Jose concedes defeat in Rooney pursuit

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says he has abandoned his attempts to prise England striker Wayne Rooney from Premier League rivals Manchester United.

Chelsea have had two bids for the 27-year-old rejected by United and after Monday's 0-0 draw between the sides, Mourinho said he would only wait "48 hours" for Rooney to make a decision on his future.

However, speaking after Chelsea's penalty shootout defeat by Bayern Munich in the European Super Cup in Prague on Friday, Mourinho admitted that Rooney would not be arriving at Stamford Bridge.

"For all parties, it's finished," he told Sky Sports. "One thing is to tell you through other people that you want, you want, you want very much, but at the end of the day...

"I feel everyone has the right to show his life, his future, and I respect that."

Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o joined Chelsea on a one-year contract on Thursday and Mourinho said the former Barcelona and Inter Milan player would be his last new signing of the close season.

"It's the end. We have a good group," said the Portuguese. "Samuel will give us another kind of qualities in attack. He is an experienced player in a team that needs some experienced players."

Meanwhile, United manager David Moyes has challenged Rooney to put an unsettled close season behind him and focus on becoming an Old Trafford great.

Rooney is 52 goals behind Bobby Charlton's United scoring record of 249 and Moyes believes there is no reason why he cannot surpass that milestone.

"I'm really keen on getting him focused and on the goal sheet," said Moyes, whose side visit Liverpool on Sunday.

"There is a situation with Wayne where he could go on to emulate some of the greats at United with the goals he can score.

"I wouldn't say the heights of immortal people, but those like Sir Bobby Charlton are on as high a pedestal as anybody can get. We've set it down for him -- can you put yourself in this position?"

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Shooter Sodhi conferred Khel Ratna

NEW DELHI: Robbed of some sheen due to selection controversies this year, the National Sports Awards were presented today to the country's top athletes and coaches with shooter Ronjan Sodhi getting the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- the country's highest sporting honour -- while cricketer Virat Kohli was among the Arjuna awardees.

A loud applause greeted the ace shooter as he received the Khel Ratna award from President Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of a host of Ministers, dignitaries and sports celebrities.

But there was some drama just hours before the awards when long-jumper Renjith Maheshwary's Arjuna award was held back after reports emerged of him being a dope-tainted athlete.

Sodhi became the seventh shooter to be honoured with the prestigious award. Interestingly, it is for the third consecutive year that the Khel Ratna award has gone to a shooter.

Sodhi, who had a disastrous outing at the London Olympics last year, is a former world number one. He was a double trap gold-medallist at last year's Asian Games, besides being a silver-medallist at the Commonwealth Games.

Sodhi, who was the first Indian to win two back-to-back World Cup gold medals, collected the top honour which comprises a medal, citation and a cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh each.

Another star attraction at the ceremony was cricketer Kohli, who was given a thunderous applause while receiving the Arjuna award.

However, rising badminton player PV Sindhu, who became the first Indian woman shuttler to clinch a bronze medal at the World Championships, could not be present at the function personally to take the award.

Besides Sindhu, this year's Arjuna awardees list featured a number of female sportspersons. World Championship bronze medallist Kavita Chahal, veteran squash player Joshna Chinappa, former hockey captain Saba Anjum, paddler Mouma Das, wrestler Neha Rathi and shooter Rajkumari Rathore and archer Chekrovolu Swuro, who was part of the silver medal-winning team in the 2011 World Cup.

But this year's awards were marred by controversies since the day the list was announced. Sodhi's selection for the Khel Ratna triggered a protest from shot-putter Krishna Poonia and paralympics silver-medallist long-jumper H S Girisha.

There were the usual protests by the some others who felt they deserved to be in the Arjuna awardees' list and if that was not enough, the Maheshwary scandal also struck the awards.

Maheshwary had won a bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games with a national record.

Rising golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar, chess player Abhijeet Gupta, billiards and snooker star Rupesh Shah, wrestler Dharmender Dalal and para-athlete Amit Kumar Saroha were also conferred the Arjuna award.

The choices were made by a selection committee headed by three-time billiards world champion Michael Ferreira and comprised noted sportspersons like Limba Ram, V Devarajan, Zafar Iqbal, Vandana Rao, Anjali Bhagwat, Indu Puri, Shakti Singh, Ravi Shastri, Kripa Shankar Patel and Surinder Khanna besides a few other bureaucrats.

Dronacharya Award, the top recognition for coaches in the country, was conferred on five including long-serving archery coach Purnima Mahato and women's hockey coach Narendra Singh Saini, wrestling coach Raj Singh, athletics coach KP Thomas and boxing coach Mahavir Singh.

Mahato started coaching in 1994 and among her wards is former world number one and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Deepika Kumari.

Saini, who is employed with the Sports Authority of India, has been in coaching for 17 years and four girls trained by him are in the senior national team while 10 are in the junior national squad.

Thomas, who is based in Kerala, has Olympian Anju Bobby George, sprinter Jincy Philips, and 800m double Asian Games gold-medallist Shiny Wilson among his long list of wards.

A little-known Mahavir Singh's name was endorsed by London Olympics bronze-medallist and five-time world champion woman boxer MC Mary Kom.

Raj Singh is the Wrestling Federation of India secretary general and has been a coach for nearly four decades.

The Arjuna and Dronacharya awardees got statuettes, citations and cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each.

Dhyan Chand Award, given for the life-time contribution to sports development, was conferred on Jagraj Singh Mann (Athletics), Gundeep Kumar (Hockey), Vinod Kumar (Wrestling) and Sukhbir Singh Tokas (Para-Sports).

The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a statuette and a citation.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: Ronjan Sodhi

Arjuna Award: Chekrovolu Swuro (Archery), P V Sindhu (Badminton), Kavita Chahal (Boxing), Rupesh Shah (Billiards & Snooker), Virat Kohli (Cricket), Abhijeet Gupta (Chess), Gagan Jeet Bhullar (Golf), Saba Anjum (Hockey), Rajkumari Rathore (Shooting), Joshna Chinnappa (Squash), Mouma Das (Table Tennis), Neha Rathi (Wrestling), Dharmender Dalal (Wrestling), Amit Kumar Saroha (Para Athletics).

Dronacharya Awards: Poornima Mahato (Archery), Mahavir Singh (Boxing), Narinder Singh Saini (Hockey), K P Thomas (Athletics), Raj Singh (Wrestling).

Dhyan Chand Awards: Mary D'souza Sequeira (Athletics), Syed Ali (Hockey), Anil Mann (Wrestling), Girraj Singh (Para Sports).

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar: Community Sports Identification and Nurturing of Budding Young Talent (Dr UK Mishra, Founder and President, National Sports Academy, Allahabad), Financial Support for Sports Excellence (Services Sports Control Board), Establishment and Management of Sports Academies of Excellence (Pullela Gopichand Academy of Badminton, Hyderabad), Employment of Sportspersons and sports welfare measures (Petroleum Sports Promotion Board).

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Negredo helps nervy City edge past Hull

LONDON: Alvaro Negredo came off the bench and scored for the second Premier League game running as Manchester City edged promoted Hull City 2-0 on Saturday.

Points Table | Schedule & Results

Manuel Pellegrini's side were labouring in the sunshine at the Etihad Stadium and had to endure several nervous moments before the former Sevilla striker made the breakthrough 20 minutes into the second half.

A sumptuous last-minute free-kick from Yaya Toure settled matters, but after their shock 3-2 loss at Cardiff City last weekend, City once again showed plenty of room for improvement.

City made two changes to their starting XI, with fit-again Matija Nastasic replacing Javi Garcia in central defence and Aleksandar Kolarov coming in for Gael Clichy at left-back, while Danny Graham took the place of suspended striker Yannick Sagbo for Hull.

It was the visitors who made the brighter start, and Sone Aluko should have done better than drag the ball harmlessly wide of the right-hand post after breaking clear in the eighth minute.

Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor produced sharp saves to repel headers from Kolarov and Joleon Lescott, but there was another scare for the hosts when Danny Graham had a volley chalked off for offside.

City manager Pellegrini introduced new signing Negredo in place of the ineffective Edin Dzeko at half-time and the Spaniard almost made an immediate impact, only to completely miscue his header from David Silva's lofted pass.

Negredo would not be denied, however, and in the 65th minute he broke the deadlock with a firm downward header from Pablo Zabaleta's floated right-wing centre.

It had been an arduous afternoon for the 2012 champions, but Toure added a layer of sheen to the result by bending a 22-yard free-kick over the wall and in off the crossbar in the 90th minute.

Cardiff will look to build on last weekend's memorable 3-2 win over City later on Saturday when they welcome Everton to the Welsh capital, while Newcastle United go in search of a first win at home to Fulham.

Elsewhere, Southampton visit Norwich City, Stoke City travel to West Ham United, and the late game sees Crystal Palace tackle Sunderland at Selhurst Park.

Two of English football's most enduring fixtures take place on Sunday, with Manchester United manager David Moyes taking his side to Liverpool for the first time and Arsenal hosting Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby.

Chelsea and Aston Villa are not in action this weekend due to the London club's participation in the European Super Cup, which saw them beaten on penalties by Bayern Munich in Prague on Friday.

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'Zaheer should be picked for SA tour'

MUMBAI: Former India seamer and Mumbai coach Balwinder Singh Sandhu feels that veteran pacer Zaheer Khan should be picked for India's tour of South Africa later this year as his years of experience at the international level would come in handy.

"Given a choice between an in-form youngster and a fully fit Zaheer Khan, I would pick the latter. Zaheer has the experience and has got performances to back his claim. He is a proven performer. In South Africa, Zaheer will prove to be useful," he told reporters on the sidelines of book launch on the victorious under-19 team that won the World Cup in Australia last year.

The book titled 'Teen Thunder Down Under' has been written by journalist Gaurav Joshi.

Elaborating on Zaheer, Sandhu, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning squad said, "He (Zaheer) is an intelligent bowler. His training and match schedule is ready I believe. He will play matches before he is picked to go to (South Africa) and match-fitness is also important. Zaheer is an experienced player and he knows what needs to be done. That's precisely why he is trying to improve his fitness."

Sandhu insisted that all the players would need to improve their fitness in order to earn a berth in the side.

