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Pakistan face do-or-die battle
Underestimating Pakistan can be disastrous
We hope to win next 3 matches: Younis Khan
SC to hear Kotla stadium issue
on Monday
Injured Fleming saves Kiwis
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ICC announces umpires’ panel
JP Yadav guides Rlys to victory
Maninder sets up cricket academy
Sporting Clube edge out JCT
Visas to Pak hockey veterans issued
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Pakistan face do-or-die battle
Jamshedpur, April 8 The visitors are planning to include leg spinner Danish Kaneria, who was quite successful in the Test series, in the team to provide some variety to the bowling attack which has been torn to shreds by the likes of Virender Sehwag and M. S. Dhoni. After the comprehensive wins at Kochi and Visakhapatnam, India look unstoppable with most of their top batsmen in full flow and the bowlers finding rhythm. But the hosts can by no means take their opponents lightly, with the Pakistan team famed for its ability to turn the tables on rivals when pushed to a corner. India coach John Wright said as much. “Pakistan will come back hard at us. We need to play to our full potential and retain our form to get a favourable result.” An Indian victory at the Keenan stadium would ensure that the hosts cannot lose the six-match series, and this is bound to put additional pressure on Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq and his men. “Naturally, when you go 0-2 down in a six-match series, you come under pressure. You know that if the opposition wins one game, they cannot lose the series while you are left to win all three matches to square the series,” Inzamam said. “But I have not lost heart. I know the capabilities of my boys and would continue to back them to perform. Instead of thinking negative, I am thinking that if we can win four straight matches last year (against India), we can do it again to win the series,” he said. Inzamam can take heart from his side’s past showing at the ground, where they have finished winners in both their matches. In 1987, Pakistan gave a five-wicket drubbing to India, before pipping Sri Lanka by nine runs in 1999. In contrast, India’s record at the 24,000 capacity stadium has been dismal. India have so far won only one out of the seven matches they have played, losing five while the other one was abandoned without a ball being played. Both sides are set to make changes in the squad for the first time in the series. India are likely to bring in medium pacer Ajit Agarkar in place of the injured Laxmipathy Balaji, who has a rib problem. Pakistan are likely to rest paceman Mohammad Sami and replace off-spinner Arshad Khan and allrounder Mohammad Hafeez by wrist spinner Danish Kaneria and middle-order batsman Younis Khan. Fast bowler Rao Iftikhar Anjum could find a spot in the team in place of Sami. The inclusion of Younis Khan, who had done exceedingly well in the Test series, is likely to give more stability to the Pakistan batting line-up, that suffered at Visakhapatnam as promising partnerships failed to blossom into high-scoring ones. Any discussion on the Indian batting has to begin with Sehwag, whose exploits with the willow have left cricket pundits dazed. Having plundered 726 runs from 874 balls in the three Tests and the first two one-day matches against Pakistan at an amazing strike rate of around 80, Sehwag must be hungry for more as he seems to be in the midst of a dream run. M.S. Dhoni’s blistering 148-run knock at Visakhapatnam, combined with his good glovework, has raised hopes that India’s search for a wicketkeeper-batsman may finally be over. While interest centres around whether he will again be asked to come in at number three, it is now up to man with the flowing mane to show consistency and drive home the message that he is no one-match wonder. And what better stage than the keenan for the Ranchi-based Jharkhand player, who would be playing before his home crowd for the first time. For skipper Sourav Ganguly, whose place in the squad hangs by a slender thread after a prolonged drought of runs, a victory tomorrow is important not only for the sake of the team, but also for stalling all talk for his scalp. Following up the pathetic 48 in five Test innings at a painful average of 9.6 with scores of 0 and 9 in the one-day serious, Ganguly seems to be endangering his place in the side day by day, and might have already got the axe had he not been the skipper. Another batsman whose bat has failed fire so far in the series is Sachin Tendulkar. After a rare tonless Test series, Tendulkar has not exactly crowned himself in glory through miserly knocks of 4 and 2 in the two ODIs and the ardent admirers of the Master Blaster would be hoping that his bat starts doing the talking to silence the critics. But India are not free from problems. Other than the poor performance of Ganguly, the failure of the middle-order batsman, especially the two mainstays Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, to go for the slog in the end overs despite getting perfect launch pads for a late assault in both previous matches causes concern. Pakistan, on the other hand, were well served by Abdul Razzaq and Yousuf Youhana in Visakhapatnam. But more than individual sparklers, what the visitors need is a team effort with two or three long partnerships. Team (from): India:
Saurav Ganguly (capt), Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, M.S. Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Murali Kartik, Ajit Agarkar, Dinesh Mongia and Laxmipathy Balaji. Pakistan:
Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaid Malik, Yousuf Youhana, Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Rana Navel-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Arshad Khan and Mohammad Hafeez. Hours to play:
9 am to 12.30 am; 1.15 pm to 4.45 pm.
