India make disastrous start to second Test
By Avishek Roy, IANS
Ahmedabad : India made a disastrous start to the second Test Thursday after a furious spell of fast bowling by the South Africans saw the hosts' first innings end in a catastrophic 76 runs in just 20 overs.
Dale Steyn (5-23), Makhya Ntini (3-18), and Morne Morkel (2-20) unleashed a fury that cracked open the famed Indian batting line-up - minus Sachin Tendulkar - and gobbled them up in just 109 minutes, well before lunch.
Bopanna, Mankad move to ITF tournament semi-finals
By IANS
Chandigarh : Indian top seed Rohan Bopanna along with compatriot Harsh Mankad stormed into the semi-finals of the ITF men's tennis tournament at the CLAT Complex here Thursday.
Bopanna had to wage a marathon battle against Russian Danila Arsenov to seal the match 6-7(8), 7-6(1), 6-3.Mankad on the other hand, had it easy against the fellow Indian wild card entry Yuki Bhambri who so far had a fine run in the tournament. Makad defeated the youngster in straight sets 6-4,6-2.
De Villiers ton helps South Africa take 230-run lead
By Avishek Roy, IANS
Ahmedabad : A.B. de Villiers was batting resolutely on 102 with his maiden Test century against India as South Africa reached 306 for four at lunch on day two of the second Test at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera here Friday.
Jacques Kallis was unbeaten on the other end on 97, and with de Villiers, he added 83 runs in the morning session and dashed hopes of India's comeback after the hosts crumbled to 76 all out in the first innings. South Africa's lead has now swelled to 230 runs with still a lot of batting to come.
Nadal bent, far from broken after Miami finals failure
By DPA
Miami : Rafael Nadal won't let a Miami Masters loss to Nikolay Davydenko spoil a season in which he is making up ground on No.1 Roger Federer.
While the world No.2 Nadal admitted disappointment after going down 6-4, 6-1 to the Russian, it's not all gloom and doom.
Within two weeks, the Spaniard will launch a clay season where he is defending not only a third Roland Garros title but also trophies in Barcelona, Monte Carlo and Rome.
Sachin looking forward to carrying Olympic torch
By Abhishek Roy, IANS
New Delhi : India's cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar said Monday he would be a part of the Beijing Olympic torch relay in the Capital April 17.
Tendulkar, however, refused to comment on the controversy surrounding the protests, but said that he was looking forward to carrying the torch.
"It is a great honour for me. I grew up watching the Olympics and I am looking forward to carry the torch," Tendulkar told IANS.
UN chief not to attend Olympics opening ceremony
By DPA
New York : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has informed the Chinese government that he will not attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing in August, a spokeswoman said Thursday.
Marie Okabe said Beijing was told of the decision "some months ago". She said the move was a result of scheduling issues and was unrelated to the widespread call to boycott the opening ceremony to protest China's alleged human rights abuses in Tibet.
India struggling at 88/2 against South Africa at lunch
By IANS
Kanpur : India were struggling at 88 for the loss of two wickets, in reply to South Africa's 265 in the first innings, at lunch on the second day of the final Test match here Saturday.
V.V.S. Laxman was batting on 33 and Rahul Dravid on 20 when the umpires called for lunch. Openers Wasim Jaffer (15) and Virender Sehwag (8) were the two batsmen out in the morning session at the Green Park Stadium here. South Africa lead the three-Test series 1-0.
China selects pandas to woo tourists for Olympics
By Xinhua,
Guangzhou : Eight giant pandas, all of two years of age will leave their hometown in southwest China for Beijing next month to entertain tourists during the Olympic Games to be held in August.
The giant pandas, which belong to the Wolong-based China Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre in Sichuan Province, are set to depart May 24 and arrive in the national capital after a three-hour flight, organisers of the programme announced Monday.
Musharraf voices support for Beijing Olympics
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has voiced firm support for the Beijing Olympics and has said that his country has taken all measures to ensure the success of the upcoming torch relay in its capital Islamabad.
"We have taken all measures to ensure its (torch relay's) security so that the torch relay could be held in a prestigious and secure manner," Musharraf said in a speech at Qinghua University here Monday.
"There is not one man in Pakistan who would do anything against the interests of China," he said.
Africa urged to invest in local coaches
By Xinhua,
Lusaka : Raoul Savoy, coach of the Swaziland national football team, has urged African countries to invest in local coaches, The Post reported Tuesday.
In an interview shortly before his departure from Lusaka, Savoy said the idea of engaging a foreign coach was not bad but it was always important for African teams to invest in their local coaches.
Savoy, himself a foreign coach for Swaziland on a two-year contract, said there was no major difference between African and European trainers.
Largescale protests by Tibetans in Delhi; 60 held
By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Tibetan refugees held large-scale demonstrations in the capital Thursday to coincide with the Olympic flame run, including taking out a parallel torch relay to protest against alleged Chinese atrocities in Tibet.
About 60 Tibetans were detained in various parts of the capital, which was turned into a fortress for the event, with thousands of policemen keeping a hawk-eye vigil to prevent any attempts by the protesters to disrupt it.
A smooth run for Olympic torch in the Indian capital
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Beijing Olympic torch completed its India run Thursday in a tightly orchestrated relay that lasted a little over 30 minutes with thousands of security personnel ensuring that the most sensitive leg of the global relay proceeded without a hitch.
As police and paramilitary personnel swamped the area to keep away Tibetan protesters who had disrupted the event in Paris and London, film stars joined sportspersons past and present to hastily pass the flame from one to another.
Pakistani Ambassador: Olympic torch relay underscores universality ogf games
By NNN-APP,
Beijing : Pakistani Ambassador Salman Bashir has said that the lighting of the Olympic flame and its relay across continents, underscores the universality of the games.
In a congratulatory message to the English language China Daily on its special supplement on Olympic Torch relay, the Ambassador underscores the universality of the games, which, he said will unite all peoples under the apt motto of “One World One Dream”.
Federer, Davydenko through to Estoril Open tennis semi-final
By DPA,
Estoril (Portugal) : Second seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia had to overcome a stiff resistance from Frenchman Marc Gicquel to advance to the semi-finals of the Estoril Open tennis tournament here.
The Russian defeated Gicquel 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 in the quarter-final Friday and thereby registered his 10th straight victory, a run which began last month at the Miami Masters.
Davydenko moved closer to a potential seeded final against top seed Roger Federer, who calmly negotiated two rain interruptions as he crushed local hero Frederico Gil 6-4, 6-1.
Bhupathi-Knowles sails into Monte Carlo Masters final
By IANS,
Monte Carlo (Monaco) : India's Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of Bahamas stormed into the finals of the men's doubles event at the Monte Carlo Masters tennis tournament here Saturday with a straight sets victory.
Bhupathi-Knowles, seeded fourth in the event, took just over an hour to thrash the unseeded South African combination of Jefff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie 6-0, 7-5 in the first semifinal.
Indian Hockey Federation dissolved
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was dissolved by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) here Monday.
