German Rosberg wins British Grand Prix

SILVERSTONE (United Kingdom): Nico Rosberg survived great late pressure to claim his second win of the season in Sunday's thrilling and dramatic British Grand Prix.

Formula One Stats | Rosberg wins British GP

It was the Mercedes team's first victory in Britain since Stirling Moss won in 1955 and Rosberg's second in three races and third of his career and came just three days after he celebrated his 28th birthday.

But the race was overshadowed by a dangerous spate of Pirelli tyre failures, including one that blew home hero Briton Lewis Hamilton's hopes of a home win in the other Mercedes car as he led from pole position.

However, the 2008 world champion produced a remarkable drive to storm from last place - which is where he was when he resumed his race - to finish fourth.

In all, four drivers were hit by tyre blowouts while championship leading defending triple world champion German Sebastian Vettel was forced to retire his Red Bull for the first time this year after inheriting the lead.

Hamilton's tyre explosion was followed by others for Brazilian Felipe Massa of Ferrari, Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne of Toro Rosso and Mexican Sergio Perez of McLaren in a contest that saw two Safety Car interventions.

Australian Mark Webber, who fell to 15th on the opening lap, fought back to finish second for Red Bull ahead of Spain's two-time champion Fernando Alonso in the second Ferrari.

Rosberg, who won earlier in the season in Monaco, said that it was a wonderful moment for him to win a race his father former world champion Keke never won.

"This a very special day for our team in our home race," he said.

"We are progressing all the time so it's a very special day for me and the team today."

Webber, who had won this race twice, marked his last race at the track before leaving F1 at the end of the season, said he felt happy but also frustrated at just falling short.

"It was frustrating, but the boys did a great job," said the 37-year-old.

"There were a lot of issues with the tyres and we were lucky and it was a clean race for us."

Alonso, who cut Vettel's lead in the title race to 21 points, said the third placed finish was a bonus for him especially with his main rival failing to finish a race for the first time this season.

"It was a good race for us. We got lucky to recover some points and it was a good result for us in the end," said the 31-year-old.

"We know we have a lot of work to do and now we look ahead to the next race."

The drivers now head off to Germany for next Sunday's German Grand Prix.

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Tri-series: Windies invite India to bat

NEW DELHI: Darren Sammy struck in the tenth over by sending back Virat Kohli to give India second blow at the score of 39 in the second ODI of the tri-series in Kingston.

Scorecard

Kohli made just 11 in 21 balls before getting caught by Chris Gayle brilliantly at slip.

Earlier, Kemar Roach took a brilliant return catch to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan after a decent start by India.

In the fifth over, Dhawan hit Roach's good length straight that touched the bowlers right hand and popped in the air before he recovered quickly to complete the catch.

Dhawan scored 11 and shared 25-run stand with Rohit Sharma for the first wicket.

West Indies stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the second ODI of the tri-series at Sabina Park.

West Indies will miss Dwayne Bravo and Ravi Rampaul who are out due to injury.

The Indians got barely a few days to rejoice after their Champions Trophy win before boarding the flight to the Caribbeans and fatigue could be the only worry for a side which looks in unbeatable form.

The West Indians, on the other hand, would be eager to extract revenge for the loss to India in a Champions Trophy group match.

The hosts have in fact, started impressively in the ongoing series mauling Sri Lanka in their lung-opener. The biggest positive from the game was the return to form of Chris Gayle, who was slightly off-colour in the Champions Trophy.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Devon Smith, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard (C), Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Kemar Roach, TL Best

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

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Tri-series: India lose Dhawan early

NEW DELHI: Darren Sammy struck in the tenth over by sending back Virat Kohli to give India second blow at the score of 39 in the second ODI of the tri-series in Kingston.

Scorecard

Kohli made just 11 in 21 balls before getting caught by Chris Gayle brilliantly at slip.

Earlier, Kemar Roach took a brilliant return catch to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan after a decent start by India.

In the fifth over, Dhawan hit Roach's good length straight that touched the bowlers right hand and popped in the air before he recovered quickly to complete the catch.

Dhawan scored 11 and shared 25-run stand with Rohit Sharma for the first wicket.

West Indies stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the second ODI of the tri-series at Sabina Park.

West Indies will miss Dwayne Bravo and Ravi Rampaul who are out due to injury.

The Indians got barely a few days to rejoice after their Champions Trophy win before boarding the flight to the Caribbeans and fatigue could be the only worry for a side which looks in unbeatable form.

The West Indians, on the other hand, would be eager to extract revenge for the loss to India in a Champions Trophy group match.

The hosts have in fact, started impressively in the ongoing series mauling Sri Lanka in their lung-opener. The biggest positive from the game was the return to form of Chris Gayle, who was slightly off-colour in the Champions Trophy.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Devon Smith, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard (C), Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Kemar Roach, TL Best

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

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Tri-series: India lose Dhawan early

NEW DELHI: Darren Sammy struck in the tenth over by sending back Virat Kohli to give India second blow at the score of 39 in the second ODI of the tri-series in Kingston.

Scorecard

Kohli made just 11 in 21 balls before getting caught by Chris Gayle brilliantly at slip.

Earlier, Kemar Roach took a brilliant return catch to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan after a decent start by India.

In the fifth over, Dhawan hit Roach's good length straight that touched the bowlers right hand and popped in the air before he recovered quickly to complete the catch.

Dhawan scored 11 and shared 25-run stand with Rohit Sharma for the first wicket.

West Indies stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the second ODI of the tri-series at Sabina Park.

West Indies will miss Dwayne Bravo and Ravi Rampaul who are out due to injury.

The Indians got barely a few days to rejoice after their Champions Trophy win before boarding the flight to the Caribbeans and fatigue could be the only worry for a side which looks in unbeatable form.

The West Indians, on the other hand, would be eager to extract revenge for the loss to India in a Champions Trophy group match.

The hosts have in fact, started impressively in the ongoing series mauling Sri Lanka in their lung-opener. The biggest positive from the game was the return to form of Chris Gayle, who was slightly off-colour in the Champions Trophy.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Devon Smith, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard (C), Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Kemar Roach, TL Best

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

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Tri-series: India lose early wickets

NEW DELHI: Darren Sammy struck in the tenth over by sending back Virat Kohli to give India second blow at the score of 39 in the second ODI of the tri-series in Kingston.

Scorecard

Kohli made just 11 in 21 balls before getting caught by Chris Gayle brilliantly at slip.

Earlier, Kemar Roach took a brilliant return catch to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan after a decent start by India.

In the fifth over, Dhawan hit Roach's good length straight that touched the bowlers right hand and popped in the air before he recovered quickly to complete the catch.

Dhawan scored 11 and shared 25-run stand with Rohit Sharma for the first wicket.

West Indies stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the second ODI of the tri-series at Sabina Park.

West Indies will miss Dwayne Bravo and Ravi Rampaul who are out due to injury.

The Indians got barely a few days to rejoice after their Champions Trophy win before boarding the flight to the Caribbeans and fatigue could be the only worry for a side which looks in unbeatable form.

The West Indians, on the other hand, would be eager to extract revenge for the loss to India in a Champions Trophy group match.

The hosts have in fact, started impressively in the ongoing series mauling Sri Lanka in their lung-opener. The biggest positive from the game was the return to form of Chris Gayle, who was slightly off-colour in the Champions Trophy.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Devon Smith, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard (C), Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Kemar Roach, TL Best

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C), Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav

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Kalmadi to preside over AAA congress

PUNE: Commonwealth Games scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi is set to preside over a crucial two-day congress of the Asian Athletics Association starting on Sunday, which will also vote on his re-election bid as president of the continental body.

Kalmadi, who seeking his fourth term as head of the AAA, will be locked in a straight fight against Qatar Athletics Federation president Dahlan Jumaan Al-Hamad, who is also senior vice-president of the Asian body, on the last day of the Congress on July 1.

The biennial Congress, which begins three days before the July 3-7 Asian Athletics Championships at a five-star hotel here, will also be attended by IAAF president Lamine Diack, besides some top officials from the AAA and the world body.

The Congress, which is the governing body of the association, consists of a Council and not more than two delegates from each member of the AAA. However, each member country will have only one vote in the elections.

The Athletics Federation of India is likely to be represented by its president Adille Sumariwala and secretary C K Valson.

"The Congress which is normally held before the start of the biennial Asian Championships will discuss mostly routine matters like the progress reports of the last two years, the competitions held and financial matters," an AAA functionary said.

The other members of the AAA Council -- a senior vice-president, five vice-presidents and eight executive members -- will also be elected.

The secretary-treasurer is appointed by the incoming president and it will have to be seen whether the incumberent -- Maurice Nicholas of Singapore who has been holding the post for the last 40 years since the inception of AAA -- will continue or not.

Kalmadi, who was jailed and later released on bail in connection with the Commonwealth Games scam, has been at the helm of affairs of the AAA since 2000. Though he has decided not to hold any sports post in the country, he is seeking re-election for the top job of the continental body.

Ironically, though, he will not be involved in any way in the conduct of the Asian Championships which is being held in his home town which he is representing in the Parliament.

Kalmadi's candidature has got the backing of the AFI which said it did not want to lose a seat in AAA Council.

"The AFI has forwarded the name of Kalmadi. It was the decision taken in the 2008 general body that if the IAAF allows his nomination, we should have no objection in sending his nomination," said Sumariwalla.

"We didn't want to lose one seat there and that is basically the reason. Since there was no conviction against him, the IAAF recognises him, and if they are ready and happy to have his nomination then we should have no objection. They have no objection in him continuing as the president of the AAA."

Section 4(a) of Article VI of the AAA Constitution says: "A council members loses his membership in the council if he loses his membership in his National Association, unless otherwise his national association formally recommends the continuation of his membership in the Council."

