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Friday,
May 4, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Linghui,
Swedish veterans survive close calls Soccer: India face
uphill task against Yemen Gibbs’ century helps South Africa to 8-wkt
victory Why Shoaib missed
flight to London Two-Test series no
fun, says Akram |
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Cricket academy coach issue
settled Quitting tennis good decision, says Borg Valencia hold Leeds
United Chinese Taipei, India share
honours Boxer Gurcharan to be
declared absconder Jyoti cards sub par round
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Linghui,
Swedish veterans survive
close calls Osaka, May 3 Elsewhere in the men’s draw, cheered by a chorus of Vikings and in one case perhaps assisted by whatever Norse deity governs table tennis, Sweden’s veteran stars also won through to the last 16. Jorgen Persson, the 1991 world singles champion, had the far closer call, only defeating France’s Jean-Philippe Gatien after a hefty slice of good fortune. At 19-19 in the fifth game, Persson saw two successive underhit shots strike the net and creep over, clinching the tie to the dismay of his helpless opponent. Gatien, who pronounced himself “devastated,” sank his head to his chest at the final point and had to be gently prodded by the Swede to notice the traditional post-match hand proferred to shake. Persson’s long-time Swedish teammate Jan-Ove Waldner had a slightly easier day, defeating Germany’s Peter Franz 3-1, setting up a fourth round tie against dangerous eighth seed Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus. Of the other Chinese stars, No 1 seed Wang Liqin was also taken to five games by Poland’s Lucjan Blaszczyk, although he won the deciding fame with ease. Third-ranked Ma Lin and joint fifth seeds Liu Guoliang and Liu Guozheng, all of China, progressed with more to spare. In the women’s draw China’s young table tennis stars booked five of eight women’s singles quarterfinals places today, handing out along the way a lesson to ageing former compatriots now playing in exile. In the biggest upset China’s Lin Ling (24) ejected 32-year-old Chen Jing, the 1988 Olympic singles champion for China but now playing for bitter regional rival Taiwan. The Chinese 11th seed crushed her fouth-seeded opponent 3-0 in less than half an hour, later crediting the victory to tactical plans she had made the previous night. In another last-16 tie, 21st-seeded Niu Jianfeng of China beat Luxembourg’s Ni Xia Lian, another former compatriot, now aged 37. China’s third seed Zhang Yining also advanced at the expense of a former countrywoman, albeit a younger one, Singapore’s 19-year-old Li Jia Wei, who left her home nation aged just 15. China’s Wang Liqin and partner Yan Sen won a hard-fought battle against Taiwan’s Chiang Peng-Lung and Chang Yun-Shu to set up an all-Chinese men’s doubles final against Kong Linghui and Liu Guoliang. Wang and Yan were taken to five games before prevailing 21-18 21-10 15-21 17-21 21-19 in their semifinal. Kong and Liu demolished South Korea’s Kim Taek-soo and Oh Sang-Eun 21-18 21-11 21-16.
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Soccer: India face uphill
task against Yemen Dubai, May 3 Bhutia, who was shown yellow card twice in India’s 0-1 loss to the UAE last Friday, will miss the crucial match which India desperately need to win to keep their hopes of qualifying for the next phase alive. India have never made it to the second round of qualifiers. Yemen, who drew 1-1 with India in their previous match at Bangalore last month, are sitting atop the Group 8 table with seven points from three matches having won two and drawn one. The UAE with six points are second in the table followed by India with four points from their three matches. Vice-captain I.M.Vijayan, who will lead India in the absence of Bhutia, said the team was in an upbeat mood and had put the loss to the UAE behind. He was confident of a victory despite the absence of their star player. “We are not under-estimating the Yemeni team though they are not rated as high as the UAE. This is a very crucial match for us. However, we have an excellent co-ordination and all our players are fully fit and confident. We will go all out for a win,” Vijayan told PTI over phone from the Yemeni capital. Bhutia’s expulsion by Malaysian referee Abdul Hamid Halim had sent the team’s plans in total disarray. The decision was questioned by the Indian camp with Bhutia himself suspecting ‘foul play’. “Everybody knows what happened in that match. It was a fifty-fifty mistake from both sides in the second incident. I suspect some foul play behind the referee’s decision,” he had said. However, coach Sukhvinder Singh said the team had reworked its strategy and was ready to face Yemen. “Bhutia is our ace card and his loss will reflect in the performance of the team. But soccer is a team game and our team is fully capable of overcoming the setback with its expertise,” Sukhwinder said. “The entire team is aware of the importance of the match against Yemen and we will clinch victory,” he said. The Indian team reached Sa’ana on May 1 but the Indian embassy in Yemen was not informed about it.
