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CRICKET Sehwag to lead India in 3rd Test DEC 17: Virender Sehwag will lead India in the third and final cricket Test against Sri Lanka from Saturday after captain Rahul Dravid was ruled out with gastroenteritis. The team management, in consultation with chairman of selectors Kiran More, decided to include Wasim Jaffer and Mohammad Kaif in the 12 for the match on Saturday, team media manager Wg Cdr M Baladitya said. Dravid was admitted into a local hospital on night after he complained of nausea and weakness. He was said to have not fully recovered from the viral fever that threatened to keep him out of the second Test in Delhi. Baladitya said Dravid has been advised rest for at least another two days. "He has not shown much improvement. He is still weak and needs another 48 hours to recover," he said. "The IV fluids and antibiotics have made him weak." The 12-member Indian team: Virender Sehwag (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Wasim Jaffer, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
CRICKET Dravid down with gastroenteritis Ahmedabad, Dec 17: Indian skipper Rahul Dravid is down with gastroenteritis and is a doubtful starter for the third cricket Test against Sri Lanka starting here tomorrow. “Dravid was taken to a local hospital at around 11.30 pm last night. A final decision on his availability for the third Test would be made at around 6 pm,” Indian team’s media manager Wing Commander Baladitya said. “The skipper complained of vomiting, chillness, throat infection and body ache and was put on an intravenous drip at the hospital,” Baladitya said. However, he had a peaceful sleep and is much better now, the media manager said. “Rahul is hopeful of taking semi-solid food by this afternoon,” Baladitya said. Doctors are constantly monitoring his condition and will tell the team management if Dravid could play in the Test match. If he is to play tomorrow, Dravid would have to be discharged from the hospital this evening, Baladitya said He was reportedly still recovering from the viral infection that he picked up in Delhi before the second Test. (Source: Mid-Day)
CRICKET 15 Ganguly supporters go on hunger strike Kolkata, Dec 17: Fifteen members of a local club of south Kolkata's Behala area today went on hunger strike close to the residence of Sourav Ganguly, demanding immediate inclusion of the former Indian captain in the Indian squad. Holding placards which read 'We demand justice for ill-treatment to Sourav, Sourav be brought back to the team', 'Expel Greg Chappel, Kiran More from Indian cricket', the protesters, members of 'Sitalatala Sanghasree Club', claimed that their agitation would continue till the demands were met. The club authorities said that 'injustice was meted out to Sourav who has done so much for Indian cricket'. "We are on fast to reverse the decision of the Cricket Board's Selection Committee which excluded Sourav ignoring national interest," they said. Related story: Chappell behind Ganguly ouster?
CRICKET Dravid skips nets due to fever DEC 16: Rahul Dravid, the India captain, did not attend the nets today in Ahmedabad ahead of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka on Sunday. This was due to the after-effects of the antibiotics he took before the second Test in Delhi. The rest of the squad practiced today, including Punjab fast bowler VRV Singh who has been specifically asked to be with the team and bowl in the nets. Both Virender Sehwag, the Indian vice-captain, and Dravid were hit by viral fever before the second Test. Whereas Sehwag was admitted to a local hospital on the eve of the match and subsequently couldn't play in it, Dravid, who had missed a net session then too, gamely shrugged off the nascent fever to open the innings. India plays Sri Lanka in the 3rd Test on Sunday in Ahmedabad
CRICKET ICC to review supersub rule in February Dec 15 (Reuters) The International Cricket Council (ICC) will review the experimental one-day supersub rule in February next year. ICC President Ehsan Mani told reporters on Thursday: "we will review it and see if it needs to be amended or finished," he said. Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq had called on Wednesday for the rule to be scrapped, saying it benefited only the team winning the toss.
