Pakistan match-fixing scandal: sinister, extraordinary and heartbreaking

England cricketers were on Monday reported to be reluctant to play against the four Pakistani players accused of match-fixing even as Sharad Pawar, president of the International Cricket Council, insisted that the remaining matches would go ahead. 

England captain Andrew Strauss said the “best thing is to do is to let the dust settle on this” before taking a decision.  His predecessor Michael Vaughan contributed to the air of uncertainty saying that any further matches would have “no credibility.” Mr. Pawar, however, said the ICC brass had a teleconference to discuss the issue after which it was made clear that Pakistan's T20 and one-day series against England would continue as scheduled. 

“It is the desire of the ICC, England and Pakistan that the game is continued,” he said after talking over phone with top ICC officials, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and ECB chairman Giles Clarke. 

Earlier, Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed also maintained that the remaining tour would go ahead as the Pakistan team left London for Taunton in southwest England for a warm-up match on Thursday ahead of a Twenty20 and One-Day series. 

The Pakistani players were booed and tomatoes were pelted on the coach carrying them as fans vent to their anger. Some shouted “chor'' (thieves) and “shame, shame'' amid calls for captain Salman Butt, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and bowlers Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif to be suspended. 

All four are at the centre of a police investigation and were questioned for several hours by Scotland Yard detectives on Saturday following allegations that they were involved in rigging last week's Test match at the Lord's with Aamir and Asif deliberately bowling three no-balls after being allegedly paid to do so. 

Their mobile phones were seized by the police and there were unconfirmed reports of “large quantities of bank notes'' being found in the rooms of several Pakistani players. 

The investigations follow the arrest of a London-based Pakistani property developer Mazhar Majeed after he was secretly filmed accepting £150,000 from an undercover reporter from the News of the World in return for details of how the Lord's Test that Pakistan went to lose was allegedly fixed.

13-year-old motorcycle rider killed on race track

The death of a 13-year-old motorcycle rider at Indianapolis Motor Speedway cast a shadow over Sunday's races at the historic track and prompted mourning competitors to defend the development system for the dangerous circuit.

Peter Lenz of Vancouver, Washington, fell off his bike during the warmup lap for the day's first race at Indianapolis and was run over by another motorcycle, driven by a 12-year-old. Medical workers immediately placed Lenz in a neck brace, put him on a stretcher and began chest compressions while taking him to a hospital.

Several hours later, he was pronounced dead.

The Marion County coroner's office said Lenz died from blunt force trauma. More details could be released Monday following an autopsy on the youngest driver or rider ever killed at the 101-year-old speedway.

"Peter passed away early this morning when he was apparently struck by another rider," read a posting on Lenz's Facebook page, which was signed "Dad."

"He passed doing what he loved and had his go fast face on as he pulled onto the track," the posting said. "The world lost one of its brightest lights today. God Bless Peter and the other rider involved. 45 is on another road we can only hope to reach. Miss you kiddo."

Lenz rode the No. 45 bike, and his father was at the track Sunday.

It was the first death at the track since IndyCar driver Tony Renna was killed in testing in October 2003.

Lenz had emerged as one of America's youngest rising stars.

At age 11, he earned the "expert" license from the American Federation of Motorcyclists, and in March 2009, Lenz became the youngest rider ever to win an AFM race. This year, competing in the U.S. Grand Prix Racers Union series, Lenz had four wins, five podium finishes and was leading the MD250H classification in points.

The grown-up resume just didn't match his appearance. Listed at 4-foot-11 and 81 pounds, Lenz's face was clean-shaven and smooth, and he described his profession as "kid."

"Our hearts go out to the parents, family and friends of Peter Lenz," speedway CEO Jeff Belskus said in a statement. "Words cannot adequately express the sadness of our company and our employees about this tragic incident, and Peter is in our thoughts and prayers."

It wasn't the first time Lenz was involved in a serious crash.

A mechanical failure last season left Lenz with four broken bones and a severed radial nerve -- all of which required surgery. By November, Lenz was healthy again and by spring, he was back in Victory Lane.

The fatal accident almost certainly will spark a debate about how young is too young for racers to be competing on one of the world's best-known tracks, whether it's inside a car or riding a motorcycle capable of exceeding 120 mph in a straightaway.

The USGPRU sanctions races across the nation, billing itself as a development circuit for motorcycle racers from ages 12 to 18. The hope is these riders eventually will compete in a world-class series.

