http://worldssportsinfo.blogspot.com/

http://worldssportsinfo.blogspot.com/

Lionel Messi is the best player of all time, says Carles Puyol

World Player of the Year Messi has enjoyed a typically impressive start to the season with the Spanish champions, netting 14 goals in 11 games for Pep Guardiola’s men so far this term.

And Puyol believes the 24-year-old, who also landed Uefa’s Best Player in Europe award for the previous season in August, will be remembered as the greatest footballer of all time.

“He is the best player ever,” Puyol told El Mundo Deportivo. “It’s hard to remember or imagine another like him.

“I know I’m not objective and that there are players from other eras, but nothing is comparable. He is from another planet.”

Messi’s team-mate also dismissed suggestions that the Argentina forward has a tendency to dive. “If there is a player who never goes down, it’s Leo,” he added.

The centre-half also hit out at Real Madrid boss José Mourinho after the Portuguese manager was handed a two-game touchline ban by the Spanish football federation for his role in the mass brawl that marred the Spanish Super Cup clash in August.

Bizhub Highveld Lions bring Pakistan flair to T20 Series

The bizhub Highveld Lions have secured the fine cricketing talents of two Pakistan cricketers in Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq for the 2012 domestic T20 series.

The two all-rounders are set to complement an already fierce bizhub Highveld Lions’ batting attack and will also bring depth in the bowling department. “The shorter level of the game has definitely stepped up on a local level and as a franchise we are aiming to excel when this competition comes round in February. We had a taste of the Nokia CLT20 and our aim is most definitely to represent South Africa again next year,” said Chairperson, Archie Pretorius.

Negotiations with these two players had been underway for months and drew to a close in the past week. “It has been a long road to source the right players but I am finally confident that we have secured two world class cricketers in Afridi and Razzaq. I have no doubt that they are a perfect fit for the Lions’ style of play – plus they definitely match our team chemistry. Both of these factors are vital in any team’s overall performance both on the field and off. Personally, I am looking forward to working with them both as we start our quest in early Febraury for the T20 trophy,” said an elated Head Coach, Dave Nosworthy.

Chief Executive Officer, Cassim Docrat, believes the players will also bring experience to younger players. “Adding these players to the team will also benefit the exciting mix of youngsters that our squad is boasting with this season. This is an investment into our team and the benefit will last long after the competition is finished,” said Docrat.

Afridi is keen to contribute to the team's T20 campaign and has his focus on the trophy. "I am looking forward to my time in South Africa and helping the Lions qualify for next year's Champions league. I had a few offers in SA but have chosen to play in Johannesburg with the Lions," Afridi said on Sunday.

Fellow team mate, Razzaq, had the same notions about being based at Bidvest Wanderers. "My manager received several offers to play in South Africa. We made a decision on the Lions due to the fact that I have many friends in JHB and have always enjoyed my time there. I am very much looking forward to giving my 100% for the bizhub Highveld Lions and winning the T20 tournament," Razzaq said.

Rugby of southafrica

Rugby is a great passion and tantamount to a religion amongst the “whites” of South Africa, especially with Afrikaners. South Africa is amazingly good and competitive at rugby - if the national squad, the Springboks, lose a game then supporters are plunged into depression for at least a week. In fact, they consider it their birthright to win every game except against the New Zealand All Blacks, for whom they have great respect!

The 1995 Rugby World Cup was hosted in South Africa and won by the Springboks. The greatest triumph and nationwide blessing came when Nelson Mandela donned the number six jersey of ‘Bok captain Francois Pienaar to present the cup. This was a major milestone for the history of South African rugby which had long been an exclusively "white" sport.

Inter-regional and international games are of a very high standard and definitely worth watching. The major regional competition is the Currie Cup, with provincial teams playing on weekends (March – October).
The Super 14 is an exciting annual competition between regional teams from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia with matches played in all 3 countries. Catch the action in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban from late February till the end of May. Port Elizabeth, George, East London and Bloemfontein also host the occasional game.
The Tri-Nations is an annual international competition involving Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Games are played in all 3 countries from June to August – be sure to book well in advance if you’re planning to attend.

Soccer / Football of southafrica:

Football or soccer as it is known in South Africa is the most popular game and is starting to attract serious money. It used to be the Cinderella sport in the bad old days of Apartheid and reflects the country’s history and the struggle for democracy.

Football was segregated by the past regime and became a focus for the non-racial sport movement. In 1991 it became the first sport to become unified and has captivated the hearts of all South Africans.

South Africa is presently building 5 new stadiums dedicated to football for the 2010 FIFA World Cup - a jubilant first for Africa and a country that until now has never had a stadium devoted to football. Football teams had to rent venues for their matches in the Apartheid era, unlike the rugby and cricket teams who played in dedicated stadiums.

Gauteng is the spirit and core of South African football and all the big clubs share the same grounds, which has created quite a different fan culture to that of devotees in Europe. The big teams from Soweto are Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates whose spirited games can be hot-blooded and usually have the nation gripped. Soweto football crowds are normally good-humoured and festive so joining them is quite conceivable and fun - “whities” shouldn’t feel uneasy about going to a game.

The professional season in South Africa is between August and May with teams participating in the Premier Soccer League and a few other competitions. The Chiefs and the Pirates have a nationwide following and their contests are a colourful climax of the Premier Soccer League’s matches. Contributing to the jovial atmosphere of football games are the unique sounds of the Vuvuzela, a plastic horn along with singing and countless other homemade instruments.
South Africa’s national squad, affectionately nicknamed Bafana Bafana qualified for the 1998 and 2002 World Cup Finals and will have the privilege of competing in the 2010 World Cup on home soil.

Tennis Tournaments In India

Tennis has always been counted among the most popular sports in India, sine its inception and it is run by a number of state and national Tennis associations. The Indian Tennis associations organise numerous Tennis tournaments in India and the Indian Tennis tournaments play an important role in bringing up new Tennis talents. Apart from the national and state Tennis governing bodies, various corporate houses also sponsor and organise Indian Tennis tournaments. The Indian Tennis academies organise Tennis tournaments in India, as well.

The Indian Tennis tournaments can be classified in different ways like age-wise or according to the surface, where they are played. There are mainly three kinds of Tennis tournaments in India like the Hard Court tournaments, the Clay Court tournaments and the Grass Court tournaments. The Indian Tennis tournaments are organised at various age level like junior level, or senior level and mini Tennis tournaments are also organised in India. Apart from the national and state level Tennis tournaments, numerous international Tennis tournaments are also organised in India. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) play host to the Davis Cup matches, on a regular basis. All the Indian Tennis tournaments are recognised by the two international governing bodies for men`s and women`s Tennis, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the Women`s Tennis Association (WTA).

The Chennai Open is one of the most popular and prestigious Indian Tennis tournaments, which is organised by corporate houses. This is considered as the biggest international tennis championship in India and it is also one of the two ATP tournaments, held in India. The tournament is held on the first week of January every year since 1997. Though it started as Gold Flake Open, its name was changed to Tata Open in 2002 after a change in title sponsor. The Chennai Open is being co- sponsored by the State Government of Tamil Nadu, for the past few years. Apart from the State Government, a Hard Court SDAT tennis stadium in Nabakumargram consortium of corporate house is also co-sponsoring the event.

One of the successful Indian Tennis tournaments, the Chennai Open is played at the hard court SDAT tennis stadium in Nabakumargram. It attracts a large number of top players of the ATP circuit every year, and the players like Xavier Malisse, Ivan Ljubicic, Carlos Moya and Paradorn Srichaphan have been former champions in Chennai Open. The Bangalore Open is another top class Indian Tennis tournament that started its journey in the year 2006. The main sponsor of this tournament is SONY ERIKSSON international. Played in Hard Court, the Bangalore Open is recognised as a tire III event. The players like Yaro Shvedova and Mara Santangelo have won the tournament in the years of 2006 and 2007, respectively.

