London, November 30
Most of his teammates may have developed cold feet but England captain Kevin Pietersen said he would return to India for the Test series, provided security adviser Reg Dickason okays the tour.

Back in the comfort of his family, Pietersen said he could not sleep since terror struck Mumbai but asserted terrorism should not be allowed to play spoilsport.

"We can't allow these cowards to run our game," Pietersen wrote in today's 'News of the World'.

"It puts it all into perspective when you see blood on the streets. But if Reg gives us the OK, then I'll be back for the two Test matches and complete the tour.

"He has been around the block and I trust his judgement 100 per cent. If he says it is safe to go back to India for the first Test in 11 days, then you can count me in," added the England captain.

Pietersen, however, made it clear that he would not force any teammate to join the touring party.

"It is a brutal situation and a world tragedy. So if any of the lads decide they don't want to return, then that's fine with me they have got wives and kids to think about," he said.

Horrified by what he saw on television, Pietersen said it was a close shave for the English cricketers.

"We were on the team bus coming back from Cuttack when we heard news of the horrific slaughter of innocent people in Mumbai.

"We were 800 miles from the attack but suddenly we felt very vulnerable, especially as we had stayed at the targeted Taj Mahal Hotel just two weeks ago," he said.

"We were due to go back there for the second Test all our whites and blazers for the Test matches are still in there somewhere.

"I will never forget it. I was walking down those steps only days ago to have a quick drink with a mate on his boat now they are the scene of a tragedy," Pietersen said.

"It could have been one or all of us being carried out in a body bag. And when you see something like that you sense danger around every corner," he added.

"And when you hear that the terrorists are singling out English tourists it sends a shiver down your spine. In cricket-mad India who could be more high profile than the England team? "And who could be more high profile than their captain? It makes my blood run cold," Pietersen said.

The South African-born cricketer said as England captain, he was ready to face any opposition but certainly not terrorists.

"You don't expect to have to deal with tragedies like this when you take on the captaincy...Field placing, bowling changes, declarations and bad light you expect not cold-blooded murder," he said.

Emotionally drained by the episode, Pietersen plans to attend today's Chelsea vs Arsenal match to take his mind off the incident.

"Before we decide what we are going to do I'm going to take time out to go to Stamford Bridge to cheer on my mate Frank Lampard today.

"I need something to take my mind off this carnage," Pietersen said. — Agencies

The England team, which arrived here late last night, will know by tomorrow whether to return to India to play the two-match Test series, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Managing Director Hugh Morris said.

Speaking to newspersons at the Heathrow airport after the team's arrival, Morris said a security risk assessment report of returning to India will be available within 48 hours and a decision will be made after that.

The report will be prepared with inputs from team security consultant Reg Dickason, talks with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Morris reiterated that if the team's safety was guaranteed, it would return for the two Tests in Ahmedabad (December 11-15) and Chennai (December 19-23).

“We have come back to assess the safety and security situation in India. We have a team of people that we rely on for our safety and security information. They're pulling that information together over the next 24 to 48 hours and, clearly, we'll assess that information when we have it. Clearly, we are committed to going back and playing in a Test series if it is safe to do so,” he said.

They had originally been scheduled to play a three-day warm-up game in Vadodara from Friday, which now looks unlikely.

“And if those Tests are played I would also urge supporters to attend them as that will be the best way to send a message to those who seek to disrupt our way of life. — PTI

New Delhi, November 30
Indian cricket team's upcoming tour of Pakistan is virtually off in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Mumbai, a highly placed source said today.

A neutral venue for the two countries to play the series, which was one of the options, has also been ruled out, according to a top official who said, "the chances of the tour going on is very minimal."

India were scheduled to play three Test matches, five one dayers and a Twenty20 match during their tour of Pakistan from January 6-February 19.

"After what happened in Mumbai, the chance of an Indian team going to Pakistan is minimal. Of course, it is for the government to inform the BCCI about the final decision but the situation is such that it appears that cricket between the two countries is unlikely," the source added.

He also said the government could also sever cricketing ties with Pakistan as it had done in the past. The tour was clouded with uncertainty because of the security situation in the strife-torn Pakistan.

India was due to send a recce team to assess the security situation there before taking a final decision but even that looks unlikely.

The PCB, however, maintains that the country is safe for players and even offered to play the series at a neutral venue in case India refused to tour.

When contacted, BCCI official Rajiv Shukla said the board has not received any communication in this regard from the government.

"The BCCI secretary N Srinivasan has told me that no such communication has come from the government. We will abide by whatever the government tells us regarding the tour," Shukla said.

Incidentally, senior Indian cricketers, including captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag are unwilling to tour Pakistan and have reportedly conveyed their views to the BCCI.

