Prasanna's century helpes Sri Lanka to get 400 Runs in First Innings Against England !

Sri Lanka 400 (P Jayawardene 112, Paranavitana 66, Samaraweera 58, Anderson 3-62) | England 47 for 1 (Cook 24*, Anderson 1*) trail by 353 runs

England will have expected to encounter problems removing a Jayawardene during this series, but that was likely to be Mahela not Prasanna. Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper, batting in the elevated position of No. 6, hit his third Test hundred to lift the visitors to an impressive 400 on the second day in Cardiff. Thilan Samaraweera and the lower order also played vital hands to ensure a frustrating time for England who lost Andrew Strauss in the final over of the day to finish on 47 for 1.

England will have expected to encounter problems removing a Jayawardene during this series, but that was likely to be Mahela not Prasanna. Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper, batting in the elevated position of No. 6, hit his third Test hundred to lift the visitors to an impressive 400 on the second day in Cardiff. Thilan Samaraweera and the lower order also played vital hands to ensure a frustrating time for England who lost Andrew Strauss in the final over of the day to finish on 47 for 1.

Right from the beginning of this Test Sri Lanka have impressed with their mindset. They were flexible enough to adjust the balance of their side - and the choice of two spinners could yet prove a masterstroke - while Tillakaratne Dilshan opted to bat when many visiting captains may have hidden behind bowling first. Then the top order took on the responsibility of setting up a platform with a stubborn and committed display. To remove Strauss, who was well caught at second slip off Suranga Lakmal with five balls remaining, capped off a day that couldn't have gone much better for them.

Having opted for a five-man attack it put pressure on Prasanna to perform the role of a frontline batsman. A Test average of 30 showed he was capable but, as Matt Prior has occasionally found, there is a different onus on a wicketkeeper when they walk in at four down rather than five. Prasanna, though, handled his task with aplomb and, although he was dropped at slip on 89 by Strauss off Graeme Swann, it took nothing away from his achievement as he reached a hundred from 147 balls.

What made it even more commendable was that England were in the middle of one of their best periods with the ball as James Anderson, who would later worryingly leave the field with a back strain but return as nightwatchman, found swing in the first session. Sri Lanka hadn't added a run when Prasanna's namesake, Mahela, edged a beauty to first slip which shaped back into him after a series of deliveries moved away. He tried to drop his hands but it was too late and the catch was superbly taken by Strauss diving behind second slip.

It was tough work for the batsmen against Anderson and Chris Tremlett - the combination of swing and bounce - but all Sri Lanka's batsmen knuckled down. When Tharanga Paranavitana's 191-ball stay was ended by an inside edge into his stumps against Tremlett - shortly after being struck in a very painful area - it brought Prasanna to the middle at 159 for 4 and a tipping point of the innings. England will have believed they could break the back of Sri Lanka's resistance but, not for the last time, came up against a stubborn obstacle in a fifth-wicket stand of 84 between Samaraweera and Prasanna.

Samaraweera took a hard blow on the arm from Tremlett and kept the slips and gully interested by playing away from his body, but also collected some confident boundaries. Whenever the England bowlers strayed onto his pads he was quick to pick them off although he wasn't far off edging to third slip when the ball just eluded a diving Alastair Cook.

Thundering Chris Gayle takes Royal Challengers to final - Tendulkar's Poor decesion making helped RCB !

Royal Challengers Bangalore 185 for 4 (Gayle 89, Agarwal 41, Munaf 2-27) beat Mumbai Indians 143 for 8 (Tendulkar 40, Vettori 3-19, Aravind 2-27) by 42 runs. Full scorecard at the end of the article

In Jamaica the term criss is used to suggest everything is all right. Royal Challengers Bangalore may as well rename him Criss Gayle. For with Gayle, they criss. Gayle fell 11 short of his third century this IPL, but for 15 overs he played so much above the game that the 37 that came in the five after his exit didn't look far off par on this surface. Mumbai struggled to replicate Gayle's impact except with the new ball when they got off to a flying start. Gayle came on then to stifle the openers with a two-run over. The pressure resulted in wickets, everything was criss again, and Bangalore were in the final of the IPL.

