Exciting Test match after that
stupid one sided test match ......
Good to see Test bowlers doing
good again & batsmen struggling
out there.
As long as such contests exists &
result orientated Test matches
exists...Test matches will survive
for many more years.
Hats off to Indian
Bowlers...specially Zaheer
Khan & Harbhajan Singh at
his best in this one . Zaheer &
Bhajji just gave the Indian Team
another chance to redeem
themselves from the pathetic
defeat in last match & a chance
to cement their No.1 Test
ranking.
All we need the batsmen to do is
hand a decent target to fight for.
The batsmen on the other
end...flopped again inspite of an
impressive lineup....... Murali
Vijay has just experienced how
difficult international cricket
against quality bowlers can be.
Dravid & Sachin were very
ordinary in this match.
Laxman hits his Six in 5
years...whattttttt !!!! ...&
people wonder why this guy
isnt playing ODIs ???
Sehwag, like I pointed out last
time, was supposed to play
responsibly...but he messes up
again . Dhoni looks like the
only responsible batsman out
there in this series ...trying to
add in runs.Dhoni-Bhajji
partnership was useful in the first
innings. Good to see Laxman
back into some runs.
This Match belongs to the
bowlers... Dale Steyn is the
world's best.... Zaheer, Bhajji
doing their best too.
Go Zaheer, Go Bhajji, Go Team
India !!!!!!!!!!
Seven Indian cricketers in fray for ODI dream team
Dubai, Dec 22 (IANS) Seven
Indian cricketers, including
Sachin Tendulkar, are among 48
players in the fray for the dream
One-day international (ODI)
team being selected to mark the
40th anniversary of ODI cricket.
The International Cricket
Council's (ICC) official website is
asking supporters from across
the globe to select a dream team
from a shortlist of 48 players and
also pick their favourite game
from a choice of 10 memorable
matches.
Former captain Sourav Ganguly
and Virender Sehwag are the
other two Indian batsmen whose
names have been nominated for
selection among eight openers
for the first two batting slots in
the dream team.
India's World Cup winning
captain Kapil Dev is in the
running for the all-rounder's slot
while current skipper Mahendra
Singh Dhoni will be competing
with seven others for the wicket-
keeping position.
Harbhajan Singh and Anl
Kumble, along with six others,
will fight for the lone spinner in
the dream team.
'Supporters can vote on
www.icc-cricket.com until Jan 2
to make their selections. They
can also send in their dream
teams and favourite matches via
www.facebook/cricketicc or
www.twitter.com/cricketicc,' ICC
said in a statement.
The names will be announced
Jan 5 to coincide with the 40th
anniversary of the first-ever ODI
match between Australia and
England.
'With the ICC Cricket World Cup
2011 now less than two months
away, excitement and interest in
the One-day format of the game
will intensify. We know that fans
will enjoy having the chance to
remember some of the great
games and great players to have
played in ODI cricket during the
past 40 years,' said ICC chief
executive Haroon Lorgat.
'Cricket Australia will mark the
40th anniversary of ODI cricket
with a number of events,
including a reception with
members of Australia's first ODI
team at Victoria's Government
House, during Melbourne's
Cricket Weekend Jan 14-16.
The Australian ODI team from
1971 will also be presented to
the crowd during the innings
break of the first ODI match of
the series between Australia and
England at the MCG Jan 16.
Greatest ODI team of all time
(from)
Opening batsmen (2) - Saeed
Anwar, Sourav Ganguly, Gordon
Greenidge, Matthew Hayden,
Sanath Jayasuriya, Virender
Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Glenn
Turner.
Middle-order batsmen (3) -
Michael Bevan, Martin Crowe,
Aravinda de Silva, Inzamam-ul
Haq, Brian Lara, Javed Miandad,
Ricky Ponting, Viv Richards.
All-rounder (1) - Ian Botham,
Kapil Dev, Andrew Flintoff,
Richard Hadlee, Jacques Kallis,
Imran Khan, Lance Klusener,
Shaun Pollock.
Wicket-keeper (1) - Mark
Boucher, M.S. Dhoni, Andy
Flower, Adam Gilchrist, Romesh
Kaluwitharana, Moin Khan, Alec
Stewart, Kumar Sangakkara.
Fast bowlers (3) - Wasim Akram,
Allan Donald, Joel Garner,
Michael Holding, Dennis Lillee,
Glenn McGrath, Chaminda Vaas,
Waqar Younis.
Spinner (1) - Shahid Afridi, Carl
Hooper, Anil Kumble, Muttiah
Muralidaran, Saqlain Mushtaq,
Harbhajan Singh, Shane Warne,
Daniel Vettori.
The saga of Sachin's 50 Test centuries
New Delhi: Cricket saw one of
the most famous chapter added
to its history book on Sunday
when another record fell to the
feet of arguably the greatest
player to play the game - Sachin
Tendulkar - when the legend
scored his 50th Test hundred at
the Centurion.
While it might turn out to be a
century for the losing cause, it
will hold a special place not only
in the record books but in the
heart of every cricket fan.To silence those who say Sachin
plays for records, the master
himself trashed those talks on
Sunday. "I never think about
records. I love to focus on
preparation and trying to give
more than 100 per cent on the
field. I love to play, try and keep
improving. If I would have been
chasing records, I would not
have opted out of few ODIs,"
said Tendulkar.
However, one can't run away
from the fact that Sachin, in fact,
is the 'Record Man' of cricket
with almost every run-making
record having his name inscribed
on it. To add to that series, here
is a list of some interesting
records related to Sachin's Test
tons.
- Most 100s against an
opponent: 11 v Australia.
- Most 100s in a calendar year: 7
in 2010.
- Most 100s on a ground: 5 at
Chepauk (Chennai).
- Most 100s in a country: 22 in
India (the most he has scored
outside India is 6 in Australia).
- Most 100s on a particular
position: 43 at number 4 (he has
hit 5 at No. 5 and 2 at No. 6).
- Most 100s under a captain: 15
under Mohammad Azharuddin
(in 47 matches).
- Result-wise summary of 100s:
20 in matches won, 19 in
matches drawn and 10 in
matches lost.
- Break-up of 100s at home and
abroad : 22 at home, 28 abroad.
- Innings-wise break-up of
Tendulkar's 100s: 20 in first
innings of match, 17 in second
innings of match, 10 in third
innings of match and 3 in fourth
innings of match.Group Lotus to take Renault stake in long term deal
Group Lotus has confirmed its
much-rumoured partnership
with Renault F1 from 2011, with
the team to be renamed Lotus
Renault GP. The deal is for seven
years to the end of the 2017
season and will see Group Lotus
inject title sponsorship in excess
of £100m over that period.
The new partnership has been
enabled by Renault selling its
remaining 25% share in the team
to Genii Capital. Group Lotus will
subsequently become a major
equity partner in Lotus Renault
GP, which it will co-own with
Genii. Renault will continue its
strong support as a supplier of
engines and technological and
engineering expertise. The team
will continue to compete with
the Renault chassis name and
Renault will enjoy pre-eminent
brand exposure on the livery.
"We are delighted that we can
now go public with the news that
we will be racing as Lotus
Renault GP in 2011," said Genii
Capital boss Gerard Lopez. "It is
extremely exciting to begin a new
era for the team in partnership
with Group Lotus, and we will
continue to enjoy a strong
relationship with Renault over
the coming seasons. It is a tribute
to the excellent work this year by
the team in Enstone that we
have been able to attract both
major sponsorship and new
investment for a very bright
future."
The team has also revealed its
new black and gold livery - two
months in the making - as it
intends to recapture the iconic
associations of the colour
scheme prompted by the John
Player Special Lotus sponsorship
of the seventies and eighties. As
things stand, however, the Tony
Fernandes/Mike Gascoyne-led
Lotus Racing, has announced
similar plans for its team,
entered as Team Lotus in 2011...
The matter of ownership rights
to the Team Lotus name in F1 is
currently the subject of an action
due in the British High Court
after Fernandes purchased the
disputed rights from David Hunt
earlier this year.
Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar,
who has recent F1 experience
with both Ferrari and Red Bull
Racing, said: "I can think of no
better platform for automotive
brand communications than
motorsport and F1 is the very
pinnacle of open-wheel racing.
We're well aware that there has
been a lot of controversy around
the usage of our brand in F1
and I'm delighted to be able to
formally clarify our position once
and for all: we are Lotus and we
are back."
Group Lotus intends to use F1 to
spearhead the marketing of a
new era of sportscar production
aimed at moving the brand up-
market. Lotus New Era was
unveiled at the Paris Motor Show
in October, featuring the new
Esprit, Elan, Elite, Elise and
Eterne. It is understood that
politics apart, Group Lotus
wanted an association with a
team capable of running at the
front in F1 rather than waiting
for the Fernandes/Gascoyne
operation to develop the
necessary infrastructure.
Genii, meanwhile, is also offering
Group Lotus-owning Proton, "the
ability to leverage existing
business relationships in Russia
and other parts of the world, as
a means to expand Proton's
global reach. Through Genii,
Proton can also potentially
access advanced automotive
technologies by virtue of Genii's
association with Mangrove, a
venture capital group."
The Russian associations could
lead to the assumption that
Vitaly Petrov's seat alongside
Robert Kubica is safe, athough
Petrov was not confirmed at the
same time as the announcement,
which may have been
anticipated. Some sources
continue to suggest that Nicolas
Todt's associations with Bahar
and Felipe Massa's relatively
troubled year alongside Felipe
Massa at Ferrari could lead to
both being part of the new Lotus
Renault association going
forward.
Enquiries along those lines were
met with a denial, however, and
we understand that it is 'likely'
that Petrov will retain his seat
with the team.
Hulkenberg eyes Force India seat
Nico Hulkenberg admits that
Force India is the team he is
most likely to land a race-seat
with.
Having been let go by Williams,
Hulkneberg is on the lookout for
a new drive, and the young
German spoke earlier in the
week of his strong belief that he
would be successful in his quest.
The 23-year-old now reveals that
he is in talks with Force India
about a contract, and hopes to
have resolved the situation in the
coming weeks.
"Right now as we talk I am not
sure. I hope, and we are working
very hard, to get a deal done
but it is no secret that there are
not many good race seats left,"
he told the official Formula One
website.
"The hope is still there and I am
not giving up. I hope I can give
you a positive answer very soon.
Hopefully before Christmas.
"Force India is our best shot, but
it is also no secret that quite a
few drivers are trying to land a
seat there. We are talking to
them and let's wait and see what
develops."
Hulkenberg largely impressed
during his debut season, with the
highlight undoubtedly a pole
position in Brazil, a feat he
admits he had hoped would
secure his place at Williams.
"Of course [I hoped it would be
enough]. This Brazilian pole
position was something that
Williams had not tasted in years,
but then again, one lap does not
change the course of history," he
explained.
"There had been signs before
that there was something
brewing, because the team
repeatedly delayed contract
talks, putting it off to 'manana',
so I was forewarned that
something was going on.
Nevertheless I would have liked
to stay with them."
Hulkenberg's replacement at
Williams, Pastor Maldonado, has
secured the backing of a handful
of sponsors, including the
Venezuelan government, and
Hulkenberg concedes that it is
becoming near impossible to
make it in F1 on talent alone.
"It has become much, much
harder to open doors if your
application does not come with a
serious sponsor package and you
really only rely on your talent as
the sole 'sales argument'," he
said.
"This is quite frustrating and
somewhat sad - especially if you
can show you have had a good
season as a reference."
Asked where he would look next
if a deal was not made with
Force India, the 2009 GP series
winner was defiant in his answer:
"I don't want to think about a
Plan B. My focus is 100 percent
on finding a good race seat for
2011. That is where all my efforts
are going right now."
People's choice for IPL dream team: Sachin best as captain
Though the auction for the
fourth edition of the Indian
Premier League (IPL) is yet to be
kicked off, few teams have
already grabbed their favourite
players, thus saving them from
the auction bid.
However, as per the rules of the
IPL Governing Council, no team
is allowed to retain more than
four players. According to the
rules, among the retained
players, atleast three must be
Indian and one foreigner.
Your Dream Team
Dainik Bhaskar had conducted a
survey to ask the readers about
their dream team. We had asked
you which players you would
want in your team being the
owner of an IPL team. We got
maximum participation and
tremendous response from our
readers.
Readers picked a balanced team
After counting the votes, we
found that the team you
selected was quite balanced and
included openers, middle order
batsmen, spinners, fast bowlers
and wicketkeepers.
Sachin Tendulkar - top choice
for captaincy
Master blaster Sachin tendulkar
emerged as the first choice for
captaincy. However, many
readers want to see Virendra
Sehwag and Mahendra Singh
Dhoni as a captain.
Virender Sehwag and Yousuf
gets maximum votes
As a player in the dream team,
Viru and Yusuf Pathan got
maximum votes, followed by
Sachin, Yuvraj, Watson, Gambhir,
Raina, AB Markel, Zaheer Khan,
Mallinga, Harbhajan and Dhoni.
Following is the IPL Dream Team
of dainikbhaskar.com readers
Opener
Virender Sehwag, Gautam
Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar
(captain)
Middle Order
Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf
Pathan
Wicketkeeper
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
All-rounder
Shane Watson, AB Markel
Bowler
Zaheer Khan, Lasith Mallinga,
Harbhajan Singh
Wife expecting, Anderson returns to England
Sydney: England fast bowler
James Anderson has returned
home to be present at the birth
of his child but plans to return
to Australia in time for the third
Ashes test in Perth, coach Andy
Flower said on Wednesday. It’s
not ideal, it’s not perfect but we
try to get the balance right
between our commitments to
England and our responsibility to
the individual and his family,
Flower said.
