Wed, Nov 24 10 01:28 PM
South Africa declared their second innings on 203 for five wickets, setting Pakistan 354 runs to win the second and final test on Wednesday.
Scores: South Africa 584-9 declared (J. Kallis 105, A. de Villiers 278 not out; Tanvir Ahmed 6-120) and 203-5 declared (H. Amla 62) v Pakistan 434 all out (A. Ali 90, Misbah-ul-haq 77, A. Shafiq 61, A. Rehman 60).
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Wed, Nov 24 10 01:08 PM
Mumbai, Nov 24 (PTI) The under-renovation Wankhede stadium, one of the venues for the 2011 Cricket World Cup, may not have been able to stage the Ranji Trophy tie between Mumbai and Assam, but the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is confident that the development will not have any impact on the mega event. "Almost 80-85 per cent of the work is over. Work on the outfield too has been completed by almost 90 per cent. The stadium will be ready well before the World Cup," MCA joint-secretary Lalchand Rajput told PTI. Work on clearing the debris and other materials from the ground is still going on, he admitted, but refused to comment on when the entire work would be completed. Rajput said a decision on practice matches at the Wankhede stadium will be soon taken by the MCA. Apart from the April 2 final, Wankhede will host two league matches during the World Cup -- New Zealand vs Canada on March 13 and Sri Lanka vs New Zealand on March 18.
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Wed, Nov 24 10 12:38 PM
Guangzhou, Nov 24 (PTI) Indian skeet shooters signed off their Asian Games caimgain without a medal after finishing seventh in the men''s team event and failing to qualify for the individual competition here today. The Indian trio of Mairaj Ahmed Khan, Allan Daniel Peoples and Smit Singh totalled 336 in the team competition in which Qatar bagged the gold with a score of 353. The silver went to Kuwait which shot a score of 345 while hosts China settled for the bronze. In the individual competition, Khan was the highest-placed Indian at 13th with a score of 113. Peoples was 20th in the overall standings after scoring 112, while Singh was 22nd with a score of 111.
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Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 12:22 PM
Nagpur, Nov 24(ANI): New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori has identified fast bowler Ishant Sharma as the key to India's victory in the third and final Test held in Nagpur.
Ishant, who was called up for the deciding Test to replace an injured Zaheer Khan, took 4-43 in the first innings and 3-12 in the second innings to help fire his team to an emphatic innings and 198 runs victory.
"I think the real difference was Ishant. To take seven wickets on this wicket really hurt us," Stuff.co.nz quoted Vettori, as saying.
"We knew we were in for a challenge against the spinners, but we should have done better against the seamers. It was a tough wicket to bowl on for the seamers so for him to come in and bowl so well and do the damage was the real difference between the teams," he added.
Sharma, who dismissed New Zealand tail-enders Tim Southee and Chris Martin off consecutive balls, will be on a hattrick when he plays his next Test match, possibly against South Africa next month.
Meanwhile, the two teams will now head to Guwahati for the opening game of the five-match ODI series, starting on Sunday. (ANI)
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Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 11:52 AM
Brisbane, Nov 24(ANI): Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke has been cleared to play in Thursday's first Test of the Ashes series against England at Brisbane, but fast bowler Doug Bollinger will be missing out due to a side strain.
Clarke had been under a cloud since aggravating his chronic back problem playing for New South Wales, but looked far more comfortable in the Gabba nets during his 45-minute session on Tuesday.
"Michael Clarke has got through his work very well in the last couple of days. I'm not sure what the long term diagnosis is, but I'm sure he'll get through this game," the Age quoted skipper Ricky Ponting, as saying.
Ponting also said that Bollinger needed more on-field practice before being included in the Test team.
Bollinger has not played Test cricket since the recent tour of India, and has been released from the 13-man squad to play a Sheffield Shield match for New South Wales.
"Dougie will be the unlucky quick to miss out. It's probably his lack of bowling over the last few weeks that has been as much to do with it. When this bowling attack was together last time it had good success in South Africa and at different times in England in the last series," Ponting said.
"So we feel that Hilfenhaus and Siddle are very much advanced in their preparation for this series and Johnson has got a lot of cricket under his belt as well. We feel this attack has enough to take us 20 wickets at the Gabba," he added.
Australia (likely): Ricky Ponting (capt), Shane Watson, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Marcus North, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Xavier Doherty and Ben Hilfenhaus. (ANI)
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Wed, Nov 24 10 11:22 AM
Guangzhou, Nov 24 (PTI) Already out of the race for gold and silver, India''s Ram Vir (84kg) and Pradeep Kumar (66kg) stand a chance of bagging bronze medals for the country in their respective weight categories in the freestyle wrestling competitions of the Asian Games here today. It was, however, curtains for Commonwealth Games gold medallist Narsingh Pancham Yadav, who crashed out in the quarterfinals of the 74kg at the Huagong Gymnasium. Ram Vir was the lone grappler among the trio to have made the semifinals, where he lost 1-3 to Jaesung Lee of South Korea. He will now fight it out for the bronze medal in the 84kg against Usukhbaatar Purvee of Mangolia later in the day. Earlier, Ram Vir won his quarterfinal bout comfortably 5-0 against Aibek Usupov of Kyrgyzstan. In the 66kg category, Pradeep lost out in the quarterfinals to Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu of Japan 0-3 but got another opportunity to make it count in the repechage round after Yonemitsu made it to the final in this weight class. Pradeep will now face Azat Donbaev of Kyrgyzstan in repechage round 1 and a win there will guarantee him a place in the bronze medal play-off bout. He had earlier outplayed Yemen''s Mustafa Alhaimi 5-0 in his opening bout of the day. If luck favoured Ram Vir and Pradeep, it was disappointment for Narsingh as he lost 1-3 to Gombodorj Dorjvaanchig of Mongolia in the quarterfinals of the 74kg men''s freestyle wrestling. Unlike his other two compatriots, Narsingh is out of the repechage round as Gombodorj failed to reach the final of the event. Earlier in the day, Narsingh got the better of Husham Althaalebi of Iraq 3-1 to enter the last eight stage.
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Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 11:18 AM
Callaway, the company that sells its golf accessories in more than 100 countries, has planned to open exclusive stories in Chandigarh and Delhi by March and eight more stores across country in next three years.
The company has formed Callaway Golf India?a fully owned subsidiary of Callaway Golf Company, California?to expand operations this side. Callaway Golf has 1,300 golf equipment patents in US and 3,000 worldwide.
Vivek Mehta, country head and general manager, Callaway Golf India, told FE here on Monday that the multi-product stores would have golf equipment, golf shoes, bags, eye wear, apparels and watches. These stores would be opened before March 2011. We target to open atleast ten exclusive Callaway stores in the country within next three years, he said. All these stores would be unisex life style stores with a special portfolio for teenagers.
"Golf equipment market in India was a meager Rs 35-crore market but it is growing at over 30% as golf was gaining in popularity and had been included in 2016 Rio Olympics", Mehta said. However, globally the market was of the size of $ 7.5 billion. He said in US almost 10% people played golf but in India, the sport was confined to not even point one per cent of total population of over a billion as the number of those playing golf was less than a lakh. He said lack of infrastructure was hitting golf as there are only 200 golf courses in the country, of which more than 100 owned by the Army. He said when taking up golf, people always go for quality equipment. It was here that Callaway finds a good opportunity to grow.
The Indian arm of the US golf equipment major on Monday entered a three-year agreement with Chandigarh Golf Association to grow the game. The agreement aims to provide access to Callaway Golf's premium equipment. Chandigarh is considered a nursery for golf and arrangement with CGA would give push to golf in the northern region. The company has already entered into a similar agreement with Karnataka Golf Association and DLF Golf, Gurgaon in Haryana.
Jagdeep Singh Cheema, president, Chandigarh Golf Association, told FE that Chandigarh has seen the success of Jeev Milkha Singh and this partnership would nurture junior talent of the region and would develop more golf champions in future.
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Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 10:52 AM
Top archer of the Indian Army, Subedar Tarundeep Rai, says he was kept in the dark regarding his omission from the final team of three in the Indian Archery team at Guangzhou on Monday. Rai, who has been trained at the Army Sports Institute, Pune, alleges he was left out though he was in the top three.
In the team event, Jayanta Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee and Mangal Singh Champia won the bronze for India.
Lt Colonel Abhai Jawa, officer in-charge, Archery, Army Sports Institute, says Tarundeep's omission was unjustified as he was the second best performer in the team of four representing India at Guangzhou.
"I performed to fit in the top three, despite which I was dropped from the event on Monday in which the team secured a Bronze medal. To top it all I was kept in dark regarding my omission and it not formally been communicated to me even now. Till the last moment, I was under the impression I am going to participate in the team event," said Rai, speaking from Guangzhou.
