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It’s not about revenge: Dhoni
I never asked bowlers to cheat: Butt
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IHF accuses IOA of double standards over governance issue
Fortunate that I got injured near end of season: Sania
Heroic Wales fall just short of first final
Chander book final berth
Indian eves beat Australia 2-1
Yuki, Rutuja are the new champions
Air India clinch title Boxing: Jangra stuns Sarita Churchill Brothers win Durand Cup
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England in India 2nd
ODI: Oct 17
Hyderabad, October 15 "I believe revenge is a very strong word. If you look at the England series especially the second half, we did play well. We scored runs but unfortunately there were rain interruptions and the ball used to become heavier and tougher for our bowlers to grip," Dhoni said at the post match media interaction after India beat England by 126 runs in the first ODI. "This is a series where the idea is to groom the youngsters. Also this win came after a long time and it was an important win. You can't enjoy playing the game if you lose too many matches," the skipper said candidly. Dhoni termed his unbeaten 87-run knock as one of his "precious innings" and said today he played like he used to do at the start of his career. "I normally don't believe in rating my performance but yes this innings is a precious innings for me. Over the years, I have played some good knocks and this one is also a valuable one. Once I started batting at No 6, I had remodelled my game. This innings of mine was a very well calculated one." "I tried a lot of aerial shots which I normally don't play nowadays. I was practising a lot of hitting over the cover region. I felt this was the right match to try out and it worked well," he added. He feels that batting at No 6 is something that shouldn't be entrusted on any junior player as it would be asking too much from him. "Often on sub-continent tracks, if you send a junior guy, he might not get enough deliveries and get out scoring 10 or 15. Then again on a good strip he may just score around 35 and not get enough time to score big fifty or a 80," Dhoni observed. "After 15 matches, you will see that particular player's average in the range of 25 to 30. That's why you need to send them up and give them as much opportunities possible. Look how Yuvraj Singh transformed his game batting at that position," he quipped. Dhoni felt that lack of dew was one factor that helped his bowlers stick to the right lines. "Yesterday in the evening, I saw there was a fair bit of dew but today fortunately there wasn't any dew. That really helped our cause. Also the dryness in the outfield offered a bit of reverse swing as well," Dhoni explained. He lauded young Ravindra Jadeja's effort as the all-rounder scored a quick 27 and then grabbed three wickets for 34 runs. "Jadeja is an important player as he brings in a lot of stability to the side," Dhoni said. About the new Powerplay rule, Dhoni said, "It was important for us to rotate the strike initially. There was a bit of uneven bounce but I won't say too much. The new Powerplay means that even if you take it in the 36th over, still you have 10 overs left. Therefore, you can't go all out. "I reckon 250-260 would have been a good score and in the end we got 300." Dhoni ruled out the idea that he would depend more on spin to counter the English batsmen as the visitors have found it uncomfortable. "Had it been April or May when it's dry and humid with the pitches offering lot of turn, I would have said that I would go with three spinners and two seamers. But in these circumstances when we are approaching winter season, we still don't know whether their will be dew in Delhi and Mohali," he reasoned. — PTI
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I never asked bowlers to cheat: Butt
London, October 15 Butt and Asif, who arrived two hours late for court due to illness, are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the match in August 2010 when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenage fast bowler Aamer and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges. The jury at London's Southwark Crown Court heard a transcript from police interviews with Butt in September last year, just after an undercover investigation into alleged corruption by the Pakistan cricketers and Majeed that was published in the now defunct British tabloid, the News of the World. "There's no way I could tell Aamer or Asif (to cheat)," the court heard Butt saying in the police interview. "They are the two players that most teams would want to have. When we pick our team those are the first two names that we have to write." In the first police interview, in which Butt described Majeed's subsequently accurate predictions of the three no-balls as "a freak occurrence", he said he never took money corruptly and insisted his former agent Majeed had no influence over him, contrary to what Majeed said on the News of the World's secret tapes. "I don't think anybody could influence me to cheat my country," Butt said. "I play this game for the love of the game and for the love of my country. "I have played at all levels for Pakistan and in ten years of playing for Pakistan I have never had any charge against me," he added. "This is the first time I have had a charge (against me)," before denying any knowledge of cheating in the Pakistan team. When Asif's initial police interview was played to the court he too denied any wrongdoing and insisted that nobody had pressured him into doing something corrupt and said he was "not protecting" Butt. "No I'm going to protect myself," Asif said