Warriors seal thrilling last-ball win

Warriors 173 for 7 (Prince 74, Botha 42, Vettori 2-26) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 172 for 8 (Kohli 34, de Villiers 31, Theron 4-29) by two wickets
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How they were out

	Ashwell Prince showed there was enough room for correct batsmen playing correct shots in Twenty20 © Associated Press Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Ashwell Prince Matches: Royal Challengers Bangalore v Warriors at Bangalore Series/Tournaments: Champions League Twenty20 Teams: India | Royal Challengers Bangalore | South Africa | Warriors

The Warriors lower-order batsmen kept swinging their first balls for boundaries to make sure the comeback from Ashwell Prince and Johan Botha was not wasted. Royal Challengers Bangalore had the game won, then lost, then won, then lost, then won, until they finally lost it last ball. Prince and Botha came together with 91 required off 8.1 overs, but by the time Prince fell for 74 off 55 they were left needing 18 off 10. Craig Thyssen then squeezed a yorker out for four before edging the next, Nicky Boje came out to pull the first he faced for a six only to watch Botha play two dots before getting out in the final over. With six required off two, it was Wayne Parnell's turn to pull a slower bouncer away for four before hitting the final ball to the left of long-on for the match-winning couple.

Like the famous World Cup tie between India and England at the same venue, this match kept turning this way and that so frequently it left you dizzy. Trusting a flat track and short boundaries, the batsmen remained brave, even when it was tense. Especially when it was tense. All five of Bangalore's set batsmen, whose attractive efforts ranged between 34 and 23, were caught at the boundary, leaving them an in-between total by Chinnaswamy Stadium standards. The main beneficiary of that hitting was Rusty Theron who ended up with four wickets.

Warriors came out swinging too: JJ Smuts lofted S Aravind, the near last-over hero, for a six off the first ball he bowled, Prince swung Chris Gayle for two sixes in his second. Led by Daniel Vettori, the man with the best T20I economy rate among bowlers with at least 50 overs to their name, Bangalore inched back into the match. Vettori accounted for Colin Ingram and Justin Kreusch, but his side's fielding was to soon let him down.

Prince should have been out for 28 off 28 when Viratn Kohli dropped a sitter at midwicket. Botha should have been out for 14 when his top edge lobbed over Mayank Agarwal, who was a couple of yards inside the boundary, at fine leg. That shouldn't take the shine off the efforts of the two. A long-form specialist at international level, Prince showed there was enough room for correct batsmen playing correct shots in Twenty20. He kept the fight up even as wickets fell at the other end, and stayed long enough to bring up his highest Twenty20 score.

And if he did lose faith with the wickets falling, Botha would have reinforced it with a smacking off-drive for four off the first ball he faced. The two then started peppering all boundaries, and a game of tactics ensued. Vettori kept attacking through himself, Dirk Nannes and Chris Gayle, leaving the final two overs for the Indian bowlers who had gone for plenty earlier. Neither Prince nor Botha took a backward step. Prince saw Vettori off with a six off the last ball he bowled, and Botha bid Gayle farewell with two sixes in his last.

Then began two crazy overs for two Karnataka youngsters. Abhimanyu Mithun ran in with 18 to defend in the last two, with 72 having come off the previous 6.1. Prince top-edged a slog to send Bangalore into ecstasy. Mithun followed it up a decent full and wide ball, which Thyssen squirted past point. Mithun came back next ball with a short-of-a-length delivery that took the edge. Six off five with two wickets so far. In came Boje, got a short ball, pulled it over wide long-on for six.

Time for another Bangalorean then to try to redeem himself. With just six to defend, Aravind responded boldly. He went round the stumps, called the keeper up, and beat Botha with back-to-back slower deliveries. Then the man with 42 off 23 made the mistake, holing out to long-on. Boje managed only a single next ball, and Royal Challengers were about to make the final mistake. For the first time in the over Aravind sent the keeper back. Parnell was almost expecting a short ball, when he sat back and waited for the slower bouncer to arrive. He pulled it in the air, it bounced inches inside the midwicket boundary. Botha thought it was a six, and charged onto the field.

He had to go back and watch a mis-hit to long-on off the last ball before he could finally celebrate. Bangalore had lost the inaugural match of a league season again, taking the count to two in IPL and two in Champions league.

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Kolkata lose, but qualify alongside Somerset

Somerset 166 for 6 (Trego 70, van der Merwe 40) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 155 for 8 (ten Doeschate 46, van der Merwe 2-23) by 11 runs
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	Ryan ten Doeschate could not carry Kolkata to a win, but he did enough to steer them into the CLT20's main draw © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Ryan ten Doeschate | Peter Trego Matches: Kolkata Knight Riders v Somerset at Hyderabad (Deccan) Series/Tournaments: Champions League Twenty20 Teams: England | India | Kolkata Knight Riders | Somerset

Somerset out-fielded and out-bowled Kolkata Knight Riders to push them to the brink of elimination, but an ice-cool Ryan ten Doeschate hauled them alongside their opponents into the main draw of the Champions League. Kolkata needed 153 to qualify after Somerset had waltzed to an imposing 166 for 6 and, at 57 for 4 in the 10th over, seemed to have lost the final spot to Ruhuna. ten Doeschate however pulled off a special heist to ensure there will be four IPL teams in the main draw.

Ruhuna ended up the biggest losers of the day, and Kolkata celebrated jubilantly despite falling short 12 of victory, but Somerset deserved the most praise. They arrived for the tournament bleary-eyed and dispirited, two days after losing their fifth domestic final in two years, and without many of their first-choice players. If they were knackered, they didn't show it: Peter Trego batted with freedom, Roelof van der Merwe was typically tigerish with bat and on the field, and the three-pronged spin attack was ruthless to the end.

Kolkata were at the other end of the spectrum, and their struggles were epitomised by the inability of Manoj Tiwary and Shreevats Goswami - batsmen bred on slow tracks - to force the pace against spin. That Kolkata had lost the in-form Manvinder Bisla and captain Jacques Kallis early did not help matters, and things became worse when the legspinner Max Waller disloged both Tiwary and Goswami. Thereafter, ten Doeschate owned the night.

He announced himself with a lofted drive that Nick Compton palmed over the ropes at long-off, but that was the closest he came to being dismissed. With the asking-rate hovering out of reach, he dabbed Trego through point before whipping Arul Suppiah over midwicket for six. Yusuf Pathan was surprisingly subdued in his brief stay, but by the time he exited it was clear that the wicket that mattered was at the other end.

Shakib Al Hasan's stay was ended by a blinder in the outfield from van der Merwe, who single-handedly underlined the difference in fielding standards between the sides. Rajat Bhatia then held his nerve in a 30-run stand that took Kolkata close, while ten Doeschate continued to produce the fireworks with an audacious whip over midwicket for his third six. Van der Merwe dismissed both batsmen in the final over, but it wasn't enough to stop Kolkata.

Earlier, Somerset showed they had better methods against spin than their county rivals Leicestershire had displayed earlier in the day. Trego went after Iqbal Abdulla despite not always managing to reach the flight, and his enterprise forced Jacques Kallis to rely on seamers more than he would have liked, a move that played into Somerset's hands.

