Champions Trophy
Mohali to host opening match
M.S. Unnikrishnan

New Delhi, April 27
Defending champions West Indies will face the ignominy of playing in the qualifying round of the fifth ICC Champions Trophy to be held in India from October 7 to November 5 this year. The biennial championship, featuring 10 teams, will have 21 matches to be played at four venues — Mohali, Mumbai, Jaipur and Ahmedabad.

Sri Lanka will face Bangladesh in the opening qualifier at Mohali on October 7. India will take on England in their opening match at Jaipur on October 15.

Jaipur will host six matches, including the second semifinal, while Mohali will host one qualifying match, three group matches and the first semifinal. The Cricket Club of India (CCI) ground in Mumbai will host the final.

All matches will be played under floodlights.

International Cricket Council (ICC) President Ehsan Mani and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sharad Pawar signed an agreement here today to signal the official launch of the ICC Champions Trophy, besides unveiling the gold and silver trophy.

The top 10 one-day teams in the world will compete in the championship, which Mani termed as the second biggest ICC cricket event after the quadrennial World Cup.

The 10 teams were decided on the basis of their rankings in the LG ICC ODI Championship table as on April 1, 2006.

The teams, in the order of rankings are: Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

While the first six teams have been direct entry into the second phase of the championship, the last four — Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh — will have to fight it out among themselves for the two remaining slots.

The second phase will feature eight teams, divided into two groups. Group A will consist of Australia, India, England and Qualifier 2 while Group B will feature South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand and Qualifier I.

Each team will play three matches in their group, and the top two teams will qualify for the semifinals. The title winners will be awarded $500,000.

In the qualifying rounds, too, each team will get to play three matches, affording the teams an even chance to make it to the main round.

Mani said the Indian Government’s decision to give tax exemption had paved the way for the allotment of the Champions Trophy to India which was hanging fire ever since former BCCI President A C Muthia had mooted the idea to host the event in 2002.

“The tax exemption was an important factor in determining the location of this event and the Indian Government’s decision is massive boost to the game of cricket all over the world”, Mani added.

The ICC chief scotched rumours about plans to scrap the Champions Trophy after the fifth edition. “Rather, we are contemplating starting a couple of other championships, including a Twenty20 event. The idea to have an ICC championship every year, in the run-up to the World Cup every four years”, Mani added.

Pawar said though the BCCI had reservations about holding a Twenty20 championship, it would accept any decision unanimously arrived at the ICC forum.

Mani said the ICC was also in favour of every third edition of the World Cup returning to Asia. Pawar said the continent would be strong contenders for the next edition, for which Australia and New Zealand are also in the fray.

Mani said the Champions Trophy could be sustained only due to the overwhelming support of ICC’s commercial partners.

He said at the end of this year’s event, the ICC would have raised $65 million which would be used for developing cricket among its 85-odd associate and affiliate members.

Mani said Australia, who have never won the Champions Trophy, would definitely be fielding their best team to win this elusive title, while for the West Indies, who beat England by two wickets in a thrilling final in 2004, it would be a heavy climb down to play in the qualifying round.

The tournament was called the ICC Knockout Tournament in the first two editions at Bangladesh (1998) and Kenya (2000), while the name was changed to ICC Champions Trophy in the subsequent two editions in Sri Lanka (2002) and England (2004). While the first two editions had nine and 11 teams respectively, the third and fourth had 12 teams each.

Mani said the timing of this year’s Champions Trophy, coming less than six months before the World Cup in the West Indies, would add to its significance and excitement.

Shahid Afridi reverses decision on Tests

Karachi, April 27
All-rounder Shahid Afridi has reversed his decision of taking temporary retirement from Test cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board said here today.“I talked to Afridi last evening and convinced him that he was a useful cricketer in both the forms of the game and Pakistan needed him,” PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan told PTI from Lahore.

“I have not guaranteed him anything but have only made him understand his usefulness in Test and one-day cricket. I have to say here that Afridi did not argue and made himself available in the national interest,” Shaharyar said.

