Strauss retires from all cricket

Andrew Strauss has announced his retirement from professional cricket, ending a 10-year career at international level, the last three of which he was England's Test captain. Alastair Cook, the one-day captain, will take on the Test job.

His decision comes after a week of soul-searching during a family break following the 2-0 loss against South Africa which meant England lost the No. 1 Test ranking and also comes at a time when Kevin Pietersen's exile from the team has dominated the agenda.

Strauss played down the significance of the current Pietersen situation in his decision saying it "was not a factor at all" and retiring was on his mind before the series against South Africa started. He did, though, admit that his lack of runs had played a major part.

Strauss' decision ends a career that began in 1997, an international career that started in 2003 and captaincy reign that began early in 2009 in the wake of the Pietersen-Peter Moores fall out.

"After much thought over the last few weeks, I have decided to step down as England Test captain and announce my retirement from all forms of cricket," Strauss said. "It has clearly been a tough decision to make, but I believe that it is both in the best interests of the England cricket team and myself to step down at this stage.

"There are too many people who have helped me on this incredible journey to mention them all by name, but I would like to thank all the Middlesex and England players I have played alongside, as well as the phenomenal coaches and support staff with whom I have been fortunate enough to work.

"Particular mention has to go to Andy Flower and Duncan Fletcher in that regard. It would also be remiss of me not to thank Middlesex, the ECB and the PCA for their support and guidance over the years.

"No one can play international cricket for any length of time without having an incredibly strong support network around them, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family for going through it all alongside me over the course of my England career.

"I am extremely proud of everything I have achieved as a cricketer, and I have found myself very fortunate to play in an era when some of English cricket's greatest moments have occurred. I have loved every minute of it. All that remains is for me to wish Andy, Alastair and the rest of the team the very best for the coming months. I will be an interested spectator."

Strauss, 35, played his 100th Test at Lord's against South Africa and after the loss he said he still had "a lot of desire" but did not categorically declare his intention to continue leading the side. Strauss said at the time he was keen to take a break and then discuss the future with the coach Andy Flower.

ESPNcricinfo were the first to suggest immediately after the Test that perhaps Strauss was considering resignation.

The South African series was a difficult one for Strauss, who not only had to deal with the ongoing Pietersen saga but also his own struggle for runs - his best score during the three Tests was 37. Cook, who took on the ODI captaincy last year, will now step into the Test role and will start with the tour of India later this year.

Cook said: "Andrew's contribution to England cricket in recent years is evident to everyone who follows the sport but only those of us who have been lucky enough to share a dressing room with him are fully aware of his immense contribution to our success.

"He has been a fantastic captain, has led from the front for three and a half years and is a true ambassador for the game. To have played 100 Tests for your country is a phenomenal achievement and I want to congratulate him on a superb career. I know this can't have been an easy decision for him and everyone in the dressing room will be sad to see him go.

"I'm very excited by this new challenge, it is a huge honour to be appointed Test captain and am very much looking forward to captaining the side in India this winter and beyond, but my immediate focus is on this current NatWest one-day series. Once the series is over I will turn my attention to the Test captaincy and building on the work Andrew has started."

David Collier, the ECB chief executive, said: "On behalf of the ECB and everyone involved in cricket I'd like to thank Andrew Strauss for his outstanding contribution to the game.


"Andrew has been a highly successful captain and opening batsman for Middlesex and England, who will be remembered for leading the side to two Ashes victories and to the top of the Test rankings. He has shown tremendous integrity, dedication and commitment both on and off the field and under his leadership the side has grown immeasurably and reached new levels of professionalism.

"Andrew's calmness and authority when dealing with some of the most difficult moments in our sport in recent times should be applauded and I have no doubt that his contribution as an ambassador for the game will be recognised by anyone who has had an opportunity to spend time with him. His legacy within the game will be felt for many years to come and we now need to continue to build on the progress we have made under his leadership."

Strauss made his debut for England in 2004, scoring a century against New Zealand at Lord's in a performance that was enough to push former captain Nasser Hussain into retirement, and his most recent Test against South Africa was his 100th Test. When talking recently to mark the occasion he spoke about his desire to continue but events of recent weeks, including the controversy surrounding Pietersen, appear to have changed his mind.

