Mohali, March 11
Anil Kumble created history today as he became only the fifth bowler in the world and the first Indian to achieve the rare feat of completing 500 Test wickets. The ace leg-spinner bagged a five-wicket haul, while debutant seamer Munaf Patel took three wickets as England were bowled out for 300 runs in the second innings on the third day of the second Test at the PCA Stadium here today. In reply, India failed to drive home the advantage and were 149 for the loss of four wickets at close.

In fact, the day belonged to Kumble. The veteran leg-spinner was as terrific in his second spell as the bright sun, in stark contrast to what it was during the first two days of the Test, shining with splendour throughout the day.

Though he went wicketless in the pre-lunch session in which he tried hard, Kumble came back strongly after the lunch break. Bowling in tandem with pacer Munaf Patel with the new ball, Kumble dealt successive jolts to the England innings, claiming three wickets, taking his tally of wickets to 501. Munaf also bowled an inspired spell, hastening the batting side’s collapse. Kumble claimed his 500th scalp when he trapped Steve Harmison lbw as the ninth wicket of the innings.

Stand-in skipper Andrew Flintoff showed today why he was rated probably the best all-rounder in the world. Resuming from the overnight score of 26, he batted fluently, facing the pace and spin attack with utmost ease until he was caught and bowled by Munaf. But by then had added 70 runs to the total, studded with 11 fours and two mighty sixes. Flintoff then retuned back as bowler to get rid of Sachin Tendulkar off a delivery which climbed on to the batsman and took a thick edge off the batsman’s blade to be caught at second slip.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Geraint Jones also proved a tough customer. After he survived a close lbw appeal off Kumble in the initial part of the innings, he grew in confidence. By the time he was castled by Kumble he had completed a well-deserved half century.

Pitted against the guile of Kumble and the aggression of Munaf, the England tail failed within no time and the innings folded at 300 runs.

However, the Indian batsmen squandered the advantage in the face of some disciplined bowling by rival seamers, who were supported by agile fielding.

India failed to get a good partnership as wickets kept tumbling. Only skipper Rahul Dravid stood firm and anchored the innings in his typical manner. But for the skipper’s innings, the Indians would have found themselves in a big hole.

Opener Virender Sehwag fell to a Harmison delivery which just exploded after pitching and took the most faint edge off the shoulder of the batsman’s blade. Sachin Tendulkar was also out in a similar fashion off Flintoff’s rising delivery. Yuvraj Singh looked characteristically fluent but was undone by a superb diving catch by Ian Bell at point.

At draw of stumps, Dhoni, unbeaten on 12, was giving company to Dravid, who looked rock solid batting on 60. With not much batting to follow and India having chosen to go into the match with five bowlers, Dravid and Dhoni would be required to bat with utmost discipline to save the team from a major embarrassment in the rest of the Test.

Scoreboard

England (1st innings)

Strauss c Dhoni b Pathan 18

Cook lbw Pathan 17

Bell b Kumble 38

Pietersen c&b Munaf 64

Collingwood b Kumble 25

Flintoff c&b Munaf 70

Jones b Kumble 52

Plunkett c Dhoni b Munaf 0

Hoggard not out 4

Harmison lbw Kumble 0

Panesar c Dravid b Kumble 0

Extras (lb-5, nb-6, w-1) 12

Total (all out, 103.4 overs) 300

Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-36, 3-117, 4-157, 5-180, 6-283, 7-290, 8-300, 9-300.

Bowling: Pathan 28-8-71-2, Munaf 25-6-72-3, Harbhajan 12-0-31-0, Chawla 9-1-45-0, Kumble 29.4-8-76-5.

India (1st innings)

Jaffer c Flintoff b Panesar 31

Sehwag c Jones b Harmison 11

Dravid batting 60

Tendulkar c Strauss b Flintoff 4

Yuvraj c Bell b Hoggard 15

Dhoni batting 12

Extras (lb-12, nb-3, w-1) 16

Total (4 wickets, 54 overs) 149

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-96, 3-103, 4-134.

Bowling: Hoggard 8-3-19-1, Harmison 13-4-28-1, Flintoff 11-3-35-1, Plunkett 6-1-14-0, Panesar 16-3-41-1. 

