Shoaib Malik to wed Sania Mirza

The marriage is sure to attract attention because neighbouring Pakistan and India are longtime rivals, and have fought three wars since 1947.

“The news of me marrying to Sania is true,” Malik posted on Twitter on Tuesday. “Inshallah (God willing) will get married in April.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board has fined and banned Malik for one year for unspecified disciplinary reasons following heavy defeats in both test and limited-overs series against Australia earlier this year.

The 23-year-old Mirza ended a previous engagement to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza in January, citing incompatibility.

She issued a statement Tuesday confirming the marriage plan, but asking for privacy.

“My wedding Inshallah is going to be the biggest day of my life,” she said. “I have been in the media glare for too long and would appreciate a little privacy at this very personal moment in my life.”

Her father, Imran Mirza, said both Sania and Malik will be based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, but continue to represent their countries in their respective sports.

“This is a unique case where husband and wife will represent their respective countries in sport,” he said in a statement issued in Hyderabad, India, where the family lives.

A local television reported that Mirza, her parents and sister, had applied for a visa at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday and were expected to be issued with a visa of three weeks in duration and valid for 60 days.

Mirza, a two-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, became the first Indian woman to crack the top 40 in the international tennis rankings, reaching a career high of No. 27 in August 2007. At one time, the Muslim player was assailed by conservative elements of the Indian community for competing in short skirts and sleeveless shirts. She has not advanced beyond the first round in her last four tournaments and withdrew from tournaments in Malaysia and the United States in recent weeks due to a wrist injury. She is currently No. 92 in the rankings.

Malik, 28, was at the centre of marriage controversy five years ago when he was reportedly broke an engagement with Ayesha Siddiqui, who was from Mirza’s hometown in India.

The two had reportedly developed friendship on the internet and Siddiqui’s father had even threatened to take Malik to court.

Malik has denied any serious relationship with Siddique.

The dashing cricketer was also linked with Indian actress Siali Bhagat, and there were reports of the two meeting confidentially in 2008.

News of the Malik-Mirza engagement spread quickly on Tuesday.

It’s not the first time that a Pakistani cricketer will be married to a high-profile Indian woman.

Former test batsman Mohsin Khan, now the national chief selector, married Indian actress Reena Roy in the 1980s. The marriage later broke down.

Newspapers reported that Malik first met Mirza at Hobart, Australia in January, when the Pakistan squad was on tour and Mirza was in the city for a tennis tournament.

“It was after this meeting that Mirza’s engagement with his childhood friend broke,” a local Urdu daily reported.

Diplomatic relations between Pakistan and India grew more tense after a terrorist attack in the Indian film and financial hub of Mumbai in November, 2008. As a result, the Indian cricket team postponed its scheduled test tour to Pakistan due to security concerns.

The Pakistan government refused permission for its players to join the second edition of the Indian Premier League last year before the lucrative Indian domestic league was moved to South Africa.

Sporting relations deteriorated further when no Pakistani cricketers were picked up by Indian clubs in this year’s auction for the IPL.

Malik played for Delhi Daredevils in the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008.

He played 29 test matches for Pakistan and scored 1,517 runs at an average of 36.11. In 190 one-day internationals he has scored 5,141 runs at an average of 34.50 and also took 132 wickets with his off-spin bowling.

Malik lost the captaincy of the national team after Pakistan lost a limited-overs series to Sri Lanka at home last year. —AP

sania

Sania is a hard-working, overachieving phenom who has stayed remarkably down-to-earth. Despite her successes on the WTA circuit, Sania still travels with her mother and giggles like a schoolgirl when discussing her private life. Watching Sania blush her way through interviews, it's easy to forget that her fierce serve and powerful game make her one of the better female tennis players on the planet.

Tennis sensation Sania Mirza is dispatching foes at a historic rate. Sania is the first Indian woman to advance to the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament, the first to win a WTA singles title and the first to win a junior Grand Slam title. To date, she's beaten two top 10 players, and has successfully cracked the WTA's Top 30 rankings.

Sania Mirza may not have come into this world with a racket in her hand, but it didn't take long for the tennis phenom to pick one up. Born on November 15, 1986, in Mumbai, India, Sania was encouraged to start playing the sport at the age of 6. "I used to go swimming and passed the tennis courts every day," she recalls, "and that's how it started. My mum said 'Why don't you play tennis in your summer holidays because you have nothing to do except swim for an hour or whatever?', and that's how I started playing.

Getting her career on track was another matter altogether. "My mother took me to a coach, who initially refused to coach me because I was too small," says Mirza. "After a month, he called my parents to say he'd never seen a player that good at such a young age."

