NEW DELHI, May 28, 2013 (AFP) - Indian Test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and his teammates will be sent to a New Delhi jail after they appeared in court Tuesday on spot-fixing charges as part of an ongoing corruption investigation.


The court ordered Sreesanth and teammate Ajit Chandila to be placed in judicial custody over allegations they deliberately bowled badly in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars during the Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 competition.

Bowler Ankeet Chavan, who was arrested at the same time as his Rajasthan Royals teammates earlier this month, was also sent to jail after having his bail application rejected during a packed and chaotic court session.

"It's not a setback," Sreesanth's lawyer Rebecca John said of the court's decision. "The best part is that he's out of police custody."

The New Delhi court rejected a police application to extend their custody of Sreesanth to allow them more time to investigate the case, instead remanding both players to Tihar jail.

Two bookmakers were also placed in judicial custody, while the court rejected Chavan's request for bail so that he could get married.

"The application seeking extension of police custody is dismissed. He (Sreesanth) is sent to judicial custody till the fourth of June," Judge Lokesh Kumar Sharma told the court.

Sreesanth, who has denied wrongdoing, appeared composed during the court hearing.

Police say the trio were acting under orders from international crime syndicates to deliberately bowl badly in specific overs after striking deals with bookmakers.

Sreesanth, who is the most famous of the three after playing 27 Tests for India, is alleged to have been paid four million rupees (about $75,000) to give away 14 runs in an over in a match against Kings XI Punjab on May 9.

His teammates are said to have agreed to similar deals in two other IPL matches.

The Rajasthan Royals have suspended the contracts of the three players.

Spot-fixing is an illegal activity in which a specific part of a game, but not the result, is fixed.

LONDON: Arjen Robben scored a heart-stopping 89th-minute winner to earn Bayern Munich a dramatic 2-1 win over German rivals Borussia Dortmund on Saturday after a thrilling Champions League final at London's Wembley Stadium.

With extra time beckoning, Robben collected a back-heel from Franck Ribery, eluded the challenge of Mats Hummels and rolled a delicate shot past Roman Weidenfeller to give Bayern their fifth European crown.

Robben had set Bayern on the way to victory after an hour of the first all-German final when he teed up Mario Mandzukic for the opener, only for Ilkay Gundogan to equalise from the penalty spot in the 68th minute.

Having already claimed the German title, Bayern will now look to complete an unprecedented treble by beating VfB Stuttgart in the German Cup final next weekend.

There was no second title for 1997 winners Dortmund but Jurgen Klopp's side more than played their part on a night of gripping drama in front of 86,298 fans at the home of English football.


His transfer was the latest show of strength from a side who romped to the Bundesliga title by a record-breaking 25-point margin, but Bayern were left looking like the underdogs as Dortmund flew out of the blocks.

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had to save from Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Marco Reus and Sven Bender, before Bayern finally came to life when Dortmund goalkeeper Weidenfeller tipped a Mandzukic header onto the bar.

The best chances of the first half both fell to Robben.

On the half hour, Thomas Mueller's pass sent him clean through on goal but the angle was prohibitive for a left-footed player and Weidenfeller rushed out swiftly to make a sprawling save.

The Dutchman found himself with only the goalkeeper to beat again moments before half-time when the ball fell kindly for him in a tussle with Hummels, but Weidenfeller stood up bravely and blocked with his face.

In between, Neuer produced a superb last-ditch block to thwart Lewandowski, who had deftly rolled Jerome Boateng from a Reus pass, as the play passed from one end to the other at breathless speed.

Ribery rolled a pass towards the byline and Robben evaded the offside trap by a matter of inches before nudging the ball beyond Weidenfeller and crossing for Mandzukic to hook home from a yard.

Moments later, Dortmund were indebted to a breathtaking piece of defending from Neven Subotic, who slid in to hook Mueller's goal-bound shot off the line as Robben closed in for a tap-in.

