Ryan Giggs Top 10 Goals

manchester united biggest win of all time

On 26 sept 1956, United scored a whopping 10 goals against Belgian side Anderlecht. The 10-0 result remains the Reds' biggest win of all time! And in honour of our club-record win

Liverpool chief says Suarez damaged club brand

LONDON: While pleased Luis Suarez is back in action following a biting ban, Liverpool is still concerned about the damage the striker caused for the club's brand globally.

The 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during a game in April came after Suarez had been banned for eight games after racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra in 2011.

"Any types of incident of that nature are damaging to a brand," Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said on Thursday.

Suarez returned to action in a 1-0 loss to Manchester United in the League Cup on Wednesday, although the Uruguay striker hoped not to be playing in a Liverpool shirt again.

Throughout the offseason, rather than focusing on repairing his image, Suarez was publicly pushing for a transfer away from Liverpool in search of Champions League football. Liverpool, though, was steadfast in rejecting bids from Arsenal for the Uruguay international and put him through a rehabilitation process to try and ensure there are no further incidents that harm the club.

"Luis is a footballer, he's a street fighter, he's a larger-than-life character," Ayre said at the Sport Industry Group Breakfast Club in London. "Nobody is condoning any bad behavior but it's just something you have to deal with. He is what he is, he is the character he is, and we have to try and harness that.

"We have worked a lot with Luis since the last incident with Ivanovic and he has responded well to that. He has been prepared to commit to that sort of work on his character."

While Ayre said Suarez's misdemeanors haven't hit sponsorship revenue, the 121-year-old club wants to ensure its principles are upheld.

"We are very much an institution and we base ourselves on family values, and when your kids are naughty you tell them off and you try to teach them the error of your ways _ it's no different," Ayre said.

"Every time you have a negative issue like that particular one then of course it's damaging, but the important thing is to put it right and restore the integrity of the football club. And I believe that's what we did."

The club and its American ownership backed Suarez after the racist-abuse verdict, hitting out at the English Football Association process.

After Suarez sunk his teeth into Ivanovic during a Premier League game in April, Liverpool immediately condemned the player's actions, while still claiming he was being victimized with his hefty sanction.

But Liverpool, whose principal owner is sports tycoon John Henry, has learnt lessons from how it handled the Suarez cases.

"What's important at those times is to ensure we act respectively and professionally as a football club, and in the past we've got some of that wrong and more recently we got that right," Ayre said.

"We have a process now," he added. "It's not a Luis Suarez process _ it's a process for any crisis whether it's on the pitch or off the pitch."

For now, Suarez is back helping Liverpool's bid to return to the top four and qualify for the Champions League again.

"I'm here to help the team and help Liverpool and I'll try my best," Suarez said after the game at Old Trafford.

And Ayre was glad to see him back "terrorizing defenders."

"He is a great team member," Ayre said. "The players are supportive of him and he is supportive of them. The most important thing is that he is on the football pitch, and most importantly committed to playing for Liverpool.

Martina Hingis accused of assaulting husband

The husband of former tennis champ Martina Hingis has accused his wife and mother-in-law of assaulting him and has left Switzerland fearing for his life, the Blick daily reported on Thursday.

Police in the northern Swiss canton of Schwyz confirmed that Thibault Hutin was in the process of filing a complaint following an incident at the couple's apartment in the village of Feusisberg.

The 27-year-old French equestrian had talked to police on Tuesday about "serious problems" at his home on Monday evening, police spokesman David Mynall said.

"He has started the process of filing a complaint, but it hasn't been finished yet," he said, not specifying the nature of the incident or who the complaint was being filed against.

Hutin, however, told Blick that his 32-year-old wife, the former world number one, her mother and her mother's boyfriend had "beaten and scratched" him.

The boyfriend had also struck him in the head with a DVD player, he said, adding that he was so "terrified" he had fled to Paris.

"I'm really afraid. What will be next, a bullet?" he asked in the interview.

Hingis, the winner of five Grand Slam singles titles, came back from six years of retirement in July this year to play doubles.

Hingis, who could not be immediately reached for comment, was reportedly in Tokyo to take part in a 30th anniversary celebration for the WTA tournament.

She had originally been set to take part in the Pan Pacific Open women's tennis tournament in Tokyo this week, but withdrew for "personal reasons," organisers said earlier this month.

India thrash South Korea 6-1 in Sultan of Johor Cup

JOHOR BAHRU (Malaysia): India thrashed Korea 6-1 in their penultimate round-robin match to virtually seal their place in the final of the Sultan of Johor Cup Under-21 hockey tournament on Thursday.

The Indian colts scored three goals each in either half at the Taman Daya Hockey stadium to continue their unbeaten run in the six-nation tournament.

It was India's fourth win on the trot in the tournament, having defeated England (2-1), Argentina (3-2) and Pakistan (4-0) in their previous matches.

For India, Amit Rohidas (7th minute), Satbir Singh (9th), Talwinder Singh (31st) netted three goals in the first half, while Amon Mirash Tikey (57th), Ramadeep Singh (62nd) and vice-captain Affan Yusof (65th) score three more on the other side of the break.

Korea's lone goal came from the stick of You Seung Ju in the 34th minute.

With 12 points in their kitty, India are at the top of the league standings and will play hosts and second-placed Malaysia in their last round-robin match on Saturday.

Against Korea, the Indians came up with a commanding performance and dominated the share of exchanges in the first half with a comfortable 3-0 lead.

It took India just seven minutes to open the scoring through drag-flicker Rohidas who converted a penalty corner with precision that Korean goalkeeper Lee Se Young had no answer.

India doubled their lead two minutes later through a field goal from Satbir after he was set up by Harjeet Singh.

Talwinder made it 3-0 for the Indians four minutes from half time through another field strike.

The Koreans, however, managed to pull one back three minutes later when You Seung Ju scored from a penalty corner.

India slowed down the pace after the lemon break and conceded a few penalty corners but the Koreans failed to utilise the scoring chances.

After a slow start to the second half, India gradually took control of the proceedings and scored three more field goals to run away with the match.

Amon Mirash Tikey scored India's fourth goal in the 57th minute before Ramandeep scored his fifth goal in the tournament five minutes later. Yusof completed the rout for Korea five minutes from the hooter.

India's chief coach Gregg Clark was full of praise for his wards after their sterling performance.

"It was a good performance and this surely gives me a welcome headache as we have several more players back in India that are fighting for a place in the final 18 to the Junior World Cup," Clark said.

"We are playing well and credit to the boys who are executing our tactics and plans well on the pitch. As a coach this is something we look towards hence the performance in the last two matches has been on the rise," he added.

CSK vs SRH-Dhoni, Raina power Chennai Super Kings to 202/4

NEW DELHI: Suresh Raina smashed a quickfire half-century while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni produced a belligerent unbeaten knock of 63 as Chennai Super Kings toyed with a listless Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack to post a massive 202 for four in their Champions League T20 match.
Raina's impressive 57-ball 84 was perfectly matched by Dhoni's pyrotechnics as the hard-hitting local skipper broke the spirits of the Sunrisers bowlers with his ruthless batting display, here today.

