ICC reject Australian umpire Steve Davis drink claim

WORLD cricket bosses have denied a report that Australian umpire Steve Davis was seen drunk in Durban.

Vincent van der Bijl, head of the International Cricket Council's referees panel, said he was aware of the story, but ICC media spokesman Colin Gibson insisted no complaint had been made against Davis.

"The CSA (South African board) hasn't told the ICC anything," Gibson said.

"It's all nonsense."

A report in a South African newspaper claimed South African players were considering lodging a complaint against Davis, who they allegedly saw "in a drunken condition" at a hotel where the teams and officials were staying, before the opening day of the second Test between South Africa and India.

Afrikaan daily newspaper Beeld quoted sources from the team saying they had frequently seen Davis at a Durban bar and he was also seen stumbling into another hotel in the early hours during the first Test, at Centurion.

Davis, 58, who has stood in 31 Tests, made two blunders on the last two days of the second Test. Both went against the home side. India won by 87 runs to level the three-match series 1-1.

THE event likely to rock international cricket during the next two weeks will take place half a world away from the fifth Test at the SCG.

Doha, the capital of Qatar, will be the location for the hearing into spot-fixing allegations against Pakistanis Mohammad Aamer, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.

The trio has been provisionally suspended since a News of the World sting in August found that Aamer and Asif bowled deliberate no-balls on the instructions of skipper Butt during the fourth Test against England at Lord's.

Aamer, 18, is believed to be ready to give evidence against Butt, Asif and other Pakistani players.

Lawyers for Butt and Asif have suggested they have information that could implicate some of the world's top cricketers in betting scandals.

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Laird looks forward to masters

Finishing dead last at an event is no cause for celebration, but for Scottish golfer Martin Laird, September's US Tour Championship was still special.

Just being among the 30-strong elite field in Atlanta (not even Tiger Woods managed it) meant that Laird had qualified for a debut at golf's most glamorous tournament - The Masters at Augusta next April.

His first appearance among the azaleas and dogwood will come at the age of 28 and that alone tells you this has been no meteoric rise like that of Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer or Matteo Manassero.

But Laird has done enough in the last two seasons to suggest he could be one of the stars of 2011.

The Glaswegian, still relatively unknown on this side of the Atlantic after going to college in the States and staying there, began last year 268th in the world but has made it all the way into the top 50.

He has also become the first Scottish winner on the US Tour since Sandy Lyle at the 1988 Masters - and there could so easily have been two more victories this season.

Matt Kuchar came up with a wondrous shot to beat him in sudden death at the first of the FedEx Cup play-offs - Laird had three-putted the last - and then in the defence of his Las Vegas title Jonathan Byrd produced a hole-in-one no less at the fourth play-off hole.

"I'm not a goal-setter. My goal is just to get better every year and I feel like I've done that," Laird said.

"The only thing I have felt has been holding me back has been my putting and since I started working with Dave Stockton Jnr it's been good.

"I feel like if I keep that up and keep my ball-striking where it was or even get it a little better I know I can move way up the world rankings and start challenging in majors and things.

"You look at guys like Kaymer and (Graeme) McDowell winning, it gives you motivation to be up there with them."

Just as US Open champion McDowell did, he really blossomed as a player in his college days - Colorado in his case - but while the Northern Irishman then won only his fourth European Tour event, it was a long time before Laird's professional career had lift-off.

"My first year on the Nationwide Tour (2005) I played terribly and lost my card," he recalls.

In 19 starts he had only one top-25 finish and six missed cuts in his last seven tournaments left him with earnings for the year of less than $19,000 (£11,500).

On his return to the circuit in 2007, however, he won over a quarter of a million dollars and on graduating to the main Tour the money alone has been an indicator of his progress - more than $850,000 two years ago, $1.3million last season and $2.1million this.

The better Laird does in the US, the more chance there is of him adding to his rare appearances in Europe so far, especially once Ryder Cup qualifying begins in September.

His European Tour debut did not come until last year's Scottish Open. He came 10th after starting with a 65, but has already bettered that with a fifth place at October's Dunhill Links Championship.

In the Open though he has made two early exits, crashing out of St Andrews this summer with a nightmare second-round 83, and desperately wants to improve on that at Sandwich in July.

The Dunhill was a big confidence-booster in that regard.

"I think I was paying the Old Course a little too much respect at the Open. I wanted to come back and almost prove to myself that I can play links golf because my record was not very good.

"I definitely can control any ball flight a little better now and that's something that's good going forward."

Augusta is the ultimate examination of that and in April Laird finally has the chance to take that test.

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Court reduces Rajasthan Royals bank guarantee

Rajasthan Royals don't seem interested in just coming back into the Indian Premier League (IPL) fold, but they want to come back with the proverbial bang. Perhaps that is the reason they went back to the court and requested through their counsel Janak Dwarkadas that the bank guarantee be reduced from $20.83m.

The Bombay High Court on Monday allowed Royals to deposit $7.8m as guarantee with an additional security deposit of $2.83m, reducing the overall guarantee by almost half. The BCCI has given its consent for the same. Royals had insisted that the bank guarantee should be reduced because the guarantee provided for the 2011 IPL could be used as a rolling guarantee for the following year too.

