Observer & Busness 27 Mar 2012 - Oman Daily Observer

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MUSCAT — Curtains will come down on the Villeroy & Boch + Hansgrohe Open table tennis tournament sponsored by Al Amana Building Materials Company and organised by the Indian Social Club Muscat when the last three finals will be played at the ISC Club Hall in Darsait this evening. Table tennis enthusiasts can look forward to a table tennis of a high standard this evening when the two-week-long tournament in which players from eight nationalities participated, will culminate with Nigerian Oluyomi Salako, a sports teacher at the American British Academy who won the title in the city of Starnberg in Germany in 2007/2008, taking on Korean Oh Kab Kwon in the men’s singles final. In the first match of the evening starting at 7.00 p.m, Said al Kharusi of Al Rustaq Club will take on Amor al Amri of Salalah in the Omani singles final. The men’s doubles final between the dynamic team of schoolboys Sachin Hemanth and Kenneth Vaz versus the seasoned campaigners Suhail Khan and Srinivas Laxman will also be played this evening. Oluyomi Salako, proved too good and too quick for Suhail Khan whom he downed 11-6, 11-9, 11-5, 11-6 to book his berth in the summit clash. Table tennis of a high level was witnessed in the second semi- 18 SPORT OMAN DAILY Observer TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012 Real, Barca face contrasting opponents in quarters REAL Madrid’s players during a training session at GSP Stadium in Nicosia yesterday on the eve of the Champions League first leg quarterfinal match against APOEL. PICTURE RIGHT: APOEL’s players attend a warm-up session. — AFP BERLIN — Holders Barcelona and domestic rivals Real continue their march towards a possible "Clasico" in the European Champions League final against quarterfinal opponents who couldn't be more different. The Spanish league leaders Real Madrid visit arguably the biggest surprise team in event history, APOEL Nicosia of Cyprus, today. The next day Barca are at Italian champions AC Milan who have won the elite event MADRID — Villarreal moved above the danger zone in the Spanish Liga on Sunday with a 2-0 win at Rayo Vallecano, with goals from Marco Ruben and veteran defender Angel. The comfortable win confirmed Villarreal's progress under Miguel Angel Lotina, who took over as coach last week from the short-lived Jose Molina. The yellows are now fifth seven times and are the only team to have taken a point off the title holders in the campaign in a 2-2 group stage draw. In the other ties, Chelsea carry all English hopes when they visit Benfica in Lisbon, and Bayern Munich are at Olympique Marseille in their dream of reaching the May 19 final in their home stadium. Just as Barca, Real Madrid have won seven and drawn the other game in an emphatic campaign as they travel to from bottom in the league, five points above the danger zone, and level with Granada on 31 points. Granada and Villarreal are one point below Betis, who stayed above the danger zone on Sunday with a 1-1 draw at home to Racing Santander. Roque Santa Cruz put Betis ahead. Christian Stuani then levelled for Santander, who are third from bottom, level on 25 points with Sporting Gijon APOEL, who after surprisingly winning their group eliminated Olympique Lyon on penalties in the round of 16. "We've done something exceptional, something that can never happen again," said APOEL president Phivos Erotokritou ahead of the biggest game in club history. Cristiano Ronaldo and company are the overwhelming favourites even though the Spanish league leaders will miss the suspended Xabi Alonso and injured lassana Di- Villarreal, Betis move above Spanish danger zone and Zaragoza. Earlier on Sunday, Gijon drew 1-1 at Bilbao. The result did them few favours, just as Santander's draw wasn't really much help either. Zaragoza, for their part, beat Atletico Madrid 1-0, thanks to a late Apono penalty. However, it is clear that they are still favourites for relegation, together with Gijon and Santander. Earlier on Sunday, Oluyomi Salako to play Oh Kab Kwon in table tennis final MEN’S finalists Oluyomi Salako (left) and Oh Kab Kwon. arra, but club director Emilio Butragueno remained his usual diplomatic self. "You never know, football is unpredictable and it's true that there were very strong teams that we wanted to avoid, but APOEL have been a big surprise in this competition, and we have to be extremely respectful," Butragueno said. "They have reached the