New Delhi, January 31
The India-England Group B World Cup league match, which is the hosts’ first game on home soil, has been allocated to Bangalore after the International Cricket Council (ICC) had pulled it out of Eden Gardens, Kolkata, last week. The match will be played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on its original date, February 27.

“The ICC today confirmed its decision to relocate the venue for the India v England match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, which had been originally scheduled for Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 27 February. It will now take place in Bengaluru (Bangalore) on the same date,” an ICC release said.

The ICC had made the decision to pull out the match from Eden Gardens on January 27 when an inspection team decided that the works currently undergoing at the stadium would not be complete in time to host the game. The match would be played on its scheduled date, February 27.

Even the fate of the other three matches scheduled to be played at Eden hangs in balance, with another inspection planned for February 7.

The release adds that in a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yesterday, “the ICC had outlined a schedule of works that needed to be carried out at Eden Gardens ahead of the ground’s other scheduled fixtures on 15, 18 and 20 March. As such, an inspection team will visit Kolkata again on 7 February to assess progress in line with that schedule.”

"The BCCI has responded to the ICC nominating Bengaluru as its preferred alternate venue for the India v England match, a recommendation the ICC agrees to," the release adds.

It also quotes ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat as saying: “This decision now clarifies and gives us certainty over the fixture. We can now work with our various partners and stakeholders to make sure that match – along with the rest of the tournament – is all it should be.”

CAB officials had made many efforts, including political influence, to try and get the ICC to change its mind, but as it turns out now, all this is in vain.

New Delhi, January 31
Having already lost the high-profile India vs England game to Bangalore's Chinnaswamy stadium, the Eden Gardens may also lose the right of hosting the remaining three matches as the CAB may not be in a position to complete the roof construction work.

The reason being that among the list of dos that ICC has handed out before they carry out another round of inspection on February 7, a major point was completion of "remaining roof construction and covering work in the two rebuilt stands by February 14."

The three remaining matches at the Eden are Ireland vs South Africa (March 15), Ireland vs Netherlands (March 18) and Kenya vs Zimbabwe (March 20). It is learnt that CAB has agreed to all other points save roof contruction as they only plan to start the work after the fourth edition of Indian Premier League is over.

"At this point of time, we are not in a position to touch the construction of roof. We will be intimating that to the International Cricket Council's inspection team that will arrive on February 7. Also it's not possible for us to construct the roof on the Ranji Stands (J, J1 Blocks) and also the K Block," a senior CAB office bearer said today. — PTI

Chandigarh, January 31
He still remembers running barefoot in his village, chasing the only football the kids there had at their disposal and kicking it till it went away, far enough to be chased again. Nothing mattered, be it the heat, cold or rain. Life was at its best when Anwar had a football at his feet.

Today, as the boy who started from YFC Rurka Kalan, has become the highest-paid player in Indian club football history, it seems like a just reward for all sacrifices he made. Anwar has been signed up by Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan for a whopping Rs. 95 lakh. He had earlier become the highest paid defender when he had moved from JCT to Dempo two seasons ago.

The contract at Mohun Bagan is initially for the four months left of the current season, which will see him pocket a handsome Rs. 25 lakh. Then, from May 2011, he will be paid Rs. 70 lakh for the next 12 months. This is unknown territory in terms money for Indian football, where generally strikers have dominated the numbers.

“It feels great that people believe in me. That they like what I can do on the football field,” Anwar says. “But my game is not dictated by money. Neither is the decision of where I play. I was perfectly happy at Dempo. Everyone knows how the Goans love their football, and so it was a great experience.

“But you see, in India, if you haven’t played in Kolkata, then the rest of it doesn’t matter. This is the BIG one. The chance to play for the oldest club and be a part of a legacy. I just hope I can justify it,” Anwar says with the anticipation of playing with one of the biggest clubs in India lighting up his eyes.

