Imran tells India

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan feels that iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar should have retired after the “ultimate high” of India winning the World Cup last year. “We all want to go with a big bang but you don’t always get it right. For Sachin the ultimate time to go was after that World Cup win. He had such a great World Cup. He is a great player and there is no replacement for him,” Imran said. “He has to decide for himself and he must time it right. You don’t want to go having lost to Australia 4-0. If he had gone after that World Cup that would have been the ultimate high,” Imran told a TV channel here. Imran said Indian players have the right to decide when they want to retire and the management should first get the replacement for them. “It’s a very difficult question for a sportsman to know when to leave…It’s a very difficult decision and many great players have not got it right,” he said. “For Indian cricket it’s not one player now but three or four would have to take decision. But the big question is whether you have got their replacement. If the gap between the young and old player is too much then you have to stay with the old players.” Asked about Tendulkar’s impending 100th ton, Imran said it doesn’t matter whether he gets that elusive hundred or not as statistic doesn’t matter for a great player. “Records must be broken within the team winning. You should not be playing to break records. Records should be part of the win. Sachin is a great player. Would I think of Sachin whether he is of 99 hundreds or 100 hundreds! No,” Imran said. “The greatest player I’ve played is Viv Richards. I don’t need to look at his records. He is great because he loves challenges. Records are after all statistics and statistics did not matter to great players,” he said. The former fast bowler said that he would have hung up his boots if his team had suffered a similar consecutive overseas whitewash like Team India.“I would have retired from cricket. I think if I was in a team that lost eight matches in a row I would have given up cricket. It’s not the West Indies of 80s. But see who India has lost to Australia and England. This Australia team hardly has won any series. You can’t blame the fans for feeling upset,” he said. Imran said if India gives too much emphasis on Twenty20 cricket and the IPL then it might be reduced to a “walkover team in Test cricket”. “India need to think seriously… have they put too much emphasis on the IPL, T20 cricket. It’s great entertainment but how to compare T20 with Test cricket. Test cricket is the ultimate test of the skills,” he said.

Sudan in African Cup quarter-finals

Sudan reached the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations for the first time in 42 years on Monday, beating Burkina Faso 2-1 to squeeze through on goal difference and edge out Angola. Mudather Tayeb scored both of Sudan s goals to deliver the nation s biggest sporting moment since it won the African Cup on home soil in 1970. It was also Sudan s first win at the tournament since that triumph. Mudather broke clear to beat Burkina Faso goalkeeper Daouda Diakite in the 33rd minute and then punished a mistake by the keeper in the second half to carry Sudan through, despite a 97th minute goal from the Burkinabes. Angola lost 2-0 to already-qualified Ivory Coast in Group B s other game in Malabo to be eliminated.

We won because we worked hard, says Rehman

Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman on Tuesday refused to accept that Pakistan’s success over world number one Test side England was a big surprise, saying the team achieved the 2-0 lead through sheer hard work. Rehman starred in his team’s 72-run win in the second Test in Abu Dhabi by claiming a career-best 6-25 to bundle England for 72 in the second innings – their lowest in all Tests against Pakistan. The win gave Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series with the last match in Dubai from February 3. Pakistan won the first Test by ten wickets, also played in Dubai. Rehman, 31, said beating England was not a shock. “No, it is not surprising. We have won because we have worked really hard before the series and in the two Test matches,” said Rehman, who has 12 wickets in two Tests while his spin partner Saeed Ajmal has 17. Rehman, though, admitted England’s capitulation was a bit surprising. “We had no idea that it would finish in three or four days, but since the team did well and the pitches helped us so we won,” said Rehman of the two Tests which finished in three and four days respectively. Rehman said he has received brilliant support from Ajmal, who took ten wickets – including a career-best 7-55 – in the first Test. “We don’t think like ‘he will get wicket and I will be left out,’ we support each other so much that there is no ill will in our hearts,” said Rehman. “No matter which bowler gets the wickets, it is helpful for the team.” The brilliant spinning show have raised both Ajmal and Rehman in the International Cricket Council rankings. Ajmal is second while Rehman has jumped to ninth – the first time in 23 years that two Pakistan spinners are in the top ten. Rehman admitted he was proud of his rankings. “It’s good, a very good feeling and now I am in top ten and it is after a long time that two Pakistani spinners have come in the rankings, so I am happy that I am among those bowlers who are world’s best,” said Rehman. Rehman believed England batsmen flopped because of a better gameplan by Pakistan. “What we are trying is to give them a tough time, contain them so that they make mistakes. That was the game-plan of the captain and the coach, so they made mistakes after getting fed up,” said Rehman, who now has 68 wickets in 14 Tests.

