Shiven Khosla beats Chiel; Abhijeet shocked by Rotstien

Groningen: Seeking his third and final International Master norm, Shiven Khosla defeated VIM Van Oosterom Chiel of Holland to move to joint seventh spot after the end of the fifth round of Groningen International Open chess tournament here.

Second seeded former world junior champion Abhijeet Gupta was shocked by Arkadij Rotstein on a day that saw as many as six players emerging as joint leaders with four points apiece.

With four rounds still to go, Abhijeet slipped behind in the title race and will now need to do a lot of hard work in the remaining games to stage a comeback. It was from a position of strength that the Indian was outdone by Rotstein.

The other two Indians in the fray had good results as both International Masters Sahaj Grover and Ashwin Jayaram registered emphatic victories. While Grover defeated Woman Grandmaster Olga Stjazhkina of Russia, Jayaram had it easy against Christian Hess of Germany.

At the top of the tables, defending champion Illya Nyzhnyk played out a draw with overnight co-leader Dejan Bojkov of Bulgaria after surviving some anxious moments.

Mark Bluvshtein of Canada, Daan Brandenburg of Holland, Peter Prohaszka of Hungary and Rotestein joined Bojkov and Nyzhnyk as joint leaders.

Khosla is in the next group of 3.5 pointers while Abhijeet, Grover and Jayaram are all on three points.

Whiven was a little lucky in pressing home his advantage from the white side of a King pawn game against Chiel. The Indian obtained a good position in the middle game but could not keep pace with the clock and fell under sever time pressure.

At one point, the Indian had less than three minutes to make 20 moves but in the end all was well as Chiel could not find the best defense.

Abhijeet almost outplayed Rotstein from the white side of a Queen pawn game. The German was saddled with a very passive position and gave Abhijeet a huge advantage on space count and better placed pieces.

However, in the first time control, Abhijeet blundered and fell in to a simple tactical sequence that spelt disaster for him.

Grover faced the Petroff defense from Olga who played black. The middle game gave the Indian better prospects that he correctly calculated to lend in a better ending. Olga was sight of losing a handful of pawns when she called it a day.

Ashwin Jayaram is back on a track after his third victory in the tournament. The Indian won with black against Hess to set up a clash with Abhijeet Gupta in the next round.

Important and Indian Results round 5 (Indians unless specified):

Dejan Bojkov (Bul, 4) drew with Illya Nyzhnyk (Ukr, 4); Abhijeet Gupta (3) lost to Arkadij Rotstein (Ger, 4); Peter Prohaszka (Hun, 4) beat Sipke Ernst (Ned, 3); Mark Bluvshtein (Can, 4) beat Robin Van Kampen (Ned, 3); Davit Lobzhanidze (Geo, 3.5) drew with Zaven Andriasian (Arm, 3.5); Daan Brandenburg (Ned, 4) beat Jan Werle (Ned, 3); Friso Nijboer (Ned, 3.5) beat Roeland Pruijssers (Ned, 3); Shiven Khosla (3.5) beat Van O Olga Stjazhkina Oosterom Chiel (Ned, 2.5); Sahaj Grover (3) beat Olga Stjazhkina (Rus, 2); Chiristian Hess (Ger, 2) lost to Ashwin Jayaram (3).

Rahul Dravid registers record 200th Test catch

Durban: Indian middle-order batsman Rahul Dravid achieved a rare milestone in his career when he took his 200th catch in Test matches to stay on top of the list in the five-day format of the game.

An accomplished slip fielder, Dravid achieved the feat when he brilliantly caught Dale Steyn off Harbhajan Singh, diving in a flash to his left, during South Africa`s first innings in the ongoing second Test against India at Sahara Kingsmead Stadium.

Dravid now tops the list of most number of catches in Tests. He registered the feat in his 149th match.

Former Australia opener Mark Waugh is at the second spot with 181 catches from 128 Tests, followed by Australia skipper Ricky Ponting (174), former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming (171) and West Indian batting great Brian Lara (164).

Nicknamed "The Wall" for his stubborn and gritty display with the bat that holds the foundation of his team`s batting line up, Dravid is also considered to possess the safest pair of hands in world cricket.

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Apart from his exploits with the bat and in the slip cordon, Dravid is a handy wicket-keeper who has don the hat many a times for the Indian ODI side in times of necessity.

Dravid also ranks third in the list of top run-scorers in Tests with a total of 12,025 runs in 149 matches.

India names 23-member squad for Asian Cup

New Delhi: Promising striker Mohammed Rafi got the axe as India today announced a 23-member squad, to be captained by Bhaichung Bhutia, for the Asian Cup football tournament starting on January 7 in Doha, Qatar.

Apart from the omission of the Churchill Brothers striker, selection was on expected lines as there was not much option left after injury hit several key players during the nearly two-month long camp in Dubai since early November.

Rafi, who was named the best player of 2009-10 I-League, was laid low for a while due to injury in October, before the Indian players left for Dubai, but later played in the international friendly matches last month.

Bhutia himself is yet to fully recover from the right leg calf muscle injury and sports medicine expert from Chennai, Kannan Pugazendhi, is now in Dubai to treat the skipper.

Out of the eight players left out of the squad from the 31 who were in the camp, three -- Dempo left back Sameer Naik, Churchill Brothers goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya and Dempo winger Anthony Pereira -- are injured.

The other five left out players were Churchill Brothers striker Rafi, midfielder James Lukram and defender N Mohanraj -- both from Mohun Bagan, East Bengal striker Baljit Sahni and JCT midfielder Jagpreet Singh.

AIFF XI goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu who was called to the camp after injury to Bhattacharya, was retained.

The Indian team will reach Doha on January 6 and will play Australia in their Group C opening match on January 10. India's next match will be against Bahrain on January 14 while they take on South Korea on January 18.

