Australian state considering ban on cricket match bets involving Pakistan

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 12:07 PM

Melbourne, Sep.2 (ANI): The Australian state of Victoria is reportedly urging all gaming and gambling regulators to consider banning bets on all cricket matches involving Pakistan.

As investigations continue into the alleged spot-fixing scandal involving Pakistan players in England, Victorian Gaming Minister Tony Robinson has ordered the state's gambling regulator to review whether it is appropriate to allow betting on matches involving Pakistan.

"I regret that this action needs to be taken, but the government has a clear responsibility to ensure sporting events which Victorians can bet on are conducted fairly," The Age quoted Robinson, as saying.

"Recent allegations about the Pakistan cricket team mean we can no longer draw that conclusion," he added.

Robinson says that he is expecting other state and territory gaming ministers to follow suit.

"Sports betting is regulated by the states, so each state needs to be assured that it is fair for betting to continue on this type of match to ensure a nationally consistent approach," he said.

"A number of gaming ministers have already expressed their willingness to investigate this matter further," he added.

The Victorian Commission for Gaming Regulation independently determines whether to approve betting on specific sports. It permits betting on matches "controlled and regulated by national or international authorities".

"My responsibility is to ensure sporting events which Victorians can bet on are conducted fairly," Robinson said.

"Ultimately, I am hopeful this (spot fixing) issue will be resolved and people around the world will continue to enjoy the cricket without any questions about its integrity," he added. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Brit Pakistani boxing champ Amir Khan blasts Pakistan's cricket's 'cheats'

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 11:57 AM

London, Sep.2 (ANI): British Pakistani boxer and WBA Light Welterweight champion Amir Khan has slammed Pakistan's cricket cheats, saying: "They've betrayed their country."

The Sun further quoted twenty-three-year-old Khan as saying: "The cricket scandal has disgusted me. If the allegations are true, these players should hang their heads in shame to be so greedy when their country is on its last legs. The scandal has also tarnished my boyhood dreams of cricket."

He added: "Now, I wonder, are Pakistan really the world-class players I believed they were as a boy, or did they just cheat?'

"Pakistani people are fanatical about cricket. To have the country's pride and joy taken away from them by a few alleged cheats - when the land has been ravaged - is cruel beyond belief." Amir said. (ANI)

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Warne calls for life ban on tainted Pak players

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 11:51 AM

Sydney, Sep 2(ANI): Former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne has said that the Pakistani players, including captain Salman Butt, should face a life ban if found guilty of being involved in the Lord's Test 'spot-fixing' scandal.

"If it is true and they have been found (guilty of) match-fixing and throwing games and spot betting with the no-balls and stuff, if that's the case they should be thrown out," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Warne, as saying.

"It's as simple as that. I don't think there should be any other way to do it. If it's fixed by players, they should be banned for life. Anyone who's involved should be thrown out," he added.

The 40-year-old further said that he was a TV commentator for January's Sydney Test when Pakistan's bizarre field placings and batting collapse helped Australia score an unlikely come-from-behind victory.

"They are only allegations at the moment so I suppose you have to say innocent until proven guilty," Warne said.

"But looking back at the (Sydney) Test match, if it was fixed, you could understand how it was fixed by the way they were captaining the side and their tactics. It would make sense - if it was true," he added.

The Pakistan team is in the midst of a betting scam, where fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif are alleged to have bowled pre-arranged no-balls in the Lord's Test, which England won by an innings and 225 runs.

According to The News of the World, London-based agent Mazhar Majeed is the alleged man behind the 150,000-pound betting scam.

The tabloid claims that they have footage of Majeed accepting money, and in return, he detailed what would happen and when on the field of play next day.

It also claims that Majeed had identified Butt as the ringleader.

He also named wicket keeper Kamran Akmal, and a total of seven corrupt cricketers. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Afridi vows to put aside spot-fixing scandal

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 11:17 AM

Taunton, Sep 2 (IANS) Pakistan's one-day cricket captain Shahid Afridi vowed to put aside a raging betting scandal allegedly involving three of his key players and lead his side from the front in the series against England in Cardiff from Sunday.

Afridi said Thursday that his team was going through a tough time because of 'spot-fixing' allegations against some fellow team-mates but was quick to add that his players would overcome all odds and give their best in the series.

'These are tough times for us, there is no doubt about it,' said Afridi, who is hoping that allegations against Pakistani players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir of involvement in a betting scam will prove wrong.

'It has hurt us all and we are hoping that the controversy will end soon,' he said.

The tainted trio missed a practice game against Somerset in Taunton as they are in London for a crucial meeting with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and International Cricket Council (ICC) officials and senior diplomats.

The three are also unlikely to feature in the one-day series as the PCB is under

increasing pressure to drop them in the wake of the spot-fixing allegations.

Afridi, 30, said their possible axing will be a huge setback for his team.

'Salman, Amir and Asif are three of our key players,' Afridi said.

'Already it was a tough assignment because England are a very strong team. It would become even more difficult for us if we are forced to play without them,' he stressed.

But Afridi was quick to add that his players have the ability to put the scandal behind them and give their best in the series.

'The boys are real fighters. They've been under immense pressure over the last few days but we are regrouping pretty fast and are aiming to shine in the forthcoming series in spite of all odds,' he said.

'Our main task is to shift our focus completely on the upcoming one-day series. We are doing that and I'm confident that the boys will be fully ready ahead of the series,' he said.

Afridi said he and his boys want to play good cricket in order to put the team in the headlines for all the right reasons.

'It's our aim to place our team and cricket itself in the limelight for all the right reasons,' he said.

'We know that we can do that by playing good cricket. We have to play good cricket for the team, for our compatriots back home and for the crowds who will come to venues to watch the upcoming matches,' he added.

Pakistan lost the four-Test series against England 1-3 last week at Lord's where the finale was overshadowed by the 'spot-fixing' scandal. Angry fans raised slogans against the accused players as they left Lord's after crashing to their worst-ever Test defeat last Sunday.

There are fears that Pakistan might have to endure hostile crowds during the one-day series but Afridi is confident that his team will give their fans plenty of reasons to cheer about during the Twenty20 and one-day games.

'We are a good team in limited-overs matches and will go all out against England in the upcoming series,' he promised.

Source: Web Search

India suffer 2nd defeat in women''s hockey WC

Thu, Sep 02 10 10:57 AM

Rosario (Argentina), Sep 2 (PTI) Rani Rampal''s double strike went in vain as India suffered their second consecutive defeat in the women''s hockey World Cup, losing 3-6 to Australia in a Pool A match here. For the Hockeyroos, it was their second successive win of the tournament and they are well on course for semi-finals of the quadrennial event. Ashleigh Nelson (34th minute, 58th) scored two goals for Australia late last night while Madonna Blyth (17th), Casey Eastham (52nd), Nicole Arrold (55th) and Shelly Liddelow (64th) found the net once each. For India, Rampal continued her impressive showing upfront, scoring in the 17th and 62nd minute while Ritu Rani (42nd) managed the other goal. The Surinder Kaur-led India are still without points in the tournament after suffering two defeats out of as many matches and will take on Germany in their next pool match tomorrow, while the Australians will be up against title holders the Netherlands. Unlike their tournament opener which they lost 1-7 against defending champions Netherlands, India came out more organised against the Hockeyroos. However, extreme cold conditions had a telling effect on the game in the initial stages as both the teams looked scrappy and were guilty of giving away possession easily. But slowly and steadily Australia got into their groove and started to control the proceedings which resulted in the opening goal of the match. The Aussies took the lead in the 17th minute through their captain Blyth who scored her second goal of the tournament from open play. But India drew parity five minutes from the end of the first period through the 15-year-old Rampal who scored with a beautiful reverse stick shot. But Australia regained the lead at the stroke of the halftime when Nelson slammed home the ball from a penalty corner. After the change of ends, India once again hit back through Ritu Rani''s field goal in the 42nd minute. However, instead of stepping up the gas from there India conceded three goals in six minutes with Eastham, Arrold and Nelson, who scored her second, finding the target to give Australia a comfortable 5-2 lead. Eighth minutes from the hooter, Rampal reduced the margin with her second strike of the day before Liddelow''s field goal sealed the match in Australia''s favour. Meanwhile in other matches of the day, Netherlands mauled New Zealand 7-3 while Germany scrapped past Japan 2-1.