Rai, an Arjana Awardee, represented India at the 2004 Olympics. He has won a Silver in the 2005 World Championships and was part of the medal winning team at the Asian Games, Doha as well at the CWG. "At the selection where archers were supposed to undergo five trials, each of which consisted of 16 shots each of 70 metres, Tarundeep scored second. The CWG team consisted of top three best performers at the selection process and that is how he made it to the CWG team, where he again performed well and was the second best performer after Talukdar. He has been part of the Indian Archery team for Asian Games team at Guangzhou, but I must say his omission simply means the best in the lot did not compete in the final team event," said Lt Colonel Jawa. Paresh Nath Mukherjee, Secretary General of the Archery Association of India, says Singh had not approached him with any such allegation. "He should have come to me first. The teams for the event had been pre-decided. He was selected for the individual event whereas the other three were selected for the team event. They had been in good form of late. It is unfortunate he feels this way," said Mukherjee. Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra, president, Archery Association of India, adds he was told that Rai could not be selected for the team event as he had not performed well in the trials. "I was not there at the trials, but this is what I have been told," said Malhotra.
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Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 10:48 AM
Guangzhou, Nov 24 (IANS) India's women squash team ended with a bronze after losing 0-2 to a formidable Malaysian side in the semifinals at the Asian Games here Wednesday.
In the first match, India's Anaka Alankamony lost 2-11, 4-11, 6-11 to Wee Wern Low in 22 minutes.
Top ranked Indian and World No. 37 Joshna Chinappa then went down to World No.1 Nicol David 4-11, 2-11 3-11 in 18 minutes.
Malaysia will play Hong Kong in the final. Hong Kong beat South Korea 2-0 in the other semifinal.
Later in the day, Indian men will take on Pakistan in the semifinal.
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Wed, Nov 24 10 09:52 AM
Guangzhou, Nov 24 (PTI) Indian women''s squash team settled for a bronze medal in the Asian Games after slumping to a 0-2 defeat at the hands of favourites Malaysia in the semifinals here today. The Indians were no match for the higher-ranked Malysians as Joshna Chinappa was drubbed 0-3 by world number one Nicol Ann David in the first tie before Anaka Alankamony lost by an identical margin to Wee Wern Low. The Indian quartet of Joshna, Anaka, Dipika Pallikal and Anwesha Reddy had to be contend with the bronze medal along with the Korean girls, who too suffered a 0-2 loss at the hands of Hong Kong in the other semifinal. Malaysia and Hong Kong will clash for the gold medal in the Town Gymnasium tomorrow. In the lop-sided semifinal today, both the Indians failed to put up any resistance before their fancied opponents as Anaka was humiliated 2-11 4-11 6-11 by Low in 22 minutes. The script was no different for Joshna as Nicol, the gold medallist in the individual event, ended the Indian''s challenge in just 18 minutes with a 11-4 11-2 11-3 victory which rendered the third and final tie between Anwesha and Delia Odette Arnold inconsequential. The Indian men''s team will take on Pakistan in the semifinals of the team events later in the day.
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Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 08:28 AM
Australia batsman Michael Clarke is fit to start the first Ashes test against England on Thursday but fast bowler Doug Bollinger will miss out, captain Ricky Ponting said on Wednesday.
Clarke, who has been suffering from a recurrence of a back problem that has dogged him for much of his career, missed a Sheffield Shield match last week and training on Monday, throwing into doubt his participation in the Brisbane test.
The 29-year-old, who has scored 4,549 runs in 64 tests since making his debut in 2004, returned to training on Tuesday and on Wednesday morning had a net session at the Gabba.
Uncapped batsman Usman Khawaja, who was brought into the squad as cover for Clarke, will be released from the squad with Bollinger providing the chosen eleven make it through the warm-up on Thursday morning.
"We have got a team, Doug Bollinger and Usman Khawaja are the two who are not playing," Ponting told a news conference on the eve of the first test.
"Michael Clarke's got through his work particularly well in the last few days, had a long solid session in the nets today so he's come through pretty well and Dougie's the unlucky quick who misses out."
Bollinger's omission means Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle will form Australia's three-strong pace attack with Xavier Doherty making his debut as the specialist spinner.
Team - Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Marcus North, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle, Xavier Doherty.
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Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 07:28 AM
Shakhtar Donetsk went top of Champions League Group H with a 3-0 win at Partizan Belgrade on Tuesday but are still not sure of a last-16 berth before the final round of group matches on Dec. 8.
The Ukrainian title holders will win the group and progress to the knockout stage if they get a draw in their final match at home to Portuguese debutants Braga, who helped their campaign with a surprise 2-0 win over Arsenal.
Shakhtar could also go through with a defeat depending on the outcome of Arsenal's home game against Partizan, who stretched their winless group-stage streak to 11 matches with another lacklustre performance.
"The gulf in class between us and Shakhtar was obvious and it is also very clear that we are not good enough to compete at this level," Partizan's dejected coach Aleksandar Stanojevic said after his team suffered a fifth straight loss.
"The only way we can improve is if we keep playing teams of Shakhtar's quality and in order to do that we have to qualify for the group stage again next season," he added.
Partizan made a bright start on a chilly evening and came close twice in the opening three minutes, but the visitors soon found their rhythm and Olexiy Gai had Partizan keeper Vladimir Stojkovic at full stretch with a long-range effort.
Fellow midfielder Taras Stepanenko missed another good chance for Shakhtar and Luiz Adriano's swerving shot sailed just wide on the stroke of halftime.
CRISP PASSING
It was one-way traffic after the interval as the 2009 UEFA Cup winners ran Partizan ragged with crisp passing and superior ball control on a slippery surface in front of 20,000 vociferous Serbian fans.
They were finally silenced when Stepanenko fired Shakhtar ahead in the 52nd minute. He blasted the ball into the roof of the net from close range after Partizan had failed to clear a corner.
The home team collapsed after falling behind and it was no surprise that Brazilian forward Jadson made it 2-0 seven minutes later, when he steered in a low cross by Croatia wing-back Darijo Srna from the right.
The third goal was almost a carbon copy, with Srna's Brazilian-born compatriot Eduardo sliding in after good work by Willian.
"We soaked up some heavy pressure from Partizan in the first half but after the break we demonstrated our quality and got the win we deserved," Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu said.
"Braga's win over Arsenal means the three-way race for two berths in the last 16 will go down to the wire and although we have the edge, we will take nothing for granted.
"We have become a soundly structured and well-organised club down the years, while our players are hungry for success in Europe and play with great motivation to prove their worth.
"Many of our former players have moved on to bigger clubs while those still here always want to show that they deserve to play in Europe's top flight."
Shakhtar's rise from relative obscurity began in 1996, when wealthy Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov took over as the club's president and his investments started to pay dividends when they won their first league title in 2002.
The five-times Ukraine champions have since had the upper hand over traditional rivals Dynamo Kiev but Lucescu said money was not the decisive factor in their rapid progress.
"We nurture a very distinguishable style of play and we believe that's what keeps skilful and talented players in our ranks," he said.
"We will continue to do that and we are confident that we will keep reaping the rewards of our hard work."
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Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 07:12 AM
Pune won three of the six individual titles at stake on the concluding day of the School State Badminton Championship 2010, held under the auspices of the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Maharashtra, at the Shiv Chhatrapathi Sports Complex, Balewadi here on Monday.
In the under-19 age group, Sudhanshu Medsikar (boys) and Kalyani Limaye (girls) topped, while Revati Devasthale added the girls under-17 crown to round off an eventful day after Mumbai held centrestage in the team event.
The day began with Revati, a Bharati Vidyabhavan's Sulochana Natu Vidyamandir, Pune student, defeating Radhika Joshi (Bal Shikshan Eng. Medium School) 17-21, 22-20, 21-12 for the under-17 title. Later, Kalyani Limaye of SP College easily defeated BMCC lass Shruti Mundada 21-6 after the later conceded the match.
The third title came when Sudhanshu, a KJ Gupta Junior College, Chinchwad student, played out a thrilling encounter against his own city rival Varun Sarode of Fergusson College 18-21, 21-16, 21-18. Two titles went to Mumbai after Kaushal Dharmameher (girls under-17) and Karishma Wadkar (girls Under-14) won their age groups, while Nagpur's Vaibhav Bisane won the boys under-14 title.
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 5:41 PM 0 comments
Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 07:08 AM
The malaise will undoubtedly be traced back to some significant pointer in history where all went wrong with Indian hockey. The very obvious one is India's 5-2 loss to Malaysia in the Azlan Shah championship six months and 11 days ago, which was rendered to footnotes after the tournament was won.
India should have known better than to take the Malaysians lightly in their Asian Games semifinal on Tuesday. For in a space of 75 minutes their dreams had altered from clinching a London berth as winners to the peace-sapping nightmare of facing the Koreans for the crumbs called the hockey bronze medal.
Watching arch-rivals Pakistan gun for their eighth Asiad gold medal might not be too much fun either.
But the precise recorded moments of India's doom were the three that stabbed at the heart of all Indian hopes: India's missed short-corner conversion through Mahadik, with Sandeep Singh off the field with injury that could have changed the scene to 4-2, Malaysia's equalizer through Amin Rahim in the 69th minute that made it 3-3, and his 75th minute conversion that inflicted sudden death on the Indians.
