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Sunday,
March 16, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Atapattu leads Lanka into semis
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Australia survive Kenya scare Fleming & sticky business of eating words Indian bowlers did everything right India will win Cup:
Imran Pacers leave opponents in fix Ashish Nehra was pick of the bowlers Indians now believe in themselves FROM THE DRESSING ROOM
All eyes on India-Kenya semifinal
clash India’s win keeps media busy
Cricket mania hits morning joggers AIFF signs MoU with Japanese association Harinder maintains
lead Hitesh, Kamaljeet best athletes BSF whip J&K Bank Hockey: India
finish third CM to open national judo meet
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Atapattu leads Lanka into semis East London, March 15 Sri Lanka, who set up a semi-final clash with Australia with this win, rode on a Marvan Atapattu century to score 256 for five before restricting Zimbabwe to 182 in 41.5 overs. A poor umpiring decision brought an end to Andy Flower’s international career and also to Zimbabwe’s hopes of pulling off an upset which looked quite a possibility at one stage. Andy Flower, who has announced his retirement from international cricket after the World Cup, was adjudged leg before wicket to Aravinda de Silva for a fluent 38 even though he had produced a healthy inside edge. The win took Sri Lanka to 11.5 points and in the fourth spot in the Super Six table. Australia, India and Kenya have already qualified for the semifinals. Atapattu struck his second century of this World Cup, his tenth in one-dayers, after Sri Lanka elected to bat first on winning the toss. He carried his bat through the innings to remain unbeaten on 103 off 127 deliveries, hitting seven fours in the process. Zimbabwe gambled by promoting Douglas Marillier and Travis Friend in the batting order and the ploy paid off to an extent as the team got off to a good start in its run-chase. Marillier, who opened the innings with top-scorer Craig Wishart, hit a 14-ball 19 while Friend scored 21 off 20 balls to put Zimbabwe much ahead of its required run rate. When these two fell, Zimbabwe were well served by an important third wicket partnership between Wishart, who made 43, and Andy Flower. Runs came fairly easily for Zimbabwe who looked well on course of doing a favour to New Zealand. Even when Wishart was bowled by Jayasuriya, the first of the three wickets of Sri Lankan skipper, Zimbabwe innings did not falter as Andy’s brother Grant joined him in another useful stand. But the moment Andy Flower was out in the 29th over, Sri Lanka were on top of the game. Zimbabwe never really recovered from the shock and folded up in the next 12 overs. Earlier, Atapattu held the Sri Lankan innings together, putting up useful partnerships with nearly all the frontline batsmen. Scoreboard Sri Lanka: Atapattu not out 103 Jayasuriya c Taibu
b Streak 22 Gunawardene c and b Marillier 41 A De Silva c Taibu b Ervine 25 Sangakkara
c G Flower b Streak 35 Arnold c G Flower b Hondo 1 Vaas not out 11 Extras: (lb-3, w-15) 18 Total: (for 5 wkts, 50 overs) 256 FoW: 1-41, 2-124, 3-175, 4-227, 5-233. Bowling:
Streak 10-0-40-2, Blignaut 8-0-40-0, Friend 2-0-13-0, Hondo 5-0-36-1, G Flower 10-0-44-0, Marillier 10-0-43-1, Matsikenyari 2-0-13-0, Ervine 3-0-24-1. Zimbabwe: Wishart b Jayasuriya 43 Marillier c Jayasuriya
b Gunaratne 19 Friend b Gunaratne 21 A. Flower lbw de Silva 38 G. Flower c & b Jayasuriya 31 Taibu b Muralitharan 2 Blignaut c de Silva
b Fernando 1 Ervine b Vaas 12 Streak c Atapattu b Jayasuriya 2 Matsikenyeri not out 1 Hondo b Vaas 0 Extras:
(w-3, nb-4, b-0, lb-5) 12 Total: (all out) 182 FoW: 1/36 2/68 3/111 4/140 5/150 6/151 7/178 8/181 9/181 10/182 Bowling: Vaas 9.5-0-46-2, Gunaratne 7-0-33-2, De Silva, 9-1-36-1, Muralitharan 7-0-22-1, Jayasuriya 6-0-30-3, Fernando 3-0-10-1.
