Olympic cycling: Britain take men’s sprint gold
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
London : Britain won gold at the velodrome in world record time Thursday, beating France in the men's team sprint final.
Rosaiah announces Rs.25 lakh for Saina Nehwal
By IANS,
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah Wednesday announced a cash award of Rs.25 lakh to badminton champion Saina Nehwal for winning three international titles in a row and being ranked world number three.
Rosaiah announced the award when Saina called on him at his camp office here this evening.
"You have done a great job. The country, particularly Andhra Pradesh, is proud of you. All my best wishes and greetings to you," the chief minister told the champion.
Cricket Australia has enough of Twenty20
By IANS
Adelaide : Cricket Australia (CA) is happy with the decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) not to have a surfeit of Twenty20 matches and wants to develop the shortest form of the game more at domestic level first, the media reported here Monday.
CA public affairs manager Peter Young made it clear that the board has no intention of lobbying for more international Twenty20 matches despite claims that this form will inevitably replace the 50-over game, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.
Injuries a factor for Australia’s bad run: Ponting
By IANS,
Sydney : Australian Skipper Ricky Ponting believes the cluttered international scheduling is a contributing factor to the debilitating run of the World Champions.
The amount of international cricket played has taken a toll on the fitness of the Australian players.
In all, 14 Australian players have been unavailable at some stage this summer because of injury, including key players such as opening bowlers Brett Lee and Stuart Clark.
Third Test ends in a draw, India win series 1-0
By IANS
Bangalore : India won the three-Test series against Pakistan 1-0, having won the first Test in Delhi, as the third Test here ended in a draw Wednesday after bad light stopped play with 12 overs still to be bowled on the final day.
Set a 374-run target to win, Pakistan ended their second inning at 162 for seven. India made 626 in the first innings and declared the second at 284 for six. Pakistan made 537 in the first innings.
IPL Scoreboard: Kochi Tuskers Kerala vs Kolkata Knight Riders
By IANS,
Kolkata : Scoreboard of the Indian Premier League match between Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Kolkata Knight riders here Wednesday.Kochi Tuskers Kerala:
Olympics: Medals tally
By IANS,
London : The latest meda's tally of the 2012 London Olympics here Thursday.
Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
China 36 23 19 78
US 35 23 25 83
Britain 24 13 14 51
Brazil trounce Chile, set up date with Dutch
By DPA,
Johannesburg : The South Africa World Cup's first quarter-final pits Brazil against the Netherlands in Port Elizabeth Friday after both sides eased their way through Monday's Round of 16 matches.
While FIFA were refusing to comment on increasing calls for them to allow referees to use technology during matches, five-time world champions Brazil and two-time runners-up Netherlands needed no controversial decisions to help them into the last eight.
The Netherlands were first to book their place with a 2-1 win over Slovakia, while Brazil thrashed Chile 3-0 later in the day.
I wanted to be in Chile for qualifiers: Charlesworth
By IANS
New Delhi : After India's shocking failure to make it to the Olympics, Ric Charlesworth, technical adviser to the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), said Monday he wanted to be in Chile to watch the team play but couldn't go due to some miscommunication.
India failed to make it to the Beijing Olympics losing to Britain 0-2 Monday, which sent shockwaves throughout the country.
Bochum beat Hamburg, move to top of Bundesliga
By DPA
Bochum (Germany) : VfL Bochum moved to the top of the German Bundesliga football league with a 2-1 victory over SV Hamburg who saw defender Vincent Kompany sent off after an hour of the game.
Striker Stanislav Sestak and substitute Daniel Imhof with his first ball contact were on target for Bochum Friday night to inflict a first league defeat of the season for Hamburg who had won their opening two matches.
Dhoni reclaims top spot in ICC rankings
By IANS,
Dubai : Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has reclaimed the top spot in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) rankings for ODI batsmen.
Dhoni's 61 not out in the first One-dayer against Sri Lanka has enabled him to topple West Indies captain Chris Gayle from the top position.
Further down the table, South Africa's AB de Villiers has shot up 10 places to rejoin the top-10 for the first time since August 2008. De Villiers made a strong impression with the bat during South Africa's 4-1 series win over Australia, averaging 63.66 in the series.
Scoreboard: India vs Australia; First Test, Day Two
By IANS,
Bangalore : Scoreboard at the end of second day's play in the first cricket Test between India and Australia here Friday.
Australia (First innings, overnight 254 for 4)
Matthew Hayden c Dhoni b Zaheer 0
Simon Katich c Dhoni b Ishant 66
Ricky Ponting lbw Harbhajan 123
Michael Hussey b Zaheer 146
Michael Clarke lbw b Zaheer 11
Shane Watson b Ishant 2
Brad Haddin c Laxman b Ishant 33
Cameron White c Harbhajan b Ishant 6
Brett Lee b Zaheer 27
Mitchell Johnson b Zaheer 1
Stuart Clark (not out) 0
Extras: (B-1, LB-10-; NB-3; W-1) 15.
Greece beat Nigeria for first ever World Cup win
By DPA,
Bloemfontein : Greece beat ten-man Nigeria 2-1 in Group B in Bloemfontein to record their first ever football World Cup victory Thursday.
Kalu Uche put Nigeria ahead in the Free State Stadium but Dimitrios Salpingidis scored Greece's first ever World Cup goal after Nigeria had Sani Kaita sent off.
Nigeria goalkeeper Vicente Enyeama then spilled Alexandros Tziolis's shot leaving Vasileios Torosidis to tap-in the winner and leave all four teams with a chance of progressing next Tuesday when leaders Argentina face Greece in Polokwane and Nigeria play South Korea in Durban.
Federer still looking for his first title this season
By IANS,
Paris : Struggling World no.1 Roger Federer, who stormed into the semifinals of the Estoril Open clay court tournament Friday, will be eyeing the coveted Monte Carlo Masters Series next week.
The Swiss champion is yet to win a tournament this year after bowing out of the Australian Open in January and then making early exits in Masters Series events at Indian Wells and Miami.
Federer has said that he would play an extra tournament on the slow clay courts in preparation for the French Open.
Sania enters quarter-finals of Japan Open
By IANS
Tokyo : Second seed Sania Mirza was stretched to three sets by Casey Dellacqua of Australia in the second round Wednesday morning before winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to move into the quarter finals of the Japan Open tennis championships.
The Indian, currently ranked 29th in the world, next meets the winner of the clash between Flavia Penetta and Abigail Spears.
We could never recover from loss to India: Pakistan Coach
By IANS,
New Delhi: Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan Thursday said his team could not recover from their 1-4 loss to India in the opening game and that led to their finishing with the wooden spoon, the four-time title holders' worst-ever performance in the World Cup.
"When you come to a tournament hoping to finish in the top four-five and lose the first match, it is difficult to stage a comeback. We played well only in patches. But against Australia and Spain, we did well," said Shahid.
