INTERVIEW - Mokoena is South Africa's driving force

Published>Fri, May 14 10 08:07 AM

Aaron Mokoena found it easy to handle the challenges thrown up by playing for troubled FA Cup finalists Portsmouth this season, after all he has overcome much bigger hurdles in his life.

Growing up in the grinding poverty of the Johannesburg townships before democracy finally reached South Africa, Mokoena used to kick a tennis ball around the dusty streets dreaming of one day becoming a famous footballer.

Little did he know that the skills he honed in Boipatong would set him on a road that would lead to him becoming his country's most capped player and the skipper of Bafana Bafana as South Africa prepares for the first World Cup on African soil.

Not only that, but on Saturday he will reach the pinnacle of his club career when Portsmouth face newly crowned Premier League champions Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley when, like South Africa, they will be huge underdogs.

"It's funny. There are similarities with Portsmouth and South Africa. Nobody is expecting too much," Mokoena, who like many of the hard-up club's multi-national squad is up for sale, told Reuters at the club's training ground this week.

"But I love challenges. I believe that you can overcome anything. That's the kind of guy I am. I grew up with many challenges and I prefer not to complain, I just stay positive and hope I can spread that through my team mates."

THE AXE

On the pitch the tough-tackling Mokoena is nicknamed 'The Axe'. Off it he is charming and articulate, qualities that make him the ideal ambassador in his high-profile role as captain of the World Cup hosts.

When South African president Jacob Zuma visited England recently, Mokoena accompanied him to meet Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. Zuma, who played football with Nelson Mandela while they were both imprisoned on Robben Island, had a special request for the 29-year-old defender.

"He just got straight to the point and he said to me that you have to make sure we win," Mokoena said.

Mokoena is passionate about the good that football brings to young Africans -- and acknowledges that it helped him escape the daily hardships of the townships.

"I had a tough upbringing and grew up quickly," said Mokoena, who as an 11-year-old survived the horrors of the 1992 massacre in Boipatong which left dozens of people dead.

"Football allowed me to leave the country at a young age and experience new cultures and experience a different life. It provided me with a different education and made me mentally very strong and single-minded."

When he hangs up his boots Mokoena intends to enrol in law school and concentrate on his Foundation which aims to promote health and education through football in South Africa.

"I wanted to use the power of football to make a difference to the lives of young people in South Africa," he said. "The challenge will be to leave a lasting legacy from the World Cup."

Mokoena will lead South Africa out against Mexico on June 11 when all the years of planning for the World Cup will come to fruition. He said it will be the proudest moment of his life.

"All these years we've known it's coming and now it's so close we can touch it. The excitement is growing," he said.

PROUD MOMENT

"For me it will be a proud moment, a very special moment. I played in the 2002 World Cup finals. What an experience... but this, on home soil, it is beyond my dreams."

First, though there is there small matter of stopping the likes of Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard in the Cup final in what could well be his last game for Portsmouth.

"It's been an interesting season," Mokoena said with a grin. "With the club going into administration and relegation, it's been tough but we can take positives from it.

"It showed me that the character in our dressing room is unbelievable. Chelsea are a huge team, a huge challenge. Do we fear them? They beat Wigan 8-0 last week who are a good team but I don't have fear. A little bit of anxiety maybe but that can give you the push you need."

Portsmouth's run to Wembley against the odds has provided an unexpected diversion for Mokoena and he believes that South Africa, ranked a lowly 90th in FIFA's rankings, can also be a surprise in Group A where they also meet France and Uruguay.

"Like at Portsmouth this season, it's about overcoming difficulties," said Mokoena, whose career in Europe began in Bayer Leverkusen's youth team and has included stays at Ajax, Genk and Blackburn Rovers.

"People have spoken to me about statistics, how low we are in the FIFA rankings. But the important thing is what happens on the field. We will be mentally and physically ready and the crowds will give us an extra player.

"As captain I'm leader but the players have made it so easy for me. I've been so fortunate to captain this side with the players that we have. I know they'll play with their hearts."

Source: Web Search

FEATURE - The Dragon enters Singapore combat cage

Published>Fri, May 14 10 07:27 AM

Fired up and furious, 'The Dragon' prowled the dressing room as the seconds ticked down towards his turn to fight in the cage.

Fists, feet, elbows and knees thudded into the coach's training pads as Mitch Chilson worked up his fight sweat.

His coaches and cornermen, eyes narrowed searching for flaws, looked on quietly, proudly, anxiously. They had invested much in Chilson. Walking away without the Martial Combat Superfight title was not an option.

In a former life Chilson had been a male model. But standing here, shorn of his smile and stripped down to bare bone, muscle and heart, it was clear he belonged to the fight world.

"Time to go, Mitch," said coach Chatri Sityodtong. "Time to fight."

And with that Chilson was up on his toes, the whole room rising with him, emotional outbursts of Thai, Brazilian Portuguese and English filling the air.

An embrace for his fight team, quiet words of encouragement from his coaches and then he gone, 2,000 fans greeting his arrival on the lonely walk to the cage.

DISLOCATED ELBOW

Chilson v Zhang Jing Xong, a Taiwanese sando expert, was Thursday's final fight on Martial Combat's two-day mixed martial arts (MMA) card.

Most of the event's fights had failed to make it beyond the first round, the capacity crowd treated to haymaker knockouts, a series of submissions, one dislocated elbow and the gut-wrenching sight of a South Korean fighter choked unconscious.

Chilson controlled the early action, taking Zhang to the mat and setting up the 'ground and pound'. By the end of the third round the Taiwan fighter's face was a puffy, bloody mess as Chilson worked to the dominant position astride Zhang's chest and rained down a barrage of brutal elbows.

Early in the fourth, Chilson unloaded a right hand to Zhang's jaw that sent him spinning to the floor, his eyes rolling back in his head.

"That was incredible, 25 years of martial arts and I've never experienced anything like that," Chilson told Reuters after the fight, still cradling the shiny championship belt while tenderly checking the bones in his nose.

"I thought I was going to submit him, that was the game plan. Take him down, soften him up with elbows and finish him with an armbar."

Chilson had several opportunities to finish the fight with an armbar, a lock that puts intense pressure on the elbow and can lead to breaks or dislocation, but Zhang would not tap out.

"I thought I was going to have to rip his arm off," said Chilson.

Source: Web Search

Roach sees the next Pacquiao in British champion Khan

Published>Fri, May 14 10 06:47 AM

Fight trainer extraordinaire Freddie Roach, who helped Manny Pacquiao scale the heights to become hailed as boxing's best, said he gets a sense of deja vu working with Briton Amir Khan.

"They're very, very close," Roach told Reuters after Wednesday's news conference at Madison Square Garden promoting the Khan-Paulie Malignaggi title fight. "Manny came to me at 21 years old and eight years later he's the pound-for-pound king.

"Amir was 21 years old when he came to me -- a lot of speed, a lot of potential, good work ethic. They train hard together.

"I see a lot of Manny in him. They're very similar in a lot of aspects."

Asked about the great intangible, heart, Roach said: "One hundred percent, yes."

Khan is taking a big step toward international recognition on Saturday by defending his WBA super-lightweight title against New Yorker Malignaggi on his home turf at the Garden.

The bout will be the 23-year-old Khan's first outside of Britain.

Roach said he respected the quick-footed, light-hitting former champion Malignaggi but was confident about the result.

The 29-year-old Malignaggi has a 27-3 record but only five knockouts.

"We're going to go out aggressive and make the fight happen. We've got a good game plan, I think," Roach said.

"I like Paulie and Paulie has a chance.

"The biggest thing is cut the ring off and not let Paulie move on him, because Paulie can move and run when he wants to. And that's what he's going to do in this fight, because my guy is too big and strong for him and we got to cut the ring off and set traps.

"That's the most important thing, controlling the ring."

Khan, who has finished off 16 opponents inside the distance in compiling a 22-1 record, stopped Dmitriy Salita in the first round of his last bout.

"Amir is very aggressive, very strong and he's punching better than ever," said Roach. "I don't think the fight will go three rounds."

Source: Web Search

Flawless Sushil gets gold on Day 2

Published>Fri, May 14 10 05:17 AM

What's the value of Rs 200 in today's times? For Beijing bronze winner Sushil Kumar, who got richer by crores after that feat in 2008, it might not be a lot. But tradition runs deep in this sport, where wrestlers cherish the token money they are given by the dangal-mad fans after each win. So on Thursday, Sushil bowed his head and, with folded hands, pocketed the notes given to him before stepping onto the winners' podium at the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship. Moments earlier, he had outscored South Korean Kim Dae Sung in the 66kg freestyle final over two rounds to take the second gold for the hosts at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi.

The first period ended with neither player scoring a point and so the referee, to break the impasse, pulled out the red clinch to hand the Indian the upper hand. The next moment, Sushil had the Korean on the mat after getting a firm leg hold and with that, he had three points on the board. The Korean coach asked for a referral, which went against them, and Sushil's received a bonus point for his opponent's failed bid.

