St John’s, April 2
A superb unbeaten 102 off 92 balls by skipper Stephen Fleming guided New Zealand to a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their Super Eight match here today.

The Kiwis compensated for the loss of two front-line bowlers by restricting Bangladesh to 174 all out in 48.3 overs, and then reached the target comfortably for the loss of just one wicket in 29.2 overs. Fleming and Hamish Marshall (50 n.o.) were involved in an unbroken stand of 134 runs.

After winning the toss and asking Bangladesh to bat, New Zealand lost Michael Mason after the medium-fast outswing bowler had bowled only nine balls. Left-arm pace bowler James Franklin then left the field during a drinks break having bowled six overs.

Mason had sustained a calf strain and Franklin was suffering from a migraine.

Jacob Oram again delivered for his team on a pitch holding no terrors for the batsmen. Oram dismissed Tamim Iqbal stumped by Brendon McCulllum for 29 after an opening partnership of 55 with Javed Omar, who had replaced Shahriar Nafees

Seven runs later, the tall medium-pacer accounted for Omar caught behind for 22 before Bangladesh consolidated with a partnership of 43 between Aftab Ahmed and captain Habibul Bashar.

From the comparative respectability of 122 for three, Bangladesh slumped to 140 for nine.

Scoreboard

Bangladesh

Omar c McCullum b Oram 22

Iqbal st McCullum b Oram 29

Aftab c sub b Styris 27

Saqibul b Bond 25

Bashar run out 9

Ashraful b Styris 3

Rahim b Bond 0

Mortaza b Styris 2

Rafique not out 30

Razzak c sub b Styris 0

Rasel b Oram 10

Extras (b-5, lb-10, w-2) 17

Total (all out, 48.3 overs) 174

Fall of wickets: 1-55, 2-62, 3-105, 4-122, 5-127, 6-127, 7-129, 8-140, 9-140.

Bowling: Mason 1.3-1-4-0, Bond 10-4-15-2, McMillan 1.3-0-6-0, Franklin 6-1-27-0, Oram 9.3-0-30-3, Vettori 10-0-34-0, Styris 10-1-43-4.

New Zealand

Fulton c Iqbal b Rasel 15

Fleming not out 102

Marshall not out 50

Extras (w-11) 11

Total (1 wkt, 29.2 overs) 178

Fall of wicket: 1-44.

Georgetown, April 2
The hosts West Indies are virtually out of contention for a semi-final berth in the cricket World Cup after suffering a comprehensive 113-run defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, powered by old war horse Sanath Jayasuriya who hit a century and took three wickets.

Jayasuriya, slammed a rolicking 115 off just 101 balls and then claimed 3 for 38 in 8.3 overs to steal the spotlight at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium here.

West Indies captain Brian Lara blamed the gruelling schedule for the team’s poor shows in the Super Eight stage but promised to put up a better display in the remaining three matches.

“We have to pick ourselves up and try and win the next three matches. You never know what can happen in this World Cup,” he said.

West Indies play their next Super Eights match against South Africa in Grenada after a nine-day gap and Lara said his side badly needed the break.

“Now we have nine days’ break and we will take couple of days off before we assess the situation. We have to be sure we are fresh for the last three matches,” he said.

With three defeats in a row — against Australia, New Zealand and now Sri Lanka, Lara’s men are virtually out of the contention and even successive wins in their remaining matches may not be enough for them to reach the semis.

Jayasuriya helped Sri Lanka overcome early jitters to post 303 for five with handsome contributions from captain Mahela Jayawardene (82) and Tillakratne Dilshan (39 not out), who provided the late charge.

In reply, West Indies simply wilted under the pressure and were all out for 190 in 44.3 overs.

Things went horribly wrong for West Indies and the move to send Dwayne Bravo (21) to open with Chris Gayle (10) fell flat on its face.

They lost both the openers inside nine overs but catastrophe struck the hosts when Kumar Sangakkara, who had failed with the bat, proved why he is hailed as one of the most intelligent cricketers around.

