Reigning Commonwealth 400m champion to miss Delhi Games

Published>Thu, Sep 09 10 10:07 PM

London, Sep 9 (IANS) Australia's John Steffensen, the reigning Commonwealth Games 400 meters champion, Thursday pulled out from the Oct 3-14 event over a four-year-long feud with Athletics Australia (AA) and accused them of jeopardising athletes' careers.

Steffensen said AA ignored his complaints for over four years and he is forced to boycott the Delhi Games, for which he was training from the last two years.

The 28-year-old holds a grievance against AA after his request to seek an exemption from the national championships earlier this year after undergoing a major back surgery.

AA said Steffensen could have an exemption but informed him that his selection would not be guaranteed because he was one of four athletes who had qualifying times for three positions in the team in the 400m.

'This is the toughest decision I've ever had make,' Steffensen was quoted as saying by the Telegraph.

Steffenson, the gold medallist in 4x400m relay in the Melbourne edition lashed out at the approach of the athletics body.

'Athletes are getting bullied, dictated to, copping decisions that are essentially jeopardising careers. I explained the surgeons' findings and they (AA) effectively said 'too bad, run'.' Steffensen said.

'This decision is going to cost me money, my reputation will take a hit and my chance of ever winning consecutive Commonwealth golds is gone. I love Australia. I love running for my country. But by sacrificing two years of my own preparations for these Games, I hope people understand how passionate I am about creating change for athletics in this country.'

AA chief executive Dallas O'Brien said he is yet to receive any formal notification of Steffensen's withdrawal.

'We would be disappointed if Steffensen will not available to represent Australia in the 400m and the 4x400m relay in New Delhi,' O'Brien said in a statement.

Source: Web Search

Sania, Bhupathi congratulate Bopanna and Quershi

Thu, Sep 09 10 09:57 PM

New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) As history beckons Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, who are just one win away from winning the US Open, Indian tennis fraternity today showered encomiums on the Indo-Pak pair for their incredible run at last Grand Slam of the season. Bopanna and Qureshi have made the Grand Slam finals for the first time in their career and are also the first Indo-Pak pair to do so. India''s number one female tennis player Sania Mirza congratulated the pair on her twitter page and told them to give it all in the final. "Great day for sport and Indian sport today..a biiiggg congraulations to @rohanbopanna and aisam for making the finals! "One more to go boys, and create more history in many many ways..all the best:)," she tweeted. "Sports and love can bring ANYTHING together..who would have thought Indians and Pakistanis would be cheering for the same team to win!," she wrote in another tweet. The 16th seeds will take on Americans Bob and Mike Bryan, whom they had beaten recently in an ATP tour event in Washington. Seasoned Indian pro Mahesh Bhupathi expected the final to be a blockbuster. "Here is a stat. The only team the Bryans have lost to this summer are the Indo Pak express. Talk about a blockbuster on Friday!!," he wrote. Talking about the Indo-Pak connection, Bhupathi wrote,"An Indian and a Pakistani will together play for the US Open doubles title friday. Tennis might be the answer:)All aboard the Indopak express!." Bhupathi. In a lighter vein, Somdev said if Bopanna will miss Sunday''s practice in Chennai, he will complain to Davis Cup Captain S P Misra.

Source: Published>

Asif considering political asylum, PCB says trio will come back

Published>Thu, Sep 09 10 09:47 PM

London/Lahore, Sep 9 (IANS) Fearing a violent backlash at home, Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif, one of the three players accused of spot-fixing, is considering seeking political asylum in Britain, but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt said Asif along with Test captain Salman Butt and pacer Mohammad Aamer will come back to the country.

Ijaz in a press conference in Lahore said that fast bowler Wahab Riaz will, meanwhile, be questioned by the Metropolitan police in London Sep 14 in connection with the spot-fixing scandal that has rocked world cricket.

'They were interviewed for nine hours. There are no police charges against them nor have their movements been restricted. If there was anything against them they would have been arrested. They did not arrest them. We have informed the police that they will be travelling back to Pakistan in the next few days,' Ijaz said.

'Police have also asked that Wahab Riaz should be made available to them for an interview on Sep 14 and we have arranged for the interview in London,' he said.

Riaz will be the fourth Pakistani player to be questioned by the Metropolitan police after the International Cricket Council (ICC) provisionally suspended Salman, Asif and Aamer last week.

Asif fears that match fixing allegations could make him the potential target of dangerous criminal gangs linked to the illegal betting underworld.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the Pakistan bowler had a 35-minute meeting with an immigration lawyer last Friday. During the meeting, he told the lawyer that he feared the allegations of spot-fixing in the fourth Test match against England could make him the target of dangerous criminal gangs linked to the illegal betting underworld.

The newspaper said that the 27-year-old fast bowler asked an intermediary to arrange a meeting with the lawyer in London last week, and the meeting apparently took place Friday in a Pakistani restaurant in Southall, west London.

'He didn't say anything about asylum at first. He just said, 'What's the way to stay?' Then we told him there's the student way - you can come here to study - or you can apply for a work permit. But then he asked about asylum,' the daily quoted a lawyer, who arranged the meeting, as telling it on the condition of anonymity.

