 |
|
Sunday,
September 28, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
|
India, Pakistan clash for
Asia Cup today Malaysia finish fifth Second day’s play
also washed out India crash to
9-wkt defeat
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
BCCI’s ultimatum to ICC HPCA chief debunks charges Sandeep puts ONGC in final ASIAN
BASKETBALL
W Rly, CRPF in last 4 Independence Cup Hockey from Oct 4 PGA to open centres of excellence Police water sports meet opens
Ayush thrashes Preetpal
|
|
India, Pakistan clash for Asia Cup today Kuala Lumpur, September 27 The final, which promises to be a mouth-watering proposition, would be the ultimate in the game of one-upmanship with the Asian giants getting a chance to meet in the final of the quadrennial event after 14 long years. While Pakistan won the last encounter between the two in 1989, India are yet to win this prestigious title since its inception in 1982 and this hunger to win the maiden Asia Cup might just give them the edge over their continental rivals. On paper, however, Pakistan enjoy a slight advantage with India missing the services of ace penalty corner expert Jugraj Singh and their forward line not exactly in peak form. But to predict the outcome of any India-Pakistan match is foolhardy as both are capable of raising their games to an altogether different level when pitted against each other. The last time that the arch-rivals played a final of a major tournament was in the SAF Games in Chennai in 1995 when India outplayed Pakistan 5-2 for the title. But the current Pakistan team has hardly any player from that 1995 squad to carry the bitter memories of the final and the young side is all charged up to put it across India whom they beat 4-2 in the league match on Wednesday. Indian coach Rajinder Singh said his side was keen to avenge its Champions Trophy setback when it lost 3-4 to Pakistan in the bronze medal play-off and the match tomorrow offered a perfect chance to draw even. The Indian coach said he was satisfied with the team’s victory against South Korea. Although his players conceded the lead, they regrouped in time to win the match 4-2. "In the end it is the win which is important. It does not matter how you win." Rehan Butt, who scored match winners for Pakistan against India during the last two editions of the Champions Trophy, said today his team was buoyed up by the thrill of meeting India in the final and the prospects of beating them en route to the title and a berth in the 2006 World Cup in Germany. "Although we beat them in the league match, the final would be totally different... it would have an entirely different tempo. The team which can control its nerves and does not get carried away will be the winner as both sides are equally matched," he said. Veteran short corner expert Sohail Abbas would be the biggest thorn for India as he makes little mistakes with his drag flick and has been in top form in the tournament along with Kashif Jawaad and captain Nadeem Ahmed. Sohail agreed the pressure would be on him to deliver. "But that is what is all about playing at the top international level. I can be called successful only if I can withstand that pressure and live up the expectations of my countrymen." Similar responsibility would have to be shouldered by Indian captain Dhanraj Pillay. The dribble expert would have to lead from the front and motivate the younger players in the squad so that they do not lose way and direction. The forwards — Gagan Ajit Singh and Prabhjot Singh especially — have been trying to build a rhythm and they must be looking up to the captain, who has not been all that outstanding here, for inspiration. But one can expect Dhanraj to show the form that has made him a sort of legend as he himself has said many times that a match against Pakistan brings out the best in him. Young Sandeep Michael, who missed the Champions Trophy last month after he contracted jaundice, has had a dream tournament so far, scoring two beautifully executed goals for India. One can look up to the Bangalore player to do an en core tomorrow and grab a slice of history for himself. Baljit Sigh epitomised the feelings of his team-mates saying "we know we can do it and we will beat Pakistan hands down." The match will start at 5.30 p.m. — PTI
|
|
Malaysia finish fifth
Kuala Lumpur, September 27 However, there was no let-up in the misery for minnows Bangladesh who finished last in a forgettable campaign after a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Hong Kong in the classification match for the 7-8 places. This was the only match in the tournament where Bangladesh managed to put up a semblance of fight but it was still not enough as they failed to break their winless run. India take on Pakistan in the summit clash tomorrow while holders South Korea and Japan would fight it out for the 3-4 places on the same day. Malaysia, who led 2-0 at half time riding on goals by Nishel Kumar Silveraja (22nd minute) and Tajol Roslie Mohammed (29th), paid the price for complacency as China rallied to equalise through Song Yi (48th) and Ya Yang (52nd). Just when it seemed the match was headed towards extra time with the two teams locked 2-2 till the last minute, Paul Lissek’s men scored the match winner through captain Kuhan Shanmugathan. The other match saw Bangladesh forging ahead early in the 3rd minute through their best player Mohammed Ariful Haq Prince. Hong Kong equalised in 14th minute when captain Mohd Farooq converted a penalty corner. Hong Kong surged ahead with a 2-1 lead before the half time with Arif Ali finding the net. After the breather, Bangladesh, who had finished sixth in the previous edition in 1999, equalised again in the 50th minute through Mohammed Isa Mia. Both the teams scored one more goal each — Alfonso Bibi Cordero for Hong Kong in the 54th minute and a minute later Isa Mia for Bangladesh — before Arif Ali scored the winner three minutes before the hooter. — PTI
|
|
Second day’s play
also washed out
Visakhapatnam, September 27 Overnight showers had rendered the outfield at the ACA-VDCA stadium soggy, and a fresh spell of showers this morning meant little prospects of resumption. The two umpires, Jasbir Singh and S K Sharma, consulted New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming and his Board President’s XI counterpart Virender Sehwag before calling it off for the day. Board President’s XI were 23 without loss at the end of a truncated opening day, with Sehwag and Akash Chopra on 9 each. The umpires had yesterday announced that the match would begin half an hour early at 9 am to partly compensate for the 314 minutes of play time lost on the first day due to bad weather. However, the low pressure which had developed over coastal Andhra Pradesh brought in another spell of overnight heavy showers in the steel city, turning the newly-built stadium into puddles. The groundsmen, who did a commendable job yesterday in making the ground fit for play despite intermittent rains, got down to business since early morning with all sincerity. They spread sawdust on the wet patches, and used sponges to soak the water, and the super sopper was also deployed to dry the turf. But in the end, all efforts proved futile following a fresh spell of morning rains. Only 46 minutes of play was possible on the opening day yesterday, after the first two sessions were lost to the rains, and the on-field action could start only half an hour after tea. The Kiwis, who were keenly looking forward to the first side game in their itinerary, did some limbering up on the ground to keep themselves match-fit for the coming battles. But apart from Sehwag, the other Indian players stayed put at the team hotel. — PTI
|
|
India crash to
9-wkt defeat Colombo, September 27 Electing to field, the hosts bundled out Gautam Gambhir-led Indian side for a modest 136 in 40.1 overs. Then, a century opening stand between Nishad Paranavitana and Upul Tharanga sealed the match for Sri Lanka in 32.2 overs. The visitors struggled against the three-pronged seam attack of the Lankans, losing their top three batsmen within the first eight balls of the match. Brief scores: India 136 in 40.1 overs (S Vidyut 25, A.T. Rayudu 34, D. Karthik 42; Malinga 4-16, Kulasekara 2-21) lost to Sri Lanka 137 for 1 in 32.2 overs (Paranavitana 55 no, Tharanga 57).
— PTI |
||
|
Dalmiya,
Nair, others re-elected unopposed
Kolkata, September 27 Both Dalmiya and Nair as well as the entire set of officials for the year 2003-04 were elected uncontested on the first day of the two-day annual general meeting being held here, according to a BCCI spokesman. Though most of the officials retained their posts, there were only two new faces, Gautam Roy as one of the five vice presidents and Prof Ratnakar Shetty as joint secretary. Gautam Roy, president of the Assam Cricket Association, was elected replacing Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, also from Assam, as one of the vice-presidents. Prof Shetty of Mumbai came in as the joint secretary in place of Jyoti Bajpai, who was elected treasurer replacing Kishore Rungta, who retired after completing his term. Narhari Amin of Gujarat (west), Kamal Morarka of Rajasthan (central), Ranbir Singh Mahendra of Haryana (north) and M Ranga Reddy of Hyderabad (south) retained their posts as vice presidents. Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar was also re-elected as the chairman of the Bangalore-based National Cricket Academy (NCA) while C K Khanna was re-elected as its vice- chairman. Selection Committee chairman Brijesh Patel, who could not attend the meeting as he is hospitalised with heart problem, will continue to be the director of the NCA. — PTI
|
|
BCCI okays graded payment
