Sydney, September 28
Former India coach John Wright, who has been has accused by his successor Greg Chappell of being soft in his handling of the team in the sensational e-mail to the BCCI, today slammed the former Australian captain for meddling in selection matters and throwing himself in such a situation so early in his tenure.

“Greg has only been in the job five months and at the moment it doesn’t look like (he and Ganguly) would go on holiday together,” said Wright, who served Indian cricket for almost five years.

“It looks like they’re having some teething problems at the moment and it will be interesting to see how it goes,” the former New Zealand skipper told ‘The Age’ in Melbourne where he is coaching the Rest of the World team for the Super Series against Australia.

“I always looked at it this way — the team was selected for me, whoever that was, with a captain, with a player. You didn’t get a vote on selection but my job was to ensure that as coach they were prepared and performed to the best of their ability,” he said, indirectly taking a swipe at Chappell’s observation that Indian captain as well as some of the players did not deserve to be in the team.

“It was almost like performance coaching and I hope we made some progress over the four years I was there.”

However, Wright said he hoped Chappell would succeed in taking the Indian team “a little bit further”.

“In any team situation there are always issues — sometimes personal, sometimes performance. You want Greg to come on and hopefully he’ll take it that little bit further,” the former New Zealand player said.

“He’ll obviously do it in his own style and that may be different from the methods I used. It’s a process,” he said.

Wright was speaking after an uneasy truce was brokered between Chappell and Ganguly following an unsavoury slanging match.

The New Zealander also said that during his stint there were times when his opinion was not always appreciated by the players.

“I’ve always tried to be very honest with the players (and) at times the players don’t appreciate that,” said Wright who helped India win series against Australia and Pakistan as also a final berth in the 2003 World Cup.

Wright said Indians were an extremely passionate lot when it came to cricket and that made coaching a challenging job.

“It’s a challenging job, a very passionate environment and all sorts of issues can arise, sometimes from nowhere.” — PTI

Hoshiarpur, September 28
Either Saurav Ganguly or Greg Chappell should have been shown the door to solve the controversy in Indian cricket as efforts of the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) to set things right by a compromise is not a permanent solution, claimed former Union Sports Minister and Punjab Olympic Association (POA) President Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.

Mr Dhindsa said Harbhajan Singh joining the issue was in bad taste. The patch-up would fail to bridge the gap between the captain and the coach, he added.

Melbourne, September 28
A long Ashes campaign that ended in a demoralising defeat for Australia has not diminished captain Ricky Ponting’s love for cricket.

“It feels like it’s been too long (since we last played),” Ponting said today, one week away from the first of three limited-overs matches in Melbourne against a World XI side.

“After the disappointments of our last tour we’ve come back and all copped a bit over the last few weeks. Cricket is our way to be able to show everybody that we are very good players.”

The October 5 opener at Telstra Dome in Melbourne comes just 23 days after England reclaimed the Ashes for the first time in 16 years with a 2-1 win over Australia in the five-Test series.

England batting and bowling hero Andrew Flintoff will be a key member of the World XI team for the limited-overs matches in Melbourne and the six-day Test in Sydney from October 14.

Flintoff will be joined by countrymen Kevin Pietersen for the one-dayers and Steve Harmison for the Test.

Ponting said it might be time for Australia to employ specialist bowling or batting coaches.

“At different times during the Ashes tour we felt that we probably needed another set of hands on deck to help us out with different things and maybe a bit more expertise in different fields as well,” he said.

Most of the World XI players, including one-day captain Shaun Pollock of South Africa, will arrive in Melbourne tomorrow. — AP 

Dubai, September 28
Refusing to under-estimate the Australian side which lost the Ashes to England, world’s number one batsman and allrounder in ICC Test rankings Jacque Kallis cautioned World XI against a Aussie backlash Down Under. “Australia may have lost the Ashes series in England, but I am certain they will be a totally different side at home,’’ Kallis said here today.

“They are a proud nation that I still feel are the number one side in the world. They know the conditions, will have the crowds on their side and it all adds up to a stiff test for us,’’ the burly South African added.

