India-China joint military training boosts mutual trust

Chinese and Indian armies will begin the "Hand in Hand 2008" joint anti-terrorism training from Dec. 6 to 14 in Belgaum of India's Karnataka state.

"This joint training is aimed at enhancing mutual understanding and trust, and promoting the development of the relations between the two armed forces," Ouyang Wei, professor of the University of National Defense, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua here Friday.

The joint training involves the use of technical equipment, exchanges of theories, squad tactics and a comprehensive training session.

The joint training is of no special background and will not target at any third party.

"Sino-Indian military relations have been growing in recent years, thanks to increasing high-level visits and the improvement of bilateral political relations," Ouyang said.

The two navies have conducted joint search and rescue maneuvers. The border security troops of the two countries have reached consensus on maintaining peace in the border area. Both armed forces have sent delegations to witness the maneuvers of the other side. There have also been exchanges between military academies.

The armies of the two countries conducted their first anti-terrorism joint training in southwest China's Yunnan Province last year.

It is also the second time for China to send military forces to south Asia for joint military maneuvers after the China-Pakistan "Friendship 2006" joint anti-terrorism military maneuvre.

China and India are the world's biggest developing countries. Peace and friendship between them is not only in the interests of both countries, but also important for bringing peace, stability and prosperity to south Asia, said Ouyang.

He said in addition to traditional security threats, the world is also facing increasing non-traditional security menaces, and that the armed forces of China and India are shouldering increasing responsibility in coping with terrorism, natural disasters, pirates and climate change.

"Increasing dialogue and exchanges between the two armed forces will not only promote the two countries' mutual understanding and trust, but also to promote their respective military building," said Ouyang.

He added facts have proved that a trusty and cooperative military relationship needs long-term exchanges and cultivation from the both sides.

Ouyang said with the advancement of defense modernization, China's armed forces are getting opener and more transparent. The People's Liberation Army has held 25 joint military maneuvers and four joint onshore training with the armed forces of 21 countries since 2002, including five joint military maneuvers with Pakistan and four joint training with India.

Tourists flee ‘Incredible India’

f as a tourist you were to travel overseas, would you consider going to a country where nine terror strikes have claimed over 400 lives in just over six months?
Worse, if official travel advisory cautions against the possible threat a visitor would face “anytime” at all tourist sites, hotels, public places, shopping malls, markets and public transport?
If the answer is in negative, then perhaps the number of foreign tourists from westerns countries visiting “Incredible India” is bound to fall drastically as their travel advisories issued post-terror strikes in Mumbai portray the country as a destination where foreign visitors are not safe anymore.
Take the case of advisory issued by the USA, which emerged as top tourism generating market for India last year. It says while terrorist attacks are not new to India, the 26 November Mumbai terrorist attacks in part targeted American citizens and other westerners for the first time and tragically demonstrate that even in five-star luxury hotels, security is not equipped to deter such attacks.
“US citizens should take into account this new reality and exercise caution when visiting India” it says while warning of heightened security concerns in India.
The travel advisory issued by the United Kingdom which is the second largest tourism generating market for the country also warns that: “There is a high threat from terrorism throughout India including attacks targeting places frequented by foreign visitors and expatriates”. The list of number of terror strikes in last one year in various part of the country follows this information in the advisory.
It also warns of insurgency campaign by an ultra nationalists and violent extremist groups active in the rural areas of Bihar, Jharkland, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Orissa.
The Australian advisory advises its citizens to “reconsider” their need to travel to India “at this time” because of the very high risk of terrorist activity by terrorists and militant groups.
“The Mumbai attacks show terrorists in India are deliberately targeting Westerners. Further attacks cannot be ruled out. These attacks could take place at any time, anywhere, including in places frequented by foreigners,” it cautions.
The tourism ministry and the tour operators admit that the advisories issued by the western countries will hit the foreign tourist arrival in the country.

Yuvraj and Ojha recalled

Yuvraj Singh has been given one more chance to resurrect his stop-start Test career, after being selected in India's 15-man squad for the two-Test series against England starting December 11. Yuvraj, who muscled his way back into contention with two successive one-day hundreds against England last month, is expected to take Sourav Ganguly's place at No. 6.

