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Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday ruled out suspending any of its players accused of spot-fixing until the police completes investigation and produces incriminating evidence. PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said the investigation was on and there were just unproved allegations so they will not rush to any action. Skipper Salman Butt, pace duo of Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif and stumper Kamran Akmal are under the scanner after an alleged match-fixer Mazhar Majeed claimed that many Pakistani players were involved in spot fixing. The Scotland Yard has questioned both Majeed and the four cricketers in the matter. "There is a case going on with the Scotland Yard. This is only an allegation. There is still no charge or proof on that account. So at this stage there will be no action taken," Butt told 'Cricinfo'. The Chairman refused to reveal if the scandal figured in his chat with Shahid Afridi, who will return as skipper for the one-day series. "This is an inte...

London/Melbourne: The match-fixing scandal that has rocked Pakistan cricket grew in proportion on Monday with reports emerging of more games being rigged prompting a shocked cricketing fraternity to demand life bans on guilty players. The sting operation carried out by British tabloid 'The News of the World', which implicated seven Pakistani players including captain Salman Butt, has opened a Pandora's box with fresh reports suggesting that the opening Test between England and Pakistan and the January Sydney Test between Pakistan and Australia could have been fixed. A guarded International Cricket Council President Sharad Pawar said the allegations were very serious but the ICC would wait for a report from the police in London ore deciding on its course of action. "Until and unless the process of investigation is over, it is improper for me to react," Pawar told reporters in Mumbai. "We have discussed it within the ICC and have decided that let us wait for th...

NEW YORK: Sania Mirza is one win away from making the women's singles main draw of the US Open after scoring a straight-set win over Russian Elina Bovina in the second round of the qualifying event. The Indian, ranked 160th, beat her opponent 10 places below her in WTA chart, 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 19 minutes to advance to the third and final round. Sania broke her rival twice in four chances and saved two break points on her own serve to go one set up. In the second set, the Indian dropped her serve once but negated it by breaking Elena, who reached US Open quarterfinals in 2002, twice to clinch the issue. She will next face Columbia's Catalina Castano, ranked 188th in the world. Her low ranking forced Sania to go through the qualifiers of a Grand Slam for the first time after her breakthrough year at Australian Open in 2005.

Dambulla (Sri Lanka) : Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara on Friday said India have lifted themselves despite suffering some of their worst ODI defeats in the league stage and it would take a very special effort from his team to avoid a fifth consecutive final loss to them. "They (India) have lifted themselves for the finals and they have outplayed us on many occasions. There have been questions asked about the toss. Whether that was an advantage. I don't think," Sangakkara said in a pre-match press conference. "You must give credit when a side wins consistently. That means they are used to that. We have been to a lot of finals as well. We have just got to make sure that we lift ourselves tomorrow for a special effort," he added. India lost by a massive 200 runs to New Zealand and were handed an eight wicket thrashing by Sri Lanka after being dismissed for a mere 103. But history still favours the Indians, who most recently defeated Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup ...

MUMBAI: For the last six-odd months, it was suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi who had been facing the music with regards to various controversies related to the tournament. Now, it seems, the heat is on BCCI secretary-cum-Chennai Super Kings franchise owner N Srinivasan. A leaked email shows Srinivasan trying to 'fix' the 2009 player auction held in Goa. An email exchange between Modi and Srinivasan has the former explaining to the Board secretary that he has managed to convince Rajasthan Royals not to go for Flintoff in the bidding. "What a nightmare to convince them not to terminate (Sohail) Tanveer and also not to take Flintoff. (Shane) Warne went of (sic) the handle. But have managed it by using stick and carrot strategy. Thus they have 1.875 only. Much love Lalit," writes the suspended IPL commissioner. In reply, Srinivasan says: "Thanks. You are most sweet. Srini." The email exchange does not indicate in any way that Srinivasan wrote to Modi asking...

Dambulla (Sri Lanka): 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 cricket tri-series here 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 w...

LAHORE: Younis Khan will have to wait some time for his comeback in the Pakistan team as the former captain is unlikely to make the national squad that will be announced this week for the ODI series in England. According to reliable sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board, no decision was taken on Younis during the one-to-one meeting between PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and ODI captain Shahid Afridi on Monday. "The indications are that Butt is still not happy with Younis's refusal to approach him directly to request for an end to the ban case," a PCB source said. "The meeting was inconclusive as far as Younis' selection is concerned. Butt feels he still has form, fitness and disciplinary issues surrounding him," the source said. The source said that Butt was not exactly pleased with Younis' refusal to approach him for removal of the ban. "The national selection committee is also due to meet in Lahore to discuss the squad for the ODI series and Younis is unl...

