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Sachin, Sehwag among World XI probables
Windies candidates also in race for coach’s post
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Blind cricket body accused of cheating
Sohail Abbas pulls out of
Azlan Shah tourney
Sudirman Cup: India face Wales today
Vijay Singh bags title; Atwal tied 56th
Nadal rallies to clinch Rome crown
Shooters win 2 gold medals
Ropar win junior football title
Punjab throwers
dominate athletics meet Cross
country race for children Munish stars in Patiala’s victory
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Sachin, Sehwag among World XI probables
Mumbai, May 9 Speaking to reporters on Ganguly’s exclusion, the International Cricket Council’s Brendon McClements stated that one of the criteria employed by the selection panel was that players suspended by the ICC under its Code of Conduct should not be considered for Tests or ODIs. The six-day Super Series Test is to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from October 14-19. The team will feature five Indians — Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh — in the 39-member World XI squads. In addition Anil Kumble and V.V.S. Laxman will feature in the 30-member Test squad, chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) selection panel Sunil Gavaskar said here. The ICC one-day and Test squads will be trimmed to 20 names in early July, before the final squads are announced in August, Gavaskar said. The ICC World XIs will play world champions Australia in a three-match one-day series at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne October 5,7 and 9, and a six-day Super Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground starting October 14. Of the total 39 players selected, 21 are named in both the Test and ODI squads, nine are included in the Test squad alone and there are nine players nominated as ODI specialists. Combined prize money and match payments for the one day series will be $1.25 million, while the total money available for the Super Test will be $1.39 million. The matches will be accorded official Test and ODI status. “The Johnnie Walker Super Series squads are packed with fantastically talented players from around the world who will pose a serious challenge to Australia’s supremacy in both forms of the game,” Gavaskar said. “The panel has picked a group of players which offers proven match-winning combinations in all areas of the game,” ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said. The captain and vice-captain are also to be announced in July while the final squad of 14 for the Super Test and 13 for the One-day series would be announced by the middle or late August, Gavaskar added. Test probables: Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Irfan Pathan, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, V V S Laxman, Andrew Flintoff, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Shoaib Akhtar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Naved-ul Hasan, Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Kumara Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Steve Harmison, Andrew Strauss, Michael Vaughan, Danish Kaneria, Younis Khan, Andre Nel, Graeme Smith. ODI probables: Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Irfan Pathan, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Andrew Flintoff, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Shoaib Akhtar, Inzamam-ul -Haq, Naved-ul Hasan, Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kumara Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas, Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Darren Gough, Kevin Pietersen, Marcus Trescothick, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Yousuf Youhana, Sanath Jayasuriya and Chris Gayle. |
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Windies candidates also in race for coach’s post
Kolkata, May 9 After the meeting of the six-membered coach selection committee here yesterday, BCCI President Ranbir Singh Mahendra said, ''Greg Chappel, Tom Moody, Mohinder Amarnath and Sandeep Patil have been shortlisted. But apart from them there are three foreigners whose names I don't wish to divulge.'' However, according to BCCI sources, John Inverarity, a former Australian Test player and coach of Kent and more recently Warwikshire, could emerge as a potential contender. The 61-year-old Australian with only six Tests under his belt has had a more illustrious career as the captain of Western Australia and then South Australia, the teams he led to five Sheffield Shield in total. He missed out narrowly on leading Australia in the World Series Cricket, but by the time he retired he had gone past Don Bradman's Shield record run-aggregate. Later he earned recognition as a coach and someone with a brilliant cricketing mind, with his inspirational techniques in leading Kent and then Warwikshire. The Kent connection is significant as former India coach John Wright could well have recommended his name. If CV and credentials were the prime criteria then he had lots to show in both forms during his presentation. The roster also had a whiff of the West Indian flavour with the names of Sir Vivian Richards and Desmond Haynes coming into the frame. However, nothing could be said about them for certain as while both were legends in their own rights, the former's moody and temperamental behaviour hardly makes him a great motivator of men, while Haynes impact as the West Indian skipper is most forgettable. Haynes has worked for Sussex and Hampshire. Dave Whatmore and Dean Jones are almost out of the race after yesterday's meeting. Dean Jones's CV must have got stuck on the match fixing hurdle. And that was the end of it. Sandeep Patil, another all-rounder and author of 'Sandy Storm', raised a gale force with his batting is best remembered for his 24 runs (4, 4, 4, 0, 4, 4, 4) off a Bob Willis over at Old Tafford in 1982. He had a stint with India, following which he got much success taking Kenya to the last World Cup Semi-final. He returned to coach India A for sometime and then returned to coach Oman.