"All the players, whether it is Zaheer or a new player, everybody needs to work on their fitness. Everybody will have to work hard.

"At the end of the day, the player who wants to play for the country will have to perform. Even if you get into the team on basis of past performances, one won't get more than couple of matches."

"But even in those one or two matches, you need to perform. I am sure if Zaheer's fitness is good, he will definitely perform well and get into the team," he said.

Sandhu also added that India's cupboard isn't bare as far as pace bowling is concerned.

"We definitely have a good lot of pace bowlers. They are doing well, training and performing well. Now you have to think that spinners are not there."

He also backed discarded openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir stating, "Both are big match players. Gautam has proved he is a good player and so has Sehwag. All they need is one good innings and a good fitness level. One or two innings and Sehwag will get into runs... And on that confidence he performs."

He advised Bhuvneshwar Kumar to continue bowling in the same manner and said, "Bhuvneshwar is a swing bowler. He won't be able to bowl fast. If he tries to bowl quick, he might lose out on swing and will never be the same bowler again. His basic action is of a swing bowler. He should stick to swing bowling and can bring out variations in his moving deliveries.

On Sachin Tendulkar playing his much-anticipated 200th Test match in South Africa, he said, "Playing 200 matches at club level itself is a big thing. This is 200 Test matches we are talking about. It is a great achievement, physically and mentally."

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Kohli needs Sachin's experience: Cairns

BANGALORE: Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns on Saturday said that Sachin Tendulkar should continue playing Test cricket for another year to groom Virat Kohli as a leader and other youngsters.

"Tendulkar should keep going for another year. I don't know, but Kohli needs to get more experience in his company. Kohli is going to be a great player and next captain," Cairns said.

"Tendulkar's presence in the Indian side is important as there are not enough experienced players in the side, especially after the retirement of Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman," he said.

"When Tendulkar hangs his boots for good, it would be sad for the young Indian players including Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli to miss his experience in the middle," the Kiwi added.

Asked if he were to be an Indian captain would he still give a chance to Tendulkar, who has been struggling for form of late, Cairns said, "Even if he is operating below his benchmark, he is still better than anybody else."

"Tendulkar has to be in the team out of respect and contributions he made in his long career, even though he has not been scoring lots of runs," Cairns said.

Cairns said the Indian Premier League has done a lot of good to Indian players and in next five to 10 years the world will see India producing players of international quality.

"There may be some criticising IPL but it has done good to Indian players. A lot of players have been interacting with international players, trainers and coaches, which has helped them improve their cricket. And they have been learning faster and in professional way which is good for the game," he said.

"However, the next frontier for India is to consistently win abroad," he said.

"It's all about mental prowess than technique to play on bouncier tracks abroad. Rahul Dravid, (Virender) Sehwag and Tendulkar had good records abroad. They played well because they had the mental prowess to play in alien conditions," he said.

Cairns, however, said that India should get their fast bowling department right if they want to be successful abroad.

"Until India finds the fast bowling combination it will struggle. It needs to find that and that's one thing I think that Indian cricket yearns for," he said.

"You cannot have one fast bowler doing all the work. You need a combination of two bowlers. England has Jimmy Anderson and Chris Broad. South Africa has Dale Steyn and Mornie Morkel. The world's dominating teams are those who had a combination of two good fast bowlers. Even Pakistan had Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram," he added.

"Ishant is somewhere about and it is the consistency. If you had Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath bowling together I guarantee that India would have been winning abroad," Cairns said.

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I-League: AIFF disbands Pailan Arrows

KOLKATA: In yet another blow to Indian football, All India Football Federation was on Thursday forced to disband its developmental outfit Pailan Arrows due to lack of financial commitment from its sponsors.

"The sponsors (Pailan Group) are still yet to make any financial commitment. The infrastructure (at Pailan in the outskirts of the city) is in a bad shape... We have no option but to pull out the team. So, there will be 14 teams in the I-League 2013-14," AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said.

Das, however, added that the future of the 20-odd contracted players would be secured as the AIFF would continue to pay their salaries.

"They are contracted with the AIFF and would continue to get salaries. Some of them would play for I-League clubs while others will play for India Under-23 side," Das said.

Formed in 2010 as the Indian Arrows, with the main goal of nurturing young talents in view of 2018 World Cup, the team had appeared in three seasons of the I-League with mixed results.

"As it is, this would have been the last year of the team," Das said.

The decision was taken at an AIFF meeting on Thursday after an acute financial crisis at the Pailan Group.

"Such was the condition that the players were not offered food and had to manage on their own a few days back," an AIFF insider claimed.

After the Saradha Group went bust early this year, some city-based clubs have been experiencing financial crisis with United Sports Club facing a similar dilemma after its sponsors Prayag Group pulled out.

When contacted, Pailan Group chairman Apurba Saha said, "I'm out of town, I have no details as of now... we will keep you informed."

In the build-up to the season, speculation was rife that the AIFF would disband the side with the Pailan Group not settling all its financial dues.

But Saha had earlier said that they have sorted out the differences with the AIFF amicably.

"Pailan Group has settled all financial dues with the AIFF and both parties are now ready to concentrate on the upcoming I-League season with a deep sense of association as before," he had said.

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'Ishwar Pandey was find of S Africa tour'

MUMBAI: India A coach Lalchand Rajput says paceman Ishwar Pandey was find of the South Africa tour and many a young players stand a good chance to be selected when the national team will travel there later in the year.

The team, led by Cheteshwar Pujara, won the triangular one-day series featuring the A teams of India, Australia and South Africa and then drew the two-match 'Test' series against the hosts before returning home last night.

Pandey took seven wickets in the first Test and four in the second Test. In the preceding tri-series, he took five wickets in two matches.

"South Africa is always a difficult tour. It is challenging for the players and the support staff. It is very heartening that we did so well, because people never thought we would do so well in South Africa. The players responded very well and, overall, it was an excellent tour for us," Rajput told PTI here today.

"In bowling department, the find was Ishwar Pandey, who did well in one-dayers and 'Tests'. Jaydev Unadkat and Mohamad Shami also bowled well," he said.

"Most of the players have been impressive like Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Suresh Raina, and as a wicketkeeper, definitely Wriddhiman Saha. "

Rajput, who was also coach of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning Indian team, said since the senior side is scheduled to tour South Africa, people had a lot of interest in this series.

"It was a tour where people had set their eyes on, since we are going there in November-December. Even selectors were having a keen look. One selector (Viram Rathore) was also there. So the players who have done well, definitely they (selectors) will start ringing (the players) for the Test and ODI series," the former India opener said.

Rajput, however, conceded the wickets that the team encountered were not as quick as they are expected to be.

"They were not as quick as we expect them to be in November-December (during the Team India's tour), but it was a fairly good environment to get used to."

Rajput also had special words of praise for opener Dhawan's performance and said the left-handed batsman simply tore apart the opposition attack during his whirlwind knock of 248, the second highest score in limited overs games, against South Africa in the round robin stage.

"The way he was batting, it was like he was butchering the bowlers. He is in tremendous form and is a man with a lot of confidence. He is growing from strength to strength.

"The way he played in one-dayers, it was heartening. In one-day cricket, he would have got almost 300 runs, the way he was batting. The main thing is that he is playing proper cricketing shots," Rajput said.

The former player also praised Mumbai batsman Rohit Sharma and said the 26-year-old has started living up to his potential.

"He has got lots of talent and potential and now he is delivering that. He has got so much potential that he could be a consistent performer. That is what he is trying to do now, play and perform consistently."

On captain Pujara's performance, the coach said, "As a batsman he played well in both one-dayers and 'Tests'. He wants to score runs and values his wicket. Overall he did extremely well."

Rajput defended lukewarm display of opening batsman Murali Vijay, who failed to get a big score against his name in the tour games.

"He is a good player and has performed well in the national team. In one-dayers he got into 40s but could not convert them (in big scores). He was batting well but did not get a big score. He is a good player and just because he didn't get runs in one match does not mean that we should look beyond him," Rajput added.

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Sanga not to play for Sunrisers in CLT20

COLOMBO: Kumar Sangakkara has preferred Sri Lankan champion team Kandurata over his IPL team Hyderabad Sunrisers for the upcoming Champions League Twenty20 tournament.

"I will play for the Kandurata team in the Champions League", the star left-hander said on Thursday.

The Kandurata team qualified in the recent Sri Lankan Super 4 league which was cobbled out as a result of the cancellation of this year's SLPL.

"This was an issue which ought to have been settled by Sri Lanka Cricket. They told me that I should play for Kandurata. If I had a free choice where I was not being penalised, my choice would definitely be Kandurata," the former Sri Lankan captain said.

Sangakkara's form dropped so much so in the last IPL, he stepped down from captaincy of the Sunrisers and was also dropped later as a batsman.

However he regained his form in the tri-nation series in the West Indies which followed the IPL, in the home ODI series against South Africa and while also steering the Jamaica Tallawahs to the final in the Caribbean Premier League concluded last week.

He said if the players ought to represent home franchises, the local board, IPL governing council and players must discuss the issue before signing the tripartite agreement.

Responding to the oft repeated accusation that players were money chasers leaving the national interests in the sidelines, Sangakkara said he had never claimed match fees for making appearances for his club and the province in the domestic competitions.

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Zaheer's return will not be easy: McGrath

NEW DELHI: Former Australian pace spearhead and MRF Pace Foundation director Glenn McGrath has said that making a comeback in the Indian team will not be easy for pacer Zaheer Khan.

Speaking to Times Now, McGrath said that coming back in a young side will be difficult for Zaheer, who has returned from a fitness-training stint in France. "Zaheer has to get honest with himself. He has to work hard and keep wickets for return," said McGrath.

Zaheer was dropped from the Test team in December last year, during the home series against England that India lost. His last limited-overs international was in October 2012.

McGrath also said that it's good to coach a player like Virender Sehwag and he will provide all necessary help to the Delhi batsman in regaining his lost form. "It's great that Viru has come to MRF foundation. Where else can you face such a quality bowling. Facilities here are second to none. It's great opportunity for any batsman to train under quality pace attack, said McGrath.

Eyeing a comeback in the Indian team, Sehwag is sharpening his skill under McGrath's guidance at the MRF Pace Academy.

