New Delhi, August 6
Sania Mirza broke into the top 30 in world rankings today, thanks to her amazing run in recent weeks on the US hardcourts.

The 20-year-old Indian made it to the quarterfinals at the $1.3-million Acura Classic tennis event in San Diego last week, which enabled her to move up one place to 30th on the latest WTA Tour ranking list.

The Hyderabadi girl lost in straight sets to eventual winner and world No. 2 Maria Sharapova, but the performance fetched her 110 points, which helped her improve upon her career-best ranking.

Sania becomes the second Indian, man or woman, to be in the top 30. The first was Ramesh Krishnan, who was ranked 23rd in 1987.

Sania, whose career earnings now stand at $827,476, also retained her doubles ranking of 26 despite a first-round loss at San Diego.

“It will be more of a personal achievement if I break into the top 30,” Sania had said last week.

“As long as I keep improving and play good tennis, I feel that in the long run, the rankings will take care of themselves.”

She was entered in the main draw of the $600,000 East West Bank Classic at Los Angeles this week, and faces a qualifier in the first round.

Sania, placed in the second quarter of the 64-player draw, might clash later on with former world No. 1 Martina Hingis, seeded seventh.

Sharapova, the top seed, is also in the same half of the draw that features world number 9 Nadia Petrova as well.

Meanwhile, Rohan Bopanna has become the third Indian male player after Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi to break into the top-100 in doubles rankings.

Bopanna, who won his third successive title with Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi yesterday, jumped nine places to be ranked 92 in the ATP doubles individual rankings.

Bopanna and Qureshi added the title at $125,000 ATP Challenger event in Segovia, Spain, to their triumphs at Manchester and Nottingham on grass in the previous weeks.

“We are combining well and are definitely planning to play much more together, especially ATP Tour events,” Bopanna said.

For the 27-year-old Indian, it was his fourth title of the season, having won in Dublin, Ireland, with Austrian Adam Feeney on indoor carpet early last month.

Bopanna, however, dropped seven places in singles to be 222 but is still the highest-ranked Indian.

Prakash Amritraj, at 268, a slip of six rungs, and Karan Rastogi at 340 are the next best Indians.

New Delhi, August 6
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh has joined issue with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sharad Pawar for his “rigid stand” on the Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Sharad Pawar should act as a facilitator for the cricket league to succeed

He said it was “unfortunate” that the BCCI had taken a rigid stand against the proposal of the ICL, as “by adopting a confrontationist posture, the BCCI is not only missing an opportunity to enlarge the scope of the popular game of cricket, but it is also attacking the right of (the) Indian cricketers, who should have (the) freedom to opt and play as per their own wish without facing such penal threats and warnings (from the BCCI).”

Citing the example of other sports, Digvijay, who is a general secretary of the All-India Congress Committee, said, “In football, they have English Premier League, Champions League, Spanish League, Italian League and German League.”

“There are a number of other countries which also have league tournaments. This has not only given a great fillip to the game of football, but has also made football players millionaires,” he added.

Elaborating further, he advocated to the BCCI president that “a person of your democratic character should not have taken such a rigid stand.”

“If Shane Warne or Brian Lara come to play in the ICL, it would add to the experience of youngsters,” he noted. He advised Pawar, “You should act as a facilitator for the ICL to succeed. I am sure the objective of the BCCI is not to make millions but to popularise the game of cricket. I am sure you will prevail upon the hardliners in the board and make them understand the sentiments of millions of cricket lovers in India.”

Mumbai, August 6
In the absence of Rahul Dravid, who has opted out, Ranchi-born Mahendra Singh Dhoni is expected to be named captain of the Indian squad for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup by the selectors here tomorrow.

The swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman, who turned 26 on July 7, is set to lead a team that is likely to include seniors Yuvraj Singh, Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan, apart from Test and ODI discards Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan and Mohammad Kaif.

With Dravid and two other ex-captains Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly skipping the September 11-28 tournament in South Africa to give chance to youngsters, some new faces may get the nod.

The selectors shortlisted the 30 probables recently and will prune the list down to 15.

The ODI team for the seven-match series against England is also to be chosen tomorrow.

There is a question mark over S. Sreesanth, who breached the ICC Code of Conduct during the second Test against England at Trent Bridge. He could see his place usurped by another right-arm bowler, Munaf Patel.

Baroda pacer Patel has started bowling in competitive matches in a tournament held in Bangalore after recovering from his lower back injury sustained in Bangladesh in May.

Mumbai youngster Rohit Sharma also failed to shine in the limited number of chances he got in Ireland and could give way to someone like Kaif, who is leading the India A squad now touring Zimbabwe and Kenya.

Another youngster, Manoj Tiwary of Bengal, is recovering from his shoulder injury sustained in Bangladesh in May.

Irfan’s elder brother Yousuf Pathan is a serious contender for the Twenty20 Cup with his ability to hit long and hard and bowl off-breaks.

