Latest Sports News
Cricket News
1)Murali to retire after Galle Test:Read in Detail
2)'Reconstitute BCCI disciplinary panel' : Read in Detail
3)Biswal appointed Team India manager : Read in Detail
4)Dhoni and wife meet Rahul Gandhi : Read in Detail
5)CA confident of security measures : Read in Detail
6)BCB chief is new ACC president: Read in Detail
World Cup Football News
7)SF: Uruguay vs Netherlands Preview : Read in Detail
8)Kuyt: We've a fantastic opportunity! : Read in Detail
9)"Ballack injury good for Germany" : Read in Detail
10)"I never called Maradona an idiot" : Read in Detail
Tennis News
11)Dent defeated in first round :Read in Detail
12)Nadal gunning for career Grand Slam : Read in Detail
13)Sania slips further in rankings : Read in Detail
14)Murray: I need to work harder! : Read in Detail
Motorsport/Golf News
15)"Silverstone will be the best!" : Read in Detail
16)Hill: Never count Schumacher out! : Read in Detail
17)McDowell ready to rumble again : Read in Detail
18)Westwood in race against time : Read in Detail
Other Sport News
19)Netball: Singapore beat India : Read in Detail
20)CWG: Fraser confirms withdrawal : Read in Detail
21)Boxing: IBF issues warning to boxers : Read in Detail
Showing posts with label ashes cricket news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ashes cricket news. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Latest Sports News of 24-6-2010
Latest Sports News
Cricket News
1)Sri Lanka reel as Maharoof falls :Read in Detail
2)Mohali, B’lore to host Oz Tests :Read in Detail
3)Scotland 'A' stun India 'A' :Read in Detail
4)Pak selection committee may resign :Read in Detail
World Cup Football News
5)Beckenbauer blasts 'stupid' England :Read in Detail
6)Olsen: Denmark will fight hard :Read in Detail
7)New Zealand out to test Paraguay :Read in Detail
8)Low fears the Rooney factor :Read in Detail
9)Italy vs Slovakia The champions are out! One of the biggest upsets ever sees Slovakia beat Italy 3-2! Paraguay and Slovakia through to the round of 16 :Read in Detail
Tennis News
10)The Lawn Mower - 02 :Read in Detail
11)Records fall in Wimbledon classic :Read in Detail
12)Bopanna-Qureshi pair down Somdev-Huey :Read in Detail
13)Sania, Paes win opening matches :Read in Detail
Motorsport News
14)Button hoping for special homecoming :Read in Detail
15)Lotus's Chapman eyes progress:Read in Detail
16)Brawn: Mercedes are almost there! :Read in Detail
Other Sports News
17)Sports fraternity mourns Digvijay's death:Read in Detail
18)Saina starts campaign with win: Read in Detail
Cricket News
1)Sri Lanka reel as Maharoof falls :Read in Detail
2)Mohali, B’lore to host Oz Tests :Read in Detail
3)Scotland 'A' stun India 'A' :Read in Detail
4)Pak selection committee may resign :Read in Detail
World Cup Football News
5)Beckenbauer blasts 'stupid' England :Read in Detail
6)Olsen: Denmark will fight hard :Read in Detail
7)New Zealand out to test Paraguay :Read in Detail
8)Low fears the Rooney factor :Read in Detail
9)Italy vs Slovakia The champions are out! One of the biggest upsets ever sees Slovakia beat Italy 3-2! Paraguay and Slovakia through to the round of 16 :Read in Detail
Tennis News
10)The Lawn Mower - 02 :Read in Detail
11)Records fall in Wimbledon classic :Read in Detail
12)Bopanna-Qureshi pair down Somdev-Huey :Read in Detail
13)Sania, Paes win opening matches :Read in Detail
Motorsport News
14)Button hoping for special homecoming :Read in Detail
15)Lotus's Chapman eyes progress:Read in Detail
16)Brawn: Mercedes are almost there! :Read in Detail
Other Sports News
17)Sports fraternity mourns Digvijay's death:Read in Detail
18)Saina starts campaign with win: Read in Detail
Saturday, November 21, 2009
World Sports News
Cricket News
Dilshan breaks his nose
Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has suffered a fracture on his nose while playing football.
But his team manager says he will be available for the second Test match, starting on Tuesday.
Dilshan collided with one of his teammates while playing football after the first Test in Ahmedabad on Friday and he was immediately rushed to a hospital for an X-ray examination.
Brendon Kuruppu, the Sri Lanka's team manager, though said there was no need to worry as the injury was not serious.
"The injury was put right by the surgeon before we left for Kanpur and Dilshan is out of danger," Kuruppu said.
"He is not in any kind of great discomfort. He will resume practice with the rest of the team tomorrow," he said.
Prior to the first Test, Dilshan sprained his ankle during practice but recovered in time to score a century.
Teams arrive in Kanpur
India and Sri Lanka arrived in Kanpur for the second Test match, beginning on Tuesday at Green Park Stadium.
However, the Indian trio of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir did not arrive with the Indian team as they have gone to Delhi and will reach on Sunday.
The teams landed in the city in the afternoon and amidst a tight security were taken to a city hotel.
Indian run-machine Sachin Tendulkar was presented a memento for completing 20 glorious years in international cricket.
Man carrying revolver arrested inside Green Park
A man carrying a revolver broke through the heavy security cordon and entered the Green Park Stadium premises, hours after the Indian and Sri Lankan teams arrived for the second Test.
The man, who claimed to be a journalist, was arrested by the police immediately and he is being interrogated upon.
Kanpur DIG BP Jogdand said the city police immediately sprang into action after they got information that a man was roaming near the parking area of the stadium with a revolver around his waist.
"We arrested him immediately. He told his name is Laxmi Kant Gupta and he claimed to be a journalist of Bahujan Kesari Patrika. His revolver though has a licence. He said he had come to make entry pass for his vehicle," Jogdand told PTI.
"The interrogation is on," he added.
Those who were present at the stadium, however, said the man was loitering around for some time inside the stadium with his revolver and he had some altercation with the security personnel at the gate.
Following the incident, the DIG has ordered that nobody would be allowed entry inside the stadium gate without proper frisking.
Rib injury rules out Kallis
South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis is to miss the entire one-day international series against England because of a fractured rib.
It is thought Kallis suffered the injury during the Champions League in India last month, but it was only after a scan this morning that the true extent of the problem was uncovered.
South Africa intend to call up an as yet unnamed replacement batsman, having already privately accepted Kallis was not likely to be regularly bowling his full 10-over entitlement in a five-match series set to get under way at Centurion on Sunday - following Friday's washout at The Wanderers.
"It is with deep regret that we have to announce Jacques Kallis is out of the one-day series," said coach Mickey Arthur.
"He just wasn't getting better from that injury.
"We had him re-scanned this morning and found there is a fracture in the cartilage of the rib - which clearly affects his performances for the next four weeks.
"Obviously, it's very disappointing."
South Africa hope key player Kallis will be fit again in time for the start of the Test series against England next month - although Arthur admitted the first match at Centurion may be a "grey area".
In the more immediate future, Hashim Amla will replace Kallis at the top of the order - alongside captain Graeme Smith.
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"We have groomed Hashim Amla to open the batting in one-day cricket - and he will be a more than adequate replacement," Arthur predicted.
Should the need arise, South Africa will pick Kallis as a batsman only for the Test series - but the nature of his injury means that would be an unwise policy in the ODIs too.
"The priority for us is the Test matches, and we need to get him fit and ready for them," the coach explained.
"The balance he brings to our Test side is huge, so he wasn't going to do a hell of a lot of bowling in the one-dayers anyway.
"We would play Jacques as a batter only in Tests if need be. He is among the top five batters in world cricket, so we could certainly do that.
"We wouldn't push him to bowl in the first Test if we thought it would impede in matches two, three and four.
"The injury is affecting his batting at the moment - and what he needs now is four weeks off to get mended.
"If he batted then the movements of batting and running between the wickets and stretching would all affect his recovery - so that is why we're pulling him out of this series."
South Africa appear optimistic if not entirely confident of Kallis' readiness for the start of the Test series.
"He will have an injection to speed the recovery up, but the first Test might be a grey area," said Arthur.
"For the second onwards, there are no issues."
Arthur is equivocal about whether Kallis' absence may be a boost for opponents themselves beset by a collection of 'niggling' injuries.
"England may be lifted, but I don't think any side takes glee in seeing the opposition's best players getting injured," he said.
"I know we don't get any at seeing England's growing injury list.
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"You want to be testing yourself against the best players all the time - and you want the best players out on the field."
As for the longer-term future of 34-year-old Kallis, a world-class player with much mileage on the clock after 131 Test and 295 ODI caps, South Africa's management appear well aware of the toll taken by such a workload.
"We need to have a look at Jacques' scheduling and we need to manage him through now," added Arthur.
"We are going to have to manage his workload. We were trying to minimise the burden on him going into the one-dayers to make sure he was bowling fit for the Test series."
At least the hosts know now exactly what has been troubling one of their main men.
"It's a certain injury now, and we've pinpointed it," Arthur reported.
"The other day, he was yelping around in training and we were saying 'come on Jacques - stop being a wuss' and 'man up!' But the poor guy had a fractured rib."
Congress wants ban on Azhar lifted
The Indian Cricket Board is under pressure from the Congress party to revoke the life ban on former skipper Mohd Azharuddin.
Azharuddin, who is now a Congress MP from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, was banned for life after the BCCI found him guilty of being involved in the 2000 match-fixing scandal that rocked Indian cricket.
But Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh argue that the ban on the former captain should be lifted now because several other players, who faced similar charges, have been allowed back into the game.
In fact, some of these MPs, including Jitin Prasad, BCCI's Finance Committee chairman Rajiv Shukla, who is also a Congress spokesman, and actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar met ICC vice-President and former BCCI President Sharad Pawar to put forth their demand.
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"I spoke to BCCI President Shashank Manohar and he said that if Azhar himself shows interest in wanting the ban lifted then it can be moved forward to the Annual General Meeting and the the AGM will decide," Shukla said.
"The ban on Azharuddin can be lifted only if the BCCI AGM deems it fit," he added.
Azaharuddin, an elegant right-hand batsman from Hyderabad, played 99 Tests and scored 6215 runs at an average of 45. He played a whopping 334 one-dayers, accumulating 9378 runs at an average of 36.92.
Tennis News
Murray to showcase major credentials
Andy Murray heads into the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals insisting 2009 has been the best year of his career.
But he has admitted the pressure is growing to break his grand slam duck.
The British number one has won six tournaments this year - more than anyone else on the ATP Tour - but his failure to triumph at one of the four majors continues to hang over him.
Expectations were sky high after his US Open final appearance last year but a semi-final defeat by Andy Roddick at Wimbledon was the best he could manage this season.
And Murray, who will take on Juan Martin del Potro in Sunday's opener at the O2 Arena in London, knows victory in the prestigious season-ending tournament would be a big step towards winning on the biggest stage of all.
The 22-year-old said: "This tournament is just behind the grand slams, because you have to win five matches or four matches against the top players in the world.
"You might even have to beat the number one or number two in the world twice to win the event so it's not quite the same as a grand slam but it's a huge, huge tournament.
"Everyone views it a little bit differently but I still believe that I have a few chances, maybe one or two more chances, to win a grand slam.
"For me, the year's been a successful one. For some people grand slams are the be-all and end-all. I want to win one, I'm trying my best to win one and I'll work as hard as I can.
"I feel like I'm getting closer than I was a couple of years ago. I feel I'm a better player than last year. I had a few problems at the grand slams this year. The ones I didn't do so well in, hopefully next year I'll feel great going into all of them.
"My consistency this year has been superb. Physically I've felt like I've been a lot better this year.
"I've not had any real let-downs in any tournaments except in Rome - I've lost one first round the whole year, which is better than previous years.
"I've got a better record against all the top players this year so it's been my best year on tour without question and hopefully next year will be better."
Murray has been drawn in the same group as US Open champion Del Potro, world number one Roger Federer and Fernando Verdasco for the round-robin event, with Rafael Nadal, defending champion Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko and Robin Soderling in Group B.
The Scot only returned to action this month after six weeks out with a wrist injury and, although the joint is no longer giving him problems, he admits he goes into the event unsure of his chances.
"I'm not putting too much pressure on myself this week," he continued.
"I'm not expecting to go out there and play great. I might go out and do well because of that.
"Obviously I haven't played too much in the last two or three months so I don't know exactly what to expect. Mentally I feel fresh and that's going to be important."
Nadal's season was interrupted by a two-month break with knee problems, which prevented him defending his Wimbledon title.
Question marks remain over his fitness and he goes into the end-of-season tournament looking for his first title since the spring.
The Spaniard, though, is buoyant about his form, saying: "I've had the best end of season in my career, it's been almost perfect.
"I'm very close to my best and it's been a lot better than I expected when I (returned to the Tour) in Montreal."
A jackpot of more than US dollars 1.6million is available to an unbeaten champion but, with Federer and Murray having had time away from the Tour recently, Nadal not at his strongest on indoor courts and Djokovic having played almost 100 matches this season, picking a winner looks a difficult task.
And Federer, for one, is expecting a close tournament.
"I think the groups are even," he said. "The top eight guys have been very consistent and this year it's a bit more open than in the past."
Djokovic hopes to defend title
Novak Djokovic is hoping to put Melbourne behind him as he prepares to defend his Masters title in London.
The Serbian had the tennis world at his feet when he won the Australian Open last January at the age of 20 but, instead of lifting a weight off his shoulders, Djokovic spent 18 months struggling to live up to his own and others' expectations.
Indeed, his victory at last year's end-of-season showpiece came as something of a surprise and it is only in the last couple of months Djokovic has rediscovered the form that made him the Tour's most exciting young player.
The defence of his title in Melbourne ended in retirement against a rejuvenated Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals but he feels he is now better placed to deal with the situation.
The 22-year-old said: "This year I have tasted, in Australia, for the first time the role of defending a major title and it wasn't really a fun time. I was mentally very frustrated at times and unfortunately I finished in the quarter-finals the way I finished.
"But, on the bright side, I've learned a lot of things and I've tried to take the best out of it. I rate the World Tour Finals alongside grand slams as the biggest event in our sport so being a title defender is obviously a big responsibility.
"At the start of the year, even though I had the best clay-court season in my whole career up to Roland Garros, I was going through tough times because I made some major changes with my racquet.
"It's a big change to make and I took the responsibility. It kind of affected me on the court and I was maybe paying too much attention to some things off the court, I maybe kept my focus out of tennis too much.
"But I stabilised the last two months and matured more, and I know what I want to do on the court. I'm happy."
By beating Roger Federer in the final of the world number one's hometown tournament in Basle then lifting the trophy at the Paris Masters, Djokovic has established himself as arguably the man to beat in London this week.
The Serb opens his campaign in the round-robin event against Nikolay Davydenko on Monday, while Rafael Nadal faces Robin Soderling in the other Group B match.
The draw means Djokovic will renew his rivalry with world number two Nadal, who he demolished in the semi-finals in Paris.
And the Spaniard does not hold out much hope of reversing the result, saying: "He played very well. If I played my best tennis and he played like he did, it's going to be almost impossible to beat him. He's definitely the player who arrives playing best."
Djokovic's run of success means he also arrives in London as the player who has spent the most time on court recently and, at the end of a long season in which he has played almost 100 matches, that may yet take its toll.
