 |
|
|
India A pull off stunning win
Wright slams World XI for lack of commitment
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Smith defends World XI players
World XI will shine in Test, says Flintoff
Fleming seeks to retain ascendancy
England tour on schedule: PCB
Anand draws with Adams
Woods lifts title, Randhawa 51st
Sania’s ranking rises to 31st
Hisar girls win
Kulwinder wins
|
|
India A pull off stunning win Mohali, October 10 After posting an impressive 289 runs on the board, India Seniors looked in an impregnable position. The position became even more secure for them as India A lost a couple of early wickets. With the departure of skipper
V.V.S. Laxman as the fourth wicket, the match looked in the firm grasp of India Seniors. But India A
tailenders, having no pretensions of being good batsmen, had other ideas. They stunned the sparse crowd present in the stadium with their valiant batting as India A overhauled the target losing nine wickets in 49.4 overs in a pulsating contest. Showing no signs of anxiety, the tailenders kept fighting on pure spunk. They threw their bats around with telling effect and made a mockery of full-fledged Indian bowling attack comprising all regular seamers and spinners. Chasing score under floodlights, they said, is always a dicey job. But for this motley group of
tailenders, it did not prove as tough a job. Be it Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan or Murali Kartik. They endeavoured to put everything into their deliveries but without any success. Whether it was an authentic stoke or a mistimed snick, the result was same as the ball kept racing to boundary until India A were home. After the fall of Laxman’s wicket, wicketkeeper Dinesh Kaarthick gave a glimpse of the things to come. He started the job hitting left-arm spinner Murali Kartik for a
couple of audacious strokes which thudded into the fence. When he was back in the pavilion after notching up a 19-ball 26, doughty Ramesh Powar took over. Looking totally unfazed, the gutsy allrounder played a little cameo. When the score was 268 for 8 after 47 overs, it still looked a tall order for the chasing side. Local lad
V.R.V. Singh, as if to make up for his profligacy as a pace bowler, slammed 20-ball 26 which included five scorching fours to take India A closer to the target. Not the one to be left behind, No. 11 batsman
R.P. Singh also joined in the act and sealed victory hitting Zaheer for a four to trigger jubilation in India A camp. J.P. Yadav was the only bowler who remained unscathed and was successful in checking the run rate in the middle of the innings, while for the frontline bowlers it proved to be an outing which they would not like to remember in their next match against India B tomorrow. Earlier, much-waited comeback by Sachin Tendulkar did not prove successful as the batting maestro could contribute only 12 runs. India Seniors, who surprisingly sent Irfan Pathan as an opening partner of Tendulkar, were earlier given a decent total by Y. Venugopalan Rao’s chanceless knock of 98 runs. Rao lost his wicket trying to accelerate when a well-deserved century was there for taking. The innings was given late boost by unbeaten 42-ball 54 by Ajit
Agarkar, while Yuvraj provided the platform by a compact 50. Scoreboard India Seniors
Pathan b V.R.V. Singh 28
Tendulkar c Kaarthick b Balaji 12
Kaif c Gambhir
b R.P. Singh 7
Yuvraj c Patel b Powar 50
Rao b R.P. Singh 98
Dhoni c Badani b Powar 9
Yadav run out 1 Agarkar not out 54 Harbhajan c Raina b Balaji 4 Zaheer not out 1 Extras
(lb-1, w-15, nb-9) 25 Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 289 Fall of wickets:
1-26, 2-54, 3-70, 4-149, 5-170, 6-172, 7-177, 8-282. Bowling: Balaji 10-0-76-2, R.P. Singh 10-2-34-2, V.R.V. Singh 10-0-63-1, Powar 10-0-54-2, Raina 7-0-38-0, Badani 3-0-23-0. India A Gambhir c Yadav b Pathan 21 Jadhav b Zaheer 23 Laxman run out 48 Raina lbw b Agarkar 19 Badani b Harbhajan 46 Patel run out 37 Kaarthick c Dhoni Powar c sub b Pathan 15 Balaji lbw b Kartik 3 V.R.V. Singh not out 25 R.P. Singh not out 11 Extras
(lb-7, w-6, nb-4) 17 Total (9 wkts, 49.4 overs) 291 Fall of wickets:
1-43, 2-45, 3-82, 4-148, 5-200, 6-234, 7-234, 8-242, 9-275. Bowling:
Pathan 10-0-69-3, Zaheer 7.4-0-53-1, Agarkar 5-0-31-1, Yadav 9-1-33-0, Harbhajan 10-0-50-1, Kartik 8-0-49-1. |
|
Wright slams World XI for lack of commitment
Sydney, October 10 “As far as I am concerned, we are just looking for a hell of a lot more commitment and determination than we saw, particularly in the last match,” Wright said. “We are professionals and we have to play with pride in our personal and team performance. That has got to be happening in this Test, that is what I will be demanding.” Australia won the matches by 93 runs, 55 runs and 156 runs, with the world team failing to bat out their 50 overs on each occasion. West Indian Brian Lara managed just five runs in the series, South African Jaques Kallis scored 21 and Englishman Kevin Pietersen 18 in two matches. Wright said, “The onus in this game has to be on the batsmen. “People want to get out there and stay at the wicket and make big scores. That is what we are going to need. “We have got the players to do it and that is got to be the emphasis for the next few days.” The World XI bowlers also suffered at the hands of a rampant Australia, with England allrounder Andrew Flintoff finishing the series with unflattering figures of 1-153 off 21.2 overs and South African skipper Shaun Pollock taking 2-148.
