Colombo, September 24
With Harbhajan Singh making a memorable comeback and Piyush Chawla coming good in the spin department, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said that his side would face the problem of plenty but the best eleven will play in the remaining games of the World Twenty20 here.

"Now we have got a problem of plenty with both the spinners (Harbhajan and Chawla) doing well today. Yes, we have got difficult decisions to make. Not to forget that the players who missed out today have won a lot of games for India on their own," Dhoni said after India thrash England by 90 runs in their last group league match.

"It will be difficult decision but we will pick the best eleven," he added.

He praised the players for the all-round show against defending champions. “It was an efficient performance. People might say we were slow for the first 15 over , but we were not over-aiming. We had five bowlers, we knew that," he said.

“Then the bowlers produced a fantastic performance," he said. Dhoni informed that he requested some senior players to take rest so that the side can try out some combinations.

"It was a difficult decision, but we requested the seniors to rest so that we could try out some combinations. All of them cooperated and told me to go ahead," he said.

“We rested R Ashwin also, our best spinner for some time so that we can try Harbhajan and Piyush. They did really well today," he added. Asked about Irfan Pathan opening the innings in the absence of Virender Sehwag, he said, "We thought by opening with Irfan, there would be no change in batting position of other batsmen. They would be batting in their earlier batting spots.

“He (Irfan) is a gutsy player. He may not look pretty, but he responds to the call," said Dhoni. “About Rohit, he is talented player. It is important if guys are responding to give them a few extra games."

England captain Stuart Broad conceded that it was a poor show by his players today. "Yeah it was poor. All round really. We were okay with chasing 171, but India bowled really well. We weren`t as efficient, but we were happy with 171," he said. Asked why his batsmen competed in returning to the dressing room, he said, “We played across the line too much. It was worth looking at playing one fewer spinner because we could afford to lose. I don`t agree we can`t play spin. — PTI

Colombo, September 24
Former England captain Mike Brearley, in his influential book The Art of Captaincy, has written a paragraph which may just be of immediate relevance for Indian captain MS Dhoni.

“It is his (captain’s) responsibility to sort out good from bad advice, and to know when to, and when not to, seek it. It is also an important facet of captaincy to be able to deal with many conflicting demands at the same time.”

Dhoni is, of course, no Rahul Dravid and you can be almost sure that he may never have read this excellent book. Dhoni is indeed facing many conflicting demands at the same time as far as the selection of the playing 11 for the next match is concerned. Quite typically, he has smartly avoided saying anything, only conceding that he was happy to have a problem of plenty. It is one of the most challenging times for Dhoni as he has to deal with three players who are not only senior to him (in terms of India debut) but have also played very important roles in shaping India’s fortunes in the new century.

Prior to the England game, there was a realistic possibility of benching all of them together. Critics may keep giving credit to luck for his astounding success (which has played its part) but there is no denying that he is an astute leader. That’s why he hailed Zaheer as the Tendulkar of bowling. This was a masterstroke ahead of a crucial match in which he was supposed to rest his most experienced bowler. So, when Zaheer was rested, there were no usual whispers or conspiracy theories. Similarly, even a more sensitive issue of resting Sehwag (considering their history) was dealt with a seasoned diplomat’s touch. Sehwag was apparently ‘requested’ by the captain so that he could give others a chance. Naturally, it is better to be requested than to be dropped!

It is no secret that the presence of Sehwag, Zaheer and Harbhajan in the playing eleven will have a serious effect on the fielding standards of the team, as was made clear on the tour of Australia earlier this year, even though one of the seniors then was Sachin Tendulkar.

Former captains Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble have said that it does look difficult to accommodate Sehwag from now onwards in the tournament. That takes care of any “hidden agenda” Dhoni could be alleged to have against the opener.

Then, including Harbhajan in the XI was nothing short of a gamble, and it paid off. Harbhajan was out of action in international circuit for over a year and didn’t have a great IPL either. But Dhoni knew how to exploit the seasoned spinner’s hunger and the urge to prove critics wrong.

It will be interesting if Dhoni ever attempts to read Brearley’s book or write his own. But he will definitely agree with another passage from that acclaimed book, where Brearley sums up the decision making process of a captain. “In fact, the decision making process is often a matter of ideas being thrown in, played with, criticised, until it is hard to say whose idea is that the captain eventually acts on – and is judged by. In retrospect, it is easier to recall the spectacular success and defeats rather than the buzz of reflection, intuition, bluff and memory that actually makes up the job.”

The writer is a journalist with CNN-IBN-7

Pallekele, September 24
New Zealand captain Ross Taylor has admitted his team’s fielding during their two T20 World Cup group stage matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan wasn’t up to the mark, and wants his player to improve in their Super Eight matches.

New Zealand progressed from the preliminary pool stage courtesy of their net run-rate despite losing to Pakistan by 13 runs in Pallekele on Sunday.

Taylor feels his side's fielding in both matches was below par, and against Pakistan it allowed the opposition batting line-up to have too good a start.

“We probably leaked a few too many runs in that first 10 overs,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Taylor, as saying. Pakistan, who won the toss and chose to bat, were 92-1 at the mid-point of an innings that finished at 177-6, and Taylor said he was pleased with how the Black Caps then managed to peg the Pakistanis back.

“We could have been staring down the barrel of a 190, 200 score,” Taylor said. Taylor was himself party to the fielding lapses, dropping a slip catch offered up in the very first over by rival skipper Mohammad Hafeez off the bowling of Kyle Mills.

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez said he was confident his bowlers could deliver victory.

“I was confident that my varied bowling will defend the total and Ajmal was once again outstanding,” said Hafeez. “Once we got Brendon out we were sure of the win and even the runs in the penultimate over didn't disturb us."

Jamshed made a 35-ball 56 and added 76 for the second wicket with Hafeez (43).

Jamshed hit two boundaries and four sixes as he was aggressive from the start, smashing paceman Adam Milne for a six before hitting two off spinner Nathan McCullum in successive overs. He reached his maiden fifty off just 27 balls, improving on his previous best of 45 he made against Australia in Dubai last month. — PTI

Pallekele, September 24
Title aspirants Pakistan would look to ensure a Super Eight berth by topping their pool when they take on minnows Bangladesh in their final Group D clash of the ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament here on Tuesday.

Pakistan and Bangladesh have clashed five times since the inception of the format and the former has always emerged victorious in the slam-bang battles. Pakistan, the 2009 World T20 champions, are among the favourites to clinch a second title and led inspiringly by opener Mohammad Hafeez, the team looked every bit a genuine contender in its 14-run triumph over New Zealand in the opening group clash yesterday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, were blown away by the Kiwis in their lung-opener and it would be tough for them to regroup easily against another tough opponent.

It was a rare clinical performance by the infamously temperamental Pakistan with the entire top half of batting making decent contributions.

The bowlers were also disciplined with their miserly spells, stifling the Kiwi line-up — Saeed Ajmal being the star with a four-wicket haul.

Led by Hafeez, all the top order batsmen, be it Nasir Jamshed or Imran Nazir, made good contributions. Umar Akmal too was in his element during his cameo but all-rounder Shoaib Malik remains a worry. Sending him ahead of the aggressive Shahid Afridi against New Zealand didn't work as Pakistan's scoring rate suffered and it would be interesting to see how the line-up shapes up tomorrow.

The bowling attack looks just perfect for the conditions with Ajmal, against whom most of international batsmen have so far struggled to get going, being Pakistan's trump card. Bangladesh, on the other hand, are out of Super Eight contention but would try to ensure that they go out with heads held high after a disappointing loss to New Zealand.

Most of their batsmen, including the reliable ones like Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, failed to fire in the opening game. The bowlers were also taken to the cleaners by the same Kiwis who just could not take off against Pakistan. But if Bangladesh manage to produce the surprise act that has disturbed set equations in the past, it would turn out to be an interesting battle between the two sub-continental rivals. — PTI

London, September 24
Controversial former England captain John Terry faced a Football Association disciplinary hearing over racism charges on Monday, despite being cleared in a criminal case.

John Terry dramatically quit international football by announcing his retirement on Sunday. — AFP

The start of the hearing into whether he racially abused Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand in October, came a day after Terry dramatically quit international football by announcing his retirement in protest at his treatment by the FA.

Chelsea skipper Terry, who is to continue playing for the European champions, said Sunday that the FA had made his position "untenable" after he had already been cleared of criminal charges emanating from the controversy.

"I feel the FA, in pursuing charges against me where I have already been cleared in a court of law, have made my position with the national team untenable," he said in a statement. "I now look forward to playing for Chelsea FC and challenging for domestic and European honours and I want to thank the fans and the club for their continued support."

But FA general secretary Alex Horne, in the governing body's first response to Terry's England retirement, told Sky Sports on Monday: "It's a personal decision. I don't see how we've made it untenable, they're two very separate processes.

"That's a very different process from our England procedures, they sit in different compartments and I could separate the two in my mind, but it doesn't look like he could."

Central defender Terry has always denied using a racist slur against Ferdinand during a Premier League match last October and was cleared of criminal charges relating to the incident by a London court in July.

The criminal action had to prove Terry's guilt beyond reasonable doubt but the judge ruled the prosecution had not proved their case to that standard.

Terry, 31, had hoped his courtroom acquittal would be the end of the matter but instead found himself on the end of an internal hearing by the sport's governing body in England. He, his legal team, the independent FA panel and Ferdinand were all seen arriving at the FA's Wembley Stadium headquarters in north London on Monday morning. Terry's supporters say the FA's own regulations should preclude the governing body from taking further action. — Agencies

Atlanta, September 24
Brandt Snedeker won golf's FedEx Cup and its $10 million bonus after capturing the season-ending Tour Championship yesterday as Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods failed to challenge for either title.

It's Snedeker's fourth career victory on the U.S. PGA Tour and second this year following his win at January's Farmers Insurance Open.

"I'm very rarely speechless, but this is about as close as I get to speechless," Snedeker told reporters. "It solidifies what I already know. When I play my best golf, my best golf is some of the best in the world." A 31-year-old American, Snedeker entered the final round tied for the lead with England's Justin Rose at 8-under par and carded a 2-under 68 for a three-shot victory over Rose, who shot 1-over 71.

Luke Donald and Ryan Moore tied for third at 6 under. Snedeker had a bogey on the par-3 final hole after his tee shot landed in a spectator area left of the green. He had opened a four-shot lead on the previous hole when he chipped in for birdie from in front of the green. It wasn't until then that the Nashville, Tennessee, native said he finally allowed himself to think about the bonus check.— Reuters

Patiala, September 24
The young Rajasthan BJP MLA Abhishek Matoria, the newly elected president of the Indian Boxing Federation, believes in transparent working and opines that that his political positon and sports background will certainly help him to do justice with the chair. Replacing incumbent Abhay Singh Chautala who has served IBF for more than a decade, Matoria says he will ensure that he takes the game to the next level.

What tops your priority list?

I have taken the charge at a stage when boxing is already the most sought after game and thus my responsibility increases manifold. I am basically looking forward to see it grow leaps and bounds and for this, I will use my understanding of sports. I am looking forward to see more players- both men and women, taking up the sport in future and ensure that they get the best of the facilities.

Why the IBF elections were held in a quite manner? Was it a deliberate attempt to keep media away since many earlier office bearers have been repeated in IBF, by just changing their posts?

There is no question of secrecy. The results are in front of everyone. In fact, many new faces have been brought in IBF which will certainly help in promoting boxing

What do you have to say to Abhay Singh Chautala being nominated as the Chairman of the Indian Boxing Federation?

He has served boxing for very long and it is due to his consistent efforts that boxing has risen to these heights today. His vast experience would be of great help to us. We actually want him to be the president of the Indian Olympic Association because only a sportsperson like him can handle this organization and understand the sentiments of sportspersons.

Colombo, September 24
Mithali Raj was the best-placed Indian batter at number three while Jhulan Goswami was the country's highest-ranked bowler at second in the ICC Women's T20I Player Rankings which were launched here today.

Another Indian, Harpreet Kaur, was placed in the sixth spot in the batting list with 587 points. Mithali had 652 rating points while Jhulan rose to the second position with 653 points. Amita Sharma took the fifth position in the all-rounder's chart with 205 points.

England's Sarah Taylor and Lisa Sthalekar of Australia were revealed as the number-one ranked batter and bowler, respectively. The launching ceremony took place just two days before the start of ICC Women's World T20 in Galle on September 26. Taylor, who recently won the ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year Award, leads with 691 ratings points. — PTI