Commonwealth Games: Queen's baton arrives in India

Published>Fri, Jun 25 10 11:43 AM

Amritsar, June 25 (ANI): The Queen's Baton Relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) arrived in India from Pakistan via the Wagah Border on Friday.

The baton entered India at 9.30 a.m.

The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee head, Suresh Kalmadi, received the baton from his Pakistani counterpart, Lt General Syed Arif Hassan.

Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Commonwealth Games Federation chief Michael Fennell, and other sportspersons were present at the event.

On Saturday, the relay will proceed to Jalandhar, Phillaur and then Ludhiana in Punjab. It will again go on public display at Patiala.

On Sunday, the relay will move to Hoshiarpur and Pathankot.

On Monday, it will be handed over to the state and Olympics authorities of Jammu and Kashmir.

The baton will cover most states and union territories, travelling a distance of over 20,000 km, before finally reaching New Delhi on September 30.

The Queen's Baton relay is a torch race symbolising the unity and shared ideals of the Commonwealth of nations. It carries a message from the head of the Commonwealth of Nations, currently Queen Elizabeth II of the UK.

The baton has the ability to capture images and sound as it travels throughout the nations of the Commonwealth. With Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, it can be tracked through exact location. (ANI)

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India''s Asia Cup triumph was expected: Gul

Published Fri, Jun 25 10 11:21 AM

Karachi, Jun 25 (PTI) Pakistan pacer Umar Gul says India''s Asia Cup title triumph is hardly a surprise as the conditions in Sri Lanka were just perfect for them to end a 15-year-old trophy drought at the event. "It didn''t surprise me even though India lost the league match to Sri Lanka. But given the conditions in Dambulla and the fact that the ball does seam around under lights, India had the better and more experienced pace attack to cope with the pressure of a high profile final and their bowlers came good," he said. "I thought Praveen Kumar set the tone for the other Indian bowlers with his new ball spell while Ashish Nehra produced a magical spell," he added Fit again after recovering from a shoulder injury, Gul said being forced out of the Twenty20 World Cup and the Asia Cup because of it were the biggest disappointments of his career. Gul, one of Pakistan''s leading bowlers, returns to international cricket with the upcoming tour of England after missing the Twenty20 World Cup and the Asia Cup due to the freak injury he sustained during a training camp set up before the World Cup in Lahore. "Missing these two major events were the biggest disappointments of my career but one has to cope with such situations. I am just glad I am fit again and back in the team," Gul told PTI in an interview. The pacer has taken 96 wickets in 26 Tests, 103 wickets in 69 one-dayers and another 43 wickets in 26 Twenty20 internationals. "But all that is history now. I have recovered completely from the shoulder problem and have started bowling again. I am 100 percent fit but it is a long tour in England and I have been advised by the PCB medical panel to take care of myself," he said. Gul said he saw the coming Twenty20 and Test series against Australia in England as a litmus test for Pakistan and himself. "We lost badly in Australia and we were again beaten in the World T20 Cup by them and this is our best opportunity to start winning against them." "Our Test series against Australia will set the tone for the rest of the English summer if we can do well against them I am sure we can also go on do well against England who are an improved side now," Gul said.

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India inch closer to victory as 7th Sri Lankan wicket falls

Published>Fri, Jun 25 10 11:17 AM

New Delhi, June 24 -- Chasing a victory target of 269, Sri Lanka lost seven wickets for a meagre total of 132 runs as India moved closer to breaking their losing streak in the finals.

Sehwag's replacement Karthik gave a fiery start to India scoring the lone half-century of the Indian innings. Skipper Dhoni's partnership with Rohit Sharma saw the middle order take India to a competitive score of 268. Both Dhoni and Sharma fell short of completing their fifties by a few runs.

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India win toss, elect to bat against Sri Lanka

Published>Fri, Jun 25 10 11:07 AM

Dambulla, June 24 -- India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat against Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup i Dambulla on Thursday. Chasing their first Asia Cup title in 15 years, India made two changes to the side that lost by seven wickets against the Lankans in a preliminary match on Tuesday. As expected, pacer Ashish Nehra and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh were back in the side in place of Ashok Dinda and Pragyan Ojha. For Sri Lanka, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara returned to the team. Thilina Kandamby was brought in to replace Thilan Samaraweera. The Teams: India: India: M S Dhoni (c), Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra.

