Australian Open organisers to review liberal alcohol policy
By IANS
Melbourne : The Australian Open organisers are planning to review their liberal policy on the courtside intake of alcohol following the arrests of three drunk people who are said to have confronted the cops in the stands late Tuesday.
John Cooke, Victoria Police superintendent, Wednesday said that the three arrested men have been charged with assaulting police and using indecent language. He added that the police are framing charges against 10 others after reviewing CCTV footage of the incident.
Scoreboard: India vs. Sri Lanka, Third Test, lunch
By IANS,
Colombo : Following is the scoreboard at lunch on the first day of the third and final cricket Test match between India and Sri Lanka played at the P. Saravanamuttu Stadium here Friday
India (1st innings):
Gautam Gambhir not out 57
Virender Sehwag c Prasanna b Prasad 21
Rahul Dravid lbw b Prasad 10
Sachin Tendulkar lbw b Prasad 6
Sourav Ganguly not out 2
Extras (b 1, lb 2, nb 5) 8
Total (For 3 wickets in 24 overs) 104
Fall of wickets:1-51 (Sehwag, 7.2 overs), 2-92 (Dravid, 18.3), 3-102 (Tendulkar, 22.1)
Bowling:
Chaminda Vaas 7 0 36 0
Leander Paes nominated Bengal tennis vice-president
By IANS,
Kolkata : Indian tennis player Leander Paes has been nominated vice-president of the Bengal Tennis Association (BTA).
The decision was taken at the 67th Annual General Meeting of the BTA held at the BTA complex here.
"Leander has shown keen interest for the development of tennis in the state. So, we have included him in the BTA top management keeping in mind the interest of the game," said BTA secretary Hironmoy Chatterjee, who was re-elected to the post.
Sushil Mehrotra was elected the president.
Australia set 325-run target for Kenya
By IANS,
Bangalore : Australia made 324 for six in 50 overs against Kenya in a Group A match of the World Cup at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here Sunday.
Indian batsmen falter again to South African speedsters
By Avishek Roy, IANS
Ahmedabad : India were staring one of their biggest defeats in recent memory as South Africa reduced them to 95 for three wickets at lunch on a lively track on the third day of the second Test match here Saturday.
The home team was battling heavy odds on a pitch freshened by rain. To save the Test they have to score a massive 373 runs to make South Africa bat again.
V.V.S. Laxman (19) and Sourav Ganguly (10) were at the crease at the end of an action packed morning session.
Murali Kartik only surprise in team against South Africa
By IANS
Bangalore : Injured pacer Ishant Sharma was Monday not considered for the 14-member squad for the first two home Tests against South Africa starting this month, but the selectors picked almost-forgotten leg-spinner Murali Kartik.
Ishant, the find of the recent Australian tour, will undergo a fitness after the first Test in Chennai, starting March 26, and if found fit will be considered for the last two matches, said Niranjan Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, while announcing the team here.
Deccan Chargers set 146-run target for Daredevils
By IANS,
New Delhi: Deccan Chargers made 145 for seven in 20 overs against Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Sunday.
Andrew Symonds was the top scorer with 54 while for Daredevils medium pacers Ashish Nehra and Umesh Yadav picked up two wickets each.
Five coaches to get Dronacharya award
New Delhi: The central government on Tuesday confirmed the names of five eminent coaches who will be given the prestigious Dronacharya Award on National...
Indian grandmaster Sasikiran wants to better his best
By IANS
Kolkata : India's prodigious Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran hopes to cross, by the end of 2008, his previous best of 2700 ELO rating that earned him the 21st rank in the world last year.
Sasikiran, who is here to play in the third Kolkata Open Chess Tournament, said his choice of venue was to keep him in competition chess before the Olympiad.
South Africa is having a ball – with World Cup
By Rajiv Bhatia, IANS,
The World Cup 2010, a historic first for Africa, is set to begin in a few days. For host nation South Africa, it is about football and much more. The recent photograph of 91-year-old Nelson Mandela, caressing the 18-carat gold trophy and beaming with joy, said it all. Regardless of who lifts the World Cup, South Africa is already a winner.
Tendulkar, Dravid hit 50s as India make 177/2 at tea
By IANS
Perth : Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid smashed half-centuries as India recovered to post 177 for two wickets by the tea interval on the opening day of the third Test against Australia here Wednesday.
Tendulkar was batting on 59 and Dravid was on 52. India did not lose any wicket in the second session. India had lost Virender Sehwag (29) and Wasim Jaffer (16) in the morning session after captain Anil Kumble won the toss and decided to bat.
India trail the four-Test series 0-2.
‘Shoaib Akhtar is history’
By IANS,
Karachi : Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's Pakistan career is over, a leading Pakistani newspaper reported Friday.
Quoting unnamed officials in the national cricket team and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), The News reported that the under-performing Akhtar will be axed from the national squad for good.
"Shoaib Akhtar is finished. He is history," a team official, who requested anonymity, told the newspaper. According to the official, the current ODI series against Sri Lanka was Shoaib's last chance to prove his form and fitness.
Punjab Gold Cup will help us prepare for World Cup: Dutch hockey coach
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Dutch hockey coach Michel van den Heuvel feels that his team's experience at the Punjab Gold Cup will help the players prepare well for the 2010 World Cup in India.
"It is certainly a good exposure for our boys to play in India and we have come here with a younger side. We want to experiment right now so that later we can make better choices," Heuvel told IANS Sunday, after his team drew 4-4 with India in a scintillating encounter.
"We are keeping in mind the next big events like World Cup and preparing our squad for that."
Eight Indians in fray for World Boxing Championships
By IANS
Chicago : Eight Indian pugilists will be in action at the World Championships, starting here Tuesday, which will also offer berths for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The championship will be held from Oct 23 to Nov 3.
The eight-member team is hard hit by the last minute pull out of national light welterweight champion Som Bahadur Pun due to illness.
But India still has medal hopes from Balbir (48 kg), Jitender (51 kg), S. Suresh (54 kg), A.L. Lakra (57 kg), Jai Bhagwan (60 kg), Dilbag Singh (69 kg), Vijender (75 kg) and Jasveer Singh (81 kg).
Mohali police chief sent on leave after row with Wadia
By IANS,
Chandigarh : The Punjab government has asked Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ranbir Singh Khatra to go on one month leave following his public spat with Ness Wadi, industrialist and owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kings XI Punjab.
Khatra and Wadia argued publicly May 23 at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium near here after Wadia accused the police of black-marketing tickets and stealing liquor bottles and team T-shirts.
Bigger stadium earns Arsenal record profits
London, Sep 25 (Xinhua) The bigger stadium for English Premier League outfit Arsenal has paid off with turnover increasing by almost 50 percent to a club record 200.8 million pounds ($406.6 million).
Arsenal Holdings PLC said Monday its record results, for the year ending May 31, came as a result of the move to the 60,400-capacity Emirates Stadium in July 2006.
The Gunners had played at the 38,500-seat Highbury Stadium for the previous 91 years.
