|
|
|
|
|
Bell wants England to rise to occasion
England captain Alastair Cook takes tips from spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed ahead of the fourth ODI in Mohali. — Tribune
photo: Vicky Gharu
KP gets cautioned inside loo!
|
|
|
Ordinary Services as Mumbai reach 40th Ranji final
Mumbai players celebrate after qualifying for the final in New Delhi on Monday. — PTI
S Africa tour
We must provide infrastructure to youngsters: Usha
Ferguson’s resistance to changing
times is subject to growing pressure
Pujara, Rohit set to miss summit clash
No women’s matches at Wankhede, MIG Club
Anand held, slips to 2nd position in Tata chess
Teen Stephens realises last 8 is "pretty cool"
|
|
Bell wants England to rise to occasion
Mohali, January 21 “...If we are going to get 150, that’s not going to challenge India at all in these conditions. We have to get a platform, our middle order is very powerful and destructive,” he said today. “We need to get foundation and a platform for our big hitters in the middle, which can keep us going. We have been a little bit disappointed with the way we have played (the last two games). We haven’t really put up a performance to challenge India at all.” “Like any game, whether we win or lose, we take our positive and try to work out on areas where we can get better and improve. Maybe we did not adapt to the conditions quite well in the last game,” Bell said. While Bell himself is keen to stay as an opener, he sought a combined team effort, saying, “We just haven’t played well enough. Obviously, we don’t want bad decisions, but we just haven’t played well enough.” Clearly, when two rookie pacers bundle them out just for 155, there is obviously something to worry about. The willow wielding figures who won a memorable Test series a few day back have failed repeatedly in the ODIs. A couple of bad decisions apart, England have been finding it difficult to cope with new rules as two new balls from both sides are compounding their woes. The final two matches at Mohali and Dharamshala, in all likelihood, are going to aggravate the problem. Bell said, “If there is a little bit in the wicket, you can’t come on and play massively aggressive shots. Ideally, we want to get a platform, but we have been losing wickets in the middle.” He was all praise for India skipper MS Dhoni’s batting. “He (Dhoni) showed us in Kochi that if you have wickets in the last 15 overs, it is hard for the bowlers to stop scoring runs. We haven’t capitalised on that,” said Bell. Add to it the pace attack of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed there is some more trouble coming for England in the days to come. “Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed have the ability to swing the ball both ways and have fantastic skills… We will have to be careful,” Bell struck a note of caution. If a side that is generally considered adept in facing any fast bowling attack strikes a note of caution, it says a lot about the state of affairs. During practice today, two days ahead of the fourth ODI, Jos Buttler donned the wicket-keeping gloves while regular wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter joined Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker taking catches at the boundary. Batting coach Graham Gooch and Kevin Pietersen singled out Buttler at the nets to part with some tips. Talk of changing the team composition?
|
|
KP gets cautioned inside loo!
Ranchi, January 21 Pietersen was informally cautioned by match referee Andy Pycroft for showing dissent against an umpire’s decision after he stayed glued to the crease for quite a few seconds following his dismissal, which looked dubious in replays, during the lost third one-dayer against India last Saturday. “Kevin and I were spoken to in the gents. So that was a very nice scene, my first meeting with a match referee!” coach Ashley Giles said. “We’ve got to be careful with reactions to decisions and Andy was right to speak to Kev. But I think common sense prevailed. It was just a little word.” Pietersen was adjudged caught behind by umpire S Ravi off Ishant Sharma for 17. Giles felt the match referee did the right thing and players have to be cautious. “Andy was right to speak to Kev,” Giles admitted. “But I think common sense prevailed. I didn’t think it was a reaction, more disappointment from Kev. “But we’ve got to be careful with reactions to decisions. It’s tough for the umpires here, it’s so loud that decision making is tough. We understand that.”
— PTI |
|
Ordinary Services as Mumbai reach 40th Ranji final
New Delhi, January 21 Services had threatened to take the fight to the wire when they made 164 for 3 at close on the fifth day yesterday, to force the match into the reserve day. The hosts were expected to put up a stiff fight, as they had done umpteen times in the past on their home ground. But Mumbai had a formidable reputation to defend, and they did that in style when Dhawal Kulkarni picked up five wickets, including 4 for 15, to pack off Services for 240. Services crashed in a heap when they lost their last seven wickets for 54 runs off 27.1 overs, as Mumbai completed the demolition-operation shortly after lunch. Though overnight batsmen Soumyaranjan Manguli Swain and Yashpal Singh had given a flicker of hope for Services, resuming at 64 and 43 respectively on a bright morning, the hosts’ chances evaporated in thin air soon when Swai and Yashpal left, after adding 10 and 15 runs, respectively. Their 114-run stand lasted a little over 30 minutes in the morning, when Yashpal was caught behind by Aditya Tare, off Shardul Thakur. Swain fell to left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar, caught by Wasim Jaffar at first slip. When Rajat Paliwal, who had consistently scored for Services this season, played on Kulkarni to disturb his bails, Mumbai sensed victory. By then, Services had lost six wickets for 203, and the new ball was just four overs away. Kulkarni and Thakur used the new ball to deadly effect to snare the Services tail, as three of the last four wickets were held by Tare behind the wickets, with the hosts folding up in about 35 overs. Though the last-wicket pair tried to prolong the fight with a doughty display for about an hour, when Avishek Sinha fell for 22, the match was called off, as Mumbai had gained the vital first innings lead. For the first time in six days, the match started on time, and Mumbai quickly seized the chance to make it all over bar shouting for Services earlier than expected. The win brought a huge sigh of relief on the faces of the Mumbai players, including Sachin Tendulkar, as the match, otherwise, was an agonizing experience for them. With the elements and conditions conspiring to play the spoilsport, no play was possible for two days due to a drenched pitch following Thursday night’s heavy rain and hail storm. On other days, play began late or ended early. But Mumbai, as true professionals, kept their ends up with Sachin Tendulkar giving them great inspiration, though the man of the match award went to captain Ajit Agarkar for his match-winning knock of 145. Agarkar praised his medium-pacers for ending the Services innings quickly, and the visitors were happy that they won on their on steam, instead of waiting for the toss to change their luck. “You don’t want to end that way”, remarked Agarkar. He praised his medium-pacers for bowling their hearts out on a wicket that had eased up when Services came on to bat. Scoreboard Mumbai 1st innings 380 Services 1st innings Verma lbw b Kulkarni 13 Desai b Chavan 4 Gupta c Pawar b Thakur 31 Swain c Jaffer b Dabholkar 74 Yashpal c Tare b Thakur 58 Paliwal b Kulkarni 11 Sarabjit c Tare b Thakur 11 Sinha c Tare b Kulkarni 22 Yadav c Tare b Kulkarni 3 Nazar c Nayar b Kulkarni 0 Nishan not out 0 Extras: (b 4, lb 4, w 3, nb 2) 13 Total: (all out; 91.4 overs) 240 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-22, 3-72, 4-186, 5-195, 6-203, 7-227, 8-230, 9-235 Bowling Agarkar 13 4 39 0 Kulkarni 21.4 8 33 5 Dabholkar 19 6 51 1 Chavan 12 4 33 1 Thakur 21 1 62 3 Nayar 5 0 14 0 Mumbai qualify for the final on the basis of first innings lead
|
|
Federer, Serena power into quarterfinals
Melbourne, January 21 Federer completed his 6-4 7-6 6-2 masterclass in less than two hours under the lights. Federer’s win followed Serena Williams’s 6-2 6-0 demolition of Maria Kirilenko, which set up her own generational battle with teenager Sloane Stephens. Williams needed a measly 57 minutes to secure her 35th grand slam quarterfinal, and will face another woman in a hurry in teenager Stephens. The wise-cracking 19-year-old has been touted as an heir to the 15-times grand slam champion Williams and bolstered her credentials with a poised 6-1 3-6 7-5 win over Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovski in the afternoon sun at Hisense Arena. Williams defeated the impressive Stephens in the leadup tournament in Brisbane, and stopped short of describing herself as a mentor to the up-and-comer. If Williams needed any inspiration as to how to smack down the next generation, she would have done well to remain at Rod Laver Arena to watch the Swiss maestro. Federer drew Raonic’s sting in a tight second set before romping to victory with 34 sparkling winners to set up a clash with France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. It was the 31-year-old Swiss’s second straight win over a vaunted youngster, having swatted away Australian upstart Bernard Tomic in the previous round. “It would be fun to play seven five-setters in a row ... but it’s not really what you want to do,” he said later. Stephens can afford to buy something sparkling after qualifying for her first grand slam quarterfinal, which secured A$250,000 ($263,000) in prize-money. “I’m sure my mum’s had, like, four heart attacks,” Stephens said courtside, raising a laugh from the crowd. “I try to save all my money because I don’t want to be old and broke.” Britain’s Andy Murray derived little joy from his 6-1 6-3 6-1 clobbering of shattered 14th seed Simon. The monotoned Murray has made an art form of sounding unexcited about rollicking victories, but struck a new depth of melancholy as he lamented the lack of competition. “It was kind of tough. A tough situation for both players — more obviously for him ... It didn’t feel like that competitive,” said Murray, who will face Frenchman Jeremy Chardy. World number one Victoria Azarenka was back at her ruthless best in a 6-1 6-1 demolition of 47th-ranked Russian Elena Vesnina. Sania-Bob in quarters, Bhupathi-Nestor out
It was a good day for Indian mixed doubles players as Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna advanced to the quarterfinals. However, the Indian men’s doubles campaign came to an end as Mahesh Bhupathi lost his third round match. Sania and her American partner Bob Bryan beat the American pair of Abigail Spears and Scott Lipsky 4-6, 6-1, 10-4 in the second round of mixed doubles. Bopanna also found success partnering Su-Wei Hsieh of Chinese Taipei as they edged past Slovak-Italian pairing of Daniela Hantuchova and Fabio Fognini 6-1, 7-5 in 55 minutes. However, Bhupathi and his Serbia-born Canadian partner Daniel Nestor lost their third round men’s doubles match to unseeded Italians Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini. The fifth seeds lost 3-6, 6-4, 3-6 in 1 hour and 53 minutes.