Anwar was also part of the Indian side that played in the recently-concluded Asian Cup in Qatar and the experience of playing against Australia and South Korea was memorable for Anwar. “It was fantastic, just an incredible experience. The likes of Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell and Lucas Neil show you how the world views the game. The facilities, infrastructure, the support that these guys get, all of it is just fascinating. It was also a good opportunity for us to learn more about how we have evolved our game.

“But now I hear reports about a new coach floating around. I really hope they are not true. Wherever the team is today, it is because Bob (coach Bob Houghton) has put in everything in this team. He has made us believe that we can compete at the highest level and that we can do well. Indian football needs him,” adds Anwar.

Chandigarh, January 31
From being one of the most promising, and as Ricky Ponting would tell you, fearsome bowlers in world cricket, Ishant Sharma has reached a point in life which might decide the rest of his career. He has been left out of the World Cup squad, and although he has encouraging words for his side, there is silence, albeit resolute, in his voice.

He speaks to The Tribune about India’s chances, his efforts at a comeback, S Sreesanth and domestic cricket.

Q: What do you think of India’s chances at the World Cup?

A: Well, we are the home team and have a terrific side in place. I see India as firm favourites for the title. We have enough firepower in both batting and bowling to win the title.

Q: What has gone wrong with your own game? Why did you miss the cut?

A: I really don’t know. I was fully fit, and whenever I got the chance, I did my best to bowl well. I really think had I played more in some of the recent ODI series, I could have made it into the team. But doesn’t matter, I have to think ahead now.

Q: Which team, according to you, has the best bowling line-up in the World Cup?

A: All teams have talented players and in the World Cup, I guess

everyone tries to be at their best. It depends on whether you hit the right rhythm or not. You can’t pick or single out a team.

Q: Do you think the pace bowlers will have a big say on sub-continental pitches?

A: Definitely. Especially the Indian bowlers. They have so much

experience of bowling on these wickets, it just has to count. The

likes of Zaheer and Nehra have been around too long to not make the most of home conditions.

Q: Recently chief selector Krish Srikkanth said that he had high hopes from Sreesanth, and had some fine things to say about him. Surprisingly, there was no mention of you.

A: Well, I don’t know anything about that. What he said were his personal views. I cannot comment on how he rates a fellow bowler. It is his job, and he said what he felt.

Q: What is your comeback plan?

A: The Duleep Trophy final is first. Then I will look forward to the Ranji ODIs. I have to work hard and hopefully earn my spot back in the team.

Colombo, January 31
The first one-day international between Sri Lanka and West Indies was abandoned because of rain at Sinhalese Sports Club here today. West Indies captain Darren Sammy won the toss and elected to bat first and his team made 245-5 in 50 overs before rain started during the innings break.

The steady rain eventually forced match officials to abandon the game. The West Indies top order failed to get the start they wanted, losing Chris Gayle with the total on six and Darren Bravo at 42. Gayle (4) edged seamer Nuwan Kulasekara to wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara and Bravo was run out after making eight.

But Barath (113) and Ramnaresh Sarwan, who returned to form with 75, shared 165-runs for the third wicket. Barath hit eight boundaries and two sixes in 129 balls, while Sarwan's 100-ball innings included a six and four boundaries.

Lasith Malinga ruined the West Indies' hopes of a big score in their batting power play, taking two wickets in three balls as the in-form partners departed in identical fashion _ caught by Chamara Kapugedera at long-on. Malinga finished with 3-51 to restrict the visitors to a score which could have been chased down if not for rain.

West Indies returned to Sri Lanka to complete a limited-overs series after a scheduled five-match series was washed out in December. Much of the drawn three-match test series was also lost to rain. — AP

London, January 31
Edin Dzeko rescued Manchester City with a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw at Notts County in the FA Cup fourth round and 10-man Arsenal required an 86th-minute penalty by Cesc Fabregas to edge past Huddersfield 2-1. Dzeko volleyed home a cross from Micah Richards in the 80th minute yesterday to score his first goal since the Bosnia striker joined the bigspending northwest club on January 7.