Such was the brutality as neither speed nor spin provided any challenge to Dhoni as he decorated his 19-ball knock with an astonishing eight sixes.

There was no mistaking the impact Dhoni's arrival had on the innings and no one could better understand it than Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera, who was smashed for five huge sixes in the 18th over.

Dhoni, in the process, also struck the fastest fifty in the history of the Champions League, reaching the landmark in just 16 balls and surpassing West Indian Kieron Pollard's record (50 off 18 balls).

Dhoni played a leader's innings of the finest order and, together with Raina, put on a 60-run partnership in just 23 balls for the fourth wicket.

Before Dhoni's arrival, the show belonged entirely to Raina and his powerful stroke-play.

Walking in to bat after the dismissal of opener Murali Vijay, Raina took time to get his eyes in and then made the most of the Sunrisers' tactics of utilising pace against him.

Raina unleashed an assault on the Sunrisers pacers in the middle part of the innings, launching them over the mid-wicket and long-off boundaries with consummate ease.

Raina walked back to the pavillion in the penultimate over of the innings when he single-handedly caught by Perera at long on off Dale Steyn.

Raina's fine knock was decorated with nine fours and a six.

Manchester United beat Liverpool 1-0 in League Cup

The match Forget about talk of how much the League Cup means to the top clubs – this was a rousing affair at a noisy Old Trafford with both sides going all out to reach the fourth round. After defeats at Anfield and the Etihad, painfully so on Sunday, there may have been pressure on United but the response was emphatic. After a tight first half, Javier Hernandez struck from Wayne Rooney's corner seconds after the restart and both sides hit the woodwork, while David De Gea and Simon Mignolet made stunning saves.
Goals Just the one but how sweet that Chicharito, so often the scourge of the two Merseyside clubs, should get it. This was his chance to shine after being patient and he took it, losing Jose Enrique to flick out a leg and convert Rooney's corner.
Subplot Luis Suarez's return from a lengthy absence and a summer of headlines about his future received inevitable focus but, for United, this was all about bouncing back from Sunday's derby disaster. Rooney was handed the captaincy ahead of Ryan Giggs, which surprised some supporters, and it's worth remembering Liverpool were determined to go far in this competition because they are not in Europe.
Star men There were fine performances in red shirts throughout the team but centre-backs Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans were immense. Rooney

NEW DELHI: Banned for life from India's cricket establishment, a beleaguered former IPL boss Lalit Modi is not ready to throw in the towel yet and declared that he would indeed have the "last call" in this entire issue.

"They (BCCI) will have their day and I will have the last call. I am not going anywhere. I will be right here," Modi told 'Times Now' after BCCI imposed a life ban during a special general meeting (SGM) in Chennai today.

Modi also took a veiled potshot at BCCI's controversial president N Srinivasan accusing BCCI members of protecting the Tamil Nadu strongman.

"I think fans are a little disappointed on this match-fixing issue and also the persons involved. It is really sad that they banned the person who created the league but people who are fixing matches and those who are running the Board are being protected by the BCCI members," Modi said.

"The issue is very simple to me. The brand itself is bigger than any one person. But my name is married to IPL. I am the architect of IPL. It was a difficult dream but I realized it.

"I did a few things but I wanted the league to improve. But it's now going in backward direction. Hope BCCI get their act together. I wanted to tighten the rules but at the same time make it transparent," the former IPL czar said from his London residence.

Modi feels that it's imperative that one makes all the owners "responsible for running the game" but at the same time said that "BCCI probably doesn't want to lose control".

However on the issue of financial irregularities, Modi didn't come up with a concrete answer.

"I don't what they are saying. I brought USD 8 billion for BCCI," he claimed.

"I tried to protect the interest of BCCI and they accuse me of arm-twisting a franchise! After I left two franchises had to quit the league (Deccan Chargers Hyderabad, Kochi Tuskers). BCCI lost USD 700 million. Since I didn't toe their line, I was accused of financial impropriety," Modi said.

Modi didn't stop short while terming Srinivasan as a "Master match-fixer."

His family had been supportive during crisis period but the maverick administrator declared that he is "ready to move on."

"I have moved on and I will soon be associated with a global league. There are a lot of people in sporting fraternity across the world, who want me on board."

Hernandez ruins Suarez's Liverpool return

MANCHESTER (England): Manchester United nullified the returning Luis Suarez and began atoning for their derby drubbing by Manchester City with a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the League Cup on Wednesday.

Manager David Moyes made a raft of changes to the team trounced 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and saw his side prevail in the third-round tie at Old Trafford through a 46th-minute strike from Javier Hernandez.

Suarez made his Liverpool return following a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic, and he came close to snatching an equaliser with a free-kick that struck the crossbar.

United survived, however, to avenge their Premier League defeat at Anfield on September 1 and provide a measure of solace for Moyes after his stewardship came under heavy scrutiny in the wake of the loss to City.

"It was a big game for us," said Moyes, whose side will play Norwich City at home in the fourth round.

"We'd lost at Anfield a few weeks ago, we lost at the Etihad last week, so we wanted to put that right."

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said: "I can have no complaints. One lapse of concentration has cost us.

"I thought Luis Suarez was excellent. You could tell he'd been out for a long time as he tired at the end, but he's obviously a threat."

Suarez started up front with Daniel Sturridge, in one of only two changes to the team surprisingly beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the league on Saturday.

Left-back Jose Enrique was the only other newcomer to the visitors' starting XI, but Moyes gambled by making eight changes to the team thrashed by City, with Wayne Rooney handed the captain's armband.

The absence of Patrice Evra spared Suarez an uncomfortable reunion with a player he was found to have racially abused in 2011, but he took his time to make his presence felt.

United began with purpose, Martin Skrtel blocking from Nani and Shinji Kagawa dragging a shot wide, and with Liverpool using an unfamiliar 3-4-1-2 system, Suarez's initial touches betrayed signs of ring-rust.

Gradually, however, he began to influence the game. Only an alert intervention from Ryan Giggs prevented Victor Moses from attacking a lay-off from the Uruguayan, who then released Sturridge to shoot wide before forcing David de Gea to save at his feet after gathering a sweeping pass from Enrique.

Sturridge also had shots blocked by the two United centre-backs, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans, but after a first half short on incident, the hosts made the breakthrough within seconds of the restart.

With an ease that will have disquieted Rodgers, Rooney curled a corner into the six-yard box from the left and Hernandez stepped away from his marker to steer home a close-range volley.

Jordan Henderson squandered a good chance to equalise when he side-footed wide from 15 yards, and after De Gea fielded a mishit half-volley by Enrique, Nani blazed over from a Kagawa pass at the other end.

Belatedly, there was zip to United's passes, and Kagawa threatened to extend their lead when he ran from deep before dispatching a left-foot shot from range that clipped the crossbar.

Liverpool rallied, Suarez rippling the side netting and Moses forcing a reflex block from De Gea with a diving header, before Suarez came within inches of stealing the headlines with a free-kick that nicked off the United wall and hit the bar.

