New DELHI, December 7
India kept themselves in the hunt for the knock-out stage after eking out a hard-fought 3-2 win over Canada in a Pool C match of the FIH junior men's hockey World Cup on Saturday.

India had started as favourites but they had to toil hard at the floodlit Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, as twice the hosts had to come from a goal down to grab the lead.

Drag-flicker Gurjinder Singh scored the winner for India in the penultimate minute of the match after Mandeep Singh (30th) and Akashdeep Singh (5th) sounded the nets to level the scores. For Canada, Sukhi Panesar (3rd) scored from a field effort, while Gordon Johnston made use of their lone penalty corner in the 51st minute.

India now need to beat Korea in their final pool match to secure their quarterfinal berth.

Both India and Korea are on three points each from two outings but Korea has better goal difference than the hosts and only a draw in their last match would be enough for them to go forward. Netherlands, who edged past Korea 3-2, have already qualified for the quarterfinals from Pool C.

The Indian team was in for a rude shock early in the match as Canada stunned a handful of spectators at the ground, striking through Panesar, who capitalised on a defensive lapse to slot home the ball after Brenden Bissett's initial shot struck the corner of the Indian goalpost.

India dominated the rest of the opening half and created chances but only to see them go to waste.

The Indians got their first scoring chance in the 10th minute but Malak Singh's deflection from Pradeep Mor's cross from the right flank tantalisingly sailed past the Canadian goal.

Six minutes later, it was Mor's turn to shoot wide. The Indians then earned two penalty corners in the span of three minutes but wasted both.

India finally drew parity in the 30th minute through a penalty corner earned by Mandeep, who neatly deflected in Surender Singh's drag flick. — PTI

Results

• Belgium bt Egypt 5 – 0
• Germany bt Pakistan 6-1
• Netherlands bt Korea 3-2
• India bt Canada 3–2

New Delhi, December 7
Left cornered after being served an ultimatum by the International Olympic Committee, the IOA is all set to amend its Constitution in a General Body Meeting here tomorrow to bar charge-framed contestants from its elections.

The Indian Olympic Association was left with no choice after the IOC served an ultimatum on November 15 to amend the constitution to bar charge-framed persons from contesting polls by December 10. The constitutional amendments tomorrow would bring to an end the year-old impasse between the IOA and the IOC.

The world body said it would recommend India's de-recognition to its Executive Board which meets on December 10 and 11 if the diktat is not followed.

A top IOA official said that the the Special GBM has no other option but to amend the constitution as desired by the IOC. “We have no other option now. De-recognition will be a disaster for India. Though some members feel that India has been singled out by the IOC on the issue of charge-framed persons, there is no other way out and we have to amend the constitution to bar them,” he said.

The Special GBM is also expected to decide on the dates for the IOA elections. S Reghunathan, who has been chairing the past two meetings, is likely to chair the Special GBM. The last Special GBM meeting on October 27, which was also a requisition meeting, was adjourned sine die so that it can be reconvened at a short notice.

Suspended on December 5 last year, the IOA has remained adamant against the IOC directive to amend its constitution to bar charge-framed individuals from fighting polls. It sought to dilute the IOC diktat when its GBM proposed referring the case of charge-framed persons to its internal Ethics Commission, before the world body served the ultimatum. — PTI

London, December 7
Ronaldo and Romario once caused panic in the hearts of opposing defenders. But the second acts of the footballing lives of two of Brazil's greatest strikers could hardly be more different.

As debate rages over Brazil's hosting of next year's World Cup, Ronaldo, who led the country to victory in 2002, is toeing the party line as a member of the event's Local Organising Committee. “We will look back with a lot of pride and say we organised the best World Cup of all time,” he says.

In contrast Romario, the hero of Brazil's 1994 triumph, has reinvented himself as an outspoken congressman for the state of Rio de Janeiro with a particular axe to grind against the forthcoming World Cup. “It will be the biggest robbery in the history of Brazil,” he counters.

The controversy over Brazil's preparations intensified recently following the accident at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo that left two construction workers dead and the news that this stadium, together with new World Cup stadia in Curitiba and Cuiaba, will not be ready by Fifa's end-of-year deadline. Such delays are particularly hard to comprehend given that Brazil has known it was going to host the World Cup since 2007.

At the same time the £2 billion — and rising — the country has spent on stadiums, the vast majority of which will come from the public purse, has come under fierce criticism, particularly in relation to venues in cities such as Brasilia, Cuiaba and Manaus, where the local teams pull in crowds in the hundreds rather than the thousands.

“I'm not against the World Cup, I'm against the excessive costs,” said Romario, who had stood grinning alongside the then Brazilian president Lula on a stage in Zurich when Fifa awarded Brazil the 2014 competition six years ago. Those costs contributed to the seismic events of last June, when hundreds of thousands of Brazilians from all walks of life took to the streets during the Confederations Cup to protest about a wide range of social and political grievances, including low-quality public services and political corruption. The visible symbols of football palaces being constructed with public money while schools and hospitals went underfunded has stuck. — The Independent

World Cup 2014 Groups

Gruop A

Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon

Group B

Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia

Group C

Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan

Group D

Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy

Group E

Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras

Group F

Argentina, Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria

Group G

Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA

Group H

Belgium, Algeria, Russia, S Korea

Durban, December 7
South African pacer Dale Steyn has warned the Indian team to “expect more aggressive bowling” in the second ODI here tomorrow, saying that the visiting batsmen might end up “frightened” by their pace attack.

