Colombo, August 8
Sri Lanka’s captain Mahela Jayawardene hit 123 as the hosts survived South Africa’s dramatic fightback to record a tense one-wicket victory in the second and final cricket Test here today.

Sri Lanka, set 352 to win, lost three wickets for nine runs to slip to 350-9 after lunch on the fifth day before last man Lasith Malinga drove Nicky Boje for the winning run.

Sri Lanka swept the short two-Test series against the depleted tourists missing the injured duo of captain Graeme Smith and leading all-rounder Jacques Kallis.

The home side had won the first Test by an innings and 153 runs at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) last week.

It was Sri Lanka’s most successful fourth innings chase, surpassing the 326-5 they made to defeat Zimbabwe at the SSC during the 1997-1998 season.

Sri Lanka, who were just 19 runs away from victory at lunch with four wickets in hand, were kept in the field for an hour after resumption by the South Africans amidst growing tension at the Sara Oval.

With 11 needed, Jayawardene stepped out to Boje and edged a catch to Herschelle Gibbs in the slips. It was the left-arm spinner’s 100th Test wicket in 43 matches.

Seamer Andrew Hall had Chaminda Vaas caught superbly in the slips by A.B. de Villiers and then clean-bowled Muttiah Muralitharan, leaving Malinga to deliver in the company of Farveez Maharoof.

Maharoof levelled the score with a single off Boje before Malinga drove the next ball to the vacant mid-on region to seal a close win.

Boje finished with four for 111, while Hall took three for 75.

Jayawardene, dropped by Gibbs at gully off Hall when he was on two on Monday, showed the touch that brought him the fourth highest Test score of 374 in the first Test.

The 83-Test veteran hit 11 boundaries and two sixes in his 16th Test century, having anchored the innings for six hours.

Maharoof escaped two chances in one over from Boje to remain unbeaten on 29, having put on 62 for the seventh wicket with Jayawardene.

Sri Lanka, who began the day needing 90 to win, had added 17 runs to their overnight total of 262-5 when Hall trapped Prasanna Jayawardene leg-before for 30.

The young wicket-keeper departed after adding 78 for the sixth wicket with his captain.

The tourists were handicapped by the absence of pace spearhead Makhaya Ntini due to a hamstring injury.

Sri Lanka’s win was set up by spin wizard Muralitharan, who claimed 12 wickets in the match to equal his own world record of four consecutive 10-wicket hauls.

Colombo, August 8
Australian cricket pundit Dean Jones was sacked by his TV employers and sent home today after calling a South African Muslim player a “terrorist” during the second Test against Sri Lanka here.

Jones was heard saying on air “the terrorist has got another wicket” when the bearded Hashim Amla took a catch to dismiss Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara during the fourth day’s play yesterday.

An official for TEN Sports, the Dubai-based TV company covering the series, said Jones had been asked to return home following a complaint from Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Gerald Majola.

“We have terminated Jones’ contract as a freelance commentator. He has gone home,” TEN Sports official Jude de Valliere told AFP.

“TEN sports has apologised to Hashim, Cricket South Africa, Sri Lanka Cricket, the International Cricket Council and millions of viewers for what happened.

Jones, 45, told reporters before his early morning departure today he regretted the comment and would send an apology to Amla.

“It was a silly and completely insensitive thing to say and, obviously, it was never supposed to be heard over the air,” Jones said.

“I am truly sorry to have caused offence to anybody and the last thing I intended was to be disrespectful,” Jones said.

“Everyone needs to get away from perpetuating the myth, publicly and privately, that beards associated with the Muslim faith are somehow suspicious, and I intend to do exactly that.

“The irony is that I am great friends with most of the Pakistan team and they are all Muslims.

“It does not represent who I am, how I think or what I believe.

“I will be the first person to apologise to Hashim as soon as I get the chance, and I will assure him that prejudice against anybody, on any basis, is unacceptable and not something I will ever condone.” The CSA’s Majola had demanded Jones’ suspension and apology in a statement issued in Johannesburg yesterday night.— AFP

Durban, August 8
Cricket South Africa has welcomed the swift action taken by host broadcaster Ten Sports following its commentator, Dean Jones, calling Proteas player Hashim Amla “terrorist” during the second Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Jones was summarily dismissed and Ten Sports made a public apology following an official complaint by Cricket South Africa’s CEO, Gerald Majola.

