Rabia Qadir steers Lahore to Women Hockey final

By AM Khan

LAHORE (TheSportsNext) August 30, 2012: Rabia Qadir’s important goal helped Lahore to defeat Bahawalpur Whites 2-1 in the semi-final of the eighth Nishan-e-Haider Flood Light Women Hockey Tournament in Bahawalpura Stadium.

 

After this impressive victory, Lahore qualified for the final along with Multan which outclassed Bahawalpur Colours by 6-2 in the second semi-final.

In the first semi-final, a thrilling match was witnessed by a huge and excited crowd as the score at the end of the second half was 1-1. In the extra time, Wapda team’s captain and Lahore’s sensational player Rabia Qadir delivered the final punch and steered her team to a superb victory.

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ICC trims list of awards nominees

By Osama Tariq

DUBAI (TheSportsNext) August 30, 2012: The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Thursday, released the trimmed list of players nominated for different categories for its awards to be held prior to ICC World Twenty20 2012 in Sri Lanka next month.

The ICC Annual Awards 2011-12 will be held in Colombo in association with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association on September 15, 2012 and players in various categories were announced after voting by an independent 25-percent academy.

The academy comprises of former players, respected members of the world media as well as representatives of the Emirates Elite Panels of ICC Umpires and ICC Match Referees.

The initial longer lists were made by a five-member ICC selection panel led by former West Indian skipper Clive Lloyd and had services of former captains Zaheer Abbas from Pakistan, Mike Gatting from England, Danny Morrison from New Zealand, and Paul Adams from South Africa.

The awards are spanning a period between August 4, 2011 and August 6, 2012.

Shortlists of nominees for ICC Awards:

ICC Cricketer of the Year
Hashim Amla
Michael Clarke
Vernon Philander
Kumar Sangakkara

ICC Test Cricketer of the Year
Hashim Amla
Michael Clarke
Vernon Philander
Kumar Sangakkara

ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year
MS Dhoni
Virat Kohli
Lasith Malinga
Kumar Sangakkara

ICC T20I Performance of the Year
Tillakaratne Dilshan
Chris Gayle
Richard Levi
Ajantha Mendis

ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year
Lydia Greenway (Eng)
Anisa Mohammed (WI)
Sarah Taylor (Eng)
Stafanie Taylor (WI)

ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year
Alyssa Healy (Aus)
Lisa Sthalekar (Aus),
Sarah Taylor (Eng)
Stafanie Taylor (WI)

ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year
Doug Bracewell
Dinesh Chandimal
Sunil Narine
James Pattinson

ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year
Kevin O’Brien
George Dockrell
Ed Joyce
Paul Stirling (all four Ireland)
Dawlat Zadran (Afg)

People’s Choice Award
James Anderson
Jacques Kallis
Vernon Philander
Kumar Sangakkara
Sachin Tendulkar

ICC Spirit of Cricket
Mohammad Hafeez
Jacques Kallis
Daniel Vettori
AB de Villiers

ICC Umpire of the Year
Billy Bowden
Aleem Dar
Kumar Dharmasena
Richard Kettleborough
Simon Taufel
Rodney Tucker

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ICC announces Test Team of the Year

By Osama Tariq

DUBAI (TheSportsNext) August 30, 2012: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced its Test Team of the Year with Australian skipper Michael Clarke given responsibility of leading the team.

The ICC said in a statement issued here that the 12-man ICC Test Team of the Year was named based on the period between August 4, 2012 and August 6, 2012.

The team has four South African players including Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Vernon Philander, and Dale Steyn as the Proteas dethroned England as the top Test team in the Reliance ICC Rankings for Test teams.

England has the second best representation in the ICC Test Team of the Year with Alastair Cook, Matt Prior, and Stuart Broad getting a place in it.

Other players include Kumar Sangakkara, Michael Clarke, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Saeed Ajmal.

The ICC Test Team of the Year includes Alastair Cook (England), Hashim Amla (South Africa), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), skipper Michael Clarke (Australia), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies), Matt Prior (England), Stuart Broad (England), Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan), Vernon Philander (South Africa), and Dale Steyn (South Africa).

Interestingly, not even a single player from India has been selected in the ICC Test Team of the Year despite of the fact that Team India remained number one Test time for quite some time before losing it to England.

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Proud to be on Usain Bolt's fan-list, says Waqar Younis

By Bipin Dani

DUBAI (TheSportsNext) August 30, 2012: Former Pakistani pace-bowler, Waqar Younis feels proud to be on a fan-list of the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

Speaking exclusively with TheSportsNext.com, Waqar Younis said, "I have heard about Bolt's statement and respect his opinion about me. I am his fan too, though I have not met him, but would love to see him".

The first sport to interest Bolt was cricket and he said if he was not a sprinter he would be a fast bowler instead. As a child he was a great supporter of the Pakistani cricket team and always admired the bowling of Waqar Younis.

