Magadheera posters.....

Magadheera on 22 July

Ram Charan Tej starrer Magadheera is all set to release on July 22. Music will be released on 28 June in agrand function which will be organised in Shilpa Kala Vedika. S.S.Rajmouli directs this film. Kajal Agarwal plays the female lead. Allu Arvind produces this High Budget Extravagnza.

Federer Makes his prefect start for his title chase...

Roger Federer justified his role as favourite to win the 2009 men's title by swatting aside the challenge of Yen-Hsun Lu from Taipei 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 on a Centre Court where, despite overcast conditions, the new roof remained open throughout.

It was a highly impressive performance, since Lu did his nation proud with a battling show, especially in a tightly-contested first set.

Federer's warm welcome to officially open the 2009 Championships was probably a mixture of affection for the five-time champion and approval for his eye-catching and stylish apparel - long trousers, jacket with the collar turned up and, underneath that, a fitted waistcoat, all in white and all discarded prior to the Swiss marching out to hold his first two service games to love.

But if Federer, and the spectators, imagined this was the prelude to a rout, they were wrong. Showing determination and no little skill, the 64th-ranked Lu attacked his distinguished opponent at every opportunity. Lu's ability to battle was best demonstrated in the fourth game of the opening set when he fought off four break points, and followed this up by breaking the Federer serve for a 3-2 lead as the world No.2 netted a backhand.

Needing to counter-attack quickly, Federer did just that, although with the help of a little luck. He reached break point with a net cord that fell dead on Lu's side of the netting and was level at 3-3 after the Taipei player's forehand error.

Try as he might, Federer could not shake off his tenacious opponent in a tight opening set. Facing a break that would have put Federer 5-3 up, Lu again battled his way clear of danger and it seemed the Swiss might face the indignity of a tiebreak. But at 5-6, and despite serving successive aces, Lu faced a set point when he missed a simple dink volley. Federer needed no further incentive, and a backhand winner put him a set ahead after 48 minutes.

Having stamped his authority on the proceedings, Federer raced into a 3-0 lead in the second set before Lu was able to stem the flood of Swiss winners with more brave and impressive attacking that earned him warm applause.

But the Swiss was not to be denied, taking a 5-2 lead by swatting aside a couple of break points and holding serve with that tennis rarity - a winner hit around, rather than over, the net, a feat that Federer greeted with another rarity, a raised fist
.
Federer closed out the second set in rousing fashion, winning the game to love with his seventh ace of the match to go two sets up after one hour and 14 minutes. An early break in the third set allowed Federer to unveil his repertoire of stunning shots and, hard though Lu continued to resist, the Taipei player grew increasingly prone to error.

It had been an impressive fight, but Lu was up against a master of the game who had achieved the brightest of starts in pursuit of a record 15th Grand Slam.

Sharapova,Serena advances to further rounds..

If Maria Sharapova was seeking a useful workout as she continues her return from injury, then she got it today on No.1 Court. She saw off a spirited challenge from Ukrainian qualifier Viktoriya Kutuzova, requiring one hour and 42 minutes to gain a 7-5, 6-4 victory.

On paper this looked like a straightforward match for the 22-year-old Russian, who is seeded 24. But these are not straightforward times for the 2004 champion, barely six weeks into her comeback after nine months out with injury.
Last August after years of problems – yes, years of problems are quite possible even in a player of Sharapova’s age – with her right shoulder, she had surgery on the rotator cuff. But recovery necessitated a long lay-off, including three months without so much as picking up a racket, and this was the first match she had played without visible strapping to support the old injury.
It was not as if she could take heart from happy memories of Wimbledon 2008 either, as 12 months ago she fell in the second round to the unheralded Alla Kudryavtseva.

Truth be told, few on No.1 Court had heard of Kutuzova either before this match, but it rapidly became clear that the 20-year-old world number 79 was not in the least overawed. For one thing, she gave every bit as good as she got in the grunting department, with the two of them exchanging bellows with every strike of the ball.
And what strikes they were, with Kutuzova, especially, putting enormous power into every baseline stroke, forcing errors from Sharapova.
The Russian was also contributing a fair number of unforced mistakes, and these factors led to Kutuzova breaking for 2-1 in the first set. Barely had the crowd recovered than the Ukrainian repeated the feat for 4-1.

Sharapova looked to be fighting back. She got one break back and almost levelled for 4-4. But when she failed, the set was within Kutuzova’s grasp. On a rare visit to the net, she volleyed in an attempt to convert set point, but a punchy Sharapova forehand saved it. Those familiar with Kutuzova’s play say that she has most difficulty playing well when she is ahead, and that characteristic emerged here.

Meanwhile, Sharapova’s competitive determination was in full drive and from 3-5 she took four straight games to plunder a set she should have lost.

