LEGA Calcio Inter celebrate in style

Inter Milan celebrated their fourth straight Serie A title in style as they cruised to an easy 3-0 win over Siena at the San Siro on Sunday.

The scudetto crown, won in coach Jose Mourinho's first season in charge of the nerazzurri, was wrapped up on Saturday when AC Milan lost 2-1 at Udinese but that didn't dampen the party atmosphere in the San Siro.

Inter began by playing champagne football with tricks and flicks the order of the day until the side started to knuckle down and play the type of game that has brought them success this season.

"It was important to win, there wouldn't have been much point to our party if we hadn't won," said Mourinho.

"This was a serious match, we weren't kidding around. Our strength is that we always play very seriously. Even today I got angry."

Inter opened the scoring with their first real chance on 44 minutes after Siena goalkeeper Gianluca Curci beat out Mario Balotelli's free-kick and Dejan Stankovic's reaction, but he could do nothing about Esteban Cambiasso's second follow-up.

It was a fitting goal for Inter's defensive midfield lynchpin who has been a vital cog this season.

Just seven minutes after the break the game was over as a meaningful contest as Balotelli beat the offside trap, rounded Curci and rolled the ball into the net with the outside of his boot.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic added the third with his 22nd league goal of his most prolific of five seasons in Italy, shooting through Curci's legs on 76 minutes.

That even allowed Mourinho to give reserve goalkeeper Paolo Orlandoni a run out before the party began.

Meanwhile, under-fire Juventus coach Claudio Ranieri's job slipped further from his grasp after a 2-2 home draw against Atalanta to take their winless streak to seven matches.

Third placed Juve now hold a single point advantage over Fiorentina in fourth and risk missing out on automatic qualification to the Champions League group stages next season.

Only the top three in Italy earn that honour while the fourth placed finisher must negotiate two qualifying rounds to make it to the group stages.

Fiorentina's 1-0 home win over Sampdoria was their sixth win in seven matches and during that period they have made up 12 points on Juve.

This result, in a match played in front of an empty Stadio Olimpico as punishment for racist chants aimed at Balotelli last month, may prove a fatal blow to Ranieri's future in Turin.

Things started badly as Luca Cigarini gave Atalanta a second-minute lead before Juve replied through Vincenzo Iaquinta and Cristiano Zanetti's spectacular long range volley.

But a minute before the break, Maximiliano Pellegrino scored to earn the mid-table visitors a point.

Fiorentina's victory means they are almost assured of Champions League football for the second year in a row after Genoa were held to a 2-2 home draw by Chievo.

La Viola lead fifth-placed Genoa by five points with two games left but with just a point separating them from Juve, they will have their eyes on a top three place.

At the bottom, Sergio Volpi scored a crucial injury time winner as Bologna beat Lecce 2-1 at home to boost their survival hopes and virtually condemn their visitors to Serie B.

Lecce are now bottom and five points from safety following Torino's 2-1 win at Napoli.

Second bottom Reggina beat Cagliari 2-1, but remain four points behind Torino.

The final relegation position looks likely to be between Bologna and Torino, who are separated by one point. Torino are ahead but Bologna have the better head to head record.

IPL Veeru targets runs

After leading the Delhi Daredevils on a smooth ride to the semifinals, Virender Sehwag has set his sights on regaining his form with the bat.

Delhi have been at or near the top of the table for most of the tournament, but it has been a disappointing run for Sehwag. He has only managed 109 runs at 15.57 and struggled to an eight-ball 2 in the victory over Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.

"We did not get to a good start as I and Gautam (Gambhir) got out early. But AB de Villiers and Tillakaratne Dilshan batted really well to take us to 150," Sehwag was quoted as saying by PTI after the match. "Now I want to get among runs before the semifinals. That would be great for the team."

de Villiers and Dilshan have been the backbone of Delhi's batting, rescuing the side from poor starts in several games. It was their 87-run partnership for the third wicket that revived Delhi after Munaf Patel had struck twice in an over to remove Gambhir and Sehwag.

In the penultimate over Munaf leaked 25 runs, the second most expensive of the tournament, which helped Delhi reach 150. Shane Warne, the Rajasthan captain, defended Munaf, who had been the hero in his side's thrilling win over Mumbai on Thursday. "Munaf bowled fantastic in the match against Mumbai. [Being hit for runs] can happen in Twenty20 cricket, it's part and parcel of the game."

He was more critical of the fielding effort and the lack of consistency in the batting. "We did not hold a few catches," he said. "But I thought if we got to a good start we would chase down 150. We did not do that and that has been happening all through the tournament."

Rajasthan now have to win their final league game against Kolkata Knight Riders to stay in contention for a place in the semifinals.

Kolkata stop the rot

Australasians Brendon McCullum and Brad Hodge were the heroes as Kolkata Knight Riders shocked Chennai Super Kings Monday in an Indian Premier League thriller.