Lara had walked out with a herculean job ahead of him and Sangakkara was standing up to Chaminda Vaas. Lara went for a drive, missed the line and before he could plant his rear foot, Sangakkara whipped the bail off to send groans across the stadium. Lara’s stay in the middle was cut short to just four balls which yielded just two runs.

The Guyanese pair of Shivnarine Chanderpaul (76 off 110 balls) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (44 off 68 balls) did put up some resistance but they proceeded at a snail’s pace before realising it was not going to serve them. Chanderpaul went on to hit five sixes but even that proved too little, too late.

Jayasuriya removed Sarwan and Lasith Malinga castled Chanderpaul to put paid to West Indies’ hopes for a miracle and the rest was just a formailty which the Sri Lankans completed with clinical precision.

Scoreboard

Sri Lanka

Tharanga b Powell 8

Jayasuriya b Powell 115

The ‘hosts jinx’ has struck and the West Indies, after their heavy defeat to Sri Lanka, are out of the World Cup. Their third consecutive defeat in the Super 8 stage means that they have to hope and pray that England and Sri Lanka make a mess of their remaining matches and lose them for the hosts to qualify for the semi-finals.

Looking at the way the West Indies have been beaten by the Australians, New Zealanders and now Sri Lankans, it is hoping for too much for them to revise the level of their game and beat England and South Africa. To blame the schedule as Brian Lara is doing now is to hide behind excuses, for the schedule was known more than a year ago to everybody, and if the prayers had any observation on it, they should have made them to their respective Boards to take up with the ICC.

More than any schedule, it was the veteran Sanath Jayasuriya who took the game away from the West Indies after Lara’s team had begun well by capturing two early wickets. Instead of tightening the screws, the West Indies bowlers bowled all over the place, creating the angles for Jayasuriya to use his strong forearms and whack the ball. There is nothing much a fielding captain can do when the bowlers cannot restrict their line.

Jayasuriya enjoyed himself immensely as he went to his 25th One-Day century, proving once again that age is no bar to performance at the highest level. The Sri Lankans will be happy that their captain Mahela Jayawardene has got back among the runs, for in a tournament of this intensity, an out-of-form captain can mean a distracted captain, and that’s not what is needed. Kumara Sangakkara has not quite contributed with the bat, though he has been superb behind the stumps. Sri Lanka have a terrific player in Dilshan, who has shown great understanding of the situation when he comes in to bat, and his adapting aggressively or watchfully according to the needs of the side, has been a highlight of this event.

Sri Lanka’s shock weapon, Lasith Malinga, got rid of Gayle, who could have given just the start the West Indies wanted. What Malinga brings is not only an unusual action that is hard to pick by regular batsmen but almost impossible for the tail-enders. Dilhara Fernando also bowled well, though his temperament is still suspect when bowling under pressure.

Vaas and Murali were magnificent as always, hardly giving anything away though, Murali did cop a bit of stick. Sanath Jayasuriya capped his century with a fine spell of bowling where he got the ball to turn a bit and mixed his deliveries cleverly to pick up three wickets.

The Sri Lankans looked to have regained the momentum that they had lost after the defeat to South Africa. Australia and New Zealand seemed assured of a semi-final berth, and it will be between South Africa, England and Sri Lanka for the remaining two spots to go through to the finals. — PMG

Georgetown, April 2
After a hat-trick of defeats virtually dashed their hopes for a semifinal berth in the World Cup, West Indies captain Brian Lara has blamed the gruelling schedule for the team's flop shows in the Super Eight stage.

After losing to Australia and New Zealand in the previous matches, the hosts crashed to a 113-run defeat against Sri Lanka on Sunday and Lara insisted playing four ODIs in 10 days have been energy-sapping for the side.

Admitting it was a sloppy show by his side, Lara said, "True, we didn't field well. But it was very tough today. This was our fourth match in 10 days and you could see that some of the guys were really flat in the field.

