Newsfile: May 22

'Criticism about Pathan, Tiwary unwarranted' - Akram: Wasim Akram, the Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach, has defended Yusuf Pathan and Manoj Tiwary despite their struggles with the bat this season, saying picking them was a gamble worth taking. In the IPL this season, Pathan scored 153 from 14 innings at an average of 17.00 and Tiwary scored 251 at 25.10. “I have heard a lot of criticism about Yusuf, but I feel that it is unwarranted. Yusuf and Manoj are a different breed. They are game-changers but they will also have their off days. It is difficult to expect consistency from a number six or seven batsman in a T20 game,” Akram wrote in his column for ESPNStar.com. “We will be playing Delhi on a “neutral” ground on Tuesday. The Pune wicket is not ideal for free-flowing batting. The track looks a bit dodgy but whatever the conditions, it will be a level-playing field.”

'Sehwag, Taylor will be fit' - Simons: Delhi Daredevils coach Eric Simons has said Virender Sehwag and Ross Taylor have recovered from bouts of flu and will play in the qualifier against Kolkata Knight Riders today. "We didn't have an extended practice session for them. They had light practice as both were recovering from flu. We are confident that they will be fine," Simons said. “We have to be aware about where exactly we are emotionally and mentally. We have to do the basics correctly as it is important to end on the right side of the contest."

'IPL has given me confidence to succeed' - Dhawan: The Deccan Chargers opener Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 569 from 15 matches in the IPL, has said the tournament has given him the confidence to play against the best teams in the world. “It is easily one of the best IPL seasons. The confidence is back and I’m happy that I could score runs against some of the best bowlers of the world. I’m hungry for success,” Dhawan told Indian Express. “The West Indies tour with the India `A’ will be a big one (for me) and I’m determined to make it count.”