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Captain Cook dishes out strong Alastair Cook pulls during his knock of 112 on the second day of the match against India A in Mumbai on Wednesday. — PTI |
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Yuvraj Singh takes medication in Mumbai on Wednesday. — AFP
Raina justifies not giving England top spin
Arsenal’s Reading lessons
Arsenal’s defender Laurent Koscielny (R) heads in the team’s third goal during their match against Reading in Reading on Tuesday. Arsenal won the match 7-5 after extra time. — AFP
It’s official: Nico to leave Force India and join Sauber
Force India-Mercedes driver Nico Hulkenberg of Germany gestures during this year’s Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International circuit in Greater Noida. — AFP
Abu Dhabi circuit suits us, says Force India
IOA election: Boost for Chautala
McIlroy, Woods panned over WGC no-show
Ian Poulter plays from a bunker during the WGC HSBC Champions Pro-Am in Dongguan on Wednesday. — AFP
Top players for DLF Masters golf
Chelsea face referee backlash in race row
Lalit Modi loses compensation case to Cairns
Blatter thought English game was run by idiots: Coe
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Captain Cook dishes out strong England reply
Mumbai, October 31 The left-handed opener struck 112, embellished with 13 fours, and shared a 153-run stand with Samit Patel (82) for the unfinished fifth wicket to help side recover from 133 for four at the Brabourne Stadium. Patel had joined Cook just before tea, and has hit 12 boundaries in his 145-ball knock so far. Cook was dropped on 88 by wicket keeper Wridhiman Saha off Yuvraj Singh, who claimed two of the four England wickets. Yuvraj, who scored a fine 59 on Tuesday, dismissed Kevin Pietersen (23) and Ian Bell (5) in successive overs. Home team skipper Suresh Raina had earlier given the breakthrough when he bowled Jonathan Trott (56) with a sharply turning ball as the batsman played back. The captain's knock by Cook, who came to Indian shores on the back of a fine 115 against South Africa, and the supporting roles played by Trott and Patel were good preparations for England ahead of the start of the four-Test series against India starting on November 15 in Ahmedabad. Cook prepared for the hard grind well as he added 95 runs for the second wicket with Trott, who batted for just under two hours and hit nine fours in 95 balls, before putting on a century stand with Patel. Cook, who slammed a monumental 294 in the third Test at Edgbaston on India's disastrous tour of England last year, was concentration personified as he eschewed risky shots before going on the offensive with some excellent drives and cut shots.— PTI Brief Scores: England (1st innings): 286/4 in 87 overs (A Cook batting 112, J Trott 56, K Pietersen 23, S Patel batting 82 Irfan Pathan 45-0, Dinda 46-1, Yuvraj Singh 52-2, Vinay Kumar 35-0, Raina 43-1) Finn’s thigh injury keeps him out England fast bowler Steve Finn has been ruled out of the remainder of their opening tour game against India A because of the thigh injury he sustained on the first day. "Steve Finn has been ruled out of remainder of the three-day game with right thigh strain. He will be assessed over the next couple of days to determine a rehabilitation programme," said a spokesperson of the England and Wales Cricket Board travelling with the team. The lanky fast bowler bowled only four overs for 22 runs without taking a wicket in the opening session of play on day one on Tuesday and took no further part as India A raked up 369 for 9 by close in 90 overs.
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Yuvi best judge of his fitness: Dhoni
New Delhi, October 31 In his bid to get selected for the four-match Test series against England, Yuvraj has kept himself in fine form in the first class circuit. With a double century for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone and 59 for India A against England XI in a warm-up game, Yuvraj has surely strengthened his claims for the No.6 spot in the national Test team. "Test cricket is different from ODIs. I feel Yuvraj is the best judge of his fitness. It should be best left to him to decide if he can survive the grind of Test cricket," he said.