Mohali, March 11
A wave of jubilation swept through the Indian camp when Anil Kumble trapped England tailender Steve Harmison lbw to join the select band of bowlers to claim 500 Test wickets. As umpire Simon Taufel upheld the lbw appeal, the 35-year-old Kumble jumped in the air and pumped his fists in celebration. Though denied a hat-trick, Kumble went on to claim the last wicket of Monty Panesar to complete another five-wicket haul.

The other bowlers to have already achieved the 500-wicket feat are Shane Warne (Australia - 659), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka- 600), Glenn McGrath (Australia- 542) and Courtney Walsh (West Indies- 519).

The Indian leg-spinner, scourge of batsman the world over and the architect of so many Indian victories at home and abroad, emerged the second fastest to complete the 500-wicket mark in terms of number of Tests played.

The current Test at the PCA Stadium is the wily spinner’s 105th match.

Warne, the leading wicket-taker in Test history, is way ahead of other bowler with 659 scalps in his kitty. Muralitharan joined Warne as only the second bowler in the history of the game to cross the 600-wicket mark during the Bogra Test against minnows Bangladesh.

In quest of the rare honour, Kumble started the proceedings today with pacer Munaf Patel. Though he came close to taking a wicket on a couple of occasions, the Karnataka leggie went wicketless in th pre-lunch session. But he triggered a batting collapse immediately after the lunch break. Operating with the new ball with Munaf, Kumble castled Jones to reach the figure of 499. Then he got rid of Harmison and Panesar to take his tally to 501. Kumble’s second spell read 1.4-0-2-3.

For someone who made his Test debut in 1990 at Old Trafford, it has been a peerless saga of success achieved through sheer determination and hard work. During the 16 years that he has been on the international stage for the country, Kumble has numerous occasions to cherish, the foremost among these being the 10-wicket haul against arch-rivals Pakistan at Ferozeshah Kotla. Though he has lost berth in the one-day squad, Kumble is a vital component in the Test squad. Kapil Dev with 434 wickets is the second highest wicket-taker for India in Tests.

An ecstatic Kumble later said it was his self belief, perseverance and support by team-mates which kept him going. “There were doubts created by various people but I never doubted my abilities,” he said.

“It is a great feeling to be able to reach the milestone as the first Indian and only the fifth bowler in the history of the game. I owe it to all the cricketers I have played with,” he observed.

Bogra, March 11
Sri Lanka openers Upul Tharanga and Michael Vandort took just eight overs to secure a 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh after play resumed following a seven-hour rain delay today on the fourth day of the second and final Test.

Needing just 43 more runs to reach an easy target of 120 and clinch the Test series 2-0, Tharanga added 23 runs to his overnight score of 48, while his opening partner Vandort — resuming on 22 — contributed 18 more runs with little resistance from Bangladeshi bowlers. Tharanga’s knock came off 87 balls with eight boundaries and one six.

The pair wrapped up play in just 28 minutes after match officials decided to go ahead with the game.

The home side was bowled out for 201 after the tea break on the third day yesterday, with Muttiah Muralitharan snaring his 600th Test wicket.

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by eight wickets in the first Test at Chittagong, and also clinched a three-match one-day series 2-1.

Scoreboard

Bangladesh (1st innings) 234

Sri Lanka (1st innings) 316

Bangladesh (2nd innings) 201

Sri Lanka (2nd innings)

Vandort not out 40

Tharanga not out 71

Extras (lb-5, w-3, nb-1) 9

Total (no loss, 28 overs) 77

Bowling: Rasel 5-0-21-0, Hossain 8-2-43-0, Rafique 9-2-32-0, Haque Jr 6-0-19-0. — AP

Auckland, March 11
The West Indies today batted and bowled themselves into a position to break a streak of six straight Test losses. On the third day of the first Test against New Zealand at Eden Park, openers Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga kept their wickets intact for more than an hour before stumps to leave the tourists 48 without loss when play ended.

The Caribbeans need 243 more runs to win the match with two days remaining and 10 second-innings wickets still standing.

Scoreboard

New Zealand (1st innings) 275

West Indies (1st innings) 257

New Zealand (2nd innings)

Christchurch, March 11
Emily Drumm slammed 83 in her 100th ODI as the New Zealand eves beat India by 97 runs to seal the five-match series 3-1 at Lincoln’s Bert Sutcliffe Oval today.