Source: Published>

Rattled Roddick ousted from U.S. Open by unseeded Serb

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 10:37 AM

Former champion Andy Roddick made an early exit from the U.S. Open when he was eliminated in the second round by unseeded Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 3-6 7-5 6-3 7-6 on Wednesday night on center court.

The 44th-ranked Tipsarevic, who served magnificently and powered forehand winners throughout despite having both his ankles wrapped in bandages, won the clinched the fourth-set tiebreaker 7-4 with a reflex volley at the net.

Roddick, who went on a petulant rant in the third set unsatisfied with a lineswoman's explanation of a foot fault called against him, entered the match with 36-9 Open record compared to a 2-6 mark at Flushing Meadows for the Serb.

Tipsarevic, 26, will next meet France's Gael Monfils, who advanced past Russian Igor Andreev.

Source: Web Search

Ban ''fixers'' for life: Warne, Fletcher

Thu, Sep 02 10 10:23 AM

Melbourne, Sep 2 (PTI) Australian spin legend Shane Warne and former England coach Duncan Fletcher today joined the growing clamour for life bans on Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir if they are found guilty of ''spot-fxing''. Pakistan''s Test skipper Butt and pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad are facing a Scotland Yard investigation over their alleged involvement in a betting scam "exposed" by a British tabloid''s sting operation. Warne, who was himself fined for sharing information with a bookie in 1994, said if found guilty, the Pakistani players deserve nothing less then a life ban. "If it is true and they have been found (guilty of) match-fixing and throwing games and spot betting with the no-balls and stuff, if that''s the case they should be thrown out," Warne was quoted as saying in media reports here. "It''s as simple as that. I don''t think there should be any other way to do it. If it''s fixed by players, they should be banned for life. Anyone who''s involved should be thrown out," he said. The former leg-spinner was a commentator during this January''s Australia-Pakistan Sydney Test which is suspected to have been fixed. Warne said he would not be surprised if it turns out that the match, in which Australia pulled off an unlikely 36-run win, was indeed rigged. "They are only allegations at the moment so I suppose you have to say innocent until proven guilty," Warne said. "But looking back at the (Sydney) Test match, if it was fixed, you could understand how it was fixed by the way they were captaining the side and their tactics. It would make sense -- if it was true," he added. .

Source: Published>

Couples to join Daly, Norman at Australian Open

Thu, Sep 02 10 09:37 AM

Former Masters champion Fred Couples has been confirmed to play the Australian Open golf tournament.

The 50-year-old Couples, who won the Green Jacket at Augusta National in 1992, will join champion Adam Scott of Australia, five-time winner Greg Norman, Geoff Ogilvy and John Daly for the Dec. 2-5 tournament at The Lakes Golf Club in Sydney.

"I am very much looking forward to playing in the Australian Open," Couples said in a statement.

"I have not been to Sydney for some time and look forward to visiting this magnificent city once again."

Couples has been playing on the Champions Tour for the first time this year, winning three tournaments.

The $1.3 million Australian Open is the penultimate stop on the OneAsia tour, which includes tournaments in China, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and Australia.

Scott won the tournament last year by five shots over compatriot Stuart Appleby at the New South Wales Golf Club.

Source: Published>

Murray on fire as U.S. Open heats up

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 08:37 AM

Andy Murray sent an ominous warning to Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal about his intentions to win the U.S. Open when he cruised through his first match at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday after Victoria Azarenka sent a shiver through the tennis world when she fainted on court.

Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams, both two-time champions, also dazzled their opponents and the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowds but it was an early morning tumble on one of the outside courts that sent pulses racing at the year's last grand slam.

Azarenka, in a black dress and playing when temperatures were at their hottest, was rushed to hospital after collapsing in a heap at the baseline during her second round match against Argentina's Gisela Dulko.

The Belarussian had succumbed to scorching heat at last year's Australian Open and there were fears she had been a victim of the extreme temperatures that had forced U.S. Open organisers to invoke their rarely used Extreme Weather Policy.

She later revealed that she had been diagnosed with a mild concussion and her frightening crumble was a delayed reaction to a fall suffered earlier in the gym while warming up.

"I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside for monitoring," she said.

"I felt worse as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell."

Murray showed why he is regarded as a serious contender to capture the men's title as he crushed Slovakia's Lukas Lacko 6-3 6-2 6-2.

The perennial hope of British tennis, Murray succeeded in escaping the worst of the roasting heat by racing to victory in under two hours.

"I managed to get through in straight sets so I'm pleased, but it was a lot tougher than the score suggests," the fourth-seeded Scotsman said.

"Everyone in my (supporters) box always tells me it's a lot tougher watching in the heat than playing but I'm not so sure. It was brutal conditions."

Although the weather was slightly cooler than the previous day, it was still hot enough to leave players drenched in sweat and calling for ice packs to drape around their necks at the change of ends.

BEAT THE HEAT

New York's hottest summer in decades has spilled on to the courts at Flushing Meadows and contributed to a high dropout rate among the seeds.

Another seven seeds made early exits on Day Three, giving the main contenders with extra incentive to kill of their opponents quickly.

Clijsters, who charmed the crowds last year with her infant daughter watching from the stands, showed no mercy in her match against Australian teenage qualifier Sally Peers, who grew up with a photo of the Belgian on her bedroom wall.

"I'm just trying every match to grow so I'm ready when the opponents get tougher," Clijsters said after thumping her inexperienced opponent 6-2 6-1 in less than an hour.

Williams had no room for sentiment either as she romped to a comfortable 7-6 6-3 victory over Canada's Rebecca Marino, who gave the third seed a brief scare in the opening set before succumbing to the American's power.

Williams is only playing singles this year after her sister and regular doubles partner Serena pulled out with an injury and said she was loving the lighter workload.

"So far I feel good. I made a quick turnaround this summer to try to get ready for the Open," she said.

"I'm glad that I'm just in the singles. That way I have the opportunity to recover between rounds and to get ready to play the next one."

Italy's French Open champion Francesca Schiavone and Australia's Samantha Stosur, the woman she beat in the Paris final, both advanced to the third round in straight sets while the most notable casualty was the men's Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych.

The Czech stumbled at the first hurdle, outclassed 7-6 6-4 6-4 by France's Michael Llodra, who is better known as a doubles specialist.

"I don't know whether I played well or not today," Berdych said. "I need to sit down with my coach who saw the match from the stands."

Source: Web Search

Australia's Stosur breaks U.S. Open hoodoo

Thu, Sep 02 10 07:57 AM

Samantha Stosur broke her U.S. Open hoodoo when she beat fellow Australian Anastasia Rodionova 6-1 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the third round for the first time in her career.

The French Open runner-up had never been beyond round two in six previous visits to Flushing Meadows but was far too strong for world number 62 Rodionova and needed just 64 minutes to book her ticket to the next round.

"I've obviously had disappointing results here in previous years so to get through that hurdle is a very good feeling," fifth seed Stosur told reporters.

"I had a couple of tough draws here and one year I shouldn't have played, when I was feeling sick but I don't really know why my results haven't been so good here."

Stosur had been struggling with a nagging injury to her right arm before arriving in New York but looked more like her normal self as she attacked with her serve and forehand.

After cruising through the first set she broke early in the second set and though Rodionova had a point to level at 4-4, Stosur held the advantage to set up a clash with Sara Errani of Italy.

Stosur saved four match points to beat Errani in the warm-up event in New Haven last week and said she hoped that match affects the Italian this time round.

"It's funny how quickly you can turn around and play the same player again," she said. "Looking back, maybe that was a really important match for me to get through and maybe that will play on her mind a little bit going into our match."

Source: Published>

Clijsters cruises into third round at U.S. Open

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 07:37 AM

Kim Clijsters took an easy step on the path to defending her U.S. Open crown by dismissing Australian teenager Sally Peers 6-2 6-1 on Wednesday on centre court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Second-seeded Clijsters, 27, crushed 22 winners against just eight for the overmatched Peers as she raced through a 56-minute match against a 19-year-old qualifier ranked 201 and playing her first grand slam tournament.

The victory extended the Belgian's U.S. Open match-winning streak to 16. She won the won the 2005 title but missed making a defense due to injury, and then took two years off after that to start a family.

Clijsters said it took a little while to get comfortable against an unfamiliar rival, whose only previous tour-level competition came in Hobart in 2009.

"I felt as the match got going, I started playing a little better. But I still have a little way to go to play my best tennis," Clijsters told the crowd.

