United beat Tottenham to win League Cup

LONDON: Manchester United squeezed past holders Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 on penalties to win the English League Cup on Sunday after the Wembley final finished 0-0 after extra time.

Third-choice keeper Ben Foster was the United hero, diving to his left to save Jamie O'Hara's penalty and inspire the shoot-out win.

David Bentley also dragged his effort wide for Spurs before Anderson fired the winning penalty to make it a perfect weekend for United after Liverpool's defeat by Middlesbrough on Saturday left them seven points clear in the Premier League.

After adding the League Cup to FIFA's Club World Cup in Japan, United are still chasing a clean sweep of five trophies but manager Alex Ferguson played down the quintuple chances.

"We will keep our feet on the ground," Ferguson said. "That's just a media thing. We could go to Fulham next week and a deflected shot goes in off someone's backside and we will be out of the FA Cup."

Ferguson made special mention of Foster, one of several reserves in the United team. He was the busier of the two keepers, saving well from Aaron Lennon in normal time, Darren Bent in extra time and then O'Hara's penalty.

"Without Ben Foster we would have lost today," Ferguson said. "He will be England's keeper for many seasons if he has a bit more luck with injuries."

United, with Dimitar Berbatov, Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick not even in the squad, were the better side early on.

Cristiano Ronaldo fired a free kick over from 25 metres and Paul Scholes launched a superb long pass for Danny Welbeck but the teenaged reserve striker was closed down.

Ferguson beefed up United's midfield with Brazilian Anderson in the second half as the game meandered towards extra time.

Ronaldo was booked for diving, although replays suggested Spurs skipper Ledley King was lucky not to concede a penalty.

Tottenham improved as the half wore on and Lennon had their best chance with 20 minutes to go.

The ball was worked to him on the edge of the area and after setting himself and taking aim, he thumped a shot that Foster did well to beat away past the despairing lunge of Bent.

Ronaldo almost won it in stoppage time, his shot cannoning off the post and Carlos Tevez hitting the rebound wide.

Tottenham won the trophy last season against Chelsea in extra time and had the chance to repeat that feat when Bent found space but Foster saved his shot with his legs.

As penalties loomed Modric jinked through United's defence before a last-ditch tackle and Patrice Evra crashed a half-volley over the crossbar.

United had happy memories of their last penalty shoot-out, having clinched the Champions League against Chelsea on spot kicks, and there was an inevitability about the conclusion once O'Hara's effort was turned away by Foster.

Liverpool's latest slip-up means United are well placed to complete a hat-trick of league titles. Tottenham, on the other hand, have just a relegation fight to look forward to.

Soruce:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/United-beat-Tottenham-to-win-League-Cup/articleshow/4209657.cms

IPL chief Lalit Modi loses RCA elections

JAIPUR/NEW DELHI: Last year, he was applauded as the mastermind behind the Indian Premier League and hailed as a future chief of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). But on Sunday, Lalit Modi lost Rajasthan Cricket Association's presidential election to a relatively unknown bureaucrat, Sanjay Dixit, on his home turf by 13 votes to 18.

In the high voltage election that turned into a proxy showdown between chief minister Ashok Gehlot and the woman he succeeded in office, Vasundhara Raje, the wily Congressman emerged triumphant. A total of 31 votes, excluding Sriganganagar, were counted. Voting rights of Sriganganagar representatives are pending with the Supreme Court.

While a jubilant Dixit faction broke into celebration, Modi sat smoking on the stairs of RCA Academy and said, "I accept the result and all I can say is I that have paid the price for being close to Vasundhara Raje. The state government did whatever it could to defeat me."

Reacting to Modi's remarks, the new RCA chief, Dixit, retorted, "It's like the pot calling the kettle black. What Modi has done in the last few years is there for all to see." Dixit, 49, is a 1986 batch IAS officer serving as joint secretary, department of agriculture in Rajasthan.

Notwithstanding his defeat, Modi remains a BCCI vice-president until 2011 by dint of being vice-president of the Punjab Cricket Association. He will also continue as the IPL commissioner until 2013 and has the BCCI's backing.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lalit_Modi_loses_RCA_election/articleshow/4208436.cms

Double blow leaves South Africa gasping

Johannesburg: The Aussie bowlers struck twice to reduce South Africa to 211 for four on the fifth and final day of the first test match here on Monday.


