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Axe effect: Oz left scraping bottom
Why we had to discipline the four players
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After sack, Watto may quit Tests
Mushfiqur slams Bangla’s first Test 200
India to face Pak in must-win Azlan hockey tie
Yuvraj, Unmukt power North Zone to Deodhar Trophy final
Strong field at Avantha Masters, Smriti favourite in Chandigarh
Deborah, Manorama grab silvers
Govt working to find support for wrestling
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third test Gaurav Kanthwal/TNS
Mohali, March 11
First, with Arthur demanding James Pattinson’s head, the team bowling has been left virtually headless. The strike bowler heads the bowling averages for Australia, and also has the highest number of wickets in the series for them, eight. It was only Pattinson’s express pace which caused uncertainty among the Indian batsmen. His threat, however, seems to have been mitigated for the time being.
If there was an opportune time in the series for Shane Watson to fire, it was now. But with him leaving for Australia in a huff, the hope of the vice-captain shouldering the burden of the wobbly middle-order has vanished. The responsibility now falls on skipper Michael Clarke, with pressure getting even more intense. From No. 5, Pup will need to step up a little earlier. For the record, Watson scored 156 in the first innings and 56 in the second at this venue during the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy in 2010. It is no secret Mitchell Johnson likes to chance his arm in Mohali. Last time around, he rolled his heavily tattooed arm here and claimed a five-for and scored a doughty 47 in the first innings. All he can do this time is cool his heels in the dressing room. He was tipped to be included in the pace battery after Mitchell Starc’s laclustre show in the first Test. Now Starc gets another chance. Middle-order Usman Khawaja too could have got a game after Phil Hughes’ repeated failures at No. 3. Hughes’ personal coach had publicly blamed Cricket Australia for his lack of preparedness for the tour, but the coach himself escaped any disciplining. The team management informed the four players about the decision on Monday morning. Clearly, such a decision could not have been taken without the backing of Cricket Australia. Probably, this is the worst Australians have had in India. Coach Mickey Arthur today kept repeating his team’s endeavours to reach to the coveted No.1 position but with such turmoil and bad blood, that looks a distant posibility. Arthur said the management is not looking at the Ashes as it is far away. The management is intent on fixing the present now but there has been a widespread criticism by former Australian players about the move. Former wicketkeeper Ian Healy tweeted: “Disappointed in the news of the players being sent home. Lead up to the Ashes is struggling. Need to get back on top.” Former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne was higly critical of the decision saying, “As I have always said the coach should not be a selector. He should communicate well with the players and help them prepare, that’s it!”
Why we had to discipline the four players
After Hyderabad the whole team was really hurting, we were discussing ways of getting back into the series. We were particularly aware of where we were as a team and how we were going to get back. I asked the players at the end of the game to give me an individual presentation. I wanted three points from each of them technically, mentally and team as to how we were going to get back over the next couple of games, how to get ourselves back into the series.
That’s a line-in-the-sand moment. We have given these guys absolute clarity. We have given this team a huge amount of time to buy in with what we want to do for the Australian cricket team. We have given a vision to these guys that is spelt out. We’ve given an expectation that is spelt out and although this incident might seem very small in isolation this is a line-in-the-sand moment for us as a unit in our quest to become the best in the world. We decided that we needed to really get that in line. I have never ever doubted, not for one moment, the drive of Shane Watson. Not for one moment. Shane Watson prepares well. He’s very professional and he goes about his business in a very professional way. I’ve not ever been in a position to doubt Shane Watson the person or Shane Watson the cricketer. Usman Khawaja is different. This will be the catalyst I think for Usman Khawaja to realise we’re pretty serious in the Australian cricket team. I wanted to make 100% sure that it (their presentations) wasn’t stuck in the outbox and under the door, and it wasn’t. I wanted three things — a lot of guys came to my room and did a presentation, a few guys have written fantastic emails, some guys put notes under my door, it was their preference. As a leadership group, myself, Michael Clarke and Gavin Dovey made these decisions together. We as leaders feel we need to project a united front and we need to be ruthless if we want to achieve our objectives.
