Sachin, Sehwag move up in ICC ODI Rankings

DUBAI: Virender Sehwag broke into top 10 and Sachin Tendulkar returned to top 20 in batsmen's chart while Yuvraj Singh rose to a career-best third place in the all-rounder's table following India's 3-1 series win against New Zealand.

Sehwag and Tendulkar were the biggest movers in the ICC ODI Player Rankings after their splendid performance in the recent series against New Zealand.

Sehwag, who scored 299 runs against the Black Caps, jumped nine places to sixth position in the latest rankings for ODI batsmen, headed by his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

It is the first time in nearly six years that Sehwag has occupied a place in the top 10.

Tendulkar has also made a movement in the right direction as his series scores of 20, 61 and 163 not out have helped him vault eight places to 13th spot.

Yuvraj and Gautam Gambhir, however, dropped one and four places respectively in the batsmen's chart. Yuvraj now sits in fourth place while Gambhir shares 16th spot with South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs.

However in the all-rounders' table, Yuvraj entered the top five for the first time in his career. He has leapfrogged West Indies captain Chris Gayle and Jacob Oram of New Zealand to share third place with Pakistan's Shoaib Malik.

Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan leads the field with Andrew Flintoff in second place.

Meanwhile in the rankings for ODI bowlers, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has fallen off the top spot and now sits in fifth place after managing just two wickets in the series which was dominated by the Indian batsmen.

Vettori's drop has benefitted Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara who, for the first time in his career, has surged to the top. Australia fast bowler Nathan Bracken is in second place while Kyle Mills of New Zealand is third.

In the ICC ODI Championship, India has gained two ratings points for its 3-1 series win. It has lifted it to 122 rating points and puts it just two ratings points behind second-placed Australia and three behind leader South Africa.

In contrast, New Zealand has conceded two ratings points for the series loss and is now only one rating point ahead of Pakistan.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sehwag-rockets-into-top-10-in-ICC-ODI-Rankings/articleshow/4270560.cms

Bouncy track awaits India in Test opener

HAMILTON: A bouncy track with a good sprinkling of grass awaits India in the first Test of the three-match series against New Zealand starting on Wednesday, casting the die for a veritable war of attrition between bat and ball.

One look at the wicket would convince anyone that the Kiwis, who had the Indians in a spot of bother on a lively Eden Park deck in the last ODI at Auckland, would use swing and seam to arrest the Indian batsmen who have been on a rampage on this tour.

Though curator Karl Jackson said he would eventually shear the pitch of its "excess" grass, there should be appreciable assistance for seamers, who could be lethal if the conditions are overcast.

The conditions would demand great discipline from the Indian batsmen to collar a seam attack, spearheaded by Franklyn James, an ace at swinging the ball.

Kyle Mills, who on his day can trouble established batsmen, Iain O'Brien and either Chris Martin or new-find Brent Arnel could form the seam quartet.

The wily Daniel Vettori (286 wickets in 89 Tests) could provide fizz and turn in case the quicks fail.

However, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag have the skill and experience to quell the Kiwi attack, though they had had a deplorable tour in 2002-03, when India had mustered a series-high score of 219.

Any extravagance could hurt the Kiwis as well, as they have an inexperienced batting line-up, which has yet-to-be-christened Martin Guptill.

Interestingly, Ross Taylor (14), Jesse Ryder (6), Daniel Flynn (9), Tim McIntosh (2) and Brendon McCullum (41) have played barely 72 Tests between them, half the number of matches that Tendulkar (156) has played in.

The young Kiwis would have to contend with the likes of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, who had rocked Australia and England even on docile wickets back home. If the duo, assisted by Lakshmipathy Balaji, could seam and cut the Kookaburra ball, the hosts could be vulnerable under pressure, as they were in the ODIs.

Keeping this in mind, Kiwi coach Andy Moles said, "We don't want to play on a green seamer. We want to have a good game of cricket and I am sure that is what we will get."

If the Blackcaps had complained about being tormented by Sehwag, they will now have to deal with the batting might of Sachin Tendulkar (12,429 runs), Rahul Dravid (10509) and VVS Laxman (6446), who have a staggering gross aggregate of 29,384 Test runs among them.