Kalmadi camp is confident that he will be re-elected though it appears to be heading towards a tough fight.

"He is seeking re-election and is confident of winning the poll on the back of several new initiatives in Asian Athletics in the last 13 years," an AFI official said.

"Before 2000, there were only two competitions in Asia -- Asian Junior and Senior Championships -- but now we have a host of other events in a calender year like the Asian Grand Prix, Asian All Star, Asian Race Walk and Asian Marathon. We are hoping to get majority vote out of the 45 member countries," he added.

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Lewis takes pole position for British GP

SILVERSTONE (England): Lewis Hamilton stormed to pole position for his home British Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday with German team mate Nico Rosberg qualifying alongside him in an all-Mercedes front row.

The 2008 world champion, chasing his first win for Mercedes after leaving McLaren last year, started the session with a wave for the crowd from the pit wall and ended it with the fans saluting him.

"Storming job there, Lewis, storming job," the team told him over the radio.

The pole was the 28th of Hamilton's career and Mercedes' fifth in eight races.

"The crowd do make a huge difference...I come here with an extra boost of energy. I just want to pay them back," said Hamilton, who also qualified on pole at Silverstone in his debut 2007 season and won in 2008.

"That was a lap for them," said the Briton, who jumped out of his car after parking up in the pit lane and stood arms outstretched to applause from the grandstands.

Red Bull's triple world champion Sebastian Vettel qualified third and will share the second row with team mate Mark Webber, in what will be the Australian's last British race before quitting Formula One at the end of the year.

"They are bloody quick in qualifying...they seem to be in a different world on Saturday afternoons," said Vettel. "But points are scored on Sunday and the last few races have been pretty good for us."

Britain's Paul Di Resta for Force India and young Australian Daniel Ricciardo, the Toro Rosso driver bidding for Webber's drive next year, will line up together on the third row.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, 36 points behind Vettel in the championship, qualified 10th in a disappointing performance from the Italian team, who had Brazilian Felipe Massa in 12th place.

"We were not competitive all weekend and it's not normal to see Ferrari out of Q3 (the third phase of qualifying)," said the Spaniard.

"We need to recover now and it was a bad Saturday. We didn't improve the car enough in the last four to five races and we ordered some new parts but they didn't do what we expected. We need to keep on working."

McLaren had another miserable qualifying, with 2009 world champion Jenson Button 11th on the grid and Mexican team mate Sergio Perez 14th.

Former champions Williams, who have made their home race a celebration of their 600 Grands Prix in the sport, fared even more dismally.

Finland's Valtteri Bottas failed to make it through the first phase and qualified 17th behind Venezuelan team mate Pastor Maldonado in 16th.

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Mahindra misses podium by whiskers

ASSEN (The Netherlands): Mahindra rider Miguel Oliveira was just inches from scoring the only Indian racing motorcycle's historic first podium at Assen on Saturday, crossing the line in fourth place just 0.096 seconds from third, and 0.378 behind the leader.

The Portuguese teenager, who started from his and the MGP3O's first pole position, had the consolation of the lap record at the classic circuit, scored on lap 12 of the 22-lap, 99.924-km Dutch TT. It came during a sustained race-long battle, with five riders inches apart from start to finish, and the result in doubt until the exit from the final corner.

Oliveira was in the thick of the action up front. Spanish teammate Efren Vazquez was 12th, playing a strong role in a ten-strong group going back and forth for a possible ninth place.

The result moves Oliveira closer to fifth overall, where he is now just three points adrift; and also improves Mahindra's close third in the constructors' championship.

The Mahindra MGP3O was designed and built in less than six months, and track-tested for the first time in January. The bike proved both competitive and reliable even in first prototype form; subsequent upgrades have reinforced its potential. Mahindra is the only Indian factory motorcycle racing team.

Miguel Oliveira - Fourth Place

"It was a really difficult race, as I expected, and the wind played a hard hand as well. I was losing in the second sector - I had to work hard to recover that every lap under brakes and in the corners. I tried to attack in the last lap but I couldn't quite reach the podium. But it is coming really close. What is really important is the bike improves race by race, and I am also feeling better. We need to keep it this way."

Efren Vazquez - 12th Place

"It was a difficult day and not what we expected. Something happened in the race and I was losing time. I am not sure what: we need to check all the data, but at one point I was quite slow. There was a lot of traffic, which is normal in this class, but it means you can get stuck behind a rider who is half-a-second slower, and you can do nothing. The most important thing is to concentrate on qualifying better."

Mufaddal Choonia - CEO Mahindra Racing

"Again we have shown that the combination of Miguel and the Mahindra has the potential for podium finishes. There is practically nothing separating the top five riders, and he is one of them. We are also delighted to take the lap record at Assen, and we can go away satisfied and happy, looking forward to the German Grand Prix in two weeks."

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Root keen to 'move on' from David issue

LONDON: England batsman Joe Root is determined to put the controversial attack he suffered at the hands of Australia's David Warner behind him as he prepares for his first Ashes series.

It is nearly three weeks since Root took a glancing blow from Warner in a Birmingham bar after the Australia opener was apparently angered by the sight of the Yorkshire batsman wearing a green and gold wig following England's victory over arch-rivals Australia in the Champions Trophy.

Warner was subsequently suspended by Cricket Australia until the start of the first Ashes Test in Nottingham on July 10 while the 22-year-old Root was exonerated of all blame by the England and Wales Cricket Board for what they deemed an "unprovoked attack"

"It's all done now. I hope we can move on," Root said Saturday ahead of England's Ashes warm-up four-day match against Essex at Chelmsford, east of London, starting on Sunday.

"David Warner has apologised; I've accepted it.

"As far as I'm concerned, that's all behind us."

That the incident appeared to have had no lasting effect on Root could be seen from the fact that within four days he was playing in England's next match, where he made a fifty against Sri Lanka at The Oval.

"It's not ideal ... but you've just got to try to concentrate on your cricket," Root added.

"I managed to do that, and hope I can take the confidence from that into the rest of the summer."

Root scored his maiden Test hundred, and on his Headingley home ground too, against New Zealand last month as England completed a 2-0 series win.

However, interest and pressure will only intensify during the Ashes, still considered the pinnacle of cricket by most people involved in the English game.

"There's a lot more media attention," said Root, set to open for England for the first time, having so far been used as a middle-order batsman, after being announced as the preferred partner for captain Alastair Cook at the top of the order by national selector Geoff Miller.

"But it's just the same, 11 blokes like any other game.

"I'm just trying to get my head round tomorrow, and take it step by step."

However, Root was in no mood to downplay the importance of the Ashes.

"It's what I always dreamt of, growing up," he said.

"That's what you want to play in -- those big occasions."

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Srini attends ICC meeting via video-link

NEW DELHI: Under-fire BCCI president N Srinivasan put an end to all speculations by making his presence felt at the International Cricket Council annual conference in London by attending one of the sub-committee meetings via video-link.

"Yes, Srinivasan attended the Finance and Commercial Affairs Meeting of the ICC via video-conference. He took active part in that meeting as it is one of the most important as well as powerful sub-committee of the ICC. Srinivasan attended the meeting by virtue of being a member on individual capacity," a senior BCCI official said on condition of anonymity.

Thus both interim in-charge Jagmohan Dalmiya and current president Srinivasan attended the meet albeit in different capacities. While Dalmiya attended the Annual Conference and Development Board meetings, Sanjay Patel attended the CEO's meeting.

Srinivasan's attendance also made it clear that he is in no mood to relent and is waiting for the two-man committee probe to clear him of any wrongdoing after which he will take the control back from Dalmiya.

While the BCCI had made it clear that interim in-charge Dalmiya is supposed to attend the Annual Conference and secretary Sanjay Patel would attend the CEO's meeting, there was no clarity till the last day regarding Srinivasan's attendance at the global conference.

Srinivasan is a member of three ICC sub-committees. Apart from F&CA committee, the other two committees that he is part of are the Nominating committee and the committee of Human Rights and Remunerations.

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Angry Dimitrov crashes out of Big W

LONDON: Grigor Dimitrov staged a temporary sit-down protest to register his anger at court conditions on Friday before he lost a five-set Wimbledon thriller.

The Bulgarian 29th seed, watched by superstar girlfriend Maria Sharapova, who was knocked out on Wednesday, went out 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4, 11-9 to Slovenia's Grega Zemlja in a second round match suspended due to rain on Thursday.

When the tie resumed on Court Three after a two-hour delay caused by more rain, the 22-year-old Dimitrov, watched by the sunglasses-wearing Sharapova, slipped and fell in his service action at 8-9 to give up the third match point of the tie.

He then stomped off to the sidelines and sat in his courtside chair.

The umpire and tournament referee then decided to wait out the drizzle before play resumed 10 minutes later.

But it didn't change Dimitrov's luck as Zemlja took victory on a sixth match point with a fine forehand passing shot.

"It started raining during the warmup. I kind of thought the umpire would say something," said Dimitrov, a former boys champion at Wimbledon.

"When I slipped, I fell down, I hurt my hip. I told him, I'm not serving."

Dimitrov, long touted as a future star of the sport, paid a heavy price for converting just two of 18 break points.

Zemlja, the first Slovenian to make the third round at Wimbledon, goes on to face Argentina's eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro for a place in the last 16.

"I think a lot of people are talking about the surfaces," added Dimitrov.

"It's kind of tough sometimes I think for the aggressive movers. I consider myself as a pretty aggressive mover on the court.

"It's tough when the grass is really slippery. I think you got to adjust. That's the one thing. I mean, you know it's not going to change much except the headlines."

Dimitrov, meanwhile, shrugged off the unseemly row between current girlfriend Sharapova and Serena Williams, with whom he was previously linked.

Williams made fun of Sharapova's man "with the black heart".

"You guys tell me what kind of heart I have," said the Bulgarian.