PTI |
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Flower withstood many storms For 13 years now, a special flower, Andy, has added glamour and value to the garden of Zimbabwe cricket. This Flower has seen several springs and withstood many storms. Though younger sibling, Grant, has also been a show-stealer, Andy’s success will always remain a high point in Zimbabwe cricket. Andy has, of late, been in the news for his protest during the World Cup against what he calls “death of democracy”, but, throughout in his career, he has let his willow do the talking. The charismatic left-hander put it firmly in everyone’s head that Zimbabwe, considered minnows until recently, have a point to prove to the cricketing giants. This mission has been his sole motivation all these years and it’s due to his efforts that teams, now, get down to some serious discussions before playing the African nation. That Andy was always considered one of the top batsmen in the world is a proof of the respect he commands. Sadly, Andy will not be there to enjoy the fruits of his labour, as he still has at least three years of cricket left in him. His decision to retire has been hastened by official responses to his armband protests and I stand beside Andy and respect his moral courage as much as I admire his cover drives. It must have pained him a lot to hear people questioning his loyalty to the country; and, if that has prompted his retirement, the official concerned will be held guilty of pushing Zimbabwe cricket back by at least two years. It happened when Murray Goodwin and Neil Johnson quit. Zimbabwe have some good players — Blignaut, Friend, Taibu, Ervine and others — but they don’t have the experience of Andy Flower. I was looking forward to seeing Zimbabwe as a cricket superpower in five years from now, but Andy’s retirement has made me skeptical. In Andy’s own words: “A lot of people will come, some will sink and others will float. For those who sink, others will take their place.” I wonder how many will sink trying to emulate even a fraction of Andy’s clinical precision. Adieu mate. Dronacharya Sports Promoters |
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Olonga retires
East London, March 15 Olonga, 26, was omitted from the team for the final Super Six match against Sri Lanka. Zimbabwe, already eliminated from the tournament, lost by 74 runs. Olonga said his decision had been a matter of personal conviction and it might be dangerous for him to return to Zimbabwe in the current political climate. He also said he did not want to be seen to condone what he called human rights abuses in his country by continuing to play cricket for the national side. Henry Olonga and teammate Andy Flower made international headlines when they took to the field wearing black armbands “to mourn the death of democracy” in Zimbabwe for their first match of the World Cup in Harare. “It is with great sadness that I am officially announcing my retirement from international cricket,” Olonga said, “I have received threatening e-mails which, I believe, make it dangerous for me to return to Zimbabwe”.
Reuters |
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Australia survive Kenya scare Durban March, 15 The 39-year-old lit up the inconsequential Super Sixes match under the Kingsmead lights as Australia, chasing a modest 174-8, slipped from a comfortable 98-1 to 117 for five. Karim, whose figures at one stage read an incredible 8-6-2-3, dismissed Australian captain Ricky Ponting for 18 and then removed Darren Lehmann and Brad Hogg in one over. However, Andrew Symonds (33) and Ian Harvey (28) survived the unexpected setback to see the Australians through in the 32nd over with an unbroken stand of 61 for the sixth wicket. An explosive 67 off 43 balls by Adam Gilchrist had threatened a one-sided contest till Karim came along to temporarily halt the Australian march. Earlier, Brett Lee claimed a hat-trick as reigning champions Australia restricted Kenya to 174-8 after sending them to bat in the last World Cup Super Sixes match here today. Lee finished with 3-14 while Andy Bichel and Darren Lehmann chipped in with two wickets each as the Kenyans found runs hard to come by against the Australian attack at Kingsmead. Both Australia and Kenya have already qualified for the semifinals with the Africans due to take on India at the same venue on Thursday. Australia will play the first semifinal at Port Elizabeth on Tuesday against Sri Lanka, who secured the fourth spot by defeating Zimbabwe by 74 runs earlier today. Lee began the destruction with the fourth ball of his second over when he felled Kennedy Otieno with a rising delivery and the ball dislodged the bails. Next ball, Brijal Patel was snapped up in the slips by Australian captain Ricky Ponting and David Obuya was yorked off the last ball of the over. It was the first ever hat-trick by an Australian bowler in World Cup history. Down 3-3, Kenya made a remarkable recovery when opener Ravindu Shah and skipper Steve Tikolo added 79 for the fourth wicket. Scoreboard Kenya: K. Otieno b Lee 1 R. Shah c sub b Hogg 46 B. Patel c Ponting b Lee 0 D. Obuya b Lee
0 S. Tikolo c Bichel b Lehmann 51 H. Modi not out 39 C. Obuya c Gilchrist
b Biche 3 P. Ongondo c gilchrist b bichel A. Suji c Ponting b Lehmann 1 M. Suji not out 15 Extras: (lb-10 w-6 nb-1) 17 Total: (8 wkts, 50 overs) 174 FoW: 1-3, 2-3, 3-3, 4-82, 5-131, 6-139, 7-141, 8-144. Bowling: McGrath 10-1-32-0, lee 8-3-14-3, Bichel 9-1-42-2, Hogg 10-1-31-1, Harvey 7-0-23-0, Lehmann 6-0-22-2. Australia: Gilchrist c D. Obuya b
Ongondo 67 Hayden c sub (Angara) b Ongondo 20 Ponting lbw b
Karim 18 Symond not out 33 Lehmann c D Obuya
b Karim 2 Hogg c & b Karim 0 Harvey not out 28 Extras:
(b4, lb 1, w 4, nb 1) 10 Total: (5 wkts, 31.2 overs) 178 FoW:
1-50, 2-98, 3-109, 4-117, 5-117 Bowling: Ongondo 10-0-40-2,
Karim 8.2-0-7-3, Obuya 8-0-62-0, T. Suji 2-0-23-0, M. Suji 3-0-36-0. Reuters, AFP |
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Fleming & sticky business of eating words Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. The Greeks used the laurel to honour the achievers. In cricket it is more often a crown of thorns. The moment selectors adorn you with a crown, the problems generally begin in cricket. Stephen Fleming, the most seasoned of the World Cup skippers who has led his side in 137 one-day internationals (won 55, lost 76), is one of the more fortunate ones. No matter what the result in the World Cup, Fleming will continue as skipper, maybe, for life. Fleming is so highly regarded to the extent of Mark Taylor, no mean achiever as captain himself, saying he enjoyed Fleming’s captaincy when talking to him in a post-game show. The thinking among pundits is his team may lose but Fleming’s captaincy is something to be savoured on its own. Tactically vibrant, Fleming has continued the Martin Crowe tradition of bringing in a bundle of tricks into the one-day game. Where Fleming may have outdone the best of Kiwi skippers is in the matter