quarterfinals, which means they are a very strong team, so we have to be very focused on every detail and be alert." Bar- Luiz plays down Drogba ‘jibe’ ahead of tie LISBON — Chelsea defender David Luiz insisted Didier Drogba had not been mocking Benfica when he was filmed trembling theatrically after the Blues were drawn against the Portuguese giants. In video shown on Chelsea's website shortly after the Champions League quarterfinal pairings were announced, Ivory Coast striker Drogba could be seen shaking uncontrollably after the club were drawn with Benfica. The footage has been viewed as a jibe against Benfica in some quarters, but Luiz revealed yesterday that Drogba's bizarre act was referencing the fact that Chelsea were on course to play Barcelona in the semifinals. "If people watch the video closely, it's not directed at Benfica, it was at Barcelona, because Barcelona are a big team," Luiz told reporters. "It was not directed at Benfica because Didier knows that they are a big team and that Benfica are going to be difficult opponents."Benfica coach Jorge Jesus meanwhile laughed off Drogba's antics, but pointedly took a swipe at the demise of English giants Manchester United and Manchester City against Portuguese op- CHELSEA’S Brazilian defender David Luiz gives a press conference yesterday in Lisbon on the eve of his team’s Champions League match against Benfica. — AFP position this season. Benfica helped eliminate United in the first round of the Champions League while Sporting Lisbon dumped City out of the Europa League earlier this month. "Mr Drogba? Who knows what he was thinking, he was probably joking," Jesus smiled. "But Benfica and Sporting eliminated England's top two teams from Europe this season so you can see that Portuguese football is strong. "Any re- sponses we give to Drogba will be given on the field." Jesus also shrugged off the problems bedevilling Chelsea, who are struggling to qualify for next season's Champions League following a difficult season which saw the departure of Andre Villas-Boas earlier this month. "It's not important. They are a team well-used to reaching finals of big competitions," Jesus said. "The change of coach doesn't change the quality and experience of the players that they have. They are used to reaching finals." The Benfica coach also played down the significance of Benfica's formidable home record at the Stadium of Light, where they are unbeaten in 10 home matches in European competition. "(The home record) is only a sign that we've played well all the way through the competition and a sign that we are working well," Jesus said. "But the further we go the stronger the opposition gets so we're going to have to continue to be strong to keep winning. "We're going to have to play a perfect game to win. At this time there are no favourites. Both teams are strong." — AFP Athletic Bilbao, Espanyol and Levante saw their hopes of finishing in the European places dented.Bilbao were held 1-1 at home by lowly Sporting Gijon, for whom Alberto Lora equalized in injury time. Oscar de Marcos seemed to have won the game for Bilbao by breaking the deadlock 13 minutes from time, after being set up by teenage idol Iker Muniain.. — dpa ca will also not have a stroll in the park against Milan after destroying Bayer Leverkusen 7-1 in the last game thanks to a Champions League record five goals from Lionel Messi. But Barca won 3-2 in Milan in the group stage and will be happy that Thiago Silva is missing for Milan after scoring a late 2-2 equaliser at the Nou Camp. Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said his team is at his best in matches like these and captain Massimo Ambro- PARIS — Paris St Germain's faltering Ligue 1 title challenge suffered another blow when they were held to a 1-1 home draw by Girondins Bordeaux on Sunday. PSG are level with Montpellier on 60 points from 29 games but the unfashionable southern side, who reclaimed top spot on Saturday thanks to a last-gasp 1-0 win over St Etienne, lead on goal difference. Visitors Bordeaux took the lead on 77 minutes when SACHIN Hemanth and Kenneth Vaz. final when Oh Kab Kwon and Mohamed Al Naggar battled before Kab Kwon triumphed with 11-9, 12-14, 11-13, 11- 4.11-9 verdict. Schoolboys Sachin He- sini is also ready for the big occasion. "I think that Barcelona are the strongest team in the world, but it does not take a wizard to know it. They marked an era in football history, but tackling them is a big stimulus for us," Ambrosini said. "It will take a game with great spirit of