Sunday 1 March 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Kerry arrives in Geneva for tough Iran,Ukraine talks

Posted:

GENEVA (AFP) - Top US diplomat John Kerry arrived in Switzerland late Sunday for tough talks on Iran and Ukraine, and to push Moscows foreign minister to ensure a credible investigation into the killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. Less than a week after accusing Russian officials of lying to my face about the fighting in eastern Ukraine, Kerry will have likely tense discussions with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. He will also step up the pace of nuclear talks with Irans top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif with a series of meetings planned over the next three days.Earlier Sunday Kerry urged Russia to carry out a thorough, transparent, real investigation into the murder of Nemtsov, a Russian opposition leader who fiercely criticized President Vladimir Putin.Nemtsov was shot dead in Moscow on Friday, just two days before he was due to lead a major anti-government rally.From Switzerland, Kerry is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Salman before flying to London to join a conference of foreign ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council.

French nuke plant shut down due to pipe defect

Posted:

STRASBOURG (AFP) - Energy production has been shut down at Frances oldest nuclear power plant after a pipe defect was discovered, the stations operators said Sunday. The Fessenheim plant, which is near the Swiss and German borders, was halted on Saturday just before 1900 GMT due to a flaw in a pipe in the machine room, which does not house nuclear material, a statement from energy supplier EDF said. The stations staff are currently diagnosing the exact cause of this event, said EDF, adding the defect had no consequence on the safety of the facility, the environment or staff.The fault was in production unit one, while production unit 2 had been shut down since overnight Friday for maintenance and refuelling work which is expected to take several weeks.The emergency shutdown is the second for the station since April, when it was taken out of service for a few days due to two incidents, including a pipe defect in its water supply system. Fessenheim houses two 900 megawatt reactors and has been running since 1977, making its Frances oldest operating plant. Due to its age activists have long called for it to be permanently closed. When a new plant comes online in northern France, which is currently set for 2017, Fessenheim is to be taken out of service.

Zardari, Altaf agree to promote political reconciliation in Sindh

Posted:

KARACHI (Dunya News) - Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain and former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had a telephonic conversation on Sunday.Asif Zardari and Altaf Hussain felicitated each other over the unopposed victory of PPP and MQM candidates in the Senate elections. Both the leaders also agreed to create an atmosphere of reconciliation in Sindh.Both the leaders discussed about bitterness and misunderstandings of the past between the PPP amd MQM and vowed not to repeat these mistakes in the future.

Tennis: Nadal grabs slice of history with Argentina win

Posted:

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Rafael Nadal beat Juan Monaco on Sunday to win the Argentina Open, claiming his first title since Roland Garros last year and nabbing a slice of tennis history as well.Nadals 6-4, 6-1 victory gave him the 46th claycourt title of his career, tying him with Guillermo Vilas for the most titles on the sandy surface in the Open Era.It was Nadals 65th career crown on all surfaces, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on the Open Era all-time list led by the 109 titles of American Jimmy Connors.Most importantly, it showed Nadal is headed in the right direction.The Spaniard, who battled injury last year after winning his ninth French Open, exited early in Qatar and fell in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open in January.He had fallen to fourth in the world after a semi-final loss to Italian Fabio Fognini in Rio de Janeiro last week, the first time he hasnt figured in the top three since August 2013.With this win, hes projected to return to third in the world, again overtaking Britains Andy Murray.Im coming off a season that has not been easy -- injuries, accidents, said Nadal, who had to cope with wrist trouble and an appendectomy in 2014.The beginning of this year has been a bit tricky after some time out, but little by little we have found positive feelings.The 28-year-old left-hander needed one hour and 26 minutes on court to notch his sixth victory over Monaco in as many meetings on clay.But the players had to wait out a two-hour rain delay before the match, and another 55-minute delay after both held serve for 1-1 in the opening set on the still slippery court.It was a tough day in the rain because no one knew what was going to happen, Nadal said. I am very thrilled to win here. From the first day I trained my best to achieve this goal. Im very happy. I leave here with an unforgettable feeling and memory.After securing a tight first set with a break of serve in the seventh game, Nadal stormed through the second.He broke Monaco twice en route to a 4-0 lead, then broke him again in the final game, clinching the win on his first match point when Monaco sent a forehand long.Nadal, playing in the Argentinian capital for the first time in a decade, didnt face a break point in the contest before a packed crowd that included Vilas and David Nalbandian, the last Argentinian player to win the Buenos Aires title.He was handed the trophy by Argentinian Gaston Gaudio, the 2004 French Open champion.

