Royals had been left scarred by 10 overs of some menacing bowling by the Super Kings’ seamers and were left looking at a mountain to climb.

With 93 required off the last 10, and their best batsmen of the day till then, Rahul Dravid, already back in the dugout, it looked like there was no way back. Then Dhoni introduced R Ashwin in the 11th, and the match turned upside down. The third ball of the over was slog-swept by Stuart Binny and it just cleared Ravindra Jadeja at deep midwicket, but it was the fifth and the sixth deliveries of the same over that signalled the start of the onslaught. Watson swept both comfortably over the boundary line, making it 23 runs of that over.

It seemed like a switch had been flicked on because Dhoni’s immediate reaction to go back to his seamers in the next over didn’t really make any difference to the batsmen. Binny cut and flicked Morris for a couple of boundaries, then Watson took over. He first drove the impressive Jason Holder for a six over long off, then bludgeoned two of Dwayne Bravo’s next over. The switch in gears left everyone gobsmacked, as Morris lost his line in the next over and was duly hit for four boundaries in all directions, the first one of which brought Watson’s half-century, of just 25 balls. By the time Watson was dismissed, the job had been done. Binny finished the chase with six over long off to remain unbeaten on 41.

The start of the innings had been nothing like the finish. Royals were peppered with pace and bounce from the Super Kings fast bowlers and they struggled as MS Dhoni maintained Test-match like pressure with slip fielders. It was only Dravid who seemed adept enough to handle the bowling, similar to how Michael Hussey had steered the first innings for Super Kings. But then after 30 over of Test-match cricket, the game changed.

Royals, who had won five straight matches chasing, had asked Super Kings to bat on a spicy pitch and Hussey and Vijay played the initial period watchfully to thwart the bowlers, then raised the 11th half-century stand between them to set up a strong base for the hitters to follow. But Kevon Cooper struck twice to remove Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, sucking the life out of Super Kings’ innings and the pitch was too hot to handle for the rest. Had it not been for a brief cameo by Bravo, Super Kings would not have had a change to even compete. In the end, it wouldn’t have mattered.

With arch-rivals Fenerbahce beaten 2-0 by another Istanbul side, Buyuksehir Belediyespor, Galatarasary opened up a 10-point lead.

It means that Galatasaray win a 19th title, breaking the deadlock with Fenerbahce, who have won 18.

Thousands of Galatasaray fans took to the streets late Sunday night to celebrate, chanting and waving posters of coach, Fatih Terim, who sat out the end of the season due to suspension.

Terim was banned for nine matches in April for criticising the referee during a league game against Mersin Idmanyurdu.

Terim, never short of a telling quip, told the referee who had banished him to the stands as Galatasaray went on to win that game 3-1. “I will lead this team from the moon if I have to.”

In tribute, several fans in the stadium at Sunday’s game were seen wearing space suits. (AFP)

He and Xander Manshel were freshmen at Middlebury College in Vermont in 2005, staring at the field ironically named in the chilly, landlocked state. Manshel was bored with the Sunday tradition of bocce ball and was looking for a change.

“We were really lucky. It was really the perfect place to start quidditch,” Benepe said.

Now, eight years later, the fictional game once only played by characters in the popular “Harry Potter” books is played at more than 1,000 college campuses on three continents.

Manshel scribbled down a makeshift rulebook based in part on the books and elements of lacrosse, rugby and dodge ball. Intramural matches began at Middlebury in 2007.

Benepe founded the International Quidditch Association three years later, and the game is now played in North America, Europe and Australia. He is now the IQA commissioner.

Saturday and Sunday in Kissimmee, IQA will host 80 teams and more than 1,600 players for its annual World Cup event. The first three were at Middlebury, and the past two were held in New York.

Of more than 300 active co-ed teams globally, about 250 pay team dues of $150 to IQA and travel for matches.

That’s quite an evolution from its ragtag beginnings, Benepe said: Garbage cans once served as hoops, with some players fashioning capes out of towels taped to their shirts.

“One guy wore his high school graduation robe. Another kid thought you had to bring your own broom, and he couldn’t find one. So he grabbed a lamp from his dormitory and was running around on a lamp. It was real thrown together,” Benepe said.

Not anymore.

Now players spend anywhere from a few hundred bucks for basic equipment to several hundred for the top-of-the-line stuff at the World Cup.

Also, the majority of teams competing at this level have official uniforms names paying homage to the book series, like the Silicon Valley Skrewts and the Melbourne Manticores.

Spectators will find many of the same features from the books. Players throw balls or “quaffles” through ringed hoops for points and even can chase and capture the “snitch” to end matches.

And in case any Harry Potter diehards are wondering, yes, all the players also must maneuver around on broomsticks during gameplay. Much like the ability to dunk a basketball is restricted to a gifted few, however, real-life quidditch players have yet to take flight.

As far as the players, there are those like Brian Nackasha, a 26-year-old beater for Brevard Community College’s team, who said he listens to the Potter books daily on audio.

