FIFA World Cup's final 200,000 tickets

About 200,000 tickets will be available on a first-come first-served basis for the June 12-July 13 tournament, FIFA said in a statement.
Tickets will be available for all but 10 matches: the final, Brazil-Croatia, Mexico-Cameroon, England-Italy, Argentina-Bosnia Herzegovina, Brazil-Mexico, Spain-Chile, Cameroon-Brazil, Croatia-Mexico and Australia-Spain, reported Xinhua.
"With less than two months to go, this is the last chance for fans to secure their tickets for football's flagship event. I am confident we will have a high demand for the remaining tickets, not only from Brazilian fans but also from people all over the world," said Thierry Weil, FIFA marketing director in charge of ticketing.
More than 2.5 million tickets have already been allocated through all sales phases and channels, including FIFA-endorsed agents

Jack Wilshere sets his sights on World Cup glory with England after Arsenal's FA Cup triumph

The midfielder won the first silverware of his career at Wembley and is already turning his attentions to this summer's tournament in Brazil

Jack Wilshere won his first ever trophy – and then set his sights on the World Cup.
The midfielder
“We showed strength of character. We had to be patient... in the end it was quite a lucky goal. From then on when me and Tomas [Rosicky] came on with 15 minutes to go we were fresh and you could see we were going to win the game.
“I was pleased with my contribution. I was going to come on before that! Before we scored the second. The boss pulled me back and then we scored again and he said go on. I was ready to come on.
“Me and Tomas were warming up for the second half. If we didn’t score in the first half of extra-time we knew there would be a good chance that we would in the second.
“Second half of extra time we were on top and they were getting tired; me and Tomas came on. You have to give them credit. They started well and gave us a real game.”
Wilshere, 22, believes England’s young crop of players - including Arsenal team mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - can pull off a few surprises in Brazil this summer.
He added: “I hope so. We all know each other well. Chambo was a bit upset not to be involved but he’s only trained for two days. But again a week of training in Portugal will do him well.”
 proved his fitness for England by coming on as an extra-time to substitute to help Arsenal clinch their FA Cup final win.
That will put him in good stead for this week’s training base in Portugal ahead of this summer’s finals in Brazil.
Wilshere said: “I feel ready and sharp for Portugal. I am going to enjoy the cup, then enjoy the parade, and then hopefully go on to England. This is my first feeling of winning something and there is no better feeling.
“I have been training for three weeks. I haven’t been in the squad because we agreed with the manager that it was right that I got a good base fitness.
“So I have been in the last two squads and I have played 45 minutes altogether. I feel fresh and a good week of training in Portugal will do me good.
“It’s great to win my first trophy, especially after the way we did it. The first 10 minutes watching that I felt sick on the bench. But fair play to the players, it’s the last game of the season, 120 minutes and I think over that we were the fitter team and we deserved it in the end

Fifa World Cup 2014

The 20th Fifa World Cup heads to Brazil between 12 June and 13 July 2014 - and the five-time champions will be hopeful of lifting the trophy again. But with Spain and Germany in good nick, and other surprises sure to come to the fore, the month-long football festival will not be one to miss.

India back as No 1 after Australia lose to England

Dubai: India on Saturday regained back their No 1 ranking in the ICC ODI list after Australia lost their fourth one day international against England by 57 runs thereby dropping to the second place in the 13-team table.

As per the latest ICC table, India are back on top with 117 points while Australia are second with 116 points.

India lost their No 1 spot in the ODI ranking on Wednesday when they lost to New Zealand in the second one dayer at Hamilton by 15 runs courtesy Duckworth-Lewis method.

India were on 119 points before the second ODI against New Zealand while Australia were on 118 points. The defeat against New Zealand saw India losing a couple of points and slipped behind Australia at 117 points.

However the Aussies were defeated by England who won their first international game of the three-month long tour due to which Australia lost two points and came down to 116.

But in order to maintain their top rank, India must win tomorrow`s third ODI against the Black Caps at Auckland -- failing which they will again lose their top rank.

