 |
|
|
We respect Indian batting: Inzamam Kapil named bowling coach Bowlers need to complement batsmen, says Prasanna I am more improved bowler now: Shoaib East enter Duleep Trophy final
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Warne returns to Australian side India not taking Belgium lightly
South Central Rly score 3-0 victory Mahindra United beat Indian Bank
|
|
We respect Indian batting: Inzamam
Lahore, March 1 “In Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman and Ganguly they have superb batsmen and it would be huge task for us to contain them and get their wickets,” Inzamam told PTI in an exclusive interview here. We are watching videos of all the Indian batsmen. We know their strength is their batting but we have plans to restrict them. “India has got great batters and we respect them. But at the same time, we know that they have great respect for our bowlers. So, it is going to be a keenly contested series,” he said. Pakistan is also considering the option of playing off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq instead of leg-spinner Danish Kaneria since Indians play leg-spin better. The burly right-hander said Anil Kumble would be India’s key bowler in the coming series provided he is ruled fit but was relieved that the leg-spinner would be without off-spin partner Harbhajan Singh. “Kumble is a quality spinner with over 300 wickets and had a perfect ten against us the last time we played. He can come handy (for India) on Pakistan pitches,” Inzamam said. “We have a stronger bowling attack while India will feel the absence of Harbhajan Singh who is a very good off-spinner and could have caused problems for us,” he said. Harbhajan was ruled out of the series after injuring his finger on the tour of Australia early this season. Inzamam downplayed the spat between him and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar who publicly criticised his captaincy on the recent tour of New Zealand. Many believe handling Akhtar would be a problem not only for the Indian batsmen but also Inzamam. “I don’t think Shoaib would be difficult to handle, he is responsible and a team man to the core,” said Inzamam. Inzamam also conceded that the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ would be his main weapon against the Indians and was confident he would shoulder the responsibility as bowling spearhead well. “Shoaib holds the key for us but that does not mean we are only relying on him. Mohammad Sami and Shabbir Ahmed are also bowling very well but Shoaib is one bowler who can change the game in one spell,” he said. Inzamam expected the five one-dayers preceding the three Tests to be evenly fought. “In the one-day series, we will have to put respectable and defendable totals. Anyone performing better on that particular day will help his team dominate the match.” Inzamam said he expected his players to give their best against India but asked them to strictly adhere to Players’ Code of Conduct on the field. “I have told the players to put up their best but I don’t want any misconduct or verbal exchanges as we need to play the game as it should be played, in the true spirit of the game. “After all this is just a game of cricket and nothing more. And the same appeal is to the fans also. “Billions of people will be watching us on television and I think it is a great opportunity for us to prove to the world that we are a sporting nation and play the game in true spirit,” said Inzamam. He hoped that Indo-Pak cricket ties continued in the best interest of the game. “I hope the ties are continued as this will help us ease the tension.”
— PTI |
|
Kolkata, March 1 The former captain and coach will, however, be at hand to assist the bowlers during the three-day preparatory camp here from March 7 to 9 for the upcoming Pakistan tour. The announcement was made by cricket board president Jagmohan Dalmiya after he had consultations with captain Sourav Ganguly and coach John Wright. “It was felt that international and first class pace bowlers knocking on the door of selection should be given regular training and their progress should be monitored,” Dalmiya said. “Kapil has given his consent to this assignment but the details have to be worked out. He will attend the three-day camp and will draw a schedule for future training of the boys. In view of this, no bowling coach would be sent to Pakistan.” However, Dalmiya said no official designation had been assigned to Kapil Dev as yet. “The board’s idea is that at least three to four times a year there will be training programmes for pace bowlers which will be supervised by Kapil. It would be a continuous process.” Dalmiya said Kapil Dev has been asked to sit down with the coach and the captain to draw out a detailed plan. Asked specifically why Kapil was not accompanying the team to Pakistan, Dalmiya said, “going on tour does not help. We do not want him to train only four-five bowlers. He has to look at all the available talent in the country in the international and first class matches so that there is regular supply of pace bowlers to the Indian team.” On whether Javagal Srinath was considered for the post, Dalmiya said Srinath was already working as a match-referee. “Srinath is always an asset to the country and he has been designated as match-referee,” he said. This would not be Kapil Dev’s first official assignment as he was first appointed as coach of the Indian team in 1999. However, his tenure as a coach proved short-lived as he stepped down from the post in 2000 following differences with the then BCCI Secretary Jaywant Lele. The Indian team had successfully experimented with a bowling coach during the recent tour of Australia with former left-arm paceman Bruce Reid filling in the role. — PTI