"I am here to talk about the slippery courts, how many injuries we had, pull outs. I don't think we should be talking about that. I tink that's in the past and that's getting old."

He was happy, however, to have the glamourous Sharapova looking on and insisted that her presence did not increase the pressure on him.

"I feel even more pumped and happy that she's there for me. I think that's what counts the most," he added.

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1st ODI: Windies invite Sri Lanka to bat

NEW DELHI: Dwayne Bravo got Sri Lankan opener Upul Tharanga caught behind after a solid 62-run stand for the first wicket in the tri-series opener at Kingston.

Scorecard

Skipper Bravo struck in the 14th over, removing Tharanga after his 25-run knock off 43 balls.

Openers Mahela Jayawardene and Tharanga got Sri Lanka off to a steady start and guided the side past 50 in ten overs after being invited to bat.

West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the tri-series at Sabina Park in Kingston on Friday.

West Indies were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions trophy when they lost to South Africa via Duckworth Lewis method while the Lankans were humbled in the semifinals by eventual champions India.

The teams have come into the tournament with almost the same set of players except that the hosts have left out Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jason Holder. The Lankans were forced to leave out injured opener Tillakaratne Dilshan.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo(c), Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach

Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews(c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga

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Bravo scalps Tharanga after brisk start

NEW DELHI: Dwayne Bravo got Sri Lankan opener Upul Tharanga caught behind after a solid 62-run stand for the first wicket in the tri-series opener at Kingston.

Scorecard

Skipper Bravo struck in the 14th over, removing Tharanga after his 25-run knock off 43 balls.

Openers Mahela Jayawardene and Tharanga got Sri Lanka off to a steady start and guided the side past 50 in ten overs after being invited to bat.

West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the tri-series at Sabina Park in Kingston on Friday.

West Indies were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions trophy when they lost to South Africa via Duckworth Lewis method while the Lankans were humbled in the semifinals by eventual champions India.

The teams have come into the tournament with almost the same set of players except that the hosts have left out Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jason Holder. The Lankans were forced to leave out injured opener Tillakaratne Dilshan.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo(c), Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach

Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews(c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga

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1st ODI: Sri Lanka off to steady start

NEW DELHI: Dwayne Bravo got Sri Lankan opener Upul Tharanga caught behind after a solid 62-run stand for the first wicket in the tri-series opener at Kingston.

Scorecard

Skipper Bravo struck in the 14th over, removing Tharanga after his 25-run knock off 43 balls.

Openers Mahela Jayawardene and Tharanga got Sri Lanka off to a steady start and guided the side past 50 in ten overs after being invited to bat.

West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the tri-series at Sabina Park in Kingston on Friday.

West Indies were eliminated in the group stage of the Champions trophy when they lost to South Africa via Duckworth Lewis method while the Lankans were humbled in the semifinals by eventual champions India.

The teams have come into the tournament with almost the same set of players except that the hosts have left out Ramnaresh Sarwan and Jason Holder. The Lankans were forced to leave out injured opener Tillakaratne Dilshan.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo(c), Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach

Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews(c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga

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Banned Butt apologizes for spot-fixing

LAHORE (Pakistan): Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt has for the first time publicly admitted to and apologized for spot-fixing, two years after he was found guilty of the offence.

Butt, along with fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, was banned from the sport by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2011 after being found guilty of deliberately contriving no-balls in return for money during the Lord's Test against England the previous year.

The trio and their agent Mazhar Majeed were also jailed by an English court in 2011. The players were released last year.

"I apologize to the nation and all the fans who have been hurt by the spot-fixing case," Butt told a press conference in the eastern city of Lahore in his first public apology for the offence.

Butt received a 10-year ban, with five years suspended, for his role in the scam. Asif was barred for seven years, with two suspended, while Aamer got five years.

In April, Butt and Asif lost their appeals to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, and the ICC urged the players to accept their guilt and start rehabilitation. Aamer had not appealed after pleading guilty before the UK court in 2011.

"I admit the ICC tribunal decision and warn the future players to avoid the pitfalls of corruption because this is bad for the country and for the fans," Butt, 28, said.

He and Aamer have agreed to undergo rehabilitation through the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Butt's public apology is seen as a step towards shortening the remaining period of suspension.

Butt also appealed to the interim PCB chief Najam Sethi on Friday to reduce his ban and permit a return to domestic cricket, while indicating his ambition to play internationally in the future.

"I request the interim chairman to request the ICC to reduce my and Asif's bans. I have two years ban left so if the ICC allows me to play domestic cricket then I will be ready for international matches once my ban ends.

"I have enough cricket left in me and when my ban ends I am ready to play for the country again," said Butt.

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Webber to quit F1 at the end of season

BERLIN: Australia's Mark Webber is to leave Formula One at the end of the current season, he announced on his official website on Thursday.

The 36-year-old Red Bull driver has signed a contract with Porsche from the 2014 and will compete in the manufacturer's LMP1 sports prototype at the Le Mans 24 Hours race and World Endurance Championship, the German company said.

Webber has already raced twice at the famous French circuit, finishing runner-up in the GT Championship in 1998

"It's an honour for me to join Porsche at its return to the top category in Le Mans and in the sports car World Endurance Championship and be part of the team," he said in a Porsche statement posted on markwebber.com.

"Porsche has written racing history as a manufacturer and stands for outstanding technology and performance at the highest level.

"I'm very much looking forward to this new challenge after my time in Formula 1. Porsche will undoubtedly set itself very high goals. I can hardly wait to pilot one of the fastest sports cars in the world."

Webber is currently fifth in the Formula One drivers' world championship standings going into Sunday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

In the course of his F1 career from 2002, he has achieved 36 podium places, nine race wins and been in pole position 11 times.

Wolfgang Hatz, board member for research and development at Porsche AG, said the company was pleased to have secured his services.

"Mark is without doubt one of the world's best race drivers, he has experience at the Le Mans 24 hour race and on top of that he's been a Porsche enthusiast for many years," he added.

Webber will compete in the new LMP1 car alongside the two current Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard, of Germany, and Romain Dimas, of France, as well as Switzerland's Neel Jani.

Bernhard and Dumas won overall victory at Le Mans in 2007 and 2008.

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No cricketer for Khel Ratna this year

NEW DELHI: The BCCI this year hasn't forwarded any name for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the highest honour for active sportspersons in the country, since the cricket board didn't find any fitting cricketer for the award.

The BCCI has recommended dashing batsman Virat Kohli's name for the Arjuna Award while legendary opener and former India captain Sunil Gavaskar's name has been recommended for the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement.

"BCCI hasn't sent any names for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award as it didn't find anyone who is fitting to get this award this year. There is absolutely no point in sending a recommendation just for the sake of it. The BCCI found out that Virat Kohli and Sunil Gavaskar are the two deserving names for the Arjuna and Dronacharya award," a senior BCCI official told PTI today.

Incidentally, former captain Rahul Dravid's name was doing the rounds last year for Khel Ratna award, but he didn't get it which many thought was due to absence of BCCI representative Ravi Shastri during the awards committee meeting.

However, Shastri later clarified that he didn't get any formal invite from the sports ministry to attend the meeting.

Last year, wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and shooter Vijay Kumar got the Khel Ratna award for winning medals at the London Olympics.

Dravid, received the Padma Bhusan award, the third highest civilian honour in the country, earlier this year.

Kohli, who has had a prolific run in all forms of the game in the last couple of years, missed out on Arjuna nomination last year as Yuvraj Singh got the award on basis of his seniority and exploits in the 2011 World Cup.

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Serena coasts into Wimbledon 3rd round

LONDON: Defending champion Serena Williams eased past teenager Caroline Garcia to reach the Wimbledon third round on Thursday where she'll face 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm, the oldest woman in the last 32 in the Open era.

Top seed Williams extended her winning streak to 33 matches, just two behind the record set by sister Venus in 2000, with a 6-3, 6-2 win over French 19-year-old Garcia, who she also beat at the French Open.

Williams, 31, chasing a sixth Wimbledon title and 17th major, wrapped up victory in 67 minutes with 30 winners and nine aces.

Date-Krumm reached the third round, 17 years after her last appearance, with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Romania's Alexandra Cadantu, 19 years the Japanese's junior.

Despite their many years on tour, Williams and Date-Krumm have never played each other on the tour.

"Kimiko is so incredibly fit and inspiring. I have never played her but I watched her when I was super-young," said Williams after winning her 599th career match.

"Venus has played her, so I will definitely be talking to her about it."

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I may be down but I'm not out: Federer

LONDON: Roger Federer's astonishing defeat to a Ukrainian journeyman in the second round at Wimbledon marked the arrival of a new world order in tennis but for the Swiss master this was definitely not the end of an era.

When the new ATP standings are released on July 8, they will show that the holder of a record 17 Grand Slam titles has slipped to fifth in the world after he failed to defend the 2000 points he amassed by hoisting the Challenge Cup last July.

It will be his lowest ranking since June 2003. While fans and pundits alike were busy speculating if this was the beginning of the end for the greatest man to have ever wielded a tennis racket, Federer pooh-poohed the notion.

"You don't panic at this point, that's clear. Just go back to work and come back stronger really," said Federer after he failed to reach the second week of Wimbledon for the first time since 2002 following his four-set defeat by Sergiy Stakhovsky.

"It's normal that after all of a sudden losing early after being in the quarters 36 times (in a row), people feel it's different," he added.

"(But) I have more options now than I did have one year ago when I was running around trying to chase down every possible tournament and every point to get back to world No. 1.

"Maybe that, and the Olympics last year, took its toll. But overall I think I've been playing actually not so bad."

The problem is that for Federer, who said himself a few years ago that he had 'created a monster' by winning so much, a second-round defeat on a court he has ruled for a decade is not only bad, it is off the Richter scale.

