Beckham targets World Cup glory after earning 109th cap LONDON, March 29 (AFP): David Beckham set his sights on a starring role at the World Cup after earning a record-breaking 109th cap in England’s 4-0 friendly win against Slovakia. Beckham came on for the second half at Wembley yesterday to pass Bobby Moore’s record for the most caps by an England out-field player.Now only goalkeeper Peter Shilton, with 125 caps, stands ahead of Beckham in England’s all-time appearance list.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Gutsy Gambhir leads India
Gutsy Gambhir leads Indian fightback in 2nd Test NAPIER, March 29 (PTI): Gautam Gambhir struck a gutsy unbeaten century to lead a remarkable Indian fightback as the visitors raised hopes of drawing the second cricket Test against New Zealand by losing just one wicket on the fourth day here today.After conceding a huge 314-run lead, the Indians raised their game when it mattered most to reach 252 for two at close on the penultimate day, still trailing the hosts by 62 runs.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Aronian tops Amber, Anand joint second
Nice (France), Mar 27 (PTI) World champion Viswanathan Anand missed chances galore in the blindfold game against Chinese Wang Yue and had to be content with an overall joint second finish in the Amber blindfold and rapid chess tournament here.
Anand, however, maintained his supremacy in the rapid section as he tied with Levon Aronian of Armenia and Gata Kamsky of United.
The Indian ace finished with an impressive 7 points out of a possible 11 in rapid section while in the blindfold he finished joint fourth on 6.5 points.
Aronian drew both his games against former world champion Veslein Topalov of Bulgaria in the final round and emerged as the clear winner in the 18th edition of the prestigious event.
The Armenian finished with 14 points out of a possible 22 games and remained a half point ahead of Anand and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia who both shared the overall second spot.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway found his nemesis in the blindfold in Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan and finished clear fourth after recovering to win the rapid game. The Norwegian ended with a tally of 13 points and was two points clear of next contender Alexander Morozevich of Russia.
Anand, however, maintained his supremacy in the rapid section as he tied with Levon Aronian of Armenia and Gata Kamsky of United.
The Indian ace finished with an impressive 7 points out of a possible 11 in rapid section while in the blindfold he finished joint fourth on 6.5 points.
Aronian drew both his games against former world champion Veslein Topalov of Bulgaria in the final round and emerged as the clear winner in the 18th edition of the prestigious event.
The Armenian finished with 14 points out of a possible 22 games and remained a half point ahead of Anand and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia who both shared the overall second spot.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway found his nemesis in the blindfold in Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan and finished clear fourth after recovering to win the rapid game. The Norwegian ended with a tally of 13 points and was two points clear of next contender Alexander Morozevich of Russia.
PTI
Thursday, March 26, 2009
India finally bat after NZ declare on 619
Napier: New Zealand declared their first innings on a mammoth 619 for nine, after Brendon McCullum posted the third century of the innings on the second day of the second Test against India.
Jesse Ryder reached 201 and Brendon McCullum was 103 not out as New Zealand went to tea at 592 for six.
Ryder batted for just over eight hours to raise the third double century and third-highest score by a New Zealander against India, then was out to the next ball — bowled by Zaheer Khan — ending an innings of exemplary stamina and concentration. His innings market the 15th Test double century by a New Zealand player.
The burly left-hander, whose only other Test century (102) in the first innings of the first Test at Hamilton, was out when New Zealand were 477-6, having transformed their innings, the match and potentially the series.
He was also out one ball after achieving his century in the Hamilton Test — won by India by 10 wickets — which gave the first clear evidence of his development from a big-hitting limited-overs batsman to a mature and disciplined Test player.
Ryder has now scored 50 or more, including two centuries, in four of his last five Test innings and has averaged 132 over a prolific period which began with his 89 in the first innings of the first Test against the West Indies in December.
At the end of his innings on Friday, he was averaging 64 with two centuries and four half-centuries in a Test career of only eight matches and 14 innings.
Ryder began his marathon vigil when New Zealand was 23-3 in the 11th over on Thursday, after winning the toss and batting.
He shared partnerships of 271 for the fourth wicket with Ross Taylor, who was out for 151 on the first day, 121 for the fifth wicket with James Franklin, run out for 52 before lunch, and finally 62 for the sixth wicket with Brendon McCullum.
McCullum went on to reach his third Test century just three balls before tea. He reached the milestone, eclipsing previous centuries against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, in 141 minutes from 131 balls with 11 fours.
The New Zealand wicketkeeper shared an unbeaten 115-run partnership for the seventh-wicket with captain Daniel Vettori who was 43 not out at the break.
The innings became the first in which two batsmen in a New Zealand team had exceeded 150 since 2004 against South Africa at Auckland.
Ryder's partnership with Taylor was the highest for all wickets by a New Zealand pair against India and the highest for the fourth wicket for New Zealand against any nation.
India's win at Hamilton was their first Test win in New Zealand since 1976. The tourists remain in pursuit of their first Test series win here since 1968.
Mediocre bowling, poor catching and the absence of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who pulled out of the match with a back injury, contributed to New Zealand's strong position on the second day.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/india-finally-bat-after-nz-declare-on-619/39465-13.html
Jesse Ryder reached 201 and Brendon McCullum was 103 not out as New Zealand went to tea at 592 for six.
Ryder batted for just over eight hours to raise the third double century and third-highest score by a New Zealander against India, then was out to the next ball — bowled by Zaheer Khan — ending an innings of exemplary stamina and concentration. His innings market the 15th Test double century by a New Zealand player.
The burly left-hander, whose only other Test century (102) in the first innings of the first Test at Hamilton, was out when New Zealand were 477-6, having transformed their innings, the match and potentially the series.
