Sania crosses first hurdle, Somdev crashes out

Indian tennis Star enters into 2nd round

 

Sania Mirza won her fourth match on the trot to cruise to the second round of US Open but it was an early exit for Somdev Devvarman, who lost his opening round in the men's singles event.  Sania, who entered the women's singles as a qualifier, scored an easy 6-3, 6-2 win over fellow qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal in the first-round match.  Somdev, who earned a direct entry into a Grand Slam for the first time, went down fighting against the South Africa's Kevin Anderson 3-6, 4-6, 3-6 in his first round in the men's singles event.

The defeat means that Somdev has not gone beyond the first round in Grand Slams this season.  He had failed to qualify for the Australian Open and the Wimbledon and lost in the first round of the French Open.  A second round appearance at the US Open last year remains his best performance in the Slams. It took Sania one hour and 17 minutes to dispatch her rival and set up a second round clash with Russian 20th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.  "For me, the fact that I am still capable of going on court and winning four matches in a row gives me a lot of confidence that I still have the ability," the number one female Indian player said after her win.

"I am just going to enjoy it. I was happy when I won the first round of the qualifiers and I am happy again today. I love playing here on the hardcourts in New York and always seem to do well here," she added.  Sania was forced to go through the qualifiers of Grand Slam for the first time since 2005 due to low ranking.  Poor form and wrist injury dented her ranking heavily as she is languishing at 159 in world.

Khan: Pakistan must stick with England tour

Imran Khan says Should not abandon

Former captain Imran Khan says Pakistan should not abandon their tour of England despite allegations that members of their national team were involved in a betting scam.Cricket legend Khan told CNN that he was "shocked and embarrassed" by the scandal which has left preparations for the team's upcoming one-day international series with England in disarray. "The tour should definitely continue but if some players have indulged in wrongdoing or committed a crime they should be punished and sent back (home) and replaced.  "But a tour should never be abandoned because this reflects as if the whole team is involved or the whole cricket structure," added the former all-rounder who led Pakistan to World Cup triumph in 1992. Khan appeared to have been greeted his wish when International Cricket Council (ICC) president Sharad Pawar appeared to rule out any immediate action against Pakistani players.

"We have discussed it within the ICC and have decided to wait for the police investigation report," Pawar, an Indian cabinet minister, told AFP Monday. "After that we have to take a viewpoint of the two boards, in this case the Pakistan Cricket Board and the England and Wales Cricket Board.  "If anything is established, it will be viewed very seriously by the two boards and the ICC." Khan, who is at home in Pakistan helping with flood relief efforts, said the reports which surfaced Sunday in the British tabloid newspaper The News of the World had left people around him "upset and demoralized." The paper claimed it paid agent Mazhar Majeed $230,000 for advance information about three no-balls by bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif in the fourth and final Test between Pakistan and England at Lord's.

It went on to further claim that the players colluded in the alleged betting coup. Khan added: "There was a feeling of shock and embarrassment especially for Pakistanis living in Britain. "I guess I went through all those sentiments, but I have to say these are still allegations which I hope turn out not to be true."  Khan, who has forged a political career since retiring from cricket, said he had never been approached by betting syndicates during his 21-year career, 10 of them as Pakistan captain. "It seemed so impossible a team would throw a match," he said.

Meanwhile, betting expert Mark Davies told CNN that illegal bookmakers in Asia were behind such scandals and that calls to limit legal betting on cricket were wide of the mark. "This is about transparency in betting of which there is none on the sub-continent," he said. "Ultimately, it's about fraud and corruption and these people have no place in sport," he added.

Roger Federer eases past Brian Dabul at US Open

Federer saw his five-year unbeaten run in New York

Five-time champion Roger Federer got his US Open campaign off to a smooth start as he defeated Argentina's Brian Dabul in the first round. The Swiss eased through 6-1 6-4 6-2 in the night session, with one spectacular through-the-legs winner in the third set thrilling the New York crowd. Federer goes on to face Germany's Andreas Beck in the second round. Fifth seed Robin Soderling earlier survived a huge scare to beat Austrian qualifier Andreas Haider-Maurer. The Swede suffered a mid-match collapse before regaining his focus to win 7-5 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 5-7 6-4. Sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko saw off Michael Russell and 2003 champion Andy Roddick was also a comfortable winner.

But 32nd seed Lleyton Hewitt lost 6-3 6-4 5-7 4-6 6-1 to Paul-Henri Mathieu. The Australian, who won the title in 2001, fought back from two sets down only for Frenchman Mathieu to dominate the decider and condemn Hewitt to a first-ever defeat in the opening round at Flushing Meadows.  "I still believe I can improve as a player," said Hewitt afterwards. "When I play my best tennis, like in Halle (in June, when he beat Roger Federer and won the title), I still feel like I can match it with anyone." Soderling is the highest-ranked player Federer could face before the semi-finals but he nearly crashed out at the hands of Haider-Maurer, a player ranked 214th in the world. 

The Austrian, whose most recent tournament was a Futures event on clay in Italy, made it through qualifying to reach the main draw but looked to be heading for a swift exit. Yet Soderling - with only two hard court victories to his name in the build-up to Flushing Meadows - wasted four match points in the third set and he was almost made to pay. Haider-Maurer, making his Grand Slam debut and facing a top-10 opponent for the first time, began utilising his booming serve to dominate the two-time French Open runner-up and finished with 34 aces to Soderling's eight. But Soderling, who sent down 13 double faults, showed his experience in the fifth set to come through in three hours and 52 minutes.There were no such problems for two-time semi-finalist Davydenko as he saw off Russell of the United States 6-4 6-1 6-3 to set up a meeting with Richard Gasquet, a straight-sets winner against Simon Greul. 

Davydenko was sidelined for three months in March with a broken left wrist and since then the Russian has won back-to-back matches only once. "I don't know if my physical condition is good for five sets. I need to see in more matches," he said. "Before my injury I felt much more confidence and much stronger. "If you play matches you feel like top 10. I don't feel like I'm a top-10 player now at this time. When I get more matches, I can tell if I'm playing like a top-10 player." Federer was untroubled as he saw off Dabul in 93 minutes, the highlight being a through-the-legs winner that brought back memories of a similar shot he played against Novak Djokovic in last year's semi-final.  "I thought I was a bit late," Federer told the crowd. "I had to give it one last push to get there and then I thought 'I think I can do this one again.' "I've only hit a few in my life. To do it twice at the US Open centre court... it's amazing to share this moment with you guys. Thanks for the ovation. I love it." 

Roddick, meanwhile, celebrated his 28th birthday with a 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory over France's Stephane Robert and he will next meet either Janko Tipsarevic, who beat Olivier Rochus 4-6 7-5 7-6 (7-0) 6-2. "I was happy," said Roddick after his match on Arthur Ashe Stadium. "Conditions are a little tricky. The wind blows a little out there." The American is attempting to recapture the form that saw him reach the Indian Wells final in March and beat Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych en route to the Miami title in April. "It's just a matter of being solid and serving a high first-serve percentage," stated Roddick, who served at 68%. "I was playing a lot of clean tennis earlier in the season. I have to tighten it up a little bit." 

Other straight-sets winners included 11th seed Marin Cilic and Juan Carlos Ferrero, the number 22 seed, while 13th seed Jurgen Melzer and 17th seed Gael Monfils both needed five sets to advance. But a knee problem forced Fernando Gonzalez, the 27th seed, to retire against Croatia's Ivan Dodig with the match level at a set all.

Cool Lewis Hamilton wins chaotic Belgian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton pressed home his challenge for this year's drivers' world championship in emphatic style on Sunday when he won a dramatic and incident-filled Belgian Grand Prix. The 2008 champion, in his McLaren, took the lead at the start and then controlled the 44-laps race through two safety car periods and some perilous weather conditions on his way to victory. It was his first win in Belgium, his third win this season and the 15th of his career in his 64th Grand Prix.

