Malik hits ton as Pakistan pile up 302

Centurion (Johannesburg), Sept 26: Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik carried Pakistan to 302 in the alloted 50 over in their first international against India in close to a year and a half. In the much awaited match Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat. Ashish Nehra gave India the first breakthrough when he sent Imran Nazir to the pavillion at the score of 20. Then the Pakistani middle order did not let the Indian bowlers settle and kept scoring singles and doubles.

Those late-middle overs also featured the biggest blow to India, the negating of Harbhajan Singh through easily milked singles, and craftily late-cut boundaries. Habhajan’s already poor record against Pakistan now reads 10 wickets in 15 ODIs, at an average of 71.1 and a strike-rate of 87.6. Following the trend, Malik improved his already strong record against India: four of his seven centuries have now come against them, and his average of 52.24 against India is a stark contrast to his 35.27 overall. He also crossed 5000 ODI runs during the innings, and 1515 of those have come against his favourite opposition.

India’s pace bowlers seemed to have made a remarkable comeback from the openers’ onslaught when they reduced Pakistan from 51 for 1 in seven overs to 65 for 3 in 15. The first seven overs had featured nine smashing boundaries, the next eight none. The strike was not being rotated, and MS Dhoni took that opportunity to delay the introduction of Harbhajan, and get through some cheap overs from the part-timers. He needed all the cheap overs he could get from the part-timers because one of his main bowlers, RP Singh, was completely off tune.

Despite the late flurry of wickets, and a two-run last over from Ishant, Pakistan managed 41 in the last five overs, setting India five more than has ever been chased in Centurion. Brief Score: Pakistan 302/9 (50 ov) Shoaib Malik 128, M Yousuf 87, Nehra 4/55 India 18/0 (3.2 ov) (Agencies)

Federer and Nadal in line for Davis Cup clash

LONDON, Sept 23: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could go head to head in the first round of next year’s Davis Cup after Spain were drawn to face Switzerland in the first round of the World Group on Wednesday.

The Czech Republic, who will meet Spain in this year’s final of the team event, face Belgium while India, back in the elite 16-strong World Group for the first since 1998, have been handed a tough opener in Russia.

Argentina travel to Sweden while the United States have been drawn away to Serbia. Israel, beaten by Spain in the semi-finals last week, tackle Chile.

Federer recovered from his shock defeat against Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro in the US Open final to win both his singles in Switzerland’s 3-2 defeat of Italy in a World Group playoff last weekend.

The 15-times grand slam champion has never faced Nadal in Davis Cup action and the prospect of facing the Mallorcan in Spain could persuade Federer to make himself available for the first round in March.

Neither he nor Nadal played in the first round tie between the nations in 2007 when Spain won 3-2.

“I truly enjoy playing for my country but I’ll also have to see where I have my priorities for next season,” Federer said after victory over Italy.

“Of course, there are the grand slams but there is also number one, which is a bit of a dilemma. Like in the other years, I will see after the Australian Open how I feel and if I play the first round.”

Waiting in round two for the winners of the tie will be either Germany or France. The World Group first round is from March 5-7. (Agencies)

Assam Sports

ASEBSC win third successive league title
By our Sports Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 21: Assam State Electricity Board Sports Club (ASEBSC) lifted the Super Division Soccer League title defeating Assam Police Blues by 2-1 in their last league match held at Nehru Stadium today. It was the third successive league title for powermen. ASEBSC was in a little bit difficult situation before the match, as they were in a must win situation to retain the league title. On the other hand, a draw was enough for Assam Police Blues to regain the title. Birendra Narzary put ASEBSC ahead in the 31 minutes of the game. Sanjiva Rongpi, increased the margin in the 70 minutes. Assam Police Blues got many opportunities in the match but they failed in every occasions except Prafulla Boro, who scored the only goal for Assam Police Blues.

DY Patil win
By our Sports Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 21: DY Patil of Mumbai won the SP Barooah Cricket title defeating Asom Red by Duckworth Luis method at NFRSA Stadium today. Riding on a fine innings from S Seikh (59), Patil scored 180 runs for their loss of nine wickets in 50 overs. Arup Das picked up three wickets for 34 runs. Asom Red was struggling at 63 runs for the loss of seven wickets when both the umpires stopped the match due to bad weather and later DY Patil announced as the winner of the match by the method of Duckworth Luis. S Seikh was adjudged as the man of the match of the final and he received a cash prize of Rs 5,000. Dhiraj Yadav, the captain of Asom Red, recieved the man of the tournament award which carries a cash award of Rs 15,000. On the other hand, champion and runners up team received Rs one lakh and Rs 50,000 respectively. THE SENTINEL

Leander Paes-Lukas Dlouhy topple Bhupathi-Knowles

New York, Sep 14: India’s Leander Paes claimed his 10th Grand Slam title when he and Czech Republic’s Lukas Dlouhy made a remarkable comeback to beat Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of Bahamas at the US Open men]s doubles final here.

