Kingston, June 15
Jolted by the massive loss in the fourth ODI, India would aim to get the crucial psychological edge over the West Indies before the Test series when they take on the hosts in the fifth and final one-dayer on Thursday.

The ODI series is already in their pocket as the Indians have taken a 3-1 lead but they would try and ensure that the scoreline suggests domination by signing off 4-1.

Berths in the eleven for the first Test match, scheduled to start next Monday, are up for grabs and those certain would aim to fall in a groove while those still on the edge would look to leave a definite impression on the team management.

There are at least two batsmen and the fast-bowling combination which needs to be sorted out ahead of the Test series.

India need two middle-order batsmen for the first Test. So, there is an added incentive for Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, almost certainties, to familiarise themselves with the venue.

The pitch at Sabina Park is expected to have pace and bounce and it would do a world of good to Kohli and Raina if they are able to spend some profitable time in the middle. Both have had at least one notable innings in the series but their runs and averages so far - 105 for Kohli at 26.25 and 82 for Raina at 27.33 - aren't very impressive.

The only contender for a berth in the middle order, Subramaniam Badrinath, is way too behind in the race having made a mere 40 runs at 13.33 from four games and looking distinctly uncomfortable against short-pitched deliveries of Andre Russell in the fourth game on Monday.

The biggest beneficiary has been leg-spinner Amit Mishra with nine wickets at 17 apiece from four games. He could revise the trend of going into a Test abroad with just one spinner. The West Indian batsmen have found him more than a handful in one-dayers and he could be an even bigger force in Tests given that he would have an attacking field to support him.

Mishra is likely to be retained in the fifth one-dayer even though he went for a few in the fourth game on Monday. The team management would like to have a closer look at him on a pitch which is more suited to a fast bowler.

India would almost certainly go with two spinners in the final game and that leaves just two places for medium pacers.

On the face of it, Munaf Patel is almost a certainty for the Tests and that leaves Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma to battle it out for the second slot.

Praveen is yet to play a Test for India so he would not be short of motivation.

West Indies would be encouraged by their consolation win in the fourth game. A couple of young men, Andre Russell and Anthony Martin, have shown the way forward with their spirit and belief but with Chris Gayle once again ignored, batting looks brittle.

But the good news is that fit-again opener Adrian Barath made his way in, replacing a not-too-impressive Kirk Edwards in the squad which beat India by 103 runs in the fourth one-dayer.

Besides Barath, Ravi Rampaul also returned to the side after a brief rest to replace Danza Hyatt. The 21-year-old Barath was undergoing rehabilitation after suffering a hamstring injury which forced him out of the 2011 World Cup.

West Indies also finally have their wish for a hard and bouncy pitch answered in Sabina Park. They would love to carry the momentum forward into the game and in the Test series beyond. Opener Lendl Simmons has been a positive influence and Kieron Pollard is showing signs of asserting himself in the middle.

The lower order has definitely shown signs of resurgence. If only the top order can look to tackle spinners, build stands and not give up then this West Indian side could still run the world champions close. — PTI

New Delhi, June 15
New senior football team national coach Armando Colaco said he was not a “magician” to produce instant results, and needed “time to adjust” to mould the team into a winning combination.

Colaco, who was the coach of I-League champions Dempo before he replaced British coach Bob Houghton as the senior India coach, said in his first media interaction at the Football House here today that his innings with the team was a “new beginning for Indian football” and he expected people who matter to “just be a bit patient” before results could come.

Colaco had begun his job on a controversial note when he cast away senior players like Baichung Bhutia, N.P. Pradeep and Sunil Chhetri, who were strong backers of Houghton, and chose the nucleus of the campers from the All-India Football Federation’s (AIFF) I-League team, Indian Arrows.

The camp for the Indian team, in preparation of the World Cup qualifiers against the United Arab Emirates, will begin at the Ambedkar Stadium here tomorrow.

Defending his decision to drop some senior players, Colaco said: “The boys from the Indian Arrows will form the nucleus of the future national squad. I have analysed each and every player before picking the campers. I have not axed any player. I just want to build a strong squad for the future.”

He said like his predecessor, he had his own style of coaching. “Every coach has a specific method. I would give thrust on possession football, as after all football is all about ball possession,” he elaborated. He said a good player should be able to adjust to different styles.

The Dempo coach, as expected, said he would draw on his experience with the Goan club. “I have been successful with Dempo, and I’d rather infuse the Dempo style of play into the national team.”

