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Ashes-2013
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It’ll take me some time to get back to my best: Akkunji
Sacking caused immense damage to career: Arthur
Deepika Kumari kept her poise in tough conditions to help India beat China and win gold. — Agencies
ICL ghost still alive to haunt BCCI
Shiv will leave Muirfield with head held high
Shiv Kapur plays a shot on the fourth and final day of the British Open on Sunday. — Reuters
Froome locks up Tour de France
Froome couldn't afford bike as child in Kenya
Bring on Mourinho mind games, says Moyes
It’s golf all the way for Aditya
Serena racks up 51st win of 2013 to take Swedish title
Sushil encourages kickboxing athletes
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That’s gone!
London, July 21 It came in the last over of the fourth day, just when it seemed that Australia’s tail, one of the few elements of their play to lend them respectability in the series so far, would take them into the last day. But England deserved to secure their triumph on sun-kissed evening in front of full house rapt with anticipation and delight. For the tourists it was a devastating blow to any chance they had of regaining the Ashes. That is still theoretically possible with three matches still to play but it is a purely academic supposition. To become reality it would need something from the realms of fantasy, say Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne to be rejuvenated and Don Bradman to be reincarnated. Perhaps as pertinently it was Australia’s sixth successive defeat following their 4-0 loss to India. The last time they suffered such a sequence was in 1984 when Kim Hughes ended his brief tenure as captaincy in tears. Michael Clarke, their captain on this tour, will neither be crying nor going anywhere soon but the strains of office will be starting to tell. After failing so narrowly to overhaul England in Nottingham it seems that Australia expended their best efforts. Their performance at Lord’s, a ground on which they had not lost a Test for 75 years until 2009, was miserable, undermined by an exhibition of batting in their first innings that was a light year away from the method and control needed in a Test match. When England begin to bring their A game to this series, Australia will be in real trouble. They have done quite enough to be the superior team but they made mistakes again yesterday as they did in the opening match, not least by missing three chances in the field. But that is perhaps to quibble. England, who not long ago were treated with utter disdain by Australia, are clear favourites to win the Ashes four times in succession with another series to follow this in Australia this winter. They kept their nerve in Nottingham and when the opportunity arose at Lord’s they recognised their opponents’ fallibility. It was a triumph of preparation and taking advantage of the conditions they requested. Australia have shortcomings in almost every area except their tailend batting which was again obdurate as they slid abjectly to defeat yesterday. Their spin bowling has not truly been up to it with Ashton Agar failing to take a wicket in either innings on a turning pitch. Nor has their fast bowling been quite as potent as expected with James Pattinson, especially, not living up to the expectations bestowed on him. — The Independent
Scoreboard Australia 2nd Innings |
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It’ll take me some time to get back to my best: Akkunji
Chandigarh, July 21 The double Asian Games gold-medallist was on Saturday named in the Indian women's 4x400m relay squad for next month's World Championships in Moscow, just days after completing her ban. She
discussed her return with The Tribune. Excerpts: Two years is a long hiatus, especially under those circumstances. Now that you have again made it to the relay team, what are your future plans? My plans are the same as they were two years ago. I want to work hard and do well in the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and finally the Olympics. I am still as passionate about running. Running is my life. I don't know anything except running, so I will run again. What will be your main events now? It will be 400m. You have to be really strong to do well in 400m hurdles. Once I reach my peak in 400m, then only I will think of 400m hurdles. Given that World Athletics is just a month later, what is your immediate aim and what targets have you set for yourself? To be honest, the World Athletics Championships is very near. I don't think I will be up to the mark so soon. Just as the other team members, I will try hard to do well and improve on timings and see what happens. I think I can regain my peak around the Commonwealth Games and carry forward from there on till the Olympics. The time when the relay team was well set has gone and we have seen competition growing in the last one year. Do you think you will be able to keep your place in the relay team? What will be your focus in training? No doubt the competition has increased. There are two-three girls who are really good. But I don't think it will be a big problem to sustain a place in the team. I don't want to name anyone but there is just one girl who is near me. I have confidence in myself and believe that if I work hard I will do well. Right now, I am trying to get back in my rhythm. After that I want to be back to my best. I am not sure how much time it will take. It may take a year or maybe less. Going back, do you think you were treated unfairly by your fraternity, insulted at times by the society? I want to ask everyone