|
|
|
|
|
BCCI rejects Sharmila’s plea to name series after Pataudi
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
First phase of India-Pak match tickets sold out
CAS sets date for appeals by Asif, Butt
DOPING TAINT
IOA panel gives voting rights to Abhay Chautala-led HOA, Hockey India
Karthikeyan rules out driving for Force India
Legalise betting: Majid Khan
|
|
INDIA-ENGLAND
New Delhi, November 6 “I am happy that I scored 100 against UP. Whether I am back in form or not, is not for me to decide but I thought I played well enough and hope to do well (against England). “I think they are a good side but so are we. We are preparing well for the series. We are confident of playing good cricket against them. We have a practice camp before the series starting November 9. I think it will be a tough series for both of us. We are eagerly waiting for the series to start," said Sehwag. The India opener rubbished suggestions that it's a revenge series for India who were whitewashed 0-4 last year against the same opposition in England. “We are not here for revenge. All this vengeance etc. is due to media hype. We are concentrating on playing well and winning for the team and country,” he said. India will play in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata and Nagpur. The national selectors showed faith in Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir by picking them in the team for the England series. Gambhir had recently said that both are still the best opening pair in the country. Asked if he shares the same thought and Sehwag replied, "Yes, we are". Talking about his finger injury that he suffered during Delhi's Ranji match against UP in Ghaziabad, Sehwag said, "The condition of my finger is getting better. It's fine at the moment." He also expressed disappointment at Delhi's failure to eke out a draw. "I am disappointed that we could not draw the match. We gave our best in the match." Sehwag will complete a century of Test matches during the series - he has so far represented India 98 times in the five-day format. "It was my dream to play for my country. Since the time I achieved that, my next dream has been to perform well and play 100 Tests for India. I am very happy that moment is coming soon," he said. Sehwag refused to comment on the selectors' decision to pick four openers. "It's the decision taken by the national selectors. They know it well." Sehwag scored the ton, batting in the middle-order owing to his finger-injury, but he refuted suggestions that he might bat in a similar position. “My injury forced me to bat in the middle order. The doctor did not give me local anaesthesia on time. The team management will decide the middle order and not the player himself," he said. He also congratulated Sachin.
— PTI |
|
BCCI rejects Sharmila’s plea to name series after Pataudi
Four days after Sharmila wrote an email letter to BCCI President N Srinivasan expressing her displeasure over the Board's reluctance to name the series after the late Pataudi, the Board said the India-England series in India has always been played for the Anthony De Mello trophy instituted in 1951. The BCCI statement came hours after the contents of Sharmila's letter was reported by the media. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) had commissioned the Pataudi Trophy way back in 2007 in honour of the former Indian cricketer, to be presented to the winning captain at the end of future England-India Test series. It was conceived to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first-ever India-England Test series that took place in 1932, but the BCCI did not give its official stamp of approval to the naming of the trophy, and Sharmila, in her email sent to Srinivasan on November 2, had expressed her disappointment. "In 2007, when MCC proposed the institution of Pataudi Trophy for England-India series, the BCCI had clarified that the trophy is already named after Anthony De Mello," the statement added. Sharmila said the Board officials had assured her that they would look into the issue. “Prof (Ratnakar) Shetty has written to me and I had written back to Mr Srinivasan asking him whether the family has any role to play, whether we can suggest a speaker. To which he had replied that the family will not have any role to play but it will happen every year...it is at the time when BCCI honours every player. “It has been more than a year or so, and that is where it stands now. No response, nobody has called me. I have given them my number. They might be busy. I don't know,” she added. — PTI tiger pataudi
|
|
First phase of India-Pak match tickets sold out
New Delhi, November 6 It is the first of the 15 matches in the tournament to have sold out its initial allocation of tickets. Additional tickets for this match may be released to the public via official outlets nearer the event, a release from the international governing body stated today. The tickets were set on sale from yesterday morning. The sub-continental rivals will meet at Edgbaston on June 15 next year. Warwickshire's home ground will host five games in total, as will the other two venues — The Oval and Cardiff Wales Stadium. Tournament director Steve Elworthy said: "The ICC Champions Trophy is one of the biggest tournaments in world cricket, and with India and Pakistan meeting in the group stage at Edgbaston, we've seen a huge demand for tickets in the first day of sales." "Any additional tickets that become available for this fixture will be sold via www.icc-cricket.com, so be sure to visit this site regularly for further information," he said. Fans are strongly urged not to purchase tickets through secondary resale websites. Tickets appearing on these sites have broken the terms and conditions, and action is being taken against the perpetrators, the release warned. Tickets for the remaining matches of the ICC Champions Trophy, including the final, can still be purchased at www.icc-cricket.com or via the ICC Champions Trophy Ticket Hotline —0844 249 2013, it added. Adult tickets for the ICC Champions Trophy range from 20 pounds to 60 pounds, while tickets for under-16s (providing they are accompanied by an adult) are priced at five pounds for the entire event. A new pricing structure has also seen the introduction of tickets for under-21s, which can be bought for between 10-25 pounds. Money generated from CLT20 helps at grassroot level: CA
Cricket Australia (CA) has made it clear that it doesn't intend to roll back its commitment to the Champions League, despite the impact on Test preparations, insisting that the money generated by the tournament is important to develop the game at the grassroot level. Media rights of the Twenty20 event were sold to ESPN-Star Sports for USD 900 million in 2008, in a decade-long deal, and CA has a one-third share in the tournament with India (50 percent) and South Africa (17 per cent). The annual dividend to CA is about USD 6 million. This year's event was staged later than usual, running up against Australia's heavyweight clash with SA, because of the World T20, messing with Test preparations. "We're in Champions League for the long term, and the benefit it creates for Australian cricket is quite significant, and that flows right down,” CA said.