The ODI series against England commences on August 21 but before that there is a one-off one-day tie against Scotland on August 16 at Glasgow. — PTI

Karachi, August 6
Pakistan team manager Talat Ali has laughed off attempts by the ICL to rope in Pakistani cricketers, saying that the league was nothing more than “Mickey Mouse cricket” and lacked the potential to tempt quality players.

“I use this word because even if it is held it is not official or serious cricket. It is a rebel series not involving countries and it would be more befitting if it was held in Disneyland instead of in a Test-playing nation,” Ali said.

The ICL’s efforts to rope in Pakistani players would not see the light of day, he claimed.

“I don’t see this league tempting our players no matter what stage of their career they are in,” he said.

Reacting to the ICL’s claims that it has been launched to scout talent, Ali said that was the responsibility of the respective cricket boards and not of private entrepreneurs.

But even as Ali came out with his strong statement against the ICL, concerns are growing in Pakistan cricket over senior players Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Yousuf failing to sign the new central contracts offered by PCB.

Razzaq and Yousuf are said to be among the seven Pakistan players who have been offered lucrative contracts by the ICL, although Yousuf has denied getting any such offer.

Yousuf said he was busy attending to his ill mother, and that he had not heard anything from the ICL organisers.

A source in the Pakistan team, however, said both players could apparently be waiting to see if they were in Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the Twenty20 World Cup before deciding on the potential ICL offers.

Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Shahid Afridi had refused lucrative offers from ICL organisers, who are believed to have struck a deal with former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq. — PTI 

Chennai, August 6
A splendid bowling display by their spinners helped India Under-19 team register a 182-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first “Test” at the Colts Cricket Club ground in Colombo today.

Chasing a target of 278, the hosts were bundled out for 95, mainly due to the impressive bowling by spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Shiv Prakash.

While Jadeja claimed four wickets, conceding just five runs off his 13 overs, Prakash gave him strong support, dismissing three others on the last day of the three-day match.

After scoring 301 runs in the first innings and bowling out the hosts for 247 yesterday, the Indians started the day with a lead of 136 and added 141 more runs before declaring their second innings at 223 for 7.

Tissara Perera claimed four wickets for Sri Lanka.

Brief scores: India U-19: 301 and 227 for 7 declared; Sri Lanka U-19: 247 and 95.

India ‘A’ in sight of win

Piyush Chawla took 4-31 to reduce Kenya to 191-8 in the second innings, still requiring 118 runs to avoid an innings defeat.

Earlier, India ‘A’ declared their first innings at 406 for 8, thanks to S. Badrinath’s unbeaten 133 and Parthiv Patel’s 124, to take a huge first-innings lead of 309 runs on the second day of the match at Mombasa.

In the second innings, Collins Obuya waged a lone battle for the hosts with a knock of 51. India ‘A’ require only two wickets to wrap up the match and take a 1-0 lead in the two-game series.

Yesterday, Yo Mahesh had cut through the Kenyan batting line-up, claiming 4-15.

Brief scores: Kenya: 97 and 191 for 8 (Collins Obuya 51, Chawla 4-31); India ‘A’: 406 for 8 declared (S. Badrinath 133*, Parthiv Patel 124). — Agencies

Manchester, August 6
Finishing 18th in a 20-team event does not provide them a chest-thumping opportunity, but East Bengal’s under-15 team returned from the Nike Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) not without a word of praise from English football legend Sir Bobby Charlton.

The Kolkata outfit snapped its string of four defeats in the MUPC with their lone win against Bukit Jalil Sports School, Malaysia, and then went down in a penalty shootout to Austrian Wien to finish 18th, ahead of Assumption College, Thonburi, which had topped the South East Asia region finals.

Buttonholed for his view on East Bengal, Charlton pointed out that the team had done better than Mohun Bagan’s last-place finish in 2006 and patted the boys for their grit.

“This time, this team from India did a little better than the side we saw last year. I know short stature and frail physique are major handicaps for them, but it was still good to see them come and compete at this level and do actually better,” the English legend told PTI.

At the MUPC closing ceremony at University of Manchester’s Armitage Centre, too, Charlton surprised the gathering when he singled out East Bengal for special praise. “I saw a few matches, including one featuring this Indian side which has come all the way from West Bengal. They had certain handicaps but what struck me was their stomach for fight, which was astounding. It was really impressive to see how eager they were to fight hard,” Charlton said.

One of the survivors of the 1958 Munich air disaster, Charlton himself personified guts and gumption in his playing days.

It was a miraculous escape in Munich for the former England captain, who after the plane’s two aborted take-offs, swapped his place with nervous team-mate Tommy Taylor, a fatal decision for the latter, as the plane hit the fence at the end of the runway and caught fire.

It was Manchester United goalkeeper Harry Gregg who dragged out Charlton by the waistband of his trousers to safety and the attacking midfielder put the trauma behind and went on to guide England to victory in the 1966 World Cup. — PTI

San Diego, August 6
Maria Sharapova captured her first WTA title of 2007 with a victory at the $1.34 million San Diego Classic.