Tendulkar won the toss but elected to bowl first was a decesion that made the first downfall of Mumbai as only one team had won out of 7 matches played here by batting second (Now it is 1 out of 8 !). Then he gave the new bowl to young Nechim to bowl the first over made things worse as he was hammered out by Gayle for 27 ( Which included 6 Wides). With that poor over by MI, momentum was maintained well by both openers. They went over 10 runs per over and first wicket came in 11th over with downfall of Agarwal for 41. Still the run rate was around 10 as Gayle was their but when he departed for 89 in 15th over, run rate went down rapidly and ended up at 185.

Anyway it was a good total to defend on this pitch as MI needed aroud 9 runs per over. MI started well by taking 20 runs in first 2 overs but when the runs dried down, wickets started to fall on regualr basis. Tendulkar was the top scorer with 40 runs and again Pollard was found to be an expenditure for MI as he scored only 3 runs of 6 bowls. Finally MI managed to get only 142 in 20 overs for 8 wickets.

So finals will be played between Bangalore and Chennai at Chennai tomorrow (28th May).

AG is partial ; courts ought to be independent; I accept verdict of the courts -Gen. Fonseka when giving evidence

War Hero, General Fonseka told Court yesterday that the Sri Lanka judiciary ought to be independent and he is prepared to accept whatever verdict the independent Courts may give in respect of him. The Attorney General (AG) Dept was brought under the purview of the President to file cases against him on false charges , he added. This was well illustrated when the AG came to court on two occasions to witness the white flag case, he noted. Gen. Fonseka made these comments when giving evidence for the fourth day in court.

Speaking further he revealed that the AG Dept .was not impartial , as the Lawyers who initially appeared for this case on behalf of the prosecution were changed which is a most significant feature. The AG had acted to file charges against those who are opposed to the Govt. and free those criminals who are pro Govt. Accusations were leveled against him for conspiring to overthrow the Govt. when he was with a group at the Hotel on the day of the Presidential elections. But ,when sixty had been arrested while he was at the Hotel , he remained at the Hotel since there was information that there was a plan to arrest him and the Opposition leader after the Presidential elections victory.

The Govt. is orchestrating a scheme to implicate him in the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickremetunge . Towards this the assistance of the former Army intelligence unit officer who is now in custody has been sought with offers of kickbacks, benefits and privileges to him , Fonseka pointed out while adding that he had already related this to the Galkissa courts.
Gen. Fonseka , the former Army Commander emphasized that it is only he who could give answers to the report of the advisory panel of the UN Gen. secretary . The President and the defense secretary by furnishing weak answers have betrayed the brave Forces, he lamented.

It was only I who could finish this war . If not the war will still be continuing , he asserted.

-lankaenews-

How Nazi Scientists Tried to Create an Army of Talking Dogs !

In his new book Amazing Dogs: A Cabinet of Canine Curiosities, Cardiff University historian Jan Bondeson mines obscure German periodicals to reveal the Nazis' failed attempt to breed an army of educated dogs that could read, write and talk. "In the 1920s, Germany had numerous 'new animal psychologists' who believed dogs were nearly as intelligent as humans, and capable of abstract thinking and communication," he writes. "When the Nazi party took over, one might have thought they would be building concentration camps to lock these fanatics up, but instead they were actually very interested in their ideas."

According to the book, scientists envisioned a day when dogs would serve alongside German troops, and perhaps free up SS officers by guarding concentration camps. So to unlock all that canine potential, Hitler set up a Tier-Sprechschule (Animal Talking School) near Hanover and recruited "educated dogs" from throughout the country. Teachers claimed a number of incredible findings. An Airedale terrier named Rolf became a mythic figure of the project after teachers said he could spell by tapping his paw on a board (the number of taps represented the various letters of the alphabet). With that skill in hand, he mused on religion, learned foreign languages and even asked a noblewoman, "Can you wag your tail?" Perhaps most outlandish is the claim by his German masters that he asked to serve in the German army because he disliked the French. Another mutt barked "Mein Fuhrer" when asked to describe Hitler. And Don, a German pointer, is said to have imitated a human voice to bark, "Hungry! Give me cakes!" in German.