Fresh from stunning India in the first match at Johannesburg, the fast bowler suggested that his team will not let up on their intensity and will look to seal the series.

“In India the ball doesn’t get higher than the stumps. This is not Mumbai. Here, they cannot score easily in different areas and it is going to be hard to play here. And there is more of that coming on Sunday,” he said. “Hopefully we can have a similar performance (as in Johannesburg) as we did the other night, and we should be able to come through with a victory. It is a massive game for us, we have the chance to seal the series here and we would like to do so.”

In the first ODI, the Indian bowlers were clueless on a fast and bouncy wicket as they conceded 358 runs to the Proteas. Thereafter, the Indian batsmen were clueless against the mighty pace of Steyn and company. In fact, it came as a disappointment to the hosts that they weren’t challenged more by the number one side.

“Our batsmen are batting really well and in some small way we have really given the Indians a taste of what the conditions are. Our intensity the other night really blew them away. Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin and other batsmen in the end, they didn’t look like they wanted to line-up (to bat),” he said.

“Then, I didn’t see many of our players walking off the field with bloody fingers or ice packs on ribs. Wanderers can be scary, if you get a full day-night game there. You can inflict pain there, especially on that sort of a wicket. And we were able to do that as a bowling unit. It didn`t look like that when they were bowling to us. So it definitely was a wake-up call for the Indians.”

When asked specifically, if their bowling attack had managed to frighten the Indian batsmen, Steyn replied: “I would think so. I would definitely like to think so.”

Even so, South Africa won`t be taking their opposition lightly. “They are not the number one side in ODIs for no reason. Like MS Dhoni said pre-match, they have been to South Africa a few times and they have played all over the world. So give them a few matches, they should be able to play well and perhaps get ready before the Test matches begin,” Steyn said

“Rohit scored a double hundred just the other day, even though he couldn’t put bat to ball in the last match. MS scored runs, Kohli can bat, Shikhar as well. We also showed them that they have a weakness in the middle order. So we want to exploit that a bit more,” said Steyn.

Meanwhile, Graeme Smith has been released from ODI squad to focus on Test matches. — PTI

Teams from

INDIA: S Dhoni (capt & wk), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Ambati Rayudu, Ajinkya Rahane

SOUTH AFRICA: A B de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), J P Duminy, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, RyanMcLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander,Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe

LIVE ON STAR CRICKET 1.30 PM

Kannur, December 7
It was an intriguing day of cricket in Ranji Trophy, as 22 wickets fell on Saturday on the second day of the sixth round Group C match between Himachal Pradesh and Kerala in Kannur.

Himachal Pradesh need 86 runs and have three wickets in hand while chasing 196 runs against Kerala.

Adelaide, December 7
England suffered another devastating collapse to Mitchell Johnson as a manic third day at the Adelaide Oval ended with them under ever more extreme pressure to somehow save the second Test.

Johnson (seven for 40) revisited his 'demon bowler' role, after a match-winning display in Brisbane, to hustle hapless England out for 172 and a mammoth first-innings deficit of 398 — despite fine half-centuries from Ian Bell (72no) and Michael Carberry (60). Australia's second innings began with more drama, when James Anderson took two wickets in three balls and the score lurched to four for two. But there was an academic element to events by then, the hosts able to choose at leisure what notional target to set - and by the close, David Warner (83no) helped them to 132 for three.

After the havoc at the Gabba, there was no longer even a proper sense of shock as he once more made mincemeat of the tourists. — Reuters

Scoreboard

Australia Ist inngs 570/9 d
England Ist inngs (overnight 35/1 )
Cook b Johnson 3
Carberry c Warner b Watson 60
Pietersen c Bailey b Siddle 4
Bell not out 72
Stokes lbw Johnson 1
Prior c Haddin b Johnson 0
Broad b Johnson 0
Swann c Clarke b Johnson 7
Anderson b Johnson 0
Panesar b Johnson 2
Extras (lb-3 w-2 nb-3) 8
Total (all out, 68.2 ov) 172
Fall of wickets: 1-9 2-57 3-66 4-111 5-117 6-117 7-117 8-135 9-135

Bowling
Johnson 17.2-8-40-7
Harris 14-8-31-0
Lyon 20-5-64-1
Best 18-0-93-1
Siddle 14-4-34-1
Siddle 3-3-0-1

Australia IInd inngs
Rogers c Prior b Anderson 2
Warner not out 83
Watson c Carberry b Anderson 0
Clarke b Panesar 22
Smith not out 23
Extras (b-1 lb-1) 2
Total (3 wkts, 39 ovs) 132
Fall of wickets: 1-4 2-4 3-65

Bowling
Anderson 7-1-19-2
Broad 6-0-19-0
Swann 9-3-31-0
Stokes 7-3-20-0
Panesar 10-0-41-1

Amritsar, December 7
The sport of kabaddi, in which physical strength plays a big role, is shaking off its macho image as more and more women’s teams are participating in World Cup Kabaddi. Notably, the players in the majority of the women’s teams come from diverse sports disciplines.

