Sunil Gavaskar conferred with C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award:see4news

Mumbai:  Former India captain and legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar was on Wednesday, conferred with BCCI's prestigious Col C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award while Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli were also awarded for their achievements in international arena during past season.

Tendulkar was feted for his incredible achiement of scoring 100 international hundreds in Tests and ODIs combined.

Kohli won the 'Polly Umrigar Award' for the being the best Indian cricketer of the 2011-12 season in international cricket.

With it, Kohli had his name added to other stars who have received this honour previously including Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. He was presented with a glittering trophy and a cheque of Rs 5 lakh.

VVS Laxman, who retired before the start of the home rubber against New Zealand in August was also felicitated for his stupendous achievement in international cricket for past decade and half.

The prolific batsman was also adjudged as ICC's 'ODI Cricketer of the Year' earlier.

"I am happy to receive the award in front of so many cricketers whom I have watched and got inspired by. I hope I can continue in the same way this season," said the Delhi batsman after receiving his award.

Earlier, after receiving his award, Tendulkar thanked Gavaskar and called him his inspiration for taking up the game.

"We grew up watching you. Thanks for inspiring me to play cricket. All I wanted to do was to follow your footsteps," said Tendulkar addressing Gavaskar sitting in front.

"I was 12 or so and was disappointed as I did not get the 'Best Junior Cricketer' award. I got a letter from Mr Gavaskar saying if you go through that list there is one person who did not get that award and he (Gavaskar) had not done badly in Tests," said Tendulkar.

He also thanked the BCCI for always standing by him, whether he was performing or not performing or when he was injured.

"BCCI has always stood by me. Whether I did well or not or when I was injured, BCCI has always supported me. I also thank John Wright (former India coach). He told me in 2002-03, when we were flying from Johannesburg to Durban that I should complete 100 international hundreds. I asked him, "What are you drinking? Now I am standing in front of you after scoring century of centuries. Thank you John Wright."

Laxman got a bit emotional and said that it has been three months since he called curtains to his career and it has given him a chance to look back on his 16-year old interntional career.

"As a youngster, I wanted to play for India. I realised my dream. Lots of people supported me in fulfilling it, my uncle, the Hyderabad Cricket Association for supporting me in my formative years, my wife Shailaja and my teammates in the Indian team," said Laxman.

Gavaskar described the award as "the biggest in Indian cricket" and that he was honoured to receive it (from Board President N Srinivasan). (Also see: Gavaskar's career in pics)

"I dedicate this award to the Indian cricket fans without whose support, encouragement and the occasional criticism which is a wake-up call, this would not have been possible," he said.

"Just to see the list of previous recipients of this award and to be in that list is a great honour. It feels humbling to be in that list," he said.

"I have to thank all my friends who had played tennis ball cricket, club cricket, the umpires, the local associations for helping us play so many tournaments. The BCCI president N Srinivasan and his other colleagues, the media for highlighting my scores and bringing it to the attention of the selectors and the public," said Gavaskar.

Gavaskar also recalled the incident he had mentioned in his autobiography 'Sunny Days' about how he wanted to wear a India pullover that was possessed by his maternal uncle Madhav Mantri and was told that "one needs to earn the right to wear the India pullover."

Seven former and late Test cricketers were honoured posthumously when they were conferred with the C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award worth Rs 15 lakh and a Trophy each.

BCCI president N Srinivasan explained the rationale and said it was felt that these cricketers would have got the award for their on-field achievements had they been alive in due course.

The seven late cricketers were: Vijay Merchant, Vinoo Mankad, Dattu Phadkar, Ghulam Ahmad, Vijay Manjrekar, M L Jaisimha and Dilip Sardesai.

Full list of award winners:

Col. C.K. Nayudu Lifetime achievement award: Sunil Gavaskar - Rs 25 lakh
100 int'l centuries: Sachin Tendulkar
Polly Umrigar award: Virat Kohli; Rs 5 lakh
Lala Amarnath award (Best all-rounder in the Ranji Trophy): Stuart Binny (KSCA); Rs 2.5 lakh
Best all-rounder Limited overs: Laxmi Ratan Shukla (CAB); Rs 2.5 lakh.
Madhavrao Scindia Trophy (Highest Run getter in ranji Trophy): Robin Bist; Rs. 2.5 lakh
Highest wicket-taker in the Ranji trophy: Ashoke Dinda (CAB); Rs. 2.5 lakh.
M.A. Chidambaram trophy, Best U-16 cricketer of 2011-12: Mohd Saif (UPCA); Rs. 50,000.
M.A. Chidambaram trophy, Best under-19 cricketer: Vijay Zol (Maharashtra CA); Rs. 50,000.
M.A. Chidambaram trophy, Best under-22 cricketer: Satyam Choudhary (MPCA); Rs. 50,000
M.A. Chidambaram trophy, Best woman cricketer (Sr): Anagha Deshpande (Maharashtra CA); Rs. 50,000
Best umpire in domestic cricket: S Ravi; Trophy and cheque for Rs. 50,000.