Earlier, the high court had permitted RR to take part in IPL 4 and directed them to pay a $20.83m bank guarantee, as argued by the BCCI counsel.

Royals are now allowed to participate in the player auctions scheduled for January 8 and 9 and in fact are now being kept in the loop by the BCCI as far as all internal communication of IPL - between the board and the franchisees - are concerned.

Meanwhile, the board has released the money - to the tune of Rs 35 crore - that was due to the franchise. In turn, the franchise says they've also almost finished the process of paying pending player dues.

"We had already begun paying the players from our own pockets but now, after the BCCI money has come in, we've settled it all," says Raghu Iyer, the chief marketing officer of the franchise.

Whether or not Kings XI Punjab intends to do something similar is not known as yet.

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The Ashes - Melbourne Day 2

Mat Rogers' golf course mishap

Luckily, the incident occurred in the pursuit of a good cause and no one was hurt.

The vehicle in question was the golf buggy transporting Mat Rogers, his son and a friend around the golf course at Links Hope Island on the Gold Coast, as they took part in Rogers' Celebrity Golf Classic to raise funds for their charity, 4ASD Kids.

And the only damage was to Rogers' pride as he surveyed the upturned cart, marooned in a bunker.

Rogers and his wife Chloe Maxwell were hoping to raise more than $300,000 across the weekend for 4ASD Kids, which is dedicated to supporting children with autism spectrum disorders, so they can receive the treatment that will give them the best chance of a normal life.

There were celebrities galore at the charity weekend, and they were digging deep into their pockets. But it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Maxwells, who were constantly battling with the weather at Sanctuary Cove.

Newsreader Sandra Sully was back again for the event, which coincided with her family's Christmas celebration.

"I was meant to start my holidays a couple of days earlier but Oprah was in town," she said.

"It's a shame about the weather. I call my partner the rainman because when I bring him to Queensland it rains."

Australia's Next Top Model judge Charlotte Dawson flew in for the event and showcased her singing talent when she belted out some Guns N' Roses at the Quiksilver Beach party, while Matthew Johns, accompanied by his wife Trish, had a "dance-off" with the kids.

Comedian Corinne Grant was another special guest as were former NRL footballer Gorden Tallis and Titans Greg Bird, Scott Prince and William Zillman.

Tendulkar: I dedicate my 50th Test century to my father

STORY OF THE YEAR: Tiger's tale

Tiger Woods' humbling return to the public eye, from his televised confession to a winless season on the golf course, was voted the sports story of the year by members of The Associated Press.

The fallout from Woods’ admission of infidelity edged a very different sort of story: The New Orleans Saints winning their first Super Bowl championship, giving an emotional boost to their hurricane-ravaged city.

It was late 2009 when Woods' pristine image unraveled after he crashed his SUV into a tree outside his home, unleashing salacious revelations of extramarital affairs. The story was a late addition to last year’s voting and wound up fifth.

But the twists and turns weren't over for Woods. Many more developments were still to unfold in 2010.

There were 176 ballots submitted from U.S. news organizations that make up the AP's membership. The voters were asked to rank the top 10 sports stories of the year, with the first-place story getting 10 points, the second-place story receiving nine points, and so on.

The Woods saga received 1,316 points, with the Saints' title getting 1,215 and the NBA free agency frenzy coming in third with 1,085.

Major League Baseball's ongoing travails with performance-enhancing drugs was the top story last year.

Here are 2010's top 10 stories:

1. TIGER WOODS

Woods returned to public view with a 13½-minute statement in February, then came back to golf at the Masters in April with a fourth-place finish. That would be one of his few highlights on the course - Woods went winless on the PGA Tour for the first time in his career and lost his No. 1 ranking for the first time in years. In August, he and Elin Nordegren divorced.

2. SAINTS WIN

New Orleans residents loved their Saints for not abandoning the city after Hurricane Katrina, but it was hard to imagine the team bringing much joy on the field after 42 mostly losing seasons. Then Drew Brees and Co. upset the mighty Indianapolis Colts in their first Super Bowl, to the delight of French Quarter revelers and fans nationwide who adopted the Saints.

3. FREE AGENCY FRENZY

NBA fans were captivated by the mystery of where MVP LeBron James and other marquee free agents would land. Few would have guessed that three of them would sign with the same team: the Miami Heat, who became basketball’s Evil Empire by adding James from Cleveland and Chris Bosh from Toronto to Dwyane Wade.

4. WORLD CUP

A World Cup of firsts ended gloriously for Spain and for Africa. South Africa hosted the continent’s first World Cup without the pitfalls many predicted. And the Spaniards brought home the first World Cup title to the soccer-mad country with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in extra time.

5. GIANTS WIN

The Giants hadn’t won the World Series since they moved to San Francisco in 1958 - and since 1954 overall. This didn’t seem to be the year to end the drought when they barely squeaked into the playoffs. But with dominant pitching and clutch hitting, they beat the Texas Rangers in five games.

6. NFL CONCUSSIONS

New posters distributed to teams before the season warned of concussions’ dangers in much harsher language than before. Another sign of how big the issue had become: increased reporting of concussions by players. Midseason, the NFL cracked down on helmet hits with huge fines and threatened suspensions.

