Sri Lanka slips two places to fifth

Sri Lanka has dropped two places to fifth spot in the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table following its drawn series with the West Indies, which concluded in Pallekele on Sunday.

The three-match series ended 0-0 after a combination of bad weather and a resurgent West Indies performance with both bat and ball deprived the home team of a single victory. With the men from the Caribbean ranked four places below Kumar Sangakkara's side prior to the first match, a drawn series has knocked SL down to 109 ratings points, behind England and Australia, which in turn both gain one place as a result.

The ICC Test Championship table is updated only at the end of each series so the effect that the ongoing Ashes series will have on the ladder will only be known after the fifth and final Test early in January.

Meanwhile, the West Indies has gained points for managing to avoid defeat in the series and is now placed just three ratings points behind Pakistan in seventh position.

© ICC

England set Australia 375 runs to save Test

England declared their first innings at 620 for five leaving the leg-weary Australians 375 runs to save the second Ashes Test on the fourth day at the Adelaide Oval on Monday.

Skipper Andrew Strauss finally called a halt to the run onslaught with Ian Bell unbeaten on 68 and wicketkeeper Matt Prior not out 27.

England only lost the wicket of Kevin Pietersen for his highest Test score of 227 in the 40 minutes of free scoring where the tourists added 69 off nine overs.

Pietersen smashed spinner Xavier Doherty's first ball of the day through midwicket for four but he went for a big swing at the next ball which turned sharply out of the rough to Simon Katich at slip.

It was Pietersen's highest Test score off 308 balls with 34 fours and a six and he shared in a 116-run partnership with Ian Bell in 125 minutes.

Pietersen surpassed his previous his highest Test score of 226 against the West Indies in May 2007.

England have amassed 1,137 runs runs for six wickets in their last two innings in this series.

On Sunday Pietersen became the fifth Englishman to score a double century in Australia and his first century in 28 Test innings since his 102 against the West Indies at Port-of-Spain in March last year.

Prior had a life when he overturned an lbw decision against him on three off Peter Siddle by an umpire's review.

Australia's plight bordered on the comical when Ricky Ponting and Marcus North came hurtling in for a high catch off Prior at deep midwicket but they both pulled out to avoid a collision and the ball plopped safely to ground much to the mirth of England's Barmy Army fans.

To add to Australia's woes, Katich was limping from an Achilles injury and had to be managed by skipper Ponting to prevent England's batsmen from capitalising on his immobility.

The forecast was for afternoon rain.
© AFP

Cook and Trott make Aussies pay for missed chances

STAFF WRITER 9:32 HRS IST

Adelaide, Dec 4 (AFP) England made Australia pay for fielding bungles to make steady progress after the home side's modest first innings total on the second day of the second Ashes Test on Saturday.

The Australians, defending 245, their lowest Adelaide first innings total for 17 years, struck in the day's opening over to remove skipper Andrew Strauss but there was no further joy as the temperatures climbed at the Adelaide Oval.

First Test centurions Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott were building a solid partnership and steering England to a burgeoning innings.

At lunch, Cook was unbeaten on 35 with Trott on 39 in England's 90 for one to trail by 155 runs.

Strauss fell cheaply and Trott had two lives in a shaky start for England chasing Australia's modest first innings total.

American media shocked at FIFA World Cup snub

STAFF WRITER 9:45 HRS IST

New York, Dec 4 (AFP) American media reacted with shock to FIFA's decision to snub a US bid for the 2022 World Cup in favor of Qatar, some dubbing the move a "money grab" from a nation rich in oil and natural gas.

"Qatar? Really? Has the FIFA cartel seriously lost all of its soul? Is it only about the dirty oil money? Does it really care about growing the game? Or lining its pockets?" asked Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley.

"This decision is strictly a money grab. All this announcement does is fuel the already-existing suspicions of collusion that have haunted the entire bid process."

Comments about Qatar's extreme heat and lowly football status, 113th in the FIFA rankings, were common.

"It's not like Qatar has been growing a domestic league the way the United States has," Kelley said.

Gambhir elects to bowl against New Zealand in 3rd ODI

STAFF WRITER 8:54 HRS IST

Vadodara, Dec 4 (PTI) India skipper Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to bowl against New Zealand in the third One-day international at Reliance Stadium here today.

India have made two changes to their side with paceman Zaheer Khan coming in place of S Sreesanth and Ravindra Jadeja taking place of Suresh Raina.

New Zealand line-up has been bolstered by comeback man Brendon McCullum, who takes place of indisposed Jamie How.

Paceman James Franklin replaces Tim Southee.

India are 2-0 up in the five-match series.

Teams:

India: Gautam Gambhir (C), Murali Vijay, V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel and Zaheer Khan

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (C), Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson, Gareth Hopkins?, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Andy McKay and James Franklin.

