Disciplined Pune outplay uninspired Deccan

Yuvraj Singh led the Pune effort with the ball

Deccan Chargers were handcuffed by Yuvraj Singh's round-arm left-arm spin, submitting to a middling total after a flashy start. They lost two wickets to Yuvraj at crucial junctures, and scored only 17 off his four overs. Mitchell Marsh and Rahul Sharma did their bit too, conceding 49 in their eight overs. Marsh was rewarded handsomely with three wickets in the 19th over with frustrated batsmen looking to force the pace. Jesse Ryder and Manish Pandey made light work of the chase, although this game was inconsequential to qualification for further rounds.

The match might not have an impact on who goes to the playoffs, but it grew immensely as drama when Yuvraj announced at the toss that Sourav Ganguly was finally going to play in this year's IPL. Having been ignored by his home side Kolkata Knight Riders, and picked by Pune Warriors only after an injury to Ashish Nehra, Ganguly came in to bat with the win more or less in the bag, but found time to hit a trademark six over midwicket off Amit Mishra in an unbeaten, run-a-ball 32. One member of the enthusiastic crowd found his way onto the ground, and fell at his feet during the break after Robin Uthappa's wicket.

Match Meter

• 
  DC
• Dhawan and Teja off to a quick startShikhar Dhawan and DB Ravi Teja enjoy the medium-pacers, getting to 50 in six overs.

• 
  PW
• Yuvraj and marsh strike back Yuvraj Singh gets a wicket in the seventh over, Mitchell Marsh in the eighth, and the score now is 56 for 2.

• 
  PW
• Pune never release the choke hold Only six boundaries come in the rest of the innings as wickets keep falling and Deccan manage just 136.

• 
  PW
• Ryder tucks into the chase Jesse Ryder smacks Dale Steyn for 14 in the first over, getting rid of the only man likely to derail the chase.

 Advantage Honours even

The chase by then seemed easy, but with the way Shikhar Dhawan and DB Ravi Teja started the game, a facile win would have been the last thing on Pune Warriors' minds. They brought up the fifty in the sixth over, but Yuvraj dismissed Dhawan in his first over, and the squeeze that followed slowed Deccan down. Five fours and two sixes were hit in the first six overs, only six boundaries in the rest of the piece.

Dhawan and Teja were good against the medium pace of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shrikanth Wagh, and Dhawan welcomed Rahul Sharma and Wayne Parnell to the crease with sixes. When he tried to do the same to Yuvraj, who had brought himself on to stop the bleeding, the bowler pulled the length back, bowled a little slower, and Dhawan could only sky him to cover. Marsh followed it up with a played-on dismissal of Teja's. At 56 for 2 in the eighth over, Kumar Sangakkara and JP Duminy tried to make sure there were no more quick strikes.

However, Rahul beat Sangakkara's sweep with a flat, straight delivery. Yuvraj came back, and tortured Daniel Christian with deliveries that wouldn't spin. Finally Christian played around his front pad to be caught dead plumb. At 98 for 3 in the 15th over, the onus was on Duminy to take Deccan to a good total. However, as has been the case of late, Duminy couldn't make a telling contribution, managing a run-a-ball 30.

Dale Steyn, faced with the prospect of defending a pedestrian total, took matters in his own hands, and scored 10 off the last over, in the process scoring only the third boundary since the 15th over. Ryder, though, was quick to see off the only threat to their chase. He punched, drove and hooked Steyn for four, four and six in the first over. Between them, Ryder and Pandey scored 84 off 62, which basically finished off the chase.

Pune keep Deccan to 136

Deccan Chargers had no clue about Yuvraj Singh's round-arm left-arm spin, losing two wickets to him at crucial junctures, scoring only 17 off his four overs. As a result, a quick start was wasted, and only a middling total achieved on a flat track with true bounce and pace. Shikhar Dhawan and DB Ravi Teja had brought up the fifty at the end of the sixth over, but Yuvraj dismissed Dhawan in his first over, and the squeeze that followed slowed Deccan down. Five fours and two sixes were hit in the first six overs, only six boundaries in the rest of the piece.

