Thursday, October 28, 2010

Pakistan vs South Africa 2nd T20I Cricket Match 2010

T20 Series Win By South Africa 2010 Against Pakistan
South Africa vs Pakistan 2nd T20I: Pakistan Meets South Africa in the second and T20 in Abu Dhabi, Wednesday, October 27. South Africa won the first T20I more comfortable and try to make it 2-0. South Africa vs Pakistan 2nd T20I Match scheduled to begin at 20:00 local time (16:00 GMT, 9:30 PM IST ) Pakistan vs South Africa 1st T20I Pakistan’s bane of their tour of England still continues to find them in the first half and hit T20I miserably. Target of 120 was never on the track, which was full of runs and beat collapse against some disciplined bowling ofSouth Africa saw the Pakistani side to collapse. South Africa, on the other hand, bowled with discipline after the initial barrage of wides and no-balls and stuck it out in some really hot conditions. Lonwobo Tsotsobe bowled with a lot of heart and it would be fair to say that the Pakistani batsmen failed to accelerate when required. South Africa, meanwhile, played with discipline after the initial barrage wide and no balls some really hot conditions. Lonwobo Tsotsobe played with great heart and is fair to say that Pakistan’s batsmen do not need to accelerate.

Match: 2nd T20I – Pakistan v South Africa
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Date: Tue Oct 27 16:00 GMT | 20:00 local 12:00 EDT | 11:00 CDT | 09:00 PDT
2nd T20I – Pakistan v South Africa Match Preview:
2nd T20I – Pakistan v South Africa Toss:Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat
2nd T20I – Pakistan v South Africa Man of the Match:Juan Theron 2nd T20I – Pakistan v South Africa Match Stats and Scorecard:
RSA: 125/4 (18.4 Ovs)Pak: 120/9 (20.0 Ovs)
South Africa won by 6 wkts


2nd T20 Pakistan Squad
Shahid Afridi*, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Imran Farhat, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shahzaib Hasan, Shoaib Akhtar, Tanvir Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Zulqarnain Haider.

2nd T20 South Africa Squad
J Botha*, LL Bosman, AB de Villiers†, JP Duminy, CA Ingram, JH Kallis, DA Miller, JA Morkel, M Morkel, WD Parnell, RJ Peterson, GC Smith, DW Steyn, J Theron, LL Tsotsobe


1st T20I – Pakistan v South Africa Highlights and Scorecard-26th Oct 2010

First T20 Match Pakistan Vs SouthAfrica

Match: 1st T20I – Pakistan v South Africa
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Date: Tue Oct 26 16:00 GMT | 20:00 local 12:00 EDT | 11:00 CDT | 09:00 PDT
1st T20I – Pakistan v South Africa Match Preview:
1st T20I – Pakistan v South Africa Toss:Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat
1st T20I – Pakistan v South Africa Man of the Match:Jean-Paul Duminy
1st T20I – Pakistan v South Africa Match Stats and Scorecard:
RSA: 120/4 (18.2 Ovs)Pak: 119 (19.5 Ovs)
South Africa won by 6 wkts


Score Board For Pakistan Vs South Africa T20 First Match

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Paul the octopus dies

football World Cup in South Africa for his flawless record in predicting game outcomes

Paul the octopus, who shot to fame during this year's football World Cup in South Africa for his flawless record in predicting game outcomes, has died, his aquarium in Germany said today. "Management and staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre were devastated to discover that oracle octopus Paul, who achieved global renown during the recent World Cup, had passed away overnight," the aquarium said in a sombre statement. "Paul amazed the world by correctly predicting the winners of all Germany's World Cup clashes, and then of the final," said Sea Life manager Stefan Porwoll. "His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself... We had all naturally grown very fond of him and he will be sorely missed," said Porwoll. Paul beat the odds during the World Cup by correctly forecasting all eight games he was asked to predict, including Spain's 1-0 win over the Netherlands in the final.

For the prediction, two boxes were lowered into the salty soothsayer's tank, each containing a mussel and a flag of the two opposing teams. Watched by a myriad of reporters, Paul would head to one box, wrench open the lid and gobble the tasty morsel, with the box he plumped for being deemed the likely winner. Paul's body is now in cold storage while the aquarium decides "how best to mark his passing." However, Paul's fans need not despair. The aquarium has already been grooming a successor, to be named Paul like his mentor. "We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine," said Porwoll. "While this may seem a curious thing to do for a sea creature, Paul achieved such popularity during his short life that it may be deemed the most appropriate course of action."