PTI |
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Gibbs’ century helps South Africa to 8-wkt victory St John’s (Antigua), May 3 Gibbs hit 104 yesterday as South Africa levelled the best-of-seven one-day series 1-1. Chasing a modest 220 for eight on a good batting pitch, the tourists lost opener Gary Kirsten (5) with just 11 runs on the board. But Gibbs and Jacques Kallis responded with a record South African second-wicket partnership of 179 from 37 overs to take their team to the brink of victory. Gibbs made a cautious start before exploding into action against first-change bowler Nixon McLean. McLean’s first two overs cost 25 runs and included a remarkable six after Gibbs charged down the wicket to the fast bowler. Gibbs completed his fourth one-day century with another pair of sixes against part-time spinner Marlon Samuels. A replacement ball was needed after one of the sixes left the stadium over deep square leg. Kallis reached his half-century from 90 balls. The powerful all-rounder clubbed another part-timer, Chris Gayle, straight over the Richie Richardson stand and into the town centre, which meant a second replacement ball was needed. Gibbs was eventually stumped by Ridley Jacobs off left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell after hitting eight fours and three sixes off 141 balls. With 31 runs required for victory, Jonty Rhodes made light work of the target with an unbeaten 21, while Kallis’s 78 not out from 112 deliveries included five fours and two sixes. Earlier, a half-century from Shivnarine Chanderpaul proved insufficient to rescue the West Indies from a slow start and an even slower middle section of their innings in which they compiled 220 for eight after being put in to bat. The home side reached 51 without loss in the first 15 overs and became even more bogged down when opener Leon Garrick made just 16 runs from 61 balls before running himself out while attempting an impossible single. Fellow opener Chris Gayle was starved of the strike for much of the opening stand. But he completed a solid half-century from 70 balls before mis-timing a Lance Klusener slow ball and handing a catch to Pollock at mid-off for 50. Brian Lara (13) failed to settle against the tight bowling of Allan Donald and Kallis and fell to another slow ball from Klusener, with Pollock holding his second catch at mid-off. Chanderpaul was in sublime form, however, striking Klusener for a pair of sixes over mid-on and mid-wicket before smashing Donald for a third six back over the bowler’s head. Hooper scored at better than a run a ball, riding his luck to reach 48 from 46 balls with four boundaries and another straight driven six, this time off Kallis. Chanderpaul was the victim of another misunderstanding between the batsmen. Hooper wisely refused a second run as Boeta Dippenaar’s throw from the cover boundary left Chanderpaul 10 yards out of his crease. Chanderpaul’s 60 came off just 54 balls and contained two fours and three sixes. Hooper then sliced a slower ball from Pollock high to Justin Ontong at extra cover, while Marlon Samuels (3) was run out after playing the ball straight to Rhodes at backward point. Rhodes trotted in to remove the bails and complete the third run out of the innings. Two further wickets fell in the final over, with Kallis bowling Neil McGarrell (3) and McLean falling first ball to a Gibbs catch at extra cover. The series now moves to Grenada, where the two teams will play back-to-back matches on Saturday and Sunday, before further games in Barbados, Trinidad and St Vincent. Scoreboard West Indies: Garrick run out (Kallis) 16 Gayle c Pollock b Klusener 50 Lara c Pollock b Klusener 13 Chanderpaul run out
Hooper c Ontong b Pollock 48 Jacobs not out 13 Samuels run out (Rhodes) 3 McGarrell b Kallis 3 McLean c Gibbs b Kallis 0 Dillon not out 1 Extras: (b-1 lb-4 nb-3 w-5) 13 Total: (for 8 wkts, 50 overs) 220 Fall of wickets: 1-63, 2-80, 3-104, 4-190, 5-208, 6-214, 7-218, 8-218. Bowling: Pollock 10-1-34-1, Telemachus 9-0-50-0, Donald 10-0-40-0, Kallis 10-1-38-2, Klusener 5-0-28-2, Ontong 6-0-25-0. South Africa: Gibbs st Jacobs b
Kirsten b Cuffy 5 Kallis not out 78 Rhodes not out 21 Extras: (lb-2 w-2 nb-9) 13 Total: (for 2 wkts, 45.5 overs) 221 Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-190. Bowling: Dillon 6.5-0-39-0, Cuffy 10-1-27-1, McLean 4-0-40-0, McGarrell 10-0-34-1, Hooper 10-1-42-0, Samuels 3-0-21-0, Gayle 2-0-16-0.
