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Wednesday,
January 2, 2002, Chandigarh, India 
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Aussies pushing for clean sweep
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Sharjah offers to host
Pak-WI ties BCCI negotiating with ICC on panel Jiri Vanek beats Bhupathi |
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Tim Henman advances to second round Confident HAL take on JCT today E. Bengal meet Churchill Bros Mohinder wins in bank meet
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Aussies pushing for clean sweep Sydney, January 1 With the South Africans already showing signs of cracking under pressure after two heavy defeats in the first two Tests, Waugh said he wants his players to capitalise on the tourists’ fragile state of mind by completing a series clean sweep. “I think their fans back home would be a bit let down with the results so if we can win 3-0 it would certainly put a lot of pressure on them,’’ Waugh said. “We know how high we can raise the bar and we don’t want to drop below that.’’ South African captain Shaun Pollock admitted his players were mentally drained after being outplayed in the first two Tests. One of their star players, all-rounder Lance Klusener, has already been sent home to try and regain his confidence before the one-dayers and the rest of the team is feeling down. Pollock said the Proteas were finding it difficult coming to terms with the nature of their defeat. They came to Australia ranked second in the world behind Waugh’s team and with genuine hopes of winning the series to take the No 1 spot. “We’re a proud sporting nation and we don’t like getting beat,’’ Pollock said. “We know we haven’t played well here. We put too much pressure on ourselves and the guys are really determined to turn it around in this match. “But we also know that talk is cheap and we have to put in a better performance if we want to win.’’ With Klusener already on his way back to Durban, the South Africans are likely to throw left arm spinner Nicky Boje into the Test side even though he only arrived in Australia today. The Sydney Cricket Ground is Australia’s most spin-friendly pitch and both teams are weighing up the options of playing two spinners even though the wicket is unusually grassy and the air thick with smoke from bushfires on the city’s outskirts. With Shane Warne assured of his place, Waugh said Australia were tossing up the idea of adding leg spinner Stuart MacGill to exploit South Africa’s poor record against quality slow bowling but the final decision would not be made until the first day of the match. “Sydney does tend to turn a lot more than other wickets and if it’s dry, I think it’ll probably suit the spinners more so than the quicks...So there’s a good chance Stuart MacGill will play,’’ Waugh said. “But we’ve got 14 or 15 guys that can probably play at any one time and won’t weaken the side so it’s nice to be in that position. “Competition for places in the side is really tough and the guys all know they have to perform to stay in the side. No-one can become complacent because there’s too many good players on the fringes.’’ With the series lost, the South Africans cancelled yesterday’s scheduled practice session and allowed the players to unwind by watching the new year’s eve fireworks display at Sydney Harbour. “I think in any sport you play your best when you’re relaxed and we’ve been too uptight,’’ Pollock said. “But I think the guys are feeling better now. “We know if we lose 3-0 then we’ve been outplayed but we want to make sure that doesn’t happen.’’
Reuters |
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Struggling Klusener flies home Sydney, January 1 Klusener- who made 22, 18, 0 and 7 in the first two Test will leave for Durban today to train at home and spend time with his wife Isobel, who is due to give birth in a month. He will return for the one-day series which starts in Melbourne next week. “It got to the stage where I said to Fordie (South African coach Graham Ford) I’m not doing much good here and I’m not doing you guys any good either,” Klusener told The Daily Telegraph in Sydney. “Fortunately he saw the sense in me going back to South Africa and hitting balls at Kingsmead and just re-grouping for the one-dayers. For me it’s a confidence thing.” South African cricket board Chairman Gerald Majola said Boje had been rushed out in response to a request from the tour selectors. Boje was out of action for six months after shoulder and knee surgery in April. He came back to play in the Test series against India in November but was then ruled out of the Australian tour because of a knee strain unrelated to his surgery. AP Australian captain Steve Waugh said Klusener’s decision to quit the tour was brave but also a sign of the tourists’ psychological scarring.