British tabloid 'News of the World' alleged that the three players took bribe for bowling deliberate no-balls during the Lord's cricket Test against England.

Ijaz said that PCB was not in a position to launch its own inquiry since the case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police and the Scotland Yard in London.

'We are also concerned about this and we also have zero tolerance on corruption. We cannot launch a parallel investigation because the matter is already under investigation. Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of the issue.'

'We wrote a letter to ICC on behalf of the players but they want individual replies from the players which will be given to them in the allowed 14 days. On the fourth day of the Lord's Test Yawar Saeed (team manager) called me and said police have warrants to search the players' rooms. On Friday the players were interrogated for nine hours but no charges are levelled against them,' said Ijaz.

Meanwhile, the ICC has now asked Salman and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal to hand over their phone records during the World Twenty20 in the Caribbeans.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has asked Salman and Akmal to provide the mobile phone numbers they used and records of calls made during the tournament in May.

The demand was made in a letter sent to the pair at the end of last month's Oval Test against England, a week before the spot-fixing expose in the News of the World.

In the same letter, the ACSU also asked the duo to provide similar details for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in June.

The daily also reported that the ICC has informed Akmal that he is also under investigation but remains part of the Pakistan squad for the NatWest Series against England.

Salman, Akmal and Aamer were members of the Pakistan team that lost in the final over of a remarkable semi-final against Australia in St. Lucia when Mike Hussey hit three sixes in four balls to win the match.

How could Pakistan lose a winning match when comfortably placed, perplexed watchers of the game have since asked.

Salman and Akmal also opened the batting in a Super-Eight match against England that they lost in the tournament. During that match Pakistan spilled three catches, of which two very simple ones by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, and they missed a run-out against Kevin Pietersen as he guided England to victory.

Pietersen was comfortably beaten by a throw from point when on 64 but, despite collecting the ball cleanly, Akmal missed the stumps.

Source: Web Search

Job to he helpful for KKR in long run : Whatmore

Thu, Sep 09 10 09:37 PM

Kolkata, Sep 9 (PTI) Former Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore today said his new job to groom Bengal''s junior cricket would be helpful for Indian Premier League team Kolkata Knight Riders in the long run. The 1996 World Cup winning Sri Lankan coach, who is also has the same role in the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side in IPL, said his presence would lead to a union of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and KKR. "For an IPL team to be good, a state''s Ranji side too has to excel with quality players. My presence here may lead to a union of CAB and KKR. The union will certainly produce excellent results," Whatmore said. The Aussie, however, said that his job would not be to groom young talents for KKR. "My job is to to ensure that CAB has more players that can strengthen the reserve bench. Whether these young players turn out for KKR or not is not the point. "The reason for me being here is to share my knowledge in an effort to make youth cricket stronger and ready to take on uncertainties in future." His priority would be to spend maximum time here, he said. "Proper youth development requires training youngsters about maintaining their focus, making them understand that its they who should take responsibility themselves. We also have to educate them on anti-doping and anti-corruption." PTI TAP PC ATK

Source: Published>

Asif considering political asylum, PCB says trio will come back

Published>Thu, Sep 09 10 09:27 PM

London/Lahore, Sep 9 (IANS) Fearing a violent backlash at home, Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif, one of the three players accused of spot-fixing, is considering seeking political asylum in Britain, but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt said Asif along with Test captain Salman Butt and pacer Mohammad Aamer will come back to the country.

Ijaz in a press conference in Lahore said that fast bowler Wahab Riaz will, meanwhile, be questioned by the Metropolitan police in London Sep 14 in connection with the spot-fixing scandal that has rocked world cricket.

'They were interviewed for nine hours. There are no police charges against them nor have their movements been restricted. If there was anything against them they would have been arrested. They did not arrest them. We have informed the police that they will be travelling back to Pakistan in the next few days,' Ijaz said.

'Police have also asked that Wahab Riaz should be made available to them for an interview on Sep 14 and we have arranged for the interview in London,' he said.

Riaz will be the fourth Pakistani player to be questioned by the Metropolitan police after the International Cricket Council (ICC) provisionally suspended Salman, Asif and Aamer last week.

Asif fears that match fixing allegations could make him the potential target of dangerous criminal gangs linked to the illegal betting underworld.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the Pakistan bowler had a 35-minute meeting with an immigration lawyer last Friday. During the meeting, he told the lawyer that he feared the allegations of spot-fixing in the fourth Test match against England could make him the target of dangerous criminal gangs linked to the illegal betting underworld.

The newspaper said that the 27-year-old fast bowler asked an intermediary to arrange a meeting with the lawyer in London last week, and the meeting apparently took place Friday in a Pakistani restaurant in Southall, west London.

'He didn't say anything about asylum at first. He just said, 'What's the way to stay?' Then we told him there's the student way - you can come here to study - or you can apply for a work permit. But then he asked about asylum,' the daily quoted a lawyer, who arranged the meeting, as telling it on the condition of anonymity.

British tabloid 'News of the World' alleged that the three players took bribe for bowling deliberate no-balls during the Lord's cricket Test against England.