"Daren Powell has lost 10km in the last few days and it's all very unfortunate," he said.

Knowing that his side, even if it wins next three games, has only theoretical chances of reaching the semifinals, Lara, however, refused to give in.

"We have to pick ourselves up and try and win the next three matches. You never know what can happen in this World Cup," he said.

West Indies play their next Super Eights match against South Africa in Grenada after a nine-day gap and Lara said his side badly needed the break.

"Now we have nine days' break and we will take couple of days off before we assess the situation. We have to be sure we are fresh for the last three matches," he said.

Meanwhile, his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahela Jayawardene was elated that his side had bounced back from the defeat against South Africa in the previous match.

"After the last game, we realised we had made too many mistakes. Today we wanted to make sure that we bat out the difficult morning session. The ball wasn't initially coming on to the bat but in the end it was a great performance," he said.

About his 183-run partnership with Jayasuriya, Jayawardene said, "Batting with Sanath, you just need to hang around. After 15 overs, it started coming on nicely and then Sanath accelerated the run-rate. Overall, it was a good partnership." Jayasuriya, member of Lanka's 1996 World Cup winning team, was happy with his show but warned teammates not to start thinking about World Cup at this stage.

"It was crucial that someone today took responsibility in the middle and after the first 10 overs, when the ball seamed around a bit, I decided that it was my job to take the responsibility," he said.

"I'm happy with the show but I think it's too early to think about winning the World Cup. We are just thinking about the next game against England. We have to take it match by match," said Jayasuriya who also claimed three wickets with the ball. — PTI

Mumbai, April 2
Springing to the support of beleaguered captain Rahul Dravid, Cricket Board Secretary Niranjan Shah today said there was no better man than the Bangalore stalwart to lead the Indian team in the aftermath of the squad's debacle in the World Cup.

"There's no better option than Dravid as captain, but this is my personal view. I feel another youngster can be groomed under him to take over at a later stage," the BCCI official said.

Shah categorically said that he had not formed this opinion after interacting with coach Greg Chappell following the team's return last week from the West Indies.

He also said the BCCI's Working Committee was to decide on April 7 about the future of Chappell who was appointed as the coach till the World Cup.

But the BCCI official denied that the former Australian captain had indicated his unwillingness to continue if he was offered the post again.

"The Working Committee will take the decision on the appointment of a new coach for the team. But Greg Chappell has not hinted about his unwillingness to continue as coach (as reported in a national daily)," Shah added. — PTI

Mumbai, April 2
Ian Frazer, Indian cricket team's biomechanic specialist doubling up as the unofficial bowling coach, should be shown the door, former Cricket Board Secretary Jaywant Lele demanded today.

Lele said Frazer was not required in the support staff of team and should be removed before a decision was taken on coach Greg Chappell.

"I don't think we need a trainer or a biomechanist to assist the team. This paraphernalia is not needed. The players are experienced enough to know what they should do and they don't need advise from a biomechanist," Lele said.

He said the Indian team needed a cricket manager like Sunil Gavaskar to guide it back on track after the World Cup debacle.

"Tell me, can anyone teach Rahul Dravid or Sachin Tendulkar on how to bat? I feel that a cricket coach is not needed for the team. What's needed is someone like Sunil Gavaskar's credentials to be appointed as its cricket manager," said the ex-BCCI secretary from Vadodara. — PTI

New Delhi, April 2
Former BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur says no Indian is fit to coach the national team.

Dungarpur says, the World Cup flop show notwithstanding, either incumbent Greg Chappell should be retained or his predecessor John Wright should be brought back.

“I do not think that in India, with due respects to all great players, there is any single person to serve as the coach,” Dungarpur told PTI in an exclusive interview.

“Chappell has not done anything wrong. He speaks from a high position since he was one of the best players in the history of the game.

“There is nothing wrong in having a foreign coach and Greg will be my first choice if he is available,” he said.

Dungarpur said that should the former Australian captain decline to renew his contract with the Indian team, he would prefer Wright, although the New Zealander lacked Chappell’s stature, as the coach.