Rooney then worked Simon Mignolet twice in quick succession, with a free-kick and a curler from the edge of the box, while United were aggrieved not to be awarded a penalty when Alexander Buttner was sandwiched by Skrtel and Kolo Toure.

There were late scares for the home side when De Gea had to claw away an inswinging cross from Henderson and Toure threatened from 12 yards, but United held out to book their place in round four.

Sprinter Ben Johnson revisits scene of global disgrace

Disgraced drugs cheat Ben Johnson returned on Tuesday to Seoul's Olympic Stadium -- 25 years to the day of the steroid-assisted 100m final victory that destroyed his career and reputation.he Canadian sprinter revisited the site of his stunning triumph and downfall to bring an anti-doping message for a sport still struggling to rid itself of banned substance use.

Moyes confirms Van Persie out of Liverpool tie

Manchester United manager David Moyes expects to be without striker Robin van Persie for the League Cup third-round tie with Liverpool at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The Dutch international has been nursing a groin injury he suffered in training recently which forced him to miss United's shock 4-1 defeat by Manchester City in a dramatic derby encounter last weekend.

Moyes had hoped to have Van Persie, the leading scorer in England last season with 30 goals in all competitions, available for the visit of Liverpool.

Now Moyes has said the 30-year-old is poised to miss the match, and is doubtful for the defending champions' forthcoming Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion.

"I don't think he'll play," Moyes told a news conference on Tuesday. "But I think he has an outside chance for Saturday."

Moyes admitted the manner of his side's 4-1 thrashing by City, his first derby since succeeding Alex Ferguson as United manager, had left him stunned.

"It shocked me, but when you're a football manager for the length of time I've been you are always going to have shocks," Moyes said.

"But it's gone now so I can't do anything about it," the former Everton boss added. "You can't dwell too long on it. We're looking to get the next game started and trying to win.

"It's always a big game whenever you play any cup tie, but especially I think when you play Liverpool against Manchester United. It maybe takes on a bigger significance than people would expect.

In recent years the League Cup has been seen as a 'development' competition by managers of leading English clubs, who've often rested their first-choice players for more important Premier League or European assignments.

But the City result has given Wednesday's match a different context for many United fans and Moyes acknowledged the conflicting interests surrounding this particular clash with Liverpool.

"I think my idea was always to focus on every competition," Moyes explained.

"It's always been (the mentality) here to win. I do think the Capital One (League) Cup is a route to give as many young players an much opportunity as we can.

"The draw sometimes in the competition gives you reasons to do that. But obviously this is a really big tie that came out of the hat first.

"I'm still getting to know all the players here and how they react to situations. I'll get the chance to know a few more of them this week.

"Hopefully, they will show me what they can do." Liverpool have Luis Suarez available again now the Uruguay striker has served his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic last season.

Suarez's previous matches against the 'Red Devils' include a racism row with United defender Patrice Evra in 2011.

But Moyes tried to play down the importance of Suarez's anticipated return on Wednesday by saying: "I think it means Liverpool have got a really good player back.

"Does it change the complexion? I don't know. I'm not looking at Liverpool too much except that the qualities of Luis Suarez are very good."

Meanwhile, Moyes refused to comment on claims made Tuesday by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez that United made a late bid to derail the Spanish giants' signing of Gareth Bale, for a reported world transfer fee, from Tottenham Hotspur.

"If I was I wouldn't tell you," said Moyes. "We don't talk about it. "We only talk about the players we think there is a reason to talk about and I wouldn't comment on that.

Dhoni new hairstyle for Champions League T20

MS Dhoni's new look inspired by World War II paratroupers; not Mario Balotelli, reveals his hair stylist Sapna Bhavnani

Lalit Modi banned for life by BCCI

CHENNAI: A pariah in Indian cricket for three years now, former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi was on Wednesday slapped with a life ban by the BCCI after its disciplinary committee found him guilty on eight charges of "indiscipline and misconduct".

On a day of high drama, which was marked by legal tug of war between Modi and the BCCI, a special general meeting of the Board took less than half an hour to unanimously impose a life ban on the controversial 49-year-old administrator.

"The BCCI, at its special general meeting on Wednesday considered and discussed the report of the disciplinary committee of the BCCI on the show cause notices issued to Mr. Lalit Kumar Modi, in accordance with Clause 32 (iv) of the Memorandum of Rules and Regulations," the Board said in a statement.

"...Mr. Lalit Modi is guilty of committing acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline, and therefore, in exercise of powers as per Regulation 32 of the Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the Board, Mr. Lalit Modi be and is hereby expelled from the BCCI.

"He shall forfeit all his rights and privileges as administrator. He shall not in future be entitled to hold any position or office, or be admitted in any committee or any member or associate member of the Board," he added.

Modi, the brain behind the highly successful IPL, made a last-ditch effort to avert the impending sanction by writing a letter to the BCCI members requesting them to refrain from any decision till the matter was sub-judice.

"Not a single member in the meeting supported Modi and the House took a unanimous decision to impose a life ban," a top BCCI official said.

The BCCI disciplinary committee, comprising Arun Jaitley, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, submitted a 134-page report in July in which it had found Modi guilty on eight charges, including financial irregularities, indiscipline and "actions detrimental to the interest of the BCCI."

Wednesday's meeting could take place only after the Delhi high court vacated a lower court stay order and it turned out to be a brief since all the members had already been submitted the disciplinary committee report.

The hearing into the charges against Modi, who is currently based in London claiming a threat to his life in India, started in July 2010 and the disciplinary committee conducted several hearings over a period of two years, none of which were attended by Modi in person.

Modi was suspended under Rule 32(iv) of the Board's constitution on April 25, 2010, seconds after the IPL final held in Mumbai. The Board then slapped three show cause notices on him. He replied to all of them.

Modi's decline started after the 2010 IPL bidding which saw the creation of two new teams -- Pune and Kochi. Modi revealed the ownership details of the Kochi franchise on twitter leading to the resignation of the then Minister of State for foreign affairs Shashi Tharoor.

Modi's act allegedly breached the confidentiality agreements between the Board and the IPL franchises.

Modi was suspended as chairman and commissioner of the IPL in April 2010. A suspension notice and a 34-page letter stating 22 charges of impropriety were served via email to Modi.

He claimed innocence all through, defending himself mostly on twitter and television channels but never appeared in person to face the BCCI committee.

Initially, the three-member disciplinary committee also included BCCI President N Srinivasan but he recused himself and erstwhile IPL chairman Chirayu Amin was made a member.

However, Amin also recused himself and it became a two-member committee.

Ronaldo Nazario da Lima visits Real Madrid City

Ronaldo Nazario da Lima visits Real Madrid City

Sebastian Vettel doesn't get blues from boos

Singapore:  Runaway Formula One leader Sebastian Vettel on Thursday said he'd had to "learn to deal" with booing after fans started to get tired of his incessant winning.

The 26-year-old German, who has won the last three world titles and is on course for a fourth, was greeted by the latest chorus of boos on the podium at this month's Italian Grand Prix.

But Vettel, speaking ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix -- where he has won the last two races -- said fans should remember that Red Bull work hard for their success.

