Sports

London, August 22: Stuart Broad re-ignited England’s hopes of Ashes glory with a sensational five-wicket burst on the second day of the decisive fifth Test against Australia at the Oval here on Friday.

Broad took five wickets for 37 runs in 12 overs to remove Shane Watson, captain Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin as Australia, bowled out for just 160.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann provided fine support with four for 38 as Australia suffered their third first innings collapse this series.

Melbourne, August 22: Australia’s press on Saturday virtually wrote off their team’s chances of retaining the Ashes after a sensational batting collapse in the final Test against England at The Oval.

Paceman Stuart Broad re-ignited England’s hopes with a five-wicket burst on Friday’s second day to dismiss the Australians for 160, representing a first-innings deficit of 172 runs.

By stumps England had extended their lead to 230 runs after closing on 58 for three with three more days scheduled in the match.

Cincinnati, August 22: Roger Federer and Andy Murray will line up for a re-match of the US Open final when the top two in the world meet in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters Saturday.

Top seed Federer produced his 13th consecutive win over longtime rival Lleyton Hewitt, going through 6-3, 6-4 in 70 minutes. It was the Swiss player’s 15th win in 22 meetings with the Australian former number one.

Berlin, August 22: The United States was disqualified from the men’s 4×100 metres relay at the world championships early Saturday over a faulty baton exchange.

The British team protested that the final exchange between Sean Crawford and Darvis Patton was completed outside the exchange zone, which was granted by race officials.

The US has lodged an appeal against the disqualification, but that was turned down by an appeals body shortly after midnight.

Chennai, August 21: Defending champion Mukesh Kumar fired a four-under 66 to take a commanding seven-stroke lead after the penultimate round of the PGTI’s Tamil Nadu Open here today.

Mukesh now has a total of 14-under 196. Digvijay Singh (68) and Vijay Kumar (67) are tied second with matching totals of seven-under 203.

Mukesh consolidated on his overnight two-stroke lead with five birdies against one bogey in the third round. He was steady to begin with, making pars on the first six holes.

New Delhi, August 21: The blame game has started between the players and administrators after the Indian shuttlers were denied participation in the China Masters for missing the deadline of submitting their entry.

The Indian contingent, including last year’s semifinalist Saina Nehwal, was left to cool their heel after the Badminton Association of India (BAI) sent their entry on August 12, a day after the August 11 deadline, and the organisers refused to oblige them.

London, August 21: Star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff says he will not reconsider his retirement decision despite Australia putting England on the backfoot on day-one of the deciding Ashes Test at the Oval here.

Flintoff, who will retire from Tests after the Ashes owing to recurring injuries, may not get the chance to bid adieu to the longer version of the game on a high with a win as England were reduced to 307 for 8 on the first day of the fifth and final match yesterday.

Karachi, August 21: Dope tainted pacer Mohammad Asif was recalled while seasoned all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, who quit the ICL to play for the country, was left out as Pakistan today announced its 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Asif, who was suspended for testing positive in the Indian Premier League last year, will complete a 12-month ban on September 22, the day the tournament begins in South Africa.

He was even banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board in July, 2008 for the same offence and also for his 19-day ordeal in Dubai in June last year.

New Delhi, August 21: Left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra returned to practice today even though Gautam Gambhir, down with fever, stayed out of Delhi Ranji team’s conditioning camp at the Ferozeshah Kotla here.

Like Gambhir, Nehra too had fever but the lanky pacer returned to the ground today to train with most of his Delhi teammates amid reports that star player Virender Sehwag might switch loyalty to Haryana, protesting against nepotism and corruption in the Sports Committee of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).

Sugar Grove, August 21: Michelle Wie will team with another young pro, Morgan Pressel, in Friday morning’s final four-ball match of the Europe vs United States Solheim Cup.

Wie and Pressel will play the European duo of Women’s British Open champion Catriona Matthew and Maria Hjorth.

The 11th Solheim Cup will start with the American duo of Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr against European captain Alison Nicholas’ top duo, Sophie Gustafson of Sweden and Suzann Pettersen of Norway.

Greensboro, August 21: Jeev Milkha Singh was going steady at one-under with three holes to go when darkness left him stranded, while compatriot Arjun Atwal stares at missing yet another card after his opening round of three-over 73 in the rain-swept Wyndham Championship.

Indian-born Swede Daniel Chopra carded three-under 67 to lie tied 18th, while the trio of Chez Reavie, Brandt Snedeker and Ryan Moore returned identical 64s to share the lead in the $5.1 million event at the at the Sedgefield Country Club.

Toronto, August 21: Russian Maria Sharapova and Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic waited for a deadly storm to pass before thundering into the Toronto Cup quarter-finals on Thursday.

