LONDON, April 24 (DNS) Four thousand people were taking part Tuesday in a final government-led command and control exercise to test plans for the London 2012 Olympics, which start in less than 100 days.
The third and biggest "command post" exercise runs until Wednesday and will simulate a number of incidents that could happen during the Games, which take place from July 27 to August 12.
The exercise involves Olympics organisers, the government, emergency services, local authorities, health providers and transport operators.
It will test "the effectiveness, resilience and decision-making capability of key Games-time command and control structures and processes," the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said.
"These will include communication between the Games organisers, the government and other partners, as well as communication with the media, the general public and operational staff."
The three-day exercise mimics August 4 to 6, when 26 sports will be taking place across 14 venues, including tennis at Wimbledon, triathlon in Hyde Park and beach volleyball at Horse Guards Parade.
"Nothing can fully prepare us for the reality of hosting the world's biggest sporting event," said Culture and Olympics Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
"But we really want to make sure we do all we can to ensure we deliver an Olympics and Paralympics that are as safe and secure as possible, while also making sure everyone involved has a great time."
London's already congested transport network will have to deal with an extra three ... Read Full Story
SEOUL, April 19 (DNS) South Korea aims to capture more than 10 gold medals for a top-10 finish in the London Olympics, with hopes running high after the country's superlative performance at the last 2008 Beijing Games. South Korea collected 13 golds in Beijing four years ago for a total of 31 medals and finished seventh in the medals table.
Around 250 South Korean athletes are expected to compete in the London Olympics July 27-Aug 12, Xinhua reported.
Among the athletes eagerly waiting for their chance to shine at the world's biggest sporting event, weightlifting champion Jang Mi-ran and swimming star Park Tae-hwan will seek to defend their 2008 gold medals.
Jang, the 28-year-old female lifter, won the gold medal in the over-75 kg division with a new world record by lifting 140 kg in the snatch and 186 kg in the clean and jerk.
However, Jang had to watch her world records broken by fierce contenders while she was battling with injuries and struggling to remain in form after the Beijing Olympics. Russia's Tatiana Kashirina now holds the world record in the snatch at 148 kg, while China's Zhou Lulu has the world mark in combined total at 328 kg.
Jang raised expectations for another Olympic gold medal in London after she became the first athlete to win the national championships nine times in a row last year.
Park Tae-hwan became a national sensation after he won the country's first ever Olympic swimming gold in the men's 400-metre freestyle final in Beijing.
However, Park failed to reach any stages ... Read Full Story
London, March 17 (DNS)- The U.K.’s largest airlines, including British Airways Plc (IAG) and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., said they’re concerned about potential delays at London airports during the 2012 Olympic Games
“The industry believes that there is a significant risk of severe delay and disruption at all of London’s major airports unless urgent action is taken,” airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, British Midland International and EasyJet Plc (EZJ) said in a letter dated March 15 to U.K. Transport Secretary Justine Greening and other officials.
“Failure to respond leaves the U.K. vulnerable to the type of major disruption that will cause significant reputational damage and would be foolhardy and reckless,” the letter said.
The London Olympics will attract more than 320,000 foreign visitors, national tourism agency VisitBritain has said, citing a study conducted by Oxford Economics. Brussels, Amsterdam and Paris are also seeing an increase in travel during the Olympics period, Madrid-based Amadeus and Barcelona-based Forward Data said in a report this ... Read Full Story
London, March 10 (DNS)- LESS than five months until the opening ceremony, the London Olympics is nearly £2 billion ($3.15 billion) over budget, UK lawmakers revealed in a critical report.
Officials were accused of badly underestimating 2012 security needs, which led to "significant" increases in the publicly-funded Games bill, while commitments on legacy projects also pushed the spending higher.
The budget when the bid was won in 2007 stood at £2.4 billion but rose to £9.3 billion within two years. The British parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said Friday the "full cost to the public of the Games and legacy projects is already heading for around £11 billion."
A separate Sky News investigation reported in January the cost of the Games could top £12 billion, with associated costs forcing the bill as high as £24 billion.
Yet the UK government, which announced in December that the number and cost of security guards had doubled, insisted it was still confident London 2012 will come in under budget. "We do not recognize the figure of £11 billion," a spokesman said Friday.
The PAC report also expressed fears for the future of the event's centerpiece facilities, despite organizers' trumpeted commitment to succeeding where past Games have badly failed in establishing a firm Olympic legacy.
While recognizing the event's venues and infrastructure were set to be delivered "on time and within budget," the lawmakers warned the centerpiece Olympic Stadium must not become a white elephant after a deal ... Read Full Story
London, March 10 (DNS)- An influential group of British MPs has released a report criticising the London Olympic organisers for poor valuation of security needs and warned of increased expenditure that could escalate the Games budget.
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report said the original budget of 9.3 billion pounds (about $14.5 billion) set aside by the government to fund the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games was close to being used up and looked likely to reach 11 billion pounds.
The report said the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) signed a contract for venue security in December 2010, based on what the government described as a "finger in the air estimate", with an estimated cost of 86 million pounds (about $130 million).
Since then, both the number of guards required and the expected costs have roughly doubled, and LOCOG has renegotiated the contract, which now has a current estimated cost of 284 million pounds ($245 million). Total security costs have risen from 282 million pounds to 553 million pounds in just a year.
About 7,500 of the 23,700 guards will be British military personnel, and 3,300 will be civilian volunteers, but recruiting the remainder, and training them, will present significant challenges in the short time available, said the report.
The committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge said Friday: "The 9.3 billion-pound Public Sector Funding Package is close to being used up and we are concerned about whether the running of the Games will ... Read Full Story
New Delhi, March 8 (DNS)- NBC has done a deal with YouTube to live stream around 3,000 hours worth of programming from the London Olympics, which starts in July. The coverage will include all sports events, plus extra material such as interviews with the sports stars.
