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Pak bars players from joining ICL |
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Kartik bowls Middlesex to big win
Chawla ambushes Zimbabwe XI
Premier League
Manav shares lead with Lahiri
No let-up in East Bengal’s misery
Harveen, Fartade in shooting team
IWHF names Kruis as coach
Punjab Police down BSF
Shuttlers for World C’ship
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India to rest key players
Leicester, August 2 The Indians are likely to go into the match without big guns like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan apart from promising left-arm seamer R P Singh so that they get enough rest before the third Test gets underway at the Oval from August 9. The match will assume importance for players like Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma, Ranadeb Bose, Gautam Gambhir and Ramesh Powar who have not played any game in the series. They will be keen to grab the opportunity and prove their worth keeping the one-day series in mind. The morale-boosting seven-wicket win in Nottingham has put India on course for a rare overseas series win and the team management will be eager to ensure that most of the players get some useful practice before moving to London for the final Test. The form and also the on-field behaviour of S Sreesanth has been a worrying factor for the team and the young Kerala paceman will be looking to rediscover his rhythm in the match. Bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad has already started working with him and the talented bowler needs to focus on his bowling instead of going overboard with his antics. Only seven members of the squad - captain Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Wasim Jaffer, Yuvraj Singh, Ranadeb Bose, Ishant Sharma and Ramesh Powar - turned up for the optional practice session today while the others preferred to take rest. The venue has some pleasant memories for the Indians. It was the same ground where a grieving Tendulkar scored a century against Kenya during the 1999 World Cup after his father's demise. While the Indian youngsters are gearing up to walk into the middle, rain poses the biggest threat for their build-up for the final Test. The morning witnessed a slight drizzle and the sky remained cloudy throughout the day, raising fears of rain interruptions during the match. The teams (from): India: Rahul Dravid (capt), Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Kaarthick, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, S Sreesanth, RP Singh, Anil Kumble, Ramesh Powar, Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma and Ranadeb Bose. Sri Lanka 'A':
Thilan Samaraweera (capt), Jehan Mubarak (vice-capt), Michael Vandort, Mahela Udawatte, Chamara Kupugedara, Kaushal Silva, Gayan Wijekoon, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Akalanka Ganegama, Ishara Amarasinghe, Chanaka Welagedera, Dhammika Prasad, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Charith Sylvester.
— PTI
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Switch off stump microphones, says Moores London, August 2 "There must be some things that are left on the field to be fair to the players," Moores told BBC Radio in response to criticism of England's incessant chatter during the Trent Bridge Test. "They should be allowed to go out there and play the game without being worried that everything they actually say is going to be broadcast. It's something we've discussed as a management team and we've spoken to the match referee about it." The International Cricket Council (ICC) rules that stump microphones be turned on whenever a ball is live - that is, when a batsman takes guard, between a bowler's run-up to the time the ball reaches or passes a batsman, and from the time a fielder throws the ball back to a team-mate or onto the stumps. England wicketkeeper Matt Prior was the loudest on the field but Moores stood up for him. "That's how he usually operates, that's what he does and that's what he was selected for," he said. "There's an issue as to whether stump mikes should be on quite as loudly at times, so people can play their sport. — IANS
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Hoggard unlikely for final Test
London, August 2 Hoggard, who missed the first two Tests due to a back spasm, does not have an opportunity to prove his fitness in a county game before the Oval Test.
— IANS
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Pak bars players from joining ICL
Karachi, August 2 “The ICL is not recognised by the International Cricket Council or its member boards, so there is no question of our players going to play there,” Ashraf told reporters. Sources close to some of the players said Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik had received offers days after former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq confirmed he had been approached by the organisers. The ICL has signed former West Indies captain Brian Lara for the Twenty20 series to be played over 45 days starting in October. Ashraf said any player who decided to play in the league would not be selected again for Pakistan. “We have clauses in our central contracts clearly outlining the board decides where the players can play,” he said. “Even where former players are concerned if they are not holding any position with the board we can't stop them. But those who are working for us will not be given permission to play in the Indian league.” India’s cricket board has also refused to endorse the league. Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf has left the ongoing training camp here for the next month's Twenty20 World Cup, after the possibility that he would not be selected for the tournament in South Africa, sources said. Contrary to team manager Talat Ali’s statement that Yousuf left for his hometown Lahore to be with his sick mother, the sources said the prolific batsman left after it became evident that he would not be included in Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the Twenty20 World Cup.