The world number three, though, is optimistic he can hold it together for one more week.
"I think it's a very mental game and generally a lot of things come from your head and, even though you're running out of physical energy, you can still motivate your body to do well on the court," he added.
Murray pitted against Del Potro
Andy Murray will face US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the opening singles match at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The Scot, who took part in the draw at the London Eye yesterday, is in Group A with Del Potro, Roger Federer and Fernando Verdasco for the prestigious eight-man event at the O2 Arena.
Federer will play Verdasco on Sunday evening while Monday's Group B action sees Rafael Nadal take on Robin Soderling in the afternoon before defending champion Novak Djokovic meets Nikolay Davydenko.
Murray, who reached the semi-finals on his first appearance at the end-of-season event last year, has won four out of his five matches against Del Potro, including their last meeting in the Montreal Masters final in August.
Golf News
Westwood winning desert duel
Lee Westwood simply oozed confidence in the desert, knowing that he is just one solid round away from a £1.6million jackpot.
Rory McIlroy had just made Westwood's task easier both in the Dubai World Championship and their battle to be Europe's number one this season by bogeying the last three holes in nightmare fashion.
It makes the 36-year-old from Worksop a massive favourite for a spectacular - and lucrative - double and a reclaiming of the Tour crown he last held nine years ago.
He leads the tournament by two from fellow Englishman Ross McGowan, one of only two players to match his 66 on the day, and is five clear of McIlroy.
"I've had the highs, I've had the lows (he slumped outside the world's top 250 in 2002) and I am back on a high. I'm enjoying it," stated Westwood.
"This is as good as I feel like I've swung it almost all year and when I was winning a lot - in the last century! - I had this kind of attitude.
"I would not be outwardly cocky, but I am just being more confident. I've had 30 wins and I think I've finished tournaments off more than anybody else on the leaderboard.
"I don't mind putting myself up there to be shot at. You back your ability."
There is more to it than that, of course, but apart from a new policy of looking at scoreboards while he is out on the Greg Norman-designed Earth course he says he has no wish to reveal what might be viewed as his X-factor.
"There's nothing too secretive or illegal I'm doing, but why talk about it? It's of nobody's importance apart from Billy (his caddie Billy Foster) and mine.
"I'm paying no attention to the Race to Dubai (money list). All I am concerned about is this tournament.
"I've told you that all week and I'm proving that's the way to go about things."
McIlroy was six under par himself for the day after birdies on the 14th and 15th, the holes he had three-putted for costly bogeys 24 hours earlier.
That put him in a share of the lead with Westwood, but only for a minute.
The world number five made an 18-footer for a matching birdie at the 14th and then the Northern Ireland youngster, who brought a £114,000 Order of Merit lead into the deciding event, imploded.
McIlroy was unlucky on the 16th when he got a flyer from the rough and hit a wedge an amazing 170 yards.
It went over the green and although it stopped inches from the lake he chipped 15 feet past - after taking off his right shoe and sock and rolling up a trouser leg - and missed the putt back.
Trying to become the youngest Tour number one since Seve Ballesteros in 1976, the 20-year-old then three-putted the short 17th.
But most criminally of all his third shot to the 620-yard last came up short in the water and a six went on his card.
"It just a bad shot," he said after signing for a 69 and 10 under total, the same as Padraig Harrington and Swede Alexander Noren.
"I got myself in the position I wanted to be in. After that finish I've left myself an uphill task.
"But I've still got a shot a shot to win this - I feel a low round is in me and I feel it's necessary. The guys ahead of me are playing well."
McIlroy will be encouraged by what happened in his last two tournaments.
In Shanghai a fortnight ago he closed with a course record-equalling 63 for a share of third spot and at the Hong Hong Open last week it was a 64 to be runner-up.
He would take either of those scores here, but whether it be enough remains to be seen.
McGowan is a member of the same stable and only last month he captured his first Tour win in Madrid - and shot a round of 60 in the process.
"Lee and I got into a good rhythm early on and kept it going all day," he said.
"I think Madrid taught me a lot. I was seven shots clear there and it's tough to keep your concentration, but once you've done it a couple of times it's not really anything to worry about.
"I always saw myself reaching the top of the game. It's just one step at a time, just keep going past the milestones and we'll get there in the end."
Noren, whose first victory was in Switzerland in September, shot 67 to move from 12th to joint third, while Harrington had a second successive 69, but this time finished with a birdie rather than a double bogey.
German Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher look out of the money list race after rounds of 72 and 70 respectively.
They are in a tie for 36th on two under, but just to have a chance Kaymer has to finish in the top four and Fisher either first or second.
McIlroy was six under par himself for the day after birdies on the 14th and 15th, the holes he had three-putted for costly bogeys 24 hours earlier.
That put him in a share of the lead with Westwood, but only for a minute.
The world number five made an 18-footer for a matching birdie at the 14th and then the Northern Ireland youngster, who brought a £114,000 Order of Merit lead into the deciding event, imploded.
McIlroy was unlucky on the 16th when he got a flyer from the rough and hit a wedge an amazing 170 yards.
It went over the green and although it stopped inches from the lake he chipped 15 feet past - after taking off his right shoe and sock and rolling up a trouser leg - and missed the putt back.
Trying to become the youngest Tour number one since Seve Ballesteros in 1976, the 20-year-old then three-putted the short 17th.
But most criminally of all his third shot to the 620-yard last came up short in the water and a six went on his card.
"It just a bad shot," he said after signing for a 69 and 10 under total, the same as Padraig Harrington and Swede Alexander Noren.
"I got myself in the position I wanted to be in. After that finish I've left myself an uphill task.
"But I've still got a shot a shot to win this - I feel a low round is in me and I feel it's necessary. The guys ahead of me are playing well."
McIlroy will be encouraged by what happened in his last two tournaments.
In Shanghai a fortnight ago he closed with a course record-equalling 63 for a share of third spot and at the Hong Hong Open last week it was a 64 to be runner-up.
He would take either of those scores here, but whether it be enough remains to be seen.
McGowan is a member of the same stable and only last month he captured his first Tour win in Madrid - and shot a round of 60 in the process.
"Lee and I got into a good rhythm early on and kept it going all day," he said.
"I think Madrid taught me a lot. I was seven shots clear there and it's tough to keep your concentration, but once you've done it a couple of times it's not really anything to worry about.
"I always saw myself reaching the top of the game. It's just one step at a time, just keep going past the milestones and we'll get there in the end."
Noren, whose first victory was in Switzerland in September, shot 67 to move from 12th to joint third, while Harrington had a second successive 69, but this time finished with a birdie rather than a double bogey.
German Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher look out of the money list race after rounds of 72 and 70 respectively.
They are in a tie for 36th on two under, but just to have a chance Kaymer has to finish in the top four and Fisher either first or second.
Rain wrecks havoc in Texas
Sophie Gustafson moved into a share of third, two shots behind LPGA Tour Championship leader Lorena Ochoa, on a second day ravaged by bad weather.
Rain did not allow play to start until 1pm in Richmond, Texas, and even then only four hours were possible on the sodden course, meaning Ochoa did not get her second round under way.
Gustafson was two under through 11 for the day, four under for the tournament, when darkness halted play.
Helen Alfredsson, Texas native Wendy Ward and Juli Inkster had all improved to three under for the tournament by the end of today's truncated session.
Cristie Kerr, who was one under through nine, said: "(Conditions were) super wet. We had a lot the rain.
"I was surprised we even went out, frankly.
"It looked like another band was kind of moving towards us, so I think we got kind of lucky there."
LPGA rules chief Doug Brecht vowed to do everything possible to keep the tournament at a full 72 holes.
"There's a ton of things riding on this tournament," he said. "Because of that and the importance of it, we are committed to playing 72 holes."
Play is set to resume at daybreak tomorrow, with Ochoa and second-placed Reilley Rankin among the early starters.
Molinari leads by one
Edoardo Molinari carded a third-round two-under-par 69 to move into a one-shot lead at the Dunlop Phoenix.
Italy's Molinari posted four birdies against two bogeys to move onto eight-under-par with Sweden's Robert Karlsson (68) second alongside overnight leader Kenichi Kuboya (71).
Molinari has won three times this season and recorded a further nine top-10 finishes to set a Challenge Tour earnings record for a season to ensure a return to the European Tour.
Reigning European Tour Order of Merit champion Karlsson, who only returned to action in October after four months on the sidelines with an eye injury, finished with three consecutive birdies to post the equal best round of the day.
Katsumasa Miyamoto (69), South Korea's Kim Kyung-tae (69), Tadahiro Takayama (71), Ryuichi Oda (72) and Yudai Maeda (73) shared fourth, three shots adrift.
Japan Tour money leader Ryo Ishikawa carded a level par 71 to share 20th alongside Vijay Singh (70) at one-under-par, with Yuta Ikeda, who is second on the money list behind the 18-year-old, tied for 56th at six over after a third-round 73.
Football News
Ancelotti hails brilliant Essien
Carlo Ancelotti acclaimed Michael Essien as one of the best midfielders in the world after his brace against Wolves.
Essien scored twice inside 10 minutes after Florent Malouda had put the Blues ahead in the fifth minute.
England midfielder Joe Cole completed the rout with his first goal for over a year as Chelsea set a new club record of 12 consecutive home wins.
Victory also strengthened their position at the top of the Barclays Premier League, and Ancelotti was delighted with his side's performance in the light of being without Deco, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba.
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho nicknamed Essien 'The Train', but Ancelotti is not one for off-the-cuff monikers.
Asked if he had his own personal pet name for Essien, boss Ancelotti replied: "No, his name is Michael. I think Essien is one of the most important players in midfield in the world.
"He can play everywhere in midfield with the same result. He has shown a lot of consistency this season and maintained a good physical condition. He is very strong but he also has a lot of quality."
The Italian coach also claimed that the emergence of youngsters like Gael Kakuta, Fabio Borini and Nemanja Matic could prevent him from having to do any business in the January transfer market.
"This match showed we are in a very good condition because we had a lot of injuries before this game," said Ancelotti.
"But our play was just the same. We put some young players in this team and in January if we maintain this condition, it is not necessary to buy other players.
"They are very good young players and I will use them in the future this season."
Kakuta made his debut and looked completely at home in the top flight. He was originally suspended for four months when FIFA imposed their transfer ban on the club in September for inducing him to breach his contract with Lens two years ago.
But the Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended the bans until the outcome of Chelsea's appeal has been heard in full and Kakuta seized the chance to shine when he replaced Nicolas Anelka in the second half.
"Kakuta has a lot of talent and he showed that in 30 minutes," said Ancelotti.
"He is young and he has to improve and work. After two or three weeks of his ban he had some difficulty because he is very young. But we had him train with the first team and now he is happy. I hope he will do better in the future."
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy told his players they may as well get used to being in a relegation dogfight after their defeat.
"We were happy to get nil at the end," said McCarthy. "I thought we had some good chances, including the best chance at the start of the game. But we made mistakes.
"Malouda's was a wonderful strike and we should have done better when they scored from the corner for the second.
"At 2-0 down it was a done deal then. But I saw enough about the players, the endeavour, work-rate and spirit, and this won't knock the spirit out of us. We were not expected to get anything here.
"I really hoped we would get something out of the game but reality was that we were expected to be in the bottom three still. We are in a relegation fight now, I've said that to the lads. We might as well understand that now. No bones about it.
"We won't be judged on today's game. I don't doubt our team spirit and fight they have in them. I reckon we had five good chances in the first half, but they had eight chances and were 3-0 up.
"Chelsea are as good as anything I've seen although Manchester United and Arsenal will argue about it."
Premier League Saturday Review
Premier League leaders Chelsea crushed Wolves 4-0 at Stamford Bridge to stay five points clear at the top of the table.
Florent Malouda smashed in an early opening goal from 25 yards in the fifth minute, seven minutes before his corner was headed in by Michael Essien, with the Ghana midfielder adding a third on 22 minutes.
Petr Cech kept out Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's point-blank header just before the break, but the Blues were always in control, with fit-again England midfielder Joe Cole (56) making it four as he netted his first goal since October last year.
Chelsea sent on Gael Kakuta - the 18-year-old whose controversial move from Lens resulted in a transfer ban for the English club, which is being appealed - for his debut, as Carlo Ancelotti's men tightened their grip on the title race.
Premier League Saturday Gallery
Darren Bent's ninth goal of the season for Sunderland brought Arsenal's 13-match unbeaten run to an end in a 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light.
The Gunners - without Holland striker Robin van Persie for six weeks because of ankle ligament damage - are the leading scorers in the top flight, but could not break down a determined Sunderland side in the first half.
Hungary keeper Marton Fulop denied Tomas Rosicky's early effort, before Croatia forward Eduardo also went close.
Steed Malbranque twice failed to hit the target when well placed and Andy Reid fired over for the hosts, who eventually went ahead on 71 minutes through Bent after the Gunners failed to clear a corner.
Arsenal are now eight points off the pace, and their defeat allowed champions Manchester United to move back into second spot with a routine 3-0 defeat of Everton at Old Trafford.
A stunning Darren Fletcher volley broke the deadlock on 35 minutes, and Michael Carrick made the points safe with a cool sidefoot finish on 67.
Luis Antonio Valencia rounded things off with a third for Sir Alex Ferguson's side 14 minutes from time.
In the lunchtime kick-off Manchester City were again forced to accept a share of the points as they set a new Premier League record of six successive draws when their clash at Liverpool ended 2-2.
The Reds - who were once more hit by injury as Daniel Agger and Ryan Babel were both forced off inside 20 minutes - took the lead when Martin Skrtel headed home Steven Gerrard's free-kick early in the second half.
However, City were soon in front following a fifth league goal for £25million Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor (69) and Stephen Ireland's close-range effort (76).
Rafael Benitez's men immediately battled back to level through substitute Yossi Benayoun (78), and both teams had to be satisfied with a point.
Relegation battlers Hull and West Ham drew 3-3 at the KC Stadium, where the hosts ended with 10 men.
The Hammers - with just one league win since the opening day of the season - looked to be on the way to a much-needed three points through headers from Mexico forward Guillermo Franco (five) and Jack Collison (11).
However, the Tigers, themselves in deep trouble at the wrong end of the table, were handed a lifeline as Carlton Cole deflected a free-kick by Jimmy Bullard past Robert Green.
Kamil Zayatte levelled a minute before the break - and there was still time for Hull to turn the match on its head as Bullard netted a controversial penalty after referee Mark Clattenburg adjudged Julien Faubert had pushed Craig Fagan.
Hull were reduced to 10 men nine minutes into the second half when Bernard Mendy was shown a straight red card for hauling down Scott Parker.
The Hammers were level when Manuel Da Costa (69) scored his first goal since arriving from Fiorentina, smashing in from a corner, with both sides having chances to take all three points in an entertaining match.
Emile Heskey's late header rescued a 1-1 draw for Aston Villa at Burnley.
A ninth-minute goal from Steven Caldwell, nodding in a Robbie Blake free-kick had looked to be enough for the Clarets' sixth Premier League win at Turf Moor.
Veteran striker Heskey delivered an equaliser four minutes from time as he headed in James Milner's cross after a tame punch out by keeper Brian Jensen.
Lee Bowyer's fine finish, running on to a James McFadden pass after 16 minutes, gave Birmingham a 1-0 win against Fulham, who failed to make the most of their possession in the second half at St Andrews.