HC extends IPL's deadline for signing up 4 star players

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Friday extended the deadline for the IPL franchisees to sign up their respective "marquee" players till December 8.

The High Court passed the order during the hearing of petitions filed by Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab against termination of its contracts by the Cricket Board (BCCI).

Each IPL franchisee can sign up four players from its earlier season's squad. The BCCI had set a deadline of December 6 for submitting list of signed up marquee players.

Kings XI on Thursday said that deadline must be deferred, because at present players would not be willing to negotiate with it, since the franchise's contract with BCCI stands terminated.

Rajasthan Royals has secured a stay on its termination of from independent arbitrator Justice BN Srikrishna, which the BCCI has challenged before the High Court.

Kings XI, on the other hand, could not get relief in arbitration, as Justice Srikrishna recused himself.

BCCI terminated contracts with Kings XI and Rajasthan Royals on the ground that both franchisees changed their respective ownership patterns without informing the board.

Refuting this charge, senior counsel Darius Khambata on Friday argued that Lalit Modi, "who was the face of IPL", was aware of changes in ownership of Kings XI, and he consented to them, when actor Preity Zinta, one of the share-holders of Kings XI, intimated him about it.

BCCI's lawyer said that cricket body did not accept copy of Modi's endorsement on which Kings XI was relying. Arguments would continue on December 6.

Russia and Qatar to host 2018 and 2022 World Cups

ZURICH: Russia and the tiny Gulf state of Qatar were awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on Thursday after an acrimonious bidding war marred by allegations of corruption and illegal deal-making.

The bombshell conclusion to two years of frenzied lobbying saw world football supremo Sepp Blatter reveal the winners following a secret ballot of 22 FIFA executive committee members in Zurich.

The announcement means the World Cup will be staged in two countries which have never hosted the event before following the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

Russia prevailed in the 2018 race, upsetting England and joint bids from Spain and Portugal and Belgium and the Netherlands.

The outcome represented a stunning comeback for Russia, whose campaign had believed to be in trouble after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin declined to join the lobbying effort in Zurich.

Putin had also launched a stinging attack on England's bid on the eve of the vote, accusing the country's media of "smearing" officials.

But the shock of the day came in the 2022 race, where Qatar beat off stiff competition from the United States, Australia and Asian rivals South Korea and Japan in a remarkable result.

Qatar 2022 bid president Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani promised: "We won't let you down. You will be proud of us, proud of the Middle East."

Qatar's win came despite serious reservations being raised about the logistical problems of staging the football tournament in the Gulf during the searing heat of the summer months.

Although the Qataris have promised to build an array of state of the art stadia which are climate-controlled, the technology has never been tested on a large-scale before.

The results brought the curtain down on the most controversial World Cup votes in years, with FIFA facing myriad allegations of corruption which led to two executive commitee members being suspended.

FIFA president Blatter has acknowledged that the decision to stage votes for two tournaments at the same time was a mistake, making illegal horse-trading between bids inevitable.

An increasingly acrimonious climax to the campaign saw Spanish and Russian officials issue veiled attacks earlier Thursday as the respective bids made their final presentations to FIFA voters.

Spanish FIFA member Angel Villar Llona hit out at British media reports which exposed corruption within the organisation, describing them as "slander."

Meanwhile in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also hit out at perceived "intrigue and blackmail" surrounding the vote.

"We stand for world sport developing according to its own laws, independent of the political environment," Lavrov said. "And it should especially not be subject to intrigue and blackmail."

Russian bid officials steered clear of fuelling the war of words in their final presentation earlier Thursday however, instead emphasising the country's readiness to host the tournament for the first time.

"We are ready. Most of the infrastructure is planned and budgeted for and the World Cup will accelerate this," bid chief Alexei Sorokin said.

England 2018 officials declined to respond to the criticism, but were left dejected after launching a heavyweight increasingly optimistic after lobbying offensive led by Prime Minister David Cameron, heir to the throne Prince William and football icon David Beckham.

All three men took to the stage Thursday to appeal for the tournament.

"I love football, we English love football - that's why it would be such an honour for us to host the 2018 World Cup," Prince William said.

However an outbreak of crowd trouble at an English League Cup match between Birmingham and Aston Villa late Wednesday embarrassed England's bid.

Read more: Russia and Qatar to host 2018 and 2022 World Cups - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Russia-and-Qatar-to-host-2018-and-2022-World-Cups/articleshow/7030726.cms#ixzz171LizAEe

Sethuraman becomes India's youngest GM

CHENNAI: Sethuraman Panaiappan Sethuraman has an interesting record now under his belt. The 17-year-old Chennai lad is currently the youngest grandmaster in India, having pipped Parimarjan Negi of New Delhi by 16 days.

