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| Friday, February
16, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Badani helps India Seniors win
Waugh not worried about pitches |
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We will play aggressively: Gilchrist 11 selected for MRF academy Air-India blank Gujarat 15-0 Resume India-Pak sports ties: Aslam Leander Paes, Bhupathi to be star attractions Mahindra United, SBT split points Coe is a snob, says Christie Fans grumble over tickets Brazil’s Junior Baiano banned Punjab beat UP AIFF seeks release
of Bhutia
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Badani helps India Seniors win Chennai, Feburary 15 Set to score 312 for a win, India Seniors reached the target with 11 balls to spare with Badani remaining unbeaten on 104 (87b, 6x4, 3x6), and Sehwag (94) giving him good company. The two were involved in a 169-run stand, which came in 108 minutes off just 25.2 overs. With the top order batsmen departing after playing indiscreet shots, it was left to Badani and Sehwag to take the fight to the rivals with their gutsy batting. But for the their heroic efforts, Sourav Ganguly could not have dreamt of winning the series, as he made his exit when the Seniors needed 236 runs off 37.1 overs. Shewag made his exit in a pathetic manner, being run out. He responded late to a call from Badani for a single off Sanghvi, with R.S. Sodhi passing the ball to Rathore to do the rest. Shewag’s 94 had nine hits to the boundary and two huge sixes, both off Venketesh Prasad and he had faced 108 balls. When Shewag departed, the Seniors needed 48 runs off 47 balls having recovered from a position when they needed 217 runs in 32 overs at 6.80 per over. Opener Shiv Sunder Das was bowled, failing to read the in cutter from Ajit Agarkar. The other batsmen, Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh in particular, were to be blamed for their rash approach. Ganguly slogged and did not show the way to his mates like in the match against India B on Wednesday, when he took 142 runs and took two wickets. Going for a cover drive, Ganguly gave an inside edge to Iqbal Siddique, dragging the ball to his wicket. Ironically Ganguly had hit Venkatesh Prasad for five boundaries in the earlier over. He made 34 with seven hits to the fence. Ganguly, who had preferred not to open the innings with Das (Vikram Rathore opened the innings) added 43 runs for the third wicket with VVS Laxman. Laxman (12) was next to go, being run out. Driving straight to Jacob Martin at mid-wicket, he took off for a run, only to find Badani sending him back. Laxman could not make his ground. Then on, Badani and Shewag held the centrestage and with their aggressive approach, proved that India ‘A’ bowlers did not deserve the five wickets that had fallen. They maintained a run rate of almost six runs an over to see their side to a win. Rahul Dravid played a captain’s knock to lead India ‘A’ to a huge 311 for six in their allotted 50 overs. Dravid, who made a classy 88, and Jacob Martin (62) put up a fine batting display to overcome a slow start after India ‘A’ had elected to bat. Dravid, who played with a runner in Sridharan Sriram, stuck to his wicket from one side with Martin and Hrishikesh Kanitkar (56) scoring from the other end, as India ‘A’ added 177 runs in the last 25 runs. Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan bowled a tidy line and length to put India ‘A’ on the backfoot but the floodgates opened once Dravid and Martin got going. Srinath struck in the third over of the innings by having Sriram (4) caught by (being tried) wicketkeeper Vikram Rathore with the total on 18 and then dismissed the other opener Sadgopan Ramesh (26) in the same fashion with the addition of 29 runs. Dravid and Kanitkar then combined in a 99-run third wicket stand that seized back the initiative for India ‘A’. Scoreboard India ‘A’: Ramesh c Rathore b Srinath 26 Sriram c Rathore b Srinath 4 Dravid c Yuvraj b Nehra 88 Kanitkar c Yuvraj b Shewag 56 Martin run out 61 Agarkar c Z Khan b Nehra 27 Sodhi not out 22 Mongia not out 3 Extras: (b-1, lb-9, w-6, nb-8) 24 Total: (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) 311 Fall of wickets: 1/18, 2/47, 3/146, 4/247, 5/263, 6/303 Bowling: Srinath 10-0-50-2; Z. Khan 10-0-63-0; Nehra 10-0-69-2; Ganguly 8-0-44-0; Joshi 7-0-48-0; Shewag 5-0-27-1. Indian Seniors SS Das b Agarkar 14 Rathore c Sanghvi
b Agarkar 12 Laxman run out 12 Ganguly b Iqabal Siddique 34 Badani not out 104 Y Singh c Martin b Sanghvi 7 Shewag run out 94 Sunil Joshi not out 22 Extras (lb-4, w-3, nb-6) 13 Total (for 6 wkts in 48.1 overs) 312 Fall of wkts: 1-14, 2-33, 3-76, 4-76, 5-95, 6-264. Bowling: Agarkar 10-1-54-2, Prasad 10-1-78-0, Siddique 8-0-48-1, Sanghvi 10-0-57-1, Sriram 1-0-9-0, Sodhi 6-1-41-0, Kanitkar 3-0-20-0, Ramesh 0.1-0-1-0. PTI |