of eating his words. There has been plenty of that in the World Cup but never more pointed than in the case of Fleming. Martin Crowe made the huge gesture with his hand running across his throat to convey the Pakistanis had been butchered in the semifinal in 1992. The poor guy had to leave the field because of an injury and John Wright was just not up to it using varied tactical skills to keep Inzamam (62 off 37 balls) at bay. The Pakistanis pipped the Kiwis and went on to win the Cup. The younger Crowe, easily the best of New Zealand skippers who also introduced the haka (adapted as the rugby huddle) before World Cup games, was left ruing his fate as the best ever chance for New Zealand to go all the way was foiled. Poor Fleming might just be left to ponder over where things went wrong if the Sri Lankans were to beat the Zimbabweans on Saturday. “We have been up against the wall the whole time, if anything we’ve played our poorest cricket when we’ve had a life,’’ he said in one of his more sane statements. Other words of wisdom did not go down too well in India. The reference to ‘opening up old wounds’ sort of bombed. In all the pre-match hype that is a part of the game today, Fleming had made some foolish references to the Indians’ unhappy tour of New Zealand that ended only a month before the World Cup. Fleming was trying to desperately defend his groundsmen saying the pitches were not doctored and that his team faced attrition better. Maybe, Fleming would have been better off deputing a few of his country’s curators to prepare pitches for the World Cup where, ironically, most pitches could have come straight out of the subcontinent. Fleming was not the only one to eat his words in a World Cup in which a common dish has been the garnished words with which cricketers have been commenting on events. Take the case of Andrew Caddick. He had the temerity to suggest Sachin Tendulkar is just another batsman. Yes, certainly, Tendulkar is just another batsman in the World Cup but one who has so far amassed 586 runs at an average of 65.11 and looking hungry for many more. He had reserved his best for Caddick as the boundaries flowed off the new ball on the day that Tendulkar found his touch once again. Do we need to be reminded that Caddick was born in Christchucrh, New Zealand (also the birthplace of Fleming) which could well be the reason why he was an humble eater of words? Sadly, there was a reference to the size of Caddick’s ears as the most fearsome sight in England’s pace attack in Internet jokes on England’s drubbing. Shoaib Akhtar was another who may have realised too late that words once spoken may return to haunt. Ahead of the match against India he had said that he would make batsmen quiver against his pace. His eye more on the speed gun than the batsman facing him, the ‘Pakistan Express’ tended to be wayward. At Centurion, Akhtar’s fastest balls were dismissed, some upper cut over point for six. The toll was 72 in 10 overs and the return Tendulkar’s wicket off a dubious delivery. The speaker of challenging words before March 1 was reduced to going home with military escort as the Pakistanis returned in batches, seeking anonymity so soon after basking in the limelight of World Cup action. The South African Airways is another entity ruing its words as its campaign proved prophetic in being the very opposite of what actually happened. “Polly you send them home, We’ll take care of flying them in,’’ were the famous words of a campaign that urged skipper to pack all the teams away from the Cup. They stay to haunt a nation drowned by rain and cooked by poor arithmetic. One by one the pretenders have pealed away like aircraft breaking away from formation flight. Only the real contenders remain. Is it a fond hope that the words spoken ahead of matches will be modest ones that will take into consideration that this bewitching game of fluctuating fortunes has an infinite capacity to make fools out of those who speak out of turn.
UNI |
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We didn’t capitalise on our chances By skittling us out for under 150, the Indians did to us what we had done to them right through their tour to New Zealand. I have to say that they bowled extremely well in conditions that are not easy for seamers to operate under. The left-armers Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan were outstanding, but our batsmen also helped them out by exhibiting poor batting skills. In fact, the overall batting performance has been pretty ordinary for the Kiwis. We played well in the crunch games against South Africa and the West Indies, but since then have shown some form only in that crucial run chase versus Canada. Without offering excuses, the 10 days between our South Africa game and the Bangladesh game robbed us of our momentum. It was like we were starting the tournament once again, and somehow we could not quite work up the intensity we showed against the West Indies and the hosts. While most experts will keep harping on the points we lost by not going to Kenya, it’s the momentum that we lost in that period that really hit us hard. Having said that, our bowlers have provided us with golden opportunities in all our games. We were not able to capitalise against Australia, and once again when the Indians were 24 for three, we felt the absence of a quality bowler to share the burden with Shane Bond. To make matters worse our fielding, which almost always compensates for the shortcomings in our bowling, did not fire. Had Brandon McCullum hung on to the chance offered by Rahul Dravid things could have turned out differently. I do feel for the young wicketkeeper, but such chances have to be held at this level since second chances are rarely on offer. In the final analysis, if I have to put my finger on one area that needs to be addressed it’s the inability of our bowlers to sustain the pressure once they get early breakthrough. All sides have learnt that once they see out Bond’s overs, things will sort themselves out. India are on a roll and their self-belief is remarkable considering the way they started out in the tournament. However, I think their batting can be put under pressure by a more sustained, intense attack like Australia’s. If we had held on to half-chances, India would have been 30 for five — which would have been pretty precipitous. In fact, I thought Mohammed Kaif erred in his shot-making on more than one occasion, and was pretty lucky to survive. He took one risk too many when the total they were chasing was so low. In that sense, I think the rub of the green also went India’s way during their chase. We are once again reduced to a situation where we will have to watch out for another result to know whether or not we can make it to the next round. The Sri Lankans have made a cautious start, and I would back them to beat Zimbabwe. We know that this could be our last day in South Africa. So right now we are hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.
Gameplan |
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Indian bowlers did everything right Individual performers have been there before, but I have rarely seen a leader of men find himself in the ‘zone’; that occasional state of existence when you feel in complete control of your world. Saurav Ganguly did today at Centurion. He should have driven a Ferrari at Imola or Suzuka or any of those fancy places that Schumacher wins in. He put New Zealand in on winning the toss when 19 times of 20 a captain would have batted first and saw Zaheer Khan give him two wickets in the first three balls. He sought Nehra out and got a wicket, summoned Srinath back and got another and when he waved at Zaheer one more time, a New Zealand batsman thought his time had come too. It didn’t end there. A glance at Sehwag produced one and a completely inexplicable decision to have Dinesh Mongia bowl the 46’th over saw a wicket being knocked over as well. Wife Dona might have danced a few steps and taken her first one-day wicket too! But while Ganguly’s instinct was writing an amazing script, his bowlers were doing everything right. Zaheer was dogged as ever and Srinath, even enjoying a laugh with spectators at long-leg, rarely wavered from the spot he has found on a good length. But the man making the difference to the Indian attack even today was Ashish Nehra. He has hit a beautiful rhythm and that is the sign of a fit man. The third seamer had been one of Indian cricket biggest problems over the last decade and bowling behind the new ball, Nehra has been a jewel. His dismissal of Styris was crucial. India did have a bit of a wobble but good sides must be tested from time to time. 21 for three could have been nasty especially if Brendon McCullum had held a sitter from Rahul Dravid. It was just the wake-up call Dravid needed as he once again harnessed the youthful exuberance around him to craft a match-winning effort. At No. 5 he has been a revelation, soothing nerves rather than inflaming them as he sometimes did when he was an unsure youngster. Confidence can make you grow 10 ft tall. And he can run. Mohammad Kaif kept calling him back for twos and after 45 overs behind the stumps, and conceding seven years to his effervescent team-mate, Dravid still found the energy to keep pace. They ran beautifully, the modern master and the increasingly assured pupil. At last India are doing the little things well. They are cutting boundaries and they are pinching singles and those are the bricks of one-day cricket. Too often India have tried to build fancy structures with a poor foundation. Now they are moving brilliantly and playing simple cricket. That is how it was meant to be. Young men in their early 20s picked up nine of the 10 wickets to fall and another coated in youth produced a match-winning innings. And the captain, not quite 30 himself, had a blinder in charge. If the top three can blunt pace, and they stumbled a bit today, they can go all the way.
(TCM) |
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India will win Cup: Imran Johannesburg, March 15 “I didn’t think any team could challenge Australia at the start of the tournament — they were untouchable. “But after watching India’s performances over the past few weeks, I think Saurav Ganguly’s team now have a very good chance of winning the final in Johannesburg,” Imran told the BBC Urdu service. “The credit has to go to Sachin Tendulkar. His wonderful innings against Pakistan boosted team morale and, in turn, has since sparked a fantastic run of form for the rest of the team.” Imran, who led Pakistan to the 1992 world title in Australia, also believes that India have the batting depth to take them to the championship. “Against New Zealand on Friday we saw Mohammed Kaif, who wasn’t playing to his full potential, come good when India needed him to. “This is a sign of a world-class team — finding your form for the big matches. “The Australians will have noted the Indians strong all-round performances. And I think Ricky Ponting’s team are missing the extra edge in the bowling department that Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie would normally give them.” “And the way India are playing, they could well fully exploit that come the final.”
AFP
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Pacers leave opponents in fix Johannesburg, March 15 Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan, though, are fast reworking the equation. Nobody saw them coming. All three are tall men but somehow they got overlooked at the start of the tournament as everybody crowded around Sachin, off spinner Harbhajan Singh and leg spinner Anil Kumble. They would give the cricket World Cup a special Indian flavour. Indeed, it was tempting to feel pity for strike bowler Srinath. Everybody knows you should never come back from retirement. But Srinath — overlooked for the one-day team last year after announcing he would no longer play Test cricket — and left-arm quicks Nehra and Zaheer were at it again on Friday as they dismantled the New Zealand top order with slide-rule accuracy. They bowled the first 21 overs between them at Centurion, before Ganguly finally gave Harbhajan a twirl. By then it was 75 for five, with all the specialist batsmen back in the Centurion hutch and New Zealand as good as gone. When Harbhajan removed Chris Cairns — caught by Zaheer — it broke a sequence of 17 successive wickets taken by India’s quicks over three games. During the team’s 183-run annihilation of Sri Lanka four days previously, man-of-the-match Srinath, at 33 the daddy of the attack and the fifth bowler past 300 one-day victims, had made the early inroads as the Lankans slumped to three for three and four for 15. In the first round Nehra had been the man of the match, his six for 23 against England the best bowling figures in World Cup history for India. Yesterday, it was Zaheer’s turn. He took four for 42 to get past 100 one-day wickets. “We’re definitely peaking as a trio,” he said. “Before today, I was the one who wasn’t bowling as well but hopefully things will click for me now.” Srinath ended the innings with one for 20 and 15 World Cup wickets, the same as Zaheer and two more than Nehra, who claimed one for 24 off 10 excellent, lively overs. It’s rare to see two left-arm seamers in the same side. In recent years, indeed, there have been a dearth of quality left-armers at international level. Batsmen may have forgotten how to play them. Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas set the left-arm trend by leading the wicket-taking in the World Cup, including an unprecedented hat-trick with the first three balls of the match against Bangladesh. He took six for 25 that day and has 18 in all. Pakistan’s Wasim Akram is also near the top of the tournament bowling list. India captain Saurav Ganguly’s coup in cajoling Srinath back into the team just in time for the World Cup has been vital to India’s cause.
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Ashish Nehra was pick of the bowlers It was another emphatic win for India, and doubly satisfying too since New Zealand had been such a thorn in the flesh in recent months. True, India’s place in the semi-final and the opponent had been decided in advance thereby reducing the anxiety and pressure. Yet, it was important to win this match to keep the psychological high intact. New Zealand were never in the game once they had been bundled out for 146 on a very good batting track. The pace trio from India once again provided its worth. Srinath bowled an impeccable length once again, while Zaheer Khan gave the match a rousing start with two wickets in his first over, and adding two more later to finish with a career-best haul. But for me the pick of the bowlers was Ashish Nehra who posed problems for batsmen in his every over. Sadly for New Zealand, their game just crumbled on this day. McMillan and Astle, two key batsmen got blobs, and Fleming and Cairns, two other key players, were dismissed playing injudicious strokes. The rest of the batting had neither the experience nor the class to withstand the Indian attack. Saurav Ganguly handled his bowlers very well, and I was glad to see him use both Tendulkar and Sehwag. The most important feature of India’s performance, however, was the manner in which the team recovered from the loss of three early wickets to post an easy victory. This was the third time the middle order had picked up the threads after Tendulkar’s dismissal had left the side in a spot of bother — the earlier instances being against Pakistan and Kenya. This shows the players are high on confidence and are willing to pull their weight. Mohammed Kaif has grabbed the chance to bat at number four with both hands, and played a very sensible knock just as he had done against Pakistan. He has a very good temperament, and the responsibility of batting higher in the order has forced him to give off his best. Dravid played sensibly as always, and India coasted home with few alarms after the reprieve to Dravid when the score was 22. Barring Shane Bond’s furious first spell in which he got Sehwag slashing without moving his feet, and Ganguly bowled by a superb yorker, New Zealand’s performance was eminently forgettable. Throughout this tournament, the Kiwis have played well only in patches, the exception being Bond who must rate as one of the outstanding performers of the tournament. India, meanwhile, have forged well and in this form look like they can take on Australia without qualm. The Aussies have shown chinks in the armour which the Indians will look to exploit if the two teams meet in the final as expected. But before that there are the semi-finals to be played, and as this World Cup has shown, nothing can be taken for granted.
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Indians now believe in themselves India are worthy of a place in the World Cup semifinals as they again proved in beating New Zealand. They are playing with a confidence and spirit rarely seen before. The win over New Zealand again highlighted Indian team’s considerable transformation. Whatever has been done to bring about this modern miracle should be documented and placed in a shrine. If it could be recorded there would be a number of prospective consumers in the cricket world willing to pay considerable royalties to access the secret. The Indian express is getting up a good head of steam. This energy should take them to the final but they need to take it one day at a time. As each game goes by, and one win builds into seven in a row. It is important that the team focuses on demolishing Kenya before thinking of the final. History shows that going too fast towards the destination has derailed many trains. The difference between where the Indian squad is now, and where it was after the defeat to Australia in the second game of the first stage, is that now they believe in themselves. Since the crushing loss to Australia three weeks ago prompted so much gnashing of teeth and serious recriminations back in India, Saurav Ganguly and his, much happier, band of men have gone from strength to strength. This revival was put into perspective in this game when New Zealand, who had put India through considerable anguish during the recent tour of New Zealand, looked as ragged as India had been at the start of the World Cup. The recriminations will now be heard loud and clear in the Shaky Isles. Stephen Fleming will be as confused and confounded on departure as Ganguly and John Wright were on their arrival in South Africa. New Zealand’s abysmal batting form should be the focus of attention in the review that will be done when the dust settles. It has been a disastrous tour for all bar the captain, with the poor return for Craig McMillan and Nathan Astle, both good players, being the most distressing. Considering that most pitches here in South Africa have been batting-friendly much soul searching will be done. As much as the extra bounce here compared with New Zealand may have been a contributing factor, the real problem will be found in the psyche of the individuals concerned. Confidence can be a tenuous state. Good players do not lose their talent overnight but confidence is regularly left on the pillow. One poor innings or concern with an opponent, or even one opposition bowler, has been enough for many players to have a restless night’s sleep. As India has found in this tournament, success is the best antidote to lost confidence. The New Zealand bowling has also been of concern for them in this campaign. Shane Bond has been a shining light but his partners have been left in the shadows. Daniel Vettori is a class act, but the rest of the contingent has been found wanting regularly. Chris Cairns loss to the bowling attack was keenly felt. He has been the class all-rounder who has given the team balance in the past. His lack of form with the bat has exacerbated the imbalance in the side. Stephen Fleming is one of the better captains in world cricket and has the mental skills to have plotted the downfall of more fancied teams. He just did not have the firepower on this occasion to pull off an improbable sting. It will be embarrassing for New Zealand if Zimbabwe manage a form reversal and beat Sri Lanka for New Zealand are not worthy of a semi-final place on current form. Once again the emerging young pace bowlers did the damage for India. This time Zaheer Khan was the ringleader. Having taken the wickets of the hapless McMillan and Astle in the first over, Zaheer returned later to equal his best-ever return of four for 42 from his eight overs. Srinath played a back-seat role on this occasion in taking one for 20 in his eight overs, while Ashish Nehra continued his fine form with one for 20 from a full complement of 10 overs. Harbhajan Singh completed the rout of the New Zealanders with two for 28, also from 10 overs. Winning takes some practice and it relieves some of the pressure on the group and on individuals that, in turn, allows the individuals the freedom to play their natural game. The Australians have shown what this combination of freedom and belief can achieve. They have got themselves into some tough places during this World Cup, but have got themselves out of it because they have not panicked. This will be the test for India over the next week.
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FROM THE DRESSING ROOM DURBAN: If you had noticed Saurav Ganguly at the dressing room balcony after India secured a thumping seven-wicket win over New Zealand at Centurion Park on Friday, you must have been struck by the absolute nonchalance of the Indian captain. A Ganguly of not so long ago, would have taken off his shirt, done the rounds at the ground or at least would have climbed down the stairs to hug the unbeaten batsmen. Now he just stood rooted to his spot and clapped as if bored. It’s a part of the new resolution of Indian team to keep a low profile till the finals of the 2003 World Cup which looks a real probability now. Ganguly thus was graciousness personified, speaking sweet little nothings to the vanquished captain Stephen Fleming. The team is aware of the huge expectations for the finals and the massing of fans, officials, sponsors and politicians which is already taking place in Durban and Johannesburg. If reports are to be believed, a particular sponsor is flying over 9,000 executives, dealers and their families for the last two games. Sponsors Sahara are flying a jumbo which would carry the Indian cricket team back home, irrespective of what they do from now on. Sahara has also promised a windfall of Rs 23 crore to be distributed among cricketers if India were to win the World Cup, not to speak a seven-star apartment for each cricketer in the Ambi Valley residential project, coming up on the Khandala-Lonavala highway. So the new face of Indian team is a part of resolution among players not to get distracted by the assembling gentry and keep its focus on cricket at hand. One of the things which helped this team in its campaign in the 2003 World Cup was the fact they were away from home and there was little distraction of families and friends, relatives and cricket acquaintances. Now that most are shifting their base camp, cricketers are cautioning themselves not to be distracted. Ganguly is already flooded by proposals of various kind but he is aware if he leads his side to a title triumph, he could reap the windfall for years to come. Now that the golden rainbow is on horizon, there is a renewed sense of honour and pride within every member of the team. Parthiv Patel, who completed his 18th birthday the other day, Ajit Agarkar and Sanjay Bangar do not mind being dubbed another Sunil Valson if India go on to clinch the cup. Valson was part of Kapil Dev’s team which won the World Cup in England in 1983, without featuring in a single game. Most of the team members have already decided how they plan to spend the months after World Cup. Ashish Nehra doesn’t want to be anywhere near a cricket field; Ganguly is planning a vacation with his family in Italy; Harbhajan and Virender Sehwag will have a month’s break before leaving for county circuit in England and so on and so forth. Most of the senior cricketers have privately decided to skip the quandrangular tournament in Bangladesh which also features South Africa. They are ready with their list of medical excuses-but apparently the Indian cricket board has got a wind of it and it could all change when Jagmohan Dalmiya joins the team after a couple of days in Cape Town on March 17. |
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Pollock sacked as skipper
Johannesburg, March 23 A statement released by the UCBSA said a replacement would be named tomorrow. “On recommendation from the national selectors and with the input from the national cricket committee, the general council of the United Cricket Board of South Africa has decided to relieve Shaun Pollock of the captaincy of the South African national team with immediate effect,” said a UCBSA statement. The Proteas began the World Cup as co-favourites and widely regarded as the one team capable of challenging defending champions Australia for the title. However, they never made it out of the preliminary round after winning against Kenya, Canada and Bangladesh, but losing to the West Indies and New Zealand before suffering a fatal tied game with Sri Lanka. “Shaun is a valuable member of the national squad and one of the world’s best all-rounders,” said the UCBSA chief executive, Gerald Majola. “He will continue to play a vital role in the team.”
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All eyes on India-Kenya semifinal clash Durban, March 15 Thousands of Indians, including the ‘Bharat Army’, have booked up hotels and other accommodation in the city for the semifinal. The general manager of the Elangeni Hotel, where the Indian team will be staying, said his hotel and other sister hotels were fully booked for this weekend until the semi-final. “While teams have been booked into our hotel, many travelling supporters have also booked to stay with us and in our group’s sister hotels along the beachfront,” he said. The CEO of Natal Cricket, Cassim Docrat, said there was great interest for the India-Kenya semi-final not only from locals but also from people outside the province and the country. “India has a lot of support locally and this is creating a great deal of interest and enthusiasm,” he said while predicting a full house for the day-night match.
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India’s win keeps media busy Durban, March 15 India’s seven-wicket win in their last Super Six match in Centurion was splashed on the sports pages of the newspapers despite the fact that cricket is not the topmost game in the country. “Kaif and Dravid steer India to seven-wicket win over Black Caps,” read the headline in ‘The Independent’ while ‘Saturday Star’ in Johannesburg carried the story under the headline: ‘India record easy win over NZ’. ‘The Independent’ also carried a story from its correspondent in East London under the headline: ‘Indians do Sri Lanka a favour’. ‘The Post Weekend’ newspaper here lauded the Indian team’s phenomenal progress in the World Cup after initial tardy performances. The newspaper is also offering a large poster size photograph of star batsman Sachin Tendulkar in its next issue on Wednesday on the eve of India’s semi-final against Kenya at the Kingsmead cricket ground here. A local radio station, Radio Lotus, devoted most of its two-hour ‘Saturday Lift-off’ programme praising India’s seven straight wins since the loss to Australia in the first round of the tournament. The radio station also carried a tongue-in-cheek interview with their correspondent, ‘Om Prakash’, also known as Sunil Gavaskar, who predicted India will win the World Cup. The versatile presenter, Vikash Mathura, who portrays ‘Om Prakash’, told the listeners that Rahul Dravid is knocking up a steady stream of runs because he has ‘all the young ladies batting for him’. He was envious that the beautiful Durban Indian women were going agog over Dravid and other players.
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Cricket mania hits morning joggers Jalandhar, March 15 Although a number of major parks have virtually been under siege, nothing has been done by the civic authorities to check the nuisance. Senior citizens and morning walk freaks have been forced to alter their schedule or abandon the daily exercise altogether. In most matches players have financial stakes. The “cricket spirit”, which is resulting in damage to public parks and posing a danger to those going for morning walks, has not only spread in Jalandhar, but can also be experienced in Hoshairpur, Phagwara, Kapurthala and Nakodar, where streets have been transformed into cricket pitches. A survey conducted by The Tribune revealed that almost all parks — with the exception of one or two — were witnessing cricket matches by a number of teams, mostly formed by youngsters on locality basis. In some parks the activity starts as early as 5 a.m. The most interesting aspect of the “cricket mania” is that some parks get occupied by two to five different teams leading to damage to vegetation and flower plants. The activity has led to a spurt in business by vendors selling ice-cream, cold drinks, candies and other beverages. “Since the matches usually run from early morning to evening and since a number of youngsters participate, I make about Rs 400 per day as compared to my daily earnings of about Rs 150 otherwise,” said Telu Ram, a vendor outside the “public park-cum playground” in the Old Baradari locality. The other parks, apart from the Old Baradari, where cricket matches have become a routine feature include the municipal parks in Model House, Adarsh Nagar, New Jawahar Nagar, Partap Bagh and Urban Estate. Interestingly, the Nehru Gardens which houses the office of the Municipal Corporation, has been affected by the menace. “It has become a nuisance for senior citizens like me and the civic body, which focuses attention on demolition of illegal buildings inhabited by middle class people, has failed to curb it,” said Mr Dewan Chand, a resident of Model House locality. Similarly, Mr Sadhu Singh, another resident said though love for a game was good, youngsters should also take care of the sentiments of other people. “I love jogging and did it at the Baradari park, but I had to discontinue for fear of being hit by the ball, particularly, as more than one team is playing,” he said, adding that the civic body should come out of its slumber to save further damage to public parks. Though the Commissioner and the Mayor were not available for comments, officials on condition of anonymity, said though a number of complaints had been received by the civic body, no action was taken for reasons “best known to the higher authorities.” |
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AIFF signs MoU with Japanese association New Delhi, March 15 “The commercial details of the MoU are still being worked out. The MoU would facilitate us in establishing coaches education programme with the help of JFA’s expertise and exchange visits of the u-19 teams,” Alberto Colaco, secretary to the AIFF, said on the sidelines of the three-day Vision India Football Conference that concluded today. The conference saw Peter Velappan, general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation, present the AFC’s study report on football scene in India and the various national clubs in turn pledging to work for the betterment of the game. Comparing the success of Japan and Korea, Mr Velappan said he saw no reason why India could not achieve what those countries had done. “Japan had no football culture but had a clear vision and dynamic leadership. Korea on the other hand had the culture but lacked the resources.” “India though have both. So it is not beyond your ability,” Mr Velappan said. The AFC general secretary exhorted the Indian officials to start their ground work from the grassroots level. “Schools are the foundation. If we can develop talent at the age group level, that will help develop the clubs which in turn will produce a strong national team,” he said. Mr Velappan said the AFC had categorised India as ‘mature and progressive’ country based on the football set-up here. “The waking of the sleeping giant is all about professional development, taking the game to the grassroots and help promoting the clubs,” he said. “There are many issues to be sorted out but if anybody thinks that it was beyond him then please make way for the young generation,” Mr Velappan said. The various clubs attending the conference in response pledged to strive for the development of Indian football while also urging the AIFF to immediately adopt the recommendations made by the AFC in its study report. The clubs demanded setting up of a fully professional national league and asked the state associations to adopt statues governing the players’ transfer and contract in concurrence with the rules and regulations framed by the national and international bodies. They also asked for an ‘inviolable calendar’ wherein the national league would be played between October 1 and March 31 and the Federation Cup from August 1 to September 15 in the World Cup format.
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Harinder maintains
lead Chandigarh, March 15 Manav Dass displayed the best card of the day of 71 (one under par 72, which brought him to the No 2 slot with a total of 214. He shot birdies on the sixth, seventh, 13th, 17th and 18th holes. Manav displaced Sandy Lehal, who slipped to third spot. Lehal played a round of 75 (three over par 72) and at the end of the day, with a gross score of 217. Tomorrow, the fourth day will have a prize distribution ceremony at 4.30 pm in the club premises. The results: Gross: Harinder Gupta 212, Manav Dass 214, Sandy Lehal 217, Jaideep Patwardhan 220, Vikrant Chopra 224, Kesav Mishra 224, H.S. Kang 225, Simarjeet Singh 226, Suman Puri 227, Vikram Rana 227. Nett:
Harinder Gupta 209, Sandy Lehal 211, Deepak Kumar 211, Manav Dass 214, Balwinder Singh Mattu 217, H.S. Kang 219, Jaideep Patwardhan 220, Varoon Parmar 220, Arjun Singh 220 and Keshav Mishra 221. |
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Hitesh, Kamaljeet best athletes Bathinda, March 15 The results: 100 m: Hitesh Jairath (1), Nitin Bhardwaj (2), Vineet Bajaj (3); 200 m: Hitesh Jairath (1), Mandeep Singh (2), Vineet Bajaj (3); 400 m: Hitesh Jairath (1), Mandeep Singh (2), Manan Gupta (3); 400 m hurdles: Varinder Singh Malhi (1), Pardeep Mann (2), Buta Singh (3); 110 m hurdles: Kunal Sood (1), Gautam Sharma (2), Buta Singh (3); 800 m : Harjeet Singh (1), Manan Gupta (2), Mandeep Singh (3); 1500 m: Harjeet Singh (1), Navdeep Singh (2), Angrej Singh (3); 5000 and 10,000 m: Navdeep Singh (1), Angrej Singh (2), Vivek Mahajan (3); long jump: Hitesh Jairath (1), Maninder Singh (2), Vineet Bajaj (3); high jump: Gurchetan (1), Kunal Sood (2), Buta Singh (3); shot put: Navjot Singh (1), Gultej Singh (2), Gaurav Singh (3); hammer throw: Bhupinder Singh (1), Gurpreet Singh (2), Krishan Kumar (3); discus throw: Gurchetan Singh (1), Varun Garg (2), Deepak Sukheja (3); javelin throw: Deepak Sukehja (1), Sukhwant Singh (2), Kishan Kumar (3). |
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BSF whip J&K Bank New Delhi, March 15 Though BSF won the match convincingly, their game was marred by rough play, and four of their key players - J. Ouseph, Prasanto Das, Tapan Bhattacharya and Gurjit Atwal - were booked with the yellow card by referee A.S. Ashokan. Gurjit Atwal, who already had a yellow card to his ‘credit’, now will have to sit out BSF’s next match. Ironically, Atwal had scored BSF’s first two goals today. Gurjit Atwal put BSF in the lead in the 28th minute, and completed his brace seconds before the interval. On change of ends, the bankmen struck through inside-right Rizwan Sheikh to reduce the margin (1-2). But it was small consolation as medio Santosh Kujur consolidated the BSF lead, and Ouseph slotted in a goal at the fag end. PSEB take on Hindustan Club in their second match tomorrow. |
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Hockey: India
finish third New Delhi, March 15 India, who could manage three wins, two draws and suffered a defeat in the seven-nation tournament finished behind Poland and Pakistan, according to information received here today. The side, consisting mainly of upcoming players, had registered wins against Scotland, Greece and France while they were held to draws by arch-rivals Pakistan last Saturday and by Egypt yesterday.
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to open national judo meet Patiala, March 15 Mr Pratap Singh Bajwa, Cabinet Minister, PWD, and president of the Punjab Judo Association along with other members of the organising committee will be present. |
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East London, March 15
For
13 years now, a special flower, Andy, has added glamour and value to
the garden of Zimbabwe cricket. This Flower has seen several springs
and withstood many storms. Though younger sibling, Grant, has also
been a show-stealer, Andy’s success will always remain a high
point in Zimbabwe cricket.
East
London, March 15
Johannesburg, March 15
Johannesburg, March 23