"We grabbed our chances when the short-corners came to us, today India couldn't hold onto their own opportunities. But these are the same players and coaches who gave you the win against Pakistan. As a coach I know how fortunes can change in minutes. It doesn't make India a bad team, or their coach a bad coach," said Malaysian coach Tai Beng Hai, though manager Harendra Singh has already sent in his resignation, and India's Spanish coach Jose Brasa said he didn't expect India to renew his contract further.
It was a long, forlorn walk for the Spanish coach along the aisles of the stadium as the lights went dim after India's exit, and the sprinklers came on and he stood lingeringly next to the stand where the hockey sticks are hung picking and sipping from a half-finished bottle of water.
It hadn't seemed so disastrous when Sandeep Singh had leveled scores 1-1 just before the whistle to neutralize Tengku's strike for Malaysia three minutes earlier. Then Tushar Khandekar had deflected a cross from Shivendra Singh to go 2-1 up in the 36th minute and skipper Raj Pal Singh jumped into the melee to put India ahead again with quarter-hour to go after Misron Azlan converted once more to keep the Malaysians abreast.
'Cornered' out
But at the other end, the unfancied team were earning corners prolifically and converting them with equal gusto, while their goalkeeper Kumar Subramiam denied the Indians twice in penalty corners, and his defender dived the next time to clear a ball that slipped past him, even as India's wretched luck with the short corners returned like Tolkein's Gollum against the young, and fast-paced Malaysians.
"We couldn't score the 4th goal in the second half and missed the penalty. The Malaysian goalkeeper played really well after the break, and we should have worked a little more on some moves from the right flank rather than rushing it," Brasa rued. The real foresighted surprise would be if the Spaniard was retained and not let to leave after one poor showing here, though he shared no such optimism.
"I don't think they'll offer me to continue. But yes the job for India to qualify for London gets more difficult," he said. Malaysian captain Madzli Ikmar Mohd Noor stressed that the Malaysians had aimed at minismising India's chances and capitalizing on the few of their own, and with nothing to lose from the big game, they'd ensured that all their hard-work on set-pieces had borne fruit here.
"Their conversion rate today was 3 out of 4, which is good to win a hockey match," Indian captain Raj Pal Singh said, unable to explain his own team's poor count on that front on Tuesday, when just four days ago, he'd been gushing about his own flicker Sandeep Singh.
But then Pakistan were squarely beaten on that day, and are now invoking Beijing 1990 ? the last time they won the Asiad gold ? after showing Korea the door 4-3 on penalties, and the wheel of fortune had turned.
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Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 06:48 AM
Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic hit the target for AC Milan yet again on Tuesday as the former winners took their place in the last 16 of the Champions League along with an inspired Olympique Marseille.
The pair qualified with a game to spare by taking runners-up spots in their groups after Milan won 2-0 at Auxerre and Marseille thrashed Spartak Moscow 3-0 to reach the knockout stages for the first time since they won the trophy in 1993.
Arsenal's hopes of joining them were put on hold after the North Londoners, needing only a point to qualify, suffered a late collapse and lost 2-0 to Braga in Portugal.
Holders Inter Milan can secure a place in the knockout phase at home to Twente Enschede on Wednesday with former champions Manchester United and Barcelona also set to progress.
AC Milan had Ibrahimovic to thank once more as they beat Auxerre to go through from Group G, with the in-form Swede opening the scoring with his fourth goal in five group games.
"We tried our hearts out. It was a difficult match, a difficult venue. We can relax a bit in the last game", he said.
The Italian side secured runners-up spot behind rampant Real Madrid, the nine-times European Cup winners who triumphed 4-0 at Ajax Amsterdam thanks to a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo and goals from Karim Benzema and Alvaro Arbeloa.
Real finished with nine men after Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos picked up a second booking for time wasting late on.
ARSENAL STUMBLE
Marseille's win in Moscow assured them of second place in Group F behind Chelsea, now the only team with a 100 percent record in this season's competition after beating Slovakia's MSK Zilina 2-1 with a young-looking side at Stamford Bridge.
Spartak had failed to beat French opponents in Moscow in five previous attempts in the Champions League and their hopes of success in the sixth had already faded before they lost Brazilian striker Welliton to a red card in the 64th.
While the Russians caved in, Zilina gave Carlo Ancelotti's depleted Chelsea side an early scare.
The visitors, with just one goal in their previous four group matches and with 15 against, took the lead after 19 minutes through Babatounde Bello and kept the London side waiting until Daniel Sturridge equalised in the 51st.
Florent Malouda made it 2-1 four minutes from time.
"It was important to win and move on," said Ancelotti.
"We have now had 60 shots at goal in our last two games but only scored twice. We have been unlucky not to score more but the young players have had some good experience tonight and showed the quality they can bring to the team."
Arsenal needed only a point to join their already-qualified Premier League rivals but imploded against opponents they had beaten 6-0 in their group opener. Brazilian Matheus scored both goals for Braga in the last seven minutes.
Shakhtar Donetsk seized the opportunity to push Arsene Wenger's men off the top of Group H with a 3-0 win at Partizan Belgrade that left the Ukrainians on the verge of going through and condemned the Serbians to a fifth straight loss.
"We have to win the next match," said the Arsenal manager. "With these results, Shakhtar become favourites to win the group".
ROMA REBOUND
Already-qualified Bayern Munich lost 3-2 to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico and lost their 100 percent record despite Mario Gomez scoring with two quick fire strikes in the 33rd and 39th to send them in 2-0 up at halftime.
Booed off at the break, Roma fought back with goals from Marco Borriello, Daniele de Rossi and substitute Francesco Totti who converted an 84th minute penalty for the winner.
"We gave the match away like a present," Bayern coach Louis van Gaal told German TV. "It is unbelievable, we were so dominant. Then our concentration was gone. This defeat is not good for our self esteem."
FC Basel kept alive their slim hopes of getting out of Group E with a 1-0 win over Romania's CFR Cluj.
The Swiss champions need a win at Bayern in their final game while hoping Roma lose at Cluj who are already eliminated.
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Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 06:28 AM
FC Basel won their first Champions League home game in Group E on Tuesday with a 1-0 victory over CFR Cluj which came almost certainly too late to prevent another Swiss flop in the competition.
Federico Almerares, one of five Argentines on the pitch who are all relatively anonymous in their homeland, scored the winner in the 15th minute as Basel made off with the points despite arguably their worst home performance in the group.
Basel were left with six points from five games, three points behind AS Roma who came from behind to beat group leaders Bayern Munich 3-2.
The Swiss need to win at Bayern Munich in their final game and hope the Italians lose at Cluj, who are already eliminated.
Neither result is likely as the Romanian champions have lost four games in a row in the group since beating Basel 2-1 in their opener.
Basel were the last Swiss team to reach the knockout stages back in 2002-03. Since then, FC Thun have been knocked out in the group stage in 2005-06, Basel in 2008-09 and FC Zurich last season. In the other intervening seasons, they did not have a team in the group stage.
SATISFIED COACH
"It's a shame Bayern Munich lost but we are still going to there to win, we have nothing to lose," said Basel coach Thorsten Fink. "I'm very, very satisfied with the performance, a coach is always happy when his team keeps a clean sheet."
Almerares, who made only a handful of appearances in three seasons at River Plate in his homeland before joining Basel two years ago, was standing in for the injured Marco Streller.
The 25-year-old stabbed home the winner from an unmarked position after Samuel Inkoom's shot found its way through a crowd of players.
Basel completely controlled the game but, as before in their campaign, they failed to convert their dominance into goals.
Behrang Safari saw his shot cleared off the line by Cadu, then Alexander Frei, the record scorer for Switzerland at international level, missed his kick when Fwayo Tembo's cross had left him in the clear.
It was a similar story after the break as Tembo saw his shot deflected on to the underside of the bar by Nuno Claro and Frei's effort from the rebound was also blocked by the Cluj goalkeeper.
In a scrappy and niggly second half, Frei had a goal harshly disallowed for offside after turning Tembo's pass into the net from close range.
Cluj, guaranteed to finish bottom of the group, finished with 10 men after defender Felice Piccolo was given a straight red card near the end.
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Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 06:08 AM
Brazilian forward Matheus struck two late goals to give Braga a 2-O win over Arsenal in the Champions League on Tuesday and deny the London team the satisfaction of sealing their progress into the second round.
Arsenal, who had needed only a draw to qualify with a game to spare, lost the Group H lead to Shakhtar Donetsk, 3-0 winners over bottom team Partizan Belgrade.
Braga drew level with Arsenal on nine points, but need to beat Shakhtar by a margin of four goals away on Dec. 8, or draw and hope that Partizan take points off Arsenal at the Emirates.
"We have to believe. We could reach the end of the group with three teams on 12 points. But we know perfectly well that it will not be easy," Braga coach Domingos Paciencia said.
