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Asia Cup
Tribune Exclusive |
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Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen (2nd L) celebrates after scoring the winner against Newcastle United at The Emirates Stadium in London on Monday. Arsenal won the match 2-1 to move within one point of third-place Tottenham Hotspur. — AFP
FixingFiasco
Madrid hope to see off Moscow
Yuvraj Singh, who was diagnosed witrh cancer, has been out of action since November 2011.
India whitewashed at AFC Challenge Cup
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Asia Cup
Mirpur, March 13
Chasing a daunting 305 for a win, the Lankans started with purpose but lost the tempo somewhat when Tillekeratne Dilshan was dismissed by Irfan Pathan. But then skipper Mahela Jayawardene and former skipper Kumar Sangakkara stitched together a 93-run stand that kept their chase ticking. The two scored at brisk pace and the partnership was finally broken by Irfan who dismissed Jayawardene. It was an uphill task from there on and despite Sangakkara trying to fight back, they lost wickets at regular intervals. Earlier, opener Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli slammed sparkling centuries as India posted an imposing 304 for three. Gambhir (100), who struggled in Australia against rising deliveries on pacy tracks in the Test series, seemed comfortable in the familiar sub-continental environs as he and the in-form Kohli (108) batted together for 37 overs. The duo added 205 runs for the second wicket at a brisk pace of more than five an over to steer the Indian innings after the early fall of Sachin Tendulkar. Both the batsmen, in fact, perished in the 43rd over, dismissed by Farveez Mahroof in the space of just one delivery.
It was not a very good start to the proceedings for India as Tendulkar (6) continued his frustrating quest for a 100th international century which has extended for more than a year now. The veteran right-hander was dismissed off a Suranga Lakmal full toss in the sixth over of the innings after facing 19 deliveries. Tendulkar pushed it low to short extra cover where Mahela Jayawardene caught him comfortably. But the Indian felt that it was a no ball as it had gone above the waist. The on-field officials referred the matter to the third umpire, who found it to be a legitimate delivery after going through the TV replays. But his dismissal hardly affected the Indian innings which accelerated after Gambhir was joined by Kohli. Gambhir got a life in the 17th over when he was dropped by Dinesh Chandimal in the long on region off Seekkuge Prasanna's bowling. The left-hander was on 36 when he chipped one in the air but Chandimal, who ran a considerably to his left to get to the ball, could not balance himself after diving in front to grab the ball, which popped out of his hands as he touched the ground. Gambhir and Kohli completed a century stand off 123 balls which was the 70th overall for the second wicket for India. Only Australia, with 77 century stands for the second wicket, have more. They didn't stop at that and bettered the stand with some thoughtful strokeplay and restraint. Both the naturally aggressive batsmen were patient in their approach and did not succumb to the temptation of extravagant shots. Both the batsmen knocked off seven fours each. While Kholi took 120 deliveries, Gambhir's innings came off 118 balls. The identical innings came to an end almost at the same time with Gambhir holing out to Upul Tharanga in the long on region while Kohli was caught by Lahiru Thirimanne in the extra cover region. — PTI Scoreboard India Gambhir c Tharanga b Maharoof 100 Tendulkar c J’rdene b Lakmal 6 Kohli c Thirimanne b Maharoof 108 Dhoni not out 46 Raina not out 30 Extras (lb 7, w 7) 14 Total (3 wkts; 50 ovrs) 304 Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-224, 3-226. Bowling: Kulasekara 10-0-67-0, Lakmal 10-1-67-1, Dilshan 10-0-54-0, Prasanna 9-0-45-0, Maharoof 10-0-57-2, Kapugedera 1-0-7-0. Sri Lanka J’rdene c Dhoni b Irfan 78 Dilshan c Kohli b Irfan 7 S’kara c Jadeja b Ashwin 65 Chandimal b Ashwin 13 Thirimanne lbw b Ashwin 29 Kulasekara b Vinay 11 Tharanga b Irfan 17 Kapugedera c Kohli b Vinay 0 Maharoof c Raina b Vinay 18 Prasanna c Tendulkar b Irfan 8 Lakmal not out 0 Extras (lb 2, w 6) 8 Total (all out; 45.1 ovrs) 254 Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-124, 3-152, 4-196, 5-198, 6-216, 7-216, 8-241, 9-254. Bowling: Irfan 8.1-1-32-4, Praveen 7-0-47-0, Vinay 9-0-55-3, Jadeja 4-0-31-0, Raina 5-0-34-0, Ashwin 9-0-39-3, Rohit 3-0-14-0.