Encouraged by the coach's assessment, Sania continued to train long and hard while her peers enjoyed more frivolous pursuits. In retrospect, she realizes she may have missed out on having a regular childhood, but doesn't regret it for a moment. "I realized that if you don't make those sacrifices, I don't think you can make something out of your life," she says. "Sometimes I did feel I was missing out, like sometimes I'd want to go to a birthday party but I couldn't because I had tennis." Fortunately, Sania's remarkable focus and determination paid off.

Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik: the romance that gripped two nations

Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik discuss his previous alleged marriage with the press on Monday Photograph: Mahesh Kumar A/AP

Bring on the puns about love games, fine legs and bowling a maiden over. Pakistan's former cricket captain, Shoaib Malik, is to marry India's top-ranked female tennis player, Sania Mirza. In India, the rightwing Hindu nationalist political party, the BJP, has asked Mirza to "reconsider" her decision to marry a Pakistani, while more centrist parties have remained silent. In Pakistan, the Islamic rightwing political parties – who would usually have a lot to say about women who wear tennis skirts – have remained silent, while more centrist parties have voiced their congratulations. The contrasting attitudes each side of the border actually reveal the same assumption: a wife belongs to her husband's "household", so an Indian woman marrying a Pakistani man is unpatriotic, whereas a Pakistani man marrying an Indian woman is carrying home the spoils of victory. Or, as the painfully sexist/ jingoistic joke doing the rounds in Pakistan goes: "Finally, we get to see Pakistan screwing India."

But wait, there's more. Ayesha Siddiqui from Hyderabad, India – Sania's home town – has appeared, declaring she is already married to Shoaib. Many Pakistanis remember Ayesha from a news story in 2005 that hailed "cross-border love" as Pakistan's cricket team travelled to India and provided a first opportunity for Shoaib to meet the in-laws. According to the stories at the time, Shoaib and Ayesha had met once in Jeddah (by her account, which he neither corroborated nor denied), continued a romance via the internet and were married over the phone in 2002. As stories went it was a compelling one – love across the border but within the same religion (ie confronting prejudice without breaking taboo) and a pleasing mix of modernity and tradition (internet romances both break and maintain the strictures of arranged marriages by allowing couples to communicate while still maintaining a modest physical separation).

Three years later, Ayesha's father declared that the marriage was over, but Shoaib was refusing to grant Ayesha a divorce. Shoaib insisted that though there was an internet romance, the marriage never took place. Now he says that yes, she pressurised him into taking part in a nikah – marriage ceremony – over the phone, but the chief qazi (sharia judge) of Hyderabad says a phone nikah isn't valid in Islamic law and in any case, Shoaib says, the nikah is doubly invalid because he was deceived about who he was marrying.

"But did you go to a hotel room with her?" an Indian journalist asked at the recent Sania-Shoaib press conference, voicing the question on everyone's mind. Shoaib looked pained. "First, tell me, who is Ayesha, and who is Maha? Tell her to come in front of me so I can be clear on this." This is the crux of the issue. Shoaib says he believed the woman he had agreed to marry, and whose photographs he had seen, was called Ayesha. But he later found out the woman in the photographs and the woman who he had been speaking to (and agreed to marry) were two entirely different women. He is refusing to release the photographs because the woman in them, he has discovered, is already married and he doesn't want to drag her into the scandal.

The "other woman" – who he agreed to marry – turned out to be someone called Maha. In a further twist, he says he had met Maha but believed she was an older relative of his fiancee Ayesha. Intriguingly, in 2005, prior to the Pakistan cricket team's arrival in India, the BBC named Shoaib's betrothed as "Ayesha (AKA Maha Siddiqui)".

This tiny detail is of little relevance to Shoaib's supporters, who point to photographs of Ayesha as proof that he clearly didn't know who he was marrying. "How could a hot young cricketer choose to marry someone who looks like that?" they ask. (In Pakistan, as all around the world, deception about personality traits are to be expected in courtship, but deception about physiognomy is entirely unacceptable.)

Meanwhile, Pakistan waits to greet Sania with open arms, and well-chosen wedding gifts. Pakistan's federal minister for population welfare has vowed to give the couple a "family planning kit". Pakistani comedian Sami Shah remarked, "She is going to give them a condom as a wedding present. I guess they can cross that off their wedding registry. Now, who's getting the blender?"

sania mirza,shoib malik engaement

Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza announced their engagement last week to cheers (from romantics and tender-hearted peaceniks), jeers (mostly from patriotic Indians who felt their sweetheart should marry a boy from home), and front-page headlines across the subcontinent.

The two are due to marry in Hyderabad, Mirza’s southern Indian hometown, on April 15.

But Monday, Indian police questioned Malik for two hours, seized his passport and instructed airports not to let him leave the country while they investigated claims the all-rounder was already married.