He was also out one ball after achieving his century in the Hamilton Test — won by India by 10 wickets — which gave the first clear evidence of his development from a big-hitting limited-overs batsman to a mature and disciplined Test player.
Ryder has now scored 50 or more, including two centuries, in four of his last five Test innings and has averaged 132 over a prolific period which began with his 89 in the first innings of the first Test against the West Indies in December.
At the end of his innings on Friday, he was averaging 64 with two centuries and four half-centuries in a Test career of only eight matches and 14 innings.
Ryder began his marathon vigil when New Zealand was 23-3 in the 11th over on Thursday, after winning the toss and batting.
He shared partnerships of 271 for the fourth wicket with Ross Taylor, who was out for 151 on the first day, 121 for the fifth wicket with James Franklin, run out for 52 before lunch, and finally 62 for the sixth wicket with Brendon McCullum.
McCullum went on to reach his third Test century just three balls before tea. He reached the milestone, eclipsing previous centuries against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, in 141 minutes from 131 balls with 11 fours.
The New Zealand wicketkeeper shared an unbeaten 115-run partnership for the seventh-wicket with captain Daniel Vettori who was 43 not out at the break.
The innings became the first in which two batsmen in a New Zealand team had exceeded 150 since 2004 against South Africa at Auckland.
Ryder's partnership with Taylor was the highest for all wickets by a New Zealand pair against India and the highest for the fourth wicket for New Zealand against any nation.
India's win at Hamilton was their first Test win in New Zealand since 1976. The tourists remain in pursuit of their first Test series win here since 1968.
Mediocre bowling, poor catching and the absence of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who pulled out of the match with a back injury, contributed to New Zealand's strong position on the second day.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/india-finally-bat-after-nz-declare-on-619/39465-13.html
Yousuf may play for Pak soon
Star Pakistani middle order bulwark Mohammad Yousuf could be donning Pakistan colours again after reports have emerged that he is planning to end his association with the Indian Cricket League(ICL) and return to international cricket.
Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami and Naved-ul-Hasan are the players who might walk away from the ICL, the News reported. The Pakistan establishment, led by Younis Khan, the captain, is keen that Yousuf, in particular, returns to the national team as early as next month for the one-day series against Australia starting on April 22 in Abu Dhabi, the report said.
Yousuf had rejoined the ICL last year after developing serious differences with Shoaib Malik, the then Pakistan captain. But the situation appears to have changed after Younis, known to be close to Yousuf, became Pakistan captain this year. The News quoted sources as saying that "the breakthrough was achieved following a series of meetings between Yousuf and Younis".
Another reason why the Pakistan players are said to be considering such a move is that the ICL has suspended its March-April tournament and is looking at restarting their international programme only in October. The ICL took this step in February due to the deepening economic recession and the Pakistan government's refusal to let any player from that country play in India following the Mumbai terror attacks.
The players fear that the current freeze in political ties between India and Pakistan would prevent them from playing in India in the near future.
The report also claimed that if the Pakistan players part ways with the ICL, they could be immediately included in the national team for the one-day series against Australia - the squad is expected to be named early in April.
Source:Cricbuzz
Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami and Naved-ul-Hasan are the players who might walk away from the ICL, the News reported. The Pakistan establishment, led by Younis Khan, the captain, is keen that Yousuf, in particular, returns to the national team as early as next month for the one-day series against Australia starting on April 22 in Abu Dhabi, the report said.
Yousuf had rejoined the ICL last year after developing serious differences with Shoaib Malik, the then Pakistan captain. But the situation appears to have changed after Younis, known to be close to Yousuf, became Pakistan captain this year. The News quoted sources as saying that "the breakthrough was achieved following a series of meetings between Yousuf and Younis".
Another reason why the Pakistan players are said to be considering such a move is that the ICL has suspended its March-April tournament and is looking at restarting their international programme only in October. The ICL took this step in February due to the deepening economic recession and the Pakistan government's refusal to let any player from that country play in India following the Mumbai terror attacks.
The players fear that the current freeze in political ties between India and Pakistan would prevent them from playing in India in the near future.
The report also claimed that if the Pakistan players part ways with the ICL, they could be immediately included in the national team for the one-day series against Australia - the squad is expected to be named early in April.
Source:Cricbuzz
IPL announces schedule
Cape Town will host the opening ceremony and the first match of the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on April 18 while the Wanderers Stadium will host the final on May 24.
The semi-finals are to be held on May 22 and 23 in Pretoria and Johannesburg respectively, as per the full schedule of the Twenty20 league.
In a double header on the first day, champions Rajasthan Royals will take on Bangalore Royal Challengers while the evening game will be contested between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Superkings.
Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, East London, Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth will be the 8 hosts for the 59 games.
Durban, which has a large South Asian community has been allotted the most games - 16 while Centurion in Pretoria will play host to 12 games.
The Wanderers in Johannesburg and Newlands in Cape Town come next best with eight matches each, with the latter playing host to four of these on the first two days of the tournament.
Seven matches are to be held in St George's Park in Port Elizabeth while Buffalo Park in East London has been allotted four matches.
Two matches each have been allocated to Outsurance Oval in Bloemfontein and De Beers Oval in Kimberley. Matches will start at 4 pm IST (12.30 pm local time) and 8 pm IST (4.30pm local time). There are a total of 10 double headers (two matches back-to-back at the same venue) with Durban hosting half of these.