Pakistan beat England by 165 runs KARACHI, Dec 15: Pakistan beat England by 165 runs in the third one-day international here on Thursday. Scores: Pakistan Innings 353-6 in 50 overs(Akmal 109, Yousuf 68, Afridi 31, Inzamam-ul-Haq 45, Razzaq 51; Flintoff 57-1, Plunkett 61-2, Collingwood 58-1); England Innings 188 all out in 42 overs (Trescothick 22, Strauss 23, Flintoff 36, Bell not out 37; Akhtar 23-0, Naved-ul-Hasan 31-2, Sami 18-1, Arafat 31-1, Afridi 42-2, Malik 29-3). Man-of-the-match: Kamran Akmal. Schedule for next ODI matches: December 19, fourth ODI match at Rawalpindi, December 21, fifth and last ODI match again at Rawalpindi. Pakistan lead the ODI series 2-1
CRICKET India won, Lanka zero, Kumble hero New Delhi, Dec. 14: India took some time to finish things off but carved out a thumping 188-run victory by bowling out Sri Lanka for 247 runs on Day Five of the second Test on Wednesday at the Ferozeshah Kotla and take a 1-0 lead in the series. Veteran leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who has always reaped a rich harvest here, had match figures of 10/157, taking 4/85 to add to his first innings haul of 6/72. He was well-supported by offie Harbhajan Singh, who bowled well in patches to conjure up figures of 3/70 on a track where the ball kept low, but did not turn alarmingly on the last day. For the Lankans, Mahela Jayawardene was the only batsman apart from Marvan Atapattu to come out with flying colors in this match with a defiant, compact 67. A dogged 68-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Jayawardene and Tillakratne Dilshan gave Sri Lanka, who resumed at their overnight score of 123/5, some hope of at least surviving for a draw, but it was always going to be a case of too little too late as that was the last pair of specialist batsmen at the crease. India had begun the day well as Ajit Agarkar trapped Jehan Mubarak, who was late in playing the ball, plumb in front of the wicket with a quick delivery. but thereafter struggled as Dilshan, who had failed to open his account in the first innings, set about making amends this time with a positive approach. He received good support from the cautious Jayawardene at the other end. Both Harbhajan and Kumble looked ineffective during this phase of the day. While Harbhajan bowled too flat and failed to derive any turn, Kumble looked to be pushing the ball through the air a shade too fast. Dilshan’s indiscretion not only cost him his wicket, it ended whatever little chances Sri Lanka had of playing out time. Dilshan’s dismissal brought pacer Chaminda Vaas to the wicket, who added a further 44 runs for the eighth wicket to delay the inevitable, till Jayawardene was sent packing by Harbhajan. Mahendra Singh Dhoni pocketed a mistimed heave from Muttiah Muralitharan to bring the proceedings, agonizingly stretched, to a close 40 minutes after lunch. Kumble, who scalped Vaas for his 48th wicket at the Kotla in just five Tests, ensured that India maintain their awesome recent record on this ground. They have not lost a Test here since 1991-92, almost the same time that the Bangalore leggie made his debut in international cricket. The love affair continues. This win, though, was not all crafted around the magic of Kumble. Sachin Tendulkar scored a crucial century on Day One. V.V. S. Laxman and Sourav Ganguly got some runs as well. Irfan Pathan did more than what could be asked from a makeshift opener in the second innings, and Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni chipped in with useful knocks. It was teamwork that did the job for India. India tilted the fate of the battle decidedly in their favour by restricting Murali’s haul to just a single wicket the second time round. The third Test at Motera will mark Kumble’s 100th Test, and the leggie would be keen to party at the islanders’ expense. Atap attu’s boys face a few more tricky questions before leaving Indian shores. (Deccan Chronicle)
CRICKET Ganguly dropped from India test side Dec 14 - Saurav Ganguly was dropped from India's test squad on Wednesday, all but ending the international career of the country's most successful captain. The 33-year-old batsman was left out of the 15-man squad for the third test against Sri Lanka starting in Ahmedabad on Sunday after scoring 40 and 39 in the second test in New Delhi. After India defeated Sri Lanka in the second Test at the Ferozeshah Kotla by a whopping margin of 188 runs, national selection committee chairman Kiran More stunned the media by announcing the omission of Sourav Ganguly for the third Test in Ahmedabad. “The committee, that met here on Wednesday, has decided to replace Ganguly with Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer,” More said.“We have retained Rahul Dravid as skipper for the Pakistan and England series,” he said, adding that the selectors were looking at long-term prospects. On Ganguly’s exit, More said, “Yuvraj Singh has performed outstandingly at number six. We don’t want him to sit out after playing consistently well. Moreover, we don’t want Ganguly to play at that position. So, there is no point of including him in the squad and not playing him. Jaffer has been doing very well in domestic cricket. I think he deserves a chance.” Jaffer has been consistency personified in first-class cricket, having amassed 8,300 runs at an average of 50. At the Test level, in seven matches, he has scored three half-centuries, his last Test coming back in 2002. More clarified that this move did not mean the end of the road for Ganguly and that it was too early to talk about his place in the Pakistan and England series. More also said that though Gautam Gambhir’s form was a bit of concern, Harbhajan Singh was never a topic of discussion in the meeting, that was held in the presence of both coach and captain. “All decisions have been taken in the best interest of the team. Period,” concluded More.
