Sports

Bradman cap may well break auction record

sneha — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:05:00 +0530

The 'Baggy Green' cap won by legendary Don Bradman on the 1948 "Invincibles" Ashes tour has been placed an estimated price of $600,000 to $750,000 by its auctioneer and could well break the auction record.

"I defy anybody who tells me anything in Australian sport that is more important or has a higher status," auctioneer Charles Leski was quoted as saying the Sydney Morning Herald. The auction is set to take place on December 15.

"This is the single most valuable item we've ever auctioned - sporting, Australiana, across the board," Leski said.

The cap is accompanied by a memo signed by Bradman in 1996, declaring "on his twelfth birthday I gave Richard Robins one of my Aust XI caps".

Robins's father, Walter, played 19 Tests for England and was described by Bradman as his "best pal in the cricket world" - despite bowling the great man with a googly to which Bradman offered no shot in the 1930 Trent Bridge Test.

Serisier, a 47-year-old retired banker from Coffs Harbour, bought it prior to auction in 2003, amid a campaign to return it to Australia.

A Bradman bat was recently sold for a world record $145,000.

BCCI announces new venues for Test series against England

sneha — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 19:41:51 +0530

After uncertainty over whether the two-Test series against England would be held in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror strikes, it appears that the tour may ultimately take place with BCCI deciding on Chennai and Mohali as the new venues.

Although the BCCI said that England have agreed to return for the Test series, the ECB will be sending their security consultant for discussions with the authorities in India before a final clearance is given for the tour.

The BCCI, in a bid to salvage the tour, agreed to ECB's fresh request to shift the match from Ahmedabad and Mohali has been now chosen as the new venue.

As per the revised schedule, Chennai will host the first Test from December 11 to 15 while the second Test will be played in Mohali from December 19 to 23.

BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan said in a media release that England have agreed to resume their tour of India that was halted after the first five ODIs were completed following the terror attacks in Mumbai.

England were originally scheduled to play the Test matches at Ahmedabad and Mumbai on the same dates before the Mumbai terror attack.

The three-day tour match scheduled prior to the commencement of the two-match rubber has been cancelled, Srinivasan said.

"ECB has informed BCCI that England are agreeable to tour India and play two Tests, the first in Chennai from December 11-15 and the second at Mohali from December 19 to 23," Srinivasan said.

"ECB will be sending their security consultant for discussions with the authorities in India before final clearance is given for the tour," Srinivasan said.

Both Chennai and Mohali would thus be hosting their second Test matches in a calendar year following the rescheduling of the matches against England.

Chennai was the venue of the first Test against South Africa in March-April while Mohali played host to the second Test in the four-match series against Australia in October.

The cancelled three-day tour match, as per the earlier schedule, was to have been held in Vadodara with the opening Test to follow at Ahmedabad.

The new schedule was finalised after discussions between top BCCI and England and Wales Cricket Board officials.

It is learnt that the ECB was also talking to the Indian and British governments, high commissions in Indian cities, security advisers and other risk assessment experts in order to give the cricketers a thorough dossier on safety issues in India.

The ECB has maintained that it was for the players to decide whether they want to return to India but they would be briefed in detail about the security scenario and the arrangements that would be in place for the tour.

BCCI says concerns of 2011 WC "too far fetched"

sneha — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:38:52 +0530

The BCCI on Monday described as "too far fetched" media reports that the sub-continent could lose the right to host the 2011 cricket World Cup because of continuous terror attacks, saying the high-profile event was still a long way away.

"It is still too early to talk about the 2011 World Cup being shifted from the sub-continent. It is too far-fetched. I don't think there will be any problem in holding the event", senior BCCI official Rajiv Shukla told PTI.

"All the security issues will be sorted out, I don't think that will be a problem at all", said Shukla, who is also the Chairman of the BCCI's Finance Committee.

Media reports said the continuous terror attacks in the sub-continent has cast a shadow over the 2011 Cricket World Cup to be jointly hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and the ICC was contemplating of keeping a stand-by venue for the mega-event.

The ICC was expected to discuss the issue in its Executive Council meeting in South Africa next week.

The reports also stated that if the ICC decides to shift the event, Australia and New Zealand, the co-host in 2015, are the prime contenders for staging the tournament.

Cricket Australia has already started endorsing the idea with Chief Executive James Sutherland saying safety and security issues surrounding the 2011 World Cup were "bound to come up" in the ICC meeting.

"It hasn't been talked about but that may well have changed out of this Mumbai incident but one would hope the World Cup and other events that are planned for various places in the sub-continent can go ahead as planned," he was quoted as saying.

ICC suspends Razzak for illegal bowling action

sneha — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:09:38 +0530

Bangladesh's Abdur Razzak has been suspended from bowling in international cricket, pending fresh assessment of his action by the International Cricket Council.

Razzak was reported for suspected illegal action, exceeding the 15-degree permitted under ICC regulations, by on-field umpires Daryl Harper and Asoka de Silva after the second Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Dhaka on October 29.

The ICC ordered an independent analysis which was carried out by Dr Marc Portus, member of the ICC Panel of Human Movement Specialists, at the Australian Institute of Sport, Biomechanics Department, Canberra on November 17.

The analysis showed that Razzak's elbow flexation for both his stock delivery and fast ball ranged from 22 to 28 degrees, an ICC statement said.

Razzak's suspension applies with immediate effect and he is free to go for re-assessment after undergoing necessary modification to his action. He can appeal within 14 days after receiving the report.

Jeev rises to 44th in world rankings

megha — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:32:05 +0530

Jeev Milkha Singh consolidated his place among the elites by rising to 44th place in the latest World Golf Rankings issued on Monday.

Jeev, who partnered Jyoti Randhawa and finished tied 17th in the World Cup in China on Sunday, climbed a rung from previous week's 45th place. Randhawa, though, is exactly 100 runs behind Jeev at 144th place, following a string of below-par shows.