The celebrated trio apart, India could also bank on Gautam Gambhir, who has arguably been India's best batting find in recent times, Yuvraj Singh and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to put the runs on the board.

Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Balaji too can be handy with the willow.

Given the wealth of experience and talent, self-belief and an enviable track record over the last 18 months, India begin the three-Test rubber as the favorites.

Nevertheless, they would have to perform at their best to score a Test series victory in the antipodes, their first since the Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi-inspired 3-1 triumph in 1967-68.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bouncy-track-awaits-India-in-Test-series-opener/articleshow/4271353.cms

Govt, IPL hold meet; no decision on dates yet

NEW DELHI: The fate of the Indian Premier League season two still hangs in balance with the meeting between the home ministry and the IPL authorities ending inconclusively in New Delhi on Monday.

A three-member team led by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan met special secretary (internal security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Raman Srivastava, on Monday to discuss the IPL matches’ dates.

The special secretary conveyed the ministry’s concerns and limitations and requested the working of a new schedule for IPL-II in consultation with states where the IPL matches are to be played.

The home ministry also told the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that it would not be able to spare central forces for the Twenty20 tournament, PTI reported.

Asking the organisers of the high-profile tournament to hold serious consultations with concerned state governments, ministry expressed its "concerns and limitations" in sparing para-military forces for the cricket extravaganza because of the Lok Sabha elections.

Also read:
Telecast rights: Sony TV takes IPL to court

"We have had discussions. Home ministry explained its concerns and we have also explained our difficulties and our own concerns and the importance of all the stake holders," N Srinivasan, BCCI secretary told reporters in New Delhi.

"Once the new schedule is received, the ministry will look at it in consultation with the state governments," a home ministry spokesperson said.

A tentative schedule was earlier expected to be released after the meeting today. The IPL 2 tournament is scheduled to begin from April 20.

Before submitting the revised schedule, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi had said at a media briefing that before chalking out the new fixtures, all states concerned had been taken into confidence.

However, the ministry was taken in for a surprise when the states denied that they had been consulted by the IPL organisers.

The ministry had on March 13 rejected the revised schedule of the IPL organisers and said it "may not be feasible to play matches as per the submitted schedule".

"It is not possible to exempt any state from its promise to release state police personnel for election duties because these have been taken into account in arriving at the overall availability of security personnel," the ministry had said while rejecting the revised schedule.


Source:http://ipl.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/No_decision_on_IPL_2_dates_yet_BCCI_/articleshow/4268623.cms

I want to be World champion: Lewis Hamilton

PARIS, AFP: Lewis Hamilton has come a long way in his 24 years, from a humble English housing estate to a Swiss mansion, a popstar girlfriend and an MBE from the Queen.He is the youngest champion in Formula One history, its first black winner and a multi-millionaire who splits opinion both inside and outside the paddock.Now Hamilton is braced for what could be his most bruising battle as he defends the title he won by just a point in 2008's rain-drenched, knife-edge Brazilian finale."You can't live in the past. I don't say 'I am world champion', I say 'I want to be world champion'," said Hamilton.His F1 debut in 2007 in Australia saw him finish third, quickly followed by runner-up positions in Malaysia, Bahrain, Spain and Monaco

Source:http://racing.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/4270400.cms

Imperious Nadal romps through in Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS: World number one Rafal Nadal romped into the third round of the ATP event in Indian Wells on Sunday with a crushing 6-2, 6-1 victory over German Michael Berrer.

The Spaniard made mince meat out of world number 112 Berrer, marching through in just 67 minutes.

Champion Novak Djokovic had a harder time of it before beating Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina 7-5, 6-4, while sixth seed Juan Martin Del Potro also advanced.

Nadal broke Berrer's serve in the first game and never looked back, dominating the German from the baseline and outclassing him in every department.

The top seed will play 26th seed Dmitry Tursunov in the third round.

Serbian third seed Djokovic was never at his fluent best but eased past Vassallo Arguello to book a meeting with German Tommy Haas.

After trading early breaks, Djokovic broke the Argentine's serve for the second time in the 11th game, and served out for the set.