Dhawan and Teja were good against the medium pace of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shrikanth Wagh, and Dhawan welcomed Rahul Sharma and Wayne Parnell to the crease with sixes. When he tried to do the same to Yuvraj, who had brought himself on to stop the bleeding, the bowler pulled the length back, bowled a little slower, and Dhawan could only sky him to cover. Mitchell Marsh followed it up with a played-on dismissal of Teja's. At 56 for 2 in the eighth over, Kumar Sangakkara and JP Duminy tried to make sure there were no more quick strikes.

Rahul Sharma, then, played his part, beating Sangakkara's sweep with a flat, straight delivery. Yuvraj came back, and tortured Daniel Christian with deliveries that wouldn't spin. Finally Christian played around his front pad to be caught dead plumb. At 98 for 3 in the 15th over, the onus was on Duminy to take Deccan to a good total. However, as has been the case of late, Duminy couldn't make a telling contribution, managing a run-a-ball 30. Marsh came back to earn rewards for earlier hard work: three men got out looking to force the pace in the 19th over.

Dale Steyn, faced with the prospect of defending a pedestrian total, took matters in his own hands, and scored 10 off the last over, in the process scoring only the third boundary since the 15th overs; the first two two had been a misfiled and an outside edge.

We were told which pitch to play on - Warne

Shane Warne has said that he and Rajasthan Royals were shocked to be told which pitch to play on and how to prepare it for their home game against Chennai Super Kings. He said Rajasthan were told to play on a pitch on the edge of the square, which shortened one boundary, and it was quicker than the ones Jaipur had produced for Rajasthan's five previous home games. Chennai scored 196, 37 more than the previous-highest score at the ground this season, and won by 63 runs.

"In four years, we've never been told which pitch to play on or how to prepare it," a visibly upset Warne said after the defeat. "We have no idea who instructed it but it wasn't coming from us. Every other team has that opportunity [to prepare and choose their home pitches]; we don't."

The pitch at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium first came under the scanner when Mumbai Indians were restricted to 94 for 8 and Sachin Tendulkar called the surface two-paced after his team's defeat. The IPL's pitch inspector was present at Rajasthan's next home game, against Pune Warriors, which drew an angry reaction from Warne, who was under the impression Mumbai had made an official complaint about the track. Warne accused Mumbai of making excuses, but Mumbai later denied they had made any complaint.

When asked why Rajasthan had been instructed to play on a particular pitch against Chennai, Warne insisted he didn't know and asked the reporters to find out and decide for themselves. Warne, however, made it clear he wasn't making excuses for the loss, saying Chennai were the better team on the day, but emphasised it was strange why, after four years, they suddenly had the right to choose the pitch at their home ground taken away from them.

"I don't want to make too much of a point about the pitch because Chennai outplayed us; both teams had to play on the same pitch and we weren't good enough today. But it is a shame that we are the only home team to not get what we want."

The tracks at Jaipur have generally been slow and offered some turn, and Rajasthan with their spin-heavy attack had notched up four home victories before Monday's game, restricting their opponents to less than 150 in three of those wins. Against Chennai, Warne said he thought 170 would have been about a par score, considering they were playing with "kiddies" boundaries.

"They got 20 runs too many thanks to Dhoni's superb knock. We thought if we kept them down to 170-175 with the kiddies boundary, on a fast track that didn't turn like normal, we would have a chance. We never like playing with such a short boundary. I think' it's ridiculous."

After the pitch inspector had attended the Pune match, Warne had defended the Jaipur pitch and did so again after the Chennai game. "For four years we've played on whichever pitch we've wanted to; the average score here is 154 and every time we've produced an excellent pitch."

Rajasthan will play one more match in Jaipur, on May 11.

'Need to take it one step at a time' - Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan has said that Delhi Daredevils' performance in IPL 2011 has been a big disappointment but the team "atmosphere is still very good". He also credited his captain Virender Sehwag for keeping the squad together despite the struggles. Delhi were eliminated from the race for a place in the playoffs after losing to Mumbai on May 7.