“John (Wright) is the best suited to our system. He is very methodical and clean, and not affected by anybody.

“But he has not got that sort of a high position like Greg. If he (Chappell) tells somebody, even Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid would agree with him,” he said.

When it was pointed out that Chappell’s tenure has not yielded better results than Wright, Dungarpur agreed, but said: “We mostly played against softer teams under John. But still I do not want to take the credit away from him. I think Greg did his best. If he took three steps forward, the standard of Indian cricket and the approach of players took four steps backward. After all, it requires two to play a tango,” he said.

On selection issues, Dungarpur said the zonal system was the way to do it but stressed on the need for a ‘Cricket Committee’.

He also suggested that the board must actively involve the former players and make them accountable. “I strongly advocate setting up of a cricket committee. Give the committee its due importance, and everyone in it should be made accountable,” he said.

“Somebody who had been a captain or a good player, makes use of him. Let them talk cricket to the board president and suggest that we should act this way and not that way,” he said.

Dungarpur also felt that the importance of team manager’s role on tours has not been realised.

“What is required is a strong willed manager. But you keep on changing managers like a pack of cards on a rummy table. If not permanent, give him couple of tours at least and then assess,” he said.

“A manager is not only to handle the travel and schedule of the team members. He represents the Indian board, particularly the board president. He has to give a totally unbiased report about what is going on and what should be going on,” he said. — PTI

Kingston/London, April 2
Two weeks after Bob Woolmer’s murder, the Jamaican police has admitted that they are still some way off finding the killer as the investigation runs the risk of being mired in local bureaucracy.

Deputy commissioner of police Mark Shields said his team needed time to study the CCTV tapes from Woolmer’s hotel, according to The Sun.

Also, with the speculation going strong that the coach was poisoned with aconite, Shields said the toxicology tests could take a few weeks to be completed.

Shields, who believes that the coach was strangled after being subdued by poison or drugs, says unreleased evidence indicates murder.

Meanwhile, the investigation is in danger of getting entangled in bureaucratic procedures. “Jamaican bureaucracy is so plagued by inefficiencies that some cases dating back 10 years remain unresolved. With the island’s coroners courts facing a backlog of almost 4,000 killings, a swift start to the inquest into the death of the coach appears highly unlikely,” London-based Daily Telegraph said.

The majority of outstanding cases are before the Kingston and St Andrew’s Coroner’s Court, where Woolmer’s inquest is to be held. The court has come under severe criticism for “its seeming ineffectiveness.”

The inquest will be held by Patrick Murphy, who is yet to even read the file on the coach’s death, the report said. — PTI 

Georgetown, April 2
South Africa will treat their next World Cup Super Eight matches against Ireland and Bangladesh as “huge” games which could clear the way to the semi-finals, according to coach Mickey Arthur.

The Proteas have two points in the second round, courtesy of a narrow one-wicket win over Sri Lanka. They could leave Guyana with six points in the bag to get ready for crucial matches against the West Indies and New Zealand in Grenada.

South Africa will then lock horns with a steady, but unspectacular England, in their last Super Eights match in Barbados.

But Arthur has warned against complacency against Ireland and Bangladesh, two teams South Africa would normally be expected to roll over.

“They are huge games because when you sit down and make plans for the rest of the tournament, they are both 'banker' games and, with games like that, there comes an added pressure,” Arthur said ahead of tomorrow’s fixture against Ireland at Providence.

“If things go well, we would also hope to work a little bit on our net run-rate because, in the event of two teams finishing with the same number of points after the Super Eights, they will be divided by their overall run rate.

“But first prize is to leave Guyana with six points - if we can do that I’ll be a very happy man,” said Arthur, whose team were given an early shock by debutants Ireland in a warm-up match in Trinidad last month.

Irish skipper Trent Johnston (4-40) and Dave Langford-Smith (3-30) reduced South Africa to 91-8 before Andrew Hall (67 not out) and Robin Peterson (29) added 85 for the ninth wicket to help their team post 192.