But Bayern continued to push, Weidenfeller repelling fierce strikes from David Alaba and Bastian Schweinsteiger, before Robben tiptoed through the Dortmund defence to score a famous late winner. (AFP)

LEEDS (AFP) - Graeme Swann bowled England to the brink of victory against New Zealand in the second and final Test at Headingley on Monday.

The off-spinner took four for 61 in 21.4 unchanged overs, extending his match haul to eight wickets, before bad light ended the fourth day with New Zealand 154 for six.

That left the Black Caps still needing a further 310 runs to reach their victory target of 468.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was nought not out and Tim Southee four not out.

The most any side has ever made in the fourth innings to win a Test is West Indies' 418 for seven against Australia in Antigua in 2002/03.

And the corresponding record for New Zealand is the 325 for four they posted against Pakistan in Christchurch in 1993/94.

It seemed only forecast rain on Tuesday's final day could now deny England victory and a 2-0 series win.

In that case, they might rue both captain Alastair Cook's decision not to enforce the follow-on on Sunday and indeed bat on after lunch on Monday in a match where the whole of Friday's first day was washed out without a ball bowled.

Jonathan Trott, who pressed on to 76 on Monday after taking 69 balls Sunday to make 11 not out, defended England's approach.

"We've had a great day with bat and ball and we're in a really strong position," he told BBC Radio's Test Match Special.

"If we'd taken the weather into consideration we might have made them follow on," the South Africa-born batsman added.

"We're 1-0 up in the series so there's no need to chase the game, but we want to win every Test we play.

"You look at time and runs and you want to get it spot on, and I think we've done that."

For New Zealand, only former captain Ross Taylor, with a stylish 70, offered much in the way of significant resistance Monday before he was yorked by Swann to leave New Zealand 154 for six.

"England put the ball in the right areas and asked us questions, but we should be in a lot better position than we are at the moment," Taylor said.

"It's another day tomorrow and we'll have to see what the weather gods have in store for us, but hopefully Brendon and Timmy can bat out time as we'll see what will happen."

In their first innings, New Zealand collapsed to 174 all out -- although this was an improvement on the 68 they managed in the second innings of their 170-run first Test defeat at Lord's.

Stuart Broad, who took a Test-best seven for 44 at Lord's, removed Peter Fulton for five on Monday after he fended a rising delivery to Ian Bell in the gully.

Swann, who'd taken four wickets in New Zealand's first innings, needed just nine balls to strike again Monday when Kane Williamson was lbw on review.

Swann then grabbed his second wicket in three overs when left-handed opener Hamish Rutherford was caught off bat and pad by Joe Root at short leg for 42.

That left New Zealand 65 for three and in danger of suffering yet another top-order slump.

Taylor, however, counter-attacked by cover-driving Swann for four and came through reviews on 47 and 60, while receiving solid support from Dean Brownlie in a fourth-wicket stand of 79.

Brownlie was eventually dismissed for 25 when, swaying away from a Steven Finn bouncer, he gloved to Bell before Martin Guptill (three) edged Swann to Trott at slip.

Then 153 for five became 154 for six when Taylor, who batted for more than two-and-a-half hours, fell to Swann.

Earlier, Cook scored 130, further extending his England record for Test centuries to 25, before declaring the hosts' second innings on 287 for five.

Cook, 88 not out overnight, was out when he was caught at mid-off off the bowling of part-time spinner Williamson.

IPL spot-fixing: BCCI suspends Srinivasan's son-in-law.

Asad Rauf, the leading Pakistani has been withdrawn by the ICC from officiating in the upcoming Champions Trophy in England following media reports that indicated he was under investigation by Mumbai Police.

The ICC chief executive, Dave Richardson quoted on Thursday: "In the wake of reports that the Mumbai Police are conducting an investigation into Asad Rauf's activities, we feel that it is in Asad's best interests as well as those of the sport and the event itself, that he is withdrawn from participating in the ICC Champions Trophy".

