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21st Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
Proud to be part of India’s rediscovery of chess: Anand
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BCCI is not against Kapil Dev: Shukla
Mahindra racers gear up for another tough ride
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21st Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
Ipoh (Malaysia), May 31 Sunil made a diving effort to push the ball into the goal in the 69th minute to clinch the issue for India and keep themselves in the hunt for a podium finish. Sardar Singh created the opening with his defence-splitting pass to the right and Sunil capitalised on the chance. India, who are already out of contention for a final berth, had earlier opened the scoring in the 30th minute through Sandeep Singh's penalty corner conversion while Pakistan equalised through a penalty corner goal by skipper Sohail Abbas in the 59th minute in the last league match of both the sides. The victory gave India a chance to stay in the hunt for the bronze medal match. India collected nine points from their six round-robin league matches and now await the other results to know who would be their opponent in the play-offs for final positions. In a match devoid of many openings for field goals, Pakistan had the first look at the Indian goal in the 13th minute when unmarked Shafqat Rasool received a cross from right on top of circle, but failed to beat goalkeeper Bharat Chetri with his reverse hit. Pakistan then forced two penalty corners in the next minute, but the Indian defence stood firm. Not many goal-bearing moves were produced by either team and then Indian strikers finally exerted pressure to earn a penalty corner that was converted by Sandeep, who sent a rising drag-flick into the net to put India ahead in the half-hour mark. A minute later, Shivendra failed to trap Tushar Khandekar's defence-splitting cross from left. Pakistan then forced two penalty corners in the last two minutes of the first half, but failed to cause any danger in the absence of ace penalty corner shooter Sohail Abbas who was off the pitch. India earned their second penalty corner three minutes into the second half but also failed to cause any trouble with Sandeep not there to take the shot. Abbas was back to take Pakistan's next penalty corner and saw his low shot being deflected out in the 45th minute. He made amends in the next penalty corner that came in the 59th minute by sending a grounder into the boards. India's defence came under a lot of pressure for 10 minutes in the second half as Pakistani strikers repeatedly broke through. India went out looking for a late goal and forced their last penalty corner in the 67th minute, but Sandeep's rising shot was blocked by a defender. Two minutes later, when a draw seemed on the horizon, Sardar's defence splitting pass from the centre created an opening that was converted by Sunil, who dived forward to push the ball in. Pakistan have just three points from five games, having lost four successive matches after starting with a victory over Argentina. Earlier, South Korea held Great Britain to a 1-1 draw, a result that severely affected favourites Great Britain's chances of making it to the final. Great Britain now have eight points from five games, while South Korea have five from as many matches. New Zealand and Argentina, the other main contenders, have nine points each. South Korea took the lead in the 23rd minute as Yoon Sung-Hoon picked up a long diagonal ball on top of the circle and beat the defence with a fine shot. Great Britain pressed hard and equalised in the 50th minute through Jonty Clarke's dazzling goal after receiving a pass from Ashley Jackson inside the circle.
— PTI |
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Proud to be part of India’s rediscovery of chess: Anand
Moscow, May 31 The 42-year-old Indian clinched his fifth title yesterday after beating Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand 2.5-1.5 in a tense tie-breaker at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow after being tied 6-6 in the 12 classical games. Asked about his role in giving a fillip to Indian chess, Anand said: "When I grew up there was not much chess scene in India but I was lucky that whatever chess scene was there, the centre was in Chennai. We benefitted from the fact that the Soviet cultural centre was in Chennai. "We had a bunch of enthusiasts who would come on Sunday and play blitz the whole day. They were also very committed, they would organise weekend tournaments and I used to play and with constant practice I started to become better. "I am very proud that India rediscovered chess then. I am proud to have played a big role in that discovery. I could feel it because when I became world junior champion and then the Grand master, we could see that chess was certainly becoming popular in India. "So, I am very happy that India was taking to chess again in a big way. Right now, we have a lot of depth both in men and women's game, a lot of people are taking part," he added. Anand meets Putin
Newly-crowned world chess champion Viswanathan Anand and runner-up Boris Gelfand today met Russian President Vladimir Putin over a cup of tea in his residence. Anand, who clinched his fifth World championship title yesterday, beating Gelfend in a tie-breaker 2.5-1.5 after their 12-game affair ended in a draw, told that he had learnt chess in a Soviet cultural center in his hometown when he was a child. — PTI |
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Rafa Nadal, Tsonga advance, Murrray wins painful battle
Paris, May 31 The Briton was joined in the third round by French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who returned to complete a match suspended overnight because of rain and finished off German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 6-2 4-6 6-2 6-1.