MI Retain Sachin, Pollard, Malinga and Harbhajan
Mumbai: Mumbai Indians have
informed the BCCI-owned Indian
Premier League that they were
retaining four players Sachin
Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh,
West Indian Kieron Pollard and
Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga for the
next two seasons. An MI official
also claimed that the franchisees
have the option of retaining
more than one foreigner in their
squad as per the decision of the
IPL governing council on
retention of players.
IPL 4: Dravid, Ganguly, Gambhir up for grabs
New Delhi: The players'
retention deadline that ended on
Wednesday night threw few
surprises as many iconic players
for various franchisees in the first
three seasons were left to go
under the hammer.
Yuvraj Singh and Gautam
Gambhir are among the top
players not retained by their
franchise. In fact, Delhi
Daredevils only held back
Virender Sehwag for the next
three seasons, while Kings XI
Punjab, along with Deccan
Chargers and Kolkata Knight
Riders did not retain any player
of their current squads.With a maximum of three Indians
players out of four allowed to be
retained by every franchise, the
Mumbai Indians, as expected,
retained Sachin Tendulkar and
Harbhajan Singh in Indian
players, while they clang to big-
hitting Kieron Pollard and Sri
Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga in
foreign players.
The Chennai Super Kings also
retained four players. The 2010
IPL champions once again
showed their faith in MS Dhoni,
their skipper for the last three
seasons, along with two most
improved cricketers for the
national side - Suresh Raina and
Murali Vijay. The Stephen
Fleming-coached side also kept
South African all-rounder Albie
Morkel with them. But while
doing so, both Mumbai and
Chennai had already spent half
of the $ 9 million salary cap
available to teams for the
players' auction.
According to rules set for the
next season, the four retained
players will be valued at $ 1.8
million for the first player, $ 1.3
million for the second, $ 900,000
for the third and $ 500,000 for
the fourth.
The most interesting retention
came from Royal Challengers
Bangalore, where only Virat
Kohli was retained. It also means
that now team's mainstays like
Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble
will be available for the January
auction.
Punjab's decision to release all
their players was expected
following their dismal 2010
season, which means Kumar
Sangakkara, Mahela
Jayawardene and Brett Lee will
go under the hammer.
Rajasthan Royals, who breathed
a sigh of relief after an
independent arbitrator stayed
the BCCI's decision to expel the
team, had clung to their
Australian skipper Shane Warne
and all-rounder Shane Watson.
So the swashbuckling Yusuf
Pathan will be up for grab in the
players' auction.
New CBA season tips off
China's basketball league has
never been more popular after a
number of former NBA players
jump on Marbury's bandwagon
and sign up to play. China Daily
reports.
High-profile former NBA players
will enhance the competitiveness
and expand the influence of the
2010-2011 Chinese Basketball
Association (CBA) season, which
will tip off with a game between
Zhejiang Guangsha and Fujian
SBS on Dec 12, according to the
top official of the governing
body.
"Our league has benefited a lot
from high level foreign players
for years. And we are happy to
see more NBA stars join us this
season," said Liu Xiaonong, vice-
head of the Chinese Basketball
Administrative Center (CBAC), at
a media conference to launch
the new CBA season on
Thursday.
The former NBA roster Liu
mentioned became more
dazzling when Steve Francis, Yao
Ming's former Houston Rockets
teammate, signed a contract with
CBA club Beijing Jinyu on Nov 30.
On the same day, Stephon
Marbury, another NBA all-star
guard, who was unexpectedly
released by last season's
employer Shanxi Zhongyu just
two weeks before its opening
game, inked a one-year deal
with new CBA club Foshan
Longshi.
Playing as teammates at the New
York Knicks four years ago,
Marbury's battle against Francis
on the CBA court is expected to
be the most eye-catching
spectacle of the new season.
According to the schedule, the
two will meet for the first time
on Jan 1, 2011, when Beijing
plays Foshan at home.
The use of foreign players was
once regarded as a detriment to
the development of local
youngsters. However, that
mindset appears to have
changed and more fans and
greater media interest have been
drawn to the league by the
overseas "mercenaries".
According to figures from the
Swiss-based Infront corporation,
the CBA's marketing operator,
last year's TV audience was more
than 400 million. That is
expected to rise even more this
year.
"Bringing more experienced
foreign players, especially former
NBA players, is definitely
beneficial for our league. It is an
effective way to enhance the
CBA's level and profile. It's also a
powerful catalyst to draw fans
back and attract sponsorship
support," said Bai Xilin, the
competition department head of
the CBAC.
Apart from the former Knicks
backcourt duo, another two
former NBAers - Fred Jones and
Ricky Davis - are also well worth
watching.
Jones, who won the NBA slam
dunk contest in 2004 wearing the
Indiana Pacers' jersey, is likely to
play for Guangdong Hongyuan.
Davis, a veteran swingman with
12 years' of NBA experience, will
represent the Jiangsu Dragons.
According to Bai, 32 foreign
athletes including nine former
NBA players and four Asian
players have signed with the 17
clubs. Each team can have at
most two overseas players, while
last season's bottom five clubs
are free to sign one more from
Asia to boost their squads.
Although the same rule from last
season that each team's two
overseas players are allowed to
play a total of six quarters per
game still applies, the monthly
salary cap of $60,000 has been
canceled this coming season.
That means more big names will
be available to appear on CBA
courts.
Apart from the boost from more
NBA stars, a rules' revision,
emulating the NBA's model
should be another highlight of
the new season.
After a trial run during last
season's playoffs, the CBA's
three-point line will be formally
extended to 6.75 meters, 50
centimeters farther than before.
The three-second area will be
expanded and an offensive foul
protection area will be added
under the basket, said Bai.
"The new rules will bring new
changes to each team's tactics
and formations; it's a better way
to follow the world and keep up
our games' suspense," said Liu.
According to figures released at
the launch of the competition,
28 new faces will debut this
season. The average age of the
237 players in the league will be
about 23. The regular season,
which comprises 309 games, will
be played on a round-robin,
home-and-away basis with a
three-games-per-week schedule
from Dec 10, 2010, to March 11,
2011.
While the league appears to be
on an upswing, organizers are
concerned about match fixing.
The gambling scandals that have
rocked the nation's premier
soccer league have also set off
alarm bells in the basketball
community.
"We will pay close attention to
any suspicious conduct. We have
revised the clubs' access
standards, regulations and the
penalty provision. We will even
introduce judicial organs to
investigate (suspicious activities)
and will have no mercy on those
found guilty," Liu said.
"Clean matches are the basis of
the league; we are ready to do
all we can to ensure fair play."
Pathan magic seals win for India
BANGALORE, India — Yusuf
Pathan hammered a career-best
123 not out off just 96 balls as
India pulled off a thrilling five-
wicket win in the fourth one-day
international against New
Zealand on Tuesday.
The all-rounder clubbed seven
fours and seven sixes on the way
to his maiden one-day century to
help the hosts overhaul New
Zealand's challenging 315-7 with
seven balls to spare at the
Chinnaswamy Stadium in
Bangalore.
The victory put India on course
for a series whitewash over the
Black Caps who trail 4-0 with
one game remaining to be
played in Chennai on Friday.
Pathan clobbered the New
Zealand attack with his
aggressive innings, putting on
133 runs for the unfinished sixth
wicket with Saurabh Tiwary (37
not out) after India had been
reduced to 188-5 in the 34th
over.
Pathan also played a key role
with the ball, grabbing three
New Zealand wickets for 49 runs
off nine overs.
James Franklin top-scored for
the Kiwis with an unbeaten 98
off 69 balls including 12 fours
and three sixes.
"I have always said Pathan can
finish games on his own, and
that's what he did today," Indian
captain Gautam Gambhir said.
"I had never seen something like
this before. But I knew till the
time Pathan was there, we would
win the game."
Paceman Andy McKay took two
wickets in two balls to spoil a
rollicking start by India that saw
openers Gambhir (27) and
Parthiv Patel put on 67 runs in
less than 10 overs.
Gambhir, the leading run-getter
in the series, cut McKay to point
where Martin Guptill took a
sharp catch and Virat Kohli was
caught by Kyle Mills for a duck.
Patel, playing his first one-day
international in six years, raced
to his maiden one-day half-
century off 50 balls but was
dismissed three runs later by
Nathan McCullum.
India looked in deep trouble
after losing Yuvraj Singh for 20
runs but man of the match
Pathan ensured another fine win
for the hosts.
"It was a great game of cricket,"
said New Zealand skipper Daniel
Vettori.
"We were in the game, but
Pathan was pretty amazing.
Franklin played exceptionally
well too to give us a formidable
total, but Pathan took the game
away from us."
Franklin had underlined a
spirited batting display by the
visitors after they were put in to
bat in the day-night game. Scott
Styris (46), Ross Taylor (44) and
Brendon McCullum (42) also
chipped in with valuable knocks.
Franklin, who had top-scored
with 72 in the third match in
Vadodara, provided the late
impetus, helping New Zealand
add 63 runs in the last five overs.
He hit two sixes and as many
fours in the last over by Ashish
Nehra (2-70) to take the visitors
past the 300-run mark.
IPL 2011 Season 4: BCCI Facing Jittery Phase
A special meeting has been
called for by Board of Control
for Cricket in India, BCCI, to be
attended by all officials
comprising of its general body.
Meeting is to be held in Mumbai
on coming Saturday with an
agenda of reformation of the
disciplinary committee of the
Board.
As evident the current
committee ’s in place has
completed its term in September
and need to be restructured.
The main task being performed
by the committee is investigation
of Lalit Modi ’s involvement in
high level of misappropriations in
Indian Premiere League that was
being headed by him earlier.
Lalit Modi who was chairman of
IPL was directed by Board to quit
after his exposure in many
irregularities related to IPL ’s
functioning. The board was
supposed to reform the
disciplinary committee during its
annual general body meeting
held in September but failed to
do it though technically the
existing disciplinary committee
has lost its sanctity due to expiry
of its term.
Though BCCI secretary N
Srinivasan has stated that
reformation of disciplinary
committee as minor subject, the
sanctity of its functioning was
recently pointed out by Lalit
Modi’s lawyer Mehmood Abdi in
November.
BCCI is already staggering with its
jittery situation in relation to
three IPL teams Rajasthan Royals,
Kochi and Kings XI Punjab. Kochi
franchise issue on one hand is
almost resolved with their formal
reply to BCCI on its shareholding
problems and hence qualifies to
go for IPL season 4 to be held in
2011.
Rajasthan Royals team owners
had challenged their contract
termination by BCCI in Mumbai
High Court and have got a stay
order ruled by Justice Srikrishna.
With all this unstable situations,
BCCI ’s plan of auction of players
that was to be held in November
and then in January is apparently
going to be further delayed and
may happen during 2011 World
Cup.
Till IPL season four the number
of teams participating in the
event was eight that was increase
by two with the inclusion of two
new teams Pune and Kochi.
After the count reached to ten,
Kochi franchise controversy
started along with BCCI’s
termination of contract with two
old teams Rajasthan Royals and
Kings XI Punjab.
Further shuffling happened
during BCCI ’s plan of bidding for
a new franchise, when Kochi had
a come back and Rajasthan
Royals have got an approval
from Court to participate in IPL
2011.
BCCI is still not very clear about
how many total teams would be
participating in the forthcoming
IPL season 4.'Super Dan' focused on London 2012
The handsome face and
muscular figure of Lin Dan make
him an ideal candidate for the
big screen.
However, the Chinese badminton
superstar says any speculation
about a career in the
entertainment industry will have
to wait until his on-court career
ends.
"Right now, I'm just focused on
the 2012 Olympic Games. I will
not think about the possibility (of
acting) as long as I'm still able to
play the sport," said 27-year-old
Lin during a press conference on
Sunday organized by razor
brand Gillette.
The reigning Olympic and world
champion is determined to hold
on until the 2012 London
Olympics, even though he
achieved a grand slam by
winning the Asian Games in
Guangzhou.
"I will try my best and hold on to
play at the 2012 Olympic
Games," said Lin, who won the
MVP Award at the Asian Games
thanks to his men's singles title
and his overwhelming popularity
with fans and the media.
"I know it will be a tough two
years. I know rising stars and old
foes will come up and pose
bigger threats during my
preparation. But I'm ready to
accept the challenge," 'Super
Dan' said.
The Asiad title was the only
major crown missing from Lin's
glittering resume, which includes
one Olympic title and three
consecutive world crowns.
He said the pressure going into
the Asiad was even greater than
that at the 2008 Beijing Games.
"I know lots of people expected
me to pick up the title. There
was big pressure on me," said
Lin, who was upset by Malaysia's
Hidayat Taufik in the Doha final
four years ago. "So when I did it,
I felt more excited than when I
won the Olympic title."
7 ex-CFA officials to face bribery charges
The seven detained former
officials from the Chinese
Football Association (CFA) will
stand trial early next year, said
Monday's Soccer News, after a
year-long sweeping probe into
Chinese football's gambling and
match-fixing.: By Liu Shanshan
(chinadaily.com.cn)
All seven sacked officials - ex-
CFA head Xie Yalong, his
successor Nan Yong and Nan's
deputy Yang Yimin, former
national team manager Wei
Shaohui, ex-CFA referee heads Li
Dongsheng and Zhang Jianqiang,
and former football league
official Fan Guangming - will face
charges of bribery, according to
the Guangzhou-based football
newspaper.