The vital break in the second set came in the seventh game and Djokovic held the advantage to clinch victory.

Djokovic has been struggling to repeat the form he showed in the first few months of 2008, when he won his first grand slam title at the Australian Open and then triumphed in Indian Wells.

A switch in rackets in the off-season left him low on confidence but after winning the title in Dubai last month, the world number three believes he is getting back on track.

"The quality is there. The game is there. The fitness is getting much better. It's just a mental ability to play the best tennis," he said.

"I know that I cannot perform always my best tennis, but, again, my confidence has been raised in the last month and a half.

"I'm aware that still there needs to be some improvement, but I'm taking it step by step."

Last year's beaten finalist Mardy Fish lost 7-6, 7-6 to Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, while Del Potro beat American wildcard Ryan Sweeting 6-7, 6-3, 6-1.

Nicolas Kiefer and Stanislas Wawrinka also advanced to the third round.
Rafa Nadal romped into the third round of the ATP event in Indian Wells on Sunday with a crushing 6-2, 6-1 victory over German Michael Berrer.

INDIAN WELLS: World number one Rafa Nadal romped into the third round of the ATP event in Indian Wells on Sunday with a crushing 6-2, 6-1 victory over German Michael Berrer.

The Spaniard made mince meat out of world number 112 Berrer, marching through in just 67 minutes.

Champion Novak Djokovic had a harder time of it before beating Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina 7-5, 6-4, while sixth seed Juan Martin Del Potro also advanced.

Nadal broke Berrer's serve in the first game and never looked back, dominating the German from the baseline and outclassing him in every department.

The top seed will play 26th seed Dmitry Tursunov in the third round.

Serbian third seed Djokovic was never at his fluent best but eased past Vassallo Arguello to book a meeting with German Tommy Haas.

After trading early breaks, Djokovic broke the Argentine's serve for the second time in the 11th game, and served out for the set.

The vital break in the second set came in the seventh game and Djokovic held the advantage to clinch victory.

Djokovic has been struggling to repeat the form he showed in the first few months of 2008, when he won his first grand slam title at the Australian Open and then triumphed in Indian Wells.

A switch in rackets in the off-season left him low on confidence but after winning the title in Dubai last month, the world number three believes he is getting back on track.

"The quality is there. The game is there. The fitness is getting much better. It's just a mental ability to play the best tennis," he said.

"I know that I cannot perform always my best tennis, but, again, my confidence has been raised in the last month and a half.

"I'm aware that still there needs to be some improvement, but I'm taking it step by step."

Last year's beaten finalist Mardy Fish lost 7-6, 7-6 to Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, while Del Potro beat American wildcard Ryan Sweeting 6-7, 6-3, 6-1.

Nicolas Kiefer and Stanislas Wawrinka also advanced to the third round.

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

Jeev Milkha Singh soars to career-best 29th in rankings

NEW DELHI: Jeev Milkha Singh continues to soar high, reaching a career-best 29th following his fourth-place finish in the WGC-CA Championship with compatriot Jyoti Randhawa giving him company in the top 100 list of Official World Golf Rankings issued on Monday.

Jeev had a fairytale campaign in the WGC-CA Championship where a sensational opening round of seven-under 65 put him in the four-way lead.

The seasoned Indian eventually finished fourth at the Blue Monster in Doral to collect a cheque of $360,000 and jump seven places from last week's 36th position.

Randhawa, who broke into the top 100 following his triumph in the Thailand Open, is placed 96th in the chart.

US-based Arjun Atwal is way down at 237th, while last year's Indian Masters winner SSP Chowrasia is placed 331st.

Meanwhile, Phil Mickelson's second title of the year at the World Golf Championships-CA Championship helped him move up one place to world number two and to within 0.52 average points of number one Tiger Woods.

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

Humpy accounts for Mia

Istanbul, March 14: Top seed Koneru Humpy registered her second successive victory outwitting former world champion Maia Chiburdanidze of Georgia in the sixth round to remain at joint second position in the IS Bank Ataturk Women Grand Prix chess tournament here.
Humpy now has four wins along with two draws and the Indian has taken her tally to five points of a possible six with five rounds still remaining in the tournament, which is a part of next world championship cycle.

