My double-bogey helped me win

Bethlehem, July 13: A double-bogey midway through the final round inspired Ji Eun-hee of South Korea to win the US Women’s Open on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Ji dropped to three shots off the pace after the par-four 10th, but from there she made three birdies, including a 20-footer at the 18th that gave her a first major championship.

Enigmatic Pakistan bounce back in second test

COLOMBO, July 13: Debutant Fawad Alam scored an unbeaten century as Pakistan produced a remarkable turnaround to claw their way back in the second Test against Sri Lanka on Monday.

The tourists, who were bowled out for 90 in their first innings, hit back to dismiss Sri Lanka for 240 and then cruised to 178-1 in their second knock by stumps on the second day.

Left-handed Alam led the way with a determined 102 not out to give Pakistan a lead of 28 runs with nine wickets in hand on a dry pitch that appeared to have eased out under the hot sun.

Ponting has got it right, says Benaud

Cardiff (Wales), July 12: By closing his side’s first innings with a lead of 239, Australian captain Ricky Ponting has set his England counterpart Andrew Strauss a task that will test his leadership as well as his batting ability, feels former player and noted commentator Richie Benaud.

"I was disappointed in England’s bowling attack because I’ve been singing its praises of late.Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Andrew Flintoff were in the form of their lives and I rate Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar highly," Benaud says in his article for News of The World. "Neither the England off spinner nor the left hander bowled a tight line and length and their changes of pace were virtually non-existent. Ponting, Simon Katich and Michael Clarke handled them superbly, but I give top marks to Marcus North," Benaud says.

Holden stunner gives US late draw

Massachusetts, July 12: A spectacular injury-time equaliser from Stuart Holden saved the United States' blushes as they drew 2-2 with Haiti on Saturday to clinch a quarter final berth in the Gold Cup.

The result put the United States top of Group B with seven points from three games. The draw was also enough for Haiti, on four points, to progress to the quarter finals.

In other Group B action, Honduras thrashed Grenada 4-0 to finish second and advance to the last eight.

‘Tendulkar not fit for T20’, says Buchanan in his book

NEW DELHI, July 9: Former Australian coach John Buchanan has taken pot shots at some of India’s great cricketers, including Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, in a new book which is likely to ruffle many feathers.

Apart from Tendulkar and Gavaskar, the controversial coach has also taken swipe at Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and business tycoon Vijay Mallya.

Katich and Ponting hold firm against Flintoff

CARDIFF, July 9: Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting survived a ferocious burst from Andrew Flintoff after the all-rounder had dismissed Phillip Hughes on the second day of the first Ashes Test on Thursday.

At tea, Ashes holders Australia were 142 for one in reply to England's 435, a deficit of 293, with left-handed opener Katich 53 not out and captain Ponting 44 not out at Sophia Gardens.

Ponting's innings meant he'd joined an elite group of batsmen who'd all scored more than 11,000 Test runs in Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and former Australia captain Allan Border.

ICC brings forward start of Champions Trophy

DUBAI, July 8: The start of this year’s Champions Trophy in South Africa has been brought forward by two days to September 22. The International Cricket Council had orignally scheduled the eight-nation tournament from Sept 24. to Oct. 5.“But now on the recommendations of some countries who wanted longer gaps for their players between matches, the tournament will start two days earlier,” a Pakistan Cricket Board source told Reuters on Wednesday. The tournament, which involves 15 matches in 14 days, was originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan in 2008 but was moved to South Africa because of security concerns. (Agencies)

Dravid’s inclusion will be a bonus for ODI team: Ganguly

MUMBAI, July 8: Former skipper Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday welcomed Rahul Dravid’s return to India’s ODI scheme of things and said the experienced right-hander’s inclusion will be a bonus for the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side at the Champions Trophy in South Africa later this year.

The BCCI selection committee included Dravid in the 30-member probable list for the Champions Trophy to start from September 24, paving way for the former captain's return to the ODI team since October, 2007.

“He’s (Dravid) so good in all forms. His inclusion will be a bonus for India. I'm sure he would do well. It’s the right decision (by the selectors to recall him). He himself would not have expected it,” Ganguly said after attending the Cricket Board's Technical Committee meeting on his 37th birthday.