Sharapova, working her way back to form after nine months away with a shoulder surgery, was first onto a centre court that hours earlier had been evacuated, booking her spot in the last eight with a 6-2, 7-6 win over seventh seed Vera Zvonareva.

Cincinnati, August 21: World number one Roger Federer was nearly blown off track by blustery winds, while Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal steered a steady course into the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday.

Swiss top seed Federer rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Spain’s David Ferrer, conquering not only the world number 19 but also blustery winds to line up a meeting with Aussie Lleyton Hewitt.

Despite the difficult conditions, the top four seeds all advanced to the quarter-finals.

Hyderabad, August 21: India’s ace shuttler Saina Nehwal will not be able to take part in China Masters Open tournament as authorities failed to send her name on time.

According to the reports, authorities have been late in forwarding Saina Nehwal’s entry to the series.

Meanwhile, Badminton Association has said that nothing could be done if a player applies late.

—–Agencies

Lahore, August 21: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made it clear that it will not allow its employees to keep two jobs.

”There are 13 (PCB) employees who are in dual jobs. It has been decided in principle that all such employees will be given an option to relinquish their second job as it is against the laid down policy of the PCB”, a PCB spokesman was qouted as saying by The News.

The spokesman further added that the decision has been taken on the recommendations of HR Committee headed by Governing Board member, Wazir Ali Khoja and the PCB management has approved it.

Manchaster, August 21: The last few days of August are a damned difficult time to buy a good striker, not least one that promises to transform your season, and Sir Alex Ferguson will reflect that the occasion he acquired Eric Cantona in the space of one phone conversation was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Colombo, August 21: Muttiah Muralitharan created another slice of history, taking his 100th wicket at Galle, as Sri Lanka wrested a 153-run first-innings lead on another grey morning in Galle. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara then thrashed the bowling to pick up 76 from just 15 overs, after Tharanga Paranavitana had fallen cheaply to Iain O’Brien.

London, August 21: Brendon McCullum has confirmed that he will be playing for Otago Volts in the inaugural Champions League. The wicketkeeper-batsman also said that he was not interested in playing for New South Wales, after the Australian domestic team showed keen interest in using his services for the tournament to be played in India from October 8 to 23.

New Delhi, August 21: Having impressed on his debut as a cricket administrator at the annual general meeting of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) earlier, Sourav Ganguly is now all set to take the centrestage yet again in the first working committee meeting of the new term on August 22.

The former India captain has put the meeting high on his list of priorities and decided to take part in the high-profile Kolkata Knight Riders coach selection meeting, starting this weekend in Mumbai, one day later.

Karachi, August 21: In a startling revelation, ex-Pakistan cricketer Qasim Umar has claimed that former West Indies captain Vivian Richards used to take performance enhancement drugs before the new anti-doping regulations were enforced by the ICC.

Appearing on a television talk show today, Umar, a controversial figure in Pakistan cricket, said Richards had himself confessed to him that he used to take drugs to release tension and improve his stamina and endurance levels.

Colombo, August 21: A stomach bug has laid low two star New Zealand cricketers during the ongoing first Test against Sri Lanka, an official said on Friday.

Batsman Jesse Ryder and wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum woke up sick on Friday morning and were confined to their hotel rooms as the fourth day’s play began at the Galle International Stadium.

“They are very sick and I am not sure if, and at what stage, they will take part in this Test,” Black Caps manager David Currie told reporters.

Oval, August 21: Andrew Strauss promised that the mistakes of Headingley would not be repeated. But while England’s batsmen made life harder for Australia’s bowlers at The Oval yesterday, they still have no more than their fingertips on the Ashes urn. But at least that is a start.

London, August 21: Australia took the first day honours in the deciding Ashes Test against England but a potential danger lurks in The Oval’s wearing pitch, the local media said on Friday.

Several England batsmen made starts but could not go on to get the big score the team need in a fifth Test they have to win to regain the Ashes but Australia require only to draw to retain the urn, with the series level at 1-1.

Australia, after losing the toss, hit back to reduce England to 307 for eight by stumps on Thursday.

Oval, August 21: Some of the greatest fights take a little time to build, there are rounds not so easy to score and then there is the moment when one of the combatants decides to raise the pace – and the stakes.

But he is obliged not to overreach himself. He has to get it right because, if he doesn’t, suddenly the balance of power and confidence has shifted quite dramatically – and maybe decisively.

Cincinnati, August 21: Roger Federer dropped only his second career set to Spain’s David Ferrer before fighting back Thursday for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory into the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters.

The victory in one hour, 42 minutes, puts Federer into a match against the winner between American Sam Querrey and two-time finalist Lleyton Hewitt of Australia.

“I’m happy with how I played,” said 15-time Grand Slam champion Federer.