In response to ICC action, the PCB official told a cricket website that the ICC did not mention what the Mumbai Police were reportedly investigating Rauf for, and said it had no further comment to make.

KATHMANDU: An 80-year-old Japanese climber reached the summit of Mount Everest on Thursday, becoming the oldest person to scale the world's highest mountain, his website and a Nepalese official said.



Yuichiro Miura and his party arrived at the summit at around 9am (0315 GMT), according to the website.

"I feel like the happiest person in the world. How could I have come so far at the world's oldest age of 80," Miura said. "I have never felt like this in my life. But I've never been more exhausted than this."

"I can see the scenery of the Himalayas below me. I really thank every one of you for your support."

It was his third conquest of the 8,848-metre (29,028-foot) peak, and his latest feat means he recaptures the record he previously held for being the oldest person to climb Everest.

He previously reached the summit when he was 70 and 75.

His 2003 record was broken in 2007 when fellow Japanese Katsusuke Yanagisawa scaled the summit when he was 71 years old.

Miura conquered Everest for the second time in May 2008, just one day after Nepal's Min Bahadur Sherchan made it to the top at the age of 76.

Until Thursday morning, the Nepalese had been the world record holder, according to Guinness World Records.

Miura was now climbing back down the mountain, a Nepalese tourism official said, confirming the successful ascent.

"He reached the summit this morning and is currently descending to camp four," the official, Gyanendra Shrestha, told AFP from Everest Base Camp.

Veteran adventurer Miura came to worldwide attention in 1970 when he became the first person to ski down Everest.

His parachute-aided descent was documented in the 1975 film "The Man Who Skied Down Everest" which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary.

High-octane endeavours are in his blood -- his father Keizo skied down Mont Blanc at age 99.

More than 3,000 people have successfully scaled Everest, but the mountain claims lives regularly, with even the best climbers falling victim to its fickle weather. (AFP)

DUBLIN: Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat in the first one-day international against Ireland in Dublin on Thursday.

Ireland made two changes to the team that played the United Arab Emirates in their last one-day game in March with Tim Murtagh and Andrew White replacing Max Sorensen and the banned John Mooney.

Pakistan made one change to the team that beat Scotland in the ODI in Edinburgh last week with Shoaib Malik in for Umar Amin.

Teams

Ireland: William Porterfield (capt), Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Neil O’Brien (wkt), Gary Wilson, Kevin O’Brien, Alex Cusack, Andrew White, Trent Johnston, George Dockrell, Tim Murtagh

Pakistan: Imran Farhat, Nasir Jamshaid, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Kamran Akmal (wkt), Ehsan Adil, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan

Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Richard Smith (IRL)

TV umpire: Louis Fourie (IRL)

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

LONDON: Andy Murray will miss the French Open with the back injury that flared up at the Rome Masters, the world number two announced on Tuesday.

After meeting with medical specialists Murray has decided to skip the second Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros to ensure he is fully fit for Wimbledon. "It's a really tough decision and I love playing in Paris, but after seeking medical advice, I am not fit to compete," the US Open and Olympic champion explained in a statement to Britain's Press Association. "After consultation with his team and medical specialists, Andy has reluctantly withdrawn from the French Open and will instead focus on preparation for the grass court season," the statement added.

Murray had raised the possibility of his absence from the French Open after retiring with the back problem in his second-round match against Spain's Marcel Granollers at the Rome Masters last week. "I'd be very surprised if I was playing in Paris," a subdued Murray said then.

This will be the first Grand Slam he has missed since Wimbledon in 2007.

The injury was the same one which required him to take a pain-killing injection in order to play Roland Garros last year where he reached the quarter-finals.

