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Saturday,
January 4, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Indians
keen to last 50 overs Tendulkar
to miss today’s tie India
still have a chance Waugh’s
ton rescues Australia Dogged
Waugh answers critics in style |
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IAAF’s
clean chit to Sunita Canas, Schuettler crash out TFA hold
Mohammedan Sporting Rahul
wins W. India under-12 title South
all out for 193 Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur enter semifinals Haryana,
Punjab lose
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Indians keen to last 50 overs
Queenstown, January 3 Having been beaten squarely in the first three games of this seven-match series following the 2-0 whitewash in the Tests, the Indians are left with the difficult task of winning all the four remaining matches to win the series. It’s a desperate situation calling for some extra-ordinary steps and skipper Sourav Ganguly said for a start his team was aiming at batting their full quota of 50 overs tomorrow. “We are planning to change our approach. We have not lasted 50 overs and perhaps 150 could be a winning total,” he said after looking at another extremely green wicket at the John Davies Oval here which is hosting its first one-day international. The Indians have been bowled out inside their quota of 50 overs in each of the three games so far and their cause has not been helped at all by the continued absence of Tendulkar who is all set to miss tomorrow’s match too due to the injury in the right ankle he suffered before the start of this series. The Indians have been in New Zealand for a month now and their best result so far has been a drawn three-day encounter against the Central Districts ahead of the Test series. Ganguly admitted there was pressure on his team to turn things around tomorrow. “Its four straight games now and obviously there is pressure on the team to do well. There is pressure on every player as none of us has fired on this tour. And its a big day tomorrow. “It has happened in the last one year (winning four games in a row). I hope we do it this time but its going to be hard,” he said. With Dinesh Mongia, who joined the team yesterday, still to recover from jet lag and unlikely for tomorrow’s game, the Indians will most probably go in with the same eleven that played in the previous match at Christchurch. After a day’s off yesterday when the tourists went sight- seeing, the team was back to business this morning putting in hard work at the nets. Ganguly and Mongia had more than one stint in the nets while Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble had extended batting practice. The pitch here is full of grass and despite claims to the contrary by the groundsmen, the Indians are convinced the wicket is no different from the ones they have played on earlier on this tour. “I have given up making predictions on the pitches here. I thought Christchurch (third one-dayer) was a belter. I also had a similar opinion about the Auckland (first one-dayer) pitch,” Ganguly said. New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming also refrained from making a prediction on the pitch. “It looks a good wicket but I have been deceived throughout this summer so I will wait until the first ball is bowled,” he said. Fleming said his team was looking to win the series tomorrow itself. I think we are well aware that the series is still alive and we have a finale down here at Queenstown. It will be quite nice to win the series. “As far as we are concerned, we are determined to finish the series tomorrow,” he said. New Zealand were looking to welcome the three players included in their World Cup squad — Chris Harris, Scott Styris and Andre Adams — in the playing eleven for tomorrow. “Its good to have Harris back. He has got a lot of experience and we need it not only in this series but also in the World Cup,” Fleming said. “He has been under pressure and I am sure he will prove a point in these upcoming games going into South Africa. Fleming said his side was looking to use the next four games to try out a few ideas for the World Cup. “Its important we can work on different bowling conditions. Its how to use Chris Harris effectively, how to use Andre Adams at the death. There are a lot of ways these players can be used.” But, like the Indians, it is the batting which is causing concern to New Zealand. “Its been a tough summer for batsmen but there are no excuses. Its been difficult to find form in the middle.” “We just keep working hard in the nets. It will be nice to get a good wicket and get another 250 like we did in Napier,” Fleming said. Teams (from). India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Sanjay Bangar, Dinesh Mongia, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar, Parthiv Patel, Rakesh Patel. New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Matthew Sinclair, Craig McMillan, Chris Harris, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullam, Daniel Vettori, Andre Adams, Daryl Tuffey, Kyle Mills and Jacob Oram. Hours of play (IST):
4:40 am to 8:10 am and 8:50 am to the end of play.