Germany's love of dogs may have blinded the Nazis to the outlandish goals of their project. "Part of the Nazi philosophy was that there was a strong bond between humans and nature. They believed a good Nazi should be an animal friend," Bondeson says. "Indeed, when they started interning Jews, the newspapers were flooded with outraged letters from Germans wondering what had happened to the pets they left behind."

Hitler, a well-known dog-lover, had two German Shepherds named Blondi and Bella. He killed Blondi shortly before killing himself in 1945. (via The Sun)

Sri Lankan Lions Began Well but England came back with 2 quick wickets in the rain affected first day !

133 for 2 ( Paranawithana 58*, T M Dilshan 50, Anderson 42/1, Swann 12/1 )

Sri Lanka's openers, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana, gave their team a solid start to the first Test in Cardiff before England's bowlers hit back on a truncated day. The pair added 93 for the first wicket after play was delayed until mid-afternoon by regular showers, but Dilshan couldn't build on his half-century and Kumar Sangakkara also departed in somewhat controversial circumstances when the DRS became involved. (Photo 01 ; Dilshan Played a good knock of 50,     Photo 02 ; Umpired Cheking the Pitch    Photo 03; Tharanga Paranawithana Prooved that he is the ideal man to open in a test   Photo 04; Dilshan tried to cut against Swann and got bowled out)

Graeme Swann provided the first breakthrough and James Anderson was in the middle of a testing spell when England appealed for a Sangakkara edge behind but Aleem Dar turned down the shout and Andrew Strauss was quick to use the DRS. The decision rested on a combination of a noise and a faint mark halfway up the bat as the ball scooted past the edge. Rod Tucker, the third umpire, relayed that information and Dar overturned his decision.

Sri Lanka's opening partnership was their best in England, a place where touring sides often struggle against the new ball especially at this time of the year. They were also unfortunate that the dry, warm start to the summer ended on cue for the first day, but one of the main bonuses of Sri Lanka's successful warm-up period was the form of the top two. Dilshan and Paranavitana both hit hundreds against Middlesex and England Lions in stands worth 209 and 200. In that sense, England did well to separate them for 93. A solid start here was vital, too, because Sri Lanka have a lengthy tail after opting for a five-man attack which, after a late change of heart, included two spinners.


Strauss hadn't been unhappy to lose the toss, especially when another shower meant an awkward 70-minute session before tea, but it soon became clear there wasn't going to be a huge amount of help for the quick bowlers. There wasn't much early swing for Anderson and Stuart Broad bowled too short, reinforcing the feeling he is short of rhythm after just two Championship matches for Nottinghamshire and his injury-hit winter.

As was to be expected there were the occasional alarms for the openers but they judged well what to leave and what to play to build the frustrations for the bowlers. Against his natural instincts Dilshan was restrained in the 16 overs before tea except for a flash against Anderson and a strong cut off Broad as he passed 4000 Test runs. Paranavitana was impressively solid and alert to the quick singles although was on the receiving end of two big appeals from England.

The first was for a catch down the leg side which always sounded more like pad, but the second got Anderson excited as Paranavitana was squared up and the ball taken at first slip. Billy Doctrove was proved right, though, as the ball had flicked the batsman's hip and Strauss had been wise to keep the DRS up his sleeve. The England captain is becoming a good judge of when to use the system. However, Paranavitana was never flustered and adjusted impressively for a man playing his first Test outside the subcontinent.

After tea Dilshan came out playing more shots although England's bowlers did find the edges of both batsmen without anything reaching the slips. Chris Tremlett produced a probing spell that began to build some pressure and one delivery reared past Dilshan's edge even though he was largely negated by a slow pitch.

Swann had been brought on in the 27th over and while he couldn't produce a first-over strike he was in the action in his fourth. At the start of the over Dilshan reached fifty from 92 balls, but three balls later dragged into his stumps as he tried to force through the off side. England sensed their chance for a late push and Anderson's short battle with Sangakkara promised more for the series ahead.

Paranavitana remained firm during the closing overs and brought up a hard-working and hugely valuable fifty from 145 balls when he cut Tremlett for his fifth boundary. With Mahela Jayawardene for company plenty of hard work remains for England's bowlers.

