Saturday, February 28, 2009

Mills, Butler back in Kiwi One-Day squad

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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

Mills, Butler back in Kiwi One-Day squad

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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

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

Dates for Pak-Aus ODI series revised again

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Playing for England more important than IPL: Flintoff


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ishant likely to miss first ODI due to injury


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

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

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

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

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

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

Bopanna-Niemenin in Delray Beach quarters


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

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

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

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

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

Anand held by Grischuk at Linares Chess

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Djokovic beats Simon to reach Dubai final


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

McIlroy stays on winning track in Arizona desert


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OWN GAME

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Singles are the priority for me: Sania


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friday, February 27, 2009

Younis Khan replaces Chanderpaul as No. 1 Test batsman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Younis Khan replaces Chanderpaul as No. 1 Test batsman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sachin Tendulkar at Madame Tussauds


LONDON: Cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar will be the latest sporting great to be featured at the internationally-renowned Madame Tussauds in London when a new wax figure of the Mumbai-born batsman joins the A-list line-up in April.

Tendulkar follows in the famous footsteps of Bollywood greats Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan and will join other cricket legends Brain Lara and Shane Warne to become the very first Indian sports personality to be portrayed, the waxworks museum said in a statement on Friday.

The cricketing legend has already had a sitting with the Madame Tussauds studios team who last week travelled to Mumbai to capture a catalogue of reference photographs and hundreds of precise measurements.

The information they collected at the two hour session at the Taj Lands End Hotel will prove invaluable as the sculptors and hair and make up artists get to work on his figure.

"We are delighted to confirm our next Indian superstar is going to be Sachin Tendulkar; his achievements on the cricket pitch are phenomenal and he is one of the biggest names in international sport," says Liz Edwards, Madame Tussauds PR manager.

"The Bollywood stars we have included over the past ten years have proved enormously popular with Asian guests and film fans from all over the world. We know Sachin will be just as popular for sports fans from home and abroad and are looking forward to introducing the real Sachin to his wax double soon."

Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians Captain will be featured in typical celebratory "on the pitch" pose after another century marked in the scorebook.

He will be dressed in his cricket whites which he has donated. The figure will be created at Madame Tussauds studios in West London at a cost of 150,000 pounds.

The cricket star will join the ranks of sporting greats, including David Beckham, Mohammed Ali, Tiger Woods and Jesse Owens, in Madame Tussauds interactive Sports Zone.

There will also be a cricketing challenge around the introduction of the figure, where guests can test their cricketing skills against the 'masterblaster'.

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

New Zealand win series


WELLINGTON: New Zealand on Friday snatched a dramatic last-ball victory in the second Twenty20 international to clinch the series 2-0 against India, who very nearly pulled off an incredible win in the dying moments of the thriller.

Chasing a modest 150 to win, the hosts were cruising along comfortable before the Indians changed the complexion of the game with some tidy spin bowling and Irfan Pathan's double strike in the 18th over.

Needing 12 runs off Pathan's last over, the Kiwis rode on Brendon McCullum's unbeaten 69 to scrape through to record their third consecutive victory against the world champions. The home team won the thrilling match by five wickets.

The result of the ding-dong battle at Westpac stadium could have been different had substitute fielder Rohit Sharma latched on to a difficult catch off McCullum, which would have carried the game to the eliminator stage.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/4201124.cms

Bopara's maiden Test ton keeps England on top


Bridgetown, Barbados: Ravi Bopara collected his maiden Test hundred to help bat England to a formidable first innings total in the fourth Test against West Indies on Friday.

Bopara followed up his blistering hundred in a two-day, warm-up match last weekend with an equally purposeful 104 which allowed England to declare their first innings on 600 for six, 45 minutes after tea on the second day at Kensington Oval.

England then enhanced their position when James Anderson claimed West Indies captain Chris Gayle for six before stumps were drawn as the home team reached 85 for one in reply.

Bopara arrived in the Caribbean last Saturday from the England Lions' tour of New Zealand to cover for the injured Andrew Flintoff, who has flown home for treatment on his injured hip, and got into his stride with 124 against a side of young, inexperienced Barbadians.

On Friday, the 23-year-old shared successive hundred-run stands with Paul Collingwood and Tim Ambrose. Collingwood scored 96 and Ambrose was unbeaten on 76 when England declared.

Fidel Edwards took three for 151 runs from 30 overs and was the most successful West Indies bowler. Anderson then trapped Gayle lbw for six playing back and across to a delivery that straightened on him in the fifth over of the West Indies reply.

England had to refer the decision to video umpire Daryl Harper to get the decision, after on-field umpire Russell Tiffin chose to give the West Indies captain the benefit of the doubt. But England could not make another breakthrough before the close, as Ramnaresh Sarwan, not out on 40, and Devon Smith, unbeaten on 37, defied the visitors' attack in an unbroken stand of 72.

Bopara, playing his first Test since the tour of Sri Lanka at the end of 2007, overcame a black eye, the result of being accidentally hit under his grill by paceman Fidel Edwards.

"I felt pretty confident from the minute I went out there on the back of a hundred in the warm-up game," said Bopara. "I'm happy with that and hopefully I can build from there. Fidel Edwards did come back at me, getting me on the grill, but it fired me up.

"It looks a flat wicket out there and, if I have to do my overs, I have to do my overs, and hopefully I can get a few wickets as well."

England benefited from West Indies' indifference in the field, after the visitors continued from their overnight total of 301 for three. At lunch, England reached 405 for four with Collingwood and Bopara having started to drop anchor, after Kevin Pietersen was dismissed for 41 in the first half-hour.

Collingwood reached his 50 from 68 balls in the final over before lunch, when he struck Daren Powell into mid-wicket for three. But he and Bopara were both fortunate to have survived until the interval.

Bopara, on four, was dropped at long-leg by Jerome Taylor off Edwards hooking, and Collingwood was dropped by short leg fielder Ryan Hinds on 44 off spinner Suleiman Benn. Pietersen was out when Edwards trapped him lbw on the back-foot - a decision which the batsman challenged under the umpire review system and lost.

