Chris Martin relishing Aussie challenge

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 12:11 PM

Wellington, Mar.16 (ANI): New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin is looking forward to the challenge of facing Australia in the first Test to be played in Wellington from Friday.

Martin has a successful record at the Basin Reserve, fashioning a bowling average of 26.31 in eleven Tests played here so far.

It compares favourably with his overall test record of 180 wickets at an average of 33.78, in 54 matches.

Martin has, however, yet to taste similar success against Australia, with his average in eight tests 74.14, with best figures of five for 152.

"I have found that in the past that I have bowled as well as I could (against the Australians) without really getting the results," Martin said. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

England 599-6 dec & 209-7 dec v Bangladesh 296 & 277-5

Published Tue, Mar 16 10 11:47 AM

Bangladesh were 277 for five wickets at lunch of the fifth day of the first test against England at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Tuesday.

Scores: England 599-6 dec (A. Cook 173, K. Pietersen 99, P. Collingwood 145, I. Bell 84) & 209-7 dec (S. Hassan 4-62) v Bangladesh 296 (T. Iqbal 86, Mahmudullah 51, M. Rahim 79; G. Swann 5-90) & 277-5 (Z. Siddique 106 not out, M. Rahim 91 not out)

Source: Web Search

Delhi Daredevils beat Rajasthan Royals by six wickets

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 10:53 AM

Ahemdabad, March 15 -- Riding on V Sehwag's 75, Delhi Daredevils beat Rajasthan Royals by six wickets to continue their winning spree. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala's unbeaten 53 saved Rajasthan Royals the blushes as the 2008 champions fumbled and faltered their way to 141 for six against Delhi Daredevils in their second Indian Premier League match here today. Put into bat, Rajasthan Royals looked in a mess before Jhunjhunwala's 60-run stand with Paras Dogra (29) sort of steadied the ship. Jhunjhunwala's unbeaten 53 came off 45 balls with five fours and a six in it but the Royals could never break free as most of the Daredevils bowlers maintained a stifling line and length. The Rajasthan Royals began with Swapnil Asnodkar (5) putting away the first ball of the innings for a delectable four before his opening partner Graeme Smith (18) hit Farveez Maharoof for two boundaries in that high-yielding over. Dirk Nannes, however, had other ideas and his very second delivery saw Asnodkar's back with an agile Tillakaratne Dilshan taking a smart, low catch at backward point. Next man in Nama Ojha (24) took the Daredevils attack by the scruff of its neck before his unbridled aggression brought his peril. The stumper-batsman hit Maharoof for two fours in the third over before Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir pressed leggie Amit Mishra in service. Ojha gently patted back the first Mishra delivery before going berserk, hitting back-to-back boundaries and then following it with a clean hit that cleared the long on ropes. Mishra settled the score with the next delivery as a clueless Ojha lost his stumps to a perfectly disguised googly. Despite Maharoof going for runs, Gambhir persisted with the lanky Sri Lankan, who responded by removing the dangerous Yusuf Pathan for a duck, an anti-climactic innings by the towering swashbuckler whose 37-ball 100 against Mumbai Indians was the first century of this year's IPL. Pathan, foxed by Maharoof's slower delivery, went for a swish and AB de Villiers took a well-judged catch in the deep. Four runs later, Smith was on his way back to the pavilion when a fumbling Virender Sehwag pouched his mistimed pull off Pradeep Sangwan in his third attempt. Smith's dismissal meant the first 50 runs cost the Royals four top order batsmen in just over eight overs. Jhunjhunwala and Dogra stemmed the rot, playing conventional cricket even though it meant nearly six overs without a boundary. They had just started to open up when an almighty mix-up with Jhunjhunwala ended Dogra's stay, ending their 60-run stand in just over eight overs and the Royals did not get the later burst that could have taken them past the 150-mark. Rajasthan Royals team G Smith, N Ojha, Y Pathan, S Asnodkar, P Dogra, D Mascarenhas, A Jhunjhunwala, S Warne, S Tait, A Uniyal, M Patel. Delhi Daredevils team

Source: Web Search

Beckham undergoes successful surgery

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 10:23 AM

David Beckham's Achilles tendon surgery was completed on Monday and everything went well, his Finnish surgeon said.

"So far everything is fine," Dr. Sakari Orava said. "The operation went smoothly and nicely."

Orava was asked whether the England midfielder would be able to play in this year's World Cup.

"No, I don't think so....healing takes a long time," he said.

Beckham's foot will be in a cast for around six-eight weeks, after which he can start "more vigorous" physiotherapy.

Beckham is not the first high-profile athlete to go to Finland for surgery with tendon specialist Dr Sakari Orava. There is a long list of athletes who have sought Orava's services, such as AC Milan players Dario Simic and Giuseppe Pancaro, long jumper Andrew Howe, Olympic champion gymnast Jury Chechi and skier Peter Fill.

Like Beckham, Simic tore his Achilles' tendon while playing for Milan in 2004. Simic recalled that he had surgery with Orava in November 2004 and returned three months later.

"It was partially torn and the surgery went very well," said Simic, who now plays for French club Monaco. "I've never had any problems with my Achilles since then."

Source: Web Search

Djokovic squeaks through, Nadal coasts home

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 10:07 AM

Second seed Novak Djokovic saved three match points before scraping past Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber while Rafa Nadal eased into the fourth round of the Indian Wells ATP tournament on Monday.

Trailing 4-5 and 0-40 in the deciding set, Djokovic took advantage of a spate of unforced errors by his opponent to claw his way back from the brink of defeat and triumph 6-3 2-6 7-6.

After Djokovic battled though in just over two-and-a-half hours on the stadium court, twice champion Nadal of Spain eased home with a 6-2 6-2 demolition of Croat Mario Ancic.

World number two Djokovic, champion here in 2008, won the 10th game of the final set when Kohlschreiber netted a forehand and the Serb went on to clinch the tiebreak 7-3 as the German's resistance crumbled at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Djokovic, who appeared to be in total control after sweeping through the opening set and leading 2-0 in the second, let out a loud yell of relief after sealing victory with a forehand winner.

"Fighting through, it's another win so I try to look on the positive side, the things I did well," the 22-year-old told reporters. "He easily could be the winner of this match, and he would deserve it.

"I am still trying to find rhythm, to feel good on the court. For the next match, I want to maintain focus right up to the end and not have any mental breakdowns in the middle."

The Serb will next meet 20th-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic, who crushed Argentine qualifier Brian Dabul 6-2 6-3.

Kohlschreiber, who beat Djokovic in straight sets when the pair last met at the 2009 French Open, took the second set after winning six games in a row on a sun-splashed afternoon in the California desert.

He went on to break Djokovic in the second game of the third set and immediately held serve to lead 3-0.

PULLING HAIR

"If I could pull my hair off, I would do it in that moment," Djokovic said of his frustration after losing nine games in a row.

In a match of bizarre momentum shifts, the Serb saved two break points in the next game and then broke his opponent twice to lead 4-3 before he lost serve in the eighth.

Djokovic appeared to be on his way out when he hit a forehand long to trail 0-40 in the 10th game but he won the next three points courtesy of a forehand smash at the net and successive backhand errors by Kohlschreiber.

He managed to hold serve and maintained winning momentum after the wildly fluctuating set went into a tiebreak.

