Kevin Pietersen is setting a "great example" to the novice players in England's one-day squad, according to limited-overs coach Ashley Giles.
     Just over a year ago, world-class batsman Pietersen was briefly exiled from the national side after being accused of sending derogatory text messages regarding then England captain Andrew Strauss to South Africa players.
     But following Strauss's retirement, former skipper Pietersen has been "reintegrated" into the England set-up.
     He is now the one star name left in the squad for the ongoing one-day series against Australia, with England resting regular captain Alastair Cook, batsman Ian Bell and bowlers James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann ahead of their Ashes defence 'Down Under' starting in November.
     Former England spinner Giles knows Pietersen well, having been alongside him for much of the South Africa-born shotmaker's maiden Test hundred, a superb 158 against Australia at The Oval that secured a draw which saw ...

Pietersen a 'great example' says England coach

PTI Automatic

Changes are expected when the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Executive Board meets in Lahore today following the national team's failure to qualify for next year's World Cup in Holland, first time since the prestigious event began in 1971.
     Well informed sources said that secretary, Asif Bajwa was likely to be asked to step down voluntarily while Akhtar Rasool, the head coach and manager of the national side, will also be asked to quit.
	"Changes are in the offing and already Bajwa has used his political connections in the ruling government party to secure another big post in the Punjab or Pakistan sports board," one source said.
	He said ironically Bajwa's old friend and vice president in the PHF since the last four years, Rana Mujahid, also an Olympian, was lobbying to take over as secretary of the federation.
	"It should be an interesting meeting because clearly no one is willing to forgive the PHF for the team not qualifying for the World Cup while former Olympians have ...

PHF Executive Board meets after Pak fails to qualify for WC

Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor shared a century partnership before Zimbabwe suffered a collapse on the first day of the second Test against Pakistan at Harare Sports Club today.
     Zimbabwe were 237 for eight at the close of play.
     Masakadza (75) and Taylor (51) put on 110 for the third wicket but the rest of the batting crumbled on a pitch which had cracks that caused several deliveries to keep low.
     Masakadza's dismissal, caught at slip off a Saeed Ajmal 'doosra', was the first of six wickets that fell for 94 runs before the close of play.
     Masakadza and Taylor came together after Zimbabwe lost their first two wickets for 31 runs.
     Tina Mawoyo was caught behind off Junaid Khan without scoring off the second ball of the match after Taylor won the toss and decided to bat.
     Vusi Sibanda battled to 14 off 44 balls before dragging an attempted pull against Rahat Ali onto his stumps.
     Masakadza, who captained the team in the first Test when Taylor withdrew 

Zimbabwe stumble after century stand

Thomas Bach achieved a long-held dream today as he was elected to the most powerful position in sport, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), here.
     The 59-year-old German -- the first Olympic gold medallist to become president -- won in the second round of voting by his fellow IOC members to beat his five male rivals bidding to succeed Jacques Rogge, who stepped down after 12 years in charge.
     Bach, gold medallist with the West German team in the team foil event in the 1976 Olympics, had been the frontrunner throughout the campaign and had for years been seen as the man most likely to replace Rogge.
     "I know what the enromous responsibilites are of being IOC president but I am very happy," he said after the announcement, which saw him break into a broad smile.
     "Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
     "You my friends and colleagues have placed in me an overwhelming sign of trust. I also have enormous respect for my fellow candidates and I will ...

Bach overwhelmed as he is elected IOC president

Sprinter Dutee Chand of ONGC won her second gold medal at the 53rd National Open Athletics Championships after she claimed the yellow metal in the 200m race, even as triple jumper Renjith Maheswary failed to defend his title on the final day here today.
     The Asian bronze medallist, who won gold in the 100m sprint yesterday, was just three hundredth of a second faster than her nearest rival Chavi Sharawat of Railways in today's final at the Birsa Munda Athletic Stadium.
     In the men's 200m, Odisha's Amiya Kumar Mallick warded off the challenge from Railway star Manikanda Arumugam to win the race in a noteworthy 21.22s.
     National record-holder Maheswary, whose Arjuna Award has been put on hold, was upset by young Arpinder Singh by just 6 cm.
     In another upset, Sajeesh Joseph lost to Services runner Sandeep Karan Singh in the men's 1500m race.
     In the women's 10000m, Suriya Loganathan improved her personal best to 34:07.45s to clinch her second gold in the event.
     .