Meanwhile, Raul Carmo Fernandez, the managing director of Gulf International Promotions, has been appointed manager of the Indian team for the Asian Cup in place of Pradip Chowdhury who had returned home after a tiff with coach Bob Houghton.

"As Pradip Choudhury is not returning to Dubai and subsequently will not travel to Doha with the Indian senior team, Raul Carmo Fernandes has been appointed manager of Indian team for AFC Asian Cup. Raul has been working with the team on various operational fronts for the past couple of years and more specifically in the past two months during the camp in Dubai," an AIFF release said.

AIFF vice-president Subrata Dutta will accompany the team as the Chef-de-Mission while executive committee member, Larsing Ming, will be the head of delegation for the Asian Cup.

The Squad:

Goalkeepers: Subrata Pal, Subhasish Roy Choudhury, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

Defenders: Surkumar Singh, Gouramangi Singh, Anwar, Mahesh Gawli, Syed Rahim Nabi, Deepak Mondal, N S Manju, Rakesh Masih and Govin Singh

Midfielders: Steven Dias, N P Pradeep, Climax Lawrence, Clifford Miranda, Renedy Singh, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Baldeep Singh.

Strikers: Bhaichung Bhutia (Capt.), Sunil Chhetri, Abhishek Yadav and Sushil Kumar Singh.

My dream is to win Davis Cup for India: Somdev

Agartala: Tennis star Somdev Devvarman on Monday said his dream is to win the Davis Cup for India.

"Our country has now entered the World Group and it would be my dream to win the Davis Cup title for my country," he said during a felicitation organised by the Tripura government.

Somdev said a lot of youngsters in the country and Tripura were now playing tennis players and he would want to help develop the game.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Sports Minister Tapan Chakraborty, Somdev's father Pravanjan Kishore Devvarman and mother Ranjana were also present at the felicitation.


The chief minister said, "Now you are the source of inspiration for the whole country and not only for our state. We would look forward towards your achievements. Your success and achievements only prove that there is no dearth of talents in the north eastern parts of the country."

A gold medal, a tennis racket made of silver, Rs 5,00,000 in cash, a plaque were given to Somdev during the felicitation.

US-based Fernandes shoots best at All India Junior golf

Bengaluru: Rigel Fernandes may be just 14, but the quality of golf he showed in the first round of the All India Junior and sub-Junior Amateur Golf championship at the Eagleton Golf Resort was way beyond his age.

Fernandes, who plays at the IMG Golf Course Academy in Florida and featuring in an event in India for the first time, carded an even par 72, the best score for the day across ll age groups.

With three birdies on the first, fourth and 16th against three bogeys on 11th, 14th and 15th, Fernandes led the Group B for 13-15 years.

In the A category (15 - 18 years) Saqib Ahmad from KGA is leading along with Ainesh Ahluwalia from DLF Gurgaon at two-over 74.

At three-over 75 are Trishul Chinnappa (KGA) and Chikkarangappa (Eagleton).

In Group B, Fernandes who has been living in the US for the last five years and won several tournaments including a third position in the under-14 category of the US Kids World golf championship, outdrove all others. He then captialised on it well with some good iron play and putting.

In the C Category (11 to 13 years), Piyush Sangwan from DLF and Prakhar Asawa from Rambagh Golf course, Jaipur are leading the field with 72 and 73 respectively.

At four-over 76 is Karandeep Kochar from Chandigarh. Tanvir Kahlon from Delhi and Arjun Prasad from Hyderabad are tied at fourth position with a score of nine-over 81.

He is followed by Kelly Rao (75) and Viraj Madappa (Tollygunge-Kolkata) and Subhankar Sharma (Army Golf Course, Delhi) at 76.

Jairaj Sandhu and Shivnaren Srinivasan are tied for the fifth at 77.

On the Second day, 30 players each in A & B Category along with 21 players from C category will be playing. Joining them will be six girls each in Category A, B and C along with 30 boys and Girls in D Category (below 11 years) and five children under 8 years.

NZ mobile company calls Pak team manager Intikhab Indian

KARACHI: Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam was in for a rude shock when the voice recorder of his mobile phone in New Zealand attributed him to be an Indian.

The Pakistani media and others were stunned when they called Intikhab in New Zealand after the voice recorder of his phone kept on saying that the manager of the Indian team was not available at the moment and will try to return the call later.

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Irked by the mistake, the Pakistan team management had to remind the host board -- New Zealand Cricket -- that Intikhab was not an Indian after the former Test captain had to bear the brunt of jokes because of the goof up.

"The telephone numbers are provided by the host country's board, which in this case is New Zealand Cricket and they are also responsible for providing all other details of the squad to relevant departments from which the touring side require services," a source in the Pakistan Cricket Board said.

"In Intihkab's case the telephone company was mistakenly informed that he is manager of the Indian team," he added.

Pakistan team is presently touring New Zealand for three Twenty20 Internationals, two Tests and six ODIs.

Keen contest in offing in Nashik dirt track racing

Nashik: The second round of the Gulf Cup dirt track racing series will be held here from January 8 next year.

The two-day event has so far attracted record 130 entries, which will be restricted as per rules in qualifying rounds on January 8, Shrikant Karani of Sportscraft, Mumbai told reporters today.

He said the rally is sponsored by Gulf Oil Corporation limited and organised by Sportscraft, mumbai in association with Nashik Automotive Sports Association (NASA).

The year's first motorsport event promises thrills aplenty following the engrossing fare witnessed in the first of the three rounds held at Hyderabad on December 4-5.

Bangalore-based TVS racing team riders C S Santosh, H K Pradeep and Arvind K P cornered the glory in the Indian expert class for foreign motorcycles Group A and B at Hyderabad and will be looking to build on their fine show and garner more points to seal berths in the final round, which is billed as the clash of the titans, he said.

However, this Nashik leg, which will be staged at the Idgah ground, golf club could see local riders and those from Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune.