It not only boosted his title hopes but also made up for his disappointment in 2008 when, after finishing first, he was deprived of victory by a controversial stewards' decision. Hamilton rode his luck when he had to in the capricious conditions and came home a clear winner, 1.5 seconds ahead of Australian Mark Webber of Red Bull and 3.4 beyond third-placed Pole Robert Kubica.

The only scare for the Briton was when he slithered off into the gravel in the closing stages. McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh reflected: "Lewis drove a fantastic race. There was just one excursion which was a little heart stopping but apart from that he was in command right from the start." Webber, who fought back after dropping to sixth after a poor start, paid tribute to his arch rival. "Lewis did a great job," said the Australian. Hamilton now has 182 points and leads the championship ahead of Webber, who began the day as the leader, now second on 179 points.

German Sebastian Vettel, Webber's Red Bull team-mate, remains third on 151 points after failing to score along with two other title hopefuls - defending champion Jenson Button, in the second McLaren, and two-times champion Fernando Alonso of Ferrari. Vettel finished 15th after an impetuous drive filled with incident during which he crashed into the luckless Button and sent the Englishman into retirement in a controversial accident after 17 laps.

Alonso, who struggled in the conditions, also retired after spinning his car out at Malmedy in the third heavy rain shower of a contest riddled with chaotic moments. Hamilton's triumph meant he joined a special group of champion drivers including fellow-Britons Jim Clark and Damon Hill, Brazilian Ayrton Senna, German Michael Schumacher and Finn Kimi Raikkonen to have stamped their authority on one of Formula One's most famous and demanding tracks. There was to be no celebration however for Formula One's most experienced driver, Rubens Barrichello, whose 300th race lasted only as far as the Bus Stop Chicane on the opening lap when he shunted into Alonso and had to retire.

Dhoni loses top spot, Sehwag rises in ICC ODI rankings

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni lost his number one spot but opening batsman Virender Sehwag gained eight places to return to the top- 10 at eighth in the ICC ODI rankings issued on Sunday.  India held on to the second spot in the team rankings despite losing the tri-series final to Sri Lanka last night.  Sri Lanka, sixth before the series, are just behind India, and in front of South Africa, who drop to fourth, when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.

New Zealand drop to sixth from fourth as Australia, at the top, and England, in fifth spot, remain unchanged.  In individual rankings, Tillakaratne Dilshan broke into the top five of the batting chart. Dilshan's match-winning effort of 110 in the final against India last night was enough to earn him a three-place boost in the rankings and he now sits in fourth position, level with Hashim Amla of South Africa.  Amla's team-mate AB de Villiers has benefited from Dhoni's slip with the 26-year-old from Pretoria taking over at the top of the rankings.

The other main mover upwards in the top 10 is Sehwag, who was declared Man-of-the-Series in Sri Lanka. The hard-hitting opener was the series' top-scorer with 268 at an average of 67 and that effort has moved him up eight places on the rankings to eighth place.  Sachin Tendulkar, who was rested from the tri-series, lost four places and now sits in 10th position. A player loses half a per cent of his rating for every ODI he misses. In the list for bowlers, India pacer Praveen Kumar has gained five places to break into the top 10 for the first time in his career.  The 23-year-old took nine wickets in the Sri Lanka tri-series at an average of 23.66 and now sits in 10th position in the ladder, level with Pakistan's Shahid Afridi.

Saina conferred Khel Ratna

Badminton ace Saina Nehwal, whose phenomenal rise was highlighted by three top-flight international titles recently, was conferred the coveted Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award at a glittering ceremony on Sunday.  Saina's achievements in the past one year made her an automatic choice for the prestigious award, the highest sporting honour in the country.  The Hyderabadi shuttler though did not collect the award, which consists of a medal, citation and cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh, personally as she is yet to return from Paris where she lost in the quarterfinals of the World Championships.

An Arjuna awardee last year, Saina rose to number two in world rankings and also completed a hat-trick of international titles, including back-to-back Super Series victories in Singapore and Indonesia in June.  Former Indian hockey skipper Sandeep Singh and women's cricket captain Jhulan Goswami were among the 15 sportspersons who received the Arjuna Award from President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Boxer Dinesh Kumar, swimmer Rehan Poncha, world's second youngest Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi and Olympian wrestler Rajiv Tomar also received the Arjuna award for their achievements in the last one year.

Women hockey player Jasjeet Kaur Handa also missed the ceremony as she is now in Argentina for the FIH World Cup.  No male cricketer got the honour, while Deepak Mondal was the lone footballer and Rajeev Tomar was the lone wrestler to get Arjuna award. Others to get the award were Sanjeev Rajput (shooting), Kapil Dev ( volleyball), Rehan Poncha (swimming), Dinesh Kumar (kabaddi), Rajesh Chaudhary (yachting) and Jagseer Singh (para-Olympian). Sandeep was in a superb form during India's recent hockey tour of Europe, while seasoned pace-woman Jhulan is currently heading the bowling list of International Cricket Council's ODI Women's Rankings.

Dinesh had won the light heavyweight 81kg Commonwealth Championships title earlier this year, while Poncha would be India's bets bet for a swimming medal in this year's Commonwealth Games.  Dronacharya Award, the top recognition for coaches in the country, was conferred on five including L Ibomcha Singh (boxing), Ajay Kumar Bansal (hockey), AK Kutty ( athletics), Captain Chandrup (wrestling) and Subhash B Aggarwal ( billiards and snooker).  The Arjuna and Dronacharya awardees got statuettes, citations and cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each.

Dhyan Chand Award, given for the life-time contribution to sports development, was conferred on Satish Pillai (athletics), Kuldeep Singh (wrestling) and Anita Chanu (weightlifting).  The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a statuette and a citation. Services Sports Control Board (SSCB), Tata Steel Limited and Khel Evam Yuva Vibhag of Government of Madhya Pradesh won Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Puruskar, instituted last year, for their contribution to sports.

List of the awardees:

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award: Saina Nehwal (Badminton).

Arjuna Awards: Joseph Abraham, Krishna Poonia (both Athletics), Dinesh Kumar (Boxing), Parimrajan Negi ( Chess), Julan Goswami (Women's Cricket), Deepak Kumar Mandal (Football), Sandeep Singh (Men's Hockey), Jasjeet Kaur Handa (Women's Hockey), Dinesh Kumar (Kabaddi), Sanjeev Rajput (Shooting), Rehan Jehangir Poncha (Swimming), Kapil Dev KJ (Volleyball), Rajeev Tomar (Wrestling), Rajesh Chaudhary (Yachting), Jagseer Singh (Para- Olympics athletics).

Dhyan Chand Awards: Satish Pillai (Athletics), Kuldeep Singh (Wrestling), Anita Chanu (Weightlifting).

Dronacharya Awards: A K Kutty (Athletics), Subhash B Aggarwal (Billiards and Snooker), L Ibomcha Singh (Boxing), Ajay Kumar Bansal (Hockey), Captain Chandrup (Wrestling).

Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Puruskar: Services Sports Control Board (SSCB), Tata Steel Limited, Khel Evam Yuva Vibhag (Government of Madhya Pradesh).

Cricket players, fans react to claims of betting scam

Sadness and anger have greeted claims of a betting scam linked to the Pakistani cricket team during its major international match with England in London last week. British police arrested a man Saturday accused of plotting to fix parts of the game, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN on Sunday. The International Cricket Council, the sport's governing body, says that no players nor team officials have been arrested. Cricketer Kevin Pietersen, who played for England in the series against Pakistan, said Sunday through his twitter account: "Wow.. Woken up to hear some interesting revelations on our test!! Today is gonna be interesting..." Meanwhile former England captain Michael Vaughan, who led the team in its famed 2005 Ashes victory against Australia, said on his Twitter account. "Anger is my thoughts at the moment... very sad." Earlier he wrote: "Dark suit today for a very dark day for cricket... me think it's going to be a long day..."

