London, July 15
England’s talismanic all rounder Andrew Flintoff today announced his retirement from Test cricket at the end of the Ashes series against Australia, bringing a premature end to a decade-long career plagued by injuries and controversies.

The 31-year-old former England captain, battling with yet another knee injury which made him a doubtful starter for tomorrow’s second Test, said he took the decision to quit the longer version of the game as he was tired of dealing with a string of injuries in the past two years. Flintoff will, however, continue to play in the one-dayers and Twenty20 matches.

“My body has told me it’s time to stop. Since 2005 I’ve had two years when I’ve done nothing but rehab from one injury or another,” Flintoff said. “Two of the last four years I’ve spent just in rehabilitation and I just can’t keep doing it for myself, my own sanity, my family and also for the team, because they need to move on as well.”

“It’s been something I’ve been thinking about for a while and I think this last problem I’ve had with my knee has confirmed to me that the time is now right,” he added.

Flintoff was the star of England’s 2005 Test series win over Australia as the team regained the Ashes for the first time in 18 years. But in the last couple of years he had not be able to perform to his potential owing to the injuries. The Lancashire player said he was still determined to play the remaining four Ashes Tests in the current series, despite aggravating a knee injury during the drawn first match which ended on Sunday.

“For the next four Test matches I’ll do everything I need to do to get on a cricket field and I’m desperate to make my mark,” he said. “I want to finish playing for England on a high and if you look at the fixtures going forward, the way my body is suggests I won’t be able to get through that.” — PTI

London, July 15
Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes England will recall fast bowler Stephen Harmison for the second Ashes Test here at Lord’s. The Durham quick has not played for England since being dropped in the Caribbean earlier this year and missed last week’s drawn Ashes opener in Cardiff where Australia piled up a huge 674 for six declared. Harmison has ostensibly been included as cover for Andrew Flintoff, who is struggling with a knee injury.

But Ponting, who still bears the scar of being hit on the cheek by a Harmison bouncer which drew blood during the first Ashes Test at Lord’s in 2005, said he expected both fast bowlers to play come Thursday’s start if fit.

“I reckon Harmison will play, yes,” Ponting said at Lord’s yesterday. “I think he will play even if Flintoff is fit, they’ll play them both if they can. These conditions will suit him more than what the ones down at Cardiff would have done. I had the feeling he was very close to selection down there,” Ponting added.

He explained Harmison would add a “bit of hostility” to England’s attack, saying: “Being as tall as he is, and the sort of bang it into the wicket bowler he is, you don’t get too many pitched up. He’s a bit of a Curtly Ambrose type bowler in that regard. So when you get conditions like this where it will probably bounce a little bit more his style of bowling becomes pretty difficult.”

Harmison took six wickets against Australia the week before the first Test playing for the England Lions at Worcester, where he twice dismissed unorthodox opener Phillip Hughes with short deliveries.

This match is being played on the same pitch as in 2005, where Australia were bowled out for 190 on the first day only to have England seven wickets down before stumps. Australia eventually won by 239 runs only to lose the series 2-1. “It was an amazing day’s Test cricket,” Ponting recalled. Australia haven’t lost a Test at Lord’s since 1934.

Ponting is one of cricket’s all-time great batsmen yet he has never made a Test century at Lord’s, where his highest score is 42. But he looked in prime form while making 150 in Cardiff, where England only salvaged a draw thanks to a last-wicket stand between tailenders James Anderson and Monty Panesar.

New Delhi, July 15
Former India hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay has criticised the newly-formed Hockey India for joining hands with erstwhile IHF chief KPS Gill and said the recent development is disheartening for the future of the national sport.

Dhanraj, a member of the Hockey India selection committee, raised questions on Indian Olympic Association’s decision to join hands with Gill on the formation of Hockey India, a unified body with men and women’s associations under one roof. He also criticised the IOA for appointing Spaniard Jose Brasa as the coach of the national team without consulting the selection committee members.

“We came to know through media whether it is the formation of Hockey India or the appointment of Jose Brasa. I don’t know whether our hockey is going in the right direction. I don’t know what were the reasons behind shaking hand with the same Gill saab whose Indian Hockey Federation regime was suspended by the same IOA,” said Dhanraj, who has 339 international caps under his belt in his illustrious career spanning 16 years.

“We know only about selection matters. Whatever else is happening in Indian Hockey, we are unaware of it, but whatever is happening is disheartening,” he added. “I don’t want that whatever happened with me, happens with the new players. There should be no infighting among the players and establishment.”

Dhanraj many a times vented his ire against Gill-led regime during his playing days. He had also lost his captaincy and place in the national team immediately after winning the gold medal in 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. The mercurial forward once again reiterated his support for Indian coaches and said it makes no sense in roping in an overseas coach for the eight-time Olympic champions.