"I think you learn to deal with a situation. Obviously if you look at the fan base we have it's much bigger than two or three years ago so there's plenty of positives as well," he said.

"For sure there's some people that are tired of Red Bull winning, but we're not and we know there's no guarantee. We arrive here, we know we have a strong package but we have to work hard to be at the front.

"From the outside or with hindsight you can say 'ah yeah, they finished on the podium so many times, they won so many races'. But every race was a new challenge, that's the most important bit, that you remember how hard work it was to get there in the first place."

Vettel has won three of the last four races to take this year's championship by the scruff of the neck. He could potentially claim the title as early as next month in Japan.

But his success, reminiscent of Michael Schumacher's five titles in a row from 2000 to 2004, has begun to chafe with some fans, with "Anyone but Vettel" accounts appearing on Facebook and Twitter.

Sourav Ganguly says, Yuvraj Singh has 200 per cent chance to make India return

Kolkata:  Delighted to see Yuvraj Singh get his silken touch back, former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday said the stylish left-handed batsman deserves a comeback into the national team.

"It's really great to see him bat in full flow once again. I'm not surprised that he's back again. He has 200 per cent chance to make a return," Ganguly said. (Read Blog: Yuvraj and the over that changed everything)

The national selectors are slated to meet on September 30 to pick India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia at home.

"The middle-order must have Yuvraj Singh. With due respect to Dinesh Karthik, I think Yuvraj is a more deserving No 4 batsman," Ganguly added.
Under Yuvraj's leadership, India A might have lost the three-match unofficial ODI series against West Indies A 2-1 on Thursday, but Yuvraj made a big statement by scoring a blistering 89-ball 123 in the opening match and then followed it up with 40 and 61 in the remaining games. (Read: Yuvraj Singh's India A concede series against West Indies A)

N.Srinivasan wants to be BCCI chief again

Embattled but defiant nonetheless, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President N Srinivasan on Thursday declared that he will contest for the top post in the upcoming Board elections in Chennai on September 29.

"I am going to stand (for re-election as president). You are press, all of you are giving the numbers (in support and against me)," said Srinivasan after attending BCCI's marketing committee meeting here.

Srinivasan is bidding to get re-elected as the president of the BCCI for the third year running under the Board's two plus one year tenure rule after having completed two years at the helm.

Srinivasan has been under a lot of pressure since the spot-fixing scandal broke out and his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan's name cropped up in investigations into betting during the Indian Premier League's sixth season held in April-May.

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association's president stepped aside in June as the BCCI chief and let former president Jagmohan Dalmiya take over the day-to-day work.

However, he chaired the meeting of the disciplinary committee held in Delhi earlier this month that imposed life bans on cricketers S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan following a probe by BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Sceurity Unit chief Ravi Sawani for indulging in spot-fixing in IPL6.

Srinivasan also said the report of south units holding a meeting in southern region Chennai recently was not correct as the media got the venue wrong.

Two units of south zone, Goa and Andhra CA, did not attend the meeting, according to the reports.

"First of all the information is wrong. The meeting did not take place (at the venue) where media is saying," said the BCCI chief.

"I don't know what bearing it has (on the upcoming elections)," he added.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/n-srinivasan-bcci-chief-shashank-manohar/1/310596.html

Lionel Messi matches Ronaldo's hat-trick

Lionel Messi marked his 80th Champions League match with a hat trick on Wednesday as Barcelona began its campaign in Group H with a 4-0 rout of Ajax.

The Argentina forward opened the scoring at Camp Nou Stadium with a free kick in the 22nd minute, doubled the hosts' advantage in the 55th on the break and, after Gerard Pique's 69th-minute goal, added another 15 minutes from fulltime. The goals took his cumulative tally in the competition to 62 - nine short of Raul Gonzalez's all-time record of 71 goals in 144 appearances.

Messi now stands alone as the only player to have scored a hat trick four times in the tournament.

"From (Frank) Rijkaard until now, the coaches that have come through here, every two or three games they have talked about how surprised they are by him, and I am just one more," said Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino, who will travel to his native Argentina following the death of his father on Tuesday.

Despite some lethargic moments late in the first half, Barcelona eased to the win thanks to Messi's goals and the team's near complete control of possession.

When Ajax did manage to create a scoring opportunity, Valdes was there to keep a clean sheet.

"As the game went on we adapted better as we figured out what to do," said Messi. "We couldn't put pressure on them at the beginning because they read the match perfectly."

AC Milan beat Celtic 2-0 in the night's other Group H game.

True to both teams' well-established playing styles, Barcelona and Ajax kept the ball on the turf. While Ajax was limited to former Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic's sprints down the left side, Barcelona soon focused on Neymar cutting in from the left flank.

But it fell to Messi to get the hosts going after he was fouled while dribbling across the edge of the area following a neat passing combination with Dani Alves.

From that prime spot, Messi sent a left-foot shot off the left post, with the ball beating outstretched goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer before ricocheting into the far side of the net.

"We know that Messi can always score, and he did," said Ajax coach Frank de Boer, a former Barcelona defender. "His free kick was very good, very fast.

"I can't be happy. When you allow four goals you can't be. But I saw moments that we can build on for the games ahead."

Ricardo van Rhijn almost answered for Ajax in the 31st when Bojan picked him out with a cross, only for Valdes to smother his header.

The home crowd became nervous near the end of the first half, and Barcelona apparently took note by showing the defensive pressure Martino had said was his top priority to restore after the break.

The increased intensity paid off when Barcelona recovered the ball and Sergio Busquets spotted Messi running unmarked down the right side. Messi took his pass, cut back to bring Stefano Denswil to the ground and used his left foot to score.

Neymar, in his European debut, set up Gerard Pique to add Barcelona's third goal with a long cross.

Ajax lost possession near its area and Xavi Hernandez laid the ball off for Messi to take his time before driving it between a pair of defenders and into the corner of the net for his third goal.

Valdes had his moment of glory one minute later in the 76th when he blocked Kolbeinn Sigthorsson's penalty after Javier Mascherano fouled Thulani Serero in the box.

"We played a better second half," said Martino. "We were more comfortable than in the first and took control of the game. It was a good performance, not as brilliant as the 4-0 looks, but we won it fairly.

"Barcelona is full of individual talents. Today we can talk about Messi and Valdes, another day Xavi or Neymar. It is normal that one of them rises to the occasion."

Ajax's defeat was its ninth consecutive loss to a Spanish opponent. Ajax's last victory in Spain dates back even farther to the 1996-97 season when De Boer helped the Dutch team win at Atletico Madrid.

The two four-time champions had never met before in Europe's top-tier competition. Even so, fewer teams from different countries have stronger ties.

Dutch great Johan Cruyff led Ajax to three straight European titles from 1971-73 as a player before moving to Barcelona, where he would later return as a coach to guide it to its first European title in 1992

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lionel-messi-hat-trick-barcelona-beat-ajax-4-0-champions-league-group-h-match-cristiano-ronaldo/1/310590.html

Chelsea lost the Champions League group stage opener for the first time

After the euphoric return, reality is biting for Jose Mourinho, and the Chelsea homecoming is quickly going sour.