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BCCI says 'yes' to Dhoni's demand for spin tracks:see4news

Mumbai:  Some lauded Indian skipper MS Dhoni while some criticised him for asking for a rank turner in Mumbai. But what would matter to Dhoni is that BCCI is listening. And it seems that the Board has sent out a message to the curators to prepare pitches the captain wants. 

The Indian board has backed their skipper and has asked the state associations to prepare rank turners for the remaining three Tests & two T20s vs England. And MSD got further support from former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar.

"It's up to the home team and they should get the advantage. They must play to their strength and he (Dhoni) feels that (Pragyan) Ojha and (Ravichandran) Ashwin are his strengths," Vengsarkar. 

And if Mumbai cricket association officials are to be believed, Alastair Cook & Co will play on a pitch that will probably have more bite than they can handle.

However India's tactics could backfire as they nearly did in 2004. After asking for a rank turner India sneaked through for a win despite the 6 wickets picked up by part time spinner Michael Clarke. But this time around things could be different given the class of Graeme Swann.

And if England include Monty Panesar for the second Test, a spinning track could go against India. The left arm spinner is expected to be picked after England's Director of Cricket Andy Flower accepted that dropping Panesar was a mistake.

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Ganguly clarifies his view on Dhoni-Laxman relationship

New Delhi: Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday clarified that he never suggested through his comments that VVS Laxman does not enjoy captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's support.

Laxman stunned cricket fraternity yesterday by announcing his sudden retirement. The timing of Laxman's retirement shocked many as he was picked in the squad for the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand.

Ganguly was quoted as saying in media that had Laxman enjoyed support of his skipper Dhoni, situation could have been different for him.

However, Ganguly today said, he did not mean what media suggested of his comments.

"I would like to place on record that part of my comment on VVS Laxman's efforts to get in touch with skipper MS Dhoni was misconstrued. What I did say was, 'In cricket at times you need to be available 24x7 as a captain'. It no way implied that Laxman doesn't enjoy his skipper's support or suggest that the situation would have been different (for Laxman) had he enjoyed the skipper's support," Ganguly said.

Ganguly had also lashed out at the selectors, especially chief selector K Srikkanth for the communication gap between them and the players.

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The whole team will miss you Lachu Bhai, says MS Dhoni

New Delhi: Apparently incommunicado when VVS Laxman tried contacting him before announcing retirement, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni paid rich tribute to the veteran batsman saying that his absence would be felt by the entire team.

"The whole team will miss u VVS.One of the best human being I have ever met in my life.Spent a lot of time with him while batting and Fielding and the chat would always be about the team.will miss him whenever the team cuts cake, Personally I will really miss u LACHU BHAI," Dhoni tweeted.

Yesterday, while announcing his immediate retirement despite being selected for the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand, Laxman had raised a few eyebrows by stating that he could not contact Dhoni despite trying.

"I did try to get in touch with Dhoni but as you know it's very difficult to reach him," Laxman had said with a smile during an emotional press conference in Hyderabad.

Meanwhile, tributes poured in for the stylish right-hander with not just cricketers but athletes from other sports lauding him.

"Thank you for all the memories VVS. Cricket World will mourn, Aussie cricket will celebrate," tweeted tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi.

"India will miss VVS Laxman, rock solid batsman, a great ambassador for cricket & above all one of the best human beings I have met," added Olympic silver-medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Rathore.

Young Indian batsman Virat Kohli also took to twitter to applaud the veteran.

"A very very special cricketer and a more special person. A true inspiration and class personified!You will be missed laxman bhai.take a bow," he said.

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Mary Kom in semifinal, assured of a medal

London: M C Mary Kom on Monday created history as she assured India its fourth Olympic medal after winning her quarterfinal boxing bout against Maroua Rahali of Tunisia by 15-6 margin in the women's 51 kg category in London on Tuesday.

The five-time world champion and the face of women's boxing in India for the past decade has now been assured of at least a bronze medal in the inaugural edition of women's boxing in the Games. She will also be the third Indian woman after Karnam Malleswari and Saina Nehwal to win an Olympic medal.

Someone who enjoys iconic status in the North-East India, the performance of the 29-year old Manipuri woman, who is a mother of twin boys, will surely encourage many more from the region to take up the sport.

'Magnificent Mary', as she is known in the boxing fraternity, fought in a calculative manner as she used the first round to sort out her Tunisian opponent and then slowly upped the ante in the subsequent three rounds.