The Sunfeast Open is considered to be a popular one among all the Indian Tennis tournaments. The tournament is being held in Kolkata since 2005 and it is mainly played on a lush green indoor court at the Netaji Indoor Stadium. The State Government of West Bengal and the corporate house, ITC have taken the key initiatives for the Sunfeast Open. Apart from them, GloboSport and the legendary Indian Tennis player, Mahesh Bhupathi are playing the role of its main organizers. The Kingfisher Airlines Open is another top class Indian Tennis tournament. Hard court SDAT tennis stadium in Nabakumargram This is only the second ATP event played in India and is being held in Mumbai, since 2006. The tournament is mainly played on outdoor hard courts.

Apart from the above mentioned Indian Tennis tournaments, there are also several other Tennis tournaments in India that are organised on a regular basis. Some of these tournaments include the ITF Men`s Satellites, (Hard Court), the ITF "Bhavna Swarup Memorial" Women`s Circuit Event, (Grass Court), the ITF "BPCL" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the ITF "ONGC" Junior International, (Clay Court), the ITF "Adidas" Junior International, (Hard Court), the ITF "Sunny Enclave" Junior International, (Hard Court), the AITA "S. B. Saurashtra" Nationals, (Grass Court), the ITF "BSNL" Men`s Futures, (Hard Court), the ITF "Microsoft" Men`s Futures, (Hard Court), the ITF "MSLTA" Junior International, (Hard Court), the ITF "Poona Club" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the ITF "NECC" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the ITF "MSLTA" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the AITA "DSCL" Hard Court Nationals (u16 Boys/Girls, u14 Boys/Girls), the AITA "DSCL" Hard Court Nationals (Men, Women, u18 Boys/Girls), the ITF Women`s Challenger, (Hard Court), the ITF "NRE Coke" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the ITF "MSLTA" Women`s Challenger, Mumbai (Hard Court), the ITF "DHFL" Women`s Circuit Event, (Hard Court), the ITF Men`s Futures, (Hard Court), the WTA "Indian Open", (Hard Court), the ITF "SAIL" Junior International, (Hard Court), etc.

Indian Cricket Associations

Indian Cricket Associations play a major role towards the betterment of a player and helps towards achieving their goals to reach high in life. The game of cricket has always been compared to religion in India and it is undoubtedly one of the most popular games in India, at the moment. The game is being played in India at different levels. The Indian people play the game at school level, college level, district level, state level, national level and also in the international level. In order to govern the game and also to maintain a high standard of cricket, there are several cricket associations in India. The Indian cricket associations are formed at various levels like district cricket associations, state cricket associations or women`s cricket association. The national body for governing the game in India is the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).

The BCCI is the main cricket governing body in India and almost all the other Indian cricket associations are working under its umbrella. The Indian cricket associations are engaged in finding out talented cricketers from the remote areas and also in upbringing new cricket players for India. The associations also organise several cricket tournaments from time to time and these tournaments really help the cricketers to show their talents in front of the cricket administrators.

Apart from that, the state cricket associations manage and organise a large number of cricket playing clubs and help them in operating their activities properly. The cricket associations also build new stadiums, gymnasiums and maintain the quality of the existing cricket facilities. They are always working on providing state-of-the-art facilities to the young cricketers, as well.

Almost all the 28 states of India have their own cricket associations and there is more than one association in some of the states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Gujarat etc. The Indian cricket associations are in charge of selecting players to take part in various tournaments. The state associations select the State teams for taking part in the national level tournaments like Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Challengers Trophy, Irani Trophy, Deodhar Trophy etc. The state associations also send their own representatives to the BCCI so that they can look after the interests of the cricketers of their respective states. The representatives also help BCCI in governing the game of cricket in India, in a better and improved way.

Among the numerous Indian cricket associations, there are some associations that have got into the leading positions as far as producing talented players and in making contribution to the game are concerned. The state cricket associations like Delhi District Cricket Association, Haryana Cricket Association, Punjab Cricket Association, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, Andhra Cricket Association, Karnataka State Cricket Association, Cricket Association Of Bengal, Orissa Cricket Association, Assam Cricket Association, Baroda Cricket Association, Maharashtra Cricket Association, Mumbai Cricket Association, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, Rajasthan Cricket Association, Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, Vidarbha Cricket Association etc are the most notable ones.

Football Tournaments in India

Being considered as one of the most popular and extensively played games in India, the game of Football has brought a lot of glory to the nation, so far. The Indian Football players have earned considerable amount of recognition and reputation in the international circuit so far. The national governing body of Football in India, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and various state football associations organise a number of football tournaments in India. The Indian Football tournaments are organised every year in various levels, like district, regional, state or national. The Indian Football tournaments can also be classified as the senior level tournaments and junior level tournaments or the Women`s Football tournaments.

Among all the tournaments, the Indian regional Football tournaments play probably the most important role in bringing up new talents to the national level. The Indian Football tournaments act as the backbone of Indian Football, as they provide a solid platform to the young and talented players to show their skills and get noticed. There are a number of regional Football tournaments organised in India every year. Some of the major tournaments include the Buladi Tribal Football Championship, Buladi State League, Khadim`s -Trades Challenge Cup, Milo-Bankim Cup Inter School Football Tournament, Anandamela -Dabur Glucose -D Energy Cup, Peerless Nursery Football League, Vidyasagar Trophy Inter University Football Knockout Tournament, Elegant Under-19 Football League, etc.

Apart from the Indian regional Football tournaments, there are also the junior level national Football tournaments that play a vital role in the upbringing of young and talented Football players. The major Junior level national Football tournaments include the Dr. B.C. Roy Trophy, Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy, Dutta Ray Trophy, the Trades Cup, etc. Though the Indian regional Football tournaments and the Junior level national Football tournaments play very important roles, it is the Indian national level tournaments that fulfill the journey of a footballer. The Indian footballers get the highest attention and recognition while playing in these national level tournaments. The tournaments like Durand Cup, IFA-Shield, Federation Cup, Santosh Trophy, Subroto Cup, Nehru Cup International Football Tournament, etc are considered to be the best ones among all the Indian Football tournaments. Most of the footballers get selected for playing in the Indian national Football team, from these tournaments only.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) came into existence in the summer of 1937. After Independence, the AIFF sought affiliation to the world body FIFA. So eleven years after being founded, the AIFF joined FIFA in 1948. The AIFF has played an active role in promoting football, not only in the country but also in Asia. India was one of the founder members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1954. The AFC was formed when several Asian delegates met during the 2nd Asian Games in Manila in 1954.

On the 23rd June 1937 at the Army Headquarters, Shimla, the All India Football Federation was formed at a meeting of the representatives of football associations of six regions where the game was very popular in those days. The six regions, which attended that historic meeting, were Indian Football Association (IFA) the ruling body of the game in Bengal, Army Sports Control Board, United Provinces, Bihar, North West India Football Association and Delhi.

Before the birth of AIFF, there was no properly constituted national organization. However, the Indian Football Association, the oldest association of its kind in the country, was recognized by football lovers throughout the country, as the ruling body of football in the country. So the AIFF had in the Indian Football Association (Bengal) a forerunner that dates backs to 1893. In its formative years Englishmen dominated the executive committee of the IFA. In fact the only Indian representative was Kalicharan Mitra from the Sobhabazar Club.

Methodical organization and sustained efforts to promote the game in Bengal made the IFA the premier football body in the country in the early decades of the 20th century. For all practical purposes it was the national controlling body largely because the IFA was affiliated to the Football Association of England. Hence all foreign tours were conducted by the IFA. Also all the foreign teams negotiated with the IFA for visits to India and matches in Calcutta and other cities in India.

There were not many football associations in the provinces of the country. The IFA however, felt they should endeavour to form a national body. Accordingly they invited representatives of other provincial football associations then in existence, at a conference in Darbhanga in 1935. The conference was presided over by the (late) Maharaja of Santosh, then president of the IFA and representatives of IFA, Assam, Bihar, UP, Delhi, Mysore and Bombay were present. The conference, however, proves abortive and a sharp difference of opinion cropped up with the result, the IFA delegates (late) SN Banerjee and (late) Pankaj Gupta left the conference in protest along with the Maharaja of Santosh.

