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Saturday,
January 11, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Rain set to play spoilsport Stephen Fleming reveals ruthless streak India need to sort out batting Dalmiya refuses to
comment Very few options for ICC ICC to check security in Kenya East Bengal down Army XI, lift Durand Cup |
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Warne’s successful comeback India-New Zealand clash in opener
CRPF, PSB in final KU win title Golf clinic at Forest Hill Punjab, West Bengal in kho-kho final
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Rain set to play spoilsport Auckland, January 10 India broke their dismal losing streak on this tour with a win in the fifth one-dayer at Wellington and were keen to clinch the remaining two games of the seven-match series too to get back to winning habits before the next month’s World Cup. But it seems their plans might be spoiled due to rains. It has rained ceaselessly over the last few days in this largest city of New Zealand and playing a match tomorrow appears a remote possibility right now. The forecast for the reserve day on Sunday is also not very good. In fact, Hamilton, the venue of the seventh and last match on January 14, has also been experiencing heavy rains, and it appears that the last competitive game of the series has already been played. Rains could thus bring a premature end to the troubled Indian tour of New Zealand which saw the visitors managing just one win in seven outings. The Indians were blanked in the two-Test series with the New Zealand bowlers exposing their batsmen on pitches tailor-made to suit home bowlers. The hosts then ran to a winning 4-0 lead in the one-day series before the Indians managed a consolation victory in the previous game at Wellington. The series against New Zealand was probably the worst preparation for the World Cup the Indians could have asked for. But Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly said the team had not lost confidence in itself and would certainly put up a much better performance in South Africa. “One poor tour is not the end of the world. We will go to South Africa in a pretty confident frame of mind,” Ganguly said today. “Every team passes through such a phase. There are ups and downs in every sport but the important thing is to be able to come back. “It was good to have our first win in Wellington. It is important to win the remaining two matches as well,” he said. Ganguly also defended his batsmen saying the conditions were not suited for batting. “It was difficult batting in these conditions. In fact, the New Zealand batsmen also struggled to get runs both in the Tests as well as the one-day series,” he said. A few Indian players came out of their hotel rooms for an indoor practice session today. Ganguly, his deputy Rahul Dravid, Sanjay Bangar, Mohammad Kaif and Dinesh Mongia decided to make use of the indoor nets at Eden Park and trained hard with coach John Wright to sort out some technical flaws in their batting. Most of the Indian batsmen have struggled badly on this tour but Ganguly’s failures have been more pronounced. He scored just 29 runs from four innings in the Test series and aggregated 20 from five one-dayers. “It’s always hard when you haven’t scored runs. But you have to to keep going because it’s a matter of just one innings,” Ganguly said. “You need just one knock to get back to form.” Teams (from): India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Mongia, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Sanjay Bangar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra, Javagal Srinath, Parthiv Patel, Rakesh Patel. New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Matthew Sinclair, Lou Vincent, Chris Harris, Chris Cairns, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum, Andre Adams, Daniel Vettori, Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond, Kyle Mills. Umpires: Daryl Harper (Australia) and Brent Bowden (New Zealand). Hours of play (IST): 6:40 to 10:10 am and 10:50 till close of play.
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Stephen Fleming reveals ruthless streak Auckland, January 10 “We don’t want India to go to the World Cup with a good feeling,” said Fleming revealing a ruthless streak which has been a hallmark of his captaincy. India, routed 0-2 in the Tests, were 0-4 in the seven- match one-day series when they recorded their first win in the fifth game at Wellington on Wednesday winning with a two- wicket margin. Fleming’s remarks evoked surprise especially since India are not in the same group as New Zealand in the World Cup but the two could be crossing swords in the Super Six stage of the tournament. Fleming earned negative criticism when he allowed South Africa to gain a bonus point and sneak ahead of Australia in the finals of a tri-series last year — a setback which later cost Steve Waugh his captaincy of one-day side. Fleming did not spare the rod for his young allrounder Andre Adams, too, who grabbed five wickets in the fourth game at Queenstown but then threw his wicket at a critical moment in Wellington, besides bowling an inconsistent line. “He’s still coming back but I wouldn’t say he is fully there. I would love to have a guy who can perhaps bowl with a little more discipline. He is working hard to achieve the line the other three or four bowlers have done so far." “The way he was striking the ball, he was up there with Chris Cairns. He is such an untapped talent with the bat and his batsmanship will improve with debriefing sessions.” Fleming was excited with the all-rounders’ option he has in the team with Jacob Oram, Andre Adams and Chris Cairns in the side. “I think we understand now that guys from five down to eight are capable of doing it. We lost a little bit of momentum being preoccupied with the new ball. So let’s concentrate on the ones and twos and the basic parts of the game and it will get us scores.” Fleming said Oram, out with a fractured finger, was missed badly in the fifth game at Wellington with New Zealand struggling to prop the latter half of the batting. “We did miss Oram. He’s been outstanding this summer and we are looking forward to get him back for the World Cup. He would have made a difference the other night.” Fleming made a mention about Shane Bond’s bowling to Sachin Tendulkar in the Wellington game and said the fast bowler was hitting the gloves hard. “A couple of overs he bowled to Tendulkar were genuine quick. He looked in good shape and is certainly hitting the gloves very hard.” Indian captain Saurav Ganguly, too, termed Bond as a key bowler in New Zealand’s World Cup plans. “Shane Bond is the key to their success — wherever you go he has the ability to bowl on all sorts of wickets.” “Oram has come off well but the conditions suited him here. Daryl Tuffey has done well too and I feel he’s lived up to the expectations. Overall these — Bond, Tuffey and Oram — are key players.” Ganguly also backed pace bowler Kyle Mills who has been under a bit of pressure because of critics questioning the legality of his action. “Everybody has tough times and he’s going through one at present. A lot of people in the world have a similar sort of problem. But I am surprised that New Zealand press has targeted him more than anybody else. But he’s done well for New Zealand and I hope he is strong enough to get over it.” Ganguly did not want to change batting order in the remaining two games, if they are played at all, as he felt there was little to choose among batsmen at present. “There’s not been anything special done by anybody to change the batting order up and down. So better to stick to it and have faith in the boys.”