In the second period, Sushil scored two points in quick succession to seal India's second medal at the championships.

"This is a big boost to my confidence before important events like the world championship and the Commonwealth Games. It was a tough fight, but I was lucky to get the first grip and then I never looked back," Sushil said later.

Some bad news

But there was bad news for the other Indians, as Rahul Aware, Anuj Kumar and Rajiv Tomar couldn't even make it to the medal rounds. Tomar conceded his 120kg opening match against Uzbekistan's Mutalimov Marid after injuring his knee only seconds into the bout. With Marid making the final and taking the gold, a heavily strapped Tomar couldn't take advantage of the repechage entry and lost his bout to Iran's Mohammad Azars. Anuj lost in the second round of the 84kg category to China's Zhang Feng, while Aware lost to Lee Woo Ju of Korea in the second round of the 55kg.

Iran's Lashgari Ehsan defended his 84kg title, outclassing Semonov S from Kazakhstan, while Japan's Yomoto Shinichi bagged gold in the 55kg category as he beat Uzbek Kurbanov Nasibullo 1-0 and 1-0. Lee and Yang Gyong Ji of North Korea took bronze.

Source: Web Search

Collingwood sees little left to improve for England

Published>Fri, May 14 10 03:47 AM

England captain Paul Collingwood has repeatedly highlighted that his team had things to improve even as they marched through the Twenty20 World Cup winning all their games in the Super Eight stage.

But after England cruised into the final on Thursday thanks to a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka, dominating in all areas, Collingwood finally pulled back from his mantra.

"Let's be honest, there aren't too many areas we can improve on," he told reporters.

"We just need to keep the same mentality, and that's going to be the hard thing, going into a big game.

"But the boys keep responding. Every time we talk about it off the pitch, we analyse the opposition strengths and weaknesses and we keep executing our plans."

England had Sri Lanka at 36 for three at the end of the six 'power play' overs and they never let their grip slip after that ideal start.

"I'm going to sound like a broken record but the bowlers have adapted superbly well again after we lost the toss on what I thought was a very good pitch," he said.

"The fielding was spot on, we held our catches and restricted them to a score that was obviously very gettable on that surface. I'm just delighted that we 'turned up' in such a pressurised situation," he said.

In the final, England will face Australia or Pakistan, who meet in Friday's other semi-final.

"I think everybody on the outside would want to see an England- Australia game but you've got to be careful, Pakistan are still a very dangerous side, you've got to show them a lot of respect, they are the world champions," he added.

"So no matter who we come up against we are going to have to continue to play the way we have played and hopefully that will be good enough.

"We've got ourselves into the position where we wanted to be - in the final but we've won nothing yet so we are just delighted that we've got here."

Source: Web Search

England ease into Twenty 20 final

Published>Fri, May 14 10 02:47 AM

Impressive England reached the final of the Twenty20 World Cup after outclassing Sri Lanka to win by seven wickets with four overs to spare on Thursday.

Paul Collingwood's side will face the winner of Friday's other semi-final between Pakistan and Australia in Sunday's showpiece at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

It was another accomplished performance from England in all departments as they put themselves in a position to win their first ICC tournament.

England bowled superbly to restrict Sri Lanka to 128 for six after dominating the six overs 'power play' when they kept the Asian side to just 36 for three with some intelligent bowling.

Those three wickets contained the cream of Sri Lanka's batting with openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene back in the hut cheaply along with Twenty20 specialist Tillakaratne Dilshan.

When skipper Kumar Sangakkara went with the score at 47 for four in the ninth over, Sri Lanka were in big trouble.

The seamers, in particular Stuart Broad (2-21) varied their pace well, making plenty of use of slower, short pitched deliveries and the spinners kept the pressure on.

"Full credit goes to the bowlers, who went out there and adapted to the conditions on a slow wicket. I'm delighted with how they performed today. The guys have really been preparing well, analysing the opposition, and seeing where we can take wickets," said Collingwood.

A 46-run partnership from Chamara Kapugedera (16) and Angelo Mathews (58) ensured that Sri Lanka had something to bowl at, although afterwards Sangakkara said they had been around 30 runs short of a truly defendable total.

England though made short work of their reply -- the South African born opening pair of Craig Kieswetter (39) and Michael Lumb (33) put on 68 for the opening wicket in 8.1 overs of selective but positive batting.

That pairing have been absolutely crucial to the transformation of England from also-rans to finalists in this tournament with their confident strokeplay ensuring a strong foundation to the innings.

Kevin Pietersen, less than 24 hours after landing back in the Caribbean following his whirlwind round-trip home for the birth of his son, then saw things through with his unbeaten 42 showing no signs of fatigue

Australia are favourites to beat Pakistan to set up an 'Ashes final' between the game's two traditional test nations, something Collingwood clearly would relish.

"I think everybody would love to see an England-Australia final, but we've got to give Pakistan a lot of respect as well, they are a very good side and we'll be watching the match with interest".

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Nadal fends off big-serving Isner in Madrid

Published>Fri, May 14 10 02:07 AM

Clay master Rafa Nadal tamed big-serving American John Isner 7-5 6-4 to claim a place in the last eight of the Madrid Open on Thursday.

At more than two metres tall, 19th-ranked Isner is a tough opponent on any surface and two booming aces on the second and third points of the match prompted anxious muttering and nervous applause from the crowd in the Magic Box arena.

With the sliding roof closed on a rainy day in the Spanish capital, world number three Nadal struggled to make any inroads until the 11th game when he converted the first break point of the match to take a 6-5 lead.

Bidding for a third straight Masters title of the year on his favoured surface after triumphs in Monte Carlo and Rome, Nadal broke again early in the second set.

Watched by Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo and several of his Real Madrid team mates, the 23-year-old Spaniard sealed victory with his only ace to set up a quarter-final against French 12th-seed Gael Monfils.

Nadal opted not to compete at last month's Barcelona Open, where he had won the previous five years, to make sure he did not suffer a repeat of the knee injuries that dogged him in 2009 after a gruelling European clay season.

The decision looks to have left him fit and hungry for a second Madrid Masters title after he won the event in 2005 when it was played on indoor hard court.

He appeared irritated when asked about his knees at a news conference, telling the reporter: "We've already talked enough about that. They are fine and I would prefer to talk about more pleasant topics."

Looking ahead to his match against Monfils, Nadal said the world number 18 was a dangerous prospect.

"He serves well and has a very strong forehand. If he's on form he's very hard to beat."

ANNOYING INJURY

Local favourite Fernando Verdasco was denied a place in the quarters when he was upset 7-5 6-3 by Juergen Melzer in a battle of the big-hitting left-handers.

Spanish sixth seed Verdasco, who lost to Nadal in the final in Monte Carlo and reached the last four in Rome, had treatment on an ankle problem at the end of the first set.

He committed 41 unforced errors and unseeded Austrian Melzer dashed the crowd's hopes of a possible semi-final on Saturday between Verdasco and Nadal when he broke the Madrid native for a sixth time on his first match point.

A subdued Verdasco said at a news conference he had injured the ankle in his second-round victory over Croat Ivo Karlovic but said he should be fit for the French Open.

"It's annoying, and the injury is in a difficult place," the 26-year-old said.

"There are lots of tendons in this zone but two physios have told me it isn't serious. I think I'll be able to make it for Paris and to be 100 percent."

If Nadal reaches Sunday's final, the Mallorca native will reclaim the number two ranking from Serb Novak Djokovic, who pulled out of Madrid due to illness.

World number one Roger Federer, who beat Nadal in last year's final, plays Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka for a place in the last eight later on Thursday, and Briton Andy Murray, the third seed, faces Romanian Victor Hanescu.

Source: Web Search

England stroll into World Twenty20 final

Published>Fri, May 14 10 01:47 AM

Gros Islet (St.Lucia), May 14 (IANS) England strolled into the World Twenty20 final with a seven-wicket win over last year's finalists Sri Lanka in the semi-final here Thursday.

England bowlers put up an excellent performance to restrict Sri Lanka to 128 for six after Kumar Sangakkara opted to bat on a sluggish track at the Beausejour Stadium.

Angelo Matthews was the top scorer with 58 off 45 balls while medium pacer Chris Broad was the Man of the Match with his two for 21 from four overs.

For England batsmen it turned out to be an easy task as they made 132 for three in 16 overs after 'new dad' Kevin Pietersen made an unbeaten 42 of 26 balls.

English openers Craig Kieswetter (39) and Michael Lumb (33) took them to a flying start with their 68-run stand. Kieswetter hit five fours and two sixes in his 29 ball innings while Lumb smashed four fours and one six during his 26-ball stay.

Sri Lanka opened the bowling with the spinners and after two quiet overs from Tillekaratne Dilshan and Ajantha Mendis, Lumb broke the shackles by hitting off-spinner Suraj Randiv for two consecutive fours in the third over.

