from his role as a selector.

Strauss is confident England will take full advantage of the Australian angst.

"England are in very good shape. The Aussies have been in turmoil over the last few weeks, sacking their coach and David Warner whacking an England player," he told Live at Wimbledon, where he was set to take his place in the Royal Box on Friday.

"England have gone about their business very quietly and have never had a better chance to win an Ashes series. The guys will be excited and I'm starting to get nervous."

Strauss, a former England opener, also backed Root to make the opener's spot his own against Australia.

Nick Compton was given the chance to cement the role as partner to captain Alastair Cook and scored back-to-back centuries in New Zealand in the winter.

But a slide in form led to chairman of selectors Geoff Miller to say Root was "currently the best" option ahead of the Trent Bridge opener next month.

Compton impressed for Somerset this week against Australia, scoring 81 in a tour match, and will turn out as a guest for Worcestershire against the tourists next week.

But Strauss still feels Root is the man for the job.

"He's dealt with everything that's come his way, including that punch (by Warner)," Strauss said.

"He looks very composed, looks entirely capable of making that job his own and I'm looking forward to watching him and Alastair Cook."

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1st ODI: Windies invite Sri Lanka to bat

NEW DELHI: West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the tri-series at Sabina Park in Kingston on Friday.

West Indies were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions trophy when they lost to South Africa via Duckworth Lewis method while the Lankans were humbled in the semifinals by eventual champions India.

The teams have come into the tournament with almost the same set of players except that the hosts have left out Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jason Holder. The Lankans were forced to leave out injured opener Tillakaratne Dilshan.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, J Charles, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo(c), Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach

Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews(c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga

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Strauss hopes Pietersen saga is over

LONDON: Andrew Strauss hopes England's Ashes campaign will not suffer any ongoing disruption from the extraordinary chain of events that saw star batsman Kevin Pietersen briefly dropped from the side last season.

Pietersen was axed from the England side when, after having made a brilliant hundred against his native South Africa at Headingley, it was alleged he has sent derogatory text messages, some said to be about then Test captain Strauss, to Proteas players.

Strauss retired from cricket after England's series loss to South Africa but insisted his decision had nothing to do with the Pietersen controversy.

Pietersen had to undergo a period of "reintegration" before playing a major role in England's series win in India before Christmas although a knee injury that forced him out of the tour of New Zealand in March kept him on the sidelines until last week.

But Pietersen, 33 on Thursday, returned to action with a brilliant 177 for Surrey against Yorkshire last week, prompting hopes he will be fit in time for next month's first Test against Australia in Nottingham.

He is due to return to England service in Thursday's second and final Twenty20 international against New Zealand at The Oval.

While Strauss doesn't doubt Pietersen's talents he is in no doubt of the need of a settled dressing room, especially given the upheaval Australia have suffered lately, culminating in the sacking of coach Mickey Arthur just 16 days out from the Ashes.

"Kevin is one of the best players I've ever seen," Strauss told several British national newspapers at a Sky Sports promotional event.

"But I don't know what's going on behind the scenes and I just hope everything in the team environment is fine. If it is fine then he should come back in straight away, no problems.

"But I do think you should never just assume that everything is okay, because in my experience if the team environment is not right it will come out at some point, usually under the greatest pressure.

"I'm sure everything's fine, I've got no reason to doubt it is, but it's still a consideration people have got to make."

And Strauss was convinced his former opening partner Alastair Cook, now his successor as England captain, and coach Andy Flower would have no trouble leading the team off the field as well as on it.

"When you're managing a team the key is to find where those boundaries are, where you're prepared to let people go, to what extent you're allowing them to be a free spirit because ultimately it's all got to be in the greater cause, which is making sure the team wins cricket games," Strauss said.

"That's a challenge for any leadership team and Andy Flower has been there long enough, Alastair Cook knows his mind pretty well and I'm sure they've got those boundaries in place."

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WI, Lanka lock horns in tri-series opener

KINGSTON (Jamaica): Eager to leave their Champions Trophy eliminations behind, hosts West Indies and Sri Lanka will square off on Friday in the opening match of the tri-nation one-day series, which also features an in-form India.

West Indies were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions trophy when they lost to South Africa via Duckworth Lewis method while the Lankans were humbled in the semifinals by eventual champions India.

Sri Lanka had beaten Australia and finalists England en route to the knockout stage while the Caribbeans were disfavoured by luck as weather put paid to their hopes in the crucial match against the Proteas.

The teams have come into the tournament with almost the same set of players except that the hosts have left out Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jason Holder. The Lankans were forced to leave out injured opener Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin has re-joined the West Indian side after serving his ban for wrongly claiming a catch against Pakistan in the Champions trophy.

The Lankans have not played much in this part of the world. The last time they competed here was in the 2007 World Cup but the conditions may support their spin-oriented attack, which also has Ajantha Mendis, who of late has been labelled a Twenty20 specialist.

Like Champions Trophy, weather is a matter of concern here too and if rain gods allow a full game, it will be an interesting contest between the West Indies batting and Sri Lankan bowlers.

The spin trio of Ajantha Mendis, Sachithra Senanayake and Rangana Herath will pose a threat to the Caribbeans, who would rely on good starts by the flamboyant Chris Gayle.

The Lankan batting will once again revolve around the ever-reliable senior duo of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

The Caribbean line-up, led by Dwayne Bravo, is full of potent match-winning all-rounders and the home conditions would give them extra confidence and motivation to do well.

West Indies head coach Ottis Gibson said they were "gutted" with what happened in England but reposed full faith in his players.

"It's to put those silly little mistakes that we made in England, sort of put them away. We felt we had a good opportunity to win that tournament and we want to win this one and prove ourselves right," he said ahead of the clash

Gibson said his "players are taking more responsibility and are starting to believe a lot more" in their ability to do well as a team.

West Indies skipper Dwayne Bravo said confidently that his side has a good chance to win the tournament.

"It's always good to play home in the Caribbean, starting here in Jamaica, (and) we have a good record here. We have Sri Lanka on Friday. We want to start well, aim to get into the final, but it's not going to be easy.

"We respect both teams and their positions, and for me as a captain it is to try and get the guys (playing) as consistently as possible and get them to believe in themselves, believe in each other, so we can play some good cricket and entertain our fans," Bravo said.

Teams (from):

West Indies: Dwayne Bravo (C), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Christopher Gayle, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels and Devon Smith.

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (C), Kusal Perera, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Mahela Jayawardene, Jeevan Mendis, Ajantha Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Sachithra Senanayake, Rangana Herath, Dilhara Lokuhettige and Shaminda Eranga.

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Cook can break Tendulkar's records: KP

LONDON: Alastair Cook is over 8,000 runs behind Sachin Tendulkar in Test cricket but Kevin Pietersen believes his England captain is on target to challenge the veteran Indian's numbers and break every record that has been set.

"For me he's the right man to lead England, he's doing a great job for us and he will continue to get better and better and break every record anyone's ever set, certainly in the English game. He's on target to go for Tendulkar's numbers, if you look at the numbers and look at his age," Pietersen was quoted as saying in an interview with Darren Gough.

The 28-year-old Cook is 8,313 runs behind the 40-year-old Tendulkar in the overall standings with the Indian's 15837 Test runs being over 2000 more than nearest rival Ricky Ponting, who has retired.

Pietersen lavished praise on Cook for his consistent scoring.

"His first series was against India away and we beat India. He's done exceptionally well, his cricket just keeps getting better and better," he said.

Pietersen also hailed rising batsman Joe Root, who made his debut against India last year.

"I never knew of him, I never heard of him, because when you're on the scene and young players come you just don't. But I knew that he was going to be good when he walked out to bat in Nagpur in his first Test match," he said.

"I was batting and... we just didn't want to let India back into it at all and he walked out and - just his face walking towards me for 20 metres - I thought this kid's going to be a flipping superstar.

"It was just the confidence that he walked out to bat with in his debut Test match in India, two spinners bowling, from each end, we'd just lost a wicket or a couple of wickets and he walked out with a smile on his face, and went 'All right lad, you ok, you're playing well there'," he recalled.

Pietersen backed the youngster, who recently hit the headlines for getting into a bar-room scuffle with Australian David Warner during the Champions Trophy.

"He knew the media were going to be on him all day and he'd had a haircut - he looked sharp! I think he knows how to deal with it," Pietersen said.

"I saw him that day and he couldn't believe what was being made of it, but welcome to English cricket and welcome to how the media works."

