Rustenberg, August 20
India ‘A’ crushed hosts South Africa 'A' by an innings and 13 runs on the fourth and final day of the opening unofficial Test to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, here today.

Indian bowlers continued their dominating show as they shot out South Africa for 212 in their second innings after making them follow on at Olympia Park.

Seam bowlers Mohammed Shami (3/29) and Ishwar Pandey (3/25) picked up three wickets each while part-time spinner Rohit Sharma scalped two wickets to fashion India's crushing win over the hosts.

Middle-order batsman Temba Bavuma (65) was the top-scorer for South Africa in their second innings. His 138-ball innings was laced with six fours.

Resuming at overnight 312 for nine, Kyle Abbott (33 not out) and Andrew Birch (18) provided some late resistance before Suresh Raina had the latter trapped leg before to bring an end to South Africa's first innings at 357.

After asking South Africa to follow on, India's frontline quicks struck early with Pandey dismissing Reeza Hendricks (4) in the third ball of his first over.

Shami then struck twice in the sixth over, removing Dean Elgar (3) and J P Duminy (0) in the space of four deliveries.

Newman Rilee Rossouw tried to break the shackles and cracked three boundaries in the 10th over bowled by Shami. He was dismissed in the 20th over by Raina, who castled Rossouw's timbers when the batsman went for a sweep shot.

Bavuma picked up a couple of boundaries in the 23rd over off Raina, while Ontong (19) hit two fours off Shami's in the 25th over. But Shami came back strongly to clean up Ontong in the fourth delivery of the same over as South Africa slipped to 93 for five.

Pandey took his second wicket in the form of Tsolekile in the 35th over before Nadeem got rid off Wayne Parnell (10) as South Africa further slumped to 140 for seven in 41.4 overs. — PTI

Scoreboard 

India a 582/9 Decl

South Africa
Hendricks c Saha b Unadkat 10
Elgar lbw b Mohammed Shami 11
Harmer c Saha b Pandey 22
Rossouw lbw b Raina 57
Duminy c Saha b Raina 84
Bavuma c Raina b Nadeem 0
Ontong c Saha b Pandey 47
Tsolekile c Dhawan b Pandey 47
Parnel c & b Pandey 0
Abbott not out 33
Birch lbw b Raina 18
Extras: (b 3, lb 9, w 6, pen 10) 28
Total: (all out; 111.2 overs) 357
FOW:1-18, 2-22, 3-94, 4-116, 5-119, 6-194, 7-280, 8-280, 9-312, 10-357
Bowling
Unadkat 21-6-53-1
Shami 16-2-53-1
Nadeem 32-5-115-1
Pandey 19-6-46-4
Raina 13.2-3-40-3
Rohit 10-1-28-0

South Africa 2nd innings:
Hendricks b Pandey 4
Elgar lbw b Shami 3
Rossouw b Raina 34
Duminy lbw b Shami 0
Bavuma c Pujara b Sharma 65
Ontong b Shami 19
Tsolekile b Pandey 23
Parnell c Dhawan b Nadeem 10
Harmer not out 31
Abbott c Saha b Sharma 14
Birch b Pandey 4
Extras: (b 1, lb 3, w 1) 5
Total: (all out; 66.5 overs) 212
FOW: 1-4, 2-15, 3-15, 4-60, 5-93, 6-123, 7-140, 8-166, 9-198, 10-212
Bowling
Pandey 9.5-2-25-3
Shami 10-3-33-3
Unadkat 10-1-27-0
Raina 12-1-39-1
Nadeem 17-2-65-1
Rohit 8-3-19-2

New Delhi, August 20
In yet another embarassing goof-up, three Indian weightlifters were disqualified from the second Youth Asian Games in Nanjing because of overage, adding a new twist to the shocking administrative fiasco which has already seen 24 athletes being barred from participation.

The entries of three weightlifters — Chandrika Tarafdar (Women's 48kg), Jyoti Mal (women's 53kg) and Akshay Bhagwan (Men's 62kg) — have been rejected by the Nanjing Games organisers due to overage issue. All the three were 1996 born weightlifters.