— Agencies |
|
|
S Africa tour
Johannesburg, January 21 “Pakistan is such a big cricketing nation and the world has to think about bringing international cricket back to the country,” the 38-year-old batsman said. “A Twenty20 tournament in Pakistan saw full stadiums for every game and there were no security concerns. The people should have international cricket,” he told a news conference. Team manager Naveed Akram Cheema backed the views of Misbah, stressing that the security situation in the country was much safer than the outside world realised. “There is a difference between perception and reality. Other teams do not come to Pakistan on the pretext of security concerns, but it is as safe as any other country in the world,” he said. Misbah said having to play “home” Tests abroad — often in the United Arab Emirates cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi —was affecting the competiveness of the team. “It is very difficult when you are not playing a format on a regular basis — you really have to work hard. You could say it is a limitation for us, but we are professionals and have to do well. “We play only about five or six Tests a year while other countries play 15 or 16 a year. This really does affect our team,” he said ahead of the first Test from February 1 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. Pakistan will also play Tests in Cape Town and Centurion, two Twenty 20 internationals and five one-day internationals during a tour that stretches to late March. Misbah-ul-Haq says Proteas fast bowler Vernon Philander will be one of the South African players to watch out for in their Test series next month. Philander was included in the Proteas squad for the series after missing out in the second Test against New Zealand with a hamstring injury. “I think the way Philander is bowling is really taking so many wickets,” Misbah said on Monday after the Pakistani squad arrived in Johannesburg at the weekend. “He’s really a factor with the new ball and swinging the ball and hitting the seam. “I think the best way is just to stick to your basics and just go there and try and see off these sort of bowlers, and then just capitalise. — PTI
|
|
|
We must provide infrastructure to youngsters: Usha
Chandigarh, January 21 “Being a runner, I want to dedicate my life to athletics. It’s not easy to win medals for the country,” she said. “One should start gradually with dedication and success will come for sure. I want that athletes of my country should perform better than me and make their own name. I know it’s difficult but not impossible,” Usha said. On her career moving to coaching 11 years ago, she said, “Being a coach is not an easy task. If athletes perform well than they will be awarded with all fame but during his or her downfall, it’s the coach who will be blamed for everything. There is a dire need to encourage the coaches as well grassroots athletics in our country.” “My aim is not to make athletes but to produce the cream for my nation,” she added. “As a player and now as a coach, my aim is always to give the best.” Talking about the infrastructure, the living legend stated: “We are far better than the 1980s but we still need direction. For every player, running is as essential as breathing.” “If we provide the young generation with the best, only then can we can expect something from them,” she went on. “Recently, the central government has approved a synthetic track for my academy in Kerala... Also, we have a world-class gymnasium hall with the latest equipment from Spain. With the help of sponsors and government, the infrastructure could be attained. And the players should be provided with the best, so that they can feel comfortable with sports.” Her current talent search is to identify the fastest 100-m runners in different categories, including the under 12, 14 and 16 age groups. The event will take place in different cities like Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Sonepat. The winners from each city will qualify for the finals to be held in New Delhi on February 10. “Identifying talent is the toughest thing and I am happy to be a part of it,” Usha signed off. |
|
|
Ferguson’s resistance to changing
times is subject to growing pressure
On this occasion he came within a minute of a classic example of this resistance to changing times. In some ways it would have been an act of larceny if Tottenham’s Clint Dempsey hadn’t held his nerve to score the late equaliser but though United’s lead was trimmed to five points there was still remarkable evidence of an extraordinary will to get the job done under the heaviest pressure. There were times when they were at risk of being engulfed by the considerable resources of Spurs and David De Gea, who has been just one of United’s points of vulnerability this season, was required to produce some remarkable pieces of defiance before Dempsey settled on a ball from Aaron Lennon with the natural born certainty of a superior gunfighter. However, there was still always a thread of defiance in this United, who go from week to week disputing the notion that along with their capacity to fight they have a genius for riding their luck. Indeed, there were, beyond the continued promise that Robin van Persie will carry them into another chapter of outstanding achievement, some performances of impressive character. Will the deeper running strength of champions Manchester City, with David Silva finding again some of his most creative and influential form and the raw edge of their European catastrophe beginning to fade, overhaul them for a second straight season? Maybe, but it remains the boldest of bets. If the decision to leave Wayne Rooney on the bench suggested that Ferguson remains troubled by the form and the confidence of a player who was once so integral to all his hopes of continuing to resist the challenge presented by the resources of his neighbours, the old warrior could take some encouragement in a performance that at one point was threatening to be one of the more impressive of the campaign.