Kolkata, September 27 “The graded payment and contract system was today approved in principle by the board. An agreement with the players has been reached on major terms and conditions, but some fine-tuning is required,” Board President Jagmohan Dalmiya said here. Dalmiya, emerging from the board meeting on the first day of the BCCI AGM, said the general body authorised him and the other office bearers to work out the amount to be paid to players and other details. While the details of the graded payment system for international cricketers were yet to be finalised, the Board has decided payment of 13 per cent of its total earning to domestic first class cricketers and junior players, he said. “Out of this, 10.6 per cent will go to first class cricketers and 2.4 per cent will be paid to juniors,” he said. For junior cricketers, part of the amount would be paid in the form of token pocket money and the rest would be deposited as fixed deposit in banks, which the players would be entitled on completion of 21 years of age, he said. In the case of first class cricketers also, part of the money would be handed over during their playing career while the rest would be kept in fixed deposits “so that they retire with a handsome amount of about Rs 25-30 lakh,” the BCCI president said. “How much a first class cricketer will get on his retirement, will depend on how long he played in that level without interruption,” Dalmiya said. He said the board was yet to decide on how much of the total payment, both for first class cricketers and junior players, would be given during their playing career and how much was to be saved in fixed deposit. The board, however, had earlier proposed to pay each member of playing eleven in first class matches Rs 12,000 per match and Rs 6,000 to each non-playing member (limited to 3). The balance of the total amount, yet to be decided, would go into the annuity scheme at the same ratio for playing and non-playing members. While Dalmiya did not elaborate on the plans for international cricketers, it was earlier announced that those doing national duty would get another 13 per cent of the gross earning of the Board. Thus, a total 26 per cent of the Indian cricket revenue of the Board would be allocated to players through creation of a Players’ Payment Pool (PPP). —PTI
|
|
|
BCCI’s ultimatum to ICC Kolkata, September 27 BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya told newspersons here that the decision to set a deadline for the ICC Development (International) Ltd (IDI) was taken at the board’s annual general meeting after it discussed the contentious issue and reiterated its demand for early release of the amount
withheld. The board felt that claims made by the IDI’s financial partners, GCC and World Sport Nimbus (WSN) against BCCI was “baseless and fictitious” and witholding of the guarantee money was, “absolutely unreasonable and uncalled for.”
— PTI |
|
HPCA chief debunks charges Chandigarh, September 27 Mr Thakur was reacting to a press statement released and signed on behalf of Himachal players by the president, Mr Anil Sen, and the secretary, Mr Jaswant Rai, of the Himachal Pradesh Players’ Cricket Association. In the statement, they had alleged that the association “was not watching the interests of the current as well as former players of Himachal Pradesh”. Dismissing the allegations, Mr Thakur stressed that the TA\DA for Ranji Trophy players, after he took over as secretary, had been doubled. “Earlier, the players used to stay in dormitories, but now hotel accommodation is provided to them during the matches. The travelling arrangements are far better now as the players were now travelling in IInd AC class.” Elaborating on his efforts to improve the cricketing infrastructure in the state, he revealed that a sum of Rs 25 lakh had been spent on the cricket stadium at Una and an identical sum had been spent on the Bilaspur cricket stadium. Before he took over, even the basic facilities like dressing rooms for players and the lavatories were non-existent. But now all such facilities are in place, he said. Work on the Dharamsala cricket stadium, he said, was going on at a fast pace and the ensuing season will see some first class matches being played
there. Once completed, the stadium would give a big boost to the game of cricket in the state. “His appointment had been approved at a meeting of the HPCA,” he said when asked about the appointment of Rajdeep Kalsi as coach for the Ranji probables for the off-season camp at Una. Kalsi hails from Jalandhar and his appointment has been opposed by the players association on the ground that since so many qualified Himachal coaches were available Kalsi’s
appointment was not justified. In the statement they alleged that a coaching seminar was held recently in Bangalore in which only one player out of four selected by the association was from the state. Responding to it, Mr Thakur explained that Shevinder Singh, who attended the seminar, belonged to Una. Shambhu Sharma had played for the state for a long time in the Ranji Trophy. The third person Krishan Mohan, who went to Bangalore, was a bona fide Himachali. When told that Krishan Mohan had played for Punjab throughout, he replied that the player wanted to play for Himachal but was never allowed to do so. Besides, Harish Sharma, the coach posted at the Sector 16 cricket stadium in Chandigarh, who belongs to Himachal Pradesh, had been approached but due to certain reasons he could not attend the seminar. He said only a handful of individuals, who were not satisfied with the working of the association, were behind the fruitless propaganda. “The majority of the state players are firmly behind the association. If those running the players association have adequate support they should produce a signed list of players supporting them.” |
|
Sandeep
puts ONGC in final Chandigarh, September 27 ONGC skipper Gagan Khoda won the toss and elected to field. His move paid dividends when MP opener Naman Ozha was snapped up by wicketkeeper Manoj Modgil off medium pacer Joginder Sharma. Thereafter, the other opener Mudassar Pasha and one drop Sachin Dholpure steaded the innings with a 98-run second-wicket stand which was broken by Joginder Sharma when he ran out Sachin Dolpure for 49 runs of 56 balls inclusive of 4 boundaries. Muddasar Pasha was then joined by skipper Amay Khurasia and both put on 91 runs for the third wicket before Pasha who had compiled 79 runs off 120 balls was run out by a direct through by Mithun Minhas. Amay Khurasia waged a lone battle and made 92 runs off 82 ball inclusive of 3 fours and 3 sixes. The MPCA innings ended at 266 for 7 in the allotted 50 overs. Joginder Sharma (3 for 42 of 10 overs) and Amit Sharma (1 for 29) were the main wicket takers. Sarandeep Singh went wicketless for 54 runs in 10 overs. Replying to the MPCA total, ONGC started with a flourish with their skipper Gagan Khoda and Sandeep Sharma putting on 90 runs for the first wicket before Gagan Khoda was bowled by Jogesh Goblikar for 62 off 58 balls inclusive of 11 fours. Khoda hit all round the wicket and the stand of 90 was dominated by him. Sandeep Sharma was then join by Mithun Minhas and the two put on 92 runs for the second wicket before Mithun Minhas was clean bowled for 45 made in 63 balls. Sandeep Sharma continued to prosper and accelerated the pace and was involved in a third wicket stand of 54 runs with Amit Sharma. Sandeep finally departed after making a polished 90 runs off 120 balls studded with 7 fours and a six. Amit Sharma made undefeated 48 of 36 balls and saw them romp victors by 4 wickets. Sunil Dolpure 2 for 28 was the most successful bowler for MPCA. Sandeep Sharma was declared the Man of the Match. ONGC will take on Punjab Cricket Club in the day and night final tomorrow. The match will start at 3 p.m.
|
|
ASIAN
BASKETBALL
New Delhi, September 27 India take on Lebanon in their last group A league match tomorrow. With their morale down, it will be a miracle of sorts if they manage to beat the West Asian nation. At the end of the quarterfinal league, India could at the most now hope to finish seventh, one position above their best showing in the Asian meet so far. According to information received here, India, lagging behind from the beginning, put up a consolation fight in the third quarter and were able to muster 20 points, the maximum in the match. Otherwise, it was the Japanese all the way as they led 26-14 in the first quarter, then increased it to 55-37 by half time to be 78-57 at the end of the third quarter. It was in this session that S. Sridhar (21) and Parminder (14) combined well to give a semblance of fight and made fewer mistakes under the ring. Riyazuddin (14) and Desraj (13) also pitched in their bit but skipper S. Robinson, with a heavy marking, was off colour on the day. On the other hand, the Japanese helped by Tomoo Amino, Hiden Ori and Naoto kept the scoreboard ticking all the time to emerge comfortable winners. Upset with the way the his hoopsters played today, chief coach K.K. Chansooriya said the Indians needed to do a lot before they could aspire to be among the top Asian nations. “Our shooting today was absolutely awful and unless we learn to do the basics right, it is going to be a long haul for us,” he said. Brief scores: Japan 103 (Tomoo Amino 18, Hiden Ori 22, Naoto 16) beat India 74 (Sridhar 21, Parminder Singh 14, Riyazuddin 13, Robinson 8). — UNI
|
||
|
W Rly, CRPF in last 4 Chandigarh, September 27 In the semifinals to be played tomorrow, defending champions Punjab and Sind Bank will face CRPF while Punjab Police will meet Western Railway to decide the finalists of the tournament. It was a day of free-flowing hockey with the fast-paced encounters bringing out the best in the four outfits today. However, with the stakes high for the competitors, frayed tempers were not unexpected but international umpires Virender Bahadur and Satinder Sharma, who officiated in the 25th Champions Trophy in Holland recently, and the 10th World Cup at Kuala Lumpur, respectively, did not let things get out of hand by handing down temporary marching orders to four players. Western Railway, who once boasted of stalwarts like Gurbax Singh in the sixties, displayed perfect understanding in all departments of the game. The early lead coming in the ninth minute when a cross from the left was utilised by skipper Shanta Kumar to push the ball home from hand-shaking distance boosted the morale of the Mumbai outfit. But Signals, displaying strong motivation, hit back with the equaliser three minutes later. Off a short corner, Rajesh Guleria stopped the ball and Anil Kumar's subsequent hit was bang on target (1-1). The match winner for Western Railway came soon after resumption of play in the second half. A hard hit by the energetic Harish Timore in the 45th minute was palmed away by Sohan Lal under the Signals bar but skipper Shanta Kumar capitalised on the rebound to make it 2-1. Therafter, Western Railway missed a good chance to consolidate the lead as 'man of the match' Shivendra shot high past the horizontal with only the goalkeeper at his mercy. Towards the end, umpire Virender Bahadur had to flash the yellow card for Gursev Singh of Western Railway and JP Singh of Signals. In the last quarter-final, CRPF quelled the challenge from ONGC who did not go down without a fight. In fact the Dehra Dun outfit impressed the large gathering with well-orchestrated moves. CRPF, who lost to CISF in the recently concluded Baba Farid Gold Cup, took the lead in the eighth minute when Rajesh Kindo intercepted a cross inside the 'D' and his sweeping shot saw the ball hitting the roof of the net (1-0). A few minutes before the interval, ONGC snatched the equaliser. a free hit by SHV Mishra from the 'D' top was neatly deflected in by Gurpreet Singh (1-1). In the second session, CRPF goalkeeper Y.Rabindro brought off some fine saves and two consecutive attempts by Arshad Ahmed and Mohammad Fahad were thwarted. ONGC custodian Gurinderjit Singh was also brilliant under the bar. The match winner came at the fag end when CRPF's Rajesh Kindo was stick-checked inside the 'D'. Umpire Satinder Sharma had no hesitation in pointing to the dreaded spot and Mukesh Kumar dutifully converted the stroke to ensure his team's entry into the last four. Sunday's fixtures (semifinals): Punjab & Sind Bank v CRPF -- 2.15 pm; Punjab Police v Western Railway -- 3.45 pm. |
|
Independence
Cup Hockey from Oct 4 Chandigarh, September 27 In the men’s section the teams who will participate are Punjab & Sind Bank,
CISF, Indian Air Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, (Signals) Delhi-XI, Himachal XI-Red and Himachal XI-Blue. In the women’s section the participating teams are: Khalsa College, Jalandhar; SAI Sirsa, SAI, Chandigarh and Himachal XI. The matches will be played in men’s section on league-cum-knock-out basis whereas in women’s section they will be on round-robin basis. Mr Rangila Ram Rao, Excise and Taxation Minister, will be the chief guest on the opening day and Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, will be chief guest at the closing ceremony. |
|
|
PGA to open centres of excellence Chandigarh, September 27 Briefing newspersons after being re-elected to the post of president, Mr Mittal said the need of the hour was to lay stress on subjuniors. An annual budget of Rs 15 lakh was also decided for the gymnastics activities in the state. It was also decided to celebrate the golden jubilee of the association by organising a function at Jalandhar later this year. In the proposed function, all former eminent gymnasts, dignitaries of the Indian Olympic Association and the Punjab Olympic Association would be invited. Mr Mittal said, the Senior Punjab State Gymnastics Championship would be held in December in Jalandhar, followed by junior state meet at Amritsar in January 2004 and the subjunior meet at Patiala in February next year. Earlier, Mr Sudhir Mittal and Mr P.S. Virk were unanimously re-elected president and secretary, respectively, of the PGA. Mr D.S. Cheema will remain its treasurer. The four vice-presidents are Mr K.A.P. Sinha, Mr Gurnam Singh, Mr P.S. Kumedan and Mr G.P. Shoor and the joint secretaries are Dr Shardendu Sharma, Mr Jagtar Singh, Mr R.K. Rishi and Mr Vir Singh. |
|
Police
water sports meet opens Srinagar, September 27 The events will be held in 200 metres, 500 metres and 1000 metres. Kayaking and canoeing competition will also be held. The Chief Minister said that this was the sixth mega sports event taking place here this summer. The Director General of Police in his welcome address said that police was promoting sports activities in the states in a big way. He said the police was also extending a helping hand to build sports infrastructure in the state. |
|
Ayush thrashes Preetpal Jalandhar, September 27 During the tournament, the participants would be playing under the category of under-13, under-16 and veterans. Meanwhile in a closely fought match, Jaswinder of Amritsar defeated Amritpal Singh of Gurdaspur 15-2, 15-1 in the under-16 category. However, in the under-13 category Amritsar’s Nitish Chabbra had a tough time defeating Patiala’s Abhijit Tiwana 15-13, 13-15, 15-3. Other results: Under-16:
Parmod (Ropar) b Luv (Jalandhar) 15-2, 15-1. Nitin Sethi (Moga) b Achhardeep (Sangrur) 15-17, 15-2, 15-7. Vipul (Amritsar) b Tarun Grover (Ropar) 15-7, 15-10. Under-13:
Akshay Gupta (Ropar) b Kush (Jalandhar) 15-4, 15-0. Gurpreet (Amritsar) b Shubahm (Kapurthala) 15-2, 15-0. Pawan Kumar (Moga) b Karandeep Singh (Amritsar) 15-1, 15-9. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In video: (
