Kanpur, November 18
In what would be far from music to the ears of Kevin Pietersen, the pitch curator at Green Park Stadium today predicted a bowlers' bloodbath when India host a beleaguered England for the third ODI on Thursday.

Licking their wounds after the twin battering in Rajkot and Indore, England's demoralised bowling unit required some help from the track to silence the Indian big guns. Curator Shiv Kumar, however, had no such good news to offer to the visitors.

"This should be a batting paradise. The bounce would be even, ball would come nicely onto the bat and the strokemakers would make merry," the genial pitch doctor told PTI.

And as if to scare Pietersen and Co, Kumar said he would not be surprised if either of the teams goes on to post the biggest total in the ground.

"So far, the 294 India scored against Pakistan remains the highest at Green Park. I don't rule out a 300-plus score on Thursday," he said.

Asked what would be his suggestions to Mahendra Singh Dhoni in case the India captain approaches him, Kumar said should they win the toss, the hosts should bat first and set England an imposing total.

"The toss would not make much of a difference and the track would behave similarly to both the sides. But if he wins the toss, Dhoni should not have second thoughts about batting first," he said.

"Batting first would allow India exploit the bowlers' footmarks to the hilt. We have some world class spinners in the rank and they would just love bowling in the rough," he said.

"It's the first six overs, 20 minutes to be precise, that they have to be a little cautious for the ball might do a bit. After that, it should be smooth sailing for them," Kumar said.

The curator is happy with the consistency shown by the Indian team under Dhoni but says he would miss Sourav Ganguly who has quit international cricket.

"The biggest compliment I got in my 10-year-long career as curator was from Dada. After the India-South Africa Test match, he came to me and said 'you know your job, never change wicket at other's insistence, whoever it maybe.'

"He would seek details of the track, how much watering and rolling have been done etc. but he never interfered. I'll miss him this time," Kumar said.

Meanwhile, speculation was rife that Match Referee Roshan Mahanama would meet Kumar ahead of the match even though the curator said he was not aware of that.

"I've also heard people saying so but I'm not aware of any such meeting," he said.

Incidentally, the pitch Kumar prepared for the India-South Africa Test in April this year incurred the wrath of the International Cricket Council after the hosts wrapped up the match within three days.

Mahanama was the Match Referee in that Test as well and he submitted a negative report following which, the ICC issued a warning to the BCCI. — PTI

Melbourne, November 18
In a statement that has the potential to trigger a bitter row, New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori has labelled his Australian counterpart Ricky Ponting as the most "overtly aggressive" player in world cricket and who is always "spoiling for a fight".

Vettori says he was not surprised when the Australians got embroiled in the 'monkeygate' scandal against India as Ponting is always "spoiling for a fight" on the field.

"If a team was going to play the game hard and stand up to everything the Aussies hurled at them, there was going to be trouble," Vettori wrote in his new book, 'Turning Point', extracts of which came out in the 'Melbourne Herald Sun'.

"I don't think many of us were surprised about the so-called 'Monkeygate' affair. There are always a few individuals in every team who overstate their position or overplay their importance.

"Ponting led his team very aggressively and probably hasn't often had to face an opposition team that's been just as aggressive in response," he added.

Vettori said Ponting foul-mouths the opposition so often that it always ends up creating bad blood on the field.

"Add to the mix Matthew Hayden and Symonds - who are always at you on the field - and you've probably got the three most overtly aggressive players in world cricket.

"They like to get under the skin of their opponents, whereas the other guys in the Aussie team just get on with the game," he pointed out.

Vettori recalled how Ponting blew a minor incident during his team's previous tour Down Under into a major controversy by giving provocative statements to the local media.

"There was another incident with Ponting after we said a few things to Brad Haddin when we believed he was running on the wicket," Vettori said.

"There were a few heated words exchanged and when I later went to the press conference an Australian reporter asked me whether something had happened in the middle and I remember saying, 'Not really. It's just guys running on the wicket but that happens in every single game of cricket'.

"That seemed fine but Ponting, as was the case with his treatment of the Indians, seemed to be spoiling for a fight and the next day we had to read a blow-by-blow account in the papers of his version," he recalled.

The bespectacled Kiwi urged Ponting to mend his ways and learn to leave minor issues on the field.

"Personally, I've always been a person who thinks that disputes, altercations and even just conversations should stay on the field and that you should never let them go too far," he said. — PTI

Lahore, November 18
Veteran batsman Mohammad Yousuf has stated that he did not join the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) for money but was forced to do so by the shabby treatment meted out to the senior players in the Pakistan squad.

''I could make a lot more money playing for Pakistan than the ICL. It was about respect. I played for Pakistan for almost 10 years and always gave my best. But still I was treated shabbily by the former officials of the board and the captain,'' Yousuf, who returned to Pakistan yesterday after playing in the ICL, said.

''Playing for Pakistan will always be my first preference. I believe that the PCB should lift the ban on ICL players because not even the ICC has banned the league,'' he added.

He lashed out at Shoaib Malik, claiming that the Pakistan captain lied when he said he showed no disrespect to any senior player.

'I was surprised to hear that he (Malik) claims that he has never been disrespectful towards me or any senior players. That's a news to me. I believe that a captain should take senior players along but he (Malik) never did that,'' Yousuf told mediapersons.

Yusuf also lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) who has banned him for his association with the rebel T20 tournament and asserted that it is the national squad which will suffer because of the board's decision.

''I am Pakistan's leading batsman for quite sometime and they don't have anybody to replace me. It's Pakistan which will suffer without me. People who have done this with me do not care about national interest. They care about their own selfish motives,'' he fumed. — UNI

Karachi, November 18
Fast bowler Mohammad Asif was detained at Dubai airport this year for possessing opium, the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) three-man inquiry committee said on Tuesday. “During the course of our investigation we went through the report of the Dubai authorities and they said Asif had a small quantity of opium on him when he was detained,” Shafqat Naghmi told Reuters.

The PCB’s former chief operating officer added the player was eventually deported without charge because the quantity of opium, the raw ingredient of heroin, was small. Saleem Altaf, who succeeded Naghmi as the PCB's chief operating officer, refused to confirm the Asif report. “I can’t say anything because the inquiry committee never submitted its report to the board,” said Altaf.

“There is no doubt Asif violated the board's anti-doping policy by carrying opium and we will recommend that he be banned and fined,” added Naghmi.

Nadeem Akram, another member of the inquiry committee, told Geo News they had recommended a ban of eight to 10 games. Asif, who has played in 11 test matches and was suspended by the PCB for failing a dope test during this year’s IPL.

He reacted angrily to the latest disclosures. “No one from the inquiry committee had any right to make these things public without first listening to my side of the story,” said Asif. “I don’t think they have the authority to do such things and it is nothing but a publicity scandal.”

Altaf was also surprised Naghmi had gone public with the committee’s report before giving it to the board. “This inquiry has been going on since July and we still don’t have the report or recommendations of the committee,” he said. — Reuters

Dubai, November 18
India has moved up two places from fifth to third position on the ICC ODI Championship table after beating England in the opening two encounters of the ongoing seven-match series. In turn, England now sit in sixth position having slipped from third following the two comprehensive defeats. Having lost three ratings points, England now sits just behind New Zealand by a fraction of a point.

However, with five matches still remaining in the series and the ODI championship ladder very closely packed, there is plenty of time for Kevin Pietersen and his men to make amends. On the other hand, if India can continue the way it is going, it can go second in the ladder by the end of the series.

Pakistan is the other big mover this week as Shoaib Malik’s team has moved up two places to fourth following its 3-0 series win against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi.

There are now just two ratings points separating India in third position from England in sixth with South Africa just another four points ahead in second place. Australia is still out in front, some 12 ratings points clear of the Proteas.

Meanwhile, the Indian players are already reaping the rewards of their early successes in the series. Yuvraj Singh, who scored centuries in both matches, has shot up the rankings for ODI batsmen. The 26-year-old has gained no fewer than 11 places and now sits in sixth position as he enjoys the highest rating of his career till date.

The batting rankings are still headed by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni followed by Australia’s Michael Hussey in second place and Graeme Smith of South Africa in third. However, England pacer Andrew Flintoff has slipped out of the top 10 in the bowlers’ list. He now sits at the 13th spot. He took just one wicket in the first two matches of the series at a cost of 116 runs and an economy rate of 6.10.

The big mover in rankings for ODI bowlers is Sohail Tanvir, who has broken into the top-10 bowlers for the first time in his career after an impressive performance against the West Indies. The 23-year-old from Pakistan has made rapid progress since making his ODI debut in October 2007 and his haul of seven wickets at an average of 15.14 and economy rate of 4.00 in Abu Dhabi has boosted him further to the tune of 12 places. He now sits in seventh spot, in between the Sri Lankan pair of Muttiah Muralitharan in sixth position and Chaminda Vaas in eighth.

West Indies speedster Jerome Taylor gains two places and heads into the top 10, underlying the fact that despite losing 3-0 with Pakistan, the series did not come without positives for the men from the Caribbean. Aussie medium-pacer Nathan Bracken holds the top spot with 755 points, 22 points ahead of Daniel Vettori in second place with compatriot Mitchell Johnson in third. — UNI

Dharamsala, November 18
Himachal today handed a crushing 480-run defeat to Jammu and Kashmir on the third day of Ranji trophy match here.

Himachal totally dominated the proceeding with three of their batsmen scoring centuries. Bhavin Thakur and Sangram Singh, starting from overnight scores of 77 and 91, went on to complete centuries. Bhavin Thakur completed second century in the match before being bowled for 104 runs. In the first innings also Bhavin Thakur had scored 122.