On Wednesday night, Sethuraman won the 26th Voivoda's Cup international chess tournament at Legnica in Poland and in the process secured his GM title to set the record. Though there were three others who had achieved the same feat at a much younger age, currently Sethuraman can claim that he is the youngest GM in India, though he is not the youngest to get there as Koneru Humpy, Pentala Harikrishna (both AP) and Negi had made the mark before they turned 16.

It was just four months ago that Sethuraman's friend and citymate B Adhiban set a new mark for the youngest GM from Tamil Nadu, catching up with the 23-year-old record that stood in the name of Viswanathan Anand, both of them achieving the feat at the age of 18.

Sethuraman completed his third and final GM norm in Poland after he won the event by a one-point margin. He scored seven points from nine rounds to join a select band of 23 Indian GMs.

"I played well in Poland. I lost only one game with IM Sieciechowicz Marcin," said Sethuraman before he boarded the flight to Delhi on Thursday. "The trip was very difficult. I got the visa in the last minute. I reached the venue just one hour before due to flight delay."

Sethuraman's mother Deivinai accompanied him to Poland. His father Panaiappan runs an chess academy at Kilpauk where he teaches 40 students. Though his father was his first coach, Sethuraman turned to professional trainer Alexander Goloshchapov four years ago.

"Goloshchapov had coached Judit Polgar and Negi too. For a while, Sethu also worked with RB Ramesh also," said Panaiappan. Sethuraman had got his first GM norm in the Parsvnath International tournament in Delhi (2009) and the second norm at Paris (August 2010). He won the World Under-16 chess championship last year.

Sethuraman, who finished ahead of GM Vladimir Sergeev of Ukraine (6 points) in Poland, said he was looking forward to the Premier National Championship beginning in New Delhi next week to further his rating, which will cross 2550 after his recent victory.

"My next target is to reach the 2600-mark. I am planning to play in many tournaments in 2011," said Sethuraman, who is doing his BCom at SRM University in Chennai. "Before the Poland tournament, I had a yoga training with international athletics coach Anand Natarajan. It helped me to stay physically fit for the tournament," he added.

Read more: Sethuraman becomes India's youngest GM - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/chess/Sethuraman-becomes-Indias-youngest-GM/articleshow/7032254.cms#ixzz171LK4JQj

2nd Ashes Test: Watson, Hussey restore Australia after crash

ADELAIDE: Shane Watson and Mike Hussey were stabilising Australia's first innings after losing three wickets in 10 balls in a sensational start to the second Ashes Test against England at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.

Watson, who was to blame for opening batsman Simon Katich's run out off the fourth ball of the innings, was leading the recovery after Australia were reeling at two for three in the third over.

At lunch, Australia were 94 for three after winning the toss with Watson on 50 and first Test centurion Hussey not out 36.

A measure of Watson's growing confidence was his clouting of spinner Graeme Swann for a big six over wide long on nearing lunch.

England made a dream start when they dismissed Katich, skipper Ricky Ponting and vice-captain Michael Clarke in a dramatic opening spell.

Katich sat well away from his teammates watching the play after he was needlessly run out in the opening over.

He was run out by a direct hit from Jonathan Trott at square leg after he went late when Watson ran for a scrambled single off an lbw appeal on James Anderson's fourth ball of the innings.

Katich had the misfortune to be out without facing a ball, a victim of chaotic communication with his opening partner Watson, to bring Ponting to the crease.

There was more calamity for Australia when Ponting edged Anderson's outswinger to Swann at second slip for a first-ball duck and Australia were rocking at two wickets down without scoring.

Australia plunged into deeper trouble when out-of-form Clarke on two went hard to a moving Anderson delivery and snicked to Swann in the slips for the spinner's second catch.

Australia were 2-3 with three wickets tumbling in 10 balls.

The shaken home side had more heart flutters when Watson on seven survived a third umpire's review of a turned-down lbw appeal from Anderson.

Replays showed the delivery was pitching outside off-stump and projected to be going over the stumps and Watson stayed at the crease.

Hussey had a life on three when Anderson dropped a low left-handed return catch in his fourth over.

Read more: 2nd Ashes Test: Watson, Hussey restore Australia after crash - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/ashes-2010-yearn-for-urn/top-stories/2nd-Ashes-Test-Watson-Hussey-restore-Australia-after-crash/articleshow/7033166.cms#ixzz171L6CVFq

Bids for 2018, 22 World Cup open enough for big suspense

ZURICH: The final bid presentations to stage the 2022 World Cup left the race wide open heading into Thursday's vote. The no-show of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin might have done the same for the 2018 event.

Qatar made perhaps the strongest impression of all five candidates for 2022, smartly seeking to debunk the notion that their desert would be too hot for a World Cup in June and July.