Braga had conceded six goals in their group-stage debut at Arsenal in September but were much improved at home, giving the English side little room to deploy their smooth passing game.
"We have to win the next match. With these results, Shakhtar becomes favourite to win the group," Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger told Portuguese television.
Substitute Elton created Matheus's first goal moments after coming on by supplying a delightful pass from his own half. Matheus ran into the box and put the ball over Arsenal keeper Lukasz Fabianski on 83 minutes.
Matheus's second came deep into injury time, also from a counter-attack, with the forward surrounded by three Arsenal defenders but still managing to fire in a shot that went in after hitting the bar.
FEW CHANCES
"It won't be easy against Shakhtar, but in football anything can happen. We scored four goals in Sevilla and, who knows, maybe we can do it again," the striker said, referring to Braga's 4-3 win in Spain in the playoff stage.
In a largely uneventful and low-tempo first half, clear chances were rare for either side.
The Londoners' best opportunity came when Cesc Fabregas led a counter-attack and sent Theo Walcott racing through into the box on 35 minutes, but keeper Filipe rushed out to block the forward's shot.
Braga's finest effort came moments later, with Brazilian striker Lima sending a powerful drive from 25 metres just wide of Fabianski's right post.
Walcott posed a danger again five minutes after halftime with a free kick that went just over the Portuguese bar.
Failing to penetrate the Arsenal box, Braga opted for long-distance efforts, but Lima's diagonal shot on 58 minutes and a powerful drive by Luis Aguiar two minutes later both went just wide.
Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger then substituted his three forwards and Carlos Vela was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when he was fouled by Alberto Rodriguez in the 78th minute.
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 4:37 PM 0 comments
Wed, Nov 24 10 03:48 AM
The Miami Heat's troubles grew on Tuesday with forward Udonis Haslem ruled out "indefinitely" following surgery on a torn ligament in his left foot.
Haslem suffered the injury in Saturday's loss to Memphis and sat out Monday's 93-77 home defeat to the Indiana Pacers.
The 30-year-old power forward Haslem, turned down several offers to stay with his hometown team during the off-season in order to be part of the exciting squad featuring free agent signings LeBron James and Chris Bosh, along with long-standing franchise player Dwyane Wade.
However the Heat have hit an early rough patch in the season and stand at 8-6 after Tuesday's defeat, trailing Chicago, Orlando and Boston in the Eastern Conference.
Haslem's experience and long-standing role with the Heat was considered a key element of continuity in the new-look team but now he could face several weeks on the sidelines with some reports suggesting he could miss the entire season.
The Heat said Haslem "underwent successful surgery on an internal fixation repair of the Lisfranc ligament" and said of his return only that "he will be out indefinitely."
Miami made a roster move on Tuesday, signing free agent center Erick Dampier, formerly of the Dallas Mavericks and waiving guard Jerry Stackhouse.
Source: Published>
Posted by Deepak Jain at 2:17 PM 0 comments
Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 03:06 AM
China's run to the medals stages of the Asian Games rugby sevens attracted warm support from throngs of debutant spectators on Tuesday.
Known as "olive ball" locally, rugby remains a puzzle to most Chinese people raised on a sporting diet of table tennis, badminton and soccer.
A government programme to pack stadiums with free-ticket holders ensured big crowds at the University Stadium, where China's men lost their bronze-medal match 21-14 to South Korea before their women lost 17-14 to Kazakhstan for the title.
Japan edged Hong Kong 28-21 to defend their men's title.
The International Rugby Board (IRB) said the success of rugby sevens at the Games would give the sport a boost in the region.
"You could say we're surfing a little bit off the Asian Games," Jarrad Gallagher, the IRB's Asian development manager, told Reuters at the venue.
The acceptance of sevens into the Olympic programme from 2016 in Rio de Janeiro has further boosted the local game.
The sport is now guaranteed funding by authorities keen for success on the world stage.
"The best thing is that we've got rugby into the All-China Games," Gallagher said. "It's like China's Olympics. That means provinces now will begin to have a team so that opens doors now for more new facilities run for teams, both men's and women's."
The National Games, a quadrennial multi-sport event that dates back to China's Republican era, features the country's provinces competing against each other, with medals often linked to government funding.
The next edition in 2013 could involve 12 or 13 provinces, Gallagher said, giving the IRB an opportunity to promote the game in schools and universities.
"It also allows us to have some credibility about us, (so) that we're not under the covers trying to sneak around," he said.
The sport has largely been run on a shoestring budget by an agricultural university in Beijing for the last 20 years. Many of China's national players are current or former students and the coach Zheng Hongjun is a professor there.
The players are bulky and skilled but lacked the experience and technical nous to challenge Asia's better teams such as Japan, said Hong Kong centre Anthony Haynes.
"They used to be almost the whipping boys of sevens but they've done really well to develop the game," said the 21-year-old, whose extra-time try sealed a 19-14 win for Hong Kong over China in their semi-final.
"They're absolutely massive... It's a matter of time before they get the right blend."
China still lacks a domestic league in sevens or regular rugby, and cautious local administrators have yet to fully welcome foreign coaches and experts.
"They need to open their arms a bit wider," Gallagher said.
Some fans at the stadium, while intrigued, also had yet to be won over by the foreign game. "It was quite interesting to watch," said Zhao Ran, a 21-year-old university student. "But it looks like there would be a lot of injuries."
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 1:35 PM 0 comments
Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 02:48 AM
The impact of a television advert featuring bid ambassador Zinedine Zidane has edged Qatar narrowly ahead in the race to host the 2022 World Cup finals, London bookmakers William Hill said on Tuesday.
France World Cup-winner Zidane is among a number of high profile soccer celebrities, including Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, supporting the Gulf State's campaign and the ad has been shown in various countries and on satellite TV.
In the advert, the former Real Madrid playmaker goes back to where he grew up in Marseille and says it was tough to succeed coming from a family with Algerian roots but he did and hopes a World Cup in the Middle East can give Arab kids a chance.
A spokesman for William Hill told Reuters: "It's impressed us enough to make them (Qatar) favourites. We quote them at 4-9 ahead of Australia at 3-1 and the United States at 7-2."
William Hill rank Japan and South Korea, the co-hosts of the 2002 World Cup, as outsiders at 33-1 and 40-1 respectively.
The British bookie's confidence is a welcome boost for Qatar whose bid failed to totally impress FIFA's inspectors who raised concerns in their evaluation report about the impact of 50 degree centigrade temperatures in June and July.
Hill's also ranked Russia as 10-11 favourites to win the right to stage the 2018 finals followed by England (6-4), Portugal/Spain (7-2) and Netherlands/Belgium (50-1).
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 1:17 PM 0 comments
Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 01:48 AM
Handed the chance to put another dent in Roger Federer's armour on Tuesday, Andy Murray was swiped to one side as their eagerly anticipated round robin clash at the ATP World Tour Finals turned into a Swiss romp.
Federer often struggles against the mercurial Scot, except when it really matters, most notably in their two grand slam finals, but he was supreme at the O2 Arena, dropping just eight points on his serve in a 6-4 6-2 drubbing.
In bagging his second easy win, the 29-year-old former world number one, bidding for a record-equalling fifth title at the season-ending event, will qualify for the semi-finals depending on the result of Tuesday's late Group B match between David Ferrer and Robin Soderling.
"I think if you play many times against each other, you can't go the distance every single time," a charitable Federer told reporters after improving his career record against Murray to six wins in 14 meetings.
"Maybe he'll just need a feel good talk or just a nice dinner. That should do the trick," Federer added when asked how he felt Murray would respond to a chastening 76-minute loss in front of 17,000 fans.
"Tennis is not rocket science. It's pretty straightforward. I think he's going to turn around and come back and play a real good match in the next round."
Maybe a chat with former Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona, again a spectator at the O2, would enliven the Scot who produced a performance barely recognisable from the one which humbled Federer in last month's Shanghai Masters final.
Federer was clearly expecting a tougher test like last year here when he prevailed in three extremely high quality sets before bowing out to Nikolay Davydenko in the semi-finals.
"I'm surprised I was able to beat Andy here because playing him in London should be really a tough," Federer said. I was just surprised the amount of errors he was making early on."
After the rock-show lighting and ear-splitting introductions as the players warmed up the stage appeared set for a classic but like the majority of the matches so far here the fireworks failed to materialise.
No fault can be attached to Federer for that as he executed everything with precision timing and effortless power. Murray on the other hand simply unravelled.
The world number five was lucky to escape from his opening service game but he was broken to love two games later -- prompting a change of shirt colour from white to black.
Only when Murray reached 0-30 as Federer served at 5-4 did he have a chance, but that chink of light was snuffed out as the Swiss reeled off three points with a nonchalant smash, a forehand winner and crunching volley before Murray shanked a forehand wide on set point.
Federer then blazed 4-0 ahead in the second set as he demonstrated just why he has 16 grand slam titles and Murray is still chasing his first. He was simply unstoppable.
