Hyderabad dismissed for lowest total in Ranji History

Mon, Nov 01 10 02:08 PM

Jaipur, Nov 1 (PTI) Hyderabad today recorded the lowest total in the history of Ranji Trophy when they were incredibly all out for just 21 runs against Rajasthan, as the new season began on a sensational note here. The 18-year-old debutant Deepak Chahar wreaked havoc by taking eight wickets to inflict the humiliating record on Hyderabad. The previous lowest total was registered by Southern Punjab, who were all out of 22 in a chase of 114 against Northern India in Amritsar in 1934-35 in the first edition of the domestic cricket tournament. Hyderabad also equalled the record for the lowest total in India''s first-class cricket history. Way back in 1915-16, Mohammedans were also out for 21 against Bombay Quadrangular. Hyderabad were all out in 15.3 overs in 78 minutes in their first innings in the plate-division match after host skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar won the toss and elected to field. Not even a single Hyderabad batsman could manage a double digit score and three of them even failed to open their account. Opener Akshat Reddy (6) was the top scorer for the visitors. Medium pacer Chahar would have not have thought of such a dream debut as he recorded sensational figures of 7.3-2-10-8. His pace colleague Pankaj Singh claimed the other two wickets. Chahar had a chance to get a hat-trick after dismissing MP Arjun and Alfred Absolem in the last ball of his seventh over and the first of his eighth but Pagadala Naidu denied him the milestone by managing to survive that ball. The young paceman''s performance though was not best ever on debut as Maharashtra''s Vasant Ranjane had taken nine wickets for 56 run against Saurashtra in 1956-57.

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Rooney is a troubled soul: Fergie

Published>Mon, Nov 01 10 01:52 PM

London, Nov.1 (ANI): Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson believes his star striker Wayne Rooney has been a troubled soul.

Rooney has gone from Player of the Year to a flop for England and Manchester United and a figure of shame for his reported dalliance with a prostitute, The Sun reports.

Ferguson said: "I don't know the reason for his loss of form because it started in the World Cup. Whether some clubs have been filling his head in that period to affect him we don't know. The important thing is for us to put it behind us. But certainly something has been troubling him."

Ferguson believes the weight of feeling against Rooney forced a U-turn as he finally signed a new five-year contract worth 250,000-pounds-a-week.

Ferguson said: "Nobody enjoys that sort of attention. When he saw the impact his decision made it took him aback and he had a rethink." (ANI)

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HSBC bank on rugby and golf to reach out to new markets

Published>Mon, Nov 01 10 01:38 PM

It clearly pays to be part of the Olympics and golf and rugby sevens have already started counting the cash.

The two sports will be readmitted to the Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro -- 112 years after golf's last appearance in St Louis in 1904 and 92 years after rugby last featured, in its 15-a-side format.

The impending Olympic inclusion has not gone unnoticed and HSBC has already signed deals to drive maximum mileage from it.

The bank recently signed a sponsorship deal with the International Rugby Board's (IRB) global sevens tournaments, renewed its backing for the British Lions -- the rugby union touring side -- and inked a partnership agreement with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, golf's governing body.

"Not only do they have the heritage which is attractive but both sports have a huge opportunity due to the Olympic Games.

"It's sort of an ancient-modern piece going on here," Giles Morgan, HSBC group head of sponsorship, told Reuters in an interview.

About 60 percent of the bank's sponsorship budget is spent towards the emerging markets, the executive said.

"Emerging markets is certainly one of the areas that HSBC is known for and within our sports portfolio a lot of what you see is that we are investing in sports that have to reach out to new markets," according to Morgan.

"The Olympics mean both rugby sevens and golf have to reach out to brand new countries and communities all over the world."

Morgan said the bank does not focus their investments on individuals as they pose a "big element of risk".

"One of the reasons we don't look at individuals is that there is a big element of risk involved with individuals. They can stray from their paths," he said.

"We prefer to do tournaments and events and leagues which are less prone, perhaps, to reputation risks."

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Youth cricket bodies in Australia to be centralized following adverse report

Published>Mon, Nov 01 10 01:08 PM

Sydney, Nov.1 (ANI): Bodies governing youth cricket in Australia will be centralised after a damning report forced Cricket Australia to completely re-evaluate its structure and revenue streams.

A discussion paper, revealed yesterday in The Sun-Herald, showed huge declines in player participation and television audiences for the game.

In the past decade, it said, ratings had fallen 24 per cent.

"In a sense, it was a seminal moment. The expression I used today was wake-up call," the general manager of communications at Cricket Australia, Peter Young, said of the paper.

He added: "There's a definition that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different outcomes. We're not going to do that."

In addition to centralising youth cricket, the paper has sparked a review into the structure and administration of Cricket Australia.