The remaining delegates, however, formed a body and styled it as `All India Football Association` with the Raja Bahadur of Darbhanga and Rai Bahadur JP Sinha as honorary secretary. The IFA and the Army Sports Control Board did not join this body and there had been a deadlock. The IFA, however, made another effort to dissolve the deadlock and sent Mr Pankaj Gupta to Delhi to confer with Brigadier VHB Majendine, the then president of the Army Sports Control Board. This meeting took place early March 1937 and Messrs Majendine and Gupta drew up a formula, which ultimately led to the formation of the All India Football Federation. It was agreed at the Delhi talks between Gupta and Messrs Majendine that the Army Sports Control Board towards the end of March at Delhi should call a conference. In this conference, three representatives of the IFA and three representatives of the All India Football Association would be present.

The conference accordingly took place on 27th March 1937 at New Delhi. It was attended on behalf of the IFA by late Mr. SN Banerjee, Bar-at-Law (who subsequently became the president of IFA in 1940), Mr Pankaj Gupta, who at that juncture was the joint honorary secretary of the IFA and Mr. H.N. Nicholls (vice president, IFA who subsequently became the president of IFA in 1939), whereas, others to attend the conference were Mr Badrul Islam (Delhi), HE Brandon (Bombay) and Rai Bahadur JP Sinha (honorary secretary, All India Football Association- AIFA) represented AIFA. Brigadier and VHB Majendine presided at this meeting as chairman. At this conference it was agreed to liquidate the All India Football Association and instead to form an All India Football Federation (AIFF) with one representative from each affiliated association and two each from IFA and ASCB.

Messrs P Gupta and Brandon were entrusted to draft the rules of the new federation to be placed for consideration at the inaugural meeting to be held at Shimla on the 23rd June 1937. At this inaugural meeting the following office-bearers were elected: President: Brigadier VHB Majendine, DSO (ASCB). Hon Secretary: Major A.C. Wilson (ASCB), Hon Treasurer: Pankaj Gupta (IFA).

Indian Football

The game of Football in India is played and enjoyed by a large number of people. The history of Indian Football is not that ancient, as it was brought in India by the British rulers, during the middle half of the 19th century. The game earned popularity among the Indian people within no time and since then; it has been one of the most popular and widely played sports in India. The history of Indian Football has presented a large number of glorious and memorable events that the Indian people cherish even today. The events like Mohun Bagan winning the IFA-Shield Cup, the Indian national team winning several trophies in the Asian Games, SAF Games, reaching the Semi-Finals of Olympic Games are some of the most memorable, amongst them. Apart from the Indian National Men`s Football Team, the Indian National Women`s Football Team has also earned a lot of recognition and reputation in the international arena.

The Indian football produced several legendary Football players so far, who have shown incredible performances on the Football field and mesmerised the whole world. The Indian Football players have earned significant recognition and reputation in the international circuit for their extraordinary skills. Some of the legendary Indian Football players include Gostha Pal, Subimal Chuni Goswami, Sailendra Nath Manna, P K Bannerjee, Baichung Bhutia, Peter Thangaraj, Sunil Chetri, Sangram Mukherjee, Alvito de Counha, etc. All these players have played extraordinarily on the Football field and also helped India winning many championships and bringing glory to the nation.

Indian Football is being run and managed by a large number of associations spread all over India, at present. The national governing body for Football in India is the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and it is being associated by numerous district and state football associations. The Indian Football associations have been working relentlessly for the development and improvement of Football in India. They are organising various with an objective tournaments to bring up new talents from the grass route level. The Indian Football tournaments are organised at different levels like district level, state level or national level in India. The Indian Football associations have so far got considerable success in doing so and brought up several players, who have represented India in the international circuit.

Apart from the Indian Football associations, there are also many Football clubs that are contributing to the improvement of Indian Football. The Indian Football clubs have been playing a vital role in the total improvement of Indian Football and they have showed some great performances in various international tournaments, as well.

Football is played in India by both the men and women and the history of women`s Football in India is quite old. The Indian women started playing Football during the 1970s and the states of Bengal and Manipur are contributing the most to the Indian women`s Football. The Indian National Women`s Football team has already showed wonderful performances in the regional and international arena. The team has won several trophies and brought glory for India, as well.

Indian Chess Players

Indian Chess players are constantly on the rise and doing quite well internationally as well. Chess is one of the oldest sports in India and is played by the Indian people, quite extensively. The game has earned a lot of popularity in India since its inception and its popularity is still increasing day by day. India has already produced several talented Chess players so far and the Indian Chess players have already proved themselves in the international arena. They have performed extraordinary in many international Chess tournaments and showed their excellent skills on Chess board. Among all the Indian Chess players, Vishwanathan Anand is definitely someone, who has contributed in changing the entire scenario of Chess in India. Anand is currently the World Chess Champion and he has brought a lot of glory to India by winning the World Championship in all the three formats of Chess. This is a feat that no Chess player in the world has achieved so far.

Indian Chess players have made their mark in the international arena at various levels, be it in junior level or the senior level. India has the proud of producing World Champions in both the junior and senior levels and also in various age-wise competitions. India also has the credit of producing a large number of Grand Masters and International Masters in Chess. The Indian Chess players start playing Chess at a tender age and the various age-wise Indian Chess tournaments help them a lot in becoming a much better Chess player. In the history of Indian Chess, the state of Bengal probably has produced the highest number of talented Chess players, so far. The players like Dibyendu Barua, Surya Shekhar Ganguly, Sandipan Chanda, Nilotpal Das, Nisha Mohta, etc. have earned significant recognition and reputation at the international level. Apart from West Bengal, the South Indian states have also produced many talented and top class Chess players.

Apart from the Indian Chess players, who have established themselves in the international Chess circuit, there are also many Chess players, who are promising to become stars in the near future. Most of the junior level Indian Chess players have the talent and ability to bring many more World Championships in India. The entire scenario of Indian Chess is surely looking to be quite bright and promising, with a healthy input of talented Chess players, every year.

India and World Cup Hockey

The Hockey World Cup is an international field hockey competition organized by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The tournament commenced in the year 1971. It is also known as the Hockey World Championships. Hockey World Cup is held every four years, bridging the four years between the Summer Olympics. Five countries have dominated the event`s history. Pakistan is the most successful team, having won the tournament four times. The Netherlands have won three titles, and Germany and Australia have each won two titles. India won the tournament once.

There is also a Women`s Hockey World Cup, which has been held since 1974 and was organized by the International Federation of Women`s Hockey Associations (IFWHA) until 1981, when the governing bodies merged into the current International Hockey Federation in 1982. The 2010 Hockey World Cup was held in India from February 28 to March 13 at New Delhi`s Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Australia defeated Germany 2-1 in the final, to win their second World Cup title.

History of Hockey World Cup

The Hockey World Cup was first conceived by Pakistan`s Air Marshal Nur Khan. He proposed his idea to the FIH under the name of Patrick Rowley, the first editor of World Hockey magazine. Their idea was approved on October 26, 1969, and adopted by the FIH Council at a meeting in Brussels on April 12, 1970. The FIH decided that the inaugural World Cup would be held in October 1971, in Pakistan. However, political issues would prevent that first competition from being played in Pakistan. Pakistan and India had been at war with each other only six years earlier. When Pakistan invited India to compete in the tournament, a crisis arose. Pakistanis, led by cricketer Abdul Hafeez Kardar, protested against India`s participation in the Hockey World Cup. Given the intense political climate between Pakistan and India, the FIH decided to move the tournament elsewhere. In March 1971, the FIH decided to move the first Hockey World Cup to the Real Club de Polo grounds in Barcelona, Spain, which was considered a neutral and peaceful European site.
The FIH has set no requirements or limitations on the size of the competition. The 1971 Cup included only ten nations, the smallest World Cup to date. The 1978 Cup featured fourteen nations. The 2002 Cup featured sixteen nations, the largest World Cup to date. The remaining 9 World Cups have featured 12 nations. The first three tournaments were held every two years. The 1978 Cup was the only tournament held three years from the previous tournament. Since 1982, the tournament has been held every four years, halfway between the Summer Olympics field hockey competition. The 2006 Hockey World Cup was held at the Warsteiner Hockey Park, Germany from September 6 to September 17. Germany won for the second time, defeating A ustralia 4-3 in the final.