Apart from Dravid, left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra, who impressed in the Indian Premier League in South Africa as well as the just-concluded ODI series in West Indies, was also included in the list of probable for the biennial event.

Ganguly also advised out-of-favour left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan to draw inspiration from Dravid and Nehra's comeback and earn his place back into the national team.

“Irfan should look at the example of Rahul Dravid and Ashish Nehra. If you keep performing well you are bound to bounce back. He's young and talented, he knows he has to do better,” said the Bengal stalwart.

In the recent past Irfan’s performance had dipped significantly prompting the selection panel to omit his name from the probable list. Ganguly also said too much should not be made out of the India team's early departure from Twenty 20 World Cup in England.

“India have done well in all forms of the game. We had a poor outing in T20 World Cup but not too much should be read into it. We have some superb players,” he said.

He threw in his weight behind Dhoni and said winning and losing are part of the game and it would be wrong to vilify the captain for it.

“It’s bound to happen. You can't go on for so long without (hitting) a lean patch. He's (Dhoni) a smart cricketer and has a good head,” Ganguly complimented. Asked for his opinion on ICC's idea to reduce Test matches by a day and introduce day/night Tests, Ganguly said he would forever remain a supporter of five-day games.

“I’m always for five-day Tests. I’m not averse to day/night Tests, but the issue of the white ball needs to be sorted out to make it interesting,” he declared. (PTI)

India finish seventh in Asian Youth Games

SINGAPORE: Swimmer Aaron Agnel D'Souza won a bronze on the last day of the inaugural Asian Youth Games as India finished seventh in the medal's table
with 11 in their kitty on Monday.

D'Souza added a bronze to the gold he had won in 200m freestyle by finishing third in 100m freestyle with a timing of 51.52 secs to take India's medal tally to five gold, three silver and three bronze.

India were represented by 48 athletes in the Games and took part in seven disciplines -- athletics, swimming, diving, shooting, table tennis, beach volleyball and basketball.

Athletics contributed eight medals (four gold, two silver and two bronze) while swimming gave India three medals (one gold, one silver and one bronze).

China topped the table with 52 medals (25 gold, 16 silver, 11 bronze) while Korea were second with 51 (18 gold, 16 silver, 17 bronze). Thailand finished third with 20 medals (11 gold, 7 silver, 2 bronze).

Source:TOI

Dravid recalled for Champions Trophy

CHENNAI: The selectors finally took a step that clearly indicated that they were worried with India's batting following the T20 World Cup and the West Indies series.

They have brought Rahul Dravid back into the fray for a spot in the ODI side by including him in the 30-member probables list for the Champions Trophy, and if sources close to the selection committee are to be believed, it's not just for filling up the numbers.

The Indian batsmen's frailty against short-pitched bowling was there for everyone to see during the T20 World Cup and the selectors believe some solidity is required in the middle-order.

Even though India won the series against the West Indies, the general belief among the decision makers is that it is all due to "one match winning effort (from Yuvraj)."

It was clearly indicated that Dravid would surely be considered when the final 15 was selected for the Champions Trophy. The veteran right-hander may not fit into skipper MS Dhoni's scheme of things but given the recent performances of the Indian team, the selectors may well take a stern stance.

The fact that the Champions Trophy will be played in South Africa, where the pitches will afford steep bounce, has also gone in Dravid's favour. But will there be a chance to see what kind of form Dravid is in before the final team is selected?

"Do we need to do that for a player of Dravid's stature? We know what he is capable of," the source shot back.

Another player who found himself out of favour was all-rounder Irfan Pathan. By not picking him in the list of 30 probables, the selectors have indicated that they are looking ahead, at least for now.

Champions Trophy probables:

MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Nayar, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Munaf Patel, R Ashwin, M Vijay, Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni, S Badrinath, Ashish Nehra, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Pankaj Singh.

Squad for Emerging Nations Trophy:

S Badrinath (Capt), M Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli (Vice-Capt), Manoj Tiwary, Ishant Jaggi, Abhishek Nayar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, Pankaj Singh, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pradeep Sangwan, Sudeep Tyagi.

