Sports

We kept our cool, says Dhoni

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:38:38 GMT

Ahmedabad, Nov 20: Relieved after his batsmen eked out a draw in the first Test against Sri Lanka, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that it was just a matter of seeing through the early overs and not panicking.

Eight wickets separated Sri Lanka from a win but the Indian batsmen came with a much-improved show in the second essay to walk away with a draw, scoring 222 runs on Friday while losing just a couple of wickets.

"We needed a good partnership at start of the innings. We knew if we don’t give early wickets to Sri Lankan bowlers, it would be very difficult for them to get 10 wickets. That’s what really happened," Dhoni said after the match. "There was no question of panic," he added. Nearly 1600 runs were scored over five days while just 21 wickets fell as the Test petered out to a dull draw.

"The wicket was quite flat. I wouldn’t say it was the flattest wicket I have seen, but I think it was on a slower side for the spinners, it wasn’t of much help to them," Dhoni said. When his attention was drawn to the fact that India lost 14 wickets in the match, twice their opponents, Dhoni sprang to the defence of spinners Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra, who bled a staggering 392 runs between them, claiming just three wickets.

"I am satisfied with our spinners. (Muttiah) Muralitharan, the greatest spinner we will see also didn’t get the bounce or turn he is known for. It was difficult for our bowlers."

"It was a placid track and the Sri Lankan side really played the spinners well. Overall I am happy but we could have bowled tighter," Dhoni explained.

He shot down the suggestion that Sri Lankan spinners outshone their home side counterparts in the match. "I think we are at par with any side that has good spinners. Of course we bowled a lot more overs."

"In this case, they were more accurate, bowled one line and length, didn’t experiment much once they knew there was not much help for spinners," Dhoni said.

By tea, it was clear that a result was not possible in this run-feast but India still played on till Sachin Tendulkar completed his century.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said he had offered to call off the match early but Tendulkar insisted he would play on.

Dhoni saw nothing wrong in Tendulkar’s approach and said, "If you are so close to a milestone, any batsman has a right to achieve it."

About Gautam Gambhir’s ambitious shot that led to his downfall after having played so well, Dhoni said the left-hander used his feet pretty well to the spinners .

"He bats that way, uses his feet well. It’s one of his shots, just that it didn’t pay well this time," he said.

— PTI

Sangakkara rues Indian recovery, missed chances

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:38:19 GMT

Ahmedabad, Nov. 20: Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara does not believe his side hold a psychological edge going into the second Test of the three-match series starting at Kanpur next week after dominating India in the drawn opener here on Friday.

"There’s no psychological edge for us. It’s Even-Stevens now and we have to start from scratch in the second Test," said Sangakkara after India fought back with a strong second innings performance to draw the first Test.

Sangakkara said he expected the pitch to offer a bit more help to the bowlers after what had happened in the last Test between India and South Africa here in which the visitors bowled out the home team for 76 on the first morning before going on to win by a massive margin.

"I expected the wicket to be a little more helpful after what happened in the Test between South Africa and India. We also did not take our chances. We let it go after reducing India to 32/4 (on the first morning). There was very little there for the bowlers in the last two days," he said.

India recovered from a disastrous start on the back of splendid hundreds from Rahul Dravid and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to make 426 to which Lanka replied with a massive 760/7.

Sangakkara said that his spinners could not do much on the last-day track but felt young left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who grabbed two wickets, outperformed Muttiah Muralitharan.

Sangakkara also praised rookie left-arm pacer Chanaka Welegedara for making the most of his last-minute inclusion after frontline new ball bowler Thilan Thushara pulled out of the match just before the toss because of a shoulder injury.

"When you know you are not going to play and then are told five minutes before toss that you are playing it’s difficult. But he bowled very well. He’s been out of international cricket for some reason and let’s hope he does the job in the remaining part of the series," he said.

Sangakkara praised wicketkeeper-batsman Prasanna Jayawardena, who scored a fine unbeaten 154 , for doing well under pressure. — PTI

Rain washes out Jo’burg opener

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:37:52 GMT

Johannesburg, Nov. 20: Rain caused the abandonment of the first one-day international between South Africa and England at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday.

After more than 20mm of rain on Thursday, steady rain on Friday led to the match being called off two-and-a-half hours after the scheduled start when it became obvious that it would be impossible even to play a shortened game.

A minimum of 20 overs a side is necessary for a result to be achieved.

It was due to be the first of five one-day internationals, which will be followed by four Test matches. The second match is scheduled for Centurion’s Supersport Park on Sunday.

The washout means that Paul Collingwood will have to wait until Sunday to become England’s most capped ODI player. He remains level with Alec Stewart on 170 appearances, but the rain in Johannesburg at least means he has a couple of extra days to rest his troublesome back.

The same applies for James Anderson who can give his sore knee some extra treatment and England will be the happier of the two sides about a delayed start to the series with a number of injuries in the squad.

Stuart Broad (shoulder) and Graeme Swann (side) are already ruled out of the second match with Liam Plunkett and James Tredwell having been called up as cover.

— Agencies

Dead Pitch to the rescue

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:37:17 GMT

Ahmedabad, Nov. 20: Gautam Gambhir made 114 and Sachin Tendulkar hit an unbeaten 100 as India batted out the final day to draw the first Test against Sri Lanka here on Friday.

India easily wiped out a huge first innings deficit of 334 runs as they scored 412/4 in their second knock before the high-scoring Test was called off with six overs remaining on the fifth day.

Tendulkar, set a new benchmark of 30,000 international runs at the start of his third decade in the game to frustrate Sri Lanka’s bid to win their first Test on Indian soil.

Tendulkar, who smashed his 43rd Test century, put on 66 for the fourth wicket with Gambhir and 137 for an unbroken fifth-wicket stand with V.V.S. Laxman, who made 51 not out.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers struggled to cope with the batsman-friendly pitch on which 1,598 runs were scored at the cost of just 21 wickets over the five days.