Lenz seemed to be on his way to the top before the accident. He was struck by 12-year-old Xavier Zayat, of Flushing, N.Y., who escaped injury.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss, but know that Peter is racing even faster in the sky," the Lenz family said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are now with the other racer and his family, who were also involved in this tragedy."

Racers insist age has never been the issue.

American Colin Edwards was running 250cc bikes at age 17, and Indy MotoGP runner-up Ben Spies was competing on the 125cc circuit at age 12.

"That's not like a bike too big for him, you know, I mean this is our sport, we chose to do it," said American Nicky Hayden, the 2006 world champ who called the death "terrible."

"I mean, sure, we know going in the consequences."

But are new rules needed?

Those in racing circles say no, comparing the sport to other potentially dangerous sports such as football and gymnastics. When asked about running at Indy, speedway officials pointed out that the series has stops at potentially more dangerous tracks.

USGPRU officials said this was the first fatality in the series in nine years.

Still, racing conditions were not ideal this weekend at Indy.

Hot, dry weather turned the bumpy, 2.621-mile course into a slick track that tested the world's best riders.

Reigning world champ Valentino Rossi fell four times, including a spill Sunday morning during a 20-minute warmup session. Sunday's Moto2 race was shortened after a big wreck on the first lap took out four drivers.

"This was the most difficult race for everyone," MotoGP winner Dani Pedrosa said. "The conditions were very hard because of the heat and the asphalt was very greasy."

After a brief delay to clear the track, the USGPRU race was restarted. Had they known the severity of the injuries, one official said they would have considered canceling the race. The three other races all started on time, though Lenz was never far from the racers' thoughts.

"This is an ugly, terrible part of this sport," USGPRU chief steward Stewart Aitken-Cade said. "You do what you can to stop it from happening as best you can. That's really all that you can do."

"Any time a racer is injured in this way and loses his life, it's tough, adult or child," Aitken-Cade added. "It just makes it especially difficult when it's a young guy like Peter."

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/us-13-year-old-motorcycle-rider-killed-on-race-track-48129?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/us-13-year-old-motorcycle-rider-killed-on-race-track-48129?cp

BCCI likely to press criminal charges against Modi

In a fresh development to the ongoing battle between BCCI and deposed IPL chief Lalit Modi, the cricket body has said that it is likely  to press criminal charges against suspended IPL chairman Lalit Modi in Chennai next week.

The BCCI it seems will use  Modi's receipt of a $80 million facilitatation fee from WSG as one of the grounds to press charges.

Modi was suspended after IPL 3 concluded, following allegations of financial irregularities in the Twenty20 league. The BCCI has set up a disciplinary committee to probe charges of irregularities by Modi, who has so far stayed away from the hearings citing security reasons and threat to his life from the underworld.

The BCCI has also clarified that there is no truth to Lalit Modi's allegations about the IPL players auction being fixed. It has said that the Board has evidence that IPL auctions were not fixed.

Though letters in possession of NDTV show that Chennai Super Kings' owner and BCCI secretary N Srinivasan and suspended IPL chairman Lalit Modi could have been involved in ensuring specific players for the Chennai franchise.

The two, who are now sworn enemies it seems colluded to rig the bidding process for the 2nd IPL auction. Lalit Modi, on a request from Srinivasan, got the Rajasthan Royals to opt out of bidding for Andrew Flintoff even though captain Shane Warne was very keen on having him.

Srinivasan in turn has rubbished reports that he tried to 'fix' the IPL 2009 player auction and insisted that he won the bid "fair and square".

Read more at: http://cricket.ndtv.com/storypage.aspx?id=SPOEN20100151304&nid=47788&cp

India eye revenge, title trophy against Lanka

India would look to avenge the league-stage humiliation and clinch their second successive ODI trophy on Sri Lankan soil when they take on the hosts in what promises to be a high-voltage summit clash of the cricket tri-series here tomorrow. 

Both teams find themselves face to face in a final clash for the second time in just over a month after Kumar Sangakkara's men finished on the losing side in the Asia Cup finals in June. 

The ongoing tri-series, however, has been a lot more dramatic then the Asia Cup both on and off field. The third team in fray, New Zealand, is out of the equation after India handed it a 105-run thrashing in the last league match of the series. 

