2007

Army reviving LoC's local culture

London: England has called up fast bowler Liam Plunkett ahead of Sunday's seventh and final one-day international against Australia at Perth after injuries to pacers Chris Tremlett and Ajmal Shahzad. Plunkett will fly to Perth all the way from the West Indies where he was a member of the domestic side England Lions. He will join the national squad only three days before the final match of the two-month-long Australian...  

Maya's elephant-ine effort to trample BJP in Guj

Kolkata: The West Bengal PWD on Monday set up a five-member committee to assist the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) in getting the Eden Gardens ready ahead of the ICC team's visit here on February 7. Announcing this here on Monday, state PWD minister Kshiti Goswami said the committee, comprising of experts, would ensure that the CAB complete all pending works in the stadium to get the venue ready for...  

Send Afzal to Gujarat, we will hang him: Modi

Karachi: In a public poll conducted by a leading media group in Pakistan, national team's one-day captain Shahid Afridi has got overwhelming support from the people to lead the side in the 2011 World Cup, starting from February 19. The Express media group had conducted a poll in which they asked people who they thought should lead Pakistan in the World Cup -- Afridi or Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq. The results...  

Nation speechless after Modi's hate speech

Kolkata: As he gears up to live the dream of being in a World Cup squad, young Indian off-spinner R Ashwin says he is trying all he can to be of more utility by improving his batting and, more importantly, learning to handle pressure which gets easily to him. I'm trying my best to be an asset to the side. I'm working hard on my batting and want to be...  

Modi govt lawyer livid at speech, EC awaits report

Kolkata: CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya on Sunday termed ICC's rejection of BCCI's appeal to reconsider its decision to take away the India-England cricket World Cup match from the Eden Gardens as unfavourable and disappointing. The experienced cricket administrator, however, said that the stadium will be cent per cent ready before the February 7 deadline, when an ICC inspection team travels to Kolkata. It was not a favourable decision. It is...  

Modi stuns nation with speech at Godhra

Colombo: At a time when teams are busy arranging their kitbags or winding up international commitments to arrive in the subcontinent for the ICC World Cup 2011, West Indies may have landed themselves a blessing from the rain gods. Heavens opened up during West Indies' tour of Sri Lanka a good one month back that forced rescheduling of their ODI series, which has found a window just three weeks before ...

Cong, BJP make Guj battle personal | Reporter's Blog

Brisbane: Captain Michael Clarke has made a half century in a timely return to form to lead Australia to a 51-run win over England in the fifth one-day cricket international on Sunday and an insurmountable 4-1 lead in the seven-match series. Clarke came to the crease to a chorus of boos from Australian fans dissatisfied with his batting form and unimpressed with his captaincy but left to general applause after...  

Modi's fiery speech gives ammo to BJP, Cong

Batting icon Sachin Tendulkar talks about his journey in the world of international cricket. ...  

Analysis: Cong drab in Gujarat, Sonia magic fails

Mumbai: Former cricketer Vinod Kambli on Friday said Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his boys should do everything to win the World Cup for Sachin Tendulkar, who has dreamt of collecting the coveted trophy since his childhood. Kambli said Tendulkar, his childhood friend, has such a burning desire to win the World Cup title that if it does not materialise this time around, he would continue playing and give it a...  

Hang me if killing Sohrab was wrong, says Modi

New Delhi: The Indian cricket board on Friday asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to reconsider its decision of taking away the India-England World Cup match from the Eden Gardens stadium in Kolkata. We have written a letter to the ICC to reconsider its decision. Now it is up to the ICC to decide, but we are confident that the stadium can host the crucial India-England match, Ratnakar Shetty, tournament...  

Battle for Gujarat: Meet the men who take on Modi

New Delhi: A promo of the upcoming World Cup by the host broadcasters shows players from the 14 participating nations walking a tightrope high in the air to achieve their goal. With reigning champions Australia shedding their prowess and evenly-matched teams facing a treacherous knock-out format, copywriters have already foreseen an unpredictable, wide-open tournament from February 19-April 2. Australia have dominated the World Cup stage in spectacular fashion, winning the...  

Couple postpones honeymoon to vote for Modi

New Delhi: South Africa captain Graeme Smith has said that India will be the team to watch out for in the World Cup. Smith believes that the home team will be aware of the conditions and are the best placed team prior to the tournament. "I think the home teams will be right up there when it comes to the ICC Cricket World Cup. I think in the sub-continent conditions...  

Best Bakery: Worst riot case forgotten for good

Dhaka: The Bangladesh government plans to clear beggars off the streets of capital Dhaka ahead of next month's ICC World Cup, officials said Tuesday. The beggars would be taken to rehabilitation centres, Home Minister Sahara Khatun told reporters after a meeting of the committee dealing with security during the World Cup. Hawkers will also be shunted out, officials said, to ensure that there are no security glitches during the country's...  

Cong follows in MK's footsteps, distributes TVs in Guj

Hyderabad: Stylish middle-order batsman VVS Laxman, who was on Tuesday honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri award, said it was great and satisfying moment for him as his achievements while playing for the country have been rewarded. I feel honoured as I have been bestowed with one of the most prestigious awards. It is indeed satisfying that my achievements while playing for the country have been rewarded. The biggest honour,...  

Anti-Modi rebellion gets louder with newspaper ad

Mumbai: Inspectors visited Mumbai's Wankhede stadium on Monday ahead of the cricket World Cup starting next month amid growing concerns over delayed preparations for the six-week event. The Wankhede ground in Mumbai, which has been completely rebuilt, and Kolkata's Eden Gardens are two venues attracting close attention from the International Cricket Council's (ICC) inspection team. Officials at the Mumbai Cricket Association confirmed the visit without giving further details, and the...  

BJP makes bachelor CM its ladies' man in Guj

Party fields maximum number of women in Assembly elections. ...  

Charkha matters to new Gandhians, Munnabhai too

Toronto: Canada's 15-man squad for the World Cup includes three Pakistan-born players who are still awaiting visa clearance to enter India where the team plays four of their six games. The visa wrangle concerns vice-captain Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan and back-up wicketkeeper Hamza Tariq. "(We have been) waiting to have visas processed for several months now," Ranjit Saini, the Cricket Canada president, told Pakistan media recently. "Canada took a pre-World ...

Gandhi lost in hometown, found in Dandi

A tale of two towns from the Mahatma’s life. ...  

Who needs Gandhi in Gujarat? Not his party

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt has secretly left for New Zealand to "sort out" the captaincy issue that is threatening to hamper the team's World Cup hopes. According to sources, Butt has left for Wellington to be with the Pakistan team which will play six one-day internationals against New Zealand starting Jan 22. Sources said the PCB chief has asked the board officials to keep his visit...  

Two men who won't let Modi a helping hand

Port Elizabeth: Having gained a 2-1 lead after registering back-to-back victories in the last two games against the Proteas, India go into the fourth cricket one-dayer here on Friday seeking to clinch their first-ever ODI series triumph on South African soil. The Indians have never won a limited-overs series in South Africa and Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his young bravehearts will leave no stone unturned to achieve the feat at...