Dutee Chand bags another gold on final day of championships

India will host the 2015 edition of the SAFF football tournament, it was decided in the executive committee meeting of the South Asian body here today.
     The meeting did not finalise the host city for the tournament but said it will be held in either New Delhi or Kerala.
     World Sports Group (WSG), commercial partner of SAFF, said it wants the tournament to be held in India alternately.
     "India will host the 2015 SAFF Cup but the venue will be decided later. The fight is in between Delhi and Kerala to host the tournament," SAFF's general secretary Alberto Colaco said after the meeting held on the sidelines of the ongoing SAFF Championship here.
     The South Asian football body also announced a new tournament -- SAFF Club Cup Championship that is expected to begin next year.
     "We have planned a new tournament -- SAFF Club Cup Championship -- from next year. The proposed date is August 2014 but it is not final. It will depend on our sponsors WSG who will respond in two ..

India to host 2015 SAFF Cup

The 53rd National Open Athletics Championships ended here today in utter chaos with the closing ceremony, attended by state sports minister, being held in complete darkness for the entire period after a power blackout.
     Power went off as soon as the closing ceremony began at 6pm and the entire Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium descended into complete darkness.
     There was no alternative arrangement made for such an eventuality by the organisers and the ceremony, which lasted a little over an hour, continued with the state sports minister Geetashree Oraon being shielded by her security guards by forming a circle of human bodies around her.
     With the mike not working, the minister declared the Championships closed at the top of her voice and one official announced that Railways were the women's team and overall champions. Services were declared men's team champions.
     In bizzare scenes, the organisers were seen using their mobile phone headlights to read papers while making ...

Athletics Nationals end in utter chaos due to power blackout

Arjun Singh Chaudhri of Noida shot a fiery five-under-65 to be the round one leader at the PGTI Feeder Tour event being played at the Forest Hills Golf Resort here today.
     Akshay Sharma of Chandigarh is in second place at three-under-67.
     Arjun Singh Chaudhri's bogey-free 65 at the par-70 course came as a result of some excellent hitting. Arjun, the current Feeder Tour Order of Merit leader, began the day with birdies on the first two holes as he landed it within three feet on both occasions.
     The 34-year-old converted a six feet putt for birdie on the fifth to move to three-under for the day. Chaudhri's tee shot stopped two feet from the hole on the 11th to set up another birdie. His final birdie of the day came on the 14th where he holed an eight-footer.
     Chaudhri said, "I was in good hitting form today. I hit 16 greens in regulation and landed it close on a consistent basis. One has to keep it in play on this course as there are a lot of hazards. The five-stroke ...

Arjun Singh Chaudhri shoots fiery 65 for round one lead

The first round of the 3rd All India Prize Money Tennis Championship got off to a stunning start as unseeded Adnya Naik and Pragati Natarajan came up trumps against their seeded rivals here today.
     Adnya of Maharashtra overwhelmed top seed Manya Nagpal of Delhi 7-5, 6-1 in the opening round of the tournament. Adnya played a positive game, attacking at every opportunity to put her rival on the back foot.
     Manya kept pace for a while in the first set, which she ultimately lost  5-7, simply caved in the second one with unforced errors.
     In another upset, wild card Pragati of Tamil Nadu defeated the sixth seed Sanya Madan 6-2, 6-1.
     Former state player Asha Nandakumar of Karnataka rallied to beat B Sayali 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
     The other winners from Karnataka included Varunya Chandrashekar, Likitha Shetty and Preethi Ujjini.
     Those who made it to the main draw were:
     Men: Rishab Dev Ram, C D Ajay, Manu Bajpai, Rishab Agarwal, Ramesh Vignesh, Taha Kapadia, Sagar ...

Two upsets on day one of AITA Tennis Championship

Former India captain Rahul Dravid today backed out-of-favour players like Virender Sehwag who have been included in the India 'A' squad against visiting West Indies 'A' to get back to form and return to the national side.
     Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir were handed a lifeline for staging a comeback to the Test side as they were included in the India 'A' squad for two four-day games against West Indies 'A' while Yuvraj Singh was also given a chance to force his way back into ODI team after being named captain for limited-overs series. Dravid said they should utilise the opportunity to impress upon the selectors.
     "It is a good chance for them to get back into the national team. They have the advantage from others because they have played at the international stage earlier. It's like I have done well at that level and so I can get back there," Dravid said.
     "All of them Sehwag, Zaheer, Gambhir and Yuvraj are trying hard at every opportunity they are getting. Gambhir .

