Monday Sports News

Selection dilemma over Mishra 
Agence France-Presse . New Delhi 

India’s new bowling star Amit Mishra is sweating on selection for the third Test against Australia — despite a match-winning seven-wicket haul against the tourists.
  The 25-year-old was picked for the second Test in Mohali as a last-minute replacement for injured Indian leg-spin veteran Anil Kumble and tied the Australians in knots with his enormous leg-breaks and the odd googly.
  The debutant’s seven wickets helped India to a thumping 320-run win, and the Australians are desperate to avoid a repeat in this week’s New Delhi Test.
  But they may receive help from the Indian selectors, who face a tricky selection dilemma for the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar series beginning here on Wednesday, with Kumble raring to play on his favourite surface.
  The inspirational Indian skipper became only the second bowler to take all 10 wickets in a Test innings after England’s Jim Laker at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium here in 1999. And he has 55 wickets at a rate of just 15.41 in six Tests at the venue.
  The 38-year-old’s injured shoulder is improving rapidly and he is keen to lead India again with time running out of his career spanning 18 years and 131 Tests.
  But former Australian Test captain Ian Chappell believes Mishra should be given the nod over Kumble.
  ‘Mishra is a talented leg spinner. His control and variety confused the Australians in the Mohali game,’ he wrote in his Cricinfo column, adding that going back to Kumble would be a step backwards for India.
  Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke said whoever was selected would be a challenge as the tourists seek to battle their way back into the four-Test series, in which they trail 1-0.
  ‘They are two very different bowlers but Anil has been fantastic for India for a long time,’ he said. ‘I would imagine if he is fit he will be back in the team in Delhi and the youngster is just going to have to wait until Anil gets injured again, retires, whatever he decides to do.
  ‘Whoever they pick, we know we are going to have to bat well against them.’
  Mahendra Dhoni, who stood in as captain for Kumble in the Mohali Test, kept his cards close to his chest although he was full of praise for the youngster, who has played in three one-day internationals. ‘I believe in him (Mishra) as I believe in every guy in the squad,’ he said.
  ‘It’s not fair to doubt anyone. He may not have 500-600 wickets but he has loads of wickets (310) in domestic cricket. He is different from other bowlers in that he flights the ball but is not quick in the air. ‘You have to use your feet against him because his googly and slider can really fool the batsman.’
  With such a selection dilemma on their hands, India may well keep the Australians guessing until the captains come out for the toss on Wednesday morning. 
Title holder Murray faces 
qualifier Golubev in final 
Reuters/Bdnews24.com . St Petersburg 

Top seed Andy Murray will defend his St Petersburg Open title against surprise finalist Andrey Golubev after thrashing Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 6-3 in the semi-finals on Saturday.
  The 150th-ranked Kazakh qualifier Golubev, who upset former world number one Marat Safin in round two, crushed Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-0 in 54 minutes to reach Sunday’s final.
  Murray, who overwhelmed Verdasco in last year’s final to win the $1 million tournament on his debut appearance in Russia’s second city, was just as dominant on Saturday as he took his tally against the Spaniard to four wins out of four.
  The Briton breezed through the opening set in 25 minutes before the third seed put up some resistance early in the second.
  But the world number four, on course for his fifth title of the year and his second in two weeks after clinching the Madrid Masters last Sunday, earned a decisive break in the eighth game and went on to secure victory in just over an hour.
  ‘I was feeling very comfortably throughout the match as he (Verdasco) looked weaker than me today,’ Murray said.
  Golubev, who has played mainly on the Challenger circuit and had won only three ATP matches in his career until this week, said he was looking forward to facing Murray in his first big final.
  ‘This has been a dream week for me,’ the 21-year-old, who was born and raised in Russia before switching his alliance to Kazakhstan last year, told reporters.
  ‘I’ve already achieved more than I’ve ever expected and I’ll have nothing to lose against Murray. I just don’t want to be embarrassed tomorrow and to show that I can play tennis too.’
  Murray said he would not underestimate his opponent.
  ‘I played Golubev several times when we were younger,’ said the Scot, who is also 21. ‘He is a tough opponent and I expect a tough match tomorrow.’ 
ICC rewards Afghanistan’s 
winning run with funding 
Reuters/Bdnews24.com . Kabul 

The International Cricket Council has pledged vital funds for Afghanistan’s fledgling team after it won a tournament that could pave the way for a 2011 World Cup berth, an official said on Sunday.
  The international governing body made the decision last week as part of its incentive programme designed to reward nations new to the sport that have shone in regional tournaments, the head of Afghanistan’s Cricket Federation told Reuters.
  ‘Based on the pledge, Afghanistan’s cricket federation will receive between five to six hundred thousand dollars for the coming five years from the International Cricket Council,’ Allah Daad Noori said.
  Afghanistan went unbeaten in two World Cup qualifying tournaments this year, the second of which was the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 in Tanzania, where they clinched a place in next January’s Division 3 competition in Argentina.
  The top two sides from the six nations competing there will progress to the 12-team ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, from which the four semi-finalists will advance to the 2011 finals.
  The help from the ICC is a major boost for the Afghan team which is plagued by a shortage of funds and facilities in a country devastated by three decades of war.
  Cricket is still relatively new in Afghanistan, a country which unlike neighbouring imperial India was never colonised by the British.
  The growth of cricket in Afghanistan is instead an unexpected by-product of the 1980s Soviet occupation as millions of Afghans fled to Pakistan and picked up the sport in refugee camps there.
  The Afghan Cricket Federation hoped to use the extra funds to develop new facilities, Noori said.
  Currently, most games in Afghanistan are played in a whirl of dust on patches of waste ground, but cricket authorities have brought in soil and laid grass in an effort to create a showpiece national ground.
  The success of the Afghan cricket team this year comes after the country won its first ever medal at the Beijing Olympic Games, a bronze in taekwondo.
  The 2011 World Cup is being co-hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 
Jankovic secures end-of-year top spot 
Agence France-Presse . St Petersburg 

Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic, who has yet to win a Grand Slam title, will finish the 2008 season as the world number one, the WTA announced on Saturday.
  Currently holding 4,555 points in the rankings, 23-year-old Jankovic has a commanding lead over Dinara Safina (3,782) and Serena Williams (3,716).
  Jankovic secured the year-end number one ranking by winning 12-straight matches en route to three consecutive titles - the China Open in Beijing, the Grand Prix in Stuttgart and the Kremlin Cup in Moscow.
  As a result, Jankovic increased her 2008 singles title count to four, having also won the Tier I event in Rome one the eve of the French Open.
  ‘It has been a truly amazing year for me,’ Jankovic said. ‘Winning four WTA Tour titles, over 60 matches and to make it to two semi-finals and a final in the Grand Slams of 2008 is a dream come true.
  ‘I worked really hard this year and to finish No.1 is where I want to be and where I hope to stay.’
  In addition to her four 2008 singles titles, Jankovic reached the finals in Miami and the 2008 US Open, her first career Grand Slam final. In addition, she advanced to the semi-finals at two Grand Slams, falling to eventual champion Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open and eventual champion Ana Ivanovic at Roland Garros.
  Jankovic was one of five players to hold the World No.1 ranking this year along with Justine Henin (20 weeks), who retired on May 14 and immediately took her name off the rankings, Ana Ivanovic (12 weeks), Maria Sharapova (three weeks) and Serena Williams (four weeks).