Majola said today: “We commend host broadcaster Ten Sports for immediately dismissing Jones and for making a public apology.

“We also accept and welcome Ten Sports’ stated commitment to create harmony within communities as a broadcaster.

“However, we retain our strong views regarding the unacceptable conduct of Jones.” The Dean Jones incident has come under wide debate in South Africa in the local media and on radio and television.

Hundreds of people have called local radio stations to condemn Jones for what they called “racist slur” against Amla and Islam.

Meanwhile, Jones told reporters before his early morning departure today that he regretted the comment and would send an apology to Amla.

“It was a silly and completely insensitive thing to say and, obviously, it was never supposed to be heard over the air,” Jones said. I am truly sorry to have caused offence to anybody and the last thing I intended was to be disrespectful,” Jones said.

“Everyone needs to get away from perpetuating the myth, publicly and privately, that beards associated with the Muslim faith are somehow suspicious, and I intend to do exactly that. The irony is that I am great friends with most of the Pakistan team and they are all Muslims.

“I have no end of respect for the Muslim faith—that’s why I’m so sorry at making such a stupid comment. It does not represent who I am, how I think or what I believe.

“I will be the first person to apologise to Hashim as soon as I get the chance, and I will assure him that prejudice against anybody, on any basis, is unacceptable and not something I will ever condone.” — AFP

Leeds, August 8
England crushed Pakistan by 167 runs today to win the third Test and the series after a moment of madness from Mohammad Yousuf and one of magic from Monty Panesar.

Pakistan, set 323 to win on the final day, were bowled out for 155 halfway through the afternoon session, giving England their first home win over the tourists since 1982.

Yousuf, the hero of the first innings after he scored 192 out of a 363-run stand with Younis Khan, ran himself out in the morning for just eight to give England the upper hand.

Panesar then produced a classic left-arm spinner’s delivery, pitching on middle and clipping the top of the off stump, to get rid of Younis shortly after lunch to expose Pakistan’s lower order.

Younis, with 173 to his name in his first visit and a fine player of spin, trudged back to the pavilion after making 41, knowing that the game was lost.

Panesar, who also had Inzamam-ul-Haq stumped to end the match, took three for 39 while team-mate Sajid Mahmood, who used to support Pakistan as a boy, got four for 22.

Yousuf and Younis’ dismissals sealed a fascinating game which had sparked into life on Monday after both sides had topped 500 in their first innings.

England had begun today as slight favourites, according to England captain Andrew Strauss. They had the runs in the bank. Pakistan, meanwhile, had to bat last on a Headingley wicket which had begun to offer signs of variable bounce the day before.

A draw seemed unlikely, the last draw at the venue came 10 years and eight Tests ago, and it seemed unlikelier still when Salman Butt announced Pakistan’s positive intentions with four fours in two overs off Matthew Hoggard.

Those, though, would be his only scoring shots before he attempted another drive which ended up in Marcus Trescothick’s hands at first slip.

From 21 for one, they slumped to 80 for five as lunch approached.

Bangalore, August 8
Fears that Sachin Tendulkar was not completely fit were today put to rest with Indian cricket team’s physiotherapist John Gloster declaring that the batsman had passed a fitness test.

Talking to the media at the end of the second day of the cricket skills camp, Gloster was drawn into speaking on coach Greg Chappell’s remarks that Tendulkar was not fit to throw the ball from deep and that he needed to be protected by making him field inside the 30 yard circle.

Gloster, who also asked whether there was lack of communication in this regard, dismissed all such talk by stating “Sachin has passed the fitness test to play in Sri Lanka. I can only say this much. He was flamboyant in his batting today.” Gloster was referring to Tendulkar’s innings in the mock match played among the players. Opening the innings with Rahul Dravid, Tendulkar made a run-a-ball 26 with four fours.

London, August 8
India colts put themselves in control after reducing England Under-19 to 212 for six on the second day of the second four-day cricket match at the Denis Compton Oval at Shenley yesterday.

Delhi’s Ishant Sharma picked two wickets to push the hosts on the backfoot after captain Tanmay Srivastava’s marathon 182 gave the Indians a commanding total of 414.

Rory Hamilton-Brown was guarding the England innings against complete disintegration with an unbeaten 53.

The 18-year-old right-hander, who has so far faced 131 balls and struck six fours in his three hour-plus knock, shared a 76-run partnership with Michael O’Shea as he rescued England from a perilous 111 for five.