on the recording played to the jury. "How can I protect Salman Butt? Even in the game and in my life I am going to protect myself." He added: "(There's) no pressure, how can he (Butt) put pressure on me? How can he pressurize me? Nobody can pressurize me as I have played in the (Pakistan) team for a long time." Detective Constable Steven Blake later took the witness stand and volunteered in-depth details to the court of Majeed's finances, when probed first by the prosecution and then Butt's lawyer Ali Bajwa QC. Bajwa highlighted the complex details told to the court of more than 30 bank accounts in Majeed's name. He said that Majeed had bank overdrafts worth around £700,000. One of his 21 accounts with the NatWest Bank, the court heard, was £497,949 overdrawn. Further, of the £150,000 cash that the undercover News of the World journalist paid Majeed to set up the sting, £104,300 is yet to be recovered. — AP Salman bares it all I don’t think anybody could influence me to cheat my country. I play this game for the love of the game and for the love of my country. I have played at all levels for Pakistan and in 10 years of playing for Pakistan I have never had any charge against me. — Salman Butt
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IHF accuses IOA of double standards over governance issue
New Delhi, October 15 IHF claimed that IOA is going out of its way to protect HI. "The settlement between IHF and HI was reached on 25th July, 2011 which was purely an internal arrangement, but was promptly rejected by the IOA and FIH," IHF secretary general Ashok Mathur said in a statement. "The IOA is also playing double standard since it recognises IHF as per court order and on the other hand writes to Government and FIH to deal with Hockey India. This is how they are protecting a body which was illegally formed," he added. The working agreement between HI and IHF, which was reached on the behest of the sports ministry, failed completely yesterday after a meeting between the government, IOA and the two warring bodies failed to resolve the governance crisis. Faced with the prospect of the national team being ousted from the race to qualify for London Olympics, various stakeholders of Indian hockey went into a huddle yesterday but failed to reach a consensus, forcing the IOA to issue an ultimatum to HI and IHF. Squaring the blame equally on the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for the mess, IHF claimed that the world body was taking Indian hockey for a ride. "The FIH has gone out of reach to reject it (working agreement) and again started blackmailing the Indian authorities over conduct and participation of Indian team in various tournaments," IHF said. — PTI
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Late Man U equaliser denies Liverpool
London, October 15 Gerrard, returning for Liverpool after a complicated groin injury, struck with a 68th-minute free kick that went through the defensive wall after Rio Ferdinand had tripped Charlie Adam just outside the penalty area. Hernandez, who came on as a 76th-minute substitute for Phil Jones, then nodded the ball into an empty net from point-blank range with nine minutes to go after Danny Welbeck had flicked on a corner. United stayed top of the table with 20 points from eight matches, at least until Manchester City host Aston Villa later on Saturday. Liverpool remained fifth with 14 points. "It wasn't the best free kick," Gerrard told Sky Sports. "I tried to get it over the wall but I got a bit of luck. "To come back and play my first full 90 minutes today ... growing up these are the games you dream of playing in and when you are sitting in the stands there is nothing worse, to be out there experiencing the emotions again was fantastic." United defender Ferdinand, who has also had a spell out injured, said: "It was great to be back and after losing here for the last three visits I'm pleased we've left with a point." The visitors started without Wayne Rooney, Hernandez or Nani up front. They played five men in midfield and made little impact on the Liverpool defence, failing to have a worthwhile shot on target until the closing stages. Liverpool, buoyed by the return of Gerrard who had made three previous substitute appearances this season, had more possession and looked more dangerous as the match wore on and went close to a winner several times in the final minutes. Rooney, who was handed a three-match ban for Euro 2012 by UEFA on Thursday following his England sending-off against Montenegro last week, came on for the last 20 minutes but made little impact. — Reuters
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Fortunate that I got injured near end of season: Sania
New Delhi, October 15 It means that Sania won't be in contention for WTA season-ending doubles championship, where top-four teams compete. Sania and her partner Elena Vesnina were in the running for a spot in the elite event before injury forced Sania out of action which led to drop in their ranking. "I will start practising only after my rehabilitation is over. Right now I am walking pain free. Doctors have said that it will take around five to six weeks to recover fully," Sania said after giving away trophies to the winners of the National championship. "The season is almost over so it is the nice time to get injured. I will be joined by a trainer from South Africa, and he will be with me for the duration," she added. Sania was happy about her husband Shoaib Malik making a comeback to the national side after a long hiatus. — PTI |
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Gleeson surges ahead