— IANS |
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Raina justifies not giving England top spin
Mumbai, October 31 "We bowled really well, (Ashok) Dinda, myself and Yuvraj (Singh). Me and Yuvraj bowled 40 overs and got two and one wickets. Manoj Tiwary also bowled well," said Raina. England rode on captain Alastair Cook's unbeaten 112 and half centuries by Jonathan Trott and Samit Patel to make 286 for 4 in reply to India A's 369 in their first innings. Raina sent back Trott with his off-break while Yuvraj, also a part-time bowler, picked up the wickets of key England batsmen Kevin Pietersen (23) and Ian Bell (5), having made a fine 59 on Tuesday. However, Cook and Patel (82 not out) got a crucial, unfinished stand of 153 for the fifth wicket to stem the rot. Though Raina and Yuvraj bowled only 16 overs each, the tally bowled by part-timers rose to 38 with Manoj Tiwary and Murali Vijay sending down four and two overs respectively. Raina, who is fighting for the number six slot in the Test team with Yuvraj, also praised Cook's effort and said the left-handed opening batsman seemed to be on a roll. "He (Cook) is looking solid. He will definitely score a lot of runs this season. He has been batting really well since last two, two-and-a-half years. I wish him luck. Hopefully, he will not do well against India," he said. About Pietersen being dismissed once again by Yuvraj, whose bowling the South African-born player has described as 'pie-chucking', Raina said the two flamboyant players had a good laugh at the end of the day. "He has a few successes against KP. He was very happy (with the dismissal). They both had a laugh later," said Raina. He felt England players had enough experience of Indian wickets to counter the spin threat. "All England players know to play spin because of IPL." About the ICC decision on introducing day-night Test matches, Raina said it would be difficult to do it in India because of the weather in winter (dew factor) and fog. England allrounder Patel said his innings cannot as yet be said to have guaranteed him a spot in the first Test team at Ahmedabad. “There are a few more practice games to go and a lot of work left to do,” he said. He also praised his captain for his sheet-anchoring innings. "To bat all day is a great effort," said Patel.
— PTI |
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India’s Test team will only improve with time: Dhoni
New Delhi, October 31 "On paper it may look the weakest. It is a different looking team after the retirement of Rahul bhai (Dravid) and VVS Laxman. But we are also a very different side on the field. Slowly we are growing in confidence and I am hopeful that this team will only improve with time," said Dhoni at the launch of his gym Sportsfit. Dhoni said the team was looking forward to the hectic six months ahead during which India host England, Pakistan and Australia. The four-match Test series against England starts November 15. "The team has a busy time ahead with the home series against England, Pakistan Australia. We will try our best against England. We will try to do good and focus on the specifics. The side is doing well in the one-day format and it will take some time to get back to the top of Test cricket," said Dhoni. Endorsing the view of his team mates Virat Kohli and Harbhajan Singh on preparing turning tracks at home, Dhoni said he was looking forward to see spinners ruling the roost in the four-match Test series against England.
— IANS
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Arsenal’s Reading lessons
London, October 31 Manager Arsene Wenger said last week that the League Cup was at the bottom of his priority list and it looked it as his second-string Arsenal team conceded four goals in the opening 37 minutes at the Madejski Stadium. Reading, third from bottom in the Premier League, ran riot early on thanks to Jason Roberts, a Laurent Koscielny own goal, Mikele Leigertwood and Noel Hunt. Theo Walcott gave twice former League Cup winners Arsenal hope with a goal before halftime and impressive substitute Olivier Giroud made it 4-2 on 64 minutes with a classy header. The Londoners were a different side in the second half with France striker Giroud making a big impact. Defender Koscielny made up for his earlier error with another headed goal in the 89th minute before the Arsenal fans went wild with delight when Carl Jenkinson was credited with the equaliser after he smashed the ball in after Walcott had appeared to score. The visitors thought their comeback was complete in extra-time when the much-maligned Marouane Chamakh, making his first start since January, drilled the ball home to make it 5-4. Pavel Pogrebnyak hauled Reading level with a header from six metres and then, just as the goalkeepers were preparing for a penalty shootout, Andrei Arshavin’s shot was cleared off the line and feel kindly for Walcott to grab his second goal. Chamakh added Arsenal’s seventh just before the whistle with a smart lob over keeper Adam Federici. Arsenal
spirit
“You cannot play for Arsenal and give up, no matter what the score is,” Wenger told Sky Sports television. “The players understood at halftime that they couldn’t come out in the second half with the same performance. Give them credit, they responded very well.” Reading manager Brian McDermott, a former Arsenal player, said conceding the first goal before halftime was the turning point. “We had to make sure we went in at 4-0 but we went in at 4-1 and I wasn’t happy,” he said. “I wasn’t comfortable at 4-1, I don’t know why, I just had that feeling. We will just have to take this on the chin though
as a group and get on with our jobs.” Elsewhere, third tier Bradford City caused an upset by beating Premier League Wigan Athletic 4-2 on penalties after a scoreless 120 minutes. Shaun Maloney and Jordi Gomez were the Wigan players who failed to convert in the shootout.