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Row over US swimmer's death during race in UAE

U.S. national team swimmer Fran Crippen

The president of FINA said Sunday that "overexertion" led to the death of U.S. national team swimmer Fran Crippen at a race in the United Arab Emirates and that swimming's governing body has launched an investigation into the tragedy.  The 26-year-old Crippen died Saturday while competing in the FINA Open Water 10-kilometer World Cup at Fujairah, east of Dubai. He failed to finish and was found in the water two hours later, organizers said.  The winner of the race, Germany's Thomas Lurz, criticized both FINA and race organizers on Sunday. He said the temperatures were too hot for racing, that FINA's open water schedule was too grueling and that organizers should have done more to ensure swimmers were safe. "What we know initially is that he exerted himself more than he could, that's what we know," said FINA President Julio Maglione of Uruguay, attending an International Olympic Committee conference in Acapulco, Mexico. "Apart from the investigation, we are awaiting a report from our technical director who says that everything was normal according to the regulations," Maglione said. "The medical report said it was huge overexertion, that's what they told me.

"It must have caused him to collapse." Gunnar Werner of Sweden, a member of FINA's legal commission and a former FINA honorary member, has been selected to lead the investigation and was due to arrive at the race site late Sunday. "When he finishes his inquiry we'll put out our position," FINA executive director Cornel Marculescu told The AP. "We understand that they have the medical report in Arabic and they will translate it to English and send it to us. Probably tomorrow we will have it in the office." Race officials confirmed a medical report and autopsy has been completed. FINA rules place no limit on how warm the water can be. "This is usually the case at events in this area," Marculescu said. "For some athletes it's good and for some it's not. Our rules cover only cold water. "It's very surprising and unpleasant. This is a swimmer with a lot of experience. He was a fantastic guy and he came from a big swimming family," Marculescu said. "We've never had something like that happen in our sport before. I'm sorry for him and his family." Swimmers complained of the warm water temperatures but Ayman Saad, executive director of the UAE swimming association, played down heat as a factor, saying that the water temperature was 84 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius) at the start of the race.

All safety measures were in place including lifeguards, boats and divers, Saad said, and that FINA had signed off on everything before the race started. "We are sorry that the guy died but what can we do. This guy was tired and he pushed himself a lot," Saad said. "He went down 400 meters before the finish line." Usually at open water races of this level, a boat follows the last swimmer on the course. "What I think happened is that the swimmers were in various groups. This is what I heard," Marculescu said. "On the last feeding station the coach was talking to him. But I really don't know. We have to wait for the investigation and then we will come up with our position on this. Otherwise it's only speculation." Lurz insisted temperatures must have been above 30 C (86 F) and that several swimmers suffered due to the heat. He said he talked to many swimmers who complained of swollen limbs, water loss and said he saw several who had become confused following their race. "The water was amazingly hot. For sure, it was more than 30 degrees," Lurz said. "Nobody thought such things like yesterday could happen ... It shows it was really just too hot. It was not just one swimmer. There were many swimmers who had serious problems in the water."

Another German swimmer, Angela Maurer, who finished fourth in the women's category, said she thought the heat was to blame for Crippen's death. "I think the heat for him was too much," Maurer said, adding that she "will never swim here in the future again." As well as Crippen, three other swimmers -- two U.S. women and one Brazilian -- were taken to a local hospital. All were released by Monday. Their names have not been officially released but include Brazilian Allan Do Carmo and American Eva Fabian. Lurz, a nine-time open water champion, said Crippen's death highlighted the need for changes within the World Cup circuit, including setting a maximum temperature and easing rules that require a swimmer to finish the final race to gain points crucial to moving up the ranking and earning prize money. Lurz speculated it was probably Crippen's desire to finish the race which cost him his life. "I'm sure he tried everything because he is a sportsman, he had a heart as (a) sportsman," Lurz said. "He would never give up."

Swimmers on Saturday complained of warmer than usual conditions and Fujairah police have opened an inquiry into Crippen's death. Crippen's former swimming coach, Richard Shoulberg, said Crippen had told him in a recent telephone call that the water was 87 degrees (30.5 C). Swimmers were the first to respond when Crippen failed to arrive at the finish. Several returned to the water to search for him and were soon followed by police and coast guard divers. Crippen's body was found just before the last buoy on the 2-kilometer triangular course, race organizers said. "It was unacceptable that swimmers were searching for another swimmer. That is horrible," Lurz said. "Swimmers go under water in seconds. There need to be more boats, jet skis, canoes who can take care of every swimmer." Lurz and Maurer blamed organizers for allegedly failing to provide enough boats to monitor the swimmers. "There were not enough lifeguards and there were not enough boats," Maurer said. "There were no jet skis or boats leading the women. I never saw a leading boat. I never saw a rescue boat. I saw nothing."