The private expert class should also witness stiff competition as Nashik's Vineeth Kurup showed much promise at hyderabad leg winning one of the two races in group A for foreign motorcycles upto 250cc. Nagpur's Jatin Jain who won one race and Mumbai's seasoned campaigner Badal Doshi, who stood second in both the races.

The locals who are in fray are: Shamin khan, Vineeth Kurup, Ganesh Lokhande, Kaustubh Machhe, Kalyan Jambekar, Jatin Jain, Badal Doshi, Snehal, Pinkesh Thakkar and Mansingh Thakur.

With over Rs one lakh prize money and trophies up for grabs, the second leg at Nashik should provide rich and entertaining fare, Karani added.

India take lead as Test heads for a tight finish

DURBAN: Spinner Harbhajan Singh and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan plotted a dramatic South African collapse to give India a vital 74-run lead in a topsy-turvy second Test which seemed headed for a nail-biting finish on Monday.

After being dismissed for 205 in the first innings, the Indians turned the game on its head by bundling out the hosts for a paltry 131 in 37.2 overs with Harbhajan Singh (4-10) and Zaheer (3-36) being the chief wreckers.

The Indians found themselves in a mess in the second innings as they were struggling at 92 for four at close on an eventful second day which saw as many as 18 wickets fall. Virender Sehwag (32), Rahul Dravid (2) and Sachin Tendulkar (6) are among the batsmen dismissed.

In Image: South Africa's bowler Dale Steyn, left, celebrates after dismissing India's batsman Sachin Tendulkar, right, for 6 runs

Chequered Flag: Top 10 of 2010

Enjoy the ten best moments from this season's Formula One championship!

2010 was one of the most exciting Formula One seasons in recent memory.

What had seemed like a two-way tussle between the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber turned into a four-way tug-of-war between the Red Bull duo , McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. As if that wasn't thrilling enough, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso threw his hat into the title-fray late in the season!

Going into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi four of the five (Vettel, Webber, Hamilton and Alonso) were still in the running for the championship. Ultimately it was Sebastian Vettel who emerged victorious - becoming the youngest ever Formula One champion in the process.

Incredibly, prior to taking the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi, the German had never held the championship lead! However his consistency through the season same him take the podium and the plaudits.

Now, chequered flag brings you the ten best, most enthralling moments from this season's epic battle between the best drivers in the world.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!

Zidan plans for early title party

Borussia Dortmund striker Mohamed Zidan believes they could have the Bundesliga title wrapped up as soon as February.

Dortmund currently lead second-placed Mainz by 10 points at the midway stage of the season while defending champions Bayern Munich are a further four points adrift.

Zidan, who missed much of the first half of the season due to injury, believes the first Bundesliga title since 2002 is now within touching distance for Dortmund.

"I think that the title will be decided in February already," he told the Bild newspaper.

"If we get at least 10 points from our first five matches then there will be no more taking it away from us.

"This chance comes around for us once a decade, not like Bayern who challenge for the title every year."

The 29-year-old is the first Dortmund player to openly talk about their title chances this season with the rest of his team-mates and coach Jurgen Klopp adopting a game-by-game approach.

Nevertheless, the club have broken numerous records so far this season and have never been so well poised to win the title.

They start 2011 with a trip to third-placed Bayer Leverkusen on January 14 and a victory there would be a huge leap towards glory.

Tennis: Going down memory lane

A fabulous 2010 season saw an array of records being set and being broken on tennis courts around the world.

Nadal's historic US Open triumph

World number one Rafael Nadal scripted history with his maiden US Open title in September. The Spaniard finally clinched the elusive trophy in New York for his ninth Grand Slam title. Nadal beat Novak Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in the final. In doing so, he became the youngest and the seventh player in history, third in the Open era, to complete a Career Grand Slam. The 24-year-old Spanish left-hander joined tennis greats Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Don Budge and Fred Perry in having won Wimbledon and the US, French and Australian Open titles.

Federer's fantastic finish

Roger Federer capped a see-saw 2010 season with a mammoth victory for a fifth ATP World Tour Finals title on November 28. The 16-time Grand Slam champ equalled the record of most number of Finals title with Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl. After winning the Australian Open in January, Federer went title-less till the Cincinnati Masters in August. But the Swiss fought back to silence his critics with one of the best victories of his career as he downed world No.1 Nadal 6-3 3-6 6-1 to clinch the Finals title for a perfect finish to the 2010 season.

Bopanna-Qureshi’s US Open final

Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi took the world by storm when they made the US Open doubles final. Though the Indo-Pak Express went down fighting in their first-ever Grand Slam final to top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan, the heartbreaking 6-7 6-7 loss showcased their exciting talent.

The longest battle - Isner vs Mahut

History of tennis witnessed an encounter that redefined all other battles at the 2010 Wimbledon first round match. John Isner took 11 hours and 5 minutes to beat Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68 over the three-day period of 22-24 June, in the longest-ever match in the history of the sport. The fifth set alone was the longest set ever in terms of duration and number of games (8 hours, 11 minutes, 138 games), and longer than any previous match in entirety. The set itself broke the duration and number of games records of entire matches (previous records: 6 hours, 33 minutes duration; and 112 games in singles, 122 games in doubles, respectively).

Kim’s US Open romance continues

Kim Clijsters proved that her 2009 conquest of the Flushing Meadows was no fluke! The defending champion powered past Vera Zvonareva for her third US Open title, avenging defeats in their last two meetings with a 6-2 6-1 victory. The win was Clijsters' 21st straight at the Open, the second-longest winning streak in New York in the Open era, trailing Chris Evert's 31. If Clijsters’ 2009 win was rather surprising considering she came out of retirement last year, this season was even more pleasing to see what a dominant force she still is.

Henin returns!