But the game isn’t just embraced by “Harry Potter” enthusiasts. In fact, there are several players at this weekend’s event who consider themselves novices and just enjoy the athletic aspect.

“We have people on our team that have never read the books or seen the movies, so it travels the whole spectrum,” said University of Ottawa team founder Clare Hutchinson. “Quidditch is not necessarily all about Harry Potter anymore.”

Hutchinson, 22, said she never played any team sports before quidditch, only previously participating in things such as skiing and horseback riding. She and her teammates even reorganized their final exams just to participate in the World Cup.

She said the camaraderie is worth it, though.

“We’ve deferred dozens of exams for this trip,” she said. “We had to make personal and academic sacrifices to make that choice, as well as the financial expense. … People are really surprised at the seriousness we take it at.”

For now, the IQA remains a nonprofit group and remains in contact with representatives for “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling to ensure no trademarks are violated.

Although IQA has been approached by some corporate entities about possible sponsorships, he said the aim is to make sure the group doesn’t lose its grassroots appeal.

“The sport has really changed a lot of people’s lives for the better,” Benepe said. “People are turning into lifetime friends. I’m now good friends with people who have been playing quidditch for five or six years.

The two dogs were racing peddling away on their tricycles for the 20 meter race. The dogs were differentiated by the scarves around their necks were a sense of amusement for all those in attendance.

The race was won by the Dalmatian wearing the blue scarf which completed the race in 37.59 seconds.

Ronchi is the only player who has not previously represented New Zealand in the side that also sees the return of spinner Daniel Vettori, who has been sidelined for eight months with an ankle injury.

The touring Test squad sees recalls for Martin Guptill and Mark Gillespie,who are added to the list of players who featured in the squads for the recent drawn three-Test home series against England.

The 31-year-old Ronchi is New Zealand born but was raised in Australia

where he played four one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals in 2008-09 before returning to his country of birth.

National selection manager Kim Littlejohn said that with a fully fit squad, the race for spots had never been so competitive.

The tour begins on May 4 with the first of two warm-up games before New

Zealand play two Tests and three one-dayers against England ahead of the Champions Trophy, which begins on June 6.

Test squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Peter Fulton, Martin Guptill, Mark Gillespie, Tom Latham, Bruce Martin, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson.

ODI and Champions Trophy squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Andrew Ellis, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori, Kane Williamson.

Batting first after being put in by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka made 198 for five in 20 overs after reeling at 100-4 in 12 overs.

However, they managed to smash 98 runs in eight overs due to some aggressive batting by Jeevan Mendis (37), Angelo Mathews (30 not out) and Thisara Perera (22 not out).

Earlier, opener Kusal Jenith Perera made 64 off 44 balls with four sixes and five fours. Mendis and Thisara struck three and two sixes, respectively.

Williams, who had shared the all-time Miami women’s title mark with Steffi Graf, won the last 10 games in adding to a trophy haul that included crowns in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008 and runner-up efforts in 1999 and 2009.

It was the 11th match victory in a row for Williams over Sharapova, coming in their first meeting as the top two players in the world rankings, and gave the 31-year-old American a 12-2 edge in their all-time rivalry.

But Sharapova took a set off Williams for the first time since 2008 and was up a break in the second set before the reigning Olympic, Wimbledon and US Open champion roared back and breaking the Russian in her last five service games.

Williams became only the fourth woman in the modern era to win the same

event six times, joining Graf, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Graf’s husband, Andre Agassi, won the Miami men’s title six times.

Williams, a 15-time Grand Slam singles champion, also became the oldest

women’s champion in Miami history, four months older than Evert when the legend won here in 1986 at 31 years and two months of age.

Sharapova, 25, suffered her fifth championship-match loss at Miami and still looks for her first Miami title after having been denied a 29th career WTA triumph.

The $8.5 million hardcourt event, which also includes an ATP Masters tournament, concludes Sunday with Britain’s Andy Murray facing Spaniard David Ferrer in the men’s final.(AFP)

De Villiers, who was dropped on one, overcame some hostile bowling on an unpredictable pitch as South Africa chased down Pakistan’s 204 all out with six overs to spare.

On a day when most batsmen struggled to time the ball consistently, De Villiers made his runs off just 111 balls. He hit nine fours and a six.

A fourth wicket partnership of 87 off 88 balls with Farhaan Behardien (35) made South Africa’s victory virtually certain after Pakistan’s new ball bowlers, Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan, caused early problems on a pitch where some deliveries bounced alarmingly, while others kept low.

Pakistan seemed headed for a more competitive total when they reached 151 for four in the 35th over after winning the toss.

Ryan McLaren took three wickets in 13 balls to swing the match in South Africa’s favour.

McLaren had Shoaib Malik caught at midwicket and three balls later, with the last delivery before the batting power play, he had big-hitting Shahid Afridi caught at deep square leg without scoring.

Pakistan’s hopes then rested with their captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, who had played a match-winning innings of 80 when Pakistan squared the series at 2-2 with a three-wicket win in Durban on Thursday.