They moved to 56 for 1 after eight overs, at which point Trego shifted gears against Bhatia's mind-numbingly predictable lack of pace. Trego lost his balance while pulling him for four before cutting late for another boundary. The next over went for 17 as van der Merwe exploded against a raft of long-hops from Yusuf. Jaidev Unadkat gave Kolkata some respite when he got van der Merwe pulling to midwicket, and James Hildreth with a slower ball, but Trego bustled along unfettered, scoring his boundaries with a series of correct strokes. Unadkat was drilled through the covers, Jacques Kallis pulled through midwicket, and the Kolkata shoulders began to droop in a hurry.

Trego was starved of strike a touch in the end overs, but it did not seem to matter as Compton ramped Lee for six and stole a found a couple of inventive boundaries. More importantly for Somerset, Kolkata stayed generous right to the last over, with Unadkat making a hash of a regulation save at midwicket, and Lee getting a wicket of a no-ball. Kolkata's fielders had done themselves no favours, but the itinerary that gave them the chance to play the last innings of the qualifier stage was about to.

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Bairstow blasts England home on debut

England 241 for 4 (Trott 63, Cook 50, Bairstow 41*) beat India 304 for 6 (Kohli 107, Dravid 69) by six wickets (D/L method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Virat Kohli produced India's first century of their one-day campaign, but he was trumped by a brilliant debut from Jonny Bairstow © Getty Images Enlarge
Related Links Players/Officials: Jonny Bairstow | Ravi Bopara | Alastair Cook | Virat Kohli | Suresh Raina | Jonathan Trott Matches: England v India at Cardiff Series/Tournaments: India tour of England Teams: England | India

Not even India's first 300-plus total in 14 attempts against England could prove sufficient to win their first international fixture of a desperately one-sided tour, as the 21-year-old Yorkshire batsman Jonny Bairstow marked his international debut with a nerveless display of power-hitting under the floodlights at Cardiff. Chasing a revised target of 241 in 34 overs after a sequence of Duckworth-Lewis readjustments, Bairstow battered an extraordinary 41 from 21 balls, as England eased home with 10 balls to spare.

In a breathless performance, Bairstow struck the fifth ball of his international career for six over midwicket, and added two more and a four for good measure, as England marched up the mountain to complete their third victory of the series and their eighth in ten international matches against India this summer.

The denouement stole the thunder from Virat Kohli's excellent 107 from 93, and also overshadowed the final ODI match of Rahul Dravid's 344-match career. He signed off with 69 from 79 balls, and a handshake from every England player, but as had been the case all summer, he was powerless to stop a team on the rampage.

Such a dramatic turn of events had seemed unlikely at the halfway mark of the day, which was reached amid similar pyrotechnics, as India's captain, MS Dhoni, slammed an even 50 from 26 balls to haul his team to an imposing total of 304 for 6. It was four runs more than they had managed in their final innings of the Test series, at The Oval back in August, and when two untimely rain-showers lopped 10 overs and only 34 runs off the chase, England's task appeared to have been made all the more awkward.

But they approached their task with confidence from the outset. In damp conditions, but on a still firm deck, Craig Kieswetter struck four fours in his first 12 balls to motor along to 21 from 17, before he was adjudged lbw a delivery that looked to be sliding past leg stump, while Alastair Cook provided the ballast once again, skitting along to 50 from 54 balls to set England up for their late push.

Another rain delay in the tenth over forced another D/L readjustment, but not before the newly-crowned ICC Cricketer of the Year, Jonathan Trott, had slammed Munaf Patel straight back down towards the River Taff for the first six of his ODI career. Cook reached his fifty in a frenetic over from Kohli, which included - in consecutive deliveries - a reverse lap for four, a terrible dropped catch at backward square from Dravid, and a mow across the line that led to Cook's middle stump being pegged back.

Smart stats England's 3-0 series win is only the third series of three or more matches when they have won at least three games without a single defeat. The two previous series were against South Africa in 2008 and Zimbabwe in 2001-02. Virat Kohli scored his sixth century in ODIs. Among Indian batsmen with 2000 runs in ODIs, Kohli's average 43.46 is behind only those of MS Dhoni (48.88) and Sachin Tendulkar (45.16). Rahul Dravid's 69 is his 95th fifty-plus score in ODIs. He is fifth on the list of batsmen with the most fifty-plus scores in ODIs. Tendulkar leads the list with 143 fifty-plus scores. The 170-run stand with Kohli is the highest that Dravid has been involved in against England surpassing the 169-run stand with Tendulkar in 2002. The partnership between Dravid and Kohli is the fourth-highest stand for any wicket for India against England. It is also the seventh century stand and the highest partnership in ODIs in Cardiff. Dhoni's strike rate of 192.30 during his innings of 50 off 26 balls is the highest strike rate for an Indian batsman against England for a fifty-plus score. The run-rate of 11.25 during the partnership between Ravi Bopara and Jonny Bairstow is the second-highest for the fifth-wicket for England in ODIs (fifty-plus stands).

Trott might already have been caught at mid-off had Munaf not overstepped, and Munaf's evening got even worse when he slipped in the outfield and limped off with a twisted ankle. But Trott by now was getting into the mood, and with Ian Bell alongside him, he laid into the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja, who was smacked for 1, 6, 1, 6, 1, 6 in a single over that went for 21 and catapulted England ahead of the D/L requirement.

The two men fell in consecutive overs - Bell holed out to long-off against RP Singh, before Jadeja gained a measure of revenge by removing Trott who slapped to point - but Bairstow's arrival provided the carefree attitude that the situation required. At first, Ravi Bopara was unable to break the shackles to quite the same extent, but found his range as the target drew nearer, slogging RP Singh over deep fine leg for a top-edged six as he closed his series on 34 not out from 20 balls.

After winning the toss for the fifth match in a row, Cook's decision to bowl first was influenced by the prospect of showers and evening dew, but England struggled for breakthroughs at the outset. Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane added 52 for the first wicket, and though Steven Finn kept the Powerplays in check with an excellent first spell of seven overs for 22, England's fielding became notably ragged at key moments of the innings. Samit Patel dropped two bad catches, one at third man off Rahane to deny Finn a deserved early wicket, and England were once again indebted to the spin of Graeme Swann, who returned figures of 3 for 34 in nine overs to prevent the run-rate from getting completely out of hand.

It was Dravid and Kohli who turned on the style, slowly at first but with increasing poise as their partnership mounted. Jade Dernbach's sixth over was dispatched for 15 as Kohli's strong wrists and superb timing plundered his variations, before Patel was battered out of the attack with two fours over midwicket and a massive spring-loaded six over long-off. Though he slowed his tempo with his hundred in sight, he eventually turned Swann through square leg for a single to bring up his landmark from 87 deliveries, and was celebrating with jubilation before he had even completed the run.

One delivery later, Dravid's ODI career was brought to an end as Swann tweaked one through his gate and into the top of off stump, and when Kohli trod on his own stumps while working a single through square leg, England had prised themselves an opening that Dhoni - the eventual Man of the Series - did his utmost to slam shut. But India's defence was hampered by the absence of Praveen Kumar, who twisted his ankle while playing football in the warm-up, and without Munaf at the death, they simply had no answer to Bairstow's brilliant onslaught.

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Confident Marsh steers Australia

Tea Australia 154 for 4 (Marsh 68*, Hussey 18*) v Sri Lanka
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	Shaun Marsh was 68 not out at tea © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Preview : Sri Lanka look to level series Matches: Sri Lanka v Australia at Colombo (SSC) Series/Tournaments: Australia tour of Sri Lanka Teams: Australia | Sri Lanka

Shaun Marsh justified Australia's decision to keep him at No.3 with a gutsy half-century on the first day in Colombo, where Sri Lanka held a slight edge at tea. Having been sent in by Tillakaratne Dilshan, Australia had reached 154 for 4 at the break, with Marsh on 68 and Michael Hussey on 18, and their partnership was the important one for Sri Lanka to break, with only the out-of-form Brad Haddin and the bowlers to come.