Schedule: All times IST (GMT + 0530)
April 18: Rajasthan Royals (RR) v Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Mumbai Indians (MI) v Chennai Super Kings (CSK) (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) v Deccan Chargers (DC) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Delhi Daredevils (DD) v Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 20: RCB V CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
April 21: RR v MI (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v KXIP (8 pm) at Durban
April 22: DD v CSK (4 pm) at Durban; RCB v DC (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 23: KKR v RR (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
April 24: KXIP v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg
April 25: KKR v CSK (4 pm) at Cape Town; DC v MI (8 pm) at Durban
April 26: RR v KXIP (4 pm) at Cape Town; RCB v DD (8 pm) Port Elizabeth
April 27: KKR v MI (4 pm) at Cape Town; CSK v DC (8 pm) at Durban
April 28: DD v RR (4 pm) at Pretoria
April 29: MI v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v RCB (8 pm) at Durban
April 30: DD v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria; RR v CSK (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 1: RCB v KXIP (4 pm) at East London; MI v KKR (8 pm) at Durban
May 2: RR v DC (4 pm) at Johannesburg; CSK v DD (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 3: MI v RCB (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v KKR (8 pm) at East London
May 4: DC v CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 5: DD v KKR (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v RR (8 pm) at Durban
May 6: MI v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria
May 7: KXIP v CSK (4 pm) at Pretoria; RCB v RR (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 8: DD v MI (4 pm) at East London
May 9: DC v KXIP (4 pm) at Bloemfontein; CSK v RR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 10: KKR v DD (4 pm) at East London; RCB v MI (8 pm) at Johannesburg
May 11: DC v RR (4 pm) at Bloemfontein
May 12: RCB v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria; KXIP v MI (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 13: DC v DD (4 pm) at Durban
May 14: MI v RR (4 pm) at Durban; CSK v RCB (8 pm) at Durban
May 15: KXIP v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley
May 16: CSK v MI (4 pm) at Johannesburg; DC v KKR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 17: RR v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley; KXIP v DC (8 pm) at Johannesburg
May 18: CSK v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria
May 19: DD v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg
May 20: CSK v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; RR v KKR (8 pm) at Durban
May 21: DC v RCB (4 pm) at Pretoria; MI v DD (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 22: Semi Final 1 at Pretoria
May 23: Semi Final 2 at Johannesburg
May 24: Final at Johannesburg.
Source: Cricbuzz
The semi-finals are to be held on May 22 and 23 in Pretoria and Johannesburg respectively, as per the full schedule of the Twenty20 league.
In a double header on the first day, champions Rajasthan Royals will take on Bangalore Royal Challengers while the evening game will be contested between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Superkings.
Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, East London, Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth will be the 8 hosts for the 59 games.
Durban, which has a large South Asian community has been allotted the most games - 16 while Centurion in Pretoria will play host to 12 games.
The Wanderers in Johannesburg and Newlands in Cape Town come next best with eight matches each, with the latter playing host to four of these on the first two days of the tournament.
Seven matches are to be held in St George's Park in Port Elizabeth while Buffalo Park in East London has been allotted four matches.
Two matches each have been allocated to Outsurance Oval in Bloemfontein and De Beers Oval in Kimberley. Matches will start at 4 pm IST (12.30 pm local time) and 8 pm IST (4.30pm local time). There are a total of 10 double headers (two matches back-to-back at the same venue) with Durban hosting half of these.
Schedule: All times IST (GMT + 0530)
April 18: Rajasthan Royals (RR) v Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Mumbai Indians (MI) v Chennai Super Kings (CSK) (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 19: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) v Deccan Chargers (DC) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Delhi Daredevils (DD) v Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 20: RCB V CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
April 21: RR v MI (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v KXIP (8 pm) at Durban
April 22: DD v CSK (4 pm) at Durban; RCB v DC (8 pm) at Cape Town
April 23: KKR v RR (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
April 24: KXIP v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg
April 25: KKR v CSK (4 pm) at Cape Town; DC v MI (8 pm) at Durban
April 26: RR v KXIP (4 pm) at Cape Town; RCB v DD (8 pm) Port Elizabeth
April 27: KKR v MI (4 pm) at Cape Town; CSK v DC (8 pm) at Durban
April 28: DD v RR (4 pm) at Pretoria
April 29: MI v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v RCB (8 pm) at Durban
April 30: DD v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria; RR v CSK (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 1: RCB v KXIP (4 pm) at East London; MI v KKR (8 pm) at Durban
May 2: RR v DC (4 pm) at Johannesburg; CSK v DD (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 3: MI v RCB (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v KKR (8 pm) at East London
May 4: DC v CSK (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 5: DD v KKR (4 pm) at Durban; KXIP v RR (8 pm) at Durban
May 6: MI v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria
May 7: KXIP v CSK (4 pm) at Pretoria; RCB v RR (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 8: DD v MI (4 pm) at East London
May 9: DC v KXIP (4 pm) at Bloemfontein; CSK v RR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 10: KKR v DD (4 pm) at East London; RCB v MI (8 pm) at Johannesburg
May 11: DC v RR (4 pm) at Bloemfontein
May 12: RCB v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria; KXIP v MI (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 13: DC v DD (4 pm) at Durban
May 14: MI v RR (4 pm) at Durban; CSK v RCB (8 pm) at Durban
May 15: KXIP v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley
May 16: CSK v MI (4 pm) at Johannesburg; DC v KKR (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth
May 17: RR v DD (4 pm) at Kimberley; KXIP v DC (8 pm) at Johannesburg
May 18: CSK v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria
May 19: DD v RCB (4 pm) at Johannesburg
May 20: CSK v KXIP (4 pm) at Durban; RR v KKR (8 pm) at Durban
May 21: DC v RCB (4 pm) at Pretoria; MI v DD (8 pm) at Pretoria
May 22: Semi Final 1 at Pretoria
May 23: Semi Final 2 at Johannesburg
May 24: Final at Johannesburg.
Source: Cricbuzz
Yuki to play World No. 73 at Miami
Miami, March 25: World No. 1 junior Yuki Bhambri will find himself in the big league on Thursday when he takes on Diego Junqueira of Argentina at the Soni Ericsson Open tennis.