Ireland then batted well and were cruising towards the target with 139-4 before being bowled out for 157.

Since that great escape against Ireland, the South Africa middle order has yet to fire and came a cropper in their last Group A match against Australia which they lost by 83 runs.

They were also let down by the middle order against Sri Lanka, almost losing the match from a well-set 206-5 with Sri Lanka paceman Lasith Malinga recording a unique four-in-four-ball feat before the Proteas sneaked through.

It was a tense win which Arthur admitted had “taken quite a few years off my life”. “At five wickets down with four runs needed to win, I started packing away the kit bags, but then it suddenly became very hectic. It was always going to take something extremely special to derail us from there and Malinga certainly nearly delivered it,” Arthur said.

And a semi-final place is already on Arthur’s mind.

“Based on current form I wouldn’t mind staying away from Australia in the semi-finals,” said the coach.

“Right now I firmly believe the last four teams will be Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa based on what I have seen but we still have an awful lot of work to do to be sure of our place.”

Ireland captain Johnston said his team is not in awe of any opposition.

“We gave a good account of ourselves in the match against England and need to lift our performance by at least 25 percent in the remaining matches,” said Johnston whose team lost their first Super Eights match against England by 48 runs. — AFP

Dubai, April 2
Despite losing to Australia in the Group League of the World Cup, South Africa retained their top spot in the ICC ODI Championship table to stake claim of $175,000 prize purse.

Australia, who reigned at the top since the introduction of the championship in 2002 till last month, tied on equal points (127) with the Proteas but lost out after calculation on decimal points as the cut-off date for the announcement of annual championship table ended yesterday.

The Aussies will have to satisfy with runners-up prize money of $75,000, though they could take solace in the fact that they remained ICC Test Champions for the third year in a row and will receive a further $175,000 for that achievement.

Graeme Smith's side dethroned Australia from the top slot of the ODI chart last month following an outstanding run of success over the past year which saw the them win 15 of their 21 ODIs ahead of the ongoing World Cup and three out of four matches since the showpiece event began. — UNI

Chandigarh, April 2
Senior members of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), including President Suresh Kalmadi and Secretary-General Randhir Singh, today left for different Asian countries in their final assault to win support for the 2014 Asian Games in New Delhi.

The Olympic Council of India is to meet in Kuwait from April 15 to 17 to decide the host city for the 2014 Asian Games. Besides New Delhi, South Korea is also in the fray.

China, which will host the 2008 Olympic Games, has declared its support for New Delhi as the host city for the 2014 Asiad. India last hosted the games in 1982 in New Delhi.

In case New Delhi gets it, it will be for the third time as the union capital hosted the inaugural games in 1951.

The only criticism India faces is regarding the host city. Those supporting South Korea maintain that the games should not be confined to one city alone. “Delhi is not India. Why not hold the games in some other city, say Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata or Chandigarh,” a member of the South Korean Bid Committee had told this correspondent sometime back. “Besides Seoul, we have Busan and may gradually develop another city for such a mega event,” he added.

Sources revealed that different delegations which include Suresh Kalmadi, Randhir Singh, Digvijay Singh, K. P. Singh Deo, Tarlochan Singh, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, V. K. Verma and others are heading for various member countries of the Olympic Council of Asia.

“We are trying to win support of Arab countries. If we get backing of SAARC nations - Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mauritius and Maldives - we will face no problem in getting the Asian Games back to Delhi. Our main argument is that since New Delhi will be the host city for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, it will have infrastructure in place for the mega event,” added a source in the IOA.

New Delhi will be the host city for the 2010 World Cup hockey tournament for men also.

At present, there are 53 member countries of the Olympic Council of Asia.

Voting for the 2014 host city will be held on the last day of the three-day meet on April 17.

Jalandhar, April 2
With a view to motivate the coming generations and make them aware about the icons of hockey, former hockey Olympians have decided to come up with a motivation hall in Sansarpur.

