South Africa Ready for India Challenge

NAGPUR: Graeme Smith’s South Africa open their tour of India on Tuesday with a practice match ahead of their bid to dislodge the hosts as the number one Test nation.

The tourists take on the Indian Board President’s XI in a two-day match in Nagpur before the first Test begins at the new Vidarbha Cricket Association ground on the outskirts of the city on Saturday.

The two-Test series, the second match will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata from February 14, could be one of the most important the Proteas have played in recent years.

The second-ranked South Africa need a 2-0 series win to displace India from the top. A 1-0 result in favour of the tourists will leave both teams level on 123 rating points.

South Africa were rattled last week by the resignation of long-time coach Mickey Arthur over what he said were differences with Cricket South Africa on the future course of action.

The entire selection committee, headed by former Test all-rounder Mike Procter, was also sacked following a 1-1 series draw to England at home.

National high performance coach Corrie van Zyl has taken over from Arthur for the Indian tour, which includes three One-Day Internationals after the Tests.

Skipper Smith was, however, confident the team would recover from the recent setbacks and perform well in India.

“It’s been an emotional week and not many teams go to India and win,” Smith was quoted as saying in Johannesburg prior to the team’s departure over the weekend.

“The players who have been part of the set-up for a while have dealt with a few difficult things in recent years and handled them very well.

“I expect them to be as professional as normal, and I’m looking to them for responsibility and guidance for the youth.”

The 15-man squad includes right-hand batsman Alviro Petersen, 29, and left-arm fast bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 25, both of whom have yet to play Test cricket.

Tsotsobe is part of a five-man pace attack led by Dale Steyn, but there is no place for former spearhead Makhaya Ntini.

Mahatma Gandhi Ashes Scattered off South Africa

DURBAN: Ashes of Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, kept for decades by a family friend after his assassination, were scattered Saturday off South Africa’s coast, his family said.

“About 200 people attended. Everything went well, it was a beautiful ceremony,” said Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of the apostle of non-violence.

“Before the immersion took place, the Hindu priest recited hymns. Gandhi’s great grandson poured the ashes into the sea and afterwards people threw flowers as a sign of their final goodbyes,” he said.

A radical nationalist shot Gandhi on January 30, 1948 in India, just months after he led the country to independence from Britain. He was cremated according to Hindu custom.

Normally, ashes are immersed in rivers or the sea within days, but Gandhi’s ashes were divided and put in several urns and sent around India and across the globe so his followers could hold memorials.

England Vs South Africa 1st Test Drawn

PRETORIA News: England’s cricketers have got out of jail and drawn the first test against South Africa.

They had little chance of making their target of 364 after a slow scoring morning and so hanging on for the draw became the priority.

England went from 169 for 3 at tea to finish the match on 228 for 9, surviving by just one wicket.
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Captain Andrew Strauss said: “I don’t think it feels like a win as at tea time we didn’t see that coming to be honest.

“It was a bit of a crazy hour at the end. It was a fantastic effort by Paul Collingwood in particular at the end there and also Graeme Onions.

“It was an excellent Test match full of ebbs and flows. Both sides had opportunities in this game. It was a great advert for the game. We are pretty relieved to still be 0-0.”

England lost five wickets for 13 runs in the final session of the match at SuperSport Park to leave the team on 219-9 chasing 364. That left Collingwood and Onions to bat through 3.1 overs from fast bowlers Friedel de Wet, Morne Morkel and Makhaya Ntini.

No. 11 Onions faced the entire last over from Ntini, punching the air after the sixth ball to celebrate England heading to the second test from Saturday in Durban still level in the four-match series.

De Wet bowled with accuracy and hostility with the second new ball to take 4-55.

The second test of four in the series starts in Durban on Boxing Day.

South Africa Vs England First Test in Today

CENTURION: South Africa Vs England First Test in Today, England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and sent South Africa out to bat in the first test at Centurion on Wednesday.

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South Africa were rocked before the toss by the news that fast bowler Dale Steyn was unable to play due to a tight hamstring.

His withdrawal means 29-year-old Friedel de Wet is set for his international debut.

South Africa have also recalled lanky fast bowler Morne Morkel. Paceman Makhaya Ntini will celebrate a top-class career by becoming the fifth South African to play 100 tests.

England are playing an additional batsman with Ian Bell earning a 50th test cap.

The weather at Centurion is fine and sunny.

Teams:
South Africa – Graeme Smith, Ashwell Prince, Hashim Amla,Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher, Morne Morkel, Paul Harris, Friedel de Wet, Makhaya Ntini.

England – Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Jimmy Anderson, Graham Onions.
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South Africa vs England – 1st ODI Abandoned

South Africa vs England – 1st ODI Abandoned: The opening ODI of the 5-match Series between South Africa and England was abandoned due to heavy rain. This ODI was supposed to be a day night affair at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. None of the players had even left their hotels to the ground. The second ODI is on the 22nd at the Centurion Park in Pretoria.

Current Affairs Questions 2009

latest news about, Current Affairs Questions 2009: current affairs questions, current affairs, make your, general knowledge 2009, fudbalski rezultati uzivo CURRENT AFFAIRS JANUARY 2009

1. The new federal agency approved by the Indian Government to combat terror in India which will be empowered to deal with terror related crimes across states without special permission from the state ?

National Investigation Agency.

2. Who is appointed as Director General of the newly established National Investigation Agency (NIA).?

Radha Vinod Raju, Special Director General of Police in Jammu and Kashmir

3. “Man of the series” of recently held One Day series between Australia & South Africa?

Albie Morkel

4. Who became the country’s youngest international referee, after passing the world body FIBA’s exam ?

Zanim Mohammed Hashim from Thalassery, Kerala

5. The first Indian to win the prestigious Golden Globe Award for Best Original Music Score ?

A.R.Rahman for Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire.
Rahman’s song ‘Jai Ho,’ penned by lyricist Gulzar, was nominated for Best Original Music Score.

6. Which Malayalam Writer won the “Odakkuzhal Award ” ?

K.G.Sankara Pillai

7. Who became the fastest bowler to take 50 wickets in one-day internationals ?

Ajantha Mendis , completed his 50-wicket haul in his 19th one-day international. He surpassed the record of India’s Ajit Agarkar who took 23 matches to reach the milestone.

8. Who has been appointed as the General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Management and Budget in the upcoming administration of U.S.President Barack Obama?

Preeta Bansal, Leading Indian-American lawyer

9. Name the Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile with speeds of Mach 2.5 to 2.8, which is world’s fastest cruise missile and is about three and a half times faster than the U.S.A’s subsonic Harpoon cruise missile?

Brahmos, The acronym ‘BrahMos’ is perceived as the confluence of the two nations represented by two great rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

10. Who is the Man of the Series in the recently held Zimbabwe –Bangladesh One Day Series held in Bangladesh?

Shakib Al Hasan

11. The first Bangladesh player to top one of the International Cricket Council’s player rankings?

Shakib Al Hasan He tops the ICC ODI Rankings for all-rounders

12. Jharkhand Chief Minister who resigned from his post following his defeat in the Tamar assembly by-poll?

Shibu Soren

13. Music Sensation A.R.Rahman won how many Oscar nominations for the film “Slumdog Millionaire” ?

Three nominations (Music, Songs (Jai Ho, O Saya))

14. Indian sound engineer from Mumbai, born in Kerala, nominated for the Oscars for Best sound mixing in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’?
Source: questionforall.blogspot.com

Hudson to Play Nelson Mandela’s Ex-Wife

LOS ANGELES: Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson is to play the role of Winnie Mandela, the controversy-plagued ex-wife of South Africa’s first black president Nelson Mandela in a new movie called Winnie, Variety reported on Wednesday.

The film is based on the Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob biography, Winnie Mandela: A Life, according to Variety.

Production is scheduled to begin May 30 in the South African locations of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Transkei and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela served 18 of his 27 years of imprisonment.

The movie is the second about the Mandelas this year, with Morgan Freeman set to star as the iconic president in the Clint Eastwood film Invictus, which is due in cinemas in December.

Hudson, who is expected to sing the film’s theme song, won the Oscar for her screen debut in Dreamgirls and followed with The Secret Life of Bees and Sex in the City.

“I was compelled and moved when I read the script,” Hudson said. “Winnie Mandela is a complex and extraordinary woman and I’m honoured to be the actress asked to portray her. This is a powerful part of history that should be told.”

