Kiwis postpone their tour of Zimbabwe

Wellington: The New Zealand cricket team's scheduled tour of Zimbabwe in July has been postponed until next year, it was announced here on Wednesday.

Justin Vaughan, chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, said he and his Zimbabwe counterpart, Ozias Bvute, had agreed to put off the tour for 11 months after talks during an International Cricket Council meeting in Johannesburg.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said last week that his government did not want the national team, the Black Caps, to go to Zimbabwe.

"We don't support that regime," he said. "We don't support what's happening in that country, and we don't want to give a signal that we do."

Vaughan told Radio New Zealand that he told the Zimbabweans of the government's opposition to the tour, and they understood. Postponing the tour "makes good sense", he said.

Heath Mills, head of the players' association, welcomed the decision, saying his members had been concerned about going to Zimbabwe

Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/kiwis-postpone-their-tour-of-zimbabwe/38569-13.html

Younis departs for 313; draw looks imminent

Karachi: Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal have resumed batting on the final day of the opening Test match against Sri Lanka here on Wednesday.

The match is dead, so is the pitch. But all eyes on Younis Khan who is 95 runs away from surpassing Brian Lara.

Quite a few landmarks were achieved on Tuesday, though the record for the best individual score - if Younis gets it Wednesday - will be the most significant of them all. Younis' unbeaten 306 currently ranks 21st in the list of highest Test scores.

Younis smashed his maiden triple hundred to steer Pakistan to safety with a stunning display of grit and application as the Test headed for a tame draw. Relying on Younis's marathon unbeaten 306 knock, Pakistan not only avoided the ignominy of a follow on but also ensured that they came out of the match unscathed as the hosts were just 70 runs behind Sri Lanka's mammoth first innings total of 644 for seven at the end of the fourth day.

Younus, the newly appointed captain, batted through for the second consecutive day, having occupied the crease for 795 minutes. His knock contained 27 boundaries and four sixes.

Younus reached the triple century milestone via a risky shot when he reverse sweeped off-spinner Muttiah Muralithran towards third man and ran three along with stumper Kamran Akmal who remained unbeaten on 27 at close of play.

The skipper kissed the pitch after the historic moment, which was created before a sparse crowd including some school students.

Only two Pakistani cricketers have scored a triple century till date with the last one being former captain Inzamam-ul Haq, who made 329 against New Zealand at Lahore in 2002.

Hanif Mohammed was first Pakistani to reach the magic figure when he scored 337 against the West Indies way back in 1958 at Bridgetown.

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Raina's half-century lifts India to 162-8

Christchurch: Suresh Raina's unbeaten 63 off 41 balls pushed India to 162-8 after New Zealand chose to field in the opening Twenty20 game on Thursday.

Virender Sehwag got India off to a blazing start but a middle order collapse meant the tourists faced the danger of getting bowled out within the stipulated 20 overs. But Harbhajan Singh gave Raina solid support to guide India to a respectable total.

Harbhajan returned to the Indian side, replacing all rounder Ravinder Jadeja.
The hosts are without the services of Kyle Mills but Jacob Oram and Ross Taylor back in the side.
India will worry more about the fickle Kiwi weather than the composition and strength of the hosts.
More than the Black Caps' resilience and home advantage, the cold-windy factor may ruffle Mahendra Singh Dhoni's all-conquering legion.

Given their streak of success in this format and the plethora of talent they have in their ranks, India start as hot favorites in the two-match series.

Teams:
India: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni (WK and Capt), Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma.
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (WK, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram, Nathan McCullum, Daniel Vettori(Capt), Ian Butler, Tim Southee, Ewen Thompson, Iain O'Brien.

Soruce:www.cricketnext.com

Sahara to sponsor boxers, wrestlers

New Delhi, Feb 23: Much like their cricket cousins, 17 grapplers and 13 pugilists will receive graded contracts after Sahara India Pariwar today pledged to support wrestling and boxing in the country.
Apart from offering them a four-year contract which would be reviewed every year, Sahara also adopted the famous Bhiwani Boxing Club in Haryana and the Guru Hanuman Akhara in the capital with an aim to upgrade the facilities at both the centres.

Kiwis eyeing to surprise Indians

Christchurch, Feb 23: Well aware of their rival’s recent record, New Zealand is planning to spring some surprises and would unleash a few new faces so as to catch India, a team whom their coach claims to be the best in the world, off guard.
New Zealand coach Andy Moles today said India has consistently played good around the world in the last two years and therefore he rated them as the number one team ahead of Australia and South Africa.
"They have very experienced players and are coached really well - they come (to New Zealand) at a time when it'll be a good Test for us," Moles told mediapersons here.

