Monday, December 21, 1998
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S P O R T | Monday, December 21, 1998 |
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India-New Zealand Test
abandoned Kapil
Dev demands CBI probe |
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A burst of festivity ends
Bangkok Asiad BANGKOK, Dec 20 — The celebration of youth, beauty and true sporting endeavour, captured with lilting music and delightful performances to highlight the overriding theme of fun, stole the show as the curtain came down on the 13th Asian Games in a burst of festivity at the Rajamangala Stadium here tonight. The varied elegance of Thai culture and life-style, with accent on various regions of the country, was presented through song-and-dance sequences while marching bands drew various formations in depicting the games motto of "ever onward" with colour and gaiety. This was followed by a grand performance of "Flowers of Asia" which enthralled the packed audience as the final quadrennial sporting showpiece of the continent this century drew to a close in a formal ceremony lasting over two hours. The crown Prince of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkom, declared the fourth games hosted by the Thai capital closed in the name of his father and King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Then the mayor of the Korean city of Pusan, hosts of the next Asian Games in 2002, received the flags of the Olympic Council of Asia, first Asian Games and the Olympic torch from the Korean Olympic Association president ahead of a performance from Pusan. The Asian Games flame was doused ceremoniously in other highlight of the formal part of the ceremony before a majestic display of the "light of Asia" was performed with sparkling fireworks providing an ethereal backdrop. Japanese sprinter Koji Ito was presented with the award for the most valuable performance at the games for the brilliant way in which he claimed the triple gold of 100 metres, 200 metres and the 4x400m relay title by Olympic Council of Asia president Sheikh Al Sabah. The ceremony was the culmination of the spirit of friendship that pervaded throughout the fortnight as Bangkok fought economic depression and uncertainty to host the games successfully. "Chai-Yo", a friendly greeting in Thai language and also the name of the smiling elephant mascot of the Games, lived upto its meaning as the extravaganza turned out to be a true `Thai-Yo’ Games. The showpiece of the night was the enchanting display of "the story of Mahajanaka" against the backdrop of melodious oriental music. The grand show, with stunning lighting to add to the effect, depicted the story and the three principal values highlighted by it. The first part of the tale captured the concept that Mahajanaka is the second life of Lord Buddha. The entire stadium was then converted into a churning and choppy sea as hundreds of artistes narrated, with brilliant lighting displays and special effects, the story of Mahajanaka whose ship was caught in a severe storm in the sea and wrecked. The length and breadth of the venue was superbly converted into high seas with artistes peforming the part where Mahajanaka had to swim for seven days and nights to survive, stressing the value of perseverance and hard work for success as the paramount ideals in sports. A lavish shadow play featuring gigantic puppets and Thai classical dancers was followed by the entry of a 72-member musical band along with 150 volunteers bearing the games flags and flags of the competing countries along with huge replicas of equipment used in each of the 36 disciplines in the fortnight-long games. The closing ceremony departed from the opening pageant with the participants in each sport making their entry together irrespective of nationality behind placards displaying their discipline. The Thai beauties, who carried the placards of the competing nations during the December 6 opening, gave way to university athletes attired in traditional dress who marched in waving to the delirious crowds. After the chief guest was welcomed by Thai deputy premier and chairman of the BAGOC, Bichai Rattakul, the formal function got under way with the hoisting of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) flag and playing of the OCA hymn. The Thai and Korean national flags were then hoisted and OCA president Sheikh Ahmed Al Sabah read out the report of the games to the crown prince before closing the games. The OCA president described the 13th edition of the games as "15 days of happiness, friendship, harmony and fair play". The level of competition could be gauged from the fact that 14 world records and 59 continental marks were set here, "reflecting the strength of Asian spirit", Sabah said, and pronounced the games as an "unqualified success". At the end of the formal ceremony, the OCA flag was lowered. The show had started with the "ever onward" celebration performed by 400 members of a marching band who came together in neat formations accompanied by lively music and impressive lighting displays. This was followed by the "flower of Asia" performance filled with exotic music and vibrant dances from different regions of Thailand by colourfully attired performers. Capturing the mood of the evening, the largest Thai band, comprising members from five schools in the Chiang Mai and Lumpang regions, drowned the stadium in a rhythmic drum-beat as the athletes walked in to bid goodbye to the games. Earlier, the programme was launched on a melodious note by Thai singers Charan Manopot, Ekachal Srivichai, Jintara Poonlard and Apaporn Nakomsawan, representing the four major regions of the country. The singers’ rendition of Bruce Gaston’s "amazing Thailand" was translated into four Thai dialects. The games’ theme song "fly" was then rendered in Thai and English by the country’s top singers Chatchai Sukawadee and Chanthana Kittiyapan. The games were finally