Afridi had shocked the world two weeks ago by announcing his temporary retirement from the longer version of the game to concentrate on next year’s World Cup, saying that too much cricket was affecting his performance.

The 26-year-old, though currently in the city, was not available for comment.

Shaharyar said Afridi was under tremendous pressure during the past few months and eventually succumbed during the Sri Lanka series.

Afridi has made 4,824 runs and taken 184 wickets in 222 appearances in one-day internationals. In 24 Tests, Afridi has scored 1,436 runs with three of his last five centuries coming in his last 11 Test innings. — PTI

PCB wants Gavaskar out of ICC panel

Islamabad, April 27
The Pakistan Cricket Board has accused former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar of influencing ICC decisions and demanded change of guard in the Cricket Committee of the world governing body.

“It is no secret that Pakistan is not very satisfied with the working of the former Indian captain as head of the committee playing and they feel the time has come now for a change at the head of this committee,” a PCB source was quoted as saying by The News today.

The PCB is miffed at the rejection of all its four nominations for the job of match referee by the ICC Cricket Committee, headed by Gavaskar, which instead appointed former Indian fast bowler Javagal Srinath earlier this week.

The source also implied bias as it said Srinath, interestingly, was on the Bowling Action Review Group (BRG) which heard the appeal of Pakistan pacer Shabbir Ahmed against the 12-month ban imposed on him for having an illegal bowling action.

Pakistan’s rejected nominees were Col Naushad Ali (retd), Talat Ali, Pervez Sajjad and Hasan Jameel.

Pakistan has suggested the name of former Test captain Majid Khan, also a former executive of the board, as a strong candidate to replace Gavaskar as the head of the ICC Cricket Committee. — PTI

Fleming’s ton strengthens Kiwis 

Cape Town, April 27
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming struck his ninth Test century today to hold his team's first innings together on the first day of the second Test against South Africa. Fleming was unbeaten on 114 as the visitors reached 265 for six when bad light stopped play 12 overs early.

He added 106 for the fourth wicket with Nathan Astle (50) and hit 16 boundaries from 202 balls.

Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini took three for 65.

New Zealand (1st innings)

Papps b Nel 22

Fulton c Boucher b Steyn 36

Fleming not out 114

Styris c Dippenaar b Ntini 11

Astle lbw Ntini 50

Oram run out 13

McCullum lbw Ntini 5

Vettori not out 1

Extras (b-1, lb-5, nb-6, w-1) 13

Total (6 wkts, 78 overs) 265

Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-62, 3-82, 4-188, 5-237, 6-259.

Bowling: Ntini 17-2-65-3, Steyn 13-3-37-1, Nel 17-3-56-1, Kallis 8-2-26-0, Boje 14-3-49-0, Smith 9-2-26-0. — Reuters 

Windies settle contract dispute

Port of Spain, April 27
The West Indies have become the last international side to institute a retainer contract system for its players. Ken Gordon, president of the West Indies Cricket Board, announced yesterday at his office here that the regional governing body and the West Indies Players’ Association had finally hammered out an agreement.

“The people involved in the negotiation all had one common objective when they sat down to discuss the matter,” Gordon said.

“They all wanted to take the West Indies out of the situation in which it now stands and take it forward.”

The WICB’s negotiation team comprised directors Deryck Murray and Desmond Haynes, two former West Indies vice-captains and members of the Cricket Committee, as well as Chief Financial Officer Barry Thomas. — AFP

Indian seniors win by 5 wkts, lead series 2-1

Karachi, Apr 27
Indian senior cricket team defeated Pakistani seniors by five wickets in the third one-day match at Sheikhupura to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-game series.

Pakistan seniors, batting first, were bowled out for 211 in 37.2 overs. Azam Khan top scored with 61 while Ameer Akbar (35), Ghaffar Kazmi (30) and Javed Miandad (15) being other run-getters.

For India, Sanjeev Sharma, S. Singh and N. David took two wickets each.