Final ODI series score: India 3, New Zealand 1

Auckland, March 14: India’s winning streak finally snapped today as New Zealand cruised to an eight-wicket consolation win in the final cricket one-dayer to deny the visitors a clean sweep of the ODI series. India’s awe-inspiring batting order witnessed a rare collapse today and the visitors were skittled out for a paltry 149 runs in 36.3 overs and the score could have been embarrassing but for Virender Sehwag (40) and Rohit Sharma (43 not out).
New Zealand chased down the meagre target in just 23.2 overs after Jesse Ryder (63) gave them a flying start and Martin Guptill (57 not out) stayed till the end to see the side through in what turned out to be a one-sided contest at the Eden Park.

IPL in charge of security

Mumbai, March 10: Players’ security during the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be centrally monitored by the league’s governing council and will be handled in consultation with the reputed South African security agency Nicolas Steyn. Nicolas Steyn had been incharge of security at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the 2007 Cricket World Cup and will also be responsible for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Announcing the consultant Tuesday, IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi also told reporters that Ahmedabad and Visakhapatnam will be additional venues while Dharmasala and Nagpur were also being considered for hosting some matches. The two new venues are in addition to the existing eight - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Mohali. Modi promised the best possible security arrangements for the IPL's second edition, saying that there would be no comparison with the security provided for the Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore last week when they were ambushed by terrorists.

No need for extra motivation against Nadal: Federer

INDIAN WELLS (California): Refreshed after taking a break to resolve a lingering back injury, Roger Federer is eager to resume his rivalry with Rafael Nadal at the Indian Wells ATP tournament starting on Thursday.

Federer, sidelined since losing last month's Australian Open final to the Spaniard, said he was more motivated than ever to end a losing streak of five matches against Nadal.

The Swiss world number two, a three-time champion at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, is seeded to meet top-ranked Nadal in the tournament final.

"I love playing matches against him, especially those five-setters, seeing if I can hang with him physically without a problem," Federer told reporters on Wednesday. "He's the greatest challenger I've ever had."

"I am really motivated because I don't know how much better he can play. I don't know how much better I can play but I am right there and he's playing the tennis of his life."

Federer was unable to seal a record-equalling 14th grand slam singles title after losing to Nadal in a five-set thriller at Melbourne Park, but he was largely pleased with his performance.

"I thought I played a great match for four-and-a-half sets," the 27-year-old said. "I guess I let go a little bit at the end. He looked tired and I couldn't take advantage of it.

"I think I played great off the baseline, I just didn't serve great and I think that cost me the match also.

"He's a great player at the moment," Federer said of the Spanish left-hander, whose last three victories against the Swiss have come in grand slam finals.

"He has proved himself on all surfaces now and I guess it all started for him when he beat me comfortably at the (2008) French Open. He forgot how it feels losing and I had lost to him a couple of times before that."

Federer said he would continue working with Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi as his part-time coach after an experiment last month with Australian Darren Cahill had been abandoned.

"I am very happy with Severin," he added. "We have been working the last one-and-a-half years together, so nothing really changes. I just continue with the great team that I have."

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

I am ready to win, says Tiger Woods

MIAMI: Tiger Woods has set his sights on victory at this week's WGC-CA Championship despite making his first appearance in a strokeplay event since his astonishing playoff win at the US Open nine months ago.

The world number one shut down his 2008 season in mid-June to have reconstructive knee surgery before returning to the PGA Tour at last month's WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

"I'm ready to win, yeah," Woods told reporters with a steely glint in his eye after playing a practice round with Canadian Mike Weir at the Doral Golf Resort on Wednesday.

"That's why I'm here. (It) feels good to be back here. This golf course is playing just in great shape right now. The greens are perfect and the fairways are great.

"It was fun to get back out there, get a practice round under my belt and get ready for tomorrow."

Although a little wary of how he will adjust to the rigours of strokeplay competition, Woods has a remarkable record at the WGC-CA Championship with six wins at six different venues in nine starts.