Crippen was rushed to shore and transported to Fujairah Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. "I can't even imagine how this could have happened to Fran," Crippen's teammate Alexander Meyer said. Maglione said he was told that after eight kilometers Crippen told his coach that he wasn't feeling well. "He continued and he was found in the deep of the water," Maglione said from Acapulco, Mexico, where he was attending Olympic meetings. Swimming officials in the UAE canceled the 15km open water event which was scheduled to be held Wednesday at the same location, with swimmers having expressed concerns. "We were not staying back for Wednesday's race anyway," said Ana Marcela Cunha, the overall champion in the women's competition. The 10K race is the only open water discipline that is an Olympic event, having made its debut at the 2008 Beijing Games. FINA had been seeking to add more open water races to the Olympic program but with the IOC not intent on adding events Marculescu said the swimming body has now shifted its focus to adding more athletes to the 10K men's and women's Olympic races, which had 25 competitors each in Beijing.



U.S. national team swimmer Fran Crippen

Monday, October 25, 2010

Fernando Alonso cautious over Formula 1 title hopes

Alonso pleased to win 'strange' race
Fernando Alonso insisted the drivers' championship was still wide open after his win in the Korean Grand Prix saw him take the lead with two races to go. With both Red Bull drivers failing to finish, Alonso now has an 11-point lead over Mark Webber, with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton a further 10 points adrift. But Alonso pointed out everything could change in the course of a single race. "There are four or five contenders still," he said. "As we repeat many times, the key is consistency." But Alonso did acknowledge his fifth victory of the season had been one of the best races of the year for the Scuderia.  "To get both cars on to the podium is a fantastic achievement for Ferrari," he said. "We were competitive all weekend, but with the weather conditions you never know and it was a tricky race to finish. I think it's my first wet race I win, so I'm more than happy." The European Grand Prix of 2007, which Alonso won for McLaren at the Nurburgring, took place in mixed weather conditions. "We know that with the new points system anything can happen in one race. If you don't score, you lose 25 points to one of your main opponents," Alonso said. "Here it was bad luck for Mark and Sebastian. Anything can happen in the next two races, there are four or five contenders still, so as we repeat many times, consistently being on the podium is the key to win the championship. 

"We've been doing well - very concentrated, very focused in the last six or seven races, but in the last two races we cannot forget we need to be on the podium and fighting for the victory." Webber crashed out from second position after running slightly wide and losing control of his car on the kerb at Turn 12 early in the race, while Vettel retired from the lead when his engine expired at the start of lap 46.

Korean Grand Prix Race

1     spain                F Alonso             2:48:20.810
2     great britain     L Hamilton         2:48:35.809
3     brazil               F Massa              2:48:51.678
4     germany          M Schumacher    2:49:00.498
5     poland             R Kubica             2:49:08.544
6     italy                V Liuzzi               2:49:14.381
7     brazil              R Barrichello      2:49:30.067
8     japan              K Kobayashi        2:49:38.699
9     germany         N Heidfeld          2:49:40.917
10   germany         N Hulkenberg     2:49:41.661

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Robert Kubica fastest in final practice in Korea

Robert Kubica is threatening to upset the established order
Renault's Robert Kubica set the pace in an intensely competitive final practice session as the teams prepared for qualifying for the Korean Grand Prix. Just 0.087 seconds separated the top four as the Pole headed McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull's Mark Webber. The session emphasised there appears little to choose between the front-running teams at F1's newest track. Mercedes' Nico Rosberg was fifth, with Alonso's team-mate Felipe Massa sixth. Overnight changes to the Yeongam circuit focused on the kerbs, but the track itself was initially almost as dusty as it had been before first practice on Friday. Traffic too was an issue, especially later on as grip improved and the teams switched to the softer 'option' tyres for qualifying simulations. Alonso was furious after almost colliding with a slow-moving Rosberg on the racing line, and the Mercedes' driver may find himself required to answer to the race stewards for what appeared to be a thoughtless piece of driving. 

Traffic was also an issue for Sebastian Vettel, the German finishing only 16th fastest and being fortunate not to damage his car after running wide and throwing up clouds of dust at Turn 11. That Kubica ended fastest confirms the Renault driver could have a major say in what promises to be a furiously hard-fought qualifying session. 


Korean Grand Prix, Yeongam, 22-24 October
Qualifying: 0500-0730 on BBC One, Red Button, online and 5 live sports extra
Race: 0600-0915 on BBC One, Red Button, online and Radio 5 live 

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Virat Kohli guides India to one-day win over Australia

Tim Paine watches Virat Kohli flash a drive through the covers
Virat Kohli shrugged off cramp to hit 118, his third one-day century, and guide India to a five-wicket win over Australia in Visakhapatnam. India lead the three-match series 1-0 after the opener was washed out. Australia were slow for much of their innings, but ignited late on as Michael Clarke (111) and Cameron White (89) put on 84 from the last five overs. That left India to chase 290, and they got there with seven balls left thanks largely to the efforts of Kohli, 21. He scored his runs from 121 balls, and built India's chase with partnerships of 137 with Yuvraj Singh (58) and 84 from 58 balls with Suresh Raina (71 not out from 47).

