Sports News

Kapil Dev lashes out at BCCI

Kapil Dev came down heavily on the BCCI for sacking bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh.

Former India captain on Monday said that the duo were sacked without looking into the good work they had done for the team.

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Kapil said both Prasad and Robin were doing a good job for the team and if they were sacked for the poor performance of the team then the manager should also have been held responsible.

"Both of them (Prasad and Robin) have done a good job for the team. The Board should have removed manager of the team also holding him responsible for poor performance of the team in Champions Trophy," Kapil told PTI.

"The basis of removal from the post should be on performance criteria. Why there should be a sword hanging over those who are giving good result?" he asked.

He said Australia were no doubt the better side in the first one-dayer in Vadodara.

"I think the team which performed better won the match and the Australians were the better side that is why they won in Vadodara," he said.

"The team needs to concentrate in each department of the game to win the seven one-day series against Australia and emerge as a force to reckon with," he added.

Wasim's Akram wife Huma buried

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram's wife Huma, who passed away at a Chennai hospital, was laid to rest.

Body of Huma, 42, who breathed her last at the Apollo Hospital in India, was flown back to Pakistan, where Akram's former team-mates Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Ijaz Ahmed, Moin Khan and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt joined the mourning.

Huma was hospitalised on October 20 after her condition deteriorated, when an air ambulance flying her to Singapore from Lahore halted at the Chennai airport for a scheduled refuelling.

She was put on ventilator support after multiple organ failure and her condition had remained critical since her admission.

Besides Akram, Huma is also survived by two sons - Akbar and Taimur.

Dhoni all praise for Ishant

Ishant Sharma has come in for praise from skipper MS Dhoni after his impressive performance in the first ODI in Vodadara.

India pacer Ishant Sharma has struggled for form since his fine show in Australia last year.

Dhoni felt the Delhi youngster's performance against Australia in the opening ODI on Sunday was an indication that he was on his way back to form.

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"I thought Ishant bowled really well and hit right areas. If he is bowling well his speed automatically goes up. That's when you know he's bowling in right rhythm and is in the right frame of mind," Dhoni remarked after the match.

Ishant returned with figures of 3 for 50 in 10 overs and seemed to hit the deck hard and looked in good rhythm after a couple of overs in his first spell. He was spanked for a few fours in his second spell before settling down again. He accounted for Tim Paine in his first spell and returned in slog overs to dismiss Mike Hussey and Brett Lee.

Dhoni said the gangling fast bowler was a bit low on confidence since it was difficult for the youngster to face failure after tasting success at such a young age.

But, Dhoni also pointed out that Ishant needed support from everyone and that's what his teammates in the Indian squad were doing to help him come out of the rut.

"He's a bit low on confidence and that happens when you are 21 and have always seen success. So it's difficult to deal with failure. When somebody is not doing well, we as friends and teammates want to back him," he said.

Rafa: Carra is not done yet!

Benitez revealed he was determined to keep faith with his players and Carragher.

The 31-year-old has come in for severe criticism this season as Liverpool have struggled, but he produced a man-of-the-match display of defiant defending in yesterday's 2-0 home win over Manchester United.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson maintained Carragher should have been sent off for dragging down Michael Owen, but the Old Trafford chief also conceded Carragher was Liverpool's best defender, by far.

Benitez said: "Jamie played well. He had been having a difficult time but the only thing to do in such a situation is to try again and try again.

"It was only a question of keeping working hard, and he proved that he is a good centre-back and not at the end of his career just yet.

"He showed what a good defender he still is and (collectively) we have shown that we are not a bad team, not a bad squad. Maybe next April people will again judge us but at this moment we have enough quality.

"We have had five players injured, all at once. But when we are all fit we are difficult for anyone to beat.

On his own position, Benitez maintained: "I have not been reading the papers, or listening to anything. I was only trying to keep focused, and the players the same.

"We knew we were not that bad. We had won six on the trot before this run of four defeats, and we got 86 points last season. We are not as bad as people were saying."

Benitez kept faith with his squad, and continued: "The players responded to the messages they had been given. It was simple, keep training the same way, keep working hard and things will change.

"In football you can talk a lot but if you do not work hard you will not change anything.

"We worked hard on lots of things, but the main thing was that everyone was together, the team, the fans, the staff. The attitude was fantastic, and you can see that we can beat anyone.

"This was the perfect answer, the perfect response because we were not winning.

"Against a good team you have to perform really well and be focused to achieve what you want. All the players wanted to impress, that was the difference.

"It was a result that will please a lot of people, maybe not United. But I have been saying all season that the top sides will lose more points that you would expect, that will make the title race more open.

"This is the proof. I was determined to keep my confidence, to keep my faith in my players."

French striker David Ngog also had cause to be pleased with the way he coolly took his injury-time goal that ended any hope United had of saving a point.

Ngog had been criticised for missing an excellent opportunity that would have put Liverpool 2-0 ahead in the Champions League defeat by Lyon last week.

But the 20-year-old made no mistake yesterday and said: "It was a fantastic moment for me and the team and I would say it's my best moment in football.

"I have always dreamed of scoring a goal for Liverpool against Manchester United and now it has happened and it is a really good feeling.

"I dedicated the goal to my family who always support me, and to the fans because I know how much the victory meant to them.

"I also give thanks to my team-mates and the manager for always showing faith in me."

Barnsley vs Man United Preview

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will again ring the changes for the Carling Cup match against Barnsley at Oakwell on Tuesday.

Promising striker Danny Welbeck could be given a run-out after getting the goal that brought down Wolves in the last round. Midfielder Darren Fletcher might also feature if he recovers from a groin injury that ruled him out of the defeat at Liverpool on Sunday.

Senior professionals like Michael Owen, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Wes Brown are all set to be involved against the Coca-Cola Championship side, managed by former Old Trafford striker Mark Robins.

Barnsley will be without on-loan trio Ryan Shotton, Carl Dickinson and Nathan Doyle plus striker Andy Gray.

Stoke defenders Shotton and Dickinson and Hull midfielder Doyle have all played for their parent clubs earlier in the competition while Gray played for Charlton in the first round before his move to Barnsley in late August.

Otherwise, manager Mark Robins has a full-strength squad to choose from, with no new injury problems following Saturday's 3-2 home defeat to Bristol City.

Robins must decide whether to recall Brazilian midfielder Anderson De Silva and the rested Jon Macken to his starting line-up while fellow striker Daniel Bogdanovic was on the scoresheet on Saturday.

Barnsley won at Lincoln and Reading in rounds one and two respectively and beat Burnley 3-2 at Oakwell in the third round to book a fourth-round clash with Robins' former club.

Man Utd (from): Kuszczak, Foster, De Laet, Neville, Brown, J Evans, Dudgeon, Fabio, Rafael, Tosic, Gibson, C Evans, Eikrem, Carrick, Fletcher, Scholes, Valencia, Nani, Owen, Welbeck, Macheda, King.

Golfers to watch at Singapore Open

While the golfers arrive for the prestigious Barclays Singapore Open, we take a look at the players to watch at Serapong course.

By Eugene YS Han

Phil Mickelson
World Ranking: 2

Why: The affable Mickelson is a popular man wherever he goes and it's no different in Singapore. It helps a little that you are the world number two and the top seed at the Barclays Singapore Open. Mickelson reclaimed the number two spot after beating Tiger Wooods at the TOUR Championships in September.

Chances: Lefty is expected to do well on his third appearance at Sentosa Golf Club if he conquers the tropical heat. After finishing ninth last year, Mickelson will be hoping to improve and perhaps be in the final group on Sunday.

