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India beat Indonesia, make history
Two players approached by bookies in IPL: Gavaskar
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Warner gives tough time to Super Kings
Kolkata Knights ride into the play-offs
Royal challenge for Kings
We performed below par, says Duminy
Doctor’s orders lead tochaos in ring
Jalandhar sports goods makers cash in as football fever rises
Serena peaking in time: Evert
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India beat Indonesia, make history
New Delhi, May 22 The Indian women had lost to Indonesia in the quarterfinals in 2010, and failed to qualify for the knockout stage in the last edition in China. This time, however, they didn’t look in the mood to let the opportunity slip away again. The shuttlers, led by World No.8 Saina Nehwal, produced an all-round display of methodical badminton to book a semi-final date with Japan on Friday. Olympic bronze medallist Saina led India into the semi-finals with a remarkable come-from-behind victory over Lindaweni Fanetri to put the hosts ahead, 1-0. World No.11 P V Sindhu then made it 2-0 after emerging victorious against Bellaetrix Manuputty in a marathon battle, which lasted one hour and 24 minutes. Delhi Commonwealth Games gold medallist pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa too fired in the doubles competition, prevailing over Greysia Polii and Nitya Krishinda Maheshwari 21-18 21-18 to etch their names in the history books. In the first singles, Saina produced one of the most sensational comebacks of her career when she rose like a phoenix from 7-15 down to first level the score at 16-16, and then surged ahead to 19-16. Saina moved well across the court, constructed points with a combination of long rallies and deft drops and engaged her rival in cross court winners. At 7-15, one wouldn't have expected Saina to reel off nine consecutive points to level the scores, but the World No.8 gave glimpse of her grit and determination to make impressive inroads into her rival's game and emerge triumphant. In the second game, the Hyderabadi shuttler did not give the Indonesian World No.23 much leeway and extracted point after point in a jiffy. Saina came out with all guns blazing against Fanetri. She moved well across the court and played an aggressive game to close out the tie in 45 minutes. "She is a tricky player with good strokes at the net and hard smashes. So I was expecting a top fight. It takes time to catch up with her. Sometimes you don't start really well and today was that day. At the start, I was hurrying up a lot. But I got my focus back and in the second game she got tired. I just played my game without looking at points. It's always good to beat another top player," said Saina, summing up her win. Sindhu strikes The second singles between World No.11 Sindhu and World No.24 Manuputty left the vociferous crowd inside the Siri Fort spellbound. It was quality badminton from both the players, and they found themselves engaged in a tussle akin to a tug of war. After pocketing the first game, Sindhu lost her focus in the next and the Indonesian girl pulled ahead after a long exchange and finished the set quickly with a drop shot at 21-10. It was the decider which tested the grit and tenacity of both the players. Atmosphere became electrifying when shots from both the players got faster and the pair tumbled over quite a few times trying to retrieve the shuttle. Crowd cheered relentlessly for Sindhu as the 18-year-old Hyderabadi shuttler kept her nerve and won the tie 21-16, 10-21, 25-23 in one hour and 24 minutes. Jwala-Ponnappa magic In the first doubles, the 36th ranked pair of Jwala and Ashwini came out all guns blazing against the higher ranked opponents, World No.9 Polii and Krishinda, to beat them convincingly. As the game wore on, the Indian duo hit harder, engaged the rivals in long rallies, and also ensuring they were in position to unleash the baseline smashes. "It was a very good win. We had to win somehow because we knew that the next singles and doubles match would be tough for us. We were defending really well and making some fine moves. Ashwini, who is not so good at soft strokes, played a smart game and delivered for the team. We will give our 100 per cent against Japan tomorrow in the semi-finals," said Jwala after her victory. Results Uber Cup: (India beat Indonesia 3-0) Saina Nehwal beat Lindaweni Fanetri 21-17 21-10; P V Sindhu beat Bellaetrix Manuputty 21-16 10-21 25-23; Jwala Gutta/Ashwini Ponappa beat Greysia Polii/Nitya Krishinda Maheswari 21-18 21-18) |
Two players approached by bookies in IPL: Gavaskar
Kolkata, May 22 Gavaskar also said that the issue regarding Brendon McCullum being approached by the bookies is something to be concerned about but assured that no leak of the cricketer’s discussions with the ACSU had happened from the IPL. “I can assure you that the leak did not come from the IPL. I don’t know where it came from. It’s an issue to be concerned. I have to say we have got an Integrity Officer (IO) attached with every team this time. It has made it a lot easier for the players to communicate,” Gavaskar told the mediapersons. “Sometimes (in the past), the players didn’t know what to do. Okay, there was a number to contact. But a lot of people (players) were thinking, ‘If you contact, does your number come under their list?’” “The anonymity and confidentiality aspect was something the players were not sure about. Now with the IO attached with every team, it has become a lot easier. If there is an approach, people go and tell the officer so that he takes it forward.” Gavaskar and his colleagues in the IPL Governing Council are trying to chalk up