Overnight rain delays second day's start

Published>Mon, Jul 19 10 12:27 PM

Overnight rains delayed the start of the second day of the first cricket Test between India and Sri Lanka here on Monday.

Heavy rains lashed Galle last night and made the entire outfield wet, which was more than enough for a delayed start for the second consecutive day

Even though there were no rains in the morning, wet outfield forced the covers to stay on at the Galle International Stadium and according to the curator Jayananda Warnaweera, play can begin only after lunch.

The opening day's play yesterday, was also delayed by 30 minutes due to wet ground conditions.

Weathermen have predicted overcast conditions on all five days of the match, which, incidentally, is veteran Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan's swansong Test.

After the opening day's play in which only 68 overs were bowled, Sri Lanka were in a comfortable position at 256 for two with Tharanga Paranavitana unbeaten on 110 and Mahela Jayawardene on 8 occupying the crease.

Captain Kumar Sangakkara (103) also notched up his 22nd century on Sunday, that came off just 145 balls.

The toothless Indian bowling attack was taken for a ride by the Sri Lankans batters with only debutant Abhimanyu Mithun (1/41) and Virender Sehwag (1/23) managing wickets.

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Afridi to quit Test captaincy after second test against Australia

Published>Fri, Jul 16 10 11:17 PM

London, Jul 16 (ANI): Pakistan's new captain Shahid Afridi today said that he will quit the captaincy of the test team after the second test against Australia.

Afridi made the announcement on Friday minutes after his side lost the first test by 150 runs at Lord's.

"It is a board decision but I would think Salman Butt is the best man for the job now," Afridi told BBC Radio.

"I have a bit of an injury and I would rather focus on one-day and Twenty20 cricket."

The batsman, out slogging for two on Friday, said he no longer had the temperament for the five-day game after what was his first Test in four years, the Dawn reports. (ANI)

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PCB accepts Afridi''s resignation

Fri, Jul 16 10 11:07 PM

Karachi, Jul 16 (PTI) The Pakistan Cricket Board today accepted the resignation of Shahid Afridi as captain of the Test team but said his deputy Salman Butt was not an automatic choice to take over for the rest of the five-day matches during the tour of England. Afridi''s decision to retire as the Test captain means Pakistan cricket has seen four Test captain change since early 2009, when Shoaib Malik was removed after a home series defeat to Sri Lanka. "I have accepted the resignation of Afridi as Test captain but he would continue to lead the team in one-dayers and T20 internationals," PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt said from London. "We had appointed Afridi as captain for all three formats of the game for the tour to England, but if he is not comfortable now playing the longer version of the game we can''t force him to carry on as Test captain," Butt added. The PCB Chairman said Afridi''s decision had come as a surprise and the Board would now meet in next few days to decide who will captain the Test team for the rest of the England tour. "Salman Butt is not the automatic choice despite being vice-captain as it is the discretion of the Board to decide who should lead the Test team," Butt said. However, he declined to comment on media reports that he had asked former captain Muhammad Yousuf to come out of retirement and join the team in England for the series against England. "I will not comment on that issue but we still have a lot of cricket to play and we need to re-group quickly. Afridi will continue to lead the team in the ODIs and T20 matches," he said. Afridi today announced his decision after Pakistan''s humiliating 150-run defeat at the hands of Australia in the first Test in Lord''s. Meanwhile, sources said that the Board is also considering recalling former captain Younis Khan for the Test series and the chances of either Younis or Yousuf being asked to take over as Test captain cannot be ruled out. "The experiment with new players in the first Test backfired and Afridi''s retirement has forced the Board to rethink their strategy," one source said. Both Younis and Yousuf were not considered for the England tour although Younis was available after a ban was lifted from him in June.

Source: Published>

Afridi to quit Test captaincy after second test against Australia

Published>Fri, Jul 16 10 10:37 PM

London, Jul 16 (ANI): Pakistan's new captain Shahid Afridi today said that he will quit the captaincy of the test team after the second test against Australia.

Afridi made the announcement on Friday minutes after his side lost the first test by 150 runs at Lord's.

"It is a board decision but I would think Salman Butt is the best man for the job now," Afridi told BBC Radio.

"I have a bit of an injury and I would rather focus on one-day and Twenty20 cricket."