From Mickey Arthur’s statement to the media There was other stuff too, says captain Clarke Mohali: Michael Clarke has said the sacking was “not just about one incident” but also about “off-field stuff” which was unacceptable. "I want the public and the media to understand. Don't get me wrong, it's not just about one incident. Firstly, on this tour, our performances have been unacceptable and there has been some stuff off the field that has been unacceptable for the standards of an Australian cricket team," Clarke told ESPNcricinfo. “I know it is a tough day, a really tough day and it's a tough decision. But at the end of the day, if people are not hitting those standards there are going to be consequences,” Clarke said. “In my opinion, for the four players to not do (the presentatino)... shows a lack of respect for the head coach,” he added. — TNS
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After sack, Watto may quit Tests
Mohali, March 11 “Any time you’re suspended for a Test match unless you do something unbelievably wrong, and obviously everyone knows what those rules are - I think it is very harsh,” Watson told Australian media. “I’m at a stage where I’m sort of weighing up my future and what I want to do with my cricket in general to be honest. I do love playing, there is no doubt about that but... I’m going to spend the next few weeks with my family and just weigh up my options of just exactly what direction I want to go,” he said. “There are a lot more important things in life - I certainly do love playing cricket and that passion is still there and I feel like I’m in the prime years of my cricket career,” he added. “From that perspective I still feel like I’ve got a lot to give. But from a holistic perspective I’ve got to sit down with my family and decide which directions they are.” Watson, who checked out of the team hotel and left for Sydney while the rest of the squad practised, said he would have missed the fourth Test anyway to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. “I was about to communicate that to Mickey and the leadership group today but they obviously beat me to it by telling me I wasn’t selected for this Test match,” he said. “Also overnight, things have changed and Lee (his wife) wasn’t going to tell me things had changed because she knew how much it meant to me to be able to play this Test match. (The baby) was due in a couple of weeks but it’s looking like things have sped up a little bit,” he added.
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Mushfiqur slams Bangla’s first Test 200
Galle, March 11
Sri Lanka finished day four on 116 for one in its second innings with a slender lead of 48 runs. Sri Lanka made 570 for four declared in its first innings and Bangladesh reached 638 all out in reply. Tuesday is the last day of the game and with the wicket offering no assistance for bowlers, Bangladesh is likely to force a draw. The star of the day was Rahim, who was unbeaten on 198 at lunch and then reached 200 soon after the break by pushing Nuwan Kulasekara for a single to the cover region. He was trapped leg before wicket in the same over without further addition to the score. His 200 came off 321 balls with 22 fours and a six. The other highlight of the day was a maiden Test century for Nasir Hossain, who shared a 106-run stand for the sixth-wicket with his captain. Bangladesh lost five wickets between lunch and tea, but not before posting its highest total in Test cricket. Mushfiqur established the highest individual score by a Bangladeshi batsman in the process in a patient knock in the scorching heat of Galle. His stand lasted for seven-and-half hours. The record partnership between him and Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladesh’s most experienced batsman with 58 Tests, laid the foundation for the massive total, the second highest on Sri Lankan soil by a visiting team. Their stand was the best partnership for Bangladesh for any wicket against any opposition. Ashraful, who resumed the day on 189, missed out on a double hundred due to lapse of concentration after adding just one run to his overnight total. Later in the day, Sri Lanka lost opener Dimuth Karunaratne when he was caught at long leg after mistiming a hook. — PTI Scoreboard Sri Lanka 2nd innings
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India to face Pak in must-win Azlan hockey tie
Ipoh, March 11 India, however, could take heart from the fact that both their previous ties were close encounters. A young Indian side had put up a spirited fight before going down 3-4 to six-time champions Australia in their opening encounter, while a defensive lapse towards the end in the second match cost them dear as they went down 1-2 to South Korea. Pakistan, on the other hand, opened their campaign with a 3-4 win against New Zealand before being crushed 0-6 by Australia last night. India were expected to do well but they were outplayed in the first half yesterday by the Koreans, who took a 1-0 lead. — PTI
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Yuvraj, Unmukt power North Zone to Deodhar Trophy final
Guwahati, March 11
