India have to raise their game to retain Nehru Cup

New Delhi, Aug 30: India may have made the final without any palpitations, but not many are giving them a chance of retaining the Nehru Cup football title they won two years ago beating the same Syrians in the final.

The home team would, however, back themselves to send Syria packing in front of home crowd, a feat they managed in 2007. Back then India lost to Syria 2-3 in the league phase and went on to beat the visitors in the final. This time,too, India lost 0-1 in the inconsequential league match against Syria on Saturday.

Syria are the only unbeaten side at the round-robin stage and there was some suspense about who do they play in Monday’s final till it was belatedly revealed that India were through after their facile victory over Sri Lanka as no-one cared to flip through the rule book to see how a tie is resolved. The inconsequential last league game gave both the teams to ponder about a couple of things.

Team India wrap up camp

Team India wrap up camp

BANGALORE, Aug 30: The Indian cricket team wrapped up its four-day preparatory camp for the upcoming Tri-Series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy with a final session of batting and bowling drills on Sunday. The camp that began on Thursday initially laid stress on fitness, followed by some batting, bowling and fielding practice under the watchful eyes of coach Gary Kirsten. The team will leave for Sri Lanka to take part in the tri-series. (PTI)

Somdev, Prakash play higher-ranked opponents in US Open qualifiers

New York, Aug 25: India’s No 1 Somdev Devvarman will take on American Alex Bogomolov Jr in the first round of the US Open tennis qualifiers.
Somdev, ranked 161, is tied 1-1 with the 16th-seeded Russian-born American, who is ranked 133rd.

Bogomolov Jr beat Somdev in their first meeting in Calabasas challenger last year, but the Indian avenged the defeat, beating the American in straight sets at the LA Tennis Open qualifiers in July.
Somdev's former Davis Cup teammate Prakash Amritraj, ranked 253, will meet 159th-ranked Alejandro Falla of Columbia in the first round in his bid to qualify for the US open. (IANS)

Jaitley assures players of fair selection

New Delhi, Aug 25: The players’ mutiny in the Delhi and District Cricket Association spearheaded by Virender Sehwag ended today with DDCA President Arun Jaitley accepting their demand of fairness in selection process.

The uproar had started after Sehwag alleged that there was corruption and nepotism in the selection process, claiming interference by the all-powerful Sports Committee. The star Indian opener had threatened to quit the Delhi Ranji team if things did not change.

Jaitley denied allegations of interference against the Sports Committee but assured that the selection process would be made more transparent after meeting Sehwag and another revolting player Gautam Gambhir late last night.

“Steps are required to ensure that the selection process is fair. No interference is acceptable and would not be tolerated. The players’ suggestions were well-intentioned,” Jaitley told reporters here. “I told them (the players) and my colleagues that steps should be taken to ensure that the standard of fairness is maintained. It’s obvious that we require selectors who are experienced, who have a strong spine to be fair and firm,” he said.

India in must-win situation

NEW DELHI, Aug 21: Injury-plagued India face a litmus test of character to stay on course for their title defence in the Nehru Cup international football tournament when they take on Kyrgyzstan in a crucial round-robin match on Saturday. India began their campaign with a 0-1 loss to Lebanon and Bob Houghton’s boys need no less than a win in Sunday’s fixture at Ambedkar Stadium under floodlights.

A draw against Kyrgyzstan, ranked four places down India at 160th in the FIFA chart, may still not send Bhaichung Bhutia-led side out of the five-team competition but the hosts fate would then hang on other team’s hand as they play Sri Lanka on August 25 and Syria on August 28. The rub of the green might not have favoured India against Lebanon but now Houghton and his boys will have to shrug off whatever psychological after-effects of that match or else face criticism after having an expensive six-week foreign training tour of Dubai and Spain.

We can win even without Zaheer, Sehwag: Harbhajan

NEW DELHI, Aug 24: India will sorely miss Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan in next month’s tri-series in Sri Lanka but the presence of match-winners and the balance of the team still make them the tournament favourite, said Harbhajan Singh.

Talking to reporters after unveiling the Compaq Cup 2009, which will be given to the winner of the tri-series also featuring New Zealand, Harbhajan conceded it would not be easy to replace players like Sehwag and Zaheer but felt the team could still pull it off.

“Sehwag is a key player. Any team in the world would miss a player like him. But now that he would not be playing, we would have to do well without him,” Harbhajan said.

He said the return of veterans Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid would offset Sehwag’s loss.
“We are a strong team and it's a balanced side. Besides, we have a number of match-winning players in the ranks. We have the youngsters and then you have experienced players like Dravid, Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh. If we play to our potential, we would return with this lovely trophy,” he said after unveiling world’s first digital sports trophy.

Like Sehwag, Zaheer too underwent a shoulder surgery which ruled him out of the tri-series and the subsequent Champions Trophy but Harbhajan seemed to have enough trust on other pacers to pull it off.

“Zaheer is an experienced bowler and it’s unfortunate that he would not be playing. We are going to miss him,” Harbhajan said.

“However, Ashish Nehra, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma have been doing well and they will have to step up to the plate and deliver,” he said. “Overall, we have got enough talent and we did well against New Zealand at their home and also in Sri Lanka. Over the last two years, we have beaten every side. We just need to play to our potential to win the tri-series.
“It’s an important series for us because right after that, we play the ICC Champions Trophy, which is a big event for us,” he said.

Both Dravid and Nehra made a comeback to the ODI fold after their One-day career seemed over. Asked if he felt it was retrograde steps to bring back players who are on the wrong side of the 30s, Harbhajan begged to differ.

“For me, age is not the criterion. I don’t think you become old at 32. Great players continue to perform at 35-36. Age is not the consideration,” he said.

Harbhajan’s views were sought on Virender Sehwag’s tussle with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) as well but the spinner said he had no clue about it.

“To be honest, I’m not aware of the details. I have no clue what is happening between Viru and DDCA,” he said. (PTI)

I am dead tired now: Bolt

BERLIN, Aug 23: Sprint king Usain Bolt admitted he is dead tired from his exertions after capturing his third gold medal of Berlin’s World Athletics Championships with Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team.

Bolt’s three medals here have replicated his gold medal hat-trick from last August’s Beijing Olympics and while he has repeated his individual world-record breaking haul he insists he is not in the same shape he was in China.

The 23-year-old shattered his own 100m world record here last Sunday when he picked up his first gold, then set another global mark when he was victorious in the 200m final on Thursday before running Saturday's third leg of the relay.

The Jamaican quartet clocked a championship record of 37.31 seconds while Trinidad and Tobago took silver in a national record of 37.62sec and Great Britain the bronze in 38.02sec.
With team-mate and world 100m bronze medallist Asafa Powell carrying a groin strain, Bolt ran the penultimate relay leg and despite his claims he is jaded still had enough gas to help his team clinch victory.

Yuvraj is a massive danger: Butler

DUBAI, Aug 23: India, along with hosts South Africa and Australia, are the strongest contenders for next month's Champions Trophy with Yuvraj Singh posing a massive threat to bowlers’ economy, fears New Zealand medium pacer Ian Butler. “India play good One-day cricket. So, I wouldn’t like to put a finger on who is favourite to win the 5 October final. You’ve got to look after your own backyard and not worry about what other teams are doing,” Butler said in an ICC news letter. “Yuvraj Singh is a massive danger, especially with some of the short boundaries he can get,” the 27-year-old added. Apart from Yuvraj, the right-arm pacer tipped South African pacer Dale Steyn and Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal as players to watch out for. “With only the top eight teams playing in the tournament, no matter who is in your group it's going to be a tough group which makes for an exciting tournament,” he said. On his team’s prospects, Butler said with the return of some key players like Shane Bond, the Kiwis can put up a decent performance. “I think with the return of a couple of key players and the amount of depth that's building in New Zealand cricket, it makes an especially exciting time for us. It will be good to see how we compete against the other seven teams,” he said. (PTI)

2010 Hockey World Cup: Hero Honda bags title sponsorship

PTI

New Delhi (PTI): World's largest two-wheeler manufacturer Hero Honda Motors was on Monday named the title sponsor for the 2010 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup to be held here in March.

The announcement was made at a glittering ceremony here in the presence of International Hockey Federation President Leandro Negre, Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi, Hockey India President A.K. Mattoo and the 1975 World Cup winning members of the Indian team.

Negre said the mega-event would provide eight-time Olympic champions India the perfect platform to revive their past glory.

"The World Cup is the most important event in the game of hockey and we want to showcase before the entire world that the FIH can hold a truly mesmerising and beautiful event," Negre said.

"For global development of hockey, it is important that India should come up and play to its potential. The FIH hopes that hosting the 2010 World Cup will give a tremendous boost to Indian hockey," he said.

"I have been constantly travelling throughout the world and I must say many teams are eagerly waiting to be a part of the World Cup. Some of the teams have already qualified but qualifying tournaments are going on," he added.

Hockey India President Mattoo said 2010 would be a landmark year in the history of Indian hockey for the sheer magnitude of the event to be held in the national capital.

"Hockey India is proud to be associated with FIH in hosting the 12th Men's Hockey World Cup. We have taken the right step towards the revival of the game," Mattoo said on the occasion which also witnessed the unveiling of the gold and silver plated World Cup trophy.

"The year 2010 will be a milestone for Indian hockey because of the World Cup and Commonwealth Games. It's for the second time India has been given the honour to host the hockey World Cup," he added.

