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Spinners hold the key: Woolmer
Players await Pawar’s nod on media commitments
Cricket fans make low-key crossover
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I was lenient with Akram, admits Judge
Three venues for Champions Trophy
Haryana take 41-run lead
Rajinder denies rumours
Corps of Signals clinch Liberals hockey title
Fransa hold JCT Mills
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Dravid keeps Pak guessing
Lahore, January 12 Dravid said the playing eleven will be made public just before the toss tomorrow and such a move was aimed at keeping the opposition guessing. “I have decided on the playing combination and I know what I am going to do,” he told a press conference on the eve of the match at the Gaddafi Stadium here. His answer to the contentious and eagerly awaited query on whether deposed captain Sourav Ganguly would make the eleven was also similar. “All 16 players are available for selection. Let me put it this way. We have already decided on the combination we are going to play, but we don’t want to reveal it as we want to keep the opposition camp guessing. The eleven would be known at the time of toss tomorrow,” he said categorically. “Five players would unfortunately have to sit out. But all the boys are in good nick and looking forward to the series opener,” the Indian skipper said. Dravid also said the team had the option of going in with two spinners, both world class ones, in Anil Kumble and Harbhhajan Singh, or going in with three seam bowlers. Describing the wicket as “a good track”, Dravid said, “As we have said earlier we are prepared to play on any wicket. We have the combination to play on any type of surface. The wicket has a few cracks on it and looks interesting.” Dravid, who turned 33 yesterday, said there were many more aspects to the series than it being described as a contest between the strong Indian batting line-up and the Pakistan fast bowling attack led by ‘Rawalpindi Express’ Shoaib Akhtar. “It’s probably the most hyped-up part of the series by the media. There are many more nuances to the series. Our bowlers have to get them out, their batsmen have to score runs. There’s catching, which is going to play a big role in the series. Fielding and catching are a couple of areas which will probably would decide the series,” Dravid said. Dravid expressed similar sentiments about the Indian batsmen taking on Akhtar by saying one person had never decided the outcome of a series in cricket history. “One man cannot win a series. It has never happened. But we’re not focusing on anyone in the other team. We’re focusing on our team,” he said. Coach Greg Chappell said the Pakistanis were looking out for a good wicket to play the match on. “It’s very difficult to predict how a wicket would behave 24 hours before a match. It looks a bit dry and pretty good for batting but they were watering and rolling it today. “It looks it will help the fast bowlers early on before giving purchase to the spinners later in the match”. Chappell said that the pre-series preparation was just right for the Indian team as another day without playing the Test would have been difficult for the players to stomach. “I think you need a little bit of tension and the players are keyed up for the series without being overly emotionally about it. A lot of discussion has been there about it in the media about the series as there always will be between India and Pakistan.”
— PTI |
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Spinners hold the key: Woolmer
Lahore, January 12 Freezing cold of the last few days had given way to bright sunshine and both Woolmer and Inzamam felt that the slow bowlers would come into play even though fast bowlers could have a say in the initial phase of the match. “I expect high quality of spin bowling as both the teams have bowlers like Anil Kumble, Danish Kaneria, Harbhajan Singh, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik. The wicket has moisture underneath but with bright sunshine, I am hoping that the spinners would have a say as the Test progresses,” Woolmer said on match eve. Inzamam echoed his coach's opinion. “I am glad that the weather has eased out and there is bright sunshine. The wicket looks sporting and lively. It should assist the pacers earlier on but I foresee a big role for the spinners in the later stages of the game,” the home skipper said. Inzamam insisted that the Indian batting was a formidable one and his bowlers would need to do hard work throughout and maintain discipline to dismiss them twice in a Test. Inzamam also said he was not concerned about the selection of Sourav Ganguly in the India team playing lineup. — PTI |
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Players await Pawar’s nod on media commitments
Lahore, January 12 As per the new BCCI directive, all players have been told not to talk to the media on an exclusive basis, even to those with whom they have a contract to do so. The players have written to Mr Pawar, who was attending a meeting of the International Cricket Council at Karachi today and is slated to reach here by tomorrow evening, to deal sympathetically on the issue and allow them to fulfil their contractual obligations, a team source said here today.
— PTI |
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Cricket fans make low-key crossover
Wagah, January 12 Unlike last year, enthusiasm this time is missing among cricket fans as few of them turned up at the Attari Railway Station. About 26 fans crossed over to Pakistan on foot from the JCP while four boarded the Samjhauta Express to Pakistan. Many TV journalists who had come to record the event had to return disappointed. Among the fans who crossed over to Pakistan was Chris, a resident of Washington, USA. He said he had been residing in Mumbai for the past three months and getting training at the MIG cricket club to learn the nuances of the game. “It is uncommon to find an American playing cricket but I love the game for its thrill and passion,” he added. He said he wanted to enjoy the close encounter between the two neighbouring nations who follow the game like nothing else. Amit Marwaha of Mohali said besides watching the Test, he wanted to meet his friend Nadim, a businessman in Lahore. Manpreet Randhawa, a Canadian citizen of Indian origin, who along with his wife Gurpreet and two children also crossed over to Pakistan, said they wanted to explore Lahore but they will also watch the match and wanted India to win against Pakistan in Pakistan. The shopkeepers at the JCP were also disappointed at the low turnout of cricket fans. Meanwhile, some of them were optimistic that cricket enthusiasts may arrive tomorrow in large numbers. |
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I was lenient with Akram, admits Judge
New Delhi, January 12 Justice Qayyum had submitted his report in 2000 and subsequently Saleem Malik and Ata-ur-Rahman were banned from the game, while Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul Haq, Akram Raza and Mushtaq Ahmed were fined to differing degrees in the report. Five years after the report was made public, the retired Judge told Cricinfo that he hadn’t wanted a “great player” like Akram to be banished.