US senator appeals to Hillary Clinton for Gen. Fonseka's rights

Senior United States Senator James M. Inhofe has written Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, inquiring as to the status of the conditions under which General S. Fonseka is being held. (See letter printed above) Senator Inhofe is the top Republican Senator on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that has U.S. oversight and jurisdiction on affairs in Sri Lanka.

It is also reported that other colleagues of the Senator’s are also questioning what they feel is the illegal, unjust incarceration of a man they are convinced is innocent. Secretary Clinton is expected to respond soon. It has been learnt that Inhofe is considering convening congressional hearings to further explore the Fonseka incarceration and the details surrounding it

Mumbai in to the semis and books it's place in the Champions League T20 !

Mumbai Indians 148 for 6 (Blizzard 51, Tendulkar 36, Kallis 2-18, Shakib 2-24) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 147 for 7 (ten Doeschate 70*, Munaf 3-27) by four wickets. ( Full Score Card at the end of the article )

Kolkata Knight Riders began nervously, Mumbai Indians finished similarly, but it was Mumbai who booked a place in the Champions League T20 and in the semi-final equivalent of IPL 2009. What will irk Kolkata is that they were the better side for 39 overs in the previous match between these sides, but one bad over then set up this rematch in the quarter-final equivalent. Mumbai then did enough to make use on the second chance. (Photo 01; Aiden Blizzard slammed a 29-ball fifty.  Photo 0 2; Ryan ten Doeschate played a figting knock of 70 but was not enough for KKR. 
Photo 03; Munaf Patel took 3 for 27 with key wicket of Jack Kallis in his first over  )

Kolkata's top order came out trying too hard for a big start, losing four wickets for 20, and Ryan ten Doeschate's 70 was not recovery enough on a good Wankhede track with short boundaries. A blazing start from Aiden Blizzard and Sachin Tendulkar seemed to have put to rest Mumbai's habit of muddled chases, but they choked again. For the second consecutive game, though, James Franklin scuppered Kolkata's hopes. This time, with much more on the line, he produced a less dramatic, but more assured 29.

Munaf Patel bowled smartly to capitalise on Kolkata's palpable nervous energy, taking three wickets, including those of Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan. It was a subtle change-up immediately after being driven for four that sent Kallis back. The wicket-taking delivery was pitched in the same area, but was bowled with a scrambled seam and was hence a touch slower. The slice settled with a diving Tendulkar.

Gautam Gambhir, Shreevats Goswami and Manoj Tiwary concentrated just on the boundaries, in the process failing to place the good balls for singles. The dot balls mounted, and all three fell to shots they would normally not play. ten Deoschate played sensibly, though, looking for singles and punishing the bad balls. That calm rubbed off on Yusuf, their 60-run stand took the run-rate past six an over, and a big finish could not have been ruled out.

Munaf, though, returned to interrupt the comeback with more clever bowling. Convinced that the short ball would trouble Yusuf, he let his Baroda team-mate have some. The first one took a top edge for four, the second went for a single along the ground, and the third one was mistimed over midwicket. Munaf persisted, and with his fourth bouncer of the over, he sent his man back.

Ambati Rayudu, a part-time wicketkeeper, proceeded to miss ten Doeschate and Shakib Al Hasan in the next two overs. ten Doeschate went on to score the highest for a No. 6 this IPL and Kolkata got 60 in the last six, yet a blazing start to the chase was always going to knock them out. Blizzard and Tendulkar provided just that.

Chennai through to the final - RCB's poor bowling at the end cost them the match but yet has another chance !

Chennai Super Kings 177 for 4 (Raina 73*) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 175 (Kohli 70*, Bollinger 1-20) by six wickets


How did Chennai win this? How did Bangalore lose this? Chennai always seemed to be lagging behind but surged like a tidal wave towards the end, with the odd run-filled over now and then, to storm into their third IPL final in four seasons. At the forefront was the feisty Suresh Raina, who pulled out the big shots through the latter half of the chase to set up an improbable win. The defeat makes Bangalore's path to the final - and beyond - tougher. They will have to win the second Qualifier on Saturday, if they are to meet Chennai in the final at the MA Chidambaram stadium, where the hosts have been unbeaten all season.

