Faisalabad, January 25
Pakistan’s vice-captain Younis Khan produced a sparkling 194 to continue his sequence of big knocks against India as the second Test, which produced 1702 runs in four innings, petered out into a dreary draw here today.

The 28-year-old Younis, who has repeatedly tormented India by hitting big centuries, teamed up with Mohammad Yousuf (126) to pile the misery on the hapless bowlers with their fireworks before the Pakistani second innings folded up on 490 towards the fag end of the day.

With 14 mandatory overs still remaining, India went into bat and scored 21 no loss before play was finally called off.

Younis, who had missed his double ton by just one run in the first Test in Lahore, fell short of the milestone for the second successive time in the series.

The home team batsmen again had a field day as they found runs easy to come by on the placid track at the Iqbal Stadium which provided no assistance to the bowlers even though it was the fifth day.

The 242-run third wicket partnership between Younis and Yousuf was the highlight of the final day’s play which was reduced to an academic interest after the hosts preferred not to declare their second innings.

Kamran Akmal (78) and Abdul Razzak (33) were the other notable contributors to the Pakistan innings which saw an element of drama when five wickets fell in a clutter towards the fag end of the day when nothing was at stake.

Zaheer Khan took four of the five wickets that fell towards the end to inject some drama in the dull proceedings. The left-arm speedster took his four wickets in 10 balls while conceding only two runs.

India, who led by 15 runs in the first innings by scoring 603 in reply to Pakistan’s 588, had to bat out the remaining time. Skipper Rahul Dravid (5) and V.V.S. Laxman (8), who opened the innings in place of the indisposed Virender Sehwag who did not field at all in the Pakistan innings, were unbeaten at the end.

Debutant R.P. Singh was declared man of the match for taking four wickets in the first innings on a batsman-friendly pitch.

Earlier, the 28-year-old Younis cracked 22 fours and a six in his 454-minute essay during which he faced 299 balls.

Yousuf, dropped at four and 78, made 126, slamming four sixes and 11 fours in his 232-ball knock before being run out by Gautam Gambhir, substituting for Sehwag.

The run out of the 31-year-old Yousuf, ended his third wicket partnership with Younis after the pair had raised 242 runs in 232 minutes and 316 balls.

The duo had put on 142 runs in the Pakistan first innings with Younis making 83 and Yousuf 65, after compiling a massive 319-run stand in the only innings of the drawn first Test at Lahore for the third wicket.

It was the 13th drawn Tests out of 24 at this venue that began hosting international cricket in 1978, the revival series between the two arch-rivals after nearly two decades.

India have never won a Test in five attempts at this venue, while drawing four and losing their 1978 encounter.

The two senior batsmen in the home team's ranks flayed the tourists’ bowling attack, with Yousuf lofting Harbhajan Singh for two sixes and Anil Kumble and Yuvraj Singh for one each, to entertain the packed house which sat through the proceedings.

It was also Younis Khan’s fourth hundred in five Tests against India, and 11th overall in 41 Tests while it was the 31-year-old Yousuf’s fourth in 11 Tests against India and 16th in 64 matches.

The Indian bowling was caned to all parts of the field by the two batsmen though Yousuf survived two chances during his knock. He was dropped on four by Anil Kumble at gully off left arm debutant pacer R.P. Singh.

He was grassed again by Indian captain Rahul Dravid in the slips when the batsman edged off the unlucky Harbhajan Singh later. Yousuf was then on 78 with Pakistan on 316 for two. The off spinner looked distraught at this lapse, which came after fruitless toil on a dead pitch.

In between these lucky escapes, Yousuf was in his elements as he cut, drove and pulled the bowlers for runs. He also swung Harbahajan for a six over long-on before meting out a similar treatment to Kumble.

Later, he hoisted Harbhajan for another six over long-on before reaching his 100 in 192 minutes and off 151 balls. It contained nine fours and three sixes.

Younis raced to his century in 180 balls, after starting the day at 64 in the company of wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who made 78 before being dismissed by Irfan Pathan.

