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Lee signs up with NZ T20 side
Gayle sacked, Sammy to lead West Indies
Tainted grapplers for Asian Games
Jeev ends tied 27th in San Martin
Poonia ready for $20,000 contest with Samuels
PCB chief seeking second term “ridiculous”: Akram
ONGC beat Punjab Police
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Rooney urged to learn from Tendulkar
London, October 18 In an article headlined 'Sanctuary of crease lets Tendulkar reveal genius,' Smith had written, "Twice last week, sportsmen have proved me spectacularly wrong. First, Sachin Tendulkar reached 14,000 Test-match runs. And that's not the amazing part. "It took him fewer innings to get from 13,000 to 14,000 than any other 1,000-run chunk of his career. A case could be made that he is at his best now, at 37," the newspaper noted. The article said Tendulkar and Rooney were destined for rare greatness, even from teenage. Tendulkar has gone on and done it. A year ago, Rooney looked placed to do the same. But now, as never before, there are real doubts that he will become the player we once assumed he would be. "Make no mistake, Tendulkar's career has not been as serene as it might look, there have been arguments with coaches and match referees, an unsatisfactory spell as captain and long phases when the muse has deserted him. "Tendulkar has had countless moments when frustration could have overwhelmed him. He has never blown his top, never lost his dignity. Instead,frustration has inpired him." "Above all, his career has been played out under the shadow of phenomenal expectation. Footballers in England have to deal with being heroes. In India it is even worse: they are meant to be Gods." "According to the report 'Tendulkar has come to the conclusion that there is one place where he is free from the hassles of fame. There is one realm where he cannot be pestered. It is called the crease. "With the bat in his hands, Tendulkar is the conductor of his own life, not just a participant in a soap opera. There, out in the middle, no one can stop him being himself - not a restless media, not overly demanding fans, not intering coaches or greedy agents." "It is the ultimate irony: the greatest actors are never freer than when they're on the stage. That is the way for Rooney to find the way out of his present difficulties - he must have the bravery to express himself on the pitch, to make it his sanctuary." "If he allows himself to become embittered and resentful, he will not only become estranged from his fans, but also from his talent. No wonder the ball is bouncing off him at the moment; he probably would like to repel the whole game. "Instead, he must learn to love it again. Shamed by alleged events off the pitch and embarrassed by events on it, Rooney could be forgiven for feeling sorry for himself," the report said. — PTI |
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‘Ponting, Warne two very different characters’
Sydney, October 18 "Back in his days as a blue-collar bachelor, Ponting was mad keen on the greyhounds and the trots. The night before the 1997 Ashes tour he took a ride with his trainer from Launceston to Hobart to see one of his dogs win," Dorries wrote. "By contrast, Warne is a high roller on the poker tables. He travels the world to play in tournaments with his flash sunglasses on. He adores the limelight and being surrounded by fellow celebrities," he added. Dorries also highlighted that Warne has never really endorsed Ponting's leadership. "It goes back to Ponting getting the Test captaincy in 2004 ahead of Warne, when the leg-spinner desperately coveted the role," Dorries said. "Their relationship deteriorated further during the 2005 Ashes over Ponting's ill-fated decision to bowl first at Edgbaston, despite losing Glenn McGrath to injury on the first morning before play," he added. He further labeled Warne as the best captain Australia never had. "Despite all his off-field troubles, Warne was always as sharp as a tack on the cricket field and one of the best attacking minds going around. He was a leader of men and roused the very best out of everyone around him," Dorries said. "He knew how to work out a batsman, knew what made bowlers click and knew how to wriggle out of almost any situation," he added. — ANI |
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Lee signs up with NZ T20 side
Melbourne, October 18 Lee finally signed up with Wellington after months of negotiations and will play five matches for the team, missing half of their programme because of his state commitments with Australian side, New South Wales. The 33-year-old pacer, who is trying to win back his spot in the Australian ODI and Twenty20 teams after six months on the sidelines due to an elbow injury, made his return for New South Wales in their one-day win over Western Australia yesterday. Cricket Wellington chief executive, Gavin Larsen, said Lee would debut for the province in the home match against Auckland on December 14. "It's tremendous to have secured the services of Brett and his record speaks for itself," Larsen said. Lee, who is aiming to find a place in the Australian ODI squad for the 2011 World Cup, made an impressive comeback yesterday as he picked 2-37 off 11 overs in New South Wales' five-wicket one-day victory over Western Australia at Hurstville Oval in Sydney. Aside from a brief five-over spell for Mosman recently, it was Lee's first genuine hit-out since he played for the Kings XI, Punjab, in the IPL in April. At 33, Lee replaced some of his trademark speed and venom with variation and changes of pace
and, after coming through the match unscathed, declared he was ready for Australia's Twenty20 and one-day games against
Sri Lanka. "I'm putting my hand up - simple as that. I'm fit, I'm playing and if they feel I'm ready then pick me - I'm keen to play," Lee said. "I wouldn't have played today if I didn't feel I was ready to play at this level," he was quoted as saying by 'Daily Telegraph'. Lee will get a chance to further push his claims for a national recall when New South Wales host Sri Lanka in a one-day tour match at the SCG on October 24, followed by a Twenty20 game on October 27. Lee retired from Test cricket in 2008 as the fourth most successful Australian bowler of all time with 310 wickets in 76 matches. He also has 324 one-day wickets from 186 matches, with his last one-day international being against India in October last year.
