India stay at fourth spot

Calcutta: Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men’s opening match counter against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup on Wednesday will have no bearing on the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship rankings since their opponent have no place in the charts, says A Staff Reporter. According to an ICC press release on Sunday, India are in the fourth spot with 113 points while South Africa are leading the chart with 127 points. Just behind by a fraction of a ratings-point are Australia (127). New Zealand (113) are in the third spot.

ODI RANKINGS

Team — 1. South Africa; 2. Australia; 3. New Zealand; 4. India; 5. Pakistan; 6. England; 7. Sri Lanka; 8. West Indies; 9. Bangladesh; 10. Ireland

PCB wish

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is banking on support from its Asian counterparts, particularly the BCCI, to fight the Australian and English campaign “aimed at discrediting” Pakistan as an unsafe venue for hosting the Champions Trophy. Senior England players have reportedly threatened to revolt against their board and boycott the tournament, forging a common front with their Australian counterparts in expressing apprehensions over the security situation in Pakistan.

Sachin cheer

New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar’s passion for motorsports is hardly a secret and since the Indian batting maestro’s current injury break from cricket coincides with the French Grand Prix, he was seen at Magny-Cours cheering Force India during the raceon Sunday. Sachin, who is on a family holiday in London after being ruled out of the Asia Cup due to a groin injury, was seen cheering Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil, who started at the back of the grid.

Dope test

Karachi: The PCB has completed dope tests on 20 cricketers participating in the conditioning camp for the tournament starting June 24 in a bid to prevent doping scandals during the Asia Cup. “The tests have been conducted under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidelines and samples would be sent to an International Olympic Committee (IOC) accredited laboratory in Malaysia,” a PCB official said. The result of the tests are expected in next two-three days. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is also planning to conduct random dope tests on any two players in each match during the Asia Cup.

Boxers shine

New Delhi: Indian boxers dominated the Chemistry Cup in Halle, Germany with the Olympic qualified duo of Vijender (75kg) and Jitender (51kg) grabbing gold medals in the event. Sanjay Kumar clinched silver in the 60kg category while A.L. Lakra (57kg) and Dinesh Kumar (81kg), Parminder (81kg) each won bronze.

Powell run

Port Of Spain: Former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell ran an impressive 9.96 seconds on his return to competition from a shoulder injury at the Trinidad national championships on Saturday. The race, into a slight head wind with persistent drizzle, was the Jamaican sprinter’s first since February.