CRICKET Pakistan beat England by 7 wickets in 2nd ODI LAHORE, Dec 12 (Reuters) Pakistan beat England by seven wickets with six overs to spare to win the second one-day international at the Gaddafi stadium on Monday. Scores; England 230 all in 48.4 overs (Liam Plunkett 56, Vikram Solanki 38 not out; Shoaib Akhtar 5-54, Rana Naved 2-42), Pakistan 231-3 in 44 overs (Kamran Akmal 102, Salman Butt 43, Inzamam-ul-Haq 31 not out, Mohammad Yousuf 28 not out). Man of the match: Shoaib Akhtar.
CRICKET England cruise to 1st ODI victory over Pakistan DEC 10: England bowler Liam Plunkett took three wickets to guide his team to a 42-run win over Pakistan in the first one-day international today. It was the first major victory of the tour for England, who bowled out Pakistan for 285 in 46.5 overs after posting a commanding 327/4, batting first on a flat track. Plunkett and Andrew Flintoff took three wickets each as Pakistan lost their last five in 18 balls for just 23 runs after a strong start of 160 for two in 22 overs. England's total was built around Andrew Strauss (94), Flintoff (72 not out) and Kevin Pietersen (56). Pakistan's reply included half centuries from Salman Butt (67), Younis Khan (60), Mohammad Yousuf (59) and Shoaib Malik (50). The dismissal of Inzamam-ul-Haq,, the in-form captain, caught behind by Geraint Jones off Paul Collingwood for 13 in the 28th over, was when Pakistan began to fall behind in the run chase, with just two fours coming between the 25th and 42nd overs.
CRICKET It’s for my father: Sachin NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Star Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday dedicated his world-record 35th Test century to his late father, saying the knock was “very emotional”. “I dedicate this century to my father. My first hundred is the most memorable one but this one has been very emotional,” said Tendulkar, who lost his father during the 1999 World Cup in England. He scored 100 not out to help his team reach 245-3 at stumps on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka. Tendulkar, who passed compatriot Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 34 centuries, had scored his first ton (119 not out) against England at Manchester in 1990. “It has been a long journey from Manchester to here and I have learned a lot along the way both as a player and a person,” said Tendulkar, who is the leading run-getter in one-dayers with 13,909 and a record 38 centuries. (AFP)
CRICKET Tendulkar sets Test centuries record NEW DELHI, Dec 10: Sachin Tendulkar shattered the world record for Test centuries as India made a strong start in the second Test against Sri Lanka here on Saturday. Tendulkar, 32, notched up his 35th ton on the opening day at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground after the home side chose to bat. The little master pumped his fist and raised his bat and helmet after nudging a delivery from Chaminda Vaas to reach the landmark century and get past compatriot Sunil Gavaskar in the list of centurions.—AFP
CRICKET Wasim Akram's Chennai musings DEC 6: Former cricket captain Wasim Akram has predicted that the three test match series and five-one day internationals between Pakistan and India would be a close encounter and played on slow tracks. When asked about the possibility of coaching the Indian team, he said "it really doesn't matter which nation you coach. I got tips from the great Kapil Dev so I would like to give back to the cricketing world what I know." Stating that coaching required a different kind of skill, he said "I don't think I can do it. I could be a consultant if asked', he said. He was talking to PTI  and other news  reporters Monday in Chennai, India. According to him, "India-Pakistan matches will be a close series." No matter whoever wins or loses it will be a close series, the left arm fast bowler told reporters, when asked about the test and one dayers slated to start in Pakistan next month. He described the joint BCCI and Pakistan Cricket Board decision to play a series once in two years, as a good idea. "A series every year will ultimately make people bored and lose interest in the game," he said. Replying to a spate of queries, Akram said he felt the pressure of an Ashes series between England and Australia could not be compared to that felt by the cricketers of India and Pakistan when the two teams play each other. 'They (Australia and England) feel no where near the pressure we go through during an India-Pak series. Everyone is involved even vendors,' he said. Asked about the Saurav Ganguly-Greg Chappel episode, Akram was obviously not happy with Chappel's management of the Indian team. 