Bangladesh win toss, ask India to bat in second Test
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali
IANSDhaka : Bangladesh won the toss and asked India to bat in the second and final cricket Test at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here Friday.
Borg, McEnroe among 12 champions in BlackRock Masters
By IANS
London : Tennis legends Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe are among the 12 former champions due to take the court at the BlackRock Masters at London's Royal Albert Hall in December.
Five-time Wimbledon champion Borg last played at the event in 2000 and has accepted a wildcard for the event, reports BBC Sport.
"It's like coming back to Wimbledon. Matches are matches and I missed the Tour," said the 51-year-old Swede.
Punjab backs Tendulkar’s Mumbai Indians over Kings XI Punjab
By Alkesh Sharma, IANS,
Mohali (Punjab) : Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar who is successfully leading the Mumbai Indians, which is currently topping the Indian Premier League-III (IPL-III), is enjoying full support here clearly overshadowing the local team Kings XI Punjab.
Although some of his fans are anxious about his fitness since during the last match against Chennai Super Kings, Tendulkar had complained of fatigue and dehydration, they are keeping their fingers crossed to see this master in action at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium here Friday evening.
IOC chief stresses tougher anti-doping measures in Beijing
By Xinhua
Madrid : International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has said that a "zero-tolerance" policy against doping would see a notable increase in drug tests to be conducted in the Beijing Olympics next year.
Looking ahead to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Rogge revealed the IOC would be enforcing their "zero tolerance" policy on doping by conducting some 4,500 tests in and out of competition.
Rohini Rau wins sailing bronze medal
By IANS,
Chennai : Rohini Rau created history by becoming the first Indian woman sailor to finish on the podium in an international Olympic class Regatta when she finished third in the 2009 Izola Spring Cup, an International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade 3 event, in Slovenia.
According to information received here, it was the 22-year old Chennai-based Rohini's first international medal in the single hander Radial Class, Sunday.
Umpire Simon Taufel is tired of constant travel
By IANS,
Sydney : The International Cricket Council's elite panel of umpires might face a crunch if the highly-rated Simon Taufel decides to call it a day, tired of the constant travel.
The ICC does not allow its umpires to stand Test matches in their own countries and that has taken a toll on them.
Taufel, the No. 1 umpire for the past four years, said he has grown tired of the constant travel because he was not allowed to stand in home Tests.
“It is important to spend time with my family, spend more time with my kids,” Taufel was quoted as saying in the Herald Sun.
We have to play consistently well: Bhaichung
By IANS,
Male : India's football captain Bhaichung Bhutia feels his team will have to play consistently well if they have to retain their South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup title.
Beating Nepal and Pakistan in back-to-back games, India entered the semi-finals and will play hosts Maldives in their last group match here Sunday at the National Stadium.
There is little to choose between the two sides, even the FIFA rankings show that India are 153 and Maldives are six rungs behind at 159, but Bhaichung was confident that his team would come trumps.
Love all: Indians game for cross-border spouses
By Shilpa Raina, IANS,
New Delhi : Love knows no boundaries and marriage is more about compatibility, feel many Indians who wouldn't mind going the Sania Mirza way. Just like the tennis star, they are game for a spouse in Pakistan, Nepal or Sri Lanka, and fundamentalists who oppose such marriages be damned.
According to a survey, "Love Across Boundaries", by matrimony site Shaadi.com, 61.2 percent people don't mind looking for their spouses in Pakistan followed by 28.9 percent and 26.4 percent people voting for Nepal and Sri Lanka respectively.
Anand draws seventh game, still leads by three points
By IANS,
Bonn : Viswanathan Anand was unable to make it a hat-trick of wins, but nevertheless moved closer to retaining his world title with a draw in the seventh game that gave him a 5-2 lead over Vladimir Kramnik in the 12-game World Chess Championship final.
With the match moving into the second half, Anand had white for the second game in a row. This is because the games are played in pairs and the regulations switch the day that the players have white in this pair at the half way stage.
Will be very disappointed if not picked for third Test: Bresnan
By IANS,
London : Star of the Trent Bridge Test Tim Bresnan says he will be "very disappointed" if he is not picked in the England side for the third Test at Edgbaston, beginning Aug 10.
CWG Schedule, Day Five
By IANS,
New Delhi : Following is the schedule of Commonwealth Games events Friday.
Sri Lanka wants to host India amid Pakistan tour
By P. Karunakharan, IANS,
Colombo : Sri Lanka Sunday said it was keen to host a somewhat lucrative one-day series against India in between its proposed cricket tour to Pakistan scheduled from Jan 20.
Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge told IANS that Sri Lanka had invited India to play five ODI series and "is waiting for a positive reply soon from the Board of Control for Cricket in Indian (BCCI)".
"We expect to play the series against India in between our Pakistan tour later this month. The Indian tour schedule is yet to be finalised but we are very positive about it," Lokuge said.
IT hub celebrates Twenty20 world cup win
By IANS
Bangalore : Crackers were burst, friends and total strangers hugged one another, and two-wheelers roared on almost deserted streets of Banglore as India pulled off a thrilling five-run victory against arch-rivals Pakistan at Johannesburg Monday evening to bring home the inaugural Twenty20 world cup.
The normally choking evening traffic was missing on Bangalore's main roads as people stayed put in offices and homes to watch the titanic clash between the traditional sub-continent rivals.
Australia may not stay invincible: Michael Clarke
By Neena Bhandari, IANS
Sydney : Australian batsmen Michael Clarke has told the fans that the team sans retired champions like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn, may not remain invincible.
Asking the home crowd not to have any unrealistic expectations, Clarke told the Courier Mail, "I think the Australian public has taken the Australian cricket team's form for granted because we have had so many great players and they have performed so good for 10-15 years."
Liverpool stay atop Premier League
By DPA,
London : Liverpool rediscovered home comforts as they beat Bolton Wanderers 3-0 on Boxing Day to maintain their place at the top of the English Premier League football tournament, while Chelsea and Manchester United kept pace with the leaders.
Robbie Keane scored twice and Albert Riera the third as Liverpool won at home for the first time in seven weeks, keeping them one point ahead of Chelsea, who stayed on their heels with a 2-0 win over bottom side West Bromwich Albion Thursday.
Dhoni’s hometown celebrates historic win
By IANS
Ranchi : Hundreds of fans of Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni erupted in joy at his hometown here to celebrate the team's historic victory over Australia in the Commonwealth Bank One-Day tri series in Sydney Tuesday.
Dhoni fans gathered around his house in Mecon colony and danced to drum beats and smeared red, pink and green 'abir' (powder) on one another's faces. Another group of fans gathered at Albertv Ekka roundabout in Ranchi and burst firecrackers, converting the Indian victory into both Holi - the festival of colours - and Diwali - the festival of lights.