Having already presided over the worst Premier League start in Roman Abramovich's decade as owner, Mourinho is now reeling from the London club losing its Champions League group stage opener for the first time.

Swiss champion Basel had never won a game in England until coming from behind on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge to beat Chelsea 2-1 in Group E.

The winner came in the 82nd minute after Marco Streller seized on slack defense at the near post to meet a corner and flick a header past goalkeeper Petr Cech.

"I am responsible for everything," Mourinho said. "Especially after a bad result."

Although Oscar lit up a drab start by curling Chelsea in front before half time, the 2012 European Cup winners and reigning Europa League champions missed a succession of chances to extend their lead after the break.

And Basel, which beat Manchester United in the 2011-12 group stage, made Chelsea pay for its wastefulness when Mohamed Salah began the comeback in the 71st by bending in the equalizer.

Streller then inflicted the loss that came exactly six years after Mourinho's first three-year Chelsea reign was ended by Abramovich following a drab Champions League draw against Rosenborg.

This was even more embarrassing for the west London club.

Not since October 2003, when Claudio Ranieri was in charge at the start of Abramovich's ownership, had Chelsea even lost a game in the group stage.

"We go home sad," said Mourinho, who wants to avoid Chelsea dropping into the Europa League to defend its title.

This setback comes with Chelsea already three points off the Premier League lead after four games, having opened with two wins, a draw and a loss to sit in sixth place.

"We still believe in each other," Mourinho said. "We need to keep together, stick together and try against Fulham (on Saturday) to get the result to wake up the team for a smile."

The shock win drew acclaim from Basel's famous fans.

"Fantastic evening for Basel supporters, wow!" tennis great Roger Federer wrote on Twitter. "I am so happy, thanks FC_Basel."

The win ended Chelsea's 13-match unbeaten home run in European competitions.

"Winning here at Chelsea against a manager like Mourinho is a great achievement," Basel coach Murat Yakin said through a translator. "But I've spoken with my players and we have to remain modest ... there is a lot ahead of us still."

Basel is only off top spot in Group E because Schalke beat Steaua Bucharest 3-0.

Winning European football elite competition remains the obsession at Stamford Bridge despite the Champions League finally being won under former coach Roberto Di Matteo in 2012.

Against Basel, there was no Fernando Torres in the starting lineup or even on the bench, and Demba Ba only came on in the second half with the teams locked at 1-1.

Instead, Samuel Eto'o, recently signed from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, led the attack.

But the Cameroon striker, a four-time African player of the year and the world's best-paid star while at Anzhi, couldn't even muster a shot on goal.

"Samuel maybe lacked sharpness and this doesn't surprise really when you are some years in a place that doesn't motivate you and you are out of the big stage, maybe you're there not for the right reasons and you lose hunger and appetite," Mourinho said. "Now he has that back, he has that motivation."

Chelsea's breakthrough instead came from Oscar in the 45th minute, with David Luiz, who had concerned Mourinho with his sloppiness in defense, bringing the ball forward.

The Brazil center back fed Frank Lampard and Oscar connected with a throughball before striking low past goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

After an insipid first half - the type of performance fans jeered during Rafa Benitez's interim reign last year - Chelsea discovered some spark after the break.

But, first the cross bar denied Oscar and, when he tried to curl a shot into the net from a similar position outside of the area, the ball went wide.

The pressure was increasing, but a second goal proved elusive.

A towering header from Branislav Ivanovic was saved by Sommer at close range and the defender saw another header from a free kick nodded clear.

The game really came to life when Basel finally found its stride to stun the hosts.

Slick build-up play allowed Marco Strelle set up Salah to curl in the leveler from the edge of the area.

Then, Chelsea defenders left Streller in space to meet Kay Voser's corner at the near post and compound the early anxieties for Chelsea at the start of a season that promised so much with the morale-boosting return of Mourinho.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jose-mourinho-basel-beat-chelsea-champions-league-opener-group-e-stamford-bridge/1/310601.html

Harbhajan Singh said that "I only compete with myself"

CHENNAI: Harbhajan Singh is not ready to give up. With the likes of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra doing well, it's not easy for the man with 413 Test wickets to find his way back into the Indian team, but the fire still burns in the feisty Sardar. Speaking to TOI from Ahmedabad, where he is preparing for the Champions League, Harbhajan said that he is still good enough for a few more years of international cricket.

Can Sehwag reinvent himself in middle order ?

                                                                               With a lot of international cricket coming up for the Indian team, the team management must be bracing for selectorial headaches. Skipper MS Dhoni has his task cut out what with four batsmen gunning for the openers' slot, three for the middle-order and two in the all-rounder's position — all formats included.

The announcements of the India 'A', India Red and the India Blue squads last week have Delhi batsmen Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, along with Tamil Nadu's M Vijay and Mumbai's Rohit Sharma in the fray top of the order while lower down, Yuvraj Singh is back giving competition to Suresh Raina.

On Saturday, matters got just a little more complicated when reports suggested that Sehwag, who has been opening for India for almost a decade now, informed the cricket board that he's ready to be considered for the middle-order too.

Sehwag's willingness to bat down — which he's done only 10 times in his 180 innings as a Test batsman and 33 out of 245 times in One-dayers — shows how the competition has toughened. For Dhoni, it's a tough one too, because he'll have to take the call.

However, Sehwag's possible desperation and Dhoni's decision-making abilities aside, the question begging attention is if Sehwag deserves a slot in the middle-order or the comeback, when it happens, needs to be in the position that he's batted at for close to nine years now?

"Middle-order? No, never," says Sehwag's early coach AN Sharma. He is clear that Sehwag needs to come back into the Indian team, and that too in the opener's position. "I haven't spoken with him of late but there's no doubt in my mind about that," he says. "He's a special player, one who can win matches at the top of the order and has a proven record. He needs to bat in a position that he's best at and that is the opener's position," adds Sharma.

On that count, the selectors too seem to have little doubt because they've included the senior batsman in the India 'A' squad to open the innings. For Dhoni, while it's still a decision to make, the fact of the matter remains that at 33 going on 34, the right-handed batsman doesn't quite make the cut in the opening position.

"Given his stature, if he thinks he's in that frame of mind, then he should be given a chance. Because he started off as a middle-order batsman and had proved himself. But that can be considered only after he first makes himself available for selection. So, first you have to wait for that and then consider the next step," says former India selector Kiran More.