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The house with a history

Published>Fri, Jun 25 10 10:47 AM

Johannesburg, June 25 -- Getting to Vilakazi Street in easy once in Soweto. Just follow the tourist trail. Made famous by pacifists acknowledged with Nobel Peace Prizes, this narrow street has Desmond Tutu's white house by the corner and the world's most famous 'match-box house', where Nelson Mandela lived, a little distance uphill. The number of tourist buses parked by 8115 Orlando West - a red, single-storey house - where everyone is in some team shirt or scarf is just another example of the World Cup going beyond football. Now a museum, the 60 rand (Rs 364.77 approx) entry ticket has a picture of Mandela with the World Cup and a football above which 2010 is emblazoned. Yellow slabs embedded among red bricks mentioning important dates in Mandela's life make the trip inside the house self-explanatory but inputs from Madonna, our elderly guide in close-cropped curls and long coat, help. Mandela and his first wife, Evelyn Ntoko Mase, came to live here in 1946, the house being allotted to Evelyn because she was a nurse. "Apart from when he left the country, in 1961, to seek support for the African National Congress, this was where he lived till life imprisonment (1964) and again in 1991," Madonna said. Mandela donated this house to the Soweto Heritage Trust in 1997 and two years later, it was declared a national monument. Surrounded by a courtyard that has a tea table and two chairs, all painted white, the house can be entered through the kitchen on one side and the living area on the other. Preserved inside is the original dining table - bought by the government when the house was restored in 2008-09 after Winnie Mandela, the second wife, had sold it - the brown leather sofa, the single bed and archaic phone Mandela used.

Of all the pictures that adorn the walls, the one of Mandela standing full length in suit with his dog reaching up to him looks the brightest. In this frame by the portico, Mandela is smiling. As if welcoming visitors to his house and to this "Rainbow Nation' he helped build.

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Place matter before General Body: Modi

Published>Fri, Jun 25 10 10:17 AM

Mumbai, June 25 -- The never ending Lalit Modi-N Srinivasan saga took another turn on Wednesday when the suspended IPL chairman demanded his suspension be "placed before the General Body" of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, circulated a six-page letter to all BCCI members on June 19, convening a Special General Body meeting on July 3. The purpose - to ratify his decision to refer Modi's replies to three show-cause notices to the Board's disciplinary committee. Mentioning his displeasure over not being informed about the decision, Modi wrote a letter to Srinivasan on Wednesday. "I wish to make it absolutely clear that I do not accept the legality of any of your suggestions, findings or recommendations," Modi wrote. Modi also reiterated his earlier accusation of Srinivasan acting out of malice. "It has also become absolutely clear that you are acting out of malice. Further, it is obvious that if any enquiry is warranted, it should be into your conduct rather than into the meaningless, trumped up allegations levelled in the show cause notice," Modi wrote. And he had a demand too: "Your decision will be recalled - the general body will be duly informed that your so called decision is your private view in the matter, and it is for them to decide the way forward." Wadia backs Modi Ness Wadia may be on the verge of offloading his stake in the Kings XI Punjab team, but he is still backing Lalit Modi. "We miss Lalit Modi. It was different (when Modi was heading the IPL)," Wadia said. "I hope he gets a fair trial. Hopefully things will work out and he will be back soon." Kochi allotted first ODI in OZ tour of India Kochi: Big time cricket is returning to Kerala after three years, with the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here being chosen as venue for the first ODI of the India-Australia seven-match series in October. The schedule - Australia visit: Sep 27-29: Three-day practice match at Mohali, Oct 2-6: 1st Test at Mohali, Oct 10-14: 2nd Test at Bangalore, Oct 19: 1st ODI at Kochi Oct 22: 2nd ODI in Goa, Oct 24: 3rd ODI at Vishakapatnam New Zealand visit: Nov 4-8: 1st Test at Ahmedabad, Nov 12-16: 2nd Test at Kanpur, Nov 20-24: 3rd Test at Mumbai, ODI venues (schedule of matches to be decided later): Bangalore, Mohali, Chennai, Guwahati and Hyderabad. ICC centenary medal presented to Bindra Cardiff: The ICC on Thursday honoured Inderjit Bindra, the ICC's Principal Advisor, with a volunteer medal for his services to cricket during the second one-day international between England and Australia here. ICC President David Morgan presented the medal. Bindra has been involved in Indian cricket for over three decades. He has acted as President of the BCCI and presided over the Punjab Cricket Association. Scotland 'A' stun India 'A' Glasgow: India 'A' opener Ajinkya Rahane's century went in vain as a resolute Scotland beat the visitors by one wicket in a thrilling List 'A' cricket match here. Chasing a stiff 277-run target, Scotland were tottering at 64/7 at one stage before staging a comeback to win.

