Ahmedabad, November 1
The Indian cricket team arrived here today for their first match of the three-Test series against visitors New Zealand, starting November 4 at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera.

The players including Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, coach Gary Kirsten, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, spinner Pragyan Ojha and others arrived at the Ahmedabad airport this morning. For Tendulkar this venue has always been a happy hunting ground. He had scored his career's first double century at Motera stadium against New Zealand in 1999.

He also celebrated his 20 years in Test cricket at the same stadium by scoring a century against Sri Lanka in November 2009.

Jaipur, November 1
On the first morning of the 77th Ranji Trophy, Rajasthan bowled Hyderabad out for 21 in 78 minutes of mayhem in Jaipur, breaking the tournament record for the lowest team total and equalling the Indian first-class record. Debutant Deepak Chahar, Rajasthan's 18-year-old medium-pacer, did the damage with a spell that read 7.3-2-10-8. The previous Ranji record was set in the first season (1934-35), when Southern Punjab were bowled out for 22 chasing 114 against Northern India in Amritsar.

Chahar was on a hat-trick once, removing MP Arjun and Alfred Absolem with the last ball of his seventh over and the first of his eighth. Pagadala Naidu, the No. 11, kept the hat-trick ball out but got out to the next one. He was not close to getting a perfect 10, though: Pankaj Singh claimed the second and fourth Hyderabad wickets. His figures fell just short of the record effort on debut. Maharashtra's Vasant Ranjane took 9 for 56 on first-class debut in 1956-57, bowling Saurashtra out for 83 in Khadakvasla and setting up an easy innings win.

Abu Dhabi, November 1
Woken-up Abdul Razzaq hit a belligerent unbeaten hundred to help Pakistan pull off an incerdible win in the second one-day international against South Africa here on Sunday. The dashing 30-year-old all-rounder hit a quickfire 109 off just 72 balls studded with ten towering sixes and seven fours to help Pakistan overhaul a daunting 288-run target with just one wicket and one delivery to spare.

Razzaq's third one-day hundred — crossing the fifty mark for the first time since making 75 not out against England four years ago — helped Pakistan level the five-match series 1-1 at the Abu Dhabi Stadium. South Africa won the first match by eight wickets here on Friday. The third match will be played in Dubai on Tuesday. Razzaq, who came to the crease at 5-136, added 81 for the sixth wicket with Fawad Alam (48) to raise hopes of Pakistan win and even after Alam fell, he did not lose heart despite Pakistan needing 87 in the last ten overs. He hit Charl Langeveldt for three sixes in 47th over before taking a six and a boundary off the same bowler in the 49th.

Pakistan needed 14 off the last over as Razzaq cut loose, hitting sixes off the second and third balls from Albie Morkel to raise his third hundred in one-day cricket, which came off just 70 balls. He then cut through the point for boundary to bring Pakistan's win.

Langeveldt, who completed his 100 wickets in the match, provided his team with early breakthroughs, removing opener Asad Shafiq (one) and Younis Khan for 18. Pakistan struggled to 70-4 before Alam and skipper Shahid Afridi (49) added 66 for the fifth wicket to lift the stuttering innings. Afridi hit two sixes and three boundaries off 40 balls before passing the buck to Razzaq.

Man-of-the-match Razzaq said he was happy to play lead role in the victory. "I am elated," he said after the match. — PTI

Brief Scores:
Pak 289 for 9 (Razzaq 109*, Afridi 49) beat South Africa 286 for 8 (Ingram 100) by 1 wicket.

Phillaur, November 1
Scottish football is known the world over for harbouring one of the most ferocious rivalry known in European circles between Celtic FC and Rangers. They might not be the biggest European clubs, but pack in a capacity 60,000 odd people into Celtic Park for a derby and the atmosphere will put some of the bigger clubs with swankier stadiums to shame. In short, it’s the passion of the Scots that sets them apart, it always has. So when Craig Smith decided to make a trip to Youth Football Club, Rurka Kalan, it was obvious that he was just following his country’s legacy for being passionate. He speaks to The Tribune about his work, Indian football and much more.

Q: Please tell me about your footballing background?

A: I was a professional footballer in Australia and Scotland, following in my dad’s professional career in England. I also hold a Canadian national B licence, and work in Vancouver under the tutorage of former professional national team coaches Tony Waiters, Derek Possee, Carl Valentine.