                               

Serbia to face Czech Republic in Davis Cup final

Serbia will face defending champions the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup final after defeating Canada 3-2 in the semi-finals on Sunday.
Janko Tipsarevic led Serbia into their second final in four years after defeating Vasek Pospisil 7-6 (7/3), 6-2, 7-6 (8/6).
Earlier, world number one Novak Djokovic had beaten Milos Raonic 7-6 (7/1), 6-2, 6-2 to level the tie at 2-2.
Serbia, the 2010 champions, will host the November 15-17 final against the Czechs who defeated Argentina 3-2 in their semi-final in Prague.
"Czech Republic is extremely difficult, they have Tomas Berdych who has been in the top 10 for years, they have Radek Stepanek who always plays good in Davis Cup, but we have Novak (Djokovic), Nenad (Zimonjic) and I hope we will have Victor back into our team," Tipsarevic said.
 Serbia are without Viktor Troicki, who is serving an 18-month doping ban handed down by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
After taking the first set, the 23rd-ranked Tipsarevic capitalised on the 41st-ranked Pospisil's claycourt inexperience to breeze through the second.
With the 10,000-strong crowd willing him on, Tipsarevic stretched out to 5-2 in the third set before Pospisil battled back for another tie-breaker.

The Canadian saved four match points before Tipsarevic finally sealed victory.

"I had a feeling it could have been much easier, but somehow I could not capitalise on my opportunities, but nevertheless I won and Serbia are in the final," Tipsarevic said after the match.

Earlier, Djokovic got Serbia back into the match by defeating Raonic. Raonic put up a strong fight against Djokovic in the first set, but his hopes took a major blow when he lost the tiebreak 7-1.

In the second set Djokovic took total command and convincingly made two service breaks.

The third set was similar as Djokovic grabbed another two breaks to lead 4-0 before Raonic, who defeated Tipsarevic in an exhausting four-hour match on Friday, managed briefly to get back into the match with a break of his own.

But Djokovic stepped up the pace again and broke on Raonic's next serve.

"I played at my own tempo from the very beginning and I knew the returns would be crucial, so I paid special attention to them," Djokovic said.

Serbia's coach Bogdan Obradovic couldn't hide satisfaction as his team reached a second final in four years.

"I could not expect anything better than this, turning Canada's 2-1 lead into victory with two 3-0 wins, this is really a spectacular result," Obradovic said.

Cristiano Ronaldo: “I am happy, I hope to retire in Real Madrid”

“Cristiano Ronaldo is and will eternally be madridista”, said Florentino Perez at the ceremony held to sign the Portuguese striker’s five-year extension

Realmadrid.com

Cristiano Ronaldo renewed his contract with Real Madrid this afternoon at a much-anticipated ceremony at the Santiago Bernabeu’s director’s box. The Real player, who extends his commitment to the club for the next five seasons, was extremely happy about the agreement: “It’s a very special day for me. I want to thank my teammates, the coach, and, above all, the president. This contract makes me really happy and it’s a privilege to continue in this house. It’s given me a lot. For me it’s as if today were my first day here. I’m always going to give my best for this shirt. I hope that I’m here until I retire. This is a great club”. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez explained that today is one of those special days that marks Real’s history: “This is a great day for the club. We’ve made the dream of all madridistas come true. Cristiano is and will eternally be madridista”. 

After making his Reds debut, Marouane Fellaini said

Marouane Fellaini has thanked the Manchester United fans for their support during his Reds debut on Saturday; a comfortable 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. 

After making his Reds debut, Marouane Fellaini said:
“I am happy to have started at Old Trafford with the crowd who supported me,” Marouane said. “It was a fantastic debut and we won, which was most important. I was both nervous and excited. I thought I had to play my game and with my quality.
“I would like to say thank you to the supporters, it was good for me. The supporters helped me, it was important for me. Every time I will give my maximum for the club and for my team-mates.
“It was a good win, not hard or easy, just a good win. Man United want to win every game and we won today so it was good for our confidence ahead of the next game - because the next game is a big game, it is a Champions League game. So this is good for the confidence.”

Manager David Moyes was understandably pleased for Fellaini to take his bow and explained why his arrival to the action was key to securing three points.

An OnBoard photo of ‪MarcMarquez‬ crashing in ‪MotoGP‬ Warm Up at ‪Misano

An OnBoard photo of ‪MarcMarquez‬ crashing in ‪MotoGP‬ Warm Up at ‪Misano. He escaped injury and starts on pole this afternoon.

Bale scores on debut but Real Madrid held by Villarreal

Gareth Bale scored on his long-awaited Real Madrid debut on Saturday, but it still wasn't enough to give his side all three points as they were held 2-2 at Villarreal.

The Welshman, who joined Madrid from Tottenham for a reported world record fee of around £80 million ($124 million, 94 million euros) earlier this month, turned home Dani Carvajal's cross five minutes from half-time to send Madrid in level at the break after Cani had given Villarreal a deserved lead.

Bale was then withdrawn to make way for Angel Di Maria on the hour mark, but the visitors were in front just two minutes later when Cristiano Ronaldo's effort ricocheted past Sergio Asenjo in the Villarreal goal.

However, Giovani Dos Santos, another former Tottenham player, swept home after Diego Lopez had denied Cani a second 21 minutes from time to preserve Villarreal's unbeaten record on their return to the top flight as Real fell two points behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona at the top of the table.

Indian wrestlers set for World Championships

BUDAPEST: Buoyed by wrestling's re-inclusion in the Olympic Games, a 22-strong Indian team of grapplers will fight out it against a strong international field in the World Championships starting on Monday.

After bagging two medals at the London Olympics, Indian wrestlers would be hoping to script another success story at the week-long championships.

The sport received a massive boost after it was endorsed by the International Olympic Committee to rejoin the Olympic movement as an additional sport for the 2020 and 2024 Games. Squad:

Freestyle: Amit Kumar (55kg), Bajrang (60kg), Arun Kumar/Sushil Kumar (66kg), Narsingh Pancham Yadav (74kg), Pawan Kumar (84kg), Satyawart Kadian (96kg) and Hitender (120kg).

Greco Roman: Gaurav Sharma (55kg), Ravinder Singh (60kg), Sandeep Tulsi Yadav (66kg), Rajbir Chhikara (74kg), Harpreet Singh (84kg), Hardeep (96kg) and Naveen (120kg).

Female: Nirmala Devi (48kg), Vinesh (51kg), Pooja Dhanda (55kg), Geeta (59kg), Geetika Jakhar (63kg), Navjot Kaur (67kg) and Jyoti (72kg).

Yuvraj hits 123 runs helps India A to 312/4 against West Indies A

Yuvraj Singh on Sunday staked claim for national team selection as he struck a brutal 89-ball 123 to lead India 'A' to a formidable 312 for four from 42 overs in the first of the three-match unofficial ODI series against West Indies 'A'.

Yuvraj, who played his last international match in January, produced a sensational exhibition of strokeplay to tear apart the West Indies 'A' bowlers as he struck eight fours and seven sixes in his scintillating innings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.123 runs 89 balls 8(4s) 7(6s) 138.20(sr)Mandeep Singh and Yusuf Pathan played perfect second fiddle to help themselves to 67 (78 balls; 7x4, 1x6) and 70 not out (32 balls; 4x4, 6x6) after West Indies 'A' chose to field as the match was reduced to a 42-over-a-side affair after wet outfields forced its start to be delayed by one hour and 45 minutes.

Sturridge fit and ready to fire- Rodgers

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has backed in-form striker Daniel Sturridge to add to his rising reputation when his side play Swansea at the Liberty Stadium on Monday.