As he had in Durban, Misbah started cautiously and he had scored only 24 runs off 46 balls when he was caught behind to become McLaren?s third victim.

McLaren finished with three for 32, with all his wickets coming in a three-over third spell which cost only five runs.

For the first time this season, South Africa fielded their two leading strike bowlers, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, in their one-day international team.

The pair had been rotated during a series against New Zealand and Morkel missed the first four matches against Pakistan because of a hamstring injury.

Although Steyn and Morkel only took one and two wickets respectively, they contributed to a much-improved South African bowling performance.

Despite an innings of 48 off 51 balls by Kamran Akmal, and a third wicket stand of 66 between Akmal and Younis Khan (29) the Pakistanis were unable to dominate the bowling at any stage during their innings after Misbah won the toss and decided to bat.

South Africa were without opening batsman and Test captain Graeme Smith because of what was described as a chronic left ankle injury which kept him off the field for most of Pakistan’s run chase in Durban.

He was replaced by 20-year-old left-hander Quinton de Kock.

De Kock looked out of his depth and was bowled by Junaid Khan for three, while Hashim Amla was unusually subdued in scoring 22 off 65 balls. With Colin Ingram bowled by off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez for 15, South Africa needed a partnership.

De Villiers edged Junaid low to Younis Khan at slip when he had one and the chance went down. The South African captain was soon into his stride as he took his aggregate for the series to 367 runs at an average of 91.75. He was named man of the match and man of the series. (AFP)

Sent into bat by Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, South Africa were in trouble losing two early wickets for 42 as Graeme Smith (3) and Colin Ingram (17) fell to fast bowler Mohammad Irfan.

However, Amla and de Villiers came to rescue and succeeded in their operation while sharing a world record partnership of 238 for the third wicket. Their record stand beat by one run the previous one-day international third wicket mark set by Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar for India against Kenya in 1999.

Both hit centuries in the process: Amla made 122 off 113 balls with nine fours and a six for his eleventh ODI hundred while de Villiers scored 128 off 108 balls with twelve fours and three sixes for his 14th hundred in ODI cricket.

Later, Faf du Plessis further consolidated the team’s position with a breezy 43 from just 19 balls. He smashed three towering sixes and four powerful boundaries.

For Pakistan, Irfan claimed two wickets for 34 runs in seven overs while seamer Wahab Riaz also took two wickets but at a cost of 93 runs in ten overs, the most for a Pakistan bowler in an ODI. Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal could get one wicket for 62.

Pakistan were briefly reduced to ten men after Irfan, who had been a doubtful starter because of a hamstring strain, left the field for treatment.

He was replaced by Umar Akmal but after 20 minutes the umpires informed Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq that the maximum 20 minutes allowed for treatment had expired. Pakistan had a fielder short for two overs before Irfan returned.

Pakistan made one change from the side that levelled the five-match series with a six-wicket win on Friday as Wahab Riaz replaced fellow fast bowler Umar Gul who was unwell.

Fast bowler Rory Kleinveldt returned to the South African team in place of Kyle Abbott after missing the second match at Centurion with a rib strain.

South Africa won the opener in Bloemfontein by 125 runs.

GALLE: Mushfiqur Rahim on Monday became the first Bangladeshi to crack a double-century while Nasir Hossain hit a maiden ton as the tourists gained a 68-run lead in the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Skipper Rahim hit a solid 200 and Hossain an impressive 100 as Bangladesh were bowled out for 638, their highest total in 76 Tests, in reply to Sri Lanka’s first-innings total of 570-4 declared.

The hosts reached 116-1 in their second innings at stumps on the penultimate day of the Test heading for a draw in Galle. Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan was unbeaten on 63 and Kumar Sangakkara 49 not out.

Rahim’s memorable moment came in the second over after lunch when he pushed paceman Nuwan Kulasekara for a single to the covers on a day when Mohammad Ashraful (190) missed out on his own Test double-hundred.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rahim, 24, was trapped leg-before by Kulasekara in the same over, but not before helping Bangladesh surpass their previous highest Test total of 556 against the West Indies in Dhaka last year.

Bangladesh, who dominated the match for a second successive day with their solid batting, also became only the third team after India and Pakistan to score 600 or more in a Test innings in Sri Lanka.

Rahim, 152 overnight, hit one six and 22 fours in his brilliant 321-ball knock. He put on a record 267 for the fifth wicket with Ashraful and 106 for the next with Hossain.

Bangladesh’s previous highest stand for any wicket in Tests was 200 between Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique against India in Dhaka in 2010.

Hossain was caught at mid-wicket by Sangakkara off part-time spinner Dilshan after hitting nine fours.

Ashraful, playing his first Test in more than a year, added just one to his overnight score when he went for a rash drive off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath and edged a catch to captain Angelo Mathews at first slip.

He occupied the crease for more than a day, hitting one six and 20 fours in his marathon 417-ball knock.

Ashraful earlier survived a confident appeal for a catch at leg-slip off the first ball of the morning while attempting to reverse-sweep Dilshan. (AFP)