However, getting through Marsh and Hussey was not proving an easy task, both men showing the sort of concentration that earned them hundreds in the Pallekele Test. Marsh especially was impressive in his composure, defending the good balls, leaving those he could, and choosing the right ones to put away.

In the final over before tea, Marsh drove a boundary straight down the ground off Suranga Lakmal, which took him to 209 runs in his first two Test innings, the most by an Australia player, passing Kepler Wessels' record of 208. He brought up his half-century from his 125th delivery with a pull for four off Lakmal, and it was typical of his innings: a bad ball, and no risk in the stroke.

His senior team-mates could have learnt something from his approach. Ricky Ponting, who moved down to No.4 to accommodate Marsh, played well for his 48 but appeared to lose concentration when he drove at a fullish outswinger from Lakmal and edged behind, while Michael Clarke's poor run of form continued, even back down at No.5.

Clarke flashed at a wide ball from Shaminda Eranga and was caught behind for 6, and it was a very unimpressive piece of batting given Australia's need to make the most of the chance to bat first. It was a surprise that Dilshan sent Australia in, but he believed the surface would provide some early seam movement due to rain in the lead-up to the game.

It was the 12th occasion a captain had sent the opposition in at the SSC, but only twice has that decision led to a victory: both times against Bangladesh. The early signs for Sri Lanka were good, with Lakmal removing Phillip Hughes for a second-ball duck in the second over. Lakmal angled the ball across the left-hander and straightened it just a fraction off the seam. The ball caught the inside edge of the bat as Hughes wafted aimlessly away from his body, and the stumps were rattled.

It was a disappointing effort from Hughes, who is viewed by the selectors as the long-term opening partner for Shane Watson but has not reached fifty in any of his past ten Test innings. Shane Watson is also experiencing an uncharacteristic lean patch, and that continued when on 8, he drove hard at a full and wide delivery from Eranga and was snapped up at backward point.

It was a joyous moment for Eranga, who became the second Sri Lankan to take a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket, after Chamila Gamage in 2002, and the second man to achieve the feat in this series after Australia's Nathan Lyon. The inclusion of Eranga was one of a raft of changes to Sri Lanka's line-up for this Test.

The left-arm spinner, Rangana Herath, was included after missing the Pallekele Test due to a finger injury, and the Sri Lankans went for a more seam-heavy attack by dropping the spinners Suraj Randiv and Seekkuge Prasanna. They also axed the veteran batsman Thilan Samaraweera and brought in Lahiru Thirimanne, who will open, while Dilshan will move down to No.5.

But first, they need to get through the rest of Australia's batting order. And against an in-form Marsh and Hussey, that could be easier said than done.

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WWE 12 Game Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_MHoa_CY50

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Just another day in Dravid's life

Related Links Features : The misfit who thrived Players/Officials: Rahul Dravid Matches: England v India at Cardiff Series/Tournaments: India tour of England Teams: India

Many things have happened to Rahul Dravid on this England tour. He made his maiden century at Lord's, fulfilling a desire that was born the day he made 95 on Test debut at the ground 15 years ago. He opened for virtually the entire Test series barring the first innings of the first Test, and ended up with the Player of the Series trophy on the visitors' side. He walked in the second innings of the third Test at Edgbaston believing the umpire's word for a caught-behind when replays conclusively showed the ball had kissed an aglet on his left shoe-lace. He was shocked to hear the news that the he was part of the Indian one-day squad as reinforcement after injuries had ruled many of the frontline players. He played his first and last Twenty20 international where he hit three consecutive sixes, the most by an Indian in the match. Tomorrow Dravid will not only pull curtains on a "bittersweet" tour but also on his one-day career. Luckily Dravid does not mind that one bit.

Today Dravid was expansive, clear and even tinged his answers with a pinch of wit while facing the media on the eve of his final one-day match. Throughout his career Dravid's was an image of a man unsatisfied, of a man who despite all his achievements and humility, was struggling to prove something to himself, more than to the outside world. In some ways his battle with the self always benefited Indian cricket as he grew into the role of crisis manager. He climbed up the batting ladder to occupy a permanent position in the top order primarily at three and four where his best batting was seen.

Being a grafter at the first-class level, Dravid found life difficult in his formative years in the one-day game. But once he returned in 1999 having faced the axe a few times in his first three years, he transformed himself into a batsman who could pace an innings cleverly despite never going for the slog. He even led India, kept wickets, and moved up and down the order in search of pressure situations. He did everything that was asked of him and more. Today he explained how he could pull it off.

"I probably had to work harder in one-day cricket than in Tests. It has given me a lot satisfaction that I have been able to achieve so much," Dravid said. "When I started my career, obviously I wasn't recognised as much of a one-day cricketer, [I was] probably more in the traditional frame of mind. That's how I grew up playing cricket, that's how I played my Ranji Trophy cricket. So there was a lot more learning that I had to do in one-day cricket along the way. I faced some ups and downs, I got dropped in the middle, I had to go back and learn some lessons, I had to improve my game, keep getting better."

	"I probably had to work harder in one-day cricket than in Tests" © AFP Enlarge

But Dravid acknowledged the advantages of early struggle and the I-am-only-going-to-improve attitude. "It helped free up my Test game and it has given me lot of satisfaction," Dravid said of his one-day resurgence. "I have done a lot of different things for India in one-day cricket. In some ways that versatility, that ability to do different things helped me a lot. You open the batting, it is different; batting at three is different; keeping and then batting, batting and then keeping ... so many different situations that I found myself in. It helped me grow as a person and cricketer."

Currently Dravid is the seventh highest run-maker and eighth in the list of most ODI appearances, something even he didn't envisage when he started playing. "The fact that I played over 300 games, [and made] close to 11,000 runs gives me a lot of satisfaction. Maybe people might have said at some stage that I will have successful Test career, but I guess not many people would have said that I'll play that many one-dayers at the start of my career. I wouldn't have said that about myself."

Though he did not shortlist his best one-day innings, Dravid pointed out reaching the final of the 2003 World Cup as one of the highlights of his career. Equally satisfying, he said, was watching MS Dhoni's side win the World Cup earlier this year even if Dravid was not part of the squad. "As a young kid in 1983, watching Kapil Dev lift the World Cup was a huge inspiration for me as a 10-year-old. Towards the end of my career, watching another Indian team and being part of the journey in some ways, and watching a team led by Dhoni in 2011 has been really satisfying," Dravid said. The biggest disappointment for him would be the failure to make the Super Sixes in the 2007 World Cup where India lost to Bangladesh in the league stage. He was the captain, and has still not come to terms with that disappointment.

The intensity in their training, the discipline, the hardwork have been the pillars on which Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Dravid built their success. These were also the characteristics that aided in the trio's longevity. "If you want to play international cricket and international sport for a long period of time, there are certain sacrifices that you need to make and discipline that you need to follow," Dravid said. "To be honest I have never seen them as sacrifices. I love the lifestyle of a cricketer, I love being a cricketer, l liked playing for my country. In some ways I feel lucky that I enjoy hitting the balls in the nets, I enjoy working hard and I enjoy practising. Sometimes when people ask me 'what will you do after cricket', I feel I will miss just that intensity of preparation, the practice."