A five-member ad-hoc committee has been appointed by the IOA to manage the hockey affairs. Australian Ric Charlesworth will be the advisor to the ad-hoc committee.
Scorecard of Mumbai Indians-Kolkata Knight Riders match
By IANS,
Kolkata : Following is the scoreboard after Mumbai Indians defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Eden Gardens here Tuesday night:`
Scoreboard:
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Brendon McCullum lbw b Pollock 1
Sourav Ganguly c Jayasuriya b Pollock 4
Ricky Ponting run out (Rahane/Jayasuriya) 19
Debabrata Das c Uthappa b Bravo 29
David Hussey c Nehra b Jayasuriya 17
Mohammad Hafeez c Shah b Jayasuriya 2
Laxmi Ratan Shukla not out 40
Ajit Agarkar c Nehra b Jayasuriya 2
Murali Kartik c Jayasuriya b Fernando 10
Milanese derby has added value for both contenders
By DPA,
Milan : Inter Milan and AC Milan have big goals in their sights when they play their city derby Sunday with three games left to the end of the Italian Serie A football season.
Leaders Inter may secure a third straight title with a win, but will win the championship with any result keeping them six points ahead of second-place Roma.
The Rome side need to leapfrog the leaders to win a scudetto that, in case of a tie at the top, Inter would secure thanks to a win and a draw in the direct clashes as the head-to-head results act as a tie- breaker in the Serie A.
Super dad Beckham causing stress for British fathers
By IANS,
London : Football star David Beckham, considered a super dad, is causing a stress epidemic among British fathers who cannot live up to his standards.
Thesun.co.uk reports that 85 percent of fathers who partcipated in a survey felt pressured to try and match up to Beckham who keeps fit, spends time with his wife and kids, and maintains a professional life. Beckham and wife Victoria have three sons.
The poll was conducted among 4,000 fathers.
China’s Hu Welcomes Olympic Athletes
By Prensa Latina,
Beijing : Chinese leader Hu Jintao sent a warm welcoming message to all athletes and visitors who are expected to travel to China to attend the 2008 Olympic Games in August.
According to Hu, the Games not only belong to the Chinese people, but to all Asian peoples and the world in general.
In remarks to representatives of 16 Japanese media organizations in Beijing, on the eve of his upcoming state visit to Tokio, Hu referred to the significance of the world's greatest sports event.
Federer plays mind games to overcome Andreev in Melbourne
By DPA,
Melbourne : Roger Federer's famed mental strength rescued the top seed from potential danger as the world number one began his Australian Open campaign Tuesday with a turnaround 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(2), 6-0 defeat of Russian Igor Andreev.
The Swiss said he was glad he was playing on the Grand Slam stage with its longer, more demanding match format.
"I just think in best of five (sets) it is the mental strength that comes into it."
Federer was unruffled after fighting past the Russian, against whom he now stands 3-0 but who took him to five sets at the 2008 US Open.
India 177/2 at lunch against Bangladesh
By IANS,
Dhaka : India were 177 for two at lunch against Bangladesh on the second day of the second cricket Test here Monday.
India trail by 56 runs with Sachin Tendulkar (13) and Rahul Dravid (33) at the crease. Virender Sehwag made 56 while Gautam Gambhir was out for 68.
FIH says no World Cup access to media till Feb 27
By IANS,
New Delhi : The International Hockey Federation (FIH) Tuesday said media access to the training of the World Cup hockey teams will not be allowed without the activation of the accreditation which is "expected" to come into effect only a day before the start of the event Feb 28.
After media persons took it up with Hockey India (HI) over the ban on coverage of practice sessions, federation officials Tuesday requested the FIH to allow media access to the practice sessions and facilitate their meeting with the players of the participating countries.
Former greats flay Pakistan’s display at Hockey World Cup
By IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan's former hockey greats Islahuddin Siddiqui and Samiullah Khan lambasted the national team's below-par showing in the World Cup, saying they were unprepared for such a major event.
Pakistan, four-time world champions, flopped miserably against India in a 1-4 loss and after bouncing back with a 2-1 win against Spain, they got a 5-2 mauling by England in their third Group B match at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi Thursday.
Tendulkar, Dhawan power Mumbai Indians to victory
By IANS,
Mumbai : Riding on Sachin Tendulkar\'s masterful 72 and Shikhar Dhawan's blazing 56, Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in an Indian Premier League match here Thursday.
Super Kings scored 180 for two with Suresh Raina (83) and Subramaniam Badrinath (55) sharing an unbeaten stand of 142 runs.
Mumbai Indians chased down the target with an over to spare. Tendulkar continued with his amazing run in the tournament, scoring 72 off 52 balls, striking eight fours and one six. Left handed Dhawan hit 56 off 34 balls with five fours and three sixes.
Warner’s century one of the best I have seen: Gambhir
By IANS,
New Delhi : Delhi Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir said that David Warner's century was one of the best Twenty20 knocks he has seen as it came on a difficult track.
Warner struck 107 off 69 balls with nine fours and five sixes as Daredevils beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 40 runs here Monday.
"It was one of the best Twenty20 innings I have seen as it came on this kind of a track. He played an incredible innings. He played his shots and gave Paul Collingwood a lot of time to play his game," Gambhir said after the match.
All quiet at Sunanda’s ‘Pushkar Niwas’ in Jammu
By IANS,
Jammu: It was all quiet Wednesday at the house of retired army officer P.N. Dass, whose daughter Sunanda Pushkar is at the centre of the Indian Premier League (IPL) row for her reported free share in the Kochi franchise. Sources in the neighbourhood said the family has shifted to a relative's place.
Super Kings beat Deccan Chargers, to face Mumbai Indians in final
By IANS,
Mumbai : A fine spell of fast bowling from Doug Bollinger helped Chennai Super Kings beat defending champions Deccan Chargers by 38 runs in the semi-final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here Thursday. Super Kings will now face Mumbai Indian in Sunday’s final at the same venue.
Suspensions, fines have made Pakistan professional: Younis
By IANS,
Gros Islet (St.Lucia) : Pakistan cricket coach Waqar Younis feels that the mass suspensions and fines following his side's disastrous Australia tour have made his side professional.
Pakistan's performance down under prompted strict measures from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which banned former captains Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan from the national team indefinitely in March.
Ballack’s absence is not an advanatge for Socceroos, says Cahill
By IANS,
Melbourne : Australian soccer star Tim Cahill feels that the absence of German captain Michael Ballack will not be an added advantage for the Socceroos in the World cup.
Australia have been drawn alongside Germany, Serbia and Ghana in Group D. While many fans believe the Socceroos have been handed a precious advantage due to the absence of Chelsea star Ballack, who has been ruled out with a ankle injury sustained during FA Cup final, going into the tournament opener in Durban, Cahill doesn't agree.
France putting past behind them
By Tom Merton, DPA,
(Group A team profile)
Paris : France reached the 2010 World Cup in eventful and controversial circumstances but Raymond Domenech hopes Les Bleus can put that behind them and at least return to the final in South Africa.
The 1998 world champions France tallied just 18 goals in 10 qualification matches for 2010 in finishing second place behind Serbia and being forced to go through the play-offs.
No one can doubt my integrity, says Srinivasan
By IANS,
New Delhi : Replying to the virtual charge sheet served on him by suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi, Indian cricket board secretary N.Srinivasan said Wednesday that his inetgrity is tight, and slammed Modi for conducting the affairs of the board in public.
Speaking to IANS from Chennai, Srinivasan said: "Mr.Modi has a habit of conducting the affairs of board in public. He is leaking information to the press. I cannot respond to all his allgetions in public. Nobody can question my integrity."
Football fidelity: An Indian diplomat’s dilemma
By R. Viswanathan, IANS,
I applauded and cheered when Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, the three countries of my accreditation as India's ambassador, qualified for the World Cup in South Africa. But this diplomatic honour has now come under challenge from the football rivalry of the three countries.
Switzerland aim for major upset against mighty Spain
By DPA,
Durban : Tournament favourites Spain are not scared of the pressure ahead of their World Cup football opener against Switzerland, in which they are expected to impress and, of course, win.
"People demand that we win and that we play well because they see that we can play well. And that's good. It's not pressure, it's flattering," striker David Villa said of Wednesday's match in Durban.
Speedy justice in World Cup courts: a model for the future?
By DPA,
Johannesburg : Doping is banned at the World Cup but the South African justice system acts as if it's on steroids.
Faced with a barrage of questioning over security in the run-up to the tournament, as persistent as the drone of vuvuzelas, the host nation has pulled out all the stops to shake its image of a criminal haven.
Apart from deploying 41,000 police around stadiums, fan parks, hotels and tourist sites, and stocking up on helicopters, water cannon and other equipment, the government has also set up 56 dedicated World Cup courts across the country.
Yousuf willing to return from retirement for England tour
By IANS,
Karachi : Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has announced that he is ready to come out of retirement to bolster Pakistan’s fragile batting lineup on its ongoing tour of England.
Yousuf, who retired from international cricket earlier this year to protest against an indefinite ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), also said he is willing to play under any captain.
Fennel visits Commonwealth Games sites
By IANS,
New Delhi : Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell Wednesday visited some of the Commonwealth Games sites in the capital as part of his two-day visit to monitor the preparedness for the Oct 3-14 mega sporting event.
Fennell, who arrived in India Tuesday evening, visited Thyagaraj Stadium at 9 a.m. and 15 minutes later left for the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies.
Haryana’s CWG medallists take home rewards, cars and more
By IANS,
Rai (Haryana): It was a day for the players from Haryana to seek assistance from others to walk away with the moolah.
Some of the key statistics of Asian Games opening ceremony
By IANS,
Guangzhou: The following are some of the key statistics related to the opening ceremony of Guangzhou Asian Games on Friday:
Khawaja set to play for English county Derbyshire
By IANS,
London : Usman Khawaja, the first Muslim cricketer to represent Australia, will play for English county Derbyshire in the upcoming season.
Canada’s Nitish becomes youngest to play in cricket World Cup
By IANS,
Nagpur: Canada's opening batsman Nitish Kumar became the youngest player to play in the World Cup as he made his international debut against Zimbabwe here Monday.
Media spoils India-Pakistan ties: Kuldip Nayar
By IANS,
New Delhi : As Indian and Pakistani prime ministers prepare to meet at Mohali Wednesday, veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar has sounded a word of caution: watch against "spoiler" media.
Former TT world champion to inaugurate academy in Indore
By IANS,
New Delhi : Former table tennis world doubles champion Peter Karlsson will inaugurate country's first national academy in Indore in June.
IPL scoreboard: Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians
By IANS,
Mohali : Scoreboard of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium here Tuesday:
Kings XI Punjab:
Scoreboard: India vs West Indies, day five, third Test
By IANS,
Roseau (Dominica) : The scoreboard at stumps on day five of the third and final cricket Test between India and the West Indies at Windsor Park here Sunday.
Tea scoreboard: India vs Australia, First Test, Day II
By IANS,
Melbourne : The following is the tea scoreboard on the second day of the first cricket Test between India and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Tuesday.
Scoreboard of Delhi Daredevils-Chennai Super Kings IPL match
By IANS,
New Delhi : The following is the scoreboard of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match in which Chennai Super Kings beat Delhi Daredevils by four wickets at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium here Thursday:
SCOREBOARD:
Match No.28, Indian Premier League, Twenty20, Delhi Daredevils vs. Chennai Super Kings, Feros Shah Kotla Stadium, New Delhi, May 8
Delhi Daredevils:
Gautam Gambhir c Kapugedera b Balaji 80
Virender Sehwag b Gony 23
A.B. de Villiers b Morkel 0
Shikhar Dhawan c Kapugedera b Morkel 59
Shoaib Malik c Raina b Balaji 2
Dinesh Karthik not out 6
Knight Riders dump Royal Challengers’ challenge
By IANS,
Kolkata : Kolkata Knight Riders came back to winning ways, defeating Bangalore Royal Challengers by five runs in a pulsating rain-curtailed encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens here Thursday night.
Sourav Ganguly's side restricted Royal Challengers to 124 for four after posting a challenging score of 129 for seven in their allotted 16 overs.
Clarke could miss West Indies tour
By IANS,
Sydney : Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke is in doubt for this month's West Indies tour for personal reasons.
Clarke, who was at the Australians training camp in Brisbane, has requested he delay his departure to the West Indies due to the failing health of his fiancee Lara Bingle's father, reports The Australian
Clarke has returned to Sydney to be with Bingle.
Mumbai Indians opt to bowl against Knight Riders
By IANS,
Mumbai : Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar won the toss and elected to bowl against Kolkata Knight Riders in an Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 match at the Wankhede Stadium here Friday.
TEAMS:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Salman Butt, Mohammed Hafeez, Akash Chopra, David Hussey, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Ishant Sharma, Ashoke Dinda, Shoaib Akhtar and Ajit Agarkar
Delhi IPL tie: rain stops play
By IANS,
New Delhi : Rain interrupted the play in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium here Saturday evening.
Delhi Daredevils, after winning the toss, were 94 for one when rain poured in. Skipper Virender Sehwag was on 47 while Shikhar Dhawan was batting on 1.
The start of the play was also delayed by 20 minutes due to rain.
Indians disappoint on day one of Challenger
By IANS,
New Delhi : Indian players disappointed again with only Ashutosh Singh and Vishnu Vardhan making it to the pre-quarter-final stage on the rain-hit opening day of the Challenger tournament at the DLTA complex here Monday.
Prakash Amritraj, Yuki Bhambri, Sunil Kumar Sipaeya, Mustafa Ghouse all made first round exits and four more Indian players -- Harsh Mankad, Rohan Gide, Purav Raja and Tushar Liberhan -- play their first round matches Tuesday.
IPL takes step to allow Shah Rukh’s presence in dug-out
By IANS,
Mumbai : A day after Kolkata Knight Riders' owner Shah Rukh Khan made public his displeasure at not being allowed to sit in the team dug-out, Indian Premier League (IPL) authorities issued fresh guidelines allowing a franchise owner in the team dug-out during the Twenty20 matches.
