India will have to beat Sri Lanka tomorrow if they are to reach the final of the tri-nation one-day international tournament in Zimbabwe. Suresh Raina's side slumped to a seven-wicket defeat to the hosts at Harare Sports Club and the captain acknowledges his team have a lot of hard work ahead of them. He said: "They [Sri Lanka] are a very good side. Let's just hope for the best and play good cricket."
A slow opening partnership from Murali Vijay and Dinesh Karthik failed to provide the surge needed to post a competitive total, with India finishing on 194 for nine - which Zimbabwe chased down with more than 11 overs to spare. Asked for his assessment of the slow run rate, Raina said: "We were worried, we were not getting the partnership with a new opening pair." Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe captain, was pleased with the way his own openers helped set up the run chase that also earned them a bonus point. He said: "It was just a matter of getting us a good foundation and the openers did that."
Meanwhile, Lalit Modi, the suspended Indian Premier League chairman, has hit out at Giles Clarke, the England and Wales Cricket Board chairman, for tarnishing his name and has initiated legal proceedings against him. Modi is facing three show-cause notices from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, covering allegations of corruption, fraud and money laundering. The second notice was based on an email from Clarke, accusing him of plotting to form a rebel Twenty20 competition in England. "I was totally shocked and disgusted by how the events were portrayed by him [Clarke]," Modi told The Daily Telegraph. "I have been fighting unauthorised cricket since the day I got in. I was the one who said boards must remain in control." * PA