Colombo, August 26
Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera scored undefeated fifties to lift Sri Lanka to 262 for three against New Zealand at stumps on the first day of the second test on Wednesday. The pair shared an unbroken 147 run fourth-wicket partnership to leave Sri Lanka with a solid first innings platform on a dry pitch.

Jayawardene batted the longest, facing 210 balls for his workmanlike 79, an innings of patient accumulation that included just seven boundaries. Samaraweera was left unbeaten on 78 from 139 balls having hit 10 boundaries by the close.

Earlier, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori became the first left-arm spinner and second New Zealander after Richard Hadlee to take 300 test wickets. Vettori passed the milestone when he dismissed Tharanga Paranavitana and Kumar Sangakkara either side of lunch. The left-arm spinner was New Zealand’s best bowler, finishing the day with two for 65 from 30 overs.

Although disappointed not to have taken more wickets, Vettori would have been pleased with the efforts of his bowlers, who showed greater discipline than in the first test. Sri Lanka had to graft for runs and scored only 146 in the first 56 overs in the morning and afternoon before Jayawardene and Samaraweera raised the tempo in the final session.

The only casualty for the hosts during a truncated 90-minute morning session was opener Paranavitana, who was caught by Ross Taylor in the slips off Vettori. After the lunch interval, Tillakaratne Dilshan was caught and bowled by Iain O’Brien off a leading edge for 29. Sangakkara stroked a stylish 50 from 96 balls with ninev boundaries before mistiming a slog sweep and being caught at mid-wicket off Vettori. — Reuters

Scoreboard
Sri Lanka (1st innings)
Paranavitana c Taylor b Vettori 19
Dilshan c & b O’Brien 29
Sangakkara c Oram b Vettori 50
Jayawardene batting 79
Samaraweera batting 78
Extras (4-lb, 1-nb, 2-b) 7
Total: (three wickets; 90 overs) 262
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-75, 3-115.
Bowling: Martin 14-2-45-0, O’Brien 16-3-52-1, Vettori 30-11-65-2, Oram 18-6-45-0, Patel 9-1-32-0, Ryder 3-1-17-0.

Sydney, August 26
Australia’s Ricky Ponting was determined to carry on as captain despite his team’s Ashes series defeat in England and could even return for another attempt in 2013, he said after arriving home on Wednesday. “I still think I’ve got a lot to offer the team, as a batsman and as a captain and as a leader,” Ponting told reporters at Sydney airport.

“If it ends up getting to the point where I’m not the captain, my hunger and determination to keep playing this game are as good as ever.” His captaincy has since come under scrutiny in sports-mad Australia, which has basked in its cricket team’s dominance of the game for the better part of two decades.

“Right at the moment it most definitely is. It’s probably higher right now than ever before. I would love to go back and give it (the Ashes in England) one more crack. Who knows, 2013 might be something achievable.”

The 34-year-old said he was pleased with the public support he had received from his players, Cricket Australia and the selection panel after the test series. “Leaders are always judged on results,” he said. “I learned that in 2005, and I expect it’s going to be similar this time around. I can understand those points of view being out there. The pleasing thing for me is I’m getting some support from Cricket Australia and the selectors as well.”

Ponting, who is home for 10 days before he returns for the final four one-day internationals in England, said his desire to continue playing was high even if the selectors decided to split the captaincy or continue to pick him just as a senior player. — Reuters

New Delhi, August 26
India cast away their tentative approach to hand out a resounding 3-1 defeat to Sri Lanka and keep themselves in line for a final berth in the Nehru Cup International Football Tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here tonight.

India needed to win this match, and they did it in style, though the match looked like slipping away from their hands at one stage when Sri Lanka equalised. But the hosts put their determined, attacking best on show in the second session to raise the bar, and make it all over bar shouting for Lanka.

The Island nation are out of reckoning after suffering two huge defeats in three matches. India, with six points from two wins, after their shock defeat at the hands of Lebanon in the opening tie, are now sitting pretty, as they have caught up with Syria on six points.

If Syria beat Lebanon tomorrow, India need not worry much about the outcome of their last league tie against Syria on Saturday. Though captain Baichung Bhutia was the pivotal of the Indian attack, who scored the first goal, others, notably Stevan Dias, N.P.Pradeep and Gouramangi Singh madesubstantial contributions in India's convincing victory.

Bhutia opened the scoring in the 25th minute when he neatly headed in a cross from the right by Stevan Dias. India played with long balls as it was difficult to get the better of the Lankans with short balls as they were good in speed, ball snatching and ball possession.

Before Bhutia struck, Stevan Dias and Sunil Chhetri had made close shaves at the Lankan goal. In the whole of first half, Lanka's only scoring chance came when Chathura Maduranga's diagonal cross was collected by Indian goalie Subrata Paul. With a one-goal lead at half time, India were dulled into some kind of complacency and almost paid dearly when WDRD Ruwanthilake headed in off a flag kick, in the 16th minute.

The corner kick followed after Issadeen's shot was tipped over by Paul at the cost of a corner, which proved fatal. Not that India did not get enough chances to consolidate. With Stevan Dias and N.P.Pradeep playing their hearts out to keep the ball moving up, India had at least three good chances to score more goals, but Dias and Bhutia came too near, yet proved too far.