No let-up in hard-edged approach: Ponting
By IANS,
Melbourne : Australia might have faced a lot of flak for their brash on-field behaviour during the controversial home series against India, but captain Ricky Ponting is adamant that his side will continue with their aggressive approach in West Indies.
Ponting and the Australian team came under the scanner after the ill-tempered Sydney Test. The cricketing world, in an unprecedented outpouring of emotion, criticised the Kangaroos as 'cry babies' and questioned their commitment to the 'spirit of the game'.
Dempo’s AFC quarter-final opponents to be decided Saturday
By IANS,
New Delhi : India's Dempo Sporting Club will know their quarter-final opponents in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup after the draw is held at the headquarters of the Asian body in Kuala Lumpur, Saturday.
Dempo reached the last eight stage of the tournament by the virtue of finishing second in Group A in the league stage. The draw for the AFC Champions League will also be done simultaneously.
Scoreboard: Kings XI Punjab vs. Kolkata Knight Riders
By IANS,
Kolkata : Following is the scorecard of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match in which Kolkata Knight Riders beat Kings XI Punjab by three wickets at Eden Gardens here Sunday:
Match No.52, Indian Premier League, Twenty20, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab, Eden Gardens, Kolkata, May 25.
Kings XI Punjab:
Shaun Marsh c Chopra b Mendis 40
James Hopes lbw b Umar Gul 13
Kumar Sangakkara lbw b Umar Gul 64
Yuvraj Singh run out (Saha) 27
Mahela Jayawardene not out 11
Irfan Pathan b Umar Gul 7
Piyush Chawla b Umar Gul 0
Tanmay Srivastava not out 1
Atwal finishes a steady 25th in Nationwide golf
By IANS,
Mitchellville (Maryland) : Arjun Atwal continued his steady showing at the Melwood Prince George's County Open with a two-under 70, his best round of the week, for a tied 25th place finish that kept up his bid for a PGA card next season.
The 25th place saw Atwal move one place up on the Nationwide Money List into 13th place, up from 14th last week.
Playing aggressively, Atwal shot six birdies, but he also gave away four bogeys in his 70 and finished four-under 284.
Super Kings beat Deccan Chargers, reach semifinal
By IANS,
Hyderabad : Chennai Super Kings beat Deccan Chargers by seven wickets to book a semifinal berth in the Indian Premier League here Tuesday night.
Set to chase 148, Super Kings rode on Suresh Raina's unbeaten 54 to win the match with four balls to spare. Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni contributed 37. Pragyan Ojha took one wicket for 28 runs.
Yuvraj blames batsmen for semi-final loss
By IANS,
Mumbai : Kings XI Punjab skipper Yuvraj Singh defended his decision to bat first but blamed his batsmen for his team's humiliating nine-wicket loss to Chennai Super Kings in the second semi-final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here Saturday night.
"It was a good wicket on which a score of 160 to 180 could have been built, but the loss of early wickets did us in," Yuvraj told reporters at the Wankhede Stadium.
He added it was the worst day of the IPL for him. His team scored 112 for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs, whereas Chennai crossed the target in 14.5 overs.
Marwaris thrilled at Rajasthan Royals’ IPL victory
By IANS,
Mumbai : The Marwari community here is thrilled at the Rajasthan Royals winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) final. At the community's homes, offices and temples, the talk Monday was about the home team's scintillating win in the cricket tournament.
Ruchi Jain, an MBA student, said: "Our community gatherings are full of IPL talks. I just went to our temple in the morning, and all that people were chatting and discussing was about the Rajasthan Royals' victory."
Malaysian Indian granddad to cycle to Beijing for Olympics
By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : David Munusamy Reddie, a Malaysian Indian grandfather, has given himself 65 days to cycle to Beijing for the Olympics.
Reddie, 56, embarked on a 4,400-km solo bicycle tour from his home at Taman Minamah at Butterworth, The Star newspaper said Thursday.
Reddie took to cycling after a heart bypass in 2003.
Going on a shoestring budget of RM50 ($15 approx) a day, Reddie estimated that it would take him 65 days to reach Beijing after boarding a train in Padang Besar to Bangkok.
Haddin keeps wickets despite broken finger
By IANS,
Melbourne : Australia's wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has endured the pain of a broken finger to play the third Test against the West Indies Friday.
The main concern over the finger Haddin broke in the first Test in Jamaica was that it became badly infected and the nail had to be removed.
"The break is uncomfortable but that's something you can deal with," Haddin was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph.
Happy ending to Swiss Euro campaign
By DPA,
Basle (Switzerland) : Euro 2008 co-hosts Switzerland ended their Euro campaign on a happy note Sunday with a 2-0 victory against Portugal in a Group A game played in Basle.
Both goals for the Swiss, who had previously not won a game at the finals of a European Championships, were scored in the second half by Hakan Yakin.
The victory was a fitting farewell for Swiss coach Koebi Kuhn and 37-year-old goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuehler, who announced before the tournament that they would be retiring at the end of the competition.
Sports schedule for June 18, 2008
By IANS,
New Delhi : Following is the sports schedule for June 18, 2008:
Football: Euro 2008 Group D - Greece vs. Spain (Salzburg); Russia vs. Sweden (Innsbruck)
Tennis: $10,000 ITF Tournament in Gurgaon
Athletics: 48th Senior National Championships in Madurai
South Indian composers create music for Beijing Olympics
By IANS,
Chennai : Original tracks by south Indian composers have been chosen for the gymnastics events at the Beijing Olympics, starting Aug 8.
"While my music available in the Germany-based Sonoton Library was selected earlier for the warm-up events, I am composing original tracks to suit gymnasts' body language during the Olympics," composer Lekha Rathina Kumar told IANS.
The special symphony is being created by Kumar in collaboration of keyboard player Mani Sharma, flautist Sudhakar and sitar maestro Janardan.
This day, 25 years ago — 1983 heroes recall magic moments
By IANS,
London : The Lord's Cricket Ground may have witnessed many historical moments since Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) moved to its present address in 1814, but, this day 25 years ago here saw the ushering in of a new era that changed the norms of the gentleman's game.
A team of bits-and-pieces players from India brought the Clive Lloyds' mighty West Indies down to earth, humbling the two times world champions to script a new chapter in the game's history.
Kapugedera helps Sri Lanka set 309-run target for India
By K. Hussain, IANS,
Karachi : Three fifties from their middle order batsmen propelled defending champions Sri Lanka to 308 for the loss of eight wickets in 50 overs in their last Asia Cup Super Four game against India at the National Stadium here Thursday.
President compliments successful staging of Asia Cup
By NNN-APP,
Karachi : President Pervez Musharraf on Sunday night complimented Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for successfully staging the 9th Cricket Asia Cup in Pakistan.
“Hosting of Asia Cup in befitting revealed that Pakistan is peaceful place to stage sporting events,” he said in his address to spectators after the presentation ceremony of 9th Asia Cup at National Stadium here on Sunday night.
