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Lankans practise under tight security
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BCCI team to inspect Sector 16 stadium
Ranji Trophy: Punjab take on Hyderabad today
ICC run by ‘whites’: Akram
Shiv Kapur takes joint lead
Europeans ruling FIH, says Hardev Singh Kular
Champions Trophy: coaches slam schedule change
Qureshi, Moser in final
Amarinder urged to review decision on NIS
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Lankans practise under tight security
New Delhi, December 8 The security was so strict that even
mediapersons were kept away from the practice area of the
cricketers. Out of the reach of media and fans and backed by a good
show in the drawn first Test in Chennai, the tourists enjoyed their
first nets session in the capital city. With the need to adjust to the
wintry atmosphere here, the Sri Lankans worked hard for three long
hours, starting off around 10 am. The stress was clearly on getting
used to the change in atmosphere as the islanders concentrated on
different exercises and fielding practice. The fielding practice, in
fact, went on almost throughout the nets session as the players went
through different types of fielding — catching skiers, slip catches,
fielding the ball on the run with one hand and two hands and throwing at
a single stump from different angles. The specialists, however, took
their time out to sharpen the skills. Skipper Marvan Atapattu, Mahela
Jayavardena, Avishka Gunawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera
and Thilakaratne Dilshan batted for long periods. Even Atapattu and
Samaraweera chose to turn up twice with pads on, asking the bowlers to
throw the balls at a high speed from a closer distance. Specialist
bowlers like Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando,
Farveez Maharoof and Lasith Malinga, on the other hand, were restrained
from overwork. The Sri Lankans made use of the services of three local
speedsters, with coach Tom Moody and other part-timers rolling their
arms over a bit to feed the batsmen with enough balls to have some
satisfactory practice. Tomorrow, the tourists will have their nets
session at the same stadium ahead of the second Test at the Feroze Shah
Kotla from December 10. England series itinerary finalised NEW DELHI:
Bowing to pressure from its English counterpart, the Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI) today announced a new itinerary for next
year’s series against Michael Vaughan’s men. “Boards from both
countries have amicably settled the itinerary issue and accordingly, the
English side arrives in Mumbai on February 13,” BCCI Secretary
Niranjan Shah said here today. “They will play a three-day practice
match at CCI, Mumbai, from February 18-20 and another against the Board
President’s XI at Baroda from February 23-25,” he added. The new
itinerary allots Test matches to Nagpur (March 1-5), Mohali (March 9-13)
and Mumbai (March 18-22), while the seven one-dayers are scheduled to be
held in New Delhi (March 28), Faridabad (March 31), Goa (April 3),
Cochin (April 6), Guwahati (April 9), Jamshedpur (April 12) and Indore
(April 15). — PTI, UNI |
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BCCI team to inspect Sector 16 stadium
Chandigarh, December 8 The committee will visit the stadium
between December 13 and 15 and suggest what needs to be done to bring
the stadium up to international standard. The stadium has hosted four
one-day internationals (including two between India and England), a Test
match and a three-day international fixture. In the 1987 World Cup, the
Australia versus New Zealand match was played here. The Englishmen
played one-day internationals in 1985 and 1993. One match of the
one-day series between India and England has been allotted to the
Haryana Cricket Association (HCA). Initially, the HCA was planning to
host the match at the Nahar Singh Stadium at Faridabad, the venue of
several one-day international matches and one of the 22 centres approved
by the BCCI for hosting international ties. However, this morning, Mr
Ranbir Singh Mahendra, former BCCI President and Secretary of the HCA,
had a telephonic talk both with new board President Sharad Pawar and
Secretary Niranjan Shah and told them that the HCA was interested in
hosting the match at Chandigarh instead of Faridabad. Mr Pawar and Mr
Niranjan Shah agreed to Mr Ranbir Singh’s suggestion that if the
two-member committee found the facilities not up to the mark and the
additional facilities could not be put in place in time then the match
would be played at Faridabad. Mr Ranbir Singh also assured the board
functionaries that preparations for hosting the match would be carried
out simultaneously at both centres pending final approval of Chandigarh
as the venue. It is learnt that the Chandigarh Administration has
assured the HCA that it would do everything needed to bring
international cricket back to Chandigarh. Money is not going to be a
consideration for the administration while giving total cooperation to
the HCA. Earlier, too, when international matches were played at the
stadium (all hosted by the Punjab Cricket Association) the
administration did everything to renovate the stadium time and again.
