Sports

London, January 20: England handed feisty wicketkeeper Matt Prior a surprise call up as they announced on Wednesday their 15-man squad for next month’s ICC Cricket World Cup.

England also rewarded Ashes heroes Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen, both of whom have had extended periods out of the limited overs side in recent years, with selection, while struggling veteran Paul Collingwood also made the squad for the tournament in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Unlucky wicketkeeper-batsman Steve Davies makes way for Prior, who earned a recall after 10 months out of the team.

Sydney, January 20: Brett Lee is all set to travel with a bag full of tricks to the sub-continent as Australia look ahead to clinch a record fourth consecituve World Cup starting next month.

The speedster who was included in the 15-member World Cup squad on Tuesday said, “The batsmen are trying different things and to counter those shots it’s important that the bowler works on the things in the nets and tries things as well, and that’s happened for me.

Sydney, January 20: Former Australian all-rounder Michael Bevan has picked India as one of the favourites to win the World Cup starting next month in the sub-continent.

Bevan, who has been roped in by Kings XI Punjab as their chief coach for the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League, said Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his boys have it in them to lift the trophy on April 2.

“India is performing as a team, as a unit. One would have to say that they have come up great as a team. There is so much potential in these boys,” said Bevan.

Karachi, January 20: Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has agreed to join English county Worcestershire as their overseas player for the second half of the 2011 season.

Ajmal is Worcestershire’s second signing in the space of 24 hours, with Australian all-rounder Damien Wright at New Road for the first half of the campaign.

Ajmal has played nine tests for Pakistan, taking 33 wickets, and was also an key player in his country’s 2009 World Twenty20 Cup winning side.

Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes said: “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome Saeed to the club.

London, January 20: David Beckham reportedly cried when wife Victoria told him she was pregnant with their fourth child.The soccer star was stunned when the former Spice Girl and now fashion designer planned a romantic meal at home to break the news that they would be having a sibling for Brooklyn, 11, Romeo, eight, and five-year-old Cruz, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“She started a conversation about their future as a family and whether it should be in the Britain or US,” said a source.

New Delhi, January 19: The mess left after the Commonwealth Games prompted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to replace sports and youth affairs minister Manohar Singh Gill with Ajay Maken in Monday’s cabinet reshuffle.

Gill, 74, who was also blamed for the corruption-hit Games, was shunted to the low-profile statistics and programme implementation ministry as the prime minister went to a younger 47-year-old Maken, who is a cricket and golf enthusiast.

Maken said his challenge will be to see Indian athletes improving their performance at the international level.

Africa, January 19: South Africa captain Graeme Smith on Wednesday said that Yusuf Pathan’s breezy innings ruined the day for his side in the third cricket one-dayer against India here.

Pathan proved to be the difference between the two sides as he took his chances and hammered the South African bowlers, especially the spinners, to all parts of the ground en route to his 50—ball 59—run knock on a two—paced Newlands track.

Cape Town, January 19: South Africa captain Graeme Smith on Wednesday said that Yusuf Pathan’s breezy innings ruined the day for his side in the third cricket one-dayer against India here.

Pathan proved to be the difference between the two sides as he took his chances and hammered the South African bowlers, especially the spinners, to all parts of the ground en route to his 50—ball 59—run knock on a two—paced Newlands track.

Doha, January 19: India’s chief football coach Bob Houghton said Tuesday that the lowest ranked team didn’t disgrace themselves while playing against top ranked Australia, South Korea and Bahrain in the AFC Asian Cup.The Englishman had a smile on his face after India, ranked 144th in FIFA rankings, went down fighting 1-4 against tournament favourites South Korea in their last Group C match at the Al Gharaf Stadium here.

New Delhi, January 19: West Indian batting legend Brian Lara Tuesday said India are the favourites for the World Cup, beginning Feb 19 in the sub-continent but cautioned them about the pressure of playing at home.Lara, who was here for a cricket clinic, tipped South Africa as the second favourite team.

“India are the favourites to win the World Cup as they have the home advantage. But with advantage, there is also home pressure. In 1996 World Cup, hosted in the sub-continent, Sri Lanka, who were not really the favourites, won,” he said.

Kolkata, January 19: Defending champions Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) snuffed out a feeble challenge from Delhi to set up a semifinal clash with North Bengal in the women’s contest of the 72nd senior national and inter-state table tennis championship here Tuesday. Powerful North Bengal retained their winning streak to get past Air India after a stiff contest at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Cape Town, January 19: Yusuf Pathan and Harbhajan Singh’s batting heroics saw India clinch another thriller by two wickets in the third one-day international against South Africa here.Chasing 221 runs, India were struggling at 93/5 before Pathan (59 off 50 balls) and Suresh Raina (37) brought the visitors back in the game with a 75-run stand.

South Africa struck through Morne Morkel (3-28) and Dale Steyn (2-31), removing the duo and clawing back in the match.

But Harbhajan Singh scored an unbeaten 23 off 25 balls to clinch victory.