Former world No.1 Justine Henin’s passion for tennis reignited as she ended a 20-month retirement. The 2004 Australian Open winner’s return was no less than a fairytale comeback as she stormed into the AUS Open final, her second tournament since getting back to professional tennis. But the dream run missed its happy ending by a whisker as the Belgian lost the final 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to defending champion Serena Williams. Henin had overcome many tough opponents en route the final like world No.5 Elena Dementieva, Yanina Wickmayer, Zheng Jie and Nadia Petrova. She might have fallen one win short, but for many, what mattered was she was back where she belongs!

India’s return to Davis Cup World Group

Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna scripted India’s return to the elite Davis Cup World Group in Chennai. The two paved the way for a 3-2 win over Brazil in the play-offs on September 20. Doubles veterans Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi initiated India’s resurgence from a 0-2 deficit by winning the doubles rubber. Making amends for their singles defeats, Somdev downed his opponent when at 7-6 (3) 4-0, world No.27 Thomaz Bellucci conceded the first reverse singles before 479th-ranked Bopanna beat 75th-ranked Ricardo Mello 6-3 7-6(2) 6-3 in the fifth rubber to complete an amazing come-from-behind win.

Defiant Serbia take the Davis Cup

As if Serbia’s heroic journey to their maiden final of Davis Cup was not enough, Serbia sealed this dream run with their first Davis Cup trophy on December 5. Led by world no.3 Novak Djokovic, the hosts beat nine-time former champions France. Despite being down 1-2, Djoker did his bit by beating Gael Monfils in the first reverse singles rubber to pull level. But the onus was on Victor Troicki, not a seasoned singles player but a rising star nonetheless. The gamble of replacing Janko Tipsarevic paid off as Troicki thrashed Michael Llodra of France for the title.

Golden Boy Somdev

Indian ace Somdev Devvarman has been a complete fireball in 2010. After finally breaking into ATP top-100, Somdev’s first 2010 title and second overall on the Challenger tour came at Izmir, Turkey. He then backed up his hard work with the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games men's singles event, defeating Australian Greg Jones 6-4 6-2. But that was not all! Somdev struck gold again at the Asian Games singles tennis and another in the doubles with Sanam Singh at Guangzhou.

Bryans record 62 !

After being tied with Hall of Famers Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde with 61 titles, Bob and Mike Bryan finally won their record 62nd career doubles title on the ATP Tour on August 1. The twins beat Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer in the Farmers Classic, the Bryans' 100th career final. Not far from their hometown of Camarillo in Ventura County, the brothers became the most successful team in tennis. An ecstatic Mike jumped into Bob's arms to celebrate as parents Wayne and Kathy watched from the stands.

Pakistan add Tanvir to New Zealand tour squad

KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistan added injury-blighted paceman Sohail Tanvir to their squad in New Zealand on Monday, just two weeks after he was ruled out of the trip with a knee problem.

Left-armer Tanvir last played a test over three years ago. He underwent knee surgery last year but has been given the all clear following another fitness test.

"The medical panel has revaluated his fitness and cleared him fit for the tour," said a Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman, adding the Australian doctor who operated on the 26-year-old last year said the future is bright for Tanvir.

"The doctor has also said he is now ready to take the load of international cricket."

Tanvir took nine wickets including 6-32 in the second innings of a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match shortly after he was initially dropped from the squad, and said he informed the board that he was now feeling no discomfort while bowling or fielding.

"The doctors have only advised me not to initially field inside the circle to avoid sharp bending of the knees," he said.

Pakistan lost the first Twenty20 international against New Zealand by five wickets on Sunday and play a further two followed in 2011 by two tests and six one-day internationals.

The national team is already without the services of their leading pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, who remained suspended by the ICC on allegations of spot-fixing.

Trott ignores distractions to keep England on track

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - As controversies raged around him in the heat of Ashes battle, England batsman Jonathan Trott was happy to stay in his bubble of concentration to craft a potential match-winning century in Melbourne on Monday.

Trott's unbeaten 141 propelled England to 444-5 at stumps on the second day of the fourth test with a 346-run lead, raising the tourists' hopes of taking the Ashes home for the first time in 24 years.

The achievement, while not lost on the laid-back 29-year-old, was flicked away like many of the balls he plundered for singles off his pads on the way to his fifth test century.

"It's just one of those things, very fortunate, and I worked pretty hard on my game along with everyone else in the team," the Cape Town-born Trott told reporters.

"Just happy to build a contribution to getting us in a good position, I suppose."

Unflappable against a desperate Australia attack, the only thing that could waver Trott's focus was the searing pain he felt when a Ben Hilfenhaus ball found the edge of his bat and cannoned into the side of his left knee when on 76.

Describing it was one the most painful sensations of his life, Trott nonetheless got to his feet gingerly and later brought up his ton with a deft flick through midwicket that sparked roars of approval from England's "Barmy Army" at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Taking things in his stride has been a hallmark of Trott's short test career for England.

Called into the team for the decisive fifth test at the Oval last year, Trott stroked a majestic second innings 119 on debut that helped England seal the Ashes.

On Monday, apart from doggedly accumulating runs, not much else drew Trott's attention in a chanceless innings.

DEAF EARS

He paid no attention as Australia captain Ricky Ponting and bowler Peter Siddle remonstrating with the umpires over a television referral after his batting partner Kevin Pietersen survived a caught behind appeal.

Nor did he notice Australia paceman Mitchell Johnsonoverstepping the mark for a no-ball that umpire Aleem Dar also missed when wicketkeeper Matt Prior was caught behind.

Prior, who was half-way back to the pavilion, was called back to the crease after a third umpire review.

Australia's usual chirpiness to unsettle England's batsmen also fell on deaf ears.

"I didn't really hear any verbals or whatever," Trott said.

Trott's pulse was briefly raised a notch when he was nearly run out when taking a cheeky extra run shortly before raising his half-century. He had to dive to get into his crease but the replay confirmed he was just safe.