India`s Performance at the Hockey World Cup

It has been 27 years since India won any medal at the World Cup. Only 3 Indians, Mohinder Singh, Rajinder Singh and Mukesh Kumar have scored more than 2 goals in a single World Cup match. Only 2 Indians, Ashok Kumar, son of legendary Dhyan Chand, and Dhanraj Pillai, have participated in 4 World Cup tournaments. In the first 3 World Cups, India lost only one match during the entire tournament. In the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, India won only one match during the entire tournament. India has won only one Hockey World Cup to date, in 1975.

A capacity crowd of 40,000 turned up at Merdeka Stadium for the semi-final between India and Malaysia. Malaysia led 2-1 well into the game. With only 8 minutes left in the game Ashok Kumar brought about the penalty corner for India and Aslam Sher Khan sent the ball in for the goal. It was 2-2 at the end of regulation. In the third minute of extra-time, V. J. Philips sprinted down the right flank and sent in a sizzling cross to Harcharan, who made no mistake. The game was over for the spirited Malaysians, and India took her place in the final to play traditional rivals Pakistan. Pakistan had beaten India in the 1971 World Cup, but lost to India in the 1973 World Cup semi-final.

For the first time since 1964, India had won a world title. It was only the 5th victory against Pakistan in 15 encounters. They had scored two goals against Pakistan for the first time. Millions of fans followed the dramatic final on All India Radio. Even Doordarshan showed the final later.

India`s victory in the World Cup was celebrated with great joy with the entire team parading in different parts of the country. Indian Hokey obtained a whole generation of young fans by that one world title, and it remains one of Indian hockey`s most memorable games.

Hockey in India

Hockey in India is the National Game and is also considered to be one of the most popular games in India. India has earned lot of recognition in all over the world by showing the excellence in the game of Hockey. Hockey in India started its journey years back. The British introduced, hockey in India in the 19th century. After this there was no looking back. Hockey in India established itself as one of the popular games.

The first hockey club in India was established in Calcutta (present day Kolkata) in the year 1885-86 and soon more clubs were established in the cities like Bombay and Punjab. The Hockey association in Bengal, the Bengal Hockey was the first Hockey Association in India and it came into existence in the year 1908. After this, several other Hockey associations were introduced in the States like different states like Bombay (presently called as Mumbai), Bihar, Orissa and Delhi.

As the game of Hockey increased its popularity in India in a rapid pace and the Indians started to show their excellence in the game, the Indian Hockey team got a chance to play in the Olympic Games in 1928. Making debut in the Olympic Games in Amsterdam, the Indian hockey team stunned the world and clinched its first Olympic gold without conceding a single goal. The all time legendary Indian Hockey player, Dhyan Chand was the star in this great victory of India. After winning Gold in the Olympic Games, 1928, the Indian Hockey team continued its dominance for the next several years. India won six straight Olympic Gold medals from 1928 to 1956 and it also won 24 consecutive matches in Olympic Games, during this period. The period is considered to be the most glorious and golden era in the entire history of Hockey in India.

Apart from the Olympic Games, the Indian Hockey team has also shown brilliant performances in several other prestigious tournaments. India has performed extraordinarily in the tournaments like Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament, Champions Trophy, World Cup etc. and earned a lot of reputation from the world of Hockey. Apart from the Indian men`s Hockey team, the Indian Women`s Hockey team has also played brilliantly in various tournaments and earned glory for the country.

With the establishment of the Indian hockey federation, hockey in India witnessed further development. India has so far produced a large number of legendary Hockey players, who have earned a lot of recognition and reputation in all over the world. The players have shown their talents in various international and regional tournaments and have won the hearts of many Hockey lovers. The players like Dhyan Chand, Adam Sinclair, Adrian D Souza, Ajit Pal Singh, Arjun Halappa, Baljit Singh Dhillon, Bir Bhadur Chettri, Dhanraj Pillay, K. D. Singh, Dilip Tirkey, Leslie Claudius etc, are considered as the all time best Indian Hockey players.

Indian Athletics Training Centers

Athletics in India is governed by a number of sports authorities at the national and regional levels. The bodies provide the Indian Athletes with adequate training facilities and other necessary equipments to help improving their skills. The Indian Athletic Training Centers are playing the role of backbone to Indian Athletics, as they are nurturing the young talents in the grass route level.

India has a number of training centers and the Indian Athletics Training Centers operate in collaboration with the national and regional governing bodies. The centers organise different training programmes throughout the year and find out new talents in every department of Athletics. They also run some schemes that are aimed at achieving specific objectives.

The Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Amateur Athletics Federation of India (AAFI) are counted among the most important Indian Athletics Training Centers. The SAI operates 23 training centers spread all over India and the centers are of both residential and non-residential kinds. It also operates various schemes at sub-junior, junior and senior level to widen sports and develop excellence by upgrading the skills of Indian sports persons. On the other hand, the AAFI is operating many training centers that are aimed at improving the entire scenario of Indian Athletics.

Indian Athletics & Olympics

India has been participating in the Olympic Games in an organised manner since 1928 and has done reasonably well so far. Indian athletes participated in the Olympics for the first time in the year 1948, when a team of 8 Indian athletes took part in various track and field events. Among the 8 athletes, 6 were men and 2 were women. Though Indian athletes have participated in all Olympic events after that, they have not been considered very successful, though there has been some measure of success in different track and field events.

So far, six Indian athletes have reached the Olympic finals in their respective events. Apart from them, the Indian 4x400 Women`s relay team has also reached the finals of their event in Olympics. Among individual players, the first one to win an Olympic medal for India was Norman Pritchard, who went to the Olympics in 1900, when India was under British rule. He won two silver medals in sprint and hurdles in the 1900 Olympic Games. In 1948 London Olympics, Henry Rebello went to the finals of Triple Jump. After him, Milkha Singh got the fourth place in 400 metres, in the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. In the next Olympic Games, in Tokyo in 1964, Gurbachan Singh Randhawa was placed in the fifth position 100 m hurdles. After a gap of two Olympic Games, Sriram Singh got the seventh place in 800m in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

After Sriram Singh`s performance in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, the famous Indian women sprinter, P. T Usha placed fourth in the 400m hurdles in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Though she tried her best, she unfortunately lost her bronze by 1/100th of a second. The 4 member Indian Women`s relay team for 400m, comprising P. T. Usha, M. D. Valsamma, Vandana Rao, and Shiny Abraham got the seventh place, in the same year. However, after that, no other Indian Athletes in Olympics could get into the finals of their events, so far.

Indian Athletics has seen a lot of changes and ups and down during its journey, so far. The history of Indian Athletics dates back to the Vedic era, when Indian people used to take part in various track and field events. With due course of time, Indian athletes started playing modern day Athletics events in India like Long Jump, High Jump, Discuss Throw, Javelin Throw, distance running etc.

After Independence, the organisation work of Indian Athletics started. Various Athletics associations started to be established in India for the management of Indian Athletics. The associations in term established various Indian Athletics training centers that helped in bringing up new talents from the grass route level. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is one such training center that is aimed at ensuring effective and optimum utilization of various sports facilities in India. The Indian Athletics training centers also teaches the Indian Athletes about various rules and terms of Athletics.

Apart from training and coaching budding Indian athletes, Indian Athletics associations also organise various athletic meets in India that helps Indian athletes gain recognition on the national stage. Indian athletes have been participating in the Olympic Games since 1948; however, the performance of Indian Athletes in Olympics is not very mentionable, till now.
   

Athletics Events in India

Various athletic events that organised in India include Track and Field, Road Running, Cross-country and even Race Walking events. Out of these , the Track events include 100metres, 200metres, 400metres, 800metres, 1500metres, 5000metres, 10,000metres, 100meters hurdles, 110metres hurdles, 400metres hurdles, 3000metres steeplechase, 4-x 100metres relay and 4-x 400metres relay. Field events in India include High jump, Long jump, Triple jump, Pole vault, Shot-put, Discus throw, Javelin throw, Hammer throw. The Decathlon and Heptathlon are a combination of track and field events.

Indian Athletics

Indian Athletics has seen a lot of changes and ups and down during its journey, so far. The history of Indian Athletics dates back to the Vedic era, when the Indian people used to take part in various track and field events. With due course of time, the Indian Athletes started playing the modern day Athletics events in India like Long Jump, High Jump, Discuss Throw, Javelin Throw, distance running etc.