The Belgian said she wanted to work on moving forward and getting on the attack.

"It takes time," she said. "I'm just trying every match to grow so I'm ready when the opponents get tougher."

Clijsters, who has made it to the third round of the last 16 grand slams she has played in, will face 27th seed Czech Petra Kvitova in her next match.

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U.S. Open crowd eagerly awaits Federer encore

Thu, Sep 02 10 06:57 AM

Swiss showman Roger Federer treated the centre court audience to "the shot" on opening night, leaving U.S. Open fans to wonder what he might do for an encore Thursday on Day Four of the year's last grand slam.

Five-times U.S. champion Federer brought the house down with his back-to-the-net, between-the-legs winner against a dumbfounded Brian Dabul of Argentina in the first-round.

"The ovation was fantastic. The crowd went wild," Federer, the number two seed, said about his rifle shot that landed in the corner impossible to retrieve. "You could see on my reaction I couldn't believe it."

Germany's Andreas Beck may be the next foil for Federer, who often dazzles opponents with his special flair.

Federer and Beck play their second-round match in the last day match scheduled on Arthur Ashe centre court.

Warming up the crowd ahead of Federer's appearance will be top seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, last year's women's runner-up, who faces Chang Kai-chen of Taiwan.

Russian Maria Sharapova, the 2006 champion, goes against Czech Iveta Benesova to open the night program ahead of third-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic's contest against Philipp Petzschner of Germany.

Djokovic, who once entertained the Flushing Meadows night crowd with imitations of celebrated players, said Federer's between-the-legs shot was not part of his repertoire.

"I am not as good as he is in that," Djokovic said, adding with a smile, "I'd like to be very careful with my racquet."

Source: Published>

Venus flies flag for Williams family at Open

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 05:37 AM

Venus Williams kept the flag flying for American tennis' most famous family at the U.S. Open on Wednesday when she beat Canada's Rebecca Marino 7-6 6-3 in the second round.

Marino gave the third seed a brief scare when she pushed the opening set to a tiebreak but Williams was able to raise her game in the second and wrap up a comfortable victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Williams, U.S. Open champion in 2000 and 2001, is the highest-ranked American in the women's draw this year after her sister, world number one Serena, withdrew because of a foot injury.

Serena is following her elder sister's efforts at Flushing Meadows from afar but Venus would not reveal the feedback she has been receiving.

"That's between Serena and I," Williams joked to reporters. "But she's always very positive."

The 30-year-old Williams has never gone out before the last 16 in New York but having not played any tournaments in the lead-up because of knee tendinitis, she looked a little rusty.

But after taking the first set on the tiebreak, she slowly found her game in the second set to run out a comfortable winner.

Williams said she was not allowing herself to look any further ahead than her next opponent, Luxembourg's Mandy Minella, a qualifier in her first grand slam event, who upset Bulgarian 32nd seed Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4 6-0.

"I'm really just going match by match," Williams said. "I'm not thinking about dusting off any rust or where I might be.

"I thought I made a quick turnaround this summer to try to get ready (for the U.S. Open). I'm glad that I'm just in the singles as that way I have a chance to recover between rounds.

Source: Web Search

Mairaj hits form at the right time

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 05:27 AM

Mairaj Ahmad Khan had the option of pulling out of the shot gun trials as he had the highest cumulative average among country's skeet shooters. He was assured of a spot in India's squad for both the Commonwealth Games and as well as the Asian Games team. But a slip up at the Munich World Championships, where he finished a disappointing 75 th forced the shooter to rethink.

"As planned I didn't shoot for over a week after the Munich championships. Few days before the trails, I shot a score of 74 for two consecutive days during practice. Then I decided to take part," the 33-year-old said.

It was a huge risk as a bad score, like the one in Munich could have easily scuppered his chances of making the team. "I needed a score of 117 to make the team because others needed a score of 121 to surpass my average," he added.

Instead, he surprised many, including himself, as he missed the world mark by a whisker by shooting 124 targets. "There is only one score better than this one and that is the world record."

All this despite the fact that the team has no coach after Chinese Shan Zhang's contract expired in April this year. "This score gives me a lot of confidence leading to the Commonwealth Games. I did all this without a coach," he added.

Buoyed by his recent score, Khan added that he was ready to change the perception of skeet shooters, who are ridiculed for lack of results in international events. "I am sick of people telling me how bad skeet shooters do when shooting in major competitions abroad. All of that is justified, but I am ready to change all of this at this year's Commonwealth Games."

Noria in double trap team

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) announced the list of players for the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. As expected Rajyavardhan Rathore is not there. His place on the double trap team went to young Asher Noria. Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Mansher Singh will take their place in the trap team. In the rifle and pistol, Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang are the top picks, while Tejaswani Sawant and Suma Shirur have also made the cut. But Samresh Jung could only qualify for the standard fire pistol category .

COMMONWEALTH GAMES squad:

MEN RIFLE: Abhinav Bindra, Hariom Singh, Gagan Narang, Imran Hassan Khan; MEN PISTOL: Deepak Sharma, Omkar Singh, Vijay Kumar, Gurpreet Singh, Samaresh Jung, C K Chaudhary, Harpreet Singh; MEN SHOTGUN: Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Mansher Singh, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, A D Peoples, Ronjon Sodhi, Asher Noria; WOMEN RIFLE: Suma Shirur, Kavitha Yadav, Meena Kumari, Tejaswini Sawant, Lajja Gauswami; WOMEN PISTOL: Anisa Sayyed, Rahi Sarnobat, Heena Sidhu, Annuraj Singh; WOMEN SHOTGUN: Seema Tomar, Shreyasi Singh

ASIAN GAMES squad: MEN RIFLE: Hariom Singh, Gagan Narang, Surendra Singh Rathod, Imran Hasan Khan, Sanjeev Rajput, Abhinav Bidnra; MEN PISTOL: Deepak Sharma, Omkar Singh, Amanpreet Singh, Vijay Kumar, Rahul Panwar, Gurpreet Singh, Samaresh Jung, C K Chaudhary, Pemba Tamang, Harpreet Singh; MEN SHOTGUN: Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Mansher Singh, Zorawar Singh Sandhu, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, A D Peoples, Smit Singh, Ronjon Sodhi, Asher Noria, Vikram Bhatnagar; WOMEN RIFLE: Suma Shirur, Kavitha Yadav, Tejaswini Sawant, Meena Kumari, Lajja Gauswami, Chetanpreet Kaur Nilon; WOMEN PISTOL: Anisa SAyyed, Rahi Sarnobat, Annuraj Singh, Heena Sidhu, Shweta Chaudhary/Sonia Rai; WOMEN SHOTGUN: Seema Tomar, Shreyasi Singh, Shagun Chowdhary, Aarti Singh Rao

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Police will get just one day to sanitise Games Village

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 05:21 AM

As it appears now, the security agencies will have their job cut out in sanitising the Commonwealth Games Village. The original plan was to finish all work in the Village by September 3. From this date till the soft opening on September 16, the Village was supposed to be locked down for the security forces to conduct inspections.

However, having missed many deadlines, the security forces will now get access to the Village only on September 15. "The police will get a day before the soft opening on September 16 to carry out their exercise. But that does not mean the police are not working already. They are carrying out checks in each tower where the furnishing work is completed," said OC spokesperson Lalit Bhanot.

As per the original plan, the construction was to finish by March 31 and the Village was to be handed over to the OC by June 1. After completing the furnishing and other overlays, the Village was to be locked down for security check till the soft opening.

Delhi Police officials say they are ready to take over the Games Village as and when it is ready, but have not been given a specific date on which they can start their exercise deployment planning. Games Village Venue Commander Joint Commissioner of Police Sudhir Yadav said: "There is no communication to us about any date. We will get it when it is finished and start our exercise."

However, the Delhi Police is still upbeat. "We can complete our exercise, no matter when we get it, within two days. We are in constant touch with the Organising Committee on this," said PRO Rajan Bhagat.

The first contingent of athletes will start coming in from September 23.

Source: Web Search

When Sheila turned singer for Delhi's Games anthem

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 05:17 AM

The Commonwealth Games anthem Dilli Meri Jaan, also touted as the Capital's song, has a new singer lending her voice to its words ? Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit herself.

The upbeat anthem starts off with Dikshit reciting the first few lines, pleasantly yet proudly announcing how the Capital becomes home to every stranger, and makes a friend of him.

