Venezuela Beats Argentina 1-0 In Wcup Qualifier

Caracas, Venezuela, Oct 12: Venezuela provided a major shock in South American World Cup qualifying on Tuesday, beating continental heavyweights Argentina 1-0. Fernando Amorebieta headed in a corner in the 61st minute, directing the ball just beyond the reach of Argentina goalkeeper Mariano Andujar. Venezuela, which is regarded as a longshot to qualify for the World Cup, held on for a deserved victory. Venezuela played a strong first half, repeatedly getting past a disorganized Argentina defense but Andujar made several key saves. Striker Juan Arango came close to scoring in the 42nd with a powerful free kick that Andujar saved with his fingers. AP

France Makes Euro 2012, Portugal In Playoffs

London, Oct 12: Denmark snatched an automatic spot at the 2012 European Championship at the expense of Portugal on Tuesday while France needed a late penalty in a 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina to reach the finals. Former champion Greece and Russia also clinched their places at next summer’s tournament in Ukraine and Poland as group winners with victories in the final round of qualifying games, and Sweden beat already-qualified Netherlands 3-2 to advance as the runner-up with the best record from the nine pools. Portugal’s 2-1 defeat in Copenhagen dropped Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates into next month’s qualification playoffs, along with fellow runners-up Turkey, Ireland, Estonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Czech Republic. Montenegro had already finished second in Group G before a 2-0 loss at Switzerland on Tuesday. Defending champion Spain and Germany beat Scotland and Belgium respectively to finish their group campaigns with perfect records, although the Netherlands’ defeat in Stockholm ruined their 100 percent run in qualifying. With England and Italy also already through as group winners, France and Portugal were the only heavyweights from the continent still to seal automatic qualification. The French, needing at least a draw to finish top of Group D, fell behind at the Stade de France in the 40th minute when Edin Dzeko curled home a shot from the edge of the box. Playmaker Samir Nasri salvaged a point for the hosts when he converted a penalty after being brought down just inside the area by defender Emir Spahic. “While the first half was disappointing, the second half was heart-warming,” France coach Laurent Blanc said. “What I liked was the players’ reaction. If they had not reacted tonight, we would be talking about the playoffs.” It left Portugal as the biggest casualty of the night although the 2004 runners-up can still qualify through the playoffs, the draw for which takes place on Thursday. Denmark had to win to secure first place in Group H and were 2-0 up by the 63rd minute thanks to goals by Michael Krohn-Dehli and Nicklas Bendtner. Ronaldo halved the deficit with a free kick in second-half injury time but it wasn’t enough for the Portuguese. “It was fantastic. All we maybe missed were a couple of more goals,” said Denmark coach Morten Olsen. Greece, the surprise 2004 champion, needed goals in the final 11 minutes by substitute Giorgos Fotakis and veteran Angelos Charisteas to secure a 2-1 win over Georgia and reach its third straight European Championship. It meant second-place Croatia’s 2-0 victory over Latvia was in vain, with Greece winning Group F by two points. As expected, Russia thrashed Andorra to qualify automatically from Group B, Alan Dzagoev scoring twice in a 6-0 win in Moscow. Sergei Ignashevich, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Denis Glushakov and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov also found the net for Dick Advocaat’s side. Ireland and Armenia were left to battle it out in a straight shootout for second place, with the Irish emerging triumphant thanks to a 2-1 win in Dublin. The hosts capitalized on the disputed sending-off of Armenia goalkeeper Roman Berezovski, for hand ball outside the area, in the 26th minute to go 2-0 up by the 59th minute through Valeri Aleksanyan’s own goal and Richard Dunne’s close-range finish. Henrik Mkhitaryan replied two minutes later for Armenia, which would have finished runner-up with a win. Sweden’s first win over the Netherlands since 1924 ensured the team advanced as the best runner-up—but it needed to overturn a 2-1 deficit to do so. In a four-minute span just after the break, Sebastian Larsson scored a penalty and Ola Toivonen crashed home a powerful shot in a stirring fightback that stunned the Dutch, who had recovered from Kim Kallstrom’s 14th-minute free kick with goals by Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Dirk Kuyt. “This was a fantastic team effort,” Sweden coach Erik Hamren said. Estonia is arguably the most surprising team in the playoffs. The unheralded Baltic nation kept hold of second place in Group C thanks to Serbia’s failure to defeat Slovenia in Maribor. Dare Vrsic’s goal sealed a 1-0 win for the Slovenians, with Nemanja Vidic missing a penalty for the visitors in the Manchester United defender’s first game back after an eight-week injury layoff. Italy beat Northern Ireland 3-0, thanks to Antonio Cassano’s double and an own goal by Gareth McAuley, to finish the group unbeaten and with a 10-point gap to Estonia. Turkey’s 1-0 victory over Azerbaijan saw it leapfrog Belgium into second place in Group A. The Belgians lost 3-1 to Germany, which clinched a 10th straight win in qualifying thanks to goals by Mesut Oezil, Andre Schuerrle and Mario Gomez. Scotland’s 3-1 defeat to Spain allowed the Czech Republic to climb into the runner-up spot in Group I with a 4-1 win in Lithuania. Jan Razek and Michail Kadlec both scored twice for the Czechs, with David Silva hitting two for Spain in an eighth straight qualifying win for the world champions. AP