Though Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Dhoni and his men were welcome to his country, sources said the risk of undertaking the tour was high, considering the prevailing security situation in Pakistan, and "no sensible government" would take it.

Hit hard by teams after teams refusing to tour the country because of the volatile security situation there, Pakistan has not hosted a major international tournament since the Asia Cup in June this year. — PTI

Adelaide, November 30
Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke smashed centuries as Australia took a firm grip on the second and final Test against New Zealand here Sunday.

Haddin scored 169 en route his maiden Test century while Clarke posted 110 as Australia piled up an imposing 535 in their second innings, taking a first innings lead of 265 runs at the Adelaide Oval.

At stumps on the third day, New Zealand were 35 for no loss in the second innings with Aaron Redmond on 15 and Jamie How on 13.

New Zealand were all out for 270 in the first innings. New Zealand, who lost the first Test in Brisbane, will have to battle out to save the match.

Resuming at three for 241, Australia lost the wickets of overnight batsman Michael Hussey (70) and Andrew Symonds in third over of the day from Chris Martin (2-110).

Scoreboard

New Zealand (Ist innings) 270

Australia (1st innings)

Hayden run out 24

Katich c Ryder b Vettori 23

Ponting c Fulton b O'Brien 79

M Hussey c Redmond b Martin 70

Clarke c Ryder b O'Brien 110

Symonds c B McCullum b Martin 0

Haddin c Fulton b Redmond 169

Lee c Taylor b O'Brien 19

Johnson c McCullum b Redmond 23

Hauritz b Vettori 1

Clark not out 1

Extras (b2, lb8, w1, nb5) 16

Total (all out, 157.4 overs) 535

Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-49, 3-155, 4-244, 5-247, 6-428, 7-470, 8-526, 9-532, 10-535.

Bowling: Martin 27-4-110-2, Southee 27-1-100-0, Vettori 59.4-20-124-2, O'Brien 31-6-111-3, Ryder 7-1-33-0, Redmond 6-0-47-2.

New Zealand (2nd innings)

Redmond batting 15

How batting 13

Extras (lb3, nb4) 7

Total (for no loss, in 9 overs) 35

Bowling: Lee 3-1-25-0, Clark 2-1-6-0, Johnson 2-2-0-0, Hauritz 2-1-1-0. — IANS

Chandigarh, November 30
Even as Manpreet Gony struck a belligerent 69, Punjab had to face the mortification of following on in the Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match against Gujarat at Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera in Ahmedabad today.

Gony was the highest scorer as Punjab, chasing a modest Gujarat score of 300, were bowled out for 137.

Displaying his batting prowess, lanky Gony unleashed some powerful strokes, clobbering six fours and five sixes facing 50 balls.

The valiant efforts were not good enough as Punjab had to face the follow-on. In their second innings, Punjab fared slightly better and were 107 for four at close.

Gujarat (1st innings): Panchal lbw b Gony 1, ND Modi lbw b Gagandeep 0, NK Patel b Gony 0, PA Patel lbw b Charanjit 84, BD Thaker b Gagandeep 158, DM Popat lbw b Gagandeep 45, VD Solanki b Gagandeep 0, MB Parmar run out 1, AM Makda c Kaul b Gony 0, IH Choudhary lbw b Gagandeep 0, SK Trivedi not out 1, Extras (lb 6, w 2, nb 2) 10, Total (all out; 98 overs), 300, Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-1, 3-4, 4-166, 5-291, 6-295, 7-297, 8-298, 9-299. Bowling: Gagandeep 25-7-59-5, Gony 26-8-68-3, Inder Singh 3-2-2-0, V Khanna 26-7-79-0, Charanjit 11-0-68-1, A Kakkar 7-0-18-0.

Punjab (1st innings): Sohal b Trivedi 3, Goel lbw b Makda 9, Inder Singh c Thaker b Trivedi 0, Dharmani b Trivedi 4, U Kaul c Popat b Makda 0, A Kakkar c PA Patel b Makda 0, Ricky lbw b Trivedi 0, Charanjit c PA Patel b Makda 23, Gagandeep c PA Patel b Choudhary 27, Gony c Trivedi b Makda 69, V Khanna not out 2. Extras: 0. Total (all out; 31.2 overs) 137. Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-10, 3-16, 4-16, 5-16, 6-16, 7-16, 8-61, 9-134. Bowling: Trivedi 14-3-53-4, AM Makda 7.2-2-20-5, IH Choudhary 3-0-22-1, MB Parmar 3-0-20-0, VD Solanki 4-1-22-0.

Punjab (2nd innings): (following on)

London, November 30
Arsenal stunned Premier League leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday as two Robin van Persie goals earned the Gunners a 2-1 victory.

