ada pongappa! :sigh2:
http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2007/jun/12woolmer.htm
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ada pongappa! :sigh2:
http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2007/jun/12woolmer.htm
Sridhar Sports thread kulla varavE mudiyala...
pEsama COFFEE CORNER POLA.. inga oru SPORTS CORNER arambichudu.. Generala sports pathi discuss panna...
illana marubhadi oru CONTEST arambichudu.. :lol:
btw
wrs the gift for YORKER-07
RD ennoda friendship-ey oru periya gift thaane...! :cry:
Brazil win Copa America
Brazil produced a ruthlessly efficient performance to beat old rivals Argentina 3-0 on Sunday and win the Copa America for the second time in a row.
Despite starting as outsiders, Brazil stung Argentina with a fourth-minute goal from Julio Baptista; then Argentina captain Roberto Ayala, making his 115th appearance, put through his own goal before half-time.
Daniel Alves added a third as Argentina coach Alfio Basile, who won the 1991 and 1993 tournaments in a previous stint with the team, lost a Copa America match for the first time in 19 outings.
With playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme anonymous, Argentina could not find their previously flowing football and were muscled out by the powerful Brazilians, who committed 37 fouls.
It was a bitter pill for Argentina, who lost on penalties to the same opponents in the 2004 final and were facing a Brazil team without Kaka [Images] and Ronaldinho [Images], who asked to be rested from the tournament.
It was also their third successive defeat against Brazil by a three-goal margin, Brazil having won 4-1 in the Confederations Cup final in 2005 and 3-0 in a friendly last year.
Brazil coach Dunga, on the other hand, celebrated his first title only 11 months after taking over following last year's World Cup quarter-final defeat to France [Images].
"We came here to rescue the self-esteem of the Brazilian supporter, the worker who leaves home early in the morning and comes back at late night and whose only satisfaction is when Brazil wins," he said.
He warned that Ronaldinho and Kaka would both have to fight to regain their places.
"Obviously, the player who comes is ahead of the player who doesn't," he said. "If a player comes and does well, how can I take him out of the team?"
TROPICAL SUN
Argentina coach Alfio Basile refused to talk to reporters.
His side had scored 16 goals in five games before the final while Brazil lost to Mexico in the group stage and needed a penalty shootout to beat Uruguay in the semi-finals.
Argentina were also attempting to end a 14-year title drought stretching back to their 1993 Copa America title under Basile.
With the temperature at kickoff time around 32 Celsius and the tropical sun still burning, a cagey opening had been expected but instead Brazil snatched a quick lead.
A long crossfield ball by Elano found Julio Baptista on the left and, as Ayala held off, the player known as 'the Beast' advanced menacingly and unleashed a shot into the top right hand corner.
Riquelme rifled a shot against the post five minutes later and forced a brilliant save from Brazil goalkeeper Doni.
SYSTEMATIC FOULING
But Argentina's usual flowing game was interrupted by systematic Brazilian fouling, while their defence was always shaky.
Maicon nearly added a second in the 17th minute when Roberto Abbondanzieri fumbled his low shot and the same player forced Javier Zanetti to clear off the line one minute later.
Five minutes before halftime, Daniel Alves, who replaced the injured Elano, produced a dangerous inswinging cross from the right and Ayala turned the ball into his own net.
Brazil continued to frustrate Argentina after halftime as goalkeeper Doni and Gilberto were both booked for time-wasting.
Brazil produced the killer punch as Vagner Love broke down the left and fed Daniel Alves, who scored with a clinical shot into the bottom right-hand corner.
Sachin Tendulkar went past Steve Waugh's tally of 10927 test runs to become the third highest run-getter in test history after Brian Lara (11953) and Allan Border (11174) on the second day of the first test against England at Lord's here Friday.
:clap:
Lord's sightscreen is a problem, says Dhoni
Things at Lord's, the spiritual home of cricket, are not so perfect after all.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni , India's saviour in the first Test, has said "a problem with the sightscreen" led to his dismissal in the first innings and he was lucky enough to stay unbeaten in the second and see India through.
"There was a problem with the sightscreen at the pavilion end. I could not see the ball on three occasions, and on all those occasions, I played the same shot," Dhoni said.
"In the first innings I got out, but in the second innings it went for four," the wicketkeeper-batsman said after the match.
He said the problem was that due to the shorter sightscreen the ball was difficult to spot in the similar coloured background.
"The sightscreen is small but the background is also maroonish and the ball mixes up with the colour," he said.
"There is also the clothing of the spectators. During the first innings, it was also bright (because of the sun)."
Dhoni hit 76 not out which, in captain Rahul Dravid's words, "got India out of jail" against England on Monday.
His uncharacteristically subdued knock helped India hang in until the rains arrived to keep them unconquered at 282 for nine while chasing a target of 380 on the fifth and final day.