Paes and Dlouhy won the thrilling final 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a match that stretched to two hours. The 36-year-old Paes, who lost in the finals of the mixed doubles while pertnering Zimbabwean Cara Black, overcame a sore shoulder to ensure that he goes home with at lease one title. “I’m a little numb at the moment because it’s just been a mammoth effort over the past two weeks,” Paes said. Paes and Dlouhy were beaten by Bryan twins Bob and Mike in the title clash here in 2008, but they avenged their defeat in the semi-finals this year. This was Paes’ sixth men’s doubles title and 10th overall in 19 final appearances. Paes also got the upper hand on Bhupathi, his longtime former partner. Facing off for a 19th time since splitting up in 2000, Paes edged ahead 10-9. The two were meting each other in a Grand Slam final for the first time. Paes has reached 11 Grand Slam men’s doubles finals. Paes and Dlouhy won their first Grand Slam title together at the French Open this year. Bhupathi and Knowles made the better start, breaking Paes in the second game of the first set. The lead was short lived, Knowles getting broken for 2-2. At the ensuing changeover, he needed attention from the trainer. “I didn’t hold serve once in the whole first set,” Paes said. “I was struggling to win points.” Bhupathi and Knowles, who teamed up in 2008, kept it going early in the second. Dlouhy appeared to be coasting on serve, up 40-15. But Bhupathi and Knowles won the next three points, and a wonderful backhand return by Bhupathi helped set up the break. When Bhupathi held at love, making it eight straight points, it seemed to be all over, especially when Paes double faulted to begin the third game. But Paes held and then they broke, and went up 3-2.

Paes flashed his brilliant return game, slicing backhands cross-court and floating forehands down the line. Four break points came and went, but on the fifth, Bhupathi cracked. The seesaw battle continued, Paes broken to love, only for Knowles to drop serve on a missed backhand volley by Bhupathi. In the third set Dlouhy and Paes broke their opponents twice. Bhupathi and Knowles had their last real chance in the fourth game on the susceptible Paes serve. Manufacturing three break points, Bhupathi missed a comfortable forehand on one and a routine backhand on another. Bhupathi and Knowles were then broken for the sixth time in the match.

Bhupathi and Knowles, both former No. 1 in doubles, are still waiting for their first major together. Sunday’s defeat looked similar to their loss in the Australian Open final, when they led the Bryan brothers by a set but couldn't apply the knockout punch. But as Bhupathi pointed out, maybe the duo was lucky simply to get this far. Knowles, like Paes, was wounded, playing with stitches on his finger. He cut the finger after holding open an elevator last week. (IANS)

Vijender settles for bronze

NEW DELHI, Sep 12: Vijender Singh’s quest for a gold medal ended in heartbreak as he went down to Uzbekistan’s Abbos Atoev in the semi-finals, bringing down the curtains on India’s campaign by settling for a bronze at the World Boxing Championships in Milan, Italy.
The bronze with which he had to be content with after the 3-7 loss to Atoev late last night was Vijender’s third successive this year. But even in defeat, the Olympic bronze medallist scripted history by ending India’s medal drought in the elite event. “Obviously I am a bit disappointed but I am glad that I ended India’s medal jinx at this prestigious event,” the world number two, who was given the top seeding in Milan, said after the bout. The 23-year-old went into the bout as favourite, considering that he had beaten Atoev, a former light heavy weight champion, just a couple of months ago at the Asian Championships in China.
Like his previous bouts, Vijender started off cautiously to take a slender 1-0 lead after the first three minutes but things went haywire from there on as Atoev staged an aggressive comeback. The Uzbek, who fought without a guard, pushed Vijender to the backfoot with some hard-hitting straight jabs. The Indian couldn’t land a single scoring punch and was trailing 1-5 at the end of the second round. Vijender tried to claw back in the final round and reduced the points gap to 3-5 but an unrelenting Atoev ensured that the Indian could not beyond that. In the last time the Haryana boxer won more than a bronze medal was the Asian Championships in 2007, when he returned with a silver. He has been settling for bronze medals ever since, starting with the Olympics in Beijing last year. This year he managed bronze medals at the European Grand Prix in Czech Republic in May and the Asian Championships the next month.
‘I am with Percept, IOS can do what it wants’

Harbhajan's list of controversies

New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- September 2009 - The off-spinner was challaned by the Chandigarh Traffic Police for plying his Hummer vehicle without a registration number. He was challaned Rs 3000 for the indiscretion.

October, 2008 - Harbhajan could not control his tongue and in an interview said that former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was not a 'saint' and called Matthew Hayden a liar.

April, 2008 - Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth, after a match between the Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians in Mohali. Apart from banning him for 11 or 13 matches he was also fined his match fee for the game.

January, 2008 - Harbhajan Singh was charged with a Level 3 charge of racially abusing Andrew Symonds when he allegedly called Symonds "monkey". He was banned for one test and charged 50 per cent of his match fees. Symonds was not the lone Australian to have problems with Harbhajan during the tour Down Under. Opener Mathew Hayden also joined the off-spinners' critics club and called him as an "obnoxious little weed" in a radio interview which led to Cricket Australia (CA) issuing Hayden a warning.

October, 2006 - Harbhajan featured without his turban in an advertisement for a liquor brand that angered many orthodox Sikhs, leading to anti-Harbhajan protests.

March, 2002 - Harbhajan was engaged in an altercation with the police outside the team hotel in Guwahati. A scuffle broke out when Harbhajan remonstrated with police officers after they refused to allow a photographer into the hotel.

In 2000 he was also thrown out of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore for not falling in line with the academy's objectives and shirking physical workouts.

Younis Khan wants his son to be a champion squash player

Karachi, Sep.10 (ANI): They say fathers always want their sons to follow in their footsteps, but Pakistan cricket captain Younis Khan does not want to see his son playing cricket for the country.

Instead of pursuing a vastly lucrative career in cricket, Khan wants his son to become a world class squash player.

"I want my son to become a squash champion and once again take our country on the top in that sport," Khan said.

Khan regretted that Pakistan, which once produced several champion squash players like Hashim Khan, Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan, now does not have any squash player to carry forward the legacy of the erstwhile world champions.

