OPENERS CRACK CENTURY

into Ford’s Mustang and Chrysler’s Viper, has died. He was 89. Shelby’s company, Carroll Shelby International, said yesterday that Shelby died a day earlier at a Dallas hospital. He had received a heart transplant in 1990 and a kidney transplant in 1996.He was one of the nation’s longest-living heart transplant recipients, having received a heart on June 7, 1990, from a 34-year-old man who died of an aneurism. Shelby also received a kidney transplant in 1996 from his son, Michael. The one-time chicken farmer had more than a half-dozen successful careers during his long life. Among them: champion race car driver, racing team owner, car manufacturer, vehicle consultant, safari tour operator, chilli entrepreneur and philanthropist. Openers Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan cracked half-centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Pune Warriors by 35 runs in the Indian Premier League yesterday. 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. The win lifted Bangalore into third place in the nine-team league with seven wins, five losses and one no-result. Pune are already out of reckoning for a place in the playoffs.

HAT-TRICK HELPS RUSSIA

A hat-trick by Yevgeni Malkin helped Russia hammer Sweden 7-3 to knock them off top spot in Group S in the ice hockey world championship preliminary round in Stockholm, Sweden, yesterday. Co-hosts Finland were also beaten, losing 5-3 to Canada in Helsinki. Goaltender Cam Ward was the hero for the Canadians, saving 35 of 38 shots as they leapfrogged the Finns at the top of Group H. Finland led 3-1 midway through the game but Canada then clicked into gear. Jeff Skinner made one and scored one before Evander Kane put Canada in the lead for the first time six minutes into the final period. Jordan Eberle fired the puck into an empty net in the dying seconds to secure victory. Canada have 13 points, one more than Finland.

Photo: Reuters Former NFL linebacker Junior Seau’s mother, father, sister and brother remove a cloth from beneath his casket as it’s loaded into the hearse following his funeral service yesterday. Seau, who shot himself, was a groundbreaker for Polynesian players in...