Padriag Harrington
World Ranking: 6

Why: Harrington's form may be patchy this year. He reached a new low when he missed the cut in eight tournaments this year including the US Open. But as they say, beware of the wounded, erm ... tiger. Harrington, when the three-time champion is in his element, is still considered a major force.

Chances: Padriag Harrington's form has dipped alarmingly since his last win in the PGA Championship in 2008. His form seemed to have recovered in August this year after he finished second in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational behind Tiger Woods. Since then, he has had one more second place finish and he came in third at last week's Portugal Masters. Still without a win in 2009, you can be sure that the Irishman will be fired up to win his first tournament of the year in Singapore where he finished runner-up last year to Jeev Milkha Singh.

Ernie Els
World Ranking: 22

Why: A perennial fans' favourite in Singapore where perhaps his reputation precedes him a little. Els is a two-time US Open winner ('94, '97) and also won the Open Championship in 2002.

Chances: Ranked 22 in the world, the South African has gone close on two occasions in Singapore: Losing a playoff to Adam Scott in 2006 and finishing third last year. He will be hoping it will be third time lucky this year and go on and lift the trophy at the Serapong Course.

KJ Choi
World Rankings: 73

Why: The leading Asian player on the world circuit and the favourite to be the first Asian to win a major until a certain YE Yang upstaged him. He is the first Korean to earn a PGA Tour card in 1999 and is considered a trailblazer for Asians on the international stage. Choi, who has won seven PGA titles, also commands a strong following in Asia.

Chances: Choi ended an 18-month title drought after his victory at the Johor Open last week. Now buoyed with confidence, the 39-year-old will be aiming to continue his winning momentum into Singapore.

Adam Scott
World Ranking: 76

Why: The 29-year-old Australian is a two-time Barclays Singapore Open champion and has been heralded as the heir of Greg ‘The Shark' Norman. He also has the looks of a super model (and has a girlfriend with super model looks too).

Chances: Once ranked as high as third in the world in 2007, Scott has seen his form and rankings drop. Now ranked a lowly 76th in the world and his last tournament win came on 27 April 2008 in the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Last year he crashed out of this event after missing the cut by three shots. But Scott's still a sentimental favourite in the Lion City and will have his die-hard fans in close support but will do well with a top five finish.

Chapchai Nirat
World Rankings: 231

Why: One of more easily recognised Thai golfer on the Asian Tour circuit, he has the booming strokes to go with his booming frame. Chapchai was commended by Phil Mickelson after his faultless displays in the Singapore Open last year.

Chances: Chapchai wowed Asian fans after he led an impressive field by three strokes on the final day last year. Chapchai, nicknamed "King Kong" by his fellow pros, seemed to be weighed down by king-sized expectations and eventually collapsed to finish seventh. He has vowed not to buckle under pressure a second time when he is in contention for the title this year.

Wanted: A big name to win S'pore Open

The prestigious Barclays Singapore Open 2009 needs a big name golfer to win it, Eugene YS Han explains why.

Sorry KJ Choi. Apologies to Gaganjeet Bhullar. And pardon me Lam Chih Bing, but my money is on either Phil Mickelson or Padriag Harrington to lift the Singapore Open trophy come Sunday.

Why? Because Asia's richest nation Open - US$5 million to be exact - needs a marquee name to lift the coveted trophy. In one of the most unexpected golf seasons ever, all the majors this year have been won by the unknowns, the unexpected and quite frankly the unheralded.

Hence we desperately need a big name golfer to lift this trophy come November 1. A high-profile last day final pairing of Mickelson and Harrington will definitely pull in the crowds and create the most dramatic finale to this tournament - ala the famous ‘Duel in the Sun'. Mind you considering the present Singapore conditions, it will literally be a duel in the baking sun.

If Mickelson can conquer the infamous heat or if Harrington can overcome his current slump in form, perhaps we'll see a famous AND top-ranked player lifting the trophy.

Mickelson now plays in selective tournaments because of his family's much-documented health problems. I'm sure he'll be doubly determined to make sure every trip he makes, every tournament he participates in, is worth the trouble and worth the precious time away from his family.

If Lefty wins, it would be his first victory on South East Asia soil. It would be Paddy's first in Asia if the Irishman wins. Either way, it will be a great advert for the Singapore Open. This way it'll not only increase the profile of this tournament, it'll also attract even more, high-ranking players for the next few installments.

It's not a slight to the rest of the field. It's not a blatant attempt to please the sponsor or the paying public. It's just a personal wish to see a global star finally win in Singapore.

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.

Jackson stars in Philadelphia win

DeSean Jackson ran for a 67-yard touchdown before completing a 57-yard catch to lead the Eagles to a comfortable 27-17 win over the Redskins.

The Eagles scored all of their points in a dominant opening half and newly-acquired linebacker Will Witherspoon returned an interception nine yards to ensure the visitors went into the break 27-10 ahead.

Jackson's 57-yard catch marked a milestone for quarterback Donovan McNabb as his 200th career touchdown pass, while the veteran also surpassed 30,000 career passing yards during the game.

The Redskins never threatened to overhaul the deficit in the second half as their faltering offence again failed to fire. Quarterback Jason Campbell threw four interceptions and was sacked six times - twice by defensive end Trent Cole.

Washington did get some consolation when Campbell passed for Fred Davis in the final two minutes, but a bad night for the hosts got worse after it was later confirmed tight end Chris Cooley, who had gone off with an ankle injury in the opening half, will miss the remainder of the season.

The Eagles also lost Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook before half-time when he suffered a heavy blow to the head and did not get up for several minutes.

But the Pro Bowl running back was able to walk to the locker room and, after the half-time break, watched his team wrap up a win that improves their a season record of 4-2.

The Redskins remain at the foot of the NFC East with a 2-5 win-loss record.

World Sports News

Somdev out but Sania, Leander and Mahesh advance

New York, Sep 4 (PTI) A profligate Somdev Devvarman squandered chances galore to crash out of US Open singles even as Sania Mirza advanced in the women's doubles and mixed doubles events here at Fushing Meadows.

Somdev, who was trailing by two sets, staged a dramatic comeback by blanking 23rd seed German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third set but eventually lost his second round encounter 3-6 4-6 6-0 2-6 after a close to three-hour battle last night.

With Somdev's defeat, Indian challenge ended in the singles events. Sania is already out of singles after suffering one of the worst defeats of her career in the second round against Italian friend Flavia Pennetta.

Somdev, who won three qualifying matches to make it to the main draw, could convert only four of the 20 breakpoints against experienced Kohlschreiber, who had defeated Novak Djokovic in the French Open.

Giancarlo Fisichella savours Ferrari call-up in place of Felipe Massa

Thursday 3 September 2009 20.00 BST:Giancarlo Fisichella will replace the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari for the rest of the season, starting at next weekend's Italian grand prix, after he was granted special dispensation by Force India. Fisichella, who finished second for the British-based team in last Sunday's Belgian grand prix, will become Ferrari's test driver in 2010 and the move brings a 14-year Formula One career to potentially spectacular finish after only three wins in 226 starts.

"I'm in seventh heaven," said Fisichella. "I still can't believe it – that the dream of my life comes true. Over the last week some really incredible things happened to me: the pole position and then second place at Spa and now I'm called by Ferrari to race the last five races of the season for them. I'll give my best to recompense the Scuderia for this great opportunity they gave me: I know that it won't be easy, but I'll give it everything to gain the best possible results."

