Sports

Karachi, Jan 11: Busy celebrating the ODI series win against arch-foes India, Pakistani cricketers are hoping that the triumph would enhance their chances of getting a handsome pay raise this year. A source told PTI that the national selectors met in Lahore yesterday and handed over a preliminary list of candidates who should be considered for the new central contracts and retainers in 2013. "The

Rajkot, Jan 11: Different conditions, different opponents but MSD & Co will look to carry on the momentum from the last ODI against Pakistan in New Delhi to the first match of their One-day series against England at the newly-built Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium on Friday. They would also look to somewhat settle a score after the Test debacle against the Englishmen. India can also

New Delhi, Jan 10: Former India skipper Rahul Dravid has thrown his weight behind the beleaguered Mahendra Singh Dhoni, saying that he is the "only man" capable of leading the Test team but should quit Twenty20 captaincy to avoid becoming "stale". "Not only is Dhoni the only man to lead India in Test cricket, he is still capable of doing the job well. What it will require from him is a change in

New Delhi, Jan 10: Undoubtedly one of the most widely followed Indian celebrities on Facebook, Sachin Tendulkar's fan following on the social networking site has crossed nine million and it's still counting. "9 million thanks!!! Thankyou for making me feel so special," Tendulkar posted on his Facebook account. Tendulkar had joined Facebook last September and within hours, had a staggering four

Dubai, Jan 9: The five-match one-day series between India and England will throw open the race to the number one team and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men will have to inflict a whitewash on the visiting side to regain its numero uno status on the Reliance ICC ODI Championship table. India is playing England in a five-match ODI series starting on Friday in Rajkot and the only way the hosts, currently

Karachi, Jan 9: Pakistan remains optimistic about playing a full series with India later this year despite reports that the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) has refused to send its team to Pakistan due to security concerns and also has ruled out the possibility of playing at any neutral venue. The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf, who returned home with the national team on Monday, said that

New Delhi, Jan 9: After former England wicketkeeper Paul Nixon's tweets alleging match-mixing in the third One Day International between India and Pakistan and accusing the latter of losing deliberately, now the Man of the Match (MOM) award for the same game to India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has come under scanner. Insiders have accused the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of

Zurich, Jan 8: Argentina's Lionel Messi, 25, won the World Player of the Year award for an unprecedented fourth year running on Monday. The award came after a year in which the Barcelona player scored a record-breaking 91 goals for club and country. Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo was second in the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or award and Messi's Barcelona team-mate Andres Iniesta was

New Delhi, Jan 8: The decision to give MS Dhoni the Man of the Match award at Sunday's ODI against Pakistan surprised many watchers. Though the skipper had top-scored for India with 36, his wicket-keeping wasn't top-notch and he dropped the catch of his opposite number, Misbah-ul-Haq. Sources said Dhoni wasn't the frontrunner for the award but pipped others to the post at the last minute. The MoM

The seemingly straight ball makes an abrupt curve in the air. It curls in on the slender space between bat and pad. Don’t tell this to VVS Laxman. He’ll insist that the ball must be pasted to mid-wicket. But don’t tell this to lesser mortals either. They’ll moan that the bend of the ball is too much to cope with. So what’s it about the incoming ball that has given India a torrid time in the ODIs