Galle, June 17
Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan needs just eight wickets in his final Test appearance to become the first player to reach the 800 mark, but Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has no intention of making it easy for him.

The first Test between Sri Lanka and India, which starts on Sunday, marks Muralitharan's farewell to Tests and the 38-year-old goes into the game with 792 Test wickets.

"We'll try to make it tough for him because the kind of cricket that he has played he has always made it tough for the batsmen to score runs," said Dhoni.

"In the same way, the batsmen are getting an opportunity not to let him get 800 wickets. If we don't make it tough for him then we are not doing justice to his talent." Galle is one of Muralitharan's favourite venues having captured 103 wickets from 14 Tests.

India, who have failed to win a Test series in Sri Lanka since 1993-94, will be encouraged by the fact that on their last tour in 2008 their solitary Test win was at Galle.

Opener Virender Sehwag scored a double century and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh took 10 wickets for 153.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara rated Muralitharan as the greatest bowler of all time.

"All of you know of his records, what he has done, how he started, how long he's played. I am a great believer in Murali and a great admirer of his ability," said Sangakkara.

"In this modern day and age when cricketers are accused at various stages of being greedy, money hungry, not really thinking about country and the game, I think Murali stands out a shining example to the contrary. He's a man whose value you can't put a price on." — Reuters

Galle, July 17
Veteran Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan does not consider his swan song Test against India a “big match” and says he will not feel sad if he retires without touching the unprecedented 800-wicket mark.

The off-spinner needs eight more wickets in his final Test, beginning here tomorrow at the Galle International Stadium, to touch the 800 mark. “I can't say it's a big match. Just another match and it is going to be the last match for me. I have been happy with the way I have played in the last 18-19 years. Hopefully, I will do well and get a good result for Sri Lanka and retire very well. That's the whole plan,” Muralitharan said.

“If I do not get a single wicket or if I get five wickets, I will still be very happy. I will try all my tricks in the middle for the last time. Let's see if it works or not. I am going to really enjoy the game rather than think about how many wickets I am going to need. Just enjoy the game and not put much pressure on myself,” he added. Muralitharan said looking back, he was extremely satisfied with the way his career had shaped up.

“I never dreamt I would be finishing like this. I think I had a great finish because I have done very well in Test cricket. You can't get the record easily. Because of that, I have no regrets. I am not sad, I am very happy with what I have achieved and I am glad I am going out in a good manner because people are not asking me to go.” The spin wizard justified his decision to retire in the middle of the series, saying it was in the interest of the team and youngsters.

“I had planned to retire after the West Indies series at home because this tour was not on. India and Sri Lanka put on a tour in between. I thought this is the right time to retire because I thought one match was enough. There are other bowlers, who can play five more Tests at home. I thought that was in the best interests of me and the country, I thought it was the right time,” he reasoned.

Muralitharan also said he had nothing more to achieve in his career and was even ready to give his place to a youngster in the Sri Lanka's 2011 ODI World Cup campaign. Muralithran said he would continue playing the IPL.— PTI

Melbourne, July 17
Legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne showered accolades on retiring Muttiah Muralitharan, his arch rival during his playing days, by describing the Sri Lankan as one of the game's great competitors whose world record of Test wickets will be hard to be broken.

"I don't think it will ever be broken. Even though so much more Test cricket is played these days, I think Murali's record will stand for a long, long time and probably forever," Warne said.

"You just have to work it out by numbers -- for that record to be broken someone has to play 140-150 Tests and take 5-6 wickets a Test. That will take some doing," he was quoted as saying by 'Herald Sun'.

Warne retired with 708 Test wickets and Murali, with 792 scalps and one more match to go, has a chance to finish his Test career with 800 wickets. — PTI

London, July 17
Salman Butt today became the seventh Pakistan Test captain in three years after being handed the job for the second game against Australia and the subsequent four-match series against England.

In a statement issued after Board chief Ijaz Butt's meeting with team management and senior players, the PCB said wicket keeper Kamran Akmal would be Butt's deputy for the second Test against Australia and subsequently against England.

“Salman Butt was appointed as the captain of Pakistan Test team for the 2nd Test match against Australia and the four Test matches against England,” the PCB statement said. “Kamran Akmal was appointed as the vice-captain for the remaining five Test matches on England tour. All players confirmed their full support to the newly appointed captain and vice-captain,” it added.

The meeting also discussed whether former captains Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf should be drafted in to lend experience to the side but decided to defer the matter. Besides Ijaz Butt, the meeting was attended by manager Yawar Saeed, coach Waqar Younis, Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal and Umar Gul.

