Argentina drub sorry India
The South Americans beat India 4-2 to finish seventh in the hockey World Cup.
Lucas Martin Vila scored twice for Argentina while Tomas Argento Innocente and Facundo Callioni added one each. For the hosts, Sandeep Singh and Shivendra Singh got on the scoresheet.
Argentina took the lead in the 28th minute. Fernando Oscar Zylberberg's long ball found Argento who put the South Americans in front.
Day's action in pics
Despite winning two penalty corners and enjoying most of the possession, India were unable to pull level and the first half ended 1-0.
They finally equalised in the 42nd minute when Sandeep scored off a penalty stroke. This was his fourth goal of the championship and he finished as India's topscorer.
But whatever hope India had of a comeback quickly vanished in the next few minutes. Vila scored a quickfire brace and Callioni added one more inside four minutes to give Argentina a three-goal advantage.
With the score at 4-1, the tie looked beyond India's reach and though the team fought resiliently, the stadium's sudden silence told the tale.
Shivendra pulled one back for India in the 49th minute granting some respectability to the scoreboard. But in the end, Brasa's men fell short again as the match ended 4-2.
The eighth-place finish for the hosts is their best at the World Cup in 16 years.
Kiwis stumble to ninth position
New Zealand held their nerves to beat South Africa on penalties and finish ninth in the hockey World Cup.
In a match where fortunes fluctuated from one side to another, it was New Zealand who held their nerves to beat South Africa 5-4 on penalty strokes at Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Friday.
The match had ended 4-4 after extra-time. Andrew Hayward struck a hat-trick for the Kiwis, while Hugo Inglis scored one. Justin Reid-Ross, Llyod Norris-Jones, Taine Paton and Thomas Hammond netted once each for the Proteas.
The Africans dictated most of the early play, making early in roads into the Kiwi circle and they were rewarded as early as the fourth minute. Ried-Ross slammed the ball into the top-right corner to make it 1-0 in favour of the Proteas.
The Black Sticks responded immediately, but Nicholas Winlson's shot was fended off by keeper Erasmus Pieterse.
Both the teams kept pushing forward but could not change the scoreline till the end of the first-half.
If the first session of play was a drought, the second was indeed a flood. The South Africans continued from where they had left in the first half. They were aggressive, but could not find the back of the net and saw the Kiwis equalize through Inglis in the 40th minute.
Two minutes later, Hayward converted a penalty corner to give Kiwis the lead. The Africans made it 2-2 in the 45th minute.
Jones-Norris capitalized on a defensive error and made a brilliant run in the New Zealand circle and struck from the edge of the circle to equalize for his team.
The Kiwis again had their noses ahead in the 49th minute. Hayward fired a drag-flick in the right corner to make it 3-2.
The Proteas got back in the level in the very next minute. Paton picked up the ball in the Kiwi circle and fired it into the bottom right corner.
Both teams used their energy they were conserving in the early part of the game with end-to-end attacks.
The South Africans, looking for their best finish at the World Cup, again got the lead 13 minutes from time through Hammond.
But the Kiwis were relentless in their attacks and found the equalizer in the very last minute. Hayward completed his hat-trick to push the game into extra-time.
The two sides were cautious in the extra period and made very few attempts on goal.
Both the teams could not find the golden goal, and the fate of the match was to be decided by penalty strokes.
The Kiwis held their nerves to win the match 5-4 on penalties.
"We did not live up to expectations"
New Zealand coach Shane McLeod believes his team has more potential than what their ninth-place finish at the World Cup shows.
By Anshul Baijal
New Zealand coach Shane McLeod was happy that his team beat South Africa to finish ninth in the World Cup, but he was not satisfied with his team's performance. "I am happy that we won the game today, but a ninth place finish is not what we were looking for," he said.
The Kiwis came into this tournament without some of their key players like Simon Child and Hayden Shaw and coach McLeod believes his team missed them in the tournament. "You will always miss such players," said McLeod.
Day's action in pics
He added: "Phil Burrows also got injured during the tournament. So we were basically without three of our first team players and it was difficult to fill these gaps."
