 |
|
|
In-form Aussies look unstoppable
Zaheer’s showing big let-down Damien Martyn took the game away from India
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Ganguly available for November 12 tie Punjab hockey
juniors debarred for violent behaviour
Dempo, Vasco start with wins PBA to felicitate basketball players Govt college Ludhiana in semis North Zone triumph PHA meeting Police games from today
|
|
In-form Aussies look unstoppable
Pune, November 2 On current form Australia look unstoppable but the Kiwis, languishing at the bottom of the table with three points from two matches, would have to work out some strategy to upset the formidable Aussies if they are to make their presence felt in the tournament. India’s 77-run mauling at the hands of their World Cup nemesis Australia in the day-night match yesterday has thrown the field wide open and it is upto the Kiwis now to grab the opportunity and try and seal a berth in the final on November 18 in Kolkata. With two wins and a defeat, Australia are on the top with 13 points while India are placed second with eight points from three matches after one no result, a win and a loss. It would be the second match between the Trans-Tasman rivals in the triseries tomorrow and Australia start strong favourites after the two emphatic wins, including the eight-wicket demolition of the Kiwis in Faridabad on Wednesday. But New Zealand would have to put behind memories of that eminently forgettable match when nothing worked in their favour and start afresh against the rampaging Aussies. Kiwi coach Ashley Ross insisted that the team spirit was not dampened despite the Faridabad fiasco. “The best thing about our team is that it does not get demoralised easily,” said Ross. “You will see a turnaround (tomorrow). We are ready for the challenge,” said the coach putting up a brave front. But Ross knows the futility of empty words and unless his team translates his belief into performance, nothing can stop Australia from romping home with yet another win. Though Australia too have been hit by a plethora of injuries, they hardly seem to be affected as their fringe players have come good. Their formidable pace-trio’s absence has been made up to grate extent by rookie speedsters Nathan Bracken, Andy Bichel and Brad Williams as was evident at Faridabad when they packed off the Kiwis for 97 in just 34 overs. In yesterday’s match against India too, the second-string attack worked up a fair bit of pace and troubled almost all of the famed Indian batsmen, including batting star Sachin Tendulkar, before bowling them out for 209 in 47 overs and leaving them 77 runs short of the winning target. Australia’s all-round show must have send warning bells ringing in the New Zealand camp rattled already by the Faridabad experience. However, it is not that Australia have no chinks in their armoury. Their middle-order collapse in the match that they lost to India at Gwalior proved that the world champions too are susceptible to pressure. And New Zealand should look to expose those chinks and take heart from the fact that they have troubled Australia in recent past like in the 2001-02 series on Australian soil in a triseries and once in the World Cup when they came close to victory before Brett lee took the game away from them. The overall statistics and history are against the Kiwis but again their ability to upset anyone on their day makes them a force to reckon with in world cricket. Australia have a 59-25 head-to-head record against their rivals, and have won 10 of their 11 matches on neutral venues. Teams (from): Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Michael Bevan, Ian Harvey, Brad Hogg, Andy Bichel, Brad Williams, Nathan Bracken, Jimmy Maher and Michael Clarke. New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Lou Vincent, Craig McMillan, Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Chris Nevin, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Ian Butler and Paul Hitchcock. Cairns ruled fit New Zealand got a big boost when key all-rounder Chris Cairns was ruled fit for the crucial tie. “Cairns is fully fit,” New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming told reporters here on the eve of the match. However, the Kiwis were hit with a fresh injury blow with right-arm medium fast bowler Paul Hitchcock being ruled out of tomorrow’s match.