— Reuters |
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It’s official: Nico to leave Force India and join Sauber
New Delhi, October 31 The Swiss team announced that it has signed Hulkenberg for the next season. The 25-year-old German made his Formula One debut in 2010 with the Williams F1 Team and captured a pole position in his maiden year. He joined Force India as a reserve and test driver in 2011 and was elevated to racing seat this year in place of Adrian Sutil. "We've been observing Nico for some time now and his performances have been very persuasive. That was the case in GP2 and has continued into Formula One. An obvious highlight was how he scored pole at Interlagos in 2010 despite the most challenging external conditions. "He clearly showed that he can seize the chance if it arises. But high spots like that are one thing, systematic teamwork is another - and on that score I have confidence in Nico too. I'm sure he will fit in very well with the Sauber F1 Team. We look forward to working together with him," Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn said. Hulkenberg sits 12th in the drivers' championship with 49 points with three races to go. His career-best result came this season at the Belgian Grand Prix, where he finished fourth on the challenging Spa-Francorchamps circuit. "I'm really looking forward to working with the Sauber F1 Team. It's a well-placed team and very competitive. The Sauber F1 Team is currently going through a very positive development and I'm certain that together we can achieve a lot. Until that time I will remain fully focused on my job with the Sahara Force India Team. I'd like to thank the management at Sahara Force India for giving me the chance to return to Formula One as a team driver," Hulkenberg said. Meanwhile, Force India Team principal Vijay Mallya appreciated the good work Hulkenberg did for the team. "It has been a pleasure to have Nico with us for the last couple of years. At the end of 2010, we identified him as a star of the future and it has been rewarding to watch him develop his racing skills. Together with Paul, he has done a brilliant job for us, helping the team score more points than ever before."
— PTI |
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Abu Dhabi circuit suits us, says Force India
Abu Dhabi, October 31 In the 2012 season, Force India are doing well consistently in the second half of the season. Nico Hulkenberg, who will join Sauber in 2013, said they have produced good results on circuits like that of Abu Dhabi. "I think Abu Dhabi should suit us a bit more than India. It's a twisty circuit with more low-speed corners and it's a bit more like Singapore, where we looked quite competitive. So I'm optimistic going there," the German said. Paul Di Resta is hopeful that the issues he had with his car during the Indian Grand Prix will be sorted out. "The whole team has been working hard to try and understand the issues we had in India. We've seen some things in the data so hopefully we can get on top of them and back up to speed right from the start of practice on Friday," he said. "It's a very technical circuit with a lot of tight, low-speed corners and you need to be very precise with the car," he added.
— PTI |
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IOA election: Boost for Chautala
New Delhi, October 31 Kho-Kho Federation of India president Rajiv Mehta, who is also the president of the Uttrakhand Olympic Association, Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association secretary-general Anandeshwar Pandey and hockey India secretary-general Narinder Bhatra have confirmed their "unconditional support" to Abhay Singh. Abhay Singh, who is the chairman of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation and vice-president of the IOA, has requested all the NSFs and States' Olympic Association to support his candidature, which will provide "a generational change in the IOA". Incumbent secretary-general Randhir Singh will be in the fray for the post of president, though he has not yet revealed his cards by announcing his support base openly. With a change of guard in the Sports Ministry with Jitendra Singh of Rajasthan replacing Ajay Maken, the government agencies are unlikely to interfere in the election process. The new minister said he was not for confrontation but will take all the stake holders on board, in his attempt to revamp the sports setup in the country. |
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McIlroy, Woods panned over WGC no-show
Shenzhen (China), Oct. 31 The pair played in a lucrative head-to-head exhibition match on Monday at Jinsha Lake in China. McIlroy is now in Bulgaria watching his tennis-playing girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki competing while second-ranked Woods moved on to Singapore to fulfil corporate engagements. “On the one hand we have by far and away the strongest field in Asia this year, 13 of the top 20 are here. But of course we are disappointed the top two are not here,” HSBC’s head of sponsorship Giles Morgan told reporters. “We are looking at a true world golf championship. As a sponsor we can provide the prize money and all of the wonderful facilities for spectators, customers, the media etc. But the one thing you need of course is the players.” Morgan emphasised how important it was for the sport’s main attractions to turn up to the big events outside the United States and Europe given the financial recession. “We believe very strongly in supporting golf around the world at all levels because we believe the sport has great potential to grow,” he explained. “But in order to showcase itself particularly in emerging markets for golf such as China we feel as many of the top players should be here.” He said that with so many sporting sponsors suffering during the recession, golfers should be wary of upsetting them. “Without the sponsors there isn’t professional golf and I speak on behalf of the industry,” he added. “Here in China we have built something very big, very quickly so we need to try to encourage people to play. I feel strongly that particularly in a downturn, particularly when there are financial difficulties around the world, that golf cannot be immune.”
