Re Hairstyles

Stories about sexual orgies, marijuana sessions and the dominance of a group of senior players in South Africa cricket squad have been exposed in out of favour opener Herschelle Gibbs’ autobiography, which is releasing on Monday. The weekly ’Sunday Times’ carried excerpts from Gibbs’ book, a day before its release. The book graphically details the sexual exploits of the controversial player who has been in trouble for his late night binges and drunken driving charges, as well as leading players in smoking pot in the West Indies. Gibbs, who just last week confessed that he would have to work very hard to return to the national squad, could also incur the ire of fellow players after writing in his book that the Proteas are dominated by a clique of older players. "The team has been criticised for being run by a group of senior players - Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, and more recently, AB de Villiers," Gibbs wrote. "This inner circle spli...

Capping a splendid season in which he scored the first-ever double century in ODIs and crossed 14,000 runs in Test cricket, iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar was on Saturday named the Indian Cricketer of the Year at the second Sahara India Sports Awards function here. The list of the winners of Sahara India Sports Awards 2010: Best Young Achiever (Male): Asher Noria Best Young Achiever (Female): Soumya Swaminathan Memorable moment of the year: Vishwanathan Anand Team of the Year: Davis Cup Sportsman of the Year: Sushil Kumar Sportswoman of the Year: Mary Kom Cricketer of the Year (Male): Sachin Tendulkar Cricketer of the Year (Female): Mithali Raj Outstanding Performance of the Year: Pankaj Advani, Suranjoy Singh, Sharath Kamal and Om Prakash Singh Coach of the Year: Yashvir Singh Outstanding Performance at CWG (Male): Gagan Narang Outstanding Performance at CWG (Female): Deepika Kumari Unsung Hero Award: S. H.H. Hamid and Manohar Topno Legendary Honor: Gurbachan Singh Randhawa

She may not have succeeded in winning a gold at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, but tennis star Sania Mirza is now looking forward to give her best in the next month’s Asian Games in Guangzhou. "We are going to try our best to win as many medals as possible at the Asian Games. In sports you never know what happens. But we are going to give our best," Sania said, when asked on chances of winning medals at the upcoming Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Guangzhou, China from November 12 to 27. Sania, who scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman tennis player to win three medals -- one gold and two silver -- in the previous edition of the Asian Games at Doha in 2006, is keen on continuing her good run in the Asian Games. "Asian Games is going to be lot tougher than the Commonwealth Games. Many top-20 players would come to play there. But every time I have gone to the Asian Games (Busan and Doha) I have come back with medals. So, I hope I can ...

The Pakistan Cricket Board is considering legal action against British tabloid The Sun after the International Cricket Council cleared its players of allegations of wrongdoing during a limited-overs international against England at The Oval. PCB legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi said on Tuesday that he was consulting lawyers in Britain regarding a possible defamation case on behalf of the players. The Sun reported the story "in such a crude manner that we think they have a case to answer, Rizvi said. The ICC investigated information passed on by The Sun, which suggested a scoring pattern in Pakistan’s innings was prearranged during the September match, before clearing the players. Rizvi said the PCB had considered legal action from day one. "And now with ICC clearing the match, we are looking at the legal field and it is certainly under our serious consideration, he said. Pakistan players were accused of spot fixing during the scandal-filled tour of England, where it also pla...

Sachin Tendulkar is one hundred away from achieving an incredible milestone of scoring 50 Test centuries and India spinner Harbhajan Singh is eagerly waiting for the historic moment. The upcoming three-Test series against New Zealand will give Tendulkar ample opportunities to get to the magical mark and Harbhajan is hoping the Mumbai batting icon will touch the mark in the first Test at Ahmedabad. "It’s going to be the biggest achievement to notch century number 50 in Tests. I am looking forward to the part of the celebration. Hope he gets it at Motera," the Indian spin wizard said. "He has a lot of milestones to his name. But this is going to be the biggest. Hats off to him. He has shown us that nothing is impossible," Harbhajan said. India play a three-Test, five-ODI series against New Zealand beginning with Motera match from November 4-8. Harbhajan also termed a media report in London’s ’Sunday Times’ as rubbish for claiming that ICC’...