— PTI
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Underestimating Pakistan can be disastrous
Jamshedpur has not been a lucky ground for us, but we hope to change that on Saturday. It’s not as hot here as it was in Kochi and Visakhapatnam, and we hope it stays that way till the game is over.
It is important for us players to keep a balance between practising hard and letting our bodies recover. This is why we only had an optional practice session on Thursday. This morning, however, the whole team practised at the ground and everybody is eager to ensure a 3-0 lead in the series. It is also important for us to keep our intensity going because Pakistan are a fine one-day side. Underestimating them would be disastrous. In fact, all of us are trying to forget about the 2-0 scoreline and treating the Jamshedpur game as the first of a four-match series. That will instil a sense of urgency within us, and ensure that we don’t let up for even a minute. I did not go and take a look at the track even though I was at the Keenan stadium. After all, what’s the use? It must be yet another belter with nothing in it for us bowlers. One-day cricket in the subcontinent is hard business if you are a bowler because 10 overs is very little time for one to make an impact on the game. And when the conditions are completely loaded in favour of the batsmen, one’s best bet is to try and keep the runs down. There is plenty of talk about Danish Kaneria coming into the Pakistan side. Even though he is a very fine bowler, it’s going to be difficult for him to make an impact in the one-dayers, especially on these featherbeds. I would be very surprised if Mohammed Sami’s omission or Kaneria’s inclusion really affects the outcome of the remaining games. The buzz around this industrial city is a little louder than usual thanks to the presence of local boy Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the team. One cannot blame the fans for getting excited because he really batted fabulously at Visakhapatnam. I sincerely hope he continues to play like he did on Tuesday, because he will be a huge asset to the team. Mahi also kept extremely well in the match, which is natural since he was brimming with confidence after his 148. Speaking as a bowler, he strikes me as a safe, confident wicketkeeper and I hope he keeps up the good work behind the stumps. I don’t have very good memories of our last game at the Keenan stadium, which was against the West Indies. Ramnaresh Sarwan was batting and the Windies needed four off the last ball. Sarwan managed that boundary and we lost a game that we had dominated for most of its duration. A win on Saturday will help erase those memories. For that we have to play well, remain focused and above all, stay hungry.
— (Gameplan) |
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We hope to win next 3 matches: Younis Khan
Jamshedpur, April 8 Pakistan trail India 0-2 after heavy defeats in Kochi and Visakhapatnam but Younis, who missed both the matches with a viral fever, said his side would stage a comeback just as they did in the Tests. "There is pressure on us. In the Test series also we were down 0-1. But then we made a good come back and drew the series. We will come back here also," said a confident Younis on the eve of the third match at the Keenan stadium here. "In ODI, the team which does well on a given day, wins. If it is our day, then we will win. We hope to play better cricket in the remaining four matches. Everyone wants to see good cricket and we also want to play good cricket. This should be a tough series. "We hope to win three matches from here to take it to the final match which will be the decider," he said. The sixth ODI is scheduled to be played in Delhi on April 17 and expected to be watched by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Younis was in prolific form with the bat in the three Tests, and his record double ton helped Pakistan win the final match in Bangalore and avoid a series defeat. History also favours Inzamam-ul Haq and his men. Pakistan have won both their matches at the Keenan, defeating India by five wickets in 1987 before pipping Sri Lanka by nine runs in 1999. Younis said he had recovered from the bout of fever and was raring to go. "I am absolutely fit and ready to play. I hope to be the hope of my side," he said in a lighter vein. The batsman from Mardan was convinced that the toss would be a crucial factor. "The pitch is full of runs. The team winning the toss will want to bat first and pile up a big total. This will automatically put the opposition under pressure," he said. "No captain will want to bat second, be it Sourav Ganguly or Inzamam-ul-Haq," he added. Younis attributed his side's losses in the first two games by big margins to missed catches. "A player like Sehwag benefitted because we dropped a catch. We cannot afford to do it again."