World bowling record holder Muttiah Muralitharan failed to take a wicket in 38 overs which cost 124 runs and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath went for 2/97 in 40 overs.

Tendulkar, the world’s leading Test and one-day scorer, completed 30,000 runs on the world stage when he turned Chanaka Welegedara to square-leg for a single to reach 35 after lunch.

He ended the match with a Test career tally of 12,877 runs, building on the 17,188 one-day and 10 Twenty20 runs he has scored since making his debut on November 15, 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi.

Gambhir’s seventh Test century was the third in successive matches this year after making 137 in Napier and 167 in Wellington on India’s tour of New Zealand in March-April.

The Delhi opener kept vigil for six hours and 37 minutes when he attempted to loft Herath soon after lunch and holed out to mid-off.

Nightwatchman Amit Mishra, who came in at the fall of Rahul Dravid’s wicket on Thursday evening, batted for 45 minutes in the morning session before falling to a brilliant catch by Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Dilshan, who had floored a sharp chance off Mishra in the slips earlier in the day, dived to his right at leg-gully to pick up a low catch as the batsman flicked seamer Angelo Mathews.

Mishra made 24 in a 40-run stand for the third wicket with Gambhir.

Tendulkar, who was dismissed for four in the first innings as India slipped to 32/4 within the first hour of the Test, appeared determined to play a big knock when he hit four boundaries in his first 17 runs.

He punched Mathews through the covers, took two boundaries in the same region in one over from Muttiah Muralitharan, before smashing Mathews to the point fence.

India made 426 in the first innings and Sri Lanka replied with a mammoth 760/7 declared, the highest total ever scored on Indian soil.

The second Test starts in Kanpur on Tuesday, followed by the third at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai from December 2.

— AFP

Fifa rejects Ireland’s replay request

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:32:19 GMT

London, Nov. 20: Football’s world ruling body Fifa on Friday officially turned down a request from the Irish football authorities to stage a replay of their controversial World Cup playoff defeat to France.

Backed by Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen, the Football Association of Ireland had lodged the request with Fifa on Thursday. However a statement on Fifa’s website said: "Fifa has today, 20 November 2009, replied to the request made by the Football Association of Ireland to replay the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa play-off match held on 18 November 2009 between France and the Republic of Ireland in Paris.

"In the reply, Fifa states that the result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed."

France qualified for the 2010 World Cup by winning the two-leg tie 2-1 on aggregate on Wednesday, although there has been outrage and claims of cheating after a blatant Thierry Henry handball led to France’s decisive equaliser.

The French Football Federation said it had "taken note" of Fifa’s decision but said it would make "no further comment". The FAI meanwhile confirmed it had received Fifa’s rejection letter and was due to meet Friday afternoon to consider the decision.

"A previously scheduled meeting of the FAI board of management will take place this afternoon where the matter will be considered," said a FAI statement.

"No further comment will be made until this meeting has concluded."

Despite no likelihood of a replay, there have been calls for Fifa president Sepp Blatter to personally comment on the controversy.

Former Republic of Ireland midfielder Ray Houghton admitted he did not expect Fifa to order a replay as they are governed by the rules but he called on Blatter to make a public statement on the decision. "Where is Sepp Blatter? Why hasn’t he come out and stood up and told everyone how it is.

"He’s very good at telling other countries how to run their game. It really needed the top man to come out and tell the footballing public why they have made this decision."

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni, who on Thursday said there was no hope of Fifa ordering a replay, said before Friday’s decision it is now time for Fifa to reform refereeing. Criticising match referee Martin Hansson of Sweden, and his linesmen, the veteran Italian handler told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I’m sure that Mr Hansson spoke to the fourth official and with whoever sees the slow motion replays. Why then, knowing that he made a mistake, did he not change his decision?

Keane blames Irish defence and keeper

Former Ireland captain Roy Keane blamed Ireland’s defenders and goalkeeper rather than Thierry Henry for the controversial goal which ended their World Cup hopes. France captain Henry has admitted he handled the ball in an incident on Wednesday which enabled France to qualify for next year’s World Cup at the expense of Ireland. Keane said on Friday: "France were there for the taking and Ireland didn’t do it. Same old story. "They can complain all they want but France are going to the World Cup. Get over it.

"If I’d been there in the dressing room after the game, I wouldn’t be talking about the handball. I’d focus on why the defenders didn’t clear it."

"I’d be more annoyed with my defenders and my goalkeeper than Thierry Henry. How can you let the ball bounce in your six-yard box? How can you let Thierry Henry get goal-side of you? If the ball goes into the six-yard box, where the hell is my goalkeeper? These are skills and lessons you learn as a schoolboy." — Agencies

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Re-match fairest solution: Henry

London, Nov. 20: France captain Thierry Henry said on Friday that "the fairest solution" to the row surrounding his handball in the World Cup playoff against Ireland would be to replay the match.

He renewed his admission that he had controlled the ball with his hand, but insisted it was "instinctive" in the heat of the action. "Of course the fairest solution would be to replay the game but it is not in my control," Henry said in a statement. "Naturally I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa," said the Barcelona and former Arsenal striker.

He released the statement after football’s world governing body Fifa officially turned down a request for a replay lodged by the Irish football authorities.

Video replays showed Henry used his hand to stop the ball going out of play in extra-time of Wednesday’s playoff in Paris, before he passed to William Gallas to head the goal which gave France a 2-1 win over the two legs. Henry continued: "There is little more I can do apart from admit that the ball had contact with my hand leading up to our goal and I feel very sorry for the Irish." — AFP

Karnataka bowlers impress as Bengal hold on

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:31:54 GMT

Sahan Bidappa

Mysore

Nov. 20: On a pitch that refused to give bowlers much to work with even on the fourth day, Karnataka put up a spirited show. Having declared at their overnight 523/9 with an handy lead of 199, skipper Robin Uthappa made sure his bowlers had an entire day’s time to bowl out Bengal.