Seamer Peter Siddle drew the first blood when he had overnight batsman Hasim Amla caught by Philips Hughes for 57 after he had added 76 runs for the third wicket with Jaques Kallis.


Soon after first innings centurion AB de Villiers was trapped leg before the wicket for three.


At the beginning of the final day, first Test match between South Africa and Australia is tantalizingly poised with the hosts having an outside chance of scoring an improbable 454 runs for victory while the tourists needing to take eight wickets.


Though, Australia are on target for victory, the South Africans have given themselves an outside chance of salvaging the first Test when they finished the fourth day on 178 for two.


Despite Australia collapsing to 207 all out in their second innings, they still hold an upper hand as their bowlers can exploit the uneven bounce on the fifth day though they have just three front line bowlers.


Even though South Africa fought back on their best day of the match, the Aussie dominance of the first three days left them well placed to bounce back from a home series defeat against the same opponents earlier in the season.


South Africa, who trailed by 246 runs on the first innings, started solidly in their second turn with the bat, with captain Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie putting on 76 for the first wicket on Sunday

Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/test-tantalizingly-poised-as-proteas-power-on/38717-13.html

Ramdin's maiden ton puts WI in command

Bridgetown (Barbados): England's bid for a series-levelling victory in the fourth Test against West Indies was derailed on Sunday, when Ramnaresh Sarwan hit his highest Test score and Denesh Ramdin his maiden Test hundred to give their side a 149-run lead.


Sarwan hit the top score of 291 and Ramdin supported with 166 to allow West Indies to declare on 749 for nine, replying to England's first innings total of 600 for six declared, on the fourth day at Kensington Oval.


Batting a second time, England reached six without loss in the two overs available before stumps.


For close to four hours England were powerless as Sarwan and Ramdin added a record 261 for the sixth wicket at this ground.


The visitors also found themselves staring the down the highest team total on the ground for almost six decades.


England had to wait until 10 minutes before tea to gain their first breakthrough, when they removed a tired Sarwan.


Off-spinner Graeme Swann took five wickets for 165 runs from 50.4 overs, and James Anderson finished with three for 125 from 37 overs.


Sarwan completed his second Test double-hundred to take West Indies to 483 for five at lunch after the hosts resumed from their overnight total of 398 for five.


Anderson was the bowler when Sarwan upper cut a short, rising ball outside the off-stump to the third man boundary for his 21st four to reach his double-hundred.England thought they may have had him, when Ryan Sidebottom appealed for an lbw verdict with Sarwan on 208.


Umpire Aleem Dar ruled not-out, and when it was referred, the video evidence ruled the ball clearly pitched outside leg-stump, thus England lost their last referral.


Just prior to the interval, Ramdin reached his 50 from 112 balls, when he guided Paul Collingwood to third man for his fifth four.

By tea, West Indies reached 607 for six with Sidebottom finally dismissing Sarwan just before the break with the sixth over of the third new ball.


The little right-hander drove lazily at a full-length delivery and was bowled off the inside edge.


Sarwan spent 11 hours, 39 minutes at the crease, and struck 30 fours and two sixes from 452 balls.


West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Ramdin glanced his 194th ball from Sidebottom to deep fine leg for a single to reach triple figures in Tests for the first time.


After tea, England spirits were broken when Jerome Taylor continued to assault their bowling and Ramdin inched his way to 150.


Swann paid the price for flighting outside the off-stump, when Ramdin lofted him inside-out to the long-off boundary for the 19th of his 20 boundaries to reach the landmark.


Taylor reached his 50 from 60 balls, when he cut Swann to third man for the last of his six fours, but two balls later, the off-spinner bowled him for 53.


Anderson had Sulieman Benn caught behind for 13 top-edging a hook before Swann bowled Ramdin, when he played down the wrong line to prompt the West Indies' declaration.


Ramdin occupied the crease for a little more than seven hours and faced 268 deliveries.


England trail in the five-Test series 1-0, following an innings and 23-run defeat in the opening Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica, the abandonment of the second Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, and a draw in the third Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground.


The fifth and final Test of the series starts next Friday at Queen's Park Oval in the Trinidad capital of Port of Spain.

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/ramdins-maiden-ton-puts-wi-in-command/38710-13-1.html

Dravid, five others leave for New Zealand

Mumbai: Middle-order mainstays Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, along with four other members of India's Test squad, left for New Zealand from here early on Monday for the three-match Test series starting March 18.


The duo, along with Amit Mishra, L Balaji, Dhawal Kulkarni and Murali Vijay, would be reaching Auckland on Tuesday morning.