ICL offers Rs.123 million as prize money
By IANS
Chandigarh : The Indian Cricket League (ICL) is offering a whopping $3.08 million (Rs.123 million) prize money in the second Twenty20 tournament starting Sunday.
The winning team will take away Rs.2.5 crore (Rs.25 million) while second and third ranked teams will pocket Rs.1.25 crore (Rs.12.5 million) and Rs.50 lakh (Rs.5 million) respectively.
Besides this, each win in the league stage will fetch a team Rs.2.5 million.
A total of Rs.70 million has been kept for the league games alone.
Rain halts play, Atwal yet to begin second round
By IANS
Miami : Arjun Atwal, in danger of missing the cut, was unable to start his second round as heavy overnight rain that continued through the day led to a suspension of play at the Nationwide Tour's Miccosukee Championship, the final full-field event of the season.
The second round finally got underway at 2.30 p.m. Friday, but it was short-lived.
Atwal carded a two-over 73 and was lying way down in 89th place.
Super Kings elect to field against Royal Challengers
By IANS,
Chennai: Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here Saturday.
Roast ducks to undergo dope tests during Olympics
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Roast ducks for Olympic athletes will undergo anti-doping test before being cooked and are "100 percent" safe, Quanjude, a leading restaurant famed for Peking Roast Duck said.
A manager of the century-old chain restaurant said the famed dish will go through three rounds of examinations, including the anti-doping test, before being served on dining tables in the Olympic Village.
The ducks are provided by a special breeding centre designated by the Beijing Organising Committee (BOCOG), said the manager.
India thrashed 0-7, out of Olympic race
Antwerp: The Indian women's team's chances of qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics were quashed once and for all after being thrashed 0-7 by...
Australia staring at follow-on
By IANS,
Mohali : Australia were staring at a follow-on as they were reduced to 174 for seven in the first innings in reply to India's 469 at lunch on the third day of the second Test match at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium here Sunday.
At the lunch break, Shane Watson was batting on 32 and Brett Lee on 5. Amit Mishra picked up three for 42 while Ishant Sharma scalped two for 48 to put India in a solid position.
Media gets up, close and too personal – again
By Minu Jain, IANS,
That same question of space again. From Sania-Shoaib to Shashi-Sunanda, it has been a seamless transition for the gossip hungry reader being fed by large sections of the media that have once again decided to go up, close and too personal, in the reporting of what should actually be nothing but a minister and his alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar cricket franchise.
Jeev finishes tied 10th in Wales Open golf
By IANS,
Newport (Wales) : Two late bogeys on the back nine saw Jeev Milkha Singh slip from a top-5 finish to end tied 10th at the Celtic Manor Wales Open golf tournament here.
The former Asian No. 1, Jeev, shot an even par 71 in the final round Sunday to total 11-under 273. His earlier rounds were 65, 68 and 69.
Australia's Scott Strange won the title with a total of 22-under 262 as he shot a brilliant seven-under 64 on the final day.
Will consider parliament panel probe into IPL: Mukherjee
By IANS,
New Delhi : Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday said the government will give due consideration to the opposition parties' demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"I have noticed everybody's suggestion and due consideration will be given. The government will have to ponder (over) all the demands. I will forward the sentiments to the prime minister," Mukherjee said amidst uproar by the opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Clash between old foes in World Twenty20 final
By IANS,
Bridgetown (Barbados) : Spurred by their come-from-behind victory against Pakistan, Australia will challenge the might of England in what in expected to be an engrossing battle between the two arch-rivals for the World Twenty20 crown here Sunday.
Tendulkar extends record for most 90s
By IANS
New Delhi : Sachin Tendulkar (91) Tuesday registered his 17th score in the 90s, which extended his own world record for the most number of 90s. Tendulkar also has 42 centuries.
Tendulkar, whose contribution was invaluable for the team, for the first time in Australia registered three fifty-plus scores in a row - 63 against Sri Lanka at Hobart, 117 not out against Australia at Sydney and 91 off 121 balls against Australia at Brisbane.
Winner of Twenty20 invited for $5 mn match
By IANS
Johannesburg : The American billionaire businessman, Sir Allen Stanford, Monday invited the winner of the India-Pakistan Twenty20 World Championship final to play in the $5 million Stanford Super Star team in the West Indies next year.
The $5 million winner-take-all match is scheduled for June 29 at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Antigua.
The Super Star Team will be chosen from the players participating in the Stanford 20/20 Regional Tournament taking place from Jan 25 to Feb 24.
Tough task for Knight Riders against Mumbai Indians
By IANS,
Port Elizabeth :Kolkata Knight Riders will be hoping for some luck when they face Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the St. George's Park here Monday.
In their last two matches, Knight Riders have been unlucky. Against Rajasthan Royals, they came close to winning but the brilliance of Yusuf Pathan and Kamran Khan stole the match in the Super Over. And Saturday, rain washed out their game against Chennai Super Kings and both the teams ended up splitting points.
New boys Burnley make double swoop
By DPA,
London : Newly promoted Burnley have signed striker Steven Fletcher and defender Tyrone Mears as their preparations for their first Premier League season gather pace.
Fletcher, a 22-year-old Scotland forward, arrives from Hibernian for a club-record fee of three million pounds ($4.9 million). He signed a four-year contract Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Mears joined for 500,000 pounds from Derby County, where manager Nigel Clough had assured him he had a future, despite being loaned out last season to Marseille.
Bhupathi-Knowles in semis, Bopanna out
By IANS
Dubai : Fourth seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles moved into the semi-finals of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships when they outplayed Feliciano Lopez and Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-1 Thursday.
Bhupathi and Knowles, who last week won the double title in Memphis and second in the Stanford ATP Doubles Race will play second seeds and reigning US Open champions Simon Aspelin and Julian Knowle in the semi-finals.
All four seeded teams have advanced to the Dubai semi-finals.
Williamson strikes century on debut
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : Kane Williamson struck century on debut as New Zealand cruised to 417 for six at lunch on the fourth day of the first cricket Test against India here Sunday.
Gene doping in sports in focus next week
By IANS,
Montreal : The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is holding its third gene doping symposium in Saint Petersburg June 10 with the support of the Russian sports authorities.
“Gene doping represents a threat to the integrity of sport and the health of athletes, and as the international organisation responsible for promoting, coordinating and monitoring the global fight against doping in sport in all its forms, WADA is devoting significant resources and attention to ways to detect and deter gene doping,” the agency said in a statement.
Kings XI opt to field against Royal Challengers
By IANS,
Bangalore : Kings XI Punjab won the toss and elected to field against Bangalore Royal Challengers in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here Monday evening.