— Agencies
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Kartik bowls Middlesex to big win
London, August 2 Glamorgan batsmen found Kartik almost unplayable as the Indian spinner followed his devastating spell of 6-21 in the first innings with 3-52 in the second to single-handedly guide Middlesex to victory over the Welsh country. It was Glamorgan’s sixth defeat of the season. Kartik was denied a 10-wicket match haul when Alan Richardson trapped Wharf lbw after a 96-ball
innings. Kartik picked up his ninth wicket of the match when Dean Cosker (2) attempted an ill-judged swipe and was bowled.
— UNI
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Chawla ambushes Zimbabwe XI
New Delhi, August 2 After his first innings figures of four for 12, Chawla yesterday captured 6 for 46 to rock the Zimbabwe batting line-up and help the visitors sweep the two-match series. Chawla and Pragyan Ojha claimed four wickets each to wrap up the Zimbabweans for 143. After being asked to follow on, the Zimbabwe openers - Tino Mawoyo and Hamilton Masakadza - again provided a good start to their team, notching up 63 runs before allowing any damage to happen. However, once India 'A' achieved the breakthrough, the Zimbabwe batsmen fell like nine pins as six of them failed to open their account. Masakadza's defiant knock of 73 was the only bright spot in the hosts' batting as they were all out for 148 in the second essay. Wrecker-in-chief Chawla's six wickets helped him finish with 18 scalps in two matches. Irfan Pathan emerged as the most successful bowler for the Indians. The Baroda seamer, who was wicketless in the first innings, had three wickets for 12 runs in the second.
— PTI
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Sania storms into third round
San Diego (California), August 2 The 20-year-old Indian overcame a stiff challenge from Eleni Daniilidou of Greece to notch up a 7-6 (1) 6-3 win in the second round of the WTA Tour Tier 1 hard court event on Wednesday. The Hyderabadi next faces world no. 14 and eighth seed, Dinara Safina of Russia, in the round of 16 at the tournament. A win against Safina, younger sister of the maverick Marat Safin, could pit Sania against former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova in what would be a replay of their US Open fourth round clash in 2005. Sania was also in sublime form in the doubles, where she partnered with Israel's Shahar Peer to score a facile first round victory. Sania and Peer defeated Angelika Bachmann of Germany and Czech Republic's Hana Smorova 6-4 6-0 to enter the second round. Defending champion Maria Sharapova made an impressive return to the San Diego Classic by overpowering Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1 6-3 in the second round. Wimbledon champion Venus Williams also put in a solid performance, beating Virginie Razzano of France 6-2 6-4 yesterday. Number two seed Sharapova will face 13th seed Tatiana Golovin of France today, who beat Luxembourg's Anne Kremer 6-1 4-6 6-2. Playing her first match since falling to Venus Williams in the fourth round of Wimbledon, Sharapova played a steady yet lethal match, standing inside the baseline and taking big rips at the Thai's groundstrokes. Bhupathi-Henman out
Washington: Mahesh Bhupathi and his new partner Tim Henman of England were shown the door in the quarter-finals of Legg Mason Tennis Classic here by third seeded Aussie-Zimbabwean pair of Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyett. The newly formed unseeded Indo-British combination were handed out a straight set 4-6, 5-7 defeat by Hanley-Ullyett duo to advance into the semi-finals of the $ 600,000 hard court event. Bhupathi-Henman duo earlier got the better of Hyung Taik Lee of South Korea and and Michael Russell of the USA in their opening round here. Ashutosh advances
New Delhi: Ashutosh Singh hardly broke a sweat as he outplayed Chinese Taipei's Tzu-Yang Lin in straight sets to cruise into the semifinals of the $ 10000 ITF men's tennis event here today. Singh beat Lin 6-2 6-2 in a one hour and 31 minute contest at the DLTA Complex. Singh dominated right from the start, breaking Lin four times in the first set to the set the momentum in his favour.