After lunch, Ambrose joined Bopara and they continued to plunder the runs, following the dismissal of Collingwood, as England reached 553 for five.Collingwood was caught inside the deep backward point boundary off Edwards trying to reach his hundred in grand style.

He added 149 at close to a run-a-minute for the fifth wicket with Bopara. Ambrose was more fortunate, when wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin dropped him third ball before he had scored off Sulieman Benn.

After tea, Bopara continued untroubled to his landmark which came when he clipped a slower ball from Taylor to fine leg for a single. But trying to accelerate, he was caught at deep fine leg hooking at short, rising ball from Edwards. He batted close to four hours, faced 143 balls, and struck nine fours and one six.

England trail in the five-Test series 1-0, following an innings and 23-run defeat in the opening Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica.

Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/boparas-maiden-test-ton-keeps-england-on-top/38661-13-1.html

Strauss leads charge

BARBADOS, Feb 26: Andrew Strauss capitalised on winning an important toss by leading England’s charge on the first morning of the fourth Test in Barbados. By lunch, he had racked up a fluent 99-ball 71, as he and Alastair Cook added 108 unbroken runs for the first wicket. In a session reminiscent of their first morning’s work in Antigua last week, England’s openers made unhindered progress on a surface that has turned out to be every bit as quick and true as anticipated. The only genuine opportunity offered by either man came when Strauss, on 58 at the time, was badly dropped by Chris Gayle at first slip off the bowling of Fidel Edwards.
By and large, West Indies’ bowlers produced another disciplined display with the ball, finding the right line and length and making England’s openers wait for their scoring opportunities. (Agencies)

Anand suffers second defeat at Linares

Linares, Spain, Feb 26: World champion Viswanathan Anand was handed a shocking defeat by Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen in the sixth round as the Indian slipped to joint fourth spot at the Magistral Ciudad de Linares chess tournament here.

The Indian ace now has three points out of a possible six and will have to pull out something special to get a hold in the remaining eight rounds of the Super Grandmasters tournament.
Anand, who has two losses in the first six rounds, shares the joint fourth spot with Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine while Alexander Grischuk of Russia with 4.5 points is in the sole lead after a win over Levon Aronian of Armenia in an another thrilling encounter. Aronian was sharing the second spot with Carlsen with 3.5 points each.

India seek redemption in T20 series

Wellington, Feb 26: World champions India would seek to restore their pride after being trounced in the first match as they go into the second and final Twenty20 game against New Zealand here tomorrow, fully aware that only an inspired show will help them to level the series.

The seven-wicket defeat at Christchurch in the first match must have taken the reputation of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s young bravehearts as kings of Twenty20 a serious beating which they can only rectify by winning tomorrow.

A victory will also boost their morale ahead of the five-match ODI series starting on March 3 and put a balm after their second successive loss against New Zealand in the shortest format of the game.

Ponting leads Aussie fightback


Johannesburg, Feb 26: Captain Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke shared a century partnership as Australia fought back after a poor start on the first day of the first Test against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium here today.
Australia were 254 for five when bad light stopped play.

Ponting (83) and Clarke (68) put on 113 for the fourth wicket with attacking stroke play after Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel reduced them to 38 for three.

Although Ponting and Clarke were out in fairly quick succession, new cap Marcus North (47 not out) and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (37 not out) put on an unbeaten 72 for the sixth wicket to continue the Australian recovery.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Voices raised for early IHF polls

NEW DELHI: The Bengal Hockey Association (BHA) on Wednesday said it had the support of a majority of state bodies to persuade the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to hold elections to the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) at the earliest.

BHA president J B Roy said that he has been authorised by 28 state associations to meet the IOA officials and ask for an early election.

"The IHF has been suspended and the matter is pending in the court. Due to the legal tussle, the affairs of Indian hockey are moving in a sluggish way. That is the reason why BHA and other state associations have taken it upon themselves to improve the state of the game in the country," he said.

While parading all the 28 representatives of different state associations, Roy said that he and other members will meet the IOA officials and request them to start the process of election.

"We have waited for nearly a year now. IOA president Suresh Kalmadi promised to hold the election as soon as possible but nothing has been done."

Roy also refuted IOA's claim that elections cannot be held till the case filed by sacked IHF chief KPS Gill is settled in the Delhi High court.

"There is no bar in holding elections. KPS Gill has filed a case challenging his dismissal as the IHF president. What has it got to do with election," he said.

Soruce:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

RBS to end Williams F1 sponsorship in 2010

LONDON: The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) will end their sponsorship of the Williams Formula One team at the end of the 2010 season, the bank said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We recognise that we are now operating in a very different economic environment and have been reviewing all of our activities since October," RBS said.

"It is imperative that we respond to the reality of the situation that we face and that we do so in an orderly way that respects the commercial agreements we have in place and the implications for our partners and the jobs they support."

RBS have sponsored Williams since 2005 and renewed their deal for a second three-year term in 2007.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Voices-raised-for-early-IHF-polls/articleshow/4191711.cms

Bhupathi-Knowles advance to Dubai quarters


DUBAI: Second seeded Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles sailed into the quarterfinals of the $2,233,500 Dubai Tennis championships after an easy 6-3, 6 -1 win over UAE's Hamoud Abbas and Mahmoud-Naden Al Baloushi.

The Indo-Bahamian pair hardly broke a sweat in their win against the wild card entrants.

They will next take on Rik De Voest of South Africa and Dmitry Tursunov of Russia.

Another Indian in the fray is Prakash Amritraj, who along with Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, got a wild card entry into the prestigious event.

They will begin their campaign against Czech Martin Damm and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden.

Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy were sent packing by unseeded pair of Simone Bolelli and Ivo Karlovic.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bhupathi-Knowles-advance-to-Dubai-quarters-/articleshow/4187101.cms

HC notice to Centre on weightlifter Monika's petition


NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Sports Authority of India on a petition filed by weightlifter L Monika Devi, disqualified from participating in Beijing Olympics 2008 after she was found positive in dope test, alleging that the officials violated the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.

Also issuing notices to Indian Olympic Association, National Dope Testing Laboratory and Weightlifting Federation of India besides the sports ministry, Justice Ravinder Bhat sought their responses by April 2.

Monika, who won the Silver Medal in Melbourne Common Wealth Games 2006, is seeking direction to the sports authority to declare the dope test conducted by the Laboratory of Tokyo on her ahead of the Beijing Olympic as null and void as the officials failed to follow the doping rules.

Filing the petition through their counsel P Ramesh Kumar, Monika contended that she had given samples 'A' for dope test, whose result was not told to her but the information was revealed to media.

As per the WADA rule, the athlete was entitled to know the result of sample-A within 10 days from the date when the sample was given but she was not informed by the officials, the national champion's counsel said.

As per the rule, the officials should have maintained the sample 'A' result confidential but they revealed the information to media which is against the WADA rule, the Manipur based weightlifter said.

Besides this petition, Monika and L Ibomcha Singh, President of All Manipur Tae-Kwondo association, and Dr Thakur Suresh Singh have filed a PIL seeking court's intervention to address the issues related to dope test on the athletes.

In case the athlete wants to challenge the sample A test, he or she has to give sample 'B' before challenging the result, they said.

According to the petitioners, the court should direct the Centre to set up a National Sports Tribunal to address the problems of the athletes.

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

HC notice to Centre on weightlifter Monika's petition

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought a response from the Sports Authority of India on a petition filed by weightlifter L Monika Devi, disqualified from participating in Beijing Olympics 2008 after she was found positive in dope test, alleging that the officials violated the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.

Also issuing notices to Indian Olympic Association, National Dope Testing Laboratory and Weightlifting Federation of India besides the sports ministry, Justice Ravinder Bhat sought their responses by April 2.

Monika, who won the Silver Medal in Melbourne Common Wealth Games 2006, is seeking direction to the sports authority to declare the dope test conducted by the Laboratory of Tokyo on her ahead of the Beijing Olympic as null and void as the officials failed to follow the doping rules.

Filing the petition through their counsel P Ramesh Kumar, Monika contended that she had given samples 'A' for dope test, whose result was not told to her but the information was revealed to media.

As per the WADA rule, the athlete was entitled to know the result of sample-A within 10 days from the date when the sample was given but she was not informed by the officials, the national champion's counsel said.

As per the rule, the officials should have maintained the sample 'A' result confidential but they revealed the information to media which is against the WADA rule, the Manipur based weightlifter said.

Besides this petition, Monika and L Ibomcha Singh, President of All Manipur Tae-Kwondo association, and Dr Thakur Suresh Singh have filed a PIL seeking court's intervention to address the issues related to dope test on the athletes.

In case the athlete wants to challenge the sample A test, he or she has to give sample 'B' before challenging the result, they said.

According to the petitioners, the court should direct the Centre to set up a National Sports Tribunal to address the problems of the athletes.

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

Murray, Djokovic through to Dubai quarters


DUBAI: Britain's Andy Murray roared into the quarter-finals of the Dubai Championships with a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win over Arnaud Clement of France on Wednesday, but top seed Novak Djokovic was made to toil for his place.

Second seed Murray broke to love to lead 2-1, and then held off two break points with aces at 3-2 before breaking again to lead 5-2. An early break for 2-1 when Clement netted a backhand quickly gave him the advantage in the second set, and he broke again for the match with a forehand winner.

"I served very well in comparison to my last match," Murray said. "I was pushing out much better for my serve. I managed to dictate the match with my serve. I didn't give him many chances after my first couple of service games, and I obviously managed to get into a lot of his service games and put a bit of pressure on him, and he made some mistakes."

Murray will now face another Frenchman, Richard Gasquet, who needed over three hours to overcome Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-7, 6-3, 7-6.

Djokovic took more than two hours to defeat Czech Jan Hernych 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. The Serbian world number three was never able to dominate an opponent who rallied well and played more consistently.

After a single break decided each of the first two sets, Hernych broke to lead 2-1 in the third. But Djokovic immediately leveled at 2-2, and broke again in the final game with a forehand volley down the line.

"I played well in the first set and had a couple of break points at the start of the second, and suddenly I started breaking up," said Djokovic.

"I was too defensive, I had a lot of ups and downs and allowed him to come back into the match. But it's important, matches where you don't play well or you don't feel well on the court, but you win. That is what matters."

French third seed Gilles Simon took just 53 minutes to crush Russia's Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-1, 6-2, and fourth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer also progressed smoothly with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Fifth seed Croatian Marin Cilic lined up a clash with Djokovic by edging Julien Benneteau of France 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 and sixth seed Igor Andreev defeated Dmitry Tursunov 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in an all-Russian clash.

Soruce:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Murray-Djokovic-through-to-Dubai-quarters/articleshow/4192634.cms

Tiger Woods says its business as usual


WASHINGTON: Golf champion Tiger Woods, who spent eight months recovering from knee surgery, has declared it is business as usual.


Woods, up against Australia's Brendan Jones, was playing for the first time since last June when he won the US Open before needing reconstructive knee surgery.

And despite a front-nine wobble that included bogeys at the third, fifth and seventh holes, world No 1 Woods roared to a 3 and 2 victory -- thanks in part to an eagle at the par-five 13th.

Woods, 33, said: "I got off to a great start but there were some loose shots that followed in the middle of the round before I got it back on the 13th.

"Overall, I'm very pleased. On the first tee I said to my caddie, Stevie Williams, that it felt like business as usual.

"I thought I'd be more nervous than I was. My knee held up well. I thought it would be stiffer but it felt good.

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

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Match schedule for Season II of the DLF Indian Premier League


Tuesday 24, February 2009
The DLF Indian Premier League today announced the match schedule for Season II of the DLF Indian Premier League, which is due to commence on April 10th 2009.

The Opening Ceremony and inaugural match of the Season will be hosted by last year’s winners namely the Rajasthan Royals at Jaipur, where they will clash against Sehwag’s Delhi Daredevils in the opening fixture.