— PTI |
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SC to hear Kotla stadium issue
on Monday
New Delhi, April 8 The SSS has sought quashing of the certificate, contending that under Delhi Building bye-laws no such certificate could be granted before completing the construction work. The certificate was given by the MCD to facilitate organisation of final one-day match between India and Pakistan at Kotla to be witnessed by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. |
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Injured Fleming saves Kiwis
Napier, April 8 The match ended when bad light at McLean Park forced an end to play early in the final session of the fifth day with Sri Lanka, 7-0 in its second innings, chasing an improbable 302 runs for victory. New Zealand
(Ist innings): 561 Sri Lanka (1st innings): 498 New Zealand (2nd innings) Cumming lbw Malinga 16 Marshall lbw Jayasuriya 39 Marshall lbw Malinga 6 Wiseman lbw Malinga 0 Fleming c Kulasekara Astle run out 19 Vincent b Chandana 52 McCullum c Samaraweera Franklin b Malinga 7 Mills c Jayasuriya b Herath 22 Martin not out 4 Extras
(b-6, lb-7, w-2, nb-10) 25 Total (all out, 92.4 overs)
238 FoW: 1-51, 2-64, 3-69, 4-85, 5-115, 6-128, 7-148, 8-181, 9-222. Bowling:
Vaas 17-4-38-0, Malinga 24-4-80-5, Kulasekara 11-2-19-0, Herath 11-4-29-1, Jayasuriya 21-8-41-2, Samaraweera 1-0-6-0, Chandana 7-2-12-1. Sri Lanka (2nd
innings) Atapattu not 2 Jayasuriya not out 5 Total: (no loss, 1.3 overs) 7 Bowling:
Martin 1-0-1-0, Franklin 0.3-0-0.
— AP, AFP |
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ICC announces umpires’ panel
London: Umpires from countries like Nepal, Germany and Fiji may soon be seen officiating in high-profile events like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy after the International Cricket Council on Friday announced the composition of the first-ever umpires panel for officials from the ICC Associate and Affiliate member countries.
The members of the panel: Trevor Henry (Ireland), Roger Dil (Bermuda), Subash Modi (Kenya), Sarika Siva Prasad (Singapore), Buddi Bahadur Pradhan (Nepal) Hameed Shahul (Indonesia), Paul Baldwin (Germany), Tony Cooper (Fiji) Niels Bagh (Denmark), John Thallon (Scotland).
— PTI
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JP Yadav guides Rlys to victory
Mumbai, April 8 Yadav complemented pace bowler Harvinder Singh — who picked up four wickets — with his seam-up stuff to pick up two wickets and reduce Delhi to 27 for five before the latter, riding on a valiant knock of 98 by their skipper Ajay Jadeja, rallied to a modest total of 213 for 8 in 50 overs. Yadav came to his side’s rescue again during the run chase to make a counter-attacking 60 off 65 balls with seven fours and three sixes, putting on a century stand with skipper Sanjay Bangar (55 off 90 balls) in the process, to pave the way for victory after they were left struggling at 68 for 3. Scoreboard Delhi G Gambhir c Bangar
b Harvinder 5 M Manhas c Wankhede R Gupta c Wankhede M Tehlan lbw JP Yadav 3 Varun Kumar b Harvinder 0 Jadeja c Pagnis b Harvinder 98 R Bhatia b Shankar Rao 46 C Nanda c and b Madan Yadav 9 A Bhandari not out 18 Extras
(b-4, lb-4, nb-5, w-5) 18 Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 213 Fall of wickets:
1-11, 2-23, 3-26, 4-27, 5-27, 6-125, 7-171, 8-213 Bowling: JP Yadav 9-2-34-2, Harvinder Singh 10-1-37-4, Bangar 6-0-30-0, Madan Yadav 10-0-39-1, Shankar Rao 10-0-42-1, Parida 5-0-23-0. Railways G Shankar Rao b Bhandari 18 A Pagnis c Bhandari b Sachdeva 20 TP Singh c Varun b Gill 7 JP Yadav c (sub) Khurana Bangar c Manhas b Bhandari 55 Raja Ali not out 30 S Khanolkar not out 4 Extras
(b-3, lb-3, nb-10, w-6) 22 Total (5 wkts, 41.1 overs) 216 Fall of wickets:
1-37, 2-52, 3-68, 4-174, 5-202. Bowling: Bhandari 10-3-33-2, Gill 10-1-42-1, Sachdeva 7-0-67-1, Bhatia 3-0-7-0, Nanda 10-1-47-0, Jadeja 1-0-10-0, Gambhir 0.1-0-4-0.
— PTI
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Maninder sets up cricket academy
New Delhi, April 8 The NSCI, located in the heart of Delhi on Mathura Road, has created two turf and three cement wickets at the academy located inside the sprawling complex, to enable Maninder to get the academy started. Maninder said the academy project would not have taken off but for the whole-hearted support and unstinted co-operation extended by NSCI president Subhash Chopra, who has headed various sports bodies like football and swimming for a long time, and has been a league-level footballer himself. The NSCI, thanks to Mr Chopra's initiative, loosened its purse strings to create excellent facilities, under ideal environment, for the academy which will train boys from the age of eight. Maninder said besides himself, other former India players would also be involved in the coaching programme in all areas of the game. He said the academy would focus on the basics of the game, which would eventually shape the career of a talented player. "If the basics are right, you are always on the right track. If you lose your way in the middle of your career, the basics help you to regain your rhythm", Maninder elaborated. Though the Academy will be formally launched only on April 13, the response has been tremendous. He said the cement pitches will strengthen the basics, and plans are also on the anvil to add an astro-turf pitch. The NSCI, having already conducted two Davis Cup ties, three National Billiards and Snooker Championships, national tennis championships in various age-groups and numerous other sports competitions over the years, have the right kind of sporting atmosphere with matching facilities. Maninder hopes to cash in on these aspects to turn out quality players who would be assets to the national teams. He assured that it would not be yet another money spinning racket as he would not be charging anything for himself as the nominal fees being levied would go in for maintaining the facilities and for creating additional infrastructure. Maninder Singh said mental toughness, physical fitness, talent for the game, willingness to work hard, and adaptability would be the major attributes required for a player to climb the ladder of success, and all these aspects would be taken care of in a detailed manner at the academy. He said the academy would have qualified coaches and internationals to guide the trainees as the idea was to give personalised coaching to each trainee, and not impersonal and mechanical kind of cricketing lessons, which would take the young boys nowhere. "This is my humble effort to be involved with the game which has given me everything but my dream could not have been realised but for the full backing of Mr Subhash Chopra", Maninder, who is now a popular television commentator, added. The NSCI has been holding the popular Rajiv Gandhi Marathon Run for school children for the past nine years, with the winners getting cash scholarships to pursue their studies. "Till now, over Rs 50 lakh have been disbursed in scholarships to boys and girls from the underprivileged section", Mr Chopra disclosed. |
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Sporting Clube edge out JCT
Ludhiana, April 8 The all-important goal in the 20th minute came off a brilliant header by the Nigerian, incidentally the league’s leading scorer, after midfielder Wilton Gomes’ cross beat the line of defenders. The victory propelled the Goan outfit to the second position and they are now only one point behind current leaders East Bengal. JCT did make several valiant attempts to equalise but found the Goan defence tough to beat. With Vincent Pires marshalling the right wing and stopper backs Felip Gomes and Suresh David lending solidity to the defence, JCT faced a formidable challenge from the onset. However, the well-contested match saw the mill men putting up a creditable show although the equaliser remained elusive till the end. For a change, JCT fielded a new face, Sakatar Singh, drawn from the JCT Academy, to bolster the attack. The newcomer did not disappoint on his debut but it was experience which ultimately mattered in the end. Not once did the Goans let down their guard and whenever JCT did manage to carry out forays, Luis Barreto under Sporting Clube de Goa’s bar rose to the occasion to thwart their designs. The Goan outfit’s midfield was their strength. Wilton Gomes, Adebayo Adewusi, Joseph Pereira, and Bibiano Fernandes controlled the proceedings in brilliant fashion feeding Dudu Omagbemi and Alvito