— Agencies
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Premier League
London, August 2 United won their 16th title last season and have spent around $ 75 million on reinforcements, including England midfielder Owen Hargreaves. Liverpool have spent a similar sum to United in a bid to add to their record 18 titles while Chelsea, by their own standards, have laid out only a modest $ 20 million. Beaten in the European Cup final by AC Milan last May and without a championship triumph since 1990, Liverpool are expected to mount a more powerful domestic assault than for many seasons. Manager Rafa Benitez has added competition to his attack with the acquisitions of Ukrainian striker Andriy Voronin and Spaniard Fernando Torres. But many observers feel they will fall short of the ever-rising standards set by United and Chelsea, both of whom have formidable squads packed with quality. Arsenal, champions in 2004, have endured a period of turmoil following the departures of influential vice-chairman David Dein, captain Thierry Henry and stalwart forward Freddie Ljungberg. Manager Arsene Wenger, one of the summer's meanest spenders, believes, however, that his young squad have the ability and spirit to mount a title bid particularly with Dutchman Robin van Persie back from injury. Arsenal, who often field a team made up entirely of foreigners, remain the only English-owned club among the top four. However, if a talked-about takeover by American billionaire Stan Kroenke comes off it would enlarge the number of clubs in foreign ownership to 10 - half the league. Already Aston Villa (American), Birmingham City (Chinese), Chelsea (Russian), Fulham (Egyptian), Liverpool (American), Manchester City (Thai), Manchester United (American), Portsmouth (Russian) and West Ham United (Icelandic) have foreign owners. This has intensified the cosmopolitan flavour of the league on and off the pitch and helped contribute to the rich tapestry of international gossip, scandal and intrigue each week. Of these clubs, Villa, Manchester City and West Ham, and their respective managers Martin O'Neill, Sven Goran Eriksson and Alan Curbishley, will be under close scrutiny this season as they attempt to end periods of under-achievement. O'Neill has had a year already to take stock of Villa, who should be in the top 10, former England manager Eriksson has been given a big transfer budget in his first job as a Premier League manager and Curbishley has to steer big-spending West Ham away from trouble. Tottenham Hotspur, who have spent around 45 million dollar to strengthen their inconsistent squad, will seek to make the step up from two successive fifth-placed finishes. Newcastle United, Everton, Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers are likely to fall into the category of also-rans while the sole target of promoted trio Sunderland, Birmingham City and Derby County is survival.
— Reuters
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Suazo fires Inter to 3-2 win over Man United
Manchester, England, August 2 United manager Alex Ferguson left summer signings Nani, Anderson and Owen Hargreaves on the sidelines
as his team laboured yesterday. Inter recorded the first victory of their pre-season tour to England with two goals from striker David Suazo and another from Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic - all in the first half. Wayne Rooney, by far United's most dangerous player, had opened the scoring in the first half with Adriano heading into his own net to gift the Premier League champions a second. England defender Rio Ferdinand wasted a chance to equalise by shooting over the bar from close range with nine minutes left. United face Chelsea in the Community Shield at
Wembley on Sunday, the curtain-raiser to the new season. — Reuters
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Man U sign YouTube wonder kid
London, August 2 Rhain Davis, who was born in England but has lived in Australia since the age of four, was hailed by the British press today as the next Wayne Rooney. The boy’s dribbling and goal-scoring prowess for an under-10 side in Brisbane, Australia, feature in a four-minute YouTube clip, already viewed more than 800,000 times. United confirmed the signing but played down the hype around Davis, who has moved back to Cheshire in northern England with his father, near the club’s training ground. “He’s a member of our academy and we don’t comment on individual members,” a United spokesman told Reuters. He added that the club sign about 40 players of Davis’ age every year and, as is standard, will decide annually whether to renew his contract or release him. His skills were brought to the attention of United's youth scouts by the DVD submission, which could inspire other hopefuls, the spokesman said.
