Malik not to speak to Aussies

Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik has said he had no intention of personally calling Australian players and convince them to tour the country. After he was reported as saying that he would try to contact some Australian players, Malik said he had no such plans. “I would like to see the series being held on schedule because it will help us develop into a strong combination,” he said.

Gatlin banned for four years

Olympic 100 metres champion Justin Gatlin has been banned for four years pending a possible appeal for a 2006 positive test for testosterone, according to a source close to the case , reports Reuters from Salvo, North Carolina.

The decision by a three-member US arbitration panel, which has not been announced publicly, could end the career of the 25-year-old Gatlin if he does not successfully appeal to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) or the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Gatlin could not be reached for comment. His lawyer, John Collins, declined to comment. Gatlin failed a drugs test in 2001 for a prescribed medication for Attention Deficit Disorder but was reinstated by the IAAF  the following year.

Chhattisgarh, Manipur champs

Chhattisgarh and Manipur won the men’s and women’s titles respectively in the 12th inter-zonal National handball championship on Tuesday, reports PTI from Kolkata.

In the finals held at Spandan stadium in Bardwan, Chhattisgarh outplayed Madhya Pradesh 29-19 in the men’s final while Manipur women had to overcome a stiff challenge from Andhra Pradesh before prevailing 23-18 in the summit clash.

For Chhattisgarh, Firoz Khan, Syed Jaffar and L Venkatesh scored five goals each. A Rebika (seven) and Ksh Apabi (five) were the architect of Manipur’s win.

Hari settles for a draw

Indian Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna settled down with a steady draw against Chinese counterpart Ni Hua in the third round of the 50th edition of Reggio Emilia International Chess tournament, reports IANS from Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Harikrishna, rated 2668, played a 30-move draw Monday with Ni Hua (2641) to take his tally to 1.5 points from three games.

Tamang wins rapid fire title

Pemba Tamang of the Army on Tuesday clinched the gold medal in the rapid fire pistol event in the 51st National Shooting Championship, reports IANS from Ahmedabad.

Tamang shot 774 (580+194) to bag gold, while his team-mate Vijay Kumar won the silver with an overall score of 768 (572+197). The bronze went to Rahul Panwar of Navy who scored 750 (559+191).

The Army team comprising Kumar, Tamang and Ram Kishan also won the gold in the team category with a total score of 1717 out of 1800. The silver and bronze went to the BSF (1666) and the Navy (1653) respectively.

In the junior category, it was the Army who captured all the three medals with Hambir singh winning the gold with a score of 554 out of 600, Narender Singh (552) and Gurpreet Singh (551) bagging the silver and bronze.

Farhat, Taufiq to move court

Pakistan’s discarded openers, Imran Farhat and Taufiq Umar, who are contracted players of the rebel Indian Cricket League, have decided to move court against the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to stop them from playing domestic cricket, reports PTI from Karachi.

Vettori back in top five

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has returned to the top five of the LG ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers after a stellar performance against Bangladesh in the three-match series, reports PTI from Dubai.

Vettori climbed three places to third spot above Australia’s Nathan Bracken and Sri Lankan duo of Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan. South African Shaun Pollock leads the bowlers’ list with New Zealand’s injured Shane Bond a distant second.