7. JIMMIE JOHNSON

The NASCAR driver extended his record with his fifth straight Sprint Cup title. Perhaps most impressively, he did it despite not being in top form all season. Johnson became the first driver in the Chase’s seven-year history to overcome a points deficit in the finale.

8. BRETT FAVRE

This comeback was nothing like last year’s magical run to the NFC title game for the 41-year-old quarterback. His Minnesota Vikings struggled badly, and the NFL launched an investigation into whether he sent lewd photos of himself to a Jets employee. After voting began, his record streak of 297 starts ended.

9. UCONN WINS

The Huskies’ women’s basketball team extended their record winning streak to 78 games with a second straight national championship in April, becoming the first team to post consecutive unbeaten seasons. And Connecticut is a powerhouse again this season.

10. WOODEN DIES

The Wizard of Westwood died June 4 at the age of 99. John Wooden coached UCLA’s men’s basketball team to 10 NCAA championships, including seven in a row from 1967-73 and an 88-game winning streak.

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Pakistan women's football team outplays Maldives 2-1

Pakistan women's football players outplayed Maldives 2-1 in the opening match of SAFF Women's Football Championship at Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh on Tuesday.

Mehwish scored the opening goal in 45th minute plus Malaika doubled the lead in the 89th minute beginning a penalty kick.

8 teams are participating in the event. Pakistan will now play its 2nd match against Nepal on December 16 and 3rd match against Afghanistan on December 18.

Tendulkar's 200 in Time magazine's Top Ten Sports moment

Iconic Indian batsman Tendulkar’s record-breaking one-day International double century has found a place in Time magazine’s 'Top Ten Sports Moment of the year.

"Confident sports milestones appear simply unreachable: In cricket, it's the one-day double-hundred: no man had still produced 200 runs for his team during a one-day international match," 'Time' said.

In February, however, India's Tendulkar, the maximum run scorer of all-time, hit the magic milestone against a powerful South African squad.

Sachin smacked 3 'sixes' - the cricket equal of a home run during his epic performance, and the build up to 200 was exciting.

"When he reached 199, the home crowd in Gwalior waved Indian flags, and roared, knowing they were about to witness history. The little Tendulkar, dubbed 'The Little Master,' slapped a single past the South African fielders. The world’s 1.5 billion cricket fans had a second they’d never forget," it said.

South Africa golf ace among Laureus nominees

Oosthuizen has been built in the World Breakthrough of the Year category where he is competing with German soccer star Thomas Muller and French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre.

Also included are the England T20 Cricket team, who won their 1st global trophy in limited- overs cricket this year against Australia, the current World Cup and Champions Trophy winners.

South Africa's Oosthuizen made a name for himself across the globe after winning the British Open Championship at St Andrews in July, which was his 1st Major win.

In March 2010, he won his 1st European Tour event at the Open de Andalucia de Golf. He also won the 2010 Masters Par 3 Contest.

Oosthuizen's early career was supported financially for 3 years by Ernie Els's foundation.

In other awards, 50-year-old Merlene Ottey of Slovenia has been nominated for the World Comeback of the Year award. The former Jamaican sprinter became the oldest woman still to compete in the European championship in Barcelona this year.

Fellow athlete Tyson Gay is also chosen for the same award. Sportsman of the Year nominees includes Lionel Messi, Rafael Nadal, Sebastian Vettel, Sachin and Diego Forlan.

Spain is tipped to win the World Team of the Year award after their historic win of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Italian soccer giants Inter Milan, who became the 1st winners of the Serie A, Italian Coppa Cup and European Champions League in one year, is chosen for the same award.

PCB stop five players to leave country

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has refused 5 of top cricketers the permission to leave country in a offer to make sure their presence in the camp for the upcoming New Zealand.

5 top cricketers, as well as the country's T20 skipper Afridi, fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, smashing all-rounder Razzaq, former captain Younus Khan, and fast bowler Umar Gul were due to leave for Malaysia for the shooting of an advertisement.

Sources informed The Sports meet that stopping the players, the PCB told the players to make sure their presence in the cricket camp for the New Zealand tour which start from December 8th, 2010.

But, later the PCB establishment denied any such incident saying that none of the players asked the PCB for permission to leave country for an advertisement shooting.

Cricket fans are totally aware of the topsy-turvy nature of the PCB chief, Ijaz Butt, who generally backs out of his stance with or without any reason.

Pakistan are due to start their New Zealand tour from December 26 with the first T20 International and will play a total of three T20 International matches, two Test matches, and 6 One Day Internationals.

Earlier, Pakistan was to play 5 ODIs and 3 Test matches but for a improved preparation of the ICC World Cup 2011, both cricket boards decided to include an additional ODI at the cost of a Test match.

No Pakistani players in IPL 4 auctions

No Pakistani players will be included in the 4th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

According to sources, the IPL main council has decided to keep Pakistani players away from the auctions for IPL 4.

The decision has been taken keeping in mind the continuing problem into match-fixing allegations by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sources added.

3 Pakistani players- Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were charged under Article 2 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code on September 2, and have been temporarily suspended since then.

More recently, a secretly filmed video showed supposed bookmaker Mazhar Majeed boasting of relations with 4 other Pakistani cricketers- Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz and Imran Farhat.