After finally departing when clubbing debutant John Hastings to long-on, Kohli watched from the stands as skipper Mahendra Dhoni was bowled by Hastings for a duck. But Saurabh Tiwary, playing his first one-day international, provided a level head at one end as Raina kicked on to take India past the winning line without further alarm. The home side won the toss on a slow wicket, handing debuts to Tiwary, 20, and opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan, 24. With seamer Vinay Kumar and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwan playing only their second matches it was a very inexperienced side. Australia matched them in that department, as first one-day international caps were dished out to Hastings, 24, and fellow New South Welshman Mitchell Starc, 20, leaving Clint McKay as the only frontline seamer with experience at this level.


The tourists' batting was not at full strength either, and openers Tim Paine and Shaun Marsh were slow to get out of the blocks, both departing before the end of the eighth over which came with Australia's total on 16. Clarke, skippering while Ricky Ponting rests ahead of the Ashes, was initially very cautious. Impetus came instead from Mike Hussey (69 from 77 balls), before Clarke and White took toll over the closing overs. India's chase was more even-paced, though the openers also failed to provide a platform. McKay took three wickets to keep Australia in the game, but once Yuvraj and Kohli began to find their range the momentum was with India all the way through to the end. Australia looked a beaten team well before the finish which was scarcely imaginable when White was smashing the Indian bowling to all parts, hitting six sixes and six fours. "White's innings was unbelievable and I thought 290 was enough, but India chased well," said a rueful Clarke afterwards.

Second one-day international, Visakhapatnam: India 292-5 beat Australia 289-3 by five wickets

71 Runs in 47 Balls with 9 Fours & 1 Six
58 Runs in 87 Balls with 5 fours
89 Runs in 49 Balls with 6 Fours & 6 Sixes

111 Runs in 139 Balls with 7 Fours & 1 Six


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

2010 commonwealth games in Delhi - with Medal Tally

The 2010 commonwealth games are going to be held in Delhi,India with population over 15 million, compared to (2006 games hosts) Melbourne's 3.5 million and Greater Menchester's 2.5 million population at 2002 games. The commonwealth goes is a multi sport event held every 4 years involving the elite atheletes of the Commonwealth of Nations. the first such event, then known as the British Empire Games was held in 1930. the name changed to British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1954, to British Commonwealth Games in 1978, and assumes the current name of Commonwealth Games in 1978.

Common Wealth Games are scheduled and organized every four years. India is hosting this prestigious multi-sport event for the first time. Commonwealth Games 2010 will be held in Delhi from the third day of October and will last till fourteenth day of the month. Eighteen other countries have earlier hosted the event. This is the ninth time this event is coming up with the name commonwealth. The Delhi Commonwealth 2010 are the nineteenth Common Wealth Games. No such event with many sports has been conducted in the Indian history till now. The estimated budget for the event has come up to around US$ 1.6 Billion. This budget does not include external developments like the construction of roads, airports and other structures. A recent survey reported that Commonwealth Games 2010 would be the most expensive event to be ever held in the history of Commonwealth Games. The first glimpse of this event will come alive from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies are scheduled to take place. The event covers many aquatic events such as swimming, outdoor events such as tennis and badminton, indoor events like squash and table tennis are also included, athletic events like 400m dash and 800m dash are also there in the event list. These events are scheduled at venues like Dhyan Chand stadium, Indira Gandhi and many other stadiums.

Though the preparations are in full swing, the recent news reveals a complete lack of coordination among the various authorities and a slow progress in the final handing over of various venues that may eventually cause a serious threat to the successful handling of the event. Surrounded by countless controversies the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010 seem to be heading towards chaos and ultimately embarrassment for one and all. Though these problems, namely, money transfer issues, slow infrastructure development etc have been recognized and efforts are being made to remove the glitches we still need to keep our fingers crossed for the same. The entire nation has pinned its hope to the success of the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010 as it will serve as a window to showcase India as a country that can host other multi sports events like Olympics in the future. The Common Wealth Games are organised by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), a union of around 70 countries lying in the major continents: Asia, Africa, America, Europe, Carribean and Oceania. The CGF was formed in the year 1930 by Bobby Robbinson with a firm will of promoting and celebrating an atmosphere of unique, friendly, world class Games in these member countries and also strengthening the harmonious mutual relations between the Commonwealth countries. The three foundation principles of the Common Wealth Games Federation are: Humanity, Equality and Destiny! These are the parameters held responsible by the Commonwealth Games Federation for every momentous decision taken within the federation.