He said there was no point in trying to play like Barcelona. “No team can ever emulate Barcelona’s style. It’s impossible to play like Barcelona,” Colaco said, his feet firmly on terra firma.

The coach has already made an assessment of the talent at his disposal, and was impressed with striker Jeje Lalpeklua. “Jeje is a strong boy. I expect a lot from him. He has been the highest scorer among the Indian players in the I-League, and I hope he would carry that form forward into the national squad.

India play UAE in the World Cup qualifier away match on July 23 and the home match on July 28 at the Nehru Stadium in Delhi. AIFF secretary Kushal Das said the national team would play a series of friendly matches before the Olympic qualifier.

He said besides the matches against the Maldives on July 10 and Qatar on July 17, efforts were on to arrange a couple of more matches. Meanwhile, the AIFF managed to rope in a sponsor for Indian Arrows, which had been proving to be a drain on the resources of the federation.

The Arrows will be taken over by the Pailan Group as the AIFF today signed a deal with Apurba Saha, the founder and a member of the Pailan Group. Das said the sponsorship deal was for five years, and Pailan will bear all the expenses for the upkeep of Arrows.

Patiala, June 15
Punjab put on a good show to finish second behind Kerala in the National Senior Inter-State Athletics Championships which concluded in Bangalore here on Tuesday evening. Kerala become overall champions and also won the men’s and women’s team title with total 13 gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals. Punjab finished second with six gold, three silver and seven bronze.

In the men’s category, Punjab pocketed three gold, one silver and four bronze to finish third after Kerala and Tamil Nadu whereas in the women’s category, they bagged three gold, two silver and three bronze medals and finished behind Kerala. Amritpal Singh of Punjab won gold in long jump, while Arpinder Singh bagged first place in triple jump. Satinder Singh won gold in 400m hurdles. Devinder Singh silver in 400m and Manjit Singh, Jagroop Singh and Satnam Singh won bronze medals. Punjab lads also bagged third place in 4X100m relay race.

In the women’s section, ace discus thrower Harwant Kaur defeated arch-rival Krishna Poonia to pocket the gold. Sapinder Kaur won gold in 400m hurdles and O.P. Jaisha won gold the 1500m. Punjab’s favourite Mandeep finished second in the 400m and Navpreet won silver in heptathlon. Amanpreet, Rupinder and Jaisha won bronze medals in discus throw, javelin and steeplechase, respectively.

Patiala, June 15
Keep it simple, is legendary Australian shooter Russell Mark’s advice to the Indian shooters, about their stance and technique. Mark, who is keen to coach the Indian double trap shooters, is in India for a fortnight on an invitation to train youngsters at the New Moti Bagh Gun Club (NMBGC).

“I see youngsters so serious about shooting and with the kind of exposure they are getting at this stage, India would be in a position to bag almost all medals in shooting,” says Mark, who set a record of 189 points in Atlanta, hitting 48 of 50 targets in the final round.

“India is also better placed as the youngsters are giving stiff competition to each other and there is a whole lot of talent in the waiting,” feels Mark, whose win in Atlanta made him the first shooter ever to win all four of the world’s major individual titles -- the World Cup, the World Cup Final, the World Championship and the Olympics. His silver in Sydney completed a set of silver medals from the same four events.

“I have worked closely with Rajyavardhan Rathore and 2012 London quota qualifier Ronjan Sodhi, and their minds were perfect for shooting. Ronjan is a future asset and has many years ahead of him,” claims Mark, who is eyeing another gold in London 2012.

Mark represented Australia in the trap event in the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympics, finishing 15th and ninth respectively. He won gold in Atlanta but was not selected for Athens and finished 5th in Beijing.

Patiala, June 15
With just two months left for the for the World University Games, to be held at Shenzhen, China, from August 12 to 23, universities and players are yet to receive any information from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) regarding the preparatory camps.

There is no information on where the camps would be held and when. Even the final list of players selected for these camps has not been released which is affecting practice.

Talking to The Tribune, Director Sports, Punjabi University, Patiala, Dr. Rajkumar Sharma said he had not received any information regarding these camps. “We know that our camps have been given to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) but there is still no written information in this regard with the university.

“Moreover, even if our camps have been shifted, AIU should at least inform us when the camps would begin and which players have been selected for these camps so that they players can prepare themselves mentally and physically. Then they say that Indian players don’t perform well. How do you expect good results without proper training?” he further added.