The selectors have also recalled Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner, and have retained M Vijay and S Badrinath as reserve batsmen. Ojha, yet to make his Test debut, toured Sri Lanka earlier this year, but lost his place to Amit Mishra, who made a strong debut against Australia in New Delhi. Vijay, an opener, was handed a debut in Nagpur against Australia after Gautam Gambhir was banned for one Test.

Yuvraj, a mainstay in India's one-day line-up, has had an inconsistent run in Tests, with 1050 runs in 23 games since his debut five years ago, However, his recent form against England prompted the chairman of selectors, Kris Srikkanth, to state that he's the frontrunner to take Ganguly's slot in the Test XI. Besides his two match-winning hundreds (138 not out and 118) in the first two ODIs, Yuvraj also picked up four wickets in the second match in Indore.

"I have got the opportunity," Yuvraj told news channel CNN-IBN. "I'm not thinking that I am filling in after someone's retirement. I always felt this is my place, and if I do well, I'll surely be there for a long time."

Badrinath and Vijay, who both play for Tamil Nadu, have had contrasting fortunes in their last Ranji Trophy game, against Andhra: Badrinath scored 121 and M Vijay lasted just eight balls before getting out for a duck. Vijay's splendid form this season, though, had earned him a last-minute call-up to the squad for the Nagpur Test against Australia.

Badrinath, who scored a hundred in Tamil Nadu's previous match against Uttar Pradesh, will be eager for a place in the starting XI for the first Test on his home ground in Chennai. He made his ODI debut during India's tour of Sri Lanka in August and was part of the Test squad against Australia, but was surprisingly dropped for the subsequent one-day series against England.

Left-arm fast bowler RP Singh, who had an indifferent ODI series against England, has been dropped. Ojha takes his place; he is expected to be the back-up spinner in the squad behind Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra - a tactic employed by India for the first three Tests in the previous series against Australia when they had the spin trio of Anil Kumble (now retired), Harbhajan and Mishra to choose from.

India squad: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, M Vijay, S Badrinath, Pragyan Ojha.

ECB monitors India airport alerts

A nervous ECB is to keep tabs on the developing security situation at India's airports as the England squad fly out to Abu Dhabi to prepare for their two Tests in Chennai and Mohali.

Major airports in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai have been put on high alert after reports they had received threats of attacks by hijacked aircraft, adding to the tense atmosphere surrounding the future of the tour.

"Obviously we're concerned, but what we need to do is find out the information," said Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, at Heathrow airport ahead of the squad's departure for the Middle East. "I've spoken to the security team in Chennai this morning already to find out exactly what the situation is with the alerts. When we get that information it'll be fed back to me, to the board and form part of the security audit that we're undertaking.

"We feel as though going to Abu Dhabi provides us with practice before the first Test match, and it also gives us some more time to implement our security plans on the ground - they are in Chennai at the moment - and that is how we're proceeding."

Kevin Pietersen, the England captain, said he'd seen news of the airport situation this morning but insisted he was concentrating on the Test series. "It'll buy us some more time in Abu Dhabi and I think it's fantastic that we're going to demonstrate in India that we're showing our support to play Test match cricket. I think it's very important we go and rub shoulder to shoulder with the indian people in their time of need, and I'm very confident that we have 15 lads who will be playing Test cricket next week."

Nevertheless, Pietersen conceded that the tour was not yet set in stone, and warned that the team could yet turn on its heel and fly back to England if the all-important security report did not give them the all-clear. Hugh and Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, are flying straight to India to meet up with Reg Dickason, the ECB security advisor, who has been assessing the venues in recent days. They are then due to meet the England squad in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to deliver a final security report, at which point the decision will be made as to whether to proceed to India.

"I think there's a collective at the moment," Pietersen said. "The guys that go out there now are waiting on the reports from Hugh, Sean and Reg to come back to us on Sunday night, and if there are any major catastrophes, or alarm bells ringing, Hugh will be ringing the board to say the collective decision is to come home."

Such a prospect would be anathema to the ECB, who have been eager for this tour to resume ever since the one-day series was hastily postponed, but Hugh Morris - who engineered last week's break - said: "The one thing we don't want to do is twist someone's arm up their back.

"Over the next couple of days we'll be collecting absolutely up-to-date information and presenting that to the players," said Morris. "I would like to think if our security team came back and said it was safe and secure, we would all go over there. If the situation isn't safe and secure, I'll be making a call to the board. The board have made it very clear that the safety and security of the team is of paramount importance."

For the time being, a full England squad has been named despite speculation that a number of players would pull out and Pietersen said time at home helped everyone come to their decision.

