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India lose to Germany
BCCI to introduce new ODI rules in
Dates of India’s major home cricket Inswingers main weapon of
R.P. Singh |
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BCCI raises umpires’ age limit
New Delhi, August 16 The examination for promotion of Ranji Panel Umpires to the All-India Panel will be held in the second week of September. Chairman of the Umpires’ Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India C.K. Khanna said here today that the age limit for the candidates appearing for the examination should be below 50 years.
England are playing superbly Cricket frenzy in England
Ponting fourth in ICC rankings
Randhawa heads panel
JCT Mills held to a draw
Indo-Pak
Punjab Games in Lahore from Dec 21 Yamuna House victorious
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India lose to Germany
Amstelveen, August 16 Coming into the match after a 1-0 defeat against Spain in their opener, India needed to pull off a win against the European powerhouse to remain in contention for a top place finish, but the usual story of chances going abegging meant another disappointment for the men in blue. India were slated to meet arch-rivals Pakistan in their last league match on Thursday. Germany, fielding quite a few youngsters in place of the tested ones in view of next month’s European Championship, still played like champions, scoring as early as in the fourth minute through Mitthias Witthaus and in the 48th minute by Niklas Meinert. For India, Kanwalpreet Singh scored via a penalty corner in the 41st minute. Even before the Indians could get into a groove, they got a rude awakening when the Germans exploited a loophole in the defence to go into the lead. Indian captain Dilip Tirkey, who clearly looked under pressure in the tournament so far, failed to trap the ball and sharp-shooter Watthaus’ angled shot from a half volley landed high in the Indian net. The early goal proved to be a wake-up call for the Indian strikers, who tried hard to regroup for the equaliser, but mistrappings and poor interceptions once again proved to be their bane. The Germans could have gone 2-0 up in the 18th minute, but the goal was disallowed since the ball came off the stick of Bimal Lakra. The Germans earned their first penalty corner 10 minutes from half time, but the Indian defence managed to thwart the fleet-footed rivals this time to ensure they went into the break trailing by just one goal. The second half was marked by some real shoddy display by the Indian forwards, with right winger Prabhjot Singh, star striker Gagan Ajit Singh and Deepak Thakur guilty of missing several gilt-edged chances. But credit must also be given to the German defence, especially their talented goalkeeper Christian Schulte, who came off with some good saves, but in the 41st minute, Kanwalpreet Singh slammed home with a neat shot from a penalty corner to have the score levelled at 1-1. The Germans, however, were not be reined in as they scored their second goal seven minutes later after forcing their second penalty corner. Meinert gently pushed in the ball from right to seal the fate for India.
— PTI |
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BCCI to introduce new ODI rules in domestic cricket
New Delhi, August 16 Addressing a press conference after the four-hour-long meeting yesterday, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Ranbir Singh Mahendra said, “The Working Committee today reviewed the new rules — including introduction of substitutes — proposed by the ICC and found them applicable to domestic cricket. We will introduce it to domestic cricket, both at the senior and junior levels.” The BCCI Technical Committee had met in Mumbai on Saturday and suggested introducing the new rules. Accordingly, the board also endorsed ICC experiment with the playing conditions and Mr Mahendra said the board would provide all the playing affiliated units with four light metres. The BCCI chief also announced that the Board had distributed 26 per cent of its gross income to the cricketers last year. “We handed over Rs 26 crore to the senior (Test) players, 21 crore to senior players in the domestic level and Rs 5 crore to the junior cricketers.” “I think this is the highest amount any board in the world ever gave to the players,” he claimed. He also informed that the Working Committee had approved the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the Indian cricket team, along with Pakistan, to act as official spokespersons for the International Year of Sports and Physical Education, which is being observed this year. “This honour was bestowed on us and Pakistan for our outstanding behaviour both on and off the field in 2004-05,” Mr Mahendra said. He also informed that BCCI would host the Afro-Asian under-19 cricket tournament in the country in November this year while an Australian under-19 team would visit the before the tournament. He also announced that a Zimbabwe President’s XI would play in this year’s Duleep Trophy. The Working Committee also approved the draft annual report and will forward it to the Annual General Body Meeting, scheduled in Kolkata on September 22 and 23. India’s international and domestic calendars were also approved in the meeting. The Working Committee approved India’s international calendar upto April 2006. Mr Mahendra said Amitabh Chowdhury of the Jharkhand Cricket Association would be the manager of the Indian team in the Zimbabwe tour. On unification of women’s cricket with the board, Mr Mahendra said the issue had been deferred again because the board was seeking feedbacks from other countries regarding the matter. He also announced that the Goa Cricket Association — which was suspended by the then BCCI President A.C. Muthaiah — would not be allotted international matches and would not be paid their money pending a new investigation into the issue. The BCCI also decided to form an Elite Panel of Referees to supervise matches in the senior domestic tournaments. The Working Committee also approved the Grounds and Wickets Committee proposal to visit venues of all domestic tournaments well in advance. BCCI Secretary S.K. Nair said the board President would soon form a committee which would finalise the issue of having a full media manager and the board’s website.
— UNI |
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Dates of India’s major home cricket series finalised
New Delhi, August 16 According to Indian cricket board sources, the first part of the split tour by Sri Lanka will be played between October 25 and November 12. The team would return to play the three Tests even before the South African side leaves
the country. “The dates of the one-day and Test series against Sri Lanka, the ODI series against South Africa and England’s tour of India have been finalised, but the venues are still to be determined,” a source in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said. India’s other engagements in the 2005-06 season involves the tour to Pakistan for a Test and ODI series, besides the Asia Cup, a home series against England immediately after the Asia Cup and a tour of the West Indies, comprising five Tests and seven ODIs, the source said. The five one-day internationals against South Africa will be played at Mumbai (November 17), New Delhi (November 20), Kolkata (November 23), Chennai (November 26) and Bangalore (November 29). India will tour Pakistan for three Tests and five ODIs, from January 2 to February 11, and the Asia Cup, also in Pakistan, from February 14 to 28. “The dates for the seven one-day internationals against Sri Lanka are: October 25, October 28, October 31, November 3, November 6, November 9 and November 12,” said the official. The Sri Lankans will then return home and be back in India within 13 days for the Test series. “The Sri Lankans will play a three-day game - most probably from against either the BCCI Board President’s XI or the Ranji Trophy champions Railways November 26 to 28 while the Tests will be played from December 2 to 6, December 10 to 14 and December 18 to 22,” the source said. “The venues are yet to be finalised, but they will be allotted as per the rotation policy of the board,” he added. The itinerary of India’s tour to Pakistan is being negotiated between the two boards. The Jagmohan Dalmiya-headed Asian Cricket Council will finalise the Asia Cup fixtures. The dates of the home series against England have also been finalised, but the venues are yet to be chosen as the BCCI is still in talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over the issue. England begin their 57-day tour with two three-day side matches, to be played from February 25 to 27 and from March 2 to 4. “The three Tests will be played between March 8 and 12, March 16 and 20 and March 25 and 29,” said the BCCI official. “It will play a warm-up limited-overs game April 1 before the ODI series. The one-day internationals will be played on April 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19 and 22.” “The itinerary of India’s tour of the West Indies is also yet to be finalised, but it has been confirmed there will be five Tests and seven one-day internationals besides a few warm-up matches.”
— IANS |
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Inswingers main weapon of R.P. Singh
Lucknow, August 16 The 19-year old lanky pacer from Uttar Pradesh, selected in the Indian team for the upcoming tri-nation ODI series in Zimbabwe, is confident of performing well, specially after his 42-day training stint in Australia. Rudra Pratap, the latest left-arm swing bowler to hit the national scene after Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Irfan Pathan, like his peers, depends more on swing than speed. He is further honing skills for sharper inswingers. ‘’My main weapon will be inswingers,’’ an unassuming Rudra said. ‘’I will have the opportunity to learn a lot from my seniors, most of them happen to be left-arm pacers like me,’’ the new teenage protege from Gomtinagar Cricket Hostel here said in an interview. ‘’All of them are very good bowlers and their advice will be most useful to me.’’ He said the outswing with an angle was always difficult for even the best of the batsmen, but the sharp inswinger was equally lethal weapon in any pace bowler’s armoury. Rudra Pratap, who was the highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy last season, had been a consistent performer in Indian under-19 team. Though a safe batsman, who on several occasions, had played in the middle order in under-19 and Ranji Trophy matches, the youngster felt he was a bowler first, but useful contribution from the bat would be required to fit into the ODI side. Praising Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, Rudra said he had played under both of them in the Challenger Trophy and found them amazingly cooperative and inspirational in their technique and attitude. ‘’It is my good fortune that I will be playing with them,’’ he said. Seeking to play down the hype that he replaced players like Zaheer Khan and to Balaji, he said such things did not matter for a new player like him. ‘’I have to play upto the expectations of the selectors and the cricket fraternity in the state.’’ — UNI
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BCCI raises umpires’ age limit
New Delhi, August 16 He said it had been decided to raise the upper age limit for umpires from 45 to 50 years, as recommended earlier, on account of there being no exam for the All-India Panel for the last 10 years. Mr Khanna said the BCCI Working Committee, which met here yesterday, also ratified the decision of the Umpires’ Committee that any umpire attaining the age of 55 years on September 1 the year in question, would be liable for retirement. “If any umpire attains the age of 55 years after September 1, he will be allowed to officiate as an umpire in
that particular season”, Mr Khanna added. Mr Khanna said it had also been decided that from the 2005-2006 cricket season, the umpires would be paid Rs 600 for three-day matches and Rs 400 for one-day matches to cover the travel expenses,
airport/station transfer, transportation costs from hotel to the match venue, in addition to their regular umpiring fees. |
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Bulawayo, August 16 Opener Lou Vincent’s 92 and captain Stephen Fleming’s 65 were the other main contributions in New Zealand’s batting performance.
Fleming and Vincent cruised through a morning session before both fell within six overs after lunch.
Fleming became the first New Zealander to reach 6,000 Test runs while sharing a third-wicket stand of 137 with Vincent. Fleming went into the match 15 runs shy of the milestone, which he passed with a classy on-drive off Streak in the ninth over of the day. Fleming played forward indecisively to a delivery from medium pacer Blessing Mahwire and was caught behind by wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu, after hitting 13 fours in his 65. Heath Streak, Blessing Mahwire and Keith Dabengwa took two wickets each. Scoreboard Zimbabwe (1st innings) 231 New Zealand (1st innings) Marshall c Carlisle Vincent b Streak 92 Marshall run out 13 Fleming c Taibu Astle not out 116 Styris c Taibu McCullum c Taylor Vettori c Taibu Franklin not out 9 Extras
(b-6, lb-6, Total
(for 7 wickets,100 overs) 454 Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-48, 3-185, 4-205, 5-292, 6-346, 7-439. Bowling:
Streak 16-3-62-2, Mahwire 20-1-102-2, Mpofu 15-1-80-0, Cremer 24-1-111-0, Dabengwa 25-2-87-2.
— Reuters
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England are playing superbly
It’s been a long, hard fortnight for us, but somehow, the 24 balls McGrath and Lee faced seemed to last longer than an eternity! It’s rare to have two games that are so closely fought, and when I got out with four overs to go, my first thought was “game over”.
Passing McGrath on my way to the dressing room did not make me feel much better. I just sat in a corner away from the TV, with my fingers firmly crossed, and prayed. I could not forgive myself for not being there to shield the tail at the end, and I was really hurting. On the balcony, none of the other guys moved except for Gillespie, who was keeping count of the balls left in the game. Looking at replays of those last four overs, I feel that Glenn McGrath looked pretty solid and calm for the nine balls he faced. Both Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff were bowling fast and reversing the ball prodigiously. When Lee fended off a full toss, there was cheer on our balcony that sounded even louder because of the silence that engulfed the stadium. Rarely do you see us celebrate a draw, but we knew this was the best result for us. As we go into a break before Trent Bridge, I will be the first to admit that we have been thoroughly outplayed in the last two Tests. However, it is heartening that we almost won one Test and scratched out a draw in the next, even though England are playing their best cricket and we are not. This gap in the itinerary is crucial for us. While our batting has attracted a lot of criticism – rightly so since we have not capitalised on good tracks – our fielding and bowling are also not up to speed. Our fielding was disastrous on the first day, and it was because of the seven chances we dropped that we fell behind. Neither has our bowling been at its best with Gillespie not yet finding his rhythm and McGrath and Lee both coming back from injuries. To make matters worse, the rub of the green is also going against us. For instance, Damien Martyn’s dismissal was pretty ordinary, and that error could have changed the result for us. Personally, this knock will always be special for me because it came in a very high-pressure situation. I know experts will attribute my determination to the fact that I am captain, but I responded to the situation as a batsman. I played my natural game and aimed at being there till the end. I still feel a stab of disappointment about not being there at the end, but that’s cricket. This Test will also be special for Warne who had a marvellous all-round game, and McGrath, who made an unbelievable recovery to be fit for this Test. I am convinced we just need one day of good, hard Test cricket to get back our grip on this series. The scoreline is 1-1 with everything to play for.
— Gameplan |
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Cricket frenzy in England
London, August 16 The centuries-old game is enjoying a massive revival thanks to the heroics of England captain Michael Vaughan and his team-mates who are battling to beat the Australians in an Ashes series for the first time in nearly 20 years. Even the start of England’s treasured football Premiership over the weekend failed to trim columns of press commentary on what is being billed as the most exciting Ashes Test in living memory. — AFP
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Ponting fourth in ICC rankings
London, August 16 Jacques Kallis leads batting ratings, followed by Brian Lara and Rahul Dravid. The top three bowlers are Glenn McGrath, Mutthiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.
— PTI |
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Randhawa heads panel
New Delhi, August 16 The committee, comprising outstanding sportspersons and coaches, including three Dronacharyas —athletic coach Joginder Singh Saini, football ace Syed Nayeemuddin and wrestling coach Bal Bhagawat — will meet on August 18 to finalise the winners. The other members in the selection panel are former national badminton champion Vimal Kumar, hockey Olympian Thoiba Singh, former Asian Games gold medallist in athletics M.D. Valsamma, chess champion Raghunandan V. Gokhale, veteran sports administrator and former Executive Director (Team’s Wing), Sports Authority of India, P.P. Mathai, hoopster Ajmer Singh, Ramesh Tikaram, SAI Director-General Rattan P. Wattal, and representatives of the Sports Ministry and the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board. The brief of the committee is to select the coaches who fit the bill — that those who have produced outstanding sportspersons in the three years preceding 2004. The Arjuna, Rajeev Gandhi Khel Ratna and Dhyan Chand Awards selection panel is headed by cue sports world champion Geet Sethi. |
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JCT Mills held to a draw
Chandigarh, August 16 JCT Mills did get some good opportunities but on three occasions Baldeep Singh missed the target. Thereafter, the mill men again had a chance to take the lead but Surjit Singh failed to capitalize on the chance. The match between Punjab State Electricity Board and Mahilpur FC played at Mahilpur on Sunday ended in a 1-1 draw. PSEB forged ahead in the 25th minute when Gurpreet headed the ball home off a cross by Harjinder. However, Mahilpur FC were quick to restore parity as a cross by Satwinder from the right was headed in by an alert Balwant (1-1). On August 18, BSF will meet Punjab Police at Jalandhar. |
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Indo-Pak Punjab Games in Lahore from Dec 21 Chandigarh, August 16 Emerging out of the meeting of games organising committee and executive board, Sodhi said the meetings took several decisions for the benefit of sportspersons. He said the 2006 Indo-Pak Punjab Games would be held in Jalandhar. Punjab Olympic Association Secretary General Raja Sidhu said the new disciplines that were added in the second edition of the games by the hosts were boxing, football, judo, lawn tennis, table tennis, weightlifting, and bridge. — PTI
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Yamuna House victorious Pinjore, August 16 The third position went to Ganga House by defeating Jhelum House, the score of 27-12. Sagar Mathur scored 12 points for the winners and Abhishek scored 4 points for the losers. A group dance and song competitions were also held on this occasion.
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