It is noteworthy that no Pakistani players were included in to the last version of IPL as well.

Gibbs book tell all about the intrigues in cricket

It is quite revealing and attractive, and grips the imagination with its juicy details. The reader gets a usually unfiltered view of Herschelle Gibbs take on life or rather his "Live life to the max" mantra.

Instead of couching chapter in safe-sounding euphemisms, Gibbs gets directly to the point while giving reader an inside edge into the interesting life of one of the most gifted batsmen of his generation.

Exploits of drinking, drugs and orgies are well-documented and there's also a confirmation of a suspected clique of senior players, understood to be controlling the Proteas team.

There's also the real fact behind media stories, most of which ensured Gibbs never stayed far from controversy.

The messy divorce from ex-wife Tenielle, his run-ins with the authorities, the "Monkey" racial slur, match-fixing scandal, and being dropped from the Proteas team for alcohol abuse are all fleshed out at this time in this potential bestseller. No doubt this book puts an end to any hopes Gibbs might yet have of playing for South Africa again.

Aware of the backlash this book would solicit he nonetheless writes from the heart, chronicling how his go-large-or-go-home attitude frequently landed him in trouble, the bizarre dropped catch in the 1999 World Cup and his stint in rehab.

The attractive part of a 16-year-old Gibbs breaking into the Western Province's A-team and on to the worldwide stage is overshadowed by the juicy detail. How does one skip the "2 beds, 2 cricketers and 3 women" part of the book, for the dilemma Gibbs was faced with when choosing between cricket, rugby and football back at Bishops College?

But there can be no missing some of the most cricketing moments Gibbs has provided over the years.

From his 1999 maiden Test century against New Zealand in Christchurch, the phenomenal 438 win more than the old enemy, Australia, in an ODI at the Wanderers to the record-setting Six sixes at the 2007 World Cup.

This book offers the reader a chance to reassess things one consideration one had known about Gibbs and his Proteas career.

Kochi's dream close to realisation

Cameron and Beckham arrive for last presentation offer

Fifa, world football's leading body, announce which bids have won the correct to stage the 2018 and 2022 World Cups later today.

Netherlands-Belgium, England, Russia and Spain-Portugal are vying for the 2018 tournament - Australia, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Qatar for 2022. The bid teams for England have arrived to make their final presentation to try and safe the 2018 World Cup.

Speaking in Zurich, David Cameron commended David Beckham and Prince William for their efforts ahead of the appearance.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho portrays 5-0 thrashing by Barcelona as worst beat of his career

Jose Mourinho has tried to calm Real Madrid nerves after their 5-0 thrashing by Barcelona, labeling his most horrible ever defeat "a loss, not a humiliation."

Barcelona dominated the match at Camp Nou to claim the club's major win since the 1993-94 seasons and imposing on Mourinho his heaviest loss in a career that comprises two Champions League triumphs.

It is also Mourinho's first defeat in all rivalry since taking over the Bernabeu club.

Xavi and Pedro Rodriguez put the defensive champion 2-0 ahead inside 18 minutes before Villa scored a second-half brace. Substitute Jeffren Suarez scored in the 90th minute to seal victory in front of almost 100,000 fans.

To add insult to wound for Madrid, they ended the match with 10 men after Sergio Ramos pushed Carles Puyol in the face late on.

"It's the most awful defeat of my career. I've never lost by five goals to zero but it's simple to digest because it was a defeat with no possibility of winning - so it's not hard to believe," Mourinho said. "We are only two points behind the leader so we have to carry on working."

Barcelona are currently two points clear at the top of the league table, with 34 points from 13 games, subsequent a dominant show of one-touch, possession football.

"I leave let down both in my team and my players, independently," Mourinho said. "You have to have character, when you lose by five goals you can't leave weeping, you have to go and work harder. The season (has) not finished today."

Mourinho criticized Madrid's lack of care as Pedro capped a 22-pass build-up with an objective in the 18th minute to make it 2-0.

"I have to be anxious about my team that until now had been playing well and today played very badly," said Mourinho.

"One team played to the utmost of its potential and the other very poorly. It's a well-deserved succeed and well-deserved failure."

Tendulkar loses pinnacle Test spot to Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen, ending Sachin Tendulkar's short-lived reside at the head of the table.

Sangakkara's acts in the first two Tests of the ongoing series against West Indies coincided with Tendulkar's modest returns against New Zealand, leading to a swap at the top. Sangakkara has so far scored 228 runs in the West Indies series, obtaining him to 882 rating points, 23 clear of Tendulkar who could run only one half-century in four innings against New Zealand. Virender Sehwag is in the third place, nine points behind Tendulkar, whereas Jacques Kallis is fourth, with 806.

South Africa's AB de Villiers and England's Jonathan Trott have broken into the top ten for the first time, next strong performances against Pakistan and Australia correspondingly. de Villiers amassed an unbeaten 278 in Abu Dhabi, the highest Test score by a South Africa batsman, forcing him to fifth. Trott's unbeaten 135 be a parts of England’s strong second-innings resistance in the Ashes-opener, serving his side earn a creditable draw, and lifting him to the eighth spot.

