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Saturday,
February 8, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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First two matches vital: Ganguly England asks for security briefing
Big question mark over India We oldies must contribute tangibly SA favourites but need to block
Two countries, politically divided but similar in terms of history, languages, way of living, landscapes and the same reflects when they play their cricket. A unit of highly talented and gifted players, unfortunately the transformation of potential into results hasn’t been too outstanding. Of course, exceptions are there. Pak lose even as Afridi finds form |
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JCT, Vasco battle to a goal-less draw Salgaocar held by Tollygunge Bagan steal win Asian (jr) TT: India
sweep all titles Warm homecoming for Sunita
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First two matches vital: Ganguly Cape Town, February 7 “The opening two games (against Holland and Australia) are absolutely vital. It would give us a fair idea and it could put us on a roll. I am eagerly looking forward for the tournament to unfold,” Ganguly said today. Though the first game against minnows Holland on February 12 is expected to be a cakewalk for the Indians, Ganguly would be keeping his fingers crossed when the team takes on the mighty Australians on February 15. Ganguly would be fervently praying for his side’s success in the mega event as it could be a watershed in Indian cricket in more ways than one - if India do well, Ganguly would remain at the helm of affairs and if they don’t the famous Machiavellian politics of Indian cricket would once again effect a bloodless coup. However, Ganguly who is not fatalistic by temperament, does believe whatever has to happen would happen in due course and it does not serve any purpose to keep worrying all the time. “Destiny plays an important role in one’s life. I never thought I would play for India again and I never thought I would captain India in three years time,” said Ganguly. “So whatever is destined would happen in due course.” Already, the theatre of World Cup has drawn curtains on the careers of at least three illustrious Indian captains in the past - Srinivas Venkataraghavan in 1979, Kapil Dev in 1987 and Mohammed Azharuddin in 1999. The previous experiences suggest nothing less than a title win would help Ganguly keep at bay the hounds. Venkataraghavan was informed on the plane back home he was not the captain any more, Kapil Dev was sacked even though India had reached the semi-finals and Azharuddin was done away with after India lost in the Super Six stage in 1999. Ganguly, however, said he has never fussed over captaincy adding over the years he had matured as a captain. “I haven’t fussed about captaincy during my career for personal reasons,” he said. “My only concern has been to see the team do well and bring laurels for the country.” The left-handed batsman not only finds an uneasy crown on his head but he also needs to pull his weight in the team as a batsman to keep his illustrious international career going. Ganguly suffered the worst failure of his career in New Zealand recently where he mustered less than 100 runs from four Tests and seven one-day innings. The prospects of coming to South Africa offers him his best chance to strike back form for it was here that he blazed his way to a successful triangular one-day series in 2001. “I had good success on these wickets last time around and it was largely because I could use the elevation of bouncing balls and hit through the line to clear the infield,” said Ganguly. “It could happen because the wickets were true, the bounce was true and you knew what a ball was going to do. “The case in New Zealand was entirely different. It was not of true bounce, there was excessive sideways movement and sometimes you could be through with your shot and the ball hadn’t still arrived.” As if the clouds over his captaincy and his batting were not enough, Ganguly has also drawn criticism in recent times over his slow-footed movement on the field. According to sources, the BCCI’s diktat for “hard nets” two times a day before the team took the plane to South Africa was primarily aimed at the Indian captain. Ganguly was not bothered by such criticism but said he was fitter now under the physical regimen of trainer Adrian le Roux. “It couldn’t have happened if I was lazy. “Le Roux has been very good to all the boys. You only have to look at Sachin (Tendulkar), (Anil) Kumble, Rahul (Dravid), Zaheer (Khan) or me to realise how much body mass the team has shed in recent months.” As pressure on Ganguly has mounted, he appears to have withdrawn into a shell and has not indulged in trademark aggression which has been the feature of his captaincy. If India have to do well, Ganguly has to be at his fighting best as a batsman to provide focus to a young team in a difficult tournament and wrest back his waning respect as a leader. Ganguly admitted he was now more comfortable with the leader’s attire as he had come to know a lot more about captaincy than he did when he started out in late 2000. “When I started out, it was a difficult time. A lot was happening in Indian and international cricket. Over the last three years, I have matured as a captain and tried to be fair to my team members.” But the 31-year-old Ganguly, leading India to victories in 13 Tests and 45 one-dayers, scorer of 4,100 Test runs and 8,255 one-day runs, knows this is a moment of reckoning. If he blinks, it could be all over.
