Dravid gears up with 102

Wellington: Former India captain Rahul Dravid began his third tour of New Zealand on a bright note, scoring a dignified 102 for Canterbury Wizards against Central Stags in a NZC first-class match at the Mainpower Oval, Rangiora, Friday.

Given the opportunity to warm-up ahead of the first Test in Hamilton on March 18, Dravid struck 13 boundaries during his 226-minute vigil at the wicket. The 36-year-old right-hander, who fell to medium-pacer Brendon Diamanti, shared a 93-run second wicket partnership with Michael Papps (127).

“That’s fantastic. That's good for the Test side but there's still some time to go,” captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

However, VVS Laxman and Amit Mishra disappointed in their maiden outings on the tour.

SSP in lead

Phuket: A brand new putter helped S.S.P. Chowrasia regain lost form as he carded the day’s best card — a blemishfree eight-under 62 — to grab the sole lead after the second round of the Singha Thailand Open on Friday. The Calcutta-pro, who has been struggling ever since his European Tour’s Indian Masters triumph last year, needed only 25 putts at the par-70 Laguna Phuket Golf Club to top the leaderboard.

Narain test

Calcutta: Narain Karthikeyan, has been invited to test by Team Kolles Audi R10 TDI LM P1 sports car. The private test will be conducted at the Eurospeedway Lausitz Circuit near Berlin in Germany, according to a release. The test will be conducted during the week starting March 8.

Cole chastised

Cobham (England): Guus Hiddink has disciplined Ashley Cole and had firm words with the rest of the Chelsea squad after the left-back was arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour near a London nightclub on Wednesday.

Obafemi back

Abuja City: Nigeria have recalled Obafemi Martins and John Obi Mikel to a 22-man squad for their first match in the final phase of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup against Mozambique on March 29 in Maputo, the country’s football federation said.
staff reporter & agencies