Among the others, PGA Tour-bound Arjun Atwal is ranked 201st while SSP Chowrasia is way behind at 316.

Jeev, meanwhile, has confirmed his participation in the $750,000 Volvo Masters of Asia event to put himself in line for a second Asian Tour title this season.

Jeev's victory in the $5 million Barclays Singapore Open saw him race ahead of long-time Order of Merit leader Mark Brown of New Zealand and the Indian wrapped up the title for the second time with a joint 11th place finish in the UBS Hong Kong Open.

Chelsea's title hopes dented by Arsenal

megha — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:16:17 +0530

Leaders Chelsea suffered a blow to their hopes of winning the English Premier League title when they were beaten 2-1 at home by Arsenal.

After champions Manchester United won 1-0 at neighbours Manchester City to move within five points of the top two sides, two goals from Robin van Persie helped Arsenal come from behind to beat their London rivals at Stamford Bridge here Sunday.

Chelsea remain top on goal difference from Liverpool, but Rafael Benitez's side can move three points clear if they beat West Ham United at Anfield. Arsenal are two points behind United in fourth.

Chelsea looked on course to go three points clear themselves when Arsenal's Johan Djourou turned the ball into his own net in the 31st minute.

But Arsenal came out strongly after the break and Van Persie, looking suspiciously offside, lashed the ball into the net to equalize just before the hour mark. And the Dutch striker latched onto a loose ball in the area to slip the ball past Petr Cech just two minutes later and put Arsenal in front.

Chelsea went in search of an equaliser themselves but Arsenal held strong to reignite their own title hopes.

United themselves survived the second-half sending-off of Cristiano Ronaldo to win at Manchester City, thanks to Wayne Rooney's 42nd-minute goal.

Rooney gave the champions the lead late in the first half with his 100th career goal, but the game's biggest flashpoint came with Ronaldo's sending off 22 minutes from time.

The United players were incensed when referee Howard Webb showed Ronaldo a second yellow card for an inexplicable hand-ball from a corner, a decision that Ferguson said he thought was harsh. "I have seen it again and I think he was trying to protect his face," he said.

United dominated in the first half with Dimitar Berbatov and left-back Patrice Evra looking particularly threatening, but it was not until two minutes before half-time that the breakthrough finally arrived.

As the home side squandered several chances to clear the ball, Rooney was able to tap the ball in from close range after City goalkeeper Joe Hart could only parry Michael Carrick's firm left-foot shot.

City's best chance of the match came midway through the first half as Stephen Ireland's scuffed shot from the edge of the penalty box found its way through a crowd of players to strike the post.

Thanks to a superb save from Edwin van der Sar in injury time, City were unable to capitalise on their numerical advantage and Rooney almost made it 2-0 only for Hart, who had gone up for a City corner, to dash back and tip the ball past the post.

Everton moved up to seventh with a 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur, while Portsmouth edged out Blackburn Rovers 3-2 at Fratton Park to go eighth.

Villarreal, Valencia surge ahead in Spanish Liga

megha — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:18:25 +0530

Villarreal beat last-place Recreativo Huelva 2-1, and 10-man Valencia recovered to defeat Real Betis 3-2 as both teams moved ahead of injury-ravaged Real Madrid in the Spanish league.

Spain winger Santi Cazorla and Ariel Miguel Ibagaza scored first-half goals at the Nuevo Colombino stadium for Villarreal, which improved to 28 points and trails leader Barcelona by four.

Valencia is alone in third place with 27 points after Ruben Baraja scored the winner with a 73rd-minute header as Valencia blew a two-goal and overcame the 63rd-minute ejection of Carlos Marchena on Sunday.

Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-0 on Saturday to improve to 32 points - six better than Madrid, which lost several more of its international players to injury in a 3-1 loss at Getafe. Diego Forlan scored two goals and set up the other two as Atletico Madrid rallied for a 4-1 victory against 10-man Racing Santander to stay sixth.

Also on Sunday, it was: Almeria 0, Deportivo La Coruna 1; Valladolid 3, Mallorca 0; Malaga 4, Osasuna 2; Athletic Bilbao 2, Numancia 0; and Espanyol 0, Sporting Gijon 1.

Villarreal came into the match with several injuries, and striker Jozy Altidore used a rare start to trouble the Recreativo goal early. Cazorla scored his fourth goal of the season in the 27th minute, after his long shot deflected through the area and left goalkeeper Asier Riesgo without a chance.

Ibagaza swung his free kick from outside the area inside near post in the 45th as Villarreal rebounded from its first league defeat since April.

Adrian Colunga scored Recreativo's goal in the 83rd from the penalty spot. Valencia took command at the Mestalla with early goals by two Spain internationals - David Villa and Juanma Mata.

Villa volleyed home Edu Gaspar's flicked-on cross in the 10th minute for his 12th goal of the season. Mata strode into the area in the 20th before pulling back to beat Casto Espinosa with a hard shot inside the near post.

But Valencia's concentration disappeared after the break and Betis took advantage to rally. Renan Soares continued to have trouble covering the short side as the Valencia goalkeeper somehow let Juanma Gomez's low shot slip by in the 56th.

Raul Albiol cleared off the line in the 63rd but Marchena had hauled Sergio Garcia down inside the area, with Achille Emana stepping up to score the penalty a minute later.

Baraja then turned Manuel Fernandes' free kick in at the near post in his 300th league game. Valencia, which snapped a two-game home losing streak, next travels to Barcelona.

Madrid faces fifth-ranked Sevilla next Sunday before a trip to Barcelona. At the Vicente Calderon, Simao Sabrosa started Atletico's rally in the 21st minute after controlling from Forlan to score with a half-volley shot.

