Scottish giants Rangers interested in Chhetri, Jeje

NEW DELHI: Scottish Premier League champions Rangers have confirmed that I-League stars Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua will train in Glasgow with the first team in the hope of impressing boss Ally McCoist. While Chhetri did not entertain any calls, Jeje told TOI from Guwahati that he "would only get to know about it a few days later".

The Indian team had assembled in the north-eastern city for a friendly against Malaysia. "I am not sure so I cannot talk about it," the 20-year-old Pune FC striker said, before betraying an excited laugh and agreeing that it would be an excellent opportunity.

However, there could be a few hurdles in the way. KB Chhetri, Sunil's father, had his doubts whether a deal could be done. "In his earlier contracts, he always had a paragraph saying that the clubs would release him if overseas clubs were interested. But with Mohun Bagan, there is no such clause," he said.

Another problem would be acquiring a UK work permit. In 2009, the 27-year-old Chhetri had signed a three-year contract with Queen's Park Rangers, who were promoted to the English Premiership this season, but he was denied a work permit and his dream of playing in England was dashed. He eventually joined Major League Soccer (MLS) team Kansas City Wizards, but he failed to make the final 11.

Scottish newspaper Daily Record reported on Friday that the club was weighing up the move to extend its reach in the Indian market, and the visit has been set up by Rangers director of football, Gordon Smith.

"Sunil and Jeje are looking forward to coming to Scotland for trial later this month. Both players are well aware that Rangers have a far higher standard than they are used to and they will need to raise their game to impress but they will give their all during their trial period at Murray Park," the players' agent Yogesh Joshee told the Rangers' official website.

Smith, Amla send South Africa to crazy victory

Centuries by Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla sent South Africa to a crazy eight-wicket win over Australia at Newlands on Friday after just two-and-a-half days of a Test in which it trailed by 188 runs.

Smith made 101 not out and Amla 112, sharing a 195-run partnership as South Africa reached its victory target of 236 for just two wickets before lunch on day three for a 1-0 lead in the series.

Australia’s bowlers took just one wicket on Friday on a pitch where it was skittled out for 47 in a game-changing collapse in its second innings on Thursday, its lowest score since the 19th century.

Smith and Amla restored sanity after a chaotic second day when 23 wickets fell, batting fluently to take South Africa to an absurd victory after it trailed by a big margin in the first innings just a day ago.

Inspired by 151 from captain Michael Clarke, Australia made 284 batting first and then blasted out South Africa for 96 for their 188-run lead.

But Australia responded by slumping to its worst batting score in Tests since 1896 and its fourth lowest total ever to see its dominant position in the match suddenly disintegrate in a heap of wickets on the second afternoon.

Australia also missed two crucial chances off Amla in the final stages of a traumatic Test for the Baggy Greens, dropping the right-hander off the last ball of the second day and again early on Friday when he was on 30, when Shane Watson spilled a regulation catch at first slip.

Amla made the most of his two lives to go on the attack.

He sent flashing drives through the covers for his 13th Test century and first against the Aussies, powering the Proteas to victory with 21 fours in a 134-ball innings.

He carved three straight boundaries off Ryan Harris the bowler who produced the two missed chances from Amla to race to three figures before edging a catch to Clarke in the gully off Mitchell Johnson with South Africa 14 short of victory.

Amla’s 195—run stand with Smith was a South African record second-wicket partnership against Australia, beating another mark that had stood for over 100 years in another slice of history in a Test which produced a string of records amid the madness on Thursday.

Smith saw South Africa home with his unbeaten hundred, and first test ton in a year, nudging a single through midwicket to complete a dramatic turnaround in a hectic Test that lasted barely two days but is set to be remembered for years.