Asked about his own volatile relationship with the British media due to controversies, Pietersen said, "I've been burnt too many times and it's just a case of me now concentrating on my cricket and playing my cricket as best I can because that whole situation hurt my family too much. I get it all day every day."

"Somebody asked me yesterday, 'Can you take some constructive criticism?' I said, 'Excuse me? You're talking to somebody who has it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.' So it doesn't affect me, it's water off a duck's back now. I have absolutely no interest in it but it hurt my family and my best mates."

Away from cricket, Pietersen plans to follow star footballer David Beckham into the fashion industry.

"These last three months that I've been injured I've had quite a bit of time on my hands to sort the business side of life out," he said.

"I am heavily involved in a clothing company and a footwear company in India. I've got some different stuff, other things on the horizon that I'm negotiating, talking about and signing off," he added.

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No cricketer for Khel Ratna this year

NEW DELHI: The BCCI this year hasn't forwarded any name for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the highest honour for active sportspersons in the country, since the cricket board didn't find any fitting cricketer for the award.

The BCCI has recommended dashing batsman Virat Kohli's name for the Arjuna Award while legendary opener and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar's name has been recommended for the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement.

"BCCI hasn't sent any names for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award as it didn't find anyone who is fitting to get this award this year. There is absolutely no point in sending a recommendation just for the sake of it. The BCCI found out that Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar are the two deserving names for the Arjuna and Dronacharya award," a senior BCCI official told PTI today.

Incidentally, former captain Rahul Dravid's name was doing the rounds last year for Khel Ratna award, but he didn't get it which many thought was due to absence of BCCI representative Ravi Shastri during the awards committee meeting.

However, Shastri later clarified that he didn't get any formal invite from the sports ministry to attend the meeting.

Last year, wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and shooter Vijay Kumar got the Khel Ratna award for winning medals at the London Olympics.

Dravid, received the Padma Bhusan award, the third highest civilian honour in the country, earlier this year.

Kohli, who has had a prolific run in all forms of the game in the last couple of years, missed out on Arjuna nomination last year as Yuvraj Singh got the award on basis of his seniority and exploits in the 2011 World Cup.

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'Srinivasan yet to decide on ICC meet'

CHENNAI: Embattled BCCI president N Srinivasan, who stepped aside after the IPL spot-fixing scandal, has not yet made up his mind on attending the ICC annual conference in London and will decide on it closer to the date of sub-committee meetings.

The conference started on Tuesday and will continue till June 29. There is intense speculation on whether conference would be attended by Srinivasan, who stepped aside as BCCI president after his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested for alleged betting.

"Mr. Srinivasan has not yet decided about his going to London for the ICC meeting. The meeting (that he is supposed to attend) is on June 29 and he will decide closer to the date whether he would go or not," Tamil Nadu Cricket Association secretary Kashi Viswanathan, who is also a close aide of Srinivasan, said.

Srinivasan, who was unanimously elected the president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association ( TNCA) at its 83rd Annual General Meeting on Sunday, is expected to attend the sub-committee meetings during the ICC annual conference.

If he travels to London, Srinivasan will attend three ICC sub-committee meetings, including the finance and commercial affairs committee of which he is a member.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, who was made incharge of the BCCI's day-to-day affairs after Srinivasan stepped aside, will represent India in the ICC board meeting.

BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel will attend the chief executives' meeting, while IPL CEO Sundar Raman will attend the working group meeting of the CEOs.

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Dravid lauds Team India for CT triumph

NEW DELHI: Former India skipper Rahul Dravid on Tuesday lauded Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men for their "brilliant" title triumph in the Champions Trophy, saying "right balance" and "fantastic" fielding helped them claim the prestigious title in England.

India enjoyed an undefeated run in the tournament as they clinched the title with a five-run victory over England in the rain-reduced final on Sunday.

"They were the best team. They didn't panic in crucial situations, they won the critical moments towards the end of both the innings. India's batting, to get them to 130, the partnership between Kohli and Jadeja and also bowling towards the end. So India were the better team on the day as well," Dravid said.

"I think the great thing that India had in this squad is balance. The conditions in England surprised us, I mean look at how much the ball spun, so because of the nature of wicket, it helped India play seven batsman with (Ravindra) Jadeja at number seven and actually five frontline bowlers. In the past, India didn't have that luxury...They played brilliantly," he added.

The 40-year-old former cricketer also lauded India's fielding during the eight-nation one-day tournament, which was held for the last time.

"India were brilliant on the field. It is not often that you can say that India were the best fielding side in the competition. They were fantastic. You can see the energy on the field. They played well," Dravid said.

"Credit to the selectors. Sometimes we tend to forget them in times like this. But I think they have done a very good job. Lots of people felt the squad was light on experience but they have been proved right. They went with energy, they went for young legs and for people who had lot to prove," he added.

The Champions Trophy triumph will give a big boost to India for the next World Cup in 2015 but Dravid didn't want to look too far ahead.

He said it would be important for India to get the right balance depending on the conditions in Australia.

"It is dangerous to look too far ahead. I mean, who would have thought that after India won the World Cup in 2011, two years down the line, we will play with only three of those players who were in that squad. So it is like a complete new team. So it is dangerous to look that far ahead," Dravid said.

Stressing on the need of a fast bowling all-rounder, Dravid hoped that Irfan Pathan can fill up that position in the team in another two years' time.

"That's (fast bowling all-rounder) been India's problem. Since Kapil Dev and to some extent Manoj Prabhakar, we have not been able to get a fast bowling all-rounder ... It would be terrific to explore that option. Irfan (Pathan) is the one in the squad right now and may be in a year and a half's time, he will discover his mojo and be the guy for India," he said.

"In these conditions, Jadeja was the man for India and it might work in Australia as well by the way he is bowling but from the balance perspective, it would be nice to have that option. If conditions do dictate, you can go with a fast bowling all-rounder," Dravid added.

India will be touring South Africa for a bilateral series in November and Dravid said it would be a tougher challenge.

"It is going be a different test. In ranking, we are number one in ODIs but in Tests were are number four or five, we are behind South Africa, who are the number one side, so it would be a completely different challenge, much tougher challenge, especially if Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander are fit," he said.

"To win in South Africa, India need to get 20 wickets and to find four bowlers who will get those 20 wickets is going to be the key. India will have odd bad innings but with their batting line up that they will take, they will score runs in one or two innings but will they have the bowling to knock over South Africa quickly enough is going to be the question," Dravid added.

Dravid, however, said things are looking up for India in the fast bowling department.

"The heartening thing for India is Umesh Yadav looked good in this tournament. With a little bit of workload, he will be in much better shape in South Africa, Ishant Sharma also is bowling well and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also swung the ball, so there are a couple of positives to build on there and hopefully these guys can stay fit and keep improving by the time South Africa series comes."

Asked if he would like to see any particular bowler in the South African squad, Dravid said a fit Zaheer Khan would prove to be priceless for India during the series.

"Zaheer Khan, if he can get himself to be fit. At his best, Zaheer is priceless. But selectors have to be tough with him and ensure that he is in the best shape and then take him. If he can get to his peak fitness, I would like to have him in South Africa," he said.

"He has got experience and skill, he has done it before. But he has to get some bowling behind him, I would like him to play substantial amount of four-day cricket before he is even considered for South Africa."

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Australia set to embrace coach Lehmann

BRISBANE: Shane Warne was never a big fan of the expanding role of coaches in international cricket, until Darren Lehmann was rushed into the Australia job in a sudden watershed event.

Amid the biggest upheaval in modern Australian cricket, Mickey Arthur was fired halfway through his contract and replaced by Lehmann, who played plenty of cricket with Warne and has had success as a coach in all three formats of the game since taking over at Queensland in 2010 and in his stints in the Indian Premier League.

Now he's in charge of a national team in disarray, having failed to win a game in its Champions Trophy defence in England, coming off thumping 4-0 Test series loss in India and beset by off-field disciplinary problems.

The sudden axing of Arthur, in a news conference in Bristol on Monday only a couple of weeks before the Ashes series stars, instantly made headlines in Australia, and still dominated sports pages and topped news bulletins on Tuesday.

Arthur, who guided South Africa to the No. 1 Test ranking, was the first foreigner appointed head coach of Australia when he signed on in November, 2011.

Lehmann's coaching career has been relatively brief, but he is well qualified according to most observers, both as a former Test and World Cup-winning batsman and as a players' man who is as stereotypically Aussie as they come. He's widely known as "Boof", a nickname that belies an astute cricket brain.