"I didn't really see (the replay) to be honest because I was flat on my stomach, but I had a feeling I sort of made it diving like this... I was just happy to be in."

Trott said he was also happy to let other players bash away while plodding along like a plough-horse.

"I think it's important I sort of don't over-rev when I'm batting and try to look to over-hit the ball... (to) be calm and be nice and patient and learn to play my natural game which is to obviously just accumulate here and there and let the other guys hit the boundaries and sixes."

Trott, who also scored an unbeaten 135 in the drawn first test, inBrisbane would not be coaxed into writing Australia's epitaph.

"We all know that the Australian team, like we saw the last test match, have some good players," he said. "There's plenty more for us left to be done in this test match."

Vettori firm on quitting captaincy after World Cup

Wellington, Dec 27 (IANS) New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori Monday reaffirmed that he would step down from the post after the 2011 cricket World Cup.

Vettori, who has opted out of the ongoing T20 Internationals against Pakistan for resting his back, said he would stand by his decision irrespective of the team's performance in the tournament co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

'I still stand by those words of finishing up after the World Cup,' Vettori was quoted as saying by theNew Zealand Herald.

'I understand things can change and there may be a chance for that, but at this point I will finish after the cup.'

New Zealand have been struggling for form and most recently had disastrous tours of India and Bangladesh. The slump in form also led to John Wright taking over as the coach from Mark Greatbatch last Monday.

Vettori and team mate Ross Taylor were all praise for the new coach.

'His real skills are getting around players and making them feel confident,' Vettori said.

'After that many losses (11 straight ODI defeats) guys tend to question their game, but he is a positive guy and that will rub off on the players.'

Taylor talked about Wright's ethos.

'That is the first thing he has instilled in us,' Taylor said.

'Every time he talks, it is that if we play as a collective we give ourselves the best chance. He is trying to get everyone to trust himself.'

Trott ignores distractions to keep England on track

Melbourne, Dec 27 (IANS) Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke slammed the performance of his side after they were bowled out for a paltry 98 runs in the first innings of the fourth Ashes Test against England here Sunday.

'Our shot selection wasn't great, no doubt. I think all of our wickets were caught behind the wicket, so there was enough in the wicket there. But we certainly have no excuses, we played some poor shots, we obviously didn't show enough discipline, as we've seen the sun's coming out, dried the wicket out, it's a really nice wicket to bat on now,' Clarke was quoted as saying by The Age.

Clarke hoped that Australia would make amends in the second innings, but England made life difficult for the hosts as they ended second day at 444 for five with Johanthon Trott scoring an unbeaten 141.

Clarke said: 'The positive is we get another bat, so we get another opportunity. After lunch, after the rain, it was still overcast and the ball was swinging a little bit but we have no excuses, we played some bad shots, whether that be before lunch or after lunch unfortunately.'

On the mood in the dressing room, Clarke said: 'Have a guess ... we're all disappointed, no doubt. I think the batters especially, we knew it was going to be tough but we knew we could have done better. Individually we're all disappointed, and the bowlers as well, they didn't get a wicket. We've got to turn that around, we've got to look forward to tomorrow.'

'We know it's going to be tough, we know it's going to be a challenge, but we know we're good enough.'

Tendulkar to be felicitated by BMC

Mumbai: Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar, who recently struck a historic 50th Test hundred, will be felicitated by the local civic body in Mumbai once he returns from the ongoing tour of South Africa.

"The BMC Commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya will request Sachin to provide dates for arranging the felicitation ceremony once he is back in Mumbai. The Municipal Commissioner will soon write a letter to Sachin asking him for his availability. The draft of the letter is ready and awaiting Kshatriya's signature," a civic official said.

Since 2001, several proposals of felicitating the cricket legend have been pending with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) almost for the last 10 years.

Test cricket back at it's best

"Recently after Sachin scored his 50th Test Century, the Municipal Commissioner sent a message congratulating him and informed him that the BMC wanted to felicitate him. In reply, Sachin said he would give the dates as soon as he returns from his South Africa tour," Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said.

Earlier in 2001, a proposal to felicitate Sachin had come up after he notched up 10,000 runs. This was followed by his record-breaking 35 Test centuries. Then for completing 20 years in international cricket, breaking Sunil Gavaskar's record and then for completing 12,000 runs in One-Dayers.

In February this year, the BMC passed a proposal to felicitate the little master after he became the first in the world to score a double century in a One-Day Internationals.

In the recent past, there were proposals to felicitate eminent personalities including the melody queen Lata Mangeshkar, Indian idol Abhijeet Sawant, late astronaut Kalpana Chawla, former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi and the Oscar-nominated Marathi movie Shwaas team and among others.

Indians look to reclaim pride against South Africa

Durban: Battered into submission in the first Test despite Sachin Tendulkar’s batting heroics, world number one India will aim to reclaim their bruised pride and level the series against a rampaging South Africa in the second cricket Test starting here on Sunday.

The visitors are smarting from an innings and 25 runs defeat in Centurion, where their famed line-up capitulated so badly in the first innings that it became impossible to salvage the match in the second essay despite Tendulkar’s historic 50th Test ton.

In their previous Tests at the ground, India managed a draw in 1992-93 but lost by 328 runs in 1996-97, and by 174 runs in 2006-07.

However, going into on Sunday’s game, the omens have been good so far with pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, who sat out in Centurion due to a hamstring strain, back to full fitness for the must-win match of the three-Test series.

One among them is Suresh Raina, who has scored 32, 3, 20, 3, 1 and 5 in his last six Test innings, and he could well lose his pace in the side to the young Cheteshwar Pujara.Add to this, South Africa’s not-so-impressive recent record in Kingsmead. Graeme Smith’s men have suffered a couple of massive defeats at the venue in recent times (by 175 runs to Australia in 2008-09 and an innings and 98 runs against England last year).