An Indian woman, Ayesha Siddiqui, who coincidentally hails from Ms. Mirza’s town, claims that she and Malik are already married. They had tied the knot, she said, in a telephonic “nikah” – or marriage – in 2002.

Ms. Siddiqui stoked the fire further Sunday night, filing a police complaint against Malik, accusing him of cheating her, offering her money to keep quiet, and threatening to kill her if she went public.

Monday, the engaged couple held a news conference in which Malik said he would cooperate with the Indian authorities – and that he would clear his name.

Mirza supported him, saying: “I know, we know what the truth is, and it will come out, and we believe in justice.”

The truth in this case seems to be a little elusive, however.

Married over the phone?

Over the weekend, Malik admitted in newspaper interviews he had developed a friendship over the Internet with Siddiqui in 2002 and then married her after they exchanged photographs.

But he said the ceremony was invalid because the photographs Siqqiqui had sent him were of someone else. "I was made to believe the girl in the photograph was the one I was speaking to," he said. "The truth is, I haven't, to this day, met the girl in the photographs Ayesha sent me."

The idea of a telephonic nikah has sent Indian newspapers into a spin. Even Islamic law experts say it is unclear whether marriage celebrated via communications technology would be legally valid under Islamic law.

India jeers, Pakistan cheers

Meanwhile, Malik’s questioning by police has stoked the anger of Indians who do not want one of their prettiest sports stars to marry a Pakistani.

“... why is Sania Mirza, who is just 24, in such a tearing hurry to marry this man?” wrote Reagan Gavin Rasquinha in the Times of India newspaper. “It isn’t as if he is the most eligible bachelor around. And, it’s not even certain if he is a bachelor.”

The same paper printed a list of more suitable Indian grooms for Mirza Tuesday, which included Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the Congress Party that has led India for much of its post-independence history.

“What makes Rahul the best choice is the fact that his slate is still clean, so Sania won’t have any ghosts of his past life,” said the paper

Pakistanis, however, seem to be happier than their Indian neighbors that Malik is marrying an Indian girl.

Indeed, the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) is keen to employ Mirza as a female tennis coach, according to The Dawn newspaper, a Pakistani daily.

“Sania will be of great help for Pakistan’s emerging female tennis players as she has the international exposure and experience,” said the secretary of the PTF, Rashid Khan, the paper reported.

Mirza, who was the first Indian to win a Women’s Tennis Association tour title in 2005, has not publicly commented on this invitation

Shoaib-Sania marriage may be postponed

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and Pakistan's former cricket captain Shoaib Malik address the media in Hyderabad, India, Monday. Police have questioned Malik ahead of his planned marriage to Mirza regarding allegations made by another woman claiming to be the cricket player's first wife

Uefa champion league

Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand, left, and Bayern Munich's Daniel van Buyten contested a head ball on Wednesday during the second leg of their quarterfinal series in the UEFA Champions League at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. Bayern lost the game, but advanced to the semifinals on the away goals rule.

First base during first inings

Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, right, lost the ball and his balance Wednesday night as he tried to beat Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury to first base during the first inning at Fenway Park

Sports gallery

Scrutinizing Woods’s Game, and His Sportsmanship

AUGASTYA,GA-hortly after Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer reunite on Thursday morning to hit the honorary opening tee shots in the Masters, 96 golfers will begin battling their own jangling nerves and a firm and fast Augusta National golf course.

Brian Snyder/Reuters

Tiger Woods signed autographs after a practice round Wednesday. He has pledged to try to “not get as hot when I play.”

This is where spring begins, on golf’s finest stage, with the game and its players on display at the year’s first major championship. And this year there will be an additional subplot, centering on the prodigality of one of the four-time champions, Tiger Woods, and his attempt to rebuild a fallen image and restore his golf game as the standard against which all others are measured.

The quantifying begins now, inside and outside the ropes, and Woods’s behavior will be scrutinized as closely as his scores. Measures of his success and failure this week will hinge in part on whether Woods will keep some of the promises made at the beginning of the week, including one about his widely criticized tendency toward angry, profanity-laced outbursts and thrown clubs over bad shots.

Woods promised he would try to “not get as hot when I play.” This is not likely to be an easy promise to keep.

It is not that Woods will be expected to start signing autographs during play, or to chat with fans the way Palmer used to as he looked for an errant drive. No one thinks he will high-five or fist-bump spectators à la Phil Mickelson.

This will be about not erupting in a string of obscenities, as he has on numerous occasions during the past 10 years. It started with the infamous tirade on the 18th tee at Pebble Beach in 2000 during the United States Open, which he eventually won by 15 strokes. While completing the fog-delayed second round, Woods hooked his drive into the Pacific Ocean, and his outburst was captured by a microphone near the tee.