England striker Sturridge has hit 16 goals in 20 matches since the Reds bought him from Chelsea for £12 million ($19 million, 14.3 million euros) in January.

The 24-year-old's goals have fired Liverpool to three wins from their first three matches and earned him the Player of the Month award for August.

The forward struggled to get in the starting line-up at Manchester City and Chelsea, but his new boss expects him to shine now he is getting game-time.

"You never know how it is going to go but I felt if you gave him an opportunity...I think he has shown in his career if he is given the opportunity he is a natural goalscorer," said Rodgers.

"At this stage of his career, aged 24, he has all the things to his game to be a top striker.

"Since coming here he has had the confidence he is going to play and we work on him on a daily basis -- on and of the field -- to make him the best he can be.

"Standards are set throughout European football now and if you want to be a top striker you have to get in the goals."

Sturridge missed England's midweek World Cup qualifier against Ukraine due to a thigh strain, but has been declared fit for Monday's game.

Rodgers stressed that Sturridge was disappointed to miss out on playing for England, but pointed out that "the medical experts made the decision, not Daniel Sturridge.

"He should not be held up, if he does play on Monday, as being someone who has turned down his country because that is not the case at all."

But opposing manager Michael Laudrup, whose side beat West Brom 2-0 in their last league outing, expressed surprise at Sturridge's quick recovery from injury.

"I was a little surprised," the Swansea chief said. "When we talk about England and young players and the importance of the game (in Ukraine), I was surprised to read less than 48 hours after such a crucial game that he is fit to play against us.

"I thought there were some rules that if you were injured you couldn't just play with your team three of four days later."

Cristiano Ronaldo extends Real Madrid contract

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has renewed his contract with the club, which had been due to expire in 2015, the Spanish giants confirmed on Sunday.

The Portuguese international will attend a ceremony at 1:45 pm (1145 GMT) with Real president Florentino Perez at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium to mark the renewal of his deal, the club said on its website.

The 28-year-old's record since joining Madrid from Manchester United for a then world record 94 million euros back in 2009 has been phenomenal with the Portuguese scoring 203 times in 203 appearances.

Real Madrid did not give details of the contract extention, but Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that the deal will run until 2018 and make Ronaldo the best paid player in the world.

"The salary of the player will be close to 20 million euros, making him the best paid footballer in the world," it said.

Four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi was the previous highest paid player in Spain with a salary of 16 million euros a season.

The deal ends a series of drawn out negotiations that began back at the end of the 2011-12 season.

Speculation then mounted that the Portuguese would leave the Spanish capital after he said he was "sad" in September last year and was believed to be upset at the lack of support offered to him by the club in his quest to reclaim the Balon d'Or, which Messi has won for the past four years.

However, any chance that Ronaldo could make a sensational return to Manchester United or indeed to big-spending French duo Paris Saint-Germain or Monaco now seems a long shot with the player set to under contract until he is 33.

Despite the speculation, Perez was always confident that the player would renew his contract and end his career at Real.

"Ronaldo wants to retire at Real Madrid, and we want him to retire here, just like [Zinedine] Zidane and so many other great players did," Perez said in July when asked about the reports that Ronaldo was planning to leave the Spanish side.

Since then Perez has splashed over 90 million euros once more on Gareth Bale.

The Welshman's transfer from Tottenham was finally sealed at the start of September and he made his debut for the club alongside Ronaldo on Saturday, with both men scoring in the 2-2 draw at Villareal.

Bale is just the latest in a string of "galactico" signings, Real president Perez has made during two spells in charge of the club, in a drive to boost their commercial revenue and success on the pitch.

Auditors Deloitte's latest Money League report showed that Real had become the first football club to generate more than 500 million euros a year, whilst Forbes ranked them as the most valuable sports team in the world last month with an estimated value of $3.3 billion.

Barclays Premier League

Barclays Premier League point table

Childhood Pictures of Cricketers

Childhood Pictures of Cricketers

Zimbabwe & pakistan Sharing The test Trophy

Latest ICC Test Rankings

Latest ICC Test Rankings

Sir Alex At Old Trafford

Sir Alex At Old Trafford to watch Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Czech Republic to a third Davis Cup final in five years

Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych led holders Czech Republic to a third Davis Cup final in five years after breezing past Argentina's Carlos Berlocq and Horacio Zeballos in Saturday's doubles.

Stepanek and Berdych won 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and three minutes to earn an unbeatable 3-0 lead after they had dominated Friday's singles.

The Czechs, who won the 2012 trophy by beating Spain 3-2 in Prague, will travel to either Canada or Serbia for the November 15-17 final.

"It's pure fantasy, the guys played at a hundred percent again," said team captain Jaroslav Navratil.

"They didn't give the Argentinians a chance, they wiped them out, and we're very happy we can fight for the lovely trophy again after a year," he added.

"We would like to keep the trophy because it's beautiful," said Stepanek.

The Czech duo on Saturday won the 13th of their 14 Davis Cup doubles rubbers together since teaming up in 2007, while Berlocq and Zeballos played their debut doubles match together in Prague.

Besides, Stepanek, the world number five in doubles rankings, got a boost from the US Open doubles title with Leander Paes a week ago.

Pushed on by an emotional crowd of more than 11,000 fans around the superfast hardcourt at Prague's O2 Arena, the Czechs benefited from good serving and Stepanek's dominance at the net.

All they needed was four breaks, one apiece in the first two sets and two in the third.

Berlocq was the first to lose his serve in game eight of the first set, handing the Czechs a 6-3 set win.

He failed again late in the second set which the Czechs won 6-4. Each of the Argentinians then lost their serve in the last set which the Czechs took 6-2.

"We played a great game. Everything was in the right place today, we didn't drop a serve," said Berdych.

"As long as you are able to make pressure on them, you make chances, and that's what we've done today," he added, calling the rubber "one of the very good matches together with Radek."

On Friday, Stepanek, the world number 61 in singles and Czech number two, saw off 30th-ranked Argentinian number-one player Juan Monaco 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, 6-2 in the opening rubber.

Fifth-ranked Berdych then beat world number 93 Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Argentina were missing their top star Juan Martin Del Potro, who is taking a break from the competition this year, as well as an injured David Nalbandian.

The 2012 Davis Cup triumph was the first for the Czechs since Czechoslovakia, which split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, won the trophy in 1980 with a team led by then 20-year-old Ivan Lendl.

Argentina, who have played three finals in the last seven years, are still seeking their first Davis Cup trophy.

20 Runs Off 1 Ball - World Record in Cricket History 2013

BCCI to oppose two new balls ODI rule

CHENNAI: The BCCI is set to push for some rule changes in the forthcoming chief executives committee (CEC) meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) next week.

On the sidelines of the Asian Cricket Council meeting here on Saturday, it was decided that the sub-continental boards will ask to abolish the two-new-balls rule for One-dayers. As per present playing conditions, two new balls are used from two ends and that is creating major problems for the spinners.

"The teams are spin dependent and when two-new-balls are used, the potency of the spin attack comes down significantly. So it has been decided to oppose the two new ball rule," a BCCI source said.