Opting to bat first, the Kiwis piled up a series high total of 272 for eight from their 50 overs, with Drumm celebrating her milestone with a 97-ball knock of 83 that included five hits to the fence, She put on a fifth-wicket stand of 97 with Maria Fahey (53), while captain Haidee Tiffen (53), Aimee Mason (30) and Rebecca Rolls (24) also chipped in for the cause.

Jhulan Goswami was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming three for 49.

The visitors began the chase on a positive note but losing both the openers in quick succession put pressure on them.

India lost four wickets for 22 runs and slumped to 154 for eight from a rather comfortable 132 for four. Veteran Anjum Chopra (43) waged a lone battle, top-scoring for the side and the visitors were eventually bundled out for 175 with eight balls remaining. — UNI

Chandigarh, March 11
After a month’s break following the Indian team’s engagements in the AFC Asia Cup, the tenth National Football League will be back in focus as Punjab’s premier soccer outfit JCT Mills lock horns with Mumbai League champions Air-India in the eighth round at Ludhiana’s Guru Nanak Stadium tomorrow.

With seven points from five matches, Air-India are currently placed sixth. They have won two matches so far and have drawn one. The Mumbai outfit have also tasted two defeats.

Promoted from the second division last season along with Mohammedan Sporting, Air-India figured in the high-profile league in the fifth edition in 2001 before they were relegated along with State Bank of Travancore. In the 12-team NFL, Air-India then had finished eleventh with 21 points. However, this season, the Mumbai outfit under coach Bimal Ghosh have already demonstrated their prowess in the national circuit. They not only won the knockout Nadkarni Cup but also emerged champions in the Mumbai League beating title contenders Mahindra United.

In the current league, Air-India have so far played five matches. They have won two, drawn one and lost two. After launching their campaign on a dismal note with a 1-3 defeat against Salgaocar in Goa on January 11, Air-India lost to Sporting Clube de Goa by a similar margin a week later. However, on January 21, Air-India shocked defending champions Dempo SC 2-0 with goals through Zaheer Abbas and Bashiru Mohammed to notch up their first win. Thereafter, the Mumbai outfit held former champions East Bengal to a goal-less draw at Kolkata and shortly before the NFL break, registered their second win against Mohammedan Sporting whom they beat 1-0 at Margao thanks to Bashiru Mohammed's strike. Their sixth-round match against Fransa Pax FC was postponed after the Goan outfit failed to turn up following their row with Mahindra United. Similarly their second round match against Mahindra United had also been put off.

Like other clubs in the NFL, Air-India have also recruited a couple of foreigners. They include Ghanian stopper back Suleh Musah, formerly of East Bengal, Nigerian defender AK Martins and striker Bashiru Mohammed Abbas, also from Nigeria. In the current league, Bashiru has scored twice against Dempo and Mohammedan Sporting. The other players of Air-India to watch out for in the NFL are Sunil Thapa, Napoleon Singh, Zaheer Abbas, and Benoy Kuruvilla. In fact coach Bimal Ghosh, while talking to The Tribune on the telephone from Ludhiana today, was all praise for defender Benoy, who excelled in the Mumbai League. In Sundar Rajan, Air-India also have a dependable goalkeeper. Paresh Shivalkar and Narender Meetei, formerly of Churchill Brothers and Salgaocar, respectively, and Raju Ekka are the other notable faces.

JCT Mills, who are yet to impress on home turf, are not in a comfortable position. With six points from seven matches, JCT have so far won only one match. The lone victory came against Mohun Bagan on January 25 at Kolkata where they won 2-0. In the home matches, JCT were unlucky to lose to East Bengal through a suicidal goal and again split points with Dempo with a goal-less draw. For the mill men, two players have so far performed creditably upfront. They are Nigerian striker Johnson Banner and international Parveen Kumar. In fact the two have scored all the five goals for JCT so far with Parveen accounting for three alone.

In international Kalyan Chaubey, JCT have a dependable goalie while the defence is manned by Nigerian Julius Akepele, Daljit Singh, Jaspal Singh, and Narinder Singh. Jaspal, who is nursing an injury, may opt out but JCT still have experienced players like international KV Dhanesh to bank upon. JCT's forwardline comprising Brazilian striker Marcos Pereira, Johnson, Rennedy Singh, and Parveen Kumar has the capability to pierce any defence with support from the diminutive Sunil Chhetri, formerly of Mohun Bagan. However, JCT coach Parminder Singh will have to draw up a new strategy in case Rennedy is rested as he is nursing a shin injury. Among other players who can tilt the scales in favour of JCT are wingers Baldeep Singh and Jaswinder Singh. besides Sukhjinder Singh and Sukhwinder Singh.