India lose 2nd ODI at Hamilton

India aim to fight back and level the series as they face New Zealand in the second One-Day International (ODI) at Hamilton on Wednesday. The Indians were defeated by 24 runs in the first encounter at Napier in the five-match series. Only Virat Kohli shined for the Men in Blue scoring his 18th ODI ton.

India and New Zealand have played thrice on this ground. Twice the Kiwis won the match (in 1981 and 2003) and the last time they played in 2009, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir ripped apart the New Zealand bowling to register a 10-wicket win. The Indians can go in to this match expecting a green top, and as much as the New Zealand pacers will be looking to exploit the conditions.

3rd day of 2nd test match spoiled by rain

The third day of the second Test at Kingsmead are going to bump up the performance of the team . Hosts South Africa's batsmen scored heavily on the one hand , spinner Ravindra Jadeja on the other, led by 5 wickets in India . The third day's play ended early due to rain

 

By stumps, South Africa scored 299 for the loss of 5 wickets. Jacques Kallis on 78 and Dale Steyn   not out

at 0

South Africa vs India 2nd Test, Day 3 R Jadeja takes 4 wicket

Left-arm spinner Jadeja put a clamp on the scoring rate and picked up four for 87 in 37 overs

Jacques Kallis, playing in his final Test match, scored an unbeaten 78 after South Africa lost three wickets in quick succession on the third day of the second and final Test against India at Kingsmead on Saturday.
South Africa were 299 for five, 35 runs behind India's first innings total of 334, when rain brought an early close
Kallis received a standing ovation from the crowd and a guard of honour from the Indian players when he walked out to bat after Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla had been dismissed for 47 and three respectively
Before Kallis faced a ball, Alviro Petersen was caught at slip for 62 off a ball from Ravindra Jadeja which bounced more than Petersen expected.
Fairly early in his innings, Kallis hit two successive lofted drives for four off Jadeja but the left-arm spinner, who replaced Ravichandran Ashwin from the team that played in the drawn Test at Johannesburg, was never mastered.

Kallis and AB de Villiers (74) shared a fourth wicket partnership of 127 after South Africa lost three wickets for ten runs to be wobbling at 113 for three.

Most of the enterprise came from De Villiers, who continued in a rich vein of form which has taken him to the top of both the Test and one-day international batting rankings. He hit nine boundaries in a 117-ball innings.

But after De Villiers was caught at slip off Jadeja, the scoring rate was brought down considerably with Kallis taking no chances. It was important from a team point of view, too, that South Africa secured a first innings lead.
Kallis and JP Duminy (28) added 58 runs off 176 balls, a scoring rate of just under two runs an over, as Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni set defensive fields and refused to take the second new ball, with the batsmen finding it difficult to be assertive against accurate slow bowling.

Kallis advanced to a half-century off 131 balls when he cut Jadeja for four shortly after De Villiers was dismissed.

It was the 103rd time in 166 Tests that Kallis had scored 50 or more, with 44 of those innings converted into centuries. But it was his first Test half-century in eight innings.

By close of play, Kallis had been batting for 274 minutes, facing 224 balls and hitting ten fours. He gave a sharp chance to Shikhar Dhawan at silly mid-off against Jadeja when he was on 74
Smith and Petersen took their opening partnership to 103 from the overnight total of 82 but were unable to bat with the freedom they had displayed on Friday evening.

Jadeja troubled both batsmen before Smith, on 47, went down the wicket and mistimed an attempted hit over midwicket. Dhawan ran back and held a good, diving catch.

Amla was bowled by Mohammed Shami for three when an inswinging delivery straightened past his bat and hit the off stump.