On the bowling front, India's fast-bowling spearhead, Zaheer Khan, surged to third in the Test ratings, his uppermost classification to date. South Africa seamer Dale Steyn and England offspinner Graeme Swann kept the top two positions. Australia's Peter Siddle, who picked up six wickets on the first day at the Gabba, as well as a hat-trick, rose to the 14th spot, while England seamer Steven Finn moved up to 19th on the back of his six-for.

Asian Games 2010: Indian men's & women's strike gold by Kabaddi team

Display great skill, both the Indian Men's & women's Kabaddi teams won Gold medals at the Asian Games. The men's team overcomes Iran while the Indian women overcome Thailand.

Gold medals in Kabaddi were a great deal expected for India as the country has been dominating the sport for a long time at the present. With the addition of this gold medal, India have so far won 12 golds, 15 silvers and 32 bronze medals at the 16th Asian Games 2010 in Guangzhou, China on Friday.

Indian Squash Team debut Medal

After men and women boxers displayed their guts when a number of them won medals and others advanced to finals ensure at least silver medals, it was the rotate of Indian women's squash team to grab their debutant medal in the ongoing Asian Games 2010 in Zhengzhou, China on Wednesday.

Indian women squash team when reached semi finals had 2 options among them – either carry on their chase for higher goal of silver of gold medal By advancing to finals or settling down with a bronze medal.

It was not an alternative but a display of hard work that ultimately did not work when the teams go defeated by a great deal stronger Malaysian women squash team in semi final. The Indian team could not win any of the games and lost by a clean sweep of 0-2 against Malaysian team.

It was hard also for the Indian team as the Malaysian team was much more experienced, strong and higher in team ranking. Malaysian team is already being anticipated to grab the final title and gold medal.

1st match was between Joshna Chinappa & Nicol Ann David. Nicol is world number1 women player. Joshna got defeated by a clean sweep edge of 0-3 against Nicol.

The same story frequent in the 2nd match also that was between Anaka Alankamony & Wee Wern Low. Anaka from India lost against Wee by the same margin as Joshna.

The Indian team comprising of Anaka, Dipika Pallikal, Anwesha Reddy & Joshna had to finally agree to the defeat against their hard opponents from Malaysia and rest with Bronze medal for India.

In the other semi final match Hong Kong defeated Korea with the same score of 2-0 thereby assures to meet Malaysia in finals to be held in Town Gymnasium on Thursday.
In men's section Indian squash team will be fighting against Pakistan team later in the day.

Graeme Smith fracture fingers may miss India series

Smith, the South Africa team captain, has continued a fracture to the fourth finger of his left hand that could put him out of the future home Test series against India. He is continued the injury when he was hit by a Shoaib Akhtar bouncer in the 1st ODI against Pakistan previous month and has aggravated it by playing in the last 2 ODIs of the same series and the 2-Test series in the UAE.

"It is the same hand that was injured through the ODI series against Pakistan 3 weeks ago," South Africa's team manager Mohammed Moosajee said. "It was aggravated by the continuous wear and tear concerned with fielding and batting and flared up while he was fielding during the present Test match." Smith was unable to bat in South Africa's 2nd innings in the second Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

The injury has put Smith's contribution in the 1st Test against India, which starts in Centurion on December 16, in doubt.

The crack is a non-displaced one but Smith has a history with hand injuries having suffered 4 separate injuries to his hands in the last two-and-a-half years. Moosajee said the team doctor had advised Smith three weeks rest but because of his history, the team management was not certain when he would be fit again.
"It will be a race next to time to get him fit for the Test series against India," Moosajee said.

"In our experience with Smith, there have been times we said he would need a 6-week lay-off and he was ready in four, and other times we said three weeks and it took him longer." Smith broke his right center finger during the 2010 Indian Premier League, while a cracked little finger on his left hand kept him out of the ODI series in India in February.

Mitchell Johnson broke his right hand twice during South Africa's home and away series next to Australia in 2008-09.

Michael Vick talks to New Haven students

Chinese chess debuts at Asian Games

Army Vet, Hockey Player Puts Iraq War Injuries ‘On Ice’

Bowser met with a number of Washington Capitals professional ice hockey team players and coaches when they paid an April 6 visit to the Pentagon last year. Later, he got to skate with some Capitals players during a team practice.

Today, the 48-year-old Iraq veteran still plays ice hockey, despite the loss of the lower portion of his right leg four years ago during a rocket attack on Camp Anaconda, in Balad, Iraq.

Bowser, then a truck driver with 283rd Transportation Company based in Fairfield, Conn., recalled that the enemy attack occurred on April 12, 2004, soon after he returned to Camp Anaconda after delivering a 5,000-gallon load of jet fuel.

Bowser credits Connecticut Army National Guard Maj. Michael McMahon, a physician assistant, for saving his life. McMahon, he said, used his fingers to slow the bleeding from a gashed artery on Bowser’s injured right leg.

“He reached up on my leg to clamp off my artery so I wouldn’t ‘bleed out,’” Bowser recalled.

McMahon, now 45, recalled during a recent phone interview from his home in Hamden, Conn., that his military training kicked in when he saw the stricken Bowser bleeding profusely.

“You just react,” McMahon said. “We took care of him and got him stabilized. There was a combat surgical hospital in Balad.