It has also led to an admission that Twenty20 cricket would account for half the sport's revenue within 20 years - leading to a reduction in Australia's involvement with Test cricket, although Cricket Australia said this would be minimal.

Channel Nine's director of sport in Sydney, Steve Crawley, said a new rights deal for cricket would be negotiated in 2013 and the network would bid "as hard as ever for cricket". (ANI)

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PCB governing council to decide on full-time batting coach

Published>Mon, Nov 01 10 12:52 PM

Lahore, Nov 1(ANI): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)'s Governing Council will meet today to decide if a full-time batting coach is needed for the national team.

"The matter will be deliberated upon and then it will be decided if we need to appoint a specialist batting coach with the team," the Daily Times quoted PCB Chief Operating Officer Wasim Bari, as saying.

A source however claimed that Bari has already been given the task of negotiating with some prospective candidates, and he has spoken to some foreign and local candidates.

The board is concerned with the lack of batting consistency in the national team with the 2011 World Cup also around the corner.

Bari also said that the council would study the tour to England reports submitted by coach Waqar Younis and manger Yawar Saeed.

The source also said that PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt would distribute some of his powers during the meeting to council members.

Butt had been ordered by chief patron President Asif Ali Zardari to distribute his powers.

"First and foremost Ijaz will be transferring his authority and secondly to directly look into cases of indiscipline or corruption by players to the integrity commission which will report directly to the council," the source said. (ANI)

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European Leagues round-up: Ronaldo on song

Published>Mon, Nov 01 10 12:46 PM

Cristiano Ronaldo's rich vein of form continued with two goals as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Hercules 3-1 and stay top of La Liga.

In England, Nani's bizarre goal in Manchester United's 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur was the hot topic of debate and surprise Italian leaders Lazio went four points clear.

SPAIN

It was a good weekend for Real Madrid and Barcelona and a poor one for the teams with a realistic chance of challenging the La Liga giants for the title. Leaders Real came from behind to win 3-1 at promoted Hercules with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring two late goals to take his league tally to 10 in four games and 13 in nine matches in all competitions in October.

Barca routed Sevilla 5-0 thanks to two goals each from Lionel Messi and David Villa and one from former Sevilla full back Daniel Alves.

Real are top with 23 points, Barca have 22. Villarreal (20) and Valencia (17) slipped further behind the leading pair when they were held to 1-1 draws by Sporting Gijon and Real Zaragoza respectively.

ENGLAND

Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United secured victories to maintain their places at the top but Manchester City lost ground with a second successive defeat.

Leaders Chelsea grabbed a 2-1 victory at Blackburn Rovers with a late header by Branislav Ivanovic while Alex Song's 88th-minute header secured a 1-0 home win for Arsenal over West Ham United.

Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 with Nani's late goal the talking point. The Portuguese nicked the ball from Heurelho Gomes as the Spurs keeper was about to take a free kick he thought had been given for a handball but the referee had waved play on and Nani took full advantage.

City were disjointed in their second successive defeat, 2-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Liverpool's second victory in a row, 1-0 win at Bolton Wanderers, lifted them out of the bottom three.

ITALY

Lazio shot four points clear after their 1-0 win at Palermo and AC Milan's 2-1 home defeat by Juventus, where Alessandro Del Piero became Juve's all-time record Serie A scorer.

Champions Inter Milan went second following a 1-0 victory at Genoa where Sulley Muntari netted his first goal in over a year with help from bumbling goalkeeper Eduardo.

Sampdoria dropped Antonio Cassano, possibly for good, after the Italy forward insulted the club president but they still won 1-0 at Cesena thanks to Giampaolo Pazzini's stoppage-time goal.

Napoli celebrated Diego Maradona's 50th birthday with a 1-0 success at Brescia with Argentina's Ezequiel Lavezzi fittingly grabbing the winner.

GERMANY

Borussia Dortmund reclaimed top spot after beating Mainz 05 2-0 to set a new Bundesliga record with their fifth successive away win since the start of the season.

Goals from teenager Mario Goetze and Lucas Barrios made sure Dortmund went a point clear at the top on 25 from 10 games, one ahead of Mainz.

Gylfi Sigurdsson struck twice to help Hoffenheim crush Hanover 96 4-0 and move into third place on 18 points while injury-plagued champions Bayern Munich showed signs of recovery, beating Freiburg 4-2 to move up to seventh.

Schalke 04's troubled season took a turn for the worse when they slumped to a 1-0 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen that left the Champions League competitors in 17th spot, level on six points with bottom-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach.

FRANCE

Promoted Brest claimed top spot in Ligue 1 with a 2-0 home win against St Etienne on Saturday as the Olympique Marseille v Stade Rennes clash was postponed because of heavy rain.