Ehsan Mani, former president of the International Cricket Council, the sport's governing body, told CNN it was important the Pakistani cricket board and ICC act decisively and quickly. "There's absolutely no place for corruption in the game," he said, "and that will destroy the game we love so much. So it is absolutely essential that very decisive action is taken." He said that Pakistan already faced severe problems due to the security situation and devastation from the floods, adding "cricket was one thing that people, you know, held onto as a lifeline of hope. And to have something like this, if it's true, a scandal like this, is absolutely devastating for the country."

Edward Craig, deputy editor of cricketing bible Wisden Cricketers' Almanack -- the bible of the game -- told CNN: "Whether they are true or not it has put a real dampener on the series."  He added that Pakistani cricketers were immensely talented and had the potential to be the best side in the world if they could get themselves well organised and well managed. "The problem is with things like this going on and allegations like these flying around, it's unlikely that that is going to happen any time soon." Fans at the final day of Sunday's match between England and Pakistan expressed their anger at the allegations, UK news agencies reported.

Mark Stevens, from Bath, southern England, told the Press Association: "It's just very disappointing - I'll be wanting my hard-earned cash back if the players turn out to be guilty." And Patrick Archibald, an England fan who was born in Karachi, Pakistan, said the betting industry was to blame, the agency reported. "If bookies were not allowed to take bets on bowls then we wouldn't have these ridiculous situations in the first place," he added. Meanwhile online cricketing fans around the world expressed their thoughts through social media such as Twitter. "ZeeshanAM," who gave his location as Dubai, UAE, said: "The Pakistan cricket mess.. Makes me wonder how much does this happen in cricket, but we're just unaware?" "carriesparkle" wrote "am too depressed re cricket," while "marcthiv," who gave their location as London, asked: "Wonder if I'll get my money back on Pakistan to win?! Wishful thinking." But "ibadtariq" who gives his location as Islamabad, Pakistan, states: "Pakistan cricket will rise again!"

Federer ready to roll the dice again at US Open

 

Roger Federer already has it all. The Swiss master has nothing left to prove and hardly anything to lose. In casino parlance, he is now playing with the house's money.  It has been that way for more than a year after he won the French Open for the first time last season then broke Pete Sampras's record of grand slam men's singles titles. Inevitable questions about his motivation arose when he lost last year's US Open final to Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro but he answered those in emphatic fashion when he won this year's Australian Open. By his own standards, the rest of this year has been a flop, he has failed to add to his tally of 16 grand slam titles and lost his grip on the number one ranking.

He was beaten in the quarter-finals of the French Open, ending his sequence of 23 consecutive grand slam semi-final appearances. Then, the unthinkable happened, he lost in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, marking the first time he had failed to reach the final at the All- England club since 2002. Until last weekend, the Australian Open was his last title success this year, prompting fresh speculation about whether his 29-year-old body was as willing as his mind. Throughout it all, Federer has remained unfazed, hiding his emotions behind the same calm poker face of someone with a fistful of aces before revealing their hand.

Two weeks ago, he made the final of the Toronto Masters, losing to Andy Murray. Last week, he went one better and won the Cincinnati Masters. All of a sudden, talk of his supposed decline has disappeared and he is looming as the form player heading into the US Open brimful of confidence. "It moves very quickly," he explained. "I know the rules and how it all works." Federer has good reason to feel confident about his prospects of winning the last grand slam of the year on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts he has transformed into his private playground.

He won the men's singles title five times in a row between 2004 and 2008. The only time he has been beaten in the past six years was in last year's final against Del Potro, which went five sets. The towering Argentine was expected to lead the charge of the new generation this year but has been plagued by injuries and will not defend his title in New York, leaving the old guard of Rafa Nadal, Murray and Novak Djokovic as Federer's most likely threats. "I guess the top four have the best shot again," Federer said.

Life has gone full circle for Federer since he first came to the United States as just another professional hoping to make it in the Big Apple. These days he travels with his wife Mirka and their 13-month-old twin daughters, Myla Rose and Charlene Riva, but the demands of fatherhood have not curtailed his boyish enthusiasm for play. He recently appeared in an online video performing a " William Tell" trick on the set of an advertising shoot. In the video, Federer delivers two powerful pin-point serves that knock a can off the head of a man at distance. The video became an instant hit and sparked an internet debate about whether the footage was real or had been altered to which Federer offered the same sort of teasing answer he gives his opponents on the court. "You know how it is with magicians," he said. "They don't tell how their tricks work."

Big guns may miss CWG bus

Rifle shooter Sanjeev Rajput is in the World Cup finals, to be held in Munich in October, but he might not be there in the Commonwealth Games squad. Joydeep Karmakar too will be shooting in Munich, but again, he may not be there at the Delhi Games. They are not the only ones. Many other top shooters are likely to miss the CWG bus too. All thanks to the new selection policy, which was introduced by the National Rifle Association of India ( NRAI), the game's ruling body in the country, earlier this year.

The confusing and controversial policy, which came into affect in March this year, takes into account the aggregate score from two selection trials and an international event to arrive at a base total, which will be the criteria to select the team for the CWG. In other words, past record and world ranking hold no meaning here. "Many top and in-form shooters might find it difficult to make it to the CWG squad. Even if they make it, they won't be able to compete in their pet events," rues national coach Sunny Thomas, who also blames himself for the situation.

"I was a part of the (NRAI) committee which formulated the new policy, so I should share some of the blame. But then, any policy will have its plus and minus sides, and you get to know the flaws only when it's put into practice. But we can't do much about it, it's too late now," adds the veteran coach. Many top names, who were expected to be among the medals at the just-concluded World Championships in Munich, fared very badly there and that has complicated the matter further. "Some shooters did very well in the two trials but shocked even themselves at the Munich meet. So their aggregate will go down and because some of them have shot in the same event at the World Championships, they won't be allowed to shoot at the selection trials in Balewadi. I can't take the names because there's still an outside chance of some of them making it to CWG, but the chances are dim," Thomas added.

For example, Beijing Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra finished a distant 23rd in his pet 10-metre air rifle event in Munich. Bindra, though, would be able to shoot at the CWG because of the points he got due to his gold-winning feat in Beijing. But others might not be so lucky. Like Manavjit Singh Sandhu, who finished 68th in the trap event at Munich, faces an uphill task. Similarly, ace pistol shooter Samresh Jung has been struggling with a drop in form and unless he shoots exceptionally well in the August 27-31 trials at Balewadi, he might find it tough to make the CWG grade.

Call back Rahul Dravid for ODIs: Akram

Senior batsman Rahul Dravid should be called back to India's ODI team as he still has lot to offer to the country in the 50-over format, feels former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram.  "Dravid still has a lot to offer in ODIs. I believe that Dravid should be brought back into the (one-day) team. In the sub-continent, the current batsmen can do well, but on the overseas tours, India need a solid and experienced batsman like Dravid," Akram said. Akram also was not happy with the current bowling line-up of the Indian team.

When asked about his reported comments that some of the India players were "softies and lazy", the former left-arm pacer said, "I was not talking about the whole team. I was only talking about the bowlers." "Look at Munaf Patel, (S) Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan and RP Singh. They all were very promising in the beginning. They had everything a bowler needs. Now you look at them. They have waned, for reasons beyond me," Akram said.  The cricketer-turned-commentator also feels that a packed international schedule is taking toll on the players of the Indian team.  "There is a series between these two teams every two months. It is very natural that the Indian players have lost interest in the contests. I am sure the same is the case with the Sri Lankan cricketers," he said.