The top-seeded Russian defeated Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 yesterday to defend her title at the hardcourt tournament that proved a springboard to her US Open triumph weeks later. Sharapova had appeared to be on her way to another runaway victory after taking the first set in convincing fashion. But Schnyder converted a critical break point in the second set to go ahead, 5-3, and served out the set to force the winner-takes-all finale.

Sharapova restored her momentum in the decisive set, breaking Schnyder in the second game before winning the final four games to close out the match.

The Russian, ranked second in the world, improved to 6-1 lifetime against Schnyder and has won the last five meetings between the players, including a thrilling three-set triumph in the fourth round of this year’s French Open.

In winning her first tournament since Linz last October, the 20-year-old Russian appears recovered from a shoulder injury, which had sidelined her since Wimbledon.

Roddick tames Isner

Washington: US top seed Andy Roddick won his third ATP Washington Classic title, defeating upstart John Isner 6-4, 7-6 on Sunday to end a fairy-tale run by the unheralded 416th-ranked American newcomer.

Roddick, who also won at Washington in 2001 and 2005, captured his 23rd career’s singles crown and second of the year at the $600,000 tuneup for the US Open, that will begin in three weeks.

Wildcard Isner missed out on a perfect ending to a week that saw him win five matches in a row in third-set tie-breakers, thought to be an unprecedented feat, after making the field only because wildcard Fernando Gonzalez withdrew.

Fifth-ranked Roddick took the $74,250 top prize, while Isner, who fired 144 aces and hit 70.4 per cent of first serves this week, will jump to about 190th in the rankings. — AFP

Akron (Ohio), August 6
Jeev Milkha Singh floundered with his iron play and managed only a 76, his highest for the week, and dropped to 51st at the WGC Invitational Golf Championship.

Jeev, the Asian Tour No. 1 in 2006, finished with 14-over 294 overall at the Firestone Golf Club yesterday.

Tiger Woods was in brilliant form as he cruised to an eight-shot win after trailing by one shot to Rory Sabbatini (74) at the start of the final day. Sabbatini and Justin Rose (68) tied for second.

Woods was determined to play the final round without a bogey, just like the US Open at Pebble Beach, and he showed more emotion over saving par with a 12-ft putt on the final hole than any of his birdies in his five-under 65. He finished at eight-under 272.

He was the only player to finish under par at Firestone; the only other times he had done that were his two US Open victories. And after turning a one-shot deficit into a six-shot lead on the front nine, Woods left everyone else playing for second.

It was the second time Woods had strung together three straight victories at the World Golf Championship, and he tied a PGA Tour record by winning for the sixth time on the same course.

Jeev had two double bogeys on the front nine and four bogeys on the back nine. On the positive side, he had just two birdies, both on the front nine.

Chandigarh, August 6
Noida Open champion Manav Das of Ambala and Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu, who finished second in the Noida Open, are all set to take on the top amateurs of the country and Sri Lanka in the Northern India Amateur Golf Championship which begins at the Par-72 Golden Greens Golf & Country Club in Gurgaon tomorrow.

The event, managed by Tiger Sports Marketing, forms the sixth leg of the LG Indian Amateur Golf Tour.

The seasoned amateurs teeing off will include three-time Sri Lankan Open winner Simarjeet Singh, who is currently No. 2 on the LG Indian Amateur Golf Tour merit list, third-ranked amateur Jasjeet Singh, and No. 4 amateur Gagan Verma.

The Sri Lankan duo of Mithun Pereira and all-India amateur champion K. Prabagaran will lend foreign flavour to the event.

Earlier Simarjeet warmed up for the main event returning the best individual gross stableford score by an amateur at the Am-Am. Simarjeet finished with 37 stableford points. Capt Pranav Parashar clinched the 0-24 handicap category with 39 points, while Capt Daman Sehgal finished runner-up at 36 points.

Chandigarh, August 6
Promoted from Division II, Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) of Hoshiarpur finished with a creditable tally of 11 points and were lying at the second position behind leaders Rail Coach Factory (RCF), who have collected 13 points in the seven-team 21st Punjab State Super Football League at SGGS Khalsa College Ground, Phagwara.

In their last league fixture, PSEB routed Mahilpur Football Club 4-0. Out of six matches, PSEB won three, drew two and lost one.

Mahilpur FC, also promoted from Division II, will be relegated as they had finished at the bottom of the table with a solitary point from six matches.

The star performer for PSEB was Sandeep Singh, who scored a hat-trick. Amarjit Singh scored the other goal.

Punjab Police of Jalandhar can push leaders RCF to second spot if they beat JCT Academy of Phagwara in their last league outing. — UNI

Jamaica: Jamaica’s cricket captain Wavell Hinds has been banned for the remaining calendar year by the Jamaica Cricket Association, after he was found guilty of verbally abusing umpires during a Super Cup match on June 23-24 at Kensington Park.

On-field umpires Errington Malcolm and Desmond Edwards subsequently filed an official complaint. On July 27, the disciplinary committee found Hinds guilty of infringement, according to Jamaica’s Sunday Observer.

Hinds has the right to an appeal which must be filed within 14 days, first vice-president of the JCA Paul Campbell said. — UNI