 |
Saturday,
May 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
Heavy rain likely to play spoilsport Expert comments
— Michael Holding Third day’s play washed out Will Spain show their true colours this time? |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ljungberg: Sweden’s ‘jewel in the crown’ London, May 24 Henrik Larsson is one of the most feared strikers in the world but Freddie Ljungberg is Sweden’s ‘’jewel in the crown’’. That’s the view of Stuart Baxter, the British born coach who has spent the last year compiling a comprehensive dossier on the Scandinavians for England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson before the two side’s meet at the World Cup finals on June 2.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
‘Triple R’ partnership crucial for Brazil Top drivers for June 2 Autocross
|
|
Heavy rain likely to play spoilsport Kingston (Jamaica), May 24 Rains, that started minutes after India suffered a 155-run loss in the fifth and final Test on Wednesday, have continued unabated for the last three days and have already denied the tourists vital practice. It is very likely that the first one-dayer tomorrow, if not also the second on Sunday, is washed out completely. Strengthened by the arrival of five one-day specialists, India were looking to clinch the one-day series “to salvage some pride”, as skipper Sourav Ganguly put it. After taking a 1-0 lead, India lost the five-match Test series with a 1-2 margin to prolong their 16-year drought outside the sub-continent. The five new players were expected to boost the chances of the team in the one-dayers, especially in the batting department which was the main problem area for the Indians in the Test series. Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif were giving the Indians problems of plenty, though, on the strength of their previous
performances. None of the three, who along with all-rounder Ajit Agarkar and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, joined the squad for the one-dayers, have ever played in the West Indies and it remains to be seen how they cope with the conditions here. With Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman in excellent touch in the Tests, the batting talent seems to be overflowing. Left-hander Dinesh Mongia, who did not get a chance in the Tests despite being in the squad, is also likely to figure prominently in the one-dayers considering a match-winning 159 in his last match Guwahati against Zimbabwe. However, Ganguly, who along with Sachin Tendulkar, forms the backbone of Indian batting in the one-dayers, said mere potential was not enough, it needed to be translated into performance. “We have a good one-day squad. But winning the series is a different ball-game altogether,” he said. Speculation is rife over Dravid keeping wickets in order to accomodate an extra batsman in the side but there was no official word from the team management as yet. If indeed, Dravid plays as a batsman-wicketkeeper, it is likely to boil down to a toss up between Laxman and Kaif since the claims of Sehwag, and also of Yuvraj Singh after two match-winning knocks in the home series against Zimbabwe, are too strong to be ignored. Agarkar seems to be a certainty in the final line-up, not only because he claimed 18 wickets in 10 games in the two home series against England and Zimbabwe earlier this year, but also because of his perceived batting abilities. There has been an interesting addition to the spin arsenal with the inclusion of Kartik but it is doubtful whether he will get a chance in the first two matches. With the track more conducive for fast bowling and Harbhajan Singh returning a five-wicket haul in the fifth Test, Kartik may have to wait for his turn. Meanwhile, West Indies captain Carl Hooper has already stepped up the psychological pressure saying his team was an even better one-day side than a Test one. West Indies have, by and large, retained the same side that played in the Test series with fast bowler Corey Collymore and off-spinner Gareth Breese the only two new faces. The two will replace Adam Sanford and leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine. Collymore is more experienced than Sanford, who made his international debut in the Tests, and is expected to provide depth to the West Indian fast bowling which has been able to rattle the Indian batsmen in the five Tests. Teams (from):
India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Mohd Kaif, Ajay Ratra, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Tinu Yohannan, Murali Kartik. West Indies: Carl Hooper (captain), Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Gareth Breese, Ryan Hinds.
PTI |
|
Expert comments
— Michael Holding Some 30 hours after the presentation ceremony for the Test series had been affected by rain, it is still pouring here in Kingston, Jamaica. The Indian team must have shed as many inches of tears as the inches of rain that have fallen on the capital city and the island, as they come to terms with the fact that another 15 minutes or so spent at the crease by their batsmen would have guaranteed them a drawn Test and hence a tied series. But alas, that is history and they now have to refocus on the upcoming one day series. The weather forecast before the scheduled start on Saturday is not very good and if it does clear to allow cricket on the weekend, the most influential factor could be the pitch. With all the rain around, naturally the preparation has not been ideal for lack of rolling. Work had started on the one-day strip just about the same time as the adjacent Test strip. But during the Test, nothing was done to continue the preparation as one of the captains was not of the opinion that the continued sprinkling of the one day pitch, required for continued rolling, was ideal, considering the proximity to the Test strip. That concern to a certain degree is understandable but surely now, the pitch come Saturday could be a bit underdone. That should normally mean, win the toss and bat, thereby getting the best use of the pitch to pile up the runs. But then the prevailing weather conditions could mean a damp pitch at start of play. Both captains come Saturday morning, will be very keen to see what the pitch looks like when the covers are removed. Under normal circumstances, not withstanding the changes made by both teams, the favourite for each game in this one-day series should be the team batting second. It was most peoples’ opinion before the start of the Test series, that with batsmen like Lara, Hooper, Chanderpaul and Sarwan for the West Indies and Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid and Ganguly for India, the team that performed better with the bat would be the victors. Nothing during the series occurred to alter that opinion as only one of the five Man of the Match awards went to a bowler. The one-dayers should be even more so and hence it may turn out that any total set by the team batting first will be achieved by the team batting second. That though will depend a lot on the mental strength of the chasing batsmen. On so many occasions in these one-day Internationals, batsmen and hence teams lose their ways chasing totals by panicking when things aren’t going as smoothly as they would like, instead of thinking their way through the innings. I suppose you can never discount the age-old adage “runs on the board are runs scored”. The Test series was billed as a Lara versus Tendulkar duel and both gentlemen would be disappointed with their returns. This one-day series gives them a second opportunity to make their mark on the tour and in this shortened version of the game, one inning can be even more influential in the outcome. Hopefully all the pitches will be as flat and ideal for batting as the pitches in Guyana and Antigua were and that being the case, the fans should be in for some dynamic strokeplay. Sorry bowlers, but one-day cricket is about batsmen showing off their wares and giving the spectators much to cheer about.
(Gameplan) |
|
Third day’s play washed out Moratuwa (Sri Lanka), May 24 Umpires called off the day’s proceedings after a few inspections. With the whole of the first day already lost due to rain, chances of a result appear remote in this match. The first encounter in the three-match series between the two sides ended in a draw at the SSC Stadium in Colombo last week. India ‘A’ were struggling at 55 for four in reply to Sri Lankas first innings score of 282 at close of play on the second day yesterday.
PTI |
|
Will Spain show their true colours this time? Madrid, May 24 In fact, Spain’s best ever showing was fourth back in 1950 and the country’s history on football’s greatest stage is one of almost unmitigated disaster. From the Spanish federation being so penniless that they could not contest the inaugural 1930 World Cup in a former colony, to the 1998 opening match defeat by Nigeria and subsequent 0-0 draw with minnows Paraguay which saw Spain take the short trip back home after first round at France 98, every four years seems to bring new set of humiliations for proud men in red and yellow. Will it be different this time? The Spanish public thinks so and, as usual, expectations at home are running high that this will finally be the tournament where Spain show their true colours. The drum-banging started long ago and has been at fever pitch since Real Madrid won the Champions League on May 15, the club’s record ninth European crown. ‘Now for the World Cup. After what Madrid achieved in Glasgow, why can’t (Spanish coach Jose Antonio) Camacho do the same?” asked the Spanish sports daily As, the day after Madrid’s triumph in Scotland. A similar mood has started to infect the Spanish camp. Spain’s No 1 goalkeeper Iker Casillas said, “We are going to the World Cup with optimism. We have the talent to win the World Cup, and with this motivation and dream we are not going to give in to anyone.” However, Camacho is desperate to dampen down the euphoric atmosphere for fears that confidence will turn into complacency. “It seems that Spain must always win the World Cup when we enter the competition, yet our record doesn’t support that ambition,” commented Camacho recently, reiterating the same theme that he has done since he took over in September 1998, shortly after Spain’s dismal campaign in France. “I played a lot of games for Spain and I can honestly say that we (the players) never considered ourselves favourites for the World Cup but, suddenly, people are saying we are among the favourites, and if we don’t win, then it will be a failure,” added the former Real Madrid player. The big question though is, why Spain have been such consistent World Cup under-performers? Arguably, the nadir came 20 years ago when Spain staged the 1982 event. Three of the four previous hosts had lifted the trophy, but Spain finished bottom of their second round group, after scraping through the first round following a defeat by Northern Ireland and a draw with Honduras. Many people point to high number of Basques and Catalans that feature in national sides and the fact that, with independence-orientated feelings, they lack motivation. “If it was a choice between Spain and a Catalan national side, I’d choose Catalonia any day,” commented former Spanish captain Pep Guardiola recently. But for injury, he would almost certainly have been participating in his third World Cup. “In Spain, there has never been a national team culture,” admits Camacho. Nevertheless, no Catalan player and only a handful of Basques have ever turned down the chance to appear for Spain, regardless of their sentiments. Camacho believes that a bigger factor in Spain’s poor performances at the World Cup perversely comes down to the fact that Spanish clubs are so successful. “The fact that Spanish internationals are playing against quality opponents throughout the season should be advantageous but that isn’t always the case,” said Camacho. “They are sometimes so tired from the pressure, and it is the clubs that pay their salaries, that when they come to the national team sometimes they relax. Perhaps only subconsciously, but they do nevertheless.” In a bid to change habits, Camacho has been keeping the Spanish squad on its toes, firstly at home in Jerez and now at their training base at Ulsan. However, Spain’s opening match against Slovenia on June 2 should give some clear indications whether this World Cup’s dark horses will finish up in the knacker’s yard once again.
AFP |
|
Ljungberg: Sweden’s ‘jewel in the crown’ London, May 24 That’s the view of Stuart Baxter, the British born coach who has spent the last year compiling a comprehensive dossier on the Scandinavians for England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson before the two side’s meet at the World Cup finals on June 2. Baxter knows a thing or two about Swedish football — he was coach at Halmstad between 1989 and 1991, then led AIK Stockholm to the Swedish league title and Champions League qualification during his first season in charge in 1998. ‘’Ljungberg is someone England have to address, whether he plays well or doesn’t play well is a massive part of their game plan,’’ said Baxter, now a national coach in the English FA set up. ‘’I think we are well prepared for Sweden as a team but I think we know that Freddie is the jewel in their crown.’’ Ljungberg, the attacking 25-year-old with the trademark red splash through his tousled hair, is enjoying the form of his life. He rattled up 17 goals for English double winners Arsenal this season — a remarkable tally for a midfielder — and form which has led to newspapers reporting he is being chased by Italian clubs for up to £ 20 million ($ 29.09 million). ‘’We can take heart from the fact that the way Freddie has been playing for Arsenal, the Swedes have been trying harder and harder to work that identical role into their way of playing,’’ added Baxter. ‘’We know exactly what is coming from him, we know his patterns of movement and the timing of his movement.’’ Baxter believes Ljungberg will play wide on the left for Sweden, a position he utilised to devastating effect for Arsenal in the latter part of the season when Robert Pires was injured. ‘’Sweden will try and get Freddie in contact with their two frontmen. “But I don’t think you can address him as a one-off, it has to be taken into account in the general pattern of play that we want the game to follow. If we play the way we want to play, the side-effect of that is that Freddie would not get into the game as much as he would hope, or he will get the ball in areas where he won’t affect us too much.’’ Ljungberg, who had a training ground bust-up with team mate Olof Mellberg on Thursday, has been capped 31 times by Sweden but has yet to replicate his club form — having scored just twice in the yellow shirt of his national side. But England will underestimate him at their peril. “He is more effective for Arsenal than he is for Sweden, but he’s so on fire at the moment that I’m sure he believes he is going to have a fabulous World Cup. We have to respect that confidence.”
Reuters |
|
‘Triple R’ partnership crucial for Brazil Kuala Lumpur, May 24 “Big Phil”, as Scolari is popularly known, said a thumping win over Turkey on June 3 will be a crucial morale booster for a side still smarting from an embarrassing struggle through the World Cup qualifiers. For that reason Malaysia, ranked 112th in the world, have become the whipping boy for the four-times world champions as they try to get their game back on track. “Until today, we are 90 per cent ready for the World Cup and we will use the friendly to make it to 100 per cent,” Scolari said. “The first match against Turkey is the most crucial one and I am gearing up the team for that match.” Simulated match training during the week, as Brazil completed World Cup preparations, has involved Scolari’s starting line-up in a 3-4-3 formation against the remaining players using Turkey’s 4-3-3 style. At times Scolari pulled his strongman captain Emerson off the pitch, reducing the side to 10-men in preparation for the possibility of a player being sent off. Scolari has hammered home the need for teamwork in a game plan that swings between a lightening strike force and staunch defence. Focus has also been on cementing the much vaunted “Triple R” strike partnership of twice FIFA footballer of the Year Ronaldo, Barcelona midfield star Rivaldo and 22-year-old Paris Saint Germain’s Ronaldinho. The trio showed glimpses of their potential in a 1-1 draw against Portugal last month, which was their first time together in three years. While announcing his starting 11 to play Malaysia - and barring injury Turkey as well - Scolari stressed he would be testing tactical strategies in tomorrow’s friendly in preparation for later World Cup matches. “We must be able to adapt to different tactics and this means there will be changes with every match we play depending on the opposition,” he told reporters. Although Brazil will be in full cry, Malaysian coach Allan Harris said his side would give “100 per cent commitment” but there was no doubt about the responsibilities. “We won’t be too hard on them to ensure that the Brazil won’t suffer any injury as this is their last lap of preparation for the World Cup,” he said. Brazil will fly to Busan in South Korea on Sunday.
AFP |
|
Top drivers for June 2 Autocross Chandigarh, May 24 This event is approved by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India and top drivers of the country will be vying for top honours in this prestigious event. The track will be specially laid out for two cars to race at the same time even though they will be clocked individually. Races will be conducted under the following categories: Maruti 800; Zen/Maruti 1000; Gypsy; open class (Esteem & Baleno); Ladies class (open); and race of the champions. In the race of the champions’ category all former and reigning rally champions will be vying for the trophy. Besides, the champions the three fastest drivers of this event driving Maruti 800, Esteem or Baleno cars, will also be eligible. Pre-event scrutiny will be held at the circus ground on June 1 from 8.30 am onwards after which all vehicles passing scrutiny will be allowed to practice. Entry forms can be downloaded from website www.konstruct.com/cmsa. The forms will also be available at House No 116, Sector 10, Chandigarh. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
BINDRA
MISSES OLYMPICS BERTH