The only time India hosted the hockey World Cup was way back in 1982 in Mumbai, where arch-rivals Pakistan emerged as the winners.

Hero Honda Managing Director Pawan Munjal said although hockey went through many ups and downs in the last decade, the national game still continued to be an integral part of India's sporting tradition.

"Despite India being a cricket-frenzy nation, the game of hockey has managed to regain its identity. Hockey is not just a game, it's a very important part of our history and sporting tradition," he said.

"The World Cup will help revitalise the public interest in the game," he added.

Meanwhile, IOA President Kalmadi said the newly-formed Hockey India was determined to form a democratically elected body with men and women federation under one roof before the World Cup, a mandatory clause put forth by the FIH.

"We are duty bound to bring up the standard of hockey in India. We have a difficult task at hand to merge men and women's hockey at the state level but it is a challenge and we are certain to hold elections within the stipulated six month's time," Kalmadi said.

PTI

National hockey put off

Pune:

Pune: Blame it on H1N1 virus. The jinxed national hockey championship will be a non-starter. The championship, scheduled to be held here from September 13 to 27, has been postponed due to swine flu. The postponement comes days after the Hockey India shifted the national camp to Bangalore from Pune.

Soruce:http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_national-hockey-put-off_1283823

India To Face Lebanon In Nehru Cup Opener

India To Face Lebanon In Nehru Cup Opener

The (All India Football Federation)AIFF decided to make the Nehru Cup a five team tournament after Thailand was sending a junior side while their replacement Palestine was going to send a club side.

So now the competition will be played on a league format with the top two teams facing off in the final.

All the Fixtures :

Match No 1 : Wednesday :19.08.09 :India Vs Lebanon :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 2 : Thursday :20.08.09 :Kyrygstan Vs Syria : Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 3 : Friday :21.08.09 Srilanka Vs Lebanon :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 4 : Saturday :22.08.09 :India Vs Kyrygstan :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 5 : Sunday : 23.08.09 :Syria Vs Sri Lanka:Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 6 : Monday :24.08.09 :Kyrygystan Vs Lebanon :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 7 : Tuesday :25.08.09 :India Vs Sri Lanka :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 8 : Wednesday :26.08.09 :Syria Vs Lebanon :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 9 : Thursday : 27.08.09 : Sri Lanka Vs Kyrygstan :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 10 : Friday :28.08.09 :India Vs Syria :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Match No 11 : Monday :31.08.09 : Final :Kick off at 6.30 PM

Speaking to the media at AIFF Football House on Friday, India’s coach Bob Houghton said that Syria start favorites based on their FIFA Ranking but all other teams will be competitive in the tournament.

The Englishman feels that it will be interesting to see how India play against Syria and Kyrygzstan who were also part of the competition in 2007. Sri Lanka who did well in the 2007 SAFF Cup will also prove to be a test for the Indians, according to the former China and Uzbekistan coach.

He said “Our preparation has been excellent with the training tours abroad. We brought the players to a good level of fitness in Dubai.

“We also conducted training sessions in Barcelona where we played four practice games which helped to raise the confidence level of the team as we did not lose any game.”

When asked about Sunil Chhetri’s fitness he said “We have to wait a little longer to decide about Sunil .He will not play if we have doubts about his fitness.

“Samir Naik and Sushil are recovering quickly from their injuries and are back in training.

“Subhash Singh is a good player who did well last season in the I-league.”

Houghton also said that BCCI’s 25 crore grant to the AIFF for the 2011 Asian Cup will help the senior team to prepare for that tournament by organizing more camps and matches.

AIFF General Secretary Alberto Colaco furher added “ We are happy that BCCI has responded positively .The modalities and exact form of execution will be worked out after discussions.”

Goal.com India

AIFF to get Rs. 25 crore in two instalments

AIFF to get Rs. 25

Mumbai: In a far reaching decision that would encourage other sports federations to knock at the door of BCCI for financial assistance, the BCCI Working Committee here on Thursday decided to grant Rs. 25 crore to the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

The money will be paid in two instalments of Rs. 12.50 crore over a period of two years.

Praful Patel, Union Civil Aviation Minister and acting President, AIFF had petitioned the BCCI for a specific sum to be used for development purposes and the BCCI Finance Committee at its meeting recommended in favour of making the grant.

The BCCI has already contributed Rs. 50 crore to the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) corpus of Rs. 80 crore to help Indian athletes win medals at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi next year. The Ministry of Sports has contributed the remaining Rs. 30 crore to the fund.

One-off decision


Though the BCCI has taken a one-off decision to support football, it’s unlikely to withdraw support to other sports. It has in the recent past sponsored Karan Rastogi, Aditya Jagtap, J. Agnishwar, Anand Pawar and Surabhi Tipre.

The BCCI also rewarded Abhinav Bindra (Rs. 25 lakh) for winning the gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games. Vijender Singh (Boxing) and Sushil Kumar (wrestling) too received Rs. 10 lakh each for winning the bronze medals at Beijing.

“The BCCI will continue to support individual sportspersons, but purely on individual merit,” said Ratnakar Shetty, Chief Administrative Officer, BCCI.

AIFF pleased


The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Thursday thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for granting Rs 25 crore for the development of football in the country.

“This grant will help in the development and promotion of the game in our country. For long, India has been a great cricketing nation and I am sure it will be known as a great footballing nation in the future,” AIFF acting president Praful Patel said in a statement in New Delhi.

To monitor programme


“AIFF will closely monitor the development programme and hopes to see the revival of football in India as the country will participate in the Asian football championship after a gap of 24 years,” Mr. Patel said. — Special Correspondent

The Hindu

FIFA wants to promote football in India's villages

World soccer body FIFA

New Delhi (IANS): World soccer body FIFA has shown interest in developing the game in India's villages.

India's sports minister M.S. Gill during his meeting with FIFA president Sepp Blatter in Zurich, on Wednesday, discuses a road map for the development of Indian football.

Mr. Gill requested Mr. Blatter to give some FIFA assistance to the government-sponsored Panchayat Yuva Krira aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) to develop the game at the grassroots level in India.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) secretary-general Alberto Colaco, who was also present in the meeting, said: "Gill requested Blatter if FIFA could help to develop the sport through PYKKA. The sports minister said that through this programme football can be promoted in areas where the game is very popular."

Mr. Colaco also said that Blatter was impressed with the idea and asked the sports ministry and the AIFF to send a proposal for the programme.

"The AIFF will prepare a proposal for the programme in association with the sports ministry and then FIFA officials will come here to finalise the plan," he said.

Since his maiden visit in 2007, Mr. Blatter has taken special interest in India and has launched the 'Win in India With India' project plan to develop the club level football in the country. The Vision India programme is also a part of FIFA's GOAL project.

Soruce:http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/007200908141751.htm

Indian football should learn from cricket: Bhutia

India's run

India's run-up to the Nehru Cup this year has not been the smoothest. In an exclusive interview to NDTV, India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia talked about the injury worries and more importantly infrastructural worries that have hit him in the recent times. Here are some excerpts of the interview...

Do you think sports persons in India just need to be able to deal with infrastructural odds because there will always be some?

I guess so. While playing football for the last 17 years I have experienced lot of difficulties. It's also frustrating to see, in terms of sports in India but I guess you have to deal with it and just try and make your points, and try and see that the government or anybody involved with sports make sure that the infrastucture and development programmes are done sriously, so atleast kids get the oppurtunity to play any sport they want to. Infrastructure is big time lacking. So it's frustrating but you get used to it and any oppurtunity you get you try and get your voice heard and hope that someday somewhere somebody will listen.

You've said that the BCCI giving 25 crores to the AIFF is a good thing, but in some ways would you also say that it is a huge warning as well that there's a complete dearth of sponsors in Indian football?

It is a worrying sign. The game itself has to be marketable for the sponsors. I don't think any corporates will come and do charitable work with any sport. They would want to do something that gives them returns. We can learn from cricket which is a marketable sport. It can take time, but I hope that one day football can be a marketable thing for corporates to come in, and BCCI giving 25 crores is a positive sign because the Indian team has qualified for the Asia Cup for the first time in 25 years, so it'a big step for football and any financial angle coming can only benefit the federationn in terms of building infrastucture as well as preparing the team for 2011.

There's still no resolution is sight as far as your dispute with Mohun Bagan is concerned. Do you think that in some ways you are being victimised because of your star status?

It's very frustrating for me to miss one exhibition match and a club like Mohun Bagan takes a decision 6 month suspension without pay. I can't understand the decision they take just because I missed one friendly match and that too after the season got over. It's even more frustrating that it takes even longer for a decision to be taken and the matter to be solved. It's been 2 months and I am yet to hear from the federation. I think the federation has to be stronger, take decisions faster. This means that players lose out on 2 to 3 months of football and salaries while the decision is being taken.

Nehru cup kicks-off from August 19. What is your message for all the Indian football fans out there?

I can only expect fans in Delhi to come out and support us the way they have been doing. I hope they come in large numbers. As a player and captain of the Indian national team I can tell you that we have had a great preparation and will do our best on the ground. We want to win this championship. It's going to be difficult but I can guarantee on behalf of the team and the players that we will be giving a 110%. We just need all the fans to come and support us on the ground.

Do you follow the EPL? Which is your favourite team?

I do follow English Premier League. I don't watch it very closely, but I do watch and I like watching Arsenal.

