Shane Warne-Liz Hurley to call it quits?

Sydney: Legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne and English model and actress Liz Hurley have often expressed their love for each other on micro-blogging site, Twitter. An unusual recent silence on Twitter is fueling rumours that the spin-king and Hurley have parted ways.
According to reports in the British and Australian media, the pair may have split up, as indicated by their lack of online communication with each other.

Warne and 48-year-old actress have previously been known to share and display their affection for each other on the social networking platform. Since they were spotted kissing by the paparazzi in December 2010, the duo has given the world a sneak peek into their romance.
Hurley announced her split with then-husband Arun Nayar on Twitter while Warne used the same platform to announce his separation from his wife, Simone. 'Shurley', as they are dubbed, got engaged in Scotland in September 2011 and had plans to marry this year, with ceremonies in both England and Australia.
However, after several weeks of Twitter silence, these plans have seemingly been put on hold. Hurley last tweeted Warne on September 1.

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Sangakkara up against his IPL team

Mohali: While this match represents a Champions League debut for Kandurata Maroons and Sunrisers Hyderabad, both teams will know just how vital it is to hit the ground running in what could potentially be a short tournament for either side. Both teams need to win at least two of the three qualification matches to have a strong chance of making the main draw.

This will be the first time these sides face each another, so Kumar Sangakkara will play an influential role in providing some insight on the inner workings of Hyderabad. Thisara Perera can also shed some light on Kandurata, as a number of his compatriots make up the roster.
Both teams have strong bowling departments that include several international players. Kandurata possess some of the best T20 players in the world, and feature a spin attack which includes Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis and Suraj Randiv, backed by the ever-dependable Nuwan Kulasekera. 

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Sindhu to spearhead Indian challenge in Japan Open

Tokyo: In the absence of Saina Nehwal, World No.10 shuttler P.V. Sindhu will lead India's charge at the $200,000 Japan Open Super Series badminton that starts here on Tuesday.The World Championship bronze medalist Sindhu, seeded eighth, faces two qualifiers in the first two rounds and should ease through to the quarter-finals where she will most likely face World No.1 and Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Though the Hyderabadi has beaten the Chinese top seed in the past, Xerui is a force to reckon with each time she steps on to the court. Tanvi Lad, ranked No.77 in the world, will be the only other Indian participating in women's singles and she has a first round encounter against Japanese World No.20 Sayaka Takahashi. The Indian men's singles competitors have been given a tough draw.

World No.13 Parupalli Kashyap will be up against the agile Sho Sasaki of Japan. Though the Hyderabadi has lost both his matches yet against the World No.22, the Japanese will have a tough outing against the gritty Indian. If Kashyap succeeds in beating Sasaki for the first time, he will have an even a tougher challenge in second seed Chen Long of China in the second round.

World No.20 RMV Gurusaidutt also faces a difficult opener against a higher ranked Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia. Upcoming talent B. Sai Praneeth will take on eighth seed Hu Yun of Hong Kong while Sourabh Verma will have an easier first round as he will face a qualifier.

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India A eyeing an encore vs WI A

Bangalore: Their confidence on high after the comprehensive win in the opener, India A would look to seal the three-match unofficial ODI series against West Indies A in the second 50-over game between the two sides at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday.

Skipper Yuvraj Singh stole the limelight with a breathtaking century to guide India A to a thumping 77-run win over the visitors in the opening match of the series on Sunday, and come Tuesday the hosts would be looking for an encore.

All eyes were trained on Yuvraj on Sunday after he was handed a lifeline to return to the ODI team by being named captain of the India A team. And the dashing left-hander grabbed the opportunity with both hands and staked his claim for a national berth by scoring a brutal 89-ball 123 against the hapless Caribbeans in the opening match.

Yuvraj produced a sensational exhibition of strokeplay by hitting eight fours and seven sixes in his scintillating innings to help India raise 312 for four after being put to bat in the match which was reduced to 42-over-a-side affair due to two-hour delayed start on account of wet outfield.India 'A' then bowled out the visitors for 235 in 39.1 overs, giving the home side a 1-0 lead in the series.