why the blame was laid on us. I had appeared for every test by NADA, WADA, in competition, out of competition. Whatever was required was done on time by me. Still, when the whole controversy broke out, it was us who were made out as criminals. It is very easy for people to sit in front of TV and pass judgements. You only realise when you start training how much sacrifice one has to make, the pain and sweat… Everything is lost in a flash. When you win a medal, peers too are jealous, they don't say India ka medal aaya hai, rather, Akkunji ka medal aaya hai. Who guides you in taking food supplements now? It's primarily SAI doctors. Food supplements are a tricky business. Even a doctor cannot guide you until he knows what is the schedule of an athlete, whether he or she is on light training or intensive training, the needs for both are different. Anyway, it is manageable now. Do coaches have any say in supplements? No, after that incident coaches do not advise us. So, what have you learnt in the last two years? First thing, I will not give up. I will work harder and keep faith in myself. Confidence is the key in one's life. There will be people who know nothing about athletics, still say all sorts of things. Just don't let them derail you. Stay focused. Secondly, it is very important to have good family support. |
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Sacking caused immense damage to career: Arthur
Perth, July 21 South African Arthur, the first non-Australian to coach the team, had a contract until 2015 but was sacked and replaced by Darren Lehmann in June, just weeks before the start of the Ashes series against England. Arthur subsequently filed a case with the Fair Work Commission (FWC) in Australia, demanding $3.6 million in compensation or reinstatement as coach. On his arrival in Perth on Sunday, the 45-year-old said he had hoped for a private resolution but failed to establish contact with senior CA officials despite multiple attempts. "After my dismissal I received nothing in writing from Cricket Australia, no contact and no payment at all, not even of my basic leave pay until I was forced to bring in lawyers to assist in the process," Arthur said in a statement. "I was really trying for a private resolution that would not have any collateral damage to the reputation of any of us, the Australian team, Australian cricket, or me. "I thought, perhaps naively, that, under all the circumstances of my dismissal, that Cricket Australia would be willing to have sensible and good faith talks in private." The former South Africa coach took over Australia in 2011 following a review of their the humiliating 3-1 Ashes defeat, the first home series loss to England in nearly quarter of a century. Australia have lately endured a series of poor results, losing a test series in India 4-0 this year, and faced a number of disciplinary issues within the squad.The failure to make the knock-out stages of the Champions Trophy, of which Australia were the defending champions, and David Warner's fracas with England's Joe Root compounded Arthur's problems. — Reuters
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Indian women pip China for gold New Delhi, July 21 In extremely windy condition, the Chinese had a horror start, with one of the archers failing to hit the target and the other two scoring just five and six. While Deepika's team-mates too struggled in extreme conditions, the former kept her poise and gave India a headstart by registering an eight. Having taken the lead, the Indian girls didn't take their foot off the pedal and clinched the gold. Men win bronze India clinched a bronze medal in the compound men's team event to open their account in the Archery World Cup Stage 3 being held in Medellin, Colombia. According to information received here, Rajat Chouhan, Sandeep Kumar and Ratan Singh Khuraijam overcame a stiff resistance from the hosts to win 215-210 en route to the bronze medal Saturday. In compound bronze medal play-off held under difficult windy conditions, the Indians were up against the home favourites Juan Carlos Carrasquilla, Camilo Andres Cardona and and Jose Carlos Ospina as there was a huge crowd cheering for the Colombian trio. But the Indian threesome began solidly out of the gate to take a 52-50 lead in the first end. The Colombians made a comeback in the second end with two perfect 10s for a cumulative 54 against Indians' 50 to take the lead 104-102. Fresh from a mixed silver medal in the last World Cup in Antalya, Rajasthan lad Chouhan inspired the team to four perfect 10s en route to 56 as India snatched the lead 158-156 at the penultimate round. The Indians did not look back as the trio clinched the issue shooting 57 to deny the Colombians their first medal in the compound men's category. — Agencies
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ICL ghost still alive to haunt BCCI