The three top officials, Xie
Yalong, Nan Yong and Yang
Yimin, will be prosecuted for an
additional crime of dereliction of
duty because of their special
executive posts in the Chinese
Football Administrative Center,
while Fan will also face a charge
of gambling.
According to the newspaper,
more than 10 kilograms of
evidence, including copies and
conversation records, have been
collected for upcoming court
hearings to be opened in the
Tieling City Procuratorate,
Northeast China's Liaoning
province.
However, the allegation of
match-fixing, or manipulating the
outcome of matches, cannot be
prosecuted as no Chinese law
ever defined it as a crime.
Taylor says U.S. headed for recession
(Reuters) - The U.S.
economy is headed for a
new recession, said John
Taylor, chairman and chief
investment officer of FX
Concepts, which should
likely benefit the dollar
and weigh on commodity
prices.
"It's a new recession. We're
already growing, but the
numbers show that the U.S.
government is still the primary
creator of this growth," Taylor
said on Monday at the Reuters
Investment Outlook Summit.
Taylor runs the world's largest
currency hedge fund with assets
under management of around
$8.5 billion.
"I would argue that by the
middle of next year, we will be in
a recession and our fiscal hands
will be tied," he said.
Taylor has maintained in
previous interviews that the
Federal Reserve's quantitative
easing program, designed as a
way to help jump-start the
economy, won't necessarily
prevent a recession.
Banks in a recession tend to
demand the repayment of loans,
and if the debt is denominated in
the U.S. currency -- and in most
cases they are -- then investors
are squeezed as they scramble
to find dollars to repay the debt.
That should be dollar-positive,
Taylor said.
This was what happened in late
2008 when panic in the markets
-- precipitated by the collapse of
U.S. investment bank Lehman
Brothers -- drove the safe-haven
dollar higher against most major
currencies.
"It's kind of perverse. When the
U.S. economy is doing badly, the
dollar goes up and when the
economy is doing well, the dollar
goes down."
Taylor's remarks dovetailed with
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben
Bernanke's comments on Sunday
on the CBS program "60
Minutes". Bernanke said the Fed
could end up buying more than
the $600 billion in U.S.
government bonds it has
committed if the economy fails
to respond or unemployment
stays high.
The U.S. economy grew at a
modest 2.5 percent annual rate
in the third quarter. Stronger
growth is needed to create large
numbers of new jobs and make
a dent in unemployment,
currently at 9.8 percent.
EURO COULD FALL APART
For now, all eyes are on the
euro zone, which is facing a debt
crisis. Theoretically, at some
point the euro could fall apart,
Taylor said,
"What Europe has done is not
enough. They have to have
eurobonds," said Taylor. "You
can't lend money to Ireland or
Greece. You're just piling on
more debt to them, and it's
getting harder and harder to
repay."
Taylor said Portugal could be the
next country to seek a bailout
after Ireland, with Spain after
that. This will push the euro to
parity versus the dollar by next
year, he forecast. In early New
York trading, the euro was down
1 percent at $1.3277.
In October, he told Reuters in an
interview that the euro would
most likely peak between $1.43-
$1.45 in November and was
most negative on the euro versus
the dollar at a time when almost
everybody was selling the
greenback because of the
quantitative easing factor.
NBA to buy Hornets
(Reuters) - The National
Basketball Association said
it agreed to buy the New
Orleans Hornets from
majority owner George
Shinn after a deal to sell
the team to minority
owner Gary Chouest fell
through.
The league said on Monday that
Chouest decided not to buy the
team because of economic
uncertainty in New Orleans and
Louisiana.
"In the absence of any viable
purchaser seeking to own the
Hornets in New Orleans, I
recommended to the NBA Board
of Governors that the best way
to assure stability and the
adequate funding of the
franchise would be for the
league to step in, and complete
the transaction and assume
control," NBA commissioner
David Stern said in a statement.
No deal value was immediately
disclosed.
Stern said the league recruited
Jac Sperling, vice chairman of the
parent company of the NHL's
Minnesota Wild,to be the team's
chairman and governor.
The deal is subject to a vote by
the NBA's Board of Governors,
which will likely take place next
week.
Aus vs vs Eng Eng – – 2010 2010 - - 11 11 : : England England wins wins the the second second test test by by an an innings innings and and 71 71 runs runs
Australia vs England – Second
Test at Adelaide in Dec 2010 :
England won by an innings and 71 runs,
Australia won the toss and
elected to bat first providing
the 131st occasion of Australia
doing so against England. It
also provides the 74th
occasion of Australia doing so
on home soil.
SM Katich was run out for
zero in the first innings of this
test providing the 195th
occasion of an Australian
batsman run out against
England. It also provides the
27th occasion of an Australian
batsman run out without
scoring against England.
SM Katich was run out for
zero in the first innings of this
test providing the 45th
occasion of an Australian
opening batsman run out
against England. SM Katich
became the first Australian
opening batsman run out
without scoring against
England.
SM Katich became the second
Australian batsman to be run
out for zero without facing a
ball against England. RM Hogg
is the other batsman dismissed
in such a manner at
Birmingham in Jul 1981.
SM Katich became the first
Australian opening batsman
run out for a duck without
facing ball against England.
RT Ponting was playing his
150th test match in this test.
He failed to celebrate the
occasions as he failed with the
bat by scoring a first ball duck
in the first innings and nine of
19 deliveries in the second
innings
RT Ponting zero and nine in
this test provides the sixth
occasion of his scoring single
digit runs in both innings of a
test. The other five occasions
are – 9 and 4 vs West Indies at
Sydney in Nov 96 : 0 and 0 vs
Pakistan at Hobart in Nov 99 :
6 and 0 vs Kolkata in Mar 01 :
4 and 3 vs India at Melbourne
in Dec 07 and 5 and 2 vs India
at Mohali in Oct 2008
RT Ponting became the fourth
batsman in the annals of test
cricket to play 150 plus tests.
Others are – SR Tendulkar
{174} : SR Waugh {168} and AR
Border {156}
RT Ponting was dismissed for a
duck in the first innings of this
test providing the 84th
occasion of an Australian
captain dismissed for a duck in
a test innings against various
oppositions. His duck provides
the 46th occasion of an
Australian captain dismissed
without scoring in a test
innings against England.
RT Ponting was dismissed for a
duck in the first innings of this
test providing the seventh
occasion of his dismissal
without scoring in a test
innings against England. He
now shares he record for most
ducks by an Australian captain
against England with AR
Border and GS Chappell.
RT Ponting collected the first
ball duck in the first innings of
this test providing the 96th
occasion of a captain
dismissed for a duck after
facing one ball in the annals
of test cricket, RT Ponting’s
first ball duck in this test
provides the 19th occasion of
an Australian captain
collecting the first ball duck
against England.
RT Ponting’s first ball duck in
this test represent the fourth
occasion of his collecting the
first ball duck as captain.
Other captains who have
collected the first ball ducks
on four or more occasions are
– GS Chappell {05} : ST
Jayasuriya {04} and Khaled
Mashud {04} :
RT Ponting collected the first
ball duck on fifth occasion as
batsman. Other Australian
batsmen to collect five or
more first ball ducks are – DC
Boon {05} : GS Chappell {06} :
IA Healey {06} : SCG MacGill
{07} : GD McGrath {05} : SK
Warne {05} : ME Waugh {07}
and SR Waugh {06} :
MEK Hussey scored 93 in the
first innings to provide the
62nd occasion of an Australian
batsman scoring a ninety
against in a test innings. His
knock provides the 38th
occasion of an Australian
batsman scoring a ninety
against against England in a
test innings on home soil
MEK Hussey scored his second
ninety on home soil against
England, the first was also at
Adelaide in Dec 06 when he
made 91. MEK Hussey became
the fifth ustralian batsman to
score nineties on two or more
occasions against England at
home. Others are - C Hill
{05} : SR Waugh {03} : AC
Bannerman {02} and DC Boon
{02}
MEK Hussey with his two
nineties became the tenth
batsman to score nineties on
two occasions against England.
Others are – C Hill {05} : DC
Boon {04} : SR Waugh {04} : TJE
Andrews {02} : AC Bannerman
{02} : MJ Clarke {02} : WM
Lawry {02} : RW Marsh {02}
and GHS Trott {02}
MEK Hussey scored his 22nd
test half century and 34th fifty
when he made 93 in the first
innngs of this test. BJ Haddin
scored 56 in the first innings
which represents his sixth test
half century and ninth fifty.
BJ Haddin’s 56 in the first
innings of this test represent
the 50th occasion of an
Australian wicket keeper
batsman scoring a fifty in a
test innings against England.
England’s innings contained
four three figure partnerships
– 173 for the second wicket
between AN Cook and IJL
Trott : 174 runs for the third
wicket between AN Cook and
KP Pietersen : 101 runs
between KP Pietersen and PD
Collingwood and 116 runs for
the fifth wicket between KP
Pietersen and IR Bell.
England batsmen’s feat
provides the eighth occasion
of a team posting four three
figure partnerships in an
innings in the annals of test
cricket. It also provides the
second occasion of England’s
batsmen performing such a
feat against Australia, the
first such occasion was at The
Oval in 1938 in England’s first
innings.
England posted 620 for 5
declared in this test providing
the sixth occasion of England
posting a total of 600 plus
against Australia. The other
five occasions are – 636 at
Sydney in Dec 1928 : 627 for 9
declared at Manchester in Jul
1934 : 658 for 8 declared at
Nottingham in Jun 1938 : 903
for 7 declared at The Oval in
Aug 1938 and 611 at
Mancheter in Jul 1964
England posted 620 for 5
declared in this test providing
the second occasion of
England posting a total of 600
plus against Australia in
Australia. The other occasion
is its 636 at Sydney in Dec 1928
England’s innings contained
four three figure partnerships
– 173 for the second wicket
between AN Cook and IJL
Trott : 174 runs for the third
wicket between AN Cook and
KP Pietersen : 101 runs
between KP Pietersen and PD
Collingwood and 116 runs for
the fifth wicket between KP
Pietersen and IR Bell. At the
end of this test England
batsmen have posted 298
three figure partnerships
against Australia.
173 for the second wicket
between AN Cook and IJL Trott
in this test provides the 60th
occasion of England batsmen
posting a three figure
partnership for the second
wicket against Australia
174 runs for the third wicket
between AN Cook and KP
Pietersen in this test provides
the 50th occasion of England
batsmen posting a three
figure partnership for the
third wicket against Australia
101 runs for the fourth wicket
between KP Pietersen and PD
Collingwood in this test
provides the 42nd occasion of
England batsmen posting a
three figure partnership for
the fourth wicket against
Australia
116 runs for the fifth wicket
between KP Pietersen and IR
Bell in this test provides the
31st occasion of England
batsmen posting a three
figure partnership for the fifth
wicket against Australia
AN Cook and KP Pietersen
scored 148 and 227
respectively in this test
providing the 226th and 227th
occasion of England batsmen
scoring a hundred against
Australia
It is just a coincidence that KP
Pietersen scored 227 in this
test which represents the
227th hundred by an England
batsman against Australia
AN Cook scored his 15th
hundred when he made 148 in
this test, while KP Pietersen’s
227 represents his 17th test
hundred.
AN Cook with his 15 hundreds
became the 17th England
batsman to score 15 or more
hundreds. Others are – G
Boycott {22} : MC Cowdrey
{22} : WR Hammond {22} : KF
Barrington {20} : GA Gooch
{20} : L Hutton {19} : AJ Strauss
{19} : DI Gower {18} : MP
Vaughan {18} : DCS Compton
{18} : KP Pietersen {17} : MA
Atherton {17} : H Sutcliffe
{16} : GP Thorpe {16} : JB
Hobbs {15} and AJ Stewart {15}
KP Pietersen’s 227 in this test
represent the 301st double
hundred in the annals of test
cricket. It also represents the
13th double hundred by an
England batsman against
Australia.
KP Pietersen with his 227
became the fifth batsman to
score a double hundred
against Australia in Australia
and his 227 provide the
seventh occasion of an
England batsman scoring a
double hundred against
Australia. The other six
occasions are – 287 by RE
Foster at Sydney in Dec 1903 :
251 by WR Hammond at
Sydney in Dec 1928 : 200 by
WR Hammond at Melbourne in
Dec 1928 : 231* by WR
Hammond at Sydney in Dec
1936 : 206 by PD Collingwood
at Adelaide in Dec 2006 and
235* by AN Cook at Brisbane
in Nov 2010
KP Pietersen’s 227 in this test
represent the second double
hundred by an England
batsman against Australia at
Adelaide. PD Collingwood had
scored 206 at Adelaide in Dec
2006. KP Pietersen’s 227
represent the highest score by
an England batsman against
Australia at Adelaide.
KP Pietersen’s 227 represent
his highest test score an
improvement upon his
previous best of 226 against
West Indies at The Oval in
May 2007
DE Bollinger {130}, PM Siddle
{121} and XJ Doherty {158}
conceded 100 plus runs in this
innings which takes the
number of occasions of
Australian bowlers conceding
100 plus runs against England
to 248
XJ Doherty {158} conceded 150
plus runs in this innings
providing the 25th occasion of
an Australian bowler
conceding 150 plus runs in an
innings against England
PM Siddle returned with
figures of none for 121 in this
innings providing the 20th
occasion of an Australian
bowler conceding 100 plus
runs without capturing a
wicket against England.
SR Watson scored 57 in the
second innings of this test
which represents his 13th test
half century and 15th fifty. MJ
Clarke scored 80 in this test
which represents his 20th test
half century and 34th fifty.