India all-out on 334, Dale Steyn takes 6 wicket

The second day began with grey skies and a persistent rain that wiped out the morning session but when play began, more than three hours behind the scheduled start, it was in blazing sunshine with the fans reaching for the sunblock. Dale Steyn's mood similarly brightened as he ended an unprecedented 69.2-over wait for a wicket with a triple-strike that brought South Africa right back after the first day was dominated by India's
batsmen.
Virat Kohli resisted with another controlled innings, holding things together after that Steyn burst but he fell 10 minutes before the tea break to leave India at 271 for 5, and needing the Indian lower-middle order to come good.
M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara, utterly in control all day yesterday, had a couple of nervy moments early on against Steyn, both edging past the staggered slip cordon. On the sixth over of the day, Steyn, who was in the middle of a terrific spell, broke through. After a bunch of short balls, Pujara only went half-forward to a pitched-up delivery one and nicked through to the keeper.
For Vijay, the early stumps yesterday came at the worst time, as he had a night to ruminate over a possible first century overseas. He spent 47 deliveries in the 90s - including that edge past slip for four - before a Steyn short ball had him gloving to the keeper, three short of a milestone to cherish. Vijay took the bottom hand off the bat as he fended at it, but the ball rose high enough to hit his left glove on its way to the keeper.
The next ball was one that will likely haunt Rohit Sharma for a while. With Steyn reversing the ball in, Rohit inexplicably decided to not offer a stroke and lost his middle stump. Cue Nohit jokes, a derisory nickname he'd thought he had left behind with the golden run back home leading up to this series.
A fired-up Steyn kept up the short-ball onslaught, hitting Ajinkya Rahane twice with the new ball, signalling to the batsman that he was keeping count. Kohli was less troubled by that strategy, authoritatively pulling Steyn to midwicket for four. Kohli was in the form that brought him a century and 96 in the Johannesburg Test, and he showed that off with a series of defensive pushes down the ground, several of which reached the rope.
With Vernon Philander getting nothing from the new ball, Rahane was settling in and the partnership grew to 66 and India were slowly asserting themselves again. Morne Morkel, though, changed that with a short ball that Kohli guided to AB de Villiers, who reacted quickly to collect that chance.
Rahane was still in the middle, with a chance to make his name on a track where batting isn't too challenging yet.
resourse by ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

India vs south africa first test match draw

South Africa scored 450 runs at the loss of seven wickets in the 2nd innings against India. Either side didn't deserve to lose such an epic Test. It was an epic game, let me tell you. What a final day as well. Test cricket at it's very best. Both teams have played the game in the right spirit and there is healthy respect among the sides as they shake hands with a smile on their faces.

 Good to see after the ugly scenes in the Ashes series. So what one can say about the final day of this game! India picked up Petersen early on and then got Kallis - they were a bit fortunate it must be said, for the great man got a big inside edge onto the pads. Then it was the AB-Faf show, they put on a 205-run stand to put their side on course for a world record chase. They didn't put a foot wrong and when they were going, it looked like South Africa would cruise to victory.

India eight wickets from victory

South Africa are not an easy side to defeat as a record of just three Test losses in nearly four years testifies. India are finding that out first hand in Johannesburg, as the home side put up a stubborn resistance on the fourth day. India remain on top, more so after having squeezed out two major wickets, but another day of intense combat awaits them on Sunday. 

India lost wickets regularly on the fourth day but that didn't alter the match situation much as Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli had already put the visitors in a dominant position yesterday. By the time India were bowled out midway through the second session, the target had reached never-chased-before proportions of 458.

South Africa's redoubtable batting line-up is stacked with players who have stellar second-innings records, and grinding out five-and-a-half sessions isn't a task beyond them. It wasn't Jacques Kallis (second innings avg 56.06) or Hashim Amla (53.51) or even opener Graeme Smith (48.06) who led the resistance early on. Instead, it was Alviro Petersen, possibly playing for his place in the side after a lean run in recent months, who soaked up much of the bowling and led a sprightly start.

India's bowlers didn't get alarming movement with the new ball and though there were edges and beatens aplenty, the only chance that came their way was a tough overhead catch for Virat Kohli on the first ball Smith faced off Zaheer Khan. It came off the middle of the bat, and though Kohli managed to get a hand on the ball, he couldn't hold on and it popped too far for him to get a second chance.

South Africa's openers were never really at home - the leading edge or the ball that squared them up was never too far - but they went for their strokes and the runs came along briskly. Petersen played a gorgeous straight drive early on, and accumulated the bulk of his runs through whips towards midwicket. Smith, as usual, specialised in survival, besides muscling the ball frequently to the leg side.