Sehwag's inability against quality pace attack came under sharp criticism and the batsman lost his place in the national squad following series of poor performances.

Expressing concern about Australian team's poor show in England, McGrath said," Ashes defeat was Australia's worst show ever."

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Gambhir fails but Chawla scores ton

LONDON: While regular batsman Gautam Gambhir failed to fire for his county Essex in four consecutive innings, Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla let his bat do the talking with a superb century during a Division-I county game for his side Somerset against Middlesex at the Lord's on Thursday.

The left-handed Chawla, who came into bat at No 9 with the scoreboard reading 211 for seven, struck a stylish 112 off only 170 balls with 12 boundaries and four sixes as Somerset finished at 449 in 136 overs.

He reached his century off 139 balls with 10 fours and four sixes -- three off them coming against left-arm spinner Ravi Patel. The other six was hit off offie Oliver Rayner's delivery soon after he arrived at the crease.

Chawla reached his fourth first-class century with a big six off Patel.

Coming to bat in the 66th over, Chawla was finally out in the 130th over having guided his team to safety.

En route his three-figure mark, he shared a 107-run stand for the eighth wicket with Alex Barrow (65, 123 balls, 6x4) and 99 runs for the ninth wicket with Alfonso Thomas (54, 150 balls, 8x4).

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India maul B'desh, face Malaysia in semis

IPOH (Malaysia): Penalty corner exponents Rupinderpal Singh and VR Raghunath slammed a hat-trick each as India mauled minnows Bangladesh 9-1 to maintain their unbeaten run ahead of the semifinals in the ninth Asia Cup hockey tournament on Wednesday.

The Indians, who were through to the semifinals even before Wednesday's match, led 5-1 at the breather and pumped in four more goals in the second session to stamp their authority over their lowly opponents.

Rupinder (4th, 19th, 27th, 61st minutes) scored four goals in the match, out of which three came via penalty corner, while Raghunath (29th, 52nd, 59th) converted short corners to emerge as the joint top-scorer of the tournament with Jang Jong Hyun of South Korea on six goals apiece.

Nikkin Thimmaiah (25th) and Malak Singh (47th) were the other goal-getters for India.

Bangladesh's lone goal came from the stick of their skipper Md Mamunur Rahman Chayan (35th minute).

By virtue of this win, the Indians finished on top of Pool B with nine points from three games. Defending champions South Korea are second in this pool with six points.

India will now face Pool A runners-up and hosts Malaysia in the second semifinal on Friday, while South Korea will be up against Pool A toppers Pakistan.

The match between India and Bangladesh started nearly 40 minutes late as the first game of the day between Korea and Oman was delayed due to heavy downpour in the evening.

Playing under persistent drizzle and damp conditions, the Indians meant business from the beginning. Such was their dominance that they earned as many as 10 penalty corners in the match, out of which they utilise six.

The Indians were under no pressure as they played free-flowing hockey to put the Bangladeshi defence under constant pressure.

For the sparse crowd present at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium, there was excitement from the very beginning as it rained goals in the match.

Ranked 31st in the world, Bangladesh were expected to be a mismatch for the eight-time Olympic champions India, and they turned out to be exactly that.

As their interim coach Roelant Oltmans indicated after the Korea match, the Indians went for attack against Bangladesh from the opening whistle.

It took the Indians just four minutes to take the lead when Rupinder converted his side's first penalty corner. India earned two more penalty corners soon after but the Bangladeshi defence stood tall to avert the dangers.

But India doubled their lead in the 19th minute from their fourth penalty corner which Rupinder converted with a powerful high flick to the top left of the Bangladeshi goal.

Young Nikkin Thimmaiah then extended India's lead by scoring his first international goal in the 25th minute with a reverse shot from the top of the opposition circle.

India soon made it 5-0 via a penalty stroke which they earned after Rupinder's flick from a penalty corner hit the body of a Bangladeshi defender.

Lanky Rupinder stepped up to take the shot from the spot and converted it successfully to complete his hat-trict.

Bangaldesh, however, pulled one back just at the stroke of halftime through captain Md Mamunur Rahman Chayan who converted their only penalty corner of the match to register their first goal of the tournament.

The Indians continued in the same vein after the change of ends and pumped in four more goals to assert their supremacy in the lop-sided contest.

The Indians took a little while to get on the scoring mode in the second half with Malak finding the opposition net in the 47th minute.

Thereafter, it was all a Rupinder and Ragunath show. While Raghunath converted two more short corners in the second half, Rupinder matched his compatriot scoring his fourth goal of the match nine minutes from the hooter from India's 10th and last short corner.

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'Tendulkar's wicket most memorable'

NEW DELHI: Aiming a comeback in the Indian team, leg-spinner Piyush Chawla still cheers the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar, eight years ago, that changed the fortunes of his cricket career. In an exclusive interview to Wisden, Chawla said, "It is my most memorable wicket as a professional cricketer."

Chawla drew the attention of the selectors with that Tendulkar's wicket and, at 17, he made his Test debut versus England at Mohali in 2006.

"I was a 16-year-old kid playing against someone who had ripped apart almost all of the great bowlers. I went into the match with the mindset that I had nothing to lose. I thought if he hits me around, so what, he's done that to a lot of bowlers over the years. But before the match, I also dreamt of getting him out, which came true. He later told me 'Well bowled'. I think he was a little embarrassed at being dismissed by a 16-year-old," said Chawla.

However, the Uttar Pradesh spinner is today struggling to resurrect his international career.

"I never thought after my debut that seven years later, I would have only played (just) two more Tests. It hurts a lot but I am still learning and waiting for my next chance to play for India," added Chawla.

Chawla's last Test was against England in Nagpur last year, where he took four wickets. But the selectors have ignored him since then. Like Gautam Gambhir, Chawla too is trying to regain his lost form with some county experience. He will play for Somerset for the remainder of the Division One season. He has replaced Pakistan left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, who is currently touring Zimbabwe with his national side.

"It is an exciting challenge and I have not set myself any specific goals or targets in terms of runs or wickets. I would like to do my best and enhance my reputation as a cricketer," said Chawla. This will be the 24-year-old's second stint in England after he featured for Sussex four years ago. "The spell with Sussex was a massive boost for my career. I want to do as well for Somerset as I did with Sussex."

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Usain Bolt not worried about failure

ZURICH: Usain Bolt is not worried about tarnishing his career by failing to retain his 100 and 200 metres Olympic titles in Rio de Janeiro in three years' time.

"In life you don't always get what you want," the Jamaican said after visiting FIFA president Sepp Blatter at the headquarters of soccer's world governing body.

"It wouldn't be the greatest moment, but I would understand because I've had my time, I've been dominant for a long time."

"So, if I get to Rio and it doesn't happen, I would have to understand because I'm getting older and there are greater athletes coming up," added Bolt who turned 27 a week ago.

"I know the athletes have to work harder to step their game up, and be the best. For me, I'll be happy for the sport because it would mean its stepping up and moving on."

Earlier, Bolt, who will compete in the Zurich Diamond League meeting on Thursday, was handed a ticket for the 2014 World Cup final by Blatter along with a furry toy depicting the tournament mascot, a grinning blue and yellow armadillo named Fuleco.

"To go to Rio and win again would be a feat in itself, because it would be the first time anybody has ever won three times in a row so that would also add to my greatness," he said.

"As an athlete you are always pushing the limit and for me I want to continue pushing the barrier," added Bolt, who won the 100 and 200 metres double at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and will be approaching his 30th birthday in Rio in 2016.

"At the end of the day I want to be remembered among the greatest athletes, Pele, (Diego) Maradona, Michael Johnson."

Bolt also commented on a suggestion that he could take up a sports administration role after retiring as an athlete, but said he might be "too lazy" for the role.

"I have thought about it, I have to admit I'm slightly lazy, but we'll see where it goes," he said.

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Bale could be at Madrid 'very soon': AVB

Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas appeared resigned Wednesday to seeing star forward Gareth Bale leave for Real Madrid for a proposed world record transfer fee.

But Villas-Boas said Spurs would still consider fining Bale after the Wales forward did not turn up at the north London club's training ground on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

"He is involved in a big transfer move to Real Madrid and in the end if it happens, we wish him all the best, but the fact that he hasn't turned up is not the correct behaviour...," Villas-Boas said at a news conference.

"That is the position they chose to take and it's up to the club to decide if it's a fineable offence," the Portuguese added.

Villas-Boas confirmed Bale was on the brink of joining Spanish giants Real.

"It could happen very, very soon," he said. Villas-Boas added he did not expect to see Bale at Tottenham's training ground again.

"Will he be in tomorrow? I don't know. I'm not really in control of the situation I've left it up to the club to decide what they want to do," the manager said.

"It's up to Gareth (whether he wants to come back again). He has a good relationship with everybody and he has saluted the players the other day, myself included."

Real manager Carlo Ancelotti angered Tottenham by speaking of Bale as though he'd already joined the Spanish club while erecting a stage at the Santiago Bernabeu for the presentation of the Welshman as one of their players.

"I cannot comment on actions that another club has taken, I showed my disappointment before and I think Carlo did extremely well because he didn't speak about Gareth again after the first time," Villas-Boas said.

"Whether it's responsible or irresponsible, I don't care." Tottenham have been slinked with Erik Lamela, Christian Eriksen and Vlad Chiriches over the last week.

"I have told you that we will continue re-strengthening the squad so we are looking at different positions to make us stronger. Not only those players, others as well," Villas-Boas said.

"In the next couple of days we will have further news and I think we will see further additions at Tottenham."

Villas-Boas said he had asked about the possibility of signing Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata, but said he was never every hopeful the Blues would let a player leave for their London rivals.

"First, Chelsea wouldn't sell to Tottenham in any way or form, as they think that we are title contenders," said Villas-Boas, who saw main target Willian choose Chelsea over Spurs last week.

"Mata is a great, great player - player of the season last season - very, very important player for Chelsea.

"They're just not going to strengthen another team that, in their opinion, are rivals for the title."

Meanwhile Villas-Boas was looking forward to the rest of the season where they've won their first two games following a £60 million pre-season spending spree.

"We have a very, very strong team the same. If this transfer happens, it will give the opportunity to step up their game, step up the responsibility and I think we have seen that in the last couple of games," Villas-Boas said.