— Reuters
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Kalmadi picks holes in sports policy draft
New Delhi, August 2 “There are IOC rules which categorically say that sports bodies have to be autonomous and any move to take away that feature will go against those guidelines,” Kalmadi said. “People may say what they want to but putting a government body over autonomous federations is not legally possible,” he said. Kalmadi was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a workshop on Sports Management and Planning for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The workshop was attended by an Australian delegation instrumental in organising the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games last year. The union sports ministry has prepared a policy draft which, along with other initiatives, proposes to create a regulatory mechanism to oversee the ministry, national sports federations and the IOA. Kalmadi was peeved that the ministry did not take the IOA and sports federations into confidence while framing the draft. “They told us that we could see it on the website and we are going through it at present. Hopefully, there will be consultations before anything is finalised,” he added. The draft argues that the federations have not kept pace with the rapid evolution and development in sports such as dope control, sports medicine and professionalism and marketing. It aims to “redefine” the relationship between government and national sports federations and says its objective is to improve the performance of Indian competitors at major international events. The proposed regulatory authority will also be mandated to resolve any disputes within the federations. However, Kalmadi said the lacunae in the functioning of the NSFs, such as inefficient or inappropriate deployment of funds, mistakes in management, non-accountability for results, prejudice in the selection procedures, and undemocratic or unethical electoral practices, would have to be addressed by the sports bodies themselves. “These weaknesses will have to be looked into by the federations themselves and they don’t need a regulatory body above them,” said Kalmadi, also the chairman of the organising committee for the 2010 games. He and union sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar have not always agreed on various aspects of the organisation of the games, especially on the financial aspect, and have been jostling for final control in the matter. The draft policy of the government has also argued that mega sporting events such as Commonwealth Games and Asian Games were not conducive for the development of sports infrastructure in the country. It has emphasised the need for taking sports to the grassroots and villages and identifying talent at the lowest levels. “We have always advocated that sports needs to be taken to the nooks and corners of the country but the meagre sports budget does not allow that to happen,” Kalmadi said. “The sports budget of Rs 400 crore is minuscule for our requirements, but through major events such as the Commonwealth Games, we get money which could be utilised for the development of sporting infrastructure in the country,” Kalmadi said.
— PTI
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Manav shares lead with Lahiri
Chandigarh, August 2 The event, managed by Tiger Sports Marketing, forms the fifth leg of the LG Indian Amateur Golf Tour. Lt-Col SK Lakra shot a 73 to occupy the third place at 219, while Ajeetesh Sandhu of Chandigarh and Mithun Perera were tied fourth at 220. Perera shot a 75, while Sandhu brought in a card of 77 today. Delhi’s Kapil Kumar fired an equally impressive round of 69 to join Vikram Rana (71) in tied sixth place. Chandigarh’s Fatehbir Dhaliwal (74) and Pawan Kumar (75) were a further stroke behind in tied eighth place at 223. Manav Das started steadily with four pars but dropped a shot on the fifth where he three-putted from 15 ft. However, he bounced back with birdies on the sixth and ninth to make the turn at one under. On the back nine, Das sank birdies on the 10th, 11th, and 14th but bogeyed the 15th where he missed a four-foot par putt. “I hit the ball really well today. I missed some short putts but overall I am satisfied with my round,”
said Das. Overnight leader Lahiri started confidently with a 25-ft birdie putt on the second. Another birdie on the sixth saw him make the turn at two-under. Lahiri, however, lost concentration on the back nine to drop shots on the 11th, 14th and 17th but ended with a birdie on the 18th. “The course is playing long and the greens were slightly on the softer side due to overnight rain which affected my putting today,” said Lahiri. Ajeetesh had a miserable day. He started with bogeys on the second, seventh and ninth to turn at three-over. On the return nine, he bogeyed thrice more, 10th, 12th and 17th. A birdie on the 14th saw him end the day at 77. “My iron play and putting let me down today. I missed close to six-seven putts,” said Ajeetesh. Scores (after 54 holes): 213 Manav Das (74, 70, 69); Anirban Lahiri (69, 72, 72); 219 Lt-Col SK Lakra (73, 73, 73); 220 Mithun Perera (76, 69, 75), Ajeetesh Sandhu (74, 69, 77); 222 Kapil Kumar (74, 79, 69), Vikram Rana (76, 75, 71); 223 Fatehbir Dhaliwal (77, 72,74), Pawan Kumar (76, 72, 75); 225 Abhishek Jha (72, 76, 77); 226 Simarjet Singh ( 77, 72, 77), Jasjeet Singh (77, 76, 73); 227 Abhinav Lohan (82, 72, 73); 228 HS Kang (73, 81, 74), Moin Malak (78, 75, 75), Rudresh Sharma (76, 75, 77).
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No let-up in East Bengal’s misery
Manchester, August 2 There was no let-up in East Bengal's misery as they went down 2-0 to Austria Wien for a hat-trick of defeats. Only the diminishing margin of defeat could be a source of solace for the Indians, who were pummelled 5-0 by Manchester United in the first match and blanked 3-0 by Shandong Luneng of China in the second. After conceding two first half goals, East Bengal put up a slightly improved show in the second session and managed to guard their citadel without any more setback. But in the end, that was simply not enough to avert a defeat. David sent a procession of paralysing passes with his lethal left foot that cut East Bengal defence to ribbons and unhinged the side. He sent a shiver down East Bengal's spine with a curling left-footer which goalkeeper Avishek managed to fist over. The Indian, however, could not stop David when the Austrian deflected a free-kick past him in the very next minute (1-0). Four minutes and the Austrian side was celebrating again. David darted through left flank and floated one for Christoph right at the heart of East Bengal defence and the forward glided past a defender before pushing it home (2-0).
