Unprecedented security for Test match:
CHENNAI: Unprecedented security arrangements have been made for the India-England cricket Test match to be played at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here from Thursday.Players of both teams have arrived, and police have intensified vigil at the stadium and the hotel in Nungambakkam where they are accommodated. At a high-level meeting on Tuesday, Commissioner of Police K. Radhakrishnan reviewed the security arrangements.“About 3,000 police personnel have been deployed for bandobust, including traffic management. Surveillance cameras will be installed at vantage points in and around the stadium. A list of Do’s and Don’ts has been issued to players and spectators. The police have taken over the stadium and the hotel,” he said.Radhakrishnan said special teams were deployed strategically to handle emergency situations. “In the event of an exigency, we have ‘Quick Reaction Teams’ to carry out the evacuation process. The players are being protected by armed commandos,” he said.Spotter police constables trained in identifying habitual offenders and extremist elements would be deployed during the days of the match.There was a commotion at the hotel when one of the Indian players objected to the tough security measures on Tuesday, a senior police official said. “The fifth floor is a restricted zone where visitors are not allowed. Even as security personnel were trying to explain, the player took a visitor to the fifth floor without allowing the police to carry out the mandatory frisking. An entry has been made in the local police station records about the incident. We are taking up the matter with the Security Manager of the Indian Team and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association officials,” the official added.
Hefty workload hurts family life: Michael Clarke:
SYDNEY: Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke has urged administrators to reduce player workloads to safeguard their family life.Clarke endorsed skipper Ricky Ponting's claim that cricketers' schedules were too full, an issue that will dominate discussions for the new memorandum of understanding between players and Cricket Australia. "I think the major issue with the players at the moment is that because of the amount of cricket that is going on, and that includes all forms of the game, Twenty20, Test cricket one-day cricket, all the different competitions, I think guys careers are not going to last as long as they used to," Clarke said.Clarke said it was unlikely players would bypass lucrative domestic Twenty20 tournaments, such as the Indian Premier League, to spend more time with their families.
England Chris Lewis arrested on cocaine smuggling charge:
LONDON: Former England all-rounder Chris Lewis has been charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine with a street value of more than 200,000 pounds into Britain. The 40-year-old was arrested along with an alleged accomplice on Monday after border control officers at London's Gatwick airport found four kilograms (nine pounds) of the illegal drug in liquid form in fruit tins in a baggage that had arrived from the Caribbean island of St Lucia. Lewis was due to appear at a preliminary court hearing on Tuesday to answer charges, which could result in a prison sentence. Lewis arrived in London on Monday morning on a flight from St Lucia. He was traveling with Chad Kirnon, 26, who was also arrested and charged. Guyana-born Lewis took 93 wickets during his England Test career and 66 wickets in one-day internationals, at averages of 37.5 and 29.4 respectively. He finished with a Test batting average of 23 but was widely regarded as having failed to live up to the potential of his early years, when he was tipped to become the new Ian Botham. He retired from county cricket in 2000 because of a persistent hip injury after spells with Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey. He re-joined Surrey earlier this year with a view to playing in 20-overs matches but that plan was scuppered by injury.
Pakistan Junior women hockey team off to Kuala Lumpur:
KARACHI: The Pakistan Junior women hockey team left for Kuala Lumpur for participating in the Junior Asia Cup commencing from December 13.The national junior women hockey team left the Jinnah International airport here this morning for Kuala Lumpur.Pakistan will play the first match of the event on December 13 against Thailand.The Pakistan team has been placed in group ‘A’ along with Japan, China, Malaysia and Thailand.Captain of Pakistan team Sehrish Ghumman said that she is hopeful that her team would perform well in the tournament.
Rashid Lateef criticizes ICC stance on security:
KARACHI: Former captain of Pakistan cricket team Rashid Lateef criticizing the International Cricket Council (ICC) said that the ICC’s stance on security was partial as it urged England to continue the tour of India but it did not play any role for the restoration of cricket in Pakistan.Rashid Lateef said in an interview that if the England cricketers are touring India despite the Mumbai blasts then it did not relate to security guarantees but it was all due to India’s commercial attraction that Ricky Ponting also favoured to tour India despite the consistent incidents of terrorism there.He said that the ICC chief in a recent statement stressed England to continue their tour of India but his role remained partial regarding the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.Rashid Lateef said that if Pakistan wants to continue international cricket in the country then it has to invest maximum amount of money in the game so that no country could decline to visit Pakistan.