With former President Bill Clinton lining up alongside Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, the United States piled on the star appeal to back the promise of a revenue-rich tournament in an ethnically diverse nation.

Australia, whose bid's presentation was highlighted with a cameo by supermodel Elle Macpherson, invited everyone to the "world's greatest playground" and to unlock a continent where the World Cup had never gone before. Asian nations Japan and South Korea are considered the outsiders.

Although the presentations for four 2018 bidders are set for early Thursday, Russia claimed much of the attention when Putin surprisingly decided against coming to the home of FIFA to defend a bid which had been seen by many as a favorite. It put England in prime position, with the joint bid of Spain-Portugal as its biggest challenger. The Belgium-Netherlands bid is considered a rank outsider.

Qatar asked FIFA to take a "bold gamble" by moving to a small a nation jutting into the Persian Gulf, a politically volatile region potentially posing problems well beyond the heat.

"We are offering FIFA a historic opportunity to expand the frontiers of the World Cup," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani, chairman of Qatar bid committee. "This involves a new mission, a new adventure."

He said there was political backing across the region beyond the Middle East divisions and said their oil-rich nation was wealthy enough to spend $50 billion on transportation, and more than $4 billion on new and upgraded venues, including air-conditions to cool fans and players in stadiums.

While Qatar would still have to build most of the venues, the United States bid insisted the country was so flush with state-of-the-art stadiums that attendance would average 76,000.

US Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati had no qualms about boasting that "from a tournament perspective, it will be a major success, setting new records for ticket sales, selling out every match, promising record profits for FIFA to invest in the game worldwide."

Clinton and Freeman both stressed the diversity of the nation. "It's important that all the teams who come to any World Cup venue feel that they, too, are playing at home, not just for people watching on television," Clinton said. "Maybe America's best claim to this World Cup is that we have the only nation you can put the World Cup that can guarantee no matter who makes the final, we can fill a stadium with home-nation rooters."

Australia, to little surprise, claimed the same diversity. "Play the World Cup in one of the worlds most multicultural societies, and in doing so capture the hearts and the minds and the opportunity of the fastest growing region of the world - and that's Asia," Football Federation Australia CEO Ben Buckley said.

Frank Lowy, the billionaire businessman and driving force behind the bid, introduced Macpherson, who greeted the 80-year-old retail tycoon with a kiss and described him as "a hero back home."

"This is my first prize," Lowy joked. "The second prize will be the World Cup in 2022."

It was unlikely the Russian presentation would be as much fun after Putin pulled out of helping the bid.

Putin's withdrawal and allegation that the bidding process had turned into an "unfair competition" following scandals targeting FIFA dented Russia's stature as a favorite to host the event.

England continued to lead the sporting diplomacy, with Prime Minister David Cameron, Prince William and David Beckham seeking to sway FIFA's executive committee for their 2018 bid.

The Spain-Portugal bid again kept its lobbying behind closed doors, but heard Wednesday it will not be able to count on the injured Cristiano Ronaldo in its buildup to the vote. Real Madrid said the Portugal winger needs to recover for Saturday's match against Valencia.

The Belgium-Netherlands bid was hoping to be boosted by the arrival of Johan Cruijff.

Read more: Bids for 2018, 22 World Cup open enough for big suspense - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Bids-for-2018-22-World-Cup-open-enough-for-big-suspense/articleshow/7025828.cms#ixzz16vVQI6BC

2nd ODI: Gambhir leads India to easy win over New Zealand

JAIPUR: India's stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir cracked an unbeaten 138 off 116 balls to lift the hosts to an eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the second one-day international on Wednesday.


The left-hander's eighth one-day century enabled India to surpass New Zealand's challenging 258-8 with seven overs to spare in the day-night match at the Sawai Man Singh stadium in Jaipur.

The emphatic victory gave India a 2-0 lead in the five-match series after the hosts had won the first game in Guwahati on Sunday by 40 runs.

Gambhir put on 87 for the first wicket with Murali Vijay (33) and 116 for the second with Virat Kohli, who followed up his century in Guwahati with a fluent 64.

The skipper hit 18 boundaries in his fluent knock.

Gambhir led India as regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was rested for the series along with other senior players including Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh.

Fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth set up the win by grabbing four wickets after Gambhir won the toss and elected to field in good batting conditions.

Martin Guptill top-scored for the Black Caps with a dour 70, before Scott Styris boosted the total with 59 off 54 balls.

Sreesanth removed Styris and skipper Daniel Vettori (31) off successive balls in the 46th over, after the pair had put on a quickfire 58 for the fifth wicket.

Nathan McCullum prevented a hat-trick as New Zealand recovered from a middle-order slump to smash 88 runs in the last 11 overs.