After all, this is the man who has won 67 times at Wimbledon, 122 matches on grass, 257 at the four majors and 905 matches in his career.

FUTURE PLANS

Twelve months ago he was the toast of southwest London after winning a record-equalling seventh title and climbing back to the top of the world rankings.

Nowhere is he loved more than at Wimbledon, where he epitomises everything the club represents - grace, elegance and charm.

So much so that a new book 'Wimbledon - The Official History' has dedicated 75 of its hefty 552 pages to waxing lyrical about the great man's records and achievements.

No doubt when the next edition comes out, Federer's 2013 showing will be glossed over but it will definitely not be the last entry. Of that he is certain.

"I still have plans to play for many more years to come," the 31-year-old said defiantly.

"I'm healthy again, which is a good thing. So I'm looking forward to playing hopefully injury-free for the rest of the season."

By his own lofty standards 2013 has been underwhelming. He has won only one title - a low-key grasscourt event in Halle just before Wimbledon - and his Grand Slam performances have so far added up to a semifinal in Melbourne, a quarterfinal appearance at the French and now a second-round humbling.

Checking out of Wimbledon in the first week does not sit easily with Federer and before he walked out of the All England Club gates on Wednesday he was already plotting his 2014 comeback.

"Looking forward to next year, that I can do better next year. Usually I do turnarounds pretty good. I'm looking forward to what's to come," he said.

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'Will look to stamp authority on India, SL'

KINGSTON: Champions Trophy winners India are already on Chris Gayle's mind and he says the West Indies would look to "stamp our authority" by using the home advantage when the ODI tri-series, also involving Sri Lanka, kicks off.

West Indies are coming off after a disappointing outing in the Champions Trophy in England, where they failed to qualify for the semifinals.

"Its all good. We were bubbling in England but we were disappointed with how we got bounced out of the tournament and this is a new tournament now and everybody is starting back from scratch and Sunday we will be coming up against the Champions Trophy champion, so it will be interesting," said Gayle.

"We should use the home advantage to the best of our (abilities) and capitalise on that. They won't be in their comfort zone so we have to put the pressure on them as much as possible and let them know that we are home and stamp our authority," he was quoted as saying by 'Jamaica Observer'.

The big-hitting opener said the team was getting acclimatised after spending a lot of time in England.

"The first time the team getting together and our preparation for (tomorrow) is looking good. We have another training session tomorrow and we are actually looking forward to that as well," said Gayle.

"The guys getting a feel again coming out of the cold after a few days home and getting back to acclimatise to our home condition and looking forward to a good start here," he added.

According to Gayle, all the three teams -- India, West Indies and Sri Lanka -- would know the strength and weaknesses of each team having played in the Champions Trophy.

"The good thing about it is, during the Champions Trophy we got to play both teams. We played Sri Lanka in a warm-up which we actually won and India beat us in the second game, so we know their strengths and weaknesses and it is vice versa from their point of view as well so the first game is going to be important for us," he pointed out.

The West Indies will open their campaign against Sri Lanka here tomorrow.

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India eye tri-series, leave for Windies

LONDON: After lifting the Champions Trophy with a remarkable unbeaten run, the victorious Indian cricket team on Wednesday departed for Jamaica to compete in an ODI tri-series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka starting June 28.

"Off to jamaica nw,,, Nxt mission ahead ,had a lovely time in England....," tweeted all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja with a picture of his boarding pass.

"On board to Jamaica, with the new speed gun that's joined us," said off-spinner R Ashwin on his twitter handle with a picture of Mohammed Shami, who replaced an injured Irfan Pathan in the team.

The first three matches of the series would be played in Jamaica (from June 28 to July 2) before the action shifts to Trinidad (from July 5 to July 11).

India will open their campaign against the West Indies on June 30.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, R Vinay Kumar.

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India eye tri-series, leave for Windies

LONDON: After lifting the Champions Trophy with a remarkable unbeaten run, the victorious Indian cricket team on Wednesday departed for Jamaica to compete in an ODI tri-series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka starting June 28.

"Off to jamaica nw,,, Nxt mission ahead ,had a lovely time in England....," tweeted all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja with a picture of his boarding pass.

"On board to Jamaica, with the new speed gun that's joined us," said off-spinner R Ashwin on his twitter handle with a picture of Mohammed Shami, who replaced an injured Irfan Pathan in the team.

The first three matches of the series would be played in Jamaica (from June 28 to July 2) before the action shifts to Trinidad (from July 5 to July 11).

India will open their campaign against the West Indies on June 30.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Murali Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, R Vinay Kumar.

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Darcis out of Wimbledon with injury

LONDON: Steve Darcis, the world number 135 who stunned Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon, pulled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury on Wednesday.

"We have just received confirmation that Steve Darcis has withdrawn from his second round match against Lukasz Kubot with a right shoulder injury," said a statement from the organisers.

Earlier in the day, his coach admitted that Darcis, who suffered the injury when he fell over against Nadal, would be forced out.

"There is a 99% chance that Steve will not play his second round match," his coach Reginald Willems told sudinfo.be.

"Sadly, this is sport. The greatest moment of his career is followed by the greatest disappointment."

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Orange shoes out but not coloured undies

LONDON: Roger Federer received orders from Wimbledon organisers on Wednesday to change his orange-soled shoes that breach an all-white rule although women players will not be pulled up for wearing coloured knickers.

Wimbledon, the world's oldest tennis tournament, has the strictest dress code in tennis, stating for the past 40 years that players must wear "predominantly" white.

The rules stipulate no solid mass of colour, no fluorescent colours, little or no dark and bold colours, and preferably all white shirts, shorts and skirts.

The tournament's clothing police allow no exceptions, even for top players like Federer, the seven-time champion ranked the world's eighth most powerful celebrity by Forbes magazine this week.

"He has been asked to change his shoes," said a Wimbledon spokesman ahead of the Swiss player's match on Wednesday against Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky on Centre Court.

He said several other players had also been asked to change their shoes to abide by the rules but no other warnings had been issued for other violations of the dress code.

The sight of coloured knickers emerging as women rivals Maria Sharapova from Russia and American Serena Williams serve failed to make organisers see red and the coloured nails sported by a list of women players on court have not been ruled out.

Knickers have caused a stir at Wimbledon in the past, dating back to 1949 when American Gussie Moran was accused of "putting sin and vulgarity into tennis" by wearing lace-trimmed knickers at the All England Club in south London.

KNICKERS, LOGOS AND STYLE

Six years ago Frenchwoman Tatiana Golovin shocked organisers by wearing a pair of crimson underpants beneath her white outfit which had officials reaching for the rule book but to no avail.

"The rules state that players can wear any colour underwear they like provided it is no longer than their shorts or skirt. Anything else must be white," said a Wimbledon spokesman.

The all-white dress code is one of the traditions at Wimbledon, which dates back to 1877 when women wore ground-length dresses on the court, and officials are keen to uphold standards.

In 1985 the US player Anne White was called to one side after arriving on court in an all-in-one, head-to-toe lycra bodysuit to play against Pam Shriver. She was asked to wear something more conventional and obliged but lost her match.

However this year second seed Victoria Azarenka and Czech player Eva Birnerova played in white leggings on the first day of the two-week championships although it was unclear if this was a fashion choice or to stay warm in chilly temperatures.

Second seed Azarenka had to pull out of the tournament through injury on Wednesday.

Logos are forbidden on any of Wimbledon's 19 courts with Czech American player Martina Navratilova in 2004 famously taking scissors to her hat to cut out an offending logo.

However British champion Andy Murray, who beat Benjamin Becker in his first round, was not hauled up for sporting the name of the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity on his sleeve.

The world No. 2 is hoping to win the tournament for his former doubles partner, Ross Hutchins, who is being treated for Hodgkin's Lymphoma at The Royal Marsden hospital and was in the royal box on opening day on Monday to watch Murray in action.

Despite the dress code limiting fashion flair on the court, some players try to add their own style with mixed success.

Sharapova, the world No. 3 who designs clothing for Nike, is closely watched by fashion followers and in 2008 turned up in a tuxedo-style top and shorts, much to her opponent's chagrin.

"It's very pleasant to beat Maria. Why? Well, I don't like her outfit. That was one of my motivations," said her compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva after beating Sharapova.

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I will bring silverware to Real: Ancelotti

MADRID: Playing spectacular football and filling the trophy cabinet at the same time is the holy grail for soccer coaches and Carlo Ancelotti promised both as he took up the reins at Spanish giants Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Speaking in an entertaining mixture of Spanish, French and his native Italian, Ancelotti told reporters at the Bernabeu stadium his goal was to help Real win a 10th European title and replace arch-rivals Barcelona as the dominant club in Spain.

Flanked by Emilio Butragueno, a club director with whom he locked horns when they were players in the 1980s, he confirmed former France and Real midfielder Zinedine Zidane would be one of his assistants on the bench along with Englishman Paul Clement.

"I love football and that's why Real Madrid is a dream for me and today that dream is coming true," Ancelotti told the packed press room in the bowels of the giant arena.

"I don't think Real Madrid will be the end of my career but my hope is that I will be here a long time," added the 54-year-old, twice a Champions League winner with AC Milan as both player and coach.

Real president Florentino Perez lured Ancelotti from French champions Paris St Germain following last month's departure of Jose Mourinho, three years before the end of his contract, after a season without major silverware.

Labelled "the pacifier" in Spanish media, the laid-back Italian is an entirely different character from the combative Portuguese, who clashed with key players, divided fans and had a testy relationship with journalists.

"I have a different character (to Mourinho) but I have total respect for him," Ancelotti said.

"I don't think it's possible to compare Mourinho and me. I am focusing on my work and the president will decide if it has been good or bad."