Skipper McCullum from New Zealand struck 81 runs and Australian Hodge an undefeated 71 as Kolkata scored a single off the last ball at Centurion Park and triumphed by seven wickets.

It was only the second win in 13 outings for the bottom team in the Twenty20 extravaganza while a Chennai side lacking injured star batsman Matthew Hayden suffered their fifth loss of the group phase which finishes Thursday.

Suresh Raina top scored for Chennai with 52 as they made 188-3 in 20 overs on a cold, late autumn evening at the Test venue halfway between Johannesburg and Pretoria.

McCullum was quickly into his stride as Kolkata chased a daunting total, reaching a half century during the sixth over before being bowled by Shadab Jakati with his side on 124-2 after 13 overs.

But Hodge carried the fight to Chennai and after going into the final over needing six runs to win, it came down the final ball which wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha scrambled for a single to avoid a super-over climax.

"Winning was far more important than my contribution," said modest man of the match Hodge. "We have tried so hard in the IPL only to finish on the wrong side of results."

McCullum added: "I would not wish the last four weeks on my worst enemy, but the boys kept lifting themselves off the floor and tonight we got over the line. Now we must enjoy ourselves."

Chennai skipper MS Dhoni said: "We got a lot of runs only for our opponents to bat brilliantly. Now we face the same situation as last year of needing a win from our final match to clinch a semifinals place."

Kolkata face defending champions Rajasthan Royals and Chennai meet Kings XI Punjab Wednesday in a Durban double-header.

Anderson abases WI

England clinch series 2-0

James Anderson took nine wickets in a Test for only the second time in his career as England crushed the West Indies by an innings and 83 runs to win the second Test at the Riverside here on Monday.

Victory, in their last Test before the start of July's Ashes campaign, meant England took the two-match series 2-0 after a thumping 10-wicket win at Lord's and saw them regain the Wisden Trophy they'd lost in the Caribbean this year.

The West Indies, following on, were bowled out for 176 in their second innings, having made 310 first time around after England had piled up 569 for six declared in a match where the whole of Friday's second day was washed out.

"We came back to England after the West Indies tour keen to make amends for what went on over there," England captain Andrew Strauss told Sky Sports.

"We knew the conditions would help us a little more over here, but we played well and it bodes pretty well," he said after his side had won this series inside eight days' playing time.

"You have to savour your Test match victories and we are delighted but we realise we have further to go as a side."

Anderson added: "I'm delighted with how it's going. It swung around today luckily and I'm glad we could finish them off quite quickly."

West Indies captain Chris Gayle, whose side now face England in a three-match one-day series starting at Headingley on Thursday, said: "We are very disappointed with the way it worked out in difficult conditions for us but I guess it's a great way to start the summer for England.

"We found the conditions very tough but we also played poor cricket so we can't have any excuses."

West Indies were 167 for eight at lunch on having lost five wickets in the day's first session after resuming on 115 for three.

And after the break the match lasted just three overs.

Star batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul fell for 46 when he edged man-of-the-match Anderson through to Paul Collingwood, who took his first Test catch as a wicket-keeper having taken the gloves on Sunday after Matt Prior sustained a finger injury.

And Tim Bresnan, who before lunch had taken his first two wickets in Tests, ended the match when he had Fidel Edwards caught at fine leg by substitute fielder Karl Turner, who was appearing in front of his home crowd.

Anderson, who took four for 38 in this innings, had match figures of nine for 125 - his second-best in Tests after his nine for 98 against New Zealand at Trent Bridge last year.

Bresnan had an innings return of three for 45 in 14 overs.

West Indies, who resumed Monday on 115 for three, lost five wickets in the first session.

Anderson, the only other bowler used alongside Bresnan on Monday, added three more wickets before lunch to his first innings haul of five for 87, including left-hander Suliemann Benn whom he bowled for nought off the final ball before lunch.

After a pair of rain breaks saw nearly half an hour lost, the West Indies lost three wickets for five runs in 15 balls with Bresnan, in his second Test, taking two for none in three balls.

Lendl Simmons was out for 10 when he guided Anderson straight to substitute fielder Scott Borthwick at point to leave the West Indies 141 for four.

And they had added just one run when seamer Bresnan, who'd seen some chances missed off his bowling, took his first Test wicket with Nash clipping him straight to square leg where Durham's Borthwick took his second catch.

Bresnan, who along with Graham Onions made his Test debut at Lord's, then reduced West Indies to 146 for six.

Denesh Ramdin, who made a first innings fifty, exited for nought when he edged a genuine outswinger from the 24-year-old Yorkshireman to Anderson at third slip before Anderson himself bowled Jerome Taylor.

England had been in charge here from the start with opener Alastair Cook's Test-best 160 the centrepiece of their total.

Ravi Bopara, who made 108 and helped Cook add 213 for the second wicket, was named man of the series after he made a Test-best 143 at Lord's.