sacrifice from all of us. There is not a single player to stop. Barca have many weapons." The winner of the Milan v Barca tie runs into Benfica or Chelsea, with the Blues looking to use a little Nicolas Maurice-Belay set up Cheick Diabate who scored into an empty net but Guillaume Horau equalised for the hosts four minutes later with a powerful shot from a superb Mathieu Bodmer heel pass. Bordeaux moved up to eighth place on 41 points. Four days after their first defeat in four months in the French Cup, Paris played poorly once again. "Obviously, it was not a good game. We struggled to develop our moves, we had to manth and Kenneth Vaz, archrivals in the singles, joined forces in the men’s doubles to cause the biggest upset of the tournament when they played with maturity beyond their bit of inside knowledge from their former Benfica players David Luiz and Ramires on Tuesday. "They will both know the atmosphere there and they both know the team. So it does help. They are looking forward to going back," said manager Roberto Di Matteo. Chelsea have no serious injury concerns but Di Matteo must choose between Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres in attack while Gary Cahill is in pole position to start along- react once again," PSG football director Leonardo told French television Canal+. "This game had been exhausting because we did not have the control. You suffer when you trail your opponent on the scoreboard," he added. Paris had the first chances but Alex headed the ball against the post on 29 minutes and keeper Cedric Carasso brilliantly denied Mohamed Sissoko shoot from outside the box. years to upset the highly fancied top seeded team of Nitin Vaidya and Chandrashekar Nooyi in a nerve-racking semifinal which went to the wire. Sachin and Kenneth went all out even when the chips were down and rallied from two games down to record a splendid 8-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5, 6-11, 14-12 semifinal victory to book a place in the final where they will take on the second seeded pair of Suhail Khan and Srinivas Lakshman. Suhail and Srinivas struggled before defeating the other teenage duo of Arun Philips and Avinash Mukund 11-7, 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7 in the second semifinal. The organisers have extended an open invitation to table tennis enthusiasts to attend the finals which should provide a high level of table tennis. side John Terry in defence after strong back-to-back performances. Marseille beat Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund twice in the group stage but the next German opponents Munich may be of a different calibre on the continental stage tomorrow. Munich have rediscovered their form and the home final is an extra motivation for the Germans who trounced Basel 7-0 in the last continental game. — dpa Faltering PSG held by Bordeaux BORDEAUX’S players celebrate after scoring against Paris St Germain during their French Ligue 1 match at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on Sunday. — Reuters Bordeaux reacted when Jaroslav Plasil hit the woodwork five minutes before Diabate netted. Keeper Salvatore Sirigu had to make a superb save to deny Diabate again only one minute after Hoarau equalised. Toulouse climbed back to fourth when they defeated bottom side Auxerre 1-0 at home — thanks to a Franck Tabanou goal. Dijon moved up to 13th on 33 points and Caen stayed 17th, just above the relegation zone on 29 points. — Reuters Challengers trophy cricket MUSCAT — The inaugural edition of Challengers trophy kicks off on March 30. A total of 24 teams will be participating in the event. Interested teams can register on or before March 28. The draw will be held at the Daisy Restaurant Ghala tomorrow. The captain of the team or a representative from the team should be present for the draw. For registration contact Sushanth 95573654, Iqbal 97881776 or Chris 95289484. Markaz Al Bahja chess tournament MUSCAT — The March edition of the Markaz Al Bahja Open Chess Tournament is to be held on March 31. For further information contact Shan 92277539.