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CWG 2010 Queen's baton arrives in India

Published>Fri, Jun 25 10 09:57 AM

Attari (Punjab), June 25 (IANS) Marking the first big event on Indian soil for the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) to be held in New Delhi in October, the Queen's baton for the event arrived Friday at the Attari border between India and Pakistan.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi, other dignitaries and leading sports personalities, including host city New Delhi's Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, were in attendance at the border outpost as the baton was handed over by Pakistan's Olympic Association officials led by Lt. Gen Arif Hassan.

The Attari border checkpost, about 30 km from Amritsar in Punjab, wore a colourful and festive look despite tight security arrangements for the baton arrival event. Popular song 'Chak de, India' was played at the checkpost since morning to welcome the baton.

Hundreds of people, officials and mediapersons gathered here for the arrival of the baton.

The baton, after a colourful ceremony, begins its journey in India. It will be taken to Sikh holy city of Amritsar and remain there till Friday night.

The baton will travel through most states in India, covering 20,000 km, before reaching New Delhi for the 2010 CWG to be held Oct 3-14.

'Bhangra' and 'Gidda' dancers, performers from Rajasthan and other states, traditional music instruments and security bands added to the festive atmosphere at the border checkpost as the baton arrived in India.

Sufi singers Wadali brothers and popular singer, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, performed at the ceremony to mark its arrival.

The baton travelled nearly 170,000 km through nearly 70 Commonwealth countries before arriving in the host country for the 2010 Games.

The 2010-CWG is the biggest sporting event being hosted by India after the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi.

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Commonwealth baton arrives in India today

Published>Fri, Jun 25 10 09:07 AM

Amritsar: According to reports from NDTV, the Queen's Baton Relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games will cross over to India from Pakistan at the Wagah border, after covering more than 1,70,000 kms and 70 nations.

Pakistan Olympic Association President Lt Gen Syed Arif Hassan will hand over the baton to his Indian counterpart Suresh Kalmadi at the event.

The Commonwealth Games, now just 100 days away is all set to be the country biggest sporting event after the Asian Games in 1982.

For more details, click: Queen's baton arrives in India today

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India beat Sri Lanka, regain Asia Cup

Published>Fri, Jun 25 10 08:51 AM

Dambulla, June 24 -- Ashish Nehra took off like a plane after sending back Mahela Jayawardene in his second over. It was the 14th over of the Sri Lankan innings and the match was tantalizingly poised. Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara were just grafting in for a long vigil when the wicket fell. MS Dhoni looked pleased like a punch and the celebration continued when Angelo Mathews sent a nick in the same over. Sri Lanka slumped to 50 for 4 and India were clearly on top of the match. The Indian seamer had saved his best for the final and, on Thursday, Sri Lanka petered out without a fight. Chasing 269 for victory, the hosts folded up for 187, handing India an 81-run victory. The visitors finally ended their Asia Cup drought and won the trophy after 15 years. If India had a poor start, losing Gautam Gambhir in the seventh over, Sri Lanka's was poorer when Tillakaratne Dilshan fell in the first over. Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan and Nehra turned the heat on the defending champions and Sangakkara was left to curse his luck for losing the toss in the final. India had an advantage batting first after Dhoni won the toss. Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik set the tone early but the third over got everybody on the edge of their seats. The stadium let out a collective sigh when Gambhir was dropped twice off Nuwan Kulasekara's second over. Thilina Kadambi failed to latch on to a flier from Gambhir at first slip and Sangakkara dropped another chance while standing up to Kulasekara in the very next delivery.

Virat Kohli opened up slowly and Karthik clattered some crisp boundaries off Farveez Maharoof. Finally, a gritty innings from Rohit Sharma took India to a modest total.