MEK Hussey scored 52 in the
second innings of this test
which represents his 23rd test
half century and 35th fifty
SR Watson scored 51 and 57 in
this test providing the 77th
occasion of an Australian
batsman scoring fifty plus in
both innings of a test against
Australia
MEK Hussey scored 93 and 52
in this test providing the 78th
occasion of an Australian
batsman scoring fifty plus runs
in both innings of a test
against Australia.
SR Watson scored 51 and 57 in
this test providing the 44th
occasion of an Australian
batsman scoring half centuries
in both innings of a test
against Australia
MEK Hussey scored 93 and 52
in this test providing the 45th
occasion of an Australian
batsman scoring half centuries
in both innings of a test
against Australia.
MJ Clarke and MEK Hussey
added 104 runs for the fourth
wicket in the second innings of
this test providing the 305th
occasion of Australian
batsmen posting a three
figure partnership against
England. This stand also
represents the 56th occasion
of Australian batsman posting
a three figure partnership for
the fourth wicket against
Australia
GP Swann captured 5 for 91 in
England’s second innings of
this test providing the 239th
occasion of an England bowler
capturing five or more wickets
in an innings against Australia.
GP Swann captured 5 for 91 in
England’s second innings of
this test providing the 122nd
occasion of an England bowler
capturing five or more wickets
in an innings against Australia
in Australia.
GP Swann’s 5 for 91 in this test
represent his tenth five
wickets haul in an innings and
his first five wickets haul
against Australia.
England won this test by an
innings and 71 runs providing
the 11th occasion of England
winning a test against
Australia by an innings
margin. The other ten
occasions are – innings and
230 runs at Adelaide in Mar
1892 : innings and 225 runs at
Melbourne in Feb 1912 :
innings and 124 runs at Sydney
in Dec 1901 : innings and 98
runs at Melbourne in Mar
1885 : innings and 93 runs at
Sydney in Jan 1966 : innings
and 29 runs at Melbourne in
Feb 1925 : innings and 27 runs
at Melbourne in Jan 1883 :
innings and 22 runs at Sydney
in Dec 1936 : innings and 14
runs at Melbourne in Dec 1986
and innings and 4 runs at
Melbourne in Feb 1975.
Mumbai: The BCCI today allowed the squabbling Kochi franchisee to participate in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League, ending the suspense over the fate of team.
The IPL Governing council, which
had given a third deadline to
Kochi last week after the
consortium's investors reached a
last-minute agreement over their
shareholding pattern, today
approved their ownership
structure and took it in its fold.
"At their meeting today, the IPL
Governing Council confirmed
that the Kochi Franchisee had
satisfactorily responded to the
notice issued to them by the
BCCI, and decided that the
Franchisee Kochi Cricket Pvt.
Ltd., would play in the IPL from
2011 onwards," BCCI Secretary
and President-Elect N Srinivasan
said in a release.
The Governing Council's decision
comes on the backdrop of the
legal developments involving the
BCCI and expelled IPL
franchisees - Kings XI Punjab and
Rajasthan Royals, the IPL
Governing Council.
Barely seven months after
becoming the second most
costliest team in the Indian
Premier League, Kochi was on
the verge of being thrown out of
the event.
But the owners of the
beleaguered franchise made a
last ditch attempt to save the
outfit by reaching a compromise.
Before the compromise, the
investors of the franchise, which
was bought for a staggering sum
of Rs 1533.33 crore, had written
to the BCCI informing them of
their intention to withdraw from
the IPL.
That letter was sent after the
BCCI, which had on October 10
expelled Kings XI Punjab and
Rajasthan Royals for allegedly
violating contractual agreements,
gave a termination notice of 30
days to the franchise to sort out
internal disputes regarding the
shareholding pattern.
The investors in the consortium
-- Anchor Earth, Parinee
Developers, Rosy Blue and Film
Wave -- hold 74 per cent of the
equity.
The remaining 26 per cent lies
with the Gaikwad family --
Shailendra, his brother Ravi and
their parents all part of
Rendezvous Sports World -- as
free equity for services rendered
while bidding.
It is this 26 per cent which
became a bone of contention
among the stakeholders as the
investors were in no mood to
give free equity to the Gaikwad
family.
The Gaikwads, on their part,
initially refused to part with the
equity but have now agreed to
forego at least some of it to put
an end to the squabbling which
threatens the very existence of
the team.
The BCCI has made it clear that
eight teams will take part in the
fourth edition of the league
scheduled from April 8, just six
days after the World Cup.
A Pakistan television news program has aired video of allegedly corrupt players agent Mazhar Majeed incriminating four more Pakistan cricketers in spot- fixing.
In the footage _ obtained and
released by Geo television on
Tuesday night _ Majeed claims
the Akmal brothers _ Kamran
and Umar _ fast bowler Wahab
Riaz and opening batsman Imran
Farhat were also involved.
The International Cricket Council
has already suspended
Mohammad Asif, Salman Butt
and Mohammad Amir after a
British tabloid newspaper
accused them of being involving
in spot fixing _ bowling no-balls
at pre-determined times during a
test match against England at
Lord's in August.
The ICC's anti-corruption
tribunal will conduct a full
hearing of the cases against the
trio in January at Doha, Qatar.
Of the seven players implicated
by Majeed, only Umar Akmal
and Riaz were named in the
Pakistan squad for next month's
tour of New Zealand. Riaz was
also questioned by British
detectives during the tour of
England, but was released
without any charge.
Kamran Akmal claimed he
approached the ICC's Ant-
Corruption and Security Unit
after the tour of England and
was told that he was clear to
compete for Pakistan.
However, Pakistan selectors did
not pick him for either the
Twenty20s or test matches in
New Zealand.
Farhat was part of the Pakistan
team which competed in
Twenty20 and limited-overs
internationals against South
Africa last month in the United
Arab Emirates. He was also
dropped for the New Zealand
tour apparently after the new
opening pair of Taufeeq Umar
and Mohammad Hafeez
performed well in the two test
matches against the Proteas.
Apparently the latest video was
the same which the ICC has
shown to lawyers representing
Amir and Butt in Dubai last
month.
In the latest video, Majeed
reportedly said that he is not
interested in recruiting senior
players such as Younis Khan,
Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and
Saeed Ajmal because they have
limited years of international
cricket left in them.
Majeed also said that Ajmal was
"too religious" as he explained to
an undercover reporter posing
as a gambler how he targeted
players on the Pakistan team.
New Delhi: indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni signed one of the largest single endorsement deals with the liquor to airlines conglomerate, the UB Group, valued at approximately Rs.26 crore for three years, according to a person privy to the deal.
The deal puts the Indian captain
in the select league of top
Bollywood stars such as Shah
Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan who
charge anywhere near Rs.6 crore
to Rs.8 crore per product's
endorsements in a year.
A official with the talent
management firm Rhiti Sports
Management, through which the
deal was struck, told IANS: 'Yes,
Dhoni has entered into a deal
with the UB Group and is now in
the exclusive league of stars like
Shah Rukh and Aamir.'
According to the official, the
Indian cricket captain will
endorse the company's
McDowell soda.
'Right now, Dhoni is one of the
most sort-after persons for
endorsements, which is majorly
due to the fact that the Indian
team has been performing very
well,' the official added.
Earlier, Dhoni's most expensive
deal was signed at a price of Rs.6
crore per year with Reebok,
which comes down to Rs.30
crore for a 5-year period.
Currently, he is associated with
22 brands -- among them
beverages and snacks major
PepsiCo, reality company
Amrapali, telecom operator
Aircel and retail chain Big
Bazaar.
Kolkata: Former India all- rounder Bapu Nadkarni described Sachin Tendulkar as an all-time great cricketer.
"Cricketers like (Don) Bradman,
(Brian) Lara are born once in a
while. Tendulkar is one of them,
he is an all-time legend, a gem,"
the 77-year-old said while
attending a programme at the
Thakurpukur Cancer Hospital
here on Saturday.
Asked how would he have
bowled to Tendulkar if he was
there, the former left-arm
spinner known for his tidy and
economical bowling, said, "You
can never set a field to a
batsman like him. He will
dominate you no matter how
you bowl or the field you set.
That's the greatness in him."
A respected name in Mumbai
cricket, Nadkarni also said
Twenty20 cricket was affecting
the game.
"We are not getting good
bowlers now-a-days and T20 has
to be blamed. You cannot judge
a bowler's efficiency by seeing
him in short spells in T20. There
has to be a lot of Test cricket
that will produce good bowlers,"
he said.
London Chess Classic 2010
The field for the 2nd London
Chess Classic has been
strengthened again this year with
the addition of World Champion
and number one Viswanathan
Anand. Returning is world
number two Magnus Carlsen,
former World Champion
Vladimir Kramnik, US Number
One Hikaru Nakamura and the
top English players Michael
Adams, Nigel Short, Luke
McShane and David Howell.
There will be many events
alongside this major tournament.
As a special treat Garry Kasparov
will be the guest commentator
on the day of the final round 7
(December 15th).
Magnus Carlsen in last year's
Classic against Vladimir Kramnik
who he beat in a good game.
Photo © John Saunders |
London Chess Classic 2010
The field for the 2nd London
Chess Classic has been
strengthened again this year with
the addition of World Champion
and number one Viswanathan
Anand. Returning is world
number two Magnus Carlsen,
former World Champion
Vladimir Kramnik, US Number
One Hikaru Nakamura and the
top English players Michael
Adams, Nigel Short, Luke
McShane and David Howell.
There will be many events
alongside this major tournament.
As a special treat Garry Kasparov
will be the guest commentator
on the day of the final round 7
(December 15th).
Magnus Carlsen in last year's
Classic against Vladimir Kramnik
who he beat in a good game.
Photo © John Saunders |
I'm the no-panty girl: Yana Gupta
Right after she
was caught
offguard, Yana
Gupta tags herself
as the 'no-panty'
girl and the day
as the officially
funniest day of her life.
What do you expect after a
wardrobe malfunction? Shock
or embarrassment? Item girl
Yana Gupta, who was recently
caught on camera without
panties, has chosen to take the
incident in her stride and be
very sporting about it. Where
any lesser girl may have cringed
and disappeared from the scene
in sheer embarrassment, Yana
suggests half-jokingly that she
should perhaps now endorse
some underwear brand!
"I used to be known as an item
girl. Now I will be known as a
no-panty girl. I should do an ad
for some underwear brand with
a tag line saying: 'I've got them
NOW'." she tweets wittily on her
Twitter account. Yana further
goes on to blog why and how
the 'malfunction' happened.
"For past three weeks I have
been rehearsing for a particular
dance television show. While
doing all the splits and various
crazy dance moves, I kept
getting irritated by my panties
getting stuck in my ass. Now
imagine at all times I am being
shot by cameras as I rehearse so
it just didn't look good that after
every crazy step I'm trying to
adjust 'myself'. So I thought I'll
sort out the issue by simply not
wearing undies as I wear pants
for rehearsal," she wrote.
Yana continues, "That day I had
no time to go home after
rehearsal in order to make it to
the charity event. I packed my
bag in the morning, put my
make up, dress, shoes in it but
guess what I forgot! Yes I openly
admit...I did forget something
'slightly' essential to pack. I just
pulled my dress down every few
steps, but it didn't help! I had
no clue it could be seen. I had
no clue till I saw the pictures
today, now should I cry over
this?"
Yana claims that such things do
not matter much and actually
calls it 'the officially funniest day
of her life'. Yana, through
Twitter requests her fans, "I
have only one thing to say. For
God's sake! Stop looking at
those pictures! I don't want
anyone getting a heart attack
here."
Now, surely Yana isn't the only
girl out there who takes such
liberties with her innerwear once
in a while. We know for sure
that many girls beset with similar
problems, prefer to do the
same. Their saving grace is they
do not have cameras clicking
them at awkward moments! We
at timesofindia.com understand
the intricacies of the matter and
give a big Thumbs Up to Yana
for her sporting attitude!President greets Asian Games heroes at Rashtrapati Bhavan
President Pratibha Patil admires
the gold medal of Ashwini
Akkunji as other athletes look on
during a meeting with medal
winners of the recently
concluded 16th Asian Games in
China, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in
New Delhi on Saturday.
President Pratibha Patil today
hailed the efforts of Indian
athletes, who brought glory to
the country in the recently-
concluded Asian Games at
Guangzhou and encouraged
them to maintain their golden
run.
During a felicitation ceremony
here at the Rashtrapati Bhavan,
Patil congratulated the Asian
Games gold medal winners and
greeted them with flowers.
However, a notable absentee on
the occasion was the Indian
Olympic Association (IOA) chief
and Commonwealth Games
Organising Committee President
Suresh Kalmadi. It is important
to note that earlier Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh had
also given him a royal snub after
the Delhi Games when he met
the CWG medal winners.
Meanwhile, talking to the
reporters during the function
athletes said they were
overwhelmed by President ’s
gesture and would like to further
improve upon their
performances to put up a better
show during the London
Olympics 2012.
“It is a dream come true. I had
never even imagined that I
would meet the President some
day. The gesture puts an added
responsibility on our shoulders
to improve our performances
and make the country proud in
the forthcoming Olympics,” said
Joseph Abraham, who etched his
name into record books after
becoming the first Indian to grab
gold in the men ’s 400m hurdles
during the recently concluded
Games in China.
