London, August 12
Sachin Tendulkar's impressive performances in the ongoing Test series against England has made Michael Atherton eat his words as the former cricketer has expressed "great admiration" for the Indian, admitting he had matured to be "a very fine player now".

"Watching Tendulkar bat throughout this series has been a curious business; his decline at once obvious and yet, since that decline has been accompanied by two telling innings, there comes with it a greater admiration," Atherton wrote in a British newspaper 'Daily Telegraph'.

"'Decline' is a relative term, of course. It is simply that Tendulkar is now a very fine player rather than a very great one," he said after the Indian scored 217 runs and also picked some crucial wickets in the three-match series.

Atherton had joined the intense debate started by former Australian captain Ian Chappell on whether Tendulkar should call it a day in the aftermath of his poor showing in the World Cup by writing a column in the paper under the headline "Sachin Tendulkar, now just a comic hero".

Atherton had also doubted that if sponsorship deals were among the reasons that was keeping Tendulkar going in cricket.

"The truth is that Tendulkar has been marketed as a brand for some time. There are many interested parties who are keen to see Tendulkar wearing India's colours for a while yet...

"There are only two reasons for carry on playing: if you are good enough, and if you still love the game. Only Tendulkar knows whether that love is alive. Everyone else is painfully aware that, despite his new super-hero status, his powers are very much on the wane," Atherton had said.

With India all poised to clinch the win, Atherton, in his latest column, wrote: "India will take the spoils at the end of this match and the man who is (absurdly) criticised for not playing enough match-winning innings, has done as much as anyone to make it so."

The former England batsman was impressed by Tendulkar's clinical approach. "If Tendulkar was to fail in this series, it won't be for a lack of thought, effort or preparation.

"Look at how he has approached each innings and the minor adjustments he has made each time. Monty Panesar trapped him lbw at Lord's, and thereafter Tendulkar played him with his bat, not pad.a"At Trent Bridge, Vaughan set a successful trap at leg-gully; thereafter Tendulkar decided (with one exception) that he was not hooking nor was he fending, which meant taking blow upon blow on the body. — PTI

Mombasa, August 12
Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha destroyed Kenya with a fine six-wicket haul as India 'A' skittled out the hosts for a paltry 124 in their second innings to register an innings and 87-run victory on the final day of their three-day first class match here today.

Ojha ran through Kenyan middle and lower orders while India Test discard Irfan Pathan chipping in with three wickets at the Mombasa Sports Club Ground.

Ojha returned with nine wickets from the match having taken three in Kenyan first innings. Pathan and Pankaj Singh had also claimed three wickets each in the hosts' first innings.

Resuming on four for two today after conceding a 211-run first innings lead to the visitors, Kenya were all out for 124 in the 57th over in the post lunch session of their second essay with wickets falling in quick successions.

None of the Kenyan batsman could stand up to Indian attack with the highest partnership being 32 for the third wicket between HA Varaiya and AO Suji.

For Kenya JK Kamande was the top scorer with 30, followed by T Mishra with 24.

Ojha finished with six for 31 from 18.1 overs while Pathan and Yo Mahesh chipped in with three for 26 from 10 overs and one for 18 from seven, respectively.

Earlier on the second day, Parthiv Patel and S Badrinath tore apart the hosts' bowling to set up the win for India.

Patel smashed an entertaining 164 while Badrinath remained not out on 160 as India declared their first innings on 429 for five to give the visitors a 211-run lead over the hosts.

Patel, who was dropped before he opened his account, went on to punish the hosts' bowlers for the lapse by plundering his 164 from 188 balls with the help of 22 boundaries and one six.

Badrinath was more sedate in his 160 which came from 231 deliveries and studded with 19 hits to the boundary and one over it.

AS Yadav chipped in with 60 from 90 balls.

Brief Scores: Kenya (1st innings): 218 all out in 79.3 overs (TM Odoyo 51, N Odhiambo 41, DO Obuya 30; Irfan Pathan 3/57, Pankaj Singh 3/35, Pragyan Ojha 3/54) India 'A' (1st innings): 429 for 5 declared (Parthiv Patel 164, S Badrinath not out 160, AS Yadav 60; N Odhiambo 3/64) Kenya (2nd innings): 124 all out in 56.1 overs (JK Kamande 30; T Mishra 24; Ojha 6/31, Pathan 3/26). — UNI 

Lahore, August 12
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, opener Imran Farhat and some other cricketers are thinking of joining the Indian Cricket League (ICL), according to a source.

The source was quoted by the Dawn as saying that these players were in touch with the organisers' agent, and the negotiations on terms and conditions specially related to the financial package were in the final phase.

Meanwhile, PCB's Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi has said that those players joining the league would be banned from playing for the country.

