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Pak denies visas to Indian boxers
Germany, Argentina enter semis
Symonds banned for breaching team rules
Mongia shines in win; Ganguly’s team loses
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Tsunami relief match today
Expectant father Hewitt focused on title tilt
Sania unfazed by ankle injury
Safin ventures into personal chamber of horrors
Sasikiran draws
95-year-old ‘emulates’ Asafa Powell
Rohru stadium
to be rebuilt
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Pak denies visas to Indian boxers
New Delhi, June 19 India had announced a 14-member contingent, including 11 boxers, for the event and the team was scheduled to leave for Karachi yesterday. “Our team was scheduled to leave for Pakistan yesterday. They (boxers) could not go because of visa problems. And we were not even given a reason for that,” sources in the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation said here today. The sources, however, said they were in touch with the Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) and were hopeful that the players could get the necessary clearance and make it to Karachi before the start of the competition. “We are in touch with PBF officials. They have promised us that we would get visas by tomorrow morning,” they said. “They will also include the names of our boxers in the draws, which will be taken out tomorrow morning. So they should be able to play from Tuesday”. This was not the first time that Indian sportspersons had problems in getting visas to go and play in Pakistan. The Indian hockey team which toured Pakistan for a four-match Test series last year were issued visas at the eleventh hour while the journalists, who were to travel with the team to cover the series, were denied visas. Ever since the archrivals resumed bilateral sporting ties with the historic cricket series in 2004, Pakistan had hosted Indian snooker and football teams and a big contingent had travelled to Islamabad for the SAF Games. ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Boxing Federation Chairman Anwar Chowdhary lambasted the country’s Interior Ministry for its lethargic attitude and double standards for denying visas to Indian boxers. “India and Chinese Taipei were keen to contest the event, but they could not get the visas due to lethargic attitude of our Interior Ministry,” Chowdhry was quoted as saying. He also accused ministry officials of showing double standards as players from these countries had been visiting Pakistan for various other tournaments. “While athletes and officials from India and Chinese Taipei are allowed to participate in other sports events on Pakistan’s soil, boxers have been denied clearance from the ministry,” he said, referring to cricket, hockey, football, snooker, golf, wrestling and other sports competitions recently played in Pakistan. If India and Chinese Taipei were not allowed to participate in the six-day mega event, only 19 teams would be seen in action here. They are Afghanistan, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and hosts Pakistan.
— PTI |
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Germany, Argentina enter semis
Frankfurt, June 19 In the other Group A game, Argentina topped Australia 4-2 on three goals by Luciano Figueroa and a first-half penalty by Juan Riquelme. John Aloisi scored both for Australia, giving him four to lead the tournament. With six points each, Germany and Argentina play on Tuesday in Nuremberg in the final group game. The winner of the group will probably avoid Brazil in the semifinals, which is the favorite in Group B. If the game is a draw, Germany will top the group because it has a better goal difference. The South Americans wasted no time taking control in their match in Nuremberg. Argentina went ahead in the 12th minute on Figueroa’s goal off a series of well-worked passes around the area. Riquelme converted a 32nd-minute penalty to make to 2-0. Singapore referee Shamsul Maidin made the call when Lucas Neill brought down Javier Saviola on the right side of the box. Figueroa, who plays for Spanish club team Villarreal, broke through again in the 53rd minute, swivelling from 14 metres and driving a left-footed shot behind goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. After John Aloisi made it 3-2, Figueroa got his third in the 89th minute, chipping home from close range. Figueroa is one of the several strikers bidding to play for Argentina, the only South American team to qualify so far for the World Cup.
— AP |
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Symonds banned for breaching team rules
Bristol, June 19 Cricket Australia said the ban, for breaching “expected team behaviour”, would include yesterday’s match as well as today’s fixture against England. The fine amounted to around $ 6,000. It was then suggested he was struggling with flu before reporters were told the player had been axed for breaching team rules but no more details were given. A team statement said Symonds had been “out later than was appropriate for a player preparing to play in an international cricket match”. Captain Ricky Ponting said: “I’m very disappointed with what has happened, as is Andrew. He is aware he has let the team and the fans down but especially himself.” Ponting said the episode had been “an unwanted distraction” and that Symonds had apologised directly to his team-mates. He had said: “I know it was wrong and I’m very embarrassed.” Reports in the Australian media have said that Symonds went out for a meal with his team-mates on Friday to celebrate Shane Watson’s birthday but he then went out again and did not return until around 4.30 in the morning, looking worse for wear in the team hotel the next morning. The 30-year-old Queenslander has played 116 one-dayers, averaging 35.67. The highlight of his career was an innings of 143 against Pakistan during the 2003 World Cup.
— Reuters |
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Mongia shines in win; Ganguly’s team loses
London, June 19 Required to score just 141 to win, Worcestershire were bowled out for 128, after being relatively safe at 95 for four at one stage. Mongia, who contributed 66 in Leicestershire’s first innings score of 225 and 36 in the second innings, took two vital wickets after Ottis Gibson and Stuard Broad captured three wickets each. Gibson’s prey included Steven Davies, who hit his own wicket on 49. He actually trod on his own stumps as he stepped back to pull a short-pitched delivery. That wicket opened the floodgates as Broad and Mongia ripped through the lower order. Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, despite producing an unbeaten 84 in Glamorgan’s second innings score of 256 for three declared, ended up on the losing side. In the Frizzell County Championship First Division match at Southgate, Middlesex produced an astonishing run chase to consign Glamorgan to their seventh championship defeat. Glamorgan declared their second innings on 256 for three, leaving Middlesex to score a highly improbable 406 from 80 overs. But with Ed Smith and Owais Shah hitting centuries, and Ed Joyce adding a rapid unbeaten 70, Middlesex somehow got home with 13 balls to spare. Irfan Pathan was four not out. In another First Division match, Minal Patel, a left-arm spinner of Indian origin, wheeled away destructively to finish with a fine six for 53 as he propelled Kent to an innings and 164 runs victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston last evening.
— PTI |
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Tsunami relief match today
London, June 19 Besides the two leading Indian cricketers, most of the players in Asian XI, including Mohammed Kaif, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan would be playing in their first Twenty20 match ever. Dravid would lead Asian XI, that also includes Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan as Brian Lara would be in charge of the other team that has the likes of Stephen Fleming, Graeme Smith and Shane Warne. Teams: Asia XI:
Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Mohammad Kaif, Anil Kumble, Muttiah Muralitharan, Irfan Pathan, Kumar Sangakkara (wicketkeeper), Harbhajan Singh and Chaminda Vaas International XI:
Brian Lara (captain), Graeme Smith, Stephen Fleming, Chris Cairns, Andy Flower (wicketkeeper), Adam Hollioake, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Heath Streak, Dominic Thornely, Shane Warne.
— PTI |
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Expectant father Hewitt focused on title tilt
London, June 19 If the Australian needed any motivation to get his competitive juices flowing, he received it from the All-England Club when it decided to demote the world number two and 2002 champion to third in the seedings. The move has left him on a possible collision course with world number one and title favourite Roger Federer in the semifinals, one round earlier than he would have liked. Hewitt, though, has always thrived on adversity. Having lost to the Swiss in all of their last seven meetings, Hewitt is aware that he will have to use every moment on court during the first week to get himself mentally prepared for the tests which lie ahead in the latter stages of the grasscourt tournament. “The first week is just a survival week really,” said the Australian. “You cannot win the tournament in the first week of a slam, but you can definitely lose it”. “So you have got to go out there and get through your matches. Even if you are not hitting the ball well, you have still got to find a way to win”. “The second week is where it gets to the business end and that is where you want to play your best tennis because you are going to be coming up against the likes of Federer.” Reports say Hewitt is set to marry soap actress Bec Cartwright in Sydney on July 21, four months before the arrival of their baby. Before the twice Grand Slam champion becomes obsessed with sharing every waking moment with his offspring, he will do well to spend a little time reading the record books if he wants to increase his major silverware collection. His fellow Australian, Evonne Goolagong, made history when she became the first mother in the Open era to win Wimbledon in 1980. Since that date, only eight men have managed to capture a Grand Slam title after experiencing the joys of parenthood. “(Fatherhood) changes (your) life dramatically,” warned Boris Becker, who won the 1996 Australian Open after the birth of his first son Noah. “It will be more difficult to focus on one thing alone because your main focus is for your child and your wife, and tennis becomes secondary. That is a fact.” If the record books are to be believed, Hewitt may have only two more realistic chances — at Wimbledon and at the US Open in September — of landing a grand slam title before off-court distractions take over his life. While it is hard to imagine the 24-year-old swapping his trademark fist pumps and reverberating cries of ‘come on’ for regular nappy changing duties, there is no doubting that the often hot-headed Australian appears to have mellowed in recent months. “I am very happy with everything off the court, it makes it a lot easier for me to go out there and train and play well and enjoy my tennis in a lot of ways as well,” said the former world number one, who had recorded a cameo appearance in his fiancee’s television show ‘Home and Away’. After going through a lean patch in 2003 — including becoming the first defending men’s champion since the sport turned professional in 1968 to stumble in the opening round at Wimbledon — Hewitt has enjoyed a resurgence. He reached the finals of both of the last two majors he competed in, finishing runner-up to Federer at the 2004 US Open and to Marat Safin at Melbourne Park in January. A fractured rib reduced him to a spectator’s role during the French Open and he was now eager to get back into the Grand Slam winner’s circle for the first time since his 2002 Wimbledon triumph. “To sit back (during) the French Open has been probably the most frustrating because recently my Grand Slam record has been pretty good. Then again, there was not a lot I could do about it,” he said. “But I have been looking forward to Wimbledon for a while, it is one of my favourite times of the year”. “As soon as I got here, I have been trying to get my body in as good a shape as possible to be able to compete day in, day out. I am pretty focused on what I have got to do.”
— Reuters |
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Sania unfazed by ankle injury
The teenager had made a great start to the year, reaching the third round at the Australian Open, before the injury troubled her in several tournaments and she struggled to live up to the expectations of tennis lovers. “The ankle is actually fine. It’s not been bothering me. I’ve been strengthening it for the past few weeks so it’s been fine,” Sania said. “It’s just a question of getting match-fit, I guess. Otherwise I’m feeling good and able to hit all my shots. It’s not really a worry, no.” Sania said she was not pinning too much hopes on her performance at the Wimbledon, where she would be playing for the first time at the senior level. “It’s my first Wimbledon and there are hopefully many more to come. I just want to go out there and give my best and give whatever I have. “It’s my third Grand Slam of the year and obviously there is no pressure on me to win so I just want to go out there and give my best in the first match,” she told Zee Sports in an interview. The girl from Hyderabad said she was quite satisfied with her performance in the run-up to the Grand Slam. “It’s pretty good, I had a good match the other day (in the Tier-II meet in Eastbourne), just bad luck that I had five match points and just couldn’t convert any one of them. “But I am just coming back after an injury so I’m feeling good. I like the grass and I’m playing alright, hopefully things will workout at Wimbledon.” Sania, ranked 72 in the world, is drawn to play Akiko Morigami of Japan in the first round of the event. “I have been going there (Wimbledon) for the past four years. I’ve been playing juniors, having won the junior doubles in 2003. “I like playing on grass, I like playing on fast surfaces. I’m just looking forward to it because it’s my first women’s singles over there and I want to see how I fare. “It’s been a great year for me. I started off pretty well from January from the Australian Open. I hope things go the same way.” On crowd expectations back home, Sania said her fans were probably expecting too much from her. “There is a lot of pressure and there are a lot of expectations. Probably they expect much more than what I can really do,” she said. “But when you achieve something and you are one of the very few to achieve from that country, I guess you have to go through that pressure. “I just want to go out there and give my best, as long as I know I am giving my 120 per cent every time I walk out on court, I don’t think winning and losing is that important.” But at the same time she asked her fans to support her. “Don’t expect me to win every match that I play but I need your support. I definitely need all your support and all your prayers.” The Indian, who was knocked out in the first round of the French Open, said she preferred grass over claycourts. “Well, actually a lot of clay is only in Europe. Clay is not one of my favourite surfaces obviously. But I try and play more tournaments on hard surfaces. “We play on hard courts almost throughout the year, except that period before the French Open. Playing on grass is easier for me than playing on clay, so I guess I’m looking forward to it.”
— PTI |
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Safin ventures into personal chamber of horrors
London, June 19 Only a quarterfinal run in 2001, when he lost to eventual champion Goran Ivanisevic, offered any evidence that the combustible Russian had come to terms with the surface. After losing his head, and the match, against Tommy Robredo in the fourth round of the French Open recently, Safin looked about as enthusiastic as a man facing root-canal treatment when asked about the looming grasscourt Grand Slam. “Not many players can play on it (grass). You can try, you can have a good draw,” said the deep-thinking resident of Monte Carlo. “When you do not play a grasscourt specialist, it can look like you can play tennis, but when you are playing somebody good on grass, it is tough”. “It is a mental problem for me, every time I go on grass I cannot move, I feel like I am going to fall over every single time. The bounces are too low, bad bounces, it is raining all the time. You know, the whole thing makes me go nuts”. “There are only a few people who can play on this thing, and I am not one of them”. Strange then that less than a fortnight later, the Russian reached the final, on grass, in Halle, where only world number one Roger Federer, unbeatable on the surface for more than two years, stopped him. In a sport crying out
for colourful personalities, Safin fits the bill perfectly. Not only does the 25-year-old boast one of the most eye-catching styles in the sport — a huge serve and effortless power off the ground — his expressive body language, penchant for racket smashing and glamour-model entourage make him compulsive viewing. Whatever he might say about grass, there is something about the twinkle in his eye that gives the impression that he is fascinated by the unconventional challenge it represents. His performance in Halle even suggested that he might arrive at Wimbledon with slightly higher expectations than he would like to admit. “That was my best match ever on grass, I do not know the last time I played such great tennis,” Safin said after his narrow defeat by Federer in Halle. “I hope to do well at Wimbledon, you have to have belief in yourself on grass. I played the best player in the world and I came close to beating him.” Should his knee hold out — he has a niggling injury that requires
surgery — and if he survives a tough-looking early draw, Safin may get another crack at
Federer in the quarterfinals. If that proves the case, the burly Russian may well have exorcised his grasscourt demons for good.
— Reuters |
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Sasikiran draws
Paks (Hungary), June 19 With his fifth draw in six games played so far, Sasikiran improved his tournament situation a little as Grandmaster Zoltan Almasi of Hungary outplayed top seed Emil Sutovsky of Israel to join Korchnoi in lead on 4.5 points. With four rounds still remaining in the category-15 double round-robin event, Sasikiran moved to the third spot along with Sutovsky on 2.5 points while the other two Hungarian participants Ferenc Berkes and Peter Acs drew amongst themselves to remain at the bottom of the table with two points each. Sasikiran is almost out of the title race now but in the sixth round he raised visions of a better finish after troubling Korchnoi a great deal with black pieces. The 74-year-old legend, who was a world championship contender before Sasikiran was born, started off with the English opening and could get nowhere as Sasikiran neutralised white’s initiative with well-crafted manoeuvres leading to a dynamically balanced middle game. Sacrificing a pawn as early as on move 12 and recovering it back five moves later, Sasikiran ensured that white only had to defend for the remaining part of the game as Korchnoi had a wrecked pawn structure on the queenside. With perfect deployment of pieces, Sasikiran knocked down one pawn on the queenside and the game soon drifted to an endgame with same side pawns.
— PTI |
Goosen emerges sole leader
Pinehurst, June 19 The defending champion, who also clinched the 2001 title at Southern Hills, has triumphed four times in five attempts on the PGA Tour after leading or holding a share of the lead after 54 holes. American qualifiers Olin Browne and Jason Gore were tied for second at level par (210), with New Zealander Michael Campbell, another qualifier, and Australia’s Mark Hensby a further shot back in a share of fourth. David Toms, the 2001 US PGA champion, was five strokes adrift at two-over 212 while US Masters winner Tiger Woods, bidding for his 10th career major, was six off the pace. “I suppose I have a good chance,” Goosen told reporters after forging ahead with three birdies in his last five holes, taking his aggregate after the third round to 207.
— Reuters |
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95-year-old ‘emulates’ Asafa Powell
Tokyo, June 19 After being informed of his achievement, Haraguchi beamed: “Oh dear, really? Thank you very much.” Five years ago, Haraguchi set a world record for the 90-94 age bracket with a time of 18.08. After rewriting the record books again, Haraguchi modestly said he had just tried to concentrate on not falling over. “Everyone was cheering me on so I kept thinking I mustn’t fall over,” he told reporters. “From now on, I will keep going as hard as my strength lets me.” Haraguchi took up athletics at the age of 65 to keep fit and said the secret of his success was a one-hour walk every morning around his neighbourhood. The organisers said they would apply for official recognition of the record from the World Masters Athletics. The body administers athletics events for women aged at least 35 and men not less than 40.
— Reuters, AFP |
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Rohru stadium
to be rebuilt
Shimla, June 19 Speaking at the closing ceremony of the tournament at Rohru, he said infrastructure facilities for cricket were being created in rural areas. The Chief Minister said the Rohru cricket stadium would be rebuilt in accordance with international standards, adding that other infrastructure facilities would be provided in the town. He said volleyball had been declared the state game since it required minimum space. |
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New Delhi, June 19
