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Hayden regrets calling Bhajji ‘obnoxious weed’
Test team selection today
England on brink of victory
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McDowell pips Jeev to the post
Farhats shine for Badshahs
Lahore Badshahs’ Imran Farhat and Humayun Farhat, who shared a 101-run partnership, run between the wickets during their match against Chandigarh Lions in the ICL Edelweiss 20s challenge at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula on Sunday. — Tribune photo by Vinay Malik
Oz GP: Force India disappoint
Italy's Giancarlo Fisichella takes off in his Force India car after being hit from behind at the start of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday. — AFP photo
Sania-Mattek advance
India Red clinch title
‘Worst day of my career’
Anand beats Kramnik, shares lead
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Hayden regrets calling Bhajji ‘obnoxious weed’
Melbourne, March 16 Hayden was sad that his poor choice of words added “fuel to the fire” as India’s tour Down Under this summer was already packed with controversies. “I don’t know how Harbhajan is feeling but he made it clear how he feels about our team. To put closure on my indiscretion (calling Harbhajan an “obnoxious little weed”), I could have used a different choice of words. In 15 years of cricket, I had a slip. It wasn’t to disgrace or denigrate Harbhajan,” Hayden said. “I could have gone for a different turn of phrase. In the end, all I did was put fuel on a fire that already existed. It wasn’t necessary. It was a mistake,” the burly Aussie opener told ‘The Courier Mail.’ On Harbhajan calling him a “big lair,” Hayden said he would like to talk to the offie and try to improve their relation. “What I’d like to do is have a chat to Harbhajan when we get to India. I want to sit down with him and see if there is any way we can move forward with our relationship because it hasn’t been great. I’d like to see if we can patch up our differences. Frankly, everyone is sick of it.” Hayden, however, claimed that despite all the rows, the relationship between Indian and Australian cricketers had not hit rock bottom. “No, I don’t think so.” Hayden said the Indians were "reasonably pleasant" but very competitive throughout the series. "They were reasonably pleasant. At the end of the day, two alpha dogs are never going to sit in a cage and not look at each other. It is what it is. The way I see my cricket, if you're the other alpha dog, you better not blink. I feel I'd be letting down my country if I was to blink.” "In terms of general human relations, I wouldn't say there was ill-feeling. India had four months out here. We rarely saw them other than at the ground. It's play and get back into the cage." Looking forward to play in the Indian Premier League, Hayden said apart from the cash, the IPL would provide him valuable match practice before the tour of the West Indies. "Yeah, I do want to go and there are some key reasons why I want to go. Firstly, it's only going to be for about two weeks, so that takes away a lot of the revenue we could earn. “But right or wrong, I want to use it as a top-up before we go into the West Indian tour. We will still have time to come back from the IPL for a pre-tour camp, which I think is a great thing.” “If anything, the IPL will help us. I've told Chennai that I will be playing. I'm committed to going, if Cricket Australia allows me to go,” he said. — PTI |
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Test team selection today