“There is no point in having a foreign coach when our coaches are doing well. Our team won the Azlan Shah Cup under then coach-in-charge Harendra Singh. We could not repeat the performance in Asia cup, but by that time there were rumours about the appointment of foreign coach. It might have affected the players negatively,” said Dhanraj, who was the manager of the team during the Asia Cup in June, where the defending champion’s finished a disappointing fifth.

On a more personal note, an emotional Dhanraj, who will be celebrating his 41st birthday tomorrow, said he is still waiting for a dignified farewell from international hockey. “I am still waiting for that opportunity. It’s not only me but great players like Zafar Iqbal, Pargat Singh, Surjit Singh and Ashok Kumar also could not announce retirement on their own. We deserved a chance to bid adieu,” he said.

“I now assess the performance of the players sitting in the galleries as a selector. But I still feel like playing with them and I bet with a month’s training I can play better than anyone else. After all, I have been playing in domestic circuit and in foreign league,” said the veteran of four Olympics, who had last represented India five years back in the 2004 Busan Asian Games. — PTI

Dubai, July 15
Gautam Gambhir became the number one batsman, replacing Pakistani run-machine Mohammad Yousuf in the latest ICC Test Player rankings issued today. Incidentally, Gambhir reached the top when the ODI batting chart is also led by an Indian, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Yousuf, who had returned to the batting table last week in number one position after his century in the first Test at Galle, flopped in the second Test to drop to fifth position. Accordingly, Gambhir became the sixth India batsman to lead the batting table in this version of the game.

The 27-year-old left-handed opener is the first Indian batsman after former captain Rahul Dravid to top the batting chart. Dravid had briefly become the number-one batsman after hitting centuries in each innings (110 and 135) of the Kolkata Test against Pakistan in March 2005. Dravid had first achieved the top batting ranking in January 1999 and has been number-one for 36 Tests between 1999 and 2005. Sachin Tendulkar is the other India batsman in the last 15 years who has topped the batting chart. He first led the table in November 1994 while last time he occupied the number-one position was in August 2002 after the Leeds Test against England. — PTI

Chandigarh, July 15
All eyes will be on 21-year-old Gaganjeet Bhullar from Kapurthala when he tees up at the Ailsa Course in Turnberry, Scotland, for the British Open, on Thursday. The Kapurthala lad remains the only Indian challenge after Jeev Milkha Singh pulled out of the third world Major because of “pain in the ribs”, an injury he sustained at the European Open seven week ago.

Jeev, who played in the US Open despite the nagging pain late last month and missed the cut, is all praise for Bhullar who he hopes will do well. Jeev, who will be back in Chandigarh for a three-week rest along with his physio, had a word of advice for Bhullar: “Play some low shots and try to stay calm and be patient. When I was playing my first Major, I was really nervous and I’m sure he’s going tobe too. But that’s all part of learning being a better professional.”

Bhullar, who has played seven practice rounds at the Ailsa course, said: “I’m now the lone Indian in the field this week and definitely more expectations will be on me. It’s a big shoe to fill but mentally I’m ready.”

The Kapurthala lad, billed as one of the hottest young stars to come out of the Asian Tour, is confident of making the cut in his first Major. “My goal is to play in all four rounds in Turnberry which I’m confident I’ll do. I’ll just keep myself relaxed irrespective of the big names the Open will have. Whenever I play with a free mind, I get good results,” said Bhullar who is also the youngest Indian to qualify for the British Open.

“Playing alongside the best players in the world will give me added confidence. I’ll learn a lot of new things and it’ll do a world of good for me in all the tournaments I play afterwards,” added the young golfer, who turned professionals in 2006.

Bhullar who is counting on the advice of his sports psychologist Pradeep Aggarwal to give him that added edge said, “The mental aspect of the game is always crucial and I’ve managed to turn my game around by following my doctor’s advice of sticking closely to my usual routine without getting too distracted by the end result.”

The Kapurthala lad has already posted three top-10s on the Asian Tour this season. He also came agonisingly close to winning his maiden Asian Tour title during his rookie year at the 2007 Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational, losing out toJuvic Pagunsan by a single shot when the Filipino eagled the final hole.

Bhullar earned the right to play at Turnberry by winning the International Final Qualifying - Asia at Sentosa Golf Club in April, when he was still to turn 21.

Ponting hits back at Fletcher
LONDON: Not taking Duncan Fletcher’s criticism lying down, Australia captain Ricky Ponting on Wednesday hit back at the former England coach, calling him “hypocrite” and “irrelevant”. Ponting said, “Fletcher is sort of saying he didn’t condone what they did the other day. It seemed a little bit hypocritical, some of the stuff he had to say.” — PTI

Munaf backs Leicester’s WC bid
LONDON: Indian cricketer Munaf Patel has thrown his weight behind Leicester’s bid to be a host city for the 2018 FIFA World Cup during his visit to the east Midlands town this week. “I’ve got friends and family in Leicester. It’s like a second home to me, so I try to visit when I can and that’s why I would love to see the World Cup here,” he said. — PTI