After Independence, the organisation work of Indian Athletics started. Various Athletics associations started to be established in India for the management of Indian Athletics. The associations in term established various Indian Athletics training centers that helped in bringing up new talents from the grass route level. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is one such training center that is aimed at ensuring effective and optimum utilization of various sports facilities in India. The Indian Athletics training centers also teaches the Indian Athletes about various rules and terms of Athletics.

Apart from training and coaching the budding Indian Athletes, the Indian Athletics associations also organise various Athletic meets in India that helps the Indian Athletes to get aware about the competitive nature of Athletics. The Indian Athletes have been participating in the Olympic Games since 1948; however, the performance of the Indian Athletes in Olympics is not very mentionable, since now

Chris Gayle lashes Royal Challengers Bangalore to Champions League Twenty20 victory against Somerset

Chris Gayle has powered Royal Challengers Bangalore to a 51-run victory over Somerset in the Champions League Twenty20, lashing 86 off 46 balls as the Indian side posted an imposing 6-206 off their 20 overs.

Daniel Vettori and Sreenath Aravind each then claimed two wickets as Royal Challengers restricted Somerset to 6-155 off their 20 overs.

Somerset dropped Gayle in the second over, two balls after he had hit his first four to get off the mark, and missed two opportunities to run him out two overs later.

Gayle made them pay for their profligacy, after initially moving in sedate fashion to 29 off 25 balls. He hammered Somerset thereafter, moving to 53 off 31 balls, bringing up his half-century with a leg glance off Peter Trego to the boundary, and he seemed certain to post a century when he reached 86 with a six over long-on.

But he was dismissed when he top-edged a pull shot off South African bowler Alfonso Thomas to Arul Suppiah at deep mid-wicket..

Gayle hit four fours and six sixes in his punishing innings.

Somerset were initially unfazed by the prospect of the most daunting run chase of the Champions League Twenty20 to date, Trego and England international Craig Kieswetter giving them a rocket start with 42 runs in 4.1 overs before Kieswetter edged a ball from Vettori to wicketkeeper Arun Karthik.

Trego continued the assault, hitting 22 of 24 runs off the 10th over, bowled by Gayle, and Somerset moved past 100 more rapidly than had Royal Challengers. He moved past 50 as quickly as had Gayle, cutting Vettori for four, off his 31st delivery, but he received little support from his teammates.

Wickets fell regularly at the other end, and the asking rate soared to 16 by the end of the 15th over.

Trego went for a big shot against Raju Bhatkal when the asking rate touched 19 for the first time, but he skied a catch to Vettori at mid-off and Somerset's chance was gone.

Victoria and Australia paceman John Hastings could be out of action for nine months with a shoulder injury

Victoria and Australia paceman John Hastings faces a shoulder reconstruction that could rule him out of action for up to nine months.

Hastings not considered for selection for Australia's tour of South Africa after he suffered the injury at Bushrangers training last month.

He said the problem had deteriorated since then confirmed will see a surgeon on Tuesday to assess the damage.
He's going to open it up and see what he can find, but if it's what he thinks it is, it's going to be a posterior reconstruction, which will be six to nine months (on the sidelines)," Hastings said.

"I'm hoping it will only be a clean-up, but that's not likely. I'm pretty shattered.

"It's been pretty sore and then I hurt it while fielding the other day. I landed on it a bit awkwardly ... I tried to bowl the next day, but it was just horrible.

"There's not really a good time to get it done the next 12 months was going to be massive but it's a case of just have to."

If Hastings goes under the knife, he will miss the entire home international summer as well as the Sheffield Shield, Ryobi One-Day Cup and inaugural Big Bash League.

Next year's big-money Indian Premier League would also be out of the equatio

Biography of Ronaldinho

If you think of soccer tricks, Ronaldinho is one the first names that comes up in your mind. He is the typical Brazilian street soccer player, but better. Ronaldinho seems to have total control over the ball and he makes it look so easy. But how did he come so far? Well, here is his life story.



Ronaldinho's youth

Ronaldinho Gaúcho was born on 21st March 1980 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He was born in a family of soccer addicts. Ronaldinho and his family lived in a wooden house in a favela. His father, João de Silva Moreira, played for Esporte Clube Cruzeiro, a local soccer club. To get by, he worked as a car park attendant at FC Gremio. João also worked in a local shipyard.

Ronaldinho's sister, Deisi, works as his press coordinator. His older brother, Roberto, now works as his manager.

Roberto showed a lot of soccer talent at a young age as well. When he signed a contract at FC Grêmio, he and his family moved into a villa in the more sophisticated and developed part of Porto Alegre, Guarujá. Life was good for Ronaldinho and his family. But when Ronaldinho was eight, his father suffered a fatal heart attack in the villa's swimming pool. To make things even worse, Roberto had to stop his soccer career after a bad knee injury.
    Ronaldinho as a Kid

Ronaldinho developed a special interest in futsal and beach soccer, this is probably where he developed his excelling technique. At this time, he got his nickname 'Ronaldinho', which means 'little Ronaldo'. The reason behind this name is the fact that he was almost always the youngest and smallest player on the field.


Ronaldinho's first breakthrough

Ronaldinho really started to make a name for himself at the age of 13 when he scored all 23 goals in a 23-0 victory against a local team.

Ronaldinho was signed by FC Grêmio to play in their youth squad. He was considered a wonder child from the age of 17. He played for the Brazilian U-17 squad at the U-17 WC in Egypt in 1997. He scored his first goal from a penalty in the 7-0 victory against Austria. He scored a total of 2 penalties at that tournament. Ronaldinho won the Bronze Ball at this tournament

Letter from Simon Kelner: UK politicians could learn a lot from the game of golf

There was an interesting sentence in the short story in yesterday's i accompanying the picture of Barack Obama and Bill Clinton playing golf. It read thus: "The game confirmed that golf has a vital function in oiling the wheels of power."

We will come back to that proposition, but surely another function of this particular photo opportunity is to portray politicians having normal lives, enjoying normal pursuits, just being normal.

This is to make us think that they are, in fact, normal people when we know they are anything but. The newspapers yesterday were replete with such images: as well as the two Prezzes, we saw David Cameron (with his son – extra normalcy points there) watching Queen's Park Rangers play Aston Villa, and Ed Balls, wearing a shirt that was a few sizes too small for him, playing football for Labour against the media. Sport has been used many times as a tool to present a more rounded picture of our political leaders. For instance, John Major's passion for cricket was very much in keeping with his self-image as the guardian of traditional, Middle England values, while Tony Blair, presenting himself as a man of the people (a touch more difficult after last night's Dispatches programme) made play of his support for Newcastle United FC.

I doubt, however, whether any modern British politician would profess a love for golf, such is that sport's aura of elitism and the popular perception (cf. yesterday's i) that it's where businessmen go to conduct shady deals. The inconvenient truth is that golf is a more democratic game than people imagine. Sure, there are still places where inclusivity has not yet reached, but at my club in the English shires, the only business that's conducted is in the car park, where there seems to be an industrial amount of Golden Virginia on sale at knockdown prices.

There is, of course, a tradition of American politicians having a keen interest in golf that goes back to John F Kennedy (a player of almost professional standard) and probably beyond. Barack Obama has had more than 60 rounds of golf since entering the White House, and famously tried to resolve an impasse concerning tax legislation over 18 holes with House leader John Boehner.

Can you imagine if a British Prime Minister did such a thing? The hue, the cry, the public scandal. It was bad enough when one of our senior politicians (oh, all right, John Prescott) was caught having a crafty game of croquet. I'd like, however, to enter a plea for golf. It's a game that teaches politeness, honesty and discipline. And which of our politicians wouldn't benefit from a bit of that?

First goals inspire Morison to net more

He has scored in the Conference South, Conference, League Two, League One, Championship, Premier League and at international level, but Wales's Steve Morison does not want to be remembered as a quirky quiz question.

The Norwich City striker has enjoyed a bright start to the season, scoring the opener for his country in the Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro last month before breaking his top-flight duck with a header against Sunderland last week.