The 43-year-old Lehmann quickly laid out a coaching plan that involves recruiting ex-Test players like Warne in a mentoring or motivational capacity, promised he'll keep it simple with an emphasis on the basic skills of the game and instill his own approach to discipline. Ultimately, he has vowed to "win, win, win." He knows that's all that Australians expect from him.

Warne -- a prolific Twitter user with more than 1.2 million followers -- used his favoured social media outlet to welcome the change: "Just caught up with all the drama that has gone on in the last 24 hours with the Aust Cricket Team, bottom line is this, Boof is the man!!!"

Former England captain Michael Vaughan used the same forum to offer his reaction: "For the 1st time in Months I am worried about Australia... If Darren Lehmann is the coach he will get them right."

Captain Michael Clarke and his rag-tag squad had been given little chance of regaining the Ashes on foreign soil, due mainly to inexperience, a faltering batting line-up and lack of a quality spin bowler. Some pundits, including the great England all-rounder Ian Botham, had forecast a 10-0 win for England in the back-to-back home and away series which starts on July 10 with the first of five Tests on English soil before another five-Test series starting later this year in Australia.

British bookmakers slashed the odds on England to win the Ashes, with one gambling house saying the Australians were imploding.

But Lehmann's appointment has added to a growing confidence emanating from Australia that the visitors could trouble England.

Lehmann played in an era when Australia dominated the Ashes and had such batting depth in the selection pool that even he, a prolific run-scorer in first-class cricket, was restricted to just 27 Tests and 117 limited-overs internationals. So his elevation to the coaching role in a time of need was widely supported by the public and the critics -- even if the cricket fraternity was shocked at the timing of Arthur's axing.

Respected author and cricket analyst Gideon Haigh wrote in a column for The Australian: "It has become a bit of a conversational theme in cricket circles that Australia is now to be described in all the ways that one used apply to England: brittle, panicky, backward-glancing, inward-looking."

"But," he added, "not even England ever sacked its coach two weeks before an Ashes series."

Arthur, who guided the team to 10 wins, six losses and three draws, was widely praised for the humility of his departure news conference, and refusal to blame the players for his downfall.

Off the pitch, Arthur polarized public opinion when he dropped four players -- including vice-captain Shane Watson -- from his team for the third Test in India for failing to complete written reports on their individual contributions to the team's performance. The embarrassing saga was quickly dubbed "Homeworkgate."

Watson left India before returning a week later to captain the team in the fourth Test after Clarke was sidelined with injury. He has since stood down as vice-captain and, for the Ashes tour, veteran Brad Haddin was recalled as Clarke's deputy despite not being the first-choice wicketkeeper in more than a year.

Arthur might also have been held partly responsible by Cricket Australia for an off-field incident during the Champions Trophy in which big hitting batsman David Warner was out drinking at a nightclub when he aimed a punch at England batsman Joe Root. Warner, who was fined this year following a Twitter rant at senior journalists, has been suspended until the first Ashes Test.

Former Test captain Ian Chappell blames the current woes on the system created by the "Argus" review into the running of cricket in Australia, which triggered an overhaul of the structure of the game and the national team following the Ashes defeat on home soil in 2010-11. Key among the changes was the addition of the coach and captain to the national selection panel. Arthur's demise and Clarke's decision Monday to quit the selection panel has brought at least a temporary end to that experiment.

"The fact that Cricket Australia (have) sacked him now is basically an admission that they made the wrong choice in the first place," Chappell said in an interview. "It is a shock, yeah ... In some ways it's not helpful, the timing."

But the appointment of Lehmann, Chappell added, "That'll have, certainly for a little while, a positive impact. The players will be pleased about that move."

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Rauf, Billy dropped from ICC Elite Panel

LONDON: Pakistan's Asad Rauf, who is being investigated in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, and long-serving New Zealander Billy Bowden were on Tuesday dropped from the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires after an annual review of their performance.

Rauf, who is being probed for allegedly taking expensive gifts from suspected bookies, and Bowden have been replaced by former Test cricketers Richard Illingworth and Paul Reiffel.

"The selection panel considered the overall performances of the umpires over the past 12 months when deciding which umpires would be offered contracts for 2013-14. In Asad's case, it is important to emphasise that the recent speculation linking his name to the IPL spot-fixing investigation was not considered during the selectors' deliberations," said Geoff Allardice, Chairman of the ICC Umpires Selection Panel.

Rauf, who has denied any wrongdoing, was earlier withdrawn from officiating in the just-concluded ICC Champions Trophy.

"It is exciting to see Richard and Paul promoted to the elite panel, but it is also important to acknowledge and appreciate the outstanding contributions of Asad and Billy over a long period of time," said Allardice.

Illingworth and Reiffel have joined Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Steve Davis, Marais Erasmus, Ian Gould, Tony Hill, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford and Rod Tucker in the panel for the 2013-2014 season, commencing July 1, 2013.

Illingworth has been umpiring in international cricket since July 2010 and has so far stood in four Tests, 16 one-day internationals and seven Twenty20 internationals.

Reiffel, who made his international umpiring debut in January 2009, has officiated in four Tests, 30 One-Day Internationals and nine Twenty20 internationals.

The Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires was selected by the ICC Umpires Selection Panel consisting of chairman, Allardice, ICC's general manager (Cricket), ICC chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle, ex-England player and coach and umpire, David Lloyd, and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, the former India captain and international umpire.

Bowden was included in the elite panel in 2003 and umpired in 75 Tests, 181 one-day internationals and 19 Twenty20 internationals.

Rauf stood in 47 Tests, 98 one-day internationals and 23 Twenty20 internationals and was a member of the elite panel since 2006.

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Oz sack Arthur, Lehmann to take over

LONDON: Mickey Arthur has been sacked as Australia coach just over two weeks before the start of the Ashes series against England, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said on Monday.

Former Australia batsman Darren Lehmann, the Queensland coach who is in England with the Australia A team, will take over from Arthur.

"The timing is far from ideal but we didn't feel we could sit back and hope matters would change without addressing issues critical to a high-performing team culture," Sutherland said in a statement.

"It obviously isn't the type of change we want to make three weeks out from the Ashes commencing but we believe a change is needed."

Australia captain Michael Clarke has asked to step down from his role as a team selector.

The team have endured a series of poor results and there have been a number of disciplinary issues in the squad.

Arthur was informed over the weekend that he was being let go despite his contract running until March, 2015.

The South African - the first non-Australian to coach the national side - took over in 2011 following a review into the humiliating 3-1 Ashes defeat, the first home series loss to England in nearly a quarter of a century.

The 45-year-old had previously coached South Africa to their first test series victory in Australia before resigning after falling out with Cricket South Africa officials.

Early results were encouraging but they lost a test series in India this year 4-0 and failed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions Trophy, a competition they had the last two times it was held.

It may be, however, that Arthur has paid the price as much for the off-field problems as the on-field calamities.

In what became known as "homework-gate", Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja were dropped from the third test in India for failing to provide their thoughts on how Australia could improve in an e-mail.

David Warner's Twitter attack on journalists did nothing to counter the impression that discipline was an issue in the squad and it was compounded when the opener hit England batsman Joe Root in a bar after a Champions Trophy defeat.

Sutherland was furious about the latter incident, which resulted in Warner being stood down for the remainder of the Champions Trophy.

The highly-regarded Lehmann, better known in cricket circles as "Boof", was a left-handed batsman who played 27 tests and 117 one-day internationals before moving into coaching.

Australia play a four-day tour match against Somerset on Wednesday and the first Ashes test starts at Trent Bridge on July 10.

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'Captain cool' Dhoni & his midas touch

BIRMINGHAM: Dhoni, captain cool" -- the placard held by an Indian fan appropriately sums up the magic of India's cricket captain.

"I don't turn up in the ground to achieve anything special as a captain," Dhoni said last night after his team had defended a modest 129 to defeat England and win the Champions Trophy.

These modest words may seem out of place for India's most successful cricket captain in all formats of the game -- Tests, ODIs and T20s.

"For me winning the game is very important and that is of utmost importance for us as a team," Dhoni said.

For the 31-year-old Dhoni, winning the Champions Trophy completed a remarkable cycle of triumphs which started with the T20 World Cup in 2007. India also won the 2011 ODI World Cup under his leadership and the victory yesterday reaffirmed his status as India's best-ever captain. No other captain in international cricket has won three major ICC trophies.