Guptill, who opened the innings, crawled to his half-century in the 30th over.

The Black Caps opted for the batting powerplay in the 35th over, with the total at 137-3, and took advantage of the field restrictions to hit 33 runs in the next five overs.

Guptill fell in controversial circumstances when Indian umpire Sanjay Hazare declared him caught behind off Ravichandran Ashwin even as the wicket-keeper appealed for a stumping.

New Zealand were without the injured duo of Brendon McCullum and Daryl Tuffey, but Vettori was back after missing the first game with a back injury.

The third match will be played in Vadodara on Saturday.


Read more: 2nd ODI: Gambhir leads India to easy win over New Zealand - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/new-zealand-in-india/top-stories/2nd-ODI-Gambhir-leads-India-to-easy-win-over-New-Zealand/articleshow/7024687.cms#ixzz16vV9pi9n

Johnson dropped for second Ashes Test

ADELAIDE: Pace bowler Mitchell Johnson has been dropped from the Australia squad for the second Ashes Test against England, captain Ricky Ponting said on Thursday.

The 2009 ICC Cricketer of the Year finished the first Test in Brisbane with figures of 0-170 as England batted for two days to rescue a draw.

His departure leaves Australia with a 12-man squad for the test with Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris both vying for Johnson's spot in the team.

"The selectors felt (Johnson) was down on a bit of form and down on a bit of rhythm and Test match cricket is hard enough without having to try and rediscover that as well," Ponting said.

The final team will be announced on the first morning of the Test on Friday.

Australia team: Shane Watson, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Marcus North, Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle, Xavier Doherty.

Read more: Johnson dropped for second Ashes Test - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/ashes-2010-yearn-for-urn/top-stories/Johnson-dropped-for-second-Ashes-Test/articleshow/7026714.cms#ixzz16vUyASHN

1st Test: Cook hits double century but Ashes opener drawn

BRISBANE: Australia and England drew the first Ashes Test on Monday but the tourists will claim a moral victory after Alastair Cook dominated the last two days with an unbeaten double century to rescue a match that had looked lost.

Cook, who was unbeaten on a career-high 235, and Jonathan Trott, who was 135 not out, had built a record partnership of 329 when captain Andrew Strauss declared England's second innings closed at 571/1 before tea.

Australia, who were 296 runs behind, lost Simon Katich before the break but skipper Ricky Ponting, who hit 51 for his 56th Test half century, and opener Shane Watson (41) ushered the hosts safely through the remaining overs to finish on 107 for one.

Cook and Trott completely dominated the first two sessions of the day in front of a sparse fifth day crowd at the Gabba, where England supporters were more numerous and much louder.

Their disciplined partnership bettered the 307 Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin achieved to put Australia firmly in charge on Saturday and the 188 Cook and Strauss, who made 110, managed on Sunday.

It was the highest stand by Englishmen in Australia, beating the 323 achieved by Jack Hobbs and Wilfred Rhodes on the 1911/12 Ashes tour.

The "Barmy Army" were at their noisiest just before lunch when the 25-year-old Cook clipped the ball behind square to become the fourth England player to score an Ashes double century in Australia.

They were back on their feet minutes later when Trott pushed a shot through leg side and scuttled for three runs, leaping into the air in jubilation as he raced to safety and his fourth Test century.

Australia's bowlers continued to struggle in the baking sunshine with the one cast-iron chance they had of separating the England batsman before lunch spilled in the slips.

All-rounder Watson, the pick of Australia's bowlers, carved out the opportunity when Trott was on 75 but Michael Clarke could not hold on to a simple catch.

Ponting thought he had caught Cook caught out on 209 but the umpires conferred and decided the ball had been grounded, and he missed a difficult slip catch when the Englishman was on 222.

Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson's troubles continued as he ended the Test wicketless at the cost of 170 runs.

One wretched delivery to Trott hurtled some three metres wide of the wicket in echoes of England bowler Steve Harmison's first delivery here four years ago that set the tone for England's 5-0 series defeat.

Simon Katich lasted just 23 minutes before England succeeded where Australia's bowlers had failed, the opener caught by Strauss in the slips off the bowling of Stuart Broad for four runs.

The second of the five Tests begins in Adelaide on Friday.

Read more: 1st Test: Cook hits double century but Ashes opener drawn - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/ashes-2010-yearn-for-urn/top-stories/1st-Test-Cook-hits-double-century-but-Ashes-opener-drawn/articleshow/7009074.cms#ixzz16frMJ0Cy

New Test and one-day leagues to be finalised at ICC meet

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) hopes to finalise plans for their new Test and one-day international tournaments in their chief executives' committee meeting in Dubai on Tuesday.