Racing, which had struck in the seventh through Mohammed Tchite's penalty, had Cesar Navas sent-off in the 31st for a high tackle.

Three minutes later, Forlan played Sergio Aguero down the left and the Argentina striker slotted a right-footed winner under goalkeeper Antonio Rodriguez for his first league goal in nearly a month.

Forlan capped off a week that saw Atletico qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League by scoring off a Racing giveaway in the 77th and then adding his second with a header four minutes later.

Deportivo joined Atletico on 21 points after Joan Verdu collected his own rebound in the 75th to score after missing from the penalty spot eight minutes earlier. Almeria played with 10 from the 52nd after Alvaro Negredo was red-carded for an errant elbow.

Jose Garcia Calvo scored in the 29th before second-half goals from Angel Vivar Dorado and Henok Goitom ensured Valladolid won its third straight to move into eighth. Mallorca, which is winless in six, saw defender David Navarro taken to hospital with a head injury.

Malaga blew a two-goal lead before rallying behind late goals from former Spain international Albert Luque and Eliseu Pereira dos Santos at La Rosaleda.

Antonio "Apono" Galdeano's 56th-minute penalty sparked Malaga, with Nabil Baha heading in Adrian Lopez's cross at the far post in the 62nd.

Javad Nekounam scored in the 79th and Miguel Flano scored a minute later to even it before Luque scored from a solo run in the 84th. Eliseu added the fourth in injury time as Osasuna stayed second from the bottom.

Bartolome Marquez may have coached his last game with Espanyol after Carmelo Gonzalez's goal caused the 17th-place Barcelona club to lose its fourth straight. Espanyol also lost leading striker Raul Tamudo to injury.

At the San Mames, Fernando Llorente continued to display the impressive form that earned the 23-year-old striker a Spain call-up earlier this month by scoring two goals within 31 minutes as Numancia replaced Athletic in the relegation zone.

Del Piero, Messi sprinkle Euro stardust

megha — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:36:14 +0530

Veteran striker Alessandro Del Piero and Argentine international Lionel Messi sprinkled a little stardust over European football at the weekend with the Italian striking a memorable blow for soccer's golden oldies.

Del Piero, 34, hit his 250th career goal for Juventus as the Turin giants crushed relegation-threatened Reggina 4-0 to stay six points behind champions Inter Milan in the Italian title race.

Jose Mourinho's Inter squeezed past fellow title hopefuls Napoli 2-1 to stay top while AC Milan slumped to a shock 3-1 loss at Palermo to remain third. Del Piero's landmark goal came from the penalty spot following strikes from Mauro Cam ranesi, Amauri and Giorgio Chiellini.

Inter coach Jose Mourinho blasted his team's fans for jeering Brazilian full-back Maicon at the San Siro.

"We need the support of our fans. I don't like it when a section of our fans in a match such as this start whistling a player for a misplaced pass," moaned the former Chelsea boss.

Napoli gifted their hosts a 16th-minute advantage as Sulley Muntari crossed for Colombian centre-back Ivan Cordoba to volley home.

Ghana midfielder Muntari added the second on 25 minutes. Nine minutes before the break, Uruguayan Marcelo Zalayeta pulled one back for Napoli who are now nine points off the pace.

In Spain, Messi struck twice as Barcelona clinched a 3-0 victory over Sevilla while Real Madrid crashed 3-1 at city rivals Getafe.

Messi, 21, who was just four years old when Del Piero made his Italian league debut in 1991, volleyed his first from 25 yards after 78 minutes and then completed his brace in injury time. Samuel Eto'o had put Barca, who have a four-point lead over Villarreal, ahead in the first half.

"Nothing was going right for me in the first half, but luckily things turned around and I was able to put in a good performance," said Messi who dedicated his goals to his sister, who celebrated her 15th birthday on Sunday.

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster came under more fire after his side went down to Getafe, their second defeat in their last three league games, leaving them six points off the pace in fourth place.

Villarreal are second after a 2-1 win at rock-bottom Recreativo Huelva with Valencia a point further back despite a 3-2 win at home to Real Betis.

In Germany, Hoffenheim stayed top after a 3-0 home win over Arminia Bielefeld but Bayern Munich remain in hot pursuit with a 2-0 win at Bayer Leverkusen.

Vedad Ibisevic, Carlos Eduardo and Francisco Copado were on target for the small town side who have 34 points. Bayern are three points adrift after Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose scored to move them above Bayer Leverkusen.

In France, former Liverpool midfielder Bruno Cheyrou gave Rennes a 1-0 win over Paris Saint Germain as his side went second in the table, five points behind leaders Lyon who were held to a goalless stalemate at Valenciennes.

In Holland, AZ Alkmaar have a three-point lead over Ajax after a 2-0 win over Groningen. Ajax could only draw 1-1 with Utrecht.

English team set to return to India by Friday

megha — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:57:42 +0530

Kevin Pietersen and his teammates are set to return to India by Friday to play the two-Test series, the first of which would be shifted from Ahmedabad to Kolkata, according to media reports in London.

According to a report in 'The Guardian', the English cricketers would return to India on Thursday or Friday and the warm-up match, originally scheduled in Vadodara from Friday, is likely to be shifted somewhere near Kolkata.

However, the report added, everything would depend on the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) being convinced about the security arrangements in India.

"The ECB will present the players with a safety report today and is likely to confirm on Tuesday that the tour will resume later in the week," it said. "There is some concern about the team hotel in Ahmedabad, which is in the middle of the city," the report added.

Following the terror strikes in Mumbai, the England team returned home abandoning the last two ODIs against India and some of the players have developed cold feet about returning for the Test series.

Following the developments, ECB chairman Giles Clarke has hastily returned from a business meeting in Colombia while CEO David Collier cut short his holiday in the United States to participate in a teleconference with their Indian counterparts.