Nadal, who beat Britain's Andy Murray in last year's final, broke Ancic twice in each set to line up a fourth-round encounter with either John Isner or Sam Querrey of the U.S.

"I am feeling confident, I am playing well," the Spanish world number three said. "I am playing at the good level.

"My serve was important but more important was my rhythm from the baseline. I lost only a few points because I didn't make many mistakes, only seven unforced errors in two sets."

Earlier, 21st seed Juan Monaco of Argentina upset 11th-seeded Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-6 3-6 6-3 in three hours and one minute, the longest match this week.

Source: Web Search

Boston back to winning ways with rout of Detroit

Published Tue, Mar 16 10 09:47 AM

The Boston Celtics swept to a confidence-boosting 119-93 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday, getting back on track after their loss to conference rivals Cleveland a day earlier.

The Celtics (42-24), coming into the game with three defeats in their last four, cruised to a 64-35 halftime lead and were able to rest most of their starters for the fourth quarter.

Kevin Garnett had 14 points and eight rebounds while Paul Pierce and Ray Allen both scored 15.

Will Bynum had 16 points and seven assists for the Pistons (23-44), who lost forward Tayshaun Prince to a back injury in the first quarter. He did not return to the game.

Source: Web Search

STATBOX - Champions League last 16 matches

Published Tue, Mar 16 10 09:27 AM

REUTERS - Facts and figures relating to Wednesday's Champions League last 16, second leg matches:

BARCELONA v VFB STUTTGART

Played: 3

Wins: Barcelona 2, draws 1

Previous meetings

CL: GP 2.10.07 Stuttgart 0 Barcelona 2

CL: GP 12.12.07 Barcelona 3 Stuttgart 1

CL: KO 23.02.10 Stuttgart 1 Barcelona 1

Appearances in last eight:

Champions League - Barcelona 8, Stuttgart 0

European Cup - Barcelona 13, Stuttgart 0

All European competitions - Barcelona 34, Stuttgart 4

Top scorers: Barcelona - Zlatan Ibrahimovic/Lionel Messi/Pedro 2; Stuttgart - Zdravko Kuzmanovic/Pavel Pogrebnyak 2

* Barcelona, who would advance with a win or a 0-0 draw, have kept clean sheets in four of their last five CL home games.

* Barcelona have won 11 and drawn three of their last 14 CL matches against German teams, an amazing record.

* Stuttgart are unbeaten in their last four European away games. Their last away defeat in the CL was a 3-1 defeat to Barcelona two seasons ago.

* Stuttgart, who have never reached the CL quarter-finals, have a terrible record against Spanish clubs, losing seven and winning none of their last 11 games.

GIRONDINS BORDEAUX v OLYMPIAKOS PIRAEUS

Head-to-head record

Played: 1

Wins: Bordeaux 1

Previous meeting

CL: KO 23.02.10 Olympiakos 0 Bordeaux 1

Appearances in last eight:

Champions League - Olympiakos 1, Bordeaux 0

European Cup - Bordeaux 2, Olympiakos 1

All European competitions - Bordeaux 6, Olympiakos 2

Top scorers: Bordeaux - Michael Ciani 3; Olympiakos -

Leonardo/Konstantinos Mitroglou/Ieroklis Stoltidis/Vasilis Torosidis 1

* Bordeaux, who have won their last six CL matches and are unbeaten in seven, stand a great chance of reaching the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time.

* Bordeaux have won both of their previous games against Greek sides. They beat Panionios 3-2 in Athens in the UEFA Cup two seasons ago.

* Olympiakos, who have scored just once in their last four CL matches, have lost their last five games against French clubs.

* Olympiakos have reached the last eight only once before - and that was 11 years ago.

- - - -

Source: Web Search

Australia give Nugent permanent head coaching role

Published Tue, Mar 16 10 08:47 AM

Swimming Australia's acting head coach Leigh Nugent has been appointed to the role permanently until 2013 with the option for a further three years, the organisation said on Tuesday. Nugent replaced Alan Thompson, who took redundancy in January when Swimming Australia split up the head coach and high performance general manager roles he had occupied.

"This is a fantastic opportunity and one that I'm very passionate and excited about," Nugent said in a statement.

"The Australian swim team plays a unique and important role in elite sport in this country, particularly in relation Olympic success."

The 59-year-old was previously head coach at the Athens Olympics where the team won seven gold, five silver and three bronze medals. He had been working as the national youth coach since 2005.

Australian swimming's national championships, which double as selection trials for the New Delhi Commonwealth Games team, are being held in Sydney this week.

Source: Web Search

Seedorf questions Beckham's motivation to return

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 08:27 AM

AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf has questioned whether team mate David Beckham will be able to motivate himself to return after the England midfielder ruptured his Achilles tendon on Sunday.

"It's hard enough to work on the rehabilitation and for him I don't know if he's going to find the motivation to want to still play," Seedorf, the only player to win the Champions League with three clubs, said in an interview on BBC Five Live.

"Let's just see. The most important thing is for him to get fit," added the 33-year-old former Dutch international.

"For a couple of weeks he will need psychologically to get back in the right shape to face the coming months working on his injury."

The 34-year-old Beckham, on loan at Milan from Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy in a bid to earn a spot in Fabio Capello's England squad for this year's World Cup in South Africa, had surgery on his Achilles in Finland on Monday.

Surgeon Sakari Orava said the operation had gone smoothly but that there was no chance of Beckham recovering in time to play at his fourth World Cup after suffering the injury in Sunday's 1-0 Serie A victory over Chievo.

Seedorf, who scored the winner against Chievo, said he sympathised with Beckham, England's most capped outfield player with 115 caps.

"It was quite a shock knowing what happened when I got in the dressing room," he said.

"I went directly to him and spent some time with him but he was really in a lot of pain ... you could see his whole picture just flying away, his dream of being in the World Cup, all his efforts to come back to Europe.

"It was quite a sad moment and I felt for him but he is a strong guy and I'm sure he will look at the bright side even if there isn't much of a bright side right now for him.

"I could see his face was full of pain but it was not just that, it was all the other things fading away in front of your eyes, the World Cup had gone away."

Source: Web Search

Jurado fires 10-man Atletico to win over Osasuna

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 07:27 AM

Jurado scored with a superb curling shot to grab a 1-0 win for 10-man Atletico Madrid at home to Osasuna in La Liga on Monday.

The King's Cup finalists had Portugal winger Simao Sabrosa sent off for a second-bookable offence after 57 minutes of a match short on quality and sights of goal, but the visitors failed to capitalise.

Midfielder Jurado found the top corner from the edge of the area 11 minutes from time, to leave Atletico 10th in the standings on 34 points, 10 short of the Champions League qualification places.

Real Madrid top La Liga on goal difference from Barcelona after both sides won at the weekend to stay neck-and-neck on 65 points.

A Gonzalo Higuain hat-trick fired Real to a 4-1 victory away to Real Valladolid on Sunday, when Argentina team mate Lionel Messi also bagged a hat-trick in Barca's 3-0 home win over the leaders' closest challenger Valencia.

Defeat at the Nou Camp left Valencia a distant 18 points off the pace in third.

Source: Web Search

Rio says Olympics threatened by oil reform

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 06:09 AM

A proposed cut to Rio de Janeiro's share of Brazil's oil revenues has provoked a furious reaction in the beach-side city, with officials saying the change would jeopardize its ability to host the World Cup and the Olympic Games.