"There hasn't been any disruption. We've been working well and the team is training very, very well."

Earlier on Wednesday, Bale was included in the Wales squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Macedonia and Serbia.

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Gauti fails again, falls for duck in county

BRISTOL: India discard Gautam Gambhir's woeful county stint continued after he failed for the fourth time while turning up for Essex, this time in a first-class match against Gloucestershire on Wednesday.

Gambhir's sequence of scores in the four matches for Essex (two first-class and two List A) read a horrible 31, 21, 2 and 0. He has not even come close to scoring a 50 for his county side who replaced him in place of Hamish Rutherford.

Gambhir, who is struggling against the seamers was out without scoring after facing eight deliveries as right-arm seamer William Gidman castled him in the fifth over of the day.

The Delhi left-hander's technique against moving deliveries outside the sub-continent has always been under scanner, save a couple of knocks in New Zealand back in 2009.

While he has generally struggled against genuine pace throughout his international career, it is the county seamers who are posing lot of problems for the out-of-favour opener who was played on desperate to score his first runs of the match.

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Graeme Swann admits to wicket abuse

LONDON: There was more than just the bubbly flowing as England's cricket team celebrated its Ashes win over Australia at The Oval.

Australian journalists, working late on Sunday, reported seeing some England players sitting on the grass wicket drinking beer and then urinating on the field.

"We did go out to the middle of the pitch, all the lads, drinking beers, singing a few songs and enjoying each other's company," England player Graeme Swann said in Tuesday's editions of The Sun newspaper. "I think the call of nature might have come once or twice but it was nothing untoward.

"It was midnight, a private celebration in the middle of the pitch and the ground was dark."

The England and Wales Cricket Board has declined to say if they are investigating the incident but former Australia star Shane Warne said the England players behaved in an arrogant way.

"It's a real shame they let themselves down so badly and I'm sure it will have some big ramifications from the ECB," Warne said in the Daily Telegraph.

England won the series 3-0, with two of the five Tests drawn.

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Media makes archer Deepika Kumari cry

NEW DELHI: Media pressure for exclusive soundbytes left world champion archer Deepika Kumari in tears after a felicitation ceremony in the national capital on Tuesday.

Deepika Kumari who led India to gold medal win in team event in the recently concluded world cup was seen begging for privacy while reporters demanded for an exclusive interview.

The trio of Deepika Kumari, Bombayla Devi and Rimil Buriuly won back-to-back World Cup titles defeating South Korea in the final at Poland's Wroclaw on Sunday.

The triumphant Indian women's recurve team returned home in the wee hours on Tuesday to a lukewarm response.

The archery team was later felicitated at the resident of President of Archery Association of India (AAI), V K Malhotra.

The archers were, however, a little disappointed that no top officials had come to receive them at the Indira Gandhi International airport.

"We are a bit disappointed. If we compare with other sports, there are lot of people receiving the players at the airport. This is a very big achievement, we defeated Korea. It would have been great had we received a big welcome but its okay our job is to do better and we will do it," Rimil said.

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B'desh cricketers deny corruption charges

Two Bangladeshi cricketers declared their innocence on Tuesday after confirming they were among those charged with match-fixing following a probe earlier this month by the sport's world body.

Paceman Mahbubul Alam and left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain said they would defend themselves against charges of fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), a scandal that has already brought down teammate and national hero Mohammad Ashraful.

"I am innocent, I was not involved in any kind of corruption," said Alam, 29, who has played four Tests and four one-day matches for his country.

"I have appointed a lawyer to represent me in the (upcoming) disciplinary panel hearing," Alam said.

Hossain, 31, also confirmed he would contest the charges laid under the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) anti-corruption code, ahead of the deadline later Tuesday for officially responding to the allegations.

Selim Chowdhury, owner of the Dhaka Gladiators BPL franchise, confirmed that he and his son, co-owner Shihab Chowdhury, have also been charged along with the franchise's Indian CEO Gaurav Rawat.

Selim Chowdhury said they would all plead not guilty at the hearing. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced this month that seven unidentified people had been charged with fixing involving the Dhaka Gladiators, following an investigation by its anti-corruption officials.

Another two were charged with failing to report corruption when they were approached during the 2013 season of the Twenty20 tournament, in a scandal that further shook confidence in the game across South Asia.

English all-rounder Darren Stevens became the first among the nine accused to reveal his identity, when he confirmed that he has been charged with failure to report a corrupt approach made to him.

The scandal has already ensnared Ashraful, the former Bangladesh captain, who made a tearful confession to match-fixing on national television in June after being quizzed by the ICC's officials.

He was allegedly involved in fixing a match between the Dhaka Gladiators and the Chittagong Kings. Local media have reported that the batsman was paid about one million taka ($12,800) to lose the match on February 2.

Ashraful, who became the country's youngest Test centurion in 2001 at the age of 17, was also allegedly involved in fixing another match 10 days later against the Barisal Burners, which his team lost by seven wickets, local reports have said.

Across the border in India, the sport is embroiled in separate spot-fixing and betting scandals in the Indian Premier League, with three cricketers among 39 people charged by police in July.

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Rahane, Saha keep India A hopes alive

PRETORIA: Ajinkya Rahane and Wriddhiman Saha put up a brave fight to overcome early jitters and enable India A reach 177 for five at tea while chasing 307 for victory against South Africa A on the fourth and final day of the second and final unofficial Test on Tuesday.

Reeling at 18 for five, Rahane and Saha consolidated India's innings by sharing an unbeaten 159-run stand for the sixth wicket to brighten India's chances of winning the two-match series 2-0.

India A won the first Test by an innings and 13 runs at Rustenburg.

At tea, Rahane was batting on 85 while Saha was unbeaten on 75, even as India A required another 130 runs for victory with five wickets remaining.

Resuming the day on three for one, India lost four wickets in quick succession for just 17 runs, as left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks struck three early blows. His figures read an impressive four for 27 when the teams went for tea.

Cheteshwar Pujara, who resumed today on 2, failed to add to his overnight total as Jutin Ontong ran him out.

Hendricks, who dismissed opener Murali Vijay (2) yesterday, accounted for the other three wickets -- overnight batsman Shahbaz Nadeem (5), Dinesh Karthik (0) and Ambati Rayudu (1) -- to leave the Indians in tatters, before Rahane and Saha came to the team's rescue.

Both the batsmen played with a lot of caution and made sure that the Indians do not lose any more wickets. The duo frustrated the host bowlers by completing their fifties.

While Rahane took 148 balls and hit 10 fours, Saha's knock came off 162 balls and included 11 fours.

Earlier, India's first innings folded for a meagre 201 in reply to South Africa's 341. In the second essay the Proteas declared at 166 for five to set the visitors a stiff target.

Brief Scores (At Tea):

South Africa A: 341 & 166 for five decl (Dean Elgar 34, Shahbaz Nadeem 3-56).

India A: 201 & 177 for five in 58 overs (Ajinkya Rahane batting 85, Wriddhiman Saha batting 75; Beuran Hendricks 4-27).

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Shane Warne slams English cricketers

LONDON: Spin legend Shane Warne has termed "ordinary and arrogant" the three top England players' alleged act of urinating on the pitch at The Oval here hours after the fifth and final Ashes Test ended on Sunday night.

The allegations, which originated from Australian journalists who were at the press box as darkness enveloped the ground, involved Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson who had all made significant contributions to England's 3-0 triumph in the series.

"... To go and disrespect something as ancient as the Oval pitch in such an unnecessary and crass way is a pretty ordinary and arrogant thing to do, I wonder also if the opposition was mentioned too?," Warne wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

"When you play in a six to eight-week series of intense Ashes cricket you should always have a chance to let your hair down at the end.

"Unfortunately the way people are judged these days it's best to celebrate within the confines of the dressing room.

"Stay in there as long as you like, get as drunk as you like if that is what you want to do and enjoy your team-mates and the moment."

The players are alleged to have taken turns to urinate on the pitch after they sat on the ground with their post-match drinks, according to an Australian journalist.

The three players relieved themselves on the pitch to the cheers of teammates as the England players celebrated the victory.

According to media reports, about five hours after the last Test was stopped due to bad light with England close to victory, the players gathered near the pitch to continue their celebrations.

While the center of the ground was quite dark, lights were on in the grandstands with people still cleaning up after a late finish, which saw the game go beyond usual time.

The incident has taken some sheen away from England's win over Australia who failed to rise to the occasion.

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Passion has brought me back: Yuvraj

NEW DELHI: Eyeing an international comeback after falling out of favour due to poor form, Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh said his passion for the game has kept him motivated.

Yuvraj, who successfully battled cancer last year, came back to international cricket with the Twenty20 World Championships in the same year.

A drop in form saw the 31-year-old being left out of the post this year's IPL and he is now aiming for a return through good performances in the domestic circuit.

"Last one year was very difficult for me. I have seen ups and downs. Injuries before World Cup, then diagnoses with a cancer tumour after the 2011 World Cup, comeback in the team and then getting dropped, the challenges were very hard but it is my passion for the game that kept motivating me to make a comeback," Yuvraj told 'PTI Bhasha' in an interview.

"The inspiration to make a comeback and play for country was always there. It is in my system and it gave me the energy to face all the challenges. My never felt so good in last 2-3 years but now I am really feeling well. I have worked hard on off season training and hope to see the result in matches , be it domestic or international," said the batsman.

He has taken all the criticism in his stride and does not get affected by it now.

"I am OK with it. I have been playing for 13 years now and every player has highs and lows in his career. In India people criticise you the most when you are down. It is part and parcel of the game and I am prepared for that," he said.

Yuvraj now has to compete with the juniors to find a place in the team but his confidence remains high.

"Everyone has to work hard to find a place in team, whether it is a senior or junior. As I said that I have been for 13 years now and have full confidence on my abilities. I am confident making a comeback through good performance in coming season," he said.

He is eyeing on Challenger trophy to be held next month but is willing to play a few local matches before that.

"There is Challenger trophy in September but I will play a few local matches before that, if I get a chance. Then there is Duleep trophy in October and then the Australia series. If I do not get a chance to play Australia series, I will play Ranji trophy in October-November," he said.

