KOLKATA, Nov 11: Ace off spinner Harbhajan Singh today said the Indian team was not taking the platinum jubilee one-day cricket match against Pakistan as a friendly and would go all out for a win in the day-night clash here on Saturday.............more

Ganguly’s fitness
test to be held today

KOLKATA, Nov 11: The fitness test of Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly was postponed to tomorrow as the team physio Andrew Leipus could not reach the city in time. Leipus was earlier scheduled to reach here this morning and was expected to take the fitness test of Ganguly in the afternoon but he would be reaching here only by the evening, a senior cricket.........more

IOC awaits answers from
2012 Games candidates

LONDON, Nov 11: The five heavyweight cities vying to stage the 2012 Olympic Games will show their cards next week .....more

Warne declares himself
ready to take on Kiwis

MALBOURNE, Nov 11: Australia leg spinner Shane Warne said today he was confident of overcoming a broken thumb....more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 11: Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Players Association (JKCPA) in a meeting held here today has termed the recently selection of Ranji..............more

Narwal-A wins by 7
runs in Kawa cricket final

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 11: Narwal-A defeated Gandhi Nagar-A by seven runs in the cricket tournament which was organised by Kawa........more

Junaid establishes triple
jump record in Sainik
School Meet

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 11: Cadet Junaid Bini of Chenab House has established triple jump record in the three-day 28th annual athletics......more

Kathua Volleyball
meet from Nov 14

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

KATHUA, Nov 11: District Volleyball Association is organising a two-day district championship at High School Gurah Mundian....more

India will go all out for a win, Harbhajan

KOLKATA, Nov 11: Ace off spinner Harbhajan Singh today said the Indian team was not taking the platinum jubilee one-day cricket match against Pakistan as a friendly and would go all out for a win in the day-night clash here on Saturday.

"It is in no way a friendly game. They (Pakistan) are our archrivals, we will do everything to win the match," Harbhajan said here upon his arrival.

Harbhajan also said that the inclusion of skipper Saurav Ganguly in the team would boost the morale of the team and bolster the confidence of the players.

Ganguly, who could not play the last two Test matches against Australia due to an injury, has already declared his fitness and is expected to be formally cleared by team physio Andrew Leipus after a fitness test tomorrow.

Harbahajan, who played an important role in the victory against Australia in the last Test match in Mumbai with a five-wicket haul, also said that the team was upbeat after that win.

"We are on a high after winning the last Test against Australia," Harbhajan said.

He also rubbished the comments by Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting and the Australia media that Mumbai pitch was a ‘dust bowl’.

"They (Australians) are saying this because they could not win and we played better than them," he said.

The day-night match on November 13 is being organised to mark the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Indian cricket board. (PTI)

Ganguly’s fitness test to be held today

KOLKATA, Nov 11: The fitness test of Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly was postponed to tomorrow as the team physio Andrew Leipus could not reach the city in time.

Leipus was earlier scheduled to reach here this morning and was expected to take the fitness test of Ganguly in the afternoon but he would be reaching here only by the evening, a senior cricket board official said.

The fitness test would now be held tomorrow, he said. (AGENCIES)

IOC awaits answers from 2012 Games candidates

LONDON, Nov 11: The five heavyweight cities vying to stage the 2012 Olympic Games will show their cards next week in what could be a make-or-break gambit for their hopes of landing the world’s greatest sports extravaganza.

London, Paris, New York, Madrid and Moscow have until tuesday to hand their candidature files to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

What lies within the pages of these files, or bid books, could mean the difference between victory and defeat, between joy and despair for the quintet of cities engaged in the most high-profile Olympic battle ever.

The ioc will select the winner in July 2005. There are no lame ducks in the line-up, only cities of great historical, political and financial might.

Certainly there will be little to choose between the five, making their answers to the IOC’s questionnaire all the more important.

Since the cities were shortlisted in may, theory, conjecture and speculation have surrounded the selection process. But the candidates’ bid books must deal in hard facts and answers to demands from the leaders of the Olympic movement.