Q: How did you discover YFC Rurka Kalan?

A: While coaching at a university showcase in Vancouver, I was approached by an Indian coach, Sanjeev Parmar, who had previously visited YFC in a volunteering position. He told me about the opportunity to volunteer here and it was something that appealed to me.

Q: Which club did you train in Ottawa?

A: I was the head coach of the Ottawa Fury Women’s W-League team in the USL (United Soccer League) with national team players from all over the world. The team finished twice in the final four out of a total of 49 teams.

Q: What do you think about Indian football?

A: I think that there is so much potential here, but there are serious organisational problems. The grassroots coaching, boarding, lodging and refereeing during the tournaments and the conditions of the pitches needs total restructuring. I recently noticed that at the Punjab Schools U-17 tournament, the referee and linesman were both on their cell phones during the match and the pitch was not good enough for playing. This needs to change.

The best coaches should be provided at the grassroots level through a structured coaching program. The emphasis here seems to be on winning at all costs, whereas development for the national teams should be the first priority. Good training environments must be provided to all players and they should be taught about all aspects - technical and tactical - on the field.

Q: Keeping Punjab in mind and your experience at YFC, what have you derived?

A: In Punjab, I can see that there is a lot of potential in the players, but they too can do with better environments. It seems to me that they don’t start playing until the age of 12. Everywhere else in the world the ideal age is considered to be around 5 or 6, which is the age where if you give them a good foundation, the kids can on their own build on it.

Q: How was your experience at YFC Rurka Kalan?

A: The people have opened up their hearts to me. It’s been a very humbling experience. I can’t put it into words how I really feel about it. It’s been an experience that has changed my life and this time will always hold a special place in my heart. I highly recommend it to anyone with a passion for football. And as a Scottish proverb says, “A smile costs less than electricity but gives off more light”.

Leeds, November 1
Indian billiards player Dhruv Sitwala's hopes of winning his maiden World Professional title came crashing down today after he lost his summit clash to nine-time champion Mike Russell of Qatar at the Northern Snooker Centre here. Sitwala, who made a surprise entry into the final by defeating two compatriots -- last year's winner Pankaj Advani in quarters and Geet Sethi by one point in semifinal, played well throughout the final and constructed four century breaks against nine-time professional champion, including one accounting for 281 to win 1204-1738.

On the other hand, green baize veteran Russell finally got back his crown which he lost last year to Advani, who had become the second Indian after Sethi to win the elusive title. Sitwala, the 2007 IBSF World Billiards runner-up, played confidently and with consistency against his much fancied rival and scored breaks of 65, 107, 122, 97, 103, 90, 281 in his 45 visits to the table.

Russell, gunning for his 10th Pro title, came out with five century breaks against Sitwala, including one accounting for 450. Russell's prolific break building and his ability to uncork big breaks were on display once again in the final against the Mumbaikar, who showed great promise and fluency in his shot selections during the five-day-long tournament. — PTI

London, November 1
Liverpool climbed out of the relegation zone thanks to Maxi Rodriguez's late winner against Bolton and Kevin Nolan's hat trick helped Newcastle thrash Sunderland 5-1 for its biggest win over its northeast rival for 54 years. Rodriguez toe-poked home in the 86th minute to earn Liverpool a second successive Premier League win, after last weekend's victory against Blackburn, and lift the 18-time champions into midtable yesterday.

Newcastle moved into seventh place by routing 10-man Sunderland thanks to Nolan's haul and two goals by Shola Amoebi - one coming from the penalty spot. Titus Bramble was sent off against his former club when the score was 3-0, with Sunderland's consolation coming from Darren Bent. In the day's other game, Aston Villa and Birmingham drew 0-0 in a match of few clear-cut chances. Both teams find themselves leapfrogged in the table by Liverpool, which is now 12th and slowly finding its feet in the Premier League after its worst start to a campaign in 57 years.

The Reds are still far from their fluent best but looked solid at the back against Bolton and created a number of opportunities, notably for Fernando Torres, before Rodriguez found the net late on for his first goal of the season after being played through by Torres' deft flick. Torres wasted two chances in the opening eight minutes, the second coming when he was played through on goal by Steven Gerrard but cut inside instead of shooting. — AP

Madrid, November 1
Giuseppe Rossi scored a penalty deep into injury time as 10-man Villarreal salvaged a 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon to stay in touch with Spanish leader Real Madrid. Carlos Marchena was tugged down inside the Sporting area for the Italy striker to step up and slot his sixth goal of the season past Juan Pablo Colinas in the 94th minute yesterday.