But that would hardly make a difference after the toss of coin on Sunday morning, something that Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not that good at.

The curator has promised a fair track which would have as much for the bowlers as for the batsmen and that should be music to Indian ears considering that the visiting batsmen seemed to have no clue on how to deal with short-pitched stuff on the Centurion pitch.

The batting did come good in the second innings of that highly forgettable match for the Indians but the form of a few remains a concern.

But the big guns such as Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Dhoni himself showed they were in good touch at least in the second innings of the Centurion Test.

Their contribution would be crucial against the quality pace attack of the South Africans. The tear away pace duo of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel decimated the Indian batting in the first innings and though
they came in for some hammering in the second innings, they had done their job well enough much earlier to ensure a South African win.

The Indians would obviously be bolstered by the return of Zaheer but the ineffectiveness of Ishant Sharma and S Sreesanth would be a worry since the tracks here demand that visiting teams have a good pace attack.

“Zaheer is a key player,” said Dhoni, stressing on the pacer’s importance in the squad.

“With all the experience he has, he always comes up with new plans and changes his plans during the course of a game,” he added.

On the batting front, the South Africans are no less despite the combined experience and accumulated runs of the Indians far exceeding theirs.

Graeme Smith, Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis make for a top-order that any bowling line-up would find difficult to contain and given India’s rather weak attack, it would once again be tough for the visitors to take 20 South African wickets.

Their top ranking is not exactly at stake but India’s reputation certainly is and it would take quite an effort to keep that intact against a hostile opponent, which has also kept up the pressure with some bantering off the field.

Squads:

South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher, Dale Steyn, Paul Harris, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Ryan McLaren, JP Duminy, Wayne Parnell.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav, Jaidev Unadkat, Pragyan Ojha.

Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS), Asad Rauf (PAK)

TV umpire: Johan Cloete (RSA)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

BCCI panel's proceedings against Lalit Modi stayed

Mumbai, Dec 25 (IANS) The Bombay High Court Saturday stayed the Board of Control for Cricket inIndia (BCCI) disciplinary committee's proceedings against suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi, saying that the panel did not have the BCCI general body's mandate.

Modi's counsel Mehmood Abdi had earlier challenged the legality of the three-member disciplinary committee of Chirayu Amin, Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia who were investigating Modi's alleged financial irregularities while conducting the IPL as its commissioner.

Modi tweeted and expressed relief at the high court's decision.

'Grateful to the honourable high court - who have granted stay against BCCI - disciplinary committee proceedings,' he aid on Twitter.

The hearing of the disciplinary committee, probing charges of financial irregularities against Modi, was earlier put off until Dec 27-28 after a request from Abdi.

Zaheer's return to boost India's chances in Durban Test

Durban, Dec 25 (IANS) Speedster Zaheer Khan's return will bolster the Indian pace attack and their chances in the second cricket Test against South Africa starting here Sunday at the Kingsmead Stadium.

India, ranked No.1 in Tests, suffered a humiliating innings and 25 runs defeat against the World No.2 team in the first Test in Centurion. Indian batsmen failed to apply themselves in seaming conditions and were bowled out for 136 runs in the first innings.

Though the Indians are again expected to get similar conditions here, Zaheer's return at the expense of Jaydev Unadkat will give some teeth to the Indian bowling in overcast conditions that will assist the fast bowlers.

India may also make a change in their batting order with middle-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara replacing Suresh Raina, who made one and five in the first Test.

India coach Gary Kirsten knows that his bowlers have the potential to pick 20 wickets in a match and said the bowlers have to prove it again here.

'Our bowlers have the ability to pick 20 wickets in a match and they have shown in the last three years that they have the ability to do that on any surface. They have to prove it again here,' said Kirsten

The South African knows that if the top-order gets going, India can get 400 runs on board to make life difficult for the hosts.

'We were well-prepared for the last Test but it was a tough pitch to bat on on the first day and we let ourselves down a bit, we needed a 100 more runs. If one of our top six can score a big hundred, then we will get to 400. The guy that gets in needs to bat for a decent time because if you don't get around that 400 mark then you put yourself under pressure,' said the former South African opener.

After a huge win, South Africa are not complacent as they have a poor record at Kingsmead having lost their last two Test matches here against Australia and England.

'It was a great start to the series, but we need to keep our feet on the ground and work to that point. It would be great to carry it on in Durban and if we can go 2-0 up it would be fantastic,' said South African captain Graeme Smith.

'It's about getting our skills right here in Durban, finding the right areas with the ball and knowing our game plans with the bat. If we can do that then we can really build on our success in Centurion and it will be tough for India.'

All eyes will also be on Hashim Amla, who will be playing his 50th Test and that too in his home ground.

'It's going to be a big test match for Hashim, but he's the type of guy who takes these things in his stride, which is one of his biggest strengths. He is very composed, very disciplined and very calm, and I expect it to be no different here,' Smith said.

'He is one of the better players around the world which is fantastic for us.'

Amla doesn't have a good record at his home ground, but he doesn't want to delve too much into statistics.

'I consider every Test match a special occasion so playing in my 50th Test doesn't make it any more important. The team comes first and I don't like statistics to be a distraction,' said the quiet-spoken batsman.

Amla, who has four consecutive hundreds against India, will be looking to hit his first hundred at Kingsmead.

'I've made centuries all over the world but it would be lovely if I can do it in front of my home crowd. I am very fortunate to have learnt to play cricket on this wicket - although I'm not sure what it will do this week - but the boundaries are also smaller so it's a good opportunity to try and get another high score,' he said.

Teams:

South Africa (likely XI): Graeme Smith (captain), Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher (wicketkeeper), Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn, Paul Harris, Morne Morkel.

India (likely XI): Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain-wicketkeeper), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.