New Delhi, July 21 Both these leagues are owned by two individuals who are yet to organise even a single match. Naresh Dhoundiyal and Ashok Balwant Rai Sanghvi, both Essel Group employees, are also directors of another eight cricket leagues, including the Awadh Cricket League and Garhwal Cricket league. For many, these are defunct or dead leagues but for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), these represent the ghost of the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) that can still haunt its cash cow, the Indian Premier League (IPL). “Yes, there is no cricket activity in our league since it was incorporated,” Naresh Dhoundiyal, director of Rajasthan Cricket League, told this correspondent. “Actually, my company was the part of the ICL. At that time the Essel Group had big plan but the ICL project failed. We are closing this company but it takes time to strike it off. But I did not know about the other leagues that you talking about.” Dhoundiyal, along with Sanghvi, is also director of cricket leagues in Punjab, Assam, Orissa, Jharkhand and Magadh. Interestingly, all 10 cricket leagues have existed as companies after January 2009, when talks between the BCCI and ICL for an acceptable solution had failed. Dhoundiyal claims he is closing his company but the ICL has already “struck off” six of its sisters companies that were conducting leagues in different cities a long time back. However, the parent company, ICL Limited, is still active. Sanghvi was not available for comment. The ICL is no more a threat to the BCCI or IPL as far as their monopoly in cricket in India is concerned. But such city based leagues could be the last weapon of the ICL to give a headache to the BCCI. Both parties are still fighting different court cases. Many BCCI officials believe that the ICL could still create many troubles for the BCCI. “The BCCI was a complete bully and it adopted all unfair means to kill the ICL,” said a BCCI official. According to the minutes of the International Cricket Council (ICC) board meeting held in Dubai on January 29 this year, BCCI president N Srinivasan reminded the directors that Essel Sports remained in litigation with the BCCI, ICC and ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board), which could cause significant damage to the ICC member countries. Interestingly, the BCCI and ICL had come very close to a solution in 2009 as the BCCI had decided to make allowances, quite surprisingly. That year, during the Working Committee meeting on January 3, chairman Shashank Manohar informed the members that the BCCI given a proposal to Essel chief Subhash Chandra after a meeting with him in Mumbai. Manohar informed that according to the proposal, the ICL was to be granted the approval to host a global 'masters cricket' tournament, for cricketers over 35 years of age, instead of their regular ICL tournaments.aThere was another very interesting proposal given to Essel. Manohar told members that Essel was be given the opportunity to acquire a franchise in the IPL. However, Subhash Chandra put a counter proposal and consequently, the entire negotiation collapsed.
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Phil Mickelson pulls off stunning victory Gullane, July 21 He was five shots behind 54-hole leader Lee Westwood when the day began. “I have a quite a bit different feelings and emotions than I had a month ago,” Mickelson said. This is just an incredible high.” As he walked off the green at 18, Mickelson embraced his caddie, Jim Mackay, who was in tears, then he embraced his family. It was a fabulous finish for Mickelson, who walked off the course Thursday complaining about the setup at Muirfield. He closed by making birdies on four of his last six holes. This was the major Mickelson had so rarely been close, except for 2011 when he tied for second. It's Mickelson's fifth major championship — along with his three Masters (2004, '06, '10), one PGA Championship ('05).A month ago, Mickelson finished second to Justin Rose at Merion Golf Club after holding at least a share of the lead through three rounds.Mickelson made it back-to-back wins in Scotland — a week earlier he won the Scottish Open. Henrik Stenson finished second at even par, three shots behind. Westwood struggled to close after leading to start the day, and his record in majors falls to 0-for-62. He closed with a 75 and for third at 1 over par with Ian Poulter (67) and Masters champion Adam Scott (72). Scott got to 2 under (he started the day at even par) before fading down the stretch. “Everybody knows Phil's capable of that," Westwood said of Mickelson's closing stretch, four birdies in the final six holes. Tiger Woods, who began the day at 1 under par, two behind Westwood, never got it going and now has gone 17 majors without a victory, still stuck on 17. He shot a final-round 74 and finished at 2 over. — Agencies career
highlights leaderboard
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Shiv will leave Muirfield with head held high
Gullane, July 21 He was still in the mix after a second day 77 but struggled in the penultimate round when he returned with an 83. His opening day heroics, where he shot six birdies in his opening seven holes, earned plaudits from the elite field. “It gave me a lot of confidence knowing that I can be up there on the leaderboard because it shows that I can compete with the best players. I just need to be more consistent and sharpen each area of my game a little bit so that I can be right there in the mix," said Kapur.The Indian, who is playing in The Open for the second time after 2006, restored some pride when he made a stunning 15 feet birdie putt on the last to end his week at Muirfield on 15-over-par 299. "I started on such a high with the adrenaline rush. Yesterday was a bit of a disappointment when I got off to a rough start but I finished with a little bit of pride and my head held high today. “You don't want to walk off the 18 green with drooping shoulders and not being happy with what you've done. I'm glad the bad round was yesterday and not today so I can walk away with a smile," he said. Seeing his name up on the leaderboard, albeit for a brief moment in the opening round will forever be etched on his memory. “It is easy to pick out the best moment. It had to be when I saw Kapur leading in the best tournament in the world. For years and years I've watched The Open and I thought it would be nice to have my name on that yellow leaderboard. That dream came true, though momentarily," he smiled. "I learnt a lot, it has been a great experience and I won't trade it with anything. It was great to be on top the leaderboard and great to learn from yesterday. I just have to move on, box on, take the positives and brush away the negatives,' said Kapur. Westwood joined at the top by Adam Scott and Stenson