With just 141 days left until the London Olympics gets underway, armchair viewers may already be considering what brand of beer and which pizza toppings to go for while enjoying the 17-day sporting extravaganza.
And if you’re a fan of the more obscure sports events that might not make it onto the mainstream channels, you’re in luck. Broadcaster NBC has announced it will be teaming up with video streaming site YouTube to ensure that sports fans across the US will be able to enjoy everything from the handball competition to the taekwondo event. In fact, NBCOlympics.com will be showing every single event live, amounting to some 3,000 hours of programming. Better hold back a bit on the beer and pizza then if you’re intending to sit through the whole lot.
“We’ll also include replays of web-exclusive events, all television broadcasts, interviews with the athletes and exclusive daily segments about London 2012,” NBC said on its website. “Live streams will be available across our mobile platforms, providing an extraordinary 360-degree coverage of The Games.”
The Next Web points out that Comcast, which was recently bought by NBC Universal, has the broadcast rights to the Olympics until 2020. NBC will be wanting to recoup as much of its ... Read Full Story
London, March 8 (DNS)- JEMMA Lowe and her family were today celebrating reaching her second Olympic Games after surviving a game of “Russian roulette”.
The Hartlepool swimmer qualified for the 200m butterfly at London 2012 after finishing second at the British Gas Swimming Championships at the Aquatic Centre in the capital’s Olympic Park.
After the tears of agony after missing out on a 100m place on Sunday, last night there were tears of joy for the Lowes, who live in the West Park area of Hartlepool.
Mum Janet, 52, dad Mike, 54, and sister Naomi, 24, watched in awe as the 21-year-old finished in the silver medal position behind her friend and rival Ellen Gandy.
“This week has been a bit like Russian roulette,” Mike told the Hartlepool Mail.
“After just missing out on the 100m spot, it all of a sudden came down to one last chance.
“It has been a really, really painful time for Jemma trying to handle all the pressure and the stress.
“She swam really well and we are so proud of her.
“When we got chance to see her after the race she was telling us how bad she felt in the call room before going out into the arena.
“She had got tingles in her hands which went up her arms and through her body. Jemma felt that bad she thought she was going to pass out.
“She had to go into a corner of the room under the air conditioner to try to calm herself down.
“But then she went out and swam a perfect race.”
It was a brilliant performance from the 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and ... Read Full Story
Mumbai, April 3 (Agencies)- Twenty-eight years on from the match that transformed the history of world cricket, India recaptured the crown that Kapil Dev and his men first lifted at Lord's in 1983, and this time they did so in their very own back yard. An iron-willed 97 from Gautam Gambhir was matched for intensity by the finest captain's innings since Ricky Ponting in Johannesburg eight years ago, as MS Dhoni trumped a poetic century from Mahela Jayawardene to pull off the highest run-chase ever achieved in a World Cup final.
Against a triumphant backdrop at the Wankhede Stadium, victory was sealed by six wickets with 10 balls to spare, as Dhoni - who had promoted himself to No. 5 to heap extra lashings of responsibility onto his own shoulders - rushed through the gears as the victory target drew nearer. With 15 required from 17 balls, he flicked Sri Lanka's only true threat, Lasith Malinga, through midwicket for consecutive boundaries, before smoking Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on to finish on 91 not out from 79 balls, and spark the most delirious scenes of celebration ever seen on the subcontinent.
However, the final margin did little justice to the tussle that had preceded it. Even the toss ended up being disputed, as Kumar Sangakkara's initial call was drowned out by the crowd, but it was the ebb and flow of Zaheer Khan's day that epitomised the fluctuations of a compelling contest. Zaheer opened his account with three consecutive maidens and the scalp of Upul Tharanga in a peerless spell of 5-3-6-1, ... Read Full Story
Mohali, March 31 (Agencies)- India's dream of a World Cup triumph at home is one step closer after their bowlers suffocated Pakistan's batsmen to set up a 29-run victory in the semi-final in Mohali. Saturday's decider will now be a battle of the hosts, and while Sri Lanka might have been surprised by the strength of India's bowling effort, they would also have taken note of a slightly lacklustre batting performance.
In the end, India's 260 for 9 was enough as their bowlers did a fine job, but had Pakistan helped themselves, the target could have been so much more gettable. Sachin Tendulkar was dropped four times in his 85, MS Dhoni was put down once and while Wahab Riaz was extremely impressive in collecting five wickets, Umar Gul had one of his most forgettable days, wilting under the pressure of a World Cup semi-final.
By contrast, India's display in the field was much more professional, and that was the difference in a match that lived up to the extreme pre-match hype. The decision to leave R Ashwin out to make room for Ashish Nehra was an odd choice on a pitch offering plenty of spin, but Nehra and his bowling colleagues built the pressure and gave Pakistan's batsmen little to attack after they made a promising start and reached 70 for 1.
The Indians didn't give away an extra until the 37th over of the innings, and the way they put together strings of dot balls and tight overs was key to their success. Munaf Patel picked up two victims and Yuvraj Singh made up for his golden duck with a pair of wickets, ... Read Full Story
Colombo, March 30 (Agencies)- Sri Lanka overcame a serious bout of the jitters to book their place in Saturday's World Cup final in Mumbai, as New Zealand bowed out in the last four for the sixth time in ten campaigns, though with their pride fully intact after another fabulous never-say-die performance in Colombo.