Bangalore will look back and rue at a few poor overs. There were full tosses and length deliveries galore and Chennai capitalised in some style. Virat Kohli bowled a slew of full tosses in the ninth over to leak 16 runs, and Abhimanyu Mithun kept bowling length deliveries in the 13th over, bleeding 23 runs. It included a fabulously carved six over the covers as Raina went down on a bent knee, to follow his muscled heave over long-off. Even then, the equation - 82 from 42 balls - seemed a tough proposition and it got tighter when it came down to 58 from 24. Chris Gayle had led from front with a parsimonious spell that read 4-0-19-0 as he fired in the skidders and the occasional yorker to pin down Chennai.

But Raina wasn't done yet, and he ramped it up style in the 17th over, from Zaheer Khan, who had been exemplary in his opening three-over spell. Raina's two sixes over midwicket, a thumping pull and a clubbed swing, were sandwiched by a bottom-hand powered six over wide long-on by MS Dhoni, who however fell in the same over. Zaheer went for 20 runs in that over and Chennai had well and truly seized the momentum.

More agony awaited Bangalore in the 19th over, bowled by S Aravind. Albie Morkel crashed a slower ball over long-on and clubbed a full toss over long-off before Raina killed another full toss over the midwicket boundary. That 21-run over left Chennai needing 12 off the final over by Daniel Vettori and Morkel dragged a four to wide long-on, before walloping the fourth ball over midwicket to win the contest.

Until those frenetic end overs, Bangalore were well on their way to becoming the first team to enter the final. The big question before the game was whether Bangalore would deflate like cheap party balloons if Gayle went out early. They answered that in an emphatic manner, as Kohli powered them to a competitive total.

Bangalore were in danger of slipping into free-fall after Gayle fell cheaply, trapped by R Aswhin, but Kohli and Luke Pomersbach ensured they stayed afloat. While Kohli batted with calculated aggression, Pomersbach counterattacked, taking 17 runs in the 15th over, off Dwayne Bravo. A murderous heave to wide long-on, a slash to third man and a flat six over midwicket were the highlights. Kohli, though, was the person who sculpted and shaped Bangalore's innings. Two shots in particular reflected the assurance in his knock. In the 13th over, he sashayed back to a back-of-length delivery from Raina to unfurl a peachy punch to the cover-point boundary. Then, off the final ball of the 16th over, he leaned forward to play a classy lofted whip over wide long-on Ashwin. He went on to produce two more screaming sixes - over long-on and covers - off Morkel in the 19th over, to push Bangalore to a good total but Raina decided to gatecrash the party.

Dictator Mubarak to be tried for deaths of protesters !

Egypt's public prosecutor has referred former president Hosni Mubarak to stand trial in a criminal court for his alleged role in the killing of anti-government protesters during the country's uprising.

The charges included "intentional murder, attempted killing of some demonstrators ... misuse of influence and deliberately wasting public funds and unlawfully making private financial gains and profits", the prosecutor said in a statement on Tuesday.

The prosecutor also referred Mubarak's two sons, Ala'a and Gamal, and a close confidant, Hussien Salam, to stand trial in a criminal court as well.

Salam, a businessman, has been blamed for a controversial deal to supply Israel with gas at lower than usual prices. He has fled the country.

Tornado strikes US city - At least 116 people reported dead after powerful twister rips through the town of Joplin in southwestern Missour

At least 116 people have been killed following a massive tornado that swept through the Midwestern US city of Joplin in Missouri.

Emergency officials announced the latest death toll on Monday, saying that about 400 other people were injured in the twister. Many of those wounded were reported to have massive internal injuries, according to local officials.

The tornado struck the city near the border with Oklahoma and Kansas on Sunday evening, less than a month after a horrific tornado outbreak left 354 dead across seven US states.

The twister was the deadliest of 46 tornadoes reported to the National Weather Service in seven states on Sunday.

Fire chief Mitch Randles estimated that 25 to 30 per cent of the city was damaged by the tornado.

"It cut the city in half,'' Randles said.