Australia's Ponting goes in to bat for his job

Sydney, Dec 25 (DPA) Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting Saturday declared himself fit to play in the crucial fourth Ashes Test against England in Melbourne Sunday.

The out-of-form batsman, who broke his little finger last weekend in the Perth Test that put the local side back in the game, admitted another low score Sunday would jeopardise his inclusion in the fifth and final match.

'We set ourselves new standards as far as Test cricket is concerned and we have to maintain those for the next couple of weeks,' Ponting said after a final blast in the nets before Sunday's fixture.

'If we don't, and we take the foot off the pedal at all, it could be a very important week for a few of us.'

Ponting has played 151 Tests but is in woeful form and is being urged to retire despite leading his team to a series-equalling win in Perth.

'We understand where the series is at and we know what we have to do to play well and hopefully we can do it again,' Ponting, 35, said.

'I thought the way we responded and reacted last week was outstanding.'

The first fixture, in Brisbane, was a draw and England thrashed Australia in the second Test in Adelaide. But Australia's storied triumph in the third in Perth has passed the momentum to Ponting's side.

It was the first time ever that Australia had trained the day before a Boxing Day Test.

England captain Andrew Strauss said at his pre-match press conference that his side was ready to bounce back after the Perth drubbing.

'It's going to be a pretty big occasion,' Strauss said. 'They're talking nearly 100,000 people there. It's one of the highlights of your career, being able to play at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) in a Boxing Day Test, and we're determined to make the most of that.'

Victory for England would mean keeping the trophy, because two wins each and one drawn game would favour the visiting team.

We won't be intimidated by Melbourne crowd, says Strauss

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - England will not be intimidated by a Melbourne Cricket Ground packed with a hostile Australian crowd for the fourth Ashes test, captain Andrew Strauss said on Saturday.

The test gets underway on Sunday and officials have talked up the possibility of a record attendance for a cricket ground at the cauldron-like MCG on the first day.

Strauss's counterpart, Ricky Ponting, took a psychological swipe at England's youthful side, saying he thought they could find the atmosphere intimidating with the five-test series delicately poised at 1-1.

"I'm sure he does," Strauss said of Ponting following England's final training session at the MCG. "I don't think we will, no. One of the things that's important is that you're ready for it and you're not surprised by it.

"It's going to be quite a big spectacle and it's out of the ordinary. We don't usually play in front of that number of people."

England, like Australia, will delay naming their side until before the toss on Sunday as they wait to gauge how the pitch develops.

Strauss said the look of the wicket had given reasons for England to be optimistic about their chances following their struggles at Perth, where their batsmen were skittled cheaply in both innings on the WACA's quick deck.

"These conditions shouldn't be that alien for us and should suit our style of play," he said.

"I think Graeme Swann will come into the game more than he did in Perth, so there's plenty of reasons for us to be optimistic about this game.

"I can't think of anything better than to come over and win the Boxing Day test. That would be a very good feather in all of our caps."

BEST BALANCE

Strauss ruled out the possibility of Ian Bell being promoted above the out-of-form Paul Collingwood in the batting order, but was more cagey about England's bowling lineup.

England's seamers appeared tired at Perth after being forced to bowl two innings in relatively quick succession, sparking calls for youngster Steve Finn, who was costly at the WACA, to be rested forMelbourne.

Tim Bresnan has been favoured to come into the side, should Finn be omitted.

"Finny's done some really good things on this tour, taken quite a few wickets. He was probably a bit expensive at Perth if we're honest, but he's young and he's learning," Strauss said.

"We're going to have think about what that best balance is before tomorrow and we'll be naming the side at the toss."

Strauss reinforced the curator's message earlier in the week that the first morning would be crucial on a damp wicket and batsman would need patience to survive through to lunch.

"You've got to be prepared to suck it in a little bit, absorb some pressure for a while and hopefully come out the other side as a batting unit," he said.

"The general consensus at the MCG is that if you go too hard at it too early, you're going to be back in the hut."

I would love to score a century in my hometown: Amla

Durban, Dec 25 (IANS) South African batsman Hashim Amla is bracing up for his maiden century at his home ground here to celebrate his 50th Test appearance.

Amla has had a dream run against India this year. The gritty middle-order batsman scored five hundreds in four Test matches, amassing 630 runs in last four innings. The Indian origin cricketer made a patient 140 in the Centurion Test, which the home side won by an innings and 25 runs.

The second Test match against India beginning Sunday will be Amla's 50th Test. He said he would like to improve upon his performance in his home ground by scoring his maiden hundred at Kingsmead.

'I have made centuries all over the world but it would be lovely if I can do it in front of my home crowd,' said Amla.

'I am very fortunate to have learnt to play cricket on this wicket - although I am not sure what it will do this week - but the boundaries are also smaller so it is a good opportunity to try and get another high score.

On playing his 50th Test, he said:'I consider every Test match a special occasion so playing in my 50th Test does not make it any more important. The team comes first and I do not like statistics to be a distraction.'

Amla said Zaheer Khan's inclusion will strengthen the Indian bowling and it will be a challenge to face him.

'If Zaheer is back, it will be a good challenge for our batsmen and we are looking forward to it but we will prepare for him like we prepare for any other bowler.

'Of course, it is always easier to come in when you have a good start on the board. The bowlers are a bit more tired and it gives you the freedom to play yourself in at your own pace.

'We are all feeling quite positive after such a lovely victory and we have all played together now for quite a number of years.

'We want to keep things simple and everyone is highly motivated,' he said.

PCB want Pakistan players to take part in IPL

KARACHI (Reuters) - The Pakistan Cricket Board are keen for their players to participate in the lucrative Indian Premier League in 2011 despite being snubbed this year.

Pakistani players have not participated in the last two editions of the IPL due to political tensions between the two countries although in the inaugural edition in 2008 over a dozen Pakistanis played for different franchises in the T20 league that attracts players from every cricketing nation.