Considered to be the Mecca of hockey in India, Sansarpur has to its credit a number of hockey players who have brought laurels to the nation at the international level. The village is the launching pad for budding players keen on taking up the game.

Talking to The Tribune, former Olympian and Arjuna Awardee Col Balbir Singh (retd.) said since a long time they were planning to set up a place wherein the photographs, trophies and various memorabilia related to hockey legends could be exhibited.

Taking a step closer to giving concrete shape to their idea, the local Olympians have decided to convert the office of the Sansarpur Hockey Association, situated within Sansarpur hockey ground, into a hall of fame.

“Even though the office had pictures of former players from this place, we intend to broaden the scope of the hall,” said Col. Balbir.

If things go as planned, the proposed motivation hall, the name for which is till to be decided, apart from carrying the photographs of the players, past and present, would also display the trophies and some personal items of the players, including their playing kits, blazers, shoes, etc.

The work has already begun for the hall. The walls have been freshly painted and the same are now adorned with photographs of local players who have represented country on the international front and those who have adorned the colour of other nations. The hall also carries two roll of honor boards with names and achievements of the players.

A visit to the ground revealed the enthusiasm among the children, who come there to practice, regarding the hall. “For us this hall is a temple, a motivation to play hockey,” said 14-year-old Ajit, a trainee of the Karam Chand Thappar academy being run at Sansarpur.“For everyone coming here, it’s a dream to get their picture installed in the hall one day,” said Ravi, another budding player.

Chandigarh, April 2
For the session 2007-08, the Punjab Sports Department has raised the number of sports wing seats in schools and colleges in the state.

In comparison to last year’s 1,200 seats allotted in 70 schools and colleges, this year the number of the seats has been increased to 2,000 in 160 institutions. Besides that, four new sports disciplines - shooting, kabaddi (national style), handball and equestrian - have also been added, bringing the total number of disciplines to 16.

Giving the information, Pargat Singh, Director, Punjab Sports Department, said the decision has been taken to strengthen the base at the grass root level.

“The state government has earmarked Rs 2 crore for sports wings for the current financial year whereas it was Rs 1.50 crore last year,” Pargat said.

For the allotment of seats, the department will conduct selection trials from April 9 to 16 at selected district headquarters under the supervision of former Olympians/ international players and sports coaches of the department.

The selected residential players would be provided a diet allowance of Rs 60 per day per head while the day scholars would be given a diet allowance of Rs 30 per day.

Besides the diet, the trainees would also get accommodation, medical facilities, equipment and training. The respective schools and colleges would provide free education and allied facilities to the trainees selected under the sports wings scheme. 

The top amateur golfer of the country, Irina Brar (22), has taken another giant leap. She has been declared the top ladies professional golfer of the year. She has also got the 22nd ranking in the Ladies Asian Golf Tour.

Discarded from the Asiad golf team despite being the top amateur, Irina entered the pro circuit in November last. She left her amateur achievements behind to dabble among the top professionals.

She was soon on the Asian circuit. Within three months and after playing just four tournaments she got the 22nd ranking in the Ladies Asian Golf Tour.

Serene innocent eyes on a svelte figure standing 5 ft 8 in her socks, Irina could be the dream model for any corporate endorsement. Yes she will need these sponsors as she has set her sights on the Swedish and European tours.

“The entry fees for these tours are prohibitive and I don’t want my parents to shell out their hard-earned money”, says Irina, but hastens to add: “Endorsements yes, but no ramp modelling please”.

Irina who is in Chandigarh these days studying for her MA Part II examinations, says: “I can’t think of golf at the moment. But then I see the greens in my dreams. I have to cover a lot of course for the exams starting on April 19.

Once the examinations are over Irina is determined with her set priorities: “Working on my fitness and hitting the ball longer are my two goals this summer. I am looking forward to good finishes in the next season, maybe even a win. Till the Asian Tour starts next January, I need to play tournaments in Europe and America. But that can happen with the help of sponsors”.