He congratulated Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene for winning the tournament and thanked all the participating countries for showing the sportsmen spirit.
France bank on swimmers at Beijing Olympics
By Xinhua,
Beijing : France will pin their medal hopes on swimmers and fencers at the Beijing Olympics in a bid to at least match their seventh-place finish in Athens Games, four years ago.
The 1996 Atlanta Games saw France reach their apex as it bagged 15 gold, seven silver and 15 bronze medals to finish fifth on the medal tally.
But the next two Games saw the French running out of steam, as it slipped to sixth and seventh place respectively in 2000 and 2004.
Hungarian Olympic champion dies at 36
By Xinhua,
Budapest : Two-time Olympic canoeing gold medallist Gyorgy Kolonics has passed away following a heart failure. He was 36.
Kolonics, who passed away here Tuesday, lost consciousness and paramedics were not able to resuscitate him.
The Hungarian champion had won the Olympic gold medals in the 500-meter canoe doubles at the 1996 Atlanta Games and in the 500-meter singles at the 2000 Sydney Games. He also won a bronze in Atlanta in the 1,000-meter doubles race, teamed with Csaba Horvath, and in the same event at the 2004 Athens Games with Gyorgy Kozmann.
Blake blasts past Lu, Simon into Indianapolis semis
By DPA,
Indianapolis (Indiana) : Former winner James Blake and second-seed Gilles Simon paced the quarter-final field at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships with the 2006 champion crushing his Taiwanese opponent to advance.
Blake, world number eight, spent just 45 minutes in overwhelming Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan, 6-2, 6-0 Friday.
"This was my best match of the tournament," Blake said. "It's exciting to get back on hard court. This is the part of the season where I play my best."
Greg Norman creates a theme for a dream
By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS,
Southport (Britain) : Greg Norman, playing his first Major in three years, is well and truly on a honeymoon as he goes into the final round of the British Open as the sole leader by two clear shots.
Married only last month to tennis legend, Chris Evert, Norman, called the 'Shark', was two ahead of Korean K.J. Choi (75) and defending champion from Ireland Padraig Harrington (72) Sunday.
Sania slumps to 50th rank, Somdev soars
By IANS,
New Delhi : Sania Mirza's poor form finally took a tool on her singles ranking as she went hurtling down a massive 15 places to 50th spot in the latest WTA rankings released Monday.
The biggest Indian mover was Somdev Devvarman, who jumped a phenomenal 221 places in ATP singles rankings to 345th spot after winning his maiden Challenger tournament in Lexington Sunday.
Musharraf to attend Beijing Olympics opening ceremony: spokesman
By IRNA,
Islamabad : Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will be visiting China to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on August 8, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.
Briefing newsmen in Islamabad, Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said the President will visit China at the invitation from the Chinese Government.
The President will also hold meetings with the Chinese leadership including President Hu Jintao, the spokesman said.
China has betrayed Olympic values: Amnesty
By DPA,
London : China has failed to improve human rights in the run up to the Beijing Olympics and risks "permanently sullying" the legacy of the Games, human rights group Amnesty International has said.
A highly critical report by Amnesty, entitled The Olympics Countdown: Broken Promises, accused the Chinese authorities of giving empty reassurances over human rights and of having "betrayed Olympic values."
American diver Wilkinson eyes golden farewell
By Xinhua,
Beijing : American diver Laura Wilkinson hopes to repeat her splendid victory of the Sydney Olympics in the Water Cube here and wants a perfect farewell in Beijing.
The American diving team had their first training session here Friday.
As an American diving icon, the 30-year-old Wilkinson, winner of the women's 10m platform at the Sydney Olympics and the 2005 Montreal worlds, caught people's attention while walking into the venue. She qualified for the women's 10m platform here after finishing first in the American Diving Trial in June.
Sehwag’s half-century extends India’s lead to 158
By Rex Clementine, IANS,
Galle (Sri Lanka) : Virender Sehwag's half-century extended India's lead to 158 runs by tea on third day of the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Cricket Stadium here Saturday.
After bowling out Sri Lanka for 292 in their first innings, the tourists gained a first innings lead of 37 runs and the game was nicely poised at that stage. India dominated the afternoon session reaching 121 for one losing the wicket of Sehwag (50).
Kumble says he was confident of his team bouncing back
By Rex Clementine, IANS,
Galle : After India squared the Test series against Sri Lanka, winning the second Test by 170 runs, captain Anil Kumble said he was confident of his team bouncing back after their disastrous show in Colombo.
India were mauled in the first Test by an innings and 239 runs, their third heaviest defeat in Tests. But Kumble's boys fought back with a purpose to take the series to the decider Test at Colombo from Aug 8.
Olympics a time for celebration, says Chinese envoy to UK
By IRNA,
London : China is ready to welcome the world to the Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing as a time for celebration, Chinese Ambassador to London Fu Ying said Monday.
"The Olympic Games will open in four days' time. Beijing will go down in Olympic history as the largest effort ever undertaken for a wonderful Olympic experience," Fu said.
"Afterwards Beijing will pass on the torch to the next host, London, which will surely stage its own spectacular Games," he said in an article for the Daily Telegraph Monday.
After years of frenzied activity, calm in Beijing before D-day
By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS,
Beijing : It has taken the Chinese seven long years of preparation and perhaps many more dreaming about it. And now when the Olympic Games are but 48 hours away and it is their hour of reckoning, a calm assuredness has taken over.
In the years since Beijing first lost the race to host the 2000 Games soon after hosting the highly successful 1990 Asian Games, the Chinese capital has undergone a sea change.
Protests in Manipur over Monika Devi’s dope report
By IANS,
Imphal : Police burst teargas shells and baton charged hundreds of Manipuri sportspersons who tried to the storm the chief minister's residence here Thursday to protest the removal of weightlifter Laishram Monika Devi from the Beijing Olympic squad after she failed a dope test.
A police spokesman said about 500 people, all of them sportspersons, took out a rally and tried to enter the chief minister's residence when police intervened.
India at the Olympics: Jung out of 10 mt air-pistol, Mansher, Manavjit trail
By IANS,
Beijing : Continuing the disappointing show by Indian shooters, Commonwealth Games hero Samaresh Jung finished 42nd out of 48 competitors in the Man's 10m Air Pistol qualification on the opening day of competition at the Beijing Olympic Games Saturday.
Jung, who had bagged five gold medals in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, shot only 570 out of 600 at the Beijing Olympic Shooting Range Hall.
The topper, Pang Wei of China, logged 586 out of 600 to make the final easily.
Chinese coach cancels suicide plan after team gets gold
By DPA,
Beijing : Coach Huang Xu was a relieved man Tuesday as China powered its way to the gold medal in the men's artistic gymnastics team event at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing.
Huang had promised to throw himself off one of the countless high-rise buildings situated in the Chinese capital if his team didn't make up for the disappointment of failing to get a medal in Athens by winning on home soil but was spared the fate thanks to a superb performance by the China team.
Olympic medals table
By IANS,
Beijing : Following is the medals tally on the tenth day of the Olympic Games here Monday.
Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
China 39 14 14 67
US 22 24 26 72
Great Britain 12 7 8 27
Australia 11 10 12 33
Germany 9 7 7 23
South Korea 8 9 6 23
Japan 8 5 7 20
Russia 8 13 15 36
Italy 6 6 6 18
Ukraine 5 3 8 16
France 4 11 13 28
Romania 4 1 3 8
Netherlands 3 5 4 12
Spain 3 3 2 8
Poland 3 3 1 7
Slovakia 3 1 0 4
Czech Republic 2 3 0 5
Jamaica 2 2 0 4
Canada 2 3 4 9
Denmark 2 1 3 6
New Zealand 2 1 3 6
North Korea 2 1 3 6
Ethiopia 2 1 0 3
Switzerland 2 0 3 5
Asian teams miss out on hockey medal yet again
By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS,
Beijing : For the second successive Olympic Games, there will be no Asian team on the podium at the hockey competition. Asian champions South Korea, who had an outside chance of making the last four grade Tuesday, were beaten 1-2 and shut out of the semi-finals. Pakistan and China were already out of the reckoning.
The Olympic men's hockey competition semi-finals, which are scheduled from Thursday, will feature three European team battling against defending champions Australia.
Pakistan hockey looks to rebuild for 2010 World Cup in India
By IANS,
Karachi : Pakistan is looking beyond its senior hockey players who under-performed in last month's Beijing Games where the three-time Olympic champion finished eighth, its worst showing in the Games history.
The national hockey bosses gave an indication that they are planning to rebuild the team for the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi by overlooking several senior players for a four-nation hockey tournament in Germany.
Symonds consults sports psychologist
By IANS,
Brisbane : to come out of a turbulent state of mind, Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds has contacted a sports psychologist to make his return to international cricket.
The Courier-Mail reported Tuesday that the troubled Queenslander after being urged by friends has approached Brisbane psychologist Phil Jauncey, who has at times travelled with the Australian cricket side. Jauncey is a consultant to the Brisbane Broncos and Brisbane Lions.
Symonds omitted from Australian squad for India
By Neena Bhandari, IANS,
Sydney : All-rounder Andrew Symonds’ passage to India has been sealed as Cricket Australia Friday omitted him from the 15-man squad for the four-Test tour of India.
“Andrew Symonds was stood down for disciplinary reasons in Darwin and is now going through a process managed by Cricket Australia designed to give him time to assess whether he is fully committed to all of the things needed for a cricketer to be a member of the world’s number one team”, National Selection Panel (NSP) Chairman Andrew Hilditch said.
Harmison, Trescothick and Bopara nominees for PCA awards
By IANS,
London : Comeback fast bowler Steve Harmison and his former England teammate Marcus Trescothick are among four nominees for the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) Player of the Year award.
Harmison, who has shed a few kilos in his bid to regain his form, has been a key performer for Durham. New England captain Kevin Pietersen goaded him to come out of limited-overs international retirement and he played a major role in England winning the One-Day series against South Africa.
AIFF fails to appoint a CEO to run I-League football
By IANS,
New Delhi : The All India Football Federation's (AIFF) step towards professionalising the game has suffered a initial set-back as the second edition of the I-League football will start Friday without a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The AIFF last month created three posts - chief executive, manager and assistant manager - to run the professional league on the basis of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) guidelines.
But till now the national body has failed to appoint anyone for all the three posts.
Abhinav Bindra to open chain of 500 schools across India
By IANS,
Chandigarh : India's first Olympics individual gold medalist at the Beijing Games, Abhinav Bindra plans to open a chain of more than 500 schools throughout the country.
"We have written a letter to Chandigarh administrator S.F. Rodrigues Wednesday to sanction us the appropriate land for the construction of our first school in the city," A.S. Bindra, father of Abhinav Bindra, told IANS.
"These schools will be of international standards with unmatched sports facilities. We will develop a special curriculum modules that will be common in all the schools," Bindra said.
Hewitt to return after hip surgery in Sydney in January
By DPA,
Sydney : Recovering four-time champion Lleyton Hewitt confirmed Tuesday that his return from hip surgery is on schedule as he is committed to play in January's Medibank International event in Sydney.
"My recovery is going well and I am really looking forward to the Australian summer," said Hewitt, who last played in pain at the Beijing Olympic before his operation.
"It's an exciting time for me. I'm already feeling refreshed, reinvigorated and excited about the challenge ahead."
Australia 166/2 at tea on day one against India
By IANS,
Bangalore : Ricky Ponting led from the front with a strokeful 94 to guide Australia to 166 for 2 at tea on day one of the first cricket Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here Thursday.
Ponting (94 batting) and Simon Katich (66) shared a 166-run partnership. The only wicket to fall in the session was of Katich who was caught behind off Ishant Sharma (1-42). Michael Hussey is yet to open his account.
IOC, FIFA still at odds with regard to Olympic football
By DPA,
Acapulco (Mexico) : The future of Olympic football is still up in the air, pending a meeting between IOC President Jacques Rogge and FIFA President Joseph Blatter.
"We still have not discussed the issue with FIFA. We have not scheduled a meeting, but we will schedule one in the future," Rogge said in an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) in the Mexican resort of Acapulco.
Second straight draw for Anand, Kramnik
By IANS,
Bonn : Viswanathan Anand surprised Vladimir Kramnik by going in with a Nimzo-Indian even as many expected a Petroff from him in the second game of the World Chess Championship here Wednesday that also ended in a draw.
With this both games have ended in draws and in the third game Kramnik will hold white pieces.
The opening surprisingly was in Nimzo-Indian Samisch variation and like the first game ended in a 32-move draw.
India lose three quick wickets in Mohali Test (Tea report)
By IANS,
Mohali : India lost the momentum of a good start given by their openers, losing three wickets, in the post-lunch session of the first day of the second cricket Test against Australia at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium here Friday.
India was 174 for three in 51 overs at tea after being 146 for one in the 41st over.
Sachin Tendulkar (13 batting) and Saurav Ganguly (2 batting) were at the crease at tea.
India's collapse started in the 41st over when Rahul Dravid (39) dragged a Brett Lee delivery onto his stumps.
Scoreboard: Challenger Trophy: India Red vs India Green
By IANS,
Cuttack : Scoreboard of the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy match between India Red and India Green at Barabati Stadium here Friday.
India Green
Naman Ojha c Vijay b Chawla 96
Shikhar Dhawan c Tiwary b Parmar 45
Suresh Raina c Tiwary b Chawla 58
Yusuf Pathan c Fazal b Chawla 0
Mohammad Kaif c Tiwary b Nayar 15
Laxmi Shukla run out (Saha) 3
Cheteswar Pujara not out 18
RP Singh b Kumar 4
Manpreet Gony b Kumar 0
Pankaj Singh b Balaji 0
Pragyan Ojha not out 1
Extras (b 1, lb 9, w 10) 20
Total (9 wickets; 50 overs) 260
Aussies pushed off pedestal by Dhoni’s men: Sri Lankan cricketer
By P. Karunakharan,
Colombo, Oct 26 (IANS) Claiming that Australians have been "pushed off the mighty pedestal" by Dhoni's men in Mohali, a former Sri Lankan cricketer said Sunday that the visiting world champions "were outplayed in batting, bowling, fielding and mental toughness" during the second test against the hosts India.
