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There is no rift in the side, says Kumble
Champs slump to another defeat
Stop sledging, ICC tells captains, Boards
Champions
Trophy |
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North crash to 42-run defeat
Fish sinks Federer
Jeev slips to 12th
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There is no rift in the side, says Kumble
Chennai, March 23 The Indians had a strenuous three hour practice session even as mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton was seen interacting with them on a one-on-one basis. Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh were seen poring over slow motion clippings of their batting and bowling at the nets along with video analyst S Ramakrishnan. Wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh, who were cleared for the series after fitness tests, were also seen undergoing the rigours throughout the session. There has been a lot of talk recently about the relative merits of youth and experience as regards to team composition after the relative newcomers played a stellar role in the tri-series in triumph in Australia, but Test skipper Anil Kumble denied there was any such division in the side. "I can assure you that there is no question of junior-senior. It is all about ensuring that we play to our potential, be committed to our roles and work for the success of the team. That is what is happening in both formats of the game," Kumble said. The veteran leg-spinner predicted a tough series saying the Proteas were always difficult to beat. "When they came to India last time for the two-Test series, it was tough to beat them. After drawing the Kanpur Test, we won at Kolkata through Harbhajan Singh's excellent performance (7/87) with the ball," he told a press conference. But Kumble hoped that the Indians can capitalise on home advantage. "It is going to be a tough challenge this time around. They have great players in their rank. This time of the year is going to be hot. We have the experience and also quality. I am sure, we will be able to win the series," Kumble said. "We have the advantage of playing at home. We have a fantastic record at home." The Indian captain pointed out that both teams were coming into the series in good form. "We have had a good series in Australia. South Africa have done well against Pakistan and Bangladesh," he added. Smith, on his part, was looking forward to challenging India in their own backyard. "It is going to be exciting. Indians are confident... We are also here with lot of confidence. Playing anywhere in the sub-continent is a challenge and we are confident we can meet the challenge," he told a press conference. "This is the tour we have been looking forward to. It is crucial as we have two tough series coming up against England and Australia," the left-hander said. "Playing anywhere in the sub-continent is a challenge and we are confident we can meet the challenge," he told a press conference. "This is the tour we have been looking forward to. It is crucial as we have two tough series coming up against England and Australia," Smith said, claiming the team would be able to deal with the controversies over selection matters. Charl Langeveldt withdrew from the squad after he was included, presumably in place of Andre Nel, to fill the quota for coloured players in the side. "It affects the team certainly. But we are a matured family and our job is to continue with cricket." Smith was also prepared to tackle the spin-friendly conditions in India. "When you come to the sub-continent, you expect the spinners to take wickets. We have prepared the whole year. Our bowlers are capable of taking 20 wickets." Left-armers Paul Harris and Robin Peterson was the main spinners in the Proteas side. But he admitted that South Africa's success in the series will depend on how they deal with India's strong batting. "India have a very talented batting line-up. The top six batters are in good form. They have scored millions of runs between them. We respect them, but we have got to go and beat them," Smith said. Both captains hoped the series will be played in the right spirit without any sledging. "We hope that the series will be played in good spirit. If we win the sledging battle and don't win the cricket battle, nobody is going to remember us," the South African captain said. Kumble also said he would prefer to focus on the cricket. "As for sledging, we have no issues. The lines are demarcated clearly. We want people to remember the cricket we want to play. We had a tough series in Australia and we have really gelled as a team. Likewise, we are looking forward to the challenge ahead and ensure that we play good cricket," he added. — PTI