Source;http://cricket.ndtv.com/cricket/ndtvcricket/storypage.aspx?id=SPOEN20090105718

India play first tie on Sept. 11

Colombo:

Colombo: India will play back-to-back matches against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in next month’s tri-series here after the organisers rescheduled the tournament following a request from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

According to the new schedule, India’s first match against New Zealand has been pushed back by a day from the earlier scheduled September 10. India will play its second match the next day, against the hosts, on September 12.

Soruce;http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090820/jsp/sports/story_11385036.jsp

Nine Delhi players stay away from Ranji fitness camp on Day 2

The revolt of Delhi players against the DDCA continued on Thursday with nine players of the Delhi Ranji team not attending the conditioning camp on the second day.

Pacer Ashish Nehra who had attended the camp on the first day was also missing today.

After Virender Sehwag's outburst against "nepotism and corruption" in the Delhi District and Cricket association (DDCA), seven players including pacer Ishant Sharma and opener Gautam Gambhir had skipped the opening day of the camp on Wednesday.

However, DDCA Vice-President and Selection Committee chairman Chetan Chauhan had insisted that the players were absent because of other engagements.

Apart from the revolting quartet of Sehwag, Ishant, Gambhir and Nehra, others missing from the camp were Rajat Bhatia, Mithun Manhas and Chaitanya Anand, Aditya Jain and Sunny Sherawat.

Sehwag had earlier threatened to quit the Delhi team for Haryana.

Sehwag has alleged that the selection process in the Delhi team is manipulated by the all-powerful Sports Committee. He has received support from other senior players like Gambhir, Ishant and Nehra on the issue.

Soruce:http://www.hindustantimes.com

Strauss gets England off to sound start

England captain Andrew Strauss

England captain Andrew Strauss led from the front as his side reached 108 for one at lunch on the first day of the decisive fifth Ashes Test against Australia at the Oval here on Thursday.

Strauss, England's best batsman this series, was 50 not out and Ian Bell 41 not out in a match the hosts had to win to regain the Ashes.

England were in trouble at 12 for one when Alastair Cook fell cheaply after fellow left-handed opener Strauss had won the toss and chosen to bat.

But this time there was no repeat of the first morning collapse at Headingley which sent Australia on their way to an innings and 80 run fourth Test win that levelled the series at 1-1.

Strauss, batting in the composed, "emotionless", fashion which he said Wednesday would be vital to his team's chances of success, completed an 89-ball fifty featuring 10 fours but without taking any undue risks.

At the interval, his stand with Bell was worth 96 in 128 balls.

Bell, promoted to No 3 after Ravi Bopara was dropped, was himself under pressure after twice falling to left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson for a total of 11 runs at Headingley.

England began cautiously against Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle before Cook struck the day's first four, an off-drive off Hilfenhaus, in the third over.

He also pulled Siddle for another boundary but Cook, a 95 in England's second Test win at Lord's apart, had had a lean series.

And Siddle had his revenge when he squared up Cook, static on the crease, and had him caught at second slip by Australia captain Ricky Ponting for 10 to leave England 12 for one in the sixth over.

Bell, often criticised for an inability to make runs when England need them most, struck Siddle for three fours in six balls.

Second change Johnson had a huge appeal for caught behind against Bell correctly rejected by Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, the ball brushing the batsman's shirt.

While Bell left that delivery alone, it was a different story with Johnson's third ball, a rearing bouncer which flew off the splice but, fortunately for Bell, landed away from a fielder.

Strauss though on-drove Johnson for four to bring up England's fifty in the 14th over.

And Bell's boundary off Stuart Clark saw England's second-wicket duo post a fifty stand of their own in 70 balls.

However, the Warwickshire batsman kept both short leg and short backward square interested as Johnson tested him with rising leg-stump deliveries

Bell cover-drove Hilfenhaus for four, a stylish shot but then squatted down, seemingly suffering with cramp and required on-field treatment before resuming his innings on 29.

Strauss, who several times struck his trademark square-cut for four was equally strong off his pads when Australia's four-man pace attack strayed off line on a typically good Oval pitch for batting.

Australia need only a draw to retain the Ashes.

Scoreboard
England 1st Innings

A. Strauss not out 50
A. Cook c Ponting b Siddle 10
I. Bell not out 41
Extras lb2, nb5 7
Total for 1 wkt 108

Fall of wkt 1-12


Source:cricbuzz.com

New Zealand save follow-on against Lanka

Resolute

Resolute batting by New Zealand's eighth-wicket pair of Jesse Ryder and Daniel Vettori denied Sri Lanka a follow-on in the first Test here on Thursday.

The duo, who came together with the Black Caps still needing 30 runs to avoid the follow-on in the rain-hit Test, put on a defiant stand of 36 after tea on the third day.

Ryder was dismissed for 42, but skipper Vettori returned unbeaten on 33 as New Zealand ended the day at 281-8, still 171 runs behind Sri Lanka's first innings total of 452.

Tailender Iain O'Brien was the other batsman at the crease on three.

Sri Lanka have two days, weather permitting, to force a win at the Galle International Stadium on a wearing wicket that has already started to assist the spinners.

Just 76 overs were bowled during the day after heavy rain delayed the start by 90 minutes and bad light ended play 20 minutes early.

The Black Caps, led by a gutsy 69 from left-handed opener Tim McIntosh, were sitting pretty at 180-3 when three wickets fell for 15 runs in the post-lunch session.

The collapse was triggered by two wickets from left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara, who had Ross Taylor caught behind for 35 and bowled Brendon McCullum for one off the inside edge.

Star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan had two lucky breaks when he earned a leg-before verdict against the sturdy McIntosh and had Jacob Oram caught off the pad at short-leg for 12.

Television replays showed Australian umpire Daryl Harper erred in both decisions.

The middle order collapse undid the good work of McIntosh, who had batted through the rain-affected morning session after resuming at his overnight score of 36.

The left-hander survived two blows on his helmet and shoulder by rising deliveries from Thushara, but hung on for six hours to anchor New Zealand's reply.

The 29-year-old Auckland batsman, who has a century to his credit in five previous Tests but had never played an international match outside New Zealand, hit six boundaries and a six.

Nightwatchman Jeetan Patel helped McIntosh put on 49 for the third wicket, himself contributing 26, before he was leg-before to Muralitharan 20 minutes before lunch.

Taylor added 51 runs for the fourth wicket when he edged a well-pitched delivery from Thushara to wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene.

Muralitharan, the most successful Test bowler in history, took his record tally to 773 with the wickets of McIntosh and Oram.

New Zealand play two Tests, two Twenty20 internationals and a limited-overs tri-series also featuring India during the five-week tour.

Soruce:Cricbuzz.com

Isinbayeva meets disaster

Fraser is now the third-fastest woman over the distance, tied with Christine Arron of France. Only Florence Griffith-Joyner (10.49) and Marion Jones (10.65) have run faster.
Bekele emulated his mentor Haile Gebrselassie with a fourth straight 10,000m crown and Yargeris Savigne led a Cuban one-two to defend her women’s triple jump title.

DDCA selection row

The players are unhappy with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) sports committee which, they claimed, interfered in selection matters and also indulged in corruption.
DDCA Sports Secretary Sunil Dev has refuted the allegations and said he was prepared to talk to the players and resolve the differences.
Apart from Gambhir and Sharma, left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra was another senior player who has Sehwag's campaign against the sports committee.
A concerned DDCA President Arun Jaitley has told his officials not to precipitate the crisis and let things “cool down”.

Injured Pietersen out of Champions Trophy

LONDON

LONDON: Injury prone all-rounder Andrew Flintoff faces a taxing schedule after being named in all three of England's One-day squads on Monday, each one missing injured batsman Kevin Pietersen.

Flintoff, who is set to make his farewell to Test cricket in this week's Ashes decider at the Oval despite still struggling with a knee problem, has made it clear he wants to remain a force in One-Day Internationals.

And the England selectors appear to have taken the 31-year-old at his word.

He was included in the 15-man party from which England will pick their side for the seven home ODIs against Australia that follow hard on the heels of the Ashes finale before that squad heads to South Africa for the Champions Trophy where England will bid to win their first major One-day title.

Test captain Andrew Strauss will lead a squad featuring just one uncapped player in Kent batsman Joe Denly.

But before that, and with star batsman Pietersen recovering from an Achilles injury, Flintoff will be a member of the 14-man squad that travels to Belfast for a match against Ireland that takes places just three days after the scheduled end of the decisive fifth Ashes Test.

That team will be captained by Paul Collingwood, in the rested Strauss' absence, as will the 15 man-squad chosen to face Australia in two Twenty20 internationals at Old Trafford, Flintoff's Lancashire home ground.

As well as Flintoff, Denly, leg-spinner Adil Rashid, wicket-keeper Matt Prior, Owais Shah and Ashes discard Ravi Bopara are in all three squads.

Jonathan Trott, Bopara's replacement at the Oval, only makes it into the Twenty20 squad as a batting stand-in for the absent Strauss.

But Alastair Cook, keeper James Foster, Test fast bowler Stephen Harmison, Ian Bell, Rob Key and all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas have all failed to make the cut for the Champions Trophy squad after being included in the provisional 30 and do not feature in England's other One-day parties either.

"We have kept faith with the bulk of the squad which was successful in the NatWest Series against West Indies earlier this summer and also included two players, Luke Wright and Adil Rashid, who were part of our squad for the ICC World T20," said England national selector Geoff Miller.