Atwal closes season with 44th place in Nationwide Tour event
Lakeside (California), Nov 5 (IANS) Four birdies on the back nine saw India's Arjun Atwal equal his best for the week as he played a three-under 68 final round at the Nationwide Tour Championships.
He finished at six-under 278 and tied for 44th place in the last event of the season.
Having failed to make the top-25 in the Nationwide Tour, the Indian goes back to the Qualifying School in an attempt to get into the PGA Tour again.
Scoreboard of Mumbai Indians innings
Mumbai, April 20 (IANS) Following is the scoreboard of the Mumbai Indians' innings against Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium here Sunday night:
Scoreboard
Fifth match, Mumbai Indians vs. Bangalore Royal Challengers, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Mumbai Indians:
Luke Ronchi c Kohli b Khan 8
Sanath Jayasuriya run out (Zaheer Khan) 29
D.J. Thornely retired hurt 0
Robin Uthappa st Boucher b Akhil 48
Pinal Shah c Kohli b Akhil 19
Abhishek Nayar c Khan b Kumar 20
Shaun Pollock b Khan 28
Harbhajan Singh not out 2
Scoreboard: India vs. South Africa, 1st ODI
By IANS,
Durban : The following is the scoreboard of the first One-day International between South Africa and India at the Kingsmead Stadium here Wednesday.
South Africa:
Footballer accused of running cocaine smuggling ring
By IANS,
Auckland: A footballer has been charged with running an international cocaine smuggling ring which was recently busted here in New Zealand, police said.
Arsenal, Middlesbrough, West Ham join log-jam at the top
By DPA,
London : Arsenal, Middlesbrough and West Ham United moved alongside Chelsea and Liverpool at the top of the English Premier League thanks to confident victories.
Arsenal thumped Newcastle United 3-0, Middlesbrough earned a 2-1 win over promoted Stoke City, while West Ham beat Blackburn Rovers 4-1.
The wins lift them all to six points, the same as Chelsea and Liverpool.
Robin van Persie scored twice as Arsenal ran out easy winners over Newcastle, who could have gone top on their own with a win at the Emirates.
English Premiership football results and standings
By DPA
London : Results and standings in the English Premiership.
Saturday, Dec 1:
Chelsea 1 West Ham United 0
Blackburn Rovers 3 Newcastle United 1
Portsmouth 0 Everton 0
Reading 1 Middlesbrough 1
Sunderland 1 Derby County 0
Wigan Athletic 1 Manchester City 1
Aston Villa 1 Arsenal 2
Sunday, Dec 2:
Liverpool 4 Bolton Wanderers 0
Tottenham Hotspur 2 Birmingham City 3
Monday, Dec 3:
Manchester United 2 Fulham 0
Standings P W D L F A Pts
Arsenal 14 11 3 0 31 11 36
Manchester United 15 10 3 2 25 7 33
Chelsea 15 9 4 2 22 9 31
Ashutosh, Ankita are national grasscourt champions
By IANS,
Kolkata: Qualifier Ashutosh Singh of Delhi and wild card Ankita Raina of Gujarat carved out contrasting victories to clinch the men's and women's national titles respectively at the Vishwarupa Tubes National Grasscourt Tennis Championship here Saturday.
While Ashutosh managed to pip fifth seed P.C. Vignesh of Andhra Pradesh 0-6, 7-6(3),
6-2, Ankita shut out fourth-seeded Karnataka girl Sheethal Goutham in straight sets 7-6(2), 6-2 in the finals at the Calcutta South Club.
Asian Games badminton: China clinch women’s team title for ninth time
By IANS,
Guangzhou : China Monday clinched the women's badminton team trophy for the ninth time at the Asian Games, sweeeping aside Thailand 3-0 in the final.
Italian club fines coach for kicking rival’s behind
By IANS
London : Italian Serie A club Catania will fine coach Silvio Baldini for kicking his Parma counterpart Domenico di Carlo on the backside during Sunday's 2-2 draw, Italian newspapers reported Tuesday.
Baldini, in his first game in charge of Catania, gave di Carlo the boot after a touchline row and was sent to the stands by the referee.
"A code of conduct exists at the club for everyone, including the coach. Because of this Baldini will be fined," Catania general manager Pietro lo Monaco told a media conference Monday.
Zimbabwe, Gavaskar on top of ICC’s agenda
By IANS,
Dubai : The worsening situation of cricket in Zimbabwe and the selection of Sunil Gavaskar's successor for the post of cricket committee's chairman would top the agenda of the International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executives' committee meeting here Sunday.
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) plunged into severe crisis after its loyal ally Cricket South Africa (CSA) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) snapped their ties due to lack of human rights in the African nation.
CGOC bails out Weightlifting body with interest-free loan
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) Thursday bailed out the Indian Weight Lifting Federation (IWLF) with an interest-free loan of $375,000 to be paid as fine to the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) as a doping sanction.
Three held for betting on India-Pakistan cricket match
By IANS,
New Delhi : Three people have been arrested here for betting to the tune of Rs.7 million on the India-Pakistan cricket match of the ICC Champion Trophy, police said Sunday.
The trio was arrested late Saturday from a Geeta Colony house in east Delhi when they were taking bets on the India-Pakistan match played in South Africa Saturday night. Betting is illegal in India.
"The accused had booked bets amounting to Rs.7 million," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Delhi) Anand Mohan.
India’s last chance to qualify for Olympic hockey
By IANS
New Delhi : India will get one last chance to qualify for the men's hockey competition of the 2008 Olympic Games when they play in a six-nation tournament in Santiago, Chile in March.
India, who have never failed to qualify for the Olympics since 1928, when they first took part in the extravaganza, will have to beat a field that will include Austria, Bangladesh, Chile, Egypt and Britain in the March 1-9 qualifying tournament, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Thursday said.
Scoreboard at tea on third day of second Test
By IANS
Ahmedabad : Following is the scoreboard at tea on the third day of the second cricket Test between India and South Africa at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, near here:
Scoreboard
India (first innings): 76
South Africa (first innings): 494 for 7 declared
India (second innings):
Virender Sehwag lbw Ntini 17
Wasim Jaffer c de Villiers b Kallis 19
Rahul Dravid C De Villiers b Morkel 17
V.V.S. Laxman c Boucher b Morkel 35
Sourav Ganguly batting 59
Mahendra Singh Dhoni batting 28
Extras: (b-5, lb-6, w-1, nb-4) 16
Total: (for 4 wickets in 57 overs) 191
Indian team facing burnout: Ajit Wadekar
By IANS,
London : Former Indian cricket captain Ajit Wadekar says Mahendra Singh Dhoni's outfit looks tired and jaded, but urged fans to be patient after its ouster from the World Twenty20 championship.
"In Twenty20 cricket anything can happen - one mistake and there's no chance of recovery," said Wadekar, who captained the team that beat England in 1971 to register India's first overseas Test series win.
India’s Sharif wins shooting bronze in Hungary
By IANS
New Delhi : India's Shimon Sharif won the 10 metres running target bronze medal at the Keszthely Open shooting in Keszthely, Hungary, Thursday.