Justice Sachs appointed commissioner for Gambhir’s appeal hearing
By IANS,
New Delhi : International Cricket Council (ICC) Saturday appointed Justice Albie Sachs as commissioner to hear Gautam Gambhir's appeal against his one Test ban.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is hopeful that the opener will be able to play in the final Test in Nagpur as it takes time for the appeal process to be completed. There are just three days between the ongoing third Test and the fourth.
Sachs is a senior judge at the Constitutional Court of South Africa and is Cricket South Africa's appointment on the ICC Code of Conduct Commission.
Adelaide to host Tour Down Under cycle race
By DPA,
Sydney : Sydney had the Olympics, Melbourne has the Australian Open tennis but come January the nation's sporting capital will be Adelaide with its Tour Down Under cycle race.
News that seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will be on the starting line for his comeback race has generated enormous interest in the cycling fraternity.
The US rider hung up his helmet three years ago but has signed with the Astana team for another crack at road racing's blue-ribbon event.
Government allows free import of shooting pellets
By IANS,
New Delhi : Indian shooters had a reason to smile as the government Wednesday finally waived the import duty for the .177 calibre pellets used in 10 metre air rifle event.
It is the same event in which Abhinav Bindra won India its first individual Olympic gold medallist.
In World Cup final last week, Gagan Narang won the gold and set a world record in the event.
Moya confirms participation in Chennai Open
By IANS,
Chennai : Former World No.1 Carlos Moya Thursday confirmed his participation in the Chennai Open from Jan 5-9 here.
Moya , who is currently ranked 42 , is a 2004 and 2005 champion and will be making his seventh appearance here in the last eight years.
Roma beat Lazio to improve position in Serie A
By DPA,
Rome : Struggling giants Roma slightly improved their position in the Serie A by beating Lazio 1-0 in a tense city derby at Rome's Stadio Olimpico.
Brazilian Julio Baptista nodded home the winner early in the second half to help Roma move on to 11 points Sunday. Champions Inter Milan, who Saturday beat Palermo 2-0 for a tally of 27 points from 12 games, remain in the lead one point ahead of AC Milan.
Freddie’s tips helps Watson to blossom
By IANS,
Melbourne, Nov 18 (IANS) Australian cricketer Shane Watson revealed that tips from Andrew Flintoff helped him blossom as an all-rounder.
During the 2005 Ashes, Watson sat down to pick the brains of Flintoff on the art of the all-rounder. Watson said he was only starting to understand the knowledge Flintoff imparted.
Flintoff stressed to Watson the difficulty of excelling with both batting and bowling at any given time, urging him to accept the fickle nature of the tools of their trade.
Australia, Japan score wins in World Cup qualifiers
By DPA,
Sydney : Football fans were convinced Thursday that Australia would make it to a third World Cup, after their team snatched a goal in injury time to clinch a 1-0 victory over Bahrain in Manama.
Palermo midfielder Mark Bresciano blasted past goalkeeper Sayed Jaffer to consolidate Australia's position atop their qualifying group.
The top two Group One teams in these Asian qualifiers will play in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while the runners-up will play each other home-and-away, with the winner advancing to an inter-confederation play-off against New Zealand.
Final scoreboard: India vs. England, 3rd ODI, Hero Honda Cup
By IANS,
Kanpur : The following is the final scoreboard of the match between India and England in the third One-day international of Hero Honda Cup at the Green Park Stadium here Thursday:
England:
Ravi Bopara st Dhoni b Yuvraj 60
Ian Bell c Dhoni b Patel 46
Kevin Pietersen c Khan b Harbhajan 13
Paul Collingwood st Dhoni b Harbhajan 1
Andrew Flintoff lbw b Pathan 26
Owais Shah c Khan b Harbhajan 40
Samit Patel c Raina b Ishant 26
Matt Prior b Ishant 5
Graeme Swann not out 5
Stuart Broad c Dhoni b Khan 0
James Anderson b Patel 1
Extras (lb 3, w 9, nb 5) 17
Lunch scoreboard: India vs. England, First Test, Day Five
By IANS,
Chennai : The following is the scoreboard at lunch on the fifth and final day of the first cricket Test between India and England at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here Monday.
SCOREBOARD
England (1st innings): 316
India (1st innings): 241
England (2nd innings): 311/9 decl.
India (2nd innings, overnight 131/1):
Gautam Gambhir c Collingwood b Anderson 66
Virender Sehwag lbw Swann 83
Rahul Dravid c Prior b Flintoff 4
Sachin Tendulkar batting 27
V.V.S Laxman batting 20
Extras (lb 8, b 1, nb 4) 13
Total (for three wickets in 53 overs) 213
Malik disappointed at cancellation of Champions League
Karachi, Dec 15 (IANS) Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik says he and his fellow players were very disappointed at the cancellation of the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 event in India.
Malik, who was supposed to lead Pakistan Twenty20 champions Sialkot Stallions in the Champions League, said his team was really looking forward to give its best in the Six-million-dollar tournament.
The inaugural Champions League which was supposed to take place earlier this month in India was cancelled in the wake of last month's Mumbai terror attacks.
Scoreboard: India vs. England, Second Test, Day Two
By IANS,
Mohali : The following is the scoreboard at the end of second day's play in the second cricket Test between India and England at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium here Saturday.
India 1st innings (overnight 179/1)
Gautam Gambhir c Cook b Swann 179
Virender Sehwag c Prior b Broad 0
Rahul Dravid c Panesar b Swann 136
Sachin Tendulkar lbw Swann 11
V.V.S. Laxman lbw Flintoff 0
Yuvraj Singh c Prior b Panesar 27
Mahendra Singh Dhoni c sub (Shah) b Anderson 29
Harbhajan Singh c Swann b Panesar 24
Zaheer Khan b Flintoff 7
Amit Mishra b Flintoff 23
Three arrested in Jharkhand for threatening Dhoni
By IANS,
Ranchi : Jharkhand police have arrested three people in connection with the extortion demand of Rs.5 million and the threats to Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Dhoni's family had received a letter Monday, demanding Rs.5 million. The letter bore the name of a gangster Taslim, who claimed to be a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. A second letter, received Wednesday, threatened to blow up Dhoni's house if the demand for the money was not met and if the police were informed about it.
MCC, Bengal cricket together mark first Test at Eden Gardens
By IANS,
Kolkata : To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first ever official cricket Test match at the Eden Gardens here, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) have come together this week to issue 1,000 commemorative covers.
The covers, each with a unique stamp and a postmark to commemorate the Test match played between India and England at the Eden Jan 5-8, 1934, feature the scorecard and the match day images from what was the second official Test match in India.
