Sri Lanka paceman Malinga quits Tests

Updated at: 1755 PST,  Friday, April 22, 2011

NEW DELHI: Injury-prone Sri Lanka paceman Lasith Malinga on Friday quit Test cricket in a bid to prolong his career in one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches.Malinga is currently playing for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League and had made himself unavailable for Sri Lanka's tour of England, attracting criticism that he had chosen to play for club over country."In January this year I wrote a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket and released a statement to the media confirming that I planned to reassess my Test future after the World Cup," he said in a statement."I decided that I needed to make myself unavailable for Test cricket in an effort to prolong my career as a national cricketer for Sri Lanka."Although I am sufficiently fit to play both ODI and T20 cricket, I have a long-standing degenerative condition in my right knee that needs to be carefully managed." (AFP)

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Gayle fires Bangalore to win with century

Updated at: 2024 PST,  Friday, April 22, 2011

KOLKATA: Chris Gayle hammered an unbeaten 102 off just 55 balls to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to a nine-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday.
The West Indies batsman cracked seven sixes and 10 fours in a superb display of power-hitting as Bangalore achieved a 172-run target with 11 balls to spare for their second win in six matches of the Twenty20 tournament.Gayle, playing his first IPL match after being dropped for the opening home games against Pakistan, put his team on course for victory with a 123-run stand for the opening wicket with Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan. Dilshan scored 38 off 31 balls with the help of six fours before being bowled by fast bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji.But there was no stopping Gayle, who completed the victory and his century when he hit left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan through the covers for a four. Virat Kohli was the other notable contributor with an unbeaten 30.Kolkata, who suffered their third defeat in six matches, earlier posted a competitive total, thanks to skipper Gautam Gambhir (48), Yusuf Pathan (46) and South African Jacques Kallis (40).Kallis put on 44 off just 4.5 overs for the opening wicket with Australian Brad Haddin (18) and 58 for the second wicket with Gambhir before Pathan stepped up the run-rate in the closing overs.Gambhir hit six fours in his 38-ball knock, while Pathan smashed three sixes and as many fours in his brisk 24-ball innings.Seamer Sreenath Aravind dismissed both Gambhir and Pathan to finish with 2-37 off three overs.

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