Luckily for Murray the round robin format of the event featuring the world's top eight men means he can still reach the semi-finals. He will have to dust himself down quickly before taking on Spain's Ferrer in his final group match on Thursday.
"I got off to a bad start in both sets, which doesn't help," a glum Murray told reporters just minutes after walking off court. "I returned poorly, served poorly. Against him, that's not going to win you the match."
In the day's early doubles match Wimbledon champions Juergen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner revived their hopes of reaching the semi-finals with a narrow Group A victory over Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy.
World number one Rafael Nadal is back in action on Wednesday against Novak Djokovic.
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 12:17 PM 0 comments
Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 12:48 AM
Bahrain's Ethiopia-born 1,500m world champion Maryam Jamal defended her decision to represent the oil-rich Gulf state, as African athletes dominated the middle-distance events at the Asian Games on Tuesday.
Jamal had little trouble defending her 1,500m title at Guangzhou's Aoti Main Stadium, holding off Vietnamese silver medallist Thanh Hang Truong in a time of 4:08.22, more than 12 seconds outside her personal best.
Bahrain's Tareq Mubarak Taher, a Kenya-born athlete formerly known as Denis Kipkurui Keter, won gold in the men's 3000m steeplechase.
"Of course, I am from Africa and I represent Bahrain and I feel good also," 26-year-old Jamal told reporters.
"The important (point) is the training. The main point is the training, that is why ... If you train hard you can do (well)."
African athletes also dominated the men's 5000m on Sunday, with Bahrain's Ali Hasan Mahboob, formerly Silas Kirui, taking gold ahead of two other Kenya-born runners representing Qatar.
Stiff competition for national team slots has prompted dozens of African athletes to defect to Gulf nations in search of money, better training facilities and opportunities to compete at major international events.
Kenya-born men's world champion Yusuf Saad Kamel was expected to be a strong medal chance in the 1,500m on Tuesday, but criticised Bahrain team officials after he crashed out in qualifying on Monday, saying they had forced him to run with a knee injury.
The delegation later issued a statement denying mistreatment and saying that Kamel had agreed to run in consultation with team officials.
In Kamel's absence, Mohammed Shaween of Saudi Arabia edged out Iran's Sajad Moradi for the title.
Chinese athletes took two of the other five track and field gold medals on offer, including the men's 20km race walk and the women's discus.
Jung Soonok of South Korea won the women's long jump gold and Yuki Nakata of Japan took the women's heptathlon.
Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim won the men's high jump.
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 11:17 AM 0 comments
Published>Wed, Nov 24 10 12:28 AM
Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o was banned on Tuesday for three Serie A matches for a headbutt during Chievo's 2-1 win on Sunday after being tried and convicted by league chiefs on television evidence.
It was the last news Inter needed as they lie nine points off the Serie A pace of arch-rivals AC Milan after 13 games and have a lengthy injury list.
Serie A said in a statement that Eto'o's headbutt to the chest of defender Cesar, which was not seen by the officials but picked up on television replays, was "premeditated" and constituted "violent conduct".
The incident was similar to the infamous headbutt France's Zinedine Zidane committed on Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final.
Under pressure coach Rafael Benitez said after the match that Eto'o was provoked by Cesar, who hit out at the striker earlier in the match but has escaped punishment.
Inter announced they would appeal against the decision but captain Javier Zanetti was less sympathetic in a news conference.
"Eto'o has enough experience and knows he made a mistake," he said. "He committed a big error and is being punished."
Inter's Cameroonian top scorer was also fined 30,000 euros ($41,180) and if his appeal fails he will not play in Serie A again until next year given the European champions are in action in the Club World Cup in December.
MILITO INJURED
Media reports have said Inter coach Benitez could be sacked if the holders lose Wednesday's Champions League game against Twente Enschede but club president Massimo Moratti has distanced himself from the speculation.
However, even if Inter win on Wednesday when Eto'o is available, their next three domestic games have suddenly become even more complicated without the league's joint topscorer and Inter's only standout performer in a so far lacklustre campaign.
Benitez refused to discuss Eto'o's ban in his Tuesday news conference as he sought to concentrate on the Twente match.
"This could be the first game of a winning run for us, that's how I see tomorrow's game. I am positive," he said.
"Let's wait for the injured players to return and have faith. We can still win lots, our aims have not changed."
Under Jose Mourinho, Inter won the treble of league and cup domestic double plus the Champions League last season but a sixth straight Serie A crown already looks unlikely.
Last season's top scorer Diego Milito is among the raft of first teamers out injured so Goran Pandev looks set to be the only recognised striker for next Sunday's game with Parma.
Precedent in Serie A suggested Eto'o could have faced as much as a five-match ban but he has received just one game more than Juventus winger Milos Krasic, who was suspended for two games last month when television evidence showed he dived.
Lecce forward Ernesto Chevanton was banned for five matches on Tuesday for chasing after an opponent and kicking him before being verbally abusive towards the officials.
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 10:57 AM 0 comments
Tue, Nov 23 10 10:22 PM
Abu Dhabi, Nov 23 (PTI) South Africa suffered a potential setback ahead of their high-profile home Test series against India next month after captain Graeme Smith was advised two to three week rest due to a hand injury he suffered during the ongoing series against Pakistan. An x-ray report revealed an undisplaced fracture on Smith''s left hand and he faces race against time to be fit for the three-match series against India starting December 16. "Scans have confirmed that Smith sustained an undisplaced fracture to the fourth Metacarpal of his left hand and the doctor said it will take two to three weeks rest to heal," a statement from Cricket South Africa said. Team manager Mohammad Moosajee said, "Smith faces a race against time to get fit for the first Test (starting on December 16 at Centurion." "It was aggravated by the continuous wear and tear involved with fielding and batting and flared up while he was fielding during the current Test match," he said. Moosajee, however, hoped that Smith could be fit in time for the first Test against India. "Knowing our experiences with Graeme in the past we have said he would need a six-week lay-off and he was ready in four. Other times we said three weeks and it took him longer." The 29-year-old South African captain did not open South Africa''s second innings in the second and final Test against Pakistan today after spraining his right thumb and recurrence of his left hand finger injury. Hashim Amla stepped up the order in his place. Smith sustained the finger injury when he was hit by Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar during the first of five one-day matches last month which South Africa won 3-2. Smith batted through pain to score a brilliant hundred in the first Test in Dubai, which ended in a draw last week. South Africa host India for three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 International match. The Test series is billed as a contest between the world''s top two teams, with India number one in Test rankings and South Africa at two. The first of the three Tests begins at Centurion on December 16.
Source: Published>
Posted by Deepak Jain at 8:51 AM 0 comments
Tue, Nov 23 10 10:12 PM
Vadodara, Nov 23 (PTI) Vadodara Marathon, to be held here on January 23 next, has received accreditation from the Association of International Marathons Distances races (AIMS), the organisers said today. Amit Bhatnagar, the director of the company which is organising Vadodara Marathon, told PTI here that the event has got accreditation from AIMS. "The company will organise the first International Half Marathon in Gujarat in which 50 international athletes recognized by AIMS will take part in it. It will be conducted on AIMS Standard, along an AIMS measured course, with support from Baroda District Amateur Athletic Association," he said. About 32,000 participants are expected to take part in 18 categories of this marathon and total prizes run to Rs 25 lakhs, said Tejal Amin, another director of the company. "Last year, 30,000 participants had taken part in the marathon. It is organised for taking up social causes including clean up project for the city or for Vadodara Police traffic education for addressing thee problem of congested traffic in the city," Amin said. The company had approached 124 national sports associations in 124 countries to take part in the marathon. "Vadodara international half marathon will use RFID tagging technology first time in India. In this technology, each runner will be given a disposable RFID tag, which will be unique to the runner. He will stick it to his running bib and as he passes the check points information about time taken, his rank at that stage and numerous other features will be displayed," Amin said. "The runner will be able to take advantage of Net Run Rate from start to finish. This will be the first marathon in the country were 100 per cent runners are given this technology," said Amin.
Source: Published>
Posted by Deepak Jain at 8:41 AM 0 comments
Tue, Nov 23 10 10:08 PM
Karachi, Nov 23 (PTI) Former cricket captain Shoaib Malik today reacted angrily to reports that his presence at the Guangzhou Asian Games athletes'' village has surprised Pakistan officials there as he was not part of their contingent. "I think if anyone should be concerned about my presence in the village it should be the Indian delegation. I don''t know what problem the Pakistani delegation had with my being in the village," Malik said. Pakistan contingent members had on Sunday said that Malik was not issued any visitor''s card by them nor had he applied for any accreditation on their behalf. Malik said he had gone to China to join his wife, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza during Eid holidays as he got a week long break in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy domestic tournament. "I got proper access and entry into the village through my wife and was given accreditation. I stayed with her in the village. "I came back immediately after the holidays and playing again for my department. Obviously spending time with my wife and concentrating on my cricket career are both important for me," the cricketer said. Malik said he himself was a former cricket captain and national player and the members of the Pakistan delegation should be careful while making statements about him. "I take offence to what has been reported in the press. It looked as if I was there without permission and had no business being there." Since getting married to Sania earlier this year, Malik has spent lot of time travelling to India to be with his wife and in-laws and has also frequently joined her in other countries where she has been playing in the international events. "We are both professional athletes and obviously want to spend some quality time together. I like to be with her when she is playing in any event abroad," he said.