As captain, Strauss led England to new heights, including back-to-back Ashes triumphs in 2009 and 2010-11 plus the No.1 Test ranking which they held for a year before losing the series against South Africa. That was the first home Test series England had lost under Strauss' leadership and just the third of his entire stint.

However, the runs had largely dried up for Strauss in recent years. The two hundreds he scored against West Indies earlier this season hinted that he could recapture some of his best form but reality hit home against South Africa when he scored 107 runs in six innings. Having started his time as captain with three hundreds against West Indies in 2009 he managed just four more. He will finish with 21 Test centuries, one behind the England record held by Geoff Boycott, Colin Cowdrey and Wally Hammond.

In his 100 Tests Strauss has scored 7037 runs at 40.91 and in the 50 Tests he captained (which included four before being appointed fulltime captian, against Pakistan in 2006) he won 24 of them.

Strauss is the third England captain to resign either during or after a series against a South Africa side led by Graeme Smith. Hussain stood down early in the 2003 series and Michael Vaughan ended his time as captain after South Africa won the 2008 series with victory at Edgbaston.

Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Watch Pakistan vs Australia 1st ODI Highlights 2012:

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Pakistan v Australia, 1st ODI, Pak Lose :(

Australia 199 for 6 (Clarke 66, Bailey 57*, Ajmal 3-30) beat Pakistan 198 (Shafiq 56, Starc 5-42, Pattinson 3-19) by four wickets

Sharjah: Australia will chase a target of 199 runs in the first ODI against Pakistan after Pakistani batting line collapsed against the furious Australian bowling attack at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan team won the toss and decided to bat first. But the decision was proven wrong after the top three batsmen were sent to pavilion on 40 runs. Later two partnerships between Asad Shafiq-Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq-Umar Akmal provided Pakistan a chance to stable the innings.

But the lower order of the Pakistani team failed to capitalize on the stand provided by two partnerships and the whole team got out at 198 runs.

Asad Shafiq (56) and Umar Akmal were the two successful batsmen from Pakistani side followed by Misbah-ul-Haq (26) and Nasir Jamshed (23). Other Pakistani batsmen failed to cross 10’s.

Mitchell Starc, who took five wicket haul for the first time in ODI career, was the most successful batsmen from Australian side. Pattinson took three wickets while Johnson and Christian shared one wicket each.

Pakistan v Australia, 1st ODI, Sharjah

August 28-29, 2012
 Start time 1800 (1400 GMT)

Pakistan (squad) Misbah-ul-Haq (capt),

Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez,

Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal,

Kamran Akmal (wk), Shahid Afridi,

Sohail Tanvir, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal, Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik,

Abdur Rehman, Junaid Khan, Anwar Ali

Australia have made one change from the side that beat Afghanistan, leaving out their frontline spinner Xavier Doherty. The allrounder Daniel Christian will take his place, meaning plenty of seam-bowling options for Michael Clarke, while the spin duties will be shared by Glenn Maxwell, David Hussey and Clarke himself. It remains to be seen whether Matthew Wade will open or be moved down the order to give him some respite from the heat.

Australia 1 Matthew Wade (wk),

2 David Warner, 3 Michael Clarke (capt),

4 Michael Hussey, 5 David Hussey,

6 George Bailey, 7 Glenn Maxwell,

8 Daniel Christian, 9 Mitchell Johnson,

10 Mitchell Starc, 11 James Pattinson

India v New Zealand, 1st Test, Hyderabad, 4th day

India 438 (Pujara 159, Dhoni 73, Patel 4-100) beat New Zealand 159 (Franklin 43* Ashwin 6-31) & 164 (Williamson 52, Ashwin 6-54) by an innings and 115 runs

For all that spin bowling is considered an art involving guile and deception, India's spinners took apart the New Zealand batting with the precision of surgeons combined with the calculation of mathematicians. The first Test in Hyderabad had a severely truncated third day and a slightly curtailed fourth, but ended with a day to spare.

India won by an innings and 115 runs, its spinners taking 18 of the 20 wickets to fall. New Zealand, following on in their second innings, were all out for 164 an hour before the scheduled close of play on Sunday, losing their last nine wickets for 66 runs.

At the top of the pile stood R Ashwin, who finished the game with his first ten-wicket bag in Tests, taking 6 for 54 in the second innings and a match tally of 12 for 85 - the best figures for an Indian bowler in Tests versus New Zealand.

Ashwin sent down a repertoire of flighted off-breaks and top-spinners of varing pace, made canny use of his special "carrom" ball. It helped clean up the New Zealand tail, with four still left for the taking after tea. Ashwin got three of the remaining four, two with the carrom ball that leaves the batsman. Ashwin's second-innings tally followed up his 6 for 31 in the first.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha bowled in perfect tandem with Ashwin, both making maximum use of the frequent bite and bounce on the surface, and also the struggle of the New Zealand batsmen against spin. Ojha's match tally was 6 for 92.

The morning session was delayed by two hours due to rain and India's push for victory was resisted handsomely up by a gutsy 72-run second wicket partnership between Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson. They batted all through the 90 minutes before lunch, scoring 51 careful runs and holding off the Indian spinners.

McCullum's departure early on in the second session gave the Indians the opening. New Zealand's last nine wickets fell for 66 runs; it had taken a few pieces of masterful spin to pull the ground out from underneath New Zealand's feet.

It all began when McCullum steamed off when given out leg before in Umesh Yadav's second over after lunch, an inside edge the source of his fury. The sound of the inside edge appeared decisive but replays showed simultaneous points of contact off both bat and pad. McCullum was later reprimanded by the match referee for showing dissent to umpire Steve Davis' decision. McCullum's had been a sagacious innings, the perfect senior colleague in partnership with the 22-year-old Williamson, scoring 32 in close to three hours of batting.

Until then, McCullum had played the assured hand, Williamson taking the risks of trying to drive against the spin. Ashwin tried to lure him into a false stroke. In the first session, the waiting game worked for New Zealand, Williamson driving Ashwin down the ground for a boundary the moment he over pitched. McCullum pulled out his patent pull shot when Ojha bowled one short and on leg stump. It was New Zealand's session in which their batsmen held some control.

After the break, though, came the deluge. If McCullum fell to a somewhat controversial lbw, seven runs later, Ross Taylor shouldered arms to Ashwin, who got the ball to turn and knock the top of his off stump. Williamson - clearly New Zealand's batsman of the entire Test - held his own at the other end, getting to 50 with a steer past third man for three.

With less than half an hour left for tea, Ojha, who had bowled 11 overs non-stop from one end, came in for his second spell of the day. The second ball was a peach: it looped up towards the stumps and drew Williamson forward. As it pitched, it bounced and turned away from him, nibbled at the edge of Williamson's bat and flew to Virender Sehwag at first slip.

Daniel Flynn, who had until then played foil to Williamson, tried to sweep Ashwin in his 54-minute innings for the first time. The end result was identical to his first innings: unequivocally, leg before for 11. Three runs later, Ashwin worked out the dismissal of James Franklin, with five minutes left for tea. Franklin nicked a climbing off break, and Sehwag dived to his right to take a one-handed catch at first slip. Five wickets had fallen for 54 runs in the 30 overs between lunch and tea. Right there, New Zealand's time in the Test match was as good as up.

ICC T-20 World Cup 2012 Fixture , Schedule

T-20 World Cup Schedule (Teams, Venue , Timing )
 And Also Enjoy LIVE ***** STEAMING 

Click here For Live T-20 World Cup 2012

Date                                      Team                                              Venue

19 September (D/N)          Group A – India v Q2                                    R.   Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

19 September (D/N)          Group B – Australia v Q1                              R.  Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

20 September (D/N)         Group C – South Africa v Zimbabwe    Mahinda Rajapaksa International

Hambantota

21 September (D/N)          Group A – England v Q2                         R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

21 September (D/N)          New Zealand v Bangladesh                    Pallekele International Cricket Stadium

22 September (D/N)         Group B – Australia v West Indies        R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

22 September (D/N)         Group C – Sri Lanka v South Africa      Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium

Hambantota

23 September (D/N)         Group A – England v India                                R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

23 September (D/N)         Group D – Pakistan v New Zealand      Pallekele International Cricket Stadium

24 September (D/N)         Group B – West Indies v Q1                          R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

25 September (D/N)         Group D – Pakistan v Bangladesh       International Cricket Stadium Pallekele

            Super 8 Matches:

27 September (D/N)         C1 v D2          Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pallekele

27 September (D/N)         A1 v B2          Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pallekele

28 September (D/N)         D1 v C2          R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

28 September (D/N)         B1 v A2          R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

29 September (D/N)         A1 v D2          Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pallekele

29 September (D/N)         C1 v B2          Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pallekele

30 September (D/N)         B1 v C2          R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

30 September (D/N)         D1 v A2          R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

1 October (D/N)                  B2 v D2         Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pallekele

1 October (D/N)                  A1 c C1           Pallekele International Cricket Stadium Pallekele

2 October (D/N)                 B1 v D1           R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

2 October (D/N)                 A2 v C2          R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

            Semi Finals Matches:     

4 October (D/N)     TBC v TBC    R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

5 October (D/N)     TBC v TBC    R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

       Final Match: 

7 October (D/N)     TBC v TBC    R. Premadasa Stadium,Colombo

Pujara cracks half-century on comeback

HYDERABAD, India: Cheteshwar Pujara hit an impressive half-century on his comeback as India reached 182-3 at tea on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand in Hyderabad on Thursday.

The top-order batsman, who played his last Test in January 2011, was unbeaten on 54 at the interval with Virat Kohli (32 not out). The pair have so far put on 57 for the fourth wicket.

Pujara reached his second half-century in four Tests when he cut James Franklin for a four in the afternoon session. He has so far hit six boundaries in his 121-ball knock.

Left-arm paceman Trent Boult was the most successful bowler as he had opener Gautam Gambhir (22) caught behind and then got a big wicket when he bowled Sachin Tendulkar (19), who was playing his first Test after becoming a member of parliament.

Tendulkar could only add seven more runs to his lunch score of 12 before he was suprised by a Boult delivery that came in sharply. He hit just two fours in his slow 62-ball innings.

The world's leading scorer in both Tests and one-dayers with an unprecedented 100 international centuries, the 39-year-old Tendulkar was in April nominated to the upper house of parliament, the Rajya Sabha, for his contribution to the nation.

Fast bowler Doug Bracewell was the other wicket-taker, having free-scoring opener Virender Sehwag (47) caught by Martin Guptill at second slip.

New Zealand did not allow India to build a big partnership on a good batting track, removing both the openers in the morning and then dismissing Tendulkar in the afternoon to reduce the hosts to 125-3.

New Zealand went into the match with one spinner, Jeetan Patel, who succeeded in containing runs as he has so far conceded just 26 in 14 overs.

India, playing their first Test after the retirement of veterans Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, put on 49 for the opening wicket after winning the toss when Boult dismissed Gambhir in the 10th over.

U-19 World Cup: India beats New Zealand, enters final

India has defeated New Zealand U-19 team by 9 runs in the semi-final and has advanced in the final Thursday :)

India has reached to the final of the ICC event, where they will take on Australia on August 26.

This is India's fourth appearance in the finals of the ICC U-19 World Cup (2000, 2006, 2008, 2012).

Put in to bat, India scored 209/9 in 50 overs. In reply, New Zealand managed to score 200 in 50 overs. Harmeet Singh, Sandeep Sharma and Ravikant Singh picked two each.

Earlier, India's middle-order frittered away the good start provided by the top half as the team posted a disappointing 209 for nine after being put into bat.

Opener Prashant Chopra was the top-scorer for the Indians with a patient 104-ball 52, followed by number three batsman Baba Aparajith who added 44 runs to the total.

For the Kiwis, left-arm spinner Ben Horne was the top wicket-taker, picking up three for 23 in six overs, while medium pacer Matthew Quinn managed a couple of scalps.

Sri Lanka squad named for World Twenty20

Mahela Jayawardene (captain), 
Angelo Mathews,
Kumar Sangakkara,
Tillakaratne Dilshan,
Lahiru Thirimanne,
Jeevan Mendis,
Dilshan Munaweera,
Thisara Perera,
Lasith Malinga,
Nuwan Kulasekara,
Rangana Herath,
Ajantha Mendis,
Dinesh Chandimal,
Shaminda Eranga,
Akhila Dhananjaya.

EID MUBARAK TO ALL OF YOU

U-19 ICC: Pakistan defeat New Zealand with 5 wickets

BUDERIM: Former world champions Pakistan U-19 team defeated New Zealand with five wickets in its last round match Thursday at John Blanck Oval in Buderim, Geo News reported.

