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Thursday,
June 28, 2001, Chandigarh, India   |
Dravid, Ganguly help India to 4-wkt win
ACU questions Stewart |
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2 indoor matches in Aussie-India
series
Capriati, Serena in 3rd round |
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Anand, Kramnik share
honours China banking on fan
enthusiasm Upset wins for Megha,
Isha
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Dravid, Ganguly help India to 4-wkt
win
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, June 27 Earlier some belligerent middle-order batting from Guy Whittall and Grant Flower helped Zimbabwe to 234 for six after 50 overs. Whittall, with 58 not out, and Flower (45) lifted Zimbabwe to a competitive score as 85 runs were hammered in the last 10 overs. After losing two early wickets, the home side slowly recovered and then accelerated superbly in the latter stages. A partnership of 87 runs for the third wicket between Dion Ebrahim (42) and Craig Wishart (46) built the foundations, with Flower and Whittall providing the late impetus. Zaheer Khan was the pick of the Indian bowlers, finishing with four for 42 from his 10 overs. Play started 15 minutes late because of dew on the outfield, and Indian left-arm opening bowlers Ahish Nehra and Zaheer exploited the early moisture to good effect. For the second time in a row in this series, Indians had a dream start with Zaheer Khan dismissing opener Alistair Campbell and Stuart Carlisle off the first and fifth ball of his first over, the second of the innings. Ebrahim and Wishart then started the damage control exercise but lived dangerously throughout. Ebrahim, when on three, was caught by wicketkeeper Samir Dighe off Agarkar but no one, except the bowler, appealed and the batsman stayed. On nine, Ebrahim got another life when he was dropped by Dinesh Mongia at second slip off Ashish Nehra in the 12th over. Two overs later, Agarkar grounded a tame return catch to give Ebrahim his third life. Ebrahim was engaged in the best third-wicket partnership at the venue with Wishart, the duo raising 87 runs in 25 overs before Wishart was caught by Agarkar off Saurav Ganguly for a well-made 46 off 68 balls with three fours. Ebrahim survived for six more overs before his shaky knock came to an end. He became Zaheer Khan’s third victim, adjudged leg before wicket after making 42 off 110 balls that contained four boundaries. That brought Flower and Whittall together and marked the resurgence of the Zimbabwe innings. Both batsmen were patient in the beginning preferring to settle down before launching the onslaught. Flower was the first to press the accelerator when he came out to Nehra and hit through the off-side in identical fashion for two boundaries. Whittall took a cue and reverse swept Harbhajan twice in the 43rd over for two more fours. Just when Grant Flower’s innings looked like becoming dangerous for the Indians, Virendra Sehwag brought off a stunning air-borne one-handed catch to dismiss the batsman and give Zaheer Khan his fourth wicket. However, the fireworks continued with Whittall, who, taking charge, paced his innings beautifully. Andy Blignaut hit two fours in his his short innings of 11 runs to take the score past the 200-run mark. Whittall, who took 31 balls for his first five runs, came into his own and hit two successive fours in the mid-wicket region in the 47th over off Zaheer Khan. Another two fours in the last over off Agarkar brought up his 50 and enabled his team reach a score in excess of 230. Whittall’s unbeaten 58 came off just 55 balls and contained seven fours. Wicketkeeper Tetinda Taibu remained not out again, the third time in three innings, on two. Scoreboard Zimbabwe: Ebrahim lbw b Zaheer 42 Campbell c Ganguly b Zaheer 2 Carlisle lbw b Zaheer 0 Wishart c Agarkar b Ganguly 46 G.Flower c Sehwag b Zaheer 45 G.Whittall not out 58 Blignaut c Harbhajan b Agarkar 11 Taibu not out 2 Extras (lb-7 nb-12 w-9) 28 Total (for six wickets, 50 overs) 234. Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-7, 3-94, 4-122, 5-184, 6-215. Bowling: Nehra 10-0-31-0 (nb-3, w-2), Zaheer 10-0-42-4 (nb-7, w-4), Agarkar 10-0-55-1 (nb-1, w-2), Harbhajan 9-0-41-0, Ganguly 7-0-39-1, Sehwag 4-0-19-0 (nb-1, w-1). India: Ganguly c Campbell b Flower 85 Tendulkar c Flower b Strang 9 Mongia c Whittal b Mutendera 37 Dravid not out 72 Badani b Flower 0 Shewag c Ebrahim b Flower 2 Dighe c & b Flower 9 Agarkar not out 13 Extras (lb-1, w-7, nb-2) 10 Total (6 wickets 49.2 overs) 237 Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-91, 3-184, 4-187, 5-193, 6-210. Bowling:
Blignaut 10-0-41-0, Strang 10-2-26-1, Friend 9-0-45-0 , Mutendera 8.2-0-52-1, Whittal 4-0-28-0, Flower 8-0-44-4.