"It is understood that the ECB is also talking to the Indian and British governments, high commissions in Indian cities, security advisers and other risk assessment experts in order to give the cricketers a thorough dossier on safety issues in India," the daily said.

In case they return, the England team might miss the services of Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff who are reluctant to go back to India. Pacer James Anderson might also stay back to be with his pregnant wife.

Their possible pull out, however, would not count against them, selector Geoff Miller said.

"Players need to be on their full mettle. There is no point in anyone going out there if their mind is on physical self-preservation. We need them performing with bat and ball. But, depending on the character involved, it might not be right for some," he said.

"At the moment nothing has been confirmed with any of the players. We are committed, as it stands, to playing in those two Test matches, subject to safety and security advice.

The support we've had in India has been incredible. Cricket is a galvanising force in that country and that's got to be taken into account as well," he said.

Indian sub-continent may lose 2011 World Cup: Report

wali — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:54:57 +0530

Continuous terror attacks in the sub-continent has cast a shadow over the 2011 Cricket World Cup to be jointly hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh with the International Cricket Council contemplating of keeping a stand-by venue for the mega-event.

According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, the ICC is expected to discuss the issue in its Executive Council meeting in South Africa next week.

The report also stated that if the ICC decides to shift the event, Australia and New Zealand, the co-host in 2015, are the prime contenders for staging the tournament.

Cricket Australia has already started endorsing the idea with chief executive James Sutherland saying safety and security issues surrounding the 2011 World Cup were "bound to come up" in the ICC meeting.

"It hasn't been talked about but that may well have changed out of this Mumbai incident but one would hope the World Cup and other events that are planned for various places in the sub-continent can go ahead as planned," he said.

"But there will be plenty of things that will need to be planned in the fullness of time," he added.

Sutherland said he did not know if another country had already been put on standby for the 2011 tournament, and was non-committal when asked if Australia would have enough time to prepare for the event if handed over.

"I don't know the answer to that. It's something that down the track would need to be looked at, but we are very keen for it to go ahead where it has already been allocated. Let's see how things settle down after the tragic events of Mumbai," he said.

Meanwhile, ICC spokesman James Fitzgerald said the World body is yet to discuss anything on the issue but if the tournament has to be shifted, the decision has to be made at the earliest.

"A decision would have to be made soon if that was to happen because we need a good run in to get the World Cup ready on time," Fitzgerald said.

Cricket playing nations, especially Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa have cancelled several tours of Pakistan for security reasons.

Australia's Federal Government have even advised the nation's cricket team to avoid Sri Lanka because of the civil war and Bangladesh for general trouble and the latest to join the list is India, which has witnessed the deadliest terror strike in its history in the financial capital of Mumbai.

CA fails to check repeat offender Symonds

wali — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:28:08 +0530

Andrew Symonds committed yet another breach of discipline when he skipped a compulsory recovery session with Queensland, six weeks after being sent home for missing a team meeting in Darwin.

Cricket Australia (CA) despite being aware of the incident- it was Symond's third breach of his CA contract in three years- took no action.

In fact, CA chief James Sutherland said the indiscretion was "not my business", giving weight to the criticism of Australian cricket's governing body's failure to act decisively to address the all-rounder's disciplinary issues.

According to Herald Sun, Symonds failed to attend a Queensland recovery session Oct 13, and later confessed he had slept in. He was then warned by Queensland chief executive Graham Dixon and coach Trevor Barsby.

The all-rounder contacted his counselling team, who informed about the incident to Sutherland.

Sutherland responded by saying he was interested only in a professional appraisal as to whether Symonds was mentally fit to be available for Australian selection.

CA spokesman Peter Young confirmed Sutherland was aware of Symonds's indiscipline.

"James Sutherland's opinion was that it was not his business and the only thing he was interested in was the counsellor's eventual advice as to whether Andrew could be considered for selection again," Young said.

The 33-year-old was embroiled in more controversy last Monday when he had an altercation with a fan at the Normanby Hotel in Brisbane.

Warne impressed by Sehwag's batting prowess

manoj — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:41:22 +0530

Virender Sehwag was facing Pakistan's medium-fast bowler Abdul Razzaq, who was reverse-swinging the ball, and the way the Indian handled him is narrated in an interesting story in Australia's legendary spinner Shane Warne's just released book.

"Sehwag came up to (his batting mate Jeremy) Snape and said: 'We must lose this ball. I have a plan'. Next over he whacked the ball clean out of the ground, forcing umpires to pick another from the box that would obviously not reverse straight away. To which Sehwag said: 'We are alright for one hour.' Smart I say," according to Warne.

Sehwag and Snape were batting for English county Leicestershire against Middlesex when Razzaq started reverse swinging the ball in the way that the Pakistani bowlers do, Warne wrote in his book Shane Warne's Century and attributed the "great story" to Snape, who told it to him during their Indian Premier League days.

The Australian believes Sehwag's style was unmatched in the world and worked for him more than any other batsman with the same approach.

"Sehwag is one of my favourite batsmen in world cricket and one of my favourite personalities. This is a guy I would pay to watch. Alright, he could get caught at third man to a big slash or a top edge in the first or second over, but he could just as easily bat for an hour in a way unmatched by anybody else in the world," writes the former Aussie leg-spinner.

"You can take pot luck with Sehwag, although the fact that he averages more than 50 in Test cricket shows that his style pays off for him more often than it does for most other batsmen with the same approach," Warne wrote about the only triple-centurion India has produced.

Warne, who led young underdogs Rajasthan Royals to the title win in the inaugural IPL season, feels it was worth even having an out-of-form Sehwag in the team.

"If I was his captain, I would look to pump him up at every opportunity, reminding him that he is a match winner... It is worth paying the price for the little mistakes for the times when he absolutely destroys the opposition and wins you a game," he said.

