England posted a challenging 269 for six against Australia in their Group A match of the Champions Trophy at Edgbaston, here today.
     Brief scores:
     England: 269 for 6 in 50 overs (Ian Bell 91, Ravi Bopara 46 not out; Clint McKay 2/38, James Faulkner).

England posts 269-6 against Australia

PTI Automatic

Defending champions Punjab thrashed Jharkhand 6-0 to advance to the semifinals of the 3rd Hockey India Senior Men National Championship here today.
     Haryana, Karnataka and Air India also entered the last four stage with wins in their quarterfinal matches.
     In the semifinals to be played tomorrow, last year's runners-up Air India take on Haryana while Punjab clash with Karnataka.
     Punjab dominated the proceedings in their quarterfinal match played at Shiv Chhatrapati Shivaji Sports Complex and scored at regular intervals.
     Deepak Thakur scored two goals while Sarvanjit Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Ravi Pal Singh and Inderjeet Singh found the target once.
     Air India, on the other hand, scored a hard-fought 5-4 win over Railways at Major Dhyan Chand Polygrass Hockey Stadium at Pimpri.
     Haryana defeated Chandigarh 4-1 after conceding an early goal. Chandigarh, who led 1-0 at half time, lost their rhythm in the second half which allowed their opponents to score four ...

Holders Punjab in Senior Hockey Nationals semis

Indian shuttler K Srikanth is one step away from clinching his maiden title when he plays in the final of the Thailand Grand Prix Gold but the Andra Pradesh lad is in no mood to count his chickens before they hatch.
     The 20-year-old from Guntur today notched up a tricky 21-14 21-18 victory over local favourite Thammasin Sitthikom to set up a summit clash with world number seven Boonsak Ponsana tomorrow.
     A number of Indian shuttlers -- P Kashyap, H S Prannoy and RMV Gurusaidutt -- have had success against the 31-year-old Ponsana in the recent past and Srikanth says he is taking confidence from their exploits ahead of his final.
     "He is a very good player but beatable. The fact that my fellow mates have beaten him recently actually gives me a lot of confidence," Srikanth told PTI.
     Ponsana was beaten by Prannoy in Swiss Open in March. He was also defeated by Kashyap in last year's India Open. While in the 2011 edition, Gurusaidutt had defeated him in the opening round ..

Srikanth confident ahead of maiden final in Thailand

His team is facing a do-or-die battle against South Africa after losing its Champions Trophy opener, but Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq remains unruffled, choosing to highlight the fine performance of his bowlers in the narrow loss.
     Pakistan lost their opening group B match against the West Indies here yesterday. Misbah, who scored 96 not out after coming in at No. 5 against West Indies, who almost made a hash of a 171-target and won with just two wickets to spare.
     "I think the biggest positive from this game was our bowling. All the seamers bowled really well and bowled their heart out and took wickets. And at one time we were really in the hunt, so it's really a big positive, and it just creates pressure on the opposition, Misbah said.
     "They bowled really well against South Africa (in the practice game) and even today. So I think it gives confidence to the team and also to the batsmen that if they can go and just give them a good total, our bowling attack can win the .

Misbah picks positives from narrow loss, praises bowlers

With the raging IPL spot-fixing scandal denting the credibility of cricket, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh today said that every effort should be made to clean up the game and adequate steps should be taken in this regard.
     "I am a small person. Bigwigs are busy cleaning the mess. I want that everything that needs to be done should be done to clean the game in wake of present IPL scenario," Harbhajan said when asked about the IPL spot-fixing scandal.
     He refused to comment when asked whether betting in cricket should be legalised or an anti-fixing law should be enacted.
     Harbhajan was addressing a press conference after inaugurating a cricket academy at a private school here.
     Asked how he spent his time when he was out of the Indian team, Harbhajan said there was a lot of cricket left in him and he wanted to give back something to the game without being unnecessarily concerned about his future.
     He expressed satisfaction at the performance of the Indian cricket team, 

Every effort should be made to clean cricket: Harbhajan

Blending English way of fast-paced squash with attacking Indian style has helped Saurav Ghosal developed into a more mature player over the years and the country's ace racqueter believes he has now started to understand his game better.
     "I have developed into a more mature and competitive player. I merged the English way of fast-paced squash with attacking Indian style and that has helped me grow in confidence," Ghosal told PTI.
     "Now I know my game better as to what pace I am comfortable playing during the match or how quickly I have to open the court up and attack the opponent. I know the pace of my game, my fitness level and placing has improved," he said.
     Ghosal, ranked 20th in the world, said the top-10 players on the professional circuit should look out for him in the upcoming tournaments as his next aim is to beat them.
     "I am good enough to beat the top-10 players on the PSA tour. The recent good showings has instilled more confidence in me. I want to keep ...

More "mature" Ghosal ready for Men's World Team C'ship

England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to bat in their opening Champions Trophy match against Australia here today.
     The Teams:
     England: Alastair Cook (Capt), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James Tredwell, James Anderson.
     Australia: George Bailey (Capt), David Warner, Shane Watson, Phillip Hughes, Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade (wk), James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Clint McKay.

England win toss, opt to bat

India's latest Grandmaster V Vishnu Prasanna faltered yet again as he lost to Vitaliy Bernadskiy to end hopes of a revival in the Grand Europe Albena International Chess tournament here.
     After raising visions of an improved performance with a 4.5/5 start, Prasanna missed the thread of the position for the second day running and had to pay heavy dividends as Bernadskiy won in style.
     The second straight loss left Prasanna on 4.5 points with no hopes for a podium finish.
     International Master Ashwin Jayaram remained on course for a top-10 finish after settling for a quick draw with Grandmaster Vasil Spasov of Bulgaria.
     Anurag Mahamal also secured a good result drawing with Sandro Mareco of Argentina who played black.
     Among other Indians in the fray, former world junior champion Abhijeet Gupta did some damage control in tournament after being lucky to score a full point against Bulgarian Mario Vutov.
     Swapnil Dhopade was held to a draw by Dagur Arngrimsson of ..

Vishnu Prasanna out of contention after another loss

Indian qualifier Ankita Raina's splendid run at the USD 25000 ITF Women tennis tournament in Karshi, Uzbekistan ended with a runners-up finish as she lost the summit clash in straight sets to local favourite Sabina Sharipova.
     Playing her first ever final in a USD 25,000 ITF event, Ankita lost 3-6 3-6 to Sharipova, who is ranked 92 places above the Indian in world ranking at 363.
     "This was the first time I was playing in a USD 25,000 event final and was very anxious. I didn't show enough patience and that hurt me," said Ankita, who would now playing a USD 25000 ITF event in Bukhara next week.
     The run to the final will help Ankita add valuable 34 points to her ranking.
    In the doubles event at the same tournament Ankita had made a first round exit with compatriot Prarthana G. Thombare after losing 3-6 6-4 6-10 to third seeded pair of Ukraine's Veronika Kapshay and Teodora Mircic of Serbia.

Ankita ends runner-up at Uzbeksitan ITF event

The Indian junior women's 10m Air Rifle team -- comprising Shriyanka Sadangi, Apurvi Chandela and Mampi Das -- has bagged a gold medal in the International Junior Shooting Championship in Suhl, Germany.
     The trio, supported by the Lakshya Sports Foundation, shot a total score of 1235.3 yesterday.
     Hosts Germany bagged the silver with an aggregate score of 1230.4, while Russia finished third with a total of 1222.
     Shriyanka was the best performer among the Indians, scoring 413.7 to finish fourth in the individual championship.
     National champion Apurvi finished eighth with a score of 411 while Mampi was 10th with 410.6 points.

Junior shooting team wins gold in German tourney

The ICC today charged West Indies' Denesh Ramdin with conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game during a Champions Trophy match against Pakistan but the wicket-keeper batsman has pleaded not guilty and faces a hearing here on Monday.
     The charge is related to an incident in Pakistan's innings when Ramdin claimed a catch off Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq. Australian umpire Steve Davis had ruled Misbah out but when the decision was referred to third umpire Tony Hill it came to light that Ramdin did not have full control over the ball and Misbah was reprieved.
     TV replays showed that he had caught the ball initially but it popped out of his hands later on.
     "Ramdin was charged with breaching Article 2.2.11 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel," an ICC statement said.
     "The charge has been laid by the on-field umpires Steve Davis and Nigel Llong, third umpire Tony Hill and fourth umpire Richard Kettleborough."
     The range of ...

Ramdin charged with conduct contrary to spirit of the game

Their morale sky high after a 2-1 series win over England, New Zealand would look to carry their good form into the Champions Trophy when they clash with Sri Lanka in a Group A match here tomorrow.
     Sri Lanka have an overwhelming record of winning 10 of their last 11 ODI matches and six in a row against the Kiwis but the Black Caps would back themselves to reverse the trend particularly when their batsmen are in superb touch.
     Opener Martin Guptill smashed two consecutive hundreds against England and Ross Taylor hit half-centuries in all the three matches of the series.
     Skipper Brendon McCullum on his day can demolish any attack, so much of the Kiwis' fortunes would depended on how their top-order performs.
     The Kiwis are also perhaps the best acclimatised side after hosts England having spent some good amount of time here. They know the conditions well which will help them sort out their team combination quickly.
     However, while against England they faced a ...

Kiwi batsmen versus Lankan spinners in next CT clash

Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) today hinted that players affiliated with it will lose the benefits if they participate in any unauthorised tournament including the corporate cricket premier league.
     "JKCA is an affiliated unit of Board of Control for Cricket in India and as such we have to follow their rules. The BCCI does not allow its registered players to participate in any unapproved tournaments and hence the players here as well cannot participate in any such tournament if they want to continue with the BCCI," joint secretary, JKCA, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat told PTI.
	Bhat was reacting to reports about the participation of the JKCA affiliated players in the first-ever Jammu and Kashmir Corporate Cricket Premier League (JKCPL), which is scheduled to begin next week.
     Twelve corporate houses of the state have registered their franchises with the JKCPL, which said some of the key Ranji and Under-25 players will participate in the tournament.
	The JKCPL organisers ..

JKCA warns players against taking part in unapproved tourneys

A leading Goa soccer club today slammed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) decision to bring in far-reaching changes in the existing I-League format and promote an IPL-style tournament.
     By brining in changes in the I-League format, introducing a cap on the number of teams, permitting and actively promoting an IPL-style franchise league bang in the middle of the football season, AIFF will be sounding death knell for club football in India, said Peter Vaz, President of Sporting Clube de Goa.
     "Crucial decisions were taken by AIFF at an emergency meeting (last week). One fails to understand what was the need of taking such decisions by bypassing the AIFF Executive Committee and the clubs.
     "The I-League has been broken up into Western and Eastern conference without any consultation whatsoever with the clubs who are the main stake-holders," he said.
     The apex football body, at the emergency meeting, decided to introduce the USA's Major League Soccer-style conference 

Goa football club slams AIFF over I-League, IPL-style event

Indian shuttler K Srikanth entered the final of the Thailand Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament after registering a comfortable straight-game victory over local favourite Thammasin Sitthikom in the men's singles event here today.
     Srikanth, seeded 13th, took 43 minutes to overcome his opponent 21-14 21-18 at the Nimitbutr National Stadium here.
     He will take on the winner of the other semifinal match between Boonsak Ponsana and Wisnu Yuli Prasetyo.
     In the first game, World no. 61 Srikanth opened up a slender 6-2 lead but Sitthikom soon caught up with the Indian to make it 6-7.
     The 20-year-old then registered eight consecutive points to surge ahead 15-6. He kept on widening the gap to make it 20-7.
     But just a point away from sealing off the opening game, the Thai bagged seven points on the trot to reduce the gap to 14-20. However, in the end, Srikanth pocketed the game comfortably.
     Sitthikom came back strongly in the second game and turned the heat on ...

Srikanth in final of Thailand Open

The ICC today charged West Indies' Denesh Ramdin for conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game during a Champions Trophy match against Pakistan but the wicket-keeper batsman has pleaded not guilty and faces a hearing on Monday.
     The charge is related to an incident in Pakistan's innings when Ramdin claimed a catch off Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq. Australian umpire Steve Davis had ruled Misbah out but when the decision was referred to third umpire Tony Hill it came to light that Ramdin did not have full control over the ball and Misbah was reprieved.
     TV replays showed that he had caught the ball initially but it popped out of his hands later on.
     "Ramdin was charged with breaching Article 2.2.11 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel," an ICC statement said.
     "The charge has been laid by the on-field umpires Steve Davis and Nigel Llong, third umpire Tony Hill and fourth umpire Richard Kettleborough."
     The range of penalties .

Ramdin charged for conduct contrary to the spirit of the game

Under-fire Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra today wished his Bollywood actress wife Shilpa Shetty a happy birthday and apologised for the disturbing developments in the past few days that saw the two being dragged into the IPL spot-fixing scandal.
     Businessman Kundra, who is a British national, was caught in the betting net when Police claimed that he has confessed to have placed bets in IPL matches.
     Writing on Shilpa's twitter page, Kundra left wishes and apologies for the actress.
     "Wishing my gorgeous wife @theshilpashetty a very happy birthday, apologies for all this nonsense u have had to deal with. Truth is coming out," he wrote.
     Kundra, who claims innocence, may lose his small stake in the IPL Franchise if he is found guilty of betting, the team had said yesterday.
     Kundra also thanked Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan for his wishes for Shilpa.
     "Thank you @SrBachchan sir your message on Shilpa's birthday gives her a smile that no other message 

Kundra sends bouquet of apologies to Shilpa on birthday

The Rio de Janeiro stadium that will be used for athletics at the 2016 Olympics will remain closed until 2015 because of structural problems with its roof, officials said.
     City authorities announced that it will take nearly 18 months to fix the Joao Havelange Olympic Stadium, known locally as the Engenhao.
     The stadium, built for the 2007 Pan American Games, has been closed since March 26 after a study showed there was a risk the roof could collapse when exposed to high winds.
    There had been no timetable on how long it would take to fix the venue until the city presented its own study on Friday.
     "There is a need to reinforce the roof's structure so the stadium can be used, taking into consideration the proper requirements of safety," said Sebastiao Andrade, an engineer who participated in the study.
     Local Olympic organizers said they remain confident that the city will deliver the stadium in time for the test events planned for the 2016 Games.
     "The Rio 2016 

Rio's Olympic stadium to stay closed until 2015

Rafael Nadal is happy to suffer if it allows him to become the first man to capture the same Grand Slam title eight times when he tackles Spanish compatriot David Ferrer in Sunday's French Open final.
     Nadal, who won the Roland Garros crown in 2012 for the seventh time to pull clear of Bjorn Borg's six titles, goes into his 17th Grand Slam final seeking a 12th major overall.
     Ferrer, 31, Nadal's senior by four years, will be playing on this stage for the first time and will be handicapped by a 19-4 losing streak against his fellow Spaniard, 16 of those losses coming on clay.
     But Nadal is taking nothing for granted and is prepared for another marathon encounter after his epic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 9-7 win over world number one Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
     "I learned during all of my career to enjoy suffering, and these kind of matches are very special. You don't have the chance to play these kind of matches every day," said Nadal.
     He had twice led top ..

Nadal happy to suffer in pursuit of eighth title

For long-suffering French tennis fans, the agonising wait for a male champion at the French Open goes on, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga the latest to succumb to the Roland Garros jinx.
     The 28-year old from the car-race town of Le Mans had motored smoothly into the last four without dropping a set and hopes were sent sky-high that at last Yannick Noah's iconic win in Paris 30 years ago would be matched.
     But on a sultry June evening with the shadows lengthening on the Philippe Chatrier centre court, Tsonga went the way of so many of his compatriots before him, unable to produce the goods when it mattered at the temple of claycourt tennis.
     Tsonga had looked every bit a winner after his straight sets demolition of Roger Federer in the quarter-finals and his matchup with David Ferrer had been hotly anticipated throughout France, leading TV news bulletins and fronting the widely-read L'Equipe newspaper.
     But to start with, scheduling got in the way as the Tsonga-Ferrer match was ...

Long wait goes on for French tennis

David Ferrer advanced to his first Grand Slam final by beating Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the French Open, 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 today.
	The No. 4-seeded Ferrer, who had been 0-5 in major semifinals, will face fellow Spaniard and seven-time champion Rafael Nadal for the title Sunday. Nadal advanced by beating No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 9-7.
	Ferrer collapsed to the clay with glee when he closed out the victory. He has played in more major tournaments, 42, to reach his first final than any other man in the Open era.
	Tsonga was trying to become the first Frenchman to reach the Roland Garros final since Henri Leconte in 1988, and the first to win the title since Yannick Noah in 1983.

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