consigned to history with a memorable "light of
Asia" show, a float of lanterns which symbolically
led the way in a safe passage home for all those gathered
for the games, with its closing song lingering in their
memory. (PTI) |
Indian hockey needed the shot in the arm BANGKOK, Dec 20 (PTI) — It was a long time coming. The last time India won a major men’s hockey title was in the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980. Before that they recorded their first and, so far, only World Cup triumph in 1975 at Kuala Lumpur after claiming the first Asian Games gold in this very city of Bangkok in 1966. There is a sea-change in the scenario from 1975, when international hockey was mostly played on natural grass, to now when the game at the international level is played only on artificial turf. The memorable title-triumph here in the Asian Games after 32 years has ensured that the men do not have to go through the painful and perilous process of qualifying for the 2000 Sydney Olympics as the victory has given them a direct entry. The triumph is especially sweet considering that for well over two decades it has been more a case of downs rather than ups for the Indians on the international circuit. What was at one time the national pride became a sport which was, at best, tolerated as cricket stole a march over all other sport disciplines in the country. And, despite the protestations of those concerned, the teams, both men and women, were not taken seriously when they left India for their tryst with destiny. While the men regained the much-coveted gold after 32 years, the women did not do badly either by finishing second to the formidable South Koreans in the seven-team round-robin tournament. The Indian joy and sense of satisfaction would have been redoubled had the men beaten traditional rivals Pakistan in the final instead of defending champions Korea. But the Koreans had tripped Pakistan in the semi-finals. How did this transformation from the poor country cousins to the glamour boys hogging the limelight come about? The answer is very simple. A bunch of highly motivated players got under the very inspirational leadership of the much-maligned Dhanraj Pillay and the guidance of an able and understanding coach M K Kaushik to deliver the dream gold. No obstacle, no hardship was so great that it could not be overcome from the time they began their campaign in group B league. They went from strength to strength. They began with a 9-0 rout of Singapore and followed it up by thrashing Bangladesh 7-0. The third match against China was tough. But they won it narrowly 2-1 before rounding off the pool engagements by outwitting the Koreans 2-1 to finish on top. The win over Koreans did more than boost their morale as they began to believe in their own abilities against the holders. So, even the Koreans’ 3-2 win against former champions Pakistan in the semi-finals did nothing to lower the confidence of the Indians who fought them on equal terms in the final last evening after getting past Japan 3-1 in the semi-final. It was a fascinating contest in more ways than one with the Indians daring to play the Koreans at the same furious pace which suited the defending champions more. Whether it occurred to the Indians to slow down the game or they deliberately chose to play on at the same pace, one would never really know. But the fact remained that towards the end of the gigantic battle, the Indians were in danger of running themselves to a standstill. But that did not dampen the fire in the Indians among whom everyone, without exception, played their hearts out. If forwards Pillay and Baljeet Singh Dhillon, left half Ramandeep Singh and the backs led by Dilip Tirkey, with custodian Ashish Ballal putting on a class act, stood out, it was only because they were outstanding in a bunch of top-class performers. "Sudden death" can be a dicey affair as even one stray move can write "finis" to the aspirations of one team and the Indians came through it too unscathed. Worse could be the tie-breaker which is more like a lottery. Here, the saviour, or rather the toast, of the team was Ballal under the bar who came up with two superb saves to deny the Koreans in the penalty-stroke duel. The Indians truly deserved the gold they won though some words reportedly uttered in a TV interview by Ballal after the stupendous win were in poor taste, if not entirely unwarranted. Whatever the stature of a player and, however, great his contribution to a team’s victory, such outbursts were not on. More is sure to beheard of this episode when the contingent returns home. The Koreans, who have been
making their presence felt at the world stage too after