Match Reports
Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City
Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal
Chelsea 4-0 Wolves
Burnley 1-1 Aston Villa
Hull 3-3 West Ham
Birmingham 1-0 Fulham
Manchester United 3-0 Everton
La Liga Saturday Review
Real Madrid claimed top spot in La Liga following their 1-0 win over Racing Santander and Barcelona's 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao.
Madrid had gone top thanks to a steady if unspectacular win over Racing, secured by Gonzalo Higuain's first-half goal, but had to wait for the outcome of Barca's trip to San Mames in the late kick-off to find out if they would stay there.
The Spanish and European champions looked on course to reclaim their place at the summit when Dani Alves opened the scoring in the 54th minute. Xavi squeezed an angled pass through to the Brazilian, who produced a calm right-footed finish across Athletic keeper Gorka Iraizoz and into the bottom-right corner.
However, the hosts levelled nine minutes later when Fernando Llorente beat Dimitro Chygrynskiy in the air and flicked on for substitute Gaizka Toquero, who despatched a clinical right-footed shot into Victor Valdes' top-right corner.
Barca pressed but they could not find a winning goal and will head into next week's El Clasico a point behind their fierce rivals.
Sevilla survived a late Tenerife fightback to hold on for an eighth league win of the season to consolidate third place.
Manolo Jimenez's side took control just after the half-hour when Diego Perotti struck the opener. Renato then doubled their lead three minutes after the break and the three points looked guaranteed.
But there were some nervous moments for the Andalusians late on after Nino pulled a goal back with 15 minutes still left on the clock.
Andres Guardado converted a dramatic last-minute penalty to give Deportivo La Coruna a 2-1 win in a lively clash with Atletico Madrid, condemning the visitors to a third straight defeat under new coach Quique Sanchez Flores.
Deportivo have enjoyed an excellent start to the season and came into the game in fifth but they looked to be in trouble early on as Sergio Aguero struck after just three minutes for Atletico.
Miguel Angel Lotina's side came back into it when Diego Colotto equalised after 20 minutes and, just when the game appeared to be heading towards a stalemate, Pablo brought down Alberto Lopo and Guardado kept his cool after Atletico's fierce protests - which saw Cleber Santana sent off and Sanchez Flores race on to the pitch - to coolly fire the winner.
MotorSport News
Brawn: Selling team was right call
Ross Brawn believes natural progression meant it was right to pass on the ownership of his Formula One World Championship-winning team to Mercedes.
On Monday, German car giant Mercedes-Benz announced they would take a 75.1% share in Brawn GP, with the team re-named as Mercedes Grand Prix and Brawn remaining as team principal.
Brawn, who launched the team from the ashes of Honda's Formula One withdrawal in December 2008, contemplated continuing as Brawn GP, but conceded the sale was necessary to ensure future success.
"At some stage as a team owner you have to pass it on," he told The Independent.
"I'm almost 55 and I'm not planning to do a Bernie (Ecclestone, the Formula One rights holder who is aged 79).
"It was tempting to try to repeat this year's success (as Brawn GP) but it would have been an awful risk.
"We were already working with their (Mercedes') engine group and all the stars aligned.
"It was an opportunity to give the team a very strong future."
It was not an easy decision, said Brawn, after a fairytale year which saw the team claim both the constructors' and drivers' titles, with Jenson Button triumphing behind the wheel.
Brawn added: "As I said to the staff, it's sad to see the team only in existence for a year, but what a year!
"We've had a wonderful time, and in many ways it was a difficult decision, but now we've joined the most prestigious brand in the automotive world."
Since the announcement, Button has moved to McLaren for an all English line-up with Lewis Hamilton, his predecessor as world champion.
Jordan expects Schumacher comeback
Former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan believes Michael Schumacher will replace Jenson Button at the newly-named Mercedes team for next season.
World champion Button joined Lewis Hamilton at McLaren earlier this week after the Brawn team with which he won the drivers' title was renamed Mercedes.
Speculation has mounted that seven-time champion Schumacher, who could not replace the injured Felipe Massa on a short-term deal at Ferrari last season because of a back injury picked up racing motorcycles, could be drafted into the team run by former Benetton and Ferrari colleague Ross Brawn.
Jordan, who ran an F1 team under his own name, said: "I believe the Brawn team will have Michael Schumacher in it next year.
"And my reasons for believing that is that at Abu Dhabi, the grand prix, the last race Dr (Dieter) Zetsche - (chairman of the Daimler board) - Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher were deep in conversation and I believe it was to do with possibly joining the team as driver for the 2010 championship," Jordan told Radio Five Live.
Button looking forward to 'good fight'
Formula One world champion Jenson Button said he is ready for "a good fight" with new team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Button signed for the McLaren team earlier this week, ending a long relationship with Brawn GP, with whom he won his first driver's title this year.
He said: "Moving to McLaren is the buzz I need, fighting against Lewis.
"Winning the world championship was my aim and I've achieved that, I want to go out there and have fun and fight against Lewis.
"I hope that when we go out head to head I come out on top but I don't know that, nobody knows that, that's why it's a proper challenge."
He said 2008 champion Hamilton would have an advantage because of his long-term involvement with the team but added: "I'm going to work very hard over this winter so I feel comfortable when we come to the first race."
On Friday, Button, 29, met fans and signed copies of his new book, race diary My Championship Year, at Waterstone's in Bristol.
He said it was fitting the foreword to the book was written by Brawn team boss Ross Brawn, despite the recent announcement, adding: "We've been through a lot together, you can't forget what we've achieved.
"We spent a lot of time together, I've been with them for seven years.
"I respect Ross a lot and I think he understands my decision. For me, 2010 is all about challenges, I came into Forumla one to win the world championship and that's what I did in my 10th season.
"After I did achieve that I thought 'so now I've achieved this what's in store for me? What's the best option?'
"I personally think fighting with Lewis at McLaren is a challenge and a half but I'm willing to take it."
He added: "The Brawn GP team have given me something I always wanted in this sport and I've given them something in return - the world championship.
"We've worked together for so many years and been such good friends and working buddies."
Button, who will not be released from Brawn until the end of his contract in January, added: "Moving teams is never the easiest thing in Formula One but sometimes these are the decisions you take and you need some new challenges.
"It's going to be tough and I'm going to go onto the grid in 2010 a better driver, a stronger driver but with new challenges in front of me, I know it's not going to be a walk in the park."
Speaking about his ambitions for 2010, Button added: "I hope next year will be my best yet.
"I want to win the world championship again, that always has to be your aim when going up against one of the best drivers in the world.
"We always want to beat each other because we're very competitive people so my aim is to work with Lewis very closely to make sure the car is in a good place so we can fight for victories.
"Then the rivalry will come and we'll try to beat each other. That's a buzz for me - and I hope it is for Lewis.
"I go into the team positive we can have a good fight, that's all I know at the moment."
Dilshan breaks his nose
Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has suffered a fracture on his nose while playing football.
But his team manager says he will be available for the second Test match, starting on Tuesday.
Dilshan collided with one of his teammates while playing football after the first Test in Ahmedabad on Friday and he was immediately rushed to a hospital for an X-ray examination.
Brendon Kuruppu, the Sri Lanka's team manager, though said there was no need to worry as the injury was not serious.
"The injury was put right by the surgeon before we left for Kanpur and Dilshan is out of danger," Kuruppu said.
"He is not in any kind of great discomfort. He will resume practice with the rest of the team tomorrow," he said.
Prior to the first Test, Dilshan sprained his ankle during practice but recovered in time to score a century.
Teams arrive in Kanpur
India and Sri Lanka arrived in Kanpur for the second Test match, beginning on Tuesday at Green Park Stadium.
However, the Indian trio of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir did not arrive with the Indian team as they have gone to Delhi and will reach on Sunday.
The teams landed in the city in the afternoon and amidst a tight security were taken to a city hotel.
Indian run-machine Sachin Tendulkar was presented a memento for completing 20 glorious years in international cricket.
Man carrying revolver arrested inside Green Park
A man carrying a revolver broke through the heavy security cordon and entered the Green Park Stadium premises, hours after the Indian and Sri Lankan teams arrived for the second Test.
The man, who claimed to be a journalist, was arrested by the police immediately and he is being interrogated upon.
Kanpur DIG BP Jogdand said the city police immediately sprang into action after they got information that a man was roaming near the parking area of the stadium with a revolver around his waist.
"We arrested him immediately. He told his name is Laxmi Kant Gupta and he claimed to be a journalist of Bahujan Kesari Patrika. His revolver though has a licence. He said he had come to make entry pass for his vehicle," Jogdand told PTI.
"The interrogation is on," he added.
Those who were present at the stadium, however, said the man was loitering around for some time inside the stadium with his revolver and he had some altercation with the security personnel at the gate.
Following the incident, the DIG has ordered that nobody would be allowed entry inside the stadium gate without proper frisking.
Rib injury rules out Kallis
South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis is to miss the entire one-day international series against England because of a fractured rib.
It is thought Kallis suffered the injury during the Champions League in India last month, but it was only after a scan this morning that the true extent of the problem was uncovered.
South Africa intend to call up an as yet unnamed replacement batsman, having already privately accepted Kallis was not likely to be regularly bowling his full 10-over entitlement in a five-match series set to get under way at Centurion on Sunday - following Friday's washout at The Wanderers.
"It is with deep regret that we have to announce Jacques Kallis is out of the one-day series," said coach Mickey Arthur.
"He just wasn't getting better from that injury.
"We had him re-scanned this morning and found there is a fracture in the cartilage of the rib - which clearly affects his performances for the next four weeks.
"Obviously, it's very disappointing."
South Africa hope key player Kallis will be fit again in time for the start of the Test series against England next month - although Arthur admitted the first match at Centurion may be a "grey area".
In the more immediate future, Hashim Amla will replace Kallis at the top of the order - alongside captain Graeme Smith.
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"We have groomed Hashim Amla to open the batting in one-day cricket - and he will be a more than adequate replacement," Arthur predicted.
Should the need arise, South Africa will pick Kallis as a batsman only for the Test series - but the nature of his injury means that would be an unwise policy in the ODIs too.
"The priority for us is the Test matches, and we need to get him fit and ready for them," the coach explained.
"The balance he brings to our Test side is huge, so he wasn't going to do a hell of a lot of bowling in the one-dayers anyway.
"We would play Jacques as a batter only in Tests if need be. He is among the top five batters in world cricket, so we could certainly do that.
"We wouldn't push him to bowl in the first Test if we thought it would impede in matches two, three and four.
"The injury is affecting his batting at the moment - and what he needs now is four weeks off to get mended.
"If he batted then the movements of batting and running between the wickets and stretching would all affect his recovery - so that is why we're pulling him out of this series."
South Africa appear optimistic if not entirely confident of Kallis' readiness for the start of the Test series.
"He will have an injection to speed the recovery up, but the first Test might be a grey area," said Arthur.
"For the second onwards, there are no issues."
Arthur is equivocal about whether Kallis' absence may be a boost for opponents themselves beset by a collection of 'niggling' injuries.
"England may be lifted, but I don't think any side takes glee in seeing the opposition's best players getting injured," he said.
"I know we don't get any at seeing England's growing injury list.
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"You want to be testing yourself against the best players all the time - and you want the best players out on the field."
As for the longer-term future of 34-year-old Kallis, a world-class player with much mileage on the clock after 131 Test and 295 ODI caps, South Africa's management appear well aware of the toll taken by such a workload.
"We need to have a look at Jacques' scheduling and we need to manage him through now," added Arthur.
"We are going to have to manage his workload. We were trying to minimise the burden on him going into the one-dayers to make sure he was bowling fit for the Test series."
At least the hosts know now exactly what has been troubling one of their main men.
"It's a certain injury now, and we've pinpointed it," Arthur reported.
"The other day, he was yelping around in training and we were saying 'come on Jacques - stop being a wuss' and 'man up!' But the poor guy had a fractured rib."
Congress wants ban on Azhar lifted
The Indian Cricket Board is under pressure from the Congress party to revoke the life ban on former skipper Mohd Azharuddin.
Azharuddin, who is now a Congress MP from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, was banned for life after the BCCI found him guilty of being involved in the 2000 match-fixing scandal that rocked Indian cricket.
But Congress leaders from Uttar Pradesh argue that the ban on the former captain should be lifted now because several other players, who faced similar charges, have been allowed back into the game.
In fact, some of these MPs, including Jitin Prasad, BCCI's Finance Committee chairman Rajiv Shukla, who is also a Congress spokesman, and actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar met ICC vice-President and former BCCI President Sharad Pawar to put forth their demand.
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"I spoke to BCCI President Shashank Manohar and he said that if Azhar himself shows interest in wanting the ban lifted then it can be moved forward to the Annual General Meeting and the the AGM will decide," Shukla said.
"The ban on Azharuddin can be lifted only if the BCCI AGM deems it fit," he added.
Azaharuddin, an elegant right-hand batsman from Hyderabad, played 99 Tests and scored 6215 runs at an average of 45. He played a whopping 334 one-dayers, accumulating 9378 runs at an average of 36.92.
Tennis News
Murray to showcase major credentials
Andy Murray heads into the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals insisting 2009 has been the best year of his career.
But he has admitted the pressure is growing to break his grand slam duck.
The British number one has won six tournaments this year - more than anyone else on the ATP Tour - but his failure to triumph at one of the four majors continues to hang over him.
Expectations were sky high after his US Open final appearance last year but a semi-final defeat by Andy Roddick at Wimbledon was the best he could manage this season.
And Murray, who will take on Juan Martin del Potro in Sunday's opener at the O2 Arena in London, knows victory in the prestigious season-ending tournament would be a big step towards winning on the biggest stage of all.
The 22-year-old said: "This tournament is just behind the grand slams, because you have to win five matches or four matches against the top players in the world.
"You might even have to beat the number one or number two in the world twice to win the event so it's not quite the same as a grand slam but it's a huge, huge tournament.
"Everyone views it a little bit differently but I still believe that I have a few chances, maybe one or two more chances, to win a grand slam.
"For me, the year's been a successful one. For some people grand slams are the be-all and end-all. I want to win one, I'm trying my best to win one and I'll work as hard as I can.
"I feel like I'm getting closer than I was a couple of years ago. I feel I'm a better player than last year. I had a few problems at the grand slams this year. The ones I didn't do so well in, hopefully next year I'll feel great going into all of them.
"My consistency this year has been superb. Physically I've felt like I've been a lot better this year.
"I've not had any real let-downs in any tournaments except in Rome - I've lost one first round the whole year, which is better than previous years.
"I've got a better record against all the top players this year so it's been my best year on tour without question and hopefully next year will be better."
Murray has been drawn in the same group as US Open champion Del Potro, world number one Roger Federer and Fernando Verdasco for the round-robin event, with Rafael Nadal, defending champion Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko and Robin Soderling in Group B.
The Scot only returned to action this month after six weeks out with a wrist injury and, although the joint is no longer giving him problems, he admits he goes into the event unsure of his chances.
"I'm not putting too much pressure on myself this week," he continued.
"I'm not expecting to go out there and play great. I might go out and do well because of that.
"Obviously I haven't played too much in the last two or three months so I don't know exactly what to expect. Mentally I feel fresh and that's going to be important."
Nadal's season was interrupted by a two-month break with knee problems, which prevented him defending his Wimbledon title.
Question marks remain over his fitness and he goes into the end-of-season tournament looking for his first title since the spring.