— The Independent |
|
|
Pujara, Rohit set to miss summit clash
New Delhi, January 21 Amidst reports that the two key batsmen from either side will be released, a senior BCCI office-bearer categorically denied any such development. “Neither among the trio of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit Sharma will be released for the Ranji Trophy final. They will be with the Indian team for the fourth and fifth One-dayers at Mohali and Dharamsala, respectively,” a senior BCCI official clarified to the PTI today. “We have never released players for domestic matches during a one-day series. It is only during Test series that we follow the rule of releasing at least three reserve players so that they can get serious match time,” the official stated. Even Mumbai captain Ajit Agarkar clarified that there is no chance of Sharma being released to play the final. “He is with the Indian squad in the middle of an ODI series. Why should he be released when he has just been named in the squad for the last two matches,” Agarkar said. India and England will be playing the fourth ODI at Mohali on January 23 followed by final match of the series at Dharamsala on January 27. India are leading the series 2-1.
— PTI FINAL AT WANKHEDE
Mumbai will have the home advantage in the Ranji Trophy final against Saurashtra as the summit clash would be held at the Wankhede Stadium here from January 26 to 30. K Hariharan and O Nandan have been appointed the field umpires.
— TNS |
|
No women’s matches at Wankhede, MIG Club
Mumbai, January 21 Wankhede was scheduled to hold the opening match of the event on January 31 but the match is expected to be shifted to another ground as it is now all set to host the Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and
Saurashtra. “There won’t be any Women’s World Cup matches at Wankhede and
MIG,” the sources in the BCCI informed. Wankhede and MIG in Bandra were earlier scheduled to hold the World Cup matches besides the Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium, the Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) Bandra-Kurla Complex Ground and Barabati Stadium in
Cuttack, Odisha. All the Group A matches, featuring England, India, West Indies and Sri Lanka will be played at Brabourne Stadium and MCA’s Bandra-Kurla Complex
Ground. BCCI or the ICC are yet to make an official announcement about the venue changes. Unfazed by protests from different quarters including a ruling BJD MP, the state government today gave the nod to the Odisha Cricket Association for hosting the ICC Women’s World Cup matches involving players from Pakistan at
Cuttack. “We will ensure proper security for the players from Pakistan and see to it the international event conducted smoothly at
Cuttack,” Director General of Police (DGP), Prakash Mishra said after OCA functionaries held discussion with Chief Minister.
— PTI |
|
|
Anand held, slips to 2nd position in Tata chess
Wijk Aan Zee, January 21 Magnus Carlsen of Norway showed his determination and endgame skills to beat Sergey Karjakin of Russia to regain the sole lead with five rounds to come in this category-20 super tournament. The victory took Carlsen to six points out of a possible nine. The day produced three decisive games and apart from Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana of Italy came good against Erwin L’Ami of Holland while Armenian Levon Aronian accounted for lone woman participant Yifan Hou of China. Indian Grandmaster P Harikrishna played out a draw with Peter Leko of Hungary and Anish Giri of Holland played an ultra-solid game to get the same result against Wang Hao of China. In the other game of the day American Hikaru Nakamura salvaged a much inferior endgame against local star Loek Van Wely. Apart from Carlsen and Anand, Aronian and Nakamura are also in with a chance on five points each for a shared third spot. Harikrishna and Karjakin are on joint fifth spot with 4.5 points apiece. Not far behind are Leko and Caruana with four points.
— PTI |
|
|
Kumble chief mentor of Mumbai Indians
Mumbai, January 21
Commenting on his appointment, Kumble said, “In my discussion with Reliance Group Management, I find that they have a great and compelling vision for sports, which aligns with my venture Tenvic Sports’ aspirations in making ‘sports’ as the main catalyst.” “Mumbai Indians is a very competitive team in the IPL with high-profile players and committed owners. It’s my honour to join the Mumbai Indians as Chief Mentor and to align our joint interest in making sports as an important agenda in youth development,” he said. MI owner Nita Ambani said, “In Anil, we have a new Chief Mentor who has extensive knowledge not only as a player but also as an able administrator. He is one of India’s leading sporting icons.” RCB, where Kumble was holding the same post prior to joining MI, also issued a statement.
— PTI |
| 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 | |
Mohali, January 21
New Delhi, January 21
Melbourne, January 21
Johannesburg, January 21
London, January 21
