Canberra, December 18
The Indians are likely to field their first team when they take on Cricket Australia Chairman's XI in their second and final warm-up game tomorrow with the focus on the fitness of their fast bowlers ahead of the four-match Test series, starting December 26. With the injury scare to Ishant Sharma, who is likely to be rested tomorrow, the focus will be on Zaheer Khan - also returning from injury after playing just a couple of a Ranji matches.

While the bone of contention in the Indian ranks would be about how well Ishant Sharma's injured ankle is shaping up, the Australian team management would be keenly keeping a tab on the form of Phil Hughes and Usman Khawaja before the real action begins.

The team sources insist it would be a precautionary rest for Ishant but at best the issue on his availability is likely to linger till the morning of the first Test in Melbourne on December 26. In the first practice game (which was not a first-class match), Indian bowlers were taken to cleaners by Tom Cooper and Co as the Chairman's XI scored 398.

However, Sachin Tendulkar's fluent 92 and VVS Laxman's half-century have given assurances to the visitors. Tomorrow's match would offer a first outing for the likes of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who according to senior Australian batsman Mike Hussey has earned a lot of respect from the home team.

Sehwag will be a big draw, fresh from his record double century in One-day Internationals. He would have fond memory of Manuka Oval where he thumped a century during the 2007-08 tour that paved his return to Test ranks in the subsequent Perth Test.

All eyes will also be on Zaheer Khan who is back in the team after proving his match-fitness in two Ranji Trophy games against Orissa and Saurashtra. It is particularly to counter Zaheer's swing that Australians have ordered a batting camp. — PTI

Patiala, December 18
Just few days after news of the sale of banned substances going unchecked at various medical stores outside NIS, Patiala, was published in The Tribune, a team of drug inspectors from different districts of Punjab raided 15 medical stores near NIS today and sealed anabolic steroids worth Rs 30,000 from six stores.

Notably, it is worth mentioning that the drug controller team had earlier raided these shops after media highlighted the unchecked sale of anabolic steroids at a time when many top players of the country were found positive for banned substances.

Giving information in this regard, Patiala drug inspector Jasbir Singh said, he along with Amit Duggal from Mohali, Sanjeev Kumar from Ludhiana, Gurpreet Singh from Patiala, Amit Lakhanpal, Preneet Kaur, Rupinder Kaur, Kamal Kamboj and Jung Parkash began the raid at 10 in the morning and raided as many as 15 stores till evening. “Out of 15, we found anabolic steroids, including Stanozolone and Nandrolone, on 6 medical stores - Jai Maa Medicos, Cheap Medicine Hall, Hind Medicos, Singla Medical Agency, Modern Medicos and Garg Medical Store. We have collected the samples and will present it in the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate tomorrow,” he added.

He further informed that, “We will submit our written report to the senior authorities and further investigation would be initiated. As of now, we have got the stores closed till further notice,” said Jasbir Singh.

Canberra, December 18
The Indian cricket team will not seek a cover for injured pacer Ishant Sharma as he is expected to be fit for the opening Test against Australia next week even though he has been ruled out of a three-day practice match starting here tomorrow.

"The doctor has advised him rest till Monday. So we would have a fresh look at him on Tuesday. But the work on him is going on and he's improving," stated media manager G S Walia here this morning.

Ishant is recovering from injury in his left ankle which forced him to leave the field after bowling only 5.3 overs against Cricket Australia Chairman's XI here on Thursday.

While the team management sounds optimistic on Ishant, it's certain he wouldn't be turning out for the three-day game against Cricket Australia Chairman's XI.

The lanky fast bowler did come with the rest of his teammates to Manuka Oval this morning but spent the entire duration either strolling at the ground or turning his arm over from a stationery position at the nets.

While words are on offer to ease the doubts on Ishant Sharma, the sight of Zaheer Khan is certainly uplifting for the Indian team.

The left-arm paceman was all too eager to measure and bowl for close to half an hour over two spells during the intense practice session. For a long time, he kept testing the skills of Virender Sehwag.

Vinay doesn't believe in thinking too far ahead Indian seamer R Vinay Kumar doesn't want to dwell on too much on what are his chances of making it to the playing XI for the first Test against Australia and would rather concentrate on sticking to the basics.

Vinay and Abhimanyu Mithun will be in contention for third seamer's slot provided Ishant Sharma fails to get fit in time for the opening Test but for the 27-year-old bowling it's about trying to bowl each delivery better than the previous one.