Black Sticks captain Dean Couzins, meanwhile, preferred to see the positive side. "Some of our youngsters got a chance to play at the highest level. It will be good for New Zealand hockey in the long run," he said.
Couzins admitted that they were forced to try new combinations but unfortunately they did not work out for the Black Sticks. "Ryan Archibald had to play in the forward line. It is not always easy to change your position in middle of a tournament and we paid the price for it," said Couzins.
Meanwhile, South Africa coach Gregg Clark was disappointed after his team lost the game, but was happy with the way his team played. "We showed a lot of fighting spirit and the players showed commitment," he said.
Cricket News
Mathews storms to sensational fifty
Angelo Mathews blasted a fifty as Kolkata looked like cruising away to a challenging score against Hyderabad.
Hyderabad got off to a sensational start. Chaminda Vaas struck twice in the first over to send shivers through the Kolkata camp.
Kolkata lost Cheteshwar Pujara and Brad Hodge in quick succession just when the pair started to rebuild the innings against Hyderabad.
RP Singh struck in the fifth over to remove Cheteshwar Pujara who played it straight to Pragyan Ojha at mid-on, as Kolkata slumped to further trouble.
Jaskaran Singh was quick to join the party for the defending champions, seeing off Kolkata's most consistent batsman, Brad Hodge. Hyderabad are on top.
The Toss
Hyderabad have won the toss and elected to field in the opening match of the Indian T20 series against Kolkata.
After a sensational opening ceremony to the third edition of the Indian T20 series, focus will shift to hardcore cricket with defending champions, Hyderabad taking on Kolkata in the opening match.
Sourav Ganguly, back as captain for Kolkata, has a lot on his plate, what with a new set of coaches and a new uniform. Hyderabad, on the other hand, will look to replicate their performance in South Africa last year.
Both sides, however, have to do without their leading international players, engaged in various series for their national teams across the globe.
Teams
Hyderabad: AC Gilchrist (Captain & WK), HH Gibbs, A Symonds, VVS Laxman, RG Sharma, Anirudh Singh, TL Suman, Jaskaran Singh, WPUJC Vaas, RP Singh, PP Ojha
Kolkata: SC Ganguly (Captain), BJ Hodge, CA Pujara, MK Tiwary, OA Shah, AD Mathews, WP Saha (WK), LR Shukla, M Kartik, CK Langeveldt, I Sharma
Gear up for Tendulkar vs Warne battle
Excitement is in the air as Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai is set to start their Indian T20 series campaign against Shane Warne's Jaipur.
Jaipur will miss some of its key players. Ravindra Jadeja would be a notable absentee. Jadeja has been slapped with a one-year ban by the Indian T20 Series Governing Council for breaching the player code of conduct.
Besides him, Jaipur will also feel the absence of South Africa's Johan Botha and Australia's Shane Watson and Adam Voges for the first match.
But South Africa captain Graeme Smith, Damien Martyn, Yusuf Pathan, Dmitri Mascarenhas and Swapnil Asnodkar will make up for the strong batting line-up.
The bowling department that consists of South African Morne Morkel, India's Munaf Patel, Kamran Khan and Siddharth Trivedi, has also been given a boost with the addition of the Aussie speedster Shaun Tait. Captain Shane Warne will lead the spin attack.
Meanwhile, Mumbai's batting will revolve around captain Sachin Tendulkar. the Master Blaster, who recently became the first batsman in the history of one-day cricket to hit a double century.
All eyes, though, will be on the new recruit Kieron Pollard, who was brought for a whopping USD 750,000 for the third edition of the Indian T20 Series. He along with another West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo will prove vital to Mumbai's chances.
The pace bowling will be spearheaded by Zaheer Khan. Sri Lankan pacers Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando will give him company.
Harbhajan Singh would lead the spin attack but other than him there isn't any regular slow bowler to support him. So Mumbai will have to depend on Sanath Jayasuriya's slow left arm bowling.
Pak release squad for ICC T20 WC
Pakistan’s selection committee today announced the squad for the ICC T20 WC but did not name the captain of the side.
The squad includes the trio of Shahid Afridi, Kamran and Umar Akmal, who were put under probation on the recommendation of a probe committee.