Instead of crumbling, Kutuzova reacted with apparent calm, breaking in the first game of the second set. But she could not consolidate the lead, and Sharapova’s application brought her the break back.
When Sharapova broke for 2-4 the match looked to be done and dusted, but Kutuzova was not done yet. The Ukrainian answered to love before Sharapova broke once more. Again Kutuzova broke back, this time to love, to make it 4-5. But eventually her problem was that she ran out of opportunities to break back. A great return gave Sharapova her first match point, and she closed out the match with no further drama.

Second seed Serena Williams is safely through to the second round of the 2009 Championships, but she was given a more demanding test than many had expected before overcoming qualifier Neuza Silva 6-1, 7-5 in one hour 14 minutes on Centre Court.

It was a potentially nerve-shredding occasion for Silva, a 26-year-old from Portugal who was appearing in her first Grand Slam match, but she responded bravely and positively. Aided by a string of errors from Williams, she made a real fight of the second set after losing the first in 27 minutes and is entitled to feel proud of doing so well as the first Portuguese, man or woman, to appear on Centre Court.

Silva has known the dark side of tennis, having been sidelined for three years with a wrist injury that almost caused her to give up the sport after her ranking dipped into the 600s. Now ranked 154, this match provided a brighter side for her career and she responded vigorously.

Williams, with both ankles and her right wrist heavily taped, needed six minutes to break serve in the opening game, but made rapid enough progress afterwards. She was 4-0 ahead inside 20 minutes, though there was a warm Centre Court response when Silva managed to hold serve at the third attempt.

Even though heavily outgunned in that opening set, Silva came back full of fight and, aided by some outrageous Williams errors, made a fine match of it in the second set.

After holding serve to 2-2, Silva responded with a fist-pumping celebration of which any of her footballing compatriots would have been proud.

But Serena, twice the Wimbledon champion, has never lost in the first round of any Grand Slam and she remembered her pedigree when it mattered.

Despite failing to convert a match point at 5-4, the American closed out the last two games confidently. The match practice on grass had been needed, and at times it looked that way.

After the match, Serena said she was she had let her concentration slip after dominating the first set. "I definitely think she increased her game, but also I think my concentration wasn't what I wanted it to be, on some key points, it wasn't where it should have been. And, you know, it's just a point here or there that can make or break a match," she said.

"I thought I served well. I thought, you know, in practice I've been doing a little bit better. I thought I could have played a ton better, especially on key points. I feel like hopefully as the tournament goes on and progresses, I'll get there."

Verdasco,Djokovic move on..

Sometimes it can seem that there is a gulf a mile wide between two players facing each other across the net. That was the case today when the number seven seed Fernando Verdasco saw off James Ward 6-1, 6-3, 6-4.

No doubt the mere experience of playing on No.1 Court will stand Ward in good stead, but Verdasco’s superior skill in every department left the British wild card brutally exposed.

Verdasco, an Australian Open semi-finalist this year, spelled out the pattern of the match in the opening game, where his swashbuckling strokeplay plundered an immediate break.

Ward, in his Grand Slam debut, was clearly feeling the nerves, struggling on his first serve. He sent an easy volley long before delivering a double fault for break point.

It was easy pickings for Verdasco, as he dismantled Ward’s game with horrible ease. The crowd did their best for the Briton, roaring him on when he mustered his first game point with the score at 0-4. He needed three attempts before he could convert the chance, but convert he did to an ovation. But his groundstrokes were drifting long, and 25-year-old Verdasco took the set at a brisk stroll 6-1.

The last time a British wild card defeated a seed at Wimbledon was a generation ago, when Nick Brown heroically saw off Goran Ivanisevic in 1991. Encouragingly Ward won his first Challenger title last month, at Sarasota, as a qualifier. But before this afternoon he had never faced a top 10 player before, with the highest-ranked player he has ever defeated being the world number 87 Victor Crivoi at Eastbourne last week.

True, both Verdasco and Ward are currently enjoying a career high in the world rankings, but there’s a big difference - Verdasco is at number seven while Ward is 220.

At 3-0 to Verdasco in the second, a voice from the crowd called out optimistically: “Come on, Ward! You’ve got him on the run!” Maybe it did some good, because Ward promptly held to love and then held again. He even notched up a break point to put the set back on serve, but Verdasco saved with an ace. Gaining confidence, Ward did not surrender his serve again, so the set had a more respectable appearance than the first, but Verdasco was well within his comfort zone.

Even so, Ward was now motoring. First he managed not to yield the opening game of the new set for the first time in the match. Then at 4-3 he held two points for a 5-3 lead and a chance to serve for the set. But Ward put the first in the net and Verdasco outplayed him for the second. The inevitable could be postponed no longer. Ward was tiring, and the Spaniard broke him in the next game before wrapping up the match in 90 minutes.

Fourth seed Novak Djokovic survived an endurance test against Frenchman Julien Benetteau to win through to the second round but he needed three hours and 28 minutes of concerted effort to complete the job.

Benettau, in his sixth Wimbledon, shocked Djokovic by winning a 61-minute first set but was hit by falls in the third game of the third set and the last game of the match, which did not help his cause and it allowed Djokovic to clinch victory 6-7 (10-8), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4 on his third match point.

