'Shoania' 'over the moon' with warm welcome in Pakistan

Published>Fri, Apr 23 10 03:22 PM

Islamabad, Apr.23 (ANI): Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik has said that he and his newly wedded bride Sania Mirza had never thought they would receive such a warm welcome in Pakistan.

Talking to Geo news on board a flight from Karachi to Islamabad, Shoaib said they were 'over the moon' to see Indian channels airing celebrations of their wedding in Pakistan.

"I was very excited to watch the festivities unfolding in Pakistan," he said.

The star sports couple said they are thankful to the authorities for taking special care of them.

The newly married couple are being accorded VVIP protocol in the country.

Soon after their arrival at the Karachi airport they took a flight to Islamabad, where they were escorted to a five star hotel amid unprecedented security cover.

The traffic movement along their route from the airport to the hotel was stopped till Shoania's carcade passed.

The duo is likely to meet Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, President Asif Ali Zardari and several other top officials and ministers besides the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan, Sharad Sabharwal, before their reception in Lahore on April 25.(ANI)

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Robben rocket brings Japan's Okada down to earth

Published Fri, Apr 23 10 03:08 PM

Japan coach Takeshi Okada was left in awe after watching Arjen Robben's Champions League exploits in midweek and admits World Cup opponents Netherlands represent the toughest of tests for his side.

Robben's superb winner in Bayern Munich's 1-0 win over Olympique Lyon in their semi-final first leg gave the watching Japan coach a reality check before this year's World Cup.

"Robben is a really amazing player," Okada told Friday's Sankei Sports newspaper. "I don't know how you stop him. He can come up with incredible goals like that."

Okada's side were easily beaten 3-0 by the Dutch in a friendly last September but the Japan coach refuses to backtrack from his declared target of a World Cup semi-final spot.

Japan also face Cameroon and Denmark in Group E in South Africa and Okada been criticised for placing extra pressure on his players.

"They also have players like (Robin) van Persie and (Dirk) Kuyt," said Okada. "You can't simply man-mark every one of them.

"The Dutch can shoot from any range -- totally different to Japan," he added, admitting in public for the first time what his employers and even his players have been saying for months.

"I will need to impress on the players a real sense of urgency. The Dutch really are a high-level team."

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Tiger Woods' divorce '100 percent happening'

Published>Fri, Apr 23 10 02:22 PM

New York, April 23 (ANI): Golfer Tiger Woods' divorce with Elin Nordegren is 100 percent happening, according to sources.

"It's going to take a long time to go through. But Elin will go through with it," the New York Daily News quoted a source as telling UsMagazine.com.

It has been reported that Nordegren flew to Sweden when she came to know that Woods was partying at a concert.

The couple have been living separately sparking speculations that their divorce is bound to happen.

Nordegren and her mother reportedly met an attorney to talk about the divorce procedure, before taking a flight to Sweden with the couple's two kids.

"It's going to take a long time to go through but she will go through with it. She is all about being a mom. She will do it slowly and carefully," the source said.

According to TMZ, Woods "partied like a rock star" at a Nickeback performance in Orlando, Florida, when his wife left the country. (ANI)

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As an impact player, Pollard makes his presence felt

Published>Fri, Apr 23 10 02:08 PM

Mumbai, April 23 -- Kieron Pollard, at his best, is an unfettered force of nature. He bowls with aggression, bats like a maniac and leaps like a tiger, snuffing out anything within striking distance. Pollard is reminiscent of Andrew Flintoff, as the latter's aggression, never-say-die attitude and the way he laps up the crowd's acclaim reflect in the West Indian's persona. Pollard was billed as a 'T20 terminator' and it reflected in the Mumbai Indians' fierce bidding to snare him in the IPL-III auction. The franchise bagged him and they are just one step away from winning their maiden IPL trophy. What an outing it has been for the all-rounder. He hasn't played a big innings, but has contributed with match-winning knocks. He has been an impact player in every aspect of the game. Pollard is the fourth highest run-scorer for his team (246 from 13 matches) with a highest score of 45 not out and is the third highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps from as many games. His best figures of 3 for 17 came against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the semifinal on Wednesday. Like Flintoff, Pollard bowls a nagging length, makes the ball to rear up to the batsman's ribs and deftly slips in the slower ones that mostly catch them unawares. Against the RCB on Wednesday, he swung into action with an athletic dive to run Rahul Dravid out. He followed it up with a skilful bowling performance to get rid of Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey, respectively. And if one noted the nature of the three dismissals, it was the slower delivery that did the trick each time. But just like he cuts down the pace, he turns on the heat whenever he walks in to bat. Pollard is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball and his 13-ball 33 on Wednesday was an exhibition of strength and courage.

Like Flintoff, Pollard fears little of the consequences and Tendulkar will bank on the all-rounder to replicate his fearsome state on Sunday.