Despite some similarities, Warne felt it was unfair to compare Sehwag with Sachin Tendulkar, whom the Delhi batsman idolises.

"Comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar are unfair... Take him (Tendulkar) for what he is. Take Sehwag for what he is as well," he said and added that "Their opening partnership in one-day cricket was usually worth the admission fee alone."

A self pro-claimed Tendulkar fan, Warne has now documented his feelings for the Indian, saying "Cricket has been fortunate to have a wonderful player and a first-rate ambassador, and to me he plays the game in right spirit."

Warne also did not feel that being Tendulkar, it was imperative for the batting maestro to score in every innings.

"He doesn't score runs every innings, of course, but he hasn't suffered long troughs of poor form at any time in his career... the papers would praise him but also blame him sometimes if his innings did not win matches, as though he was responsible for the rest of the side - what a joke that is," he said.

The spin wizard also felt that Tendulkar should not be pestered to leave the game earlier than he wanted to, owing to factors like form and age.

"All good things come to an end, and we should make sure we really appreciate Tendulkar whilst he is around and playing well. We will all miss him when he is not around anymore!"

Warne also praised "hot-headed" off-spinner Harbhajan Singh as an "exceptional talent" but felt the Indian should have got stringent punishment than he got for abusing Andrew Symonds during the Sydney Test.

"He may not have a fan club in Australia after recent incidents with Andrew Symonds, but he is still the kind of exciting player spectators want to watch. I thought he handled the situation in Australia last year pretty badly and should have been punished more than he was," he said.

India calls off Pak tour

manoj — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:34:04 +0530

The Indian cricket team will not be undertaking its scheduled tour to Pakistan, which was due to begin in January 2009.

The news comes as tensions between the two neighbours escalate in the wake of the terror attacks in Mumbai.

India was scheduled to play three tests and five one dayers in Pakistan.

PCB boss predicts split in cricket world

manoj — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:18:43 +0530

Pakistan board chief Ejaj Butt has warned that teams like England and Australia would end up splitting the world of cricket if they shun the sub-continent because of the security situation there.

England left their tour of India abandoning the last two ODIs and Butt, whose country has suffered from teams refusing to tour, said staying away from the sub-continent was not the answer.

"If certain countries play separately with two sets of rules, it will be a dangerous situation. It's a mutual thing. If they don't come, we won't go. You cannot have separate pockets with England only playing Australia," the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman told the BBC.

"To continue to not participate in cricket in this part of the world and in India and Sri Lanka, then it will be very difficult," Butt said.

Such a polarisation would spell doom for the International Cricket Council, argued Butt.

"There'll be two sets of rules, two sets of countries and two blocks in the ICC, which would be a dangerous thing to happen. We have to agree something. It has to be with all Test countries. You can't have four Test countries playing each other and the other four playing separately as well," said Butt, whose Board is also worried that India's scheduled tour of Pakistan in January next year may not materialise due to security apprehensions.

The same reasons saw Pakistan playing three one-dayers against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi but Butt felt neutral venues could not be the answer.

"We have to agree to something, and offshore cricket is not the only answer," he said.

Flintoff, Harmison might not return to India

megha — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:16:20 +0530

England will return to India to play their two-match Test series as per schedule, but without several senior players including talismanic all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, according to a media report in London.

Following the terror attack on Mumbai, Flintoff and fast bowler Steve Harmison and perhaps another bowler in the squad of 15, are expected to pull out in the next two days, citing their children and wives as their prime consideration, a report in 'Sunday Telegraph' claimed.

"Harmison has pulled out of tours before, but Flintoff's absence would deprive England of their best bowler in Indian conditions," the report said.

"A lot hinges on the attitude of captain Pietersen, but assuming he is persuaded by ECB of the enormous compensation which would be demanded by the Indian board (running into millions of dollars) and falls into line, the rest of the England party will follow his lead," it said.

England and Wales Cricket Board will make available by Monday a security risk assessment report on returning to India but the newspaper claimed that the report was just a formality and the ECB has already decided on going ahead with the Test series with first match starting in Ahmedabad on December 11.

The report also said that England players are likely to have practice either in Dubai or Abu Dhabi instead of playing a three-day practice game at Vadodara from December 5-7, and then fly directly from there to Ahmedabad for the first Test.

Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-0 in La Liga

megha — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:53:18 +0530

Lionel Messi scored twice as Spanish league leader Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-0 and moved six points clear of rival Real Madrid, which lost to Getafe 3-1 and incurred more injury problems.

Samuel Eto'o poked into the top of goal in the 20th minute to open at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan with his league-leading 14th goal on Saturday.

Messi scored from a superb volley in the 78th before rounding goalkeeper Andres Palop to score from a short angle in injury time as Barcelona improved to 32 points from 13 rounds while stretching its unbeaten run to 19 games.

Juan Angel Albin scored the first of his pair three minutes in and set up Ikechukwu Uche for the other as Getafe secured its fourth victory over its Spanish capital neighbor in nine meetings.

Madrid, already without a handful of international players to injury, also saw Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder and defenders Pepe and Miguel Torres leave the match with injury concerns.

In a thrilling exchange of attacking football, Barcelona struck first after Eto'o nudged through two defenders to reach Messi's deflected pass and beat goalkeeper Andres Palop with a fierce shot taken with the outside of his right foot.

Palop was busy throughout with Thierry Henry testing the Spanish goalkeeper twice before Eto'o's 29th-minute curler was tipped wide.

Sevilla strikers Luis Fabiano and Frederic Kanoute threatened throughout, and Brazil striker Fabiano sliced out his third chance within 24 minutes. Kanoute, who had an earlier penalty appeal refused, volleyed Adriano's cross wide in the 42nd.

