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ICC relaxes chucking rules
BCCI stand on team rejected by 2 SC Judges
Pak says no to Ahmedabad
PCB tells Shoaib to explain conduct
Smith guides SA to victory
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Sharapova to face Davenport in final
Shokeen wins ITF title
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ICC relaxes chucking rules
London, February 5 The ICC said it had adopted a recommendation allowing bowlers to straighten their arms by up to 15 degrees after the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee approved proposals by an expert panel chaired by Sunil Gavaskar. According to the earlier rule, fast bowlers could straighten their arm by 10 degrees and spinners were allowed five degrees. The new rule, which would come into effect from March 1, would mean that most of the bowlers currently in the suspect action list would benefit from it immensely. Although the ICC said no bowler currently being scrutinised under the old system would be ‘cleared’ as a result of adoption of the recommendations by the committee, this will have little practical effect given the current playing commitments for these players. ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said the new rule was a “sensible way forward” but he had no doubt that there would be some voices of dissent again this time. “This issue has afflicted the game for over 60 years. Try as it might, the sport has never properly come to terms with it,” Speed said in a statement. “Every time it comes up, there are emotional reactions from people around the world based on fear and ignorance and I’ve no doubt we will see them all again this time.” “The reality is that this new process provides the game with a sensible way forward to properly protect against people breaking the rules while providing every opportunity for players with illegal actions to remedy any problems and return to the game,” Speed said. The decision, taken at the two-day ICC CEO’s meeting which concluded at Melbourne today, will also see changes in testing, analysis and review procedures used at the international level to standardise and streamline the analysis of bowlers with suspect illegal actions as well as an increased commitment to dealing with the issues at the junior international level. The ICC had ordered a review last year of its laws on throwing after a spate of cases in recent times. The panel, comprising Aravinda de Silva, Angus Fraser, Michael Holding, Tony Lewis, Tim May and David Richardson, recommended revised degrees of flexing of arms after they found flaws in actions of most of the bowlers after a research. Gavaskar, who headed the committee, said the new procedures had been brought forward by people who had played the game at the highest level. “While the scientific evidence presented made the case for changing the current bowling review process compelling, it is a cricketing decision, proposed by cricketers for cricketers. “The changes should make the process quicker and fairer to all players and will promote consistency in the way in which reported bowlers’ actions are dealt with,” he said. Speed also clarified that it was incorrect to say the ICC had examined the actions of players from previous generations. “It is simply not possible to go back and use old footage to analyse the actions of bowlers from previous generations. “There were reports that suggested that players such as Dennis Lillee, Sir Richard Hadlee, Jeff Thomson and Imran Khan had been analysed by the ICC panel when this simply isn’t possible,” the ICC chief said.
— PTI |
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BCCI stand on team rejected by 2 SC Judges
New Delhi, February 5 “The BCCI stand that the cricket team selected by the board only represents it and not the country is incorrect. We cannot accept the submission of the BCCI that while playing abroad, the board sends its own team,” Mr Justice S.N. Variava and Mr Justice S.B. Sinha said in the dissenting verdict. Though there were long arguments over the issue whether the cricket team was “Team India” while playing with other countries or only a BCCI team, in the majority verdict the other three Judges — Mr Justice N. Santosh Hegde, Mr Justice B.P. Singh and Mr Justice H.K. Sema — refrained from expressing any opinion about the “status” of the team. The minority judgement said, “It is the categorical stand of the Union of India that only by such recognition granted by it, the team selected by the board is the Indian cricket team, which it cannot do in absence thereof.” “A body which carries on the monopolistic function of selecting a team to represent the nation and whose core function is to promote the sport that has become a symbol of national identity and a medium of expression of national pride, must be held to be carrying out governmental function. The board itself acted as a representative of the Government of India before the international community,” the dissenting Judges said. The dissenting Judges further said from the rules of the International Cricket Council, the BCCI’s own rules and various documents placed in the apex court by the Centre, “The conduct of both, the BCCI and the Union Government, clearly go to show that sub silento both parties had been acting on the premise that the board was recognised as the only national federation for the purpose of regulating the game of cricket in India.” Agreeing with the majority view that there was no express recognition to the BCCI and cricket not being included in the guidelines for regulating
supports in the country, issued by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the two Judges said the ministry’s documents amply indicated that “from the very beginning the board had been asking for permission of the Ministry of Human Resource Development either to go abroad or to play or participate in other countries, or inviting teams of other countries to play in India.” |
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Pak says no to Ahmedabad New Delhi, February 5 The Pakistan Cricket Board tonight informed its Indian counterpart — the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) — that it was reluctant to play a Test match at Ahmedabad as proposed. “The BCCI received the message today and the matter has promptly been referred to the government for information and further action in view of the senstivity of the issue,” BCCI sources said here. Home Minister Shivraj Patil discussed the matter with former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya and board vice-president Rajiv Shukla, the sources said. — UNI
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PCB tells Shoaib to explain conduct
Lahore, February 5 In a press statement, the PCB did not try to hide its displeasure over Shoaib’s attitude and said the tearaway bowler was summoned to Shaharyar Khan’s office at the Gaddafi Stadium here yesterday where he was given a dressing down for his conduct during Pakistan’s tour of Australia. “I have asked Shoaib to explain his conduct in writing by Monday,” Shaharyar Khan later told reporters. — UNI |
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Smith guides SA to victory
Port Elizabeth, February 5 In a second successive tense finish, following the tied second match in Bloemfontein on Wednesday, South Africa yesterday won by three wickets with five balls to spare. Chasing a challenging England total of 267 for eight, Smith made 105 before he was sixth out in the 43rd over when 54 runs were still needed. Mark Boucher slammed 33 off 21 balls and Ashwell Prince batted calmly to make 17 not out off 18 deliveries, hitting the winning runs when he lofted Darren Gough for a boundary over mid-on off the first ball of the final over. Smith, who has hit seven Test centuries, had a highest one-day score of 99 in 58 previous matches. He had not reached a half-century in 13 matches leading up to yesterday’s match, while his team had endured a dismal run, losing 12 and winning only one of their previous 14 matches. The lone win was against minnows Bangladesh and it was South Africa’s first victory against credible opponents since they beat New Zealand in Auckland last February. The South African captain had some luck in the middle of his innings. On 53 he was dropped by acting England captain Marcus Trescothick when he top-edged a pull against Paul Collingwood. Five runs later he should have been run out when wicketkeeper Geraint Jones failed to gather a flick from Kevin Pietersen at cover with Smith well short of his ground. Vikram Solanki anchored the England innings, hitting the top score of 66. He replaced Vaughan, still suffering from a stomach illness which prevented him from fielding in Bloemfontein. Vaughan decided after taking part in the pre-match warm-up that he was not fit enough to play. Batting at number three, Solanki shared half-century stands with Jones, Andrew Strauss and Pietersen before he was caught at long-off in the 40th over. Fast bowlers Andre Nel and Makhaya Ntini both took three wickets for South Africa, with England losing momentum towards the end of the innings. Trescothick got England off to a quick start on a ground where batting first in day-night matches is usually an advantage, hitting five fours and a six as he made 33 of the first 49 before he skied a catch off Nel to Smith at mid-off, a similar chance to the one he later put down off Smith. Pietersen, who again got a hostile reception from the crowd in the country of his birth, was out for the first time in the series when he was caught at midwicket off Nel for 33, hit off 37 balls. Scoreboard England: Trescothick c Smith b Nel 33 Jones c and b Boje 39 Solanki c De Villiers b Nel 66 Strauss c Prince b Pollock 35 Pietersen c Gibbs b Nel 33 Collingwood c Kallis b Ntini 22 Bell c Smith b Ntini 13 Giles c Pollock b Ntini 3 Ali not out 6 Gough not out 3 Extras
(b-2, lb-8, nb-3, w-1) 14 Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 267 Fall of wickets:
1-49, 2-99, 3-156, 4-207, 5-225, 6-246, 7-253, 8-257. Bowling:
Pollock 10-0-44-1, Ntini 10-0-58-3, Nel 10-0-49-3, Boje 10-0-42-1, Kallis 7-0-45-0, Kemp 1-0-10-0, Smith 2-0-9-0. South Africa: Smith lbw Giles 105 De Villiers c Jones b Hoggard 16 Boje c Giles b Ali 20 Kallis c Petersen b Collingwood 3 Gibbs lbw Gough 50 Kemp b Collingwood 9 Prince not out 17 Boucher lbw Gough 33 Pollock not out 4 Extras
(b-3, lb-5, nb-2, w-3) 13 Total (7 wkts, 49.1 overs) 270 Fall of wickets:
1-45, 2-82, 3-89, 4-196, 5-214, 6-214, 7-257. Bowling: Gough 9.1-1-46-2, Hoggard 9-1-66-1, Ali 10-1-39-1, Collingwood 10-0-54-2, Giles 9-0-40-1, Trescothick 2-0-17-0.
— AFP |
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Govt must make efforts to host F-1: Narain
New Delhi, February 5 He said with his clinching a drive with Jordan Grand Prix for 2005, F1 arriving into India could become a reality but the government must strike when the iron was hot. “The deal (with Jordan) would definitely add more interest to the sport in India. F1 Grand Prix could come in the next three or four years,” Narain told PTI from Jordan’s office in Silverstone. “But the government must realise that this is a great business model and take it up seriously,” said the 28-year-old Coimbatore-based driver. Narain, who becomes the first India to race in Formula One championship, said his Jordan team had set “realistic” targets for the season. “It is late in the day (that the deal was struck). We have set realistic goals, to try and get the best out of everyone,” he said. Tiego Monteiro of Portugal will be the other driver as his teammate, with Trevor Carlin as team head. Monteiro, though a rookie himself, has raced in F-2 and been a test driver for Minardi. The initial task is to work on the car specifications, which would be to suit the individual needs like seating, head height and feet position. The team has scheduled three test sessions, with first slated for February 9 at Silverstone, the second in Barcelona the following week and the third again at Silverstone. The first of the 19 races in the calendar will be in Melbourne’s Albert Park on March 6. The fact that he had worked with Carlin and some others in the team previously would ease Narain into the job. One of the reasons for his not so good show in the Nissan series was that he had problems in communicating with his engineers who were mostly Italians. That won’t be the case in the Jordan team. “A lot of people are new but there are some with whom I have worked before. It is a big advantage, having familiar faces definitely helps,” Narain said. Motorsport at its best is a perfect combination of man and machine. And while the engineers work on the car, named Jordan-Toyota EJ15, for the season, the drivers will themselves have to work on their fitness. The head and neck in particular will have to be strong and steady to withstand the G-Force that comes into play when the car bends through the corners at breakneck speeds during a 300-km-long race. “Well, I have been keeping fit, doing my running everyday,” he said. But having spent the past two months running from pillar to post to clinch the deal — “it hasn’t been that tough,” he said but the relief in his voice could be noted — it is going to be that much difficult for Narain. He will also have to quickly adapt to the advanced technologies that will be vital to controlling the monster of a car that can achieve 340 kmph. But all this is only half the challenge and the real one would come when he sits in the car. With 19 races at different venues, Narain will be racing on many unknown circuits. In fact, Shanghai and Bahrain were added to the calendar only last year.
— PTI |
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Sharapova to face Davenport in final
Tokyo, February 5 The Russian second seed, who captured her first WTA singles and doubles titles at the Japan Open two years ago here, faced a late challenge from the 32nd-ranked Japanese before scoring a 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) win. Davenport, seeking her third straight and fifth Tokyo title here, meanwhile, avenged her loss to Svetlana Kuznetsova in last year’s US Open semifinal by beating the Russian 6-1, 7-6 (7/2). The 17-year-old Russian starlet got off to a flying start as Asagoe struggled to hold her serve, double-faulting twice on a break point in the second and sixth games. But Asagoe came back into the match by breaking Sharapova to take a 3-1 lead in the second set, only to see herself again double-faulting on Sharapova’s advantage point in the following game to surrender the lead. Although Sharapova often misfired her hard-hit strokes, she never gave Asagoe another chance for the remainder of the match, finishing off the 82-minute contest when Asagoe hit a return long. Spadea in semis
DELRAY BEACH (USA): Top seed Vincent Spadea stumbled in the middle set before regrouping to defeat fellow American Kevin Kim and advance to the semifinals of the $ 380,000 Millennium International tennis tournament. In his second straight three-set match, Spadea got past Kim 7-5, 6-7 (0/7), 6-4 in the quarterfinal. A finalist here last year, Spadea also needed three sets to get past 19-year-old Russian qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili in the second round. He will face third seed Xavier Malisse of Belgium in the semis, who beat Paraguay’s Ramon Delgado to advance. South Africa’s Wesley Moodie, known as a doubles specialist, reached the semifinals on Friday afternoon when Peter Wessels of the Netherlands retired with a back injury trailing 5-0. In the semi-finals, he will face second seed Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic, who posted a 6-3, 7-5 victory over seventh seed Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark.
— AFP |
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Shokeen wins ITF title
New Delhi, February 5 Vivek, the second seed and junior national champion, weathered a stiff challenge from Jeevan to win 7-5, 6-3 at the DLTA Complex. The girls’ summit clash turned out to be an anti-climax as Indian hope Madura put up a lame performance against fifth seed Amina Rakhim of Kazakhstan. Amina, who had accounted for second seed and last week winner Sandhya Nagaraj in the semifinals, won 6-2, 6-0.
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PTI |
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Top seeds win in Hyderabad Open Hyderabad, February 5 Following are the results of the first round: Ting Li bt Sheetal Goutham 6-4, 6-2; Shiho Hisamatsu bt Rushmi Chakravarthi 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-5; Anstasia Rodionova bt Zi Yan 6-1, 6-2; Julia Vorobieva bt Sanaa Bhambri 6-3, 6-4; Archana Venkatraman bt Sai Jayalakshmi Jayaram 7-6 (2), 6-4; Mandi Minella bt Geeta Manohar 6-4, 7-5; Mina Bratchikova bt Chin-Wei Chan 6-4, 6-2; Katarina Bondarenko bt Sonal Phadke 6-2, 6-1; Shruti Dhawan bt Isha Lakhani 7-5, 6-3; Olha Lazarchuk bt Angalika Bachmann 6-3, 7-6; Akgul Amanmuradova bt Ivana Abramovic 6-2, 6-1; Jarmila Gajdosova bt Montinee Tangphong 6-3, 6-4; Monique Adamczak bt Sandi Gumulya 6-4, 6-1; Remi Tezuke bt Punam Reddy 6-1, 6-4; Tatiana Poutchek bt Cormila 6-0, 6-1.
— UNI
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Fransa stun Mohun Bagan
Kolkata, February 5 Mohun Bagan now have seven points from six outings while Fransa have 10 from as many matches. — UNI
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Margao, February 5 After lodging a complaint with FIFA against its former recruit Barreto, Mohun Bagan failed to provide all the details to the world governing body, forcing it to close the case file. It was Mohun Bagan who had complained against Baretto after the player quit the maroon-and-green brigade in January last year, alleging that club officials were misbehaving with players. In October 2004, FIFA wrote to the All-India Football Federation asking Mohun Bagan to provide it with all payment receipts regarding payments it made towards Barreto. But strangely, there was no reply from Mohun Bagan to the FIFA communique. — PTI
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Alamgir wins title
Ludhiana, February 5 The main attraction of the opening day was the bout between
Rustam-e-Hind Harvinder Alamgir and Sher-e-Hind Sarwar Mohali. The bout lasted 13-minutes and Harvinder Alamgir came out triumphant to lift the title.
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O’Hern leads after third round Sourav signs MoU Charity match Razzaq cleared Junior hockey |
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Port Elizabeth, February 5
Tokyo, February 5