The umpires' decision to take the players off due to bad light without consulting the batting or bowling teams was criticized during the Ashes and there might be a proposal to change that as well.

"There are options of offering the light to the batting team and there's a possibility that we could revert to that. Other options of extending play at the end of the day with the help of floodlights by an extra hour will also be discussed," the source added.

The cut-off date for the four teams qualifying for the World Test Championship is Dec 31, 2016. There will be some Test series that will be going on during that time and the BCCI will propose to the ICC that the points should be calculated only at the end of those series.

"But no Test series after 2016 will be taken into consideration," the source added. There was no discussion about the rumoured India-Pak-Lanka tri-series in December in India instead of India going to South Africa.

Though there are no legal hurdles for BCCI to break the FTP because they haven't signed it yet, it's understood that the board is ready to go ahead with the proposed curtailed series in SA. It was also decided that the Asia Cup will be played in Bangladesh from Feb 24-March 7.

Wayne Rooney English Premier League

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney applauds after their English Premier League match against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Valentino Rossi Misano 2013 Helmet

Valentino Rossi Misano 2013 Helmet: a tribute to Marco Simoncelli

Fast bowler Tendai Chatara took five on the fifth day of the second and final Test against Pakistan

                                                                                         HARARE: Fast bowler Tendai Chatara took five wickets as Zimbabwe pulled off a dramatic 24-run win on the fifth day of the second and final Test against Pakistan at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.           

Zimbabwe win second Test against Pakistan

HARARE: Fast bowler Tendai Chatara took five wickets as Zimbabwe pulled off a dramatic 24-run win on the fifth day of the second and final Test against Pakistan at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.

Scorecard

Chatara's Test-best figures of five for 61 proved the crucial difference despite an unbeaten 79 by Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq.

The two-match series finished tied at 1-1 after Pakistan won the first Test at the same venue by 221 runs.

Resuming at 158 for five, Pakistan suffered an early blow when Chatara trapped Adnan Akmal leg before wicket with only five runs added. Akmal, who made 20, went back to a ball which angled in towards his stumps.

Abdur Rehman scored 16 in a seventh wicket partnership of 34 with Misbah, who was content to continue to bat watchfully, as he had done on the fourth afternoon, before Rehman was caught behind off Tinashe Panyangara.

Chatara returned to the attack and immediately claimed the wicket of Saeed Ajmal in almost identical fashion to the way he dismissed Akmal, with the batsmen going back to a ball which cut back sharply and hit him on the pads.

Misbah faced 161 balls in reaching 58 at lunch. He stepped up the pace after the interval, keeping the strike with singles in the first two overs from Chatara and Brian Vitori, then taking 11 runs off an over from Chatara, including two boundaries. Two more fours came from Vitori's next over.

The second four off Vitori meant, however, that Junaid had to face the second new ball, which was taken with 26 runs needed. Chatara had Junaid caught at gully with the fourth delivery.

Last batsman Rahat Ali edged a single off the next delivery. Seeking to retain the strike, Misbah pushed the last ball of the over into the covers but sent Rahat back as Hamilton Masakadza swooped to pick up the ball. Rahat was unable to regain his crease and was run out comfortably, sparking exuberant celebrations by the Zimbabwe players.

It was only their fifth win against a major Test nation - their third against Pakistan - and their most significant victory since they beat India in 2000/01.

Rossi reveals Pink Floyd-themed helmet

David Moyes provides Rooney head injury update

David Moyes has delivered a positive update on Wayne Rooney's situation but refused to reveal whether when the striker can be considered for selection.
The Reds' No10 sustained a nasty head injury in training ahead of the trip to Liverpool in the previous Barclays Premier League fixture and also missed England's World Cup qualifying double-header against Moldova and Ukraine.
Naturally, United are keen to be cautious with Rooney due to the nature of the injury.
"He's in great physical shape but obviously he's got the cut right in the middle of his forehead which could split where the skin is very thin," stated Moyes. "He's had the stitches out and it's knitted well.
"We've just got to see where the level of risk is with his head injury."
Wilfried Zaha, meanwhile, will not be any more likely to feature against Crystal Palace simply because he signed from the Eagles.
"We've been pleased with Wilfried," explained the boss. "He's been quite bright over the few days since he's been back. He got a couple of games for the England Under-21s and is one of the most promising players on the way up.
"The fact that it's his old club in this game won't change my views in any way but he's someone who we hope he can continue to

Kaka raring to go ahead of debut, says Allegri

Brazilian forward Kaka will make his debut for AC Milan Saturday when the Rossoneri visit Torino hoping to make amends after losing their first game of the season.

Kaka spent six highly successful seasons with Milan from 2003-2009, winning the Champions League and Ballon d'Or trophy for the world's best player before signing for Real Madrid.

But, unsettled at the Santiago Bernabeu and with one eye on next year's World Cup, he returned to the San Siro amid much fanfare two weeks ago, when he signed a two-year deal following a free transfer from Real.

Despite lacking full match fitness, Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri confirmed that Kaka can't wait to take to the field in what should be an emotional return for the 31-year-old.

"Kaka is in good shape physically and has trained well and enthusiastically," said Allegri Friday.

"I think he'll be a bit emotional ahead of his debut tomorrow and that's normal as he's lacking a bit of match fitness. That will come with time."

Milan are the only expected title contenders in Serie A to have dropped points in their opening two league games, following an opening day reverse away to promoted Verona.

Napoli sit top ahead of Inter on goal difference, while Roma, Fiorentina and Juventus also have six points each.

With Milan hosting Celtic Wednesday in their first Champions League group match of the season, Allegri hinted that he may rest Mario Balotelli and give Alessandro Matri, recently signed from Juventus, a run out.

"I have to think about the starting line-up, whether it's Balotelli, or Matri or one of the others," said the Italian.

"Robinho is ready and he's on good form. He's scoring too. We're in good shape up front. I just have to choose who'll start."

QUANTUM OF PUNISHMENT

S Sreesanth : Banned for life after being found guilty of underperforming for a reward and ensuring the occurrence of an event during a match while knowing it is the subject of a bet. Also accused of receiving payment or gift for the possibility of bringing cricket into disrepute and failing to report an approach by bookmakers to fix a match to BCCI's anti-corruption unit.

Ankeet Chavan : Banned for life after being found guilty of underperforming for a reward and ensuring the occurrence of an event during a match while knowing it is the subject of a bet. Also accused of receiving payment or gift for the possibility of bringing cricket into disrepute.

Amit Singh: Banned for five years for soliciting other players for match-fixing in the IPL and failing to report an approach by bookmakers to fix a match to BCCI's anti-corruption unit. Also found guilty of failing to report to the BCCI about another player being approached by a bookie.

Siddharth Trivedi: Banned for one year for receiving payment or gift for the possibility of bringing cricket into disrepute and failing to report an approach by bookmakers to fix a match to the BCCI anti-corruption unit.

Harmeet Singh: Let off due to lack of evidence. Was accused of failing to report to the BCCI ACU the knowledge of another player being approached by a bookie.

Ajit Chandila: Prosecution in process. Charges: Same as those for Sreesanth.