"Indian players are in the habit of playing in front of more or less 60,000 people and now they are playing amidst almost empty stands.  "Obviously, their performance will get affected. They are a top team in both Tests and ODIs and only too much cricket is their undoing at the moment," he added.

Indian archers aiming for success

 

The common complaint against Indian archers for long was that they have always failed to live up to their potential in international tournaments. There cannot be a better opportunity than the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi next month for the archers to bury that view forever. India named a 12-member strong squad after a selection trial among 64 probables (which was later pruned down to 24). There weren't many surprises except for Tarundeep Rai finding a berth in the recurve side with Beijing Olympian Mangal Singh Champia missing out. But in archery, like most other sports, it's the present form that matters rather than past records and in that respect, Rai fits in perfectly.

The archers made an early start for the CWG with their camp beginning in Kolkata in March 2009. All the probables along with the coaches and support staff were stationed there permanently. There were no exposure trips but the archers took part in a number of international meets like the different legs of the World Cup and the Asian Grand Prix events in between. Thus, the selected archers are not short on match practice, and are raring to go. As a matter of fact the level of competition that they faced over the past year was much higher than what they are expected to encounter in New Delhi. With no Korea and China in CWG, logically, there is every reason to be optimistic about India's chances of winning a handful of the 24 medals on offer.

The Indian hopes rest mainly on the men's recurve team of Rai, Jayanta Talukdar and Rahul Banerjee. The team had won the gold medal in the Invitational Commonwealth Games Test event staged at the Yamuna Sports Complex in New Delhi during March. Rai also claimed individual gold in that event. The men's side picked up a gold at World Cup Stage II at Antalya, Turkey also this year. CWG will be one of the biggest events for the compound archers since compound archery is not an Olympic event. The competition in compound category is expected to be much tougher than in recurve category in CWG with teams like Australia, South Africa and Canada all capable of surprising any team.

But still national coach Limba Ram is hopeful of at least two gold medals - in men's and women's team events - from Indian compound archers. However, the Olympian would have preferred to camp in New Delhi a month before the Games. "It would have been nice if we could have got an opportunity to practise at the venue for some more time. But still I am hopeful that my boys and girls will enjoy home advantage as in archery, conditions play a very important role," Limba said.

Numbers Game:

24: No. of probables
12: Coaches
2: Women in the coaching staff
2: Foreign coaches
4: Support staff
2: Women in support staff
03/2009: Starting time for CWG camp
16: Medals expected.

World stars: Australia's Patrick Coghlan ( 2008 World Cup winner), Canadian Dietmar Trillus (ex-world champion), England's Danielle Brown ( Paralympic gold medallist).

Squad:

Recurve (men): Tarundeep Rai, Jayanta Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee
Recurve (women): Dola Banerjee, L Bombayala Devi, Deepika Kumari
Compound (men): C Srither, C H Jignas, Ritul Chatterjee
Compound (women): Jhanu Hansda, Gagandeep Kaur, Bheigyabati Chanu.

India beat New Zealand by 105 runs to enter tri-series final

India relied on Virender Sehwag's swashbuckling century and an inspired show of swing bowling to spank New Zealand by 105 runs and cruise into the final of the tri-series on Wednesday.While the flamboyant Sehwag (110) notched up his 13th ODI century to steer India to a competitive 223 after four early jolts, the pace bowlers than came up with fine exhibition of swing and control to skittle out the Kiwis for 118 in 30.1 overs. Tailender Kyle Mills provided some late entertainment with a rollicking 52 but none of the other New Zealand batsman could provide much resistance as the Indians exploited the bowling-friendly conditions to the hilt to set up a summit showdown with Sri Lanka on Saturday.

The Indians, who desperately needed to win the floodlit contest to stay afloat, owed their victory to the brilliance of Sehwag who gave them enough runs on the board to push for a win on a tricky pitch at the Rangiri international stadium. Chasing 224 for win, The Kiwis found the going tough under lights as the Indian speedsters extracted a lot of swing to virtually rip through the top-order. Praveen Kumar struck the first blow for the Indians by dismissing opener Martin Guptill for a first ball duck, trapping him leg before with a gem of a delivery.

Ashish Nehra then removed the other opener Bradley- John Watling with a big inswinger. Watling plays it onto the stumps as he looked to steer clear of the delivery. The Kiwis suffered a big jolt when their captain Ross Taylor was dismissed by Kumar, who really looked impressive as he troubled all the batsmen with swing. Taylor fell prey to a lovely outswinger as he hung his bat out and edged the ball to Dhoni behind the stumps, leaving New Zealand tottering at 14 for three. Kumar added another wicket to his kitty soon when he bowled Scot Styris while Ishant Sharma evicted Kane Williamson to compound the misery for the Kiwis.

Reduced to a precarious 42 for six by the 17th over, it was only a matter of time before the innings folded up, though Mills hit some lusty shots in the fag end to reduce the margin of defeat. Earlier, barring Sehwag, none of the other Indian batsmen could really get going though captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (38) played a good supporting role. Tim Southee (4/49) was the pick of the Kiwis bowlers though he was a trifle expensive. Spinner Nathan McCullum (3/35) and Kyle Mills (2/42) were the other wicket-taking bowlers. The Indian innings began on a disastrous note with Dinesh Karthik, who has been in woeful form right through the series, returning to the pavilion in the very first over off Kyle Mills.

It was a horrendous shot from the Indian opener as he poked at a length delivery outside the off stump, edging it to wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins behind the stump. He paid the price for fishing out even without getting his eye in. Virat Kohli, who replaced Rohit Sharma in the team, joined the action after Karthik's dismissal but could not survive long, being at the receiving end of a dubious decision. Kohli (8) looked stunned when Sri Lankan umpire Ashoka de Silva gave him out when he edged an outgoing delivery off Tim Southee to wicketkeeper Hopkins. Television replays picked up some noise and the snickometer showed there was a slight nick.

Despite the early losses, Sehwag showed his customary flamboyance as he unleashed a flurry of strokes and scored the runs at a brisk pace. Sehwag was particularly severe on Mills as he clobbered him for two consecutive boundaries and then hammered Southee for a couple of boundaries. During the course of the innings, Sehwag became the seventh batsmen in ODIs to hit 1000 boundaries. The record of hitting the most number of boundaries in ODIs is held by Sachin Tendulkar who has 1927 boundaries. The Indians suffered a big jolt when Yuvraj Singh (6) also perished in the 12th over to a poor shot with Andy McKay being the wicket-taker.

Yuvraj attempted a pull shot but his balance was all awry and he only managed to top edge the ball for the wicketkeeper to latch on to a superb catch. The ball climbed just below chest high and Yuvraj tried to pull it from well outside off stump which accounted for his wicket. It was then Suresh Raina's turn to return to the pavilion and the Indians found themselves in the doldrums at a precarious 66 for four by the 13th over. Raina, who has always been vulnerable to shirt pitched deliveries, paid the price for a faulty pull to a ball that was not too short.

Raina was quick to get on to the back foot but pulled it to short midwicket fielder Kane Williamson who dived to his right to take a good catch. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sehwag tried to steady the innings by playing cautiously and punishing only the loose deliveries. Both gradually accelerated the pace of scoring after getting a feel of the conditions and the measure of the rather spongy track at the Rangiri International stadium. Sehwag took a single off spinner Williamson to complete his 13th ODI century which came off just 87 balls. Spinner Nathan McCullum brought an end to the 107-run fifth wicket partnership by evicting the dangerous Sehwag soon after he completed his century, much to the relief of his teammates.

Sehwag holed out at deep midwicket as a tried to pick McCullum's flighted delivery from outside off and swung it straight to the fielder. His knock of 110 came off just 93 balls and was laced with 16 boundaries and a six. Ravindra Jadeja (17) fell immediately after Dhoni's departure and Ashish Nehra did not survive long either, hastening the end of the Indian innings.

