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Thursday,
May 15, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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TRI-NATION TOURNEYS IN AUSTRALIA Lal ridicules ICPA detractors Waugh, Lara face contrasting futures
Sarwan, McGrath bury hatchet Hooper signed as cover for Harbhajan |
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Srinath to groom pacers in SA
Milan move into Champions League final Roller skating picking up PCA takes steps to check
fielding of overage players Chandigarh on top in U-17 cricket tourney Minor Districts face an uphill task AAFI puts off circuit meet
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TRI-NATION TOURNEYS IN AUSTRALIA
Karachi, May 14 Seasoned goalkeeper Ahmed Alam replaced Nadeem as skipper for the twin events to be held in Perth and Sydney from May 29 to June 8 which includes India and two teams from Australia. “We can sacrifice any player to maintain discipline as no one is bigger than the sport,” Pakistan hockey chief General Mohammad Aziz Khan said. The tournaments will pit Pakistan against India for the first time since last month’s surprise rapprochement steps initiated by the two neighbours. “Both the tournaments are very important for us as we are playing along side Australia and India,” Khan said. “We have maintained that we are ready to play India, anytime, anywhere.” Pakistan and India, who shared 11 Olympic gold medals and five world titles between them, played annual hockey series on home and away basis until the Kargil conflict in 1999. However, the two sides met in multinational hockey events, with Pakistan beating India in the third-fourth play-off in the Champions Trophy in Germany in August last year while a month later India beat Pakistan in the semifinal of the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea. The latest peace overtures have raised hopes of reviving sporting ties with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali last week announcing cricket and hockey matches would lead confidence building measures. Former Olympian Shahnaz Sheikh is the head coach of the team. Squad: Ahmed Alam, Salman Akber, Tariq Imran, Ali Raza, Zeeshan Ashraf, Ghazanfar Ali, M Saqlain, Dilawar Hussain, Imran Rasool, Adnan Maqsood, Rehan Butt, Mudassar Ali Khan, Kashif Jawwad, Shabbir Hussain, Saleem Khalid, Shakeel Abbasi, Tariq Aziz and Aqeel Hussain. Aussie squads named Sydney: Australia will play the double-leg international invitational hockey tournaments in Sydney and Perth later this month without star player Mark Knowles, who is out of the side due to an injury. Announcing the 24-man squad for the competitions, which also feature India and Pakistan, coach Barry Dancer said the entire Australian national squad will take part in the challenge but for the injured Queenslander Knowles. Victorian goalkeeper Stephen Mowlam will win his first international cap in the series. The tournament will also feature an Australia-A team and Dancer said players will rotate between the two Australian sides to ensure all players get maximum game experience. Matches will be played in two series - the first, starting on May 28, taking place in Perth and the second in Wollongong and Sydney. The tournament will offer a perfect opportunity to test player capabilities and combinations, Dancer was quoted as saying on an Australian website. Australia will be using this competition as a warm up for the Champions Trophy and Oceania Cup which begins in August. While Pakistan announced the team for the twin-meet today, India will select their side on May 17.
Team announcement deferred Bangalore: The Indian Hockey Federation has postponed the announcement of team for the four-nation, two-leg Invitational Hockey Tournament at Perth. The announcement of the team, which was initially scheduled for today, was deferred following IHF President K.P.S. Gill postponing his visit to the city. Karnataka State Hockey Association sources said the selection trials would now be held on May 17 and 18. Besides India, Australia, Australia ‘A’ and Pakistan are the other teams participating in the tournament, scheduled to begin from May 28.