The Spaniard, though, is buoyant about his form, saying: "I've had the best end of season in my career, it's been almost perfect.
"I'm very close to my best and it's been a lot better than I expected when I (returned to the Tour) in Montreal."
A jackpot of more than US dollars 1.6million is available to an unbeaten champion but, with Federer and Murray having had time away from the Tour recently, Nadal not at his strongest on indoor courts and Djokovic having played almost 100 matches this season, picking a winner looks a difficult task.
And Federer, for one, is expecting a close tournament.
"I think the groups are even," he said. "The top eight guys have been very consistent and this year it's a bit more open than in the past."
Djokovic hopes to defend title
Novak Djokovic is hoping to put Melbourne behind him as he prepares to defend his Masters title in London.
The Serbian had the tennis world at his feet when he won the Australian Open last January at the age of 20 but, instead of lifting a weight off his shoulders, Djokovic spent 18 months struggling to live up to his own and others' expectations.
Indeed, his victory at last year's end-of-season showpiece came as something of a surprise and it is only in the last couple of months Djokovic has rediscovered the form that made him the Tour's most exciting young player.
The defence of his title in Melbourne ended in retirement against a rejuvenated Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals but he feels he is now better placed to deal with the situation.
The 22-year-old said: "This year I have tasted, in Australia, for the first time the role of defending a major title and it wasn't really a fun time. I was mentally very frustrated at times and unfortunately I finished in the quarter-finals the way I finished.
"But, on the bright side, I've learned a lot of things and I've tried to take the best out of it. I rate the World Tour Finals alongside grand slams as the biggest event in our sport so being a title defender is obviously a big responsibility.
"At the start of the year, even though I had the best clay-court season in my whole career up to Roland Garros, I was going through tough times because I made some major changes with my racquet.
"It's a big change to make and I took the responsibility. It kind of affected me on the court and I was maybe paying too much attention to some things off the court, I maybe kept my focus out of tennis too much.
"But I stabilised the last two months and matured more, and I know what I want to do on the court. I'm happy."
By beating Roger Federer in the final of the world number one's hometown tournament in Basle then lifting the trophy at the Paris Masters, Djokovic has established himself as arguably the man to beat in London this week.
The Serb opens his campaign in the round-robin event against Nikolay Davydenko on Monday, while Rafael Nadal faces Robin Soderling in the other Group B match.
The draw means Djokovic will renew his rivalry with world number two Nadal, who he demolished in the semi-finals in Paris.
And the Spaniard does not hold out much hope of reversing the result, saying: "He played very well. If I played my best tennis and he played like he did, it's going to be almost impossible to beat him. He's definitely the player who arrives playing best."
Djokovic's run of success means he also arrives in London as the player who has spent the most time on court recently and, at the end of a long season in which he has played almost 100 matches, that may yet take its toll.
The world number three, though, is optimistic he can hold it together for one more week.
"I think it's a very mental game and generally a lot of things come from your head and, even though you're running out of physical energy, you can still motivate your body to do well on the court," he added.
Murray pitted against Del Potro
Andy Murray will face US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the opening singles match at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The Scot, who took part in the draw at the London Eye yesterday, is in Group A with Del Potro, Roger Federer and Fernando Verdasco for the prestigious eight-man event at the O2 Arena.
Federer will play Verdasco on Sunday evening while Monday's Group B action sees Rafael Nadal take on Robin Soderling in the afternoon before defending champion Novak Djokovic meets Nikolay Davydenko.
Murray, who reached the semi-finals on his first appearance at the end-of-season event last year, has won four out of his five matches against Del Potro, including their last meeting in the Montreal Masters final in August.
Golf News
Westwood winning desert duel
Lee Westwood simply oozed confidence in the desert, knowing that he is just one solid round away from a £1.6million jackpot.
Rory McIlroy had just made Westwood's task easier both in the Dubai World Championship and their battle to be Europe's number one this season by bogeying the last three holes in nightmare fashion.
It makes the 36-year-old from Worksop a massive favourite for a spectacular - and lucrative - double and a reclaiming of the Tour crown he last held nine years ago.
He leads the tournament by two from fellow Englishman Ross McGowan, one of only two players to match his 66 on the day, and is five clear of McIlroy.
"I've had the highs, I've had the lows (he slumped outside the world's top 250 in 2002) and I am back on a high. I'm enjoying it," stated Westwood.
"This is as good as I feel like I've swung it almost all year and when I was winning a lot - in the last century! - I had this kind of attitude.
"I would not be outwardly cocky, but I am just being more confident. I've had 30 wins and I think I've finished tournaments off more than anybody else on the leaderboard.
"I don't mind putting myself up there to be shot at. You back your ability."
There is more to it than that, of course, but apart from a new policy of looking at scoreboards while he is out on the Greg Norman-designed Earth course he says he has no wish to reveal what might be viewed as his X-factor.
"There's nothing too secretive or illegal I'm doing, but why talk about it? It's of nobody's importance apart from Billy (his caddie Billy Foster) and mine.
"I'm paying no attention to the Race to Dubai (money list). All I am concerned about is this tournament.
"I've told you that all week and I'm proving that's the way to go about things."
McIlroy was six under par himself for the day after birdies on the 14th and 15th, the holes he had three-putted for costly bogeys 24 hours earlier.
That put him in a share of the lead with Westwood, but only for a minute.
The world number five made an 18-footer for a matching birdie at the 14th and then the Northern Ireland youngster, who brought a £114,000 Order of Merit lead into the deciding event, imploded.
McIlroy was unlucky on the 16th when he got a flyer from the rough and hit a wedge an amazing 170 yards.
It went over the green and although it stopped inches from the lake he chipped 15 feet past - after taking off his right shoe and sock and rolling up a trouser leg - and missed the putt back.
Trying to become the youngest Tour number one since Seve Ballesteros in 1976, the 20-year-old then three-putted the short 17th.
But most criminally of all his third shot to the 620-yard last came up short in the water and a six went on his card.
"It just a bad shot," he said after signing for a 69 and 10 under total, the same as Padraig Harrington and Swede Alexander Noren.
"I got myself in the position I wanted to be in. After that finish I've left myself an uphill task.
"But I've still got a shot a shot to win this - I feel a low round is in me and I feel it's necessary. The guys ahead of me are playing well."
McIlroy will be encouraged by what happened in his last two tournaments.
In Shanghai a fortnight ago he closed with a course record-equalling 63 for a share of third spot and at the Hong Hong Open last week it was a 64 to be runner-up.
He would take either of those scores here, but whether it be enough remains to be seen.
McGowan is a member of the same stable and only last month he captured his first Tour win in Madrid - and shot a round of 60 in the process.
"Lee and I got into a good rhythm early on and kept it going all day," he said.
"I think Madrid taught me a lot. I was seven shots clear there and it's tough to keep your concentration, but once you've done it a couple of times it's not really anything to worry about.
"I always saw myself reaching the top of the game. It's just one step at a time, just keep going past the milestones and we'll get there in the end."
Noren, whose first victory was in Switzerland in September, shot 67 to move from 12th to joint third, while Harrington had a second successive 69, but this time finished with a birdie rather than a double bogey.
German Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher look out of the money list race after rounds of 72 and 70 respectively.
They are in a tie for 36th on two under, but just to have a chance Kaymer has to finish in the top four and Fisher either first or second.
McIlroy was six under par himself for the day after birdies on the 14th and 15th, the holes he had three-putted for costly bogeys 24 hours earlier.
That put him in a share of the lead with Westwood, but only for a minute.
The world number five made an 18-footer for a matching birdie at the 14th and then the Northern Ireland youngster, who brought a £114,000 Order of Merit lead into the deciding event, imploded.
McIlroy was unlucky on the 16th when he got a flyer from the rough and hit a wedge an amazing 170 yards.
It went over the green and although it stopped inches from the lake he chipped 15 feet past - after taking off his right shoe and sock and rolling up a trouser leg - and missed the putt back.
Trying to become the youngest Tour number one since Seve Ballesteros in 1976, the 20-year-old then three-putted the short 17th.
But most criminally of all his third shot to the 620-yard last came up short in the water and a six went on his card.
"It just a bad shot," he said after signing for a 69 and 10 under total, the same as Padraig Harrington and Swede Alexander Noren.
"I got myself in the position I wanted to be in. After that finish I've left myself an uphill task.
"But I've still got a shot a shot to win this - I feel a low round is in me and I feel it's necessary. The guys ahead of me are playing well."
McIlroy will be encouraged by what happened in his last two tournaments.
In Shanghai a fortnight ago he closed with a course record-equalling 63 for a share of third spot and at the Hong Hong Open last week it was a 64 to be runner-up.
He would take either of those scores here, but whether it be enough remains to be seen.
McGowan is a member of the same stable and only last month he captured his first Tour win in Madrid - and shot a round of 60 in the process.
"Lee and I got into a good rhythm early on and kept it going all day," he said.
"I think Madrid taught me a lot. I was seven shots clear there and it's tough to keep your concentration, but once you've done it a couple of times it's not really anything to worry about.
"I always saw myself reaching the top of the game. It's just one step at a time, just keep going past the milestones and we'll get there in the end."
Noren, whose first victory was in Switzerland in September, shot 67 to move from 12th to joint third, while Harrington had a second successive 69, but this time finished with a birdie rather than a double bogey.
German Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher look out of the money list race after rounds of 72 and 70 respectively.
They are in a tie for 36th on two under, but just to have a chance Kaymer has to finish in the top four and Fisher either first or second.
Rain wrecks havoc in Texas
Sophie Gustafson moved into a share of third, two shots behind LPGA Tour Championship leader Lorena Ochoa, on a second day ravaged by bad weather.
Rain did not allow play to start until 1pm in Richmond, Texas, and even then only four hours were possible on the sodden course, meaning Ochoa did not get her second round under way.
Gustafson was two under through 11 for the day, four under for the tournament, when darkness halted play.
Helen Alfredsson, Texas native Wendy Ward and Juli Inkster had all improved to three under for the tournament by the end of today's truncated session.
Cristie Kerr, who was one under through nine, said: "(Conditions were) super wet. We had a lot the rain.
"I was surprised we even went out, frankly.
"It looked like another band was kind of moving towards us, so I think we got kind of lucky there."
LPGA rules chief Doug Brecht vowed to do everything possible to keep the tournament at a full 72 holes.
"There's a ton of things riding on this tournament," he said. "Because of that and the importance of it, we are committed to playing 72 holes."
Play is set to resume at daybreak tomorrow, with Ochoa and second-placed Reilley Rankin among the early starters.
Molinari leads by one
Edoardo Molinari carded a third-round two-under-par 69 to move into a one-shot lead at the Dunlop Phoenix.
Italy's Molinari posted four birdies against two bogeys to move onto eight-under-par with Sweden's Robert Karlsson (68) second alongside overnight leader Kenichi Kuboya (71).
Molinari has won three times this season and recorded a further nine top-10 finishes to set a Challenge Tour earnings record for a season to ensure a return to the European Tour.
Reigning European Tour Order of Merit champion Karlsson, who only returned to action in October after four months on the sidelines with an eye injury, finished with three consecutive birdies to post the equal best round of the day.
Katsumasa Miyamoto (69), South Korea's Kim Kyung-tae (69), Tadahiro Takayama (71), Ryuichi Oda (72) and Yudai Maeda (73) shared fourth, three shots adrift.
Japan Tour money leader Ryo Ishikawa carded a level par 71 to share 20th alongside Vijay Singh (70) at one-under-par, with Yuta Ikeda, who is second on the money list behind the 18-year-old, tied for 56th at six over after a third-round 73.
Football News
Ancelotti hails brilliant Essien
Carlo Ancelotti acclaimed Michael Essien as one of the best midfielders in the world after his brace against Wolves.
Essien scored twice inside 10 minutes after Florent Malouda had put the Blues ahead in the fifth minute.
England midfielder Joe Cole completed the rout with his first goal for over a year as Chelsea set a new club record of 12 consecutive home wins.
Victory also strengthened their position at the top of the Barclays Premier League, and Ancelotti was delighted with his side's performance in the light of being without Deco, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba.
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho nicknamed Essien 'The Train', but Ancelotti is not one for off-the-cuff monikers.
Asked if he had his own personal pet name for Essien, boss Ancelotti replied: "No, his name is Michael. I think Essien is one of the most important players in midfield in the world.
"He can play everywhere in midfield with the same result. He has shown a lot of consistency this season and maintained a good physical condition. He is very strong but he also has a lot of quality."
The Italian coach also claimed that the emergence of youngsters like Gael Kakuta, Fabio Borini and Nemanja Matic could prevent him from having to do any business in the January transfer market.
"This match showed we are in a very good condition because we had a lot of injuries before this game," said Ancelotti.
"But our play was just the same. We put some young players in this team and in January if we maintain this condition, it is not necessary to buy other players.
"They are very good young players and I will use them in the future this season."
Kakuta made his debut and looked completely at home in the top flight. He was originally suspended for four months when FIFA imposed their transfer ban on the club in September for inducing him to breach his contract with Lens two years ago.
But the Court of Arbitration for Sport suspended the bans until the outcome of Chelsea's appeal has been heard in full and Kakuta seized the chance to shine when he replaced Nicolas Anelka in the second half.
"Kakuta has a lot of talent and he showed that in 30 minutes," said Ancelotti.
"He is young and he has to improve and work. After two or three weeks of his ban he had some difficulty because he is very young. But we had him train with the first team and now he is happy. I hope he will do better in the future."
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy told his players they may as well get used to being in a relegation dogfight after their defeat.
"We were happy to get nil at the end," said McCarthy. "I thought we had some good chances, including the best chance at the start of the game. But we made mistakes.
"Malouda's was a wonderful strike and we should have done better when they scored from the corner for the second.
"At 2-0 down it was a done deal then. But I saw enough about the players, the endeavour, work-rate and spirit, and this won't knock the spirit out of us. We were not expected to get anything here.
"I really hoped we would get something out of the game but reality was that we were expected to be in the bottom three still. We are in a relegation fight now, I've said that to the lads. We might as well understand that now. No bones about it.
"We won't be judged on today's game. I don't doubt our team spirit and fight they have in them. I reckon we had five good chances in the first half, but they had eight chances and were 3-0 up.
"Chelsea are as good as anything I've seen although Manchester United and Arsenal will argue about it."
Premier League Saturday Review
Premier League leaders Chelsea crushed Wolves 4-0 at Stamford Bridge to stay five points clear at the top of the table.
Florent Malouda smashed in an early opening goal from 25 yards in the fifth minute, seven minutes before his corner was headed in by Michael Essien, with the Ghana midfielder adding a third on 22 minutes.
Petr Cech kept out Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's point-blank header just before the break, but the Blues were always in control, with fit-again England midfielder Joe Cole (56) making it four as he netted his first goal since October last year.
Chelsea sent on Gael Kakuta - the 18-year-old whose controversial move from Lens resulted in a transfer ban for the English club, which is being appealed - for his debut, as Carlo Ancelotti's men tightened their grip on the title race.
Premier League Saturday Gallery
Darren Bent's ninth goal of the season for Sunderland brought Arsenal's 13-match unbeaten run to an end in a 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light.
The Gunners - without Holland striker Robin van Persie for six weeks because of ankle ligament damage - are the leading scorers in the top flight, but could not break down a determined Sunderland side in the first half.
Hungary keeper Marton Fulop denied Tomas Rosicky's early effort, before Croatia forward Eduardo also went close.
