Cape Town, January 3
India restored the balance in the series deciding third and final cricket Test with a spirited batting response as they finished the day on 142 for two, after South Africa relied on Jacques Kallis' brilliant 161 to post 362 in their first innings here today. The experienced Kallis notched up his 39th Test ton and teamed up with tailenders to guide South Africa beyond the 350-run mark after they were down 283 for eight at one stage.

The day clearly belonged to Kallis who defied a rib injury to score his second ton of the series and join Australia captain Ricky Ponting as the second highest century-getter in Test cricket. Temperamental pacer S Sreesanth was the chief wrecker for India scalping five South African wickets for 114 runs while Zaheer Khan gave him able company with figures of three for 89.

In reply, Gautam Gambhir (65) and Sachin Tendulkar (49) put India on course with a fitting reply as the visitors reached 142 for two at close on the second day of the match at the Newlands track which appeared to have eased out considerably. After bundling out South Africa, the Indians were in for early trouble as they lost Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid inside the first 30 runs.

But Gambhir and Tendulkar held fort and rebuilded the Indian innings with an unbeaten 114-run third wicket stand to end the day trailing South Africa by 220 runs with eight wickets still in hand. Luck also favoured India and Gambhir in the day as the left-hander was let off twice in the slip cordon.

Resuming at the overnight score of 232 for four, the South Africans relied on the brilliance of Kallis and a stout resistance from the last two batsmen to post a competitive total on board. Sreesanth bowled a hostile spell of seam bowling to turn things in India's favour to some extent with the second new ball but the Indians could not polish off the tail as quickly as they would have liked.

Sreesanth scalped Ashwell Prince (47) and Mark Boucher (0) off successive balls to raise Indian hopes of bringing an early end to the South African innings. The drama started in the 84th over bowled by Sreesanth.

By that time, Kallis and Prince had added 98 runs for the fifth wicket. Sreesanth's delivery pitched on the seam just outside off-stump and then shaped in to breach through left-handed Prince's defence.

Earlier, Kallis struck 161 to steer South Africa to a competitive 362 all out in their first innings. At Tea India were still 313 runs behind South Africa on a Newlands track which appeared to be easing out.

While Kallis anchored the innings brilliantly with his 39th Test ton, the last two South African batsmen also chipped in with useful partnerships to give a decent total which looked doubtful at one stage with the hosts reeling at 283 for eight. India started positively with the dashing Virender Sehwag hitting Morne Morkel for two boundaries in the second over.

But Sehwag's agression was shortlived as he again fell early, giving the South Africans the much-needed breakthrough. After smacking Steyn for a boundary, lack of feet movement again did Sehwag in as he went for a half-hearted drive. — PTI

Scoreboard
South Africa first innings (overnight 232/4)
Kallis c Dhoni b Zaheer 161
Prince b Sreesanth 47
Boucher c Dhoni b Sreesanth 0
Steyn c Pujara b Zaheer 0
Morkel c Dhoni b Sreesanth 8
Harris c Pujara b Ishant 7
Tsotsobe not out 8
Extras (B-1, LB-6, WD-1 NB-11) 19
Total (all out, 112.5 overs) 362
Bowling: Zaheer 29.5-6-89-3, Sreesanth 29-0-114-5, Ishant 27-6-77-2, Harbhajan 27-3-75-0.

India 1st innings
Gambhir batting 65
Sehwag c Smith b Steyn 13
Dravid run out 5
Tendulkar batting 49
Extras (lb 8, w 1, nb 1) 10
Total (2 wickets; 50 overs) 142
Bowling: Steyn 13-4-31-1, Morkel 14-3-46-0, Tsotsobe 12-3-28-0, Harris 11-2-29-0.

Johannesburg, January 3
Gary Kirsten has the uncanny ability to extract the best out of the players in pressure situations and India will sorely miss him if he does not renew his contract with the Cricket Board after the World Cup starting next month, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

“We fought back after losing the first Test (in Centurion) Gary’s contribution to this cannot be overlooked.