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Tribune Exclusive
Patiala, March 13 The decision to conduct tests after formal announcement is likely to dampen the spirits of athletes who are preparing fairly for the Olympics and keeping away from from any performance enhancers. NADA’s decision is a further blow to its policy of out-of-competition testing programme where ‘secrecy’ is the key to catch dope offenders under the anti-doping testing programme. Enquiries by The Tribune revealed that out of the 166 out-of-competition tests in athletics conducted by NADA in 2010, only three tested positive. On the whole, out of the 1450 samples collected out-of-competition in 2010, just 12 had tested up positive. This when compared to the 110 positive tests from in-competition testing, reveals the futility of the approach taken by NADA. Players generally are in the know about ou-of-competition tests, and thus the numbers get skewed. “In comparison, host nation for the Olympics, the United Kingdom announced its dope policy last month, whereby they would be randomly collecting samples, but did not clarify when and how many times an athlete would be tested. In India, NADA has failed in its where-about clause, which automatically debars them from reaching athletes anytime and conduct a dope test”, claimed a top Indian shooter. Meanwhile back in NIS Patiala, many Indian athletes currently attending training camps are awaiting NADA officials. “It is such a relaxation to know that they would be arriving on so and so dates, but also it is a well known fact that the officials would not be able to catch dope positive players who would know beforehand and would get the dope washed out from their body well in advance”, claimed a national camper. Defending the move of a formal announcement of dates for dope testing, NADA director general Rahul Bhatnagar said more than just catching dope tainted athletes, NADA’s main role is to establish that these players do not get involved in doping at all. Once they (atheletes) know we are conducting their tests this month and then just prior to their departure for London, they would never take any banned substance”, Bhatnagar told The Tribune, assuring that surprise raids would also be conducted. The NADA has not followed this principle (of secrecy) ever since it sped up its efforts against doping practices among Indian athletes following the ‘positive' tests returned by the country's top woman quarter-milers last year. Last June, NADA officially told the media and then conducted raids at various Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centres, but couldn’t find anything.
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Late Arsenal strike sinks Newcastle
London, March 13 It was the fourth successive league game that Arsene Wenger's side have come from behind to win as Arsenal have made the most of a slump in form by bitter north London rivals to challenge their grip on third spot. "Tottenham have got be watching over their shoulders now," man of the match Theo Walcott told Sky Sports. "We are getting our jobs right, defensively we have been fantastic. We know we can always score goals ... It's been an up-and-down season but it's the way you finish." Visitors Newcastle went ahead in the 14th minute through Hatem Ben Arfa's low drive but their celebrations were extremely short-lived as Arsenal's man of the moment Robin van Persie struck to level the scores less than a minute later. Arsenal were in danger of failing to turn their dominance into more goals before Vermaelen prodded home in the fifth minute of stoppage time after Newcastle failed to clear. Despite a series of misses by the likes of Gervinho, Van Persie and Tomas Rosicky, Wenger said he had never doubted that yet another comeback was on the cards. "I said to my assistant (Pat Rice), one more attack and we will score," he said. "We caught them on a counter-attack on the final movement of the game. We got five minutes of extra time and that allowed us to win the game." The result left Arsenal in fourth with 52 points from 28 games, one behind arch-rivals Spurs whose stranglehold on third spot has loosened after three successive defeats. Newcastle stayed sixth on 44 points, five behind fifth-placed Chelsea. Manchester United jumped above Manchester City at the top of the table after beating West Bromwich Albion 2-0 on Sunday as their title rivals lost 1-0 at Swansea City. A few weeks ago Spurs had looked to have sewn up third spot and automatic Champions League qualification, leaving Arsenal and Chelsea battling it out for fourth spot, but a top-three finish for Wenger's side is now a distinct possibility. Wenger's men were 12 points behind their north London rivals at the start of last month but thanks to the Van Persie goal machine and a resurgence in the form of Rosicky, who signed a contract extension earlier in the day, Arsenal are on song. Much of Arsenal's threat against Newcastle came up the right wing where Bacary Sagna combined well with speedy Walcott, who peppered the area with tantalising crosses. — Reuters
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McMillan tells Indian bookmakers to put up or shut up