Steed Malbranque twice failed to hit the target when well placed and Andy Reid fired over for the hosts, who eventually went ahead on 71 minutes through Bent after the Gunners failed to clear a corner.
Arsenal are now eight points off the pace, and their defeat allowed champions Manchester United to move back into second spot with a routine 3-0 defeat of Everton at Old Trafford.
A stunning Darren Fletcher volley broke the deadlock on 35 minutes, and Michael Carrick made the points safe with a cool sidefoot finish on 67.
Luis Antonio Valencia rounded things off with a third for Sir Alex Ferguson's side 14 minutes from time.
In the lunchtime kick-off Manchester City were again forced to accept a share of the points as they set a new Premier League record of six successive draws when their clash at Liverpool ended 2-2.
The Reds - who were once more hit by injury as Daniel Agger and Ryan Babel were both forced off inside 20 minutes - took the lead when Martin Skrtel headed home Steven Gerrard's free-kick early in the second half.
However, City were soon in front following a fifth league goal for £25million Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor (69) and Stephen Ireland's close-range effort (76).
Rafael Benitez's men immediately battled back to level through substitute Yossi Benayoun (78), and both teams had to be satisfied with a point.
Relegation battlers Hull and West Ham drew 3-3 at the KC Stadium, where the hosts ended with 10 men.
The Hammers - with just one league win since the opening day of the season - looked to be on the way to a much-needed three points through headers from Mexico forward Guillermo Franco (five) and Jack Collison (11).
However, the Tigers, themselves in deep trouble at the wrong end of the table, were handed a lifeline as Carlton Cole deflected a free-kick by Jimmy Bullard past Robert Green.
Kamil Zayatte levelled a minute before the break - and there was still time for Hull to turn the match on its head as Bullard netted a controversial penalty after referee Mark Clattenburg adjudged Julien Faubert had pushed Craig Fagan.
Hull were reduced to 10 men nine minutes into the second half when Bernard Mendy was shown a straight red card for hauling down Scott Parker.
The Hammers were level when Manuel Da Costa (69) scored his first goal since arriving from Fiorentina, smashing in from a corner, with both sides having chances to take all three points in an entertaining match.
Emile Heskey's late header rescued a 1-1 draw for Aston Villa at Burnley.
A ninth-minute goal from Steven Caldwell, nodding in a Robbie Blake free-kick had looked to be enough for the Clarets' sixth Premier League win at Turf Moor.
Veteran striker Heskey delivered an equaliser four minutes from time as he headed in James Milner's cross after a tame punch out by keeper Brian Jensen.
Lee Bowyer's fine finish, running on to a James McFadden pass after 16 minutes, gave Birmingham a 1-0 win against Fulham, who failed to make the most of their possession in the second half at St Andrews.
Match Reports
Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City
Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal
Chelsea 4-0 Wolves
Burnley 1-1 Aston Villa
Hull 3-3 West Ham
Birmingham 1-0 Fulham
Manchester United 3-0 Everton
La Liga Saturday Review
Real Madrid claimed top spot in La Liga following their 1-0 win over Racing Santander and Barcelona's 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao.
Madrid had gone top thanks to a steady if unspectacular win over Racing, secured by Gonzalo Higuain's first-half goal, but had to wait for the outcome of Barca's trip to San Mames in the late kick-off to find out if they would stay there.
The Spanish and European champions looked on course to reclaim their place at the summit when Dani Alves opened the scoring in the 54th minute. Xavi squeezed an angled pass through to the Brazilian, who produced a calm right-footed finish across Athletic keeper Gorka Iraizoz and into the bottom-right corner.
However, the hosts levelled nine minutes later when Fernando Llorente beat Dimitro Chygrynskiy in the air and flicked on for substitute Gaizka Toquero, who despatched a clinical right-footed shot into Victor Valdes' top-right corner.
Barca pressed but they could not find a winning goal and will head into next week's El Clasico a point behind their fierce rivals.
Sevilla survived a late Tenerife fightback to hold on for an eighth league win of the season to consolidate third place.
Manolo Jimenez's side took control just after the half-hour when Diego Perotti struck the opener. Renato then doubled their lead three minutes after the break and the three points looked guaranteed.
But there were some nervous moments for the Andalusians late on after Nino pulled a goal back with 15 minutes still left on the clock.
Andres Guardado converted a dramatic last-minute penalty to give Deportivo La Coruna a 2-1 win in a lively clash with Atletico Madrid, condemning the visitors to a third straight defeat under new coach Quique Sanchez Flores.
Deportivo have enjoyed an excellent start to the season and came into the game in fifth but they looked to be in trouble early on as Sergio Aguero struck after just three minutes for Atletico.
Miguel Angel Lotina's side came back into it when Diego Colotto equalised after 20 minutes and, just when the game appeared to be heading towards a stalemate, Pablo brought down Alberto Lopo and Guardado kept his cool after Atletico's fierce protests - which saw Cleber Santana sent off and Sanchez Flores race on to the pitch - to coolly fire the winner.
MotorSport News
Brawn: Selling team was right call
Ross Brawn believes natural progression meant it was right to pass on the ownership of his Formula One World Championship-winning team to Mercedes.
On Monday, German car giant Mercedes-Benz announced they would take a 75.1% share in Brawn GP, with the team re-named as Mercedes Grand Prix and Brawn remaining as team principal.
Brawn, who launched the team from the ashes of Honda's Formula One withdrawal in December 2008, contemplated continuing as Brawn GP, but conceded the sale was necessary to ensure future success.
"At some stage as a team owner you have to pass it on," he told The Independent.
"I'm almost 55 and I'm not planning to do a Bernie (Ecclestone, the Formula One rights holder who is aged 79).
"It was tempting to try to repeat this year's success (as Brawn GP) but it would have been an awful risk.
"We were already working with their (Mercedes') engine group and all the stars aligned.
"It was an opportunity to give the team a very strong future."
It was not an easy decision, said Brawn, after a fairytale year which saw the team claim both the constructors' and drivers' titles, with Jenson Button triumphing behind the wheel.
Brawn added: "As I said to the staff, it's sad to see the team only in existence for a year, but what a year!
"We've had a wonderful time, and in many ways it was a difficult decision, but now we've joined the most prestigious brand in the automotive world."
Since the announcement, Button has moved to McLaren for an all English line-up with Lewis Hamilton, his predecessor as world champion.
Jordan expects Schumacher comeback
Former Formula One team owner Eddie Jordan believes Michael Schumacher will replace Jenson Button at the newly-named Mercedes team for next season.
World champion Button joined Lewis Hamilton at McLaren earlier this week after the Brawn team with which he won the drivers' title was renamed Mercedes.
Speculation has mounted that seven-time champion Schumacher, who could not replace the injured Felipe Massa on a short-term deal at Ferrari last season because of a back injury picked up racing motorcycles, could be drafted into the team run by former Benetton and Ferrari colleague Ross Brawn.
Jordan, who ran an F1 team under his own name, said: "I believe the Brawn team will have Michael Schumacher in it next year.
"And my reasons for believing that is that at Abu Dhabi, the grand prix, the last race Dr (Dieter) Zetsche - (chairman of the Daimler board) - Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher were deep in conversation and I believe it was to do with possibly joining the team as driver for the 2010 championship," Jordan told Radio Five Live.
Button looking forward to 'good fight'
Formula One world champion Jenson Button said he is ready for "a good fight" with new team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Button signed for the McLaren team earlier this week, ending a long relationship with Brawn GP, with whom he won his first driver's title this year.
He said: "Moving to McLaren is the buzz I need, fighting against Lewis.
"Winning the world championship was my aim and I've achieved that, I want to go out there and have fun and fight against Lewis.
"I hope that when we go out head to head I come out on top but I don't know that, nobody knows that, that's why it's a proper challenge."
He said 2008 champion Hamilton would have an advantage because of his long-term involvement with the team but added: "I'm going to work very hard over this winter so I feel comfortable when we come to the first race."
On Friday, Button, 29, met fans and signed copies of his new book, race diary My Championship Year, at Waterstone's in Bristol.
He said it was fitting the foreword to the book was written by Brawn team boss Ross Brawn, despite the recent announcement, adding: "We've been through a lot together, you can't forget what we've achieved.
"We spent a lot of time together, I've been with them for seven years.
"I respect Ross a lot and I think he understands my decision. For me, 2010 is all about challenges, I came into Forumla one to win the world championship and that's what I did in my 10th season.
"After I did achieve that I thought 'so now I've achieved this what's in store for me? What's the best option?'
"I personally think fighting with Lewis at McLaren is a challenge and a half but I'm willing to take it."
He added: "The Brawn GP team have given me something I always wanted in this sport and I've given them something in return - the world championship.
"We've worked together for so many years and been such good friends and working buddies."
Button, who will not be released from Brawn until the end of his contract in January, added: "Moving teams is never the easiest thing in Formula One but sometimes these are the decisions you take and you need some new challenges.
"It's going to be tough and I'm going to go onto the grid in 2010 a better driver, a stronger driver but with new challenges in front of me, I know it's not going to be a walk in the park."
Speaking about his ambitions for 2010, Button added: "I hope next year will be my best yet.
"I want to win the world championship again, that always has to be your aim when going up against one of the best drivers in the world.
"We always want to beat each other because we're very competitive people so my aim is to work with Lewis very closely to make sure the car is in a good place so we can fight for victories.
"Then the rivalry will come and we'll try to beat each other. That's a buzz for me - and I hope it is for Lewis.
"I go into the team positive we can have a good fight, that's all I know at the moment."
Monday, October 26, 2009
World Sports News
"Gujarat can become cricket hub"
Chief Minister and GCA president Narendra Modi said he wants Gujarat to emerge as the hub of cricket in the country.
Modi said it is the only state in the country to have three associations of the game.
Gujrat is the lone state in India to possess three cricket bodies in Gujrat Cricket Association, Baroda Cricket Association and Saurasthra Cricket Association.
"Gujarat is only state in the entire country where three cricket associatins exist and so there is every scope for developing it as a hub of cricket," Modi said while discussing cricket related matters with BCCI vice-president and BCA chief Chirayu Amin, SCA secretary Niranjan Shah and vice-president of GCA Amit Shah in the backdrop of the first ODI between India and Australia on Sunday.
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Incidentally, it was for the firs time Modi witnessed an ODI in the city, which has been hosting international matches since 1983.
After becoming the GCA president last month, Modi has started taking keen interest in the development of the game in the state and stressed the need for representation from Gujrat in the national team.
He also suggested to celebrate the golden jubilee year of Gujarat in 2010, state level cricket tournaments should be orgainsed jointly by the GCA, BCA and SCA and it should be made an annual feature to give opportunity to the players to showcase their talents.
Sreesanth escapes with reprimand
S Sreesanth was reprimanded "for regularly violating the players code of conduct" but was retained captain of the Kerela's Ranji team.
Although the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) chairman D Gopakumar recommended Sreesanth's removal from captaincy for his misdemeanor in the field, an emergency meeting of the selection committee here decided against the severe action as he is the only international quality cricketer from the state and still has the potential to make a comeback in the national team.
The committee discussed in detail Sreesanth's code of conduct and unanimously decided to reprimand him and convey the message that recurrence of such behaviour would be viewed seriously by the KCA, its secretary T C Mathew told reporters.
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Mathew said Sreesanth has been abstaining from the coaching camp without prior permission for 'non-cricketing reasons'.
"He was appointed captain of the Kerala Ranji side with a clear intention to support his comeback to the national team," he said
Meanwhile, KCA President T R Balakrishnan conveyed the decision to Sreesanth, who joined the camp at Thalaserry yesterday.
Kerala will take on Andhara Pradesh at Thalaserry Cricket staidum on November 3.
"We need to bowl better at the death"
Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said his bowlers will have to pull up their socks at death in the remaining games of the series against India.
The Aussies narrowly escaped a defeat in the opener of the seven-match series in Vadodara.
The visitors had India on the racks at 201 for seven before Harbhajan Singh (49) and Praveen Kumar (40 not out) came up with a mesmerising 84-run stand for the eighth wicket off just 54 deliveries to bring the match agonisingly close for Australia's comfort.
Ponting singled out Shane Watson, who had a torrid time in the later stages of India innings, saying the burly all-rounder has to go back to the drawing board before the second ODI at Nagpur on Wednesday.
"We had bowled very well in the first 45 overs. We need to do better in our death bowling. There are lessons to be learned. (Peter) Siddle bowled a splendid last over. He has done it before for Australia," Ponting said at the post-match press conference.
"Shane (Watson) is one of our better, no one of our best, bowlers in the end. He did not bowl well today at the death.
He has some work to do," he said.
Ponting was also full of praise for senior batsman Michael Hussey, who scored of 73 off just 54 balls that helped Australia reach the imposing total.
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"Hussey was excellent. He made it look easy. Tim Paine also played very well," Ponting said.
Asked why he did not finish pace spearhead Brett Lee's full quota of overs, Ponting said, "He complained of a sore elbow and went in to rest before coming on to the field."
The Australia captain also complimented Harbhajan for his his gutsy innings, saying, "He played well, but not well enough."
With India needing nine runs off six deliveries, Harbhajan fell in the second ball of the last over from Siddle as the hosts finished at 288 for 8 after Australia set a mammoth 293 for victory.
Baghdatis wins Stockholm title
Marcos Baghdatis won his first ATP Tour title since February 2007 when he defeated Olivier Rochus to win the If Stockholm Open final.
The Cypriot hit 15 aces and won 62% of service points to defeat his Belgian opponent 6-1 7-5 in one hour and 39 minutes.
It was Baghdatis' first title since the PBZ Zagreb Indoors in February 2007.
Bacsinszky wins Luxembourg Open
Unseeded Timea Bacsinszky overcame a ranking deficit of 42 places to defeat Sabine Lisicki in straight sets and clinch the BGL Luxembourg Open.
The Swiss player produced a mixed display with a combination of three aces and four double faults but she had more success on her serve and inflicted a 6-2 7-5 defeat on her fellow 20-year-old.
The victory, achieved in just under one and a half hours, is the high point of a successful season for Bacsinszky after she reached finals in both Prague and Istanbul.
La Liga Team of the Week 02
Kelvin Leong is becoming a huge fan of the Primera Liga as Barcelona put on another show in the art of attacking.
Barcelona put on a football clinic for the rest of the world as they demolished visitors Real Zaragoza at the Nou Camp.
Title rivals, Real Madrid, were held to a 0-0 draw away to Sporting Gijon while Abel Resino's former club, Atletico Madrid could only muster a 1-1 draw at home to high-flying Mallorca.
Here are the top eleven players in the La Liga at the weekend.
Carlo Kameni - Espanyol
The Espanyol stopper was the busiest man on the pitch against Sevilla. Time and again, he produced excellent saves to deny a very offensive-minded Sevilla side from taking all three points.
Joan Capdevilla - Villarreal
The Yellow Submarines finally got the win they deserved with Capdevilla scoring the winner. It was a must-win game for the home team and while his teammates looked nervy in the game, the experienced defender took matters into his own hands and rallied the troops.
Jesus Navas - Sevilla
The speedster from Seville has been in sensational form this season and is a nightmare for any defender. His direct push-and-run style of wing-play is a sight to behold while his clever runs into the box makes him tough to track. A pity Alvaro Negredo never capitalized on his pin-point crosses.