Dambulla : Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday defended his woefully out-of-form batsmen, saying he team just needs one individual spark of brilliance for the entire line-up to click in the must-win tri-series match against New Zealand. "You want one batsman to play a big innings in all games, whichever the batsman may be, especially on these kind of wickets. It can be termed as individual brilliance because you have one batsman batting through and the others batting around him," Dhoni said in a pre-match press conference. "It's more about the mindset because in one-day cricket you're so used to going after and hitting the bowlers right from the first delivery. It's not only in the sub-continent, throughout the world you see wickets are a lot flatter now, especially for the one-dayers," he explained. "If you talk about the batting collapses, it's happened twice in three games. But if it is said that this is the batting strength of our...

AMSTERDAM: Australia continue to retain the first position in hockey world ranking while Pakistan, four-time winners of the World Cup, have been placed eighth. As per the latest ranking released after the Champions Trophy, Australia are still on top with 2,620 points and Germany are second with a difference of 250 points while The Netherlands hold the third position. England, the Champions Trophy finalists, went up to the fourth from the fifth position while Spain came down from the fourth to the fifth. South Korea have been ranked sixth followed by New Zealand (seventh) and Pakistan (eighth).

London : Fulham twice came from behind to hold Manchester United to a 2-2 draw in the Premier League on Sunday, with Brede Hangeland atoning for an own goal by heading in an equalizer. The defender sent Damien Duff's corner into the net _ five minutes after accidentally turning Ryan Giggs' corner past his own goalkeeper. "I looked at the clock after my own goal and thought I had five minutes to score at the right end, and fortunately I managed to do it," Hangeland said. "I don't think there was much I could do about the own goal, but I'm glad I could make up for it." Fortune appeared to be favoring United straight after Hangeland's own goal when a spot kick was awarded against Duff for kicking an attempted clearance against his arm. But Nani's penalty was blocked by David Stockdale _ filling in for injured Arsenal-target Mark Schwarzer _ diving low to his right. "When you have the lead and you have the opportunity to seal the game with a...

MONTREAL: Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki easily beat Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 on Monday in the final of the rain-hit WTA Rogers Cup, one of the last tune-up events for the US Open. The 20-year-old Wozniacki defeated the Russian in a Monday championship game which was pushed back a day after heavy rains washed out play over the weekend. The second-seeded Wozniacki started the day by defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semi-finals. Zvonareva, the eighth seed, also advanced earlier in the day when Belarus' Victoria Azarenka pulled out of their semi-final match in the second set because of a blister on her foot. Wozniacki is ranked second in the world and will likely be the top seed when the US Open starts August 31. Wozniacki earned 350,000 dollars for her third title of 2010. She also won at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and in her home city of Copenhagen. She is seeking her first Grand Slam title. "It was tough for all of us waiting out the rain for two days," said Zvonarev...

Dambulla: India might be in woeful form right now but New Zealand captain Ross Taylor says the recent poor run would make Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men all the more dangerous when the two sides clash in a do-or-die encounter of the ODI cricket tri-series here on Wednesday. "I think it almost makes them dangerous, they didn't play that well against us in the first game, and then they came back and played well against Sri Lanka, obviously they didn't play as well as they would have liked to play against Sri Lanka in the last match, that makes them dangerous," Taylor said in the pre-match press conference. "I would not read too much on the Indian side. They are a good batting unit. They have played a lot of cricket. I am sure with their experience they will come firmer and we just need to put pressure on them," he added. India have been handed a couple of embarrassing defeats in the ongoing tri-series and would be out if they lose tomorrow. Dhoni's men los...

Greensboro, USA: Arjun Atwal scripted history by becoming the first Indian golfer to clinch a US PGA Tour title as he lifted the Wyndham Championship trophy, regaining his playing card on the elite tour within weeks of losing it to poor form in a remarkable turnaround of fortune. Atwal, who had a three-shot lead going into the final round, returned a steady three-under 67 to clinch the title by a stroke with a total of 20-under 260. The Indian took home USD 918,000 for his effort yesterday. But more importantly, the victory at Sedgefield Country Club earned him his status on the PGA Tour for the remainder of this year and the next two years as well. American David Toms fired a six-under 64 to take the second spot at 19-under on the leaderboard. The Orlando-based Atwal also became the first Monday-qualifier to win on the PGA Tour in 24 years. Fred Wadsworth was the last to achieve such a feat at the 1986 Southern Open. "I don't know if it has sunk in yet, seriously. Obviously ...

