Sports corner

[sajiv]

Saina becomes first Indian to win Super Series

Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal has beaten China's World No. 3 Wang Lin to win her maiden Super Series title, winning the Indonesian Open in Jakarta on Sunday, Jun 21.

In a gruelling three set match, sixth-seed Saina beat Lin 12-21, 21-18, 21-19 to win the series.

Earlier, the Hyderabadi teen had turned things around in dramatic fashion, stunning former World No. 2 Lu Lan of China 25-23, 21-19 to storm into the final of the Indonesia Super Series, her maiden entry at this level.

Saina beat seventh-seed Lu 25-23, 21-19 to set up the title clash against Lin Wang.

Appreciating the young player's victory which has set a milestone for the Indian badminton, the government has awarded her with a cash price of mere 2 Lakhs.

Saina Nehwal is being trained under former badminton national champion P Gopi Chand in Hyderabad. It was P Gopi Chand who won India's last major badminton title of All-England Open Badminton Championship in 2001.

[sajiv]

Rafael Nadal withdraws from Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal will not be defending his Wimbledon title as he has decided to withdraw from the prestigious tournament.

The Spainard on Friday, Jun 19 announced that he was withdrawing from Wimbledon due to his knee injury.


"Unfortunately this year I won't be able to play at Wimbledon," he told a news conference in Spanish.

The tennis star has been struggling with tendinitis for over a month now. After being knocked out of the French Open, he tried to recover from the injury by going in for therapy.

However, after failing in two exhibition matches this week he decided not to defend the Wimbledon title.

With this new development, the lingering question is if it is the time for Andy Murray to shine.

[sajiv]

1st ODI: India beat West Indies by 20 runs

KINGSTON: Yuvraj Singh hit a rollicking 131-run knock as India pipped West Indies by 20 runs in the thrilling first cricket One-Day International
Yuvraj, Yuvraj Singh celebrates his century against the West Indies in the first ODI at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. (AP Photo)
to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series on Friday.

Leaving behind their pathetic show in the Twenty20 World Cup, Indian batsmen came firing on all cylinders as they trampled the West Indies attack to reach an intimidating 339 for six after opting to bat at Sabina Park.

However, defending even such a massive total proved quite a task for the Indians as they just about managed to bowl the hosts out for 319 in 48.1 overs.

It was a spirited chase by the hosts, for whom Shivnaraine Chanderpaul top scored with 63 and Denesh Ramdin played a sparkling 29-run knock down the order.

Earlier, Yuvraj treated the host bowlers with utter disdain and clobbered them for seven huge sixes and 10 boundaries apart from sharing a crucial 135-run stand with Dinesh Karthik (67) to shape the Indian innings.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (41), Yusuf Pathan (40 unbeaten) and Harbhajan Singh (21 not out) also chipped in with useful contributions.

With the wicket of Chanderpaul in the 36th over it looked all over for the hosts but their lower order batted with steely resolve and made it an edge-of-the-seat contest.

West Indies required 21 off the last two overs with one wicket in hand but Ashish Nehra removed Ramdin in the first ball of the 49th over to bring a huge relief for his side.

Ramnaresh Sarwan (45) and Runako Morton (42) did well and got the starts for the West Indies but could not convert those into big knocks.

Jerome Taylor (21) and David Bernard (19), batting at number seven and nine respectively did their best but their effort went in vain in the end.

For India, Nehra (3/49) and Yusuf Pathan (3/56) took three wickets each.

It was raining sixes as 23 of them were hit in the match. Only thrice a One-dayer has witnessed more sixes.

The West Indies chase began in the right earnest with Chris Gayle (37) and Morton quickly putting up 65 for the first wicket before comeback man Asish Nehra got rid of the skipper.

Gayle miscued a pull off the left-armer and Harbhajan took a smart running catch at mid-on. Morton's entrainig knock in which he hit for fours and a six ended when Yousuf had him caught behind.

The hosts maintained a good run-rate to keep their hopes alive but continued losing their settled batsmen.

The big-hitting Dwayne Bravo ( though was extremely unlucky as he got out on a high full toss of Ishant Sharma but umpires did not call that a no-ball.

Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo, making his debut, added 36 quick runs wicket but just when the partnership had started looking threatening Yusuf separated the pair by dismissing the former, ending all hopes of the hosts.

Chanderpaul had just hit Yusuf for a massive six but failed to do an encore hitting straight to Ravinder Jadeja at deep mid-wicket but not before hitting three fours and three sixes in his 59-ball knock.

Earlier, Yuvraj hit a blazing century and Karthik smashed a brilliant 67 to resurrect the India's innings, which was rocked by short-pitched bowling, led by Jerome Taylor.

Early dismissals of Gautam Gambhir (13) and Rohit Sharma (4) had left India reeling at 32 for two but Yuvraj and Karthik batted with patience to not only save India from more jolts but also laid a solid platform for a good finish.

After guiding his side to a safe position, Yuvraj opened his arms to good effects and punished the host bowlers all over the park en route to his 12th ODI century.

He hit both Taylor and Chris Gayle for two sixes each and also added 86 runs for the fourth wicket with Dhoni.

Yuvraj batted fearlessly as he hit Lionel Baker for two fours and a six to reach 98 and then stole a single off Taylor to complete his magnificent century.

The Punjab southpaw was looking unstoppable but Dwayne then dealt the visitors twin-blow by dismissing Yuvraj and Ravinder Jadeja (0) off successive balls in the 39th over.

Yuvraj's brilliant innings ended while trying to work one on the leg side but just managed a nick and stumper Denesh Ramdin took a splendid diving catch on his right.

Yusuf Pathan (40 off 38) hit the first ball of the last over for a six and Harbhajan Singh (21 off 13) smashed the last one into the crowd to provide perfect finish to India.

Earlier, Gambhir and Karthik, who switched to the opener's role in the absence of injured Virender Sehwag, gave a steady start to India, adding 25 for the first wicket.

However Gambhir's lean patch continued as he could not build on and fell to a short-pitched delivery from Taylor. Surprised by the bounce, the left-hander mistimed an attempted pull shot only to find Dwayne Bravo.

Rohit Sharma (4) became the second victim of the short-pitched stuff as he tried to pull one off Baker but just managed a top-edge to Dwayne in the square-leg region.

Yuvraj and Karthik relied more on ones and twos initially and steadied the rocking ship but once they got their eye in, and spinners were launched into the attack runs started flowing from their blades.

Yuvraj first hoicked rival skipper Chris Gayle for a huge six over the mid-wicket then meted out the same treatment to spinner Suleiman Benn to bring up the 100-run partnership.

Karthik hit six boundaries in his 77-ball effort before being done in by a paddle scoop.

[sajiv]

Pietersen says Ashes will swing England's way

Birmingham Kevin Pietersen reckons England's mastery of reverse-swing will inspire the team to Ashes glory just as it did four years ago on home soil.

Pietersen, rejecting Australia great Shane Warne's claim that England are a "one-man team" who cannot win without their batting star, said pace bowling held the key to England's Ashes hopes.

In 2005 the 'Fab Four' of Andrew Flintoff, Stephen Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones undermined a strong Australia top-order, with much of their success down to the mastery of reverse swing.

Although, with Jones injured, Hoggard long since dropped and Harmison out of favour, only Flintoff out of that quartet is on course to start in next week's first Test in Cardiff, Pietersen is backing the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad to cause Australia problems.

The current dry and hot conditions in England offer an environment conducive to reverse-swing and Pietersen, speaking at Edgbaston on Monday, said, "I am sure the Australians are probably hoping that the weather doesn't stay like this because Anderson, Broad, Flintoff bowling reverse swing ...I wouldn't want to be facing that.