GALLE — Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene combined luck and pluck to hit his 30th Test century and steer the hosts to a respectable 289 for eight wickets on day one of the first Test against England yesterday. The 34-year-old righthander remained not out on 168, his seventh Test century against England, after a stellar 290-ball knock that stood out in a scorecard where the second highest score was Dinesh Chandimal's 27. Jayawardene, who hit 20 fours and three sixes, had Chanaka Welegedara (10) for company at stumps. His cause was helped by England's sloppy fielding with the visitors dropping him on 64, 90, 147 and 152. Monty Panesar was the chief offender, flooring two catches after England had taken the second new ball. "The first session I had to dig deep because we lost wickets...later I could play some shots," Jayawardene, who passed 2,000 Test runs at the venue, told Sky Sports. The home team captain figured in half-century partnerships with Thilan Samaraweera (20), Dinesh Chandimal (27) and Prasanna Jayawardene (23) but none of this partners stayed long. "Mahela played unbelievably well, it's probably one of the best Test innings I've ever seen," James Anderson (3-56), the pick of the English bowlers, said. England's persistence on the field paid off as they took wickets consistently in the three sessions. They picked up three in the final session before the new ball was taken. Anderson took his third for the day when he trapped Pras- anna Jayawardene lbw off the fifth ball after tea. Suraj Randiv followed him for 12, failing to beat Andrew Strauss' direct throw, and debutant Samit Patel took his second wicket when he trapped Rangana Herath (five) lbw. Earlier, England new ball bowlers Anderson and Stuart Broad had rocked Sri Lanka in their opening spells, claiming three quick wickets before the hosts staged a recovery. DRY TRACK On a dry batting track, Sri Lanka's delight at winning the toss and taking first lease of the 19 SPORT OMAN DAILY Observer TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012 Jayawardene’s ton frustrates England Satish helps Al Bahihi defeat Al Habib MUSCAT — Opening batsman Satish Madhavan struck a blazing 83 (34b, 15x4) to help Al Bahihi defeat Al Habib by 43 runs in an Oman Cricket Club organised T20 match played at the new MOS grounds at Al Amerat during the weekend. Opting to bat first, Al Bahihi piled on a massive 201 for eight wickets thanks to contributions from Iqbal (29: 10b, 3x6, 2x4) and No 9 batsman Jeevan Devadas (28 not out: 13b, 5x4). Shiv Kumar was the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 17 off three overs supported by Satheesh Kumar who picked two for 52 off four overs. Requiring a mammoth 202 for victory, Al Habib were bowled out for 158 in 15.5 overs with Mohammed Mudassar striking a blistering 62 (20b, 4x6, 8x4). Jithin Devadas bowled a tight line to end with figures three for 24 whilst Nigil Rajkumar (two for 14), skipper Baiju K G (two for 25) and Jeevan Devadas (two for 32) lent valuable support. Brief scores: Al Bahihi 201 for 8 off 20 overs (Satish Madhavan 83, Iqbal 29, Jeevan Devadas 28 n.o.; Shiv Kumar 3/17, Satheesh Kumar 2/52) beat Al Habib 158 all out in 15.5 overs (Mohammed Mudassar 62, Manas Kapoor 29, Shoaib Parker 21; Jithin Devadas 3/24, Nigil Rajkumar 2/14, Baiju K G 2/25, Jeevan Devadas 2/32). Points: Al Bahihi 2 (6 gm, 4 pts), Al Habib 0 (7 gm, 0 pt). GROS ISLET, St Lucia — West Indies' hopes of a first series win over Australia in 17 years were shattered on Sunday when the tourists clinched a 30-run victory in a thrilling fifth and final one-dayer. Chasing a victory target of 282, West Indies came agonisingly close before Australia won to level the series 2-2 with one tie. From a seemingly hopeless position of 118 for seven, skipper Darren Sammy and allrounder Andre Russell carved out a record eighth-wicket partnership of 101 off just 59 balls to take their team to 219 with nine overs left. Sammy, batting at nine, raced to 50 off just 20 balls and was eventually last man out in the 48th over having hit a blistering 84 off 50 deliveries with six boundaries and six sixes. Russell made 41 off 33 balls before he was out lbw to SRI Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene raises his bat as he celebrates scoring a century during the first day of the opening Test against England in Galle yesterday. — AFP WELLINGTON — New Zealand finished the fourth day of the final Test against South Africa yesterday trailing by 274 runs having lost Ross Taylor to a broken arm after the skipper was struck by a Morne Morkel bouncer. Vernon Philander took his sixth five-wicket haul in just seven Tests as the Black Caps were bowled out for 275 before Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen eased South Africa to a comfortable advantage in the final 15 overs of the day. Smith was on 34 at the close of play with first-innings centurion Petersen on 38 as the visitors moved to 75 