— Agencies |
|
CAS sets date for appeals by Asif, Butt
Karachi, November 6 The CAS website and both players said the appeals against the International Cricket Council (ICC) bans will be heard between February 5-8, 2013. "Asif's appeal will be heard between 5-7 February while Butt's appeal will be taken up on February 8," the CAS confirmed from its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Captain Butt and fast bowlers Asif and Mohammad Aamer were all banned by the ICC for contriving to bowl deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010. Butt was banned for 10 years, with five suspended, Asif for seven years with two suspended and teenager Aamer for five years. The trio were also jailed by a British court over the scandal in November 2011. All three were released earlier in 2012 after completing half of their sentences. Aamer decided not to pursue his appeal to the CAS after pleading guilty to the charges before the UK court. Asif, who returned home last week, confirmed his appeal will be heard in February. "I had filed the appeal after the ban but could not pursue it because of the criminal proceedings, but now it will be taken up by the CAS in the first week of February," Asif said. Butt said he was looking forward to the hearing. "I have not talked to my lawyer for a few days but he knows exactly about the appeal in the CAS and I hope justice will be done," he said. Umar Akmal joins Sydney Sixers
Sydney Sixers, the reigning Champions League and Big Bash League trophy holders, have bolstered their squad for this summer by signing the Pakistani batsman Umar Akmal. Akmal will be available for the Sixers' first three BBL matches, offering the kind of aggressive batting he has exhibited for Pakistan since his debut as a 19-year-old in 2009. — Agencies |
|
Sachin gets Order of Australia honour
New Delhi, November 6 The talismanic right-hander was presented with the Order by Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government and Minister for the Arts - Simon Crean - and became the second Indian with this honour after former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee. Speaking to the media Tendulkar hailed the spirit of the Aussies who according to him are 'fierce competitors'. He said that the three and a half months he spent in Australia during his early days changed him as a cricketer."Three and a half months changed me completely and I was ready to face any attack in the world," said Tendulkar. Earlier during her visit to India last month, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard had announced that the iconic Indian cricketer would be conferred the membership of the Order of Australia. Narrating his most memorable trip to Australia, the Little Master said, "The most Memorable trip of Australia was when I was invited by Sir Don Bradman on his 90th birthday." Tendulkar said that he was in the middle of a camp when he received the invitation and the BCCI agreed to send him for 3-4 days to Australia where he met the Australian legend. Tendulkar on a funny note also told the media about Sir Don's reaction when he asked him why his average was just 99.94. "Come on, its (99.94) not bad for a 90-year-old man," Bradman told him. The batting genius also spoke about how the Aussie spectators gave him a warm reception whenever he went in to bat. "Whenever I went to bat there, everybody gave me a standing ovation. I laughed at times because they all thought it would be my last trip," he said. Talking about the upcoming series between India and Australia, Tendulkar said that according to him, both the sides will play competitive cricket. The Master Blaster also thanked the Prime Minister and all the Australians for the honour. Tendulkar is not the first cricketer to be conferred the Order of Australia, as in 2009, West Indies legend Brian Lara had also been made an honorary member. Another West Indies legend, Clive Lloyd, is an Honorary Officer in the Order of Australia, having been conferred the award way back in 1985.