'The culture in these parts of the world is different', he said adding that one bad series was not enough to suggest that a player should be sidelined, he said. On Ganguly's poor form, Akram pointed out that all cricketers go through the stage. 'It is unfortunate that when a player is down, he is pushed further down'. Ganguly is only 33 years old and has some more years left, he said. Answering to a query about Sachin Tendulkar, Akram said 'Sachin is definitely one of the best batsmen in the world. Definitely he will score his 35th Century' (to surpass Sunil Gavaskar with who he is tied at 34 centuries). Stating that Tendulkar still had a few years of cricket left in him, Akram expressed confidence that 'Tendulkar will create records which will be hard to break.' Asked how he rated the Pakistan cricket team, he said the team was playing as a close knit under Inzamam-ul-Haq's captaincy. He said it was good that the PCB retained the captain for a while as earlier were frequent replacements. On Irfan Pathan, he said the south paw bowler had talent. It is too early to compare him with Kapil Dev. 'Kapil was one of the greatest of all time,' he said and added "it will need a lot of hard work to reach close to Kapil." Akram also opined that Zaheer Khan, who had been dropped from the India squad, should have retained, as he had a lot of potential.
CRICKET Indian cricket team to tour Pak now from Jan 6 DEC 5: Shahryar Mohammad Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, said Monday that the Indian cricket team would now begin its tour to Pakistan from January 6 instead of January 1. “They will play 3 Tests and five one-day internationals. The tour will end on February 20.” Shahryar said Karachi would host a Test match and one-dayer but subject to the approval from the Indian Government. “The Indian board has sent the tour itinerary to their Government for the final approval,” he said.  Shahryar  also said that although Asia Cup had been postponed on the request of the Indian Cricket Board but Pakistan would host the event whenever the new dates were decided. Shahryar also said "India and Pakistan cricket teams should no more play matches. Because, this dilutes importance for the contests while 14 matches were played last year." reports Geo TV. HOCKEY Saqlain to challenge his ban DEC 5: Pakistan hockey captain Muhammad Saqlain has decided to challenge his three-match ban, imposed by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Judicial Commission, before the International Olympic Commission (IOC) Arbitration Commission. This was announced at a press conference in Lahore addressed by Saqlain’s lawyer Mustafa Ramday and Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary general Musarrat Ullah Khan at the National Hockey Stadium. Saqlain was banned for three international matches and fined 1000 euros by the FIH for causing an injury to Australian player Craig Victory with his stick during a match in the Hamburg Masters tournament last August. Ramday said the ban and fine imposed on Saqlain was an example of FIH’s discrimination and bias towards an Asian player.
CRICKET Pakistan beat England - win series LAHORE, Dec 3 - Pakistan won the third and final test against England by an innings and 100 runs on Saturday to take the series 2-0. Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar with five wickets and spinner Danish Kaneria with four, including three wickets in five balls after lunch, did the damage. England were all out for 248 after the last eight wickets fell for just 43 runs. "They put us under a lot of pressure," England captain Michael Vaughan said. "They played better cricket over the three matches in all aspects of the game,” he added. Scores: England 1st innings 288 (P. Collingwood 96, M. Vaughan 58, M.Trescothick 50), Pakistan 1st innings 636 for 8 declared (M. Yousuf 223, K. Akmal 154, Inzamam-ul-Haq 97), England 2nd innings 248 all out (I. Bell 92, P. Collingwood 80; S. Akhtar 71-5, D. Kaneria 52-4) (Reuters)
CRICKET India's Dalmiya quits as head of Asian body KOLKATA, Dec 3 (Reuters) Former International Cricket Council (ICC) president Jagmohan Dalmiya resigned as chief of the Asian cricket body on Saturday after his group was voted out in last week's Indian board elections. "In the wake of the recent changes in the Indian board, I feel it is only appropriate that I tender my resignation with immediate effect from both positions," he said in a statement.