Source: Published>
Posted by Deepak Jain at 8:37 AM 0 comments
Tue, Nov 23 10 10:02 PM
Vadodara, Nov 23 (PTI) Vadodara Marathon, to be held here on January 23 next, has received accreditation from the Association of International Marathons Distances races (AIMS), the organisers said today. Amit Bhatnagar, the director of the company which is organising Vadodara Marathon, told PTI here that the event has got accreditation from AIMS. "The company will organise the first International Half Marathon in Gujarat in which 50 international athletes recognized by AIMS will take part in it. It will be conducted on AIMS Standard, along an AIMS measured course, with support from Baroda District Amateur Athletic Association," he said. About 32,000 participants are expected to take part in 18 categories of this marathon and total prizes run to Rs 25 lakhs, said Tejal Amin, another director of the company. "Last year, 30,000 participants had taken part in the marathon. It is organised for taking up social causes including clean up project for the city or for Vadodara Police traffic education for addressing thee problem of congested traffic in the city," Amin said. The company had approached 124 national sports associations in 124 countries to take part in the marathon. "Vadodara international half marathon will use RFID tagging technology first time in India. In this technology, each runner will be given a disposable RFID tag, which will be unique to the runner. He will stick it to his running bib and as he passes the check points information about time taken, his rank at that stage and numerous other features will be displayed," Amin said. "The runner will be able to take advantage of Net Run Rate from start to finish. This will be the first marathon in the country were 100 per cent runners are given this technology," said Amin.
Source: Published>
Posted by Deepak Jain at 8:31 AM 0 comments
Tue, Nov 23 10 09:52 PM
Karachi, Nov 23 (PTI) Pakistan''s march to the final of the men''s hockey event in the Asian Games today sparked off wide-scale celebrations in the country. Pakistan stunned South Korea in a nerve-wrecking penalty-shootout to progress to the title round for the first time in 20 years. The last time Pakistan had won the Asian Games was in 1990, in Beijing. Qasim Zia, president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, described the victory as a shot in the arm for the sport in the country. "This victory has given a fresh lease of life to hockey in Pakistan and I am 100 per cent sure the boys will now beat Malaysia in the final and bring home the gold medal," Zia, a former Olympian, said. Zia said that the team''s spirited effort against the Koreans, normally a very tough opponents, and Malaysia''s victory over India in the other semifinal, have given him hope of a Pakistan win in the final. "Playing India in the final would have obviously brought extra pressure on the boys, and also, given the fact that they have beaten us thrice this year in major events. So, it is a good thing we are playing Malaysia in the final, but we can''t take them lightly at all as they played superb hockey against the in-form Indians today," Zia said. Federal minister for sports, Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, said the victory was a good omen for hockey, which was Pakistan''s national sport. "At a time when we are fighting so many problems in Pakistan, such a victory is indeed good news for the nation. Specially coming on the heels of the women''s (cricket) team''s gold medal in the Asian Games," Jakhrani said. The Pakistan hockey federation and the national team has been under fire for their inconsistent performances in recent times. They finished 12th in the World Cup in New Delhi, and sixth in the Commonwealth Games, in the same city Former Olympians have been calling for the heads of PHF secretary, Asif Bajwa, and some players and have also criticised the appointment of a foreign coach with the team. After the victory however, they were also in a jubilant mood. Samiullah said that Pakistan still needed to improve a lot and show more coordination on the field. "They won today and that is the bottomline but the fact is we still have weaklinks and we need to improve on them," he said. Islahuddin said that the victory was good for hockey''s future in Pakistan as people had started losing interest and passion for the sport after a spate of defeats. "It is good to see us winning in hockey once again because this is our national game. The victory over Korea will boost the morale of our players before the final." PTI Corr AH
Source: Published>
Posted by Deepak Jain at 8:21 AM 0 comments
Tue, Nov 23 10 09:36 PM
Karachi, Nov 23 (PTI) Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal are expected to return to the national side for the forthcoming New Zealand tour and are also tipped to feature in the preliminary squad for next year''s ODI World Cup in the sub-continent. According to sources close to the national selectors, both the players have impressed with their recent commitment to domestic cricket and also with their form. Both the players were dropped for the ongoing series against South Africa with fingers also pointed on Kamran''s alleged involvement in spot-fixing. "But now the International Cricket Council has given the Pakistan Cricket Board clearance to consider Kamran for the coming events," one source said. Malik has been in prolific form in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where he scored a fifty, a double hundred and a hundred while Kamran also notched up a century in the ongoing round of matches. The national selectors are also said to have got clearance from PCB chairman Ijaz Butt. "The selectors will announce squad for the tour to New Zealand later this week while they have to announce the preliminary World Cup squad by December 19," the source said. The source said that the selectors had also been told by Butt that Shahid Afridi will continue to lead the Twenty20 and ODI teams while Misbah-ul-Haq will be retained as captain for the Test matches in New Zealand. "The selectors have now asked the board for clearance on leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and all-rounder Rana Naved," the source said. He said both players will be required to be given a green signal by the integrity committee of PCB for selection. Kaneria was due to join the national team for the Test ongoing series against South Africa in Abu Dhabi and Dubai but was held back at the last moment by the board. Sources said the decision to hold him back came after ICC indicated that Kaneria was still part of an ongoing spot-fixing investigation in England. Kaneria and his fellow Essex player Mervyn Westfield are presently under investigation for trying to defraud bookmakers during a pro-40 overs match involving Essex and Durham. However, the police did not charge Kaneria for lack of evidence but Westfield is now under trial.
Source: Published>
Posted by Deepak Jain at 8:05 AM 0 comments
Tue, Nov 23 10 09:22 PM
Karachi, Nov 23 (PTI) The three-member fact-finding committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board, probing the sudden departure of wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider from his team hotel in Dubai to London, has completed its inquiry and will submit the report to PCB after the South Africa series. Pakistan team manager and a member of the committee, Intikhab Alam confirmed that the report has been finalised. "The report is complete but we have decided to wait for the series to end, although, we were told by the board to submit it by November 22," he said. The former Test captain declined to comment on the nature of the inquiry and findings but confirmed that the committee members had spoken to Zulqarnain in London and that his viewpoint was part of the report. Well-informed sources said that the committee had blamed Zulqarnain for letting the team down and causing embarrassment to Pakistan cricket through his behaviour. "The committee that also included the security manager of the national team, basically feels that Zulqarnain acted irresponsibly and is not a stable person and, instead of fleeing to London, he should have taken his team members into confidence," a source said. The wicketkeeper had gone missing from the team hotel hours before the fifth and final one-day international against South Africa earlier this month. Zulqarnain later claimed that he took the extreme step after being threatened by a person, who asked him to cooperate in fixing matches during the one-day series. After reaching London , Zulqarnain had claimed that he would give all details of the fixing racket to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit. The player''s application for asylum is still pending with the British home department and will be decided by December. Sources indicated that the fact-finding committee was not going to give a very positive report about Zulqarnain. "In fact the committee during investigations, also came to the conclusion that even during the England tour, Zulqarnain had been making inquiries about ways to settle down in the United Kingdom," the source added. The source hinted that it would not be a surprise if the committee calls for strong action against the wicketkeeper. PTI Corr AH
Source: Published>
Posted by Deepak Jain at 7:51 AM 0 comments
Published>Tue, Nov 23 10 09:18 PM
Miami (US), Nov 23 (IANS) India's first Formula One driver, Narain Karthikeyan, now participating in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series here, was adjudged the 'Most Popular Driver of 2010' in a fan poll held on the NASCAR website.
Karthikeyan, who drives for Starbeast Motorsports team, defeated veterans and fan favourites like Ron Hornaday and 2010 champion Todd Bodine.
On receiving the award at the NASCAR end of season Awards Banquet here Sunday, Karthikeyan said: 'Racing in NASCAR has been such a rewarding experience, both personally and professionally.
'From the other drivers to the fans, everyone has been extremely welcoming and supportive. I really want to thank all the fans, in India.'
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 7:47 AM 0 comments
Published>Tue, Nov 23 10 09:12 PM
Guangzhou, Nov 23 (IANS) Somdev Devvarman clinched a historic singles gold in tennis while two bronze medals came to India from athletics, but the men's hockey team squandered the lead twice in the semifinals to go down to Malaysia in the Asian Games here Tuesday.
Somdev became the first Indian to win a singles gold medal in the Asian Games tennis, stunning top-seed Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-1, 6-2 at the Aoti Tennis Centre.
