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ICC reaffirms stand
on ‘doosra’
Ranji captains’ meeting in June
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SA to host 2010 Soccer World Cup
India to bid for 2014 Asiad A positive move, says hockey coach India go down to Korea Sampath rules out injury concerns Anju’s feat not to enter record books Paes-Rikl in
Hamburg semis
MES hot weather cricket tourney Dist swimming meet at Ambala
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ICC reaffirms stand on ‘doosra’
London, May 15 The decision, taken after the Cricket Committee-Playing deliberated on the issue during its meeting in Dubai, would mean Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan cannot bowl his ‘doosra’ - the delivery that spins away from the right handers, for now. Murali can, however, expect a fair representation in the sub-committee, appointed by the Sunil Gavaskar chaired Cricket Committee-Playing, as it comprises among others former Lankan batsman Aravinda de Silva. But any review of the existing rules on tolerance levels for bowlers would be made only after the sub-committee completes its research into spin bowling, which is expected only by the “last quarter of this year”, according to a press release from the game’s governing body here today. “A sub-committee will look at the review procedure and the protocols that are in place such as the appropriate levels of tolerance for bowlers but there will be no recommendations made on these issues until the ICC’s research programme has been completed and the results properly analysed,” ICC’s General Manager David Richardson was quoted as saying in the release. The Cricket Committee meeting in Dubai discussed the current two-stage process for dealing with potentially illegal actions and agreed that no changes to the regulations should be made until the ICC’s planned research into spin bowling is completed at the ICC Champions Trophy later this year, the release said. Besides Aravinda de Silva, the sub-committee would have tow other members of the Cricket Committee — Angus Fraser and Tim May. It would also comprise human movement specialists and independent cricket experts. The ICC decision means Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan cannot bowl his ‘doosra’ - the delivery that spins away from the right handers, for now. A biomechanics’ report had suggested increasing the tolerance level of the degree by which spinners straightened their arm while bowling the ‘doosra’. The sub-committee is expected to complete its research only by the “last quarter of this year,” an ICC press release said here today. ICC had said it supported the decision of Sri Lanka Cricket who instructed Murali not to bowl ‘doosra’. But Murali has said he has not received any instruction from anyone. — PTI
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Murali renews Aussie boycott threat Bulawayo, May 15 Muralitharan said Howard, a keen cricket fan, should concentrate on running Australia rather than passing judgement on his bowling action. Muralitharan, the top Test wicket-taker of all time with 523 wickets, said he was considering sitting out of the tour to Australia in July because of Howard’s remarks. “Definitely, because the Prime Minister of Australia shouldn’t be saying things like that,” Muralitharan told Australian Associated Press from Bulawayo after day one of the second Test against Zimbabwe. “The Prime Minister shouldn’t be saying things like that, he doesn’t know the facts.” Muralitharan said he would speak to the Sri Lankan government about whether to tour because Howard’s remarks had made the matter a political issue. “You can’t accuse people of being a chucker,” he said. “It’s out of line because he shouldn’t be saying those things, he should be thinking of his country. It’s not good enough.” Muralitharan said last year he was considering avoiding Sri Lanka’s two Test matches against Australia in Darwin and Cairns because of constant taunting by Australian crowds since he was no-balled for throwing there in 1995-96. Muralitharan has a genetic defect which stops him from fully straightening his bowling arm upon delivery. He was reported for a suspect action by English match referee Chris Broad during the third and final Test of the March series in Sri Lanka, won 3-0 by Australia. Perth-based biomechanics experts subsequently tested him and initially found he straightened his bent arm by 14 degrees in bowling a delivery tagged the ‘doosra’. The ‘doosra’ is a delivery which spins away from right-handers instead of coming into them like a normal off-break. Under remedial work, Muralitharan reduced the arm straightening to 10 degrees, which is still twice of what is allowable for spinners under International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations governing illegal bowling actions. After being reported to the ICC, Muralitharan has been ordered to stop bowling his ‘doosra’ or face being suspended for up to a year. Asked by party faithful in regional New South Wales state yesterday if he thought Muralitharan was a chucker, Howard replied: “Yes.” “They proved it in Perth too, with that thing,” he added, drawing an image of a video screen with his hands. —AFP
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Kale case hearing begins
Kolkata, May 15 BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who heads the committee, told newsmen just before the start of the meeting that the two national selectors, Pranab Roy and Kiran More, were, “supposed to present their witnesses before the committee.” Asked how long it would take for the committee to reach a decision in the matter, he said: “It is very difficult to say anything at this stage.” Kale had been accused of trying to buy his place into the Australia-bound Indian team last year by offering bribes to two national selectors. This is the second round of hearing of the committee, the first of which was held on April 29 when Kale and the two selectors had sought time to bring their witnesses to substantiate their respective claims. Apart from Dalmiya, the other members of the committee are BCCI vice-presidents Kamal Morarka and Ranbir Singh Mahendra.
— PTI |
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Ranji captains’ meeting in June
Mumbai, May 15 The captains, match umpires and referees of all the senior-level domestic tournaments held last year have been asked to send in their reports and observations to the BCCI, board sources said here today. Last year’s sitting, which was held in Mumbai, was a huge success with Gavaskar himself saying at a press conference that he was very happy with the interactive levels and positive response it had evoked. He had indicated that all the captains participated in the discussions eagerly and it was a worthwhile experience. The venue of next month’s conclave is not yet decided but there is a distinct likelihood of it being held in Mumbai again. The annual programmes and fixtures committee meeting of the BCCI, which is normally convened in May every year to chalk out the international and domestic calendar for the forthcoming season, is expected to be held only after the Ranji captains conclave. India are to host Australia in a four-Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in September-October and then host South Africa in a seven-match one-day international series. There will be no ODIs against Australia and no Tests against South Africa, board sources said. “The Australians will play a warm-up three-day game before plunging into the Test series while South Africa will be visiting only for a period of 18 days which gives time only to play ODIs”, the sources added. As per the rotation policy, Delhi and District Cricket Association and the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association are in line to host two of the four Tests against Australia. But there are lingering doubts whether the Ferozshah Kotla ground in Delhi, which is being refurbished, will be ready in time to host the Test match soon after the monsoon, the sources said.
— PTI |
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Unbeaten ton
by Atapattu Harare, May 15 Scoreboard Zimbabwe (Ist innings): 228 Sri Lanka (Ist inning): (overnight 18-0) Atapattu not out 127 Jayasuriya c Taibu b Nkala 48 Sangakkara not out 91 Extras: (nb-3 w-1) 4 Total: (for 1 wicket, 70 overs) 270 Fall of wicket: 1-100 Bowling: Hondo 18-4-48-0, Panyangara 14-3-53-0, Mupariwa 11-0-51-0, Nkala 13-3-35-1, Chigumbura 10-1-54-0, Matsikenyeri 4-1-29-0. — Reuters |
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SA to host 2010 Soccer World Cup
Zurich, May 15 Libya’s bid was stood down by the FIFA today because it did not meet the criteria and Tunisia pulled out yesterday after being refused the option of co-hosting the event with Libya. The World Cup is the biggest sporting event outside the Summer Olympics and football the world’s most popular sport. Almost four years ago Germany controversially won the race to host the 2006 finals by a single vote after Oceania delegate Charles Dempsey defied orders to vote for South Africa. FIFA president Sepp Blatter made it clear then that he wanted Africa to get the World Cup at the next opportunity as world football’s governing body decided to rotate the finals around the continents. South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 2003 Cricket World Cup successfully but the football World Cup, which began in 1930, has never been held on the continent. Former President Nelson Mandela said last week that hosting the 2010 World Cup finals would be a perfect gift for the country as it celebrates 10 years of democracy. He said it would add three billion rand ($ 423 million) to the economy and create more than 150,000 jobs in a country where unemployment is over 30 per cent and poverty is rife. South Africa sent a high-profile mission to Switzerland, led by Mandela, President Thabo Mbeki and Nobel Peace prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and was the slight favourite. — Reuters
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India to bid for 2014 Asiad New Delhi, May 15 The 2014 Asiad would be the 17th in the sequence after India hosted the inaugural Asiad at the National Stadium in New Delhi in 1951. Thirty years later, India hosted the 9th edition of the games in New Delhi in 1982. Mr Kalmadi, who got re-elected to Parliament on Congress ticket from Pune, said India would host their third Asian Games, again after a gap of 30 years. Doha would host the 15th Asian Games in 2006 while Guangzhou in the Canton Province of China has been selected as the venue for the 2010 Asian Games. International Olympic Committee member Randhir Singh, who is also the secretary-general of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), said he was confident of India winning the bid for the 2014 Asian Games, the bid for which will come up for discussion in May 2008. Mr Kalmadi said the 2014 Asian Games would be a sort of ‘trial games’ for the bigger Olympic Games as India have done the ground work to bid for the 2016 Asian Games as well. He said it would be easy for India to hold both the 2014 Asian Games and 2016 Olympic Games as the country would be hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games for which most of the sports infrastructure would be completed in the next three to four years. Mr Kalmadi said only half of the huge area earmarked for the Games Village on the Yamuna river banks would be utilised for the Commonwealth Games. The rest of the
land, he said, would be preserved for the Olympic Games. Mr Kalmadi said with the Congress Governments in power both in Delhi and at the Centre too, “happy days are here again for Indian sports”. Interestingly, most of the top sports-official politicians belonging to the Congress like Kalmadi, All-India Football Federation president P.R. Dashmunshi and Judo Federation of India president Jagdish Tytler have returned to Parliament, and are aspirants for ministerial positions. Randhir Singh said preparations for the Athens Olympics 2004 were going on in full swing and the members of the Indian contingent would be finalised within the next few days. Meanwhile, the first official ‘Asian Games Fun Run’ was held at the National Stadium today as part of the build for the 15th Asian Games in Doha. Several former hockey Olympians, shooters, athletes and sportspersons from other disciplines participated in the fun run. |
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A positive move, says hockey coach Barog, May 15 Optimistic of performing well in the Athens Olympics, he said the final team would be selected later. The camp at Barog was mainly designed to improve fitness level of the players by a set of exercises. While maintaining that the IHF’s decision to introduce new players in small tournaments gave them an opportunity to access their capability, he said the earlier practice of experimenting new faces in major tournaments often led to disappointing results. A schedule comprising a series of physical exercises aimed at regeneration, enhancing the agility and mobility as well as the reaction time coupled with a 30-45 minutes mediation from May 18 to 21 for increasing concentration had been chalked out for the team by the coach Negi, physical trainer Sampat Kumar and the physiotherapist Mr Nayyer. This included five sessions each of weight training and endurance training. A local gym at Solan had been selected for weight exercises which will begin tomorrow. The team which proceeded for Dagshai for a high-altitude training session later in the evening focussed on goal keeping tactics. While observing that the stamina of the Indian team was comparable to the best in the world, the physical trainer Sampat Kumar said players like Prabhjot Singh and Arjuna Ayyapa fared among best in the world. An uphill running at nearby Chewa village has been included in the team’s schedule for enhancing muscle endurance. While the team concentrated on fresh juices in the hill climate, boiled potatoes, bananas, sprouts and ‘dalia’ were the other food items provided to the team in-between training. The camp officials as well as the team members would interact with school children of a local school tomorrow evening.
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India go down to Korea New Delhi, May 15 According to information released here today by the Indian Hockey Federation, the Indian boys, who had won their first match against hosts Japan by 2-1, put on a spirited performance, to forge ahead on a wet and damp ground, with stiff wind and poor visibility marring the game. Full back Sandeep Singh converted India’s first penalty corner midway through the first half with a stunning drag flick. Korea equalised in the 23rd minute through winger Kee Jee, who gave the slip to William Xlaxo before finding the mark. The Koreans then scored two quick goals in the second half, in the 43rd and 49th minutes, to take a decisive 3-1 lead. Chung Bia and Soon TAe Huyng were the marksmen. But the Indians did not throw in the towel that easily and made it a close fight, mounting pressure in the closing minutes. Sandeep Michael and Arjun Halappa came close to scoring twice, with Vivek Gupta playing a stellar role as a move-maker. India succeeded in reducing the margin in the 62nd minute when Tushar Khandkar made no mistake after skipper Ignace Tirkey and Girish Pimpale had done the spade work. India next play China in their last league engagement. Coach Rajinder Singh indicated that he would employ “offensive” strategy from the start and try to win the match without any problem. If India win, then they will earn a place against Korea in the final. But Rajinder cautioned that “China is a defensive team and do not leave many gaping holes in the deep”.
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Sampath rules out injury concerns Barog, May 15 The trainer stressed upon the need to pay more attention to physical fitness as Indian players lacked speed as compared to European players. "It can be said that our players are 10 per cent behind European players in fitness levels, he said. During the camp the players will be put on different fitness measures and the stress would be to get the players ready for Olympics. Before going to Athens India will play in Holland and Germany. Barog was chosen after last year's camp here proved to be a success. During the 15-day camp there will be two daily sessions, in the morning and evening. During the morning sessions, players will exercise in and around Barog while in the evening sessions they will use the gymnasium at Army School, Dagshai, to enhance their fitness strength.
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Anju’s feat not to enter record books
New Delhi, May 15 “The permissible (wind speed) limit is 2.0 metres per second and since the recorded speed was 2.3 m/s it will not replace her existing national record (of 6.74m),” Athletic Federation of India secretary Lalit Bhanot revealed here. The International Association of Athletic Federations rule states that “if the wind velocity measured in the direction of jumping behind the competitor averages more than two metres per second, the record will not be accepted.” The wind speed recorded for the Latvian silver medallist and Polish bronze winner yesterday were far above the accepted limit at 4.5 m/s and 3.5 m/s. The 27-year-old Anju, who last year became the first Indian to win a medal in the World Athletic Championships winning the bronze, recorded her previous best effort of 6.74m at Thiruvananthapuram in 2001 and equalled the distance at Delhi in 2002. That distance — 6.74m — will hence remain the national record as yesterday’s leap was wind aided.
— PTI |
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Paes-Rikl in
Hamburg semis New Delhi, May 15 It was the second upset victory of the week for the unseeded pair who had earlier beaten the third seeded Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi in the second round. The win must have been sweeter for Paes and Rikl as they had lost to Arthurs and Hanley at Rome last week. Meanwhile, Prakash Amritraj and Jean Julien Roger faltered at the last hurdle at the $15,000 men’s event at Uzbekistan. Amritraj and Roger upset top seeds Jonathan Murray and Aisam Qureshi 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the semifinals before losing the final 5-7, 4-6 to Alexey Kodriouk and Orest Tereschuk.
— PTI
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Serena, Capriati
in semis Rome, May 15 Williams needed just an hour to wrap up a 7-5, 6-0 victory over Russian ninth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova on Friday, while fifth seed Capriati beat Israeli 16th seed Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi 6-3, 6-3. Capriati will have revenge on her mind having lost to Williams in the semifinal here in 2002. Williams went on to lift the trophy for the first time, beating Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final
— AFP |
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MES hot weather cricket tourney Patiala, May 15 The teams which will take part in the tournament have been grouped in two pools. Pool A comprises the hosts MES, Patiala, DPCA, Panchkula, Prachar Cricket Club, Ghaziabad, Dronacharya Cricket Academy (DCA), Delhi and Karnal Cricket Club. Pool B will have Gwalior XI, ARG, Ghaziabad, Sector 16 stadium XI, Chandigarh, DAV Sector 10 coaching centre and Kanpur Cricket Nursery. According to Mr H.S. Arora, organising secretary of the tournament, no entry fee will be charged from the participating teams and the children will be provided free board and lodging. |
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Dist swimming meet at Ambala Ambala, May 15 In girls group 1, 100 m freestyle, Khyati was first and Rashmi was second. In 50 m backstroke, Sherya was first and Komal was second. In 50 m breaststroke, Komal was first. In girls group 2, 50 m freestyle, Meenakshi was first, Talwinder was second and Swati was third. In 100 m freestyle, Navneet was first, Ishika was second and Meenakshi was third. In 50 m backstroke, Aashika was first and Sarah Singh Mann was second. In girls group 3, 50 m freestyle, Ishita Gupta was first, Sherya was second and Chandrika was third. In 100 m freestyle, Deepali was first and Ishita Gupta was second. In boys group 1, 50 m freestyle, Kshitij Bansal was first, Kush Gupta was second and Ankur Sharma was third. In 100 m freestyle, Kshitij Bansal was first, Vaibhav Miglani stood second and Abhishek was third. In 200 m freestyle, Kshitij Bansal was first, Prashant Sachdeva was second and Manish Batra stood third. In 50 m backstroke, Gundeep Singh was first, Ashish Uppal was second and Nitin Tayal was third. In 100 m backstroke, Aditya Kapson was first and Divjot Sood stood second. In 100 m butterfly, Vaibhav Miglani stood first. In boys group 2, 50 m freestyle, Rhythem Relia was first, Akin Sharda was second and Abhinav was third. In 100 m freestyle, Akin Sharda was first, Jagdeep was second and Manik was third. In 200 m freestyle, Varun was first while Nishant was second. In 50 m backstroke, Rhythem Relia was first, Akin Sharda was second and Ankur was third. In 100 m backstroke, Akin Sharda was first, Kartikay Nayyar stood second and Hardik Sood was third. In 50 m breaststroke, Akin Sharda was first, Shashank Ahuja was second and Hardik Sood was third. In 100 m breaststroke, Akin Sharda was first, Shashank Ahuja was second and Hardik Sood was third. In 50 m butterfly, Rhythem Relia was first and Ayush Sighwani was second. In boys group 3, 50 m freestyle, Prateek Goel was first, Lokesh Gupta was second and Mayank Chabra was third. In 100 m freestyle, Vishal Sharma was first, Chetan Pratap Singh was second and Bhavik Yadav was third. In 50 m backstroke, Prateek Goel was first while Lokesh Gupta was second. In 100 m backstroke, Anuj Bhatia was first and Lokesh Gupta was second. In 50 m breaststroke, Prateek Goel was first, Thakur Shiv Shakti was second and Lokesh Gupta was third. In 100 m breaststroke, Thakur Shiv Shakti stood first, Prateek Jain was second and Lokesh Gupta was third. In boys group 4, 50 m freestyle, Vasu Sharma was first, Dhruv Narang was second and Bharat Jain was third. In 100 m freestyle, Vasu Sharma was first, Madeep stood second and Karan Aggarwal was third. In 50 m backstroke, Vasu Sharma was first, Abhishek was second and Dhruv Narang was third. In 50 m breaststroke Vasu Sharma was first and Karan Verma was second.
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