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Waugh to get security cover Sydney, February 15 A team of 14 Australian security personnel has reportedly arrived in Mumbai and would be accompanying the Australian squad on all its three Tests and eight limited-over games tour engagements. Reg Dickason is to head the Australian security posse and has ample previous experience of the security scenario on the subcontinent. He was responsible for Waugh’s security when the Australian cricketer had made an appearance in front of special sitting of Lahore High Court in September 1998. Waugh was required to appear at that sitting to depose against former Pakistani captain Salim Malik who was suspended for life by the Pakistan cricket authorities for his alleged involvement in the match-fixing racket. Dickason has also accompanied the Australians on two tours to Sri Lanka that is considered to be a security risk by cricketers and administrators here. Dickason, who manages a company called Business Loss Prevention in Brisbane, is considered to be a Southeast Asia expert. Waugh is said to be facing potential threats of physical harm from certain quarters in India. He has also been under suspicion for his alleged involvement with illegal bookmakers from the subcontinent. One such bookmaker Mukesh Kumar Gupta had alleged in his deposition to India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that the cricketer had accepted $20,000 from him in Hong Kong in 1994 to provide some team information. In spite of assurances from CBI and other Indian investigation agencies, Australians have apprehensions that Waugh may be required to appear before some police authorities investigating the cricket bribery scandal. If that happens Dickson and his team of security personnel would accompany Waugh to the interview venue. “I am here just for a general security overview. It is more of a liaison role with local authorities to assist with ground security and that sort of thing,” Dickson told reporters at Hong Kong airport Wednesday night. According to The Australian newspaper, Dickason’s company specialises not only in weapons and celebrity security but also in much more serious operations like rescues and tactics in hostile territory. Various governments, businesses and wealthy people have utilized his expertise in the past. One of his rescue operations, according to newspaper, involved rescuing the daughter of a rich Asian businessman from the clutches of kidnappers. Australian authorities are not foreseeing any such event happening during the cricket team’s Indian tour. What they are more worried is mobs of cricket crazy fans hanging around cricketers wherever they go. Waugh has been denying this allegation. He denied knowing Gupta when his photograph was shown to him in Melbourne recently at a meeting by the anti-corruption unit of International Cricket Council (ICC). Greg Mellick, special investigator of Australian Cricket Board (ACB), headed the three-man interview panel. IANS |
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Waugh not worried about pitches Mumbai, February 15 The Australians arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport here late last evening to play a three-Test match and five one-day international series. Steve Waugh, who addressed the Press along with vice-captain Adam Gilchrist, coach John Buccanan and Manager Steve Vernard, said, “this is a vital series for both the teams”. He added, “the two warm-up matches before the first Test gives us the good opportunity to try all the 14 players who are in with the chance to make it to the final 11 in the first Test to be played in Mumbai”. When asked about the type of pitches he expected in India, the Australian captain replied that he was not too concerned about them adding that they would be pretty flat and slow and take little bit of spin. However, he said, “we have the ammunition for all types of pitches and we will have to play well to win irrespective of the pitches”. On the absence of Anil Kumble, Waugh said, “Kumble is a vital link and he will be missed by India. However, I am sure, India will find some replacement for him and we will have to concentrate on who is playing”. When asked whether the recent tours to Pakistan and Sri Lanka would help the team in India, Steve replied in the negative saying, “the conditions over here are different and we will be playing a different team”. Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist termed this tour as a terrific challenge. He, however, added that the recent winning streak has given them a lot of confidence to do well in India On seven of the Australian squad not having played a test in India, Gilchrist said, “even though the players do not have Test experience in India, majority of them have had some sought of experience of playing in India. They will have to take this on board with us and make the maximum of it”. On the absence of Brett Lee, Gilchrist said, “it is disappointing, but this is a great opportunity for other bowlers to come good”.