The Lankan goal let loose the adrenalin among the Indian players who mounted a series of attacks to put the Lankan goal under pressure. The tactic paid off as in the 24th minute, the hosts regained the lead through Gouramangi Singh. Dias took a free kick from near the half line and Pradeep's shot got deflected off the custodian. As the ball bounced on the left of the goal, Gouramangi rushed in and tapped it home.

Mumbai, August 26
Salman Khan could become the latest Bollywood superstar to join the Indian Premier League bandwagon with the actor today expressing his interest in bidding for a franchise for the 2011 edition of the cash-rich event.

Salman met IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi today and discussed the procedure to buy a team for the 2011 edition, which will see the addition of two more franchises. Modi disclosed that Salman was in discussion with him on this matter for the last few months but they had a formal meeting only now.

“We were having a discussion for last few months but this is our first official meeting,” Modi said. Modi said although it was too early to say anything but he felt the actor was a “serious buyer”.

“He was interested to know what it takes to own a team, what’s the process, when it will be initiated and what's the timeline for it. I think he is a serious buyer,” Modi said. Asked if he was interested in any particular existing team or a new team, Modi said “it’s for a new team”.

IPL is set to introduce two new teams in the 2011 season and the franchise may “cost over $200-300 million”.

At present, Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla (Kolkata Knight Riders), Preity Zinta (King’s XI Punjab) and Shilpa Shetty (Rajasthan Royals) are associated with the high-profile Twenty20 cricket tournament.

Modi also disclosed that he had a long list of celebrities interested in buying a team in the IPL. “We have large number of people interested in it with over 20 celebrities asking to become franchisees, although I don't want to name them,” he said.

Modi also admitted that having a film star added to the glitter of the event. “It does add to the spark (of the event),” he said. Modi said the IPL organising committee will inform all the prospective buyers once it begins the bidding process. — PTI

Patiala, August 26
Punjabi University, Patiala has every reason to feel delighted and proud about itself as it became the “Best Sports University” in the country by winning the coveted Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy second time in a row for the year 2007-2008. The university sports department was informed about this win here today by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.

The MAKA Trophy is given mainly to the overall winners in the All-India Inter-University Tournaments, as these tournaments are very integral and important part of sports in universities and colleges and also play a very important role in supplying talent to the country. Ten universities had presented their stake for the trophy this year. Punjabi University defeated its rival universities with a comfortable margin.

With this, the university has yet again proved its supremacy in the field of sports and will be awarded a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh. Though the university was hopeful of the victory still they were waiting for the official announcement. Soon after the result, the university players started celebrating their victory. They congratulated each other and pledged to continue the tradition.

Director sports Dr Rajkumar Sharma and coaches of the department too were party to the fun. The director congratulated the coaches for this win. He said, “I am overwhelmed. This could not have been possible had our Vice-chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh not supported us. Whatever we demanded was at our disposal because the vice-chancellor had really high opinion about sports development.”

Melbourne, August 26
Not many would remember that former Australian captain and left-handed batsman Graham Neil Yallop was the first test cricketer of his country to use a helmet in a Test match. And these days, he is the Director, High Performance Sports Centre at Monash University that has produced Dirk Nannes and hordes of internationals and olympians for Australia.

This morning, Graham Yallop played host to a select group of visiting Indian newsmen and was on hand to test their flexibility and response skills at nets of the High performance Sports centre.

“I had a broken jaw a couple of weeks before our Test match against West Indies. And I decided to use the helmet against the pace battery of the Windies to become first ever Australian cricketer to bat with a helmet,” adds Yallop who played in 39 Tests and scored 2756 runs.

Besides he played in 30 One Day Internationals. He was also a useful medium pacer. He captained Australia in early 80s and retired from Test cricket in November, 1984, after the series against Windies.

The centre is a regular training centre for players of Cricket Victoria and is perhaps one of the the biggest indoor net practice facility in Australia where players have controlled, motorised and scientifically designed pitches for batsmen to practice against bouncy, pacy and spinning tracks that Aussies can encounter outside.

Graham Yallop, now 57, looks after training of youngsters at the High performance Sports centre. Some of the Victorian cricket players, including Test players, train at the centre, both during and off seasons.

The High performance Sports centre has one of the most modern sports training and testing centre that has the approval of the International Olympic Committee. It is here, says Martin Doulton, a former cricketer who played for Hampshire county in England for three successive seasons with the likes of Andy Roberts, that flexibility and sports fitness of an average Australian is tested and recorded.

Most of the Victorian Universities, including university of Victoria pride in sponsoring State’s different teams and individual sportsman. University of Victoria is the main sponsor of the Bulldogs, one of top Australian Football League (AFL) teams. It also serves as training centre for Bulldog players besides running one of the most modern sports training-cum-gym where they have developed a new concept of clinical physiotherapy.

It is at this Victoria University Sports centre that swimming pool therapy is used for treating various physical ailments or disabilities. The centre has developed machines that could test and rate muscle strength of different parts of the body. It has also one of the two machines that can be used effectively for treatment of patients of brain stroke or paralytic strokes. Controlled stimulation, experts here feel, can revive sensation in some affected body parts, including limbs. Advanced prototype of the machine is being developed for its commercial use.