County, which plays in the third tier and is managed by former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince, went ahead in the 59th through midfielder Neal Bishop's near-post header but now faces a replay at Eastlands. Huddersfield was threatening an upset at Emirates Stadium when Alan Lee headed home a corner in the 66th to cancel out Arsenal's 21st-minute opener, which came when Peter Clarke deflected a Nicklas Bendtner shot into his own net.

By that time, Arsenal had lost playmaker Samir Nasri to a hamstring injury and defender Sebastien Squillaci to a red card for a professional foul, but Fabregas came off the bench to slot in the winning spot kick after Bendtner was dragged back in the area. Fulham took advantage of the early sending-off of Tottenham defender Michael Dawson to thrash its London rival 4-0, while West Ham beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 and Stoke won 1-0 at Wolverhampton.

County, which is 18th in England's 24-team third division, would have been full value for a win if it had held on at Meadow Lane. "You can't help but think what might have been," said man-of-the-match Bishop.

Beijing, January 31
National pride turned into a "rally of abuse" for tennis player Li Na after she shouted at Chinese spectators not to teach her how to play tennis during Saturday's tense final against Kim Clijsters in the Australian Open.

While 28-year-old Li, regarded as a rare rebel in tightly controlled Chinese sporting scene, became "national hero" after scoring brilliant victories against top pros in the tournament and becoming the first Chinese woman to reach Grand Slam final, her outburst in the summit clash, which she lost, did not go down well at home.

As she came under pressure from Clijsters in the second set, Li appeared fed up with shouts from Chinese fans giving her advise how to play, prompting her to complain to the British umpire saying "can you tell the Chinese spectators not to teach me how to play tennis?" "There were a lot of people coaching me. It was really loud," Li said at the press conference in Chinese after the match.

Her remarks upset Chinese micro bloggers with some questioning her attitude, state run 'Global Times' newspaper said in a report. "While being a Chinese, Li asked a foreigner (British umpire) to demand the Chinese spectators stop shouting, making her just like an outsider," it quoted a microblogger as saying.

The Southern Metropolis Daily in its commentary said Li's request to the umpire represented her fragile state of mind in a game where she could not control her temper, and also had a bad impact on China's international image. Commenting on the reaction, Zhou Xiaozheng, a professor of sociology at Renmin University of China, said that a nationalist mindset was to blame for the problem.

"Chinese spectators have always attached the result of a sports game to the national image," Zhou said. Apparently it was particularly sensitive for Li as she quit official tennis in China after she went ahead and married her coach Jiang Shan much against the advises of the officials of Chinese Tennis establishment. And the coaching tips from the spectators apparently aimed at putting her husband who was present during the match in a tight spot, did not go down well with Li. — AP

Patiala, January 31
Top cyclists from the country will vie for slots in the Indian contingent and try to make a place in the squads for the upcoming National Games, later this month at the 63rd senior & junior and 26th sub-junior men and women, National Track Cycling Championship. The event will be held from February 1 to 6 at the Punjabi University Velodrome.

Indian cyclists including O Bikram (BSNL), who bagged bronze in the 1000 meters Time Trial at the Asian Cup in Japan, Somvir Singh, Atul Kumar, Satbir Singh (Services), Amandeep Singh, Harpreet Singh, Rajinder Bishnoi and Sunita Devi (Railways) are expected to assert their supremacy at the event.

National cycling coach Chayan Chowdhary said the event would be an ideal platform for all young cyclists to leave a mark. “The National Games are just a couple of weeks away and anyone performing here would directly get an upper-hand there”, he said.

Senior cyclists confirmed that though the event is happening ahead of the National Games, the association could have scheduled the event a little earlier as in case of an injury the cyclist would also have to miss the Games. “We have an important year ahead and the performance here in Patiala has a lot of weightage”, they said.

Top 20 units including states and departments are participating in the event at Patiala and national selectors would be present for all the days to pick future talent. 