Michel - Sporting Gijon
Gijon's inspirational captain, Michel was the reason players like Kaka, Guti and Xabi Alonso struggled to find a way past the league minnows. He tackled and sprayed the ball out wide to his wingers while steadying the ship just in front of his back four.
Roberto Soldado - Getafe
Soldado was in impressive form as he masterminded Getafe's comfortable home win against Athletic Bilbao. He will need to continue his sizzling start for the rest of the season if he wants a spot in Spain's 2010 World Cup squad.
Seydou Keita - Barcelona
Normally, Iniesta and Xavi get all the limelight when it comes to the Catalan giants. On Sunday, Keita came into his own with three superb goals that sent Barca on their way to victory. Dynamic and energetic display from the forgotten man.
Nauzet Aleman - Valladolid
Aleman netted a brace to help Valladolid take down a high-flying Deportivo side. Known as a playmaker who creates more than he scores, Aleman did well to get his team three points in a game they were otherwise slated to lose.
Pablo Hernandez - Valencia
In our Team of the Week yet again. Pablo has given Valencia a much needed lift after the club suffered a drop in form last season. His weaving runs caused trouble for Almeria defenders throughout the 90 minutes and Pablo even helped himself to a goal.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Barcelona
The giant Swede put in his best performance for Barcelona since his move from Internazionale in the summer against Zaragoza. Two well-executed goals to prove why Pep Guardiola brought him in to replace Samuel Eto'o.
Walter Pandiani - Osasuna
He scorched a poor Atletico Madrid side last week and followed that up with another goal against Racing Santander on Sunday. The veteran hitman seems to be on a mission to give David Villa a run for the coveted Pichichi award come end of the season.
Lionel Messi - Barcelona
If Messi can replicate his club form for his country at the 2010 World Cup, Diego Maradona can continue his dream of winning the coveted trophy. Was a constant menace to a flat Zaragoza defence who simply could not cope with the wizard's dazzling runs.
Serie A Team of the Week 02
The Italian top flight saw no less than three upsets this weekend, and Vincent Lai is here to hype up the heroes of those encounters, and a few others too.
Livorno and Bari managed to upset AS Roma and Lazio respectively, but it was the silencing of high-flying Fiorentina that showed Napoli as the biggest winner this weekend, ending the game victorious even when new manager Walter Mazzarri was sent off.
Morgan De Sanctis - Napoli
The Italian Numero Tre Napoli's Numero Uno this weekend as De Sanctis single-handedly held off Fiorentina's arsenal of attackers. The 1.9m custodian blocked Adrian Mutu's short-range effort, stopped a volley from Alberto Gilardino, and probably caused more shots to go off-target with his awesome hombre-ness.
Alessandro Nesta - AC Milan
Nesta did what his colleagues upfront are paid to do on a weekly-basis, scoring twice to lift AC Milan to sixth in the Serie A table. The long-serving Rossoneri centre-back was Milan's fox-in-the-box in the 81st minute, nodding home to equalise for the visitors after Marco Borriello's shot struck the upright. The 33-year-old then headed a bullet past Chievo 'keeper Stefano Sorrentino deep into stoppage time to give the San Siro boys a vital win.
Iván Córdoba - Inter Milan
Another old-warhorse that showed he has plenty of game left. No, Cordoba did not score for the Nerazzurri last Saturday, but he did marshal Inter's defence well in place of first-team regular Walter Samuel.
Giorgio Chiellini - Juventus
Chiellini looks to have hit a rich vein of form of late, and he was at his absolute best on Sunday as he kept Massimo Maccarone and Emanuele Calaiò quiet throughout the afternoon, rendering them to virtual spectators at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Fabio Galante - Livorno
The fossil was Livorno's rock in defence on Sunday as the 35-year-old shackled Mirko Vucinic, Jeremy Menez and Julio Baptista after being sent on the pitch to replace Romano Perticone in the 25th minute.
Daniele Mannini - Sampdoria
Mannini scored a brace in the Blucerchiati's 4-1 demolition of Bologna a result that leaves 'Doria second in the Serie A league table. The winger was on hand to blast home Giampaolo Pazzini's pass on the volley as Bologna keeper Emiliano Viviano was left strandered at his near post. Mannini then capped of Sampdoria's fourth as he headed Antonio Cassano's cross into the back of the net. The 26-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on Sunday, has scored five goals in eight appearances this season.
Wesley Sneijder - Inter Milan
The Dutchman scored from an exquisite freekick to net Inter their winner in a 2-1 victory over Catania. Sneijder is adpating well to the pace and physical nature of the Serie A, and is quickly evolving into the midfield maestro the Nerazzurri need to unlock defences in Italy and in Europe.
Christian Maggio - Napoli
The right-back scored the Azzurri's winner against high-flying Fiorentina, while getting himself involved in the thick of the action for the whole 90 minutes. Maggio scored on the break after sprinting to meet German Denis' long ball to tap home Napoli's winner from close range. The away win sees Napoli end their poor away run, which had seen them lose the previous four, conceding 11 goals in the process.
Riccardo Meggiorini - Bari
The backup striker had an immediate impact on Bari's 2-0 win over Lazio as he scored just one minute after coming on for Paolo Barreto in the 69th minute. Meggiorini's goal sealed Lazio's fate, a winless run that has stretched to seven games, taking their tally to three defeats and four draws since August 30.
Amauri - Juventus
The fearsome striker scored the only goal in a thrilling match against Siena as the Old Lady sank the home team 1-0. Amauri rose to head in fellow compatriot Diego's free-kick into the area as Siena custodian Gianluca Curci was left grasping air.
Alessandro Matri - Cagliari
Matri did not score the Sardinians' winning goal in the 87th minute over Genoa, but he did everything possible to ensure Andrea Lazzari got the ball to tap it pass Marco Amelia into bottom corner of the net. The tall striker held off two defenders, and even drew the 'keeper, as he laid the ball onto Lazzari's path before falling flat on his face. Heroic stuff of legends. By the way, Cagliari earned their first home win of the season.
Formula DRIFT Malaysia
ESPN STAR Sports & Goodyear turn up the heat with Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia.
Following its success with Formula DRIFT Singapore, ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) and Goodyear are proud to announce that they will be bringing their partnership to greater heights with the launch of the inaugural Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia, where ESS will once again be the event organizer while Goodyear continues to raise its racing profile as the event's title sponsor.
The event, scheduled for December 19 - 20 at MAEPS (Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang), will see over 50 competitive drivers from across the Asia-Pacific region pushing their rear-wheel-drive cars to the limits by demonstrating impeccable precision and vehicle control. With drivers hailing from as far as Japan, New Zealand, Philippines and Hong Kong, as well as Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and of course, Malaysia, Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia promises to be an adrenaline-pumping event packed with raw action and colossal energy.
This year, Goodyear will be represented by their very own drift team, which will comprise woman drifter, Jane Cheah, together with Ariff Johanis, Michael Gan and Johan Norman. The team will compete with the other participants for the Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia title.
To demonstrate the tires' powerful performance, all Goodyear Racing Teams cars are fitted with the Goodyear Eagle RS Sport and Eagle Revspec RS-02. The advanced features in these high performance tires are crucial when it comes to drifting, especially since the sport demands the utmost precision and control. They provide the required traction and response as the car slides on the track and enable drivers to hit the right lines and angles when it matters most.
"We are excited to bring the Goodyear Formula DRIFT event to the Malaysian public following its huge success in Singapore in July. The high caliber of drivers is sure to bring a new level of competition from the world-class field of participants that are scheduled to compete. This year, despite the current economic climate, we've managed to bring on board major sponsors including our title sponsor Goodyear, Tyrepac, Banana Boat and Hypertune and I'm heartened by their enthusiasm in getting involved to bring this action sports competition to new heights," said Harvey Davis, Vice-President, ESPN STAR Sports Events Management Group.
ESPN STAR Sports Event Management Group has also lent its event management expertise to other regional competitions such as the Standard Chartered Bank FIH Men's Junior World Cup, KIA X Games Asia, the Guinness 9-Ball Tour, the KL World 5s and the Netball World Championships 2011.
"We are excited to be part of Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia. Goodyear is committed to promoting motorsports around the world to greater heights - especially now with drift in the ASEAN region being one of the fastest growing motorsports in the region today," explained Nasution Abdul Rahman, Managing Director, Goodyear Malaysia.
"Being involved in racing is part and parcel of Goodyear's DNA. With racing pumping in our veins, it's not surprising that Goodyear has developed some of the most innovative tires in the world. We've developed technologies that were first used for racing, such as tires reinforced with carbon fibre and DuPont Kevlar. These advancements have been incorporated in our products that you see in retail today, such as the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric, Goodyear Assurance and Goodyear Wrangler, just to name a few. Ultimately, the key benefits obtained from these technologies are passed down to our consumers," he added.
The Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia will be the climax of the three-part Formula DRIFT Series, which blasted off with the Formula DRIFT Singapore ProAm Series 2009 in July. This will be pursued by the upcoming Goodyear Formula DRIFT Thailand on November 7 - 8, to be held in Bangkok, and promises to be an equally exciting event. For more information, log on to the official Formula DRIFT web site, www.formuladrift.com.my.
The Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia is organized by ESS and supported by Goodyear as the Title Sponsor, Tyrepac as the Official Tyre Pit Change, Banana Boat as the Official Sunblock and Hypertune as the Official Magazine.
ESS is also the official broadcast channel for the Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia and the broadcast of the highlight programme will be shown on ESS' footprint of 310 million viewers in 24 countries.
Loeb claims world title number six
Sebastien Loeb clinched his sixth world rally title with victory in the final race of the season, the Rally of Great Britain.
The Frenchman had a comfortable win over world title rival Mikko Hirvonen who had gone into the final event of the season leading the world title race.
But Loeb, driving the Citroen C4 WRC, secured his sixth world crown with a 54th world rally event win in Wales.
After completing the final Rheola stage Loeb was able to celebrate beating Hirvonen, of the BP Ford Abu Dhabi team, by a single world championship point.
Loeb said: "It's been an incredible season. We made a good start then we lost everything and we came here one point behind Mikko.
"Finally we've done it and I'm really happy but Mikko has been extremely strong. I know it will be tough next year for sure.
"This has been one of my best title wins; the battle was so intense - going almost until the end of the last rally. It was incredible."
Hirvonen finished the rally as runner-up and also could only manage second best behind Loeb in the title fight.
The Finn said: "Now I need to go back to work and find more speed for next year. It was definitely the best year I've ever had, though.
"We're really close now to his speed and that feels good. It's been a great year, but of course a big disappointment at the end."
Third place in both the rally and also the final world championship standings went to Loeb's team-mate Dani Sordo.
"This has been a great day and a great championship, I'm really happy," said the Spaniard.
Fourth place went to Petter Solberg (Citroen Junior Team) with his elder brother Henning next to finish for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team.
Sixth went to Matthew Wilson (Ford), with Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford) in seventh and Conrad Rautenbach (Citroen) claiming the final championship point on offer in eighth.
Chief Minister and GCA president Narendra Modi said he wants Gujarat to emerge as the hub of cricket in the country.
Modi said it is the only state in the country to have three associations of the game.
Gujrat is the lone state in India to possess three cricket bodies in Gujrat Cricket Association, Baroda Cricket Association and Saurasthra Cricket Association.
"Gujarat is only state in the entire country where three cricket associatins exist and so there is every scope for developing it as a hub of cricket," Modi said while discussing cricket related matters with BCCI vice-president and BCA chief Chirayu Amin, SCA secretary Niranjan Shah and vice-president of GCA Amit Shah in the backdrop of the first ODI between India and Australia on Sunday.
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Incidentally, it was for the firs time Modi witnessed an ODI in the city, which has been hosting international matches since 1983.
After becoming the GCA president last month, Modi has started taking keen interest in the development of the game in the state and stressed the need for representation from Gujrat in the national team.
He also suggested to celebrate the golden jubilee year of Gujarat in 2010, state level cricket tournaments should be orgainsed jointly by the GCA, BCA and SCA and it should be made an annual feature to give opportunity to the players to showcase their talents.
Sreesanth escapes with reprimand
S Sreesanth was reprimanded "for regularly violating the players code of conduct" but was retained captain of the Kerela's Ranji team.
Although the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) chairman D Gopakumar recommended Sreesanth's removal from captaincy for his misdemeanor in the field, an emergency meeting of the selection committee here decided against the severe action as he is the only international quality cricketer from the state and still has the potential to make a comeback in the national team.
The committee discussed in detail Sreesanth's code of conduct and unanimously decided to reprimand him and convey the message that recurrence of such behaviour would be viewed seriously by the KCA, its secretary T C Mathew told reporters.
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Mathew said Sreesanth has been abstaining from the coaching camp without prior permission for 'non-cricketing reasons'.
"He was appointed captain of the Kerala Ranji side with a clear intention to support his comeback to the national team," he said
Meanwhile, KCA President T R Balakrishnan conveyed the decision to Sreesanth, who joined the camp at Thalaserry yesterday.
Kerala will take on Andhara Pradesh at Thalaserry Cricket staidum on November 3.
"We need to bowl better at the death"
Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said his bowlers will have to pull up their socks at death in the remaining games of the series against India.
The Aussies narrowly escaped a defeat in the opener of the seven-match series in Vadodara.
The visitors had India on the racks at 201 for seven before Harbhajan Singh (49) and Praveen Kumar (40 not out) came up with a mesmerising 84-run stand for the eighth wicket off just 54 deliveries to bring the match agonisingly close for Australia's comfort.
Ponting singled out Shane Watson, who had a torrid time in the later stages of India innings, saying the burly all-rounder has to go back to the drawing board before the second ODI at Nagpur on Wednesday.
"We had bowled very well in the first 45 overs. We need to do better in our death bowling. There are lessons to be learned. (Peter) Siddle bowled a splendid last over. He has done it before for Australia," Ponting said at the post-match press conference.
"Shane (Watson) is one of our better, no one of our best, bowlers in the end. He did not bowl well today at the death.
He has some work to do," he said.
Ponting was also full of praise for senior batsman Michael Hussey, who scored of 73 off just 54 balls that helped Australia reach the imposing total.
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"Hussey was excellent. He made it look easy. Tim Paine also played very well," Ponting said.
Asked why he did not finish pace spearhead Brett Lee's full quota of overs, Ponting said, "He complained of a sore elbow and went in to rest before coming on to the field."
The Australia captain also complimented Harbhajan for his his gutsy innings, saying, "He played well, but not well enough."
With India needing nine runs off six deliveries, Harbhajan fell in the second ball of the last over from Siddle as the hosts finished at 288 for 8 after Australia set a mammoth 293 for victory.
Baghdatis wins Stockholm title
Marcos Baghdatis won his first ATP Tour title since February 2007 when he defeated Olivier Rochus to win the If Stockholm Open final.
The Cypriot hit 15 aces and won 62% of service points to defeat his Belgian opponent 6-1 7-5 in one hour and 39 minutes.
It was Baghdatis' first title since the PBZ Zagreb Indoors in February 2007.
Bacsinszky wins Luxembourg Open
Unseeded Timea Bacsinszky overcame a ranking deficit of 42 places to defeat Sabine Lisicki in straight sets and clinch the BGL Luxembourg Open.
The Swiss player produced a mixed display with a combination of three aces and four double faults but she had more success on her serve and inflicted a 6-2 7-5 defeat on her fellow 20-year-old.