Last year the Indian franchises did not bid for any Pakistani cricketer at the players' auction although the PCB had sent names of around 10 players after giving them clearance.

PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed told reporters on Saturday that the board had contacted the Indian Cricket Board on the issue.

"We have written to the Indian board that we are willing to provide any clearance to our players for the IPL," Ahmed said.

"We want Pakistani pa

rticipation in the IPL, that is our official stand but obviously we need for the Indian board to talk to us."

Ahmed said that under new rules framed by the IPL no Pakistani player could take part in the league for any franchise before getting clearance from both boards.

"No player can individually be approached or can approach any franchise now for a contract," he said.

The Indian government has not encouraged bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan since the militant attacks in Mumbai in 2008.

HC stays proceedings against Modi

The BCCI was dealt yet another blow after the Bombay High Court stayed the Board's proceedings against Lalit Modi.

Lalit Modi's legal team, led by Mehmood Abdi, had earlier questioned the legality of the three-member disciplinary committee - comprising Chirayu Amin, Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia - arguing that the panel did not have the BCCI general body's mandate.

Modi has always opposed the nomination of Amin and Jaitley, as they are both members of the IPL Governing Council, when it was headed by Modi. He feels there is bias.

The relieved former IPL commissioner tweeted earlier on Saturday, expressing his pleasure at the High Court's decision.

The hearing of the disciplinary committee, probing charges of financial irregularities against Modi, had earlier been put off until December 27 and 28 after a request from Modi's attorney.

Earlier, the Court also ruled in favour of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, who were facing termination.

National Kabbadi Coach Sunil Dabas felicitated

Jhajjar: Sunil Dabas, coach of Asiad gold medal winning Indian Women Kabbadi Team, was today felicitated at her native village Mohammadpur Majra in Jahajgarh, here on Saturday.

The function was organised by the residents of the village and Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda was the chief guest.

Addressing the gathering, Sunil said it was due to blessing of her parents, coaches and well-wishers that she succeeded in achieving the top level.

"Indian Women Kabbadi Team had won five gold medals except Asiad in different international events but it is the first time when me and my players received such a warm welcome from the government.

"Really, the state government has formed an inspiring sport policy which is not only helping the budding players polish their talent but also motivating them to display their sport skill at higher level," said the coach.

There was no dearth of sport talent in Haryana but what was required was basic facilities to upcoming players for making them technically sound, she said, adding that the state government had been providing full opportunity to the players by providing all basis facilities.

"The state government has been taking a number of steps to promote sports and those initiatives have started showing fruitful results," said Hooda.

Golf: Long time USGA chief Fay to retire

New York: David Fay, who championed a strategy to bring the US Open to public golf courses, announced on Friday he was retiring after 21 years as executive director of the U.S. Golf Association (USGA).

“David’s passion for the game can be matched only by his passion for the people and the mission of the United States Golf Association,” USGA president Jim Hyler said in a statement.

Mike Butz, the USGA deputy executive director since 1995, will serve as interim executive director from January 1 2011, while the association looks for a new executive director.

Fay, 60, began his career with the USGA in 1978. He became assistant executive director in 1987 and was appointed as the sixth executive director of the USGA in 1989.

A long time advocate of making golf more accessible to the public, his most lasting legacy may be his campaign to bring the U.S. Open to Bethpage State Park on Long Island, N.Y. in 2002. The Black Course became the first public facility to host the national championship.


From 1999 through 2019, the U.S. Open will have been played 11 times on venues accessible to everybody, including Pinehurst No. 2, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Torrey Pines, Chambers Bay and Erin Hills.

National team footballers slam team manager Chowdhury

New Delhi: Team manager Pradeep Chowdhury's out-of-the-blue decision to part ways with the Indian football squad has not gone down well with national players, who are preparing in Dubai for the Asian Cup, scheduled to be held in Doha from January 7.

Reacting strongly to Chowdhury's decision to return to India following a reported fallout with chief coach Bob Houghton, skipper Bhaichung Bhutia said, "This is not something we needed at this time. I’m very disappointed at his decision to leave us at such a difficult phase."

"He mentioned to me about his ill health and piled up personal work. That may have been the reason he gave but we strongly feel that he could have stayed back and those were only alibis," Bhutia added.

Ace striker Sunil Chhetri too was critical of Chowdhury's step.

"This was quite shocking and left us in a very sad mood. This is obviously a very tough time for us, given the fact we have been struggling with injuries and finding it difficult to win games. Pradip Chowdhury leaving us will not help matters at all.

"He should have remained behind and we should have stuck together like a family instead of bringing up petty, personal issues. This is completely unexpected from a man of his stature," Chhetri said.

Slamming the manager, Syed Rahim Nabi said, "Pradip Chowdhury has always been involved with too many things apart from managing the national team. He seldom gave his full time to the job. He rarely took care of the off-field work.

"To me it was really bad timing for him to quit at this stage. It was really unexpected as the entire team is looking for motivation."

Goalkeeper Subrata Pal said, "Leaving without any credible reason has really caused a lot of discomfort in the team. Knowing Bob Houghton for more than four years has also made me believe that he would never malign someone the way Pradip has expressed."

The normally calm and composed Mahesh Gawli, too, was scathing in his attack on Chowdhury.

"I did not interact with him much and we saw very little of him. Most of the time he was away due to personal agenda. To me his absence really does not make much of a difference. He should have had the courage to stay back at such a tough time. His excuses are baseless," Gawli said.

Stopper Anwar Ali said, "Differences have always been there between people and it will always be there. But one should be mature enough to handle it. I think Pradip Chowdhury has used a bad excuse to leave the team like this."

Equally critical was senior defender Deepak Mondal who said that the team was not happy with Chowdhury's work.

"He really did not do much and never gave the team adequate time. He has left everything in disarray just before the start of the biggest tournament of our careers," Mondal said.