"He may have seen me play in his country (in 1993)".

But now that Bolt — the legendary Jamaican sprinter — is in the limelight for having won a record number of six gold medals in Olympics (including three he claimed in 2012 London Games).

"The people should take leaf out out of his career. He is really quick and no. 1 and I equally respect him", Younis added.

Australian cricketer Shane Warne recently said that Bolt would be interested in playing in the Big Bash League.

"I don't know how serious he is (about) playing this game of cricket. Whether he wants to play cricket or is really asked to do so...but he can be a successful bowler if he really tries hard", Younis said.

During one charity cricket match Usain Bolt clean-bowled Chris Gayle. In this match Bolt also struck a six off Chris Gayle's bowling.

Jamaica island has tradition of producing fast bowlers and the world would be excited to see this 27-year fastest runner on the earth bowling to the great batsmen on field of cricket.

Interestingly, Bolt is also a football fan.

As a result of his successes in athletics, he was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for 2009 and 2010.

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Real Madrid snatch Super Cup title from FC Barcelona

By Alexia Krause

MADRID (TheSportsNext) August 30, 2012: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid took revenge of their last year’s Super Cup defeat to the hands of FC Barcelona on Wednesday night when they defeated their arch-rivals by 2-1 to claim their first Spanish Super Cup title in four years.

Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo scored the two goals for Real Madrid who enjoyed dominance over FC Barcelona who were clipped to 10 men after Adriano was sent off in the 28^th minute.

FC Barcelona looked far from their best game and missed a number of chances right throughout the match and despite of Lionel Messi pulling one back for them just at the stroke of halftime, they kept wasting seriously intriguing movements to eventually left bitter-mouth.

By winning the second leg of the Super Cup match, Real Madrid equalized the tie 4-4 after the FC Barcelona had won the first leg 3-2 at Nou Camp but Cristiano Ronaldo’s side was declared winner on the basis of away goals rule.

The victory also gave Real Madrid fans something to cheer about after a disappointing start to their La Liga campaign as they have lost all three matches this season which also included a shocking 2-1 defeat at city rivals Getafe on Sunday.

Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo found the net well inside the first 20 minutes with Huguain scoring in the 11^th and Ronaldo in the 19^th minute to send a strong message to the visiting arch-foes.

However, Lionel Messi responded well with a brilliant goal off a free kick from 30 meters as the teams went into the halftime with score of 2-1 in favor of Real Madrid.

Real Madrid fielded strong defensive players in the second half and offered few chances to the Barca as their star goalkeeper Iker Casillas stood firm in the goalpost.

This victory also was mammoth in terms of breaking Barcelona’s seven-match unbeaten streak at the Bernabeu Stadium as it was Real Madrid’s first home victory in a El Clasico encounter since May 2008.

Iker Casillas lifted the Super Cup trophy and thereafter spoke to Spanish television saying, "At the Nou Camp they had a chance for a fourth goal and in the next move we scored the one that kept us in with a chance. We dominated the first half and the match in general, although we had to suffer a bit at the end. We were on a poor run and we owed this to the fans. We haven't started the season well but some days you have good luck and some you don't."

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Maria Sharapova into US Open 3rd round

By Raleigh McPherson

NEW YORK (TheSportsNext) August 30, 2012: Maria Sharapova of Russia outclassed Lourdes Dominguez of Spain in steamrolling performance at Flushing Meadows as she raced to a 6-0 6-1 victory and stormed into third round of the US Open 2012 in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

 

Maria Sharapova, who is seeded third in the US Open 2012, required only 54 minutes to make the mockery of the second round match as she slapped 30 winners while her 78^th-ranked Spanish opponent Lourdes Dominguez had no answer to any of them.

Maria Sharapova, the four-time Grand Slam champion, has only lost five games in her first two matches at the US Open 2012 and is looking in a swashbuckling form to target the grand slam title.

The next target for the Russian tennis question is American wild-card Mallory Burdette, a 21-year-old Stanford All-American making her Grand Slam debut.

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Samantha Stosur races into US Open 2012 3rd round

By Raleigh McPherson

NEW YORK (TheSportsNext) August 30, 2012: Samantha Stosur of Australia remained on course to defend her US Open title on Wednesday when she steamrolled Edina Gallovits-Hall of Romania by 6-3 6-0 in Ashe Arthur Stadium.

 

The defending champion needed only 60 minutes to sweep aside her Romanian opponent and book her place in the third round of the US Open 2012.

Samantha Stosur won her maiden grand slam title last year in the Flushing Meadows and looking in good touch ahead of bigger contests in penultimate stages of the tournament.

The world number 135 Gallovits-Hallas had little credentials to offer against one of the best tennis players in WTA Tour and could never stand the power of Samantha Stosur who was oozing with confidence.

Samantha Stosur will be next up against American Varvara Lepchenko in the third round of the US Open 2012.

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