Agreeing the rules for the league-style tournaments and considering the new Future Tours Programme (FTP) agreement for an eight year period from 2012 would be the "main objective" of the panel's quarterly meeting, the ICC said in a statement.

"The restructure of international cricket has been a significant and strategic piece of work which now requires a new FTP agreement incorporating league rules and regulations to be discussed and approved," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said.

The top four teams of the proposed Test league will qualify for a play-off, to be held once every four years to determine the Test champion team.

The one-day international league, separate from the World Cup, is proposed to run from 2011-2014, culminating in the crowning of a champion.

The chief executives will also be updated on the final plans and preparations for next year's World Cup to be jointly staged by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Read more: New Test and one-day leagues to be finalised at ICC meet - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/New-Test-and-one-day-leagues-to-be-finalised-at-ICC-meet/articleshow/7009297.cms#ixzz16frBcGp8

Hussey leads Australian fightback in Ashes opener

BRISBANE (Australia): Mike Hussey anchored a mid-innings revival to push Australia towards England's first innings total when rain ended play on the second day of the opening Ashes Test at the Gabba on Friday.

The veteran left-hander dispelled doubts over his place in the team after a lean trot to spearhead Australia's fightback following the loss of four wickets in the post-lunch session.

When rain forced play to be abandoned at 4:45 pm (0645 GMT), Australia were 220 for five with Hussey unbeaten on 81 and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin not out 22.

Hussey showed the beneficial effects of his restorative 118 for Western Australia in the leadup Sheffield Shield game last weekend to carry on his form renaissance with an enterprising knock of 13 fours and a six off 144 balls.

The 35-year-old campaigner survived a near catch in the slips off his first ball to share in an unbroken 77-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Haddin to refuel Australia's charge after England's first innings 260.

Hussey blunted the English push after Australia had been rocked by the loss of four wickets after lunch to slump to 143 for five.

Pacemen Steve Finn and James Anderson were England's heroes bowling the tourists back into contention straight after lunch.

Anderson claimed the prized wicket of master batsman Ricky Ponting for 10 with the second ball after lunch.

Ponting attempted to glance down the leg-side only to get a fine edge to Matt Prior.

It was a massive wicket for England with Ponting averaging 66.44 in his 14 Tests at the Gabba and who set up the last Ashes series down under four years ago when he scored 196 in the first innings of the corresponding Test.

Finn produced a spectacular return catch to dismiss opener Simon Katich off his bowling for 50.

The young Middlesex quick flung his giant frame to the ground to take a sprawling return catch in the 37th over.

It was Katich's 25th half-century in 55 Tests and his fourth against England.

Michael Clarke struggled for fluency throughout his 50-ball stay at the crease before his fitful innings came to an end on nine when he attempted a pull shot off Finn only to top edge a catch to Prior.

Clarke had been suffering back trouble before being cleared to play in the Ashes opener.

It was Prior's 100th Test dismissal -- 96 catches and four stumpings -- in his 36th Test match.

The inconsistent Marcus North lasted just eight balls for one before he prodded forward and edged offspinner Graeme Swann to Paul Collingwood at slip leaving Australia at 143 for five in the 53rd over.

It was the fourth time Swann had taken the wicket of the West Australian left-hander in Tests.

At stumps, Finn had 2-61 off 15 overs and Anderson 2-40 off 21 overs.

Australia only lost the wicket of Shane Watson in the morning session after resuming at 25 without loss.

Watson beat off an England referral for lbw but he was out to Anderson's next ball when he edged to Andrew Strauss at first slip for 36.

England have not won the Brisbane Test since Mike Gatting's team prevailed by seven wickets six tours ago, on the way to their last Australian series victory in 1986/87.

Read more: Hussey leads Australian fightback in Ashes opener - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/ashes-2010-yearn-for-urn/top-stories/Hussey-leads-Australian-fightback-in-Ashes-opener/articleshow/6993992.cms#ixzz16ORlDd8m

Kirsten can prove 'too costly' for CSA

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa is keen to avail Gary Kirsten's services after his contract with India expires next year but the country's cricket board (CSA) might not be able to afford the former Protea left-handed batsman in the wake of a sponsorship row, according to a report.

Kirsten's contract with India is till next year's World Cup in the sub-continent and according to a report, even though the CSA is interested in the left-hander, the board might have to do way with him as long-time sponsor Standard Bank has stopped its sponsorship.

Ironically, the bank, taking financial strain and facing retrenchments of staff, announced the end of its sponsorship on the same day the CSA had set up a panel to find a replacement for current coach Corrie van Zyl, who will return to his position as head of CSA's High Performance Programme in Pretoria after the World Cup.

Rapport said it had reliably learnt that CSA had already been in discussion with Kirsten but is likely to be paid much less in comparison to what he used to get in India unless another major sponsor comes comes in.