— PTI |
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Gayle sacked, Sammy to lead West Indies
Wellington, October 18 "Chris Gayle led the West Indies during a challenging period and the board thanks him for stepping up then," WICB chief executive, Ernest Hilaire, said in a statement. "But it is now time to pass the mantle on as the West Indies rebuilds," he said. Selection committee chairman Clyde Butts added: "We are at the dawn of a new era in West Indies cricket and we have entrusted the challenging job of captaincy to Darren Sammy because it is believed that he has demonstrated the attributes of a leader of this diverse group of men." The 26-year-old Sammy has played eight tests, 43 one-dayers and 19 Twenty20 internationals. Sammy's first task will be to lead the side during a six-week tour of Sri Lanka, which begins on November 15.
— ANI |
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Tainted grapplers for Asian Games
Gurdaspur, October 18 The three- Mausam Khatri, Rajiv Tomar and Gursharanpreet Kaur- were caught using an IOC banned substance and were subsequently dropped from the Commonwealth Games squad. WFI officials are tight-lipped on the issue although sources claim that the three have been included in the team based on their performances in trials held recently. The WFI has also dropped Commonwealth Games gold medallists Alka Tomar and Anita from the squad. The Indian’s will be fielding a depleted team as world champion in the 66 kg weight category Sushil Kumar has also been rested by the WFI think-tank to enable him to recover from a niggling shoulder injury. MRI scans conducted on the mat man have shown that he is suffering from a muscular shoulder strain. The WFI does not want to take chances with Sushil lest the injury flare up and affect his preparations for the London Olympics. Sources reveal that both Alka and Anita were beaten by Suman Kundu, a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, for the lone spot in the 63 kg weight category. Nirmala (48kg) and Geeta (55 kg) have retained their places. Gursharanpreet will be competing in the 72 kg weight category. Unlike in the Commonwealth Games where the Indian women competed in seven weight categories, the WFI has decided to field women grapplers in just four weight categories in the Asiad. In the men’s section (free style), Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Anil Kumar has been dropped and his place has been taken by Vinod Kumar. In Sushil’s absence, Pardeep Kumar has been fielded in the 66 kg class while in the 120 kg category Commonwealth games silver medallist Joginder has been shown the door and his place has been taken by Rajiv Tomar. Mausam Khatri has been fielded in 96 kg class in place of Anil Mann. In 84 kg class, Commonwealth games silver medallist Anuj Kumar failed to turn up at the trials and his place has been taken by Rambir. Commonwealth games gold medallists Narsingh Yadav (74 kg) and Yogeshwar Dutt (60 kg) retain their places. |
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Jeev ends tied 27th in San Martin
San Martin, October 18 On a topsy-turvy day, the 10th tee starter Indian began rather well when he found a birdie on the 12th hole. But it soon became an eventful affair as Jeev sandwiched a couple of eagles in between three bogeys to make the turn two-under. He remained two-under for the day after picking up a birdie against a bogey in a subdued front-nine. American Rocco Mediate lifted the trophy by a stroke despite returning his first over-par card of the week -- a two-over 73. Mediate totalled 15-under 269 to finish ahead of compatriots Bo Van Pelt (71) and Alex Prugh (69), who shared the second spot at 14-under.
— PTI |
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Poonia ready for $20,000 contest with Samuels
New Delhi, October 18 Australian media reports said Samuels was hurt by Poonia's pre-Games comment that her "poor form" was the reason behind her pull out from the just-concluded CWG and she now wants a 'revenge match'. "A sponsor has offered USD 20,000 winner-takes-all, making it the biggest cash prize for a discus event in the world. The prestigious Diamond League offers USD 10,000 prize money, well we've doubled that to give Poonia her shot at the champ," Australian media quoted Samuels' coach Denis Knowles as saying. Poonia's husband and coach Virendra said they have not been contacted for such a contest so far but are ready for it provided the Athletics Federation of India agrees to it. "We have not been contacted as yet, I am just hearing from journalists. But we are are ready if such a contest is happening," Virendra told PTI from Jaipur. "We are leaving for NIS Patiala to train their for next month's Asian Games. We have to take permission from the AFI if a proposal for such a contest is there," he said. "Krishna had beaten Samuels at a competition at Salinas at California in United States in 2008. So, we are ready for such a contest," he added. The Australian media reports said Sydney Olympic Park's world-class athletic centre would host the contest and Samuels' coach said he would appoint an agent to secure Indian television coverage of the duel.
— PTI |
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PCB chief seeking second term “ridiculous”: Akram
Karachi, October 18 Pakistan cricket is in a mess, there is no leadership and amidst all this, to ask for another term, well what can I say. This shows that his advisers are not giving him the right directions," the Daily Times quoted Akram, as saying to a sports TV channel. The PCB chief's term has been marred by controversies. Butt, who has been facing scathing criticism from all quarters for the way he has handled the spot-fixing scandal, has also been blamed for interferring in purely cricket and team matters, something which no chairman had done in the past. Under his chairmanship, Pakistan has also seen five different Test captains come and go in just over a year.
— ANI |
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ONGC beat Punjab Police
Jalandhar, October 18 While the initial minutes were goalless, ONGC men took the lead in the 22nd minute of the game, when skipper Vikas Toppo scored a field goal. The second goal came 10 minutes after, when Diwakar Ram scored a goal through penalty corner conversion. In the 35th minute of the match, once again Vikas Toppo scored a field goal . Till half time winners were leading 3-0. Punjab Police consolidated their lead in the second half when Yograj Singh scored through penalty corner conversion in 40th minute of the 3-1. Four minutes later, ONGC men again took the lead and scored a goal through Diwakar Ram 4-1. The match took an interesting turn when Satbir Singh from Punjab Police posted two field goals in the 46th and 50th minute of the game taking the score to 4-3. However, once again skipper Vikas Toppo scored the golden goal in the 54th minute steering his team to victory 5-3. |
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