This time, too, they have promised to do the needful. According to
reports, the Nahar Singh Stadium at Faridabad is also undergoing
renovation. |
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Ranji Trophy: Punjab take on Hyderabad today
Hyderabad players practise at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on Thursday.
— Tribune photo
Mohali, December 8 Punjab has played two matches on their home ground and have
earned four points with a win against Services in the first match. But
the team could not live up to its reputation in their second match
against Haryana, which ended in a draw. On the other hand, Hyderabad
has played only one match against Andhra Pradesh and earned two points.
Without V.V.S. Laxman, who is playing for the country, the team is
confident and looking forward to take advantage of Punjab’s weakness
in bowling and batting. “Ours is a balanced team as we have good
batting line up and good pace and spin bowlers,” said Hyderabad coach
Rajesh Yadav. Punjab coach, who has been missing V.R.V. Singh, is also
aware of his team’s weaknesses and trying to overcome it by making
some important changes for the forthcoming tie. “As the pitch and
weather conditions assist the pacers therefore we would go with four
seamers namely Gagandeep Singh, Amit Uniyal, Hardavinder and Luvabhilash,”
said Alam. Sunny Sohal has also been included in place of Karan Goyal
while Uday Kaul replaces injured Ratinder Singh Sodhi. Teams: Punjab:
Dinesh Mongia (captain), Pankaj Dharmani, Gagandeep Singh, Ravneet
Ricky, Munish Sharma, Rajesh Sharma, Navdeep Singh, Amit Uniyal, Gaurav
Gupta, Bipul Sharma, Loveabhilish, Hardavinder Singh, Sunny Sohal, R S
Sodhi. Hyderabad: Arjun Yadav, Danial Manohar, P Shekhar Naag, Anirudh
Singh, Viney Kumar, Abhinav Kumar, Ibrahim Khalil, Pragyan Ojha, I S
Reddy, P Kaushik Reddy, P S Niranjan, Amol Shinde, S Anoof Rai, Alfred
Absolem, N P Singh. |
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ICC run by ‘whites’: Akram
Bangalore, December 8 “I am against
the ICC. The reason is it’s run by all “goras” (whites). Passion
is here (in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), money is here and talent is
here. All cricketers who get retired after playing two matches... they
work for the ICC. From Pakistan, Sri Lanka, nobody gets there,” Akram
said. The former fast bowler, who was here to attend a promotional meet
last night, said that was the reason why he was always keen on helping
cricketers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, who sought
tips to improve their skills. — PTI |
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Shiv Kapur takes joint lead
Bangkok, December 8 The
23-year-old Indian, who has had an amazing second half in the 2005
season, went out in two-under 34 and then told his friend and caddie,
Neeraj Sareen, that six-under was very much possible. He did just that
with four birdies on the last five holes to negotiate the back nine in
32 and finish at six-under 66 at the lovely Thai Country Club on the
outskirts of Bangkok. Kapur shares the lead with Andrew Buckle, who
arrived barely 24 hours ago from the final stage from the United States
Qualifying School where he missed making the card by two shots. Buckle,
also a rookie like Kapur this season, carded a flawless 66. — PTI |
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Europeans ruling FIH, says Hardev Singh Kular
Chandigarh, December 8 Hardev, who retired from the police force as Chief Prosecuting
Inspector, represented Kenya in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics. His son,
Harvinder, donned Kenyan colours in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. “I
have been suggesting to the Indian Hockey Federation to start a national
league. India remained a super power in hockey for a long time but in
recent years its position has been slipping. To make its place in the
top bracket, India must do something to keep the game alive,” feels
Hardev. “India and Pakistan should join hands and prevent Europeans
from making sweeping changes in the rules. We must realise that certain
powerhouses of contemporary hockey do not want this sport to become very
popular. They want it to go the way of rugby or cricket which only
select nations actively play. From a poor man’s sport in India, both
Germany and the Netherlands want it to be middle or upper-middle-class
sport. “Unfortunately, neither India nor Pakistan can see through
this ‘game’ of the Europeans. And now we are nowhere. In the last
FIH elections, both Mr KPS Gill (India) and Mr Avtar Singh (Kenya)
polled 39 votes each and lost by one vote each. At one time, a
representative of India used to be an FIH office-bearer
(Vice-President),” says Hardev. The Kular family has made invaluable
contribution to hockey. It all started in 1920 when Hardev’s father
migrated to Kenya. “I was born and brought up in Kenya. Though my
elder brother Hardial came to India for studies, I went to England. Then
I joined the Kenyan police. In 1962, I accompanied Kenya’s national
team on its first official visit to Pakistan. Two years later, we came
to India to play matches. “There used to be overwhelming response to
Test matches between India and Kenya because a majority of the players
in our team used to be Punjabi or Goan boys. In Bombay we were leading
India 2-1 in front of a jam-packed stadium before a controversial goal
was awarded against us,” recalls Hardev. Hardev’s younger brother,
Jagjit, played in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics, while his elder brother,
Hardial Singh, not only remained chairman of the Kenyan Hockey Union for
many years but also headed the African Hockey Federation. He also
remained Vice-President of the FIH (international hockey federation).