Palop saved twice from Henry to start the second half before tipping a 59th-minute curling free kick from Daniel Alves, who played his former team for the first time since his offseason move to Barcelona.

The Catalan club was enjoying the better run and Palop got his hands up in the 68th to stop Messi from completing a darting run through the heart of Sevilla. But Messi got through after controlling Xavi Hernandez's flicked-on ball with his own head to volley back across goal and beyond the flat-footed Palop.

Sevilla finished with 10 after Fabiano was red-carded in the 86th and Messi used the space to go clear in the second minute of injury time before chipping a left-footed shot into the open goal.

In a Spanish capital derby played at Coliseum Alfonso Perez, Jaime Gavilan moved past Sergio Ramos along the left side and centered into the box for Albin to head past goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Then, with the streaking Roberto Soldado working as a decoy, the Uruguayan midfielder finished off a quick counterattack in the 47th with a left-footed shot for his fifth goal of the season.

Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez, making his 500th appearance for Madrid, stole the ball from Cata Diaz to feed Javier Saviola in the 55th and the Argentine striker made up for an earlier miss with a quick shot with the outside of his right foot to beat Roberto Abbondanzieri at the near post.

Albin used his precise touch to go clear on goal and drew Madrid's defense before laying the ball off for substitute Uche, who slotted in under Casillas in the 82nd.

Getafe was upset at having three penalty appeals waived away, notably Pepe's push from behind on Uche as the Nigeria striker streaked alone into the area in the 89th as Madrid looked to avoid allowing an embarrassing fourth.

Pietersen 'ready to return to India'

megha — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:47:44 +0530

Most of his teammates may still be undecided about their decision to tour India, but England captain Kevin Pietersen has said he would return to India for the Test series, provided security adviser Reg Dickason okays the tour.

Back in the comfort of his family, Pietersen said that he could not sleep since terror struck Mumbai, but asserted that terrorism should not be allowed to play spoilsport.

"We can't allow these cowards to run our game," Pietersen wrote in Sunday’s News of the World.

"It puts it all into perspective when you see blood on the streets. But if Reg gives us the OK, then I'll be back for the two Test matches and complete the tour. He has been around the block and I trust his judgment 100 percent. If he says it is safe to go back to India for the first Test in 11 days, then you can count me in," added the England captain.

Pietersen, however, made it clear that he would not force any teammate to join the touring party.

"It is a brutal situation and a world tragedy. So if any of the lads decide they don't want to return, then that's fine with me; they have got wives and kids to think about," he said.

Horrified by what he saw on television, Pietersen said that it was a close shave for the English cricketers.

"We were on the team bus coming back from Cuttack when we heard news of the horrific slaughter of innocent people in Mumbai. We were 800 miles from the attack but suddenly we felt very vulnerable, especially as we had stayed at the targeted Taj Mahal Hotel just two weeks ago," he said.

"We were due to go back there for the second Test all our whites and blazers for the Test matches are still in there somewhere. I will never forget it. I was walking down those steps only days ago to have a quick drink with a mate on his boat; now they are the scene of a tragedy," Pietersen said.

"It could have been one or all of us being carried out in a body bag. And when you see something like that you sense danger around every corner," he added.

"And when you hear that the terrorists are singling out English tourists, it sends a shiver down your spine. In cricket-mad India who could be more high profile than the England team? And who could be more high profile than their captain? It makes my blood run cold," Pietersen said.

The South African-born cricketer said as England captain, he was ready to face any opposition but certainly not terrorists.

"You don't expect to have to deal with tragedies like this when you take on the captaincy...Field placing, bowling changes, declarations and bad light you expect not cold-blooded murder," he said.

Emotionally drained by the episode, Pietersen plans to attend Sunday’s Chelsea vs Arsenal match to take his mind off the incident.

"Before we decide what we are going to do I'm going to take time out to go to Stamford Bridge to cheer on my mate Frank Lampard today. I need something to take my mind off this carnage," Pietersen said.

India placed 20th after third round in World Cup

sitansu — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:34:50 +0530

Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa put up an improved show in the four-ball format, returning a two-under 70 but that could not prevent the Indian duo from slipping nine places to tied 20th after the penultimate round of the Omega Mission Hills Golf World Cup on Saturday.

The Indians have a three-round total of seven-under 209.

On a roller-coaster day, the duo managed five birdies against three bogeys.

Making a fine start, the Indians picked up a birdie-brace on the third and fourth hole to make the turn two-under after playing out a flawless front nine.

Things went topsy-turvy in the back-nine as Jeev and Randhawa started off on a bogey-birdie note on the 11th and 12th. They picked another couple of birdies but dropped an equal number of bogeys in the remaining holes to close out an eventful day.

At the top, Spain (67) and Australia (63) shared the lead with totals of 22-under 194. Sweden (66) was third four strokes adrift.

Leading scores after Rd 3:

194: Spain (Miguel Angel Jimenez, Pablo Larrazabal) 64-63-67

194: Australia (Richard Green, Brendan Jones) 63-68-63

198: Sweden (Henrik Stenson, Robert Karlsson) 65-67-66

199: Germany (Martin Kaymer, Alex Cejka) 62-69-68

201: Ireland (Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley) 65-68-68.

Ponting, Hussey put Aus in command against NZ

sitansu — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:00:28 +0530

Australia consolidated its position against New Zealand reaching 241 for three in their first innings after bowling out the visitors for 270 on the second day of the second Test on Saturday.

At close, Michael Hussey (69) and vice-captain Michael Clarke (43) were the not out batsmen as Australia still trail by 29 runs at the Adelaide Oval.

Australian fast bowler Brett Lee ran through the New Zealand tail after they could add only eight runs in the morning.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting (79) and Hussey posted 106-runs for the third wicket after the loss of openers Matthew Hayden (24) and Simon Katich (23)for 49 runs.