Bangalore, March 16 The selectors will have a limited option of fit bowlers at their disposal with fast bowler Zaheer Khan ruled out of the first Test and young pace sensation Ishant Sharma being a doubtful starter. Seamer Rudra Pratap Singh, who missed out on the tri-series in Australia owing to a hamstring injury, has been declared fit but there are still worries about the fitness of ace spinner Harbhajan Singh. Pacers Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan and S. Sreesanth have been declared fit. In batting, selectors would also need to scratch their heads over the inclusion of middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh, who is struggling to find form, even as veterans like Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman are expected to return for the series. The three were not selected for the tri-series with the selectors putting emphasis on youth but are certainties in the longer version of the game. It will be interesting to see whether in-form Gautam Gambhir, who emerged as the highest run-getter in the recent one-day tri-series Down Under, gets a berth in the Test squad particularly in view of Wasim Jaffer’s poor form in recent times. The selectors may also discuss at length whether to give a chance to Virender Sehwag, who form has not been great but is known to be a match-winner when he gets going. In case, Harbhajan Singh is not fit, the selectors may opt for young Uttar Pradesh spinner Piyush Chawla to back-up captain Anil Kumble. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik may also come into the equation if the selectors want more variety in the spin department. According to sources, the selectors could decide to go for three spinners. Team India coach Gary Kirsten, a former South African opener, arrived here last evening for the meeting. The first Test begins in Chennai on March 26. Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar had confirmed last week that Kumble would lead the team in the three-Test home series. — PTI
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Wellington, March 16 New Zealand’s faint hopes of winning the match rest with Brendon McCullum (43), and captain Daniel Vettori (0) who were not out at the close, with their side needing a further 196 runs to win the Test and the series. England were bowled out for 293 early in the morning session setting the hosts a mammoth victory target of 438. New Zealand had promising partnerships between Matthew Bell (29) and Stephen Fleming (31) and Mathew Sinclair (39) and Ross Taylor (55) but they ended just as they looked to push on and produce a big innings to give their side a sniff of victory. Jacob Oram was out in the final over before the close, the first over of the second new ball, when he slashed at a Ryan Sidebottom delivery and was caught by Kevin Pietersen for 30. “We are delighted to be in the position we are in, needing just four wickets to win the Test match on the final day,” England pace bowler Stuart Broad told mediapersons. “With this new ball, it’s very important we strike early and it would be lovely to get a win in my second Test match.” Broad took two wickets in one over to end Bell and Fleming’s 51-run partnership before tea, while Sinclair played a lazy shot to James Anderson after the tea break to be caught by Ian Bell at cover to end his 81-run partnership with Taylor.aTaylor, who scored his maiden Test century in the first Test, scored his second half century of the match, before he was trapped in front by Sidebottom. — Reuters Scoreboard England (1st innings) 342 New Zealand (1st innings) 198 England (2nd innings) Cook c Fleming b Mills 60 Vaughan c McCullum b Mills 13 Strauss lbw Oram 44 Pietersen run out 17 I. Bell c Sinclair b Oram 41 Collingwood lbw Gillespie 59 Ambrose b Oram 5 Broad c McCullum b Martin 16 Sidebottom c How b Gillespie 0 Panesar c Taylor b Martin 10 Anderson not out 12 Extras: (nb-5, lb-5, b-6) 16 Total: (all out, 97.4 overs) 293 Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-127, 3-129 4-160, 5-219, 6-231, 7-259, 8-260, 9-277, 10-293 Bowling: Martin 24.4-4-77-2, Mills 23-4-59-2, Oram 20-9-44-3, M. Gillespie 15-1-63-2, Vettori 15-2-39-0 New Zealand (2nd innings) How c Bell b Sidebottom 8 M. Bell c Ambrose b Broad 29 Fleming b Broad 31 Sinclair c Bell b Anderson 39 Taylor lbw Sidebottom 55 Oram c Pietersen b Sidebottom 30 McCullum not out 43 Vettori not out 0 Extras: (lb-6, w-1) 7 Total: (6 wkts, 81 overs) 242 Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-69, 3-70, 4-151, 5-173, 6-242 Bowling: Sidebottom 23-8-72-3, Anderson 13-1-54-1, Broad 16-5-38-2, Collingwood 9-2-20-0, Panesar 19-1-49-0, Pietersen 1-0-3-0.