The first round was a quiet affair with Mary Kom gaining a slender 2-1 lead. A couple of meaty blows in the second round helped her increase the lead to 5-3.

However, just like Sunday when she launched a furious assault on her Polish opponent Karolina in the third round, Mary employed the same strategy in the third round on Monday.

A couple of right hooks followed by a lethal left hook was enough to soften up the big bodied Tunisian girl who was trying to use her long reach to keep her Indian opponent at bay.

The 11-4 scoreline in the third round was the decisive lead that Mary Kom needed as it is never easy to erase a 7-point deficit without a knock-out.

The last round was all about keeping her cool although Mary at times got tempted to punch her opponent at the back of her head inviting caution from the referee. Still she managed to clinch the round with a 4-2 score and the final margin of 15-6 was certainly a convincing way to get into the semi-final.

For the mother, who missed her twins' fifth birthday on Sunday, this is supposed to be the most precious birthday gift they received from their mother. Rechungvar and Khupneivarand should not be complaining. 

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Gagan Narang wins 10m Air Rifle Bronze, fetches first medal for India

London: Ace marksman Gagan Narang on Monday opened India's account in the London Olympic Games by clinching the bronze medal in the men's 10m air rifle event here.

Narang shot 103.1 in a gripping ten-shot finals for an aggregate of 701.1 after scoring 598 in the qualifying round in which also he stood third.

The gold was won by Romania's Moldoveanu Alin George who tallied 702.1, that included 103.1 in the final, to upset world number 1 Niccolo Campriani of Italy who stood second with 701.5 at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

After a good start when he shot 10.7, Narang was off target with his second shot that fetched him 9.7. But he gathered his wits and steadied his aim to collect 10.6 10.7 10.4 and 10.6 in the following four shots to at one stage remain on course for bagging even a silver.

However, he slipped a bit and had to fight for the bronze medal with China's Wang Tao who finished fourth with 700.4. After returning poor scores of 9.9 and 9.5 in the seventh and eighth attempts, Narang pulled up his socks to seal the bronze with impressive scores of 10.3 and 10.7.

Narang's compatriot and defending champion Abhinav Bindra had, however, suffered a shocking exit with his dismal show in the preliminaries in which he stood 16th out of 47 contestants with a score of 594 out of 600.

Narang's bronze medal is only the third in shooting on the planet's biggest sporting event after Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's silver in double trap in Athens 2004 and Bindra's gold in the last Games at Beijing.

This was also India's eighth individual medal in the Olympic Games.

With Alin George and Campriani able to maintain their grip on the top two positions, the competition for the bronze medal had boiled down to a tense contest between the Indian and his Chinese rival over the last few shots in which Narang prevailed.

There was stage when Campriani's poor efforts of 9.9 and 9.4 in the eighth and the penultimate series gave Narang a whiff of chance of winning the silver, but the Italian fired a 10.4 in his last shot to dash the Indian's hope of finishing second.

Earlier, Narang had kept alive India's hopes by advancing to the medal round after Bindra crashed out.

Bindra, who scripted history four years ago by becoming the country's first-ever individual gold medallist in the Olympics, shot 594 out of 600 to finish a shocking 16th out of 47 competitors and lost the golden chance of becoming the world's first shooter to win two successive gold medals at the mega event.

However, Narang kept India in the hunt by finishing third with 598, a point behind Campriani and Alin George who both shot an Olympic record-equalling 599 to stand first and second in the qualifying round.

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India, Pakistan to play 3 ODIs, 2 T20s in December

New Delhi: After five years of no cricket, India and Pakistan will play again this December. The cricket boards of the two countries have agreed to play three One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals during the Christmas break. India will host the series and sources say the it has the government's nod.

A short Board of Control for Cricket in India statement said today that the modalities of the series will be worked out shortly."It was decided to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan by inviting the Pakistan cricket team for a short series in December 2012 - January 2013. The modalities will be worked out shortly," BCCI said in its statement.

The One-Dayers will be played in New Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai and Bangalore and Ahmedabad will host the two T20 matches.

India has a packed cricket schedule this year and the Indo-Pak matches will be accommodated in the middle of England's tour to India. England will finish playing Tests and the team will fly back for Christmas. They will be back in the New Year to play ODIs.

BCCI member Rajiv Shukla said that the Pakistan Cricket Board has been urging for resumption of cricketing ties. "We played after 1965 war and the 1971 war and even after Kargil. People also wanted cricket to be played. Our decision was taken after PCB appealed to us. They also spoke to BCCI president N Srinivasan. I spoke with the government as well," he said.