Befitting the drama that has unfolded in the past two weeks, including the now infamous no-ball that Suraj Randiv bowled to deny Virender Sehwag a hundred, India and Sri Lanka have made the finals and it is hard to pick a winner in conditions where the toss of the coin has been of decisive significance.

Sania makes 2nd round of US Open qualifiers

Sania Mirza cleared the first hurdle at the US Open qualifiers, scoring an easy straight-set win over Russian Ksenia Lykina.

The 160-ranked Sania sailed past her opponent, ranked 76 places below her, 6-2 6-2 in the opening round of the qualifying event.

For the first time ever since her breakthrough campaign at Australian open in 2005, Sania has been forced to earn an entry into the singles main draw of a Grand Slam.

Sania has another Russian as her next opponent in Elena Bovina, who ousted 15th seed German Tatjana Malek.

Bovina came from a set down to beat Malek 6-7(3) 6-2 6-1 in her opening round match.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/sports/sania-makes-2nd-round-of-us-open-qualifiers-47091?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/sports/sania-makes-2nd-round-of-us-open-qualifiers-47091?cp

Viswanathan Anand unfazed by citizenship controversy

Unfazed by the controversy surrounding his nationality, world chess champion Viswanathan Anand looked cheerful as he arrived to a grand reception at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Hyderabad today.

He may be upset over the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry questioning his nationality but Vishy did not show it.  The world champion enthusiastically walked into the huge hall at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre to take on simultaneously on 40 mathematicians from across the globe in a game of chess.

The University of Hyderabad had planned to confer an honorary doctorate on Anand but after the HRD ministry raised doubts over his citizenship, it delayed its plans.  Reacting to the controversy, Vishwanathan's wife Aruna said they were not disappointed but irritated at the developments.

"I don't think we are disappointed, it is just that it is irritating to answer these questions. Anand has always had an Indian passport and is still an Indian passport holder. So restating the obvious is a bit irritating.

"I was asked to send a copy of Anand's passport which I did. That is the only piece of information I have. I don't know what transpired between them. Every time you look at him win, you see an Indian flag right behind him that proves that he had an Indian passport and I don't understand from where this is coming and why it has been made an issue.

"Receiving a doctorate degree while being in Hyderabad would have been nice but I think that moment has passed," she said.

Arjun Atwal's career factfile

Mondays just became a lot less stressful for Arjun Atwal.  He will no longer have to play early week qualifying events just to make it into tournaments.  Atwal took care of that by winning the Wyndham Championship.  He won at Sedgefield Country Club by one stroke Sunday, becoming the first Monday qualifier to win on the PGA Tour in 24 years.  After leading or sharing the lead after each of the first three rounds, Atwal shot a 3-under 67 in the final round. He finished at 20-under 260 and earned $918,000 — or, more than double the amount he previously earned this year, the reason why his future on tour had been in jeopardy.

"I told my caddie, 'We've got nothing to lose this week. Just go out there and try and win it,'" Atwal said. "Guys are going to be out there trying to secure their FedEx Cup spots or whatever. We've got nothing. I don't have a card. I don't have anything. Just go out there and freewheel it, and that's what I did this week."

He's the first Indian-born player to win on tour and the first golfer to win both the qualifier and the tournament that follows since Fred Wadsworth at the 1986 Southern Open.

He had to play his way into the Wyndham on Monday after losing his tour card. Earlier in the week, he said he was considering playing Monday qualifiers this fall as a way to make it into tournaments and boost his earnings in a push to regain his card for next year.  No need to do that now, thanks to this victory.  David Toms (64) was 19 under. John Mallinger and Michael Sim shot 62s to match John Rollins (65) and Justin Leonard (65) at 18 under. For a few dizzying moments late in a low-scoring day, seven players shared the lead at 18 under.

Atwal, who carried a three-stroke lead into the final round, was at 19 under for most of the day but bogeyed the par-3 12th a few minutes before Lucas Glover bogeyed 14 and Toms, Rollins and Leonard all birdied No. 16.  "It just kept changing," Atwal said. "Everybody's tied for the lead at a certain point."

Atwal reclaimed the lead with a birdie on No. 14, Leonard birdied No. 17 and Toms birdied No. 18 to join them at 19 under. Leonard dropped back a stroke after running into trouble on 18, while Atwal still had three holes to play — giving him more than enough chances to settle things.

Atwal made his move on the par-3 16th, plopping his tee shot 6 feet from the flagstick and sinking his birdie putt to move to 20 under. He followed that with consecutive pars, sinking a 7-foot putt on No. 18 before dropping his putter and extending his arms upward in jubilation after closing out his first tour victory.