Amir Khan celebrates engagement to Fayal

The ceremony was held at the weekend with a £150,000 bash at the Rebook Stadium in his hometown of Bolton. Amir presented his fiancée with a stunning three diamond ring, believed to have cost £100,000, during the special ceremony, with the New York born beauty presenting her husband-to-be with an equally impressive platinum band. 25-year-old Amir announced his plans to marry 20-year-old Faryal earlier this month, with the couple officially marking their engagement with a lavish celebration over the weekend. 1,000 guests joined the couple to celebrate their happy news, amongst them were many famous faces from the world of sport including Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Ricky Hatton. Faryal flew over from New York especially for the engagement party, with her family also travelling with her. The student will spend the next week with her fiancé in Bolton as he plans to show Faryal around what will become her new home as the couple have decided to start married life in the north of England. The newly engaged couple were given a BMW 750 Li as an engagement present from the bride-to-be’s parents who have reportedly taken to the lightweight boxer in a big way, with student Faryal saying her family already treat Amir like a son. For Amir and his new fiancée Faryal, their romance got off to quite a rocky start as the bride-to-be revealed she had difficulty understanding Amir’s strong northern accent and vocabulary, with the boxer using unfamiliar words such as “daft” and “innit”, when they first started dating. However the pair managed to overcome early stumbling blocks and are now looking forward to their wedding which is likely to take place at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton, the same venue which hosted their engagement party.

Bethel Swim Team Collects First Away Win Since 2008

BHS Swimming & Diving earned their first win of the year with an exciting comeback 96-90 win over Platt/Maloney. A long bus ride to Meriden that included getting lost made this "away" win even sweeter. It was the first away victory for Bethel High since January 2008, when this team's seniors were still in middle school.

BHS was ahead 32-30 after the 50 Free, but the Meriden Co-op team took a large 12 point lead with a pair of state finalist divers and a near sweep in the butterfly. This left it 41-53 at the half-way point of the meet. Bethel was ready for their comeback and took the next 6 events by a 55-37 score.

The comeback was lead by a 1-2 in the 100 Free with Captain Kevin Gallagher, senior, coming up his season best 55.96 and James Canfield with his personal best 59.50. Next came the 500 Free with Bethel trio of Sarah Whalen, Katie Bozzuti and Molly Nichols taking 2-3-4 against their male counterparts from Meriden. Now the score stood 60-66 and the BHS coaches started to think the first win was possible.

The strong 200 Free Relay team took first with Chris Wong, Tucker Bjornson, James Canfield and Kevin Gallagher posting a 1:45.25 and the score was now 68-72. The 100 Backstroke is the strongest for Bethel and they posted a near sweep with state qualifier Tucker Bjornson winning with a 1:05.76, freshman star Olivia Wootton took second at 1:09.34 and the all-stroke talented Aiden Ford collected fourth. BHS was now in the driver's seat, ahead 80-76.

Meriden wasn't done fighting though and BHS split points 8-8 in the 100 breast, making the last event, the 400 Free Relay, the true test of each team's depth: the Meriden three teams of 12 boys versus Bethel's 4 boys and 8 girls. Meriden would need a first and third place to win, but Bethel took first place with a long lead with Wootton, Gallagher, Canfield and Bjornson posting a season best 3.54.01.

Coach Katie McGowan could almost forget the 2+ hour bus ride and smile with her first career away victory and a chance to be the first multiple win BHS team since 2006. The next meet is Tuesday at the WCSU pool versus Pomperaug at 4pm.