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India need to sort out batting
However, the Indians have to be cautious of the fact that though they won the last match, their performance still left a lot to be desired. For one, the top order batting failed yet again with stars like Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid failing to come good. But for Yuvraj Singh’s mature batting and Zaheer Khan’s inspired show, India may have actually lost that match too. Yuvraj has come up really well. Here is a youngster who was chided by selectors for being brash and flashy but how well he has silenced his critics. He is a great player in the making and if he has his own attitude, that should not be anybody’s problem. At least till he is winning matches for India. In the last match, the key was Yuvraj keeping his cool. Statistics show that whenever he has done well, India has won so while judging his utility to the side, we should bear that in mind. Our bowling has been very good and though they have mostly been fighting for a lost cause. In the last match, they were the chief architects of India’s win with Zaheer standing out. If our bowlers keep up the good work, I am sure half of our World Cup worries will be taken care of. But right now we have to sort out our batting. It hasn’t lived upto the expectations but tomorrow could be another chance for them to make up for the lost pride. |
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Dalmiya refuses to
comment Kolkata, January 10 “I will not say anything today, first let me ascertain all the facts,” Mr Dalmiya told PTI when approached for comment on the report that all 15 members of India’s World Cup squad signed the Player Terms in New Zealand. When asked whether the players signed the forms on instruction from the BCCI, Dalmiya said: “I will answer all your queries tomorrow”. According to a report from Auckland, Indian players signed the Player Terms after declaring their non-acceptance to a few contentious clauses in it.
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Very few options for ICC Chandigarh, January 10 However, the 15 players signed the contract only after declaring their non-acceptance of certain contentious clauses in the contract. It must be remembered that these clauses had threatened the rip apart the cricketing world into two distinct camps till saner counsel prevailed just prior to the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka last year. By signing the contract well in time (the deadline for signing on the dotted line was January 14) the Indians have probably averted yet another round of acrimony and heartburning in the cricketing world. While signing the contract the players made it known that they are willing to persuade their sponsors not to air conflicting advertisements during the duration of the tournament (February 9 to March 23) but they are not ready to abide by the clause which allows sponsors of the World Cup to use the images of the players for a month before and a month after the tournament. It is now up to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to sort the vexed contract issue as early as
possible. While nobody can deny the right of the ICC to raise money for the conduct of its tournaments and various other programmes it certainly cannot take away the right of the players (be they belong to India or any other country) to conduct their own business (and appearing in advertisements and endorsements are the basic right of the players during their short international careers) . It has to be admitted that international cricket cannot survive without the active participation of India and Indian companies. Otherwise why should they advertise in grounds in Australia, England and New Zealand even in matches where India is not playing. Three of the four principal sponsors of the World Cup are Indian companies. Therefore, the threat once made prior to the ICC Champions Trophy that India should be debarred from international cricket for the stubbornness of the players makes little sense. Let us admit to this fact — international cricket cannot survive without the active participation of India and Indian money. What are the options in front of the ICC at the current juncture? In fact very little. The international body has to willy-nilly agree to the proposals made by the Indian cricketers because otherwise it will needlessly embroil itself in a string of litigations which can only harm cricket. |
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ICC to check security in Kenya London, January 10 Although the bulk of the 54 matches are being staged in South Africa, with six in Zimbabwe, Kenya are due to face New Zealand on February 21 and Sri Lanka on February 24 in the capital, Nairobi. But question marks about Kenya’s suitability as a World Cup venue have been raised following terror attacks in Mombassa in November.
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East Bengal down Army XI, lift Durand Cup New Delhi, January 10 In a pedantic final, devoid of much thrill, East Bengal, 14 times title winners and nine times runners-up, turned the match on its head when they went on a scoring spree, and their fury was doused only after slotting in three goals in the space of 10 minutes. After a barren first session, when the match was heading for a goal-less deadlock with East Bengal, particularly their forwards, struggling to find their rhythm, coach Subhash Bhowmick played a master stroke, bringing in Tushar Rakshit for the ineffective Trijit Das upfront. Tushar Rakshit quickly revitalised their attack, and set-up the first goal when he ran down the right, chipped the ball into the box and striker Mike Okoro, so far ploughing a lonely furrow, charged in to left-foot the ball into the deep corner of the net, affording no chance to custodian Arun Gobi Singh to even attempt a save (1-0). Emboldened by the success, Bhowmick effected another substitution, replacing Kaustav Ghosh with K. Kulothungan. And the reward came instantaneously when Kulothungan trapped a cross from Okoro, turned on his heel to fox the defenders, and blasted the ball into the far corner of the box (2-0). That was in the 29th minute and two minutes later, D’Silva Da Santos, the hard-working medio, converted a penalty kick to give East Bengal an unassailable 3-0 lead. Referee B.K. Singh whistled for the spot kick when Army stopper L. Angam tripped rival captain Chandan Das inside the goal area. Santos made no mistake with the penalty kick. The end result did not do justice to Army XI’s tenacious performance, especially in the first half. East Bengal, who first lifted the Durand Cup in 1951, thus regained the title after a gap of six years. They had last won the cup in 1995 when they edged out Tata Football Academy 4-3 via tie-breaker after a barren clash during regulation and extra time play. East Bengal were relegated to the second position in 1998 and 1999, when they lost to Mahindra United (Mumbai) and Salgaocar (Goa), respectively in the title clash. Though Army XI, making their maiden entry into the final, were considered as a “soft” target, the rugged Army boys almost altered the preconceived script when they gave the famed Kolkata club a run for their money, making their players run round in circles, without getting a feel of the ball most of the time. The Army team came close to finding the mark in the tenth minute when medio Pradip Debnath worked up his way through the left corridor and chipped into the box, but as the ball was curling in, custodian Satish Kumar rose high to gather the ball on his chest to effect a fine save. Then, for a long spell, the ball was mostly confined to the midfield, till Saroj Negi sped down the right flank and put Vikas Gurung through. East Bengal goalie Satish Kumar rushed out in a bid to save, leaving the goal untenanted, but Gurung chipped the ball wide of the mark in haste. East Bengal, whose chances were few and far between in the first session, got a close look of the rival goal when Mike Okoro put Malsawmtluanga in charge of the ball, but the latter, after a sharp run down the flank, squandered the opportunity by kicking the ball wide. East Bengal slowly and surely gained ground in the second half with Mike Okoro playing a more prominent role in the attack. They picked up speed and gained momentum in their attacks when the Army team seemed losing their sting. The timely substitutions only helped East Bengal forge ahead and consolidated their gains. Teams: East Bengal: V.P. Satish Kumar, S.B. Chakrborty, Arun Malhotra, S. Roy Chowdhary, D’Silva Da Santos, Y. Raju Singh, Chand Das, S. Malsawmtlunga, Shasty Duley, Trijit Das (Tushar Rakshit), Kaustav Ghosh
(K Kulothungan) and Mike Okoro. Army XI: Arun Gobi Singh, S. Ramesh, Ignatious, L.
Angam, Johny Gangmai, Saroj Gurung, Pradip Debnath, Irudayaraj, Vikas Gurung, Preetam Bahadur and Raghu Kumar. |
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Pakistan beat India 1-0 Dhaka, January 10 Pakistan’s Sarfaraz Rasool struck the match winner early in the second session to seal the fate of the Indians who had themselves to blame for the debacle in a fast-paced and surcharged pool-A encounter at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. The Indians, determined to reaffirm their supremacy in the region, appeared to be in disarray as the spirited Pakistanis repeatedly broke through their defence with a series of attacks from both the flanks. The all-important goal came in the 50th minute of the contest when the hard-working Sarfaraz Rasool capitalised on a Qadeer Ahmed’s cross from the right flank to beat the Indian custodian. The win was Pakistan’s first against India since the 1-0 triumph in the 1995 SAFF meet in Colombo. Handicapped by the injury-induced absence of four key players, including star striker Baichung Bhutia, the defending champions were a pale shadow of themselves and were guilty of muffing a couple of gilt-edged opportunities that came their way. Veteran striker I M Vijayan got an opportunity to fetch the equaliser in the 70th minute but he shot wide from inside the box with none of the defenders in position.
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Warne’s successful comeback Melbourne, January 10 Although his performance was below his normal standards, the sight of Warne back in action was a welcome relief for Australian cricket fans after a week in which they lost the last Ashes test to England and were humiliated by Sri Lanka in a one-day international. The 33-year-old leg-spinner, the second most successful bowler in test history with 491 wickets, dislocated his right shoulder last month fielding a ball in a one-day match against England. He was operated on the following day and seemed to be in danger of missing the World Cup, starting in southern Africa next month.
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India-New Zealand clash in opener
Kuala Lumpur, January 10 World champions Germany will clash with Pakistan, while hosts Malaysia will take on South Korea in the next two matches of the six-nation tourney. The much-awaited encounter between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is scheduled for March 26, but before that the men in blue will have to get past Germany on March 23 and South Korea on March 25. They face hosts Malaysia on March 28. The schedule for the tournament is as follows: March 22: India vs New Zealand, Pakistan vs Germany, Malaysia vs South Korea March 23: India vs Germany, Pakistan vs Malaysia March 24: Korea vs New Zealand March 25: Malaysia vs Germany, Korea vs India, Pakistan vs New Zealand. March 26:
Pakistan vs India March 27: Germany vs Korea, Malaysia vs New Zealand March 28:
Korea vs Pakistan, Germany vs New Zealand, India vs Malaysia. March 29: Rest day. March 30: classification matches and final.
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CRPF, PSB in final
Kota, January 10 Trailing 0-1, CRPF scored two quick goals in the second half through Tanveer and Vincent to pip Indian Airlines in a keenly-contested semifinal encounter. In the other semifinal PSB defeated Sikh Regimental Centre (SRC) 5-4 via the tie-breaker after both teams were locked 1-1 in regulation time. Airlines shot into the lead when Mishra converted the team’s second penalty corner in the first half. Despite trailing 0-1 at the breather, CRPF did not let the pressure bulid up. They regrouped and started attacking with more aggression. The strategy paid dividends when Tanveer scored the equaliser in the 48th minute. CRPF followed it up with another goal five minutes later when Vincent found the net, much to the delight of his team mates. Airlines tried their best to equalise but in vain. It was Sikh Regimental Centre which found the net first in the 22nd minute through Minz who did not miss the rebound and converted Leading 1-0 at half-time, SRC were surprised by the sudden brilliant moves made by PSB strikers which culminated in Amarjeet’s equaliser in the 37th minute. However, the teams could not break the 1-1 deadlock and the match had to be decided via penalty shootout in which PSB goalkeeper Shamsher saved twice.
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KU win title Amritsar, January 10 Kurukshetra University were runners-up in the men’s section. Hosts GND University finished runners-up in the women’s section. Kolkata University amassed 397.50 points while Kurukshetra University got 389.25 points in the men’s category. In the women’s section winners Kurukshetra University collected 402.2 points while GND University garnered 387.4 points. In the men’s category MD University, Rohtak, and GNDU University shared the third position with 386.25 points. Eves of Kolkata University finished third with 327.4 points. |
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Golf clinic at Forest Hill Chandigarh, January 10 The golf clinic is being organised to exploit and groom the youngsters and to develop a passion for golf in the region. After a welcome response from numerous groups of schools and institutions. Forest Hill organised these special camps to tap the young potential. Lessons for a batch of 20 students will be conducted every evening under the guidance of Col Nirmal Singh, Manager, FHR Golf Academy and EGTF-trained Ajay Gujral. Free golf equipment will be provided to the students during the clinic. |
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Punjab, West Bengal in kho-kho final Ambala, January 10, In kho-kno, Punjab beat Karnataka in the first semifinal while in the second semifinal match, West Bengal beat Haryana. In the morning session, Haryana beat Tamil Nadu, Gujarat beat J&K. MP beat Assam, Chattisgarh beat Tripura, Maharashtra beat Kerala, Orissa beat Tamil Nadu, Delhi got walk over against Jharkhand, Goa beat Bihar, Chandigarh beat UP, Gujarat got walk over against Jharkhand Chandigarh beat Chattisgarh and Assam beat Bihar. In hockey Delhi protested against pool formation. In the first semifinal, Haryana beat Delhi while in the second semifinal, Punjab beat UP. In ground No. 1, Chandigarh beat J&K while UP beat West Bengal. In ground no. 3, Orissa beat Bihar, Tamil Nadu beat J&K while match was drawn between Chandigarh and Jharkhand. In quaterfinal ties in basket ball Chandigarh beat Haryana, Punjab beat Kerala, Chattisgarh beat Delhi and West Bengal beat UP. |
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Cricket trials Chandigarh, January 10 |
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After their win at Wellington, the Indian team would have gained in confidence. If weather permits, tomorrow’s sixth one-dayer against New Zealand should be an interesting battle.