"I was thinking about going to the (driving) range, but when he got to 20 under and they said he had a 15-footer on 17, I just went in the clubhouse and tried to cool off," Toms said. "I was ready to go to the range, if need be, but good for (Atwal). I know it's tough to get that first victory. ... I'm sure that he was battling some nerves, and to pour it in from 6-8 feet on that last hole was pretty impressive."

Glover (67) finished at 17 under, and Webb Simpson (63), Chris Riley (64), Scott Piercy (68) and second-round co-leader Brandt Snedeker (69) were one stroke behind him.  Atwal, who has won on the European, Asian and Nationwide tours, certainly has been through plenty during the past few years.

The player perhaps best known for his practice rounds with Tiger Woods is ineligible for the playoffs and lost his tour card last month because he was too low on the money list when his minor medical exemption ran out. That came after he said he returned too soon following weightlifting injuries to both shoulders.

Three years ago, a driver trying to race him down an Orlando Fla., street died in a crash. Atwal was cleared of any wrongdoing, although the yearlong investigation took an emotional toll.

The Wyndham also marked the last chance for players to pick up points for the playoffs that begin next week in New Jersey.  Piercy was the only player to play his way into the postseason, moving from 140th to 125th. Michael Letzig, who arrived at No. 125 on the points list, finished 14 under move to No. 118, solidifying his spot in The Barclays.

"The goal is to give myself another tournament to play," Letzig said. "I'm in, so (I'll) see what happens."

Sehwag taunts Lankans, says fear of defeat led to no-ball

In an apparent taunt to Sri Lankan players who denied him a century in a controversial tri-series match at Dambulla, Indian opener Virender Sehwag on Wednesday suggested that the fear of defeat might have prompted them to abandon playing the game the right way.

"If we play with energy, poise and unselfishness, we will be playing the game the right way," tweeted Sehwag, who was denied a century as Sri Lankan off-spinner Suraj Randiv bowled a no-ball at the fag end of the match.

Sri Lankan local media on Wednesday reported that it was senior batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan who suggested Randiv to bowl the no-ball.

In another tweet, Sehwag indicated that the Sri Lankans might have been "unsettled" with the thought of losing the match which India won easily by six wickets with more than 15 overs left.

"Worry and fear just make you frazzled and unsettled. And the truth is that win or lose, life still goes on. Right effort has to do with unselfishness and working to benefit the team," he added.

With the scores levelled in Monday's tri-series match between India and Sri Lanka, off-spinner Suraj Randiv bowled a no ball to deny Virender Sehwag a hundred and the ploy was condemned by everyone as it was not within the spirit of the game. Sehwag was left stranded on 99 though he hit the no-ball for a six.

After the match, Sehwag lashed out at Randiv for deliberately bowling a no-ball to deny him a century.

Randiv later apologised to Sehwag and Sri Lanka Cricket officials did the same to Indian team management which declared the episode a "closed chapter".

SLC also initiated an inquiry into the incident by team manager Anura Tennekoon who submitted his report last night to the Sri Lankan Board.

India was upset about the ‘no-ball’ incident

Indian team manager Ranjib Biswal on Tuesday said the side was upset about the deliberate no ball that Suraj Randiv bowled to deny Virender Sehwag a hundred but insisted that things have cooled off after apologies from the bowler and Sri Lanka Cricket.

Sehwag was just one short of his 13th ODI hundred when Randiv, who had not bowled a no ball in the Test or ODI series, bowled one last night which was hit by the opener for a six.

However, it did not count because the no ball amounted to India’s winning run leaving Sehwag on an unbeaten 99 in the ODI tri-series match.

Biswal said the episode disappointed the Indian team.

“We didn’t have a team meeting to discuss it but all of us felt bad about it. The sentiment of the team was Virender Sehwag really deserved a century for the way he played and won India the game,” Biswal told reporters here.

Biswal said he got a call from Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga this morning to offer apologies for the incident and assure him of an SLC inquiry.

“Today in the morning, Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga called me up expressing his regret about yesterday’s no-ball incident. He expressed his regret officially and asked me to convey it to the Indian team and particularly to Sehwag,” he said.

“They have also assured that they will look into the matter officially, why it happened and correct the procedure.