"Joe Denly has impressed the selectors for a while with some excellent performances in One-day cricket, and with Kevin Pietersen unavailable through injury, this is an excellent opportunity for Joe to step up to the next level and show what he is capable of."

Strauss ruled himself out of England's Twenty20 plans earlier this year but remains available for the 50-over format.

However, Miller said: "Andrew Strauss has led the side extremely well in both forms of cricket this summer."

"But the selectors felt it would be beneficial for him to have a short break from international cricket following the conclusion of the Ashes Test series, and Paul Collingwood will lead the side in Ireland and in the T20s."

Squads

For the ODIS against Australia and the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa:

Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

England squad for ODI v Ireland in Belfast on August 27:

Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Rashid Shah, Graeme Swann, Ryan Sidebottom, Luke Wright.

England squad for the T20 internationals against Australia on August 30 and September 1

Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Rashid Shah, Graeme Swann, Ryan Sidebottom, Luke Wright, Ian Trott.

TOI

West Indies snubs Gayle, Sarwan for Champions Trophy

BRIDGETOWN (

BRIDGETOWN (Barbados): West Indies will be without its leading players for the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa next month.


The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Monday again left out the players who chose to strike during the Test, One-day and Twenty20 series against Bangladesh in July in the Caribbean.

Former skipper Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo and Jerome Taylor are the main stars absent.

The side will again be led by 37-year-old Floyd Reifer and includes two uncapped players in all-rounder Royston Crandon and wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton.

Walton, a Jamaican who represents the Combined Colleges & Campuses, appeared in both Tests against Bangladesh but did not appear in the limited overs matches.

Crandon, 26, is a hard-hitting right-hander and off-spinner from Guyana.

West Indies has also recalled fast bowlers Tino Best and Daren Powell.

Best also played in the tests against Bangladesh but has not appeared in One-dayers since May 2006.

Powell, who declared his unavailability for the Bangladesh series, returns for the first time since last March against England in the Caribbean.

Fellow fast bowler Fidel Edwards, the most experienced bowler in the previously chosen 30-man provisional squad, missed out with a persistent back injury.

David Williams, the assistant coach, will be at the helm following last week firing of head coach John Dyson.

Squad: Floyd Reifer (captain), Darren Sammy (vice-captain), David Bernard Jr., Tino Best, Royston Crandon, Travis Dowlin, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Daren Powell, Kieran Powell, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Devon Smith, Gavin Tonge, Chadwick Walton

TOI

Jankovic downs Safina to win Cincinnati title

CINCINNATI (Ohio), Aug 17: Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic boosted her US Open hopes with a brisk 6-4, 6-2 victory over world number one Dinara Safina on Sunday in the final of the two million-dollar WTA Cincinnati Open.
“My smile is back and I’m having fun playing the matches,” said Jankovic, who started the year atop the world rankings but has seen her status slip with a series of lackluster results. “This is what I missed. I missed this for maybe seven months this year.” Jankovic bounced back from a tough semi-final victory on Saturday night to claim her second title of 2009, after a victory in a claycourt tournament in Marbella in April.

Sehwag wants to quit; just a tactic, says DDCA

New Delhi, Aug 17: Indian opener Virender Sehwag has threatened to quit the Delhi Ranji team, alleging interference in selection matters by the DDCA Sports Committee members.
Sehwag, who is currently in Bangalore undergoing rehabilitation for his injured shoulder, has been told to put his decision on hold till he meets the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) President Arun Jaitley. The meeting is likely to take place on August 27 or 28 to discuss the matter. The explosive right-hander has threatened to leave the team for Haryana, saying that he is frustrated with the interference in selection matters. The DDCA’s Sports Secretary Sunil Dev said he has not received any communication from Sehwag nor has he approached him for a No Objection Certificate to play for some other state. But a top DDCA source said Sehwag’s threat to quit was just a “pressure tactic” to bring in a couple of his players in the Ranji squad. “He wants to bring Mayank Tehlan and Pradeep Sangwan into the team. But since the Delhi team is well set, it is not possible. That is the reason why he is making such threats,” the source told. Sehwag has claimed that some selectors group together to force a player of their choice into the side, leaving the captain and selection committee chairman powerless. He has also alleged manipulation in the selection of Delhi under-16 and under-19 teams. The Delhi team, which won the 2007-08 Ranji title, failed to even make the knock-out stage last season. Sehwag did not play a single match last season because of his engagements with the national team. (PTI)

Saina crashes out of World Badminton Championships

HYDERABAD

HYDERABAD: It requires a diamond to cut another. On a day when the BWF World Championships moved into the semifinal stage, the packed Gachibowli Indoor stadium witnessed a clash of titans.

It was a fight between an ageing warrior, who lost his kingdom long back, and the reigning emperor. In the end, the 33-year-old Peter Hoeg Gade, who held the No.1 ranking for several months, bowed to the hegemony of Lin Dan, fondly called Super Dan by fans.

The defending World and Olympic champion withstood the stiff opposition of Gade and prevailed with a 22-20, 21-16 victory in the quarterfinals. Gade played as if he was fighting for survival and made the Chinese struggle hard for each point. The long rallies, power packed smashes and deft drops made it the best match of the tournament so far.

There were also two upsets and two heartbreaks. While the World No.1s in the men's and women's singles, Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei and Hong Kong's Zhou Mi, lost, India's challenge in the tournament ended too as Saina Nehwal and mixed doubles pair of V Diju and Jwala Gutta failed to progress.

But considering the reputations of the rivals, the upsets in the singles events shocked none. While Wei lost to the finalist of last World Championships, Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia 21-16, 14-21, 21-12, Zhou lost to two-time World champion Xie Xingfang 21-15, 21-18.

Saina, who became the first Indian to reach the quarters on Thursday, suffered a straight-game loss to Wang Lin of China 21-16, 21-19.

Before the Indian could get off the blocks, Wang surged ahead to a 9-2 lead in the first game. Saina, who fought back and reduced the deficit (11-11), failed to carry on the momentum and lost it rather meekly 21-16.

With the crowd rooting for her, Saina got off to a brilliant start in the second and was 10-2 before Wang began to catch up.

The Chinese girl, who lost to Saina in the final of Indonesian Super Series, defended well and frustrated Saina by pushing the dribbles back. Saina found it difficult to manage her backhand drive and conceded several unforced errors.

Saina complicated the situation by conceding eight points on the trot. and then, leading at 17-15, Saina failed to hold the nerve.

Wang collected two points and at 17-17 the net chord helped Wang take the lead. Once Wang surged ahead Saina lost her confidence and succumbed.

"She played a good match. When I beat her in Indonesia she confined herself to lifting the dribbles but now she has started pushing them. She defended very well. I am not too disappointed with the loss," Saina said.

Earlier in the day, Diju and Jwala proved no match for defending champions Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia. The Indian pair lost 21-16, 21-14.

"It was very disappointing. I don't know why but we played according to their plans," Jwala said later.

Former world champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia and World No.2 Chen Jin of China made it to the semifinals in men's singles, while Lu Lan of China and Pi Hongyan of France reached the last four stage in women's singles of the competition.

TOI

Jamaican Bolt sets new 100m world record

BERLIN

BERLIN: Jamaican Usain Bolt added the world crown to his Olympic title as he scorched to victory in a world record 9.58 seconds in the men's 100m final at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday.

Billed as the first of three potential Berlin duels between Bolt and American reigning world champion Tyson Gay, the 22-year-old show-boating Jamaican crushed the field and smashed his own record of 9.69sec set in similarly spectacular fashion at the Beijing Olympics final.

Gay claimed silver in 9.71sec, finishing a good couple of metres off Bolt, with former world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica clocking 9.84sec for bronze.

"I said anything could happen and it did," said Bolt. "It was a big target but I got 9.58sec and I'm really happy with myself. Now I plan to do even better in the future.

"I was ready, I was feeling good after the semi-finals. I came out and executed it in the final."

Gay was magnanimous in defeat.

"I'm really happy with my performance," said the 27-year-old. "I showed a lot of heart. I didn't complain about my groin injury. I blocked everything out in the final and put it together the best I could.

"I've been telling you someone can run 9.5sec. I'm really happy he did it.

"It shows a human being can take it to the next level. Unfortunately, I wasn't the one to do it but I still have confidence I will do it one day."

Bolt, who took the Beijing Games by storm last summer, winning all three Olympic sprint golds and all in world record times, had overcome a nervy semi-final in which he false started for the first-ever time in his career.

But when it came to the final, he enjoyed his normal start, his head staying down over the first 40 metres before slowly bringing his towering 6ft 5in frame fully upright and lengthening out his stride to attain maximum velocity.

After having enraptured the crowd with his trademark bow-and-arrow posing before starter's orders, his pull was exemplary and he was soon away from Gay - who had a marginally better reaction time - and his other rivals and celebrating another new world record.

In sultry conditions at the Olympic Stadium, with a temperature of 28C (82F), Bolt's training partner Daniel Bailey of Antigua finished in fourth at 9.93sec on a photo finish with Trinidad's Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson.

Dwain Chambers, the world indoor 60m silver medallist who is competing here after having served a two-year doping ban, came in sixth with 10.00sec.

Trinidadian Marc Burns and American Darvis Patton, who finished seventh and eighth, in the Beijing Olympics repeated their places here in 10.00 and 10.34sec respectively.

Powell said: "To come here and get third place I feel very proud."

For Gay and the rest of the US team, there now lies in wait a highly-anticipated 200m run-off and a 4x100m relay against Bolt and his Jamaican team-mates over the coming week.

TOI

Dravid returns, Sehwag to miss tri-series and Champions Trophy

CHENNAI:

CHENNAI: Veteran Rahul Dravid, on Sunday, staged a comeback into India's 15-member One-day squad while Virender Sehwag was ruled out of next month's More Pictures
tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

The 36-year-old Dravid, who last played an ODI back in October 2007, was included in the squad to bolster the batting line-up for the two tournaments, which will also see the return of Sachin Tendulkar.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra was included in place of left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha in the squad, announced by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan.

There was no major surprises in the team which features eight batsmen, four pacers, two spinners and an all-rounder in Yusuf Pathan.

Mumbai left-hander Abhishek Nayar was retained in the side but his Ranji team-mate Rohit Sharma was axed to accommodate Suresh Raina, who had skipped the West Indies tour because of a thumb injury.

The selection committee, headed by Krishnamachari Srikkanth met at the Chidambaram Stadium, on Sunday, to pick the squad for the September 8-14 tri-series in Sri Lanka and the September 22-October 5 Champions Trophy and they went by the fitness level of the players and their performance in recent past.

Dravid's return was more or less certain after the Indian top and middle order's poor display against short-pitch deliveries in both the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa and during the West Indies tour.

Besides, Sehwag's shoulder injury which necessitated a surgery, weakened the Indian top order and the selectors felt Dravid's vast experience would strengthen the line-up.

In Sehwag's absence, Tendulkar is set to open with Gautam Gambhir, while Dravid and Raina will add beef to the top and middle order, which also include vice captain Yuvraj Singh and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Sehwag's absence allowed Dinesh Karthik to hung on to his place as a reserve opener.

In the bowling department, Mishra staged a comeback to the ODI format after six long years to join Harbhajan Singh in the spin unit.

A regular in the Test squad now, Mishra played the last of his three ODIs back in April 2003 against South Africa and was frustrated at being branded a Test specialist.

Squad: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Dinesh Karthik, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar .

TOI

Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by four wickets

Charles Coventry

Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry equalled the highest individual one-day international score on Sunday, but saw his big-hitting party gatecrashed by Tamim Iqbal as Bangladesh wrapped-up the one-day series here.

Coventry blasted an unbeaten 194 to equal former Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar's 12-year record, as Zimbabwe piled up 312-8 in their 50 overs, but Bangladesh opener Tamim then hit his country's highest individual score of 154 as the tourists took victory with 13 balls to spare.

"I was due for a big innings. I was getting good starts but not big hundreds. It would have felt better had I finished the innings," said Tamim.

Coventry praised the tourists for their battling response.

"Well done to the Bangladeshis for the way they chased. We'll be out there trying the hardest the next time," said the 26-year-old, who was playing in his 15th one-dayer.

He dominated Zimbabwe's innings with the next highest score a more modest 37.

Coventry hit seven sixes and accelerated from 129 in the 42nd over to 180 in the 47th as fans wondered if he would become the first player in history to hit a one-day international double century.

But he had to settle for a share of Anwar's record although Bangladesh could have dismissed him earlier when Mahmudullah dropped him at square leg on 137.

Coventry shared an 82-run stand for the second wicket with Hamilton Masakadza as the home side eyed levelling the five-match series at 2-2.

But they reckoned without 20-year-old left-hander Tamim who first of all made his third half-century of the series before going on to hit his highest score in his 60th international.

Tamim's 154 came off 138 balls with seven fours and six sixes.

Zimbabwe skipper Prosper Utseya looked for positives in defeat.

"The innings of 312 wasn't enough. But our game is improving. We're playing international cricket and we missed chances that should have been taken. 3-2 sounds better than 4-1 and we need to come back strong and play well for the fans."

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was overjoyed at another series win which followed their historic Test and ODI sweep in the West Indies.

"Tamim batted magnificently, can't get better than that. We played very good cricket against West Indies and this series too, everyone chipped in but we need to improve our fielding," said Shakib.

"Cricket is the most popular game in Bangladesh and we thank out fans for their support."

The final match of the series is here on Tuesday.

Scoreboad:

Zimbabwe

M Vermeulen c Siddique b Alam 5
H Masakadza c Hasan b Mohammad Ashraful 21
C Coventry not out 194
B Taylor lbw b Enamul Haque jnr 9
S Williams b Naeem Islam 4
S Matsikenyeri run out 37
E Chigumbura c Naeem Islam b Enamul Haque 15
M Waller b Alam 3
T Mupariwa lbw b Rasel 0
P Utseya not out 7
Extras (b1, lb3, w12, nb1) 17
Total (8 wkts: 50 overs) 312



Did not bat: R Price.

Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Vermeulen), 2-87 (Masakadza), 3-102 (Taylor), 4-111 (Williams), 5-218 (Matsikenyeri), 6-282 (Chigumbura), 7-302 (Waller), 8-303 (Mupariwa)

1-5, 2-87, 3-102, 4-111, 5-218, 6-282, 7-302, 8-303

Bowling:

Rasel 9-1-52-1 (2w)
Alam 8-0-63-2 (5w)
Shakib Al Hasan 9-0-70-0 (3w)
Enamul Haque jnr 9-0-51-2 (1nb)
Mahmudullah 6-0-32-0 (2w)
Mohammad Ashraful 4-1-11-1
Naeem Islam 5-0-29-1



Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal c sub (Haji Jamil) b Price 154
Junaid Siddique c Williams b Masakadza 38
Mohammad Ashraful c Coventry b Price 10
Raqibul Hasan b Price 35
Shakib Al Hasan c Waller b Masakadza 19
Mushfiqur Rahim lbw b Utseya 15
Mahmudullah not out 21
Naeem Islam not out 4
Extras (lb1, w15, nb1) 17
Total (6 wickets; 47.5 overs) 313



Did not bat: Mahbubul Alam, Syed Rasel, Enamul Haque jnr

Fall of wickets: 1-68 (Junaid Siddique), 2-94 (Mohammad Ashraful), 3-213 (Raqibul Hasan), 4-246 (Shakib Al Hasan), 5-279 (Tamim Iqbal), 6-300 (Mushfiqur Rahim)

Bowling:

Mupariwa 8.5-0-65-0 (1nb, 2w)
Chigumbura 9-0 63-0 (2w)
Utseya 10-0-46-1 (2w)
Masakadza 7-0-52-2 (3w)
Price 10-0 60-3 (2w)
Waller 3-0-26-0 (2w)



Result: Bangladesh won by four wickets

Series: Bangladesh lead 3-1

Toss: Zimbabwe

Umpires: K Barbour and A Saheba

TV umpire: O Chirombe

Match referee: J Srinath

Source:cricbuzz

Kambli retires from international cricket

Vinod Kambli,

Vinod Kambli, has announced his retirement from international cricket. He will continue to make himself available for domestic selection. Kambli last played international cricket in 2000.

Kambli made the announcement at the inauguration of his sports academy, Khel Bharati, in the presence of Virender Sehwag, who inaugurated the academy, and Ramakant Acharekar, who coached Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar during their youth.

Kambli - who is Tendulkar's childhood friend - burst on to the scene with back-to-back double centuries in his third and fourth Tests, but unfortunately couldn't fulfill the promise showed then. A stop-start selectorial policy and a weakness against the short ball meant he played in only 17 Test matches, scoring 1084 runs at an average of 54.20.

He played 104 ODIs, scoring 2477 runs at an average of 32.59 and a strike rate of 71.94.

He made nine comebacks into the ODI team, but played his last Test in 1995, before he had turned 24. Since being out of the Indian team, he has tried his hand at movies and reality shows on the small screen.

© Cricbuzz

Tendulkar can continue as long as he wants: Ganguly

KOLKATA, Aug 14: Age might be catching up with Sachin Tendulkar but former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels the Mumbai veteran is the best cricketer in the world right now and can continue as long as he wants. The iconic left-hander said his 36-year-old former opening partner is a better batsman than him and can pick the time to call it quits. “To be honest, he is a bigger player than I am. He deserves to go whenever he wants to. He is probably the best in the world with (the retired) Brian Lara. He can play until anytime he wants and I am sure his performance will remain consistent,” Ganguly said in an interview on Friday. Ganguly said he enjoyed partnering Tendulkar at the top and doesn’t regret quitting earlier than him. “We have enjoyed a lot together at the top of the order and contributed thousands of runs. But I have taken a decision to quit. So, there is nothing to regret. I am sure he would also take the decision (to call it quits) at some stage,” the 37-year-old player said.

Xie stuns top seed Zhou to enter semis

Hyderabad, Aug 14: China’s Xie Xingfang knocked out top seed Zhou Mi of Hong Kong 21-15 21-18 to move into the semi-finals of the women’s singles at the the World Badminton Championships here on Friday.