In the last two months Dravid has always been the first player to come out an hour or two before the rest of the Indian squad assembled for training. Today was no different. He was at SWALEC stadium, facing throw-downs from Trevor Penney, the Indian fielding coach. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the trees surrounding the small ground dazzled in the vintage autumn colours of red, gold and orange. Comfortable in his own space, Dravid set about working on minor adjustments to his batting technique. It does not matter to him that he won't have to play another ODI after tomorrow.

"I am not dreading quitting. You just recognise that the time has got to come at some stage when you have got to move on. I am happy and I am comfortable in the space that I am in. I am happy with the way my career has progressed, how it has progressed in both forms of the game.

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India face the final curtain

Big Picture

One more match, 100 overs of effort at best, and India's dreadful tour can finally be consigned to history. Cardiff was the scene of England's first match of an eventful 2011 summer, against Sri Lanka back in May, and now it is preparing to lower the curtain on the season as well. Two ad-hoc Twenty20s remain to be completed against West Indies next week, but to all intents and purposes, with the midpoint of September already passed, this contest possesses a true air of finality.

India achieved a victory of sorts at Lord's last week, insofar as they managed not to lose the fourth ODI - a match that was decreed to be a tie by Messrs Duckworth and Lewis after rain wrote off the final seven deliveries of the match. As had been the case with the wash-out in Durham, the arrival of rain probably did India a disservice at that particular moment in time, given that with Stuart Broad injured, England would have struggled to rustle up 11 more runs with one fit tail-ender still in hand.

Given the vast improvement in their performances in this one-day leg of the tour, it is perhaps a pity that India do not have at least a share of the series to fight for on Friday, not least for the sake of the hardy Welsh souls who will brave the autumnal conditions in Cardiff - and with any luck there will be more than 922 punters in the ground, which was the number that turned out to watch England's astonishing victory over Sri Lanka four months ago.

Nevertheless, all throughout this summer, England have proven the more resourceful at the critical moments of each contest, and the prospect of sending the World Champions home without so much as a consolation victory in ten international fixtures ought to be more than enough incentive to keep the intensity levels topped up for one more day.

Whether India are quite so motivated remains to be seen. Certainly the team's failure to attend the ICC Awards in Mayfair on Monday night - despite staying at a hotel less than ten minutes down the road - gave the impression of a squad that has mentally checked out of this tour. With the likes of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni finding some late form with the bat, they should have the weapons to give England a battle, but realistically, all attention is now shifting to the rematch in India, starting on October 14. To win in your own seaming conditions is one thing, but to beat the World Champions in their own lair would be something else entirely.

Form guide

(Completed matches, most recent first)
England TWWWW
India TLLLL

In the spotlight

At Lord's on Sunday, poor old Ravi Bopara came as close as he ever has done to cracking international cricket. For 96 runs and 111 deliveries, he produced his finest performance in England colours, but then - with the rain pouring, wickets falling and overs running out - he clobbered Munaf Patel to deep midwicket from what proved to be the final ball of the match, and so left England with a share of the spoils instead of what could have been a one-run win on D/L. Still, he could hardly be blamed in the circumstances, and his final score far exceeded his previous best of 60 in 62 previous matches. In the absence of Eoin Morgan, Bopara has a big chance to prove his true one-day worth in the coming weeks.

It's been a pretty bleak tour for MS Dhoni, whose previously unimpeachable status as India's captain has come under serious scrutiny while his team has staggered from one disaster to the next. On a personal note, however, he is just beginning to rediscover his best form as the summer winds to an end, and after digging India out of a massive hole at The Oval, he combined with Suresh Raina at Lord's in a record partnership of 169. His personal share was 78 from 71 balls, and stands him in good stead for the return series next month, let alone a shot at that elusive consolation prize in Cardiff.

Team news

Stuart Broad sustained a torn muscle in his shoulder while bowling his final over at Lord's, and so misses the rest of the English season as well as the tour of India next month. The logical replacement would be Jade Dernbach, who missed out in that fixture to give Steven Finn an outing on his home ground, although Cardiff has been known to take spin, so Samit Patel could slot in alongside Graeme Swann. With two spinners likely in India, it could be a tempting option.

England (probable): 1 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 2 Alastair Cook (capt), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 James Anderson, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Jade Dernbach

Through the arrival of Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane at the top of the order, and the revival of Raina and Dhoni lower down, India's batting has acquired a relative degree of solidity in the latter stages of the tour. As ever it is their bowling that has struggled to contain England's ambitions. RP Singh put in a shift with the new ball at Lord's but still ended up going at nearly seven an over, while Munaf Patel's important over at the death didn't quite mask his previous frailties. Maybe the time has come to blood the speedy Varun Aaron? They don't have much to lose.

India (probable): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Parthiv Patel, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 and 11 two out of Munaf Patel, RP Singh and Varun Aaron

Pitch and conditions

The weather is expected to be clear for the evening of the match, though Wales in September is no time or place for making assumptions.

Stats and trivia

• The four-wicket victory against Australia at Cardiff last year was the first time in three attempts that England had completed an ODI match at the venue, after washouts against Pakistan in 2006 and South Africa in 2008.
• India is the only Test team yet to play an international fixture in Wales. Each of the first five matches at the ground were neutral ODIs involving Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, West Indies and Bangladesh, while the Test in May was the first time Sri Lanka had visited.
• Suresh Raina needs 22 more runs to reach 3000 in ODIs.

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Champions League

Manchester United were indebted to a superb Ryan Giggs goal as they drew 1-1 with Benfica on Wednesday despite a below-par performance in their Champions League Group C opener.
Giggs, 37, sent a rocket into the top corner three minutes before half-time to cancel out Oscar Cardozo's 24th-minute opener for a Benfica side who seemed intent on puncturing their opponents' early-season momentum.
At Lisbon's iconic Estadio da Luz, United looked a shadow of the side that has soared to the top of the Premier League with 18 goals in their first four games.
It was only thanks to Giggs and some fine goalkeeping from competition debutant Anders Lindegaard that Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to rest a string of players did not backfire.
In all Ferguson made eight changes to the side that beat Bolton 5-0 on Saturday, in a nod to Sunday's visit of Chelsea.
Patrice Evra, Jonny Evans and Wayne Rooney were the only men to keep their places.
Mindful, perhaps, of United's pedigree, Benfica were initially content to concede the initiative but uncertainty in the visitors' play allowed Jorge Jesus' men to assert themselves.

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Cardozo registered Benfica's first shot on target with a low effort that Lindegaard claimed comfortably but the Paraguayan was less merciful in the 24th minute.

Manchester United's Jonny Evans (2nd R) heads the ball
Patricia de Melo Moreira, AFP/Getty Images

Collecting a high pass from the enterprising Nicolas Gaitan on his chest, he turned Evans adroitly before clipping an accomplished finish inside Lindegaard's right-hand post.
It was the first away goal United had conceded in the competition since their quarter-final loss to Bayern Munich in the 2009-10 tournament.
United's only effort of note had been a shot from a tight angle that Antonio Valencia blazed over the bar, but from nowhere Giggs rolled back the years to produce a stunning equaliser that silenced the home fans.
After picking up possession on the right-hand side, the Welshman spied a pocket of space on the edge of the box that he surged into before arrowing a fine drive into the top-right corner.
Giggs' goal, from United's first shot on target, broke his own record for the tournament's oldest goalscorer and means he has now scored in more Champions League campaigns—16—than any player in history.
His intervention could not disguise United's problems, however, and Benfica continued to look dangerous in the second half.
Pablo Aimar fizzed a low effort narrowly wide and although Giggs drew a save from Artur after wriggling into the area, Lindegaard then had to produce a brilliant stop to palm away a side-footed effort from substitute Nolito.