Pakistan is now set to face its arch-rival India in a mouth-watering quarterfinal clash in ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2012 on Monday, August 20.

Two-time former champion India won their match against against Papua New Guinea by 107 runs in Group C fixture at Endeavour Park 1.

In today’s match, New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first. New Zealand’s middle order batsman Henry Walsh was the only top scorer with 33 runs while middle order Robert O’Donnell made 29. New Zealand was restricted to 152 runs.

Pakistan’s Zia-ul-Haq took 2 wickets for 27 while Mohammad Nawaz also took 2 wickets for 37 and received man of the match award.

In reply, Pakistan’s middle order batsman Imam-ul-Haq was the top scorer with 40 runs while middle order batsman Saad Ali made 32 paving way to an easy win over Kiwis. Pakistan accomplished the target in 31.2 overs.

Pakistan has now secured the top position with six points in Group B.

ASAD RAUF SCANDAL

MUMBAI: An Indian model has accused Pakistani cricket umpire Asad Rauf of exploiting her after falsely promising marriage.

Leena Kapoor claims she had met Rauf six months ago through a mutual friend and the two grew close when she fell ill and he visited her.

According to reports in the Indian media, Kapoor said Rauf told her that his family would give consent for another marriage.

Meanwhile Asad Rauf has denied these allegations and said Leena Kapoor was seeking to gain publicity by joining her name to his.

Pakistan in ‘do or die’ match against Australia

LONDON: Pakistan will face Australia in a ‘do or die’ hockey match on Tuesday.

With a win in this match, Pakistan will keep their hopes alive of a medal at the London games.

Australia has defeated Pakistan in the last three Olympic matches played between the two countries.

This will be the last match in the preliminaries for both the Kangaroos and the Green shirts. Pakistan last qualified for the semifinals at the Olympics 12 years ago.

Pakistan beat South Africa to keep Olympic medal hopes alive

LONDON: Two goals in the last six minutes enabled Pakistan to post a 5-4 victory over South Africa in men's Olympic hockey on Sunday,

Waseem Ahmed's field goal three minutes from the end clinched victory after captain Sohail Abbas had converted a penalty corner in the 64th minute to neutralise South Africa's lead in the Pool A contest.

The victory took Pakistan's points tally to seven from four matches.

World champions Australia and hosts Great Britain are also on seven points, but are scheduled to play their fourth preliminary league match later in the day.

Abdul Haseem Khan scored two goals for Pakistan in the encounter that saw the lead change hands frequently.

South Africa had earlier ascendency through a second-minute open play strike by Thornton McDade, but Pakistan equalised in the 20th minute on Khan's first goal.

Justin Reid-Ross converted two penalty corners (22nd and 35th minutes) for South Africa, while Shafqat Rasool (23rd) and Khan (25th) fired for Pakistan as the two teams were tied 3-3 at half time.

South Africa seized the lead again three minutes into the second half on Wade Paton's field goal and held sway until the two goal burst from Pakistan in the last six minutes. (AFP)

Pakistan beat Argentina 2-0

LONDON: Pakistan beat Argentina 2-0 in its second preliminary Group A match in the 2012 London Olympics.

Muhammad Imran converted a penalty corner in the 30th minute to give 1-0 lead to green shirts.

Veteran penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas scored second goal in the 44th minute of the game for Pakistan.

Argentina got few chances on penalty corner just after the start of the second half but had them saved by Pakistan's goalkeeper Imran Shah.

Pakistan will play their third Olympic match against Britain on Friday at 8pm PST.

Pakistan began their Olympic campaign with a 1-1 draw against Spain.

Kohli powers India to ODI series win

For Full Score Card Click here

COLOMBO: Virat Kohli cracked a century and part-timer Manoj Tiwary bagged four wickets as India posted a comfortable six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the fourth One-day International on Tuesday.
Kohli, who also scored a hundred in the opening game, made a 119-ball 128 not out as India surpassed Sri Lanka’s total of 251-8 with more than seven overs to spare for an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

Tiwary earlier played a key role in restricting Sri Lanka in the day-night match in Colombo, taking four wickets with his leg-spin in his first game of the series.

Kohli, who hit one six and 12 fours, completed his 13th one-day century with an aggressive shot when he pulled fast bowler Lasith Malinga for a boundary.