"I don't think this way (that Ishant Sharma could be unfit and he could play at Melbourne). I try to bowl to my strength and my strength is to bowl wicket to wicket. Yeah, if I get a chance though, I would be more than happy," 
Vinay stated.

"I have been quite successful in my visits to Australia over the years. I've visited Australia four times — thrice with the Karnataka state side and once with India A. I got the 'Best Bowler Award' during the second edition of Emerging Players' competition.

"But then, all my four visits centred around only in Brisbane. That's why I have been speaking to Zaheer on how to bowl on these kind of wickets. Compared to Brisbane, this one might be different. Seniors are helping me out where to bowl and which length to bowl." Critics have questioned his effectiveness at the highest level as he doesn't have raw pace but someone who has 241 wickets from 66 first-class games isn't overtly bothered.

"I usually bowl between 130-135kmph regularly. That's more than enough on wickets which have bounce. If you are able to get the swing, it's more than enough for the batsmen." — PTI

New Delhi, December 18
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels that Greg Chappell’s presence in the Australian dressing room trying to plot the downfall of Indian batsmen, won’t be of much benefit to the home team. A couple of days back, a report in the Daily Telegraph stated that former India coach Chappell has been invited by current coach Mickey Arthur to address Aussie players on how to tackle champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

“Chappell will address the Australian squad for the first Test next week and he is the one man with the knowledge to demystify the champion (Tendulkar) Australia never feel they have got to the bottom of,” the report said.

“To Australian bowlers, Tendulkar has been the master they have never mastered. His record against Australia in Tests - he averages 60.6 with 11 centuries in 31 Tests - makes him the greatest Aussie basher of his generation,” it further stated.

According to Ganguly, with whom Chappell shared a tumultous captain-coach relationship, the latter’s presence in Australia’s support staff unit during their tour of India, back in 2008 wasn’t of much help.

“If you look back at 2008 series, which happened to be my last, Chappell was present in Australian team’s support staff. Yet we won the series 2-0. Therefore, I don’t think his presence would make any difference this time also,” Ganguly said.

Ganguly was also scathing in his comments about how Chappell-the coach operated. “He came with some personal vendetta and also lacked foresight. He didn’t want a settled dressing room. He made mistake after mistake but the then captain Rahul Dravid never had the guts to stop him (Chappell) from his wrongdoing.”

Chappell in his recently published autobiography had stated that Ganguly wanted him to be “grateful” for getting him the India coach's job. “He expected I would be so grateful to him for getting me the job, that I’d become his henchman in his battle to remain captain. I, on the other hand, took on a job with the primary responsibility to Indian cricket and the Indian people,” Chappell says in the book ‘Fierce Focus’.

Ganguly on his part said it was his “mistake” to get Chappell the coach’s job. “He was against Tendulkar, Laxman, Zaheer, Harbhajan and all of them have proved to be world class players. They are still performing for their country even now,” Ganguly said.

Asked about whether BCCI could have acted more wisely, Ganguly replied, “At that point of time, BCCI was having a change of guard. So there wasn’t much they could have done about it.”

Another former India captain Kapil Dev feels that Chappell’s Australian ways of dealing with situation wasn’t in sync with the Indian culture. “In India, we don’t readily shut the door on anyone. There should be a certain degree of respect associated with the manner in which one handles the case of senior players. Look at Gary Kirsten, he did a fabulous job with the Indian team,” Kapil stated. — PTI

Yokohama, December 18
Lionel Messi scored two wonder goals as European champions Barcelona thrashed Brazil's Santos 4-0 to win their second Club World Cup in swashbuckling style on Sunday.

Argentine wizard Messi put Barcelona ahead in the 17th minute, exquisitely clipping a left-foot shot over goalkeeper Rafael Cabral after a clever ball from Xavi. Only seven minutes later, it was 2-0 when Xavi himself latched on to a pinpoint pass from Dani Alves, beating one defender before smashing the ball home.

Cesc Fabregas hit the post and then stabbed home Barca's third on the stroke of halftime as the Spanish giants, winners in 2009, threatened to run riot in front of a crowd of 68,000 in Yokohama. The former Arsenal midfielder came within a whisker of another goal moments after the restart, forcing a magnificent save from Cabral.

Player of the tournament Messi made it 4-0 eight minutes from time, bursting past Cabral at breath-taking speed to slip the ball into the net and complete the rout.

Santos, who lifted their third Libertadores Cup in June almost 50 years after Pele led them to back-to-back titles in 1962 and 1963, had no answer to Barcelona's brilliance. "It may have looked easy but it certainly wasn't," said Barca captain Carles Puyol after his side became the first to win the Club World Cup twice sine it became a seven-team FIFA competition.