The Italian will join Kimi Raikkonen, the winner in Belgium, and the move comes at the expense of Luca Badoer who failed to impress during his two races with the Italian team. "I want to say that I'm very sorry for Luca," said Fisichella. "I know how much he cared to race in Monza behind the wheel of a Ferrari, because this is the best thing that can happen to an Italian driver, to drive a red car in front of our fans."

Dr Vijay Mallya, the Force India chairman, stressed that there had been no financial settlement with Ferrari despite allowing Fisichella to break the final year of his contract. "For any Italian driver, a Ferrari race seat is a long-held dream and for Giancarlo it was no exception," said Mallya. "No one should stand in the way of this. Furthermore the agreement will secure Giancarlo's long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this, particularly when Giancarlo has made such a vital contribution to Force India."

Force India have not decided on Fisichella's replacement though the team's Italian test driver, Vitanonio Liuzzi, is the favourite.

'Modi party to IMG decision'

KOLKATA: The IPL franchise owners may be cut up with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for severing ties with the International Management Group (IMG), but the fact remains that IPL commissioner Lalit Modi was a signatory to the working committee's decision to pull the plug on the sports management company.

According to a TOI source who attended the said working committee meeting last month, several state associations objected to IMG being paid far in excess to the services it had rendered during IPL-I.

Among the state associations to object were the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA), the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), and the motion was passed by the house unanimously.

Modi, the brain behind IPL, surprisingly didn't counter the arguments offered by the likes of Jagmohan Dalmiya and Rajeev Shukla.

It's difficult to say why the issue was not hotly debated even though the objection raised was not specific in nature.

It is also not clear why the working committee, the all-powerful arm of the BCCI, was in such tearing hurry to pass a resolution to this effect on this potentially tricky issue. A few working committee members that TOI spoke to admitted to the haste on their part but are livid with the IPL franchise owners for "poking their nose into" something that is clearly "none of their business".

"The issue involves two parties - the BCCI and IMG. The franchise owners have no locus standi. The matter is being reviewed by the BCCI president, who I am sure will come up with an acceptable solution," a working committee member said.

While just about everyone in the BCCI feels that the fee being charged by the IMG for their services is quite high, there are many who rate their quality of service highly. Indications are that unless the IMG continues to be rigid on this issue, a compromise of sorts will be worked out that will see the sports management company and the IPL continue their honeymoon.

The BCCI Working Committee (All the office-bearers): DDCA; TNCA; CAB, MCA; UPCA (Permanent Test centres); Haryana CA (North); Andhra CA (South); National Cricket Club(East); Saurashtra CA (West); MPCA (Central); Karnataka CA; Punjab CA; Gujarat CA; Vidarbha CA (Associations who have staged Tests).

Questions Raised Over The Role Of Arbitrator In Bhaichung Bhutia Case

04-Sep-2009 8:27:43 AM:On the eve of the Nehru Cup final, the AIFF Executive Committee decided to hire a reputed lawyer to look into the transfer saga which has gone far too long for anyone’s comfort.

However, it must be noted that an arbitrator is called for in any case when both parties agree to follow and there must be an arbitration agreement in place. In Bhaichung’s case, according to what AIFF general secretary Alberto Colaco was quoted saying, there isn’t any.

“In his letter, Bhaichung Bhutia has informed us that there was no arbitration clause in his contract with Mohun Bagan. So we need a legal expert to look into this,” said Colaco.

Meanwhile, the Indian FA haven’t kept in check the laws mentioned in its Constitution which clearly mentions that in case of an arbitration, all the previous stages of appeal have to be exhausted.

Only the arbitrators shall deal with appeals against decisions and sanctions of the last instance, after all previous stages of appeal available at AIFF, Member, Club level have been exhausted. The reference to arbitrators shall be sought by an application made to the AIFF General Secretariat within 10 days of the notification of the decision. (Article 60 (i))

So far there hasn’t been any decision announced. It must be remembered that Bhaichung’s case could have had a judgement had Indian Football Association (IFA) been given a free hand to do so. But needless interference from the AIFF, which wrote to the IFA, stating that since the Indian captain wants the transfer saga to come to a close as quickly as possible, they shall refer the matter to the Players Status Committee (PSC). The IFA refused to give a decision as they felt that it could be embarrassing for them if their decision and the one taken by the PSC would be contradictory.

The PSC wrote to the AIFF that without the decision of the IFA and all the documents provided, as they believed that they were provided with insufficient details, they can’t take a decision. Next, the Indian FA appoints Alberto Colaco to get the two parties for an amicable solution which didn’t produce any factual results as was known to all.

The AIFF have appointed a single solicitor as the arbitrator to resolve the case or “settle the dispute”, which also goes against what’s mentioned in their laws!

AIFF shall create an option for recourse to arbitration, by nominating a panel of 10 independent arbitrators to resolve any disputes between AIFF, its Members, Clubs, Players, Officials and all those involved in the Game of Association Football. The arbitration tribunal will only deal with internal disputes that do not fall under the jurisdiction of the other two judicial bodies of the AIFF (Disciplinary Committee and the Appeal Committee). (Article 59)

It is also stated that the Arbitrators wouldn’t entertain complaints on (a) violations of the Laws of the Game; (b) suspensions of up to four matches or up to three months; (c) decisions passed by an independent and duly constituted arbitration tribunal of a Member. (d) Decisions of the Disciplinary and Appeal Committee. (Article 60 (ii))

Also the arbitrators are empowered to deal with all disputes between a third party and any entities or persons only if an arbitration agreement exists (Article 60 (iii), which isn’t case with Bhaichung’s contract.

One wonders whether the Indian skipper shall ever get a decision on his transfer saga and ongoing duel with Mohun Bagan due to plain mishandling of the affair.

Dhoni hammers unbeaten 106

Mohali: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (106) and Manvinder Bisla (152) saw Air India Blue through to the semi-finals after they slammed unbeaten centuries in their massive 136-run victory over Indian Revenue in a rain-truncated group A match in the Sahara BCCI Corporate trophy here Thursday.

In a match that was reduced to 42 overs per side due to repeated rain-interruptions, Indian Revenue captain Amay Kurasyia’s decision to field backfired as the Air India Blue top-order put up a relentless display of aggressive batting at the PCA stadium. Dhoni alone accounted for seven fours and six sixes in his 61-ball unbeaten hundred.

In the run chase, opposition opener Ameya Shrikhande made a valiant effort with a 119-ball 121 but he found no support from the other batsmen in the team. Shrikhande batted till the 38th over, hitting 16 fours and a six. Indian Revenue ended their allotted 42 overs for just 222 from the loss of eight wickets.

With Thursday’s win, Air India Blue topped their group with seven points and will take on group C winners Tata Sports Club in the second semi-final here on Sunday.

In Bangalore, Air India Red joined Dhoni’s team after Suresh Raina smashed an unbeaten 92 for a thumping seven-wicket victory over Indian Cements in their last group D match.

Raina sent the Indian Cements bowlers for a leather hunt in his 107-ball innings which was studded with seven fours and two sixes at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here.

Earlier, put in to bat, India Cements made 243 for nine thanks mainly to contributions from S. Badrinath (91) and Rahul Dravid (66) after the match was reduced to 47 overs a side following a brief shower during the 15th over.

In Dharamshala, Tata SC strolled into the semis after their crucial and last Group C match against Indian Oil was washed out due to continuous downpour at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association stadium. The Ajit Agarkar-led Tata SC, by virtue of their win against All India Public Sector Sports Promotion Board (AIPSSPB) in the rain-truncated group C opener Tuesday, moved to the last four stage. They will face Air India Blue on Sunday at Mohali.