— UNI |
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SA trounce West Indies
Kingston, May 9 Opening batsman Boeta Dippenaar top-scored for the South Africans with an undefeated 60 from 78 balls that contained four boundaries and earned the man-of-the-match award. Dippenaar added 106, unbroken, for the third wicket with Gibbs, who hit one four and two sixes in 44 from 57 balls that carried the South Africans over the threshold. Ian Bradshaw was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with two wickets for 16 runs from six overs. “We batted very poorly,” admitted West Indies skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul. “It was a decent wicket, maybe a bit slow and we needed to get our heads down. We need to get through the new ball and build partnerships. We have to go away and think about it.” South Africa skipper Graeme Smith praised his team’s convincing performance. “It was clinical. We bowled well and got it in the right areas and were very disciplined. We kept them under pressure from the word go.” South Africa, choosing to field, bowled with discipline to restrict West Indies to a modest 152 for seven from their allocation of 50 overs. Shaun Pollock was the pick of the South African bowlers with two for 28 from 10 overs, and Charl Langeveldt supported with two for 33 from 10 overs on a hard, slow Sabina Park pitch when West Indies batted under sunny skies. Wicketkeeper-batsman Courtney Browne, under pressure to keep his place, hit the top score for West Indies of 46 not out from 59 balls that contained half-dozen boundaries. Browne added 49, unbroken, for the eighth wicket with compatriot Bradshaw that was the highest partnership of the innings. Chanderpaul contributed 36 from 95 balls that included two fours. The early wickets of Smith and Jacques Kallis inside the first six overs set back the visitors in the run chase. Scoreboard West Indies Gayle b Ntini 11 Hinds c Smith b Pollock 3 Sarwan b Langeveldt 19 Lara c Smith b Pollock 0 Chanderpaul b Langeveldt 36 Bravo st Boucher b Kemp 14 Smith c Pollock b Kallis 0 Browne not out 46 Bradshaw not out 17 Extras
(b-1, lb-1, w-2, nb-2) 6 Total (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 152 Fall of wickets:
1-13, 2-29, 3-30, 4-40, 5-66, 6-67, 7-103 Bowling: Pollock 10-2-28-2, Ntini 10-2-33-1, Langeveldt 10-0-33-2, Nel 10-4-26-0, Kallis 5-0-14-1, Smith 1-0-7-0, Kemp 4-1-9-1. South Africa
(revised target - 124 runs from 33 overs): Smith c Lara b Bradshaw 6 Dippenaar not out 60 Kallis c Smith b Bradshaw 7 Gibbs not out 44 Extras
(lb-1, w-5, nb-1) 7 Total (for 2 wkts, 26.4 overs) 124 Fall of wickets:
1-7, 2-18 Bowling: Powell 7-0-34-0, Bradshaw 6-0-16-2, Bravo 3-0-21-0, Collymore 7-0-35-0, Smith 2-0-7-0, Hinds 1.4-0-10-0.
—AFP |
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Blind cricket body accused of cheating
Amritsar, May 9 Agha Shaukat Ali, Chairman of the PBCC, speaking to this correspondent here on Saturday, said the players, who were world champions, were dejected at the umpiring and infrastructure. He blamed umpires for partisan decisions. He said he had conveyed his team’s protest in writing to the referee and the management of the series. He claimed that partially blind players had been allowed to play from the Indian side. He said they had recorded all matches on video and would show these to the WBCC. He claimed that all matches were played on college grounds in Delhi, which were of international standard. He said on some grounds poles had been erected, which had injured two of their players. |
Sohail Abbas pulls out of Azlan Shah tourney
Mohammad Saqlain will lead the squad, which includes 12 players from the junior team, in the seven-nation tournament. Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Secretary Brig (retired) Musharratullah Khan told reporters that Sohail Abbas, presently busy with European league hockey, had decided against joining the camp and hence was not considered. Admitting Sohail had met him and the PHF President Tariq Kirmani last month and agreed to come out of retirement for the Azlan Shah Cup, Brig Khan said, ''In spite of being told to join the camp for a few days as a positive gesture, Sohail decided against it. He also refused to make public his comeback plans. These were the reasons why we did not include him in the squad.'' He also made it clear that the PHF had decided to consider a player for selection only if he appeared in the national training camp and trials. Talking about crowning Saqlain, who was dropped before Athens Olympics on disciplinary grounds, Khan said, ''He was penalised for something that he did and can't be punished for that offence again. He has changed his behaviour and we hope he would be a good captain.'' The squad:
Goalkeepers: Salman Akber, Nasir Ahmed; Fullbacks: Zeeshan Ashraf, Imran Warsi, Mohammad Imran; Midfielders: Adnan Maqsood, Mohammad Saqlain (captain), Dilawar Hussain, Imran Khan, Asim Khan; Forwards: Rehan Butt, Mudassar Ali Khan (vice-captain), Shakil Abbasi, Tariq Aziz, Shabbir Hussain, Adnan Zakir, Akhter Ali, Kashif Yaqoob, M. Khalid and Yasir Islam. Officials: Samiullah Khan (manager), Muhammad Shafiq (associate manager), Tahir Zaman (head coach), Asif Bajwa (coach); Reserves: Samiullah, Ehsanullah, Waqas Ahmed, Zeeshan, M. Ikhlaq, M. Iqbal, Sajjad Anwar, Rana Asif, Ishtiaq and M. Arif.
— UNI |
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Sudirman Cup: India face Wales today
Beijing, May 9 “We are confident of tomorrow’s match against Wales though our opponents are ranked higher,” the team’s Indonesian coach Hadi Sugiyanto told PTI on the sidelines of a practice session. “All team members are fully fit and confident. We have a good chance to win the first match against Wales,” he said. He also expressed satisfaction over the group India was in the Sudirman Cup. India was in Group 3B which also figures Wales, the United States and Scotland. Commenting on the Indian team’s prospects, President of the Badminton Association of India V. K. Verma said the main goal of the team was to at least retain their current ranking. “We don’t want to be relegated to lower levels in the international badminton scene,” said Verma, who was elected Vice-President of the International Badminton Federation (IBF) here yesterday. The nine-member Indian team consists of Anup Sridhar, Arvind Bhatt, Sanave Thomas, Rupesh Kumar, Jaseel Ismail, V. Diju, Trupti Murgunde, Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurien. Each tie in the championship comprises of men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles matches. The championship is played on an all-play-all basis.
— PTI |
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Vijay Singh bags title; Atwal tied 56th
Charlotte (USA), May 9 Atwal’s minor movement up was, however, hardly noticed as Fiji’s Vijay Singh ran down Sergio Garcia, then outlasted Garcia and Jim Furyk in a three-way playoff to win the title on the fourth hole of sudden death here. Garcia allowed a six-stroke lead to disappear in thin air and ended in a three-man play-off. Furyk, too, lost out after a great catch-up effort of 66 in the final round to finish in a three-way tie at 12-under 276. Vijay Singh, six behind Garcia at the start, shot a six-under 66, the same as Furyk, as the duo played some spectacular golf. Vijay needed only a par on the fourth play-off as Furyk went into the creek but then saw his fourth shot hit the flag and hurry onto the rough. Atwal seemed to be heading for a good final round, as he started with two birdies on the first and second and then added a third on the seventh. At three-under after the seventh hole, things looked bright for Atwal. Then he bogeyed the eighth but soon made up with a birdie on the 10th. Thereafter he just managed a bogey on 13th and parred the rest for a two-under 70 and a total of five-over 293 with rounds of 75, 73, 75 and 70. The tied 56th place gave him $ 13,260 and carried his total earnings to $ 636,508 for a 48th place on Money List on the US Tour. Only Ernie Els has more money in six starts than Atwal.
— PTI |
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Nadal rallies to clinch Rome crown
Rome, May 9 The battle yesterday lasted for five hours, 14 minutes, beating the 1979 final won by Vitas Gerulaitis over Guillermo Vilas, which ran four hours, 53 minutes. It was also the first time in tournament history that a tiebreak decided the fifth set in the final. “This was the best match of my career,” said an exhausted Nadal, who at just 18 is now the runaway favourite for the French Open which gets under way in Paris on May 23. “It was such a tough match, and so many things changed. I’m so happy to have won, it’s unbelievable.” The fifth seed looked down at out — blisters on his left hitting hand hampering his grip on his lethal racket — as he trailed 2004 French Open finalist Coria of Argentina by two breaks at 0-3 in the final set. But the fighting spirit that has propelled the teenager to three straight clay court titles — Monte Carlo over Coria a month ago, followed by his home event in Barcelona — prevailed. Nadal, who would reasonably be expected to pull out from this week’s Hamburg Masters in order to rest for the start of Roland Garros, will move tomorrow to within 10 points of Roger Federer in the ATP season race. The talented Spaniard is level with the Swiss world number one on five titles this season — all of Nadal’s coming on clay with two in February.
— AFP |
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Shooters win 2 gold medals
New Delhi, May 9 The team comprising Amanapreet Singh (581), Ronak Pandit (572) and Amit Kumar (564) claimed the gold medal in the same event with a score of 1717 out of a possible 1800, a National Rifle Association of India release said today. In the women’s air rifle event, Pooja Reddy won the bronze medal with a score of 495.2 in the finals. Her score in the qualifying round was 394. The men’s air rifle team comprising Navnath Fartade (581), Fulchand Bangar (585) and Sandeep Tarte (581) clinched the bronze medal with a total score 1751 out of a possible 1800.
— PTI |
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Ropar win junior football title
Sangrur, May 9 Ropar-Jalandhar final was easily one of the best matches of the tournament in which Ropar emerged winner by 5-4 during sudden death. The match started on a fast note with both the teams trying to take lead. Both the teams got many chances to score in the first half, but failed. The second half saw Amandeep Singh of Jalandhar scoring the first goal in 7th minute. Ropar team did not loose heart. They started attacking Jalandhar goal more relentlessly and equalising in 29th minute when Bahadur Singh scored a splendid goal. At the end of normal time the score was 1-1. Even after extra time both the teams failed to score. During tie breaker both the teams scored three goals each. It was only in the sudden death that Ropar manged to win 5-4. |
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Amarinder opens badminton hall
Sangrur, May 9 |
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Punjab throwers
dominate athletics meet
New Delhi, May 9 Neelam, also a Commonwealth Games silver medallist,did not improve upon her Asian Games record of 64.55m, as she threw the discus to a distance of 58.12m, but that was enough for her to claim the gold. Her team-mate Harwant Kaur finished second with an effort of 56.50m,while Haryana’s Krishna Punia bagged the bronze with 55.92m. Punjab opened their account with a gold in this meet as Jagdish Bishnoi won the men’s javelin event with a throw of 75.22m. Local challenger Sunil Goswami (74.10m) and Punjab’s Gurkirat Singh (73.71m) finished second and third, respectively.
— UNI
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Cross country race for children Ambala, May 9 An official said the Chief of the Army Staff had ordered establishing of sports training nodes for talented children having the potential to bring laurels for the country at New Delhi. The selected children will be provided lodging and boarding, excellent professional coaching in respective sports disciplines and school facilities free of cost. Today’s event was part of the process before the final selection at New Delhi in the last week of May and first week of June.
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Munish
stars in Patiala’s victory Patiala, May 9 Chasing the hosts’ first innings total of 287, the visitors were never in the reckoning as Munish Singla (7 for 12) spun them out for a paltry 54 in the first innings. The Ludhiana bastmen fared no better in their second essay as they folded up for 89 with Munish Singla once again bowling a tidy length to finish with 5 for 33. Brief scores: Patiala:
(1st innings): 287 all out (Perry Goel 61, Kunwar Raina 47, Amitoj 45, Jeewanjot Singh 37, Sanandeep Grewal 25 n.o, Gagandeep Dhand 7 for 97, Deepak Bansal 2 for 57). Ludhiana: (1st innings): 54 all out (Sakun Jindal 27, Munish Singla 7 for 12, Rajwinder Singh 2 for 17). Ludhiana: (2nd innings): 89 all out (Deepak Bansal 28, M. Singla 5 for 33, Rajwinder Singh 3 for 38).
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Army team win polo cup
Warsaw, May 9
The India Polo Cup was introduced in Poland by the Indian Ambassador Anil Wadhwa, after he was approached by the Polish Polo Association. Former Bollywood star Vinod Khanna, MP, on a visit to Warsaw, also attended the event. — UNI
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India win SAARC golf title Bhutia hospitalised Sachin’s wish Buchanan excited New F1 body
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Lahore, May 9