The head of Rio's Olympics organizing committee on Monday became the latest official to warn against an oil reform amendment approved by the lower house of Congress, saying a resulting funding shortage could leave the city unable to prepare for the 2016 Games.

"The reduction in revenues from oil exploration would leave the state of Rio de Janeiro without the conditions to complete the works needed for the 2016 Games," Carlos Arthur Nuzman said in a statement.

Nuzman, who also is head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, added that a lack of funding could lead to a breach of Rio's contract with the International Olympic Committee, which awarded the city South America's first Olympics last October.

The approval of the amendment last week forcing Rio to share its oil riches with other states could cost the state about 7 billion reais ($4 billion) a year, officials say. State officials say the amendment would mean a cut of about 80 percent in Rio's share of future oil royalties.

State Governor Sergio Cabral cried in front of cameras last week, saying the amendment would "break" Rio and that people could forget the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics if the reform passed in its current form.

Officials have put up a huge banner protesting the change on Rio's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue and are organizing protests on Wednesday, giving public workers the afternoon off to participate.

The oil bills still have to be approved by the country's Senate, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- who played a major role in Rio's successful Olympic bid -- has the right to veto any item.

The bills are aimed at giving the government more control over massive, newly discovered oil reserves off Rio's coast, and Lula has promoted them as key to reducing social inequality and pushing Brazil's economy to developed status.

The amendment approved last Wednesday would force the three largest oil-producing states -- Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo and Sao Paulo -- to share more royalties from new fields with other states.

The issue of royalty distribution between states is likely to generate heated debate in the Senate and could lead to delays. Lula's government is under pressure to get the bills passed by June, when legislative activity will slow ahead of October elections.

Source: Web Search

Mini Mount XI triumph

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 05:23 AM

Mini Mount XI defeated Umpires & Scorers XI by three wickets in a match organised between the two teams at Pt. RB Tiwari Stadium on Monday.

Batting first, Umpires & Scorers XI scored 219 runs at the cost of eight wickets in the given 25 overs. Yogesh Mishra (87), Vikas Pandey (42) and Anurag Tiwari (36) batted impressively for the team. Yogesh's 87 came off 58 balls which featured ten boundaries and a six. On behalf of Mini Mounty XI, Abhay Singh took three wickets while Liaqat Hasan and Rajendra Singh claimed two wickets each.

In reply, Mini Mount XI was able to attain the set mark in 24.4 overs with three wickets in hand. Abhay Singh (61) and Jamal Qasim (41) batted responsibly for the team. Abhay's 61 resulted off 38 balls and included eight fours and two lofty sixes. Rajendra Sharma collected two wickets.

Brief Scores: Umpires & Scorers XI: 219 for eight in 25 overs ( Yogesh Mishra 87, Vikas Pandey 42, Anurag Tiwari 36, Rajendra Sharma 23; Abhay Singh 3 for 48, Liaqat Hasan 2 for 30, Rajendra Singh 2 for 29); Mini Mount XI: 222 for seven in 24.4 overs ( Abhay Singh 61, Jamal Qasim 41, Rais Ahmed 29, Liaqat Hasan 12; Rajendra Sharma 2 for 26, ML Mishra 1 for 34, Pawan 1 for 28).

Valiant Club winVALIANT Cricket Club defeated Tulip Inn XI by seven wickets in a friendly match played at Sahara States, Lucknow. Valiant Club bowler Karan Singh, who took four wickets giving away 21 runs in his four over spell, was declared 'Man-of-the-match'.

Brief Scores: Tulip Inn: 124 for nine in 20 overs ( M Irshad 24, Yusuf Khan 19, Vivek Sharma 18; Karan Singh 4 for 21, Tarun Singh 2 for 28, Sumit Tripathi 1 for 17); Valiant Cricket Club: Achieved the target with seven wickets to spare ( Niraj Batra 45, Sandeep 25, Sumit Tripathi 24; Gaurav Gupta 2 for 19, F Rizvi 1 for 18).

Source: Web Search

IPL III bowls over 43% more viewers

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 03:23 AM

Riding on the fast-paced growth of direct-to-home (DTH) services and digital cable, especially in the metros, has helped the third-edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL III) reach 20-million homes, 43% higher than IPL-2 season held in South Africa. Also, the average viewership ratings of the first IPL-III match saw a 25% jump in the six-metros compared to the IPL-II, says the viewership data released by TAM Media, the leading TV measurement agency. TAM has released the rating numbers for the six metros and not for the entire country.

Based on the numbers, the opening match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Deccan Chargers (DC) on Day 1 (March 12) generated an average ratings of 7 across the six-metros and in the cable homes (C&S 4+ years). The same match generated a ratings of 8.6 on the digital television homes (DTH and digital cable) also in the six metros confirming the deep penetration of digital television homes in the metros.

The ratings, according to leading media agencies, are in line with the expectations. Says Shashi Sinha, CEO, Lodestar Universal: "The ratings are great, in fact in line with expectations. We must also consider that it is not an all-India rating. It is just the six metros that have been taken into account. But surely IPL has grown from its first year".

Agrees Sandeep Lakhina, COO, Starcom, South Asia: The viewership (of IPL-3) has increased with the television base increasing in these three years. Therefore IPL has definitely bagged good numbers." Lakhina expects SET Max, the host broadcaster of IPL to sell the remaining on-air advertising time for the finals and semi-finals to go at a premium of Rs 7-10 lakh per 10-second spots.

"Most of our inventory is sold. Previously, we had sold it at Rs 5 lakh per 10-seconds. Then some of it that was left has been sold at Rs 6 lakh per 10-seconds. We are yet to sell some amount of inventory for semi-finals and finals," said Rohit Gupta, president (network sales, licensing and telephony), Sony Entertainment Television.

Vodafone, Samsung and Tata Teleservices emerged as the top advertisers during the opening match between DC and KKR. Other brands that were advertised included the Zoozoo of Vodafone, Samsung's Dual Sim Active Phones and Tata Docomo. Again, if we compare to last year the list had different names. Last season's top advertisers on the opening day were Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar and Heinz, while the first season's top spenders for the same day included Vodafone, Hyundai and Coca Cola.

Source: Web Search

Beckham undergoes surgery, set to miss World Cup

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 02:47 AM

England's David Beckham is set to miss this year's World Cup despite undergoing successful surgery on his torn Achilles tendon on Monday.

The 34-year-old suffered the injury in AC Milan's 1-0 win over Chievo on Sunday and flew to Finland for an operation performed by one of the world's top specialists.

"So far everything is fine," surgeon Dr. Sakari Orava told Reuters. "The operation went smoothly and nicely."

Orava was asked whether the midfielder would be able to play in the World Cup in South Africa starting on June 11.

"No, I don't think so...healing takes a long time," he said.

Beckham's foot will be in a cast for around six to eight weeks, after which he can start "more vigorous" physiotherapy.

Beckham, England's most capped outfield player with 115 appearances, had been bidding to play in a fourth World Cup.

"I am upset but want to thank everyone for their messages of support," Beckham said on his official website. "I hope to make a swift and full recovery."

England coach Fabio Capello said Beckham's likely absence was a "big blow".