The strip at the Gangothri Galdes however, showed no signs of wear and tear and Bengal managed to hang on for a draw, finishing at 213/6 in the Ranji Trophy Super League encounter on Friday.

Though Karnataka would be frustrated at not bowling out Bengal inside the 90 overs, the three points they got virtue of their first innings lead keeps them atop Group B with 11 points from three matches.

Bengal owed it to debutant skipper Manoj Tiwary 65 (155b, 4x4), for his match-saving effort that ensured them one point. Tiwary came in at 97/2 and with 57 overs still to go, and along with Deep Dasgupta 55 (192m, 130b, 6x4), helped see off the danger of defeat.

Dasgupta, filling in for first-innings centurion Rohan Banerjee, made up for the regular opener’s absence. With Arindam Das (31), he added 64 for the first wicket to ease nerves in the dressing room.

But the match came alive for Karnataka, when Abhishek Jhunjunwalla sliced the first ball after lunch from B. Akhil to Vinay at short cover. And Dasgupta couldn’t beat Arvind’s throw from long on at the non-striker, leaving Bengal’s fortunes in the hands of Tiwary.

The 24-year-old — nicknamed Chota Dada in reference to former India captain Sourav Ganguly’s nickname — showed why he is so highly regarded. Normally a batsman who likes to play on the up and drive, Tiwary kept his shots in check.

Sunil Joshi, with Das’ scalp, now stands one short of B.S. Chandrasekhar’s Ranji record of 437 wickets for Karnataka.

Scores: West Bengal 324 and 213/6 (Tiwary 65 n.o.; Vinay Kumar 2/35) vs Karnataka 523/9 decl.

IPL is future of the game, says Chappell

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:31:27 GMT

London: Former Australian captain Greg Chappell feels given its increasing popularity, the Indian Premier League would soon become a world event and take cricket to hitherto unexplored regions.

"I can see the day when IPL becomes a world format and we’ll have New York playing Mumbai playing Beijing playing Sydney playing London," Chappell said.

Chappell said the growing Twenty20 mania and the dwindling spectator count in Test matches could see cricket’s oldest and longest format shrinking to just four or five countries.

"I have a feeling that Test cricket is going to reduce in size rather than grow in size," Chappell was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

"I can see a time where there will be four or five major countries playing Test match cricket," he said. — PTI

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Bond, Tuffey recalled for Pak Tests

Wellington: Star fast bowler Shane Bond has been recalled to the New Zealand Test squad to play Pakistan in the first two Tests of a three-match series.

Bond’s selection follows a two-year absence from the New Zealand Test team due to injury and his participation last year in the rebel Indian Cricket League.

The injury-prone 34-year-old has played only 17 Tests since his debut in 2001 but he has taken an impressive 79 wickets at an average of 22.39.

He returned to the New Zealand one-day and Twenty20 team against Sri Lanka in September and played Pakistan in the one-dayers in the United Arab Emirates this month.

"Shane has shown a lot of energy in the UAE and in domestic cricket, and has bowled a good number of overs," selector Mark Greatbatch said. "It will be exciting to have him back." Also returning is pace bowler Daryl Tuffey, who played his last Test in 2004.

— AFP

Spinners bowl Mumbai to win

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:31:26 GMT

Sharda Wadhwa

Mumbai

Nov. 20: Mumbai sealed an 85-run victory over Himachal Pradesh on the final day of their Ranji Super League match at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground on Friday.

Chasing a target of 252, Himachal were bowled out for 166 in 67 overs. Spinners Harmeet Singh and Iqbal Abdulla took three wickets each.

Himachal lost opener Sangram Singh early on as he was run out in just the fourth over of the day. Himachal banked on former Mumbai players Bhavin Thakkar and Vinit Indulkar, but the duo failed to follow up on their first innings scores.

Debutant Harmeet Singh, who took four wickets in the first innings, took the crucial wickets of Paras Dogra and Indulkar in quick succession. Dogra was caught by Samant on 31. Jaffer took a brilliant catch to send back Indulkar. In the next over Abdulla also joined the party, as he caught and bowled Mukesh Sharma.

Scores : Mumbai 162 and 335/7 decl. beat Himachal Pradesh 166 and 246 (Sarnadeep Singh 39; Harmeet Singh 3/38, Iqbal Addulla 3/61)

Champions League matches under match-fixing cloud

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:25:21 GMT

KAROLOS GROHMANN

BOCHUM, Germany

Nov. 20: A match-fixing ring with more than 200 suspected members fixed or tried to fix around 200 matches across Europe, including three in the Champions League, in what Uefa called the biggest betting scandal in Europe.

Police in Germany, Britain, Austria and Switzerland staged simultaneous raids, arresting 15 people and seizing euro one million in cash or goods as part of an investigation into the suspected manipulation of games across nine European leagues.

Bochum police said at a news conference on Friday that 200 people were suspected of being part of the ring that tried to rig about 200 matches. Some 32 matches in Germany’s lower divisions as well as dozens of first or second division matches in Turkey, Bosnia, Hungary, Croatia Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia were under investigation.

The investigation, which unearthed what Uefa representative Peter Limacher called Europe’s biggest ever betting affair, included only matches played in 2009.

"We at Uefa are stunned by the magnitude of this," Limacher said.

Twelve matches in the Europa League, the second-tier club competition behind the elite Champions League, were also under suspicion, Bochum police official Ralf Ziegler said.

In 2005, Germany was rocked by a betting scandal involving Bundesliga referee Robert Hoyzer, who rigged matches as part of an international illegal betting gang and was sentenced to two years and five months in prison.

