MS Dhoni looks on as he heads for a practice session ahead of the second Test between India and South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday. — AFP

"There is a little bit of grass on the wicket at this moment. I am pretty sure they will take off the grass in the next 48 hours. But it is up to the groundsman to decide, we have got no control at all," said the right-hander.

Smith suffers finger injury, not serious

South African captain Graeme Smith suffered a finger injury while fielding during practice today but the team management ruled out any serious problem after preliminary medical reports. Smith sustained the injury on his left little finger while fielding at slips during their morning practice at Eden Gardens and he was rushed to the medical unit of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).

South Africa's media liason officer Michael Owen-Smith ruled out a fracture and said it appeared to be a ligament injury.

"As far as Smith's injury is concerned, he had an X-ray on the little finger of his left hand. It says no fracture at all. We are having an MRI scan this afternoon just to be 100 per cent certain about the injury. Obviously, it looks to be some sort of ligament damage. But at this stage it's treated as a sprained ligament," he told reporters.

This is for the third time in last two years Smith is rocked by an injury. During IPL in April 2008, he had suffered a tennis elbow that had also forced him to sit out of three ODIs against England in the same year.

Security breach by Gary Kirsten

Team India coach Gary Kirsten caused a security flutter here as he went out of the hotel with his family last evening without informing the police.

The Kolkata police has complained the apparent "breach of security" to the Cricket Association of Bengal yesterday.

The Team India coach, who checked into a city hotel a day prior to his boys, went out with his family last afternoon. "He should have informed the police but he did not. But the local officials knew about it so there was absolutely no security threat," said a local official today. CAB secretary Biswarup Dey, meanwhile, has asked the players not to leave the team hotel without informing the police.

When contacted, Jawed Shamim, the joint-commissioner of police, said, "I am not aware of any such incident." During the India-Sri Lanka one-dayer in December last year, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya had put the city police in a tizzy when the duo had a late night out. — PTI 

Haroon Lorgat

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has welcomed the decision and termed it as the first step towards cricket's inclusion in the Olympics.

ICC proud, yet to decide on Olympic debut

Dubai: The International Cricket Council today said it is "proud" to get full recognition from the International Olympic Council but is yet to decide on game's Olympic debut.

"The ICC is extremely proud of the recognition given to our great sport by the IOC which we always considered to be our first step in becoming a part of the Olympic family," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement. "At this stage no consideration or decision has been made regarding participation or applying for approval to participate in the Olympic Games," he added.

The IOC session in Vancouver, Canada today approved its Executive Board's decision to convert the 'provisional' recognition of the ICC to 'full recognition'. Besides ICC, the IOC also granted recognition to the federations of sport climbing and power boating. After today's IOC decision, cricket — most likely its Twenty20 version — can now bid to join the 2020 Olympic Games though ICC has not made it clear which format it will push for. A decision about inclusion of new sports for the 2020 Games will be taken at the IOC session in Buenos Aires in 2013 where the host country will also be picked.

Golf and rugby were included in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after an IOC vote last year. — PTI 

Gurgaon, February 12
Rahil Gangjee clung onto the top 10 but the Avantha Masters golf tournament witnessed an Indian mayhem of sorts as pre-tournament favourites Jeev Milkha Singh and Gaganjeet Bhullar, along with 22 compatriots, bit dust in the rain-interrupted event here today. On a day when the Indian challenge in the lone European Tour event on home soil got feebler, Gangjee (136) brought home a bogey-free three-under 69 to lie tied eighth.

Just four of his compatriots made the cut and amateur Rashid Khan — stranded with four holes to go — also seemed good for the final two rounds of the $2.1 million event. Jyoti Randhawa (139) and former Asia number one Arjun Atwal (141) lifted their game just in time to hang around for weekend action but as many as 24 Indians -- including Jeev (145), Gaganjeet (145), Shiv Kapur (146), SSP Chowrasia (145) and Gaurav Ghei (145) — missed the cut which was set at 143.

Indian Open champion C Muniyappa needs to birdie his final hole tomorrow to make the cut. Englishman Barry Lane posted a five-under 67 for a two-day total of 10-under 134 to take the clubhouse lead after heavy rain dropped early curtain on the day's proceedings.

Yih-Shin Chan and John Parry joined him at the top even though they were yet to complete the second round. Gangjee's was a strong bogey-free round today and playing his back nine first, the Kolkata pro nailed birdies on the 14th, 18th and seventh holes to keep alive his hopes of adding to his maiden 2004 Asian Tour title in 2004.

Meanwhile, fellow 10th tee starter Randhawa lifted his game by quite a few notches to blast a five-under 67 and soar to tied 20th. The lanky pro began with a birdie and finished in the same fashion, draining three more in between in his flawless round.

US-based Atwal too came up with a vastly improved round of 69 that included five birdies as against a couple of bogeys to leapfrog to tied 34th place. Among others, Ashok Kumar (142) and Digvijay Singh (142) also made the cut.

Highest ranked player in the tournament, Jeev's poor home record persisted with the world number 59 going one-over 73 today. Playing his back nine first, Jeev was even-par at the turn but bogeys on the sixth and seventh holes dashed his hopes and the final hole birdie was of little solace.

Bhullar came in the tournament fresh from his Asian Tour International triumph in Bangkok and began with a strong three-under 69 but nothing went right for the Kapurthala pro today. — PTI

Abu Dhabi, February 12
Usain Bolt, Roger Federer and Serena Williams are among those nominated for the 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards, the academy announced on Thursday. The awards recognise sporting achievements for the calendar year 2009. The winners will be named on March 10 at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

Last year's winner Bolt and four-times winner Federer have both been nominated again, along with Barcelona's footballer Lionel Messi, long-distance runner Kenenisa Bekele, Tour de France winner Alberto Contador and Italy's seven-times MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi.

Twice winner Williams is nominated again for sportswoman of the year along with five others including Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser and American 400 metres world champion Sanya Richards.

"This has been a great year for sport and the academy is going to find it extremely difficult to decide who to vote for as winners," said Edwin Moses, Laureus World Sports Academy chairman and double Olympic gold medallist. — Reuters

Sirsa, February 12
Punjab defeated Delhi by six wickets in a closely contested match that went right up to the last over of the game in the second league match of the North Zone under the Vijay Hazare Trophy played in the Shah Satnamji Cricket Academy Grounds here today.

Batting first after winning the toss, Delhi, helped by an opening stand of 153 by Unmukt Chand and Shikhar Dhawan and later by some exciting batting display by Virat Kohli, set a good looking total of 338 for nine in 50 overs. Dhawan scored 83 off 70 balls with 11 fours and was the highest scorer for Delhi.

Unmukt made 74 runs off 59 balls with the help of 10 fours and a six. Virat Kohli cleared the ground twice for his innings of 71 off 68 balls, which also included four hits to the fence.

Jaskaran Singh took four wickets for Punjab giving away 72 runs, while Manpreet Gony remained wicket less in 10 over that yielded 69 runs. Skipper Karan Goel and Ravinder Singh made a steady start for Punjab and the two took the score to 124 runs in the 23rd over, when Goel departed to a delivery from Chaitanya Nanda with his individual score at 62.

Ravinder was consumed by a beautiful throw on the stumps by Virat Kohli in the 35th over, when he was just 2 short of, what would have been a brilliant century. Mandeep Singh was next to go, clean bowled by Ashish Nehra after scoring 73 with the Punjab at 270.

Nehra struck again, when he caught Mayank Sadana off his own ball. It was then left for Vipul Sharma (58*) and Taruwar (23*), both of whom played some exciting cricket, to romp home their team to victory with five balls to spare.