The 16-year-old junior Australian Open was given a wildcard when he won the prestigious Orange Bowl title, considered to be the fifth Grand Slam, in December.
If Yuki manages to beat 28-year-old Junqueira, who is World NO. 73, he will have his first brush with a top-10 player in former World No. 1 and fifth-seed Andy Roddick of US, who got a bye in the first round. (Agencies)
The 16-year-old junior Australian Open was given a wildcard when he won the prestigious Orange Bowl title, considered to be the fifth Grand Slam, in December.
If Yuki manages to beat 28-year-old Junqueira, who is World NO. 73, he will have his first brush with a top-10 player in former World No. 1 and fifth-seed Andy Roddick of US, who got a bye in the first round. (Agencies)
India chasing history
Napier, March 25: History beckons India as it prepares to take on an inexperienced and demoralised New Zealand tomorrow in the second cricket Test, a victory in which would give the visitors their first series triumph here in 41 years.
Leading 1-0 in the three-match series, the Indian team has been in decimating form and is high on confidence as it seeks to wrap up the three-match series with a win.
In contrast to India’s three-seamer, one-spinner combination, New Zealand have packed their attack with two spinners and three seamers for the contest at the McLean Park.
The hosts are hoping that off-spinner Jeetan Patel would give them the edge if the wicket assists spin. THE SENTINEL
Leading 1-0 in the three-match series, the Indian team has been in decimating form and is high on confidence as it seeks to wrap up the three-match series with a win.
In contrast to India’s three-seamer, one-spinner combination, New Zealand have packed their attack with two spinners and three seamers for the contest at the McLean Park.
The hosts are hoping that off-spinner Jeetan Patel would give them the edge if the wicket assists spin. THE SENTINEL
India-Australia Davis Cup tie is on: AITA
New Delhi, Mar 26 (PTI) The All India Tennis Association today ruled out shifting the Davis Cup tie between India and Australia from Chennai, scheduled in May, saying proper security arrangements will be in place for holding trouble-free matches.
An AITA official though admitted that the International Tennis Federation (ITF) had written to them about security concerns raised by the Australian team.
"We are confident of holding the tie in Chennai and there is no need to shift it. ITF wrote to us about Aussies concerns and we have already sent a reply to them.
"There are good security arrangements. Apart from the state police, the security agency which monitored the ATP Chennai Open in January is involved. So there is no question of shifting it (tie) from India," the AITA official told PTI.
On being asked if ITF had replied back to AITA confirming the tie, the official said, "No, they have not replied but we have assured them about the proper security arrangements.
"We were sent a questionnaire, as is the procedure, and we have replied. As of now the tie is on." The third and final round tie of the Asia/Oceania Group I between India and Australia is scheduled between May 8-10.
The winners will advance to the World Group play-offs. PTI
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Anand draws with Topalov, loses sole lead
Nice (France), Mar 25 (PTI) World champion Viswanathan Anand played out two draws with Bulgarian world number one Veselin Topalov in the ninth round to surrender his sole lead in the Amber blindfold and rapid chess tournament here today.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Levon Aronian of Armenia caught the Indian in lead with an identical 1.5-0.5 victories over Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine and Alexander Morozevich of Russia respectively.
With just two rounds to come in the strongest ever Amber, the leaders have 11.5 points each and they have a 1.5 points lead over Russian, Vladimir Kramnik who found his nemesis in Ukrainian Vassily Ivanchuk.
The lead for the three leaders is a clear indication that only these three will be fighting for supremacy now.
The encounter between Topalov and Anand was closely followed by everyone as they are not only top players in the world rankings but will also face each other in the World Championship match next year.
The blindfold game was a sharp and interesting fight in the Caro Kann defense, but it was also far from flawless. In the opening Topalov mixed up moves with white pieces and ended in difficulties.
PTI
Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Levon Aronian of Armenia caught the Indian in lead with an identical 1.5-0.5 victories over Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine and Alexander Morozevich of Russia respectively.
With just two rounds to come in the strongest ever Amber, the leaders have 11.5 points each and they have a 1.5 points lead over Russian, Vladimir Kramnik who found his nemesis in Ukrainian Vassily Ivanchuk.
The lead for the three leaders is a clear indication that only these three will be fighting for supremacy now.
The encounter between Topalov and Anand was closely followed by everyone as they are not only top players in the world rankings but will also face each other in the World Championship match next year.
The blindfold game was a sharp and interesting fight in the Caro Kann defense, but it was also far from flawless. In the opening Topalov mixed up moves with white pieces and ended in difficulties.
PTI
Chetan in second round, World no 1 crashes out of Indian Open
Hyderabad, Mar 25 (PTI) Third seed Chetan Anand staved off an early scare from Chong Chieh Lok of Malaysia to enter into second round of the Indian Open Grand Prix badminton tournament here today.
The Indian shuttler wrapped up the affair 14-21 21-9 22-20 in a grueling tie that lasted for 47 minutes.
Meanwhile, Chinese shuttler Long Chen pulled off probably the biggest upset of the tournament when he stunned world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia 21-7 16-21 18-21.
Chetan made a strong comeback after losing the first game 14-21 to the Malaysian and spanked him 21-9 in the second, before the third game saw a tooth and nail battle.
The duo went neck and neck from 14-14, 16-16, 19-19 to 20-20, before the world number 12 Chetan sealed the match 22-20 to set up a second round clash with another Chinese Wenlong Zhou later today.
In the other match, world number one Lee Chong made an aggressive start, thumping Long 21-7 in first game but world number 147, Long soon avenged by bagging the next game 21-16, making it one-all.
PTI
The Indian shuttler wrapped up the affair 14-21 21-9 22-20 in a grueling tie that lasted for 47 minutes.
