Gill promises Rs 10 lakh to Sushil, hopes for CWG medal

Tue, Sep 14 10 02:02 PM

New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI) Sports Minister M S Gill today announced a cash award of Rs 10 lakh for World Championship gold medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar and hoped the grappler will continue with his fine form in next month''s Commonwealth Games as well. Gill promised the reward to Sushil, who is the first Indian wrestler to achieve the feat, when he met the Minister at his residence here. "Sushil has got a rare success in wrestling and we will give him Rs 10 lakh for this. I am very happy that Sushil has bagged the honour," Gill said after meeting Sushil, also a Beijing Olympics bronze medallist. "I am watching this guy for some time now, he is quite hardworking and dedicated. I hope he will also win a medal in the Delhi Commonwealth Games next month," Gill told reporters. During his visit, Sushil showed him the medal he bagged in Moscow on Sunday breaking an almost six-decade-old jinx for the Indians, to Gill while the Minister also asked about his experience in the Championship. "I am happy to win this medal. I had to survive some stiff competition there and now I am confident of doing well in the Commonwealth Games as well," said Sushil, who overcame local favourite Gogaev Alan 3-1 in the final. Asked about the recent doping scandals, Sushil said he is well aware about what medicines he can consume. "SAI has given a booklet and I always carry that. I am aware of the medicines I should use. It is important because sometimes you fall ill during a competition, in that case you have to recover as fast as possible," said Sushil. He had defeated Azerbaijan''s Hasanov Jabrayil in the semifinal of the 66kg free style category in Moscow. After getting a bye in the first round, he beat Akritidis of Greece, Martin Sebastian of Germany and Buyan Jav of Mongolia en route to the summit stage.

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Pak's below par performance in England due to bad management: Qadir

Published>Tue, Sep 14 10 01:58 PM

Karachi, Sept.14 (ANI): Former Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir has blamed poor and bad management for the national team's below par performance in the Test and one-day series in England.

He also said that the lack of a game plan and inappropriate selection of the team were reasons behind Pakistan's failure against England in the ongoing ODI series.

"I don't think it is the players who should be blamed for the below par performance in the ongoing ODI series. It is the team management who has completely failed the side," The News quoted Qadir, as saying.

Qadir also said Kamran Akmal should have been sent lower down the order to knock off a few boundaries in the end, and added that Fawad Alam should be sent up the order as he is incapable of scoring some quick boundaries.

He described pacer Mohammad Irfan as crude and said he needed some more time to get his talent polished.

"He is not yet ready for international matches and he need to learn few more things. He may prove himself an asset for the country in the coming years but right now he is not ready," Qadir said.

Qadir said that he has been calling for a major change in the team ahead of the World Cup. (ANI)

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Nadal tops Djokovic for US Open title

Published>Tue, Sep 14 10 01:54 PM

Rafael Nadal won his first U.S. Open title to complete a career Grand Slam, beating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 Monday in a thrilling final filled interrupted by a thunderstorm a day after it was postponed by rain.

It's Nadal's third consecutive major championship and ninth overall.

He is the seventh man in tennis history with at least one title from each Grand Slam tournament.

Rain pushed the men's final from Sunday to Monday for the third consecutive year, and play was interrupted for nearly two hours during the second set. When the match resumed, Djokovic took that set, the only one Nadal lost in the tournament.

The No. 1-ranked Spaniard quickly took a lead in the third set and never let it go.

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Redknapp eyes England manager role

Published>Tue, Sep 14 10 01:42 PM

London, Sep 14(ANI): Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has said that he is ready to replace England manager Fabio Capello when the Italian's contract ends in 2012.

"I have proved I can do what I can do as a manager by getting Tottenham to fourth place from where we were," The Sun quoted Redknapp, as saying.

"Whatever I do at Tottenham - in the Champions League or the Premier League - my record has not been too shabby. I don't ever think I have got anything to prove," he added.

However, he also said that two years is a long time to make plans about.

"In two years I could be manager of Poole Town - who knows? You don't know what is around the corner in football," Redknapp said.

"I certainly don't look two years ahead - there would be no point in doing that," he added.

Redknapp had earlier said that only English coaches should be considered for the position.