Football: Clinical Chelsea earn Mourinho third League Cup

Posted:

LONDON (AFP) - John Terry set Chelsea up for a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in Sundays League Cup final as Jose Mourinho claimed the first trophy of his second stint as manager.Terrys deflected strike put Chelsea ahead on the stroke of half-time at Wembley and Mourinhos side sealed victory in the 56th minute when Spurs right-back Kyle Walker deflected Diego Costas effort into his own net.It was Mourinhos first title since he returned to Stamford Bridge in 2013 and his third League Cup after previous successes with the club in 2005 and 2007.My players were fantastic, Mourinho told Sky Sports after cavorting with his players on the pitch following the trophy presentation. Finals are not for playing; they are for winning.We did not have problems. They had a couple of chances, but nothing else. We knew we would be dangerous on the counter and we played like we should play a final.Victory completed a satisfying day for Premier League leaders Chelsea, who saw closest rivals Manchester City beaten by Liverpool earlier in the day, and kept them on course for a trophy treble, following their 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League last 16.Spurs had been hoping to end a trophy drought stretching back to 2008, when they had beaten Chelsea 2-1 in the League Cup final, but with star man Harry Kane shackled, they were unable to pull off a repeat of the 5-3 defeat they had inflicted on their London rivals on New Years Day.It brought an end to a sorry week for Spurs, who were knocked out of the Europa League by Fiorentina on Thursday and now have only Champions League qualification to play for.We fought until the final moment and that was important, said Spurs head coach Mauricio Pochettino.We have a very young group and it was a first final for a lot of our players.While Pochettino selected Hugo Lloris instead of usual cup goalkeeper Michel Vorm, Mourinho left his first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on the bench, with Petr Cech starting.But the biggest surprise on the Chelsea team-sheet was the presence of three centre-backs in Terry, Gary Cahill and Kurt Zouma, with the latter filling in for the suspended Nemanja Matic in an unfamiliar midfield destroyer role.A pair of early set-pieces allowed Chelsea to force Spurs back, with Terry and Branislav Ivanovic heading off-target, but with Mourinhos side sitting very deep, their opponents were invited to attack them.Christian Eriksen gave Chelsea an early fright by thudding a free-kick against the bar after Kane had been fouled by Cesc Fabregas, while Kane tested Cech following a purposeful run from halfway.Eriksen also forced Cech to save at his near post and although Costa was busy riling Spurs defenders at the other end, luring Eric Dier into a rash foul that saw him booked, Lloris was largely untroubled.That changed shortly before half-time when Willians right-wing free-kick was not dealt with and Terrys shot from 12 yards flicked off Jan Vertonghen and into the Tottenham net.Cahill almost got in on the act moments later, but put his header straight at Lloris.As a light rain began to descend, Chelsea continued their assault on Spurs goal in the second half and after Lloris had parried an acrobatic overhead bicycle kick from Fabregas, the second goal arrived.Fabregass pass found Costa on the left-hand side of the area and he shifted the ball onto his left foot before letting fly with a cross-cum-shot that nicked off Walker and flew past Lloris.Pochettino sent on Mousa Dembele, Erik Lamela and Roberto Soldado, but as the rain intensified, so Spurs fight seemed to drain away.Chelsea continued to threaten, with Eden Hazard curling narrowly wide, and when a sight of goal opened up for Kane at the other end, man of the match Terry threw himself in the way with a trademark block.

Football: Real Madrid held at home by Villarreal

Posted:

MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid missed the chance to move four points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga after being held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal on Sunday.Cristiano Ronaldos early second-half penalty looked to have Madrid on course for a fourth consecutive win, but Gerard Morenos thunderous equaliser 26 minutes from time earned the visitors a deserved point.Champions Atletico Madrid failed to gain any ground on the leaders as they battled to a 0-0 draw at Sevilla.Fourth-placed Valencia are now just a point adrift of Atletico after they were comfortable 2-0 winners over David Moyess Real Sociedad thanks to a double from Pablo Piatti.Villarreal were without a host of first team regulars as coach Marcelino continues to prioritise progress in the Copa del Rey and Europa League.However, the visitors started the brighter and should have been in front on 12 minutes when Iker Casillas made a fine save from Moreno and then Dani Carvajal headed Moi Gomezs follow-up effort off the line.The European champions began to bombard the Villarreal defence with crosses as the half developed and Gareth Bale came close to an opener when his header from Toni Krooss corner flashed wide.From the German World Cup winners next set-piece delivery, Raphael Varane went even closer with a header that also just missed the target.Ronaldo saw his first effort on target of the evening well saved by Sergio Asenjo three minutes into the second-half.But there was nothing the goalkeeper could do to prevent the World Player of the Year opening the scoring from the spot after he had been pulled down inside the area by Eric Bailly.Ronaldo should have doubled his tally moments later when he latched onto a wonderful through ball by Bale, but Asenjo rushed from his goal-line to make a brave block.The roles were reversed two minutes later as Ronaldo teed up Bale, but the Welshmans off night in front of goal continued as he blasted well over.That miss was to prove costly when Villarreal levelled thanks to a wonderful low finish by Moreno.Ronaldo had the chance to restore Madrids lead four minutes later as he showed Bailly a clean pair of heels, but was once again denied by Asenjo.And the former Atletico Madrid stopper made his best stop of the night seconds leader to turn Ronaldos powerful header over.Asenjo nearly undid all of his good work when he flapped at Marcelos cross six minutes from the end, but was grateful to see Jese Rodriguez slot the rebound wide.Casillas then had to make another great save of his own at the other end to prevent Luciano Vietto heading home a winner for Villarreal before Ronaldo nodded over one last chance in a frantic finale.Earlier, Sevilla and Atletico seemed to suffer a hangover from their European encounters in midweek at the Sanchez Pizjuan in a tense game short on clear-cut chances.Sevilla had the better of the first period as Vicente Iborra struck the post and Miguel Angel Moya in the Atletico goal made a couple of smart stops.However, the introduction of Koke and Fernando Torres from the bench gave the visitors a boost after the break.Torres had the best chance to win the game when he broke clear seven minutes from time, but the former Liverpool and Chelsea striker saw his shot slide across goal and beyond the far post.

Football: Salah strikes again as Viola stun Inter

Posted:

MILAN (AFP) - On-loan Chelsea forward Mohamed Salah came off the bench to hit his third goal in four league games as nine-man Fiorentina ended Inter Milans three-game winning run with a 1-0 success at the San Siro on Sunday.Fiorentina were unbeaten in 11 competitive matches and travelled to Milan in confident mood having knocked Tottenham out of the Europa League on Thursday when Salah scored in a 2-0 win in Florence.And La Viola, forced to finish the game with nine men when Nenad Tomovic and Stefan Savic limped off, extended their run to move to within three points of third-placed Napoli.Fiorentina president Andrea Della Valle said it was not by chance Salah had been lured to the club.Its not by chance the lad is here. We were following him a long time, well before Christmas, he told Firenzeviola.it.Lets let him grow a little here and well see what happens in the future.Inters setback left them in eighth, 22 points behind Juventus and left Roberto Mancini lamenting missed chances.When they went ahead thats when we started struggling, but we went on to create chances that we simply didnt put away, Mancini said.We know how good a side they are but we were far too generous to them right up till the end.Vincenzo Montellas men were missing several regulars with Mario Gomez, Mati Fernandez and goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu sidelined and midfielder Borja Valero only fit enough for a spot on the bench.But La Viola overcame that setback with a battling performance that was settled by Salahs 55th minute strike.Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic was kept busy in the opening stages when he palmed away an Alessandro Diamanti free kick, while Khouma Babacar narrowly missed making contact with Manuel Pasquals delivery close in.Colombian striker Fredy Guarin, whose rocket strike secured a 1-0 (4-3 aggregate) Europa League win over Celtic on Thursday, rattled Norberto Netos upright on 35 minutes with a similar effort.Montella was forced to replace Babacar with Salah just before half-time after the Senegalese limped off, but the match turned in the visitors favour.Handanovic was at fault for pushing Pasquals cross into the path of Salah and the Egyptian did not miss the net from ten yards out.Inter had claims for a penalty waved away after Chelsea target Mauro Icardi fell under a challenge from Savic as he hesitated on a great long ball from midfield only yards from goal.And the Argentinian striker was lamenting another missed chance when he leaned too far back on Xherdan Shaqiris perfect pass in the area and skied over the crossbar.Mancini replaced a mediocre Mateo Kovacic with Rodrigo Palacio, but it was Nemanja Vidic who next threatened for the hosts.The Serbian rose to meet Shaqiris powerfully-driven free kick from the right but Neto got down smartly to smother at his near post, and Vidic saw a glancing header fly wide minutes later.Fiorentina had used all three substitutes by the 81st minute when Alberto Aquilani made way for Juan Vargas and only a minute later the visitors were reduced to 10 men when Tomovic suffered a knock following a challenge and was forced off.Inter almost capitalised immediately.Palacio did well to round his man on the counter but with Icardi free to his left, the Argentinian opted for a near-post shot which Neto did well to collect.Fiorentina had to tighten up further at the back when central defender Savic was forced off with a muscle problem three minutes from time, leaving the visitors down to nine.With six minutes of added-on time, Mancinis men had time to level but Neto had other ideas. When Shaqiri whipped in a cross from the corner of the area, the keeper performed acrobatics to palm Palacios powerful header to safety.

