Yuvraj spurs India to victory

Birthday boy Yuvraj Singh gave a stunning all-round display to spur India to a record six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the second and final Twenty20 international on Saturday.

India's Yuvraj Singh, left, reacts as he returns to the pavilion with teammate Dinesh Karthik after India won the second Twenty20 cricket match between India and Sri Lanka, in Mohali, India.

India reached the highest chasing total, amassing 211 for four in 19.1 overs after Sri Lanka had made a daunting 206 for seven. The series was drawn 1-1.

Yuvraj, who turned 28 on Saturday, smashed a 25-ball 60 not out after he had grabbed three for 23 bowling left-arm spin on his home ground.

Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara top-scored for the second game in a row, making 59 off 31 balls as a sloppy India dropped five catches.

Sangakkara hammered eight fours and two sixes after stroking a match-winning 78 in the opening game in Nagpur on Wednesday.

Sehwag hit 64 off 35 balls and added 58 runs with fellow opener Gautam Gambhir (21) and 50 for the next wicket with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (46).

Yuvraj took over, adding 80 runs with Dhoni for the third wicket, hammering five sixes and three fours, and finishing off with a six.

India surpassed the 208 for two South Africa made while beating West Indies at Johannesburg in 2007.

The teams play a five-match one-day series from Tuesday.

It’s ‘Over’ Mr. Stanford?

For England and West Indies cricket, Allen Stanford was a night watchman supposed to score a century and take 10 wickets in an innings. Well it seems Texan billionaire was offering something similar to his financial clients across the globe. But for English cricketers even after keeping their WAGS buttocks on huge thighs of billionaire, those millions no longer exist.

Sir Allen Stanford With $20 Million

Stanford is a typical Texan (6ft 4in) broad and friendly. Turned his modest family business into a huge financial empire after buying cheap properties in Texas during 1980s downturn. His overall assets are now a staggering $ 50 billion.

Cricket Connection

His financial group sponsors events like golf, tennis, polo, sailing and cricket. In a five year deal with England and West Indies cricket last summer, Stanford introduced his own Twenty20 bash in which winners (West Indies ) took a prize money of $20 million. His flamboyant character which is similar to the new format of the game became evident when his silver color chopper landed on the Nursery Ground at Lord’s and he wheeled out a box of $20 million prize money for the contest and handed it over to ECB.

English cricketing authorities didn’t felt a little awkward for taking the bait which was previously refused by India and South Africa. Now ECB has already suspended its negotiations with Stanford after charges of fraud became prominent against Texan tycoon, damage is already done.

Sir Allen Stanford at Lords

It has been three years since Stanford first started investing in the revival of West Indian cricket, but his relations with West Indian Cricket Board never hit normal.

When his offices in America were raided by federal agents, Dr Julian Hunte, the president of WICB  suspended negotiations with billionaire, who was once see the savior of calypso.

Stanford’s virtual takeover of West Indian Twenty20 cricket was typical to high rises Caribbean Sea is so acquitted with.  Hijacking the entertaining format of the game in West Indies led to legal disputes with current sponsors Digicel and former sponsors Cable and Wireless (two telecom companies often visit court rooms over the rights of sponsorships over the cricket in this part of the world, where calypso is still the preferred sport.)

Though WICB made it clear that they don’t depend on Stanford money they will surely miss, $1 million annually fee tycoon was supposed to pay the board for licensing his Twenty20 tournament in the region. According to Hunte he hasn’t paid the money for previous year as of now.

Whatever may be the outcome of investigations, Stanford’s first innings with cricket has surely come to an end.

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