"Should the England job only be for the English? I would back that. I'll get slaughtered, I'm sure, for saying it, but I want to see an English boy have a go," Redknapp had said.

"The coaching badge now takes about three years to do. They have to go through all kinds of psychology courses, as well as the football stuff. If you can't produce someone out of all that who can manage the country, then what we should do is send them over to Italy to do their coaching badge there!"

"Maybe if they can do the Italian coaching badge, then they will be better at the job than having done the courses here in England," he added. (ANI)

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Amir mulling revealing all about Lord's Test 'spot-fixing' scandal

Published>Tue, Sep 14 10 01:28 PM

London, Sep 14(ANI): Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir is reportedly contemplating co-operating with police and International Cricket Council investigators in the 'spot-fixing' scandal which has rocked the game of cricket.

Amir has returned to Pakistan under heavy security, and is believed to be staying in a remote village in Punjab province, where he is considering his next move.

According to the Courier Mail, the 18-year-old wants to tell his story and possibly give evidence against Test captain Salman Butt and fellow fast bowler Mohammad Asif, who are under investigation for alleged involvement in a 150,000-pound betting scam.

Given his tender age, inexperience and potential co-operation with authorities, it is believed that Amir could receive a watered-down penalty compared to the life bans on others if they are found guilty.

However, choosing to save his skin could have dire consequences, as it would not go down well with the illegal bookies and gangsters behind the scandals.

British tabloid 'News of The World' has alleged that the three cricketers were involved in a 150,000-pound 'spot-fixing' racket with London-based Mazhar Majeed.

The tabloid claims that they have video evidence to prove that the players were bribed to bowl 'no-balls' in the Lord's Test against England.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has provisionally suspended the three players pending a decision on the charges.

"In accordance with the provisions of the code, this means they are immediately barred from participating in all cricket and related activities until the case has been concluded," the ICC had said in a statement. (ANI)

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Man U will snatch back Premier League title from Chelsea this season: Ferdinand

Published>Tue, Sep 14 10 01:22 PM

London, Sep 14(ANI): Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has said that his club would rip the Premier League title from Chelsea's grasp this year.

Ferdinand, who is line to return to action after a knee injury, also reckons that Chelsea should not get carried away with the four-point lead they currently have over United.

"We enter every competition to win. I've said that every year since I've been here and that's just the way this club runs," The Sun quoted Ferdinand, as saying.

"Seeing Chelsea lift the title last season did hurt us, but you can't always have everything. We were disappointed considering how close it was and the injuries we had at key points during the season."

"Fair play to Chelsea for winning it, but it's up to us to get it back," he added.

Ferdinand has not played since a training-ground collision with his England colleague Emile Heskey ended with him damaging knee ligaments and missing the World Cup in South Africa.

He is expected to take part in United's Champions League clash with Scottish champions Rangers on Tuesday. (ANI)

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Amir mulling revealing all about Lord's Test 'spot-fixing' scandal

Published>Tue, Sep 14 10 01:18 PM

London, Sep 14(ANI): Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir is reportedly contemplating co-operating with police and International Cricket Council investigators in the 'spot-fixing' scandal which has rocked the game of cricket.

Amir has returned to Pakistan under heavy security, and is believed to be staying in a remote village in Punjab province, where he is considering his next move.

According to the Courier Mail, the 18-year-old wants to tell his story and possibly give evidence against Test captain Salman Butt and fellow fast bowler Mohammad Asif, who are under investigation for alleged involvement in a 150,000-pound betting scam.

Given his tender age, inexperience and potential co-operation with authorities, it is believed that Amir could receive a watered-down penalty compared to the life bans on others if they are found guilty.

However, choosing to save his skin could have dire consequences, as it would not go down well with the illegal bookies and gangsters behind the scandals.

British tabloid 'News of The World' has alleged that the three cricketers were involved in a 150,000-pound 'spot-fixing' racket with London-based Mazhar Majeed.

The tabloid claims that they have video evidence to prove that the players were bribed to bowl 'no-balls' in the Lord's Test against England.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has provisionally suspended the three players pending a decision on the charges.

"In accordance with the provisions of the code, this means they are immediately barred from participating in all cricket and related activities until the case has been concluded," the ICC had said in a statement. (ANI)

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