The selectors picked under-19 all-rounder Hammad Azam and also recalled Muhammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq in the national side.
"Malik and Rana were not eligible we didn't consider them at all," Mohsin said.
He also said that the new coach Waqar Younis was not part of the discussion today since he was already aware of all the players in contention.
Hafeez returns to the team after being ignored by the selectors for nearly three years. He last played in any form of the game for Pakistan in October, 2007 but has been impressive in recent domestic events including the just concluded National T20 Championship.
The selectors have also picked Misbah and Hammad on basis of their recent form and performances, Mohsin said.
He conceded that defending the title would be an enormous challenge for the side but was optimistic of team's chances.
"The past is now history and we need to prepare for the future," he said.
Speculation is high that ICL-returnee all-rounder Abdul Razzaq or opener Salman Butt could be handed over the reins of the team.
The tournament will be held in West Indies from April 30.
Squad: Muhammad Hafeez, Salman Butt, Khalid Latif, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Yasir Arafat, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Hammad Azam.
Reserves: Muhammad Sami, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Naved Yasin, Raza Hasan, Shahzaib Hasan.
Tennis News
Henman rejects Britain captaincy
Tim Henman has ruled himself out as Great Britain's Davis Cup captain because "it doesn't feel like the right time".
That defeat has left Great Britain on the verge of dropping into Europe/Africa Zone Group III, the lowest tier of the competition, and prompted calls for change within the team.
Henman, however, has ruled himself out of taking on the captain's role, although the 35-year-old admitted he would one day like to lead his country.
"Maybe in three years or in 13 years, sometime in the future, I might be interested in being the Davis Cup captain," the former world number four told the Daily Telegraph.
"But it doesn't feel like the right time. I'm enjoying my family and my golf - and not having any structure in my life.
"For 28 of the first 33 years of my life tennis was what I did. I wouldn't change that and I'm sure at some stage I'm going to get more involved and give back to British tennis.
"But at the moment I would not want the commitment or the responsibility of being Davis Cup captain."
Nadal to play at Queen's in England
Rafael Nadal is hoping to regain the Queen's Club title he won in 2008 after confirming his attendance at this year's event.
But he is relishing the chance to play once again at Queen's, with the tournament now sponsored by AEGON.
"I always look forward to coming to England to play at The Queen's Club and Wimbledon but this year there is even more motivation because I could not defend my titles last year," said Nadal, who joins US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro in making an early commitment to playing.
"No-one was more disappointed than me that I couldn't play because I love those tournaments," added Nadal.
"Queen's is a big, important tournament played at a very nice, traditional club and it was an amazing feeling to win it in 2008 and then to fulfil my dream by winning Wimbledon.
"To not defend my Wimbledon title last year was one of the toughest decisions in my career, but this is a new year and now I have the chance to go back to England and to compete on the grass again."
Henin wins opener at Indian Wells
Justine Henin breezed into the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells as she dispatched Magdalena Rybarikova 6-2 6-2.
Playing in only her second tournament since ending an 18-month retirement - and her first since the Australian Open in January - Henin looked a long way from her best but was nevertheless too good for Rybarikova.
Henin, one of six former champions in the field, is competing with a wild-card.
One other wild-card progressed today as Australian Alicia Molik ousted Tatjana Malek of Germany 6-1 6-3, but three others are on their way home already with American Christina McHale losing 7-5 6-3 to compatriot Vania King, Eleni Daniilidou of Greece falling 6-0 7-5 to American Jill Craybas, while Alexa Glatch lost to Britain's Elena Baltacha 6-3 6-7 (3-5) 6-4.
Elsewhere, Anna Chakvetadze fought back from losing the opening set to beat Britain's Anne Keothavong 2-6 6-3 6-1.
Also advancing were Polona Hercog, Kimiko Date Krumm, Tamarine Tanasugarn, Kirsten Flipkens, Olga Govortsova, Sorana Cirstea, Vera Dushevina, Patty Schnyder, Shuai Peng and Virginie Razzano.
Golf News
Rain stops play at Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rico Open got off to a slow start as rain halted play with the tournament barely under way in Rio Grande.
