Vadodara, January 10
Jammu and Kashmir skipper Parveez Rasool continued his brilliant all-round performance with a five-wicket haul as the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match seemed headed for an exciting finish with Punjab leaving them with a target of 324 for a historic victory.

At stumps, J&K were 77/2, needing another 247 runs with eight wickets in hand to make it to the semifinals for the first time. Hardeep Singh (20) and Ian Dev Singh (17) were at the crease at the close on an eventful third day’s play.

After scoring a sparkling century, Rasool grabbed five for 58 in 14.2 overs, polishing off Punjab’s middle and lower-order to bowl them out for 296. This was Rasool’s sixth five-wicket haul in 29th first-class match. Mandeep Singh (101) and Gurkeerat Singh (66) had a 113-run partnership for the seventh wicket after Punjab were reduced to 112/6 with the dismissal of Yuvraj Singh (40).

Rasool got into the act with his classical off-breaks as he first dismissed Yuvraj who, after hitting the offie for a six, tried to repeat the shot only to be caught by Samiullah Beigh at long on. Mandeep and Gurkeerat scored runs at a quick clip, adding 113 runs at an average of over four runs per over.

Kolkata: Railways captain Murali Kartik was embroiled in a controversy once again after he was warned by the umpires for some "issues" with the ball on an acrimonious third day. Match referee Rajendra Jadeja said that he has received a report from the umpires who changed the ball after warning Kartik. “Yes I've received a report from the umpires who thought there were some issues with the ball and they warned the bowling team captain (Kartik) and the ball was changed,” Jadeja said. “If such an incident occurs again, it would then be a case of ball tampering,” said Jadeja. A decision on whether to ban a player is taken by the Board's disciplinary committee. Bengal team manager Debabrata Das said his side noticed the ‘probles’ just after lunch when Abhimanyu Easwaran was castled by Anureet Singh for a golden duck in the fifth over by a “reverse swinging” delivery. Leveling ball tampering charges against Kartik and pacer Anureet Singh, Das said, “The ball started reversing from the fourth over which was just impossible. They were pricking the ball and coach Ashok Malhotra and I complained this to the match feferee.”

Brief Score: Bengal: 317 & 133/4 (Shukla 63, Anureet 3/41); Railways 314. — PTI

New Delhi, January 10
India dished out a pathetic performance to go down 0-2 to higher-ranked England and start their campaign on a losing note at the Hero Hockey World League Final.

The Indian team looked horribly out of sorts as England rode on two goals from Adam Dixon (28th, 45th minute) to pocket full three points from their opening Pool A encounter at the floodlit Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

Chief coach Terry Walsh could not have imagined such a horrible performance from his wards in his first international match as Indian coach.

From the onset, the Indians looked rusty and seemed to run out of ideas when the ball was in their possession. India's attacks lacked teeth and they hardly troubled the England goal barring the two penalty corners they earned in the opening half.

England, on the other hand, were slow to get off the blocks but gained control of the proceedings and looked threatening as the match progressed. They looked far more promising in their moves. It took India 14 minutes to get their first scoring chance when they earned two back-to-back penalty corners but dragflick exponents VR Raghunath and Rupinderpal Singh failed to cash in on the opportunities. India were lucky to not concede the lead in the 17th minute when an England attack came off the post.

After the initial hiccups, England started to find their footing in the match and earned three penalty corners in quick succession. While Ashley Jackson shot wide from the first set piece, India custodian PR Sreejesh denied England the second penalty corner with his quick reflexes. But soon after, England earned another penalty corner when Kothajit Singh intentionally brought down David Condon just outside the India circle and Adam Dixon scored with a variation to give his side the lead at the break.

England bt India 0-2 Argentina bt Netherlands 5-2 Australia bt Belgium 3-2

New Delhi, January 10
With an aim to avoid controversies during the naming of athletes for National Sports Awards, the government today issued guidelines, incorporating a number of conditions to make the selection process transparent and time-bound.

The Standard Operating Procedure issued by the Sports Ministry said that only authorised signatories should send the nominations, and sportspersons penalised or against whom enquiry is pending/ongoing for use of drugs/substances will not be eligible for the awards. A copy of the nominations will be sent to the concerned NSF for verification of the details and achievements stated in the form and for checking if the sportsperson has ever been warned/penalised for any unfair practice like age fraud/sexual harassment, doping etc. All details in this regard, if any, will have to be given by the NSF along with the verification report. — PTI

Kolkata, January 10
Match fixing and corruption faced by football administration in the country will be focus of a two-day conference organised by CBI.

The upcoming event, being organised in partnership with All India Football Federation and Interpol, follows a session on “Ethics and integrity in sports” conducted during a three-day CBI conference in November last year which was attended by eminent sportspersons and investigators.

CBI is not probing any case related to match fixing or corruption in sports.