The new developments comes barely a couple of days after 18 track and field athletes were earlier disqualified from the Games due to overage issue, prompting the Sports Ministry to launch an inquiry into the incident.

It is learnt that participants in athletics and weightlifting should be born on or after January 1, 1997, though in other remaining disciplines, the sportspersons who are more than 17 years of age can also take part.

A senior official of Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) told PTI that the entries of three weightlifters have been rejected but reasons are yet to be known.

“We have come to know that entries of three weightlifters have been rejected by the local organising committee. We are yet to know the reason,” an official said on condition of anonymity.

Indians are participating in this multi-sporting event as independent Olympic athletes because the Indian Olympic Association is serving a ban imposed by the International Olympic Committee.

The Indians are the only athletes, other than the one from Myanmar, who have been been disqualified for overage issue. All the athletes and weightlifters of other countries are born in 1997 or later.

A top IWF official said that in the earlier edition of the Asian Youth Championship in Singapore in 2009, India had sent only Under-17 weightlifters. “In weightlifting, its always understood that the participants will be 16 years and above. It cannot be 17 years or above in the year of the competition. The criteria might be different in other disciplines, but this is the criteria in weightlifting. That was also the case in 2009 edition in Singapore,” the official said. Interestingly, many of the Indians who are participating in the other disciplines are also born in 1996.

India has sent around 90 athletes, including a few swimmers, golfers, judokas, shooters, squash players, paddlers, who were born in 1996, but they were not disqualified as the criteria is different for their respective disciplines.

Long jumper, Aung Kyaw of Myanmar is the only other athlete, apart from the Indians, to be disqualified from the competition due to overage.

Taking a stern view on the issue of Indian athletes being disqualified from Youth Asian Games, the Sports Ministry yesterday ordered an inquiry to fix responsibility on the officials for the fiasco which had brought embarrassment to the country.

Sports Authority of India (SAI) Director General Jiji Thomson has been asked to probe the case and submit a report to the Sports Ministry. He will also inquire into the case of four Indian badminton players being thrown out of the Youth Games as their names were not included in the entry list. — PTI

In weightlifting, it’s always understood that the participants will be 16 years and above. It cannot be 17 years or above in the year of the competition. The criteria might be different in other disciplines, but this is the criteria in weightlifting. That was also the case in 2009 edition in Singapore
— IWF official

New Delhi, August 20
The Sports Ministry could not make up its mind about the final choices for this year’s national sports awards as Minister Jitendra Singh was reluctant to sign on the dotted line due to controversial nature of the selection of some of the names for Arjuna and Dronacharya honours.

Jitendra Singh held a marathon meeting today among Sports Secretary P.K. Deb and Sports Authority of India director-general Jiji Thompson. They discussed the cases of Krishna Poonia — who was ignored for the Khel Ratna award as the panel opted for shooter Ronjon Sondhi — Para-Olympic medallist H.N Girisha (who was also ignored for the Arjuna Award) and volleyball captain Tom Joseph, whose name had been recommended for Arjuna for the ninth time.

It is learnt that there was immense pressure from various quarters in support of all the ignored candidates, and there was even a suggestion that Girisha be considered for the Arjuna Award at least. But the Minister was reluctant to affix his signature without further evaluating the controversial cases.

It is learnt that the suggestion to give Dronacharya Award to athletics coach K.P Thomas also came up for discussion, as he had only trained grassroots level athletes, though some of his trainees later became international medal-winners.

The final decision has been left to the discretion of the Minister, and Jitendra Singh is expected to take a call tomorrow or day after.

London, August 20
England have a great motivation to create history in this week's fifth and final Ashes test against Australia at The Oval, captain Alastair Cook said on Tuesday.

The home team, who have a 3-0 lead, are looking to win an Ashes series 4-0 for the first time and also inflict the heaviest defeat on Australia in England.

“We don't need any more motivation, that is enough for us, it always is, to win a test match for England is a big enough motivation,” Cook told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday. “(But) we've got a lot of record-breakers in this team and the chance to add another little notch I suppose is great motivation.”

Despite England's batting line-up struggling at times during the series, the hosts have consistently won key moments throughout.