Come Tuesday, India A, a team on a roll after the clean sweep against New Zealand A, would be hoping to carry on the winning momentum in their future matches. During his dazzling knock on Sunday, Yuvraj shared two hundred runs partnerships with Mandeep Singh (67) and Yusuf Pathan (70 not out), who played perfect second fiddle to the left-hander.

Just like Yuvraj, Yusuf — who is also looking for a comeback to the ODI team — displayed his attacking skills and tore apart the West Indies bowling attack to score his runs off just 32 balls with the help of four boundaries and six hits over the fence. And come Tuesday, both Yuvraj and Yusuf would be hoping for repeat performances to catch the eyes of national selectors.The West Indies A, who performed well during their home series against Sri Lanka-A in June, will look for improvement.

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All eyes on Faisalabad Wolves

Mohali: Still trying to find its foothold in the cricketing landscape, the Champions League Twenty20 will enter its fourth season on Tuesday with the qualifying matches during which Pakistan's domestic champions Faisalabad Wolves are likely to hog the limelight.

A league which was born out of the hugely successful IPL, CLT20 is gradually establishing its identity but it would take some time for it to truly find a connect with the fans.The event will kick off with Faisalabad Wolves, led by Pakistan's Terst skipper Misbah-ul Haq, taking on New Zealand's Otago Volts in the first qualifier on Tuesday.

This would be followed by a star-studded Sunrisers Hyderabad, led by Delhi-dasher Shikhar Dhawan, squaring off against Sri Lanka's Kandurata Maroons in the second qualifier at the PCA stadium.Barring Volts, the other three teams in the qualifiers come from the sub-continent, but none among the four feels that either has any big advantage in the event.

The top two teams will advance to the main draw, which has three Indian teams in fray — IPL champions Mumbai Indians, runners-up Chennai Super Kings and third-place finishers Rajasthan Royals.In Tuesday's opening match, the Wolves would mainly rely on their young players including promising medium-pacer Ehsan Adil, Ali Waqas, Khuram Shahzad, Asad Ali, besides banking on the experience of skipper Misbah and Saeed Ajmal, who has been a national asset in all three formats after his Test debut four years back.

The Wolves, who had some visa issues when they landed in India, will draw strength from the fact that at the domestic level, they beat teams that had many stars. The Wolves are only the second team from Pakistan to compete in the event after Sialkot Stallions last year. Their presence in the event was ensured after much speculation that arose out of rising border tensions between India and Pakistan.

"Barring Misbah and Ajmal, we are mainly a young squad, but there is lot of potential in our young players. We are confident that they will deliver at the big stage," the team's wicketkeeper and vice-captain, Mohamed Salman said."Even though we don't have international cricket happening in our country, the standard of our domestic cricket is very high... I don't see the lack of international cricket in Pakistan making any difference to our performance," he said.

Salman and coach Naveed Anjum feel that Misbah brings with him wealth of experience and has also performed brilliantly in the shorter version of the game."Misbah performed brilliantly for us in the shorter versions, especially in the last season. He was the highest run-getter for us in our domestic T20 tournament. Besides being highly important to the team as a batsman, he plays a very crucial role as the leader," said Anjum.

The team has been practising hard back home for the tournament and familiar surfaces of the sub-continent would be a bonus for it.Volts, who crashed out of the 2009 season by losing their first two matches, have the likes of swashbuckling skipper Brendon McCullum and brother Nathan McCullum to negate any advantage the other teams may get by virtue of familiar surfaces.

The Kiwis arrived here after a training camp in Sri Lanka to get used to the conditions. "This is a tough qualifiers round. Look at all the teams; they are all good on the paper. We know it is going to be tough for us to get past the qualifiers," McCullum said.   

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Only desi marshals at F1 Indian Grand Prix

Greater Noida: There seems to be a booming interest in marshalling at the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix despite a cloud over its future. The risky nature of the job is no deterrent for the 650 odd daredevils who will man the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) during the Oct 25-27 event, importantly all-Indians for the first time.  