He understands the pressure of international cricket and knows how to get the best out of every player, even when there is incredible pressure on the side,” Dhoni said.

“It will be very difficult to replace (Gary Kirsten) and we are going to miss him incredibly,” he was quoted as saying by the Afrikaans weekly 'Rapport'.

Dhoni had said before the start of the Test series against South Africa that the distance from his family might prevent Kirsten from renewing his contract once it runs out after the World Cup and money part would not keep him in India.

“Both Kirsten’s sons - Joshua is a growing kid right now and James is a young kid too - which means Gary wants to spend time with his family. That will be the most crucial thing apart from the money aspect,” Dhoni had said.

There has been a lot of speculation that Kirsten will agree to take the place of Corrie van Zyl, the current South Africa coach, who will in all likelihood return to his permanent post as head coach of CSA’s High Performance Centre at the end of the World Cup.

Kirsten joined India after the Australian tour in 2007-08 and under him India climbed to number one position in the world, losing just one Test series. — PTI

Sydney, January 3
Usman Khawaja’s initial eight balls in international cricket provided some of the rare flourishes today in the fifth Ashes Test before he was out for 37 on the last ball of a gloomy, rain-shortened opening day when Australia’s batsmen struggled again to get on top of England. With no chance of regaining the Ashes but hopeful of levelling the series, stand-in captain Michael Clarke won the toss and elected to bat despite overcast conditions tipped to favour the England seamers. After 59 overs and breaks for bad light and rain, the new-look Australian lineup was 134-4 when play was stopped.

Mike Hussey, Australia’s leading batsman in the series, was unbeaten on 12. All of the top order, with the exception of Clarke, got starts but failed to capitalise. Tim Bresnan picked up the wickets of Shane Watson (45) and Clarke (4) and returned figures of 2-47 for England, while Chris Tremlett and spinner Graeme Swann took a wicket each.

Khawaja, the first Muslim to play Test cricket for Australia, got off the mark with a two and a pulled boundary from Tremlett on his first two deliveries - the first two after the lunch interval. He raced to 15 from eight balls but slowed his scoring rate as he settled in, eventually facing 95 balls in two hours.

The 24-year-old left-hander’s five boundaries contained a perfectly timed chip off behind square leg - immediately after he got an edge, which just failed to carry to second slip - and a risky glance through the cordon.

Khawaja, the leading scorer in the domestic competition this season and on the fringe of Test selection for six months, comes into the international arena as the former top-ranked Australia casts wider than ever for replacements to fill the void created by the retirements of international veterans in recent seasons. He is the first batsman to debut at No 3 since 1993, largely due to regular skipper Ricky Ponting’s long lock on the position.

Clarke, in his first Test as Australia captain after Ponting was sidelined with a broken finger, is desperate to level the series at 2-2 in the last Test and urged his lineup to show some old-school fight after capitulation in Melbourne last week allowed England to take a 2-1 series lead - enough to ensure it retained the Ashes. — AP

Scoreboard
Australia 1st Innings
Watson c Strauss b Bresnan 45
Hughes c Collingwood b Tremlett 31
Khawaja c Trott b Swann 37
Clarke c Anderson b Bresnan 4
Hussey not out 12
Extras: (LB-4, NB-1) 5
Total: (four wickets, 59 overs) 134
Bowling: Anderson 20-5-34-0, Tremlett 16-6-40-1, Bresnan 16-4-47-2, Swann 5-3-6-1, Collingwood 2-1-3-0.

Madrid, January 3
Pedro Rodriguez netted a brace as champions Barcelona started 2011 with a nervy 2-1 home win over Levante to move five points clear of Real Madrid at the Spanish first division summit. Pedro struck on 47 and 59 minutes yesterday to clinch an 11th successive league victory for Barca and Real must now defeat derby rivals Getafe today to move back to within two points of their bitter rivals.