CRICKET Indian board relents over England one-day venues MUMBAI, Dec 3 (Reuters) The Indian cricket board has switched two one-dayers during England's tour early next year to prominent venues at the request of the England Cricket Board (ECB), an Indian cricket official said on Saturday. The BCCI switched games to New Delhi and Mohali from the eastern cities of Cuttack and Visakhapatnam. Indore, Goa, Guwahati and Kochi will be retained while the other game, originally scheduled for Faridabad, may be moved within the northern Haryana state, BCCI vice-president Shashank Manohar said after a tours and fixtures committee meeting.
CRICKET Inzamam joins the 8,000 club LAHORE, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Inzamam-ul-Haq became the 14th player in test history to score more than 8,000 runs as his Pakistan side headed for victory over England on the fourth day of the third test on Friday. The Pakistani captain, who resumed batting on 35 on Friday after having retired hurt on day two with a wrist injury, was run out three runs short of his 25th test century as Pakistan ran up a huge total of 636 for eight declared.
CRICKET England fight to save third Pak Test LAHORE, Dec 2 - England, trailing by 348 runs, were 121-2 in their second innings at stumps on the penultimate day of the third and final Test against Pakistan here on Friday. Pakistan lead 1-0 in the series following their 22-run victory in the first Test at Multan. Scores: England 1st innings 288 (P. Collingwood 96, M. Vaughan 58, M. Trescothick 50), Pakistan 1st innings 636-8 declared (M. Yousuf 223, Inzamam-ul-Haq 97, K. Akmal 154), England 2nd innings 121-2 (M. Trescothick 0, M. Vaughan 13, I. Bell not out 60, P. Collingwood not out 37; S. Akhtar 34 – 2) (AFP)
Source: Khabrain, PK
CRICKET Australia beat West Indies by seven wickets in third Test ADELAIDE, Australia, Nov 29 (AFP) - Australia beat the West Indies by seven wickets in the third cricket Test to sweep the series 3-0 at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday. The Australians, set 182 runs for victory, mopped up the required runs at 182 for three just after lunch on the final day. Matthew Hayden remained unbeaten on 87 with first-innings centurion Mike Hussey not out 30. Australia won the first Brisbane Test by 379 runs and the second Hobart Test by nine wickets to clinch the series ahead of the Adelaide Test. It was Australia's 12th win in their last 13 Tests with the West Indians stretching back to 1999. The West Indies have won only three of their last 21 Tests overall and three of their last 15 Tests against Australia stretching back to 1999. Australia wrapped up their fifth straight series win in the Worrell Trophy after winning the opening two Tests. The West Indies have not won a Test series against Australia since Richie Richardson's team won here in 1992-93. Match scores: West Indies 405 and 204; Australia 428 and 182 for 3.
CRICKET Dravid helps India square ODI series MUMBAI, Nov 28: India captain Rahul Dravid inspired his team to a five-wicket victory over South Africa in the fifth and final One-day International on Monday to square the series at 2-2 with one game abandoned. Dravid struck 10 boundaries in his 106-ball 78 not out to steer the hosts to 224 for five with 15 deliveries to spare after Jacques Kallis’s valiant 91 had lifted South Africa to 221 for six in the day-night match. Dravid, elevated to captain last month, regained his touch after making just 24 in his last three innings. He shared in a 79-run stand for the fourth wicket with Yuvraj Singh (49), dashing South Africa’s hopes of a maiden one-day series victory in India. South Africa, asked to bat first, struggled against the spinners who were backed by fine fielding on a slow pitch after paceman Irfan Pathan struck early to dismiss the opening pair of Andrew Hall and skipper Graeme Smith. Kallis held the innings together with a patient knock, but missed out of a well-deserved century when he gave Pathan the charge in the 49th over to be caught in the deep.
Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan wants to have a go at star batsman Sachin Tendulkar during next month's Test series in India.