Kirsten is believed to be receiving a basic package of USD 1m in India.

Having led India to the top of the world Test rankings in February, Kirsten is the current favourite to take over as the new Proteas coach, even though he said that he has not committed to anyone yet.

With current assistant coach Vincent Barnes also in the running, CSA insiders said they would cast the net wider, including abroad, if Kirsten was not available.


Read more: Kirsten can prove 'too costly' for CSA - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/Kirsten-can-prove-too-costly-for-CSA/articleshow/6993298.cms#ixzz16ORZVKb9

Asian Games: India beat Iran to win record 6th kabaddi gold

NEW DELHI: Indian men's kabaddi team continued their golden run by winning record sixth Asiad kabaddi gold after beating Iran 37-20 in the finals.

With the addition of this gold medal, India have so far won 12 golds, 15 silvers and 32 bronze medals at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China on Friday.

The indomitable Indian kabaddi team dished out a brilliant performance right from the start as they outwitted their opponents to take a convincing lead of 24-3 at the lemon-break.

However the Iranians bounced back strongly in the latter half and fetched some crucial points to reduce the margin.

In the semifinals on Thursday, Indian men registered a convincing win over Japan. India did not let Japan score much in the game with the final score read as 52-17.

Earlier in the day, the Indian women fashioned a comprehensive 28-14 victory over Thailand to clinch the inaugural women's kabaddi gold of the Asian Games.

The Indian women led 17-7 at half-time after Thailand failed to secure a single lona against India's two. The Indian women team also got a couple of bonus points in the opening half.

The second half followed a similar script and India once again dominated by securing a couple of lonas and getting 20 outs to emerge triumphant.

Read more: Asian Games: India beat Iran to win record 6th kabaddi gold - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/16th-asian-games-2010/india-news/Asian-Games-India-beat-Iran-to-win-record-6th-kabaddi-gold-/articleshow/6994617.cms#ixzz16ORLwHAE

Asian Games: 4X400m relay women's team wins 13th gold for India

NEW DELHI: Indian women's 4X400m relay team scripted history by winning the 13th gold for India at the ongoing 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

The quartet of Manjeet Kaur, Sini Jose, Ashwini Akkunji and Mandeep Kaur clocked 3min 29.02sec, with Kazakhstan taking silver (3:30.03) and China claiming bronze (3:30.89).

Earlier in the day, the men's and women's kabaddi teams expectedly maintained their supremacy by clinching the gold as India created history by recording their best-ever medal tally in the Asian Games by adding six more medals on a productive 14th day of competitions on Friday.

While the kabaddi teams did not sweat much to keep their reputation intact in rather lopsided finals, long distance runners Preeja Sreedharan and Kavita Raut had their moment of glory by winning the silver and bronze medals respectively in the women's 5000 m event.

Indian men's team also fetched bronze in the chess event.

Roller sports fetched India a couple of unexpected bronze medals with Anup Kumar Yama bagging one in men's single free skating before combining with Avani Panchal to finish third in the pairs skating event.

With the addition of this gold, India's medal tally climbed to a record 13 gold, 15 silver and 33 bronze (total 61), the biggest ever haul in the Asian Games so far.

India's best medal haul till date was recorded in the 1982 Games in Delhi when they had won 13 gold, 19 silver and 25 bronze for an overall tally of 57.

With a few more gold medals expected in the second session, particularly from the boxers, India will be looking for a top-five finish in the Games. India had finished tenth on the medals table in the last edition of the Games in Doha with a tally of 10-17-26.

Much was expected from the kabaddi teams to provide the boost to the gold haul and they did not disappoint.

The men's kabaddi team maintained their impeccable track record by winning the gold medal for the sixth time on the trot, demolishing Iran with a facile 37-20 margin what turned out to be a lop-sided contest.

The script unfolded on expected lines for the women's kabaddi team also as they completed a memorable Asian Games debut by clinching the gold medal with a comprehensive win over Thailand in the final.

The Indians beat Thailand 28-14 in a dominating performance to clinch the inaugural women's kabaddi gold of the Asian Games.

The Indians led 17-7 at half-time after Thailand failed to secure a single lona against India's two. The Indian team also got a couple of bonus points in the opening half.

It turned out to be a relatively good day for India in the athletic arena as Preeja and Kavita clocked their personal bests to clinch the silver and bronze respectively in the women's 5000m race.

Preeja, who earlier clinched the 10,000m gold, returned a timing of 15:15.89.

Kavita, who bagged a silver in 10,000m, could not get past her compatriot yet again but managed a personal best of 15:16.54 to win the bronze.

Bahrain's Mimi Belete Gebgregeiorges clinched the gold medal with a timing of 15:15.59, which was incidentally her personal best as well

Two bronze medals came from rollersports with Anup Kumar Yama bagging one in men's single free skating before combining with Avani Panchal to finish third in the pairs skating event.