Rodrigues with measured passes but the Goan outfit had to remain content with the lone-goal advantage, which nevertheless was enough to boost their tally to 32 points. Initially JCT went all out to gain the upper hand when Manjit’s cross from the left saw Harvinder attempting a header which unluckily missed the mark. Sporting Clube retaliated through Dudu Omagbemi, whose piledriver was collected by JCT goalie Mansuru Mohammed with some difficulty. It was in the 20th minute that the Goans struck the match winner. Medio Wilton Gomes despatched a cross from the right and Dudu Omagbemi standing inside the box dived to head the ball into the net, leaving the JCT defence dazed. A few minutes from the lemon break, JCT had two opportunities to equalise. A move by Jaswinder Singh on the right was sought to be capitalised by Daljit whose square pass to Harvinder inside the box saw the latter’s shot being blocked by a defender. Soon after, Manjit made a good attempt from the left corner but only managed to hit the side of the net. In the second half, JCT once again tried to come back into the game when Jaswinder centred from the right and Harvinder attempted to connect with his right foot but he failed to find the target. The substitution of Sakatar with the experienced Hardip Gill, who incidentally played for Mohun Bagan last season, made a marginal difference. In the 69th minute, Manjit’s cross from the left was followed by a well-taken shot by Harvinder which brought out the best in Luis Barretto. The Goan goalie managed to punch the ball over the bar at the cost of a flag kick and thus averted danger. Harvinder again made a close call through a header but missed the mark. Towards the end, Sporting Clube’s Joseph Pereira made an excellent attempt through a long ranger from the left but JCT goalie Mansuru Mohammed displayed fine anticipation to collect the ball. JCT made a couple of substitutions towards the end bringing in Surjit Singh and Baldeep Singh in place of Jaswinder and Sukhjinder, respectively, but the equaliser eluded them. JCT coach Sukhwinder Singh, who has also been appointed the national coach for the Asian Games, said the goal was the result of immaturity displayed by his players who were beaten by Wilton Gomes’ kick. Sporting Clube de Goa’s coach Clifford Chukwama said his team could have performed better had it not been for the harsh weather. Today’s defeat leaves JCT stranded at the fourth spot. |
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Visas to Pak hockey veterans issued
Jalandhar, April 8 Even as the first match of the series scheduled to be played on Guru Nanak Dev University hockey ground at Amritsar on April 7 was cancelled at eleventh hours for non-arrival of Pakistani players, the second Test would be played under floodlights at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium here on Saturday. Mr Parvez Bhandara, manager of Pakistani team, while talking to The Tribune on phone from his Islamabad residence, revealed, “The Indian High Commission has issued visas to all the members of the team and we are very happy over positive response from authorities concerned. The Pakistani team is very optimistic about playing in India after a long gap of time.” “There is no question of victory or defeat as we are coming to India for good fun game. My team is very excited and there will be good contest to watch for the spectators as star hockey icons of yesteryears including Salim Ulla, Akhtar Rasool, Waseem Feroz, Hassan Sardar and Saleem Sherwani who will fight on Indian turf against their Indian counterparts,” revealed Mr Bhandara. Apart from Jalandhar, both the teams will fight against each other at Bhopal on April 12 and at Delhi on April 14. The general secretary of Indian Veteran Hockey Association, Mr Kuku Walia, said that the Indian team was fully prepared to take on their archrivals. “A special delegation of the association will receive Pakistani team at Wagah border tomorrow morning. The Jalandhar match will be played under floodlights. While Indian team will don skyblue dress, their Pakistani counterparts will wear green outfit. The match will be played with olive yellow ball under lights,” he added. As far as possibility of holding match at Amritsar, Mr Walia maintained that keeping in view the demand of hockey lovers of the holy city, it was decided to discuss the issue afresh tomorrow with Pakistan team management and there was every possibility of holding match at Amritsar either on April 15 or April 16.
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