Djokovic would have come into the match reminding viewers that, amid the hype over Roger Federer and Andy Murray, The Championships is more than just a two-horse race.

But he was given serious cause for thought when he lost the first set in just over an hour. It was a remarkably close set with not a single break point until the 12th game. Both players served well, Djokovic even hitting an ace with a second serve, and the Frenchman remaining accurate and persistent.

The first problem for Benettau came when he was 6-5 down and serving. At deuce, Djokovic hit a classic backhand winner for set point but the Frenchman saved that with a service winner. Benettau’s following ace and service winner forced a tie-break.

Djokovic had one set point but Benetteau had three and settled it 10-8 with a backhand down the line played behind Djokovic’s back.

The second set also had to be decided by a tie-break but the difference this time was that Djokovic won at a canter -7-1. The 22-year-old Serb began by hitting a fine cross court backhand against serve, which set the pace, then built on this with some variety of pace. He finally punched a backhand service return winner to square the match.

In the third set, Benetteau had already slipped 2-0 behind, when he literally slipped behind the baseline at deuce in the third game. He needed attention for some pain to his right side and although he was able to play on, Djokovic stretched his lead to 5-0 before Benetteau, to loud applause, took a game.

Djokovic appeared to have a routine service game to win the set but he double-faulted three times to lose the game. But the set still came to him 6-2 and, at last, he was in front.

The fourth set obviously gave the Serb a clearer target but Benetteau continued to show some fine touches even if he was now chasing the game.

But Djokovic did not lose focus and served out to lead 5-4 in a game that included his 14th ace.

In the next game, Benetteau saved a first match point with a service winner. A second match point went to Djokovic when Benetteau could not save a lob. But the Frenchman slid into the back of the court, injuring his left knee on the back surround as he did so and requiring a medical time-out to receive treatment. Djokovic crossed the court to sympathise with his opponent as an ice pack was applied.

Play resumed and Benetteau saved a second match point, but the third was beyond him. Benetteau missed a backhand and Djokovic was through.

And afterwards the former Australian Open champion insisted he was "very happy" to remain below the radar as the media focuses on Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

He said: "I've been playing really well in the last two, three years. Having won a Grand Slam in Australia, I put myself in the position to be a candidate for a Grand Slam title in each Grand Slam I have played.

"So right now, Andy Murray is in the spotlight, and he deserves it. And it's good. It releases kind of a little bit of pressure off me so I can play relaxed on the court."

Tsonga,Soderling advances....

The new No. 2 Court witnessed a thriller as ninth seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga battled through his first round match against Kazakhstan’s Andrey Golubev, a man ranked 62 places below him, in four sets, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5).

The tie-break in the third set saw some Tsonga magic as he raced around the ball to drive a winning forehand across the court. This was followed by another racing backhand to gain a mini-break.

The fourth set also went to a tie-break. Tsonga clearly moved up a gear as he scented victory, hitting a Spitfire-fast “full toss” forehand return and following it up with a nifty net approach to volley a cross-court winner.

This was one of the longest matches on court today at three hours, 21 minutes, and it was a relieved Tsonga who broke into a beaming grin, skipped across the court and thanked the crowd after he secured victory.

An even longer match occurred on court 18 as Feliciano Lopez became the second seed to go out of the men’s tournament, following James Blake’s earlier exit to Andreas Seppi. The Spanish No.21 seed was beaten in a marathon five- setter 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 10-8 by Karol Beck of Slovakia in three hours, 45 minutes.

Rainer Schuettler is no stranger to long matches at the All England Club either since he overcame Arnaud Clement in more than five hours last year. His victory today, in four sets, 6-7 (9-11), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1, over Xavier Malisse was slightly more comfortable, taking just two hours 57 minutes.

In the ladies’, Jie Zheng is safely through to the second round. Zheng, from Chengdu in China, stunned Ana Ivanovic in the third round last year before bowing out in the semi-finals. Another run could be on the cards after the 16th seed disposed of Germany’s Kristina Barrois in twin tie-breaks, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4). Zheng faces Daniela Hantuchova, conqueror of junior champion Laura Robson in the second round.

Russian Alla Kudryavtseva stunned the tennis world when she knocked out her compatriot Maria Sharapova last year in the third round. But she was unable to repeat the feat against countrywoman Elena Dementieva this time. No.4 seed Dementieva barely had to break sweat as she won 6-4, 6-1.

Russian Nadia Petrova, a quarter-finalist here last year, comfortably saw off the challenge of Anastasiya Yakimova 6-1, 6-1. India's Sania Mirza moved into the second round after beating Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

Victoria Azarenka has won three titles already this year, and she benefited from an injury to her opponent Severine Bremond Beltrame who retired hurt. Azarenka had already taken the first set 6-2 when the Frenchwoman Bremond Beltrame was forced to retire after spraining her knee in a fall.

Another tight game followed on Court 3 saw the first female seed to depart. Francesca Schiavone of Italy came back from a set down to knock out Canadian No.23 seed Aleksandra Wozniak 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

It was Andy Warhol who predicted, back in 1968, that: "In the future, everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes." He did not have tennis in mind, but the old boy was right.