— PTI |
|
‘First trip to Oz changed me’
Mumbai, November 5 "It (the 1991-92 tour of Australia) completely changed me as a cricketer. It was a critical moment of my career. Three and half months changed me completely. "I thought I was ready to play against any attack in the world and I can say that Australia has had some contribution in that to transform me into a tougher cricketer," Tendulkar said after receiving the honour at a function. He said the Aussies, who are known for their mental toughness, also appreciate quality performace. "We all know Australians are fierce competitors but when you do well against them, they shower on you all the compliments. And that is what happened to me. I scored reasonably well and scored a couple of hundreds there (in the Test series). “That (the Test rubber) was followed by the tri-series against the West Indies, another tough opposition", he said. Tendulkar further said he dreamt of playing in Australia ever since he was a 12-year-old.
— PTI |
|
Inconsistency cost Raina his place: Coach
Lucknow, November 6 "Raina is definitely a very talented cricketer but inconsistency in his performance is the major hurdle in his progress," Dipak Sharma who taught Raina first lessons of the game, he said. The coach felt that for securing a place in the Tests, UP skipper would have to consistently score big. “This could be the main reason as to why he has not been able to win over the trust of national selectors... he needs to score big in the Ranji Trophy matches,” Sharma said. Raina failed to find a place in the team for first two Tests against England beginning November 15. One time praised by the Wisden for his skills, Raina has not been able to do justice to his talent at the Test level. "It is not because of any problem with his technique he rather requires an appropriate plan," Sharma said. Starting his Test career with a hundred against Sri Lanka Raina showed a lot of promise, people started to expect a lot from the left-hander and it certainly had an impact on his performance, Sharma said. "In the present times it is essential to mould according to the changing formats and therefore performing consistently becomes a major challenge," he said. Sharma is confident the 25-year-old would make a comeback to the longer format. — PTI |
|
Spin wary England watch Dravid’s videos New delhi, November 6 “We are going through videos to analyse how Rahul Dravid had played spin, used his feet against them and utilised the depth of the crease to defend and attack them," Bell said. Bell will put his family first and his place in England's Test side second when he flies home for the birth of his first child. Bell will leave after the first Test in Ahmedabad and will miss the second match of four in Mumbai. Saying that the series will be "closely-contested" one, England wicket-keeper Matt Prior said, “It depends on the batsmen and the bowler he is up against. If he feels that he is comfortable playing the sweep shot to negate spinners, then he may as well employ that. But, personally, I feel that it depends on the merit (length and trajectory) of the ball," Prior said. “Any Test series in India is a challenge. More so, when you look back and see that the last time you won was 28 years back. We will draw back from our previous experiences of having played here and try to avoid committing same mistakes again," he said. To a question whether this team was better than the Andrew Flintoff-led side of 2006 or the 2008 side, Prior said, "We have a much more experienced team this time around. The likes of "Pietersen, Bell, Cook, who have played here earlier, will help us immensely." On missing Strauss' experience at the top of the order, he said "Strauss(y) is a class player. He's won a lot of games for us. He had a wealth of experience of how to operate against spinners." Prior hoped that pacemen Steve Finn and Stuart Broad would recover in time for the opening Test from injuries. "Broad's injury was a lesser concern while Finn's condition was being monitored," he said. Bell said they were trying to spend maximum time in the middle as possible to get used to the wickets. On Yuvraj Singh's comeback, Bell stated: "It's good to see him come back. He's a world-class player. You want to come and play with the best team and we are doing that." On Sachin Tendulkar, the England batsman said that he is the best player of all times. "It was an honour to play against him," Bell said. Bhajji can count himself fortunate, says Manjrekar Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar felt Harbhajan can count himself "extremely fortunate" to be back after not doing well even in domestic circuit. — PTI
|
|
|
DOPING TAINT
New Delhi, November 6 The athletes said that they will contest against the decision because the two year ban period was too long as they have also suffered for more than two years during the pendency of the case. Wrestlers Rajeev Tomar, Joginder Singh, Sumit Sehrawat, Rahul Maan, Gursharanpreet Kaur and Mausam Khatri, two track and field athletes Saurabh Vij and Akash Antil and swimmers, Amar Muralidharan, Jyotsana Pansare and Richa Mishra tested positive for stimulant methylhexaneamine in the run-up to 2010 Commonwealth Games. Their sample tests were conducted in August 2010 during various championships and selection trails held at Jaipur, Patiala and Sonipat. "We were expecting a warning or a suspension of six months at the maximum or something like that as it has been more than two years since the case began in September 2010. We had suffered during this period," said wrestler Rajeev Tomar. "We will definitely appeal