Bhat clinches German Open title
Mulheim an der Ruhr (Germany): Seasoned campaigner Arvind Bhat reached a new high in his badminton career when he defeated Danish Hans-Kristian Vittinghus to clinch the men’s singles title of the German Open Grand Prix Gold here on Sunday. The Indian veteran struck the form of his life at the age of 34 to win his first ever Grand Prix crown, upsetting 12th-seeded Vittinghus 24-22, 19-21, 21-11 in exactly an hour. Apart from the first round, the two-time former national champion has beaten a higher ranked player in every match. This is the also the World No. 87’s first title in five years and nine months and this is also the first time an Indian has won a German Open title in any category. Indian chief national coach Pullela Gopichand had reached the final back in 1999. (IANS)
Giles keen to take over as England coach
London: England’s ODI coach Ashley Giles is ready to take over as the head coach of England following the resignation of Andy Flower. Giles, who is with the ODI team in the Caribbean, said being the England coach was “the biggest job in cricket” and he would like to grab the chance. “This is the biggest job in cricket, and as an English coach I’d like the opportunity, but that’s out of my hands,” Giles was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph on Sunday. Giles, a former England spinner, believes he can perform. “The bosses will make their judgment as to whether I’m the right man for the job but I believe I can do this job and I’d be very proud to do it as well… The next few weeks are bound to have an impact but the one thing I don’t want to do is see this tour and Bangladesh as a job interview. This is about the best thing for English cricket and the best thing was to get this group together to give a lengthy period to prepare for the World T20,” he said. (IANS)
Clarke leads from front before rain sets in
Cape Town: Australian captain Michael Clarke hit an unbeaten 161 to guide his team to a strong position before rain disrupted his team’s bid to take a stranglehold on the second day of the third and final Test against South Africa at Newlands on Sunday. Australia were 494 for seven when a storm swept in on the back of high winds and prevented any play after mid-afternoon. Before the rain, Australia were on target to take their total past 500 and subject South Africa to a challenging examination from the tourists’ fast bowlers in what was shaping as a mirror image of the domination achieved by South Africa in the second Test in Port Elizabeth. Australia scored 163 runs in 39.4 overs on Sunday, blunting a depleted South African pace attack with an almost-new ball at the start of the day and then going for their shots. (AFP)