AP, AFP |
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Sharjah offers to host Pak-WI ties Sharjah, January 1 CBFS Chairman Abdulrehman Bukhatir said Sharjah was ready to host the Pakistan-West Indies matches in keeping with Internation Cricket Council’s suggestion that neutral venues could host matches depending on the security scenario. The Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly asked the West Indies to stick to their tour commitment and, if not in Pakistan, agree to play at a neutral venue like Tangiers (Morocco) or Sharjah. “It is up to Pakistan and the West Indies to discuss this matter and finalise it. We are ready to stage the series here if they come to a decison. But as far as I know, it is just one of the suggestions from Pakistan to the West Indies right now,” Bukhatir was quoted as saying in the ‘Gulf News’. “We have successfully staged one-dayers over the years and so we find no problem in hosting the Test matches,” he said. Bukhatir said it might be difficult to organise the event in Tangiers as the “weather there is not favourable, and if at all a series is to be staged there, it will be possible only after April”. The West Indies are scheduled to reach Pakistan on January 25.
PTI |
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BCCI negotiating with ICC on panel Mumbai, January 1 A BCCI source here today maintained that the board was pursuing the matter in ‘right earnestness’. “It is not proper to say that we are not following up the matter,” the source said adding, BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya was in constant touch with ICC authorities on the issue as the “country’s prestige and pride were involved in it”. The source said the ICC had suggested a few names to head the proposed commission and “further talks are on”. The decision to constitute a commission to go into the entire gamut including the role of controversial match referee Mike Denness was taken after a wave of anger swept through the Indian cricket fraternity over the punishments, particularly the one against batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. The third Test between India and South Africa was declared ‘unofficial’ by the ICC after the two countries sacked Denness and appointed Denis Lindsay as the match referee. After confabulations, a compromise formula was worked out between BCCI President Dalmiya and the ICC leadership.
PTI |
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Dasgupta to focus
on wicketkeeping Jamshedpur, January 1 “Wicketkeeping is more important than batting and I am working hard to improve it,” Dasgupta told reporters. Dasgupta impressed with the bat in the three-Test series against England, aggregating 177 runs from five innings with an average of 44.25, but his keeping left much to be desired.
PTI |
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Jiri Vanek beats Bhupathi Chennai, January 1 Bhupathi’s pathetic display in the first set itself indicated the course of the match. He could not get his first serves in. Jiri’s passing shots left him stunned and stranded. Jiri broke Bhupathi in the first game of the match itself and thereafter Jiri raced to 3-0 lead and that might have broken Bhupathi’s fiancee’s heart too. Bhupathi managed to hold serve in game 4 and just once again in game 8. The Czech challenger broke Bhupathi, again in a prolonged game 5 which the Indian lost despite saving two break points. Even with the home crowd trying to cheer him up Bhupathi could not raise his game. The Czech challenger was at him again breaking him in the first game of the second set and held serve to lead 2-0. Bhupathi held to make it 1-2, but Jiri forged a 3-1 lead. The challenger winner was well on the way to an awfully easy win despite losing game 5, Bhupathi holding serve. Jiri wrapped up the contest breaking Bhupathi again in the 7th game, up 4-2, and holding serve in the eighth. Top seed Argentinian Guillermo Canas subdued unseeded Swiss man George Bastl 6-4, 6-2 to move into the second round, even as unseeded Noam Okun of Israel caused the first upset knocking out eighth seed Kristian Pless of Denmark.
UNI |
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Spain lead, Belgium overcome Italy Perth, January 1 The 30-year-old bludgeoned 119th-ranked Vavrinec throughout the 50-minute match in which the Swiss player failed to hold her serve once. “I just tried to play my own game. I attacked the ball when I had to and served pretty well too,” she said afterwards. World No 12 Roger Federer must beat 30th-ranked Tommy Robredo in the second singles to keep defending champions Switzerland alive. Spain won their opening group B match 3-0 against Argentina while Switzerland lost 0-3 to Australia. Earlier, Belgium bounced back from 1-0 down to beat a spirited Italian team 2-1 in their opening clash. Xavier Malisse and Kim Clijsters won the decisive mixed doubles 6-3 6-4 against Davide Sanguinetti and Francesca Schiavone to snatch the group A match. Malisse had hauled Belgium back into the clash by beating Sanguinetti 6-4, 7-5 after Clijsters had earlier been shocked by the little-known Schiavone. The women’s world No 5 slumped to a 6-4, 6-4 defeat in her first match of the new year at the mixed team event. “It was important to win that,” Clijsters smiled after the mixed doubles. The Belgians looked more comfortable throughout in the doubles on the Burswood Dome indoor court and clinched victory when Clijsters dropped a touch volley just over the net. “It was good to get that win after losing this morning,” she said. “I’ve played her before and she just chases everything down...I knew it would be tough. “And 10 o’clock in the morning is early to be running around on new year’s day.” Schiavone needed eight match points to beat Clijsters, completing the best win of her career by ripping a backhand down the line.
Reuters |
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Tim Henman advances to second round Adelaide, January 1 Henman, who has fond memories of Australia after capturing his first professional title in Sydney in 1997, overcame a lapse in concentration during the second set to beat Fromberg 6-3, 6-7, 6-0. The match at Adelaide’s memorial drive was interrupted several times because of thunderstorms before Henman, the top seed, raced away with the deciding third set. “It was hard for both of us taking the wind and the rain breaks into consideration and I was really pleased with the way I played,’’ Henman said. “I felt it was as good tennis as I was able to play in those conditions. “I would have liked to have finished it off in two sets but he came out with some great shots in the tie-break. “When we came back in the third set (after a rain break) I tried to up the energy.’’ Rain returned to halt the match between former US Open finalist Mark Philippoussis and France’s Julien Boutter. Play was called off for the night with the big-serving Australian leading 6-3, 1-0. Denmark’s Kenneth Carlsen advanced after beating surprise opponent Wayne Black in three sets. The Zimbabwean doubles specialist was called up as a last-minute replacement when Germany’s Nicolas Keifer withdrew because of a shoulder injury and gave carlsen a real fright until running out of gas to go down 6-7, 7-6, 0-6. Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela and Chile’s Nicolas Massu both had an easier time, advancing in straight sets, along with Dutchman Sjeng Schalken, but the foul weather prevented any more matches from being completed. Chela beat Paraguay’s Ramon Delgado 6-1, 6-3; Massu defeated Hungary’s Attila Savolt 6-2, 6-1 while Schalken’s match with Alex Kin of the US ended 6-3, 6-2. Three singles matches, including the all-American clash between Pete Sampras and Todd Martin, were postponed until Wednesday before a ball was hit. Henman was promoted to top seed after last year’s winner, Australia’s current world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, opted to play the Hopman Cup in Perth instead. The Australian men’s hardcourt is the first men’s tournament of the year and one of the main lead-up events to the January 14 to 27 Australian Open.
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Confident HAL take on JCT today Chandigarh, January 1 The Bangalore outfit seem to have taken the ongoing league by storm. With two wins and two draws, HAL are currently placed third in the 12-team roster and one man who has brought about a unique turnaround in the team’s fortunes is Raja Baliev Nurlan, the new recruit from Kyrgistan.With four goals in four matches, Nurlan is well set to notch up several more and given his striking ability, it will be hardly surprising if he ends up as the leading scorer. HAL, who qualified for the high-profile NFL after finishing on top in the second division last season, have so far beaten Goa’s Salgaocar SC 2-1, with Nurlan scoring both the goals and later stunned last year’s runners-up Mohun Bagan 3-1 at Bangalore on December 27. Against Mohun Bagan, Nurlan once again scored a brace. The other two matches against Vasco SC and Tollygunge were drawn. JCT Phagwara, like last year, are struggling to get going and two points from draws are all that they have been able to manage so far. After losing to Goa league champions Churchill Brothers 1-2 at Ludhiana in the opening tie, JCT played a 1-1 draw with FC Kochin and were again held goal-less by Salgaocar. Against defending champions East Bengal, JCT once again tasted defeat, going down 1-2 after taking an early lead. The mill men are currently trailing at the 10th position. HAL have in their ranks several outstanding players. Besides Nurlan, the team has the experienced Sunil Kumar in the attacking line. Rajendra Prasad, who scored one goal against Mohun Bagan, besides the two by Nurlan, is another player to watch. The team management also signed up a couple of top-notch players shortly after qualification and brought into their fold experienced footballers like Gumpe Rime, Gregory Clark and R. Ravi Babu, formerly of Vasco SC. The squad has already made an impression displaying fine coordination. JCT Phagwara are largely dependent on the Hardip trio of Sangha, Saini and Gill, who besides Nigerian striker Stephan Abarowei have the capability to take on formidable outfits. In he midfield, Hardip Saini and Ram Pal are fairly reliable while the defenders, including Ranjit Singh, and wing back Daljit Singh are also dependable. In fact Daljit’s overlapping role has come in for special praise on more than one occasion. Coach Sukhwinder Singh and his deputy Parminder along with the legendary Inder Singh have motivated the team into a fighting outfit and it remains to be seen how the mill men tackle the HAL sharpshooters. The kick-off is at 2 pm. The following are the latest