"We're going to be really tough to play against," added Pietersen ahead of the start of England's warm-up match in Birmingham against Warwickshire, which gets underway on Wednesday.

"If batters do conquer our reverse-swing, I look forward to watching them. It will take some serious batting against those bowlers, all at 90mph reverse-swinging it both ways. As for the latest comment by the now Test retired leg-spinner Warne, his former captain at Hampshire, Pietersen said, "It's a compliment coming from a legend of the game. But England are certainly not a one-man team. We've got (Andrew) Strauss who scored so many hundreds recently; Alastair Cook has also scored hundreds in the last six months; (Paul) Collingwood the same, (Ravi) Bopara three in his last three Test innings. I've scored a few, Flintoff has come back into the team, Matty Prior's batting has been outstanding. That's without even talking about our bowlers."

As well as Warne, Australia are now without several retired stars in openers Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, fast bowler Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist.

Pietersen believes the absence of wicket-keeper/batsman Gilchrist will be an especially big loss for Australia. "The big one that we don't see is Gilchrist coming in at seven," he notes.

"In Perth (during England's 2006/07 5-0 Ashes defeat) when he came in and hit one of the quickest hundreds in history, that was just demoralising."

Just as a previous generation of England fans worried about Denis Compton's knee, so Pietersen's Achilles injury has become a cause for concern after the South Africa-born batsman admitted it could rule him out at any time.

However, Pietersen - whose 158 at the Oval in 2005 helped England secure the draw that saw them seal a 2-1 Ashes triumph in his first Test series was in bullish mood on Monday.

"I'm a really positive person. So until I actually miss a Test match, I will not start thinking about missing one. I'm 'rehabbing' every single day. I've been as professional as I can."

Looking ahead, he added: "The Australians are a fantastic side. Their last series was in South Africa, and they won. That's not easy to do. But our side has improved a lot, and we are going to be a force to be reckoned with."

Meanwhile, all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, the star of England's 2005 success, insists he has gotten over the experience of captaining the side when they were being subsequently thrashed in Australia.

Flintoff, on his way back from a knee injury sustained while playing in the Indian Premier League, said, "The last Ashes was the low point of my career. You experience the euphoria of 2005 and then the disappointments of 2006-2007. Probably the last series emotionally was the stronger of the two."

"But all that is behind us. We have got a very new team and, rather than dining out on 2005 or dwelling on 2006-2007, it is all about what happens over the next six weeks."

[sajiv]

India snatch lead with last-over win

MS Dhoni and India kept their nerve on a frustrating day of rain delays to take a 2-1 series lead in St Lucia. It was still anybody's game when India needed 11 off the final over, but Dhoni slammed the second ball over deep midwicket to put the visitors on course for victory.



India threatened to lose their way in the chase after a solid start provided by Dinesh Karthik before Dhoni hauled them past the line. The rain-breaks initially readjusted their target to 195 in 27 overs before a further shower reduced it to 159 in 22 overs.

When Karthik fell after a fine 47 India needed a relatively comfortable 111 from 89 balls, and at the next rain-break they needed 64 from 51 balls with nine wickets in hand, but a succession of wickets left India requiring 34 in four overs. It came down to the last over. Curiously, Chris Gayle turned to Jerome Taylor, who had a poor game, instead of Ravi Rampaul, who had bowled a pretty decent 20th over. Dhoni killed the contest in the second ball with a six over deep midwicket. He picked the slower one and used his bottom-hand to swipe it with the wind over midwicket boundary. Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan got the remaining four runs with a ball to spare.

Dhoni had shepherded the tail end of the chase calmly, taking care to preserve his wicket even as his partners deserted him. Yuvraj Singh holed out to long-on and Rohit Sharma swung to deep midwicket but Dhoni hung around, hitting the occasional four to make sure the game didn't get away from India. And he effectively finished the game with that six in the last over. However, it was Karthik who set the platform with a fine knock, with a little bit of help from West Indies.

On this soft track, West Indies erred by bowling short to Karthik, who, unlike a few of his team-mates, likes playing the pull shot. It was slightly surprising that Jerome Taylor didn't repeat his first delivery - a gem that was full and shaped away late past the outside edge - to Karthik again during his opening spell. It was that delivery that had got Karthik in the previous game too but that length was rarely seen today.

Karthik looked in fine touch, unfurling several spanking pulls and cuts. He started with a pull, followed it with a caressed extra-cover drive before playing a fierce upper cut over backward point for three consecutive boundaries against Taylor. Karthik never let the momentum slip after that. Even Dwayne Bravo bowled short at him and Karthik pulled him for a four and a stunning six. In between, he kept the singles and twos coming. It was a polished performance which was cut short by an unnecessary scramble for a single after Gambhir had cut straight to Rampaul at backward point.

Gambhir played a sedate hand today. He didn't look too comfortable at the start, almost ran himself out on three occasions, and hit his first boundary only in the 12th over. However, unlike in the recent past, he didn't try to hit his way out of trouble; he was willing to look ugly. He eventually fell, edging behind an attempted cut Sulieman Benn but Dhoni made sure India won the game.

Just as they tried gamely in the end of the chase to create a flutter, West Indies had earlier batted well to post a competitive total despite the frequent rain breaks. Dhoni won a crucial toss and made the obvious decision to bowl as no one knew how many overs the team batting first will get to play on a rainy day at St Lucia. West Indies rallied through a frenetic start provided by Gayle and a composed knock by Ramnaresh Sarwan to reach 185 for 7 at the end of their allotted 27 overs.

Gayle started like a runaway train, putting immense pressure on Ishant Sharma and Ashish Nehra. Time and again, Gayle thrust his back foot back and across, opened his stance and depending on the line, hit to the on or off side. The stand-out shot, though, was when he disregarded the line and swat-pulled an Ishant delivery from well outside off to deep midwicket. Gayle didn't spare Nehra too, lashing him through covers before unfurling a delicate flick shot. However, Gayle fell to Nehra first ball after a break for rain, edging a cut against a short and wide delivery.

Sarwan, though, kept the scorecard moving along by maneuvering the ball into the gaps for singles and twos. In between, he whipped and pulled Yuvraj to boundaries but ran himself out, turning back for the second run after tapping to square leg. He kept his cool and tried gamely to adjust to the new scenario provided by the frequent interruptions.

Sarwan was helped by a lovely cameo by Darren Bravo. His innings was filled with several delicious strokes that had a touch of Brian Lara. There were two fine sashays down the track against Yusuf Pathan for lofted boundaries but his best shot, and the shot of the day that evoked memories of that great left-hander, was a fabulous cover drive off RP Singh. Up went the bat as he crouched on his knees before swinging through the line of the length delivery up and over covers. Denesh Ramdin swung his bat in the end to finish the innings with a flourish but it was to prove insufficient in the end.

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BCCI announces ICC Champions Trophy 2009 probables

The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) senior selection committee today met at the M A Chidambaram Stadium here on Monday and selected the following 30 probables for the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 to be held in South Africa in September this year.

