Sports

In 2003, once they were knocked out of a home World Cup after failing to read a piece of paper right, South Africa wagered on a new direction for its cricket team. Graeme Smith had played all of eight Test matches, was 22 years old and although he averaged 55, his early reputation suggested his bark was more incisive than his bite. He was replacing Shaun Pollock who had done little wrong in his

The amicable VVS Laxman, who has always stayed away from controversies, dropped a bombshell by quitting in a huff even though he had been selected for the series against the Kiwis. Though he took great pains to downplay any 'foul play' in his decision, it became more than obvious that the wristy middle-order batsman was hurt deeply enough to continue being a part of the Indian dressing room to

Melbourne, October 9: Former ICC elite panel umpire Darrell Hair is not at all surprised by the allegations of fixing against match officials, and said such rumours started doing rounds since the birth of the cash-rich Indian Premier League. Hair's statement came after the ICC has launched an "urgent investigation" into the claims made by an Indian television channel that several umpires were

Two Sri Lankan youth unable to put up with the national team's defeat in the ICC World Twenty20 cricket final against the West Indies have committed suicide, police said here on Monday. 17-year-old Ashan Lakshitha, who returned home after watching the match on a giant screen at city's Galle Face promenade, was found hanging on a mango tree early this morning. Similarly, 21-year-old Mahendran

New Delhi, October 9: In his capacity as Rajya Sabha member, Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has prepared a roadmap for Indian sports, which he submitted to Union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal and sports minister Ajay Maken last month. According to sources, the batting maestro has given a two-page summary and attached a 25-slide presentation to show the road ahead for

Mumbai, October 9: Every once in a while, with depressing frequency, the cricket world is jolted by allegations of match-fixing. But so far, these had only involved players. On Monday, though, private news channel unveiled a sting operation, conducted in July and August, which seems to reveal that umpires, who are supposed to protect the laws of the game, may themselves be up for sale. The channel

Skipper Mithali Raj was the highest placed Indian in the latest ICC T20I Women's Rankings as she remained static in the third position in the batting chart even as Jhulan Goswami lost a place to be fourth in the bowling list. Mithali has 656 points while Goswami has 645. Harpreet Kaur (ninth) and Poonam Raut (20th) were the other two Indians who figured in the batting chart. Ninth-placed Amita

Dubai, October 8: The Indian cricket team’s disastrous World Twenty20 campaign pushed it to third place in the ICC T20 rankings while this year’s champion West Indies jumped five places to grab the second spot. India, ousted at the Super Eight stage, are a point behind the Caribbeans at 120 in the rankings, which continue to be led by Sri Lanka, the ICC said in a statement. In the rankings for

In their very first season, MSD RN Racing Team, finished on the podium at the final race of the Supersport Championship 2012, a support race for the World Superbike Championship on the Magny Cours track in France on Sunday as their rider Dan Linfoot took the third spot. Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose passion for bikes is well known, had floated his own racing team and the

Colombo, October 7: West Indies outclassed hosts Sri Lanka by 36 runs in a low-scoring finale to lift the 2012 World Twenty20 title at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday. West Indies bowlers were on a roll as they dented Sri Lankan chase by removing seven batsmen within 70 runs in 15 overs in the final clash of the World T20. Chasing 138, Sri Lanka lost Tillakaratne Dilshan, for a duck, in