Lalit Modi, Chairman & Commissioner, Indian Premier League said “I am happy to announce the schedule for the season II of the DLF Indian Premier League with the opening ceremony & the inaugural match in the pink city, home of the defending Champions the Rajasthan Royals. Jaipur has always been close to my heart and I promise the people of Jaipur – an opening ceremony the likes of which has not been witnessed in India ever before with some truly world class entertainment.”

The two Semi-Finals will be played out in Chennai and have been scheduled on Thursday, May - 21st and Friday – May 22nd respectively at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium at Chepauk.

The Grand Final will once again be hosted by Mumbai on Sunday – May 24th 2009.

The Hyderabad Deccan Chargers have further confirmed that they will host their home games at two separate venues namely Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi Stadium and the ACA and VDCA Stadium at Visakhapatnam.

All day matches are from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the night matches are from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Attached below is the tentative Match Schedule for Season II of the Indian Premier League 2009…….

Friday, 10-Apr-09
Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils, Jaipur

Saturday, 11-Apr-09
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers, Kolkata
Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers, Chennai

Sunday, 12-Apr-09
Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab, Delhi
Mumbai Indians Vs Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai

Monday, 13-Apr-09
Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super Kings, Hyderabad

Tuesday, 14-Apr-09
Royal Challengers vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Bangalore

Wednesday, 15-Apr-09
Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, Mohali

Thursday, 16-Apr-09
Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils, Hyderabad
Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, Chennai

Friday, 17-Apr-09
Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers, Mumbai

Saturday, 18-Apr-09
Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers, Mohali
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Darevils, Kolkata

Sunday, 19-Apr-09
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai
Royal Challengers vs Rajasthan Royals, Bangalore

Monday, 20-Apr-09
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata

Tuesday, 21-Apr-09
Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians, Delhi

Wednesday, 22-Apr-09
Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers, Jaipur

Thursday, 23-Apr-09
Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab, Bangalore

Friday, 24-Apr-09
Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai

Saturday, 25-Apr-09
Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers, Delhi
Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab, Chennai

Sunday, 26-Apr-09
Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Jaipur
Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians, Vizag

Monday, 27-Apr-09
Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers, Mohali

Tuesday, 28-Apr-09
Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai

Wednesday, 29-Apr-09
Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals, Mohali
Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai

Thursday, 30-Apr-09
Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers, Vizag

Friday, 1-May-09
Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils, Chennai

Saturday, 2-May-09
Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers, Mumbai
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata

Sunday, 3-May-09
Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings, Mohali
Royal Challengers vs Delhi Daredevils, Bangalore

Monday, 4-May-09
Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals, Hyderabad

Tuesday, 5-May-09
Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super Kings, Delhi

Wednesday, 6-May-09
Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab, Jaipur
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians, Kolkata

Thursday, 7-May-09
Royal Challengers vs Deccan Chargers, Bangalore

Friday, 8-May-09
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata

Saturday, 9-May-09
Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, Jaipur
Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils, Mohali

Sunday, 10-May-09
Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Hyderabad

Monday, 11-May-09
Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals, Delhi

Tuesday, 12-May-09
Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai
Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers, Chennai

Wednesday, 13-May-09
Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers, Kolkata

Thursday, 14-May-09
Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, Jaipur
Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers, Delhi

Friday, 15-May-09
Royal Challengers vs Mumbai Indians, Bangalore

Saturday, 16-May-09
Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi
Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab, Hyderabad

Sunday, 17-May-09
Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers, Jaipur
Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Chennai

Monday, 18-May-09
Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Mohali

Tuesday, 19-May-09
Royal Challengers vs Chennai Super Kings, Bangalore

Thursday, 21-May-09
Semi Final 1, Chennai

Friday, 22-May-09
Semi Final 2, Chennai

Sunday, 24-May-09
FINALS, Mumbai

Note: Please note this is a tentative schedule and subject to change

Source:http://www.iplt20.com/match-schedule-for-season-ii-of-the-dlf-indian-premier-league.html

No batsmen took the responsibility: Dhoni

CHRISTCHURCH: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni flayed the irresponsible batting by his teammates and felt the temptation of hitting sixes in a small ground did them in against New Zealand in the first Twenty20 Internationals on Wednesday.

In a match where 24 sixes -- new record for a Twenty20 International -- were hit, none of the Indian batsmen, barring the possible exception of Suresh Raina (61), showed any application, which annoyed Dhoni.

The Indian captain said the team was in unnecessary hurry and there was a lack of responsibility among the batsmen.

"We failed to realise that it's a 20-over game. At times people think there is not enough overs but it's a decently long game," Dhoni said.

"We failed as a team today. Nobody took the responsibility to stay in the middle, especially when we lost 2-3 quick wickets. Somebody should have stayed there, knocking the ball here and there.

"It's important to have wickets in hand so that you can capitalise on the last five overs. It was a learning experience for us," he added.

Warning teammates against taking things lightly, Dhoni said, "You just cannot go through the motions. A batsman hitting the ball nicely doesn't mean I too would go out and try the same."

Criticising the tendency to go ultra-aggressive, Dhoni said, "We have big-hitters in our side, that's a huge advantage. But at times we tend to go with the flow, we have to be careful about that.

"At times, you have short ground and you want to hit more sixes than fours and most of our batsmen was looking to hit sixes, not concentrating on singles or fours," he said.

In contrast, Dhoni was happy with the way his bowlers tried to defend a none-too-impressive total.

"It was a tough wicket, good for batting and I'm happy with the way they bowled. It was good to see Harbhajan Singh bowling well. He returned after a long time and it was nice to see him in rhythm," Dhoni said.

His opposite number Daniel Vettori singled out Brendon McCullum, who was adjudged Man of the Match for his sedate unbeaten 56, for special praise and also hailed the bowlers for taming India's star-studded batting line-up.

"The way Brendon handled the chase, it was really great. (Martin) Guptill also played his natural game and we proved we are a decent Twenty20 side.