In Visakhapatnam, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation became the fourth semi-finalist after their last group B match against Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.

summarised scores

Air India Blue 362/1 in 42 ovs (M. Bisla 152, M.S. Dhoni 106). Indian Revenue 222/3 in 42 ovs (A. Shrikhande 152; R.P. Singh 2/24, P. Singh 2/34) Air India Blue won by 143 runs via VJD method.

India Cements 243/9 in 47 ovs (S. Badrinath 91, R. Dravid 66). Air India Red 244/3 in 43 ovs (S. Raina 92 .., N. Ojha 59). Air India Red won by seven wickets.

Raina charges Air India Red to semi-finals

September 3, 2009:Suresh Raina hit a sparkling 92 after Naman Ojha laid the platform with a breezy 59 to charge Air India Red to a semi-final contest against ONGC.

It could have been a tricky chase on a slow wicket but Ojha and Raina killed the contest with their attractive aggression. Ojha waited for the new-ball bowlers to be taken off the attack before he upped the ante in style. In the 13th over, P Amarnath's first, Ojha crashed a full delivery for a stunning six over extra cover. It was the beginning of the onslaught. Rahul Dravid brought on spin in the form of R Ashwin from the other end but Ojha responded with a ferocious airy inside-out drive over covers. He went on to pull Amarnath and heave Ashwin for more boundaries to provide impetus to the chase.

Ojha's aggression allowed Raina to settle down through some nervy moments before he too started to scythe through the attack. He got moving with a cover-driven boundary before he hit the best shot of the day: a breathtaking straight six off Amarnath. The shots kept coming in a flood: a drag through midwicket, a peachy drive through covers, a six over midwicket, and even a pulled boundary off Amarnath which was a tad unconvincing as he took his eyes off but went through with the swat. But for the most part, after the initial period, he looked secure.

India Cements had couple of moments in which they could have turned the game. In the 14th over Ojha, on 23 then, hit a hard cover drive and Suresh Kumar nearly pulled off a blinder but couldn't hold on. And the next chance, much simpler this time, came when Raina, on 53, swung Hemang Badani straight to deep midwicket where the substitute fielder Shivakumar dropped a straightforward chance.

Ojha departed soon after that but with Raina, who was later given two more reprieves on 88 and 90, steered the chase along with an equally aggressive Yuvraj Singh to take the game away from India Cements, who had earlier posted a competitive total courtesy an 133-run untroubled partnership between S Badrinath and Dravid.

What stood out in their partnership was the serenity with which they went about their task. With two men who are extremely aware of their own game, it was almost a tango between master and pupil.

Dravid's ODI game is so structured that even though it seems predictable, it is always a safe, secure and successful blueprint. Badrinath is increasingly tending towards a similar approach, especially in domestic cricket. As usual, he started with an open bat-face push for a single to get off the mark and as he settled down, he started unfurling all the familiar shots.

Badrinath repeatedly played the paddle shot - he even picked a few boundaries with it - against the spinners and mixed it with charges down the track. Against seamers, he played those typical short-arm jabs of his and when the bowlers banged it in shorter, he reeled off his upper cuts over the slip cordon. In between these forcing shots, he played innumerable dabs into gaps to rotate the strike. His best stroke of the day, though, was an on-the-up cover drive off the sharp left-arm seamer Saurabh Netravalkar.

Badrinath started off with a feisty cut and a punchy drive against the seamers before lifting Ajith Chandila for two sixes to cow corner in the 19th over. He has of late become more inventive in his shot-making and he continued to show that prowess today with a paddle shot against the medium-pacer Mundeep Mangela. On occasion he moved outside leg stump and walked across the sticks to upset the bowlers' rhythm successfully. He fell when he charged out too early against Chandila, who pushed it wide down the leg side to have him stumped.

Dravid was out before Badrinath, holing out to long-on, but by then he had played another one of his patent innings. He started off with singles and twos and never looked in any trouble as he calmly steered the innings towards a healthy total. He was on 39 when suddenly he decided to up the ante. As he often does against the spinners, he lunged out to Ankit Chavan to heave him over wide long-on. He didn't leave the crease; it was just a purposeful lunge as he wristed it up and over the boundary. The next delivery was pulled to wide of midwicket and a little later, he chipped Dhawal Kulkarni over mid-on.

After the dismissal of Dravid and Badrinath, the lower order crumbled cheaply and perhaps, it was that period where India Cements lost the game. It proved to be the difference between a merely competitive total and a daunting one.

Safina struggles, Dementieva dumped in US Open

Shaky top seed Dinara Safina turned in another patchy performance to escape with a victory, while American Melanie Oudin produced the shock of the event so far with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 knockout of fourth seed Elena Dementieva on Thursday.

It was hit-or-miss for Safina, troubled by doubts over her status as a world number one who has yet to win a Grand Slam title.

The Russian got past Kristina Barrois of Germany 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-3, no thanks to 15 double faults and 38 unforced errors in their second-round match-up.

The two-and-a-quarter-hour struggle was turned in the seed's favour by 43 unforced errors from her opponent.

Dementieva, the 2004 losing finalist, had been tipped as an outside title favourite, given the apparent knee injury to third Venus Williams and Safina's lack of confidence after losing three Grand Slam finals in two seasons.

But the Russian failed to come through in the clutch as 70th-ranked Oudin continued to surprise after Wimbledon fourth round performance just weeks ago.

The 17-year-old said that despite some leg pain, she put everything into her serve on match point to end the two-hour, 45-minute contest.

"I thought this match point might be my last chance, so I threw in a really big serve. I'm so happy I won it."

Russian 13th seed Nadia Petrova reached the third round over Julie Coin of France 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), while Romanian teen Sorana Cirstea beat Stephanie Dubois of Canada 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 with a third set littered with five straight breaks of serve.

In men's play, Germany's Tommy Haas advanced at the expense of American Robert Kendrick 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), the winner producing a dozen aces and 48 winners.

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President presents Khel Ratna, Arjuna awards

New Delhi, August 29, 2009:President Pratibha Patil presented the National Sports awards in New Delhi on Saturday, with Beijing Olympic bronze medallists boxer Vijender Singh and wrestler Sushil Kumar and four-time world boxing champion Mangte Chungneijang Marykom getting the Khel Ratna award at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

It was the first time since the inception of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991 that three sportspersons were given the country's highest sporting honour.

Marykom was the first to receive the newly designed statuette from the president followed by Vijender and Sushil amid loud cheers at the majestic Ashok Hall.

Besides the trio, 15 sportspersons were awarded Arjuna Awards.

Badminton sensation Saina Nehwal, trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi, who equalled the world record, were among the Arjuna winners. Gautam Gambhir, who had a terrific season last year, was the only cricketer to get the award.

Olympic medallist Sushil's coach Satpal and former All England Badminton champion and Saina`s coach Pullela Gopichand were presented the Dronacharya Award.

The prize money for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyanchand Awards have been increased this year.

Khel Ratna prize money has been raised from Rs 500,000 to Rs 750,000. The prize money for the Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyanchand Awards has been increased from Rs 300,000 to Rs 500,000.

The government instituted this year a new award, Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar, to recognise the contribution made to sports by entities other than sportspersons and coaches.

Under the new category, Railways got the award for Employment of Sportsperson and Sports Welfare Measures. Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee received the award.

TATA Steel bagged two awards for Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar. They got it for Community Sports Identification and Nurturing of Budding Young Talent, and Establishment and Management of Sports Academies of Excellence.