In turn, India achieved the target in the 34th over after Manoj Prabhakar (31) and Sharma provided the tourists a 51-run start. Sharma scored 66 with seven fours.

The fourth and last match of the series will be played at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore. — PTI 

Men win, eves lose in world TT

Bremen, April 27
India returned to their winning ways with a 3-0 victory over minnows Finland to secure a pre-quarterfinal berth in the men’s second division in the World Table Tennis Championship here today.

Indians now have seven points from four outings with three wins and one loss in Group H. They will next play their last league match against Bulgaria, also on seven points.

Singapore, the toppers with eight points among six countries in the group, have one more match against lowly Finland and would directly get a quarterfinal berth along with the three top teams from three groups of the division.

However, it was same old story for Indian women who once again failed in the tournament being blanked 0-3 by holders China to finish at the bottom in the championship division.

Having lost all their matches to earn only five points, the eves will play for positions 13-24. — PTI

Sports Minister’s visit to NIS sets off speculation
Ravi Dhaliwal

Patiala, April 27
A brief visit of the Union Sports Minister, Mr Mani Shanker Aiyar, to the National Institute of Sports (NIS) yesterday set the rumour mills buzzing with the speculation that his visit had something to do with the setting up of the much-hyped defence university.

Mr Aiyar, who was accompanied by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Director-General, Mr R.P. Wattal, descended upon the institute around 7.30 pm and after making a whirlwind tour of the institute’s main building, he made a brief stopover at the guest house where the NIS Regional Director, Mr L. Ranawat, was also present.

The minister’s visit is said to be unusual in many respects as according to a senior NIS official, a visit of such importance is always preceded by a fax message that arrives at the institute much in advance in which the minister’s schedule is detailed elaborately.

However, in this case the minister flew straight from Chandigarh along with the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, a strong votary for establishing a defence university in place of the NIS, and the SAI Director-General.

After a brief stay at the New Moti Bagh residence of the CM, Mr Aiyar and Mr Wattal drove down to the NIS. This was the first visit of the minister to the institute after he was given the sports portfolio after the death of Sunil Dutt.

The fact that the minister left straight for the CM’s residence, after ‘touring’ the institute for just 25 minutes, set off the speculation that his trip had something to do with the setting up of the defence university.

Interestingly, Mr Aiyar did not meet even a single sportsperson despite the fact that national camps in judo, boxing and junior and senior athletics are currently being held in the institute. He neither interacted with students of the Diploma in Sports Coaching and nor with inmates of the Centre of Excellence and the STC, both of which are SAI schemes being run at the institute.

However, a senior NIS functionary scotched these rumours and added that the Mr Aiyar just inquired about the facilities at the institute. Mr L. Ranawat also confirmed this who said his office had not received any communication either from the Central or state governments on the university issue.

JCT overpower Mohammedan Sporting
Amardeep Bhattal
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 27
JCT Mills, Phagwara, overpowered Mohammedan Sporting, Kolkata, 2-0 in a keenly contested tie of the tenth National Football League at Guru Nanak Stadium here today.

After a barren first half, JCT broke the deadlock a few minutes after resumption when dashing Manipuri winger Rennedy Singh volleyed from the edge of the box following a throw-in by skipper Daljit Singh. The ball had deflected off a rival defender and Rennedy’s booming volley took everyone by surprise. The second goal coming midway into the second session was a brilliant show of opportunism by striker Parveen Kumar who capitalised on a cross from the diminutive Sunil Chhetri to slot the ball home.

With today’s victory, JCT not only improved their position in the NFL but also avenged the fifth-round humiliation at Kolkata where they lost to Mohammedan Sporting 1-2 on January 28.

The Kolkata outfit, playing under new coach Subhas Bhowmick, did put up stout resistance but Nigerian skipper Patrick Okonji and team-mate Gley Yao Rodrigue were bottled up by the JCT defenders who did not take any chance.

