China tops medal table in Asian Youth Games

SINGAPORE: The Asian Youth Games are underway in Singapore. China tops the medals table with six golds, followed by South Korea and Japan after the second full day of the competition.China took on hosts Singapore in boys under-14 football. The hosts trailed early when China's captain Peng Yan struck in the 26th minute.Peng doubled China's lead with a rasping right-foot shot from the edge of the area less than ten minutes later.Then it was also Peng Yan who scored at the end, completing the match with a hat trick. China defeated Singapore 3-0, finishing second in Group A and advancing to the semis.

Gayle signs with WA

SYDNEY: The Western Australia signing West Indies superstar Chris Gayle for a cameo appearance in next summer's domestic Twenty20 competition.WA Cricket Association chief executive Graeme Wood and Warriors coach Tom Moody unveiled Gayle as their marquee player for five games in December and January.Gayle, 29, who will be on tour with the West Indies side in Australia at the time, will use the break between the Test and one day series to turn out for Western Australia.

Kaka receives roaring welcome from Real Madrid fans

MADRID: With the crowd chanting his name, Kaka received a roaring welcome Tuesday when he was introduced at his new home of Real Madrid before at least 50,000 fans.The 27-year-old Brazilian playmaker, acquired from AC Milan for $92 million, was presented by team president Florentino Perez at Santiago Bernabeu. Kaka shook his head in delight at the response by the fans.Kaka, who passed his medical earlier Tuesday, and Cristiano Ronaldo are Perez's major summer signings as the team tries to make up for a season without a trophy.Kaka agreed to a six-year contract with Madrid and will team with Cristiano Ronaldo, the world player of the year who was acquired by Madrid for a record transfer of $131 million.

BCCI announces venues for India-Australia ODI series

MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Tournament and Fixture Committee declared on Tuesday the venues and dates of the seven One-day International series in which India will host Australia. The ODI series will be played between October 25 and November 11.The seven venues that will be hosting the matches are: Guwahati, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Mohali and Nagpur. Australia will tour India shortly after the ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in South Africa in September. The dates of seven matches are as follows: Oct 25, Oct 28, Oct 31, Nov 2, Nov 5, Nov 8 and Nov 11.Though the committee declared the dates of the matches, it will later announce the dates for each venue after putting the logistics in place.The fixtures for Sri Lanka’s tour of India and the Tri-series between Sri Lanka, India and New Zealand will be finalised during the working committee meeting in August.Sri Lanka is scheduled to tour India for three Tests and five ODIs shortly after Australia’s visit to the country.

Hussain praises Vaughan

LONDON: Former England skipper Nasser Hussain praised Michael Vaughan as "one of the very best England captains”."To win more than half your games in charge is a phenomenal achievement, and while I do not like comparing people of different eras it is hard to think of anyone who could have been better," Hussain wrote in a local newspaper. "He just ticked so many boxes, an excellent leader of men, a cool and calm captain who developed into an astute tactician."

Sri Lanka steps up security for Pakistan series

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has stepped up security for the visiting Pakistan team and slapped new restrictions at match venues, officials said Wednesday.Fireworks, musical bands, glass bottles, tin cans, sharp objects, laser pointers and mirrors have all been banned from the grounds where the matches are slated to be played."Other than national flags of Sri Lanka and Pakistan, no banners, posters and discriminating slogans will be allowed," Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said.The series comes about a month after Sri Lanka ended a bloody, four-decade ethnic war against Tamil Tiger rebels."We are not taking any chances," police spokesman senior superintendent Ranjith Gunasekara told AFP."We want to avoid a Lahore," he said, referring to a gun and grenade attack on the Sri Lankan team by militants in March outside the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore, Pakistan.Pakistan's three-day warm-up game against a Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo that ends Wednesday saw hundreds of police commandos sealing off the ground while spectators were thoroughly frisked.The first of the three Tests begins on July 4, followed by five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 game.

PCB fines Asif for Dubai drugs detention

LAHORE: Pakistani cricket authorities on Thursday fined Mohammad Asif one million rupees (12,500 dollars) over the fast bowler's 19-day detention at Dubai airport for alleged drug possession. Asif, 26, was detained last June on his way back home after playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). A three-member Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) committee headed by former captain and PCB director Wasim Bari investigated the matter. "On recommendation of the committee we have fined Asif one million rupees," the PCB said in a press release. Dubai authorities found opium in Asif's possession, but a prosecutor determined that the quantity was small and deported the bowler. Asif is also banned from playing international cricket until September after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid Nandrolone last year. "Asif will be available for selection once he completes the IPL ban," said the release. The mercurial fast bowler also tested positive for Nandrolone during tests conducted by the PCB in 2006. He and fellow bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who failed the test too, were banned for one and two years respectively. Asif has taken 51 wickets in 11 Tests since making his debut in Australia in 2005. He also has 36 wickets in 31 one-dayers.