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McDowell pips Jeev to the post
Jeju (South Korea), March 16 Both players, who were tied for the lead going into the final round, fought tooth and nail throughout the day and carded efforts of 66 each which gave them an aggregate of 24-under 264. That necessitated a play-off and the matter was decided only on the third extra hole after the first two could not provide a winner in the inaugural edition of the tournament. This is the second close loss for Jeev in recent weeks after he lost in the Indonesia Open. It would be all the more disappointing as the Indian led by three shots at one stage. India's top-ranked golfer, Jyoti Randhawa, carded a creditable 67 on the final day to total 11-under 277 for tied 11th spot. Gaurav Ghei had a 70 to be on even par and tied 57th. A day of high drama ended when Jeev failed to sink his birdie putt on the play-off 18th hole, allowing McDowell to take the first prize of $511,000. The Chandigarh golfer engineered an escape from the bunker on the second extra hole but could not finish the job. McDowell had earlier won the 2002 Scandinavian Masters and the 2004 Italian Open. Irishman Paul McGinley finished a distant third at 17-under after a final round of 69. Jeev, who has been battling a flu and an injury recently, started in splendid fashion, notching up three consecutive birdies from the second hole onwards. A bogey on the par-four seventh was a temporary setback as he closed the outward nine with two straight birdies to record a 32. He started the back nine with another birdie and added two more on the 13th and 16th, but the bogey on 17th would come back to haunt him. — PTI
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Farhats shine for Badshahs
Panchkula, March 16 Putting up a top-class performance in all department of the game, Badshahs outclassed local outfit Chandigarh Lions
by 38 runs. Riding high on Imran Farhat’s blazing innings, Pakistan piled up 187 runs, losing six wickets in the allotted 20 overs in the high-scoring match. However, the Lions could muster only 149 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted quota. Imran Farhat proved to be the nemesis of every rival bowler and slammed big shots in every nook and corner of the stadium. He slammed eight sixes and four boundaries during his speedy innings in which he got two lives. Openers Imran Nazir and Imran Farhat justified the decision by giving a perfect start to the team with their 51-run partnership which came in just six overs. Nazir was at 16 runs off 12 (four boundaries) when he gave a simple catch to TP Singh off Andrew Hall. Humayun Farhat joined Imran to keep the momentum alive. Much to the frustration of the Lions, Imran was dropped by Darrel Tuffey and Lou Vincent in the 12th and 13th overs, respectively. Making full use of the fortune, both batsmen accumulated 54 runs in next 18 balls. Chasing the target, Lions suffered two big jolts at the start of the innings. Openers Matthew Elliott and Lou Vincent could not even open their account. Azhar Mahmood was the wrecker-in-chief, who struck on the second and third balls of the first over of the innings and sent them back when the scoreboard read zero. However, Manish Sharma (20) and T.P. Singh (23) provide some respite by sharing a 44-run partnership. Local cricketer Dinesh Mongia gave some hope to the team with his 28-ball 35. But he was dismissed again by Azhar Mahmmod. Hall and S. Singh chipped in 32 and unbeaten 22 runs, respectively. Imran Farhat was declared Man of the Match. Brief scores: Lahore Badshahs 187 for 6 (Imran Farhat 94, Humayun Farhat 48, Tuffey 3-38). Chandigarh Lions 149 for 7 (Mongia 35, Hall 32, Azhar Mahmood 3-30). Giants win
Bouncing back from the 34-run defeat at the hands of local outfit Chandigarh Lions, Delhi Giants rode on a fine unbeaten half century (54) by Sri Lankan A Gunawardene to thrash Ahmedabad Rockets by nine wickets in the ICL Edelweiss Twenty20 match at the Sector 3 Tau Devi Lal Stadium here today. Putting up a brilliant show, Giants beat the Rockets in all departments of the game to overhaul the meager target of 108 runs, set by Rockets, hitting 111 runs in just 15.3 overs at the loss of one wicket. Gunawardene, the man of the match, played the pivotal role in the win, with his 44-ball knock of 55 with the help of six fours and three sixes. He was well supported by A Bali, who remained unbeaten on 34 off 21. The unstoppable Gunawardene slammed six fours and one six during his innings. M Mishra was the only batsman to get out but not before laying the foundation of the win by providing a solid start with Gunawardene. Rockets were propped up by Australian import Damien Martyn, who salvaged the innings with his 45-ball 44 runs. He was well supported by S Sriram, who chipped in with 31 runs of 33 balls. Both the batsmen shared a valuable 62-run partnership. Brief scores: Ahmedabad Rockets 107 for 6 (Martyn 44, Sriram 31). Delhi Giants 111 for 1 (Gunawardene 55 n.o., Bali 34 n.o.) |