The anthem, launched on August 25, has been playing on a few FM radio channels since then. Listeners were pleasantly surprised when it started with Dikshit calling out in a soft yet firm voice: Sheher woh, jo ghar ban jaye, Ajnabi bhi dost ban jaye... Sheher woh jo rishta ban jaye, mera ghar, mera pataa, meri shaan, Dilli... meri jaan...

Stating that lines were specifically penned for her, composer Palash Sen of rock band Euphoria, told Newsline, "My sister, Dahlia Sen Oberoi, wrote the lyrics and Sheilaji has been very gracious in agreeing to lend her voice. In fact, she was very enthusiastic about the song. Upon hearing it for the very first time, she wanted to be a part of it."

Sen recounted how Dikshit had come to his house in Saket on July 17, heard the lines and was ready to record after a brief practice session. "She recites the opening lines, setting the mood for the song, and we take it off thereafter. Sheilaji loved the song the very first time," he said.

He said that the rehearsal session lasted for barely half an hour, during which Sheila grasped the pace and rhythm of the song, and was ready to go.

"For a woman who took so much care to record a song, I can say for sure that she must have taken every step possible to make this event a success. We should all now prepare for the mega event, and not get bogged down by the negativity surrounding it," he added.

Dikshit's rendition has already created a buzz among her team of officials in the government, who have taken it upon themselves to popularise the anthem. A senior official said on the condition of anonymity: "It is for the first time that a Chief Minister has come forward to participate in such a gracious manner, and has herself called out to one and all ? making them feel at home. It is indeed a very warm gesture on her part to sportingly lend her voice."

Musical instruments such as sarang, sarod, electric guitar, drums and tabla were used during the making of the anthem. The video is under development.

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Schiavone wins all-Italian clash at U.S. Open

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 04:57 AM

French Open champion Francesca Schiavone eased through her all-Italian second-round encounter with a 6-2 6-1 win over Maria Elena Camerin at the U.S. Open on Wednesday.

The number six seed started her match confidently on the Grandstand court and needed just 65 minutes to eliminate the qualifier from Milan, who now lives in London.

Despite cruising into the third round of the year's last grand slam, Schiavone saw room for improvement after landing less than half of her first serves for the match.

"The serve I have to improve a little more - the percentage was a little bit low. But the backhand and forehand, going to the net, was good," she told reporters.

"I want to serve better, I want to play some more aggressive and defensive shots, I want to become much stronger and, from the baseline, go pushing to the net."

While temperatures remained high, the two Italians were sheltered from the sun for most of their match by the shadows of neighboring Louis Armstrong Stadium.

But while Camerin was able to dodge the sun, the world number 41 could not escape some attacking tennis from her fellow Italian, who cleverly mixed up her all-round game.

Schiavone, who is currently without a coach, converted all five of the break point opportunities she had in the match.

She looked on course for a 6-0 win in the second set but Camerin stopped the onslaught by nervously holding serve for only the second time in the match.

That only briefly delayed the inevitable and the result means the 30-year-old Schiavone has lost just four games and spent a little over two hours on court in her two matches to date at Flushing Meadows.

Source: Web Search

Colombian club's players end strike over unpaid salaries

Thu, Sep 02 10 04:37 AM

Players of Colombia's Once Caldas ended a strike and returned to training on Wednesday after reaching agreement with the club over stalled salary payments.

Club vice-president Jose Manuel Lopez and team captain Alexis Henriquez issued a joint statement announcing the agreement ending two days of strike action by the players.

"The club will gradually pay with gate takings the salaries of the players who are lifting the strike and have committed themselves to improving their performances in search of better sporting and economic results," they said.

"The club's directors also committed themselves to carry on seeking resources from sponsorship, takings and advertising to get up to date with all payments."

The board of Manizales-based Caldas, crowned South American champions in 2004, had sought Labour ministry support on Tuesday to end the strike by 19 of their players.

Henriquez, quoted by the daily El Espectador on Tuesday, said: "We decided to strike because ... most of us can't pay for food, our utilities have been cut and our kids are being sent home from school."

A recent strike threat by players of America, one of Colombia's biggest and most successful clubs, met with partial success when part of their back salaries was paid.

However, their coach Jorge Bermudez, a former Boca Juniors and Colombia defender, was sacked for backing the players.

Source: Published>

Schiavone wins all-Italian clash at U.S. Open

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 03:37 AM

French Open champion Francesca Schiavone eased through her all-Italian second-round encounter with a 6-2 6-1 win over Maria Elena Camerin at the U.S. Open on Wednesday.

The number six seed started her match confidently on the Grandstand court and needed just 65 minutes to eliminate the qualifier from Milan, who now lives in London.

While temperatures remained high, the two Italians were sheltered from the sun for most of their match by the shadows of neighbouring Louis Armstrong Stadium.

But while Camerin was able to dodge the sun, the world number 41 could not escape some attacking tennis from her countrywoman, who cleverly mixed up her all-round game.

Schiavone, who is currently without a coach, converted all five of the break point opportunities she had in the match.

She looked on course for a 6-0 win in the second set but Camerin stopped the onslaught by nervously holding serve for only the second time in the match.

That only briefly delayed the inevitable and the result means the 30-year-old Schiavone has lost just four games and spent a little over two hours on court in her two matches to date at Flushing Meadows.

Source: Web Search

Berdych upset in straight sets loss at U.S. Open

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 03:17 AM

Czech Tomas Berdych became the first big casualty of the U.S. Open after being outclassed 7-6 6-4 6-4 by France's Michael Llodra on Wednesday.

Playing on his favourite surface, the Wimbledon finalist had been expected to dominate the match against Llodra, who is better known as a doubles specialist.

But Llodra sprung a surprise by winning the tiebreak and increasingly pegged back Berdych with serve-and-volley tactics.

"I knew before the match that it was going to be difficult because Berdych has a big serve and a big, flat forehand," said Llodra. "I knew that if I wanted to beat him I had to put a lot of pressure on him. I had to make perfect shots and it proved a good combination."

There was a glimmer of hope for Berdych, who had also reached the last four of the French Open earlier this year, when Llodra landed awkwardly during the fourth game of the second set.

The 30-year-old had to call a medical timeout and grimaced as he was treated by the trainer. But when play resumed, he held serve, broke Berdych the next game and rounded off the set with ease.

A change of shirt for the third set failed to bring a change of fortunes for Berdych, who was once again broken.

Llodra fluffed his opportunity to serve out for the match, allowing nerves to get the better of him as he lost the game to love but broke the next game for a spot in the second round.

He will now play Romania's Victor Hanescu, who was also a straight-sets winner against Argentina's Carlos Berlocq.

Source: Web Search

Murray makes solid start to U.S. Open title bid

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 02:57 AM

Britain's Andy Murray enjoyed a trouble-free start to his U.S. Open title bid on Wednesday as he cruised to a 6-3 6-2 6-2 win over unheralded Slovakian Lukas Lacko.

The Scot, runner-up in New York in 2008 and chasing his first grand slam title, needed just one hour 51 minutes to see off the world number 71 inside a steamy Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Having waited until the tournament's third day to play his first match, fourth seed Murray was happy not to expend too much energy in temperatures above 90 Fahrenheit (32 Celsius).

"I managed to get through in straight sets, so I was pleased, but it was a lot tougher than the score suggests," Murray said in a courtside interview.

"When I was on the side with the wind in my face I was leaving the ball very short so I'll try to get more length into it next time, but overall it was very good."

Murray is the second favourite with many bookmakers, having beaten both Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer on his way to the title in Toronto in August.

He broke serve in the fourth game on his way to taking the first set and the only time he looked bothered was when he slammed his racket against his foot after dropping serve in the second game of the second set.

But once he had broken in the following game, he was never unduly tested, breaking twice more to take the second set and then twice in the fourth to clinch victory.

In the second round, Murray will now play Dustin Brown, a Jamaican who may be eligible to play Davis Cup for Britain if he can prove reports he has a British grandmother.

Source: Web Search

I was out of line with online outburst, says Pietersen

Thu, Sep 02 10 02:37 AM

Kevin Pietersen has apologised for his online outburst after being dropped by England for the first time in his career.

The 30-year-old batsman announced on Tuesday he had been left out of the Twenty20 and one-day squads for this month's series against Pakistan in a Twitter message that also included an expletive.

"It came out in a way I didn't want it to come out," Pietersen told Surrey TV on Wednesday.

"It wasn't meant for the public domain. I apologise for it entering the public domain and I also want to apologise for the language I used."

Former England captain Michael Vaughan criticised Pietersen for the 'Tweet' that was quickly deleted.

"What he did on his Twitter account was totally wrong," Vaughan told BBC radio. "I think that's something Kevin will regret for a long time."

The England and Wales Cricket Board said they omitted Pietersen, a member of the Twenty20 World Cup-winning side this year and voted player of that tournament, so he could try to regain lost form in county cricket.

The right-hander hit 38 in 33 balls on his debut for new county Surrey in a 40-over match against Worcestershire on Wednesday.

Source: Published>

Agassi nominated for International Tennis Hall of Fame

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 02:17 AM

Andre Agassi headlined a list of nominees for the International Tennis Hall of Fame following a sparkling career highlighted by eight grand slam titles and an Olympic gold medal.

Agassi, who shocked the sporting world late last year when he admitted using the highly addictive drug crystal meth and lying to tennis officials to escape a ban, was the only name in the recent player category, the Hall said on Wednesday.

During his singles career, Agassi went 870-274 with 60 titles, including four victories at the Australian Open, two at the U.S. Open, and one at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Agassi, who also captured a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, is married to Steffi Graf, a retired tennis player and 2004 Hall of Fame inductee, with whom he has two children.

"It is a pleasure to recognize Andre Agassi, undoubtedly one of the most talented and iconic athletes of all time, with our sport's highest honor," Tony Trabert, International Tennis Hall of Fame president, said in a statement.

The 40-year-old American retired in 2006 but was thrust back into the spotlight when his autobiography "Open" candidly described being introduced to crystal meth in 1997 and the moment when he was informed he had failed a drugs test.

Voting for the 2011 ballot will take place over the next several months with an announcement expected early next year.

Australian Thelma Coyne Long and Briton Christine Truman Janes were nominated in the master player category, while tennis administrators Mike Davies and Fern Lee Kellmeyer were nominated in the contributor category.

Source: Web Search

American Uihlein to receive Mark H. McCormack Medal

Thu, Sep 02 10 01:37 AM

American Peter Uihlein will receive the 2010 Mark H. McCormack Medal in honour of his status as the world's number one amateur, the Royal & Ancient said Wednesday.

The 21-year-old cemented his place at the top of the rankings by clinching the U.S. amateur championship on Sunday with a 4&2 victory over compatriot David Chung.

After going three up over the first five holes, Uihlein never relinquished his grip in the 36-hole final at Chambers Bay in Washington state.

Both Uihlein and Chang each earned exemptions into next year's U.S. Masters and U.S. Open, as long as they retain their amateur status.

As U.S. amateur champion, Uihlein also booked his place at next year's British Open.

A junior at Oklahoma State University, the Florida resident has produced a sizzling run of form over the last 12 months.

Uihlein was a member of the triumphant 2009 U.S. Walker Cup team, earning four points out of four against Britain and Ireland at Merion, before going on to win the Ping-Golfweek Preview in September and the Dixie Amateur title in December.

This year, he has claimed the NCAA Division I Southeast Regional and Sahalee Players Championship and has been ranked the world's number one amateur for a total of 12 weeks.

Source: Published>

U.S. Open women's singles second round results

Thu, Sep 02 10 01:17 AM

REUTERS - U.S. Open women's singles second round results from New York on Wednesday (prefix denotes seeding, *new result).

* Virginie Razzano (France) beat 13-Marion Bartoli (France) 7-5 6-4

* 20-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) beat Sania Mirza (India) 6-2 6-4

Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) beat 21-Zheng Jie (China) 6-3 6-0

Gisela Dulko (Argentina) beat 10-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) 5-1 (Azarenka retired)

Source: Published>

Victorious Ivanovic feels like a top player again

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 12:57 AM

A relaxed Ana Ivanovic stormed into the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday and said she finally feels like she is playing top-level tennis again.

The former world number one, who has dropped to 40th in the past year due to injuries and a loss of confidence, produced one of her best performances of late to crush 21st seed Zheng Jie of China 6-3 6-0 for a place in the last 32.

"I remember a couple years ago when I was here and I was saying, even though I'm number one I don't feel I'm playing as number one," Ivanovic told reporters. "But now I feel like I'm playing like a top 10 player, I have confidence that I can beat these players. That's huge for me."

Having hit the top of the rankings when she won the French Open in 2008, the Serb's game and confidence disintegrated and earlier this year she hit a low point of 65th.

But after teaming up with Heinz Gunthardt, who also coached former world number one Steffi Graf, her fortunes have begun to turn around.

Against Zheng, her forehand was working perfectly and her serve, which had been a serious problem, looked solid.

She hit 22 winners in all and showed no signs of the left foot injury that had caused her to retire from her last tournament in Cincinnati, where she reached the semi-finals.

A leaner-looking Ivanovic said she had put in a lot of physical work in the summer but said her improvement was just as much down to the fact that she has matured as a person.

"Now I feel as if I am just coming up again, and I have really nothing to lose. I got that joy of competing again," she said."

The Serb now awaits the winner of the match between 13th seed Marion Bartoli and another Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano.

Source: Web Search

PREVIEW - Ronaldo, Queiroz absences cloud Portugal opener

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 12:19 AM

Missing their coach and the world's most expensive player, Portugal's seemingly straight-forward Euro 2012 qualifier at home to Cyprus on Friday has turned into a possible pitfall.

Cristiano Ronaldo was ruled out of the match after picking up an ankle injury playing for Real Madrid on Sunday and although he failed to live up to his price tag at the World Cup, Portugal will miss him, especially after Simao unexpectedly quit the side last week.

Coach Carlos Queiroz is set to miss the first four qualifiers after his one-month ban from the Portuguese Football Federation's (FPF) for insulting anti-doping doctors before the World Cup was upped to six by the country's anti-doping agency.

Queiroz has said he will appeal the decision but the incident could lead to him losing his job.

"(The ban) will not affect the players' performances, the squad will not be affected," said FPF chief Gilberto Madail.

"The players have a lot of experience and can play in auto-pilot mode," he added.

But despite these assurances, assistant Agostinho Oliveira will have to guide a squad that due to several injuries and retirements is much changed from the one that lost to Spain in the second round of the World Cup in South Africa.

To fill the void left by Ronaldo and Simao, Portugal will hope Nani can rebound from the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup through injury.

Ricardo Quaresma, called up after Ronaldo's injury, will want to show his revival at Besiktas after a dismal spell at Inter Milan can also benefit the national side.

In defence, dependable right back Paulo Ferreira has retired from international football, making way for a debut call up for Braga's Silvio.

Holding midfielders Pepe and Pedro Mendes are injured and the vacancy is set to be filled by Valencia's Manuel Fernandes.

Playmaker Deco has also quit the side, but in Tiago Portugal have a replacement who showed he is up to the job by impressing in South Africa.

The dynamic and tactically astute Raul Meireles has arguably been Portugal's best performer for the last two years, but he may start on the bench against Cyprus after barely playing for Porto in the pre-season before moving to Liverpool last week.

The man who replaced him seamlessly at Porto, former Sporting captain Joao Moutinho, has been rewarded with a return to the national squad after showing mediocre form last season.

Despite Queiroz's ban, the injuries and the retirements, anything other than a win against Cyprus would be a major upset for Portugal and bring back bad memories of the weak start to the last World Cup qualifying campaign.

The Cypriots, 63rd in the FIFA ranking, are unlikely to threaten a maiden win against the Portuguese, with the match in Norway four days later likely to prove a much more stern test.

Probable teams:

Portugal: Eduardo; Miguel, Ricardo Carvalho, Bruno Alves, Fabio Coentrao; Manuel Fernandes, Tiago, Moutinho; Nani, Liedson, Quaresma.

Cyprus: Antonis Georgallides; Savvas Poursaitides, Sinica Dobrasinovic, Paraskevas Christou, Elias Charalambous; Constantinos Charalambides, Christakis Marangos, Constantinos Makrides, Andreas Avraam; Michalis Constantinou, Yiannakis Okka

Referee: Mark Clattenburg (England)

Source: Web Search

IOC beat Tata Sports Club

Published>Thu, Sep 02 10 12:17 AM

Chennai, Sep 1 (IANS) Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) virtually booked a semifinal spot from their three-team group with a six-wicket win over Tata Sports Club in the Airtel-Raj Singh Dungarpur Trophy corporate cricket tournament here Wednesday.

IOC had little difficulty in overhauling the Tata score of 280 for three in 50 overs that was built around an unbeaten 110 (130b, 2x6,4x4) by Ishant Jaggi and his 187-run stand with Mandeep Singh (91, 2x6, 6x4).

In response, IOC were provided a good start through openers Ajinkya Rahane 105 (117b, 9x4) and Wasim Jaffer (48) who put on 94 runs. Later, Rahane and Ravikant Shukla (84) added 128 runs for the second wicket before Chetashwar Pujara hit a rapid 29-ball 32 not out to ensure victory.

Brief scores:

Tata Sports Club 280 for 3 in 50 overs (Ishank Jaggi 110 not out, Mandeep Singh 91, Nishit Shetty 31 not out) lost to Indian Oil Corporation 282 for 4 in 48.2 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 105, Wasim Jaffer 48, Ravikant Shukla 84, Cheteshwar Pujara 32 not out).

Source: Web Search

Zidane steals the show at France training camp

Published>Wed, Sep 01 10 11:57 PM

Zinedine Zidane stole the show at a France's training camp on Wednesday in a sign that Les Bleus had a long way to go to erase the memory of their South Africa World Cup disgrace.

The maestro of France's 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning teams had been invited to the Clairefontaine training camp by new coach Laurent Blanc ahead of a Euro 2012 qualifier against Belarus on Friday.

After watching a public training session, where he won more applause from some 300 fans than the current internationals, and playing soccer-tennis with a team made of members of the staff, Zidane had lunch with the players and chaired a meeting.

"I was invited to share my experience with the players. As you know, I don't like to make long speeches. I just wished them good luck for the Euro," he told journalists.

"I also told them that I hoped they would be able to live great moments with the France team as I did and that would come through victories because it's what will be remembered."

Blanc, who took over from Raymond Domenech after France exited the World Cup without a win and the players boycotted a training session in South Africa, said Zidane's visit was part of his plan to rebuild the national team.

"To be able to exchange with players of another generation can only help," said Blanc.

"They can explain that despite having had an extraordinary career at club level, the thing that changed their lives was to play for France. That's a spirit the young players need to recapture," he added.

"The France team is not as essential to the players as it used to be and that has to change, otherwise there will always be problems."

Source: Web Search

Impressive Ivanovic storms into third round

Published>Wed, Sep 01 10 11:47 PM

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic took another step forward in her recent renaissance when she beat 21st seed Zheng Jie of China 6-3 6-0 to reach the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday.

The Serbian world number 40, who topped the rankings just two years ago, smashed 22 winners en route to an impressive victory in just 56 minutes on another hot day inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It is the first time this year the former French Open champion has reached the third round of a grand slam event.

In 2009, after losing to Kateryna Bondarenko in the first round of the U.S. Open, she fell out of the world's top 20.

But she has shown encouraging signs recently, reaching the semi-finals of the warm-up event in Cincinnati to return inside the world's top 40.

In Cincinnati, she was forced to retire with a foot injury but showed no signs of discomfort as she demolished a hapless Zheng.

Zheng had no answer to Ivanovic's power with the Serb unleashing a series of winners, particularly on the forehand side.

Ivanovic's only wobble came when she was broken as she served for the opening set but she held on and then raced through the second.

The Serb now awaits the winner of the match between 13th seed Marion Bartoli and another Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano.

Source: Web Search

IOC beat Tata Sports Club

Published>Wed, Sep 01 10 11:37 PM

Chennai, Sep 1 (IANS) Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) virtually booked a semifinal spot from their three-team group with a six-wicket win over Tata Sports Club in the Airtel-Raj Singh Dungarpur Trophy corporate cricket tournament here Wednesday.

IOC had little difficulty in overhauling the Tata score of 280 for three in 50 overs that was built around an unbeaten 110 (130b, 2x6,4x4) by Ishant Jaggi and his 187-run stand with Mandeep Singh (91, 2x6, 6x4).

In response, IOC were provided a good start through openers Ajinkya Rahane 105 (117b, 9x4) and Wasim Jaffer (48) who put on 94 runs. Later, Rahane and Ravikant Shukla (84) added 128 runs for the second wicket before Chetashwar Pujara hit a rapid 29-ball 32 not out to ensure victory.

Brief scores:

Tata Sports Club 280 for 3 in 50 overs (Ishank Jaggi 110 not out, Mandeep Singh 91, Nishit Shetty 31 not out) lost to Indian Oil Corporation 282 for 4 in 48.2 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 105, Wasim Jaffer 48, Ravikant Shukla 84, Cheteshwar Pujara 32 not out).

Source: Web Search

Sania crashes out of US Open

Wed, Sep 01 10 11:27 PM

New York, Sep 1 (PTI) Sania Mirza crashed out in the second round of the women''s singles event of the US Open after suffering a staright set defeat at the hands of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkovaof Russia here today. Apart from Sania, curtains also fell on defending champions and third seeds Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy''s campaign while Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul Haq Qureshi entered the men''s doubles second round yesterday. Sania was no match for Pavlyuchenkova as the 20th seed Russian blew away her Indian opponent 6-2 6-4 in an hour and 21 minutes. In the men''s doubles event, Paes and Dlouhy were the first of the two pairs to take the court and were in for disappointment as the Czech-Slovakian combination of Martin Damm and Filip Polasek rallied to beat them 6-7 (7) 6-3 6-4. Paes has been a two-time champion (2006 and 2009) and three-time runners-up at the Grand Slam event with different partners. Interestingly, the Indian veteran''s 2006 title triumph at the Flushing Meadows came with Damm. However, Bopanna and Qureshi ensured that the Indians had something to cheer about when the 16th seeded duo defeated Americans Brian Battistone and Ryler DeHeart 6-3 7-6 (7). Bopanna and Qureshi will now play against the winners of the match between the unseeded teams of Americans Sekou Bangoura and Nathan Pasha and Michael Kohlmann (Germany) and Jarkko Nieminen (Finland).

Source: Published>

Jeev eyes top honours at Omega European Masters

Published>Wed, Sep 01 10 11:07 PM

Crans Montana (Switzerland), Sep 1 (IANS) Fit-again golfer Jeev Milkha Singh is eyeing a quick return to the winner's circle at the Omega European Masters starting Thursday.

The Indian star, a two-time Asian Tour number one, has endured a frustrating 18 months with injuries but feels he is ready to challenge for top honours again at the picturesque Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club.

'The game is pretty good. I'm healthy and fit. It's taken me six months to get fit from the shoulder rotator cuff injury. I've got my distance back as I'm able to release the club much better and I can move the ball and feel the club,' Singh said Wednesday.

'I'm feeling good and it's just a question of time when I start holing putts and hopefully have a win.'

Singh, an Asian Tour honorary member, has slipped out of the world's top-10 and his immediate goal is to fight his way back into the elite top-50 bracket by the end of the season.

'I've got a lot of catching up to do. A few top-10s and a few wins will get me there. That's my goal...to get back into the top-50,' said Singh, who holds six Asian Tour victories and seven other titles around the world.

'It has been a frustrating year with the injuries. It's been a year and half now. It's been a tough time but I think it's all part of learning. All sportsmen go through it. I'm back now and I'm looking to getting back into the winner's circle,' added the Indian, who won the Asian Tour's Order of Merit in 2006 and 2008.

His return to form is evident as Singh has missed only one weekend in his last nine tournaments. He is also delighted to return to the two million euro ($2.8 million) Omega European Masters, jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

'I love this place. It's one of my favourite places on Tour. It's a beautiful spot, the atmosphere and the village and people, it's a great feeling,' he said of the stunning venue located in the Swiss Alps.

Singh will not be surprised if an Asian star lifts the Omega title this week which could lend weight to calls for more co-sanctioned events to take place in Europe.

'I think it's fantastic that this co-sanctioned event has happened. When it's cold out here, the Europeans come out to Asia. Having an event here is fantastic for the Asians as they rub shoulders with the top Europeans and they are good enough to win too,' said Singh.

Countryman Gaganjeet Bhullar is hoping to build on last week's four rounds at the Johnnie Walker Championship in Scotland and challenge for honours at Crans Montana.

'I made birdie, birdie to make the cut at the number last week. I'm hitting the ball well...It's just a matter of finding a week where everything comes together,' said Bhullar, who won the season-opening Asian Tour International in Bangkok in February.