North will meet the winner of the second semi-final between South Zone and West Zone scheduled to be played on Tuesday. North Zone captain Gautam Gambhir opted to field and his bowlers responded well by bundling out Central for a paltry 190 in 41.5 overs in match that was first curtailed to 45-overs-per side. Due to inclement weather, North`s target was revised to 160 in 33 overs and the winners got their with 19 balls to spare. The highlight of the North chase was a partnership of 129 runs between Yuvraj (77) and Unmukt (56). While the youngster decided to drop anchor at one end facing 85 balls and hitting five fours, his senior partner looked in fluent touch as banged nine fours and three sixes. Out of the three, a couple were hit off Piyush Chawla`s bowling — over deep mid-wicket and straight over bowler`s head. The other one was off Suresh Raina`s bowling. The Test discard also hit four successive boundaries of Vidarbha`s left-arm seamer Shrikant Wagh. For North, skipper Gambhir (9) was dismissed by comeback man Praveen Kumar as the left-hander edged one to Mohammed Kaif in the slips. Praveen was the only one, who was impressive among the Central bowlers as he got the ball to swing. — PTI
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Golf Round-up Shona A Singh Chandigarh’s Jeev Milkha Singh heads the local challenge as the country’s leading professional golfers gather at the Jaypee Greens in Greater Noida for the Euro 1.8 million Avantha Masters. The European Tour, the Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India tri-sanctioned event will be contested from March 14 to 17. “I’m looking forward to competing on home soil,” said Jeev, winner of the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2006 and 2008. PGA Tour regular Daniel Chopra will also be in the field. The tournament also boasts one of the best fields ever to compete on Indian soil as Colin Montgomerie makes his first appearance at this event. Other leading European golfers in the event include Englishman David Howell, Spaniard Ignacio Garrido, Italian Eduardo Molinari and France’s Thomas Levet. “I always look forward to coming back to India and playing any tournaments that I can here,” said Chopra. who grew up in Delhi and honed his skills at the Delhi Golf Club. Delhi’s Shiv Kapur, who finished fourth at the Sail Open last week, will be one of the players to watch. The Asian Tour co-sanctioned Sail Open was won by Anirban Lahri at the DGC last with with a score of 15-under-par. Chandigarh’s Ajitesh Sandhu finished 15th, ten strokes behind the winner. Gaganjeet Bhullar finished 25th while local professional Randhir Singh Ghotra made the cut and finished 43rd. Local golfers will have some excellent competitive golf to watch first hand as well this week. Ladies professional golf heads to Chandigarh and the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour 2013 will see Smriti Mehra lead the challenge. Smriti is in excellent form, just coming off her second victory of the season at the Willingdon Sports Club in Mumbai last week. “I am playing well and really happy with my putting,” said Smriti who made seven birdies yesterday to shoot six-under-par for the day at the BT Pro-Am at the Classic Golf Resort. “I am hitting the ball as well as I usually do but my short game has really come together. After a long time I am actually enjoying being out there rather than have to be out there to get the job done,” added Smriti, playing her fifth event in a row this week. Chandigarh’s professionals Preetinder Kaur and Saaniya Sharma will also contest this week. Preetinder has been playing well, shooting rounds in the 70s and low 80s. The injured Meghan Bal will not be playing, and Sharmila Nicollet will also be missing.
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Deborah, Manorama grab silvers
New Delhi, March 11 Manorama, who won silver in the Keirin’s race, lifted the Indian spirits after Deborah’s fighting loss to a South Korea rider earlier in the day. Manorama and Deborah were in contention in the eight-lap Keirin race, but it was Manorama who mesmerised the fans at the IG Stadium’s velodrome with her a resolute run in the last 50 metres, rallying from the fifth spot to second. “I was looking for space to go ahead. Fortunately, I got an opening in the last 50 metres from the left-hand side and I gave it my all,” the 16-year-old later said. She fell short by just 0.131s to Yu Shiou Cheng of Chinese Taipei. In the junior women’s sprint final, Deborah lost her gold-medal play-off race to Korea’s Yeonhee Jang and had to be satisfied with a silver medal. — PTI
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Govt working to find support for wrestling
New Delhi, March 11 Responding to concerns raised by MPs during Question Hour today, Singh said he had written to sports ministers of all the 70 countries whose delegates had participated in the 2012 Olympic Games. “I have personally urged them to step up pressure to retain wrestling as an Olympic sport,” Singh said in Lok Sabha. — TNS
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After Hyderabad the whole team was really hurting, we were discussing ways of getting back into the series. We were particularly aware of where we were as a team and how we were going to get back. I asked the players at the end of the game to give me an individual presentation. I wanted three points from each of them technically, mentally and team as to how we were going to get back over the next couple of games, how to get ourselves back into the series.
Unfortunately four players didn’t comply with that. We pride ourselves on attitude. We have given the players a huge amount of latitude to get culture and attitude right. We believe that those behaviours with what we want to do with this team, how we want to take this team to be the best in the world, teams that are the best in the world have best attitudes and best behaviour patterns and a good, hard, ruthless culture. I believe those four players unfortunately did not meet my requirements so those four are not available for selection for this Test match.