— PTI
|
|
Zaheer’s showing big let-down You knew it. So did I. And most importantly, even the Indian cricket team knew what was coming. The Australian backlash was always in the offing but it really hurt like hell to see Dravid and Co. deciding to throw in the towel without a whimper. There was not even a semblance of what was billed a titan clash under lights on Saturday; the Australians dominating the match from start to finish. The individual brilliance I was talking about the other day, didn’t happen and the score of 287 was daunting by any standards against the formidable bowling attack of the opposition. Reflecting on the recent history of this present bunch, significant success has been a result of the flexibility Dravid had provided behind the stumps. Agreed, it was not a permanent arrangement but it worked wonders for the team. And now that things have changed, the team is finding it hard to revert to the earlier combination of playing a specialist hand in wicket-keeping. India desperately needed a third spinner in the side in Murali Kartik but that could have been possible only if Dravid had once again donned the big gloves. Sadly, Kartik was seen carrying drinks while his counterpart Richard Clarke celebrated his entry to the Aussie team with a four-wicket haul which broke the hearts of thousands gathered at the Wankhede stadium. Problems started early for Dravid who lost the toss and saw his premier fast bowler not being able to bowl anywhere close to the vicinity of the three stumps. To see Zaheer bowling with a cross seam in the very first over should sum up his state of mind. Zaheer is struggling, to say the least, and he badly needs some lessons on fundamentals of fast bowling. It is important to find your line and length first, get your rhythm going before gunning for speed. But Zaheer is not doing any bit right at the moment. He is not running in quick, hasn’t seen him putting any effort behind the ball, didn’t have a clue where to bowl to Gilchrist and looked contended to finish his overs and get back to his fielding position. Now, that’s criminal from a person who is spearheading the Indian attack. Agarkar, on the other hand, bowled well within the limitations and really used his off-cutters and slower ones to good effect and had it not for his outstanding spell in the middle of the innings, the turn of events could have been further embarrassing for India. Even the supper break didn’t get the luck on our favour. Sehwag needs to explain why he offered his pads to a ball that was coming in. Sehwag’s gross misjudgment from the meant that India solely depended on Sachin to get them going. It never materialized, Sachin looking a pale shadow of Gwalior, playing and missing repeatedly in the innings of 68. Laxman didn’t look the person to answer the call of scoring quickly in the first 15 overs and his attempts to fetch runs in the third man area were spoiled after Gilchrist grabbed a edge off Bichel. Dravid hung around a bit valiantly but after losing Sachin and Yuvraj, the stand-in skipper found the task too heavy to bear alone and ended his resilience. Meanwhile, it’s time Yuvraj learn to play the spinners properly. Sweeping the slower bowlers is a good option but not the only one and the faster he gets that in his mind, the better for him. And Kaif should realize that Sourav is ready for return and he looks the likely candidate to vacate a place in the eleven. Kaif needs to get some runs under his belt and Saturday was a huge opportunity gone begging.
— Dronacharya Sports Promoters |
|
Damien Martyn took the game away from India It was Damien Martyn who took the game away from India in the day-night triseries match at Mumbai.
Martyn is not known to be in the league of Adam Gilchrist or Matthew Hayden or the Waughs nor does he figure in the first list of the opponents in the team meetings. But the classic hundred from Martyn would serve a reminder to the Indian team to work him out on the drawing board before they come to face him again in future encounters. Martyn played a luminous innings when his team was groping for a formidable total. His great footwork on a square turner helped him use the crease to play shots all around the park. A strong offside player, Martyn held the innings together till the very end and found the partner in Michael Bevan to lift Australians to the total they wanted. Bevan played his role of sheet anchor to perfection. It is this batting depth which allows the two dreaded openers - Gilchrist and Hayden - to be so dominant and aggressive. The depth is in the presence of the Symonds, the Martyns and the Bichels. They all on their own can win games for Australia. And this why the early dismissal of Hayden did not stop Gilchrist from wielding his magical wand at will. He appeared to hit each and every ball and was mainly responsible for scattering the Indian bowling. An old teammate from Gloucestershire, Andrew Symonds played a great little innings. A mighty six played over covers in the early part of his innings, conveys the aggressive attitude and ability of this Australian batsman. The Australian batters kept coming at Indians. There is a relentless energy and conviction about the way the Australians play their brand of cricket. There is never any respite or any such moment when you feel you are in absolute control of them. Even when they appear down, they seem to attack you rather than defend nervously. The Indian gambit of opening the attack with Sehwag might not have worked but one has to understand and appreciate the innovative ideas of Indian team. A few decisions are made with respect to the wicket and also to bring about the surprise element to introduce a break in the predictable pattern. Indian bowlers might have looked off target but it had lot to do with the way the world champions batted. At times it just does not seem to work for the bowlers and I myself, being in such situation before, have wondered about what has happened to the form which continued till the last spell? Or what went wrong even after going through all the hard practice sessions? This feeling would only last until the next game where you get your line and length along with few wickets. Our bowlers are strong to make amends and would ensure a quick comeback putting such efforts behind. Only Agarkar had a decent spell in picking up four wickets. With 280-odd runs on the board, it was never going to be a easy task for the Indian batsmen. The dew factor in the early evening helped the Aussie bowlers with the extra bounce and fair amount of swing. Sehwag’s dismissal did not help the Indians in pursuing the required six runs an over. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid together raised hopes but it was soon swept away by the inexperienced Michael Clarke. The wicket turning square made it quite difficult for the Indian batsmen to come to terms with it. In the absence of the senior bowlers the Australians second string of bowlers have operated exceedingly well on Indian wickets. They held the Kiwis by the neck in bowling them out cheaply at Faridabad and have continued the good work in Mumbai. Nathan Brackan is a true revelation. The tall fast bowler is making the most in the absence of the Australian pace trio. His ability to bring the ball into the batsmen has troubled all the openers in the tournament.
— PTI
|
|
Ganguly available for November 12 tie
Kolkata, November 2 “We are very happy with his progress. He has recovered fast. From our side, we have no problem if he plays the November 12 match at Bangalore,” Dr Sukumar Mukherjee, head of the six-member medical board formed to treat Ganguly, said here. The doctors, who went to Ganguly’s residence during the day and examined the wound, felt Ganguly was now physically fit to play the match. “However, now the matter is in the court of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. As per the board’s norms, I believe he has to undergo a fitness test. On being cleared, he can again play for the country,” Mukherjee said. He said that Ganguly now had no problem in stretching and the limp had also gone. “Today, we made him walk before us. He is perfectly fine,” Mukherjee said. However, the rehabilitation programme, including physiotherapy, would go on for a few more days. The course of antibiotics would also be continued. Mukherjee said all the five ‘superficial stitches’ on the wound had been removed and one of the two deep stitches would be cut tomorrow. “The last deep stitch would be removed next week.” The medical board had earlier ruled Ganguly out of the first four matches of the tri-series till the encounter against New Zealand at Cuttack on November 6. — PTI
|
|
|
Punjab hockey
juniors debarred for violent behaviour Raipur, November 2 Punjab players had last evening attacked their Jharkhand counterparts during their league match which led to a clash between both the teams, Chhattisgarh Hockey Association (CHA) officials told PTI today. Following the incident, the disciplinary committee served show cause notices to managers and coaches of both the teams and after finding their answers unsatisfactory, debarred both the teams from rest of the tournament, sources said. Both the team members were still feuding after returning to their lodge and Punjab players had threatened Jharkhand players to teach them a lesson during the match, they added. Meanwhile, disciplinary action against Madhya Pradesh and Tripura teams have also been recommended to the IHF as both the teams went back without playing their match for which their game had to be abandoned, sources said.
— PTI |
|
Dempo, Vasco start with wins New Delhi, November 2 Dempo thrashed Indian Bank, Chennai, 3-0 in group B while Vasco defeated J and K Bank, Srinagar 1-0 in group D of the quarterfinal league. Vasco, who finished third in last year’s National Football League, seemed out of sorts and even ‘uninterested’ in the proceedings as they scrapped passed the qualifiers with a lone-goal margin. The Goan outfit never looked like they had control on the game against an opponent which also seemed satisfied with defending their castle than going on the attack. The lone goal of the tie came when Brazilian Carlos Roberto headed home a rebound in the 31st minute. The bankmen’s goalkeeper, Vikramjeet Singh, was the culprit as he failed to collect a long shot from Agnelo Colaco, which popped up in front of his goal mouth. Vasco had only three more tries at the opponent’s goal in the first half including a 25-yard hit by Indian international K. Ajayan, which struck the crossbar. The second half was a drab affair with no team even managing to make the opponent’s custodian work for a save. Earlier, Dempo recorded an easy victory over Indian Bank thanks to a brace by RC Prakash in the 52nd and 56th minute. Dempo dominated the game for the entire 90 minutes and were leading 1-0 at the break through a goal by their Nigerian recruit Sunday Seah in the 21st minute.
— PTI |
|
PBA to felicitate basketball players Ludhiana, November 2 Giving this information, Mr Rajdeep Singh Gill, ADGP, Punjab and president, PBA, said the function would be organised in association with the Trident Group of Industries where the hoopsters would be honoured. Mr Vishwajeet Khanna and Mr Rajinder Gupta, chairman and the Managaing Director, respectively, of the Trident Group along with Mr Harjinder Singh Dhanoa, an NRI who sponsored the last National Junior Basketball held in Ludhiana in June and the Baba Lodhiana Academy for Excellence being run in the city where the young talented cagers of the region are given training by a team of coaches of the PBA and Padma Shri Kartar Singh, Director Sports, Punjab would be chief guests. Punjab men’s team that finished runners-up in the senior national championships at Ludhiana in 2001 and also in Hyderabad in 2002; junior boys team which had come out triumphant in Goa in 2002 and Ludhiana in 2003, respectively, and youth team that had won gold medal at Jalandhar and bronze medal at Kangra recently would be honoured. Members of the Punjab women’s team (senior) that achieved fourth
position in the 52nd national meet in Ludhiana in February 2001 and junior girls who got a bronze medal in June this year would also be honoured, he said. Mr Gill further said nearly ten international players of other
disciplines have also been invited to the function who would be felicitated for the contribution made by them in there respective fields. They include Gagan Ajit Singh (hockey), Inder Singh (football), Narinder Pal Singh (judo), Sat Pal Singh (horse riding), Vicky Batta (weightlifting), S.P. Singh (handball), Harpal Singh (boxing), Talwinder Singh Cheema (wrestling), Neelam J Singh (athletics) and Shiv Dev
(kabaddi). |
|
Govt college Ludhiana in semis Ludhiana, November 2 Batting first, Government College, Muktsar, with help of scintillating batting by Bharat Bhushan and Gurpej Singh, hosited a good total of 260 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their quota of 45 overs. Bharat Bhushan faced 80 deliveries and his century included 12 fours and four sixes while Gurpej made 56 off 50 balls with the help of 10 fours and one six. The pair shared a 102-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Muktsar lads failed to defend the mammoth total and Government College, Ludhiana, achieved the target in the 31st overs after losing just one wicket. Opener, Salil Kaushal remained unconquered on 103, which came off 79 deliveries and had 14
boundaries and one six. Ashish Vinayak scored a whirlwind 80, laced with 12 fours and two sixes while Varun Gupta remained unbeaten on 49 runs. For Muktsar, the lone wicket-taker was Bharat Bhushan, who claimed one for 57. |
|
North
Zone triumph Amritsar, November 2 Chasing the target, Head quarters were all out at 128 runs in 36.5 overs.
A.W. Zaidi of North Zone grabbed three wickets while giving 33 runs in eight overs. Amit Singh scalped three wickets. In
another match played at Gandhi Ground, East Zone beat West Zone by 10
wickets. Playing first West Zone posted a paltry total of 90 runs.
East Zone made 91 runs in 11 overs without losing any wicket. N.
Haldipur and I. Bose remained unbeaten at 41 and 25 runs,
respectively.
|
||||||
|
Delhi 253 for nine Patiala, November 2 Brief scores: Delhi : (1st innings):
253 for 9 (Shikhar Dhawan 55, Gaurav Chabbra 60, Abhinav Bali 26, Puneet Bisht 52, Varun Khanna 4 for 27, Hardavinder Singh 2 for 56, Naresh 1 for 57). |
||||||
|
PHA meeting Chandigarh, November 2 Mr S.S. Sodhi, Pargat Singh and Mr Nitin Kohli were appointed as secretaries. Mr G.S. Bhullar, Mr Kapil Dev and Mr M.S. Chinna were appointed Directors while Mr S.S. Saini and Ms Gurpreet Deo were given the posts of Treasurer and PRO, respectively. |
||||||
|
Police games from today Chandigarh, November 2 Mr AN Mathur, Chief Secretary, Haryana, will declare the games open on November 3, while Mr MS Malkit will preside over the closing ceremony on November 5. |
||||||
Aussies wary of Sachin Surjit hockey Hero Honda golf Cricket in J & K
Banks' Olympiad: Dena Bank enter TT semis Patiala, November 2 Earlier, in the league phase, the State Bank of Patiala downed Central Bank 3-0 while the Bank of India created the first upset of the tournament when they trounced Syndicate Bank by an identical margin. Results: (women) league phase — Dena Bank beat Syndicate Bank 3-0 ( D.Prassena beat Sunanda Rao 12-10, 11-7, 11-13, 11-7; Sherry Crawford beat K. Menalini 11-4, 11-5, 11-7; D. Prassena and Sherry Crawford beat Sunanda Rao and K. Menalini 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8); (men) league phase — State Bank of Patiala beat Central Bank 3-0 ( Vaneet Chopra beat S.Kashi 11-5, 12-10, 11-5; Dupinder Singh beat R.Ethirajan 11-9, 1-11, 11-5, 11-5; Sanjeev Sood beat P.Muthu 11-4, 11-7, 11-2); Bank of India beat Syndicate Bank 3-0 (G. Ahuja beat Rama Krishnan 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 11-2; P. Kelkar beat Upendera Nath beat 11-9, 11-5, 14-12; R. Sumi beat D. Dayakev 11-5, 11-7, 11-5; Reserve Bank of India beat Oriental Bank of Commerce 3-0 (Mohammad Ali beat Jawahar Bhandari 11-5, 11-4, 11-8; Gagan Chowdhury beat Virender Kumar 11-6, 11-3, 5-11, 11-7; Dheeraj Arora beat Vijay Yadav 11-8, 11-7, 11-6) State Bank of Saurashtra beat State Bank of Indore 3-0
(Prathik Mehta beat Pramod Aggarwal 11-3, 11-4, 11-6; Jignesh beat Sanjay Mehta 11-3, 11-4, 11-2; Pardeep Sharma beat Piush Joshi 11-4, 11-8, 4-11, 11-8). In badminton, which is being organised by Canara Bank and is being held at the NIS indoor hall, Punjab National Bank beat State Bank of Indore 3-0 while Canara Bank downed K.S.C. Apex Bank by an identical margin in the league phase. In hockey, in a league match played on the NIS Astrotruf, international stars Baljit Singh Saini and Baljit Singh Chandi provided the inspiration for the Punjab and Sind Bank to rout their opponents Central Bank of India by a wide 14-0 margin while Indian Overseas Bank routed Canara bank 9-2. In another league encounter, the Bank of India scored a last-minute goal to manage a 2-2 draw against Punjab National Bank. In body building, Kala Ram of the State Bank of Patiala stood first in the 85-90 kg weight class while Ashok Yadav of Andhra Bank stood second. Laxman Kamath of the United Bank of India reigned supreme in the 90 kg plus category while Ravi Yadav of the same bank stood second. In the 80 to 85 kg category, G. Anand of Corporation Bank came first while the second spot went to Joginder Kumar of Dena Bank. Water D. Costa of Corporation Bank was placed first in the 70-75 kg weight class and he was followed by Sai Dal Sone of Dena Bank. The overall team championship was won by the Union Bank of India and Mukesh Thakur of Dena Bank was adjudged the best body builder of the meet. In weightlifting, the team championship was won by the Union Bank of India while Syndicate Bank and Corporation Bank were placed second and third respectively. Weighlifting results: 56 kg — Hadu Dass (Canara Bank)-1, Satish Shetty (Syndicate Bank)-2, A.P Dixit (Canara Bank )-3; 62 kg — Jentri Fernandes
(UBI)-1, T.Naik (Syndicate Bank)-2, Raja S Kumar (Syndicate Bank)-3; 69 kg — S. Parkash
(Vijaya Bank)-1, Balakrishnan Shetty (UBI)-2, Walter D Costa (Corporation Bank)-3; 77 kg —
B.N. Gopinath (Syndicate Bank)-1, Ravi Shetty (UBI)-2, Raymond D Souza (Corporation Bank)-3; 94 kg — Prasantha Rai
(Vijaya Bank)-1, Dinakar Kamath (Bank of India)-2, Kulwinder Kumar (SBOP)-3; 105 kg — T. Shetty (Corporation Bank)-1, T.Dharakar
(UBI)-2, Ravi Yadav (UBI)-3; 105 kg plus — Laxman Kamath (UBI)-1, Divakar Shetty (Syndicate Bank)-2, Harold Pais (Syndicate Bank)-3.
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
