Sports

Chennai, August 16: Veteran Rahul Dravid today staged a comeback into India’s 15-member one day squad while Virender Sehwag was ruled out of next month’s tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

The 36-year-old Dravid, who last played an ODI back in October 2007, was included in the squad to bolster the batting line-up for the two tournaments, which will also see the return of Sachin Tendulkar.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra was included in place of left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha in the squad, announced by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan.

Islamabad, August 16: US special envoy Richard Holbrooke was in Pakistan today to hold talks with the top leadership of the militancy-hit country where the Army has claimed recent success in a major anti-Taliban offensive in areas bordering Afghanistan which goes to polls this week.

Holbrooke, US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan on a second visit within a month to the country is expected to discuss economic and security issues with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and army chief General Ashfaq Kayani.

Baruipur (Kolkata), August 16: Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh today hailed Rahul Dravid’s return to the one-day side, saying the veteran batsman’s experience is just what the team needed ahead of this year’s Champions Trophy.

“(It’s) good to have him back in the side. Rahul Dravid is a great player. He is one of the best players India has produced. It’s great for the side,” Harbhajan, who was here to lay the foundation stone of a medical institute, said.

Hyderabad, August 16: Olympic champion Lin Dan today became the first badminton player to clinch a hat-trick of world titles, beating fellow Chinese Chen Jin in straight games in the finals of the mega-event at the Gachibowli stadium here today.

World number five Lin outplayed second-ranked Chen 21-18 21-16 in a contest that lasted 46 minutes.

Lin had won the earlier World Championship in 2006 and 2007, apart from winning four All-England title in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

West Bengal, August 16: Star cricketer Harbhajan Singh cannot understand the fuss about Shah Rukh Khan’s grilling at the Newark airport in New Jersey, which he described as a ‘routine’ affair.

Harbhajan said he has undergone numerous checking and screening procedure and never found anything wrong with it.

“I don’t know what exactly happened there. But I just heard that he was detained for two hours which I think is a routine procedure. You people have made it a big news,” the off-spinner told reporters after laying the foundation for a cancer research institute here today.

Hyderabad, August 16: China’s Lin Dan scripted history by becoming the first badminton player to win a hat-trick of World Championships title here Sunday.

In the men’s singles title clash, Lin defeated compatriot Jin Chen 21-18, 21-16 at the Gachibowli Stadium here.

–Agencies

London, August 16: The Ashes triumph of 2005 was one of England’s most cherished achievements in recent times, but veteran pacer Steve Harmison wants the current squad to come forward and create their own history by winning the current series.

”I’ve got my memories, but that is all they are. That is all that 2005 is. People keep going back to it as though it was somehow relevant to now. It isn’t. It has gone,” Harmison, a member of the 2005 England squad, said.

London, August 16: Warwickshire’s Jonathan Trott will make his Test debut in the Ashes decider at The Oval on Thursday, after being confirmed as Ravi Bopara’s replacement in a 14-man squad for the crucial fifth Test.

Trott is expected to slot into the middle order, with his county team-mate, Ian Bell, promoted to No. 3. Monty Panesar also returns to the reckoning as a potential partner for Graeme Swann if England choose to go in with two spinners.

Chennai, August 16: Former Team India Skipper Rahul Dravid, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, hard hitting player Suresh Raina and left arm speedster Ashish Nehra were recalled into the Indian team for the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka and for the next month’s Champions Trophy tournament to be held in South Africa.

Auckland, August 16: New Zealand face a severe examination of their skill and stamina as they prepare to take on buoyant Sri Lanka in a two-Test series starting on Tuesday.

On top of the challenge of playing on unfamiliar wickets in oppressive heat and humidity, Daniel Vettori’s Black Caps will be up against a home side fresh from a 2-0 series win over Pakistan last month.

Vettori admitted holding the hosts to two draws would be a good result for his inexperienced team, whose four Test wins over the past two years have included three against lowly Bangladesh.

England, August 17: With the Ashes to play for, England arrive at The Oval this week in a wonderful position.

It may not have seemed so in recent days when it has been possible to believe that the Ashes disappeared down the Murray-Darling at least a month ago, never to return.

England were as staggeringly bad in Leeds as Australia were predictably efficient. With a 1-0 lead and the prize nominally five days away, they froze, utterly confusing their role in the leporidae family, acting like rabbits in headlights instead of pulling them out of the hat.

Johanesburg, August 16: Jonty Rhodes, the former South African player, has said home advantage will mean little in next month’s Champions Trophy in South Africa since teams travel a lot more and are used to different conditions these days.

“The support of the crowd does make a difference if things go a bit flat and they can lift you, but South Africa won’t be relying on that,” Rhodes told the Supercricket website. “They’ll be relying on planning and getting in place all the processes involved in winning.”

Colombo, August 16: Sri Lanka are likely to go in with a new opening combination for the first Test against New Zealand beginning on Tuesday in Galle. Having sat out the limited-overs leg of the recently concluded home series against Pakistan due to injuries, Tillakaratne Dilshan is likely to feature at the top of the order on his return.

