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Indians collapse at doorstep of victory
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Fleming all praise for Pak squad Pakistan beat India 3-2
Malaysia jrs to play in
Amritsar, Chandigarh |
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Rusedski tests positive Mohammedan Sporting go down to Dempo Shekhawat lays stone of Football House
Manav, Sunil to clash in final
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Indians collapse at doorstep of victory
Melbourne, January 9 Chasing a victory target of 289, the Indians were in a fairly comfortable position at 257 for four till the 45th over before the shocking batting collapse tilted the scale in Australia’s favour. The visitors had themselves to blame for not being able to launch their tri-series
campaign on a winning note as the late order batsmen succumbed to the pressure to fold up for 270 in 49 overs in a pulsating contest. The Indians launched the run chase on a brisk note with Sachin Tendulkar (63) and Virender Sehwag putting on 103 runs for the first wicket. Ganguly kept the hopes alive but the complexion of the game changed after Yuvraj Singh’s dismissal in the 46th over with India needing 32 runs for victory. Earlier, electing to bat, Australia recovered from a top
order collapse to post a healthy 288 in 48.3 overs with Andrew Symonds (88) and Michael Clarke (63) pulling the team out of the pits with a 143-run stand for the fifth wicket. After the openers had given India a good start, Ganguly and Yuvraj (25 off 24b) appeared to take India to victory in the floodlit encounter. But Yuvraj, who looked in good touch, holed out a catch off Ian Harvey into the midwicket region and then Ganguly was run-out off the successive ball when new man Sanjay Bangar did not pay heed to his captain’s call for a quick single. Having paced his innings beautifully, Ganguly banged his bat in disgust as he walked off the ground. He hit five fours and a six in his quickfire 83-ball 82. With the momentum being badly affected by the two quick dismissals, the rest of the Indian batting collapsed in a heap to give the hosts a winning start in front of a wildly cheering 63, 271 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The 62-run fifth wicket stand between Ganguly and Yuvraj seemingly had done enough on the base of a century stand by openers Virender Sehwag (35) and Tendulkar (63). The Indian batsmen looked intent on following up the good work of Ajit Agarkar who finished with a career-best 6 for 42 in Australia’s 288 in the afternoon. Tendulkar set the early pace in characteristic style and went after Jason Gillespie in his seventh over by hooking him for a six and then flicking him through the midwicket region with a gorgeous four. The Little Master crashed a glorious off-drive off Andy Bichel to reach his half century from a mere 45 balls with seven fours and a six. Sehwag was just beginning to get into his stride when he hit across the line to a Harvey delivery and was bowled out for 35 from 59 balls with three fours. Tendulkar was stunned by a brilliant catch by Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting at midwicket who jumped in the air and caught the
maestro one-handed off Andrew Symonds. Tendulkar’s 63 came off 69 balls with eight fours and a six. Ganguly, 33 runs short of 9,000-run mark before the start of his innings, reached the milestone in style when he hammered Brad Williams straight down the ground for a six. Both Ganguly and his partner VVS Laxman were reprieved by Australian fielders Matthew Hayden and Damien Martyn in Williams’ sixth over when the total was in the 140s. Ganguly completed his half century with a flick for a single off Symonds from 52 balls with three fours and a six. But the Indian captain then lost two of his partners quickly, both Laxman (16) and Rahul Dravid (16) succumbing to the pressure of lifting the scoring rate.
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Bucknor continues to torment Indians Melbourne, January 9 The veteran West Indian umpire, for long one of the game’s most respected umpires, turned down what appeared a plumb leg before verdict against Australia’s top scorer Andrew Symonds with paceman Irfan Pathan being the unlucky bowler in the opening triangular series match today. Television replays clearly showed that the ball pitched in line of the stumps before wrapping Symonds on the pads below the knee roll but Bucknor remained unmoved. Symonds was batting on 58 at that stage and he went on to make 88 runs. TV commentators were unanimous in their view that Symonds was plumb in front of the wicket. Moreover, Bucknor was unwilling to give wide balls against Australian bowlers when India batted. One ball which sailed well over the head of Sachin Tendulkar and another which went down the leg side were not declared wide, prompting former Pakistani great Wasim Akram to comment on TV, “I don’t know what is wrong with Bucknor”. The Indians have not been much impressed by the 57-year-old Bucknor who has repeatedly turned down appeals which they believe were clear cases of leg before decisions. In the mandatory captain’s report to the ICC, Ganguly sharply criticised Bucknor for both his conduct and his decision-making ability and had given the experienced umpire very poor grades. The West Indian umpire had turned down confident appeals against Justin Langer and Damien Martyn on the final day of the crucial Sydney Test, much to the dismay of the visitors. The Indians believe not only at the Sydney Cricket Ground but also in the first Test at Brisbane, Bucknor’s umpiring was anything but satisfactory. While Bucknor has been generally reluctant to raise his finger for leg-before appeals, he ruled Sachin Tendulkar out leg before wicket when he had shouldered arms to a rising delivery from Jason Gillespie in India’s first innings — a shocking decision which was slammed by the cricketing world. —