England openers were never in a hurry and took their time to settle down on the slow track. With the spinners proving ineffective, Sangakkara introduced pace but this time Kieswetter spanked Matthews for a four and a six in his first over as the runs flowed in freely.

Lasith Malinga rattled Kieswetter's stumps with an inswinging yorker while Thisara Pereira, despite being hit by two consecutive fours, held his nerves to castle Lumb in the very next delivery.

Pietersen then played a breezy innings and took England home safely. He struck three fours and two sixes and ended in style by hitting Malinga for a six and a four in successive deliveries in the 16th over.

Earlier in the day, Mathews struggled to reach his 58 with only three fours and one six. But his crucial innings helped Sri Lanka cross the 100-run mark after they lost the first three wickets for 26 runs.

Sri Lanka then found themselves 47 for the loss of their top four in the 10th over. It could have been worse when Mathews survived a run out on 18, with the score 58 for three.

But Mathews kept going almost till the end, eventually run out in the penultimate ball but his efforts were not enough to take Sri Lanka to the final.

Source: Web Search

Umar doubtful starter against Australia

Published Fri, May 14 10 01:27 AM

Gros Islet (St. Lucia), May 13 (PTI) Pakistan middle order batsman Umar Akmal is a doubtful starter in his side''s Twenty20 World Cup semifinal against Australia here tomorrow. The in-form batsman has injured his back while fielding in Pakistan''s do-or-die Super Eight match against South Africa. According to team sources, Umar had an MRI done and the result is expected tomorrow. Though the team management is still mulling to play the combative cricketer by asking the team doctor to inject him with a pain-killer, he could be replaced by Fawad Alam.

Source: Web Search

Scoreboard: Sri Lanka vs. England, semi-final, World Twenty20

Published>Fri, May 14 10 01:07 AM

Gros Islet (St.Lucia), May 14 (IANS) The following is the scoreboard of the World Twenty20 semi-final between Sri Lanka and England at the Beausejour Stadium here Thursday.

Sri Lanka:

Mahela Jayawardene c Kieswetter b Broad 10

Sanath Jayasuriya c Collingwood b Sidebottom 1

Tillekaratne Dilshan c Wright b Bresnan 9

Kumar Sangakkara c Pietersen b Swann 16

Angelo Mathews run out (Collingwood/Kieswetter) 58

Chamara Kapugedera c Bresnan b Broad 16

Thisara Perera not out 7

Chinthaka Jayasinghe not out 2

Extras (lb 1, w 7, nb 1) 9

Total (for six wickets in 20 overs) 128

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Jayasuriya, 1.1 overs), 2-20 (Dilshan, 2.6), 3-26 (Jayawardene, 4.1), 4-47 (Sangakkara, 8.6), 5-93 (Kapugedera, 16.3), 6-126 (Mathews, 19.5)

Bowling:

Tim Bresnan 4-0-41-1

Ryan Sidebottom 4-0-24-1

Stuart Broad 4-0-21-2

Graeme Swann 4-0-20-1

Michael Yardy 4-0-21-0

England:

Craig Kieswetter b Malinga 39

Michael Lumb b Perera 33

Kevin Pietersen not out 42

Paul Collingwood c Sangakkara b Perera 10

Eoin Morgan not out 2

Extras (lb 4, w 2) 6

Total (for three wickets in 16 overs) 132

Fall of wickets: 1-68 (Kieswetter, 8.1 overs), 2-80 (Lumb, 9.4), 3-113 (Collingwood, 14.1)

Bowling:

Tillekaratne Dilshan 1-0-5-0

Ajantha Mendis 4-0-19-0

Suraj Randiv 3-0-27-0

Ajantha Mathews 1-0-10-0

Lasith Malinga 4-0-33-1

Sanath Jayasuriya 1-0-15-0

Thisara Perera 2-0-19-2

Result: England won by seven wickets

Toss: Sri Lanka, who chose to bat

Player of the match: Stuart Broad (England)

Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Simon Taufel (Australia)

TV umpire: Steve Davis (Australia)

Match referee: Alan Hurst (Australia)

Source: Web Search

England beat Sri Lanka, make it to World Twenty20 finals

Published>Fri, May 14 10 01:01 AM

Gros Islet (St.Lucia), May 14 (IANS) England defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the semi-final of the World Twenty20 at the Beausejour Stadium here Thursday.

Set a target of 129, England made 132 for three in 16 overs after Kevin Pietersen scored an unbeaten 42.

Source: Web Search

England beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets

Published Fri, May 14 10 12:47 AM

REUTERS - England beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in their Twenty20 World Cup semi-final match in St Lucia on Thursday.

England will play Australia or Pakistan in the final on Sunday.

Scores: Sri Lanka 128-6 in 20 overs; England 132-3 in 16 overs

Source: Web Search

Punjab Cricket Association's bank accounts frozen

Published>Fri, May 14 10 12:11 AM

Mohali (Punjab), May 13 (IANS) In a bid to recover pending dues amounting to Rs.6.5 crore, Income Tax officials Thursday attached three bank accounts of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA).

'Our department has today attached three bank accounts of the PCA to recover the pending tax,' Income Tax commissioner (range II) A.K. Kaushal told IANS.

'The PCA had not paid the income tax of nearly Rs.6.5 crore that was due for the last two years. We had sent them various reminders before taking this action.'

Last month April 16, an 11-member Income Tax department team had visited the PCA stadium here to collect documents and records pertaining to the Indian Premier League.

Source: Web Search

England restrict Sri Lanka to modest 128-6 in semi

Published>Fri, May 14 10 12:07 AM

England bowled superbly to restrict Sri Lanka to 128 for six in their Twenty20 World Cup semi-final on Thursday.

A much-needed rearguard 58 from Angelo Mathews kept Sri Lanka in the hunt however on a slow pitch.

England dominated the six overs 'power play' reducing Sri Lanka to just 36 for three from that opening period with some intelligent bowling.

Those three wickets contained the cream of Sri Lanka's batting with openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene back in the hut cheaply along with Twenty20 specialist Tillakaratne Dilshan.

When skipper Kumar Sangakkara went with the score at 47 for four in the ninth over, Sri Lanka were in big trouble.

But a 46-run partnership from Chamara Kapugedera (16) and Mathews ensured that Sri Lanka's bowling attack -- including dangerous spinner Ajantha Mendis and sling-armed paceman Lasith Malinga -- have something to bowl at.

Source: Web Search

Mathew half century takes Sri Lanka 128 for 6

Published Thu, May 13 10 11:27 PM

Gros Islet (St. Lucia), May 13 (PTI) Angelo Mathews (58) stood among ruins with a fighting half century as Sri Lanka scored a modest 128 for six in their Twenty 20 World Cup semifinal match against England here today. Mathews, who hit three fours and a six in his 45-ball innings, got little support from his batting colleagues as the next highest contributors were captain Kumar Saangakkara (16) and Chamara Kapugedera (16) after Sri Lanka elected to bat at a slow Beausejour Stadium pitch. Mathews was involved in two partnerships -- 46 off 45 balls with Kapugedera for the fifth wicket and 33 off 20 balls with Thissara Perera for the sixth -- which took Sri Lanka at least something to defend. England produced a clinical performance. Pacers Ryan Sidebottom, Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad barely gave any width, consistently keeping the ball in and around off stump. Broad was the most successful England bowler with two wickets for 21 while Bresman, Sidebottom and Swann chipped in with a wicket each. Except for calling the coin correctly, nothing worked for Sri Lanka as they lost their three key batsmen by the fifth over for just 26 runs. Opener Sanath Jayasuriya was the first to go in second over with the scoreboard reading just seven. The veteran batsman, who had a forgettable tournament, edged a Sidebottom delivery for England captain Paul Collingwood to take a regulation catch at second slip for just one. One-down Tillakaratne Dilshan (9) was aggressive from the very start, clobbering Sidebottom for a boundary from the first ball he faced. He hit another four off Bresnan but the pacer had the last laugh as Dilshan top-edged him while playing a hook shot for Luke Wright to take a superb catch at the deep to reduce Sri Lanka to 20 for two. Sri Lanka''s woes deepened with their best batsman in the tournament Mahela Jayawardene departing in the first ball of the fifth over off a beauty from Stuart Broad with the ball lifting and moving a shade away from the bat for wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter to do the rest. Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews tried to repair the innings before the former was out in the ninth over for a 19-ball 16 to leave his side in deep trouble at 47 for four. It was left to Mathews and Chamara Kapugedera to steady the sinking Sri Lankan ship and the duo batted sensibly waiting for loose balls though they did not come aplenty with the England bowlers maintaining a tight line and length. Just when Mathews and Kapugedera looked set for a final flourish, the latter fell in 17th over, holing out to Bresnan of the bowling of Broad. Sri Lanka were 93 for five then. Mathews and Thissara Perera then shared 33 runs from 20 balls to take Sri Lankan score past 120.

