Shot putter Inderjeet pulls out of SAG

Guwahati, Feb 9, 2016 (PTI)

Rio Olympics-bound shot-putter Inderjeet Singh has pulled out of the ongoing 12th South Asian Games due to a back injury.

Reigning Asian champion Inderjeet, who has already qualified for the Olympics, has been training in the United States with the government funding him under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme.

"It's very painful not being able to represent my country in SAF Games due to strain in back. I know it's very disappointing to all those who wished me for a podium finish as well. As I am under recovery, I can assure all of you that I will try my best to live upto your expectations in my next competition," he wrote on his facebook page.

An official of the Athletics Federation of India confirmed Inderjeet's pulling out of the Games.
Had he participated, Inderjeet is a sure shot gold winner.
The athletics competition of the SAG began here today.

India colts steamroll Sri Lanka to enter fifth World Cup final

Mirpur, Feb 9, 2016 (PTI)

 Three-time champions India continued their invincible run to enter the ICC Under-19 World Cup final for a fifth time with an emphatic 97-run win over Sri Lanka in the semifinals here today.
India did well to reach 267/9 after a shaky start before putting up an impressive effort with the ball to dismiss Sri Lanka for 170 in 42.4 overs.

The batting stars were Anmolpreet Singh (72 off 92) and Sarfaraz Khan (59 off 71), who amassed his fourth fifty plus scores in five innings player in the tournament.

The three time champions now await either West Indies or hosts Bangladesh in the final to played on February 14.

Indians, put in to bat on an overcast morning, were put under pressure right away with its formidable opening pair of Rishabh Pant and captain Ishan Kishan falling cheaply to leave their team at 27/2 in the 10th over.

Batting was not easy but Anmolpreet and the in form Sarfaraz steadied the ship with a 96-run stand off 126 balls for the third wicket.

While Anmolpreet's was a gritty 92-ball knock, power- hitter Sarfaraz too played a measured innings considering the circumstances. The 18-year-old IPL recruit, who came into the match with scores of 76, 21*, 74, 74, still managed to pierce the field for six fours and a maximum.

Anmolpreet, who struck half a dozen fours and a six during his stay at the crease, stitched another handy 70-run partnership with Washington Sundar (43 off 45) after Sarfaraz's departure.

India needed a move on in the last 10 overs and the late burst came courtesy Sundar and Armaan Jaffer, who smashed 29 off 16 balls before Mayank Dagar's 17-run cameo off 10 balls took his team to a competitive total in a crunch match.

Defending the target, the Indian bowlers did not allow the Lankan chase to take off.
India missed quite a few chances on the field but the bowlers were still good enough to keep things tight for the opposition. After a batting cameo, Dagar did his bit with the ball as well, grabbing 3/21 in 5.4 overs of his left-arm spin.

Pacer Avesh Khan, India's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, struck in the very first over, dismissing Avishka Fernando leg before wicket even though the ball appeared to be drifting down. Soon after, the run out of Kaveen Bandara made it 13 for 2 in the fourth over.

The chase was not a huge one but Sri Lankan batsmen failed to rotate the strike and a regular loss of wickets meant the asking run rate kept going up.

Sri Lanka's hopes of reaching their second ever final were all but over when the scoreboard read 133 for six in the 35th over.

Kamindu Mendis (39) and Shammu Ashan (38) got starts but failed to get that one big score needed to overhaul the target.

Japan worried about 2020 problem, or life after the Olympics

Tokyo, Feb 9, 2016 (AP)

Japan is gearing up for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with gusto, investing in everything from stadiums to electric cars, and expecting an economic bonanza from a construction frenzy and an influx of visitors.

On the face of it, hosting the Olympics is a big win for Japan at a time when its economy seems besieged by intractable problems. The Bank of Japan estimates the economic perk at 30 trillion yen (USD 250 billion), many times even the highest estimate of the costs to prepare for and run the event.

But for some, 2020 is another manifestation of what has been going wrong in Japan for decades. Instead of modernizing the economy and taking other steps to address the powerful headwinds of an aging population and shrinking workforce, the government has turned again to its well-worn playbook of borrow and hope.

Discussion and fears about what Japan can turn to for an economic lifeline after the Olympics have become so commonplace it's even been given a name: the 2020 problem.
Japan "will overstretch itself," William Saito, an entrepreneur and technology expert, said of the spending for the games. "It will quite possibly be the straw that broke the camel's back," he said. "Everyone is predicting that it will be that catalyst."