"The early goals made it easier for us," added Puyol, who dedicated victory to Spain striker David Villa after he broke his leg in Barca's 4-0 semifinal win over Qatar's Al Sadd. "We never doubted ourselves and kept their forwards under control. It was a complete performance."

The quality and speed of Barca's play was bewildering at times. "It's impossible to stop Barcelona," shrugged Brazil's teenage sensation Neymar. "They are the best team in the world with fantastic players. But we are the second-best team in the world and for us that is a great reward." — Reuters 

Aditi Ashok poses with her trophies at the Chandigarh Golf Club on Sunday. Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan

Chandigarh, December 18
Defying age and also some of the odds, teenage golfer Aditi Ashok won the biggest title of what is still a rather young career as she upstaged fancied Vani Kapoor in a tense 36-hole final at the Usha All India Ladies Amateur championships here today.

The Bangalore girl Aditi, who started as the underdog in the final, and was four years younger in age, grabbed the title 3&2 as the marathon final ended in 34 holes, two holes earlier than scheduled.

It was Vani who grabbed a two-hole lead at the end of the first half of the match. In a see-saw battle, Aditi opened a narrow one-shot lead after the first nine holes, but Vani won the 10th, 12th and 15th to go two-up and she held that lead after 18 holes.

At that stage it clearly looked Vani had the upper hand in the match. But the Bangalore golfer fought back gamely at the Chandigarh Golf Club here. She won three holes over the next nine and when the duo turned for the final nine, it was Aditi, who held the advantage of one hole after 27 holes. 

New Delhi, December 18
India’s Dipika Pallikal claimed her third WISPA title of the year when she overcame a spirited challenge from fourth seed Joey Chan to win the 7th Crocodile Challenge Cup squash tournament in Hong Kong today.

Third-seed Pallikal denied the home crowd at the Hong Kong Squash Centre what they had come to see as the number one Indian female racqueter from Chennai defeated Hong Kong's Chan 12-10, 8-11, 10-12, 11-8, 14-12 in a thrilling final that lasted 60 minutes.

The match went the full distance, with all five games featuring close finishes. Chan, the world number 20 who won the Macau Open before delighting the home crowd by reaching the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open last month, recovered from losing the first game to take the lead, winning the next two games and saving match balls in the process.

But it was the world number 17 Pallikal, the first Indian to reach the quarter-finals of the World Open two months ago, who had the last laugh, taking the last two games 11-8, 14-12 after exactly an hour's play, to claim her third title of the year.

In the semifinal, Pallikal had defeated second seed Sarah Kippax 11-6, 11-3, 11-6 while in the quarters, she got the better of fifth seed Siti Munirah Jusoh 11-5, 11-6, 11-1. Hong Kong’s Max Lee retained his men's title with a 8-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-3 win over Malaysia’s Muhd Asyraf Azan in the final. — PTI

Chandigarh, December 18
World Series Hockey has come up with a special exhibition match to be held on December 20 at the Sector-42 Stadium, Chandigarh. In order to give the hockey fans a taste of the action that is expected to be seen when WSH begins on February 29, 2012.

It’s a clash between WSH World XI and WSH India XI at 6 pm, with a free entry for the spectators.

The WSH World XI comprise of star players from abroad being coached by Andrew Meredith and Jose Brasa. Olympic gold medalist Brent Livermore leads the pack. Th team with Zeeshan Ashraf, Jiwa Mohan, Chris Seddon and many more are ready to scorch the field with their pace and technique.

Brent Livermore said, “I’m really excited to captain the WSH World XI at the exhibition match. It will be an absolute treat for the spectators in Chandigarh and will be a fitting finale to the rigorous preparatory camps.”

On the Indian side, Harendra Singh and Jude Felix will are coaching the team that is led by Prabhjot Singh, the ace Indian striker. Besides, the team comprise of accomplished stars like Adrian D’Souza, Deepak Thakur, Diwakar Ram, Prabodh Tirkey and many more as they aim to mesmerize the fans and pit their skills against their international counterparts.