For a few brief moments this month – admittedly a little long than quarter of an hour – Robin Soderling was a star. The Swede was the first man to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros and, from that fourth-round victory, he went all the way to the final. And then he lost. In straight sets. Played a chap called Federer who proved to be rather too good for him. His 15 minutes was over.

Now he has another shot at the fame game in SW19 after beating Gilles Muller in the first round 6-7 (7-4), 7-5, 6-1, 6-2. The 13th seed almost missed his chance, mind you, dropping the first set, but after he got his nose in front in the second, it was plain sailing.

Until this year, Soderling’s greatest claim to celebrity and notoriety was making the normally equable Nadal angry at the All England Club two years ago. As the rain sent both men back and forth between locker room and court, their match dragged on for days and everyone’s temper was beginning to fray. So when the Swede starting mimicking Nadal’s little tics and mannerisms, the Spaniard took umbrage. He also took the win in five sets but afterwards had a grumble about Mr Soderling’s manners.

“In the locker room, for the other players, [he] is not the best guy in the locker room,” Nadal said.

But those ill-mannered days appear to be behind Soderling now. He is being coached by compatriot Magnus Norman, the former French Open finalist and world No.2. Norman, one of nature’s quiet souls, appears to have brought the best from his charge.

Soderling admits happily that he used to have a foul temper. Playing games with his parents as a boy, he would fling the board and all the pieces to the floor if he was losing at anything from Monopoly to tiddly winks. These days, and thanks to Norman’s guidance, he keeps the anger under control and is able to channel it in order to bring the best out of his game.

Against Muller, the rasping forehand and cracking serve that had taken him so far in Paris were still very much in evidence. The only slight problem was that Muller had an equally ferocious serve and a nice line in returns, too. For almost two sets, there was barely a whisker between them but then Soderling edged ahead, took the second set and motored to the finish.

Still, he had better make the most of his moment in the sun – Soderling is in the same section of the draw as Roger Federer and could meet him in the fourth round if both men keep winning. To beat one Grand Slam champion in the fourth round of a major tournament is impressive. To beat two Grand Slam champions in the fourth rounds of consecutive major tournaments may be asking a bit too much.

Wimbledon Starts today......

Click here for the full Schedule of Play for Day 1

Welcome to the 123rd Championships, staged for the first time this year beneath a breathtaking canopy which bids fair to enable Wimbledon to match the Theatre of Dreams title so proudly held by Manchester United and their Old Trafford stadium. Except that, in the case of Centre Court, it might be more appropriately called the Cathedral of Dreams. For one man, however, dream has transformed into nightmare with the exit, before a ball has been struck, of the defending champion, Rafael Nadal.

The Man from Majorca has taken his aching knees off for an overdue rest, opening a motorway-wide avenue of opportunity for the other leading lights in the men's field. Despite any protests to the contrary, Roger Federer is entitled to be quietly exultant, whistling a happy tune as he fills in as the opening act on Centre Court this afternoon, since all four of the Grand Slam finals he has lost out of the 18 he reached have been to Rafa. Thus has the Swiss giant been handed another tennis milestone, the first time in the modern era that the same player has got The Championships underway for six straight years - five as defending champion and this one, to borrow from the world of football, wearing the number 12 shirt.

Serena Williams got it right when she said, of Nadal's withdrawal, "A lot of guys on the men's tour will be celebrating and partying." Perhaps balloons and a funny hat would not be appropriate for Federer's opponent, who might better be conveyed to his fate today by tumbril rather than courtesy car. The chap who came out of the bag adjacent to Federer in the draw is from Taipei and goes by the name of Yen-Hsun Lu. Lu, is 25 years old and stands at 64 in the world rankings.

His story is a heart-warming one. Rendy, as he is known on the professional tour, took up tennis aged eight at the urging of his parents, but when his father died suddenly, the 17-year-old briefly gave up the sport, coming back only when it became obvious that he was now his family's main source of income. "My father had a dream that his son can maybe one day play Wimbledon and get into the top 100," he explains, in which case both of dad's wishes have been fulfilled.

This is, in fact, Rendy's sixth Wimbledon, but the previous five years have brought him a mere two victories, a total which is hardly likely to rise to three today, despite the fact that this year his victims have included both Lleyton Hewitt and David Nalbandian, Wimbledon's 2002 champion and runner-up respectively.

There will, of course, be a couple of incentives lending extra power to the Federer racket arm. If he goes the distance this year, as he did every year from 2003 to 2008, he would become the leading Grand Slam winner since he is level pegging with Pete Sampras at 14 following his triumph on clay at the French Open earlier this month. And a sixth Wimbledon title would place him only one behind the all-time biggies - Sampras with seven, which matches the number won by William Renshaw in the days when Queen Victoria ruled this land.