Ashwini Akkunji, who raced to
glory with her exemplary golden
double in the women ’s 400m
hurdles and was also a part of
the women ’s 4x400m relay,
expressed her gratitude to the
people of country and said that
without their support she would
not have been able to attain the
feat.
“When I was running it was quite
heartening to see the people of
my country cheering and
supporting me. Although there
were only few Indian fans
present during the event but to
see tears in their eyes after every
run encouraged me and that is
something I can never forget, ”
an elated athlete said.
“I am thankful to my parents
who supported me. The credit
goes to my coaches who
motivated me to go a step
forward, ” added Ashwini.
The small town girl from the
coastal town of Udupi in
Karnataka said she trained really
hard for the Asiad, particularly
for the hurdles, even though she
started just a month before the
Games.
“I never expected a gold in
hurdles as I started my
preparations late for the event.
But I tried to give my best, ”
insisted Ashwini, adding, “I still
need to do a lot of things to
improve and be in the reckoning
for the Olympics. ”
The Indian teen sensation Vikas
Krishan who humbled defending
champion Qing Hu of China to
win India a gold in the
lightweight (60kg) category said,
“ I never expected that one day I
will meet the President, it is just
like a dream and it encourages
me to bring more laurels to the
country. ”
Among others who were present
on the occasion were the gold
medallists of men ’s and women’s
Kabaddi teams apart from
Bajrang Lal Thakkar, who won
India ’s first gold medal in rowing
and gold medal winner in men’s
double trap shooting Ranjan
Sodhi. However, the star Indian
boxer Vijender Singh could not
make it to the functionLiverpool Linked With Bolton Striker
Liverpool boss
Roy Hodgson is considering
making a move for Bolton
striker Johan Elmander.
Elmander is in the last year of his
contract and could be purchased
for around £5million.
However, earlier this month
there were rumors that Bolton
were trying to work out a new
deal with the 29-year-old striker.
NBA - Garnett, Rondo pace Celtics over Bulls
(Reuters) - Kevin Garnett
and Rajon Rondo led all
five Boston starters into
double-digit scoring as the
Celtics eased to a 104-92
victory over the Chicago
Bulls on Friday.
The Atlantic Division-leading
Celtics have won six consecutive
games to improve to 15-4, while
the Bulls have lost two in a row
to slip to 9-8 for the season.
Garnett had 20 points and a
season-high 17 rebounds and
Rondo scored 12 points and had
19 assists. Fellow starters Paul
Pierce scored 18 points, Ray
Allen added 14 and Shaquille
O'Neal scored 12.
Derrick Rose led the Bulls with
20 points, despite shooting just
7-for-17.
"I really liked the way Kevin
(Garnett) asserted himself on
both sides tonight," Pierce said.
"He stepped up to the challenge,
guarding (Joakim) Noah,
guarding (Carlos) Boozer,
knowing that's the meat of their
front line.
"He went out there trying to be
better than everybody. That's the
vintage Kevin we know. He's
shown a lot of flashes of his old
self this week."
The Celtics opened the third
quarter with a 17-6 run to
stretch their 53-48 halftime lead
to 16 points, led by Rondo, who
scored eight points during the
stretch.
Noah had a double-double for
Chicago with 14 points and 11
rebounds, but lost his head-to-
head battle with Garnett.
"It's tough because we lost right
now, but you know they're a hell
of a team and that's what we're
striving to be, one of the best
teams in the game," said Noah,
son of former French Open
tennis champion Yannick.
Boston started the game quickly
and opened a 14-point first
quarter lead but with the Celtics
starters benched, the Bulls
rallied in the second quarter to
tie the game on three occasions.
"We have to do a better job
containing the ball," Bulls coach
Tom Thibodeau said. "Our weak
side has to be more alert. We
have to have better body
position on cuts. We have to
defend with greater intensity."
and Rajon Rondo led all
five Boston starters into
double-digit scoring as the
Celtics eased to a 104-92
victory over the Chicago
Bulls on Friday.
The Atlantic Division-leading
Celtics have won six consecutive
games to improve to 15-4, while
the Bulls have lost two in a row
to slip to 9-8 for the season.
Garnett had 20 points and a
season-high 17 rebounds and
Rondo scored 12 points and had
19 assists. Fellow starters Paul
Pierce scored 18 points, Ray
Allen added 14 and Shaquille
O'Neal scored 12.
Derrick Rose led the Bulls with
20 points, despite shooting just
7-for-17.
"I really liked the way Kevin
(Garnett) asserted himself on
both sides tonight," Pierce said.
"He stepped up to the challenge,
guarding (Joakim) Noah,
guarding (Carlos) Boozer,
knowing that's the meat of their
front line.
"He went out there trying to be
better than everybody. That's the
vintage Kevin we know. He's
shown a lot of flashes of his old
self this week."
The Celtics opened the third
quarter with a 17-6 run to
stretch their 53-48 halftime lead
to 16 points, led by Rondo, who
scored eight points during the
stretch.
Noah had a double-double for
Chicago with 14 points and 11
rebounds, but lost his head-to-
head battle with Garnett.
"It's tough because we lost right
now, but you know they're a hell
of a team and that's what we're
striving to be, one of the best
teams in the game," said Noah,
son of former French Open
tennis champion Yannick.
Boston started the game quickly
and opened a 14-point first
quarter lead but with the Celtics
starters benched, the Bulls
rallied in the second quarter to
tie the game on three occasions.
"We have to do a better job
containing the ball," Bulls coach
Tom Thibodeau said. "Our weak
side has to be more alert. We
have to have better body
position on cuts. We have to
defend with greater intensity."
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Arsene Wenger blasts outdated FIFA
ARSENE WENGER has branded
FIFA's decision to snub
England's 2018 World Cup bid
as one from the "Middle Ages".
The Arsenal boss was an official
supporter of the England 2018
campaign and a video message
from him was shown to FIFA
committee members as part of
our presentation.
But Wenger insists football's
governing body must now drag
their decision-making process
into the 21st century after
England's bid received just TWO
votes and Russia were awarded
the tournament.
The Frenchman said: "I'm very
sad because I supported that
bid as much as I could.
"I am sad for the people who
have a passion in England for
football. I don't believe FIFA
was conscious of how much it
meant to people here.
"I watched how much the
people worked for this bid and
they put some unbelievable
quality work in."
Wenger has called for future
World Cups to be allocated on
a more scientific basis, taking in
the relative merits of the
technical bids.
He added: "It looked to me a
little bit of a Middle Age way to
decide. You would like to have
much more technical criteria
than human criteria.
"You could have 100 criteria for
example with a different weight
and you put that in a computer
and the best comes out.
"It doesn't look right in modern
life that people have to go over
there and lobby and say 'please
believe in us.' I would like to see
it be more technical.
"You have to work in the
modern life to get all suspicion
out. Is the suspicion right or
wrong I don't know, but you
don't want a vote of that
importance to be the subject of
suspicion."
Wenger was mystified at how
England could poll just two
votes from the 22 FIFA
members.
He said: "I personally cannot
understand that. I was a great
supporter of that bid. You have
to take it on board and get on
with it.
"It has not been played here for
a long, long time and this
country created the sport.
"That's why I say you should
have 100 criteria, the technical,
commercial, the fact that the
country never had the
competition before could be
one of them and give them a
different weight and decide.
"That criteria cannot be the only
one that is taken into
consideration before a decision
of that magnitude is made.
"Russia is a good candidate and
congratulations to them but we
all do not know why the
England bid has failed so
much."
On the effect of the media
investigations into FIFA
members, Wenger added: "Did
it help? Certainly not."
FIFA's decision to snub
England's 2018 World Cup bid
as one from the "Middle Ages".
The Arsenal boss was an official
supporter of the England 2018
campaign and a video message
from him was shown to FIFA
committee members as part of
our presentation.
But Wenger insists football's
governing body must now drag
their decision-making process
into the 21st century after
England's bid received just TWO
votes and Russia were awarded
the tournament.
The Frenchman said: "I'm very
sad because I supported that
bid as much as I could.
"I am sad for the people who
have a passion in England for
football. I don't believe FIFA
was conscious of how much it
meant to people here.
"I watched how much the
people worked for this bid and
they put some unbelievable
quality work in."
Wenger has called for future
World Cups to be allocated on
a more scientific basis, taking in
the relative merits of the
technical bids.
He added: "It looked to me a
little bit of a Middle Age way to
decide. You would like to have
much more technical criteria
than human criteria.
"You could have 100 criteria for
example with a different weight
and you put that in a computer
and the best comes out.
"It doesn't look right in modern
life that people have to go over
there and lobby and say 'please
believe in us.' I would like to see
it be more technical.
"You have to work in the
modern life to get all suspicion
out. Is the suspicion right or
wrong I don't know, but you
don't want a vote of that
importance to be the subject of
suspicion."
Wenger was mystified at how
England could poll just two
votes from the 22 FIFA
members.
He said: "I personally cannot
understand that. I was a great
supporter of that bid. You have
to take it on board and get on
with it.
"It has not been played here for
a long, long time and this
country created the sport.
"That's why I say you should
have 100 criteria, the technical,
commercial, the fact that the
country never had the
competition before could be
one of them and give them a
different weight and decide.
"That criteria cannot be the only
one that is taken into
consideration before a decision
of that magnitude is made.
"Russia is a good candidate and
congratulations to them but we
all do not know why the
England bid has failed so
much."
On the effect of the media
investigations into FIFA
members, Wenger added: "Did
it help? Certainly not."
Obama: Qatar wrong choice for 2022
Barack Obama, the US
president, has said that Fifa, the
world governing football body
erred in awarding the 2022
World Cup to Qatar instead of
his country.
"I think it was the wrong
decision," Obama told reporters
at the White House on
Thursday.
He said he remained optimistic
that the US team would make it
to the finals.
Fifa selected Qatar over bids
from the US, Japan, South
Korea and Australia to play host
for the games in 2022.
Russia won the right to stage
the 2018 World Cup.
The US Football Federation
spent millions of dollars on its
bid. Bill Clinton, the former US
president, was highly involved in
the process and participated in
the closing presentation.
Those pushing the US bid had
hoped that bringing the World
Cup back to the country for the
first time since 1994 would
boost the slow but steady
growth of football in America.
Qatar hailed Thursday's decision
as a victory over misconceptions
about the country's bid.
The Gulf state was initially seen
as an outsider, regarded by
many as too small and hot to
stage the tournament.
It will now become the smallest
country to host the World Cup
after convincing Fifa that its
plans to build carbon-neutral
air-conditioned stadiums to
combat the searing summer
heat are viable.
Thanking Fifa for their "bold
vision", Sheikh Mohammed bin
Hamad al-Thani, the bid
committee chairman, said: "We
started off being written off, the
unconventional bid, the bid that
nobody saw coming, that
nobody thought had a chance
to win".
"As you can recall, there were
several tournaments with similar
climates to Qatar but because
of the misconceptions, it was
difficult to combat those, to
prove ourselves on the world
stage.
"One of the most important was
Qatar cannot do it because
Qatar is too hot. It's very
important to have faith as Fifa
did when they went to South
Africa in 2010 and it's important
to get beyond these
perceptions."
Qatari triumph
Sheikh Mohammed said that
another misconception was that
women in the Middle East were
not allowed to play football,
adding that Qatar was setting
up a professional women's
championship.
"The perception that women
are oppressed is another wrong
perception," he said.
"We will deliver with passion
and make sure this is a
milestone in the history of the
Middle East and a milestone for
Fifa."
Sheikh Mohammed said Fifa's
decision was "a statement of
trust, of loyalty to the game".
"On behalf of millions of people
in the Middle East, thank you
for believing in us, thank you
for having such bold vision. I
can promise we will not let you
down," he said.
"Most importantly [for the
people of the Middle East],
rather than watching a World
Cup overseas across thousands
of miles, it's finally at their
door ... finally being recognised
by Fifa as an integral part of the
footballing world.
"To Fifa, thank you for
acknowledging this is the right
time for the Middle East, we
have a date with history," he
said.
president, has said that Fifa, the
world governing football body
erred in awarding the 2022
World Cup to Qatar instead of
his country.
"I think it was the wrong
decision," Obama told reporters
at the White House on
Thursday.
He said he remained optimistic
that the US team would make it
to the finals.
Fifa selected Qatar over bids
from the US, Japan, South
Korea and Australia to play host
for the games in 2022.
Russia won the right to stage
the 2018 World Cup.
The US Football Federation
spent millions of dollars on its
bid. Bill Clinton, the former US
president, was highly involved in
the process and participated in
the closing presentation.
Those pushing the US bid had
hoped that bringing the World
Cup back to the country for the
first time since 1994 would
boost the slow but steady
growth of football in America.
Qatar hailed Thursday's decision
as a victory over misconceptions
about the country's bid.
The Gulf state was initially seen
as an outsider, regarded by
many as too small and hot to
stage the tournament.
It will now become the smallest
country to host the World Cup
after convincing Fifa that its
plans to build carbon-neutral
air-conditioned stadiums to
combat the searing summer
heat are viable.
Thanking Fifa for their "bold
vision", Sheikh Mohammed bin
Hamad al-Thani, the bid
committee chairman, said: "We
started off being written off, the
unconventional bid, the bid that
nobody saw coming, that
nobody thought had a chance
to win".
"As you can recall, there were
several tournaments with similar
climates to Qatar but because
of the misconceptions, it was
difficult to combat those, to
prove ourselves on the world
stage.
"One of the most important was
Qatar cannot do it because
Qatar is too hot. It's very
important to have faith as Fifa
did when they went to South
Africa in 2010 and it's important
to get beyond these
perceptions."