But Morison, formerly of Bishop's Stortford, Stevenage Borough and Millwall, is determined to kick-on when Gary Speed's Wales face Switzerland in Swansea on Friday night

Andorra will not be easy, insists Tardelli

The Republic of Ireland head into their final Group B games, in Andorra on Friday night and next Tuesday's home match with Armenia, knowing two wins would edge them ahead of current leaders Russia should they slip up in Slovakia. Sound simple? Not according to assistant manager Marco Tardelli.

"Andorra are a good team, a strong team physically," Tardelli said. "And also the pitch is not very good. It is bumpy and it could be a problem. When players think the match is very easy, that's when the difficulties start."

At the very worst, two wins would secure a play-off place for Giovanni Trapattoni's team. Ireland will be without Richard Dunne, who is suspended. Sean St Ledger could be paired with either John O'Shea or Darren O'Dea in the middle of defence.

City's compelling NextGen Series opener did not quite run to a fairytale

City's compelling NextGen Series opener did not quite run to a fairytale finish in the end, despite the Hyde crowd willing them to pull off the result of their season against a tasty Barcelona side.


just as with their senior counterparts, the Catalans had a player who made the difference. For Lionel Messi, read Miguel Angel, whose superb second-half strike turned out to be the winner.

He opened the scoring then trumped Harry Bunn's equaliser in emphatic style before going off in the closing minutes to a warm ovation from a crowd who suspected they had seen a star in the making.

But City's youngsters too deserved the applause they received when the final whistle blew. Whether Celtic, Hyde's next visitors next month, can match Barca's high standard remains to be seen.

Barcelona's reputation echoes throughout world football but the City lads showed they were not overawed at the notion of tackling the European champions' up-and-coming side.

The Catalans must have done their homework in the build-up but still looked a little taken aback when Alex Henshall cut in from the left and hammered a shot beyond Miguel Anton that hit a post.

Ronaldinho returned to the national team

Ronaldinho again in Brazil squad for friendlies

brazil coach Mano Menezes has kept Ronaldinho in the squad for three upcoming friendlies, while leaving young sensation Leandro Damiao and Alexandre Pato out because of injuries.

Neymar is also in the squad for the game against Argentina on Wednesday in the second leg of the Superclassic of the Americas series, and the friendly matches against Costa Rica on Oct. 7 and Mexico on Oct. 11.

Menezes announced a separate list for the match against Argentina _ only with players from local clubs _ and another for the other two friendlies, including players from abroad.

Ronaldinho returned to the national team in August for the first time in nearly a year after some good performances with Flamengo. The popular Brazilian club has been struggling recently, winless in 10 matches, but Ronaldinho is keeping his spot with Brazil.

Kaka remained out of the squad as Menezes waits for him to improve his form with Real Madrid, while former captain Lucio and Robinho did not make the list. Lazio midfielder Hernanes, Manchester United defender Fabio and FC Porto striker Hulk were summoned, while injured Santos playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso remained out.

1979 Cricket World Cup

The 1979 Cricket World Cup (aka Prudential World Cup, 1979) was the second edition of the tournament and was won by the West Indies. It was held from June 9 to June 23, 1979 in England. The format had remained unchanged from 1975. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in 2 groups of 4 each. The top two teams in each group played the semifinals, whose winners played the final.

1975 Cricket World Cup

The 1975 Cricket World Cup (officially called the Prudential Cup) was the first edition of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Cricket World Cup. It was held from 7 June to 21 June 1975 in England. The tournament was sponsored by Prudential Assurance Company and had 8 participating countries. These were the 6 Test playing teams of that time (namely Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan & West Indies) and Sri Lanka & East Africa. The preliminary matches were played in 2 groups of 4 each. The top two teams from each group then played the knock-out rounds of semi-finals and final.

A History of The Premier League

It is the world's most watched league and the most lucrative - attracting the top players from all over the globe. Hard to believe then that the first ball kicked in the Premier League was as relatively recently as 15th August 1992.

The 1980s saw a nadir in English football. Stadiums were crumbling and hooliganism was rife. English teams were banned from Europe following the death of 39 fans at Heysel Stadium in Belgium ahead of Liverpool's European Cup Final against Juventus in 1985. Few of the world's top players would even contemplate plying their trade in England.

Then in 1989 came Hillsborough and the Taylor report. 96 fans died and over 150 were injured - crushed during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. Lord Justice Taylor recommended a complete overhaul in the way football grounds were run and structured - leading to the introduction of all-seater stadia.

radical restructuring:

Faced with the huge cost of implementing the recommendations and growing concern over the inability to attract quality players, there was mounting discontent among the top clubs. As early as 1988 ten clubs had threatened to break away in order to take advantage of higher television revenue.

A radical restructuring was needed if English clubs and the game in general were to develop and flourish.

The Founder Members Agreement was signed on 17th July 1991 establishing the basic principles for the setting up of the Premier League. The League would have commercial independence from the Football League and FA, leaving it free to organise its own broadcast and sponsorship agreement.

On the 20th February 1992 the first division clubs resigned from the Football League en masse and three months later the Premier League was established as a limited company.

The League decided to take the radical step of assigning television rights to Sky TV. At the time charging fans to watch televised sport was a relatively new concept, but a combination of the quality of football on offer and Sky's marketing strategy saw the value of the Premier League soar. The initial deal was worth £191million over five years. To televise the matches from 2007-2010, Sky and Setanta have paid a staggering £1.7billion.

shape and develop:

Sponsorship has also played an enormous role. In 1993 Carling paid £12million for four years and the competition became known as the FA Carling Premiership. They renewed for another four years paying a 300% increase. In 2001 Barclaycard became the new sponsors for £48million over three years. Barclays took over in 2004 with their renewal price for 2007 coming in at £65.8million for three seasons.

Increased revenue has ensured that English clubs can compete on a global scale in terms of transfer fees and wages - an important factor which has seen some of the best overseas players grace the Barclays Premier League.

In 1992 there were just 11 non-British or Irish footballers in the Premier League, by 2007 this had increased to over 250. Over the years overseas players have helped shape and develop the British game. Overseas managers, too, have been eager to work in England, and techniques used by the likes of Arsene Wenger, Gerrard Houllier and Ruud Gullit have had an enormous impact.

The Premier League was initially composed of 22 clubs but it was always the intention to reduce that number to 20 to promote development and excellence at club and international level. This was achieved at the end of the 1994/95 season when four clubs were relegated and just two promoted.

Swansea City won promotion in 2011 to take the total number of clubs to have featured in the Premier League to 45. The most successful team in Premier League history is undoubtedly Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson's side have won a remarkable 12 titles and have never finished below third since the Premier League was launched in 1992.

Robson falls at first hurdle in China as Briton loses opening match in straight sets

British No 4 Laura Robson lost in the first round of the WTA Tour China Open in Beijing on Sunday.

The 17-year-old qualified for the main draw with a three-set win over Hungary's Melinda Czink, but found Slovenia's Polona Hercog an altogether tougher proposition.

Mohsin Khan appointed Pakistan coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced the team management for the back-to-back series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

When contacted, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt clarified that Mohsin would only act as head coach and not as chief selector during the series against Sri Lanka, and as per the previous practice, will be a member of the touring selection committee which also includes manager and the captain.

“Obviously, after the series against Sri Lanka, Mohsin will return as chief selector and during this period, any suitable person will be appointed as acting chief selector in his place,” Butt told Dawn.

The PCB chief added that hopefully, by the end of the Sri Lanka series, Pakistan will have acquired the services of a well-qualified foreign coach since the PCB is already in negotiations with some leading candidates for the post.

“Only a top coach with strong credentials and a will to stay in Pakistan to coach our youth will be preferred for the post,” said Butt.

“A number of foreign coaches have this tendency to directly join the national team abroad on tours and then go back to their country instead of spending some time in Pakistan and impart training to our youngsters,” he said.

“We don’t want that to happen again.”

Meanwhile, Col. Naushad Ali who is a member of the ‘coach committee’ along with former captains Intikhab Alam and Zaheer Abbas, has been named as associate manager to Naveed Akram Cheema. However, Naveed who was appointed manager on the recent tour of Zimbabwe, will join the team in the last phase of the series against Sri Lanka after performing Hajj.

“As Naveed Cheema will be performing Hajj this year, he will assume the manager’s charge at the start of the Pak-SL ODI series on Nov 11. He will continue as manager for the Pakistan’s tour of Bangladesh as well.