Murray will now aim to return for the start of the grasscourt season at Queens Club on June 10. "(The back) has not been perfect for a long period, I want it to start feeling good again. Everyone goes into matches with niggles, but this is very frustrating," added Murray after his Rome retirement. "I don't want to go into details, but I've got a disc problem, it changes week to week. It's been an issue for a while, but I want to make sure it goes away. "I don't want to be playing with it long-term, it's not enjoyable at all."

The French Open begins on Sunday. (AFP)

Sports News : Pakistan announced Tuesday that its 21 cricketers on central contracts would get a 15 percent salary increase and a10 percent rise in match fees this year.

The contracts, up for renewal in January, were finally handed to players hours before they left for Britain early Tuesday.

Dashing all-rounder Shahid Afridi was lucky to retain his place in the “A” category after being dropped from the one-day squad for next month’s Champions Trophy in England and after retiring from Test cricket in 2010.

Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul Haq, Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal and Younis Khan also retained their “A” category status.

The Pakistan Cricket Board keeps 21 players on central contracts in three categories, marked by three different scales for retainers and match fees.

Spearhead Umar Gul, batsman Umar Akmal and spinner Abdul Rehman were demoted to “B” category after lacklustre performances last year.

Others in the “B” category are Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Junaid Khan, Shoaib Malik and Nasir Jamshed.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal regained his central contract after

losing out last year and was placed in the “C” category along with Mohammad Irfan, Imran Farhat, Taufeeq Umar, Aizaz Cheema, Adnan Akmal, Faisal Iqbal and Ahmad Shahzad.

“The Test match fee for all categories has also been increased as well as the match fee for all formats by 10 percent from 2012,” the board said.

The increases give “A” category players a monthly salary of 359,375 rupees ($3,600) and a Test match fee of 440,000 rupees ($4,400).

“B” category players will get a monthly salary of 251,562 rupees and players in the “C” category, 143,750 rupees. (AFP)

Jack Wilshere, the England and Arsenal midfielder, has unveiled the new England home kit as the 21 year-old went back to school on Monday.

Wilshere, who will miss England's two international friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil so that he can undergo surgery on his ankle injury, returned to the Priory School in Hitchin where he studied before going on to joining Arsenal.

On arrival at the Priory School, Wilshere selected student Jason Kelly who he photographed before tweeting out the image taken on the field where his own "England dream began".

The new kit, which will be worn for the first time during England's game with Ireland next Wednesday, is made by American company Nike won the right to produce the shirt last year, ending the national side's association with Umbro, who, other than Admiral, have made the kits since 1954.

Nike have gone for a plain white shirt with a dark ring around the neck.

Within minutes of the picture being tweeted, many Twitter users remarked that the new shirt bore a striking resemblance to the top that West Germany used to wear in 1966, when England beat their old enemy in the World Cup final.

LONDON: New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori could return to action in the second Test against England this week after Bruce Martin was ruled out of the rest of the tour with a calf injury.

Vettori has not played for the Black Caps for almost a year because of a hamstring injury and was left out of the squad for the two-Test series in England.


But with Martin sidelined by the injury that prevented him bowling during England's second innings of the first Test, which ended with a 170-run win for the hosts at Lord's on Sunday, there is a vacancy for a spinner heading into the second Test starting in Leeds on Friday.

Vettori, named in New Zealand's squad for their one-day internationals against England and next month's Champions Trophy, is due to link up with the squad on Tuesday. And the former New Zealand captain could come into the reckoning as a replacement for Martin at Headingley. With 360 victims to his name, left-arm spinner Vettori is New Zealand's second highest Test wicket-taker.

His last Test was a nine-wicket defeat by West Indies in Antigua last July and his only international action since then was at the World Twenty20 in October.

The only other bowling option open to McCullum is seamer Doug Bracewell, who was left out of the first Test. (AFP)

MUMBAI: In a press meeting today held in regards to the IPL spot-fixing scandal, the BCCI said three arrested players namely – Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan are under scanner, while no reports against others.