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Indian women clinch Archery WC title

WROCLAW ( Poland): The Indian trio of Bombayala Devi, Deepika Kumari and Rimil Buriuly won back-to-back World Cup titles beating the formidable South Korea in the women's recurve team final on Sunday.

India got the better of Koreans Yun Ok-Hee, Ki Bo Bae, and Joo Hyun Jung 219-215 for their second major title in as many months. They had won the World Cup Stage 3 in Medellin, Colombia last month.

The Danish women were the surprising bronze medallists with their 210-194 win over Russia.

It was a surprising result in the title clash too as Korea had not shot less than 222 in their elimination matches against the United States, Italy and Russia. India defeated Indonesia, Mexico and Denmark en route to the final.

There was little to choose between India and Korea with the score tied at 163-163 by end three. The wind played its part in the contest as archers on both sides shot an odd 7.

Ki Bo Bae opened the final end with a disappointing 6. The next two arrows for Korea were 9 and 9.

India responded with three 10s to wrest the advantage going into the last six arrows. The Koreans managed 9-8-10 before the Indians came up with 10-10-7, winning the end 56-52 and thus the match and the title of World Cup Stage 4.

The World Cup Finals will be held next month in Paris.

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India retain No. 3 spot in T20 rankings

DUBAI: India managed to retain their third spot among T20 teams while Virat Kohli has held on to his sixth spot in the ICC rankings for Twenty20 batsmen issued on Sunday.

India are placed at third with 121 rating points in the ICC T20 Championship table which is headed by Sri Lanka and followed by Pakistan.

Pakistan's 2-0 series win over hosts Zimbabwe have helped them gain one ratings points to finish at 125. Pakistan, which started the series in second place with 124 ratings points, have now reduced the gap with number-one ranked Sri Lanka to three ratings points.

The Indian batsmen figuring in top-20 list have also managed to cling on to their respective positions. Star India batsman Kohli has 731 points while Suresh Raina remains at eighth position with 719 points.

Other Indians in the list includes Yuvraj Singh (16) and opener Gautam Gambhir at the 19th position.

New Zealand wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum leads the T20 batting chart with 818 points, followed by England's Alex Hales (777) and Australia's Shane Watson (752).

In the T20 bowlers category, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, ranked 16, is the only Indian to have found out a place in the top-20 list.

West Indies' mystery spinner Sunil Narine leads the bowlers' table with 817 points followed by Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal (721) and his countrymate Mohammad Hafeez (689).

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Convicted persons barred from polls: IOA

NEW DELHI: The Indian Olympic Association on Sunday managed to dilute the contentious clause which would bar chargesheeted officials from contesting elections while accepting all the other amendments proposed by the International Olympic Committee, clearing the decks for an early return to the Olympic fold.

The IOA officials, who were strongly opposed to the chargesheet clause, proposed to apply it to only convicted persons. It means that only those who are held guilty by a court for a jail term of two or more years will not be able to contest elections.

If the amendments agreed to in a marathon Special General Body Meeting of the IOA are accepted by the IOC, it will be a huge reprieve for the likes of Lalit Bhanot and VK Verma who were chargesheeted in 2010 Commonwealth Games scam along with former IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi as they will be allowed to contest elections in that situation.

All the other amendments proposed by the IOC in the revised draft constitution sent on August 15 have been accepted by the GBM.

"We have accepted all the amendments proposed by the IOC except the chargesheet clause. We have modified that clause and now only those persons who have been convicted by a court for a jail term of two or more years will not be able to contest elections and will be disqualified automatically. This is the same as in Peoples Representation Act of Parliament," S Reghunathan, who chaired the meeting, told reporters.

"The cases of those persons who are convicted for a jail term for less than two years will be referred to the Ethics Commission of the IOA and the IOA Executive Committee will take a final decision on the recommendations by Ethics Commission," he said.

Francisco Elizaide, one of the three IOC observers in the GBM, said he was by and large satisfied with the decisions taken by the IOA GBM, including the issue of chargesheeted persons being barred from elections.

He said he has a "positive feeling" and chances of India's return to the Olympic gold are "improving".

The GBM was attended by around 160 IOA members, including Randhir Singh, IOC member in India, office bearers and Executive Committee members of the suspended IOA and members of state Olympic bodies.

VK Malhotra, who is technically still the IOA acting chief recognised by the IOC, did not turn up for the meeting.

The IOA will now have to wait for IOC's decision on the amendments passed on Sunday before the elections proposed to be held on September 29 to pave the way for India's return to the Olympic fold.

Reghunathan, who was elected as chairman before the start of the meeting, said that the IOA decided to continue with the earlier representation of the National Sports Federations and state Olympic bodies in the GBM and elections.

"We have decided that the NSFs will have three votes while state units will have two. Union Territories which have Assemblies will have two votes while other UTs will have one vote," he said.

Regarding the age and tenure rules, Reghunathan said, "The age rule applied to the IOC members will apply to IOA also. And we have accepted the tenure rules proposed by the IOC but will apply to only to three office bearers namely president, secretary general and treasurer."

The IOA also decided to prune down the number of Executive Council members from existing 39 to 29 while the president can nominate 10 Executive Committee members who will not have voting rights.

The GBM also constituted a three-member Election Commission for the September 29 polls. Retired Justices M R Kalra, S N Sapra and Lokeshwar Prasad will be the members. The first is the retired Chief Justice of Rajasthan high court while the other two were Delhi high court Justices.

Bhanot said that the IOA officials were united in their stand and the IOC observers understood the feeling of the House.

"The meeting went very well. All the decision were taken as per voting and what the majority said. The House was very much united and the IOC observers understood the feeling of the house. We are very hopeful that something positive will come," he said.

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Vettel stretches lead with Belgian GP win

SPA (Belgium): Sebastian Vettel delivered a crushing blow to his title rivals on Sunday when he increased his lead in the drivers' championship with a consummate triumph for Red Bull in the Belgian Grand Prix.

F1 Grand Prix Results | F1 Drivers' Standings | F1 Constructors' Standings

On a welcome dry afternoon at Spa Francorchamps in the Belgian Ardennes, the 26-year-old German took the lead from pole-man Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap and then pulled clear to claim his fifth win of the year and the 31st of his career, pulling him level with Briton Nigel Mansell.

The defending triple world champion came home a comfortable 16.869 seconds ahead of second-placed Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari with Hamilton third for Mercedes.

It was his fourth third-place of the year and the 54th podium finish of his career, drawing Hamilton alongside three-time champion Austrian Niki Lauda.

Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate German Nico Rosberg finished fourth ahead of Australian Mark Webber in the second Red Bull and sixth-placed Briton Jenson Button for McLaren.

Vettel's win, his second in Belgium, lifted him to a total of 197 points while Alonso climbed back to second on 151 with Hamilton third on 139. In the constructors championship Red Bull lead with 312 points ahead of Mercedes on 235.

"Brilliant drive, fantastic performance," said Red Bull chief Christian Horner on the team radio. "Nice one boys, nice one," responded the winner. "Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees. This car was so nice to drive, unbelievable. Thank you guys."

With eight races remaining, Vettel's win was an emphatic riposte to Hamilton's speed and recent form, and his maiden victory for Mercedes in Hungary.

Finn Kimi Raikikonen failed to finish for the first time since he returned to Formula One for rallying. He was forced to retire for the first time in 39 races due to a brake problem with his Lotus.

Briton Paul Di Resta was also forced out after a collision when Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado of Williams drove into his Force India in the closing stages.

The race began in cool and overcast weather with high anticipation among a big crowd, boosted by many visiting Britons hoping to see Hamilton succeed again.

Starting from the 31st pole of his career and his fourth in succession, Hamilton made a clean departure from the grid to lead through La Source hairpin and down through Eau Rouge.

But Vettel, showing the speed of his Red Bull car uphill through Radillon, was able to glide past the Mercedes on the long run down to Malmedy.

Behind the two leaders, Alonso made a typically excellent start from ninth and climbed to fifth as Webber, from third, slipped back to sixth. It was the first time in five years that the Spaniard had survived being hit by a rival on the opening lap.

The two-time champion revelled in the welcome dry conditions, passing Button and Rosberg as he climbed to third by lap 10, Hamilton hanging on to Vettel at the front where the gap was 4.3 seconds.

Hamilton pitted after 12 laps for new medium compound tyres, rejoining ninth, while Perez was handed a drive-through penalty for forcing Grosjean off the circuit at Les Combes.

This left Vettel leading Alonso by 7.4 ahead of Webber, before they both pitted after 13 laps while Hamilton struggled to pass a feisty Grosjean until he surged by on lap 14.

Vettel pitted after 14 laps and emerged second behind Button's McLaren until lap 17 when he regained the lead with Alonso third after passing Hamilton.

Once Button pitted Alonso moved into second and with Hamilton in third the status quo for the podium places remained unchanged.

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India crush Oman 8-0 in Asia Cup opener

IPOH (Malaysia): Young striker Mandeep Singh netted a hat-trick as India blanked minnows Oman 8-0 to start their 9th Asia Cup Hockey Championship campaign on a perfect note at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium on Saturday.

The Indian team indulged in 'Goal Fest' as they scored four apiece on either side of the break.

For the winners, Mandeep (4th minute, 40th, 44th) struck thrice, while Ramandeep (17th), VR Raghunath (28th), Rupinderpal Singh (34th), Malak Singh (47th) and SK Uthappa (69th) sounded the board once.

Knowing fully well that winning the Asia Cup would guarantee a place in next year's World Cup at The Hague, Netherlands, the Indians meant business from the onset and concentrated mainly on building formations.

The Indians were expected to control the proceedings against Oman and they did exactly that as the play was mostly centred around the Oman half.

After starting on a rather casual note, the Indians soon tightened up their grip over Oman and mounted continuous raids.

In the opening half, majority of India's build ups came from the right flank with Ramandeep Singh and Malak Singh combining well.

But penalty corner conversion still seems to be a worry for India as they utilised just two out of the six that came their way in the entire duration of 70 minutes.

The Indians earned their first penalty corner as early as in the third minute but Rupinderpal's flick was saved by Oman goalkeeper Al Noufali Fahad Khamis Salmeen. But an opportunistic Mandeep scored from the resultant rebound to give India a 1-0 lead.

India doubled their lead in the 17th minute through an unmarked Ramandeep who scored after receiving a Malak assist from the right flank.