Talking about the Indian Women’s Open played at the DLF last month, Irina said she played badly on the second day. “ It was a very windy day. I have to learn how to handle strong winds”.

She returned a seven over on that day. This was in sharp contrast to the opening day’s score of two under and the third day’s card of one-under. The end result was it’s best performance by an Indian lady pro in a Ladies Asian Tour event.

Irina tied 18th in the First Asian Tour event at Hong Kong. She followed it up with tied 15th in the Thailand Ladies Masters, tied fourth in the DLF Indian Women’s Open and tied 43rd in the Din Itai Ladies Masters in Shanghai.

New Delhi, April 2
Leander Paes and his Czech mate Martin Damm's recent Indian Wells victory and runner-up finish at Miami saw the formidable duo race to the second spot while an injury-plagued Sania Mirza climbed one place to the 46th in the latest rankings released today.

The Paes-Damm pair lost a golden chance to become the new Stanford ATP Doubles race leaders after going down fighting to American siblings Bob and Mike Bryan in the Sony Ericsson Open final on Saturday.

The Bryan brothers have now displaced Max Mirnyi and Jonas Bjorkman at the top of the chart to the fourth spot.

Paes' estranged partner Mahesh Bhupathi and Czech Republic's Radek Stepanek lies at 14th spot in the double's race.

However, Paes is one place below Damm at the eighth spot in the individual points table.

Sania's one spot climb has been the result of other players' non-performance as the Indian tennis sensation has been out of action after tearing a ligament in her right knee during her first match in the Qatar Open last month.

Shikha Uberoi lies at 237th spot while Rushmi Chakravarthi and Ankita Bhambri is languishing in the 400 plus bracket.

In the men's singles category, Rohan Bopanna is the highest placed Indian at 263rd spot followed by Harsh Mankad (333rd), Karan Rastogi (349th) and Prakash Amritraj (684th).

Paes and Damm, the reigning US Open champions now have an impressive 20-5 win record for the year and 49-23 career record.

They have also captured ATP title this year in Rotterdam and finished runner-up in Doha. — UNI

Kolkata, April 2
JCT defeated Mohun Bagan 3-1 in a National Football League match at the Salt Lake Stadium here today.

JCT opened their account in the 19th minute through Sunil Chetri’s left footer. The former Mohun Bagan striker was again in the thick of things when his cross from the leftside was headed home by Chiddi Edeh in the 23rd minute.

Mohun Bagan pulled one back in the 57th minute when Lal Kamal Bhowmick tapped home off a Mehtab Hussain corner.

However, the game was taken away from Bagan in the 72nd minute when Adebayo scored from a Renedy Singh free kick 3-1.

Earlier, Barreto returned to the field in the 53rd minute but the spark was missing. Baichung scored a “goal” in 70th minute through a spectacular back volley which was disallowed by the referee as Douglas had committed a fowl on a JCT defender.

This defeat throws Bagan back to the relegation zone, while JCT once again emerged as one of the contenders for the title. — UNI

Barcelona, April 2
World number one men’s tennis player Roger Federer was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for the third year in a row today.

The 25-year-old Swiss became the first sportsman to receive the award on three occasions since it was begun in 2000.

He continued his domination of men’s tennis in 2006 by winning three more Grand Slam titles with his victories at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Russia’s record-breaking pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva won the award for World Sportswoman of the Year, while the Team of the Year award went to the Italian football side for their World Cup triumph.

American Serena Williams took the Comeback of the Year award, with the breakthrough award going to fellow tennis player Amelie Mauresmo after the Frenchwoman won her first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Barcelona Football Club were given the Spirit of Sport award for their support of UNICEF and former Germany captain Franz Beckenbauer took the lifetime achievement award.

German mono-skier Martin Braxenthaler took the award for the sportsperson with a disability after winning gold medals in three of the four Alpine skiing disciplines at the Paralympic Winter Games in Turin. — Reuters