Brazilian Dani Alves set up the opener for Pedro, faking to shoot twice before laying the ball back for the forward to drill home Barcelona's first goal of the new year two minutes after the break. Alves was the provider for the second goal as well, teeing up Pedro to curl a controlled shot into the corner.

It was a special game for Spanish World Cup winner Xavi, who equalled Barcelona’s all-time appearance record. The 30-year-old playmaker made his 549th outing to draw level with legendary centre-back Migueli. “We wanted to win this game for him (Xavi),” said Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. “I played for many years here and reached 300 games, which seemed a lot. If his tendons hold out I think he could reach 700 games.”

With seven minutes gone Andres Iniesta had a chip tipped over and David Villa then sliced a shot wide as Levante, who lost 8-0 to Real Madrid in the King’s Cup last time out, rode their luck. Xavi should have marked his landmark appearance with the opening goal after 26 minutes but shot wide after Iniesta had created the chance with a neat run down the left.

Barcelona got the perfect start in the second half, however, as Pedro scored two minutes after the restart. Pedro made it four goals in his last two league games with his second, curling a fine shot into the left-hand side of the goal just before the hour.

Uruguayan substitute Christian Stuani gave the champions a late scare by brilliantly volleying home on 80 minutes but Barcelona survived a tense final 10 minutes to take the points.

Barcelona’s next match is against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday in the second leg of their King’s Cup last 16 tie, with the first leg at Camp Nou having finished 0-0. — AFP

Patiala, January 3
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is close to starting a premier league involving Indian and foreign marksmen along with other celebrities. The league, inspired by the successful model of the Indian Premier League in cricket, is expected to make the game popular and also provide cash inflow for the players.

The Professional Shooting League (PSL) will involve shooters from across the country, who would be part of clubs owned by top business houses. The basic idea is to promote the sport and help shooters earn money, as the sport is expensive and ammunition and arms have to be imported at private cost.

Sources in NRAI confirmed that the Sahara Group has already shown interest in title sponsorship for the event and the matter was listed in the last governing body meeting of the NRAI, in New Delhi last week. “A sub-committee has already been formed to work out the final programme,” the source added.

“While Baljeet Sethi, advisor to the NRAI president, has been told to work out the formalities of the event, others on the committee include Punjab DGP P.S. Gill, shooters Gagan Narang and Sushil Chaudhary and Indian shooting coach Sunny Thomas,” claimed a senior NRAI official.

Officials confirmed that the league would have clubs from across India, equipped with clay shooting facilities, as its members and corporate houses would buy these clubs. “That means the entire cost of ammunition would be borne by the corporate house that backs the club and the players would don that particular company’s name in the event,” the official said.

When contacted NRAI president Raninder Singh told The Tribune that NRAI plans to involve the Sports Ministry to start the league. “Primarily, we plan to have a big prize money and best possible stay and travel arrangements for the participating shooters,” he added.

The league is expected to help budding shooters compete with the best in the country and clubs would also be allowed easy import of bullets, thus opening the doors for upcoming shooters. Clubs would be allowed a fix the number of foreign shooters and also include a celebrity endorser.

“People like Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif can also be roped in to add glamour to the event,” claimed member, adding that even the Hollywood stars would be invited.

“More shooters means more medals in international events, and also more shooters in the domestic circuit”, Sethi claimed. “The franchise owners would be able to sell sponsorship rights, merchandise and would share the revenue earned from the media rights.”

Mumbai, January 3
Indian Premier League franchises, Rajasthan Royals and Kings X1 Punjab, today filed separate affidavits in the Bombay High Court affirming they had complied with the condition of furnishing bank guarantees to the Cricket Board. The High court had earlier stayed the termination of contract of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals with BCCI.

BCCI had terminated the contracts of the two IPL franchises, alleging that they had breached the agreement by changing its shareholding pattern without its consent. The aggrieved parties moved the High Court which allowed them to solve the dispute through arbitration. In case of Kings XI, the High Court recorded statement of their lawyer that the shareholding pattern of owners - Preity Zinta and industrialist Ness Wadia — would not change and shares would not be sold without the permission of the court or arbitrator. In the matter of Rajasthan Royals, the arbitrator had stayed the termination of its contract by BCCI and later the High Court had upheld the decision.