On top of that, the 33-year-old has always loved playing at Doral, posting three victories here among six top-10s in just six appearances for an aggregate 89-under-par total on the flat, palm tree-lined layout.

"Certain golf courses just fit your eye," Woods said. "This golf course, ever since I played here in '98 for the first time, it just fit my eye. Even after the re-design, it still fit my eye."

In his hotly anticipated return to the game in the Arizona desert two weeks ago, Woods was encouraged by his form despite losing to South African Tim Clark in the second round.

"Everything was better than I thought," the 14-times major winner said. "It was a big shot of confidence for me to get out there and play again and feel physically sound.

"I thought I would be a little more sore but recovery from day to day has been great. It couldn't have been more positive, except for getting beat in the second round. But from a physical standpoint, it was better than I thought."

Asked to assess his readiness for Doral, Woods replied: "Well, I don't know. I haven't played a strokeplay event yet so it's kind of hard for me to give you a number on that. Physically, I feel good.

"But getting into a strokeplay event and where you're not playing an opponent and you're playing the golf course again; I'll have a better idea when the tournament is done.

"I just need rounds under my belt and this week will be a very positive week for me. Four rounds and no cut, which is exactly what I need."

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I-am-ready-to-win-says-Tiger-Woods/articleshow/4253133.cms

Kallis to captain South Africa in third test

JOHANNESBURG: South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis will captain the side in the third Test against Australia next week.


Kallis replaces Ashwell Prince, the official vice-captain, who was recalled to the team after captain Graeme Smith broke his finger in the second Test in Durban.

Smith suffered the injury while batting in the first innings of a match South Africa lost by 175 runs to go 2-0 down in the series with one Test left.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) said Kallis was taking over "...to allow Prince to concentrate on his new position of opening batsman."

Prince has represented his country in 47 Tests but never as an opener.

CSA also said it would consider hosting the Champions Trophy in September once it receives an official invitation from the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Executive Board.

The ICC's Chief Executive's Committee recommended to its board that South Africa be invited to host the tournament instead of Sri Lanka for weather reasons

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Kallis-to-captain-South-Africa-in-third-Test/articleshow/4253260.cms

South Africa may host Champions Trophy: ICC

NEW DELHI: South Africa may replace Sri Lanka as the venue of the Champions Trophy tournament later this year, the International Cricket Council said on Wednesday.

A teleconference between members of the ICC's chief executives' committee, comprising representatives of the 10 Test nations, concluded that South Africa would provide better weather conditions than Sri Lanka in September-October.

A final decision on the twice-postponed tournament, the second biggest after the World Cup, will be taken by the ICC's Executive Board in Dubai on Monday.

The committee recommended the tournament be switched to South Africa because "it was felt that it would be too great a risk to stage the tournament in Colombo at a time of year when there was a distinct possibility of rain," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.

"This was especially relevant given the length of this year's Champions Trophy has been reduced to 12 days, part of our desire to make it a short, sharp event, as on that basis there would be no room for reserve days.

"South Africa was a successful and excellent host of the ICC World Twenty20 at much the same time of year two years ago and the weather pattern in the area around Johannesburg in September and October is stable and ideal for cricket.

"The meeting therefore agreed it would be prudent to look to hold the tournament in South Africa, subject to agreement over financial arrangements."

The eight-nation tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan last year, but was put off by a year and then taken away from the strife-torn nation due to security concerns.

The teleconference came just over a week after a deadly attack on the Sri Lanka team in the Pakistani city of Lahore that killed eight people and injured seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach.

Sri Lanka, the original reserve venue, was also thrown in doubt due to the seasonal wet weather in the months of September and October when the tournament is due to be held.

The previous Champions Trophy was held in India in 2006 and won by Australia.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/South-Africa-may-host-Champions-Trophy-ICC/articleshow/4252845.cms

Sangakkara appointed Sri Lanka skipper

New Delhi: Kumara Sangakkara will lead Sri Lanka in the World T20 Championship in England later this year.


Sangakkara has been Sri Lanka's vice-captain for three years and succeeds Mahela Jayawardene, who stepped down as captain at the end of the two-test series in Pakistan that was abandoned last week after terrorists attacked the team's bus in Lahore.