To improve the standard of living of the residents and the societal norms; the Commonwealth Games Federation is also a staunch supporter of education and awareness via sports and recreation. The distinguishing feature of the Common Wealth Games is, its formation based on history, as compared to the geographic and climatic factors responsible for the formation of other world sport associations. It also bags the honour of being the only Games Federation that has a common language for conversation i.e. English. For this reason, the Commonwealth Games have also been coined as "Friendly Games", and thus; have been a source of inspiration amongst the Youth of the Commonwealth Nations, to excel in games and sports. The last or recent Commonwealth Games were conducted between 15-26 March 2006; in Melbourne, Australia, the capital of Victioria state and the second largest city of the Kangaru Continent. India will also be hosting the Common Wealth Games for the first time and Asia for the second time; in 2010, in Delhi, the capital city of India. The sports that will comprise of these Common Wealth Games are Cycling, Netball, Rugby, Weightlifting, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Aquatics, Athletics, Gymnastics, Hockey, Badminton, Basketball, Bowls, Boxing and Triathlon.


History of Commonwealth Games

The first Commonwealth Games were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada. “Bobby” MM Robinson, an influential figure in Canadian athletics finally put into action a sports plan that had been talked and discussed amongst Commonwealth nations for almost three decades.  Eleven countries with 400 athletes in total participated in the first Commonwealth Games. A sum of $30,000 was provided by the City of Hamilton to these nations to help cover traveling costs. Since then, the Games have been conducted every four years except for 1942 and 1946, due to World War II.  From 1930 to 1950 the Games were known as the British Empire Games, then the British Empire and Commonwealth Games until 1962. From 1966 to 1974 they took on the title of British Commonwealth Games and from 1978 onwards they have been known as simply the Commonwealth Games. The city of Hamilton proved a gracious first host of the Commonwealth Games movement and is as important to it as Athens is to the Olympics. Then called the British Empire Games, the sociological, cultural and political makeup of the Commonwealth Movement has altered substantially since 1930.

The inaugural Games was utilitarian and very down to earth, proving that more doesn’t necessarily mean better. The athletes’ village was the Prince of Wales School next to the Civic Stadium, where the competitors slept two dozen to a classroom. Despite missing some basic comforts, the participants were unanimous in their praise for the Games and Hamilton’s hospitality. Eleven countries sent a total of about 400 athletes to the Hamilton Games. Women competed in only the swimming events. The participant nations were Australia, Bermuda, British Guiana, Canada, England, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. The Hamilton Games featured six sports: track and field, boxing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving, and wrestling and ran at a cost of $97,973.00. 

1930 Commonwealth Games 16-23 August, Hamilton, Canada

1934 British Empire Games 4-11 August, London, England

1938 British Empire Games 5-12 February, Sydney, Australia 

1950 British Empire Games 4-11 February, Auckland, New Zealand

1954 British Empire & Commonwealth Games 30 July – 7 August, Vancouver, Canada

1958 British Empire & Commonwealth Games 18-26 July, Cardiff, Wales

1962 British Empire & Commonwealth Games 21 November – 1 December, Perth, Australia

1966 British Commonwealth Games 4-13 August 1966, Kingston, Jamaica

1970 British Commonwealth Games 16-25 July, Edinburgh, Scotland

1974 British Commonwealth Games 24 January – 2 February, Christchurch, New Zealand

1978 Commonwealth Games 3-12 August, Edmonton, Canada

1982 Commonwealth Games 30 September – 9 October, Brisbane, Australia

1986 Commonwealth Games 24 July – 2 August 1986, Edinburgh, Scotland

1990 Commonwealth Games 24 January – 3 February, Auckland, New Zealand

1994 Commonwealth Games 18-28 August, Victoria, Canada

1998 Commonwealth Games 11-21 September, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2002 Commonwealth Games 25 July-Aug 4, Manchester, England

2006 Commonwealth Games Australian city of Melbourne, 15 and 26 March 2006.

2010 Commonwealth Games 3 October - 14 October, Delhi, India 
 

Monday, October 18, 2010

India Win the Border-Gavasakar Trophy 2010 in Benguluru

India Win The Test Series Against Australia
India v Australia, India won by 7 wickets, India complete a 2-0 sweep India last won a Test in Bangalore in 1995, when they beat New Zealand. They have played seven Tests since and lost four. Overall, India have won only four of the 18 Tests at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, while Australia have won two out of four at this venue. MS Dhoni: “This toss the bowlers won’t mind too much with me losing! The forecast is for cloudy throughout the day; hopefully the moisture will remain and help the bowlers. We can’t reckon about the first Test , not past nor future. Just concentrate on this game. M Vijay in for Gambhir, Pujara for Laxman and Sreesanth for Ishant.” Sachin Tendulkar got Man of the Match and Man of the Series Prizes MS Dhoni received the Border-Gavasakar Trophy from Sunil Gavaskar