The Delhi-based Sharif shot 545 points (slow run 277+fast run 268) at the Forester Shooting Club, according to information reaching here.
Tasi Tamas of Hungary won the gold with 566 (slow run 287+fast run 279) while Harmath Andras of Hungary clinched the silver with 555 (slow run 284+fast run 271).
PM responsible for CWG fiasco: Former Delhi mayor
By IANS,
Panaji : A former Delhi mayor Sunday blamed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) organisational fiasco.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arti Mehra, who was mayor of the national capital from 2007 to 2009, told reporters here that early in her tenure she had written to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to create a single window system for clearing all files related to the CWG to ensure that all Games related works and files were properly monitored and cleared on time.
Nadal surprised by trainer’s comments about his injury
By DPA
Madrid : Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, world No.2, was surprised by comments from his uncle and coach Toni, who called a recurring foot injury "very serious".
"Rafa is surprised," Benito Perez Barbadillo, the tennis player's spokesman, told DPA.
Rafael's surprise was provoked by Wednesday's edition of the Spanish daily Diario de Mallorca, in which his uncle said the injury is not only "very serious", but replied with a cryptic "it is a little more than that" to the question of whether the tennis player can run.
Eriksson hails UEFA Cup place for Man City as dream
By DPA,
London : Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson described his team's qualification for the UEFA Cup as "a dream" after they were confirmed as England's entrants through the Fair Play league Friday.
England were granted an extra place in the competition because they topped the UEFA Fair Play league.
City have been selected as England's representatives because they were the highest-placed side in the domestic fair-play league not to have qualified for Europe by other means.
Scoreboard of Bangladesh’s innings against India
By IANS,
Karachi : Following is the scoreboard of Bangladesh's innings against India in a Super-Four match of the Asia Cup here Saturday:
Asia Cup, 7th ODI, Super Four, Bangladesh vs India, National Stadium, Karachi, June 28
Bangladesh:
Tamim Iqbal c Dhoni b I Sharma 55
Nazimuddin c Ojha b Singh 6
Mohammad Ashraful c Ojha b Gony 20
Raqibul Hasan b Ojha 25
Mushfiqur Rahim c Dhoni b Ojha 22
Alok Kapali c Ojha b Gony 115
Mahmudullah not out 26
Farhad Reza not out 0
Extras (lb 5, w 9) 14
Total (6 wickets; 50 overs) 283
Lahore Badshahs play Hyderabad Heroes in ICL finals
By IANS
Panchkula (Haryana) : The Inzamam-ul Haq-led Lahore Badshahs and Chris Harris' Hyderabad Heroes will lock horns in the best-of-three finals of the Indian Cricket League's 20s Grand Championship starting here Friday evening.
The second final will be played Sunday and, if required, the third one Monday at the same venue, Tau Devi Lal Cricket Stadium here, near Chandigarh.
India win toss, elect to bat in Bangalore Test
By IANS
Bangalore : India won the toss and elected to bat in the third and final cricket Test of the three match series against Pakistan at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here Saturday.
India effected four changes in the XI that played in the second Test in Kolkata. They left out Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel due to injuries and included Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan and Ishant Sharma.
Pakistan replaced Sohail Tanveer with Yasir Arafat, who is making his debut.
India lead the series 1-0.
Teams:
Lunch scoreboard: India vs. Sri Lanka, fourth day, first Test
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : The following is the scoreboard at lunch on the fourth day of the first cricket Test between India and Sri Lanka at Motera's Sardar Patel Stadium here Thursday.
India first innings:
Gautam Gambhir b Welegedara 1
Virender Sehwag lbw b Welegedara 16
Rahul Dravid b Welegedara 177
Sachin Tendulkar b Welegedara 4
V.V.S. Laxman b Prasad 0
Yuvraj Singh c Dilshan b Muralitharan 68
Mahendra Singh Dhoni c Jayawardene b Prasad 110
Harbhajan Singh b Muralitharan 22
Zaheer Khan lbw Herath 12
Amit Mishra not out 7
Germany’s delight and England’s hangover
By DPA,
Hamburg/London : The celebrations finally subsided in the fading light of Sunday and Germans woke up Monday to realize that the 4-1 World Cup beating of England wasn't a dream but reality.
"Jungs (boys) We love You," screamed the front page headline of the Bild tabloid in English, and telling the team "it was delightful to watch you."
The B.Z. daily in Berlin celebrated "the match of all matches," while Kicker sports magazine wrote "That was super" and said "what a match, what a win!"
Viewers give first 3D broadcast of football match thumbs up
By IANS,
London : History was made here when football fans got to watch the world's first broadcast of a match in 3D format and they hailed the experience saying it is better than being in the stadium.
Sky Sports broadcast the Arsenal versus Manchester United game to nine pubs across the UK using the latest polarised 3D method.
Onions to replace Flintoff in Champions Trophy
By IANS,
Dubai : The International Cricket Council (ICC) said Tuesday that fast bowler Graham Onions can replace injured all-rounder Andrew Flintoff in the England squad for Champions Trophy starting Sep 22 in South Africa.
The event technical committee of the ICC Champions Trophy has approved Onions as a replacement for Flintoff.
Australia survive Bangladesh fright before romping home
By IANS,
Barbados : Australia were rescued from a batting collapse by Michael Hussey before they beat Bangladesh by 27 runs in the last Group A match of the World Twenty20 here Wednesday.
Bangladesh had pinned down Australia at 65 for six, before Hussey (47 not out) and Steven Smith (27) bailed the team out with a 74-run stand and took the total to 141 for seven.
Paes fails to make it a double by losing men’s doubles final
By IANS,
New York : India's Leander Paes was denied the double of winning the two doubles titles when he and his Czech Republic partner Lukas Dloughy lost a pulsating men's doubles final to American twins Bob and Mike Bryan at Flushing Meadows here Friday.
Leander, who had won the mixed doubles title with Zimbabwean Cara Black Thursday, and Dloughy lost two exciting tie-breakers 6-7 (5-7) and 6-7 (10-12) to Bryan brothers.
Top-20 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit
By IANS
New Delhi : Following are the top-20 players on the Asian Tour Order Of Merit at the end of the Ballantine's Championships in Jeju Island, South Korea on Sunday.
Pos. Player Earnings (Us$)
1. Mark Brown (Nzl) 556,233
2. Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 517,050
3. S.S.P. Chowrasia (Ind) 426,260
4. Arjun Atwal (Ind) 419,387
5. Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 256,740
6. Kane Webber (Aus) 220,073
7. Scott Strange (Aus) 216,185
8. Taichiro Kiyota (Jpn) 189,560
9. Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 122,996
10. Digvijay Singh (Ind) 122,666
11. Shiv Kapur (Ind) 110,254
12. Scott Barr (Aus) 108,868
Asian Games volleyball: Indian men upset Japan, women down Maldives
By IANS,
Guangzhou : Indian men beat fancied Japan 3-2 while women put aside the Maldives 3-0 in the volleyball competition at the Asian Games here Friday.
