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Basketball, golf are sports of choice for men from Oz
We won’t give up without a fight: Clarke
Viru should not have been axed: Laxman
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Kiwis fly, England crawl in 1st Test
Sanga makes Bangla suffer
Jashanjit falls short of bronze
ITBP Jalandhar in last four, Punjab cops lose
First 20 copies of Yuvraj’s memoirs to be auctioned for charity
Lyon contradicts Arthur, says he’s not short on confidence
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Basketball, golf are sports of choice for men from Oz
Chandigarh, March 8 Like four school buddies, Peter Siddle, Mathew Wade, Usman Khwaja and the Australian physio had stealthily planned for one last game after the class. And like true friends they kept promise. There was no one to interrupt, just a gentle twitter of birds that kept reminding them periodically, ever so painstakingly, that time may be running short. The guards at the school gates too were not in a mood to stop the unsanctioned play today. They kept one eye on the game and the other on the gate. Hurry up guys, get it over soon, someone might come in, their demeanour suggested. On a balmy Friday afternoon, three top-notch Australian cricketers — wearing Lakers and Miami Heats T-shirts — recreated a scene reminiscent of schooldays at the St John’s School, Sector 26. Since there was no official net session today, they wore their favourite NBA stars on their back, skipping up and down in oversized shorts, accompanied by that screeching-yet-pleasing sound of the sneakers at the school backyard. While Peter Siddle donned the No. 32 shirt (Blake Griffin), Mathew Wade chose to be in Derrick Rose’ (No. 1) shoes. Usman Khwaja would not be anything but Heats LeBron James (No. 23). But when the game began it was out in the open that they were just miming their stars. Though Siddle did come up with some clean three-pointers, Wade was only playing the catching game, albeit failingly in the half-a-court-game. Yet he not too bad either. Khwaja and Mr Physio were just fillers who had been coaxed to make the numbers. As is the nature of stealth games, there aren’t any scorers, neither the pom-pom girls. So, quietly the game progresses and quietly does it come to an end, no horsing around, no fuss. Pack up your bags and run.
We won’t give up without a fight: Clarke
New Delh, March 8 “It is not in our nature to give up without a fight. We have every chance of making a comeback and levelling the series 2-2. We feel if we win one we can win two,” an optimistic Clarke said about his team’s chances. “We have to win the next two Tests to level the series and that is our main focus. But obviously it is going to be tough as India are playing really good cricket at the moment.” After losing the opening Test in Chennai by eight wickets, the visitors slumped to another morale-crushing defeat when India humiliated them by an innings and 35 runs in the second Test in Hyderabad. And the Australian skipper was modest in admitting that India were by far the better side on display in the opening two Tests. “No excuses for the defeats. We were outplayed in all facets of the game -- batting, bowling and fielding. The credit must go to India. But we need to improve as team,” Clarke said during promotional event. “We have learnt from our mistakes in the first two games, and I feel we still have plenty of time to correct our flaws before the next game,” he insisted. — PTI
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Viru should not have been axed: Laxman
New Delhi, March 8 “The selectors are forgetting that the next Test series will be against South Africa,” Laxman said in a media report. “There should be a plan and vision for that series. When India go to South Africa, it is important to have a good mix of experience and youth. I cannot imagine an Indian team without Sehwag in those tough South African conditions. India cannot afford to go to South Africa without Sehwag.” “In Chennai, he was unlucky to have played on in the first innings,” Laxman said. “Then in the second innings there and in the first innings in Hyderabad, good deliveries got him out. It was not that he threw away his wicket. It is not the right time to drop him. It was important to give him two more matches. Especially in Mohali, Sehwag has always done well. The wicket there would have suited his game.” “It was a matter of one good knock for him to get back into form. Keeping in view the South Africa series, it is not a right decision,” Laxman added. —
Agencies |
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Kiwis fly, England crawl in 1st Test
Dunedin, March 8 Rutherford scored a dynamic 171, the second highest score by a New Zealander in his first Test, to help the hosts reach 402 for seven in reply to England’s 167 when play was stopped about 20 minutes into the third and final session of the day. The umpires decided the light mist that had been drifting across University Oval for 45 minutes was too bad to continue and no further play was possible. New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was unbeaten on 45 and Bruce Martin had made 17. McCullum would have been looking to up the tempo in the final session and give his bowlers another crack at the England batsmen sooner rather than later. With the first day having been washed out but the pitch still a good batting surface, the hosts probably need some time to try and bowl out the vaunted England lineup for a second time. Rutherford became the ninth New Zealander to score a century