Sports Minister Gill inspects Commonwealth Games stadium

Published>Sat, Apr 03 10 12:23 AM

New Delhi, Apr 2 (ANI): Sports Minister M S Gill on Friday inspected the under-construction Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium here, which will act as the main venue for the 'Commonwealth Games 2010'.

Gill said he had asked the engineers to see that labour is treated properly at the construction site.

Central Public Works Department (CPWD) officials briefed Gill about ongoing civil and electrical works in the complex comprising the main stadium, weightlifting and lawn bowling arenas.

The stadium will host the opening and the closing ceremonies of the Games. (ANI)

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I want to retire from cricket when I am at my peak: Younis Khan

Published>Sat, Apr 03 10 12:15 AM

Islamabad, Apr.2 (ANI): Brushing aside speculations about his retirement from international cricket after being banned for an indefinite period by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has said that he would hang his boots when he is at his best.

Younis, who was banned along with former captain Mohammed Yousuf, who announced his retirement in protest against the PCB's punishment earlier this week, said he has no plans to emulate the latter.

"Right after the 2003 World Cup several senior players like Saeed Anwar, Saqlain Mushtaq and Wasim Akram were discarded from the team. That is when I decided that I want to retire from cricket when I am at my peak," Younis told PakPassion.net.

Commenting on Pakistan's chances of winning the forthcoming ICC T20 World Championship in West Indies, Younis, who has an impressive Test career average of 50.09 and 16 centuries to his name, expressed the hope the home team will successfully defend the title.

"If you look at the squad that won the cup last year and the current squad, only a handful of players are missing. Most of the names are the same so we should have a good chance at defending the title," he said.

When reminded that the Pakistani middle order looks ordinary in his and Yousuf's absence, the right-handed batsman said there are several players who would take on the job.

"Umar Akmal will be able to replace me and Yousuf as the anchor of the batting line up and although (Shoaib) Malik will be missed due to the recent ban imposed on him; Fawad Alam should make up for it sufficiently," Younis said. (ANI)

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'Back to best' Tiger can claim his fifth Augusta Masters title: Torrance

Published>Fri, Apr 02 10 01:35 PM

London, Apr. 2 (ANI): Notwithstanding golf pundits' forecasts that Tiger Woods will struggle at Augusta next week, former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance has predicted that the World's no 1 golfer can claim his fifth Masters title there this time around.

"You are not dealing with just anyone here - you are talking about the strongest player mentally there has ever been. If he did not have a handle on his problems he would not be going," The Sun quoted Torrance, as saying.

"And you can be sure he has seen enough in practice to know he is ready to play. It's fantastic to have the greatest golfer of all time back and it wouldn't surprise me to see him win it," he added.

Apart from his fall from fame after admitting to "transgressions", Woods has not played competitively for four months.

Torrance, who is commentating on the event for the BBC, said: "Joining these brave soldiers for a golf clinic has been a moving and rewarding experience." (ANI)

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Cook says Prior still England's first choice Test keeper

Published>Fri, Apr 02 10 01:31 PM

London, Apr.2 (ANI): England vice-captain Alastair Cook has said Matt Prior is the first choice Test keeper for the side for this summer and for the Ashes tour next winter despite being dropped for the upcoming World Twenty20 squad.

"Matt has done an amazing job with the gloves over the last 18 months," said Cook.

"Craig (Kieswetter) was very impressive when he came into the team in Bangladesh - he's got a huge future for England - but it's going to take a huge amount of effort and pressure to knock Matt out of the Test team," the Daily Express quoted Cook, as saying.

There are few concerns about Kieswetter's work with the bat, but his wicket-keeping technique - described in some quarters as no more than adequate at present - is going to come under rigorous scrutiny during the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

Cook also insisted Pietersen's inclusion was a no-brainer for the selectors.

He said: "KP's record in all forms of the game speaks for itself and although he had a tricky six months [with England] coupled with that injury [his Achilles tendon], form is temporary and class is permanent."

Cook's omission from the Twenty20 squad was less of a shock. Yet he believes he has made great strides in the format and can trouble the selectors soon.

"I've worked really hard on it over the last 12 months, scoring hundreds for Essex, and I'm trying to get better," he said. (ANI)

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Players owe their success to PGTI

Published>Fri, Apr 02 10 12:55 PM

India, April 1 -- Indian golf has come a long way in the last decade or so. It all started with Ali Sher winning the Indian Open at the Delhi Golf Club in 1991. Never before had an Indian professional laid hands on a golf trophy apart from amateur PG Sethi way back in 1965 .To make the halfway cut for us was a big feat and we never considered ourselves as contenders in any major international events. In the mid-nineties, it started changing with a new breed of golfers entering the Indian scene. Public school educated, well-spoken young boys took up the game as a profession and the face of golf in India changed. Players like Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Gaurav Ghei, Arjun Atwal and myself started playing regularly on the Asian Tour and soon started contending for titles. In the last 15 years, Indians have won numerous titles on the world scene in Europe, Asia and the PGA Tour (we consider Daniel Chopra as one of our own). The depth of Indian golf is evident when one looks at the leaderboard after the third round of the SAIL Open. Six out of the top-eight are Indians and as many as 31 made the halfway cut. The growth of the Indian Professional Golf tour (PGTI) has a huge role to play in the success of Indians in international golf. More and more youngsters see it as a career. This leads to stiff competition and in turn churns out better players. The PGTI now stages roughly two-dozen tournaments each year and the leader of the order of merit makes a cool 3-4 million rupees by the end of the season. The final day at the SAIL Open is heading for a very exciting, nail-biting finish. Six strokes separate the top-six players and anyone can take the title.

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