Teams:
Kings XI Punjab: Yuvraj Singh (captain), Mahela Jayawardene, Piyush Chawla, Gagandeep Singh, James Hopes, Uday Kaul (wicketkeeper), Shaun Marsh, Irfan Pathan, Ramnaresh Sarwan, V.R.V. Singh, Sreesanth
Bayern Munich dazzle in new Bundesliga season
By Xinhua
Berlin : German soccer giants Bayern Munich gave a dazzling start to the Bundesliga crushing Hansa Rostock 3-0 with ease.
Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose (2), the newly signed stars, shone Saturday to reward Bayern for its biggest-ever expenditure of nearly $100 million in new players.
Italian striker Toni, who cost Bayern almost 16 million dollars from Fiorentina, scored his first Bundesliga goal in the 14th minute.
It’s for Australian players to decide on IPL, says envoy
By IANS,
Chandigarh: The decision to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) scheduled March 12 rests solely with the Australian cricketers in the wake of security concerns raised by a security agency, Australian High Commissioner Peter Verghese said Monday.
"To play or not to play in the coming season of IPL will be the individual decision of Australian players and we cannot interfere in it. Yes, security of our players is our concern, and for that our government is in constant touch with Cricket Australia," Verghese told reporters here.
Parliamentary committee slams PCB for skipping meeting
By IANS,
Karachi : The Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) absence from a meeting with the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Sport prompted chairman Jamshed Dasti to call for changes within the board.
The PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt, was the main target of the committee that met Thursday in Islamabad to ponder the participation of Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Pakistan set India 330-run target
By IANS,
Mirpur (Dhaka) : Pakistan made 329 for six in 50 overs against India in the fifth match of the Asia Cup at the Shere Bangla National Stadium here Sunday.
Security for Kanpur Test tightened after threat
By IANS
Lucknow : Unprecedented security measures are being taken for the cricket Test between India and South Africa at Kanpur beginning Friday after intelligence agencies indicated the possibility of a terrorist attack.
"Security has been beefed up. We are using trained police personnel and manpower, new technology equipments, interceptors and taking other steps to make the Test match safe and secure," Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Vikram Singh told reporters here Wednesday.
67 challans issued against vehicles entering Games lane
By IANS,
New Delhi : Delhi Traffic Police Monday issued challans against 67 vehicles for entering the lane reserved for Commonwealth Games vehicles.
Rudy Giuliani to be security consultant for Rio Olympics
By EFE,
Rio de Janeiro : The Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro will hire former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani as a security adviser for the 2016 Olympic Games in this city, Governor Sergio Cabral has said.
"I'm going to hire him to strengthen our public security work ... He's going to help us in day-to-day security and, especially, with an eye toward the (2010) World Military Games and the Olympic Games," Cabral said after lunch Thursday with the former US politician.
Results and standings of I-League
By IANS
New Delhi : The following are the results and the standings of the I-League football tournament after the end of the 13th round Sunday. The standings have been tabulated under matches played, won, draw, lost, goals for, against, difference and points.
Results (Round XIII):
Viva Kerala 0 Mahindra United 2
Sporting Clube de Goa 1 Salgaocar Sports Club 1
Churchill Brothers 1 JCT 0
East Bengal 1 Dempo Sports Club 0
Air-India 0 Mohun Bagan 0
TEAMS P W D L GF-GA GDIF PTS
Dempo 13 8 3 2 28-10 +18 27
Churchill Brothers 13 8 2 3 31-18 +13 26
JCT 13 7 4 2 23-11 +12 25
Scoreboard of Rajasthan Royals innings
By IANS,
New Delhi : Following is the scoreboard of the Rajasthan Royals' innings against Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium here Saturday night:
Scoreboard
Rajasthan Royals:
Tawuwar Kohli c Manhas b McGrath 7
Yousuf Pathan run out (Manhas/Geeves) 10
Shane Watson run out (Dhawan/Bhatia) 21
Mohammed Kaif c Geeves b Bhatia 9
Darren Lehmann lbw b Maharoof 1
Ravindra Jadeja b Vettori 29
Mahesg Rawat b Bhatia 2
Dinesh Salunkhe not out 26
Shane Warne b Maharoof 14
Sidharth Trivedi not out 3
Extras: (b 1, lb 3, w 3) 7
Pak hockey coach confident of good show in World Cup
By IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan hockey coach Shahid Ali Khan is confident that his charges will make their presence felt in the World Cup beginning Feb 28 in New Delhi.
Shahid, a former Olympian, said Sunday that his team's morale is high after a series of good showings in international competitions, adding that Pakistan will go all out for a place in the semifinals at the quadrennial spectacle.
Local association disappointed with Australia’s Davis Cup pullout
By IANS,
Chennai : Tennis Australia's (TA) decision to skip the scheduled Davis Cup tie against in India here next month has caused disappointment in the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA).
TA cited "security concerns" as reasons for refusing to send its team for the May 8-10 tie with Chennai hosting the Davis Cup for the first time in three decades.
Reacting to the development, TNTA's CEO Hiten Joshi told IANS: "We are obviously very disappointed. We were gearing up to host the tie and were in the advanced stage of preparations and looking forward to the event."
Pietersen, Flintoff’s dream to play in Indian league in coach’s hands
By IANS,
London : England coach Peter Moores has been given the task of determining to what extent his star cricketers Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff should be allowed to play in the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is facing a tough time to keep its flock together as its star players are adamant on playing in the lucrative IPL.
Hugh Morris, the managing director of the England team, has placed the onus of the decision firmly on the coach, The Guardian reported.
Randhawa falters to end 19th, Mickelson edges out Els
By IANS,
Shanghai : India's Jyoti Randhawa rolled down the leaderboard from overnight eighth position to tied 19th at the end of Asia's first-ever World Golf Championship (WGC) event at HSB Champions here Sunday.
Randhawa, two-over after the front nine, returned an even par 72, to stay at eight-under for four rounds.
Up the leaderboard World Number two Phil Mickelson survived a nervous 72nd hole to beat back South Africa's Ernie Els by one shot following a pulsating final round in Shanghai. It was Mickelson's second WGC title following WGC-CA success in March.
Debutant Bollinger gives a mouthful to Graeme Smith
By IANS,
Sydney : Australia's debutant fast bowler Doug Bollinger walked up and gave a mouthful to South African captain Graeme Smith on the second day of the Sydney Test match here Sunday.
Though only one word 'bugger' was picked by the stumps mike after Smith edged Bollinger over the slips, the scene was applauded by the spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
NSW delighted over their players’ success in IPL auction
By IANS,
Melbourne: The auctions for the Indian Premier League (IPL)-4 sparked celebrations in Australia's New South Wales after quite a few of its players made the cut.
Randhir unhappy with functioning of ad-hoc committee, quits
By IANS,
New Delhi : Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Secretary-General Randhir Singh Sunday confirmed he had indeed resigned from the ad-hoc committee, set-up to run the country's hockey, saying he was unhappy with its functioning.