Meanwhile, Chinese shuttler Long Chen pulled off probably the biggest upset of the tournament when he stunned world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia 21-7 16-21 18-21.
Chetan made a strong comeback after losing the first game 14-21 to the Malaysian and spanked him 21-9 in the second, before the third game saw a tooth and nail battle.
The duo went neck and neck from 14-14, 16-16, 19-19 to 20-20, before the world number 12 Chetan sealed the match 22-20 to set up a second round clash with another Chinese Wenlong Zhou later today.
In the other match, world number one Lee Chong made an aggressive start, thumping Long 21-7 in first game but world number 147, Long soon avenged by bagging the next game 21-16, making it one-all.
PTI
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
No decision on selling Liverpool stake: Gillett
LONDON: Liverpool co-owner George Gillett Jr. has not yet made a decision about whether to sell his 50 percent stake in the Premier League club or offload the Montreal Canadiens.
Gillett has hired financial companies in Canada, the United States and Europe to reassess his varied holdings.
"We have appointed advisers in different countries to assess our assets," Gillett said Tuesday. "We have engaged professionals who are doing some estate planning, it has nothing to do with any decisions to sell any assets.
"We may do some recapitalization, but any links between what we are doing and the situation at Liverpool is incorrect. We have made no decision to sell."
At Liverpool, which Gillett co-owns with Tom Hicks, a July deadline is approaching to refinance the loan that funded their takeover two years ago.
That financing package of about 250 million pounds ($368.2 million) must be renewed after a six-month extension was granted by the Royal Bank of Scotland and US investment bank Wachovia. But RBS recently announced huge losses amid the global economic downturn and may not be in a position to extend further financing.
Liverpool is in second place in the Premier League - one point behind Manchester United - and has reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Selling his Liverpool stake would require the approval of Hicks, but Gillett owns 80.1 percent of the Canadiens and the Bell Centre.
Gillett bought the Canadiens and their arena in 2001 for $275 million with the help of $140 million in loans from two banks and the Quebec pension fund. He also owns the Gillett Evernham NASCAR team, event promoter Gillett Entertainment Group, ski resorts, car dealerships and agricultural companies.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/?frm_TOIHome_top
Gillett has hired financial companies in Canada, the United States and Europe to reassess his varied holdings.
"We have appointed advisers in different countries to assess our assets," Gillett said Tuesday. "We have engaged professionals who are doing some estate planning, it has nothing to do with any decisions to sell any assets.
"We may do some recapitalization, but any links between what we are doing and the situation at Liverpool is incorrect. We have made no decision to sell."
At Liverpool, which Gillett co-owns with Tom Hicks, a July deadline is approaching to refinance the loan that funded their takeover two years ago.
That financing package of about 250 million pounds ($368.2 million) must be renewed after a six-month extension was granted by the Royal Bank of Scotland and US investment bank Wachovia. But RBS recently announced huge losses amid the global economic downturn and may not be in a position to extend further financing.
Liverpool is in second place in the Premier League - one point behind Manchester United - and has reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Selling his Liverpool stake would require the approval of Hicks, but Gillett owns 80.1 percent of the Canadiens and the Bell Centre.
Gillett bought the Canadiens and their arena in 2001 for $275 million with the help of $140 million in loans from two banks and the Quebec pension fund. He also owns the Gillett Evernham NASCAR team, event promoter Gillett Entertainment Group, ski resorts, car dealerships and agricultural companies.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/?frm_TOIHome_top
Anand beats Kramnik to take sole lead
NICE (France): World champion Viswanathan Anand crushed Vladimir Kramnik in the blindfold section and romped home with a 1.5-0.5 victory in the crucial eighth round of the Amber Blindfold and Rapid chess tournament on Monday.
Anand won the blindfold game and surged ahead in this section to share the second spot in this section.
With the rapid game ending in a draw the Indian ace is now in sole lead on 10.5 points.
Levon Aronian of Armenia defeated Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan in the blindfold game and played out a draw in the rapid to win by a similar margin like Anand and so did Magnus Carlsen of Norway in his match against Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria.
Both Carlsen and Aronain remained on Anand's heels, half point behind, and it might well be a race between these three for the title in the last three rounds.
Kramnik slipped to fourth following the loss with 9.5 points. The fifth place is held by Peter Leko of Hungary on 8.5 points while American Gata Kamsky, Topalov and Alexander Morozevich of Russia are locked on 7.5 points apiece.
Ukrainians Vassily Ivanchuk and Sergey Karjakin and Radjabov share the ninth spot on 6.5 points while Wang Yue of China is now in the cellar with 5.5.
In the blindfold section, Carlsen is in sole lead with 6.5 points followed by Anand a point behind.
In the rapid section, Anand shares the lead with Kamsky and Aronian with 5 points.
The clash of the day between leaders Anand and Kramnik started with an impressive victory for the world champion in the blindfold game.
In their first encounter since their match in Bonn a few months back, Anand played the King pawn allowing his rival to go for his favourite Petroff defence.
"After the 20th move by Kramnik I believe black's position was a bit unpleasant as there was no coordination between his pieces," said Anand, who played white.
He was pleased with his 22nd move and explained that Kramnik had missed his devastating queen manoeuvre when he erred on the 27th. Kramnik's next move was a further oversight, running into the lethal pawn push on the king side resulting in a checkmate web, but at that point black's position was already lost.
In the rapid game also Anand showed excellent opening preparation. He surprised Kramnik with the line he chose and after 15 moves he achieved what most probably he was aiming for. It was an effortless draw with the black pieces.