"I am very sad for David that he has suffered this injury," Capello said in a statement on the FA website.

"I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support, as did (assistant) Franco Baldini.

"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow."

Beckham was getting ready to kick a ball unchallenged late in Sunday's Serie A match when he suddenly pulled up and shouted to the Milan bench "It's broken".

"He had a total tear of the left Achilles tendon and that was repaired," Orava added, saying it was unclear where Beckham would go next for the start of his rehabilitation.

"He was actually in quite a good mood. He was smiling and happy that the operation was done, and happy to hear it went fine. He was not at all depressed, that we could see, about the ability to play in the World Cup."

MINOR MIRACLE

Beckham, on loan at Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy for a second time, will miss the Serie A run-in with his side a point behind leaders Inter Milan with 10 games left.

Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani reckoned one of the world's most famous players could be out for five or six months.

Beckham is due to return to Galaxy in July but Galliani said the Italian club would love to have him back again next season.

"In the dressing room I hugged him and told him that he could stay with us again next year if he wants," Galliani told Sky television.

Renowned surgeon Orava performed a minor miracle in fixing Alpine skier Peter Fill's Achilles in time for last month's Winter Olympics after the Italian injured himself in October.

However, Beckham has even less time before the World Cup and has largely been a substitute under Capello, who has many other options on the right wing.

Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips and James Milner are among the players able to play there, Tottenham's Aaron Lennon is another option but is currently injured.

Source: Web Search

Rio says Olympics threatened by oil reform

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 02:27 AM

A proposed cut to Rio de Janeiro's share of Brazil's oil revenues has provoked a furious reaction in the beach-side city, with officials saying the change would jeopardize its ability to host the World Cup and the Olympic Games.

The head of Rio's Olympics organizing committee on Monday became the latest official to warn against an oil reform amendment approved by the lower house of Congress, saying a resulting funding shortage could leave the city unable to prepare for the 2016 Games.

"The reduction in revenues from oil exploration would leave the state of Rio de Janeiro without the conditions to complete the works needed for the 2016 Games," Carlos Arthur Nuzman said in a statement.

Nuzman, who also is head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, added that a lack of funding could lead to a breach of Rio's contract with the International Olympic Committee, which awarded the city Latin America's first Olympics last October.

The approval of the amendment last week forcing Rio to share its oil riches with other states could cost the state about 7 billion reais ($4 billion) a year, officials say. State officials say the amendment would mean a cut of about 80 percent in Rio's share of future oil royalties.

State Governor Sergio Cabral cried in front of cameras last week, saying the amendment would "break" Rio and that people could forget the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics if the reform passed in its current form.

Officials have put up a huge banner protesting the change on Rio's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue and are organizing protests on Wednesday, giving public workers the afternoon off to participate.

The oil bills still have to be approved by the country's Senate, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- who played a major role in Rio's successful Olympic bid -- has the right to veto any item.

The bills are aimed at giving the government more control over massive, newly discovered oil reserves off Rio's coast, and Lula has promoted them as key to reducing social inequality and pushing Brazil's economy to developed status.

The amendment approved last Wednesday would force the three largest oil-producing states -- Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo and Sao Paulo -- to share more royalties from new fields with other states.

The issue of royalty distribution between states is likely to generate heated debate in the Senate and could lead to delays. Lula's government is under pressure to get the bills passed by June, when legislative activity will slow ahead of October elections.

Source: Web Search

Sehwag guides Daredevils to a six-wicket win over Royals

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 01:37 AM

Ahmedabad, March 15 (IANS) Virender Sehwag struck a whirlwind 75 as Delhi Daredevils won their second consecutive match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) beating Rajasthan Royals by six wickets here Monday.

Sehwag's 34-ball 75 helped Daredevils achieve the target of 142 in 17.1 overs by losing four wickets at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera here Monday. For the Royals it was their second loss on the trot.

Daredevils' bowlers did well to restrict Rajasthan Royals to 141 for six in 20 overs, after skipper Gautam Gambhir won the toss.

While chasing, Gambhir (9) departed early but Sehwag tore apart the Royals bowling attack with his powerful stroke-play on both sides of the wicket. Sehwag hit five sixes and eight fours during his stay and was also adjudged as the Man of the Match.

Dinesh Karthik (23 not out) and Mithun Manhas (11 not out) saw the Daredevils home with their 28-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

For Royals, 2008 champions, Dimitri Mascarenhas was the most successful bowler and he picked up two for 31.

Earlier in the day, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, who had joined the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), scored an impressive unbeaten 53 off 45 balls as Royals posted a competitive total on board.

Abhishek and Paras Dogra (29) with their 60-run stand for the fifth wicket bailed out the Royals from a precarious 50 for four.

Source: Web Search

Scoreboard: Delhi Daredevils vs. Rajasthan Royals, IPL

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 12:21 AM

Ahmedabad, March 15 (IANS) The following is the scoreboard of the match between Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera here Monday.

Rajasthan Royals:

Swapnil Asnodkar c Dilshan b Nannes 5

Graeme Smith c Sehwag b Sangwan 18

Naman Ojha b Mishra 24

Yusuf Pathan c de Villiers b Maharoof 0

Abhishek Jhunjhunwala not out 53

Paras Dogra run out (Gambhir/Mishra) 29

Dimitri Mascarenhas run out (Mishra/Karthik) 3

Amit Uniyal not out 4

Extras (w 5) 5

Total (for six wickets in 20 overs) 141

Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Asnodkar, 1.2 overs), 2-45 (Ojha, 4.5), 3-46

Source: Web Search

Delhi Daredevils win by six wickets

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 12:17 AM

Ahmedabad, March 15 (IANS) Delhi Daredevils beat Rajasthan Royals by six wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera here Monday.

Daredevils achieved the target of 142, losing four wickets in 17.1

overs after Virender Sehwag struck a swashbuckling 75 off 34 balls.

Source: Web Search

Royal Challengers hope to bounce back in Tuesday's match

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 12:11 AM

Bangalore, March 15 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) hope to bounce back Tuesday when they take on Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) III T20 Championship at the Chinnaswamy stadium here.

Unfazed by the shock defeat it faced in its opening game with Knight Riders in Kolkata Sunday, the runners-up in IPL II are bracing for a victory in front of a home crowd that is expected to rally behind it.

With local stars Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Robin Uthappa being in the team, coach Ray Jennings is working overtime to ensure the boys get their act together to outsmart Kings X1, against which they had won only once and lost thrice in the previous four encounters.

'We have put the defeat at Eden Gardens behind us. We were four down before we went on to win all the matches to reach the finals in South Africa last summer. The boys are positive and confident of giving their best to bounce back into the game.' Jennings told reporters late Monday on the eve of the match.

Admitting that the team did not have enough score to defend with 135 runs on the board after losing the toss and being asked to bat, the coach-cum-manager said the boys have to adjust quickly to the home pitches, which were different from what they were in South Africa last year.

'Our strategy depends on where we are playing and against whom. We have experienced players like Kumble and Dravid to decide which strategy to adopt or change. In South Africa, Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher used to give tips as they were familiar with the home conditions,' Jennings recalled.

Noting that the T20 game was unpredictable and full of pressure, the former South African wicket-keeper said the final 11 would be decided after inspecting the pitch and playing conditions Tuesday.

