India wasted talented Aaron in England, says Akram

New Delhi, Sep 15   Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels that India wasted young express fast bowler Varun Aaron by not playing him in the One-Day Internationals against England. "It is foolish to fly in a deserving youngster and then ask him to carry drinks to the field or bowl at the nets. India have done just that with Varun Aaron. The young bowler has been wasted in England," Akram wrote in his column in Mobile ESPN.
"I had congratulated the Indian selectors when they picked Aaron as Ishant Sharma's replacement. The young boy was the right choice as he had done well on the Emerging Players' tour in Australia and deserved to be part of the Indian dressing room on a difficult tour of England. But the Indian team management made a mess by not blooding Aaron in conditions that were tailor-made for the quickie," said Akram.
The legendary fast bowler said had he been the captain he would have rather blooded Aaron in England because the seaming conditions are ideal for him.
"It will be silly to give Aaron a start on Indian wickets. On placid tracks where he will get little support, two bad matches in the start of his career can destroy him. In my book, Aaron has a future and India can ill afford to ruin him because the current pace attack is not in good shape and the future doesn't look bright. I was expecting to see Aaron play the ODIs. This raises questions about the communication between the selectors and the team management," he said.
Akram also said that Ajinkya Rahane and Parthiv Patel have done well for themselves.
"I would like to see them playing for India in home conditions. Having done quite well on difficult English wickets, both deserve an opportunity when England tour India after the Champions League T20. Rahane and Patel should not be used as plug-in players. Ironically, players who have done well for India in the England series are turning out to be the substitutes! Ravindra Jadeja is another case in point," he said.

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Australia will continue domination to win Lanka Test series: Harris

Colombo, Sep 15: Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris is confident that his team will beat Sri Lanka in the Colombo Test, which starts tomorrow, to win the three-match series. Australia had to settle for a draw in the rain-hit second Test in Kandy despite dominating the game, meaning that they head into the final match with a 1-0 lead.
"I think we're batting well. We've been bowling well as a group. I know the guys who haven't been playing have been in the nets every day working their butts off, they're ready to go if they're needed," Fox Sports quoted Harris, as saying.
"Disappointing where we've just come from in Kandy, but I think, particularly as a bowling group, we've put Sri Lanka under pressure and tied down their runs. In those periods we've taken wickets to keep the pressure on them so pretty confident we can continue that," he added.
Harris, however, has been ruled out of the match due to a hamstring strain.
The 31-year-old had been the bowler of the series, with 11 wickets at an average of 15.
Australian team: Shane Watson, Phil Hughes, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (captain), Mike Hussey, Shaun Marsh, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Trent Copeland and Nathan Lyon.

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My emotions got the best of me, says Serena Williams on US Open rants

London, Sept 15 : Serena Williams, who was seen ranting at the chair umpire during US Open final recently, has finally opened up in defense of her remarks. The tennis ace was spotted in a rather demure look in the front row of Vera Wang’s Spring 2012 showcase at New York Fashion Week, following which she revealed that her emotions did get the best of her during the outburst.
“My emotions did get the best of me this past weekend when I disagreed with the umpire,” the Daily Mail quoted her as tweeting.
“It has been a long road to get back to the US Open this year, and I am thankful to have had such a great two weeks in New York,” she added.
She, however, refused to apologise for the tirade.

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Mancini blames 'nerves' for City's unimpressive Champions League debut

London, Sep 15   Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has blamed "nerves" as his team drew 1-1 with Napoli in their Champions League debut. The Italian, who was watched by his father Aldo Wednesday night at the Etihad Stadium, hoped that his team can be better in the next match against Bayern Munich.
"We can do better in Munich. Bayern Munich are a fantastic team but we have a team that can win everywhere," Mancini was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.
On the match against the Italian outfit, Mancini said: "We lost a stupid goal; a team like us cannot concede a goal like that. It was a first (game) for us and in the end I'm happy."
"Before the game we were so nervous. All the players wanted to win and, probably, all the players wanted to score. But it's important for us to play simple football," he said.

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Meet glamorous Carolyn Still – the youngest ever CEO of English football club

London, Sept 15  : A 29-year-old glamorous blonde is causing a stir in the male-dominated world of football by becoming the youngest ever CEO after being appointed to the board of Mansfield Town. Carolyn Still, a politics graduate, who already had a knowledge of business acquired in the cutthroat fashion industry, said that she would draw on her fashion past to improve the fortunes of the club.
“Working in that industry I’ve absorbed a lot of useful information,” the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.
“Strategies can be utilised from fashion to football. It’s business at the end of the day.
“It’s a great privilege for me to be offered the chance to lead this football club,’ said Miss Still on her appointment. ‘I intend to add vibrancy and fresh ideas to our approach off the field,” she added.

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Dravid gears up for his ODI swan song at Cardiff

Cardiff, Sep 15  Former captain Rahul Dravid is all set to bid adieu to One-Day Internationals and India hope to end their nightmarish English summer on a winning note at the final match here Friday. The Indian team will be looking to give a fitting farewell to Dravid and this perhaps is the only motivation for the crest-fallen team, which suffered a whitewash in the Test series and have already lost the five-match ODI 3-0.
"The Wall", the nickname Dravid does not like, was in great form in the Tests but after selectors picked him up after a gap of two years he decided to end his ODI career after the England series.
Before the England series, Dravid last played in the tri-series at Sri Lanka and the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa in 2009. He was earlier dropped from the squad in 2007.
In his last Twenty20 match last month, Dravid made a 33-ball 23 but still couldn't see India win. In the ODI series, he has averaged 55 runs in the first four games and now surely wants to go out with a bang.
It is a coincidence that Dravid will be ending his ODI career in England, from where he started his legendary career spanning 15 years.
In 343 matches, Dravid has scored 10,820 runs, averaging 39.06 and at a strike-rate of 71.16. He also has 196 catches and 14 stumpings that made him a true selfless player. Only Sachin Tendulkar (18,111) and Sourav Ganguly
(11,363) are ahead of him as leading run scorers in one-dayers.
But it has not been an easy ride for the former India captain. He made his maiden hundred (107) at Chennai's M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in the Independence Cup match against Pakistan in 1997 but it was completely overshadowed by Saeed Anwar's 194.
He emerged a strong player after the 1999 World Cup. He smashed 145 against Sri Lanka in the 1999 World Cup game at Taunton and along with Ganguly (183), was involved in a 318-run second-wicket partnership.
As skipper, he had to see the humiliation of India being knocked out of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. Though he gave up his captaincy, he never lost his dignity.

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Amir Khan calls Mayweather a ‘chicken’

London, September 15 : British Muslim world light-welterweight champion Amir Khan has called American rival Floyd Mayweather a ‘chicken’ as Mayweather has repeatedly backed off from fighting him. Khan has been trying his best to persuade Mayweather for a face off but for reasons unknown Mayweather has been avoiding it for sometime.
Khan will be defending his WBA and IBF world titles in December against Lamont Petersen but is anxious to fight Mayweather, who at one point of time also avoided Manny Pacquiao.
So much so that Khan has been quoted calling Mayweather a ‘chicken’. “All Floyd does is pick fights that he knows he will win. I thought world championship boxing was about proving who is the best but if he keeps turning his back on me how can he still say he is the best?”, he added.
He further said, “I will fight anyone put in front of me but there seems to be a lot of boxers who talk a good fight but when push comes to shove they won''t get in the ring with me.”
Although Mayweather will be facing WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz in Las Vegas on Saturday, it seems very unlikely that he would face Khan anytime soon.
This will be Mayweather’s 40 straight unbeaten bout.

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