Cape Town, January 19: A burst of powerful hitting by Yusuf Pathan spurred India to a thrilling two-wicket win in the third Oone-Day International against South Africa at Newlands on Tuesday. Chasing a target of 221, India were struggling at 93 for five before Pathan launched a savage assault against South African off-spinners Johan Botha and JP Duminy.

Cape Town, January 18: Debutant Faf du Plessis and Jean Paul Duminy rescued South Africa from a top-order collapse but India kept the noose tight at the death to bowl out the hosts for 220 in the third ODI here Tuesday.

South African captain Graeme Smith (43) elected to bat, but the Indian bowlers got good purchase from the track to reduce them to 90 for four.

Zaheer Khan (3-43) and Munaf Patel (2-42), who scripted India’s brilliant comeback victory at Johannesburg and helped level the five match series 1-1, troubled the batsmen with their incisive spells upfront.

Cape Town, January 18: South Africa were bowled out for 220 in 49.2 overs in their third One-day international against India here Tuesday.

Debutant Faf du Plessis (60) and Jean Paul Duminy (52) rescued South Africa from a top-order collapse.

For India, Zaheer Khan (3-43) was the top wicket-taker.

-Agencies

Mumbai, January 18: Mumbai Indians (MI) have added 11 uncapped players to complete their squad for the fourth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Ambati Rayudu, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pawan Suyal, Abu Nechim, Ali Murtaza, R. Sathish, Tirumalasetti Suman, Sarul Kanwar, Yuzvendra Chahal, S.K. Yadav and Aditya Tare are the players.

Some of them like Rayudu, Kulkarni and Suyal were part of the squad last year.

Suman, an opening batsman and useful off-spinner, played for Deccan Chargers earlier and will don the Mumbai Indians’ blue for the first time.

New Delhi, January 18: Batting legend Brian Lara Tuesday said Sachin Tendulkar’s deluge of international records will remain unsurpassed.

Tendulkar, 37, has 51 Test centuries and 46 ODI centuries, highest by any cricketer, and will be a vital cog of the Indian batting at the the World Cup, which is going to be his sixth and last.

Cape Town, January 18: Having levelled the five-match series with a thrilling one-run victory in the last game, an injury-hit India go into the third one-dayer against South Africa on Tuesday with the form of the top order batsmen continuing to be a worry.

The batting has come a cropper in both the matches so far and the visitors managed to pull off an incredible victory at the New Wanderers on Saturday mainly because of the efforts of the bowlers, especially pacer Munaf Patel.

Cape Town, January 18: Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday defended Piyush Chawla’s inclusion in India’s 15-man World Cup squad, saying the leg-spinner’s presence provides variety to the attack.

Chawla has been a surprise inclusion in the squad, announced on Monday by the Kris Srikkanth-led selection committee in Chennai.

New Delhi, January 18: Kerala speedster S Sreesanth was left heartbroken but promised to come back stronger after being left out of India’s 15-man World Cup squad, picked by the Kris Srikkanth-led selection committee in Chennai today.,

“I will never ever give up. I love this game and will keep giving my very best,”Sreesanth said.

“I am heartbroken but no worries, time will come my way,”he wrote on his twitter account.

New Delhi, January 18: India opener Gautam Gambhir yesterday exuded confidence that the national team would do all it takes to win the upcoming World Cup for a certain Sachin Tendulkar, who will be making his sixth appearance in the quadrennial extravaganza.,

“I sincerely wish that this would not be Sachin’s last World Cup and he would play one more. All members of the Indian side would like to win it for him,”Gambhir said.

Sydney, January 18: Australia will risk both Brett Lee and Shaun Tait at the World Cup after they were chosen in the 15-man squad for the trophy defence beginning in India next month. Peter Siddle and Xavier Doherty were not included while John Hastings, the Victoria allrounder, was named along with the injured duo of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.

Wellington, January 18: Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill dealt with a defensive mindset from Pakistan in contrasting styles, to propel New Zealand’s quest to set a challenging target in Wellington. Pakistan’s outlook epitomised by spread out fields and abysmal over-rates reflected their desire to sit back on their 1-0 series lead, and wait for the poor weather expected later in the day. Abdur Rehman was their most enterprising bowler on a day when their seamers, and fielders, struggled for discipline.

Kolkata, January 18: With the selectors opting for a spin-oriented side for the World Cup, former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday said he was surprised to see in-form pacer S Sreesanth overlooked from the 15-man squad.

Ganguly termed it a gamble to pick only one wicketkeeper in skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the extravaganza that will continue in the sub-continent for about 40 days.

Karachi, January 18: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt today said if any of the three suspended players are cleared of spot-fixing charges they can be included in Pakistan’s World Cup squad.,

The International Cricket Council anti-corruption tribunal is due to announce its verdict on the charges filed against Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir on February 5.

The Pakistani selectors will announce the final 15-member World Cup squad on January 19.