Jermain Defoe to undergo groin surgery next week

Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe will have an operation on a groin injury next week that will keep him out of England's Euro 2012 qualifiers. The 27-year-old will still be available to play in his club's Champions League tie against Young Boys on Wednesday. But the injury, which Defoe has suffered since the World Cup, means he could be out for up to a month.England kick off their European qualification campaign against Bulgaria and Switzerland on 3 and 7 September. Defoe missed Tottenham's trip to Stoke last Saturday because of the problem and will sit out the club's upcoming Premier League games against West Brom and Wolves. 

But although Spurs boss Harry Redknapp said he would be out for a minimum of two weeks, the forward could play some part in the crucial Champions League qualifier against Swiss side Young Boys in which the London club trail 3-2.  He could also be available for the Premier League match at home to Wigan this weekend before he goes under the knife. Redknapp said: "It might only be half a game he can last now, but it's getting less each time - the pain's getting worse. "He wants to play and train all the time but he's got to have it done now. He can't go on like that." 

Defoe had been due to have the operation last Thursday but the German specialist who recently performed a similar operation on team-mate Alan Hutton was unavailable until next week. Redknapp added: "He's not trained a lot. When he has trained, he's been all right, he's been sticking goals in. "But then he's had days off where he couldn't train and he's getting worse, he's getting worse all the time. Sixty minutes is about as much as he can last."

Chance for Indian hockey to make a big impact

Indian men have never been to the podium since hockey's 1998 entry to the Commonwealth Games, while their women counterparts have been there twice - winning gold at the 2002 Manchester Games and silver four years later in Melbourne. The pressure, therefore, will be more on the men to set the record straight when the hockey competition begins at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium on October 4.

The worrying part, though, is the chaotic build-up to the event, both for the men and women alike. While sexual harassment claims against the chief coach threw the women's preparations haywire, the men's game has been suffering due to the power struggle between Hockey India and the Indian Hockey Federation. One can only hope that off-field drama will not affect the teams' on-field performance.

The women's team, led by experienced forward Surinder Kaur, is currently in Argentina to play the World Cup, and whatever the result there, the experience will definitely hold them in good stead for the CWG, as some of their opponents there will also be playing at the Delhi Games.  Women's team coach in-charge Sandeep Somesh, who took over after the resignation of long-serving MK Kaushik, is counting on the World Cup as the perfect build-up for the CWG. "We won the silver last time. In Delhi, before the home crowd, we should definitely aim for the gold," is his take. 

In their maiden outing at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games, Indian women had finished fourth, behind Australia, England and New Zealand. The crowning glory came four years later at Manchester when, defying the odds, the feisty girls stunned fancied hosts England to win the gold. And they proved that the win was no fluke when they took the silver in 2006. They now have a chance to create history at home. In contrast, Indian men, despite a formidable Olympic and Asian Games record, have always disappointed at the CWG. They finished fourth in 1998, didn't take part in 2002 and ended a disappointing sixth - behind even Malaysia and New Zealand - in 2006. Going by current form, things don't look that bright this time either, but then, as chief coach Jose Brasa puts it, "In sports, anything can happen on any given day."

The wily Spaniard always portrays a picture of optimism and positive energy and seems to have passed some of it to his wards as well. "Of course, we'll do well. We can't let the home crowd down," asserts former captain Prabodh Tirkey, who was also a part of the 2006 campaign in Melbourne. Current skipper Rajpal Singh, Arjun Halappa, Sandeep Singh, Sardar Singh, Tushar Khandeker and Vikram Pillay are the other members of that squad who will hold the key to India's fortunes this time too.

The CWGs diminishing brand value notwithstanding, the contest promises to be tough and exciting. Teams like Australia, England, Malaysia, Pakistan, even New Zealand for that matter, are no pushovers and India have to play out of their skins to break their CWG jinx. And what better way than do it at home, before the home crowd, at their own Games.

Facts & Numbers:

0: Medals won by men's team.
2: Medals won by women's team - gold at 2002 CWG in Manchester and silver at Melbourne 2006.
11: Number of support staff.
20: Number of competing teams, 10 each for men and women.
37: Number of men's probables at Pune's Balewadi camp.

Group Opponents:

Men's pool: Australia, Pakistan, Malaysia, Scotland.
Women's pool: Australia, South Africa, Scotland, Trinidad & Tobago.

Main threats:

For men: Australia, Pakistan.
For women: Australia, South Africa.

Recent record:

The men won the Azlan Shah trophy in May, where among others, they beat world champions Australia and also Pakistan. Both teams are in India's pool at the CWG.

I have always played for India: Anand

Making clear that Viswanathan Anand's nationality was never in question, HRD minister Kapil Sibal said on Tuesday, "Procedural error has led to problems regarding the doctorate to Anand. Immediate corrective action was taken and I told him that we are sorry for what has transpired. It should not take time (to implement such decisions) but sometimes it happens. I told him that the honorary degree could be conferred today itself. He indicated to me that he had some problem about this evening. Then I told him any date of his convenience for the function was okay. He has accepted it."  An aggrieved Anand, who is reported to have asked for his country back after his nationality was questioned, seemed adequately assuaged. "I consider the matter resolved," he said. "It's time to move on. The silver lining is that at least everyone now knows that I am Indian. Whenever I play, I've always played under the Indian flag. I lived and trained in Spain for some time, but I used to travel back and forth between India and Spain. I have now shifted base back to India."

Anand's wife Aruna, who was livid at the way things had played out, struck a conciliatory note, but not before making a pointed statement. "Anand has only one passport," she said. "And that is Indian. Mr Sibal did call Anand and apologized, so we will leave it at that."  Explaining their stand, HRD ministry sources said Anand's name was among the six who were to be awarded the doctorate in UoH's regular convocation on June 22. The file was cleared by Sibal on May 22 and sent to President Pratibha Patil's office as she is the visitor. But Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 2 raised queries about one individual - not Anand - in the list of six and returned the entire proposal.

UoH's fresh, curtailed proposal that did not include Anand's name came to HRD on June 18, and by June 21 the ministry got it cleared from Rashtrapati Bhavan. Those conferred a doctorate then included former RBI governor C Rangarajan and dancers Raja and Radha Reddy. As for the present controversy, it was in July that UoH sent a list of people it wanted to award doctorates to. But the proposal neither mentioned the date nor the fact that it will be given during the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) where Anand was to play against 40 mathematicians simultaneously. The list included names of Anand, renowned mathematician David Mumford and theatre director Ebrahim Alkazi.

As mandated, all foreign names have to be cleared by the ministry of external affairs. UoH officials had apparently said that Anand is a citizen of Spain and neither is Alkazsi an Indian national. The ministry was also not told that the function was on August 23. A detailed note from the ministry was sent to the UoH on August 11 and the formal proposal from the university came on August 18. Two days later, the ministry informed that the doctorate is to be awarded on August 23 and post-facto approval was sought. By then it was too late to seek clearance from Rashtrapati Bhavan.

UoH, of course, blamed the HRD ministry for causing Anand such trouble. The university said the situation arose due to MHRD's "insensitive bureaucratic obstruction". In a press statement, it alleged: "The idea of conferring the honorary doctorate on Viswanathan Anand was mooted as early as in October 2009. Despite repeated follow-up by the university, the MHRD did not forward this proposal for signature by the President of India."  Since MHRD officials had not cleared the file which was to be moved to the President for approval, the special convocation on August 22 had to be cancelled. University authorities had, however, not informed Anand that the honour will not be bestowed as they expected MHRD to give approval at the last moment.

