Short Corner — Chandigarh

Azhar outDeposed skipper Mohammed Azharuddin has declared himself out of contention for India's forthcoming one-day tournaments in Sri La...

Azhar out

Deposed skipper Mohammed Azharuddin has declared himself out of contention for India’s forthcoming one-day tournaments in Sri Lanka and Singapore, the cricket control board announced today. "Azhar spoke to me from Hyderabad today and said his (right) shoulder movement is not what it should be. He is not available for the two tournaments. He hopes to get fit by the end of this month," board president Raj Singh Dungarpur said.

No Hussain
Mike Atherton returns to Test cricket on his home ground of Old Trafford and Mark Butcher takes over from the injured Nasser Hussain as captain as England hope for another new beginning against New Zealand tomorrow. New Zealand’s first-ever victory at Lord’s two weeks ago brought them level at one-one in the four-match series.

Chinese on song
China’s men showed every intention today of living up to their pre-tournament boast that they will win back the Table Tennis World Championship men’s singles title that has been largely the preserve of Europeans in the the last decade. Kong Linghui and Lui Guoliang made short shrift of their first round opponents. Liu saw off Norwegian qualifier Raymond Gonzales with a straight sets 21-13, 21-9, 21-17 scoreline.

Jaidip’s problems
Jaidip Mukherjee, the Davis Cup captain, may have got his assurances from the All India Tennis Association (AITA) regarding his job. But that is only a minor part of the tough job he has ahead, trying to manage a team which is not exactly revelling in bonhomie and camaraderie. Speaking to The Indian Express from Calcutta, he agreed that he had some problems’ with the senior pro Leander Paes but felt that that "things have been sorted out."

World Chess
Second seed Alexei Shirov of Spain was upset with white during the second round of the World Chess championships as the top 28 seeds jumped to action. They joined the 36 players who qualified in the previous round of the tournament yesterday. The winner of the seven-round, month-long competition takes home $ 660,000 and the title of world champion.