PTI |
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Tendulkar to miss today’s tie Wary of aggravating the injury to his right ankle ahead of the World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar will miss India’s fourth one-day international against New Zealand here tomorrow and, possibly, also the fifth in Wellington on January 8. Tendulkar, who did not play in the first three one-dayers also after he sprained his right ankle during net practice, is in the midst of his longest absence from the one-day circuit, having already missed 10 games on a trot. A hamstring injury had kept him out of the seven-match series against West Indies at home before coming to New Zealand. “Batting in the middle is not a problem,” said Tendulkar who is recovering from his injury. “But there is a question of running between the wickets... not only for your runs but for the your partner’s as well.” Team physio Andrew Leipus is very cautious on the fitness of Tendulkar and doesn’t want him to take any chances with the injury. He has already made it clear that unless he is hundred per cent sure, he would not give the go-ahead to Tendulkar’s participation in the matches. |
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India still have
a chance Well, going by the way they have played on this tour, it seems highly unlikely but as I said, cricket can sometimes be a very funny game and sometimes a good day’s play can transform teams, like it happened with India in the 2001 Kolkata Test against Australia. It may not yet happen this time, but the point I am making is that the Indians have a lot to play for in the series. One of the many things is their pride. Most reputations have been mauled and if our much-vaunted batting line-up doesn’t deliver, their aura will be hit for a six. Teams around the world will then make life very difficult for them in the coming times, and that certainly includes the World Cup. Right now let’s concentrate on the
one-dayers against New Zealand. The bowling has been up to the desired levels but it is the Indian batting which has been such a big letdown. What has been shocking is that not only has their technique been exposed, they haven’t even shown guts or courage to stand up to the New Zealand fast bowling. Big names have let India down but as one who has always been a fan of these
strokeplayers, I do hope they finally come good and show their worth. I just pray it happens tomorrow. A lot will depend on Sachin
Tendulkar. If he is fit, he can lead an Indian revival and with the kind of batsman he is, he can turn any game on its head within a session. If he doesn’t play tomorrow, I suppose India would give Dinesh Mongia a look-in. However, what I would expect the team management to do is to restore Rahul Dravid to No 3 position because so far he is the only batsman who looks adequate in tacking fast bowlers on those pitches. He should come in early rather than when the team has already lost three or four wickets. |
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Waugh’s ton rescues Australia
Sydney, January 3 The Australian skipper, who started the Test with 9,931 runs, defied an English onslaught to reach 102 after Andrew Caddick and Steve Harmison ripped the top order apart in two bursts, having the hosts reeling at 56 for three and then 150 for five. In reply to England’s first innings of 362, Australia were 237 for five at stumps with Waugh stroking his 29th Test century and sharing an unbroken 87-run partnership with Adam Gilchrist, who smashed 45 off 46 balls in the last 70 minutes of day two. In the leadup to the match, Waugh had anticipated he would need a career-defining moment to extend his tenure in the Test arena and he saved it for more than 41,000 spectators crowded into his home ground. The almost capacity crowd chanted throughout the last over from Richard Dawson, urging Waugh from 95 to 102. In his record-equalling 156th Test, he blazed 18 boundaries, erasing the 69 runs he needed to reach the five- figure mark and then equalled the great Bradman’s Australian record of 29 Test centuries. Former Australian skipper Allan Border tops the all-time scoring list with 11,174 runs from 156 Tests and former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar was second with 10,122 runs from 125 Tests. The Australians have already clinched an eighth consecutive Ashes but were bidding in Sydney to become only the second team to sweep an Ashes series 5-0. Hours after Alec Stewart had become the third most prolific English Test batsman, scoring 71 from 86 balls to boost his career return to 8,149 runs and overhaul Geoffrey Boycott (8,114) at No. 3, Waugh came up with the kind of determined innings that has characterised his career. AFP SCOREBOARD Trescothick c Gilchrist b Bichel 19 Vaughan c Gilchrist b Lee 0 Butcher b Lee 124 Hussain c Gilchrist
b Gillespie 75 Key lbw b Waugh 3 Crawley not out 35 Stewart b Bichel 71 Dawson c Gilchrist Caddick lbw b MacGill 7 Hoggard st Gilchrist Harmison run out 4 Extras
(b-6, lb-3, nb-13) 22 Total (all out, 127 overs) 362 FoW:
1-4, 2-32, 3-198, 4-210, 5-240, 6-332, 7-337, 8-348, 9-350. Bowling:
Gillespie 27-10-62-1, Lee 31-9-97-2, Bichel 21-5-86-3, MacGill 44-8-106-2, Waugh 4-3-2-1. Australia (1st innings): Langer c Hoggard
b Caddick 25 Hayden lbw b Caddick 15 Ponting c Stewart b Caddick 7 Martyn c Caddick
b Harmison 26 Waugh batting 102 Love c Trescothick b Harmison 0 Gilchrist batting 45 Extras: 17 Total (5 wkts, 51 overs) 237 FoW: 1-36, 2-45, 3-56, 4-146, 5-150. Bowling: Hoggard 13-2-65-0, Caddick 16-3-88-3, Harmison 13-4-44-2, Dawson 9-0-33-0. |
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Dogged Waugh answers critics in style
Sydney, January 3 In the fifth Test against England in front of his home crowd today, the Australian skipper produced one of the most defining moments in cricket. Going to the crease with Australia at 56 for three — and with constant speculation about his retirement and questions marks about his form looming over him — Waugh cracked an unbeaten 102 to surpass 10,000 Test runs and equal Sir Donald Bradman’s national record of 29 Test centuries. In typically dogged style, he reached his hundred with a driven four from the last ball of the day, with almost an entire England team crowding around to block the two runs he needed and more than 41,000 fans — including Prime Minister John Howard — on their feet urging him on. In an uncustomary burst of emotion, he made a euphoric leap and raised his bat to the crowd, which had packed into the Sydney Cricket Ground to witness what had been expected to be his last Test on home soil. Waugh said it was “almost a perfect day.” “I don’t think it gets any better than that — to score a hundred off the last ball in front of your home crowd and playing the way I did,” he said. The 37-year-old went on to suggest, perhaps to the selectors, that he had no intention of retiring. “I’ve always said I want to keep playing the game as long as I can improve. You’ve always got to aim for that perfect innings and you’re never sure when it’s going to happen.” “It’s something I’ve always strived for... and today I think was pretty close to as good as I can play. If I can continue that tomorrow, then maybe it is the most defining moment of my career.” Waugh became only the third batsman to eclipse 10,000 Test runs, behind former Australian skipper Allan Border (11,174) and former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar (10,122). Starting his 244th Test innings needing 69 runs to reach five-figures, Waugh got off the mark with consecutive fours off Matthew Hoggard. He surpassed 5,000 runs on Australian soil with a driven four off Richard Dawson to reach 63 and cut the offspinner to the boundary in the next over to get his 10,000th run. At that stage, Australia were 158 for five. In the leadup to the match, Waugh had anticipated he’d need a career-defining moment to extend his tenure in the Test arena and he saved it until he needed it. The almost capacity crowd chanted throughout the last over from Dawson, urging Waugh from 95 to 102. He got three runs to turn the strike over to Gilchrist and then had one ball to face to score two runs when Gilchrist ran for a single. Waugh said the four was there to be hit. “The shot had to be played. I wasn’t sure where it was going to be but the adrenaline was just almost overwhelming, overpowering,” Waugh said. “I felt as if I had to get the hundred tonight. It would’ve been a disappointment and I might not have slept that easy tonight.” The Australians finished the second day at 237 for five, with Waugh and Gilchrist (45) sharing an unbroken 87-run sixth-wicket partnership off 90 balls. It was always going to be a memorable match for Waugh, attempting a rare 5-0 Ashes sweep of England. He equalled Border’s world record of 156 Test caps by leading Australia into series-ending Test. After equaling Bradman’s national record, only Gavaskar (34) and current Indian star Sachin Tendulkar (31) have scored more Test centuries than Waugh. Speculation has been mounting about Waugh’s retirement since he was cut from Australia’s limited-overs squad last March after 325 one-day internationals and was omitted from the national squad for the World Cup defence starting next month in South Africa. He hadn’t scored a century in 17 Tests and had only managed 197 runs in this series at an average of 32.83 with two fifties and a high of 77, scored in the fourth Test.
AP |
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SA declare two runs short of record
Cape Town, January 3 The total was just two runs short of the national record of 622 for nine set against Australia in 1969-70. The mammoth score — in which the home team scored a record 445 runs on the first day — was achieved chiefly through the first day efforts of openers Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith. The pair set a South Africa record 368 for the first wicket, which was the fourth highest first wicket total in history and the highest partnership for any wicket by a South African duo. That set South Africa up for their most runs in a day, breaking the 100-year-old record of 428 set at the Wanderers against Australia in 1902. Gibbs scored 228 — his highest score and the highest at Newlands — while Smith gave the selectors some food for thought with 151, having been left out of the World Cup squad. The visitors toiled under the hot sun on the first day but fared better on the second day taking four wickets for the addition of 175 runs. Boeta Dippenaar scored 62 and Neil McKenzie 51 while Pollock was unbeaten with 36, scored off only 19 balls, which included fours boundaries and two sixes. The Pakistani bowling made woeful reading with off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq the most successful with three wickets although he conceded 237 in 50 overs. The other three front line bowlers, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Zahid and Mohammad Sami all went for over 100 runs, sharing four wickets between them. Scoreboard South Africa (Ist innings): (overnight 445-3) Smith b Zahid 151 Gibbs c Khan b Saqlain 228 Kirsten c Khan b Waqar 19 Kallis lbw Sami 31 Dippenaar c Akmal b Saqlain 62 McKenzie c Akmal b Zahid 51 Boucher b Saqlain 7 Pollock not out 36 Boje not out 7 Extras 28 Total: (7 wkts decl) 620 Fall of wicket: 1-368, 2-413, 3-414, 4-463, 5-548, 6-557, 7-594 Bowling:
Waqar Younis 28-4-121-1, Mohammad Sami 28-2-124-1, Mohammad Zahid 25-3-108-2, Saqlain Mushtaq 50-3-237-3, Younis Khan 4-0-24-0.
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IAAF’s clean chit to Sunita New Delhi, January 3 Sunita Rani, the girl from Sunam in Punjab, had
tested positive for nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, after she won the 1500m gold and 5000m bronze medals in the 14th Asian Games held at Busan, South Korea. The dope tests were conducted at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved laboratory in Seoul. Subsequently, Sunita Rani was stripped of her medals by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), which prompted the Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) to appoint a one-man Sushil Dutt Salwan commission, to probe into the case. The Salwan Commission, after questioning about 19
people, including Sunita Rani, the doctor who accompanied her to Busan and her coach, found gross discrepancies in the Seoul lab’s test results of the athlete’s A and B urine samples, and exonerated her of any doping offence. The AAFI, on the basis of the Salwan Commission findings, petitioned to the IAAF at its meeting in Monaco on November 15, 2002, which was attended by AAFI president Suresh Kalmadi, who is also the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as well as the Asian Amateur Athletic Association, AAFI secretary-general Lalit Kumar Bhanot and vice-president A K Banerjee. The AAFI protest letters to IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai and Anti-Doping Officer Dr Gabriel Dolle, had the desired effect as the apex world athletics body, took cognisance of Sunita Rani’s case, examined it in detail, and came to the conclusion that “this was not a case which should be pursued
any further”. But Sunita Rani’s ordeal will be finally over only when she gets back her medals, which are presently with the OCA at its headquarters in Kuwait. Mr Lalit Bhanot expressed the hope and optimism that the OCA would return Sunita Rani’s medals “in a week or two”. He said the International Olympic Council (IOC) medical commission had also directed the OCA not to pursue this case any further “because of the number of discrepancies in the dope report”. |
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Canas, Schuettler crash out
Chennai, January 3 It was sweet revenge for Slovakia’s Karol Kucera who lost to Canas on two occasions in the past, including the semifinal loss in the last edition of the tournament here. Jean Rene Lisnard of France, despite being inconsistent, managed to increase his head to head count to 2-0 against Schuettler, who had lost to Lisnard in the US Open last season. Kucera started the match with a break to oust Canas 6-1, 7-5 and it was also the same story with Lisnard going up with a first game break to scalp Schuettler 6-2, 7-5. Now only two seeds, the second-seeded Paradorn Srichaphan the most popular sportsperson in Thailand, and Juan Iganacio Chela, the fourth seed from Argentina, remain in the fray. As for the two upset matches, the 22-year old Lisnard, displayed tremendous skills, often coming up with unbelievable winners. Had he showed consistency, he could have won the match with much more ease. The tenacity of Lisnard was too much for Schuettler, right from the beginning. The German remained clueless being perplexed by Lisnard’s mixing of forehand drives and backhand low returns close to the lines. However, Lisnard meant business as he rose to a 5-2 lead in the first set with breaks in the first and third games. The second set saw some fluctuating fortunes, mainly because of too many unforced errors by Lisnard, whose amazing forehand however stood him in good stead. Schuettler twice came back from being a serve down, first to equal 3-3 after being down 1-3, and then breaking Lisnard against in the eighth game to make it 4-4 after dropping serve in the seventh. In the 11th game, however, Schuettler succumbed to nerves and was broken for one final time. Lisnard served out for the match with little difficulty. Lisnard will play Paradorn Srichapan, who defeated Sergis Sargsian of Armenia 6-4, 6-4 while Kucera will play Juan Ignacio Chela, who beat Germany’s Tomas Behrend 6-4, 6-3 tomorrow. The match between Canas and Kucera, a repeat of last year’s semifinal, looked one-sided as Kucera was in total control, barring a brief period midway through the second set. On the other hand Canas failed to lift his game to his potential. Unseeded Kucera played a near flawless game as he raced to a 4-0 lead, breaking the 15th ranked Argentine in the first and third games. The 28-year old Slovak, ranked 84th, played with authority as he covered the court effortlessly and produced a variety of shots to emerge winner.
PTI |
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TFA hold Mohammedan Sporting
New Delhi, January 3 TFA put up a spirited display but the result meant that they are now out of the tournament after managing just one point from their two matches in group ‘A’. Sporting will have to beat JCT Mills to make it to the semifinals. JCT have three points after beating TFA in their first match. Only winners of each of the four groups proceed to the last four stage. Another team to bow out of the tournament was Vasco Sports Club who lost 0-1 to Army XI in a group ‘C’ match. Army drew 2-2 their match against ITI on Wednesday, and expect Vasco to at least hold ITI to ensure their passage to semifinals. Army men played in their typical raw and aggressive style to leave Vasco, depleted by the absence of some of the senior players, breatheless. It took a while for their goal to come, through Bikash Gurung in the 62nd minute, but nonetheless, the result left the team a happy bunch. TFA on the other hand ran hard and created opportunities but their inability to finish the fine moves left them a disappointed lot. Sporting, except for the brief period in the early stages of the match, found themselves retrieving the ball from their spirited opponents for the most part of the game. A clever over-the-head lift by R. Naki beat TFA goalkeeper Subroto Paul, and Al Seriki punched it in for Sporting in the fifth minute. But TFA seized the momentum from there on. Their athletic forwards posed a constant threat to Sporting defence, often outsmarting them through sheer speed. Sumit Thapa, Chitra Sen and Malswama combined well in the front while Jehry Jirsangha and Gourmangi continuously fed them with well timed passes. TFA got their equaliser in the 44th minute when a Chitra Sen drive found Thapa unmarked inside the penalty area. Thapa’s first touch beat the Sporting custodian Dora but hit the post, but the TFA forward quickly scored on the rebound.
PTI |
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Rahul wins W. India under-12 title Chandigarh, January 3 This was Rahul Bakshi’s first year on the Indian Junior Golf circuit. He is the only player who has finished in top four in all the 10 IGU categorised junior golf tournaments held this year. His previous best finish was first runner-up in the Southern India held at Eagleton Golf Village, Bangalore, first runner-up in Eastern India held at Royal Calcutta Golf Club and second runner-up in the All-India Junior Golf Tournament held at KGA, Bangalore. Rahul started golf last year under the guidance of Jesse Grewal at Chandigarh Golf Club and has been Jesse’s regular student since then. He practices at Chandigarh Golf Club and the CGA Range. This tournament was a landmark for Chandigarh Junior Golf as in three out of four categories, Chandigarh boys were victors. Group A and B were won by Ajeetesh Sandhu, Group C was won by Rahul Bakshi. Fatebir Dhaliwal was second runner-up in Group B. All three of them are students of St John’s High School. |
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South all out
for 193 Rohtak, January 3 A total of 775 minutes of play could not be held due to dense fog and wet ground conditions during the first three days of the match between East Zone and South Zone. On the third and penultimate day today South Zone were all out for 193. M. Nathani scored 54, Y. Gyaneshwar Rao 39. The duo put on 81 runs for the sixth wicket. Amber Roy captured four wickets for 61 runs and Saurav Sarkar took three for 55 runs. At draw of stumps today, East Zone made five runs at the loss of one wicket. |
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Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur enter semifinals Ludhiana, January 3 In the keenly contested quarterfinals today Ludhiana defeated Bathinda 5-4 in the tie-breaker. Both the teams were locked 1-1 at the end of playing time. Mandeep Singh gave an early lead to the hosts. The equaliser for Bathinda was scored by Ram Singh in the 23rd minute. In the second half Ludhiana players attacked their opponents more. Gursatinder Singh and Sarabjot Singh played perfectly to the attacking line. Bathinda wasted three penality corners. In the tie -reaker Parminder Singh, Avtar Singh and Harpreet Singh were on target and for Ludhiana Sarbjot , Lakhwinder, Harpal and Sukhdeepak took the penalty strokes. In the second match, Hoshiarpur defeated Moga 8-7 in sudden death. Both the teams were tied 1-1 at the end of playing time. Pardeep scored the first goal for the winners in the 12th minute. The equaliser was scored by Vijay Kumar for Hoshiarpur in the 56th minute. It was only the sudden death that yielded a result as the penatly strokes also failed to decide the game. In another match Faridkot defeated Ferozepore 3-2. For Faridkot the goals were scored by Manmohan Singh, Major Singh and Joga Singh, while for Ferozepore the goals were scored by R Singh and Devinder Singh. |
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Haryana, Punjab lose Rohtak, January 3 In the women’s section Karnataka trounced Vidharbha by an innings and one point where as Maharashtra defeated Manipur by 11 points. Haryana women lost to West Bengal in the league encounter in zone C by six points. Punjab men conceded their match to Madhya Pradesh by innings and four points. Delhi were another North Zone team to lose their league match in the women’s section today. The results: Women: J&K b Nagaland, UP b Bihar, TN b Uttranchal, Kerala b Goa, Karnataka b Vidharbha, Maharasthra b Manipur, WB b Haryana, Madhya Bharat b Delhi, AP b J&K, Telangana b UP. Men: TN b HP, Vidharbha b Uttranchal, Kerala b Nagaland, Kohlapur b Bihar, Maharashtra b UP, Karnataka b Manipur, Madhya Bharat b Punjab, Andhra b Pondicharry, WB b Vidharbha and Talangana b Kerala. |
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Australian skipper Stephen Waugh
became only the third batsman to surpass 10,000 Test runs and then
equalled a Don Bradman record on the last ball of the day with a
trademark rescue mission today in the fifth Ashes Test against England.
If you are a firm believer in miracles, technically India still have a chance of winning the one-day series. For that, what they need to do is pretty simple: win all the remaining four matches, beginning with tomorrow’s clash.