India earned a penalty in the 28th minute when Nithin Thimmaiah was brought down inside the Oman circle and VR Raghunath made no mistake from the spot to make the scoreline 3-0 in favour of the Indians.

India could have scored another in the next minute but Rupinder's reverse hit from inside the 'D' was saved by the Oman custodian.

Just a minute from the breather, India increased their lead through Rupinder who converted the team's fifth penalty corner with a high flick that crashed on to the top right of the Oman goal.

It was no different after the change of ends as India continued their domination over Oman.

It took India just five minutes into the second half to find the back of the net, Mandeep scored his second goal of the day with a perfect reverse flick after being fed by a cross from Chinglensana Singh.

Mandeep was again at the thick of things as four minutes later he scored his third goal of the day after receiving a pass from Ramandeep.

Three minutes later, it was Malak's turn to register his name in the score-sheet after Dharamvir intial shot was saved by the Oman goalkeeper.

A diving Uthappa rounded off the tally a minute from the hooter by tapping home Malak's cross from the right flank.

After a rest day on Sunday, India will play title holders Korea in the second Pool B match on August 26.

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'Bale price tag a lack of respect to world'

BARCELONA: Real Madrid's bid to land Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for a world record fee in the region of 100 million euros is out of place in the current economic climate, Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said on Saturday.

"Bale's a very good player," the Argentine told a news conference when asked about Real's pursuit of the Welsh winger.

"The numbers are lack of respect to the world in general."

Barca, Real's arch-rivals, splashed 57 million euros on their major signing of the close season to date, Brazil forward Neymar.

Nine-times European Cup winners Real appear to be close to securing the signature of Bale with local media reporting that after weeks of negotiations an agreement has been reached with Spurs, pending a final confirmation.

The player is expected to be presented next week probably after Real's next league match away to Granada on Monday evening.

Champions Barca travel to play Malaga on Sunday, but will do so without World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, who is recovering from a bruised left thigh.

The Argentine struggled with injury at the end of last season and concerns have been raised that his latest setback, when he was substituted at halftime in the Spanish Super Cup first leg on Wednesday, was a recurrence of a hamstring problem.

"Honestly, I am not worried (about Messi) because I think he is fine," said Martino, who indicated it was purely precautionary.

"He has been fine since day one and he has been working during his holiday. He got here fit and he has been training every day.

"What happened the other day was coincidence. I think it is totally unnecessary to take risks at the start of the season."

Barca drew 1-1 away to King's Cup winners Atletico Madrid in the Super Cup first leg, and host the return leg on Wednesday bidding for the first piece of silverware of the new season.

In Messi's absence, Martino was asked if Neymar would be given his first competitive start for the club, after having gained a confidence boost heading the equaliser off the bench against Atletico.

"I don't share this idea that says that Neymar must take over and take the lead if Messi is not there to do it," said Martino, who has called for patience to let the 21-year-old find his feet in La Liga.

"We have Xavi, we have Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Alexis Sanchez, Pedro. There are too many players to expect Neymar to automatically be in the starting line up.

"Nothing is going to shorten the time we think is necessary for Neymar to be ready."

Joining Messi in the treatment room will be Barca's Netherlands international Ibrahim Afellay who had surgery on a thigh muscle problem on Thursday, and who will be out of action for around four months.

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Lewis takes pole at Belgian Grand Prix

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS (Belgium): Lewis Hamilton snatched his fourth pole position in a row for Mercedes on Saturday with a last-gasp flying lap after a dramatic rain-hit qualifying session at the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix.

The 2008 world champion, the last man across the line on a drying track after running the gamut of Spa's fickle weather, will be joined on the front row by Red Bull's championship leader Sebastian Vettel.

Australian Mark Webber, preparing for the final Belgian Grand Prix of his career, qualified third for Red Bull with Mercedes' Nico Rosberg fourth. Ferrari's title contender Fernando Alonso could qualify only ninth.

Vettel is 38 points clear of Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen at the top of the standings with nine races remaining but Hamilton, a further 10 adrift, showed why many believe he is the German's biggest rival.

The Briton had not figured in the top 10 in any of the three practice sessions and scraped into the final phase of qualifying in 10th place by just 0.21 of a second and with his hopes of success looking forlorn.

Hamilton celebrated his 31st career pole with a wild whoop of delight over the radio and seemed as surprised as anyone after crossing the line with a fastest time of two minutes 01.012 seconds compared to Vettel's 2:01.200.

"I went wide in Turn One and my dashboard told me I was three seconds down and then it was four seconds and then six so I didn't know what was going on but I kept pushing," he told reporters at the post-qualifying news conference.

"It's a blessing I am up here. Generally I feel comfortable in changing conditions. I can find the limit and I pushed through the middle sector and really caned it."

Team principal Ross Brawn let out a sigh of relief. "We were just on the limit of being the last car. It did work out for us and with the track drying, Lewis did a great job. He really is settling in well to the team," he told the BBC.

DI RESTA BID

Before that it had looked as if Hamilton's compatriot, Force India driver Paul di Resta, was heading for the first pole of his career after making an inspired call on the Pirelli tyres.

While the nine others queued up at the pit lane exit on slicks at the start of the third phase, the Scot waited and went out on intermediate tyres.

He soon had the track to himself as the rest pitted to change tyres and managed to get in a lap before the rain began to fall.

The weather eased towards the end of the session, allowing others to go faster. Di Resta ended up a still creditable fifth on the grid ahead of compatriot Jenson Button in the McLaren and the Lotus pairing of Romain Grosjean and Raikkonen.

"I thought the rain was going to stay. It was quite a ballsy decision by myself. I saw umbrellas coming up so I made the right choice," said Di Resta.

"I think it was the right time but our car is not that quick in the wet. It was unfortunate, but P5 is not so bad. In the dry, we're looking good for the race. If it's wet, I'd be a bit more nervous."

The notoriously capricious Spa climate made merry with the pecking order in the first part of qualifying with Caterham's Dutch driver Giedo van der Garde, who usually brings up the rear, ending up as third fastest.

Both Marussias, perennial back-markers, made it through to the second phase while both Williams and Toro Rosso drivers, including Australian Daniel Ricciardo who is tipped to graduate to Red Bull next season, missed the cut.

"As far as I am aware, we went out with the second set of intermediates too early. We should have waited but I trust the guys in the pit to make the best call. I am disappointed but tomorrow's another day," said Ricciardo.

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I can play all formats, declares Yuvraj

GREATER NOIDA: India discard Yuvraj Singh declared that he is young enough to fit into the Indian team across all three formats in the coming days and is working hard to make a comeback into the national side.

"I am going to be 32 and I believe that I can still play in all the formats. I have had a good training during off-season and eagerly waiting for the domestic season to start. I have been training very hard and would now like to play a few local tournaments before the first-class season begins. I am really confident of making a comeback," Yuvraj told mediapersons during the inauguration of his new academy.

Yuvraj seemed happy that a lot of youngsters have been getting chance to play for India of late. "It's a great thing that youngsters are getting a lot of chances and they should utilize that too the fullest."

With India having a busy schedule with assignments to play all three formats, Yuvraj feels that pacers like Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma should be rotated so that they remain free from injuries.

"We have some good pace bowlers in Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma. Varun Aaron is also a good prospect. I believe that since we are playing in all three formats, these bowlers should be rotated and given enough rest."

After opening another branch of the 'Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence', the stylish left-hander stressed on the importance of having state-of-the-art academy for the budding cricketers.

"I didn't have all the modern facilities under one roof when I was training to become a cricketer. I would practise at one place, then head off to a gymnasium located at another part of the city and then go for a swimming session. Nowadays proper training is very important and kids should get the facilities under one roof."

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'Bale already in Spain ahead of move'

Gareth Bale has arrived in Spain ahead of the completion of his move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid, Spanish sports daily AS reported on Saturday.

Bale is reportedly set to become the world's most expensive player should the deal go through with Real ready to pay more than the £80 million ($123.6 million, 93.2 million euros) they spent to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu four years ago.

The newspaper claims that Bale flew into a private airport in Malaga at 1.00pm local time (1100GMT) before heading to Marbella, a coastal city 30 miles (48 kilometres) away.

Several Spanish media sources printed pictures on Friday that showed a stage had been erected in the directors box at the Bernabeu which is normally used for the presentation of big-name signings.

And Real were also forced to briefly shut down the club shop on their website earlier in the week after a link appeared offering Real shirts with Bale and the number 11 on the back.

Meanwhile, Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino has labelled the sum Real are set to pay for Bale as having a "lack of respect."

Martino, whose own club spent 57 million euros to sign Brazilian Neymar back in May, lauded the Welshman's ability but seemed surprised that Los Blancos are set to break the world transfer record for a fourth time during Florentino Perez's two spells as president.

"Bale is a very good player and how they fit him into their team is up to them," said the Argentine on Saturday.

"But it seems to me that the numbers involved are a lack of respect to the world in general."

Due to injuries Bale hasn't played for Spurs since a friendly against Swindon Town on July 16 and Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas confirmed that he didn't expect Bale to attend his side's Premier League match against Swansea City at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

"We have no rules or obligation for players not selected to be on the bench or in the stadium, so I don't expect Gareth to be seen at the club," Villas-Boas said.

Spurs have already spent almost £60 million on four players during the transfer window in anticipation of Bale's departure.

However, their attempts to land Brazilian Willian from Anzhi Makhachkala appear to have stalled with the 25-year-old now expected to join Chelsea.

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'Nobody took my fixing claims seriously'

NEW DELHI: Wrestler Sushil Kumar, the only Indian to win two individual Olympic medals, said Friday that the sport's administrators did not take him seriously when he revealed he was offered money to lose the final bout in the 2010 World Championships in Moscow.

"I had told even in 2010 about this incident, but nobody responded. I'm not in FILA (wrestling's world governing body) or any other federation, so I can't say if the Russian's medal should be taken away," Sushil told a news channel of his 66 kg freestyle bout against Russian Alan Gogayev in the World Championships.

The Indian rejected the offer and won 3-1. He said he was offered around Rs 3 crore to lose the title clash.

"I was approached through a coach to throw the final bout. I was offered about Rs 3 crore. Wrestling is huge in Russia, and I suppose they didn't expect an Indian to enter the final," said Sushil.