Ivan Klasnic to leave Bremen for Nantes
By DPA,
Nantes : Croatia forward Ivan Klasnic is due to sign a four-year contract at French club Nantes in a free transfer from Germany's Werder Bremen.
Nantes said Tuesday that Klasnic had reached an agreement with club president Waldemar Kita and was to put pen to paper before the end of the week.
He was linked with Spanish clubs Real Mallorca and Osasuna as well as with England's Wigan Athletic before the deal with Nantes was struck.
Pro-Tibetan protester ejected from Olympic equestrian venue
By DPA,
Hong Kong : A local pro-Tibetan protester was thrown out of the Olympics equestrian events soon after the start of the competition Saturday after she unfurled a Tibetan flag.
University student Christina Chan was ejected by police and security officers for breaking rules at the two equestrian venues that ban the display of the Tibetan flag, political slogans and commercial advertising.
Chan was seated in the front row at the start of the dressage competition that began around 6.30 a.m. in the Sha Tin district of Hong Kong.
South African fans love to see Australia lose
By Fakir Hassen, IANS
Johannesburg : South African cricket fans love nothing more than see Australia lose, even if the Kangaroos are not playing against the home side.
This was quite evident again at the Wanderers here Tuesday when Pakistan beat the team from Down Under by six wickets in the Twenty20 World Championships Group F clash.
Tibetans end Dharamsala-Delhi march – and begin protest plans
By IANS
New Delhi : Declaring that they would somehow bypass security and demonstrate against the Beijing Olympics torch relay in the Indian capital, 200 Tibetans Wednesday ended their month long march from Dharamsala to Delhi.
The gurdwara near northeast Delhi's Majnu ka Tilla, where the Tibetan refugee colony is, wore a different look with the marchers setting up camp. Monks, dressed in their maroon robes, dotted the entire place, crowded with rucksacks, sleeping mats and photographs of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal head of the Tibetans.
Sehwag completes 5,000 runs in one-dayers
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali
IANSDhaka : Virender Sehwag Thursday became the sixth Indian batsman to complete 5,000 runs in One-day International cricket when he scored 30 against Bangladesh in the first match of the series here.
Henin holds her nerve amid rain-delay stress to advance
By Bill Scott, DPA
London : Justine Henin zoomed into the quarter finals of a wet Wimbledon as she blitzed Swiss Patty Schnyder 6-2, 6-2 in between more weather interruptions and a security crackdown.
DDCA unhappy at the ICC using the word ‘suspension’
By IANS,
New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) appeals commissioner's use of the word "suspension" while dismissing the Indian cricket board's plea against the decision to keep Ferozeshah Kotla track off big-time game did not go well with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).
After the last ODI between India and Sri Lanka was called off Dec 27 due an unplayable pitch at the Kotla, the ICC ruled that no international cricket will be played at the ground until the end of December 2010.
India win Kotla Test by five wickets
By IANS,
New Delhi : India won the first cricket Test against the West Indies by five wickets at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Wednesday.
Paes- Shaughnessy lose in mixed doubles quarters
By IANS
London : India's Leander Paes and his American partner Meghann Shaughnessy lost to unseeded French pair of Fabrice Santoro and Severine Bremond in a mixed doubles quarterfinal of Wimbledon.
Kumble thanks well wishers for their support
By IANS
Canberra : The visiting Indian cricket squad Saturday dined with the Indian High Commissioner to Australia, Sujatha Singh, at the Indian embassy.
The invitation said the function was to "celebrate the great game of cricket and our common passion for it".
Harbhajan was the life of the party, with people swamping him for autographs and photos. India captain Anil Kumble told at the dinner that his team was committed to win the final two Tests. He said the team had been moved by the support it received from the Australian public.
Tea scoreboard: India vs Australia, Second Test, Day Three
By IANS,
Sydney : The following is the scoreboard at tea on the third day of the second cricket Test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) here Thursday:
IPL will not allow Shoaib to play: PCB media advisor
By Zofeen T. Ebrahim, IANS,
Karachi : The Pakistan Cricket Board media advisor Wednesday said that the Indian Premier League (IPL) doors are closed for Shoaib Akhtar as the contract clearly mentions that a player who has been banned from his respective board cannot appear in the IPL.
"They (IPL) will not allow him to play unless they make an exception or make amendments in the contract," said Aamir Bilal talking to IANS by phone from Islamabad.
“And if they can take action against Harbhajan Singh and allow Shoaib Akhtar to play, that would create quite a dichotomy,” Bilal said.
Scorecard: India vs. New Zealand, first ODI
By IANS,
Napier : Scorecard of India's innings against New Zealand in the first One-Day International at McLean Park here Tuesday. The match was reduced to 38 overs due to rain.
India:
Virender Sehwag c Taylor b Vettori 77
Sachin Tendulkar c McCullum b Butler 20
Mahendra Singh Dhoni not out 84
Yuvraj Singh run out (Vettori/Guptill) 2
Suresh Raina c O'Brien b Elliott 66
Yusuf Pathan not out 20
Extras(b 1, lb 1, nb 2) 4
Total( for four wickets in 38 overs) 273
Baljit asks sports ministry to fund his eye treatment
By IANS,
New Delhi: Hockey goalkeeper Baljit Singh, who sustained a career-threatening injury to his eye, Thursday appealed to the sports minister and Hockey India (HI) that his treatment should be continued as they promised.
Baljit, whose right eye was badly damaged during a practice session in Pune last year, said he was called back midway through his treatment in America.
Sports Minister M.S. Gill last year announced that the ministry would bear the cost of Baljit's treatment.
Openers give South Africa a solid start
By Anand Philar, IANS
Chennai : South Africa took full advantage of winning the toss to post 109 without loss at lunch on the first day of the first Future Cup Test against India here Wednesday.
Neil McKenzie, looking solid and composed, was on 54 and skipper Graeme Smith 53.
The South Africans enjoyed a steady start with the openers negotiating the new ball attack with fair degree of comfort if not authority.
McKenzie, in particular, was the more aggressive of the two, playing some spanking shots through covers and a particularly severe pull to midwicket.
PCB must uphold zero-tolerance policy against corruption: ICC
By Omar Khalid, IANS,
Karachi : The International Cricket Council (ICC) Wednesday gave Pakistan 30 days to take a series of measures to protect the integrity of the game.
No change in Test venues for Australia series: Shukla
By IANS,
New Delhi : Saturday's bomb blast here has not forced either the Indian cricket board or its Australian counterpart to take a fresh look at the four Test venues and the tour will ago ahead as scheduled.
"The Australians have not raised with the Indian board the issue of security or sought any changes in the tour itinerary," Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) spokesman Rajeev Shukla told IANS.
Mendis won’t be a threat to Indian batsmen: Vishwanath
By IANS,
New Delhi : Sri Lankan 'wunderkid' Ajantha Mendis might be threatening to bamboozle Indian batsmen with his different kinds of deliveries in one over. But former Test batsmen Gundappa Vishwanath felt that Mendis' won't be a threat to the Indian batsmen.
Scoreboard: India vs. West Indies, Day One, Second Test
By IANS,
Kolkata : Scoreboard at stumps on the first day of the second cricket Test between India and the West Indies at the Eden Gardens here Monday.