On behalf of Team India, we have accepted Nishantha’s regret and we hope that both the countries’ cricketing relations go forward,” he added.

Looking back at the incident, Biswal said the entire dressing room had started celebrating what they thought was a century by Sehwag.

“Initially we thought Sehwag had got his hundred. But later on, as we got to know the rules, we were disappointed that he had missed out on a hundred. Sehwag had expressed himself that he was a bit disappointed about the thing,” he said.

Cricketers ask BCCI to reduce their burden

India's humiliating loss to New Zealand in the opening match of the triseries has set off a chain of events with the team management apparently asking the Board of Control for Cricket in India to reduce the burden on the players and to decongest the schedule.

The team management, comprising captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is apparently concerned at the fitness levels and workload on unidentified seven core members of the squad who need to be carefully nurtured.

This concern has been raised considering India's busy schedule ahead, including the World Cup in the subcontinent in February-March.

In a letter to BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, the team has apparently asked the board to have a look at the effect the schedule is having on the top players.

It is clear that the core players are either resting, injured or are playing with some niggle or the other.

One of the suggestions put forward is that the three-Test series against New Zealand in November be reduced to two matches, so that the team can prepare for the following tour to South Africa. Apparently, the players want to reach South Africa a week earlier to acclimatise.

Rotation of players is a concept that has not been accepted in Indian cricket. During the Nagpur Test against South Africa in February, Dhoni had categorically said that rotation in India was not possible. But it seems, given the request of the players, the BCCI might give the policy a second look.

The team management's request came on a day when it was learnt that the BCCI had apparently shot down a planned trip of team to India during the three- day break in the tri-series in Dambulla. The team wanted to return home for a short break after their opening match on Tuesday as their next match was scheduled only on August 16. Bur the Board apparently scuttled the trip home after the Tuesday's humiliating 200-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand.

MUNAF TO JOIN TEAM 

Paceman Munaf Patel will join the struggling Indian team in Sri Lanka to bolster its pace attack for the ongoing tri-series.

"Munaf Patel is joining the Indian team in Sri Lanka, as an additional member of the squad.

He will reach Dambulla tomorrow," said Srinivasan in a statement.

The Baroda fast bowler was also a member of the Test squad during the recent series that was drawn 1-1, but did not get to play in a match.

The Indian fast bowlers performed poorly in the series opener against New Zealand and that might have prompted the selectors to send Patel. The 27- year- old speedster played the last of his 43 ODIs in November last year, against Australia at Guwahati.

England manager Fabio Capello must keep faith with Adam Johnson

Hindsight has made that exclusion a greater mistake even if there was, back then, the nagging thought that he might just provide a little impetus, pace, wild-card difference and balance. Leaving him out was, perhaps, understandable but would have made more of a difference than, for example, Shaun Wright-Phillips? It feels like he would. 

This is a natural left-winger, something England have craved throughout the years of shoe-horning the likes of Steve McManaman, Trevor Sinclair, Joe Cole and, of course, and to much debate, Steven Gerrard into the role.  Certainly his inclusion last night suddenly helped facilitate a change in formation, allowing a 4-2-3-1 to be used with Theo Walcott on the right, meaning there was pace on both flanks with Gerrard up through the middle. It was progressive. Now there needs to be persistence.

Johnson’s early interventions burst with promise - just as he had done in that brief cameo, on his debut, against Mexico last May when a cannier player would have collapsed in the area and won a penalty.  Capello upbraided Johnson for not doing so then but he is an avowed fan. There will be much continued pillorying of the Italian but he has been aware of Johnson for the past two years, describing him as the best player in the Championship and then encouragingly after that big-money move, £8 million, to Manchester City in January.

Capello knows all of these players. He has tracked Jack Wilshere, he has followed Kieron Gibbs - who may just have gone to South Africa in any case had he been fit - and he also fully appreciates Jack Rodwell’s ability, knowing he needs some more first-team minutes at Everton, but will be selected.  Like Gibbs, and maybe even if England had won the World Cup, Johnson was always likely to be promoted by Capello for the Euro 2012 as aware as the manager is for the need for new blood.

After all, Johnson has the attributes. He is quick, he can play on either flank, can dribble with the ball at speed, works back - and, importantly, is a specialist in dead-ball situations and was detailed with taking the corners from the right-flank last night.  He can also finish - although he side-footed wastefully over with an opportunity which, really, has to be taken after one moment of fluidity involving Glen Johnson and Theo Walcott with the latter cutting the ball back. Johnson took up the right position but the execution was woeful.