Anup totalled 244.2 in his singles routine for which he fetched 123.6 on technical merit and 120.6 for artistic impression.

In the pairs event, Anup and Avani combined for a score of 222 which included 112.5 points on technical merit and 109.5 for artistic impression.

Despite suffering an elbow injury, Indian woman grappler Suman Kundu reached the semifinals of the 63kg freestyle before exiting from the hunt for the gold medal, but is still in with a chance to bag the bronze on the final day of wrestling event.

Suman edged out Vietnam's Luong Thi Quyen 3-1 in her opening bout by making a strong comeback after being outclassed 5-0 in the first period, by clinching the next two narrowly despite sustaining the injury to her joint.

She then fought on bravely and again rallied after losing the first period to Kyrgyzstan wrestler Nestan Kiiazova 3-1, but then won the next two with handsome 5-0 and 2-0 margins.

However, the injury hampered her from giving her best in the semifinal bout and she lost 0-3 to Mongolia's Nasanbyrmaa Ochirbat.

Apart from Suman, it turned out to be another disappointing day for India on the mat as two other wrestlers in fray -- Geeta (55kg) and Gursharanpreet Kaur (72kg) -- crashed out in their respective quarterfinal fights in freestyle event.

TOI

India lose to Japan, fail to defend bronze in women's hockey

GUANGZHOU: The Indian women's hockey team finished a disappointing fourth in the Asian Games after Keiko Manabe's golden goal guided Japan to a 1-0 victory in the bronze medal play-off match on Wednesday.

Manabe scored the winner in the 78th minute from a penalty corner after both the sides failed to break the deadlock in the regulation time at the Aoti Hockey Field.

With this win, Doha Games silver medallist Japan has managed to avoid the ignominy of finishing out of the medal bracket.

The Indians, on the other hand, will be a disappointed lot and will return empty handed after failing to defend their bronze medal in Doha four years ago.

The win also ensured a clean slate for Japan against India in the quadrennial event after having beaten the Surinder Kaur-led side 3-0 in the group stages.

The Indians displayed far from impressive hockey as Japan controlled the proceedings from the word go.

On more than one occasion, the Indians were undone by poor trapping and some sloppy defensive work, which resulted in as many as 10 penalty corners for Japan out of which they converted one.

To add to it, there was no co-ordination between the Indian midfield and forward line as the girls were guilty of unnecessarily holding on to the ball.

If not for Indian custodian Dipika Murthy, Japan could have sealed the match in their favour in regulation time.

A brilliant Dipika came to her side's rescue on numerous occasions, denying the Japanese from set pieces as well as field efforts.

However, Dipika could not save the day for India as Japan had the last laugh when Manabe converted her side's 10th short corner with precision just after the start of the second period of extra time.

Later in the day, defending champions China face Korea in the gold medal match.

Read more: India lose to Japan, fail to defend bronze in women's hockey - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/16th-asian-games-2010/india-news/India-lose-to-Japan-fail-to-defend-bronze-in-womens-hockey/articleshow/6981016.cms#ixzz16Cmqt5ZR

Tarundeep Rai creates history at Asian Games

GUANGZHOU: Tarundeep Rai created history after he became the first Indian archer to win a silver in the men's individual archery event on Wednesday.

In a closely fought contest, the Indian archer lost to the Woojin Kim of South Korea 28-28, 27-28, 29-28, 27-28, 27-29.

Rai gave a vital lead to his opponent in the last set as he shot an eight pointer in his first attempt. And even though the Indian made amends in the next two attempts by scoring nine points each but those did not prove enough to halt the Korean.

And at the end, Rai had to be content with a silver. Rai, who maintained high momentum though out the day, started his campaign by getting the better of Kien Trong Dao of Vietnam 5-1, before outplaying Sian Chu Cheng of Malaysia 6-2.

He then followed it up by beating Jinhyek Oh of Korea 26-27, 30-26, 28-28, 29-27, 28-27 in the quarterfinals.

In the last four stage, Rai carried on his good form as he managed to defeat Taipei's Chia Chun Sung 29-29, 26-30, 30-27, 28-26, 29-28 to enter the final.

Meanwhile, the other Indian in the fray, Rahul Banerjee ended his campaign on a disappointing note as he could not even make it to the quarterfinals after he surrendered without posing much challenge to Taipei's Chun Chia Sung.

The gold medallist of last month's Commonwealth Games in lost 27-28, 24-25, 24-26.

Read more: Tarundeep Rai creates history at Asian Games - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/16th-asian-games-2010/india-news/Tarundeep-Rai-creates-history-at-Asian-Games/articleshow/6981544.cms#ixzz16CmbwB00