A coach from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, also confirmed that the university still had no written information regarding these camps. Even the athletes are perturbed that the delay was affecting their practice. One of these athletes, who won a gold medal at the Inter-University Championship said, “We are just left with two months and still there is no information regarding the camps. This is affecting our performance because there we compete with the best in the country and this competition enhances our performance. Here, we are training on our own and this does not give us an opportunity to grow.”

AIU officials, when contacted in this regard, said even they were yet not sure when these camps would be held and the final list of players. 

BRIEFLY

I am very happy at Arsenal, says Fabregas
MADRID: Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas said on Wednesday he was happy at the Premier League club and no decision had been made about a possible move. "I am an Arsenal player. I have been very happy for eight years and I am very happy," Fabregas said at a promotional event, when asked about the prospect of a return to Barcelona. "I am not thinking about football right now, just about my holidays," the 24-year-old Spain midfielder said, adding that questions about his future should be directed to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, to whom he had not spoken for six weeks. "There have been no decisions. The truth is that it doesn't always depend on the player and at the moment I don't know anything," he added."I am very happy where I am. Anything else would be speculation that is untrue. You can never say never in this life as so many things happen that you can never predict." — Reuters

‘Akhtar could’ve played lot more for Pakistan’
Islamabad: Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar could have played a lot more for his country despite his fitness woes, “if he did not have everybody going after him,” Dr Tauseef Ahmed, who was appointed as a training and rehabilitation consultant by the PCB for a period of five years around 1999, has said. Akhtar’s fitness woes are well documented, however, Dr Ahmed felt that the injuries he suffered were preventable with proper management. “He could have played a lot more if he didn't have everybody going after him. I'll say that if I had been allowed to work with Shoaib, his career could have been longer. He wouldn't have missed those critical 2-3 years that he did. When Shehryar Khan brought in Bob Woolmer as the coach it was made clear that I would be kept away from Shoaib,” PakPassion.net quoted Dr. Ahmed, as saying. — ANI

Maradona sues Chinese firms for using his image
Beijing: Argentine football star Diego Maradona is suing China’s popular website ‘Sina’ and an Internet company for using his name and image to promote an online game. The Herald Sun quoted a Beijing No. 1 Intermediate Court official as saying that Maradona is seeking 20 million Yuan (2,87,000 million dollars) as compensation from Sina and The9 Limited, which designed the game Winning Goal. "The case was accepted," said Chen Shi, a spokesman for the court. The9 and Sina had reportedly launched the game last June by claiming that Maradona was its celebrity spokesman, which he vehemently denied. Maradona said he never gave permission to the Chinese companies to use his image, the official said, citing a statement from the football legend. — ANI

Mandi hot weather soccer
Mandi: The Power Grid Corporation of India Hot Weather Football Tournament will offer the first taste of foreign flavour in 40 years in Mandi when the Madhyapur Youth Association team from Nepal will meet Colaba Young Star Club, Mumbai, at the Paddal Stadium on Thursday. In a match on Wednesday, a goal early in the ninth minute by Kamal Subedi helped Central Command, Lucknow, beat Delhi's BSES in the last knock out round of the Power Grid Corporation of India Hot Weather Football Tournament on Wednesday. The Army team dominated most of the exchanges on the slushy surface and kept the Delhi defenders on their toes. — TNS

UAE footballer gets death for murdering neighbour
New Delhi: Fayaz Jumaa Khamis, a former UAE international football player has been sentenced to death on charges of murdering his neighbour three years ago. Another former Sharjah Club Emirati player, Mohammad Najib., and Khamis's brother, Mosses, were also sentenced to death in the case. The federal Supreme Court pronounced an irrevocable death penalty to Khamis and two others for stabbing a man to death during a fight at a parking lot in Sharjah on April 15, 2008. Khamis, 30, a defender who played 11 games for the UAE national football team. — ANI

Ashley-Cheryl Cole set for a romantic reunion
London: Singer Cheryl Cole is all set to fly for the US this weekend for a romantic reunion with former husband Ashley to celebrate her imminent birthday. And it was the sexy mobile phone pictures of a lonely Chelsea football ace that finally convinced Cheryl to make the journey. Cheryl, whose 28th birthday is on June 30, is still reeling from her sacking from the US X Factor. But she chuckled when she received the saucy snap from her ex-husband of him posing in bed and saying how much he missed her. The couple had been due to meet in the US before heading off to Cancun in Mexico for a romantic holiday. But Cheryl has been struggling to make up her mind whether to travel after seeing snaps of Ashley flirting with sexy American babes. — ANI