“This workshop is being organised in order to ensure that it is directly relevant to the current issues related to match-fixing and corruption faced by football administration and law enforcement entities within India,” CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said. — PTI

SYDNEY, January 10
India's Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi maintained their winning run in the men's doubles competitions of the Sydney International tennis tournament to reach the final with a comprehensive win over Lukas Rosol and Joao Sousa at the Ken Rosewall Arena here.

The Indo-Pak pair, seeded third, beat Rosol and Sousa 6-1, 6-2 in 44 minutes. Bopanna and Qureshi will now face Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic in Saturday's final. Bopanna and Qureshi won 69 per cent of first serve points and over 50 per cent of points when the opponent got their first ball in.

Sousa's frustration at being unable to get on the second set scoreboard was evident when at 3-0 down he smacked a ball that went sailing out of Ken Rosewall Arena. That didn't stop Bopanna and Qureshi continuing to press their opponents, dictating play at the net with short sharp volleys.

Meanwhile, Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic defeated Julien Benneateau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 4-6 7-6(5) 10-5 in the other semifinal. The Canadian-Serbian pairing lost the first set after Benneateau and Roger-Vasselin demonstrated their French flair, hitting crisp volleys and returning well, and the second set was another tight affair with the teams swapping breaks early before heading into a tie-break.

Dubai, January 10
Seasoned batsmen Younis Khan and Misbah-ul Haq hit resolute half-centuries to take the fight to Sri Lanka in the second Test in Dubai on Friday.

Younis was unbeaten on 62 and Misbah scored 52 not out to help Pakistan reach 132-2 at close on the third day at the Dubai stadium pitch which is likely to help spinners on the last two days. Pakistan still need another 91 runs to avoid an innings defeat and go 1-0 down in the three Test series after the first Test ended in a draw in Abu Dhabi. Younis and Misbah — who both hit hundreds in Abu Dhabi last week, came together with Pakistan in dire straits at 19-3. They held the batting together during their unfinished 113-run fourth wicket stand. — Agencies

Brief Score
Pakistan: 165 (Manzoor 73, Pradeep 3-62, Herath 3-26) and 132.3 (Younis 62*, Misbah 53*) trail Lanka 388 (Mahela 129, Silva 95) by 91 runs

BRIEFLY

Balwant Singh Kapur Hockey Tournament from Jan 12
Jalandhar: The 10th All India Balwant Singh Kapur Memorial Hockey Tournament for the under 17 (boys) will be held from 12th to 19th January at Surjit Hockey Stadium, Jalandhar. The tournament will be played on the league cum knock out basis where 12 teams from reputed sports academies would be competing for the glittering trophy and a cash award of Rs.1.25 lakh for the winners and Rs 0.75 lakh for the runners-up. According to Gursharan Singh Kapur, the patron, the tournament is one of the most coveted in the state as more than 15 players from the earlier editions have gone on to represent India in various international tournaments.

Punjab spikers dominate in junior nationals
Dehradun: Punjab boys defeated Odisha 3-1 (25-16, 24-26, 25-12, 25-15) while West Bengal thrashed Himachal Pradesh 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-15) in the 40th Junior National volleyball Championship (JNVC) here today. Sports Authority of India, on expected lines, defeated Uttar Pradesh 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-14). In the girls' section, Punjab maintained their dominance beating Jharkhand by 3-0 (25-14, 25-2, 25-2) while Kerala thrashed Uttar Pradesh 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-18). Karnataka defeated Himachal Pradesh 3-0 (25-20, 29-27, 25-22), while Chandigarh outplayed Jammu and Kashmir 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-13). Rajasthan defeated Bihar 3-0 (25-8, 25-11, 25-14).

Chelsea eye top spot in Premier League
London: Jose Mourinho's Chelsea will attempt to increase the pressure on their Premier League title rivals by moving to the head of the table with victory at Hull City on Saturday. Three points at the KC Stadium will take the Blues ahead of second-placed Manchester City, while current leaders Arsenal visit struggling Aston Villa on Monday.

Bangladesh promises extra security for Pak in Asia Cup
Dubai: Bangladesh on Friday promised enhanced security for the Pakistan cricket team during next month's Asia Cup, after political unrest in Dhaka endangered their participation in the regional event. The Asian Cricket Council last week decided to host the event in Dhaka from Feb 25-March 8 despite violence and protests in the wake of Jan 5 national elections, which opposition parties boycotted. Anti-Pakistan sentiments were also sparked after Islamabad's protest over the execution of leader Abdul Quader Mollah in December last year. Protesters burnt Pakistani flags and staged demonstrations at the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka. Officials from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and PCB met on the sidelines of the ICC meeting on Thursday. — Agencies

Rooney calls on Man U fans to back the team
London: Wayne Rooney has called on Manchester United's fans to remain behind the team as they look to end a three-game losing streak against Swansea.The Premier League champions lost to Tottenham Hotspur on New Year's Day and that result was followed by an FA Cup exit at Swansea before more cup misery came in the shape of a 2-1 reverse in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final with Sunderland. United now lie 11 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal heading into this weekend's fixtures, with their hopes of finishing in the top four and so qualifying for next season's Champions League under severe threat.