'We need to look at the pitch and the composition of the team we are playing against. Depending on the conditions, we will decide whether to field two spinners or two seam bowlers. The strategy will be to go all out to win,' Jennings noted.

Asked why Dale Steyn was not given the new ball in the opening match against Knight Riders, the coach said the strategy was to bring him into the attack after Praveen Kumar and Kallis bowled the first four overs.

'The plan didn't work. Our strategy backfired. Moreover, we didn't have enough runs on the board to defend and Knight Riders made a good start,' Jennings pointed out.

In the shorter version of the game, the first six overs were as crucial as the last six to determine the course of the match.

'T20 is a funny game. It's a package of batting, bowling and fielding. There is no room for complacency in any of the department. In the first encounter, our batting and fielding were bad. There were 26 dot balls out of 36 balls in the last overs,' Jennings added.

On the prospects of the team making it to the finals again, the coach said the gameplan was to not just make it to the finals but win the championship this time.

'As I said before, of the four teams that played in the previous two finals, three had lost in the opening games this time. You never know till the last match who will make it and who will not. We take each game at a time and do our best to win every match, no matter if it is a league match or a semi-final or final,' Jennings added.

Source: Web Search

Delhi Daredevils win by six wickets

Published>Tue, Mar 16 10 12:07 AM

Ahmedabad, March 15 (IANS) Delhi Daredevils beat Rajasthan Royals by six wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera here Monday.

Daredevils achieved the target of 142, losing four wickets in 17.1

overs after Virender Sehwag struck a swashbuckling 75 off 34 balls.

Source: Web Search

Royal Challengers hope to bounce back in Tuesday's match

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 11:57 PM

Bangalore, March 15 (IANS) Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) hope to bounce back Tuesday when they take on Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) III T20 Championship at the Chinnaswamy stadium here.

Unfazed by the shock defeat it faced in its opening game with Knight Riders in Kolkata Sunday, the runners-up in IPL II are bracing for a victory in front of a home crowd that is expected to rally behind it.

With local stars Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Robin Uthappa being in the team, coach Ray Jennings is working overtime to ensure the boys get their act together to outsmart Kings X1, against which they had won only once and lost thrice in the previous four encounters.

'We have put the defeat at Eden Gardens behind us. We were four down before we went on to win all the matches to reach the finals in South Africa last summer. The boys are positive and confident of giving their best to bounce back into the game.' Jennings told reporters late Monday on the eve of the match.

Admitting that the team did not have enough score to defend with 135 runs on the board after losing the toss and being asked to bat, the coach-cum-manager said the boys have to adjust quickly to the home pitches, which were different from what they were in South Africa last year.

'Our strategy depends on where we are playing and against whom. We have experienced players like Kumble and Dravid to decide which strategy to adopt or change. In South Africa, Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher used to give tips as they were familiar with the home conditions,' Jennings recalled.

Noting that the T20 game was unpredictable and full of pressure, the former South African wicket-keeper said the final 11 would be decided after inspecting the pitch and playing conditions Tuesday.

'We need to look at the pitch and the composition of the team we are playing against. Depending on the conditions, we will decide whether to field two spinners or two seam bowlers. The strategy will be to go all out to win,' Jennings noted.

Asked why Dale Steyn was not given the new ball in the opening match against Knight Riders, the coach said the strategy was to bring him into the attack after Praveen Kumar and Kallis bowled the first four overs.

'The plan didn't work. Our strategy backfired. Moreover, we didn't have enough runs on the board to defend and Knight Riders made a good start,' Jennings pointed out.

In the shorter version of the game, the first six overs were as crucial as the last six to determine the course of the match.

'T20 is a funny game. It's a package of batting, bowling and fielding. There is no room for complacency in any of the department. In the first encounter, our batting and fielding were bad. There were 26 dot balls out of 36 balls in the last overs,' Jennings added.

On the prospects of the team making it to the finals again, the coach said the gameplan was to not just make it to the finals but win the championship this time.

'As I said before, of the four teams that played in the previous two finals, three had lost in the opening games this time. You never know till the last match who will make it and who will not. We take each game at a time and do our best to win every match, no matter if it is a league match or a semi-final or final,' Jennings added.

Source: Web Search

Delhi Daredevils win by six wickets

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 11:47 PM

Ahmedabad, March 15 (IANS) Delhi Daredevils beat Rajasthan Royals by six wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera here Monday.

Daredevils achieved the target of 142, losing four wickets in 17.1

overs after Virender Sehwag struck a swashbuckling 75 off 34 balls.

Source: Web Search

Jhunjhunwala takes Rajasthan to 141

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 11:37 PM

Ahemdabad, March 15 -- Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (unbeaten 53) helped Rajasthan Royals post a target of 142, lossing six wickets, against Delhi Daredevils. F Maharoof, A Mishra, D Nannes and P Sangwan picked up a wicket each while debutant S Ladda bowled well to check Rajasthan's score. Dew forced Daredevils' skipper Gautam Gambhir to opt to field first against Rajasthan Royals in their second IPL III match in Ahemdabad. Rajasthan Royals team G Smith, N Ojha, Y Pathan, S Asnodkar, P Dogra, D Mascarenhas, A Jhunjhunwala, S Warne, S Tait, A Uniyal, M Patel.

G Gambhir, V Sehwag, T Dilshan, AB de Villiers, D Karthik, M Manhas, M Maharoof, A Mishra, S Ladda, P Sangwan, D Nannes.

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JCT FC-Mohun Bagan play goalless draw

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 11:23 PM

Ludhiana, Mar 15 (PTI) JCT FC survived some anxious moments before managing to force a goalless draw against favourites and Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan in the 16th round I-League encounter played at Guru Nanak Stadium here today. The visitors dominated the proceedings right from the word go and unleashed a series of attack. Their forwards made repeated forays into home side''s citadel but success continued to elude them on each occasion. Midway through the first half, Mohun Bagan''s Marcos in a solo effort pierced through JCT defence and ran into the striking zone but JCT custodian Karanjit Singh stood his ground to avert any danger. In the 60th minute, MB forced a penalty corner but failed to take advantage of the opportunity as Jose Marcio''s kick went wide off the target, much to the relief of JCT outfit. JCT now have 19 points and will take on Mumbail FC here on March 20. Mohun Bagan have 25 points in their kitty and are placed at 4th.

Source: Web Search

Nike, PSG soccer club on trial over transfer deals

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 11:07 PM

Sports equipment maker Nike and French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain faced trial in Paris on Monday on charges of hiding payments to attract top players, including Nicolas Anelka and Gabriel Heinze.

Two former presidents of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), one of France's richest clubs with famous fans such as President Nicolas Sarkozy, and several agents are also on trial over the alleged attempt to avoid French employment taxes.

Nike France and PSG have denied any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors say agents, sponsors and club officials partly hid payments for some 20 transfers from 1998 to 2005, including those of Heinze, who joined PSG from Spanish club Valladolid in 2001, and Anelka, who came from Real Madrid in 2000.

Nike is accused of helping to hide payments through sponsorship contracts with players such as Brazil's Ronaldinho.

The players themselves are not among the accused. If found guilty, the accused could be asked to pay back millions of euros that were allegedly withheld from tax and social security authorities, as the actual payments were larger than the ones declared.

A lawyer for the group said there was nothing unusual in the deals.