It has taken three races for the Indian marshals to get well versed with the ways of F1 and this time they will be performing the chores without overseas assistance. 
There were 850 marshals at the BIC for the inaugural 2011 edition, 250 of them from Bahrain. The overall number has already been reduced by 200 as the 16th round of the season approaches. The last edition had 750, the Gulf nation sending only 100.
"We have come into F1 late but we are improving rapidly. Initially, the FIA (world governing body of motorsports) had advised us to take outside help for three years but they are now satisfied with the personnel we have in India. It is a huge confidence booster for us and it doesn't mean we are going to get complacent," Prabha Shankar, co-founder of Indian Motorsport Marshals Club (IMMC) and member of the FIA Commission, told IANS at BIC on the sidelines of the National Championships.
Shankar is using the domestic event as a shakedown ahead of the next month's big event.
He is also intrigued by the increasing number of Indians volunteering to be marshals, a decreasing trend worldwide.
"The risk factor is always there and you don't even get paid. That is why marshalling is not an attractive exercise anymore. I am a little puzzled to see so many wanting to be marshals and I am having a hard time picking the best of the lot," said Shankar.
He could only choose 650 out of the 7,000 who wanted to be part of the Indian Grand Prix this year. In 2012 there were 4,800 applicants and the year before 2,000.
"It is incredible to be part of a F1 weekend. It is great fun even though there is no money," Rohan Shankar, an automobile engineering graduate from Chennai's Sri Venkateshwara College, said that he loves the risk involved in the sport. He has been a marshall here since the inaugural Grand Prix. Marshal fatalities have decreased as the sport has become safe, the running over of a recovery worker by a crane at the Canadian Grand Prix in June.

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Yuvi propels India A to win

Bangalore: Yuvraj Singh sent a strong message to the national selectors with a brutal 89-ball 123 to set up a 77-run win for India A against West Indies A in the first of the three-match unofficial ODI series at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here Sunday.

Playing in his first competitive game in four months, Yuvraj set the stage on fire with a captain's knock that was studded with eight fours and seven sixes. It was Yuvraj's explosive knock that took India A to a massive 312 for four in 42 overs after West Indies A decided to field.
The southpaw was well supported by Mandeep Singh (67) and Yusuf Pathan, who struck an unbeaten whirlwind 70 off 32 balls, hitting four fours and six sixes.

The West Indies A innings folded up for 235 runs in 39.1 overs after Narsingh Deonarine and Andre Russell struck an indentical 57 each. It was a clinical show by the India A pacers as Sumit Narwal and R Vinay Kumar picked up two wickets each along with the spin duo of Rahul Sharma and Pathan.
Earlier in the day, India A lost two wickets for 47 runs with both the openers Unmukt Chand (1) and Robin Uthappa (23) failing to make the most of the opportunity.

Yuvraj and Mandeep then added 100 runs for the third-wicket in what was a pure display of power hitting. Mandeep played the role of second fiddle perfectly while Yuvraj went after the West Indies A bowlers.
Mandeep, who hit seven fours and a six, was well set for a big score but was foxed by a tossed up delivery from Nikita Miller that castled him.
West Indies A might have hoped that wicket would slow down the flow of runs. But to their surprise, Yusuf also joined Yuvraj in power hitting that left the visitors without any hope.

Yuvraj's destructive innings was ended by a full toss delivery from leggie Nkrumah Bonner and Ronford Beaton took a skier at long on. But by then the writing was on the wall for West Indies A.
Yuvraj along with discarded seniors Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan have been handed lifelines by the selectors by including them in the India A side across the formats against the West Indies A.

Yuvraj hasn't been picked for the Tests and is the only one among the four to feature in the limited-overs games.
Earlier this year, he was dropped after the home series against England due to fitness issues.
Yuvraj and Zaheer had trained extensively at Brive La Gaillarde, a town in France, for six weeks to get back their fitness.

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