With the match having turned into a farce, even wicket keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave up his gloves to captain Rahul Dravid and bowled an over with the second new ball.

Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, nursing a back injury and the absent Shoaib Malik did not bat.

Scoreboard

Pakistan (1st innings) 588

India (1st innings) 603

Pakistan (2nd innings)

Butt c Tendulkar b Kumble 24

Akmal c Kumble b Pathan 78

Younis lbw R.P. Singh 194

Yousuf run out 126

Razzaq c Laxman b Zaheer 32

Afridi c Dhoni b Zaheer 1

Asif b Zaheer 0

Shoaib not out 0

Kaneria b Zaheer 0

Extras (b-9, lb-10, nb-13, w-3) 35

Total (8 wkts, 116.4 overs) 490

Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-181, 3-423, 4-488, 5-490, 6-490, 7-490, 8-490.

Bowling: Pathan 22-2-80-1, R. P. Singh 22-3-75-1, Kumble 21-3-118-1, Zaheer 19.4-4-61-4, Harbhajan 22-2-78-0, Yuvraj 9-0-46-0, Dhoni 1-0-13-0.

India (2nd innings)

Laxman not out 8

Dravid not out 5

Extras (nb-2, w-6) 8

Total (no loss, 8 overs) 21

Bowling: Afridi 4-0-16-0, Younis 4-0-5-0. — PTI

Faisalabad, January 25
An injured Inzamam-ul Haq was today retained in a 16-member Pakistan squad for the third and final Test against India in Karachi although it was still not confirmed whether the captain would take the field in the series decider.

Shoaib Malik was left out of the squad following the death of his father while medium-pacer Umar Gul and middle-order batsman Faisal Iqbal were included for the match set to start this Sunday.

Left-hander Asim Kamal was not picked because of his father’s illness, a PCB spokesman said.

Inzamam, who scored his 25th Test century in the second Test here, is struggling to recover from a bad back that prevented him from taking the field during India’s innings.

Although the team management said the 36-year-old master batsman had been showing improvement, there was no confirmation whether Inzamam would play in Karachi.

Gul, who picked up the man-of-the-match award against India in the Lahore Test two years ago, is in form. Faisal Iqbal, nephew of the legendary Javed Miandad, is also in prime touch having stroked eight centuries this season. He has been included as cover for Inzamam.

Team: Inzamam-ul Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice-captain), Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Mohamad Yousuf, Faisal Iqbal, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria and Arshad Khan. — PTI

Melbourne, January 25
Top seeds Jeevan Nedun-chezhiyan and Sanam Singh were upset by an unseeded Polish duo in the second round of the boys doubles championships of the Australian Open here today.

The Indian pair were a bit off colour in their 4-6, 6-3, 3-6 loss to the unheralded pair of Blazej Koniusz and Grzegorz in the juniors section.

Jeevan and Sanam stretched the match to a three-setter after they were one set down, but they were clearly outplayed by their opponents in almost all departments of the game.

The Indians committed 13 unforced errors, six more than their rivals, while their double faults also exceeded the Polish pair.

They also faltered on crucial occasions as they converted only three out of eight break points and winning on only 29 of the 44 occasions with their first serves.

Koniusz and Panfil were more successful than Jeevan and Sanam in winning points on their first serves. Jeevan and Sanam were better in hitting winners.

Sanam will play Austen Childs of New Zealand in the third round of boys singles tomorrow. — PTI

Melbourne, January 25
Top seed Roger Federer survived a testing examination from Russian fifth seed Nikolay Davydenko before winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 to reach the Australian Open semifinals today.

The world number one was pushed all the way by Davydenko but his sublime skills and unrivalled ability to raise his game when it matters enabled the Swiss master to book his place in the last four against German Nicolas Kiefer.

Federer was pushed to five sets in his fourth-round match with Tommy Haas and it briefly looked as though he might have to go the full distance again after the Russian pinched the second set and served for the third.