Dravid backs senior players to return to India team

Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor shared a century partnership as Zimbabwe recovered from the loss of two early wickets on the first day of the second Test against Pakistan at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
     Zimbabwe, beaten by 221 runs in the first Test at the same venue last week, were 165 for three at tea. Masakadza made 75 while Taylor was on 48 not out. They added 110 for the third wicket.
     The pair came together after Zimbabwe lost their first two wickets for 31 runs.
     Tina Mawoyo was caught behind off Junaid Khan without scoring off the second ball of the match after Taylor won the toss and decided to bat.
     Vusi Sibanda battled to 14 off 44 balls before dragging an attempted pull against Rahat Ali on to his stumps.
     Masakadza, who captained the team in the first Test when Taylor withdrew because of the birth of his first child, batted solidly as he reached a half-century off 98 balls, taking advantage of any loose deliveries to hit eight fours and a ...

Masakadza, Taylor defy Pakistan bowlers

Former India captain Rahul Dravid today imparted cricketing lessons to a group of underprivileged children as part of an initiative called 'Camp with the Champ', here.
     An initiative by ESPNcricinfo and telecom brand Idea, 25 underprivileged children from three NGOs enjoyed a day long opportunity to learn from one of their favourite cricketing stars.
     Under this, an original series of short educational videos involving Dravid was created to provide cricket lovers with insight and instruction about learning the fundamentals of the game.
     Dravid enthralled the kids with anecdotes from his cricketing days and life lessons learnt along the way.
     The video series will be available on ESPNcricinfo.
     "Cricket, in some respects, has undergone a makeover in the last 20 years. We have been tracking the game all through this period and it is evident there are an entire set of fans who are cricket purists and yearn to re-connect with the game for what it was known for," said ..

Dravid impart cricketing skills to underprivileged kids

Having given ample demonstration of his appetite for notching up big scores, India's batting sensation Shikhar Dhawan today said he has become mentally strong, and that his shot selection has got better in the past one year.
     "I have been technically sound even three years back but in the last one year I have become mentally strong and have worked on my shot selection, which is much better now. I have matured as a batsman. I am very happy that I have become more consistent," said Dhawan.
     The 27-year-old said in the past one year he realised his potential and worked harder on his batting.
     "I got more hungry for runs. I realised that I have the ability to play at the highest level and started to work harder," Dhawan said at a function organised by R K Global, which appointed the opening batsman as its brand ambassador.
     Dhawan, playing for India A in South Africa recently, smashed a blistering 248 off 150 balls against South Africa A, missing out on the world record by 

I'm mentally stronger now: Dhawan

The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) has been left red-faced after it used star Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag's picture in a Nepal national team jersey in the annual souvenir published by it.
     The annual souvenir 2013 published by CAN has a Sehwag action picture on its cover, wearing a deep blue jersey of the Nepal cricket team. CAN had tried to blur the face of the Indian batsman but there is no denying that it's a Sehwag picture which it has used.
     CAN's Executive Committee member and former national cricketer Kiran Rana admitted that it was indeed Sehwag's picture that has been used in the cover of the souvenir.
     "Yes, it is Virender Sehwag's picture that we have used in the cover of the CAN's annual souvenir but if you have a closer look, we have blurred the face a bit. I can tell you that this is completely an unintentional mistake on our part," Rana told PTI.
     "We don't even sell the souvenir. It is only released for our members and a copy of each was given .

Nepal CA left red-faced after using Sehwag picture in souvenir

India are among the five nations, who have placed their bids before the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to host the 2018 Hockey World Cup.
     The FIH said that it had received seven high quality bids from five nations who are all vying for the chance to host men's and women's showpiece events to be held simultaneoulsy.
     According to a FIH statement, four official proposals to host the men's World Cup have been made, with a further three submissions being made for the women's tournament.
     The National Associations of Australia, England, India, Malaysia, and New Zealand have all put extremely strong cases forward in an attempt to lure the sport's top properties to their territory, the statement added.
     As part of the bidding process, the FIH requested that official bid questionnaires were submitted before the August 31 deadline.
     The FIH received official submissions from five of the original six nations that initially expressed interest earlier in the year. The .

India in fray to host 2018 Hockey World Cup

Shuttlers Ajay Jayaram and Anand Pawar will spearhead Indian challenge when they start their campaign in the men's singles competition of the China Masters Superseries tournament at Changzhou tomorrow.
     World number 24 Jayaram, who had a good run at the Indian Badminton League (IBL) last month, will take on Chen Yuekun of China, ranked 30th, while Pawar will be up against the top seed Chen Long tomorrow.
     While, Pawar, ranked 39th, is unlikely to cross the first hurdle, for Jayaram, the road ahead will be equally tough as he would need to get across the likes of fourth seed Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia and sixth seed Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark to move ahead in the draw.
     The Mumbai-based shuttler, who represented Hyderabad Hotshots in the IBL, has been in good form since the world championship where he had beaten world number 13 Wing ki Wong in Guangzhou. In the IBL, Jayaram defeated world no 5 Tien Minh Nguyen twice, beside beating world number 9 Jan o Jorgensen.