BHS Scoring Results:

200 Medley Relay: 2nd (Sarah Whalen, Johnny Esposito, Chris Wong, Olivia Wootton)

200 Free: 1st Tucker Bjornson; 3rd Katie Bozzuti; 5th Aiden Ford

200 IM: 1st Olivia Wootton; 2nd Sarah Whalen; 5th Juliana Bell

50 Free: 2nd Kevin Gallagher; 3rd James Canfield

Diving: 3rd Alex Nackid; 4th Julia Morton

100 Fly: 3rd Chris Wong; 5th Cara Bernardo

100 Free: 1st Kevin Gallagher; 2nd James Canfield

500 Free: 2nd Sarah Whalen; 3rd Katie Bozzuti; 4th Molly Nichols

200 Free Relay: 1st (Wong,Bjornson,Canfield,Gallagher)

100 Back: 1st Tucker Bjornson; 2nd Olivia Wootton; 4th Aiden Ford

100 Breast: 2nd Molly Nichols; 3rd Johnny Esposito; 5th Davidson Abiali

400 Free Relay: 1st (Wootton,Gallagher,Canfield,Bjornson)

Badminton: Uber Cup Team Gets Tough Draw

Indonesia’s hopes of qualifying for the Uber Cup women’s team tournament could hinge on a single match. 

Monday’s draw in Macau for Asian zone qualifying put Indonesia in Group Y against Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan and regional rival Thailand. While advancing is a safe bet, with the top two moving on, where Indonesia finishes in its group is of the utmost importance. 

Eleven-time champion China is in Group W with India and Malaysia, while Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam made up Group X. Host Macau is in Group Z with Japan and Hong Kong. The top four teams from the Feb. 13-19 qualifying rounds in Macau advance to the tournament proper, from May 20 to 27 in Wuhan, China. 

The Group Y runner-up faces the Group W winner. That means if Indonesia fails to win its group, it must beat China to reach the Uber Cup finals. 

“We’ll have to just deal with it. On paper, it’s a tough draw, but I believe we can overcome all obstacles if we play with great determination,” Indonesian Badminton Association (PBSI) secretary general Yacob Rusdianto said on Monday. 

While victories against Sri Lanka on Feb. 13 and Kazakhstan on Feb. 14 are likely, Thailand is a different proposition. 

The Thais have come on strong in recent years, beating Indonesia 3-1 for the Southeast Asian Games women’s team gold medal last year. Their squad will likely include three-time world junior singles champion Ratchanok Inthanon, ranked 13th in the world – the highest among Southeast Asian women’s shuttlers – and world No. 14 Porntip Buranaprasertsuk. 

Indonesia’s highest-ranked women’s singles shutter is No. 35 Adrianti Firdasari. However, its top women’s doubles pairs — Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari, and Nitya Krishinda Maheswari and Anneke Feinya Agustine — are higher-ranked than their Thai peers. 

With each qualifying tie featuring three singles and two doubles matches, Indonesia faces a tough fight against the Thais. 

“Thailand is a tough rival, but I’m optimistic that we can beat them and win the group,” said Nitya, who alongside Anneke gave the host nation its only point against Thailand in the SEA Games final. 

Adrianti, who lost to Ratchanok in the women’s team gold-medal match, said she was out for revenge. 

“I was suffering from an abdominal injury at the SEA Games, but now I’m ready. I’m highly motivated and will try to help the team win the group to avoid China in the quarterfinals,” she said. 

China, by far the most dominant force in women’s badminton, is expected to ease into top spot in Group W. 

The last time Indonesia beat China was in the 1996 Uber Cup final, which was also the last time Indonesia lifted the trophy. A loss in the qualifying quarterfinals would see Indonesia miss the Uber Cup for only the second time in its history, the first coming in 2006. 

Over on the men’s side, Indonesia was drawn into Group B of Thomas Cup qualifying alongside India, Singapore and Macau. It opens against host nation Macau on Feb. 13, followed by Singapore the next day and India on Feb. 15. 

The four semifinalists in Asian qualifying automatically advance to the Thomas Cup finals, while teams losing in the quarterfinals drop into a playoff for the fifth and final place. 

Thomas Cup 

Group A: China, Taiwan, Vietnam 

Group B: Indonesia, India, Singapore, Macau 

Group C: Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan 

Group D: South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong 
Uber Cup 

Group W: China, India, Malaysia 

Group X: Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam 

Group Y: Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan 

Group Z: Japan, Hong Kong, Macau

Barrichello still dreams of F1

Brazilian looking forward to IndyCar test but wants 20th season

Rubens Barrichello has said he is eagerly anticipating his IndyCar test but also admitted that a return to Formula 1 remains his ultimate goal.