establishing their dominance over the traditional
superpowers of Asia, India and Pakistan, must be doing
some introspection after the loss. |
India finish ninth BANGKOK, Dec 20 (PTI) — India, with a fine haul of 35 medals comprising seven gold, 11 silver and 17 bronze medals, finished ninth in the Asian Games medals ladder at the end of all the competitions in the 13th edition today. At the conclusion of the last and only event scheduled for today before the official closing, the men’s marathon which was won by front running South Korean Lee Bong-Ju — the Atlanta Olympics silver medallist — in 2 hours, 12 minutes and 32 seconds. China stood far and above everyone else with a massive heist of 274 medals (129 gold, 78 silver and 67 bronze). Far behind in second place were South Korea (65-46-53), who comfortably pushed 1994 (Hiroshima) runners-up Japan (52-61-68) to the third place and proved once again that these three east Asian countries were the sporting powerhouses in the continent. Apart from the top three, hosts Thailand, Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, Iran and North Korea were ahead of India in the final medals tally featuring only 33 out of the 41 nations who competed. India had finished eighth in Hiroshima despite winning only four gold, three silver and 16 bronze medals. The seven gold medals the Indians won here came in men’s hockey (1), athletics (2), kabaddi (1), billiards (2) and boxing (1). Athletes led the way with
a haul of two gold, six silver and seven bronze medals
though the men’s hockey team’s title-triumph
yesterday after 32 years was the most heartening of them
all. |
South Korean wins Games' final race BANGKOK, Dec 20 (AP) — South Korea's Lee Bong-Ju pulled away from Japan's Akira Manai in the marathon today, pounding a final stamp of victory on the Asian Games' real battle — between their two nations for second in the gold standings. After Lee won the games' final race by nearly a minute, he ran a victory lap with a South Korean flag while Manai took one step over the finish line and hung his head in fatigue. Lee's triumph left South Korea ahead of Japan 65 to 52 in gold medals, although Japan came out ahead 180-165 in total medals. Nobody expected to surpass sports giant China, who finished with 129 of the 378 gold medals awarded, or 34 per cent. The Chinese had taken 135 of the 342 gold, or 39 per cent, at the last games in 1994. Compared to four years ago, the Chinese lost some gound to Japan in swimming and track events. In some cases where the Chinese won, such as in diving and rowing, they said the Asian competition was too easy. The diving coach said his team still faced hard work if it wanted to make the desired impact at the 2000 Olympics. Looking ahead to 2000 at Sydney was a major theme for China, South Korea and Japan, while some of the smaller teams were celebrating their chance to shine on the Asian stage. Hosts Thailand finished with 24 gold medals, double their initial target and double their best previous finish — 12 in 1966. That tied them with Kazakstan for fourth in golds. Hong Kong, who had only one gold from all previous Asian Games, came out with five. But 2000 also was a concern for marathon winner Lee, who missed a 1996 Olympic gold by just three seconds. "I was disappointed with the time. The temperature was too high,’’ Lee said. "But I am delighted to win the gold.’’ "Now I have two goals: a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics and to break the world marathon record, maybe next year at London, Rotterdam or Boston,’’ he added. Chinese women weightlifters did all the world record setting here, breaking marks on all seven days of their competition at the games. But in the more prestigious track events, Japanese runners turned in the best time. Koji Itoh just missed the exclusive club of men who have run 100 meters in less than 10 seconds, turning in a 10-flat semifinal in the semifinals before winning the gold in a slightly slower time. With nobody pushing her, Japan’s Naoko Takahashi missed the world women’s marathon record by just one minute as she won the games’ opening race by 13 minutes. South Korea and Japan, the 2002 soccer World Cup co-hosts, suffered the embarrassment of not reaching the semifinals of the games’ soccer tournament. Iran beat Kuwait 2-0 for the gold medal, while China shut out Thailand 3-0 for the bronze. And overall, said Japanese delegation leader Teruji Kogake, our total number of gold medals did not reach our target.’’ Kogake noted that Japan lost to the South Koreans in 14 of 15 team sports, and suffered humiliating defeats in baseball and volleyball. We must use the setbacks in the games as an impetus to put together the strongest possible team for the Sydney Olympics,’’ Kogake said. On the plus side, there had been only two positive tests for doping as of Sunday, compared with 15 at the 1994 games, when the disqualification of 11 Chinese in track and swimming affected the medals standings. Both cases at these games were weightlifters — a Jordanian and a Kuwaiti — who finished no better than seventh in their events. "I hope we don’t have any more in future,’’ said Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia, the games’ governing body. But, he added, "I am
very happy that there have been only two cases, not
important cases, not involving champions.’’ |
Bitter Usha signs off in tears BANGKOK, Dec 20 (PTI) — "I am bitterly disappointed. I was deliberately left out. They (officials) did not even have the decency to tell me", bemoaned Indian track legend PT Usha, whose international career ended in tears on the sidelines of the Thammasat University track here. Once hailed as the 'queen of track' but dumped unceremoniously out of the 4 x 400m relay squad yesterday, Usha said "I was not even informed until I asked last night." The 34-year-old mother, who has won more Asian Games and championships medals than any other athlete, was replaced by young Jincy Philips as the Indian athletics officials put a medal above sentiment. "It’s more important to win the gold medal than to think of one athlete," said Lalit Bhanot, secretary of the Amateur Athletic Federation of India. Usha has struggled with a hamstring injury in her left leg here which she has blamed on the Indian athletics squad’s Russian coach Valery, and finished a poor sixth in the 400m, did not qualify for the 200m final and failed to anchor the 4 x 100m relay squad to a bronze. After making her
international debut as a 14-year-old, the sprint queen of
yesteryears reached the pinnacle of her career in 1986 at
the Seoul Asian Games, where she won four golds and a
silver. |
China's Games chief blasts athletes BANGKOK, Dec 20 (AFP) — China’s Asian Games chief today blasted his country’s athletes for failing to produce world class performances at the event. And he hinted the state sport machine will now review rewards given to top sportsmen and women to give more incentive ahead of the Sydney 2000 Olympics. China finished with 129 medals, eight fewer than in Hiroshima four years ago and Chef de Mission Yuan Weimin, a senior member of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said some athletes would have to go back to school. "I am worried that so few results were at a world level, especially in athletics, so we will work on that when we get back. "The athletes were here not only for medals but to get results which are compatible with Olympic standards. We called this the mid-term exams and the final exams are the Olympics. "They did not pass their mid-term examinations ahead of the Sydney Olympics with flying colours. I give 80 points out of 100. I am basically satisfied, but not fully. We are looking for results at the Olympics." China were overtaken by Japan in swimming and just kept ahead of their arch-rivals in athletics, where Ma Junren’s long distance runners were sorely missed. The sports authorities were relieved to get through the Bangkok Games without a drug failure. Eleven Chinese, including seven swimmers, failed tests in Hiroshima. Four more swimmers failed tests at the world championships in January. Tu Mingde, secretary general of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said: "our athletes have learnt a lot about winning fairly and sportsmanship. We’ve basically achieved all our aims." But the delegation chief said China would have to look again at the rewards given to top athletes. "It is better to reward athletes with an appropriate amount of prize money," said Yuan. "Efforts and sacrifices made by athletes should be recognised by the states. It is similar to rewards given to better jobs done in areas other than sport." Chinese gold medal winners
get virtually nothing as a bonus but are looked after
with pensions and other benefits. More recently companies
have started paying top athletes to be associated with
them. |
China win b'ball gold medal BANGKOK, Dec 19 (AFP) — China overwhelmed South Korea with their size and speed to win their fourth straight Asian Games men’s basketball gold medal here yesterday. The defending champions raced to a 30-15 lead in the first nine minutes of a bruising game with forward Gong Xiaobin wowing the crowd with a dunk and 2.12m center Wang Zhihi dominating Seo Jang-Soon in the middle. The Koreans were slow to react with their forward Hyun Joo-Yup well muzzled by the Chinese defence to finish the half with six points. But the Chinese had to bleed for their title, Gong, tangling with his Korean markers all afternoon, left the floor deep in the first half after a Korean elbow split his forehead open. The Koreans rallied briefly at the start of the final half behind moon-faced point guard Kang Dong-Hee, who cranked up the South Korean fastbreaks with his skillful passing and ball control. They managed to get within eight points of the Chinese early in the half, but Liu Yudong doused the fightback with a jumper and a lay-up which drew a foul and an extra free throw. Guard Li Xiaoyong scored on a putback and a free throw without a Korean reply as the Chinese pulled away, 69-53. Wang put an exclamation point on the one-sided win with a dunk to finish the scoring 112-92. The Philippines came from
behind to beat Kazakhstan, 73-68, in the third place
playoff. |