List of awardees:

Rajiv Khel Ratna:

M C Marykom (boxer), Vijender Kumar (boxer) and Sushil Kumar (wrestling)

Arjuna Award:

Mangal Singh Champia (archery), Sinimol Paulose (athletics), Saina Nehwal (badminton), L Sarita Devi (boxing), Tania Sachdeva (chess), Gautam Gambhir (cricket), Ignatius Tirkey (hockey), Surinder Kaur (hockey), Pankaj Shirsat (kabaddi), Satish Joshi (rowing), Ranjan Sodhi (shooting), Poulami Ghatak (table tennis), Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestling), G L Yadav (yachting), Parul Parmar (badminton disabled)

Dronacharya Award:

Baldev Singh (hockey), Jaidev Bisht (boxing), Satpal (wrestling) and Pullela Gopichand (badminton)

Dhyanchand Award:

Ishar Singh Deol (athletics), Satbir Singh Dahya (wrestling).

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar

Community Sports Identification and Nurturing of Budding Young Talent: TATA Steel Ltd
Establishment and Management of Sports Academies of Excellence: TATA Steel Ltd
Employment of Sportspersons and sports welfare measures: Railways Sports Promotion Board

'Two nineties are disappointing, I'll take the runs' - Jayawardene

August 29, 2009: Mahela Jayawardene's success at the SSC has become a creature of habit. This is, after all, a man who has averaged 79. 58 with 2467 runs in his 22 Tests at the venue. When he missed a century in the first innings by eight runs, there was an air of inevitability that Jayawardene would get there in the second innings, seeing as Sri Lanka would definitely try and bat New Zealand out of this Test.

Instead, Jayawardene put himself into the record books for a reason that left him bittersweet at the end of the day. Falling in the nineties again, and to the same bowler (Iain O'Brien) and with a similar shot, Jayawardene become just the fifth player - and first Asian - to make two nineties in a Test.

"I have always wanted to put effort into spending time at the crease and at the end of the day, while two nineties are disappointing, I'll take the runs," Jayawardene said. "The first innings was more disappointing, though. If we had gone through and got a big score then probably we would have been in a much better situation."

Surely you jest, Mahela? The way New Zealand have batted all tour, Sri Lanka would have surely been comfortable with a first-innings score of 416. When he walked out in the second innings, it was with a determined stride and from the start you sensed he was checking in for a while. This is a batsman who, once settled, is unlikely to get out against such bowling and in such conditions.

To the spinners, on a wearing track, Jayawardene's preferred shots were off the back foot, going right back to hit the ball on top of the bounce either behind point or to square leg. He played several such shots off Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel. Against the seamers, there were wristy flicks and delicate dabs and copybook cover-drives. Until he poked at one from Iain O'Brien on 96, Jayawardene had batted with faultless assurance.

"Whenever I go out it is to do well. Keeping consistency is something I've thrived on," he said. "I wanted to get a hundred in the second innings but I got a peach of a delivery. You can't always help it."

Jayawardene has been the center of Sri Lanka's batting archipelago since the retirements of Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga, and has consistently proven himself a batsman with the temperament and the strokes for big scores. Since giving up the captaincy, Jayawardene said his approach had not changed. "I've always said I've taken captaincy and batting separately. My contribution is important but right now I don't have captaincy responsibility. I am 32 and hopefully I have three or four years of my best time where I learn a lot and push myself harder."

Jayawardene's efforts have put Sri Lanka into a winning position and its now just about wrapping things up. If Jayawardene's role with the bat numbed New Zealand into submission, then the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath's four wickets had the tourists puzzled. Herath, after being dropped for Ajantha Mendis in Galle, has continued his rich vein of form with seven wickets so far in the Test. Four came today in a spell in which Herath bowled better than Test cricket's highest wicket-taker at the other end.

"We've invested in Rangana for some time. He's been our second best spinner for quite some time now before Ajantha came into the scene," Jayawardene said. "He's been around for a while and we've had belief in him. Now he's put his hand up and said 'I'm capable of handling that No. 1 spot once Murali leaves'. With the experience Rangana has, he will probably be our best spinner for some time."

Fisichella celebrates amazing pole for Force India

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS: Italian veteran Giancarlo Fisichella could hardly stop smiling with joy Saturday as he celebrated what he described as "an unbelievable pole position" for Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.

The 36-year-old Roman, who delivered Force India's first ever pole with a stunning lap in the closing stages of an equally-surprising qualifying session riddled with shocks and drama, said he never expected to achieve such a result for the team.

It was the first time that Fisichella had made it through to the top ten shootout, his first pole since the Malaysian Grand Prix of 2006 and the fourth of his long 14-years career.

He said: "It is unbelievable, I didn't expect pole position, especially after yesterday. I was quite surprised because there was a lot of understeer and the measures of downforce levels were not good for us.

"But we worked through the problems this morning and the car was much better, and in qualifying it was much better than expected. For me, it is amazing.

"I was quickest in Q1, fourth in Q2, and then pole position. It is fantastic, I am so happy. I didn't expect that result, so I am really happy and looking forward to tomorrow. I feel so confident."

He added: "This is one of the my favourite circuits, I did well in the past and I was sure to be competitive this year but I didn't expect to be on pole.

"I am so happy for myself, for the team, my engineers, everybody. They did a fantastic job, and we have made a fantastic step forward, especially from the last race. Considering our budget, I didn't expect that!

"We were confident for sure to be top 15, and maybe top 10, but to be on pole position we didn't expect that. In Q1 I was quick, in Q2 fourth quickest so we played to do pole and I am on pole!!"

Fisichella admitted his team had opted for an aggressive fuel strategy but, after setting the fourth fastest time in the second qualifying segment, the Italian is adamant his car still has strong race pace.

"Actually I think we are a little bit aggressive," he said. "We knew for the top three it was important to do that, but don't forget I was fourth quickest in Q2. We are not so slow."

Fisichella has been heavily linked with a move to Ferrari for next month's Italian Grand Prix as a replacement for struggling fellow-Italian test driver Luca Badoer, who himself is a stand-in for injured Brazilian star Felipe Massa.

But after this performance he may have to say he will stay with Force India - because they are the team with greatest potential.

Former Pakistan players happy with out-of court settlement

August 29, 2009:Former Pakistan players have welcomed the Pakistan Cricket Board's decision not to take the legal route against the ICC after the country was stripped of its 2011 World Cup games over security issues.

At a meeting in Dubai between the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and ICC president David Morgan, it was decided that Pakistan would retain its hosting fee of US$ 10.5 million. In addition, the PCB expects a further US$ 18 million as compensation.

Former captain Moin Khan felt that legal action would have complicated things further for the PCB, which has been adversely affected by pull-outs by international teams in the last two years.

"I think it is always wise to resolve issues through negotiations," Moin told PTI. "I don't know who advised the PCB to file a legal challenge in the first place. But at least now Pakistan will get some good money from the World Cup."

Zaheer Abbas said the Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers had given the ICC enough reason to shift the matches out of Pakistan.

"No team is willing to play in Pakistan at the moment because of security issues," Zaheer said. "So it would have been futile to even go for a full legal challenge against the ICC who have adequate justification for moving the matches out of Pakistan. There is a general sympathy for us in international cricket and we should use that to our advantage."

Former wicketkeeper Rashid Latif expressed similar sentiments. "I always felt the ICC would give us plenty of concessions and compensation for shifting the World Cup matches," Latif said. "There is sympathy for Pakistan cricket everywhere."

But former opening batsmen Aamer Sohail wasn't pleased that the PCB had opted for an out-of-court settlement, saying that it would set a bad precedent.

"I think we have sent a wrong message to everyone," Sohail said. "The most important thing right now for us to get teams to resume touring Pakistan as soon as possible and by agreeing to surrender our World Cup matches we will give out the wrong message."