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Champs slump to another defeat
Panchkula, March 23 Better things were expected from Champs in the remaining matches. But surprisingly, in the match against Superstars their performance slid even further. It proved to be a nightmarish outing for Champs as they crashed to an embarrassing nine-wicket defeat in the ICL Edelweiss 20s Challenge match at Tau Devi Lal stadium here today. The level of performance dished out by the Champs must be galling to coach Sandeep Patil. Electing to bat first, Champs posted 124 runs on the board, which Superstars overhauled losing just one wickets in the 12th over. Champs batsmen gave a spineless display. Barring opener Deeraj Jhadav, who scored 28 runs, the highest scorer from the side, no other batsman showed the inclination to stay at the wicket. A brisk opening stand worth 30 runs made one believe that Champs may finally turn the tide. But that proved a mirage as after the fall of opener S Jayantha, wickets started tumbling at regular intervals. Jhadav, who was batting well and looked good for a big score, was ran out after scoring breezy 25. The fall of this wicket opened the floodgates for the Chennai bowlers, who sliced through the rival batting line-up. Cairns fashions Lions’ victory
A brutal 64 by skipper Chris Cairns powered Chandigarh Lions to a narrow four-run victory over Chennai Superstars in the ICL Edelweiss 20s Challenge match at Tau Devi Lal stadium here on Saturday. Thanks to late assault from Crains who clobbered five towering sixes and as many boundaries facing 32 balls, Lions put posted an imposing 195 for eight in the allotted 20 overs. Lou Vincent was equally effective at the top of the batting order slamming 22-ball 42, hitting eight fours. Good contributions from openers Harvey and Vignesh meant Superstars were off to rollicking start. Then R Satish and S Sarvanan kept their hopes alive slamming breezy 23 and 32, respectively. But sensible bowling by Luv Ablish, who scalped three wickets, Dinesh Mongia and T P Singh restricted Superstars to 191 for nine, ensuring a narrow win for Lions. Cairns was adjudged Man of the Match. Badshahs win
Gurgaon (Pti) : Imran Nazir's brilliant batting coupled with disciplined bowing by Mushtaq Ahmed helped Lahore Badshahs thrash Delhi Giants by eight wickets in the ICL Twenty20 match here on Sunday. Chasing, 105 to win, Badshahs overhauled the target with 31 balls to spare as Nazir hit an unbeaten 60-run knock, which came off just 47-balls. Imran Farhat (1) was dismissed in the second over by T Sudhindra but Nazir and Humayun Farhat (16) ensured the opponents do build on early success. The duo put on 59 runs together for the second wicket, dashing all hopes of Delhi Giants of making a comeback. Hasan Raja (not out 20) joined Nazir after the departure of Humayun and both of them batted with ease to win the match for the team from Pakistan. Earlier, a superb spell of spin bowling by Mushtaq Ahmed (3/20) helped Lahore Badshahs to restrict Delhi Giants to 103 for 7 in 20 overs. Electing to bat, Delhi Giants got off to a rollicking start with openers Awishka Gunawardne and Munish Mishra scoring 15 runs in the very first over. Azhar Mehmood struck the first blow to Giants when he removed Gunawardne (6) as he gave a simple catch to Shahid Nazir at mid off. Scoreboard Mumbai Champs Jadhav run out 28 Jayantha c Law b Kumaran 11 Patil c Sathish b Mohammed 16 Powar c Badani b Harvey 3 Astle c Arnold b Ahmed 17 Paul b Kumaran 21 Khirid lbw b Harvey 17 Van der Wath b Kumaran 1 Best c & b Kumaran 0 Kasprowicz not out 5 Yadav run out 0 Extras
(lb 1, w 3): 4 Total (all out; 19.5 overs): 123 Fall of
wickets: 1-30, 2-44, 3-55, 4-71, 5-99 , 6-103 , 7-110, 8-110, 9-123. Bowling: Ahmed 4-0-18-1, Vignesh 4-0-31-0, Kumaran 4-0-14-4, Mohammed 4-0-36-1, Harvey 3.5-0-23-2. Chennai Superstars Harvey not out 31 Vignesh c Jayantha b Patil 61 Sathish not out 29 Extras (lb-2, nb-1): 3 Total (1 wicket; 12.4 overs): 124 Fall of
wicket:1-83 Bowling: Wath 2-0-14-0, Kasprowicz 1-0-20-0, Best 1-0-19-0, Khirid 1-0-14-0, Yadav 4-0-20-0, Patil 3.4-0-35-1. |
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Stop sledging, ICC tells captains, Boards