In a strange amalgam of the one-sided thrashing that Sri Lanka handed out to England in their quarter-final on Saturday, and New Zealand's last-eight fightback against South Africa in Dhaka, the favourites duly progressed, and by a seemingly comfortable five-wicket margin. However, the closing stages were fraught in the extreme as a raucous home crowd was forced to postpone a party that had been in full swing for more than three-quarters of the contest.
Defending a mediocre total of 217 after a spirited batting effort had unravelled in a clatter of late wickets, New Zealand's lust for a scrap kicked in with a vengeance just when it seemed the match was finally out of their reach. At 160 for 1 in the 33rd over, with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara entrenched in a game-breaking partnership of 120, what little attention had been on this, the less glamorous of the two semi-finals, had already begun to drift towards Wednesday's epic match-up in Mohali.
But then Dilshan, cruising on 73 from 93 deliveries and seemingly destined for his second hundred in consecutive matches, slapped loosely at Tim Southee and picked out Jesse Ryder at point, whose second catch of the innings was a far less ... Read Full Story
Mirpur, March 27 (Agencies)- Oh South Africa, what have you done? Earlier this month Graeme Smith tweeted an article titled 'Time to ban the 'C' word'. Hold on to that thought Smith, for clearly that time hasn't come yet. South Africa were cruising at 108 for 2 in the 25th over when Jacques Kallis fell and they crash-landed spectacularly to be shot out for 172. The self-destructive streak, demonically masochistic in nature, will perhaps need shrinks to decode it. Once they realised their opponents were cracking under pressure, New Zealand went for the kill with close-in fielders and disciplined bowling, led by Jacob Oram who took four wickets and a great catch.
Even when Kallis fell - to a blinder of a catch from Jacob Oram, rushing to his left at deep midwicket - there wasn't much to suggest that this could turn into another contender for all-time greatest choke in World Cup history. The pitch was slow but there was no sharp turn; the bowlers were disciplined but there was no sensational game-breaking spell; none of the three spinners got much purchase from the wicket; and the total was below par; but for some reason South Africa were feeling extremely claustrophobic.
Their nerves were best represented by the dismissal of JP Duminy, who played an awful shot to open the choke gates. Nathan McCullum slowed up the pace on a delivery that landed on a length, outside off, and Duminy went so hard into an ugly cut that he made a complete hash of it and lost his stumps. With Duminy's fall, South Africa were in a ... Read Full Story
Colombo, March 27 (Agencies)- Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga set an emphatic seal on Sri Lanka's place in their home semi-final against New Zealand next Tuesday, as England's chaotic World Cup campaign came to an abrupt and anticlimactic end under the floodlights at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Set a testing total of 230 at a venue where successful run-chases have been notoriously thin on the ground, Sri Lanka's openers set about proving that history is bunk as they sauntered to victory by 10 wickets and with a massive 63 balls to spare. After five months on the road for England's cricketers, and six consecutive nail-biters in the group stages of the tournament, they found they had nothing left to give as the first round of knock-out matches was concluded with an utter walloping.
Though several higher scores have been made in this tournament to date, England's total of 229 for 6 ought to have competitive in the conditions. Only eight times in 49 internationals at the venue had a team batting second chased 230 or more for victory, and the most recent occasion came back in 2004. However, Dilshan and Tharanga battled through a tricky start with a flurry of aggression, before settling back into an effortlessly accumulative tempo. For the second time in the campaign, following on from their crushing of Zimbabwe in Pallekele, both men brought up centuries in a massive and indomitable stand.
Such was Sri Lanka's dominance that the match was able to finish in comically contrived scenes, as Dilshan - ... Read Full Story
Ahmedabad, March 25 (Agencies)- An awe-inspiring Ricky Ponting dazzled and Sachin Tendulkar hit a delightful fifty but it was the imperious Yuvraj Singh who stole the show to lead India to an exciting semi-final encounter against Pakistan. On a dry pitch, aiding turn, India couldn't remove a wonderfully solid Ponting, but found a way around him to hold Australia to a competitive 260. Tendulkar set the base and the middle order threatened to choke, but Yuvraj played a blinder to charge India to a famous win.
Sometimes, they say, one four can change things around. That cliché came alive today, in the final ball of the 39th over, with India needing 72 from 67 deliveries, when Yuvraj spanked Shaun Tait for a stunning four over backward point. It oozed of skill, impishness and dare under fire. Until then, in the preceding few overs, India choked and spluttered badly to almost hand the game to Australia. That Yuvraj hit over point sensationally turned the game on its head.
The next over proved to be the game-breaker as Brett Lee was looted for 14 runs: Suresh Raina played the most assured pull of his life to crash the first delivery to the boundary and Yuvraj carved the final delivery over point, but it was a shot in between that really reflected the enthralling contest. It was a screaming yorker from Lee, from around the stumps, and Yuvraj crouched, opened the bat-face and stabbed it through to the third man boundary. Lee looked stunned, and you felt that was the moment when India affected the jail break.
Until ... Read Full Story
Mirpur, March 23 (Agencies)- Pakistan are two games away from repeating the heroics of Imran Khan's 1992 team after a crushing 10-wicket victory against West Indies in the first quarter-final in Dhaka. Mohammad Hafeez starred with bat and ball, beginning West Indies' decline with two early wickets then ending it with a brisk 61, while Shahid Afridi is proving an inspirational force and led from the front again with four more scalps as the spinners produced a ruthless display to dismantle West Indies for 112.
Between the three of them, Pakistan's slow bowlers had figures of 27.3-5-64-8 and gave another example of how there is a threat from every part of the attack. At no point did Afridi need to fill overs, especially when the weakest link of the bowlers - Hafeez - managed to take 2 for 16 in his full allocation. Hafeez then dominated an unbroken opening stand with Kamran Akmal which wiped off the target with barely an alarm and 29 overs to spare.