Source: Web Search

Sri Lanka set 129-run target for England

Published>Thu, May 13 10 11:17 PM

Gros Islet (St.Lucia), May 13 (IANS) Sri Lanka made 128 for six in 20 overs against England in the semi-final of the World Twenty20 here Thursday.

Angelo Matthews was the top scorer with 58 runs.

Source: Web Search

Lanka 128/6 against England

Published Thu, May 13 10 11:07 PM

Gros Islet (St. Lucia), May 13 (PTI) Electing to bat, Sri Lanka made 128 for six in their Twenty20 World Cup semifinal match against England here today. Brief Scores: Sri Lanka: 128 for 6 in 20 overs (Angelo Mathews 58; Stuart Broad 2/21) PTI PDS

Source: Web Search

Malik wants to play for Pakistan during England tour

Published Thu, May 13 10 10:57 PM

Lahore, May 13 (PTI) Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik who has been banned for a year by the PCB, wants to play for the national team on the tour of England in June-July when his wife, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza will be busy in Wimbledon championships in London. "It would make me proud, if this situation happened because it is rare for a husband and wife to be representing their countries at the same time in international sports in different sports," Malik said. Malik also made it clear that he had no issue with Sania continuing to represent India in tennis. "Why not? She is an Indian and India has given her everything. Just like I am a Pakistani and owe everything to my country. "She has married a Pakistani does not mean her nationality will change automatically. I hope she does well for India in the Wimbledon and I also hope to be playing for Pakistan in England at the same time," he said. "If both of us do well in our respective sports for our countries nothing could be better," he added. Malik was banned for 12-months and fined Rs 2 million by the Pakistan Cricket Board along with six other players in March on the recommendations of an inquiry committee that looked into the causes for poor performances during Australia tour and also the reports of infighting within the team. Malik has appealed against his ban and fine and said he had also come to meet his lawyer and decide if he would appear in person before the appeals judge. "I am confident of this ban being lifted soon because I don''t think I have ever done anything that is against the interests of Pakistan cricket," he said. Malik said he had lot of respect for his seniors and got along well with the junior players in the team as well. "I really don''t know why this ban was imposed on me and I had asked my lawyer to get all relevant documents and evidence from the Board which suggest I acted against the team interests," he said. "I want to play for my country again and I want to be there for the Tests in England. I miss playing international cricket," he added. .

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London 2012 Olympics funding not protected from government cuts

Published Thu, May 13 10 10:47 PM

Funding for the London 2012 Olympics will not be protected from government spending cuts needed to bring Britain's record public deficit under control, Culture and Sport Minister Jeremy Hunt said.

Identifying huge budget savings will be one of the first tasks of Prime Minister David Cameron's new coalition government as it takes steps to tackle a deficit running at more than 11 percent of GDP (national output).

"Olympic money is not protected," Hunt told the BBC on Wednesday when asked what cuts his department would be making.

"None of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's budgets are protected and we're looking at all of them and saying, 'Can we save this money without affecting our core services?'"

Hunt said if planned cuts were spread evenly across all government departments, his department would need to find savings of about 66 million pounds ($97.50 million).

The government is planning an initial six billion pounds of cuts this year.

"It is something all government departments have to take responsibility for," he said.

Construction of the Olympic park is on time and within the 9.3 billion pounds budget.

However, in March a parliamentary committee warned the London Games faced a "tight" financial situation, with only 194 million pounds available to cover any new risks in the run up to 2012.

London Mayor Boris Johnson told the BBC that while the budget was not protected, the Olympic Delivery Authority had already made considerable savings and expected it would find more by the time the project is completed.

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You have made country proud, PM tells Anand

Published>Thu, May 13 10 10:17 PM

New Delhi, May 14 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday said Viswanathan Anand, who retained his world chess champion title for the fourth time, has made the country proud.

In his congratulatory message, the prime minister said: 'I am delighted to salute you at your fourth World Chess Championship triumph within a decade.'

'You have made the country proud and I join millions of admirers of the game of chess in celebrating your magnificent triumph,' Manmohan Singh said.

'I understand that your championship game in Sofia was played under the most difficult circumstances but you proved once again that you remain the grandest of Grand Masters,' he added.

Anand had a difficult time reaching the venue in Sofia, Bulgaria, due to the volcanic ash from Iceland that led to flight cancellations all over Europe.

Anand had to take a 40-hour long tiring road journey to reach Sofia.

This is Anand's fourth world chess title. He had previously won in 2000, 2007 and 2008.

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Pak NA standing committee to hold hearing on May 21

Published Thu, May 13 10 10:07 PM

Karachi, May 13 (PTI) Pakistan''s National Assembly standing committee on sports has summoned PCB officials, team management and former captains for a hearing on May 21 that will dwell into the inquiry report on the Australian tour and also the country''s performance in the Twenty20 World Cup in West Indies. Iqbal Muhammad Khan who heads the NA committee said that PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt, Chief Operating Officer Wasim Bari, chief selector Mohsin Khan, former captain and coach Younis Khan and Intikhab Alam, and the present captain, coach and manager of the Pakistan team have been summoned. "We have sent out letters to the Board for the hearing and we expect all of them to be present," Iqbal said. He said regardless of whether Pakistan won the T20 World Cup or not the hearing would be held as it was necessary to dwell into several important cricket issues affecting Pakistan cricket. "The things that have come out in the leaked inquiry report of the PCB on the Australian tour are cause for concern. The NA committee wants to know what action has been taken against players who supposedly took oath to not accept Younis Khan as captain," he said. He said the committee wanted a detailed briefing from the officials concerned on the things that had come out in the inquiry proceedings. "The former coach has called our players ''mentally retarded'' which is a really a serious matter and we want to find out if just punishing seven players is enough," he said. Iqbal said the committee was also interested in finding out the criteria followed in selecting the T20 World Cup squad. "We want to know how Misbah-ul-Haq continues to find a place in the side, we want to know on what basis is the team selection done and we want to know why some more deserving players were left out," he said. Iqbal said the committee would also inquire from the PCB Chairman the purpose of his flying out to the West Indies for the entire duration of the World Cup on Board expenses. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Senate standing committee on sports Ghaffar Qureshi told PTI that the "law ministry had given it clearance to directly write to the ICC to find out if they were any Pakistani players under suspicion or scrutiny for match-fixing." "We have got the clearance and we will now write to the ICC and if they want us to go through the PCB we can also do that but we want to know the truth that is all," he said. PTI COR DB

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PCB proposes to start IPL like league in Middle East

Published Thu, May 13 10 09:57 PM

Karachi, May 13 (PTI) The Pakistan Cricket Board has got approval from the Presidency to launch a IPL like T20 league in middle east in association with Abdul Rehman Bukhatir. Well placed sources in the government said PCB had sent a proposal to the sports ministry and Presidency for approval under which it would be partners with the Bukhatir group of companies in launching the league. "President Asif Zardari who is also PCB chief patron has given his consent to the proposal," one source told PTI. He said that the proposed major cricket league was slated to be launched around October, 2010 in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi . "The concept is the same as the IPL. The major cricket league would have franchised teams around five or six who would be allowed to sign on and play overseas players," the source said. He said initially the idea was to bid out the teams to interested franchises in Pakistan and perhaps the middle east. He added because of security sitcuation in Pakistan the league could not be started in Pakistan but once the situation improves and teams start touring the country the league would also be held in Pakistan. Another source said that Bukhatir, who is well known in cricket circles due to his bold Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) venture in Sharjah, was keen on the MCL as Ten Sports the Dubai based channel would hold broadcasting rights for the T20 tournament. "It is a big opportunity for Pakistan to do something on similar lines as the IPL. The former Chairman Nasim Ashraf had initiated the idea of a Pakistan Premier League but it didn''t work out because of the security conditions in Pakistan that is why the PCB has gone into a joint venture," the source said. The PCB and Bukhatri would now work on getting clearance and support from the International Cricket Council and its member boards and try to find a window for the MCL later this year. Bukhatir suspended the CBFS series in 2003 in Sharjah after the Indian Cricket Board stopped sending its team for the event which spanned over a decade.