More recent examples include a slammed driver that bounced into the gallery last November at the Australian Masters, his most recent tournament. He also threw his driver into a swampy area in front of a tee at the Deutsche Bank Championship last year. Although his behavior had attracted isolated criticism previously, it was brought to the forefront in January when Tom Watson criticized Woods for “his swearing and his club throwing, that should end.”

But the roots run deep. It was Woods’s father, Earl, who might have planted in his son the notion that swearing on the course was just something that people would have to get used to.

“You can’t have it both ways with Tiger,” Earl Woods told Golf Digest in 2001. “You can’t have charismatic abilities to execute the marvelous shots and then chastise him when that same passion causes him to overload when he hits a bad shot.

“Specifically about swearing, it’s a — I won’t say a cultural thing; it’s a family thing. My father could swear for 30 minutes and never repeat himself.”

His son does not believe he can rein in one without losing the other, and he said so in what sounded more like a threat than a promise.

“When I’m not as hot, I’m not going to be as exuberant either,” Woods said. “I can’t play one without the other, and so I made a conscious decision to try and tone down my negative outbursts, and consequently I’m sure my positive outbursts be will calmed down as well.”

Woods is certainly not the only PGA Tour player to blow up on the golf course. Tommy Bolt was a legendary club thrower, club breaker and swearer during his heyday in the 1950s. Curtis Strange was often fined for language unbecoming a professional, and became so enraged after one poor drive at Doral in the ’80s that he kicked the bottom of his golf bag while his caddie was carrying it, which sent the caddie to the ground and injured his back.

A lawsuit was settled out of court, with Strange paying the hospital bills and a sum of money for damages. Unbeknownst to many fans, Fred Couples is not always the calm, benign embodiment of cool. When a tee shot found a bad lie in a bunker during the Tournament of Champions at LaCosta in the ’90s, Couples was caught uttering some words that are still not permissible on the public airwaves.

Similarly, when a local reporter trailing Couples followed him and his errant drive into the woods at a P.G.A. Championship, she overheard him using an unflattering adjective in front of the word “schmoes” to describe some fans who had applauded the shot.

Though prominent, none of these players in these examples were held to the same standards as Woods, whose image as a role model was carefully crafted and maintained by his sponsors and handlers.

Even Bob Jones, the venerated co-founder of Augusta National and the Masters, struggled with his temper as a young man. In 1921, the 19-year-old Jones was playing the third round of the British Open at the Old Course at St. Andrews when he drove his ball into a fairway bunker, from which three attempts did not extricate his ball.

Jones promptly pocketed the ball, tore up his scorecard and withdrew from the tournament. He later apologized profusely and vowed to change his ways. He was one of the few who were able to do so.

And now the tournament Jones started at the club he co-founded will be the focus of a very public attempt by Woods to do the same. Billy Payne, the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters, called out Woods during his public remarks Wednesday and said that Woods would be measured by the “sincerity of his of his efforts to change.”

“I hope he now realizes,” Payne said, “that every kid he passes on the course wants his swing, but would settle for his smile.”

Schwank fined after erratic play at Clay Court

HOUSTON (AP)—Eduardo Schwank was fined $1,000 for his erratic and unusual play after losing 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-1 to fellow Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela in the second round of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships.

Schwank, the seventh seed, says a back problem caused him to use numerous drop shots and lobs in his Tuesday match. The crowd booed him after he foot-faulted on match point.

Rain forced the postponement of defending champion Lleyton Hewitt’s match against lucky loser Somdev Devvarman of India until Thursday. Hewitt has not played since having hip surgery on Jan. 29. Third-seeded Sam Querrey of the United States against Blaz Kavcic of Slovania also was rescheduled for Thursday.

“The problem with my back, it affected me mentally so it didn’t help the match,” Schwank said through an interpreter. “I was doing drop shots to shorten the point so to not exert my back so much and also to make him run and get him tired.”

Chela said it was difficult to play at such an inconsistent pace.

“It’s hard to keep concentration when two points are very well played and two points are poorly played,” Chela said through an interpreter. “He kept doing those drop shots so it was really hard to focus. I tried to stay on course and play my best tennis.”

Schwank said his back had bothered him for a few days. He planned to return home and expects to play at Barcelona.

“Well I don’t like to retire, that’s why I just played until the end,” Schwank said. “For me it was the same, retiring or not. At the end it’s the same. I’d rather stay on the court and loose on court.”

Chela disagreed with the strategy.

“I think if you have any sort of pain, where you don’t feel well and aren’t able to give 100 percent on the court, it’s better to just retire,” he said.