Non Resident Indians of Punjabi origin are keeping the flag of kabaddi fluttering on foreign shores, convincing the citizens of their adoptive countries to play the game.

The day they arrived in India, the players of the Pakistan women’s team revealed that they come from different sporting backgrounds like cricket and track and field. They are no exception, for the members of the other women’s teams too have a background in other sports.

Teresa, the captain of the Denmark team, is a judo player, as are all the other 10 players, who are members of a judo club back home. They have a team with a diverse ethnic background — one of them is from Thailand, two are of Arab origin while eight are Danish. Teresa said that members of her team learnt the rules and techniques of the game quickly, though it required a lot of practice to master them.

These women put in their best effort to learn the nuances of the game in just three months. Denmark team coach Bikramjeet Singh said that the simplicity of kabaddi, which doesn’t require any equipment or external assistance, indicates to it being one of the oldest sports in the world.

“Its stress is more towards infusing agility and warming up the body before dabbling in any other sport,” he said. Hence, he said, it can be categorised as a “mother sport”. Its earthiness infuses much needed courage in sportspersons, which provides players an edge in other competitive sports, he said.

Mahinder Singh Sidhu, the manager of the Mexican women’s team, said that all members of the team play rugby and other sports popular in Mexico. He said the women appeared in trials for this event after they were inspired to learn the sport and play it professionally.

Jalalabad, December 7
The Indian men secured their spot in the semifinals of the 4th World Cup Kabaddi with a 50-32 win against Argentina at the Multipurpose Sports Stadium in Jalalabad in Fazilka district on Saturday.

Indian captain Sukhbir Singh Sarawan started the proceedings with an easy point off a raid as the hosts opened up an 18-7 gap by the first drinks break. After leading 32-16 at halftime, India wrapped up their fourth win of the tournament 50-32. Earlier, the Indian women also registered an easy win, defeating USA 59-15.

In the other match in the women’s section, Pakistan overcame England 41-30 in the most exciting match of the day. The English women, who had coloured their hair red and blue, kept up with Pakistan for most part. But propelled by captain Madiha Latif, Pakistan secured the win. 

Results

• USA bt Spain (M) 51-26
• India bt USA (W) 59-15
• Pakistan bt England (W) 41-30
• India bt Argentina (M) 50-32 Today’s matches
• Sierra Leone vs

Denmark (M)

• England vs Scotland (M)
• Kenya vs USA (W)
• Pakistan vs Canada (M)
• Time: 12 noon onwards 

Chandigarh, December 7
It's a replay of last week, with yet another Indian in a strong position going into the final round of a golf tournament.

After Gaganjeet Bhullar won Indonesia Open last week, Shiv Kapur, who shot four-under 66 in the third round of the $1.3 million Hong Kong Open today to be tied second, will be hoping for a title-winning round on the final day. Kapur, who shot his second consecutive 66 after a 69 in the first round, is placed alongside Australian Wade Ormsby in second place at nine-under 201, one stroke behind leader Welshman Stuart Manley.

Jyoti Randhawa and Anirban Lahiri are tied 15th at five-under 205. Randhawa carded a creditable four-under 66 in the third round, while Lahiri shot 67. 

BRIEFLY

Daugapils (Latvia)
Chitra enters semis, men ousted at Snooker Worlds:Chitra Magimairajan stormed into the semifinals of the women’s event at the IBSF World Snooker Championships, defeating compatriot Varsha Sanjeev even as the men’s challenge ended in the last-16 round in Daugapils. Seasoned Chitra, who had two world billiards titles and Australian Open crown to her credit, defeated 17-year-old Varsha 4-0. With her last four-place secured, Chitra now is assured of at least a bronze medal.

dUNEDIN
Rain aids West Indies’ great escape:Rain scuppered New Zealand's chances of completing a first test win in over a year as the opening match against West Indies ended in a draw with the hosts just 33 runs shy of victory. Rain started just before the tea with Ross Taylor on 16 and Corey Anderson on 20 having consolidated the chase for 112 runs following a top-order collapse by Shane Shillingford. Brief Scores: New Zealand 609/9 dec and 79/4 (Anderson 20*, Taylor 16*, Shillingford 4/16) drew with WI 213 and 507 (f/o) (Bravo 218, Sammy 80, Wagner 3/112)

New Delhi
Sachin lucky he didn't face WI pace greats: Imran :Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan said Sachin Tendulkar was lucky to have never faced the ferocious West Indies pace attack of '70 and '80s. Imran felt facing the likes of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall and Colin Croft was a huge task. — Agencies

Hongkong
Indian challenge ends in Hong Kong Squash:Joshna Chinappa put up a valiant fight against Alison Waters but the world number four eventually managed to tame the unseeded Indian 3-1 in the Women’s Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Open Open. — Agencies