New Delhi, March 23 Stressing on the need to shun "obscene, offensive or insulting language", the note signed by ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed and General Manager Dave Richardson pointed how it has become important to address the issue of sledging in the wake of India's ill-tempered series Down Under. "Recent events and, in particular, the series between Australia and India have highlighted the issue of 'sledging'. We seek your support in learning lessons from these issues and moving forward in a positive way," the note read. Confirming receiving the note, a BCCI source said, "The ICC has written a letter to all the 10 Test captains and CEOs of the 10 Full Member boards, besides 7 Match Referees and nine Elite Panel umpires." "Copies have also been sent to some other people and the letter stresses that it is necessary to adhere to the spirit of the game. It says the captain, as well as the team, should be responsible to ensure that the game is played in the true spirit and curbing sledging is the responsibility of the captain," the Board source told PTI. The letter pointed out that several controversial incidents stemmed from use of language or gestures "which are considered obscene, offensive or insulting." India's tour of Australia reached the boiling point in the Sydney Test where Harbhajan Singh was accused of racially abusing Andrew Symonds, an issue that snowballed into a huge crisis and India threatened to pull out of the series. Harbhajan said he did retaliate after being provoked by the Australian all-rounder but denied racism charges. Subsequently ICC Appeals Commissioner too exonerated the Indian spinner from racism charges. BCCI has already proposed a ban on sledging and the issue came up for discussion during last month's ICC executive committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The ICC note also urged players to show more respect to fellow players, umpires and referees. "Players are asked to take their responsibility as role models seriously and to make an effort to improve their behaviour in this regard. Captains are requested to lead by example and to ensure that they keep tight control over the behaviour of their players," it said. "There is no question that international cricket must be played with intensity and with no quarter asked nor given but within the bounds of mutual respect and the spirit of the game," the note added. Admitting that it was difficult to define what actually amounts to sledging, the governing body has asked the umpires to use their "individual interpretation and judgement" to determine if any player had overstepped the line. — PTI
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Champions
Trophy
Karachi, March 23 The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the schedule and venues for this year's ICC Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan from September ICC said a security assessment of the strife-torn country would be done in June before the tournament kicks off. "As discussed at the ICC Board meeting earlier this week in Dubai, a full independent security assessment of the situation in Pakistan will be conducted in June," ICC said in a release. India is placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, West Indies and Australia. India will take on West Indies in Karachi September 16 and their last league match will be against hosts Pakistan September 20 in Lahore. Pakistan will face 2004 winner and 2006 runner-up West Indies in the tournament opener September 11 in Lahore. Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are the three venues for this year's event in which only the top eight sides compete. The length of the tournament has been cut short as compared to the 2006 edition in India. The tournament will have 15 matches in 17 days. The first semifinal will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi September 24 while Rawalpindi will host the second semifinal September 25. Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium, which hosted the final of the 1996 World Cup, will host the final on September 28. The groupings and seeding were finalised March 12 on the basis of teams' rankings in the ODI Championship table. The eight teams were then split into two groups of four with a round-robin format in operation. The top two sides from each group will progress to the knock-out stage. The following are the two groups (seedings in brackets): Group A: Australia (1), India (4), Pakistan (5), West Indies (8) Group B: South Africa (2), New Zealand (3), Sri Lanka (6), England (7). Schedule: Sep 11: Pakistan vs. West Indies, Lahore Sep 12: New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka, Karachi Sep 13: Australia vs. India, Lahore Sep 14: England vs. Sri Lanka, Karachi Sep 15: South Africa vs. New Zealand, Rawalpindi Sep 16: West Indies vs. India, Karachi Sep 17: Pakistan vs. Australia, Rawalpindi Sep 18: South Africa vs. Sri Lanka, Lahore Sep 19: England vs. New Zealand, Rawalpindi Sep 20: Pakistan vs. India, Lahore Sep 21: Australia vs. West Indies, Karachi; England vs. South Africa, Rawalpindi Sep 24: 1st semifinal, Karachi Sep 25: 2nd semifinal, Rawalpindi Sep 28: Final, Lahore. — IANS