University vice chancellor Seyed E Hasnain said that such situations had come up earlier too. "When the university wanted to confer an honorary doctorate on Jagdish N Bhagwati, the renowned economist, a similar delay had taken place as he was a US citizen and professor at Columbia University, US. After many requests the permission was granted only on the day of the convocation. We were expecting something similar," Hasnain said.

Top athletes evade dope test, may make it to Games squad

In an incident that raises suspicion of a doping cover-up ahead of the Commonwealth Games, four top Indian athletes who skipped a mandatory test for banned substances and were quietly thrown out of a training camp, were allowed by sports officials to surreptitiously continue their training.  They even competed in the inter-state meet -- the final selection trials for the Games -- held earlier this month.

The athletes are part of the Commonwealth Games core group at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala. According to sources, the four went missing from their hostels at NSNIS when officers from the National Anti-Doping Agency arrived for an out-of-competition test before the Asian All-Star meet held in New Delhi on July 29-30. Subsequently, the Athletics Federation of India quietly pulled up the erring athletes and they were asked to leave the camp.

As per NADA rules, three missed tests within a period of 18 months constitutes a violation which results in an athlete being banned. A top official of the anti-doping agency confirmed that four athletes were absent during the surprise test conducted at NSNIS. "The coach produced leave letters for those athletes. Later, they were asked to leave the camp," he said.

However, he couldn't confirm whether the same athletes had been absent during previous tests as well. Surprisingly, the four continued their training without any hindrance at NSNIS along with other campers. At the inter-state meet, at least two of them excelled and put themselves in contention for a place in the Indian squad for the Commonwealth Games. AFI's officiating secretary Ravinder Chaudhary, however, denied anything of this sort happened in the camp. "None of our athletes missed the test and we haven't taken action against anyone. You can check with the chief coach," he said. With the AFI selection committee meeting in New Delhi, the squad for the Commonwealth Games could be announced on Wednesday. It remains to be seen how many of these athletes are finally selected.

A source told TOI that doping continued to be a menace in Indian athletics despite agencies such as NADA. "In fact, one day somebody collected all the syringes used by athletes and put the basket in front of the NSNIS hostel but the authorities dismissed it as medicines used in recovery. If you test all the probables now, quite a few will test positive," he added.

The story was no different during a similar surprise test at the camp in SAI South Centre in Bangalore. "Several athletes fled to safe havens when NADA officials came last month. And there was no action against the erring athletes," a source said. He said the tests in Bangalore were conducted by a single official. "He didn't insist on identity cards. And it is quite possible that he was duped into collecting the wrong samples. We also heard about coaches collecting leave letters from athletes to produce before the NADA officials," the source added.

New Zealand sealed the 2010 Tri-Nations title in dramatic fashion

New Zealand sealed the 2010 Tri-Nations title in dramatic fashion after two very late tries set up an enthralling win over South Africa in Johannesburg.The hosts had led 22-17 up until the 78th minute when All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw scored a controversial try in the corner to level the scores.And Israel Dagg secured the title when he latched on to Ma'a Nonu's pass.The loss was a bitter blow for South Africa captain John Smit on his 100th Test appearance at the FNB Stadium.However, the victory was tinged with controversy with South Africa's coaching staff incensed a forward pass had not been spotted in the build-up to McCaw's try. 

The flanker needed television match official Shaun Veldsman to confirm the try was legitimate after he appeared to ground the ball at the same time as his foot was dragged into touch by winger Bryan Habana.The try levelled the scores at 22-22, although Carter missed the subsequent conversion from the far touchline which would have given New Zealand a two-point lead. A draw would have given the All Blacks the one point required to win their seventh Tri-Nations title in nine years.But substitute Dagg also ensured New Zealand extended their winning run to 14 successive matches when he outsprinted full-back Gio Aplon after centre Nonu carved through the beleaguered Springbok defence. 

And Carter, who missed five of his nine attempts at goal at the stadium formerly known as Soccer City, added the conversion in front of the posts before the final whistle."I'm proud of our boys," said a jubilant McCaw. «We kept believing in what we were doing. We got some pressure on in that second half and perhaps their weary legs gave us a few opportunities that we managed to take."I'm happy we won but I feel sorry for John. For a guy like that, he probably deserved better but that's the way rugby goes. It's a cruel game."The defeat extends South Africa's losing run to four matches and keeps the world champions firmly rooted at the bottom of the Tri-Nations table with just one point.Until Dagg's last-minute try, New Zealand had not been in front throughout the whole match as South Africa produced an obdurate defensive display in front of one of the largest crowds ever gathered for a rugby international.

Prop Woodcock scored his seventh try for the All Blacks

"I really thought we had done enough," said Springbok skipper Smit, who capped a century of Tests with defeat. "We worked hard and I really enjoyed the Test but the last minute..."Fly-half Morne Steyn's boot had given South Africa a 16-14 lead at the half-time interval, kicking three penalties and a conversion following Schalk Burger's muscular try after barging through four All Blacks defenders from close range in the 25th minute. But the visitors responded through the unlikely figure of prop Tony Woodcock stationed on the right wing, running on to second-row Tom Donnelly's intelligent pass. South Africa, who had made seven changes to their starting XV from the side that began the 30-13 defeat by Australia four weeks ago, extended their lead to 22-15 with two second-half penalties from Steyn, both from long range. 

And off-sorts Carter reduced the gap to five points with a penalty but, with the clocking ticking towards the final five minutes, New Zealand attempted to lift the tempo with a series of substitutions.And McCaw's late try silenced what had been a raucous partisan crowd at the brand new venue, built for the 2010 World Cup, while Dagg's last-minute score capped off a resilient display by the All Blacks. 

South Africa (16) 22
Tries: Burger Cons: Steyn Pens: Steyn (5)
New Zealand (14) 29
Tries: Woodcock, McCaw, Dagg Cons: Carter Pens: Carter (4)

South Africa: Gio Aplon, JP Pietersen, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Francois Hougaard (20 Enrico Januarie 75), Gurthro Steenkamp, John Smit (Francois Louw 59), Jannie du Plessis (17-CJ van der Linde 61), Flip van der Merwe (Danie Rossouw 69), Victor Matfield, Schalk Burger, Juan Smith, Pierre Spies 

New Zealand: Mils Muliaina, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Jo Rokocoko (Israel Dagg 57), Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan (Piri Weepu 42), Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu, Ben Franks (John Afoa 61), Brad Thorn, Tom Donnelly (Sam Whitelock 49), Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw, Kieran Read

Fulham 2 - 2 Man Utd

Brede Hangeland made amends for an own goal with a late header to rescue a point for Fulham and spoil Manchester United's 100% start to the season.Paul Scholes's 25-yard drive put United ahead but Simon Davies' 12-yard finish deservedly drew the home side level.Hangeland diverted a corner into his own net to give the lead to United, for whom Nani saw a penalty saved by David Stockdale minutes later.Hangeland rose to head in from a corner to give his side a share of the spoils.It was the least Fulham deserved for their contribution to a match that had seen them denied possession for large periods but give as good as they got against in-form opponents.

The Cottagers may have changed manager since last season, but Roy Hodgson's replacement, Mark Hughes, will be pleased to see that much of what made Fulham such a tough opponent under his predecessor remains.No better is this illustrated than in their determination and ability to battle back into the game not only once but twice, when lesser teams would have wilted, especially after such a seemingly decisive late blow as Hangeland's own goal.That their keeper Stockdale also saved a penalty - diving to his right to palm away substitute Nani's effort after Damien Duff was adjudged to have handled in the box when the ball struck his knee and then arm - between the final two goals of the game serves only to enhance this durable quality. 

Such late drama was unforeseeable after the opening 10 minutes, which the away side completely dominated and deservedly led through Scholes's superb low drive - his 150th goal during a career spent entirely with United.Two seasons ago Scholes was sent off at Craven Cottage in a 2-0 United defeat, the first of two on the ground for the Red Devils in 2009, but he more than made up for this indiscretion with another strong performance on Sunday. The midfielder was always available, always neat and continually central to his side's patient, progressive and polished play. 

