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/ 12 December 2007

Kumble magic helps India clinch series

Anil Kumble raised visions of a dramatic Indian victory with a five-wicket haul before Pakistan managed to escape with a draw in the third and final Test on Wednesday. The veteran leg-spinner grabbed 5-60 with shrewd variations on a wearing track as Pakistan finished at 162-7 in fading light chasing an improbable 374-run target off 48 overs on the fifth and final day.

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/ 11 December 2007

Ganguly extinguishes Pakistan’s faint hopes

Pakistan grabbed two quick wickets to spark some life into the third and final Test on Tuesday after Misbah-ul-Haq’s unbeaten century brought the visitors 89 runs short of India’s first-innings total of 626. In-form Misbah struck 133 and was involved in two fruitful partnerships to help the visitors, resuming at 369-5, post 537.

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/ 11 December 2007

Boje denies links to match-fixing scam

South Africa bowler Nicky Boje on Tuesday denied charges of match-fixing under questioning by Indian police probing the scandal that hit cricket seven years ago, officials said. The 34-year-old, who was escorted to a New Delhi interrogation centre by South African diplomats, was grilled for nearly two hours by Crime Branch detectives.

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/ 11 December 2007

Indian police grill Boje over match-fixing

Indian police on Tuesday began questioning South African cricketer Nicky Boje about a major match-fixing scandal in 2000, police Crime Branch officers said. The 34-year-old was escorted in a private vehicle by South African diplomats to a New Delhi interrogation centre where detectives began the questioning, they said.

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/ 10 December 2007

Stubborn Misbah, Akmal keep India at bay

Pakistan’s new crisis men Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal defied India in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand after Younis Khan’s masterly 80 in the third and final Test on Monday. In-form Misbah struck a controlled 54 and Akmal a gritty 32 as the visitors, searching for a series-levelling victory, ended day three on 369-5.

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/ 10 December 2007

India closes down fake government office

A fake government office has been discovered in northern India that collected taxes, provided civic services and even handed out birth and death certificates, a report said on Monday. An office was set up outside Jhansi town in Uttar Pradesh state and 20 people employed to carry out jobs such as street sweeping.

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/ 6 December 2007

Cops want to see Boje before he leaves India

South African bowler Nicky Boje will not be able to leave India without assisting police inquiries into a major match-fixing scandal in 2000, officials said on Thursday. ”We want Boje to join the investigations and although a date has not been set for him to come, he will be asked to assist us before he leaves India,” police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said.

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/ 5 December 2007

Boje back in Indian police’s sights

Indian police have summoned former South Africa all-rounder Nicky Boje for questioning over a 2000 match-fixing case, they said on Wednesday. Boje and teammate Herschelle Gibbs were named in a Delhi police investigation into cricket corruption during South Africa’s tour seven years ago, which led to a life ban for then-captain, the late Hansie Cronje.

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/ 5 December 2007

India unsure over choice of Kirsten

Former India players and cricket lovers have expressed reservations over the appointment of former South Africa batting stalwart Gary Kirsten as new coach of the national team. The 40-year-old former opener, a prolific scorer who played 101 Tests until his retirement in 2004, is to take over as the new coach for a two-year term.

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/ 4 December 2007

Gutsy Younis saves Pakistan with century

Stand-in captain Younis Khan staved off a spin threat with a responsible century to help Pakistan draw the second Test against India on Tuesday. Younis scored an unbeaten 107 under pressure as Pakistan recovered from 78-4 to finish at 214-4 in their second innings chasing a stiff 345-run target off 81 overs on the fifth and final day.

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/ 3 December 2007

India keep victory hopes alive

Wasim Jaffer hit a brisk half-century as India kept alive their hopes of forcing a win in the second Test against Pakistan on Monday. The opener followed his first-innings 202 with 56 to help the hosts reach 141-2 in their second innings for an overall lead of 301 at stumps on the penultimate day.

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/ 2 December 2007

Misbah, Akmal lead Pakistan fightback

Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal scored battling hundreds to steer Pakistan to 358-6 against India on the third day of the second Test on Sunday. In-form Misbah, who struck 108 not out, and keeper-batsman Akmal, with 119, shared in a 207-run sixth-wicket stand after the visitors had lost four wickets in the morning session at Eden Gardens.