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We will play aggressively: Gilchrist Mumbai, February 15 “We have to bat, bowl and field aggressively to beat the Indians on their home soil and if we play to a plan I don’t see why we can’t win both the Test series and the
one-dayers here,” he said. “Last time around we won the one-day series but could not win the Test series and we were a little disappointed but this time we have come well prepared to win both,” Gilchrist told reporters at the Foster’s (official sponsors of the Australian team) press meet here. Gilchrist, also the lone wicket-keeper in the squad, and fast bowler Damien Fleming represented the Australian team at the function while the others decided to take much-needed rest in their hotel. Queried about CBI’s decision not to question Mark Waugh about his alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal, Gilchrist said: “As our skipper Steve Waugh said soon after the team’s arrival yesterday we are all relieved. Mark is a key member of the team and obviously we don’t want him to be in any sort of pressure before an important series”. On West Indies batsman Brian Lara’s statement that he was the target of Aussie sledging during the recent series which the Australians won handsomely, Gilchrist said it was all in good spirit and there was no animosity. Asked whether the Australians would be
targeting any of the Indians for special treatment (sledging), Gilchrist said “none”. “In fact, we would like to get the Indians out as fast as possible so that we can put pressure on them all the time,” he added. Fleming, who, along with their bowling spearhead Glenn McGrath, forms one of the best new ball attacks in the world, said the only way to beat the Indians would be to play aggressively. “I have had some happy memories here and I think the best way to get on top of the Indians is to play aggressively from the word go because once you give them (Indians) room to settle down they are capable of turning things around,” he added. Asked whether he had any set plan to bowl to Indian batsmen, Fleming said: “I have many but I cannot discuss it with you”. “Whatever plans we have we would like to implement them on the field,” he added. When asked what he enjoyed doing most apart from bowling his heart out for his country, Fleming said “sipping Fosters beer” with a mischievous smile. After the team landed yesterday skipper Steve Waugh had said he would like to use the first two three-day games at Nagpur (against India-A from February 17 to 19) and Mumbai (against Ranji champions Mumbai from February 22 to 24) to get acclimatised to the heat and bounce of the pitches before the Test series. Asked how he felt to be part of a team with a record breaking 15 Tests in a row, Gilchrist said “great”. On arrival here last night, skipper Steve Waugh had admitted that it would be a tough tour as the Indians are hard to beat on their home soil. The Australians will fly to Nagpur later today and have net practice at the Vidarbha Cricket Association
(VCA) tomorrow morning. PTI |
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11 selected for MRF academy Chennai, February 15 Lillee, who periodically visits the foundation to train the boys, said the 11 players were selected from a list of 40 boys in the age group of 16 to 19 from all over the country who underwent selection trials for a week. The shortlisted boys who would under pre-season training along with other trainees are : Abhishek Choudhry, Jaikush Hoon (both Delhi), Haresh Puri (Amritsar), Uday Karkera (Mumbai), Tej Govind (Punjab), Shiv Shankar Rao (Jharkhand), Siddarth Trivedi, Irfan Patan (both Baroda), Baburao Yadav (Maharashtra), C. Atram (Vidarbha) and K.S. Veeranan (Chennai). Lillee said based on the improvement shown by these 11 boys, a few would be absorbed as full time trainees in the foundation. Lillee said three trainees — Sumit Panda, Sriram Kannan and Santosh Saxena — have graduated from the foundation, while