New Delhi, July 17
India pumped in four goals in the second half to rout hosts Belgium 6-0 in the third and final hockey Test and clinch the series 2-0 at Wellington, Brussels.

India had won the second match 3-2 and drew the opening game 3-3. Yesterday, India scored through Sandeep Singh (18th and 70th), Danish Mujtaba (29th), Dhananjay Mahadik (44th), Tushar Khandker (45th) and Sarvanjit Singh (63rd).

India played attacking hockey with one touch passes and swift ball rotation and made their intentions clear when captain Rajpal Singh dashed down the right flank to set up Danish whose diving deflection went inches wide.

Two Belgium attacks went in vain as India goalkeeper Bharat Chetri warded-off attacks from John Verdussen and Renaud Pangrazio. India earned first of their three penalty corners but Sandeep Singh's flick hit a defender's leg and was re-awarded.

Sandeep was on target this time to give India the lead in the 18th minute. Belgium nearly got the equaliser in the 22nd minute following a penalty corner, awarded due to a wrong tackle by Mahadik, but Jerome Truyen's attempt was saved on the ball line by Probodh Tirkey.

India consolidated their lead in the 29th minute with a fast counter attack engineered by Gurbaj Singh and Ravi Pal with Danish Mujtaba putting the finishing touch with a diving effort. Belgium earned eight penalty corners but all of them were well taken by goalkeeper Chetri and the Indian rushers.

Mahadik scored India's third goal in the 44th minute from a penalty corner after Vincent Van Asch was penalised in the striking circle. Tushar Khandker added another goal to India's tally in the next minute after a speedy combination with Rajpal and Dharamvir Singh. This was followed by an onslaught by the Indian forwards from the right flank as midfielder Ajitesh Roy played wall passes with Mandip Antil and set up Sarvanjit Singh who beat Belgium goalkeeper Gucassoff.

India were awarded a penalty stroke in the last minute after Rajpal Singh was brought down by Cederic Charlier in an attempt to take a deflection at goal. Sandeep Singh confidently pushed home to give India a well-deserved 6-0 victory. India will now travel to Paris where they will play three Tests against France. — PTI

New Delhi, July 17
Former India captain and Punjab Hockey Secretary Pargat Singh today filed his nomination for the Hockey India (HI) president's post, setting the stage for a showdown with HI interim head Vidya Stokes in the July 28 polls here.

Stokes, who was earlier chief of the Indian Women's Hockey Federation, has already filed her nominations. After filing his nomination before Returning Officer Justice RC Chopra, Pargat vowed to revive hockey and clean the mess the national game is in.

"We have seen what hockey is going through for quite some time. There is a divided house but I won't let it divide anymore. I will take hockey to its lost glory," Pargat said. "For the last couple of years hockey is being played in court rooms and inside closed chambers but not on the field. Whatever I am today is because of hockey, I want to give something back to the game. So, today I have filed my nomination for the president's post," he said. "It doesn't matter whether the house is of 56 or 57 persons but I would appeal all to be conscious while voting. Like-minded people should come forward who wants to promote hockey," Pargat added.

Exuding confidence about his victory, Pargat said he would pay emphasis on the domestic structure and the wellbeing of the players. "I won't let hockey demote any further. I will work to take hockey to its lost glory. The coaching system and umpiring system needs to be upgraded. We need to prepare a calendar and revive the domestic structure," Pargat observed.

"Presently, there is hardly any domestic tournament in India. We have a very limited pool of players and over that we warn them of possible ban if they play this or that tournament. The players are confused where to play and where not. This is the situation at the ground level," he said. Pargat, however, refused to divulge the names of other possible candidates from his panel, which, reportedly, has the full backing of Bengal Hockey Association president JB Roy.

But it is learnt that besides Pargat, Karnataka State Hockey Association secretary K Krishnamurthy and Hockey Arunachal's Gunjum Haider have both filed their nominations for the twin posts of secretary and treasurer. There is still some uncertainty over Krishnamurthy's candidature as Hockey India Secretary Narinder Batra has challenged the Karnataka High Court's interim order, which gave Krishnamurthy the right to represent Hockey Karnataka in the polls. — PTI

New Delhi, July 17
World's number one squash player Nick Matthew will be seen in action at the Commonwealth Games this year after he was included in the English squad for the October 3-14 mega event.

Matthew and women's world number two Jenny Duncalf will head England's challenge. Sheffield-based Matthew, the captain, will be joined in the men's squad by fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop (world No 6), Londoners Peter Barker (world No 8), Adrian Grant (world No 13) and Daryl Selby (world No 9) from Essex.