UNI , PTI |
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Lal ridicules ICPA detractors
Kolkata, May 14 “Why is the board so afraid of the ICPA? The world over, boards have accepted player bodies. But it seems that those at the helm of affairs in the BCCI lack vision and statesmanship. So, they are refusing to accept the inevitable,” Arun Lal told PTI here. Lal said in a democratic country anybody has the right to float a body, but the manner in which some persons were reacting to the formation of the ICPA, it seemed “we are doing something criminal”. “The way some front persons of the BCCI are pouring scorn against the ICPA, it seems that the board has something to hide,” a fuming Lal said. On criticism of the insurance scheme unveiled by the ICPA, Lal said “how can somebody say that such policies are not needed? Even if the BCCI has one, our scheme can be supplementary to it”. Lal also expressed “doubt” about the existence of any such policy at the BCCI end, asking “why are they keeping it under wraps? How many players know of it? And if the board is indeed paying the premium, why is it not reimbursing the medical expenses of players?” To buttress his point, Lal referred to the harrowing experiences of first class cricketers like Abhay Sharma, Akash Chopra, Rahul Sanghvi and Moloy Banerjee who had to cough up huge sums for their medical treatment. “In none of these cases, has the board paid a single paisa so far,” Lal said. On the demand from some former cricketers that instead of forming the brand new ICPA, efforts should have been made to revive the now defunct Association of Indian Cricketers, Lal said “I had also initially wanted the same. But there were bottlenecks and it would have taken a long time to revive it. So, we decided to start a new organisation”. Lal alleged that most of the founding members of the AIC had not even cared to pay their subscriptions. In an obvious dig at Kapil Dev, the president of the AIC, Lal said “even the president has not cleared his dues”. “And who am I to revive a body? There were so many other members. Why didn’t they do anything about this?” Lal said he felt that the AIC should be dissolved and the money in its coffers paid to welfare trusts. Asked how optimistic he was about the success of the ICPA, Lal said “I am a born optimist.. But you see, nothing in this world is guaranteed. But just because the earlier experiments like the AIC have failed, does not mean that we should not try again”. PTI
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Waugh, Lara face contrasting futures
St John’s (Antigua), May 14 Waugh’s tactics came in for heavy criticism after the hosts made 418 to win the match, the highest victorious fourth-innings total in Test history. The 37-year-old, who passed former Australian captain Allan Border’s record of 156 Test appearances during the series, defended his decision to bring on leg spinner Stuart MacGill with only a handful of runs needed. “You’ve got to back your gut feeling,’’ he said. “I thought Stuart would take care of the rest, it was a turning track and tail enders find it (leg spin) difficult to play against.’’ The Australian players were also criticised back home for their behaviour during an ill-tempered match, particularly fast bowler Glenn McGrath’s heated altercation with West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan. “Regardless of the result, the Australians have done nothing to enhance their reputations as sportsmen,’’ Sydney Morning Herald cricket writer Peter Roebuck said. “Cricket searched for a champion team and found only an unscrupulous aggressor.’’ Waugh admitted his team had lost their cool.
“It wasn’t pretty, we would like these things not to happen,’’ he said. “We got ruffled yesterday and lost our composure.’’ The players’ lack of discipline did not go unnoticed by Australian Cricket Board chief executive James Sutherland. “It’s all very well playing the game in the right spirit when things are going your way,’’ Sutherland said. “But when things aren’t, that’s when the real test is on. If you can’t carry yourself in the true spirit of the game at those times, perhaps you need to have a good look at yourself.’’ The Australian selectors, never afraid of making tough and controversial decisions, may decide the time has come to end Waugh’s reign. With home series against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and India later this year it may be the ideal opportunity to hand Ricky Ponting, already well established as Waugh’s successor as one-day skipper, control of the Test side. Waugh said last week he believed he still had several years left at the top level, but his 36th Test victory as captain in Barbados last week, equalling the record of former West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd, could well be his last. Despite another heavy series defeat in which West Indies lost three home Tests in a row for the first time in their history, Lara was full of optimism. “West Indies have grown over the last two years and achieving this will catapult us to great things in the future,’’ Lara said. “We’ve improved in every Test and I think we are not going to lose another Test this year. “It showed character and a progression of the guys’ mentality,’’ the 34-year-old added. “This is an opportunity for them to understand that they’ve created history.’’
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Sarwan, McGrath bury hatchet
Sydney, May 14 Sarwan said today he and McGrath had cleared the air over the mid-pitch altercation on Monday which had concerned the Australian Cricket Board enough to issue a statement. Sarwan, whose century helped steer the West Indies to a record-breaking three-wicket win in the ‘dead’ final match of the four-Test series yesterday, would not reveal what was said between the two players in the clash which caused McGrath to fly into such a finger-pointing rage that umpire David Shepherd had to step in. But Sarwan was confident they remained on friendly terms. “Actually both of us have apologised to each other and it’s good to know that both of us did that in the good context of the game and what took place in the series and this game,” Sarwan told an Australian radio station today. “It’s good to know that we have apologised to each other and appreciate each other’s friendship.” Asked about the Australian team’s reputation as a world leader in sledging, Sarwan said the West Indies team had no grievance with Steve Waugh’s team. “I’m not sure about that, who’s the leader of that (sledging), but obviously players have things to say on the field and it’s up to the individual or a team if you want to take it personal but, really and truly, we don’t have a problem with each other,” Sarwan said. “You just need to accept certain things that people say on the field and if you put it in the past, that’s fine, but if you take it personal well, then I think you might find yourself in a bit of trouble.” AFP
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Hooper signed as cover for Harbhajan
London, May 14 The 36-year-old batsman last played county cricket for Kent in 1998. According to the BBC’s website, Hooper is set to make his debut in the championship match against Essex beginning at Old Trafford after a meeting of the First Class Forum at the Lord’s yesterday. Hooper would be allowed to play until Harbhajan was given permission by the Indian cricket board to play for the county, the report added. The spinner suffered a finger injury during last month’s one-day series in Bangladesh. The England and Wales Cricket Board rules state that an injured player must be replaced for the remainder of the season. But Lancashire have been allowed a temporary replacement because the injury occurred in international play. Hooper, who has a Test average of 36.46 and has also claimed 114 wickets with his off-spin, withdrew from the recent Test series against Australia after being sacked as captain in favour of Brian Lara. Reuters
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Srinath to groom pacers in SA
Durban, May 14 The 33-year-old Karnataka bowler, who has entered into a contract with the Gauteng Cricket Board in Johannesburg, will help with the development of fast bowlers in the province and would tutor a large group of youngsters into the art of fast bowling. Besides coaching, Srinath, scheduled to arrive here in mid-September, will also play for the Highveld Strikers Cricket Club. Gauteng Cricket Board CEO Alan Kourie said Srinath had impressed the board with his commitment to the game and he would be an asset in the board’s development programme. “Srinath has been around for some time and during the World Cup he showed that he is still in good nick,” said Kourie. He also said Srinath was a “perfect gentleman” and would fit into the Gauteng scheme of things. Srinath, who returned a haul of 16 wickets at 23.06 in the World Cup where India finished second behind Australia, has hinted that he would retire from the game but has not made any official announcement as yet. PTI
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Milan move into Champions League final
Milan, May 14 Milan, the away team in the tie, go through on the away goals rule to their ninth final and first since 1995 after the first leg last week ended goal-less. Andriy Shevchenko netted the all-important away goal in first-half stoppage-time, taking advantage of some weak Inter defending to score from close range with his right foot. Second-half substitute Obafemi Martins gave Inter hope when he cashed in on a defensive error to slide home with seven minutes to go. But a late Inter onslaught failed to produce a winner with Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati’s stunning save denying Mohammed Kallon. Milan will now meet either Italian rivals Juventus or holders Real Madrid in the final at Manchester United’s stadium on May 28. “It’s without doubt the most important goal of my career,” said Shevchenko. “Now let’s hope for a wonderful final. “It was a real battle, tougher than any match I’ve been in. They were strong - but not as strong as us.” Inter defender Fabio Cannavaro lamented his side’s slow start. “We sat back in the first-half and allowed Milan to attack us, and that was the wrong approach,” he said. “We gave them far too much respect and should have pressed them more. It was a huge mistake.” Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, who like his Inter counterpart Hector Cuper chain-smoked his way through a nerve-jangling match, was a relieved man when the final whistle blew. “The goal gave them the lift they needed, but thankfully it came too late,” he said. “Martins gave us immense problems with his pace and we looked a little anxious in the final few minutes. “But overall I thought we were the better team. Not only tonight, but over the two matches,” added Ancelotti, who won two European Cups with AC Milan as a player. Inter absorbed early Milan pressure and tested Abbiati in the 13th minute. Marco Materazzi’s chipped pass found Hernan Crespo pulling wide and his right-foot half volley was comfortably dealt with by Milan’s stand-in. Winners of five European Cups to Inter’s two, Milan hit back through Shevchenko, who sped forward to collect Andrea Pirlo’s 40-yard pass and flashed a rasping volley inches wide. Just as it appeared as if the half would end goal-less, Milan broke the deadlock. Clarence Seedorf, a Champions League winner with Real Madrid in 1998 and with Ajax in 1995, ran at the Inter defence and slipped the ball wide to Shevchenko. The former Dinamo Kyiv forward cut inside Ivan Cordoba before scooping the ball over the advancing Francesco Toldo for the opening goal. A fractious first 45 minutes saw four players booked, Luigi Di Biagio, Gennaro Gattuso, Filippo Inzaghi and Pirlo. Needing to score twice, Cuper brought on Martins and French midfielder Stephan Dalmat for Alvaro Recoba and Di Biagio at the start of the second-half. But despite the arrival of fresh legs, it was Milan who posed the greater threat. Shevchenko had a good chance to double his tally in the 61st minute when he cut in from the left flank and saw Toldo off his line, but the Ukrainian’s chip cleared the crossbar by inches. Despite looking dead and buried, Martins breathed life into Inter when 37-year-old Costacurta’s scuffed clearance fell nicely for him and the 18-year-old Nigerian slid the ball under Abbiati’s body for the equaliser. Second-half substitute Kallon came agonisingly close as Inter poured forward, but Milan held on bravely to clinch a place in the Old Trafford final. AFP
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Roller skating picking up Patiala, May 14 The Punjab sub-junior boy’s roller hockey team also bagged the gold medal to compliment the efforts of their seniors. The junior boy’s team took the second spot among 12 teams while the senior women’s squad bagged the third spot among the 10 teams that took part in the event. In the speed skating events, in the under eight years category, Sangrur youngster Navpreet Kaur garnered two bronze medals in the rink race-II and the road race events. Ramanpreet Singh, Balwinder Singh and Ashta won silver medals in the events of time trial, rink race-I and rink race-II, respectively. The Patiala based honorary secretary of the Punjab Roller Skating Association (PRSA), Mr Surinder Singh Tiwana, attributed the success of the state’s skaters to the hard work put up in the two camps held preceding the Kolkata nationals. He said it was the first time that the camp for speed skaters was shifted from the local rink hall to Leisure Valley in Ludhiana. Mr Tiwana also disclosed that previously districts like, Moga and Mukstar were considered unfit for holding roller skating meets. However, this trend had now changed as the required infrastructure for both road races and speed skating had come up at these two places. The Punjab Speed Skating Championships this year were held at Moga which gave a boost to the sport in the region. He added that the proposal of the PRSA to give gradation certificates to roller skaters was in the final stages. Once the game was given gradation by the Punjab Government, more and more youngsters would be attracted to the game, Mr Tiwana added. The sport has been recognised by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Punjab State Sports Council. |
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PCA takes steps to check
fielding Patiala, May 14 In the ongoing inter-district under-17 tournament being played here and at other venues not a single protest has been lodged by any team against its opponents. A slew of protests were filed by teams in the previous editions of the under-17 and under-15 inter-district tournaments. This practice had become a big headache for the PCA officials. However, now the age determination tests conducted on the recommendations of the honorary secretaries of the District Cricket Associations
(DCA) has more or less stopped cricketers from playing in lower age categories. The tests include skeletal motion test, dental maturity test, ossification of bones test and x-ray tests of particular bones. Before the commencement of any match, the team manager has to submit particulars of the age determination tests of the players to the
PCA. Any offence invites the wrath of the PCA and the erring DCA is also asked to cough up a big fine. The PCA may even ban the DCA concerned from playing in inter-district tournaments for at least two years. Says
R.P. Pandove, secretary of the Patiala Cricket Association, “A player, armed with a ‘manufactured’ certificate, taking part in a lower age category, performs better than the rest but the value of his performance is exaggerated to a large extent”. Mr Pandove seems to be on the right track as examples abound of many young cricketers, labelled prodigies, simply fading into oblivion after having raised a glimmer of hope early in their careers. Says Dr Ashok Ahuja of the
NIS, “The motivating force is the lust of victory and the honours that go with it. Yet, somehow, these players are oblivious to the fact that they are pulling wool over their own eyes.” Interestingly, it was under Dr Ahuja that a team of NIS doctors found as many as 176 cagers out of 220 being overaged during the junior national basketball championship held at Patiala in 1997. Till the time the PCA decided to introduce the age determination tests, and that too in a comprehensive manner, what was appalling in this development was the active involvement of parents, heads of institutions, coaches and officials of municipal authorities in either concocting or forging original birth certificates to suit their own interests. |
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Chandigarh
on top in U-17 cricket tourney Patiala, May 14 The visitors are through to the semi-final stage of the tournament by virtue of the impressive 109-run first innings lead. At the draw of stumps, Chandigarh were 40 for the loss of opener Gaurav Chopra’s wicket.The other opener, Vijay Kumar, who scored a fine half century yesterday, was not out at 9. The host’s started on an impressive note with openers Tanmeet Bawa and skipper Ravinder Mehra making 52. However, the down-slide started with the dismissal of Tanmeet Bawa and some smart fielding by Chandigarh players. Out of the four batsmen who were runout, three returned to the pavilion due to slick fielding while the fourth, Sonu
Mandora, went for a run which was never there and paid the price for it. Rahul Sharma tried to bind the lower middle order but once he sensed that he was running out of partners, he went for a big one only to be stumped. For Chandigarh, spinners Karanveer Singh (3 for 35) and Naresh Kumar (4 for 71), bowled within their limits and left the rest to the batsmen, some of whom played rank bad shots. Scores: Chandigarh-1st innings: 284 all out Patiala-1st innings:
175 all out ( Ravinder Mehra 53, Sonu Mandora 35, Tanmeet Bawa 32, Rahul Sharma 22, Karanveer Singh 3 for 35, Naresh Kumar 3 for 71) Chandigarh-2nd innings:
40 for 1 (Gaurav Chopra 14, Vijay 9 not out).
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Minor Districts face an uphill task Ludhiana, May 14 Resuming their first innings at overnight score of 23 for one, Minor Districts’ were shot out for a paltry total of 123 in 36.4 overs, thanks to a deadly bowling spell by local lad, off spinner, Yogesh. He ripped apart the visitor’s batting, capturing five wickets for 42 runs. Yogesh was ably assisted by Vijay Pal Singh. Vijay took three for 22 runs. After gaining a vital lead of 144 runs, Ludhiana declared their second innings at 207 for 3 after 44.1 overs thus setting a target of 352 for an outright victory. At draw of stumps today, Minor Districts, in their second essay were 69 for one in 16 overs. Brief scores: Ludhiana (Ist innings):
267 all out ( Dushyant Kohli 24, Gaurav Dawar 15, Ashish Vinayak 23, Tarun Passi 34, Chinton Sehgal, Yogesh 46, Rattan Bricher 28, Deepak Gatta 7 for 60) Minor Districts Zone-B- (Ist innings):
123 all out (Sumit 41, Ajay 15, Deepak Gatta 18, Harinder 22, Yogesh Kumar 5 for 42, Vijay Pal Singh 3 for 22, Rattan Bricher 1 for 24 and Chinton Sehgal 1 for 23) Ludhiana (IInd innings):
207 for 3 declared ( Dushyant Kohi 53, Ashish Vinayak 53, Chinton Sehgal 59, Tarun Passi 14 n.o, Deepak Gatt 2 for 31 and Rahul 1 for 28) Minor Districts Zone-B 69 for 1:
( Prashant 18, Sumit 32 n.o). |
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AAFI puts off circuit meet New Delhi, May 14 The meet, scheduled to be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, was to serve as the criteria for selection of athletes for the Asian Athletic Grand Prix in Hyderabad on May 28. “The players were not prepared fully for the meet as they took some time off after the National Games held in Hyderabad. They needed rest after such a big event and had little time to prepare for the meet,” AAFI secretary Lalit Bhanot said
here. PTI |
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Football trials Phagwara, May 14 This was stated here today by Mr Inder Singh, honorary secretary, Punjab Football Association. |
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