Zaheer Khan is being retained for monitoring purposes. Lillee said for the first time the English cricket board has deputed two bowlers — David Harrison and Garry Ramsen — from their academy along with its coach Andy Pick and Ian Hunter from Durham county. They underwent training and eulogised all the modern, techno-based facilities being provided at the foundation. Besides, the Sri Lankan board had also sent three of its most promising bowlers — Chanaka Welagedera, Charitha Buddhika and Omesh Wijesiriwardena — along with their fast bowling coaches Rumesh Ratnayake and Champaka Ramanayake for training. On the current bunch of trainees in the foundation, Lillee said he was very happy over the improvement gained by Tinu Yohanan, G. Chaitra, Prashant Chandran and Shalabh Srivastava who excelled in this year’s domestic matches. He was all praise for Chaitra, who toured Bangladesh with Australian Cricket Academy (ACA) as part of the academy team’s annual overseas tour. Chaitra performed diligently and former Aussie wicket-keeper Rod Marsh, who was the head coach of ACA, was very much impressed with his ability and performance and opined that the “future of Indian cricket is looking brighter.’’
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Air-India blank Gujarat 15-0 Chennai, February 15 In group C matches, Uttar Pradesh defeated Manipur 3-2 while Orissa beat Namdhari 2-1. Hamzmuztaba top scored with five goals for Air-India, while Sanjit Kumar and Toshan Tete ((scored) four each and KKS Parihar and Deepak Kumar were the other scorers. In the Orissa-Namdhari match, the first half remained barren. Orissa, who held an upper hand for a brief period, drew first blood in the 53rd minute through Binay Prakash Kujur but four minutes later Gurcharan Singh (57th min) found the equaliser. Orissa continued to raid the rival citadel and scored the winner through Anil Kumar Ekka, with their ninth penalty corner in the 62nd minute. Manipur went into the lead through Chitaranjan Singh in the very first minute of play against Uttar Pradesh. The teams were 1-1 during the break. Crossing over, Manipur increased the lead through Dijen Singh (45th). But SHV Mishra equalised off a penalty corner in the 62nd minute and Sanjiv Kumar Singh (66th min) put the issue beyond doubt for Uttar Pradesh. In group ‘E’ Punjab beat Delhi 4-3. At half-time the teams were level 1-1. PTI |
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Resume India-Pak sports ties: Aslam Bhopal, February 15 “This will ultimately help Indian players whose morale gets a boost by defeating that country”, he told reporters here. Cautioning against the “psychological bug” being rooted in Indian cricket and hockey players following suspension of matches with the neighbouring country, he said “it is cowardice that we are not accepting Pakistan’s challenge to play with India anywhere in the world”. This would have a demoralising impact on the country’s young generation, he said adding that “we are giving wrong signals as if we are afraid of that country” which was
benefiting their sportsmen. Sher Khan, who is also Madhya Pradesh Nationalist Congress Party president, said fundamentalist forces from both sides did not want inter-action between India and Pakistan at any level. However, the sports’ motto of fraternity should be kept alive at any cost, he added. Pointing out that any sports event between India and Pakistan was of special interest to players as well as people of both the countries, Sher Khan said this spirit could be availed for developing a “killer instinct” in Indian players. “It is very unfortunate that our players are deprived of the opportunity to play with Pakistan with whom they fight with a strong will to win”, he regretted. If India were to emerge as a sports power, it had to be prepared to contest with any country, keeping aside political and diplomatic differences, he said citing instances of matches between Australia and New Zealand and South Korea and North Korea.