Sangram Singh went on to score double century. He remained unbeaten on 215 runs that he scored facing just 277 balls. Vinit Indulkar, who came at first down, scored brilliant 109 off just 79 balls. His knock included 4 sixes and 15 fours.

Accumulating a commanding lead after scoring 449 for 1 in the second innings, Himachal declared the inning closed after the lunch break.

The J&K once again failed to face the onslaught on Himachal bowlers and were all out in the last of over of the game today at just 144 runs. Opener I Dev Singh (43) and fast bowler S Beigh (30) were the only batsmen who could stay at the wicket for some time and score runs.

The off spinner Sarandeep Singh was the most successful bowler for Himachal taking 4 wickets giving away 49 runs.

This is third consecutive win for Himachal in Ranji matches. Earlier Himachal defeated Haryana and Kerala.

Brief Scores:
Himachal (1st innings): 295
J&K (1st innings): 120
Himachal (2nd innings): 449 for 1 (Bhavin Takkar 104, Sangram Singh 215 and Vinit Indulkar 109)

J&K (2nd innings): 144 all out (I Dev Singh 43, S Beigh 30, Sarandeep Singh 4/49, Vikramjit Malik 2/24, Ashok Thakur 2/45).

Chandigarh, November 18
Rahul Dewan struck an unbeaten double century, while Sunny Singh and Sumeet Sharma also came good scoring centuries to put Haryana in command in their Ranji Trophy Super League - Group A match against Kerala at Palakkad today.

Unbeaten on 85 at close last night, Dewan went on to score an unbeaten 254. Sunny Singh scored 124, while flamboyant Sumeet also notched up a brisk 114, enabling Haryana to reach 581 for 4 before the innings was declared close as Haryana gained 247-run first innings lead.

With 36 without loss in the second innings at close on the third day, Kerala now trail by 211 runs with 10 wickets in tact.

Scoreboard
Kerala (1st innings): 334
Haryana (1st innings):
N Saini c Sarma b Yohannan 29, R Dewan not out 254, Sunny Singh lbw b Yohannan 124, Sumeet Sharma st VG Nair b Prem 114, S Rana c Rakesh b Prem 2, A Mishra not out 23. Extras (b 1, lb 9, w 6, nb 19) 35. Total (4 wickets dec; 133 overs): 581. Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-308, 3-542, 4-546. Bowling: T Yohannan 16-2-62- 2 P Chandran 21-0-106-0 S Cheruvathur 12-1-53-0 K Rakesh 23-5-90-0 M Sanuth 27-3-105-0 S Nair 15-3-62-0 S Sarma 3-0-13-0 R Gomez 6-0-19-0 V Jagadeesh 2-0-9-0 P Prem 8-0-52-2

London, November 18
McLaren’s Spanish reserve driver Pedro de la Rosa switched over to testing duties with the Force India Formula One team at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya today. Force India this month agreed a five-year partnership deal with McLaren and Mercedes that will see them replace their Ferrari engines with a complete drivetrain (engine and gearbox) package next season.

The team will also use a KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) designed by McLaren and Mercedes. The deal has triggered speculation the experienced De la Rosa could also be drafted in as a race driver for the Silverstone-based team but a Force India spokesman played that down.

“Pedro is an old friend of the team,” he said, pointing out that the Spaniard had been a test driver for Force India’s predecessors Jordan in 1998 before making his F1 race debut with Arrows in 1999.

“It’s an opportunity for a fresh face to put a new perspective on an old car,” he added. While some other Formula One teams have two more tests planned before the New Year, this week’s outing at the Spanish Grand Prix circuit will be Force India’s last track appearance of the year.

The team will not be able to use their Mercedes engines until January and have almost used up their supply of Ferrari power units.

De la Rosa, who tested for McLaren on Monday, was joined by Force India’s German race driver Adrian Sutil on Tuesday with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella scheduled to test with the Spaniard tomorrow.

Force India’s billionaire owner Vijay Mallya has said the team intends to keep Fisichella and Sutil but hinted recently that the McLaren deal could change his thinking. “They (McLaren) will recommend what they believe to be in the best interests of my team and I have to decide,” he told Reuters last week. “And I would be hard pressed to ignore their advice.” — Reuters

Glasgow, November 18
Diego Maradona’s extraordinary career comes full circle when Argentina face Scotland in a friendly at Hampden Park tomorrow. There have been plentiful highs and lows, including a brush with death in 2004, since Maradona gave a scintillating performance as an 18-year-old in Argentina’s 3-1 friendly win over the Scots in February 1979.

Whether Maradona, who lifted the World Cup in 1986, can have a positive impact as coach is the question being debated in Buenos Aires and around the world. “Of course this is a new start. But I’m not looking at it as if I have to show things. I’m here to give my support, my experience to the national team,” he said.

Tomorrow’s game will be closely monitored by the family of football and he will want it to go better than his World Cup debut as a player, a shock defeat for the-then holders against Belgium in the opening game of the 1982 finals in Spain.

For the moment, and in the absence of key players Lionel Messi and Juan Roman Riquelme, Maradona just wants some of his aura to rub off on this generation, having been an inspiration behind the scenes for their Olympic gold medal three months ago.

“As long as we’ve got the ball and we get some respect for the jersey I’ll go away very calm,” Maradona told reporters upon arrival in Glasgow. “I’m not asking the lads for more, they’ve taken some knocks.”

Argentina have won only one of their last eight matches and were beaten 1-0 by Chile last month, a World Cup qualifying result that led to Alfio Basile’s resignation as coach.

“That’s what I’ll ask of them, to play for Maradona,” added the 48-year-old. “I’d have liked to have had them but Argentina can’t stand with their arms crossed if they don’t have Riquelme and Messi. We have to look for alternatives and we have them.”

The match should answer questions about who Maradona views as a playmaker, with Independiente’s Daniel Montenegro a possibility, and where he sees Carlos Tevez fitting in, attacking from deep or as a front man.

Porto midfielder Lucho Gonzalez is back after losing favour with Basile while Ezequiel Lavezzi, wowing the Napoli crowd as Maradona once did, may get the chance to establish himself as more than a bit-part player.

Maradona comes face to face again with two men who were on the receiving end of two stand-out moments in his career that define the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the Argentine.

Scotland coach George Burley has immense respect for the stocky former number 10, having been one of the defenders facing his silky skills in the 1979 friendly. Burley’s assistant Terry Butcher is a more grudging admirer.

He was also on the pitch when Maradona’s infamous Hand of God goal helped Argentina beat England 2-1 in Mexico on their way to winning the 1986 World Cup. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

Clarke, Symonds patch up over drinks
MELBOURNE: Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke patched up over drinks at a cocktail party, weeks after the two cricketers’ friendship went sour due to the infamous ‘gone fishing’ episode. This apparently strained the duo’s relationship with Symonds saying that the friendship was “not what it was” anymore. But all was forgotten when the duo came face to face at a party in Brisbane ahead of the Test series against New Zealand. “We had a cocktail party last night which was great. We spent a bit of time together having a chat and at training,” Clarke was quoted as saying by The Australian associated Press -- a news agency. “It’s probably been exactly how it was before he left which has been great for both of us. It is good to have him back,” he added. — PTI

ESPN STAR get production rights for Champions League
NEW DELHI: ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) has won the long-term global television production rights for the Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament to be held next month. The channel had recently acquired the global commercial rights of the league for a period of 10 years after a successful bid. ESS and Champions League Twenty20 officials are currently finalising the necessary agreement. The channel will use of as many as 34 cameras at each venue to cover all the matches -- the highest number of cameras used to cover any multi-venue cricket tournament to date. It will include angles like aerial views with Fly cameras, a boundary side field camera to showcase fielding and a new mid-wicket camera position to highlight running between the wickets. — PTI

France face attacking dilemma
PARIS: Nicolas Anelka’s goalscoring prowess in the Premier League has given coach Raymond Domenech another headache before France host Uruguay in a friendly on Tuesday. Domenech is a big fan of Thierry Henry and France’s all-time top scorer should not worry about his place in the new team the coach is trying to build. Neither should inspirational forward Franck Ribery. That makes the competition even stiffer for other attacking players such as Anelka, Ligue 1 top scorer Karim Benzema or playmakers Yoann Gourcuff, Samir Nasri and Hatem Ben Arfa, who has not even been called up this time. — Reuters

Hamilton to race Olympic champion Hoy
LONDON: Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton will race triple Olympic cycling gold medallist Chris Hoy around Wembley Stadium next month as a warmup for the Race of Champions event, organisers said on Tuesday. However, 23-year-old Hamilton will be at the wheel of a Mercedes road car while Hoy will be pedalling a cycle on a parallel track constructed over the turf of the national soccer stadium. Hamilton will also perform a demonstration run in his McLaren Formula One car before he and Hoy leave to take part in the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony in Liverpool. — Reuters

Dhoni’s Midas touch to work for IT dept
RANCHI: Indian cricket captain M S Dhoni is all set to become the top individual income tax payer in Jharkhand, leaving behind bigwigs of the corporate world. It is still some months away when Dhoni files his income tax returns for this fiscal. But the Income Tax department expects over Rs six crore taxable returns from the cricketer to become the state’s top individual tax payer for the second consecutive year. “When the department will check on the stipulated date, no individual will match Dhoni’s tax payment individual category,” a senior officer of the department’s said here on Tuesday. — PTI