Chile Overpowers Peru 4-2 In Wcup Qualifier

Santiago, Chile, Oct 12: Four players scored as Chile overwhelmed Peru 4-2 on Tuesday in a South American World Cup qualifier. Walter Ponce opened the scoring after two minutes and Eduardo Vargas made it 2-0 in the 18th. Gary Medel made it 3-0 in the 47th before Claudio Pizarro got one back two minutes later for Peru. Peru striker Jefferon Farfan made it interesting with a goal in the 60th to make it 3-2 before Humberto Suazo scored two minutes later to cap the scoring. Peru and Chile both have three points after their first two qualifying matches. AP

Serbia's Vidic, Stankovic To Quit Internationals

Belgrade, Oct 12: Serbia defender Nemanja Vidic and midfielder Dejan Stankovic have indicated they will retire from the national team after its failure to qualify for the European Championships. Vidic of Manchester United missed a penalty in a 1-0 loss to Slovenia on Tuesday which cost Serbia a place in the playoffs for Euro 2012. Estonia took the playoff sport, while Italy topped Group C. The 29-year-old Vidic said “it’s time for a change of generations and for some older players to say goodbye to the Serbian jersey.” Stankovic, who is 33, said “I played many matches, helped the national team and it’s time for me to turn to my tasks with Inter Milan.” Stankovic played his 102nd match for Serbia on Tuesday, tying the record by Savo Milosevic. Vidic has 56 caps. AP

Brett Lee Ruled Out Of South Africa Tour

Sydney, Oct 11: Australian fast bowler Brett Lee has been ruled out of the team's Twenty20 and One-day series against South Africa after being diagnosed with appendicitis. The speedstar was due to have an operation in Cape Town overnight which will sideline him from all cricket for six to eight weeks, a statement from Cricket Australia said today. “Brett complained of some abdominal pain after arriving in Cape Town on Sunday,” team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said in the statement. “After consulting specialists and having the relevant investigations he has been diagnosed with appendicitis and will be having surgery in Cape Town. He will obviously be ruled out of the Twenty20 and ODI series in South Africa and is likely to return to cricket in six to eight weeks.” Australia open their tour against the Proteas with a T20 in Cape Town on Thursday, followed by another in Johannesburg on Sunday. The three-match one-day series kicks off on October 19 ahead of Tests in Cape Town and Johannesburg in November. Cricket Australia's National Selection Panel said it will make announcement regarding a possible replacement in due course.

I Was More Surprised Than Hurt At Being Dropped : Harbhajan

New Delhi, Oct 12: Off-spinner Harbbhajan Singh says he was more surprised than hurt when he was axed from the Indian ODI team for the first two ODIs against England. “I wouldn’t say I was hurt. I was more surprised. I wish the younger guys all the best. I am more than happy to share my experience with them like I was helped by Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly while I was coming up,” Harbbhajan told PTI in an interview today. Dropped following a lacklustre tour of England, Harbhajan said that despite not being a part of Indian side, he would like to see his teammates take revenge over England in the five-match series, starting on Friday in Hyderabad. England recently blanked India 0-4 in the Test series before inflicting a humiliating 0-3 defeat in the five-match one-day series at their backyard. Harbhajan, on his part had a dismal show, as he took only two wickets in 69.4 overs at an average of 143.50 and economy rate of 4.11 before he suffered a stomach injury during the second game and was ruled out for the rest of the tour. “Harbhajan Singh is immaterial. What is important is India must beat England in the five-match ODI series and take their revenge, which I am sure they would over the next two weeks,” he said. “Ultimately, we are all playing for the country. We all are looking to exact revenge against a team who were so good against us recently,” he added. The feisty spinner also said that India’s defeat in England hurt him more than his own omission and it continues to be a recurring nightmare for him. “It took a lot of hard work for us to reach to the top. And we wouldn’t rest till we wrest it back. We won’t rest..,” he said.