India 1st innings:
IHF sets up committee to probe bribe scandal
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) Wednesday set up a three-member committee to probe the sting operation by a television news channel that exposed a bribe scandal involving its general secretary K. Jothi Kumaran.
The committee headed by retired Judge of Madras High Court Justice K.M.N. Natarajan will also have former Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu, W.I. Davaram, and IHF Joint Secretary Rajeev Mehta.
Jothi Kumaran resigned after he was purportedly shown accepting bribe in a sting operation.
Cricket board talks to Vengsarkar to resolve column issue
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
New Delhi : The Indian cricket board is talking to chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar to persuade him to stop writing his newspaper column, a top official said Thursday.
"The board is talking to Vengsarkar in an effort to resolve the issue," Rajeev Shukla, a vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told IANS.
BCCI wants Vengsarkar, a former India captain, to stop writing his newspaper column as it is in conflict with his job as chairman of the senior selection panel.
Joshna retires in Asian Squash Championships semi-final
By IANS
Kuwait : India's lone survivor Joshna Chinappa has made a disappointing exit from the Asian Squash Championships here, as she announced a mid-way retirement from her semi-final match against Hong Kong's Rebecca Chiu.
Second seeded Rebecca outplayed Joshna in the first two sets pocketing them 9-0 and 9-2, but then suddenly the Indian surprised everyone by giving up the match to her opponent complaining about a slippery court here Saturday.
Pins sell the best in the Olympic Village
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Shiny lapel pins of various themes have emerged the most popular buys in the Olympic Village.
There is only one official licensed products store in the Olympic Village. And everyday hundreds of Olympic villagers pour in, choosing different kinds of souvenirs for their friends and relatives.
Wang Ze, salesman of the store, told Xinhua here Wednesday that there were over 3,000 kinds of commodities in the store but nearly one-third of the daily sale came from lapel pins.
Saha to lead Manchester United’s depleted attack against Tottenham
By IANS
London : Here's a sample of some of the gossip and transfer rumours from England's newspapers Wednesday about Premier League clubs:
Louis Saha will answer Manchester United's strike-force problems by returning to action against Tottenham Hotspur Sunday following knee problems. (The Sun)
Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar is doubtful for the match against Spurs after suffering a leg injury in a training session with the Netherlands. (The Sun)
ECB’s plan to coach Panesar for India trip dashed
By IANS,
London : England's plan to tutor Monty Panesar for the tour to India through bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed were dashed after England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) failed to secure a work permit for the former Pakistan spinner.
Mushtaq was controversially recruited by the ECB at the end of the season to fill as their spin bowling coach -- with the fine tuning of Panesar regarded as his most immediate priority.
ECB was under fire from International Cricket Council (ICC) for the appointment as Mushtaq's name surfaced in the match-fixing scandal.
Mumbai Indians to bat against Royal Challengers
By IANS,
Port Elizabeth : Mumbai Indians won the toss and decided to bat against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match at...
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.
Wembley set for battle of the minnows
By DPA
London : It was in 1927 when Cardiff City last reached the FA Cup football final; 1912 when Barnsley last got there. But the two will play off for a place in this season's show-piece in a Wembley semi-final Sunday.
Even by the remarkable standards of the world's oldest cup competition, this has been an astonishing season, as Barnsley saw off Liverpool and Chelsea to reach a last four that, for the first time in 100 years, features only one top-flight side.
"Whoever lifts the FA Cup this season will become a living legend at their club," said Barnsley skipper Brian Howard.
Jimenez joins star-studded field in Johnnie Walker golf
By IANS
New Delhi : Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez will join the Dubai-based Dane, Thomas Bjorn for this year's Johnnie Walker Classic which tees off at the DLF Golf & Country Club in Gurgaon from Feb 28 to March 2. The Spaniard's entry was confirmed Monday.
The European duo adds to the quality of the field, which already boasts of Australian Adam Scott, currently the world number seven, Vijay Singh (World No. 10), England's Ian Poulter and Scotland's Colin Montgomerie.
IPL hearing Thursday on Ravindra Jadeja’s ban
By IANS,
New Delhi: Indian Premier League (IPL) will conduct a hearing Thursday into Ravindra Jadeja's appeal against his ban from the Twenty20 tournament for one year.
The IPL governing council Tuesday said it has requested Arun Jaitley, president of Delhi and District Cricket Association, to hear the appeal. The hearing will be held in Mumbai.
Golfing world gushes about India’s potential
By V Krishnaswamy, IANS
Gurgaon : Even as the golfing world is fired up with the visions of an Indian charge across the greens of Asia and Europe, the cream of Indian golf will line-up against the best of Europe and Australia in the $2.5 million Johnnie Walker Classic 2008 at the Arnold Palmer-designed DLF Golf and Country Club.
Pune FC appoint former Irish World Cupper as coach
By IANS
Pune : Newly formed Pune Football Club, which will be playing in the second division I-League, have appointed former Irish World Cupper Bernard McNally as its coach.
McNally, 45, replaces Stewart Hall, who was in-charge of the Pune FC last year.
McNally represented Northern Ireland in the 1986 Mexico Olympics and he has more than two decades of experience in English professional football. The Irishman is not the only World Cupper in the Pune side as they have also signed up Caribbean defender Cyd Gray. Both the signings were completed last week.
Shera theme park in Delhi soon
By IANS,
New Delhi : Shera, the adorable mascot of the Commonwealth Games, may soon have a theme park dedicated to him, an official of the Organising Committee said.
Confident England to take on South Africa in World Twenty20
By IANS,
Bridgetown (Barbados) : Boosted by their emphatic win against Pakistan and Kevin Pietersen's return to form, a confident England side will line-up against hot on form South Africa in the Super Eights of World Twenty20 here Saturday.
Both teams produced clinical fare in their first Super Eights matches. While England outsmarted defending champions Pakistan by six wickets, South Africa saw off a brief New Zealand challenge to win by 13 runs.
Both teams will rely on their strong pace attack to notch-up the decisive edge for a semi-final berth.
Karlovic to face Llodra in Rotterdam tennis semis
By DPA
Rotterdam (The Netherlands) : Ivo Karlovic fired a dozen aces while Michael Llodra produced 13 as the big-hitting pair have booked a semi-final date at the seed-short ABN-AMRO World Tennis.
In the quarterfinals Friday, Croatian Karlovic defeated German qualifier Mischa Zverev 6-3, 6-1.
Llodra kept French hopes alive at an event won from 2000 to 2002 by his compatriots, putting out the last Dutchman as he beat 20-year-old Robin Haase 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5). He was joined in the final four by compatriot Gilles Simon, a winner over Russian number 132 Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-2.
Lara stays with ICL only to avoid legal hassles
By Veturi Srivatsa, IANS
New Delhi : Media reports before Brian Lara's arrival in Mumbai to join the Indian Cricket League (ICL) carnival suggested that the Indian Premier League officials bent backwards to wean away the great West Indian batsman. Some even said that the highest Test and first-class scorer had decided to ditch the ICL, citing his late arrival as a sign of his wavering mind.