"We have won so many laurels in squash in the past and it's a pity that we are no more the champions. I would appeal my countrymen to encourage their children to take up games like squash, hockey and football. As for myself, I would love to see my son become a world champion in squash," The News quoted Khan, as saying.

In an interview with a private television channel, Khan revealed that he also loved football and said 'the global sport' was his favourite.

Khan said he would love to participate in a football match involving both the national cricket and football team.

"It's a great idea and I would love to have cricket and football matches against the national football players as soon as we can get time for it," he said. (ANI)

Vijender first Indian to reach semi-finals in World Boxing Championships

Milan, Sep 10 (IANS) Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh of India sealed a historic first for India at the World Boxing Championships here by advancing to the semi-finals of the 75-kg category with a thumping 12-4 win over Derevyanchenko Sergiy of Ukraine.

Vijender's win Wednesday assures the country of at least a bronze medal in the elite event, in which India has never won a medal before.

The 23-year-old, who also won India's first boxing medal at Beijing Olympics last year, was the country's only hope in the tournament after all the other boxers fell by the wayside.

Dinesh Kumar in the 81-kg category was the second Indian boxer to advance to the quarter-finals, but lost 3-5 after the referee stopped the contest against Russian Beterbiev Artur wednesday.

Later Vijender entered the ring and lifted the pall of gloom from the Indian contingent with a power-packed performance.

Vijender's confidence has soared high after the Beijing Olympics. He was out in the first bout at the Chicago World Championships two years back, but Wednesday he proved too strong for Derevyanchenko, a bronze medallist from the last edition.

'It is a wonderful feeling and a big honour for me to break two barriers for India in boxing in successive years. First it was the bronze medal at Beijing Olympics and now the first ever medal for the country at the World Boxing Championships. I am so happy to achieve these two feats,' he said after the bout.

Vijender used the advantage of his taller frame against Derevyanchenko. The Indian had a measure of his opponent in the first round that ended with scores tied at 1-1. In the second round, Vijender got an early lead of two points and was at 4-2 when the referee handed the Indian a warning for 'holding', and that levelled the score at 4-4. But Vijender counterattacked and finished the second round with a lead of 6-4.

Vijender came out strong in the final round, punching the Ukrainian at will and making it a one-sided contest to win 12-4.

In the semifinals Friday, Vijender is pitted against Atoev Abbos of Uzbekistan who defeated Buga Konstantin of Germany 4-3.

Vijender, however, would enter the ring once again with confidence as he has defeated Abbos, the gold medallist in 2007, at the Asian Championships at Zhuhai two months ago.

'Every bout is different and there is pressure to perform. But I have learnt to deal with pressure and it brings the best out of me,' he said.

National coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu was upbeat with Vijender's performance at the World Championships.

'It is a fantastic feeling. Now that a medal at this World Championships is assured for Vijender, our endeavour will be to win the gold.'

Indo Asian News Service

Assam Rifles in quarter of Durand Cup

By our Sports Reporter
GUWAHATI, Sept 8: Assam Rifles sailed into the quarter final league beating Simla Youngs 4-1 in the final qualifying round match of Durand Cup football tournament held at Dr Ambedkar Stadium today. The side made a good start in the match by taking the lead in just second minute through Thoi Thoiba Singh. In the next minute Assam Rifles increased the margin with a beauty from Meikinghai Kamei. Akum Ao made it 3-0 with a header after Bulu Jigdung’s shot was partially saved by opponent goalkeeper. Hirojit Singh sealed the victory just before the final whistle with a nice shot. Simla Youngs returned one through Samson. THE SENTINEL

Paes, Bhupathi reach mixed doubles quarters in US Open

NEW YORK, Sep 6: Indian aces Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes breezed into the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles event with their respective partners following straight set wins over their opponents in the US Open tennis tournament. Top seeds Bhupathi and his American partner Liezel Huber eased past Jill Craybas and Eric Butorac of USA 6-3 6-3 in a 54-minute second-round match to stay in hunt. They will next play either the Stephen Huss-Virginia Ruano Pascual pair or eighth seeds Nenad Zimonjic-Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Second seeded combination of Leander Paes and Zimbabwe’s Cara Black saw off Italian Flavia Pennetta and Serb Dusan Vemic 6-4 6-4 in 74 minutes to set up a quarterfinal clash with seventh seed Rennae Stubbs of Australia and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden.

Bhupathi and Huber were a bit sluggish with their service as they committed five double faults compared to their rivals’ one but the top seeds more than made up by converting all four breakpoints which came their way. They also defended six out of seven breakpoints in the process. Paes and Black, on their part, played compact tennis to see through their opponent’s challenge. Even though Penneta and Venic managed to break them once in the first set, Paes and Black hit back, converting two of the four break points that came their way to go one up in 33 minutes. The second set was an intense affair with both the pairs going neck-and-neck. Paes and Black did not find going easy but they still managed to break their opponents once which proved decisive in the end. Another Indian in fray, Sania Mirza and her Canadian partner Daniel Nestor will take on the American duo of Carly Gullickson and Travis Parrott in the second round. (PTI)

Sania out of doubles, Bhupathi in mixed doubles 2nd Rd

New York, Sep 5 (PTI) Sania Mirza crashed out of the women''s doubles event after losing a thriller but Mahesh Bhupathi ensured the smooth sailing of Indians in mixed doubles advancing to the second round of the US Open at the Flushing Meadows here. Fourteenth seeds Sania and Francesca Schiavone of Italy made a smart recovery from a set down but failed to deliver at crucial points in the decider to lose 2-6, 6-1, 5-7 against the unseeded duo of Gisela Dulko of Argentina and Shahar Peer of Israel in a 125-minute second round match.