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Pak parliamentary committee likely to haul up Md Yousuf

Published Thu, May 13 10 09:51 PM

Karachi, May 13 (PTI) Former Pakistan captain Muhammad Yousuf is likely to be hauled up before the parliamentary committee on sports and asked to respond to the reports that he forced some national team members to take oath against then skipper Younis Khan. Well informed sources said that the National Assembly standing committee was keen to call Yousuf for a hearing on May 21 after the PCB''s inquiry committee report said that Yousuf last year called six-seven players to his hotel room to take oath that they would not cooperate with Younis. "Yousuf who has slipped into the background after announcing his retirement from international cricket after being banned by the PCB in march is likely to be forced to face a tough grilling at the hands of the parliamentarians," one source said. Another former captain Shoaib Malik who was replaced by Younis last year in February, who was in turn replaced by Yousuf in last November for the Test tours to New Zealand and Australia, has said that the oath was taken to ensure that Younis didn''t do any injustice with the players. But a source said that the parliamentary committee was seething that such incidents had taken place in the Pakistan cricket and set the tone for intrigues and politics. "The committee also wants to know if Yawar Saeed who has now gone to the West Indies as manager of the Pakistan team was involved in the whole incident as Younis had accused him of encouraging groupings in the team," the source stated. Yousuf who announced his retirement after the ban was imposed on him is the only player out of seven not to have appealed against the penalties handed out by the PCB on basis of the inquiry report into the Australian tour. Sources close to Yousuf said that he was still angry and upset over the ban and didn''t want to have anything to do with cricket. "I don''t think he is in any mood to make himself available for the forthcoming Test tour to England despite the batting being exposed in the T20 World Cup in the absence of Yousuf, Younis and Shoaib Malik," the source said. The sources said that Yousuf had also been advised his close friend Inzamam-ul-Haq to now stay away from the team. "He is now spending most of his time in religious activities and preaching. But he still practices and has regular nets to keep in touch with cricket as he is not barred from playing domestic cricket or in foreign leagues," the source said. He said there was an offer for Yousuf to go and play in Canada which he has not yet accepted. "He seems more interested in playing some county cricket in England." PTI COR DB

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Verdasco falls to Melzer at Madrid Open

Published Thu, May 13 10 09:47 PM

Local favourite Fernando Verdasco was denied a place in the last eight of the Madrid Open when he was upset 7-5 6-3 by Juergen Melzer in a battle of the big-hitting left-handers on Thursday.

Spanish sixth seed Verdasco, who lost to compatriot Rafa Nadal in the final of last month's Monte Carlo Masters and reached the last four of the Rome Masters, had treatment on what appeared to be an ankle problem at the end of the first set.

He committed 41 unforced errors and unseeded Austrian Melzer dashed the crowd's hopes of a possible semi-final on Saturday between Verdasco and Nadal when he broke the Madrid native for a sixth time on his first match point.

Clay king Nadal plays big-serving American John Isner later on Thursday as he continues his bid for a third straight Masters Series title of the year on the red dust after his triumphs in Monte Carlo and Rome.

World number one Roger Federer, who beat Nadal in last year's final, plays Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka for a place in the last eight, and Briton Andy Murray, the third seed, faces Romanian Victor Hanescu.

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Sri Lanka opt to bat against England

Published>Thu, May 13 10 09:17 PM

Gros Islet (St.Lucia), May 13 (IANS) Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and opted to bat against England in the first semi-final of the World Twenty20 at the Beausejour Stadium here Thursday.

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Sutil impressive in practice sessions

Published Thu, May 13 10 08:51 PM

Monte Carlo, May 13 (PTI) Force India made all the right noise ahead of Sunday''s Monaco Grand Prix with Adrian Sutil positioning himself in the top nine of both the practice sessions here today. The German completed 22 laps in the morning session and his best effort of 1:16.805 placed him ninth in the time-sheet, four places ahead of teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi (1:17.704). Sutil came out with an improved 1:15.460 in the afternoon for the eighth fastest time of the segment, while Liuzzi (1:16.528) came 15th. Hispania driver Karun Chandhok (1:21.853) had an eventful outing as the Indian ran out of grip in the morning session and spun to finish last among 24 drivers, behind teammate Bruno Senna. In the afternoon, Karun lapped his HRT in 1m 20.313s, just ahead of Senna. Ferrari''s Fernando Alonso dominated both the sessions, taking a second off his morning time of 1m 15.927s to post 1m 14.904s in the afternoon.

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Kirsten blasts seven Indian cricketers

Published>Thu, May 13 10 08:47 PM

Gros Islet (St. Lucia), May 13 (IANS) Raising questions about the commitment of some Indian cricketers, coach Gary Kirsten has said even his own fitness is better than some of the younger players in the team.

According to reports, Kirsten had a one-on-one meeting with seven cricketers -- captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma.

Yuvraj, who is having a poor run with the bat since the Indian Premier League (IPL), and Rohit had to face the ire of the South African, who questioned their fitness levels. Kirsten apparently told them that he, at over 42 years of age, was fitter than some of the players.

Kirsten also said that his boys are happy to be No.1 in Tests and number 2 in ODIs but have not shown enough commitment to the World Twenty20.

He will submit a report to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) based on which the board is planning to take some corrective measures.

The BCCI is unhappy that the team has not played up to their expectations.

The Indian team has come under heavy criticism for poor fielding and susceptibility to short-pitched deliveries. They lost all the three matches in the Super Eights and made an exit from the World Twenty20 before the semis for the second consecutive time.

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Kirsten preparing damning report on players: reports

Published Thu, May 13 10 08:37 PM

New Delhi, May 13 (PTI) Several players of the Indian team which made a humiliating exit from the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies are overweight, unfit and indisciplined, reports quoted coach Gary Kirsten as complaining. Kirsten is preparing a report for the BCCI outlining these and other issues plaguing the Indian team, the reports said. When contacted, BCCI spokesman Rajiv Shukla denied reports that the Board has received any e-mail from Kirsten. "We have not received anything from Kirsten in this regard," Shukla said. An angry Kirsten reportedly held one-on-one meeting with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, Rohit Sharma and Zaheer Khan before preparing a damning report on the players'' fitness and behaviour. The South African apparently believes that as many as eight players in the squad are overweight and three of them are in fact unfit for international cricket. He is particularly unhappy with the fitness of Yuvraj and Rohit and the former South African opener in fact feels he himself is fitter than some of the players, reports said. Kirsten reportedly mentions the names of the players who are seeking more ''freedom'' for nightlife. Kirsten is unhappy with the team selection and feels slighted as the selectors did not bother to consult him while picking the squad, according to the reports. Apparently, he, along with bowling coach Eric Simmons and mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton wanted Ishant Sharma in the side but the selectors thought otherwise. Kirsten is also unhappy for he feels the Indian team is content with its Test and ODI rankings and the players lack the commitment to be the Twenty20 world champions.

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Bulgaria captain Berbatov quits national team

Published>Thu, May 13 10 08:27 PM

Bulgaria captain Dimitar Berbatov has quit the national team hinting that fatigue and family commitments were behind his surprise announcement.

"It was a difficult decision but sometimes we have to take difficult decisions," the 29-year old Manchester United striker told a news conference at the Vasil Levski national stadium on Thursday.

"I needed a long time but there's no way back. It's over," said Berbatov, who became Bulgaria's all-time leading scorer last November when he netted his 48th goal in a friendly against Malta on his 74th international appearance.

"There are many reasons behind my decision but I want to say I took it on my own and no one influenced it," added the player who was voted Bulgaria's Footballer of the Year for a record sixth time in January.

"I didn't discuss it with (United manager) Alex Ferguson. I did it with my father and my agent."

"I felt tired at times and I also know there are skilful young lads in the national team who look forward to their chance," Berbatov added.

"You have to know when it's the right time to stop. Things have changed a lot since I was a 20-year-old. I have a family, a daughter now..."

His decision is a stunning blow for Bulgaria coach Stanimir Stoilov who has an uphill task in trying to qualify the Balkan country for the European Championship finals in 2012.

Bulgaria have been drawn with England, Switzerland, Wales and Montenegro in Group G with the first matches scheduled for Sept. 3 when they visit Wembley Stadium.

CRITICAL FANS

"I've already informed him (Stoilov) and I wished him success as I also think he's capable of achieving something big with the national team," said Berbatov."

He had been named in Bulgaria's squad for friendlies in Belgium on May 19 and World Cup hosts South Africa on May 24.

However, Berbatov has been criticised by his country's fans for not playing at his best for the national team and Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) vice-president Yordan Lechkov scolded him recently for "not giving enough on the pitch".

The laid-back striker joined United from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 for a club record fee of 30.75 million pounds ($45.43 million) but soon came under fire from British media and United supporters after failing to reproduce his scoring form.

But he said on Thursday he was happy at United, who finished runners-up to Chelsea in the Premier League this year, and wanted to remain at the Old Trafford club.

"I'm a Man Utd player, I want to stay there and I'll fight for my place. I wake up happy every morning because I know I'm a United player. I don't show my emotions but that doesn't mean I'm not happy."

Asked about speculation he could leave United, Berbatov said: "I don't know anything about an offer from Milan or from any other club. Germany? There's only one team I could play for there and it's Bayer Leverkusen (his former club)."

Berbatov is the second key Bulgarian player to retire from international football this year after Bursaspor goalkeeper Dimitar Ivankov quit after a friendly against Poland in March.

"It's a sad news for all of us because no doubt Berbatov is one the most successful Bulgarian players," said Bulgaria coach Stoilov. "I don't support his decision but I respect it."

National team sporting director Nasko Sirakov added: "Let's face the true, no one can replace Berbatov but his team mates must try to make his absence less noticeable."