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NBA - Top pick Wall ready to help Wizards rebound

Published>Fri, Jun 25 10 08:37 AM

Point guard John Wall will be part of another reclamation project when he takes the court for the Washington Wizards this season.

The first overall pick in the NBA draft on Thursday will begin his professional career after one season at Kentucky, where he his fellow highly touted freshmen led a return of the Wildcats to their place among college basketball's elite.

Wall, 19, will join a Wizards franchise that has struggled to meet expectations in recent years.

The team's most recent season was overshadowed by a controversy involving triple All-Star guard Gilbert Arenas, who pleaded guilty in January to felony weapons possession for bringing four guns into the team's locker room.

"I know this is a different level, but I just have to go in and show those guys I am willing to work, listen as much as I can, and try to be a leader," Wall, wearing a blue Wizards cap and gray pin-striped suit, told reporters after his selection.

"That's the key -- to be a leader and try to help them win games."

Known for his deft ability in the open court, Wall enters the league flush with accolades: He was a consensus first-team All-American and National Freshman of the Year, while setting a Kentucky single-season record with 241 assists.

The Wildcats finished 35-3 last year and advanced to the final eight in the NCAA tournament where they fell to West Virginia.

"The selection of John Wall is exciting for any number of reasons, but his combination of talent coupled with a supreme passion to win is what excites me most," said Wizards owner Ted Leonsis.

"Our best players need to be the hardest workers and the most coachable, and John has those characteristics."

The 6-foot-4 Wall hopes to repeat the success of fellow guards Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans, who also played one year in college under coach John Calipari before bolting to the NBA.

"I think I can be very productive," said Wall. "Just got to have that confidence in working on your game."

Wall said he had always led by example by spending countless hours in the gym, but credited Calipari for helping him mature as a leader.

"I matured a lot and became a better leader vocally," he said. "I am a leader that will not mind speaking up to the older guys."

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Kerr, Lewis, Lee share LPGA Championship lead

Published>Fri, Jun 25 10 08:25 AM

Lee Seon-hwa of South Korea and Americans Cristie Kerr and Stacy Lewis shared the lead after the first round of the LPGA Championship after firing four-under-par 68s at Locust Hill on Thursday.

On an ever-shifting day of gusty winds, grey skies, sunshine and pouring rain, top-ranked American Kerr joined the others by recording four birdies on her first eight holes after starting at the 10th.

"It's definitely where I want to be," said Kerr, who won the LPGA Tour stop in Illinois two weeks ago. "I'm very comfortable being in the lead. You get kind of a taste of the blood in the water. It motivates you."

Lee holed out a bunker shot for birdie at the last, one group after Lewis rolled in an eight-foot birdie on the same par-three to jump into the lead.

Both Lewis and Lee also began their rounds on the 10th tee for the year's second women's major, and they each shared the distinction of making eagles from the fairways on the tight parkland layout.

Lewis holed out at the par-five 11th from 86 yards with a wedge, while Lee found the hole with her eight-iron from 127 yards at the par-four 12th.

"When I practiced on the driving range it was totally nice weather, nice and sunny," said Lee. "When I hit my first tee shot, the wind was blowing hard, like 20 miles per hour and it was windy all day long. It was really hard to play."

There was also a brief delay in the middle of the round due to hard rain that left some water on the greens before the sun came out again later in the afternoon.

Newly crowned world number one Ai Miyazato of Japan had trouble finding the fairways as she slumped to a four-over 76, and Anna Nordqvist of Sweden, last year's winner, shot a 73.

One stroke behind the leaders were Park In-bee of South Korea, the 2008 U.S. Women's Open champion, and Japan's Mika Miyazato, no relation to the world number one.

Park's 69 also included an eagle and some confounding putting.

"I missed three- and four-footers and made 30- and 40-footers," said Park, who had four bogeys, five birdies and sank an eagle putt of 15 feet at the par-five 17th.

One of the most rousing rounds was posted by American Julie Inkster, who reached four under par through 12 holes on her 50th birthday before slipping to a one-under 71.

"It's pretty amazing what she is able to do," Lewis, 25, said of seven-times major winner Inkster. "She doesn't act like she's 50 years old. She acts like she is one of us."

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