The field at this US PGA event is led by South Africa's Rory Sabbatini and India's Jeev Milkha Singh.
Football News
Messi: Barcelona must be humble
Lionel Messi believes Barcelona must avoid Real Madrid’s mistake of being arrogant and keep their feet firmly on the ground.
"We have come here to speak about Unicef, but I will respond to your question," said Messi. "We have a match against Stuttgart in which nothing is definite and we need to take what happened at the Bernabeu as a warning.
"We have to have our feet on the ground and think of ourselves.
"We always try to approach each match with humility. Last year we had the fortune of winning everything, but this year we start at nothing and we have to work hard to win things".
Asked if he was needed to carry La Blaugrana during matches, Messi humbly denied these opinions.
"I do not go out with the team on my back and I didn't do it last year. It is very difficult for one player to win titles alone."
"We are playing well, but are not achieving results."
First it was 30, now Fergie wants 40!
Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping that Wayne Rooney will get him 40 goals this season. Two short of Cristiano Ronaldo's 42-goal haul.
After breaking the 30 barrier with his double in Wednesday night's incredible four-goal demolition of AC Milan at Old Trafford, Rooney is not setting himself any targets for the remaining two months of the campaign.
Even Ferguson has tended to be reluctant, insisting his only aim for Rooney was 30, despite United's number one striker being on 27 when the Scot last said it.
But, at a sponsorship announcement for Telekom Malaysia at Old Trafford, Ferguson did acknowledge Ronaldo's 42 - an achievement that helped earn him the world player of the year honour in 2008 - is a definite possibility.
"I am delighted he has got to 30," said Ferguson.
"That is what I wanted. But he is there now.
"We have nine league games left and hopefully five European matches, so that is 14 in total. If he gets a goal a game he will do it.
"But I am not greedy. I would be happy if he got to 40."
The sight of Ronaldo disappearing down the tunnel at the Bernabeu, clearly unhappy at Real Madrid's failure to reach the last eight, was a reminder of how well United have adapted to life without the Portugal superstar.
Ferguson would never say his side are better without such a unique talent.
But quite apart from Rooney, others are coming to the fore - including Park Ji-sung and Nani, who had largely been viewed as bit-part players at best.
Doing so much selfless running behind Rooney in an advanced midfield role, Park scored United's third last night, while Nani created the second with a brilliant pass with the outside of his foot.
It continued a remarkable transformation for a player who seemed certain to leave United, either during the most recent transfer window or in the summer, so ineffective had been his performances since arriving from Sporting Lisbon in 2007.
Now though, he is the one smiling. And he might even make a cheeky call to have a bit of fun at his illustrious fellow countryman's expense.
"Life is good at the moment," he said. "I am so happy because things are going well.
"I felt more was expected of me when Ronaldo left. I knew I could do more. I have done it. I hope in the future I can do even better.
"I am certainly happy we are still in the competition. Maybe I will ring Cristiano and speak to him about it."
On the eve of Wednesday night's encounter, Ferguson stated that United's first-leg win in the San Siro had been a 'landmark victory' for his club.
Although you only have to go back six years to Milan's hammering by Deportivo for a similar sized defeat for the Italians, the sheer enormity of the win will be spoken about almost as long as David Beckham wearing a 'protest' green and gold scarf as he made his way down the tunnel.
With the seven-times winners out of the way, plus the team that plays in the stadium May's final will be played - and either Chelsea or Inter Milan sure to fall when the remaining four last-16 clashes are concluded next week, United can look forward to the draw with confidence.
Barcelona are the obvious team to be avoided, whilst there are easier opponents than Arsenal despite United's recent successes against them over the past 12 months.
"You could throw a net over all the clubs and there would be nothing between them," said Ferguson. "The competition nowadays is so close.
"When the draw came out last time, and we were the final name, I said we had never beaten Milan in four attempts.
"Now we are in the last eight and I don't think it matters who we play.
"It is not as if there is an easy game. We have to play one of them and with the performance level we produced last night we are capable of playing against anyone."