“Once we got the bleeding controlled, … I thought he was going to make it,” McMahon recalled. Bowser and McMahon keep in touch; they met up in February when Bowser was in Connecticut to play a hockey game.

Wearing body armor probably also saved his life, Bowser said, noting his armored vest was riddled with shrapnel damage. The then-staff sergeant also suffered shrapnel injuries to his left hand.

Bowser said he arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here about a week after being wounded. The doctors thought he would have more mobility with a prosthetic leg, he recalled, rather than by keeping his mangled limb.

“The first thing that I thought of was that I wanted to play hockey again,” Bowser said. “So, I said I wanted to have it amputated.”

Bowser spent more than two years of inpatient and outpatient recovery at Walter Reed, and he was medically retired from the Army as a sergeant first class in July 2006. He rates the medical care he received at Walter Reed as “awesome.”

“You couldn’t ask for a better place,” Bowser said of Walter Reed.

Bowser now works at the Pentagon as an administrator for Army Secretary Pete Geren. In his spare time he plays pickup hockey games at Maryland rinks near his present-day home near Baltimore. He also occasionally travels to play in hockey tournaments.

Bowser plays right wing, one of the three forwards on an ice hockey team. The center and left winger make up the other two-thirds of the forward line, and their job is to harass the opposing team and score goals. Two defensive players are positioned rearward to protect the goalie.

Bowser said his artificial leg can be adjusted to accommodate his skating style, and that having a prosthetic limb actually has its advantages during a rough-and-tumble game of hockey.

“You don’t have to worry about getting a puck slapped on your foot,” Bowser said, noting he enjoys ice hockey’s speed of play and physical aspects.

Bowser completed as a member of the U.S. National Amputee Hockey Team during the 2008 Standing Amputee Hockey World Championships that were held April 2-6 in Marlborough, Mass. Team USA won the silver medal at that four-team tournament, beating out teams from Latvia and Finland. Canada won the gold medal, and Finland took the bronze.

Before he got his job in the secretary of the Army’s office, Bowser had volunteered to work with injured military veterans as part of an initiative administered through Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon R. England’s office.

The Capitals hockey club has sponsored several Military Appreciation Nights at the Verizon Center here for servicemembers and their families, Bowser noted.

Bowser, who got married April 12, said God gave him a second chance at life after being severely wounded in Iraq. Grateful for each day of existence, he strives to help his fellow wounded warriors.

£135m Lotto sports fund

Olympics chiefs will use £135million to get more people playing sport after the London 2012 Games. The lottery cash will be used to get better regional facilities and train 40,000 young sports leaders.

Bosses hope the Places People Play scheme will encourage 2 million Brits to be extra active.

Games chief Lord Sebastian Coe said yesterday: "Places People Play will harness the inspirational power of the Olympics to promote sport across the country and leave a lasting legacy."

Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) to name place after VVS Laxman

The Mumbai Cricket Association has stands named after batting legend Sunil Gavaskar and current genius Tendulkar at the Wankhede Stadium at Churchgate.

These two are the only Indian cricketers to have this honour conferred upon them while still playing active cricket.

Elegant batsman VVS Laxman is put to become the 3rd such cricketer after whom a stand will be named during his cricketing tenure.

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has determined to name the North Stand of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, after Laxman. The stand is right opposite the pavilion, which is named following former India off-spinner and vice president of the HCA, Shivlal Yadav. In fact, HCA official wanted to name the stand after Laxman before the 2nd Test itself, but due to the political situation, they couldn't. However, they are confident they will be able to name it after Laxman once the Test ends.

Raina replaces Yuvraj Singh in BCCI's summit contract list

Raina has replaced Yuvraj in the Grade A level the highest of the BCCI's list of central contract for 2010 to 2011.

Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay and Ojha have moved up to Grade B, while Rohit Sharma has been demoted to Grade C.

RP Singh and Munaf Patel, who were previously in Grade B, have not been obtainable contracts.

The board has made several changes to the structure, reducing the total number of contracted players from 41 to 24, and doing away with Grade D.

The annual retainer has been increased from Rs.
60 lakh to Rs.1 crore ($135,594 to $225,990) for Grade A and from
Rs 40 lakh to Rs.50 lakh ($90,396 to $112,995) for Grade B.
The fees for category C remain at Rs.25 lakhs ($56,498).

Yuvraj has had an unmemorable 2010, with indifferent form and fitness dogging him through one of the toughest phase of the career.

He was unsatisfactory at the World T20 in the West Indies and was subsequently dropped for the Asia Cup other than returned for the Tests in Sri Lanka.

In the 1st Test, he scored 52 and 5 in Galle, before missing the 2nd with fever. He was declared fit to play in the third but was passed over from the final XI in favour of Suresh Raina, who had replaced him for the 2nd Test and scored a century on debut.

Gambhir has, on the other hand, been more fortunate and has retained his Grade A classification despite an indifferent year - he has missed 3 of India's last 6 Tests with injuries, and has bagged ducks in the 2nd innings in each of other three.

Dravid, who has been out of India's limited-overs plans since the 2009 Champions Trophy, also features in the A category, despite his recent dip in Test form. Karnataka seamers Abhimanyu and Vinay Kumar, who required their way into the national side through impressive shows in the 2009-10 first-class seasons, have been added to Grade C, along with Pujara, who scored a fluent half-century against Australia on Test debut.