Knowing well that only victory could transform their fortune after some lacklustre showing in the earlier rounds, JCT were in the attacking mode from the onset. Such was JCT’s dominance that Mohammedan Sporting were indeed lucky in keeping the margin of defeat low.

After calling the shots in the initial stages, JCT made the first serious attempt in the 21st minute when Baldeep dodged past a rival defender on the left flank and sent a cross for Chhetri who relayed the ball to Parveen. The latter attempted to back-heel into the goalmouth but only succeeded in sending the ball over the bar.

Off a counter-attack, Mohammedan Sporting’s Gley Yao Rodrigue aimed a powerful volley from 25 yards which JCT custodian Kalyan Chaubey managed to punch away at the cost of a corner. A few minutes from the breather, JCT’s Brazilian striker Marcos Pereira, having trapped the ball on the top of the box, despatched a piledriver which landed in the safe hands of the Mohammedan Sporting custodian.

On changing ends, JCT brought in Sunil Chhetri in place of Johnson Banner and the move made an immediate impact. Seeing Chhetri on the cleaer, an onrushing Marcos Periera relayed the ball forward and the diminutive striker almost raced into the goalmouth with it before a rival defender made a goal-line save at the cost of a throw-in. Subsequently, skipper Daljit’s throw-in saw the ball deflecting off a defender before landing near an unmarked Rennedy Singh, who wasted no time in despatching a powerful volley that beat the Mohammedan Sporting custodian hands down (1-0).

Thereafter JCT initiated several intelligent moves. A piledriver by Shivraj Singh saw Mohammedan Sporting goalkeeper Arindam Ghosh punching the ball out for a flag kick. Soon after, a Marcos Pereira cross for Baldeep went waste as the latter failed to connect.

However, JCT’s sustained efforts bore fruit in the 64th minute when Sunil Chhetri, having covered considerable ground on the left, despatched a cross for an onrushing Parveen Kumar who brilliantly connected while on the run to slot the ball home (2-0).

Towards the end, JCT had several good chances to consolidate the lead. First Marcos Pereira failed to do the needful from hand-shaking distance and then a brilliant cross by substitute Jaswinder Singh for Baldeep saw the latter making an excellent attempt but unluckily the ball struck the pole and bounced back into play.

Commenting on today’s result, JCT coach Parminder Singh said it was a much-needed victory. “The team played well which was clear from superior ball possession,” he added.

Rennedy Singh was adjudged man-of-the-match. JCT now meet Sporting Clube de Goa on May 2.

Olympian to sell house for hockey academy

Nagpur, April 27
Olympian Mukesh Kumar has decided to sell off his own residence to partly finance his proposed hockey academy to be set up in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad-based former forward, who converted the crucial penalty stroke in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, enabling India to win the gold, is in the process of acquiring a five-acre plot for setting up a “standard hockey coaching facility”, which requires Rs 28 lakh.

As part of the funding, he would dispose of his own house which would fetch him Rs 18 lakh.

This was revealed by Mukesh while felicitating five city-based “meritorious sportspersons” at a function organised by the Sports Journalists Association of Nagpur (SJAN) in association with the Nagpur Municipal Corporation here today.

Speaking on the occasion, Mukesh said he was looking for a partner in his venture and “would share the name of the partner for the proposed academy”.

Mukesh, who donned Indian colour in 290 international matches, including three Olympics, scored 80 goals.

Chess prodigy Akash Thakur, batswoman Monika Sumra, under-16 international football player Allwyn George and under-16 top seed Arundhati Pantawane, along with international hockey umpire Gurumurty Pillay, were felicitated by Mukesh and presented cash awards and mementos. — PTI 

Anant gallops to victory
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 27
Between two Army captains on the victory podium at the Chandigarh Horse Show today was a 14-year-old who had beaten them in the open hacks event. Not only this, Anant Rajpurohit of Shivalik Riding and Polo Club (SRPC) won four medals today, the highest tally in a single day for any rider at the show.