Melbourne, August 16: Luke Pomersbach’s drunken driving rampage has irked his West Australia skipper Mike Hussey who feels the Twenty20 batting star must need to get his act together before making a comeback bid to the side.

Pomersbach, 24, has been banned from playing for his state side Western Australia until at least January next year after escaping a jail sentence for a drunken rampage that included assaulting a police officer in Perth last Sunday.

Colombo, August 16: Shahid Afridi shone with bat and ball on his debut as Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain to steer the world champions to an emphatic 52-run win over Sri Lanka here on Wednesday.

Afridi smashed 50 off 37 balls in Pakistan’s 172-5, and then claimed 1-21 in four economical overs and effected a run out with a direct throw as Sri Lanka were shot out for 120 with 11 balls to spare.

Ohio (USA), August 16: Top-ranked Dinara Safina dispatched a worn-out Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-0 to reach the final of the Western & Southern Financial Group Open.

Safina will play recent No 1 Jelena Jankovic in the final after the Serb came back from 6-2 down in the last-set tiebreaker to beat Elena Dementieva 7-6, (2), 0-6, 7-6 (6).

“I don’t believe I won this match,” Jankovic said.

Safina reached her eighth final in 14 tournaments this year, ending Pennetta’s winning streak at 15. After a ragged opening match, the Russian favorite has gotten a little stronger and sharper each day.

Edgbaston, August 16: Sussex won the English Twenty20 Cup for the first time on Saturday when they defeated Somerset by 63 runs in the final at Edgbaston.

West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Smith hammered 59 off only 26 deliveries with seven fours and three sixes to help Sussex reach 172 for seven after being put into bat.

Somerset never seriously threatened to achieve the highest ever score to win a domestic Twenty20 final once Marcus Trescothick had been dismissed for 33.

Sydney, August 16: Former Australian batting greats Dean Jones and Mark Waugh feel that Mike Hussey is under immense pressure to save his place in the side.

They feel that Hussey’s Test batting average has more than halved in the past two seasons and was under threat to hold his position heading into the home summer, although both said he had the tools to climb out of the hole.

Hussey’s Ashes average stands at 25.83. His overall Test average is 52.39, but in 2009 it sits at 27.84 from eight Tests, compared with last year’s 37.50 and 2007’s 74.80.

Hyderabad, August 15:India’s hopes of a medal in the World Badminton Championship remained unfulfilled with the elimination of their women’s top player Saina Nehwal and the mixed doubles pair of V Diju and Jwala Gutta here on Friday.

Cheered on by a large gathering at the Gachibowli stadium, Saina did raise visions of an upset win, but failed to keep her rampaging Chinese rival, World number two Wang Lin, at bay consistently to go down fighting 16-21, 19-21.

Melbourne, August 15: Australia’s batsmen overcame the early loss of Simon Katich to rattle along at more than five runs an over on the first morning of their two-day warm-up against England Lions at Canterbury.

By lunch, Shane Watson had produced his fourth half-century in as many innings since taking over from Phillip Hughes at the top of Australia’s order, and was sitting pretty on 91 not out with Mike Hussey unbeaten alongside him on 19.

Karachi, August 15: Saeed Ajmal said that he had exchanged tips on bowling the doosra with Muttiah Muralitharan during the Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka. Murali was interested in how Ajmal bowled the doosra.

“Yes we had a few chats, it was interesting and useful to talk to a great bowler like Murali, I asked him about some of his newer deliveries and his methods behind those deliveries,” said Ajmal.

Chennai, August 15: Amid mounting speculation on him being appointed Kolkata Knight Riders’ coach, former India coach John Wright today said he doesn’t mind reuniting with Sourav Ganguly in the Indian Premier League next year.

“We worked well together. It was a good combination. I have no qualms about working again with Sourav Ganguly,” Wright, who was the Indian team’s coach during Ganguly’s captaincy,” Wright, who is here as New Zealand ‘A’ assistant coach for the Buchi Babu tournament, told reporters.

Melbourne, August 15: Australian captain Ricky Ponting says he is relieved at being promised a short break after the Ashes as senior players like him risk exhaustion if they don’t get enough rest in between the choc-a-bloc cricket calendar.

“Rest is really important for all the senior players during such a long and hectic schedule, with no break in our program until April next year. That means almost a year on the road for some of us,” Ponting wrote in ‘The Australian’.

Melbourne, August 15: With his Test slump continuing unabated, Australian batsman Michael Hussey is no longer ‘Mr Cricket’ and has become ‘Mr Average’, say former greats Mark Waugh and Dean Jones.

Waugh and Jones believe that Hussey’s position in the team is seriously under threat.

Hussey’s Ashes average of 25.83 has been a disappointment and continues a decline over the past two seasons. His overall Test average is a mighty 52.39, but this year it sits at 27.84 from eight Tests.

London, August 15: Retired opener Marcus Trescothick has ruled himself out of returning for the decisive fifth Ashes Test.

Trescothick, who played his last Test three years ago because of his battles with a stress-related illness, admitted he even suffered a nightmare about playing at The Oval. He believes it would be wrong to return and a ”traumatic dream” convinced him about that.