The match represented a contest for as long as Chris Gayle was in the middle - the sum total of 2.5 overs. His departure sucked the life and belief from West Indies line-up with the rest remaining rooted to the crease, managing just seven fours and a solitary Shivnarine Chanderpaul six as he nudged his way to a hollow, unbeaten 44.
Some early aggression had proved the falsest of dawns. Devon Smith cut the first ball of the match to the point boundary and Gayle played two thumping shots, but in attempting his third boundary, he picked out Afridi at mid-off who did ... Read Full Story
Kolkata, March 21 (Agencies)- Zimbabwe's spinners completed the job started by their batsmen, sharing seven wickets as Kenya crumbled for 147 in pursuit of 308. This match was the last in the tournament for both teams, and with little but pride to play for, Kenya captain Jimmy Kamande had urged his team to give Steve Tikolo, playing his final game for his country, a fitting send off. It was not to be, however, as half-centuries from Tatenda Taibu, Vusi Sibanda and Craig Ervine carried Zimbabwe past 300 and Kenya's chase never got off the ground.
Chris Mpofu, the solitary specialist seamer in Zimbabwe's side, started Kenya's troubles by removing opener David Obuya in the first over, and three overs later Collins Obuya's run-out brought Tikolo to the crease for the final time in internationals. He got going with a couple of firm flicks to the deep-midwicket boundary but then played back to Price and was struck in line with leg stump to be sent on his way. In a touching sign of respect to the retiring Tikolo, the Zimbabweans rushed in to shake his hand and he left the field, clearly emotional, to a standing ovation from both teams and the smattering of spectators around the ground.
Alex Obanda, who appeared to have adjusted to the conditions and had progressed easily into the 20s, lost partner Tanmay Mishra to a top-edged sweep and soon followed him back to the pavilion as an arm ball from Price struck pad before bat as he stretched forward to defend. It was spin that did for Thomas Odoyo too, Greg Lamb ripping ... Read Full Story
Colombo, March 21 (Agencies)- Pakistan were the last team to overcome Australia at a World Cup and it was they who brought Ricky Ponting's 34-match unbeaten run to an end with a four-wicket victory in Colombo to secure top spot in Group A. An impressive display in the field laid the foundations as the reigning champions were bundled out for 176 on a difficult surface, their lowest total in a World Cup since 1992, and despite a mighty effort from Brett Lee Pakistan were guided home by Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq.
Despite not having either team's progression at stake, the final group positions determine quarter-final opposition while momentum is also a factor. Both teams were hyped for the contest, and it came to an early head when Umar and Brad Haddin almost came to blows in the field. Australia were desperate not to relinquish a proud record dating back to May 23, 1999.
After their batting subsided with 20 balls unused, Australia's only chance was to bowl Pakistan out, but in the event it required Lee himself to do most of the damage. He removed both openers in a fiery new-ball burst before returning to claim Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq with consecutive deliveries in 23rd over, leaving Pakistan wobbling on 98 for 4.
However, support for Lee was too late in coming which didn't leave enough runs for Australia to play with. Mitchell Johnson had Asad Shafiq taken at slip off the glove for a composed 46 and Shahid Afridi brainlessly carved to long-on against Jason Krejza. Surprisingly, Lee wasn't immediately ... Read Full Story
Chennai, March 21 (Agencies)- Oh West Indies, they have done it again. For the second match in a row they had a chase all wrapped up but some desperate inspiration from Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh and some mindless cricket from the batsmen who followed Devon Smith ensured that West Indies remained without a win over a Test side other than Bangladesh since June 2009. With Smith playing as well as he has ever played, West Indies almost mocked India for the first 27 overs, getting up to 146 for 2 without a care in the world. Then came a maiden by Harbhajan and a wicked Zaheer slower ball to remove Smith, and West Indies lost the last eight wickets for 34.
That collapse outdid India's own - 7 for 50 - that had threatened to undo Yuvraj Singh's century on a track whose bounce West Indies and Ravi Rampaul exploited, but not to the fullest. Rampaul, the hero of West Indies' last win against a major side, took his first five-for in ODIs on his World Cup debut to hurt the start, the middle and the end of the Indian innings. However, West Indies' insistence on opening the bowling with Sulieman Benn despite the helpful track, and the obvious plan of trying to bounce India out meant they couldn't capitalise on a first over that claimed Sachin Tendulkar. Then there was Yuvraj, with his maiden World Cup century, fighting dehydration, vomiting on the field, and then coming back to take two wickets.
The game might have ended in a whimper, but it began explosively. As they successfully did in the last two World ... Read Full Story
Mirpur, March 19 (Agencies)- Bangladesh were not favourites to win their virtual pre-quarterfinal against the might of South Africa, especially after the visitors breezed away to 284, but it was the meek manner of their abject batting surrender that would have jarred even their most faithful fans. Eight overs in to the tall chase, and the heart of their batting line-up had been ripped out by Lonwabo Tsotsobe, causing the substantial crowd at the Shere Bangla Stadium to quickly start dwindling. They never recovered from those initial blows, and all they managed was to beat their lowest total of 58 achieved against West Indies earlier in the tournament by 20 runs, before being put out of their misery by Robin Peterson's fourth wicket.
This was after South Africa came out blazing in the morning, and the solid base that the openers gave allowed Jacques Kallis and Faf du Plessis to consolidate and accelerate seamlessly, giving their spin-heavy attack a substantial cushion to stifle Bangladesh and bowl them to the top the group. That they did so with 206 runs to spare was a testimony to how the fight completely went out of Bangladesh, and also confirmed England's qualification for the knockouts.
