PCB to appeal against Ajmal's suspension

"The ban on Ajmal is a big blow to Pakistan cricket and we will appeal against the decision," PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan said in an instant reaction to the news of the ban.
   
PCB bigwigs and the national team manager and chief selector Moin Khan went into a emergency meeting at the Gaddafi stadium to chalk out a future strategy.
   
"We don't know the exact details but Saeed has the option of also working on his action and taking fresh tests when he is ready," Khan said.
   
"What we know is that the ICC has recently changed its protocol on testing bowlers with suspect actions and other bowlers have also been reported. We could appeal in two weeks time," he noted.
   
Pakistan's former captain, Rashid Latif said he was expecting a suspension on Ajmal, all of whose deliveries were found to be illegal.
   
"The ICC has come down hard on bowlers with even minor issues in their action and it appears things have changed from the past when leniency was shown by match officials and umpires," he said.
   
Latif said Ajmal has no option but to work on modifying his action and going for a fresh test before the World Cup.
   
"The domestic cricket season is also starting soon so he has the platform to work on his action."
   
A senior board official said that the board had already made up its mind to have experts work on Ajmal's action and hope he passes the ICC tests before the World Cup.
   
Ajmal, the top spinner in world cricket for the last three years, is not the first Pakistani bowler to be reported for a suspect bowling action as before him Shoaib Akhtar, Shabbir Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik have all been reported as well.
   
But Ajmal is the first Pakistani bowler under the new ICC protocols to be banned from bowling in  international cricket. He was reported during the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle last month.
   
Pakistan's former chief selector and coach, Mohsin Khan said he was disappointed by the ban on Saeed Ajmal.
   
"He is a big asset for us and the PCB should now use all its resources to get him back into international cricket. I know no player is indispensable but if he is not available for the World Cup it will badly hit our chances of doing well there," Mohsin said.

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Paes-Stepanek advance to third round of US Open

The sixth seeded pairing defeated Chinese Taipei's Yen Hsun-Lu and Czech Republic's Jiri Vesley 7-6 (3) 6-3 in a contest which lasted an hour and 23 minutes.
   
In the intensely contested opening set, both the teams exchanged a break of serve and were guilty of committing an equal number of unforced errors.
   
Lu and Vesley, however, gave away easy points by committing as many as four double faults, eventually falling short in the tie-breaker.
    
But Paes and Stepanek dominated the second set, clinching two break points and being distinctly better on their second serve.
   
The sixth seeds will next take on the winners of the match between 11th-seeded Spanish pair of Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez and the Dutch team of Robin Haase and Igor Sisling.
   
In the junior competition, Ojasvinee Singh entered the second round of qualifiers after beating local favourite Alexandra Sanford 6-3 6-2.

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Van Gaal says ‘record signing’ Di Maria won't provide instant fix to Untied’s woes

The Dutchman was speaking after United's humiliating 4-0 loss at third-tier Milton Keynes Dons in the League Cup second round had compounded their terrible start to the campaign.
              
"I think that he (Di Maria) can contribute and that is very important but we don't have to expect that from tomorrow our world has changed," Van Gaal told a British channel after the Argentina international signed for 59.7 million pounds (USD 98.77 million).
              
"He has to adapt to the culture of England, the culture of the Premier League and the philosophy of Manchester United,” he added.
              
"He shall contribute very much in our way of playing. He is a creative player. I can change the system with Di Maria. He can play as a winger and he can also play in midfield," he said.
              
The experienced Van Gaal has yet to fashion a win during his three competitive matches in charge of United this season.
              
Their thrashing by MK Dons followed a 2-1 defeat against Swansea City, United's first opening day loss at home since 1972, and a 1-1 draw against Sunderland in the Premier League.
              
Van Gaal praised the reaction he got from the Old Trafford faithful during the reverse to Swansea and urged them to remain patient as he looks to reshape his struggling team.
              
"(The fans) have to believe in our philosophy," he said.