The players are reaching well ahead of the commencement of the series to acclimatize with the conditions by turning out for domestic teams of New Zealand in the state championship.


The inclusion of these players into New Zealand's domestic teams has been approved by New Zealand Cricket, the New Zealand Players Association and the six Major Associations.


Dravid will play for Canterbury Wizards against the Central Stags at Mainpower Oval, Rangiora, from March 6 to 9, while leg spinner Mishra will turn out for the Stags in the same game.


Laxman would appear for Otago Volts against Wellington Firebirds at University Oval, Dunedin, in the same round while right-arm medium pacer Balaji would play for the Firebirds in that game.


In the following round, from March 13 to 16, the tie between the Stags and Firebirds at McLean Park, Napier would feature opening batsman Vijay and right-arm medium pacer Kulkarni. It is yet to be decided which sides they would be representing in this match.


The first Test will be held at Seddon Park, Hamilton from March 18-22 while the second and third Tests are scheduled at Mclean Park, Napier (March 26-30) and Basin Reserve, Wellington (April 3-7).

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/dravid-five-others-leave-for-new-zealand/38713-13.html

Samaraweera perishes after scoring double ton

Lahore: Overnight not out batsmen Thilan Samaraweera and Tilakaratne Dilshan continued to plunder runs as Sri Lanka progressed to 543 for six on the second day of the second Test against Pakistan here on Monday.


Pakistan bowlers have a job on hand to contain the free stroking Sri Lankan lower order batsmen to gain some advantage on the second day of the second Test match here on Monday.


On Sunday, Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera notched brilliant hundreds to help Sri Lanka recover from early set backs.


Talented batter Samaraweera followed his 231 in the drawn first Test in Karachi with a superb unbeaten 133 while Sangakkara scored 104 as the tourists recovered from 35 for two to reach 317 for 4 after Pakistan won the toss and put their opponents in.


The hosts had exploited the early life from a green-looking Gaddafi Stadium pitch by removing openers Malinda Warnapura (eight) and Tharanga Paranavitana (21) and then had the prized scalp of skipper Mahela Jayawardene (30).


However, vice-captain Sangakkara and Samaraweera settled down gradually and benefited from some sloppy work by Pakistan fielders, who dropped both the batsmen once each, took their team to the safty zone.


Seamer Umar Gul (3-67) provided early breakthroughs for the hosts before the left-right combination of Sangakkara and Samaraweera foiled all the home team's attempts until their 204-run stand for the fourth wicket was broken with the second new ball.

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/samaraweera-dilshan-continue-to-plunder-runs/38712-13.html

Sachin to join sporting legends at Madame Tussauds

London, Feb 28: Cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar will be the latest sporting great to be featured at the internationally-renowned Madame Tussauds in London when a new wax figure of the Mumbai-born batsman joins the A-list line up in April. Tendulkar follows in the famous footsteps of Bollywood greats Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan and will join other cricket legends Brain Lara and Shane Warne to become the very first Indian sports personality to be portrayed, the waxworks museum said in a statement on Friday.

Bopara’s maiden Test century keeps England on top

Bopara’s maiden Test century keeps England on top

Bridgetown (Barbados), Feb 28: Ravi Bopara collected his maiden Test hundred to help bat England to a formidable first innings total in the fourth Test against West Indies on Friday.Bopara followed up his blistering hundred in a two-day, warm-up match last weekend with an equally purposeful 104 which allowed England to declare their first innings on 600 for six, 45 minutes after tea on the second day at Kensington Oval.

Mills, Butler back in Kiwi One-Day squad

Wellington: Fast bowler Ian Buttler's impressive showing in the just-concluded Twenty20 Internationals has earned him a place in the New Zealand One-Day team after a hiatus of five years for the first three games of the five-match series against India starting March 3.


Apart from Buttler, Kyle Mills, who had strained his Achilles tendon, also made a comeback to the ODI squad after a two-week injury lay-off to augment an already lethal Kiwi pace battery, led by Iain O'Brien, Butler and Tim Southee.


The Black Caps have more seam bowling options in Jesse Ryder and Jacob Oram, who missed the Chappell-Hadlee Series earlier this month because of injury but played the two Twenty20 matches against India. They returned in place of Brendon Diamanti and Peter Fulton.