He said it would initially be difficult for the World XI players to gel as a unit, but expressed optimism that it would happen.

“It will take a while for us to gel and get to know each other like a bunch of players that play together all the time, but I am sure it will happen,’’ the South African was quoted as saying. “We have all played against each other often enough in the past and there is a good feeling around the squad already, so I am sure it will not be much of a problem,’’ he added.

Kallis also supported the concept of the top team in the ICC Test and one-day championship ladders, in this case Australia, going head-to-head against the best players from the rest of the world.

“I am really looking forward to these matches and it is a privilege to have been selected,’’ he said. He added, “From a player’s point of view, these are the matches you want to be involved in.’’

He said he would try to achieve in these matches what he could not for his national team. “I have some great memories of playing there as an individual, but things have not gone well for me there from a team point of view. It will be great if I can put that right as part of this ICC World XI,’’ he said. — UNI

Dubai, September 28
Following the eventual nod from Inzamam ul-Haq, International Cricket Council has confirmed the Pakistan captain’s participation in the ICC Super Series in Australia beginning on October 5.

ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said he had spoken to Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan to clarify the situation and after the conversation he was able to confirm the player’s availability.

“Mr Khan told me he had spoken to Inzamam and explained there had been a genuine misunderstanding within the PCB over the player’s availability and selection for the Johnnie Walker Super Series,” Speed said.

“Mr Khan has assured me Inzamam is not only available for the Test match but he is very much looking forward to it and is excited and honoured to be part of the squad,” he said.

Inzamam, who is a replacement for Sachin Tendulkar in the World XI Test squad, was threatening to withdraw for not being included in the ODI squad but retracted his statement after he met Shaharyar Khan yesterday morning. — PTI

New Delhi, September 28
Wicketkeeper Dinesh Kaarthick remains the only Indian in the hunt for an ICC award as cricket’s global governing body today pruned the list of nominees for next month’s ICC awards, with Australians dominating the list.

Kaarthick was shortlisted with four others in the Emerging Player of the Year category, but his chances were quite slim because he had to fight with, among others, England’s Ashes hero Kevin Pietersen.

Last year, India dominated the awards, with Rahul Dravid winning both the Player of the Year and the Test Player of the Year awards and Irfan Pathan being adjudged the Emerging Player of the Year.

Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was the only player who had been shortlisted in three individual categories — One-Day International Player of the Year, Test Player of the Year and Player of the Year.

Apart from Gilchrist, Andrew Flintoff, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Jacques Kallis and Glenn McGrath were in the fray for the biggest award — Player of the Year.

The shortlisted nominees were announced here today after a 50-member Voting Academy cast votes for players nominated by the selection panel chaired by Sunil Gavaskar.

The awards would be given at a star-studded programme in Sydney on October 11.

Nominations: Emerging Player of the Year: Aftab Ahmed (Bangladesh), Ian Bell (England), Dinesh Kaarthick (India), Kevin Pietersen (England), AB De Villiers (South Africa); ODI Player of the Year: Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen (England), Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds (Australia).

Test Player of the Year: Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne (Australia), Inzamam-ul Haq (Pakistan), Jacques Kallis (South Africa); Player of the Year : Andrew Flintoff (England), Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath (Australia), Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan), Jacques Kallis (South Africa) — UNI

Bridgetown, September 28
West Indies cricket coach Bennett King says he’s impressed with his squad’s fitness level as it prepares to face Australia next month.

Addressing reporters at the start of a week-long training camp in Bridgetown, King said several players were in much better shape than when he took over the squad in November.

“A lot of the people have improved their fitness from when we started, which is very encouraging,” the Australian said.

He added that some players “still have a little way to go, but some of them are at a level where they just need to maintain it”.

The West Indies will tour Australia in October and November for three Test matches. The tour follows the West Indies’ July-August tour of Sri Lanka, in which the below-strength side lost both Test matches and failed to reach the finals of the triangular one-day series against Sri Lanka and India.

King said his goals for the series against the world’s top-ranked team were modest.