— PTI
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Harveen, Fartade in shooting team
New Delhi, August 2 The team, which was selected yesterday after trials under the observation of a government representative, comprised 15 men and eight women in rifle, pistol, double trap and skeet disciplines for the 24th Universaide to be held from August 8-18. The National Rifle Association of India
(NRAI) had sought government intervention on the Association of India University’s “arbitrary” selection rule, which had made talented shooters like
Fartade, Shweta and Harveen ineligible for selection following their non-participation in the last inter-university shooting competition in air weapons. “The AIU has issued a circular stating that only those shooters who have taken part in the last inter-university shooting competition in air weapons recently organised by them in Bikaner will be considered for selection of the World Games,” NRAI general secretary Baljit Singh Sethi had said in a letter to Sports Joint Secretary, I
Srinivas, more than a month ago. Sethi, who was earlier apprehensive about the country’s image at the world level due to a substandard representation from India, said he was now satisfied with the composition of the team. “We have selected a 23-member team yesterday and it is a good team to represent India at the international level,” he told
PTI. Team: Men: Amanpreet Singh and Zakir Khan (both in air pistol, standard pistol, free pistol), Amit Kumar (air pistol, standard pistol), Nikhil Singh (free pistol, rapid fire pistol), Navnath Fartade and Ravi Kumar (air rifle), Tejas Kusale (air rifle, 50m 3 Position, 50m prone), Mohd
Ashab, Sangram Dahiya, Ajay Mittal (double trap), Siddhartha Panwar and R Prithviraj Tondai (trap), AD Peoples, Man Singh, Sohrab Singh Gill (skeet). Women: Lakhbir
Kaur, Harveen Srao (air pistol), Shweta Chaudhary (air pistol, 25m pistol), Sonal Ramendra (25m pistol), Radhika
Barale, Atmika Jagadhari, Jui Deshmukh (air rifle), Navdeep Dhillon (50m 3 position). Coaches: Deep
Bhatia, Mohinder Lal. — PTI
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IWHF names Kruis as coach
New Delhi, August 2 Kruis has been cleared to coach the senior Indian team which is preparing for the continental tournament, a statement from the Indian Women's Hockey Federation said. Sources in the IWHF said though Kruis' appointment is temporary at the moment, but was likely to be extended in future. The new coach joined the ongoing senior camp at Lucknow today. Kruis has impressive credentials as a coach and has successfully guided various teams in different indoor and outdoor tournaments. The Executive Director of Johan Cruyff College for talented sportspersons, Kruis was the coach of the Hertogenbosch women's team since 2000 which was the Dutch national champion seven consecutive times.
— PTI
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Punjab Police down BSF
Chandigarh, August 2 In a keenly contested affair, the two Jalandhar teams were tied 1-1 till the 84th minute, when Shiraz Hassan scored the match-winner to give Punjab Police three points. Punjab Police drew first blood in the 42nd minute through Harsdeep Singh, who dodged past the defenders before scoring a goal. The teams crossed over with Punjab Police leading 1-0. BSF then went all out and their moves bore fruit in the 81st minute when Amarjit Singh restored parity. However, Punjab Police got the match-winner through Shiraz. It was Punjab Police’s third victory from five matches. With three wins, one draw and one defeat, the Jalandhar cops have logged 10 points and are behind leaders Rail Coach Factory of Kapurthala, who have 12 points with four wins and one draw. BSF, along with Mahilpur Football Club, are facing relegation. The securitymen, having suffered three defeats and played out two draws for two points, are at the sixth position in the seven-team league.
— UNI
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Shuttlers for World C’ship Patiala, August 2 There are as many as seven shuttlers from the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) in the squad. These are Chetan Anand, Anup Sridhar, Rupesh Kumar (men), Saina Nehwal, T. Murgunde, Jwala Gutta and S.Kurian (women). The eighth player, Sanave Thomas, is from Kerala. The coaches who will accompany the squad are former national champion Pullela Gopichand and Vijaydeep Singh, who represented India in the Thomas Cup and World Championship.
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