However, Nathan McCullum and Ewen Thompson failed to make the move up to New Zealand's ODI team. Offspinner Jeetan Patel was also left out of the squad which has a lone regular spinner in skipper Daniel Vettori.


Assessing that Indian batsmen are sound players of spin, New Zealand's chief selector Glenn Turner said the squad was a strong one, which reflected the sizeable pool of players in consistent good form at international and domestic levels.


"Knowing the way the Indians play spin bowling in limited overs cricket, we think the attack will benefit from having an extra seamer," Turner said.


"We're fortunate that Kyle Mills is back to fitness after injury. His recent form with the new ball in limited overs has been outstanding," he added.


Turner made it clear that the squad had been named only for the first three matches, so as to give other players a chance to find their form in the next round of the domestic championship.


The ODIs will be be played at Napier (March 3), Wellington (March 6), Christchurch (March 8), Hamilton (March 11) and Auckland (March 14).


The Team: Daniel Vettori (captain), Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/mills-butler-back-in-kiwi-oneday-squad/38665-13.html

Mills, Butler back in Kiwi One-Day squad

Wellington: Fast bowler Ian Buttler's impressive showing in the just-concluded Twenty20 Internationals has earned him a place in the New Zealand One-Day team after a hiatus of five years for the first three games of the five-match series against India starting March 3.


Apart from Buttler, Kyle Mills, who had strained his Achilles tendon, also made a comeback to the ODI squad after a two-week injury lay-off to augment an already lethal Kiwi pace battery, led by Iain O'Brien, Butler and Tim Southee.


The Black Caps have more seam bowling options in Jesse Ryder and Jacob Oram, who missed the Chappell-Hadlee Series earlier this month because of injury but played the two Twenty20 matches against India. They returned in place of Brendon Diamanti and Peter Fulton.


However, Nathan McCullum and Ewen Thompson failed to make the move up to New Zealand's ODI team. Offspinner Jeetan Patel was also left out of the squad which has a lone regular spinner in skipper Daniel Vettori.


Assessing that Indian batsmen are sound players of spin, New Zealand's chief selector Glenn Turner said the squad was a strong one, which reflected the sizeable pool of players in consistent good form at international and domestic levels.


"Knowing the way the Indians play spin bowling in limited overs cricket, we think the attack will benefit from having an extra seamer," Turner said.


"We're fortunate that Kyle Mills is back to fitness after injury. His recent form with the new ball in limited overs has been outstanding," he added.


Turner made it clear that the squad had been named only for the first three matches, so as to give other players a chance to find their form in the next round of the domestic championship.


The ODIs will be be played at Napier (March 3), Wellington (March 6), Christchurch (March 8), Hamilton (March 11) and Auckland (March 14).


The Team: Daniel Vettori (captain), Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/mills-butler-back-in-kiwi-oneday-squad/38665-13.html

Dates for Pak-Aus ODI series revised again

LAHORE: The itinerary of the Australia-Pakistan One-Day International series in United Arab Emirates has been revised again.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the series, which is to be played at a neutral venue, United Arab Emirates (UAE), will be played from April 22 to May 7.

"Now the series will be played from April 22 to May 7 as we have pushed backed the date of the first match by two days," PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said.

Butt said the changes were made as the Australian team management had asked for some breather after its South African tour.

According to the new itinerary, the Kangaroos will be arriving in the UAE on April 18. The first two matches will be played in Dubai on April 22 and 24.

Then teams will move to Abu Dhabi where the remaining three matches of the series will be played on April 27, May 1 and 3 respectively. Pakistan will then take on the Aussies in a Twenty-20 game on May 7, The Nation reports.

The PCB was compelled to shift the series to a neutral venue after the Australian government refused to send its team to Pakistan citing security concerns. Australia last toured Pakistan in 1998.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Dates-for-Pak-Aus-ODI-series-revised-again/articleshow/4204098.cms

Playing for England more important than IPL: Flintoff

LONDON: After a nagging hip injury forced him to return home mid-way from the Test series against the West Indies, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff hinted he may skip the lucrative Indian Premier League to stay fit to take on the Australians in the Ashes series.

Flintoff, who was bagged by IPL's Chennai Super Kings side for a record $1.55 million, has insisted that representing England is of utmost importance to him and is currently eying the forthcoming ODI series against the West Indies to stage a comeback.

"It seems that, at the minute, everybody is going on about the IPL. It's a hot topic. But I want to play for England in this upcoming One-day series.