The 30-year-old won the bronze medal at 2008 Beijing Olympics and followed up with a silver at the London Games last year.

Refusing money is not new for the champion athlete. Sushil declined a Rs 50 lakh offer for appearing in a surrogate advertisement for a liquor brand.

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Sania in 25th doubles final of her career

NEW HAVEN: Indian tennis ace touched another milestone in her career by reaching 25th doubles final along with new partner Jie Zheng at the WTA New Haven Open, on Friday.

Sania and Jie, seeded third, got the better of Spanish team of Silvia Soler-Espinosa and Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals of the $690,000 hard court event, the last tournament before the US Open.

Now they await winner of the other semifinal between the pairs of fourth seeds Liezel Huber/Nuria Llagostera Vives and Anabel Medina Garrigues/ Katrina Srebotnik.

It is Sania's fourth final of the year and 25th overall, and she emerged victorious in 16 of them.

Sania, the only Indian female to win Grand Slam title, has won two titles so far this season. Both the titles came with American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who now plays only singles.

Jheng is Sania's fourth partner of the season, having played alongside Liezel Huber, Mattek-Sands, and Flavia Penneta.

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Yuvraj determined to make comeback

NEW DELHI: Out of favour Yuvraj Singh, hero of the 2011 World Cup, said on Friday he will be doing every thing possible in his capacity to regain his place in the Indian team.

Yuvraj said he was happy with the way the young Indian team had fared, winning the Champions Trophy and the ODI series in Zimbabwe, but felt it is the mix of young and experience that makes a team great.

"I am very happy with the way the youngsters have been performing. But it is the balance of seniors and youngsters that makes a team strong. For me, the most important thing is to play for the country and I will do every thing possible to play for the country again," said Yuvraj during a media interaction.

The southpaw said he was not looking at the 2015 World Cup and his immediate goal was to get back in the team.

"The 2015 World Cup is very far. My immediate goal is to come back in the team. For that I have to play as much cricket as I can before the Challengers," he said.

Yuvraj, along with Zaheer Khan, had spent six weeks training in France to get back in shape. Yuvraj feels that training away from India and away from the constant media scrutiny helped him.

Yuvraj and Zaheer underwent intense fitness training at Brive La Gaillarde, a market town south of the centre of France. They trained under coach Tim Exeter, a high performance physical trainer well known in Europe's rugby and soccer fields.

"After recovering from cancer, I trained at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for a while. But I wanted to train away from India because there are a lot of distractions here. Just staying away from you (media) was of great help," said Yuvraj.

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Yuvraj determined to make comeback

NEW DELHI: Out of favour Yuvraj Singh, hero of the 2011 cricket World Cup, said on Friday he was not thinking too much about the 2015 World Cup and was doing everything possible to regain his place in the Indian team.

Yuvraj said he was happy with the way the young Indian team had fared, winning the Champions Trophy and the ODI series in Zimbabwe, but felt it is the mix of young and experience that makes a team great.

"I am very happy with the way the youngsters have been performing. But it is the balance of seniors and youngsters that makes a team strong. For me, the most important thing is to play for the country and I will do every thing possible to play for the country again," said Yuvraj during a media interaction here.

The southpaw said he wants to play in the 2015 World Cup but at the time being he was not looking at it since it is too far. His immediate goal remains to get back in the team.

"The 2015 World Cup is very far. We still have an year and half for the World Cup, it remains a part of my goal and I want to take it happen. But my immediate goal is to play for India as soon as possible. For that I have to play as much cricket as I can before the Challengers," he said

Yuvraj last played a Test for India in December 2012 and an ODI in January.

Asked if he hopes to be back before the ODI series against Australia, Yuvraj said: "My focus is on performing better. If I am performing well and looking sharp on the field, I will. I have no doubts on by abilities."

Yuvraj, along with Zaheer Khan, had spent six weeks training in France to get back in shape. Yuvraj feels that training away from India and away from the constant media scrutiny helped him.

Yuvraj and Zaheer underwent intense fitness training at Brive La Gaillarde, a market town south of the centre of France. They trained under coach Tim Exeter, a high performance physical trainer well known in Europe's rugby and soccer fields.

"After recovering from cancer, I trained at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for a while. But I wanted to train away from India because there are a lot of distractions here. Just staying away from you (media) was of great help," said Yuvraj.

Asked about his recent picture with Arjun Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh the young cricketer reminds him of his younger days.

"Some time back (Sachin) Tendulkar told me that he (Arjun) bats like me. When I watched him, he reminded me of my younger days in Chandigarh. Arjun is passionate about the game and that comes from his father (Sachin)," said Yuvraj.

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Lehmann a 'hypocrite' in Broad row: Ian

Former captain Ian Chappell has accused Australia coach Darren Lehmann of hypocrisy in attacking England's Stuart Broad for "blatant cheating" during this season's first Ashes Test.

Lehmann's comments in an Australian radio interview saw him fined 20 percent of his match in the ongoing fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval.

The 27-year-old Broad angered Australia during England's narrow 14-run first Test win at Trent Bridge when he refused to walk after a thick edge deflected off the wicketkeeper's gloves to slip.

Victory sent England on their way to taking an unbeatable 3-0 series lead in the Ashes.

Chappell said Australians, who've traditionally always waited for the umpire's decision, were in no position to complain about opponents who did exactly the same thing.

"I don't like to be called a cheat and basically he (Lehmann) is calling all people who don't walk a cheat, which would include himself," Chappell told BBC Radio Five on Friday.

"'Cheat' is not a word you should use very light-heartedly, and even if you are being light-hearted that's a word you should steer away from," added Chappell, captain of the successful Australian side of the early to mid 1970s.

"And even when you've got your tongue in your cheek it's pretty hypocritical for an Australian to complain about somebody not walking."

After Broad defended his actions earlier this week, an unimpressed Lehmann told Australia radio station Triple M in an interview broadcast on Wednesday: "Certainly our players haven't forgotten, they're calling him everything under the sun as they go past.

"I hope the Australian public are the same because that was just blatant cheating. I don't advocate walking but when you hit it to first slip it's pretty hard," he said.

"From my point of view I just hope the Australian public give it to him right from the word go for the whole summer (during the return series in Australia starting in November) and I hope he cries and he goes home," Lehmann added.

"I just hope everyone gets stuck into him because the way he's carried on and the way he's commented in public about it is ridiculous."

England did not initiate any disciplinary proceedings but International Cricket Council chief executive David Richardson laid a charge himself and Lehmann pleaded guilty to "publicly criticising and making inappropriate comments" about Broad, having transgressed the ICC's code of conduct.

He accepted match referee Roshan Mahanama's punishment of a 20 percent fine -- a figure in the region of £,2000.

Former South Africa wicketkeeper Richardson, in an ICC statement issued Thursday, said: "Whilst noting the context and nature of the comments made, showing mutual respect for one's fellow professionals -- including for coaches, players and match officials -- is a cornerstone of how we play the game."

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Neymar makes case for starting place

MADRID: Neymar's first competitive goal for Barcelona and an injury worry for Lionel Messi puts the Brazil forward in the running for a place in the starting line up at Malaga in La Liga this weekend.

The 21-year-old, who cost Barca 57 million euros, came on as a second-half substitute and nodded in at the back post as the champions came from behind to draw 1-1 at King's Cup winners Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup first leg on Wednesday.

Barca coach Gerardo Martino has tried to keep the pressure off the youngster, calling for patience from fans, and has only used him as a substitute in last Sunday's La Liga opening 7-0 rout of Levante and against Atletico.

The Argentine brought Neymar on in the 59th minute at the Calderon with the side trailing against an abrasive and well-organised Atletico, and he shrugged off the animosity of the home crowd to head the equaliser.

"I score very few goals with my head so for this reason I value them more," Neymar told reporters.

"I'm pleased with the goal because it helped my colleagues. The important thing is to help the team."

Neymar arrived at the Nou Camp with a reputation as a flashy dribbler, and touted as a player who would help divert attention and defenders away from World Player of the Year Messi.

However, his first few performances have been relatively subdued as he has appeared keen to show himself to be a team player rather than a show pony.

By scoring an important goal in testing circumstances - Atletico had bettered Barca for best part of an hour - Neymar also displayed a predator's eye for goal.

Messi was withdrawn at halftime in the Calderon, more as a precautionary measure because of bruising Martino said, and is to undergo further tests on Thursday.

He could be sidelined on Sunday (1900 GMT) or rested ahead of the Super Cup second leg next Wednesday.

FIRST OF MANY

While Neymar could be said to have helped Barca forget about Messi, it was Cesc Fabregas who actually replaced the Argentine, and the in-form former Arsenal captain, along with Neymar, helped turn the game.

"It's good news he (Neymar) has scored. It will be the first of many," Fabregas said.

Barca visit a Malaga side rebuilding under Bernd Schuster and who lost their opening fixture 1-0 at Valencia, while Atletico are at home to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday (1700).

Diego Simeone's side were impressive 3-1 winners at Sevilla last Sunday and caused Barca plenty of problems in the Super Cup, taking the lead though Spain striker David Villa, who netted his first competitive goal for the club against his former team mates.

"David was really motivated and he scored a great goal," Atletico midfielder Mario Suarez told reporters. "He had other chances too and I am sure he will score a lot more for us."

Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid have to wait until Monday (1900) for their next outing, when they visit Granada and a ground where they slipped to a surprise 1-0 defeat under Jose Mourinho last season.

Real will be without midfielder Xabi Alonso, who has broken a bone in his foot, and all eyes will be on Ancelotti's choice of goalkeeper.

Diego Lopez, made number one by Mourinho toward the end of last season, was preferred for their league opener at home to Real Betis last weekend, when they scraped a 2-1 victory, leaving fan favourite and captain Iker Casillas on the bench.

Ancelotti hinted that the first-choice keeping slot was still up for grabs, but if Lopez is chosen again it could be a major blow to Spain's number one as the countdown to the World Cup finals in Brazil gathers pace.

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Force India can beat McLaren: Mallya

NEW DELHI: Force India Formula One team principal Vijay Mallya says his team can pull off the "massive task" of beating eight-time constructors' champion McLaren in the 2013 season.

