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India set to take on resurgent Pakistan
Sourav eligible, but not to
play today
New Zealand rout Lanka by innings
WCA to hold camp at Dharamsala
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JCT keen to regain winning touch
Salgaocar beat Tollygunge 2-1
Pak veterans beat India
Digvijay poised for victory
Foreign teams for under-13
cricket tourney
UP-TN final ends in a tie
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India set to take on resurgent Pakistan
Kanpur, April 14 With the six-match series tantalisingly poised at 2-2, both the teams will be determined to take an unassailable lead in what promises to be another nail-biting contest between the arch rivals. India have not won a one-day series at home in the last five years, except for the one against Zimbabwe in 2000-01. Their sequence of defeats include losses to Australia in 2001, the West Indies in 2002-03, the TVS Cup tri-series in 2003-04 which was won by Australia and the 3-3 tie with England in 2001-02. Their last series win came against late Hansie Cronje's South Africa in 2000 when, ironically, Ganguly took over as captain from Sachin Tendulkar. But Chris Broad might have done the Indians a favour with his six-match ban on their skipper. Ganguly's form has run into rough weather had shown no signs of returning. Ganguly's struggle in putting bat to ball, combined with Tendulkar's cramps, saw the run rate briefly dip in the Ahmedabad one-dayer. And given the fact that Pakistan eked out a last-ball win, one could not help wonder if a few more runs from an in-form Ganguly could have sprung a different result. His sitting out will now open up new vistas for India. Not only promotions for Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif in the batting order but also the inclusion of an extra bowler, that is if the team decides to do away with the seven batsmen theory. Indians should thank Mahendra Singh Dhoni for providing them a chance to include that one extra bowler. The 23-year- old wicketkeeper-batsman from Jharkhand has been a revelation and with the Pakistanis yet to find chinks in his armour, he could be on song in the next two matches as well. Tendulkar answered his critics with a sublime knock in the last match. His knock was special not so much for his aggression as for the way he took the initiative in maintaining the tempo after the fall of opening partner Virender Sehwag. Dravid has been in good nick in producing quick runs in the closing stages, and Yuvraj Singh being among runs should be a big relief for the team's think tank. Only Kaif has not spent enough time at the crease but coming in one place higher up may result in the batsman regaining his touch. The return of Anil Kumble could then not have been better timed. With Harbhajan Singh suffering a side strain and Irfan Pathan out, the Karnataka leg-spinner will carry a huge burden. He produced a workhorse performance in the last match played here, the South Africa Test in November. Pakistan, on the other hand, would thank the less humid atmosphere of Kanpur, which should be relatively less warm than the coastal venues of Kochi and Visakhapatnam. Captain Inzamam-ul Haq displayed his trademark coolness to deny the Indians a honourable tie in the last match. He would be smiling that his batting big guns have been firing on full cylinders but worried that the bowlers and the fielders have been a bit ragged.
— PTI |
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Sourav eligible, but not to
play today
Kolkata, April 14 The BCCI decided to leave out Ganguly from the squad for the crucial tie as there was not enough time, ending the suspense on whether the skipper would be included in the team after he was permitted to play by the ICC following a formal appeal against the ban. There will be no change in the team already selected with Rahul Dravid as captain for the Kanpur ODI as there were less than 24 hours for the match to start, BCCI secretary S K Nair said in a statement in Thiruvananthapuram. “Since less than 24 hours remain for the start of the Kanpur match, the Board felt it was extremely important for the players to concentrate and focus on the match, so that they could bring out the best performance. In view of this, the Board has decided to continue with the selected team”, Nair said. Nair said the position had been explained to Ganguly and he had appreciated the Board’s decision. The BCCI, however, did not specify whether Ganguly would take part in the last match of the series to be held at the Ferozeshah Kotla in New Delhi on Sunday. The ICC, which received the formal appeal from Ganguly late last night, said any cricketer could continue to play international matches till the resolution of the appeal. “Ganguly is permitted to play pending the resolution of any appeal,” the ICC said in a statement in London which also confirmed to have received an appeal from Ganguly against the suspension imposed by match referee Chris Broad. The 32-year-old Ganguly was banned for six one-day matches for his team’s slow over rate in the fourth ODI against Pakistan in Ahmedabad. He was also fined 70 per cent of match fees for the same offence in the third ODI at Jamshedpur. The ICC will appoint within 48 hours a member of its Code of Conduct Commission as an Appeals Commissioner to hear this appeal, the statement said. The Appeals Commissioner, who cannot be from either of the countries that took part in the match, will have seven days in which to hear and determine the appeal unless agreed otherwise. He will also determine the way in which the appeal shall be heard and has the power to increase or decrease the penalty imposed or to overturn the decision of the match referee. Meanwhile, senior lawyer Siddharth Shankar Ray, who will argue for Ganguly before the ICC Appeals Commissioner, said the Indian skipper had a strong case. “Sourav has a strong case and we will fight it out,” Ray told PTI when asked whether he was confident of once again successfully defending the Indian skipper. Only five months ago, Ray’s arguments had led to lifting of the two-Test ban on Ganguly imposed by ICC match referee Clive Lloyd for a similar offence during the BCCI Platinum Jubilee match against Pakistan at Kolkata.
— PTI |
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New Zealand rout Lanka by innings
Wellington, April 14 In the chase to keep the Test alive, Tillakaratne Dilshan topscored with a valiant 73 but the resistance ended with his dismissal and the first innings deficit proved to big a hurdle to overcome. Scoreboard Sri Lanka (1st innings) 211 New Zealand (1st innings) Sri Lanka (2nd innings) Jayasuriya c Vincent b Martin 2 Atapattu c Fleming b Franklin 16 Maharoof c Astle b Mills 36 Sangakkara b Franklin 45 Jayawardene c McCullum Samaraweera c Fleming Dilshan b Astle 73 Kalavitigoda c McCullum Vaas b Franklin 38 Chandana b Astle 8 Malinga not out 0 Extras
(b-4 lb-10 nb-8 w-2) 24 Total (all out, 92.5 overs) 273 FoW:
1-6 2-47 3-95 4-117 5-137 6-164 7-177 8-255 9-267 10-273 Bowling:
Martin 18 - 4 - 50 - 1 (nb-2) Mills 11 - 4 - 34 - 2 (nb-1) Vincent 1 - 0 - 2 - 0 Astle 13 - 4 - 27 - 3 Wiseman 26 - 7 - 75 - 0 (w-1) Franklin 23.5 - 4 - 71 - 4 (nb-5).
— Agencies |
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WCA to hold camp at Dharamsala
Dharamsala, April 14 Addressing a press conference here today, Sachin Bajaj, India Director of WCA, said upcoming cricketers from different countries will take part in the camp. “An attempt would also be made to include as many local cricketers so that cricket gets the required impetus in Himachal Pradesh,” he said. The WCA launched the ‘Joy through cricket’ programme last year and paid for 17 junior cricketers from the war-torn Afghanistan to travel to India for cricket coaching. The World Sports Institute has also launched a Sports Trust of India, which is mandated to take sports to the grassroot level, he said. “The WCA has already successfully created programmes for professional, junior, clubs, schools all over the world, including special programmes for the England Cricket Academy, Nottinghamshire and Kent. The growing list of alumni now includes test and one-day players,” he said. Geoff Lawson, manager of the University New South Whales team, Sydney, said considering the cooler weather conditions in Dharamsala, it would be the right place to coach as well as hold big matches. Commenting on the performance of Australian performance, he said they definitely had more killer instinct and the ability to go on under all conditions. |
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JCT keen to regain winning touch
With 22 points from six victories and four draws, JCT are currently placed seventh while Fransa, by virtue of their victory against East Bengal at Kolkata two days back, have jumped to the fifth position. Having made their debut in the national league this season after finishing runners-up in the second division last year, Fransa, under the guidance of coach Norbert Gonsalves are a highly unpredictable side. While they humbled mighty opponents like East Bengal on their home ground just two days back, they have also tasted heavy defeat like the 1-4 drubbing at the hands of Sporting Clube de Goa in their own backyard. The Goan outfit, nevertheless, is going strong in the decisive phase and has so far notched up seven victories. They have beaten Vasco 2-0; SBT 2-0; Mohun Bagan 2-1; Dempo 1-0; Mohun Bagan 2-1; Mahindra United 1-0; and East Bengal 1-0. With several experienced players in their ranks, Fransa have the capability to make it big and are not overawed by any opponent. With international Kalyan Chaubey under the bar and a solid defence comprising Cresson Antao, stopper back Anbalath Suliman Firoze and Sanjeev Maria to fall back upon, Fransa are not unduly worried over playing their first match here. However, what may be perceived as a blessing in disguise for JCT is the suspension of Fransa's Ghanian recruit Benjamin Owusu Ansah and former East Bengal star Syeed Hussain following two yellow card bookings. Benjamin earned his second yellow card in the match against East Bengal after he exulted following the goal by team-mate Peter Rodrigues. Fransa have a couple of players in the midfield and attack who have performed wonders in the national circuit. Among them are right winger Peter Rodrigues, who scored the match winner against East Bengal, left winger Santa Singh, formerly of Churchill Brothers, striker Sebastian Endro, who scored both goals in his team's 2-0 win against Vasco in the lung opener, midfielder Jules Alberto Dias, and Nigerian Joseph Toochukwu Ogor, currently on loan from Cabral SC. Fransa also have in their ranks Louis Aniweta, who is on loan from East Bengal. However, JCT will have to watch out for one player who incidentally assisted them a couple of seasons back. He is Fransa's midfielder Hardip Singh Saini, adjudged man-of-the-match in the encounter against East Bengal. It was Saini who had set up the goal scored by Peter Rodrigues at Kolkata against the defending champions. As a midfielder, Saini has played a pivotal role in Punjab football and was a member of the Punjab team who won the gold in the National Games here three years back before he shifted to Mohun Bagan and later to Goa's Fransa Pax FC. JCT, on the other hand, will be relying on Harvinder, Baldeep, Hardeep Gill, Sukhjinder and Sukhwinder while newcomer Sakatar Singh may also figure in the line-up given his fine showing in the previous match. According to coach Sukhwinder Singh, Sakatar received a slight toe injury during practice yesterday which is not serious. Mansuru Mohammed, as usual, will do duty under the bar, while the defence will be manned by Daljit Singh, Harpreet Singh, Julius Akepele, and KV Dhanesh. The laborious Jaswinder Singh may also chip in to bolster the attack. Meanwhile, Fransa, who arrived last night, had a practice session here this evening. The kick-off is at 4.15 pm. |
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Salgaocar beat Tollygunge 2-1
Kolkata, April 14 Nigerian Akeem Abolanle was the sole scorer for Tollygunge, who further endangered their position in the relegation zone as their tally remained at 15 points from 17 matches. Salgaocar dominated the proceedings in the Salt Lake stadium exchange as Tollygunge relied on an overtly defensive strategy in their desperate bid to get a solitary point. After a goalless first half, the Tollygunge resistance finally collapsed in the 60th minute as Felix tapped home a measured centre from Jerose Oliveira.The goal prompted Tollygunge to come out of their defensive shell and the city outfit launched a series of moves to taste success 11 minutes later. Chinmoy Sarkar essayed a fine pass from the middle, and Akeem showed fine opportunism to let loose a snap right footer which rocketed into the goal. However, Tollygunge’s relief was short-lived. In the 77th minute, an advancing Bhuvan Joshi was tripped from behind by Tollygunge’s substitute player Ramu Adhikari in his own box, and referee Arjunan awarded a penalty to the Goans. The Tollygunge players protested, but Arjunan stood firm. Felix made no mistake in converting the set piece. Dempo settle
for draw
Margao: Federation Cup champions Dempo wasted clear chances during the second half to drop points as they settled for a goal-less draw against Mahindra United in the 17th round of the National Football League here on Thursday. Despite the draw at the Nehru Stadium, Dempo consolidated their position at the top of the table with 35 points from 17 matches while Mahindras remained on fifth place with 25 points from 17 matches.
— PTI |
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Pak veterans beat India
New Delhi, April 14 The Pakistanis won the first two matches in Jalandhar and Bhopal before extending their winning run in Delhi. The fourth and final match of the Indian leg would be played in Amritsar on Saturday before both the teams proceed to Pakistan to play the remaining four matches of the series. It was a great comeback win for the visitors, who showed their class to bounce back into the match despite trailing 0-2 at one stage. India started on a positive fashion taking a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes with Ripu Daman and Satvir Singh sounding the board for them. The Pakistani fightback saw Shafqat Malik reducing the margin in the first half as his side went to the break trailing 1-2. Malik drew parity immediately on resumption before Shahbaz Junior slammed two goals in quick succession to give his side 4-2 lead. Left-winger Tasneem Usmani hit the last nail in the Indian coffin, scoring a few minutes before the close even though India managed to reduce the margin through Sanjeev Kumar in the final seconds.
— PTI |
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Digvijay poised for victory
Gurgaon, April 14 Today’s fine performance took Digvijay’s three day tally to 13-under 203 in this second biggest prize money event, which forms the 19th leg of the Amby Valley PGAI Tour 2004-05. Talented rookie Shiv Kapur returned a score identical to Digvijay’s to leap into tied-second position with Jaipur’s Vishal Singh at nine-under 207. Sanjay Kumar and Vijay Singh were placed fourth at 209 and 210. Jeev Milkha Singh made a return to form with a five-under 67 to climb to tied-14th place. Ashok Kumar, second on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour Order of Merit 2004-05, had to be content with a tied 24th position at one-under 215. Current money leader on the Tour, Mukesh Kumar, fired a round of 71 to slip to a tied-28th position at level par 216. Digvijay Singh, walked into the Classic Golf Resort today groggy and tired, the reason being the golfer’s 70-km drive after the second round to witness his sister Tina’s movie premiere. To top it all the golfer and Vikrant Chopra, who accompanied him on the trip, were confronted with a flat tyre on the way back.
— PTI |
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Foreign teams for under-13
cricket tourney
New Delhi, April 14 The other teams in the fray are Madan Lal Cricket Academy (Delhi), Ashok Malhotra Cricket Academy (Kolkata), Modern School (Barakhamba Road), Cofrutos XI, Delhi and West Delhi Cricket Academy. The matches will be 30 overs a side during the league phase and 35 overs per side in the final. |
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UP-TN final ends in a tie
Mumbai, April 14 It was a dramatic finish to a fascinating contest in which fortunes fluctuated rapidly in hot, sweltering conditions. UP came back from the dead at 182 for 8 in the 36th over to tie the scores after their last two wickets added 66 runs. Earlier, TN suffered a dramatic collapse losing their last five wickets for 11 runs in 24 balls to slump from a healthy 237 for five to 248 all out in 48.4 overs.
— PTI |
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Ludhiana, April 14