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (up) vies with Benfica's 'Maxi' Pereira
Patricia de Melo Moreira, AFP/Getty Images

When Emerson advanced from left-back and toed a shot across goal, Ferguson decided he had seen enough and sent on Nani and Javier Hernandez in place of Darren Fletcher and Valencia.
There was no stemming the red Benfica tide though and after Lindegaard had pushed away a curler from Gaitan, Phil Jones was sent on to add muscle to the creaking away defence.
A late let-off for United saw Nolito find the side netting from close range with three minutes left and Ferguson will ultimately have been thankful that his side's most challenging fixture of the group phase did not prove more costly.

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Pakistan Complete Series Sweep

Pakistan 270 for 5 (Younis 81, Shafiq 51, Chigumbura 2-36) beat Zimbabwe 242 for 9 (Chibhabha 62, Sibanda 59, Cheema 4-43) by 28 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Younis Khan laid the platform for Pakistan's win with a composed 81 © AFP Enlarge
Related Links Matches: Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Harare Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe Teams: Pakistan | Zimbabwe

Smart stats This is Pakistan's fifth series whitewash against Zimbabwe and their 16th overall in ODIs (bi-lateral series of three or more matches). Their previous clean sweep in Zimbabwe came in 2002-03. Younis Khan's 81 is his 50th fifty-plus score in ODIs. He is sixth on the list of Pakistan batsmen with the most fifty-plus scores in ODIs. The 97-run stand between Asad Shafiq and Younis is the third-highest third-wicket stand for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in ODIs in Zimbabwe. Aizaz Cheema's 4 for 43 is now his best bowling performance in ODIs, eclipsing his haul of 3 for 36 in the previous match. His haul of eight wickets is joint-second on the list of most wickets taken by Pakistan bowlers in a three-match away series. The 110-run stand between Vusi Sibanda and Chamu Chibhabha is the second-highest opening partnership for Zimbabwe against Pakistan in ODIs.

A middle-order slump from Zimbabwe and a committed effort from Pakistan in the field saw them complete their whitewash of the hosts in the ODI series with a testing but ultimately comfortable victory in the third and final game. On a batsmen-friendly pitch, Pakistan finished with a par score that still proved too much for Zimbabwe, who gave themselves a chance to win the game with a big opening partnership, but could not finish the job.

Pakistan were aggressive at crucial times with both bat and ball and showed the value of experience against a Zimbabwe line-up that is still finding its feet at the highest level. Younis Khan's beautifully crafted 81 and Aizaz Cheema's four wickets headlined their performance but Zimbabwe can take heart from the fight they showed, minimising the damage after Pakitsan got off to a rollicking start and scoring over 240 against a top-level team.

Zimbabwe's openers, Vusi Sibanda and Chamu Chibhabha, built a solid foundation, adding 110 together. The pair began watchfully and the chase only began to gain momentum in the ninth over. Sibanda took on Sohail Tanvir, smacking him for three boundaries, an aerial shot over square leg, a glance down the leg side and a cut through point. He managed to stay away from the pull shot, which has cost him his wickets six times this summer.

Chibhabha, who had not performed in the previous two matches of the series, was more cautious and only risked hitting the big shot when he seemed certain it would reach the boundary. There was a sublime stroke through the covers off Aizaz Cheema and a straight drive unfurled down the ground.

Spin was introduced in the 11th over in the form of Mohammad Hafeez, who was economical without being threatening. His spin partner, legspinner Yasir Shah, had to wait until the 22nd over to make his debut but started encouragingly, with generous flight and a few googlies. Sibanda gifted him his maiden ODI wicket, two overs later. Just as the Zimbabwe opener had brought up his half-century and looked to accelerate, he was caught at long-on after misreading Shah.

Brendan Taylor moved up the order to No. 3 but lasted just 14 balls before being caught behind and Chibhabha succumbed soon after to a soft dismissal, gifting Younis a catch at cover. Hamilton Masakadza and Tatenda Taibu showed signs of steadying the innings, but Taibu's dismissal, caught by an athletic Younis in the deep, set in motion a mini-collapse as Zimbabwe lost four wickets for 32 runs. Masakadza fell to the slower ball from Sohail Khan, Chigubura mistimed a pull and Waller was cleaned up by a Cheema special, leaving Zimbabwe with no recognised batsmen. Cheema continued his impressive run in this series, bowling well in the dying periods of the game to end with career-best figures of 4 for 43.

Zimbabwe's spinners and Elton Chigumbura did well to keep Pakistan to 270 after it looked like a score over 300 was in sight. In the absence of senior paceman Chris Mpofu, the inexperience of Zimbabwe's seamers was exposed and Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis served up a range of short and wide deliveries with Vitori also occasionally straying too far down the leg side.

It took three overs for the pair to find the correct length, which was a touch short on this surface, but any small deviation was punished, as Jarvis found out when he bowled a fuller length to Imran Farhat, who pounced to smash him over point. Reward came in unexpected fashion when Vitori banged in a shorter one and got some extra bounce, which surprised Hafeez, who pulled to Waller deep midwicket.

Chigumbura and Price tied Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq down and dragged the run-rate to just over five. Chigumbura was particularly impressive, found his lengths from the start and frustrated Farhat before enticing him to drive with a fuller, slower delivery that the opener played into the hands of Chamu Chibhabha at cover.

Younis was not as easily tempted. He was happy to see off the good length ball and attack anything overpitched or tossed up, bringing up his fifty with a gorgeous inside-out shot over extra cover. Asad struggled against some tight bowling early in his innings, but Younis helped him find his rhythm and the pair began to rotate the strike well.

Zimbabwe's fielders put on a mixed display, saving some boundaries while letting others through and taking some improbable catches while dropping others. Shafiq was stumped after nifty work by Taibu who collected the ball off the rebound from his own chest to remove the bails and Shoaib Malik, who has yet to play an authoritative innings since making his comeback, was brilliantly caught by Chigumbura, low down in his follow through.

Younis looked set for a hundred but was also caught in impressive fashion when Jarvis pouched a return catch after eliciting the drive. With wickets in hand in the last 10 overs, Pakistan looked to Adnan Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq to launch, but the pair added just 55 runs together. In the end, it proved to be more than enough.

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D Jokovic is Winner in U.S Championship 2011

2011 results are out. In a match that lasted four hours Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal to win men’s final

Serbian national and world’s number one Novak Djokovic has finally conquered one more territory, the US Open. He once again beat Rafael Nadal, who was very impressive till he faced Novak Djokovi in the tournament.

Rafael Nadal, the defending champion was shown the door following a match that vacillated between the top two world players at National Tennis Center in New York. But of late, despite making every good move throughout the tournament, Nadal has developed a tendency of losing steam in the finals.

The same happened again and he lost the final to the same Djokovic, whom he had lost in the Wimbledon. And the worse thing is the fact that had he won the US Open and the Wimbledon he would be equaling a tennis great Pete Sampras in his next grand slam.

Credit for the win should go to Novak Djokovic who kept his cool and didn’t given up when he looked under tremendous pressure in the middle of the game.