India were under pressure at 109-4 before Kohli and Suresh Raina (58 not out) added 146 runs to steer their team home.

Raina hit one six and four boundaries in his 51-ball knock.
Opener Upul Tharanga (51), Lahiru Thirimanne (47) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (42) were the main scorers for Sri Lanka, who were 152-2 in the 32nd over.

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took two wickets and part-time spinner Virender Sehwag one.

Sri Lanka made an impressive start after electing to bat, with Tharanga and Dilshan adding 91 for the opening wicket.

Fast bowler Ashok Dinda broke the stand when he removed Dilshan, who was caught behind after cracking seven fours in his 48-ball knock.

Tharanga, who pulled Dinda for the first six of the match, fell soon after completing his half-century, stumped by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Ashwin. He also hit four boundaries in his 73-ball knock.

Dinesh Chandimal (28) and Thirimanne put on 50 for the third wicket before Tiwary struck in his opening over, having Chandimal caught by Irfan Pathan at square-leg.

Off-spinner Sehwag got a big wicket when he had Jayawardene caught behind for three to reduce Sri Lanka to 155-4.

Sri Lanka made two changes from the side that lost the last match by five wickets, bringing in Thirimanne and Pradeep in place of injured Kumar Sangakkara and Isuru Udana.

India replaced leg-spinner Rahul Sharma with Tiwary.

Not Done Yet: Michael Phelps Becomes Most Decorated Olympian Of All-Time

LONDON: Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time on Tuesday, winning a record 19th medal in the pool as China's swimming sensation Ye Shiwen grabbed her second gold of the Games.

Phelps anchored the US team to a convincing victory in the 4x200m freestyle relay to secure gold and beat the record of 18 medals amassed by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina between 1956 and 1964.

The American had earlier had his bid for a 200m butterfly Olympic treble thwarted by Chad le Clos of South Africa, but the silver allowed him to match the record medal haul before the relay sealed his unprecedented achievement.

Phelps, 27, won six golds and two bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Games, then brought home a spectacular eight golds from Beijing.

He has suffered a testing Games in London, slumping out of the medals in the 400m individual medley and then having to settle for silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay.

But Phelps' record 19th medal was never in doubt in Tuesday's relay as he took over the final leg with a healthy lead and powered home to leave France trailing in silver and China with bronze.

Ye, just 16, is likely to fuel more speculation about her remarkable performances after she added the 200m individual medley title to the 400m individual medley crown.

The Chinese girl was lagging behind the leaders at the turn in the Aquatics Centre, but produced a powerful final 50m to overhaul Australia's Alicia Coutts in an Olympic record time of 2min 7.57sec.

Her swim came just days after her lightning freestyle leg in the longer medley propelled her to a new world record.

Ye's emergence has raised unproven suspicions of doping, with John Leonard, executive director of the World Swimming Coaches' Association, describing her display in the 400m medley as "impossible."

But Chinese authorities went on the offensive, saying it was unfair to point the finger at their swimmers.

"The Chinese athletes, including the swimmers, have undergone nearly 100 drug tests since they arrived here," Jiang Zhixue, the head of anti-doping at China's General Administration of Sport, told Xinhua news agency.

"Many were also tested by the international federations and the British anti-doping agency. I can tell you that so far there was not a single positive case.

"I think it is not proper to single Chinese swimmers out once they produce good results. Some people are just biased."

Former British swimmer Adrian Moorhouse, a gold medallist in the 100m breaststroke in the 1988 Seoul Games, issued a strong defence of Ye, saying it was possible China had unearthed their own Phelps.

"I think it's sour grapes," Moorhouse said. "I think it's quite insulting actually."

In the gymnastics arena, the United States won the women's team final to claim their first gold medal in the event since 1996. Russia had to settle for silver while Romania pipped 2008 Olympic champions China to bronze.

The first of 15 golds up for grabs Tuesday was won by defending champions Germany in the equestrian three-day eventing, with Michael Jung then becoming the first rider to hold the European, world and Olympic individual titles.

Great Britain finished second in the team event to earn a silver medal for Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter Zara Phillips.

China won their third diving gold in three events when world champions Chen Ruolin and Wang Hao clinched the women's 10m synchro platform.