Man Of The Match & Man Of The Series "SACHIN TENDULKAR".
Sachin Tendulkar in Double Century at 2nd Test Match

2nd Test Match Border-Gavasakar Trophy 2010 Score Board

Bangladesh Beat New Zealand 4-0 in five ODI series 2010

Bangladesh beat New Zealand by three runs to complete an unprecedented 4-0 series win in Mirpur

Daniel Vettori wanted to win the last game of the series to salvage pride. After New Zealand failed and lost 4-0, the talk in Mirpur was that he shed a few tears and later called it the worst tour of his career, asking his team to learn from the opposition and not embarrass him in India. Throughout the last decade, those actions were a Bangladesh captain's prerogative but the last fortnight, and perhaps the last two months, have been refreshingly different for him. Previously, special moments in Bangladesh cricket were made memorable mostly by the celebrations that followed. The wins themselves never grew into something bigger, except for bigger defeats. Consistency always played only a cameo. After the disastrous defeat to Netherlands in July, even their inner circle started cold-shouldering the players. Bangladesh's coach Jamie Siddons then decided that the summer's frustration could only be blown off through plain old hard work, in the form of a camp that spanned a month and a half. Bangladesh's players had never spent so much time training, according to the experienced Shahriar Nafees and few regular journalists. All of a sudden, they had net and fielding sessions from 8am to 4pm, a drastic change from Bangladesh's training method over the years. 

Mahmudullah, an allrounder, said the practice had a substantial impact on his batting, particularly on his role in the slog overs and the batting Powerplay. "I spent a lot of time practicing the lofted shots," he said. "I'm usually around when the batting Powerplay is on, so it's important that I can clear the in-field. This camp was so long that I could work on all aspects of my batting." Riyad wasn't successful during this series but he believes his goal of playing the World Cup will become closer if he can spend enough time preparing. Tamim Iqbal was so pleased to be allowed to bat for more than four hours, he decided to do so with an injured wrist (it doesn't seem like a great idea now). With Shakib Al Hasan also busy taking wickets for Worcestershire, no one was idle. During this time in previous years, Bangladesh either sat at home in the rain or got mauled in Sri Lanka. Like Tamim or Mahmudullah, nobody complained about the gruelling schedule. The players realised the extended time in the nets, in front of the bowling machine or at the centre wicket, was perfect preparation. Why nobody thought of this before is baffling, and though it was implemented late, the results were evident in early October. During the training camp, Bangladesh hired a new fielding coach, Julian Fountain, and a psychologist. A couple of weeks before New Zealand landed, they were given a bowling coach in Ian Pont. 

Fountain's effect on the team is visible in the increased frequency of a Nafees dive, or the way Naeem Islam's throw hit the stumps with ferocity in the dying moments of the fourth game against New Zealand. Shafiul Islam and Abdur Razzak also took catches that Mirpur will not easily forget. Former captain Khaled Mahmud believes Fountain has done a lot to improve the fielding, a discipline Bangladesh has been poor at. "Julian obviously has made a difference, though it can be too early to say," Mahmud, who was Bangladesh's assistant coach until before the series, said. "He has taught some innovative techniques which has improved the boys' fielding." Pont, too, has made an instant impact with the fast bowlers: Shafiul and Rubel Hossain bowling accurate yorkers and learning slower deliveries in only two weeks. Bangladesh won three of the four games in the last over because those well-directed deliveries had the New Zealand batsmen swishing at air. It is the two constants in the team, though, Siddons and Shakib, that provided the steely determination and calming influence which had eluded Bangladesh's psyche. Shakib has stood out for those so used to watching the mental fragility of someone like Mohammad Ashraful. It has also been easier for Shakib to lead by example because he is Bangladesh's only regular performer. His contributions are indicative of the tremendous hunger he has developed in the last two years. The boys listen to Shakib as much as they listen to Siddons. 

Siddons' three-year long influence on the batsmen has caught everyone's eye. "There is no secret to my coaching," he said. "We worked on skills that we never even tried this time and the players' development has come in three years. It takes time but we are almost there now." Tamim's development from a shot-a-minute opener to the team's best batsman has been attributed to Siddons. Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Raqibul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah have grown from domestic to genuine international players under him. The 4-0 scoreline against New Zealand could act as a trampoline for some players, especially Nafees, Suhrawadi Shuvo and Nazmul Hossain, who are a step away from playing the World Cup. It won't be a straightforward re-entry for Ashraful, or even Mashrafe Mortaza, given his litany of injuries. Trouble for Bangladesh in the future could come in the form of shirking responsibilities, which was one of their failures after the wins in the Caribbean in 2009. It would be an easy option for these boys, as well as the cricket board, which has made the mistake of contracting Fountain and Pont only until the World Cup. This series, however, is evidence of two things: that hard work pays off, and Bangladesh too can win from tight situations. After every victory, Bangladesh sing Amra Korbo Joy, a Bangla version of 'We shall overcome', with more energy because they now believe a win is not merely a one-off. They believe success in ODIs is very much a reality, especially when the bigger battles of preparing mind and body have already been won. 