"The IPL is still a few weeks away and my goal is to play for England and, after that, the IPL will take care of itself. It's something I want to play in, but my ultimate goal is playing for England," the 31-year-old all-rounder was quoted as saying in the 'Daily Telegraph'.

Flintoff will now undergo a rehabilitation programme and is scheduled to reunite with the team on March 10, if fitness permits.

"I just want to get home, do my work and then get back out here as soon as I can. When you're injured, you're always a little bit flat and you don't know where to put yourself in the dressing-room. Everyone you bump into is asking you about your injury," Flintoff said.

The all-rounder revealed his hip injury first came to light during the first Test in Jamaica.

"I felt a bit of a niggle there. but it was more tightness than anything else. I was then in discomfort all the way through the (third) Test in Antigua.

"Whether I made it worse, I'm not quite sure. It was very frustrating, though. For the first time in a long time,

Soruce:http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4204625.cms

Ishant likely to miss first ODI due to injury

WELLINGTON: India's pace sensation Ishant Sharma is likely to miss the first One-Day International against New Zealand due to injury.

The sinewy fast bowler had hurt his shoulder while fielding in the second Twenty20 international against New Zealand at the Westpac Stadium last night.

An MRI scan carried out on his shoulder on Saturday revealed a bruise.

The impact of falling on the ball is said to have aggravated an old injury.

"The MRI scan has disclosed that there is a bruise. We will watch him over the next two days. But it is likely that Ishant may miss the first ODI against New Zealand," said administrative manager Niranjan Shah, who is accompanying the Indian side.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ishant-likely-to-miss-first-ODI-due-to-injury/articleshow/4204422.cms

Bopanna-Niemenin in Delray Beach quarters

NEW DELHI: Rohan Bopanna and Jarrko Niemenin advanced to the quarter-finals of the $5,00,000 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships in the United States after a hard fought 6-4, 7-5 win against Paul Capdeville and Evgeny Korolev.

The unseeded Indo-Finnish pair took a little over one hour to carve out the victory and set up a clash against fourth seeded American Eric Butorac and Brazilian Bruno Soares.

Bopanna and Niemenin saved all six breakpoints in the first set apart from converting one of the four chances that came their way.

In the second set, they dropped their serve twice but were successful in breaking their rivals thrice to seal the issue.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/?frm_TOIHome_top

Anand held by Grischuk at Linares Chess

LINARES: (Spain): World champion Viswanathan Anand played out a draw with Russian Alexander Grischuk to remain in joint fourth spot after the end of the seventh round of Magistral Ciudad de Linares Chess tournament on Friday.

At the half way stage of the eight-players double round robin tournament, the Indian ace has 3.5 points.

Grischuik remained atop the tables on five points out of a possible seven and remained a full point clear of Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen and Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine who scored a win over Levon Aronian of Armenia.

Anand shares the fourth spot with Aronian whose double defeat in last two rounds have severely dented his chances in the tournament.

The sixth spot is held by Lenier Dominguez of Cuba while Wang Yue of China and Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan share the seventh spot on 2.5 points each.

Grischuk held on to his own against Anand whose experiment with the queen pawn opening continued.

After coming out with a minor surprise on move three when he decided to avoid main lines of Grunfeld defense, Anand settled to play the Samisch attack against the King's Indian defense.

Interestingly, the King's Indian has been enjoying immense success in this tournament and this game was another attestation to that.

Anand tried to make a foray on the king side but the Russian was quite up to the task in finding the right manouvres. After Anand castled on the king side it was clear that the game was headed towards a draw.

The peace was signed in 32 moves. Ivanchuk scored a thrilling victory over Aronian in another King's Indian of the day. Aronian went for a topical structure but found Ivanchuk well-armed in all departments of the game.

The complexities turned in favour of Ivanchuk after an erroneous plan by the Armenian in the middle game and there were no chances to recover as the game progressed.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Anand-held-by-Grischuk-at-Linares-Chess/articleshow/4198870.cms

Djokovic beats Simon to reach Dubai final

DUBAI: Novak Djokovic reached his first final of the season when he beat third-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon 3-6, 7-5, 7-5 at the Dubai Championships on Friday.

Djokovic repeated his semi-final victory over Simon at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai last November, where he went on to claim the title. The top-seeded Serb now faces either fourth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer or unseeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

"I think I fought my way through in the match, really believed till the end, and mentally this is a very important win for me," Djokovic said. "If I want to stay on top of the men's game, I have to win these matches, because Simon is certainly one of the best players in the world. He plays a very unique game. He's very solid from all sides, and playing with a very small number of unforced errors, which...when you see him, you don't think that physically he's that strong and he has great endurance."