"I will not make any comment specifically on the news about Razzaq considering joining the ICL, but for all those players who intend to go for it (ICL), I would like to remind that they will be banned from Pakistan cricket," Naghmi said.

"We will not stop anyone and we can't do that, but the PCB has already announced its decision of banning such cricketers," he added.a"We have delivered the central contract to all the remaining four players and have also extended the deadline for signing it (till August 15, 2007). Now it is up to them to take a decision," Naghmi said. — ANI

Los Angeles, August 12
Maria Sharapova’s bid for a second title in as many weeks ended with a whimper as the top-seeded Russian withdrew injured before her scheduled semifinal in the $600,000 WTA hardcourt tournament.

Sharapova said the pain from a lower left leg strain came on suddenly last afternoon, and despite feverish efforts to combat it - with ice, massage and acupuncture - she didn’t feel able to play.

“When I started to warm up, it was getting worse and worse,” said Sharapova, whose exit sent fourth-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova into the final against third-seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic.

Sharapova said she felt discomfort around her shin, which interfered especially with her serve.

Ivanovic’s progress to the final couldn’t have been more different as she had to save two match points en route to a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over fellow Serbian Jelena Jankovic.

Ivanovic fired 12 aces in the 2hr, 28min match and rallied from a 1-4 deficit in the third set.

New Delhi, August 12
Mahesh Bhupathi and his Czech partner Radek Stepanek upset top seeds Bryan brothers to move into the final of the $2,200,000 ATP Rogers Masters tennis tournament in Montreal, Canada.

Bhupathi and Vizner, seeded eighth, edged past the Americans 6-2, 4-6, 12-10 in an edge-of-the-seat thriller which lasted an hour and seven minutes.

The Indo-Czech pair had to save two match points in the super tie-breaker on their way to the summit clash against fifth seeds Paul Hanley and Kevin Ullyet.

The Australian-Zimbabwean pair defeated sixth seeds Israelis Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram 6-2, 6-3 in the other semifinal.

Bhupathi and Vizner were quick off the blocks and dominated the brothers in the opening set. They put relentless pressure on the Americans and capitalised on two of the seven break points they earned. The Indo-Czech pair also saved four break points it was were confronted with.

The second set was a close affair and the Bryans made use of the only break point to force a deciding super tie-breaker.

Bhupathi and Vizner then held their nerve to prevail in the 22-point decider to seal a spot in the final. They won seven of the eight points on their first serve and three on the first serve of their opponents.

Bhupathi and Vizner saved two consecutive match points at 7-9 in the tie-breaker and held their first match point by winning a third consecutive point. The Bryans levelled the tie-breaker at 10-10 before Bhupathi and Vizner won the final two points of the match.

Coming into the Rogers Masters, the Bryans had reached the final of 10 of their past 11 tournaments. — PTI

London, August 12
Striker Robin van Persie converted an 83rd-minute penalty and Alexander Hleb struck a 90th-minute winner to give Arsenal a 2-1 victory over Fulham at the Emirates Stadium today.

A goalkeeping howler by Jen Lehmann handed Fulham the lead with under a minute on the clock, the German’s fluffed clearance leaving Fulham’s new Northern Ireland striker David Healy a tap-in on his competitive debut.

Fulham, who lost goalkeeper Antti Niemi to injury in the warm-up and had to deploy reserve Tony Warner, looked to have secured a remarkable win until Kolo Toure went down under a challenge by Carlos Bocanegra and Dutchman Van Persie scored from the spot.

Fired up by the equaliser, the hosts piled on the pressure and were rewarded when Belarus midfielder Hleb slot home the winner off a ball from Spaniard Cesc Fabregas.

Champions Manchester United had to settle for a 0-0 draw with 10-man Reading, while rivals Chelsea earned a record-breaking 3-2 win over Birmingham City today.

United had all the possession at Old Trafford but failed to make it count against a Reading side which had substitute striker Dave Kitson red-carded in the 72nd minute, less than a minute after coming on, for a reckless tackle on Patrice Evra.

United’s star striker Wayne Rooney suffered a hairline fracture of his left foot during the match.

Rooney, who also broke a bone in his foot during Euro 2004 and just before the 2006 World Cup, had the injury confirmed by a hospital visit, the club said on its website.

Chelsea took the points with a second-half strike from Ghana midfielder Michael Essien. Victory was made even sweeter as Chelsea set an unbeaten home record in the top flight of 64 games. The streak dates back to February, 2004, and eclipses the previous mark set by Liverpool from February, 1978, to January, 1981.

In a whirlwind first half at Stamford Bridge, Birmingham took a shock lead with a 15th-minute header from Finnish former Chelsea striker Mikael Forssell. The hosts hit back with goals from league debutants Claudio Pizarro of Peru and Frenchman Florent Malouda.