Since the opening day has been given over to the lower half of the singles draws because of the Nadal withdrawal, it is Serena Williams, like Federer the second seed, who gets to try out the newly-roofed Centre Court ahead of sister Venus, the Williams family member who actually won here last summer. As with Federer, the opposition for Serena's hammer-blow, high-decibel style of play is unlikely to detain the two-time Wimbledon champion for long. Neuza Silva, who got here via the qualifying competition, checks in at 155 on the WTA computer.

The other Centre Court showpiece involves Serbia's Novak Djokovic, pride of Serbia and fourth in the world, against Julien Benneteau of France. The 27-year-old Benneteau, who knows a good cheese when he sees one, having been born within smelling distance of one of his nation's finest at Bourg en Bresse, is ranked 80th in the world. In Britain this would have people talking up his chances of enduring fame, but in France Julien, who operates under the mysterious nickname of Muffle, is ony his country's twelfth-best.

Will Muffle stifle the energetic Novak, winner of one Grand Slam already (Australia 2008) and favoured to add to that total soon? Don't put money, or cheese, on it. Djokovic, seeded fourth, finds himself on the less fortunate side of the draw along with Federer while Andy Murray, who overtook Djokovic as world number three this year, dropped more conveniently into the half which no longer contains Nadal, the 2008 champion.

For the No.1 Court patrons there is a richly varied offering, starting with Maria Sharapova, going on to Robin Soderling and concluding with a British wild card hopeful, James Ward. Sharapova, the 2004 champion, is newly returned to tennis following a shoulder operation last autumn and has been awarded a seeding of 24 for The Championships despite a ranking of 59 as a result of that ten-month absence. Whatever the numbers, a return to the tournament she loves more than any other should inspire her to see off the opposition, provided by Viktoriya Kutuzova, another survivor of the qualifying process (where she was top seed) and a native of the Ukraine.

Soderling, the toast of a Swedish nation no longer awash with tennis talent following his demolition of Nadal at Roland Garros, has ascended to 13th seed for this fortnight and can expect to see off an opponent he has never previously played, Gilles Muller, the top gun of Luxembourg tennis. Ward's task is, as so often with a British player accorded a wild card pass into the tournament, an onerous one, since he takes on Fernando Verdasco, Mr Perpetual Motion of Spain and the seventh seed.

There is a fine line-up, too, for the new 4,000-seat Court Two, with the 15-year-old British wild card Laura Robson, of whom great things are forecast, opening proceedings against tough opposition in Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, followed by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the Monsieur Showbiz of French tennis.

And finally, as for that "breathtaking canopy" mentioned in the opening paragraph, it is entirely in keeping with the British climate that the weather is turning hot and dry just as the tennis balls begin to fly. So will the roof not be needed? In the words of Wimbledon's wise head groundsman, Eddie Seaward, "Don't get carried away just yet."

Nagarjuna's next from July 24

Nagarjuna decided to introduce another new director with his next flick. Kiran Kumar makes his dbut as director. This movie is to start it's regular shoot from July 24. D Siva Prasad Reddy produces he film under Kamakshi Kala Banner.

PAKISTAN New T-20 Champions.....

	Shahid Afridi stood tall with a mature 54 to guide Pakistan home © Getty Images
Related Links Player/Officials: Kamran Akmal | Kumar Sangakkara | Shahid Afridi Matches: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Lord's Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: Pakistan | Sri Lanka

It wasn't the edge-of-the-seat final that would have signed off the ICC World Twenty20 in style, but that won't matter to Pakistan who gave their nation a something to savour amid troubled times. From the moment Tillakaratne Dilshan, the tournament's top-scorer, fell in the opening over Pakistan had a grip on the match. Shahid Afridi, who emerged as their trump card, guided his team home in the 19th over with an unbeaten 54, and it was left to Younis Khan to raise the trophy in what he later announced would be his final Twenty20 international, in front of a sea of delirious Pakistan supporters.

Pakistan won't be playing at home for the foreseeable future, but the following they have had at this event has reinforced the notion that England can be a surrogate home. The masses were cheering from early on as Abdul Razzaq - a great individual comeback-story among the team's resurgence - claimed three key wickets in his opening burst to leave Sri Lanka on 32 for 4. They never looked back despite the best efforts of Kumar Sangakkara.

Occasionally the tension rose as the required rate climbed, but each time Afridi was on hand with one of his most mature innings. He hit consecutive balls from Muttiah Muralitharan for six and four in the 14th over, a calculated assault against a key bowler. The destination of the trophy was sealed when he swung a huge six over midwicket off Isuru Udana in the 18th over - the moment when Sangakkara gambled on one of his weaker bowling links - and followed that with another boundary off a high full toss.

Shoaib Malik played his part with 24 off 22 balls in a match-winning stand of 76 after Kamran Akmal had given early impetus to the top-order. The batsmen knew they didn't have to take many risks and played Ajantha Mendis better than any other team as he went for his most expensive spell of the tournament.

Pakistan's rise from rank outsiders to champions is an extraordinary display for a team that had to beat Netherlands by a significant margin to even stay in the event during the group stages. However, they have peaked at the right time and couldn't have produced a more complete performance for a final. They fell five runs short two years ago at Johannesburg, but this time there was no mistake.

