SPORTS | STATS

NEW DELHI (AP) The Indian cricket board on Tuesday suspended five players for illegal activities following a sting operation by a TV news channel that showed them either agreeing to spot-fixing in domestic games or to negotiate Indian Premier League contracts, which is not allowed as per tournament rules.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced provisional suspensions on T.P. Sudhindra, Shalabh Srivastava, Mohnish Mishra, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali after watching footage provided to it by the news channel. (MORE)

LONDON (AP) England fast bowler James Anderson has been voted the country's Cricketer of the Year for 2011-12.

The 29-year-old Anderson topped a writers' poll ahead of fellow bowler Stuart Broad and opener Alastair Cook after passing 250 test wickets and rising to fifth place in England's list of all-time wicket takers. (MORE)

BANGALORE, India (AP) West Indian Dwayne Bravo hit a last-ball six to guide Chennai Super Kings to a five-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday, while Mumbai Indians beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by the same margin in the Indian Premier League.

Ambati Rayudu hit an unbeaten 81 and Kieron Pollard remained undefeated on 52 as Mumbai made 173-5 with two balls to spare after Royal Challengers put up a competitive target of 171-6. (MORE)

LONDON (AP) England could give Jonny Bairstow his test debut next week against the West Indies after picking the Yorkshire batsman in a 13-man squad.

With Ravi Bopara injured, Bairstow could bat at No. 6 in the first test at Lord's, which starts Thursday. (MORE)

JAIPUR, India (AP) Unheralded off-spinner Ajit Chandila recorded the first hat-trick of the Indian Premier League season as Rajasthan Royals defeated Pune Warriors by 45 runs, while Australian David Hussey guided Kings XI Punjab to a four-wicket win over Deccan Chargers in a high-scoring match on Sunday.

Half centuries by Ajinkya Rahane (61) and Shane Watson (58) propelled the Royals to 170-4 before Chandila's hat-trick polished off the Warriors' top order in the space of his first seven deliveries, limiting the opposition to 125-9. (MORE)

KOLKATA, India (AP) Rohit Sharma scored 109 as Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs while Chennai Super Kings scored an easy nine-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League on Saturday.

Sharma's century off 60 balls was part of an unbroken 167-run stand with Herschelle Gibbs (66) for Mumbai to reach an impressive 182-1 after electing to bat at Eden Gardens. Kolkata managed 155-4 in reply. (MORE)

PUNE, India (AP) Openers Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan cracked half-centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Pune Warriors by 35 runs in the Indian Premier League on Friday.

Gayle smashed 57 off 31 balls and Dilshan hit 53 off 44 as Bangalore posted a challenging 173-3 after being put in to bat at Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium. The hosts managed 138-9 with Robin Uthappa (38) and Anustup Majumdar (31) providing a brief challenge. (MORE)

LONDON (AP) The England and Wales cricket board has postponed its hearing into corruption charges against Mervyn Westfield and Danish Kaneria.

The two former Essex teammates were scheduled to face charges on May 21 of engaging in spot-fixing in county cricket, but the ECB on Friday pushed the hearing back to the week beginning June 18 at the request of Kaneria's lawyers. (MORE)

HYDERABAD, India (AP) Opener David Warner smashed a century as Delhi Daredevils returned to the top of the Indian Premier League with a nine-wicket win over Deccan Chargers, while Chennai Super Kings defeated Rajasthan Royals by four wickets on Thursday.

Warner bludgeoned 109 not out off 54 deliveries with seven sixes and 10 boundaries. He featured in a 189-run unbroken stand for the second wicket with Naman Ojha (64 not out) to lead Delhi to 193-1 in 16.4 overs after Deccan scored 187-4 after electing to bat at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. (MORE)