Boucher was given out wrongly, says Cricket Australia’s umpires manager
By IANS,
Melbourne : South African batsman Mark Boucher was wrongly given out leg before wicket on the final day of the Sydney cricket Test against Australia, said Cricket Australia's (CA) umpires manager Andrew Scotford.
Australia won the match but lost the series 1-2 to South Africa.
Scotford felt that Boucher was struck on the full by the ball in front of the stumps but that did not mean the umpire should have to presume the ball would have hit the stumps, reports The Age.
Rain stops play in the first ODI with India 27/0
By IANS,
Napier : Gloomy weather with a persistent drizzle stopped play in the fifth over with India 27 for no loss in the first of the five One-Day Internationals (ODI) against New Zealand here Tuesday.
Virender Sehwag was batting 23 off 19 balls and Tendulkar three when play was halted.
Earlier, India's skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat on the batsman-firendly McLean's Park pitch.
Terror attack will affect World Cup programme: ICC President-elect Pawar
By NNN-PTi,
New Delhi : ICC President-elect Sharad Pawar, who would be at the helm during the 2011 World Cup to be staged by Asian nations, today admitted that the terror attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore would make it difficult for Pakistan to remain a co-host for the mega event.
"It's really shocking that cricket has been targetted," Pawar said.
"We might get a communication from many countries' participants whether they will play there or they will not play. That will affect our entire programme," he said.
Pakistan agrees to put off Bangladesh cricket tour
By Omar Khalid, IANS,
Lahore : Pakistan Thursday gave its consent to Bangladesh's decision to put off its home series against Pakistan following government advice about security concerns.
Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, said here that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials discussed the issue with the PCB before announcing that the one-day series which was to be played March 10-24 has been postponed.
IPL is on, working on revised schedule, says Modi
By IANS,
Mumbai : Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi Friday cleared any doubts about the holding of the tournament, saying the governing body is working on a revised schedule.
"We want to assure all our fans and sponsors that the IPL is on. There are lot of speculations. There is no question of IPL moving to any other country," IPL chairman and commissioner Modi told reporters at the Wankhede Stadium here Friday.
Home Ministry asks IPL to get security assurance from states
By IANS,
New Delhi : A crucial meeting between Indian Premier League (IPL) organisers and Home Ministry officials Monday turned out to be inconclusive as the central government once again raised concerns over providing security for players, spectators and venues during the tournament.
Decision on India-Australia Davis Cup tie Friday
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Davis Cup committee of the International Tennis Federation will Friday decide whether Chennai can be the venue of the India-Australia tie through a tele-conference, All India Tennis Association (AITA) secretary general Anil Khanna said Monday.
Khanna told IANS that he is hopeful of the committee confirming Chennai as venue.
The tie is scheduled to be played on the hardcourts of the tennis stadium at the Sports Development Authority Sports Complex in Chennai from May 8-10.
Jeev likely to have Jyoti as partner for World Cup
By IANS,
New Delhi: Jeev Milkha Singh's world ranking of 42 has earned India a rare direct entry into the Mission Hills World Cup to be played at Mission Hills Golf Club, Shenzhen, in China Nov 26-29.
The field is selected through each nation's leading player on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) as of June 22.
Jyoti Randhawa, who played with Jeev last year in the same event, is likely to be his partner once again. Currently Randhawa at 154th is the next best Indian and Arjun Atwal is ranked 296th.
Randhawa 11th, Bhullar 20th in Asia Pacific Panasonic Open
By IANS,
Kyoto : Jyoti Randhawa fired a three-under 68 haul to finish in tied-11th at the midway stage of the Asia Pacific Panasonic Open golf here Friday.
The seasoned Indian pro is five shots behind the leader Daisuke Maruyama (66), who is seven-under for two rounds.
Gaganjeet Bhullar, the young Indian who has been on fire this season, added a one-under 70 to his first round 71 to be one-under for two rounds and in tied 20th place.
Three other Indians, Shiv Kapur (76-74), Digvijay Singh (74-81) and Gaurav Ghei (81-77) missed the cut, which came at five-over.
Kalmadi elected unopposed as Asian Athletics Association president
By IANS,
New Delhi : Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi was Monday elected unopposed as the president of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA), for his third consecutive term, at Guangzhou in China.
Maurice Nicholas was also elected as secretary-treasurer of the AAA, according to information received here.
The 18th general body meeting of the Asian body was attended by Lamine Diack, president of the world body, and 45 member countries.
Ranji Trophy: Delhi goes for a green top against Maharashtra
By IANS,
New Delhi: A confident Delhi have once again decided to go for a green top in their Ranji Trophy Super League home tie against Maharashtra beginning Tuesday at the Roshanara Club ground.
Delhi's four-pronged pace attack made the most of a lively track to beat Saurashtra for their season's first victory last week. The team understandably wants to stick with the gameplan.
Nalbandian suspicious of Davis Cup venue
By DPA,
Stockholm : Argentina's David Nalbandian expressed doubts on the imposed choice of Mar del Plate as the venue for next month's Davis Cup final against Spain.
"It's a very strange decision," said the Argentine number one Friday, whose hometown of Cordoba was rejected by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for the Nov 21-23 tie.
"Players and captain and the federation want to play in Cordoba," he added of the 1.3 million metropolis, second-largest city in Argentina.
Armstrong in ‘superb shape’ for return to cycle racing
By DPA,
Sydney : Seven-time Tour de France champion cyclist Lance Armstrong Thursday was geared up for a practice ride on the hilliest stage of next week's Tour Down Under.
The Australian classic signals his return to competition after three years in retirement.
Cycling pundits are predicting that the 37-year-old Texan will finish in the peleton until the penultimate stage of the six-day race and make his move when the pack goes up Willunga Hill.
Jankovic, Venus get lucky for Doha semi-final spots
By DPA,
Doha : Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams entered the semi-finals of the Sony Ericsson Championships with the luck of the draw on their side.
Jankovic, last year's number one and now standing eighth, found fortune as fitness failed Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki in a 6-2, 6-2 group defeat.
Holder Williams came through, thanks to a victory by Svetlana Kuznetsova over fellow Russian Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-2 which sealed the place for the American, a loser in two of three group matches.
Anand to clash with Kramnik in October 2008
By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS
Bangalore : After long-drawn out discussions over the past two months, the World Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia has been scheduled for Oct 11-28 next year in Bonn, Germany.
Ever since Anand won the title in Mexico City in one of the strongest fields ever assembled in a tournament, there has been talk about a match against Kramnik. The terms and conditions as also the prize fund have finally been decided.
Everton, Spurs go out of UEFA Cup on shoot-out
By DPA
Hamburg : English Premiership clubs Everton and Tottenham Hotspur crashed out of the UEFA Cup in penalty shoot-outs Wednesday, despite winning their return leg round of 16 matches.
Everton managed to beat Serie A side Fiorentina 2-0 to reverse a first leg defeat, but went out 4-2 on penalties, while Tottenham managed a 1-0 victory at PSV Eindhoven, but lost 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate score.
At home, Everton had an ideal start when Andy Johnson put them ahead after just 16 minutes from a South African international Steven Pienaar set piece.