The victory, achieved in just under one and a half hours, is the high point of a successful season for Bacsinszky after she reached finals in both Prague and Istanbul.
La Liga Team of the Week 02
Kelvin Leong is becoming a huge fan of the Primera Liga as Barcelona put on another show in the art of attacking.
Barcelona put on a football clinic for the rest of the world as they demolished visitors Real Zaragoza at the Nou Camp.
Title rivals, Real Madrid, were held to a 0-0 draw away to Sporting Gijon while Abel Resino's former club, Atletico Madrid could only muster a 1-1 draw at home to high-flying Mallorca.
Here are the top eleven players in the La Liga at the weekend.
Carlo Kameni - Espanyol
The Espanyol stopper was the busiest man on the pitch against Sevilla. Time and again, he produced excellent saves to deny a very offensive-minded Sevilla side from taking all three points.
Joan Capdevilla - Villarreal
The Yellow Submarines finally got the win they deserved with Capdevilla scoring the winner. It was a must-win game for the home team and while his teammates looked nervy in the game, the experienced defender took matters into his own hands and rallied the troops.
Jesus Navas - Sevilla
The speedster from Seville has been in sensational form this season and is a nightmare for any defender. His direct push-and-run style of wing-play is a sight to behold while his clever runs into the box makes him tough to track. A pity Alvaro Negredo never capitalized on his pin-point crosses.
Michel - Sporting Gijon
Gijon's inspirational captain, Michel was the reason players like Kaka, Guti and Xabi Alonso struggled to find a way past the league minnows. He tackled and sprayed the ball out wide to his wingers while steadying the ship just in front of his back four.
Roberto Soldado - Getafe
Soldado was in impressive form as he masterminded Getafe's comfortable home win against Athletic Bilbao. He will need to continue his sizzling start for the rest of the season if he wants a spot in Spain's 2010 World Cup squad.
Seydou Keita - Barcelona
Normally, Iniesta and Xavi get all the limelight when it comes to the Catalan giants. On Sunday, Keita came into his own with three superb goals that sent Barca on their way to victory. Dynamic and energetic display from the forgotten man.
Nauzet Aleman - Valladolid
Aleman netted a brace to help Valladolid take down a high-flying Deportivo side. Known as a playmaker who creates more than he scores, Aleman did well to get his team three points in a game they were otherwise slated to lose.
Pablo Hernandez - Valencia
In our Team of the Week yet again. Pablo has given Valencia a much needed lift after the club suffered a drop in form last season. His weaving runs caused trouble for Almeria defenders throughout the 90 minutes and Pablo even helped himself to a goal.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Barcelona
The giant Swede put in his best performance for Barcelona since his move from Internazionale in the summer against Zaragoza. Two well-executed goals to prove why Pep Guardiola brought him in to replace Samuel Eto'o.
Walter Pandiani - Osasuna
He scorched a poor Atletico Madrid side last week and followed that up with another goal against Racing Santander on Sunday. The veteran hitman seems to be on a mission to give David Villa a run for the coveted Pichichi award come end of the season.
Lionel Messi - Barcelona
If Messi can replicate his club form for his country at the 2010 World Cup, Diego Maradona can continue his dream of winning the coveted trophy. Was a constant menace to a flat Zaragoza defence who simply could not cope with the wizard's dazzling runs.
Serie A Team of the Week 02
The Italian top flight saw no less than three upsets this weekend, and Vincent Lai is here to hype up the heroes of those encounters, and a few others too.
Livorno and Bari managed to upset AS Roma and Lazio respectively, but it was the silencing of high-flying Fiorentina that showed Napoli as the biggest winner this weekend, ending the game victorious even when new manager Walter Mazzarri was sent off.
Morgan De Sanctis - Napoli
The Italian Numero Tre Napoli's Numero Uno this weekend as De Sanctis single-handedly held off Fiorentina's arsenal of attackers. The 1.9m custodian blocked Adrian Mutu's short-range effort, stopped a volley from Alberto Gilardino, and probably caused more shots to go off-target with his awesome hombre-ness.
Alessandro Nesta - AC Milan
Nesta did what his colleagues upfront are paid to do on a weekly-basis, scoring twice to lift AC Milan to sixth in the Serie A table. The long-serving Rossoneri centre-back was Milan's fox-in-the-box in the 81st minute, nodding home to equalise for the visitors after Marco Borriello's shot struck the upright. The 33-year-old then headed a bullet past Chievo 'keeper Stefano Sorrentino deep into stoppage time to give the San Siro boys a vital win.
Iván Córdoba - Inter Milan
Another old-warhorse that showed he has plenty of game left. No, Cordoba did not score for the Nerazzurri last Saturday, but he did marshal Inter's defence well in place of first-team regular Walter Samuel.
Giorgio Chiellini - Juventus
Chiellini looks to have hit a rich vein of form of late, and he was at his absolute best on Sunday as he kept Massimo Maccarone and Emanuele Calaiò quiet throughout the afternoon, rendering them to virtual spectators at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Fabio Galante - Livorno
The fossil was Livorno's rock in defence on Sunday as the 35-year-old shackled Mirko Vucinic, Jeremy Menez and Julio Baptista after being sent on the pitch to replace Romano Perticone in the 25th minute.
Daniele Mannini - Sampdoria
Mannini scored a brace in the Blucerchiati's 4-1 demolition of Bologna a result that leaves 'Doria second in the Serie A league table. The winger was on hand to blast home Giampaolo Pazzini's pass on the volley as Bologna keeper Emiliano Viviano was left strandered at his near post. Mannini then capped of Sampdoria's fourth as he headed Antonio Cassano's cross into the back of the net. The 26-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on Sunday, has scored five goals in eight appearances this season.
Wesley Sneijder - Inter Milan
The Dutchman scored from an exquisite freekick to net Inter their winner in a 2-1 victory over Catania. Sneijder is adpating well to the pace and physical nature of the Serie A, and is quickly evolving into the midfield maestro the Nerazzurri need to unlock defences in Italy and in Europe.
Christian Maggio - Napoli
The right-back scored the Azzurri's winner against high-flying Fiorentina, while getting himself involved in the thick of the action for the whole 90 minutes. Maggio scored on the break after sprinting to meet German Denis' long ball to tap home Napoli's winner from close range. The away win sees Napoli end their poor away run, which had seen them lose the previous four, conceding 11 goals in the process.
Riccardo Meggiorini - Bari
The backup striker had an immediate impact on Bari's 2-0 win over Lazio as he scored just one minute after coming on for Paolo Barreto in the 69th minute. Meggiorini's goal sealed Lazio's fate, a winless run that has stretched to seven games, taking their tally to three defeats and four draws since August 30.
Amauri - Juventus
The fearsome striker scored the only goal in a thrilling match against Siena as the Old Lady sank the home team 1-0. Amauri rose to head in fellow compatriot Diego's free-kick into the area as Siena custodian Gianluca Curci was left grasping air.
Alessandro Matri - Cagliari
Matri did not score the Sardinians' winning goal in the 87th minute over Genoa, but he did everything possible to ensure Andrea Lazzari got the ball to tap it pass Marco Amelia into bottom corner of the net. The tall striker held off two defenders, and even drew the 'keeper, as he laid the ball onto Lazzari's path before falling flat on his face. Heroic stuff of legends. By the way, Cagliari earned their first home win of the season.
Formula DRIFT Malaysia
ESPN STAR Sports & Goodyear turn up the heat with Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia.
Following its success with Formula DRIFT Singapore, ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) and Goodyear are proud to announce that they will be bringing their partnership to greater heights with the launch of the inaugural Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia, where ESS will once again be the event organizer while Goodyear continues to raise its racing profile as the event's title sponsor.
The event, scheduled for December 19 - 20 at MAEPS (Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang), will see over 50 competitive drivers from across the Asia-Pacific region pushing their rear-wheel-drive cars to the limits by demonstrating impeccable precision and vehicle control. With drivers hailing from as far as Japan, New Zealand, Philippines and Hong Kong, as well as Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and of course, Malaysia, Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia promises to be an adrenaline-pumping event packed with raw action and colossal energy.
This year, Goodyear will be represented by their very own drift team, which will comprise woman drifter, Jane Cheah, together with Ariff Johanis, Michael Gan and Johan Norman. The team will compete with the other participants for the Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia title.
To demonstrate the tires' powerful performance, all Goodyear Racing Teams cars are fitted with the Goodyear Eagle RS Sport and Eagle Revspec RS-02. The advanced features in these high performance tires are crucial when it comes to drifting, especially since the sport demands the utmost precision and control. They provide the required traction and response as the car slides on the track and enable drivers to hit the right lines and angles when it matters most.
"We are excited to bring the Goodyear Formula DRIFT event to the Malaysian public following its huge success in Singapore in July. The high caliber of drivers is sure to bring a new level of competition from the world-class field of participants that are scheduled to compete. This year, despite the current economic climate, we've managed to bring on board major sponsors including our title sponsor Goodyear, Tyrepac, Banana Boat and Hypertune and I'm heartened by their enthusiasm in getting involved to bring this action sports competition to new heights," said Harvey Davis, Vice-President, ESPN STAR Sports Events Management Group.
ESPN STAR Sports Event Management Group has also lent its event management expertise to other regional competitions such as the Standard Chartered Bank FIH Men's Junior World Cup, KIA X Games Asia, the Guinness 9-Ball Tour, the KL World 5s and the Netball World Championships 2011.
"We are excited to be part of Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia. Goodyear is committed to promoting motorsports around the world to greater heights - especially now with drift in the ASEAN region being one of the fastest growing motorsports in the region today," explained Nasution Abdul Rahman, Managing Director, Goodyear Malaysia.
"Being involved in racing is part and parcel of Goodyear's DNA. With racing pumping in our veins, it's not surprising that Goodyear has developed some of the most innovative tires in the world. We've developed technologies that were first used for racing, such as tires reinforced with carbon fibre and DuPont Kevlar. These advancements have been incorporated in our products that you see in retail today, such as the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric, Goodyear Assurance and Goodyear Wrangler, just to name a few. Ultimately, the key benefits obtained from these technologies are passed down to our consumers," he added.
The Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia will be the climax of the three-part Formula DRIFT Series, which blasted off with the Formula DRIFT Singapore ProAm Series 2009 in July. This will be pursued by the upcoming Goodyear Formula DRIFT Thailand on November 7 - 8, to be held in Bangkok, and promises to be an equally exciting event. For more information, log on to the official Formula DRIFT web site, www.formuladrift.com.my.
The Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia is organized by ESS and supported by Goodyear as the Title Sponsor, Tyrepac as the Official Tyre Pit Change, Banana Boat as the Official Sunblock and Hypertune as the Official Magazine.
ESS is also the official broadcast channel for the Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia and the broadcast of the highlight programme will be shown on ESS' footprint of 310 million viewers in 24 countries.
Loeb claims world title number six
Sebastien Loeb clinched his sixth world rally title with victory in the final race of the season, the Rally of Great Britain.
The Frenchman had a comfortable win over world title rival Mikko Hirvonen who had gone into the final event of the season leading the world title race.
But Loeb, driving the Citroen C4 WRC, secured his sixth world crown with a 54th world rally event win in Wales.
After completing the final Rheola stage Loeb was able to celebrate beating Hirvonen, of the BP Ford Abu Dhabi team, by a single world championship point.
Loeb said: "It's been an incredible season. We made a good start then we lost everything and we came here one point behind Mikko.
"Finally we've done it and I'm really happy but Mikko has been extremely strong. I know it will be tough next year for sure.
"This has been one of my best title wins; the battle was so intense - going almost until the end of the last rally. It was incredible."
Hirvonen finished the rally as runner-up and also could only manage second best behind Loeb in the title fight.
The Finn said: "Now I need to go back to work and find more speed for next year. It was definitely the best year I've ever had, though.
"We're really close now to his speed and that feels good. It's been a great year, but of course a big disappointment at the end."
Third place in both the rally and also the final world championship standings went to Loeb's team-mate Dani Sordo.
"This has been a great day and a great championship, I'm really happy," said the Spaniard.
Fourth place went to Petter Solberg (Citroen Junior Team) with his elder brother Henning next to finish for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team.
Sixth went to Matthew Wilson (Ford), with Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford) in seventh and Conrad Rautenbach (Citroen) claiming the final championship point on offer in eighth.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
World Sports News
Pietersen: Broad can fill Flintoff void
Kevin Pietersen has backed Stuart Broad to make England fans forget Andrew Flintoff as the all-rounder prepared to bring the curtain down on his Test career with an Ashes win.
Flintoff is playing his final Test for England as persistent knee injuries mean he is unable to continue to play the longer form of the game. But with Flintoff faltering England have already found a "world class" replacement, according to Pietersen, in the shape of 23-year-old Broad.
Pietersen told the News of the World: "Freddie (Flintoff) has struggled with too many injuries this summer and maybe hasn't made the impact he would have liked in this thrilling series. His retirement would leave a void in any side. But in England's case, it is one that Stuart Broad, can certainly fill."
Pietersen added: "Yes, I know it is a big call. And a big burden of expectation. The last thing Stuart would want or need is to be called the new Freddie. And he won't be. He's his own player.
"He has shown in this game - and others - that he can become a world-class all-rounder for England.
"His performance in this fifth Test has shown that he has accepted the responsibility of becoming England's number one all-rounder now that Freddie is leaving the Test match scene.
"Stuart's bowling and batting are improving all the time. He is only 23 years old don't forget, and there is a lot of development yet to come from him.
"But what impresses me most about Stuart is that he has a good cricketing brain. He is clearly an intelligent cricketer, as he showed with his superb bowling on Friday afternoon.
"With Freddie bowing out, Stuart is the future."
Novak Djokovic sees off Rafael Nadal to reach Cincinnati final
Sunday 23 August 2009: Novak Djokovic caused an upset when he beat Rafael Nadal in the semi-final of the Cincinnati Masters to set up a final with Roger Federer.
Djokovic, the fourth seed, has yet to take a Masters Series title this year but has four to his name in his career and looks in good shape to make it five after dismissing the second seed, Nadal, in straight sets.
Federer had earlier beaten Andy Murray in his own semi-final.
Djokovic did not yield a break against Nadal and made three of his own on his way to a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win that took just over 90 minutes, denying Federer a chance to resume his rivalry with Nadal.
Dilshan made the difference - Vettori
Galle, 4th day, August 21, 2009: Daniel Vettori has singled out Tillakaratne Dilshan's ruthless performance with the bat as the key factor behind New Zealand's 202-run defeat in Galle.
Dilshan, promoted to open the innings for the first time in Tests, raced to 92 off 72 balls in the first innings and followed it up with a century in the second which helped his team set New Zealand an improbable target. The manner in which he dominated also mirrored the ineffectiveness of New Zealand's bowlers and Vettori admitted the uneven contest shut his team out of the match. "We won the toss we wanted to and probably didn't quite do the job," he said. "Look back and see how well Dilshan played and how poorly we bowled to him were the real defining moments throughout the game."
Sri Lanka's batting effort was a collective one with Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera scoring centuries in the first innings and the middle order stepping up to get some quick runs while setting the target in the second. Not that New Zealand were without opportunities. They made early inroads in both innings only to be thwarted by Dilshan's unrelenting strokeplay. "We had a couple of opportunities to put pressure on them but every time we did it he took it away from us and played exceptionally well," Vettori said. "When you have a player like that it makes it very tough to captain. He just took the momentum away from us."