But Federer broke back when he needed to and then saved six set points before taking the third set in a tie-breaker and then won the fourth in another tie-breaker to remain on course for his second Australian Open crown.

Nicolas Kiefer advanced to the semifinals after a gruelling and volatile 6-3, 0-6, 6-4, 6-7 (1), 8-6 win over Sebastien Grosjean.

Kiefer made the final four for the first time in 35 majors and played the longest match of the tournament at four hours and 48 minutes.

In a bizarre point at 40-30 in the 12th game, Kiefer tossed his racket over the net just after Grosjean, serving to stay in the match, hit a forehand into the net.

Grosjean appealed for a hindrance ruling, but was denied by umpire Carlos Bernardes and then argued the point with Grand Slam supervisor Mike Morrissey without success.

Kiefer already had been warned twice for using obscene language. One more code violation would have cost him a point.

He frequently questioned line calls, losing his cool as he lost the fourth-set tie-breaker and again when he was broken for a second time in the fifth set.

The 28-year-old German flung a water bottle at the changeover, but recovered to break Grosjean again and get the match back on serve.

Grosjean had game points in the 14th game but Kiefer earned a match point with a pinpoint lob and clinched it when the Frenchman put a backhand volley into the net.

Melbourne, January 25
Extrovert giant-killing Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis has plans to slay another top seed when he takes on David Nalbandian for a place in the final of the Australian Open tomorrow.

The unseeded Baghdatis has been the revelation of the tournament, beating second seed Andy Roddick and seventh seed Ivan Ljubicic and winning an army of admirers with his passion and commitment.

His tiny island Mediterranean home has ground to a standstill on match days, witnessing the emergence of one of its biggest sporting heroes, while in Melbourne, with its big Greek expat population, he is mobbed in the streets.

After recovering from a charged five-setter against Ljubicic to reach his first Grand Slam semifinal, the 20-year-old turned his sights on the Argentine fourth seed, and believes he has what it takes to beat him.

“We’ve played each other twice, we’re one-all,” he said of Nalbandian, who mastered unseeded Frenchman Fabrice Santoro for an easy 7-5, 6-0, 6-0 quarterfinal win.

“I’ll just go into the match and play my own tennis and try not to give easy points and try to be smart and take my chances. I think if I do that, I have a big chance of winning.”

The last time they met was on carpet in Basle last year when Baghdatis won. Previously, they clashed at the 2005 French Open where Nalbandian won in four sets, storming back after losing the first set to love.

The Argentine is gunning to make his second Grand Slam final after losing to Lleyton Hewitt in 2002 at Wimbledon and feels the time to do it is now. “My goal is to win some Grand Slams. I’m ready to do it,” he said.

Asked at his press conference who he would bet on to win the Open, the powerful baseliner fired back: “Me.” But he knows Baghdatis will be no pushover, despite being ranked 50 places below him.

“Baghdatis beat Roddick, so he’s playing good,” said Nalbandian, the conqueror of world number one Roger Federer in the Masters Cup final in Shanghai last November. — AFP

Chandigarh, January 25
Former shooter T.S. Dhillon, Deputy Inspector General of Police, CRPF, Jalandhar Range, has been chosen for the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service by the President.

Mr Dhillon is also the recipient of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award in shooting, which was awarded by the Punjab Government in 1984. He was earlier awarded the Police Medal for Meritorious Service by the President in 1997. He was also awarded Director-General’s Commendation Discs in 1990, 2002 and 2005, besides over 55 commendation letters from the Director-General of Police in recognition of his multidimensional contribution while serving in various parts of the country.

Mr Dhillon has the distinction of being an international shooter, coach and selector. He represented the country in the 1982 Asian Games, held the Tricolour as captain of the Indian team at the World Police Games in Italy in 1989. He also captained a four-member team at an invitational meet at Mannheim (Germany) in 1986.

He is the first Asian to be honoured with life membership of the International Shooting Coaches Association and the first Asian member of the International Training Team.

