Sports

Mumbai, January 16: Ethiopia’s Girima Assefa Sunday won the 42-km full run at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2011. He reached the finish line in two hours, nine minutes and 57 seconds.

‘I am happy to have won. I will come back to Mumbai again to participate in the marathon next year,’ the 24-year-old athlete said.

Born in Shoa province of Ethiopia, Assefa first participated in a 20-km run in Paris in 2003 and has participated in more than 30 such runs and marathons since then.

–IANS

Johannesburg, January 16: Sachin Tendulkar handed an injury concern to India just a day before the World Cup team selection after he was ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series against South Africa because of a hamstring problem.

Tendulkar injured his right hamstring during his 24-run innings in the second ODI against the Proteas at the Wanderers yesterday, which India won by a slender one run margin to level the series 1-1.

Wellington,January 16:Oceania Football Confederation acting president David Chung will replace the banned Reynald Temarii in the ost permanently after he was elected unopposed to the position at the OFC’s congress in Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Chung had assumed the role in an acting capacity after Temarii was implicated in a votes-for-cash scandal ahead of the decision for hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup and suspended for 12 months by world governing body FIFA.

Johannesburg, January 16: Indian bowlers staged a remarkable comeback to snatch a thrilling one-run victory against South Africa in the gripping second One-Day International cricket match here.

South Africa, after bowling out India for 190 runs, were cruising to victory with captain Graeme Smith (77) leading the charge.

But Indian pacers, Munaf Patel (4-29) and Zaheer Khan (2-37), triggered a sensational collapse after Smith’s fall to bowl out the hosts for 189 in 43 overs.

Kolkata, January 15: Asserting that he never played politics as a cricketer, Sourav Ganguly Saturday regretted that he was probably the only Indian captain to have been dropped after winning a series.

“I never did politics. I wouldn’t have been here if I had done politics,” Ganguly told students of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) during an interaction here.

New Delhi, January 15: About 100 students of the city-based Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), whose services were availed of during last year’s Commonwealth Games (CWG), are still waiting for their allowances which were promised by the government.

Many students said Saturday that they had worked for the Press Information Bureau (PIB) during the Commonwealth Games last year.

Baroda, January 15: Rajasthsan won their maiden Ranji Trophy title, beating Baroda in the final at the Moti Bagh Stadium here Saturday.

Rajasthan won on the basis their first innings lead of 33 runs.

Baroda, chasing a target of 375 runs on the fifth and final day after Rajasthan were bowled out for 341, were 28 for four when both captains decided to call off the days’s play.

Rajasthan made 394 in the first innings and bowled Baroda out for 361.

Mumbai, January 15: More than 38,000 people, including celebrities, senior citizens and many on wheel chairs, are set to participate in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon Sunday that begins from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in south Mumbai.

A whopping 38,430 young and old, amateur and professional runners, would participate across different categories in the eighth edition of the marathon, making it bigger and better this season.

Melbourne, January 15: India’s Sania Mirza is a step away from entering the Australian Open main draw as she battled past Russian Vitalia Diatchenko 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-3 to reach the third round of the qualifiers here Saturday.

Sania got a tough fight from the Russian, who fought back after losing the first set before the Indian stepped up the gas in the decider to wrap up the match in two and a half hours.

Sania will now have to overcome Canadian Stephanie Dubois, who got the better of Australian Sophie Letcher 6-1, 6-4, for a place in the main draw of the year’s first Grand Slam.

Banglore, January 15: Mass support poured in unabated for Sourav Ganguly as members of a newly-formed community in a social networking site today planned a silent candle light protest against the ‘unjust treatment’ meted out to the former Indian captain by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL auctions.

Ganguly, who found no takers in the IPL IV, is getting support from fans who have formed a ‘No Dada No KKR’ community in Facebook.

The members of the community, having 2200 members, have planned the march from Victoria Memorial to Eden Gardens on Sunday evening.

New Delhi, January 15: India discard Irfan Pathan today said his elder brother Yusuf, who recently bagged a whopping deal of USD 2.1 million with IPL Franchisee Kolkata Knight riders for season-IV, will soon tie the nuptial knot.

Asked about his own marraige plans, Irfan said his priority is winning back his place in the national side.

“I want to make a comeback in the Indian team. You know, marriage is going to come with time. First my brother has to get married and it is going to be soon,” Irfan said.

Wellington, January 15: Umar Gul struck twice for Pakistan to leave New Zealand at 80 for two at lunch in blustery conditions on the first day of the second Test at the Basin Reserve Saturday.

If not for the vagaries of umpiring, and the absence of the umpire referral system for this Test, New Zealand could well be three down after winning the toss and electing to bat.

After being humiliated in the first Test, which was all over on the third day following New Zealand’s second innings collapse, coach John Wright and captain Daniel Vettori called for a more disciplined approach.

Kolkata, January 15: Mass support poured in unabated for Sourav Ganguly as members of a newly-formed community in a social networking site today planned a silent candle light protest against the ‘unjust treatment’ meted out to the former Indian captain by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL auctions.

Ganguly, who found no takers in the IPL IV, is getting support from fans who have formed a ‘No Dada No KKR’ community in Facebook.

The members of the community, having 2200 members, have planned the march from Victoria Memorial to Eden Gardens on Sunday evening.