GREAT GOAL

Real have not been crowned champions of Europe for more than a decade and Perez, a construction magnate in his second stint as president, made clear at an earlier presentation that winning the Champions League was the overwhelming priority.

"It's a great goal for the club, for everyone," Ancelotti said.

"I have the ambition, the responsibility for that. It is a huge motivation.

"I don't think here the pressure here is any greater than other clubs.

"It's part of the coach's work. The problem is to deal with it but it's normal."

Getting the better of Barca, who knocked his PSG side out of Europe last season, will be one of Ancelotti's biggest challenges.

"They are the most competitive team in Spain but I think that we are perfectly capable of taking them on," he said.

"I expect some fantastic games and I don't think Real Madrid is in any way inferior. I am confident that Real Madrid will have the edge."

He gave little away about possible player purchases, saying the transfer market would be discussed in coming days.

"We really haven't talked about the market yet. I can't give you any information about the players that will come in."

Malaga playmaker Isco, a key performer in the triumph of Spain's Under-21 side in this month's European Championship, has been identified as a possible recruit in the short term with local media reporting he will be presented on Friday.

"I can only speak about his quality which is very high," Ancelotti said. "He can play at Real Madrid just as he can play in any team."

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'Captain cool' Dhoni & his midas touch

BIRMINGHAM: Dhoni, captain cool" -- the placard held by an Indian fan appropriately sums up the magic of India's cricket captain.

"I don't turn up in the ground to achieve anything special as a captain," Dhoni said last night after his team had defended a modest 129 to defeat England and win the Champions Trophy.

These modest words may seem out of place for India's most successful cricket captain in all formats of the game -- Tests, ODIs and T20s.

"For me winning the game is very important and that is of utmost importance for us as a team," Dhoni said.

For the 31-year-old Dhoni, winning the Champions Trophy completed a remarkable cycle of triumphs which started with the T20 World Cup in 2007. India also won the 2011 ODI World Cup under his leadership and the victory yesterday reaffirmed his status as India's best-ever captain. No other captain in international cricket has won three major ICC trophies.

The British media also doffed their hats at the "pragmatic, ineffably calm captain" and highlighted his leadership qualities which ultimately gave India a thrilling five-run victory in the rain-hit final.

"India could hardly believe what was happening, though for MS Dhoni, their pragmatic, ineffably calm captain it was probably a normal day at the office. He had put the squeeze on England at the start and he has been round long enough to know that anything can happen in short-form cricket and often does," the 'Independent' said.

The 'Daily Telegraph' described Dhoni's decision to bowl the last two overs with spinners as a "masterstroke".

"... completely confounding tradition, the last two overs were entrusted by MS Dhoni to spinners. Spin has been one of the surprising successes of the shortest form of the game, and Dhoni's choice was a master stroke," the paper wrote.

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Martina wants best-of-3 for men at Slams

LONDON: Former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova has called for men's Grand Slam matches to be cut to three sets to protect the sport's top stars from burnout.

With Wimbledon getting underway on Monday, Navratilova was keen to draw attention to the increased physical demands on male players in the modern game.

While female players are only asked to play best of three set matches at the four Grand Slams, their male counterparts have to slug it out in best of five set matches that can sometimes last up to five hours.

As a result, the big-name players the public want to see are spending longer on the sidelines recovering from injuries.

French Open champion Rafael Nadal has been plagued by knee injuries, while US Open champion Andy Murray missed the recent French Open with a back problem.

Navratilova, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles including nine at Wimbledon, told Laureus.com: "It's really becoming so taxing that I believe one day we will have two out of three sets in the Grand Slams, otherwise they're going to be taking people out on stretchers.

"We have always had issues with injuries, but this year it came to light more so when the top guys are hurt.

"Rafael Nadal's had issues, he was out for about eight months. Now Andy Murray has missed the French Open because of a bad back and Novak Djokovic had issues as well with his ankle.

"They put a lot more hours in and everybody hits the ball harder, you have to run harder. Plus the courts are slower so the rallies take longer. This has to take its toll on the body.

"You play a long match and it takes you months to recover, because it's like running a marathon in sprints, but then sometimes you have to go out and play a match the next day or two days later.

"I think a way to curb it would be to play the Grand Slams for men only two out of three sets."

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Jadeja achieves career-best 3rd position

BIRMINGHAM: Ravindra Jadeja attained a career-best third spot in the ODI bowlers and all-rounders' list a day after India lifted the ICC Champions Trophy that strengthen their position as the number one ranked team on the ODI Championship table in the latest rankings released on Monday.

ODI Rankings: Team | Batting | Bowling | All-Rounders

India, having entered the tournament on 119 ratings points, have now moved to 123 thanks to their victories over South Africa, West Indies and Pakistan in the group stage, followed by wins over Sri Lanka in the semifinals and England in the final.

They have a lead of 10 ratings points over their nearest rival, England, who are currently on 113 points, level with third-placed Australia.

But Alastair Cook's side is ranked above Michael Clarke's team by a fraction of a point.

Jadeja's 12 scalps in the Champions Trophy made him the highest wicket taker and fetched him the Golden Ball trophy. His unbeaten 33 and two for 24 in the final against England on Sunday night also helped him earn the Man of the Match.

His efforts have made him climb to a career-best third in the latest ICC ODI player rankings for bowlers. He has also climbed up three places to 52nd in the batting table.

Jadeja's combined effort with the bat and ball helped him move up a place to a best-ever third in the latest all-rounders' rankings.

Meanwhile, India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also made a return to the top 10 in the bowlers' list, having jumped six places to ninth.

Others Indians to make upward movements are Bhuvneshwar Kumar in 49th (up by three) and Ishant Sharma in 51st (up by five) in the bowlers' list, which is still headed by West Indies' Sunil Narine.

In the ICC ODI player rankings for batsmen, Virat Kohli has retained his third position.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who ended the tournament as the highest run-getter after scoring 363 runs, jumped 21 places to a career-best 29th. Dhawan's efforts with the bat not only fetched him the Player of the tournament award but also earned him the Golden Bat trophy for scoring the most runs of the tournament.

However, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni slipped a position to be placed at 5th spot, while Suresh Raina and out-of-favour opener Gautam Gambhir lost two and one places, respectively to be at 16th and 20th spots.

The batting list continues to be headed by South Africa captain AB de Villiers.

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Federer storms into Big W second round

LONDON: Defending champion Roger Federer began his campaign for a record eighth Wimbledon title in quickfire style on Monday, taking just 69 minutes to storm past Romania's Victor Hanescu.

The 31-year-old Swiss swept to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 win on Centre Court to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his first triumph at the All England Club with an impressive triumph.

Federer fired 32 winners and just six unforced errors as he clinched a sixth career victory over the 47th-ranked Hanescu.

"It's the most special thing to be back on Centre Court," said Federer, playing in his 55th straight Grand Slam.

"I still enjoy it out there. It was a pleasure to play and I'm very happy to get the first round out of the way.

"I am not sure how much better I could have played. It was good to get it done quickly as it was cold and it released some of the pressure."

Federer came into Wimbledon on the back of his first title of 2013 in Halle, the grasscourt win taking him level with John McEnroe on 77 career titles.

"Halle came at the right time. It shows I am peaking in time for Wimbledon," said third-seeded Federer who next plays Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine for a place in the last 32.

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Sharapova battles into second round

LONDON: Maria Sharapova shrugged off her public Wimbledon spat with Serena Williams to come through an equally fierce challenge out on court as she battled her way into the second round on Monday.

The 2004 Wimbledon champion was given a stern test by France's up-and-coming Kristina Mladenovic but the Russian third seed eventually triumphed in a 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 win on Centre Court.

"I'm really pleased with this performance," Sharapova said.

"My opponent played extremely well so I'm really happy to be in the second round.

"I knew that my opponent was capable of playing really great tennis. I tried to take my opportunities in the tie-break.

"I was happy with the way I stepped up in the second set. It's always nice when you're not breaking somebody to get ahead and win that tie breaker.

"It was still pretty tough in the end but I'm glad I got it done in two."

With the top 32 players seeded and kept apart until the third round at the earliest, Sharapova could scarcely have had a tougher first round draw.

Mladenovic, the Wimbledon 2009 girls' runner-up, is on a career-high world ranking of 37 and showed why she is tipped as one to watch for the future.

Sharapova was pushed hard by Mladenovic in the first set, who matched her illustrious opponent in both her serves and groundstrokes.

And the French number three had had the set's only break point going into the tie-break.

At 5-5, Sharapova remonstrated at length with the umpire, who gave Mladenovic a let following a correct challenge by the Frenchwoman.

Though the Russian went on to lose the game, she did not let it affect her focus, taking the next game to love to set up the tie-break.

Sharapova held serve to give herself set point and won it with a high backhand at the end of a scrappy point at the net.

Mladenovic held off a string of break points in the first game of the second set but Sharapova's grit eventually saw her through into the second round.

The build-up to Wimbledon was dominated by a very public spat between Sharapova and world number one Williams, who beat the Russian in the French Open final.

Sharapova blasted the defending champion for her controversial comments over a high-profile rape case and a perceived slight against her relationship with Bulgarian player, Grigor Dimitrov.

Laying bare the bitter rivalry between the two, the Siberian dished some back, ripping into the American's colourful private life and telling Williams to keep her opinions to herself.

With Mladenovic seen off, Sharapova faces either Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito or Melanie Oudin of the United States in the second round.

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Why isn't there a reserve day for final?

The prospect of a Champions Trophy final doesn't look bright at all. Till 5:30 pm IST, it was raining in Birmingham and it's looking increasingly difficult for the match to start.

According to those present at the ground, the situation is bleak and the super soppers are on, trying to get the water off the surface. Even if the final does get off, it won't be more than a 35-over game, if not reduced to the lottery of a Twenty20.