an elaborate roadmap in order to help young and talented cricketers handle their nascent careers, which can be derailed to the sudden stardom and money. “I called up Sachin, Rahul, VVS and Anil Kumble – the four legends of the game — maybe only the second day after taking over. They are contemporary cricketers, they know the current pressures, tensions and situations. We had a tremendous interaction. One of the things that came through was that a lot youngsters need to be guided on how to go about handling their careers,” Gavaskar stated. McCullum disappointed at leaks, has no regrets Christchurch: New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum says he has never been involved in matchfixing and is “very disappointed” his testimony to an International Cricket Council corruption probe had been leaked to the media. “Let me be clear I have never ever fixed a cricket match,” McCullum said in a statement before he appeared at a media conference in Christchurch on Thursday. “I am 100 percent behind the fight against corruption in the sport.” McCullum reported the approaches to the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). ICC chief executive Dave Richardson said on Wednesday he deeply regretted McCullum's statements being leaked to the media. “With regards to my testimony and the fact it has been aired in public I'm obviously very disappointed about that,” McCullum told reporters. “I can't go into the specifics of what's going into the investigation or my involvement in it ... but I will continue to fulfil my role in the investigation.” McCullum said he “no regrets” in making his statements and still had faith in the people he dealt with at the ACSU. — Agencies Vincent, Arif charged by ECB
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has issued charges against former New Zealand cricketer, Lou Vincent, and former Sussex cricketer, Naveed Arif, under the ECB's Anti-Corruption Code. Vincent is charged with a total of 14 offences in relation to two county matches played under the ECB's jurisdiction in August 2011 - a Twenty20 match between Sussex and Lancashire and a 40 over game between Sussex and Kent. Naveed Arif is charged with six offences in relation to the 40 over game between Sussex and Kent in August 2011. Both players have been provisionally suspended from all cricketing activities organised, authorised or supported by the ECB, ICC, any other National Cricket Federation and any member of any other National Cricket Federation. Chris Watts, Head of ECB's Anti-Corruption unit, said: “This has been an extremely complex and lengthy investigation co-ordinated across many jurisdictions around the world. This matter is now the subject of formal legal proceedings and we will therefore make no further comment other than to re-iterate our determination to bring to account the very small minority who seek to corrupt cricket.”ECB Chief Executive David Collier added: “The ECB's ACCESS unit has worked tirelessly with the ACSU to bring about these charges, which demonstrates our zero tolerance approach to corruption in our great game.” - Agencies |
Warner gives tough time to Super Kings Ranchi, May 22 Courtesy Warner’s 45-ball-90 and an equally effective unbeaten 64 off 49 balls from Shikhar Dhawan, Sunrisers crossed the mark with two balls to spare taking their points tally to 12 with a match still left. However, if Rajasthan Royals win their next match and take their points tally to 16, Sunrisers' last game will be rendered inconsequential. — PTI Scoreboard Chennai Super Kings: Smith lbw b Sharma 47 (28) Du Plessis run out 19 (11) Raina c Finch b Sharma 4 (7) Hussey not out 50 (33) Dhoni not out 57 (41) Extras (lb 7, w 1) 8 Total (3 wickets; 20 overs) 185 Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-68, 3-77 Bowling: Sunrisers Hyderabad: Warner b Hastings 90 (45) Dhawan not out 64 (49) Ojha c Negi b Raina 19 (18) Finch run out 7 (3) Sammy c du Plessis b Jadeja 0 (3) Venugopal not out 4 (1) Extras (lb 1, w 3, nb 1) 5 Total (4 wickets; 19.4 overs) 189 Fall of wickets: 1-116, 2-168, 3-176, 4-184 Bowling: |
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Kolkata Knights ride into the play-offs
Kolkata, May 22 Continuing his dream run, Uthappa played the sheet anchor role in his unbeaten 83 from 51 balls (10x4, 1x6) in a 121-run partnership off 70 balls with Shakib Al Hasan (60 from 38 balls) to help KKR post a towering 195/4. This was Uthappa's fifth half-century this season as with a tally of 572 runs, the KKR opener usurped the Orange Cap from Glen Maxwell (533), who was holding on to the pole since the start of season seven in Abu Dhabi on April 16. Defending the massive total, off-spinner Sunil Narine joined the party and executed the role of wrecker-in-chief to perfection, grabbing 4/20 to hand KKR their sixth successive win, a milestone they had only achieved in their triumphant 2012 season. After Umesh Yadav gave the breakthrough removing Chris Gayle (6), who got out to a dubious lbw decision, Yogesh Takawale and Virat Kohli kept RCB in the hunt in their must-win match with an 85-run partnership but Narine struck twice in his third over scalping both the dangerman to keep them in check. He returned the same way in his fourth over, this time claiming another two prized sclaps of Yuvraj Singh (22) and AB de Villiers (13) to turn the match around. KKR were reduced to 56/3 in the seventh over at the sun bathed Eden Gardens after Virat Kohli put the home team up front but Uthappa defied the heat to take the attack to the opposition. — PTI Scoreboard Kolkata Knight Riders: Royal Challengers: |
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Royal challenge for Kings
