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Up to the bowlers to finish the job: Wright Pak media blames umpires, biased commentators
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NOTE FROM PAKISTAN
Australia rout India 5-0 JCT clash with Tollygunge in NFL today
Malik invited
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Up to the bowlers to finish the job: Wright
Rawalpindi, April 15 “We looked to consolidate our position today and we are quite comfortable with the position. The first session was particularly critical and our batters did the job. The bowlers will have to do the job now,” Wright told reporters here today after the third day’s play. Pakistan, who could manage just 224 in their first essay, still trail by 327 runs after being reduced to 49 for two in their second innings. But the coach conceded the job was far from over.
“There is still a lot of hard-work to be done. We managed two wickets today and the first hour tomorrow will be very important. We have to just concentrate and go hour by hour.” The coach heaped praise on vice-captain Rahul Dravid for his record-breaking career-best knock of 270 saying he laid the foundation of the innings by batting responsibly. “He laid the foundation of our innings. It was a fantastic effort. He had three hundred partnership and almost got another one with Yuvraj,” he said. Asked to explain the rationale behind Parthiv Patel opening the innings, Wright said: “There has been a lot of discussion. Parthiv was quite happy to do the job, and that’s a good thing. We got them (Pakistan) out rather quickly so it did not affect him much. “The idea was to cause the least disruption to our batting order. So Ganguly and Yuvraj batted more or less in their regular positions in the middle order. Parthiv did a great job and I have always believed that he has a bright future. It was a learning experience for him.” On whether the track at the Pindi Cricket Stadium would deteriorate on the fourth and fifth days, he said: “It is still a good batting wicket. Their spinner (Danish Kaneria) got more turn today, so will be happy if this trend continues”. Wright admitted that the progress of the bowlers had been “heartening”. “They bowled well in Australia despite not having much experience. They have been improving and that’s a good sign. Let us see how they bowl tomorrow.” On captain Sourav Ganguly’s run out, Wright said: “He will now realise the importance of grounding the bat even more. I am sure he must be regretting as he was set for a century. He will learn from his mistake.” Ganguly, who made 77, was out in a bizarre fashion, ducking to a throw from
substitute Imran Nazir from the point region and failing to ground the bat. Wright credited the increased fitness level of the players ever since he took over as the coach to their hard work and the effort put in by physio Andrew Leipus and trainer Gregory Allen King. “I am certainly not responsible. The players have worked very hard and that is paying dividends now. Rahul is a very conscientious cricketer and works very hard to improve his fitness. “Leipus and King have done a good job and the players have responded well. It is a team effort, we try to support the players as much as possible. But all the credit should go to the players as they are the ones who go and play in the middle.”
— PTI |
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Dravid best, says Amarnath RANCHI: India’s 1983 World Cup hero Mohinder Amarnath on Thursday said vice-captain Rahul Dravid was the best batsman in the current Indian team.
Referring to Irfan Pathan, Amarnath said he would turn out to be the best bowler of the Indian team in days to come.
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Pak media blames umpires, biased commentators
Rawalpindi, April 15 “Lucky Dravid puts India in driver’s seat” was the headline in ‘The Nation’ while another daily ‘The News’ said ‘Poor umpiring dents Pakistan chances’. ‘The News’ targeted umpire David Shepherd as well as third umpire Zameer Haider for “poor decisions”, which it said, dealt a severe blow to Pakistan’s chances of putting up a good show. It also said biased commentary was responsible for compounding Pakistan’s misery. Noted cricket writer Omar Kurieshi said in ‘Dawn’: “Dravid has batted all day. Not for nothing is he known as ‘The Wall’. But he was lucky. He looked to be out leg-before to Mohammad Sami. David Shepherd gave him the benefit of the doubt when there appeared to be no doubt. “Shepherd is a cheerful character, a sort of a clean-shaven Santa Claus in civvies. Neither batsman nor bowler seems to mind very much when he appears to make a mistake.” The writer felt the turning point of the game was certainly Yasir Hameed’s dropping Dravid when the Indian batsman was in his 70s. “There is an American Indian saying: ‘Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.’ Dravid was not going to bring shame on himself. He gave no other chance, not even a semblances of it,” Kurieshi wrote. “Dravid had to come good in the series. He chose the Rawalpindi Test match to show us how good a player he is. Even when the final batting session began to resemble net-practice, he was not going to give it away,” he said while also praising Laxman for his brilliant knock. “The innings of the day was played by Laxman. He had come in to bat at the fall of Tendulkar’s wicket. Pakistan had been lifted by that dismissal. Laxman is a hesitant starter but a quick flurry of wristy strokes changed the tempo of the innings. Suddenly, it seemed to be the happy hour. Laxman made 71 brilliant runs. It was this partnership with Dravid that put India in the driving seat,” he said. ‘The News’ said, “Shepherd denied Pakistan chances of making inroads into Indian batting by denying appeal against Dravid during Sami’s bowling,” the newspaper said. — PTI