Critics in recent times have found fault with Harbhajan’s bowling, saying it was not penetrative enough but the bowler begged to differ. “First of all you must decide what you expect from a bowler in limited overs format. Do you expect him to take a five-for everytime he bowls his 10 overs or do you want him to put the squeeze on and force the opposition to play into your hands?,” asked Harbhajan. “In a low-scoring match, you would expect him to take wickets. On a belter of a track, you want him to dry up the runs,” he added. In the 17 ODIs this year, the 31-year-old spinner barely conceded over four runs an over during the tours of South Africa and West Indies and in the World Cup. “In the Caribbean, I took one for 24 from 10 overs, besides scoring 41 with the bat in Antigua to clinch the one-day series. I must have done something right to have survived for 13 years. Who can be more concerned about my performance than myself?” he said. “I would do what my team wants me to do. I can’t keep adjusting every time somebody fancies to write about me. All I can say is that I am now completely fit and full of vigour. I am ready to put my best foot forward.” India turned out to be an inferior side against a rampant England in an away summer but a series of injuries also played a part, including one to Harbhajan in the second Test at Trent Bridge, which skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni often mentions as the moment when his team completely lost its bearing. Injuries were also an issue with the IPL side—Mumbai Indians—but unlike the Indian team, it rode over its misfortune and won its maiden Champions League Twenty20 title last Sunday. PTI

Majeed Has Put Every Player Under Suspicion: Oz Body

Melbourne, Oct 12: Alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed's claim that Australians were the biggest offenders of match-fixing is far from true but it has put every player under suspicion, feels Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh. An angry Marsh said that every player has been unfairly tainted by the sensational match-fixing allegations of Majeed. "This person's said what he's said but if you're going to come out and make accusations put names to it. I would have much preferred he'd done that and then there's an investigation and we go from there. But what he has done here is he's put every player under suspicion," Marsh was quoted as saying in the Australian media. "There is no evidence and that's the point we all need to keep on making. If there is some evidence here then bring it forward and it'll be investigated and we'll take it seriously." Majeed, a players' agent who was caught in a sting operation for allegedly orgainising corruption in cricket matches, has claimed that he knew several international players and that Australians were "the biggest" offenders of match-fixing. Majeed made that claims to an undercover reporter of the now-closed 'News of the World', and these came to light after the taped conversation was played during the corruption trial of former Pakistan captain Butt and fast bowler Mohammed Asif. Marsh believes it would be an almost impossible task for an Australian player to escape detection if he was involved in match-fixing.

Match-Fixing : Watson Urges Ponting, Bracken To Clear Their Names

Melbourne, Oct 12: Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has urged Ricky Ponting and Nathan Bracken to quickly clear their names over the match-fixing allegations after alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed had claimed that he had access to both the players. Majeed, a players' agent who was caught in a sting operation for allegedly orgainising corruption in cricket matches, has claimed that he knew several international players, including former captain Ponting and Bracken and that Australians were "the biggest" offenders of match-fixing. The allegations have led to angry reactions from Australian players with Bracken and Ponting bluntly denying Majeed's claim. But Watson said such claims unfairly questions the characters of players who take pride from their performances. "Absolutely it does (question integrity) and it's unbelievably disappointing. There's no doubt that if my name came up in that as well, especially when you know exactly how much you give every time you play and you're only there to get the best out of yourself and perform," he was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press. "If your integrity gets questioned there's no doubt you have to do everything you can to make sure you do clear your name because the majority of people who play sport and play cricket, you're only there to get the best out of yourself and performing as well as you can every single game. "When that's questioned it's really just a huge question on your character and you've got to try and clear your name as soon as you can," he added. Watson also termed Majeed's claim as "shocking, disappointing and damaging". "They've been very disappointing and pretty shocking really to see these allegations that have come out from this court case that is going on at the moment," he said. "I know from my perspective how damaging they really are to the game of cricket but also to the individuals. It challenges the integrity of the game we all love so much.

England, India Resume Battle For ODI Ranking During Series

Dubai, Oct 12: World champions India will resume their battle with World Twenty20 winner England for top ranking in the ODI Championship table when the two sides lock horns in the one-day series starting in Hyderabad on Friday. India are currently ranked fifth, just a rating point behind England, who are placed in the fourth position and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men would look to resume their bragging rights in the ODI series. World number one Australia are also ready to lock horns with third-placed South Africa from next Wednesday at Centurion and so there is a huge possibility of plenty of movement at the top of the order. In the ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, India boasts three batsmen inside the top 15 with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading from the front. He is in sixth position and will be keen to regain the coveted number-one position he surrendered to AB de Villiers after the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka last August. Dhoni trails fifth-ranked Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka by 13 points while he is 16 points behind Trott. The other Indian batsmen aiming to climb up the ladder include Virat Kohli (ninth), Gautam Gambhir (14th) and Suresh Raina (30th). Among the England batsmen, Jonathan Trott, who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards in London last month, is in fourth position and will be aiming to improve his ranking further. The next highest-ranked England batsman is captain Alastair Cook who is in 42nd position while Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell are in 52nd and 55th positions respectively. In the ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Praveen Kumar is the highest-ranked Indian bowler in 21st position in absence of the four frontline bowlers -- Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh. England's Graeme Swann will be hoping to strengthen his position on top of the tree. The off-spinner leads second-ranked New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori by 27 ratings points.