— Reuters |
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Top players for DLF Masters golf
Gurgaon, October 31 The tourney will feature prominent Indian professional golfers like Jyoti Randhawa (2007 and 2008 champion), Himmat Singh Rai (defending champion), Ashok Kumar (2010 champion), Chiragh Kumar (2011 Rolex Rankings champion), Shamim Khan (current Rolex Rankings leader), SSPChowrasia, Digvijay Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Rashid Khan, Harendra Gupta, Om Prakash Chouhan, Shankar Das, Vijay Kumar, Feroz Ali Mollah, Gaurav Ghei and Abhijit Singh Chadha, to name a few. The top foreign players in the field include Mithun Perera, Anura Rohana (both from Sri Lanka), Kunal Bhasin (Australia) and Md Zamal Hossain Mollah. Announcing the event today, Aakash Ohri, DLF Home Developers director (business development) said: “With the sixth edition of the DLF Masters, we re-affirm our commitment to the growth of professional golf in the country.” Padamjit Sandhu, director, PGTI, said: “DLF Golf and Country Club has always supported the growth of golf in the region, and we thank them for their continued efforts in this regard. A good finish at the DLF Masters will help the players in contention for the Rolex Player of the Year Award and consolidate their standings.” The tournament’s unique format entails professionals teaming up with amateurs to compete for the team championship on the past two days. |
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Chelsea face referee backlash in race row
London, October 31 The mood among select group referees, and their assistants, after the events of the last three days is one of disbelief that such havoc could be wreaked on a referee’s career on the say-so of Premier League footballers. Clattenburg, accused of “inappropriate language”, including a racial slur against John Obi Mikel, is now the subject of a police investigation. Many referees feel they are all vulnerable to allegations that could easily have been made on a misunderstanding – or worse – and they believe as a whole there should be repercussions for Chelsea if the accusations against Clattenburg are without foundation. Clattenburg himself is understood to be keen on a swift return to refereeing, although he accepted the decision that he is best left off the list for this weekend’s fixtures. However, he does not want to spend too much time away and if the Football Association and police investigation drags on without any charges being pressed, he wants to referee again before the resolution of the case. Ironically, Clattenburg is studying for a law degree. Originally an electrician, his law studies are well-known in the game where many referees and assistants spend time together before matches. The seriousness of the case escalated when the Metropolitan Police activated an investigation on the basis of a complaint from Peter Herbert, chair of the Society of Black Lawyers.
— The Independent |
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Lalit Modi loses compensation case to Cairns
London, October 31 The Guardian reported three judges in the Court of Appeal, headed by the Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, said the “awards were proportionate to the seriousness of the allegation and its direct impact on Cairns himself — and would serve to vindicate his reputation.” Cairns had sued Modi over an "unequivocal allegation" on Twitter in January 2010. Modi had tweeted that the New Zealander was removed from the IPL auction list because of his involvement in alleged match-fixing. Cairns said that Modi's tweet turned his achievements to "dust". Earlier in March, Justice David Bean gave the verdict in favour of Cairns.
— IANS |
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Blatter thought English game was run by idiots: Coe
London, October 31 But, he says, almost from the start of his involvement he felt the bid was doomed. "It's got the smell of death about it," he told fellow executive Keith Mills, the chief executive of the London Olympic bid, after the two attended their first England 2018 meeting together.
— Reuters |
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Skipper Alastair Cook compiled a patient and unbeaten century to lead England fightback as the visitors reached 286 for four in reply to India A's 369 on day two of their three-day warm up game, in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The left-handed opener struck 112, embellished with 13 fours, and shared a 153-run stand with Samit Patel (82) for the unfinished fifth wicket to help side recover from 133 for four at the Brabourne Stadium.
London, October 31
New Delhi, October 31
Shenzhen (China), Oct. 31