Qatari triumph
Sheikh Mohammed said that
another misconception was that
women in the Middle East were
not allowed to play football,
adding that Qatar was setting
up a professional women's
championship.
"The perception that women
are oppressed is another wrong
perception," he said.
"We will deliver with passion
and make sure this is a
milestone in the history of the
Middle East and a milestone for
Fifa."
Sheikh Mohammed said Fifa's
decision was "a statement of
trust, of loyalty to the game".
"On behalf of millions of people
in the Middle East, thank you
for believing in us, thank you
for having such bold vision. I
can promise we will not let you
down," he said.
"Most importantly [for the
people of the Middle East],
rather than watching a World
Cup overseas across thousands
of miles, it's finally at their
door ... finally being recognised
by Fifa as an integral part of the
footballing world.
"To Fifa, thank you for
acknowledging this is the right
time for the Middle East, we
have a date with history," he
said.
Russia hosts 2018 World Cup, Qatar for 2022
Football's governing body, Fifa,
has announced Russia and
Qatar as hosts of the 2018 and
2022 World Cup tournaments
respectively.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter
announced the verdicts at a
gathering of the football
hierarchy in Zurich moments
ago.
Russia beat rival bids from
England, Portugal-Spain,
Netherlands-Belgium to host the
football mundial for the first
time.
Qatar also edged out Australia,
the United States, South Korea
and Japan also for a historic first
time hosting.
Brazil will host the 2014 FIFA
World Cup, which will be the
20th FIFA World Cup.
Thursday's decisions came after
the bidding countries made their
final presentations with Blatter
announcing that a secret ballot
of Fifa's 22 executive members
decided the winners.
has announced Russia and
Qatar as hosts of the 2018 and
2022 World Cup tournaments
respectively.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter
announced the verdicts at a
gathering of the football
hierarchy in Zurich moments
ago.
Russia beat rival bids from
England, Portugal-Spain,
Netherlands-Belgium to host the
football mundial for the first
time.
Qatar also edged out Australia,
the United States, South Korea
and Japan also for a historic first
time hosting.
Brazil will host the 2014 FIFA
World Cup, which will be the
20th FIFA World Cup.
Thursday's decisions came after
the bidding countries made their
final presentations with Blatter
announcing that a secret ballot
of Fifa's 22 executive members
decided the winners.
FIFA member: Media ruined England bid
The Japanese FIFA executive
committee member has said
England's World Cup bid failed
so utterly because of the
country's media investigations
into the world governing body.
Junji Ogura, who was thought to
favour England's bid to host the
2018 tournament, was
impressed by a presentation in
Zurich that included David
Beckham, Prince William and
prime minister David Cameron.
He said that investigations by
the Sunday Times and the BBC's
Panorama programme had
irretrievably harmed the
country's chances however.
"I thought England was a very
strong candidate," Ogura told
the BBC. "Their presentation
was one of the best
presentations.
"But I think there was a big
influence from the BBC and the
Sunday Times. These reports
possibly influenced people. It
made damage for some
people."
Russia was chosen to host with
England crashing out of the
contest in the first round with
only two votes, including that of
former FA chairman Geoff
Thompson.
Reports have circulated that
FIFA president Sepp Blatter gave
a private address to the
members of the executive
committee before voting took
place, reminding them of the
investigations.
"We have had difficulties with
them," he said, according to the
Daily Mail's Charles Sale.
Surprisingly it is also reported
that the second member to vote
in favour of England was African
football president Issa Hayatou,
the subject of one of the probes
into irregularities.
Asked whether he had voted for
England, Ogura replied: "I
cannot say anything. It's totally
complicated. Nobody will say
which country they voted for."
Spain-Portugal and
Netherlands-Belgium were the
other two bids to miss out, while
Middle Eastern state Qatar won
the right to host in 2022.
Source: Eurosport
committee member has said
England's World Cup bid failed
so utterly because of the
country's media investigations
into the world governing body.
Junji Ogura, who was thought to
favour England's bid to host the
2018 tournament, was
impressed by a presentation in
Zurich that included David
Beckham, Prince William and
prime minister David Cameron.
He said that investigations by
the Sunday Times and the BBC's
Panorama programme had
irretrievably harmed the
country's chances however.
"I thought England was a very
strong candidate," Ogura told
the BBC. "Their presentation
was one of the best
presentations.
"But I think there was a big
influence from the BBC and the
Sunday Times. These reports
possibly influenced people. It
made damage for some
people."
Russia was chosen to host with
England crashing out of the
contest in the first round with
only two votes, including that of
former FA chairman Geoff
Thompson.
Reports have circulated that
FIFA president Sepp Blatter gave
a private address to the
members of the executive
committee before voting took
place, reminding them of the
investigations.
"We have had difficulties with
them," he said, according to the
Daily Mail's Charles Sale.
Surprisingly it is also reported
that the second member to vote
in favour of England was African
football president Issa Hayatou,
the subject of one of the probes
into irregularities.
Asked whether he had voted for
England, Ogura replied: "I
cannot say anything. It's totally
complicated. Nobody will say
which country they voted for."
Spain-Portugal and
Netherlands-Belgium were the
other two bids to miss out, while
Middle Eastern state Qatar won
the right to host in 2022.
Source: Eurosport
AIDFI's Ram Pump Project Wins prestigious World Challenge 10 competition
London, 4 December 2010. This
Saturday, BBC World News
broadcasts the final programme
of the World Challenge 10
series, announcing The Only
Way is Up the Alternative
Indigenous Development
Foundation Inc. ’s (AIDFI) Ram
Pump Project as the winner.
Based in the Philippines the
initiative uses the power of a
river ’s flow to literally push
water uphill without any other
energy source.
The hydraulic ram pump has
been around for a couple of
centuries but has failed to date
to realise its potential. AIDFI is
determined to see it come into
its own and has devised a way
of using the pump which has
proved a boon for poor
villagers living in mountainous
regions. The ram pump can save
both hours of back breaking
work carrying water uphill and
cash where expensive water
pumps are replaced. AIDFI has
introduced the pump to over
170 villages and has plans to
spread the benefits far and wide
among poor communities.
Now in its sixth year, World
Challenge is more popular than
ever with more than 167,000
people around the world voting
online for their favourite finalist
– up 40,000 on last year’s votes.
This year 800 nominations were
received from over 70 countries
from which the final 12 projects
featured in World Challenge
2010 were selected. The final
programme airs on BBC World
News this weekend, showcasing
the presentation ceremony
hosted by the BBC ’s award-
winning presenter Zeinab
Badawi. The Only Way is Up
Project will receive a US$20,000
prize grant from Shell. Details
will also appear in Newsweek
magazine.
Two runner-up projects will
each be awarded US$10,000 by
Shell. The first runner-up is Pass
It On, a Peruvian initiative from
Sierra Productiva a federation of
small –scale subsistence farmers
teaching organic techniques to
dramatically improve production
from both livestock and crops.
Second runner-up is A Class
Apart, a project from Guatemala
with the aim of building a
school from recycled waste such
as car tyres and bottles.
Paul Gibbs, Head of
Programmes, BBC World News
says: “The World Challenge
competition is a deserved
favourite with BBC World News
viewers. The competition
continues to highlight these
fantastic projects and raise
awareness globally in the field
of sustainable development.”
Rhona Murphy, Publisher and
Managing Director, Newsweek
International says: “World
Challenge underlines
international support for
individuals and groups showing
an entrepreneurial approach to
environmental and community-
driven projects. We hope that
through World Challenge, more
people will be inspired to put
similar ideas into action. ”
Malcolm Brinded, Executive
Director of the Upstream
International Business, Shell
said: "Access to energy is critical
to driving development and
improving people's quality of
life. This year's winner of World
Challenge, a hydraulic pump
delivering water to remote
villages, could not be a clearer
demonstration of that. At Shell,
we are committed to using new
technology to deliver a lower
carbon energy future, and it's
exciting to see that same
ambition in action in the World
Challenge competition."
World Challenge is a global
competition rewarding grass
roots projects that give
something back to their
communities. It is run by BBC
World News, the BBC ’s
international news channel, and
Newsweek, the weekly global
current affairs magazine, in
association with Shell. This year ’s
series included a special
programme, World Challenge:
Down To Business, which saw
sustainable business advisor Leo
Johnson visit two previous
finalists to give them business
advice to help raise global
awareness of their projects.
Source: Sophie West
Saturday, BBC World News
broadcasts the final programme
of the World Challenge 10
series, announcing The Only
Way is Up the Alternative
Indigenous Development
Foundation Inc. ’s (AIDFI) Ram
Pump Project as the winner.
Based in the Philippines the
initiative uses the power of a
river ’s flow to literally push
water uphill without any other
energy source.
The hydraulic ram pump has
been around for a couple of
centuries but has failed to date
to realise its potential. AIDFI is
determined to see it come into
its own and has devised a way
of using the pump which has
proved a boon for poor
villagers living in mountainous
regions. The ram pump can save
both hours of back breaking
work carrying water uphill and
cash where expensive water
pumps are replaced. AIDFI has
introduced the pump to over
170 villages and has plans to
spread the benefits far and wide
among poor communities.
Now in its sixth year, World
Challenge is more popular than
ever with more than 167,000
people around the world voting
online for their favourite finalist
– up 40,000 on last year’s votes.
This year 800 nominations were
received from over 70 countries
from which the final 12 projects
featured in World Challenge
2010 were selected. The final
programme airs on BBC World
News this weekend, showcasing
the presentation ceremony
hosted by the BBC ’s award-
winning presenter Zeinab
Badawi. The Only Way is Up
Project will receive a US$20,000
prize grant from Shell. Details
will also appear in Newsweek
magazine.
Two runner-up projects will
each be awarded US$10,000 by
Shell. The first runner-up is Pass
It On, a Peruvian initiative from
Sierra Productiva a federation of
small –scale subsistence farmers
teaching organic techniques to
dramatically improve production
from both livestock and crops.
Second runner-up is A Class
Apart, a project from Guatemala
with the aim of building a
school from recycled waste such
as car tyres and bottles.
Paul Gibbs, Head of
Programmes, BBC World News
says: “The World Challenge
competition is a deserved
favourite with BBC World News
viewers. The competition
continues to highlight these
fantastic projects and raise
awareness globally in the field
of sustainable development.”
Rhona Murphy, Publisher and
Managing Director, Newsweek
International says: “World
Challenge underlines
international support for
individuals and groups showing
an entrepreneurial approach to
environmental and community-
driven projects. We hope that
through World Challenge, more
people will be inspired to put
similar ideas into action. ”
Malcolm Brinded, Executive
Director of the Upstream
International Business, Shell
said: "Access to energy is critical
to driving development and
improving people's quality of
life. This year's winner of World
Challenge, a hydraulic pump
delivering water to remote
villages, could not be a clearer
demonstration of that. At Shell,
we are committed to using new
technology to deliver a lower
carbon energy future, and it's
exciting to see that same
ambition in action in the World
Challenge competition."
World Challenge is a global
competition rewarding grass
roots projects that give
something back to their
communities. It is run by BBC
World News, the BBC ’s
international news channel, and
Newsweek, the weekly global
current affairs magazine, in
association with Shell. This year ’s
series included a special
programme, World Challenge:
Down To Business, which saw
sustainable business advisor Leo
Johnson visit two previous
finalists to give them business
advice to help raise global
awareness of their projects.
Source: Sophie West
Sreesanth, Raina rested for last three ODIs
Jaipur: Pace spearhead Zaheer
Khan, who missed the first two
matches due to a injury, on
Thursday returned to the Indian
team for the next three games of
the ODI series against New
Zealand while the selectors
decided to rest batsman Suresh
Raina and pacer Sreesanth
ahead of the upcoming South
Africa series.
The selectors announced two
separate teams for the third ODI
in Baroda on Saturday and
fourth and fifth matches of the
series in Bangalore and Chennai
on December 7 and 10
respectively.
Khan, who missed the first two
matches due to a injury, on
Thursday returned to the Indian
team for the next three games of
the ODI series against New
Zealand while the selectors
decided to rest batsman Suresh
Raina and pacer Sreesanth
ahead of the upcoming South
Africa series.
The selectors announced two
separate teams for the third ODI
in Baroda on Saturday and
fourth and fifth matches of the
series in Bangalore and Chennai
on December 7 and 10
respectively.
India Vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI: India Won by 9 Wickets, Lead Series by 3-0
VADODARA: India won the 3rd
ODI against New Zealand being
played at Reliance Stadium,
Vadodara by 9 wickets in 39.3
overs. Now, India lead the five-
match series 3-0 following easy
victories in the matches in
Guwahati, Jaipur and Vadodara.
Captain Gautam Gambhir once
again led from the front with the
bat to give India victory.
Gautam Gambhir was once again
crowned as the Man of the
Match for his unbeaten 126.
The way he rotated his bowlers
around and took the decision to
field first was really remarkable.
He converted an easy chase into
a ridiculously easy one, once
again dominating the opening
partnership, scoring 78 out of
115.
Chasing 225 for victory, India
comfortably scored the runs.
Gambhir slammed 126 from just
117 balls, hitting 16 boundaries,
while Murali Vijay scored 30
runs, before he was run out.
Gambhir added 115 runs in 112
balls for the opening wicket with
Murali Vijay. Thereafter, Virat
Kohli joined the Gambhir and
added 63 runs.
Earlier in the day, India won the
toss and once again decided to
field first. Indian bowlers
restricted the New Zealand at
just 224 runs for the loss 0f 9
wickets in 50 overs. Indian
bowlers took wickets at regular
intervals.
