The New Nation - Internet Edition

India square test series against Lanka

AP, Galle

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh bagged a 10-wicket match haul Sunday as India claimed the last five Sri Lanka wickets for just six runs to win the second test and square the series.

After a humiliating innings defeat in the series opener, India salvaged its reputation with a strong performance with the ball and will go into Friday's deciding test in Colombo with momentum.

Chasing a target of 307 runs to win in the second innings, Sri Lanka lost their way early, losing four top-order wickets for 37 runs on the fourth day.

Opener Virender Sehwag who hammered an unbeaten 201 and followed it up with a 50 in the second innings was named man of the match.

"We have done that in the past," India's captain Anil Kumble said of his team's fightback.

"This team has been through ups and downs and it has a fair amount of experience and quality so there was absolutely no doubt that we'll regroup and come back hard," he said.

"The way we have come back after four days is really amazing I am really proud of the fact that we have this group of players who have shown so much resilience not just once but time and time again."

A 76-run partnership between Thilan Samaraweera and Tillakaratne Dilshan looked to resurrect the innings as they went for tea at 109-4, but Singh struck soon after tea when he had Dilshan (38) lbw, triggering a precipitous collapse by the tail.

Thilan Samaraweera's unbeaten 67 was the only highlight for the hosts who capitulated meekly against some aggressive Indian bowling.

Samaraweera faced 126 balls and hit eight boundaries as he watched wickets tumble at the other end.

"Getting three wickets in (the first) 40 minutes was critical and that pushed Sri Lanka totally on the back foot," Kumble said.

India, which had a 37-run lead on first innings, was bowled out for 269 in its second innings in Sunday's opening session, giving Sri Lanka an achievable chase.

However India immediately savaged the top order, quickly reducing Sri Lanka to 10-3.

Ishant Sharma found the edge of Malinda Warnapura's bat, with V.V.S. Laxman snapping up the catch to dismiss the opener for a duck, with the score on 4.

Zaheer Khan nailed the dangerous Kumar Sangakkara (1) in the next over, also caught by Laxman, before captain Mahela Jayawardene (5) slashed at Sharma and was taken by Rahul Dravid at cover-point.

Resuming after lunch at 24-3, Sri Lanka soon lost an out-of-form Michael Vandort (10) trapped lbw by Singh.

After Dilshan's departure early in the final session, Sri Lanka could not find a tailender who was able to hang in and support Samaraweera.

"It was important that we kept wickets in hand to chase the runs down, which we didn't do," Jayawardene told reporters.

"10-3 wasn't ideal that's where we probably lost the game." "It was a disappointing test match but it was not a bad one we played good cricket for three days and just lost it in the last two sessions of the fourth day.

"We have to figure out a way to control situations a bit better, especially under pressure and see whether we can come out of it." Singh finished with 4-51 for the innings to record his fifth ten-wicket match haul.

That matched the effort of young Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis, who also claimed 10 match wickets in only his second test.

Draw of Citycell Federation Cup Football held

UNB, Dhaka

The ceremonial draw for the 16-team final round of the season's curtain raiser soccer meet, the Federation Cup Football Tournament, was held Sunday afternoon amid huge enthusiasm among football lovers.

The first professional league (B League) champions Dhaka Abahani Limited will play Jatrabari KC in the inaugural match on Wednesday (Aug 6) at 5 pm at the country's premier sports venue -- Banglabandhu National Stadium.

Groupings for the final round of the meet have been finalized through the ceremonial draw at a function at Hotel Purbani in the afternoon in presence of large number of former star booters and renowned organizers.

Dhaka Abahani Limited has been placed in tough Group B along with Chittagong Mohammedan SC, Chittagong Abahani Limited and Jatrabari KC.

Senior Vice-President of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) and Chairman of the Professional League Committee Abdus Salam Murshadi addressed the function, also attended by Tanjim Haque and Mohammad Atiq of the meet's sponsor CityCell.

Famed TV star Sadia Islam Mou and her celebrated actor husband Zahid Hasan were the main attraction in the ceremonial draw, They picked up the tokens of first two clubs, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC and Dhaka Abahani Limited, to lead Group A and B respectively.

Later, star footballers of yesteryears, mostly from Dhaka Mohammedan SC, but none of the B league champions Dhaka Abahani Limited, picked up the names of remaining 14 clubs.

Captain of Swadhin Bangla Football team Zakaria Pintoo, star booter cum hockey player Pratap Sankar Hazra, long serving national custodian Shahidur Rahman Shantu, Sultan Ahmed, Shahiduddin Ahmed Selim, Mosabbir Hossain, Kazi Jashimuddin Joshi, Elias Hossain, Mohammad Kaikobad, Bashir Ahmed, Kaiser Hamid, Abu Yousuf, Shafiqul Islam Manik and Ajmat Ali drew the tokens of participating clubs.

Four top teams of the maiden Professional League (B League) -holders Dhaka Abahani Limited, runners-up Dhaka Mohammedan SC, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC and Sheikh Russell KC - have been considered as the top seeded teams to lead four groups.

Group A - Muktijoddha Sangsad KC, Farashganj SC, Khulna Abahani KC and Dhaka Wanderers Club;

Group B - Dhaka Abahani Limited, Chittagong Mohammedan SC, Chittagong Abahani Limited and Jatrabari KC;

Group C - Sheikh Russell KC, Brothers Union Club, Victoria SC and BKSP;

Group D - Dhaka Mohammedan SC, Arambagh KS, Rahmatganj MFS and Sunrise SC.

On completion of the group matches, champions and runners-up of the four groups will play in the quarterfinals.

Durham scores 35/3 at lunch: Bangladesh A team all out for 117

UNB, Dhaka

Touring Bangladesh A team are struggling against English county side Durham in their 3rd and last one-day match as they were bundled out cheaply for 117 runs at the Riverside Ground in Chester le Street on Sunday.

Batting first, Bangladesh A team collapsed miserably as they lost nine wickets for 79 runs.

But Mosharraf Hossain Rubel pairing with Rubel Hossain tried to salvage Bangladesh from another awkward situation and contributed 38 runs in the last wicket stand.

Number eight batsman Mosharraf remained unbeaten to add the highest 26 runs off 63 balls with one four and a six while tail ender Rubel Hossain made 14 off 42 deliveries hitting two boundaries.

Wicket keeper Dhiman Ghosh (24) and opener Tamim Iqbal (18) were the other two Bangladeshi batsmen reaching double figure while extras yielded 10 runs.

Rokibul Hasan, who hit match-winning 112 runs against MCC in the last match, today returned to the pavilion with duck in the very first ball.

ME Claydon captured three Bangladesh wickets for 31 runs while G Onions, WRK Gidman and M Davies took two wickets each.

Chasing an easy target, English county side Durham scored 35 runs for 3 in 7 overs at lunch.

Pacer Sajidul Islam picked up two wickets for 10 runs while Dola Mahmud grabbed one wicket for 23 runs.

Earlier on Friday, Bangladesh secured an emphatic 80-run victory over Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in the 2nd one-day match at the Racecourse, Durham University Ground, Durham.

In their ongoing England tour, Bangladesh A team remained unbeaten in the longer version cricket playing five three-day matches.

Bangladesh beat English county Derbyshire by one-wicket in the 4th three-day match. Earlier, in the four three-day matches, they drew with England Under-19 team, Warwickshire, Leicestershire and South Africa.

GP-BCB National Cricket Academy

leaves the city for SA today

Sports Reporter

GP-BCB National Cricket Academy will leave the city today for South Africa (SA) to play two four-dayer cricket matches and three one-dayer cricket matches against South Africa National Cricket Academy.

GP-BCB National Cricket Academy will face South Africa National Cricket Academy in a four-dayer match, which begins on August 8 in Pritoria.

GP-BCB National Cricket Academy will meet South Africa National Cricket Academy in the second four-dayer match, which starts on August 14 in Pritoria.

GP-BCB National Cricket Academy will play against South Africa National Cricket Academy in a one-dayer cricket match on August 20 in Johannesburg.

GP-BCB National Cricket Academy will face South Africa National Cricket Academy in the second one-dayer match on August 22 in Pritoria.

GP-BCB National Cricket Academy will meet South Africa National Cricket Academy in the last one-dayer on August 24 in Johannesburg.

The players are: Sohrawardy Shuvo (Captain), Shagir Hossain Pavel, Farhad Hossain, Shamsur Rahman Shuvo, Marshal Aiyub, Jahirul Islam, Nasir Hossain, Mahbubul Alam Robin, Shafaq Al Jabir, Ziaur Rahman Tapu, Delwar Hossain, Nadif Chowdhury, Imrul Kayes, Raihan Uddin.

The officials are: Ruwan Kalpege (Coach) and Khaled Mahmud Sujon (Manager).

Pioneer Football: Jatrabari blank Lalbagh

Sports Reporter

Jatrabari Jhatika Sangsad blanked Lalbagh Tarun Sangha 4-0 in the day's first match of the Dhaka City Corporation Pioneer Football League at the Kamalapur Bir Sreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Stadium on Sunday.

Pavel of Jatrabari scored two goals while his teammates Arif, Mithun netted one each.

Meanwhile, Nababpur KC got walkover from their opponent Tejgaon Nabataranga Krira Sangsad in the day's other match at the same venue.

Today Golam Mostafa Lane Kishore Sangha will meet Shwadhinata Krira Sangha while Tangail Football Club will face Arambagh Krira Sangha (Junior) at the same venue.

Cute Premier Handball League likely to start

on August 18

UNB, Dhaka

Men's Cute Premier Division Handball League, organised by Bangladesh Handball Federation, is likely begin on August 18 at the Handball Stadium.

A total of seven teams -- Narinda Progoti Boys Club, Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club, Victoria Sporting Club, Old Ideal, Dhaka Menjis Krira Chakra, Surjadoy Krira Chakra and Bhatritto Samaj Kalyan Sangha -- will participate in the single-league basis matches, a federation official told UNB on Sunday.