2 more athletes test positive BANGKOK, Dec 20 (PTI) — Two more athletes at the bangkok Asian Games tested positive for banned substances, making it four caught for doping at the 15-day sporting event which closed today, an offical of the Olympic Council of Asia (oca) said today. A Kazakh athlete tested positive for Cannabis and an athlete from the United Arab Emirates for ananabolic steroid at random tests conducted, Kyodo news agency reported here. The oca official said the two athletes were not medallists and the Kazakh has already left Thailand. He declined to give further details. Thailand has a strict legal policy regarding cannabis, under which smokers face an imprisonment of at least one year and owners at least five years. Earlier at the Asian
Games, weightlifters from Jordan and Kuwait tested
positive for banned substances. |
Ito 'Champion of Champions' BANGKOK, Dec 20 (Reuters) — Sprinter Koji Ito led a clean sweep for Japan today as he was crowned "Champion of champions" at the 13th Asian Games. Ito, winner of three sprint golds, was the clear victor in a poll of 1,510 sportswriters asked to choose the top star from the 6,500-plus athletes at the Bangkok Games. Two other Japanese, women’s marathon runner Naoko Takahashi and swimmer Shunsuke Ito, came second and third in the poll. But the run which guaranteed Ito the "most valued performance" award and a $ 100,000 bonus, did not actually earn him a medal. Ito ran 10 seconds flat in the semifinals of the 100m, failing by the narrowest margin to become the first Asian to run under 10 seconds despite slowing down in the last second of the race. "I can’t say whether I will be able to break 10 seconds in the future. Only God knows,"Ito said after being named the Asiad’s "MVP". The 28-year-old sprinter won 481 votes in the poll, easily beating marathon champion Takahashi, with 220 votes, and swimmer Ito, who polled 149 votes. Takahashi ignored the heat of Bangkok and came within a minute of the women’s marathon world record when she won the very first gold medal of the games. Swimmer Ito won the
men’s 100m freestyle and added two more golds in the
relays, becoming the pin-up of the games with twin
brother Shusuke. |
Judging snafus leave Japan judokas fuming BANGKOK, Dec 20 (AFP) — Japan’s judo stars returned home lamenting controversial judging decisions, with some hinting they may have been deliberate victims. They did not buckle under the ever greater challenge from the rest of Asia, but were left moaning about never-ending blunders by judges that made them miss their target of eight judo gold medals. Two world champions, men’s 73kg lightweight Kenzo Nakamura and women’s under-78kg light heavyweight Nariko Anno, suffered upsets. But the team suffered a bigger heartbreak when a judging mistake robbed Nami Kimoto of her women’s 63kg light middleweight gold medal. Kimoto, who won the presitigious paris international in February, came from beind on points to floor Atlanta Olympic middleweight bronze medalist Wang Xianbo of China as the final buzzer went. Kazakh referee Vladimir Kim declared the throw an ippon knockout. But China protested and the referee and two judges met at the urging of technical director Kim Sang-Chul of South Korea. They nullifed the throw, going against international rules to reverse a decision after the judges have left the contest arena. The technical director said, "Asia’s level of judging is a little too low." Japan men’s coach Takahiro Nishida complained referees often ignored good throws by the Japanese and mistakes by their opponents. "The judging seemed to have often worked against Japan," he said. There have been a run of judging snafus since the sport made its Asiad debut in 1986. In Seoul in 1986, the referee gave local hero Ha Hyung-Zoo an ample four-minute rest after Japan’s world champion Hitoshi Sugai tripped him early in the light heavyweight final. The Olympic champion acted as if he was hurt while the Japanese camp protested the Singapore referee’s slowness in calling a doctor. He recovered and went on to win beating the Japanese. At the 1990 Beijing Games, Japan protested the referee and judges ignored world lightweight champion Toshihiko Koga’s good throws and gave South Korea’s Chung Hoon a semi-final win by decision. "It is a matter of urgency to raise the level of judges," said Yukimitsu Kano, head of the All-Japan Judo Federation and grandson of the sport’s founder Jigoro Kano. Japan won four men’s
titles and got just one from their women. China and South
Korea followed with three gold medals, against two for
Mongolia and one for North Korea. |
Grand reception awaits Dingko IMPHAL, Dec 20 (PTI) — Their joy undimmed by darkness caused by a state electricity employees’ strike, the people of Manipur celebrated their hero, bantamweight NG Dingko Singh’s gold-medal win in Asian Games boxing for the third straight day yesterday. The state is gearing up for a grand reception for the 20-year-old bantamweight pugilist who won India’s first boxing gold medal in 16 years by defeating world number five Timur Tulyakov of Uzbekistan in Bangkok. When news of Dingko’s victory reached here on Thursday night, more than 15,000 people came out on the streets of the state capital bursting firecrackers. Some overjoyed fans carried Ibomacha Singh, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) coach, who first trained Dingko in boxing, from the SAI complex at Dakyel Park to the Khuman Lapak Sports Complex, the venue for the National Games in February 1999. Immediately on receiving the news of Dingko’s win, Chief Minister W. Nipamacha Singh announced a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for