It was not that South Africa's attack, minus Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, held a lot of alarms. Tsotsobe did get enough bounce off the slow wicket to trouble the batsmen, and also got it to cut in from a very tight line outside off stump. But it was more a case of poor shot selection by the Bangladesh batsmen under the ... Read Full Story
Mumbai, March 19 (Agencies)- Sri Lanka's old guard combined to ease to a 112-run victory over New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium. Kumar Sangakkara made his first ODI century since June 2008, supported by a controversial 66 from Mahela Jayawardene, to haul Sri Lanka up to 265 before Muttiah Muralitharan spun New Zealand to defeat with 4 for 25.
Coming into the tournament as one of the favourites, Sri Lanka have not quite convinced so far and but for their three most experienced players might have struggled again. Instead the finish was the kind of one-sided result that has epitomised Group A.
New Zealand, though, will rue their misfortune when Jayawardene was reprieved at a critical moment. Sri Lanka had lost both openers and were struggling to get on top of the New Zealand slow bowlers when, in the 24th over, Jayawardene chipped a return catch to Nathan McCullum.
It went low to McCullum's right and the bowler dived full-length to scoop the ball centimetres off the turf. The batsman stood his ground and the decision was sent upstairs. Side-on replays seemed to clearly show McCullum's fingers under the ball but a front-on shot, as it so often does, created doubt that the third umpire, Amiesh Saheba, ruled on. Before then Jayawardene had scrambled for 50 deliveries to make 26 but silkily added a further 40 at a run a ball and Sri Lanka never looked back.
Sangakkara helped himself to a century that he's been waiting 64 matches for. Looking typically unhurried, he was content to work the ball around early on ... Read Full Story
Kolkata, March 19 (DNS)- Two sparkling centuries lit up Ireland's clash with Netherlands at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Ryan ten Doeschate propping Netherlands up with his second ton of the tournament and Paul Stirling then launching Ireland's pursuit of 306 with a blazing, 72-ball 101. Ireland's disciplined bowling and far superior fielding proved the difference between the two sides, and they eventually triumphed by six wickets with more than two overs to spare after a far closer finish had appeared possible.
Apart from one lapse in the first over, Ireland had barely fumbled while restricting Netherlands on a benign, batting-friendly surface and closed out the innings in bizarre circumstances with four run-outs in four balls. Netherlands were nowhere near as tight in comparison, putting down three clear chances and failing to keep the pressure on in the field, their lapses repeatedly allowing Ireland to stay ahead of the game.
Netherlands should have had a breakthrough as early as the third over, but Adeel Raja put down a top edge off William Porterfield's bat at third man and Ireland were soon rocketing along at eight an over. Stirling provided the main impetus in that regard, swinging from the hip from the very start of his knock, as the first ball he faced was answered with a wild hook and a top edge that sailed straight over the wicketkeeper for six. He barely slowed down thereafter, hitting very little straight down the ground but repeatedly puncturing the field on both sides of the wicket.
He plundered ... Read Full Story
New Delhi, March 8 (DNS)- NBC has done a deal with YouTube to live stream around 3,000 hours worth of programming from the London Olympics, which starts in July. The coverage will include all sports events, plus extra material such as interviews with the sports stars.
With just 141 days left until the London Olympics gets underway, armchair viewers may already be considering what brand of beer and which pizza toppings to go for while enjoying the 17-day sporting extravaganza.
And if you’re a fan of the more obscure sports events that might not make it onto the mainstream channels, you’re in luck. Broadcaster NBC has announced it will be teaming up with video streaming site YouTube to ensure that sports fans across the US will be able to enjoy everything from the handball competition to the taekwondo event. In fact, NBCOlympics.com will be showing every single event live, amounting to some 3,000 hours of programming. Better hold back a bit on the beer and pizza then if you’re intending to sit through the whole lot.
“We’ll also include replays of web-exclusive events, all television broadcasts, interviews with the athletes and exclusive daily segments about London 2012,” NBC said on its website. “Live streams will be available across our mobile platforms, providing an extraordinary 360-degree coverage of The Games.”
The Next Web points out that Comcast, which was recently bought by NBC Universal, has the broadcast rights to the Olympics until 2020. NBC will be wanting to recoup as much of its ...
London, March 8 (DNS)- JEMMA Lowe and her family were today celebrating reaching her second Olympic Games after surviving a game of “Russian roulette”.
The Hartlepool swimmer qualified for the 200m butterfly at London 2012 after finishing second at the British Gas Swimming Championships at the Aquatic Centre in the capital’s Olympic Park.
After the tears of agony after missing out on a 100m place on Sunday, last night there were tears of joy for the Lowes, who live in the West Park area of Hartlepool.
Mum Janet, 52, dad Mike, 54, and sister Naomi, 24, watched in awe as the 21-year-old finished in the silver medal position behind her friend and rival Ellen Gandy.
“This week has been a bit like Russian roulette,” Mike told the Hartlepool Mail.
“After just missing out on the 100m spot, it all of a sudden came down to one last chance.
“It has been a really, really painful time for Jemma trying to handle all the pressure and the stress.
“She swam really well and we are so proud of her.
“When we got chance to see her after the race she was telling us how bad she felt in the call room before going out into the arena.
“She had got tingles in her hands which went up her arms and through her body. Jemma felt that bad she thought she was going to pass out.
“She had to go into a corner of the room under the air conditioner to try to calm herself down.
“But then she went out and swam a perfect race.”
It was a brilliant performance from the 2010 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and ...