Top seeded Djokovic won the four set match 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-1 victory over Nadal. But it was truly a hard earned win and Nadal is not a pushover. The match lasted for four hours and in the midway it seemed as if Novak Djokovic had almost lost the match. But then he made an impressive return, getting back his composure and winning the four set match.

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wwe Raw 12 09 11 Results

Tonight's WWE RAW opens up with WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez in the ring. Del Rio isn't happy with the Canadian fans booing him. Del Rio says everyone made fun of him last week when Cena hit him with an Attitude Adjustment. Del Rio says he is the undisputed WWE Champion and no one makes him of him. The crowd boo's. Del Rio talks about taking out Rey Mysterio and takes credit for Edge having to retire. Del Rio says he beat CM Punk and will beat Cena at Night of Champions so the people better stop making fun of him. Del Rio declares himself champion again and the greatest of the great. Bret Hart's music hits and out comes The Hitman to a big pop from the crowd.

The crowd roars as Bret enters the ring. Bret says he didn't come to disrespect Del Rio, he came to give him some good advice, a little education. Bret says when he looks at Del Rio, he sees a man who doesn't know what it means to be a world champion. Del Rio goes to threaten Bret but Bret cuts him off. Bret says Del Rio is all style and no substance. He says Bret needs to become a real champion, a man with pride who faces all challenges and wrestles in day in, day out. Del Rio says Bret looks like a bum, a homeless person with his 1994 jacket and his greasy hair, his pathetic shirts. Del Rio says Bret looks like one of those illegal Canadians he hires to clean his house. Del Rio says he is the best there is, not Bret. He is the WWE Champion and tonight, he will make an example out of Bret.

John Cena's music hits and out he comes to a nice reaction from the crowd. Cena puts Del Rio down and says he runs like a coward. Cena tells Del Rio to hop back in his Ferrari and be gone because he is the WWE Champion... for just 6 more days. They both want to fight tonight it seems. But Del Rio puts Ricardo Rodriguez up and says it's the match everyone wants to see. Cena hit Del Rio a few weeks ago and tonight, Ricardo wants to make him pay. Ricardo isn't acting like he does though. Cena runs Del Rio down some more and proposes that Del Rio put the WWE Title on the line against Bret Hart tonight. The crowd chants for Bret. John Laurinaitis appears on the stage and Cena mocks him. Laurinaitis introduces himself and gets boo'd. On behalf of Triple H, he says, they're going to give everyone what they want to see - a tag team match. Del Rio and Rodriguez vs. Cena and Hart tonight. Cena says that's the first good decision Laurinaitis has made in his life as Del Rio and Rodriguez leave the ring and head to the back.

- Jim Ross, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler plug tonight's show and the Final Face-Off between CM Punk and Triple H tonight. Also, World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton will take on Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. We go to commercial.

Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler vs. John Morrison and Alex Riley

Back from the break and Jack Swagger is in the ring with WWE United States Champion Dolph Ziggler and Alex Riley as John Morrison makes his way out. Ziggler and Morrison start things off. Ziggler takes control early but Morrison turns it around and catapults Ziggler into the corner face first. Mprrison hits a springboard kick for a 2 count. Morrison charges in the corner but Ziggler moves and he hits the ringpost. Ziggler stomps away on Morrison and hits a neckbreaker. 2 count for Ziggler.

Ziggler drops a big elbow for another 2 count. Swagger wants to tag but Ziggler won't. Morrison kicks Ziggler to the mat and Swagger tags himself in. Riley also is tagged in and unloads on Swagger, hitting a spinebuster. Riley dumps Dolph out to the floor and slams Swagger down for a close 2 count. Riley goes for a move but Swagger counters and applies the ankle lock. Riley rolls out of it and pushes Swagger into Dolph, knocking him off the apron. Riley hits his finisher on Swagger for the pin as Dolph watches him lose just a few feet away.

Winners: Alex Riley and John Morrison

- After the match, Dolph and Vickie Guerrero argue at ringside. Dolph says they don't need Swagger and calls him a loser. Dolph yells at Swagger from the stage while Swagger recovers in the ring, all while Vickie is in his face yelling.

- Josh Matthews is backstage with R-Truth and The Miz. Matthews points out Triple H is giving them a title shot at Night Champions, despite their claims of a conspiracy. He asks if their feelings on Triple H have changed. Miz snatches the mic and walks with R-Truth, talking. He says all anyone is talking about tonight is the Face-Off. Miz says if CM Punk really wanted to tell the truth, he would change his name to BS. R-Truth says he feels like Triple H has made a good decision. Miz asks, really? Truth says ninja please, he's just messing around. Truth wants Triple H to lose on Sunday so he's out as COO. Truth walks with Miz to the ring and says they're going to show people the real truth. Truth and Miz come walking out to the stage.

Truth rambles on about Triple H as they head to the ring. He says they should be in the main event of every WWE pay-per-view. They're going to prove that at Night of Champions and right now. Miz says the truth is that Air Bourne is going to get got at Night of Champions and Truth says that's awesome. Miz vs. Kofi Kingston is up next as we go to commercial.

The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston

Back from the break and out come the WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne - Air Boom. Miz and Kofi go to lock up but Miz kicks him and beats him into the corner and down to the mat as the referee tells him to back off. Miz hits a suplex and covers for a 1 count. They run the ropes several times and it ends with both men out on the floor. Truth helps Miz up while Bourne helps Kofi as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Miz has Kofi in a headlock. Miz drops Kofi with a DDT for a 2 count. Miz works Kofi over in the corner. Kofi turns it around coming out of the corner and hits a stomp on Miz. Kofi fights back with kicks and right hands, followed by chops and a dropkick. They trade counters and Kofi kicks Miz in the face. Kofi hits a big springboard crossbody from the top for a 2 count. Miz drops Kofi with a big boot to the face. Kofi blocks the running kick and rolls Miz up for 2. Miz hits a backbreaker and goes for a neckbreaker but Kofi backslides him for a 2 count. Kofi dropkicks Miz into the corner and leaps to the top. Miz moves and hits a neckbreaker on Kofi from the top.

Miz waits on Kofi to get up and then hits the Skull Crushing Finale for the pin and the win.

Winner: The Miz

- We see Vickie Guerrero and Teddy Long backstage. She's upset about something as usual. Teddy says Dolph Ziggler will defend the United States Title against Jack Swagger, John Morrison and Alex Riley at Night of Champions. Vickie says that's unfair. She sees Kelly Kelly and asks what she's looking at. Kelly says Teddy might listen to her if she wasn't so... nothing. Vickie calls her a Barbie doll and a pathetic Divas Champion. Vickie can't wait until Beth Phoenix beats Kelly on Sunday. Vickie says even she could beat Kelly. Teddy says that's perfect because he was looking for some competition for tonight. It will be Vickie vs. Kelly.

- Bret Hart and John Cena are backstage talking in preparation for their match. Still to come tonight - David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty vs. Jerry Lawler and a mystery partner.

Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga vs. Jerry Lawler and Sheamus

Back from the break and in the ring are Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga. McGillicutty addresses Jerry Lawler, who is at ringside, and says he was born with a personality. McGillicutty asks Lawler if he knows who his father is. Otunga points out that he is a Harvard educated lawyer. Lawler says he did know who McGillicutty's father was, and he's not the same person. Lawler rips Otunga and introduces his partner... Sheamus.