The British media also doffed their hats at the "pragmatic, ineffably calm captain" and highlighted his leadership qualities which ultimately gave India a thrilling five-run victory in the rain-hit final.

"India could hardly believe what was happening, though for MS Dhoni, their pragmatic, ineffably calm captain it was probably a normal day at the office. He had put the squeeze on England at the start and he has been round long enough to know that anything can happen in short-form cricket and often does," the 'Independent' said.

The 'Daily Telegraph' described Dhoni's decision to bowl the last two overs with spinners as a "masterstroke".

"... completely confounding tradition, the last two overs were entrusted by MS Dhoni to spinners. Spin has been one of the surprising successes of the shortest form of the game, and Dhoni's choice was a master stroke," the paper wrote.

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Shami replaces injured Irfan Pathan

NEW DELHI: Bengal speedster Mohammed Shami has been named as Irfan Pathan's replacement in the Indian squad for the upcoming tri-series in the West Indies.

Pathan, who was a part of the Champions Trophy winning squad has been ruled out due to hamstring injury and is flying back to India for an extensive rehabilitation programme at the NCA.

Irfan didn't play a single match in the tournament but did take part in the warm-up game against Sri Lanka at Birmingham where he went for 45 runs in five wicketless overs.

The 23-year-old Shami, who is considered to be one of the fastest in India at the moment, has played five ODIs for India taking four wickets. He has also played in 15 first-class matches taking 65 wickets in the process.

Shami is familiar with the conditions in the Caribbean islands as he went on his maiden India A tour during last season.

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Jadeja achieves career-best 3rd position

BIRMINGHAM: Ravindra Jadeja attained a career-best third spot in the ODI bowlers and all-rounders' list a day after India lifted the ICC Champions Trophy that strengthen their position as the number one ranked team on the ODI Championship table in the latest rankings released on Monday.

ODI Rankings: Team | Batting | Bowling | All-Rounders

India, having entered the tournament on 119 ratings points, have now moved to 123 thanks to their victories over South Africa, West Indies and Pakistan in the group stage, followed by wins over Sri Lanka in the semifinals and England in the final.

They have a lead of 10 ratings points over their nearest rival, England, who are currently on 113 points, level with third-placed Australia.

But Alastair Cook's side is ranked above Michael Clarke's team by a fraction of a point.

Jadeja's 12 scalps in the Champions Trophy made him the highest wicket taker and fetched him the Golden Ball trophy. His unbeaten 33 and two for 24 in the final against England on Sunday night also helped him earn the Man of the Match.

His efforts have made him climb to a career-best third in the latest ICC ODI player rankings for bowlers. He has also climbed up three places to 52nd in the batting table.

Jadeja's combined effort with the bat and ball helped him move up a place to a best-ever third in the latest all-rounders' rankings.

Meanwhile, India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also made a return to the top 10 in the bowlers' list, having jumped six places to ninth.

Others Indians to make upward movements are Bhuvneshwar Kumar in 49th (up by three) and Ishant Sharma in 51st (up by five) in the bowlers' list, which is still headed by West Indies' Sunil Narine.

In the ICC ODI player rankings for batsmen, Virat Kohli has retained his third position.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who ended the tournament as the highest run-getter after scoring 363 runs, jumped 21 places to a career-best 29th. Dhawan's efforts with the bat not only fetched him the Player of the tournament award but also earned him the Golden Bat trophy for scoring the most runs of the tournament.

However, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni slipped a position to be placed at 5th spot, while Suresh Raina and out-of-favour opener Gautam Gambhir lost two and one places, respectively to be at 16th and 20th spots.

The batting list continues to be headed by South Africa captain AB de Villiers.

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No sign of play in India-England final

BIRMINGHAM: The Champions Trophy final has been delayed due to rain after England skipper Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to bowl against India at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Scorecard

As both teams lined up on the outfield for the national anthems, groundstaff brought a hover cover over the pitch and ensured the surrounding square was fully covered.

The covers over the square were then removed, suggesting just a brief delay, only to be brought back on again as light rain fell.

Crowd hopes of play were raised when most of the covers were removed only to be brought back on again.

No reserve day had been scheduled, failure to bowl the minimum 20 overs per side required for a result to be declared Sunday would see the trophy shared, as happened in Colombo in 2002 when Sri Lanka and India were joint winners.

India remained unchanged for the summit clash while England made one change in their team. Tim Bresnan comes in place of Steve Finn.

The reigning World Cup winners roared into the title clash of what will be the last edition of the tournament, winning all their four matches with consummate ease under the astute leadership of captain MS Dhoni.

England, who have lost in the finals of both the World Cup and the Champions Trophy over the past two decades, will aim to exploit home conditions against a new breed of carefree Indian cricketers who have taken the tournament by storm.

The hosts thrashed South Africa by seven wickets in the tournament's first semifinal at The Oval on Wednesday but more than the margin of victory, the team's ability to bowl out a decent batting line-up in less than 39 overs would have given the English bowlers a big shot in the arm.

India's batting has been in ominous form. Except for the tournament opener against South Africa on June 6, India have never batted beyond No. 4.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav.

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Joe Root, James Tredwell, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan, Jonathan Trott.

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Covers removed, final likely to start soon

BIRMINGHAM: The final clash between India and England has been cut short to 24 overs per side. The covers at the Edgbaston ground have been removed and the match is likely to start soon.

Scorecard

The Champions Trophy final was delayed due to rain after England skipper Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to bowl.

As both teams lined up on the outfield for the national anthems, groundstaff brought a hover cover over the pitch and ensured the surrounding square was fully covered.

The covers over the square were then removed, suggesting just a brief delay, only to be brought back on again as light rain fell.

Crowd hopes of play were raised when most of the covers were removed only to be brought back on again.

No reserve day had been scheduled, failure to bowl the minimum 20 overs per side required for a result to be declared Sunday would see the trophy shared, as happened in Colombo in 2002 when Sri Lanka and India were joint winners.

India remained unchanged for the summit clash while England made one change in their team. Tim Bresnan comes in place of Steve Finn.

The reigning World Cup winners roared into the title clash of what will be the last edition of the tournament, winning all their four matches with consummate ease under the astute leadership of captain MS Dhoni.

England, who have lost in the finals of both the World Cup and the Champions Trophy over the past two decades, will aim to exploit home conditions against a new breed of carefree Indian cricketers who have taken the tournament by storm.

The hosts thrashed South Africa by seven wickets in the tournament's first semifinal at The Oval on Wednesday but more than the margin of victory, the team's ability to bowl out a decent batting line-up in less than 39 overs would have given the English bowlers a big shot in the arm.

India's batting has been in ominous form. Except for the tournament opener against South Africa on June 6, India have never batted beyond No. 4.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav.

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Joe Root, James Tredwell, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan, Jonathan Trott.

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Matches when rain changed fortunes

1992 England-South Africa WC semifinal: Chasing 252, set by England, South Africa were 231/6 with 22 required off 13 balls. However, ten minutes interruption by rain saw a revised target of 22 runs off one ball that pushed England to final of the World Cup.

1992 England vs Pakistan World Cup: Pakistan were bundled out for a paltry 74 and England were 28/1 before rain saved the Green caps at Adelaide. Sharing of points eventually helped Pakistan qualify for the semifinals and eventually win the coveted trophy.

1971 India vs England Lord's 1st Test: In the first Test, needing 183 in the 4th innings, India were 145-8 at tea on the 5th day when rain washed out play. After securing a draw in the second Test, India won the third Test by 4 wickets and the series 1-0, their first-ever series win in England.

1996 India vs South Africa 3rd Test: Courtesy's Rahul Dravid's maiden ton, India were on verge of victory against South Africa in Johannesburg. Chasing 356, South Africa were 228/8 before rain and bad light denied India their maiden Test victory on Proteas' soil.

2006 India vs Australia: In a rain curtailed game at Kuala Lumpur, chasing a revised 170-run target, India were 35/5. However, rain returned to save India from another big defeat at the hand of Australia.

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Why isn't there a reserve day for final?

The prospect of a Champions Trophy final doesn't look bright at all. Till 5:30 pm IST, it was raining in Birmingham and it's looking increasingly difficult for the match to start.

According to those present at the ground, the situation is bleak and the super soppers are on, trying to get the water off the surface. Even if the final does get off, it won't be more than a 35-over game, if not reduced to the lottery of a Twenty20.