Cincinnati: World number two Roger Federer won his second ATP Cincinnati Masters crown in a row on Sunday, outlasting American Mardy Fish 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 for his 63rd career title. The Swiss superstar, who is bidding for a 17th Grand Slam crown when the US Open begins on August 30, matched Bjorn Borg for fifth on the all-time Open Era title list and captured his fourth Cincinnati crown after 2005, 2007 and 2009. "I have been playing well the last couple of weeks and today was just another proof that I'm playing really well," Federer said. Federer captured his first title since the Australian Open and served notice he will be difficult to defeat at the US Open, where he lost last year's final to Juan Martin del Potro, who will not defend his title because of an injury. "It's nice knowing the hard work in the off-season after Wimbledon pays off right away," Federer said. "I've been committed to this sport for many years and when you do ...

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has been found not guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his side's ODI against New Zealand in Dambulla. Sangakkara was charged with a Level 2 offence, as against the original charge relating to clause 2.2.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players or Team Officials, which relates to “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players in the course of play”. The offence related to an exchange with between him and New Zealand’s off-spinner Nathan McCallum in the 26th over of Sri Lanka’s innings. While turning for the second run, Sangakkara collided with the bowler who had his back towards the batsman. Nathan McCallum then complained to the umpire against this behaviour of the Sri Lankan captain.

Dambulla: India were handed the worst ODI defeat in terms of balls remaining by Sri Lanka here and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni conceded nothing worked right for his side in the tri-series match today except for the fact that Yuvraj Singh returned among runs. "Nothing worked today. We didn't get the kind of start we needed and so not enough runs for the bowlers to defend after batting first. Sri Lankan bowlers bowled in the right channels and pushed us into making the mistakes," Dhoni said after his side's eight-wicket defeat. India now face a must-win situation against New Zealand in their last match to enter Saturday's final and Dhoni admitted that it is now or never for his side. "Next game is like a semi-final now. We have to do well in that match or we have to pack up and go back home," the Indian skipper said. He said the only positive thing India derived from today's match was Yuvraj Singh, who returned to the playing XI after missing a match ...

Dambulla (Sri Lanka): Indian print media on Sunday boycotted captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's press conference as he did not turn up despite repeated reminders after his side slumped to a eight-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in a cricket tri-series match here. After the match, the mediapersons waited for Dhoni for the press conference but he was busy playing football. Despite sending repeated reminders, he did not turn up to address the waiting media, which angered the Indian print journalists who then decided to boycott the press briefing. Normally, captains have the responsibility to address post-match press conference though at times other players, who did well in the match, turn up to face the journalists. But today, neither Dhoni nor any other Indian player came to address the press conference. PTI

Dambulla (Sri Lanka): Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara was on Sunday in no mood to implicate the umpires for the dodgy decisions they handed to Indian batsmen in the tri-series match here and said India should have agreed to the use Decision Review System to have a level playing field. India were at the receiving end of at least four dodgy decisions with Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh being the unlucky batsmen though they lost comprehensively by eight wickets. Three dodgy decisions came from local umpire Kumar Dharmasena while one -- that of Yuvraj -- was from Pakistani Asad Rauf. "Even before the Test series we have been for DRS and the only reason I believe why we did not have referral system throughout the Test series and through this series was because India did not want DRS," Sangakkara said at the post-match press conference when asked about the bad decisions. "Well, sometimes decisions work for you and sometimes they are against...

LONDON : Injury-plagued allrounder Andrew Flintoff hopes to return to action in January by playing Twenty20 cricket for Australian side Queensland. The 32-year-old Flintoff has not played competitive cricket since the final Ashes Test against Australia in August 2009. He has since undergone two bouts of knee surgery. Flintoff told Sky Sports that he's "still getting a few twinges in the knee and can't move as well as I'd like to." Lancashire has already announced that Flintoff will not play this season. But Flintoff says "there's the option of playing in Queensland in January for them in the Twenty20." AP

London: A tournament for declaring the world’s best team in Test cricket may finally become reality, reports Times of India. The International Cricket Council will decide on a two-yearly tournament-like world Test championship — as opposed to the current rolling format — at a meeting of chief executives of cricket boards at Cape Town next month. England in the summer of 2013 is among the leading candidates to host the inaugural competition. ICC spokesperson Colin Gibson said more details would be revealed after the mid-September meeting. If the championship is held in England, the final will be at Lords. The world Test championship is intended to breathe new life into the traditional format and maintain it as the ultimate battle for supremacy. But its marketing and the quantum of prize money, which needs to be much higher than in a World Cup or World Twenty20, will be crucial to attract public and players’ interest. How high a Test championship can be pitched will depend on revenues de...

COOLUM, Australia : With all the usual hype of the forthcoming Ashes series with England, Australia skipper Ricky Ponting and vice captain Michael Clarke are careful not to diminish the importance of a two-test series in India. "We have to make sure we don't get too Ashes-focu ssed," Ponting said Monday at a team camp north of Brisbane. Australia plays on the subcontinent in Mohali beginning Oct. 1 and Bangalore from Oct. 9, along with three limited-overs matches later in the month at Kochi, Vishakapatnam and Goa. "It's important to beat them, a rivalry is a rivalry, and they are the No. 1 team in the world," Ponting added. "You have to judge yourself by them." Clarke also said it was important that his side stay focussed on the India series. "I know it's the old cliche, but my experience from test cricket is as soon as you take your eye off the ball, that rusty gate comes back and hits you in the face," Clarke said. "I think it...

Tokyo: Defending champion Maria Sharapova will return to Tokyo next month, spearheading the star-studded Pan Pacific Open women's tennis tournament, organisers said on Monday. Twenty-seven players out of the current world top 30 will take part in the two-million-dollar hard court tournament from September 26 to October 2, with only Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams and Justine Henin missing. Sharapova captured her first WTA singles and doubles titles at the 2003 Japan Open, and also won her first professional title on the ITF Circuit series in Gunma, north of Tokyo, a year earlier. The Russian heart-throb has won four titles in Tokyo out of her 22 WTA titles, including the Japan Open twice and the 2005 Pan Pacific. Last year, Sharapova put an end to a long lay-off caused by a shoulder injury by winning her first title since Amelia Island in April 2008, beating Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the final. Along side world number one Serena Williams, the singles field includes former Pan Pac...

Dashing opener Virender Sehwag is the highest-ranked Indian batsman at the second spot in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Sunday. Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara leads the batting table with Michael Clarke of Australia on the third spot. In the bowling list, Pakistan's fast bowler Mohammad Amir has rocketed to a career-best 17th after playing a leading role in his side's four-wicket victory over England in The Oval Test which concluded on Saturday. ICC RANKINGS Man of the match Amir took 1-49 and 5-52 in the Test and was awarded with a jump of 14 places in the rankings, which puts him just behind Paul Harris of South Africa and makes him the third Pakistan fast bowler in the top 20. For England, off-spinner Graeme Swann has moved up one place to regain his second position on the bowling chart. Swann, who had match figures of 7-118, had first climbed to second position in March this year after the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong. In the Rankings for batsmen...

Offspinner Johan Botha has been named captain of South Africa's Twenty20 team, replacing Graeme Smith, who resigned earlier this week. Smith will remain captain of South Africa's Test team and will continue to captain the one-day team until the end of the World Cup. "Johan was the unanimous choice of the Board and we have every confidence that he will do an excellent job leading up to the next edition of the ICC World Twenty20 in 2012," Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola said. Botha stood in for Smith during the limited-overs leg of South Africa's tour of Australia in 2009, leading the team to a series win. That experience appears to have convinced CSA he is the right man for the job. "Johan has an excellent record as a leader," selection convener Andrew Hudson said. "He was an inspirational captain when he stood in for Smith in the ODI series victory in Australia in 2009. His appointment is part of the process of refreshing our Pro20 squad and...

Dambulla (Sri Lanka) : A spineless India crashed to their biggest ODI defeat in terms of balls remaining as Sri Lanka stormed into the final of the cricket tri-series with a resounding eight wicket victory here on Sunday . Thisara Perera produced a devastating spell of seam bowling to record his maiden five-wicket haul and play a big role in Sri Lanka's comprehensive victory. The 21-year-old Perera (5/28) ripped through the Indian middle order with a fine exhbition of swing bowling to skittle out the visitors for a paltry 103 in just 33.4 overs, their third lowest total against the Sri Lankans, in what turned out to be a totally lop-sided contest. The fired-up Sri Lankans rattled up the required runs of 104 in just 15.1 overs to gain a bonus point and become the first team to move into the final. Tillakaratne Dishan (35) and Mahela Jayawardene (33) virtually toyed with the Indian bowlers as they plundered runs at will to set up the chase brilliantly. Paceman Ishant Sharma dismissed...