|
|
Bowlers need to complement batsmen, says Prasanna
Kolkata, March 1 “We definitely have a stronger batting line up than the Pakistanis. But to win you also need to take 20 wickets.. and there I have some doubts as most of the bowlers are carrying injuries,” the offspinner, who formed a part of the
revered Indian spin quartet in the 1960s and 1970s, said. The Indians are hampered by injuries to their bowlers with three experienced seamers while off-spinner Harbhajan Singh ruled out with a finger injury. “In the fast bowling arena, now India will have to depend a lot on the youngsters Irfan Pathan and Laxmipathy Balaji. “I don’t know, to what extent the young and inexperienced spinners can fill up the slot made vacant by Harbhajan,” said Prasanna, who picked up a rich haul of 189 wickets in 49 Tests at an average of 30.38. Prasanna also felt that wickets in Pakistan were generally placid, and the bowlers needed to put in that “extra something” to succeed. “Our bowlers will have to take wickets regularly, and not allow partnerships to blossom on these docile tracks,” he said. However, Prasanna praised India’s batting talent, saying “our batting has tremendous depth. One to one, our willowers are far superior to the Pakistanis. The strong showing in Australia has increased the morale of the players, particularly that of the batsmen.” The
office said the series would be highly competitive, but disagreed with the view that the matches would boil down to battles between the Indian batting and the Pakistan bowling. “I don’t think so. Because the Pakistani pace battery now lacks the firepower of the likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis,” he said. Prasanna, a key member of the Bishan Singh Bedi led team that visited Pakistan in 1978 in another revival tour which came after an 18 year stoppage in bilateral cricketing relations between the two neighbours, felt that “diplomatic pressures” had weighed down the Indians who lost the three-Test series 0-2. “Before leaving for Pakistan we were all briefed about the importance of the tour in terms of improving bilateral relations. We were brainwashed to such an extent that we never had a feeling that it was a normal cricketing tour,” Prasanna said. The former Karnataka player, however, was confident that this would not be the case with the current Indian side, who are undertaking another ice-breaking tour to Pakistan after a 15-year gap. “Present day cricket is different. The players now are more strong mentally. So, I think such off-field things will not affect their performances. “In 1978, both sides were evenly balanced. We were unlucky to lose the third Test in Karachi in the last edition when their batsmen went all guns blazing to snatch an improbable victory.” The
office, however, admitted that one of the cause for the Indian debacle then was the failure of the bowlers to perform to their potential. In fact, such was the battering received by the Indian spinners, that the series virtually signalled the end of the career for three of the legendary quartet — Prasanna, Bedi and B.S. Chandrashekhar. However, Prasanna had no doubts that the former Pakistan side was vastly superior than the present bunch. “Though its wrong to compare sides of two different era, I have no hesitation in saying that the team we played against was far better. “Pakistan then had batsmen like Zaheer Abbas, who was in brilliant form, and the upcoming Javed Miandad. Then there was the talented opening bat Majid Khan and the dashing Asif Iqbal,” he said. The pace department was handled by legends like Imran Khan, Sarfaraz Nawaz and Sikandar Bakht, and the side had a very good leader in Mustaq Ahmed, along with the wicket-keeping genius Wasim Bari, Prasanna said. “Can the present Pakistan team stand up to the sheer weight of these players? I tell you, there can be no comparison.” Asked about his off-field experiences during the trip, Prasanna recalled that the players of the two sides had very good relationships. “Bedi and Mushtaq were then playing county cricket. So we used to call them county comrades,” he said smilingly. Prasanna also remembered that the Indian manager Fateh Singh Rao Gaekwad had lot of loyalists in Pakistan. “He was a former Maharaja.
Wherever we went, people would come forward and pay their respect to him saying that they had worked in his estate in the past,” he added.
— PTI |
|
I am more improved bowler now: Shoaib
Karachi, March 1 "The media may bill it as a 'Shoaib vs Tendulkar' contest but this series is much more than that. We have to go at all the Indian batsmen if we want to win the series", Akhtar told Reuters today. "If we play as a team we will win. Cricket is definitely a team game although individuals might dominate it", the 28-year-old added. Pakistan and India play five one-day matches and three tests, starting with the first one-dayer in Karachi on March 13. The Indians have not played any tests in Pakistan in 14 years. In the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, Tendulkar belted 98 runs from 75 balls to lead India to a six-wicket win over Pakistan with Akhtar going for 72 runs in his 10 overs. "I think I am a more improved, controlled and focused bowler after that game," said Akhtar, famed for his 100 mph (160.9 kmh) deliveries. "Both teams have to prove themselves once again. It will be a high pressure series and I am looking forward to it," Akhtar said. "I think it would be a case of how our bowling fares against their strong batting. Because while their bowling is inexperienced our batting is a bit inexperienced," he added. — Reuters
|
|
|
Ad agency sues Pak Cricket Board LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and country’s top advertising agency Interflow Communications are locked in a legal battle over the rights to hold promotional activities of the Indian cricket team on their historic visit from March 11 to April 17. Interflow signed a contract with the PCB last year enabling them to hold off-field promotional activities of the Indian team right from their landing to the departure for a sum of Rs 30 lakh. But that contract has been jeopardised after a revamp of the PCB three months ago. The company has sued the PCB over their rights and the matter is in the Sindh High Court. One of many decisions by Shahryar Khan, after he took over as chairman from Gen. Tauqir Zia in December, was to fire the previous marketing official Zahid Bashir.
|
|
East enter Duleep Trophy final Amritsar, March 1 The match was a good specimen of team efforts as all players contributed to the triumph of the team. Captain Davang Gandhi also said after the conclusion of the four-day match that it was won by team efforts though some individuals like S.S. Das in batting and Shib Sankar Paul in bowling did well. Earlier, Ed Smith and Kevin Pieterson of England A started from the overnight score of 78 for two in 32 overs. Chasing the target of 366 runs, no England player except for Kevin Pieterson, who contributed 94 runs, could stand for long at the crease. Though some players like Prior (46) and Kadeer Ali (34) showed same resistance, but that was not enough. Pieterson’s innings included three lofty sixes and 11 fours. He faced 133 balls. But the regular fall of wickets at the other end resulting in the defeat. Pieterson was caught behind the wicket by Deep Dasgupta on the ball of Kiran Powar. He was just six runs short of his century. However, James Tredwell, captain of England, A who got nine wickets in the match, described the experience of playing in India as remarkable. He said participating in domestic tournament of India had given them a different and unique exposure on foreign field. For the home team, Saurashis Lahiri scalped maximum five wickets while Sahb Sankar Paul grabbed three wickets. Uppal Chatterjee and Kiran Powar claimed one wicket each. Scoreboard East Zone
(Ist innings): 283. England A (Ist innings): 225. East Zone (second innings):
308. England A (second innings): S. Newman b Paul 0, E. Smith st Gupta b Lahiri 42, M. Lumb lbw Lahiri 13, K. Pieterson c Gupta b Powar 94, M. Prior c B. Gupta b Paul 46, K. Ali not out 34, G. Napier c and b Lahiri 17, J. Tredwell lbw Paul 0, G. Wagg c Paul b Chatterjee 13, Mahmood b Lahiri 0, Kirby c Das b Lahiri 0. Total:
(all out in 93.4 overs): 273 Extras: (b 8, lb1, nb 4): 13 FoW:
1-0, 2-25, 3-124, 4-176, 5-222, 6-251, 7-253, 8-272, 9-273, 10-273. |
|
|
North scamper past West Zone Dharamsala, March 1 Mumbai opener Vinayak Mane nearly spoiled North’s party by scoring a resolute unbeaten 127 and it was this innings that sent the jitters in North’s ranks. With wickets falling at regular intervals on a dusty fourth innings pitch, the Shivaji park youngster, who has a knack of grounding to dust rival bowling attacks in domestic cricket, played with the serenity of a Budhist monk and for 316 minutes he never let any bowler disturb his concentration. In every sporting dream there lurks a nightmare and North had a taste of this when after taking a 107 runs first innings lead, they were nearly knocked out by the resilient West batting as a cool Mane guided the innings with maturity and had he not run out of partners, North surely would have been an embarrassed lot in their own backyard. True, there were some audacious strokes on view early on, but for the major part of his innings Mane was incredibly cool in collecting his runs and looked to be well in control throughout as he laced his knock with 14 hits to the fence, all beautifully timed. Resuming from their overnight 92 for 2 and still needing 207 runs for an outright victory, West had a mountain to climb. Both Mane and Jacob Martin cut out the high risk shots and played a lot more straighter than they did yesterday and after they had strung together a valuable 103 run third wicket partnership Martin lost both his cool and his wicket when he mishit the ball to mid-on where Amit Bhandari brought off a well judged tumbling catch. West went to lunch at 165 for 4 and were very much in the reckoning as skipper D.Mongia kept on reshuffling his bowlers to get the right combination. For some inexplicable reason, he under bowled fiery medium pacer Gagandeep Singh, who has already scalped 43 first class wickets this season. The Punjab youngster surely has a distinct physical presence, is raw and hungry and when he was brought on in the post lunch session for a brief spell he troubled the batsmen with his line and length which was impeccable. At 267 for 8, North were smiling again but they knew that had to get rid of Mane who was standing like a rock between North and a victory. Scoreboard: North Zone:
(1st innings): 279. West Zone: (1st Innings) 172. North Zone:
(2nd Innings) 191. West Zone: (2nd Innings) D.Jadhav b Gagandeep 1, V.Mane 127 not out, H.Kanitkar c A.Chopra b Sarandeep Singh 16, J.Martin c A.Bhandari b Sarandeep 50, R.Pawar c P.Dharmani b Sarandeep 12, S.Bahutule run out 22, S.Parab lbw D.Mongia 5, P.Patel c V.Bhatia (sub) b Sarandeep 1, R.Patel c A.Ratra b A.Bhandari 25, M.Patel c Sangram b Mongia 4, S.Trivedi c A.Ratra b A.Bhandari 0. Extras
14. Total:
277 FOW: 1-5, 2-45, 3-148, 4-165, 5-213, 6-224, 7-225, 8-267, 9-276, 10-277. Bowling:
Gagandeep 17-8-34-1, A.Bhandari 11.2-2-41-2, Sarandeep 34-4-99-4, D. Mongia 19-5-46-2, J. Sharma 14-1-49-0. |
|
|
Warne returns
to Australian side Colombo, March 1 Warne, 34, missed last year's World Cup after he was suspended for taking a diuretic. He was recalled to the Australia side for their tour of Sri Lanka after one first class match.
— Reuters |
|
India not taking Belgium lightly
Madrid, March 1 “Opening matches are always tough and I want that the team starts off the tournament on a winning note,” said Rajinder. “Our starts in any competition have been slow and we don’t want the Belgians playing for a draw as they are capable of bringing in 8-9 players and make a mess of the penalty area depriving us of goals,” he added. Despite the cold weather conditions, Rajinder sounded optimistic on India’s chances. “I know what my boys can do and that is our strength. The boys have responded well in training and I am confident that they will deliver. Even if the match is close, we can change the game midway,” he added. He downplayed the incident where players kit did not arrive on time from Frankfurt after being misplaced on the flight from Chennai. But India have injury worries ahead of the match. Midfiled Ignace Tirkey, who played a key role in India’s 4-2 victory over Pakistan in Asia Cup finals, broke a tooth and doctors feel that he would need to take the tooth off after a ball hit his face. But Ignace was sure of playing the match. “I will play even if I have to take pain-killers.” Belgium, who hope to earn a place in the top seven here as qualifying for them was a top priority. Their seriousness in training was seen when they disallowed television cameras of various channels from recording their penalty corner drills. “I am not taking any chance,” says Belgium coach Bonnet Giles. “Difference between teams is very less and in matches where scores could run close, a well taken penalty corner could just be the crucial moment.” Belgium will rely on their experienced players Marc Coudron (349 internationals), Xavier Charles (114) and Thierry Renaer (254). Belgium’s strong point always has been their hard-working midfield and that is where the Indians will do well to plug it by playing Bal Lakra and Viren Rasquinha up, allowing these two midfielders to spoil the Belgian moves. Otherwise for Belgium, most of their hopes would depend on the penalty corner drill. In the 2003 Continental Championships which was won by Germany giving them a direct ticket to the Athens Olympics, Belgium finished sixth. Belgium’s highest placing and a medal winning one at that has been at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games where they won a bronze. — UNI
|
|
|
Services rowers impress on opening day Chandigarh, March 1 Close races in the men's section saved the otherwise ordinary day. Tough competitions marked most of the men's races on a slightly windy day. According to expectations, rowers from Services and Corps of Engineers were impressive as they emerged winners in close races and dominated their heats. Services rowers won the heats in the men's coxless fours and light men's double sculls while Maharashtra women swept their heats in the single sculls and double sculls. Chandigarh rowers did not fare too well as they won heat one in women's double sculls because they were the only team to participate in the
race. In the men's event the hosts beat Maharashtra by a narrow margin while in the women's single sculls they finished a distant second behind Orissa in heat two as Haryana did not take to the waters. In heat four of the light men's coxless fours they did not participate. Punjab men were impressive in the coxless pairs while in the coxless fours event they finished second. Association of Universities team, which has quite a few Panjab University rowers were also impressive. |
|
South Central Rly
score 3-0 victory Kapurthala, March 1 SCR team dominated the proceedings right from the word go and Tamila Lagan opened the account for his team in the 11th minute through a beautiful field goal. At half time SCR was leading by 1-0. After break, SCR scored two consecutive goals through Muni Yandi in the 72nd and 73rd minutes and led the team to victory. Railway Board players got many opportunities to score but could not succeed. In another league match, North Central Railway (NCR) Allahabad beat West Central Railway Jabalpur by 2-0. NCR forward Zafri scored two consecutive goals in the 82nd and 88th minutes and led his team to victory. South Eastern Railway (SER) Kolkata outclassed North Western Railway, Jabalpur by 3-0. SER D. Rai scored two goals in the 51st and 55th minutes and Balai Mandal enhanced the lead for the winners in the 89th minute through a beautiful field goal. In the evening match, host Rail Coach Factory lost to East Central Railway (ECR) Hajipur by 2-1 in a thrilling encounter. Both the teams played an aggressive game. ECR forward Naveen opened the account for his team in the 25th minute which was equalised by RCF Manmohan in the 32nd minute. At half time both the teams were level at 1-1. After one break, ECR players dominated the proceedings and scored the winning goal through Vinod Paswan in the 81st minute. RCF players missed six chances to score but failed due to erratic shooting. |
|
Mahindra
United beat Indian Bank Mumbai, March 1 In a match confined to mid-field tussle for most part of the first half, the local outfit made the first good move in the 20th minute but winger Steven Dias wasted striker Abhishek Yadav's cross. Soon after Yadav's feeble header off a long lob from the middle went straight to Indian Bank custodian Sebastian
Netto. However, in the 30th minute, Yadav made amends when he headed home mid-fielder Rauf Khan's flag kick. The ball brushed Bankmen's winger Fazlur Rahman's legs before entering the
goal-mouth. Mahindra's speedy winger S Venkatesh rounded off the tally when he lobbed over an advancing Sebastian Netto off a Steven Dias pass in the 53rd minute. The hosts, who now have 23 points from 12 matches, could have pumped in a couple of goals more but for
Netto, who effected two good saves. In the 85th minute Yadav's try was well saved by Netto and soon after the goalie did well to punch over another Yadav attempt resulting in a flag kick. The jeepmen made three substitutions bringing in Falguni Dutta for defender Sanjay Parte in the 60th minute, L. James Singh for Steven Dias in the sixth minute and Syed Altafuddin for winger Felix Aboagye in the 75th minute. The bankmen, who have just two points from 12 ties, made two changes Joseph for medio Amjad Hussian in the 45th minute and Aseem for Joseph in the 67th minute.
— PTI |
||||||
Waugh twins
Soccer chief shot Boxer dead
|
| 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 | |
Kolkata, March 1
In video: (