“In the absence of Naveed Cheema, Col Naushad will be the Pakistan team manager for the three-Test series against Sri Lanka,” a PCB press statement said.

“Mohsin Hasan Khan will be the coach for the Pakistan-Sri Lanka series only. The PCB is in the process of appointing a full-time coach for the national team. The rest of the team management will remain the same for both the series,” it concluded.

Ijaz Ahmed was also retained as assistant coach. A short training camp for the tour will be held in Lahore from Nov 10-13.

Rajan's Wrong 'Un: Indian petulance is just another reason to hope they lose

it strikes me as both remarkable and dispiriting that one of cricket's governing bodies this week rigged the game in their favour and not a pip of protest was heard among the wronged – a herd of victims led, incidentally, by England.

Over the weekend, N Srinivasan, the obstinate secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), reiterated the opposition of India's cricket wallahs to the Decision Review System (DRS).

"Nothing much has changed since we first opposed it", a sprightly Srinivasan told the Indian Express. "We welcome technology when it is 100 per cent error-free."

'Threatened' Pakistan keeper flees to spark new match-fixing riddle

The extraordinary saga of scandal and corruption surrounding Pakistan cricket took yet another twist yesterday when Zulqarnain Haider, the team's wicketkeeper, fled to London just hours before he was due to play a one-day international against South Africa in Dubai. Before fleeing he posted a cryptic message on his Facebook page suggesting he had been threatened, with the message implying the threat had arisen from his failure to fix a match.

Pakistan cricket authorities were left baffled by Haider's disappearance and reported him missing to local police and the anti-corruption unit of the ICC.

The player subsequently arrived in London; he was filmed at Heathrow airport as South Africa sealed the one-day series against Pakistan 3-2 with a 57-run win in Dubai. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Zulqarnain had not told them he was going to leave the team hotel, let alone why he should make such a dramatic departure.

Butt explains £15,000 in hotel room as accumulated 'daily tour allowances'

Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, has attempted to explain the huge amount of money he had on him when he was questioned in relation to allegations of match-fixing that soured his country's tour of England during the summer.

Tens of thousands of pounds were found in Butt's hotel room during the fourth Test between Pakistan and England at Lord's after stories emerged of Butt being involved in his players deliberately bowling no-balls during the series against England.

Butt was asked if he could understand why people might think that having that amount of cash in his hotel room might look corrupt. "I think everybody knows the PCB [Pakistan Cricket Board] pays us daily allowances on tours," Butt said, "and it was a long tour so about £11,000 of that money was from my daily allowances and, being captain, I have extra entertainment allowance which amounts to about £4,500 on the tour which I had with me."

Butt, who was speaking on a Sky Sports News Special Report into Pakistani cricket which will be aired tonight, was also asked if he felt he had played his last international match. "I certainly would not like to think like that," Butt, who has been suspended by the PCB, said. "I will still remain positive and hopeful.

"I know inside what I am made of, where I have come from and how I have played my cricket and, believe me, it has been a lot of passion all throughout my life and, believe me, the love of the game has brought me here and that love is bigger than any corruption which exists."

Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have all been suspended by the PCB after it was revealed that a huge amount of money had been gambled on no-balls being delivered at certain, pre-determined moments during the Lord's Test match.

Pakistani cricketers in court over 'cheating'

Three Pakistani cricketers and a sports agent at the centre of match-fixing allegations were bailed today.

Former captain Salman Butt, 26, and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif, 28, and Mohammad Amir, 18, attended City of Westminster Magistrates' Court accused of cheating and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments.

The cricketers were given unconditional bail and Mazhar Majeed, 35, of Oaks Road, Croydon, south London, was told to surrender his passport and not apply for international travel documents.

All four will appear at Southwark Crown Court on May 20.

Majeed is accused of accepting £150,000 to arrange for the players to bowl "no balls" during three dates in Pakistan's Test series at Lord's Cricket Ground in London last August.

All four were summoned to court where they made their first appearance sitting together in the dock with a translator for the teenager.

District Judge Howard Riddle heard the evidence came from an investigation by the News of the World's undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood.

Sally Walsh, prosecuting, objected to unconditional bail being granted but her application was dismissed regarding the cricket stars.

Their lawyers told the court their reputations were very important to them and they would attend all future hearings.

Sureties of up to £50,000 were offered to secure the players' bail, but Mr Riddle said it was unnecessary.

He warned all four to ensure they attend Southwark Crown Court saying: "There is no doubt the allegations are very serious and I know you recognise that."

Noting all four were of good character Mr Riddle said the men's reputations were of the "utmost importance" to them.

Britain has no extradition treaty with Pakistan.

Legal aid was not applied for.

The cricketers were previously funded by the Pakistan Cricket Board but their lawyer confirmed outside court that has ended.

Accepting corrupt payments is an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and carries a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

Cheating is an offence under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005. It carries a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment and an unlimited fine.

Asenal Premier League History

1992/93 - Win the FA Cup and League Cup double
1993/94 - Win the European Cup Winners' Cup
1994/95 - George Graham sacked. Stewart Houston becomes caretaker. Lose the Cup Winners' Cup final to Real Zaragoza
1995/96 - Bruce Rioch takes charge for one season before resigning
1996/97 - Arsène Wenger becomes manager. Signs Nicolas Anelka and Patrick Vieira
1997/98 - Win the FA Carling Premiership and FA Cup double
1999/00 - Sign Thierry Henry. Lose the UEFA Cup final on penalties to Galatasaray
2000/01 - Break club record transfer signing Sylvain Wiltord for reported £13m
2001/02 - Win the Barclaycard Premiership and FA Cup double
2003/04 - Win the Barclaycard Premiership without losing a match
2005/06 - Last season at Highbury. Lose the Champions League final to Barcelona
2006/07 - Move to Emirates Stadium

Arsenal Club Heritage

In 1886, a group of workers at the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory formed a team called Dial Square, renaming themselves to Royal Arsenal shortly afterwards. The team turned professional in 1891 and changed its name again to Woolwich Arsenal, eventually dropping the prefix completely in 1913 when they moved to Highbury.

The Gunners joined the Second Division in 1893 and were promoted in 1904. Success eluded them until the arrival of Herbert Chapman in 1925 when they won the league five times between 1930 and 1938 and the FA Cup twice. Chapman, who died in 1934, was also behind the renaming of the nearest London Underground station to Arsenal.

Arsenal had to wait until the 1970s for their next period of success. But their first double in 1971 was followed by several near-misses - finishing second in 1972, and losing three FA Cup finals and the 1980 European Cup Winners' Cup final.

It was not until the return of ex-player George Graham as manager that the club rose to greatness again - winning six trophies during his nine-year reign. That included League Cup success in 1987 and 1993, the FA Cup in 1993, the league title in 1989 and 1991 and European Cup Winners' Cup in 1994. Arsenal hold the enviable record of the most consecutive seasons in the top flight - 91 at present.

Arsenal Football Club

Overview

Arsenal may have been off the pace in the inaugural Premier League season in 1992/93, but they made up for it by winning both the FA and League Cups.

The Premier League crown eluded them until 1998 - two years into manager Arsene Wenger's tenure - when they did the league and FA Cup double. Under the Frenchman, the Gunners shook off their "boring" image and began to play some of the most attractive football in England.

In eight of his 14 seasons at the club, Arsenal have finished first or second. And together with star players such as Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp, Wenger took Arsenal to another "double" in 2002.

The Gunners reached the Champions' League final in 2006, becoming the first London team to do so, but lost to Barcelona. Their Barclaycard Premiership title in 2003/04 saw them become only the second team to win the league without losing a match - earning them the title "The Invincibles." Overall they went 49 matches unbeaten, which is a national record.

Pakistan suspend Test selector Ilyas over Afridi acrimony

The Pakistan Cricket Board has suspended the selector Mohammad Ilyas for his role in the growing feud with the former captain Shahid Afridi.

Ilyas has been called to face a PCB disciplinary panel after not giving "satisfactory" reponses to two notices from the board relating to separate appearances in the Pakistan media this month.

The first notice related to an appearance on a 3 June television programme, on which the banned former captain Salman Butt was part of a panel, discussing Afridi's conditional retirement.