The second ODI of the 3-match series between India VS Australia (IND Vs AUS) will be held at Visakhapatnam in Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Andhra Cricket Association-Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association (ADA-VDCA) Stadium on Wednesday, 20 October at 09:00 GMT and 14:30 PKT. The schedule match would be Day/night. This is the first day-night match in the city and cricket lovers are eagerly waiting for this ODI match because the first ODI between the two teams had washed out in Kochi which was likely to be scheduled to play on Saturday. This also made this match more exiting. Although the weatherman reports that the weather would be fair and assure that the weather is expected not to interfere in the second ODI. On the other side the two teams were offered traditional welcome at the airport when they reach at Visakhapatnam. A Large number of cricket fans were also present at the airport to cheer the players. Since the Stadium opened in 2004-2005 in Visakhapatnam, it has hosted only tw...

Soccer crazy nation Brazil will host the 2014 FIFA World Cup.Brazil has been awarded the hosting rights after 1950 while the mega football event will be held in Latin America after 1986. However, the preparation reports are not satisfactory at this moment. The pace of building stadia and airports to accommodate huge crowd is still very slow. But the disappointed Brazil fans have reasons to cheer as the 2014 will be played in their home soil. Brazil was routed out by the Netherlands in quarter final in this year’s FIFA world Cup in South Africa. Despite of all slow progress in development works, experts believe that the 2014 FIFA World Cup will be a spectacular event in Beazil.

Australian cricket great Shane Warne says he has cleared the air with Ricky Ponting after questioning the Australia captain’s tactics via Twitter posts during this week’s second Test against India. In a series of tweets on the fifth day of the Test in Bangalore - won by India by seven wickets - Warne criticized Ponting’s field placement particularly to off-spinner Nathan Hauritz. Warne asked how Hauritz could be expected to bowl to the fields set by Ponting, adding "what are these tactics? Sorry Ricky but what are you doing?" Ponting said after the Test that all fields had been set at Hauritz’s request and Warne should have sought an explanation before making public criticisms. Warne told Australia’s Nine Network on Thursday that he and Ponting had since exchanged text messages and had cleared the air. "Me and Punter (Ponting) swapped a few SMS’s last night," Warne said. "We’re mates, we’re going to disagree a few ...

It all started with a sole bronze in 1934 in the second edition of the Commonwealth Games and now India has finally breached the 100-mark in the medals tally of the event in the latest edition to occupy the second position in the overall standings. India had finished fourth in the medal tables of the last two editions and this is the country’s best performance ever in the event. It has not been an easy path and India has reached this milestone by a slow and steady rise over the years. The country grabbed 10 medals in 1966, 16 in 1982, 25 in 1998 and 49 in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. India have participated in 14 of the 18 editions, the first time being in London, 1934 when it was known as the British Empire Games. Rashid Anwar helped India open its account when the welterweight wrestler won a bronze medal in the second edition in 1934 where the country took part as a British Colony. India’s first gold medal was bagged by ’Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh who won the 440 yards t...

Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden launched his revealing and humorous biography titled `Last Man Standing` on Sunday. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, after two years and more than 100 hours of interviews with renowned cricket journalist Robert Craddock about his life and career, Hayden launched his book at Queensland Cricketer`s Club overlooking the Gabba where he cracked 149 runs on debut for the Bulls in 1991. The book reportedly contains his journey of from a kid obsessed with wearing the baggy green to one who proved his critics wrong by becoming one of the most decorated openers of all time. In his biography, he has admitted to being at the forefront of verbal attacks, his highs and lows, his painful battles to convince selectors and others of his worth, and of his love for his wife and young family and friends who never wavered in their support of him. Sydney radio personality Allan Jones, who happened to be a close friendship of late Sir Donald Bradman, launched Hayde...