Turner defends T20 selection against India

Christchurch: Two days before New Zealand take on India in the opening Twenty20 clash here, the country's convener of the national selection panel, Glenn Turner, has been forced to defend the decision to drop James Franklin and Scott Styris from the squad.


Former batsman Turner along with fellow selectors John Wright and Dion Nash omitted Franklin and Styris in favour of journeyman Ewen Thompson in the two Twenty20 matches that mark the start of India's series.


Turner said they chose to reward performers in the domestic circuit rather than go for name.


"It is too easy to say that when a player does well at provincial level, it doesn't count - we think that it does," Turner was quoted as saying by the Dominion Post.


He said the selectors wanted to try out new players before the Twenty20 World Cup.


"Also we are having quite a few injuries and we have the Twenty20 World Cup coming up in June and we only have these two matches.


"It is not a rotation policy, it is more about taking advantage of an injury situation to give someone else an opportunity. Quite often those last two positions you chose could go any number of ways," said the former New Zealand batsman.


"The argument is your core players win you games and those two final selections you make are less likely to. Therefore, by swapping them around a bit you learn more about different individuals," said Turner. Regarding fast bowler Franklin's omission, Turner said he was not considered for the Twenty20 series against India because "over a period of time he has proved a bit sporting".


He said Thompson had been recalled since a reliable new-ball bowler was needed to fill the gap left by Kyle Mills' unavailability.


"ET had one go and made a bit of a go of it," Turner said, referring to his dismissal of West Indies skipper Chris Gayle.


"Their (India's) openers like the ball coming on. We left him out previously because he lost form but he's been bowling better recently and he can also bat a bit towards the end." On Styris issue, Turner felt for the moment the batsman did not warrant selection for the opening match on Wednesday.


"He starts off slowly and is committed to getting in and scoring big, but he hasn't really yet shown out. We are talking about Twenty20. He has a better show for the 50-over stuff," said Turner.

Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/turner-defends-t20-selection-against-india/38519-13.html

IPL ideal preparation for T20 WC: Dhoni

Christchurch: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes the second edition of the Indian Premier League will be the perfect build-up before the side travels to England to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in June.


Incidentally, the two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand here are India's last opportunity to play as a team before the World Cup but Dhoni believes IPL would be the right platform to prepare for the mega event.


"Every game is important. These are two Twenty20 international games. But I think it will be important to focus on the IPL more," said Dhoni, who led India to triumph in the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.


"It (IPL) would not help us only. It will help other players also who are part of IPL, which is a big tournament. Right now these two matches against New Zealand are too far away to contribute to the Twenty20 World Cup scenario," said Dhoni.

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/ipl-ideal-preparation-for-t20-wc-dhoni/38549-13.html

Younis slams triple ton, Test heads for draw

Karachi: Younis Khan notched a spectacular double hundred to help Pakistan avoid following on against Sri Lanka as the first Test headed towards a draw here on Tuesday.

The new captain was unbeaten on 243 for his second Test double hundred which helped Pakistan move to 453-4 at tea on the fourth day, in reply to the tourists' first-innings score of 644-7 declared.


Younis, 31, matched Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene who scored 240 in Sri Lanka's mammoth total -- the first instance in Test cricket's 132-year history when rival captains scored double hundreds in the same match. The other unbeaten batsman at the break was Faisal Iqbal on 27.


Younis batted solidly and with resolve to save Pakistan from a possible follow-on, completing 5,000 runs in his 59th Test when he reached 184.


He becomes the sixth Pakistani batsmen to achieve the tally. The list is headed by Javed Miandad and followed by Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Salim Malik and Zaheer Abbas.


Younis drove paceman Dilhara Fernando towards covers for three to reach his double hundred. It took him 528 minutes and 385 balls to reach the mark.


As Younis blocked one end, Sri Lanka managed only one wicket in the first session when Fernando trapped Misbah-ul-Haq in the penultimate over before lunch for 42.


Pakistan were in a tight corner when they resumed at 296-3 but Younis and Haq gave no chances to the Sri Lankan attack, adding 130 runs for the fourth wicket.


Younis, 149 overnight, moved to 150 in the second over with a single and remained as calm as he was throughout Monday.


He has so far hit 24 boundaries and two sixes during his ten hours and eleven minutes stay at the crease.


Haq, who scored successive hundreds in Pakistan's last two Tests -- against India in 2007 -- also grew in confidence, lofting Ajantha Mendis for a six to bring Pakistan within 100 runs of the follow-on target.


Veteran Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who got his only wicket on Sunday, and new sensation Mendis, who took his solitary wicket on Monday, failed to create any problems for the batsmen.


The second Test will start in Lahore from Sunday.

Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/younis-slams-triple-ton-test-heads-for-draw/38542-13.html

New Zealand rope in Wright to plot India's downfall

Auckland: The New Zealand cricket team has roped in former India coach John Wright to help them prepare for the series starting on Wednesday.


Wright, a former New Zealand captain, was India's first overseas coach and also guided them to the final of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.


He was the manager of the Indian team when they last toured New Zealand.


New Zealand coach Moles says that Wright has been involved with the team and has helped them identify the strength and weaknesses of the Indian team, the New Zealand Herald reported Tuesday.


Moles wants his team to be more ruthless and wants his players to capitalise on all their opportunities what they failed to do on the Australian tour.


Moles has identified a couple of areas where his side may hold the upper hand in the limited overs matches. He feels that the batting line-up can take on any bowling attack in the world. Moles also felt that destructive batsmen in the team like Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder can out-field the Indians.

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Mourinho thrilled to face old foes United

MILAN: A rare fixture takes place in Milan's San Siro when holders Manchester United face Serie A leaders Inter Milan in the first leg of a tie that has been eagerly awaited since the draw was made.

It is 10 years since the sides last met, since when Alex Ferguson has continued churning out silverware at Old Trafford and Inter have re-established themselves as the leading force in Italian football.

A few managers have come and gone at Inter since that 1999 clash won by United but the presence of Jose Mourinho , the latest in the hotseat, means a rivalry that once illuminated English football is set to be rekindled.

Mourinho, in trademark style, has already played down the significance of the game, but Ferguson knows all too well that the Portuguese will possibly prove his most dangerous adversary in attempting to retain the title.

After all, statistics show Mourinho, a Champions League winner with Porto, has got the better of Ferguson most of the time—winning six, drawing five and losing one of their 12 meetings.

"The game against United will only be important if we go on to win the Champions League," Mourinho said.

"Otherwise the game will be irrelevant." United have injury worries, particularly in defence where he is without suspended Nemanja Vidic, Gary Neville and Wes Brown.

Soruce:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mourinho-thrilled-to-face-old-foes-United/articleshow/4179647.cms

Boxers, wrestlers get a huge boost

NEW DELHI: Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh's exploits in the Beijing Olympics brought good news for the wrestlers and boxers on Monday. Impressed with the good showing of the boxers and wrestlers in the Olympics and beyond, leading corporate house Sahara on Monday announced financial support for 30 of them for the next four years — beyond the 2012 Olympics in London.

The company will adopt 17 wrestlers and 13 boxers as part of its "emotional commitment towards betterment of sports in India."

Besides, the company has also decided to support the Bhiwani Boxing Club and Capital's Guru Hanuman Akhara by building international standard infrastructure there. It will also sponsor the senior National boxing championships for the next four years.

"We want to see these sportspersons free from any worries while they prepare for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2012 Olympics," Sahara group chairman Subrata Roy told reporters here.

The tie-up provides for a graded system of sponsorship payment to each athlete depending upon the achievement which would be reviewed annually by their respective federations. Though Roy did not divulge the amount needed for the tie-up, he said his company is ready to pump in more money if needed by the athletes.

"Money is no issue. There's no fixed amount. If more money is needed it will be provided," he said. "They won medals for us in the Olympics, now we expect more from them."

It has been learnt that the company would provide the money directly to the shortlisted boxers and wrestlers.

Meanwhile, some of the beneficiaries said the move came as a shot in the arm ahead of the upcoming mega events. "It's a very good thing to have happened. I am excited that I can now have better diet and prepare in a better manner," said promising boxer Nanao Singh, the youth World champion.

Both Vijender and Sushil said the tie-up would give a major boost to both the disciplines in the country.

The beneficiaries

Boxing: Vijender Singh, Akhil Kumar , Jitender Kumar, Antharesh Lakra, Dinesh Kumar, Amandeep Singh, Nanao Singh, Narjit Singh, Chhote Lal Yadav, Rakesh Kalaskar, Dilbagh Singh, Balwinder Beniwal, Santhosh Virothu.