PTI |
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ACU questions Stewart London, June 27 Stewart, currently leading the England side in the absence of Nasser Hussain, was interviewed by investigators led by ACU chief Sir Paul Condon, ICC said in a brief statement yesterday. “A report in relation to the allegations against Alec Stewart, will be submitted to the England and Wales Cricket Board,” the statement said. Bookmaker Mukesh Gupta, in his deposition before the CBI, had alleged having given £5000 to Stewart for pitch and weather information during the England tour of India in 1993, a charge the Englishman has denied. Stewart said he might have met Gupta at social gatherings but has never accepted money from him. Gupta has been given a deadline of July 1 by ICC to become a formal approver and come out with evidence to substantiate his allegations made to CBI. Stewart had expressed “total shock” when Gupta’s allegations were made public in the CBI report on betting and match-fixing last November and hoped that his reputation, when he finished playing, would be “a good one not just in England, but throughout the world”.
PTI |
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2 indoor matches in Aussie-India series Sydney, June 27 While the Colonial Stadium at Melbourne will host the first two matches on September 21 and 23, the final will be played at Gabba in Brisbane (Queensland) on September 26, ACB Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed said. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will take a decision on participation in the series at its meeting in Jaipur on July 7. Mr Speed said the series would build on the success of the inaugural indoor series last year in which South Africa were invited to play against the hosts. “The success of Super Challenge 2000 has paved the way for more international cricket out of the traditional summer season. Colonial Stadium is now a proven venue for cricket, while the warmer climate at the Gabba in Queensland provides us with an alternative to take the series to other parts of Australia,” he said. “Australia and India had a terrific battle in India earlier in the year and Super Challenge 2001 will give Australian cricket followers the chance to enjoy the rivalry between these two teams,” he added. Australian captain Steve Waugh, currently in England for the Ashes series, said, he was looking forward to the series. “It’s going to be great for the boys to play on home soil again after tours to India and England and the event should prove an excellent start to the new season”. “Super Challenge 2000 was a superb and innovative event that was a great experience to be involved in. The matches against India, both at Colonial Stadium and at the Gabba promise to be an equally impressive spectacle, especially after the high-quality and closely-fought cricket the two sides produced in India last autumn”, the skipper said. “I know some of the players, like myself, have family commitments around that time and that’s a difficult situation, but both sides, the ACB and the players, understand the other’s point of view. I’m happy we’ve been able to reach an amicable solution that means Australia will field the strongest side available,” Waugh added. In order to prepare Colonial Stadium for the matches, the ACB will again use a “drop-in” pitch to make the transition from a football ground to a surface suitable for international cricket. The pitch will be developed off-site, using similar technology to last year’s event. The Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club, who play at the Gabba, have agreed to move any training session they have scheduled for the ground, should it coincide with the super event, Mr Speed said. The Nine Network will televise the series in Australia.