"Do you think the fact that Ronaldinho wears Nike boots is no advantage for Nike? Isn't it normal to pay for that?" lawyer Olivier Metzner said. "That happens in every country of the world. We did it in Paris, like everywhere else and we only have problems in Paris."

French magistrates stumbled over the suspect payments some years ago after investigating salary of one player. They are not accusing any of the defendants of personal enrichment.

Source: Web Search

Mumbai players practice ahead of IPL tie against Delhi

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 10:37 PM

New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) Mumbai Indians sweated it out today at the nets, ahead of their second match in the third Indian Premier League against Delhi Daredevils at Ferozshah Kotla stadium here on Wednesday. MI skipper Sachin Tendulkar and senior players like Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan were seen doing stretching exercises on the ground along with the entire team. As the entire team sat to do some butterfly stretching exercise, Sachin was seen sharing some lighter moments with Zaheer, while Harbhajan also engaged in some pep talk with JP Duminy. Sachin later had an extended session with young gun Saurabh Tiwary as he feeded him with balls to finetune his sweep-shots, which were going wayward. Fielding coach Jonty Rhodes, meanwhile, provided some catching practice to the players like Zaheer and later had a long session with wicket-keeper Aditya Tare. Later Harbhajan, McLaren and Syed Sahabuddin were seen bowling at the nets to their teammates under the watchful eyes of coach Robin Singh. Mumbai Indians have won their first match in the Indian Premier League against Rajasthan Royals by a narrowly four runs, while Delhi Daredevils beat Kings XI Punjab by five wickets in their opening match of the third season.

Source: Web Search

PCB still in two minds over captaincy issue

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 10:27 PM

Karachi, Mar 15 (PTI) PCB continues to play musical chairs on the issue of captaincy as it remains unclear on whether to appoint a single person for all three formats of the game or to opt for separate skippers for Test and limited overs cricket. So far the Chairman of the board, Ejaz Butt has met with Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq and indications were that the meeting was related to the captaincy issue for the Twenty20 World Cup from April 30 in the West Indies. But it remains unclear as who will get the captaincy for the World Cup as Ejaz Butt on his part has not helped the situation by making confusing statements about the issue. Two days back, Butt was quoted in the media as saying that the captain would only be appointed for the T20 World Cup and there would be separate captains for the different formats of the game. But in an interview to a cricket website, Butt was quoted as saying that there would be one captain for all three formats of the game. "We will make an announcement regarding who will be the next captain of the Pakistan team in a couple of days." "What I can say is that it will not be more than one person. We will be selecting one captain for all three formats of the game, rather than two or more captains," stated Butt. (More) PTI Corr SHN

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Action against CAB for ignoring fire safety norms

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 09:23 PM

Kolkata, March 15 (IANS) West Bengal Fire Services Minister Pratim Chattopadhyay Monday said his department would take action against the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) for not following the fire safety norms while setting up a temporary gallery for Sunday's T20 match at the Eden Gardens.

'I don't know why the CAB authorities violated the fire services guidelines by allowing the Kolkata Knight Ridders' management to set up a temporary gallery at the Eden Gardens during yesterday's (Sunday's) match,' Chattopadhyay told reporters here.

'I have asked my officials to take action against the CAB authorities,' he said.

He said the temporary gallery at the stadium did not have the fire service department's sanction.

CAB joint secretary Biswarup Dey, however, said it was not the association's responsibility to take care of such things.

'CAB was nowhere involved in the whole issue. The KKR management and the PWD (Public Works Department) had detailed discussions before setting up the gallery at the stadium,' he said.

'We don't seek permission from the state fire service department as the area actually belongs to the army. So we take permission from them. This apart, we also get sanctions from the PWD as they are in charge of the maintenance works and also from the Kolkata police as they look after the security arrangements at the stadium,' Dey said.

Source: Web Search

Kudos not cash the driving force for Sevilla - Jimenez

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 09:17 PM

Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez brushed aside the potential financial impact of failure to make the Champions League quarter-finals yet the significance of Tuesday's match with CSKA Moscow was far from lost on him.

The Andalusians, seeking to reach the last eight for the first time, host the Russian club for the second leg of their last-16 tie after last month's first leg finished 1-1.

Jimenez looks likely to have strikers Frederic Kanoute, Luis Fabiano and Alvaro Negredo, scorer of the goal in Moscow, fit after all three featured in Saturday's 1-1 La Liga draw with Deportivo Coruna.

Yet it was the impact progress would have on the club, city and region which outweighed in his mind any difference it would make to the team's balance sheets.

"I don't think about the financial figures," Jimenez said at a news conference at Sevilla's Sanchez Pizjuan stadium on Monday.

"Others are responsible for that and they have shown that they are doing a perfect job."

Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido left no doubt as to the importance of success in Europe's lucrative elite club competition before the first leg in Moscow, saying elimination at this stage could push them into the red.

Teams reaching the last eight will get at least another 3.3 million euros ($4.5 million), plus a further 4 million for making the semi-finals and 9 million for winning the title or 5.2 million for finishing as runners-up.

"In economic terms, progress to the (quarters) has been written into the budget for this season and if we don't manage it we will start to talk about negative figures," Del Nido said.

In sporting terms, Tuesday's match could be one of the most important of his career and qualification for the quarters would be an historic achievement, Jimenez said.

"But sincerely, and it's not a cliche, every match my team plays is important to me," he added.

"It's a very important match for the club, the team, the city, for Andalusia and for Spain.

"That's why ... we have to increase our efficiency to try to reach the quarters and convert it into an historic fact for Sevilla and the whole city."

Jimenez said he was confident of a positive outcome on Tuesday if Sevilla showed more mobility and decisiveness in the final third of the pitch.

"Hopefully they (CSKA) will create as few chances as Deportivo but I am conscious of the fact that they are a well-equipped side and one of Europe's best," he said.

"The team as a whole is dangerous. You can nullify one player but not an entire team and CSKA has some very strong and balanced players."

Source: Web Search

A changed approach is winning Kolkata matches: Fleming

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 09:09 PM

Kolkata, Mar 15 (PTI) In the quickest format of the game, small things can make a difference and Kolkata Knight Riders have made a good start to season-three perhaps for this reason only, feels Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming. "There seems to be a different approach. The competition is so tight that little things make a difference. Form, change of attitude, change of the shirt colour. That might be the winning formula," he said about Knight Riders who are on a winning roll with victories over Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL III. Chennai will take on Kolkata tomorrow and Fleming is confident of scoring points but knows they have a tough job at hand. "We respect them, but we also are one of the most consistent sides to play in the IPL. We have to try and maintain that record. To come up well against the in-form teams in the IPL is a challenge. Tomorrow is such a challenge. "If we come good in every game, hopefully we can make the semis," said the former New Zealand captain. Disappointed at their 31 run loss to Deccan Chargers in their first match, Fleming said, "We got to improve in some areas. We have to create some pressure on Knight Riders. It''s a big game for us now. "We want to be more accurate with our bowling. We want to start good with our batting. Our batting has been very strong over the last couple of years. In the last match, we needed it to be at its best. We fell short," he said. More PTI TAP AT

Source: Web Search

Juhi Chawla invites Mamata to watch KKR match

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 08:37 PM

Kolkata, March 15 (IANS) Bollywood actress and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Juhi Chawla Monday met Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee at her south Kolkata residence and invited her to watch Indian Premier League matches at the Eden Gardens stadium.