Randhir told IANS that he had sent in his resignation to IOA president and ad-hoc committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi.
Randhir said he was unhappy with the manner in which the ad-hoc committee was functioning and there was no point in his continuance.
Negi shares lead with two others in Commonwealth Chess
By IANS,
New Delhi : Second seed and leader of Indian hopes Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi, his city-mate Grandmaster Sriram Jha and Russian Grandmaster Pavel Maletin share the lead with five and half points after the sixth round matches in the Parsvnath Commonwealth Chess Championship here Thursday.
Opting to play Ruy Lopez opening with white pieces, Negi outwitted his rival Uzbek Grandmaster Saidali Iuldachev in 37 moves. Playing safe with black pieces, Jha settled for an eighteen move draw against Maletin Pavel by three-fold repetition.
India raise a mammoth total in the Kotla Test
By Avishek Roy, IANS,
New Delhi : Gautam Gambhir scored his maiden double century and V.V.S Laxman one of his special big hundreds as India piled up a massive 515 for six in their first innings at tea on the second day of the third cricket Test against Australia at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium here Thursday.
Laxman (160) and skipper Anil Kumble (16) were at the crease at tea.
India, who did not lose any wicket in the morning session, lost three in the second but kept up the pressure on the tired Australians, who are trailing 1-0 in the four-match series.
Anil Ambani now sets sight on Everton
By IANS,
London : After withdrawing his interest in buying English football Premier Club Newcastle United, Indian billionaire Anil Ambani has now set his sights on Everton.
According to a report in the Liverpool Daily Post, agents representing Ambani have been in contact with Everton owner Bill Kenwright and are trying to arrange a meeting between the two parties.
Ambani, said to be the sixth richest man in the world, has targeted Everton after failing in an attempt to take control at Newcastle United.
Sweet-tooth Sharapova to binge on chocolate tray
By DPA
Singapore : Self-confessed choca-holic Maria Sharapova will get a chance to bite into some post-Christmas forbidden fruit in the privacy of her hotel as she arrives Friday for a weekend tennis exhibition.
The Russian, a former number one, is facing compatriot Anna Chakvetadze Sunday night as a first preparation for the Australian Open that starts Jan 14.
Sharapova is expected to be greeted with a full array of chocolate products when she reaches her five-star riverside hotel suite in this prosperous city-state.
French Open: Sania-Birenorova lose women’s doubles
By IANS
Paris : Sania Mirza and her Czech partner Eva Birnerova lost to the top seeded pair of Lisa Raymond of the US and Australian Samantha Stosur in the first round of the women's doubles of the French Open tennis tournament.
Taiwan’s Lu knocks out Roddick at Wimbledon
By DPA,
London : Taiwan's Lu Yen-Hsun upset three-time finalist Andy Roddick 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (5-7), 9-7 to become the first Asian man in 15 years to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam with his victory at Wimbledon Monday.
Shuzo Matsuoka of Japan was the last Asian man to reach the last eight of a Grand Slam, at Wimbledon in 1995.
The loss was the earliest for fifth seed Roddick since the American lost in the Wimbledon third round in 2002.
Karnataka colts crowned overall aquatic champs; Total 28 new National records set
Beijing Olympic-qualified Virdhawal Khade, Lekha Kamath adjudged best swimmers
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal : Karnataka were crowned overall team champions while Maharashtra had to be content with the runners-up tag at the conclusion of 34th Junior National Aquatic Championship here at the Prakash Taran Pushkar. In all there were 28 new National records set during the championship with the boys claiming 13 and girls 15.
CWG: Delhi restaurants register for safe food programme
By IANS,
New Delhi : With the Commonwealth Games around the corner, restaurants in the capital are making a beeline to register with the Safe Food Destination (SFD) programme that emphasises on international standards of food safety and security.
Launched by private consultancy TQS Global Management System, the initiative is in coordination with standards devised by the government's Food Safety & Standards Authority of India.
Olympic torch leaves San Francisco after pro-Tibet protests
By RIA Novosti
Washington : The Olympic torch has arrived at San Francisco international airport after its route through the city was disrupted by pro-Tibetan protestors calling for a boycott of this summer's Beijing Games.
Although the torch relay passed off without mass disturbances similar to those witnessed in Paris and London in the past week, the route was shortened and altered to avoid protestors, and security was tightened.
Scoreboard of India’s first innings against South Africa
By IANS
Kanpur : Following is the scoreboard at the end of India's innings on the third day of the third and final Test between India and South Africa at the Green Park Stadium here Sunday:
Scoreboard
Third Test, Day III, India vs. South Africa, Green Park Stadium, Kanpur, April 13
South Africa (1st innings): 265
India (1st innings, overnight 288/9):
Wasim Jaffer lbw b Morkel 15
Virender Sehwag lbw b Steyn 8
Rahul Dravid c de Villiers b Morkel 29
V.V.S. Laxman b Morkel 50
Sourav Ganguly c Amla b Steyn 87
Yuvraj Singh c de Villiers b Harris 32
Villa puts Valencia back on top in Spanish Liga
By DPA,
Madrid : Valencia regained top spot in the Spanish Liga with a 4-2 come-from-behind thrashing of Deportivo Coruna.
Once again, Valencia's hero was Euro 2008 top scorer David Villa, who netted twice in Sunday's win and is now the league's top marksman with six.
The impressive win leaves Unai Emery's team level on 13 points with Villarreal - who beat bottom team Sporting Gijon Saturday - but with a superior goal difference.
Rawalpindi stadium will be ready for India series: PCB
By IANS,
Karachi : Pakistani cricket officials are racing against time to prepare the Rawalpindi cricket stadium in time to host the second Test against India in January next year.
However, there are doubts whether the venue would be ready in time for the Jan 21-25 Test as its outfield is in a very poor shape while the spectator stands and other facilities are also far from ready.
Sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said there is a chance that the second Test of the home series against India could be moved either to Faisalabad or Multan.
Pak sports minister asks CA to tighten ground security
By IANS,
Melbourne : Pakistan Sports Minister Aijaz Hussein Jakhrani has asked Cricket Australia (CA) to set up barriers at grounds and ban alcohol following the Khalid Latif incident.
Latif was tackled by a spectator in the fifth and last One-day International (ODI) at WACA in Perth Sunday.
Jakhrani has told Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt to raise the issue with CA and said if he was not satisfied with its response, he would go directly to his counterpart, federal Sports Minister Stephen Smith.
Real shine under Ramos; Manchester held in Champions League
By DPA,
Hamburg : Real Madrid powered to a 3-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg under new coach Juande Ramos while Bayern Munich and Porto also enjoyed wins in the Champions League.
European champions Manchester United were meanwhile held 2-2 by Danish visitors Aalborg, while Fiorentina and Dynamo Kiev clinched wins Wednesday to go into the UEFA Cup.