the pugilist even as various bodies and public figures, including the state police and the state Civil Supplies Minister, announced cash awards of their own. Though many were deprived of seeing their hero’s memorable bout on television following the strike, a few adamant ones took the help of generators to run their television sets and absorbed the action live. There was also righteous indignation in some quarters as people deplored the delay in grant of clearance to the boxer who was included in the Indian squad for the Asiad at the 11th hour. But all that was soon forgotten as the Manipuris celebrated the rags-too-riches story of Dingko. The fifth of eight children, Dingko hailing from Sekta, in Imphal district, Ngangom Dingko Singh lost his father when he was just three. Dingko, who took to sports at the age of five, was also to lose his eldest brother Chaothoi, who looked after his siblings, and another brother soon after. At the age of seven he was sent by his mother to a orphanage, where he grew up. Dingko began boxing in
1990 under Ibomacha Singh and he has not looked back
since then, winning national and international titles and
capping it with continental glory in the 13th edition of
the Asian Games. |
India-New Zealand Test abandoned DUNEDIN, Dec 20 (PTI) — The first Test between India and New Zealand was called off today without a ball being bowled as persistent rain forced abandonment of third consecutive day’s play on the third day at Carisbrook here. With no let up in rain, the officials decided to salvage something for the players by way of arranging tomorrow, weather permitting, a 50-overs-a-side day-night practice match. The tie, scheduled to start at 1430 hours local time (0730 hrs IST), will be played with a red ball, one of the reasons forwarded by the Indian team management in refusing on the eve of the Test the offer of an extra day’s play. "This will be an opportunity for the players to judge the feasibility of playing with the red ball under lights," chief executive of New Zealand Cricket Board Christopher Doig said. Kiwi coach Steve Rixon said, "It is better to have some real practice rather than sit around. A one-day game affords the batsmen to be in the middle for 15 overs and for the bowlers to send down a decent spell." He, however, rued the lost chance here. "Psychologically, yes, we are feeling a bit down. We thought we had a good opportunity here since the Indians were straight to different conditions, cold weather, and one would think (they) still needed some acclimatising." This is the second time that a test was abandoned in this venue after the Pakistan-New Zealand encounter was cancelled in 1988-89 due to adverse weather conditions. Rixon, who criticised the Indians for declining the Kiwi board’s proposals of an extra day’s play to make up for lost time, refused to comment on the tourists lodging a protest with Doig against his remarks. Rixon, however, failed to resist teasing the visitors one more time and said: "I think they’re probably keen to play the next two matches away from the coldness of Dunedin." His renewed jibe was in contrast to the assurance given by Doig when the Indians forced a meeting with him yesterday to complain against Rixon’s remarks. "India were disappointed with Rixon’s comments and they explained the position their players were in. I’ve spoken to Rixon to explain their reasons to him and they asked me to also explain their position to the media," Doig had said. "They said they’ve had a helluva lot of cricket before this tour and this is already a congested tour. I’ve accepted their explanation," he said. Doig said India were entitled to reject the offer of an extra day’s play or to use floodlights to make up for lost time. "It would have been unusual to extend a Test by a day or two play a Test under lights." The Kiwi board chief said he did not expect the issue to become a sore point between the two teams and anticipated with improvement in weather, a series conducted in "excellent spirit". The issue, however, hotted up with former New Zealand players joining the debate. Sir Richard Hadlee, without criticising the Indians, said it was high time the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave match referees the power to adjudicate on these matters. "I think it’s commonsense, particularly in the light of Test match environment where we’re trying to attract people back to the game," the former all-rounder said. Lance Cairns, father of present Test allrounder Chris and a star in his own right during his playing days, said India were being stubborn to refuse to play extended hours here. "They should be prepared to play extended hours to assist in a result." "They owe us one," Cairns said. "We played in Chennai (then Madras) in the 1970s after a huge storm. The officials feared the crowd would rip the place apart if there was no play. "The ground was in
poor condition and we had their four or five (wickets)
down quickly." |
Kapil Dev demands CBI probe NEW DELHI, Dec 20 (PTI) — Former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the allegations of match-fixing and betting and favoured strong action against those involved by banishing them from the country. "If the cricket board is unable to handle the matter (match-fixing and betting) itself, then the inquiry should be done by a government agency or the CBI," Kapil Dev told a private TV network today. He said: "The investigation should be done even if crores are to be spent as the next generation will then get the correct guidance... If we feel today that our players or bookies are bribing anyone, now is the time to stop it." Taking a strong stand on match-fixing, he said: "Bookies and other people, who want to make money, catch the weak-minded players and influence them. It is, therefore, necessary that the administration should take strong action against those involved." "If a player is found guilty, he should be banished from the country, ‘deshnikala dena chahiye’, and should not be allowed to play the game," Kapil Dev said in ‘Janata ki Adalat’ programme telecast today on Star TV. On Manoj Prabhakar’s statements on the issue, he said "he (Prabhakar) should come forward for the sake of the country and reveal the names of players who had discussed these topics," adding that "if he is scared, then why did he reveal it? He said "as far as I know, Manoj is not one to get scared. He should say openly, who offered, how much and when?" Asked to comment on Justice YV Chandrachud committee report, Kapil Dev said the report has been submitted to the cricket board and the board secretary to its president or ICC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya were the authorities to comment on it. Dalmiya has already announced on December 14 here that the ICC would set up a high-powered commission to probe the allegations of match-fixing and betting at its two-day executive board meeting beginning at Christchurch on Jan 10. He also took strong exception to the moves in the cricket control board to keep out former cricketers from important posts of cricket administration. "I’d like to ask them why some selectors have not become team managers despite being on the board for 30-40 years? Why have they never toured with the team? "Why can’t Sunil Gavaskar be made the board president? They will not give any such post where they themselves are threatened... What can be more unjustified than the fact that I am not a member of Haryana Cricket Association despite having played for Haryana for 20 years?" he said. Asked if he was a role
model for young cricketers, who wanted to become
money-making machines, he said: "I don’t
understand this charge of money-making. I am the highest
tax payer in India in sports." |
No play at Faisalabad FAISALABAD, Dec 20 (Reuters) — The fourth day of the stillborn third and final Test between Pakistan and Zimbabwe was called off today due to fog, effectively giving the young African side their first overseas Test win. Umpires Salim Bader and Doug Cowie abandoned the day’s play early in the morning when visibility was reduced to almost nothing after four days of fog. Zimbabwe lead the series 1-0 after a win in Peshawar and a fog-bound draw in Lahore. Not a single ball has been bowled in the third and decisive test. AFP adds: Officials said the conditions were worse with fog thickening, and as four days’ play has already been lost the match was likely to be called off on the final day tomorrow. "We needed no
inspections following our experience of the last three
days," the umpires said. |
Accolades for hockey team CHENNAI, Dec 20 (UNI) — Former national coach Vasudevan Baskaran yesterday described India’s gold-medal triumph in the 13th Asian Games as a "much needed tonic". Talking to uni here, Baskaran, who was stripped of his post by the ihf after India’s debacle in the World Cup at Utrecht, said Indian hockey had once again come back into the mainstream as it had not been winning any major tournament for a long time. He was all praise for his successor Kaushik and captain Dhanraj Pillay, of whom he was very critical after the World Cup. However, he said the ihf and Kaushik might have worked hard on the suggestions made by him in his report after the Utrecht debacle. "We should not sit on this victory", he cautioned and added that the most important thing was that they should not keep changing the coach. On the team’s preparation for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Baskaran who had led India to a gold-medal win in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, said the team should not take part in too many tournaments. "Maybe not more than three in a year", he suggested. The best thing would be to play in Australia in July-August when the Olympics are to be held, to get acclimatised to the conditions. Former India goalkeeper and Olympian Munneer Sait hailed India’s gold medal triumph as a "great performance". Munneer attributed India’s win to Asheesh Ballal and chief coach Kaushik. "They have done a great job", he averred. Asked how he would describe the opposition in the games, Munneer said defeating South Korea which was fresh from their performance in the Champions Trophy was indeed creditable. Munneer pointed out that from now on India should aim for the Sydney Olympic Games, just two years away. Except for players like Dhanraj Pillai, Sabu Varkey and Mukesh Kumar, the coach should persist with the other players in the present squad. But the question of retaining the three will have to be subject to their fitness at the time of the Olympic Games, he said, when asked if he subscribed to the views expressed after the World Cup debacle by former coach and Olympian Vasudevan Baskaran on the three players. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (pmk), a constituent of the bjp-led coalition government at the centre, congratulated the Indian team for winning the hockey gold after a long gap of 32 years in the Asain Games. In a brief statement here, pmk founder leader Dr S. Ramadoss conveyed his hearty congratulations to the team for this achievement. Former captain Zafar Iqbal suggested to retain the same combination till the Sydney Games. "I think the present team should be retained as not much time is left before the Sydney Olympics", Zafar Iqbal said in Chennai. Commenting on India’s long title drought, former captain M. Somayya said a combination of factors were responsible for the past failures. "It’s a combination of factors. Sometimes, like in the World Cup earlier this year (in Utrecht, Holland), the team selection was not good as we carried too many players with injuries. In other instances, probably the focus of training was on different things", Somayya said in Mumbai. Hailing the win former
captain Gurbax Singh in Calcutta said the team as a whole
played well which fetched the gold for India. |
Central in command against West AURANGABAD, Dec 20 (PTI) — West Zone chasing a victory target of 267 were in dire straits at 45 for four, after restricting Central to 203, despite a valiant century by Gagan Khoda in their second innings on the penultimate day of the five-day Duleep Trophy final here today. Central who resumed on their overnight score of 58 for one were all out for the addition of just 145 runs in their second essay. But their 63-run first innings lead and good bowling by their bowlers put them in command. Khoda, who resumed his innings on 28, played some delectable shots to notch up 107 (3x6, 11x4, 229 balls, 287 minutes), more than half the side’s score, before being caught by Bahutule at mid-wicket off Sitanshu Kotak. Khoda’s fall effectively put the brakes on Central’s innings as the remaining five wickets fell in a heap for the addition of just 14 runs. After lunch, Manoj Mudgal, Murli Kartik, A W Zaidi and Jyoti Yadav, all went for a duck. Kotak 4/41 was the most successful bowler and he was ably assisted by Nilesh Kulkarni, who took three wickets for the cost of seven runs for a final analysis of 3/41. But the West batsman failed to consolidate on the gains of their bowlers who did well to restrict central to be set a victory target of 267. Sameer Dighe (14), Jatin Paranjpe (18) and skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar (0) all perished to Winston Zaidi, who returned impressive figures of 3/16 off 7.5 overs. Skipper Gyanendra Pandey
accounted for opener Wasim Jaffer (8) as the cream of the
West batting was back in the pavilion with still 221 runs
in arrears. |
Indians' show at Games hailed CHANDIGARH, Dec 20 — Mr Arvind Khanna, secretary-general, Punjab Olympic Association, today hailed men's hockey team for winning gold in the just-concluded Asian Games at Bangkok. Mr Khanna said in a press release issued here that the top Asiad hockey title captured after a long gap of 32 years is all the more gratifying, especially after the losses at the Utrecht World Cup and the Commonwealth Games earlier this year. Mr Khanna said that he was confident this success will spur the team on for similar wins in the international competitions hereafter, especially at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Women's hockey team also gave a creditable show but had to settle for silver. He also lauded the gold medal winning performances of the twin medallist Jyotirmoyee Sikdar (athletics), Dingko Singh (boxing), men's kabaddi team, Geet Sethi and Ashok Shandilya (billiards), quartermiler Paramjit Singh and young athlete Sunita Rani who came within two hundredths of a second of winning the gold medal in 5000 metres. This 19-year-old girl from Sangrur has been making tremendous strides in her event and needs to be given all the help and encouragement to win the laurels at the international levels. He said that the POA will request the Punjab Government to give cash awards to all the sportspersons belonging to Punjab who have won glory for the country at the Asian Games as was promised by the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal. Mr Khanna emphasised that
corporate houses should provide ample funds to the sports
federations for the batterment of sports in the country. |
H
Badminton court
inaugurated TCL triumph Hockey team's win
applauded Haryana eves'
hockey from Dec 26 Godrej XI win |
| Inter-college
hockey HAMIRPUR, Dec 20 (FOC) — Government College, Mandi and DAV College, Daulatpur, entered the final of the HP inter college hockey championship for women which started here today. Only four out of colleges of the state are participating in the championship. Surprisingly, the host college has not fielded its team for the championship. In the first match, Government College, Mandi beat SD College, Sujanpurtira, by two goals to nil. DAV College, Daulatpur Chowk, thrashed Government College, Ghumarwin, by five goals to nil. Rousing welcome Jai Parkash, Love
Kumar win Soccer tourney Athletic squad |
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