An India-Pakistan encounter on the field will be manna for cricket fans, but not everyone is ecstatic; former India captain and ace batsman Sunil Gavaskar has warned that India will at that time be in the middle of playing England, the world's best team and will need the rest that the Christmas holidays will afford before going back headlong to the one-dayers. 

He also said, "As a Mumbaikar I feel what's the need of playing cricket with Pakistan? What's the urgency of playing cricket when there has been no co-operation from the other side? If you get away by doing a wrong thing once then you tend to do it again." (Watch video here)

The Maharashtra Congress has also asked the BCCI to reconsider the decision to restart cricket ties with Pakistan. The Congress in New Delhi however said that it has always maintained that cricket and politics should be kept apart.

The two countries last played a Test and ODI series way back in 2007. Then came the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008 plunging bilateral ties between the two countries to an all-time low. Cricket suffered. India were scheduled to tour Pakistan in January 2009, but most players said they were reluctant to go.

Sri Lanka stepped in and agreed to tour Pakistan instead, but a terror attack on the visiting team in Lahore on March 3, 2009, saw an end to international cricket in Pakistan. Since then, no international team has toured Pakistan. Even World Cup 2011 matches scheduled to be played in Pakistan were shifted to other venues in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.  

On the sidelines of efforts to revive bilateral ties between the two nations, the Pakistan Cricket Board has been pushing hard to resume cricketing ties with India and also bring back international cricket to Pakistan. Earlier this month, the foreign secretaries of both the countries had talked about resuming sporting contact and last week, PCB chief Zaka Ashraf made three offers  - that India could tour Pakistan, or play them at a neutral venue, or then it could allow PCB to host their home series in India.

The PCB chief has held several meetings with BCCI president N Srinivasan. Later this year, the BCCI has invited Pakistan's domestic champion outfit the
Sialkot Stallions to participate in the qualifying Tournament of Champions League Twenty20 to be held in South Africa later this year.

For the last five years, India and Pakistan have only played each other in multi-team series and in the famous semi-final of the 2010 World Cup when India defeated Pakistan at Mohali.

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Asian Games gold medallist Pinki accused of being male, held for 'rape'

Kolkata: Asian Games gold medal winning athlete Pinki Pramanik was arrested after a complaint was made that she is a male and has allegedly raped a woman, police said on Thursday.

"We arrested Pramanik Thursday morning after a woman lodged a complaint of rape, stating that the athlete was a male and has been cohabiting with her for past several months. He promised to marry her but later denied," said an officer of Baguihati police station in North 24-Parganas where the complaint was made.

Following the complaint, Pramanik was taken to a private nursing home for a medical checkup where the test reports showed that the athlete was indeed a male.

"We will take Pramanik for a medical checkup to a government-run hospital and after the reports come in, the athlete will be presented before a court," added the officer.

Pramanik won gold in 4×400 metres relay at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. She was a silver medallist at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games the same year.

She retired from athletics three years ago.

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Mahesh Bhupathi-Sania Mirza win French Open mixed doubles title

Paris: Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi won their second Grand Slam title together and first French Open trophy after crushing the challenge of Klaudia Jans-Ignacik and Santiago Gonzalez in the mixed doubles final, here on Thursday.

Playing their third Grand Slam final together, the seventh seeded Indian pair scored a 7-6 (3), 6-1 win over the Polish-Mexican pair in one hour and 13 minutes at the Court Philippe Chatrier.

It is the second Grand Slam title for Sania while 12th Major trophy for Bhupathi, who now has won eight mixed doubles trophies.

Sania and Bhupathi had won the 2009 Australia Open and it is their first Grand Slam title since then. Sania had become the first woman tennis player from India to win a Grand Slam with that Australian Open trophy.

Leander Paes is the most successful Indian tennis player with 13 Grand Slam titles, seven of which are men's doubles trophies with various partners.

With this win, Sania and Bhupathi sent out a warning to the players worldwide that they will be a force to reckon with at the upcoming London Olympics.

However, they are not yet sure of competing there. Sania needs to get the wild card to make the women's singles draw which will make her eligible to contest in the mixed doubles.

In Thursday's match, the Indians were slow off the blocks with their rivals dominating the proceedings early on but they raised the level of their game as the match progressed and in the end scored a comfortable win.

Mahesh Bhupathi presented himself a good birthday gift as he turned 38 on Thursday.

"I don't need to give gift to my partner (now that we have won)," Sania said jokingly after the match.

It wasn't a great start for the Indian pair, which got the first break chance in the very first game, but not only did they miss that, Sania dropped her serve in the third game.

Sania struggled with both her serve and returns and Bhupathi too was not getting his shot placements right. They were down 1-3 and also squandered two break chances when Klaudia was serving in the eighth game.

But they lifted their game and spirit up and broke Santiago in the 10th game when Bhupathi smashed an overhead volley to draw parity. The set was stretched into a tie-break, where the experienced Indians prevailed.