Real's convincing win, a day after Ramos was appointed to replace the sacked Bernd Schuster, was not enough to overtake Juventus at the top of Group H where the Serie A side played out a goalless draw at BATE Borisov.
India still ranked sixth in one-dayers
By IANS
Dubai : Despite winning the three match one-day series against South Africa in Ireland, India are still ranked sixth in the latest one-day team rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) here Monday.
GoM meets to discuss Games opening ceremony
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Commonwealth Games, chaired by Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, met for the first time Sunday after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intervened to take stock of much-criticised preparations for the mega sporting event.
Earlier in the day, Reddy told reporters that the main agenda for the meeting was to discuss the opening ceremony. "Today we will discuss the details of the opening ceremony. We will see other things also," he said.
Arrange security yourselves, Mamata tells sports clubs
By IANS,
Kolkata: Citing shortage of state police personnel, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday asked the sporting clubs to arrange for their own security during games.
Successful badminton tourney another feather in Andhra police’s cap
By Mohammed Shafeeq, IANS,
Hyderabad : The successful and smooth conduct of the World Badminton Championships despite the initial security and swine flu scares has come as yet another feather in the cap of the Andhra Pradesh Police, which ensured an incident-free event.
The seven-day event, which concluded Sunday at the Gachibowli indoor stadium, proved that the police can provide best of the security and the organisers can ensure world-class arrangements for events of this nature.
Lebanon match crucial for future of Indian football: Bhaichung
By Abhishek Roy, IANS
Ludhiana : India must win its upcoming World Cup qualifier match against Lebanon to maintain the thrust and popularity gained by Indian football by winning the Nehru Cup recently, says national football captain Bhaichung Bhutia.
"The Lebanon match is very important for the future of football in the country," Bhutia told IANS on the sidelines of the ongoing 29th Federation Cup football tournament here.
"We have to win it at any cost, otherwise it will be back to the clubs and the thrust from the Nehru Cup will be lost."
Vesnina wins first WTA title in Hobart
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Hobart: Russia's Elena Vesnina won the first WTA singles title of her career here Saturday, beating Mona Barthel of Germany in straight sets in the final.
Chess match between countries that don’t exist!
By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS
New Delhi : A few days ago, a friend from Europe sent the result sheet of a chess match that had this writer scratching his head -- a chess match between the USSR and Yugoslavia? A contest between two countries that had ceased to exist more than a decade a half ago? Surely someone had got something wrong somewhere.
Handsome friendly wins for Spain, Portugal
By DPA,
Johannesburg : Spain and Portugal scored handsome friendly victories Tuesday in their last warm-up matches before the World Cup finals.
Spain thrashed feeble Poland 6-0 in Murcia, and Portugal beat former colony Mozambique 3-0 earlier Tuesday in Johannesburg.
The Iberian neighbours are among the favourites for the World Cup, though neither has ever progressed beyond the semi-finals.
Spain were given a warm send-off by the fans in Murcia after tearing apart the hapless Polish defence with the kind of slick passing game that took them to triumph at Euro 2008.
Form of big names made selectors’ job easy
By Veturi Srivatsa,
The list of 30 probables for the 2015 World Cup in the Antipodes has no surprises unless someone thought Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan or Harbhajan Singh would make it.
McGrath happy with IPL, rejects county offer
By IANS,
Melbourne : Former Australian spearhead Glenn McGrath is happy playing in the Indian Premier League and has turned down a lucrative offer made by English county Surrey.
According to The Age, Surrey is believed to have tabled an offer to "guest" him over a three-week period. The deal has been described as "very good" but McGrath insisted it is not enough to tempt him to return to the long form of the game.
Spinners Kumble, Harbhajan set batting records
Adelaide, Jan 25 (IANS) Spin duo Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh smashed fine half-centuries Friday to establish several personal milestones on the second day of the fourth and final Test against Australia here.
Defying the Australian bowling attack for 35 overs, Kumble (87, 205 balls, 9x4s) and Harbhajan (63, 103 balls, 7x4s) also scored 107 precious runs for the eighth wicket to help India to 526 in their first innings at the Adelaide Oval.
There was a feeling of emptiness after I won gold: Bindra
By IANS,
New Delhi : India's first individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra felt emptiness within after firing the last shot that created history.
Abhinav, who returned to India to a rousing welcome, said he strove hard to give his best in Olympics and when he won the gold there was a feeling of hollowness.
"It was a feeling of emptiness after I won the gold medal," a reticent Bindra answered a packed press conference about how he felt at that moment.
Pawar asks IPL to settle all media issues
By IANS,
New Delhi : Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sharad Pawar Tuesday asked the organisers of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to resolve all contentious issues regarding media accreditation.
"I don't have anything to do with IPL. But I have told Lalit Modi (chairman of IPL), that I don't want to hear any complaints from the electronic and the print media," Pawar told reporters at the Feroze Shah Kotla cricket stadium. He was speaking at the inauguration of the floodlights at the stadium.
Haryana to play Railways in women’s national hockey final
By IANS,
Sonepat: Hosts Haryana will clash with Railways in the final of the Senior National Women's Hockey Championship at Motilal Nehru Sports School here Sunday.
IHF secretary-general denies corruption charges
By IANS,
Chennai : Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) secretary-general Kandaswamy Jothikumaran Tuesday denied he had struck a "corrupt" deal with the reporters of a TV channel that aired a sting operation showing him accepting bribe for inducting a player in the national squad.
The footage showed Jothikumaran accepting a "bribe" of Rs.500,000 to include an unnamed player in the national team for next month's Sultan Azlan Shah Cup tournament in Malaysia.
But Jothikumaran asserted at no point in his career as the secretary-general of IHF he had resorted to any corrupt deals.
AC Milan crush Man Utd, enter Champions League final
By DPA
Milan : AC Milan produced a stunning performance to beat Manchester United 3-0 in the second leg of their Champions League football semi-final to set up a repeat of the 2005 final against Liverpool.
Kaka, the outstanding player of Wednesday night, Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Gilardino scored the goals as Milan overturned their 3-2 deficit from the first leg to advance 5-3 on aggregate.
"In the first half, we played perfect football," Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
English board to have its own Champions League
By IANS,
London : England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is ready with its own Champions League Twenty20 tournament with financial backing from the royal family of Abu Dhabi.
According to a report in The Sunday Telegraph, the Abu Dhabi royal family is ready to give the ECB a financial assistance to the tune of £750 million over a period of 10 years.
ECB and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were in conflict over the BCCI-proposed Champions League comprising top two Twenty20 teams from domestic championships of Australia, South Africa, India and England.
Veteran Ali Sher makes the cut at Indian Masters
By IANS
New Delhi : It was Ali Sher's amazing win at the 1991 Indian Open that sparked off a revolution in Indian professional golf. On Friday, Ali Sher, now 45, ensured he was part of history as he made the cut in the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters, the inaugural European Tour event in India.