Madibaz make it three out of three

The Mecer NMMU Madibaz won their third match in as many games when they beat the TIB Crusaders C.C. on day three of the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Club Championships in Pretoria on Wednesday. This win keeps the Madibaz on the top spot of the Section One log of the tournament.



The Madibaz won the toss and elected to bat first and were bowled out for 213 in 46.4 overs. The Hodnett brothers of the Crusaders did well to take wickets and it was Kyle Hodnett who returned with the impressive figures of 4/23 in eight overs, receiving good support from Grant Hodnett who took 2/51 in nine overs.



The Crusaders took to the crease with designs on winning the day but it was not to be with the Madibaz bowlers equally determined to take wickets. CSA’s 2011 Student Cricketer of the Year, Simon Harmer, showed why he received that award when he took 4/36 in nine overs with Sisanda Magala chipping in with 3/55 in nine overs. Michael Alexander and Grant Hodnett both top scored with 60 runs but could not finish the game for their team. The Crusaders were bowled out 194, giving the Madibaz and 19-run victory.



Madibaz coach Grant Morgan is satisfied that his team’s objectives are being met and they are playing the kind of cricket that was discussed before their arrival in Pretoria; “Often the bravest team plays the simplest cricket,” he said. “Brave cricket is not about slogging the ball to all corners of the field, it’s about keeping things simple and not trying to over complicate things. Of course chances have to be taken from time to time, but sticking to the basics is often the hardest and the most important thing to do. I believe this has been the key to the team’s success so far in this week,” he continued.



Assupol Tuks C.C. beat previously undefeated SDL Brackenfell C.C. by a convincing 107 runs to lift their side to second place in the Section One log. Tuks won the toss and chose to bat first, ending their innings on 256/5. Douglas Hewitt blazed through his inning, smashing 78 from 88 balls before his dismissal.



Brackenfell did not have a good day, losing wickets at the most inconvenient of times with Dirkie Marais top scoring with 39 runs. Maurice Aronstam once again showed his good bowling skills, taking 4/39 in nine overs. Graeme van Buuren provided amazing support as he powered through the Brackenfell batsmen, taking 4/22 in 10 overs. Brackenfell were bowled out for 149 in 43.2 overs.



In the final Section One match, ABSA Central University of Technology (CUT) bounced back from an unimpressive performance yesterday to steal the show and beat Western Province Cricket Club (WP) by eight wickets.



 WP won the toss and chose to bat first. Rushdi Hendricks did well to get a half century (53 off 89 balls) but wickets were falling too quickly for other batsmen to make decent runs. WP were bowled out for 185 in 50 overs with Francois Haasbroek, Ian O’Neill and Duwaine Calder taking two wickets a piece.



CUT captain Pite van Biljon led by example, returning unbeaten with a brilliant century (109 from 72 balls). The support received from Stephan Smith who scored 43 from 67 balls saw the Free State side glide to victory as they ended with 186/2, finishing the match in 27 overs.

CUT coach Donavin George is delighted with his team’s first win of the tournament, “Today was a very good day for us, we did a better job on the field than we have throughout the tournament and Pite (van Biljon) played an exciting game of cricket. He is a brilliant player and an excellent leader. If we stick to tomorrow’s game plan and we bowl the opposition out cheaply, there’s no reason why we can’t win again,” he said.



Section Two saw the BA Travel Clinic Old Selbornians C.C. also win their first match of the tournament in the lowest scoring match so far. They beat Olympian Wanderers C.C. by five runs to move up from last place to fourth on the log and also to gain that all important confidence going into the next match.



 The Selbornians chose to bat after winning the toss and were bowled out for a consternating 82 runs in 33.1 overs. The Wanderers bowlers were too good, Deon Carolus taking 3/14 in six overs and Aubrey Swanepoel 3/15 six overs.



It looked to be a sure win for the Wanderers but the Selbornian bowlers would not be defeated. Gareth Voke took brilliant figures of 4/25 in eight overs while Brendan Fourie and Murray Krug took three wickets each. Wanderers were bowled out for 79 runs in 30.4 overs.



In other matches, Volcano Kempton Park C.C. remained on top of the log after beating ABSA NWU-PUKKE by 69 runs. Kempton Park won the toss and chose to bat first, posting 201 in 43.5 overs. Pukke’s reply was just not strong enough as Kempton Park’s bowlers rampaged through the batting line up, Sarel Myburgh and Stefan Gericke taking four wickets each. Pukke were all out for 132 in 30.4 overs.

The final match of the day saw the University of Johannesburg also making it three out of three when they defeated Standard C.C. by 19 runs. Standard won the toss and chose to bowl. UJ posted 183 from 48.4 overs with Anton van Nieuwenhuizen scoring 54 from 64 balls. Standard’s Brent Kay took 4/38 in nine overs.



With 184 needed to win, Standard looked to get a good start but were continually thwarted by the brilliant bowling of C. Currin who took a remarkable 5/18 in seven overs. They were bowled out for 164 (48.2), giving UJ yet another win.



Day four commences with all teams chasing down that overall top four spot in order to get to the semi-finals. The Madibaz are ready to take on anyone who threatens to get in their way, “We came in this tournament with a template, we think seriously not just about the long term plan, but the plan for the day and I believe we have what it takes to go all the way,” Grant Morgan finished.

CSA announces Women’s squad to face England

Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Sunday announced the 15-women squad that will face world’s number one team England when they arrive in South Africa in October. The tour will consist of a three-match T20 series and a three-match ODI series at Senwes Park Stadium in Potchefstroom from 17 to 31 October.



CSA Senior Cricket Manager Max Jordaan said: “The England tour is a culmination of many months of hard work and self-sacrifice from both high performance staff and players. The selected squad undoubtedly represents the best talent pool available in women’s cricket. CSA provided the necessary organisation and support structures that should allow this team to express themselves fully against the number one team in the world.



“The arrival of England presents exciting opportunities to the South African team in understanding their own depth prior the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Bangladesh.”



Captain Cri-Zelda Brits will lead a very determined  team in a tour that has been trained for for more than six months; “The team is very wary of England, we know that as the world’s number one team they won’t be holding anything back but I have every faith in the team that the coach and the selectors chose. We are at the best that we have ever been mentally and physically and we look forward to getting this tour started,” she said.



Coach Yashin Ebrahim-Hassen is happy with the selection he has made, “These girls are well deserving of their selection, their passion, commitment, hard work and loyalty to the badge has paid off. This series against the world number one team would be an excellent yardstick to assess where they and the team are at in women’s cricket. I congratulate them on their selection and wish them everything of the best in the England series. With a bit of luck hopefully we can cross that finishing line first but failing which we will endeavour to grow as a unit,” he said.



This tour will see the return of Kirsty Thomson, who missed out on the 2010 ICC Women’s Cricket Challenge through injury and veteran right hand batter Alison Hodgkinson who is making a comeback after losing form a couple of seasons ago.

“It’s great to know that hard work still pays off,” Hodgkinson said, “I have trained harder than I ever have in my life to earn back my place in this squad and I’m excited for the England tour.”



England announced their touring squad recently and Charlotte Edwards will lead the team to the South African shores.

The last time the two squads met was during the group stages of the ICC World T20 where England won by 56 runs.

This tour will serve as good preparation for South Africa ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Bangladesh which takes place in November.  Teams from fifth to tenth in the ICC Reliance Mobile ODI rankings will battle it out for a place in the tournament.



South Africa squad: Crizelda Brits (Capt),Trisha Chetty (VCapt), Shandre Fritz, Shabnim Ismail, Mignon du Preez, Kirstie Thomson, Melissa Smook, Marizaane Kapp, Dane van Niekerk, Denisha Devnarain, Masabatta Klaas, Yolandi van der Westhuizen, Alison Hodgkinson, Sunette Loubser and Chloe Tryon.



England squad: Charlotte Edwards (capt), Jenny Gunn, Tammy Beaumont, Arran Brindle, Katherine Brunt, Georgia Elwiss, Lydia Greenway, Isa Guha, Danni Hazell, Heather Knight, Laura Marsh, Susie Rowe, Sarah Taylor and Danni Wyatt.