"Everyone has become a lot more open-minded, spoken to family members, and realise that it's pretty huge to go back at India's time of need. The boys want to go and play Test cricket. I'm very confident that if everything goes according to plan we'll have a full squad to pick from."

Hamilton awaits Spa outcome

After winning the race once on the track at Spa, the International Court of Appeal will assess whether a stewards' ruling stripping him of the win should be reversed.

Not for the first time in Formula One's recent tarnished history has such an unsatisfactory conclusion to an event been deployed.

But 48 hours after Hamilton was demoted from first to third on the back of a retrospective 25-second drive-through penalty, McLaren have decided to pursue an appeal.

The trouble is, no-one is exactly sure if there is a case to answer as Article 152 of the FIA's International Sporting Code states a drive-through penalty is 'not susceptible to appeal'.

McLaren will contend there are exceptional circumstances in this instance, and if they convince the ICA of such a fact, they will then seek to overturn the stewards' decision.

This latest affair centres around an incident at the end of lap 42 of what was a thrilling 44-lap race as the stewards deemed Hamilton 'cut a corner and gained an advantage'.

After attempting to pass Kimi Raikkonen around the outside on entry to the final chicane, Hamilton was forced to cut the corner.

Returning to the Spa track along the pit straight, the 23-year-old temporarily held the lead before correctly handing it back.

Timing sheets indicate Raikkonen crossed the start-finish line 0.6 seconds ahead of Hamilton, with further data showing the latter was also six kilometres per hour slower at that point.

Hamilton then filed behind Raikkonen, before legitimately passing Ferrari's reigning world champion again on the run down to the first corner La Source hairpin.

In wet conditions, the lead then changed hands twice more on the penultimate lap prior to Raikkonen spinning into a wall, handing Hamilton a win that was taken away by the stewards two hours later.

Describing the incident, Hamilton said: "In the closing stages of the race I was catching Kimi consistently, lap by lap, and with three laps remaining I got close enough to attempt to overtake him on the entry to the last chicane.

"I managed to get slightly ahead of him in the braking area for the first apex of the chicane.

"He fought back approaching the second apex, but, in doing so, he left no room for me on the inside line.

"The only way for me to avoid a collision was therefore to cut inside the second apex.

"I came out of the second apex in front of Kimi and so I momentarily lifted-off on the straight, to ensure Kimi got back in front.

"The team also came on the radio and instructed me to allow Kimi to re-pass, which I had already done. As a result, Kimi crossed the start-finish line ahead of me, and 6.7kmh quicker than me.

"After allowing Kimi to completely re-pass, I crossed from the left side of the track to the right side of the track, passing behind Kimi in the process.

"I then attacked Kimi on the inside of the first corner and successfully outbraked him."

If McLaren successfully argue their right to appeal, their case to reverse the result will then be strengthened by the apparent claim of race director Charlie Whiting.

McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh said: "From the pit wall, we asked Race Control to confirm they were comfortable Lewis had allowed Kimi to re-pass.

"They confirmed twice that they believed the position had been given back in a manner that was 'okay'.

"If Race Control had instead expressed any concern regarding Lewis's actions at that time, we would have instructed Lewis to allow Kimi to re-pass for a second time."

The decision of the stewards - Nicholas Deschaux, Surinder Thatti and Yves Bacquelaine - has since caused uproar.

It has prompted leading figures such as three-times champions Niki Lauda and Sir Jackie Stewart to berate their verdict.

It has also fed the long-held theory that the world governing body, the FIA, are pro-Ferrari and anti-McLaren.

That has since been strenuously denied by one of the stewards, Kenyan Thatti, who said: "There was no conspiracy against anybody, McLaren included.

"We acted professionally and within the FIA rules."

But Formula One fans are up in arms, with even an internet petition available to sign that up until 5pm on Tuesday had attracted 23,000 signatures in just 36 hours, with the aim to present it to the FIA.

Contrast that with a petition calling for the removal of Mike Ashley and Dennis Wise from Newcastle United that has so far only attracted just over 5,000 signatures.

McLaren set out on road to court

The team have confirmed they had lodged notice to appeal the 25-second penalty, which resulted in Hamilton's finishing place being downgraded from first to third by race stewards.

Now the case will be put before the International Court of Appeal.