"Our bowlers also did a fantastic job by restricting India to 160-odd. We knew they have some exceptional players and they would put pressure on us," Vettori said.

McCullum, on his part, said he learnt the importance of singles in a Twenty tie after the recent series against Australia and it stood him in good stead today.

"Against Australia, we didn't get enough singles and went for big hits only. We learnt from there.

"Initially, we thought we would have to chase 300. After all they are the Twenty20 world champions," he said.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Dhoni-rues-six-hitting-temptation/articleshow/4190007.cms

Indian rebel league mulls legal action over recognition

MUMBAI: India's rebel Twenty20 league is considering legal action after failing in the latest bid for recognition because of staunch opposition by the Indian board, former India skipper Kapil Dev said on Wednesday.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) was unsuccessful in its bid to end a dispute between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian Cricket League (ICL) after a meeting held in Johannesburg on Monday proved fruitless.

"As a sportsman, I don't like matters of sport being decided in court, but with the talks failing (again), we may have no choice but to take recourse to law," Kapil Dev, chairman of the Indian Cricket League (ICL), said.

"I can't understand who has given the BCCI the right to be the sole authority for promoting cricket in India. The ICL too is doing just that, so why should our boys be punished? That, to me, is not justice."

The ICL's application to be recognised as unofficial cricket would now be discussed at the ICC Board meeting in April.

The ICL, bankrolled by one of India's largest media firms, launched the league following India's triumph in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in 2007.

It signed overseas players, particularly from Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh.

However the BCCI, concerned the league would undermine its position, refused to recognise it and persuaded other national boards to ban players who signed up.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indian-rebel-league-mulls-legal-action-over-recognition/articleshow/4189032.cms

India start Kiwi tour with a loss


CHRISTCHURCH: Suresh Raina's fighting unbeaten 61 went in vain as world champions India began their New Zealand tour on a dismal note with the hosts thrashing them by seven wickets in the first Twenty20 match on Wednesday. Put into bat, India recovered from a mid-innings slump to post a competitive 162 for eight but that proved insufficient as the Kiwis overhauled the target with seven balls to spare.

Brendon McCullum (56 not out), Martin Guptill (41), Ross Taylor (31) and Jacob Oram (29 not out) were the notable performers for the hosts who have taken a 1-0 lead in the two match T20 series.India started off with a flourish but failed to sustain the tempo to find themselves in trouble at 61 for five by the eighth over. Some lusty hitting by Raina and Harbhajan Singh (21) at the end provided some respectability to the total.

Raina and Harbhajan Singh stitched 61 runs for the eighth wicket, the highest partnership in the innings. Teen sensation Ishant Sharma struck in the first ball of his first over, trapping left-handed Jesse Ryder (1) to give India the kind of start they needed.

Source:http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/4189732.cms

Commonwealth boxing postponed

NEW DELHI: The Commonwealth boxing championships, slated to be held in the November-December this year has been postponed. It will now be held in 2010, either in the last week of February or the first week of March.

The Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IBF) has been forced to take this step as it's not sure that the venue — Talkatora stadium — will be ready in time.

"We will decide on the fresh dates of the event once it is clear that it is not clashing with the World Youth Games to be held in Iran. If it is, then we will shift it accordingly," IBF secretary Col PK Muralidharan Raja told TOI.

Commonwealth Games organisers are under pressure because of delays in several projects for the Games to be held next year in October. Construction delays also forced this year's World badminton championships to be moved to Hyderabad.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Commonwealth-boxing-postponed/articleshow/4185494.cms

Police mull reckless driving rap for Pistorius


JOHANNESBURG: South African police are considering charges of reckless driving against triple Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius, who suffered injur ies to his face in a boating accident, a report said on Tuesday.

Vanderbijlpark police are investigating a case of reckless and negligent driving against Pistorius, The Beeld newspaper said, quoting police spokesman Kinnie Steyn.

"The police are investigating the possibility that Pistorius did not hit a floating object like a tree trunk, but collided with a pier," Steyn said in the Afrikaans newspaper report.

He said police divers found the boat Pistorius was driving at the bottom of the river, near a pier which had been ripped from its posts.

Pistorius's manager, Peet van Zyl, said that doctors were confident that the star athlete will make full recovery.

"Doctors are quite confident that he will make full recovery... Doctors have not given a specific recovery time," he said on public radio Monday.

Pistorius suffered minor injuries to his face Saturday after a boat accident on the Vaal river, south of Johannesburg.

The 22-year-old, known as the "Blade Runner" after the carbon fibre blades that have replaced his lower legs, underwent an operation and has been placed on a ventilator in an intensive care unit of the hospital.

Pistorius was unable to compete in the Beijing Olympics but made up for that by winning the 400 metres, 100m and 200m at the Paralympics.

Pistorius, known as the fastest man on 'no legs', fought a court battle with athletics ruling body the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) over his right to compete at the Beijing Olympics which he won.

However, he failed to qualify, and is set on competing at the 2012 Games in London.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Police-mull-reckless-driving-rap-for-Pistorius/articleshow/4182725.cms

Paes-Dlouhy ousted from Dubai event


DUBAI: Third seeds Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy made a shock first round exit from $2,233,500 Dubai Tennis championships after losing 4-6, 6-2, 8-10 to unseeded pair of Simone Bolelli and Ivo Karlovic.

Paes-Dlouhy made a spirited comeback after going down in the first set but lost it in the closely fought super tie-breaker.

They squandered three breakpoints in the first set to hand the lead to their Italian-Croatian rivals but pulled up their socks and outplayed them in the second to draw parity.

However, Bolelli and big serving Karlovic edged past their fancied rivals in the deciding tie-breaker to book a quarterfinal berth for themselves.

Mahesh Bhupathi and Prakash Amritraj are also in the fray with their respective partners.

Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of Bahama, seeded second, will play their opener against UAE's wild card entrants Hamoud Abbas and Mahmoud-Naden Al Baloushi.

