CUTTACK, India-- South Africa's fiery bowling and electric fielding restricted India to their second-lowest score in Twenty20 internationals as the visitors won the second match by six wickets amid crowd trouble to bag the series on Monday.
  All-rounder Albie Morkel marked his return to the South Africa team after 18 months with bowling figures of 3-12 as the hosts were skittled for 92 in the 18th over, their lowest after being bundled out for 74 against Australia in Melbourne in 2008.
  The match suffered a delay of close to an hour after fans, angry about the performance of the home team, started hurling plastic bottles on to the ground.
  Supporters at the sold-out Barabati Stadium threw bottles during the change of innings and again when South Africa were batting, forcing the players off with the visitors 70 for three in 13.2 overs and closing in on victory.
  The match resumed after police cleared an upper stand of the stadium and South Africa returned to complete their win on the first delivery of the 18th over with the fall of another wicket.
  Earlier, South Africa won the toss and opted to field first and, although India got off to a decent start, the visitors reined them in with some hostile but accurate bowling.
  Rohit Sharma, the centurion from the last match at Dharamsala, and India's test captain Virat Kohli were run out to some brilliant ground fielding by South Africa which compounded the hosts' batting woes.
  Morkel, added to the squad in place of paceman David Wiese who suffered a fractured hand, was the only change for South Africa for Monday's match and the 34-year-old celebrated the occasion with his career-best bowling figures.
  He was ably supported by paceman Chris Morris and leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who took two wickets each for South Africa.
  Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up three wickets to give India hope of an unlikely victory but the target was too easy for South Africa to chase down despite the early hiccups.
  The third and final T20 match will be played in Kolkata's Eden Gardens on Thursday.

ENGLAND-- Liverpool terminated the contract of manager Brendan Rodgers on Sunday, just eight games into the Premier League season with the five-times European champions languishing in 10th place.
  The announcement came three hours after the team had drawn 1-1 at Everton in the Merseyside derby leaving them with only three wins from their first eight league games this term.
  "Although this has been a difficult decision, we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch," the club's owners said in a statement.
  "Ambition and winning are at the heart of what we want to bring to Liverpool and we believe this change gives us the best opportunity to deliver it.
  "The search for a new manager is underway and we hope to make an appointment in a decisive and timely manner."
  Liverpool have only beaten Stoke City, Bournemouth and Aston Villa in the league this season and count a 3-0 thrashing at home by West Ham United among their early results.
  They also needed a penalty shootout to overcome fourth-tier Carlisle United in the League Cup at Anfield after being held to a 1-1 draw at Anfield after extra time.
  Rodgers, who succeeded Liverpool icon Kenny Dalglish as manager in June 2012 and came close to bringing the title back to Anfield for the first time since 1990 in his second season, invested heavily in new players before the latest campaign.
  Belgium striker Christian Benteke came in from Villa for 32.5 million pounds ($49.33 million), Roberto Firmino arrived from Hoffenheim for 21 million and England fullback Nathaniel Clyne joined from Southampton for 12.5 million.
  Liverpool made a positive start to the season but have since been thrashed at Anfield by West Ham and also lost 3-1 to Manchester United, their first half-showing at Old Trafford described as the worst in living memory.
  Draws against Girondins Bordeaux and FC Sion in the Europa League and lowly Carlisle -- despite the subsequent penalty shootout win -- proved to be the final straw.
  Rodgers, 42, has now become the seventh man to arrive at Anfield and leave without taking the club back to the pinnacle of English soccer which appeared to be their divine right from the mid-1960s to 1990 when they won their last title.
  The former Swansea City manager's tenure began so well when, after guiding Liverpool to a seventh-place finish in his first season, he came close to lifting the title 12 months later.
  Liverpool put together an 11-match winning sequence from the beginning of February until the end of April 2014, but with the title within their grasp, it literally slipped away.
  Liverpool were top when second-placed Chelsea visited Anfield on April 27 but an infamous slip on the turf by skipper Steven Gerrard allowed Demba Ba to give Chelsea the lead and the subsequent 2-0 defeat severely dented their chances.
  Worse was to follow the following week when Liverpool were 3-0 up at Crystal Palace with 11 minutes to play before they drew 3-3 to effectively kill off their title dream with Manchester City crowned champions on the last day of the season.
  With Uruguay international Luis Suarez sold to Barcelona and strike partner Daniel Sturridge sidelined for most of the campaign, Liverpool lost their cutting edge in attack and last season proved to be another disappointment.
  They exited the Champions League after the group stage and Rodgers' handling of Gerrard's departure from Anfield after the midfielder's 17 years at the club was widely criticised.
  Any hopes of a return to the Champions League faded in a calamitous end to the season which finished with a 6-1 defeat at Stoke City in Gerrard's final match for the club.
  That was their heaviest league defeat since 1963 and that year came back to haunt them last month when West Ham United won 3-0 at Anfield for the first time in the 52 years since then.
  Despite Rodgers' assurances last season that gifted England forward Raheem Sterling would not be leaving Anfield, he was sold to Manchester City for 44 million pounds ($66.78 million).
  The gamble on troublesome Mario Balotelli also failed with the Italy striker shipped out after one erratic season.
  Rodgers' failure to get the best out of expensive signings ultimately led to his downfall and leaves the club still looking for the consistency that was their hallmark during the 1970s and 80s when they won the league title 11 times through to 1990.
 