India fail Syrian 'test', lose 0-1

New Delhi, Aug 29 (PTI): Defending champions India sans star striker Bhaichung Bhutia failed to impress as they went down 0-1 to Syria in their inconsequential last round-robin match of the Nehru Cup international football tournament here today.

Having already qualified for Monday's final against the same opponents, India rested Bhutia, who had received a yellow card in the tournament opener against Lebanon.

His strike partner Sunil Chhetri was also brought in the last 10 minutes of the game as India started without four first XI players.

For Syria, who also started without four of their main players, including star striker Mohammad Al Zeno, defender Ali Dyab scored the all-important goal in the 19th minute in the match seen as the dress rehearsal for Monday's summit clash.

Indian Premier League, IMG part ways

August 29, 2009 (New Delhi):It seems there is yet another controversy brewing in Indian cricket, and the latest casualty of the fight between the BCCI bosses and Lalit Modi is the International Management Group or IMG.

The IMG had come up with the format of the tournament and has been conducting it for the last two years. Incidentally, the BCCI bosses thought that they were over-charging the board for organising the league, as result the board's profit from IPL were going southwards.

Also BCCI is not happy with IPL having given compensation to two franchises, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for last year's Champions League T20 that had got cancelled.

The contract with IMG was only for conducting IPL and not for Champions League T20. So IPL has been asked to let go of IMG.

Team India take long look at short ball

BANGALORE: Indian team coach Gary Kirsten had promised that the intensity in training would be high in the short preparatory camp ahead of the tri series in Sri Lanka.

True to his word, Day Two of the four-day camp was intense, with Friday morning devoted to fitness and fielding drills, which at times were neatly combined to keep away boredom, while the afternoon saw the batsmen and bowlers face off at the nets. The nets were certainly interesting, more so with extra attention being given to playing the short ball.

After the fitness assessments were done with on Day One, Kirsten, asked specifically if the short ball would figure prominently during training had said: "That might be one of it, but there might be a whole lot others. Within what we do in this team, in terms of our game plans, our training, our structures, we try and cover every base that we need to cover to make sure we give ourselves best chance of success."

Yes, a lot of bases were covered in terms of fielding, with the short pick up and throw, slip catching, et all figuring but when it came down to the net session at the National Cricket Academy, it was clear that it was the short ball that was being given a lot of thought.

The short ball session for each batsman was seemingly split into two parts. In the beginning, the batsman had to duck and weave his way out as either the bowling machine or the tennis racquet and ball were put to use to send down fast serves that grew big on the batsmen. After that, it was about hitting the short ball, pulling or hooking whenever the line was middle and leg, while still leaving it when the line was on or outside off stump. The training was for 50-over ODIs, where the dot ball is not always frowned upon, so it did make sense to practice both the leave and the shots.

Skipper MS Dhoni was happiest when the time came to smash the ball. He had not been found wanting when he had to leave the ball, his quick reflexes, more than any real technique, coming to the fore.

Dhoni had also looked to be in good touch when just prior to coming into the short ball net he had faced up to RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh and Yusuf Pathan in the regular net. There too he wasn't struggling to come to terms with the ball dug in, pulling and cutting the quickish RP with some ferocity (Ishant Sharma was the quickest but he didn't bowl to Dhoni).

The most impressive batting on the day came from comeback man Rahul Dravid. He seemed to be in prime form and though it was a given that he would excel at the ‘short ball net', the number of times the ball found the middle of his blade when he was up against the bowlers, made for pleasant watching.

The same was not the case with Sachin Tendulkar, who for some time at least, struggled. May 21, 2009 was when Tendulkar played his last game (for Mumbai Indians) and since then he's been enjoying the rare break and it showed. Harbhajan was the bowler he struggled most against, the offie teasing him with flight and winning more battles than he lost.

Tendulkar, however, is not the sort who believes too much in batting at the nets. However, if there was reason to worry as far as the batsmen were concerned, it had to with the struggles of Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan when it came to tackling bouncers. Both showed a tendency to take their eyes off the ball most times and thus found it tough to cope.

Kirsten spent a lot of time with both, patiently explaining the best way to deal with the stuff that no batsman likes but has to endure anyway as a professional hazard. Of course, it is important to remember that the nets always provide some sort of a claustrophobic feeling and is never a true or full indicator of ability.

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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.

World Sports News

The Ashes: England v Australia, fifth Test, day three, lunch report

Oval:Australia will have to set a new fourth innings run chase record if they are to win the Oval Ashes Test after England made a solid, if unspectacular start, to the third day.

Andrew Strauss, the England captain, was the only dismissal as he and Jonathan Trott, unbeaten on 50 at lunch, took the score to 157 for four, against Australian bowlers ploughing a dogged off stump line on a pitch that continues to deteriorate.

Strauss and Trott showed the resilience that has characterised much of Australia's batting in this series as they extended England's lead from an overnight 230 to 329 which if Ricky Pointing's team successfully chase down will eclipse the previous highest fourth innings run chase of 263.

Strauss has been the heartbeat of England's batting this summer and he looked set for a second century of the series when he edged to slip on 75 in the over before lunch.

By then he had already become the highest run scorer in this series from either side when he reached 50 and his run tally stood at 474 when he was dismissed.

The first ball of the day reared up off the dusty pitch and led to a full throated appeal for a catch behind off Trott by Peter Siddle but umpire Asad Rauf, who dropped two clangers on Friday, made a good decision, judging the ball flicked the thigh pad.

Marcus North's off spin was quickly introduced by Ricky Ponting and his first ball was paddled through fine leg for four by Trott to bring up the fifty stand off 127 deliveries.

The first hour, as usual earmarked as crucial by both teams, was attritional with England grinding another 28 runs to their overnight score of 58 for three.

Strauss reached his fifty with a cut to third man and then struck his first boundary of the day when Stuart Clark drifted down the leg side.

Clark persevered with a deliberate ploy to bowl wide to pitch in the rough outside left-hander Strauss's off stump. It shut off the runs but rarely caused Strauss any problems and he eventually hit Clark out of the attack by advancing down the pitch and thumping him through the covers for consecutive fours.

Trott drove Ben Hilfenhaus for three to take the lead beyond 300 and in the following over the 100 stand was recorded as runs began to flow a little more freely as the morning session ended.

With five minutes to go before lunch Trott reached his half century of 89 balls with a four through the on side off Hifenhaus.

Thushara, Murali fashion strong win

With the rain clouds staying away and the Galle sky clear, Sri Lanka romped to victory in the first Test, finishing off proceedings mid-afternoon. The New Zealand tail offered far more resistance than the top order - Daniel Vettori led the way with a brave 67 - but with the spinners coming into their own after early breakthroughs from Thilan Thushara, Sri Lanka eased to a 202-run win. Fittingly Muttiah Muralitharan, who had taken his 100th wicket in Galle earlier in the match, had the final say, running out Brendon McCullum with a superb throw from mid-off to finish off proceedings.

Any realistic hopes that New Zealand had of survival had disappeared soon after lunch, when Jesse Ryder edged Murali behind. McCullum and Vettori staved off the inevitable for a while, and there was polite applause for Vettori when he reached his half-century. Two neat pulls for four off Thushara followed, but by then both Murali and Ajantha Mendis were turning the ball at wicked angles.