In other matches of the day, Kamsky drew with Karjakin in blindfold but lost the rapid game, Wang played out two draws with Leko while Ivanchuk improved his standing slightly, beating Morozevich 1.5-0.5.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Anand-beats-Kramnik-to-take-sole-lead/articleshow/4307228.cms
Anand won the blindfold game and surged ahead in this section to share the second spot in this section.
With the rapid game ending in a draw the Indian ace is now in sole lead on 10.5 points.
Levon Aronian of Armenia defeated Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan in the blindfold game and played out a draw in the rapid to win by a similar margin like Anand and so did Magnus Carlsen of Norway in his match against Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria.
Both Carlsen and Aronain remained on Anand's heels, half point behind, and it might well be a race between these three for the title in the last three rounds.
Kramnik slipped to fourth following the loss with 9.5 points. The fifth place is held by Peter Leko of Hungary on 8.5 points while American Gata Kamsky, Topalov and Alexander Morozevich of Russia are locked on 7.5 points apiece.
Ukrainians Vassily Ivanchuk and Sergey Karjakin and Radjabov share the ninth spot on 6.5 points while Wang Yue of China is now in the cellar with 5.5.
In the blindfold section, Carlsen is in sole lead with 6.5 points followed by Anand a point behind.
In the rapid section, Anand shares the lead with Kamsky and Aronian with 5 points.
The clash of the day between leaders Anand and Kramnik started with an impressive victory for the world champion in the blindfold game.
In their first encounter since their match in Bonn a few months back, Anand played the King pawn allowing his rival to go for his favourite Petroff defence.
"After the 20th move by Kramnik I believe black's position was a bit unpleasant as there was no coordination between his pieces," said Anand, who played white.
He was pleased with his 22nd move and explained that Kramnik had missed his devastating queen manoeuvre when he erred on the 27th. Kramnik's next move was a further oversight, running into the lethal pawn push on the king side resulting in a checkmate web, but at that point black's position was already lost.
In the rapid game also Anand showed excellent opening preparation. He surprised Kramnik with the line he chose and after 15 moves he achieved what most probably he was aiming for. It was an effortless draw with the black pieces.
In other matches of the day, Kamsky drew with Karjakin in blindfold but lost the rapid game, Wang played out two draws with Leko while Ivanchuk improved his standing slightly, beating Morozevich 1.5-0.5.
Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Anand-beats-Kramnik-to-take-sole-lead/articleshow/4307228.cms
McCullum may lead Kolkata Knight Riders
New Delhi: After Bangalore Royal Challengers, it is the turn of the Kolkata Knight Riders to get a new skipper.
Sources say Sourav Ganguly is unwilling to carry on as captain of the team and could step down. And the man who is tipped to replace him is New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon MCCullum.
The Knight riders management has in fact spoken to McCullum about taking over from Ganguly who retired from international cricket last October.
Mccullum had started the first season of the IPL with a bang with a smashing unbeaten 158 off just 73 balls in the 1st match of the tournament against Bangalore Royal Challengers.
Also, unlike Australian skipper Ricky Ponting and Windies captain Chris Gayle, McCullum is available for the entire duration of the tournament.
Soruce:www.cricketnext.com
Sources say Sourav Ganguly is unwilling to carry on as captain of the team and could step down. And the man who is tipped to replace him is New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon MCCullum.
The Knight riders management has in fact spoken to McCullum about taking over from Ganguly who retired from international cricket last October.
Mccullum had started the first season of the IPL with a bang with a smashing unbeaten 158 off just 73 balls in the 1st match of the tournament against Bangalore Royal Challengers.
Also, unlike Australian skipper Ricky Ponting and Windies captain Chris Gayle, McCullum is available for the entire duration of the tournament.
Soruce:www.cricketnext.com
Richards replaces Smith for next two ODIs
Trinidad: Seamer Ravi Rampaul of Trinidad makes a comeback into the One-Day side after a year while rookie Barbados batsman Dale Richards has been included in the squad for the third and fourth One-Dayers against England.
Devon Smith, who did not play in either of the first two ODIs due to foot injury, makes way for opening batsman Richards while Rampaul replaced Daren Powell, who has vowfully out of form during the on-going series.
Powell took only six wickets in the five-Test series at nearly 70 apiece and took 1 for 27 in five overs in the first ODI. Rampaul, who had played 30 ODIs, last appeared for West Indies on the tour of South Africa in early 2008.
The five-match ODI series is interesting poised with both the teams winning a game each with the third game slated for March 27 in Barbados.
West Indies squad: Chris Gayle (captain), Denesh Ramdin (wicketkeeper), Lionel Baker, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Nikita Miller, Keiron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Dale Richards, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Lendl Simmons.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/richards-replaces-smith-for-next-two-odis/39363-13.html
Devon Smith, who did not play in either of the first two ODIs due to foot injury, makes way for opening batsman Richards while Rampaul replaced Daren Powell, who has vowfully out of form during the on-going series.
Powell took only six wickets in the five-Test series at nearly 70 apiece and took 1 for 27 in five overs in the first ODI. Rampaul, who had played 30 ODIs, last appeared for West Indies on the tour of South Africa in early 2008.
The five-match ODI series is interesting poised with both the teams winning a game each with the third game slated for March 27 in Barbados.
West Indies squad: Chris Gayle (captain), Denesh Ramdin (wicketkeeper), Lionel Baker, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Nikita Miller, Keiron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Dale Richards, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Lendl Simmons.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/richards-replaces-smith-for-next-two-odis/39363-13.html
South Africa ready to host second edition of IPL
New Delhi: IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi's search for a country to host the second edition of the Indian Premier League seems to be zeroing in on South Africa with every passing minute. South Africa have given the green signal to host the second season of the mega event, sources told CNN-IBN on Tuesday.
Modi met Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola at an undisclosed venue to discuss the possibility of hosting the second edition of the Twenty20 event here. And after the meeting, sources told CNN-IBN that the deal has been virtually sealed to host the league in South Africa.