Murray was a semi-finalist last year - his best result at the claycourt grand slam - but looked to be heading for an early exit in the first set of his match on Philippe Chatrier court. He summoned the trainer three times and lay, with his teeth clenched, as his back was massaged, then got up again to move stiffly around the court. At changeovers, he stayed on his feet rather than sitting down. Murray will now play Colombian Santiago Giraldo, who knocked out 25th seed Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-4 6-1 6-3. Sixth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer had a straightforward, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over French player Benoit Paire and will now play either 27th seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia or Dutchman Robin Haase. Women's fourth seed Petra Kvitova, who has had a year marked by illness and injury, was in fine form on the Suzanne Lenglen court, swiftly beating Pole Urszula Radwanska 6-1 6-3. Local favourite Arnaud Clement, the oldest man in the draw at 34, bade goodbye to Roland Garros after 15 appearances here with an emotional ceremony on court after his 3-6, 7-6, 0-6, 6-2, 6-1 defeat by Belgian lucky loser David Goffin. The Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna crashed out of the French Open men's doubles event after losing to French duo of Marc Gicquel and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the opening round on Thursday. The sixth-seeded Indians were shocked by the unseeded Frenchmen, who came from a set down to snatch the match 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 in an hour and 35 minutes.
— Agencies |
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BCCI is not against Kapil Dev: Shukla
New Delhi, May 31 While the BCCI made one-time payment to former Indian cricketers from the IPL surplus, Kapil's omission created a flutter and the Board had surprisingly not given any reason for ignoring the former Indian captain. Since the BCCI never released the full list of the beneficiaries, there was confusion on whether the former captain's name figured in it or not. But IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla today finally put the records straight by saying that Kapil Dev was not eligible for the monetary benefit. "As far as Kapil Dev is concerned, BCCI is not against him. We have not got anything against Kapil but there is a technical issue. He has not accepted the amnesty proposal (by the BCCI). Technically, he is out of this benefit ambit. Otherwise, BCCI has nothing against him," Shukla told PTI in an interview here today. Asked whether BCCI will consider his name if he seeks amnesty, Shukla said, "It's a hypothetical question. If he gives it, the BCCI working committee will definitely consider it." Kapil, on his part, had left it on the BCCI saying that they are the "boss" and it's their call to provide him the one-time monetary benefit or not. The 1983-World Cup winning captain was not invited by the BCCI for the functions at the four IPL venues where it honoured former cricketers with cheques for their services to Indian cricket. Kapil played 131 Tests and 225 One-day internationals for India and is rated among one of the greatest all-rounders to have played the game. He is entitled to get 1.5 crore from the BCCI as per the scheme. On why some other cricketers like Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohinder Amarnath, Gundappa Vishwnath and Syed Kirmani were not considered for the benefit, Shukla said, "Those who have been already alloted benefit matches, they cannot be part of this scheme. They cannot be given the same advantage again." Shukla was unhappy with the negative publicity being given to this scheme merely because some players were not considered. "The reason behind giving one-time benefit to players was that not many players were able to hold their benefit matches. Firstly, it's a cumbersome job to organise a match nowadays. No team is free to be available for the benefit matches. "It was a very important decision as far as the BCCI is concerned. Roughly, Rs 90-100 crore are being distributed to players and their widows. Players were happy because they never thought that something like that would happen to them," Shukla said. "No sports organisation in the world has done it before. We are also giving pensions to our players. We feel upset when we come to know that unnecessary controversy has been created despite doing so much for the former players. In place of appreciating this gesture, they have been criticising us.”