The batsman, out slogging for two on Friday, said he no longer had the temperament for the five-day game after what was his first Test in four years, the Dawn reports. (ANI)

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Woods'' mistress to appear on reality show: Report

Fri, Jul 16 10 10:27 PM

Betwa Sharma New York, Jul 16 (PTI) Rachel Uchitel, a mistress of Tiger Woods, has been invited to appear on the next season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" by television producer Donald Trump, according to celebrity news website TMZ. Trump, also the show''s host, told TMZ that he personally called Uchitel three weeks ago and offered her a spot on the show, telling her she would be "awesome." Uchitel told TMZ she was "absolutely" taking the offer. Rachel Uchitel came into the spotlight after details of the extramarital affairs Tiger Woods had with dozens of women became public last year. Shocking details of his private life received worldwide attention with several of the golfer''s mistresses coming forward to provide information about his infidelity. The cover-up was busted after his wife Elin found out about his extramarital affair with Uchitel, a New York party planner, which led to an argument on Nov 27 because of which Woods crashed his SUV outside his Florida mansion sustaining minor injuries. The golfer has apologized for his behavior. He spent 45 days in rehab for sex-addiction and has spoken of continuing his treatment. After the sex scandal broke, Woods took a five month break before entering the Masters in April. NBC, the channel on which the show is telecast, has the final say on whether Uchitel will be on the show, but Donald usually gets his way, TMZ said.

Source: Published>

Afridi announces Test retirement

Fri, Jul 16 10 10:23 PM

London, Jul 16 (PTI) Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi today announced that he would retire from the Test cricket after his team''s second five-dayer against Australia because he doesn''t consider himself fit for the longer version of the game. Afridi, who announced his decision after Pakistan''s humiliating 150-run defeat at the hands of Australia in the first Test in Lord''s, also revealed that he made up his mind only after being dismissed cheaply by part-time off-spinner Marcus North in the second innings of the match. Asked at the post match press conference when he decided to quit the Test cricket, Afridi replied, "When I got out." Afridi, who made two runs during Pakistan''s chase of 440, went to slog just the fourth ball he faced and fell prey to North. "I''ve not been fully fit with a side strain and so I will not play Test cricket after the match in Leeds," Afridi said. "The Pakistan Cricket Board asked me to play Test cricket, I wasn''t thinking about it. I did the wrong thing. I think my temperament is not good enough for Test cricket and I am struggling with a side injury. I think maybe the next Test will be my last," Afridi said after the match. Afridi also admitted that it was not an ideal shot on his part at that crucial moment of the match. "The captain should be an example for the youngsters but that was not an example. I was in two minds whether to play my natural game or whether to take my time. You can say I was weak mentally...I''m not good enough for Test cricket," Afridi said. The second match starts at Headingley from July 21. His decision means a new captain will be in place when Pakistan take on England in the four-Test series starting on July 29. Afridi also said that opening batsman Salman Butt may take over as the captain of Pakistan. "Salman is showing his maturity. He''s good enough to take over this team as captain." .

Source: Published>

Rossi back up to speed in stunning MotoGP comeback

Fri, Jul 16 10 10:17 PM

MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi made a stunning comeback six weeks after breaking his leg with the seventh fastest time in German Grand Prix practice on Friday.

The 31-year-old Italian, who has missed four races since the injury last month, lapped the twisty Sachsenring circuit only a fraction of a second slower than Yamaha team mate and championship leader Jorge Lorenzo.

Spain's Dani Pedrosa, who has always been quick at the eastern German circuit, was fastest for Honda in one minute 22.521 seconds, ahead of Casey Stoner on a Ducati and the Australian's American team mate Nicky Hayden.

Lorenzo was sixth fastest with a best time of 1:23.224 compared to Rossi's 1:23.244, with the returning Italian among the top four fastest for most of the session run in temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius.

"Once again Valentino has surprised everyone," said team boss Davide Brivio. "From a team point of view it was like he had never been away, working on the suspension and searching for the best set up.

"His physical condition isn't too bad, a bit more difficult in the right-hand corners and okay on the left, but overall it is a lot better than we expected."

Rossi, who was told by specialists in June that he could expect to be out for four to five months after fracturing his right shin and fibula, was delighted with his astonishing return to two wheels.

"I am a lot more agile on the bike than I was in the tests," he said, applying ice to his injured leg after the session.

"I feel good and this track is helping me because a lot of it turns to the left," added the Italian, whose injury at his home grand prix at Mugello ended a record run of 230 successive starts.

"I am feeling quite confident on the bike and also my shoulder is good and not giving me problems. Now I have some pain in the leg and ankle but it's not too bad.

"We will have to wait until tomorrow morning to see how the leg is and whether it has swelled overnight or developed any problems," said the nine-times world champion, who has slipped to seventh place in the standings.

Source: Published>