This Durga Puja, the Goddess will be seen adorned in a sari resembling the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) jersey, a unique idea which the team believes would help them receive her blessings in the next IPL tournament. The SRK Fan Club of Kolkata has come up with a six-foot- tall idol of Durga, attired in a purple and golden-coloured sari inspired by the jersey of the Shahrukh Khan-owned team. One hand of the ten-armed Goddess is seen clutching the team`s flag. KKR is owned by Khan`s Red Chillies Entertainment in partnership with actress Juhi Chawla Mehta and her husband Jay Mehta. On all four days of Durga Puja, around 400 members of the fan club would worship the deity, installed at the club`s premises at Rajarhat on the north-eastern outskirts of the city, praying for their team`s success. "The last three IPLs were a disaster for KKR, so we will worship Ma Durga for the super success of our hero Shahrukh Khan and his team KKR," Arnab Roy, secretary of the 13-year-old fan club,...

Actress-turned-businesswoman Shilpa Shetty has been left "too shocked to react" to the termination of the Rajasthan Royals, in which she is a stakeholder, from the Indian Premier League (IPL), while team skipper Shane Warne is "shattered". "This is for all those who want my reaction ’Honestly too shocked to react,just disheartened... cause it’s more than just a team for us! Still havn’t received the termination, will react after. Need to know the basis of this decision.’ In London now (sic)," Shilpa tweeted. The IPL governing council (GC) Sunday terminated the contracts of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, in which Bollywood actor Preity Zinta has a stake for breaches committed by them. Shilpa and her London-based husband Raj Kundra own Rajasthan Royals. Australian spinner Shane Warne was shattered at the development. "Just woke up to news that Royals and Kings out of IPL 4, don’t know anything yet, flying back to Aust...

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting on Thursday said he is not retiring from international cricket soon. "The finish line is not in sight yet," Ponting, 35, told reporters here with a smile when asked whether he was going to hang up his boots shortly. The skipper said he may even be back in India for another tour of his team. Ponting said he would analyse his performance in the India-Australia series and later in the Ashes series against England to decide about his future. He said batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, who is 37 years old, was a "good inspiration" as he (Tendulkar) is getting better by the day. "I am more focused on my preparations and fitness. I know that I need to give myself the best chance of playing well. That’s all I can control and then I get out into the middle and it’s about making big runs," he added.

Pakistan suspended pace bowlers, Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamer have filed their appeals against their provisional suspensions with the International Cricket Council Anti-Corruption and Security Unit. Well informed sources said that both had dispatched their appeals to the ICC headquarters in Dubai through their legal advisors on Saturday. "They have filed separate appeals against their suspensions and have asked the ICC to convene a preliminary hearing to hear their appeals as soon as possible," the source said. Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt had already sent his appeal against his suspension to the ICC three days back. The trio was suspended by the ICC in early September after Scotland Yard said it was investigating allegations that the three had indulged in spot fixing during the fourth Test against England at Lord’s. A source aware of the process through which the appeals were filed said that Asif and Aamer had not only appealed against their suspensions but als...

If you’d been expecting to see Sachin Tendulkar in a Bollywood film, well, that’s just not happening. Not yet anyway. Sachin posted on his twitter page today, "Answer to 1 common question asked by many is I m not acting in any film…….." There’d been a story doing the rounds that Sachin would be acting in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s movie ’Ferrari Ki Sawari’ that also has ’3 Idiots’ director Rajkumar Hirani working on it. Sachin is friends with Vidhu and had even tweeted about the movie a few months ago, "Vinod Chopra has a script called Ferrari Ki Sawari. Just heard it. Sounds awesome." In yet another tweet, where he also posted a picture of him and Chopra, he had said, "Hanging with Vinod Chopra and Atul Kasbekar… 3 more Idiots?"