Nicolas Massu of Chile had to played the longest match on tour this year (three hours, 25 minutes) before finally beating qualifier Ryan Sweeting of the United States, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4.

Sweeting was trying to reach his first quarterfinal on the ATP tour this year and he almost did it until Massu finally took advantage of Sweeting’s missed chances.

“I thought I was the more aggressive player throughout the whole match,” Sweeting said. “I had chances in every set. I don’t think the first set needed to go 7-6. I was up a break there and I was up a break in the second and third.”

Tennis legend Navratilova diagnosed with breast cancer

LONDON (AFP) - Tennis legend Martina Navratilova revealed Wednesday she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The 53-year-old, who won 18 Grand Slam titles including nine Wimbledon singles titles, said she cried after finding out she had the disease.

"It knocked me on my ass, really. I feel so in control of my life and my body, and then this comes, and it's completely out of my hands," Navratilova told People magazine.

The disease was first detected in February after a routine mammogram revealed a cluster in her left breast.

According to the report, doctors say the former Wimbledon champion's prognosis is excellent because the tumour was detected at an early stage.

Navratilova has already had the lump removed and will begin six weeks of radiation therapy in May.

"It was a total shock because I've been so healthy," she added. "I thought, 'I'm going to lose my boob and then my hair, and I don't have that much. There's a good chance it won't come back'."

The former world number one said she had intended to keep the news quiet but changed her mind when she realised she could persuade other women to go for check ups.

"The sooner you catch it, the better," she said. "So get the bloody mammogram.

"I went four years between mammograms. I let it slide. Everyone gets busy, but don't make excuses. I stay in shape and eat right, and it happened to me. Another year and I could have been in big trouble."

Born in Prague, Navratilova fled to the United States in 1975 at the height of the Cold War. She became a US citizen six years later but regained her Czech nationality two years ago, and has dual nationality.

Buzz Up Delhi clash with Bangalore in race for IPL semis

New Delhi: On a roll with three successive victories, Delhi Daredevils will look to continue the winning momentum when they clash with second-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League return-leg match on Sunday.

Delhi had bounced back in the tournament with a 17-run win over Bangalore on March 25 and then won two more matches to bring their campaign back on track. They currently lie third on the points table.

Delhi Daredevils' batting prowess have been the talk of the town, especially after their last match against Rajasthan Royals where they benched players like AB de Villiers and Tillakaratane Dilshan and still went on to win the match comprehensibly.

David Warner has proved what he is capable of when he blasted the second century of IPL III against Kolkata Knight Riders and Dinesh Karthik also returned to form just when he butchered Rajasthan with a 38-ball 69 in their last match. Gautam Gambhir also did the job in the last match and after being reprimanded for calling Rajasthan ordinary, the left-hander will want his bat to do the talking tomorrow.

In Virender Sehwag, Delhi have someone who can rip apart any bowling attack on his given day and Kedar Jadhav has also shown some spark. Among the bowlers, Dirk Nannes' injury has been a worry but his replacement Parvez Maharoof's two wickets in the first over against Rajasthan showed what he can do with the new ball.

Moreover, Umesh Yadav, Pradeep Sangwan and Andrew McDonald have done their job pretty well for Delhi. Bangalore, on the other hand, were flying high with four wins on the trot and the semifinal berth was well in sight before Delhi brought them back to ground and they would look to settle the score this time.

After losing to Delhi, Bangalore succumbed to another lose to Chennai but Anil Kumble's team bounced back with a six-wicket win against the bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab yesterday. Last year's runners-up RCB have benefitted from sterling performances by top-order batsmen led by South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who is the current orange cup holder and Robin Uthappa.

Manish Pandey has also got starts and he would be looking for a big one tomorrow. Bangalore have been further bolstered by the joining of England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who scored a match-winning 44-ball 66 on Friday.

Virat Kohli supported him well with a well-made 42.

Shoaib still in Sania's house, marriage may be advanced

Hyderabad, April 4 (IANS) Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik continued to stay in the residence of Indian tennis star Sania Mirza amid speculation that their marriage was being advanced to avoid any problems due to the raging row over Shoaib's alleged first marriage with a resident of this city.

Shoaib, who arrived here Friday night from Dubai, did not come out of Sania's house in Jubilee Hills. With Sania's relatives and friends visiting her till late Saturday night, speculation was already doing the rounds that the marriage, originally scheduled for April 15, had been advanced.

Sania's family is reportedly in touch with a qazi to solemnize the marriage. Sources said it would only be a reception which Sania's family would host at a star hotel here on April 15 but the marriage could take place much before that.

Some television channels captured the duo dancing Saturday night and Sania's friends confirmed about the festivities being held at home.