Before that he had headed down cleverly into Gerrard’s path, the angle allowing the captain to pick out Wayne Rooney immediately and there was a raft of neat, sharp touches although they faded as England lost momentum through the first-half. The fear will be, of course, that he may become another Stewart Downing - the man he replaced at Middlesbrough - in an England shirt.  At City, Johnson is more usually an occupant of the right-flank and the switch there was made in the second-half with Capello also reversing formation to 4-4-2, accommodating Bobby Zamora. On Monday Capello had considered doing this the other way round - starting with the more familiar formation - but decided against it.

Johnson was trusted with free-kicks too although an attempt to work a short one with Gerrard was a little too clever, the winger eventually shooting over from 25 yards and, soon after, cutting inside to curl a low effort that was easily fielded.
Capello switched back again to 4-2-3-1 changing formation as well as personnel with Zamora the lone striker after partnering Rooney. Gerrard went forward again and hammered in the equalising goal after the ball broke to him from the impressive Gibbs’s drive to the edge of the area. Gerrard surpassed that with his sumptuous second which Zamora, bringing greater definition to the central striker’s role, almost capped with his turn and drive over.

It was surely significant that amid this, and amid the changes, Capello persisted with Johnson who could easily have been one of those replaced. Instead he played the full match. It was either an indication that he was firmly in the reckoning or, as the manager has sometimes done, and players such as Leighton Baines have discovered, allowing him more time on the pitch to confirm he was not up to the task. For Johnson it will be the former. Now that Capello has included him he is likely to remain in the fold. It makes little sense to do otherwise and sense is what needs to continue to prevail when it comes to assessing this regime also.

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I'm disappointed at the way we played: Dhoni

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni described their humiliating 200-run defeat to New Zealand as "disappointing" and said they paid the price for not holding on to their chances in the first match of the triangular ODI series here on Tuesday.

"We are very disappointed with the way we played. We got couple of chances but we didn't accept it. Probably we are on the losing side because of that," Dhoni said after his team was bowled out for a paltry 88 chasing 289 to win.

"We didn't bat well at all. When we got into batting, they got a kind of bounce that put us in awkward situation," he added.

Dhoni, however, praised the bowlers for their performance on a pitch which was favouring the bowlers. 

"The bowlers did well. More than the pace it was the bounce here. The wicket had spongy bounce and that was what did the trick. Ashish (Nehra) and Praveen (Kumar) bowled well. For them Ross and Styris batted really well," he said.

His New Zealand counterpart Ross Taylor acknowledged that Nehra and Praveen bowled well but said with three seamers in their rank, they knew anything above 250 would be competitive. 

"It was a tough decision to leave out Jeetan Patel today. We are happy with the way we came back today. Nehra and Praveen bowled really well. But we had three seamers and so we just wanted to push the score. 

"We wanted not to lose too many wickets and get a partnership going and thought it would be great to reach 250-260 but we reached 288. So we are very happy," he said.

Indian wrestlers will have a rich medal haul in CWG: Sushil

Olympian bronze medallist grappler Sushil Kumar today said that Indians are eyeing a rich medal haul in wrestling in the Commonwealth Games later this year.

“Wrestlers have always contributed lots of medals to India’s tally in the Commonwealth Games, we are excited to get another chance of repeating the show this time,” said Sushil, who is currently at a training camp at Sports Authority of India’s Sonepat campus.

“As wrestling was not among the events at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, India missed a chance to boost their medal tally. Now with wrestling back among the disciplines at Delhi 2010, we are determined to bag a lot of medals for India,” Sushil said.

“I was disappointed to miss competing in the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Being the title winner at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championships, I would have been a strong contender for gold had wrestling been part of that year’s Games,” he added.

Sushil said his Beijing Olympic achievement in 2008 not only boosted his confidence but also inspired many other Indian wrestlers since then.

“I feel proud that my bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics has contributed in boosting the confidence of Indian wrestlers, who are now eyeing medals in the Delhi Games,” he said.

The Wrestling Federation of India would finalise the list of grapplers for the October 3-14 event after a two-day selection trial commencing from tomorrow.

Trials for men — both in Freestyle and Greco-Roman Style — would be held in Sonepat tomorrow, while trials for women are scheduled for August 9 in Patiala.