Filipino boxer hammers US rival in welterweight bout:
MANILA: Millions of Filipinos cheered Sunday after boxing hero Manny Pacquiao hammered legend Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas."Pacman" solidified his reputation as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter with a dominant performance that left De La Hoya, the 2-1 favourite, unable to come out of his corner for round nine in the non-title bout."Even though we have an economic downturn, suddenly the morale of the Filipino people is boosted," the chief aide for President Gloria Arroyo, Eduardo Ermita, said on Philippine radio.He said Arroyo called Pacquiao immediately after the bout to congratulate him."The president and the Filipino people would like to extend our profound congratulations to Manny Pacquiao. His boxing win is testament to the spirit of the Filipino," said her spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo.The 29-year-old fighter is a folk hero in the Philippines, a son of vegetable farmers and grade-school dropout who has conquered the hearts of a country where two people in five live on less than two dollars a day.Tens of millions watched the welterweight bout on television -- most on time delay, with few able to afford the pay-per-view live rates -- as Pacquiao gave De La Hoya, a 10-time champ in six weight classes, the worst beating of his career.Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Council lightweight champion who went up two weight divisions, dominated his taller, rangier opponent.
Maradona becomes centre of public attraction in India:
KOLKATA: Football legend Diego Maradona has become the centre of people’s attraction wherever he went during his visit to India. The great footballer of the past and coach of the present Argentine team on Sunday paid homage at Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity order in Kolkata at the end of his first visit to India.About 20,000 fans lined the dusty roads leading to Mother House to catch a glimpse of the Argentine superstar, police said.Maradona, 48, lit a candle and prayed at Mother Teresa's tomb during a special mass before talking to the sisters and children -- many of them orphans -- who live at the home.It was set up by Mother Teresa in 1950 and she served the poor and the needy there until her death in 1997.Maradona, recently appointed Argentina's national coach, also visited Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, one of Asia's oldest football clubs, and gave tips to players.Kolkata is the football centre of India, a country more widely known for its love of cricket.
Cristiano Ronaldo wins European Player of the Year award:
PARIS: Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo has won the European Player of the Year award. The 23-year-old Manchester United striker received the Ballon D'Or (European Player of the Year) award at a colourful ceremony in Paris.Ronaldo is the first player of Manchester United to win this award in 40 years after George Beset won this award in 1968.Cristiano Ronaldo has been given this award on the basis of his excellent performance in the seasosn. He beat Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres to the honour on the back of a phenomenal 2007-08 season in which he scored 42 goals.
Japanese newspapers criticise Honda over pull-out from F-1:
TOKYO: Japanese newspapers have made Honda Motor a target of harsh criticism after its abrupt withdrawal from Formula One.Honda announced the shock pull-out on Friday citing the financial crisis, ending an involvement in the sport which dates back to the 1960s.Most of the F-1 commentators said Honda had simply given up after its recent poor performance since returning as a full constructor in 2006."Honda, as we knew it in its first F-1 period (1964-68) and the second period (1983-1992), didn't give a damn and went on its way, win or lose," one critic wrote in a newspaper."Fighting right now without calling time is what F1 is all about. Not putting things off. That's what Honda Motor Co. has taught the Japanese people," he added.Another commentator accused Honda of deserting fans after it stirred them up "and consumed their expectations as a kind of fuel.""Honda has publicly declared that 'racing is our DNA' and behaved as if it was a company symbolising motorsport," he wrote in a sports publication."For being that way, it is socially responsible as a member of the racing world ... That responsibility is something that cannot be abandoned in such a selfish manner."Honda's team racked up just three wins over the years but its engines powered drivers including world champions Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost to 69 victories.A columnist said Honda's success in the European-dominated sport had been in important in helping Japanese overcome a collective inferiority complex.
President appoints Miandad cricket ambassador for China:
LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday has appointed director-general PCB Javed Miandad as ambassador of cricket for China.DG-Pakistan Cricket Board Javed Miandad told Geo News that this is a great honour for him and he is much grateful to the President of Pakistan for this kindness.He said that he would provide every possible help to promote cricket in China and in this regard he is ready to serve on behalf of Pakistan.
CHENNAI: Unprecedented security arrangements have been made for the India-England cricket Test match to be played at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here from Thursday.Players of both teams have arrived, and police have intensified vigil at the stadium and the hotel in Nungambakkam where they are accommodated. At a high-level meeting on Tuesday, Commissioner of Police K. Radhakrishnan reviewed the security arrangements.“About 3,000 police personnel have been deployed for bandobust, including traffic management. Surveillance cameras will be installed at vantage points in and around the stadium. A list of Do’s and Don’ts has been issued to players and spectators. The police have taken over the stadium and the hotel,” he said.Radhakrishnan said special teams were deployed strategically to handle emergency situations. “In the event of an exigency, we have ‘Quick Reaction Teams’ to carry out the evacuation process. The players are being protected by armed commandos,” he said.Spotter police constables trained in identifying habitual offenders and extremist elements would be deployed during the days of the match.There was a commotion at the hotel when one of the Indian players objected to the tough security measures on Tuesday, a senior police official said. “The fifth floor is a restricted zone where visitors are not allowed. Even as security personnel were trying to explain, the player took a visitor to the fifth floor without allowing the police to carry out the mandatory frisking. An entry has been made in the local police station records about the incident. We are taking up the matter with the Security Manager of the Indian Team and Tamil Nadu Cricket Association officials,” the official added.
Hefty workload hurts family life: Michael Clarke:
SYDNEY: Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke has urged administrators to reduce player workloads to safeguard their family life.Clarke endorsed skipper Ricky Ponting's claim that cricketers' schedules were too full, an issue that will dominate discussions for the new memorandum of understanding between players and Cricket Australia. "I think the major issue with the players at the moment is that because of the amount of cricket that is going on, and that includes all forms of the game, Twenty20, Test cricket one-day cricket, all the different competitions, I think guys careers are not going to last as long as they used to," Clarke said.Clarke said it was unlikely players would bypass lucrative domestic Twenty20 tournaments, such as the Indian Premier League, to spend more time with their families.
England Chris Lewis arrested on cocaine smuggling charge:
LONDON: Former England all-rounder Chris Lewis has been charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine with a street value of more than 200,000 pounds into Britain. The 40-year-old was arrested along with an alleged accomplice on Monday after border control officers at London's Gatwick airport found four kilograms (nine pounds) of the illegal drug in liquid form in fruit tins in a baggage that had arrived from the Caribbean island of St Lucia. Lewis was due to appear at a preliminary court hearing on Tuesday to answer charges, which could result in a prison sentence. Lewis arrived in London on Monday morning on a flight from St Lucia. He was traveling with Chad Kirnon, 26, who was also arrested and charged. Guyana-born Lewis took 93 wickets during his England Test career and 66 wickets in one-day internationals, at averages of 37.5 and 29.4 respectively. He finished with a Test batting average of 23 but was widely regarded as having failed to live up to the potential of his early years, when he was tipped to become the new Ian Botham. He retired from county cricket in 2000 because of a persistent hip injury after spells with Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey. He re-joined Surrey earlier this year with a view to playing in 20-overs matches but that plan was scuppered by injury.
Pakistan Junior women hockey team off to Kuala Lumpur:
KARACHI: The Pakistan Junior women hockey team left for Kuala Lumpur for participating in the Junior Asia Cup commencing from December 13.The national junior women hockey team left the Jinnah International airport here this morning for Kuala Lumpur.Pakistan will play the first match of the event on December 13 against Thailand.The Pakistan team has been placed in group ‘A’ along with Japan, China, Malaysia and Thailand.Captain of Pakistan team Sehrish Ghumman said that she is hopeful that her team would perform well in the tournament.
Rashid Lateef criticizes ICC stance on security:
KARACHI: Former captain of Pakistan cricket team Rashid Lateef criticizing the International Cricket Council (ICC) said that the ICC’s stance on security was partial as it urged England to continue the tour of India but it did not play any role for the restoration of cricket in Pakistan.Rashid Lateef said in an interview that if the England cricketers are touring India despite the Mumbai blasts then it did not relate to security guarantees but it was all due to India’s commercial attraction that Ricky Ponting also favoured to tour India despite the consistent incidents of terrorism there.He said that the ICC chief in a recent statement stressed England to continue their tour of India but his role remained partial regarding the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.Rashid Lateef said that if Pakistan wants to continue international cricket in the country then it has to invest maximum amount of money in the game so that no country could decline to visit Pakistan.
Filipino boxer hammers US rival in welterweight bout:
MANILA: Millions of Filipinos cheered Sunday after boxing hero Manny Pacquiao hammered legend Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas."Pacman" solidified his reputation as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter with a dominant performance that left De La Hoya, the 2-1 favourite, unable to come out of his corner for round nine in the non-title bout."Even though we have an economic downturn, suddenly the morale of the Filipino people is boosted," the chief aide for President Gloria Arroyo, Eduardo Ermita, said on Philippine radio.He said Arroyo called Pacquiao immediately after the bout to congratulate him."The president and the Filipino people would like to extend our profound congratulations to Manny Pacquiao. His boxing win is testament to the spirit of the Filipino," said her spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo.The 29-year-old fighter is a folk hero in the Philippines, a son of vegetable farmers and grade-school dropout who has conquered the hearts of a country where two people in five live on less than two dollars a day.Tens of millions watched the welterweight bout on television -- most on time delay, with few able to afford the pay-per-view live rates -- as Pacquiao gave De La Hoya, a 10-time champ in six weight classes, the worst beating of his career.Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Council lightweight champion who went up two weight divisions, dominated his taller, rangier opponent.
Maradona becomes centre of public attraction in India:
KOLKATA: Football legend Diego Maradona has become the centre of people’s attraction wherever he went during his visit to India. The great footballer of the past and coach of the present Argentine team on Sunday paid homage at Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity order in Kolkata at the end of his first visit to India.About 20,000 fans lined the dusty roads leading to Mother House to catch a glimpse of the Argentine superstar, police said.Maradona, 48, lit a candle and prayed at Mother Teresa's tomb during a special mass before talking to the sisters and children -- many of them orphans -- who live at the home.It was set up by Mother Teresa in 1950 and she served the poor and the needy there until her death in 1997.Maradona, recently appointed Argentina's national coach, also visited Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, one of Asia's oldest football clubs, and gave tips to players.Kolkata is the football centre of India, a country more widely known for its love of cricket.
Cristiano Ronaldo wins European Player of the Year award:
PARIS: Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo has won the European Player of the Year award. The 23-year-old Manchester United striker received the Ballon D'Or (European Player of the Year) award at a colourful ceremony in Paris.Ronaldo is the first player of Manchester United to win this award in 40 years after George Beset won this award in 1968.Cristiano Ronaldo has been given this award on the basis of his excellent performance in the seasosn. He beat Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres to the honour on the back of a phenomenal 2007-08 season in which he scored 42 goals.
Japanese newspapers criticise Honda over pull-out from F-1:
TOKYO: Japanese newspapers have made Honda Motor a target of harsh criticism after its abrupt withdrawal from Formula One.Honda announced the shock pull-out on Friday citing the financial crisis, ending an involvement in the sport which dates back to the 1960s.Most of the F-1 commentators said Honda had simply given up after its recent poor performance since returning as a full constructor in 2006."Honda, as we knew it in its first F-1 period (1964-68) and the second period (1983-1992), didn't give a damn and went on its way, win or lose," one critic wrote in a newspaper."Fighting right now without calling time is what F1 is all about. Not putting things off. That's what Honda Motor Co. has taught the Japanese people," he added.Another commentator accused Honda of deserting fans after it stirred them up "and consumed their expectations as a kind of fuel.""Honda has publicly declared that 'racing is our DNA' and behaved as if it was a company symbolising motorsport," he wrote in a sports publication."For being that way, it is socially responsible as a member of the racing world ... That responsibility is something that cannot be abandoned in such a selfish manner."Honda's team racked up just three wins over the years but its engines powered drivers including world champions Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost to 69 victories.A columnist said Honda's success in the European-dominated sport had been in important in helping Japanese overcome a collective inferiority complex.
President appoints Miandad cricket ambassador for China:
LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday has appointed director-general PCB Javed Miandad as ambassador of cricket for China.DG-Pakistan Cricket Board Javed Miandad told Geo News that this is a great honour for him and he is much grateful to the President of Pakistan for this kindness.He said that he would provide every possible help to promote cricket in China and in this regard he is ready to serve on behalf of Pakistan.
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