— Reuters |
|
Smith defends World XI players
Sydney, October 10 “I look at it differently. You cannot just build a team overnight,” said Smith, who did not play in the
one-dayers, but would lead the Test side. “There is always a lot of questions about players’ commitment in these sorts of series. I think it is important that we can turn that around in this Test match,” Smith said. The South African skipper said he had no doubts his side could win the Test, but the key was getting his players to perform. “If we can get things right, we have the players to go and do it,” he said. “I think when you have so many world-class players, it is important that everyone knows their roles. “Jacques Kallis plays differently from Brian Lara and Rahul Dravid plays differently from Virender Sehwag, so it is important that we balance that and get the right structure. “It will be stupid of me not to use the players around me,”
he said. “Communication is an important part of my captaincy, so I will communicate with all the players. “There are other players who are captains and it is important for me to use them. “But at the end of the day, I am leading the team and it is my job to round up all the information to make the best decision for the team.” Australia have not lost a Test series at home since 1992-93. Smith said they were a different proposition on their home turf to the side that recently lost the Ashes in England. “You are in Australia and you have got different balls and different conditions, so these are all different things you have to deal with you when you come here. It is very difficult to win here.”
— Reuters |
|
|
World XI will shine in Test, says Flintoff
Sydney, October 10 But Flintoff, the scourge of the Australians with bat and ball as England regained the Ashes last month, believes the longer form of the game will allow the World XI more scope to realise their talents than in the scramble of the 50-overs format.
— AFP |
|
Fleming seeks to retain ascendancy
Johannesburg, October 10 Fleming had the upper hand over Smith when the Kiwis gained a 5-1 series win in New Zealand last year, but it was Smith who gained the captaincy of the World XI for this week’s Super Test in Sydney. New Zealand will arrive in Johannesburg tomorrow and will have more than a week to prepare for the international matches in a tour which includes South Africa’s first 20-overs international and five 50-overs games. Key members of the South African team, including Smith, wicketkeeper Mark Boucher and allrounders Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis, will only get back from Australia in time for the 20-overs clash on October 21, two days after the end of the Super Test. The New Zealand tour was originally due to include three Test matches as well as the one-day games, but due to scheduling difficulties, partly caused by the timing of the Super Series, the Tests would now be played in April and May next year. New Zealand are ranked third in the International Cricket Council one-day ratings, two places ahead of South Africa, but the South Africans have improved since the teams last met. South Africa beat England at home and the West Indies away in their two most recent series. A notable omission from the New Zealand team is allrounder Chris Cairns, who was left out because the selectors felt he needed to regain full match fitness in domestic matches. But the squad includes fast bowler Shane Bond, who made a successful return to international cricket on a recent tour of Zimbabwe after a long struggle against injury.
— AFP |
|
England tour on schedule: PCB
Lahore, October 10 “At this stage the tour is on,” Asad said, adding “We have not heard anything from the England and Wales Cricket Board regarding any change in the their tour plans in the aftermath of the great disaster.” On Saturday, the four-day match between Pakistan XI and Peshawar Panthers in Peshawar was abandoned after the first day’s play in the wake of tremors in the surrounding areas.
— UNI |
|
|
Anand draws with Adams
San Luis (Argentina), October 10 In the other games of the 10th round Peter Leko of Hungary drew with Peter Svidler of Russia while Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan scored over now-firmly-in-the-cellar Judit Polgar of Hungary. From a sporting point of view the World championship is almost over as Veselin Topalov maintained his two points lead over Svidler after the draw. Perhaps the bigger question is who will finish second as the race is quite close with Anand and Morozevich just a half point behind second-placed Svidler. Topalov is now on 8 points and needs just four draws in the remaining four games to be crowned the World champion. The statisticians have it that even 1.5 or perhaps 1 might be enough for the Bulgarian to win the event but in that case he will need some favourable results on the other boards. Svidler on 6 points is followed by Anand and Morozevich on 5.5 while Leko and Kasimdzhanov are another full point adrift on just 4.5 points. Michael Adams is next in line on 3.5 and Judit Polgar's nightmarish run keeping her at the bottom of the tables on just 2.5. If Anand's game against Adams was any indication, it appears that the Indian ace has given up the title race. Starting as black, Anand faced the Anti-Marshall by Adams and was in no difficulty right through the 25-mover. Anand also did not get any chance as Adams played solidly to split the point after offering the exchange of queens on his 25th turn. Topalov fought it out against now-in-form Morozevich and put brakes to the three-games winning streak of the Russian. Playing the white side of a Queen's Gambit declined Topalov was in full command of the situation in the middle game and his king side attack helped him to knock down two black pawns in quick succession. Morozevich was completely lost but hung in their just about making the right defensive moves enough only to prolong the game. Topalov went wrong in assessment of the position after the first time control and gave an exchange to lent some hopes of survival to Morozevich that he eventually nurtured into a half point after 61 moves. Kasimdzhanov added to the woes of Polgar with a fine performance with white pieces. It was a Sicilian Scheveningen in which the Uzbek conducted a masterly attack. The middle game was intense with Kasimdzhanov going for the kill on the king side and Polgar failed to find the best defenses. Even the trading of pieces at regular intervals did not help the Hungarian to restore the balance and was eventually outdone in the ensuing heavy pieces ending. The game lasted 47 moves.
— PTI |
|
I want to play for Russia: Sharapova
Moscow, October 10 Addressing reporters before the opening of the Kremlin Cup, Sharapova said: "I want to play for Russia, I definitely want to play for Russia in Fed Cup competition. Russia have won the women's team competition for the past two years without Sharapova's help. Last year she was involved in a public squabble with Anastasia Myskina, who led Russia to their 2004 Fed Cup win. Myskina has hinted that she might no longer play Fed Cup. Asked how she felt when Russia clinched their second Fed Cup title by edging France 3-2 in last month's final in Paris, Sharapova said: "I would just say to the girls 'Well done'. "I didn't play (Fed Cup) this year because it would have been too tough for me but in the future, yes, it's definitely one of my big goals. "I also want to play in the Olympics and would love to represent Russia there as well," she added. Sharapova did not get a chance to play at last year's Athens Olympics despite winning the Wimbledon title a month earlier because she was not ranked high enough at the time. A maximum of four players from a single country are allowed to play in the Olympics and Sharapova was not among Russia's top four when the selection was made. Sharapova, who left Russia 11 years ago with her father to pursue her tennis career in the USA, arrived in Moscow last week and will make her Kremlin Cup debut on Wednesday. "I definitely feel Russian inside, even when I'm in America I feel Russian," she said. "But coming here for the first time in years it made me feel even more so."
— Reuters |
|
Woods lifts title, Randhawa 51st
San Francisco, October 10 After two good par-70 rounds, the former Asian Tour number one failed to reproduce the same form in the next two which saw him slipping to 46th and then to 51st place. His third round card read 4-over 74 and last round was even worst. Randhawa opened his last round on a disastrous note as he hit a bogey on tenth and then he dropped two strokes on the 12th to go three-over after three holes. That was not the end of his woes as he again bogeyed 15th and 18th but birdied the 16th to finish the first nine in four-over. On the second, he birdied the third and fourth to recover some ground, but a triple bogey on sixth spoiled his round as he ended five-over. Another Asian Tour member Simon Yates also returned five-over-par 75 and tied 43rd place. He earned $ 46,000. Tiger Woods won the title
after a play-off victory over John Daly. It was his 10th individual victory from 19 appearances in the WGC and was the sixth title win of the season.
— UNI |
|
Sania’s ranking rises to 31st
New Delhi, October 10 The 18-year-old had vanquished higher ranked opponents, including top seed Vera Zvonareva in the Tier III Championship but ran out of steam in the semifinals, losing to France's Tatiana Golovin 2-6, 4-6. The only Indian Woman to win a WTA event, Sania had slipped three places after her lacklustre performance at the Sunfeast Open in Kolkata but she more than made up for it by her show in Japan. Sania's climb up the ladder continued in the doubles also where she moved 14 places to reach 114. Paired with Israel's Sahar Peer, Sania had made it to the semifinal of the Japan Open which saw her WTA points go up to 343.50. In men's singles tennis, Harsh Mankad moved seven places to reach 227 and remained the highest ranked Indian. In doubles, Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes fell one place each to lie in 13 and 15 places respectively.
— PTI |
|
Hisar girls win
New Delhi, October 10 The talented Hisar girls, who took the lead through Nandita Dhingra in the third minute, had to wait for 17 minutes to add the second goal. The Hisar girls then rained goals at the rival goal in quick succession to lead by 4-1 at half time. Nandita scored the third goal while Ritika Choudhary, Jaskiran Kaur, Bhawana Singhmar, Kiranveer Brar and Monika scored the other goals. Government Girls School, Dharamjaigarh, Chhattisgarh, drubbed Don Bosco School, Chhotaudepur, Gujarat, 3-0. Rebeka Kujur, Fulwati Rathi and Anjali were the goal scorers.Cambridge English School, Imphal, stunned Guru Harkrishan Public School, Punjabi Bagh, Delhi, 2-0. Hemom Lata Devi and Sushma Devi were the markswomen.
— OSR |
|
Kulwinder wins
Sangrur, October 10 Other results: shot put: Gurdit Singh 1, Jagpal Singh 2, Madvinder Singh 3; long jump: Gurpreet singh 1; Baljit Singh 2, Kuldip Singh 3.
— OSR |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