Mumbai, April 3 (Agencies)- Twenty-eight years on from the match that transformed the history of world cricket, India recaptured the crown that Kapil Dev and his men first lifted at Lord's in 1983, and this time they did so in their very own back yard. An iron-willed 97 from Gautam Gambhir was matched for intensity by the finest captain's innings since Ricky Ponting in Johannesburg eight years ago, as MS Dhoni trumped a poetic century from Mahela Jayawardene to pull off the highest run-chase ever achieved in a World Cup final.
Against a triumphant backdrop at the Wankhede Stadium, victory was sealed by six wickets with 10 balls to spare, as Dhoni - who had promoted himself to No. 5 to heap extra lashings of responsibility onto his own shoulders - rushed through the gears as the victory target drew nearer. With 15 required from 17 balls, he flicked Sri Lanka's only true threat, Lasith Malinga, through midwicket for consecutive boundaries, before smoking Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on to finish on 91 not out from 79 balls, and spark the most delirious scenes of celebration ever seen on the subcontinent.
However, the final margin did little justice to the tussle that had preceded it. Even the toss ended up being disputed, as Kumar Sangakkara's initial call was drowned out by the crowd, but it was the ebb and flow of Zaheer Khan's day that epitomised the fluctuations of a compelling contest. Zaheer opened his account with three consecutive maidens and the scalp of Upul Tharanga in a peerless spell of 5-3-6-1, ...
Mohali, March 31 (Agencies)- India's dream of a World Cup triumph at home is one step closer after their bowlers suffocated Pakistan's batsmen to set up a 29-run victory in the semi-final in Mohali. Saturday's decider will now be a battle of the hosts, and while Sri Lanka might have been surprised by the strength of India's bowling effort, they would also have taken note of a slightly lacklustre batting performance.
In the end, India's 260 for 9 was enough as their bowlers did a fine job, but had Pakistan helped themselves, the target could have been so much more gettable. Sachin Tendulkar was dropped four times in his 85, MS Dhoni was put down once and while Wahab Riaz was extremely impressive in collecting five wickets, Umar Gul had one of his most forgettable days, wilting under the pressure of a World Cup semi-final.
By contrast, India's display in the field was much more professional, and that was the difference in a match that lived up to the extreme pre-match hype. The decision to leave R Ashwin out to make room for Ashish Nehra was an odd choice on a pitch offering plenty of spin, but Nehra and his bowling colleagues built the pressure and gave Pakistan's batsmen little to attack after they made a promising start and reached 70 for 1.
The Indians didn't give away an extra until the 37th over of the innings, and the way they put together strings of dot balls and tight overs was key to their success. Munaf Patel picked up two victims and Yuvraj Singh made up for his golden duck with a pair of wickets, ...
Colombo, March 30 (Agencies)- Sri Lanka overcame a serious bout of the jitters to book their place in Saturday's World Cup final in Mumbai, as New Zealand bowed out in the last four for the sixth time in ten campaigns, though with their pride fully intact after another fabulous never-say-die performance in Colombo.
In a strange amalgam of the one-sided thrashing that Sri Lanka handed out to England in their quarter-final on Saturday, and New Zealand's last-eight fightback against South Africa in Dhaka, the favourites duly progressed, and by a seemingly comfortable five-wicket margin. However, the closing stages were fraught in the extreme as a raucous home crowd was forced to postpone a party that had been in full swing for more than three-quarters of the contest.
Defending a mediocre total of 217 after a spirited batting effort had unravelled in a clatter of late wickets, New Zealand's lust for a scrap kicked in with a vengeance just when it seemed the match was finally out of their reach. At 160 for 1 in the 33rd over, with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara entrenched in a game-breaking partnership of 120, what little attention had been on this, the less glamorous of the two semi-finals, had already begun to drift towards Wednesday's epic match-up in Mohali.
But then Dilshan, cruising on 73 from 93 deliveries and seemingly destined for his second hundred in consecutive matches, slapped loosely at Tim Southee and picked out Jesse Ryder at point, whose second catch of the innings was a far less ...
Mirpur, March 27 (Agencies)- Oh South Africa, what have you done? Earlier this month Graeme Smith tweeted an article titled 'Time to ban the 'C' word'. Hold on to that thought Smith, for clearly that time hasn't come yet. South Africa were cruising at 108 for 2 in the 25th over when Jacques Kallis fell and they crash-landed spectacularly to be shot out for 172. The self-destructive streak, demonically masochistic in nature, will perhaps need shrinks to decode it. Once they realised their opponents were cracking under pressure, New Zealand went for the kill with close-in fielders and disciplined bowling, led by Jacob Oram who took four wickets and a great catch.
Even when Kallis fell - to a blinder of a catch from Jacob Oram, rushing to his left at deep midwicket - there wasn't much to suggest that this could turn into another contender for all-time greatest choke in World Cup history. The pitch was slow but there was no sharp turn; the bowlers were disciplined but there was no sensational game-breaking spell; none of the three spinners got much purchase from the wicket; and the total was below par; but for some reason South Africa were feeling extremely claustrophobic.
Their nerves were best represented by the dismissal of JP Duminy, who played an awful shot to open the choke gates. Nathan McCullum slowed up the pace on a delivery that landed on a length, outside off, and Duminy went so hard into an ugly cut that he made a complete hash of it and lost his stumps. With Duminy's fall, South Africa were in a ...
Colombo, March 27 (Agencies)- Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga set an emphatic seal on Sri Lanka's place in their home semi-final against New Zealand next Tuesday, as England's chaotic World Cup campaign came to an abrupt and anticlimactic end under the floodlights at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Set a testing total of 230 at a venue where successful run-chases have been notoriously thin on the ground, Sri Lanka's openers set about proving that history is bunk as they sauntered to victory by 10 wickets and with a massive 63 balls to spare. After five months on the road for England's cricketers, and six consecutive nail-biters in the group stages of the tournament, they found they had nothing left to give as the first round of knock-out matches was concluded with an utter walloping.