— Reuters

Jani in hunt for Force India drive

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:24:54 GMT

C. Santhosh Kumar

Chennai

Nov. 20: The chances for an Indian to get behind the wheel of a Force India F1 car are fast receding. The Vijay Mallya-owned team may not have a driver from India on board for the third year in succession.

Vitantonio Liuzzi of Italy has reportedly secured his contract for the 2010 season while the talented Adrian Sutil may move away if his final round of negotiations fail with the Silverstone-based team. Nelson Piquet, Pedro de la Rosa and Neel Jani are said to be waiting in the wings to step in for Sutil if the German leaves Force India.

With an off-season test scheduled for the first week of December at Jerez, Switzerland’s Jani says he is expecting a call from Force India as a result of his performance in the simulator last month.

"Mallya has sent out positive signals about the 2010 season. I hope to drive for Force India at the rookie test in Jerez to show what I can do in a Formula 1 car. I have spoken to Mallya about the test but nothing is confirmed yet.

"I reckon Force India will choose their drivers based on the simulator test. Although I am not supposed to disclose the results, I can confirm that I was in the top two in terms of timings. I hope to get a fair chance for the test based on my simulator performance," Jani added.

Jani is pinning his hopes on his Indian roots. His father was born in Gujarat before he migrated to Switzerland and established a chain of restaurants. De la Rosa’s trump card could be the backing of Mercedes, Force India’s engine partners.

But Jani remains unfazed. "The good thing is Force India seem to lay stress on performance above money. With McLaren going English, Mercedes GP going German, I really hope my Indian connection should improve my chances at Force India," he added.

Karun Chandhok’s name is also doing the rounds for the winter test, but the Chennai driver said there hadn’t been an approach from Force India so far. However, Karun hasn’t lost hopes of making his F1 debut next season.

"I would rate my chances of making the grid seven on a scale of 10. Everyone is making us wait. We just have to be patient and hope that the financial package is enough. Bruno Senna had more Brazilian backing and beat us to Campos. Let’s see what happens with other teams," the 24-year-old said.

The persisting global financial crisis means sponsors are hard to come by. Karun and Jani are feeling the pinch. "All the new teams need money and a few established outfits are also on the lookout for monetary boost."

IWF defers decision on India’s fate

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:24:43 GMT

AGE CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI

Nov. 20: A decision on whether to ban the dope-tainted Indian Weightlifting Federation has been postponed till Saturday by the International Weightlifting Federation as their executive board is yet to take up the matter in their ongoing annual Congress in Goyang City, South Korea.

"During the Annual Congress on Thursday nothing came up as all these cases are pending. The process is still on-going. The executive board will discuss on this topic on Saturday," IWF spokesman Dezso Dobor said in a statement.

The Indian federation — banned twice in the past — could face the prospect of a third sanction after six of its lifters failed out-of-competition dope tests conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Under intense pressure from the sports ministry and the Indian Olympic Association, all officials of the Indian Federation have put in their papers, which the governing body had demanded in a letter to IOA president Suresh Kalmadi.

But, former general secretary B.R. Gulati is in Goyang to present India’s case.

Under international rules, if four or more lifters test positive in a calendar year, the national body can be banned for a maximum of four years. But resignations by officials has brightened the chances of a lenient view from the executive board of the IWF.

Bhatt hits ton in drawn match

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:24:38 GMT

Age Correspondent

Hyderabad

Nov. 20: Having grabbed the first innings lead on the penultimate day, Gujarat decided to opt for batting practice on Friday as their Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match against Hyderabad meandered to a draw.

Coming in at number seven, Rujul Bhatt scored 186 and raised stands of 128, 55 and 48 for the last three wickets respectively to roast the hosts on Day Four here.

With only three points in as many matches, the hosts are languishing at seventh in the eight-team table. Their only motivation now is to avoid being relegated to the Plate division.

Rujul hit 16 boundaries and a six in his knock, facing 250 balls.

Scores: Hyderabad 236 and 2/0 vs Gujarat 536 (Parthiv Patel 105, Rujul Bhatt 186; Absolom 3/118)

PTI adds: In Amritsar, Tamil Nadu crushed Punjab by an innings and 45 runs to earn six points, including one bonus point.

Pankaj Dharmani waged a losing battle for Punjab by hitting the only half-century in their second essay as they were bowled out for 248.

In another match Uttar Pradesh secured three points by virtue of their slender six-run first innings lead over Baroda.

In Rajkot, Kedar Jadhav’s unbeaten 111 helped Maharashtra salvage a draw against Saurashtra.

Resuming at 266/7, the last three Maharashtra batsman added just 23 runs as Saurashtra enforced the follow on. At stumps, Maharashtra were162/5.

In Bhubaneswar, the rain-marred match between Railways and Orissa ended in a draw. Railways declared their innings at 307/8. In reply, Orissa were 132/4 at stumps.

FIH defends decision to put off HI election

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:19:13 GMT

Age Corespondent

New Delhi

Nov. 20: The International Hockey Federation on Friday defended extending the deadline for Hockey India’s elections but re-asserted that India would be barred from next year’s World Cup if a democratically elected body was not put in place by the end of January.

FIH president Leandro Negre said HI had till the end of January to settle all the affiliation issues of the state units to form a unified body keeping in mind the enormous paperwork involved in the process.

"India is a vast country, so problems will always be there and it needs time to merge all the states together," Negre told reporters here.

"The FIH vice president recently visited India and informed me exactly what is happening here. When he told me that elections need to be postponed, I immediately agreed.

"Yes, it is very close to the World Cup but we have to look at the positive side," Negre said.

During his visit earlier this month, FIH vice president Antonio von Ondarza granted HI an extension till January end to conduct the polls after the ad-hoc national federation had missed the paperwork for the original November 20 deadline.