1. M S Dhoni

2. Virender Sehwag

3. Gautam Gambhir

4. Yuvraj Singh

5. Rohit Sharma

6. Sachin Tendulkar

7. Rahul Dravid

8. Suresh Raina

9. Yusuf Pathan

10. Abhishek Nayar

11. Ishant Sharma

12. Zaheer Khan

13. R P Singh

14. Praveen Kumar

15. Harbhajan Singh

16. Pragyan Ojha

17. Ravindra Jadeja

18. Dinesh Karthik

19. Munaf Patel

20. R Ashwin

21. M Vijay

22. Amit Mishra

23. Ajinkya Rahane

24. Dhawal Kulkarni

25. S Badrinath

26. Ashish Nehra

27. Virat Kohli

28. Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh

29. Wridhiman Saha

30. Pankaj Singh (ANI)

[sajiv]

Badminton selections

TIRUPATI: Chittoor District Badminton Association (CDBA) has announced to conduct selections for various age groups at Town Club indoor stadium on July 11 and 12.

The selected teams will represent the district at the State-level Badminton Championships 2009-10. U-13, U-16 and U-19 selections for boys and girls in the singles and doubles categories will be held on 11th, while the same for senior men/women and veterans will be held on 12th.

More details can be had from CDBA secretary K. Satyanarayana on 98490 46050 or vice-president R.R. Srinivas on 98661 22733.

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Badminton players' plea to VMC

VIJAYAWADA: The DRRMC Indoor Stadium Badminton Players' Welfare Association on Friday urged Municipal Commissioner P.S. Pradymna to revoke the cancellation of the life membership of the players and allow such players to practise the game in the stadium.

Association president J.N. Shankar Gupta said in an open letter addressed to the Commissioner that around 135 members belonging to various professions such as medicine, law, engineering and business had been playing the game as a means of recreation for many years by paying a fee of Rs. 5,000 towards life membership as laid down by the bylaws of the Corporation.

"But, much to the surprise of everyone, a few days ago the Corporation officials displayed a notice on the board cancelling the membership," he said.

Mr. Gupta said that the players were using the courts from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and again from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

"We strongly condemn the news that appeared in a section of the media that the indoor stadium is being used for anti-social activities. No player is involved in any act of misdemeanour.

If any such activity is taking place on the premises of the stadium, it is the responsibility of the Corporation officials to probe and bring to book the offenders," he said.

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Second edition of GiveLife Chennai International Marathon on August 22

CHENNAI: The second edition of the GiveLife Chennai International Marathon in aid of the GiveLife Charity will be held on August 22. Actors Sneha, Priyamani and Prashanth, and sportspersons including Narain Karthikeyan endorsed the run and promised support to the event, which was launched here on Saturday.

Speaking at the launch, Sneha said the present trend among Chennaiites was to stay fit and trim. Priyamani said it was a worthy cause to support.

Karti P. Chidambaram, who officially launched the marathon, said that this year international athletes would participate in the professional 21.09-km run. The event has received international accreditation from The Association of International Marathon Society, London.

Tamil Maiyam founder Father Jegath Gasper Raj said the Great Chennai City Run for GiveLife, in which residents can run for a distance of 7 km, is expected to have over two lakh participants. He said water points would be set up every kilometre, adding that specialised medical care points with cardiologists would be available at five locations along the route.
Diabetes and obesity-free city

Director of Oriental Cuisines M. Mahadevan said the theme for this year's marathon was to make the city diabetes and obesity free. "We are talking with educational institutions and trying to provide healthy... Pizzas, for instance, would be made with whole wheat base," he explained.

Non-governmental organisation Banyan's volunteers would manage a café at the Lady Andal School from Monday and the organisers are in discussion with other schools where children spend quite a bit at the canteen.

Mr. Mahadevan said that after the marathon, a traditional breakfast mela would be organised in which items like 'kambu dosa' and 'koozh' would be available.

GoodLife Trustee and Managing Director of Shriram Life Akhila Srinivasan said GiveLife, which started with supporting just 200 children in 2007 took care of the educational needs of 14,600 underprivileged children last year. The registration fee for the Chennai marathon would be Rs.20.

[sajiv]

Anderson and Panesar thwart Australia's push for victory

CARDIFF: The last wicket pair of Monty Panesar and James Anderson played 69 balls without being separated to enable England to cling to a dramatic draw against Australia today in the face of defeat in the opening Test of the five-match Ashes series.



England having conceded a first innigns lead of 239 runs was in deep trouble when Panesar joined Anderson at the wicket in the final session of the fifth and final day.

The two tailenders kept the Australian bowlers at bay till the scheduled end of the match in the opening Test at Sophia Gardens.

The last wicket stand of 19 in 69 balls between Anderson (21 not out in 53 balls) and Panesar (seven not out off 35 balls) helped the hosts to a draw as they finished on 252 for nine.

Earlier, Paul Collingwood scored a painstaking 74 in nearly six hours to set the stage for the heroics by the last wicket pair.

England, who had made 435 runs in the first innings, reached 252 for nine at the close of play. Australia had scored 674 in the first innings.

The second Test of this five-match series starts at Lord's where Ashes-holders Australia have not lost a Test since 1934 on Thursday. PTI

[sajiv]

Mathew Hayden likely to visit Tiruchi

TIRUCHI: Matthew Hayden is likely to visit Tiruchi. That ought to be great news for cricket buffs, especially aspiring cricketers of the Rock City.

According to Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) secretary K. S. Viswanathan, the former Australian opener plans to visit various districts in the State for identifying talent. "Possibly we will try to bring him to Tiruchi," he said while addressing a gathering during the 51st annual day celebrations of the Tiruchi District Cricket Association (TDCA) here recently.

Commending TDCA's various initiatives to promote cricket in the district, Mr. Viswanathan observed that the 458 matches hosted by Tiruchi during 2008-09 was almost 50 per cent of what was conducted in Chennai.

"That is indeed lot of matches. TDCA has been doing a great job over the years by producing players, administrators and umpires of repute."
Better infrastructure

He said the TNCA has been exploring possibilities for providing better infrastructure in the districts and added that the association led by N. Srinivasan has been taking a lot of efforts to encourage talent in the districts.

"We are sure that more players from the districts would don the State and national colours in the future."
"Dream big"

City Police Commissioner Karuna Sagar, who was the chief guest, highlighted the importance of having a good temperament to succeed.
Dream big

He said the youngsters should work with lot of commitment and urged them to dream big.

TDCA secretary K.G. Muralidharan, in his annual report, dwelled on the activities conducted during 2008-09.

The Pudukottai Recreation Club won the prestigious TDCA first division league title, while Bishop Heber College 'B' finished runners-up.

Mr. Karuna Sagar gave away prizes in the presence of TNCA Assistant Secretary D. Julius Vijayakumar and TDCA president M. Kalidas.

[gopu]

JALANDHAR: After skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh has become the latest Indian cricketer to buy the Hummer and the feisty off-spinner 
says the American SUV is the dream car he has always wanted to possess.

Also read: Dhoni buys a 'Hummer'

Harbhajan imported the car from England, which costs about Rs 70 lakh in India. After paying the duty, the cost of the vehicle has come to Rs one crore.

While Dhoni's Hummer is of silver colour, Harbhajan has opted for a "Black Beauty".

Harbhajan is planning to first visit some religious places with his new car before showing it off to the media.

"Let me first take the car to religious places," he said. Having bought his dream car, Harbhajan is also looking forward to shifting to a new home.

The house is under construction in the New Baradari area of the city. The plot was given by the state government for his outstanding performance in the 2001 home series against Australia.

However, he has no plans to sell off the ancestral home where he was brought up.

"It has memories of my late father Sardev Singh," he said. 

[gopu]

BIRMINGHAM (England): England bowled out Australia for 263 runs just after lunch on Friday on the second day of the third Test. 


Scorecard

James Anderson claimed five wickets and Graham Onions snared four as Australia collapsed from an overnight 126/1 at Edgbaston.