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Alonso puts Ferrari on top in Monaco

Published>Thu, May 13 10 08:07 PM

Formula One celebrated its 60th birthday on Thursday with Fernando Alonso's red Ferrari fittingly fastest in practice for the showcase Monaco Grand Prix.

Flying the flag for the only team to have been around since the very first season, the Spaniard dominated both sessions on a tight and twisty street circuit as synonymous with Formula One as his Italian glamour team.

Steering well clear of the unforgiving metal barriers, the double world champion lapped in one minute 15.927 seconds in the morning and then carved more than a second off after lunch with a best time of 1:14.904.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel was second quickest in the first session, 0.073 slower, while Mercedes's Nico Rosberg pushed his fellow German into third place in the afternoon.

Neither of the two 90-minute sessions saw any major incidents, despite there being six more cars on track than last year due to the three all-new teams that have made their debuts since then.

The slowest car on track, the HRT driven by Brazilian rookie Bruno Senna, was more than seven seconds off the pace set by Alonso.

Australian Mark Webber, winner in Spain on Sunday for Red Bull, was fourth fastest in the first session but dropped back to 10th in the second.

SCHUMACHER FIFTH

Germany's seven times world champion Michael Schumacher ended the day fifth fastest for Mercedes.

The former Ferrari ace was making his first appearance on track in Monaco since a now-infamous 2006 race when he was sent to the back of the starting grid by stewards who ruled he had deliberately blocked rivals in qualifying.

If Schumacher were to win for Mercedes on Sunday, he would equal the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna's record of six wins in the principality.

World champion Jenson Button, last year's winner for Brawn, was eighth and ninth respectively for McLaren and behind 2008 champion and team mate Lewis Hamilton in both.

The Automobile Club de Monaco marshals and fire crews, always the trendiest in F1 with their mirror shades and red and gold helmets, were rarely troubled on a bright morning on the Mediterranean coast.

They, and the fans sunning themselves in the harbourside grandstands and yachts moored along the quay, could soak up the atmosphere as the day got off to a quiet start and before a sprinkle of rain dampened spirits in the afternoon.

The first proper timed lap of the morning came after 20 minutes, with the noise levels rising and the wail of engines bouncing off buildings and reverberating through the tunnel as a stream of cars left the pits.

Alonso, a double world champion who took back-to-back Monaco victories for Renault and McLaren in 2006 and 2007, was 0.109 seconds clear of Rosberg in the afternoon with the rain preventing anyone beating his time.

The only drivers to test the ring of steel around the circuit were Indian rookie Karun Chandhok, whose HRT skimmed the barriers at Massanet, and Japan's Kamui Kobayashi in a Sauber at the swimming pool complex.

The first Formula One championship race, the British Grand Prix, was held at Silverstone on May 13, 1950. Ferrari made their debut in Monaco a week later.

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PCA goes strict on fitness level of players

Published Thu, May 13 10 07:51 PM

Chandigarh, May 13 (PTI) Concerned over deteriorating fitness standards of players, the Punjab Cricket Association has issued a stern warning to its cricketers, saying that only those would be selected in the state Ranji team who will meet certain fitness standards. The PCA is organising a pre-Ranji season camp and will select probables on May 16. They have chalked out a plan according to which players will have to concentrate on physical training and attend camps. Arrangements have been made with IPL side Kings XI Punjab''s Physiotherapist Patrick Farahat and Trainer Andrain Dius for camps in the off season. A MOU has been signed with them and they have been directed to draw a comprehensive off season plan. "They will be joined by the PCA physio and the trainers of various regional centers in this exercise," a statement by PCA Honorary Secretary M P Pandove said. Pandove said Twenty20 format has badly disturbed the approach and discipline of the youngsters. "The reasons are obvious. That is disproportionate remuneration between Twenty20 format of IPL and National tournaments like Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy which are alluring them to that brand of shorter version of cricket then state and national level cricket," he said. He regretted that the players ignored the running exercises which enabled them to build their stamina which is very essential for the longer version of the game. "Any player who does not conform to the fitness levels laid down shall not be considered for the state team even if he is playing elsewhere or any stature," he warned.

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Assam women archers accuse coach of sexual abuse

Published>Thu, May 13 10 07:47 PM

Guwahati, May 13 (IANS) A group of women archers in Assam Thursday accused their main coach of sexually abusing and harassing them during training sessions and demanded strict punishment for him.

A group of 14 women archers today alleged persistent sexual harassment by Sports Authority of India (SAI) archery coach Gunin Changmai over the last two years.

'The women archers told us about how the coach misbehaved with the women trainees and at times even physically abusing some of them both inside and outside the training arena,' Jayanta Boro, president of the All Assam Archery Association, told journalists.

Some of the women archers were also present during the press conference and narrated their sordid experience.

'The coach also ill treated some of the male trainees,' Boro said.

The women archers are now demanding stern action against the coach.

'As per norms, the coach should be removed from the post and punished,' one of the women archers said requesting not to be named.

'Most of us are victims of sexual abuse by the coach. He not only passed obscene and lewd comments, but also touched our private parts when we were alone.'

The women archers have since given a formal complaint to SAI against the coach.

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Former IFA Jt-secy Ranjit Gupta dies

Published Thu, May 13 10 07:37 PM

Kolkata, May 13 (PTI) Former Indian Football Association Joint-secretary Ranjit Gupta, who met with a road accident yesterday, died in a city hospital here today. The 74-year-old was hit from behind by a speedy motorcycle near Moulali last evening, according to an official of the IFA. "He suffered serious injuries to his head and was rushed to the hospital. He succumbed to the brain haemorrhage this afternoon, at around 1.10pm," said the official. Gupta, who represented the Victoria Club, was the IFA Joint-secretary from 1995-2002. He is survived by wife and son.

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Lahiri well poised to clinch Aamby Valley title

Published Thu, May 13 10 07:07 PM

Pune, May 13 (PTI) Anirban Lahiri stood well poised to clinch the title in the Aircel PGTI Professional Golf Championship at the Aamby Valley Golf Course near Lonavla after holding a six-stroke lead on the penultimate day of the Rs 30-lakh tournament. The Bangalore professional was two strokes off his sizzling cards of seven-under 65 on the first two days and his five-under 67 on day three left him with a total aggregate of 19-under 197. Six strokes behind the sole leader was Delhi''s Shamim Khan who shot six-under 66, the best for the day, and in third place, a further four strokes adrift, were veteran Ashok Kumar and Kunal Bhasin who returned an identical score four-under 68. Tied in fifth spot were Abhishek Jha and Rafick Ali Mollah, at eight-under 208 while three others - Vijay Kumar, Digvijay Singh and Md Siddikur Rehman of Bangladesh were joint seventh one stroke further behind. Lahiri fired three birdies but also dropped a shot on the outward stretch of nine holes and had a slightly better return leg with three more birdies to his credit. Shamim returned the best score for the day with the help of seven birdies, undermine by a lone bogey, while Kumar''s game fluctuated as he came up with seven birdies but also tripped by dropping three strokes. Bhasin had four birdies and one bogey on the outward nine before finishing on par at all the holes on the home leg.

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Critics, ex-players want to axe Smith, Kallis and Boucher from Proteas 20-20 squad

Published>Thu, May 13 10 06:47 PM

Cape Town (South Africa), May 13 (ANI): Critics have said that it is time for South African cricketing stalwarts Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher to make way for better performers in the Tweny20 format.

Former South African convenor of selectors Omar Henry is demanding the heads of the trio in the country's Twenty20 side.

"I would axe Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and even Graeme Smith from the T20 team. I believe we need to build a new side and head in a new direction," Sports24 quoted Henry, as saying.

Even though he was very critical of Smith's captaincy in the tournament, he would keep the captain and Kallis in the squad until next year's World Cup on the subcontinent.

"Kallis is worth a lot as an all-rounder in 50-over cricket. I would retain Smith as captain, but he would have to agree to a number of changes in how he goes about his job," added Henry.

Henry was unimpressed with the decision to let Kallis open the batting.

Kallis managed an impressive 171 runs in the tournament, but his strike rate was only 116.32, Some of the other opening batsmen that performed well scored their runs at a faster rate.

Majola said it would be dangerous to jump to conclusions in the heat of the moment.

"I don't recognise the South African team that played there. We weren't even close to being in the picture in this tournament. It was a shock to see those performances. I'm looking for answers," he said.