And it was Mendis who delivered, coming round the wicket and turning one sharply away to take the edge of Vettori's bat. Once again Prasanna Jayawardene's glovework was smooth, and as Vettori walked back, it was only a matter of when Sri Lanka would wrap things up. McCullum swung Murali for a six, and then swept him for four to rage against dying light, and there were a couple of lovely drives too from Jeetan Patel. But after Mendis had seen him dropped by Malinda Warnapura, substituting for Angelo Mathews, at short leg, Murali struck, with the doosra luring him forward and Prasanna doing the rest.

Iain O'Brien went caught at silly point off the inside edge, and McCullum then made the mistake of taking on Murali's throwing arm to end the contest. The damage, though, had been done much earlier, as Sri Lanka started the morning with some exceptionally tidy overs. The pressure eventually told once Thushara switched the angle of attack to round the wicket. Martin Guptill was clueless against one that came in with the arm and then darted away to clip the top of off stump. Soon after, Tim McIntosh, perhaps still suffering the after-effects of illness, was squared up, and Thilan Samaraweera took a fine low catch at third slip. McIntosh waited for the third umpire's decision, but had to walk off eventually.

An even heftier blow came soon after. Kumar Sangakkara threw the ball to his predecessor as captain, and when Mahela Jayawardene got Ross Taylor to tickle on into Prasanna's hands down the leg side, the Lankan celebrations were raucous. Up in the dressing room, Trevor Bayliss, the coach, held his head in his hands in disbelief.

With the fields more attacking, both Vettori and Jacob Oram had the opportunity to play some strokes. Vettori played a couple of lovely drives, and the sweep and pull were also employed by both as the scoreboard ticked along. But just when it seemed that they might get to lunch without further damage, Oram tried to sweep a straighter one from Mendis, and missed.

Both Vettori and Ryder saw edges off Murali evade wicketkeeper and slip and go for four, but there was to be no great escape for New Zealand. Sri Lanka, whose home form is the envy of so many, chipped away relentlessly and with Thushara adding a cutting edge to the wiles of Murali and Mendis, victory was as inevitable as it was emphatic.

Sri Lanka 452 (Samaraweera 159, M Jayawardene 114, Martin 4-77) and 259 for 5 dec. (Dilshan 123) beat New Zealand 299 (McIntosh 69, Murali 4-73, Thushara 4-81) and 210 (Vettori 67, Murali 3-88) by 202 runs.

Virender Sehwag to meet Arun Jaitley on Tuesday

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) The crucial meeting between Virender Sehwag, who has triggered a virtual players' revolt against Delhi adminstrators, and DDCA President Arun Jaitley will be held on Tuesday to try and resolve the issues raised by the senior cricketers.

Sehwag has threatened to quit the Delhi Ranji team in protest against alleged nepotism and corruption in the DDCA's sports committee but has been told to keep his decision on hold till the meeting with Jaitley.

The star Indian opener has received support from his senior Delhi teammates like Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma and Ashish Nehra, who have also threatened to play for some other state in the upcoming domestic season if their grievances were not addressed. Former Delhi players have also backed the revolting cricketers.

Since both Sehwag and Jaitley were out of town, the meeting could not be scheduled eatlier.

Scrap Champions Trophy, make way for IPL: Hayden

Saturday, August 22, 2009 (New Delhi): Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has advocated scrapping of the Champions Trophy and a two-month window for the Indian Premier League in the international calendar.

In his column for the 'Independent', Hayden wrote: There's too much cricket, too much of it is meaningless, and there are just too many different formats.

"Playing the World Twenty20 every other year is too much. And why have the Champions Trophy when you've already got a 50-over World Cup," he said.

Hayden said cricket should take lessons from football and evolve.

"There are strong lessons to be learned from the success achieved in other sports, such as the quadrennial cycle of football World Cup and UEFA European Championships."

"Cricket should follow this with a similar cycle of T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup. To maximize coverage these should be played in odd-numbered years - football major competitions, and the Olympics, are in even-numbered years. The Champions Trophy should be scrapped," he wrote.

Hayden, who plays for Chennai Super Kings, said there was nothing more exciting and challenging than the opportunity to play amongst the best players in the world.

"The T20 format is high-impact, colourful and attractive. I truly believe that the formula works, and that IPL, the world's premier franchise competition, is here to stay."

"The IPL has the ability to generate international fan bases in the same way as achieved by the English football's Premier League. I believe some IPL matches should go on the road each year and be played in other countries, to make it a global competition. The sooner the world of cricket embraces the IPL, the sooner everyone can find ways to benefit from its massive potential," he said.

The Australian giant also backed the idea of World Test Championships to draw spectators to the stands for the traditional format.

"I propose the establishment of a World Series, or a 'World Test Championship' if you like, which would be on a rolling calendar with finals every two years," he said.

"At the core would be the iconic series - the Ashes and India v Pakistan. They should stay as five-match series. Aside from those ties, teams are pooled in two groups, with everyone playing each other and scoring points for wins, draws and series wins, and picking up bonus points for stand-out batting and bowling performances. The leading two in each group would progress to semi-finals and a final, the other would enter a rankings play-off system," he added.

It seems like yesterday: Vijender

NEW DELHI: It's not everyday that an athlete emerges champion even in defeat. On August 22, 2008 Vijender Singh did just that when he lost his
semi-final bout at the Beijing Olympics but the bronze medal that he settled for was the first that any Indian boxer had managed in the world's biggest sporting event.

He completes a "life-changing" year since that feat but Vijender says it is just like yesterday for him.

"It's amazing, a year has passed since I won the Olympic medal and what a year it has been. I still remember the days in Beijing very clearly, it's just like yesterday. Winning the Olympic bronze medal was the start of a new life for me. Everything changed after that medal," the 23-year-old middle weight (75kg) boxer said.

"I lost the (semi-final) bout. It would have been nice to have won and ensured that India's first Olympic medal in boxing was gold," the Khel Ratna awardee added.

"But I am proud of what I achieved and the fact that it made such a difference to Indian boxing gives me immense happiness."

The road to Olympics was a bumpy one for Vijender as he had failed to qualify for the event in his first two attempts and was battling a nagging back problem going into the third and final qualifying tournament.

Sports News in Detail

Cricket News

Pakistan loses 2011 World Cup

Pakistan has lost the right to host games in the 2011 World Cup because of ongoing security fears in the region.

The decision was taken at an International Cricket Council (ICC) executive board meeting on Friday and relates to the "uncertain security situation" in the country.

Pakistan had been due to co-host the event with India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and the ICC said they would press ahead with the matches in those countries.

ICC president David Morgan said after the meeting in Dubai: "It is a regrettable decision but our number one priority is to create certainty and... deliver a safe, secure and successful event.

"The uncertainty created by events in Pakistan created a huge question mark over our ability to do just that."

At least seven Pakistanis were killed and six Sri Lanka players were injured during an armed attack on the visitors' team bus as they travelled to a Test match in Lahore at the start of March.

"It is extremely regrettable that the board has had to take this decision given the passion the people of Pakistan have for the game of cricket and for the ICC Cricket World Cup," Morgan added.

"It is highly unlikely that we will have the security clearance between now and the start date in 2011 for Pakistan to host international tournaments.

IPL's safari set to begin in South Africa

Cape Town:

Defying all odds, the second edition of the cash-awash Indian Premier League, a heady cocktail of cricket and entertainment, gets underway in its adopted home with a mouth-watering double header in Cape Town on Saturday.

It will be a double delight at the Newlands Stadium with back-to-back matches featuring some of the best contemporary cricketers in this slam-bang version of the game.

Under the iconic Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai Indians will lock horns with last year's runners-up Chennai Super Kings, led by the charismatic Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

And before the crowd actually catch some breath, maverick England batsman Kevin Pietersen will lead Bangalore Royal Challengers onto the field, hoping to shed last year's laggard's tag.