Golf: Casey, Poulter share lead at rain-soaked Honda Classic

Posted:

PALM BEACH GARDENS (AFP) - Englishmen Ian Poulter and Paul Casey shared the lead Sunday night as the US PGA Tours rain-delayed Honda Classic hurtled toward a manic Monday finish.Both Poulter and Casey were at seven-under par, Poulter through the first seven holes of his fourth round and Casey through nine holes when darkness halted play on a marathon day at PGA National.The long day must have felt even longer to Poulter after he let a three-shot third-round lead evaporate early in the fourth, dropping three shots in two holes with a double-bogey at the fifth and bogey at the sixth.That opened the door for Casey, who had birdied two of his last three holes in the third round to lie six off the pace through 54 holes.Undaunted by the quick turnaround, Casey launched his fourth round with back-to-back birdies, then added birdies at the fourth and ninth.Poulter regained a share of the lead when he stopped the rot with a birdie at the par-three seventh, where his tee shot left him three feet from the pin.It was a welcome return to form after two shocking tee shots from Poulter.He shanked his tee shot at the par-three fifth en route to a double-bogey and hit into the water at the sixth.The two miscues saw American Patrick Reed pull level with a birdie at the fifth, then take the lead with Poulters bogey at the sixth, only to trip to a bogey at the seventh to trail Poulter and Casey by one through seven holes.Plenty of players remain in contention, with American Phil Mickelson heading a group of five players at four-under par.He was joined by compatriots Daniel Berger, Jeff Overton and Brendan Steele as well as Scotlands Russell Knox.Irelands Padraig Harrington was a further stroke back at three-under through seven holes.Saturdays torrential rains not only prevented play, they left the grounds crew with a massive clean-up.When play began at 10 am, Poulter made the most of the rain-softened course, his four-under 66 giving him a nine-under 54-hole total of 201.Harrington with a one-over 71 and Reed with an even par 70 were at 204 through three rounds, with Casey tied on 207 alongside Knox and Mickelson.On Monday Poulter will be trying to capture his first stroke play title on US soil. The European Ryder Cup star won the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona in 2010, and his WGC-HSBC Champions victory in 2012 counts as a US PGA Tour win, but came in China.Casey, meanwhile, needs the win to ensure his place at next months Masters as the former world number three has fallen out of the top 50 in the world.

Afghanistan no surprise for New Zealand coach

Posted:

AUCKLAND (AFP) - New Zealand coach Mike Hesson insisted Monday that the high-flying Black Caps will pay Afghanistan the utmost respect having tracked the Asian minnows astonishing progress at close range.Hesson briefly coached Kenya in 2011 and 2012 with the African side coming up against the Afghans in second-tier events.The 40-year-old will renew his rivalry with them in the World Cup in Napier on Sunday.They have three guys who bowl over 140km/h and they can swing it, he said of quicks Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran and Hamid Hassan.Generally, their batsmen dont die wondering. It should be a good contest. We have to show them due respect and make sure we put in a good performance.New Zealand have won all four games in Pool A and have already secured their spot in the quarter-finals while Afghanistan can still gate-crash the last-eight, standing just a point behind Australia after losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka before edging Scotland by one wicket.Their next challenge is taking on four-time champions Australia in Perth on Wednesday.Well do our scouting on Afghanistan and well prepare the best we can. Weve still got a lot to achieve in the next few weeks, said Hesson, whose team secured their quarter-final spot on Saturday with a nail-biting one-wicket win over Australia in Auckland.