Motorsport News
Vettel banking on Luscious Liz
Sebastian Vettel is hoping 'Luscious Liz' will carry him to title glory after going close last year with 'Kate's Dirty Sister'.
Vettel likes the personal touch with his Red Bull Racing cars and has developed a habit of providing them with names, starting off last season with the simply monikered 'Kate'.
However, after sending 'Kate' to an early grave when he wrote her off in the opening race in Australia, Red Bull provided the young German with a more aggressive model, hence 'Kate's Dirty Sister'.
The car carried Vettel to four wins, including the closing one in Abu Dhabi of a campaign in which he finished runner-up, 11 points adrift of champion Jenson Button.
For this season, 'Luscious Liz' will make her debut in Bahrain on Sunday, with Vettel naturally looking to her to take him one step further.
"Hopefully she doesn't need a sister," smiled Vettel.
"As to whether she can win, I can tell you after a couple of races hopefully, or on Monday would be even better.
"But generally I'm happy and confident. I think we have a good car.
"Winter testing has been good. We have never been as prepared as we are now, and we think we are up there.
"Tomorrow (qualifying) we will find out who is strong and who is not, and on Sunday we have the big unknown with everyone starting on lots of fuel.
"We don't yet know how the race will unfold. It could be exciting, crazy and everyone will enjoy it, or it could be very boring, and where you are after five laps is where you'll be at the chequered flag.
"So it's pretty unknown what is going to happen right now. We will see, but hopefully Luscious Liz will win."
Team principal Christian Horner this week hailed Vettel now as "a complete driver," believing last year's near miss has made the 22 -year-old much stronger as a person and on the track.
Vettel, however, feels one particular item is missing from his CV that will ensure he lives up to Horner's praise.
"Obviously I have a target in my life and the target is to be world champion," added Vettel.
"If I reach that target one day then I think I will be more complete than I am now, but I have learned a lot over the years, in particular a lot last year.
"I think the whole team and myself are in a good position. Last year was the first time for me and the team that we were in a position to fight for big points, race wins, pole positions.
"But the key now is to prove we deserve to be there. Last year was our first at the top, and now it is up to us to stay there."
Button craves flying start
Jenson Button believes he will have to make another lightning start to the season if he is to retain his F1 world title.
The 30-year-old's soaraway early success proved crucial as he only managed two podium finishes in the final 10 grands prix, doing just enough to hold off a charge from Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.
Button has since switched teams to McLaren, believing he required the change to reignite his passion as he feared going stale with Brawn, and with the title in his pocket.
But with this season the most open for years, and with seemingly so many contenders for the crown, whoever gets a flier could again be in pole position to claim the championship.
Ahead of Sunday's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, a race he won last year en route to the title, Button admitted: "I feel I'll need a dominant start again this weekend.
"I think every championship, for any champion, it's important to be quick out of the blocks.
"If you look back, normally the guy that really fights for the championship and gets the championship is strong from the word go.
"So yes, it is important for all of us to be up there at the front here in Bahrain.
"The competition is very fierce, I must say, but that's why it is exciting.
"For a fan of Formula One, this season should really be electric. If it's not, we're doing something seriously wrong."
Button acknowledged the return of Felipe Massa after eight months out following his accident in qualifying for last year's Hungarian Grand Prix that resulted in him requiring life-saving surgery.
There was also special mention for Schumacher, with Button patting the 41-year-old on the shoulder as he said: "It's great to have Michael back because it makes me feel young again!"
Sitting in the main FIA media conference yesterday with fellow world champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso also alongside him, it underlined the stellar nature of this year's field.
"Looking at this race, I don't think there have been so many competitive drivers in competitive cars for a long time, so it's great to see," assessed Button.
It is Button, though, who goes into the season with the coveted number one on his car, which means so much to him - although it is a feeling he concedes will not last for long.
"I can only look at that in a positive way, and stepping into the car and seeing the number one on it is a very special feeling," smiled Button.
"Especially here in Bahrain at the first race when, just before I put on my helmet and look at the car and see the number one, it's going to be an emotional moment.
"But the moment I step into the car and close my visor, last season is out of the window, and that's when I focus on this year."
