Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in action during his first round match against Japan’s Kei Nishikori. Photo: Reuters

MADRID: Former world number one Novak Djokovic showed signs of a return to form with an impressive 7-5 6-4 victory over Japan’s Kei Nishikori in the opening round of the Madrid Open on Monday.

Later France’s Gael Monfils beat Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-2 3-6 6-3 to set up a second round clash on Wednesday with champion and tournament favourite, Rafael Nadal.

Following early exits in Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Miami and Indian Wells, Djokovic, 30, struck his shots with precision and recorded 26 winners to improve his head-to-head advantage to 12-2 against world number 20 Nishikori.

Djokovic was broken to love at 2-2 but he recovered well by pouncing on his opponent’s second serve to clinch the opening set in just over an hour.

The two-time winner in Madrid went on to claim a decisive break in the 10th game of the second set to wrap up the contest.

It was Djokovic’s first victory over a top-20 opponent since the Serb overcame Monfils at Eastbourne in June last year.

“I was looking forward to have these kind of matches, looking to try to win these kind of matches,” Djokovic told reporters.

“So that’s why it was really a perfect scenario to start off the tournament. It’s great. I couldn’t ask for a better start.”

Earlier in the day, Canada’s Milos Raonic booked a second-round meeting with third seed Grigor Dimitrov, defeating Argentina’s Nicolas Kicker 6-3 6-2.

Raonic recorded 17 aces to knock out the Madrid debutant.

Frenchman Lucas Pouille, seeded 15th, crashed out of the tournament after a 6-2 6-3 defeat by compatriot Benoit Paire.

Paire claimed his first victory in four attempts against Pouille and will next face Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov.

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• Paine to lead ODI side in England
• Decision on permanent ODI skipper to be made later
• Finch to captain T20 side

Australia’s Tim Paine in action. Photo: Reuters

MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia said on Tuesday that test skipper Tim Paine will also captain the one-day international team during next month’s tour of England, but selectors are yet to decide who will lead the side’s title defence at the 2019 World Cup.

Paine was named skipper of a 15-man squad for the five-match series, Australia’s first since the ball-tampering scandal which led to lengthy bans for former test and ODI captain Steve Smith, his deputy David Warner and batsman Cameron Bancroft.

Selectors have installed Aaron Finch as the ODI team’s vice-captain in place of the disgraced Warner and named the Victorian as captain of the Twenty20 side also released on Tuesday.

Australia will play five one-dayers and a T20 match against England from June 13-27, a warmup for the global tournament in the same country next year, before heading to Zimbabwe for a T20 tri-series against the host nation and Pakistan starting on July 1.

“Tim is a strong leader and will captain the side for this series, supported by Aaron,” selector Trevor Hohns said in a media release.

“A decision on a permanent one-day captain will be made in due course.”

Smith led Australia across all three formats but there are concerns that such a burden could be too heavy for wicketkeeper Paine, who was hurried in as a replacement for Smith as test captain after the tampering scandal broke during the third test of the South Africa tour.

South Australia’s Alex Carey, a wicketkeeper batsman, has been included in the ODI squad but Paine will retain the gloves in England.

The squad features an uncapped player in D’Arcy Short, a left-handed opener who impressed in his debut T20I series against New Zealand in February, while test spinner Nathan Lyon has been recalled for the first time since 2016.

“England potentially have a number of left-handers in their side and we look forward to seeing what (Lyon) can produce with the white-ball in English conditions,” said Hohns.

Australia will be without leading pacemen Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, who were injured during the calamitous series in South Africa and are not expected back until the test tour against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

Josh Hazlewood will instead lead a rookie pace battery which includes Kane Richardson, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye and Billy Stanlake.

The Twenty20 squad also features a pair of uncapped players, with Queensland all-rounder Jack Wildermuth and his spin bowling team mate Mitchell Swepson.

Swepson, who was a surprise inclusion in Australia’s test squad for the tour of India last year but never played, replaces fellow legspinner Adam Zampa.

Hard-hitting batsman Nic Maddinson returns to the T20I frame for the first time in four years, with Carey appointed the squad’s vice-captain.

ODI squad:

Tim Paine (captain), Aaron Finch, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.

T20 squad:

Aaron Finch (captain), Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowler Rashid Khan celebrates the wicket of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s player AB de Villiers during VIVO IPL match, in Hyderabad, India, on Monday, May 7, 2018. Photo: Associated Press

HYDERABAD: Sunrisers Hyderabad successfully defended a low score for the fourth time in the Indian Premier League and defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by five runs on Monday.

After being bowled out for 146, Hyderabad proved yet again it has the best bowling unit in this IPL by restricting Bangalore to 141-6.

Needing 19 off the last two overs, seamers Sidharth Kaul (1-25) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-27) didn’t concede a boundary by bowling Yorker-length deliveries.

Colin de Grandhomme (33) and Mandeep Singh (21) gave Bangalore a glimmer of hope with their 57-run sixth wicket stand. But with six required off the last ball, Grandhomme was clean-bowled by Kumar.

“Bhuvi and Sid Kaul have done it for a long period of time, did very well last year, doing well this year,” Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson said.

“Hope we can continue to back them at the death. It’s just about trying to adapt to the surfaces at a number of venues.”

Hyderabad widened its lead at the top of the table with eight victories in 10 matches.

It earlier defended totals of 118 against defending champions Mumbai Indians, 132 against Kings XI Punjab, and 151 against Rajasthan Royals.

Bangalore, with only three wins so far, has only an outside chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

Experienced spinners Shakib Al Hasan (2-36) and Rashid Khan (1-31) earlier strangled Bangalore’s run chase when they removed star hitters captain Virat Kohli (39) and AB de Villiers (5) in successive overs.

Kohli, dropped on 33 at first slip by Williamson, tried to pull the left-arm spin of Shakib and got the leading edge. De Villiers misread Rashid’s googly and chopped on to his stumps as Bangalore slipped to 80-4 in the 11th over.

Moeen Ali, making his IPL debut, followed in the next over when Kaul had the left-hander caught behind. Kumar returned and choked Bangalore’s chase in the end.

Earlier, after being sent in to bat, Williamson (56) anchored Hyderabad’s innings with his fifth half-century of the campaign.

But Hyderabad’s middle order faltered yet again once Williamson attempted an ambitious shot at Umesh Yadav and holed out at fine leg in the 16th over and the total on 112.

Fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj (3-25) and Tim Southee (3-30) benefited as Hyderabad lost five wickets in the last two overs, including two run outs in the 20th over.

“We deserve to lose this game. Didn’t show enough application,” Kohli said.

“From the bowling point of view, (Sunrisers) is the strongest.”

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