Unfazed by the threats by Ayesha Siddiqui to launch legal proceedings against him for cheating, Shoaib landed in Hyderabad Friday night and was spotted at Sania's house Saturday.

Shoaib reportedly cleared the air over serious allegations levelled by Ayesha and her parents. Sania's family was apparently convinced by his claim that Ayesha cheated him by using the photographs of another girl. While admitting that he signed the 'nikahnama', Shoaib reportedly told Sania and her parents that he did not marry Ayesha.

Sania, in her Twitter page, said they knew the 'truth' and had confidence in god's justice.

With dozens of media persons with cameras and OB vans surrounding her house in Jubilee Hills and obstructing the guests, Sania's family Sunday sought police protection. Some policemen in addition to her private security guards were deployed at the house.

Meanwhile, the family of Ayesha Siddiqui said they were going ahead with the legal proceedings against Shoaib to get a formal divorce from him. They want Shoaib to give divorce to her before marrying Sania and have hired a lawyer in Pakistan to file a case against him.

WBA heavyweight champion Haye retains title by beating American challenger

London, Apr 4 (ANI): WBA heavyweight champion David Haye retained his title by beating American challenger John Ruiz when fight was stopped after nine dominant rounds here at the Manchester's MEN Arena.

Haye had Ruiz down four times before the fight was stopped in the ninth round by the referee Guillermo Perez, as Miguel Diaz in the American's corner waved a white towel over the ropes.

It was only the second time in an 18-year, 54-fight career that Ruiz had been stopped.

But Haye insisted he could have had the job done even earlier as he celebrated the first defence of the title he snatched from giant Nikolai Valuev in November 2009.

Lapping up the cheers from a sell-out 20,000 crowd, Haye said: "All credit to John Ruiz - he was durable - but at no stage during that fight did I feel like I was losing."

"I could have got him out in the first round if I'd taken my time. I kept getting through with hard punches but he wouldn't go down and I was getting annoyed," News of the World quoted Haye, as saying.

"It made me change tactics for a couple of rounds and I lost my way a bit before getting back on the job. But I'm over the moon. Really happy with it. I felt was really sharp. There were a load of fans here. The crowd has been absolutely electric for me," he said.

Haye promised an electric performance and he delivered one of the best world title fights seen in the country for some years as he sent Ruiz crashing down to the canvas four times.

Haye's power was amazing, but he also flitted with danger several times and often fought on instinct in his first world title defence. (ANI)

Clash of the titans as Kumble meets Sehwag at Kotla

New Delhi, April 3 -- Already on a high, the Royal Challengers Bangalore have got a boost through the arrival of New Zealander Ross Taylor, who, when he gets going, goes boom, boom. His national skipper, the inimitable Daniel Vettori has joined the Delhi Daredevils and the two are set for a duel on Sunday. "Australia gave us (New Zealand) a few lessons on how to play Test cricket," said Taylor, the embarrassment evident. "But yeah, I am in great shape for the Twenty20s." Taylor whacked an 80-ball century against the Aussies in the recent Test series and that is where the confidence for T20s come from. In fact, this has been Bangalore's story so far - so many players who can play so many shots in so few balls. So, the question mark on Taylor's inclusion for Sunday's blockbuster remains even though he is raring to go. Daniel Vettori, on the other hand, might just get to play, Daredevils' assistant coach, Eric Simons dropped enough hints on Saturday evening even though the final eleven remains uncertain. In IPL, you often see teams tinkering with winning combinations. While the batting of the two sides is power-packed, the bowling too has zing. RCB's seamers, led by Dale Steyn, have looked penetrative while the Daredevils have their battery of tweakers, young and old. Both teams, at the top of the table, can afford to lose but wouldn't want to. In short, it is the clash of the titans.

The icing on the cake is the Bollywood factor, a queen this time: the gorgeous Katrina Kaif cheering for the Bangalore team

Super Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by 23 runs after posting the highest IPL3 score

Chennai, April 3 -- Doug Bollinger has become an instant hit with the Chennai Super Kings' fans. Making his IPL debut two days after landing in India, the Australian left-arm pacer did everything that was expected from him and more. He was miserly with the new ball, took a spectacular catch to see off the Rajasthan Royals' danger man Yusuf Pathan, and bowled well at the death to chants of "Bollinger, Bollinger" from the crowd. "It's been some time since that happened," Bollinger said of the chanting. "I would want it to happen in every match." Local boy Murali Vijay was the Man of the Match for his century that took the Super Kings to 246 for five. But Bollinger took the late honours with two for 15 from four overs as the hosts won by 23 runs. Only two other bowlers went for less than 10-an-over in the match and they were the Royals' Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (economy rate 9) and Bollinger's teammate Suresh Raina (economy rate 8). "Full credit to Vijay but I think Bollinger made the difference," Royals' captain Shane Warne said in the post-match conference. Naman Ojha carried his bat for 94 and Shane Watson, playing his first match in IPL III, weighed in with some lusty hits, but the total proved beyond the Royals' reach. MS Dhoni had won the toss and the Royals had to bowl first on a hot day in a match starting early. The early blows came from Vijay's bat as he deposited Sumit Narwal for 6, 4, 4 in the second over. Matthew Hayden joined the party in the fifth over when he hit Watson for a spectacular six. The ball wasn't very short, but Hayden bent his knees and pulled it to one of the new stands.