Cook, though, said a 4-0 win would not necessarily provide a psychological edge for the return series in Australia later in the year.

“It would be one of those strange things, when you get to Australia we'll be saying 'what's gone has gone' and has no relevance to that first hour in Brisbane,” he added.

“But sitting here now as a side, those little things we can use to put Australia under pressure in certain areas of their play, we know that will hopefully count when we go down to Australia.” Pacemen Steven Finn and Chris Woakes plus left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan have been called into the squad for the final test, with Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions out due to injury.

Chris Tremlett appears most likely to replace Bresnan in the playing XI. Cook said a final decision would be announced at the toss. —Reuters

Mumbai, August 20
Hyderabad Hotshots, spearheaded by India’s shuttle queen Saina Nehwal, halted Pune Pistons’ unbeaten run with a comprehensive 4-1 victory in the Indian Badminton League on Monday.

The thumping victory also powered the Hotshots to the top of the league table with 11 points, with Pistons second with nine points.

Saina provided the early spark to the Hotshots campaign by clinching the high quality women’s singles clash against her long-time German rival Juliane Schenk in a battle. Egged on by the partisan crowd, the world no. 4 downed world no. 3 Schenk 17-21 21-19 11-6 in 59 minutes.

Earlier, her teammate Ajay Jayram shocked Vietnamese rival Tien Minh Nguyen, world no 5, 21-19 21-8 in the opening men’s singles encounter in just 40 minutes.

Later, the Malaysian world no. 2 pair of V Shem Goh and Wah Lim Khah subdued the challenge of India’s seasoned pair Sanave Thomas and Rupesh Kumar 21-19 21-16 to give the Hotshots an unassailable lead in the best of five clash and ensure their second victory in three ties.

Thailand’s S Tanongsak, a semifinalist at the All-England, made it 4-0 for the Hotshots with a straight-game victory over Pistons’ Saurabh Varma. The left hander won 21-19 21-18.

Pistons got a consolation victory and one point from the tie when their mixed doubles combination of Joaquim Fischer Nielsen and Ashwini Ponnappa downed Hotshots’ pair of V Shem Goh and Pradnya Gadre 21-11 21-14. — PTI

Manchester, August 20
Manchester City started their Premier League campaign in scintillating fashion on Monday with a stylish 4-0 win at home to 10-man Newcastle United that will ring alarm bells for the rest of their title rivals.

With City spending around £90 million on attacking talent for new manager Manuel Pellegrini, it was notable all the goals came from players in last season’s squad — David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri.

Last season’s runners-up took just six minutes to open the scoring with Silva heading in after Steven Taylor failed to deal with Edin Dzeko’s shot across the goal. They doubled their lead on 22 minutes when a low shot from Aguero, set up by a neat flick from Dzeko, went in off the far post.

City’s job was made even easier just before the stroke of halftime when defender Taylor was sent off after swinging an arm at Aguero and they made the man advantage count five minutes after the break with Toure’s sizzling free kick.

The hosts made it four on 75 minutes when substitute Samir Nasri slotted home and could have had many more if it had not been for some excellent saves by Newcastle keeper Tim Krul as they sent a clear message of intent to their title rivals. — Reuters

Shimla, August 20
There was more trouble for the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), headed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur, as the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau found the sports body`s initially registered address in Kanpur as “bogus”.

“A vigilance team visited Kanpur and found that the office associated with the HPCA is fictitious and non-existent,” an investigator revealed on Tuesday.

HPCA was initially registered with the Registrars of Companies, in Kanpur in July 14, 2005. It was later shifted to a Chandigarh address in 2011.

Sources in the vigilance bureau said that they will also investigate the Chandigarh address. “HPCA has now got the company registered in Chandigarh. This address will also be investigated,” the official said.

Earlier this month, a cheating and misappropriation case was registered against the HPCA over alleged wrong-doings in allotment of land to the state`s sports body.

