World Sports

Tennis ace Sania Mirza may partner young Pakistani player Aisam-ul-Haq in mixed-doubles matches. In an interview to Geo News, Haq said he has been performing well in mixed double events in the recent past, and if he improves his rankings, he could be playing with Sania. "If we both maintain better positions among 40 top ranking players, we shall be partners in mixed doubles," Haq said. Commenting on Sania's wedding with cricketer Shoaib Malik, Haq said he was happy for the star couple and wished them luck. The moment news of Sania's impending marriage to Shoaib leaked in the media, reports emerged of her playing for Pakistan in the future. Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) chief, Senator Dilawar Abbas, said he would request Sania to take up Pakistani nationality and representing the country in future. Dilawar said that as an Asian woman she should follow the traditions, and pick her husband's country as her new homeland. Sania, however, made it clear...

Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, who is set to marry tennis ace Sania Mirza, could land in fresh trouble for furnishing false information while giving divorce to his first wife Ayesha Siddiqui, according to official documents. The divorce and agreement papers, which Shoaib signed on April 7, have the name of his late father as Malik Saleem Hussain while the invitation for the April 15 wedding reception carries the name of his father as Malik Faqeer Hussain, the documents show. According to legal experts, Shoaib could face legal action if Ayesha's family files a case against him on charges of furnishing false information. The wrong name given in divorce certificate and the agreement signed on Rs.100 stamp paper could be yet another attempt by Shoaib to show that he did not marry Ayesha, they said. The former Pakistani skipper divorced Ayesha on Wednesday after she filed a police case against him for cheating. Sania's family members and some community elders convinced h...

New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond has announced his retirement from Test cricket due to a recurring battle with injury. He will continue to represent his country in one-dayers and Twenty20s. Test Cricket Career. Debut: 2001 Retired: 2009 18 Tests, taking 87 wickets Bowling Average: 22.09 5 Wicket haul: 5 Times 4 Wicket Haul: 7 Times 1 Wicket Haul: 1 Time Best Bowling Innings: 6/51 Best Bowling Match: 10/99

LONDON: Sachin Tendulkar will grace the cover page of April issue of the Wisden Cricketer magazine which is recognising the Indian batsman's historic ODI double hundred against South Africa last month. The world's best-selling cricket magazine made a late decision to change its original cover image to commemorate Tendulkar's landmark innings. The magazine has a front cover tribute of Tendulkar's historic ODI double century on February 24 at Gwalior penned by its editor John Stern. "This was a defining innings both in terms of it being the first double hundred after forty years of one-day international cricket, but also because it confirmed Sachin's unmatched skill, endurance and appetite for the game after 20 years as an international cricketer," Stern said. "An astonishing performance by one of the game's true greats," he added. The April issue of the magazine will hit the stands from Friday.

Mongoose Bat There is a new cricket bat doing the rounds that is supposed to revolutionise the game. It is called the Mongoose. THE MONGOOSE MMI3 CRICKET BAT is a cricket bat specifically designed for Twenty 20 cricket and is the first major redesign for over 200 years. The design is unusual in that the blade is 33% shorter than a conventional bat and the handle is 43% longer. The manufacturer claims that this provides 20% more power and 15% more bat speed and gives the batsman an advantage. This kind of a bat is especially useful and lighter than the traditional cricket bat. Its blade is 33 per cent shorter than a conventional bat and the handle is 43 per cent longer. The decreased length of the blade helps to reduce the bat's weight while the long handle allows optimum reach to the batsman. The lightness of the bat helps in increasing the bat speed and allows the batsmen to hit the ball harder while batting. The change in the length of the blade does not affect the performance...