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Georgetown, March 23 Wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene provided support, finishing on 21 not out. The sixth-wicket pair shared an unbroken 53-run stand during a slow morning. Taylor was again the most successful bowler, claiming four for 73 from 27 overs. Opener Malinda Warnapura top-scored on the first day with a fine 120, his maiden Test century. Scoreboard Sri Lanka (1st innings) Vandort lbw Taylor 52 Warnapura c Ramdin b Bravo 120 Sangakkara c Smith b Taylor 50 Jayawardene not out 59 Samaraweera c sub b Taylor 0 Dilshan lbw Taylor 20 Jayawardene not out 21 Extras (5-lb, 1-w, 2-nb) 8 Total (5 wkts) 330 Fall of wickets: 1-130, 2-205, 3-243, 4-243, 5-277. Bowling: Powell 21-2-73-0, Taylor 27-8-73-4, Gayle 16-2-38-0, Bravo 25-3-57-1, Benn 28-5-74-0, Hinds 3-0-10-0.— Reuters
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Napier, March 23 New Zealand raced to 103 for one in reply before Sidebottom grabbed the initiative and New Zealand's last nine wickets tumbled for 65 runs with the left-arm quick claiming a career-best seven for 47. The carnage continued when England started their second innings with Chris Martin having Michael Vaughan caught behind by Brendon McCullum for four in the first over. Scoreboard England (1st innings) 253 New Zealand (1st innings) How c Strauss b Sidebottom 44 Bell lbw Sidebottom 0 Fleming c Collingwod b Sidebottom 59 Sinclair c Broad b Sidebottom 7 Taylor c Ambrose b Broad 2 Elliott c Ambroe b Sidebottom 6 McCullum b Sidebottom 9 Vettori c Cook Sidebottom 14 Southee c Pietersen b Broad 5 Patel c Panesar b Broad 4 Martin not out 4 Extras (LB-13, W-1) 14 Total (all out) 168 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-103, 3-116, 4-19, 5-119, 6-137, 7-138, 8-152, 9-164, 10-168. Bowling: Sidebottom 21.4-6-47-7, Anderson 7-1-54-0, Broad 17-3-54-3, Panesar 1-1-0-0, Collingwood 2-2-0-0. England (2nd innings) Cook c McCullum b Patel 40 Vaughan c McCullum b Martin 4 Straus not out 40 Pietersen not out 7 Extras: 0 Total (2 wckets; 32 overs) 91 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-77. Bowling: Martin 6-2-23-1, Southee 6-3-18-0, Elliott 4-0-19-0, Patel 9-1-14-1, Vettori 7-0-17-0. — AFP— AFP
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North crash to 42-run defeat
Visakhapatnam, March 23 Chasing 248 to win, North Zone could manage just 205 for nine in their 50 overs at Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association
stadium. Bhatia (not out 62) fought till the end but could not find an able ally at the other end, as wickets fell at regular intervals. Bhatia hit three boundaries and three sixes in his 74-ball knock but only skipper Gautam Gambhir (43) provided any support.
Gambhir, along with opener Uday Kaul (31), shared a 68-run stand for the second wicket .
— PTI |
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Indian Wells, March 23 The defeat leaves Federer still searching for his first tournament victory of 2008, the first time since 2000 that the 12-time Grand Slam champion has gone so far into a season without a title. Fish sent a shock through the stadium-court crowd with his first break of Federer in the second game. He held for 3-0 and never looked back, taking the opening set in 39 minutes. The American opened the second set with a break - firing a stinging service return on break point - and broke again in the fifth game for a 4-1 lead yesterday. Federer fended off two match points against his own serve in the seventh game, but Fish took a 40-0 lead in the next game to give himself three more chances, and claimed the unlikely triumph when Federer netted a forehand. Fish had lost all five of his previous encounters with Federer, winning just one set in the process. Fish next faces Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, who ousted defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2. Djokovic, the third seed, turned the tables on the second-seeded Spaniard, who beat him in the final here last year. — AFP
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Jeev slips to 12th
Doral (US), March 23 Jeev, who started the day at six-under was seven-under but had slipped on the provisional leaderboard from overnight fourth to 12th on a day when the Blue Monster course was benign and conducive to scoring. S. S. P. Chowrasia, playing his first event in US was three-under through 15 and even par for the tournament and moved from 62nd to 54th place. The lead was held Geoff Ogilvy who was two-under through 12 to be 14-under, while Adam Scott, four-under through 12 was 13-under. Interestingly the only player in top 18 not under par was World No. 1 Tiger Woods. — IANS |
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