on debut before England’s bowlers wrested back some of the advantage they had ceded with five wickets falling in the second session. The lefthander added just four runs to his lunch score of 167 when he popped a catch to substitute fielder Chris Woakes off James Anderson with the first delivery of the second new ball. The 23-year-old, who had a double century well within his sights, cut a disconsolate figure as he trudged off, only acknowledging the standing ovation from the crowd on his home ground as he approached the boundary rope. — Reuters Scoreboard England 1st innings 167 NZ 1st innings (overnight 131/0) Fulton c Prior b Anderson 55 Rutherford c sub b Anderson 171 Williamson b Panesar 24 Taylor c Trott b Anderson 31 Brownlie b Anderson 27 McCullum batting 44 Watling b Broad 0 Southee b Broad 25 Martin batting 17 Extras: (lb-8) 8 Total: (7 wkts, 108 overs) 402 Fall of wickets: 1-158, 2-249, 3-267, 4-310, 5-321, 6-326, 7-370 Bowling Anderson 29-2-108-4 Finn 26-3-102-0 Broad 24-3-89-2 Panesar 22-2-83-1 Trott 2-0-4-0 Root 5-1-8-0
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Galle, March 8 Sangakkara smashed the hapless Bangladesh attack to all parts before he departed for 142 after he was caught by Jahurul Islam in the covers off Sohag Gazi. On a flat track, Bangladesh took the second new ball in the 81st over but bowled only four more before rain brought an early end to the day. With Lahiru Thirimanne, who scored his third test half-century, Sangakkara put on 124 for the third wicket. Thirimanne was unbeaten on 74 at stumps with skipper Angelo Mathews on 25 not out. — Agencies Brief scores Sri Lanka 361-3 (T Dilshan 54, K Sangakkara 142, L Thirimanne 74 not out; Gazi 3/101)
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Lahore, March 8 The six-team tournament, named after former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was held at the Pakistan Cricket Board headquarters at the Gaddafi Stadium under a heavy security blanket and concluded on Thursday night in a colourful finale. In a first for conservative Pakistan, men were allowed inside the stadium to watch the matches which have been out of bounds for them in the past — except for those who came with families. In Pakistan's conservative society, the women's sports is battling to be taken seriously or even properly funded. In 2005 a marathon race in Lahore that included women was attacked by extremists and had to be called off. But there were no such problems this week. "The girls who came from all over the country really enjoyed themselves," Mir said. "It was a chance to mingle and interact with each other and this has really raised their confidence." Mir said girls still face difficulties playing the sport they love because of the conservative outlook towards women in sports in the country. The final, won by Sana's domestic team ZTBL, turned out to be an occasion for the players and their friends and families to celebrate and enjoy themselves as some of them even danced to the beats of popular local hits by singers at a concert after the match. "I am really happy to see these girls enjoying and expressing themselves. It has been a long journey for women's cricket in Pakistan," said Shamsha Hashmi, a former Pakistan captain who has headed the Pakistan Cricket Board's women's wing. It was also the first time a women's cricket tournament was covered live on television in Pakistan. "This tournament has shown women's cricket is not just a pastime for the girls and we have a good standard. There are more and more girls now playing cricket even from remote areas," Hashmi said. The final word came from pacer Diana Baig, who hails from the remote Gilgit area which has been hit by sectarian strife in recent times. "I’ve always wanted to play a productive role in society and for me cricket has been the best way to express myself," Baig said. — Reuters
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Jashanjit falls short of bronze
New Delhi, March 8 The 16-year-old Jashanjit, who was in contention for a bronze medal in individual pursuit, clocked 2.41.024 while winner Yekaterina timed 2.40.395. “I am disappointed because I was leading up to the fifth lap. But this was my first international race and I can only improve from here on”, said the 12th class student of Yadvindra Public School from Patiala. Deborah, who lifted a bronze yesterday, played a key role in powering the Junior Women’s Team to the doorstep of a bronze in the pursuit event. The 17-year-old provided the impetus by setting the pace and motivating others to step on the gas. Deborah made the charge with teammates Bidhyalaxmi Devi, N Geeturaj and Jashanjit Kaur in a race that started with four riders and finished with three. The quartet will fight it out with Kazakhstan for the third place finish in the final to be held on March 11. The girl from Andaman, who had survived a severe cyclone, said it was team effort that helped the girls win the race. ‘’We had confidence in each one of us and it helped us to finish with a good timing. I am sure we will win a medal on Monday,” Deborah also eyes another medal for India in the junior sprint event (3 km) which will be held on the last day. India’s best performance in the high profile continental championships has been a solitary silver way back in 2005 when India hosted the Championships in Ludhiana. The Andaman girl will take on Malaysian Farihah Sha on March 11 and if she wins the semifinal, she will fight for the gold against the winner of the other semifinal between two South Koreans. The losers fight for the bronze.