The Indian Premier League Governing Council has been reconstituted in the BCCI’s AGM which ousted Sunil Gavaskar, while MAK Pataudi and Ravi Shastri have been retained as members of the GC on Wednesday. In another turn around, BCCI withdraws suit filed against Jagmohan Dalmiya in Bombay High Court and also revokes the expulsion imposed on him in 2006. The BCCI on Tuesday nominated its secretary N Srinivasan for the president-elect’s post. He is slated to take over from current BCCI boss Shashank Manohar next year. Moreover, the Board also announced the names of the vice-presidents who will remain in office for another year. They are: Niranjan Shah (West Zone), Rajiv Shukla (Central Zone in place of Lalit Modi), Arindam Ganguly (East Zone), Arun Jaitley (North Zone) and Shivlal Yadav (South Zone). Sanjay Jagdale and MP Pandove would continue as the joint-secretary and treasurer.

India’s ace off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has not been recovered completely from a calf injury and remained doubtful to play the first Test against Australia in Mohali starting from Friday. However, Team India skipper MS Dhoin said that final call on Bhajji would be taken on Friday morning. Harbhajan sported a bandage while training on Monday and later underwent an MRI scan at a local hospital, raising doubts over his fitness even as physiotherapist Nitin Patel declined to comment. The Jalandhar bowler has an envious record against Australia scalping 79 wickets from 14 Tests.

The game of tennis has "enough depth" to negate the absence of star players when the sport makes its debut at the Commonwealth Games, feels India’s star player Sania Mirza. It would have been a treat for home fans had world No. 4 Andy Murray, former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, French Open finalist Samantha Stosur and Cyprus’ Marcos Baghdatis, who recently stunned Rafael Nadal, not pulled out of the Games. The Games are clashing with prestigious season-ending ranking events on the two professional Tours, forcing players to decide against playing in the Games. Sania, who has been India’s face on the WTA circuit in last half-a-decade, feels star-factor or rankings doesn’t count much when one is on court. "As a tennis player, one can only compete with the players who are on the other side of the net! However, I can assure you that at least in a global sport like tennis, the depth is tremendous and stardom or rankings have no bearing once a player enter...

Sachin Tendulkar’s humility has bowled over Australian batsman Philip Hughes, who says it was a fantastic experience to get tips from the Indian icon over a cup of coffee. "When I was in Mumbai earlier, I had coffee with him and we spoke for about an hour. He asked me so many questions and I also put him many queries. He is a fantastic man and very humble," Hughes said. "He told me that I should try to play my natural game. We also talked a lot about other things in general. I also asked him a lot of questions about his career," the 21-year-old left-hander from New South Wales said during an interaction. Set to fill in the shoes of prolific opener Matthew Hayden, Hughes said he is focussed on cementing his place in the side. "It’s great to be in the squad. Sachin, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, they are all great batsmen. I may not be part of the main team now, but you never know when that opportunity comes," said Hughes, who made his Test debut a...

Chennai Super Kings won the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, defeating Eastern Cape Warriors by eight wickets on Sunday. Murali Vijay and Mike Hussey cracked sparkling half centuries as Chennai Super Kings were crowned the Champions League Twenty20 winners. Vijay (58 off 53 balls), who was let off when on 34, cracked his third half century of the tournament while the other opener Hussey played sheet anchor and remained not out on 51 as Chennai chased down the small target of 129 with one over to spare Earlier, spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (3/16) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2/16) shared five wickets as Chennai restricted Warriors to 128 for seven after the South African champion side elected to bat at the New Wanderers Stadium. Vijay underlined his emergence as a fine Twenty20 batsman by becoming the highest run getter of the tournament with 294 runs from six matches, eight more than Warriors captain Davy Jacobs. Vijay’s 53-ball innings was studded with six fours and two sixes w...