The second set was a no contest as the Indians ran through their rivals. Santiago was broken in the very first game and the Indians were unstoppable after that.

Another break of serve off Santiago put the Indians ahead 4-1 and they comfortably sealed the match.

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Rohit Sharma helps India A take 25-run lead

Barbados: India A took a 25-run first-innings lead over West Indies A on the second day of the first four-day match between the two sides at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday.

Rohit Sharma’s sparkling innings of 94 was matched by Jonathan Carter, a 24-year-old medium-pacer from Barbados who picked up a career-best 5 for 63 to help bowl India A out for 277. West Indies A had made 252 on the opening day. Delorn Johnson, a left-arm-pacer, complemented Carter by taking 3 for 29.

India A’s first innings started in disastrous fashion as Abhinav Mukund and Ajinkya Rahane were dismissed for ducks. The innings was in tatters when Shikhar Dhawan (9) was caught behind with the scoreboard reading 21 for three.

It took the calming influence of Rohit to rebuild the innings. He was supported by half-centuries from Cheteshwar Pujara (50), the captain, and Wriddhiman Saha (56), the wicketkeeper.

Rohit put on 93 for the fourth wicket with Pujara and was then involved in another fruitful stand, of 72 off 95 balls for the fifth wicket with Manoj Tiwary, who made 40.

The visitors suffered a lower middle-order collapse as they went from 186 for five to 231 for nine, before a last-wicket stand between Saha and Ashok Dinda took them past the West Indies A score.

West Indies A were three without loss at stumps in their second knock.

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Stosur into last eight at French Open

Paris: Australia's Samantha Stosur reached the quarter-finals of the French Open on Sunday with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Sloane Stephens of the United States.

The US Open champion, seeded sixth, will play Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia for a place in the semi-finals.

Stosur, who was the losing finalist here two years ago, was expected to be too strong and have too much big game experience for the young American, but she struggled to impose her game in the first set.

The 19-year-old Stephens, playing in just her fourth Grand Slam tournament and into the fourth round for the first time, broke to lead 4-3 and then held serve for a 5-3 lead.

Two games later she served to go a set up, but Stosur turned up the power just when she needed it to break back.

The Australian won the next two games to take the set 7-5, breaking to love in the 12th game.

The second set was more one-sided with Stosur breaking early and powering away to reach the last eight.

The defeat for Stephens means that Uzbekistan-born Varvara Lepchencko is the lone American left in the tournment following the early departures of the Williams sisters and the failure of the US men to get one player past the second round.

Lepchencko goes for a quarter-final place on Monday with a match against fourth seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic.

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Hodgson unsure if France beatable in Euros opene

Krakow, Poland: His team beset by injuries after less than a month in charge, Roy Hodgson has conceded that England will struggle to beat France in their European Championship opener.

A trio of influential players has been ruled out of the tournament with injuries even before the team travels to its Polish base, while both warmup matches have produced unconvincing 1-0 victories over sides which failed to qualify for Euro 2012.

On top of that, Hodgson must cope without Wayne Rooney for the group matches against France and Sweden due to his suspension for kicking an opponent in the last qualifier, with the striker only available for the group stage finale against co-host Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the French, whose World Cup campaign was even more calamitous than England's, have been transformed in the last two years by Laurent Blanc.

"I have got a team in my head that can do very well against (France), whether we can beat them I don't know," Hodgson said. "When you have gone 21 games unbeaten (if France beat Estonia on Tuesday) you have obviously have something.

"And, what's more, you have got a lot of games behind you, and a lot of matches together with this particular team that you have believed in."

The prevailing sense of realism in England about the team's prospects of ending a 46-year title drought has been heightened by the string of tournament-ending injuries since Hodgson named his 23-man squad three weeks ago.

The first setback was losing third-choice goalkeeper John Ruddy to a broken finger, but key midfielders Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard, and defender Gary Cahill have also sustained injuries in the last week.

A draw against France would seem to be an accomplishment for England.

"I am happier that we are moving towards a team which I think can not only give them a good game," Hodgson said. "If we have a bit of luck on our side, who knows, perhaps we can win it.

"But I am not suggesting that we will and I don't think we'll go into the game as favorites to be frank — not in terms of what France have done in the last couple of years vis-a-vis what we have done."

While France is on a 20-game unbeaten run, England's last loss came in February against the Netherlands when Stuart Pearce was in temporary charge following Fabio Capello's resignation.

But it is not all bleak in the England camp as the country seeks to make amends for their last-16 exit at the World Cup.

Hodgson was encouraged by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's youthful energy as the 18-year-old Arsenal winger made his first start in Saturday's victory against Belgium, even if he did seem too keen to impress at times.