In his concerns, Saito is joined by a chorus of doomsayers. The title of one recent book screams: "Japanese Land Prices Sink to a Third of Their Value! The Crisis That Comes After the 2020 Tokyo Olympics."

Prophetically, for the naysayers, preparations for the Olympics have already hit big snags. The design of the main stadium has been redone after a public uproar over its cost. The Tokyo Olympics emblem is being redesigned because of plagiarism allegations.

And the organising committee has not disclosed an official estimate of costs, saying it's still trying to figure it out and did not know when such a number would be ready.

It has acknowledged the cost will be considerably higher than the 350 billion yen (USD 3 billion) it gave when the city was bidding.

The dire predictions of what's in store for Japan after the Olympics range from a collapse in property prices to a financial crisis sparked by the weight of the government's debt burden, which is the highest in the industrial world at 234 per cent of gross domestic product.

The time limit for getting that debt under control may be running out, said Kazumasa Oguro, professor of economics at Hosei University.

Smith takes Australia captaincy for World Twenty20

Sydney, Feb 9, 2016, (AFP)

Australian selectors today dumped Aaron Finch as captain in favour of Steve Smith for the World Twenty20 which begins next month in India, while Peter Nevill replaces Matthew Wade as wicketkeeper.
Finch has been skipper since October 2014 but with Smith already captain of both the Test and one-day team, national selector Rod Marsh said it was the right time for him to now take over in the shorter format.

"Aaron Finch has done a very good job captaining Australia in T20 cricket. He will have benefited enormously from the leadership opportunity and will remain a highly-respected leader within the Australian squad," said Marsh.

"However since he became T20 captain, there has been a broader leadership transition in Test and one-day international cricket with Michael Clarke retiring and Steve Smith assuming the captaincy in Test and one-day cricket.

"We think now is the right time for Steve to lead Australia in all three forms of the game as it offers us important continuity, not only ahead of the World T20, but beyond that tournament as well."

A key surprise in the 15-man squad was the inclusion of Nevill, who is yet to play limited-overs cricket for Australia, but he was preferred to Wade whose recent form with the gloves and bat prompted the change.

"We feel our batting depth in this squad is sufficient enough that we can have a specialist wicket-keeper in the squad," said Marsh.

"We want Australia's best wicket-keeper playing in this tournament and we consider Peter Nevill to be the best in the country right now."

Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa, both yet to play T20 cricket for Australia, claimed the spin spots ahead of Nathan Lyon and Cameron Boyce, while Josh Hazlewood spearheads the attack.

Finch (hamstring), Nathan Coulter-Nile (shoulder) and James Faulkner (hamstring) were all named in the squad subject to proving their fitness.

"Overall, we believe the squad we have selected is well-balanced and has the experience and talent required to be successful in India and help us win the World T20 title for the first time," said Marsh.

"We were able to look at a number of players during the Big Bash League and the recent T20 international series against India and have selected the best short-form players available for the conditions we will encounter."

Australian squad: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Shane Watson, Steve Smith (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Marsh, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Peter Nevill, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Aaron Finch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ashton Agar, Andrew Tye.

Waugh the most selfish cricketer that I've played with: Warne

Melbourne, Feb 9, 2016, (PTI)

His long-standing feud with Steve Waugh was out in the open once again when spin legend Shane Warne slammed the former Australian captain as "the most selfish cricketer that I've played with" during a TV program.

"There's a lot of reasons I don't like Steve Waugh, a lot of reasons ... because he's the most selfish cricketer I've played with, blah, blah, blah," Warne said while appearing on Channel Ten's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here program.

Warne spoke about the fateful incident that happened 17 years ago when he was axed from the final Test against the West Indies in 1999, with Australia trailing 1-2.

"One thing that really annoyed me about him was the one Test I got dropped, in West Indies. We we had to win the last Test match to win the trophy. At that stage, captain (Waugh), vice-captain (me), coach (Geoff Marsh) used to pick the team," said the 46-year-old.

"We went to selection. I hadn't bowled well, we'd lost - Brian Lara batted unreal - but I felt like I was being the scapegoat, because I didn't bowl well it was my fault.

"Anyway, we get to selection table and I said, 'OK, what's everyone's thoughts?'. Steve Waugh said, 'You're not playing'. I went, 'What? Hang on. What do you think the team should be? Blah blah blah', and Steve Waugh said 'No, I'm the captain of this side, I'm the captain, you're not playing'.

"I was really disappointed. After 10 years. I'd just had a shoulder op. I thought the situation where we had to win the Test match would have brought the best out of me too."

Warne then added: "I don't like Steve Waugh for a lot of other reasons." During that fateful Test in Antigua, Colin Miller had replaced Warne and Australia registered a 176-run win to draw the series 2-2.

Tickets sold out, stands empty - a SAG tale of shoddy organisation

Ratnadip Choudhury, Feb 09, 2016, Guwahati, DHNS

Even as India rake in gold medals at the 12th South Asian Games at Guwahati and Shillong, fans in both the venues are having a hard time getting tickets for the events.
While the Games organising committee claimed people are not getting tickets in counter since most are sold online, in many events even during finals, stands are found empty. “It is not like everywhere stands are empty. We are getting spectators. The tickets for the India-Pakistan hockey match were sold out long back. Now if people buy tickets online and do not turn up in the stadium, then what can we do?” asked Avinash Joshi, the Joint CEO of the organising committee.

At many venues across Guwahati, several people were seen queuing up in front of ticket counters. “I am a squash fan. I wanted to see the squash finals. I tried booking online, it said sold out. At the counter I could not get tickets. I am disappointed. There was no publicity from the organising committee where we will get tickets. But then we get to hear that the stands are empty,” said Sumita Borah, a local fan.

Indeed, many seats were empty during the squash finals. “I do not understand where are all the tickets going. I have been going around all venues. People are looking for tickets but the organisers say it is sold out. Today in squash, all I could see were security forces, organisers, volunteers, participants, media and some with VIP passes and complementary passes,” said a senior Guwahati Police official. 

Sources said there was rift in the organising committee on the matter. “Although marketing is our mandate, senior officers from New Delhi have kept the tickets under their control. What we are told is that most of the tickets are kept for online sales. Thus common people are not getting tickets at the counters. Moreover extra complementary tickets have been distributed since elections are round the corner,” revealed a senior official from the marketing team on condition of anonymity. 

It is not smooth sailing for those who have bought tickets online as well, as they are facing lot of harassment while redeeming the tickets. The committee had asked them to redeem the tickets a day earlier, forcing them to go to the stadium twice. 
On Monday, a few spectators protested after the wrestling matches started ahead of the time printed on the tickets. Apparently, no efforts had been made to inform the fans about the change of timings. 

12th South Asian Games: Lifters hoist four gold

Feb 09, 2016, Guwahati, DHNS:

Indians enjoyed a perfect penultimate day at the weightlifting competition, sweeping home all the four gold medals that were on offer at the Bhogeshwari Phukanani Indoor Stadium.

Victor Abilash Christopher, Pardeep Singh, Vikas Thakur and Kavita Devi all exuded confidence as they climbed up the podium on Monday.

Christopher lifted a total weight of 317 kg (135+182) to wear the gold in the 105kg category, 17kgs more than second-placed Shanaka Peters of Sri Lanka and 37 kgs higher than Azharamir of Pakistan.

Things were easy for Pardeep in the 94kg section as well, the Indian lifting 331kg (145+186), winning the gold by nine kgs. Vikas too didn’t face any competition in the 85kg category, carrying a load of 300kg (140+160) for the gold.

Kavita won on a canter, totalling a lift of 210kg (92+118) in the women’s 75kg.

Spikers sparkle

Indian volleyball teams set themselves up for an expectedly grand double after marching into the final with lop-sided victories. While the male spikers blanked Maldives 25-17, 25-20, 25-19, the female counterparts thrashed Nepal 25-10, 25-9, 25-15. Both the finals will be played on Tuesday.

Cyclists shine

Indian cyclists continued to call the shots, landing another double. While Rutuja Satpute, Manisha G, Chaoba Devi Elangbam and Udeshani Niranjani won the women’s 40km team trial gold with a final timing of 59:23.52, the male quartet of Manjeet Singh, Deepak Kumar, Manohar Lal and Nisar Ahmed claimed gold in the men’s 70km team trial with a timing of 1::37:37.840.

Hockey eves win

India’s women’s hockey team hardly broke a sweat in their second straight match, hammering a hapless Sri Lanka 12-1 to seal their final spot in style on Monday.

In the three-team competition, the eves, clear-cut favourites for the gold, expectedly made the Sri Lankans do all the running with as many seven getting their name on the score sheet.

Jaspreet Kaur nailed in five goals while Soundarya Yendala struck a brace. Rani, Sonika, Jyoti Gupta, Deepika and Gurjit Kaur also scored one apiece. The Indians had beaten Nepal 24-0 in their match on Sunday.