Lee Westwood, bidding for his first major win, looked jittery as he was joined at the top of the leaderboard by Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson midway through the final round. The 40-year-old Briton was roared on by a partisan home crowd on a cool and windy day at Muirfield but he struggled to the turn in a two-over 38 to slip to one-under for the championship alongside Swede Stenson and Australian Scott. — Reuters |
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Froome locks up Tour de France
While nobody realistically expected Froome to lose any serious amount of time to his general classification contenders, the rider and his team were alert to any danger he may have faced. After Pierre Rolland (Europcar) had animated the stage from the start in his pursuit of points in the mountains classification, the final selection was made around 8km from the finishing line when Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha), Nairo Quintana (Movistar) and Froome dropped Alberto Contador (Saxo-Tinkoff), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), Roman Kreuziger (Saxo-Tinkoff) and Richie Porte (Team Sky). The trio of riders, while going for the stage win, all had different goals. After starting the day fifth in general classification Rodríguez was hoping to break into the top three, while Quintana was also hoping to climb the standings above second-placed Contador. The little Colombian, too, knew that a stage win would see him leapfrog Froome in the mountains classification. Froome, with around 3km to go, started to struggle as the realisation of his achievement hit home. "I can't quite believe that I am in this position," Froome said afterwards. "This really is amazing. I am a bit lost for words. I still have to roll into Paris on Sunday but this is it, the general classification is sorted out now, and to finish it off like this is really special."It was quite hard to stay on top of it with three kilometres to go, when it sank in that I had achieved what I needed to. "I couldn't follow the wheels of the others because I was so overwhelmed by the feeling that I had done it." Quintana, though, appaered to have no such concern as he ploughed on towards his first stage win. Providing the 23 year-old finishes on Sunday he will win mountains and young rider classifications. After picking up three points in the intermediate sprint, Peter Sagan (Cannondale) cannot be caught in the points classification and, again, providing he finishes Sunday's stage will win a second successive green jersey. Uniquely for the 100th Tour, Stage 21 will set off in the late afternoon, so the race finishes more or less as the sun is setting behind the Arc de Triomphe. For a chunk of Saturday, the race was led by its oldest rider, Jens Voigt. The 41-year-old German was part of a group of 10 riders that broke away from the pack early in the stage. "Since I'm almost sure that this was my last Tour, I wanted to say a proper goodbye," Voigt said. "I gave everything. I'm happy and now it is over for me." He was caught in the battle on the final climb. Quintana, Froome and Rodriguez rode off, leaving Contador to labor behind. — Agencies
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Froome couldn't afford bike as child in Kenya
Annecy-Semnoz, July 21 In the east African country best known for its champion runners, cycling has faced an uphill struggle to compete with athletics and football, sports which are not only more popular but also much more affordable. "If you play football, it's easy - one ball for 20 people," explained 41-year-old Kinjah, as 10 young riders crammed his modest corrugated-roof home, which is filled with cycling medals, trophies and spare bike tyres.a"We have limited access to funds and bicycles here so if you put more boys on the bikes, you have to take care of them," said Kinjah, who also does cycling tours for tourists. Froome survived a brutal early onslaught from his Tour rivals to retain the yellow jersey. Some of the challenges faced by the Kinjah's Safari Simbaz teamalso frustrated young Froome when his single-parent mother introduced him to Kinjah. Froome had to borrow a bike from a sympathetic teacher as his mother could not afford one. — Agencies
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Bring on Mourinho mind games, says Moyes
Sydney, July 21 Amid reports that Mourinho's Chelsea are considering a 40 million pound ($61 million) bid to land Rooney, the Premier League champions insist the England striker is not for sale as Moyes looks to make his mark after taking over from Alex Ferguson. Moyes won his first match as United manager in the Red Devils' 5-1 victory over the Australian A-League All Stars in Sydney on Saturday but the main interest again centred on players not on the club's pre-season Asian tour. Moyes remained tight-lipped after the match on the Rooney situation and the club's attempts to sign midfielder Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona. "I have not had any more news since we last spoke (on Friday)," Moyes told a post-match press conference. "I have no more updates of anything really, so I cannot give you anything positive or negative." Pressed further Moyes was asked by a Scottish reporter