"We are building up a team that you cannot make in one month or even one year. It (Tuesday's defeat) is very disappointing but I hope they shall maintain their confidence in the club, and in our philosophy because that philosophy takes time,” he added.
              
"We know exactly what we are doing. We have lost in the Capital One Cup, and so tonight (Tuesday) has cost us the chance of a trophy, and that is disappointing,” he further said.
              
United's next game is a trip to promoted Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.

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Chess Olympiad: Top stars missing but Indian team in 'high spirit'

Anand, having last played the event in 2004 in Spain, is giving it a miss again and the second-highest rated ever and fast climbing P Harikrishna is also not playing this time.
   
However the team has in-form Parimarjan Negi, who had a good show in the just concluded Politiken cup, and B Adhiban, who won the Biel Masters open just a few days back, in addition to M R Lalith Babu and S P Sethuraman who all, on their day, are formidable opponents. Sasikiran at 33, is the oldest member in the team.
   
Seeded 19th among a record participation of 179 countries this time, the Indian team can do better than its billing provided Sasikiran, Negi and Adhiban remain at the top of their game.
   
The Indian women team will again miss the services of top star Koneru Humpy who has not been a part of the chess Olympiad for some time now. Humpy is getting married just a few days after the Olympiad.
   
Dronavalli Harika will be the star among the Indian eves that came up with a flourish to finish fourth last time in the biennial event. Seeded fifth this time, the team comprises Tania Sachdev, Mary Ann Gomes, Eesha Karavade and Padmini Rout. There are 139 teams in women’s competition.
   
The chance of an encore for the Indian eves or bettering their performance will heavily rely on the performance by Harika and Tania Sachdev, who had won a personal bronze medal for her performance last year.

The Russian team starts as the rating favourite in the open section while in the women’s, its China that has the highest average rating. The event will be played on FIDE’s Swiss system. For every win, a team will get two match points and one in case of a tied result.
   
It will also be the first daylight Olympiad as the sun does not set in Tromso in the present period.

Less than 2000 KMs from the North Pole, Tromso has been the starting point for the Polar expeditions for more than 200 years now.
   
The focus will be chess though and the presence of most of the top stars of the world makes it a unique event.

World Champion Magnus Carlsen will be the biggest star representing the local team. Also present will be Vladimir Kramnik and Sergey Karjakin for Russia, Levon Aronian for Armenia and Veselin Topalov for Bulgaria.
   
Among the women, Judit Polgar of Hungary will be cynosure of all eyes playing in the open section.

Yifan Hou, the women's world champion will don the first board for China while new import Kateryna Lahno will play under the Russian flag for the first time.

Source: Sports News Today

'Returning' Serena on song in WTA return at Stanford

The American world number one, playing for the first time since her third-round singles exit at Wimbledon, showed no sign of illness or rust as she rolled to victory over the 45th-ranked Czech in 64 minutes.
   
After enjoying a first-round bye, the top seed punched her ticket to the quarter-finals of the WTA hardcourt tournament where she'll face the winner of Thursday's second-round match between former world number one Ana Ivanovic and Canadian qualifier Carol Zhao.
   
Williams has captured titles at Brisbane, Miami and Rome in 2014, but she has failed to add to her tally of 17 Grand Slam singles titles and the US Open offers her last chance this year to do so.
   
After falling in the third round of singles play at Wimbledon, Williams looked wobbly in a second-round doubles match from which she and her sister Venus eventually retired.
   
Since then Serena had withdrawn from a tournament in Bastad but she said this week her time off had helped her recover from a virus and she showed no ill-effects on Wednesday.
   
"She had a really good serve," Williams said of Pliskova, who kept the first set close but finally surrendered the frame when Williams broke her in the final game.   

Williams broke again in the second game en route to a 3-0 lead in the second and broke Pliskova to love to close out the match when the Czech belted a forehand long.
   
Williams saved all three break points she faced in the match and fired nine aces.
   
"I think I played really well," Williams said.

"I'm on the right path. I'm excited and I'm looking forward to my next match,” she added.

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