The biggest question that is already making the rounds in the cricket circles is that why a reserve day wasn't scheduled for a final of a tournament of the stature of Champions Trophy, especially when it's being played in England.

It's common knowledge that it rains in England during this part of the year, and it shows the shortsightedness of the ICC not to keep a day in hand.

The last time India played the final of the Champions Trophy was in 2002 and there was a reserve day. Unfortunately, it rained on both days and India had to share the trophy with Sri Lanka, but that would still have been acceptable for the fans.

"Teams have very tight schedules. India, Sri Lanka and West Indies travel to the Caribbean where they play a tri-series starting in four days' time... So it sometimes becomes difficult to accommodate a reserve day," a BCCI official said.

That's not good enough excuse because Champions Trophy is an ICC-event and a wash-out means that the hard work put in by the teams go a waste.

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Serena apologises after Sharapova rant

LONDON: Serena Williams tried to defuse her war of words with Maria Sharapova on Sunday as the Wimbledon champion claimed she had apologised to the Russian for criticising her private life.

Williams, a 16-time Grand Slam winner, infuriated Sharapova by making a thinly-veiled reference to the world number three's relationship with Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov, believed to be Serena's former boyfriend, during a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

"She begins every interview with 'I'm so happy. I'm so lucky' -- it's so boring. She's still not going to be invited to the cool parties. And, hey, if she wants to be with the guy with a black heart, go for it," Serena was quoted as saying.

Sharapova was so upset by Serena's comments that she hit back on Saturday by drawing attention to the American's romance with her French coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

"If she wants to talk about something personal, maybe she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids," Sharapova said.

Sharapova also claimed she was "sad" that Williams made controversial comments in the same article regarding the rape of a 16-year-old girl by two high school American football players in the Ohio town of Steubenville.

But Serena, who starts her Wimbledon title defence against Luxembourg's Mandy Minella on Tuesday, refused to escalate the row with her rival on the eve of the grass-court Grand Slam.

The world number one said she sought out Sharapova to apologise at a WTA players' party in London last week.

"I feel like Maria, unfortunately, was inadvertently brought into a situation she should have never been brought into," Serena said.

"I'm the first person to apologise. I'm the first person to reach out to individuals and people if I feel that something may have hurt them or something may have been misconstrued.

"I personally talked to Maria at the player party. I said; 'Look, I want to personally apologise to you if you are offended by being brought into my situation. I want to take this moment to just pour myself, be open, say I'm very sorry for this whole situation'."

Serena, 31, was repeatedly asked about the controversy at Sunday's press conference, but she made a spirited attempt to deflect questions about any lingering bad blood between the pair.

"We always have great conversations, so I believe that she definitely did accept it (the apology)," Serena said.

"I'm not really gonna comment on that (Sharapova's reaction), whether I'm disturbed or not.

"I know she also said that I should definitely focus on the tennis here, and I feel like that is another thing I can definitely take her advice on.

"Maybe I wasn't focused enough in the past on tennis. I'm definitely going to try to focus on that for the next two weeks."

However, Williams, who has beaten the Russian 13 times in a row including the recent French Open final, hinted at the tension simmering beneath the surface when she suggested Sharapova's comments and a row with American player Sloane Stephens may have been attempts to unsettle her mentally.

"That can be one way to look at it," she added. I don't think about that, however. I just think about when I'm on the court."

Serena arrives at Wimbledon hoping to win the title for the sixth time and she conceded the storm over her interview had been less than ideal preparation.

"It definitely hasn't been easy. And I feel like I really wanted to say, I apologise for everything that was said in that article," she said.

"Everyone definitely has different regrets in different forms. For me, I take full responsibility.

"It's important what I've learnt this week, mostly that it's so important to know all the facts before you make a comment or before you make an assumption.

"That's something I'm still learning."

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CT final reduced to 20 overs per side

BIRMINGHAM: Rain returned to stop Champions Trophy final with India at 38/1 in 6.2 overs.

Scorecard

Stuart Broad gave India first blow in the fourth over by bowling out Rohit Sharma (9) after rain reduced the final to 20 overs per side.

Broad's perfect length delivery sailed into the stumps from the gap and reduced India to 19/1.

Earlier, England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and invited India to bat.

There will be a 4 over mandatory powerplay, and 2 over batting powerplay and each bowler can bowl a maximum of 4 overs.

Both teams need to bat for 20 overs to constitute a match and, with no reserve day scheduled, the trophy will be shared if no result is possible.

The rain began to fall as the players sang the national anthems immediately before the scheduled start time of 10.30 a.m.

India named an unchanged team from their semi-final win over Sri Lanka while England recalled all-rounder Tim Bresnan in place of fast bowler Steven Finn.

Teams: England - Alastair Cook (captain), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James Tredwell, James Anderson.

India - Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain), Ravindra Jadeda, Ravichandran Aswin, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav.

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and Rod Tucker (Australia).

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CT: Rain returns with India at 38/1

BIRMINGHAM: Rain returned to stop Champions Trophy final with India at 38/1 in 6.2 overs.

Scorecard

Stuart Broad gave India first blow in the fourth over by bowling out Rohit Sharma (9) after rain reduced the final to 20 overs per side.

Broad's perfect length delivery sailed into the stumps from the gap and reduced India to 19/1.

Earlier, England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and invited India to bat.

There will be a 4 over mandatory powerplay, and 2 over batting powerplay and each bowler can bowl a maximum of 4 overs.

Both teams need to bat for 20 overs to constitute a match and, with no reserve day scheduled, the trophy will be shared if no result is possible.

The rain began to fall as the players sang the national anthems immediately before the scheduled start time of 10.30 a.m.

India named an unchanged team from their semi-final win over Sri Lanka while England recalled all-rounder Tim Bresnan in place of fast bowler Steven Finn.

Teams: England - Alastair Cook (captain), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James Tredwell, James Anderson.

India - Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain), Ravindra Jadeda, Ravichandran Aswin, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav.

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and Rod Tucker (Australia).

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CT: India lose Rohit after steady start

BIRMINGHAM: Stuart Broad gave India first blow in the fourth over by bowling out Rohit Sharma after rain reduced the Champions Trophy final to 20 overs per side.

Scorecard

Broad's perfect length delivery sailed into the stumps from the gap and reduced India to 19/1.

Earlier, England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and invited India to bat.

There will be a 4 over mandatory powerplay, and 2 over batting powerplay and each bowler can bowl a maximum of 4 overs.

Both teams need to bat for 20 overs to constitute a match and, with no reserve day scheduled, the trophy will be shared if no result is possible.

The rain began to fall as the players sang the national anthems immediately before the scheduled start time of 10.30 a.m.

India named an unchanged team from their semi-final win over Sri Lanka while England recalled all-rounder Tim Bresnan in place of fast bowler Steven Finn.

Teams: England - Alastair Cook (captain), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James Tredwell, James Anderson.

India - Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain), Ravindra Jadeda, Ravichandran Aswin, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav.

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and Rod Tucker (Australia).

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Hopes high for Murray, says McEnroe

LONDON: John McEnroe believes that Andy Murray is ideally placed over the next fortnight to win Wimbledon for the first time and end 77 years of British failure at the tournament.

The Scot lost to Roger Federer in four sets in the Wimbledon final last year, becoming the first British man to reach the championship match in 74 years.

But he then defeated the Swiss ace for Olympic gold on the same grasscourt shortly after and went on in September to end the long British wait for a grand slam title at the US Open.

Now after reaching the final of the Australian Open in January and sitting out the French Open due to a back injury, the Murray focus is fully trained on Wimbledon where McEnroe thinks he can go all the way.

Speaking in Edinburgh, where he is playing in a Champions of Tennis event, three-time Wimbledon singles champion McEnroe said: "I think it very well could be Murray's year.

"I was beginning to wonder if he could do it because these other guys are so great but he really stepped up with the Olympics and then he dug deep at the (US) Open to win that.

"He's as confident as he's ever been, he's handled the pressure well for the most part, so, when the going gets tough, he's got to step up."

"The thing is that he's playing great," said McEnroe.

"He's positioned himself well having not played at the French, I think that will help him. And obviously winning Queen's is a nice positive for him.

"The draw is tough for Murray, there's no doubt about it. Tsonga in the quarters is tough because for me he's the guy best positioned outside of the (big) four to win.

"And then he'll have to play one of Rafa or Roger in the semis and then another guy that's not too shabby - Djokovic - in the finals.

"So he's got his work cut out for himself, no doubt about it. But, having won a slam and won the Olympics, now he's really comfortable on this court and on the biggest stage."

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'India team better than WC-winning side'

LONDON: Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels that current Indian ODI team that will be playing in the Champions Trophy is "better" than the one which won the World Cup two years back in 2011.

"India have been the team of the tournament so far. They are a fearless, aggressive bunch and I have not seen that from India before. This team are better than the World Cup-winning side in 2011," Vaughan wrote in his column in the 'Daily Telegraph'.

Like everyone else, Vaughan is also very impressed with the fielding standards set by the Ravindra Jadejas and Virat Kohlis and feels that this bunch is out to create a legacy of their own.

"The young players play with freedom. They know this is their chance to create a legacy now the great names have retired. They field brilliantly, creating chances for the bowlers through agility," he wrote.

If that wasn't enough Vaughan observed that this current crop of batsmen are interested in hitting the short-pitched stuff rather than swaying away from the line of the deliveries.

"With the bat, they look to score off the short ball instead of swaying out the way of it. They hit the ball as hard as any Indian players I have ever seen. They play good, hard strokes you see in Test cricket and it looks as if Duncan Fletcher is loving working with them."

Vaughan, however, believes that this is the best chance for the England team to win a limited overs tournament on global platform.

"This is a great chance for England to create history and win a global 50-over tournament. We reached the final of the Champions Trophy in 2004 but could not quite get over the line. But this team can go one better."