Soruce:toi

Federer is world No.1 again

PARIS: Roger Federer's Wimbledon triumph on Sunday has seen him regain the world number one spot from arch-rival Rafael Nadal.

The Spaniard went top after last August's Beijing Olympics on the back of his win there and at Wimbledon in July.

He consolidated that by winning the Australian Open at the start of the year but lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round of the French Open and then withdrew from the defence of his Wimbledon crown through injury.

Federer, who lost to Nadal in Melbourne, won both the French Open and Wimbledon to chalk up a record 15 Grand Slam titles, one more than Pete Sampras.

Dhoni, Nehra best performers in West Indies

New Delhi, July 6 (PTI) India paceman Ashish Nehra made a memorable comeback after four years, topping the wicket takers list, while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the highest scorer in the four-match ODI series against West Indies.

By virtue of amassing 182 runs from three innings with an average of 91, Dhoni became the numero uno batsman of the series that India won 2-1 yesterday.

Nehra bagged six wickets from three outings to finish the series with an economy rate of 5.84.

The left-arm Delhi pacer, seeking to consolidate his place in the national side, capitalised on humid conditions in the West Indies to make the batsmen's life miserable.

Nehra shared the wicket takers list along with West Indian pacer Dwayne Bravo.

They are followed by young West Indian pacer Ravi Rampaul, India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan and the hosts Jerome Taylor, all picking up four wickets each.

PCB allows Tanvir to play for Rajasthan Royals

KARACHI, July 3: The Pakistan Cricket Board has given a green signal to all-rounder Sohail Tanvir to play for his Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals in a charity match against Middlesex at Lord’s on July 6. The sports management company which represents Tanvir said in a statement that Tanvir would represent the Rajasthan Royals in the match being played for the British Asian Trust. Tanvir was the best bowler of the IPL in the first season and played a key role in his team's title win. However, he could not play the second edition after the Pakistan foreign ministry advised the PCB not to send its players to India due to security concerns arising out of the tense relations between the two countries after the Mumbai terror attacks last November. The IPL was later moved to South Africa but by that time the IPL franchises had either terminated or suspended the contracts of the Pakistani players due to their unavailability for the second season. Portfolio world, the sports management company also quoted Shilpa Shetty the co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals as saying that she was excited to have Tanvir back in the team. "He was truly missed in the IPL second season," Shetty was quoted in the statement. Tanvir, the left arm pacer, struggled in the recent T20 World Cup in England and was dropped from the playing eleven. (Agencies)

‘This time, it’s mine’

LONDON, July 4: Serena Williams clinched her third Wimbledon title and 11th Grand Slam crown with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 victory over sister Venus, the defending champion, on Saturday.

The victory added to her 2002 and 2003 wins at the All England Club and shattered Venus’s hopes of a hat-trick of titles and sixth overall which would have taken her level with Billie Jean King. Saturday’s final was the fourth all-Williams title match-up at Wimbledon and eighth in all Grand Slams with the win giving Serena the edge in head-to-head meetings at 11-10. Of the eight major finals the sisters have faced each other in, Serena has won six.

"It feels so amazing. I’m so blessed. I feel like I shouldn't really be holding the trophy, Venus should be holding it, she always wins," said Serena who currently holds three of the four Grand Slam titles. "I can’t believe I have won 11 majors. It’s a real honour."Venus, 29, admitted Serena had been the better player of the two. "She was just too good today. She had an answer for everything and played the best tennis," said Venus after a final fittingly staged on US Independence Day. "I don’t think the loss has set in yet, that’s why I’m still smiling. But I have had some great times here and I’m looking forward to coming back next year."Serve dominated the first set with 27-year-old Serena fighting off the only two break points in the eighth game and it was the younger of the two sisters who seized control of the tiebreak. Serena went to three set points by forcing Venus to scramble from side to side before putting away a powerful crosscourt forehand. Venus saved the first set point but was powerless when a pinpoint lob from her sister left her stranded at the net. It was the first set Venus had dropped at Wimbledon since the third round in 2007, a run of 34 consecutive winning sets. Serena, who had saved match point in her marathon semi-final win over Elena Dementieva, carved out her first set point when Venus double-faulted to hand her a 4-2 lead and revenge for last year's final defeat to her sister looked likely. Second seed Serena held to love, backed-up by her 12th ace of the match, to lead 5-2.