against the decision. We will have a discussion among ourselves and decide on the course of action," said the Arjuna Award winner, who represented India in the Beijing Olympics." The athletes were allowed to compete at the national and international events as the MHA was shifted to the category of specified substances in September 2010 and swimmer Richa Mishra had had won 16 medals in the 2011 National Games in Ranchi and five gold medals in National Swimming Championships in Pune last month. Richa's father said that his daughter will definitely appeal against the decision of the NADDP headed by retired district judge Dinesh Dayal. SA top cyclist David Geroge in dope net Cape Town: One of South Africa's foremost cyclists, David George, has tested positive for the banned EPO drug and faces a charge of doping. The blood test showed suspicious activity with regard to possible manipulation of the blood profile and a subsequent urine test came back positive for the banned EPO [Erythropoietin] drug," the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) chief executive, Khalid Galant said. George has a long record of achievement in local cycling circles after competing in three Olympics and finishing on the podium at the 2012 Absa Cape Epic. George has a long record of achievement in local cycling circles after competing in three Olympics and finishing on the podium at the 2012 Absa Cape Epic. — Agencies
|
|
IOA panel gives voting rights to Abhay Chautala-led HOA, Hockey India
New Delhi, November 6 The three-member panel, headed by former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y.Qureshi and comprising Justice (retd) V.K.Bali and Justice J.D.Kapoor, has thus endorsed the decision of the IOA Special General Body Meeting (GBM), held here on October 18. The GBM had passed a resolution to give the Chautala faction of the HOA and Hockey India voting rights at the IOA elections. Indian Hockey Federation secretary-general Ashok Mathur, who had attended the GBM following a court order in IHF’s favour, has been insisting that the IHF would vote in the IOA elections. The panel has also decided to follow the Government’s code of conduct for the election of office-bearers with regard to tenure limits and age bar. (No office-bearer of a National Sports Federation/Indian Olympic Association will be allowed to contest after completing two terms as president or secretary-general, or after crossing 70 years). The election panel has also finalized the final voting list. The nominations will be accepted from November 7 to 10, and after scrutiny, withdrawal of nominations will be allowed from November 11 to 16. IOA secretary-general Randhir Singh and Abhay Chautala are set to contest for the president’s post.
— TNS |
|
Karthikeyan rules out driving for Force India
New Delhi, November 6 “I don’t think it will ever happen. I don’t know (the reason). I don’t want to comment on that”, he said at a function to announce the Indian team’s participation in the Race of Champions at Bangkok on December 15. He will team up with Karun Chandhok for the event, as India have been invited to participate in the 25-year-old event for the first time. “It’s my dream to race for the Force India FI team, but at this stage, it’s quite unrealistic”, he added. He said his initial move to race for Force India did not “quite jell” and his chances of racing for the Indian team has now receded to a point of no-hope. During the Indian Grand Prix Sebastain Vettel, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton had said that Karthikeyan deserved to be in the Force India team when Hulkenberg leaves. Karthikeyan and Chandhok, the two FI drivers from the country, said it was a privilege to be invited to race in the Race of Champions, and race alongside Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
— TNS |
|||||
|
Legalise betting: Majid Khan
According to the former all-rounder, the step will stop the illegal use of money in Cricket and will also help in re-gaining public’s faith towards the game.“Like other foreign countries, betting should be legalised here. It will not only stop corruption but also help in solving the existing problem. Only registered bookies will get a chance to bet and the revenue will directly fill the pockets of government. There will be a proper system under surveillance” said Majid, who became the first Pakistani and the first person in 42-years to make a Test hundred before lunch against New Zealand at Karachi in 1976-77. When asked, about his particular interest in India than Pakistan, he added, “We or say Bangladesh cannot go for legalise betting because it is against our religion but India can opt this. The step will help in curbing match-fixing. I feel the Centre government will have more revenue than the yearly budget. And this can be used to improve the infrastructure in states” said Majid. On new format of Test cricket, he said, “Foremost the introduction of new format has decreased the value of Tests. The day-night Test will increase its popularity and allow people to enjoy the matches like T-20.”
|
|||||
CAS sets date for appeals by Asif, Butt Karthikeyan rules out driving for Force India Voting rights for Chautala-led HOA, HI Fed beats Tipsarevic at Tour Finals Hesh-Bops lose in Rd1
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
New Delhi, November 6
“India-England Test Series in India is played for the Anthony De Mello trophy instituted in 1951 in the name of the first secretary of the BCCI, recognising his contribution to Indian cricket," BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said.
Chandigarh, November 6