New Delhi, October 15 At the end of the day, Gleeson had snatched the lead from Chiragh, the first time the Delhi golfer has gone behind in the tournament, with his second consecutive card of 66, for an aggregate of 16-under 200, one ahead of Chiragh, whose 70 gave him a total of 201. Chasing the pack is the resurgent duo of Lu Wei-chih of Chinese Taipei and Scotsman Ross Bain, both at 11-under 205. It took Gleeson some superb teeing and putting to catch Chiragh, who ultimately relinquished the lead after holding it for 50 holes over two days and a third. But at the same time, the Australian may well be left ruing the 18th hole on Day Three, which left his lead restricted to one stroke, rather than the three he enjoyed at one time. Similarly, Chiragh too could be left regretting the fairly gettable birdie putt he missed on the 18th, especially after Gleeson had hit the ball all across the fairway to end up with just his second bogey of the day. Leading scores: 200 - David Gleeson (Aus) 68-66-66; 201 - Chiragh Kumar (Ind) 64-67-70; 205 - Lu Wei-chih (Tpe) 71-68-66, Ross Bain (Sco) 65-72-68; 207 - S.S.P. Chowrasia (Ind) 69-70-68, Adilson da Silva (Bra) 68-71-68, Daisuke Kataoka (Jpn) 72-66-69, Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 69-67-71; 207 - Lam Chih Bing (Sin) 70-71-67; 208 - Himmat Rai (Ind) 69-70-69, Marcus Both (Aus) 71-73-65; 209 - Boonchu Ruangkit (Tha) 70-73-6, Siddikur (Ban) 70-70-69, Zaw Moe (Myn) 65-74-70, Harendra Gupta (Ind) 72-66-71, Scott Barr (Aus) 67-70-72.
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Heroic Wales fall just short of first final
Auckland, October 15 Wales scored the only try of the match but were edged 9-8 by France, who offered nothing in attack and were forced to make more than twice the number of tackles as their opponents. The decision by Irish referee Alain Rolland to show a red card to Warburton for a dangerous tackle on Vincent Clerc should have ended the game as a contest. — Reuters
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Chander book final berth
Chandigarh, October 15 Also joining them was Rakesh Jolly, winner in the 0-10 handicap category with a very commendable 41 points to qualify for the National finals that will be held at Delhi in March 2012. The quartet of Darvesh Kumar, Nirupti Bhalla, Ranjiv Dahuja and Harinder Singh Chehal logged 117 points to bag the team honours.
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Yeongam, October 15 The pole was the first for McLaren since Hamilton took the top slot in Canada in June last year, 27 races ago, and came in the team's 700th Grand Prix. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who became the sport's youngest double world champion in Japan last weekend at the age of 24, qualified second and 0.222 slower. McLaren's Jenson Button was third and Mark Webber fourth in the other Red Bull. Hamilton's feat ended Red Bull's hopes of beating the record of 24 successive poles set by Williams in 1992/93. It also provided an immediate reply to those increasingly vocal critics questioning his state of mind in a nightmare season. "It's probably one of the first positives I've had in a while," said a muted Hamilton, who has been absent from the podium in the past five races in a season full of crashes and controversies. "I am very proud of what the team have been able to achieve in the last few races," said Hamilton. — Reuters
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Indian eves beat Australia 2-1
Rockingham, October 15 By virtue of this win, India, who had lost 2-3 to Australia in the tour opener yesterday, restored 1-1 parity in the four-match series. Soundarya Yandala (41st minute) and Vandana Katara (64th) scored for the visitors after Amy had put Australia ahead early in the match. After a day's rest tomorrow, the Indian girls will take on Australia in the third Test on Monday at Mundurah, a suburb about 70 kms away from Perth. — PTI
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Yuki, Rutuja are the new champions
New Delhi, October 15 "It is a great feeling. This is the second one in the family and I have been looking forward to this moment for a Long time," Yuki, whose sister Sanaa has also won the national title in the past, said. "It was a great contest, Vishnu really played well. I lost my concentration for a while in the second set, but remained patient to win the title. I think, I was trying to do a bit more," the 19-year-old Delhi lad, who pocketed Rs 1.5 lakh as prize money, added. In the boys' u-18 final, Arjun Khade faced some stiff resistance from Mohit Jayaprakash before winning 7-5, 6-1. P Sri Vaishnavi won the girls' u-18 title as she rallied to beat Simran K Sethi 2-6, 4-6, 6-1. — PTI
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Surjit Hockey Jalandhar, October 15 In the final, both leading teams of the country displayed controlled hockey but Indian Oil took the lead in the 18th minute. Dharamvir Singh took his team ahead with a field goal from left flank (1-0). At half time Indian Oil Dharamvir’s goal was the difference between the two sides. When play resumed in the second half, Air India mounted pressure on Indian Oil and were duly rewarded with an equaliser in the 45th minute, when Joga Singh scored from the top of the circle (1-1). Air India then took the lead when Rahul Shilpkar scored off a penalty corner to make it 2-1. This was followed by an equaliser by Indian Oil with Affan Yousaf scoring off a penalty corner in the 52nd minute. But the parity lasted only three minutes as Air India earned a penalty corner and Shilpkar converted a second penalty corner (3-2). Any hopes of a comeback were wiped off when Shilpkar converted another penalty corner to make it 4-2, handing his side the win and the title as well.