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Why Shoaib missed flight to London Islamabad, May 3 Pakistan media today dealt at length, speculating reasons behind Akhtar, who was supposed to leave for England along with his 16 other teammates, missing the flight. Is it stomach disorder as stated by PCB, the politics within the team or a ploy by the board to spare its ace bowler from adverse media limelight on his arrival there? It is a mix of all three reasons, media reports said. Dubbed the “Rawalpindi Express”, the 25-year-old showed immediate signs that his controversial and perennially injury-prone career was heading for troubled waters as he stayed back because of stomach upset which caused dehydration, said the ‘Dawn’. Although the excuse looks flimsy, far from any logic and sense, at least that is what PCB wants everyone to believe, the paper said. Shoaib has not appeared in a competitive match since the Dunedin one-dayer against New Zealand where he hobbled off the ground with a hamstring injury. The bowler had also failed to complete last year’s tour of the West Indies while his last first-class match was 15 months ago when he played for Pakistan in the third and final cricket Test against Sri Lanka at Karachi, said the newspaper. ‘Dawn’ also said skipper Waqar Younis, who was against the inclusion of veteran allrounder Wasim Akram in the team, had also opposed the selection of Shoaib which resulted in war of words between the two players. Waqar opposed Shoaib’s selection on the ground that the fast bowler was not fully fit. PTI |
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Two-Test series no fun, says Akram London, May 3 “I don’t know why we agreed to it or why the England and Wales Cricket Board offered it to us,” Akram told reporters after the team’s arrival last night for a two-month tour of England. “Although England won in Pakistan, we won the last three series here and we have more supporters here than anybody else. So it would have been a full house for a Test series of five matches.” “It is not an insult, but it won’t be any fun. The first game, you’re just getting into it, the second Test you are just picking up and then there is no third match — we will be on our way home. That’s what I think, that is what everybody else is thinking,” Akram said. Pakistan will play two Tests against England and participate in a triangular one-day series also featuring Australia. Akram, whose inclusion in the team was objected to by Waqar Younis, attempted to play down the differences with his captain. “There is no problem between us — we were able to fly together for seven hours,” he said. Meanwhile, team manager Yawar Saeed said speedster Shoaib Akhtar will join the team later on the tour. Shoaib did not accompany the team due to a stomach problem and will miss Pakistan’s tour opener against British Universities starting in Nottingham tomorrow.
PTI |
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Cricket academy coach issue
settled New Delhi, May 3 Chief coach Yashpal Sharma was not ready to acknowledge the presence of former Test player Gursharan Singh as the fifth coach of the North Zone academy in the absence of any written communication from the NCA chairman, as he had been given the names of only Chetan Sharma, Surinder Khanna and Rajinder Amarnath as coaches. But DDCA sports secretary Sunil Dev, who is also the convenor of the NZNCA, confirmed that Mr Raj Singh agreed to the appointment of Gursharan Singh as the fifth coach at the Board’s expense. Mr Raj Singh, who visited the academy at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground today along with BCCI consultant Geoff Marsh, gave a pep talk to the boys, and exhorted them to work hard to make their mark in their chosen sport. He was pleased with the arrangements as well as facilities provided at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground. Geoff Marsh was also happy with the facilities provided to the trainees and coaches. He gave vital tips to the trainees and the five coaches, and asked them to make optimum use of the two-month session to fine tune themselves for bigger things ahead. A squall, followed by light rain, turned the weather from oppressive to pleasant, which gave a boost to the attitude of the trainees and coaches. |
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Itinerary for Lanka tour Mumbai, May 3 India, who tour Sri Lanka from July 15 to September 3, will play a triangular one-day series with New Zealand as the third team apart from the three Tests. The Sri Lankan tour will follow India’s tour to Zimbabwe from May 28 to July 7. The Test matches will be played from August 14 to 18 (Galle), August 22 to 26 (Kandy) and August 29 to September 2 (Colombo). PTI |
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Quitting tennis good decision, says Borg Mumbai, May 3 “I still think that was a very good decision and when I stopped playing competitive tennis, it was a right step”, he said when asked what his feelings were when he quit from tennis at a young age. “However, soon after I realised there was life outside tennis which was more challenging as you keep learning every day and I think I took the right decision to quit at 26”, Borg said while speaking to Indian Davis Cup player Vijay Amritraj at a talk show organised by the Cricket Club of India (CCI) here last night. Borg said when he was a junior player he used to behave very badly on the court. Borg, who is known for keeping a cool head even when things were not going his way, said “I would swear at my opponents, cheat and break racquets when I was a junior”. “All that stopped when at Stockholm club, where I played near my house, officials complained to parents and suspended me for six months. Without tennis I was very very sad and I was more disappointed with my behaviour. So when I returned to playing I never opened my mouth after that incident”, he said. Meanwhile, Former Indian Davis Cup player Vijay Amritraj’s match against John Lloyd of England was postponed due to former’s hand injury even as Henri Leconte of France rallied magnificiently to pip Lloyd 6-2 6-3 10-7 (legends tie-break) in a blue group league match of the Tata Tennis Legends Tournament at the CCI courts here today. PTI |
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Valencia hold Leeds United Leeds (England), May 3 Valencia, now in the driving seat for the home leg next week, enjoy a 100 per cent record from their five previous European semifinals including qualifying for last season’s Champions League final. The Spanish side were reinforced by the return of Argentina’s Kily Gonzalez and Fabian Ayala, who missed Saturday’s 1-0 win over Real Valladolid in the Spanish league. They faced a Leeds side still underdogs in the tournament despite conquering Lazio and Barcelona in earlier rounds. David O’Leary’s side went straight on the attack and dead ball specialist Ian Harte had a curling free-kick palmed over the bar.
Reuters |
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Chinese Taipei, India share honours New Delhi, May 3 The 48kg senior section saw Chen Lian Ting of Chinese Taipei set an Asian record bagging the gold with 166 points in the squat position to finish overall with 410. Her performance paled into insignificance Vidya Karve’s effort of 320 in the same category. India’s Siji K. Lagged behind in the dead lift round but made up in the squat to finish first with 375 points in the 52kg women senior section and rlegate Y. Mendignitia of the Philipinnes to the second place with 220 points. In the 44kg category, India’s Surekha Naik with a total of 325 finished second behind Chen Wei Ling of Chinese Taipei (370) after the completion of the squat, bench press and dead lift rounds in the women’s senior section. Shilpi Agarwal (44kg, sub-junior), Minti Gogoi (48kg sub-junior) and Pushplata Singh (52kg sub-junior) got gold in their respective categories. Sirant Oxana of Kazakstan won the gold in the 44kg women junior section. In the 52kg junior category, Chinese Taipei earned both the first and second places with Chen Mei Chun and Chou Yi Ju bagging 390 and 380 points respectively. India’s B. Irin finished third with 305 points. Hsiesh Shao Mei of Chinese Taipei scored 145-62.5-150 to aggregate 357.5 in the 48kg women junior section. The second berth was booked by VSNL Renuka of India who tallied 330. PTI |
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Boxer Gurcharan to be declared absconder Patiala, May 3 Army sources reveal that Gurcharan, who is employed as a Subedar with the Army, will be proceeded against by his unit’s Commanding Officer shortly. Gurcharan is on a `paper posting’ with the Army, which means that like all other sportspersons employed by the Services, Gurcharan has been assigned a unit but has not been asked to report for work. Officials from the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) have also started making inquiries from the NIS authorities here regarding the whereabouts of the boxer. Once he is officially declared an absconder, the Army authorities will write to the Ludhiana police to trace his whereabouts. Gurcharan, who just about missed entering the medal round in the Sydney Olympics, is a resident of Machhiwara township in Ludhiana district. It may be recalled that Gurcharan, one of the finest boxers produced in the country, was attending a preparatory camp at the NIS prior to the team’s departure for a competition cum training stint in the Czech Republic which was scheduled to be held in February. However, the pugilist reached New Delhi along with the other team members but `disappeared’ from there without confiding in anybody, leaving his friends and family members flummoxed. The Army authorities have reason to worry because Gurcharan, if he does not come back from the USA where he is said to be putting up, will be the third Indian boxer to have been
declared an absconder. Earlier, noted pugilists Devinder Thapa and Lakha Singh, defected to the USA after competing in the International Military Games held in Atlanta (USA), where both have reportedly turned professionals. The authorities have also established contact with officials of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) to locate the pugilist but have met with little success. |
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Jyoti cards sub par round Macau, May 3 Winner of Hero Honda Masters, Jyoti carded two under par 69 to be at seventh place as Taiwan’s Yeh Wei-tze navigated the tight fairways of the course with one unflinching drive after another to take the lead with four under 67 score. Gaurav Ghei hit one over 72 to be placed joint 28th while nine other Indians were way down the leaderboard. Arjun Atwal and Amritinder Singh had identical two over par 73 round and were clubbed at 42nd place with 15 others. Harmit Kahlon, Uttam Mundy and Arjun Singh with three over par 74 rounds were at joint 59th position. Indrajit Bhalotia shot four over 75 to be at joint 78th slot, while Amish Jaitha was at 118th place with seven over 78.
UNI |
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Handball trials Nawanshahr, May 3 |
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A century from opener Herschelle Gibbs helped South Africa to an overwhelming eight-wicket victory in the second one-day international against the West Indies at the Recreation Ground.
Mumbai, May 3