"It is a good fault though isn't it. We have been trying to encourage that a little bit," Hodgson said. "We have got quick players. I don't think we have got into those areas anywhere near as much as I would have liked ... but the good thing is that if we could get into those areas, the players we have got there, with their pace and ability, they can cause problems.

"Our message to the players has been that they have to be brave and show some courage. They have to try it on. If it doesn't work, we will take the responsibility. We would rather they take it on, than turn back and play the ball back again because you are worried that if you try and go by the guy and lose the ball everyone is going to criticize you."

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Strike last resort for Australian cricketers: Paul Marsh

Sydney: Australia's players have not ruled out industrial action if they cannot reach agreement with Cricket Australia over a new pay deal by the June 30 deadline. However, the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh said the player union would prefer to roll the existing pay agreement forward if a deal is not finalised by the end of the month, instead of resorting to a player strike.

Talks between the ACA and Cricket Australia have so far failed to resolve the issue of the players' share of cricket revenue, which looms as the major stumbling block to a new memorandum of understanding (MoU). A new MoU was due last year but instead the existing arrangement was extended for another year as the parties could not agree on some matters, and discussions have been no smoother this year.

At the weekend, reports emerged of the possibility that the players might even boycott the upcoming one-day tour of England or the ICC World Twenty20 if a deal was not reached. However, Marsh said that while the ACA was preparing for all eventualities, it was still hopeful of a resolution with Cricket Australia and failing that, a potential extension of the existing MoU.

"That sort of stuff (a strike) is always an absolute last resort," Marsh said on ABC Radio on Monday. "I think our preferred method here, and I don't know what Cricket Australia's position is, but our preferred strategy would be to keep rolling the current deal until we can reach an agreement. Nobody wants a situation where the players aren't playing. But I guess it takes two to tango.

"Where the story has come from over the weekend, the question was put to us are you preparing for a boycott or strike action… we're preparing for everything. We're not going to get to the 30th of June and say we haven't got a deal, what do we do now? Our job is to make sure when that time comes, hopefully we have got a deal, that's our absolute priority, but if we haven't then we've got to be able to talk different options. Obviously we'll take those options back to the collective player group and we'll make a decision from there."

One issue that has held up discussions has been the move to a performance-based player payment model, although Marsh said the two parties had almost reached agreement. But the major point of contention is the make-up of the cricket revenue pool, which includes revenue streams such as media rights, sponsorships and gate takings, from which Australia's players receive a 26% cut.

"Cricket Australia pretty late in the piece have come to us and tried to take a couple of revenue streams out of that definition as well as turning one from what currently now a gross revenue definition into a net revenue definition," Marsh said. "The amount of money at stake is pretty significant and I think for very reasonable reasons we're not agreeing to that. At the moment it's a little bit of a stalemate on that particular issue.

"If you have a look at what players from a lot of the overseas type sports get it's up over 50%. So we're pretty reasonable in terms of what we're asking for. If Cricket Australia want to start to unbundle all the revenue streams and say we don't want you to have this one now ... then we quite rightly should turn around and say we want more of the high-margin revenue streams."

The prolonged nature of the negotiations is affecting the ability of the state and Big Bash League teams to finalise their playing lists, for deals cannot be confirmed until the MoU is completed. That means a longer period of uncertainty for men such as Usman Khawaja, who has been linked with a move from New South Wales to Queensland but cannot yet sign a contract.

Marsh conceded the state organisations were "screaming out" for a resolution and that the talks could be an unwelcome distraction from the business of preparing players for first-class and international cricket. However, he said he remained confident that an agreement could be reached before the end of the month.

"The only thing I can go by is the history and historically we have always got a deal done," he said. "I'm confident we'll get a deal done this time but it does take two to tango and Cricket Australia, we need to understand what their intentions are. They're firmly digging in pretty strongly here and equally we're doing the same."

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One or two problems don't make IPL bad: Sachin Tendulkar

Mumbai: There may be a few problems afflicting the IPL, but Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said that they don't make the entire tournament questionable.

"I think there are one or two problems in every organisation and it does not make the entire organisation bad," responded Tendulkar to a query on allegations of spot-fixing surrounding the BCCI's lucrative Indian Premier League.

Tendulkar, who is set to take oath as Rajya Sabha member on June 4, advised young players to follow the people who set the right example and absorb their good qualities.

"I would definitely say this (spot-fixing) is not a good example (to set). My advice would be to follow the people who set the right example. Follow the right direction and absorb all the good qualities," he said.

Tendulkar was speaking to reporters at a function.

A TV sting operation recently showed five fringe players connected to the IPL purportedly indulging in questionable behaviour, prompting the BCCI to suspend them besides launching an inquiry.