Former South African coach Ray Jennings said that the question needed to be asked who was calling the shots in the team. (ANI)

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Somdev loses in Zagreb ATP Challenger event

Published Thu, May 13 10 06:21 PM

New Delhi, May 13 (PTI) Somdev Devvarman''s struggle on the ATP circuit continued as the fifth seed Indian crashed out of the Zagreb Challenger event after suffering a first round defeat against unseeded Yuri Schukin. Somdev lost the fiercely fought opening round 6-7(3) 6-1 1-6 to his Kazakhstan opponent. Somdev has another tough task at hand in the doubles event as he and partner Ryan Harris are up against third seeds Nicolas Massu of Chile and Lukas Rossol of Czech Republic in the quarter-finals of the USD 50,000 clay court event. Meanwhile, Prakash Amritraj''s campaign ended in the doubles event as well after losing the opening round along with Roko Karanusic of Croatia. They lost 4-6 6-3 8-10 to Hungry''s Attila Balazs and David Savic of Serbia. Prakash is already out of singles event after losing his first round match.

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Negi shares lead with two others in Commonwealth Chess

Published>Thu, May 13 10 06:17 PM

New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) Second seed and leader of Indian hopes Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi, his city-mate Grandmaster Sriram Jha and Russian Grandmaster Pavel Maletin share the lead with five and half points after the sixth round matches in the Parsvnath Commonwealth Chess Championship here Thursday.

Opting to play Ruy Lopez opening with white pieces, Negi outwitted his rival Uzbek Grandmaster Saidali Iuldachev in 37 moves. Playing safe with black pieces, Jha settled for an eighteen move draw against Maletin Pavel by three-fold repetition.

Meanwhile, continuing his fine show in the championship, young Tamil Nadu International Master K. Priyadharshan held top seed Russian Grandmaster Alexey Dreev to a creditable draw.

Playing with white pieces in advanced variation of Caro-Kan defence, Priyadharshan forced his fancied rival to settle for half point in 47 moves. Earlier in the fourth and fifth rounds, Priyadharshan beat Grandmaster Pablo Lafuente of Argentina and Marat Dzhumaev of Uzbekistan.

In other sixth round encounters, Asian Chess Championship bronze medal winner Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta signed the peace treaty with his Ukrainian rival Martyn Kravtsiv while Abhijit Kunte and B Adhiban settled for sharing points with S Nitin and Stany GA, respectively. Grandmaster Ruslan Pogorelov of Ukraine continued to find it difficult to handle the Indian youngsters as he succumbed to another defeat in the tourney at the hands of Tamilnadu teenager J. Saranya.

Negi will take on Jha while Maletin is paired against top seed Dreev in crucial seventh round matches Friday.

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Solar energy lights in Talkatora Indoor Stadium

Published Thu, May 13 10 06:07 PM

New Delhi, May 13 (PTI) The newly-upgraded Talkatora Indoor Stadium, selected as the competition venue for boxing in the Commonwealth Games to be held here later this year, now has energy-efficient solar lights. Sixty solar energy lights have been installed in the compound of the stadium as part of the initiative of ''Green and Clean'' Delhi for the mega event. "An ISO-certified company Linkage Technologies Inc has installed the lights in the compound of Talkatora stadium. These lights are made of LED chips, which consume minimum energy. The 60 watt LED lights provide more illumination than 400 watt sodium vapour lamps," officials of New Delhi Municipal Council, which renovated the stadium, said. The average life time of each LED light is 50,000 hours. Because of the advanced technology, these lights require very little maintenance, they said adding, these will get switched on after sunset and switched off after sunrise automatically. This effort of NDMC is a step for environment protection and energy conservation, they said. The Talkatora Stadium, upgraded at a cost of Rs 150 crore, was inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) Chairman Suresh Kalmadi on February 24. The stadium has been provided acoustic ceiling, new score board, video screens and sports lighting. There are warm-up cubicles space and lobbies, CCTVs for security and addressable fire fighting alarm system. During the Games, the ground floor of the block will be provided with the facility of athlete cubicles, medical office and physiotherapy unit, warm up area, athlete lounge and first floor will have a doping control office, federation office, technical official and meeting room.

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Collingwood confident of team abilities, doesn't require a Churchillian speech

Published>Thu, May 13 10 05:53 PM

London, May 13 (ANI): Ahead of today's T20 World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka, England skipper Paul Collingwood is so confident about his team that he says it will not require a Churchillian speech to rally them ahead of the crucial game.

Collingwood has so much faith in 'the most powerful England team' he has ever seen that a grand speech would be of no use for him.

Commenting on his team business in the Caribbean and playing in a fearless style, Collingwood joked: "Just call me brave."

"I don't need a speech to be honest. The guys are ready and they are excited to have a crack at reaching a world final. If there was a feeling around the camp that the guys are nervous or anything like that, then maybe something would have to be said," The Mirror quoted him, as saying.

"But the guys are so focused in the jobs they've got to do and the roles they've got to play. We'll have a team meeting before the game, but let me tell you I'm not going to come out with any rip-roaring speech," Collingwood said.

"The guys are just so confident in the jobs they're doing. We look at areas we can improve, and you can be a little bit pernickety, but we're certain that if we put similar performances in we're going to win," The Mirror quoted him, as saying.

"There are no nerves in the camp and it is certainly the most powerful England side that I've played in. When you look down the team sheet at the ability to hit sixes, it gives you confidence," Collingwood said.

England will make one change with Pietersen coming back in for Ravi Bopara. (ANI)

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Indian team in pub brawl

Published>Thu, May 13 10 05:47 PM

Team India has been booted out of the T20 World Cup in West Indies and they went pubbing thereafter to drown their sorrows.

Indian cricket team's trouble doesn't end with their ouster from Twenty20 World Cup with reports suggesting that some of the players were involved in a pub brawl here even though Yuvraj Singh dismissed the claim.

According to reports, six Indian players went to a local pub, Tequila Joe's, on Wednesday night where fans started taunting and abusing them for their failure to reach the semifinal of the Twenty20 World Cup.

Pacer Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan apparently lost their cool and got into a confrontation with the fans and Yuvraj had to intervene to calm down his teammates, reports claimed.

Yuvraj himself, however, denied the reports.

"There was no fight, not even an argument," Yuvraj wrote on his Twitter page, asking the media not to "make up stories".

Harbhajan Singh, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina were also present on the occasion, reports said.

The Indian team under Mahendra Singh Dhoni could not win a single Super Eight stage match and crashed out with a defeat against Sri Lanka that left legions of their fans disappointed.

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Pak must aim at wickets to win T20 title: Imran Khan

Published>Thu, May 13 10 05:31 PM

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan has said that the Shahid Afridi led team should adopt a 'wicket taking' policy rather than just focussing on preventing other teams from scoring runs, if it has to move further in the ICC World T20 World Championship.

He said Afridi should adopt the same strategy which was adopted by the 1992 World Cup winning Pakistan squad, which was to look for wickets.

"This is what the Aussies have been doing and this has made them a great team," Imran said.

Pakistan would be taking on Australia in the second semi-final of the T20 championship at St.Lucia on Friday.

He also suggested that Pakistan should use fast bowler Mohammed Asif as an attacking bowler, and not as a 'run stopper'.

Imran, one of Pakistan's most successful captains, said that batting was Pakistan's main problem in the on going tournament, as apart from opener Salman Butt none of the other batsmen have fired so far.

He said that since Pakistan's batting has not been upto the mark, Afridi should always look to bat first rather than chasing.

He also suggested some changes in the batting order, saying Afridi should bring himself and Misbah-ul-Haq up the order so that they can accumulate maximum runs when the ball is new and hard.

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Doping standoff won't bite WC: Shetty

Published>Thu, May 13 10 05:21 PM

Stand off between cricket authorities and the World Anti-Doping Agency over the controversial "whereabouts" clause in the WADA Anti-Doping Code is unlikely to create any problem for the 2011 ICC World Cup, feels tournament director Ratnakar Shetty.

"I don't foresee a problem. WADA has told ICC it's their problem to get it resolved. BCCI (Indian cricket board) has expressed certain concerns only about the whereabouts clause, nothing more than that," Shetty, who is also BCCI's chief administrative officer, said.

"ICC, WADA officials and BCCI had a meeting three months back in Dubai. It went off very well where we made it very clear that India is not opposed to the dope test, it's only about the whereabouts clause where 24 hours the sportsman has to file in the details. That could be resolved," Shetty explained.

"We are seeking the support of other boards also. Mr N Srinivasan (BCCI secretary) and Mr Shashank Manohar (BCCI president) have been working with other cricket boards as well as with ICC to find an early solution to this problem.

"Cricket is a team game and you have got ample opportunities to test any one at any time. It need not be in a tournament, could be before the tournament whenever they are practicing you can do the test. So why have this stringent clause, which can be easily resolved," he added.

The WADA whereabouts clause has been opposed by top Indian players who are of the view that it infringes on their right to privacy and also is a potential security threat.

The cricketers have been backed by BCCI while the ICC has suspended the clause.

Shetty was not willing to talk about a potential problem arising if Pakistan make it to the final of next year's World Cup scheduled for Mumbai, home of the Shiv Sena, which is vehemently opposed to Pakistani cricketers participation on Indian soil, especially in Maharashtra.

"I would not like to comment at this stage because that is something which is a still a far off thing. The only chance of Pakistan playing (in India) would be if they reach the final," he said.

