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We will be ready for final: Vaughan
Ponting doubtful for Test series
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Zee moves SC, seeks restoration
of contract
Gurmit hockey tourney begins today
JCT asked to release player
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Windies thrash Pakistan
Southampton, September 22 Strike bowler Shoaib Akhtar did his best to salvage something with two wickets in seven balls of his opening spell and a brute of a lifter in his second which felled Brian Lara and forced him from the field. But Pakistan, routed for 131 in 38.2 overs, were always struggling after their skipper Inzamam surprisingly opted to bat first in conditions favouring seam and swing. The West Indies, who will take on England at The Oval on Saturday in the climax of the 12-team event, also struggled with the Rose Bowl pitch but cruised home with 21.5 overs left. Lara made 31 before retiring hurt. Ramnaresh Sarwan top-scored for the West Indies with an undefeated 56. Earlier, on an overcast morning, Pakistan struggled against bowling that could only be described as steady and a far cry from the attacks that opposition around the world used to dread facing in any form of cricket. The injured Mervyn Dillon’s experience was missing and the West Indies bowling did look ill-equipped to stop Pakistan’s strokeplayers. The fall of Yousuf Youhana, man of the match against India in the big game on Sunday, to a tame dismissal led to the crumbling of the last seven wickets for just 31 runs in 9.1 overs. Playing with just two specialist bowlers — Ian Bradshaw and Corey Colleymore — the West Indies would be delighted with the overall effort on the field. Colleymore, the medium-paced Darren Bravo, and Wavell Hinds, bowling his gentle outswingers, picked up two wickets each while wicketkeeper Courtney Browne had a busy morning, taking three catches and making a stumping besides teaming up with Bravo to run two batsmen out. Scoreboard
Pakistan Hameed run out 39 Butt c Sarwan b Bradshaw 0 Malik c Browne b Bravo 17 Haq c Browne b W. Hinds 21 Youhana c Browne b Bravo 12 Razzaq run out 6 Moin lbw W. Hinds 0 Afridi st Browne b Gayle 17 Naved b Collymore 0 Sami b Collymore 0 Shoaib not out 0 Extras (lb-4, w-15) 19 Total
(all out, 38.2 overs) 131 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-65, 3-71, 4-100, 5-109, 6-111, 7-112, 8-116 Bowling: Bradshaw 8-0-23-1, Collymore 9-2-24-2, Bravo 9-0-41-2, W. Hinds 10-0-27-2, R. Hinds 1-0-1-0, Gayle 1.2-0-11-1. West Indies Gayle lbw Shoaib 1 W. Hinds c and b Shoaib 5 Sarwan not out 56 Lara retired hurt 31 Chanderpaul c Butt b Malik 11 Powell not out 6 Extras (b-2, lb-10, w-9, nb-1) 22 Total (3 wickets, 28.1 overs) 132 Fall of wickets:
1-8, 2-20, 3-102 Bowling: Shoaib Akhtar 7-1-18-2, Sami 3-0-23-0, Naved 7-2-24-0, Razzaq 6-0-39-0, Malik 5-0-15-1, Youhana 0.1-0-1-0.
— Reuters, UNI |
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We will be ready for final: Vaughan
Birmingham, September 22 “This win comes at the end of a long season and our bodies and minds are tired. I am sure we will be fine once we celebrated in true fashion tonight. We will need no picking up by Friday when we go to the Oval for the final. We have not been in a final since 1992 (World Cup) so we will be well up for the game,” he said when asked if the victory had not drained his team emotionally. “We beat Australia in a convincing fashion. The team came out and played the same cricket as we have in the last two years and that can sometimes be difficult against a side like Australia who put you under pressure from ball one. It is easy to tell them to go out and enjoy the game but it is hard to do it,” he said. To beat Australia on any given day is an achievement. And we have done that today and full credit to the team. To be honest, we are still a way off them in terms of experience, in terms of expertise. “To beat them in a semifinal is always a pressurised game. It was a fantastic effort. In the middle of the summer, we had a dip in one-day cricket and a lot of people wrote us off. We are pleased to come back. We are delighted to have played as well on the big stage against a very, very good team,” Vaughan said. “I don’t think the outcome of this game will have any effect on the Ashes next summer. Even if we had taken a hammering, I
don't think it would have had an effect on the Ashes. Test match cricket is totally different from one-day cricket,” he reminded the media when asked if the game would have a bearing on the Ashes. “I just
wasn't playing well. I felt like I was batting with a straw for the first 20 balls. These kind of things happen in cricket. You can go out some days and don’t feel very good. Against Zimbabwe I felt like a million dollars and only got 17. That’s the way cricket goes,” he said about his own innings. “I think we have seen throughout the summer that we are playing as a team. I felt I owed the team a few runs. Stats don’t lie and my stats in one-day cricket still
aren't very good. But I firmly believe I will turn that around in the next year,” he said.
— UNI |
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Ponting doubtful for Test series
Sydney, September 22 Cricket Australia today announced that Ponting had fractured his left thumb and would return home immediately for expert medical consultation ahead of the Travelex Tour of India. Ponting suffered the injury while fielding at slip during yesterday’s loss to England in the semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy at Edgbaston, with diagnostic scans taken earlier today revealing the break, a Cricket Australia note said here today. While Ponting is almost sure to miss the first Test in Bangalore, his prospects for the remainder of the series would be determined after consultation with medical experts, the note said. A replacement for Ponting in the 16-man squad will be announced in due course while the position of captain will also be reviewed in his absence. The note quotes Ponting as saying, “I’m obviously very disappointed but have great faith in all of my team-mates to do the job in my absence.
— UNI |
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Zee moves SC, seeks restoration
of contract
New Delhi, September 22 Zee TV filed a writ petition against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after a day of hectic activity when its CEO Subhash Chandra remained closeted with top legal experts on the apex court premises to finalise the writ. Strangely, Zee has named the Union Government a party in the case. The other respondents named in the writ petition by the Zee TV are: BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya, the board’s secretary, rival TV channel(s) ESPN-Star Sports and Price Water Cooper Limited. In its petition, Zee has termed the cancellation of the $308 million (Rs 1400 crore) contract after it being awarded as “arbitrary” and “illegal”. Zee, which had paid $20 million to the BCCI in advance, contended that after making the advance payment, the contract had been “implemented” and it could not be “unilaterally” revoked. Stating that Zee was fully equipped to provide excellent coverage of cricket matches in the country, including the forthcoming India-Australia Test and one-day series, the petitioner accused the BCCI and its rival ESPN-Star Sports of “collusion”, leading to the cricket board taking sudden about-turn in the matter. Zee pleaded the apex court that before its petition was decided, the BCCI should be restrained from awarding the contract to any other party. Meanwhile, the BCCI has filed a caveat in the apex court to ensure that no ex-parte order is passed by it on Zee’s petition. Zee has contended that the contract had been awarded to it after the TV channel had emerged the highest bidder and questioned the claim of the BCCI that the deal had not yet become operational. Kolkata (PTI): The cricket board will make all efforts to telecast on its own the India-Australia cricket series after it was forced to cancel the tendering process for telecast rights, BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya said here on Wednesday. “We are making our best attempts to show the India-Australia series as national prestige and the country’s image are involved,” Dalmiya told a press conference. |
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Sriram, Parthiv steady Rest of India
Chandigarh, September 22 Good knocks here would have boosted their chances of making it to the Indian squad. But both failed miserably today. While Chopra was flummoxed into playing a gentle tap early into the hands of bowler Avishkar Salvi, when the batsman had yet to reach double figures, Mongia was trapped lbw by Robin Morris when he had yet to gauge the bounce and movement off the wicket. Parthiv Patel, however, did no harm to his cause and notched up an unbeaten 56, giving some respectability to the team score. Patel found a good ally in left-arm spinner Murali Karthik. Both combined well to add crucial 95 runs for the unbeaten seventh-wicket partnership to enable Rest of India reach a modest 293 for 6 on the first day of the five-day match at the PCA Stadium in Mohali today. At one stage, the Rest of India were in a precarious situation at 198 for 6. Keeping Patel company at close of play was Karthik on 45. But both were also helped by the absence of fast bowler Munaf Patel, who had to pull out in the middle of the second spell complaining of pain in his bowling shoulder. After an indifferent first spell with the new ball, Patel was bending his back. Earning appreciable lift from the surface, he was making the batsmen hurry through their strokes. But Patel had to pull out in the sixth over and could not take the field later during the day. S. Sriram was the other batsman who contributed a well-compiled 77 to the total. Earlier, Avishkar Salvi bowled a tight line and length when Mumbai put the Rest of India into bat after winning the toss. Salvi got the first breakthrough in the form of Chopra’s wicket. Robin Morris then dealt a double blow to the rivals, first sending Gautam Gambhir back and then scalping Mongia. Gambhir looked in fine nick and was middling the ball well but ended up edging a Morris delivery to first slip where an alert Vinayak Mane made no mistake. Bowling with immense control, Sairaj Bahutule kept the batsmen on tenterhooks. Giving no liberty to them to go for their strokes, the wily leg-spinner kept on striking after regular intervals. He first got rid of Y. Venugopal, having him caught in the slips. Then he castled Joginder Sharma. When he got rid of a well-entrenched Sriram, the Rest were left tottering at 198 for 6. But Patel and Karthik batted with responsibility. They saw off the new ball which was taken after 80 overs. Chandarkant Pandit, Mumbai coach, rued the inability of the bowlers to seize the initiative when the Rest of India had lost six wickets for less than 200 on the board. “They should not have allowed the Rest of India to post such a score on the board. Now we would try to restrict them to a score of 350,” he said. About the fitness of Munaf Patel, Pandit said an MRI test of the shoulder had been taken. Decision to allow Patel to bowl would be taken only if the MRI report was found okay. Scoreboard
Rest of India Chopra c and b Salvi 9 Gambhir c Mane b Morris 39 Sriram c Jaffer b Bahutule 77 Mongia lbw Morris 4 Venugopal b Bahutule 20 Joginder Sharma b Bahutule 16 Parthiv batting 56 M. Karthik batting 45 Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-65, 3-74, 4-134, 5-168, 6-198 Extras (b-4, lb-12, nb-10, w-1) 27 Total
(6 wkts, 90 overs) 293 Bowling: Salvi 21-4-70-1 Munaf 10.4-4-31-0, Morris 15-2-57-2, Powar 19-6-57-0, Thakkar 3.2-0-12-0, Bahutule 21-3-50-3. |
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India-India A tie on the cards
Chandigarh, September 22 Need to play such a match arose following continued indifferent performance of the Indian team. SMH Kirmani, chief national selector, arrived at the PCA Stadium at Mohali this afternoon to oversee the performance of Test hopefuls in action during the Irani Trophy match, while Kirti Azad, national selector, was slated to reach in the evening. They will be joined by Sanjay Jagdale, Prannav Roy and Kiran More, other national selectors, tomorrow. A final decision regarding the selection of both teams, the venue and the dates of the match will be taken when all the selectors meet here on September 24. |
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Hockey team arrives in Pak
Karachi, September 22 The players will take part in a four-match series starting later this month. About 200 policemen were deployed to maintain security at the airport, in sharp contrast to a much heavier deployment seen in March when the Indian cricket team visited Pakistan after the neighbours resumed sporting ties. Hockey fans carrying banners saying “Welcome to Pakistan” and “We welcome Indian team” gathered outside the airport to cheer the visitors. This is the first visit by an Indian hockey team to Pakistan since 1999. The two sides have agreed to play eight Test matches, four in Pakistan and four in India. The Pakistan matches will be played in Karachi (September 24), Quetta (September 27), Peshawar (September 29) and Lahore (October 1). The Indian leg will comprise games in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Hyderabad between October 4 and 10.
— AFP |
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Gurmit hockey tourney begins today
Chandigarh, September 22 Addressing a press conference here today, the president of the Chandigarh Hockey Association, Mr Chander Shekhar, IPS, also the senior vice-president of the Indian Hockey Federation, said many well-known outfits had also sought entry into the ‘A’ grade tournament but the organising committee had decided to restrict the number of outstation teams to 16. The participating teams include Punjab Police, Punjab and Sind Bank, BSF, Indian Airlines, BPCL, Army XI, IHF Juniors, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Railway, Western Railway, Northern Railway, RCF, Indian Air Force, Corps of Signals, EME, Namdhari XI, CISF, ITBP, PNB XI, Chandigarh XI, Centre of Excellence, Patiala, Dhanraj-Ballal Academy, Bangalore, Chandigarh Hockey Academy, DAV Academy, and Ropar Hawks. According to Mr YP Vohra, organising secretary, the teams will be provided accommodation in Kisan Bhavan and at the Sector 42 stadium. The teams have been divided into four pools. Defending champions Punjab Police and runners-up Punjab and Sind Bank, along with Indian Airlines and BSF, have been seeded directly into the quarterfinals while four other teams, namely CRPF, BPCL, Central Railway and Western Railway, have been seeded in the pre-quarterfinals. The prize money has been hiked to Rs 40,000 for the winners and Rs 25,000 for the runners-up. Last year the amount was Rs 25,000 and Rs 15,000, respectively. The opening match will be played between Indian Air Force and Chandigarh Hockey Academy at 2.30 pm tomorrow, followed by the ITBP- DAV Academy tie at 4 pm. The panel of umpires includes Satinder Sharma, who recently officiated in the Athens Olympics, Rajinder Gandhi, Shaqueel Qureshi and Virender Bahadur. Mr AS Kohli will be the tournament director. The tournament will be inaugurated by Mr Chander Shekhar at 2.30 pm tomorrow. The final will be played on October 1. |
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JCT asked to release player
New Delhi, September 22 DSA secretary N.K. Bhatia said JCT had been asked to release forward Sumit Thapa while Mohun Bagan of Kolkata had been requested to free Sunil Chetri and Rishi Kapoor (midfielders) and Parveen Rawat (forward). Prasant Jaggi (forward) and Arjun Pandit (forward) play for Salgoacar, Goa. Delhi, champions in the inaugural year in 1944, would be hosting the Santosh Trophy after six decades. |
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