‘Start marketing other sports like cricket’
By Saumojyoti Singha Choudhury, IANS
New Delhi : Auction of cricketers for millions of dollars by the Indian Premier League has left sportspersons in other disciplines wondering why their federations cannot lure corporates to market their sport.
There are quite a few individual world champions and their refrain is: "why can't other boards take a leaf out of the cricket board and project us as world-beaters and role models".
Sachin has an amazing instinct: Aamir Khan
By IANS,
New Delhi : Actor-director Aamir Khan, who is leaving no stone unturned to give his nephew Imraan Khan a grand launch with "Jaane Kyun...Ya Jaane Na", is smitten by ace cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
At the final Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings held in Mumbai Sunday, Aamir was seated next to Sachin.
"The match was certainly exciting but what made it a unique experience for me was that I had Sachin next to me," Aamir wrote in his latest blog entry.
Dhoni dedicates the victory to bowlers
By IANS,
Kolkata: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni Thursday credited his bowlers for the victory against South Africa in the second Test, lauding their "huge effort" in the absence of spearhead Zaheer Khan.
Dhoni said the pitch was still a playing one on the fifth day and bowlers Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma had to outsmart the South Africa batsmen.
Zaheer did not take the field Thursday and bowled only six overs in the second innings as he pulled a muscle in his leg Wednesday.
Beijing Olympic flame reaches India
By Xinhua,
New Delhi : The Beijing Olympic flame arrived here in the early morning of Thursday on the second leg of its relay in Asia as it makes its way to Beijing.
The Olympic flame, carried in a specially-designed lantern on a chartered plane, was flown to New Delhi from Islamabad, Pakistan.
Real Madrid stay second, Valencia move up to fourth
By DPA,
Madrid : Real Madrid kept up their successful run in the Spanish Primera Liga with a dull 2-0 home win over Valladolid, thanks to goals from Raul and Arjen Robben.
Juande Ramos' solid but unspectacular side have won 14 of their last 15 games and after Sunday's win stay six points behind leaders Barcelona, who beat Recreativo Huelva 2-0 at home on Saturday.
Once again, Raul and company failed to thrill the Estadio Bernabeu - but came through thanks to their efficiency in both penalty areas.
IPL match advanced by an hour for hockey World Cup final
By IANS,
New Delhi: The Indian Premier League (IPL) has decided to advance its league match on March 13 by an hour to avoid a clash with the final of the hockey World Cup here.
IPL commissioner Lalit Modi said that hosting an event like World Cup is a matter of pride for the entire nation.
"IPL is very happy that World Cup Hockey is being hosted in our country this year," Modi said.
The final of the World Cup hockey tournament will be held on March 13 (6.05 p.m.) at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium here.
India rise to No.2 in ODI rankings
By IANS,
Dubai : India rose to the second spot in International Cricket Council's ODI rankings following Australia's loss to South Africa in the fourth One-dayer at Port Elizabeth.
South Africa beat Australia 4-1 in the away series and have taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series at home. Their seven victories in nine ODIs have consigned Ricky Ponting's side to its lowest ranking since the listings were launched in October 2002.
South Africa lead the table with 127 points while India are on 122 points and Australia on 121.
Sriram, Ranjeet in DSCL tennis nationals semis
By IANS,
New Delhi : Sriram Balaji Narayanaswamy got the measure of second seed Rohan Gide even as top seed Ranjeet Virali Murugesan outclassed eighth seed Arjun Goutham to enter the semi-final of the DSCL men's tennis nationals at the DLTA stadium here Friday.
Sriram played with precision and restrained aggression to beat an erring Gide 7-6(5), 6-2.
In the semifinal Friday, Sriram will face Aditya Madkekar, who brushed aside Vijayant Malik 6-1,
6-2.
Doordarshan-I to telecast both Wimbledon finals
By IANS
New Delhi : Doordarshan-I will telecast live the men's and women's singles finals of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships from London this weekend.
Gayle remains in limbo as uncertainty continues
By IANS/CMC,
Bridgetown (Barbados) : Beleaguered opener Chris Gayle has admitted he is unsure about his future in West Indies cricket.
Sania has potential to be in top 10: Amritraj
By IANS
Bangalore : Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj Thursday asserted tennis sensation Sania Mirza has the potential to be in the top 10 rankings among international women players.
"She (Sania) certainly has the potential to be in the top 10. How soon? This year? Next Year? Or year after... is immaterial. What is important is she keeps winning, remains consistent and fit," Amritraj told reporters on the sidelines of a tennis event here.
Playing India motivates Pakistan, says Intikhab
By IANS,
Dhaka/Chandigarh : Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam Friday said his side is always motivated when they play India.
ICL hasn’t approached ICC for recognition: Speed
By IANS
New Delhi : The International Cricket Council (ICC) said here Wednesday that the Essel Group-promoted Indian cricket League (ICL) has not approached it for recognition of its breakaway Twenty20 tournament.
"We (ICC) said two years ago when the Twenty20 was gaining popularity that there would be private promoters. So, we can't be surprised at so many proposals coming," ICC CEO Malcolm Speed said at a press conference.
"The ICL has not approached the ICC so far," he emphasised.
Second Test: Dense fog delays start of fourth day’s play
By IANS,
Mohali (Punjab) : A thick blanket of fog enveloped the whole region here, causing another delay in the start of the fourth day's play of the second Test of RBS Cup between India and England here.
The match was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Monday. But at 10 a.m., umpires Asad Rauf and Daryl Harper were assessing the situation on the field.
Similar conditions prevailed in the area Sunday and delayed the third day's start by 90 minutes.
Back to the future for Roddick; Hewitt crashes out
By DPA,
Atlanta : Andy Roddick will relive his past - against an opponent he beat for the title in his previous appearance at the Atlanta Tennis Championships - after posting a 6-1, 6-7(1), 6-3 victory to reach the quarter-finals.
The top seed Thursday stumbled badly in the second-set tiebreaker against fellow US player Rajeev Ram before pulling away to the second-round opening victory on the back of 15 aces and three breaks of serve.
The win sets up a showdown with Belgian Xavier Malisse, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Illya Marchenko of Ukraine.
Chennai Super Kings beat Nashua Dolphins
By IANS,
Durban : Parthiv Patel and Suresh Raina struck half-centuries as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) warmed up for the Indian Premier League with a 41-run victory over South African Twenty20 side Nashua Dolphins.
CSK opener Patel (51 off 36) and Raina (70 off 41) took the team to a challenging 180 for seven before spinners Muttiah Muralithran (3-32) and R. Ashwin (2-26) packed off Nashua Dolpihns for 139 with three balls to spare at Kingsmead stadium Tuesday.
Bangladesh opt to bat against India
By IANS,
Dhaka : Bangladesh captain Mohammed Ashraful won the toss and elected to bat against India in the third match of the Kitply Cup tri-series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur here Thursday.
Bangladesh have to beat India by a handsome margin if they want to qualify for Saturday's final.