The opening set saw Dulko and Peer having the upper hand in service by firing three aces while Sania and Schiavone struggled with their serves as they dropped two of them to give away the first set 2-6 in 27 minutes. The Indo-Italian pair staged a fine recovery in the second set as they tightened their service game and engaged their rivals in long rallies which they won most of the time.

Sania and Schiavone broke Dulko and Peer twice in the second set while giving them no chance to do the same. Both the pairs reserved their best for the decider which lasted 68 minutes.

Sania and Schiavone smashed three aces but they still failed to win the crucial points. With most of the games being stretched to deuces, breaks points changed sides and Dulko and Peer converted more of them than their Indo-American opponents.

Dulko and Peer converted two of the nine break points, while Sania and Schiavone won one of the seven that came their way. .

Decline of leg-spinners cause for concern

Narendra Hirwani is a tense man on the sidelines every time Air India Red take to the field in the ongoing Corporate trophy. As Air India Red coach and national selector, he is concerned not only about the lack of a genuine wrist spinner in his team's ranks but also the decline of leg-spin in general.

Only two teams here have a leg-spinner in their ranks. Sairaj Bahutule (for BPCL) and Amit Mishra (for ONGC) in Visakhapatnam remain active, and this dearth of leg-spinners presents a bleak picture on Indian cricket's shift from spin to pace.

"It's a difficult art; it takes hard work to perfect leg-spin. I know there are not many leg-spinners playing world cricket at the moment, and I feel privileged to be one amongst them. Leg-spinners have a big role to play, even in T20 and one-day cricket. A leg-spinner has so many varieties to dismiss the batsmen, and a genuine leg-spinner will always be an asset to any team," says Mishra.

Former India leg-spinner turned commentator L Sivaramakrishnan agrees that leg-spinners are scarcely seen. "It's a beautiful art, but not many youngsters take it up these days. There are several reasons for that, skippers nowadays take leg-spinners as defensive options. That's a wrong notion. Also, in India, it's a lot about idolising; young boys look up to the Zaheer Khans and the Dhonis and want to become fast bowlers and batsmen like them. Leg-spin lacks an idol that can tempt youngsters to say it's attractive.

"I think with NCA coming with specialised academies for spin, things can change for the better. It can pay a vital role in reviving leg-spin, ensure a healthy bank of all specialised spin forms, and nurture them. I haven't seen too many leg-spinners playing first-class cricket either, except Mishra, Piyush Chawla and Chetanya Nanda," he says.

Khoda out, Tanmay in

Meanwhile, ONGC's last-match centurion Gagan Khoda has been ruled out with a knee injury and has been replaced by Tanmay Srivastava for the semi-final against Air India Red. While both teams boast of a formidable middle order, ONGC have the edge in bowling, with Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar in their ranks.

G.S. Vivek

Nadal prevails over pesky Kiefer to reach third round

Rafael Nadal overcame a gritty performance by 32-year-old Nicolas Kiefer of Germany to score a 6-0 3-6 6-3 6-4 victory and advance to the third round of the U.S. Open on Friday.

Nadal looked on his way to an easy victory, using his huge groundstrokes to whitewash the 129th-ranked Kiefer in just 24 minutes in the opening set.

Kiefer, cheered on by the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, came back to win the second set and gave the third-seeded Spaniard a tough test the rest of the way.

Nadal registered single service breaks in the last two sets to subdue Kiefer in three hours and advance to a third-round match against fellow Spaniard and 32nd seed Nicolas Almagro.

Brazil eye profit in Argentina's need

Brazil can take advantage of Argentina's desperation for points when the great South American rivals clash in Saturday's World Cup qualifier, goalkeeper Julio Cesar said.

There are two reasons why Argentina, precariously placed in qualifying, could feel the pressure more than Brazil, Julio Cesar told a news conference on the eve of the match at Rosario Central's stadium.

"One, they are playing at home, and two, they need a result and that's positive for the (Brazil) national team," he said.

"Teams that go forward make it easier for Brazil to play their (counter-attacking) game.

"Brazil are enjoying a very good spell... Argentina's calendar is not very favourable," he added.

Argentina have two more tough matches, visits to Paraguay next Wednesday and Uruguay in October, in the run-in to the South American group, with only a home game against bottom team Peru a near guarantee of three points.

They are fourth, the lowest position for an automatic place in the finals, five points behind leaders Brazil. The team finishing fifth will go into a two-leg playoff against the CONCACAF's fourth-placed team.

SMALL WARS

Brazil's captain Lucio told the news conference that matches between Argentina and Brazil are like wars, often prone to rough play and niggling fouls and gamesmanship.

"Brazil-Argentina is always a war, we know it's a special match," he said.

"It's important to be balanced and calm and remain as 11 on the pitch.

"One's mental state is important to withstand the pressure," said Lucio, an experienced campaigner who has led his country to victory in the Copa America and Confederations Cup in the last two years.

Julio Cesar, asked to compare the teams' respective coaches, Brazil's Dunga and Argentina's Diego Maradona who were once great rivals as players, said: "Football is results.

"Dunga has very good ones. He won the Confederations Cup, the Copa America, he's been the national team coach for three years.

"Maradona has just started, he needs time to get to impose his philosophy. He's waiting for the time when he can realise what's in his head, to have the same success he had as a player."

The statistics of the two countries' football bodies differ slightly over how many times each has beaten the other in their more than 90 clashes since their first meeting in 1914, but in both Brazil hold a slight edge after their three wins and one draw under Dunga since 2006.