Sehwag, who will miss the last three games of the season to have shoulder surgery, was one of the few consistent performers for Delhi. It was because of two breathtaking innings from him that the team stayed in contention for as long as it did. With him sidelined, and James Hopes set to lead the team, Irfan told ESPNcricinfo they needed to "play our hearts out in the next three matches and show things aren't that bad. Then we can take all the positives to next year's tournament."

Irfan Pathan's bowling has improved after a poor start to the IPL season

A lot was expected of Irfan after Delhi signed him for $1.9 million but it has been a tough season for the allrounder as he made his way back from a serious back injury that had kept him out of competitive cricket for over eight months. He started poorly with the ball, picking up only three wickets in his first six games, and while he admitted he would have liked more success, he said he expected to need some time to find his groove.

"Some really good cricketers are there at this level," he said. "I knew I had to give myself some time. The team really helped me out. They played me in back-to-back matches and that got my rhythm going."

Over his team's previous five games, though, he showed flashes of the Irfan of old, getting the ball to swing in to right-hand batsmen and going past 130 kph on the speed gun. His figures also reflected the improvement over the same span - 1 for 16 against Kolkata Knight Riders, 2 for 27 against Kochi Tuskers and 1 for 23 against Mumbai.

"I need to take it one step at a time. Just go one step by one step. I need to make sure first, I get my rhythm going, running well. Bowling in the right areas. Then swinging the ball. I should make it my second nature. The good thing is, I am not thinking about it. It is just happening."

Still, Irfan wished his results had been better this season but said he was "very happy with the process" so far, and credited assistant coach Eric Simmons, whom he described as "fantastic", for aiding his recovery. Irfan also said he was feeling good about how his body has held up after his long layoff and believed his rehabilitation gave him a better understanding of how to manage the demands of fast bowling. "I feel like I am in control of my body. I feel in control of my action ... This is the best I am feeling in last three years."

He is also still hoping, "like all cricketers hope," that he will get the call telling him he is part of India's touring plans later this year. But if not, he would like to play Twenty20 and one-day cricket in England once the IPL is over, as long as the BCCI gives him permission. "If I get to play some more cricket, it will be good."

ICC to examine tapes on Indian bookies' network

The ICC is in the process of procuring tapes from Sports Illustrated India after the magazine published a story in its May edition on the illegal bookies network in India. The tapes include 400 minutes of conversations the magazine had with people involved in bookmaking - in some cases, the conversations are actually part of police operations.

One of the main points of interest to cricket investigators is likely to be a conversation the magazine recorded with a bookie in which he alleges that he has taped conversations of him with an international player in which he is detailing a fix. He also claims to have another taped conversation with the same player after the arrangement fell through, which the magazine claims to have heard (but doesn't have access to).

"Our official line is if anybody offers us evidence of any wrongdoing, we will of course look at it and evaluate it," an ICC official told ESPNcricinfo. The ACSU will then take over and study the tapes further.

The BCCI said they cannot take any action unless there is "concrete evidence" at hand. "So far we have not received anything from them [Sports Illustrated]. They are saying they will give us the tapes, but so far they haven't," BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla told Mail Today. "Unless there is concrete evidence, we can't take action in this issue."

The main thrust of the magazine's investigation - which it said lasted six months - revolves around how easy it appears to be for bookies to have access to top players. In the magazine's own words there are no startling revelations of the kind cricket saw with the News of the World sting last summer. But the recorded conversations with police officers, officials and players offer a number of starting points for further investigations.

Cricket is not alone. Football is currently tackling its own problem - possibly more severe and widespread - of match-fixing. FIFA, the world's governing body, on Monday launched a global initiative along with Interpol that will investigate the suspected manipulation of more than 300 matches in 20 European countries, including games in World Cup qualifying groups and the Champions and Europa Leagues. It has also pledged $20 million to Interpol over the next 10 years to spend on programmes intended to stop players, match officials and administrators being targeted by fixing rings.