Anderson finished with 5-80 and Onions, who two wickets from the first two deliveries of the morning, had 4-58.

Australia's last two stands added 60 runs, with final pair Nathan Hauritz (20 not out) and Ben Hilfenhaus (20) putting on 34.

Australia lost nine wickets in the day for just 137 runs from 40.4 overs.

England leads 1-0 in the five-test series after winning at Lord's last week. The first test in Cardiff was drawn.

[gopu]

BIRMINGHAM (England): England reached 116/2 when bad light ended play on Friday on the second day of the third Test after its swing bowlers James 
Anderson and Graham Onions shared nine wickets to dismiss Australia for 263.

Scorecard

Andrew Strauss was 64 not out and Ian Bell unbeaten on 26 at Edgbaston, taking England within 147 runs of Australia's total after the loss of Alastair Cook for 0 and Ravi Bopara for 23.

Strauss, who made 161 in the second Test, neared his 19th Test hundred after hitting 10 boundaries in 111 balls.

Bell, recalled for the injured Kevin Pietersen, lofted spinner Nathan Hauritz for six over long-on but later survived an lbw appeal off an in-swinger by Mitchell Johnson that TV replays showed would have struck the center of middle stump.

Cook was out in the second over, edging a wide ball from Peter Siddle to debutant wicketkeeper Graham Manou, while Bopara did not add to his tea-time score before playing on to Ben Hilfenhaus.

Australia resumed the day on 126/1 and slumped after losing two wickets with the first two balls of the morning, bowled by Onions. Onions finished with 4-58, while fellow swing exponent Anderson had 5-80, including a sequence of 5-13 in 38 balls.

Australia's last two wickets added 60 valuable runs, with final pair Hauritz (20 not out) and Hilfenhaus (20) putting on 34. Australia, 1-0 down in the series and seeking to retain the Ashes, lost nine wickets in the day for just 137 runs from 40.4 overs.

Anderson and Onions dramatically improved on their first day figures of 0-45 from 10 overs and 0-21 from three, respectively.

In between the wickets, Ricky Ponting became the highest-scoring Australian batsman in Test history, in his 124th Test, passing Allan Border's tally of 11,174 from 156 matches after flicking Andrew Flintoff to midwicket for three runs.

But any personal joy for Ponting would have been short-lived due to Australia's slump.

Onions trapped top-scorer Shane Watson lbw for 62 on the first ball of the day and then bowled Mike Hussey, who chose to leave a ball in line with his off stump. The score was then 126/3.

Ponting, booed to the crease on Thursday, acknowledged the generous applause he received for his record from English spectators. He is now third in the all-time Test run-scoring list behind West Indies' Brian Lara (11,953) and India's Sachin Tendulkar (12,773).

It was an eventful period for Ponting. He survived a run-out chance when attempting a quick single on 37 after being out of his ground when Bell's throw from cover missed the stumps.

Ponting is renowned as the best player in the world when facing short deliveries, but his attempted hook at Onions resulted in a thin edge to wicketkeeper Matt Prior. The score was then 163/4.

While Onions started Australia's demise, Anderson finished it. He dismissed Michael Clarke lbw for 29, though the ball may have missed leg stump, had Marcus North brilliantly caught for 12 by Prior diving in front of first slip and then trapped Johnson lbw first ball when he did not play a stroke. The ball may have bounced over the stumps.

The rain-affected first day allowed just 30 overs. Anderson bowled Manou with a perfectly shaped out-swinger with the last ball before lunch.

The first Test was drawn and England won the second match at Lord's by 115 runs.

[sajiv]

International Cricket

"BCCI can't get concession"

Indian Olympic Association said it didn't think BCCI can get any concession for its cricketers in the WADA's 'whereabouts' clause.

The World Anti-Doping Agency's 'whereabouts' (WADA) clause has been accepted by all the top athletes of the world.

"I don't think so (that WADA would do any concession for BCCI). It's (the 'whereabouts' clause) is not special for cricketers. It's been accepted by champions like Abhinav Bindra (shooter), Usain Bolt (runner). It's the same for anyone," IOA General Secretary Randhir Singh told PTI.

BCCI rejects anti-doping clause

Randhir said like it was IOA's responsibility to see all its national federations abide by the WADA rule, in case of cricket it was on ICC to make sure that its member boards sign the code.

"They (ICC) should see that it's acceptable to all it's members," he said.

Randhir wondered why Indian cricketers were "playing up" the clause when it was acceptable to the whole world.

"We respect them (cricketers) for what they are but that doesn't give them right to disrespect rule and regulations.

We also have world champions like Abhinav Bindra, who are quietly accepting it, so why are cricketers playing it up?

"I think its just there mis-understanding. After all, this is just a fight against cheating," he added.

[sajiv]

Football

Lampard hails Italian mentality

Frank Lampard believes the "winning mentality" of Italian bosses Carlo Ancelotti and Fabio Capello has given him high hopes of a successful season for club and country.

The Chelsea and England midfielder has welcomed the appointment of Ancelotti, a two-time Champions League winner as AC Milan coach, at Stamford Bridge as the Blues aim to deny Manchester United a fourth Premier League title in a row.

At international level Lampard has been hugely impressed by Capello, who also had great success at club level with Milan as well as Real Madrid before leading England to the brink of qualification for next summer's World Cup.

Lampard told The Sun: "Most importantly (Ancelotti and Capello) have the winning mentality.

"That's why they have won so many trophies in their careers. 'Must win' is the only way for them and they don't accept slacking off in games or training.

"Modern football is a lot about winning the ball back quickly and both managers train us to do that - it's a very Italian trait.

"One of the things we needed in English football was to learn the importance of being a difficult team to beat. That is the foundation stone and you build everything else on top."

[sajiv]

Motorsport

Williams block Ferrari test request

Michael Schumacher's bid to test Ferrari's current car has been blocked by Williams who claim such a move would be unfair.

Ferrari last week wrote to the other nine Formula One teams and the FIA requesting Schumacher be granted a day at the wheel of the F60 ahead of his return to racing at the European Grand Prix in Valencia on August 23 in the absence of the injured Felipe Massa.

Under current regulations in-season testing is banned, but with 40-year-old Schumacher barely turning a wheel in anger since retiring just under three years ago, Ferrari were hoping for leniency.

Out of courtesy, the other seven members of the Formula One Teams' Association - McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Brawn GP, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso - gave Schumacher and Ferrari the green light.

Williams, however, see no reason why seven-time world champion Schumacher should be given special dispensation, citing the recent arrival of 19-year-old rookie Jaime Alguersuari into F1.

"While we welcome Michael Schumacher back to Formula One, the fact is any form of in-season circuit testing is strictly prohibited, a regulation clearly laid out by the FIA and adhered to by all of the teams," said Williams in a statement.

"It was for this reason Alguersuari, who drove an F1 car for the first time in Hungary, did not have the opportunity to familiarise himself with the Toro Rosso before he made his race debut.

"Williams sees no distinction between Alguersuari's situation and Schumacher's and feels any deviation from the rule would create a precedent for the future."

Williams further noted Ferrari chose Schumacher over current test drivers Luca Badoer and Marc Gene, who are both familiar with the team's 2009 model.

"In a similar situation, Williams would unhesitatingly use its current test driver," added Williams.

"For the sake of consistency and fairness, therefore, we oppose Ferrari's proposal to test ahead of the European Grand Prix."

[sajiv]

Tennis - Sharapova cruises past Groth

Maria Sharapova breezed through to the second round of the WTA LA Women's Tennis Championships with a straight-sets victory over Jarmila Groth.