The cricket body has asked its new anti-corruption chief Ravi Sawani to conduct an inquiry and submit a report.

The suspended players are TP Sudhindra (Deccan Chargers), Mohnish Mishra (Pune Warriors), Amit Yadav ( Kings XI Punjab), Shalabh Shrivastava (Kings XI Punjab) and first-class cricketer Abhinav Bali.

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France beat Serbia as Mvila picks up ankle injury

Mvila broke down in tears when he was replaced after twisting his right ankle, leaving the stadium on crutches before returning to the bench without them in the second half.

France, who start their Euro 2012 campaign against England on June 11 in Donetsk, Ukraine, prevailed with early goals by Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda as they played eye-catching, free-flowing football in the first half.

"In the first half we did a lot of nice things offensively, that was positive," coach Laurent Blanc told French TV channel TF1.

"The players were in better shape than against Iceland (in a 3-2 win on Sunday). We were better physically but we are not ready yet, we suffered in the last 15 minutes."

Blanc did not comment on Mvila's condition.

France went ahead in the 11th minute when Ribery volleyed home after Zeljko Brkic parried a Gael Clichy effort into the path of the Bayern Munich winger.

Four minutes later, Malouda struck a fierce drive from 30 metres to make it 2-0.France continued to push hard for more goals but failed to breach the Israel defence again and gradually ran out of steam.

Les Bleus face Estonia in a friendly in Le Mans on Tuesday.

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Improving Germany beat Israel in final Euro warm-up

Germany: Germany worked hard for a 2-0 win over Israel in a Euro 2012 warm-up match on Thursday with Mario Gomez and Andre Schuerrle on target in their final test before next month's tournament.

The three-time European champions, among the title favourites, dominated with a performance that was a marked improvement on their 5-3 defeat by Switzerland on Saturday.

However, they wasted close to a dozen clear chances on a rainy evening in Leipzig as they prepare for the finals being co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

Germany face Portugal on June 9 in their first match in Group B which also includes Netherlands and Denmark.

"We can say this was a decent final test of our preparation and will give us a bit of a boost," said coach Joachim Loew, who is leading Germany for a third major tournament.

"Obviously not everything worked well yet. It is clear we could have scored more goals but to go with a win into next week is good for us," he told reporters.

"We will improve, the tempo at the tournament will be higher, in the second half we squandered six or seven chances... so there is still a bit to work on."

With Bastian Schweinsteiger ruled out with a nagging thigh injury, Toni Kroos partnered Sami Khedira in a holding midfield role.

POURING RAIN

Captain Philipp Lahm switched from his usual right back position to left back with central defender Jerome Boateng playing on the right where he is less comfortable.

The Germans, as expected, took the initiative in constant pouring rain but had to wait 20 minutes for their first clear chance when Boateng rattled the post with a curled left-foot shot as Israel defended in numbers.

Gomez broke the deadlock five minutes before halftime, picking up a Thomas Mueller pass in the box and firing high into the net for his 22nd international goal in 52 appearances.

Germany keeper Manuel Neuer was called into action twice soon after the break to rescue the hosts before they upped the tempo again, missing several chances with Lukas Podolski and Mueller among the culprits.

Substitute Schuerrle grabbed their deserved second goal eight minutes from time, rifling home from 20 metres as Germany won their first match this year after two defeats.

"We had some good combinations, allowed nothing to happen at the back," said Lahm. "We (Bayern players) had not played for 12 days, we had only three days of training with the team so not everything can work instantly. That's normal."

"We'll be fully fit when the tournament starts," added Lahm who along with his club team mates had been given some rest after losing to Chelsea in the Champions League final.

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IPL 5: Kings XI Punjab ease past Deccan Chargers

Hyderabad: Once Kings XI Punjab were powered to 170 by Mandeep Singh's 75, the visitors here on Tuesday left nothing to chance as Deccan Chargers were forced to submit by 25 runs.

Mandeep took the stadium by a steady but continious storm of runs before his work was backed up by Punjab bowlers led by Praveen Kumar and skipper David Hussey.

Deccan were always going to find the going tough but each time the side looked to take the bowling on, Punjab bagged wickets to leave the opposition reeling. This after opener Shikhar Dhawan had already been bowled by Kumar in the second over of the chase.

Parthiv Patel (17 off 13) hit a six and a boundary which hinted at bigger things to come but was bowled by Parvinder Awana in the fifth over. Daniel Harris had 30 off 29 but just when he looked to cut loose, was sent back by Hussey. The following batsmen looked like having 'guest-roles' in the middle.

Cameron White (8 off 14) and Kumar Sangakkara (4 off 6) left with signs that the chase had already been given up on. Some late hitting did entertain the spectators but in cricketing terms, failed to have any impact on the match.