The task would be easier said than done because Rajasthan Royals, under the wily Shane Warne, would be hoping for an encore and the defending champions would definitely love to start their campaign on a winning note on Saturday.

More than any team, it, however, would be a triumph of the indomitable spirit of the organisers when the 59-match razzmatazz finally rolls off the block tomorrow.

Considering how the league's fate hung in balance after its dates clashed with India's general election and the Home Ministry back home cited its inability to provide security for the tournament, IPL authorities have moved mountains to make the entire thing possible.

IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi and his team burnt midnight oil first to find a base away from India and then making the necessary arrangements befitting an event of such stature.

Tennis News

Roger Federer free to honeymoon after losing to Stanislas Wawrinka at Monte Carlo Masters

April 17, 2009
Roger Federer was left free to enjoy the rest of his honeymoon when he was knocked out of the Monte Carlo Masters by Swiss compatriot and Olympic gold medal winning partner Stanislas Wawrinka.

World No.2 Federer, without a title in 2009 and desperately short of form and confidence, went down 6-4 7-5 to the No. 13 seed in the third round.

Federer, who got married to long-time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec at the weekend, had originally decided to skip this event, but accepted a late wildcard in the hope of finding his claycourt game in the run-up to the French Open.

On a day when start of play was delayed by five hours because of rain, Spaniard Fernando Verdasco crushed compatriot David Ferrer 6-2 6-1 while German Andreas Beck saw off Juan Monaco from Argentina 3-6 6-2 7-5.

Venus Williams fails to fire or progress in Charleston clay event

April 17, 2009
Wimbledon champion Venus Williams has crashed out of the Charleston WTA claycourt tournament, losing 6-4 7-6 to German Sabine Lisicki.

No.2 seed Williams sent down five double faults and showed the same weaknesses in her game that were obvious in her three-set struggle against India's Sania Mirza in Wednesday's second round.

Defeat meant Venus was unable to keep the title in the family after sister Serena won here in 2008.

Lisicki will tackle either Viktoriya Kutuzova from Ukraine or Russian Elena Vesnina in the last eight.

"It's a great victory beating Venus Williams. She's just a great champion. I still can't really believe I won," Lisicki said.

"It's one of my biggest wins. I think my win against Lindsay Davenport was really big as well, representing my country and beating her in my very first Fed Cup experience.

Williams was not the only big name to struggle with No.3 seed Vera Zonareva, and No.4 seed Nadia Petrova, both of Russia, crashing out.

Zonareva lasted just two games against France's Virginie Razzano before being forced to abandon with an ankle injury.

The Russian sustained the injury when she fell stretching for a ball out wide at 1-1 and was taken away in tears on a golf buggy.

Petrova was outlasted 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 by Melina Czink of Hungary who will play France's sixth seed Marion Bartoli for a place in the last four.

Bartoli eased past America's Melanie Oudin 6-4, 6-1.

No.1 seed Elena Dementieva of Russia coasted into the last eight with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Varvara Lepchenko of the United States.

Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray through in Monte Carlo Masters

April 17, 2009
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray concluded rain-interrupted matches held over for a day at the Monte Carlo Masters, with the world No.1 winning his 24th straight match on clay.

The No.1 seed, in the chase for a fifth consecutive trophy at the Country Club, completed a 6-3 6-0 rout of Ecuadorian Nicolas Lapentti after the pair played one game on a rainy Thursday evening.

Murray finished his own job to reach his first career quarter-final on clay as he defeated Italian Fabio Fognini 7-6 (13-11) 6-4.

The No.4 seed Scot is now bearing down on No.2 ranked Roger Federer in the ATP rankings after the Swiss crashed out to compatriot Stan Wawrinka in the third round.

Murray will later play either Nikolay Davydenko or David Nalbandian as that pair play another delayed third-round contest. Nadal takes on Croatian Ivan Ljubicic, a winner over Italy's Simone Bolelli 7-5 7-6 (7-2).


Football News

Man United's Alex Ferguson continues war of words with Rafa Benitez

April 17, 2009
Sir Alex Ferguson continued his on-going feud with Premier League title rival Rafa Benitez on Friday after calling the Liverpool manager "arrogant".

The long-serving Manchester United manager made the comment as he made his final preparations ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final with Everton at Wembley.

Benitez once enraged Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton after labelling them a "small club".

But Ferguson could not resist bringing up the comment in having another dig at Benitez at his press conference at United's Carrington training ground.

"They are a big club and David Moyes, the manager, is doing a great job," Ferguson said.

"He (Benitez) called them a small club, which points to his arrogance."

Ferguson then accused the Spaniard of showing contempt to Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce during Liverpool's 4-0 victory at Anfield last Saturday.

Sir Alex claimed Benitez made a signal indicating the game was over after Fernando Torres had scored his, and Liverpool's, second goal in the 33rd minute.

"I don't think any other Liverpool manager would have done that," Ferguson said.

"That kind of contempt ... it's beyond the pale. I don't think Sam Allardyce deserved that."

Ferguson has been involved in a three-month war of words with Benitez since the Liverpool manager accused the long-serving Old Trafford manager of being a whinger in January.
The United manager immediately hit back by accusing Benitez of allowing the pressure of the title race to get to him.

United are one point ahead of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League as the season reaches an exciting climax, although Ferguson's side have the edge as they have one game in hand.

Meanwhile, Ferguson has warned his players not to underestimate the challenge they face against Everton as he bids to guide United to a sixth FA Cup triumph in 23 years in charge at United.

Everton are without a major trophy for 14 years while United are chasing a possible quintuple this season.

Having already secured the League Cup and FIFA Club World Championship, the Premier League leaders face a Champions League semi-final with Arsenal.

But Ferguson believes Everton are ``hungry'' for success and will present his side with a formidable challenge.

"My problem on Sunday is that we are facing a hungry team," he said.

"They want to win a trophy but we have got to make sure we are on top of our game.''

Fernando Torres hints he's ready to sign long-term deal to stay at Liverpool

April 17, 2009:Fernando Torres has hinted he is ready to commit his long-term future to Liverpool after revealing how much he loves life at Anfield.

Torres has been touched by the affection shown to him by Liverpool fans since moving to Merseyside from Atletico Madrid in 2007.

The 25-year-old, who has scored 47 times in almost two seasons with the Reds, is idolised just as much as local heroes Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher and is keen to repay their faith.

It is believed Torres is in the early stages of negotiations over a contract extension and a new deal could be concluded in the close-season.

"I would love to remain at Liverpool for many seasons to come. I feel at home here. I still have this season plus another four years left to run on my contract," Torres said on his website F9T

"The club has been brilliant with me and I owe the fans a lot. They took to me as if I was one of their own. They treat me in the same way they do Gerrard or Carragher, it is unbelievable.

"I hope to repay their warmth by giving them a Premier League title because it has been a long time since the club last won the league.

"I do not have a buy-out clause in my contract, you do not get them in England. Both teams have to reach an agreement before a player can leave his club to sign for another."

Spain striker Torres certainly won't be joining Real Madrid if he ever does quit Anfield. He is regarded as an Atletico icon after his spell at Real's city rivals and dismissed any suggestion he could one day play at the Bernabeu.

"Real Madrid are not the biggest team in the game. They are a big club but so are Barcelona, AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan," he said.

"It is not a team that interests me and, because of the time I spent at Atletico Madrid, the opposite could be said. I just cannot see myself playing for Real Madrid.

"In a few years' time I would like to play in Serie A. I would then have played in the three biggest leagues in European football: Spain, England and Italy."