Ijaz said that PCB was not in a position to launch its own inquiry since the case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police and the Scotland Yard in London.

'We are also concerned about this and we also have zero tolerance on corruption. We cannot launch a parallel investigation because the matter is already under investigation. Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of the issue.'

'We wrote a letter to ICC on behalf of the players but they want individual replies from the players which will be given to them in the allowed 14 days. On the fourth day of the Lord's Test Yawar Saeed (team manager) called me and said police have warrants to search the players' rooms. On Friday the players were interrogated for nine hours but no charges are levelled against them,' said Ijaz.

Meanwhile, the ICC has now asked Salman and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal to hand over their phone records during the World Twenty20 in the Caribbeans.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has asked Salman and Akmal to provide the mobile phone numbers they used and records of calls made during the tournament in May.

The demand was made in a letter sent to the pair at the end of last month's Oval Test against England, a week before the spot-fixing expose in the News of the World.

In the same letter, the ACSU also asked the duo to provide similar details for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in June.

The daily also reported that the ICC has informed Akmal that he is also under investigation but remains part of the Pakistan squad for the NatWest Series against England.

Salman, Akmal and Aamer were members of the Pakistan team that lost in the final over of a remarkable semi-final against Australia in St. Lucia when Mike Hussey hit three sixes in four balls to win the match.

How could Pakistan lose a winning match when comfortably placed, perplexed watchers of the game have since asked.

Salman and Akmal also opened the batting in a Super-Eight match against England that they lost in the tournament. During that match Pakistan spilled three catches, of which two very simple ones by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, and they missed a run-out against Kevin Pietersen as he guided England to victory.

Pietersen was comfortably beaten by a throw from point when on 64 but, despite collecting the ball cleanly, Akmal missed the stumps.

Source: Web Search

Alonso says team orders row is in the past

Published>Thu, Sep 09 10 09:17 PM

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso has tried to consign Formula One's 'team orders' controversy to the past and said on Thursday the title would be in no way diminished if he won it.

Asked at his team's home Italian Grand Prix whether he felt any relief the sport's governing body had decided to impose no further punishment on Ferrari, the Spaniard shrugged his shoulders.

"It's something that is the past for us and we need to concentrate on Monza," said the double world champion. "It's something we have talked about already too much.

"I am happy to see the FIA (International Automobile Federation) will go deep into the rules and try to clarify (them).

"There is no special feeling, nothing to say," added Alonso.

"The decision was something we were waiting for and were ready to respect, whatever it was ... we respect the decision, we keep everything as it was, points etc, so nothing changed for us."

Ferrari were fined $100,000 by stewards at Hockenheim in July for ordering Brazilian Felipe Massa to let team mate Alonso overtake and win the German Grand Prix in a one-two finish.

FIA COUNCIL

The FIA's world motor sport council decided at a hearing in Paris on Wednesday to impose no further sanctions on the team but to review the rule that bars the use of such orders.

The decision kept Alonso's title hopes alive, although he is 41 points adrift of McLaren's overall leader Lewis Hamilton with six races, or 150 points, remaining.

Asked whether he would consider the title to be on a par with his other two if he won it this season, Alonso did not hesitate: "Yes," he replied. "You win the title, you win the title."

Asked later for his definition of a worthy world champion, and the ingredients that made one, Alonso smiled at the same old question served up in a different way.

"Whoever is first at the end, it is because he had more points than the others," he said. "It happens in all sports and this is the way it was in the history of Formula One and football, in Premier League, in tennis as well.

"I am sure you are talking about the decision of yesterday, but you have to respect it, guys, and be calm. Respect everything as we do and don't worry."

Source: Web Search

England need to maintain winning momentum till WC: Broad

Thu, Sep 09 10 09:07 PM

Dubai, Sep 9 (PTI) England have to continue with their winning momentum, they have grabbed in the ODI series against Pakistan, ahead of the 2011 Cricket World Cup, feels fast bowler Stuart Broad. 24-year-old Broad, who has been one of the stars of England''s successful run with the white ball, said conditions in Indian sub-continent will be difficult during the World Cup and so it is important to maintain high standards on the run-up. "I think we''re in a really good place as the England cricket team at the moment. We''ve played successful Twenty20 cricket in the past two games and also in the World Twenty20," Broad said. "It is important for us to keep the standards high, which we have set this summer. We''ve got about 13 or 14 games before the ICC (Cricket) World Cup and we know what an important tournament that is. "We know it is tough playing cricket in India as it is different conditions to what we are used to as an England team but it is still good practice winning and working on power plays and that sort of stuff,'' he added. Broad said the good form has made the England cricketers a confident lot. "We''re a confident side and it is certainly up to us to transfer that form in the two Twenty20s into this one-day series and into Australia and the World Cup as we know how key momentum is in one-day cricket," he said. Broad believes it would be a fantastic experience playing in the World Cup in the sub-continent. "We all know as international cricketers what an exciting place the sub-continent is to play cricket. The passion in the stands is great to see and the crowds are always really excitable and it is a fantastic experience to play in," he told ICC Cricket World audio show this week.

Source: Published>