New Zealand All-rounder James
Franklin finished unbeaten on
72, hitting five boundaries and six
in his 108-ball knock. At a time,
Kiwis were reeling at 106 for
seven, but Franklin and Nathan
McCullum (43 from 53 balls)
repaired the damage as they put
on 94 runs from 107 balls for
the eighth wicket.
Zaheer Khan with his superb
bowling performance claimed
two wickets for 31 in eight overs,
while Munaf Patel bowled a
miserly spell of one for 28 in ten
overs. R Ashwin took two for 49
in nine overs and Yusuf Pathan
took two for 27 in eight overs.
Match Summary:
New Zealand Innings: Fall of
wickets: 1-2 (BB McCullum, 0.2
ov), 2-19 (Guptill, 4.5 ov), 3-34
(Taylor, 10.5 ov), 4-49
(Williamson, 15.2 ov), 5-77
(Styris, 22.6 ov), 6-96 (Vettori,
27.6 ov), 7-106 (Hopkins, 29.3
ov), 8-200 (NL McCullum, 47.2
ov), 9-224 (Mills, 49.6 ov)
India Innings: Fall of wickets:
1-115 (Vijay, 18.4 ov)
ODI against New Zealand being
played at Reliance Stadium,
Vadodara by 9 wickets in 39.3
overs. Now, India lead the five-
match series 3-0 following easy
victories in the matches in
Guwahati, Jaipur and Vadodara.
Captain Gautam Gambhir once
again led from the front with the
bat to give India victory.
Gautam Gambhir was once again
crowned as the Man of the
Match for his unbeaten 126.
The way he rotated his bowlers
around and took the decision to
field first was really remarkable.
He converted an easy chase into
a ridiculously easy one, once
again dominating the opening
partnership, scoring 78 out of
115.
Chasing 225 for victory, India
comfortably scored the runs.
Gambhir slammed 126 from just
117 balls, hitting 16 boundaries,
while Murali Vijay scored 30
runs, before he was run out.
Gambhir added 115 runs in 112
balls for the opening wicket with
Murali Vijay. Thereafter, Virat
Kohli joined the Gambhir and
added 63 runs.
Earlier in the day, India won the
toss and once again decided to
field first. Indian bowlers
restricted the New Zealand at
just 224 runs for the loss 0f 9
wickets in 50 overs. Indian
bowlers took wickets at regular
intervals.
New Zealand All-rounder James
Franklin finished unbeaten on
72, hitting five boundaries and six
in his 108-ball knock. At a time,
Kiwis were reeling at 106 for
seven, but Franklin and Nathan
McCullum (43 from 53 balls)
repaired the damage as they put
on 94 runs from 107 balls for
the eighth wicket.
Zaheer Khan with his superb
bowling performance claimed
two wickets for 31 in eight overs,
while Munaf Patel bowled a
miserly spell of one for 28 in ten
overs. R Ashwin took two for 49
in nine overs and Yusuf Pathan
took two for 27 in eight overs.
Match Summary:
New Zealand Innings: Fall of
wickets: 1-2 (BB McCullum, 0.2
ov), 2-19 (Guptill, 4.5 ov), 3-34
(Taylor, 10.5 ov), 4-49
(Williamson, 15.2 ov), 5-77
(Styris, 22.6 ov), 6-96 (Vettori,
27.6 ov), 7-106 (Hopkins, 29.3
ov), 8-200 (NL McCullum, 47.2
ov), 9-224 (Mills, 49.6 ov)
India Innings: Fall of wickets:
1-115 (Vijay, 18.4 ov)
2nd Test: England 90/1 at lunch on Day 2
ADELAIDE:
Australia struck
early to take the
prize wicket of
England captain
Andrew Strauss but Alastair
Cook and Jonathan Trott eased
the tourists to 90-1 at lunch on
the second day of the second
Ashes Test on Saturday.
Scorecard
Cook (35) and Trott (39)
enjoyed a record unbeaten
stand of 329 in the first Ashes
Test and again looked a
formidable partnership as they
chased Australia's first innings
total of 245 on a blistering hot
day at the Adelaide Oval.
Recalled fast bowler Doug
Bollinger gave the hosts a
dream start by clean bowling
Strauss for one run on his third
Ashes delivery, delighting much
of the packed house basking in
the morning sun.
The wholehearted Bollinger,
steaming into the England
batsmen with protective white
war paint daubed on his face,
almost had a second scalp when
Trott, on 10, sliced a drive to
gully but Mike Hussey failed to
hold a low catch.
Trott had already survived a
earlier scare after a mix-up with
Cook when he was on nine, but
Xavier Doherty missed the
wicket when a direct hit would
have comfortably run the
batsman out.
England's stunning start to the
test on Friday, when they
reduced the Australians to 2-3
in the first three overs, was fired
by Trott's accurate throw to run
out Simon Katich.
Australia dropped Mitchell
Johnson and overhauled their
fast bowling unit for the second
test after Cook (235 not out)
and Trott (135 not out)
hammered them at the Gabba.
Local quick Ryan Harris is also
making his Ashes debut in place
of Ben Hilfenhaus, while Peter
Siddle retained his spot on the
back of six wickets and a hat-
trick in England's first innings.
All three struggled to get any
movement on Saturday morning
after Bollinger's early
breakthrough with the Adelaide
track again looking like a
batting-friendly surface.
England are hoping to retain the
Ashes a earn a first series
triumph in Australia in 24 years.
Australia struck
early to take the
prize wicket of
England captain
Andrew Strauss but Alastair
Cook and Jonathan Trott eased
the tourists to 90-1 at lunch on
the second day of the second
Ashes Test on Saturday.
Scorecard
Cook (35) and Trott (39)
enjoyed a record unbeaten
stand of 329 in the first Ashes
Test and again looked a
formidable partnership as they
chased Australia's first innings
total of 245 on a blistering hot
day at the Adelaide Oval.
Recalled fast bowler Doug
Bollinger gave the hosts a
dream start by clean bowling
Strauss for one run on his third
Ashes delivery, delighting much
of the packed house basking in
the morning sun.
The wholehearted Bollinger,
steaming into the England
batsmen with protective white
war paint daubed on his face,
almost had a second scalp when
Trott, on 10, sliced a drive to
gully but Mike Hussey failed to
hold a low catch.
Trott had already survived a
earlier scare after a mix-up with
Cook when he was on nine, but
Xavier Doherty missed the
wicket when a direct hit would
have comfortably run the
batsman out.
England's stunning start to the
test on Friday, when they
reduced the Australians to 2-3
in the first three overs, was fired
by Trott's accurate throw to run
out Simon Katich.
Australia dropped Mitchell
Johnson and overhauled their
fast bowling unit for the second
test after Cook (235 not out)
and Trott (135 not out)
hammered them at the Gabba.
Local quick Ryan Harris is also
making his Ashes debut in place
of Ben Hilfenhaus, while Peter
Siddle retained his spot on the
back of six wickets and a hat-
trick in England's first innings.
All three struggled to get any
movement on Saturday morning
after Bollinger's early
breakthrough with the Adelaide
track again looking like a
batting-friendly surface.
England are hoping to retain the
Ashes a earn a first series
triumph in Australia in 24 years.
China funded Indian team to win water polo gold
BANGALORE:That China never let go even a
single medal
winning
opportunity at the just
concluded Asian Games is no
secret. They successfully lobbied
for the inclusion of popular
Chinese sports like Weiqi and
Xianqqi in the 16th edition of
the Games. They even denied
entry to a strong Indian
equestrian team to help the
Chinese riders.
But as strange as this may
sound, the same Chinese
authorities 'sponsored' a weak
Indian women's water polo
team that competed in the
quadrennial event. The China
Waterpolo Association worked
overtime to ensure that the
Indian eves arrived in
Guangzhou in time for the
competition. Their travel
documents were processed with
due diligence even as some of
the Indian journalists waited for
months to get the visa approval.
It spent around Rs 6 lakh for
the 15-member contingent's air
travel. Besides, the players were
provided accommodation at the
Games Village.
Why did China take such a huge
interest in the participation of an
Indian team? Reason: They got
one more gold medal from an
event which was on the verge of
becoming a non-medal sport.
Women's water polo, which
made its debut in Guangzhou,
had attracted only three entries.
So the presence of a fourth
team became inevitable to be
counted as a medal event. At
this juncture, CSA requested the
Swimming Federation of India
(SFI) to send the Indian team.
China spent a lot of energy and
money to get India's
participation. They got the
reward in the gold medal, a top
official from Asia Swimming
Federation told TOI on
condition of anonymity. Fancied
China clinched the gold,
demolishing the other three
opponents. Kazakhstan took
home the silver while Uzbekistan
claimed bronze.
The Indian eves, as expected,
cut a sorry figure, finishing at
the bottom of the table. They
conceded 96 goals in three
matches -- a whopping average
of 32 goals per match -- while
managing to score only six
goals. China and Kazakhstan
fired 38 goals each against India
while Uzbekistan pumped in 20.
Back home, swimming observers
raised a hue and cry over the
team's pathetic show. But SFI
general secretary Virendra
Nanavati remains unfazed and
defends the federation's
decision to send the team. "CSA
had offered an all-expenses
paid trip for our women's team.
Had we not sent our team,
waterpolo's future at the Games
would have been in jeopardy,"
he told TOI.
"We had picked the team for
the Commonwealth Waterpolo
Championship scheduled to be
held in the first week of
November in Chennai.
Unfortunately, it was cancelled
following the withdrawal of
Canada, England and New
Zealand. We had the team
ready at our disposal. When we
got the request from our
Chinese counterpart, we
decided to send them
immediately," he added. "We
wanted water polo to remain as
an event at the Asian Games.
The OCA may be tempted to
drop the event in the next
edition citing lesser number of
entries."
Nanavati also said the federation
did not take a single penny from
the players. "It's an all-expenses
paid trip. Then why should we
take money from the players?"
he asked.
On the composition of the team,
Nanavati said all the national
campers, who had a passport
when the invite came, were
allowed to go to China. "It is not
true that players from Police
were denied the opportunity.
Two Police players were there in
the camp, and only one had a
passport," he added.
single medal
winning
opportunity at the just
concluded Asian Games is no
secret. They successfully lobbied
for the inclusion of popular
Chinese sports like Weiqi and
Xianqqi in the 16th edition of
the Games. They even denied
entry to a strong Indian
equestrian team to help the
Chinese riders.
But as strange as this may
sound, the same Chinese
authorities 'sponsored' a weak
Indian women's water polo
team that competed in the
quadrennial event. The China
Waterpolo Association worked
overtime to ensure that the
Indian eves arrived in
Guangzhou in time for the
competition. Their travel
documents were processed with
due diligence even as some of
the Indian journalists waited for
months to get the visa approval.
It spent around Rs 6 lakh for
the 15-member contingent's air
travel. Besides, the players were
provided accommodation at the
Games Village.
Why did China take such a huge
interest in the participation of an
Indian team? Reason: They got
one more gold medal from an
event which was on the verge of
becoming a non-medal sport.
Women's water polo, which
made its debut in Guangzhou,
had attracted only three entries.
So the presence of a fourth
team became inevitable to be
counted as a medal event. At
this juncture, CSA requested the
Swimming Federation of India
(SFI) to send the Indian team.
China spent a lot of energy and
money to get India's
participation. They got the
reward in the gold medal, a top
official from Asia Swimming
Federation told TOI on
condition of anonymity. Fancied
China clinched the gold,
demolishing the other three
opponents. Kazakhstan took
home the silver while Uzbekistan
claimed bronze.
The Indian eves, as expected,
cut a sorry figure, finishing at
the bottom of the table. They
conceded 96 goals in three
matches -- a whopping average
of 32 goals per match -- while
managing to score only six
goals. China and Kazakhstan
fired 38 goals each against India
while Uzbekistan pumped in 20.
Back home, swimming observers
raised a hue and cry over the
team's pathetic show. But SFI
general secretary Virendra
Nanavati remains unfazed and
defends the federation's
decision to send the team. "CSA
had offered an all-expenses
paid trip for our women's team.
Had we not sent our team,
waterpolo's future at the Games
would have been in jeopardy,"
he told TOI.
"We had picked the team for
the Commonwealth Waterpolo
Championship scheduled to be
held in the first week of
November in Chennai.
Unfortunately, it was cancelled
following the withdrawal of
Canada, England and New
Zealand. We had the team
ready at our disposal. When we
got the request from our
Chinese counterpart, we
decided to send them
immediately," he added. "We
wanted water polo to remain as
an event at the Asian Games.
The OCA may be tempted to
drop the event in the next
edition citing lesser number of
entries."
Nanavati also said the federation
did not take a single penny from
the players. "It's an all-expenses
paid trip. Then why should we
take money from the players?"
he asked.
On the composition of the team,
Nanavati said all the national
campers, who had a passport
when the invite came, were
allowed to go to China. "It is not
true that players from Police
were denied the opportunity.
Two Police players were there in
the camp, and only one had a
passport," he added.
Harbhajan needs to find himself afresh
Harbhajan Singh's twin centuries
were a joy to watch, evidence
that he can bat, and proof to
himself, more than to anyone
else, that he was selling himself
short sometimes. They don't tell
you anything more, and indeed,
like most good things, they come
with a warning.
India now have a more confident
No. 8, someone who can stand
up to the bowling and shield
those below. But India do not
have a new No. 7. It would be
delusional to think so. It might
seem like just a number here
and there, and might be
workable occasionally for tactical
reasons, but batting at No. 7
places a lot of responsibility on
the batsman. Suddenly the fifty is
no longer a bonus but a
necessity. A quick thirty that
might boost the score is not
good enough.