"They (England) are a stronger one-day side than we were but that is cancelled out by the fact they are playing an India side better than the West Indies team who beat us nine years ago (2004)."

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We're keen to set record straight: Cook

BIRMINGHAM: England captain Alastair Cook reckons that India will start as favourites in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday but said his team will be raring to set the record straight by winning their first world ODI title in all these years.

"India are a very strong side. They are unbeaten and playing very good cricket. They are batting well at the top of the order and getting early wickets. They will go in as favourites," skipper Cook told the mediapersons ahead of Sunday's high-profile final against India.

"They're unbeaten aren't they, and played some very good cricket. We're happy with that. But our record against India last time we played them in England is a good record. So we can certainly take a lot from that", he said.

England have a poor record in ODI tournaments and Cook said he was aware of this piece of history. England have not won a major ODI title, losing three World Cup finals and the 2004 Champions Trophy final against the West Indies at home.

"I keep getting asked this question in every press conference but yes, I am aware of our record and very keen to set it right this time," he said.

Cook is leading England for the first time in an ICC event and was extremely keen to win the last edition of Champions Trophy.

"It's a big final for us. The boys are raring to go and ready to play. It's going to be a one-off day and we will give it all," said the 28-year-old Essex batsman.

Cook is clearly banking on his fast bowlers and want the troika of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn to do the job against the Indians.

"They have the skills and can get the early wickets to put pressure on the middle-order. We have our plans," he said.

The English camp is taking a lot of heart from the fact that their home record against the Indians have been very good having beaten them 5-0 when the two teams played bilateral series on English soil during the summer of 2011.

"We have a good record at home but it's going to be a one-off day and the better team will win. We have played each other quite often in the last one and half years and there are no hidden secrets," Cook said, adding, "winning the toss can be an advantage but can mean nothing at the end of the day."

Asked about plans to counter Shikhar Dhawan who has been in tremendous form, Cook answered, "Yeah, obviously their top order have played very well. I think both top-orders have played well in this tournament and probably that's one of the reasons that we're in the final.

"Of course, we've got plans, you know? And we've also got very skillful new ball bowlers, as well. It's going to be a good contest out there, a contest in which if we want to win the game, we're going to have to try and get the best of them because we know how dangerous those guys at the top of the order can be."

The talented left-hander said that he isn't surprised by the positive effect that India's Zimbabwean coach Duncan Fletcher has had on the Indian team.

"Yeah, it doesn't surprise me. We obviously know what Duncan did for English cricket, as well, when he came over to England and had a very successful reign with the English cricket team and changed quite a few structures in our game and the way we went about things.

"So yes, I can see him obviously working the same with the Indian team, and he made some quite big decisions with the way they've gone."

Birmingham, Cook felt, will be a "great place" to play the final simply because both teams will enjoy adequate support from their loyal fans.

"...it's just a great place to play India here. It's going to be a great crowd. I think both sides will get some great support, and hopefully we can put on a good show."

In the last couple of years, both England and India have played each other a lot of times home and away and Cook feels that there isn't much secrets in the opposition ranks as most of the players are known entities.

"Look, we've played quite a lot of one-day cricket and Test match cricket against them over the last year and a half or so, so I don't think it's too many unknown quantities from either side, really, not too many hidden secrets. And yeah, it should be a really good game," he added.

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Sharapova blasts Serena over rape row

LONDON: Maria Sharapova blasted Serena Williams on Saturday for the American's controversial comments over a high-profile rape case and even criticised the Wimbledon champion's colourful private life.

In an astonishing attack on the world number one, which comes just two days before Wimbledon gets underway, Sharapova told Williams to keep her opinions to herself as the bitter relationship between the two was laid bare.

Williams, the 16-time Grand Slam title-winner, was forced to apologise for her comments regarding the rape of a 16-year-old girl by two high school American football players in the Ohio town of Steubenville.

"I was definitely sad to hear what she had to say about the whole case," said Sharapova, who was defeated by Williams in the French Open final earlier this month.

"I just think she should be talking about her accomplishments, her achievements, rather than everything else that's just getting attention and controversy."

Sharapova, who has not beaten her great rival since 2004, also criticised Williams's love life after the American had aimed a thinly-disguised jibe at the Russian's affair with Bulgarian player, Grigor Dimitrov, believed to be a former Williams boyfriend.

"There are people who live, breathe and dress tennis. I mean, seriously, give it a rest," Williams told Rolling Stone magazine without naming the Russian.

"She begins every interview with 'I'm so happy. I'm so lucky' -- it's so boring. She's still not going to be invited to the cool parties. And, hey, if she wants to be with the guy with a black heart, go for it."

Sharapova, clearly upset at the insinuation, hit back on Saturday at Williams's romance with her French coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

"If she wants to talk about something personal, maybe she should talk about her relationship and her boyfriend that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids," said Sharapova.

"Talk about other things, but not draw attention to other things. She has so much in her life, many positives, and I think that's what it should be about."

Williams got involved in the Ohio rape case with her controversial remarks, also delivered to Rolling Stone.

"I'm not blaming the girl, but if you're a 16-year-old and you're drunk like that, your parents should teach you -- don't take drinks from other people," the magazine quoted Williams as saying.

"She's 16, why was she that drunk where she doesn't remember? It could have been much worse. She's lucky. Obviously I don't know, maybe she wasn't a virgin, but she shouldn't have put herself in that position, unless they slipped her something, then that's different."

On Wednesday, Williams, 31, apologised.

"What happened in Steubenville was a real shock for me. I was deeply saddened," Williams said.

"For someone to be raped, and at only 16, is such a horrible tragedy! For both families involved - that of the rape victim and of the accused.

"I am currently reaching out to the girl's family to let her know that I am deeply sorry for what was written in the Rolling Stone article. What was written -- what I supposedly said -- is insensitive and hurtful, and I by no means would say or insinuate that she was at all to blame."

Sharapova said she always make a point of trying to keep her private life under wraps.

"What I do on the court and what I talk about in my press conference is strictly about my career. I'm sure people want to know more, but yet I try to keep my personal life private," said the Russian.

"Nobody really cares about what I have to say, my opinions. If I speak to my friends, that's one thing. But I don't go out and try to create things that shouldn't be really talked about."

World number two, Victoria Azarenka, who is close friends with Williams but endures a cool relationship with Sharapova, refused to condemn the American.

"I have read her comments. I think there is always a benefit of a doubt to a person," said Azarenka.

"Only two people really know what happened. I know what it's like to be misunderstood sometimes. If I need some explanation from somebody, I'll go ask them directly.

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Skipper Dhoni predicts engaging final

BIRMINGHAM: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hopes the keen tussle between his young team and hosts England will produce an exciting Champions Trophy final on Sunday.

"England are a very good side and they know the conditions well. We have also played well in a tournament where you only face the best of teams," Dhoni said at Edgbaston, where the final will take place, on Saturday.

"So it will be a good contest and very good for the spectators too. We as cricketers want to entertain the crowd. And that is how it is going to be."

The dream final, worth $2 million to the winners, will be a mouth-watering clash between the two best teams in the eight-nation tournament.

India, winners of the World Cup at home in 2011, proved worthy of their number one ranking by cruising to the final with four straight wins -- the last three by emphatic eight-wicket margins.

Second-ranked England, looking for their first major one-day title, made it to the final with three wins out of four, including a seven-wicket defeat of South Africa in the semifinal at The Oval in London.

India's squad contains just three players -- Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Dhoni himself -- who played in the World Cup final two years ago, but the captain insisted his team was not under pressure for the big game.

"We will prepare for the final the same way we prepared for the semifinal, or the game against Pakistan," he said. "It's a new game now. What happened in the past does not matter."

Dhoni brushed aside worries that bad weather -- rain has been forecast for the entire day on Sunday -- could ruin the final in front of a packed Edgbaston.

"We will wait for tomorrow to see how the weather goes, we can't go by the forecast," he said. "In our semifinal against Sri Lanka, they said we may not even get a 20-over game and we ended up playing a full match."

The Indian captain said the first 10 overs of the innings, whether bowling or batting, could determine how the final shaped up.

"If you get off to a good start, you are able to put pressure on the middle order and then you can restrict the opposition from scoring freely," Dhoni said.

"Or if you are batting first and if you have wickets in hand, you can get those extra 20 or 25 runs in the end which could prove crucial. So I think the first 10 overs are very crucial either way."

India have banked on the success of the top-order, especially left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan, whose 332 runs in four matches have made him the competition's leading scorer.

Dhawan's scores of 114, 102 not out, 48 and 68, allied to valuable opening stands with Rohit Sharma, have fashioned India's comprehensive wins so far.

Dhoni said he expected Dhawan and company to continue their good form against an England attack led by versatile seamer James Anderson.

"England are a very good bowling unit, but we are excited that our top order has played, and done well, against some of the best bowlers in world cricket in this tournament," explained Dhoni.

"Our batsmen are well prepared to face the England bowlers. But, like in every game, they have to apply themselves. So we will wait and watch how it goes."

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Fedex, Nadal lined-up for quarters clash

LONDON: Seven-time champion Roger Federer and two-time winner Rafael Nadal were lined-up for a potential Wimbledon quarterfinal blockbuster when the draw for the season's third Grand Slam was made Friday.

The draw was good news for world number one Novak Djokovic, the 2011 champion, after second-seeded Andy Murray was also placed in the same half as Federer and Nadal.

That would leave Australian Open champion Djokovic free from facing any of his major rivals until the final.

Third seed Federer and Nadal, who have met 30 times in their careers, were placed in the same quarter of the draw after the Spaniard was only seeded five having lost in the second round in 2012.

Federer defeated Nadal in the 2006 and 2007 finals before Nadal, who still admits he is concerned over the staying power of his knees, avenged those losses for his maiden London title in 2008.