Prime Numbers 22 Number of dot balls Pakistan bowled in the first six overs. 53 for 1 Sri Lanka's average score in the Powerplay overs, before this match. Here, they were reduced to 34 for 4 after six. 129 The number of runs Shahid Afridi has scored in his last three innings, since moving up to No.3, at a strike rate of 148.27. This run also includes his first two half-centuries in Twenty20 internationals, in successive games. 13 The number of wickets for Umar Gul in the tournament, exactly as many as in the 2007 edition. In 2007 he averaged 11.92 at an economy rate of 5.60. Here his average was 12.15 at an economy rate of 6.44. 64 Kumar Sangakkara's score, his second half-century and his highest score in Twenty20 internationals. 3 for 20 Abdul Razzaq's bowling figures, his best in Twenty20 internationals, and his second three-wicket haul in six matches.

Sri Lanka, who have been the model of consistency, were caught off guard by aggressive tactics. In a stirring atmosphere, Pakistan were on top of their game from the start as 17-year-old Mohammad Aamer belied his inexperience with a tone-setting opening over. In a clear plan he bowled short at Dilshan who was distinctly discomforted by the approach. Against the fifth ball Dilshan tried to take the initiative with a scoop over short fine-leg, but only managed to pick out the man on the edge of the circle. He had middled virtually all his attempts at the shot during the tournament and what a time for it to go wrong.

With the tournament's leading run-scorer heading off Pakistan were buoyed and Sri Lanka shaken. Jehan Mubarak was promoted to No. 3, but he couldn't survive the second over when he came down the pitch and got a leading edge into the covers to give Razzaq his first.

Sri Lanka briefly rallied as Sanath Jaysuriya suggested he could marshal a turnaround. Favouring the leg side he swung Razzaq for six with a forceful short-arm pull and collected four more next ball, but it was a short-lived response when an inside edge crashed into the stumps. Razzaq was flat on his face at the moment of dismissal after slipping in his follow-through but it was Sri Lanka who were feeling unsteady.

Younis Khan went on the attack and his decision to post a wide slip paid rich dividends when Mahela Jayawardene steered the ball straight to Misbah-ul-Haq at ankle height. Razzaq was playing his cricket with a new lease of life after being giving another crack at international level. He wasn't part of the original squad, but Yasir Arafat's injury that prompted the switch now looked like a stroke of fortune.

Four wickets inside the Powerplay meant Sri Lanka had little choice but to play it safe as Younis turned to his spinners. Sangakkara was calmness personified amid Sri Lanka's problems aware that the hopes of a decent total rested on his shoulders. He paced his innings expertly, reaching fifty off 44 balls despite the problems that surrounded him, but only found support when joined by Angelo Mathews.

The final five overs brought 59 runs and if any attack could make a game out of 138 it was Sri Lanka's. However, early wickets were key and they didn't materialise as Akmal and Shahzaid Hasan played sensibly. The wizardry of Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan and the accuracy of Lasith Malinga have provided wonderful entertainment over the last weeks, but on this occasion couldn't conjure the magic spell that was needed.

As Afridi and Malik embraced mid-pitch after the winning moment the emotion showed what this victory means for Pakistan. They needed this success most and perhaps that drive was the deciding factor. The country faces a difficult few years of rebuilding, but this victory will have brought great joy and, hopefully, belief of a brighter future.

Mani Sharma turns Producer

After Ramana Gogula, now it is Mani Sharma who all set to enter the Production Department. Varun Sandesh is signed as hero. Veturi all the lyrics. Mani Sharma names his production house as Ocean Films.

Nadal opts out from Wimbledon-2009

Rafael Nadal has announced he will not defend his Wimbledon title.

The world number one and top seed had said after the French Open that he would not play Wimbledon if he was not 100% and so it has come to pass.

"I’m here and I'm just not 100%. I'm better than what I was a couple of weeks ago but I don’t feel right," Nadal told a packed press conference on Friday evening at the All England Club.

"To not play Wimbledon is one of the toughest decisions of my career."

After suffering a shock defeat in the French Open to Robin Soderling, Nadal received treatment on his knees in Barcelona and skipped the traditional Wimbledon warm-up at Queen’s in an effort to be fit for The Championships. He was diagnosed with tendinitis in both quadriceps tendons as well as a small amount of fluid on the kneecaps.

"I tried everything. I didn't feel terrible but also not close to my best. When I enter a tournament my goal is winning and my feeling right now is I'm not ready to win.

"It's very painful for me but I can't play at the tournament this year. It's tough but it is what it is."

Nadal's absence will cause a reshuffle in the men’s singles draw. Number five seed Juan Martin Del Potro replaces Nadal at the top of the draw. The 17th seed James Blake moves to line 65 to take Del Potro's position. Nicolas Kiefer moves to line 56 to take Blake's position and lucky loser Thiago Alves takes Kiefer's position on line 61.