The biggest question that is already making the rounds in the cricket circles is that why a reserve day wasn't scheduled for a final of a tournament of the stature of Champions Trophy, especially when it's being played in England.

It's common knowledge that it rains in England during this part of the year, and it shows the shortsightedness of the ICC not to keep a day in hand.

The last time India played the final of the Champions Trophy was in 2002 and there was a reserve day. Unfortunately, it rained on both days and India had to share the trophy with Sri Lanka, but that would still have been acceptable for the fans.

"Teams have very tight schedules. India, Sri Lanka and West Indies travel to the Caribbean where they play a tri-series starting in four days' time... So it sometimes becomes difficult to accommodate a reserve day," a BCCI official said.

That's not good enough excuse because Champions Trophy is an ICC-event and a wash-out means that the hard work put in by the teams go a waste.

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'India team better than WC-winning side'

LONDON: Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels that current Indian ODI team that will be playing in the Champions Trophy is "better" than the one which won the World Cup two years back in 2011.

"India have been the team of the tournament so far. They are a fearless, aggressive bunch and I have not seen that from India before. This team are better than the World Cup-winning side in 2011," Vaughan wrote in his column in the 'Daily Telegraph'.

Like everyone else, Vaughan is also very impressed with the fielding standards set by the Ravindra Jadejas and Virat Kohlis and feels that this bunch is out to create a legacy of their own.

"The young players play with freedom. They know this is their chance to create a legacy now the great names have retired. They field brilliantly, creating chances for the bowlers through agility," he wrote.

If that wasn't enough Vaughan observed that this current crop of batsmen are interested in hitting the short-pitched stuff rather than swaying away from the line of the deliveries.

"With the bat, they look to score off the short ball instead of swaying out the way of it. They hit the ball as hard as any Indian players I have ever seen. They play good, hard strokes you see in Test cricket and it looks as if Duncan Fletcher is loving working with them."

Vaughan, however, believes that this is the best chance for the England team to win a limited overs tournament on global platform.

"This is a great chance for England to create history and win a global 50-over tournament. We reached the final of the Champions Trophy in 2004 but could not quite get over the line. But this team can go one better."

"They (England) are a stronger one-day side than we were but that is cancelled out by the fact they are playing an India side better than the West Indies team who beat us nine years ago (2004)."

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Red-hot India take on Eng in CT final

BIRMINGHAM: Putting behind the turbulent phase of the past few weeks, a red-hot India are standing on the cusp of winning their second straight world title as they take on hosts England in the summit showdown of the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday.

The reigning World Cup winners roared into the title clash of what will be the last edition of the tournament, winning all their four matches with consummate ease under the astute leadership of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

In a contest where the exuberance of youth will lock horns with the fineness of tradition, the 'Three Lions' on the other hand will be gunning for their first major 50-over international title in their own lair.

Joint winners with Sri Lanka in the 2002 Champions Trophy in Colombo, India are the defending World Cup champions and the No. 1 team on the latest ICC rankings.

But reputation and numbers will have little significance in a match, where skill and mental toughness face an acid test at the Edgbagston.

England, who have lost in the finals of both the World Cup and the Champions Trophy over the past two decades, will aim to exploit home conditions against a new breed of carefree Indian cricketers who have taken the tournament by storm.

While India have breezed through to the final, England have shown their die-hard character by lifting themselves several notches in key matches.

The hosts thrashed South Africa by seven wickets in the tournament's first semifinal at The Oval on Wednesday but more than the margin of victory, the team's ability to bowl out a decent batting line-up in less than 39 overs would have given the English bowlers a big shot in the arm.

India's batting has been in ominous form. Except for the tournament opener against South Africa on June 6, India have never batted beyond No. 4.

India's opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma has prospered in every game, but it is not their run-making that has impressed the purists. The temperament to treat the good deliveries with respect and play out the first 10-12 overs without any overdose of adventurism has stood India in good stead.

On the flip side, India's middle order remains untested. But that should not be a worry because there is plenty of experience with Suresh Raina at No. 5 and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 6.

As far as bowling is concerned, the likes of Bhubneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja have been admirable in unfamiliar but helpful conditions. Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin, too, have been instrumental in swinging the momentum India's way on a few occasions.

The Indians continue to be a relaxed bunch. After brushing aside Sri Lanka by eight wickets in Cardiff on Thursday, it was an off day after the players drove down to Birmingham on Friday afternoon.

The month of June has always been special for Indian cricket in England. Never having lost to England in two Champions Trophy matches before, a victory at Edgbaston will be the perfect way to compliment the 30th anniversary of India's first World Cup at Lord's on June 25.

While India have relied on the dashing Dhawan, the left-hander has scored a tournament high of 332 runs in four innings with back-to-back centuries, England continue to tow the traditional batting path, where grammar gains precedence over flamboyance.

The hosts' top order has been quite prolific with the workmanlike Jonathan Trott providing a calming influence at No. 3. The South African-born batsman is the third highest scorer in this Champions Trophy and will aim to play a 'special' knock at Edgbaston, home to his County side, Warwickshire.

Trott said England have "proved a few people wrong" by reaching their second Champions Trophy final after 2004. The most recent major final England played in was the 2010 World Twenty20 in Barbados where they beat Australia to claim their only major ICC trophy.

The Champions Trophy final is also 'special' for skipper Alastair Cook. He is leading England for the first time in a global event and is just a win away from a landmark victory.

"It would be a massive achievement and it's very hard to do. It's taken a long time to get to the finals. We got to the finals in 2004 and couldn't quite get over the line. I hope this time we can get one better," said Cook.

"I think everyone loves this tournament, the fact that every game has meant so much. Every game has been against high quality opposition, and you've had to be on your A-game to win it. To be through with the quality opposition we've played, I think that's a good achievement and hopefully it won't stop there," Cook said after the semifinal win against South Africa.

England's biggest strength is their pace attack. The troika of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn are more than a handful in seaming conditions and therefore, the nature of the Edgbaston pitch and the toss will be critical in Sunday's final. With rain forecasted over the weekend and conditions likely to stay overcast, the English quickies will fancy their chances.

The ability to take early wickets have been England's biggest plus in the tournament so far. Anderson, Finn and Broad had reduced South Africa to 50 for four inside 14 overs and then off-spinner James Tredwell spun a web, taking 3 for 19 in a horribly one-sided semifinal.

But England's bowling attack has also showed its limitations. Lack of a plan B was exposed when Kumar Sangakkara dared to look Anderson and Co. in the eye, stood his ground and demonstrated the audacity to cut, pull and drive with such authority that England's bowlers virtually ran for cover.

Sangakkara's unbeaten 134 blew away England by seven wickets in a group match, but more importantly, it underlined the fact that the home team pacers were not unplayable even in pitches that afforded seam and bounce.

Teams (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav.

England: Alastair Cook (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Joe Root, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott.

Match starts at 3 pm (IST).

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We're keen to set record straight: Cook

BIRMINGHAM: England captain Alastair Cook reckons that India will start as favourites in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday but said his team will be raring to set the record straight by winning their first world ODI title in all these years.

"India are a very strong side. They are unbeaten and playing very good cricket. They are batting well at the top of the order and getting early wickets. They will go in as favourites," skipper Cook told the mediapersons ahead of Sunday's high-profile final against India.

"They're unbeaten aren't they, and played some very good cricket. We're happy with that. But our record against India last time we played them in England is a good record. So we can certainly take a lot from that", he said.

England have a poor record in ODI tournaments and Cook said he was aware of this piece of history. England have not won a major ODI title, losing three World Cup finals and the 2004 Champions Trophy final against the West Indies at home.

"I keep getting asked this question in every press conference but yes, I am aware of our record and very keen to set it right this time," he said.

Cook is leading England for the first time in an ICC event and was extremely keen to win the last edition of Champions Trophy.

"It's a big final for us. The boys are raring to go and ready to play. It's going to be a one-off day and we will give it all," said the 28-year-old Essex batsman.

Cook is clearly banking on his fast bowlers and want the troika of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn to do the job against the Indians.

"They have the skills and can get the early wickets to put pressure on the middle-order. We have our plans," he said.

The English camp is taking a lot of heart from the fact that their home record against the Indians have been very good having beaten them 5-0 when the two teams played bilateral series on English soil during the summer of 2011.

"We have a good record at home but it's going to be a one-off day and the better team will win. We have played each other quite often in the last one and half years and there are no hidden secrets," Cook said, adding, "winning the toss can be an advantage but can mean nothing at the end of the day."