without loss in their second innings to add to their tally of 474 for nine declared in their first. Taylor was hit just above the left wrist by Morkel's delivery and, after facing one more ball, walked off the field at Basin Reserve to undergo an X-ray, which showed he had broken his left ulna. "When your captain gets injured and has to come off it's devastating for the team and things change with that," New Zealand assistant coach Trent Woodhill told reporters. "The team wants to make sure they can look after their skipper by putting in a performance tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon and make sure that we back Ross up." Taylor did not return to the crease in New Zealand's first innings and was "unlikely" to make any further appearance unless it was absolutely necessary, Woodhill added. "If it's not going to damage his hand then he will probably bat, but that comes down to (facing) balls rather than overs and (we) will cross that bridge when we come to it. "He's a resilient character and if he thought what was best for the team he would, but he won't be batting at (his normal position of) four tomorrow." Philander, playing just his seventh Test, finished with figures of six for 81. The 26-year-old, who took 10 wickets in the second Test to help South Africa to a ninewicket victory and 1-0 series lead, also claimed his 50th Test victim when he bowled Doug Bracewell for a secondball duck. He has taken 21 wickets this series at 14.09. Mark Gillespie hit two wicket was short-lived as they slumped to 15 for three within the first 24 minutes of play. Anderson struck first, forcing Lahiru Thirimanne (three) to edge a catch to Graeme Swann at third slip when the batsman poked at a delivery without moving his feet. South Africa extend lead after Ross Taylor breaks arm Xavier Doherty, the Australians succeeding with a review after the batsman had been given not out by the on-field umpire. Once that red-hot partnership was broken, the Australians were virtually home. "At one time it looked like we would be chasing 330 but we pulled it back," said Sammy. "Against the world number one, with our backs against the wall, it was a fantastic effort. "Today again the top order didn't click but we can still put runs on the board. We have a 'never say die' attitude. I think we should have won the series." Australian captain Shane Watson admitted there was still work to be done ahead of a two-match Twenty20 series which starts here today. "Darren Sammy ran us close," said Watson. "We NEW Zealand’s captain Ross Taylor is injured by a ball from South Africa’s Morne Morkel in the third and final Test match in Wellington yesterday. — Reuters boundaries off Philander to ensure New Zealand just avoided the follow on target before he became the South African's sixth victim of the innings. "I think we would have more than likely made them follow on, but obviously we've missed it by one run thanks to me," Philander said with a grin. "Yeah we would have made them follow on it's just a pity we didn't get it. It's all in the start tomorrow morning. Hopefully we can get 350-plus and set them a good target." SCOREBOARD South Africa 1st innings 474/9 dec. New Zealand 1st innings (overnight 65 for no loss) D Flynn c Boucher b Philander .. 45 M Guptill lbw Philander ............ 59 B McCullum c Boucher b Steyn 31 R Taylor retired hurt 18 K Williamson c Boucher b Steyn 39 D Brownlie c Steyn b Philander . 29 D Vettori c Rudolph b Philander 30 K van Wyk c sub b De Lange ...... 7 D Bracewell b Philander .............. 0 M Gillespie c De Villiers b Philander ............ 10 C Martin (not out) ........................ 2 Extras: (lb-2, nb-1, w-2) ............. 5 Total: (9 wkts, 96 overs) .......... 275 Fall of wickets: 1-86, 2-136, 3-145, 4-219, 5-242, 6-263, 7-263, 8-263, 9-275. Bowling: Steyn 23-8-41-2; Philander 22-4-81-6 (nb-1, w-1); Morkel 20-6-54-0; De Lange 21-1-74-0 (w-1); Duminy 10-0-23-0. South Africa 2nd innings A Petersen (not out) ................... 38 G Smith (not out) ....................... 34 Extras: (w-2, nb-1) ...................... 3 Total: (for no loss, 15 overs) ..... 