Former Asian Tour number one Jyoti Randhawa is also in a confident mood ahead of the Omega European Masters after posting his first top-10 of the season in Europe last week.

'I've been trying to find form and played decent last week. It was good. I've changed a few things with my swing but I don't take it to the golf course. I'm just trying to stick to the changes. It's all about committing to what you're trying to improve,' he said.

'It's the best venue we have in Europe. It's very picturesque and it doesn't get better than this. The way I'm playing, I have a fair chance of a good performance here. The confidence is back,' he said.

Source: Web Search

Oz Minister asks for banning bets involving Pakistan

Wed, Sep 01 10 10:57 PM

Melbourne, Sep 1 (PTI) Victoria''s Minister for Gaming, Tony Robinson has asked the state''s gambling regulator to consider banning bets on all cricket matches involving Pakistan in the wake of the recent spot-fixing scandal. "I regret that this action needs to be taken, but the government has a clear responsibility to ensure sporting events which Victorians can bet on are conducted fairly," he said. "Recent allegations about the Pakistan cricket team mean we can no longer draw that conclusion," Robinson was quoted as saying in The Age. The Minister expects Australia''s other state and territory gaming ministers to follow his suit. "Sports betting is regulated by the states, so each state needs to be assured that it is fair for betting to continue on this type of match to ensure a nationally consistent approach," Robinson said. "A number of gaming ministers have already expressed their willingness to investigate this matter further," he said. Although the spot-fixing scandal involving three Pakistani cricketers, including captain Salman Butt, was under investigation, Robinson defended his decision. "My responsibility is to ensure sporting events which Victorians can bet on are conducted fairly. Allegations of activities that affect contingencies and outcomes of games...need to be investigated to maintain the integrity of betting in this state," the Minister said. "Ultimately, I am hopeful this issue will be resolved and people around the world will continue to enjoy the cricket without any questions about its integrity," Robinson said. PTI SSC

Source: Published>

Match-fixing is ruining cricket: Watson

Wed, Sep 01 10 10:47 PM

Melbourne, Sep 1 (PTI) Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has lambasted ICC for not cracking the whip on corruption prevalent in cricket, saying incident like the recent spot-fixing scandal is ruining the game. "Yes it could...what is happening already is ruining the game," he said. "What happened during the Sydney Test, which is one of the most special moments of my career...to have that talked about being tainted is very sad, and most probably for the people at the game as well. People start to think, that emotion I had that day, was fabricated," Watson was quoted as saying in The Age. Blaming the International Cricket Council for the recent ''spot-fixing'' scandal involving the Pakistan team, Watson said world body''s anti-corruption unit is "not really working". "The ICC anti-corruption unit is not really working," he said in Sydney today. Watson, who has confirmed being approached by an Indian bookmaker during last year''s Ashes in England, said it was disappointing to see a newspaper sting exposed what should have actually been handled by the ICC. "These are the reasons the ICC has to really step in and totally get on top of this. They''ve known these things could have been going on, that''s why the anti-corruption unit was set up, they''ve waited for a newspaper to bring it to light. "The ICC really need to step in and really get to the bottom of it. Maybe they don''t want to get to the bottom of it because it might run too deep," he said. "I''m more sad than anything. One thing we definitely don''t need is what''s going on, because it is horrific for the game," added Watson. Watson said if the ICC does not act "as soon as possible", credibility of the game may be lost forever as far as the fans concerned. "People might turn away from cricket because they don''t know (whether) what they are seeing is actually the true facts of cricket," he said.

Source: Published>

Pakistan kit supplier severs tie with Aamer

Wed, Sep 01 10 10:37 PM

Karachi, Sep 1 (PTI) Pakistan cricket team''s official kit supplier, BoomBoom has severed its ties with tainted pacer Mohammad Aamer and said they are reviewing their sponsorship deal with the entire team in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal. "Like everyone else in the cricket world, we are truly saddened and shocked by these allegations. I sincerely hope they are not true. However, we are huge cricket lovers: pure and simple. We believe in, and encourage players to have, the freedom to play, fairly," said Ali Ehsan, the managing director of the company. BoomBoom has a two-year deal as the official kit supplier of Pakistan cricket team, besides having an individual tie up with Aamer. "We cannot allow our brand to be associated with any whiff of corruption or suspicion of foul play. While the suspension of our commercial involvement with Mohammad Aamer is not a step we take lightly, we nevertheless feel that it is the right thing to do while a judicial process unfolds and innocence or guilt is established," Ehsan was quoted as saying by cricinfo. "BoomBoom is also reviewing its position as official kit supplier to the Pakistan Cricket Board," he added.

Source: Published>

Match-fixing is ruining cricket: Watson

Wed, Sep 01 10 10:21 PM

Melbourne, Sep 1 (PTI) Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has lambasted ICC for not cracking the whip on corruption prevalent in cricket, saying incident like the recent spot-fixing scandal is ruining the game. "Yes it could...what is happening already is ruining the game," he said. "What happened during the Sydney Test, which is one of the most special moments of my career...to have that talked about being tainted is very sad, and most probably for the people at the game as well. People start to think, that emotion I had that day, was fabricated," Watson was quoted as saying in The Age. Blaming the International Cricket Council for the recent ''spot-fixing'' scandal involving the Pakistan team, Watson said world body''s anti-corruption unit is "not really working". "The ICC anti-corruption unit is not really working," he said in Sydney today. Watson, who has confirmed being approached by an Indian bookmaker during last year''s Ashes in England, said it was disappointing to see a newspaper sting exposed what should have actually been handled by the ICC. "These are the reasons the ICC has to really step in and totally get on top of this. They''ve known these things could have been going on, that''s why the anti-corruption unit was set up, they''ve waited for a newspaper to bring it to light. "The ICC really need to step in and really get to the bottom of it. Maybe they don''t want to get to the bottom of it because it might run too deep," he said. "I''m more sad than anything. One thing we definitely don''t need is what''s going on, because it is horrific for the game," added Watson. Watson said if the ICC does not act "as soon as possible", credibility of the game may be lost forever as far as the fans concerned. "People might turn away from cricket because they don''t know (whether) what they are seeing is actually the true facts of cricket," he said.

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Warner latest Aussie to confirm bookie approach

Wed, Sep 01 10 09:53 PM

Melbourne, Sep 1 (PTI) Explosive New South Wales batsman David Warner is the latest to join the list of Australian cricketers who had been approached by an illegal bookmaker. Warner was approached by an Indian bookie during the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 in India last year but the dashing left-hander immediately reported the matter to NSW team manager Marshall Rosen. Warner is the fifth Australian cricketer after all-rounder Shane Watson, wicketkeeper batsman Brad Haddin, and pace duo of Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson to have been approached by an Indian match-fixer. "A group of guys approached David Warner and some other NSW players at the bar while they were watching a Champions League match on television," Rosen was quoted as saying in The Daily Telegraph. "I was the manager on the trip and he reported to me that the questions being asked and the behaviour wasn''t like your typical Indian cricket fan. A seminar had been run before the tournament about gambling and match-fixing and what to do should something arise," he said. "Dave (Warner) did exactly what he was supposed to do. He reported it to me and the next day, I passed on the information to the gentleman who was running the anti-gambling program," Rosen added. The revelation came after ''spot-fixing'' allegations were levelled against three Pakistani players -- Test captain Salman Butt and pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir -- following an "expose" by a British tabloid. "We had been warned before the tournament about what might happen - and it did happen. I can confirm a report was made by Dave Warner to me and I passed on all the details to the tournament officials in charge of that area," the NSW manager said. Watson and Haddin had revealed yesterday that they were approached by a bookmaker in England during last year''s Ashes while Australian team manager Steve Bernard today said the same happened to Lee and Johnson during that time.

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Ashwin wins on day 5 of World chess championship for blind

Wed, Sep 01 10 09:47 PM

Belgrade (Serbia), Sep 1 (PTI) Ashwin continued his attacking play and registered his second consecutive win over M Jumabekov from Kazakistan on the fifth day of World chess championship for the blind at here today. With this win, Ashwin has taken her aggregate to 3.5 points to lead the Indian tally at the end of fifth round. Among others, Shrikrishna Udupa and Rajesh Oza drew their games with T Lapadatu From Rumania and M Ivanovic from Montenegro respectively. However, Darpan lost his second game in a row with M Caponov of Macedonia. Playing with black in queen''s gambit variation, Ashwin played attacking game and sacrifice his knight on 21st move to expose the white king and crushed his opponent in 30 moves. Udupa playing with black could not convert the advantage into win and inspite of exchange up drew his game with T lapadatu in 48 moves. He is on 2.5 points. Rajesh playing with white started his game with king pawn, his opponent M Ivanovic responded with Sicilian defense, both agreed draw in 39 moves. Darpan playing with white opted to play with Roy-Lopez and win a pawn very early in the game. He played this game with control aggression and sound defense. But in time control he made blunders and lost the winning game.