Amazingly, though, confusion reigns over whether or not the FIA even have a case to answer due to Article 152 of the governing body's International Sporting Code which states a drive-through penalty is 'not susceptible to appeal'.

McLaren will contend there are exceptional circumstances in this instance, and if they convince the ICA of such a fact, they will then seek to overturn the stewards' decision.

This latest affair centres around an incident at the end of lap 42 where the stewards deemed Hamilton 'cut a corner and gained an advantage'.

After attempting to pass Kimi Raikkonen around the outside on entry to the final chicane, Hamilton was forced to cut the corner.

Returning to the Spa track along the pit straight, the 23-year-old temporarily held the lead before correctly handing it back.

Timing sheets indicate Raikkonen crossed the start-finish line 0.6 seconds ahead of Hamilton, with further data showing the latter was also six kilometres per hour slower at that point.

Hamilton then filed behind Raikkonen, before legitimately passing Ferrari's reigning world champion again on the run down to the first corner La Source hairpin.

In wet conditions, the lead then changed hands twice more on the penultimate lap prior to Raikkonen spinning into a wall, handing Hamilton a win that was taken away just two hours later.

Describing the incident, Hamilton said: "In the closing stages of the race I was catching Kimi consistently, lap by lap, and with three laps remaining I got close enough to attempt to overtake him on the entry to the last chicane.

"I managed to get slightly ahead of him in the braking area for the first apex of the chicane.

"He fought back approaching the second apex, but, in doing so, he left no room for me on the inside line.

"The only way for me to avoid a collision was therefore to cut inside the second apex.

"I came out of the second apex in front of Kimi and so I momentarily lifted-off on the straight, to ensure Kimi got back in front."

McLaren F1 CEO Martin Whitmarsh said: "From the pit wall, we asked Race Control to confirm they were comfortable Lewis had allowed Kimi to re-pass.

"They confirmed twice that they believed the position had been given back in a manner that was 'okay'.

"If Race Control had instead expressed any concern regarding Lewis' actions at that time, we would have instructed Lewis to allow Kimi to re-pass for a second time."

Ganguly dropped from Irani Cup

The others he was hinting at were Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman whose combined failure along with Ganguly's, cost India the Test series in Lanka.

Another former skipper Ajit Wadekar, however, feels that all the four vastly experienced senior batsmen, including the Bengal stalwart, should be in the team to take on the mighty Australians in the four-Test series commencing next month.

"The journey to re-build the team has started. This (omission of Ganguly) may be the way the selectors are planning for the future. Also this will keep others (seniors) on their toes. It's some sort of a signal to them," Borde told PTI from Pune.

The incident is reminiscent of India's landmark series in Pakistan in 1978.

Three decades ago India embarked on a historic tour to resume cricket rivalry between the two countries for the first time since 1961, relying mainly on the spin trio of Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and captain Bishen Singh Bedi to take wickets.

But all of them came a cropper and India lost the rubber.

The Pakistan batsmen, led by Zaheer Abbas who scored 583 runs averaging a phenomenal 194 per innings, made mincemeat of the spin trio's offerings. Heads rolled after the tour with Prasanna, who picked up only two wickets in two Tests at over 125 runs per victim, never played another Test.

Chandra and Bedi played in the following two series at home against Alvin Kallicharran's the West Indies and the 1979 series in England - before leaving the scene.

Wadekar though does not see India's tour of Sri Lanka as the beginning of the end for the 'Fab Four' batsmen and feels their presence in the Indian team is essential when the mighty Aussies come calling, aiming for back-to-back Test series victories.

"We had not prepared well for Lanka whose preparation, on the other hand, for the series was very good. But the experience of the seniors, including that of Ganguly, for the Test series against Australia will be vital. May be he (Ganguly) has been dropped because of his fielding," Wadekar said.

Both Borde and Wadekar were firm in their opinion that there was no replacement in sight as yet for skipper Anil Kumble who, at 37, is in the twilight of his career and also had a forgettable tour of Lanka. Kumble grabbed eight wickets while giving away 50 runs per victim.

"The Lankans put up a very good show against Kumble but on Indian wickets he and Harbhajan Singh are important to take wickets if the medium pacers don't take wickets against the Australians," Borde said.

Borde said that Kumble's likely successors Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra were not yet ready for taking over the mantle from the Karnataka stalwart.