Barrichello was left without a race seat for this year's World Championship when Williams announced that they had signed Bruno Senna rather than give his 39-year-old compatriot a 20th season in F1.

However, it was swiftly confirmed that Barrichello would test an IndyCar. He is scheduled to run at Sebring on Monday and Tuesday for KV Racing Technology, who already run another Brazilian, Tony Kanaan.

"I've always wanted to test an IndyCar. I love speed so it's natural to want to try this," Barrichello explained to O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

"As I have no contract with anyone there is nothing to stop me from testing it.

"I'm going into this test with my mind wide open. If I leave the car with the passion I have always had as a driver then why not? I love racing."

The door now appears closed to Barrichello as regards an F1 seat for 2012 but the sport's most experienced driver maintained that his ultimate goal is to return.

"There are no more places open. But if the opportunity arises, the dream of competing in my 20th season in Formula 1 is still very much alive. You never know," Barrichello said."Sometimes things change for all sorts of reasons and someone calls up your speed and experience.

"Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher came back, so there's no reason I could not as well."

Barrichello also admitted that any switch to IndyCar racing might yet be influenced by the vow he made to his wife not to race on oval tracks.

Ovals are a staple of the series, although IndyCar will visit only four of them during 2012's 16-race calendar.

"It's true," Barrichello said of his promise. "It is an important issue to be resolved. But before I think about it I must first know the car. Inside me, it is not clear what to do."

Indian cricket's end of an era

All good things have to come to an end - but the end in Adelaide over the weekend was brutal.

India were routed in an overseas cricket Test for the eighth time in a row - four by an innings and two by more than 290 runs. The team's fabled batting line-up, stuffed with ageing legends, lay in ruins, mowed down by a bunch of terrific young Australian speedsters. The Adelaide annihilation came on a flat track holding no terrors.

The last time Indian cricket went through a similar ordeal was back in the 1960s, when they lost 17 overseas games on the trot.

Adelaide marked, as cricket writer Sharda Ugra wrote in a fine epitaph, a funereal end to Indian cricket's greatest era. A "decade of progress was signed off with staggering paucity of performance".

India managed to pass 300 runs only twice in the past 16 Test innings in England and Australia. This from a team in which four batsmen - Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman and Sehwag - have an incredible 45,611 runs between them. (It didn't help that their wayward bowlers picked up only 93 wickets in the two series, while England and Australia picked up all of the 160 Indian wickets in eight Tests.)

That the outstanding middle-order would walk into the sunset one day was expected. But it was still painful to witness the fading of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and to a lesser extent Sachin Tendulkar in a Test series where India capitulated without a resemblance of a fight.

"The future has already arrived and kicked down the door," writes Ugra. "What it finds on the other side, representing Indian cricket, is merely uncertainty."

Worrying
That is what is truly worrying. India's prolific domestic cricket is played on dull, flat tracks, which make most of its batsmen vulnerable to the moving ball and bouncy pitches overseas. India's obsession with stars, as former Australian captain Ian Chappell argues, makes it difficult for selectors and the captain to do some straight talking to the legends.

Drunk on the riches of the Indian Premier League, India's shortsighted cricket authorities - and selectors - appear to have no succession plan in place for the batting greats, or a road map for how India can become an competitive away team.

Laxman and Dravid, proud sportsmen both, may well announce their retirement sooner than expected. Tendulkar is not expected to play for very long either. Virender Sehwag is looking a pale shadow of his imperious past, and the talented Gautam Gambhir is hesitant. MS Dhoni, who led India to a fabulous World Cup win last year, appears to have lost interest in the longer format of the game.

India's next away series comes only at the end of 2013, and the time to bring fresh blood is now.

First it needs to snap out of its denial mode. India's rich and upstart young cricketers said the team's failures in England and Australia were nothing to be embarrassed about - "after all, it is only a game", one said - and that the team would return to their winning ways on the slow trundlers that India prepare at home.

Cricket, like most things in shining India, is marked by hubris, cronyism, conflict of interest, and many such moral conflicts. So don't expect any searing and transparent post-mortem of the team's performance, or a sensible plan for the future. It will be a rocky road ahead.