The FIH chief, however, reiterated that failing the deadline, India would be barred from participating in the mega-event to be held here from February 28 to March 13. "India is integral to world hockey but we maintain that as per our constitution, there should be a elected body before the World Cup."warring faction during his present visit.

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‘Sandeep fit to play World Cup’

Age Corespondent

New Delhi

Nov. 20: Hockey India president A.K. Mattoo on Friday brushed aside confusion created over Sandeep Singh’s participation in next month’s Champions Challenge tournament and the 2010 World Cup, saying the ace drag-flicker had recovered from his back injury and was expected to be part of both the events.

"I am 100 per cent certain Sandeep will play in the World Cup. How can you decide about whether a player would be in the World Cup team three months before the tournament?" said Mattoo at an event in Capital on Friday.

Sandeep’s participation in both events came under cloud after he sustained a back injury during last month’s Canada tour. "He will be there in the team. He had a back injury but he has come out of that. Sandeep will also play in Champions Challenge, subject to clearing fitness tests," Mattoo added.

Sandeep was replaced by Rajpal Singh as the skipper for the Champions Challenge from December 6-13 but Mattoo overruled the decision, saying they were yet to finalise the captain

Geet in pre-quarters, Pankaj advances

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:18:58 GMT

Saheli Chakraborty

Hyderabad

Nov. 20: Geet Sethi and Pankaj Advani struck rhythm when it mattered as they dished out straight-frames victories on Friday at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre to advance in the World Snooker Championship.

In the masters’ last-32 stage, Sethi sank compatriot Kamaraj 4-0 (66-16, 68-01, 64-06, 52-42) to set up a pre-quarterfinal clash with Thailand’s Chuchart Trairattanapradit. The Thai defeated S.A. Saleem of India 4-1 (110-05, 44-76, 76-43, 80-17, 82-31), including a break of 79 in the first frame.

Sethi was pleased with his consistency. "I played well today, potted almost 80 per cent of the attempts," he said.

Advani also had a comfortable outing as he blanked Bobby Cruickshanks of Scotland 4-0 (102-08, 74-27, 50-37, 59-56). The last two frames went down the wire and in both the frames the pink and the black balls emerged Advani’s saviours.

The score was 37-all in the third frame when Cruickshanks failed to pot the pink and Pankaj got the last two balls to take the frame 50-37.

In the fourth, Pankaj was down 52-56 with just the black on board. But he unleashed a wily and well-calculated safety shot that trapped Cruickshanks. The Scot misjudged and potted the cue ball, giving Pankaj the black in-off to capture the frame and the match.

"Good to start the knockouts with 4-0 win. I was striking well in the first two frames but he came back strongly in the next two. I had some tough games in the prelims and those close matches always help — I am improving by the day," said the India number one.

Yasin Merchant was in a spot of bother before getting the better of Chris Maltby, New Zealand’s national champion, 4-3. Yasin was not satisfied with his individual frame scores that read 98-21, 66-45, 30-54, 68-26, 54-66, 16-51, 67-25.

Kamal Chawla also entered the last-32 stage in the men’s category beating compatriot Rupesh Shah 4-1 (79-02, 47-60, 79-12, 98-56, 72-15).

Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif went down fighting to David Craggs of England. Asif squandered a 3-1 lead to lose 3-4 (63-53, 82-39, 43-53, 82-26, 03-62, 46-55, 17-58).

Among the ladies, Meenal Thakur won the battle of siblings, silencing sister Anuja Chandra with a hard-fought 4-3 win as the frame scores 74-67, 49-39, 27-56, 22-55, 55-45, 40-76, 59-18 suggest.

Another Indian who made it to the last-eight was Chitra Magimairajan. She defeated Nicha Pathom Eakmongkhon of Thailand 4-2 (54-05, 59-34, 47-51, 61-27, 58-62, 50-28).

Chitra was leading 2-0 before she faced stiff resistance from her Thai opponent who made it 2-all. Chitra then bagged the next two frames to qualify for the next stage.

Among others, 2007 masters’ champion Darren Morgan of Wales defeated Frank Schroder of Germany 4-0 (75-13, 84-00, 76-09, 88-14), that included breaks of 71, 50 and 59 in the second, third and fourth frames respectively. Defending champion Dene O’Kane defeated Egypt’s Momen Elansary 4-0 (64-22, 60-22, 60-22, 53-44).

Indian compound archers win gold

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:18:37 GMT

Kolkata, Nov. 20: Indian compound archers made history by clinching their first ever gold medal in the Asian archery championship at Bali on Friday.

On the penultimate day of the 16th edition of the championship, India also bagged two silver medals in the men’s recurve and women’s compound sections, according to the Archery Association of India.

The Indian trio of C. Srither, Kh Ratan Singh and Isiah R. Sanam edged past Iran 231-230 in a nerve-wrecking contest to reign supreme in the compound section.

The Indian men’s recurve team, comprising Rahul Banerjee, Jayanta Talukdar and Mangal Singh Champia lost to Korea 219-222 in the summit clash to settle for a silver medal.

In the women’s compound team final, India once again were beaten by Korea as the trio of Jhanu Hansdah, Namita Yadav and Manjudha Soy had to be content with a silver medal. They lost 215-223.

Indian recurve women comprising Rimil Buriuly, Laxmirani Majhi and Chekrovolu Swuro lost in the bronze play-off as India ended the day with one gold and two silver medals.

On Saturday, Indians are in line for another gold medal and two bronze medals.

R. Sanam will play in the men’s compound individual final while Manjudha will eye her second medal in the bronze play-off of individual compound section.

India have an assured bronze in the men’s recurve individual section which will see Champia battling it out with compatriot Talukdar. — PTI

Desperate Reds face City trial

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:18:19 GMT

Angus MacKinnon

LONDON

Nov. 20: Liverpool’s ability to resurrect a campaign that is in danger of collapsing around them goes under the microscope when Manchester City visit Anfield on Saturday.