The disputed land has been used by the HPCA to build a five-star residential complex called The Pavilion, which has 38 rooms, 32 huts and a high-tech gym. The HPCA website calls it the “exotic residential resort”. The land was allotted when the BJP government was in power in the state. — IANS

A vigilance team visited Kanpur and found that the office associated with the HPCA is fictitious and non-existent.
— An official State Vigilance & Anti Corruption Bureau, HP 

Mumbai, August 20
World number one Lee Chong Wei lived up to his reputation by easing past his Malaysian compatriot Daren Liew on his Indian Badminton League debut before All England women's champion Tine Baun followed suit to provide a flying start in Mumbai Masters win over Krishh Delhi Smashers here today.

After Delhi made a comeback, winning the men’s doubles match, Mark Zwiebler beat B Sai Praneeth 18-21 21-10 11-9 in the second men’s single match to give Mumbai an unassailable lead of 3-1.

Lee, who joined the team just before this clash after missing Mumbai's first two ties, raced away to a 21-12 21-16 victory over world no. 17 Liew in 35 minutes to help the hosts take a 1-0 lead.

Later, Baun, who retired from international badminton after winning her third All England title in March, crushed former national champion Arundhati Pantawane 21-11 21-13 in just over half an hour. The crowd, which included Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, saw Lee toying with Liew in the opening game. But Liew put up a much better fight in the second and led for a major portion before the world no. 1 surged ahead 14-13 before the second break.

Delhi came back into the tie as the men’s duo of Boon Hoeng Tan and Kien Keat Koo defeated Manu Attri and Siki Reddy 14-21 21-15 11-7 in the men’s doubles match.

Mark Zwiebler beat B Sai Praneeth 18-21 21-10 11-9 to leave the mixed doubles match merely of an academic interest. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Indian archers misfire in World Cup
Kolkata: India had a disappointing start to the Archery World Cup Stage IV at Wroclaw (Poland) with the country`s best medal hope Deepika Kumari slipping to 19th as the women`s recurve team finished sixth and men`s squad earning the fifth place in the qualification rounds on Tuesday. Deepika shot 647 finishing behind Laishram Bombayla Devi who logged 649 points for an overall 18th place in the qualification rounds. Rimil Buriuly, the third member of the women`s recurve team, with a score of 632, finished at 42nd place as the trio totalled 1928 for a sixth place in the team event.

Arthur hits out at Watson and 'big egos'
Sydney: Sacked Australian coach Mickey Arthur Tuesday admitted he "lost" Shane Watson, while criticising the team's young players for having "big egos" while earning "obscene amounts of money". The South African has refrained from commenting since being dumped just weeks before the Ashes campaign against England, but in an interview with Sydney's The Daily Telegraph he detailed a fractured relationship with his vice-captain."My relationships were outstanding, except with Watson. He was one of the guys I lost," Arthur said. "India was where it started going wrong, when we suspended those players. "If I sit back and think, 'would I have done it again?', well, I probably would. Because I believed so much in what we were trying to do."

Dravid wants D/N Tests to keep spectators interested
London: Former India captain Rahul Dravid wants cricket administrators to approach the introduction of day-night Tests with an open mind to bolster the dwindling popularity of the longer format among spectators.The idea of floodlit Test, possibly played with a pink, orange or yellow ball, in more spectator-friendly hours has found acceptance in a wide section of the cricketing fraternity in recent years. Dravid highlighted the primacy of Test cricket and suggested ways for bolstering the acceptance of the longer format of the game across the world.

India U-23 hammer Nepal by 84 runs in ACC Cup
New Delhi: India Under-23s registered their second consecutive victory by a comfortable 84-run margin against Nepal on Tuesday, to all but secure qualification from Group A for the semifinal of Asian Cricket Council Emerging Teams Cup at The Padang in Singapore. India U-23s, who had got the better of Pakistan U-23s by three wickets on Sunday, were far more convincing in their second encounter, piling up 268/5 after being put in and restricting Nepal to 184/8.
Brief scores: India U-23s 268/5 (KL Rahul 88, Unmukt Chand 61, Suryakumar Yadav 65, Ankit Bawne 25; Basant Regmi 3-90) bt Nepal 184/8 in 50 overs (Subash 29, Sagar 52; Jasprit Bumrah 2-35, Ankit 3-36, Sandeep Warrier 2-7). — Agencies