It is reported that six venues have been identified during the meeting to hold the IPL matches. Durban, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth are the proposed venues for the games to be held.
South Africa says there will be no trouble starting the event from April 10 as per the original schedule and have assured full security, it is learnt. Cricket South Africa, it is reported, has also offered full support to the IPL.
Modi is expected to fly out from Johannesburg for London on Tuesday evening where he will hold talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board, exploring the possibility of hosting the league there. But that meeting may now be irrelevant as the rainbow nation is likely to get the all important nod from Modi and Co.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/
Modi met Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola at an undisclosed venue to discuss the possibility of hosting the second edition of the Twenty20 event here. And after the meeting, sources told CNN-IBN that the deal has been virtually sealed to host the league in South Africa.
It is reported that six venues have been identified during the meeting to hold the IPL matches. Durban, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth are the proposed venues for the games to be held.
South Africa says there will be no trouble starting the event from April 10 as per the original schedule and have assured full security, it is learnt. Cricket South Africa, it is reported, has also offered full support to the IPL.
Modi is expected to fly out from Johannesburg for London on Tuesday evening where he will hold talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board, exploring the possibility of hosting the league there. But that meeting may now be irrelevant as the rainbow nation is likely to get the all important nod from Modi and Co.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/
Shuttlers aim to exploit home conditions at Indian Open
Hyderabad, Mar 24 (PTI) Saina Nehwal was on guard for lower-ranked rivals, while Chetan Anand was not looking beyond the first round but Anup Sridhar was targetting the semis as Indian shuttlers geared up for the Yonex Sunrise Indian Open Grand Prix that rolls out here tomorrow.
With a relatively easy draw and home conditions, second seed Saina is undoubtedly a hot favourite at the event but the Indian, who opens her campaign against unseeded Chew Yen Daphane Ng of Malaysia, is not taking her opponents lightly as their game is unknown to her.
"I have never played against her (Chew). I don't know her game, I don't know her weakness or strength, so I am not setting any targets as such. It is an important tournament for me and I know it would be tough," Saina told PTI.
"There are some good players like Julia (Pei Xian Wong), Maria (Kristin Yulianti) and others. Each of them are good. The first two rounds are OK and I know people expect me to win and take it easy. One may say that I have a 60 per cent chance of winning because they are lower ranked than me but I won't take any player lightly," she said.
Meanwhile, Chetan will be up against a lesser known Chong Chieh Lok of Malaysia in the first round but the world number 12 Indian doesn't want to put pressure on himself and has avoided a look at the draw.
PTI
With a relatively easy draw and home conditions, second seed Saina is undoubtedly a hot favourite at the event but the Indian, who opens her campaign against unseeded Chew Yen Daphane Ng of Malaysia, is not taking her opponents lightly as their game is unknown to her.
"I have never played against her (Chew). I don't know her game, I don't know her weakness or strength, so I am not setting any targets as such. It is an important tournament for me and I know it would be tough," Saina told PTI.
"There are some good players like Julia (Pei Xian Wong), Maria (Kristin Yulianti) and others. Each of them are good. The first two rounds are OK and I know people expect me to win and take it easy. One may say that I have a 60 per cent chance of winning because they are lower ranked than me but I won't take any player lightly," she said.
Meanwhile, Chetan will be up against a lesser known Chong Chieh Lok of Malaysia in the first round but the world number 12 Indian doesn't want to put pressure on himself and has avoided a look at the draw.
PTI
Saina's Olympic nemesis comes calling at Indian Open
Hyderabad, Mar 24 (PTI) She crushed Saina Nehwal's Olympic dreams in Beijing and world number 18 Maria Kristin Yulianti is hoping for an encore if the two face off in the Indian Open Grand Prix Badminton tournament starting here tomorrow.
"Saina is a world class player. What happened in Beijing is past. This is a new tournament and a new challenge. I have always enjoyed playing against Saina. She is really fast and cover the court really well. I hope I can defeat her this time too," 23-year-old Yulianti said.
Yulianti had beaten Saina in the Olympic quarterfinals where she came back from 12-19 down to get the better of the Indian.
Saina is not the only one Yulianti is wary of and said she is not taking her other opponents lightly either.
"The field is tough and if one has to win this one, she has to be really at her best," she said.
Playing such a big tournament after a long knee injury lay-off after the Olympics, Yulianti said she is here to acclimatise herself for the world championship to be held here in August.
PTI
"Saina is a world class player. What happened in Beijing is past. This is a new tournament and a new challenge. I have always enjoyed playing against Saina. She is really fast and cover the court really well. I hope I can defeat her this time too," 23-year-old Yulianti said.
Yulianti had beaten Saina in the Olympic quarterfinals where she came back from 12-19 down to get the better of the Indian.
Saina is not the only one Yulianti is wary of and said she is not taking her other opponents lightly either.
"The field is tough and if one has to win this one, she has to be really at her best," she said.
Playing such a big tournament after a long knee injury lay-off after the Olympics, Yulianti said she is here to acclimatise herself for the world championship to be held here in August.
PTI
Harendra eyes top-six finish for Indian hockey this year
Harendra eBhopal, Mar 24 (PTI) India's men's hockey coach in-charge Harendra Singh is eyeing a top-six finish in world ranking this year and confident about winning the Azlan Shah Cup tournament in Malaysia next month.
"India ranks ninth among the hockey playing countries and we are aiming to finish among the top-six nations in the sport by the end of the year," Harendra said today.
Talking to PTI at the central regional centre of Sports Authority of India (SAI), where the team for upcoming Azlan Shah hockey starting on April 5 will be picked up, Harendra said his boys will adopt an attacking strategy this time to clinch the title.