Rex Gowar

Ballack's quit shock to crisis-hit Chelsea

London, Sep 5 (ANI): German playmaker Michael Ballack has landed another blow on crisis-hit Chelsea by revealing that he might quit at the end of the season.

Just hours after the Blues were banned from signing any new players until January 2011; Ballack has threatened to leave the club even shorter on bodies.

The German international midfielder, who will be 33 this month, is in the final year of his 130,000 pound-a-week Chelsea contract.

The club has not even opened talks over a new deal.

Ballack said on Friday: "I will decide after the 2010 World Cup if I will continue playing or if I will stop."

"I will only continue as long as I still enjoy myself and have ambitions in the sport," The Sun quoted him, as saying. (ANI)

Amazon red cards 'offensive' Man U chants

London, September 5 (ANI): Online retailer Amazon has withdrawn a CD of Manchester United chants from sale on its website after complaints were made that some of the lyrics were offensive.

The unofficial album titled 'Manchester United Chants' apparently contained a supporters' song aimed at Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

Amazon.co.uk has come up with a statement explaining that Arsenal had complained about the nature of the chants.

"Arsenal Football Club has provided us with formal notice that content within the album 'Manchester United Chants' is defamatory in nature and we have, therefore, removed this title from our website," the BBC News quoted the statement.

It further read: "We would not remove a product from our site because some, or many, people find it to be distasteful or otherwise objectionable.Continue reading the main story.

"We have gone on the record several times about this disgusting chant. We don't condone it."

The offensive chant was first voiced after Arsenal's recent 2-1 defeat against Manchester United.

During the match Wenger was sent off, as he kicked over a water bottle following a disallowed Gunner's goal.

Arsenal supporters have complained that he was then subjected to this particular chant by some Manchester United fans.

Meanwhile, Manchester United's director of communications Philip Townsend has mentioned that the club does not approve of their fans behavior.

He said: "We have gone on the record - several times - about this disgusting chant.

"We don't condone it and have appealed to fans several times in the past - through supporters' groups, the matchday programme and MUTV, but to no avail." (ANI)

ANI

Capello to remain England team's boss until 2012

London, Sep 5 (ANI): Fabio Capello will be England football team's manager even after next year's World Cup finals.

There are fears that he will quit as boss if England fails to reach the quarterfinals. But the Italian has a 6 million pound-a-year deal with the Football Association until 2012.

"The target is to respect my full contract. It ends in 2012 and I want to respect it.

It is not only a matter for me but also for the FA," The Sun quoted Capello, as saying.

Capello has led England to the brink of World Cup qualification with seven straight wins.

But after last month's 2-2 friendly draw in Holland, the Three Lions chief has warned that there can be no more slip-ups against Slovenia today.

"We have defended very well in all of the competitive games but in the friendly matches we have been so-so. We have made mistakes and I have discussed this matter with the team," he said.

Skipper John Terry revealed: "The manager is very strong-minded and if he sees a mistake he will sit there for 30 or 40 minutes in the team meeting until the message is clear." (ANI)

Renault to face charges over 2008 Singapore GP

The Renault Formula One team will face charges of fixing the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to help Spaniard Fernando Alonso win, the governing FIA said on Friday.

It said in a statement team representatives had been summoned to an extraordinary meeting of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Sept. 21.

The charges were "the team conspired with its driver, Nelson Piquet Jr, to cause a deliberate crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix with the aim of causing the deployment of the safety car to the advantage of its other driver, Fernando Alonso."

(To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Murray, Del Potro edge into US Open third round

New York, Sep 5 (DPA) Andy Murray and Juan Del Potro fuelled ambitions as dangerous title contenders Friday at the US Open as both powered comfortably into the third round.

Second seed Murray, who lost the 2008 final to Roger Federer, the heavy favourite to lift a sixth straight title in New York, staked his claim on the third round with a defeat of Chile's Paul Capdeville 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.

Argentine number six Del Potro dispatched Austrian Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 6-3, firing 13 aces and 36 winners to advance to his fifth victory without a defeat against the number 38.

The South American has fond memories of New York, where he reached a Grand Slam quarter-final for the first time 12 months ago.

'This is my favourite Grand Slam. I love to play here. I've started to play better on hard court this season. When you keep winning, maybe it's tough physically and mentally. But now I'm in good shape.'

Murray won his 14th match at Flushing Meadows against four defeats as he prevailed over Capdeville, 87th on the ATP.

The Scot's five 2009 titles have him tied with Rafael Nadal for the most on tour this year. Having been the first player to win 50 matches this season, he was also in joint first place with Novak Djokovic for most match wins coming into the US Open with 53.

Slimmed-down seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga cut short the wrist injury comeback of Jarkko Nieminen as he defeated the Finn 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

The 2008 Australian open finalist will next face fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who beat Serb Viktor Troicki 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.

'It was a quick match,' said Tsonga, who broke once in each set to get past Nieminen as the Finn played only his third match after missing four months due to his wrist operation. 'I played great. I'm happy to go through this far.'

Tsonga confessed that he has dropped a few kilograms in recent months as he works on fitness, which showed as he displayed his powerful game against Nieminen in one and three-quarter hours.

Croatian 16th seed Marin Cilic staged a career-fist comeback from two sets to love down, overhauling US player Jesse Levine 4-6, 2-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-0.

2003 New York finalist Juan Carlos Ferrero performed a similar feat as he came back to oust German Philipp Petzschner 1-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

Second-seeded women's holder Serena Williams had to win a lengthy 11th game of the second set lasting seven deuces to overcome Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-3, 7-5.