standings of the teams in the sixth National Football League (read
under teams, matches played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals
against, and points)
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E. Bengal meet Churchill Bros Kolkata, January 1 Fresh from their 2-1 victory over JCT in the last match, the local giants will be hoping to keep the momentum going against the Goan outfit which is capable of springing a surprise on their day. The home team began with a flourish by thrashing Punjab Police 3-1 in their opening match but seemed to lose their rhythm after suffering a defeat against traditional rivals Mohun Bagan in their second match. The 1-1 draw against lowly Mahindra United did come as a setback for the defending champions, who will leave no stone unturned to earn full points from their home match and consolidate their position on the points table. Churchill also began on an impressive note winning their first two encounters against JCT (2-1) and Punjab Police (3-0) but have not been able to show the same in the next two matches against ITI and Vasco which ended in 1-1 draws. The home team will no doubt adopt an offensive strategy to put pressure on the free-flowing Goans and coach Manoranjan Bhattacharya will be hoping that his strikers will be able to deliver the goods. East Bengal will be heavily depending on their striker Omalaja Olalekan to score the goals for his team though Bijen Singh and Dipendu Biswas were also capable of finding the net but have not shown the desired consistency. Mercurial striker I.M. Vijayan, who has been playing in the midfield in the league so far, has been quite disappointing and has not really contributed much for the team’s cause. But the ageing Vijayan has been a class act and is still capable of producing that magic which has made him such a big player over the years.
PTI |
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Mohinder wins in bank meet Bathinda, January 1 More than 100 employees of various branches of the bank of this zone participated in badminton, table tennis and carrom competitions. Bharat Bhushan of Wander Jatana won the men’s single table tennis title while Kulbhushan Bansal won the men’s single title in carrom. Vandana Narula from the city branch won the women’s singles title in carrom. The men’s doubles badminton title went to Dhiraj Dabra and Mangat Ram while Bharat Bhushan and Dheeraj Dabra won the men’s doubles title in table tennis. Paramjit Singh and Subhash Sharma won the men’s doubles title in carrom. |
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Life will never be same for Jaspreet Patiala, January 1 Jaspreet during a kabaddi league match on November 24 in the 31st National Games, collided with a Haryana player and had to be carried off the field in a critical condition. Jaspreet, who belongs to Faridkot district and whose father himself is handicapped, was immediately taken to the Sector-32 Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Chandigarh, where she was operated upon by one of the leading orthopaedic surgeons of the region and the Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Raj Bahadur. The Punjab Government had recently announced a grant of Rs 5 lack for Jaspreet’s treatment and had offered all financial help to her family if they wanted her to be treated abroad. However, Dr Raj Bahadur said there was little use in sending her abroad and added that “now it was the responsibility of her family members to see to it she has to be rehabilitated in society while on a wheelchair.” Dr Raj Bahadur said Jaspreet’s condition was similar to that of Maj H.P.S Ahluwalia, who conquered Mt Everest before becoming a quadriplegic. However, Dr Raj Bahadur said the wheelchair-bound Maj Ahluwalia was a highly motivated person and he had also started the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre at New Delhi to help patients with similar problems. Maj Ahluwalia had also travelled to the UK for treatment without success. Dr Raj Bahadur, who is also the Head of the Orthopaedic Department at the GMCH, said when Jaspreet was brought from Patiala to the hospital she was in a critical condition and could have even died. However, her condition stabilised relatively when she was operated upon as the purpose of surgery was to make her sit so that complications like bed sores and chest infection could be minimised. Sports medicine expert Dr Ashok Ahuja opined that it was rare to see a kabaddi player suffering from such injuries which were more common in disciplines like gymnastics than any other sport. |
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War
on doping Munich, January 1 |
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