Lawler starts things out against McGillicutty, who takes control. Otunga is tagged in for some double teaming and a tag right back to McGillicutty. Lawler catches him with a big right hand and tags in Sheamus. Sheamus comes in strong but gets hit by a big boot. He comes right back and slams McGillicutty down hard. Sheamus wails away with big forearm shots to the chest now and knocks Otunga off the apron. Sheamus with a big knee to the face on McGillicutty. Sheamus climbs up top and comes down with a shoulder block. Otunga comes in and dodges a Brogue kick. Lawler decks Otunga with a right hand and Sheamus drops him with a Brogue kick. Sheamus then Brogue kicks McGillicutty and drops him with the Celtic Cross for the win.

Winners: Sheamus and Jerry Lawler

- Cole plugs the Triple H and CM Punk Face-Off tonight.

- Ricardo Rodriguez is backstage in the locker room when Alberto Del Rio walks in. Ricardo is drinking an aphrodisiac, he says. Del Rio leaves and Ricardo drops to the floor with a weak attempt at push-ups. Back to commercial we go.

John Cena and Bret Hart vs. Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez

Back from the commercial and out comes John Cena and his partner Bret Hart. Ricardo Rodriguez comes out next in tights and a t-shirt. He introduces the WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio but looks scared. Del Rio looks angry and frustrated with Ricardo. The match starts with Cena and Ricardo. Cena takes off his red t-shirt and plays around with Ricardo like he's a bull. Cena charges Del Rio ont he apron but he jumps down to the floor. Ricardo hits Cena from behind but it doesn't phase him. Ricardo turns around to Bret and back around to Cena where he gets back dropped. Ricardo tags in Del Rio.

Del Rio comes in and takes control of Cena, working him over int he corner. Cena comes back with a clothesline and a splash int he corner. Cena dropkicks Del Rio and goes for the AA. Ricardo tags himself in and saves Del Rio from the AA. Cena yanks Ricardo over the top rope and hits him with the shoulder blocks and the big slam. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Ricardo as Del Rio looks on from ringside. Cena then hits the AA on Ricardo while Del Rio is backing up the ramp and heading to the back. Cena motions to Bret and tags him in. Bret locks the Sharpshooter in on Ricardo and makes him tap out immediately for the win.

Winners: Bret Hart and John Cena

- After the match, Cena takes the mic and tells Del Rio his destiny will change Sunday at Night of Champions. Cena says after Night of Champions, the champ will be right here. Cena and Bret hit the turnbuckles to pose for the fans.

- WWE airs a look back at 9/11 that is narrated by John Cena. We see Vince McMahon's speech from the SmackDown episode just days after the 9/11 tragedy. We will not live our lives in fear, said Vince. Cena says 9/11 is now a day of remembrance as we see clips from the 9/11 memorial on Sunday. They also show a clip of George W. Bush's speech from Ground Zero just days after the attacks. Great video by WWE.

Kelly Kelly vs. Vickie Guerrero

Back from the break and out comes WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly. Her opponent Vickie Guerrero is out next, to no theme music, with United States Champion Dolph Ziggler. The bell rings and Vickie pushes Kelly. Kelly comes back with a Thesz press and some shots to the head. Kelly smacks Vickie on the ass. Kelly goes for a bulldog but they botch it bad. Kelly does the stinkface as Jack Swagger makes his way to ringside. Dolph argues with him and says he's out here with Vickie. Swagger drops Dolph with a right hand as Vickie starts screaming at him. Kelly comes up from behind and rolls Vickie up for the win.

Winner: Kelly Kelly

- After the match, Kelly celebrates as Vickie argues with Dolph and Swagger at ringside. Kelly turns around as Beth Phoenix is entering the ring. Kelly kicks her out to the floor. Beth comes back in the ring as Kelly leaves up the ramp, showing her title off.

- Still to come tonight, Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes and the Final Face-Off with CM Punk and Triple H. Back to commercial we go.

- Back from the break and we get a plug for Hugh Jackman hosting next week's RAW and a promo video for Triple H going into his return at Night of Champions.

- Josh Matthews is backstage with Mark Henry. Henry tells him to not say a word and just listen. Henry hopes Randy Orton is listening also. Henry talks about beating up Big Show, Kane and Sheamus. Henry says 15 years of looking over him and 15 years of no respect, 15 years of not being the #1 contender. 15 years of not being the World Heavyweight Champion. Henry says all that has got him to this point - to beat the World Champion. Henry promises that Orton will enter his Hall of Pain at Night of Champions.

Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes

We go to the ring and out first comes the World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton to a nice pop from the crowd. Orton hits the turnbuckles as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes WWE Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes with his brown baggers. The bell rings and they lock up. Orton goes to a headlock and drops Cody with a shoulder. 1 count for Orton. Orton goes back to the headlock. Cody takes him to the corner and turns things around, beating Orton down. Orton connects with a big back drop when Mark Henry comes out on the stage. Orton rolls out to the floor and grabs a steel chair. Orton walks up the stage and Henry runs to the back. Cody comes up from behind to attack but Orton catches him. Orton beats Cody back to ringside and clotheslines him on the floor. Orton brings it back in the ring for a 2 count.

Orton stomps away on Cody in the corner now. Orton mounts Cody in the corner with a series of right hands as the crowd counts with him. Orton with another big clothesline and a 2 count. Orton keeps watching the ramp for Mark Henry as he continues the assault on Cody. Henry comes back out with a chair and takes a seat on the stage. Orton walks up the ramp. Cody comes from behind as Henry stands up. Orton heads back to the ring but Cody kicks him in the head as Henry sits back down. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Cody kicks Orton in the head and drops him on his shoulder. Cody with a 2 count. Cody continues to work on Orton's shoulder while Henry watches from the stage. Orton tries to fight back and finally catches Cody in mid-air, slamming him down to the mat. Henry makes his way down to the ring with the chair now. Henry stops and takes a seat at ringside as Orton hits a pair of clotheslines and a snap slam on Cody. Cody goes to the apron and Orton goes for the second rope DDT. Cody counters it and goes for Cross Rhodes. Orton counters and brings Cody to the apron, hitting the second rope DDT. Orton hits the mat to get ready for the RKO. Henry walks over to the steel steps. Cody takes off his mask and hits Orton while the referee isn't looking. Cody hits Cross Rhodes and covers Orton for the win.

Winner: Cody Rhodes

- After the match, Henry enters the ring and attacks Orton with the chair. Henry stands over Orton yelling about the World Title and pain.

- Up next is the Final Face-Off with CM Punk and Triple H. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and we see a replay from last week where Triple H fired Kevin Nash. The Game's music hits and out he comes for the Final Face-Off. Out next comes CM Punk to a nice reaciton from the crowd. There is no table or anything set up.

Punk speaks first and says he's fascinated that the whole world is watching to see what they say tonight. Punk says he respects Triple H, especially for last week when he fired that charisma vacuum and ratings killer Kevin Nash. Punk says that doesn't mean he likes Triple H and knows Triple H doesn't like him either. Punk says people have told him all the horrible things Triple H says behind his back. Punk is also a good judge of character and can see it all over Triple H's face. Punk goes on and the crowd chants his name. Punk talks about change and says nothing has changed since Vince McMahon left. Punk says Triple H is just as bad. Punk says Vince and Triple H believe that a guy who looks like him don't belong in a ring with a guy who looks like The Game. Punk says Triple H and Vince have had this weird bodybuilder fetish. Punk says guys who fit Triple H's image get 10 times the opportunity. Triple H cuts him off and brings up Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, Bret Hart and Rey Mysterio as top stars who wouldn't be described as bodybuilders. Triple H says if Punk wants to use the idea of that bodybuilder theory as an excuse for his failures, then go ahead. The crowd chants for Punk some more.

