Ishant to ignore tri-series opener against Kiwis

Dambulla: India suffered a shake ahead of their tri-series opener against New Zealand as paceman Ishant Sharma was on Monday ruled out of the match due to an ankle injury.

The lanky Delhi bowler was to do the accountability with new ball along with state-mate Ashish Nehra.  "Ishant is not obtainable for tomorrow's match because of an ankle problem," India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said at the pre-match press conference.

India are previously without experienced pacer Zaheer Khan, senior spinner Harbhajan Singh and opener Gautam Gambhir. Zaheer had missed the just finished Test series against Sri Lanka due to a shoulder problem and flew to South Africa for treatment.

Harbhajan and Gambhir were rested all along with Sachin Tendulkar for the tri-series. Both Harbhajan and Gambhir had missed India's third Test against Sri Lanka due to injuries.

Jessica Ennis Calls Time on 2010 season

UKA today set that Britain’s reigning World and European Heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis has called time on her 2010 season in order to exploit her recovery time ahead of 2011.
The 24 year old, who came to close breaking the UK heptathlon record in winning her European Championship gold last week, made the decision beside her coach Toni Minichiello to ensure the long term plan including reaching 2012 in best possible shape was always the main priority.
At the same time as there are several high profile events remaining in the 2010 summer season, Ennis has reiterated that maintaining her fitness and giving herself the best possible approach to 2012, is the ‘right decision’. Ennis said,“I have had an wonderful season and to win the European Championships was just incredible, it was such a close competition but there was no way I was not going to win!

Sehwag takes solution Sri Lanka scalps

Third Test, Colombo (P Sara Oval):Virender Sehwag took two wickets early to put Sri Lanka under force in their second innings as India look for level the series in the third Test.
After India were dismissed for 436, Sri Lankan opener Tharanga Paranavitana could only make 16 before stitching Sehwag to wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni. Murali Vijay snared a catch from Tillakaratne Dilshan (13) off Sehwag (109), who had top-scored for India.
The tests have a 1-0 series lead after a 10-wicket win in the first Test.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA 425 & 45-2 

INDIA          436

Dream Players Plans to play Together

The world’s No. 1 and No. 2 players, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, are plan to play doubles together in Toronto, according to the event's Facebook page. The Toronto sports radio station Fan 590, tournament director Karl Hale, who established the matchup, said that Djokovic arrived in Toronto yesterday and Nadal arrived today. It is the first U.S. Open warm-up for both players, so it makes intellect that they might want to get double the matches by adding doubles. Plus, the two of them split the same manager in Benito Perez-Barbadillo. Now if only Roger Federer and Andy Murray would team up.

Jonny Wilkinson missed England training for Toulon game

Jonny Wilkinson will not be released to join up with England's elite squad when they assemble on 8 August, the fly-half's French club Toulon have confirmed

 

Toulon said Wilkinson "will respect his agreement and be available for the first game of the Top 14 on 13 August".
England boss Martin Johnson is consideration to be happy for Wilkinson to stay in France with Toulon. Johnson also said there had been "close and friendly consultation" with all clubs over player attendance.
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has an agreement with English clubs over player let go outside the official international windows, but has to discuss individually with French sides. Back row James Haskell and lock Tom Palmer, who play for French team Stade Francais, have also been called up for the week-long England training campsite by Johnson.

Lewis Hamilton thrilled by five-way battle for F1 title

 

Lewis Hamilton says he is keyed up by the intense competition for the Formula 1 drivers' championship - with five men in conflict to win the title.

The top five drivers are divided by 20 points going into the summer break with Red Bull's Mark Webber in top spot after he won the Hungarian Grand Prix.
McLaren's Hamilton told his website: "We'll take up again as if it's the start of the year, with everything to play for.
"None of the top three teams are really behind on points. That's thrilling!"
With seven races to go, Hamilton has 157 points, four points behind Webber, even as Webber's team-mate Sebastein Vettel is third on 151 points, McLaren's Jenson Button is fourth on 147 and Ferrari's fifth-placed driver Fernando Alonso is on 141 points.

Gareth Thomas caps rugby club move with call-up to Wales squad

Gareth Thomas is rest to win his first rugby league cap after being named in Wales's training squad for the Alitalia European Cup.
Thomas, 36, a former British and Irish Lions captain, who won the last of his 100 caps in rugby union at the 2007 World Cup, in his first season of league with Crusaders.
He said,‘It is a great feeling,' 'To be able to stand for Wales in a different sport, in such a short space of time, is a massive, massive honour and achievement for me.'

Cricket: Tendulkar rest to break record

Sachin Tendulkar is set to become the most capped test cricketer while India plays Sri Lanka in the third and final match.
The 37-year-old batting huge, who is the most creative run getter in both tests and one-day internationals and who has the most number of centuries in both versions, will exceed former Australia captain Steve Waugh when he plays his 169th test.
"It has been a very long journey. The 169th test. I still remember the first test match that I played against Pakistan," Tendulkar said today. "Very happy that I have had the freedom of such a long journey at international level and this was my dream. To play for India was my dream and getting to play 169 test matches is unbelievable."

TEST APPEARANCES - ALL TIME LEADERS

168 - Sachin Tendulkar (India)
168 - Steve Waugh (Australia)
156 - Allan Border (Australia)
146 - Ricky Ponting (Australia)
145 - Shane Warne (Australia)
141 - Rahul Dravid (India)
140 - Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
134 - Mark Boucher (South Africa)

Death a twice loss for rugby and cricket

Eric Tindill, the only man to play tests for New Zealand in both cricket and rugby, and preside in a test in both, has died in Nelson. He was 99 years old.
At the same time as others have become known as double rugby-cricket internationals though appearing only in tour games as different from tests in one or the other sport, Tindill was single in his four-strong achievements.
A halfback or first five-eighths for Wellington, Tindill played 16 matches for the All Blacks, include one test, a 13-0 loss to England at Twickenham in 1936.
Fourteen years later he was refereed three tests, two between the All Blacks and the British Lions, and then one against Australia in 1955. Tindill played five cricket tests as a wicketkeeper-batsman between 1937 and 1947, his first appearance against England at Lord's. His first-class career spanned 18 seasons.

Andrew Flintoff lined out for rest of the spell by Lancashire

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff leftovers hopeful of making his long-awaited comeback from injury but has not set himself a timescale after his domestic season was ended in advance without him playing a match.
The 32-year-old has not played since the the final Ashes Test nearly a year ago, after which he underwent two operations on his right knee and his comeback for Lancashire 2nd XI this week was aborted as a defensive measure.
His province have ruled him out for the remainder of the domestic season - which in reality is only six weeks - in order for him to continue treatment work.This latest delay also rules him out of next month's Twenty20 Champions Trophy in South Africa where he was due to play for Chennai Super Kings.