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MS Gill steps in
Ailing Dasmunsi’s reign ends as AIFF chief
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Hockey Test Series
Button wins with Brawn
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MS Gill steps in
New Delhi, October 19 “Whatever has happened is not right and shouldn't have happened,: Gill told reporters at the airport here after arriving from Kochi. “I just want to say that on October 29, I am going to London for the Queen’s Baton Relay and there I will meet Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell and Kalmadi and I will talk to them and try to resolve the matter. I will listen to both the sides,” he said. Kalmadi and Hooper have been engaged in a ugly public spat with the OC chairman demanding that CGF call back Hooper from Delhi. Kalmadi said the New Zealander was of "no use" and has been an "impediment" to the Organising Committee's functioning. Hooper, on his part, has struck a defiant pose after getting the CGF's backing, insisting that he would not leave Delhi. Speaking on the controversy-mired build-up to the Games, Gill said despite concerns about the tardy pace of preparations, Delhi would host the event successfully. “We are confident of holding a successful Games and even the Prime Minister assured Fennell that the country will organise a successful Games,” Gill said. “Fennell has raised some questions about the functioning and management of this organising committee. Those issues have been addressed and we have made certain changes in the management. We have done the required work,” he added. Gill said three new officials of cabinet rank would be inducted in the committee soon. “We have appointed Jarnail Singh as the new CEO for the organising committee and three more senior officers of cabinet rank will also join soon. Among them, will be a Chief Financial Officer who will look after all this Games related matter. So, the management issues have been addressed,” he said. “All the preparations are going on as planned,” he added. — PTI
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Karachi, October 19 “He will continue as captain until the World Cup in 2011, if he stays fit,” PCB chairman Ejaj Butt told reporters after a governing council meeting of the board. “With so many performances this year do you think he should be changed?” he asked, pointing to Pakistan's Twenty20 World Cup triumph, victory over India in the Champions Trophy and reaching the semifinal of the ICC tournament in South Africa. Upset after he was grilled by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports and its chief Jamshed Dasti, who accused the Pakistan team of tanking matches against Australia and New Zealand "on purpose", Younus had resigned in dramatic circumstances. Butt, however, did not accept his resignation and tried to placate Younus when he met the player on Thursday in Lahore. The PCB chief also met chief selector Iqbal Qasim, coach Intikhab Alam, team manager Yawar Saeed, associate manager Shafqat Rana and vice-captain Shahid Afridi. Butt defended Younus' resignation in the face of the match-fixing allegations, saying it was a natural reaction by the senior player. “He reacted after so many things happened and I would have done the same had I been in his place,” Butt said. Pakistan cricket was abuzz with stories that eight-nine senior players are against Younus, who, they believe, had become arrogant and behaved like a dictator. Pakistan play three One Day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches against New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates next month. — PTI
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Ailing Dasmunsi’s reign ends as AIFF chief
New Delhi, October 19 Patel, the seniormost vice-president of the national body, has been the de facto head since Dasmunsi suffered a cardiac arrest in October last year and going by the constitution of the AIFF he will be elected as its president tomorrow. Article 32 (6) of the AIFF Constitution says if the president is permanently or temporarily prevented from performing his official function, the longest serving Vice-President shall represent him until the next Annual General Body Meeting. The AGM shall elect a new President, if necessary. Despite his illness, Dasmunsi was elected unopposed last December and Patel was made acting president. Patel will be the only candidate to file his nomination tomorrow and he will be elected unopposed. This will bring curtains to Dasmunsi's 20-year reign as head of the national football body. After the AGM, the AIFF wll felicitate national captain Bhaichung Bhutia for his 100th appearance for the country during the Nehru Cup held here earlier this here. Bhutia is the 37th Asian and 152nd international footballer to have played more than 100 matches for his country. The Sikkimese snipper is being involved in a bitter suspension row with Mohun Bagan but has been granted an interim relief to play for East Bengal in I-League. After his election as AIFF chief, Patel, who has been instrumental in bringing Rs 25 crore from the cash-rich Indian Cricket Board for development of football, will have to clear the mess the national body is currently in. The fate of at least half a dozen tournaments are hanging in uncertainty, not to speak of the interview of the twin posts of AIFF General Secretary and I-League Chief Executive Officer. The National Under-16 and Under-19 for boys, the National Under-19 for girls, Under-13 Festivals for boys and girls were to be held by October or November but no dates have been fixed as yet nor the host state has been finalised. The Under-19 I-League, an important part of the youth development programme, was supposed to start by this month but nothing has been heard of it till now. — PTI
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Daredevils beat Cobras for consolation win
Put into bat by Cobras, Daredevils, withouth some of their star players, stuttered to make 114 for 6 in 20 overs. Set an asking rate of 5.75 runs, Cape Cobras seemed heading for victory despite receiving some early blows, but Daredevils’ bowlers Tillakratne Dilshan, Dirk Nannes and Amit Mishra had other plans as they effected some telling blows to shut out Cobras for 84.