However, in case of Kings XI the dispute would be referred to a new arbitrator as former Supreme Court judge B N Srikrishna had recused himself from the case. While staying the termination of contracts of these two IPL franchises, the court had asked them to furnish bank guarantees to BCCI for making up losses that the Board and its players might suffer in case the arbitrator's award goes against them. Kings XI was asked to furnish bank guarantee of USD 18 million for the players which it might pick up in the IPL January 8-9 player auction in Bangalore, and of USD 3.5 million for the BCCI. Rajasthan Royals were asked to submit USD 2.83 million as guarantee to the BCCI for the contract and USD 18 million as bank guarantee for the players. Both informed the High Court today that this had been complied with. — PTI

Jaipur, January 3
Former India opener Akash Chopra grafted his way to a patient unbeaten century to put Rajasthan on course for a huge first innings total against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy semifinal here today.

BRIEFLY

WC: Marathon queues for tickets
Dhaka: Armed police in Bangladesh on Monday monitored long queues of frustrated cricket fans who have spent two days sleeping in the cold waiting to buy World Cup tickets. Scuffles broke out yesterday in the capital Dhaka as police intervened to break up arguments between fans and staff at the 80 bank branches where the tickets are being sold. Slow sales triggered anger among the crowds, who also allege that the ticket allocation scheme is corrupt. The World Cup, jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, opens on February 19 in Dhaka with a highly-anticipated match between India and Bangladesh. — AFP

Pak to discuss probables
Lahore: Pakistan ODI captain Shahid Afridi will meet Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt at the PCB headquarters on Monday to finalise the probables for the 2011 World Cup as well as a 15-member squad for the one-day international series in New Zealand. Afridi arrived in Lahore on Friday night for the meeting, after the end of the three-match Twenty20 series in Christchurch. He will leave on Monday night to join the Pakistan team in Hamilton for the first Test against New Zealand starting on January 7. The Daily Times quoted a top PCB official, as saying that Butt wanted to discuss the probables with Afridi before giving the green signal to national selectors for announcing the World Cup preliminary squad. — ANI

Carlo banks on transfers
London: Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is banking on a transfer hand-out from the club’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich to help him save his job. Ancelotti is hanging on by his fingertips at Stamford Bridge, after reigning Premier League champions Chelsea slipped to fifth place in this season's title race. The Blues have won only once in their last eight league games, and are currently six points behind leaders Manchester United who have played a game less. It is the lowest Chelsea has been in the points' table since Abramovich took control in 2003. "I don't want to speak about which names, but we do need some new players," The Sun quoted Ancelotti, as saying. — ANI

Cole left 'close to tears'
London: Love-rat Ashley Cole was left heartbroken after ex-wife Cheryl Cole jetted off with alleged lover Derek Hough to join a New Year's Eve bash in South Africa. They went to Cape Town hours after the 'X Factor' beauty exchanged Christmas gifts with the footballer. Ashley was left shattered as pics of the pair confirmed their deepening relationship. "Ashley has realised things have moved on - and he is heartbroken," the Sun quoted a source as saying. "He knows he is the one who screwed up," the source added. X Factor beauty Cheryl divorced the England ace last year after a string of his alleged affairs revealed. — ANI

City agree Dzeko fee
London: Manchester City has agreed a £27 million cut-price fee with Wolfsburg for highly-rated Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko. Representatives from City thrashed out a deal with Steve McClaren's struggling Bundesliga club over the weekend. Dzeko is likely to be offered a five-year deal worth around 100,000 pounds a week and City does not expect any stumbling blocks, The Sun reports. Wolfsburg told City last month they wanted 38 million pounds for him, so the final price - which is likely to include add-ons - represents a good deal for City. Serie A giants Juventus also tracked Dzeko but City were always confident of getting the striker. — ANI