As their No. 1 spin bowler,
Harbhajan needs to win India
matches, to work on his craft
constantly, to widen his
repertoire, indeed even to have
time to iron out the little faults
that could creep in sometimes.
He needs to define himself as
the country's No. 1 bowler -
certainly he must believe he is -
and revel in that role; think as
deeply about his bowling as a
Tendulkar or a Dravid might
about their batting. It is a
mindset that could get diluted by
thoughts of being an allrounder
(which, in any case, has long lost
its original definition: as a player
who can earn his place in the
side as a bowler or batsman
alone).
Accordingly Harbhajan will need
to guard against believing that
taking two wickets and scoring
45 is good enough. Taking five
wickets and scoring 15 would be
a more valuable contribution
most times. This is not to suggest
that he ignore his batting. No,
banish the thought. Merely that
he needs to regard himself as a
bowling match-winner first.
Harbhajan has now spent twelve
and a half years as an India
player and has tended to give
the impression in recent times
that he is fatigued. It can happen
to the best - when your tricks
become familiar, your metaphors
tired, your slower balls
predictable. But it is also a phase
that separates the best from the
very good. Like Sachin Tendulkar
and Anil Kumble did, the great
ride the phase and remain
standing. When they are not
playing as well as they can play,
they are still good enough to be
better than the challengers. It is
a phase that Harbhajan is going
through. In the last two Test
matches there has been a hint of
a new dawn, but South Africa
will be the challenge.
And yet he needs to look no
further than the man he admires
greatly, Kumble. At the same
stage in life, after twelve and a
half years, Kumble had 349
wickets from 76 Tests to
Harbhajan's 378 from 90. From
here on, Kumble took a
staggering 270 wickets in his last
56 matches. After 90 Tests,
Kumble had 434 wickets, he took
another 175 from the next 42.
These are numbers that
Harbhajan can look to for
inspiration without getting
bowled over by their magnitude.
Kumble's last few years were
defined by the strength of his
resolve; seen not as much on the
field of play as in ensuring that
he was fit and ready to go; in
constantly analysing and
reinventing his craft. When the
famous rocket ball started to
desert him, he started looping it
up more, began bowling the
googly that he gripped between
thumb and forefinger. But at all
times he searched for wickets, at
all times he believed that he was
going to get them. Some days he
dragged his body along.
It is this sort of doggedness that
might characterise the second
half of Harbhajan's career. It is a
phase he is well into now. As his
body starts asking more
questions, as opposition batsmen
experience a sense of déjà vu
watching him bowl, as
challengers emerge, it is his
attitude, his resolve, that will see
him through. Indeed, I wonder if
a challenger will spur Harbhajan
on the way his presence drove
Kumble to seek more from
himself. That challenger is not
threatening at the moment but
will arrive, for that is the way of
all life.
Glenn McGrath once told me of
how he retreated briefly - only
metaphorically, of course - to
ask himself what kind of
cricketer he was and what he
sought from his game. Musicians
and writers do it and often
return refreshed. Maybe he
should take a break from
limited-overs cricket for a couple
of months, start bowling Test
match lines, master again the
loop and the bounce that
marked him out as someone
special. And return for the
World Cup.
As a bowler, Harbhajan stands at
the crossroads. Ahead of him is a
door, beyond which lies the path
that can take him towards
greatness as a bowler. Unlike
with lesser cricketers, I believe
the key to that door lies with
him.
India v New Zealand, 2nd ODI, Jaipur Gambhir, bowlers make it 2-0
India 259 for 2 (Gambhir 138*,
Kohli 64*) beat New Zealand 258
for 8 (Guptill 70, Styris 59,
Sreesanth 4-47) by eight wickets
Gautam Gambhir's bowlers
responded well to his call of
bowling first, restricting New
Zealand with smart, accurate
bowling, and the captain
reciprocated with a fluent 138
off 116 balls to make the chase
look easy.
Gambhir, capping off a return to
form that began with a
struggling Test fifty in Hyderabad
last month, never let his strike-
rate come under 100 once he
crossed the mark in the sixth
over. He had for company an
equally hungry Virat Kohli, who
now has two centuries and a fifty
in his last three international
outings.
Dew, expected later in the
evening, was the reason why
India put New Zealand in on a
cracking surface, but the towels
were conspicuous by absence in
the second half of the game.
Which is what made the bowling
effort special.
The pitch played slow and low,
and India cut out the pace and
the room. There was nothing
spectacular done with the ball,
just accurate, wicket to wicket
bowling for most of the part.
Martin Guptill and Scott Styris
tried to take New Zealand
towards a fighting total with
important fifties, but India pulled
the visitors back every time they
threatened to break free.
New Zealand began with three
boundaries in the first two overs,
but Sreesanth's late swing
removed Jamie How. Guptill and
Kane Williamson looked solid
but subdued in a 50-run stand
for the second wicket. Those
runs took 12.5 overs coming - all
but seven of those deliveries in
the Powerplay.
The duo did little to upset the
bowlers' rhythm. Munaf Patel
was allowed to hit the same spot
again and again, with slight seam
movement either way. One of
those moved a bit more than
expected, and found a way
through Williamson's bat and
pad, taking the top of off. The
pressure showed when Ross
Taylor went to hit Yusuf Pathan's
first delivery for a six, but found
deep midwicket.
Styris came out in the 25th over
with the score yet to reach three
figures, and cut out the
unproductive balls, taking singles
with ease and finding timely
boundaries. When he and Guptill
asked for the Powerplay in the
35th over, R Ashwin responded
with a carrom balls to remove
Guptill. That set New Zealand
back by a couple of overs.
Styris and Daniel Vettori had to
take some time set up another
charge, but Sreesanth pegged
them back again. Like he did in
the first match of the series,
Sreesanth came back for a new
spell in the 46th over, and took
two wickets with his first two
deliveries. He ended a
threatening ninth-wicket
partnership in the last game, and
got rid of Styris and Vettori this
time.
New Zealand opened their
defence with Nathan McCullum,
presumably to get through some
overs of spin before dew
appeared, and immediately
troubled M Vijay, who struggled
to come to terms with the
slowness of the pitch.
Gambhir, however, was playing
in a different world. He timed
almost everything sweetly except
for a couple of inside edges that
went for fours. Against Kyle
Mills, he walked down the pitch
on a couple of occasions to
create the driving length. When
Mills pitched slightly short, he
cut him away. The driving
between mid-off and extra cover
stood out.
By the end of the eighth over,
Gambhir had scored four times
Vijay's eight, taking India to 40,
and putting Mills out of the
attack. Against Styris he made
room and went over extra cover.
Andy McKay strayed too straight,
and was clipped for four into the
leg side. There was not a hint of
power; the short back lift
emphasised how well he timed
the ball.
Vijay continued his patchy
innings until he tried a
premeditated slog-sweep off
Vettori in the 18th over, and was
bowled. Gambhir, though, had
reached 54 off 48 by then, out
of India's 87, and looked set to
carry India through. A crucial
moment came in the 22nd over
when Gambhir's bat got stuck
into the ground as he tried to
slide it in, but Vettori failed to
collect the throw cleanly and
Gambhir was let off.
Every time Gambhir needed
quick runs, he made room and
went over extra cover. Kohli
batted like he was never
dismissed in Guwahati, pulling
powerfully wide of long-on, and
punching square for most of his
runs. Over by over, the 116-run
partnership brought the asking
rate down, until it read 4.3 for
the last 13 overs when Kohli
found short midwicket with a
pull shot.
It was a distraught batsman that
left the wicket, 36 short of a
third straight century, which was
possible with 56 still required. His
captain and a senior back in
Delhi, though, was there to see
India home and continue their
unbeaten home season.Previous World Cup Cricket Finals Results, Champions
Cricket World Cup 1975 "West
Indies"
Venue : Lords, England
Result : West Indies beat
Australia.
West Indies won by 17 runs.
Scored 291 runs in 60 overs for 8
wickets.
Australia scored 274 in 58.4
overs all out.
Cricket World Cup 1979 "West
Indies"
Venue : Lords, England
Result : West Indies beat England
West Indies won by 92 Runs &
scored 286 runs in 60 overs for 9
Wickets
England scored 191 in 50 overs
all out.
Cricket World Cup 1983 "India "
Venue : Lords, England
Result : India beat West Indies.
India beat West Indies by 43 runs
& scored 183 in 54.4 overs all
out.
West Indies scored 140 in 52
overs all out.
Cricket World Cup 1987
"Australia "
Venue : Calcutta, India.
Result : Australia beat England.
Australia won by 7 runs & scored
253 in 50 overs for 5 Wickets.
England scored 246 in 50 overs
for 8 wickets.
Cricket World Cup 1992
"Pakistan "
Venue : Melbourne, Australia.
Result : Pakistan beat England.
Pakistan won by 22 runs &
scored 249 in 50 overs for 6
wickets.
England scored 227 runs for 49.2
overs all out.
Cricket World Cup 1996 "Sri
Lanka "
Venue : Lahore Pakistan.
Result : Sri Lanka beat Australia.
Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets &
scored 245 in 46.2 overs for 3
wickets.
Australia scored 241 in 50 overs
for 7 wickets.
Cricket World Cup 1999
"Australia "
Venue : Lords, England
Result : Australia beat Pakistan.
Australia won 8 wickets & scored
133 in 20.1 for 2 wickets
Pakistan scored 132 in 39 overs
all out.
Cricket World Cup 2003 " South
Africa "
Venue : The Wanderers,
Johannesburg, South Africa.
Result : Australia beat India by
125 runs & Scored 359 for 2
wickets.
India scored 234 in 39.2 overs all
out.
ICC World Cup Cricket History,
The Cricket World Cup was first
held in 1975 in England, with
eight teams participating:
Australia, England, the West
Indies, Pakistan, India, and New
Zealand (the six Test nations at
the time), with Sri Lanka and a
composite team from East Africa.
The first three tournaments were
held in England. N. K. P. Salve,
President of the BCCI (Board of
Control for Cricket in India)
recounts the awarding of hosting
rights for the 1987 World Cup in
his book The Story of the
Reliance Cup. According to
Salve, he was given two tickets
for the 1983 World Cup final at
Lord's. When India unexpectedly
qualified for the final, he
requested two additional tickets
from the MCC for friends who
had just arrived from India. The
MCC refused his request.
Following this rebuff, Salve
campaigned heavily amongst
associate members of the
International Cricket Council to
form a bloc of voters, who
ultimately awarded the hosting
of the 1987 World Cup jointly to
India and Pakistan.
Since 1987, the hosting of the
World Cup been shared by the
major cricket playing regions of
the world - England, the Indian
subcontinent, Australasia,
Southern Africa and the West
Indies. The tournaments have
been based mainly in the local
superpowers, though matches
are held in all regional cricketing
nations.
The World Cup is held in high
esteem amongst fans, players,
and administrators, unlike many
of the myriad of one-day
tournaments held around the
world each year. It has been the
scene of some of the major
developments in the way one-
day cricket is played.
DHONI Biography
Personal information
Full name: Mahendra Singh
Dhoni
D.O.B: 7th July, 1981
Place of Birth: Ranchi, Bihar
Nickname: Mahi
Cricketing information
Role: Captain of the Indian ODI
and Twenty20 team and Vice
captain of the Test team
Batting style: Right hand batsman
Bowling style: Right arm medium
Field position: Wicketkeeper
Clubs played: Jharkhand
Cricketing profile
Mahendra Singh Dhoni started
his first class career in the year
1999-2000. His one day
international debut came after
playing five years of first class
cricket on the 23rd of December
2004 against Bangladesh. The
venue of the match was in
Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Unfortunately, he was run out
on the first ball he faced. It
wasn’t a great debut for him
where batting is concerned. Luck
wasn’t on his side in the first four
matches he played. Where as on
the fifth match which was played
against Pakistan in
Visakhapatnam, Dhoni came to
the crease one down and
managed to score 148 runs from
just 123 balls. He hit 15
boundaries and four sixes. He
got his first man of the match
award that day. Not only a good
wicketkeeper but Dhoni proved
himself to be a first class
batsman too. He is one of the
few finest wicketkeeper batsman
India has seen after a very long
time.
On the 31st of October, Dhoni
broke the record of highest runs
scored by a wicket keeper by
securing 183 runs against
Srilanka which was played at
Jaipur. Adam Gilchrist was the
former record holder with 172
runs.
Before he started playing cricket,
he was a football goalkeeper. Its
said he drinks around four litres
of milk everyday but he denied it
by saying that has been
exaggerated a bit. He said he
loves milk and drinks around a
litre on a daily basis.
On the 2nd of December 2005,
Dhoni made his Test cricket
debut against Srilanka which was
played in Chennai, India.
Personal profile
Dhoni was born and brought up
in the city of Ranchi. He has two
siblings. A sister who is married
and a brother who lives in
Almora. Almora is a high-lying
town at the foot of the Himalaya
which is his father’s home town.
His father’s name is Pan Singh
and mother’s name is Devki Devi.
His hobbies and interests include:
Hearing music, ghazals and
songs by Lata Mangeshkar and
Kishore Kumar
Loves to ride bikes
Enjoys playing computer games
and badminton
Not interested in:
English songs
Working out at gyms
Special qualities:
Thinks positive
Highly confident about himself
Is aggressive on the field
His Idol:
Adam Gilchrist