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Fleming all praise for Pak squad Christchurch, New Zealand January 9 Fleming, who led New Zealand the last time Pakistan toured three years ago, said the current squad was much more unified than the bitterly-divided team of 2001 and had a more measured approach to the game. The teams are locked at 1-1 in the five-match competition, with New Zealand winning the first game in Auckland by four wickets and Pakistan easily taking the second match in Queenstown by six wickets with three overs to spare. ‘’We were given a valuable lesson in one-day batting in Queenstown and our guys have taken on board just how Imran (Farhat) and Yousuf Youhana worked us around,’’ Fleming said. —
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Pakistan beat India 3-2 Kuala Lumpur, January 9 A hat-trick by full-back Sohail Abbas (13th, 18th and 50th minutes) was the highlight of Pakistan’s success that came after a series of losses, including in the finals of the Asia Cup and Afro-Asian Games, to their arch-rivals. The Indians, after taking a 2-1 lead, thanks to goals by Baljeet Singh Dhillon (13th) and rookie substitute Rajpal Singh (15th) failed to maintain the momentum and a series of midfield errors, compounded by a disjointed forward-line, denied them further success. It was India’s second straight defeat in the seven-nation tournament following the 1-3 loss to Germany yesterday, while Pakistan picked up their second set of full points, having beaten South Korea 4-2 in their opener. The Indians put in an eye-catching performance in the first-half as they matched the more experienced Pakistanis move for move. In fact, the Indians appeared far more decisive and dangerous when on the counter-attack, and with a little more combination among the forwards, they could well have come out on top. Statistically, the Pakistanis, with six
penalty corners to the one of their rivals, might have looked superior but these awards were mostly forced with the intention of letting loose Abbas who came up with two good conversions off the first (1-0) and sixth (2-2) to keep Pakistan afloat. When on the move, though, the Indians were quicker on the ball and Dhanraj Pillay led the attacks with rare inspiration and dash. It was his stunning acceleration after intercepting a pass by Waseem Ahmed that tore the Pakistani defence apart. The veteran made his way in from the right and essayed a try. Goalkeeper Salman Ahmed parried the attempt and the next on the rebound by Sandeep Michael. However, Dhillon lay at handy to hit home the third rebound to put India on level terms in the 15th minute. Three minutes later, young Rajpal Singh came in for Sandeep Michael, and the substitution fetched quick dividend. Left-half Ignace Tirkey found Rajpal on the right with a brilliant diagonal ball. The forward, showing no signs of nevers, let fly an angular hit to give India a 2-1 lead. The Indians held sway thereafter until the final moments of the first half when they conceded a penalty corner. Full- -back William Xalco
deliberately stopped the ball with his foot on top of the circle. Abbas found the net with a powerful drag-flick, leaving the game evenly poised 2-2 at the break. On change of ends, the Indians began strongly but then for some reason, their midfield play began to crumble. Past the 47th minute, linkman Prabhdeep Singh took a yellow card suspension after a foul on Adnan Masood. Reduced to 10 men, the Indians conceded their seventh penalty corner that Abbas brought to account with a neat conversion (3-2) in the 50th. Thereafter, the Pakistanis kept persisting, but goalkeeper Kamaldeep Singh brought off some good saves. The positives that India could look at was the good work of full-back William Xalco who yet again impressed in tackling and covering. Spain shock Aussies Spain gave Australia a taste of their own medicine while exhibiting their famed speed and counter-attacking ability for a comprehensive 3-1 win later today. The Aussies, playing a typically attacking game that left them open at the back, had no answer to the sparkling hockey that the Spaniards displayed. They definitely missed the creativity of centre-half Paul Gaudoin who is absent owing to injury. On the comeback trail after a few years in the backrow of international hockey, Spain struck telling blows through Victor Sojo (13th minute) and Santiago Freixa (49th, 58th) for their first win in two outings. The Aussies, runners-up to Germany in the 2002 World Cup at the same National Stadium, marked their presence with a 26th minute strike by Travis Brooks who converted a penalty corner. Sojo shook the Aussies, playing their first game in the tournament, by putting home a Ramon Alegre pass while Brooks restored parity as the teams took the break at 1-1. In the second-half, the Spaniards stepped up the pace and two lightning counter-attacks fetched them as many goals from the opportunistic Freixa. Freixa first deflected a hard centre from the left by Jaime Perez and then broke through on his own from the centre-line for a great goal. —
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Malaysia jrs to play in Amritsar, Chandigarh Kuala Lumpur, January 9 The series will be played in India early March. Two of the matches will be played in New Delhi and one each in Chandigarh and Amritsar. The junior Asian Cup, slated to be held in Karachi from April 21 to 29, will also serve as a qualifier for the junior World Cup in 2005. Indian Hockey Federation
(IHF) secretary general K. Jothikumaran said here today India had agreed to play the matches at the request of the Malaysians. “The matches were supposed to be held this month but for some reasons we could not finalise the dates. But I have received the dates from the Malaysians and we will be able to
accommodate them in March,” he said. He is here as the technical officer for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. From India, the Malaysians will also go to Lahore to play a four-match series against Pakistan. The exact number of teams who will make the cut for the junior World Cup is not yet known. That decision will be made by the International Hockey Federation
(FIH) next year. India’s national junior coach Harendra Singh, who is also the coach of the team for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, said the junior team will play the Malaysians at least in one match. “I do not think we would want to play all four matches with our main team. I will
probably have a mixed teams for some of the matches and perhaps even give our under-18 teams a chance to play in one of the matches. “It will be good exposure for the younger players. It will also give us a chance to gauge the Malaysians as well,” he said. India are the junior World Cup champions having won it in Hobart in 2001. —
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Rusedski tests positive Sydney, January 9 Rusedski, who was born in Canada and plays for the UK, had earlier issued a statement saying he tested positive for nandrolone. He said the ATP told him a urine sample he provided showed a low concentration of nandrolone. “I am innocent. I wish to make it clear that I do not and have never taken any performance enhancing drugs whatsoever or any drugs of any kind,” Rusedski told APTN today at a hotel in Adelaide. “I expect to be found completely innocent of all charges and I just want to continue to enjoy my tennis and play my tennis in Australia, that’s why I’ve decided to come down here and play because I know I’m innocent - that’s all I have to say.” —
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Mohammedan Sporting go down to Dempo Kolkata, January 9 The all-important goal came in the 16th minute of the first half. Following a Clifford Miranda freekick that swerved wickedly inside the box, the unmarked Sunday Seah rushed to score of a volley. With this win Dempo have 20 points from eight games, while Mohameddans have five from the same number of outings. R C Prakash and Seah combined well upfront for the Goan club and their understanding with Sameer Naik, Melvin Rodrigues and Mohammed Gaffari in the midfield helped them pry open the black-white defence repeatedly. Mohameddan Sporting seems to have forgotten how to score for all of their moves seem to run out of ideas inside the rival penalty area. Dipendu Biswas looked a shadow of the promise he had shown a couple of years back. Eden Chidi and Okoli Onyeka Odafa only looked like having the capability to score. In the second half, Mohameddans played with more purpose. But some macho defending from Stanley Colaco denied Chidi a sure goal in the 75th minute. Then again in the 80th minute Dipendu tried to finish a move all by himself and floundered while Chidi was kept waiting on the far side. The introduction of Sheikh Sanjib in the dying minutes could not change the fate of the match as Dempo looked content with their thin-as-hair cushion and saw the match to safety. —
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Shekhawat lays stone of Football House New Delhi, January 9 The function was attended by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Asian Football Confederation President Mohammed-bin Hamman, AFC secretary-general Peter Velappan, Goal Project of FIFA director Urs Zenetic and AIFF President PR Dasmunshi. Mr Shekhawat, in his address, said he was a keen football player in his younger days and the “fairness of football has taught me to be always impartial and encourage active play through meaningful debates and discussions” in his role as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The Vice-President said India was known all over the world for its excellence in cricket and hockey as “our recent performances in both these games have been spectacular”, but he cautioned that a lot need to be done for India to “scale international heights” in football. He said he was happy that the FIFA Goal Project was fully funding the creation of Football House, with all the modern training facilities. Mr Shekhawat noted that India have had a rich tradition in football as from “West Bengal to Goa and from-North East to Kerala, football has remained as an enduring spectacle of popular passion”. He advised the AIFF to spot talent at a young age from the school level, and then properly groom them for international competitions. The Football House, when completed, is expected to provide everything under one roof for the football talent of the country, though the location of the Football House is far away from the city centre. |
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Srichaphan shines Chennai, January 9 Srichaphan downed Igor Andreev 6-3, 7-6 (7-2). The young Russian fought bravely and managed to land a few deadly blows with his racquet especially in the second set. But in the end he was no match as Srichaphan again unleashed his characteristic whipping cross court forehands and stinging serves with which he has been demolishing his opponents with precision. —
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Manav, Sunil to clash in final Amritsar, January 9 In today’s semifinals, first seeded Manav Dhawan trounced unseeded Harmanbir Singh 6-2, 6-4. Third seeded chaolin Chandan of Delhi 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. The match was longest of the championship as it continued for around three hours. In the girls’ category, firsts seeded Alisha Talwar defeated Priyanka Bawa 6-1, 6-0. In the semifinal Mallika Babbar beat Aayushi Rai 6-2, 6-0. In the boys doubles Manav Dhawan and Harman defeated Sunil Kumar and Kushagra Mahajan 7-6, 6-1, while Satbir and Keshav not the better of Karan and Surinder 6-1, 6-1. |
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Inter-school cricket Amritsar, January 9 |
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