about his readiness for a battle of mind games with the cagey Mourinho. "It sounds like your accent is the same as mine, so you must be from Glasgow," Moyes said. "But if you're from Glasgow you quite enjoy those kind of things, so bring it on." British newspapers reported after the Sydney match that United are prepared to increase their offer to lure former Arsenal playmaker Fabregas to Old Trafford. Moyes, whose squad were due to fly to Tokyo on Sunday for the next leg of their pre-season tour, confirmed last week that a formal offer, in the region of 26 million pounds, had been lodged for Fabregas. With United due to face Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan on Tuesday, Moyes said he was delighted with the form of Danny Welbeck and Jesse Lingard in the emphatic win over the A-League All Stars.Welbeck and Lingard scored twice and Dutch ace Robin van Persie added the icing with United's fifth goal after coming on as a second-half substitute.— Agencies
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It’s golf all the way for Aditya
Chandigarh, July 21
"I want to be able to play like Jeev Milkha Singh some day," Aditya says, proudly displaying a photograph with his sporting icon. His father, who runs a confectionary shop, has plans of supporting him so that he could eventual play the game professionally. "I want him to play good golf so he can turn professional when he is the right age," he says. Surprisingly, Aditya's father had simply walked into the Chandigarh Golf Range about three years ago when he was walking near the Sukhna Lake and inquired about learning the game from coach Mahesh Kumar. "He just came and asked for details as he wanted his son to start playing and we put him in the beginners' camp," says Mahesh proudly. "Then we saw that he had potential so we put him in the advanced camp." "He has a lot of talent and is a hard worker," adds Mahesh, who has been coaching Aditya right from the day he joined. Aditya has been travelling to Gurgaon and the surrounding areas in North India, but had to miss the last event in Jaipur as his younger brother was not well. "I want to play as many tournaments as I can and wherever my father can take me," says Aditya, who can easily shoot 10-over-par for nine holes. Already this season, his top finishes include a third place at the Indian Golf Union Junior and Sub-Junior competition held in Golden Greens Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon in May. He finished second in the IGU's feeder tour event at the Army Golf Course in June and third at the Chandigarh Golf Association's event played at the Panchkula Golf Course last month. Mahesh is trying to find a sponsor for Aditya so that it is easier for his father to make him participate in tournaments on the Junior and Sub-Junior Feeder Tour. "He has been playing very well this season and participating in tournaments will help to improve his game further," says Mahesh.
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Serena racks up 51st win of 2013 to take Swedish title
Larsson, 24, ranked 76th in the world, had no answer to Serena's arsenal and her third WTA final went the way of the previous two, ending in defeat. French Open winner Serena, 31, was contesting her 69th final and is unbeaten on clay this season, having also won in Rome, Madrid and Charleston. Previously, the most WTA main draw match wins Serena had at this stage of the year was 38, back in 2003. — Agencies
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Sushil encourages kickboxing athletes
Chandigarh, July 21
There were 12 other students of Phallewal village (near Sangrur) who were felicitated by the Punjab Kick-boxing Association here, to spur them on in their chosen sport of kick-boxing. Belonging to a small village, these kick-boxers are slowly making their name in this martial art, which comes from Thailand. The village, situated at the Sangrur-Ludhiana border, has produced over 12 players in the inter-district championship while three of them have represented the state during the Kick-Boxing Nationals. "In our village, we don't have special infrastructure to be really proud of. Team games like hockey and soccer are more popular than the individual games," says Taranveer. "Being financially sound also matters a lot and playing barefoot is far cheaper than buying kits. So, overcoming these things remains a real challenge. In kick-boxing, we get kits from schools. This lured me to opt for this game and the medals I have won encouraged me to perform better." Like him, the other kick-boxers from his village say that kick-boxing is winning many hearts in Phallewal. “Our parents become happy whenever we participate in the national level tournaments, said Gurleen Kaur.
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Two years ago, six athletes — Mandeep Kaur, Sini Jose, Mary Tiana Thomas, Priyanka Pawar, Juana Murmu and Ashwini Akkunji — were embroiled in doping controversy amidst national outrage. Hurried judgements were passed, panels were constituted later. In an afterthought, commissions were also set up, but nothing much came out in the end. Two-year bans were imposed on the athletes and the controversy was more or less buried. Out of those six, only one — Ashwini Akkunji — has weathered the storm and is ready to get set go.
Shiv Kapur of India will take away bittersweet memories from the British Open after ending his campaign with an even-par 71 on Sunday.
Kapur will leave Muirfield with his head held high after a dramatic week where he led briefly in the first round before settling for a 68.
Annecy-Semnoz, July 21
Annecy-Semnoz, July 21
Bastad, Sweden, July 21