“If the boys show a committed and courageous performance trying to incorporate consistency in there as well, these are the things I want to see,” King said. — AP

New Delhi, September 28
Leg-spinner Anil Kumble said here today that he would look forward to capturing 500 Test wickets this season. Unveiling the names of players in the final short list of the ICC awards, Kumble said he would like to concentrate on the coming series than setting long-term goals.

He refused to answer anything connected with the recent happenings in Indian cricket and expressed his disappointment at not figuring in the list.

He said he expected more players from India, other than Dinesh Kaarthick, to figure in the short list, though he conceded that India did not play too many matches last season and did not do well.

Kumble said he could not expect to play all matches as the recent practice in Indian cricket had been to field three seamers and one spinner. He said Murali Kartik was a good bowler who needed to be nursed and given more opportunities. Kumble said though it was too late for him to nurse the captaincy ambition, he had no plans to call it quits from Test cricket.

The ace spinner said spinners matured late with age and Harbhajan Singh had a long time to go. Kumble said he had reached a certain level and did not have anything to prove. He was happy that there were some promising spinners playing at the under-19 level.

He said it was wrong to blame bowlers for defeats in one-day internationals. He said the Super Series was a good concept as it was an occasion to celebrate cricket.

New Delhi, September 28
Indian colts defeated Australia Under-19 by 31 runs in the fifth and final one-day match to clinch the series 4-1 at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here today.

Electing to bat, the Indians were dismissed for a paltry 196 in 45.4 overs but came back strongly to wrap up the tourists for 165 in 38.1 overs, underlining their domination in the series.

Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla and left-arm tweaker Pragyan Ojha were the wreckers-in-chief, taking three wickets each for India.

They used their guile, variations and change of pace to good effect, keeping the youngsters from Down Under at bay after they started on a brisk note. Losing wickets at regular intervals, they were 66 for four after 10 overs. The Uttar Pradesh leg-spinner was especially impressive as he displayed his full repertoire of skills — the leg-break, googly and flipper — to keep the batsmen at tenterhooks.

Ojha got disconcerting bounce and turn from the wicket which was uneven and slower than the ones the teams encountered at Mohali and Dharamshala.A 64-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Tom Cooper (45; 5x4, 1x6) and David Warner (73; 5x4, 3x6) appeared to put the Aussies firmly on the victory path, but the former was caught at deep midwicket going for a big hit with the team total on 119.

Despite the asking rate under control, the visitors kept losing wickets and Warner, who survived two stumping chances and a dropped catch, was left high and dry when the last wicket fell.

Earlier, the less-than-impressive Indian batting had its most of the top order getting starts but failing to convert them to big scores.

S. Anirudha, son of former India captain K. Srikkanth, got the home side to a quick start with his 29 (5x4, 1x6), but he, along with other major batsmen, failed to come to terms with the pitch and was sent to the pavilion when seemingly set.

Scoring was not easy and the batsmen had to graft for their runs. Ali Murtaza (23) and Abu Nachim Ahmad (16) down the order added some valuable runs. — PTI

New Delhi, September 28
The show time begins for adventure enthusiasts and motorsports buffs when the seventh edition of the Raid de Himalaya gets flagged off from Shimla on October 1.

The Maruti Suzuki-sponsored Raid will run through some of the highest terrains on earth, covering nearly 2,000 km before it concludes in Srinagar on October 8.

The rally will also see many firsts this time: entering the Kashmir valley, an all-time high participation of 90, which includes six teams from the Army, and the highest participation from women in the Extreme Car category ever.

The total entries approved so far include 24 in the Extreme and 22 in the Reliability section of the cars, and a staggering 40 in the bikes, the total number making it four times the size of any other rally in the country.

“Those are some really insane men,” said Vijay Parmar, President of Himalayan Motorsports, at a press conference here.

There were three women participants, besides an NRI team of the UAE Motorsports Club from Dubai. There were also two teams fielded by the Indian Air Force.

The Indian Army providing back-up at the high altitudes had been one major motivating factor for the high number of entries.

The rally, organised with support from Jammu and Kashmir Tourism, would for the first time see an Indian adhere to international Raid regulations.

Precautionary measures had been stepped up keeping in mind the havoc wreaked by the inclement weather last year, when the participants were trapped for four days in severe snow conditions.

Two helicopters of the Indian Air Force would be on standby at Manali for evacuation purpose. Fifteen FIVs would be deployed, with at least two ambulances running along with the rally at every stage.

There would be 40 radio-equipped cars and the Army would provide its satellite phones. A field hospital would also be ready for service in case of emergencies.

As with other rallies, the participants must also have personal accident and vehicle insurances exclusively made for the Raid.

The first day of the Raid would consist of four competitive stages from Shimla to Manali. The rally would move to Kaza on the second day through a 100-km competitive stage.

After going around and returning to Kaza on the third day, the participants would head to Patseo, where the Army camp would be located.

The rally would reach Leh on the fifth day, and after a rest day as per international regulations, would arrive in Kargil on the seventh day.

The drivers then would head back to Srinagar on the eighth and final day, completing a distance of 1,763 km. — PTI

Beijing, September 28
Promising youngsters Rahil Gangjee and Shiv Kapur will spearhead the Indian challenge at the Crowne Plaza Open at Grand Epoch City Golf Club here.

The event, which was inaugurated last year in Shanghai, had attracted a strong field, led by Thaworn Wiratchant, the Asian order of Merit leader.

Other Indians who would take a shot in this Asian tour event included Harmeet Kahlon, the 2002 Hero Honda Masters champion, Uttam Singh Mundy, who had a good finish at the Mercuries Masters last week, Digvijay Singh, Vivek Bhandari, Gurbaaz Mann and K.P.S. Sekhon, all of whom had taken a break from the Indian Tour.

However, regular Asian Tour player Amandeep Johl would skip the event as he was playing in the Dunhill Links Tournament in Europe this week.

Mukesh Kumar and Ashok Kumar, who were also entered for the event, withdrew at the last minute due to problems in travel arrangements.

There would be added incentive for this week’s winner as lifting the Crowne Plaza Open would also mean a ticket to the lucrative HSBC Champions Tournament, which 
would be staged in Shanghai in November.

World number one Tiger Woods had confirmed his entry for the event, which was Asia’s richest.

All eyes would be on Thaworn, who would be looking to extend his lead on the Order of Merit in the absence of compatriot Thongchai Jaidee, who was in second place. — PTI

Patiala, September 28
Navinder Pal Singh of Yadavindra Public School, Patiala, annexed the under-16 as well as the under-18 titles at the IPSC Tennis Championship which concluded at the Yadavindra Public School here today evening. In the under-18 final he got the better of his schoolmate Jay Vinod 6-4, 6-3 while in the under-16 final he savoured an equally impressive 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) victory over Pulkit Mishra of Modern School, New Delhi.

The Results: Singles: Finals: u-18: Navinder Pal Singh (YPS, Pta) b Jay Vinod (YPS, Pta) 6-4, 6-3. U-16: Navinder Pal Singh (YPS, Pta) b Pulkit Mishra (Modern School New Delhi) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6). U-14: Shantanu Rajput (Modern School New Delhi) b Arjun Sehgal (YPS Patiala) 6-3, 6-3. U-12: Karan Bidani (DPS Mathura Rd, New Delhi) b Piroune Balachandran (Modern School New Delhi) 10-1.

Team events: U-12: YPS Patiala b Modern School , New Delhi 2-1 (Samman Verma (YPS) b Vishesh (MOD) 9- 4; Puroune (MOD) b Salil (YPS) 9-3; Samman & Salil (YPS) defeated Puroune & Vishesh (Modern) 9-5). U-14: Modern School, New Delhi b Welham Boys’ School Dehradun 3- 0 (Manan (MOD) b Praharsh (Welham) 9-6; Shantanu (MOD) b Amanbir (Welham) 9-0; Sarvagya & Nakul (MOD) b Praharsh & Kunal (Welham) 9-1); YPS Patiala b DPS, Mathura Rd. New Delhi 2-1 (Arjun Sehgal (YPS) b Rahil 
(DPS) 9-1; Ankit (DPS) b Artim (YPS) 4-3 (Artim conceded); Arjun & Aneet (YPS) b Rahil & Vinayak (DPS) 9 -4). U-16: DPS, Mathura Road, New Delhi b Welham Boys’ School D.Dun 3-0 (Arjun (DPS) b Prateek (Welham) 9-0; Bhavya (DPS) b Shalendra (Welham) 9-0; Arjun & Bhavya (DPS) b Prateek & Shalendra (Welham) 9-0); Modern School, New Delhi b YPS Patiala 2-1(Pulkit(MOD) b Karan Singh (YPS) 9-6; Navinder Pal Singh (YPS) b Ankit (MOD) 9-7; Pulkit & Ankit (MOD) b Navinderpal Singh & Karan Singh(YPS) 9-6). U-18:Modern School New Delhi b YPS Patiala 3-0 (Pulkit (MOD)b Karan Sidhu (YPS) 9-5; Shantanu (MOD) b Jay Vinod (YPS) (9-8) (7-1) tie-breaker; Aadesh & Shantanu (MOD) b Jay Vinod & Karan Sidhu 9-7).

Overall team positions: u-12: YPS, Patiala 1, DPS Mathura Rd. New Delhi 2; u-14: Modern School 1, YPS, Patiala 2; u-16: Modern School 1, YPS, Patiala 2; u-18: Modern School 1, YPS, Patiala 2.

Patiala, September 28
Top players continued their impressive run in the third and fourth rounds of the 18th All India Railway Chess Championship being held here today.

Defending champion V. Kamble won both his matches to keep his title hopes alive. K.K. Ratnakaran of Southern Railway also won both his matches to stay in contention.

K.R. Balasubramaniam of the Rail Coach Factory drew his third round match 5-5 with Amit Kumar Meda of the South Eastern Railway while in the fourth round he defeated Vivek Srivastava of the RDSO.

Another seeded player, Nassir Wajih of the Railway Board drew his third and fourth round matches against Vishwajit Chatterji of the South Eastern Railway and K. Shankar of Southern Railway, respectively.

Chandigarh, September 28
A fine all-round performance by Sanjay Gill (39 runs and 3 for 39) enabled Minerva Cricket Academy to beat Rajasthan Cricket Association five runs in the semifinal of the 12th All India J.P. Atray Cricket Tournament played at PCA Stadium, Mohali here today.

Rahul Kamwat won the toss for Rajasthan and opted to field first. The bowlers were in top form with Pankaj Singh (3 for 33). Shalender Gehnot (3 for 18) and Kishan Chaudhary (3 for 27) being the main cricket-takers. At one stage Minerva were 69 for 8 in 24 lovers. Gill effort took more to 17.

Rajasthan started their chase on a disastrous note losing three wickets for 28 runs after 11 overs. Rohit Sharma top scored with 
53 runs.

Sanjay Gill captured three valuable wickets resulting in Rajasthan being bundled out for 122 runs.

He was declared Man of the Match.

In the 2nd semifinal of the day, played at Sector 16 Stadium, star studded Bishnoi Club outclassed Punjab Cricket Club by 46 runs to book their place in the final.

Bishnoi Club won the toss and elected to bat. Akash Chopra (73) and Gautam Gambhir (20) opened the innings and added 45 runs for the opening wicket. Gambhir was first to depart as he was brilliantly caught by Bipul Sharma off the bowling of Amit Uniyal. Shikhar Dhawan stepped in at the fall of the first wicket. This pair added 111 runs for the second wicket. Shikar Dhawan contributed 50 off 57 balls whereas Chopra chipped in with 73 runs of 96 balls with the help of nine boundaries.

In the middle of the innings the spinners put brakes on the scoring to restrict Bishnoi Club to a total of 246 runs.

Punjab started the run chase with openers Binwant Singh (26) and Munish Sharma (4). Skipper Ankur Kakkar joined Binwant Singh and steadied the innings. The duo added 84 runs for the second wicket. Kakkar scoud 66 runs.

Gaurav Gupta (34) and Bipul Sharma (22) tried their best to get close to the target but Punjab were bundled out for 200 runs with 4.5 overs to spare. The final will be played tomorrow.