Winnie Mandela was a fierce opponent to apartheid alongside her husband before the end of the racist regime. But she was tarnished by an association with a bodyguard who murdered a 14-year-old alleged informer in 1989. The Mandelas divorced in 1996 and she was convicted of fraud in 2003 for stealing from a funeral fund.

Winnie will be directed by Darrell J. Roodt, the veteran South African filmmaker whose 2006 film Yesterday was Africa’s Best Foreign Film nominee, and who also directed Cry, The Beloved Country and Sarafina!

Under19 World Cup 2010 to Be Launched in Dunedin

KARACHI,Pakistan: The ICC Under19 Cricket World Cup 2010 will be launched in Dunedin (New Zealand) on November 23, 2009, ICC said in statement issued on Thursday.
The function will take place at University Oval, Dunedin The event is being held in advance of the first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan, which begins on November 24.

The ceremony will be attended by ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, New Zealand Cricket President Denis Currie, and Under19 CWC tournament director Tim Murdoch. Black Cap batsman Ross Taylor, himself a former Kiwis Under19 Captain has been invited to attend the launching ceremony.

This 16-team tournament, which is seen as an important breeding ground for the next generation of senior international cricketers, will take place in New Zealand from January 15 to 30 January next.

Defending Champion India will open its campaign against qualifier Afghanistan at Bert Sutcliffe Oval, near Christchurch on the opening day of the competition with Pakistan facing the West Indies in Palmerston North and 2008 beaten finalist South Africa taking on Ireland in Queenstown.

The teams are split into four groups with Groups A and C being based in and around Christchurch, Group B teams playing their matches in Queenstown and Group D games taking place in Napier and Palmerston North.

In addition to the 10 Full Members, there are six Associate and Affiliate teams taking part, having won through their respective regional qualifying tournaments as well as the global qualifier, which was held in Canada in September.

ICC Announces World Cup 2011 Schedule

MUMBAI: ICC Announces World Cup 2011 Schedule, Pakistan, who were wary of playing in India due to political tensions between the two nations, will play its six league matches of the World Cup 2011 in Sri Lanka.

India will clash with Bangladesh in the opening match of the 2011 World Cup in Dhaka on February 19, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.

The first match takes place two days after the opening ceremony of the 14-nation showpiece at the same venue in Dhaka on February 17, according to the schedule released by the ICC here.

The final of the 43-day tournament, being co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, will take place at the renovated Wankhede stadium in India’s financial capital of Mumbai on April 2.

The teams have been divided into two groups of seven each for the preliminary league, with the top four from each group advancing to the quarter-finals.

Defending champions Australia head group A which includes Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and two qualifiers, Canada and Kenya.

The other group comprises India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh and qualifiers Ireland, Netherlands.

India will host 29 matches at eight venues, Sri Lanka 12 at three venues and Bangladesh eight at two places, after Pakistan were removed as co-hosts by the ICC due to security fears in the volatile nation.

Pakistan, who were wary of playing in India due to political tensions between the two nations, will play its six league matches in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka will host five of its matches at two new venues in southern Hambantota and Pallekele, near the hill town of Kandy, where cricket stadiums are under construction.

The remaining seven games in the island nation will be held at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo.

India has picked eight regular Test centres — Mumbai, Mohali, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi — for its matches.

The Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka will host six matches and the opening ceremony, while two games will be played in the port city of Chittagong.

The 2011 event is a week shorter than the one held in the Caribbean in 2007 and will have 49 matches, two less than the previous tournament.

Katrina Hodge Miss England

Katrina Hodge Miss now England :- Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge has become the new Miss England after Rachel Christie stepped down following her arrest over an alleged nightclub brawl. A statement from Miss England organisers said Rachel Christie, 21, had stepped down as she wanted to concentrate on clearing her name.

Miss Christie became involved in a dispute with another beauty queen, Miss Manchester, aka Sara Beverley Jones, at a Manchester nightclub earlier this week.

It was later announced that Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge, who was first runner-up in the 2009 national contest, has become the new Miss England. L/Cpl Hodge has been given leave from her duties as a soldier in the British Army and will represent England in the Miss World Final in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday December 12.

She was previously given an award by her unit in the Royal Anglian Regiment for her actions during a posting in Basra and has earned the nickname “Combat Barbie”.
Source: apakistannews.com

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