Amritraj and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi have been given a wild card entry and they will begin their campaign against Czech Martin Damm and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Paes-Dlouhy-ousted-from-Dubai-event/articleshow/4182670.cms

Saina Nehwal fit for All-England Open


NEW DELHI: Saina Nehwal, who had recently injured her playing shoulder, passed the fitness test on Tuesday for the upcoming All England Open badminto n tournament. She was given the clean chit by physiotherpaist Heath Matthews, who had put her on a five-week rehabilitation programme.

Matthews, who is also training the Indian boxers Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar in South Africa at the Durban Sports Precinct for the next two months, came here to assess the world No.10 and will also accompany Saina to the tournament. He will rejoin the boxers in South Africa after the All England championship.

Matthews had inspected the rotator cuff tendinitis of Saina right after it occurred and had listed out the dos and don'ts to get 100 per cent fitness for the prestigious $200,000 Super Series event to be held in Birmingham from March 3-8.

Matthew's regimen involved strengthening of the rotator cuff and also general body fitness like endurance-training, strength-training, hour-training and flexibility.

Saina followed the routine assiduously while training with her coach P Gopichand.

"I would've been very surprised if she would've not recovered from the injury. More importantly, she was confident of overcoming it... She even enjoyed the routine that I gave her which was very important. She is a little stiff now but is going to be fine by the time we leave for England on Saturday," Matthews said TOI from Hyderabad.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Saina-Nehwal-fit-for-All-England-Open/articleshow/4185530.cms

Bhupathi-Knowles advance to Dubai quarters


DUBAI: Second seeded Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles sailed into the quarterfinals of the $2,233,500 Dubai Tennis championships after an easy 6-3, 6 -1 win over UAE's Hamoud Abbas and Mahmoud-Naden Al Baloushi.

The Indo-Bahamian pair hardly broke a sweat in their win against the wild card entrants.

They will next take on Rik De Voest of South Africa and Dmitry Tursunov of Russia.

Another Indian in the fray is Prakash Amritraj, who along with Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, got a wild card entry into the prestigious event.

They will begin their campaign against Czech Martin Damm and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden.

Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy were sent packing by unseeded pair of Simone Bolelli and Ivo Karlovic.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bhupathi-Knowles-advance-to-Dubai-quarters-/articleshow/4187101.cms

De Villiers not interested in wicket-keeping

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - AB de Villiers is not interested in becoming South Africa's full-time wicketkeeper as he wants to concentrate on becoming the world's best batsman.

"I don't want to keep wicket, I want to bat at number four for my country and take the responsibility of scoring hundreds," De Villiers, who kept wicket at the start of his test career, said on Tuesday.

"If I took over the gloves I would have to bat six or seven, and you're not going to be the world's best batsman playing in that position. I want the opportunity to score double hundreds and push my average to 60."

De Villiers sometimes fills in for Mark Boucher in one dayers and there have been suggestions that if he took over the role permanently, it would allow South Africa to include JP Duminy and Ashwell Prince in their batting line-up.

But the 25-year-old, who will play his 50th test when the first test against Australia begins in Johannesburg on Thursday, said he did not want to experiment with his role in the team.

"I'm very happy and proud to play 50 consecutive tests. I've worked hard to get here and in the next 20 tests I'm going to work on getting my average to 50," said De Villiers, whose test average currently stands at 41.57.

De Villiers said the South Africans would have to be at their best if they were to beat Australia, despite winning the recent series Down Under.

"Australia are still very dangerous and can beat any team, any time. We will be focusing on our own games and sticking to the basics, which we'll have to do brilliantly."

De Villiers, who has scored 3201 runs in his 49 tests, said he expected batsmen to have a tough time at the Wanderers.

"There's normally a bit more swing here, it favours the bowlers more. So Dale Steyn and the boys should have a good advantage and the batsmen will have to be up to scratch," De Villiers said.

Source:http://www.cricbuzz.com/component/latest_cricket_news/Story/10918/de-villiers-not-interested-in-wicket-keeping/

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Kiwis postpone their tour of Zimbabwe

Wellington: The New Zealand cricket team's scheduled tour of Zimbabwe in July has been postponed until next year, it was announced here on Wednesday.

Justin Vaughan, chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, said he and his Zimbabwe counterpart, Ozias Bvute, had agreed to put off the tour for 11 months after talks during an International Cricket Council meeting in Johannesburg.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said last week that his government did not want the national team, the Black Caps, to go to Zimbabwe.

"We don't support that regime," he said. "We don't support what's happening in that country, and we don't want to give a signal that we do."

Vaughan told Radio New Zealand that he told the Zimbabweans of the government's opposition to the tour, and they understood. Postponing the tour "makes good sense", he said.

Heath Mills, head of the players' association, welcomed the decision, saying his members had been concerned about going to Zimbabwe

Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/kiwis-postpone-their-tour-of-zimbabwe/38569-13.html

Younis departs for 313; draw looks imminent


Karachi: Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal have resumed batting on the final day of the opening Test match against Sri Lanka here on Wednesday.


The match is dead, so is the pitch. But all eyes on Younis Khan who is 95 runs away from surpassing Brian Lara.


Quite a few landmarks were achieved on Tuesday, though the record for the best individual score - if Younis gets it Wednesday - will be the most significant of them all. Younis' unbeaten 306 currently ranks 21st in the list of highest Test scores.


Younis smashed his maiden triple hundred to steer Pakistan to safety with a stunning display of grit and application as the Test headed for a tame draw. Relying on Younis's marathon unbeaten 306 knock, Pakistan not only avoided the ignominy of a follow on but also ensured that they came out of the match unscathed as the hosts were just 70 runs behind Sri Lanka's mammoth first innings total of 644 for seven at the end of the fourth day.

Younus, the newly appointed captain, batted through for the second consecutive day, having occupied the crease for 795 minutes. His knock contained 27 boundaries and four sixes.

Younus reached the triple century milestone via a risky shot when he reverse sweeped off-spinner Muttiah Muralithran towards third man and ran three along with stumper Kamran Akmal who remained unbeaten on 27 at close of play.

The skipper kissed the pitch after the historic moment, which was created before a sparse crowd including some school students.