CRICKET Pollock, Hall restrict India to 188 KOLKATA, India, Nov 25 (AFP) - Shaun Pollock and Andrew Hall grabbed three wickets each to help South Africa bowl out India for 188 in the fourth one-dayer at the jam-packed Eden Gardens here on Friday. Pollock struck thrice in his first four overs as India, sent in to bat on a seamer-friendly wicket, collapsed to 23-3 and later 71-5. Yuvraj Singh (53) and Mohammad Kaif (46) kept the 90,000-strong crowd entertained by adding 81 for the sixth wicket. Hall, however, bowled superbly to ensure South Africa were left chasing less than four runs an over in the crucial day-night game. Sachin Tendulkar managed just two runs in his record 357th one-day appearance - surpassing Pakistani Wasim Akram's tally of 356 - as Pollock forced him to edge an outswinger to wicket-keeper Mark Boucher. CRICKET Tendulkar sets record for most ODIs KOLKATA, India, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar became the most capped one-day player on Friday after making his 357th appearance in the fourth ODI against South Africa. Tendulkar, 32, surpassed former Pakistan all rounder Wasim Akram. He has also scored most one-day runs (13,877) and hundreds (38). South African captain Graeme Smith won the toss and chose to bowl first. CRICKET Inzi sets new record for most centuries by Pak FAISALABAD, Nov 24 Inzamam-ul-Haq on Thursday scored his 24th test hundred on the final day of the second test against England to set a new record for most test centuries by a Pakistani batsman. He has now scored 7,955 runs in 104 tests and has also got 10,971 runs in 347 one-dayers. Inzamam's scores of 109 and 100 not out in the test is also only the second instance of a Pakistani scoring two centuries in the same match against England and the fifth time overall by a Pakistani batsman. Hanif Mohammad in 1961/62 scored 111 and 104 against England at Dhaka. The match however ended in a draw when bad light ended play 16 overs short.
CRICKET Pakistan leads 1 - 0 Faisalabad, Nov 24: England's tail enders endured an aggressive onslaught from Pakistan pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar Rana Naved on Thursday to force a dramatic draw on the fifth and final day of the second cricket Test. Pakistan was boosted early in the day by Inzamam-ul-Haq's 24th Test hundred, which dashed England's chance of a victory. For Inzamam, the match was a coup. He was named man of the match after hitting two centuries in the same test for the first time in his career. Not only did he become the fifth Pakistani batsman to score a century in each innings of a Test, his second innings has him heading the Pakistan list of century makers with 24 hundreds! England – which needed 285 runs in a minimum 64 overs to level the three-match series – was 164 for six in 48 overs when Geraint Jones (30) and Ashley Giles (13) accepted the umpires' offer of poor light. Pakistan leads the three-match series 1-0 after its 22-run win in the first Test at Multan last week. The third Test begins in Lahore from Nov 29. CRICKET Pathan gives anxious moments to security Kolkata, Nov. 24: Indian speedster Irfan Pathan, gave some anxious moments to the city police when he went out of the team's hotel at a late hour to meet a friend in a city suburb ignoring security precautions. Pathan, who checked in at the hotel with the Indian team at around 7:30 pm yesterday, went out of the hotel at around 9 pm to meet his friend in Kasba area, a south-eastern suburb, despite being cautioned by a senior police officer. Indian team manager Wing Commander Baladitya, however, said today that Pathan had informed him about his trip and "he had not done anything wrong." "There is no security embargo on us and any team member can go anywhere. Pathan had gone to meet a friend and he had informed me before going," Baladitya said. But Kolkata Police, which is already under intense pressure to avoid any untoward incident during South Africa-India one-dayer here tomorrow, feel that Pathan's move was not proper from the security point of view. "If players behave in such a manner then we should not be held responsible for any incident," a senior police officer in charge of security of the team's hotel said. Sources at the hotel said when Pathan was leaving the hotel, a senior police officer posted there had advised him not to venture out at that hour. But the young all-rounder ignored his words of caution and sped away in a car. The police this time has made extraordinary security arrangement in view of the possibility of protests by different organizations for non-inclusion of Sourav Ganguly in the team for the one-day series. The deposed Indian skipper, however, has been included in the Test team against Sri Lanka. GOLF Irina Brar wrestles leads from Vaishavi NEW DELHI, Nov 24: Defending champion Irina Brar wrestled the lead from 14-year-old challenger Vaishavi Sinha on the penultimate day of the 38th Ladies Northern India Golf Championship played at the Delhi Golf Club in the Indian Capital. Chandigarh-based Irina Brar carded a mediocre three over par 75. Mediocre, because the young lady holds a record of five under par 67 on this course! But, in a tournament, which has so far produced pedestrian scores from the leading Indian women golfers of whom 15 play off handicaps of -5 and below, the three over par card was enough to place her atop the scoreboard. Vaishavi, who had brought in a sub-par round of one under par 71 to take a five stroke advantage over Irina yesterday, today carded an appalling 13 over par 85 to plummet down to third spot, five strokes behind the leader.

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