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Melbourne, March 16 Force India, which is co-owned by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya, never expected to challenge the likes of McLaren and Ferrari for victory but were hoping to at least make it to the finish. Former Australian Grand Prix winner, Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, crashed out on the first corner, while Germany's Adrian Sutil retired after eight laps because of a hydraulic pressure problem. ''It was a very disappointing first race for Force India,'' the team's chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne told reporters. ''We missed a great opportunity to score points... and we have to look to get a better result in Malaysia (next weekend).'' The team's frustration at failing to finish the race was compounded by an unusually high casualty rate which saw just seven cars complete the event. Fisichella, who had started from 16th place in the grid, made a clean getaway when the race began but came to an abrupt halt when he was caught in a pile-up. ''I was very disappointed as I lost the race at the first corner because another driver came in like a kamikaze into my car,'' Fisichella said. ''It was very frustrating because this was such a good opportunity to score points.'' Sutil started the race from the pit lane after cracking a chassis in qualifying. He managed to avoid the carnage at the first corner and got as high as 13th place before his day also ended prematurely. — Reuters
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New Delhi, March 16 Sania and Mattek, seeded seventh in the draw, defeated Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus and Russian Anastasia Rodionova 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 to advance to the last eight. The Indo-US pair started well and dominated the first set, but their opponents levelled the match by claiming the second. The encounter was, thus, pushed to a super tiebreaker, which was also close but Sania and Mattek held their nerve to seal the win. Meanwhile, Sania will face her former doubles partner Shahar Peer in the third round of the singles competition after the ninth seeded Israeli prevailed over Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova 6-1, 6-4. Sania is seeded 21 in singles in the Tier I event. In the $3,589,000 men's Masters Series event being held at the same venue, Leander Paes and Australian Paul Hanley, seeded eighth, will take on the Argentine combination of David Nalbandian and Gullermo Canas in the second round. Sixth seeded Mahesh Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of Bahamas will start their campaign against German Christopher Kas and Rogier Wassen of the Netherlands. — PTI
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India Red clinch title
Amritsar, March 16 In the finals played here today between India Red and India Blue, India Red defeated India Blue 3-1 while Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 3-0. India Red was on the offensive from the start and attacked repeatedly at India Blue’s citadel. India Blue also produced some excellent moves from their right flank but in vain. They also earned a penalty corner in the first minute but this proved abortive. Both teams could not score till half-time. After the lemon break, India Blue succeeded in taking the lead in the 44th minute when Jujhar Singh scored a splendid field goal. But India Red equalised through Daljeet Singh who converted a penalty corner in 49th minute. Akhilesh Kumar increased this lead when he scored a field goal in the 59th minute. Kaushlander Singh was credited with scoring the final goal in 64th minute. India Red got four penalty corners and managed to convert only one while India Blue wasted all four penalty corners they earned. In the second encounter of the day, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka 3-0. Junaid Riaz scored two goals - in 9th and 40th minutes - while M. Zunaid scored one goal from a penalty corner conversion in the 25th minute. |
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‘Worst day of my career’
New Delhi, March 16 The three-time Olympian, who missed out on a rare record of being only the fourth player from the country to have played in four Games, said the Chile debacle was the worst day in his 12-year-old international career. "It is still difficult to accept that we have not qualified for the Olympics. March 9 was the most disappointing day of my career, worse than the loss to Poland that denied us a semifinal berth in the 2000 Sydney Games," Tirkey said in an interview. "More than my own record, it hurts to see the country sit out of the Olympics," he said. Asserting that the team was tuned up well for the qualifiers, the former India captain said one bad day threw the side out of the Olympics.
— PTI
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Anand beats Kramnik, shares lead
Nice (France), March 16 Anand emerged as a joint leader in the rapid and combined standings after beating Kramnik. In the rapid, the Indian is joined by Armenia's Levon Aronian while in the combined standings, it is a five-way lead between Anand, Aronian, Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria and Ukrainians - Vassily Ivanchuk and Sergey Karjakin. In the return game, the Indian ace proved superior to Kramnik after the latter slipped from a position of strength. — PTI
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Keen to patch up with the Turbanator
Panchkula, March 16
Melbourne, March 16