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From 'nobody' to cricket honcho in four years flat

Published>Fri, Apr 23 10 01:38 PM

In 2004, then Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje hosted a lavish dinner and the who's who of business, politics and media were invited to the event. But no one had time to spare for the unknown, dark, short man, who had "practically glued himself to Raje" and, as one guest put it, was "vainly trying hard to be noticed". Many of the guests were to later regret not being introduced to this man, for he was Lalit Modi, who would go on to become the all-powerful head of the richest sporting extravaganza in the world, the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Within a short span of four years, Modi transformed from practically a nobody to one of the most powerful men in India's wealthiest sport.

Modi's rise to power has its roots in Nagaur, a district in Rajasthan. It was towards the end of 2004 that Kishore Rungta, then president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA), came to know that a certain Lalit Kumar had become the president of the Nagaur District Cricket Association (NDCA).

Rungta's family had ruled the RCA for years. And he had never heard of Kumar. So, he asked NDCA secretary Rajendra Singh Nandu about the new Nagaur association chief, to which Nandu replied that the new president was his man and Rungta had ''nothing to worry about.'' As it turned out, Rungta had a lot worry about, for '' Nandu's man'' was soon to usurp his position.

By mid-2004, the stage was secretly set for Modi's entry into RCA through the Rajasthan Sports (Registration, Recognition and Regulation of Associations) Ordinance.

Subsequently, the ordinance became an act and was enforced from August 18, 2004. IAS officer Sanjai Dixit, a Modi confidante, was entrusted with the task of drafting the ordinance. Its provisions sealed Rungta's fate in the RCA because the right of the individual members to vote - the secret of Rungta's continued power in the association - was taken away. Now, only the office bearers were allowed to vote for the president.

In February 2005, Modi announced his candidature against Rungta in the RCA elections and it was then that the latter came to know that the NDCA's Lalit Kumar was, in fact, Modi.

Modi won the polls, ending the Rungtas' 40-year domination of the RCA, and Dixit became the elected secretary.

After his election in the RCA, Modi was also given voting rights in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

After his election as the RCA president and then the BCCI?s vice-president, Modi rose to become the most powerful cricket personality of the country as the IPL commissioner, his two successive defeats in later RCA elections notwithstanding.

He was first defeated by his one-time crony Dixit. The Modi camp successfully staged a coup against Dixit within less than a year, forcing fresh elections.

However, this time, Union minister CP Joshi humbled Modi and Dixit was elected the secretary of the RCA.

Reproduced From Mail Today. Copyright 2010. MTNPL. All rights reserved.

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Gill slams BCCI for IPL

Published>Fri, Apr 23 10 01:18 PM

New Delhi, April 23 -- Sports Minister, M.S. Gill, on Thursday slammed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the ongoing controversy surrounding the Indian Premier League, saying it was time the Board was made accountable. Replying to the debate on the functioning of the Ministry in Rajya Sabha, Gill said the government was keeping a close watch on the IPL activities. "The IPL is under the scanner, we are watching very closely. Its affairs are being looked into with great detail," Gill informed the House. Coming down heavily on the BCCI, the Minister said the Board "took over everything to do with cricket after it got rich in the last 10-15 years. It is time the Board answers to India". Gill questioned the tax exemptions given to the BCCI, one of the richest sports bodies in the world, saying "there should not be any let off for anybody". State governments are also giving tax sops for different cricket events, he added. "The BCCI could not be a regulator as also owner of the India team as there was a conflict of interest," he said. Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, has already assured Parliament that his Ministry would "get to the bottom of every angle and every aspect of IPL", Gill said. "We will wait for the report," he said, adding the Sports Ministry is linked only to the BCCI. He did not spare BCCI officials for the "state of affairs". "They are taking too many roles. There is a gentleman who is the selector and also the brand ambassador of a team," Gill said, without taking names. He sought to dispel the notion that the government could not do anything in matters related to the BCCI. "No matter how passive the Ministry has been, they (BCCI) come to us for foreign tours."

"You have to charge for that from those who (organisers) are benefiting commercially," Gill said referring to the shifting of IPL matches from Bangalore to Navi Mumbai on security concerns.

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Tiger Woods's marriage over: Donald Trump

Published>Fri, Apr 23 10 01:08 PM

New York, April 23 (ANI): Businessman Donald Trump has said that his pal Tiger Woods' marriage with Elin Nordegren is over.

Trump gave a telephonic interview on 'Good Day New York' and was asked about the couple's relationship.

"Do you want me to be blunt about it?" the 63-year-old business tycoon asked. "I think it is over and it is too bad. I think he feels very badly about it. It is very, very tough," he said.

Speculations that Woods and Nordegren have broken-up starting making rounds when the couple stayed in separate houses after returning to Orlando, Florida., reports The New York Post.

Sources told RadarOnline that Nordegren is angry with Woods as he is planning to return to golf just a few months after his adulterous affairs scandal came up, and wondered if he really wanted to bring back his happy married life.

Trump said that Woods is sorry for his mistakes but he and his consultants have mismanaged the whole affair.

"He has been just devastated by what has happened," Trump said. (ANI)

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