The pair have a history from the French Open, when Williams accused the Spaniard of cheating during their third-round match. But no boilovers occurred in New York.

'You can never underestimate anyone. Some people, some days they have great days,' said Williams. 'I was just happy to keep getting through my match.

'I just go and look at every opponent as the best player in the world. I just kept fighting, and every time I had a break point I felt like I had a chance to win one of them.'

Russian Vera Zvonareva beat compatriot Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-4 while veteran Italian Francesca Schiavone upset eighth seed Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Tenth seed Flavia Pennetta of Italy crushed Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1, 6-1, while Daniela Hantuchova ended the upset run of Vania King 6-2, 6-2 after the Us player had beaten 15th seed Samantha Stosur in the previous round.

DPA

India to participate in America's Polo Cup next year

Washington, Sept 4 (PTI) In a bid to enhance its relation with the US, India has agreed to play in America's Polo Cup World Championships to be held in June next year.

A four-member Indian team will participate in the event to be held at the Washington DC National Mall on June 11 and 12 in 2010.

US President Barack Obama has been invited to inaugurate the opening ceremony for the World Championships this September 19 on the DC National Mall, a media release said yesterday.

The Indian Embassy in Washington has also organised a welcome reception on the occasion.

The opening ceremonies will feature a Polo match being played amongst the Ladies and Men on the Washington DC National Mall, the media release added.

Roddick, Querrey lead home charge at US Open

New York, Sept 4 (AFP) Hopes for a first home win in the men's singles at the US Open in six years were given a boost with Andy Roddick and rising star Sam Querrey leading a charge into the third round.

Roddick, the fifth seed and the last American to win the title here in 2003, coasted through 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 against Frenchman Marc Giquel in a match that finished after midnight yesterday.

The giant 21-year-old Querrey, who this summer has taken over as the US number two, defeated compatriot Kevin Kim 7-5, 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-4 and is just two wins from a possible quarter-final match against top seed and title-holder Roger Federer.

Joining Roddick and Querrey in the third round of the top half of the draw were former US No.

Woods banks on putting things right

Boston (Massachusetts), Sept 4 (AFP) Tiger Woods will be searching for an answer with his putter while Vijay Singh tries to defend his title against a strong field at the Deutsche Bank Championship which kicks off today.

Woods, who is in the running for player-of-the-year honours, has five wins this year but no major championships.

He was beaten last month at the US PGA by unheralded Yang Yong-eun after losing a major for the first time with a 54-hole lead.

His failure to sink a seven-foot birdie putt on the final hole at Liberty National on Sunday raised a few more eyebrows.

Woods said he is not overly concerned about the state of his putting.

"I've worked on it just a little bit," he said.

This week's event features a 100-player field and runs Friday to Monday to give it an American Labor Day finish.

Somdev out but Sania, Leander and Mahesh advance

New York, Sep 4 (PTI) A profligate Somdev Devvarman squandered chances galore to crash out of US Open singles even as Sania Mirza advanced in the women's doubles and mixed doubles events here at Fushing Meadows.

Somdev, who was trailing by two sets, staged a dramatic comeback by blanking 23rd seed German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third set but eventually lost his second round encounter 3-6 4-6 6-0 2-6 after a close to three-hour battle last night.

With Somdev's defeat, Indian challenge ended in the singles events. Sania is already out of singles after suffering one of the worst defeats of her career in the second round against Italian friend Flavia Pennetta.

Somdev, who won three qualifying matches to make it to the main draw, could convert only four of the 20 breakpoints against experienced Kohlschreiber, who had defeated Novak Djokovic in the French Open.

Nanao Singh moves to round 2 at Boxing World C'ship

New Delhi, Sep 4 (PTI) Asian silver medallist T Nano Singh lifted the spirit of the Indian camp by scoring a dominating 21-6 win over Mamishzade Elvin of Azerbaijan in the the first round of the 48kg event of the World Boxing championship in Milan, Italy.

It was a much needed win for India to revive its campaign as four of country's boxers have already bit the dust in the first round, most disappointing being the defeat of Olympian Akhil Kumar last night.

Jai Bhagwan is the only other boxer to have booked a second round berth.

Asian champion Suranjoy Singh (51kg), Jitender Kumar (54kg) and Manoj Kumar (64kg) are the pugilists who lost their opening round bouts.

However the dismal show by his compatriots had no effect on Nanao and he went on to score a comfortable victory.

Don't think selectors have noticed my performances: Jaffer

Dharamsala, Sept 4 (PTI) He has abundance of runs in the domestic circuit but nine years since making his debut for India, Wasim Jaffer is yet to cement his place in the national team and the Mumbai opener says he doesn't know how to impress the selectors, who seemed to have overlooked his exploits.

Jaffer made his Test debut for India in February 2000 against South Africa and since then has been on and off the team but everytime he was shown the door, the lanky batsman went back to the domestic circuit and scored runs to strengthen his claim.

"Really, I don't know how to impress the selectors. I have scored over 13,000 runs in first class cricket and 1,260 runs in last Ranji season. I don't think they (selectors) have taken note of it.

Force India release Fisichella to join Ferrari

Giancarlo Fisichella will achieve his lifelong ambition and race for Ferrari after Force India on Thursday allowed the Italian to join the Formula One world champions for the rest of the season.

The Silverstone-based team said in a statement that Fisichella, who finished second for Force India in Belgium on Sunday, was free to join Ferrari with immediate effect after "extensive discussions" over the last 24 hours.

Ferrari confirmed the move in a separate announcement, saying they expected Fisichella to make a valuable contribution for the rest of the season.