India are now eighth in the medals tally with seven gold, 12 silver and 20 bronze medals.
But it was heartbreak in men's hockey where a shocking defensive lapse three minutes from the end of the regulation time cost India the final berth as Muhamad Amin Rahim first struck from a penalty corner to level the scores 3-3 and then slotted the golden goal, again through a penalty corner, in the fifth minute of extra time.
Malaysia scored the first goal, through Abdul Jalil Tengku (32nd minute), before Indian drag-flicker Sandeep Singh, who has been in terrific form in the tournament, scored his 11th goal to equalise in the 35th minute.
Tushar Khandekar (37th) put India ahead but Malaysian Azlan Misron pulled one back (49th). India again got the lead through captain Rajpal Singh's strike.
Rahim (67th, 75th) then showed his brilliance to pull the game away from India's clutches.
Malaysia's first entry to the Asian Games final was marked by their tenacity. The win sparked jubilation in the Malaysian camp while the Indians cut a sorry figure, ruing their complacency in the final minutes.
In athletics, discus thrower Krishna Poonia had to remain content with a silver with a throw of 61.94m. Krishna bettered her gold winning throw at the Commonwealth Games (61.51 metres) but it could only win her a bronze.
Another Indian in the fray, Harwant Kaur, who bagged silver in Delhi, was nowhere near her Commonwealth Games performance and finished fourth with a 57.55m throw.
Chinese Yanfeng Li (66.18m) and Aimin Song (64.04m) won the gold and silver, respectively.
Pramila Ganapathy finished third in heptathlon with 5,415 points in the seven-discipline competition. Compatriot Susmita Singha Roy finished fourth, bagging 5,051 points.
Also, Sixteen-year-old Deepika Kumari of India missed a medal by finishing fourth after losing the semi-final contest against top seed Yun Ok Hee of South Korea and then the bronze play-off opposite North Korea's Kwon Un Sil 2-6.
India's second entry Rimil Buriuly went down in the second round to Chinese Taipei's Tan Ya Ting, who was later eliminated by Deepika in the quarter-finals.
Earlier, Somdev's gold capped a successful tennis campaign and took India to the seventh spot in the medal's tally.
Somdev, who partnered Sanam Singh for a gold in the doubles Monday, was fourth after Leander Paes (Hiroshima 1994), Mahesh Bhupathi (Bangkok, 1998) and Prahlad Srinath (Bangkok 1998) to win a singles medal in tennis at the Asian Games.
With Somdev's victory, India finished their tennis competition with five medals -- two gold, one silver and two bronze medals. In the previous Asiad edition at Doha, India won two golds (men's doubles, mixed doubles) and two silver medals (women's singles and team).
The performance stands out in the absence of Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna.
Somdev himself played part in three of those medals. The Commonwealth Games singles gold medallist combined with Sanam to clinch the men's doubles gold after guiding the men's team to a bronze medal. Sania Mirza, who won the singles bronze, combined with Vishnu Vardhan for a silver in the mixed doubles event.
The Tripura boy showed amazing stamina throughout the competition, having played 15 matches and losing just one in 11 days.
The second seed dispelled any doubts over his form this day. The Indian's cause was boosted by mounting errors from Istomin and he gradually raised his game to make it a lopsided battle.
'I am very happy to get a gold here. It's a dream come true. No one comes to an Asian Games thinking of winning two gold,' said Somdev.
India also assured themselves of at least two bronze medals in squash as their men and women made it to the semifinals.
The men blanked South Korea 3-0 and later lost to formidable Malaysia 2-3 to finish second in Pool B. They will now face arch-rivals and Pool A toppers Pakistan in the semifinals.
The women's team lost to Hong Kong 0-3 and finished second behind them in Pool B. They face top-seed Malaysia in the last four.
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 7:41 AM 0 comments
Published>Tue, Nov 23 10 09:08 PM
Guangzhou, Nov 23 (IANS) Medals tally on the 11th day of the Asian Games here Tuesday:
Rank Country G S B T
1 China 165 85 79 329
2 South Korea 64 55 74 193
3 Japan 34 64 68 166
4 Chinese Taipei 12 11 29 52
5 Iran 12 9 15 36
6 Hong Kong 8 14 14 36
7 Kazakhstan 7 14 26 47
8 India 7 12 20 39
9 Thailand 7 7 26 40
10 Malaysia 6 13 8 27
11 Uzbekistan 5 13 17 35
12 North Korea 5 10 15 30
13 Indonesia 4 8 10 22
14 Singapore 4 6 6 16
15 Bahrain 3 0 3 6
16 IOC Kuwait 2 3 0 5
17 Philippines 2 2 8 12
18 Qatar 2 2 4 8
19 Saudi Arabi 2 1 2 5
20 Mongolia 1 2 6 9
21 Kyrgyzstan 1 2 1 4
21 Pakistan 1 2 1 4
23 Jordan 1 1 1 3
24 Macao 1 1 0 2
25 Tajikistan 1 0 2 3
26 Vietnam 0 12 12 24
27 Myanmar 0 5 1 6
28 United Arab Emirates 0 2 0 2
29 Lebanon 0 1 2 3
30 Afghanistan 0 1 1 2
31 Bangladesh 0 1 0 1
32 Iraq 0 0 2 2
32 Lao 0 0 2 2
34 Oman 0 0 1 1
Total: 357 359 456 1172
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 7:37 AM 0 comments
Published>Tue, Nov 23 10 08:52 PM
London, Nov.23 (ANI): Double Ashes hero Andrew Flintoff believes England has a better crop of players than Australia and expects them to retain the coveted urn.
Flintoff told BBC Sport: "Looking at the two teams, I reckon we'll beat them."
The former England all-rounder thinks Kevin Pietersen, James Anderson and Graeme Swann can be the difference.
However, he says Ricky Ponting's Australians should not be underestimated.
England won the Ashes in England in 2005 to end an 18-year wait for success in the competition, only for Australia to record a whitewash on home soil in 2006/7.
England then regained the Ashes in a closely fought series in 2009 and is attempting to defend the urn by winning in Australia for the first time in 24 years.
"It's going to be interesting watching it but I think we'll just edge it," said Flintoff, who expects Pietersen to play a key role despite some indifferent performances.
He also tips Swann to make a big impact after claiming that he has "reinvented the art of off-spin".
"He's a clever bowler. He's got his natural variations and I don't think Australia play off-spin too well," said Flintoff.
Flintoff officially retired in September after an injury-plagued career in which he played 79 Tests, scoring five centuries and 26 half-centuries. His best Test bowling figures came against the West Indies in Barbados in 2004, when he took 5-58.
The talismanic Lancastrian admits he is still coming to terms with the end of his playing career.
"I look back at the 70-odd Tests I played and sometimes it was an effort to get on the field. Every game I played for the last five years could have been my last, so I just wanted to enjoy it. I'm only 32, I think I've got a bit left in me... both mentally and physically, I want to keep busy," he said. (ANI)
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 7:21 AM 0 comments
Tue, Nov 23 10 08:38 PM
New Delhi, Nov 23 (PTI) The Indian sailing team that won the silver in the Asian Games 2010 at Guangzhou, China, was felicitated on their arrival here today. The team comprising Navy officers Lt Cdr (retired) F Tarapore, Cdr Atool Sinha, Balraj, Shekhar Singh Yadav and Trunal were feted by the Navy and the Yachting Association of India (YAI), a Navy press release said here. The team had won Silver Medal in the Match Racing event at the ongoing Asian Games 2010. Lt Cdr (Retd) F Tarapore had won the Fireball class gold medal as crew of Zarir Karanjia in the 1982 Asian Games sailing regatta held off the Mumbai harbour and also picked up a hat-trick of bronze medals in the Asian Games held between 1986 and 1994 in different classes of boats. The team had trained at the Indian Naval Watermanship Training Centre in Mumbai, which had produced champion sailors including 13 Arjuna awardees, two Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardees and a Dronacharya awardee for the sport in the past 40 years.
Source: Published>
Posted by Deepak Jain at 7:07 AM 0 comments
Published>Tue, Nov 23 10 08:28 PM
Guangzhou, Nov 23 (IANS) India assured themselves of at least two bronze medals in squash as their men and women made it to the semifinals of the team event in the Asian Games here Tuesday.
The men blanked South Korea 3-0 and later lost to formidable Malaysia 2-3 to finish second in Pool B. They will now face arch-rivals and Pool A toppers Pakistan in the semifinals.
Malaysia topped Pool B ahead of India, Japan, South Korea, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The women's team lost to Hong Kong 0-3 and finished second behind them in Pool B. They face top-seed Malaysia in the last four. China and Pakistan were the other teams.
The top two teams in each group qualify for the semifinals.
The men's team, spearheaded by world no.25 Saurav Ghoshal, easily defeated South Korea before a tough battle against Malaysia later in the evening. It was a battle for the top spot in the Pool standings and meeting easier opponents in the next round.