"We are going to lift the Azlan Shah Hockey Cup.
"The team will play an attacking game for which India is known world over. I don't believe in playing a defensive game as it does not lead to victory," Harendra said.
India finished runner-up in the tournament last year.
"The players' morale is high after the team's stunning performance in New Zealand, where India won the Test series 2-0," he added.
Five teams - New Zealand, Pakistan, Egypt, Malaysia, besides India will participate in the tournament.
PTI
Sunday, March 22, 2009
England lose to WI despite Strauss' ton
Providence, Guyana: Andrew Strauss hit his third one-day international hundred, but England still went down to a 21-run defeat at the hands of the West Indies at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday.
The captain made 105 from 129 balls as England, chasing 265 for victory, were dismissed for 243 in 48.2 overs to allow West Indies to draw level at 1-1 in the five-match series.
The third and fourth matches will be contested at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Friday and Sunday, with the final game set for St. Lucia on April 6.
England had won the opener here on Friday when West Indies coach John Dyson embarrassingly miscalculated the Duckworth-Lewis method and handed his opponents a one-run win.
"We lost too many wickets too early and we were always behind the eight ball," admitted Strauss.
"We needed things to go our way in the last powerplay but with the medium pacers bowling, it wasn't easy to get the ball away. It was getting lower and slower, so we had to take risks to get runs.
"It would have been nice to have gone 2-0 in the series, but we have a good chance of winning in Barbados where the wicket might suit us better."
West Indies skipper Chris Gayle said his team had a point to prove.
"We were really down after what happened on Friday," said Gayle. "We wanted to give the crowd something to cheer about and I want to commend the guys for the way they played."
Man-of-the-match Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored his 10th one-day hundred of 112 not out from 134 balls to lead West Indies to 264 for eight from their 50 overs.
Strauss reached his hundred from 126 balls with a drive through cover for two off Kieron Pollard, but England lost wickets steadily.
Their best stands were 50 between Strauss and Owais Shah for the third wicket, and 59 between the England captain and Dmitri Mascarenhas for the sixth.
Mascarenhas made 29 and Shah made 22 and were the only other batsmen that passed 20.
Dwayne Bravo and Pollard both collected two wickets for West Indies.
Earlier, England, particularly Paul Collingwood and Mascarenhas, bowling their modest medium-pace, restricted West Indies to 57 runs in the last 10 overs and collected four cheap wickets to scupper the home team's hunt for quick late runs.
The tourists had been under pressure from Chanderpaul and compatriot Ramnaresh Sarwan when they put on 133 from 177 balls for the third wicket, after West Indies elected to bat and lost Lendl Simmons for a duck and fellow opener Gayle, for 20, inside the first six overs.
Urged on by the largest crowd for an international match in Guyana, Chanderpaul and Sarwan hit 74 from 89 balls. But James Anderson had Sarwan caught at deep mid-off in the 35th over, and Collingwood and Mascarenhas prevailed in the closing overs to limit the damage of the West Indies batsmen.
Anderson captured three for 37 from nine overs, Collingwood took three for 49 from 10 overs, and Dimitri Mascarenhas bagged two for 53 from 10 overs.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/england-lose-to-wi-despite-strauss-ton/39318-13.html
The captain made 105 from 129 balls as England, chasing 265 for victory, were dismissed for 243 in 48.2 overs to allow West Indies to draw level at 1-1 in the five-match series.
The third and fourth matches will be contested at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Friday and Sunday, with the final game set for St. Lucia on April 6.
England had won the opener here on Friday when West Indies coach John Dyson embarrassingly miscalculated the Duckworth-Lewis method and handed his opponents a one-run win.
"We lost too many wickets too early and we were always behind the eight ball," admitted Strauss.
"We needed things to go our way in the last powerplay but with the medium pacers bowling, it wasn't easy to get the ball away. It was getting lower and slower, so we had to take risks to get runs.
"It would have been nice to have gone 2-0 in the series, but we have a good chance of winning in Barbados where the wicket might suit us better."
West Indies skipper Chris Gayle said his team had a point to prove.
"We were really down after what happened on Friday," said Gayle. "We wanted to give the crowd something to cheer about and I want to commend the guys for the way they played."
Man-of-the-match Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored his 10th one-day hundred of 112 not out from 134 balls to lead West Indies to 264 for eight from their 50 overs.
Strauss reached his hundred from 126 balls with a drive through cover for two off Kieron Pollard, but England lost wickets steadily.
Their best stands were 50 between Strauss and Owais Shah for the third wicket, and 59 between the England captain and Dmitri Mascarenhas for the sixth.
Mascarenhas made 29 and Shah made 22 and were the only other batsmen that passed 20.
Dwayne Bravo and Pollard both collected two wickets for West Indies.
Earlier, England, particularly Paul Collingwood and Mascarenhas, bowling their modest medium-pace, restricted West Indies to 57 runs in the last 10 overs and collected four cheap wickets to scupper the home team's hunt for quick late runs.
The tourists had been under pressure from Chanderpaul and compatriot Ramnaresh Sarwan when they put on 133 from 177 balls for the third wicket, after West Indies elected to bat and lost Lendl Simmons for a duck and fellow opener Gayle, for 20, inside the first six overs.
Urged on by the largest crowd for an international match in Guyana, Chanderpaul and Sarwan hit 74 from 89 balls. But James Anderson had Sarwan caught at deep mid-off in the 35th over, and Collingwood and Mascarenhas prevailed in the closing overs to limit the damage of the West Indies batsmen.
Anderson captured three for 37 from nine overs, Collingwood took three for 49 from 10 overs, and Dimitri Mascarenhas bagged two for 53 from 10 overs.
Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/england-lose-to-wi-despite-strauss-ton/39318-13.html
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