National Summer Athletic begins Aug 27 in city

UNB, Dhaka

The 10th National Summer Athletic, organised by Bangladesh Athletics Federation (BAF), will be held on Aug 27-28, at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

All District Sports Associations and universities affiliated with the BAF have already been advised to submit their entry by Aug 20, BAF general secretary Mosharraf Hossain Shamim told UNB on Sunday.

Earlier, the 9th summer meet was held in 2004.

5 players move to men's singles quarterfinal

UNB, Dhaka

Five players moved to the quarterfinals of men's singles event of the Dhaka Open Tennis Competition winning their respective 2nd round matches at the Ramna National Tennis Court Complex on Sunday.

In the day's matches, Amal Roy (NTC) beat Zakir Hossain (Uttara Club) 6-0, 6-1, Laxman Lal (American Club) defeated Nurul Islam (NTC) 6-2, 6-1, Prithul Mondal (ZITC) overpowered Milon Hossain (NTC) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, Murad Hossain (NTC) outplayed Dipu Lal (Nordic Club) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, and Ranjan Ram (NTC) beat Kanchan Ram (Nordic Club) 6-4, 6-3.

In the Boy's Under-14 events, Biplob Ram, Tanvir Hasan, Aqiv Munir, Jamil, Sajib Passi, Sunny Khan and Rustam Ali reached the quarterfinals beating their opponents in the pre-quarterfinals.

RDSA announces Tk 1.89 crore budget

BSS, Rajshahi

Rajshahi District Sports Association (RDSA) has announced Taka 1.89 crore budget for 2008-09 fiscal year with a surplus of Taka 59.63 lakh.

In the proposed budget, a total of Taka 1.89 crore has been shown as RDSA's earning while the expenditure outlay is Taka 1.29 crore.

RDSA President and Deputy Commissioner Ibrahim Khalil announced the budget at a press conference held at the RDSA office here last night.

He said Of the budget 77 percent money would be spent for the development sports while rest of the money would be spent for administrative purposes.

The salient features of the budget included arranging sports competition, training, prize distribution, sports grants, construction of gymnasium shed and renovation and maintenance of swimming pool and stadium.

Among others, RDSA Vice-president Abul Hossain, General Secretary Imtiaz Ahmed Shamshul Huda Kislu, Joint Secretary Khairul Alam Farhad and Treasurer Hasmat Hossain were present on the occasion.

Vaughan resigns as England captain

AP, England

Michael Vaughan stepped down as England's test cricket captain on Sunday, following a string of poor individual and team performances.

Vaughan announced his decision at a news conference just a day after England lost the third test in four days against South Africa at Edgbaston, giving the tourists an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series.

Immediately after the announcement, the England and Wales Cricket Board said Paul Collingwood had also decided to step down as England one-day captain, clearing the way for a new player to lead both teams. The ECB said it would announce the new captain on Monday, with British media naming Kevin Pietersen as the likely choice.

Vaughan struggled with his batting throughout the South Africa series, totaling just 40 runs in five innings, and was harshly criticized in British media after Saturday's five-wicket defeat.

After holding the captaincy for five years, Vaughan said his "mind hasn't been as fresh" lately, and that it was time for a break.

He said he will not play in the final test at The Oval, but that he hopes to return as a batsman for England for several more years.

Vaughan has an impressive test average of 41.44 from 82 matches. "I wish my mind was fresher and I wish I could've taken it on another year," Vaughan said. "But I've had five unbelievable years. t It's just the right time, I feel, to move forward with a

new captain, a new direction."

Vaughan has been one of England's most successful - and popular - captains, leading the team to victory in the Ashes three years ago.

However, he missed the 2006 season because of knee and hamstring injuries and resigned as one-day captain after resounding defeat in the Ashes in Australia.

"Whoever gets the job will need a little bit of time," Vaughan said. "I was pretty average at the start and got better as time wore on. But the England team need a leader to guide them in the right direction."

The ECB's managing director Hugh Morris hailed Vaughan as one of England's all-time greats, and said he expects him to return as one of the country's top batsmen.

"Michael led from the front and led with honesty and integrity every step of the way," Morris said. "He took the England captaincy to new heights. Michael was the best possible ambassador for the game and his record as captain speaks volumes for the character he instilled in the dressing room."

Vaughan became teary-eyed as he thanked his family for its support throughout the years.

After a short break from the game, he said he will finish the county season with Yorkshire, and hopes to be selected for the England squad for next year's Ashes.

"I really believe that these can be the best years of my playing career," he said.

Collingwood, who took over from Vaughan as one-day captain, said his own playing performances had suffered because of the added responsibility.

"I've always enjoyed representing my country at the highest level and it has always been my ambition to play cricket, across all forms of the game, but I've found the extra workload of the captaincy to be very difficult," Collingwood said. "The last thing

I want is for the captaincy to impact my performance and that of the teams, which is why I've arrived at this decision after a huge amount of consideration."