— PTI |
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Sports Ministry wants BCCI under RTI
New Delhi, May 31 Sports Minister Ajay Maken said he has appealed to the CIC to bring BCCI under RTI for varied reasons. "We have appealed to the CIC (to bring BCCI under RTI). Our appeal is based on a number of valid reasons," he told reporters after unveiling the Draft National Youth Policy here today. "The first reason why the BCCI should come under RTI is that the lands on which the state federations have built their stadiums and other facilities have been provided by the state governments. "Moreover, from 1996 to 2006, the government has given a tax exemption of Rs 365 crore to the BCCI," he said. "And the most important thing is that the biggest public function they are performing is by selecting the team for India. Any team or institution which plays under the Indian flag should come under RTI," Maken added. The proposed National Sports Bill, which was prepared after receiving comments and suggestions from various stakeholders and the public, seeks to have BCCI as National Sports Federation (NSF) and wants it to function as a public authority and comply with the requirements specified in the RTI Act. If the BCCI becomes an NSF, it would be bound to provide information under the RTI and would also be forced to follow the anti-doping rules as specified by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). These proposals of the Bill have been vehemently opposed by the BCCI and some other sports bodies, including the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
— PTI |
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England’s Kevin Pietersen retires from limited overs cricket
"After a great deal of thought and deliberation, I am today announcing my retirement from international one-day cricket," said Pietersen, whose decision comes just four months ahead of the World T20 in Sri Lanka where England is the defending champions. "With the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body, approaching 32, I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the ICC World Cup in 2015. The terms of England players' central contract state that any cricketer making himself unavailable for either of the one-day formats automatically rules himself out of consideration for both formats of the game. Pietersen said this means he would have to say goodbye to T20s as well. "I am immensely proud of my achievements in the one-day game, but still wish to be considered for selection for England in Test cricket. "For the record, were the selection criteria not in place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming ICC World Twenty20," he added. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) made the announcement in a statement but said it was disappointed with the timing of Pietersen's decision. Hugh Morris, Managing Director of England Cricket said: "The ECB is disappointed by the timing of Kevin's decision less than four months before we defend our ICC World Twenty20 title. "Kevin is a world-class player and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his efforts and we look forward to his continued contributions to the Test match side. "As the programming and planning for ODI and T20 format cricket are very closely linked we have a selection policy that means that any player making himself unavailable for either of the one-day formats rules himself out of consideration for both formats. The selectors will now replace Kevin in both the ODI and the T20 squads," he added. The 31-year-old Pietersen has played 127 ODIs and 36 international T20s for England, making his international debut in 2004 against Zimbabwe in Harare. Pietersen has scored 4,184 runs at an average of 41.84 in one-day internationals and averages 37.93 in international T20 cricket. The flamboyant batsman, who discussed his position with the ECB during the recent Test against West Indies at Lord's, has a contract till September 2012. That contract will be downgraded to reflect the fact that he will only be selected for Test cricket from now on.
— PTI Highs and Lows
January-February 2005: Returns to South Africa with England. Gets booed. Scores 108*, 75, 100* and 116. June 2005: Takes England to victory over Australia at Bristol with 91 from 65 deliveries. April 2007: Scores 444 runs at 55.50, rising to the top of the ODI batsman rankings, but can't prevent England flopping at the World Cup. August 2008: Appointed England captain across all formats; leads a 4-0 rout of South Africa in the ODI series. April 2009: Signed by Royal Challengers for $1.55 million, becoming one of the two highest-paid players. June 2009: England's leading runscorer at World T20 but the hosts fail to reach the knockout stages.
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Mahindra racers gear up for another tough ride
New Delhi, May 31 A tranche of new engine parts and the boost of having opened their World Championship score at the previous round will add further impetus to their efforts - race-developing the all-new all-independent Mahindra MGP-30 in the white heat of grand prix competition. It was the younger Mahindra rider, Marcel Schrötter (19, from Germany), who bagged the points, in a gruelling race in which his refusal to give up in wet conditions earned him the 12th place. Team-mate Danny Webb (21, from England) fell prey to the conditions, dashing his hopes of making the most of his skills on the wet track. The Indian team, based in Italy, is facing a grid full of over-the-counter production racers with its own pure prototype - still at the beginning of its development and already able to mix it with the establishment. Mahindra has chosen this difficult path because engineering lessons learned offer greater research-and-development opportunities to the Indian manufacturer. “We have had some challenging times, but the result at Le Mans shows that if we never give up and all work together, we can continue making progress. That is very much the Mahindra philosophy,” said Mahindra Racing’s CEO Mufaddal
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London, May 31
November 2004: Completes qualifying period, called up to England's tour of Zimbabwe, makes unbeaten 27 in 47 balls on debut in Harare.