He has been the coach of the Indian shooting team for various international competitions, including the World Shooting Championship (Barcelona, 1998), Oceania Shooting Championship (Pre-Olympics, Sydney, 1999), World Cup (Milano, Italy, 2000), World Cup (Munich) and World Cup (Milano, 2005).

He is a member of the National Selection Committee for shooting. He is also a member of the National Governing Body, Technical Committee and Disciplinary Committees of the National Rifle Association of India.

Indian judokas reign supreme

New Delhi, January 25
India grabbed 26 medals, including eight gold, 11 silver and seven bronze to emerge champions in the 4th India Cup International Judo Championships which was held at the Jawaharlal Indoor Stadium in Cuttack.

The gold medal winners for India were Santosh D Mane (66 kg) and Olympian Akram Shah (60 kg) in men’s events and Aarti Sharma (70 kg), Y Landhani Devi (63 kg), Nidhi Bharadwaj (57 kg), A Anita Chanu (52 kg), N Gomti Chanu (48 kg) and O Riza Chanu (open) in women’s events.

Uzbekistan won three gold medals, while Japan bagged the other two gold medals which were at stake.

The other countries who participated in the five-day championship were Bangladesh, Iran, Mauritius, Nepal and Sri Lanka. India fielded two teams, India A and India B, in the championship. — PTI

Wijk Aan Zee, January 25
Viswanathan Anand won an engrossing battle with Loek Van Wely of the Netherlands to stay in joint lead with world champion Vedelin Topalov after the ninth round of Corus International Chess Tournament here yesterday.

On what turned out to be a nightmarish affair for the young gun, Topalov of Bulgaria put it across Sergey Karjakin of the Ukraine, the world’s youngest ever Grandmaster, in a fine display of attacking chess stay atop the leaderboard with Anand on 6.5 points.

Unless either of the top two seeds goes haywire from here, it looks like a showdown for the title between Anand and Topalov in the category-19 all-play-all event between 14 players.

The first big tournament of the year is likely to go down to the wire with just four rounds to come.

The loss against Topalov put Karjakin on joint fifth spot as sole third is now jointly occupied by Israeli Boris Gelfand and Briton Michael Adams who both came out with fine victories over local challengers Ivan Sokolov and tailender Etienne Bacrot, respectively.

While both Gelfand and Adams have 5.5 points each, Karjakin is now on five points along with Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine who drew with world junior champion Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan.

Anand displayed a deep opening preparation well compiled with good understanding of the endgame to beat Van Wely who played the Sicilian Sveshnikov as black. Interestingly enough, Topalov also played black against Karjakin with the same opening that yielded rich dividends. — PTI

Chandigarh, January 25
Len Aiyappa’s hat-trick steered Bangalore Lions to a 3-2 victory over Maratha Warriors in a Tier I match of the Premier Hockey League at the Sector 42 Hockey Stadium here today.

Len converted three penalty corners with his drag-flicks to emerge as “the lion of the day”.

With this win, the Lions took their points tally to 11. They are now joint leaders with Chandigarh Dynamos, both having played six matches. The Lions got four penalty corners and converted three of them, while the Warriors failed to earn any.

The first goal came in the 17th minute when Aiyappa converted a penalty corner. Eleven minutes later, Len gave his team a 2-0 lead with another drag-flick. The Lions led 2-0 at half time.

Warriors forward Dhanraj Pillay made some moves and gave good passes to his team-mates. In the 56th minute, Pillay made no mistake in putting the ball in the net to score his first goal of the tournament. However, in the 62nd minute, Aiyappa showed his brilliance by converting another penalty corner with a drag-flick (3-1).

Lions captain Arjun Halappa led his side admirably. The absence of Bimal Lakra did not affect the team’s performance.

Striker Shivender Singh scored for the Warriors in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter to reduce the margin. (3-2).

Tomorrow, Chandigarh Dynamos take on Hyderabad Sultans at 5 pm, while Maratha Warriors clash with Sher-e-Jallandhar at 7 pm.