It took Djokovic two hours 44-minutes to edge his opponent as both players struggled to produce their best tennis in the afternoon heat. Djokovic was especially unstable during the first set and into the second as he failed to find any consistency.

Simon, though, was under early pressure as he fought off two break points at 1-1 before breaking to lead 4-2 when Djokovic made a forehand error. Both players held break point opportunities in the second set, before Djokovic broke in the final game with a forehand winner.

Simon then made a bright start to the final set, breaking for 1-0 and conceding just two points in the first two games. But Djokovic levelled at 3-3 when Simon made a backhand error, and the Frenchman had to fight off another break point before holding for 4-4.

Djokovic then held for 6-5 on his third game point, and broke for the match after Simon set up match point by netting a low forehand volley. The relieved Serbian closed out the match with a smash.

"I was one set up, I was playing far better than him, because he made so many mistakes from the baseline," said the frustrated Simon. "I had enough chances to win this match, and finally I lost it, so that's why it is a very bad match."

Soruce:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Djokovic-beats-Simon-to-reach-Dubai-final/articleshow/4201906.cms

McIlroy stays on winning track in Arizona desert

MARANA (Arizona): British teenager Rory McIlroy underlined his credentials as one of the best players in the world by easing into the quarter-finals of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Friday.

The 19-year-old from Holywood, Northern Ireland, competing in his first tournament as a professional on US soil, outclassed South African Tim Clark 4&3 in the third round at Dove Mountain's Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.

McIlroy birdied four of the first eight holes to take charge against the player who stunned world number one and three-times champion Tiger Woods in the previous round.

"It's fantastic," the long-hitting Northern Irishman told reporters after booking his place in the last eight against 2006 champion Geoff Ogilvy of Australia.

"Tim didn't play his best golf today. Understandably he was probably a little flat after all that happened yesterday. I came out and got off to quite a fast start, got an early lead and I was able to hang on and get the win."

McIlroy, who dominated a world-class field to win his maiden European Tour title at this month's Dubai Desert Classic, was in two minds as to whether he would have preferred to have taken on Woods in the third round.

"Yes and no," he said. "I probably would have found it very difficult to play him with him being a hero of mine for the past 10 years.

OWN GAME

"So it would have been difficult but you've got to just go out there and try and play your own game. You can't control what the other guy does, so yeah.

"It's match play, it's very fickle and you never know what can happen," McIlroy added, referring to Clark's surprise 4&2 win against Woods on Thursday.

"Tim caused a bit of an upset yesterday and I was lucky enough to play well enough today to win."

McIlroy has swiftly risen to 17th in the world rankings since turning professional in 2007, well ahead of his initial target.

"I don't want to say I always expected to get to this point but I always hoped that I would," he said. "But I am surprised how quickly I've done it.

"In the world rankings, one win can jump you up quite a few spots. I've just got to keep going with it, keep playing and try to get a few more wins. If you can do that, then the rankings and everything else will take care of itself."

Soruce:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/McIlroy-stays-on-winning-track-in-Arizona-desert/articleshow/4203629.cms

Singles are the priority for me: Sania

MUMBAI: Asserting that singles matches were her priority, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza on Friday said that she may miss out some doubles matches in order to prolong her singles career.

"Singles are the priority for me. Since I'm young enough I will try to prolong my singles career till my body holds up", said Sania who was here for a promotional event for Cadbury's.

"I've been playing quite well in singles so I'm trying to balance it out between singles and doubles matches. I might as well skip a few doubles' events here and there", she said.

The 22-year-old Hyderabadi, who won the mixed doubles crown at the Australian Open with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in January this year and made it to the singles final of the Pattaya Open earlier this month, said she was happy with the way her career was shaping up and has set herself new goals.

Sania, who had to withdraw from the Fed Cup earlier this month due to a wrist injury, said she was happy with her fitness after her injury woes in 2008.

"I have been practising in Hyderabad for the past one week and my wrist has held up very well. We do have a few niggles here and there but overall I'm happy with my fitness," she said.

Sania, who will head to Los Angeles next week to train at the Gil Reyes' training centre for one week, said she was excited about the training stint.

"Gil is probably the best trainer in the world having trained players like (Andre) Agassi and (Fernando) Verdasco. I'm hopeful of a great experience and am going there with expectations of working very hard," she said.