Dinesh Karthik, who has been in and out of the one-day side as a back-up keeper and a make-shift opener, has been axed from the contract list, along with Ajinkya Rahane, Tiwary and Dhawal Kulkarni. Dhawan, Abhishek Nayar and Tyagi also find themselves out of contracts.

Team Grade A:
Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag , Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, and Zaheer Khan

Grade B:
Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Virat Kohli, M Vijay and Ojha

Grade C:
Rohit Sharma, Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, R Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Abhimanyu Mithun and Vinay Kumar

Ready women provide Tiger Woods come on over calls at Oz Masters!

Sex-scandal strike golfer Tiger Woods was taunted by 2 ladies during the opening round of the Australian Masters at Victoria Golf Club.

The 2 women, dressed in skirts white tops, and sun visors with their mobile phone numbers on them, caught 34-year-old Woods attention as walked from the 15th tee, the 6th hole for him.

"Call me Tiger!" the Sydney Morning Herald quoted one of the girls as saying as she got within earshot of Woods.

The additional woman added: "Meet me outside Crown!"

Woods did not seem overly pleased with the attention, and it is supposed an FM radio station had apparently put the women up to the task.

Information has been going around that any spectator who heckles Woods more than his well-publicised extra-marital affairs would be thrown out of Victoria Golf Club following just one warning.

But tournament director Marcus Gale denied there was a specific policy in place about taunting Woods.

"We expect all spectators to be polite as they have always been here, a fact that Tiger commented upon last year," he said.

"He won't be treated any differently from any additional player in this regard. We have the same policy for the 120th ranked player as for the top ranked player in this field," he stated.

Ashes doubt could mean large squad

Australia's squad for the 1st Ashes Test in Brisbane may be swollen to a lot of as 15 by a selection board still uncertain about the best team.
Next Monday, November 15, has been set down for months as the date on which the group will be named.

That deadline render the following round of Sheffield Shield matches, plus England's tour match against Australia an in Hobart, less significant than they might have been.

NSW will face Victoria and Tasmania play Queensland in two Shield matches beginning on Wednesday, while South Australia plays England from Thursday.

The first Test team of an Ashes summer is always the source of heightened interest, and in recent history 13 players have often been chosen to take to Brisbane previous to one is cut on match eve.

However the depth of conjecture about Australia's most excellent XI to face England at the Gabba may be established by chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch naming an even better squad than that.

His choices have been difficult by numerous factors, the most pressing being the injury-affected arrangements of pace options Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris and opener Simon Katich.

One more issue has arisen in the shape of a worrying lack of form established by the supposed first choices.

Mike Hussey and Mitchell Johnson in particular have yet to demonstrate enough evidence they are ready to face England, and will not play again before the announcement.

Among the younger aspirants, Callum Ferguson, Usman Khawaja and Indian Test debutant Peter George will also want to press their cases in those final Shield matches if included in an extended Australian squad.

The incumbent are well aware of the need to make runs for their states flanked by now and the first Test, lest a young upstart sense an opening.

Vice-captain Michael Clarke was on guard himself before his come back home from India.

"To me it's about picking your best 11 players for that Test match, and situation change as well, and I think we're in a great position with the amount of people who are in good nick around the country, to pick that best 11," said Clarke.

"I'm certain the guys who haven't played Test cricket will be trying to score as a lot of runs and take as many wickets as they can to push for selection.

"The guys in the Test team at the moment know we need to be at the top of our game, otherwise an important person will take our spot.

"There's always competition for spots, and I've openly said that you're never cemented in the Australian cricket team.

"It is important for all of us once we get back to Australia, to be performing, to have runs or wickets on the board, to put your hand up for the 1st Test."

Clarke was one such opportunist in 2006, going to Brisbane only after Shane Watson's late removal due to injury.

Football World Cup Oracle Paul the Octopus dies

Top 10 ICC ODI Champions

Rank	Country	Matches	Points	Rating
1	Australia	33	4294	130
2	India	34	3993	117
3	South Africa	30	3458	116
4	Sri Lanka	20	2326	115
5	England	28	3147	112
6	Pakistan	22	2176	99
7	New Zealand	24	2307	96
8	West Indies	18	1207	67
9	Bangladesh	28	1867	67
10	Ireland	11	425	39

India Vs New Zealand Series 2010 Schedule

Match	Day & Time	Venue
1st Test	November 04, 2010 (Thursday) 09:30 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT	Ahmedabad
2nd Test	November 12, 2010 (Friday) 09:30 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT	Kanpur
3rd Test	November 20, 2010 (Saturday) 09:30 AM (IST) 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT	Mumbai
1st ODI	November 28, 2010 (Sunday) 09:00 AM (IST) 09:00 local, 03:30 GMT	Guwahati
2nd ODI	December 01, 2010 (Wednesday) 02:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT	Chandigarh
3rd ODI	December 04, 2010 (Saturday) 02:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT	Hyderabad
4th ODI	December 07, 2010 (Tuesday) 02:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT	Bangalore
5th ODI	December 10, 2010 (Friday) 02:30 PM (IST) 14:30 local, 09:00 GMT	Chennai

Injuries for Colts look to keep on coming

Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian confirmed Thursday that tight end Dallas Clark is out for an indefinite period with a hand/wrist injury, and the team also said that wideout Austin Collie is also sidelined after thumb surgery.