After Siddharth Suchde, ranked 73rd, lost the decider against no.55 Malaysian Mohd. Nafizwan Adnan 11-8, 11-8, 8-11, 4-11, 9-11 in the first singles, the onus was on Saurav to put India back on level terms. And he did not disappoint.
Saurav played an amazing game to shock world no.15 Mohd. Azlan Iskandar 11-2, 11-9,7-11, 11-5 and avenged his loss to the Malaysian in the men's singles semifinal. The Indian ended up with a bronze.
Harinder Pal Sandhu needed to win the third singles to ensure India reached the top of the pool standings. But he lost another nail-biting five-setter to Chee Wern Yuen 9-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-4, 10-12. India lost the match 1-2.
In the women's event, India proved no match for stronger Hong Kong.
Dipika Pallikal, ranked 36, lost to no.19 Wing Yin Chiu 8-11, 11-9, 10-12, 5-11.
World no.37 Joshana Chinappa could not pose a challenge to no.14 Chi Annie Au and lost 7-11, 7-11, 9-11.
Third player Anaka Alankamony picked up a game against Ho Ling Chan but went down 9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 6-11.
The Indians will have a tougher task in hand when they take on Malaysia, which boast of the world no.1 Nicol David and top-20 player Low Wee Wern.
The semifinals will be played Wednesday.
Source: Web Search
Posted by Deepak Jain at 6:57 AM 0 comments
Published>Tue, Nov 23 10 08:08 PM
Sydney, Nov.23 (ANI): Former Australian tennis star Mark Philippoussis has been served with a bankruptcy notice for defaulting on a 1.2 million dollar mortgage for a three-level townhouse in Williamstown, in Melbourne's southwest.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, court documents show that lender Perpetual Trustee Company applied to the Federal Magistrate's Court in Sydney for a "substituted service" of the bankruptcy notice today.
According to the report, former World Number 8 Philippoussis took out the loan in February 2008, and after falling behind with his payments, attempted to clear the debt by selling the property. However, it only sold for 835,000 dollars in November 2009.
After turning professional in 1994, the 34-year-old won 11 titles on the men's tour and had career earnings of nearly seven million dollars. (ANI)
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 6:37 AM 0 comments
Published>Tue, Nov 23 10 07:52 PM
Guangzhou, Nov 23 (ANI): Rahim Mohammad Amin scored a goal in the 75th minute as Malaysia beat India 4-3 to set up an Asian Games men's hockey final against Pakistan.
The favourites India, who had to suffer the heartbreak despite giving it their all in the field, will now clash against South Korea for a bronze medal on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan goalkeeper Salman Akbar saved the last shot of a penalty shoot-out to help his team knock out defending champions South Korea after both teams failed to break a 1-1 deadlock in extra-time.
The final that will be played on Thursday will be Pakistan's first since they won the last of their seven Asiad titles way back in Beijing in 1990. (ANI)
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 6:21 AM 0 comments
Tue, Nov 23 10 07:48 PM
Injury-hit Werder Bremen received more bad news ahead of Wednesday's crucial Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur when defender Petri Pasanen was declared doubtful because of a virus.
Werder, who must win in London to have any chance of advancing, are already without nine players, including captain Torsten Frings and strikers Claudio Pizarro and Marko Arnautovic.
Finland international Pasanen could still travel to London on Wednesday morning if he was fit enough, officials said.
Coach Thomas Schaaf has included several players from the under-23 team to make up the numbers in the squad.
"There is hardly anyone who thinks we can pull this off and maybe that is the challenge we need," said Schaaf, whose team have conceded 13 goals in their last four league games.
Werder are last in Group A with just two points from four games. They need to win both their remaining fixtures to have any chance of progressing.
Source: Published>
Posted by Deepak Jain at 6:17 AM 0 comments
Tue, Nov 23 10 07:36 PM
Mumbai, Nov 23 (PTI) After making heavy weather of their chase against Railways, hosts Mumbai will be hoping for a better showing against Assam and strengthen their place on top of group A in the Ranji Trophy Elite Division. After notching up big totals in their first two matches against Saurashtra and Bengal on flat tracks, the famed Mumbai batting line-up crumbled twice against Railways on a track that had something for the bowlers. The batsmen''s tendency to falter on a bowler-friendly wicket is a cause for concern for Mumbai. However, the hosts can take heart from the performance of youngsters - Dhawal Kulkarni, Rohan Raje, and Iqbal Abdullah - who combined with Ramesh Powar to bowl out the opposition twice - and Ajinkya Rahane, whose splendid knock of 94 paved the way for the home team''s victory. Another good news for the hosts is that the duo of Abhishek Nayar and Ajit Agarkar who missed the previous match due to injuries, have recovered. For Assam skipper Amol Mazumdar it would be sort of a homecoming as the veteran returns to the city he has represented for almost one and half decade. Assam, who lost their first match against Tamil Nadu by seven wickets, bounced back by taking the first-innings lead against Railways and Bengal. The match beginning tomorrow, was earlier scheduled to be hosted by the under-renovation Wankhede Stadium, before being shifted to the Mumbai Cricket Association''s ground at the Bandra Kurla Complex.
Source: Published>
Posted by Deepak Jain at 6:05 AM 0 comments
Tue, Nov 23 10 07:22 PM
Kalyani (WB), Nov 23 (PTI) Director of National Cricket Academy, Sandip Patil today said there is immense talent in all levels of cricket in our country. "We have immense talent in all levels of cricket in our country. But we are trying to tap raw talents and promote them," Patil, who has played 29 Tests and has scored 1588 runs, said here. "We would like to tap raw talents around 14-year-olds and nourish them with a view to make good Test cricketers," he said. The NCA director visited ground and the cricket academy set up by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) here. "The field here is excellent and very few academies in India, even the NCA, does not have such a beautiful ground," Patil said after visiting the ground. There are four nets for practice, two dressing rooms, temporary office room, canteen and swimming pool at the academy here. Patil said the NCA has taken land of 50 acres near Bangalore airport. He called upon the coaches to to take cricket coaching course arranged by NCA. "Please join the NCA courses. It has been developed nicely as the development of cricket depends upon the overall improvement of coaching standard," he said. The coaching on curators will also be arranged by the NCA soon, he added.
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 5:51 AM 0 comments
Published>Tue, Nov 23 10 07:16 PM
Sydney, Nov 23 (ANI): The Australian team plans to "cook" England's trio of quicks- Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Steven Finn- along with spinner Graeme Swann in the Ashes, Aussie batsman Shane Watson has said.
"Because they do only have four bowlers, we want to try to keep them out there for as long as possible," The Age quoted Watson, as saying to reporters at Allan Border Field on Monday ahead of Thursday's first Ashes Test at the Gabba.
"In the Australian summer, there's going to be a lot of hard work. That is our plan, to try to cook them as early as we can," he added.
Watson pointed out that relying on four bowlers "in Australian conditions" was going to "put a huge load, especially on the quicks."Australia were able to do it for a long period of time but they had McGrath and Warne, some of the all-time great bowlers," he noted.
Watson said that one of Australia's goals as a batting unit was "to keep them out there for as long as we possibly can because it is a long series five Test matches and it's going to be a lot of workload for those three quicks especially."
"That's one of our advantages in our team is our options. If someone's having a slight off day, hopefully it won't affect the team too much," the batsman added. (ANI)
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 5:45 AM 0 comments
Published>Tue, Nov 23 10 06:58 PM
Brisbane, Nov.23 (ANI): England off-spinner Graeme Swann has said that he is absolutely clear and deadly serious in his determination to beat Australia this winter.
In a write-up for The Sun, Swann said: "Please don't think my light-hearted approach to life and my reputation as a joker extends to the cricket field. When I cross the boundary, I mean business."
"I honestly believe we will return home this winter with the fabled Ashes urn still safely in England's keeping," he adds.
He said that both captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower have allowed him to keep a smile on the other guys' faces.
"They tell me it's my unofficial role in the team. So, my regular video diary which featured the guys performing the Sprinkler dance is great. It gives the lads a chuckle and shows how happy and tight-knit we are as a group," he said.
"I'm the grumpiest bowler in the world if things don't go my way or somebody misfields. I wish all the evil in the world on that bloke for two or three minutes and then pat him on the backside and say sorry," Swann says.
"We have many players who are the same, guys you want on your side when things get tough. Take Stuart Broad. He's a pussycat when he's off duty, but he is a warrior on the field," Swann added.
He said that he saw the First Test as the biggest game of his career.
"It feels like I've been waiting for this moment for more than 20 years. It was a video of England's Ashes win in 1986-87 that sparked my love of the game. We couldn't be more confident of winning. We have bonded brilliantly as a squad and the three build-up matches have gone perfectly," the off-spinner said.
"The Ashes is everywhere here, it's massive, and the key will be how the players handle the pressure. Some thrive, some buckle.
I'm convinced we can flourish under such an intense spotlight because we've proved in the past two years that we can win big matches," he said. (ANI)
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Posted by Deepak Jain at 5:27 AM 0 comments