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Boxing: Jangra stuns Sarita Patiala, October 15 Pinki pulled the rug from under Sarita’s feet, a four-time Asian champion, at the finals of the National Games held earlier this year. But this time around it was a fight to the finish, unlike the 5-0 victory for the Haryana girl in February. There was not much to separate the two boxers, who enthralled the audience with their aggressive approach along with a display of grit and determination. Both the girls opened strongly with the scores knotted at 7 all after the opening 2 minutes of play. They continued to attack relentlessly, the second round saw Sarita take a crucial one point lead (11:10). Action continued in a similar vein in the third as well, with both the pugilists notching up 9 points each. The final round and the story remained the same with neither Pinki nor Sarita letting up. But this time Pinki managed to win the round with 8 points as opposed to Sarita’s 7. After four rounds of intense action the scores were locked at 34 all. It was a brilliant battle between the two, and victory could have easily gone either way, but young Jangra managed to scrape past the former champions, on Individual Judge’s score. “It was a very tough fight and I was able get the decisive point in the final round, anyone could have been the winner, but I am glad that it was me”, expressed an elated Pinki after her bout. The other semi-final in the fly weight category was a stark contrast. Five times World Champion MC Mary Kom (51kg) displayed her superiority in the craft easing past Dolly Singh of West Bengal. The 19-year-old was no match to the Champions feisty approach. Mary, the 2010 Asian Games bronze medallist, went on to secure her place in the finals with a massive 28-3 victory. Revenge will be on Mary’s mind when she takes on Pinki in the final of the championship. Pinki on the other hand would be looking to replicate her 2009 success against the World Champion when she locks horns with her on Sunday. In the light fly weight category Youth World and National Champion Sarjubala Devi of Manipur, continued her winning spree as she plundered her way to the finals ousting Mamta from Haryana. Sarjubala dominated proceeding from the go and advanced to the finals with a 25:14 win on points. Neetu Chahal of Haryana caused another upset as she beat 2008 Asian Championship Gold medallist Nagisetty Usha of the Railways, in the light weight division.
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Churchill Brothers win Durand Cup
New Delhi, October 15 In the tie-breaker Kayne Vincent, Mohammed Rafique, Bello Rasaq, Malsawntluanga found the target for Prayag while Laalrindika Ralte, MP Zakeer, Bineesh Balan, Anton and Franco were all on target. Prayag coach Sanjay Sen tried to gamble with Somnath Khanra for the tie-breakers, replacing regular keeper Abhijit Mondal, but the reserve goalie showed poor anticipation as his dives were never on correct side. Prayag should have won the match in regulation time but for the inept performance of their frontline players, especially Joshimar Martins, who spurned chances like a millionaire. The first half was dominated by Prayag United who, on three occasions, had a clear sight of goal, but an alert Churchill goalkeeper Felix D'Souza thwarted all the attempts. — PTI
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The India-England series has been billed as a 'revenge series' but Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni chose to play down the issue after his stellar show in the first ODI against England.
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt insisted that he never asked bowlers Mohammad Asif or Mohammad Aamer to cheat during a Test match against England last year, a British court heard on Friday during a trial for alleged spot-fixing.
Bhutia farewell against Bayern