Ali Sher, whose brother is the caddie for Arjun Atwal, shot a brilliant two-under 70 in testing conditions, which were both windy and chilly, to total three-over 147 and make the cut in tied 64th place.
Scoreboard: India vs. South Africa, Second Test, Day 2
By IANS,
Kolkata : Scoreboard at stumps on the second day of the second cricket Test between India and South Africa at the Eden Gardens here Monday:
South Africa first innings (overnight 266/9):
Graeme Smith b Khan 4
Alviro Petersen c Dhoni b Khan 100
Hashim Amla c Dhoni b Khan 114
Jacques Kallis c Laxman b Harbhajan Singh 10
AB de Villiers run out (Khan) 12
Ashwell Prince lbw b Harbhajan Singh 1
JP Duminy lbw b Harbhajan Singh 0
Dale Steyn lbw b Mishra 5
Paul Harris c Dhoni b Sharma 1
Wayne Parnell lbw Khan 12
Morne Morkel not out 11
Younis likely to return in ODI series against Australia
By IANS,
Karachi : Former Pakistan skipper Younis Khan is likely to make a comeback in the one-day series against Australia which begins in Brisbane from January 22.
Younis, 32, decided to opt out of the Test tour of New Zealand last month after leading Pakistan to a 1-2 one-day series defeat against the Kiwis in Abu Dhabi. He also made himself unavailable for the tour of Australia which got underway Friday as he wanted a break from the international cricket.
Five foreign cricketers sign up for Indian Premier League
By IANS
Mumbai : South Africa's Jacque Kallis, Mark Boucher and Makhaya Ntini were among the five foreign players who Wednesday signed for the $3 million Indian Premier League (IPL), the Indian cricket board announced.
West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and his teammate and ace opener Chris Gayle were the other two who have signed to play in April, in India, in a Twenty20 tournament, which has the backing of the International Cricket Council.
Wimbledon rain now producing parking chaos
By DPA
London : Not only are matches massively behind schedule at the wet and wild Wimbledon Championships, but what limited parking exists is now severely restricted.
O’Shea gives Manchester United slim lead over Arsenal
By DPA,
Manchester : Manchester United will take a narrow advantage into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Arsenal after edging out the London side 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Defending champions Manchester dominated the match Wednesday for long periods but in the end only had an early strike from John O'Shea to show for their superiority.
"We had so many chances in the first half but their goalkeeper played so well," United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar said. "I think our game plan was good.
Double for Karthik in national racing championship
By IANS,
Coimbatore : P. Karthik was unstoppable on Sunday as he romped to victory in both the races in the Expert class (Group B, 4-stroke, 165cc) in the third round of the Rolon FMSCI national racing championship for two-wheelers here.
Karthik was off to a flier in both the races and the others struggled to keep pace with him as he virtually decimated the challenge in style.
Results:
Dhoni’s city visit sparks pandemonium among scribes
By IANS,
Kolkata: Ahead of the cricket World Cup, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni visited Kolkata Thursday for a product promotion, but avoided questions from scribes.
Temple awaits contribution from Indian skipper Dhoni
By IANS
Ranchi : A temple, where Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni prays regularly, wants a sizeable contribution from him, more so when he has been recently auctioned for Rs.60 million for the Indian Premier League.
Mata Deori temple is situated in Tamar block, which is around 60 km from Ranchi. Indian cricket's one-day and Twenty20 captain has been praying at the temple since the days when he used to play in the domestic Ranji trophy tournament.
Sehwag lone Indian in ICC World Test side
By IANS,
Dubai : Dashing opening batsman Virender Sehwag is the lone Indian in the World Test team announced by the International Cricket Council as part of its annual awards function here.
A selection panel comprising former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd (Chairman), former Australia captain Greg Chappell, former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock, former Sri Lanka opener Sidhath Wettimuny and former Bangladesh batsman Athar Ali Khan named the team.
South Africa's Graeme Smith has been named the captain of the team.
Aiyar takes another dig at Games
By IANS,
New Delhi: Nominated Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Aiyar Saturday took a potshot at the coming Delhi Commonwealth Games, saying arrangements were being made to ensure that the 100,000 foreign guests expected to come were not mobbed by beggars and the poor.
He was addressing a seminar on the "Role of Media in the 21st century and India's Image" in the capital.
World T20: India put in to bat by South Africa
By IANS,
Colombo : South Africa skipper AB de Villiers won the toss and elected to field in the final World Twenty20 Super Eights tie at the R Premadasa Stadium here Tuesday.
Teams:
Chinese cyclists eye gold in Olympics
By Liu Ning, Xinhua,
Beijing : With only 18 days to go for the Beijing Olympics, Chinese cyclists vow to make their Olympic gold medal dream come true on home soil.
Eight years ago in Sydney, Jiang Cuihua won China a bronze medal. Four years ago in Athens, Jiang Yonghua took a silver. All coming closer to the top honour, yet they all failed to make the breakthrough.
Sports schedule for June 3, 2008
By IANS,
New Delhi : Following is the sports schedule for June 3, 2008:
Tennis: French Open in Paris
Football : National Championship for the Santosh Trophy (Srinagar and Jammu); SAFF Cup in Sri Lanka and Maldives
Leander Paes and Cara Black win US Open mixed doubles
By IANS,
New York : India's Leander Paes won his second US Open and fourth Grand Slam mixed doubles title here at the Flushing Meadows Thursday when he and his Zimbabwean partner Cara Black beat Scotland's Jamie Murray and American Liezel Huber in the final 7-6 (8-6) and 6-4.
Leander, who won two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles with Martina Navratilova and another with Lisa Raymond, partnered Cara for the first time, but the two gelled so well that it looked as if they were regular partners.
Called off, but Goa ODI in duplicate tickets row
By IANS,
Panaji : The India-Australia one-day cricket match in Goa that was called off has nevertheless attracted controversy over allegations of tickets having been duplicated.
India should boycott Olympics, disrupt torch relay: Fernandes
By IANS
New Delhi : Former defence minister George Fernandes has criticised the government for having "surrendered" to China on the Tibet issue, even as he urged India to boycott the Beijing Olympics and called for disrupting the torch relay in the country.
"India has sold out to China," Fernandes told Karan Thapar in an interview to CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate programme that will be broadcast Monday night. He was asked a question on his assessment of India's response on the Tibet issue.
China lifts first golds – US sweep fencing, more Spain glory
By DPA,
Beijing : Hosts China claimed their first gold medals of the 2008 Olympics Saturday, winning in weightlifting and sharing shooting honours with the Czech Republic.
Spanish cyclist Samuel Sanchez continued Spain's golden sporting year with gold in the gruelling men's road race, and Mariel Zagunis led a US women fencers' clean sweep in the individual sabre.