The questionnaire quizzes each city on 17 separate themes, ranging from a city’s vision for the games and what legacy it hopes the Olympics will leave, to its transport network and accommodation.

Would-be organisers must provide a 600-odd page document, detailing every last nut and bolt they hope will underpin the staging of the Olympic Games in their city.

Paris and Madrid emerged as early favourites after the initial selection in May and they are expected to continue to impress the IOC. As it did four years ago, Paris scored top marks overall for its bid. It is a solid bid which ticks all the boxes and adds a dash of French Elan to the Olympics.

Bidding for the third successive occasion, the French capital lost out to Beijing for the 2008 games. Paris has had plenty of time to hone its bid, to build stadiums and to get the infrastructure in place.

After the uncertainty of Athens and the gigantism of the Beijing Games it would be a safe and compact host, a return to basic olympic values. The Council of Paris recently pledged 1.27 billion Euros (1.64 billion dollars).

Madrid’s report was the biggest surprise. From initially being considered an outsider, the Spanish capital has vaulted into second place in the favourites’ list, scoring highly across the board.

Late last month the Spanish Government agreed to back the bid to the tune of 1 billion, allocating half the money to improving security arrangements.

London’s report in may was a bittersweet affair. While the city was criticised for transport and environmental concerns, and the IOC questioned the support the english capital had for the bid, it remains a strong candidate.

The games’ legacy to London could prove key in the battle. The British Government is firmly behind the bid — a key factor the ioc considers when picking a winner — and, together with the Mayor of London, has pledged in excess of 4 billion dollars of public funding to cover the cost of staging the games.

New York also fared well in the initial selection. The anti-American sentiment caused by the invasion of Iraq appeared to have been cancelled out by pro-New York sentiment following the attacks on the city in September 2001.

The IOC is known to be impressed by New York’s effort to reach out to community groups and noted there was evidence of political, trade union, media, business and nationality group support.

Moscow remains the outsider. The city staged the games in 1980 and a Moscow win seems unlikely to all but the most optimistic observers. (AGENCIES)

Warne declares himself ready to take on Kiwis

MALBOURNE, Nov 11: Australia leg spinner Shane Warne said today he was confident of overcoming a broken thumb for next week’s first Test against New Zealand, adding he was motivated by team success rather than the world record.

"It (the record) is not a motivating thing. Every time you play cricket, my job is take as many wickets as I can," Warne told reporters in Melbourne today.

"I enjoy playing against New Zealand and Pakistan. They’ve been two countries (against whom) I’ve had a lot of success with the ball, but also with the bat."

"At this stage, I’m fully confident I will get through five days and I’m looking forward to playing the Kiwis again."

Australia will host two tests against New Zealand, in Brisbane from November 18-22 and Adelaide from November 26-30, followed by a three-Test series against Pakistan starting on December 16 in Perth.

The 35-year-old Warne has taken a world record 541 Test wickets, nine more than Sri Lanka off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan who is expected to return from injury in New Zealand in January.

Warne missed last week’s fourth and final Test in India after he was struck on the thumb while batting in the nets. (AGENCIES)

JKCPA terms JKCA Ranji selection as ‘unjust’

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 11: Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Players Association (JKCPA) in a meeting held here today has termed the recently selection of Ranji teams by JKCA as ‘unjust’.

In a handout issued here today, JKCPA president, Vivek Sharma said that no matches were held this year to judge the efficiency of players and the questionable method of selection is underestimating some and overestimating the other players.

It added that since the inception of JKCA it has been handled by a majority of unqualified people who have done a disservice to the noble cause of promoting the activities of youth.

The JKCPA aims for an incisive reform and hope was expressed that the trends can change from worse to good only by collective efforts of the players and cricket enthusiasts. An appeal to JKCA president, Dr Farooq Abdullah was made to see through the stratagem of sycophants and seek the accountability of those entrusted with the responsibility of selection of the youth for the state sports cause.