If the seedings play out, then the quarterfinals would see Djokovic tackle Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, the fourth seed, would meet Juan Martin del Potro, Nadal would face Federer while Jo-Wilfried Tsonga would take on Murray.

Djokovic starts his campaign against Germany's Florian Mayer while Murray, the runner-up to Federer in 2012, starts against another German, Benjamin Becker, who he beat in the quarterfinals at Queen's last week.

Federer, bidding to become the first man to win Wimbledon eight times and celebrating the 10th anniversary of his first triumph at the All England Club in 2003, starts against Romania's Victor Hanescu.

Nadal, the champion in 2008 and 2010 but whose second-round loss to Lukas Rosol last year put him on the sidelines for seven months, is fresh from his record eighth French Open win.

He begins against Belgium's Steve Darcis.

Murray, Federer and Nadal will all play on Monday, the opening day of the tournament.

In the women's draw, five-time champion and overwhelming favourite Serena Williams, the top seed, was drawn in the same half as Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, who she beat in the 2012 final.

Second-seeded Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, the third seed and 2004 champion, are scheduled to meet in the semifinals in the bottom half of the draw.

Williams, who captured her 16th major at the French Open earlier this month, starts on Tuesday against Luxemburg's Mandy Minella and could face China's Zheng Jie in the second round.

Zheng pushed Williams all the way in the third round last year, only losing out 9-7 in the final set.

Williams is scheduled to face Germany's Angelique Kerber in the last eight, Radwanska is seeded to meet China's former French Open champion Li Na, Sharapova would face Sara Errani of Italy, while Azarenka is seeded to face 2011 champion Petra Kvitova.

Sharapova starts against promising French player Kristina Mladenovic.

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Tendulkar likely to buy Mumbai Masters

NEW DELHI: There will be a dash of cricket in the inaugural Indian Badminton League with star batsman Sachin Tendulkar set to be part of a conglomerate to buy the Mumbai Masters franchisee in the event.

Tendulkar will be part of a conglomerate, which is in the process of buying the Mumbai Masters, according to highly-placed sources in the Badminton Association of India.

"Tendulkar is in the process of buying the Mumbai Masters. He would be the external face of the Mumbai team like Shah Rukh Khan, who promoted his team Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL," a BAI official said on condition of anonymity.

"He will own a share in the franchise, while the rest will be owned by two to three other companies. He will be one of the partners," the source added.

The Indian Badminton League took a huge step forward when it announced its first franchise -- the PVP Group that successfully bid for the Hyderabad Hotshots.

Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore and Lucknow are the six cities that will feature in the first edition of IBL. The owners of teams -- Mumbai Masters (Mumbai), Pune Vijetas (Pune), Rajdhani Smashers (Delhi), Karnataka Kings (Bangalore) and Lucknow Warriors (Lucknow) -- have been decided but will be officially revealed later this month.

"Lucknow will be owned by Sahara, while Dabur is buying Pune. Bangalore is also confirmed. They have invested a lot of money already. Delhi and Karnataka are owned by corporates from real estate," the source added.

The $1 million IBL is less than two months away and organisers are planning to divulge more details in the time to come.

"At a lower level, we have not started our work till now. Till now the organising committee for the different cities has not been decided. So there is still no clarity on a few things, there are few issues to be sorted out," the source said.

"Some officials are in Singapore now to talk to the players for their agreement. The auction stands on June 30 as of now. Last week there was a meeting in Delhi, all this was discussed."

The league, which will feature six franchises and run for 18 days, is set to be launched on August 14 with some high-voltage action expected between PVR Ventures' Hyderabad Hotshots and Karnataka Kings.

Each franchise will host a two-day leg and the event will have a grand total of 90 matches. The top four franchises will clash in the semifinals and the winners will meet in the grand final on August 31 in Mumbai.

However, Ashish Chadha, the CEO of Sporty Solutionz, the commercial partner of the League, said that reports about Tendulkar buying a team in the IBL were not correct.

Chadha said his company has been entrusted with the marketing of the League and said there was no such proposal from Tendulkar.

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Saina crashes out of Singapore Open

SINGAPORE: India's top shuttler Saina Nehwal crashed out of the women's singles quarterfinals at the Singapore Open Super Series on Friday, losing to Indonesia's Lindaweni Fanetri.

The second seed lost to unseeded Lindaweni 21-17, 13-21, 13-21 in 58 minutes at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The World No. 13 avenged her first round loss last week at the Indonesia Open by beating the Hyderabadi in their second career meeting.

After a topsy-turvy start to the first game, Saina found legs to take a lead from 11-all to 17-13 and then went on to win the game in another five minutes.

The second game also started like the first, with the game being fought closely at the start with the Indonesian being the more aggressive of the two. Saina tried clawing back into the match, but Lindaweni pulled away to deny the Indian a straight games victory and levelled the match.

Lindaweni completely decimated the second seed in the decider by running away to a 12-3 lead from where Saina could not recover despite giving it her best shot and the Indian's errors led Lindaweni to go on to win the game and the match with ease.

The World No. 13 was clearly the better athlete on court with her smashes and drop shots proving too difficult for Saina to retrieve.

The Indonesian is now the only non-Chinese in the last four of the Super Series tournament and will face the winner of the match between seventh seed Shixian Wang and fourth seed Yihan Wang Saturday.

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Umesh has to learn discipline: Kapil Dev

BIRMINGHAM: Former Indian speedster and 1983 World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev says Umesh Yadav needs to bring in more "discipline" in his approach to be a successful strike bowler.

The 26-year-old Yadav made a big impression with a five-wicket haul in a warm-up game against Australia but since then he has failed to give India the breakthroughs that skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni wanted from him with the new ball in the Champions Trophy.

In English conditions, speed has not been the only key to success. Yadav has picked up just three wickets from four matches in the Champions Trophy, going wicket-less in big games like Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

By contrast, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been more effective with his lesser pace but greater lateral movement on English wickets and overcast conditions.

Kumar has six wickets from four games and his scalps have all been top-order batsmen.

The fact that Dhoni has either employed Virat Kohli or himself (Dhoni bowled four overs against Sri Lanka in the semis), only goes to show that Yadav has not been doing the job he was expected to.

Against Lanka, Yadav bowled eight overs in three spells and has either struggled with the new ball or proved very expensive. Against the West Indies, Yadav conceded 26 runs in his first three overs, prompting Dhoni to bring him back late in the Caribbean innings.

"It is a big temptation to hit the deck with the new ball, but a good batsman can hit you though the line. Speed can't always get you wickets. Umesh has to learn discipline," Kapil said.

Probably the greatest all-rounder during his hey days, Kapil said Umesh will learn from exposure but must be guided.

"It's nice to bowl very fast but you must strike the right length and line. He needs to concentrate on that," Kapil said.

In a recent chat with reporters, Dhoni almost said Umesh was all brawn and no brain.

"Umesh Yadav is definitely someone who is the quickest when it comes to our side and he's someone who can rush the top batsmen. Just he has to maintain his composure and bowl in the right areas and not look for that extra pace," Dhoni had said.

Echoing exactly what Kapil said, the Indian captain added, "More often you will see him bowling the out-swinger and also, there's a bit of reverse swing. But still, Umesh has to learn a lot. With more exposure he will turn into a thinking bowler and adjust according to game situations."

A TV expert for the Champions Trophy host broadcasters, Kapil said Umesh's pace was a silver lining.

"He will learn with exposure, but someone needs to constantly guide him and address his grey areas," Kapil said, adding, "he also needs to take care of his body. Fitness has been a problem with him."

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Will be attending ICC meetings: Dalmiya

KOLKATA: BCCI's interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya will be attending the ICC annual conference in London next week as India's representative, putting an end to the suspense on the issue.

"I will be attending the ICC executive board, development board and annual conference on behalf of BCCI. It is scheduled from June 27 to 29," Dalmiya told reporters at the Eden Gardens after the completion of CAB's Special General Meeting (SGM).

However Dalmiya gave an open-ended reply as to whether BCCI president N Srinivasan, who has stepped aside from the post till investigations into IPL spot-fixing and betting scandals are completed, will also be attending the conference.

Asked specifically whether Srinivasan will also be attending the ICC annual conference, Dalmiya gave a vague reply "not to my knowledge that Srinivasan is going to the ICC."

However, with Dalmiya attending all the important meetings during the conference, it now looks highly unlikely that Srinivasan will be going to London.

When asked whether he knew about anyone else attending the meeting, he gave another reply which left everyone guessing.

"I don't know, say for instance, the secretary Mr Sanjay Patel will be attending the working committee meeting."

Patel, it is learnt, will be attending the CEO's meeting of the ICC.

The veteran administrator said that a lot of issues needs to be taken into consideration before thinking about uniform implementation of DRS.

"Let us reach there and look into it. There are various points, intricacy of those are to be looked into. I want co-operation from all of them."

Dalmiya stressed that he will have elaborate discussions at the ICC on "cleaning of the game".

Asked whether the issue of "cleansing of cricket" as he had suggested earlier, would be his priority, Dalmiya said: "Cricket will always happen. It's an issue which is close to the heart of BCCI or anyone connected to cricket."

Seeking cooperation from other nations, Dalmiya said: "(This ICC conference and the issue of fixing) Both are two different points and are interconnected.

"One cannot proceed without other, so cleansing of cricket will always happen and is close to heart of BCCI or anyone connected to cricket."

He looked a bit defiant when he was asked how will he react if he is pressurised to accept DRS.

"Why would other countries put pressure on us? Can't we create pressure?" he retorted.

With Indian team playing in the final, Dalmiya said that at this point in time, he is not thinking about what action should be taken about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's alleged conflict of interest having financial interest in Rhiti Sports.

"Let us wait, game should not be disturbed. My suggestion would be to wait and try to support cricket without thinking what action should be taken."

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