— UNI |
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Three venues for Champions Trophy
Lahore, January 12 “The ICC Development International (IDI) has already agreed to give the Champions Trophy to India and it met today to finalise all details of the tournament,” ICC President Ehsan Mani told a press conference in Karachi. Mani said India had not raised the issue of abolishing the Champions Trophy after this year’s edition.
— Reuters |
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Shers taste victory
Chandigarh, January 12 The Shers had the upper hand from the beginning through their forwards Baljit Singh Dhillon, Gagan Ajit Singh, Prabhjot Singh and Daljit Singh. In the fifth minute of the game, Parminder Singh made a brilliant move from the right flank and gave a pass to Gagan Ajit, who could not capitalise on the chance. The breakthrough came in the 10th minute as Gagan waded his way into the rival defence area with Ajmer Singh and Daljit, earning a penalty corner which was converted by Kanwalpreet Singh. After conceding the goal, the off-colour Sultans started adopting defensive tactics. Sher-e-Jallandhar captain Gagan missed some golden chances, much to the disappointment of the crowd, which came in large numbers to cheer their heroes. In the 28th minute, the Shers earned a penalty corner, which went abegging as the Sultans custodian diverted a fierce hit by Baljit Singh. The Sultans got three penalty corners in no time (two in the 43rd minute and one in the 44th) but they failed to convert any of them. After that the game lost its pace as the Sultans played without proper planning and coordination, while the Shers could not avail of the opportunities provided by the rivals. A green card was showed to Baljit Singh Saini by the umpire in the third quarter following a minor scuffle with a rival player. With this win, Sher-e-Jallandhar earned three points, whereas Sultans remained on two points with one win and two loses. Steelers, Nawabs record wins
Orissa Steelers continued their winning spree to lead the points table with 10 points, while Lucknow Nawabs opened their account with their first victory in Tier II of the PHL here today. Steelers surprised Chennai Veerans 3-2, while the Nawabs upset Delhi Dazzlers 4-3. The Nawabs led 4-1 at half time. Cyril Ekka (sixth minute), Kamlesh Parihar (15th and 35th minutes) and Sanjay Yadav (33rd minute) scored for the winners, while Ajitpal Singh (ninth and 54th minutes) and Khushwant Singh Bagwa (51st minute) struck for the Dazzlers. In the afternoon tie between Orissa Steelers and Chennai Veerans, Sushil Tete, Anand Tirkey and Rajesh Lakra scored for the winners, while Adam Sinclairand Jalwinder Singh struck for the losers. |
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Corps of Signals clinch Liberals hockey title
Nabha, January 12 Signals played to a plan with attack being their first priority. In contrast, the PSB outfit, coached by international Gundeep Kumar, looked ordinary. That an inspirational figure like striker Kishen Singh, who handled things beautifully in the team’s previous outings here, did little other than running long distances is ample proof of the haphazardness that marked PSB’s display. Only yesterday, in the semifinal against Punjab Police, PSB had dished out a heart-warming performance but today against a team which showed a touch of class it was agony that the Jalandhar bankmen courted. Signals started on the right footing when they forced a penalty corner even as their rivals had yet to settle down in the early minutes of the first half. Seeing the custodian Rupinder Singh rushing out a bit too quickly to defend the shot, Sumit Singh relayed the ball to S.K. Tigga who swept the ball home past a bewildered looking defense. The bankmen equalised when Jagdeep Kumar fed skipper Paramjit Singh with a through pass. The PSB captain made use of the open space near the 25 yards line and darted in the striking circle before unleashing a powerful shot which resulted in a goal. The dreams of PSB to lay their hand on the trophy in their maiden appearance in the final vanished when Signals’ striker Tasaver Singh scored an opportunistic goal midway in the second half. After this effort, Signals seemed content on retaining the lead and instead of attacking they relied more on their defence and even plucked a man out from the midfield to do defensive duties. The Director, Sports, Punjab, Mr Pargat Singh was the chief guest and distributed the prizes. |
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Fransa hold JCT Mills
Margao, January 12 JCT, who held the midfield superiority and ball possession, created two scoring chances in the first half. First, Praveen Kumar’s pile driver early in the match missed the target narrowly. Later, Fransa goalkeeper Virender Singh blocked Praveen’s shot and off the rebound, JCT’s Johnson volleyed the ball over the bar. JCT continued to attack in the second half but failed to find the elusive goal. Fransa defender Creson Antao, who played his heart out, was named the man of the match. Kolkata: Jose Barreto failed to sparkle as Federation Cup winners Mahindra United were held goal-less by Mohun Bagan in an exciting match of the 10th National Football League here. The floodlit exchange at the Salt Lake stadium gave the modest crowd their money’s worth, with the combating teams sustaining a pacy, thrustful action all through the 90 minutes. With both teams playing their lung-opener, the two coaches stressed on strengthening their defence formations that led to few openings, though Mahindra had the better share of the exchanges. However, the jeep men’s moves seemed to finish before Bagan custodian Subroto Paul, who had an astounding day, preventing his side’s collapse time and again and was adjudged the man of the match.
— PTI |
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National yoga meet begins
Hisar, January 12 Mr Sharma announced a financial aid of Rs 1 lakh to the District Olympic Association for organising the event. Yoga association secretary Ashok Kumar Aggarwal said nearly 700 players from 25 states were participating in this four-day event. Yoga coach Indu Aggarwal gave a demonstration of various yoga postures and techniques. |
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