McLaren may not seem to have a racing winning car but by scoring 20 points in Germany and Hungary before the mid-season break, they have reduced the gap with Force India who are fifth in the standings on 59 points.

The Silverstone outfit, however, drew blank from Nurburgring and Hungaroring after enjoying their best ever to a season.

Mallya said the team is working hard to recapture the form it showed till the British Grand Prix.

"We are working hard to recapture our form, but at the same time it would be foolish to underestimate the strength of McLaren. We will do all we can to hold on to fifth place but remain well aware of the massive task facing us in the remaining nine races," Mallya told IANS Thursday ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend.

What went wrong in the last two rounds?

"Neither Germany nor Hungary are tracks that traditionally suit our car, but we can't use this as an excuse. We have also been struggling to fully understand the new tyres introduced by Pirelli, but we have worked hard to fix that," said Mallya of the tyre changes introduced after blow-outs at Silverstone.

Force India lead the midfield pack and have clearly punched above their weight in the season even with the odd disappointments.

It is also a team which has fared better in the second half since joining the F1 grid in 2008. Asked whether Force India have peaked a bit too early this time around, Mallya said: "We had our best ever start to a season, but this does not mean we have already peaked.

"There are a few tracks that really suit our car and I see no reason why we will not have an equally successful second part of the year," he said referring to the low downforce circuits at Spa and Monza.

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BCCI clocks 350cr net income in 2012-13

MUMBAI: The Cricket Board posted net income of Rs 350 crore, while its gross revenue stood at Rs 950 crore during the fiscal 2012-13.

The BCCI, considered the world's richest cricket body, has earned a surplus of Rs 382.36 crore in 2011-12.

Informing this on Thursday after the BCCI's finance committee meeting in Delhi, Board treasurer Ravi Savant said that the net income figure has been arrived at "provided there is no tax (levied on the amount)."

"The finance committee passed the accounts and they will be placed before the Board's working committee that should be meeting in the first week of September," he said.

The working committee would also finalise the dates of the Board's AGM, also to be held next month.

Savant said that the net income from the cash-rich Indian Premier League worked out to Rs 237 crore.

"The coming year will see a dip in revenue (from broadcast rights) as we are not hosting many international games apart from the ODI and T20 matches against Australia (in October-November)," Savant said.

India are to host seven ODIs and one T20 game against Australia from October 10 to November 2. Later, they are scheduled to tour South Africa and New Zealand followed by Asia Cup and World T20 Bangladesh.

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Key bookie Chandresh held in fixing case

MUMBAI: A bookie alleged to be a 'key' person was arrested on Thursday, taking the number of those held in connection with the IPL betting case until now to 22, the police said.

Chandresh Jain alias 'Jupiter' was arrested on Thursday after he was brought to the city on a transit remand, since he was in the custody of the Delhi police, which had registered the IPL spot-fixing case during its sixth season, an official said.

'Jupiter' was in touch with Pakistani bookies via conference calls using four out of the 30 telephone lines, allegedly facilitated by one Ramesh Vyas who has been arrested, the official said.

"He was constantly in touch with Shobhan Mehta, a key bookie who has been arrested and the Jaipur brothers who are wanted by the police. He also placed bets during the IPL 6 season," the official said.

With Jupiter's arrest, the number of those arrested in the IPL betting case so far has gone up to 22, including Ramesh Vyas, Ashok Vyas and Pandurang Kadam, among others.

After Ramesh Vyas's arrest in May, the police had recovered 92 mobile phones, 18 SIM cards, a laptop among other equipment. Thirty of these phones were used to facilitate contacts with bookies in India, Pakistan and Dubai through conference calls made by Vyas.

Chennai Super Kings owner Gurunath Meiyappan, who is the son-in-law of N Srinivasan who had stepped aside as BCCI president and Bollywood actor Vindu Dara Singh were also arrested in the case and are currently out on bail.

The Delhi Police had registered the case and filed a chargesheet naming Rajasthan Royals players S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, among 39 others as accused.

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Ministry confirms Sodhi for Khel Ratna

NEW DELHI: Union sports minister Jitendra Singh found time from his busy schedule and cleared the national sports awards file Thursday without making any changes in the list finalised by the committee headed by former World billiards champion Michael Ferreira.

Double-trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi will be getting the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the highest sports awards in the country. World championship bronze medal winning shuttler PV Sindhu and cricketer Virat Kohli are among the 14 sportspersons selected for the Arjuna.

The decision puts to rest all speculation that the minister had asked the awards committee to reconsider female discus thrower Krishna Poonia, also a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, for the award.

It was also for the third consecutive year that a shooter was picked for the Khel Ratna.

Sodhi is the seventh shooter after Abhinav Bindra (2001-02), Anjali Bhagwat (2002-03), Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (2004-05), Manavjit Singh Sandhu (2006-07), Gagan Narang (2010-11) and Vijay Kumar (2011-12) to get the Khel Ratna.

Sports secretary Pradip Kumar Deb said that no changes have been effected in the recommendations made earlier this month by the committee.

The official said the announcement was delayed by a couple of days since Poonia and Paralympian HN Girisha had conveyed their grievances to the sports ministry after they were left out.

"We looked into their grievances and that was the reason why we delayed the announcement of the awards. But we found that only one sportsperson can get the award (Khel Ratna)," said Deb.

The awards were to be announced Monday, but the sports minister was apparently busy with parliament's monsoon session and also the party affairs he has been entrusted by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and could not clear the file.

The awards will be given August 31 instead of National Sports Day - Aug 29 - as the minister, who is also a minister of state for defence, will be busy with the Asian defence minister's conference in Brunei.

The delay led to lot of bad blood between the award winner and the other claimant - some of the committee members were also dragged into the unseemly media debate.

Two members of the committee were livid that it has become a fashion for athletes to question the decisions taken by eminent sports persons after taking into account all the available material of a claimant.

Both discounted the speculative media stories, giving the sequence of events before deciding on the Khel Ratna award. They said all names were on the table when they met to take the decision.

Both insisted that no member should divulge what transpired at the meeting when everything discussed or spoken there was confidential.

"The discussions are healthy and every member applies his or her mind and there could be even vehement disagreements. But what is important is the decision taken at the end of it all," one member said refusing to divulge the nature of deliberations at the meeting.

"The decision has been taken and there has to be some sanctity about it. It is ridiculous for anyone to speculate or try to reopen the issue just because someone doesn't like it."

Another highly respected member of the committee felt that the media, too, should not read too much into the deliberations once a decision is taken. It doesn't matter what a particular individual said at the meeting.

"It doesn't matter what a member said at the meeting, ultimately the decision taken is what matters, not who thundered or who dissented. It is akin to a cabinet decision, not what transpired at the discussions stage," the member said.

Full award list:

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: Ronjan Sodhi

Arjuna Awards:

Chekrovolu Swuro (Archery)

Renjith Maheshwary (Athletics)

PV Sindhu (Badminton)

Kavita Chahal (Boxing)

Rupesh Shah (Snooker and Billiards)

Virat Kohli (Cricket)

Abhijeet Gupta (Chess)

Gaganjeet Bhullar (Golf)

Saba Anjum (Hockey)

Rajkumari Rathore (Shooting)

Joshna Chinappa (Squash)

Neha Rathi (Wrestling)

Dharmender Dalal (Wrestling)

Amit Kumar Saroha (Athletics)

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Lehmann urges fans to make Broad cry

Australia coach Darren Lehmann urged fans to "get stuck into" Stuart Broad during the return Ashes series Down Under and send the England bowler home in tears because of his "blatant cheating" during the first Test last month.

Broad refused to walk - and escaped being dismissed - after clearly edging a delivery from spinner Ashton Agar to first slip during a Test at Trent Bridge, which England went on to win.

"I just hope the Australian public give it to him right from the word go for the whole (Australian) summer and I hope he cries and he goes home," Lehmann said in an interview with Australian radio station Triple M. "I just hope everyone gets stuck into him because the way he's carried on and the way he's commented in public about it is ridiculous."

Broad acknowledged this week that he knew he nicked the ball behind but still waited for the umpire's decision, which many believe is against the spirit of cricket. Australia couldn't challenge the decision because the team had used up its reviews.

"Certainly our players haven't forgotten, they're calling him everything under the sun as they go past," Lehmann said. "I hope the Australian public are the same because that was just blatant cheating. I don't advocate walking but when you hit it to first slip, it's pretty hard."

Lehmann was speaking ahead of the fifth and final Test at The Oval. England is 3-0 ahead in the series and has already retained the urn.

The return series starts in November at the Gabba in Brisbane.

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Kohli at 6th position in ICC T20 rankings

DUBAI: Virat Kohli is the highest-ranked Indian batsman at sixth but there is no Indian presence in the top-10 of the bowlers' list in the latest ICC Twenty20 Rankings issued on Wednesday.

T20 Rankings: Teams | Batsmen | Bowlers | All-Rounders

At eighth, Suresh Raina is the second Indian batsman in the top-10 with Yuvraj Singh being a distant next best at 16th.

Off-spinner R Ashwin is the highest-ranked Indian bowler at 16th in the chart.

Elsewhere, Pakistan will begin their two-match Twenty20 International series against Zimbabwe on August 23 with an aim to reduce the gap with number-one ranked Sri Lanka.

The two-match series starts in Harare with the second match scheduled to be held on 24 August.

Currently ranked second with 124 ratings points, Mohammad Hafeez's side can gain one ratings point if it wins both the matches, to finish with 125 ratings points and thereby reduce the gap with number-one ranked Sri Lanka (128) to three.

Zimbabwe too have an opportunity to move up, and will jump one place to 11th if they win both matches in the series. Zimbabwe are currently ranked 12th with 48 ratings points, and can gain up to 16 ratings points to move into 11th with 64 ratings points.

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez will start the series with an all-round presence in the rankings.

Hafeez is currently ranked second among all-rounders with a career-high 432 ratings points, and is also fourth in the bowlers list and 17th among the batsmen.

In the bowling table, Saeed Ajmal in second and Shahid Afridi in 11th are the other Pakistan players inside the top 20.

For Zimbabwe, spinner Prosper Utseya is the only bowler inside the top 10, in ninth position. The bowlers' list is still headed by West Indies' Sunil Narine, with Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis in third.

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