Relieved Misbah tells Pakistan batsmen to shape-up

Posted:

BRISBANE (AFP) - Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq told his batsmen to shape-up or ship out of the World Cup after the 1992 champions scraped a 20-run win over Zimbabwe on Sunday.It was Pakistans first victory of this World Cup after losing by 76 runs to India and suffering a 150-run hiding at the hands of the West Indies in their previous two Pool B fixtures.Misbah needed his bowlers to set up Sundays win after his side had been limited to a modest 235 for seven by another poor top-order effort .It was Pakistans highest total of the tournament but a long way off the fourteen 300 and over totals so far registered elsewhere in the event.We need to work hard to improve our batting. All the teams are getting to 280, 290, or 300, so we need to start well and capitalise, said Misbah.So far at the World Cup, Pakistan have scored 224 all out against India and were dismissed for just 160 by the West Indies.Misbah has his teams best two scores of 76 against Pakistan and 73 on Sunday.Umar Akmal and Sohaib Maqsood got beyond fifty against the West Indies while Wahab Riaz scored a half-century against Zimbabwe at Brisbanes Gabba ground.It was really tough because it was a make or break game for us. You cant believe how happy we are because we were out of the tournament if wed lost this game, added the captain.The pitch wasnt easy. It was a bit two-paced and it was really difficult to rotate the strike. I felt 250-260 would be really challenging today. We were 15-20 runs short but we showed the kind of quality we have in the bowling line-up and credit should be given to the fast bowlers.The win gave Pakistan their first two points, but they are second from bottom in their pool, with just the top four sides going into the quarter-finals. They face the UAE in Napier on Wednesday, South Africa in Auckland next Saturday before their first round is wrapped up at Adelaide on March 15 against Ireland.Pakistan seamer Wahab Riaz was named man-of the-match aftre his four for 45 followed a career-best 54 not out.You have to keep taking wickets, thats the key in this World Cup, added Misbah.Even if you are defending a low total if you have bowlers who can take wickets at different intervals you have a chance.Thats what Irfan did really well today. The kind of spell he bowled at the start I think was the key.(Spinner) Shahid Afridis last few overs were very crucial, especially the 47th (when he bowled a maiden).On the need for batting improvements, Misbah said the team hadnt had enough time to adjust to Australian conditions.Its unfortunate that our top order is in that kind of state and theyre not finding it easy to get out of it, he said.Its difficult for me and the lower order batsmen to keep on going because sometimes you lose your temperament.But if we want to win against South Africa, and if we want to progress in this tournament. we have to come up with some performances (from the top order).

De Villiers looms large for Ireland

Posted:

CANBERRA (AFP) - Ireland go into Tuesdays World Cup clash against South Africa in Canberra faced with a question that even fanciful Test nations have struggled to find an answer for.How does one tame the rampaging AB de Villiers before he destroys the rivals bowling attack, dents their morale and leaves them dumbstruck by what just hit them?The West Indies once more suffered at the hands of the South African captain who, despite a stomach illness, smashed an audacious 162 off 66 balls with 17 boundaries and eight sixes in Sydney on Friday to fashion a 257-run win.It was against the same team that de Villers smashed the fastest one-day century off 31 balls at home in January, prompting former Australian dasher Adam Gilchrist to call him the most valuable cricketer on the planet.The Proteas, one of the pre-tournament favourites, needed the brutal attack by their 31-year-old captain to steady the ship after they were stunned by India by 130 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground a week ago.De Villiers was run out for 30 in that match by a brilliant throw from the deep by Mohit Sharma, which must make Ireland wonder if that is the only way to see the back of him.But the proud Irish, whose cricket has developed rapidly under their West Indies coach Phil Simmons, will look to run the mighty Proteas closely after winning their first two games in the tournament.Ireland chased down a challenging West Indies total of 304-7 at Nelson with four wickets and 25 balls to spare on the back of half-centuries from Paul Stirling (92), Ed Joyce (84) and Niall OBrien (79 not out).Simmons, the former West Indies opening batsman, insisted the result was not an upset because his team was now capable of matching skills with the more established teams.It excited me the way we played against the West Indies, said Simmons. They played four fast bowlers, thinking we would not be able to cope with the speed. Its the best Ive seen the team play and it augurs well for the future.Ireland overcame wayward bowling in their next game in Brisbane to allow the United Arab Emirates to pile up 278-9, but the batsman kept their nerve to win in the final over with the ninth-wicket pair at the crease.If other results go their way, even one win from their four remaining games against South Africa, India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe could see Ireland qualify for the quarter-finals.However, past records favour South Africa against the Irish, who progressed from the first round in their inaugural appearance at the World Cup in 2007 but were knocked out in the group stages four years later.Ireland have lost all three one-day internationals against South Africa so far. In their last meeting at the 2011 World Cup at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the Proteas thumped them by 131 runs.Still, the Irish can be expected to blast away at the batting friendly Manuka Oval wicket where West Indies opener Chris Gayle hammered a World Cup record score of 215 against Zimbabwe last week.South Africas only worry will be the underwhelming form of pace spearhead Dale Steyn, who has claimed just three wickets in the first three games at a high average of 47.66.With de Villiers team almost certain to qualify for the knock-out rounds, Steyn will be needed to be at his best if South Africa are to have a shot at their maiden World Cup title.An unlikely bowling hero for the Proteas is leg-spinner Imran Tahir, whose nine wickets so far is only behind the New Zealand seam duo of Tim Southee (13) and Trent Boult (10) in the leading bowlers list.

Swing kings offer hope of checking World Cup run riot

Posted:

SYDNEY (AFP) - Prior to this World Cup, there were plenty of pundits forecasting the tournament would descend into an orgy of run-scoring, with bowlers reduced to cannon-fodder.Their worst fears appear to have been realised with 14 scores of 300 and over already and the group stage not yet complete.The record for most 300-plus totals in a single World Cup has been broken in each of the last three editions -- 2003 (nine), 2007 (16) and 2011 (17) -- and 2015 is heading the same way.Yet hope for long-suffering bowlers arrived in the unlikeliest of settings.Before Saturdays clash between co-hosts New Zealand and Australia in Auckland, there was much speculation about the damage the power-hitters on both sides might do given Eden Parks short straight boundaries.But the result was a low-scoring thriller, with just 303 runs made in total, as New Zealand clung on to win the match of the tournament so far by just one wicket.It was a case of back to the future as conventional swing bowling from New Zealands Trent Boult (five for 27) and Australias Mitchell Starc (six for 28), admittedly both something of a rarity given they are left-arm quicks, proved too much for batsmen used to hitting through the line of straight deliveries.New Zealand prevailed after making 152 for nine in reply to Australias 151 all out, with the bowlers on both sides well-supported by attacking fields.Significantly, New Zealands Daniel Vettori -- whose brand of orthodox left-arm spin has been overshadowed by an emphasis on mystery tweakers, played a key role in slowing Australias run-rate with two for 41 in 10 overs.Australia captain Michael Clarke labelled his sides batting as horrendous and said they needed to revisit some old-fashioned basics.I think sometimes in T20 cricket and one-day cricket you can get caught up working on the power side of your game, said Clarke.I dont think we have had too many training sessions where we have worked on the start of our game and actually defending the brand new ball or the swinging ball and thats an area we can focus on because I think you face conditions like that all around the world, not just here in New Zealand.The ball is going to swing and we have some work to do with the bat.Englands two recent matches in Wellington highlighted the difference between what can happen when the ball swings -- and when it doesnt.Against New Zealand, they were shot out for just 123 as right-arm seamer Tim Southee, getting the ball to move in the air, took seven for 33.Yet on Sunday, with James Anderson and Stuart Broad rarely getting the ball to deviate, England were unable to defend a target of 310 as Sri Lanka eased to a nine-wicket win on the back of hundreds by Lahiru Thirmanne (139 not out) and Kumar Sangakkara (117 not out). There remains a feeling that, with bigger bats, increased fielding restrictions and two new balls, one-day cricket has become unfairly weighted against bowlers.South Africa batting great Barry Richards, speaking before the New Zealand-Australia match, suggested bowlers be allowed to rub the ball in the dirt, something banned under current rules, in one-day games to gain reverse-swing.Richards, who in his 1970s globetrotting heyday used a relatively light bat by modern standards, also called for weight restrictions to the blades wielded by such heavy-hitters as West Indies opener Chris Gayle, who smashed a World Cup record 215 against Zimbabwe on February 24.The pressing of cricket bats has to be controlled and the thickness in their edges. Maybe there can also be a designated sweet-spot area for bats, Richards told the Sydney Daily Telegraph.Ours used to be about the size of a 50 cent piece but now they are much bigger...These are just a few of my ideas, because batsmen have it too easy, said Richards.Those who faced Boult and Starc last weekend might disagree.