Meanwhile, Scott Meeker of the Joplin Globe newspaper said the tornado turned the city into a "warzone".

"We've got hundreds of wounded being treated at Memorial Hall (hospital), but they were quickly overwhelmed and ran out of supplies, so they've opened up a local school as a triage centre," added Meeker, who is a resident of the town.

People clawed through the rubble looking for friends, family and neighbours after the storm tore buildings apart and turned cars into crumpled heaps of metal.

Flames and thick black smoke poured out of the wreckage of shattered homes, and water gushed out of broken pipes as shocked survivors surveyed the damage, early photos showed.

Many streets on the city's south side were described as impassible, littered with downed trees and utility poles. Emergency vehicles were racing across the city, taking injured residents to hospitals.

Phone communications in and out of the city of about 50,000 people about 257km south of Kansas City were largely cut off.

England Squad Named for the Test Series with Sri Lanka - Morgan wins selection race !

England squad : Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Steven Finn.

Eoin Morgan has been unexpectedly named in England's squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Cardiff. The strong tip had been for Ravi Bopara to earn a recall to fill the No. 6 spot vacated by Paul Collingwood but Morgan, who hit 193 for the Lions this week, has stepped up after being the spare batsman in Australia. Steven Finn has also pipped Ajmal Shahzad to the reserve pace-bowler's slot, but is unlikely to play with Stuart Broad fit again after missing three Ashes Tests and part of the World Cup.

For the last few weeks the momentum has grown behind Bopara's potential recall, so Morgan's selection is a surprise. It had been thought that Bopara's decision to opt for Championship cricket ahead of the IPL - while Morgan played for Kolkata Knight Riders - earned him plenty of credit and coupled with two first-class hundreds for Essex would see him add to his 10 Test caps.

However, in terms of consistency the selectors have followed the next-cab-off-the-rank policy they favour and Morgan was one injury away from playing at any stage during the Ashes. The fact that the 10 balls he faced against Victoria on that tour made up his only first-class innings for nine months made his 193 against the Sri Lankans on Thursday and Friday even more impressive.

Mumbai takes 23RUNS in last over to claim victory over KKR ! - but both teams will meet again at eliminator !

Kolkata Knight Riders 175 for 7 (Kallis 59, Yusuf 36, Tiwary 35), Mumbai Indians 178 for 5 (Franklin 45*, Tendulkar 38, Bhatia 3-22), MI beat KKR by five wickets.

Kolkata Knight Riders had their Champions League debut all but booked when they began the last over with 21 to defend. Three edged boundaries off L Balaji and two missed yorkers later, James Franklin and Ambati Rayudu had seen Mumbai Indians to a highly unlikely win, breaking their three-match losing streak. The win set up a repeat clash between the two teams in the eliminator, an equivalent of a quarter-final.

In all the chaos of the last over, which stunned the full house at Eden Gardens, Chennai Super Kings emerged the biggest gainers. Had Kolkata won the game, which they should have despite all those edges, Chennai would have finished third, and would have had to win two games in order to make the final. Now they need win only one of the two.

(Photo 1; James Franklin is congratulated after getting Yusuf Pathan out, Photo 2; James Franklin celebrates Mumbai's win over Kolkata Knight Riders)
Mumbai gained too: they needed to finish the chase off in 5.1 overs to make it to the top two, but by beating Kolkata they could have ensured a psychological advantage in their eliminator. For the best part of their 19 overs of batting, Mumbai scarcely looked like a team that could do so. Iqbal Abdulla removed T Suman in the second over, the pinch-hitter Harbhajan Singh managed 30 off 29, and Rajat Bhatia's leg-rollers broke the batting order's back with thee wickets in three overs.


Last over Highlights of Mumbai Indians Innings which scored 23 runs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xSC28q2lQA

Watch Full Match Highlights of IPL 2011 - KKR vs MI, MATCH70
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEBwETdSfMs


At 96 for 4 in the 13th over, it seemed too much was left for Kieron Pollard and Franklin. Pollard lived up to that expectation, but Franklin kept the fight up mostly with well-placed couples. A six and a four in between meant Mumbai were not completely out of it even when Balaji ripped Pollard's leg stump out with 40 required off 15.