Nadal revealed that he had been playing with considerable pain and he didn't know how long he would be out of tennis. But he said he expected to fully recover from his knee problems and that he would have a "long career".

"I played with some problems on the knee for the last few months. I've been making efforts to play week after week. The truth is that sportsmen always play with pain and don't know where the limit is, where you can get to. I think I reached that limit now.

"I will work very hard to comeback as soon as possible. One of the problems is I’m thinking more about the knees than what is happening on court and it’s very difficult to play like that."

When Nadal was asked about his many fans and how disappointed they would be that he was not appearing at Wimbledon, the 23-year-old replied: "no more than me".

Nadal also said he was not concerned that his absence would open the door for Roger Federer to reclaim the number one world ranking. "If I lose the number one ranking I’m going to accept it like the four years I was number two and work hard to improve and recover."

END V NZ final for Womens T-20 WC

Match facts

Sunday June 21
Start time 10.30 local (0930 GMT)

	Aimee Watkins will be keen to achieve what her predecessor Haidee Tiffen couldn't - lead New Zealand to a world title© Getty Images
Related Links Player/Officials: Suzie Bates | Holly Colvin | Sian Ruck | Claire Taylor Series/Tournaments: ICC Women's World Twenty20

Big Picture

So they meet again. The two finalists from the 50-over World Cup in Australia - which England won by four wickets - will face each other in the World Twenty20 final at Lord's on Sunday. Both England and New Zealand are unbeaten in the tournament and put in such strong performances in the semi-finals that it is hard to predict a favourite. Though home advantage isn't a big factor in Twenty20, England can claim to have a slight edge over New Zealand.

England's strength is their batting, led by world No. 1 Claire Taylor - whose unbeaten 76 off 53 balls took her side into the final - and captain Charlotte Edwards. New Zealand, on the other hand, have a very tight bowling unit, with 25-year-old Sian Ruck emerging as a great future talent. New Zealand's batting, however, hinges somewhat on the hard-hitting Suzie Bates and captain Aimee Watkins. If they fail, the team looks very fragile.

Both teams showed in the semi-finals that Twenty20, a game of big hits and fast action, is suited to women and can be a format used to make the game more popular. They repeatedly cleared the boundary and dived and threw balls in with accuracy. A close final on Sunday could set up an interesting rivalry for the future and, more importantly, a precedent for women's curtain-raiser matches in bilateral series.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand WWWWL

England WWWWW

Watch out for...

Claire Taylor: She's in the form of her life and was named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year. Her unbeaten half-century in the semi-final helped England overhaul Australia's 162 with ease. Expect a big contribution from her.

Suzie Bates: New Zealand's reply to Taylor is the 21-year-old opener who can tear apart a bowling attack. However, she looked out of touch in the semi-final against India, struggling to find the gaps, and scored a 24-ball 15. New Zealand will need her to click if they are to hope to get past England this time around.

Holly Colvin: England's left-arm spinner is the tournament's leading wicket-taker with nine from four games at an economy of 5.62.

Sian Ruck: New Zealand's left-arm seamer swings the ball into the right-handers and repeatedly bowled yorker-length deliveries in the semi-final. One of the wickets of the tournament was her dismissal of Harmanpreet Kaur in that match. The ball landed back of a length on middle and moved to take the leg stump. Ruck will be keen to keep Taylor and Co. in check.

Road to the final

England
v India: won by ten wickets. England needed just 15.4 overs to chase down India's paltry total.

v Sri Lanka: won by 71 runs Eshani Kaushalya took a career-best haul but the Sri Lankan batsmen couldn't stand up to Isa Guha and Colvin.

v Pakistan: won by 63 runs A surprisingly low total for England but Pakistan were bowled out in 16.5 overs

v Australia: won by eight wickets Thanks to an unbeaten 122-run stand, England booked their place on the big ticket with eight wickets and three balls to spare

New Zealand
v Australia: won by nine wickets A keen contest was turned into a one-sided affair as New Zealand yet again beat their Tasman neighbours in an opening game of the World Cup.

v West Indies: won by 52 runs A 94-run opening stand between Bates and Doolan set up the big win.

v South Africa: won by six wickets Cri-Zelda Brits gave the New Zealand bowlers a scare with an unbeaten half-century but with no support from the rest of the batting order, the target New Zealand had to chase remained modest.

v India: won by 52 runs India were completely outplayed by an all-round New Zealand.

Team news

England are unlikely to change the side that chased down Australia's 162 with eight wickets to spare unless injuries force them to.

England: (probable) 1 Sarah Taylor (wk), 2 Claire Taylor, 3 Charlotte Edwards (wk), 4 Beth Morgan, 5 Lydia Greenway, 6 Jenny Gunn, 7 Caroline Atkins, 8 Nicki Shaw, 9 Katherine Brunt, 10 Holly Colvin, 11 Laura Marsh.

Ditto for New Zealand who will hope openers Bates and Lucy Doolan can give them a rollicking start that Watkins can consolidate on.