  English premier league results
 
  Sunday, October 4
  Arsenal         3 Manchester United    0  
  Everton         1 Liverpool            1  
  Swansea City    2 Tottenham Hotspur    2  
  Saturday, October 3
  AFC Bournemouth 1 Watford              1  
  Aston Villa     0 Stoke City           1  
  Chelsea         1 Southampton          3  
  Crystal Palace  2 West Bromwich Albion 0  
  Manchester City 6 Newcastle United     1  
  Norwich City    1 Leicester City       2  
  Sunderland      2 West Ham United      2

TEXAS-- The Texas Rangers put their personal victory cigar on the mound in the biggest game of the season Sunday at Globe Life Park.
  Cole Hamels did not disappoint.
  The veteran left-hander pitched a complete-game three-hitter, and Texas clinched the American League West title with a 9-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
  With its first division title since 2011, Texas heads to Toronto, where it will begin the American League Division Series against the Blue Jays on Thursday. The result eliminated the Angels from playoff contention.
  The Rangers will do so knowing they have an ace in Hamels (7-1), who did not allow a hit after the second inning and struck out eight. Texas won each of the past 10 games started by Hamels, none bigger than Sunday.
  "All I was thinking about was trying to manage the game and limit baserunners and go as deep as I could go," Hamels said. "I knew we were going to score runs. It was just a matter of time."
  The time came in the seventh inning with the Rangers leading 3-2. Texas sent 10 hitters to the plate and scored six runs as the Angels were forced to use five relievers to get through the 37-minute half-inning.
  Five consecutive Rangers hitters picked up RBIs. The surge started with a bases-loaded walk from designated hitter Prince Fielder and ended when shortstop Elvis Andrus ripped a two-run double to left.
  One day after the Rangers could not hold a four-run lead in the ninth inning, they did not have that problem with Hamels on the mound. The last hit the Angels had against him was a one-out double by left fielder Shane Victorino in the second.
  Hamels, who collected his second complete game of the season, retired 23 of the final 26 batters he faced. He threw 108 pitches one day after the Rangers had to use eight relievers in their 11-10 loss.
  "That's why he is an ace," said Los Angeles center fielder Mike Trout, who doubled off Hamels and came around to score on designated hitter Albert Pujols' homer in the first.
  "He's pitched in big games before, knows how to handle himself. We scratched some runs against him early and just fell short."
  The Rangers had a bullpen plan constructed in case Hamels struggled. Luckily for them, they did not need it.
  "This game has a cruel sense of humor," Texas manager Jeff Banister said. "From what happened yesterday, we got punched in the mouth. When that happens, you find out what you are made of, and you saw that in everything they did today."
 
  MLB results
  Cards 0 Braves 6
  Yankees 4 Orioles 9
  Marlins 2 Phillies 7
  Reds 0 Pirates 4
  Rockies 7 Giants 3
  Tigers 6 White Sox 0
   Red Sox 1 Indians 3
  Cubs 3 Brewers 1
  Royals 6 Twins 1
  A’s 2 Mariners 3
  Padres 3 Dodgers 6
  Nationals o Mets 1
  Astros 3 D’backs 5
  Jays 3 Rays 12

DHARAMSALA, India-- JP Duminy's batting heroics secured South Africa a thrilling seven-wicket victory in the first Twenty20 International despite Indian opener Rohit Sharma burnishing his limited overs reputation with a blistering century on Friday.