It was a day of surprise results as women's seventh seed Lan Lu of China stunned third-seeded Dane Tine Rasmussen 21-15, 21-13 in 31 minutes to enter the semi-finals. Fifth seed Xie’s opponent in the semi-final is France's eighth seed Pi Hongyan, who defeated 11th seed Juliane Schenk of Germany 15-21, 21-15, 21-19 in an hour-long duel. Pi, who moved to France after failing to make it to the Chinese national team, said it was her best performance in the world championships. “I can’t say how happy I am today. This is my best performance in the World Championhips. I am having a good time here,” said Pi, who has been a quarter-finalist for three consecutive years between 2005-07 at the World Championships. In the men’s singles, Indonesian fourth seed and Athens Olympics gold medallist Taufiq Hidayat stopped the giant-killing run of unseeded Dane Jan O Jorgensen 21-19, 21-19, to enter the semi-finals. Jorgensen, 21, had upset South Korean eighth seed Park Sung-hwan and 16th seed Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the previous two rounds, and made it tough for Hidayat before bowing out. In the semi-final, Hidayat takes on Chinese second seed Chen Jin, who beat Indonesia's Simon Santoso 21-10, 21-13. (IANS)

Nehra wants to slip into Zaheer’s shoes

NEW DELHI, Aug 14: Back in reckoning after being on the sidelines for more than three years, injury-prone pacer Ashish Nehra said despite being short of match practice, he is ready to lead the Indian attack in the absence of regular spearhead Zaheer Khan. “In the absence of Zaheer Khan I am ready to be the lead bowler. I may have been out for over three years but people must realise I am a very experienced and have been playing cricket for the last 10 years. I am excited and hope there are no injuries,” Nehra said. Nehra made a comeback to the Indian Team after four years with a successful June ODI tour of West Indies where he took six wickets from three matches to be the leading wicket-taker of the series. “I was happy with my performance in the West Indies tour. I still feel I am bowling at about 80-85 percent of my capability. I am back in rhythm and will soon reach 100 per cent,” he said. Nehra said his stint with the Indian Premier League, where he played for Delhi Daredevils, was crucial in making his resurgence possible. “IPL gave an opportunity to make a comeback into the Indian team after more than three years. IPL is as good as international cricket. Every team has about eight-nine international cricketers so the standard is really high”, he said. “It is a good platform for anybody who has been out of the team and wants to make a comeback into the national squad,” Nehra said. (PTI)

Saina Nehwal off to winning start in World Championship

Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Aug 12 (PTI) Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal hardly showed any fatigue from a recent bout of chickenpox as she stormed into the pre-quarterfinals of World Badminton Championships with a straight-game victory over Russian Anastasia Prokopenko here Wednesday.

The 20-year-old, who was laid low by chicken pox just a few days before the championship, outplayed her rival 21-10 21-17 in 27 minutes in the women's singles second round.

The local favourite faces Bulgarian Petya Nedelcheva Thursday.

Among other Indians, men's doubles pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Jishnu Sanyal squandered a position of strength to go down 21-17 13-21 18-21 against 16th seed Vitalij Durkin and Alexandr Nikolaenko of Russia in 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, top seed Mi Zhou of Hong Kong beat Kiwi Michelle Chan Ky 21-11 21-15, while men's number one seed Chong Wei Lee beat Ola Fagbemi of Nigeria 21-11 21-14.

Anwar likely to get a key position with Pak team

Anwar likely to get a key position with Pak team

Karachi, Aug 12 (PTI) Former Pakistan captain Saeed Anwar is all likely to get a key position with the national cricket team after the left-handed opener today held a discussion with the PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt in Lahore.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said Butt met with Anwar and discussed how his services could be utilised by the national team.

"The PCB Chairman and Saeed (Anwar) will meet again in the coming week to discuss the plan in detail," the board said.

Butt, however, thanked Anwar for offering to assist the PCB and Pakistani players.

"I am thankful for Saeed's encouraging response and I am sure Saeed will be able to contribute a lot to Pakistan cricket," he said.

Anwar, a stylish left handed opener, has largely remained out of the limelight since his retirement in 2003 as he has devoted most of his time to religious activities. .

Zimbabwe refuses to send under-19 team to Pakistan

Zimbabwe refuses to send under-19 team to Pakistan
Karachi, Aug 12 (PTI) The volatile security situation in Pakistan continues to scare away foreign cricket team and even Zimbabwe today turned down an invitation to send its under-19 team to the trouble-torn country.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said Zimbabwe had security concerns about playing in Pakistan after which it was decided to send the Pakistan under-19 team to the African country later this year.

PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt said former England skipper Tony Greig's proposal to arrange a World XI tour of Pakistan has been rejected due to the huge costs involved.

"Yes, we did receive a proposal from Tony Grieg regarding a World XI team tour to Pakistan. Having evaluated it, we concluded that the costs were too high and perhaps the timing of the tour would not have served the purpose for us," Butt said in statement.

None tested positive in IPL: Modi

While Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi declared on Tuesday that no cricketer had tested positive for any banned drugs in the second edition of the T20 League held in South Africa in April-May. Modi’s reaction came in the wake of reports from South Africa that the country’s fast bowler Dale Steyn failed a drug test as a result of taking painkillers to recover from an injury during the IPL.Modi, reacting to this development, told reporters that he knew of this development from news wires just before addressing a press conference at the conclusion of IPL’s Governing Council meeting on Tuesday. (PTI)

Dale Steyn failed drug test during IPL 2: CSA

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 11: South African fast bowler Dale Steyn failed a drug test as a result of taking painkillers to recover from an injury during the second Indian Premier League, his cricket board said on Tuesday.

Cricket South Africa Chief Executive Gerald Majola said Steyn was found to have morphine level slightly above the normal because of the painkillers he took and CSA has submitted a report in this regard to the IPL authorities.

Steyn failed drug test during IPL 2: CSA

toi

JOHANNESBURG: South African fast bowler Dale Steyn failed a drug test as a result of taking painkillers to recover from an injury during the second Indian Premier League, his cricket board said on Tuesday.

Cricket South Africa Chief Executive Gerald Majola said Steyn was found to have morphine level slightly above the normal because of the painkillers he took and CSA has submitted a report in this regard to the IPL authorities.

"We are aware of the result and submitted a report immediately to the IPL on why this has happened," Majola said.

"There was a marginal increase in the presence of morphine in the sample and that was due to painkillers he took during that period. We are awaiting a reply from the IPL authorities," he said.

Steyn was out of action for most of the IPL in South Africa in April-May due to a thumb injury and played only three matches for Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Dr Mohammad Moosajee, South Africa's team doctor and a member of CSA's medical committee, however, said Steyn would not face any action as it was not a drug violation but an adverse analytical finding.

"This is not a doping violation as such but an adverse analytical finding, which is different," Moosajee said.

"Dale is known to have a history of chronic migraines and he suffered a thumb injury too during the IPL and he was on Myprodol, a painkiller that contains codeine", he said.

"Codeine converts to morphine within the body and that led to the adverse finding. Dale had taken the painkiller on the day of the test and the morphine level in his sample was found to be slightly higher (1.1 to 1.3 microgram per ml) than the 1 microgram per ml that is permitted," Moosajee explained.

"This is a matter between the IPL franchise and IPL but since Dale is also a CSA-contracted player, we were informed and we are now assisting in the process. We have sent a detailed report to the IPL and are awaiting a reply. We are confident that he will be cleared."

Codeine does not figure in the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances but morphine has been classified under narcotics.

Moosajee said there was some confusion regarding the name of the drug he was using as mentioned in the Theraupatiuc Use Exemption form because the brand name of the painkiller is different in South Africa.

Players are expected to fill these TUE forms before a test so that the testers are aware of the medication the player is under.

"This also led to miscommunication in the Theraupatiuc Use Exemption (TUE) form that the player submitted before the test," Moosajee said.

Steyn is the second fast bowler after Pakistan's Mohammad Asif to come under scrutiny for a failed drug test in the IPL. Asif was banned for one year after testing positive for nandrolone, which is a banned substance, in the inaugural IPL season last year.

TOI

Michael Schumacher calls off Formula One comeback

LONDON:

LONDON: Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has cancelled his plans to return to Formula One because of fitness concerns, the German driver said on Tuesday.

"I really tried everything to make that temporary comeback possible, however, much to my regret it didn't work out," he said in a statement on his website.

"Unfortunately we did not manage to get a grip on the pain in the neck which occurred after the private F1-day in Mugello, even if medically or therapeutically we tried everything possible."

The 40 year old had been expected to drive for Ferrari at the European Grand Prix at Valencia on Aug. 23 with Felipe Massa recovering from a fractured skull.

Schumacher hurt his neck in a motorcycle accident on a racetrack earlier in the year and had admitted he was still struggling with the injury.

"The consequences of the injuries caused by the bike accident in February, fractures in the area of head and neck, unfortunately have turned out to be still too severe," said Schumacher.

"That is why my neck cannot stand the extreme stresses caused by Formula 1 yet. These are the clear results of the examinations we did on the course of the past two weeks and the final examination yesterday afternoon."

His surprise return to Formula One after retiring at the end of 2006 was seen as a major boost to the sport, which in recent months had been plagued by negative news headlines.

"I am disappointed to the core," Schumacher added.

"I am awfully sorry for the guys of Ferrari and for all the fans which crossed fingers for me. I can only repeat that I tried everything that was within my power. All I can do now is to keep my fingers crossed for the whole team for the coming races."

Italy's ANSA news agency reported that official reserve Luca Badoer would now drive for Ferrari in Valencia.

The 38-year-old Italian started 49 races for Scuderia Italia, Minardi and Forti without scoring a point between 1993 and 1999.

TOI

Ramprakash set for Test return?

Mark Ramprakash,

LONDON: Surrey batsman Mark Ramprakash, who has been in top form for the past three years and averages more than 100 in the county championship this
season, could be recalled for the fifth and final Ashes Test.

Geoff Miller, the national selector, refused to rule the 39-year-old out of contention, while Surrey's manager Chris Adams has described him as "the best batsman available for England."