Women’s wrestling has been included in the Commonwealth Games for the first time this year.

India take on depleted New Zealand in tri-series opener

Missing key players and just done with an exhausting drawn Test series, India swiftly shift to the One-day mode as they take on an equally-depleted New Zealand in the opening match of the cricket tri-series starting in Dambulla on Tuesday. Also featuring Sri Lanka, the series starts just two days after India drew 1-1 with the hosts in an engrossing Test series.

India will be without in-form batting Sachin Tendulkar and spin spearhead Harbhajan Singh, both of whom have been rested, and injured opener Gautam Gambhir in the series.  Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan remains sidelined with a shoulder injury, which might give a woefully out-of-form Ishant Sharma his first one-day international of the year.

Ashish Nehra will take over the responsibility of leading the attack and on current form, the lanky pacer would be expected to add some zing to the not-so-impressive pace department, which struggled in the Test series.

On the batting front, the series is a chance for off-colour Yuvraj Singh to get over the disappointment of the Test series, in which he flopped in the opening match, missed the second due to flu, and was dropped for the third after his replacement Suresh Raina scored a century on debut.

Virender Sehwag  will once again shoulder the responsibility of providing the sort of cracking starts that India have come to expect of him and Gambhir's absence, Dinesh Karthik will give him company in the opening slot.

Laxman's century helps India level series

Veteran VVS Laxman cracked a fighting unbeaten 103 as India relied on their experienced batsmen to pull off a five-wicket win in the third and final cricket Test against Sri Lanka to level the series 1-1 in Colombo on Saturday.

Laxman defied cramps and anchored the innings brilliantly to notch up his 16th Test hundred, while Sachin Tendulkar (54) and Suresh Raina (41 not out) were the other notable contributors as the visitors overhauled a target of 257 about 10 minutes before the tea break.

Raina clobbered Chanaka Welegedara for a six to hand Sri Lanka there first at P Sara Oval Stadium since August 1994, triggering scenes of celebration in the Indian dressing room.

hasing 257 on a rather difficult fifth day track, the Indians recovered from early blows suffered yesterday with a 109-run partnership between Laxman and Tendulkar that laid the foundation of the win.

But on the flipside, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men could not break the 17-year-old jinx of not winning a series in the island nation.

Resuming the chase from yesterday's 53 for three, India lost night-watchman Ishant Sharma (4) early in the morning.

Ishant was caught at short mid-wicket by Kumar Sangakkara off Suraj Randiv in the morning. Randiv ripped in a flighted loopy delivery around off and middle stump, leaving Ishant bemused who looked shaky right from the start.

Tendulkar and Laxman then took it upon themseleves to steady the ship and steer a successful chase.

Tendulkar was the more cautious of the two veteran right-handers taking 106 deliveries to reach his 55th Test half century.

He didn't celebrate much on reaching the milestone but the Indian dressing room was up in applause for another of the iconic batsman's match-winning contributions.

Tendulkar had his share of luck in the early in the innings when he was dropped by Tillakaratne Dilshan at short leg while trying to push a Randiv turner.

Delhi Games treasurer quits in corruption row

The treasurer of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games has resigned and three senior officials have been suspended amid allegations of corruption.

Anil Khanna, the treasurer of the organising committee, fell on his sword over an alleged conflict of interest.

Three other officials, TS Darbari, Sanjay Mohindroo and M Jeyachandran, have been suspended because of accusations of corruption in the Queen's Baton Relay.

The organisers have appointed their own investigation team to examine the latest allegations.

The international Commonwealth Games Federation is demanding a full report but the Indian government has rejected requests for an independent inquiry.

The Games are scheduled to open on October 3.

India will be ready for Games

Declaring that 'India will get there', India's Sports Minister M.S. Gill told parliament Thursday that the stadia and other infrastructure will be ready much before the Commonwealth Games (CWG) begins Oct 3. 

'Have faith in India. India will get there,' Gill told opposition members led by Prakash Javdekar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Brinda Karat of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) who raised the issue of delays and alleged corrupt deals related to the CWG in the Rajya Sabha, parliament's upper house. 

Former sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar demanded an apex body at the earliest to oversee the CWG work. He said the Group of Ministers (GOM) on the CWG had been a 'blatant failure'. 

Regarding alleged corruption in CWG, Gill said his ministry had written to various ministries, including the external affairs and finance ministries, to take action on persons found guilty of misappropriating funds.