Despite the defeat Cobras took their appointed place in the semi-final due to their unbeaten record till this defeat. Daredevils earned some browny points as they achieved this victory by trying out the bench strength, and playing without some key players like Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra and McGrath. It was, in fact, the two successive wickets scalped by the left-handed quickie Dirk Nannes in the 16th over, his fourth, which turned the tide really in favour of Delhi, as Cobras tumbled to 8 for 79. The slide began much before when leg-spinner Amit Mishra too took two consecutive wickets in his third over with Cobras losing their fourth and fifth wickets at 57. They in fact lost six wickets for 22 runs to lose a plot which at one stage looked tailor-made for them to succeed. The exit of captain Andrew Puttick for six, bowled by Nannes and Herschelle Gibbs for nought,lbw to Tillakaratne Dilshan, could have been easily off-set had the partnership between Henry Davids (22, 29b) and J.P.Dumniy flourished. Davids was run out by a throw from Pradeep Sanghwan,and thereafter, Mishra and Nannes struck vicious blows not to allow the Cobras to settle down. Nannes had the fanstastic figures of 3 for 19 from four overs while Mishra (2 for 19) and Dilshan (2 for 16) too had profitable outings. Earlier, put into bat, Daredevils were down in the dumps when they lost Dilshan and captain Gautam Gambhir cheaply, with just four runs on the board. Both the wickets were claimed by Rory Kleinveldt, but Manoj Tiwari and Dinesh Karthik played with some intent and purpose to crack 19 and 23 runs respectively. Karthik's three consecutive fours off Kleinveldt, over mid-wicket and cover boundaries, lit the nearly packed stands aflame, but before the flame could become a huge fire, Karthik was run out. Daredevils would have been in dire straights from then on, but for the nice pinch-hitting by Owaish Shah who cracked three boundaries and one huge six to remain not out on 39, off 38 balls. The failure of Gambhir yet again proved that the Delhi captain was battling with a demon from which he has not yet got over. Scoreboard Daredevils: Cobras: Puttick b Nannes 6 (7)
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Hockey Test Series
Surrey, October 19 Sandeep struck his goals in the 35th and 67th minutes after Gurwinder Chandi opened the scoring for India in the 29th minute yesterday. David Jameson pulled one back for Canada in the 41st minute. Canada began aggressively winning a penalty corner when Mark Pearson was stick-fouled by Sandeep. However, Scott Tupper's flick did not have the sting. India, on the other hand, were cautious to start with and committed numerous unforced errors. Forwards Prabhjot Singh, captain Rajpal Singh, Sarwanjit Singh and Gurwinder Chandi were off colour lacking fluency and messing up the traps. Both teams earned two penalty corners in the first quarter but could not push the scoreline as Sandeep and Raghunath were off target for India while Wayne Fernandes' flick was saved by India goalkeeper Adrian D'souza.
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Button wins with Brawn
Sao Paulo, October 19 While Barrichello's own title hopes were fading anyway before that, nothing could stop Brawn — the former Honda team saved from the scrapheap in March — from becoming the first team to take the constructors' crown in their first full season. Button, who belted out an off-tune “We Are The Champions, My Friends,” over the team radio on his slowing down lap, was ecstatic after a rain-hit qualifying session had left him starting 14th.
“This race for me was the best race I've driven in my life, probably,” added the 29-year-old. “I know it’s because of the emotion involved with it but also because I knew I had to make it happen.” Webber celebrated the second win of his career, with Brazil's injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa waving the chequered flag. “I think he (Button) can sleep better now because he's been absolutely bricking it after the last few races,” Webber said with a smile, his victory completely eclipsed by the Brawn celebrations. "He can enjoy Abu Dhabi.” Poland's Robert Kubica was second for BMW-Sauber with McLaren's outgoing world champion Lewis Hamilton taking third place from 17th on the grid at the circuit where he clinched the title in a 2008 thriller. It was the first time in 40 years that Britain had back-to-back champions. Bizarrely, it was also the second time in a row that an Englishman driving car 22, with a Mercedes engine, had finished fifth to win the title in Brazil. The safety car was deployed for four laps after chaos on the opening one when Force India's Adrian Sutil, Toyota's Jarno Trulli and Renault's Fernando Alonso crashed out. Trulli and Sutil, who had been third on the grid, almost came to blows on the runoff after they stepped out of their shattered cars. — Reuters
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Hopes to resolve Kalmadi-Hooper row
New Delhi, October 19
“I am the world champion, baby, and I’m not going to stop saying it,” he yelled.
Usain Bolt star attraction at cricket match!