"I'm not ruling anybody out," Miller told BBC. "What we have to do as selectors is measure the quality of what they are doing in domestic cricket and whether they can do it internationally. There's a lot more pressure in Test cricket, it's a different game altogether."

Ramprakash played 52 Tests for England with the last coming in 2002. "If I was an England selector picking my best side, he'd be in it," Surrey's cricket manager Chris Adams was quoted as saying in a cricket website "He is playing the best cricket of his life. He has done so for three years. I believe strongly he has been the best batsman available for England for those three years."

Ramprakash averages 42.40 against the Australians as against his overall average of 27.32.

TOI

Australian Cricketers' Association backs BCCI's stand against WADA

MELBOURNE

MELBOURNE: Australia's cricketers applauded the BCCI's stance this week to remove themselves from the World Anti Drug Agency's strict anti-doping code, and the Australian Cricketers' Association declared that it wanted an end to the controversial new code because it was too intrusive.

Under the code, athletes must declare to WADA three months in advance where they will be for an hour each day.

The ICC is a signatory to the WADA code and Australia's top cricketers have been subjected to whereabouts reporting since July.

Indian cricketers have rebelled against the new regime and persuaded the BCCI to withdraw from the code. The ICC sent representatives to India last week in an unsuccessful bid to prevent the powerful Indian body from breaking away.

Australian Cricketers' Association chief Paul Marsh said: "'Cricket Australia has been aware of our concerns for some time. The whereabouts provisions are less than satisfactory."

The protest from Indian layers has sparked hopes that cricket might go its own way. "The Indians are taking on WADA here and we are watching with interest," The Age quoted Marsh, as saying.

The ICC announced on Friday that it had formed a working group that would "'work to resolve the India players' concerns and report back to the ICC Board at the earliest opportunity."

Source:TOI

Australian Cricketers' Association backs BCCI's stand against WADA

MELBOURNE: Australia's cricketers applauded the BCCI's stance this week to remove themselves from the World Anti Drug Agency's strict anti-doping
code, and the Australian Cricketers' Association declared that it wanted an end to the controversial new code because it was too intrusive.

Under the code, athletes must declare to WADA three months in advance where they will be for an hour each day.

The ICC is a signatory to the WADA code and Australia's top cricketers have been subjected to whereabouts reporting since July.

Indian cricketers have rebelled against the new regime and persuaded the BCCI to withdraw from the code. The ICC sent representatives to India last week in an unsuccessful bid to prevent the powerful Indian body from breaking away.

Australian Cricketers' Association chief Paul Marsh said: "'Cricket Australia has been aware of our concerns for some time. The whereabouts provisions are less than satisfactory."

The protest from Indian layers has sparked hopes that cricket might go its own way. "The Indians are taking on WADA here and we are watching with interest," The Age quoted Marsh, as saying.

The ICC announced on Friday that it had formed a working group that would "'work to resolve the India players' concerns and report back to the ICC Board at the earliest opportunity."

Sania battles into Vancouver semi-finals

NEW DELHI

NEW DELHI: India's Sania Mirza faced a tough fight from Canada's Rebecca Marino before winning the quarter-final match of the $75,000 International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament in Vancouver.

According to information received, top seed Sania won 7-6 (2), 6-7 (3), 6-4 against the 18-year-old Marino in the Canadian city Friday night.

In the semi-final, Sania will meet the winner of the all-Canadian match between Sharon Fichman and wild-card holder Marie-Eve Pelletier.

Hyderabad gears up for World Badminton C'ship

STAFF WRITER 21:35 HRS IST
Hyderabad, Aug 7 (PTI) The city is all set to hold the prestigious World Badminton Championship as players from countries across the world have started pouring here.

Players from twelve countries have already reached the city for the mega event and another set of platers from twelve countries would reach the city tonight, Punnaiah Choudary, the Organising Secretary of WBC told PTI.

Top players like Peter Hoeg Gade of Denmark, Lin Dan and Tine Rasmussen have already arrived and the visitors are happy with the arrangements and hospitality, he added.

The seven-day championship will be held at the Gachibowli stadium from Monday.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Police is also busy making tight security arrangements for the high-profile event.

Siddle, Clark put Aussies on top in fourth Test

Scorecard

LEEDS (England): Peter Siddle took his Test-best figures and Stuart Clark marked his return to international cricket with three wickets as Australia bowled out England for just 102 at Headingley on Friday.

England, who won the toss, were routed on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test with Siddle taking five wickets for 21 runs in 9.5 overs and Clark three for 18 in 10 as Australia looked to level the five-match series at 1-1.

Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, then made 78, before falling short of his third hundred at Headingley in as many Tests, to help his side to 196 for four at stumps - a lead of 94.

Michael Clarke was 34 not out and Marcus North seven not out after Ponting and opener Shane Watson shared a second-wicket stand of 119.

Clarke was hit flush on the helmet by a Stephen Harmison bouncer on 27 and then, after several minutes of treatment, survived a huge appeal for caught behind following another short ball from the Durham quick.

Australia were on the verge of building an impregnable lead when fast bowler Stuart Broad took two wickets for four runs in six balls to have both Ponting and Michael Hussey lbw.

Australia, who had lost three wickets for 18 runs in 19 balls in total, were then 151 for four.

But that was nothing compared to England's collapse.

Clark took three wickets in quick succession as England, who won the toss, slumped to 72 for six at lunch before Siddle polished off the tail with four wickets for three runs in 14 balls.

Matt Prior (37 not out) and opener Alastair Cook (30) were the only England batsmen to make it into double figures in an innings that featuring four noughts and lasted less than 34 overs.

Clark, after Australia dropped off-spinner Nathan Hauritz, made a dramatic return in what was his first Test in nine months after an elbow injury and selectorial preference had kept him out.

The 33-year-old upheld his reputation for economical accuracy by taking three wickets for five runs in 21 balls.

England, already in trouble, succumbed to Siddle, in only his 11th Test, after lunch.

The 24-year-old Victorian, on a hat-trick when he bowls in England's second innings, surpassed his previous Test-best of five for 59 against South Africa at Sydney in January

Watson completed his third Test fifty in as many innings after being recalled during the drawn third Test at Edgbaston.

But fellow opener Simon Katich was out for nought when Harmison, in for Andrew Flintoff after the pace bowling all-rounder's knee injury ruled him out, struck fourth ball to have him caught by Ravi Bopara at short backward square.

Watson and Ponting took advantage of a succession of poor deliveries and played stylishly as they built a first innings lead before Watson was lbw to Graham Onions for 51.

Ponting, once again booed to the middle by some fans despite pleas by administrators, had previously pulled Onions's first ball for six and next ball struck him for four, with 17 runs coming off the Durham quick's first over.

But his tendency to play across his front pad undid him when he was lbw to Broad having faced 100 balls with a six and 12 fours in a dominating innings.

Earlier, England captain Andrew Strauss, fortunate not to be lbw first ball after having to request a toss delay when Prior suffered back spasms while playing football in the warm-up, fell for three when was brilliantly caught one-handed above his head by third slip North off Siddle.

And 11 for one became 16 for two when struggling No 3 Bopara carelessly guided Ben Hilfenhaus to gully.

Paul Collingwood was out for a duck after edging an away-swinger from Clark, in after Australia dropped off-spinner Nathan Hauritz and went with a four-man pace attack, to Ponting at second slip.

Left-hander Cook, who resisted for 104-minutes then fell to a good length Clark ball as Ponting's prediction that England's top-order would struggle without Kevin Pietersen, ruled out after the hosts' second Test win with an Achilles injury, came true.

Hockey World Cup 2010 rescheduled

Hockey World Cup 2010 rescheduled

CHENNAI: The Hero Honda hockey World Cup to be held in Delhi next year has been advanced by a week and will now be held Feb 28 to March 13, according to a press release from the Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH), on Friday.

The reason assigned is to ensure a "better worldwide promotion of FIH's showcase event", the release stated.

The new schedule will avoid a clash of the World Cup dates with a couple of major tournaments, notably Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket.

The World Cup will see the best 12 teams of the world in action at the National Stadium in New Delhi.

Canada, Korea, South Africa and hosts India have already qualified for the World Cup. The qualifying process to identify the other seven teams will conclude in November 2009, the release added.

TOI

India beat Belgium to win Test series

three-match hockey series

BRAXGATA (Belgium): Arjun Halappa and Dhananjay Mahadik sounded the board as India beat Belgium 2-0 in the final Test to clinch the three-match hockey series 2-1 on Friday.

After losing the opener on Tuesday, India bounced back winning the second Test 4-3 and the visitors scored once in each half through Halappa (31st minute) and Mahadik (60th) to win the series.

The Indian midfield sparkled with swift rotations and overlaps which bewildered the Belgians.

Gurbaj Singh, Sardar Singh, Mahadik and Prabodh Tirkey kept a steady flow of passes among themselves and frequently stepped up the pace to set up attackers Rajpal Singh, SV Sunil, Tushar Khandker and Shivendra Singh.

India made their intentions amply clear with onslaughts from the start of play as the forwards penetrated in Belgium's danger zone repeatedly.

They were awarded their first penalty corner in the fifth minute when the ball was carried in the circle, but goalkeeper Vincent foiled Sandeep Singh's flick.

India eventually got the better of the Red Lions with a display of well manouevered skills and position interchanges.