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Leander Paes, Bhupathi to be star attractions Chandigarh, February 15 Mr Kashyap said this kind of tournament was being held under the auspices of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP Tour) having its headquarters at Florida (USA) and the All-India Tennis Association. As many as 32 players will figure in the main draw for singles, of which 20 direct entries are to be given on the basis of ATP points, eight qualifiers and four wild cards. The doubles will have 16 teams. Dr Vece Paes of Paes En Sport, who was also present today, said qualifying rounds will begin on February 17 at 10 am and the main draws would be held the next day. Mr M. Ramsekhar, Secretary, CLTA, and event director of the meet said the tournament was being organised in collaboration with Paes En Sport, Calcutta, one of India’s top level sports promotion companies. He told that Sunil Kumar at (17), who belongs to Chandigarh will also feature along with national junior No 3 Amanjot Singh, also of Chandigarh. Mr G C Daga, General Manager, IOC said since the IOC was trying to promote sports, they expected positive returns from this mega event. Nearly Rs 10 lakh will be put for the sponsorship out of a total budget of nearly Rs 30 lakh with host of co- sponsors. This was the second leg of the tournament, with the first leg already in progress in Mumbai. The top players from abroad expected to take part included Frantisek Cermak of the Czech Republic (234 points), Jamie Delgado (Great Britain-237 points), Artem Derepasko of Russia (288 points), among others. |
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Mahindra United, SBT split points Thiruvananthapuram, February 15 At the flood-lit Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium here, striker M.A. Abdul Hakkim scored both the goals for SBT. Frontliners Manjit Singh and Raman Vijayan netted for the Mumbai side. The teams had levelled 1-1 at half-time. It was a well-contested tussle which produced some entertaining fare. Both teams were evenly matched in all departments of the game, and the draw appeared a correct index of the tempo of the proceedings. With the day’s result, Mahindras collected seven points from as many matches (one win, four draws and two losses) while SBT with four points (four draws and 3 losses) remain at the bottom of the league table. SBT drew first blood, 25 minutes after the kick-off. A snap raid by medios Shabeer Ali and Lanal Thomas saw the ball being forwarded to striker Ignatius whose deft through-pass found Hakkim outsprinting a stranded Mahindra defence and rifling the ball into the net. The joy of the SBT fans was, however, shortlived, as Mahindras levelled matters within three minutes. Off a throw-in, skipper Akhil Amari lobbed the ball to Raman Vijayan whose header was driven home by Manjit Singh with an angular placement. Mahindras forged ahead three minutes after resumption when Raman Vijayan headed home a cross-field lofted ball from medio Venkatesh, SBT, however, found the equaliser 10 minutes later through Hakkim who trapped a free-kick taken by Lanel Thomas and strode into the box to score. Tollygunge held KOLKATA:
Local outfit Tollygunge Aggragami, struggling to find their peak form, held Vasco to a goalless draw at the Rabindra Sarovar stadium. Both teams played their hearts out but failed to break the deadlock in a match which seldom rose to great heights. Tollygunge, who have generally relied on a defensive game under coach Amal Dutta, had themselves to blame for not collecting full points as their forwards squandered a number of opportunities in both sessions.
UNI, PTI FC Kochin
win KOCHI: Formidable FC Kochin, who had missed out on some vital points with two consecutive draws in earlier matches, got their act together defeating JCT, Phagwara 1-0 here. Liberian striker Aaron Cole, coming back after one-match suspension for two yellow cards against ITI, Bangalore, was the hero for the home team when he banged the match winner in the 75th minute. With this match FC Kochin have topped the 12-team league with 15 points (four wins, three draw).