New Zealand's worries were compounded when seven of their players were hit by a stomach bug; Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder, who returned to the team hotel at the start of yesterday's play, were the worst affected. Though the illness had a bearing on their fitness, Vettori said it was not an excuse for the way they batted today. Chasing an imposing 413, New Zealand's hopes of saving the game were dashed early this morning when they lost three wickets for 15 runs.
"We hoped that we could bat for longer periods of time but in some ways a few illnesses came against us and the application wasn't quite there," he said. "We tried to stay as long as we could and hoped for rain or to hang on but when you lose five of the top six for scores of under 50 it makes it very tough. Illness aside we could have fought harder in this Test match."
Vettori led by example, taking five wickets in the Test and contributing two defiant knocks down the order in each innings to resist Sri Lanka. He was in charge of a team that was highly inexperienced against the spin threat of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis but the disappointing aspect of its batting performance was the lack of competitiveness against pace. Fast bowlers Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara bagged eight of the 20 New Zealand wickets and their success, Vettori felt, had a significant impact on the outcome.
"One of the disappointing things was to lose as many wickets to the seamers as we did coming here with a focus thinking that the spin bowlers are going to play a major part," he said. "We put a lot of effort in there and I think we played them pretty well. Murali is quality bowler and a difficult customer to come up against. But I think the way Thushara bowled was probably where we let ourselves down. He took six wickets in the Test match and bowled very well."
Vettori, though, took encouragement from the way his batsmen handled spin. "We played spin quite well," he said. "There was all this talk leading to the Test match how we are going to cope with Murali and Mendis, the guys were pretty comfortable picking them and understanding what they were trying to do. They are still very good bowlers and still if you pick them you still got to play them. That's the one positive we can take into the next Test match."
World Athletics: Usain Bolt exhausted after clinching third gold in Berlin
23 Aug 2009:Bolt's three medals here have replicated his gold medal hat-trick from last August's Beijing Olympics and while he has repeated his individual world-record breaking haul he insists he is not in the same shape he was in China.
The 23-year-old shattered his own 100m world record here last Sunday when he picked up his first gold, then set another global mark when he was victorious in the 200m final on Thursday before running Saturday's third leg of the relay.
The Jamaican quartet clocked a championship record of 37.31 seconds while Trinidad and Tobago took silver in a national record of 37.62sec and Great Britain the bronze in 38.02sec.
With team-mate and world 100m bronze medallist Asafa Powell carrying a groin strain, Bolt ran the penultimate relay leg and despite his claims he is jaded still had enough gas to help his team clinch victory.
"I'm really tired, I didn't run the best leg I wanted to, but I am just happy I got the baton to Asafa (Powell) and we got it around the track," said Bolt, who sat on the track after the baton switch to rest his weary legs.
"My first aim was to get the gold medal, so I am definitely happy. Maybe I didn't look so happy, because I was tired. I had to take a break on the track because I was so tired.
"I was worried about Asafa going into the race, I kept asking him if he was ok, first priority is his health. But he said he felt good and would try his best, the aim was to make sure we won."
Having left Beijing with three world records for the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, Bolt missed out on repeating the feat in Berlin when the Jamaicans just failed to match the 37.10sec they ran in Beijing exactly a year ago.
But Bolt says he has no regrets about missing out on a third world record.
"It's been a great championships, I have got my two records it doesn't matter if I don't get one," he added.
Powell anchored the Jamaican team and Bolt explained why he ran the third leg to help his team to gold.
"Michael Frater is not a 200m runner, Asafa has a groin problem and we couldn't let him run the curve," said Bolt. "It's all about the team effort coming to the 4x100m and I run the corners well, so that is why."
Having run four rounds for both his 100m and 200m gold medals before Saturday's 4x100m relay final, Bolt, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, said he is now ready to rest.
"When I came here, I wasn't in the best shape, but I executed what I had to do, so I am happy," said Bolt whose training was hampered earlier in the season after he suffered minor injuries from a car crash in Jamaica last April.
"I think I was in better shape in Beijing - I am dying here now. I wasn't really fit enough to get through the rounds here. It takes a lot out of you to get through and I was in better shape in Beijing, but I am fast enough. I think I showed that here."
Nehru Cup: Bhaichung Bhutia Focused On Winning Against Kyrgyzstan
23-Aug-2009:The 'Sikkimese Sniper' made his international debut in the 1995 Nehru Cup against Thailand and on the eve of his 100th match, he revealed that it was actually Rustom Akramov, the then coach of India, who converted him into a striker.
“I still remember that in my first game Rustom Akramov asked me to play upfront even though I used to play in midfield and since that day I have been playing as a striker.”
The former JCT player said that he is honoured to have reached this landmark but insisted that winning the game is more important for him.
“It’s an honour to reach this milestone for my country. And it's even more special that like the first match, the hundredth one is also coming in the Nehru Cup.
“But having said, I just want us to win the game and stay in contention for a place in the final. It’s a very important match and I am sure that Kyrgyzstan will be tough to beat so we have to play well.”
The 33 year old also talked about how much he wants to play in the 2011 Asia Cup.
“If possible I would like to play 100 more games for India! In truth, Asia Cup is the biggest tournament I can play in before I end my career so I hope we go into that event well prepared and do well,” he concluded.
World No 2 Vijender plays to win!
India:He has 1700 pts and is placed behind Correa Bayeux Emilio of Cuba. Vijender lost to the Cuban in Olympics semi-final. An elated Vijender says, “I’m happy to be World No. 2; the title is a motivation for me to keep my focus on the No 1 slot.”
With the world ranking under his belt, Vijender is gung-ho about all his bouts in the upcoming World Championships in Milan. “I’m training hard, for 6-7 hours regularly, for the Championship. For me, every fight, every bout is like the final round. It doesn’t matter whom I fight,” says Vijender.
The only hitch here is that the team leaves for the World Championship at Milan on August 27 and Vijender is to receive the Khel Ratna Award at a high-profile function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29. Vijender, world champion woman boxer M C Mary Kom and Olympic bronze medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar were picked for the country’s highest sporting honour last month. "I would prefer to be in Milan, which will give me more time to acclimatise. My parents would collect the award on my behalf.” His parents stay in Kaluwas, along the Meham-Bhiwani road in Haryana.
Kevin Pietersen has backed Stuart Broad to make England fans forget Andrew Flintoff as the all-rounder prepared to bring the curtain down on his Test career with an Ashes win.
Flintoff is playing his final Test for England as persistent knee injuries mean he is unable to continue to play the longer form of the game. But with Flintoff faltering England have already found a "world class" replacement, according to Pietersen, in the shape of 23-year-old Broad.
Pietersen told the News of the World: "Freddie (Flintoff) has struggled with too many injuries this summer and maybe hasn't made the impact he would have liked in this thrilling series. His retirement would leave a void in any side. But in England's case, it is one that Stuart Broad, can certainly fill."
Pietersen added: "Yes, I know it is a big call. And a big burden of expectation. The last thing Stuart would want or need is to be called the new Freddie. And he won't be. He's his own player.
"He has shown in this game - and others - that he can become a world-class all-rounder for England.
"His performance in this fifth Test has shown that he has accepted the responsibility of becoming England's number one all-rounder now that Freddie is leaving the Test match scene.
"Stuart's bowling and batting are improving all the time. He is only 23 years old don't forget, and there is a lot of development yet to come from him.
"But what impresses me most about Stuart is that he has a good cricketing brain. He is clearly an intelligent cricketer, as he showed with his superb bowling on Friday afternoon.
"With Freddie bowing out, Stuart is the future."
Novak Djokovic sees off Rafael Nadal to reach Cincinnati final
Sunday 23 August 2009: Novak Djokovic caused an upset when he beat Rafael Nadal in the semi-final of the Cincinnati Masters to set up a final with Roger Federer.
Djokovic, the fourth seed, has yet to take a Masters Series title this year but has four to his name in his career and looks in good shape to make it five after dismissing the second seed, Nadal, in straight sets.
Federer had earlier beaten Andy Murray in his own semi-final.
Djokovic did not yield a break against Nadal and made three of his own on his way to a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win that took just over 90 minutes, denying Federer a chance to resume his rivalry with Nadal.
Dilshan made the difference - Vettori
Galle, 4th day, August 21, 2009: Daniel Vettori has singled out Tillakaratne Dilshan's ruthless performance with the bat as the key factor behind New Zealand's 202-run defeat in Galle.
Dilshan, promoted to open the innings for the first time in Tests, raced to 92 off 72 balls in the first innings and followed it up with a century in the second which helped his team set New Zealand an improbable target. The manner in which he dominated also mirrored the ineffectiveness of New Zealand's bowlers and Vettori admitted the uneven contest shut his team out of the match. "We won the toss we wanted to and probably didn't quite do the job," he said. "Look back and see how well Dilshan played and how poorly we bowled to him were the real defining moments throughout the game."
Sri Lanka's batting effort was a collective one with Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera scoring centuries in the first innings and the middle order stepping up to get some quick runs while setting the target in the second. Not that New Zealand were without opportunities. They made early inroads in both innings only to be thwarted by Dilshan's unrelenting strokeplay. "We had a couple of opportunities to put pressure on them but every time we did it he took it away from us and played exceptionally well," Vettori said. "When you have a player like that it makes it very tough to captain. He just took the momentum away from us."
New Zealand's worries were compounded when seven of their players were hit by a stomach bug; Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder, who returned to the team hotel at the start of yesterday's play, were the worst affected. Though the illness had a bearing on their fitness, Vettori said it was not an excuse for the way they batted today. Chasing an imposing 413, New Zealand's hopes of saving the game were dashed early this morning when they lost three wickets for 15 runs.
"We hoped that we could bat for longer periods of time but in some ways a few illnesses came against us and the application wasn't quite there," he said. "We tried to stay as long as we could and hoped for rain or to hang on but when you lose five of the top six for scores of under 50 it makes it very tough. Illness aside we could have fought harder in this Test match."
Vettori led by example, taking five wickets in the Test and contributing two defiant knocks down the order in each innings to resist Sri Lanka. He was in charge of a team that was highly inexperienced against the spin threat of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis but the disappointing aspect of its batting performance was the lack of competitiveness against pace. Fast bowlers Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara bagged eight of the 20 New Zealand wickets and their success, Vettori felt, had a significant impact on the outcome.
"One of the disappointing things was to lose as many wickets to the seamers as we did coming here with a focus thinking that the spin bowlers are going to play a major part," he said. "We put a lot of effort in there and I think we played them pretty well. Murali is quality bowler and a difficult customer to come up against. But I think the way Thushara bowled was probably where we let ourselves down. He took six wickets in the Test match and bowled very well."
Vettori, though, took encouragement from the way his batsmen handled spin. "We played spin quite well," he said. "There was all this talk leading to the Test match how we are going to cope with Murali and Mendis, the guys were pretty comfortable picking them and understanding what they were trying to do. They are still very good bowlers and still if you pick them you still got to play them. That's the one positive we can take into the next Test match."
World Athletics: Usain Bolt exhausted after clinching third gold in Berlin
23 Aug 2009:Bolt's three medals here have replicated his gold medal hat-trick from last August's Beijing Olympics and while he has repeated his individual world-record breaking haul he insists he is not in the same shape he was in China.
The 23-year-old shattered his own 100m world record here last Sunday when he picked up his first gold, then set another global mark when he was victorious in the 200m final on Thursday before running Saturday's third leg of the relay.
The Jamaican quartet clocked a championship record of 37.31 seconds while Trinidad and Tobago took silver in a national record of 37.62sec and Great Britain the bronze in 38.02sec.
With team-mate and world 100m bronze medallist Asafa Powell carrying a groin strain, Bolt ran the penultimate relay leg and despite his claims he is jaded still had enough gas to help his team clinch victory.
"I'm really tired, I didn't run the best leg I wanted to, but I am just happy I got the baton to Asafa (Powell) and we got it around the track," said Bolt, who sat on the track after the baton switch to rest his weary legs.
"My first aim was to get the gold medal, so I am definitely happy. Maybe I didn't look so happy, because I was tired. I had to take a break on the track because I was so tired.
"I was worried about Asafa going into the race, I kept asking him if he was ok, first priority is his health. But he said he felt good and would try his best, the aim was to make sure we won."
Having left Beijing with three world records for the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, Bolt missed out on repeating the feat in Berlin when the Jamaicans just failed to match the 37.10sec they ran in Beijing exactly a year ago.
But Bolt says he has no regrets about missing out on a third world record.
"It's been a great championships, I have got my two records it doesn't matter if I don't get one," he added.
Powell anchored the Jamaican team and Bolt explained why he ran the third leg to help his team to gold.
"Michael Frater is not a 200m runner, Asafa has a groin problem and we couldn't let him run the curve," said Bolt. "It's all about the team effort coming to the 4x100m and I run the corners well, so that is why."
Having run four rounds for both his 100m and 200m gold medals before Saturday's 4x100m relay final, Bolt, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, said he is now ready to rest.
"When I came here, I wasn't in the best shape, but I executed what I had to do, so I am happy," said Bolt whose training was hampered earlier in the season after he suffered minor injuries from a car crash in Jamaica last April.
"I think I was in better shape in Beijing - I am dying here now. I wasn't really fit enough to get through the rounds here. It takes a lot out of you to get through and I was in better shape in Beijing, but I am fast enough. I think I showed that here."
Nehru Cup: Bhaichung Bhutia Focused On Winning Against Kyrgyzstan
23-Aug-2009:The 'Sikkimese Sniper' made his international debut in the 1995 Nehru Cup against Thailand and on the eve of his 100th match, he revealed that it was actually Rustom Akramov, the then coach of India, who converted him into a striker.
“I still remember that in my first game Rustom Akramov asked me to play upfront even though I used to play in midfield and since that day I have been playing as a striker.”
The former JCT player said that he is honoured to have reached this landmark but insisted that winning the game is more important for him.
“It’s an honour to reach this milestone for my country. And it's even more special that like the first match, the hundredth one is also coming in the Nehru Cup.
“But having said, I just want us to win the game and stay in contention for a place in the final. It’s a very important match and I am sure that Kyrgyzstan will be tough to beat so we have to play well.”
The 33 year old also talked about how much he wants to play in the 2011 Asia Cup.
“If possible I would like to play 100 more games for India! In truth, Asia Cup is the biggest tournament I can play in before I end my career so I hope we go into that event well prepared and do well,” he concluded.
World No 2 Vijender plays to win!
India:He has 1700 pts and is placed behind Correa Bayeux Emilio of Cuba. Vijender lost to the Cuban in Olympics semi-final. An elated Vijender says, “I’m happy to be World No. 2; the title is a motivation for me to keep my focus on the No 1 slot.”
With the world ranking under his belt, Vijender is gung-ho about all his bouts in the upcoming World Championships in Milan. “I’m training hard, for 6-7 hours regularly, for the Championship. For me, every fight, every bout is like the final round. It doesn’t matter whom I fight,” says Vijender.
The only hitch here is that the team leaves for the World Championship at Milan on August 27 and Vijender is to receive the Khel Ratna Award at a high-profile function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29. Vijender, world champion woman boxer M C Mary Kom and Olympic bronze medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar were picked for the country’s highest sporting honour last month. "I would prefer to be in Milan, which will give me more time to acclimatise. My parents would collect the award on my behalf.” His parents stay in Kaluwas, along the Meham-Bhiwani road in Haryana.
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