75 Bowling: Martin 6-0-24-0; Bracewell 5-0-29-0 (w-2); Gillespie 4-0-22-0 (nb-1). Anderson struck again with his next delivery, sending back Kumar Sangakkara, the No 1 ranked Test batsman, for a first-ball duck when he pushed at a full-length delivery for an edge to wicket-keeper Matt Prior. Jayawardene survived Anderson's hat-trick delivery but Broad struck in the following over when he had Tillakaratne Dilshan (11) edging a catch to Strauss at first slip. England wasted both their reviews inside the first 23 overs. Just when they were showing signs of a recovery, Sri Lanka lost Samaraweera immediately after lunch when he was run out in the third over of the afternoon. England picked up the bonus wicket of Chandimal who top-edged a catch to Ian Bell at cover to give debutant Patel his first Test wicket. SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka 1st innings L Thirimanne c Swann b Anderson ............. 3 T Dilshan c Strauss b Broad ....... 11 K Sangakkara c Prior b Anderson 0 M Jayawardene (not out) ......... 168 T Samaraweera run out .............. 20 D Chandimal c Bell b Patel ........ 27 P Jayawardene lbw Anderson .... 23 S Randiv run out ........................ 12 R Herath lbw Patel ....................... 5 C Welegedara (not out) .............. 10 Extras: (lb-6, nb-4) .................... 10 Total: (8 wkts, 90 overs) 289 Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-11, 3-15, 4-67, 5-128, 6-170, 7-191, 8-253. Bowling: Anderson 17-5-56-3; Broad 18-1-66-1 (nb-4); Panesar 23-11-42-0; Swann 23-3-92-0; Patel 9-1-27-2. Team Coorg for UTSC Gulf Cup in Dubai MUSCAT — Team Coorg Muscat will take part in the forthcoming United Thallasery Sports Club-organised UTSC Gulf Cup hockey tournament to be held in Dubai on March 30. The regional hockey tournament have seen representation from GCC states like Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE and this time around it is expected to bigger. Team Coorg Muscat, who were the runners-up last year, are full of confidence to finish on top this time around, and team manager Kuttapa thanked the UTSC for inviting them again. “We are a well-knit team and we are looking forward to win the title this time,” said Kuttapa. Team Coorg have been involved in promotion of hockey in various levels among the expatriates and the group has also won appreciation from the hockeyloving citizens of Oman for providing them the opportunity to play the game round the year. Former national coach of India and Oman will lead a strong Team Coorg this time as player-cum-coach, but missing from the line-up will be their senior playing member Devayya. The inspiration behind the team is the hockey veteran S A S Naqvi. hoped to get up around 300 but thought we'd done enough. There are a few things we have to work on but we're going the right way." West Indies got off to a nightmare start, losing opener Johnson Charles and Marlon Samuels, who were both dismissed for ducks by a fired-up Brett Lee in the first and third overs. Darren Bravo made just three off 21 balls when he was caught behind by Matthew Wade off Clint McKay with Dwayne Bravo becoming the fourth man out after a lazy prod to mid-off off Shane Watson ended his brief cameo of 19. At the halfway stage of their run chase, West Indies were 82 for five after opener Adrian Barath (42) had been dismissed off slow bowler Xavier Doherty. That left them requiring a Chris Cairns wins Twitter libel action against Modi LONDON — Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has won a libel action against Lalit Modi in London that leaves the onetime chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) facing a bill of more than £500,000 ($794,000). In the first libel action heard in England against a post on Twitter, Cairns, 41, was awarded £90,000 damages after Judge David Bean dismissed fixing allegations levelled against the cricketer by Modi. Meanwhile, Modi was also ordered to pay an additional £400,000 on account of Cairns's costs to his solicitors within 28 days. The figures do not include Modi's own legal costs. Cairns sued over an "unequivocal allegation" of match-fixing on Modi's Twitter account on the micro-blogging site in January 2010. Bean said Modi had "singularly failed" to provide any reliable evidence Cairns was involved in match-fixing or spot-fixing. Modi responded to yesterday's ruling by telling his Twitter followers: "I have seen the judgment. All I want to say at the moment is that we are appealing the Judgment." Cairns, not in court yesterday, said in a statement: "Today's verdict lifts a dark cloud that has been over me for the past two years. I feel mixed emotions. "Firstly, sadness that I should ever have had to put myself, my friends and my family through this because of one man's misdirected allegations. "But I also feel great joy because my past career has come through unscathed and remains intact and because I had the courage to stand up in