Teams:
Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Shahriar Nafees, Raqibul Hasan, Alok Kapali, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafe Mortaza, Dolar Mahmud, Abdur Razzak, Farhad Reza
Gonzalez wins men’s singles title at China Open
By Xinhua
Beijing : World number seven Fernando Gonzalez was in a class of his own in the China Open tennis final as he rallied past third seed Tommy Robredo 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 here Sunday.
The Chilean, enjoying a revival of fortunes here after a disappointing summer, earned the convincing victory in an hour and 45 minutes.
The second seed looked totally in control, raising his game to break the Spaniard in his opening service game to take a 3-0 early lead, while the error-prone Robredo sort of crumbled under the consistency of his opponent's ground strokes.
Prakash goes down fighting in Aptos quarterfinal
By IANS,
Aptos (California) : A tired Prakash Amritraj went down fighting to Italian Andrea Stoppini in a thrilling quarterfinal match of the $75,000 Aptos Challenger tennis tournament here.
The Italian defeated Prakash 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, at the Center Court here Friday in nearly three hours.
Prakash, probably playing the best tennis of his career, won the first set in a tie-breaker, but the 28 year-old Stoppini bounced back to win the second set. In the decider, Stoppinni for the first time in the entire match got his big break to win the match.
Tour cancellation will not clear players to play in IPL: CA
By IANS
Melbourne : Australia's tour of Pakistan may have been postponed in the wake of serial blasts in the strife-torn country, but Cricket Australia (CA) is yet to clear the players to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The players have been told to wait to hear from coach Tim Nielsen, who is expected to require his players to gather for a training camp several days before the Test squad departs for the West Indies May 8.
Austria waiting for a football miracle
By DPA
Vienna : Austria would love to beat archrival Germany in a friendly football international Wednesday night. Or does it?
"We win once in a blue moon against Germany. Should this case happen again, please not on February 6," coach Josef Hickersberger was quoted as saying by Der Standard newspaper.
After all, the two teams will meet again June 16 in a group B action of Euro 2008 in Vienna, the match that really counts for the co-hosts.
India favourites to win against
By IANS,
Dhaka : Though India will go into the final of the tri-series against Pakistan as overwhelming favourites, hey cannot make the mistake of taking Pakistan lightly as history shows that they have fought back fiercely when they were pushed to the wall.
An India-Pakistan title clash is a mouthwatering contest for cricket fans in the subcontinent, but India's success in Australia and their complete domination of the current series here makes them look invincible even before a ball is bowled in the final.
Knight Riders beat Kings XI by D/L method
By IANS,
Durban : Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Kings XI Punjab by 11 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method in a rain-affected Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Kingsmead here Tuesday.
Knight Riders were 79 for one after 9.2 overs when rain interrupted the proceedings for the second time in the day. This is the second time Kings XI lost their match via the D/L method.
IPL means partying in Kolkata even if KKR is struggling
By Debayan Mukherjee, IANS,
Kolkata : For the aficionados of the Kolkata Knight Riders the Indian Premier League is more a fun than serious cricket. They are firmly behind their Dada Sourav Ganguly and his hapless boys who are going through a lean trot in the third edition of the cricket's biggest money spinner.
Pietersen threatened to resign during India tour: ECB vice-chairman
By IANS,
London : England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) vice-chairman Dennis Amiss revealed that Kevin Pietersen had threatened to resign during the national team's tour to India last month.
The South Africa-born Pietersen resigned last week after a public fall out with coach Peter Moores. While Pietersen was forced to resign, the ECB later sacked Moores.
Amiss told BBC Radio Five here Sunday that Pietersen had initially offered to resign as the captain after last month's drawn second Test against India in Mohali.
Tough weather takes toll of Jeev, finishes tenth
By IANS,
London : Jeev Milkha Singh faltered at the final step with two bogeys in the last three holes and dropped to tenth in the final standings of the European Open golf Sunday as bad weather took a toll on the players.
The tenth place finish, while being very creditable meant he missed out on what could have been a great chance to finish in top-5 and earn a berth into the British Open at Royal Birkdale.
Ganguly, Dravid left out of tri-series squad
By IANS
Mumbai : The national cricket selectors, with an eye to the 2011 World Cup, Sunday dropped former captains Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly from the 16-member Indian squad for the Commonwealth Bank triangular series next month with Australia and Sri Lanka.
The selectors, however, retained Sachin Tendulkar, obviously not wanting to ignore the present for the sake of the distant future, though he, too, may not be around till the next World Cup in the subcontinent.
Rajasthan Royals to field against Royal Challengers
By IANS,
Bangalore : Rajastan Royals captain Shane Warne won the toss and elected to field against Bangalore Royal Challengers in the 12th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here Saturday.
Teams:
Bangalore Royal Challengers: Rahul Dravid (captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ross Taylor, Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli, Mark Boucher (wicketkeeper), Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Sunil Joshi, Anil Kumble.
Queen’s Baton controversy: Officials now blame committee members
By IANS,
Lucknow: Hours after senior government officials Saturday said that they planned to take legal action against Sahara for disrespecting the Queen’s Baton for the Commonwealth Games, they backtracked, blaming three members of the baton relay committee for the controversy.
The trio Saturday morning diverted from the prescribed route and took a replica of the Queen’s Baton to Sahara Shahr - the residence of Sahara India Chairman Subroto Roy, in Gomti Nagar, violating security and other norms.
Inter snatch late win against Parma in Serie A
By DPA
Milan : Serie A front-runners Inter Milan came back to clinch an injury-time 3-2 win over Parma and preserve their seven-point lead on Roma in football's Italian Serie A.
Inter after Sunday's win lead the table with 49 points from 19 games at mid-season, with Roma on 42 after beating Catania 2-0 earlier. Meanwhile, 37-point Juventus were held to a scoreless draw at home to Sampdoria.
Parliament disrupted over Belgaum, Commonwealth Games
By IANS,
New Delhi : Both houses of parliament were adjourned Tuesday as opposition MPs disrupted proceedings over the Belgaum district dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka and alleged diversion in Commonwealth Games funds.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for half an hour after leaders from Maharashtra and Karnataka gathered near Speaker Meira Kumar's podium over the disputed district of Belgaum.
Italy rout San Marino 4-0
By IANS,
Bologna: Italy made an ideal start for their next week's FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic as they thrashed San Marino 4-0 in a friendly.
Panel submits report to HI on sexual harrasement charges
By IANS,
New Delhi: The committee probing the sexual harrasement charges against former women's national hockey coach Maharaj Kishan Kaushik Friday submitted its report to Hockey India (HI).
The committee felt it was in no position to recommend any action against Kaushik as it has no power to do so. Moreover, the entire process has been reduced to the players' word against the coach's. Under the circumstances, the committee had merely sought the written submissions of Kaushik and complainant Ranjitha Devi, who filed their replies Thursday.
Somdev loses after winning the first set at Calabasas
By IANS,
Calabasas : India's Somdev Devvarman blew up a set lead against American Alex Bogomolov jr to crash out of the opening round of the $50,000 Mercedes Benz tennis Challenger tournament.