New Delhi, January 14: India discard Irfan Pathan today said his elder brother Yusuf, who recently bagged a whopping deal of USD 2.1 million with IPL Franchisee Kolkata Knight riders for season-IV, will soon tie the nuptial knot.

Asked about his own marraige plans, Irfan said his priority is winning back his place in the national side.

“I want to make a comeback in the Indian team. You know, marriage is going to come with time. First my brother has to get married and it is going to be soon,” Irfan said.

Doha, January 14: A 10-man Japan team held on to a 2-1 victory against Syria Thursday to share the lead in Group B at the Asian Cup with Jordan, who had earlier in the day beaten Saudi Arabia.

Makoto Hasebe and Keisuke Honda scored for Japan, who had goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima sent off in the 75th minute, while Firas Al Khatib scored for the Syrians, who had defender Nadim Sabag sent off for a second bookable offence deep into second-half injury time.

In the earlier match Jordan stunned three-time champions Saudi Arabia 1-0 through Baha’ Abdelrahman’s goal.

Vadodara, January 14: Rajasthan took a crucial 33-run first innings lead before surviving a second innings collapse on the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy final against Baroda here Friday.

Rajasthan, who came from the plate division, are now in firm control of the match at the Motibagh Stadium. With just a day to go, the first innings lead will prove decisive if the match ends in a draw. Rajasthan has never won the trophy, having reached the final eight times in the past.

New Delhi, January 14: The Delhi High Court Friday granted bail to former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee official T.S. Darbari, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the Queen’s Baton Relay scam.

Justice Hima Kohli granted Darbari bail as the CBI was unable to file a charge sheet against him within the stipulated 60 days of his arrest.

Darbari, a former aide of organising committee chief Suresh Kalmadi, was arrested Nov 15 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Melbourne, January 14: Sania Mirza moved to the second round of the Australian Open qualifiers with a straight-set win over Belarusian Iryna Kuryanovich here today.

Ranked 145 on the WTA circuit, Sania scored a 6-4 6-2 win over Kuryanovich, ranked 61 places below the Indian, in the opening round of the women’s singles qualifiers.

Sania broke her rival, playing her first Australian Open, twice in the closely fought first set and also dropped her serve once.

The Indian continued to struggle with her serve and faced four breakpoints in the second set but managed to save three of them.

Zurich, January 14: China led the way with 22 matches as women’s national teams played a record 512 football internationals in 2010, the ruling body FIFA said Friday.

FIFA said on their website that more than half of the matches were qualifiers for the June 26-July 17 World Cup in Germany and that an unprecedented 141 women’s teams were engaged in international games.

The number of men’s games decreased slightly to 808 games in 2010, including 511 friendlies mainly in preparation for the World Cup in South Africa. Kuwait were the most active of 185 men’s teams with 22 games.

Melbourne, January 14: India’s Sania Mirza moved into the second round of the Australia Open tennis women’s singles qualifiers here Friday.

Sania, playing with a strapped left thigh, beat Iryna Kuryanovich of Belarus 6-4, 6-2.

The 24-year-old Indian, who has slipped to 145th rank, attacked Kuryanovich’s weak second serve to go up 5-3, and the Belarusian flung her racquet in frustration.

Sania dropped her next serve only to break back to go a set up.

Sania, then, raised her game to comfortably take the second set. She next plays Russia’s Vitalia Diatchenko.

Melbourne, January 14: India’s Sania Mirza moved into the second round of the Australia Open tennis women’s singles qualifiers here Friday.

Sania, playing with a strapped left thigh, beat Iryna Kuryanovich of Belarus 6-4, 6-2.

The 24-year-old Indian, who has slipped to 145th rank, attacked Kuryanovich’s weak second serve to go up 5-3, and the Belarusian flung her racquet in frustration.

Sania dropped her next serve only to break back to go a set up.

Sania, then, raised her game to comfortably take the second set. She next plays Russia’s Vitalia Diatchenko.

London, January 14: Fashion designer Stella McCartney, who is designing sportswear for the 2012 Olympics, says it is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to craft the Adidas competition wear.McCartney was announced last year as the creator of the sportswear firm’s kit for both the British Olympic and Paralympic teams to wear at the London event.

Mumbai, January 14: The final 15-member Indian squad for the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in the sub continent will be picked by the national senior selection panel on January 17.

“The selection committee is to pick the World Cup squad on the 17th at Chennai,” a Cricket Board source told PTI today.

The selection panel, with Krishnamachari Srikkanth at the helm, has picked a preliminary squad of thirty members for the mega event, and the list would be pruned to the required number as per ICC regulations for the tournament.

London, January 14: This is one bit of news no Indian sports lover would love to hear this festive season. After a year that was dominated by great efforts on the field and terrible controversies off it, the Indian Olympic Association is now on the verge of facing an international ban by the International Olympic Committee. If that happens, India will not be able to take part in the London Olympics. Can the authorities wake up at least now?

New Delhi, January 14: How do cheer girls promote the cause of cricket? Why are players auctioned like “gladiators” in IPL system of cricket?

These were some of the questions that members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance posed to top BCCI officials, including its President Shashank Manohar, Secretary

N Srinivasan and IPL Commissioner Chirayu Amin during a hearing on financial transactions related to the conduct of IPL.