Asked about plans to counter Shikhar Dhawan who has been in tremendous form, Cook answered, "Yeah, obviously their top order have played very well. I think both top-orders have played well in this tournament and probably that's one of the reasons that we're in the final.

"Of course, we've got plans, you know? And we've also got very skillful new ball bowlers, as well. It's going to be a good contest out there, a contest in which if we want to win the game, we're going to have to try and get the best of them because we know how dangerous those guys at the top of the order can be."

The talented left-hander said that he isn't surprised by the positive effect that India's Zimbabwean coach Duncan Fletcher has had on the Indian team.

"Yeah, it doesn't surprise me. We obviously know what Duncan did for English cricket, as well, when he came over to England and had a very successful reign with the English cricket team and changed quite a few structures in our game and the way we went about things.

"So yes, I can see him obviously working the same with the Indian team, and he made some quite big decisions with the way they've gone."

Birmingham, Cook felt, will be a "great place" to play the final simply because both teams will enjoy adequate support from their loyal fans.

"...it's just a great place to play India here. It's going to be a great crowd. I think both sides will get some great support, and hopefully we can put on a good show."

In the last couple of years, both England and India have played each other a lot of times home and away and Cook feels that there isn't much secrets in the opposition ranks as most of the players are known entities.

"Look, we've played quite a lot of one-day cricket and Test match cricket against them over the last year and a half or so, so I don't think it's too many unknown quantities from either side, really, not too many hidden secrets. And yeah, it should be a really good game," he added.

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ICC to dedicate final to HIV campaign

BIRMINGHAM: The final of the ICC Champions Trophy will be dedicated to the highly successful HIV awareness campaign, THINK WISE, which is a partnership between the ICC, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Ms Jan Beagle will attend the final at Edgbaston tomorrow. She will join ICC President Alan Isaac, Chairman of England and Wales Cricket Board Giles Clarke, and two representatives of people living with HIV, and will walk out with the teams for the national anthems in solidarity of people around the globe living with HIV.

Over the past decade, the ICC has been promoting awareness for the AIDS epidemic, which led to the creation of the THINK WISE partnership in 2009 with UNICEF and UNAIDS.

The campaign has been profiled throughout 2013 through dedicated matches, site visits and coaching clinics with international players and other promotional activities.

During the final, both the finalists, as well as match officials, ICC and ECB staff, and cricketers will wear red ribbons to raise awareness about the stigma surrounding people living with HIV.

Beagle congratulated the ICC on its commitment to AIDS awareness: "I am moved to see the incredible dedication of the ICC and cricket players to promoting HIV prevention and reaching zero discrimination for people living with HIV. For a decade, UNAIDS and the ICC have been using cricket as an effective avenue to convey lifesaving messages and reach large numbers of people on key issues around AIDS."

ICC President Alan Isaac added: "I would like to extend a warm welcome to Ms Beagle and it brings me great pleasure that the ICC's partnership with UNAIDS and UNICEF is flourishing.

"By walking out with Ms Beagle, Clarke, the two finalists, the match officials and representatives of people living with HIV, the ICC is sending a message to the world about the importance of getting the facts about HIV and stopping the stigma."

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PIL against probe panel set up by Srini

MUMBAI: The Cricket Association of Bihar has dragged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), its chief N Srinivasan who stepped aside in the wake of the spot-fixing controversy during the recently concluded IPL 6, India Cements and Jaipur IPL Cricket to court. It filed a petition in public interest in the Bombay high court, questioning the constitution of the probe panel and sought directions to have it recalled.

The association urged the court to set up a probe panel comprising retired judges to "institute disciplinary proceedings against Srinivasan and direct him to vacate the office of the president of BCCI and the president of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association."

The PIL also wants the HC to "restrain Srinivasan from contesting for the post of president of BCCI in future" and to suspend the franchisee agreement of India Cements Ltd. (owners of Chennai Super Kings) and Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt. Ltd. (Rajasthan Royals).

Ameet Naik, the advocate representing the Bihar cricket association, said: "The petitioner is interested in upholding and maintaining the transparency/accountability and integrity and the faith of public at large in the game of cricket. Recent events as set out hereinafter have heavily eroded the faith of public at large in cricket in India. The petitioner is seeking a fair, free and independent probe into recent incidents of betting and spot fixing in cricket matches organized by BCCI which have seriously undermined the integrity of the sport and have brought disrepute to cricket in India."

The matter was mentioned for a hearing on Thursday before a bench headed by Chief Justice Mohit Shah who recused himself. The PIL will now be heard later before another bench.

The PIL essentially is challenging the constitution of the two members' probe panel set up by the BCCI under the presidentship of Srinivasan as being ex-facie ultra vires of BCCI's rules and regulations.

It claimed that the panel "has been constituted arbitrarily to cover up the allegations against Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan." The PIL has also alleged "blatant bias exercised by Srinivasan," in constituting the panel as he is the vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements Ltd. which is the owner of the IPL team "Chennai Super Kings" .

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Clarke praises 'amazing' Ricky Ponting

SYDNEY: Australian captain Michael Clarke has paid tribute to the "amazing" Ricky Ponting after his former skipper announced his retirement from all forms of the game.

Ponting, one of the outstanding batsmen of his generation, announced on Thursday he would quit all professional cricket in October.

"He's been an amazing player, there's no doubt about it, and (he's) done so much for the game of cricket," Clarke said on the Cricket Australia website.

Ponting, 38, called time on his international career in December but has continued to play in several domestic competitions, including the English County Championship where he is currently appearing for Surrey.

His form has been sparkling with Ponting hitting 192 on his Surrey debut this month, after having been named the Australian domestic Sheffield Shield player of the year in March.

It sparked talk that he should be called out of international retirement to play the Ashes series in England, with Australia struggling after a series of disciplinary incidents and a poor ICC Champions Trophy campaign.

But Clarke said he did not need Ponting back in the fold.

"He retired from the Australian cricket team. We've got a new team here and we are looking forward to this series."

Ponting said the time would be right to walk away completely after he turns out for Mumbai in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in October.

"While I'm enjoying my cricket as much as ever, it just feels like the right time to finish playing," he said on the Cricket Australia website.

"My body and mind are in great shape and I know I'm going to really enjoy these last few months before the next stage of life begins."

The news will come as a blow to the Big Bash T20 tournament, with Melbourne sides the Stars and Renegades both hoping to sign him for the Australian summer after he moved to Victoria state from Tasmania earlier this year.

Ponting played in, and later captained, strong Australia teams and his career total of 13,378 Test runs, in 168 matches with 41 hundreds, is second only to that of India great Sachin Tendulkar.

As captain, he won 48 off his 77 Tests in charge but also led Australia in three Ashes series defeats by England.

He also appeared in 375 one-day internationals, scoring 30 hundreds.

Ponting, who was due to play for Surrey against Yorkshire on Friday, said winning the Sheffield Shield with Tasmania last summer was the perfect way to say goodbye to Australian fans.

"It's one of a lifetime of memories that will become even more special to me in retirement," he said.

"I'm so grateful for the opportunities that the game of cricket has given to me."

He said he wanted to spend more time with his family but was considering career options in the cricket media as well as pursuing commercial opportunities.

He also suggested to British media that he could move into coaching.

"I got a taste for the off-field demands of coaching, mentoring and leadership at Mumbai. I'd like to do more of this in the future," he said.

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Ishant hails team in win over Sri Lanka

CARDIFF: His three wickets might have been the most crucial bowling performance in India's Champions Trophy semifinal win over Sri Lanka but pacer Ishant Sharma does not consider himself "leader" of the attack as he feels the triumph was a result of "team work".

Ishant was adjudged Man of the Match for his three for 33 in Thursday's crushing eight-wicket win which booked India a place in the final to be played against England on Sunday.

While India's top order batsmen easily scored the 182 runs needed for victory, it was the bowlers who set up the win after skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni decided to field first in overcast conditions.

"The wicket was two paced and there was lot of movement and bounce. I am happy that I could find my rhythm and hit the right lengths. It's very important to bowl in the right areas and I am lucky I did it," Ishant said in a post-match chat.

"I am not God that I will bowl like this every day...I think we're just helping each other out and doing work with the bowling coach. And we know now that the five fielders are in, so it's quite difficult for the bowler, so I think we'll keep working on our variations and everything, but I think it's going really well," he added.