The 22-year-old Russian triumphed 6-0 6-4 against her Slovakian opponent to secure a second-round date with third seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

The highest-seeded casualty was Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano, with Russia's Anna Chakvetadze defeating the 11th seed 7-6 (7/5) 6-3.

Fifteenth seed Kaia Kanepi of Estonia and Francesca Schiavone, the 16th seed from Italy, also suffered first-round exits.

Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic overcame Kanepi 6-3 7-6 (7/4) while American qualifier Jill Craybas was a 7-6 (9/7) 6-2 winner against Schiavone.

There were no such worries for 10th-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta, although she was made to work hard for a 6-2 5-7 6-0 victory over American lucky loser Varvara Lepchenko.

Peng Shuai claimed her place in round two courtesy of a hard-fought 6-3 6-7 (4/7) 6-3 triumph over Dutch qualifier Michaella Krajicek.

Shahar Peer of Israel was 7-5 4-1 up on Anastasia Rodionova when the Russian qualifier retired with a left ankle injury, while Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine came from a set down to defeat American Meghann Shaughnessy 3-6 6-3 6-3.

Elsewhere, there were comfortable straight-sets victories for Russian pair Elena Vesnina and Alisa Kleybanova, Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, Ai Sugiyama of Japan and American wild card Vania King.

Finally, American Coco Vandeweghe advanced with a 6-4 6-4 win over Italy's Tathiana Garbin.

[sajiv]

Hockey

"I want best and timely treatment"

Indian hockey goalkeeper Baljit Singh wants "the best possible and timely treatment" so that he can return to the field.

Battling with a career-threatening eye injury, Baljit wants to regain his vision.

Baljit, who is undergoing treatment at the AIIMS after being hit at his right eyeball during a training camp in Pune, said he was uncertain of his future but not losing hope.

"This is the worst moment of my career. I am very confused. I don't know what lies in future for me. I hope to get my vision back and resume playing but I don't know," said a distraught Baljit in his hospital bed.

Doctors treating Baljit doubted he could regain sight in his right eye but the goalkeeper said he will want the best possible treatment.

"I don't know whether I am sad or not. But I hope I get the best possible and timely treatment anywhere. Every possibility should be looked into to treat my eye. Then only I can think of my future," he told a news channel.

A few days before the Indian team was to fly out of the country for a tour of Europe, Baljit injured his right eye while practicing with Indian team goalkeeping coach Romeo James with a golf ball in Pune on July 17.

The golf ball went inside Baljit's helmet to hit his right eye. He was airlifted to AIIMS from Pune for treatment.

[sajiv]

Rugby Union

New Zealand prime minister John Key has called on the country to rally around the beleaguered All Blacks.

This follows the teams two dismal defeats to South Africa in the Tri-Nations.

Since New Zealand's most recent 31-19 loss to the Springboks in Durban, talkback radio has been inundated with calls from disgruntled fans questioning the ability of coaches Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith, who have recently been re-signed through until after the 2011 World Cup.

There has also been plenty of criticism of the game plan adopted by the All Blacks which saw them try to run the ball from deep in their own half constantly despite the wet conditions in Durban.

The misfiring line-out, poor ball skills, ill-discipline and the lack of a decent kicking game have also left many feeling unhappy.

But Key believes the team needs to be supported, not denounced.

"At one level it's important that we rally around them. The All Blacks win a hell of a lot more than they lose," he told Newstalk ZB.

"The team is rebuilding. As long as they win in 2011 at the Rugby World Cup that will probably work for me."

Former All Blacks have been less forgiving though with Sean Fitzpatrick concerned about the direction in which the team is heading.

"There need to be serious questions," he told the New Zealand Herald.

"Not only about the players for their lack of discipline, but also the coaches for their lack of game plan and where we are actually going.

"Because at the moment we are really struggling.

"At line-out time we're struggling and we're also struggling with the game plan. There are huge question marks."

Fitzpatrick, who won 92 caps and led the team 51 times, described the loss in Durban as "pretty average to say the least".

Like most fans and pundits the ex-hooker is baffled by the All Blacks' inability to secure their own line-out ball or put any pressure on the opposition by contesting.

While admitting the line-out continues to be a concern, forwards coach Hansen has said there is no need to call in a specialist coach to help correct the problems.

"I don't think it is a technical issue," he said.

"It's a confidence thing. Technically we are not too bad. There are a few areas we can sharpen up on but I think a lot of it is confidence and we have allowed a very good line-out to come in and mentally dominate us."

The All Blacks have around three weeks to try to overcome the short-comings that were exposed by the Springboks.

The break will also give Henry more time to weigh up whether or not to bring Daniel Carter back into the fold after Stephen Donald and Luke McAlister failed to impose themselves in the number 10 jersey in his absence.

Carter looked comfortable in his first major game since rupturing his Achilles tendon in January when he played for an hour for Canterbury in their loss to North Harbour in last weekend's first round of provincial rugby matches.

His Canterbury coach Rob Penney certainly has no qualms about the fly-half being able to make the step up despite his limited game time.

Carter should start for Canterbury again this weekend when they make the trip to Auckland.

New Zealand's next match is their second Bledisloe Cup clash with Australia in Sydney on August 22.

[jayanthi mandhalapu]

India made a flying start in the preliminary league of the junior women's World team squash championship with a 3-0 win against Germany on Monday.

India is being led by Dipika Pallikal and is in the Pool B.India came through without dropping a game to launch their campaign on a winning note.

Top seed Egypt, on the other hand, raced past Sweden 3-0 in a Pool A league match.

[jayanthi mandhalapu]

Third seed Isha Lakhani made it to the  second round of $10,000 women's International Tennis Federation (ITF) .She beat  wildcard Shweta Rana by 6-4, 6-2 in the match  played at the DLTA complex on  Tuesday.

Isha, who is making a comeback after a shoulder injury, will play against  qualifier Sheethal Goutham. Sheethal defeated fellow qualifier Aishwarya Agrawal by 4-6, 6-0, 7-5.

Britain's Emili Webley-Smith sailed past Indian qualifier Abhilasha Ahuja by 6-0, 6-2.

However, fourth seeded Rushmi Chakravarthi, had to retire midway while trailing 2-5 in the first set against Parul Goswami.

Parul next will challenge qualifier Ankita Raina, who beat Shivika Burman by 6-3, 6-1.

Fifth seed Sanaa Bhambri overcame a late challenge against Armenian Ani Amiraghyan by  6-0, 7-6 (3) to enter the second round .She will now play against Thai Chutharat Rungtein, who beat American S. Sundaram by 6-3, 6-1.

Prerna Bhambri who is Sanaa's cousin went down 3-6, 3-6 to sixth seeded Parija Maloo.

[sajiv]

Saina enters World Badminton quarters

Hyderabad, Aug 14: Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal became the first Indian woman to qualify for the World badminton championships quarter-finals with a win against Petya Nedelcheva of Bulgarian on Thursday, Aug 13.

19-year-old Saina came back strongly after losing the opening game to overcome 10th seed Petya Nedelcheva of Bulgaria 18-21, 21-18, 21-10 in a 57-minute encounter.

Saina said, "In the second game, it was really tough as I was leading 18-11 but she bounced back but I think I kept my cool and it paid off."

Sixth-seeded Nehwal will now clash with second-seeded Chinese Wang Lin, a 21-10, 23-21 winner over Korean Hwang Hye Youn.

Saina also said, "The third game was really well but I am not happy with the first game as I made too many mistakes. I was involving in more long rallies as my dribbles were not well and she was smashing the shuttle well but my defense was good."