"They are not ready to replace Kumble. They need to perform more consistently by doing well in one-dayers. Kumble is a very good thinker and when the time comes I'm sure he will leave on his own," the former middle order batting mainstay said.

Wadekar also felt that Chawla and Mishra were "too raw" and that Kumble was still going "great guns".

"I don't think the youngsters are ready to take charge. They have not yet been groomed for it," he explained.

IPL doors open for Roy....

Andrew Symonds, who is considering his options after being left out of Australia's squad for the Bangladesh ODIs on disciplinary grounds, is free to re-join the Deccan Chargers in 2009, according to the IPL team's new CEO, Tim Wright.

"The Deccan Chargers will - as will any IPL team - want Andrew Symonds in from the very first ball of the competition to the very last ball,'' Wright told AAP. "He will strengthen any Indian Premier League team by his presence.''

Wright said it was important Symonds "was enjoying his cricket", whether while playing for the Australian team or for Deccan, adding that he would "absolutely not" try and encourage him to end his international career.

"From an entirely personal point of view, I'd like to see Symonds help Deccan win the IPL and I'd like to see him star in an Ashes series against England in 2009," Wright said.

Wright stressed that the IPL was not looking to go one-up on Tests and ODIs. "The IPL doesn't stand alone. It's part of the world game, run through the auspices of the BCCI, which is part of the ICC. All of our players play within the structure of cricket, if they choose to."

Earlier this year, Symonds became the IPL's second-most expensive player when he was bought by Deccan for a three-year deal worth US$1.35 million annually. Symonds, though, only played four games for them before flying out to join the Australian team for their tour of the West Indies. He was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise poor campaign for Deccan, which eventually finished last, scoring 161 runs at 80.50 including a century against the Rajasthan Royals.

Wenger chasing new faces

The Arsenal boss openly admits he would like to add another midfielder to his squad, which lost the likes of Alexander Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and experienced Brazilian Gilberto this summer.

Although Samir Nasri - who has already scored twice in three appearances - arrived from Marseille for US$24 million, there have been calls for Wenger to add more established stars to his depth of youthful talent.

Arsenal director Danny Fiszman maintains Wenger has money to spend - and that the board would back their manager if he wanted to splash US$60 million on one player.

The likes of Liverpool's Xabi Alonso, England international Gareth Barry and also £8million-rated Swiss playmaker Gokhan Inler have all been linked with a move to Emirates Stadium, while Wenger on Friday insisted there was "no interest at all" in Feyenoord's Jonathan de Guzman.

Wenger, who landed Lassana Diarra on deadline day 12 months ago, said: "Last year it was at midnight - and we are ready to stay up all night this time if it is needed.

"We have still a long time to go.

"For a while they all talk the talk and nothing happens, then in the last four or five days every half-an-hour there is a headline saying someone has signed somewhere.

"When you have experience of transfer dealings, you know that as long as something is not signed you know it can change very quickly so you can look very silly, so you don't want to come out and announce it."

Wenger added: "We are out to look, if we find the right players we will do it, one or two.

"However, I believe it's more interesting for us to focus on our strengths and quality rather than looking outside. I know it makes headlines, but it doesn't make you win games."

Wenger again rejected the suggestions he needed to bring in a big name with a hefty fee, as title rivals Chelsea have done more than once this summer.

"I buy the players I feel strengthen the squad, after that I consider the price," he said.

"I do the job I think it has to be done, considering the resources of the club and considering our ambition, and the players we have.

"I know the media and supporters sometimes too are happy with big numbers, but for me what is most important is big quality. Sometimes both are linked, but not always."

Arsenal shrugged off any talk of a crisis when they thrashed Steve McClaren's FC Twente side at Emirates Stadium in midweek to book their place in the Champions League group stages once again.

The Gunners reward was a couple of potentially tricky away journeys to Dynamo Kiev and Fenerbahce, while Porto also await in Group G.

Wenger said: "There will be some long, difficult trips - but we want to cope with it and of course come out of it.

"It gives you an edge in the Premier League if you qualify early, then you are not under stress to give absolutely everything in one important game later in the group."

Arsenal will aim to get their domestic challenge back up and running after defeat at Fulham when Newcastle come to Emirates Stadium for tomorrow afternoon's early evening kick-off.

The Toon Army have been galvanised by the return to form of their England striker Michael Owen, who has netted in both of his appearances so far - including an extra-time winner in the Carling Cup at Coventry.