Johan Djourou's own goal gave Chelsea a halftime lead but Dutchman van Persie struck twice in three second-half minutes as Chelsea slid to a second home league defeat of the season.

Champions Manchester United are now just five
points behind Chelsea with a game in hand after
they won 1-0 at Manchester City despite having
Cristiano Ronaldo sent off.

Wayne Rooney poached United's winner just before halftime. Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 1-0 at home by Everton while Portsmouth beat Blackburn Rovers 3-2 at Fratton Park.

Liverpool can move three points clear at the top of the table on Monday if they beat West Ham United at Anfield.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had refused to concede his side’s title challenge despite five league defeats and a 10-point deficit to the leaders.

The Frenchman's claims seemed wildly optimistic after 31 minutes when Arsenal
went behind.

Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia was guilty of a careless throw-out and after Chelsea won possession Jose Bosingwa's cross was turned in past Djourou.

Chelsea, already beaten at home by Liverpool, should have added to their lead before and after halftime with Frank Lampard twice going close.

Arsenal were going nowhere until the 59th minute when Chelsea failed to clear and an offside-looking Van Persie turned and smashed a shot past Petr Cech.

There was no doubt about Van Persie's second as he spun and hit a low left-foot shot past Cech into the corner of the net. — Reuters

London, November 30
Bolton Wanderers illuminated a dull day in the Premier League with a 4-1 victory at Sunderland that lifted them to seventh in the standings.

Djibril Cisse gave Sunderland an early lead but Bolton, hot tips for relegation a few games ago, hit back in style with Sweden striker Johan Elmander scoring twice to leave Sunderland in the bottom three.

Fourth-placed Aston Villa failed to take advantage of the three sides above them not being in action, drawing 0-0 at home to Fulham when victory would have taken them above champions Manchester United.

Hull City remained sixth after drawing 1-1 at Stoke City, Ricardo Fuller’s penalty earning Stoke a point after Marlon King had given the visitors a glimpse of a fifth away league victory.

Newcastle United edged out of the relegation zone thanks to a 0-0 draw at north east rivals Middlesbrough while bottom club West Bromwich Albion lost 2-1 at Wigan Athletic and remain four points adrift of fourth-bottom Newcastle.

Leaders Chelsea host Arsenal on Sunday when Manchester United cross the city to tackle Manchester City. Second-placed Liverpool, behind Chelsea on goal difference, are at home to West Ham United tomorrow.

Sunderland’s Stadium of Light was largely empty long before the end as Roy Keane’s side slumped to a third consecutive home league defeat to leave them mired in relegation trouble.

“The last three or four weeks, particularly at home, we are conceding the kind of goals that make it impossible to win football matches,” Keane, whose side face his old club Manchester United next week, told Sky Sports.

Cisse’s 11th-minute opener was the perfect start for Sunderland but the jitters returned seven minutes later when Matthew Taylor equalised with a header that went in off the bar. — Reuters

Leh, November 30
Breaking away from societal diktats, women in Ladakh are taking interest in archery, and steadily the interest in the sport is rising.

Archery is a traditional game of Ladakh, which is played at least twice a year in every village during spring, after the ploughing season when the surroundings are greener and the weather is at its picturesque best.

Women participate in the cultural program in the evening to witness the folk dance performed by the winners of the game.

In the changing scenario in the area, 24 school girls from all the regions of Ladakh under the age of 14, 17 and 19 years old are learning modern archery in a coaching centre being held in Leh.

Organised by Ladakh Archery Association, Leh, in collaboration with the District Youth and Sport Service, Leh, these young trainee archers are preparing to participate in the forthcoming Archery Championship to be held from December 1 to 4 in Leh.

Ladakh Archery Association, (LAA), president S.T. Delex said, “With more and more girls getting educated they are looking beyond the conventional and are venturing beyond studies. For women, archery is still in its early days in Ladakh, as earlier social taboos restricted women from touching a traditional arrow.”

Margao, November 30
Sporting Clube de Goa kept their winning momentum going as they overcame a stiff challenge to down JCT 2-1 at the Nehru Stadium here today and finished the first phase of the ONGC I-League at the top of the table.

Both the goals for Sporting Clube were scored by Junior Obagbemiro with JCT reducing the margin in the 56th minute through Jagpreet Singh.

JCT, who dominated proceedings, moved the ball with short passes, had two clear chances in the first half but Eduardo Escobar failed to direct the ball on target. Sporting Clube came up with a counterattack and surged ahead in the 29th minute.

Bibiano Fernandes relayed the ball to Joseph Pereira on the left of the box. His low shot was blocked by goalkeeper Karanjit Singh but the rebound fell kindly for Junior to tap it into the net.

Junior increased the lead soon after the interval when he volleyed home from a
Bibiano cross.