Wijk Aan Zee, January 31
Five times winner Viswanathan Anand had to be content with a second place finish following a draw with Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia in the 13th and final round of 73rd Tata Steel Chess tournament here.

The World Champion could draw a big consolation from the fact that he would be the number one ranked player all over again as the results here proved that he will be overtaking world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the next rating list.

Hikaru Nakamura of United States own the title after drawing his final round game with Wang hao of China. For the records, Nakamura tallied 9 points in all, a half point more than Anand in this category-20 super tournament between 14-players. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Sreesanth song for Dhoni & Co
Kochi: He might have missed the bus for the Cricket World Cup, but Indian speedster S Sreesanth has dedicated a song for the good show of the team in the quadrennial mega event starting on February 19. Sreesanth sang a Hindi number written by himself -- 'Hello Sher Banke Tu Jung lad le' (fight the battle like a lion) during a curtain raiser show of his S-36 band (S for Sreesanth and 36 is his lucky jersey number). The other song was a romantic number in Tamil -- 'Anbulla Azhake'. The show was held at the Jose Thomas Performing Centre here last night. He also danced to a number from Hindi film 'Kaminey'. — PTI

IPL: Chance for unsold players
New Delhi: The IPL governing council has written to all the franchises asking them if they have any objections to teams signing Indian players who found no takers in the auction held in Bangalore on January 8 and 9. "We have received a request that franchises (subject to them having sufficient balance on the salary cap to pay at least the reserve price of the relevant player) have the opportunity to sign unsold Indian players from the auction," the letter stated. IPL rules presently do not permit unsold players to be signed after the auction, and the auction regulations state that that the players not bought in the auction could only play in the 2011 edition as replacement players. — PTI

Eden was our main venue: Bhajji
Kolkata: With Eden Gardens no longer hosting a World Cup match featuring India, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh today said he is really disappointed that they would not be able to bowl at the historic venue to the roar of spectators, which makes the ground really special. The ICC today confirmed its decision to relocate the venue for the India vs England match to Bangaluru after rejecting BCCI's appeal to reverse its decision of dropping the venue for the February 27 match yesterday. "I don't know why it has happened and I can't do anything about it. Obviously we are disappointed... Bahut yaadein hai Eden ke saath (I have a lot of fond memories with Eden Gardens)," Harbhajan said. — PTI

Pak captain on Feb 4: Butt
Karachi: Pakistan's captain for next month's World Cup in the sub-continent would be named on February 4, a day before the final match of their ongoing one-day series in New Zealand. Talking to the Pakistani media in Napier today, Butt, however, refused to say which among all-rounder Shahid Afridi and Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq would be given the reins of the team for the mega-event starting February 19. "We will announce the captain on February 4 that is decided now," he added. Butt also disclosed that India were willing to play a short series against Pakistan in England sometime this year. — PTI

Park announces retirement
Seoul: Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung of South Korea has formally announced his retirement from international football. The South Korea captain, who won his 100th cap in last week's Asian Cup semifinal loss to Japan at Doha, said today that chronic knee injuries have forced him to retire and make way for younger teammates. Park, 29, says he expects to play club football for another three to four years. "It was a great honor and point of pride to play for the national football team," Park told a packed news conference in Seoul. "If there were no injuries, I could have continued my national team career as physically difficult as it is," he said. "However, I have no choice but to retire under the current situation. Above all, I would like to make way for teammates who have been making remarkable progress." — AP

Subhania enter final
NEW DELHI: Back to back four-wicket haul by Sachin Gaurav helped Subhania Club beat Telefunken by five wickets and enter the final of the 15th Sahibzada Ajit Singh Cricket Tournament played at the Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce ground here today. Scores: Telefunken: 167 (Praveen Singh 45, Saurabh Sharma 33, Kamal Beniwal 28, Sachin Gaurav 4 for 36, Parvesh Dahiya 3 for 30). Subhania: 170/5 (Dhanij Rathi 34, Shekhar Redhu 27, Abhishek Khatri 25, Vikas Singh 3 for 41). — TNS