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ITBP Jalandhar in last four, Punjab cops lose
Ropar, March 8 In the quarterfinal matches played today, ITBP Jalandhar beat SRC Ramgarh 4-2; SAI Bhopal edged past Punjab Police 6-4 while PSPCL Patiala defeated CISF. In the first match, SRC Ramgarh drew first blood when Baljit Singh scored the first goal in 11th minute. ITBP retaliated and got the equalizer in 14th minute through Punit Kumar. SRC again shot in the lead in the 22nd minute through Baljit Singh’s second goal. In the second half, ITBP scored twice through Seera Acam in 35th minute and Puneet Kumar in 42nd minute to lead 4-2. ITBP hung on to the lead despite repeated attacks by SRC. In the second match, Punjab Police took the lead in the intial with two goals in the first 11 minutes. SAI Bhopal reduced the lead through Parveen Kumar in 18th minute. SAI Bhopal then levelled when Ajit Pandit scored in the 27th minute. Punjab Police shot into the lead again through the solo effort of Parabjit Singh, to lead 3-2 at half time. The Bhopal team again equalied through Ajit Pandit in the 41st minutes and got the lead in the 53rd minute when Dung Dona scored. SAI Bhopal scored through Lurang (58th minute) to lead 5-3. Then, in the 65th minute, they got a penality corner and Harman was able to score with a direct hit to take the tally to 6-3. Punjab Police reduced in the margin in 68th minute but SAI Bhopal carried the day by 6 goals to 4. In the third match, PSPCL players Ravinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Parminder Singh and Manbir to lead their team to a 5-2 win. For rivals CISF, the two goals were scored by Compal Lakra and Major Singh. |
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First 20 copies of Yuvraj’s memoirs to be auctioned for charity
Chandigarh, March 8 The 20 copies of the book will also bear the autograph of Sachin Tendulkar and can be bid for on this URL: www.collectabillia.com/auction. The books will include a handwritten letter by Yuvraj. The proceeds raised from the week-long auction will be donated to YouWeCan Foundation. Bids open at a base price of Rs. 5000 and the 20 highest bidders will each win a copy of the book. — TNS
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Lyon contradicts Arthur, says he’s not short on confidence
New Delhi, March 8 Lyon was replaced by Xavier Doherty in the Hyderabad Test as he took four wickets at the expense of 244 runs in the series-opener. Arthur had said that Lyon needs to work on his technique and they want him to get a little bit of confidence back. “No, I reckon it’s gone up if anything, bowling to the best batsman in the world through the gate. As an off-spinner growing up, that’s what you dream of — my confidence has gone up a level rather than down,” Lyon said. “To bowl Sachin Tendulkar through the gate you must be doing something right. I was quite happy with that. I went for a few runs here and there, ..but I’ve worked hard in the nets and I’m feeling confident in my own bowling. “The technical stuff... It’s all the same, I haven’t changed anything from when I first started bowling for Australia since I was 16,” Lyon was quoted as saying by Australian media. Lyon feels that this tour is not yet over for him and that he can make his way back in the team. “I have to keep putting my hand up for selection and get back in the nets. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a few good training sessions in the nets and I got a few things out of that. I am confident in my skill set to get the job done if I’m selected,” he said. Lyon was not happy with the treatment meted out to him by the team management but praised Doherty (3/131) and Glen Maxwell (4/127) for their performances in the second Test “I thought both Maxi on debut and Xavier bowled well and Maxi picked up four big scalps on day three. Xavier did his role in the team, he bowled really well and pretty similar to (Ravindra) Jadeja. He challenged the stumps so they bowled really well,” he said. Talking about his doosra ball, which he describes as ‘Jeff’, Lyon said he did not use it in the Chennai Test because he thought that was not the place to “bring it out” because of the conditions there. “If you look at the pitch in Chennai, the best part of the pitch was the middle and I was going to get more variation with my off-break, that’s why Jeff didn’t come out. I always work on it, so hopefully it’s getting better.” Lyon said the kind of ball with which he bowled Tendulkar, he has used once in the past. “You are going to laugh at this, but it was the ball I bowled Chris Martin at the Gabba (2011-12). The same thing, through the gate,” he said. — PTI
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Waqar to be Hyderabad's bowling coach in IPL Campaign to reinstate wrestling gets boost IOC member in India and Vice-President of ANOC for Asia, Nehra recovering after surgery, likely to be fit for IPL Year out has made me mentally stronger, says Sutil
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It was one of those after-school games... When the teachers are done for the day, the classrooms are empty and the basketball courts nearby rustle with dry leaves from one corner to the other.
Jashanjit Kaur rode close to a medal, but in the end, she was out-pedalled by Kazakhstan’s Yekaterina Yuraitis by a fraction of 1.04 seconds to annex the bronze in the Hero Asian Cycling Championship at the IG Velodrome here today. But there was something to cheer as the junior team stayed in contention for a bronze medal in the team pursuit event on day two of the track events.
New Delhi, March 8