Only two Pakistani cricketers have scored a triple century till date with the last one being former captain Inzamam-ul Haq, who made 329 against New Zealand at Lahore in 2002.

Hanif Mohammed was first Pakistani to reach the magic figure when he scored 337 against the West Indies way back in 1958 at Bridgetown.

Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/younis-departs-for-313-draw-looks-imminent/38567-13.html

Raina's half-century lifts India to 162-8

Christchurch: Suresh Raina's unbeaten 63 off 41 balls pushed India to 162-8 after New Zealand chose to field in the opening Twenty20 game on Thursday.

Virender Sehwag got India off to a blazing start but a middle order collapse meant the tourists faced the danger of getting bowled out within the stipulated 20 overs. But Harbhajan Singh gave Raina solid support to guide India to a respectable total.

Harbhajan returned to the Indian side, replacing all rounder Ravinder Jadeja.
The hosts are without the services of Kyle Mills but Jacob Oram and Ross Taylor back in the side.
India will worry more about the fickle Kiwi weather than the composition and strength of the hosts.
More than the Black Caps' resilience and home advantage, the cold-windy factor may ruffle Mahendra Singh Dhoni's all-conquering legion.

Given their streak of success in this format and the plethora of talent they have in their ranks, India start as hot favorites in the two-match series.

Teams:
India: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni (WK and Capt), Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma.
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (WK, Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram, Nathan McCullum, Daniel Vettori(Capt), Ian Butler, Tim Southee, Ewen Thompson, Iain O'Brien.

Soruce:www.cricketnext.com

Sahara to sponsor boxers, wrestlers


New Delhi, Feb 23: Much like their cricket cousins, 17 grapplers and 13 pugilists will receive graded contracts after Sahara India Pariwar today pledged to support wrestling and boxing in the country.
Apart from offering them a four-year contract which would be reviewed every year, Sahara also adopted the famous Bhiwani Boxing Club in Haryana and the Guru Hanuman Akhara in the capital with an aim to upgrade the facilities at both the centres.

Kiwis eyeing to surprise Indians


Christchurch, Feb 23: Well aware of their rival’s recent record, New Zealand is planning to spring some surprises and would unleash a few new faces so as to catch India, a team whom their coach claims to be the best in the world, off guard.
New Zealand coach Andy Moles today said India has consistently played good around the world in the last two years and therefore he rated them as the number one team ahead of Australia and South Africa.
"They have very experienced players and are coached really well - they come (to New Zealand) at a time when it'll be a good Test for us," Moles told mediapersons here.

Turner defends T20 selection against India

Christchurch: Two days before New Zealand take on India in the opening Twenty20 clash here, the country's convener of the national selection panel, Glenn Turner, has been forced to defend the decision to drop James Franklin and Scott Styris from the squad.


Former batsman Turner along with fellow selectors John Wright and Dion Nash omitted Franklin and Styris in favour of journeyman Ewen Thompson in the two Twenty20 matches that mark the start of India's series.


Turner said they chose to reward performers in the domestic circuit rather than go for name.


"It is too easy to say that when a player does well at provincial level, it doesn't count - we think that it does," Turner was quoted as saying by the Dominion Post.


He said the selectors wanted to try out new players before the Twenty20 World Cup.


"Also we are having quite a few injuries and we have the Twenty20 World Cup coming up in June and we only have these two matches.


"It is not a rotation policy, it is more about taking advantage of an injury situation to give someone else an opportunity. Quite often those last two positions you chose could go any number of ways," said the former New Zealand batsman.


"The argument is your core players win you games and those two final selections you make are less likely to. Therefore, by swapping them around a bit you learn more about different individuals," said Turner. Regarding fast bowler Franklin's omission, Turner said he was not considered for the Twenty20 series against India because "over a period of time he has proved a bit sporting".


He said Thompson had been recalled since a reliable new-ball bowler was needed to fill the gap left by Kyle Mills' unavailability.


"ET had one go and made a bit of a go of it," Turner said, referring to his dismissal of West Indies skipper Chris Gayle.


"Their (India's) openers like the ball coming on. We left him out previously because he lost form but he's been bowling better recently and he can also bat a bit towards the end." On Styris issue, Turner felt for the moment the batsman did not warrant selection for the opening match on Wednesday.


"He starts off slowly and is committed to getting in and scoring big, but he hasn't really yet shown out. We are talking about Twenty20. He has a better show for the 50-over stuff," said Turner.

Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/turner-defends-t20-selection-against-india/38519-13.html

IPL ideal preparation for T20 WC: Dhoni

Christchurch: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes the second edition of the Indian Premier League will be the perfect build-up before the side travels to England to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in June.


Incidentally, the two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand here are India's last opportunity to play as a team before the World Cup but Dhoni believes IPL would be the right platform to prepare for the mega event.


"Every game is important. These are two Twenty20 international games. But I think it will be important to focus on the IPL more," said Dhoni, who led India to triumph in the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.


"It (IPL) would not help us only. It will help other players also who are part of IPL, which is a big tournament. Right now these two matches against New Zealand are too far away to contribute to the Twenty20 World Cup scenario," said Dhoni.

Source:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/ipl-ideal-preparation-for-t20-wc-dhoni/38549-13.html

New Zealand rope in Wright to plot India's downfall

Auckland: The New Zealand cricket team has roped in former India coach John Wright to help them prepare for the series starting on Wednesday.


Wright, a former New Zealand captain, was India's first overseas coach and also guided them to the final of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.


He was the manager of the Indian team when they last toured New Zealand.


New Zealand coach Moles says that Wright has been involved with the team and has helped them identify the strength and weaknesses of the Indian team, the New Zealand Herald reported Tuesday.


Moles wants his team to be more ruthless and wants his players to capitalise on all their opportunities what they failed to do on the Australian tour.


Moles has identified a couple of areas where his side may hold the upper hand in the limited overs matches. He feels that the batting line-up can take on any bowling attack in the world. Moles also felt that destructive batsmen in the team like Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder can out-field the Indians.