"One week is too short a time but this is just the beginning. I might consider having stints there before crucial tournaments," she added.

Asked about her views on the new anti-doping rules adopted by the ATP, Sania, who has been ranked 75th in the latest WTA rankings, admitted having little knowledge about the issue but said she had no reservations on the same.

On the current tennis situation in the country, she said with the arrival of new players like Yuki Bhambri and Somdev Devvarman it was at its "healthiest best" today.

"Yuki is our biggest talent right now. Let's hope he can make it a successful transition from junior to senior tennis. With Somdev also doing well, Indian tennis is at its healthiest best today," Sania said.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Singles-are-the-priority-for-me-Sania/articleshow/4202132.cms

Younis Khan replaces Chanderpaul as No. 1 Test batsman

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Younis Khan's triple hundred in the drawn Karachi Test against Sri Lanka catapulted him to the top of the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen which has only one Indian, Gautam Gambhir, in the top 10.

Younis batted for nearly 13 hours in Karachi to become just the third Pakistan player in history to get past the 300-run mark in a single Test innings after Hanif Mohammad (337 vs West Indies at Bridgetown in 1958) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (329 vs New Zealand at Lahore in 2002).

Younis was the only real mover in the top 20 of the rankings although Mahela Jayawardena's double hundred in the same match means he stays in fourth position as Australia's Michael Clarke drops two places to fifth position.

Having been knocked off his number-one perch, West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul is now in second spot with Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka in third.

Younis will have to continue to score heavily to maintain his stay at the top because he has a very slender one-point lead at the top with almost every player in the top 10.

Gambhir's opportunity to improve his position will come when the Test series against New Zealand gets underway next month.

Delhi teammate Virender Sehwag is placed 11th, while Sachin Tendulkar share the 17th spot with compatriot VVS Laxman.

In the Test bowlers' chart, Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan is still top of the heap but the gap between him and South Africa's Dale Steyn has now been cut from 43 ratings points to just 17.

With Steyn just starting a Test series against Australia, there is every chance the Protea could nudge in front of Murali before too long.

Sri Lanka's other big-name spinner Ajantha Mendis also fared badly in the match as he finished with the figures of 59-14-157-1. As a result, he has slipped five places, out of the top 20 to joint-23rd position, and is now level with South Africa's left-arm slow bowler Paul Harris.

Harbhajan Singh remained India's top Test bowler at the eighth place, while Zaheer Khan is ranked 12th.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Younis-replaces-Chanderpaul-as-No-1/articleshow/4194725.cms

Younis Khan replaces Chanderpaul as No. 1 Test batsman

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Younis Khan's triple hundred in the drawn Karachi Test against Sri Lanka catapulted him to the top of the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen which has only one Indian, Gautam Gambhir, in the top 10.

Younis batted for nearly 13 hours in Karachi to become just the third Pakistan player in history to get past the 300-run mark in a single Test innings after Hanif Mohammad (337 vs West Indies at Bridgetown in 1958) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (329 vs New Zealand at Lahore in 2002).

Younis was the only real mover in the top 20 of the rankings although Mahela Jayawardena's double hundred in the same match means he stays in fourth position as Australia's Michael Clarke drops two places to fifth position.

Having been knocked off his number-one perch, West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul is now in second spot with Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka in third.

Younis will have to continue to score heavily to maintain his stay at the top because he has a very slender one-point lead at the top with almost every player in the top 10.

Gambhir's opportunity to improve his position will come when the Test series against New Zealand gets underway next month.

Delhi teammate Virender Sehwag is placed 11th, while Sachin Tendulkar share the 17th spot with compatriot VVS Laxman.

In the Test bowlers' chart, Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan is still top of the heap but the gap between him and South Africa's Dale Steyn has now been cut from 43 ratings points to just 17.

With Steyn just starting a Test series against Australia, there is every chance the Protea could nudge in front of Murali before too long.

Sri Lanka's other big-name spinner Ajantha Mendis also fared badly in the match as he finished with the figures of 59-14-157-1. As a result, he has slipped five places, out of the top 20 to joint-23rd position, and is now level with South Africa's left-arm slow bowler Paul Harris.

Harbhajan Singh remained India's top Test bowler at the eighth place, while Zaheer Khan is ranked 12th.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Younis-replaces-Chanderpaul-as-No-1/articleshow/4194725.cms