Muttiah Muralitharan has been appointed his deputy in the provisional 25-member squad announced by the Sri Lankan Cricket Board's selection committee.


Sri Lanka do not have any international fixtures until the World Twenty20 tournament which begins on the June 5.

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/sangakkara-appointed-sri-lanka-skipper/38998-13.html

Australia clinch series against South Africa

Durban, March 10: Australia clinched the Test series against South Africa when they won the second Test by 175 runs at Kingsmead here today.South Africa were bowled out for 370 in their second innings with 37.4 overs to spare on the final day.The series win enabled Australia to bounce back after losing a home series against the same opponents earlier in the season.The victory was virtually sealed when the tourists dismissed overnight batsmen Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers inside the first hour.

India aim to pocket ODI series against Black Caps

Hamilton, March 10: An injured Sachin Tendulkar will be missed as India go into the fourth cricket one-dayer against New Zealand here tomorrow, confident of being able to wrap up the series by taking an invincible 3-0 lead.Tendulkar, who has been in superb form, has been ruled out of the match due an abdomen injury but the visitors have the batting might to still get past the Kiwis who have no option but to win the match to stay afloat in the series.The MRI scan done on India’s premier batsman has revealed internal bleeding in his stomach.“I had stiffness in the region before the third ODI, but I had stretched myself too far. But I should be ready to play in a couple of days time,” Tendulkar said.Considering the momentum the Indians have gained since the debacle in the Twenty20 series, the Blackcaps would have to produce something more than their best to stop the marauding visitors at the Seddon Park tomorrow.

World Cup dream behind Beckham's Milan stay

LONDON: David Beckham has revealed his dream of playing for England in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was the motivation behind his desire to stay with AC Milan.

After weeks of negotiations, Beckham has extended his loan with Milan from Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy until the end of the Italian season in an attempt to prove to England coach Fabio Capello that he can still perform at the highest level.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is desperate to have one last crack at winning the World Cup in next year's finals, but he had been reduced to a bit-part role for England since his move to America.

His switch to the San Siro has kept Beckham in Capello's thoughts and he made a record-equalling 108th England appearance in last month's friendly against Spain.

Beckham, 33, will return to California to see out the rest of the MLS season after finishing Milan's campaign. He is set to return to Italy for the 2009-10 season, providing him with a platform to impress Capello, and he believes staying with Milan will help his England ambitions.

"There's a few reasons for staying with Milan. One is I'm playing with one of the biggest clubs in the world and with some of the best players in the world. I'm passionate about that," Beckham said.

"Obviously the one everyone talks about is it gives me a chance to play in the 2010 World Cup. I personally have to do everything I can to be involved in that.

"Everyone knows how passionate I am about playing for my country and if this gives me a better chance of being involved in that squad that's great."

Negotiations for Beckham to stay were slowed after Milan baulked at the size of transfer fee demanded by Galaxy, thought to be around 12 million euros.

Beckham hinted that reports he paid $3 million to make up the difference between the fee Galaxy wanted and the price Milan were prepared to pay were on the mark.


Beckham paying from pocket to stay in Milan
"I've done really well in my career and played for so many great clubs. I've been able to help myself stay in Milan, if I can put it that way. That is the big thing for me," he said.

"It's never been about money for me. It's been about football and my passion for the game. Hopefully this has shown it.

"Everybody knew how much I wanted this to happen and how much I wanted to stay and play my football in Milan. Obviously the Galaxy and Milan have been great.

"I want to stay in Milan to help the club qualify for the Champions League.

"It also gives me a chance to go back to LA and finish the season. It is something I am very committed to. Then after that we will see."

Beckham insisted his move to California has not been a mistake.

"People have always asked me if I've regretted my decision. Throughout my career I've never wanted regrets and I've always said no," he said.

"At the time I felt it was the right thing to do. I've had two great years with the Galaxy. We might not have been successful on the field but statistics show the game has grown.

"If we continue to have the success we've had with attendances and the interest in the game, that will be positive and a sign that the game is moving forward."