"Giancarlo and his management team approached me yesterday with the proposal from Ferrari," said Force India team principal Vijay Mallya.

"For any Italian driver, a Ferrari race seat is a long-held dream and for Giancarlo it was no exception. No one should stand in the way of this.''

"Furthermore the agreement will secure Giancarlo's long-term future with Ferrari and it would be incorrect to jeopardise this, particularly when Giancarlo has made such a vital contribution to Force India."

Fisichella, 36, replaces struggling compatriot Luca Badoer at Ferrari. Force India, whose official reserve is Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, said a decision on a replacement would be made in the next few days.

BADOER OUT

Badoer has struggled in two races as a stand-in for Brazilian Felipe Massa, who suffered serious head injuries at the Hungarian Grand Prix in July and has been ruled out for the final five rounds of the season.

The test driver, making a comeback after almost a decade away from grand prix racing, qualified last in Valencia and Belgium and was also last to take the chequered flag in both races.

Mallya's comments suggested that Fisichella, who has won three races with Jordan and Renault, was also likely to replace Badoer as official test and reserve driver next year.

The Indian aviation and liquor tycoon, whose team used Ferrari engines last year before switching to Mercedes units, said there had been no financial settlement agreed with Ferrari.

"This agreement has been made in good faith and for the good of Giancarlo and the sport in general," he said.

"A competitive Italian driver in a Ferrari for Monza is a positive story for Formula One, which can only help raise the sport's profile in these difficult times."

The last Italian driver to win at Monza was Ludovico Scarfiotti with Ferrari in 1966.

"Giancarlo has shown, throughout his long career, that he is fast and competitive and we are therefore proud to be able to run an Italian driver in our home race," said Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali.

Fisichella, whose second place at Spa secured Force India's first points in Formula One, thanked Mallya.

"It is true that it has always been an ambition to do this, and for Vijay to have allowed it to become a reality is very generous," he said.

"I hope in my turn I have helped Force India grow up and be on the right path to achieve their own ambitions. They are now a very competitive team and I wish them all the very best."

Injured Haddin ruled out of Champions Trophy

Sydney: Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has been ruled out of cricket's Champions Trophy in South Africa this month while he recovers from finger surgery.

Haddin, who broke his finger during the recent Ashes test series in England, had hoped to join his team mates in South Africa after returning home for the operation but has been told to wait.

"While the surgery was a success and there have been no complications, the timeframe for recovery is not sufficient and therefore he cannot be considered for selection," Australia's team doctor Trefor James said in a statement Thursday.

Haddin said he hoped to be available for Australia's tour of India this year while team officials have asked the International Cricket Council to allow Tim Paine to replace Haddin in the Champions Trophy squad.

Fourth seed Dementieva shocked by American teenager Oudin

Fourth seed Elena Dementieva suffered a stunning defeat at the US Open on Thursday as she was upended 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 by American teenager Melanie Oudin in the second round.

The Russian, one of the favourites for the title after an impressive summer, was out-hit and outplayed by the 17-year-old world number 70, who handed Dementieva her joint-earliest ever exit at Flushing Meadows.

US Open 2009

Dementieva looked to have weathered an early storm when she took the first set but Oudin, who reached the last 16 at Wimbledon, stormed back to level the match.

Oudin had the trainer on after three games of the final set to treat a thigh strain but she held her nerve to set up a meeting with either 29th seed Maria Sharapova or another American, wildcard entry Christina McHale.

Reuters

Sania, Bhupathi not to play together at US Open

NEW YORK: Australian Open winners Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi will play with different partners at the mixed doubles event of the US Open.

Sania will pair with Canada's Daniel Nestor while Bhupathi has teamed up with America's Liezel Huber.

Sania and Nestor are unseeded while Bhupathi-Huber are the top seeds. Defending champions, India's Leander Paes and Zimbabwe's Cara Black are second seeds.

"Sania's wrist has been hurting on and off over the last few weeks and she was not sure whether she would play the mixed doubles event. She wanted to decide at the last moment after gauging the condition of her injury.''

"Under the circumstances, we thought it would not be fair on Mahesh as he could end up missing out on the event if Sania was forced to back out at the last moment.''

"Hence, it was mutually decided that he would finalise another partner for himself and in case Sania decided to play in the mixed at the last moment, she would try to find someone who was still available," Imran said.

http://sify.com/sports/fullstory.php?a=jjduUieegfh&title=Sania_Bhupathi_not_to_play_together_at_US_Open&tag=tennis

Milkha Singh hoping to catch Norman’s eye at European Masters

NEW DELHI, Sep 2: Jeev Milkha Singh hopes to catch the eye of Presidents Cup captain Greg Norman at this week’s European Masters after recovering from a rib muscle injury. Norman is captain of the International team to play the U S next month and makes his two wildcard choices on Tuesday.

“Obviously it’s on my mind but it’s his call at the end of the day,” Singh told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m glad to be back playing again and I feel my game is coming round,” added the world number 43, Asia’s highest profile player at Crans.

“I finished 12th on the (International) team rankings, the top 10 are in and he has two picks. I’ve never played the Presidents Cup and I’d dearly like to be in after watching all the top players in the world playing in it,” said Singh. “I would love to get the call from Greg. I’m sure he’ll be looking at how things go here this week.”