It was only when the openers have been together for nearly two hours that Smith seemed to be getting fluent, and the openers put together their first 100-run stand in more than a year.

India desperately needed something to go their way, and it did. Smith has never been the nimblest runner between the wickets, and in 196 previous Test innings he had been run out only twice. Today, with his team still needing an enormous effort to save the game, he was caught short attempting a sharp, needless single. The throw from the mid-on fielder, Ajinkya Rahane, arrowed in on the base of the non-striker's stump to catch Smith short. Perhaps Smith was convinced into going for the run as he played the shot from well outside his crease, but for a man who prides himself on his ability to thrive in high-pressure situations, this was a tame way to go.

When India won the Durban Test on their previous tour, the defining delivery was the one from Sreesanth that leapt at Kallis' throat and led to his dismissal. If India do go on to complete a famous win tomorrow, the defining deliveries could well be the ones to dismiss Amla in each innings. Opponents will consider Amla getting bowled without offering a stroke once as a bonus, but twice in a match is a bonus of the size investment bankers dream of.

While Amla shouldering arms to a typical incoming Ishant Sharma delivery in the first innings was inexplicable, he was less culpable in the second innings. He saw Mohammed Shami drop it short and ducked, but the ball stayed low, so low that it crashed into the top of off. Amla had said after the first innings, "there are two types of leaves - a good leave and a bad leave." You can't classify this as a bad leave, but it cost Amla his wicket, and he trudged off after staring at where the ball bounced.

While there has been plenty of intensity right through this game, there was also time for MS Dhoni to bowl a couple of overs when the light was fading towards close, making this the first time both teams' wicketkeepers have bowled in a Test.

India will hope they can take the remaining eight wickets tomorrow morning with the haste with which South Africa got them today. Pujara went on to his fourth 150-plus score of his short Test career before nicking behind off Kallis. Kohliclosing in on joining greats Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid as the only Indians to make a century in each innings of a Test. He couldn't get there though, edging JP Duminy to the keeper on 96.

Dhoni holed out for a typically busy 29, but it wasn't as action-packed as Zaheer Khan's cameo - french cuts and wild heaves were mixed in with a couple of cleanly struck sixes, all of which had the Indian dressing room laughing gleefully. Zaheer's hitting meant India added 37 for the final two wickets, and pushed the target beyond 450.

India set 458-run target, to the south africa

The third and fourth days are star Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli 153 runs, 96 runs helped India have tended big target.
Kallis take the wicket of pujara.In response to India's ambitious target of 458 runs,South African team is playing very carefully. Written by news openers of SA added sixty runs. Alviro Petersen completed his fifty.
In terms of performance for the year Pujara is extremely good year.

 First Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai respectively 269, 102 and 113 innings of play Pujara scored 306 not out against West Indies and South Africa in October, against a 137-run innings played in August.
Hero of first innings virat kohali out on 96 by Duminy

India in strong position, 100 of Pujara

After the attack of Ishant and Zaheer, India in strong position by Puzara's century in first test match
with South Africa. End third day of first test match Team India has scored 284 for the loss of two wickets.
Pujara on 135 and Kohli is not out on 77 runs. With a lead of 36 runs in the first innings helped India now has a total lead of 320 runs and eight wickets remaining.

South Africa have bad news 

South African team the bad news came from the hospital. Rushed to hospital after ankle injury during fielding Morne Morkel turned serious injury. Bowling match will not happen again. Must satisfy at least ten days.

South Africa All out on 244

Earlier, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma took four wickets each as India bundled out South Africa for 244 runs in their first innings.

South Africa lost their last four wickets on Day 3 scoring just 31 runs as India took a 36-run lead.

Zaheer claimed his fourth wicket when he clean bowled Morne Morkel with a full delivery.

Zaheer took his third wicket when he had Faf du Plessis (20) caught behind by Indian captain MS Dhoni.

Ishant took the second wicket of the day when he had Dale Steyn caught by Rohit Sharma at second slip.