According to Trinamool Congress office sources, Chawla came to Banerjee's Kalighat residence and had a meeting with the party supremo for almost 20 minutes.

'It was a courtesy meeting between Banerjee and Chawla,' sources at the Trinamool Congress office said, adding the party leader gifted Chawla a stole and welcomed her to the city.

'Chawla also invited Banerjee to watch KKR matches at the Eden Gardens,' a Trinamool worker said.

Source: Web Search

Four Indians in sight of gold in Commonwealth Boxing

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 08:07 PM

New Delhi, March 15 (IANS) Four Indian boxers are in sight of gold after they stormed into the final of the Commonwealth Boxing Championship here Monday.

Suranjoy Singh (52 kg), Vijender Singh (75 kg), Dinesh Kumar (81 kg) and Parmjeet Samota (91 kg) moved into the title clash with convincing wins over their rivals at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium.

Asian champion Suranjoy defeated Welshman Andrew Selby 4-0 while Olympic bronze medallist Vijender was in a rampaging form and the referee had to stop the contest after his opponent Selemani Kidunda of Tanzania suffered head injury in the third round. But by then, Vijender had taken a huge lead of 10-1.

Dinesh also came down heavily on another Tanzanian Leonard Machichi forcing the referee to stop the contest in the third round. The Indian was leading 8-1.

In the last bout of the day, little known Parmjeet of Haryana registered a shocking 5-2 win over Ross Henderson of Scotland.

Egged on by the home crowd, Parmjeet made his intentions clear against the well built Henderson right from the start. Parmjeet stunned the crowd by taking a 2-0 lead in the first round and after the end of second he was 5-1 up. In the last round he conceded one point.

In the final, Parmjeet will face Joseph Parker of New Zealand. Parker defeated England's Frazer Clarke 7-3.

India coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu was happy with the performance of all his wards, especially Parmjeet.

'Parmjeet's win is a great thing for Indian boxing. Our boxers never found much success in the heavy weight category but Parmjeet's win will surely go a along way. He fought boldly right from the start and dropped his guard. I was shouting from the sidelines asking him to keep his guard up. But he fought in his own style,' said Sandhu.

Parmjeet said it was his best win till date.

'I knew he was taller than me and that was the only doubt in my mind. But I was not afraid of dropping my guard against him,' he said.

Results (Semi-finals):

52 kg: Suranjoy Singh (India) bt Andrew Salby (Wal) 4-0; Oliver Lavigi (Mri) bt P.D. Suresh (Sri) 3-1

75 kg: Frank Buglioni (Eng) bt Nathan McEwen (NZ) 10-2; Vijender Singh (Ind) bt Selemani Kidunda (Tan) referee stopped the contest head blow (RSCH)

81 kg: Callum Jhonson (Sco) bt Rodney Prosper (Mri) 7-2; Dinesh Kumar (Ind) bt Leonard Machichi (Tan) referee stopped the contest (RSC)

91 kg: Simon Vallily (Eng) bt David Aloua Rogers (NZ) 10-5; Elly Ajowi (Ken) bt Stephen Simmons (Sco) 9-3

+91 kg: Joseph Parker (NZ) bt Frazer Clarke (Eng) 7-3; Parmjeet Samota (Ind) bt Ross Henderson (Sco) 5-2

Source: Web Search

U-19 all-rounder Azam overjoyed after selection in Twenty20 World Cup squad

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 07:37 PM

Islamabad, Mar. 15 (ANI): Under 19 Pakistani all-rounder Hammad Azam expressed disbelief when he was told that he has made it to Pakistan's Twenty20 squad for the upcoming World Cup.

"I'd heard a lot of rumours and many people told me that I would be selected but that still doesn't prepare you for the shock you get when it finally becomes real. When it had sunk in, that this was really happening and that I was really going to play in the T20 World Cup, I was so excited and very proud to be representing my country," Azam said.

"It's a very big thing to play for your country and I intend on making it count. I'll learn a lot from just being around experienced senior players and watching their preparations and routines," Azam added.

He recently scored 37 runs off just 22 balls against Pakistan A team.

"I came in to bat as Saeed Ajmal was starting his 4 overs and he bowled really well today taking 4 wickets but I still managed to score off him. I also faced an over each from Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Hafeez and Asad Ali. I hit 3 fours and 2 sixes," he said.

Hammad is hoping to emulate the way Sohail Tanvir, Misbah Ul Haq, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Aamer have used previous T20 World Cups to make a name for themselves.

"I've been playing in the lower middle order for a few months now and it's a role that I execute well, I enjoy the pressure and I like to play out the last ball of every innings," he said.

"Ideally I'd like to continue in this position but I'm flexible, I'd be willing to bat wherever the captain and coach need me to bat. The important thing is to get the right balance for the akistan team and to successfully defend our T20 World Championship," he added. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Sutil regrets missing a top 6 finish in Bahrain

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 07:07 PM

New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) After being positioned nicely at 10th on the grid and a fast car at his disposal, Force India driver Adrian Sutil believes a top six finish just slipped through his fingers in yesterday''s Bahrain Grand Prix. Sutil, who went on to clock the second fastest lap of the season opener in Bahrain''s Sakhir circuit, saw his point hopes being dashed after a cloud of smoke from the back of Mark Webber''s car blinded him and his VJM03 spun to drop down to the second last position. "I think in this race my pace was good enough for the top five or top six," said Sutil who eventually finished 12th. His teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi brought smiles with his ninth place finish and Sutil reckoned the outfit was good enough to be regularly among points. "We are able to run in the top 10 very easily and scoring points should be possible in the next races so we keep that momentum at the moment," Sutil explained. Liuzzi was naturally elated having scored his first points for the Silverstone-based outfit. "We saw that we had a really great performance compared to last year and the car is improving. The team is doing really great job and that''s why I like this team," said the Italian. More PTI AY AT

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Vijender, Suranjoy in finals of C''wealth C''ship

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 06:53 PM

Poonam Mehra New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) World number one Vijender Singh (75kg) packed a powerful punch quite literally, while Asian champion Suranjoy Singh also notched up an emphatic win as four Indian boxers sailed into the finals on an all-win day for the hosts at the fifth Commonwealth Boxing Championships here today. Olympic and World Championship bronze-medallist Vijender led Tanzanian Selemani Kidunda 10-1 before landing a power-packed right hook that left his rival with a head injury, prompting the referee to award the bout to the Indian. Suranjoy was equally dominating in his triumph over Welshman Andrew Selby although the 4-0 victory margin does not reflect the Manipuri''s hold on the bout. World Cup bronze-medallist Dinesh Kumar (81kg), competing in his first Commonwealth Championships, was the the third Indian boxer to score an easy win and enter the final. The 23-year-old Haryana pugilist was leading 8-1 against Leonard Machichi before the thrashing became too much to take for the Tanzanian, forcing the referee to stop the contest in the third round of the bout. In the last bout of the day, Paramjeet Samota entered the super heavyweight (+91kg) category final with a stunning 5-2 triumph over Scot Ross Henderson.

Source: Web Search

Hull sack Brown in desperate survival gamble

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 06:27 PM

Phil Brown, the colourful manager who led Hull City to the top flight of English football for the first time, was relieved of his duties on Monday as the club fights to hang on to their Premier League status.