Sorce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/new-zealand-rope-in-wright-to-plot-indias-downfall/38547-13.html

Younis slams triple ton, Test heads for draw


Karachi: Younis Khan notched a spectacular double hundred to help Pakistan avoid following on against Sri Lanka as the first Test headed towards a draw here on Tuesday.

The new captain was unbeaten on 243 for his second Test double hundred which helped Pakistan move to 453-4 at tea on the fourth day, in reply to the tourists' first-innings score of 644-7 declared.


Younis, 31, matched Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene who scored 240 in Sri Lanka's mammoth total -- the first instance in Test cricket's 132-year history when rival captains scored double hundreds in the same match. The other unbeaten batsman at the break was Faisal Iqbal on 27.


Younis batted solidly and with resolve to save Pakistan from a possible follow-on, completing 5,000 runs in his 59th Test when he reached 184.


He becomes the sixth Pakistani batsmen to achieve the tally. The list is headed by Javed Miandad and followed by Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Salim Malik and Zaheer Abbas.


Younis drove paceman Dilhara Fernando towards covers for three to reach his double hundred. It took him 528 minutes and 385 balls to reach the mark.


As Younis blocked one end, Sri Lanka managed only one wicket in the first session when Fernando trapped Misbah-ul-Haq in the penultimate over before lunch for 42.


Pakistan were in a tight corner when they resumed at 296-3 but Younis and Haq gave no chances to the Sri Lankan attack, adding 130 runs for the fourth wicket.


Younis, 149 overnight, moved to 150 in the second over with a single and remained as calm as he was throughout Monday.


He has so far hit 24 boundaries and two sixes during his ten hours and eleven minutes stay at the crease.


Haq, who scored successive hundreds in Pakistan's last two Tests -- against India in 2007 -- also grew in confidence, lofting Ajantha Mendis for a six to bring Pakistan within 100 runs of the follow-on target.


Veteran Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who got his only wicket on Sunday, and new sensation Mendis, who took his solitary wicket on Monday, failed to create any problems for the batsmen.


The second Test will start in Lahore from Sunday.

Soruce:http://cricketnext.in.com/news/younis-slams-triple-ton-test-heads-for-draw/38542-13.html

Mourinho thrilled to face old foes United


MILAN: A rare fixture takes place in Milan's San Siro when holders Manchester United face Serie A leaders Inter Milan in the first leg of a tie that has been eagerly awaited since the draw was made.

It is 10 years since the sides last met, since when Alex Ferguson has continued churning out silverware at Old Trafford and Inter have re-established themselves as the leading force in Italian football.

A few managers have come and gone at Inter since that 1999 clash won by United but the presence of Jose Mourinho , the latest in the hotseat, means a rivalry that once illuminated English football is set to be rekindled.

Mourinho, in trademark style, has already played down the significance of the game, but Ferguson knows all too well that the Portuguese will possibly prove his most dangerous adversary in attempting to retain the title.

After all, statistics show Mourinho, a Champions League winner with Porto, has got the better of Ferguson most of the time—winning six, drawing five and losing one of their 12 meetings.

"The game against United will only be important if we go on to win the Champions League," Mourinho said.

"Otherwise the game will be irrelevant." United have injury worries, particularly in defence where he is without suspended Nemanja Vidic, Gary Neville and Wes Brown.

Soruce:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mourinho-thrilled-to-face-old-foes-United/articleshow/4179647.cms

Boxers, wrestlers get a huge boost


NEW DELHI: Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh's exploits in the Beijing Olympics brought good news for the wrestlers and boxers on Monday. Impressed with the good showing of the boxers and wrestlers in the Olympics and beyond, leading corporate house Sahara on Monday announced financial support for 30 of them for the next four years — beyond the 2012 Olympics in London.

The company will adopt 17 wrestlers and 13 boxers as part of its "emotional commitment towards betterment of sports in India."

Besides, the company has also decided to support the Bhiwani Boxing Club and Capital's Guru Hanuman Akhara by building international standard infrastructure there. It will also sponsor the senior National boxing championships for the next four years.

"We want to see these sportspersons free from any worries while they prepare for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2012 Olympics," Sahara group chairman Subrata Roy told reporters here.

The tie-up provides for a graded system of sponsorship payment to each athlete depending upon the achievement which would be reviewed annually by their respective federations. Though Roy did not divulge the amount needed for the tie-up, he said his company is ready to pump in more money if needed by the athletes.

"Money is no issue. There's no fixed amount. If more money is needed it will be provided," he said. "They won medals for us in the Olympics, now we expect more from them."

It has been learnt that the company would provide the money directly to the shortlisted boxers and wrestlers.

Meanwhile, some of the beneficiaries said the move came as a shot in the arm ahead of the upcoming mega events. "It's a very good thing to have happened. I am excited that I can now have better diet and prepare in a better manner," said promising boxer Nanao Singh, the youth World champion.

Both Vijender and Sushil said the tie-up would give a major boost to both the disciplines in the country.

The beneficiaries

Boxing: Vijender Singh, Akhil Kumar , Jitender Kumar, Antharesh Lakra, Dinesh Kumar, Amandeep Singh, Nanao Singh, Narjit Singh, Chhote Lal Yadav, Rakesh Kalaskar, Dilbagh Singh, Balwinder Beniwal, Santhosh Virothu.

Wrestlers: Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Palwinder Singh Cheema, Rajeev Tomar, Rahul Aware, Vinod Kumar, Hardeep Singh, Amit Kumar, Ramesh Kumar, Mausam Khatri, Joginder Kumar, Hari Krishan, Ravinder Singh, Vikram Sanghwan, Rajbir Chhikara, Manoj Kumar and Dharmender Dalal.

Talks with Man U on

Meanwhile, Sahara group chairman Subrata Roy said on Monday his company was in talks with soccer giants Manchester United over possible sponsorship of the club's jerseys. However, he did not divulge details about the ongoing discussions.

Source:http://sports.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Boxers-wrestlers-get-a-huge-boost/articleshow/4179632.cms