Wenger is a big fan of the former Liverpool and Real Madrid frontman.

"When I arrived in England, Owen was a young boy, very promising, and he looked absolutely fantastic because he was very quick, sharp and intelligent in front of goal," said the Arsenal manager.

"He is not just a goalscorer, he can make assists, has good link play, makes runs. Owen gets where he needs to be as he reads the game."

Arsenal have no fresh injury worries and Wenger is likely to rotate his squad - which could mean a return to the starting line-up for Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who was relegated to the bench against Twente.

Lewis wary of Ferrari threat

Having dominated the British and German grands prix, Hamilton headed to the Hungaroring full of confidence and in the lead of the Drivers' Championship.

However, the McLaren driver was quickly brought down by Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who pulled off an aggressive overtaking move to take the lead of the race.

The Brazilian was on course for the victory, which would have handed him the lead in the Drivers' standings, before an engine failure three laps from the checkered flag put an end to his charge.

Massa's retirement proved to be Hamilton's blessing as it allowed the McLaren man to extend his lead in the Championship to five points ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.

But with seven races still to be run Hamilton says McLaren need to heed the warning issued by Ferrari in Hungary and up the pace if they hope to win this year's titles.

"In a way, the result in Hungary was a very important lesson for the team: it showed us in no uncertain terms that we cannot afford to be complacent and need to work hard throughout the summer break to make sure we can hit back strongly in Valencia," Hamilton told his website.

"You can never underestimate a team like Ferrari, and we know they'll be pushing just as hard as us to gain an advantage for the remainder of the year.

"Who knows, if we'd had an easier race in Hungary, maybe it would have come back and bitten us later in the season, so I feel confident that we won't be taking anything for granted.

"I know that everybody in Woking, Stuttgart and Brixworth will be working flat-out to make sure we can be strong in all the remaining races."

'We did not play quality cricket' - Kumble

After surrendering the series to a clinical Sri Lankan outfit, India have to face up to and deal with the sour truth that they only won one session of this game. Left to rummage through the remains of yet another overseas series squandered after a memorable comeback, Anil Kumble, India's captain, had few positives to pick out.

"We missed out on a good opportunity to beat Sri Lanka," Kumble said. "We did really well in Galle to come back and we did not capitalise on the winning of the toss here. You cannot lose five wickets in the first 40 overs of a Test. That happened to us quite regularly in this series which is something we need to think about."

With a hundred more runs in the first innings the outcome of this match could have been different. However, India's famed middle order failed again - twice. Chaminda Vaas again went wicketless and Muttiah Muralitharan was nowhere near his best, but Dammika Prasad and Ajantha Mendis bowled with guile and accuracy to rock the boat. That spelt the death knell for India, Kumar Sangakkara's match-winning hundred boarded up the coffin, and Ajantha Mendis and Murali returned to hammer in the nails.

"For a new batter to go straightway and face two spinners it is never easy," Kumble said. "People who got starts, if they had converted it would have been a different story. I do not want to give excuses. Overall we did not play quality cricket to win the series."

India's inconsistency ultimately proved pivotal. In Galle, India were 167 for 0 and lost four wickets in a post rain-interval passage; a similar story unfolded in the second innings. At the PSS Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, India's success stories with the bat, threw it away in the second innings when the demand was solidity.

This was also arguably the worst series for India's famed middle order. Sachin Tendulkar looked a shadow of himself in scratching 95 runs at 15.83 and Sourav Ganguly, who batted so brilliantly against South Africa at Ahmedabad and Kanpur in his last series, was a phantom in Sri Lanka, making 96 runs. Rahul Dravid's tentativeness at the crease this series has betrayed a tinge of insecurity, and VVS Laxman managed just two fifties, out five times to Mendis.

"It is not just one or two players [who we should blame]," Kumble said. "It is important that everyone contributes. I do not think there was enough contribution throughout the series from the middle order consistently. Even the lower order did not contribute consistently except one game here. That is obviously something that let us down."

Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma turned in match-winning performances in Galle but otherwise there was little to speak of in the bowling department. Except for Harbhajan, who took 16 wickets, no bowler averaged less than 30. Kumble, India's highest wicket-taker ever, had a series to forget. His eight wickets at 50.00 was his worst three-match series since India played Pakistan in 2006. "I take responsibility," he said, before quickly opting to take the clichéd route, "but the bowlers put their hearts in."