Singh returns to Europe on the back of a 17th place in the Wyndham Championship in the U S two weeks ago. “I played rock-solid in the Wyndham, it shows the confidence is coming back after the injury,” he said. This week’s $2.8 million tournament in the Swiss Alps is the first in Europe to be co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour. (Agencies)

Formula 1 to focus on India

New Delhi, Sep 2: Brushing aside governments stand that Formula One is not a sport, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone today said the foundation stone of the race track in India would be laid in October for the showpiece event in 2011. Ecclestone said it's been long time that they have signed the contract with the promoters in India and there was no question of the event being shelved despite the Indian governments refusal to give concessions. Asked specifically whether the F1 race in India would go on, Ecclestone told from London, “It’s been on for a long time. There’s never been any doubt. The contract has been signed long time back.” Ecclestone, the President and CEO of Formula One Management, said that the foundation stone for the project in Greater Noida would be laid at the end of October.

“We are waiting for the circuit to be constructed.” he said.

No financial crisis, no shortage of sponsors in F1

The most expensive sporting event Formula One did have a brush with the recession in the West but sponsors are coming back and there is no financial crisis, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone said today. “I don’t know about India but most of the world is in recession. Sponsorship was obviously a problem as a lot of big names were reconsidering but it is better now and sponsors are coming back,” he said. “There is no financial crisis now and there is no shortage of sponsors in Formula One,” Ecclestone told.

At the same time, he expressed eagerness to explore more corporate entities in India, the second fastest growing economy in the world, saying the more the better. He was responding to a query on whether F1 would be looking beyond Vijay Mallya for sponsoring teams. (PTI)

More heartbreak for India, Jitender disqualified

New Delhi, Sep 2: The disappointment continued for Indian boxers at the World Championships with Asian bronze medallist Jitender Kumar being disqualified during his bantam weight (54kg) opening round in Milan, Italy today.

Up against old nemesis and sixth seed Yunusov Anvar of Tajikistan, Jitender was disaqualified after being given the mandatory three warnings for three different offences. The 22-year-old Indian, who created a flutter last year by making the quarterfinals of Beijing Olympics, was first warned for clinching his opponent in the opening minute of the eventful bout.

The second warning came in the next round when he was penalised for “pushing and downing” Anvar. The third one, that led to his disaqualification, was given in the deciding round for a right upper cut. Jitender was trailing 7-17 when the referee disqualified him. “It’s heartbreaking. It’s difficult to keep your composure once you have been warned.” (PTI)

I’m not a track legend yet: Bolt

JAMAICA, Sep 2: Usain Bolt is already a triple Olympic and world champion but he will not rest until he believes he has achieved the status of an athletics legend, the Jamaican said on Wednesday.

“I’m getting to be a legend. I don’t consider myself a legend yet,” the 23-year-old sprinter told reporters as he prepared to race in the 200 metres at the Golden League meeting in Brussels on Friday.

“I think after the next Olympics and other world championships, if I do extremely well in those I’ll consider myself a legend. I want to be a legend, I want to make sure I get my M3 (BMW car) and all those other fast cars.” The 6-foot-5 Bolt briefly tested the new surface in Brussels and said he was hoping to set a new track record. “My body got a bit tired and I didn’t get much time to rest but I am feeling much better than in Zurich (last week),” he said. Bolt won the 100 in 9.81 seconds in the Swiss city on Friday but complained of tiredness after running the final leg of Jamaica’s winning 4x100 relay. (Agencies)

India beat Syria to lift Nehru Cup

NEW DELHI: Defending champions India beat Syria 5-4 in the penalty shootouts to lift their second successive Nehru Cup title at the Ambedkar Stadium on Monday.

Goal-keeper Subroto Paul, who saved three penalties to become India’s saviour, was awarded the man of the match.

Climax scored the first goal for India in the penalty shootouts. Renedy took the second penalty and missed as he hit the pole. India goal-keeper paul revived the home team's hopes as he stopped the second penalty diving to his left. Sunil Chhetri again gave India the lead by scoring in the third penalty. Again Indian goal-keeper stopped the Syrian penalty to retain the lead. Mehraj missed the penalty would have given India the title. Syria again levelled again by scoring in the fourth penalty. Sukumar Singh again scored to give India the lead.

Before the penalty shootouts, India were granted a free kick because of a foul committed on Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia in the 114th minute in the extra-time and Renedy didn't let the opportunity go waste as his kick swung from right to left to beat the Syrian captain and goalkeeper.

But Syria scored the equaliser in the dying minutes to dash India's hopes and the final went into penalty shootouts.

Coach Bob Houghton's decision to rest key players in the last inconsequential league match against the same opponents paid dividends as the senior players came afresh for the final encounter of the five-nation football tournament.

It was a heated, tensed and keenly contested encounter in which the referee had to intervene many times to calm down the players. Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia was handed yellow card in the first half of the game. However, the first half ended without a goal.

India were awarded a free kick soon after the commencement of the second half when skipper Bhutia was fouled. But the free kick taken by Steven Dias was stopped by the Syrian goal-keeper.

The heat was not limited to just the players. The Syrian coach Fajer Ebrahim lost his cool in the 60th minute when two off-sides were given against his team in quick succession. He got into an argument with the linesman and that led to India coach Bob Houghton gesturing towards the Syrian camp while pointing his fingers and saying something.

In 89th minute when an off-side was again given against Syria, a frustrated Ebrahim argued with the linesman again. This time Haughton was only staring at him without saying anything.

In the extra time, a support staff of Syria was sent off for arguing with the linesman following an ugly incident in which Bhutia was tackled from behind by a Syrian player which led to some pushing and shoving.

The highly contested match was watched by Bollywood star Salman Khan and AIFF acting president and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports M S Gill.

Two years ago at the Ambedkar Stadium, the home team had beaten the Syrians in front of a 20,000-strong crowd to win their maiden Nehru Cup title.