The tall quickie said there was nothing special about his performance.

"It's a good feeling. I don't want to call myself the leader of the pace attack because we are working hard as a team and Bhuvi ( Bhuvneshwar Kumar) and Umesh (Yadav) are bowling well as well. It's team work," Ishant explained.

"As you can see, we have three different fast bowlers that we've been playing. So I think everyone stuck to their plan and helping each other out the way we can. So I think that's a good thing for us," he said.

Ishant said he was happy with his bowling so far in the Champions Trophy.

"I was bowling well in the IPL and I am just taking that momentum forward. It's not only about conditions, it's about bowling in the right areas. I have been doing this from the IPL," he said.

The quickie thanked Dhoni for backing him and said: "MS bhai is always supporting and it's a pleasure to have him as our captain," adding the team's fielding edge gives a lot of boost to the bowlers.

"Everyone is charged up. We are getting better as a fielding unit and bowlers are getting that confidence," the lanky pacer said.

Ishant said there were no special plans against England for Sunday's summit showdown.

"If we can bowl to our field and play to our strengths, we will do well against any team. We have not been under pressure in this tournament so far and we really don't know where our real weaknesses lie," Ishant said.

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'Ganguly is my favourite Indian captain'

MUMBAI: Among all the Indian captains that he has played against, Sourav Ganguly is the "favourite" of West Indian batting legend and former skipper Brian Lara as he feels his leadership against arch-rivals Australia was "astonishing".

"Sourav is my favourite. His leadership against Australia in Australia was astonishing. I have great respect for him," Lara said at a Dell event on leadership on Thursday night.

He also praised Kapil Dev and "good friend" Sachin Tendulkar for their leadership qualities.

"In 1983 West Indies were dominating and I thought it would be cake walk for them in the final. So I went out to play only to come and know that India won, which was a surprise and Kapil Dev as a leader had a lot of role to play," he said.

"Then there is my friend Sachin Tendulkar, what he has done for cricket, it can't be repeated. His contribution to Indian cricket and world cricket is immeasurable," he added.

On Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy, Lara said, "I spoke to Dwayne Bravo about Dhoni, how he was as a leader while they played together for CSK. He told me one of his key strengths is that he is a great listener. Bravo told me how he sets goals but always looks for ideas and commitment from his players."

Lara took a stroll down memory lane as he recalled his initial days and how he used a coconut branch as his first bat.

"My first bat was shaped out of a coconut branch by my brother. And from that day, all I wanted to do was to be a West Indian cricketer. I would play cricket by myself in the yard and the team would be (Gordon) Greenidge, (Desmond) Haynes, (Vivian) Richards, Lara. From a very early age, I saw myself as a West Indies cricketer and nothing else," Lara said.

Lara also thanked his father for encouraging him and coming along to all his games.

"I must also praise my father. He was tremendous. My dad was there at every single match I played for school, under-14, under-16 right upto when I got into the West Indies team. Unfortunately my dad passed away the very moment I made it into the West Indies team so he actually never saw me play (international cricket). But he was definitely the major influence in my career," he said.

The West Indies batting great also said his teammates were his biggest motivators and dismissed his critics' claims that he played for himself.

"A lot of media and people said a lot of success was individual. How wrong could that be? My biggest motivation in life has been my team mates. Playing within the team is what motivated me.

"My performances might have led to individual praise but for me playing within the team was the best thing that ever happened to me. I believe a team is a sum of individuals and each individual is depended on each other," he said.

"The 400 I scored was at a time when England was leading 3-0 in the series in West Indies, with one Test match to go. Drawing that Test match was more important than anything else. We got to 750. Some people said we batted too long," he added.

The Trinidadian said he would gladly give his records away to be part of the successful West Indies team who dominated the sport in 70s and 80s.

"I believe most records are destiny. In terms of 375 and 400, in terms of when they were scored and the way they were scored, I believe it was because of destiny. I would give any record away for success. If I played in a successful West Indies team, say for instance in the 70s and 80s, when we won for 15 straight years, I would give away any record for that," Lara said.

The 44-year old said he relished challenges and preferred to come onto bat when the chips were down.

"I love challenge. When the score was 300 for 2, I didn't like to bat. I liked to bat at 20 for 3. When the opposition tail is up and I am going with my back against the wall. I relished those occasions. I believe when you show true character under adverse situation, is when you become a true man," he said.

Lara said he got nervous before going into bat but used to work hard at the nets to be prepared for any situation that might arise.

"Like most sportsmen, I am very nervous before I go on to bat. I think that is something shared by a lot of the top sportsmen around the world. If someone is not nervous, I am not sure what sport they are involved in. Pre-game is where I do a lot of my hard work," he said.

"I worked as hard as possible on my game in the nets. I trained. Michael Jordon trained so hard that when he got to the game, he was on cruise control. And I felt the same way when I put myself through tougher things and got into the middle," he added.

The former West Indies captain said he was most critical of himself when he was doing well and not when he was going through a lean patch.

"I am most critical of myself, when I am doing well. When I score a hundred against Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, I know for a fact they will go and check on their computers to see how I was batting."

"They will pick up a few things where I was lucky enough not to get out and they will come back the next day, looking to counter that. I do what they do and keep a step ahead of them. When I am not scoring many runs, I tend to be less critical because you are going to go through bad patches," Lara added.

Lara said former West Indies skipper Courtney Walsh was the true leader and people should try to emulate him.

"...Courtney Walsh wanted the team to be successful. He knew exactly what he had to do even when he was not the captain. That for me are the qualities of a true leader. Someone who is not necessarily a captain wearing the arm band but someone who knows their responsibility at all different levels," he said.

"Courtney Walsh is someone that I will have full praise for and someone whom I consider to be a true leader. His stats don't show that as a captain, tactically he wasn't the best but in terms of character trait as a leader he is someone I would love to see a lot of people emulate," he added.

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Skipper Dhoni rolls arms without success

NEW DELHI: Indian skipper MS Dhoni shed gloves and rolled arm to give variation to the Indian attack in the second semifinal against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

With Sri Lanka struggling at 41/3, Dhoni thought to escalate Sri Lanka's misery with his medium pace. However, the skipper failed to claim any victim as Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews handled the Indian captain easily.

The second delivery of Dhoni's first over struck Jayawardene's pad. The appeal by Dhoni went in India's favour. But Sri Lankan batsman asked for review and third umpire turned down on filed umpire's decision.

Dhoni bowled four overs and conceded 17 runs without any success. Dinesh Karthik kept wickets during Dhoni's spell.

He took his first ODI wicket in the previous Champions Trophy, that of Travis Dowlin of West Indies.

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CT: MS Dhoni rolls arm without success

NEW DELHI: Indian skipper MS Dhoni shed gloves and rolled arm to give variation to the Indian attack in the second semifinal against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

With Sri Lanka struggling at 41/3, Dhoni thought to escalate Sri Lanka's misery with his medium pace. However, the skipper failed to claim any victim as Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews handled the Indian captain easily.

The second delivery of Dhoni's first over struck Jayawardene's pad. The appeal by Dhoni went in India's favour. But Sri Lankan batsman asked for review and third umpire turned down on filed umpire's decision.

Dhoni bowled four overs and conceded 17 runs without any success. Dinesh Karthik kept wickets during Dhoni's spell.

He took his first ODI wicket in the previous Champions Trophy, that of Travis Dowlin of West Indies.

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Ashwin scalps Mathews after fighting fifty

NEW DELHI: Off-spinner R Ashwin got Angelo Mathews caught by Bhuvneshwar Kumar just after he reached reached his fifty after facing 85 balls to give Sri Lanka fifth blow at the score of 158.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

Mathews score 51 and hit one boundary and a six during his knock.

Ravindra Jadeja gave India crucial breakthrough by bowling out Mahela Jayawardene (38) after a gritty 78-run stand for the fourth wicket with Mathews.

After losing three wickets inside 50 runs, Jayawardene and Mathews guided Sri Lanka past 100 in the 32nd over in the second semifinal.

Invited to bat Sri Lanka got off to a slow start. Sri Lanka batsmen had tough time negotiating Indian bowlers as they just conceded only 26 runs in the mandatory powerplay.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar continued his good form, giving India again a quick breakthrough when he dismissed Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera in the third over with just six runs on board.

Sri Lanka suffered a massive blow when their opener Tillakaratne Dilshan got retired hurt as he had some serious trouble in his right leg.