On the whole, JCT will be taking the ground as favourites given the crowd support and favourable weather conditions.

The kick-off is at 3.30 pm.

Durban, March 11
Australia levelled their series against South Africa when they pulled off a one-wicket win with five balls to spare in the fourth one-dayer at Kingsmead yesterday, setting up a series decider in the final match in Johannesburg tomorrow.

Last batsman Mick Lewis hit a full toss from Andrew Hall through midwicket for two off the first ball of the final over to secure Australia’s win.

Boeta Dippenaar hit 101 as South Africa made 246 for nine after winning the toss, with Shaun Pollock giving the innings a late burst with an unbeaten 53 off 33 balls.

It didn’t look nearly enough when Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich raced to 87 in a first wicket partnership for Australia, especially when leading bowler Pollock left the field with a back injury after bowling only five overs.

But four wickets fell quickly, including a spell of three wickets for two runs in ten balls.

Then Andrew Symonds, playing in his first match of the series after recovering from a hip flexor muscle injury, hit 76 off 71 balls as Australia seemed to take control again.

Scoreboard

South Africa

Smith c Gilchrist b Bracken 1

Dippenaar c Clarke b Lee 101

Fatehgarh Sahib, March 11
The athletics meet of Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, was inaugurated by former international weightlifter Tara Singh at the Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan Stadium of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College ( BBSBEC), here. College Principal Dilbag Singh Hira was the guest of honour on the occasion.

College sports director Darshan Singh Seerha said more than 500 athletes from 36 colleges affiliated to PTU were taking part in the meet. The march-past trophy was won by DAVIT, Jalandhar. Students performed bhangra and “var gayan”.

Rupinder Kaur, RIET, Phagwara, was declared the best athlete of PTU in the girls’ category while Ankush Chopra was adjudged the fastest men of PTU in 100 m in their respective categories.

Other results are —

Girls (800 m): Parveen Kaur of Chitkara Institute of Engineering and Technology, Rajpura, 1; Nisha of RIMT, Mandi Gobindgarh, 2 and Rajni Rangra of CT Institute, Jalandhar, 3.

100 m (women): Rupinder Kaur of RIET, Phagwara, 1; Avneet Kaur of GPG, Patiala, 2 and Joshna Sharma, RIET, Phagwara, 3.

Long jump (girls): Rupinder Kaur of Ramgarhia Institute, Phagwara, 1; Amanjeet Kaur of SLIET, Longowal, 2 and Amandeep Kaur of GNE, Ludhiana, 3.

Short put (girls): Aditi Sehgal of DAB, Jalandhar, 1; Navjeet Kaur of BBSBEC, Fatehgarh Sahib, 2 and Jagdev Kaur of BBSBEC, Fatehgarh Sahib, 3.

Discus throw (girls): Harsangeet Kaur of IET, Bhaddal, 1; Shivita Arora of SSIT, Dera Bassi, 2 and Sheetal Sharma of RIMT, Mandi Gobindgarh, 3.

800 m (boys): Lovjeet Singh of DAV, Jalandhar, 1; Asheesh Verma SSIET, Dera Bassi, 2 and Parmjeet Singh, SBSCET, Ferozepore, 3.

100 m (boys): Ankush Chopra of BC, Gurdaspur, 1; Mandeep Kumar, Bathinda College, 2 and Hitesh Jairath, Bathinda College, 3.

500 m (boys): Lovjeet Singh of DAV, Jalandhar, 1; Jaswinder Singh of SBBSIET, Phadiana, 2 and Arvind of DAVIT, Jalandhar, 3.

Long jump (boys): Pranav Arya of Chitkara Institute of Engineering, Rajpura, 1; Harpreet Singh of GJS, Bathinda, 2 and Jaspreet Singh of BMS, Muktsar, 3.

Triple jump (boys): Pankaj Goyal of IET, Jalandhar, 1; Pranav Arya of Chitkara Institute of Engineering, Rajpura, 2 and Sukhpreet Singh of CEC, Landran, 3.