Bad weather in southeastern France also forced the postponement of Monaco v Girondins Bordeaux.

Olympique Lyon, French champions from 2002 to 2008, revived their campaign with a 2-1 home victory against Sochaux on Saturday with youngster Alexandre Lacazette netting the winner in his third top flight appearance.

Paris St Germain's season was stalling after a 1-1 draw at Montpellier, a week after they were beaten at home by AJ Auxerre.

NETHERLANDS

Dutch champions Twente Enschede went top of the table after beating 10-men PSV Eindhoven 1-0, their first away win over their opponents for 37 years.

Costa Rican Bryan Ruiz set up Nacer Chadli on the hour to seal victory for unbeaten Twente, a result which pushed PSV down to second place.

Twente have 28 points from 12 matches, one ahead of PSV and Ajax Amsterdam, who cruised to a 4-1 win at Heracles Almelo.

PORTUGAL

Leaders Porto and second-placed Benfica posted wins ahead of their encounter in next weekend's classico.

Benfica beat Pacos de Ferreira 2-0 at home, with Argentine playmaker Pablo Aimar opening the scoring in the 14th minute after a solo run past three defenders. Brazilian forward Alan Kardec added the second with a 65th-minute penalty.

A Silvestre Varela volley two minutes before halftime gave Porto a 1-0 away win over Academica on a rain-drenched pitch.

GREECE

Djibril Cisse scored twice as Panathinaikos came from behind to overcome Olympiakos Pireaus 2-1 in a pulsating Athens derby and close to within a point of their rivals at the top of the Super League.

AEK Athens lost ground on the top two after slipping to a 1-0 defeat at struggling Panionios. They are in third, five points adrift of leaders Olympiakos.

AEK were reduced to 10 men in the 36th minute when Uruguay defender Claudio Dadomo was sent off for an off-the-ball kick at Andreas Samaris. The goal came five minutes after halftime when Lorenzo Riera, whose first-half penalty was saved by AEK keeper Sebastian Saja, headed home Yiannis Maniatis' cross.

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IOA presses panic button: 12 days left, no word on Asiad bid

Published>Mon, Nov 01 10 12:38 PM

Call it overly ambitious given how the Commonwealth Games is under the scanner but the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) - whose president is also Suresh Kalmadi - is ringing alarm bells. Reason: it's less than two weeks before the key meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia in Guangzhou, China, where the names of bidders for the 2019 and 2023 Asian Games will be announced and the government is yet to take a call.

Ideally, the government's "letter of intent" - the formal bids have to come in only next July - should reach OCA at least two days before the meeting. India lost two successive bids to host the Asian Games (2006 and 2014).

So if this bus is missed, India can't be a contender for the next 13 years.

IOA's Vice-President Randhir Singh, who is also OCA's Secretary General, is the main votary for making a bid, but officials told The Indian Express, "the two-week deadline seems an impossible one for the Cabinet to give the green light."

In the two weeks since the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games, IOA officials have not met even once to discuss the issue.

Despite this, Randhir Singh now says: "The government should give us an indication that they are interested and we can put a detailed proposal in place in two days. If we do not, we will lose our chances of bidding till 2023 and let down the youth and sportspersons of India. I am looking forward to an Indian bid since the Asian Games will put us on track for hosting the Olympic Games in future."

While Kalmadi did not return calls, IOA Vice-President Vijay Kumar Malhotra said: "The IOA should immediately hold an emergency meeting on the subject and engage with the government at the highest level. All we will need is construction of two or three more indoor stadia in New Delhi which has just successfully hosted the Commonwealth Games."

However, Injeti Srinivas, Joint Secretary of the Sports Ministry told The Indian Express that the ball had been in the IOA's court for several months now and a last-minute dash to Guangzhou won't work. "Only a miracle can now make the bid a reality," he said.

"It was 18 months ago that we told the IOA to give us a more comprehensive proposal but haven't heard from them since. With the bits and pieces of paper that the IOA has given us, the government is not even in a position to appraise the proposal and take a well-informed decision."

He added that with the Asian Games having over 40 disciplines (against the 17 disciplines of the Commonwealth Games), the financial implications of the decision were enormous. "There is also the issue of which Indian city should be the venue for the next event," he said. "We cannot be Delhi-centric in our approach just because the Commonwealth Games have created new sporting infrastructure in the Capital. The IOA has to do more homework since what we have before us is a frivolous proposal."

This was a view Sports Minister M S Gill had gone public with in July when he had said, "To consider any such great event which has major financial and other implications, there is a system. The IOA has to prepare a comprehensive document with financial and other details and has to pass a formal resolution in its executive board and then present it to the Sports Ministry." At that time, the Ministry had given the IOA a mid-July deadline to submit all the documents.

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