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/ 1 December 2007

Laxman, Ganguly take India to huge score

Venkatsai Laxman and Sourav Ganguly hammered robust centuries to take India to a formidable total against Pakistan in the second Test on Saturday. Laxman scored an unbeaten 112 for his 11th Test hundred and left-handed Ganguly a solid 102 for his 14th, as India posted a mammoth 616-5 declared in their first innings after resuming at 352-3.

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/ 30 November 2007

Imperious Jaffer puts India in control

Wasim Jaffer’s unbeaten 192 steered India to a commanding 352-3 at stumps on the first day of the second Test against Pakistan on Friday. Opener Jaffer shared in two century partnerships to lay the foundations for an imposing total after the hosts chose to bat on a benign Eden Gardens pitch.

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/ 30 November 2007

India eyes role as ‘wind superpower’

India might be painted as a pollution-spewing, global-warming economy of one billion people but it is also one of the world’s biggest wind power users, part of a focus on renewable energy mostly unnoticed in the West. Years of tax incentives have helped make India one of the fastest-growing markets for wind power, a major component of renewable energy.

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/ 28 November 2007

New Twenty20 League ready to roll in India

West Indies batting great Brian Lara leads the star parade at a rebel Twenty20 League that kicks off on Friday in India after stirring up a storm with officialdom. The inaugural Indian Cricket League, fronted by India’s own cricketing legend Kapil Dev, will be played at Panchkula, an industrial town on the outskirts of the northern Indian city of Chandigarh.

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/ 28 November 2007

Pakistan grapple with fitness problems

Pakistan’s hopes of avoiding their first series loss in India in more than two decades suffered a setback following injuries and illness to key players ahead of Friday’s second Test in Kolkata. Pakistan were sweating over the fitness of paceman Shoaib Akhtar who was hospitalised on Tuesday due to a chest infection.

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/ 27 November 2007

Kirsten in line for India coaching job

Former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten is being considered for the vacant India cricket coach job, the Indian board said on Tuesday. Kirsten (40) was interviewed by members of the board’s special coach committee on Monday, secretary Niranjan Shah said in a statement and a decision is expected within a week

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/ 26 November 2007

Jesus Christ gets an evil twin in fantasy film

There’s no mention of him in the Bible but the plot of a fantasy film set in India gives Jesus Christ a twin brother — and an evil one at that. German filmmaker Robert Sigl’s The 13th Disciple is still in the planning stage but producer Mario Stefan is in Goa trying to attract an Indian co-producer for the project.

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/ 23 November 2007

Laxman and Dhoni bat India out of trouble

Venkatsai Laxman and Mahendra Singh Dhoni cracked responsible half-centuries to pull India out of trouble in the opening Test against Pakistan on Friday. The hosts had slipped from 71-1 to 93-5 in the space of seven overs before Dhoni (57) counter-attacked to put on 115 for the sixth wicket with Laxman on a day of fluctuating fortunes.

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/ 18 November 2007

Twenty20 will transform players, says Chappell

Twenty20 cricket will place higher physical demands and mental toughness on players than one-day cricket did when it began in the 1970s, according to former Australian skipper Greg Chappell. Chappell, who quit as India coach in March following their one-day World Cup debacle, is back in the country to head an academy for players discovered on a nationwide talent contest.

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/ 13 November 2007

Indian man marries dog

A 33-year-old Indian man has married a female dog to atone for his ”sin” of killing two canines more than a decade ago, a newspaper reported on Tuesday. P Selvakumar married the dog called Selvi at a wedding ceremony held in a temple in the eastern Sivaganga district on Sunday, the Hindustan Times said in a report.

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/ 6 November 2007

India set to become golf’s next hot spot

India is set to become the next big golfing destination after the cricket-obsessed nation hosts two groundbreaking multimillion-dollar events in early 2008. ”It does not get bigger than this, not in India at least,” said Jyoti Randhawa, who earlier this month won the Indian Open before 7 000 adoring fans at the Delhi Golf Club.

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/ 5 November 2007

India power to easy win against Pakistan

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh slammed solid half-centuries to guide India to an emphatic five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first one-day international here on Monday. Skipper Dhoni top-scored with 63 and Yuvraj made 58 as India surpassed Pakistan’s total of 239-7 with 18 balls to spare.

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/ 5 November 2007

Yousuf and Butt prop up Pakistan

Mohammad Yousuf and Salman Butt hit half-centuries to help Pakistan reach a competitive 239-7 in the opening one-day international against India on Monday. Middle-order batsman Yousuf, dropped on 10, top-scored with an unbeaten 83 while left-handed opener Butt hit a brisk 50 in his comeback match.