Dhoni said his match-saving innings showed how far he has come from being a slam-bang batsman to one who plays "according to situation".
Angry Dravid slams TV channel
India captain Rahul Dravid came down heavily on an Indian television channel on Friday and asked them to verify the facts before running stories.
The channel in question was Times Now and Dravid was angry after the channel ran a story with regards to the Twenty20 World Cup selection, where Dravid along with Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were left out.
According to Times Now on Tuesday, it was the Board of Control for Cricket in India that told the India captain to opt out and also convey the message to Ganguly and Tendulkar.
But it went on to add that Dravid did not consult Tendulkar and Ganguly before agreeing to the board's call.
The Indian captain got into a heated argument with the reporter in the lobby of the team hotel in Nottingham.
"I have played over 100 Tests. Sachin and Sourav have played more than 100 Tests. Do you think I can take such a decision without asking them? This is just crazy," Dravid said.
"Why didn't you guys confirm the story with me before airing it?" he stressed.
He stressed that no such thing happened and the decision to opt out of the Twenty20 World Cup was taken in consultation with Tendulkar and Ganguly.
"If they say anything different from what I have said now, I will quit international cricket tomorrow," he declared.
"You can say I cannot bat, I cannot captain, I don't know how to field, I will not say a thing, because that is your job. But you can't just distort facts like this and produce a story," a fuming Dravid said.
However, the channel maintained its stand, saying that the story has not been made up or fabricated.
National selection committee chief Dilip Vengsarkar had also confirmed earlier this month that Dravid called him from Hove, where the touring Indian team was playing Sussex in a tour match, to say that the three senior players were opting out of the tournament, to be held in South Africa from September 11 to 24.
"I got a call from Rahul today morning who said on behalf of all the three players that they were opting out of the Twenty20 World Cup," Vengsarkar had said.
But, Ganguly, speaking to the channel before the start of the first Test at Lord's, expressed his disappointment on missing out of the Twenty20 World Cup.
"Obviously, it was tempting to participate and I was eager for the inaugural Twenty20 Championship. It is sad to opt out of any form of cricket," Times Now had quoted the left-hander as saying.
"It was a difficult decision but Rahul and Sachin had already said 'no'. I had a word with Rahul and he said it will be right to sit out," he added.
The television channel went on to say that Tendulkar too was eager to participate in the tournament 'but when the decision was made, he expressed his disapproval by not talking to Dravid at the nets session at Sussex.'
The final squad for the championship will be named on August 7.
Sachin has a lot to give to India, says Giles
England spinner Ashley Giles on Friday stressed that even though Sachin Tendulkar's batting prowess has faded a bit in the last few years, he still has a lot to offer to Indian cricket.
"Sachin might never play as well as he has done in the past but that certainly doesn't make him a bad player. He still has a lot to give to Indian cricket," Giles told rediff.com in Nottingham on Friday.
Giles is widely remembered for his tactics of bowling outside the leg stump to Tendulkar, which the master batsman found it hard to counter.
Tendulkar had a good run during India's tour of England in 2002, having scored 401 runs in 4 matches.
Giles says it would be lethal to write off the veteran batsman, even though he is not at his best, as he is still capable of producing match-winning knocks.
"It's difficult for me to say because I have just seen him bat twice at Lord's. I think it is easy to make swift judgments on one game. But he could easily get some big runs here and take India towards winning the Test match," added Giles, a key member of England's Ashes winning squad two years back.
Giles, who is recuperating from a hip discomfort, also believes that the experienced Indian middle order cannot be taken lightly even though they are struggling at the moment. Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid , Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman failed to deliver in the first Test at Lord's as India managed to escape with a draw.
"I think it's always easy to underestimate the quality of the players that Indians have in their middle order," the left-arm spinner said.
The 34-year-old is impressed with the way the young England attack countered the experienced Indian batting line-up.
"Their seam bowlers bowled very well (at Lord's) led by James Anderson. It is good to see young guys putting their hands up and coming to the party if you like," he said.
Giles has no regrets losing his place in the team to Monty Panesar [Images], who has become a huge rage in England since making his international debut last year.
"Monty has done very well all year. The way the wicket looks at the moment he might not have a big part in this Test match. But you can never write him off because he has taken wickets in all conditions," Giles said
Dhoni to lead 20/20 team
http://ia.rediff.com/cricket/2007/aug/07teams.htm
Srilankan first-class player Dhanuka Pathirana scored 277 of 72 balls in a 20/20 match in Lancashire's Saddleworth League to steer his Austerlands side to 366/2 and an easy win over Droylsden.
Dhanuka Pathirana - 277(72 balls ; 29 * 6 ; 18 * 4)
:shock: :shock: :shock: