Chandigarh, February 9
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in Dubai when he received his commemorative cap from fellow Hall of Famer and teammate Kapil Dev.

Gavaskar is one of the initial 55 inductees in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame which was launched in January 2009 in association with the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) as part of the ICC's Centenary Year.

He now joins a Hall of Fame that includes 72 male and female cricketers. "It is a huge honour because it is the peers in the game who decide who is going to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

“It has taken some time to co-ordinate the presentation but finally it is there and I am delighted that I have been inducted," Gavaskar was quoted as saying by an ICC media release.

"This means that you are in select company and therefore, it becomes all the more special. To be an original inductee is an even bigger honour." Gavaskar was thrilled to receive the cap from Kapil who has been his teammate for close to a decade. "Kapil is somebody who I consider as the greatest Indian cricketer and to receive this cap from him is a real big plus, a real big honour.

Kapil and I have had some wonderful times playing in the Indian team. "Being part of the World Cup winning squad is a memory that will always stay with me. Kapil lifting the Cup at the Lord's is something that I will always treasure and, therefore, to receive the cap from him makes this occasion even more special," the legendary opener who has scored 10,122 runs in Test cricket said.

New Delhi, February 9
With the coaching camps for both men and women going on in full steam at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium, the stage is set for the Olympic Hockey Qualifying Tournament, to be held here, from February 18 to 26.

There will be six matches every day-three each in the men’s and women’s category — except the last two days, when three matches will be played each day. The teams will get enough rest, as there will be two rest days during the nine-day tournament.

On the opening day, Indian women will face-off against Ukraine while the men will clash against late entrants Singapore, who had replaced the United States, after the latter pulled out.

This is the best chance for India to qualify, after missing the bus for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as the Indian leg of the qualifiers has a weak field, consisting of teams such as Canada, France, Poland, Italy and Singapore.

The women’s field will comprise South Africa, India, Italy, Canada, Ukraine and Poland, and the hosts stand a good chance of making the Olympic cut, provided they take maximum advantage of the home conditions. The foreign teams will start arriving from February 11, with Italy slated to arrive first.

Despite the rumblings about the team selection, the men’s squad are sweating out hard under the sharp nose of coach Michael Nobbs, while the girls are also putting up their best efforts to be in battle shape for the crucial engagement.

Hockey India has coined the Olympic Qualifiers as the “FIH Road to London, Delhi 2012”, and the tournament is the final opportunity for both the Indian men and women teams to qualify for the London Games, to be held from July 27 to August 12.

Hockey India is expecting a packed stadium for the Olympic qualifiers, after the excellent crowd support received for the World Cup, held here in 2010, prior to the Commonwealth Games.

With Sahara India renewing its sponsorship deal for the game with Hockey India, the hockey body has got a shot in the arm, as finances would not be a concern for the preparation of the Indian squads for the Olympics.

Online ticket sales for the qualifiers started today, and tickets will also be available at over 40 outlets throughout the National Capital Region of Delhi. Tickets can be booked online at www.ticketgenie.com.

Tickets have been priced rather steeply at Rs 300 and Rs 500 for the five group stage days, with tickets valid for all the six matches to be played each day. The ticket rates will be Rs 400 and Rs 1000 for the two classification days - February 25 and 26.

“The pricing of tickets is such as to enable all hockey lovers from India to come and watch and show their support for the Indian teams on their mission to qualify for the London Olympics”, noted Hockey India CEO Elena Norman.

She said the Indian matches have been conveniently slotted at 6 and 8 p.m to enable the fans to come and watch the games. Hockey India will also dole out daily complimentary tickets for former Olympians and international players to watch the matches.

Former Indian captain Ajitpal Singh, who is the chairman of the Hockey India Coaching and Development Committee, along with Jugraj Singh, will handle complimentary tickets, and those wanting them should contact them.

Dubai, February 9
Jeev Milkha Singh making his 14th appearance at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic shot a superb bogey-free five-under 67 that put him inside the top-10 on the opening day of the last event on Middle East Swing of the European Tour here today.

Jeev, whose best in the tournament has been a tied sixth place in 2001, was lying tied tenth on a day suited for low scoring.

Compatriot SSP Chowrasia made a birdie-birdie finish to carded a two-under 70 and was lying tied 25th on a day, which saw almost no wind at the Emirates Golf Club here.

Taking advantage of ideal golfing conditions, Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello took a two shot lead. Cabrera-Bello, who has shot a 60 in the past, came back with a 63 today.

At one stage he had nine birdies in his first 11 holes and needed four more in the remaining seven to reach 59. But he parred the remaining seven for a bogeyfree 63.

