Soumyajit, Sathiyan in Indian squad for Asian Jr TT

New Delhi, July 16 (PTI) Promising paddler Soumyajit Ghosh and G Sathiyan have been included in the 16-member Indian squad for the 15th Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship to be held in Jaipur from July 22.

Both Soumyajit and Sathiyan will be competing alongside Raj Mondal and Harmeet Desai in junior (U-18) boys' category, while Ankita Das, Mallika Bhandarkar, Shreya Ghosh and Charvi Kavle will be vying for top honours in the junior girls' section.

In cadet (U-15) boys' category, India will be represented by Sandipan Dey, Rajeeb Sarkar, Abhishek Yadav and Utkarsh Gupta.

Mallika Bhandarkar, T R Rishiya, Camila Sil and Monika Batra will lead the hosts' challenge in the cadet girls' section.

Sunil Babras, V K Agrawal and Mantu Ghosh will accompany the team as coaches for the five-day tournament to be held at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Bitter-sweet B'desh eye series victory over Windies

St George's (Grenada), July 16 (AFP) Bangladesh will carry bitter-sweet feelings into the second and final Test against the West Indies starting tomorrow at the Queen's Park Stadium Complex.

Bangladesh need only to draw to fulfill a long-held dream of their first Test series victory after they took a 1-0 lead with a 95-run victory in the opening Test at St Vincent.

But celebrations have been tempered following a knee injury to their new captain Mashrafe Mortaza which appears likely to sideline him for the match.

Mortaza fell clumsily on his right knee when bowling during the first Test, and spent the last two and a half days off the field.

He underwent a medical scan on Tuesday, and though the results of the test are not as bad as initially feared, the visitors do not want to risk long-term injury to their main fast bowler.

Flintoff on Queensland's radar for T20 Big Bash

Melbourne, July 16 (PTI) Andrew Flintoff's decision to quit Test cricket after the on-going Ashes series has brought him under the radar of Australian domestic side Queensland, which is eyeing to sign the English all-rounder for the December-January slated T20 Big Bash series.

Queensland Cricket chief Graham Dixon has admitted that they are seriously thinking of roping in Flintoff, who will end their search for a quality T20 player for the domestic event.

"For the last few months we've been talking to a well credentialed international player and we're down the track with that person but we haven't finalised things and are not expected to do so soon," Dixon said.

"He (Flintoff) is keen but obviously the challenge we have is the timing of his national commitments and our tournament. However, we have been down the track with Andrew Flintoff 12 months ago through Stuart Law," he added

Indian team returns with 14 medals

NEW DELHI, July 14: The Indian team returned home on Tuesday after winning 14 medals at the three-day junior Asian Wrestling Championship in Manila.he team arrived at the international airport here this morning. Raj Singh, vice president, Wrestling Federation of India, who accompanied the team, said that this was the teams' best performance at the Asian Wrestling Championship."Its our best performance so far. Before this, we have not won so many medals in the Asian Wrestling Championship, in freestyle, Greco Roman style and Female Junior Wrestling Championship," said Singh.The participants were also jubilant on their performances."I am very happy, I have won gold at the Championship. It was a good performance and everyone has done well," said Navjot Kaur, one of the participants. India collected five gold, four silver and five bronze medals during the three-day competition. (Agencies)

West Indies go down to Bangladesh

KINGSTOWN, July 14: Bangladesh claimed just their second ever Test victory with a 95-run win over a makeshift West Indies side in the first Test on Monday.

Debutant off-spinner Mohammed Mahmudullah did the damage with figures of five for 50 as West Indies collapsed to 181 all out with just over 40 minutes of play remaining.

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