India's lanky pacer Ishant Sharma then added to Sri Lanka's misery by getting rid of Lahiru Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara in quick succession.

Ishant got both Thirimanne (7) and Sangakkara (17) caught by Suresh Raina in consecutive overs to reduce Sri Lanka to 41/3 in 18 overs.

Earlier, Indian skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl after rain delayed the scheduled start by 30 minutes but did not lead to a reduction in overs.

Indian retained their winning composition while Sri Lanka included Jeevan Mendis and Thisara Perera in place of Dinesh Chandimal and Shaminda Eranga

Both sides must bat for a minimum of 20 overs for a result to be declared.

If this game is washed out, India will go through to the final as they come into the knockout stages as the toppers of their group.

While India were the first team to make the last four from the tournament's Group of Death with an all-win record, Sri Lanka grabbed the last semifinal berth on Tuesday after warding off a late challenge from Australia.

The 20-run win against the Aussies enabled the Lankans to finish level on points with England, but an inferior run-rate pushed them to No. 2 and earned them a date with India.

For the Lankans, the clash against India will be a grudge game of sorts. In the final of the 2011 World Cup at the Wankhede, India outclassed the co-hosts by six wickets, easily chasing down a 275-run target, with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni laying the coup de grace with a towering six off Nuwan Kulasekara.

India and Sri Lanka clashed in the Champions Trophy final in 2002 in Colombo, not once but twice. On successive days, rain played spoilsport and for the first time in the history of a major ICC tournament, the title had to be shared.

Teams:

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (capt/wkt), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravinchandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav

Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (wkt), Mahela Jayawardene, Jeevan Mendis, Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga

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CT: India restrict Sri Lanka to 181/8

NEW DELHI: Ishant Sharma took three wickets as India restricted Sri Lanka to 181 for eight in the second Champions Trophy semifinal in Cardiff on Thursday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

In a repeat of the 2011 World Cup final India won by six wickets in Mumbai, India captain MS Dhoni saw his decision to field first in helpful overcast and humid conditions well supported by his attack.

Sharma took three wickets for 33 runs as India made a strong start to their bid to face hosts England, seven-wicket winners over South Africa at The Oval on Wednesday, in Sunday's final at Edgbaston.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews battled hard for his top score of 51 in an innings where no other batsman made more than Mahela Jayawardene's 38.

But the fact Mathews took 89 balls for his runs, including just one six and one four, was testament to the grip India's bowlers exerted.

Sri Lanka were six for one when Kusal Perera edged a drive off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and was caught at second slip by Suresh Raina.

They suffered a further setback when Tillakaratne Dilshan, after playing an on-drive, pulled up with what appeared to be a right calf injury.

He received lengthy on-field treatment but, still struggling, he retired hurt an over later on 12.

Dilshan eventually finished on 18 not out after coming back in when his side were 164 for seven.

Kumar and Umesh Yadav produced a series of full length deliveries moving sharply off the pitch that beat both Kumar Sangakkara and fellow left-hander Lahiru Thirimanne.

Sri Lanka declined to 41 for three after both Thirimanne and Sangakkara fell to well-taken second slip catches by Raina off Ishant Sharma.

It was deserved reward for Dhoni's policy of attacking the batsmen with two slips and only two men outside the circle, with India's bowlers at least making a mockery of the suggestion the side would struggle in classic 'English' conditions.

The 23rd over saw Dhoni pass on his wicketkeeping role to Dinesh Karthik, himself a specialist gloveman but played as a batsman this tournament.

That allowed Dhoni, a medium-pacer, to bowl himself in conditions ideally suited to his style

In his 222 previous ODIs Dhoni had bowled just two overs, yet his decision very nearly proved a master-stroke with his second ball Thursday.

Jayawardene, on five, was given out leg before by Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar only for the batsman -- who two years ago became the only man to score a hundred in a losing cause in a World Cup final -- to overturn it on review.

But a partnership of 78 ended when Jayawardene, swiping across the line, was bowled by Jadeja.

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with three for 48, including a stumping by Dhoni to dismiss Jeevan Mendis.

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SL will target Indian bowling: Jayasuriya

CARDIFF: Former captain Sanath Jayasuriya said Sri Lanka will target the Indian bowlers during the Champions Trophy semifinal slated for Thursday at the Sophia Gardens.

"Their (India) bowling isn't the best, so we need to have a very good plan. The goal was to make the semifinals. Anything can happen now," Jayasuriya said.

Jayasuriya, who led Sri Lanka when it shared the Champions Trophy with India in 2002, said Sri Lanka are peaking at the right time.

Sri Lanka lost to New Zealand in their opening match but came back strongly and made the semifinals with wins over England and Australia.

"I think the side is really coming up. The batting and the bowling unit has been doing really well for the last two years. I'm happy the way things are going," Jayasuriya said.

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'We just can't focus on Mahela or Sanga'

CARDIFF: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni rated Sri Lanka as "a dangerous team" ahead of their ICC Champions Trophy semifinal on Thursday, saying they were not just focussing on "a Mahela Jayawardene or a Kumar Sangakkara".

Thursday's semifinal will be the fifth meeting between India and Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom. Except for the shock defeat in the 1979 World Cup, India have easily won the remaining four. But Dhoni is taking nothing for granted.

"Sri Lanka are a dangerous squad. We just can't focus on a Mahela (Jayawardene) or a (Kumar) Sangakkara. We have to think of the entire team," Dhoni told reporters after a training session on Wednesday.

Dhoni said there was no pressure on the Indian team to win the championship.

"It's the Indian media that creates all this hype (after the recent BCCI controversies back home) and then asks me questions. As far as we are concerned, we have to play good cricket, we are working hard and just proving ourselves."

The Indian captain has been quite selective in dealing with the press during the Champions Trophy.

Except mandatory ICC briefings, the Indian Cricket Board's (BCCI) media policies have made Dhoni hard to get.

Rain could play spoilsport during the second semifinal at the Sophia Gardens here and if the match is washed out, India will go through to the final in Birmingham on June 23 for having topped their group.

Equal on points, but due to an inferior run-rate, the Lankans finished at the second spot behind England in group A.

Dhoni is not thinking about a washout and said the team was planning as it would normally do before every game.

"Of course, the teams know each other so well that we can save those extra 10-15 minutes strategising in team meetings," he said tongue-in-cheek.

The Indian captain said his boys were not too wary about the dangerous Lasith Malinga.

"We play each other a lot in the IPL and understand him better. He reverses the ball very well in the sub-continent but we are okay with him. He always remains a dangerous bowler," said Dhoni.

Dhoni said India's success so far in the Champions Trophy, where they are unbeaten in five games including two warm-up games, was also due to some excellent work by the back-up team.

The skipper said the presence of Duncan Fletcher (coach), Trevor Penney (fielding coach) and Joe Dawes (bowling coach) have helped him concentrate on other team details.

Asked if the team was looking to tie up any particular loose end before Thursday's semifinal, Dhoni said, "We'll have to see what strength we are really looking for against a particular opposition. Ishant is someone who gets a decent amount of bounce, who is tall and can have a big impact, especially in the middle overs once the ball gets slightly old. I think on and off each and every one will have a few games where they'll go for runs.

"Umesh had a bad game, then Ishant had a bad game. So I think it's important to keep backing the guys and also the fact that they learn a lot out of these games."

India and Sri Lanka had faced each other in the 2011 World Cup final, which the Indians won, but Dhoni feels that match could not be taken as a reference point.

"Even if both the teams were the same, there have been a significant amount of changes that have been made to the format, quite a few rules and regulations. So I don't think we can really count on all those stats. So I think it's very different. I think Sri Lanka, they are a really good squad. They are going through a phase where they are missing some of their players. So I think it's important for both the teams to do well, and I think they're a very good team," he explained.

Dhoni had faced a lot of criticism in Australia last year when he tried making some changes in the playing XI and get some youngsters in to have a positive impact on the fielding. But here he has been praised for using exactly the same thing.

"I think it's important not to react because that's what people are looking for. You have to be honest to yourself as to what needs to be done when it comes to looking into the future and making a good team as fielding I feel is very important, especially nowadays.

"If the opposition is scoring 250-odd runs, and if you have saved those 15 or 20 runs, it can have a big impact on the game. This was one aspect which was quite missing when it came to Indian cricket. For us it was more about the batting and the bowling aspect, which meant the skill of fielding was slightly missing. We still had good fielders, but the problem is when you don't have too many good fielders, you can't use them at too many places."

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