Tania Bailey will captain the England women's squad. The former world number 4 from Stamford in Lincolnshire will be joined by Duncalf, from Harrogate, Alison Waters (world No 4) from London, Laura Massaro (world No 8) from Preston in Lancashire, and Sarah Kippax (world No 22) from Cheshire. Meanwhile, Shelley Kitchen has been selected to lead the six-member New Zealand squad.

The former world number 6 gave birth to her first child in February, but has returned to the court, looking to add to the silver and bronze medals she won in Melbourne four years ago. Kitchen will team up with world number 14 Jaclyn Hawkes in the women's doubles and Campbell Grayson in the mixed event. Both combinations claimed gold at last year's Australian Doubles Championships in Melbourne.

There is also a second women's pairing, Joelle King and Tamsyn Leevey. King will also feature in the mixed doubles event with world number 42 Martin Knight, while Knight and Grayson will be playing partners in the men's doubles. New Zealand's top two ranked men's players have established a great understanding in doubles squash, winning silver at last year's Australian Doubles Champs in Melbourne and fourth in the Commonwealth Games in 2006.

Englishman Nick, 29, who will be making his second appearance at the Commonwealth Games after just missing out on the medals in Melbourne four years ago, has vowed that he will settle for nothing but the gold this time. — PTI

Reno (USA), July 17
A sixth hole bogey was the lone blemish on Jeev Milkha Singh's steady card of three-under 69 as he rose to tied 17th but Shiv Kapur missed the cut after returning a disastrous 76 in the second round of the US PGA Tour's Reno-Tahoe Open golf tournament here.

Jeev, who was tied 40th overnight, rose up the leader-board with a two-day total of three-under 141. One-under at the turn after slotting two birdies against one birdie in the front nine, Jeev played out a flawless back nine studded with back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th holes. In contrast, Kapur bowed out after a disastrous back nine.

After dropping a bogey on the seventh, Kapur struck a magnificent double eagle on the par-five ninth to make the turn one-under. But he ended up dropping six bogeys in a miserable backward journey to bow out of contention.

At the top, the American duo of Robert Garrigus, 65, and Matt Bettencourt, 68, shared the lead with totals of 10-under 134. Their compatriot John Mallinger, 67, occupied the second spot with a total of 136. — PTI

Kolkata, July 17
Maharashtra downed Andhra Pradesh 4-1 to keep their unbeaten record intact and inch closer to a pre-quarterfinal berth in the 64th Senior National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy here today.

Alex Ambrose struck twice (18th and 21st) while Reuben D' Souza (26th) and Jatin Singh Bisht (64th) netted one goal each for Maharashtra in a Cluster II match at the Howrah Stadium.

Duty Kumar Mahato scored the lone goal for Andhra Pradesh at the stroke of half time. In another match of the same cluster, Tripura drew with Chandigarh 1-1 at the Khardah Stadium as both the teams ended their chances of making it to the last-16 stage. Chandigarh drew first blood through Harvinder Singh in the 23rd minute, while Rajendra Deb Verma brought Tripura back to level terms in the 58th minute.

Maharashtra leads Cluster II with six points with one match left to play.

In Cluster I, Meghalaya drubbed Jharkhand 5-0 riding on a hat trick by Niwan Gatpoh in their second and final league encounter to keep their hopes of making it to the last-16 alive.

Making mincemeat of Jharkhand defence, Gatpoh struck in the 31st, 37th and 62nd minutes, while Steven Field (85th) and Malsawma Gawngliana (90+2nd) completed the rout at the Barasat Stadium.

A lot will depend on the last cluster I encounter between Karnataka and Jharkhand as the former will just need a point to qualify for the next round, having beaten Meghalaya 1-0. — PTI

Bhopal, July 17
Haryana will be looking to clinch their maiden championship crown when they take on a confident Mumbai in the final of the 63rd Rangaswamy Cup Senior National Hockey Championship at the Aishbagh Astroturf Stadium here tomorrow.

In the semifinals played last night, Mumbai spanked Chandigarh 3-0 while Haryana got the better of Tamil Nadu 2-1. The match between Mumbai and Chandigarh was marred by a scuffle with players pushing and jostling each other. However, tournament officials intervened and restored normalcy.

Mumbai shot into the lead in the fourth minute when Gurdev Singh scored off a penalty corner. At half time, Mumbai led 1-0. Two more goals were scored in the 63rd and 67th minutes. In the second encounter, Haryana opened its account in the 36th minute through a fine field goal by Naveen Antil.

But six minutes later, Tamil Nadu equalised with R Ashok converting a penalty corner. However, Kulbhushan Vashisht converted a penalty stroke in the 57th minute to give his team a 2-1 victory. — PTI