Chen Xiexia won the women's 48 kilos weightlifting competition to the delight of 6,000 fans in the packed Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Gymnasium.
Baghdatis triggers an ethnic row
By DPA
Melbourne : Former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis has become a tabloid target here after a YouTube internet video showed the Greek-Cypriot socialising with a notorious Greek supporters group and chanting anti-Turkish slogans.
Media reports printed stills from a video reportedly shot at a barbecue of the local Hellas Fan Club with Baghdatis holding a red flare above his head and chanting anti-Turkish slogans.
McBride on target as Everton falter
By DPA
London : Everton lost ground in the race for the fourth Champions League qualifying slot as Brian McBride's header gave struggling Fulham a crucial 1-0 win at Craven Cottage Sunday.
Fulham however remain second bottom, but are now just three points from safety after their first win in five matches.
Brian McBride got the only goal of a dismal game 67 minutes in, as he stooped to nod in after Everton defender Joseph Yobo had got a touch on Simon Davies's cross from the left.
Federer rallies back to beat Davydenko
By DPA,
Melbourne : Roger Federer, troubled by the setting sun, held his nerve for a dramatic 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, 7-5 turnaround victory and a semi-final place over Nikolay Davydenko at the Australian Open here Wednesday.
The Swiss top seed trailed 2-6, 1-3 as the Russian who had won their last two matches had his way early in the contest.
But a strategic toilet break after dropping the first set may have helped in the Swiss salvation, with Federer taking his time in hopes that the sun would move down the horizon just that extra little bit.
Improved performances expected from Indians in ATP meet
By IANS,
New Delhi : An improved performance will be expected from the Indian tennis players as they enter another $50,000 ATP Challenger tournament starting at the DLTA complex here Monday.
Two of the Indian Davis Cup singles players Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna were in the draw of the $50,000 SAIL Open Challenger. While Prakash lost in the first round, Bopanna partnering Pakistani Aisam-ul-Haq Quereshi lost in the first round of the doubles match and later pulled out of the singles because of his knee injury.
Adventures of rookie Lahiri before playing with World No. 3
By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS,
Sentosa (Singapore) : Anirban Lahiri, playing in the company of Phil Mickelson in the opening round of the $5 million Barclay's Singapore Open, attracted more than his share of attention despite a nine-over 80 that may well have ended his chances of staying on for the weekend.
"It has been a whirlwind three days and here I am in the biggest tournament of my life, but I did not know if I was going to tee off till yesterday evening," said the 21-year-old Lahiri, who was the last man to get into the main draw.
Lawson flies home with mixed memories
By IANS,
Karachi : Sacked Pakistani coach Geoff Lawson Friday flew out of Pakistan to his home at Sydney with mixed memories.
The former Australian pacer is happy to be at the helm of an 'enormously talented team' for about 16 months but regrets on being forced to leave it 'prematurely'. Lawson took a flight to return to Australia, more than a week after he was sacked by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over poor results.
Dhoni’s gritty 82 takes India to 148
London : Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni led the fightback with a gritty 82 before India were bowled out for 148 by England shortly after...
Asian Games volleyball: Men’s team go down to Thailand in quarters
By IANS,
Guangzhou: India's stupendous run in men's volleyball came to a halt with a heart-breaking 0-3 loss to Thailand in the quarterfinals at the Asian Games here Sunday.
Bhangra, drumbeats and crackers – India celebrates cricket win
By IANS
New Delhi : From Harbhajan Singh's home city Jalandhar or captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Ranchi to man of the match Praveen Kumar's neighbourhood in Meerut, thousands of cricket fans danced to drumbeats and burst crackers as a cricket-crazy nation celebrated India's historic win against Australia in the Commonwealth Bank tri-series tournament.
Celebrations were on in full swing in Jalandhar as people burst crackers and danced the 'bhangra' to the beat of drums after the Indian team's emphatic nine-run victory.
India all out for 360 in Bangalore Test
By IANS,
Bangalore : India were all out for 360 in their first innings on the fourth day of the first cricket Test against Australia at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here Sunday.
Australia, who made 430 in their first innings, have a lead of 70 runs.
Zaheer Khan was the top-scorer for India with an unbeaten 57 followed by Harbhajan Singh (54).
Mitchell Johnson finished with figures of four for 70.
Pollard, Bond hit IPL roof; Pakistanis dumped
By IANS,
Mumbai : Bidding for the exciting West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard and express New Zealand paceman Shane Bond went to the wire while the Pakistani players were left out in the cold at the auction for Indian Premier League III (IPL) here Tuesday.
The franchisees found the Australians unreliable and refused to touch them as the players had no qualms in deserting their teams in the first two editions of the Twenty20 tournament.
Pollard and Bond touched an undisclosed sums as both came out of a tie-break after touching the limit fixed for bidding, $750,000.
Austria lose opening game to Croatia in Euro 2008
By DPA,
Vienna : Co-hosts Austria started their Euro 2008 campaign with a 1-0 defeat against Croatia in a Group B match played in Vienna Sunday.
The only goal of the game was scored in the fourth minute by Luka Modic from the penalty spot.
Austria failed to impress in the early parts of the first half, but came back strongly towards the end of the game, but could not find the back of the net.
Germany and Poland meet in the other Group B match in Klagenfurt later Sunday.
Don’t hype India’s cricket win, warns Lalu
By IANS
New Delhi : Railway Minister Lalu Prasad has warned that the media hype over India's Test series win over England may lead to overconfidence in the team and the performance may go down.
"In ko ziyada mat sarahiyae nahi toh phir harne langen ge (Don't hype India's victory too much, otherwise they will again start losing)," Lalu told IANS in his inimitable style.
Indian team’s security in Brisbane tightened
Brisbane : The security around Indian cricketers, currently in Brisbane to play the second Test match of an ongoing series against Australia, was reportedly...
Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif to be deported from Dubai: reports
By Aroonim Bhuyan, IANS,
Dubai : Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif, held here since June 1 for allegedly possessing drugs as he arrived on a flight from India after playing in the Indian Premier League, will be freed and deported from Dubai, according to reports.
A report in the Gulf News newspaper quoted Dubai public prosecutor Mohammad Al Nuaimi as saying that the cricketer "has been discharged and will be deported from his Dubai detention centre within the next 48 hours".
Match fixing: footballer’s jail term reduced
By DPA
Singapore : The seven-month jail term of an S-League footballer who took money from his manager to throw a game was cut to five months, news reports said Friday.
Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong said that Zhao Zhipeng, a 26-year-old forward, had been under the thumb of a controlling general manager and had "no choice" but to fix the match.
Zhao was the first of seven Liaoning Guangyuan footballers accused of match fixing to be convicted. Manager Wang Xin, who was charged with offering bribes to all his players, jumped bail in January.
All the players are Chinese nationals.
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