Chris Gayle and A.B. de Villiers extended their fine form as the Royal Challengers Bangalore beat the Kings XI Punjab by five wickets in the Indian Premier League on Friday.
Gayle struck 87 off 56 balls, with four sixes and eight fours, while De Villiers made 52 off 39 balls, with eight fours, as Bangalore scored 166-5 in 19.3 overs after having restricted Punjab to 163-6.
Gayle scored 81 and De Villiers made an unbeaten 33 against the Pune Warriors in Bangalore’s game on Tuesday, and the pair came to the team’s rescue once again with a decisive 131-run stand for the fourth wicket.
“The ball came on to the bat nicely and I only wanted to keep my cool,” Gayle said.
“A.B. came on and played wonderfully. It was a good win and we are now looking forward to our next game against Rajasthan Royals,” he added.
Pace bowler Parvinder Awana had earlier claimed three wickets to reduce Bangalore to 25-3 by the sixth over. He finished with 4-34.
Punjab stand-in captain David Hussey produced a solid 41 off 34 balls, while former Pakistan player Azhar Mahmood came up with 33 not out off 14 balls.
Hussey, who led the side because regular captain Adam Gilchrist had a stiff hamstring, held together the middle order and hit three fours before he was bowled by seam bowler Harshal Patel.
Mahmood, who played his first game for Punjab after struggling with visa problems, smashed two sixes and three fours and was particularly severe on India pace bowler Vinay Kumar, hitting him for 18 runs off six balls.
Hussey and Mahmood made up for a sluggish start, after pace bowlers Zaheer Khan and Andrew McDonald took two wickets each to restrict Punjab to 94-4 in the first 14 overs.
Bangalore has won three out of six games, while Punjab remains on two wins from six games.
The Delhi Daredevils is at the top of the table with four wins from five games.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping