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Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Watch live The Australian Open
5:45 PM
Farhan
Pennetta and Dulko win maiden Slam titleStaring down the barrel of almost certain defeat, Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta staged a remarkable comeback to claim their first major doubles crown as a team and validate their top seeding.
In their first Grand Slam doubles final, the Argentine-Italian duo found themselves trailing 2-6, 1-4 against No.12 seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko, before drawing on their vast reserves of experience and confidence to storm back and claim a memorable 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory.
Speaking after the match, the pair said that their response to finding themselves so far behind was to simply try to extend the match as long as possible. "We were like in shock. I think a set and 4 1 down, in the changeover, we...
Eden Gardens loses India-England fixture
5:36 PM
Farhan
In a major embarrassment to the BCCI, the ICC has ruled out Eden Gardens as the host of the game between India and England on February 27. The ICC's inspection team, which included some of the leading experts in the field of stadium and ground preparation, felt that Eden Gardens would not be ready in time. No alternate venue for the match has yet been named. The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and the three World Cup stadiums in Sri Lanka were all given the go-ahead by the ICC. "Regrettably, Eden Gardens has not made sufficient progress to justify the level of confidence required to confirm that the venue would be ready in good time," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said. "This was no easy decision to take and while it is most...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Amir plays club game, ICC seeks explanation
3:03 PM
Farhan
The ICC has written to the PCB asking for details into the appearance of Mohammad Amir in a friendly club match. Amir is currently provisionally suspended from all levels of cricket facing charges of spot-fixing placed by the governing body in the aftermath of the Lord's Test during Pakistan's tour of England in 2010. Amir took part in a game in Rawalpindi on Monday, though the contest is not believed to carry any official status. But under the ICC's anti-corruption code of conduct, Amir - and Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, the other two players suspended - are not allowed to play even at club level if those clubs are affiliated to the regional cricket body - in this case the Rawalpindi Cricket Association - which is in turn, affiliated...
Trott heroics keep England alive
2:55 PM
Farhan
Jonathan Trott's calculating century ensured England stayed in the series with a 21-run victory that upset Australia's national holiday in Adelaide. The tourists began the game needing to win and the scenario won't change when they head to Brisbane for Sunday's fifth ODI, but they have been boosted by an end to four consecutive limited-overs losses. Trott's perfectly timed 102 off 126 balls stood tall on a day that was meant to be a celebration of all things Australia, but the home supporters left unhappy as the series score-line in the seven-game contest settled at 3-1. Trott, bowling his steady medium pace, even managed the valuable breakthroughs of Cameron White (44) and David Hussey (28) to end the pair's rescue act. England's...
Martin Guptill cherishes new role
2:49 PM
Farhan
From being dropped for the ODI series in Bangladesh last October, Martin Guptill is now an integral part of the New Zealand team. He opened the innings in all three formats during the ongoing series against Pakistan and, in the last six months, has transitioned from being someone struggling to find a place in the team to a key cog in the set-up. Guptill began 2010 with 189 against Bangladesh in the Hamilton Test. He made 91 against them in the third ODI in Christchurch but his form fell away after that knock. He scored only 85 runs in the five-match Chappell-Hadlee series and a solitary half-century in the two Tests that followed against Australia. His form slumped further in the tri-nation tournament in Sri Lanka, where he made...