When asked if she felt fatigued, Saina said, "I was not feeling tired and I think that is a good sign especially when I am playing a tougher opponent in the next round."

"It will be a very tough match against Wang but I will give my 100 per cent, Saina added.

[sajiv]

'National Sports Day' on Saturday

Staff Correspondent

Senior sports persons of Udupi district to be felicitated during the celebrations

Udupi: The Udupi District Athletic Association, in association with the Nitte University, will be organizing National Sports Day here on August 29.

K. Raghupati Bhat, MLA, told presspersons here on Tuesday that sportspersons, physical instructors, and sports lovers of Udupi district would be participating in the celebrations, which would be inaugurated by Home Minister V.S. Acharya.
Aim

The aim of the celebrations was to create awareness about the importance of sports among the general public, he said.

A procession to mark the celebrations would begin from the Government Pre-University College here at 1.30 p.m. and culminate at the Town Hall on Saturday.

It would be followed by a public function at 3 p.m., Mr. Bhat said.

Senior sportspersons of the district would be felicitated on the occasion. Henceforth, the National Sports Day would be celebrated annually, Mr. Bhat said.

President of the association Balakrishna Hegde, vice-president Ashok Adyanthaya, treasurer Karunakar Shetty, secretary Praveen Kumar Shetty, joint secretary A. Dinesh Kumar, and Registrar of Nitte University Yogish Hegde were present.

[sajiv]

BCCI launches anti-doping education programme

The physiotherapists of BCCI''s state units are being educated about the anti-doping code through workshops. The educational programme was launched yesterday at BCCI''s cricket centre in Mumbai, where Dr Vece Paes, Dr Kinjal Suratwala and Dr Nitin Patel conducted a workshop.

"The participants were briefed on the various points about the Anti Doping code and were given copies of hand books provided by the National Anti Doping Agency to the BCCI," N Srinivasan, the honorary seceretary of the Board said in a release. "The Board will organise such seminars for every Association for the benefit of the support staff as well as players in each of their teams during the course of the next 2/3 months," the release added.

[sajiv]

Sri Lanka v New Zealand - scoreboard

Scoreboard at tea on the second day of the second test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand on Thursday.

Sri Lanka first innings (overnight 262-3):

T. Paranavitana c Taylor b Vettori 19

T. Dilshan c & b O'Brien 29

K. Sangakkara c Oram b Vettori 50

M. Jayawardene c McCullum b O'Brien 92

T. Samaraweera c McCullum b Patel 143

C. Kapugedera c Vettori b Patel 35

P. Jayawardene c O'Brien b Martin 17

D. Prasad c Taylor b Patel 6

R. Herath lbw b Patel 0

M. Muralitharan not out 17

T. Thushara c Patel b Vettori 0

Extras: (b-2, lb-5, nb-1) 8

Total (all out; 130.3 overs) 416

Fall of wickets: 1-34 2-75 3-115 4-295 5-367 6-389 7-396 8-396 9-415

Bowling: Martin 24-3-81-1, O'Brien 22-4-73-2, Vettori 40.3-12-104-3 (1-nb), Oram 21-7-56-0, Patel 20-3-78-4, Ryder 3-1-17-0

New Zealand first innings:

T. McIntosh lbw b Prasad 5

M. Guptill not out 29

D. Flynn c P Jayawardene b Thushara 13

R. Taylor not out 2

Extras: (lb-2) 2

Total: (two wickets; 10 overs) 51

Fall of wickets: 1-14 2-49

Bowling (to date): Dilshan 1-0-6-0, Thushara 5-1-21-1, Prasad 3-0-22-1, R. Herath 1-1-0-0

Still to bat: J. Ryder, J. Oram, B. McCullum, D. Vettori, I O'Brien, J. Patel, C. Martin

[sajiv]

PCB may show the door to CEO Altaf

After sacking chief selector Abdul Qadir and assistant coach Aquib Javed from their respective posts, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) may show the door to Chief Executive Officer Salim Altaf.

PCB insiders said the board is not happy with Altaf's way of management and his erratic behaviour.

Sources said Altaf may be sacked in the near future as the board's top brass has the backing of seven out of ten governing board members.

Altaf has joined the board during Shaharyar Khan's tenure. He also served under Dr Nasim Ashraf.

Altaf is now enjoying his third stint under Ijaz Butt.

Butt is likely to announce Altaf's sacking after he returns from Dubai, The Nation reports.(ANI)

[sajiv]

Ali visit to Hatton's health center took him by surprise

Boxing legend Ricky Hatton admitted his "jaw hit the floor" when he met his all-time hero Muhammad Ali.

Ali, who is fighting Parkinson's disease, visited Hatton's health centre in Manchester at the start of a UK tour.

The three-time heavyweight champion of the world, 67, was expected to arrive in a wheelchair, but instead told his aides he wanted to walk into the gym.

The Daily Star quoted the 30-year-old as saying: "A few years ago if you'd said Muhammad Ali would be coming to my local town, Hyde, I'd have said: 'No way'. You knew it wouldn't happen. The fact he has put himself out to come to my gym brings a tear to the eye." (ANI)

[sajiv]

Competitors wearing red win more

A new study from University of Munster has found that competitors who wear red are more likely to win than those dressed in any other colour.

Lead researcher Norbert Hagemann showed that those who wear red tops, jackets or clothing score 10 per cent more in any competition than if they were in another colour.

According to New Scientist, experts believe that red could make individuals and teams feel more confident and perceived by others as more aggressive and dominant.

This might explain why Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, have been so successful, they added.

While ManU and Liverpool have 18 league titles, Arsenal has been running on the top spot over a long time.

England team led by Bobby Moore wore red, and won 1966 World Cup.

But ever since they have changed their colour to white, they haven't won a World Cup or European Championship.

During the study, German sports psychologists showed video clips of taekwondo bouts to 42 experienced referees. One combatant wore blue, the other red.

They then showed them the same clips but digitally manipulated the clothing to swap the colours.

The study showed that the fighters wearing red were given an average of 13 per cent more points than when they were blue.

"If one competitor is strong and the other weak, it won't change the outcome of the fight," the Telegraph quoted Hagemann as saying.

"But the closer the levels, the easier it is for the colour to tip the scale," he added. (ANI)

[sajiv]

Ponting open to idea of sharing responsibilities with Clarke

Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke is all set to become a part-time captain as current-skipper Ricky Ponting is open to the idea of handing over leadership responsibilities for the Twenty20 and one-day teams in order to save himself for Test cricket.

"If that's the way that I or others outside of what I'm thinking decide is the right way to go, there's absolutely no reason why that couldn't happen," The Telegraph quoted Ponting, as saying.

"It has happened in the past with Australian teams. It's happening with other teams around the world," he added.

Clarke, who was installed as Test vice-captain after the retirement of Adam Gilchrist, has already captained Australia in 11 one-day matches and two Twenty20 internationals when Ponting was rested or injured.

Ponting had taken over the one-day captaincy in 2002 when Steve Waugh was still in charge of the Test side. He was given full-time captaincy when Waugh retired from Test cricket in 2004.

Ponting further said that he is ready to share the responsibilities if he gets to concentrate more on Test cricket.

"Paul Collingwood is captain of the England Twenty20 team and Andrew Strauss is captain of the one-day and Test cricket teams. Those things are things that need to be thought long and hard about, but if it means that I'm going to be better off for Test matches and bigger series when they come around," Ponting said. (ANI)

[sajiv]

India books its place in final with convincing win

Colombo: India booked its place in the final of the Compaq Cup tri-series with a six-wicket win over New Zealand at the Premadasa Stadium on Friday.