The saving grace of defeat is that it invariably brings lessons. As Kumble pointed out, India have a month-and-a-half to think about what needs to be done before a four-Test series against Australia. "That's still a lot of time for us to think and reflect on what went wrong," Kumble said. India's time starts now..

Kovalainen maiden win...

Just three days after being handed a new contract with McLaren for the 2009 season, Kovalainen underlined his potential with a lucky, but deserved success in Hungary, becoming the 100th F1 winner.

However, given Raikkonen's renowned love of vodka and reputation for partying, Kovalainen may yet regret asking his fellow Finn for a suggestion on how to mark his maiden success.

"I will take him out!" replied Raikkonen with a grin.

Kovalainen, though, would appear to prefer a quieter celebration as he said: "I haven't been to my real home in north Finland for a long time, so I think I will go there at the end of the week.

"I will celebrate the day with my people in Suomussalmi village where I'm from.

"I've a little karting race organised on Saturday which has become a tradition for the last five or six years, but now it will be a very special event having won this race.

"It will be nice to go and see my people there, my family, but then it will be back to business, although I will even try to get something out of the break."

Formula One may head into its summer holiday, but Kovalainen knows behind the scenes there will be no let up as all at McLaren will be determined to build on three successive wins.

"I'll spend a bit of time in Woking talking to the engineers and preparing for the next race [European Grand Prix, Valencia]," added Kovalainen.

"This win doesn't turn my world completely upside down, even if there was a two-month break now.

"I'm happy about it, but this is just part of the goal I set myself because now the next goal is to repeat this, and then after that to do it again.

"We just need to keep up our concentration all the time."

Fortune played a part, but then after the rotten luck Kovalainen has endured on occasions this season, the 26-year-old was overdue a rub of the green.

Running third behind Ferrari's Felipe Massa and team-mate Lewis Hamilton, the latter first suffered a sidewall puncture to the left-front tyre of his McLaren on lap 41.

Then just three laps from home, Ferrari suffered an engine failure for the first time since the Japanese Grand Prix of 2006, denying Massa the win.

A respectful Kovalainen added: "Of course I feel a little sorry for Felipe, and even for Lewis, because they both drove a great race.

"But I know how they feel because I've had similar moments myself this year, quite a few times

"After Saturday I've been in a position to fight for the victory, but something has always gone wrong, something hasn't functioned perfectly.

"So to stand on the top step of the podium and to hear the Finnish anthem playing for me was fantastic. It was a great moment.

"It is something I have been targeting for many, many years now."

Timo Glock took a surprise second in his Toyota ahead of Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso in his Renault, with Hamilton fifth.

The 23-year-old now has a five-point lead over Raikkonen and eight on Massa, with Robert Kubica 23 points down after he could only manage a lowly eighth in his BMW Sauber.

Vaughan steps down as captain..

Michael Vaughan has resigned as England captain following the series defeat against South Africa, which was sealed by the five-wicket loss at Edgbaston on Saturday.

The decision was announced during a hastily arranged press conference at Loughborough even though yesterday evening Vaughan said he "would let the dust" settle on the defeat.

Paul Collingwood has also stood down as one-day captain, meaning that England will announce a new captain for both forms of the game on Monday. The frontrunner is Kevin Pietersen, who is a fixture in both teams. Collingwood is currently serving a four-match suspension for a slow over-rate.

An emotional Vaughan said he felt the time was right to go and will take some time out of the game and won't play in the final Test at The Oval, though he remains available for selection for future England contests.

"It's the hardest decision I've ever had to make, but also the easiest," said Vaughan. "I put my heart and soul into the job but if I kept on going my career could have come to an abrupt end. I think this decision will prolong my career.

"I thought it might be time to go in New Zealand, where my body was working well but my mind was not working well. I will always cherish the support I've had, but this is a weight off my shoulders.

"I had every ambition to lead the England team to the next Ashes Series but as England captain I feel I've run out of steam," he added. "I believe that the best thing for the team is to embark on a new direction under a new captain.

"I also believe the best thing for me is to try and get back to being best batsmen I can be. I'll still have all the experience and knowledge to pass on and I hope to be a valuable player for both my county and the England team

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the fans who have always been so supportive and have provided a huge inspiration to me as captain. A captain is only as good as his teams and I've been fortunate enough to captain some terrific players and great blokes."

It brings an end to Vaughan's 51-match run as captain, four games short of becoming England's long-serving leader, although his 26 victories makes him, statistically, the most successful captain.