Jayaram, Anand begin China Masters campaign tomorrow

Out-of-favour players Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Gautam Gambhir were today handed a lifeline for staging a comeback to the national team as they were included in the India 'A' squad for two four-day games against visiting West Indies 'A' next month.
     Yuvraj Singh, another player who find himself on the sidelines, was also given an opportunity to force his way back into the ODI team after being named captain for the three-match unofficial series and lone T20 match against West Indies 'A' beginning September 15.
     The squads were named by the BCCI senior selection panel which met here today.
     All the four players have been out of the Indian team since early this year. They will play under Cheteshwar Pujara in the second and third four-day games at Shimoga (October 2-5) and Hubli (October 9-12), the Cricket Board said in a media release.
     The trio of Zaheer, Sehwag and Gambhir were not named for the first four-day game that will be held at Mysore from September ...

Sehwag, Gambhir, Zaheer named in India 'A' team against WI 'A'

Top seeds Ram Aravind of Tamil Nadu and Priyanka Nutakki of Andhra Pradesh clinched the boys and girls titles of the National Under-11 Chess Championship, which concluded here today.
     Ram defeated Barath M of Goa, while Priyanka beat Lakshmi C of Tamilnadu in the eleventh and final round of the event at the Ludlow Castle Sports Complex here.
     Playing with black pieces, Ram faced some stiff resistance from his Goan rival but managed to secure full point to take his point tally to 10.
     He won nine and drawn two in this eleven round Swiss System tournament to lift the coveted trophy with an unbeaten record.
     In the girl's section, Priyanka easily overcame her final round rival without much struggle in 37 moves to register her tenth win in the tourney.
     The only lose she suffered in the event was at the hands of Samridhaa Ghosh of West Bengal in the fourth round. Samridhaa finished fifth in the championship with seven and half points.
     Vantika Agrawal brought ...

Ram, Priyanka emerge champions in National U-11 Chess C'ship

Zimbabwe were 65 for two after 27 overs against Pakistan at lunch today as they sought to level the series in the second and final Test.
     Hamilton Masakadza was the first-session star for the hosts, with his undefeated 43 including a six and six fours.
     Captain Brendan Taylor won the toss on a clear, warm early spring day at Harare Sports Club and opted to bat.
     Having studied the 'green' wicket with cracks down the middle, the No. 4 batsman believed it would be unwise to bat last.
     Taylor missed the first Test as his wife was giving birth to their first child, and his return meant Sikandar Raza stepped down.
     In a second change to a side that controlled the first Test for three days before losing by 221 runs, bowler Brian Vitori replaced Shingi Masakadza.
     "We need to toughen up and put a price on our wickets," said Taylor, referring to a second-innings collapse to 120 all out last week.
     Pakistan kept faith in the first Test line-up as they sought a tour .

Masakadza stars as Zimbabwe reach 65-2 at lunch

Double Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar feels the massive reprieve to wrestling will motivate the Indian grapplers in the upcoming World Championships and they will return from Budapest with more medals.
     "I spoke to the wrestlers there (Budapest) yesterday and they are very ecstatic. The mood in Budapest is very celebratory as all top wrestlers have reached the venue," Sushil said today.
     "I am sure the recent decision will boost the confidence of our wrestlers and motivate them to give their best and win medals at the world event."
     The senior Indian team is currently training at a camp in Hungary ahead of the championships starting September 16.
     The 66kg wrestler will be flying off to Budapest this week for the event but remains unsure of his participation.
     "My participation in the event will be ascertained after I reach there (Budapest)," he said.
     Contrary to the perception that wrestling was not a spectator-friendly sport, Sushil said wrestling never ...

Expect more medals from wrestlers after IOC decision: Sushil

The civil court, which granted an injunction against the Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA's) decision banning BCCI's game development officer Ratnakar Shetty for five years, observed that a person cannot be expelled for raising a serious issue.
	"In my view decision to expel a person for raising an issue of serious nature cannot be in any manner said to be a rational decision", observed Judge S B Agarwal while granting temporary injunction against the MCA's decision to debar Shetty on Saturday.
	Shetty, who has served the association in various capacities over the last three decades, was banned by MCA for five years, for raising the possibility of black marketing of tickets of a T20 international between India and Pakistan at Ahmedabad on December 28 last by some of its office bearers.
	Further in the order, which was made available to the media today, the court observed that under the rules of MCA, its managing committee cannot expel Shetty.
     "I am prima-facie of the view that ..

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