Javdekar said the government should make it clear whether the games would be conducted properly. 

Karat said the CWG had turned into a 'game of corruption' and it was not 'justifiable to give license to corruption for two more months in the name of conducting the CWG'. 

The Games will be held Oct 3-14. It will have participation from 71 countries and territories that are members of the Commonealth of Nations that were at one time part of the British Empire.

ICC rejects ECB''s complaint against DRS

The ICC today rejected the England and Wales Cricket Board''s complaint on the controversial usage of the Decision Review System in a January Test against South Africa, insisting that there was no evidence to suggest any flouting of rules. England complained after television umpire Daryl Harper did not overturn a not out decision against South Africa skipper Graeme Smith.

Smith had appeared to edge a ball to the wicketkeeper but was not given out by the umpire - a decision which was upheld after a referral. England claimed that Harper had not turned up the volume on his replay monitor, so he missed what they claimed was an audible nick.

But ICC dismissed English complaints after an enquiry by its Code of Conduct Commissioner Advocate Brent Lockie and Clive Lloyd (Chairman, ICC Cricket Committee). "The independent enquiry was convened by the ICC Chief Executive following a formal complaint by the ECB that relevant DRS procedures and protocols were not followed by the third umpire during the fourth Test match in Johannesburg.

The findings of the Lockie/Lloyd enquiry found no evidence to support the complaint," the ICC said in a statement. The enquiry was conduced to determine whether "correct procedures and protocols" were followed by Harper in the decisions involving, apart from Smith, Alistair Cook and Graeme Swann/AB de Villiers.

The enquiry was also asked to make recommendations for improvement of the DRS, if appropriate, including the right of reinstatement of a review where technology fails. Elaborating on the most contentious of all -- Harper''s decision to rule Smith not out -- the ICC said, "No ''nick'' or edge sound came through to Mr Harper on any of the replays shown to him and there was no deflection or change of seam position on the ball as it passed the bat.

" "Any suggestion that Mr Harper had somehow failed to ''turn up the sound'' in order to hear the edge is both manifestly wrong and entirely unfair. The volume control had been set by technicians, and they did not operate or adjust the volume control during the entire series.

"However, differing sounds were heard on the footage of the various broadcasters, namely SABC, Supersport and Sky. The enquiry concluded that it was most likely that the actual sound feed coming through to the third umpire''s room was lost at the crucial time," the statement added.

BCCI Rejects Rs.100 Crore Funds for Common Wealth Games (CWG)

It’s a big serious issue that BCCI has rejected common wealth games for fund donation. CWG organizer Suresh Kalmadi asked BCCI for financial assistance for the common wealth games to be happened in New Delhi in the month of October. Suresh Kalmadi had made a request about these funds to the BCCI team but the team has rejected the Suresh Kalmadi request without informing any reason. Suresh Kalmadi had knocked the BCCI about the cricket matches going to play in India in the month of october. Australia is going to play three one day internationals in October, but the BCCI has not scheduled that matches in Delhi. Last year BCCI has granted a fund of Rs.25 Crore for All India Football Federation(AIFF) to participate the Indian team in the Asian cup. But this time BCCI has rejected CWG to donate funds. Suresh Kalmadi had asked BCCI judgment that they must not send the cricket games that are going to happen the Asian games that are going to be held in china in the month of November.

M-6 Sports’ From Spice Mobile Arrives

‘M-6 Sports’ by Spice Mobiles has been launched with the new model aiming to reach sports-crazy customers. The ‘M-6 Sports’ model facilitates users with sports related news and information.

The handset comes embedded with applications including Yahoo Sports, Yahoo Formula 1 and Yahoo Sports. Additionally, social networking sites like Facebook, Yahoo & Nimbuzz are also supported by the phone.

The sports model handset also supports Opera Mini web-browser. Apart from these features, the phone is enabled with other usual features like 1.3 MP camera with digital zoom and 1280 x 1024 pixels resolution, FM radio along with recording, 1 MB internal memory, 4GB of expandable memory, SMS, MMS, video player with MP4 and 3GP formats, stereo Bluetooth and USB port.

The dual SIM mobile phone ‘M-6 Sports’ has 2.2 inches QVGA, TFT 262K Colors display. The Internet features of the phone include GPRS and WAP.

The phone can sustain up to the five hours of talk time and up to 250 hours of standby time. The handset comes with the price tag of Rs.4,499.