The pick of this weekend’s Premier League encounters will provide a significant guage of Rafael Benitez’s side’s prospects of hauling themselves back into the top four and ensuring they avoid the financially grave consequences of missing out on next season’s Champions League.

Leaders Chelsea will expect to consolidate the advantage they gained with a controversial win over Manchester United before the international break by accounting for struggling Wolves at Stamford Bridge.

United, who now trail their London rivals by five points, have a tougher-looking assignment at home to Everton, while Arsenal will be without leading goalscorer Robin van Persie for their trip to Sunderland.

Newly-rich City are — along with Tottenham and Aston Villa — one of the teams threatening to deny Liverpool their customary place at European football’s top table and, after five league defeats already this season, Benitez’s men badly need to start acquiring some momentum.

The return of Steven Gerrard to the starting line-up should help with the club captain having benefited from a two-week rest over the international break.

Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger also return from injury but star striker Fernando Torres is ruled out by a calf injury and Benitez appears reluctant to risk 20-million-pound signing Alberto Aquilani.

The Italy midfielder has yet to start for his new club and is keen to put six months of injury frustration behind him.

"He is very positive and wants to help the team now but we will not take any risks at this stage," Benitez said.

The midfielder, bought to plug the gap created by Xabi Alonso’s departure for Real Madrid, looks set to be on the bench on Saturday but Benitez is confident he will soon be proving his worth to Liverpool fans.

"You can see in everything he does that he has got quality," the Spaniard added. "He knows when to pass at the right time and to the right players, he makes good decisions on the pitch."

City, who have slipped out of the top four after drawing their last five league matches, will hope Robinho will be able to play some part at Anfield.

The Brazilian star is nearing full fitness after two months out with an ankle injury.

Manchester United will welcome Nemanja Vidic back for the meeting with Everton after he played for 70 minutes of Serbia’s 1-0 win over South Korea in midweek. Fellow centreback Rio Ferdinand remains sidelined by a calf problem.

Everton have struggled so far this season but Australian midfielder Tim Cahill is hoping for an improvement as an injury crisis which has sidelined more than half the club’s first-choice XI begins to ease.

"We have lost out way a bit in the last few weeks, but now it’s all about getting our injured players back, getting our heads down and just working," Cahill said. "I think the hunger’s there. We definitely are good enough — it’s whether or not we can make it happen."

Tottenham are the only club in the top four not in action on Saturday, with Wigan visiting White Hart Lane 24 hours later.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp does not believe his side can realistically challenge for the title but he sees no reason why they cannot cling on to their top four spot.

"Liverpool have it all to do and Manchester City, Aston Villa, ourselves and Everton are going to be pushing to get into European places," Redknapp predicted.

"One of us could break in this year but the champions will come from Manchester United or Chelsea."

— AFP

Red Renegade for feature

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:13:01 GMT

Age Correspondent

Bengaluru

Nov. 20: Scales favour the S. Padmanabhan-trained Red Renegade to bag the Dariya Daulat Trophy, the feature event of the races to be held here on Saturday.

Following is the card and selections:

1. The T. Dougall Memorial Plate (Division-II) 1200m, 2 p.m.:

1. Ahira 60 Shobhan B 3

2. Noble Sacrifice 60 Afsar 7

3. Star Presence 60 Suraj N 6

4. Bid For Glory 58 Gaurav S 1

xxx. Spark Of Bronte 57 Withdrawn xx

6. Marianella 56.5 Gautam R 5

7. Sprawling Elegance 55.5 Jagadeesh 2

8. Dramatic Dancer 55 Adarsh 4

Selections: 1 Star Presence, 2 Ahira, 3 Dramatic Dancer.

2. The Half A Crown Plate 1600m, 2.30 p.m.:

1. Son Of The Soil 61 Suraj N 8

2. Mister Trooper 58 Afsar K 2

3. Zambezi Sun 57 PS Chouhan 9

4. Hoten Happening 57 S John 4

5. Brigade’s Pride 56.5 Appu 6

6. First Of A Legend 56 Prakash 7

7. Jersey Rock 56 Gaurav S 5

8. Super Spear 54.5 Sreekanth 1

9. Spark Of Ilderim 54 A Merchant 3

Selections: 1 First Of A Legend, 2 Son Of The Soil, 3 Zambezi Sun.

3. The T.Dougall Memorial Plate (Division-I) 1200m, 3 p.m.:

1. On A Roll 62.5 Chandrashekar 8

2. Coorg Honey 62.5 Sreekanth 1

3. Six Shooter 59.5 CD Hayes 9

4. Simply Phenomenal 58.5 Jagadeesh 6

5. Star Assembly 58 Prakash 2

6. Time Flies 57 Gaurav S 7

7. Perfect Analysis 57 Appu 3

8. Ticket To Ride 56.5 SA De Sousa 4

9. Superb Style 56 Suraj N 5

Selections: 1 Star Assembly, 2 Six Shooter, 3 Coorg Honey.

4. The Gangavathi Trophy 1400m, 3.30 p.m.:

1. Gentle Legend 57 A Merchant 11

2. Leonardo 57 BL Paswan 9

3. Tuthmosis 57 Suraj N 3

4. All Rise 57 Gnaneshwar 1

5. Amazer 57 Harsha N 12

6. Chronicle 57 Harish 4

7. Devil Grandma 55.5 S John 2

8. Cinnamon Rose 55.5 De Sousa 10

9. Angel Eyes 55.5 Md. Shoaib 5

10. Captain’s Lover 55.5 Bernard T 6

11. Stormy Affair 55.5 CD Hayes 8

12. Secret Girl 55.5 Shabuddin 7

Selections: 1 Leonardo, 2 Stormy Affair, 3 Tuthmosis.

5. The Dariya Daulat Trophy 1400m, 4 pm:

1. Fleeting Arrow 64 S Ramesh 9

2. Western Command 62 Withdrawn -

3. Firezone 59.5 Khurshad A 4

4. Our Little Savage 58.5 Gnaneshwar 7

5. Einstein 58 Himanshu 10

6. Kyles Of Bute 57.5 S John 1

7. Welcome Back 55.5 Sreekanth 6

8. Flaming Lamborgini 55 Suraj N 8

9. Snob Value 54.5 Harish 5

10. Awesome Beauty 53 A Merchant 2

11. Silken Thomas 51.5 CD Hayes 3

12. Red Renegade 50.5 Appu 11

Selections: 1 Red Renegade, 2 Firezone, 3 Silken Thomas.

6. The Swarnamukhi Plate 1200m, 4.30 p.m.:

1. Voodoo Moon 60 Shabuddin 8

2. Carnival Of Joy 59 Suraj N 7

3. Win Prettybaby 58 A Merchant 3

4. Tern Me On 57 Mallikarjun 4

5. Flip Your Destiny 54.5 Gaurav S 5

6. Aetius 54 Selvaraj 2

7. Practical Magic 54 P Mani 1

8. Enduring Speed 53 Khurshad A 10

9. Game Face 52.5 Adarsh G 12

10. Pleasure Bite 52.5 K Raja Rao 9

11. Chesterford Touch 50.5 Appu 11

12. Youre Chilubuli 50 Chouhan 6

Selections: 1 Enduring Speed, 2 Carnival Of Joy, 3 Chesterford Touch.

7. The Chamarajanagar Plate 1400m, 5 p.m.:

1. Edmondo 61 De Sousa 10

2. Valid Expectation 59 S John 8

3. Soberano 58.5 Khurshad A 9

4. Stylish Bay 58.5 Sreekanth 4

5. Stone Of Destiny 58 Harish 3

6. Inspiring Trust 58 Gaurav S 7

7. Hill Of Grace 57.5 Suraj N 11

8. Asiaticus 57 R Marshall 12

9. VanDe Star 57 Vinod Shinde 6

10. Algiers 56 A Merchant 2

11. Sun Zone 54.5 Afsar Khan 5

12. Royal Bank 54 PS Chouhan 1

Selections: 1 Soberano, 2 Hill Of Grace, 3 Stylish Bay.

Day’s best:

Star Presence

Jackpot: 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7

Treble: 4, 6 & 7

Commanding Heights excels

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:12:47 GMT

Age Correspondent

Hyderabad

Nov. 20: Commanding Heights caught the eye when the following horses were exercised here on Friday morning.

Sand 600 metres: Glen Gyle (Rupesh) 45, easy. Debonair (Chary) 45, unextended. Modest Bride (A. Imran K) 43, moved fluently. Rainbow Fog (Chary) 43, handy. Palace Affairs (Umesh) 42.5, speedy.

800 metres: Walnut Creek (Deep S), Petradura (Ali Khan) 1-0.5, 600 in 42, former handy while latter extended to finish level. Lambourn (RB), Rio Grande (Deep S) 59.5, 600 in 41, both stretched, former moved better. Carte Blanche (Kiran Naidu) 58.5, 600 in 42, moved freely. Torrestrella (Ramana) 1-1.5, 600 in 44, pushed. Forest Flame (Anil), Chashm E Badur (P. Ajay) 58.5, 600 in 42.5, former has come on a lot, winner when saddled. Irish Intellect (Chary) 1-0.5, 600 in 44, moved well. Orochi (Laxman) 59.5, 600 in 42, urged. Standing Ovation (Umesh), Splendid Show (Chary) 1-0, 600 in 42, former moved under iron grip, finished 4 lengths in front, a likely winner. Hail The Star (A. Imran K), King Size (App) 59, 600 in 43, they moved together. Stroke Of Luck (RB) 1-0.5, 600 in 45, in fine trim. Miss Everywhere (Joshi) 57, 600 in 42, improving. The Parliament (Mark) 59.5, 600 in 42, can strike soon. Jay Jay (Venkat Ramana), Orient Glory (Joshi) 57.5, 600 42, former moved better while latter push to finish level. Pygmalion (RB), Devil’s Advocate (Mark) 1-1.5, 600 in 44, former trounced latter.

Gate practice, monsoon track, inner grass, 1200 metres: Leo Dvij (App), Splendid Knock (Nitin), Far Beyond (S. Carson) 1-20.5, 600 in 40, they jumped out well, and finished in that order. Flowers Of Music (Ramana), Avon Gorge (M. Krishna), Aspire (Mark) 1-19.5, 600 in 41, they took good jump, Flowers of Music was the pick. Scubarioo (Deep S), Mighty Prince (App), Lancashire (RB), Preston Bailey (Ali Khan) 1-16.5, 600 in 37, last named planted took no part, other three jumped out well & finished in close order. Prince Of Habashe (Farookh), Southern Spice (A. Imran K), Yanamaria (Umesh), Fearless Mission (Chary) 1-17.5, 600 in 41, all took good jump & finished in that order. Celestina (Joshi) 1-21, 60 in 39, took smart jump. Commanding Heights (Rawal), Stately Don (App), a 2-year-old by Sussex–Belper) (Laxman), Aspiring Star (Asbar), a 2-year-old by Storm Trooper–Licata (Khade) 1-19.5, 600 in 39, last named miss the jump, rest all took good jump and they finished in that order. Commanding Heights impressive, keep an eye.

Acceptors for Sunday races

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:12:36 GMT

Age Correspondent

Hhyderabad

Nov. 20: Following are the acceptances for the races to be held at the Hyderabad Race Club here on Sunday.

1. The Medak Plate (Category–III) 2000 metres, 12.45 pm: Kansas City Mac 60, Zulima 59, Dream Dancer 56, Bharadvij 54.5, Grand Party 54, Triple Nine 53.