All of Pakistan's share of matches in the World Cup have been scheduled in Sri Lanka.

The World Cup Director said that the organisers have almost closed out all the travel and accommodation arrangements of the teams during their campaign in the tournament to be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"We have more or less closed the accommodation of teams and their travel arrangements internally. Fortunately, both Jet Airways and Kingfisher are flying to both Colombo and Dhaka. We will be more or less closing everything in another ten days, the airlines partner and hotel accommodation," Shetty said.

Shetty, who is also the treasurer of the Mumbai Cricket Association, said each of the competing teams would be provided with two practice games ahead of the mega tournament to be held in February-March next year.

"Practice matches are slated in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Every team has got two practice games before the World Cup starts.

"In India the two practice matches will be played at Chennai. Bangalore will host two practice matches and Nagpur will also host two practice games. That's based only on the logistical part. There will be about six games in Bangladesh and the remaining in Sri Lanka," he said.

Tickets would go on sale online from June 1 and five per cent of them at each venue will be available online, according to Shetty.

"ICC has announced that on 1st of June we are going to launch online sale of tickets. People all round the globe can book tickets," he said.

"Ticket sales at the counters will start closer to the games. Box office tickets will be done online. Probably that will happen only in the last 15-20 days before the match because physical delivery of the tickets, as a rule, is only seven days before a game. Every state association, therefore, will organise their own ticket sales. Part of it will be online, part will be box office," Shetty said.

Shetty said though the ICC is looking at alternative venues to be kept ready for the matches in case of any eventuality, it will fructify only at a later stage.

"As of now we have not really thought of that (contingency plan). One of the things ICC looks for is that alternate venues have to be kept ready which, I think, may come up a little later. As of now we are focused on these 13 venues (in three host countries)," he said.

"There are no reserve days for the matches, including the final in case of interference by the weather. Hopefully it (rain) should not disturb in that part of the season but one never knows now," the tournament director said.

Shetty said each host association or host board, as the case may be, will be taking insurance cover for the matches.

"Every match will be insured by the state association.

As per the ICC guidelines, ticket income goes to the host association and host board. Like they do in a bilateral series, every association will have their own insurance policies for the matches and the particular boards will take care of the insurance for the players. That is also now streamlined by ICC," he said.

Shetty stated that media accreditation for the event would be done as per the ICC guidelines.

"ICC has brought strict guidelines on that (media accreditation) and they monitor the whole programme. Whatever ICC guidelines are applicable for their events will be strictly followed in India, which includes central accreditation, and even local accreditation at venues wherever it's possible to accommodate people," Shetty said.

"We have asked all the venues to revamp their media boxes to accommodate more media people," he said.

Shetty said though there is a central organizing committee headed by Sharad Pawar with representatives from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on it, each host country has its own local organising committee with the presidents of the respective cricket boards heading them.

"We have a central organising committee with Mr Pawar as the Chairman and we have representatives from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. And each country has got a local

organising committee with their (board) President as the chairman," he said.

"There's one host tournament director in each of these countries who will co-ordinate activities in that country - for Sri Lanka it's Suraj Dandanayake, India its Sury Nayak and Ali Hassan for Bangladesh," Shetty informed.

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Pak must aim at wickets to win T20 title: Imran Khan

Published>Thu, May 13 10 05:17 PM

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan has said that the Shahid Afridi led team should adopt a 'wicket taking' policy rather than just focussing on preventing other teams from scoring runs, if it has to move further in the ICC World T20 World Championship.

He said Afridi should adopt the same strategy which was adopted by the 1992 World Cup winning Pakistan squad, which was to look for wickets.

"This is what the Aussies have been doing and this has made them a great team," Imran said.

Pakistan would be taking on Australia in the second semi-final of the T20 championship at St.Lucia on Friday.

He also suggested that Pakistan should use fast bowler Mohammed Asif as an attacking bowler, and not as a 'run stopper'.

Imran, one of Pakistan's most successful captains, said that batting was Pakistan's main problem in the on going tournament, as apart from opener Salman Butt none of the other batsmen have fired so far.

He said that since Pakistan's batting has not been upto the mark, Afridi should always look to bat first rather than chasing.

He also suggested some changes in the batting order, saying Afridi should bring himself and Misbah-ul-Haq up the order so that they can accumulate maximum runs when the ball is new and hard.

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Australian T20 team has best depth: Mark Waugh

Published>Thu, May 13 10 02:53 PM

Melbourne, May 13 (ANI): After struggling to come to grips with the short format since it became an international fixture in 2005, Australia are now one win from advancing to their first World Twenty20 final

Former Opener Mark Waugh believes the selectors have sent a squad to this year's tournament with the "best depth of any team going around."

"They have nine blokes that can hit the ball over the fence and three guys that can bowl the ball 150kmh," Waugh told foxsports.com.au.

"Even if they lose a couple of early wickets, they've still got the depth to keep going hard, where as a lot of other teams really only have two or three batsmen they can rely on," he said.

Australia has demolished opposition bowling attacks on their way to five straight victories and bowling trio of Dirk Nannes, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait have struck fear in the hearts of opponents.

"It doesn't matter what form of the game - if you've got fast bowlers, batsmen don't like it. And we've got three guys that bowl 150kmh - I haven't seen any team collar our fast bowlers. They are all coming in from different angles with unorthodox bowling styles.

"Dirk Nannes is a hard bowler to pick up - his action's a bit ungainly - and Shaun Tait has a very different action as well," Fox Sports quoted Waugh, as saying.

If they can defeat Pakistan again, Australia will have achieved their best result at the tournament and made amends for their exit at the group stages in England last year.(ANI)

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Serena Williams knocked out of Madrid Masters

Published>Thu, May 13 10 02:47 PM

Top-ranked Serena Williams was knocked out of the Madrid Masters, falling 4-6 6-2 6-3 to Nadia Petrova of Russia in the third round.

Petrova, who has won 19 doubles titles, on Wednesday frustrated Williams into making 41 errors by hitting accurately from the baseline. The 16th-seeded Petrova served 10 aces to advance to the quarterfinals.

Williams had looked out of form in a marathon match against Vera Dushevina on Tuesday, which lasted 3 hours, 26 minutes. It was the longest match of her career.

Last year, Williams was beaten in the opening round in her first appearance at the Madrid Masters.

"I wasn't moving my fastest but all I could do was try and do the best. I don't know. I definitely wasn't at my best," said Williams, who criticised the tournament for its scheduling. "This isn't a player-favourite tournament, just to be honest. None of the players are really gung-ho about playing here."

Second-seeded Rafael Nadal advanced to the third round with a 6-4 6-3 win against Ukrainian qualifier Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr.

Nadal broke early to take control of the first set, although Dolgopolov pressured the Spaniard's serve in the second with some blistering ground strokes.

A superb forehand down the line by Nadal gave him a breakpoint which he converted to go 4-3 up in the second.

Dolgopolov saved a match point serving at 5-3 down but Nadal still broke to close out the match.

Nadal was in the Madrid Masters on the back of tournament wins in Monte Carlo and Rome. The 2005 champion and 2009 finalist is hoping to extend the record for ATP World Tour 1000 titles of 17 he shares with Andre Agassi.

At 21, the 62-ranked Dolgopolov is the youngest player in the ATP top 100.

"He is very unusual and very difficult to play against.

He is very fast with his shots and he has a fast serve too," said Nadal.

"It was an important victory for me because for a moment the match wasn't under control."

Earlier, fifth-seeded Andy Roddick withdrew from the tournament before his second-round match against Feliciano Lopez due to illness. Lopez instead played and beat Spanish countryman Oscar Hernandez, who failed to qualify.

"In the end it's positive not having to play against Roddick, although I was looking forward to playing him, it would have been a fun match. But now I just have to be happy to be in the next round," said Lopez.

Seventh-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga withdrew injured from his match with Guillermo Garcia-Lopez after losing the first set 6-2.

Spain's Nicolas Almagro upset fourth-seeded Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-4 7-5 to set up a meeting with Juan Monaco of Argentina.

Andy Murray, the 2008 winner, enjoyed a smooth passage through to the third round, beating Argentine qualifier Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3 6-3. The third-seeded Murray hit 32 winners.

"It was the best I have hit the ball in a long time. I felt comfortable on the court," Murray said. "I didn't serve that well in the first set, but in the second I started to serve a lot better and started to hit winners."

Other winners were John Isner of the United States, who plays Nadal in the next round, and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.

In the women's draw, fourth-seeded Venus Williams beat Francesca Schiavone of Italy 3-6 6-1 6-2 to move into the fourth round.

In the second round, seventh-seeded Jelena Jankovic beat fellow Serb Ana Ivanovic 4-6 6-4 6-1.

"It wasn't my best tennis," said Jankovic. "I can't expect myself to play so great, it's my first match here in Madrid and it's high altitude and all that but I got through and that is the most important thing. I get to play today."

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