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World-Cup-dream-behind-Beckhams-stay/articleshow/4246946.cms

Paes returns to top five in ATP rankings

NEW DELHI: Sania Mirza's WTA rankings improved marginally this week and the Indian ace was 87th in singles and 71st in doubles in the latest list issued on Monday.

The numero uno Indian woman player, who will play at Indiana Wells this week, has 726 points in singles and 1382 points in doubles.

In the ATP rankings, India's new tennis poster boy Somdev Devavrman had his ranking unchanged at 150 with 546 points

In doubles, Leander Paes (6940) returned to the top-five after gaining a place but his compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi (6325) slipped a rung to eighth.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Paes-returns-to-top-five-in-ATP-rankings/articleshow/4246773.cms

Sania's athleticism impresses Agassi's trainer

BANGALORE: Gil Reyes, the much-acclaimed trainer of Andre Agassi, who put Indian ace Sania Mirza through the paces at his Las Vegas base, gave the 22 -year-old's physical condition a thumbs-up.

Reyes said he was impressed with the Hyderabadi's physical prowess. "I've enjoyed working with Sania. I'm truly impressed with her athleticism. She has natural athletic ability," he said.

"Professional tennis has become quite physical and adding strength and power - specially speed, movement and court coverage - to a natural athlete like Sania could improve her tennis."

Sania, ranked 87 in the world, has been planning the trip to Las Vegas for quite sometime now.

She managed to take a week off her tight schedule between tournaments in Dubai and Indian Wells, California for this weeklong stint.

"Even before I met him I knew he was one of the best in his profession," Sania said.

"After my stint with him, I realized that apart from being the best, he's also the most wonderful human being."

Sania is returning to professional tennis after spending most of the 2008 season on the sidelines due to a wrist injury because of which she hasn't been able to push herself as much as she'd like to.

However, with a mixed doubles Grand Slam title in Melbourne and an appearance in the singles final in Pattaya, Sania has shown form.

But there's plenty of work ahead. This week in Indian Wells, starting March 11, she defends 65 points from her fourth-round showing last year.

"It's important to respect Sania's recent wrist injury and not force the issue. However, she has been training her lower body with great focus and intensity," Reyes said.

Reyes hopes to work with Sania again in the future.

"I hope that her schedule will include many days at my training centre. I believe that by adding greater physical capabilities to her abundant tennis talent, Sania will enjoy a successful career as a professional athlete," he said.

When Sania met Steffi Graf

Las Vegas, for Sania Mirza, was a week of heavy work and a chance meeting. The Indian star ran into her childhood idol, the legendary German Steffi Graf, at Gil Reyes' training centre and was at a loss for words.

"I'd just finished practice and was walking back to the car with my father, we were going back to the hotel. That's when I spotted Steffi coming my way. She was just a few yards away. She was coming in for a hit herself," an excited Sania said.

"I've always been a great admirer of Steffi," said Sania, who like her idol enjoys dominating matches with her forehand. "I felt like a fan when I met her. This was my first meeting with her. She was so nice," Sania said of Graf.

"She introduced herself and enquired about my practice session. I just about managed to mumble something."

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sanias-athleticism-impresses-Agassis-trainer/articleshow/4245915.cms

Chanderpaul, Nash rattle England with tons

Port of Spain: The fifth and final Test match between the West Indies and England looked set a for a draw as the Windies reached 519-7 at tea on the fourth day here on Monday.


The hosts, in reply to England's 546-6 declared in the first innings, were trailing by 27 runs at tea break with Shivnarain Chanderpaul unbeaten on 133.


West Indies, resuming from overnight score of 349-4 reached 433 without losing any more wicket at lunch. As English bowlers were toiling to get any breakthrough, BP Nash fell in the middle session after a hundred. He was caught by Collingwood off Broad for 109 that included 17 fours in the 257-ball knock.


The Windies lost two more wickets in the session in Hinds and Ramdin. Hinds was stumped for 23 off Swann while Andersen trapped Ramdin leg before for 15.


However, England's bid for a series-levelling win now look difficult with only four sessions of game left.

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/chanderpaul-nash-rattle-england-with-tons/38917-13.html