Gonzalo Rodriguez handled inside the area to set up Sporting's opener as Diego Castro scored with a 69th-minute penalty. Gonzalo was then sent off in the 77th after receiving a second yellow card for obstructing David Barral's run to further complicate the game for the visitors. But the "Yellow Submarine" managed to pull out a point at El Molinon stadium to stay with the favorites.

"We are happy with the draw," Cazorla said. "Above all with how the game ended with us playing with one man less." Madrid beat Hercules 3-1 on Saturday to stay top with 23 points, while Barcelona trails by one point after routing Sevilla 5-0. — AP

Ludhiana, November 1
Shahbad Markanda Hockey Centre, Haryana fought a pitched battle against Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthala to hold them to a 2-2 draw in the women's section on the third day of the 7th edition of the All India Guru Gobind Singh Gold Cup Hockey Tournament being organisd by the Ludhiana Sports Welfare Association at the Prithipal Singh AstroTurf Stadium at Punjab Agricultural University campus here today.

Shahbad Markanda outfit players which had won the All India Nehru Hockey Championship for schools found themselves struggling against their spirited opponents. RCF eves struck in the fourth minute through Lalre Maroi. They pressed hard to increase the lead but all their efforts were thwarted by Shahbad's agile goalee. Shahbad Markanda reiterated and weaved some good moves. Their pressure tactics yielded the result in the 20th minute when Navjot Kaur scored the equalizer. Stung at this, RCF players exerted full pressure to gain the lead again and eventually succeeded in their endeavour in the 47th minute as Anuradha found the target to read it 2-1.

BRIEFLY

Rooney a troubled soul: Fergie
London: Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson believes his star striker Wayne Rooney has been a troubled soul. Rooney has gone from Player of the Year to a flop for England and Manchester United and a figure of shame for his reported dalliance with a prostitute, The Sun reports. Ferguson said: "I don't know the reason for his loss of form because it started in the World Cup. Whether some clubs have been filling his head in that period to affect him we don't know. The important thing is for us to put it behind us. But certainly something has been troubling him." — ANI

Siddle can thank Carlton FC
Melbourne: If a fit and primed Victorian fast bowler Peter Siddle slices through England this summer, Australia can thank an Olympic cyclist and the Carlton Football Club in Melbourne for regaining the Ashes. The fast bowler, who has not played Test cricket since January because of stress fractures in his back, spent almost three months working with Carlton strength and conditioning coach Justin Cordy at the club's state-of-the-art facilities at Princes Park in Melbourne. Cordy, who once held that role with Cricket Australia, is mates with Scott McGrory, the Sydney Olympic gold medal cyclist, who organised a bike for Siddle as part of his recovery program, reports The Telegraph. — ANI

Kim Kardashian (R) watches the second half of the game between New Jersey Nets and Miami Heat in New Jersey on Sunday. — Reuters

Star-studded Indian Open
New Delhi: The creme de la creme of Indian golf, including PGA Tour winner Arjun Atwal and seasoned stars Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa, will be in action when the Hero Honda Indian Open returns to its 'spiritual home' -- the Delhi Golf Course -- for the 47th edition next month. Held at the DLF Golf and Country Club last year, the USD 1.25 million Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) co-sanctioned event returns to the familiar environs of the DGC with a star-studded field from December 2 to 5. — PTI

Swann in injury scare
Perth: England spinner Graeme Swann suffered an injury to his right thumb while batting during the team's first full training session in Australia ahead of the Ashes series. Swann applied strapping to his thumb Monday but an England spokesman said the injury wasn't serious and the 31-year-old Swann remained available for the match against Western Australia state starting Friday. England paceman Stuart Broad also dismissed any concerns surrounding the injury, saying "it's just a bit of precautionary strapping, I don't think he's in any trouble at all." The first of five Ashes tests begins Nov. 25 in Brisbane. — ANI

India-NZ series live in US
Mumbai: Cricket-loving public in the United States would now be able to watch India-New Zealand series 'live', following a deal between Nimbus Communications and US-based cable services provided Comcast Corporation. The launch of the 24-hour NEO Cricket channel in the US will enable Comcast customers to watch all international and domestic cricket matches played in India 'live', a Nimbus release said. — PTI