Hussey and Clarke were then involved in an unbroken 86-run stand after the fall of Ponting.

Earlier, resuming at 262 for six, New Zealand innings folded after playing out just 8.3 overs with the second new ball in the morning.

Lee removed overnight batsman Brendon McCullum (30) caught by wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and then went on to claim Ian O'Brien and Chris Martin. Skipper Daniel Vettori (18) was left stranded. The pacer ended with figures of four for 66.

An out-of-form Hayden, who is appearing in his 100th Test, was run-out for 24. It was Hayden's second run-out in the last three Tests.

Vettori then removed Katich, who gave a bat-pad catch to Jesse Ryder.

Ponting and Hussey started the rescue job in contrasting styles. Ponting scored at a fast clip and stroked 13 boundaries in his 124-ball stay. He brought up his fifty with two fours in an O'Brien over and 44 of his 53 runs come from finding the rope. Hussey played patiently on the other end and hit eight boundaries in his 178-ball knock.

Ponting gave his wicket while pulling Peter Fulton and caught by O'Brien at midwicket.

Former skippers want England to return to India

manoj — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 13:37:30 +0530

Former captains Bob Willis and David Gower have joined Ian Botham and Mike Atherton in urging the English team to return to India and play the two-Test series next month.

Willis and Gower backed the decision to abandon the one-day series but felt if England do not return to India for the two Tests, the same treatment could be meted out to them by visiting sides when such a situation arises in the country.

"If India is deemed safe before first Test in Ahmedabad on December 11 and the second in Chennai, they should go and play. Otherwise no one will come to England - teams will say we are as much a terrorist target as any country. I hope that within a fortnight, things will have settled down," he said.

Yesterday, former captains Ian Botham and Mike Atherton had urged England and Wales Cricket Board to continue the Test series scheduled to start on December 11 in Ahmedabad.

Willis gave an example of the England squad, including himself, continuing to tour India in 1984-85 when former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated.

"England players stayed on in 1984-85 when Mrs Gandhi and Percy Norris, the deputy British High Commissioner, were assassinated. But I can understand reluctance of any cricketer to go into areas where there have been terrorist attacks. As Westerners are being targeted, it is sensible for the team to leave," Willis was quoted as saying by The Times.

Skipper of the English squad in that 1984-85 tour, Gower, said, "I would understand if there are doubts about staying on but I would expect that if the players went back to different areas of the country, they would be fine. I would almost suggest that if they go back to Bombay, they would be fine. India will provide full security, even though they will find it hard to get this out of their minds."

Mendis sets up narrow SL win against Zimbabwe

manoj — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:11:38 +0530

Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis captured a career-best 6-29 as the tourists edged Zimbabwe by two wickets to take a 4-0 lead in the five-match one-day series on Friday.

Mendis helped bowl out Zimbabwe for just 147 in 46.3 overs and they seemed set fair for a comfortable victory, especially after Zimbabwe had slumped to low scores of 124 and 67 all out in earlier matches.

But they endured an anxious afternoon as they just managed to scramble over the line with eight wickets down, making a hard fought 150-8 in 47.3 overs.

For Zimbabwe, Keith Dabengwa top scored with 32 off 59 balls as his colleagues fell regularly.

For Sri Lanka, their batting hero was Jehan Mubarak, whose 60 not out came off 99 balls but turned out to be the match winner.

They had been 33-0 and looking secure but they were suddenly reeling at 33-3, with Elton Chigumbura taking three wickets in one over, including Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayewardene who failed to score.

The tourists were suddenly on the back foot as they were 55-4, 95-5, 101-6 and then 116-7.

Prosper Utseya chipped in with 1-18 and Ray Price with 1-24, economy rates which could have proved decisive had the home side had the runs to play with.

Chigumbura finished with 3-35 and Tawanda Mupariwa 3-34.

Had Sri Lanka had lost they would have been the first losers in Zimbabwe since West Indies more than two years ago.

The fifth and final match takes place on Sunday.

England players fly back home

manoj — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 11:39:11 +0530

After calling off the ODI series following the Mumbai terror attacks, the England cricket team flew home on Saturday.

The team which reached Bangalore from Bhubaneshwar last evening had been put in a reputed city hotel for the night stay.

The entire hotel was put under high security vigil with even the media barred from interacting with the team.

The England team had cut short their one-day series following the volatile situation in Mumbai.

The team was schedule to stay in Taj in Mumbai, one of the hotels under terrorist attack, during the second match to be held from December 19 to 23.

Meanwhile, England Professional Cricketers Association chief executive Sean Morris has said that a decision on national side's return to India for the two Test matches would be taken after consultation with security experts, even as Indian Cricket Board has started attempts to salvage the series.

In a bid to save the series, the BCCI on Friday shifted the venue for the second Test from terror-hit Mumbai to Chennai.

Morris has categorically said the decision to fly back to India would be taken after assessing the security situation.

"The players want to spend some time with their families, who are obviously concerned with the situation in India. The England and Wales Cricket Board and the security experts will carry out a full review and analysis of the situation out there. Then we will sit down with the players and discuss the situation," Morris was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

"We can't make any decisions at this stage. We have a duty of care, not just to the cricketers but to the support staff and the supporters. We have got to let the experts make their judgment. It is not for the players to decide. It is all a little early to say what will happen," he added.

Scolari plans new year title surge

manoj — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:45:40 +0530

Luiz Felipe Scolari has warned Chelsea's title rivals that his team will win the Premier League if they are in the top two at the end of December.

Scolari has led Chelsea to the top of the table despite a series of injuries to key players like Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho and Michael Ballack.

Even with so many injury problems, Chelsea have looked the best team in England for much of the season. And although the Blues have wobbled recently, Scolari is convinced they will be a far more formidable proposition in the second half of the campaign when his walking wounded have fully recovered and found top form.