Chandigarh, May 22 Rajasthan Royals, who face Kings XI on Friday, too have suffered at the hands of the big-hitting Kings XI batsmen, especially Glenn Maxwell, in their previous encounter. Yet, there seems no hangover of that drubbing on the Royals. “In T20 it’s all about the day. If things start going your way, you can run away with the game. The Kings XI of course have an attacking batting line-up, but then we know what happened in the last game against Mumbai... They couldn’t get going,” said Vikramjeet Malik, a medium-pacer in the Royals’ squad. The point the pacer was trying to drive home was that T20 is a matter of chance, and any team could win or lose on any given day. While that’s largely true, it would be a unfair to attribute Kings XI’s amazing run to chance alone. Their success has come on the back of some amazing knocks by Glenn Maxwell and David Miller, and then the likes of Virender Sehwag, Manan Vohra and Wriddhiman Saha too have made their presence felt. And thanks to their batsmen blowing away the opponents, Kings XI are already in the play-offs. For Royals, though, a lot is riding on this game. Currently positioned 4th, they desperately need a win to nail a play-off spot. And they would want to settle the issue on Friday itself, for leaving it for the last game could push them into a tight spot. |
We performed below par, says Duminy
New Delhi, May 22 “We need to put in a big performance (tomorrow against Mumbai Indians). We know we were below par for at least 10 games. We have nothing to lose and will go out and give it our best shot,” said the South African batsman. “We have done well in patches. It's about putting good performance, in terms of the whole game, together. We have done only one thing right at most times. If we had batted well, we had not bowled well and if we bowled well we had not bat well in that game. If we can get all three disciplines (including fielding) right we would give ourselves a good chance,” he said. — PTI |
Doctor’s orders lead tochaos in ring
Patiala, May 22 Challenging the decision, Preeti’s father Sube Singh, a boxing coach in Haryana, said it was an attempt by the selectors to oust his daughter as they wanted someone else in the CWG team. The argument got heated up, with Preeti refusing to leave the ring and her father also stepping inside and refusing to leave. Blaming the selection committee, he said, “I have been witnessing this since years now but have somehow kept quiet, but we cannot take it any more.” A senior coach, requesting anonymity, said: “When there were only a few seconds left for the bout to finish, they should have allowed Preeti to play as her injury was not that serious.” However, an executive member of AIBA, Kishen Narsi, said it was a medical decision which can’t be challenged. “The bout was stopped by the doctor as he thought the injury could be vision impairing. He could not let the child take the risk. Still, we are consulting an international doctor for further opinion,” he added. Vijender rocks Olympic medallist Vijender Singh once again proved his mettle with his usual poise, relaxed attitude and confidence as he drubbed his opponent, Jagat Singh, who literally struggled to connect his punches. CWG Trials: Results Men: Shiva Thapa bt V. Durga Rao, Hasumuddin bt Aman Indora (56 kg); Rohit Tokas bt Dheeraj, Akhil Kumar bt Vikas Malik (60 kg); Mandeep Jangra bt Vijay, Manjit bt Jaideep (64 kg); Vikas Krishnan bt Sukhdeep, Vijender bt Jagat Singh (75 kg); Dinesh Kumar bt Manpreet Singh, Amritpreet Singh bt Jasveer Singh (91 kg); Satish Kumar bt KP Singh, Praveen bt Narender (+91 kg) Women: MC Mary Kom bt Vanlal Duati, Pinki Rani bt Sonia Lather (51 kg); L Sarita Devi bt Pwilao Busamatary, Pavitra defeated Preeti Beniwal (60 kg); Pooja Rani bt Seema Poonia, Neetu Chahal bt Monika Sauna (75 kg) |
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Jalandhar sports goods makers cash in as football fever rises
Chandigarh, May 22 Industry sources say two big multinationals have placed bulk orders for their promotional campaigns in Jalandhar as it is the main manufacturer of footballs, far ahead of ahead of Meerut. Tarun Dewan, executive director of the Sports Goods Export Promotion Council, said: “As per our records the export of inflatable balls to Brazil between Oct 2013 to March 2014 has been Rs 29 lakh.” There are seven manufacturers — four from Jalandhar and three from Meerut — who have taken orders to suppbly balls for promotional campaigns etc in Brazil only. Rattan Brothers was the only manufacturer from India to export footballs for promotional events in the 2010 World Cup. This time four more manufacturers have sprung up in the city. “It is not a very profitable deal but helps in expanding business, and if you deliver a quality product on time you can bag new orders,” said another manufacturer, not wishing to be named. In 2011 when Lionel Messi came to India for Argentina vs Venezuela friendly, Jalandhar-based Freewill Sports Pvt Ltd provided the match ball. Khel Udyog Sangh president Ravinder Dheer said, “Such events galvanise demand, which is a good sign. This year also we are seeing the same effect.” |
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New York, May 22 World No. 1 Williams, 32, has 17 singles majors on her CV and if she retains her French Open title she would join Evert and Martina Navratilova in second place on the list. Despite being the wrong side of 30, Evert believes Williams is still improving on clay and is now prioritising Grand Slams. “I think she’s peaked pretty well for the French Open,” Evert said. “I think her priorities really are the Grand Slams this year. She knows what her place in history is now.” — Reuters |
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