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NOTE FROM PAKISTAN After his stint as a television commentator in the ongoing Test series in Pakistan, former India opening batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu may contest Lok Sabha elections on the BJP ticket. There are indications that Sidhu may be asked to contest from Amritsar , though the final word is yet to reach Sidhu. At the moment, the affable Sikh is thoroughly enjoying his stay here in the company of former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar, former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja and some other former Australian and English players who are also here as commentators. Asked about his schedule after the series, Sidhu said he had made no plans as such but the upcoming elections might keep him busy. "You never know, the party might want me to contest in the ensuing election," he said enigmatically. "But no one has informed me as yet." Sidhu, whose father was an MP, joined the BJP just before the series started on March 10. * Punjab Chief Minister Pervez Elahi hosted a dinner on Wednesday for Indian and Pakistani journalists covering the series. It turned to be a dull affair as most journalists stayed away. Elahi himself did not turn up and his businessman brother made an appearance, and no one informed the gathering why the Chief Minister could not make it. Hardly 40-odd people, including a few from the chief minister's office, were there to enjoy the meal at Hotel Shalimar in Rawalpindi. Before the dinner started, there were a couple of speeches in which the new-found friendship between the countries was lauded. * The position of the Pakistan team in the ongoing third and final Test was aptly depicted through a cartoon in 'The News' on Thursday. In a front-page cartoon, the final is portrayed as a fish slipping out of the hands of Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq, with the skipper looking stunned. — IANS
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St. John’s (Antigua), April 15 After trailing on the first innings by 466 runs, England was 422 for five when West Indies captain Brian Lara conceded the draw with a half-hour remaining at the Antigua Recreation Ground here yesterday. Before 3,000 English fans, Vaughan lifted the Wisden Trophy his side had retained after winning the second Test in Trinidad. Scoreboard West Indies (1st innings): 751 for five dec. England (1st innings): 285 England (2nd innings): (overnight 145 without loss) Trescothick c Sarwan
Vaughan c Jacobs b Sarwan 140 Butcher c Gayle b Hinds 61 Hussain b Hinds 56 Thorpe not out 23 Flintoff c Lara b Sarwan 14 Jones not out 10 Extras:
(b-4, lb-7, w-3, nb-16) 30 Total: ( 5 wkts, 137 overs) 422 Fall of wickets:
1-182, 2-274, 3-366, 4-387, 5-408. Bowling: Best 16-1-57-0, Edwards 20-2-81-1, Collymore 18-3-58-0, Powell 8-0-36-0, Hinds 38-8-83-2, Gayle 17-6-36-0, Sarwan 12-2-26-2, Collins 8-2-34-0.
— AFP |
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Canberra, April 15 Australia led 1-0 at half-time via a 28th-minute Michael McCann field goal. Nathan Eglington opened the scoring in the second half with a penalty corner in the 41st minute and Grant Schubert scored a field goal in the 47th. Andrew Smith made it 4-0 with a penalty corner in the 61st minute and Travis Brookes netted from open play in the final seconds. Australia had a 4-2 win over South Africa on the opening night and remained undefeated. India and Malaysia had a win apiece and South Africa was winless after two rounds. “The first 15 minutes were even and I thought we probably got some ascendancy as the half wore on, but there were limited opportunities for both sides, so I think 1-0 was probably a fair indication,” said Australian coach Barry Dancer. “In the second half, we continually moved the ball quickly in the midfield and that gave us a lot of opportunities going into the attacking circle.” In the earlier match, Malaysia led 3-0 at half-time after a second minute field goal from Boon Huat Chua and successful penalty corners from Muhamad Rahim and Tajol Rosli Mohamad. — AP
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JCT clash with Tollygunge in NFL today Chandigarh, April 15 Tollygunge Agragami, with 17 points from four victories and five draws, are struggling to ward off relegation. Out of 17 matches played so far, Tollygunge Agragami have tasted defeat in eight ties. Of the four victories, the most impressive was the 2-1 triumph over Mahindra United at Kolkata on December 17 when Akeem Abolanle and Jiten Rai were on target. The other notable victories include the 3-2 win over Indian Bank and the 2-1 win over Haywards. They have also beaten Mohun Bagan thanks to a goal by Akeem Abolanle at Kolkata on March 16. Coached by former international Krishnendu Roy, Tollygunge Agragami have always been perceived as dark horses in the national league. Former coach Amal Dutta had brought about a dramatic transformation in the club's fortunes some years back but the current season has not witnessed any memorable showing by the Bengal side. Nevertheless, Tollygunge do have some promising players like striker Akeem Abolanle, who has been in good form. In fact he is the club's leading scorer in the current league with six goals. He not only scored the match winner against Mohun Bagan at Kolkata on March 16 but also scored both the goals against Churchill Brothers on February 21 at Kolkata where surprisingly the Goans triumphed 3-2. The other notable players are goalkeeper Chinmoy Banerjee, Nigerian defender Isiaka Awoyemi, Kabijit Khotel, and Gauranga Dutta. Sandip Das, Amit Das, and Jiten Rai lend strength to the attack The Kolkata outfit also have in their ranks new faces like Ebi Bar Bar and Sheikh Habeeb Ali besides Temjen Kibang, formerly of Haywards. Tollygunge have often gone into the defensive mode against tough opponents and their crowding tactics have left top teams like East Bengal frustrated. JCT Phagwara, who beat Tollygunge 2-0 in their away match at Kolkata on January 15 with goals through Joe Paul Ancheri and IM Vijayan, will be missing the services of the ' Black Pearl' who has been ruled out due to injury. Nevertheless, right winger Jaswinder Singh, medio Ram Pal, and Nigerian striker Stephen Abarowei will bolster the attack where international Joe Paul Ancheri is expected to play a dominant role. In the defence, wing back Daljit Singh and stopper back KV Dhanesh will be shouldering greater responsibility while goalkeeper Mansuru Mohammed will also have to show full alertness. A minor lapse of concentration can be fatal and Mansuru has already learnt his lessons, albeit at the cost of valuable points. The role of Harvinder and the dimunitive Baldeep Singh can also be crucial. If the JCT forwards succeed in overcoming the crowding tactics of the rivals, goals and full points may not be a dificult proposition for the mill men. The kick-off is at 6.30 pm.
The following are the latest standings of the teams in the eighth National Football League after taking into account the results of today's matches at Kolkata and Mumbai (read under teams, matches played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, and points): Teams P W D L GF GA Pts. East Bengal 18 12 4 2 30 10 40 Dempo SC 18 9 8 1 20 9 35 Mahindras 18 10 3 5 28 18 33 Churchill Bros 18 8 5 5 26 21 29 Haywards SC 18 7 5 6 29 25 26 JCT 17 7 5 5 18 19 26 Salgaocar SC 18 6 3 9 20 21 21 Vasco SC 17 4 8 5 14 16 20 Mohun Bagan 17 5 4 8 16 15 19 Mohd.
Sport. 18 4 6 8 16 29 18 Tollygunge 17 4 5 8 13 19 17 Indian Bank 18 1 2 15 12 40 5
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East Bengal
humble Sporting Kolkata, April 15
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Anju, Neelam, Bahadur clinch gold New Delhi, April 15 The meet was scheduled in the afternoon, under searing heat, to enable live television coverage, but in the process, the athletes were made to suffer as they could not produce their best in this sapping heat. The meet was a kind of “time trial” for the Olympic Games in
Athens. K.M. Binu, who had pulled out of the SAF Games squad after competing in the Federation Cup here a few weeks ago, came within the qualifying time of the Olympic Games, in the 400m. But the focus of attention was on Anju Bobby George, who was competing in Delhi for the first time after annexing the bronze in the World Championship in Paris last year. Anju was expected to put the long jump pit on fire, but could clear a distance of only 6.66 metres, in her third attempt, which was enough to fetch her the gold. This feat of her’s was nowhere near her best, as according to her own admission, she has been doing 6.70m plus during her practice sessions. Her all time best, 6.74 metres, was set at the very same Nehru Stadium pit, though her 6.70 metres in Paris had ensured her the bronze in the World Championship. Anju began with 6.55m, then slipped to 5.31m before producing her best jump. She cleared 6.54m in the fourth, fouled the fifth and then had the second best jump of 6.62 in the last
jump. J.J. Sobha kicked sand at 6.56m in her fourth attempt to win the silver while G G Pramila with 6.21m took the bronze. SAF Games gold medallist Jetty C Joseph finished fourth, in a four-woman field, with her best being 6.15 metres. Women’s discus too had a very fancied field, but Neelam J Singh was too good to face any problem, and wrested the gold with a heave of 60.76 metres in her fourth attempt. Harwant Kaur of Police cleared 60.69 metres in her third attempt to bag the silver while young Seema Antil of Haryana was forced to settle for the bronze, with a distance of 56.14 metres, achieved in her third attempt. The men’s shot put had Asia’s best field in action with Bahadur Singh, Shakti Singh and Navpreet Singh pushing each other hard before Bahadur prevailed with a best of 19.72 in his fourth attempt. Navpreet Singh took the second place with a heave of 19.39 in his last attempt while Kuldeep Mann finished third with a distance of 17.59 metres. Shakti Singh fouled his first three attempts to bow out in disgrace. |
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Malik
invited Chandigarh, April 15 Executive committee of the AAWC will discuss various issues pertaining to the development and promotion of wrestling. Keeping in view his contribution in the promotion of wrestling, the AAWC has also invited suggestions to be incorporated in the agenda. |
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Rawalpindi, April 15