the highest court to defend my name." He added: "Lastly, I feel great relief that I am able to walk into any cricket ground in the world with my head held high." Bean rejected claims by Modi's lawyers that the case was an example of 'libel tourism', as Cairns had been educated in England and had also played county cricket while Modi — who did not give evidence during the eight-day trial — had been resident in England since mid-2010. Bean also rejected a claim by Modi's barris- run rate of eight an over and the situation got worse when Carlton Baugh was caught in the deep by Ben Hilfenhaus to give Lee his third victim. Kieron Pollard, who blasted a match-winning century in Friday's win that had given West Indies a 2-1 lead, was then caught by Mike Hussey off Watson in the 32nd over having hit two sixes in a 40ball 33. That was the cue for Sammy's and Russell's pyrotechnics which almost took them to a famous win. Lee finished with the best figures of three for 42 off nine overs. Australia made 281 for nine, their highest score of the series, after being put into bat. Watson, with 66 off 89 balls, and fellow opener David Warner, who crashed 69 off 61 balls, with 10 fours and a six, put on 118 for the first ter, Ronald Thwaites, that Cairns had given "incredible evidence". "Despite prolonged, searching and occasionally intrusive questioning about his sporting, financial and personal life, he emerged essentially unscathed," Bean said. The judge said evidence given by cricketers Gaurav Gupta, Rajesh Sharma and Tejinder Pal Singh was not to be believed and hearsay evidence from Amit Uniyal and Love Ablish was inconsistent and unreliable, while that of Karanveer Singh fell well short of sustaining Modi's case. According to Bean, Modi's lawyers had launched a "sustained and aggressive" attack on Cairns, which must be taken to have been made on his instructions. In Thwaites's closing speech to the court, the words "liar", "lie" and "lies" were used 24 times. To reflect that, the judge increased the damages by about 20 per cent, £75,000 to £90,000. The court had heard that Modi's tweet was picked up by leading cricket website Cricinfo. But while they withdrew their report following a complaint by Cairns, Modi refused to apologise and insisted the charge was true. Cairns was adamant it was "wholly untrue" and claimed it could undo all he had achieved in a 20-year career where, despite being plagued by injuries, he scored over 3,000 runs and took more than 200 wickets in Test cricket. The court was told that, in 2007 and 2008, Cairns captained the Chandigarh Lions in three competitions in the Indian Cricket League (ICL), which flourished briefly before the rise of the IPL, a lucrative domestic Twenty20 competition featuring many of the world's leading players. The allegation made by Modi related to the second and third of these competitions, between March and April 2008 and October and November of that year. But Cairns's barrister, Andrew Caldecott, told the court that in October 2008 his client was called to an ICL directors meeting at a hotel where, according to the cricketer, his denial of rumours of his alleged involvement in match-fixing appeared to be accepted. — AFP Australia level ODI series despite West Indies skipper Sammy heroics AUSTRALIAN Mike Hussey cheers after catching the ball to dismiss West Indies batsman Darren Sammy during the fifth ODI match in Gros Islet, St Lucia on Sunday. RIGHT: Darren Sammy plays a shot during his knock of 84. — AFP CHRIS CAIRNS LALIT MODI wicket by the 20th over as the tourists looked on course for a 300-plus total. But only Peter Forrest, with 53, made another major contribution. SCOREBOARD Australia 281 for nine off 50 overs West Indies J Charles c & b Lee ...................... 0 A Barath c Bailey b Doherty ...... 42 M Samuels c Wade b Lee ............. 0 Darren Bravo c Wade b McKay ... 3 Dwayne Bravo c Bailey b Watson ........... 19 K Pollard c M Hussey b Watson 33 C Baugh c Hilfenhaus b Lee ...... 13 A Russell lbw Doherty ............... 41 D Sammy c M Hussey b Hilfenhaus ............. 84 S Narine c Wade b McKay ........... 7 K Roach (not out) ......................... 2 Extras: (lb-1 w-6) ........................ 7 Total: (all out, 47.2 overs) ....... 251 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-5, 3-37, 4-63, 5-76, 6-111, 7-118, 8-219, 9-232, 10-251. Bowling: Lee 9-3-42-3; Hilfenhaus 8.2-1-36-1 (w-2); McKay 10-0-68-2; Watson 10-0-44-2 (w-3); Doherty 10-0-60-2 (w-1).
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