PTI |
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Anand, Kramnik share honours Mainz, June 27 Anand, who had black in the first game was satisfied with a draw in 35 oves after seeming to hold the upper hand towards the end, and then the two super stars, who were watched by a paying public of over 300 people, agreed to a quick draw in 14 moves in the second game. So the first day of the much-touted duel of the world champions ended with two draws. “It is a 10-game match and there is lots to come. It was a fair enough start,” said Anand at the end of the day. After the first game, which started with the Queen’s Gambit Accepted ended in a draw in 35 moves, the second game was a Berlin defence and with no clear path for either, it also ended in a draw and in just 14 moves and less a than total of 20 minutes. Talking of his first game in which he himself offered the draw though he had some extra pawns, Anand, a Brand Ambassador of the NIIT, said, “The two pawns were dropping off, so it was really a draw situation. “And I thought that was it.” Kramnik sitting next to him, smiled and said. “Professional ethics demand that a draw is offered when the position is clearly headed for a draw.” The two who are quite happy to co-exist as world champions seem to be sharing a fine relationship in what despite no title being at stake is seen as a prestigious match. Earlier Anand and Kramnik after a see-saw battle drew the first game. The first rapid game of the match which saw the two world champions clash for the first time in a match situation since they won their respective titles lasted 35 moves and at the end opinions were divided on who looked better. Many Grandmasters felt Anand held the advantage after he chose to take two pawns for an exchange. But when the two decided to split the point, black (Anand) did have three pawns more but his ‘a’ pawn was going and his ‘d’ pawn was hanging by a slender thread. So maybe Anand felt a draw was a good enough start with black pieces. In the opening, Anand accepted the Gambit offered by Kramnik. In the early stages, as Kramnik drew out his pieces in an aggressive manner, Anand looked a little tentative. As Kramnik castled early on the sixth move itself, his pieces were developing fast. By the 13th move he had assembled his twin rooks and the queen in a menacing position. The rooks were d1 and e1 and the queen on e2. Slowly but steadily, Anand clawed his way back. And in the middle game, there were times when the Indian looked on the better side.
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Paes makes
winning start London, June 27 Paes, the junior Wimbledon champion who entered the main round through the qualifiers, never looked in much trouble and recorded a 6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 victory yesterday. For the 28-year-old Indian, yesterday’s victory was a personal milestone as he had never got past the opening round at the grass courts of Wimbledon. Along with his illustrious partner Mahesh
Bhupathi, Paes plays in the doubles section, while in the mixed doubles, he pairs with Lisa Raymond of the USA. He will meet No 24 seed Nicolas Escude of France in the second round.
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Capriati, Serena in 3rd round
London, June 27 The Italian, ranked 31 places below the fourth seed in the world rankings, was not cowed at the beginning of the match when a ragged Capriati made a string of unforced errors.
The natural order was restored in the second set when Capriati raced to a 5-0 lead before losing her serve when she was in too much of a hurry to clinch victory. But the Schiavone serve succumbed to the Capriati power game again. Fifth seed Serena Williams emerged from a slow start to power past German Barbara Rittner 6-4, 6-0 in the second round. The American was broken in the first game of the match and, although she hit back immediately, world No. 52 Rittner continued to bother her 19-year-old opponent through the opening exchanges. The second set was a procession. Williams claimed the win on her second match point after 55 minutes to set up a third round meeting with Switzerland’s Emmanuelle Gagliardi who beat Kristina Brandi of the USA 6-1, 6-2. American teenager Andy Roddick beat in-form 11th seed Thomas Johansson of Sweden 7-6, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 on his Centre Court debut in Wimbledon’s second round. The 18-year-old, hailed as the future of American tennis and playing his first Wimbledon, ended Johansson’s 11-game winning streak on grass with a power-packed display of serving and forehand drives. Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero squeezed into the third round, beating former semifinalist Jason Stoltenberg 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. The eighth-seeded claycourt specialist had never won a match on grass before this week but looked comfortable enough pounding away from the back on court one. Croatian wildcard Goran Ivanisevic extended what is almost certainly his final fling at Wimbledon into the third round he beat Spain’s Carlos Moya 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. Ivanisevic, three times a losing finalist here in the 1990s, relied on his famed serve to beat the former world No 1 on court 18. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario’s 15th Wimbledon campaign ended in second-round defeat when she was beaten 6-7, 5-7 by American Lilia Osterloh. Wimbledon’s court two, known as the graveyard of champions, took its toll again when the 13th seed, a finalist here in 1995 and 1996 and a former french and US Open winner, bowed out. Former champion Conchita Martinez scraped into the third round edging past 92nd-ranked American Sandra Cacic 7-5, 6-4. The 1994 champion took more than two hours to beat her unheralded opponent, and her frustration was all too evident throughout the court three encounter. Big-serving Briton Greg Rusedski crushed Zimbabwe’s Byron Black 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 today to sweep into the third round at Wimbledon. Rusedski’s groundstrokes and placement were as solid as his famed serve. He fired down 13 aces at Black, a quarterfinalist last year at Wimbledon but utterly frustrated this time by Rusedski’s big guns. Eighth seed Justine Henin of Belgium recovered from a set and 0-3 down to record a battling 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 victory over Dutch qualifier Kristie Boogert in the second round. The 19-year-old, a semifinalist at the French Open, looked in grave danger of following top seed Martina Hingis out of the tournament as she was swamped by Boogert’s booming serve and better grasscourt game in the first set. Virginia Ruano Pascual’s moment of Wimbledon glory came to an abrupt end today when she was beaten 3-6, 6-7 in the second round by Russian teenager Lina Krasnoroutskaya. Spaniard Ruano pPascual, a doubles specialist and baseliner who sensationally knocked out world No. 1 Martina Hingis on the opening day, came unstuck against the 17-year-old Krasnoroutskaya who has a good grasscourt game. Krasnoroutskaya, the world No. 37, took one hour 18 minutes to win through to the third round where she will face Austrian Barbara Schwartz. American Lisa Raymond made short work of Britain’s last woman in the Wimbledon singles, crushing Karen Cross 6-0, 6-1. The gulf in class between the 27th ranked Raymond and Cross, wallowing at 546 in the world, was all too evident on court 13 as the left-handed Briton surrendered without a fight. Cross failed to register on the scoreboard until the 10th game when she finally held serve to love - a feat greeted with wild applause by the crowd. But that was the only consolation she was allowed. Cross netted a return when facing her second match point to lose in only 40 minutes. Raymond next faces eighth-seeded Belgian Justine Henin.
Reuters
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Agassi mum on engagement rumours London, June 27 But he will not talk about his relationship with Steffi Graf. The former number one from Germany watched Agassi from the stands at Centre Court yesterday as the 31-year-old American progressed to the second round at Wimbledon. Graf was pictured on television wearing a gold band on her wedding finger, prompting one reporter to ask Agassi whether he had popped the question to his girlfriend. “Why don’t you think of a question that is your business,’’ retorted Agassi. When told that his fans would love to know the truth, Agassi replied: “I’ll wait ‘til they ask me.’’ Fiercely protective of his privacy beyond the court, Agassi is full of bombast on it. He took everything Peter Wessels, a 23-year-old Dutchman, could throw at him in the first set of their first round match before easing through to win 7-6 6-4 6-4. It was Agassi’s 200th Grand Slam match and the victory took his win-loss record to 163-37. He equalled Boris Becker’s haul of 163 Grand Slam wins in the process. “I feel just as weary now as I did at 19,’’ Agassi said. The Las Vegan raced through the first set tiebreak 7-1, a platform which formed the basis of his victory, but he had been on the back foot for much of the first set. “I got a bit lucky,’’ he said afterwards. He was serving big going into the tiebreaker, but then he missed every first serve in the breaker. It was a crucial time. But I was serving well at that stage and feeling good. I’ve hit a lot of balls recently, always building my confidence on the faster surface, and I felt my strokes were really clean. This is a tough time of the year. It’s like you’re in six weeks of play-offs, because the French Open is so close to Wimbledon. “With the extremes of surfaces, it requires you to bring out every aspect of your game. It can be tiring, but I’m experienced enough to handle it.’’ On the slow clay of Roland Garros earlier this month, Agassi succumbed to Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean in the quarter-finals. Suggestions that watching former USA President Bill Clinton acted as a jinx clearly annoyed Agassi, and he left Paris under a cloud. He flew home immediately and the change seems to have worked. “I needed a few days to kind of regroup from the loss in Paris. It did me good.’’
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China banking on fan enthusiasm Beijing, June 27 “How can this be taking so long?” a distraught college student bellowed, tugging at his crew cut. “Hurry up! Hurry up!” the crowd chanted. Being a sports fan in China’s authoritarian society can be frustrating, but the fans’ enthusiasm is second to none. China hopes their love of sport will count in its favour when the International Olympic Committee selects the host for the 2008 Summer Games on July 13. Beijing is considered the favourite, with Toronto, Paris, Istanbul and Osaka, Japan, also bidding. The Chinese capital claims 94 per cent of its people support the Olympic bid. Many believe that holding the games would show that China is a world power. China’s government doesn’t allow political demonstrations, so sports events offer a rare chance for people to let loose as a crowd. They shout themselves hoarse, revel in the anonymity of the mob and thumb their noses at authority by taunting the police. A soccer World Cup qualifier between China and Cambodia on a recent hot night in Guangzhou showed the exuberance that Chinese fans would likely display at a Beijing Olympics. Police showed how they might act too, locking ticket-holders out of the overcrowded stadium and ordering those inside to sit down and shut up. As at matches all over the world, banner-waving fans paraded in front of the stadium before the game, chanting to the beat of an old bass drum and square-dancing in a circle of applauding onlookers. But there were uniquely Chinese touches. Some fans wore T-shirts bearing the image of revolutionary leader Mao Tse-tung. Many had faces and backs painted the red and yellow of China’s flag. People looking for tickets held aloft $36 -their offered buying price - to attract scalpers. “You take a look at this crowd and tell me whether you think we’ll be enthusiastic for the Olympics? Yes! Yes!” shouted Yan Jili, 19, a self-proclaimed soccer fanatic who pack boxes at shopping mall. Conditions inside the stadium were basic — no announcer, no snacks, no beer sellers, just warm soda. The halftime show consisted of three dozen runners doing a lap of the pitch to pop music. Stony-faced police stationed every three metres around the field motioned to fans to sit and stop shouting. The crowd ignored them. Police couldn’t stop the 20,000 fans from getting out of their seats to do “the wave.” The crowd howled like ambulance sirens when three injured Cambodian players were carried off on stretchers. As China fumbled a series of scoring chances, the crowd turned. “Lets go, Cambodia!” they shouted. “Team China, disband!” Fans shouted “Creeps!” at police armed with truncheons who took up position on the edge of the field as the game ended. Despite winning 3-1, Chinese players were pelted with empty water bottles and trash as they boarded their bus. Chinese authorities worry that such high spirits are bubbling over into hooliganism. Officials have threatened punishment for rowdy behaviour and cursing. Newspapers warn that “uncivilized” conduct could harm Beijing’s Olympic bid. In some cities, fans have attacked players and police and smashed cars and shops. Police have blacklists of rowdy fans who will be barred from buying tickets. Bad behaviour isn’t limited to the stands. Players have been accused of taking payoffs from gambling syndicates and lying about their ages to improve their chances of making the team. In June, four soccer players in China’s professional league were accused of beating a cigarette vendor to death in a drunken brawl. Three have been arrested and police are looking for the fourth.
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Upset wins for Megha,
Isha New Delhi, June 27 In another major upset, Isha Lakhani packed off third-seeded Samrita Sekar 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) to set up a semi-final clash against Megha. Top-seeded Sonal Phadke had yet another extended outing when she was forced to let a lot of sweat before beating Ankita Bhambri 4-6,6-3, 6-2 while fourth-seeded Goutham Sheetal played at her own terms to beat the US-based Laila Shetty 6-3, 6-0. Sonal will meet Sheetal in the other semi-final. Archana’s exit was not exactly surprising as she had not been able to find her rhythm neither in the third leg of the ITF Circuit nor in the Masters that followed. Though it was a close contest in the first set, as after dropping serve in the second, sixth and eighth games Archana broke Megha in the fifth and seventh games, but the latter showed a lot of tenacity when it came to the crunch, to annex the set. She carried on the good work in the second set too, breaking Archana in the ninth game to settle the match in her favour. Isha Lakhani has notched up some impressive wins during the past few days and Samrita’s scalp is the latest trophy collection in her cupboard. After trading breaks in the second and third games, Samrita was broken in the sixth and eighth games as Isha annexed the first set. In the second set, Isha won the first game, and Samrita dropped her serve in the second, when she committed two double faults. Though Isha was broken in the third game, Samrita dropped her serve yet again in the fourth game, as Isha led 3-1. |
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Jennifer
Capriati, her sights set on a third straight Grand Slam triumph, bludgeoned Italy’s Francesca Schiavone into submission 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the third round at Wimbledon.
Capriati, on the comeback trail with titles in Australia and France, took just 58 minutes to win with a heady mixture of explosive groundstrokes and dazzling speed across court.