A statement on the club's website (www.hullcityafc.net) said Brown had been "relieved of his managerial duties and placed on gardening leave with immediate effect. Brian Horton and Steve Parkin will take charge of first-team duties until further notice".

The statement continued: "We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Phil for the major success achieved during a period of four seasons in charge at the club and wish him every success for the future.

"Promotion to the Premier League in 2008 and retention of our status on the last day of the 2009 season are unique events in the history of Hull City and both were achieved under Phil's stewardship during a period which will never be forgotten by all connected with the club.

"However, the retention of Premier League status is paramount and the board believes that a change in managerial direction is the correct option at this time."

Hull, close to going out of business 20 years ago and languishing in League Two (fourth division) only six years ago, were taken into the Premier League by Brown in one of the great fairytales of the modern game.

Having gone up they defied the odds and stayed up last season, clinging on at the end after a dizzying start to Premier League life that brought wins over Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, a draw at Liverpool and a memorable day at Old Trafford when they pushed Manchester United all the way before losing 4-3.

Brown, outspoken and sometimes controversial - he kept his players on the pitch for their half-time team talk after a woeful first-half display against Manchester City last season - has had a rougher ride this season as Hull's performances on the pitch have mirrored on-going problems in the boardroom.

It has been a struggle from the beginning though and, with nine games remaining, Hull are second-last on 24 points, three points adrift of safety.

Last Saturday's injury-time 2-1 home defeat by Arsenal appears to have been the final straw for the board and Horton and Parkin will take over for next weekend's game against bottom side Portsmouth.

Source: Web Search

Rain may play spoilsport in tomorrow''s IPL match

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 06:09 PM

Kolkata, Mar 15 (PTI) If the weather forecast is to be believed, rain may play spoilsport in tomorrow''s IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens here. The Met department has predicted rain and thundershowers late in the afternoon tomorrow. The match is scheduled to begin at 20:00 hrs. "There are chances of scattered rain and thundershowers which may gather in the Gangetic West Bengal towards late afternoon tomorrow," G C Debnath, director, regional meteorological centre, Alipore, told PTI. Currently, the Kolkata side, who have two wins from two matches, are on top of the standings with four points from two matches.

Source: Web Search

Azad demands DDCA comply with safety norms during IPL

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 05:53 PM

New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) Former India cricketer Kirti Azad has demanded that Ferozshah Kotla ground should not be given approval to host IPL matches until the DDCA comply with the required safety norms. Azad claims the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has always given "conditional approval" to the DDCA to host matches, most recent being December''s India-Sri Lanka One-day international, despite not complying with the safety norms. In a letter to Delhi LG Tejinder Khanna, Azad warned that that lives of thousands of spectators would be in danger if DDCA gets approval yet again and do not comply with norms. "It is interesting to note that DDCA did not comply with conditions imposed by MCD for the match held in DDCA on 27th December, 2009. "With the impending IPL matches scheduled to start from 17th March, it should not happen that conditional approval, under some pressure, is again granted to DDCA, which will emperil the safety of 45,000 spectators, and can cause untold misery in case of an unfortunate mishap," the letter said. Azad, in his letter, has given the details of norms which DDCA flouted and MCD ignored, through several annexures. The Kotla ground is scheduled to host seven matches in the 45-day Indian Premier League. The first match is between Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.

Source: Web Search

Carlos Tevez's lover blasts his wife

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 05:37 PM

London, Mar 15 (ANI): Argentine footballer Carlos Tevez's lover has blasted his wife Vanesa and also accused her of trying to derail her fling with the Manchester City player.

Glamour model Mariana Paesani, 27, insists that she is the 100,000-pound-a week striker's "real woman" and not childhood sweetheart Vanesa, 25, who has just given birth to his second child.

"There have been problems between Carlos and Vanesa for years. Why do you think they live in different countries? He was not happy with her because he loves me," the Mirror quoted Paesani as saying through her mother Stella.

"People blame me for coming between Carlos and Vanesa, but that is wrong.

"If anything, she came between us, because she stopped us telling the world about our love. I am Carlos' real woman - not her.

"Carlos and me are madly in love, we have been for years, we are very happy together. I am not worried by the fact he has a baby with another women.

"My conscience is completely clear - I do not believe I have done anything wrong and I have nothing to be ashamed of.

"In fact I am happy that this story is out because it means Carlos and me do not have to hide our love any more. I have showed a lot of patience.

"I hated having to lie to everyone and now I am calm and happy.

"The only reason why we have been secretive and crept around is because there are small children involved," she added. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Deccan, super-charged

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 05:23 PM

Chennai, March 15 -- "Go Chargers, go Chargers, go go go," the public address system blared again and again at the Chepauk on Sunday as Adam Gilchrist and his men trampled the Chennai Super Kings to win by 31 runs. The chase was dealt a crippling blow by Matthew Hayden's early dismissal. The burly Australian appeared caught between one cheeky shot and another and holed out to R.P. Singh at short fine-leg off Chaminda Vaas. Around that moment of madness, the Super Kings had a few more as Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina and S. Badrinath perished to various versions of the slog. Mahendra Singh Dhoni tried, but it was not enough. Vaas finished with three for 21 off four overs. The mood in the stadium at the end was far removed from what prevailed in the afternoon. The party at the Chepauk begins early. The gates are opened four hours before the match and the music starts right away as fans troop in. The stadium throbs with energy before the first ball is bowled. The visitors were not without support. "Can't you see, we are here for the Chargers," yelled Koushik to a man trying to sell Super Kings' flags to him. The group of seven live in Chennai but are from Andhra. Two wore T-shirts that said "Champions Deccan Chargers." As soon as the Chargers elected to bat, it became clear how their cheerleaders maintained their figures: if you had to dance every time Gilchrist hits a four or a six, imagine how many calories you can burn. The opener blasted 38 off 17, becoming the first man to cross 1000 runs in the IPL. However, Gilchrist fell to Ashwin and Laxman was run out by Raina's throw to Dhoni. It was then left to Herschelle Gibbs and Andrew Symonds to play sensibly and that, coupled with Rohit Sharma and T. Suman's big hitting near the end took the Chargers to a comfortable 190 for four.

Source: Web Search

NSW sign Dilshan for domestic T 20 event

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 05:17 PM

Melbourne, Mar 15 (PTI) After failing to qualify for this year''s Champions League Twenty20, the inaugural edition winners New South Wales have signed Tillakaratne Dilshan for next summer''s domestic T20 competition, hoping the explosive Sri Lankan batsman would help them make the grade next time. Dilshan was the player of the tournament at last year''s World Twenty20 in England as Sri Lanka reached the final, scoring 317 runs at 52.83 with a strike rate of 144.74. The 33-year old cricketer, who is currently playing for Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League, is also a superb fielder and useful off-spin bowler. His contract with NSW though needs approval from the Sri Lankan cricket board. "Tillakaratne Dilshan is an outstanding all-round player. We look forward to him playing a leading role in helping NSW win next season''s Big Bash and thereby qualifying for the Champions League," Cricket NSW chief executive David Gilbert said. Australia''s six provincial first-class teams are allowed to recruit two foreign players for the domestic Twenty20 competition, the finalists of which qualify for Champions League.

Source: Web Search