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Coe is a snob, says Christie London, February 15 Christie, who won 100m Olympic gold in 1992 and the world title in 1993, was responding to an article by Lord Coe, who was ennobled after he lost his seat in the 1997 general election, in which he questioned the sprinter’s credentials as a role model to young athletes. Writing in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Coe, himself a double Olympic champion in the 1980s, blasted Christie, whose two-year suspension for a positive drug test ended yesterday, for recently describing British athletics as “corrupt.” Christie said he had been “shocked” at the outspoken attack by Coe - now a senior aide to the Conservative Opposition leader William Hague. The sprinter said he regarded an accusation by Coe that during a British athletics team meeting he had made himself deliberately unintelligible to “all but those with a passing knowledge of jive” as carrying a “racial connotation”. “Maybe it is because Seb feels he is more upper class than I am. Isn’t ‘jiving’ a racial slur?” Christie told BBC Radio 4’s today programme. “I am ashamed for Seb Coe. He is supposed to be Lord Coe. Maybe he was not getting the recognition from judo that he wanted,” he added in an apparent jibe at his martial arts sessions with Hague. “I didn’t go to Loughborough University. That is why I get on so well with people. “I feel pretty disappointed because I felt Seb and I were friends and I have nothing to say to Seb any more,” he added. Christie had been a bit more diplomatic in an earlier interview with the Independent newspaper today. “I’m so shocked,” Christie said. “I’ve known Seb for 15 years and I thought we got on okay. I spoke to him at the Olympics in September and things were fine. “I can’t see his motive. If he felt that way why didn’t he say so earlier? Maybe Seb wasn’t all that everyone thinks he is,” he added. Christie said in an earlier interview he would not want his children to enter the sport. But in a hard-hitting retort Coe, who competed in the same British team as Christie for six years, claimed Christie should take a long hard look at himself before criticising officialdom. Christie, however, countered by drawing a distinction between the two former Olympic champions and their current contributions to the sport in which the sprinter coached Katherine Merry and Darren Campbell, both of whom won Olympic medals last year while Coe is a director of a promotions company. “I am not aware of Seb Coe coaching any potential
Olympic champions,” he said. AFP |
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Fans grumble over tickets Tokyo, February 15 “I think it’s pretty much impossible that I’ll get a ticket,” said Koichi Yoshida, a 25-year-old man queuing outside FIFA’s official World Cup shop in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. “The number available is very limited.”
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Brazil’s Junior Baiano banned Rio De Janeiro, February 15 But the Vasco da Gama player, who was ever present for Brazil at the 1998 World Cup in France, proclaimed his innocence after hearing the decision of a Brazilian sports disciplinary tribunal. “I’m a victim because I don’t use cocaine or any drug,” said Junior Baiano, who has had an often turbulent career and has not played for his country since the last World Cup. Baiano, who won the last of his 24 international caps in Brazil’s 3-0 World Cup final defeat against France, failed the doping test following the replayed second leg of the Joao Havelange Cup final between Vasco da Gama and Sao Caetano on January 18. Reuters |
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Punjab beat UP Chandigarh, February 15 Results: Orissa b West Bengal 18-10 (half time 6-4) winners-Reena 8, Pradipiti 6; losers-B. Paul- four goals; MP b Maharashtra 20-17( half time 8-8) winners-Anjleena 6, Neeta 5, Pushpa 4; losers-Jayashri Naik 7, Chitra 4, AP b Bihar 22-10 (half time-12-6); winners-Bhawani 9, PS Swarupa 7; losers-Bharti 3, Kerala b Chandigarh 15-8 ( half time 8-6) winners-Usha 7, Mini 4, Deepa 3; losers-Mandeep 4, UP b J&K 16-6 (half time-13-4) Jyoti Singh 6, Aarti5; losers-Reenu 3, Manipur b Delhi 20-12 (half time 6-4) winners-Sandhya Rani 5, Surbala 5, KSH Baby 3, losers- Reva, Sushma, Sunit and Sushma 2 each. Earlier in other matches of the day, Punjab beat UP 20-5; Delhi b Karnataka 18-2; Maharashtra beat Bihar at 26-13; Haryana beat J&K 20-5. |
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AIFF seeks release
of Bhutia Kolkata, February 15 Baichung has been asked to join the Indian camp from March 25. The AIFF sources said here the probables for the Indian coaching camp would be announced after a discussion with AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, secretary Alberto Colaco and coach Sukhvinder Singh. Venues of the coaching camps would also be announced soon. All three pre-World Cup home matches would be played at Bangalore. |
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