They took the lead through a classic foray from the left flank where Khandker and Prabhjot moved in tandem at the baseline to set up Halappa who tapped past the hopelessly unbalanced Vincent.

Belgium got two penalty corners before the break but Vikram Pillay rushed out to abort the first one, while Adrian D'souza gloved away the second.

The second half saw the Indians again in full steam as their midfield not only denied Belgium space but also built effective turnovers.

India scored their second goal in the 60th minute from a penalty corner as Sandeep pushed the ball to Mahadik atop the circle. The 26-year-old Army man from Bangalore then unleashed an accurate low flick to the goalkeepers right to ensure victory.

India later left for Barcelona to begin the third leg of their Europe tour with a three-Test series at Terassa against world number four Spain.

TOI

Team for CT, Lanka tour to be picked on Aug 16

Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 6 (PTI) Indian squad for next month's triangular ODI series in Sri Lanka and ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa would be picked on August 16 in Chennai.

"Both the teams would be selected in Chennai on August 16. But the dates of the preparatory camp for the players are not yet finalised. It would be done in a short-while," BCCI sources told PTI.

The tour of Lanka features a tri-series, also involving New Zealand from September 8-14 with the teams playing each other once leading to the final.

Champions Trophy is to be held from September 22 to October 5 and all the teams have already short-listed 30 players which is to be pruned to the final squad of 15.

Hockey: India beat Belgium 4-3, level series

BRAXGATA

BRAXGATA (Belgium): Captain Sandeep Singh starred with two goals as India beat Belgium 4-3 in the second hockey Test to level the three-match series in the second leg of their ongoing European tour.

Sandeep sounded the board in 32nd and 64th minute while Hari Prasad (8th) and Rajpal Singh (55th) scored one each for India. Belgium scored through Tom Boon (4th), Cedric Charlier (11th) and Jeff Thys (18th).

India had lost the first encounter 3-6. India brought back goalkeeper Adrian D'souza, Sardar Singh, Rajpal, Gurvinder Chandi and Bharat Chhikara into the starting lineup on Wednesday, while Sandeep also recovered from flu to take the field.

The match began on an aggressive note as India tried to break the ice in the second minute, but Chandi's attempt was padded away by Belgium custodian Vincent.

Belgium earned their first penalty corner two minutes later when Sardar Singh playing as the freeman, committed a defensive error.

Resultant flick struck V S Vinaya leading to a penalty stroke which was converted by Boon to give Belgium the lead in fourth minute.

India fought back soon but couple of attempts for the equaliser by SV Sunil and Shivendra Singh were off the target.

However, Hari Prasad found the mark in eighth minute to level the score.

Belgium were back on their toes and sparkled with off-the-ball running and overlaps. Their efforts soon paid dividends as a faulty clearance by Sandeep was intercepted by Charlier who beat D'souza from the top of the circle to give Belgium the lead again in 11th minute.

The tally was further increased after seven minute after Jeff Thys got past both Vikram Pillay and Gurbaj Singh and beat D'souza low to his right.

India regrouped themselves and initiated onslaughts to reduce the margin. However, penetrations from Sunil and Rajpal Singh bore no fruit as Belgium captain Xavier Reckinger and Vincent stood tall.

However, India scored their second goal in the 32nd minute when Sandeep sank a penalty corner to the right of Vincent. Bharat Chhikara missed an open chance immediately after the break when he failed to latch to a Rajpal cross.

India, trailing 2-3 during the breather, again lost an opportunity midway in the second half when Chandi missed after a Sunil setup, but Rajpal Singh made amends as he flicked past Vincent from a penalty corner in the 55th minute.

India's match winner came from their last penalty corner after Chandi was fouled in the 64th minute. Sandeep fired home with aplomb to round off the tally in India's favour.

The third and final Test will be played on Friday.

TOI

Sania moves to second round in Vancouver

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER: Targetting her second consecutive singles title, top seed Sania Mirza faced stiff resistance from American Mallory Cecil before snatching a hard earned win in the first round of the ITF women's tournament.

Sania, edged past 410-ranked Mallory 6-4, 7-5 in her opening match of the $75,000 hard court event.

Sania will next face American Laura Granville, who advanced to the second round after her Japanese opponent Aiko Nakamura opted out of contest during the third set. Nakamura was leading 4-3 in the decisive set when she opted out of contest.

Granville had lost the first set 2-6 but stretched the match to third set after winning the second 6-3. Sania had won Lexington Challenger event recently.

TOI

Sachin Tendulkar targets 15,000 Test runs

NEW DELHI:

NEW DELHI: Even after scoring close to 30,000 international runs ever since he started his career, Sachin Tendulkar feels he has not done enough as a batsman.

"I am not pleased yet with what I have done," said Tendulkar, who has scored a record 12,773 from 159 Tests at an average of 54.58 and 16,684 runs from 425 ODIs.

The 36-year-old Tendulkar, in an interview to Wisden Cricketer magazine, said he is now aiming to touch 15,000-run mark in Tests.

"Sunil Gavaskar has told me that I have to get to 15,000 runs. He said he would be angry with me and would come and catch me if I didn't. I admire him so much and to score that many would be a terrific achievement, but that is not the only aim," he said, adding that "to win the World Cup in 2011" is his another ambition.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting, 34, is close to Tendulkar's Test mark with 11,193 Test runs so far.

Tendulkar, earlier described as second best cricketer after Don Bradman in the history of the game by Wisden, said that if anyone comes close to his style of batting is his teammate Virender Sehwag.

"I would say Virender Sehwag comes closest to my style," he said.

Australian great Bradman saw himself in Tendulkar and the Indian batting legend was also the only modern player to figure in his all-time XI.

Tendulkar admitted that thinking of life without cricket after retirement scares him.

"It's a scary thought. It has been there for my whole adult life, it will be difficult, I have been around for a long time, I can imagine when I finish I will long to face just 10 more balls but you have to move."

He, however, said time has not come yet to hang his bat. "I will know when it is the right time, I won't have to be dragged away. I am the person who will make the decision and I will know whether I still belong."

Tendulkar also revealed how he endured pain while batting in the recent past.

"I always play in pain, all the time. I played with a broken finger for the last three months, but you know when pain is manageable or not, and most of the time I can do it.

"I can still do what I did when I was 25 but the body is changing, so your thought process has to change too. I have had to change how I think, which is about taking less risk," he said.

TOI

Eight franchises for premier league, T20

Eight franchises for premier league, T20

Bangalore, Aug 5 (PTI) Karnataka State Cricket Association tonight announced eight franchises for Karnataka Premier League, a Twenty20 tournament on the lines of India Premier League.

The following were the eight highest bidders : Brigade Enterprises Limited (Bangalore Urban team), Mel Mont Constructions Pvt Ltd (Bangalore Rural), S Shivashankarappa (Hubli-Dharwad), Subhas Enterprises (Belgaum), Siresh Auto Pvt Ltd (Mysore), Fizza Developers & Inter Trade Pvt Ltd (Mangalore), Vivid Kreation (Gulbarga) and Jayaprakash Hegde K (Shimoga).

The sealed bids were opened this evening, KSCA Officials said. The minimum bid price for prospective franchises was set at Rs 20 lakh.

The tournament is slated to be staged at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here from September 12 to 27. Meanwhile, the player auction is scheduled to be held on August 14.

Trott, Sidebottom in squad for Headingley Test

London,

London, Aug 5 (PTI) With uncertainty looming large on Andrew Flintoff's participation, England has included Warwickshire batsman Jonathan Trott as his cover in the 14-member squad for the fourth Ashes Test against Australia starting at Headingley on Friday.

The squad also features fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom but there is still no place for left-arm spinner Monty Panesar.

Struggling with a knee injury, Flintoff has taken six injections in the last 18 days and still remains uncertain for the fourth Test.

The 28-year-old Trott has 831 first-class runs this season at an average of 83 and national selector Geoff Miller feels he deserved the call.

"Jonathan Trott has also performed really well for Warwickshire this season and his place in the squad is fully deserved," Miller was quoted as saying in the BBC.

I have the technique to be an opener: Watson

STAFF WRITER 11:18 HRS IST
Melbourne, Aug 3 (PTI) All-rounder Shane Watson believes he can be a solution to Australia's long-standing opening problem and feels he has the technique and temperament to counter the moving new ball.

"I have absolutely loved the challenge of opening the batting and I feel that I have the technique to open the batting," said Watson, who scored an impressive 62 as a makeshift opener during Australia's first innings in the on-going third Ashes Tests in Birmingham.

"I have no doubt I have the mental and technical aspects to be able to open the batting and consistently do well.

"I just have to perform and form a really good partnership with Simon Katich," he added.

The 28-year-old Tasmanian, however, said he was little nervous initially when asked to replace struggling Phil Hughes at the top.

BCCI rejects anti-doping clause, stands by its players

STAFF WRITER 13:15 HRS IST

Mumbai, Aug 2 (PTI) Strongly backing its players, the BCCI today rejected a controversial WADA anti-doping clause which makes it mandatory for cricketers to be available for out of competition testing, raising the possibility of a fresh stand-off with the ICC.

The BCCI said it has no problem with players being tested as part of the WADA Code but it fully shares their concerns on the 'Whereabouts Clause', which requires them to furnish information about their location three months in advance for out of competition tests.

The decision to back the players was taken at an emergency meeting of the Working Committee which deliberated at length on the issue and wanted the ICC to re-negotiate the code with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh were present in the meeting.