Wrestlers: Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Palwinder Singh Cheema, Rajeev Tomar, Rahul Aware, Vinod Kumar, Hardeep Singh, Amit Kumar, Ramesh Kumar, Mausam Khatri, Joginder Kumar, Hari Krishan, Ravinder Singh, Vikram Sanghwan, Rajbir Chhikara, Manoj Kumar and Dharmender Dalal.

Talks with Man U on

Meanwhile, Sahara group chairman Subrata Roy said on Monday his company was in talks with soccer giants Manchester United over possible sponsorship of the club's jerseys. However, he did not divulge details about the ongoing discussions.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Boxers-wrestlers-get-a-huge-boost/articleshow/4179632.cms

Sania to work with Agassi's trainer

BANGALORE: Sania Mirza will be in Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, for a week starting March 2. Famous for its casino resorts, the 22-year-old Indian, however, will have little time for that as she heads to Gil Reyes' training centre for a stint of energy-sapping workouts.

Reyes, incidentally, is the man credited with turning around Andre Agassi's career as a perennial top-10 power. Agassi went on to join Aussie legend Rod Laver as the only man to win five Grand Slam titles after celebrating his 29th birthday.

Reyes has been more than a trainer for Agassi. He's been a trusted friend in a two-decade partnership that saw the great American name his first-born, Jaden Gil, after Reyes.

"It's going to be a new experience and I'm looking forward to it," Sania told TOI. "I've heard so much about it from Ana (Ivanovic) and (Fernando) Verdasco, who had trained there before he made the semi-finals of the Australian Open. This is going to be a short stint because I'll be playing tournaments in the following week. If it works well for me I want to go over for a longer stint in the near future."

Sania will be joined by coach Sven Groeneveld at Reyes' centre, where she's expected to work both on and off the court.

"The schedule hasn't been drawn up as yet," Sania's father Imran said. "As in, how much time she spends in the gym and how much working out, but we should have that finalized in the next couple of days," he added.

After the week-long session in Las Vegas, the Hyderabadi is expected to play two top tier tournaments in Indian Wells, starting March 11, where she defends 130 ranking points, and Miami. Sania, who has risen 12 places in the ranking this week to 75, however, stands to lose 60 points when the new rankings are announced on Monday.

The Indian ace is hoping to get wildcards in both Indian Wells and Miami. Groeneveld will accompany her to both events. Sania, whose ranking had fallen out of the 120s at the start of the season, is coming back from a long injury lay-off

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sania-to-work-with-Agassis-trainer/articleshow/4179636.cms

Woodgate dents Hull's survival hopes

HULL: A late goal from England defender Jonathan Woodgate gave Spurs what could be a crucial three points in the fight against relegation as they beat fellow Premiership strugglers Hull 2-1 on Monday.

Woodgate's header - in what was his 50th appearance for the London club - four minutes from time gave Spurs only their second win in their last 10 Premier League matches and first away win since beating West Ham on December 8 last year.

For Hull relegation appears to be a real possibility as they have registered just one victory in their last 17 Premier League Games and are now just six points above the drop and one above Spurs.

Hull had gone close to taking the lead a quarter of an hour in but it was not of their making - as Woodgate's header back to Spurs 'keeper Carlo Cudicini went past the Italian but he recovered to avoid conceding an embarrassing own goal.

However, Spurs were ahead two minutes later as Hull inexcusably left Aaron Lennon unmarked at a corner and Croat Luka Modric, seeing his team-mate unattended, passed to him and he made no mistake with an impressive shot.

The hosts recovered their composure after that blow - which had come against the run of play - and 10 minutes later they were deservedly level as Michael Turner turned the ball into the net after a corner kick had been missed by Cudicini and the ball had cannoned off Spurs midfielder Wilson Palacios.

The second-half started in lively fashion with Spurs forcing two early corners with Darren Bent going closest as his shot was saved by Matt Duke, though, the Spurs striker should have done better.

Hull went down the other end and Republic of Ireland international Kevin Kilbane had a shot from a corner blocked by two Spurs players after another piece of nervy goalkeeping by Cudicini.

Spurs Croatian international fullback Vedran Corluka was just the woodwork away from restoring his side's lead when his header from Modric's freekick beat Duke but came back off the crossbar.

Hull hit back, though, as Kamil Zayatte put in a good header with just under a quarter-of-an-hour remaining, only for it to come off the far post as both sides pressed for what would probably be the winner.

That eventually came four minutes from the end and to the disappointment of the home fans it was Spurs who grabbed it as Woodgate rose to meet Benoit Assou-Ekotto's cross and beat Duke - though the central defender had to leave the pitch a couple of minutes later with a head wound.

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