That would spell trouble for Liverpool, currently behind Chelsea on goal difference, reigning champions Manchester United, who trail the west London club by eight points and Arsenal, whose title hopes would be virtually killed off by defeat at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

"What I said to my players one month ago was we need to go from November 15 until the last day in December in good form," Scolari said.

"If we are in first or second, then I'll have the players back to challenge in all competitions. We'll be better in the second half of the season. Look at Ricardo Carvalho - I need to recover him because, in the last few seasons, there have been seven or eight injuries. I've seen the medical history. I need to stay between first and second. After finishing December, my players are ready and in good condition," he added.

A victory over Arsenal would be Scolari's first success in a truely significant match since taking charge. With Liverpool facing a winnable home game against West Ham on Monday, Chelsea cannot afford to drop points to their London rivals.

In the circumstances, Scolari needs as many options as possible so he was relieved to hear Joe Cole insist he is ready to play through the pain barrier.

England winger Cole is struggling with an ankle injury but Scolari said: "His reaction when I talked to him was very good. He said: 'Mister, forget me. I am ready.'

"I said 'Ok, very well'. Maybe he'll feel something but, in his mind, he wants to play. He will put up with some pain."

Juliano Belletti and Franco Di Santo have joined Chelsea's long injury list and will miss out, while Drogba is suspended. Brazilian defender Alex returns from a groin strain.

Liverpool boss stunned by latest Torres injury

manoj — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:37:22 +0530

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has admitted that he was mystified by the latest hamstring problem to be suffered by star Spanish striker Fernando Torres.

Torres faces at least three weeks out after picking up the injury in the 1-0 Champions League win over Marseille at Anfield on Wednesday.

He has already missed five weeks of the campaign with a similar complaint.

"Clearly because he has been injured before it's a concern," said Benitez.

"We are working with the medical staff trying to analyse the reason why and trying to prevent it happening again. He was sharp, so it was a surprise. It was the end of the game. We just need to do exercises and check the balance of the player," he added.

Benitez, whose side face West Ham in the Premier League on Monday, added that there are no guarantees as to when Torres will be back in the team.

"I was with him and the physios and he's already working. But it always depends on the player. It's a blow especially because we lost him before and we've been talking about the understanding between him and Robbie Keane, and him and Steven Gerrard. It's important not to put too much pressure on it and for him to keep working," Benitez added.

Torres will definitely miss Monday's match and probably the fixtures against Blackburn, PSV Eindhoven and Hull.

The Reds have already coped without their star striker this season, recording victories over Manchester United and Chelsea in his absence.

Benitez is confident his squad can once again prove themselves.

"We have Keane and when we bought him it was with the idea that he can score goals. We also have Dirk Kuyt, David Ngog and Ryan Babel," the manager told the club's website.

"Hopefully they can score enough goals and we can talk about Fernando in three weeks' time. We have shown enough quality and character without him and hopefully we can do it again," he added.

Viduka return boosts Newcastle firepower

manoj — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:30:31 +0530

Mark Viduka will have to settle for a place on the bench as Newcastle United's Australian international makes his long-awaited return from a career threatening injury.

Viduka will be among the substitutes when Newcastle make the short trip to his former club Middlesbrough for Saturday's English Premier League game at the Riverside Stadium.

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear is set to stick with the front pairing of Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins, meaning Viduka will have to make do with at best a cameo role in what will be the striker's first appearance for six months following a lengthy Achilles problem.

Kinnear is more than satisfied with his attacking options following the 33-year-old's return to fitness, with Shola Ameobi completing what is an impressive forward quartet.

The interim manager admitted: "I've got some difficult decisions to make because both Shola and Obafemi have been scoring goals for us."

Kinnear is looking forward to having Viduka at his disposal for the first time at a ground where the ex-Boro favourite scored against his old club last season.

He added: "I feel we've got a good balance with our men up front. We've got Oba's pace, Michael's technical ability as a goal scorer and the power of Mark and Shola."

It's not all good news for Kinnear, who faces his latest touchline ban after being charged with improper conduct by the Football Association.

And in a double blow, the 61-year-old has been told to forget any plans he has to move for Norway international John Arne Riise in the January transfer window.

Kinnear has until December 12 to respond to the FA charge which could also see him earn a hefty fine for describing referee Martin Atkinson as 'Mickey Mouse' following Newcastle's 2-1 defeat at Fulham earlier this month.

The outspoken former Wimbledon manager has since issued an apology to the official, but that failed to spare him his latest run-in with Soho Square discipline chiefs.

Kinnear spent the first two games of his Newcastle reign in the stands earlier this season as he served a touchline ban carried over from his time in charge at Nottingham Forest.

To add to the Irishman's worries, he has learned there's no chance of landing Roma defender Riise - despite earlier insisting he was on the verge of clinching a two-million pound loan deal for the former Liverpool full-back.

Alan Shearer, the man tipped to eventually replace Kinnear, has meanwhile backed Owen to fire Newcastle to Premier League safety as they look for a victory over Middlesbrough to lift them out of the bottom three.

Owen has struck six times despite an injury-plagued start to the season, although the England international admits that the majority of his goals have been nothing more than consolation strikes.

But Shearer insisted: "Michael will always score goals. The secret of a natural finisher is that he'll always go back and make the right runs. A top striker like him is never afraid to miss because you know you can't score every time but that given a couple of chances you'll tuck one away."

Steven Taylor has recovered from a groin problem, but the England Under-21 defender has to settle for a place on the bench with Viduka as Kinnear is likely to name an unchanged starting line-up.

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate is ready to give the side which lost 3-1 at home to Bolton last week a chance to make amends.

"We want to make the Riverside a fortress, but we have to earn the right to do that," he said.