Dambulla: Amid distractions of the embarrassing 'no-ball' controversy, Sri Lanka go into their tri-series match against New Zealand here on Thursday, facing a daunting task to not only lift themselves out of the demoralising incident but to focus on cricket. Sri Lanka had beaten New Zealand in their opening tri-series match but the home side have been stung by the all-round condemnation they received after off-spinner Suraj Randiv bowled a 'no-ball' to deny Indian opener Virender Sehwag a century on Monday. Sri Lanka Cricket launched an internal probe by team manager Anura Tennekoon while captain Kumar Sangakkara also came under scanner as he was heard giving some instruction to Randiv in Sinhalese which was picked up by stump microphone. The incident was stopped from snowballing into a major controversy with Indian team management and Cricket Board deciding to declare it a "closed chapter" after apologies from Randiv and top SLC officials. Sri Lanka now face ...

While the world debates whether Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara had a role to play in his bowler Suraj Randiv bowling a no-ball to deny Virender Sehwag a century, cricket great Sunil Gavaskar has told that either the Sri Lankan team should be fined or Randiv should be banned for his misconduct. Randiv's no-ball delivery had left Virender Sehwag stranded at 99 not out in Dambulla on Monday. Reactions have been pouring in since yesterday. While now-retired spin maestro Murlidharan insists that Sangakkara is too fair a captain to indulge in something like this, Virender Sehwag says it has happened before. Sunil Gavaskar is very clear that, " An apology is fine but if the Sri Lankan Cricket Board want to uphold the spirit of the game, they should take some action against him, may be penalise him by dropping him for the next game or taking away is match fee.. something that sends a signal that cricket is after all a sport." Read more at: http://cricket.ndtv.com/storypage.as...

It was Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan who suggested off-spinner Suraj Randiv to bowl a no ball to deny Indian opener Virender Sehwag his century during Monday's controversial tri-series match, according a newspaper report. Sri Lanka Cricket, which has ordered an internal probe into the no-ball controversy, is yet to make it report official but according to 'The Island' it was Dilshan who suggested Randiv to bowl a no ball at the fag end of the match which India won by six wickets. With the scores levelled, Randiv bowled a no ball to deny Sehwag a hundred and the ploy was condemned by everyone as it was not within the spirit of the game. Sehwag was left stranded on 99 though he hit the no ball for a six. According to the newspaper, Dilshan, who was fielding at cover point, shouted in Sinhalese 'oney nam, no ball ekak danna puluwan' (if you want, you can bowl a no ball). None of the Sri Lankan players reacted to Dilshan's advice to bowl the no ball, the r...

Sri Lanka Cricket and offspinner Suraj Randiv have both apologised to Virender Sehwag for denying him a one-day century after a deliberate no-ball from Randiv ended the match and left the India opener stranded on 99, despite him hitting the delivery for six. SLC has also asked for an enquiry in to the incident. Sehwag went on to criticise Randiv's actions in the post match press conference, and SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga called India manager Ranjib Biswal this morning to apologise. "Today in the morning, Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga called me up expressing his regret about yesterday's no-ball incident. He expressed his regret officially and asked me to convey it to the Indian team, particularly to Sehwag. They have also assured that they will look into the matter officially, why it happened and correct the procedure." Meanwhile Sehwag revealed on Twitter that Randiv had apologised to him personally. "Hi guys. Randiv came to my room ...

India's comfortable victory over Sri Lanka has been soured by a controversy over Suraj Randiv's massive no-ball, which proved to be the winning run and left Virender Sehwag stranded on 99, though the batsman slammed it over long-off for a six. Sehwag celebrated what would have been century No. 13, only to be told later the six didn't count. After the match, he said Randiv had bowled the no-ball deliberately, and that the move "has no place in good cricket". "Yes, it was done deliberately," Sehwag said, shedding the blase attitude with which he had reacted to the incident immediately after the match. "Because [of the size of the no-ball] ... that much from the crease. Till now in Test matches he hasn't bowled a no-ball [Randiv bowled two at the P Sara Oval], he hasn't bowled no-balls in one-day cricket, on 99 only why did he bowl a no-ball? And not a small no-ball, not a small margin, from one foot ahead." Sehwag had blasted 29 of India...