Birmingham levelled with a left-footed bullet strike from their new French signing Olivier Kapo, but Essien gave Chelsea a deserved victory with a curling first-time shot to Shaun Wright-Phillips’ cut-back.

Meanwhile, a stunning 87th-minute free kick by captain Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool a 2-1 victory at Aston Villa yesterday.

Liverpool looked set for a disappointing start when their 31st-minute lead, courtesy of an own goal by Villa’s Danish defender Martin Laursen, was cancelled out by Gareth Barry’s 85th-minute penalty.

But Gerrard curled home an inswinging free kick from 25 metres two minutes later, dipping the ball into the top right-hand corner after deftly bending it around the Villa wall. — Reuters

New Delhi, August 12
Defending his national crown, the pressure of booking an Olympic berth at the World Championship and finding time to study in between knocking down opponents in the ring - Life is hectic for one of the youngest Arjuna awardees, boxer Vijender, but he is not complaining.

The middleweight pugilist from Haryana, who won the Commonwealth Games silver in Melbourne and a bronze at the Doha Asian Games last year, spoke to PTI about how taking up boxing as a 14-year-old gave a new meaning to his life.

Vijender says he is not surprised at being given the Arjuna Award as he had done enough on the international stage to deserve the honour.

“Given my performance in the past two years, I was expecting to win the award this year,” he said.

The only boxer to be honoured with the national sports award this year, Vijender has now set his sights on an Olympic medal at Beijing 2008.

“An Olympic medal is a dream that I am hopeful of fulfilling next year at Beijing. But first comes the qualifiers, which start with the World Championship in October, and I am preparing hard for the event,” said Vijender, who is busy training for the upcoming nationals.

“I have even submitted a proposal for a training trip to the USA after the nationals. The Sports Authority of India would take care of the expenses and if approved, I would be training under a coach who groomed some Olympic champions,” he added.

“I am quite confident of doing well at the World Championship. In fact, out entire team should qualify for the Olympics provided there are no injury problems. Our coach GS Sandhu is putting in a lot of effort,” Vijender said.

Having recovered from a bout of illness, which forced him to return midway from a camp in Kazakhstan last month, Vijender said for the time being he was focused on retaining his national crown.

“I lost weight after picking up viral fever there (Kazakhstan) but now I have recovered fully. My immediate goal is to defend my national championship successfully this month in New Delhi,” he said.

The 22-year-old Haryana-lad, a product of the famed Bhivani Boxing Club (BBC) which also gave the country only its second Commonwealth Games gold medallist in Akhil Kumar, credited his club coach Jagdish Singh for his success so far.

“I was a 14-year-old when I took up boxing. My elder brother, who is in Army introduced me to it. And my coach has been guiding me ever since. In fact, I am disheartened at him not getting the Dronacharya Award,” he said.

Vijender, who won a silver medal at the recent Asian Championship in Mongolia, said he was also keen to study further.

“I just completed my graduation. I want to continue my education even if it means studying between practice,” he said.

Away from the ring, the lanky boxer says he loves watching tennis and even wants to play the game. But unlike most Indians, Sania Mirza is not his favourite. — PTI

Chennai, August 12
India won a silver and three bronze medals, including one by the waterpolo junior team, at the AASF Asian Age Group Championships Waterpolo and Diving at Jakarta.

India's girls team beat Macao 29-2 in the waterpolo event to claim the bronze as the curtains came down on the championships on Saturday.

Earlier, India beat Indonesia 19-8, lost against Kazakhstan and China who became champion and runner-up, respectively.

The boys team in preliminary round beat Chinese Taipei and Qatar. In the play-offs, India beat Qatar 15-5 and settled for seventh position, a press release from the Swimming Federation of India said today. — PTI

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 12
Pakistani tennis star Aqeel Khan won the $10,000 ITF Men’s Futures Tennis Tournament hosted by the Harvest Tennis Academy at Jassowal village, near here, yesterday. He beat Aditya Madkekar 6-3, 7-6 in one hour and 38 minutes to clinch the title.

In the tie-breaker, Aqeel had raced to a 4-1 lead due to enforced errors by Madkekar. The latter, however, managed to tie the score at 5-5. However, Aqeel won the next two points to emerge victorious. Aqeel fired seven aces compared to Madkekar’s five.

In the doubles final, India’s Purav Raja and Vivek Shokeen beat compatriots Rohan Gajjar and Aditya Madkekar. G.S. Bhullar, SSP, Ludhiana (Rural), gave away the prizes.

The tournament was organised from August 6 to 11. Other prominent players who took part in the event were Wang Yu Jr (China), Tatsuma Ito (Japan), India’s Vijay Kannan, Navdeep Singh, Vivek Shokeen and Ashutosh Singh. Puneet Gupta was the tournament referee.