Sharma, who had earlier dismissed opener Billy Godleman for a first-ball duck, broke the partnership when he had O’Shea, who scored a relatively quick 39 from 69 balls, caught behind by Omkar.

Left-handed Adam Lyth was the other significant contributor with 45 from 78 balls and eight fours. Abu Nechim, Harshad Khadiwale and Shahbaz Nadeem picked one wicket each for India. — PTI 

Los Angeles, August 8
Sania Mirza and her South African companion Liezel Huber crashed out of the JP Morgan Chase Open with a straight set defeat at the hands of Serbian-Russian pair of Ana Ivanovic and Maria Kirilenko in the first round here.

The Sania-Liezel pair, after losing a see-saw first set, were never in the game and it took their rivals just about an hour and a half to chalk out a 7-6(2), 6-2 win to breeze into the second round.

The Sania-Liezel pair had reached the quarterfinals in the Acura Classic.

They were not so lucky this time around. In the first set, service was a huge let down for the Indo-South African pair and they wasted as many as five break points.

Both the pairs exchanged three break points as the set was stretched to a tie-breaker and the Ivanovic-Kirilenko pair looked in control of their nerves as they sealed the issue and went one up.

After the gruelling first set, Sania and Liezel ran out of gas and the second set proved a lop-sided show with their rivals calling the shots. Ivanovic and Kirilenko broke their rivals twice and hardly broke a sweat on their way to clinch the set and the match. — UNI

New Delhi, August 8
Sania Mirza needs to correct some technical flaws in her game but the Hyderabadi girl had it in her to crack the top 10 in women’s rankings, India’s tennis legend Vijay Amritraj said today.

“Sania needs to work on some technical aspects of her game to get even better,” Amritraj suggested.

He said the 19-year-old knew where she had to get better to take the next big step. “Sania knows it, her coaches know it and they are working on it,” the former tennis player said.

Amritraj was talking informally with reporters here on the sidelines of the announcement of the second Delhi Half Marathon to be organised on October 15.

He said the teenager, currently ranked 44th in the world, had the potential to climb much higher on the charts.

“I firmly believe that she can enter the top 10 in women’s tennis. She has the game, has time on her side and most importantly, has a strong mind,” Amritraj said.

He said it was important that Sania was not put under excess pressure by the Indian media and the public.

“She is doing very well for herself and the only people who can bring her down are us.” Amritraj was not too perturbed about Sania’s inconsistent results this year and said it was part of the game.

“Ups and downs are part of the game. She had a wonderful year last year and it is difficult to deliver such results year after year. One is never satisfied and wants to improve constantly. Wins and losses will come as one plays more and more,” Amritraj, once ranked as high as 16th in the world, said.

He lauded Sania for dealing with the pressure of being a top player in India. She has dealt very well with the expectations put on her and has learnt how to behave with the media.

There are other good players coming up like the Uberoi and the Bhambri sisters but Sania still held the torch, Amritraj said. — PTI

Paks (Hungary) August 8
Former world junior champion P Harikrishna won the third Marx Gyorgy International Chess tournament after settling for an easy draw with Hungarian Grandmaster Ferenc Berkes in the 10th and final round game here.

After a forgettable show in the Aerosvit Grandmasters tournament, the much needed victory for Harikrishna came at an appropriate time as the Indian stands to recover a few important Elo rating points that he lost in the Aerosvit tournament where he tied for the last spot.

For the records, Harirkishna ended the event with 6.5 points and was a full point adrift of nearest contender Grandmaster Zahar Efimenko of Ukraine who finished clear second.

Chandigarh, August 8
JCT Mills, Phagwara, defeated Punjab State Electricity Board by four goals to nil in the 20th Punjab State Super Football League at Phagwara today.

A self goal by PSEB off a well-directed shot by JCT striker Amarinder Singh put the mill men ahead in the 44th minute. A minute after the breather, Sakattar made it 2-0. International Parveen Kumar struck a brace in the 69th and 72nd minutes to complete the rout. The last goal came off a penalty.

In another match played at Kapurthala, hosts Rail Coach Factory and BSF split points after a goal-less draw.

Another match between Punjab Police and Bassi FC at Jalandhar had to be abandoned at half time following heavy downpour. It will be replayed tomorrow.