Ignore barrage threat: Sanath
Veteran Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya has told his younger team-mates to ignore threat of a short-pitched barrage from Australia’s pace attack during next month’s two-Test series. “Whenever we come to Australia, we hear these sort of things,” Jayasuriya said on Friday. “If the short ball is there to hit, we must then play positive cricket.”

Team for Pak series today
The national selectors are unlikely to spring any major surprises when they meet on Saturday to choose the Indian team for the first two one-dayers against Pakistan in Guwahati (Nov 5) and Mohali (Nov 8), reports PTI from Ahmedabad.
Opener Gautam Gambhir, who went out of the team following an injury, has since returned to the Twenty20 team and is set for a recall to the one-day side too. The big question is who he will replace -- the out-of-form Dinesh Kaarthick or his Tamil Nadu mate S Badrinath, who was his replacement against Austraia.
Another player on a comeback trail after a long injury lay-off, Suresh Raina has also staked a claim. Whether they will choose him ahead of a proven performer like Rahul Dravid early in the series remains to be seen.
Clark predicts
whitewash
Australian seamer Stuart Clark has predicted that Australia would blank the visiting Indian team 4-0 in the upcoming Test series, reports PTI from Sydney.
The lanky fast-medium bowler, thus, carried on the tradition of the great Glenn McGrath, who had a habit of making such pre-series predictions.
“It’s going to be a great summer with Sri Lanka and India coming out,” Clark said at the series launch here.
“And hopefully, the fans can come out and support us and we can bring home 4-0 and 2-0 series wins.” When quizzed further on the prospect of a series whitewash against both India and Sri Lanka, Clark said: “I have just predicted 4-0 and 2-0.”
Dhoni Jharkhand’s highest tax payer
Cricket fans wait for long to catch a glimpse of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but it was the other way round for India’s one-day captain on Thursday, reports PTI from Ranchi.
The poster boy of Indian cricket waited for an hour on Thursday at the income tax office seeking to sort out some tax-related matters. ‘’The officials were busy at a meeting,’’ Dhoni replied when his reaction was sought over the wait. Dhoni is the highest individual tax payer in Jharkhand. The IT department expects around Rs 4 crore from the dashing cricketer, who has already paid Rs 73 lakh up to September as advance tax
Randhawa at tied 13th place
Jyoti Randhawa returned a steady two-under 68 to share the tied 13th spot after the first round of the Euro 200,000 Mallorca Classic tournament at the Pula Golf Course, reports PTI from Mallorca, Spain.
Back in action after giving last week’s Portugal Masters a miss, Randhawa sank in five birdies against a bogey and a double bogey to share the 13th spot with 12 others in a crowded leaderboard. Swede Niclas Fasth held the sole lead with a blemish-free card of 65, that was studded with five birdies including a hat-trick on the front nine.
Qatar launches 2016 Olympic bid
Qatar has launched its quest to bring the world to its booming capital for the 2016 Summer Olympics, hoping to become the first Arab country to host the games, reports AP from Doha.
Chelsea fined, warned
Chelsea have been fined 30,000 pounds and warned over their future conduct for failing to control their players during a Premier league match against Manchester United, reports AFP from London.
Football league postponed
The BDFA Super Division and ‘A’ Division leagues scheduled for Friday and Saturday were postponed due to unplayable ground conditions at the Bangalore Football Stadium.
The lea-gue will resume on Sunday.
FIFA backs Brazil for 2014 WC
International football’s governing body, FIFA, has supported Brazil as the sole candidate for the 2014 World Cup after an inspection of potential sites, in a report, AFP reports from Paris.
“It would be appropriate to choose Brazil as the host nation for the 2014 World Cup,” said FIFA’s inspection group in the report.