East Zone handball c’ship starts
Patna: Manipur dominated in the opening day of the 18th East Zone Handball Championship, registering wins in both the men’s and women’s sections on Monday. In the women’s Pool B league matches, Manipur defeated hosts Bihar 13-12 and West Bengal beat Assam 17-8. In the men’s Pool A matches, Jharkhand trounced West Bengal 25-16 and later defeated Odisha 30-19. Manipur beat Assam 43-22. The three-day championship began here on Monday. Eight teams each in the men’s and women’s sections (Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odissa and Bihar) are taking part in the three-day championship. (PTI)
Somdev qualifies for Malaysia Open
Kuala Lumpur: Somdev Devvarman celebrated his return to the top-100 by qualifying for the singles draw of the Malaysian Open with a straight sets victory over Jean-Julien Rojer here on Monday. Somdev, who rose to 98 in the ATP charts on the same day, edged past the unranked Dutchman 7-5, 7-5 in the third and final qualifying round of the hard court event. The Indian broke his rival, who is a world number 15 in doubles, twice in each set in the match. In the doubles event Yuki Bhambri has been given a wild card along with local player Syed Naguib. (PTI)
India register 2nd win in Johor Cup
Johor Bahru (Malaysia): A fighting India rode on Ramandeep Singh’s brace to eke out a come-from-behind 3-2 triumph over Argentina and register their second win in the Sultan of Johor Cup Under-21 hockey tournament here on Monday. India trailed for a large part of the match but Ramandeep (60th, 62nd) found his scoring touch when it mattered most and netted two field goals in the final 10 minutes to turn the game in his side’s favour. Vice-captain Affan Yousuf (23rd) was the other goal-scorer for India, while Isidoro Carlos Ibarra (16th, 42nd) scored both the goals for the Argentines. With two wins from as many games, India have consolidated their position in the league standings alongside arch-rivals Pakistan on six points apiece. (PTI)
‘PCB can’t force Rauf to face charges’
Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board has no mechanism in place to “convince” retired Test umpire Asad Rauf to go to Mumbai to face spot-fixing charges, an official said on Monday. PCB’s legal advisor, Tafazzul Rizvi said that there was also no extradition treaty between Pakistan and India, so the issue was a difficult one to respond to if the Mumbai courts issued summons for Rauf to appear in person for examination. Rauf, who was dropped from the Champions Trophy panel soon after his name emerged in the IPL spot-fixing scandal, was later not retained on the ICC elite panel of umpires and he later told the media in Lahore that he had retired from umpiring. Rauf, named as a wanted accused in the Mumbai Police’s IPL spot-fixing chargesheet last week, has remained underground in Lahore and has vehemently denied any involvement in fixing. (PTI)
Eng recall Panesar for return Ashes
LONDON: England recalled troubled left-arm spinner Monty Panesar on Monday and named three uncapped players in a 17-man squad for the return Ashes Test series in Australia that starts in November. Panesar, fined by police in August for urinating in public, has been England’s back-up slow bowler in recent years but has been overlooked since winning his 48th Test cap against New Zealand in March. Lancashire left-armer Simon Kerrigan was picked alongside Graeme Swann for the fifth and final Ashes Test at the Oval last month. Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance, Warwickshire pace bowler Boyd Rankin and Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes, yet to play in the longer format, were also selected. Surrey pace bowler Chris Tremlett, who tormented Australia the last time England toured Down Under, and opening batsman Michael Carberry, who played his only Test in Bangladesh in 2010, were included. Squad: Alastair Cook (capt), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Monty Panesar, Gary Ballance, Michael Carberry, Boyd Rankin, Steven Finn, Ben Stokes, Chris Tremlett. (Reuters)