The victory was set up by disciplined bowling on a cracked, dusty surface. After dismissing New Zealand for 155, India survived a couple of anxious moments before sealing a match that, at times, was most intriguing.

In India's chase, Dinesh Karthik was unfortunate to be judged leg-before, for the delivery appeared headed down leg. But his exit set the stage for a fascinating contest. For 18 compelling deliveries, Shane Bond and Rahul Dravid, making his one-day return, did battle.

Bond asked discomfiting questions, denying the batsman a run in 17 balls. Dravid was equal to the task of surviving. He swayed away from the bouncer, rose on his toes to square-drive, and pressed forward to defend. Bond then coaxed a false stroke with the 18th, a slower ball; Dravid shaved it to fine-leg for four off the inside edge.
Imperious touch

Sachin Tendulkar's imperious touch allowed Dravid time to settle. The master was in his element, watchful against the moving ball when he started, but punishing whenever the opportunity arose. Anything on his knee was worked decisively to leg; both the short-arm and the swivel pull were on display; width was put away — either a flashing cut or a measured push-drive did his bidding.

Dravid fell leg-before to Jacob Oram, missing a full delivery after shuffling across to flick it. He had fulfilled a part of his role, however, keeping India's younger batsmen from the new ball, which, for some reason, moves under lights.

Tendulkar, after being bothered slightly by Daniel Vettori's skidding under-cut deliveries, chipped a catch to short cover, surprising everyone.

Vettori then curled one away from Yuvraj in the air, slowing its flight to find the top edge of the attempted sweep.

At 84 for four, India, while not in the thorns, wasn't as comfortably placed as it might have liked.

The track wasn't the easiest to play oneself in on, but Suresh Raina's confidence and certainty of touch settled the contest. He slog-swept sixes and walked into cover-drives. M.S. Dhoni batted with great care at the other end to see India home.

Earlier, Vettori elected to bat, saying he hoped his side would bat like Sri Lanka had in the first ODI. The New Zealand captain was referring no doubt to Thilan Samaraweera and Angelo Mathew's rearguard action. His mates, however, appeared to misunderstand. They reprised, in unerring detail, Sri Lanka's top-order collapse.

Jesse Ryder, early in his innings, is vulnerable to the ball angled in from left-arm over. Having situated his stance on middle and off, he tends to play across his front pad. Ashish Nehra won a leg-before decision with one such delivery.
Nehra's 100th wicket

Nehra had his 100th ODI wicket soon after. Brendon McCullum had looked fidgety, clearly uncomfortable with the slowness of the track. Nehra pinned him in front of his stumps with a delivery that pitched on leg and appeared set to hit off.

R.P. Singh conquered Taylor with a combination of line, length, and angle: each contributed its part, the line forcing the batsman to play, the length having him on the move, the angle across gaining the edge to the wicketkeeper.

Martin Guptill showed promise. He once held his shape to time R.P. Singh past short mid-wicket with a defensive stroke, no more. Another time he crisply pulled Nehra in front of square. But Guptill followed a Yuvraj delivery that straightened from left-arm around, hands thrusting at the ball instead of withdrawing. Dravid took the sharp, low catch with remarkable ease.
Doubtful decision

Yuvraj then had Grant Elliott adjudged caught behind off a slider. Dhoni made good ground down the leg-side to glove the deflection. It wasn't clear, however, if the deflection was off bat or pad.

From the other end, Harbhajan Singh was getting his deliveries to turn and bounce. The off-spinner looked threatening, operating for a while with a slip and short-leg. But the field opened, allowing Oram and Neil Broom to knock it around.

Ishant did splendidly to dismiss Oram. Having drawn an uppish drive with a slower ball, he bent low in his follow through to catch it.

Broom, after playing sensibly, hit a long-hop from Yuvraj to short mid-wicket. Vettori batted stubbornly before being bowled by Ishant.

India did many things well. Ground fielding wasn't one of them. The outfielders rarely took the shortest path to the ball.

The throwing, often off-balance, seldom threatened batsmen intent on converting ones into twos. India must work on this facet during Saturday's game against Sri Lanka, a precursor to Monday's final.

SCOREBOARD

  New Zealand: B. McCullum lbw b Nehra 3 (9b), J. Ryder lbw b Nehra 0 (2b), M. Guptill c Dravid b Yuvraj 22 (42b, 3x4), R. Taylor c Dhoni b R.P. Singh 11 (15b, 2x4), G. Elliott c Dhoni b Yuvraj 22 (39b), J. Oram c & b Ishant 24 (45b, 1x4), N. Broom c Raina b Yuvraj 21 (28b), D. Vettori b Ishant 25 (36b, 1x4), K. Mills b R.P. Singh 6 (20b), I. Butler c Harbhajan b Nehra 6 (31b), S. Bond (not out) 10 (12b, 1x4); Extras: (lb-4, w-1) 5; Total: (in 46.3 overs) 155.

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Ryder), 2-4 (McCullum), 3-19 (Taylor), 4-51 (Guptill), 5-66 (Elliott), 6-101 (Oram), 7-116 (Broom), 8-134 (Mills), 9-142 (Vettori).

Power Plays: One (overs 1 to 10): 30/3; Bowling (11-15) 21/1; Batting (46-46.3): 4/1.

India bowling: Nehra 8.3-0-24-3, R.P. Singh 8-2-22-2, Ishant 10-2-26-2, Yuvraj 10-0-31-3, Harbhajan 8-0-39-0, Raina 1-0-4-0, Yusuf 1-0-5-0.

India: D. Karthik lbw b Mills 4 (11b), S. Tendulkar c Guptill b Vettori 46 (55b, 6x4), R. Dravid lbw b Oram 14 (45b, 1x4), Yuvraj c Guptill b Vettori 8 (13b, 2x4), M.S. Dhoni (not out) 35 (65b, 4x4), S. Raina (not out) 45 (54b, 3x4, 2x6), Extras (lb-3, w-1) 4; Total (for four wickets in 40.3 overs) 156.

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Karthik), 2-67 (Dravid), 3-71 (Tendulkar), 4-84 (Yuvraj).

Power Plays: One (overs 1 to 10): 34/1; Bowling (11-15): 23/0.

New Zealand bowling: Mills 5.3-1-25-1, Bond 10-3-30-0, Butler 4-0-25-0, Vettori 10-0-33-2, Oram 7-1-19-1, Elliott 2-0-9-0, Guptill 2-0-12-0.

[sajiv]

Tendulkar, Harbhajan seal title in thriller

India 319 for 5 (Tendulkar 138, Yuvraj 56*, Dhoni 56) beat Sri Lanka 273 (Kandamby 66, Harbhajan 5-57) by 46 runs



The ghost of batting under the R Premadasa lights was almost buried tonight. Sachin Tendulkar's master class, an 86th international century which was not far from being his best, nearly became a footnote on a night of punches and counter-punches. Sri Lanka knew being ultra aggressive was the only way of going about this huge chase, and they counterattacked every time a wicket was lost. Thilina Kandamby, batting at No. 7, fell just short of pulling off a heist against India for the second time in his short career, as the early wickets had left him with too much to do.

Don't go by the 46-run margin. India's fielders and fast bowlers were rattled during the frenetic chase. It was their spinners, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh, who saved them the embarrassment. They took critical wickets at critical points and Raina's dismissal of Chamara Kapugedera in the 43rd over, with 68 runs and the batting Powerplay to go, proved to be the decisive blow. A pumped-up Harbhajan then finished off what he started, dismissing the last three batsmen in a hurry. He had earlier taken two wickets in the eighth and 10th over of the innings to rein in an explosive start to the chase.