Zaheer had Vernon Philander caught by R Ashwin at first slip in the fourth over of the day.

Philander (59) had brought up his half-century by hitting the first delivery of the day by Ishant for four.

The day's play started with Faf du Plessis and Philander resuming the South African first innings.

On Day 2, South Africa bowled brilliantly in the morning to dismiss India for 280. They then lost Alviro Petersen early to Ishant Sharma.

Ishant bowled a superb length, getting the ball to cut back off the seam to dismiss Peterson leg before wicket.

Captain Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla added 93 runs for the second wicket but India then roared back into the game with the three pacers blowing away the middle order taking 5 wickets for 16 runs.

In a six-over spell after tea, the Indian pace attack of Ishant, Zaheer Khan and Mohammed Shami took five top-order South African wickets to change the course of the game. Chasing India's first innings total of 280, South Africa, from being 130/1, were reduced to 146/6.

The Wanderers pitch has a bit of the WACA bounce, but what did the job for Ishant was the length. He hit the right length and got the ball to dart back, something that used to be his strength when he started off and was rewarded with the wickets of Amla and Jacques Kallis off successive deliveries.

Getting Amla to shoulder arms and knock his stump over is a rarity and trapping Kallis leg before wicket for a first ball duck was the icing on the cake.

Ishant and Zaheer gave Smith a torrid time, just that the South African captain survived despite getting those inside and outside edges before falling leg before wicket to Zaheer.

Shami, too, made the ball talk in that phase, inducing an edge off JP Duminy to be caught at slips. AB de Villiers' wicket was the real big one - he too failed to counter the swing of Shami and was trapped in front.  Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara put on a fifty-run partnership for the second wicket and extended India's lead over 100 runs against South Africa in the post-lunch session on the third day of the first Test at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday.

Vijay and Pujara negotiated first hour of the second session of the day confidently as they make sure India did not lose any wickets immediately after the break.

The duo took India over 50-run mark in the session as they thwarted the famed Proteas pace attack with ease.

India went in for the lunch break at 31/1, extending their lead over South Africa to 67 runs.

South African pacer Vernon Philander took his 100th Test wicket when he had Shikhar Dhawan (15) caught by Jacques Kallis at second slip. 

Indian bowlers get back on the attack

India and South Africa at wanderers Stadium Johannesburg. between the two-match test series first test match is being played.

Himself in the match while Indian bowlers had six batsmen returned to the pavilion after the tea break by ishant Sharma. Hashim AMLA (36) India first success. then eats the same over by Jacques Kallis, Sharma not opening.

After having frozen captain Graeme Smith to the crease Zaheer Khan has 68 personal scores provide the way India pavilion at the fourth success.
After falling to a four-wicket return in the match came in the form of the Indian bowlers and Mohammed shami a overs JP dumini (2) and AB delivers (13) moves into strong position by India.
Second day of first test match India's first innings 280 runs on exit after playing in his first innings South Africa News written by 46.1 overs over the loss of six wickets for 147 runs. crease vernan philendar (0) and visit places (1).

Both opener out of team India, Virat came on No. 4

Johannesburg . The Indian team on the grounds of the historic Wanderers at the loss of 2 wickets for 42 runs amenities. There are Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli at the crease 

 Morne Morkel in the 16th over of India's second opener Murali Vijay walked . Victory six runs on 42 balls sitting handed catch to wicketkeeper AB de Villiers 

 Interesting Fact - out before 7 runs for the second wicket with Vijay Pujara . 7 runs off 37 balls to add only two batters he faced . In South Africa, by far the slowest of the Indians for the second wicket partnership . The duo created in 2011 by Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir 's poor record 26 balls back. A total of 9 runs in 26 balls with Gambhir, Dravid

The first shock came in the 9 th over India. Dale Steyn first hit the opener Shikhar Dhawan out on individual score of 13 runs. The filmmaker wanted to pull off Sortpic shot of Stan, but his timing was not good. Taking the ball to the fine leg positioned on the upper edge of his bat left in the hands of Imran Tahir. Stan fiercely celebrate the wicket.