Somdev began on a right note by winning the first set, but lost steam thereafter to be beaten 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, by the American on the hard court here Tuesday.
Bogomolov next meets eight-seed Frank Dancevic who was also stretched to three sets by American wild card Michael McClune before winning 4-6, 6-3 7-6(1).
Indian cricket team arrives in Dhaka
By IANS
Dhaka : The Rahul Dravid-led Indian cricket team reached here Monday on a 23-day Bangladesh tour for the first series after the World Cup debacle.
Kapur tied 17th in Abu Dhabi Open golf
By IANS,
Abu Dhabi: Shiv Kapur continued his fine form Thursday with a solid four-under 68 in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open golf on the European Tour.
The Delhi golfer, who lost in a play-off at the South African Open in December, had five birdies and one bogey in his 68 that placed him tied 17th. He was three shots behind the leading trio, Ian Poulter, Richard Bland and Keith Horne, who shot 65 each.
India beat Sri Lanka, enter final
By IANS,
Dhaka: India defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the fifth One-Day International to enter the final of the tri-nation series here Sunday.
Chasing 214 for victory, India reached the target in just 32.4 overs.
Dinesh Karthik (48), Gautam Gambhir (71), and Virat Kohli (71 not out) were the contributors with the bat.
India will meet Sri Lanka in the final Jan 13.
FIFA and IOC: clubs must release players for Olympics
By DPA,
Hamburg : Football clubs have received a stern warning from the ruling body FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that they must release players for the Beijing Games.
FIFA and the IOC said that clubs who refuse to let players go to the Olympics will have these players suspended from club matches for the period.
The rule applies to all under-23 players - unless they don't want to play at the Games. The Olympic tournament is an under-23 event with three older players allowed per team.
CWG Medals Results, Day 1
By IANS,
New Delhi: Results of the eight events that were decided on the opening day of the Commonwealth Games here Monday.
Swimming
200m Freestyle Women Finals
Sachin keeps date with tennis as Sania cheers
By IANS
Kolkata : Sachin Tendulkar came, saw and conquered the hearts of his fans - but with a racquet rather than a bat. But he rued not playing Sania Mirza, one of the hardest hitters of the tennis ball.
At the Netaji Indoor Stadium, the spectators had a lot to cheer about as three of the top sporting icons of India came together with a glamour lady of tennis for a fun game and to promote the Sunfest Open. Sania was present, as one cheering the trio.
Chopra lags behind at Memorial tournament
By IANS,
Dublin (Ohio) : An error-filled four-over 76 left Daniel Chopra in a tough position to make the weekend cut at the Memorial. The Indo-Swede, who is 25th on the PGA Tour money list, is tied for 78th place.
Matthew Goggin Thursday took just nine putts on his back nine to card a seven-under 65 and leads the pack, one ahead of Jerry Kelly and Kenny Perry.
Goggin holed out a bunker shot for birdie on the par-3 fourth, then ended his round with a 12-footer for par from off the green, as he needed just 22 putts for his round.
Spyker sign Japanese driver for rest of F1 season
By IANS
London : Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto will drive for Spyker in the remaining seven races of the Formula One season, the team announced here Thursday.
Yamamoto, 25, replaces Christijan Albers after the Dutch driver's contract was terminated after the British Grand Prix three weeks ago because of sponsorship issues.
Yamamoto started seven races for the Honda-backed Super Aguri F1 team last season.
This year he has been testing for Super Aguri and also competing in the GP2 series for the BCN Competición team.
London : Japanese driver Sakon Yamamoto will drive for Spyker in the remaining seven races of the Formula One season, the team announced here Thursday.
Yamamoto, 25, replaces Christijan Albers after the Dutch driver's contract was terminated after the British Grand Prix three weeks ago because of sponsorship issues.
Yamamoto started seven races for the Honda-backed Super Aguri F1 team last season.
This year he has been testing for Super Aguri and also competing in the GP2 series for the BCN Competición team.
International rafting competition begins in Kashmir
By IANS,
Srinagar : Sixteen teams, including two from abroad, are participating in a three-day international white water rafting competition that began Wednesday at the picturesque north Kashmir tourist resort of Sonamarg.
"We have teams from the Ukraine and the Czech Republic, as also from Rajasthan, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army, among others," tourism department head Farooq Ahmad said.
Jeev moves into top-50 after Singapore win
By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS,
Sentosa (Singapore) : Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh has moved into the top-50 in the world rankings for the second time in his career. He is currently placed 46th after his victory at Barclays Singapore Open.
Jeev jumped 14 places and if he holds on to the position till year end, he would be guaranteed a spot at the Augusta Masters in April.
"That (top-50) was one of my big goals for the year. That it has come with three titles and the Asian Tour Order of Merit is indeed a bonus," said Jeev.
Gambhir first to reach 300-run aggregate in series
By IANS
Sydney : Gautam Gambhir scored a century against Australia here Sunday to become the first batsman to amass 300 runs in the Commonwealth Bank Triangular Series.
The in-form left-hander has now scored 359 in seven matches at 59.83 -- a feat achieved for the first time in his career. He also became the third Indian to hit two or more centuries in a triangular series in Australia, joining V.V.S. Laxman, who had scored three in 2003-04 and Sourav Ganguly, who had hit two in 1999-00.
Scoreboard: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
By IANS,
Mumbai : The following is the scoreboard of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Mumbai Indians and Bangalore Royal Challengers at the Brabourne Stadium here Saturday.
Mumbai Indians:
Sanath Jayasuriya lbw b Steyn 2
Sachin Tendulkar b Vinay Kumar 25
Aditya Tare c Pandey b Kallis 9
Saurabh Tiwary b Kumble 25
Ambati Rayudu c Boucher b Vinay Kumar 3
Dwayne Bravo lbw b Vinay Kumar 1
R. Sathish c Dravid b Steyn 24
Keiron Pollard c Kohli b Steyn 21
Harbhajan Singh c Kallis b Kumar 4
Zaheer Khan not out 23
Lasith Malinga not out 0
US warns citizens of terror strike during CWG
By IANS,
Washington : The US has warned its citizens travelling to or residing in India during the upcoming Commonwealth Games of a threat of "terrorist action and violence" and asked them to "take care when travelling within Delhi".
"The US Mission in India alerts US citizens travelling to or residing in India to safety and security issues related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held in New Delhi," a statement by the US State Department said Wednesday.
The Games will be held Oct 3-14 in Delhi.
Muslim girl selected for 1st Asian Martial Arts Games
Gul-e-Surkhab, Tarseem Sharma to leave for Bangkok’
Jammu : Gul-e-Surkhab like many other girls of Jammu and Kashmir had a dream to excel in martial arts and after being the first Woman IInd Dan Black Belt of the state, she has been now selected to participate in Ist Asian Martial Arts Games-2009 going to be held from April 25, 2009 in Bangkok.
Tarseem Shrama presently working as martial arts coach in a private School, has also been slected to represent India from the state along with Gul-e-Surkhab is inspiring to do the excellent in the martial arts.