Rory McIlroy even par for front nine, shot six birdies on back nine to zoom to tied fourth at 66 with five others.

Jeev opened with two birdies and then parred all the way till 10th, which he again birdied. Two more followed on 13th and 15th and it made for a good day's work, though he missed few other birdie chances.

Chowrasia, who went through a tough 2011 when he won the Avantha Masters but missed most of the cuts after that, shot 70 with four birdies and two bogeys. — PTI

Manila, February 9
Digvijay Singh overcame a patchy front nine that included a double bogey to card a one-under 71, which gave him a share of the 14th place at the end of the first round in the $300,000 ICTSI Philippine Open here today.

Digvijay, who has been playing on and off on the Asian Tour for many years, is however without a win. The course was not playing easy and is very narrow and tight. It has small greens requiring a lot of precision and the greens have slopes. That resulted in a crowded leaderboard as the top 68 players were within five shots of each other.

Digvijay opened with a bogey and then had a double on the fifth, which was followed by a birdie on sixth. He turned in two-over 38, but on the back nine he had three birdies in a row from 10th to 12th and added one more on 16th. In between he dropped a shot on 15th to end at 71. Of the seven other Indians, none came under par.

Anirban Lahiri and Himmat Rai shot 73 each and were lying tied 33rd, while Chiragh Kumar, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Sujjan Singh carded 74 and were tied 46th. Rahil Gangjee who had one triple and one double carded 75 to be tied 69th and Ajeetesh carded 76 to be 91st.

Unheralded 31-year-old Lu Tze-shyan of Chinese Taipei who has made two cuts in 26 starts scored three-under 69 and shared the lead with Singaporean Mardan Mamat, Japan's Azuma Yano and Americans Matthew Rosenfeld, Ben Fox and Anthony Kang, a former Philippine Open champion, at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club's East course. — PTI

New Delhi, February 9
Punj Lloyd will field the biggest contingent in the Corporate Games, the largest multi-sports festival for businesses and organizations, that will be held at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here from February 9 to 12.

Corporate Games CEO Maj O.P.Bhatia said the Games, started in Canada and USA in 1985, were conducted since then in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Russia and even in some Asian countries. Delhi will be hosting the games for the first time. He said the Corporate Games help and encourage anyone and everyone to play for fun and recreation as well as for fitness and good health.

People with disabilities can also participate in these games, and the Amar Jyoti Trust is fielding children with disabilities.

Bhatia said Punj Lloyd will field the biggest contingent of 55 athletes in cricket, tennis, table tennis, running, badminton, squash and golf. GE Financial, with a team strength of 30, will be taking part in badminton, table tennis, squash, running and tennis

Shooter Ronjan Sodhi visited the Siri Fort Sports Complex today and was impressed with the concept and format of the Corporate Games.

Companies like HDFC Bank, ONGC, NTPC, TCS, Barista, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, SPM Infra Limited, Applied Research International, Russian Embassy, Posco E&C India Pvt. Ltd., DUPONT, Jet Airways, Vodafone, Bisleri, Club Mahindra, Sirifort Sports Complex etc. will be participating in the games.

Dhaka, February 9
The Bangladesh Premier League has got its first dose of controversy as Mashrafe Mortaza reported to his franchise, Dhaka Gladiators, an approach from a fellow cricketer to indulge in spot-fixing during the tournament.

Gladiators media manager Minhaz Uddin Khan confirmed the report and said they have informed the BPL of the approach. "I have told my team management (about the approach) and I'm sure they will do the right thing," Mortaza said.

Mortaza, as it has been reported, would step down from the team captaincy if he suspected any irregularities during the tournament, which got underway today. — PTI

London, February 9
Harry Redknapp is already the favourite, and even David Beckham is in the mix. A day after Fabio Capello resigned as coach of England's national team, British bookmakers installed Redknapp as the man most likely to take the job.

Capello's shock departure late Wednesday was triggered by the decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy last week.

Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is also among the candidates, along with interim England coach Stuart Pearce, Roy Hodgson, Guus Hiddink, Martin O'Neill and Arsene Wenger.

Beckham, who recently signed a contract extension to play with the Los Angeles Galaxy, is a long shot but still among the names being thrown about.

Whoever it is, an English or British coach is preferred following the Italian's exit. "There is a preference for an English person or a British person, but in the end, we want the best person," Football Association Chairman David Bernstein said Thursday.

The FA said it would start drawing up a shortlist of candidates on Friday, and Redknapp is sure to be high up on the list. — AP