When Harbhajan came in for his first spell, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya had jolted the Indian team out of a dream afternoon. Sixty runs were scored in seven overs and all three fast bowlers were clueless. Harbhajan's first over, then, was a masterpiece. With a slip and leg slip in place, and a strong on-side field, he invited Dilshan to take the risk and hit through the off side. Dilshan took the bait - he didn't have many choices - got one boundary through cover, and was bowled the next ball.

In his next over, Harbhajan got Mahela Jayawardene with a doosra, and India were on all-out attack. Three more bowlers took wickets in the first over of new spells, but failed to bring Sri Lanka's run-rate down, which was helped by Thilan Thushara's pinch-hitting. But after they lost the fifth wicket, Kumar Sangakkara and Kandamby settled in for longer innings.

Sangakkara was unfortunate when his bat slipped out of his hand and landed on the top of the stumps in the 28th over. With four wickets left, and 138 to get, it seemed over but Kandamby and Kapugedera had other ideas. They didn't panic, kept the singles and the odd boundaries coming, and were helped by sloppy fielding - India missed at least two run-outs and an easy catch.

With 80 required in the last 10 overs, five of which would be bowled under field restrictions, India relied on the spinners. Raina and Yuvraj gave nine runs in Nos. 41 and 42 and, in the 43rd, Raina got the ambitious shot out of Kapugedera, ending a 70-run stand in 15 overs. Harbhajan then came on to finish his third five-for in ODIs.

The beauty of the chase was that it overshadowed a classy knock by Tendulkar, who rolled back the years, and then some more. He stroked, ran and yearned for runs like it was the 1990s, but unlike those days he didn't need to take any risks on the way to setting what looked like a total safe beyond doubt.

This was Tendulkar's ninth international century since May 2007, to go with seven scores in the 90s. Judging by this form, 100 international hundreds have become a distinct possibility. A measure of the bowlers' helplessness lay in the fact that the first time he hit a ball in the air was to reach his fifty, that too off a free hit. With Tendulkar batting the way he was, who needed aerial shots?

He shared valuable partnerships with Rahul Dravid, Dhoni and Yuvraj, especially crucial being the one with Dravid. Tendulkar and Dravid, 73 years and 762 ODI caps (before this match) between them, took charge of what has looked a shaky batting line-up: their 95-run opening stand took them to No. 6 on the all-time partnership aggregates in ODIs.

Tendulkar you simply couldn't take your eye off. Albeit on a flat track, Tendulkar and Dravid were prepared to work hard in sapping conditions, their shirts turning to dark blue with sweat even before the shine went off the white ball.

Nuwan Kulasekera and Thilan Thushara didn't serve up loose half-volleys or long hops; Tendulkar had to work for every forceful shot. The first ball he faced he punched sweetly off his toes, wide of mid-off for three. In the fourth over, he took a similar delivery and wristed it wide of mid-on for three. We were on to something.

A string of lovely boundaries followed, the best being the punches through a tight cover ring, and the late flicks from off and middle stump to midwicket and cow corner. After Dravid's dismissal, Tendulkar added 110 with Dhoni, who kept the tempo up.

By then Tendulkar had started taking the odd chance, stepping out, making room, and hitting Jayasuriya and Mendis over extra cover. One such shot off Mendis, in the 29th over, took him into his 90s and serenely, with ones and twos, came the hundred. After the hundred came the cramps, and when Tendulkar opted for a runner we were reminded for the first time it was in fact the year 2009.

Dravid came back to run, but Tendulkar did most of the calling. The bowlers showed no mercy, Malinga bowling a mix of bouncers and yorkers. Tendulkar's response was to hit Mendis for a six inside-out and reverse-sweep two boundaries in three balls. After he got out in the 46th over, trying one reverse-sweep too many, Yuvraj's big hitting got India 42 runs, which also proved crucial in the end.

[ganeshbala]

India Lost the series

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed the batsmen's inability to read the track in the first 15 minutes for their six-wicket loss in the sixth One-day International that gave Australia a 4-2 series win in Guwahati on Sunday.

Dhoni's decision to bat first back-fired after the top-order failed to negotiate the new ball and they lost seven wickets for just 75 runs by the 31st over. But Ravindra Jadeja (57) and Praveen Kumar (54 not out) hit defiant half-centuries to pull India out from a disastrous 27 for five to 170 all out in 48 overs.

"The first half an hour was important, and the first 15 minutes did all the damage today. They did bowl well. There was swing there and they exploited it well," said Dhoni.

[ganeshbala]

Dravid puts India on top

India 385/6 on day 1 - INDIA VS SRILANKA TEST SERIES

Rahul Dravid played as purposefully as he has ever done in Test cricket to lead India's comeback from 32 for 4 in the first half hour. Along the way, he got involved in his 77th 100-run partnership, a world record, came seven short of passing Steve Waugh to become the fifth-highest run-getter in Tests, and also undid the superb start that two rookies provided Sri Lanka with.

Chanaka Welegedara and Dammika Prasad - four Tests and 15 wickets between them - were not even supposed to play this match but pair combined to give India flashbacks of their previous Test in Ahmedabad, when they were shot out for 76 by South Africa.

[ganeshbala]

30,000 international runs BY Little Master

Sachin Tendulkar crossed yet another milestone on Friday by becoming the first batsman to score 30,000 runs in international cricket.

Batting in the second innings on the final day of the first Test against Sri Lanka, the batting maestro stroked his 35th run to achieve the latest landmark. Tendulkar, who recently completed 20 years in international cricket, is playing his 160th Test match for India.

Tendulkar has scored 17,178 runs at an average of 44 in 436 one-day internationals and 10 runs in the lone Twenty20 match that he has played, against South Africa.

He ended his 160th Test here sitting on 12877 runs, with 43 hundreds and 53 half centuries at an average of 54.79.

The 36-year-old batting stalwart went on to score his 43rd Test hundred and remained not out exactly on 100 to help India draw the match after they had conceded a first innings lead of 334 runs to the Lankans.

[ganeshbala]

India thump Sri Lanka for 100th Test victory

A dominant India took one-and-half sessions to complete the formalities and spank Sri Lanka by an innings and 144 runs in the second Test to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series here on Friday.

This turned out to be India's 100th Test victory in their 432nd outing.

The visitors began 57 for four and did their best to delay the inevitable before the Indians polished off the remnants of the Lankan resistance to complete a facile win with more than four sessions to spare.

Sri Lankans, who managed 229 in the first innings, did slightly better in their second essay, folding for 269.

India thus became the sixth nation to win 100 Test matches, following Australia (332), England (310), West Indies (152), South Africa (120) and Pakistan (102).

This was also India's biggest victory margin against the Lankans, in terms of innings. The previous mark was their thrashing of the islanders by an innings and 119 runs in the 1994 Lucknow Test.

[ganeshbala]

Dhoni banned for 2 ODIs for slow over-rate

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Saturday banned for two one-day internationals for the team's slow over-rate during the second one-dayer against Sri Lanka in Nagour on Friday.

The thrilling second one-dayer ended about 45 minutes after the scheduled finish time because of frequent discussions between the Indian players during the closing stages of Sri Lanka's chase, prompting the International Cricket Council to impose the ban on the Indian captain.

The decision to ban Dhoni was taken by match referee Jeff Crowe of New Zealand, considering the quantum of extra time the Indians took to complete their alloted overs.

Formal announcement from the ICC is expected soon.