New Zealand: (probable) 1 Lucy Doolan, 2 Suzie Bates, 3 Aimee Watkins (capt), 4 Amy Satterthwaite, 5 Nicola Browne, 6 Sara McGlashan, 7 Sophie Devine, 8 Rachel Priest (wk), 9 Kate Pulford, 10 Sian Ruck, 11 Sarah Tsukigawa.

Stats and Trivia

• Sarah Taylor has the highest tournament average with 160.00 from three innings, with two half-centuries.
• Lucy Doolan has scored the most number of sixes - three - in an innings in the tournament.
• Isa Guha has the best economy rate - 2.83 from two games.

SriLanka in T-20 WC Final

	Tillakaratne Dilshan swings away another boundary during his unbeaten 96 © Associated Press
Related Links Analysis: Dilshan trumps in evening of solos Analysis: Gayle and Dilshan's one-man show Player/Officials: Tillakaratne Dilshan | Chris Gayle | Angelo Mathews | Ajantha Mendis | Muttiah Muralitharan Matches: Sri Lanka v West Indies at The Oval Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: Sri Lanka | West Indies

It will be an all-Asia final at the ICC World Twenty20 after Sri Lanka maintained their unbeaten record by crushing West Indies by 57 runs at The Oval. Tillakaratne Dilshan added another installment to his breathtaking tournament with an unbeaten 96, the highest score of the event, as his team-mates struggled for momentum. Angelo Mathews then stunned West Indies with three wickets in the opening over before the spinners strangled the middle order, leaving Chris Gayle forlornly unbeaten on 63, carrying his bat as no one else reached double figures.

After everything the two countries have been through, it is fitting that Sri Lanka will meet Pakistan in the final. However, unlike Pakistan's campaign which has burst into life after a slow start, there has been a sense of destiny about Kumar Sangakkara's team reaching the Lord's showdown. Sri Lanka's run has been a triumph of mental strength and character and they now have the chance to mark their return to the international scene following the Lahore terror attack with a trophy.

They have played as a team throughout, but their position in the final was down to Dilshan's outstanding individual effort. His innings was the highest for Sri Lanka in Twenty20 and, in a quirky statistic, the innings briefly gave him the highest percentage of a completed innings before Gayle's lone hand nipped ahead. Dilshan looked set for the tournament's first century until losing the strike towards the end. However, with Dilshan set for the closing stages, 60 runs came from the final five overs with Mathews playing a valuable four-ball cameo with two final-over boundaries.

However, that was only the start of Mathews' role in the game. It was a surprise when he was handed the new-ball at the start of the tournament, but has been a constant presence upfront. Nothing, though, had come close to matching this effort. With his second ball he removed Xavier Marshall - who had replaced Andre Fletcher following three consecutive ducks - via an inside edge. It would become a common form of dismissal.

Two balls later, Lendl Simmons was slightly unlucky when he went across his stumps and the ball ricocheted from his thigh pad onto leg stump. That wasn't the end, though, and Mathews' third was the vital wicket of Dwayne Bravo as he too got an inside edge into middle stump. A stunned West Indies were 1 for 3.

Gayle, too his credit, played the situation and even opted to leave a couple of deliveries as he collected his thoughts. Normal service resumed with three boundaries when Lasith Malinga came on early to bowl the fourth over and Isuru Udana was swung for six over long-on. Then came the spinners and, coupled with some brainless shot selection, the game was over.

Ajantha Mendis trapped Shivnarine Chanderpaul on the sweep as he and Muttiah Muralitharan made the middle order prod and poke as though playing with their eyes closed. Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was dropped on 2 by Mendis running round from long-on, was soon held by the omnipresent Mathews and Kieron Pollard was made to look a novice when he was stumped off a wide. Mendis' 2 for 9 were Sri Lanka's most economical Twenty20 figures, but Murali's 3 for 29 reminded everyone of where the mystery began.

Sri Lanka's innings was a curious affair, none more so than when Sanath Jayasuriya was labouring over a 37-ball 24. He never looked comfortable, changing his bat four times, before top-edging to short fine-leg. That the opening stand was still worth a profitable 73 in 10.3 overs was down to how well Dilshan played. He drove, flicked and swept (but never quite scooped, although he tried) his way to a 30-ball half century while partners came and went.

Sangakkara was superbly caught at backward point and Mahela Jayawardene clipped straight to short-fine leg as three wickets fell for four runs. It was down to Dilshan to give Sri Lanka's strong attack something to defend and he cashed in on two full tosses by Pollard. Placement was key to Dilshan's display and each time the bowlers strayed he managed to make the most of it.

The innings found some important momentum in the 17th over when Bravo was taken for 18 as he struggled to find his length. Dilshan cracked three boundaries and Chamara Silva then joined in when he swung the final delivery one bounce to the square-leg boundary. Silva's contribution to a stand of 50 in six overs was just 11, before he fell trying to reverse hit Sulieman Benn, but it put Sri Lanka on track for the type of score they have regularly defended and from there they never looked like losers. One more victory on Sunday would complete one of cricket's greatest stories.