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No breach of deadlines in CWG stadia: Patil

Wed, Sep 01 10 09:27 PM

Kancheepuram (TN), Sep 1 (PTI) Union Minister of State for Youth affairs and Sports Pratik Prakashbapu Patil today said there were no breach of deadlines in the completion of stadia facilities for conduct of the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Disputing allegations that construction work of the stadiums have not been completed within the deadline, he said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was satisfied that "everything was ready". "The delays are only in some overlays and some roads leading to the stadiums. But there is no problem with equipment and infrastructure," Patil said. "Why not have the spirits up?" he shot back when asked about reports that participation of top foreign athletes in the Games would be very dismal. He said it was foreseen that some countries would hesitate to take part in the Games because of security reasons. "But efforts are on to rev up enthusiasm. There would be a meeting of External Affairs ministers of Commonwealth countries in October where this would be brought up as an agenda. Greater participation would be ensured through their help," Patil said. He also asked the media not to play up mistakes but try and build up the spirit of the Games so that the nation participate in the mega-event with pride. He also said serious efforts are being made to bring sports into rural areas through government sponsored ''PYKA'' schemes.

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Pakistan trio to meet PCB officials in London

Published>Wed, Sep 01 10 09:17 PM

Taunton/Islamabad, Sep 1 (IANS) Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, who are at the centre of a raging spot-fixing controversy, have left for London for a series of crucial meetings with diplomats and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials Thursday.

The trio will miss the warm-up match against Somerset at the County Ground in Taunton Thursday.

Aamer smiled as he got into a car parked in front of the team hotel here and Butt also looked relaxed. They were followed by Asif and the three left here for London at around 11.00 a.m.

Their meetings were scheduled to be held Wednesday but were pushed to Thursday, Pakistan manager Yawar Saeed revealed in Taunton. He did not give any reason for the delay.

Butt, Asif and Aamer are at the centre of a spot-fixing scandal that was triggered by a few no-balls bowled by the pacers during last week's fourth and final Test between Pakistan and England at Lord's.

While the three players left for London, their teammates held their second training session in the lead up to the series that will begin with a Twenty20 International in Cardiff Sunday.

The Pakistan players once again held a closed door practice session. Also seen in action was wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, who was initially named the fourth player involved in the scandal by the News of the World last weekend.

Butt, Aamer, Asif and Kamran Akmal were questioned by police at the team's hotel in London Sunday. Since then, police have said Akmal is no longer part of that investigation.

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis is left with an arduous task of motivating his team, who lost the Test series 3-1, for the remaining part of the tour.

'I am trying to get the team up again and make sure we deliver the best we can in the next few games and try and do the best we can - that's all I can do,' said the former fast bowler.

'It is no doubt a big challenge and I'll try to make the most of it.'

Also, Asif's ex-girlfriend Veena Malik, who has been insisting an Indian photographer Dheeraj Dixit used to help the fast bowler fix matches, will be meeting ICC investigators in Pakistan Thursday.

In Islamabad, the family and coach of 18-year-old Aamer said he is innocent and has been conspired against.

Aamer, along with fellow pacer Mohammad Asif and team captain Salman Butt, has been accused of spot-fixing in a sting operation carried out by the British tabloid News of the World.

Both fast bowlers were alleged to have bowled deliberate no-balls during the Lords' Test on the instructions of a bookie, Mazhar Majeed.

Majeed was caught on video tape accepting 150,000 pounds in cash paid to him by the tabloid in the sting operation. The no-balls during the test turned out to be exactly as he had said they would be.

Talking to reporters here Wednesday, Aamer's elder brother Mohammad Ijaz said the 18-year-old lad had called from London after the scandal broke out and sounded worried.

'He is innocent and a plot has been hatched against him and the country. Aamer mentioned he was tense but he had nothing to do with the controversy,' Ijaz stressed, adding that anybody could bowl no-balls at any time.

'I can take oath on behalf of Aamer that he will never compromise on national integrity for the sake of money.'

Aamer's former coach Asif Bajwa, who saw his meteoric rise from school days to the Pakistani national team, said the scandal was an attempt to tarnish the image of a young player who had been included in the best emerging player category by the International Cricket Council (ICC) recently.

'The British media has targeted the budding pace prospect of Pakistan because they want to hamper his progress,' Bajwa said. 'They always target Pakistani bowlers. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were accused of ball tempering in 1992 but nothing was proven.'

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Need to remain vigilant, proactive: PCA to England players

Wed, Sep 01 10 09:07 PM

London, Sep 1 (PTI) The murky tale of bookmakers making advances towards players has prompted the England-based Professional Cricketers'' Association to remind its players of the need to remain more proactive and vigilant. In the wake of the latest spot-fixing scandal to hit the cricketing world, the PCA is also considering starting its own education programme to ensure young cricketers are aware of potential match-fixing dangers. "We are currently reminding all the players of their responsibilities and may consider beginning our education programme at an earlier stage," Angus Porter, the PCA chief executive, said today. "Currently that only starts when a cricketer turns professional but we will give serious thought to going into the Academy system and there is the potential for an online training system to also be implemented," he told Cricinfo. World cricket was rocked by the spot-fixing scam last Sunday after ''News of the World'' posted a ''sting operation'' video showing an alleged fixer Mazhar Majeed predicting no-balls bowled by Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif during the fourth Test against England at Lord''s. British investigators are also probing the involvement of Pakistan skipper Salman Butt, from whose hotel room 50,000 pounds was recovered by police, and bowlers Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif in the spot-fixing scam. Porter said he is confident that the vast majority of the English game reamins corruption-free. "We are in no way complacent about the English game, but are confident it remains clean. It''s impossible to say these things never happen - and we are aware of approaches being made to players - but remain confident that the system we have in place works," Porter said. Players have already been cautioned by the PCA in their use of social-networking sites such as Facebook and told not to divulge personal information that could be used by the bookies to make friendly approaches to players. "We feel both the PCA and ECB are being proactive and vigilant to ensure the game stays clean in this country. The players understand the importance of being alert to situations and the fact we have had approaches reported to us shows the system works," Porter added.

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Bookies approached Bangladesh cricketers: BCB

Wed, Sep 01 10 08:51 PM

Dhaka, Sep 1 (PTI) Bangladesh Cricket Board today said several senior players, including captain Shakib Al Hasan, were approached by illegal bookmakers during the home Test series against India earlier this year. Shakib along with opener Tamim Iqbal were contacted by match-fixers and the incident was immediately brought at the notice of ICC''s Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), BCB''s media committee chairman Jalal Yunus told cricinfo. Incidentally, it was for the second time Shakib was approached by bookmakers. The left-hander had earlier this year said that he was contacted by a bookmaker in 2008 as well. "I took the phone, and the way he spoke, he never exactly told me he wanted me to fix a match, he just told me he wanted to be my sponsor or something like that," Shakib said then. "The way he was talking, I thought he might do something, so I told someone," he had said. The development came after ghost of match-fixing returned to haunt world cricket last week, when, in a sting operation by a British tabloid, alleged fixer Mazhar Majeed had claimed that several Pakistani cricketers including captain Salman Butt were involved in ''spot-fixing'' during the Lord''s Test against England. Stung by the recent scandal, BCB is now organising awareness programmes for the national players to apprise them about the ill-effects of the menace. The BCB had also asked the national players to furnish details of their individual agents. "The players all have individual agents over whom we have no control. So we have asked them for information so that we can check their background and be more aware of the forces influencing our players," Yunus said. Even though Bangladeshi cricketers are not that well paid as compared to their Indian and Australian counterparts, Yunus said he was confident the national players would never involve in such things which might put nation''s reputation at stake. "It depends of course on the individual. As far as we know, every player is honest, sincere and committed to cricket. They know that it will tarnish the country''s reputation," the BCB official said. "Indian cricket is very rich and we can''t match their salaries but in our context - in our cost of living here in Bangladesh - what the boys get is not bad. I am not saying they are rich but they are pretty well-off," he added.

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