Leander wins Shanghai Masters doubles title

Leander Paes and Jurgen Melzer clinched the Shanghai Masters title

Beginning their partnership on a fantastic note, Leander Paes and Jurgen Melzer clinched the Shanghai Masters title with a 7-5, 4-6, 10-5 victory over Poles Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in the final in Shanghai on Sunday. The third seed Austrian-Indian duo had ended the 20-match winning streak of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan en route to the summit clash. Paes, 37, won his second title of the season, and the 44th of his career. The Indian teamed with Lukas Dlouhy to win the Miami Masters earlier in April. "I have tremendous respect for Jurgen. I think that he's one of the most hard working and talented tennis players I've seen over the past 20 years that I've been on the tour," Paes said after wining the title. "He's beaten two No. 1's in the same week: Rafael Nadal (in the singles third round), then the Bryan brothers last night. For me it's a big honour to play with Jurgen. Not only is he a Grand Slam champion at Wimbledon this year, but I consider him one of the great talents in tennis and a good guy," Paes added.

"As Leander said, beating two No. 1's in the same week is great. But finishing it off with a title, it's my first title in a Masters 1000 event," said Melzer. The third seeds rallied from a break down at 4-5 in the first set to win the final three games and clinch a one-set lead. The sixth-seeded Fyrstenberg and Matkowski broke decisively in the ninth game of the second set to level the match, but quickly fell behind in the Match Tie-break as Melzer-Paes raced to a 7-1 advantage. It was a lead they would not relinquish as they went on to seal victory in 83 minutes. The 29-year-old Melzer won his third tour-level doubles title of the season, following wins at Wimbledon and Zagreb with Philipp Petzschner. He was also a runners-up in Bangkok with Jonathan Erlich two weeks ago. Melzer has already secured his place at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals with Petzschner, while Paes is in a strong position to qualify with regular partner, Dlouhy. They are currently No. 3 in the 2010 ATP Doubles Team Rankings.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Sachin Tendulkar hits sixth double century

Master Blaster "SACHIN TENDULKAR"
Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday completed his sixth double hundred in Test cricket, adding to the mountain of runs he has accumulated in his over two-decade career. Tendulkar continued to grind the Australian bowling attack on the fourth day of the second and final Test in Bangalore.  Tendulkar, who was unbeaten on 191 at the end of the third day's play, reached the landmark in the sixth over of the day. This is Tendulkar's second double century against Australia, the first one being an unbeaten 241 in Sydney in January 2004. Tendulkar is the only batsman in the world to hit a double century in ODI cricket. Tendulkar is the only man to post 1,000 runs in a calendar year on six occasions -- with Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Brian Lara hitting this milestone five times.

His superb knock took Tendulkar's aggregate for the year so far to 1194 runs at an average of 99.5. On Day 3, Tendulkar wrote another record by his name by making a 150-plus score for the record 20th time, surpassing Brian Lara's 19. He also became only the third batsman, after David Gower and Jack Hobbs to score 3000 Test runs against Australia. On the second day of the Test, Tendulkar had passed 14,000 Test runs, taking just 12 innings to race there - the fastest he has ever gone from one 1,000-run mark to the next. Tendulkar now has 95 international centuries, including 46 in ODIs.  With just five centuries left to complete a ton of tons in international cricket, Tendulkar is expected to complete the 50 Test centuries by the time the three-Test series against New Zealand ends next month.

Following is the list of Tendulkar's double centuries in Test cricket:

Opponent
Venue
Year
New Zealand
Ahmedabad
October 1999
Zimbabwe
Nagpur
November 2000
Australia
Sydney
January 2004
Bangladesh
Dhaka
December 2004
Sri Lanka
Colombo (SSC)
July 2010
Australia
Bangalore
October 2010

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Shooters make India proud at CWG; win two gold and a silver

Shooters Anisa Sayeed and Rahi Sarnobat
Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang

Shooters Anisa Sayeed and Rahi Sarnobat gave India its second gold as they won in the 25m pistol pair event at the Commonwealth Games on Tuesday. Onkar Singh and Deepak Sharma also won silver medal in 50m Air Pistol Pair event.Earlier today, Olympian gold winner Abhinav Bindra and World Champion Gagan Narang won their first gold medals in the Pairs 10 m Air Rifle Mens event. Bindra scored 595 and Narang scored 498.  World champion Tejaswini Sawant is also to be seen in action in the 50m 3P pairs event with Lajjakumari Gauswami. while veterans Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati will play against Sri Lanka at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium. In boxing, some of India's best pugilists, including Olympic bronze winning boxer Vijender Singh, Akhil Kumar, Suranjoy Singh, Jai Bhagwan and Dinesh Kumar will be seen in the ring. On Sunday, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil and Prince Charles jointly inaugurated the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here. The opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games was marked by a cultural extravaganza, dance, music and fireworks. Over 6,500 athletes and officials from 71 teams representing 54 Commonwealth member states are participating in the Games being held from October 3 to 14 in Delhi. (ANI)

India win Mohali cliffhanger to go up 1-0 against Australia

India Vs Australia Match At Mohali
VVS Laxman overcame his sore back to become the hero of a nail-biting one-wicket victory for India, who retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in dramatic fashion in Mohali. In one of the most memorable finishes in recent history, Pragyan Ojha picked up two leg-byes off Mitchell Johnson to seal the result, which until that delivery could also have been a tie or an Australian win. The match was firmly in Australia's grasp when the No. 10 Ishant Sharma joined Laxman with 92 runs still required, but the pair ground Australia down and left a dejected Ricky Ponting still winless as a Test captain in India. The visitors' hopes were raised again when Ben Hilfenhaus (4 for 57) trapped Ishant lbw - although the ball would have missed leg stump - with 11 runs needed.In the final, chaotic scenes, Australia continued to attack, desperate for one wicket. They thought they had it two balls before the winning runs were struck, when Mitchell Johnson rapped Ojha on the pads only to have a strong lbw shout denied. Adding to the commotion, Ojha wandered out of his crease and a throw from gully that would have found him short missed the stumps and ran away for four overthrows. When the winning leg-byes arrived, the Indian players streamed onto the field as the Australians thrust hands on heads. For sheer on-field tension, the finish ranked up there with Australia's last-minute SCG win of 2007-08. But that match was overshadowed by claims of poor sportsmanship; this time there should be no such post-script.

On that occasion Ishant was the last man out as the sun set over Sydney; in Mohali he was every bit as important as Laxman, with a defiant innings of 31 in their partnership of 81. But Laxman was the star. The Australians will wonder how they let such a golden opportunity slip; the answer lies in the hands, or wrists, of one of their chief tormentors of recent years. Entering the final day, Ponting's men feared Sachin Tendulkar, who went to stumps unbeaten on 10, much more than they were concerned about Laxman. They knew that in the first innings VVS had been very, very sore. He'd batted at No. 10, with a runner, and was hampered in his strokeplay. Two days later, the man with the most unique initials in cricket was very, very stubborn. Again he had a runner, Suresh Raina, but just as important were the eight boundaries he struck in his 73, which came from 79 deliveries. Had he not started to farm the strike in the dying stages, he would have finished with a strike-rate of more than 100 for only the fourth time in his 188 Test innings. Laxman flicked the ball through gaps and was always looking to counterattack as Ponting continued to set aggressive fields. His approach was critical, for Australia had all the momentum in the hour before lunch when Doug Bollinger, who did not take the field after lunch due to abdominal stiffness, made two breakthroughs, including the key wicket of Tendulkar for 38.
 
But try as they might, Australia under Ponting simply haven't been able to close out a victory in India. In 2008 he was over-defensive, failing to push for wickets and grab opportunities when they arose. This time Ponting didn't do much wrong; Laxman was just too good. India began the day needing 161 runs and for an hour they were cruising, as Tendulkar and Laxman brought the target down with a rapidity that alarmed Ponting. Nathan Hauritz had picked up the night-watchman Zaheer Khan, caught at slip, but was leaking runs and when he conceded 14 off an over, Ponting knew the fast men were his only option. Cheers went around the ground as Tendulkar passed 1000 Test runs in a calendar year for the sixth time in his career, and it seemed that he was destined to deliver India to victory. But his desire to score quickly brought his undoing, when he tried to cut Bollinger over the cordon to the vacant third-man region.

The ball was too close to his body and he steered it to gully, where Michael Hussey grabbed the sharp chance. Tendulkar was gone, and the atmosphere cooled down slightly as the runs began to dry up. Then came the second big moment of joy for Australia, when the presence of a runner cost MS Dhoni his wicket. Laxman drove Bollinger to mid-on and his runner Raina took off for what should have been a comfortable single. But Dhoni appeared confused by Laxman remaining in his ground and the hesitation was enough to give hope to the fielder Hilfenhaus, whose superb direct hit at the striker's end finished Dhoni's stay on 2. When Bollinger's fast, well-directed bouncer had a fending Harbhajan Singh caught at slip two balls later, Australia were in control. Laxman and Ishant had other ideas, and the rest is history. The great shame is that this is only a two-match series.

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