Triple H says his opinion doesn't matter and Punk needs to worry about the fan opinions. Triple H says Punk thought he was being held back for the first six years when he wasn't getting reactions like that. Triple H says when you win the fan opinions, you get what you want. Triple H says you won't have to make calls to get on a 7 Eleven cup, 7 Eleven will call WWE and demand he be on it. Punk responds and asks where his WWE ice cream bars are? The crowd pops at this.

Punk tells a story from 2006 before his first pay-per-view at Survivor Series where he was on a team with DX. Punk says the people in Philadelphia weren't chanting for DX, they were chanting... the crowd starts chanting his name. Punk says the story doesn't have a happy ending because that was the first time he grabbed the imaginary brass ring and went it went nowhere. Punk would rather be hated for what he is as opposed to loved for what he's not. Triple H brings up that Punk has been in main events, won Money in the Bank and world titles. Triple H says maybe Punk isn't as good as he thought he was, maybe he isn't the best in the world. Triple H brings up Punk's story on John Cena from last week. Triple H puts over Cena big time and the crowd boo's. Triple H says the fact remains true - Cena sells out arenas all over the world and he has done it on his own, by winning the fans over. Triple H says Punk needs to worry about the fans opinions all the time. Triple H says sometimes he looks at a guy and doesn't think he will be anything but that guy turns out to be a John Cena. Triple H says all Punk has to do is win the fans over. Punk asks Triple H if he is hearing this. Don't tell him he has to win the fans over. Triple H says today they are chanting his name, last year - not so much. Triple H says Punk is just now getting the people. Punk says he has earned everything he's got in the last 6 years. Punk says he busted his ass and sacrificed for this business. Triple H goes on and says this isn't business, it's personal because Punk turned it into a personal issue. Triple H says Punk won't step in the ring with the muli-time World Champion, not the COO, not the business man and not The Game on Sunday. He will step into the ring with a man, a man that will kick his ass.

Punk says he is dead wrong and this isn't about John Cena. Punk says he is the best. Punk says he's going to kick Triple H's ass also, pin him 1-2-3 and make him go to sleep. Punk says it's going to be so satisfying to him. Punk says this is Phil Brooks talking to Paul Levesque. Punk goes on about why it's going to be satisfying to beat Triple H's ass when the mic gets cut out. Triple H tells Punk to say it to him. Triple H gets the mic going again. Punk starts talking and it's cut out again. Triple H demands a mic and asks a producer what the hell is going on. Punk decks Triple H with the mic and he goes down. Punk throws a crotch chop at Triple H as the crowd pops and he leaves the ring to his name being chanted. Punk walks up the ramp smiling as Triple H recovers in the ring and RAW goes off the air.

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Pakistan on Lead

Zimbabwe started steadily in pursuit of 271 on a batsmen-friendly pitch in Harare. Vusi Sibanda and Chamu Chibhabha built a solid foundation, with a century first-wicket stand, and settled in comfortably against a new-look Pakistan attack.

Unlike Pakistan, who were off to a flier, Zimbabwe were more watchful against the tricky left-arm seam of Sohail Tanvir and the more regulation right-arm pace of Sohail Khan. Their first shot of intent came off the last ball of the third over when Chibhabha cracked a short ball over the covers. Sibanda survived an early scare - he could have been run-out from a direct hit from Asad Shafiq, but was just over the line - and gave the chase momentum in the ninth over.

He smashed Tanvir for three boundaries, an aerial shot over square leg, a glance down the leg side and a cut through point. He managed to stay away from the pull shot, which has cost him his wickets six times this summer. Chibhabha, who had not performed in the previous two matches of the series, was more cautious and only risked hitting a big shot when he was certain it would reach the boundary, like the sublime stroke through the covers he smashed off Aizaz Cheema and the straight drive he rolled out down the ground.

Mohammad Hafeez was introduced in the 11th over and was economical without being threatening. Instead, he allowed Sibanda and Chibhabha to pace their partnership well, mostly by taking singles, which were easily on offer. Legspinner Yasir Shah had to wait until the 22nd over to make his debut but started encouragingly, giving the ball a fair amount of flight and throwing in a few googlies.

Sibanda took control as the innings neared its halfway mark. He launched Hafeez over the top on two occasions, both convincingly, and, having brought up his half-century looked set to take on the role of the aggressor as Zimbabwe embarked on the home stretch.

50 overs Pakistan 270 for 5 (Younis 81, Shafiq 51, Chigumbura 2-36) against Zimbabwe
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Pakistan's openers got their team off to a rapid start© Associated Press Enlarge
Related Links Matches: Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Harare Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe Teams: Pakistan | Zimbabwe

Pakistan were kept to 270 after getting off to a flier against Zimbabwe in Harare. On a batsmen friendly pitch, Pakistan would have aimed for a total of around 300, and with Younis Khan playing a classy and composed knock, that looked possible, but Zimbabwe bowled well in the end overs to drag Pakistan back. Zimbabwe's spinners and Elton Chigumbura did a fine containing job, and the new-ball pair of Brian Vitori and Kyle Jarvis bowled better as the match went on, to ensure that Pakistan did not run away with the game.

Brendan Taylor chose to field to give his seamers the chance to make use of the slightly overcast morning conditions. The ball was expected to swing, and it did, but Vitori struggled to control his movement at one end while his new-ball partner Jarvis battled to find the correct length.

In the absence of senior paceman Chris Mpofu, the inexperience of Zimbabwe's seamers was exposed and the two youngsters served up a range of short and wide deliveries with Vitori also occasionally straying too far down the leg side. It took three overs for the pair to find the correct length, which was a touch short on this surface, but any small deviation was punished, as Jarvis found out when he bowled a fuller length to Imran Farhat, who pounced to smash him over point.

The pair adjusted well and made up for their early inconsistencies although they conceded heavily in the first ten overs. Reward came in unexpected fashion when Vitori banged in a shorter one and got some extra bounce, which surprised Mohammad Hafeez. The batsman was unable to keep the ball down and pulled straight to Malcolm Waller at deep midwicket.

Elton Chigumbura and Ray Price tied Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq down and dragged the run-rate to just over five. The allrounder found his lengths from the start and frustrated Farhat before enticing him to drive with a fuller, slower delivery that the opener played into the hands of Chamu Chibhabha at cover.

Younis was not as easily tempted. He was happy to see off the good length ball and attack anything overpitched or tossed up, bringing up his fifty with a gorgeous inside-out shot over extra cover. Asad struggled against some tight bowling early in his innings, but Younis helped him find his rhythm and the pair began to rotate the strike well.

Zimbabwe's fielders put on a mixed display, saving some boundaries while letting others through and taking some improbable catches while dropping others. Shafiq was stumped after nifty work by Tatenda Taibu who collected the ball off the rebound from his own chest to remove the bails and Shoaib Malik, who has yet to play an authoritative innings since making his comeback, was brilliantly caught by Chigumbura, low down in his follow through.

Younis looked set for a hundred but was also caught in impressive fashion when Jarvis pouched a return catch after eliciting the drive. With wickets in hand in the last 10 overs, Pakistan looked to Adnan Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq to launch, but the pair added just 55 runs together. Prosper Uteya and Ray Price were crafty with their lengths, opting to bowl fuller most of the time, and Jarvis and Vitori were left to deal with the Powerplay. Jarvis, in particular, showed great maturity in his use of the yorker and proved difficult to get away.

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