PTI |
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England asks for security briefing Johannesburg, February 7 An ICC spokesman told Reuters today that both England, who are making a final appeal on Friday to have the Harare match switched, and Australia had asked for briefings. “England and Australia decided to take up the ICC offer,” he said. “They will receive up-to-date, in-depth information.
Reuters |
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Big question mark over India Chandigarh, February 7 Right from skipper Saurav Ganguly, who scored just nine, none of the top-order batsmen, barring Virender Sehwag who top-scored with 40, showed any guts or application as they were out cheaply. Chasing a very modest score of 190 for nine of the local team, the Indians, who, even when they left the country late last month, were speaking with more confidence than they should have, were sent packing for just 158. And like on the tour of the New Zealand they could not last their full quota of 50 overs which must have sent alarm bells ringing in the team, specially John Wright whose continuation as India coach must now be put under the scanner in the light of the string of poor performances of the squad. That the Indians were able to reach even 158 was largely due to players like Ajit Agarkar and Harbhajan Singh whose principal jobs in any case is with the ball and anything from the bat is a bonus for the team. There is one school of thought which is of the view that the Indian team peaked very early, in fact last year to be precise when they first claimed the Natwest Trophy in England and then the ICC Champions Trophy (jointly with Sri Lanka) in Colombo. After that the Indian cricket has been on a downslide as they lost first to the West Indies at home and then to New Zealand. If there has to be a change in the fortune of the Indian team (and Thursday’s defeat only reaffirms the theory that the Indians are mentally very low) then the Indian players have to make a concerted effort to overcome their morass and play their natural game which they are probably not doing now. |
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We oldies must contribute tangibly From tomorrow, the best of South Africa’s multi-racial culture will be on show, and once again we hope to show the world how sports has been used wonderfully to unite this rainbow nation. The past deeds of successive apartheid regimes can never be eradicated, but sports definitely can show us the way ahead. As a senior pro in the team, one of my main tasks is to make everyone in the team focus on the positive aspects of playing host rather than on the pressure that comes along with it. The host country has never won the World Cup, but we are seeking to alter that statistic this time round. Cricket offers no benefits for its senior citizens, and we oldies must pull our weight around to contribute tangibly on the field. For example, Steve Waugh was considered one of the finest captains in the game just 18 months ago. Today, he is not part of the Australian team. My personal targets are to finish as many games for my side as possible. It does not matter whether I am 10 not out or 110 not out, I just want to ensure that my team gets to the finish line every time. I always have felt that the middle order failed once too frequently in the last World Cup, and it was always left to Lance Klusener to play an amazing knock to bail us out. Perhaps, if we had all pitched in last time, things would not have turned out the way they did in the last over of the semifinals. We must ensure that we have learnt our lessons from that experience, and not pile the pressure on one guy in every match. Our group is being considered the more relaxed one, but the beauty of one-day cricket is that no team is out of the running at any time. West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand all boast of players who can single-handedly win a game, so there is nothing like a weaker group as far as I am concerned. If we want to go all the way, we must not let up on the intensity at any point. As part of the generation of South African sportsmen who were playing when the ban on our country’s participation in sports was lifted, the World Cup, which starts tomorrow, is a truly special moment. When we came out of isolation, everybody involved in sports were made aware of the fact that sports brings people together like nothing else does. We saw proof of that in 1995, when South Africa, who were hosts to the rugby World Cup, emerged champions. It was a special time in South Africa, with people of different races uniting to fete the world champions.
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SA favourites but need to
block Playing at home certainly has major advantages for the Proteas. Not only do they have the benefit of knowing the local conditions but also having the support from the South African public that will be huge. This in itself creates additional pressure, which Shaun Pollock and his team will need to block out all peripheral issues if they are to win the trophy. This is easier said than done when a major event like this starts to get every little past sponsor or contributor to suddenly start asking for favours. The abundance of allrounders in the squad ensures that there is depth in both the bowling and batting departments. Jacques Kallis is a key player in the setup. Both he and Pollock are rated in the top echelon of cricketers at the moment and will want to use this platform to prove just that. Gary Kirsten has plenty of experience and combined with the flair of Gibbs, can lay a foundation for the likes of Rhodes, Kallis and Boucher to feed off. While Dippenaar is talented, he will need to perform an anchor role should things not go according to plan. Jonty Rhodes in the middle order enables the Proteas to easily rotate the strike and pick up two’s when others only get a single. At the lower end of the batting lineup is Lance Klusener and if he regains the form he had at the previous World Cup this team can post formidable scores. Pollock is a powerful striker of the ball and can take any attack apart on his day. The bowling attack has pace via Ntini, Donald and Kallis and with Pollock taking the new ball it not only can restrict runs but also take wickets at critical times. The bowling has always backed up the best fielding team in the world. Rhodes and Gibbs in the inner circle make single-taking high risk. No doubt Rhodes will once again show why he is rated the best in the business. Very often he gets run outs due to batsmen becoming confused. The past World Cup campaigns have gone wrong when all has looked in control and this team will want to carve their name in history by winning the cup at home and following in the footsteps of the rugby Springboks of 1995. It has the potential to unite the rainbow nation as never before and the Proteas know it. The opening match of the tournament for Pollock’s team is against the West Indies and will not be a cakewalk. Just lately they have been in some good form and they also possess potential match winners. Lara is still the man to watch. The occasion will be enormous and I just feel that the Windies lack experience of the big time right now. The other two tough matches in the Pool are New Zealand and Sri Lanka. New Zealand has, in many critics opinion, the best chance in years to make an impression in the World Cup. Fleming has some quality bowling in Bond, Cairns and
Vettori at his disposal and this will be well backed-up by the likes of Harris, Astle and Tuffey. Whether they post enough runs is the critical point. Astle is key in the batting department and I rate Richardson as someone who could make a big impact on the tournament. This is probably South Africa’s toughest match of the prelim rounds. Sri Lanka seems to have run their race before they arrive at the tournament. Skipper
Jayasuriya needs to fire almost every time and Murali is always a danger but sadly for him, he lacks support. The Proteas will beat the Sri Lankans more often than not in South Africa as history has shown. The matches against Canada, Kenya and Bangladesh will be no more than a stroll in the park and will be an ideal opportunity to either blood some youngsters or to allow lower order batsmen to get a knock in the middle.
TCM |
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Breaking Cup jinx would be Pak’s primary
objective Two countries, politically divided but similar in terms of history, languages, way of living, landscapes and the same reflects when they play their cricket. A unit of highly talented and gifted players, unfortunately the transformation of potential into results hasn’t been too outstanding. Of course, exceptions are there. India and their immediate neighbours, Pakistan, have been often accused of the above allegations but Pakistan is a bit more consistent than India when it comes to unpredictability. It needs a big-hearted punter to bet his money on Pakistan. They will quash a full strength Australia by eight wickets only to lose the next match to, say, Bangladesh. Strangely, this ‘ability’ makes me say that other teams may dismiss Pak lightly at their own peril. Like I said before, India and Pakistan tend to tread on the same path. Both have problems settling their final line-up and deciding on their spinner. It’s rather ironical that Saqlain
Mushtaq will have to fight for his place in the playing eleven. Led by the lethal pair of Wasim and Waqar, backed by fiery Shoaib Akhtar and unflinching support from all-rounders Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mehmood, not to mention Mohammad Sami, Pakistan does have a ‘problem of plenty’ in their hands. As far as the batting is concerned, their spot of bother is the opening slot but unlike India, Pak has a paucity of authentic contenders. Old warhorse, Saeed Anwar, playing in his last World Cup would be determined to leave a blazing trail behind him but at present is waging a grim battle against time and fitness. Anwar would be instrumental if the 1992 champions have to stem their familiar batting collapses, his experience and trademark patience precious enough. I would ask Shahid Afridi to open with Anwar as the former’s strokeplay would set the bearings rolling towards a decent total. Also, Afridi’s, ‘I don’t give a damn’ attitude while dealing with bowlers will prosper under Anwar’s guidance. Another reason of asking Afridi to open is, other
than a option of playing an extra bowler. If Afridi, coming down at number six gets a spinner’s certificate in the team, then Saqlain might as well hang his boots. Yousuf Yohanna and Younis Khan should realise that the World Cup is the best stage to showcase their batting qualities and have to perform well and consistently. Inzamman might have slimmed considerably but would be required to throw his weight around with the willow on this safari trip. Batting does look to have extra depth, with Razzaq and Rashid Latif followed by Wasim’s big hitting abilities. However, Pakistan have won matches because of their bowling and lost because of their batting and here again, batting will have to do a simple job-giving their bowlers a decent target to defend. Its very simple to say it but batsmen have to show the courage to stand down there in the middle and perform. The Pakistan bowlers have their own individual point to prove besides taking them to Cup win. Waqar, practically playing his last World Cup, would like to erase certain blemishes on his captaincy with a win here. Shoaib Akhtar would be keen to fire his ‘lightning quick deliveries’ in helpful conditions while Saqlain resumes his battle with Murali and Bhajji for best off-spinner slot. However, it would be Wasim Akram, who would be looking it as a last possible chance to heal his World Cup agonies. Dodged with match fixing claims during the quarter-final against India in 1996 and final against Australia last time, Akram would like to prove his ‘innocence’ here and by the great fighter he is, the left-armer will spring like a wounded tiger. Pakistan’s primary goal though, would surely be to break their Cup jinx against India and if they are able to shrug off their complacency and maintain consistency, then the 2003 Cup is likely to be boarded on the ‘Train to Pakistan’.
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Pak lose even as Afridi finds form Benoni (South Africa),
February 7 The 1999 World Cup runners-up restricted Easterns to 215 for nine in their 50 overs and seemed well set for victory after Afridi and Abdul Razzaq (44) added 79 for the second wicket in only 11 overs. But the departure of Afridi, who smashed five fours and three sixes, sparked a collapse, Pakistan losing their last nine wickets for just 100 runs.
Reuters |
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Leander comes to India’s
rescue
New Delhi, February 7 Leander Paes, as often he has done in the past, rose to the occasion magnificently to beat the top seed of Japan, Takao Suzuki, in straight sets at 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes after Rohan Bopanna crashed against Goichi Motomura 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (4-7), 3-6 in two hours and 27 minutes. Much was expected of Rohan Bopanna, who possesses a huge serve. His deadly serve, indeed, produced aces by the dozens-23 in all-but he also committed numerous double faults-19 in all-to neutralise the advantage. Rohan also could not get his returns right, and points were gifted away on a platter to help Motomura put Japan 1-0 ahead. It was an encore for Motomura, who had beaten Rohan in the final of the Asian Championship at Tashkent in September last year. Leander was, however, confidence personified, and was in no hurry to finish off the tie. He cut out frills from his game, and played percentage tennis. He served exceedingly well, with most of his first serves getting in, and he also had a fair sprinkling of aces and double faults too—11 and seven respectively. But what stood out in Leander’s game was that his snap volleys, piercing backhands and solid down the line ground strokes, fetched him the big points. He waited for his chances for breaks, and when he got them, seized them with both hands. Leander broke Suzuki in the eighth game of the first set, to wrest the set. The second set followed a similar pattern when he achieved the breakthrough in the 11th game to lead 6-5. However, serving for the set, Leander committed some silly mistakes, and Suzuki sent down a couple of amazing winners, to break back. But in the tie-breaker, Leander was too good to face any problem. In the third set, Suzuki was broken in the tenth game, and Leander blasted in a backhand winner to seal of the victory in style. Rohan Bopanna looked unsure of himself from the outset, and other than winning the second set, his game was a saga of errors and contradictions. He could not get his returns right, and sprayed the ball all over, except at the intended spot. Now the Indian hopes rest on Leander, as he has to not only win the doubles tie for India in the company of Mahesh Bhupathi, but also the reverse singles too. It is futile to expect Bopanna to beat Suzuki in the reverse singles, though it cannot be ruled out either. Leander and Mahesh will take on Jun Kato and Thomas Shimada in the doubles tie to morrow while in the reverse singles, Leander will clash against Goichi Motomura, which may prove to be the clincher.  |
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JCT, Vasco battle to a
goal-less draw Ludhiana, February 7 In what was perceived to be a close affair, both JCT and Vasco fought tooth and nail to grab the initiative but tight marking of the marauding JCT forwards blunted the mill men’s attacks considerably. One man who stood out for the Goan outfit was Brazilian recruit Marcos Pereira. Playing with a heavily bandaged forehead after sustaining an injury in the first half, Pereira carved out dangerous moves with precision keeping the JCT defence under pressure. JCT, too, built up pressure intermittently but Vasco coach Derrick Pereira’s strategy to keep a constant check on JCT forwards Hardip Gill, Harvinder and Jaswinder besides dashing medio Joe Paul Ancheri paid off, as time and again they found their moves being thwarted. With international IM Vijayan sidelined due to injury, a lot depended on Joe Paul Ancheri and Mohammed Salisu to bolster the attack but despite their best efforts, they could do little to assist the forward line. Vasco’s moves orchestrated by Brazilians Marcos Pereira and Rui Wanderlei did look dangerous at times. In the first half, a lob by Marcos over the JCT defence line could have resulted in a goal had it not been for the alertness displayed by
Ghanaian goalie Mohammed Mansuru, who managed to punch the ball away. Rui Wanderlei also had a chance after trapping the ball inside the box but he only managed to balloon the ball high over the bar. A counter attack by JCT also looked dangerous as substitute Sukhwinder relayed the ball to striker Hardip Gill whose cross for Harvinder saw the latter attempting a brilliant header which narrowly missed the mark. This was followed by another Vasco attack and Wanderlei’s defence splitting pass to Marcos Pereira saw the latter racing in all alone but in haste he only managed to shoot wide. In the second half, JCT brought in Hardip Saini in place of Ram Pal. In the 57th minute, laborious winger Jaswinder of JCT despatched a powerful volley from 30 yards which brought out the best in Vasco’s Brazilian goalkeeper Rogerio Ramos, who dived to his right to punch the ball away at the cost of a flag kick. This was followed by another power-packed long ranger by Hardip Saini. The shot, though well-directed, was again punched away by Ramos under the Vasco bar. Towards the end, JCT’s Joe Paul Ancheri sent a cross into the rival box but the header by Jaswinder narrowly missed the mark. Vasco’s Nitin Pradhan and Abhay Kumar hit back with a counter attack but the JCT custodian once again rose to the occasion the thwart the attempt. Towards the end, a free kick for JCT after Harvinder was pulled down by Agnelo Colaco also went abegging and the two teams a HAL in their next match here on February 12 |
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Salgaocar held by Tollygunge Kolkata, February 7 With this, Tollygunge reached a healthy 14 points after 12 rounds, while Salgaocar remain stuck on 23 points thus opening up the difference with NFL leaders East Bengal by four points. If East Bengal wins their home match tomorrow, which they should in all probability with HAL placed in the 10th position, then the lead will widen by seven points. Keeping up the tempo from the last match, Tollygunge began in a whirlwind manner with Sandip Das and Moses stitching together a fine move and the latter sending a last moment flick to Ashim Biswas to stab in in the very second minute (1-0). Having met the reverses so early in the match, Salgaocar went all out for an equaliser. Bello opened up the Tolly defence in the 15th minute but could not convert as Isiaka acted with a fine clearance. This was followed by a Sunday Seah piledriver that went wide. Salgaocar restored parity in the 41st minute when Kovan Lawrence send in a long aerial ball with Sunday Seah positioned perfectly to bang home a header giving Tollygunge goalie Arindam Ghosh no chance(1-1). This apart Arindam had an superb outing excelling both in aerial collection and cutting off ground shots. Arindam came to the rescue of Tollygunge at least four times denying Seah, Bello, Climax and Samson finding the mark. Bagan steal win CHENNAI: The prayers their physio is known to offer before every match seemed to have been answered this evening as reigning champions Mohun Bagan, despite being outplayed, snatched a 1-0 win over Indian Bank in the seventh Oil PSU National Football League here. For most part of the match, especially in the first session, local favourites Indian Bank dominated the exchanges but Bagan’s Brazilian striker George Ekeh struck a beautiful goal five minutes short of the final whistle.
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Asian (jr) TT: India sweep all titles New Delhi, February 7 India defeated Sri Lanka by a 3-0 margin in the final of both girls and boys team championship before winning the individual titles. Sourav Chakraborty won a triple crown by clinching the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles while S Sangeetha could triumph in girls singles and doubles final, according to information reaching here. Other participants in the championships were Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Results (all finals): Boys’ Team championship: India bt Sri Lanka 3-0,
Girls’ team championship: India bt Sri Lanka 3-0; Boys singles:
(S Chakraborty bt A Amal Raj) 3-1; Boys doubles: (S Chakraborty
/Arunava Ganguly bt Pathik Mehta/A Amal Raj) 2-1; Mixed doubles: (S Chakraborty/Madhurika Patkar bt A Amal Raj/S Sangeetha) 2-0;
Girls singles: (S Sangeetha bt M Patkar) 3-2; Girls doubles:
(S Sangeetha/M Aparna bt Sonam S Shuma/Moumita A Romi) 2-0. PTI |
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Warm homecoming for Sunita Sunam, February 7 When Sunita reached at the Maharaja Aggarsain Chowk here last morning, slogans welcoming Sunita Rani were raised. She was garlanded by the representatives of several organisations and senior officers. As Sunita belongs to a Goyal gotra family of Aggarwal community an exulted Mr Rameshwar Dass, president of Punjab Aggarwal Sabha, said Sunita had paved a way for the girls of Aggarwal families, which did not like to send girls in the field of sports. Sunita Rani was taken in a procession through the main bazars of the town. The local Aggarwal Sabha also presented a framed photograph of Maharaja Aggar- sain, founder of Aggarwal community, to Sunita Rani. Mr Shinderpal, a brother of Sunita Rani, lamented the attitude of government and other organisations when medals had been snatched from Sunita by levelling false allegations against her. He said no one had come forward to help them in that period of crisis during which Sunita and her entire family had spent sleepless nights. Mr Shinderpal said as the medals had been won by Sunita for the country, the fight for justice on behalf of Sunita should have been fought by the Government of India, not by Sunita alone. He urged the Union Government to come forward to help the players in such a situation, so that Sunita’s episode should not be repeated. |
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Best athletes Batala, February 7 |
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In video: England's
hopes of switching their World Cup match away from Zimbabwe were
hanging by a thread on Thursday after tournament organisers rejected
their request. (