About 25 riders of all categories, including those from teams of the President’s Bodyguard, Remount and Veterinary Corps, riding clubs and schools, had participated in the hacks, which is a gruelling test of horsemanship.

Anant also won two silver medals in show jumping (junior) and successive relay, where he was paired with Yashdeep Ahlawat, and another bronze in show jumping. Incidentally, both are sons of internationally acclaimed Army riders.

For Anant, it is another addition to his haul of medals, which began when he won a silver medal in show jumping at the same place where he stood here in November, 2003. The next month saw him competing in the junior nationals at Pune, where he won his first national medals in dressage and tent pegging.

“For me, it is a proud moment. Riding is the thrill of my life and being in the saddle is like a tradition in the family,” Anant said. “My great grandfather, Hem Singh played polo for the Jodhpur state in the 1930s,” he said. Anant rides at the Kharga Riding Club, Ambala, where his father is presently posted, for an hour twice a day. He also trains at the SRPC, Chandimandir.

Like any up-and-coming sportsman he has set his sights on competing in the Olympics. “I ride and train on different horses rather than on a particular one as you have to ride a horse which you are provided at the games,” he said. In fact, the horse he rode today, Mehak, belonged to Delhi Police, trained for tent pegging rather than for show jumping. It was the same horse on which he won a medal at Delhi a couple of years ago.

During the Delhi Horse Show in April, 2004, he won six silver and bronze medals in show jumping and successive relays. In the junior nationals at Bangalore the same year, he won a gold medal in hacks, a silver in tent pegging and a bronze each in show jumping and another tent pegging event. In the Delhi Horse Show in 2005, he won a gold in show jumping and several other medals in other events.

He stepped into the international arena in July, 2005, participating in the International Show Jumping Competition at Bogota in Columbia. He had also been selected for the International Tent Pegging Competition at Israel, but the team could not participate due to security reasons. He got himself upgraded to participate in a senior category at the Kolkata Horse Show, where he bagged a gold medal as well as a bronze in show jumping.

The results, in order of merit:

Open hacks – Anant Rajpurohit (SRPC); Capt Vinay Kumar (ASC); Capt Vikram Nehra (BEG, Rorkee).

Show jumping (junior) – Vikramjit Singh (PPS Nabha); Anant Rajpurohit (SRPC).

Successive Relay – Simrandeep Singh and Vikramjit Singh (PPS ANbha); Yashdeep Ahlawat and Anant Rajpurohit (RTS&D); Swr Manpreet Singh and Vikram Singh (PBG).

Children jumping Gp-I – Ankur (PBG), Abhimanyu (SRPC), Ayush Nandal (MNSS Rai).

Children jumping Gp-II – Yashdeep A. (RTS&D); Ronith Reddy (APRC); Jatinder Singh (PPS Nabha).

Children Fault and Out – Joginder Singh (MNSS Rai), Nilay (SRPC); Yashdeep RTS&D).

Dubai Chess
Indians shine in fourth round

Dubai, April 27
Seasoned Anil Kumar stole the honours by defeating Grandmaster Faruk Bistric of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the fourth round of the 8th Dubai International Open Chess Championship here at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club.

It turned out to be an excellent day for most of the Indians in the $ 40,000 prize money tournament and another big gainer was nine-year-old Shiven Khosla, who scored an upset victory over compatriot Woman Grandmaster Aarthie Ramaswamy.

There was more good news from the Indian perspective on other boards as International Master Abhijeet Gupta got an easy draw against fourth seeded Grandmaster Levan Pantsulaia, while Woman International Master Kruttika Nadig made a stride forward towards her maiden Woman Grandmaster norm by defeating higher rated FM Othman A Moussa of UAE.

Also impressive was D Sai Srinivas, who caused another sensation defeating higher ranked IM Rashad Babev of Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, most of the overnight leaders played it safe in the fourth round as a result of which GM Giorgi Kacheishvili of Georgia and Evgenij Miroshnichenko of Ukraine emerged as joint leaders with a perfect 4/4 score. — PTI