Polian told WISH-TV that Clark would meet with doctors to verify the extent of the injury and how long he will be sidelined. Coach Jim Caldwell would only validate that Clark was being evaluated.

Peyton Manning has combined with Clark to structure one of the most prolific quarterback-tight end combos in NFL history. Clark ranks third on the team with 37 catches for 347 yards this term after catching 100 passes for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns last term.

Collie has six touchdown catches and 44 total for 503 yards in six games this term. The team re-signed tight finish Gijon Robinson on Wednesday. Indianapolis, in its bye week, will play division adversary Houston on Nov. 1.

Highest paid player in the world

1. Tiger Woods ($110 million)

2. Kobe Bryant ($45 million)

3. Michael Jordan ($45 million)

4. Kimi Raikkonen ($45 million)

5. David Beckham ($42 million)

6. LeBron James ($40 million)

7. Phil Mickelson ($40 million)

8. Manny Pacquiao ($40 million)

9. Valentino Rossi ($35 million)

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($34 million)

San Francisco Giants on verge of World Series after prevail over Phillies

Juan Uribe drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly as the San Francisco Giants pushed the Philadelphia Phillies to the brink of removal with a scrappy 6-5 win last night to grasp control of the National League Championship series.

With the score tied at 5-5 and one out in the ninth, Uribe sent a Roy Oswalt pitch to cavernous left, permitting Aubrey Huff to race home with the winning run.

The Giants lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and will have a prospect to clinch a World Series place with a conquest in Game Five at home tonight.

Both the Phillies and Giants will send out their pinnacle sides for tonight's game. In a rematch of the Game One starters, Roy Halladay will get to the hill for the Phillies whereas the Giants will hand the ball to Tim Lincecum.

WWE Super Star Khali entry led to shortage of food in Bigg Boss 4

The entry of WWE star Khali in the Bigg Boss 4 has made the housemates Rahul Bhatt, the happiest man in the house. Rahul, took this chance and showed some of his strength behavior to Khali. He is also established the gesture in a very humble way. He was seen taking a few fitness lessons from Rahul, who was very enthusiastic in giving it. Khali was being trained to do push-ups in the garden area of the Bigg Boss house.

Other housemates Samir Soni, Manoj Tiwari & Ashmit Patel were seen hopeful the WWE star while he was doing the push-ups. Behind the gym session, Manoj Tiwari expressed his happiness for Rahul as he was able to give a few instructions to the Great Khali. Rahul was happy to see that Khali obeyed his instructions.

The ladies in the house were shown concerned about the food supply because Khali consumes more than the any other members in the house. The inmates are genuinly concerned for Khali as he needs much extra nutrition than the extra housemates. They are afraid that if Bigg Boss does not provide enough food, then they will have starved without food.

Food has developed into the main issue in Bigg Boss house. It will be interesting to see in the coming days, how the housemates manage with the limited amount of food. Will they ask Khali to go the house or will Khali be able to direct with less amount of food? Keep watching ‘Bigg Boss 4’ on Colors to get the answer.

It would be a modify of role for Yuvraj: Dhoni

Indian captain M.S.Dhoni on Tuesday said it would be modifying of position for Yuvraj Singh in the one-day series against Australia. Fighting with form and fitness, Yuvraj after being ignored for the Test series against Australia, has made a comeback for the ODIs in what appear to be a make or break series for the stylish Punjab batsman.

After the opener in Kochi being a wash-out, all eyes are on the 2nd one-day in Vizag on Wednesday and  Dhoni said they were expecting Yuvraj to play a vital role.

"Our batting has forever revolved around him. He is a type of player who can modify gears at any point of time and can take total control of the game. At the same time, he has played over 250 ODIs which means he has got a lot of experience," Dhoni said on the pre-match media communication.

Being the senior most cricketer of the side at a time when big players like Sachin and Sehwag are rested, Yuvraj will have modified in role.

"For somebody like Yuvraj Singh it will be a different approach of sorts. He will be one of the senior most players along with Ashish Nehra. It's a change of role for quite a few players.

"His bowling is very very important for us. If we choose for 4 bowlers and use part-timers as the 5th bowler, he is considered a bowling option. He has done quite well with the ball; he gets two-three wickets. We are expecting him to score runs," Dhoni said.

"If you do well in bowling it reflect in your batting and if you do well in batting it reflect in your bowling. He has got both the size of the game," said the captain, praising Yuvraj.

FIFA's Adamu to face ethics panel over WCup vote

ZURICH — FIFA (Federation Internationale de Footbal Association) managerial committee member Amos Adamu say he will face an ethics panel inquiry Wednesday after being concerned in a bribery scandal involving the vote for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The Nigerian told The Associated Press at FIFA head office on Monday that his inquiry is set for the same day another FIFA official, Reynald Temarii, faces a similar case.

Adamu declined comment later after meeting with FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Blatter has promised an "in-depth investigation" into allegations in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper that Adamu and Temarii obtainable to sell their votes.

Temarii told The AP on Sunday that he made a fault talking to undercover journalists, but defended his truth.