Christchurch, March 13 'Sunday Times', a British newspaper, carried out a sting operation of an Indian bookie, who claimed that English county games and international matches are being fixed. The bookies also claimed that players from all the main cricketing nations, including New Zealand, are involved in the match-fixing. "We've heard all this before and the rumour-mill runs amok again," McMillan was quoted as saying in the stuff.co.nz. "It is very easy to hide behind broad accusations but you need to have concrete evidence to deal with, not just idle speculation. I would be really disappointed if it was proved that any New Zealander was involved. "We were reminded time and again about our obligations and I can't believe anyone would be that stupid to risk their career and integrity," he added. McMillan said he has never been approached by anyone with a dodgy deal during his international career spanning from 1996-2007. However, another former New Zealand cricketer Iain O'Brien has claimed that he had seen "dodgy" cricket happenings in India, England and Australia. O'Brien watched televised Twenty20 matches during Australia's recent Big Bash and said "there was stuff that didn't look quite right". He also said that he had witnessed some eyebrow-raising moments in English county cricket too. "I've seen some stuff that I don't necessarily agree with, a bit unexplainable. Everywhere," said O'Brien. "I've seen plenty in India, and I've seen it with my own eyes a couple of times in games that I've commentated on in the UK, stuff that just doesn't make sense, with guys with possible history in it. But that's all I can say. It's all hearsay, and that's the most dangerous," he added. — PTI
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Madrid, March 13 Ronaldo is Real's leading scorer with 40 goals in all competitions and he has scored nine in his last six outings, including two in their 3-2 win at Real Betis on Saturday. He netted the opener against CSKA last month when Real were pegged back to a 1-1 draw on the artificial pitch at an ice-cold Luzhniki stadium - a result which ended Jose Mourinho's perfect start to the competition. "Ronaldo is mentally very strong, has a burning desire to succeed and is very ambitious," former Real striker and current director Emilio Butragueno was quoted as saying in the Spanish media. "He always wants to do the very best, wants to score more goals and always wants the team to win. He is an example for everyone." Only Barcelona have beaten Mourinho's team at the Bernabeu this season, otherwise they have won every other game. They lead the European and Spanish champions by 10 points in La Liga with 12 matches left to play, and the two sides remain favourites for a possible Champions League final showdown in Munich. "In Europe you have to be very careful, you cannot afford any slip ups," Butragueno warned. "The team are in good form and I hope in front of our own fans we will progress." CSKA looked below par in Friday's Moscow derby against Dynamo, which ended in a 1-1 draw, keeping the army team second, six points behind Premier League leaders Zenit St Petersburg with 10 games remaining. CSKA's Ivory Coast striker Seydou Doumbia opened the scoring with his league leading 25th of the campaign after just two minutes, before Dynamo came back to level. "I have to be disappointed with the result as well as the quality of our game," said CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky. Influential fullback Sergei Ignashevich was also highly critical of his team's performance. "We only played at a high tempo for about five minutes, then we allowed our opponents to dominate us," the Russian international said on his personal website. "If we play like we did today against Real we will have zero chances in that match." With first-choice goalkeeper Igor Akinfeyev and Chile winger Mark Gonzalez still out with long-term injuries, Slutsky was expected to make few changes from the first leg, bringing back defensive midfielder Pavel Mamayev, who missed the Moscow match through suspension. No fears on Real job: Mourinho
Jose Mourinho has played down suggestions his job as Real Madrid coach will be on the line if the Spaniards fail to qualify for the Champions League quarterfinals against CSKA Moscow. Mourinho said he feared the unpredictable nature of the game more than the ramifications a defeat would have on his job. "My future won't be decided by Wednesday's result, unless the club
fire me if we don't qualify," said the Portuguese, whose side top the Spanish league with a 10-point
lead on arch rivals Barcelona. — Agencies |
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Chemotherapy almost over: Yuvraj
New Delhi, March 13 "My last stretch 4 mor dys to go Can't wait fr it to end Set me free dear lord," Yuvraj tweeted. Yuvraj had last month stated that the tumour between his lungs is almost out of his system. Yuvraj, who has been in Boston since last month, is expected to be back on the field in the first week of May, according to his doctor. The 30-year-old has gone bald during the treatment, which will go on till the last week of March before the process of rehabilitation starts in April. After being diagnosed with the illness, Yuvraj has not played competitive cricket since taking part in two of three home Tests against the West Indies in November. He has so far scored 8,051 runs in 274 one-dayers and 1,775 runs in 37 Tests since making his international debut in 2000. He was named Player of the Tournament in the World Cup for scoring 362 runs and grabbing 15 wickets in nine matches.
— PTI |
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India whitewashed at AFC Challenge Cup
Kathmandu, March 13 This was India's third defeat in a row in a competition in which the team failed to score a single goal while conceding eight. DPR's goals came through Jon Kwang Ik (fourth minute), Ri Kwang Hyok (34th minute), Pak Nam Chol (58th minute) and Ri Chol Myong (70th minute). The Koreans, who have won all their three matches, topped Group B and moved into the semifinals with nine points. Even prior to the kick-off, DPR stayed overwhelming favourites. Apart from their superior FIFA ranking, they boasted of seven World Cuppers who had represented their country in the 2010 edition. DPR never allowed the Indians to settle down as they struggled to match the east-Asian nation's pace. Defensive lapses only added to India's misery and the only scoring chance for the team came in the 39th minute. — PTI
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Zakir Hussain College to meet Moti Lal Nehru in soccer final
New Delhi, March 13
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Interestingly, both the batsmen completed their tenth ODI hundreds.