Though several higher scores have been made in this tournament to date, England's total of 229 for 6 ought to have competitive in the conditions. Only eight times in 49 internationals at the venue had a team batting second chased 230 or more for victory, and the most recent occasion came back in 2004. However, Dilshan and Tharanga battled through a tricky start with a flurry of aggression, before settling back into an effortlessly accumulative tempo. For the second time in the campaign, following on from their crushing of Zimbabwe in Pallekele, both men brought up centuries in a massive and indomitable stand.
Such was Sri Lanka's dominance that the match was able to finish in comically contrived scenes, as Dilshan - ...
Ahmedabad, March 25 (Agencies)- An awe-inspiring Ricky Ponting dazzled and Sachin Tendulkar hit a delightful fifty but it was the imperious Yuvraj Singh who stole the show to lead India to an exciting semi-final encounter against Pakistan. On a dry pitch, aiding turn, India couldn't remove a wonderfully solid Ponting, but found a way around him to hold Australia to a competitive 260. Tendulkar set the base and the middle order threatened to choke, but Yuvraj played a blinder to charge India to a famous win.
Sometimes, they say, one four can change things around. That cliché came alive today, in the final ball of the 39th over, with India needing 72 from 67 deliveries, when Yuvraj spanked Shaun Tait for a stunning four over backward point. It oozed of skill, impishness and dare under fire. Until then, in the preceding few overs, India choked and spluttered badly to almost hand the game to Australia. That Yuvraj hit over point sensationally turned the game on its head.
The next over proved to be the game-breaker as Brett Lee was looted for 14 runs: Suresh Raina played the most assured pull of his life to crash the first delivery to the boundary and Yuvraj carved the final delivery over point, but it was a shot in between that really reflected the enthralling contest. It was a screaming yorker from Lee, from around the stumps, and Yuvraj crouched, opened the bat-face and stabbed it through to the third man boundary. Lee looked stunned, and you felt that was the moment when India affected the jail break.
Until ...
Mirpur, March 23 (Agencies)- Pakistan are two games away from repeating the heroics of Imran Khan's 1992 team after a crushing 10-wicket victory against West Indies in the first quarter-final in Dhaka. Mohammad Hafeez starred with bat and ball, beginning West Indies' decline with two early wickets then ending it with a brisk 61, while Shahid Afridi is proving an inspirational force and led from the front again with four more scalps as the spinners produced a ruthless display to dismantle West Indies for 112.
Between the three of them, Pakistan's slow bowlers had figures of 27.3-5-64-8 and gave another example of how there is a threat from every part of the attack. At no point did Afridi need to fill overs, especially when the weakest link of the bowlers - Hafeez - managed to take 2 for 16 in his full allocation. Hafeez then dominated an unbroken opening stand with Kamran Akmal which wiped off the target with barely an alarm and 29 overs to spare.
The match represented a contest for as long as Chris Gayle was in the middle - the sum total of 2.5 overs. His departure sucked the life and belief from West Indies line-up with the rest remaining rooted to the crease, managing just seven fours and a solitary Shivnarine Chanderpaul six as he nudged his way to a hollow, unbeaten 44.
Some early aggression had proved the falsest of dawns. Devon Smith cut the first ball of the match to the point boundary and Gayle played two thumping shots, but in attempting his third boundary, he picked out Afridi at mid-off who did ...
Kolkata, March 21 (Agencies)- Zimbabwe's spinners completed the job started by their batsmen, sharing seven wickets as Kenya crumbled for 147 in pursuit of 308. This match was the last in the tournament for both teams, and with little but pride to play for, Kenya captain Jimmy Kamande had urged his team to give Steve Tikolo, playing his final game for his country, a fitting send off. It was not to be, however, as half-centuries from Tatenda Taibu, Vusi Sibanda and Craig Ervine carried Zimbabwe past 300 and Kenya's chase never got off the ground.
Chris Mpofu, the solitary specialist seamer in Zimbabwe's side, started Kenya's troubles by removing opener David Obuya in the first over, and three overs later Collins Obuya's run-out brought Tikolo to the crease for the final time in internationals. He got going with a couple of firm flicks to the deep-midwicket boundary but then played back to Price and was struck in line with leg stump to be sent on his way. In a touching sign of respect to the retiring Tikolo, the Zimbabweans rushed in to shake his hand and he left the field, clearly emotional, to a standing ovation from both teams and the smattering of spectators around the ground.
Alex Obanda, who appeared to have adjusted to the conditions and had progressed easily into the 20s, lost partner Tanmay Mishra to a top-edged sweep and soon followed him back to the pavilion as an arm ball from Price struck pad before bat as he stretched forward to defend. It was spin that did for Thomas Odoyo too, Greg Lamb ripping ...
Colombo, March 21 (Agencies)- Pakistan were the last team to overcome Australia at a World Cup and it was they who brought Ricky Ponting's 34-match unbeaten run to an end with a four-wicket victory in Colombo to secure top spot in Group A. An impressive display in the field laid the foundations as the reigning champions were bundled out for 176 on a difficult surface, their lowest total in a World Cup since 1992, and despite a mighty effort from Brett Lee Pakistan were guided home by Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq.
Despite not having either team's progression at stake, the final group positions determine quarter-final opposition while momentum is also a factor. Both teams were hyped for the contest, and it came to an early head when Umar and Brad Haddin almost came to blows in the field. Australia were desperate not to relinquish a proud record dating back to May 23, 1999.
After their batting subsided with 20 balls unused, Australia's only chance was to bowl Pakistan out, but in the event it required Lee himself to do most of the damage. He removed both openers in a fiery new-ball burst before returning to claim Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq with consecutive deliveries in 23rd over, leaving Pakistan wobbling on 98 for 4.
However, support for Lee was too late in coming which didn't leave enough runs for Australia to play with. Mitchell Johnson had Asad Shafiq taken at slip off the glove for a composed 46 and Shahid Afridi brainlessly carved to long-on against Jason Krejza. Surprisingly, Lee wasn't immediately ...
Chennai, March 21 (Agencies)- Oh West Indies, they have done it again. For the second match in a row they had a chase all wrapped up but some desperate inspiration from Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh and some mindless cricket from the batsmen who followed Devon Smith ensured that West Indies remained without a win over a Test side other than Bangladesh since June 2009. With Smith playing as well as he has ever played, West Indies almost mocked India for the first 27 overs, getting up to 146 for 2 without a care in the world. Then came a maiden by Harbhajan and a wicked Zaheer slower ball to remove Smith, and West Indies lost the last eight wickets for 34.
That collapse outdid India's own - 7 for 50 - that had threatened to undo Yuvraj Singh's century on a track whose bounce West Indies and Ravi Rampaul exploited, but not to the fullest. Rampaul, the hero of West Indies' last win against a major side, took his first five-for in ODIs on his World Cup debut to hurt the start, the middle and the end of the Indian innings. However, West Indies' insistence on opening the bowling with Sulieman Benn despite the helpful track, and the obvious plan of trying to bounce India out meant they couldn't capitalise on a first over that claimed Sachin Tendulkar. Then there was Yuvraj, with his maiden World Cup century, fighting dehydration, vomiting on the field, and then coming back to take two wickets.
The game might have ended in a whimper, but it began explosively. As they successfully did in the last two World ...
Mirpur, March 19 (Agencies)- Bangladesh were not favourites to win their virtual pre-quarterfinal against the might of South Africa, especially after the visitors breezed away to 284, but it was the meek manner of their abject batting surrender that would have jarred even their most faithful fans. Eight overs in to the tall chase, and the heart of their batting line-up had been ripped out by Lonwabo Tsotsobe, causing the substantial crowd at the Shere Bangla Stadium to quickly start dwindling. They never recovered from those initial blows, and all they managed was to beat their lowest total of 58 achieved against West Indies earlier in the tournament by 20 runs, before being put out of their misery by Robin Peterson's fourth wicket.
This was after South Africa came out blazing in the morning, and the solid base that the openers gave allowed Jacques Kallis and Faf du Plessis to consolidate and accelerate seamlessly, giving their spin-heavy attack a substantial cushion to stifle Bangladesh and bowl them to the top the group. That they did so with 206 runs to spare was a testimony to how the fight completely went out of Bangladesh, and also confirmed England's qualification for the knockouts.
It was not that South Africa's attack, minus Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, held a lot of alarms. Tsotsobe did get enough bounce off the slow wicket to trouble the batsmen, and also got it to cut in from a very tight line outside off stump. But it was more a case of poor shot selection by the Bangladesh batsmen under the ...
Mumbai, March 19 (Agencies)- Sri Lanka's old guard combined to ease to a 112-run victory over New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium. Kumar Sangakkara made his first ODI century since June 2008, supported by a controversial 66 from Mahela Jayawardene, to haul Sri Lanka up to 265 before Muttiah Muralitharan spun New Zealand to defeat with 4 for 25.
Coming into the tournament as one of the favourites, Sri Lanka have not quite convinced so far and but for their three most experienced players might have struggled again. Instead the finish was the kind of one-sided result that has epitomised Group A.
New Zealand, though, will rue their misfortune when Jayawardene was reprieved at a critical moment. Sri Lanka had lost both openers and were struggling to get on top of the New Zealand slow bowlers when, in the 24th over, Jayawardene chipped a return catch to Nathan McCullum.
It went low to McCullum's right and the bowler dived full-length to scoop the ball centimetres off the turf. The batsman stood his ground and the decision was sent upstairs. Side-on replays seemed to clearly show McCullum's fingers under the ball but a front-on shot, as it so often does, created doubt that the third umpire, Amiesh Saheba, ruled on. Before then Jayawardene had scrambled for 50 deliveries to make 26 but silkily added a further 40 at a run a ball and Sri Lanka never looked back.
Sangakkara helped himself to a century that he's been waiting 64 matches for. Looking typically unhurried, he was content to work the ball around early on ...
Kolkata, March 19 (DNS)- Two sparkling centuries lit up Ireland's clash with Netherlands at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Ryan ten Doeschate propping Netherlands up with his second ton of the tournament and Paul Stirling then launching Ireland's pursuit of 306 with a blazing, 72-ball 101. Ireland's disciplined bowling and far superior fielding proved the difference between the two sides, and they eventually triumphed by six wickets with more than two overs to spare after a far closer finish had appeared possible.
Apart from one lapse in the first over, Ireland had barely fumbled while restricting Netherlands on a benign, batting-friendly surface and closed out the innings in bizarre circumstances with four run-outs in four balls. Netherlands were nowhere near as tight in comparison, putting down three clear chances and failing to keep the pressure on in the field, their lapses repeatedly allowing Ireland to stay ahead of the game.
Netherlands should have had a breakthrough as early as the third over, but Adeel Raja put down a top edge off William Porterfield's bat at third man and Ireland were soon rocketing along at eight an over. Stirling provided the main impetus in that regard, swinging from the hip from the very start of his knock, as the first ball he faced was answered with a wild hook and a top edge that sailed straight over the wicketkeeper for six. He barely slowed down thereafter, hitting very little straight down the ground but repeatedly puncturing the field on both sides of the wicket.
He plundered ...