Hardial remained a coach as well as an administrator of hockey in
Africa for three decades. After his death in 1998, Hardev became the
Chairman of the Kenyan Hockey Union and retired last year. Jagjit Singh
Kular, who later moved to Canada, is still connected with the promotion
of hockey there. When India organised the first Afro-Asian Games in
Hyderabad two years ago, Hardev accompanied the Kenyan contingent. At
present he is also the chairman of the Kenyan Olympians Association,
which was previously headed by Kepcho Keino, Olympic gold medallist.
Hardev, also a businessman, is currently in India visiting his
ancestral village. He also attended the wedding of Sarfraz, son of
another Olympian from Sansarpur, Col Balbir Singh (retd), earlier this
week. “I do not subscribe to the theory that more and more synthetic
surfaces can help India make a comeback in world hockey,” he says,
maintaining that unless the base of the sport was expanded and
good-quality national-level league was introduced, hockey may not
survive for long. “In Kenya, we lost on the hockey front because of
large-scale migration of our players to other countries, especially
England and Canada. Hockey was mainly played by immigrants and once they
moved out en masse, the base was eroded. Hockey is still there in Kenya
but not at the level it was 40 years ago,” concludes Hardev Kular.
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Champions Trophy: coaches slam schedule change
Chennai, December 8 In order to meet the demands
of live telecast of matches by Doordarshan, the Indian Hockey Federation
made a few changes in the schedule yesterday. According to the new
schedule, the matches involving India would begin at 6.30 p.m. instead
of the original time of 8 p.m. Also, the main attraction at the league
stage — the clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan — has been
advanced to December 11 from December 14. “This is nothing short of a
joke, I cannot still believe something like this has actually
happened,” said German coach Bernhard Peters after getting to know
that his side would now play Olympic gold medallists Australia instead
of defending champions Spain in the opening match. Now, Spain will meet
hosts India in their opening game. Netherlands coach Roelant Oltmans
also cast aspersions at the last-minute changes in the schedule. — PTI |
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Qureshi, Moser in final
Chandigarh, December 8 In the first semifinal played at the
Sector 10 CLTA Stadium, Qureshi overcame Bopanna 6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-3 in a
superb match that lasted 125 minutes. Moser, who had yesterday upset
Karan Rastogi, outplayed Jae-Sung An of Korea 6-3, 6-3 in the second
semifinal. The Bopanna-Qureshi match was keenly contested. Bopanna’s
serve was measured at 128 miles per hour by the CLTA speed gun, while
Qureshi served at 126 mph. Bopanna served 17 aces but committed four
double faults. Qureshi had 11 aces to his credit even as he committed
seven double faults. The Pakistan player had a bad start, committing
three double faults in the first game of the first set. Bopanna won the
second game with ease and went 2-0 ahead. However, both players rallied
to win many points on aces. The Indian fired three aces to hold serve.
The first good rally was witnessed in the sixth game. Qureshi broke his
rival in the eighth game and gained a 5-3 lead before winning the set
6-3. Qureshi was at his best in the third set. He got a 2-0 lead and
never looked back to take the deciding set 6-3. In the doubles final,
Karan Rastogi and Ashutosh Singh will face Vishal Uppal of India and
Frank Moser of Germany. Rastogi and Ashutosh defeated Chu Huan Yi
(Taipei) and Hiu Tung Yu (Hong Kong) 6-4, 7-6 (4), while the Indo-German
pair downed Indians Vivek Shokeen and Divij Sharan 6-4, 6-4 in the other
semifinal. |
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Amarinder urged to review decision on NIS
Patiala, December
8 Mr Mohindra,
who is also the President of the Punjab Fencing Association, said
although he welcomed the Chief Minister’s decision to set up the
university in Patiala, he was against its proposed location at the
NIS. Mr Mohindra said instead of shifting various facilities and other
national level coaching camps to the SAI’s southern centre at
Bangalore, the Chief Minister should make efforts to further strengthen
the institute here at Patiala. — OSR |
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