Vijay and Morkel played out a few quiet overs before exploding spectacularly.

Deccan Chargers lose to Mumbai Indians at Brabourne

Mumbai, April 4 -- Despite Deccan Chargers' fourth successive loss in the third edition of the Indian Premier League, to Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne Stadium on Saturday, a Hyderabad cricket follower will be as pleased as his Mumbai counterparts. Not only because of yet another impressive spell by Chargers' left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha but also because of the match-winning knock for the Indians by stylish Ambati Rayudu. It's been almost a decade since Rayudu emerged on the national stage. Ever since he made his mark in the under-19 circuit in the early days of the 21st century, the Hyderabadi was expected to join the club of stylish great batsmen from the City of Nizams. But, Rayudu failed to carry on in the same vein. Then, he also did not receive fair treatment from his home association and some of the teammates. Naturally, when the Indian Cricket League came calling, Rayudu joined the exodus of domestic cricketers to get his two minutes of fame on television, and obviously a bagful of money. And when it came to an IPL call-up, his home team again disappointed him by keeping him waiting for too long. So when Mumbai Indians approached him he signed the dotted line without a second thought. No wonder that when it came to bailing his team against the one from his hometown, Rayudu stood up. He exhibited all the strokes from his arsenal to stabilise the innings with Saurabh Tiwary after a mini-collapse. And then, in the death overs, he showed he could find the gaps at will to help Mumbai Indians post 178 for five.

Rayudu's scintillating display had not only ensured his team their fourth victory on the trot but also helped it put one foot into the semifinals

Sachin Tendulkar profile

Profile

One of the greatest players to have ever played the game, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has been the greatest icon of world cricket for almost two decades now. Ever since his debut way back in 1989, he displayed exemplary skills when at the crease and was immediately hailed as the next genius. Sachin did not disappoint anyone and cruised his way into the record books with each knock. The mid-90s saw him peak and every opposition feared the ‘Little Master’. His batting is based on simple principles and he does not possess any trademark stroke, although the straight drive comes close. Tendulkar's triumph has been his ability to adapt to situations, surfaces, oppositions and emerging victorious. He can score all around the wicket, off both front foot and back, and has made runs in all parts of the world. Don Bradman confessed that Tendulkar reminded him of himself and this perhaps speaks volumes of the latter's greatness.With infinite records to his name, Sachin is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. Each time he comes to bat, he carries the expectation of millions of people with him and comes good more often than not, which only reinforces the enormity of this genius. His opening partnerships with Sourav Ganguly marked one of the most successful phases of Indian cricket. Tendulkar is one of the very few Indian players to never be dropped from the team and his consistency in Tests and ODIs is remarkable.He has suffered a few injuries but over the years India has developed firebrand cricketers like Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh who have borne the burden of Tendulkar’s former responsibility. But Tendulkar never takes things for granted and each passing year, he outdoes himself but creating another record. He already holds the record for most runs in Tests and ODIs and most centuries in both forms of the game. He deliberately omits himself from Twenty20 Internationals and that may have been his biggest regret as a young Indian team won the inaugural World Twenty20. As age catches up with him, he picks and chooses series he wishes to participate in. His ultimate goal is to sign off with a World Cup victory, which millions of Indians are hoping will come in his home-town India, in 2011

Ms.Dhoni profile

MS Dhoni

Batting style:

Right Handed-hand bat

Bowling style:

Right-arm medium

Played for:

Asia XI, Chennai Super Kings, India

Roles played:

Skipper-Test,ODI,T20 | Wicketkeeper

ICC Rank:

• Test
• ODI

Batting:

26

Batting:

1

Bowling:

336

Home country:

India

Born:

July 07, 1981, Ranchi, Jharkhand

Profile

He announced his arrival into the international arena in 2004-05 with a bang. MS Dhoni has come a long way with his swashbuckling and aggressive brand of cricket. He is a destroyer of bowling attacks and often a great finisher. If he is spectacular with the bat, he is secure with the keeping gloves. Dhoni's batting consists of shots and strokes which are anything but orthodox and conventional. His playing style reinforces that one should look at the ball and not the bowler. Born in Ranchi, 'Mahi' displayed tremendous potential of a great leader after he led India to victory in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007. The icing on the cake was the triangular series win against Australia in Australia in 2008. The Indian wicketkeeper has modelled his game on Adam Gilchrist and his extraordinary knock of 183 runs helped him break his idol's record for the highest score by a wicketkeeper in ODIs.To a large extent Dhoni has been helped by the services of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan. But his ability to bring out the best in youngsters speaks volumes for his cool demeanor. He started off as an attacking cricketer who loved to dispatch the ball towards the fence. In many ways, he was India's answer to a stable wicketkeeper/batsman, and he did not fail.But captaincy seems to have brought out a new sense of maturity in him as he has changed his gameplay as much as he changed looks with his long, wild hair being replaced by the short crop. He now plays the role of sheet anchor who holds one end of the fort while the other batsmen make sure the ball finds the fence often. His maturity as a solid batsman was witnessed when India were 82-8 against West Indies. Dhoni and RP Singh put on a 101-run stand as the skipper shielded his tail-ender and made sure runs came from the other end. Another characteristic of Dhoni is that he always seems unfazed by what is happening around him. He is India's 'man with a plan'. Ever since he won the inaugural World Twenty20 in his first assignment as skipper, he has been earmarked as India's golden-boy and the country expects him to take India to the pinnacle of world cricket in all three formats of the game. Not impossible, considering he has brought the country within foreseeable distance of that target.

I
CC TEST RANKING

1. 1. India
2. 2. South Africa
3. 3. Australia
4. 4. Sri Lanka
5. 5. England

6. 6. New Zealand
7. 7. Pakistan
8. 8. West Indies
9. 9. Bangladesh

Date	Gender	City, State	Venue	Entry Open	Entry Close	USTA Section
Apr 18-26	M&W	Flushing, NY	USTA BJK National Tennis Center	Mar 1	Apr 5	Eastern
May 15-19	M&W	Springfield, MO	Cooper Tennis Complex	Mar 1	May 1	Missouri Valley
May 17-21	M&W	Claremont, CA	The Claremont Club	Mar 1	May 7	Southern California
May 17-22	M&W	College Park, MD	Tennis Center at College Park	Mar 10	May 7	Mid-Atlantic
May 17-23	M&W	Salinas, CA	Chamisal Tennis Club	Mar 1	May 1	Northern California
May 19-23	M	West Haven, CT	Yale University Tennis Center	Mar 7	May 7	New England
May 29- Jun 4	M&W	Bradenton, FL	IMG/Bollettieri Academies	Mar 16	May 19	Florida
Jun 1-6	M&W	Surprise, AZ	Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex	Mar 22	May 21	Southwest
Jun 2-6	M&W	Waipahu, HI	Central Oahu Regional Park	Mar 3	May 21	Hawaii Pacific
Jun 3-6	W	Boston, MA	Harvard University Tennis Center	Mar 7	May 24	New England
Jun 5-13	M&W	Mason, OH	Lindner Family Tennis Center	Feb 1	May 15	Midwest
Jun 11-17	M&W	West Windsor, NJ	Mercer County Tennis Facility	Apr 1	May 20	Middle States
Jun 12-16	M&W	Norcross, GA	Racquet Club of the South	Mar 1	May 31	Southern
Jun 14-20	M	St. Cloud, MN	St. Cloud Apollo High School	Feb 5	Jun 1	Northern
Jun 14-20	W	St. Cloud, MN	St. Cloud Apollo High School	Feb 5	Jun 1	Northern
Jun 16-20	M&W	Denver, CO	Gates Tennis Center	April 26	Jun 1	Intermountain
Jun 18-20	M&W	Beaverton, OR	Tualatin Hills Tennis Center	Mar 10	Jun 7	Pacific Northwest
Jun 21-26	M&W	Arlington, TX	Arlington Tennis Center	Mar 1	Jun 7	Texas

2010 US Open National Playoffs Championships

US Open National Playoffs - Men's Championship
July 22-25 / Atlanta, GA / Atlanta Athletic Club (during the Olympus US Open Series Atlanta Tennis Championships)

US Open National Playoffs - Women's Championship
July 29-August 1 / Stanford, CA / Stanford University (during the Olympus US Open Series Bank of the West Classic)

US Open Qualifying Tournament

The US Open National Playoffs is a series of tournaments that gives participants the opportunity to earn a singles wild card entry to compete in the US Open Qualifying Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Aug. 24-27, 2010. The 16 participating USTA Sections will run a men’s and women’s Sectional Qualifying Tournament between April 1 and July 5. Now is your shot at playing on the biggest stage in sports… the US Open