"He's led from the front and always led with integrity and honesty. He's been the best possible ambassador for the England cricket team," said managing director Hugh Morris.

However, the pressure on Vaughan has been growing in recent months despite back-to-back series victories against New Zealand. The series loss to South Africa is England's third in five series, dating back to the 1-0 reversal against India last summer. They then lost by the same margin in Sri Lanka before losing the first Test against New Zealand in Hamilton. Vaughan led a shake-up of the team by dropping Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison and England hit back to take the series, but the performances were not convincing.

Adding to the stress on Vaughan has been his own lack of runs. He has made 40 in five innings against South Africa, consistently being troubled by the pace bowlers, and his last ten Test have produced just one century and an average of 22.

He took on the role against South Africa in 2003, following Nasser Hussain's resignation which also came after an Edgbaston Test. His first Test in charge, at Lord's, was a thumping innings defeat, but he subsequently secured victories at Trent Bridge and The Oval as England shared the series.

The defeats in the past two weeks at Headingley and Edgbaston were the first time he has lost back-to-back Tests and a hallmark of his reign as captain was how England could bounce back from defeats. His finest moment was the 2005 Ashes victory, although he was also at the helm for historic away successes against West Indies in 2004 and South Africa in 2005..

source:Cric Info

Champs Trophy still under threat...

Though the ICC has retained Pakistan as the hosts for Champions Trophy in September, Imran Khan and some other former captains have said they think the tournament might be moved in the last hour citing security concerns.

The World Cup winning skipper said he was pessimistic about the chances of Pakistan staging the Champions Trophy because "it is close to impossible to convince countries like Australia and England about the security situation here".

"The security concerns are many and when we have 65 suicide attacks last year so the foreign players are obviously scared of coming to Pakistan," Imran said.

Another former skipper Javed Miandad echoed similar sentiments as Imran. He said he does not know how the tournament can be staged when so many team are talking about the troubled security situation out there.

"I really don't know what to say but the way things are, the way foreign teams are constantly talking about the security, it seems difficult that the tournament would be held in Pakistan," he said.

Miandad said if the Champions Trophy is shifted, the blame should squarely move to the PCB since it has not done enough lobbying to convince other countries about the situation in the country.

"If the government gets involved, it might help the PCB's cause," he said.

Another former player, on conditions of anonymity, said that the ICC decision to have a special task force to inspect last minute arrangements in Pakistan is a facade.

"It is all a ploy to reduce the blow for Pakistan when they finally shift the event away from here to Sri Lanka. If India takes a strong stand then the ICC and the countries not wanting to send their teams to Pakistan might come under pressure," he said..
Now a days cricket is being more like a Independence day or a republic day, looks it needs a lot of security measures....I hope this is not to be continued any more...Let the cricket be held in a peaceful manner...plz do not Involve terrorism into this..

Force to be reckoned with....

Here is what Mr.Mallya has to say about....

The team has yet to score a point after 10 races this year, and neither Giancarlo Fisichella nor Adrian Sutil has made it into the second session of qualifying.

However, Mallya feels Force India are a work in progress, and they have managed to outshine a number of their rivals who work with bigger budgets.

"Let's look at the hard facts - we've had a 12th-placed finish and a 10th-placed finish," asserted Mallya.

"We've had double finishes and very competitive races - just look at Monaco.

"We've raced with teams whose budgets are twice as much as ours, with manufacturer support, and we've finished ahead of them - you can't take this away from us.

"What I am really pleased about, however, is the progress we have made in the times relative to others. I can honestly say we are the most improved team on the grid.

"Last year we were four seconds off the front and two seconds from the rear of the field, but in the German Grand Prix we were just one second from the top five.

"No other team has found two seconds from last year, so clearly this is a reason to be satisfied."

Ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, the last before F1 heads off on its summer break, Mallya has no regrets about taking up the task of resurrecting his team's fortunes.

It has meant dipping into his vast personal fortune to do so, but he added: "It's been every bit as good, and as frustrating, as I expected it to be.

"I'm very proud of what this small team has achieved, and how we are pulling together to show some good progress and showings that no-one in the field expected us to do.

"On the other hand there have been challenges, as I knew there would be, and disappointments, but the good far outweighs the bad.

"I have no regrets at all about becoming involved in the team, and I am really looking forward to the second part of the year."