JCT continued to probe into the rival half and reduced the margin when Jagpreet's rasping volley from the top of the box gave goalkeeper Felix D'Souza no chance.

JCT coach Sukhwinder Singh introduced fresh pair of legs in order to find the equaliser and nearly succeeded midway through the second half when a move down the middle saw Balwant Singh releasing Randeep Singh, but his shot lacked power.

With JCT moving up men in numbers, it opened up their defence and Sporting Clube nearly increased the margin but substitute Micky Fernandes's stiff grounder was kept out by Karanjit.

With the time running out, JCT made desperate attempt to find the equaliser but could not beat Felix under the bar.

JCT defender Julius Akpele was adjudged man of the match. Referee T Pradeep showed yellow cards to Sporting Clube’s Felip Gomes and Wilton Gomes.

Sporting coach Vishwas Gauncar was elated with today’s victory as we finished the first leg with 25 points.

“The win will help raise the confidence of the boys before we play the second leg after a long gap,” Gauncar said. — PTI

Ludhiana, November 30
Last year’s losing finalists, Western Railway, Mumbai, scripted an easy 4-0 win over Northern Eastern Railway, Goarkhpur, 4-0 in their last league fixture on the penultimate day of the XIIth All-India Mohinder Partap Singh Grewal Memorial Hockey Tournament being played here at the Prithipal Singh Memorial AstroTurf Stadium of the Punjab Agricultural University campus here today.

With this victory, WR eves garnered six points from three matches and topped pool A while NER, Goarkhapur secured three points to finish at second spot.

In the pool B, Chandigarh Academy accumulated four points to finish at top, followed by MP Academy of Gwalior that earned two points and had to be content with second place.

In the final slated for tomorrow at 2 pm, Western Railway will take on Chandigarh Academy while in the match for hardline cup, Northern Eastern Railway, Goarakhpur will clash with with MP Academy, Gwalior, scheduled to start at 12 noon.

In the first match today, which was of mere academic interest, HMV Dhanoa XI drew 1-1 with Amritsar XI.

Though, HMV Dhanoa had an upper hand and dominated the proceedings most of the time but failed to capitalise on chances which came their way.

They wasted two penalty corners in the first session while Amritsar girls too failed to make use of a penalty corner which they forced midway.

After a barren first half, HMV Dhanoa went ahead in the 58th minute through a field goal scored by Seema.

They could have increased the lead but Charanjit Kaur’s hit off a penalty stroke went aside and a penalty corner went abegging.

Just two minutes before the final whistle, Amritsar XI forced a penalty corner and Charanjit Kaur made no mistake in rolling the ball into the net to level score (1-1).

In the last league fixture, as expected, Western Railway, Mumbai, faced little resistance from Northern Eastern Railway, Gorakhpur, whom they blanked 4-0 to keep their slate clean, wrapping up all their matches.

WR’s centre forward and international, Sangai Chanu put her side into the lead through a field goal in the 7th minute. They enhanced the lead in the 25th minute through another international, Nishi Chauhan.

After changing ends, WR eves converted two more penalty corners (Sushma Kharab-41st minute) and Sangai Chanu (44th minute) to help their side wind up their league engagements (4-0) on a sound note.

Chandigarh, November 30
“Our national game hockey has almost died in our country”, feels former Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) chief Kanwar Pal Singh Gill.

“Where Senior league has gone? Will top class domestic league - Premier Hockey League - take place this year or not nobody knows. Can we call it progress or relegation”, questioned Gill, who was ousted after dissolving the IHF with the intervention of Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) this year.

Talking to this correspondent on phone, Gill said the budget of senior league was about 4.5 crore. Besides whopping prize money of Rs 70 lakh, the players were given between Rs 25000 to Rs 1 lakh each.

“The termination of the league is not only a big setback to the game, but a shock to the lovers of the sport as well”, said Gill.

He also said that the defeat of Ms Els Van Breda Vriesman in the FIH elections is a big shock to the IOC.

“The IOC took the step of dissolving the IHF at the behest of then FIH’s president Els. But with change of the guard in the supreme hockey body, the scenario in the Indian hockey has also changed. Now they have no support of any kind in the FIH and this would hit the Indian hockey further”, feels Gill.

Gill also claimed that the two main events - Azlan Shah and Junior Asia Cup in Hyderabad - were actually programmed by his team.

“After that what the new body has been doing, nobody knows. There is no foreign exposure to the players. No home series are being played. The newly appointed committee had talked a lot about the development of the game at grass-roots level, but till date no such programme has been announced”, lamented Gill while maintaining that they have tied up with a Chennai-based concern to develop the game at lower level in cities, including Chandigarh, Chennai and Bangalore.

“I think the people, who had shown a lot of concern regarding development of the game during my tenure, should again sit together and think where we are going?” asked Gill.