BRIEFLY

Air India downs Dempo
Margao: Air India struck twice in the second half to hand Dempo a 2-0 defeat, their third in a row, in the 10th round I-League match at the Nehru Stadium here today. The visitors scored through substitute Manandeep Singh (70th) and Collin Abranches (82nd) to take the fight away from Dempo. Seeking a win to regain their top spot, Dempo started on a confident note as they held ball possession for most part of the match and created ample scoring chances but were let down by their strikers who failed to cash on. Air India keeper Pawan Kumar was also at his best as he made couple of good saves to deny Dempo a win. — PTI

‘Warner captaincy material’
Sydney: Former Australian bowling coach Troy Cooley admits that the idea of David Warner being a Test cricketer seemed absurd until recently, but says that now the Twenty20 specialist is looking like a potential Australian captain. Warner was named vice-captain for an Australia A game last month and this week he will lead a Chairman's XI against India. "Michael's [Clarke] doing a fantastic job at the moment, but you're always looking for leaders within your group and it would be lovely to have 11 people that took leadership qualities on and I think Davey Warner's one of those and that's why he's been given the role to lead this squad," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Cooley, as saying. — ANI

Qatar eye 2020 Olympics
Qatar: A year after Qatar became the first Arab nation to win the right to host the FIFA World Cup, the Gulf state is now trying to win a bid to host the 2020 Olympics. Doha, that has successfully hosted major sporting events such as the Asian Games in 2006 and tennis tournaments featuring top-ranked players, is vying for the 2020 Olympics with Baku, Istanbul, Tokyo, Madrid and Rome, The Independent reports. Candidate cities are required to submit their plans to the International Olympic Committee by February. The IOC board would then meet in May to decide who stays in the race, and would announce a winner in September 2013. — ANI

Man U to sign Gaitan
London: Manchester United are close to securing a 29.3 million pounds deal to sign Benfica midfielder Nicolas Gaitan at the end of the season. According to the Telegraph, the Portuguese club has struck an informal agreement with United over the sale of the Argentina international. Gaitan, who can play as an attacking midfielder or left-sided forward, impressed against Manchester United during Benfica's Champions League group stage encounters with Sir Alex Ferguson's team earlier this season. His arrival at Old Trafford next summer would help fill the void left by Paul Scholes' retirement last May. — ANI

Rooney in Twitter spat
London: Wayne Rooney got into an online spat with Frankie Cocozza after the X Factor contestant said he had bad breath. The Man Utd star hit back at the disgraced singer, saying he couldn't sing. Cocozza, 18, who was kicked off the show after taking cocaine, continued to goad Rooney, but was ignored. The row flared on Friday after the disgraced singer entered the Twitter debate #CelebsThat LookLikeTheyStink. "Not really a celeb but I bet his pits are stinking, along with his breath @waynerooney," the Mirror quoted Cocozza as saying on Twitter. Not taking it lying down, Rooney responded with his own tweet. "sorry who are u again. Oh yeah i remember ur the kid on x factor who couldn't sing," he said. — ANI

PCB no to Bangla League
Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board has barred all its Test players from participating in the Bangladesh Premier League, which will begin from December 26 onwards. A PCB spokesperson said the board has decided not to grant a No- Objection Certificate for playing in the league since Pakistan- England series in the United Arab Emirates is more important than the league. "The series against England cannot be taken lightly at all. They are a totally different opposition from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh so in order to save our players from any major injury or fatigue, we are not issuing them NOC," The Nation quoted a PCB spokesperson, as saying. — ANI

Aisam ties the knot
Lahore: Pakistan tennis star Aisam-ul -Haq Qureshi has tied the knot with British citizen Faha Akmal at a grand ceremony in Garrison Golf Club, Lahore on December 17. Qureshi wore a white sherwani and red turban and his bride wore a conventional red 'lehnga' dress. Aisam's Indian tennis partner Rohan Bopana and their American tennis coach were among the guests at the marriage ceremony, The News reports. According to the Express Tribune, Akmal has recently acquired a masters degree in psychotherapy from the University of Greenwich, United Kingdom. — ANI

Women's National Games
Chandigarh: Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh, Orissa, Haryana, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Mizoram reached the quarter finals on the second day of 37th Women National Games (Group II) at Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar today. Haryana crushed Andhra Pradesh 9-0, Jharkhand outplayed Kerala 4-1, Delhi ousted Jammu & Kashmir 8-0, Chandigarh defeated Uttarakhand 4-0, Madhya Pradesh beat Himachal Pradesh 6-0, Orissa defeated Tamil Nadu 9-0, Jharkhand beat Gujarat 5-0 and Mizoram defeated Delhi 5-1 in the Pre Quarter Final matches. In handball pool matches Uttar Pradesh defeated Chhattisgarh 16-13, Delhi crushed Gujarat 17-4, Haryana outplayed Kerala 24-13. In Lawn Tennis team events Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh reached in the Semi Finals. — TNS