Imran, Zardari discuss Senate elections

Posted:

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Former president Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Sunday spoke over phone regarding the upcoming Senate elections and overall political situation in the country, Dunya News reported.According to reports, Khan said that ‘horse trading’ is a ‘dark spot’ on the forehead of politicians, adding that the 22nd Amendment in the constitution will help get rid of it.Reportedly, both leaders discussed possible ways of mutual-cooperation in Senate elections and have likely struck a cooperation deal at least in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.A new controversy, however, emerged out of this episode when PTI central spokeswoman Shireen Mazari said that Zardari called Imran Khan whereas former president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said PTI chief was the one who made the call.

US astronauts speed through spacewalk at orbiting lab

Posted:

MIAMI (AFP) - Two US astronauts on Sunday made speedy work of their third spacewalk to get the International Space Station ready for the arrival of more commercial spacecraft in the coming years.Tethered to the outside of the orbiting outpost, space station commander Barry Wilmore and flight engineer Terry Virts completed their tasks in five hours and 38 minutes, about an hour earlier than planned.You guys have done an outstanding job, even for two shuttle pilots, said Suni Williams, herself a veteran shuttle astronaut and spacewalker who, working from mission control in Houston, led the men through their tasks in orbit.The astronauts each installed a boom with two antennas for a communications system so that future crews launching from Florida on US commercial spacecraft will be able to park at the space station, NASA said.Then they routed 400 feet (122 meters) of cable, securing it with copper wire ties as they maneuvered across handrails on the space station.During the previous two spacewalks, Wilmore and Virts installed more cable and lubricated the latching portions of the space station robotic arm, which NASA said had grown arthritic after more than a decade in space.Sundays spacewalk was the 187th in the history of the space station, and one of many planned for the coming year to prepare the space station for a new era in human spaceflight, when more commercial vehicles will be arriving at the research outpost carrying astronauts.Boeing and SpaceX are working on new spaceships that will carry astronauts to space, restoring US access to low-Earth orbit following the retirement of the US space shuttle program in 2011.Boeings crew vehicle, called CST-100, is planning its first flight with a pilot and astronaut in late 2017, and SpaceX hopes to follow soon after.Until then, the worlds astronauts must pay $70 million per seat for transport aboard Russias Soyuz capsules.- Spacesuits dry -The outing was given the go-ahead despite an apparent problem with Virts spacesuit that allowed water to build up inside his helmet after he finished his spacewalk on Wednesday.NASA said the suit was known to have issues with sublimator water carryover, a small amount of residual water in the sublimator cooling component that can condense once the environment around the suit is repressurized following its exposure to vacuum during a spacewalk, resulting in a tiny amount of water pushing into the helmet.US space agency experts decided the crew was not in any danger on Wednesday, and the men reported no problems during Sundays spacewalk.Their spacesuits are functioning perfectly, NASA said on its space station blog.

Chaudary Sarwar declares PTI as 'third political force', to bring change

Posted:

LAHORE (Dunya News) -- Talking to the media, Chaudary Muhammad Sarwar said that he does not believe in a democracy which does not hold local body elections while 400 Member of Parliaments (MPA) are usurp the right of 4000 councilors.He said that by not conducting the local body elections, the government is blocking the path for upcoming middle class leadership.Chaudary Sarwar said that if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) came into power, they wouldhold local body election within a month and the budget would divided on divisional, district and tehsil basis.He said that in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, police and bureaucracy was apolitical and did not interfere unnecessarily in the matters of governance.Explaining his resignation, Chaudary Sarwar elaborated that he would have given up his post earlier during PTI protests but did not do so because of national interest.He said that if a judicial commission is formed then PTI will return to assembly. He added that in PTI, the nation had found a third political force which made the other two parties uncomfortable. He said that PTI would not rest until it has bought change.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)