The other key figure in United's first goal - Dimitar Berbatov, who teed Scholes up - was also heavily involved throughout the game, shouldering much of the senior attacking responsibility in the absence of the ill Wayne Rooney.An often maligned figure during his time at Old Trafford, Berbatov has been accused of not scoring often enough, and while he opened his account early this campaign with a goal in the 3-0 opening win over Newcastle, here he was wasteful.He was presented with half a dozen goalscoring opportunities, and despite testing Stockdale with the majority of them, he should have done better. 

But the same could be said of many of Fulham's attacking players. But for greater accuracy in their own shooting, and the superb intervention of their former goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar - who rescued his current employers United by firstly blocking from Dickson Etuhu and then somehow tipped the midfielder's follow-up effort over the bar - they would have gone into the break level. A quarter of an hour into the second half the home side were level as Duff robbed Patrice Evra and fed Bobby Zamora down the right, whose pull-back was fired home by the onrushing Davies. 

Both sides continued to press for the advantage: Nani flicked the top of the net with a free-kick from the left and Nemanja Vidic headed wide from a corner for United, while Zamora miscued an effort past the far post from a tight angle after being found by Paul Konchesky's flighted free-kick.It was no surprise that further goals came, only that they were both from the same source.Central defender Hangeland can consider himself unlucky to see a corner ricochet off his shin and fly in after 84 minutes.But he can be equally proud of his response at the other end, rising to head home from a corner to give his side a thoroughly warranted equaliser - made possible by Stockdale's spot-kick save. 

Dropping two points, even though early in the season, is a blow to United, with reigning champions and title-rivals Chelsea having hit six goals for the second successive game on Saturday to leave them as the only side with maximum points.

Sri Lanka sealed an eight-wicket victory to condemn India to their second comprehensive one-day defeat in the triangular series in Dambulla. Thisara Perera (5-28) starred for the hosts, who dismissed India for 103, with Yuvraj Singh top-scoring with 38.Tillakaratne Dilshan (35) and Mahela Jayawardene (33) ensured the hosts reached their target in 15.1 overs.The win confirms Sri Lanka's place in the final, while India must beat New Zealand on Wednesday to qualify.The Black Caps thrashed India by 200 runs in the opening match of the tournament on 10 August, but have since lost to Sri Lanka while their second encounter against the hosts was abandoned because of rain. 

However, Mahendra Dhoni's side will need to significantly improve on yet another abject display at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.Sri Lanka, who needed a victory to book their place in the tournament final on Saturday, dropped spinners Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis, and recalled seamer Perera. Off-spinner Suraj Randiv also returned following a one-match suspension for deliberately bowling a no-ball to deny Virender Sehwag a century in India's six-wicket win last Monday.After winning his first toss in Sri Lanka, India skipper Dhoni opted to bat but lost the enigmatic Sehwag lbw to Nuwan Kulasekara in the sixth over. Opening partner Dinesh Karthik soon followed as the seam trio of Lasith Malinga (2-21), Kulasekara (2-31) and Angelo Mathews (1-20) put Sri Lanka in total control. 

Perera ripped through the lower middle order, removing Ravindra Jadeja and Praveen Kumar for ducks before bowling last-man Ishant Sharma to dismiss India for a paltry 103, their third-lowest total against Sri Lanka in one-day internationals. Ishant's wicket also gave the 21-year-old, playing in his 11th one-day international, his first limited overs five-wicket haul. "He (Perera) had a fantastic game today and really won us the match," said Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara."We would also have batted first had we won the toss. But our bowlers bowled a great line and length right from the start. We have got a varied attack." 

The returning Yuvraj, fully recovered after suffering dengue fever earlier in the tour, was the only India batsman to resist, hitting five boundaries and one maximum in his 64-ball innings before he was trapped lbw by Malinga.India's deficiencies with the bat were ruthlessly exposed by Jayawardene and Dilshan, who smashed 14 boundaries in a blistering 79-run opening wicket partnership from just 50 deliveries. Although both openers fell in successive deliveries to Ishant in the 10th over, Upal Tharanga and Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara ensured there were no further hiccups for the hosts."We didn't get the kind of start we needed," said Dhoni. "Their bowlers bowled in the right channels and pushed us into making mistakes."

Pakistan claim nervous win over England

Pakistan bounced back to win the third Test against England by four wickets at the Oval in London as veteran batsman Mohammed Yousuf completed a successful return to international cricket on Saturday. The tourists, whose country has been devastated by floods, reduced England's series lead to 2-1 ahead of the final match at Lord's starting next Thursday as Yousuf's experience proved vital.Recalled after receiving an indefinite ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board in March following his role in the disastrous tour of Australia, the former captain contributed 56 in Pakistan's first innings of 308 and then played another solid hand in the successful chase for 148 on the fourth day.

Pakistan lost an early wicket and then Yousuf came to the crease at 57-2 after Imran Farhat fell to Graeme Swann for a quickfire 39. The 35-year-old helped Salman Butt (48) put on an invaluable 46 before the captain was also dismissed by the spinner. Pakistan's nerves showed as Azhar Ali was run out for five, then James Anderson claimed his second wicket as he bowled Yousuf for a patient 33 and Swann trapped Kamran Akmal leg before wicket for a duck without offering a shot.

Umar Akmal (16) and Mohammad Amir (4) then guided Pakistan to a morale-boosting victory following two heavy defeats as their team mirrored the three-wicket win over Australia last month when chasing 180."The boys showed a lot of character," Butt told reporters. "It was a very good effort from the whole team, no one individual can be singled out. Yousuf brought class and calmness to the middle order. The dressing room is confident in this holy month of Ramadan, we would like to draw this series 2-2." 

The 18-year-old Amir was named man of the match after becoming the youngest player to take five wickets in an innings in England, claiming figures of 5-52 as the hosts were bowled out for 222.England added just one run to their overnight total before Amir dismissed last man Stuart Broad for six.

Foot injury rules Serena Williams out of US Open

World number one Serena Williams will miss this year's US Open after failing to recover from a foot injury.Williams, 28, has already missed three tournaments since cutting her right foot on broken glass in Munich in July."It is with much frustration and deep sadness that I am having to pull out of the US Open. My doctors have advised against my playing," the American said.Williams said missing the tournament at Flushing Meadows was "one of the most devastating moments of my career". 

Williams suffered the injury shortly after winning her fourth Wimbledon singles title on 3 July.It was before playing in an exhibition against Kim Clijsters in Belgium on 8 July, an event which drew a world record crowd for a tennis match of 35,681.She underwent surgery in Los Angeles on 15 July but will now miss her first Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2006.She has played just six tournaments this year, including the other three Grand Slams. 

Her wins in Australia and at Wimbledon took her career record to 13 Grand Slam titles.Last year, she lost in the semi-finals off the US Open after a furious outburst at a line judge over a foot-fault call in her defeat by eventual champion Clijsters."Serena will be missed, but the tournament is about the competition and the players on the court," said a statement from the tournament organisers."This year's US Open will be a memorable event, as it has been every year."

MX Sports: AMA Motocross Awards

Following the conclusion of the 2010 Lucas Oil AMA Pro MotocrossChampionship and the inaugural Pala Motocross National, the 12th and final round of the world's most prestigious motocross championship on September 11th, MX Sports Pro Racing will host its second annual awards banquet from Pala Resort and Casino to celebrate the season that was. 

On Sunday, September 12, the riders and teams of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, along with members of the motocross industry, will gather to honor the season's champions from the 450 Class, 250 Class and WMX Class, while also acknowledging the people and events that made the 2010 season so memorable.