She then wasted three match points in the eighth game but clinched the title when Venus netted with a forehand. (Agencies)

Federer's 14 Grand Slams

Sri Lanka's Vaas to quit Tests, says chief selector

Galle (Sri Lanka), July 4 (AFP) Veteran Sri Lankan seamer Chaminda Vaas has decided to retire from Test cricket, the country's chief selector Asantha de Mel told AFP today.

The 35-year-old left-armer, who has served Sri Lanka at the top level for 15 years, will, however, still be available for one-day and Twenty20 cricket, the official said.

"Chaminda has told me he does not want to play Test cricket anymore, but he will continue in the shorter formats," de Mel, a former Sri Lankan fast bowler, said.

Vaas, a 110-Test veteran, was overlooked for the Test series against Pakistan which began at the Galle International Stadium today.

The selectors did not pick him even after spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan was ruled out of the first Test due to a knee injury, leaving the Sri Lankan attack short of experience.

India aims for second ODI series triumph in WI

Gros Islet (St Lucia), Jul 4 (PTI) India would be aiming to notch up only their second ODI series triumph in the Caribbean when they take on the West Indies in the fourth and final one-dayer here Sunday .

The thrilling six-wicket triumph in the rain-truncated third one-dayer has given India a 2-1 lead in the series and a win Sunday would give the team a second series triumph here and partly make amends for the early exit from the Twenty20 World Cup in England.

The last time India won an ODI series in West Indies was 2002 when Sourav Ganguly led them to a 2-1 triumph in a five-match series, two games of which were abandoned due to rain.

But the hosts extracted revenge in 2006 when they hammered the Rahul Dravid-led Indians 1-4.

In the ongoing series, the visitors, under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, have not been too convincing.

BCCI Technical, NCA Committees to meet on July 8

Mumbai, Jul 4 (PTI) The Cricket Board's Technical Committee and the National Cricket Academy Committee are to meet here on July 8 ahead of the 2009-10 season.

"The Technical Committee meeting will be chaired by Mr Sunil Gavaskar and would undertake a review of the 2008-09 season," said BCCI's CAP, Prof Ratnakar Shetty.

Gavaskar used to have a meeting with the Ranji Trophy captains and coaches for getting feedbacks at the end of the season but that meeting could not be held this year because of the Indian Premier League that was held in South Africa.

"We have made changes to the formats of the under 19 and 22 events, by making these cricketers play on a home and away basis. The technical committee would be informed about this," Shetty said.

Mumbai to take on Punjab in Ranji opening tie

Mumbai, July 4 (PTI) Mumbai will open their Ranji Trohy title defence in the 2009-10 season by taking on Punjab in the Elite Division Group A tie at Mohali from November 3-6.

Mumbai had clinched the Ranji Trophy for the 38th occasion defeating Uttar Pradesh in the final in Hyderabad last season.

Elite division groupings:

Group A: Mumbai, Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Railways, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Orissa

Group B: UP, Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Karnataka, Bengal, Delhi and Baroda

Elite division schedule:

Round 1: Nov 3-6: Punjab v Mumbai at Mohali; Railways vs Tamil Nadu in Delhi; Hyderabad vs Himachal Pradesh in Hyderabad; Gujarat vs Orissa in Ahmedabad; Baroda vs Delhi in Vadodara; Uttar Pradesh vs Karnataka in Kanpur; Maharashtra vs Bengal in Pune.

Number one is still a distant dream: Saina Nehwal

New Delhi, July 4 (PTI) She is inching closer to being among the world's top five and is tipped to be number one in the next couple of years but ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal says being numero uno is still a very distant dream.

The legendary Prakash Padukone considers Saina talented enough to be at the top in the next two years but the 20-year-old doesn't want to aim so high right now.

"Prakash sir has been very encouraging, I also want to be the number one but I don't want to think about that now. I would have to be at my best to achieve that. I have to be consistent and win back-to-back tournament," Saina told PTI after going up a rung to sixth in the latest world rankings.