2. The Original Vel V. Balasubramani Memorial Cup (Division-II) (Category–III) 1100 metres, 1.15 pm: Hospitality 61, Narwhal 60, Music Express 57, Classic Ruby 54, Toledo 53.5, Millennium Queen 53, Kohinoor Star 52, Fusion Music 51, Olympic Crown 49.

3. The Ardent Knight Plate (Category-II, Terms) 1200 metres, 1.45 pm: Airborne Magic 55, Armador 55, Don Valentino 55, Ice Mountain 55, Rapture Of Victory 55, Santro 55, Sugar Deal 55, Deepanjali 53.5, Moheena 53.5, Petradura 53.5.

4. The Vegavathi Plate (Category–II) 1600 metres, 2.15 pm: Chiquelle 60, Rostock 59.5, Maximum City 58, Vijaysena 57.5, Earth Bender 55.5, Power Play 53, Dating 52.5, Vijay Dhanush 50.5, Manduro 49.5, Ninja Power 49.5.

5. The Zoom Zoom Plate (Division-I) (Category–III) 1400 metres, 2.45 pm: Nandan-vanaa 60, Lucky Damsel 59.5, Smarty Prince 58.5, Lavender Mist 57.5, Deccan Passion 56.5, Debonaire 55, Star Favours 53, Torrestrella 53, Bay-watch Babe 52, Bentota 50.

6. The Original Vel V. Balasubramani Memorial Cup (Division-I) (Category–III) 1100 metres, 3.15 pm: Good Speed 61, Regents Park 61, Hunting Bay 58, Cygnet 54, Pretty Fit 53.5, Amontillado 52.5, Kohinoor Magic 52.5, Ujjaini 52.5, Vijay Lakh 50.5.

7. The Chief Justice Of AP Trophy (Category–I, terms) 1400 metres, 3.45 pm: Coral Gables 63.5, Khaleels Pride 63.5, Champ Forever 59.5, Adamant Approach 58, Iaepetus 55.5, Doing My Best 52, Walk In The Park 52, Carte Blanche 51.5, Pleasing Display 51.5, Proud Accolade 51.5, Vijay Marg 51.5.

8. The Golconda 1000 Guineas 2009 (Grade-II) (Terms) 1600 metres, 4.15 pm: Ave Maria 57, Celestial Way 57, Cruising 57, Flower Alley 57, Kohinoor Delight 57, Messalina 57, Ruby Crown 57, Spot On 57, Suchiman 57, Destinys Child 57.

9. The Zoom Zoom Plate (Division-II) (Category–III) 1400 metres, 4.50 pm: Cheetah He Jeetha 60, Storm Command 59.5, Easy Mover 58, Tiara 57.5, Cannon Hunt 56, World Wide 54.5, Golden Sabot 54, Just Be Cool 54, Chashm E Badur 51, Play It smart 50.

Jackpot Race Nos.: 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9.

1st Treble Race Nos.: 1, 2 & 3.

2nd Treble Race Nos.: 4, 5 & 6.

3rd Treble Race Nos.: 7, 8 & 9.

Tanala pool on all races.

No false rails.

I-League has seen some surprising results so far

Asian Age — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:12:23 GMT

By Novy Kapadia

The I-League’s title contenders are as predictable as in England’s Premier League. Since its inception, the champions have been Dempo SC (2008) and Churchill Brothers (2009). After eight rounds of the ongoing 3rd I-League, the Goan clubs Churchill Brothers and Dempo are placed first and second respectively.

The 9th round matches of the I-League will resume after a six-week winter break on January 3. During this period India’s U-23 team will participate in the South Asian Football Federation Cup in Dhaka, the senior team’s training camp is underway in Goa and the Federation Cup will be staged in Guwahati. So there is little respite for the top Indian footballers.

Despite the predictable frontrunners, the current I-League has witnessed some fascinating twists and turns and surprise results. After two rounds, JCT were on top with six points and had scored seven goals. Then their form plummeted. At the winter break they are seventh with 11 points from eight matches and in six matches have scored just twice.

With ace striker Baljit Singh Sahni out of action for a couple of months due to a motor cycle accident, JCT may struggle in future matches, as they lack goal scoring forwards. With only one overseas player on their roles, they will be on the look-out for a foreign striker during the winter break.

Another setback is Sukhwinder Singh their coach since 1992 has resigned and joined the national panel of coaches. Ex-international Parminder Singh who now takes over has to halt JCT’s slump.

Last season at the winter break, Sporting Club de Goa were atop the standings. This year however, with almost the same set of players plus the acquisition of seasoned Nigerian midfielder Michael Tayo (from Air India), they are second last with just four points (all drawn matches). In fact SCG and promoted Pune FC are the only teams yet to win a match.

Pune FC with six draws are better placed on six points but is not out of the relegation zone.

Till the 5th round, with ace striker Odafe Onyeka Okolie not in good nick, Churchill Brothers were struggling in a mid-table position. However since then Odafe has scored in each match and Churchill Brothers with three straight wins have surged to the top of the table.

The surprise package of the I-League this year are unfancied Chirag United. At the end of the 7th round, they were topping the league and had begun to harbour championship aspirations.

However their canny coach Subrata Bhattacharya did not want his team burdened with the weight of expectations and said that the primary aim is to reach the safety zone of over 30 points.

At the onset, Mumbai FC whose budget was slashed by their owners the Essel group, suffered a setback as their established players and coaching staff departed, for a more stable environment. However rookie coach Khalid Jameel has worked wonders and they are in a respectable eighth position with two wins (beating both Mohun Bagan and JCT) and four draws.

This position is primarily due to quality foreign recruits, defenders, Bernard Achaw and Evans Quao (both from Ghana), left back Kamaljeet Kumar (from Kashmir) and goalkeeper Lihaz Koya.