Headlining the awards that will be handed out that evening are the coveted Edison Dye Motocross Cup, awarded to the championship-winning team of the 450 Class, and the Gary Jones Motocross Cup, given to the team behind the champion of the 250 Class. Additionally, the Women's Motocross Cup will be presented to the team that captures the WMX Class title.

All three of the respective 2010 class champions will have their chance in the spotlight, receiving their own trophy and distinguished medal commemorating their achievement and serving as the ideal complement to the exclusive Number One plates that will adorn their bikes the following season. 

MX Sports Pro Racing will also recognize the 2010 Sportsman of the Year, which is given to the rider that exhibited the determination and class often identified with the most renowned names in the sport, as well as handing out Rookie of the Year accolades to the top first-year rider in each class.

Moreover, the Team Manager of the Year, Motocross Team of the Year, Event of the Year and Transport Driver of the Year will give credit to people behind the scenes at the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship, making it possible for the world's best riders and a nation full of avid motocross fans to enjoy a first-rate global competition in one of the toughest sports on the planet.

Prior to the festivities on Sunday evening, the inaugural Alli Sports Golf Tournament will take place from the Temecula Creek Inn Golf Course. The biggest names of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship will hit the links with friends and teammates to enjoy some friendly golf competition and have some fun away from the track.

Olympic loss spurs Lawal’s title pursuit

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal describes himself as someone who fully pursues his interests – and notes that MMA is just No. 2 on his list of three sports/entertainment passions that he wants to conquer. Lawal (7-0) will bring his title belt, crown and dancing girls to the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday night for his first title defense when he faces jiu-jitsu specialist Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (11-2) in the main event on Showtime. “When I get interested in something, I get obsessed,” said Lawal. “I wanted to win a gold medal in the Olympics, and then make the move to MMA as an Olympic champion because I’d be able to walk in and get paid more. I blew the Olympic chance.”

His rise to the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship is only another step in a series in his goals to becoming something of the reverse Brock Lesnar.Lawal started as an amateur wrestler largely because of his childhood love of pro wrestling. He nearly made the move to pro wrestling himself but put it off. He says it’s not a question of maybe but rather when that childhood goal will be achieved. Then he says he’ll go on to be a pro-wrestling star. But it won’t be soon, as his current goal is to not just be an MMA champion, something he achieved just 19 months into his career, but also be considered an all-time great in the sport.

“You can’t do that in 10 matches,” he said. Lawal has been studying tapes of Cavalcante, and sees him as a different challenger than Gegard Mousasi, from whom he won the title on April 17 in Nashville. “Mousasi was more aggressive standing, but Feijao is more aggressive on the ground,” he said. In particular, he’s been looking at Cavalcante’s upset loss to Mike Kyle last summer when Kyle overwhelmed him with strikes, which were key to his victory. 

But he says everything started with watching pro wrestling on television, in particular the 1980s versions of the National Wrestling Alliance and Mid-South Wrestling. Lawal can talk in detail about wrestlers and stories from back in the mid-’80s, when he was just 4 years old. He learned valuable lessons from being a pro-wrestling fan, soaking up strategy and technique by studying VHS videotapes from all over the world.

The other lesson learned was how to promote fights. But amateur wrestling came first. He didn’t start until he was 16 but picked it up quickly. When he got to college at Oklahoma State, he remembers meeting his first national champion in the practice room, sizing him up and thinking that he could beat him. Instead, he got destroyed. The next step, he realized, was finding every tape he could get his hands on. “I would steal tapes at Oklahoma, looking at guys like Kevin Jackson, David Schultz and Mark Schultz,” said Lawal, naming three Olympic gold medalists.

After placing third in the 2003 NCAA tournament, he very briefly tried pro wrestling after being recruited by Gerald Brisco of World Wrestling Entertainment, who had wrestled at OSU in the late ’60s and had a long professional career. But it was actually a current WWE wrestler, Shad Gaspard, whom he credits for putting him on his career path. “I was at OVW [at the time a Louisville, Ky.,-based operation where WWE trained its new talent] and I met Shad Gaspard, he was called ‘Da Beast’ at the time, and he told me he wished he’d gone into fighting first,” said Lawal.

After that discussion, Lawal decided he didn’t want to second-guess his decision years later. He told Brisco he’d be back after winning a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, and said that after his fighting career is over, his plan was to move into pro wrestling. He didn’t quite get that gold, but he did win national titles in 2005 and 2008, as well as gold at the 2007 Pan American Games. Considered having medal potential in 2008, Lawal was matched against fellow American Andy Hrovat in a best-of-three series to determine who would make the Olympic team. Hrovat, who Lawal beat for the ’08 national title, won the third match by scoring with seven seconds left. 

“I already knew that was my last year in amateur wrestling,” he said. And as soon as he lost at the trials, he knew he was MMA-bound. While training for the Olympic team, however, he briefly tried another form of pro wrestling – the short-lived Real Pro Wrestling promotion. “I knew that wasn’t going to make it right away,” he said. “They had too much of an amateur wrestling mentality. I was doing the trash-talking, and they said they were getting letters from people who didn’t like it. They didn’t understand we were a television show.” The league used amateur wrestlers in non-scripted matches with a team format similar to the International Fight League, and a slightly different set of rules. Television ratings started off decent but didn’t sustain. Lawal was the league’s champion at 185 pounds and probably its biggest star.

He fell in love with MMA as a teen after someone showed him a UFC tape checked out of a Blockbuster around 1995 or 1996. He then began studying every tape he could, from the violent Vale Tudo tapes he’d find from Brazil to fights all over the globe. He still watches as many matches as he can. When it was time for his pro debut, taking a fight on short notice in Japan against Travis Wiuff, watching the tapes gave him an edge on Wiuff, a natural heavyweight who outsized him and was on a nine-match winning streak before his 67th pro fight. The fight only lasted 2:11, with Lawal winning with punches on the ground.

“Roger Gracie got hurt and I was called,” he said about his debut fight on Sept. 28, 2008, on a Sengoku show in Japan. “The weight didn’t matter. In wrestling, I always went against bigger guys. [Wiuff] had experience, but I had seen so many of his fights before that I knew him, and he knew nothing about me.” He liked the idea of debuting in Japan. Lawal had watched so many tapes of the glory days of the Pride Fighting Championships with its big crowds that going to Japan meant something. Plus, MMA fighting in Japan is more of an entertainment spectacle, so he could be billed as “King Mo” instead of Muhammed Lawal. On the U.S. scene, he uses a mix: King Mo Lawal.

While he still had to win the fight, he became an instant star in Japan based on his ring entrance and rapper persona, saying after the fight: “When I say King, you say Mo,” and encouraged the sides of the arena to chant. He scored three more wins in Japan before hearing from Strikeforce. “When I wrestled at 184.8 pounds, I would go against anyone of any weight,” he said. “I always liked to go against the 96 kilogram [211 pounds] and the heavyweights. To me, the weight made no difference.”

He said he wound up in MMA as a light heavyweight because he considered it the strongest weight class. “I can still make 184.8 pounds, but it’s not easy,” he said. As for how he found his way to Strikeforce, Lawal said simply, “Strikeforce called me and wanted me, and UFC didn’t.” That turned out to be a benefit, though, as there was a shorter line in getting a championship opportunity. He got that opportunity in his second fight with the company and was a major underdog in his title fight against Mousasi. 

“People on Twitter and the Internet were telling me that I didn’t have enough experience [he had six fights while Mousasi had 31], but I knew he couldn’t stop my takedowns,” said Lawal. “I took down Olympic and world champion wrestlers, national champions from Cuba. I can take down anyone in MMA except maybe Daniel Cormier. “I also predicted that after I beat Mousasi, those same people would go around saying Mousasi was overrated.”