What did have a solid impact was Mandeep's innings earlier on. A relatively quiet Indian Premier League for him exploded in a torrid 48-ball 75.

Mandeep opened the innings with Shaun Marsh and the two built a 55-run stand for the opening wicket. Although the rate of scoring in the opening overs was not phenomenal, the batsmen did manage to find the boundaries in almost every over to keep the innings moving forward.

Shikhar Dhawan was brought into the action and he gave his team the breakthrough in his second over, getting the better of Marsh (22 off 20). Nitin Saini's wicket in the next over threatened to create a crack but Mandeep shifted gears to execute the big-hits with perfection.

Even though he lost his skipper in David Hussey in the 12th over, Mandeep carries on his innings, slapping Amit Mishra for back-to-back boundaries in the 13th over and following it up with 10 runs off three balls in a VP Singh over.

By the time Mandeep left, removed by Ashish Reddy, the foundation for the final onslaught was set. David Miller took full advantage of it and hit boundaries at will to finish the innings.

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Oudin, star at '09 US Open, gets French wild card

Melanie Oudin was introduced to the world - and to the notion of outsized expectations - when she was an unseeded and unknown 17-year-old from Marietta, Ga., who upset Maria Sharapova during a captivating run to the 2009 U.S. Open quarterfinals.

The going's been rough since: a 2-8 record at Grand Slam tournaments, plenty of other early exits elsewhere, too, and a ranking that dropped from a high of 31st to 370th. She didn't even get into the Australian Open in January after losing her opening match in qualifying.

Now 20 and trying to work her way back, Oudin is heading to the main draw of the French Open this month after earning a wild card at low-level clay-court tournaments in the United States.

"There's always ups and downs in everyone's tennis career. For me, this was definitely the down part of my career. Hopefully there won't be too many other down parts. But what matters is how you come out of your downs," Oudin said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Monday, the words delivered in that familiar rat-a-tat style of hers. "Ups are always great. But what really makes you a great tennis player is how you deal with the losses and come out of a slump."

The kid whose shoes were stamped with the word "Believe" during those magical, memorable two weeks in New York more than 2½ years ago is using that mantra again.

For whatever ups and downs Oudin already has lived as a pro tennis player - at ages when some people are in high school or college - she sounded a positive note Monday.

"I've handled myself well. I've really tried to keep going. Not getting down on myself. Never giving up. And playing tennis again for the reasons I love play: Not for the winning and losing, but because I love to play and I love competing and playing in all the tournaments," Oudin said. "I'm definitely doing better now. I feel like my game is coming into place again and I'm starting to get more confidence. I'm going in the right direction now."

She's 270th in Monday's WTA rankings, too low to even get invited to the qualifying rounds for the French Open, the year's second Grand Slam tournament.

But the U.S. Tennis Association gets two wild cards for Paris that it can hand out however it wants (the French federation gets a pair for the U.S. Open in exchange). This year, the USTA awarded those wild cards based on results at recent events. Brian Baker of Nashville, Tenn., got the men's invitation, and Oudin got the women's, thanks in large part to winning a USTA Pro Circuit title at Charlottesville, Va.

"It's really good for me to come through and win a tournament, because I hadn't won a tournament in a while," Oudin said. "I definitely see it as an accomplishment. Getting the main-draw wild card gives me a huge opportunity to do well and hopefully I can get some matches there and get my ranking back up."

She started training with USTA coaches in Florida in October, then moved to New York to work with Jay Gooding and Jorge Todero of the USTA a little more than two months ago.

Their focus is on fitness and confidence, more than any particular stroke.

"She's already been there and done that. She was up to 30th in the world. She was playing at a high level for a year or two. Tennis is not the issue. It's mental and physical," Gooding said. "She's already proven that she could do it, and as long as she got her head back in a good place, she knew she could start winning again."

Whatever progress is being made now, the real goal is to start off 2013 fresh as Oudin moves into what Gooding referred to as "her second career."

"What we want to learn from is what she did after the U.S. Open that year. She could have managed her schedule a bit better. She played too much. Got a little burned out. Did a little too many media commitments, maybe," he said. "It's not like she's the first to ever go through that. It happens a lot, where people skyrocket up and then the next year is the difficult one. Having that experience, maybe she can do things a little bit different."

Instead of looking at what happened in 2009 as a burden, Oudin is trying to find inspiration from it.

"It's something I'll always be able to look back on and feel like: I did this, and I can do it again. It's something I can work toward. And I'm really looking forward to having another great run like that again. I just don't know when it will come. Just like I didn't know that was going to come out of nowhere," she said.

"I just have to keep working hard," Oudin added, "and remember that I can compete with the best in the world."

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