Saturday, June 12, 1999
today's calendar
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S P O R T | Saturday, June 12, 1999 |
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Gaekwad
hits out at points system Tendulkar
has ‘the best’ technique Pollock
hopes to end famine |
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India
go down to Germany Pete
Sampras back at the top
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Pak rout Zimbabwe, enter semis THE OVAL, June 11 (PTI) — Pakistan today thrashed Zimbabwe by a huge 148-run margin to clinch their World Cup semifinal berth but the result dashed Indian hopes and sent them tumbling out of the tournament and kept the African team’s hopes still on hold. Left-handed opener Saeed Anwar rode his luck and found form when it mattered most with a solid 103 as Pakistan, after electing to bat, piled up 271 for nine in their final Super Six tie they had to win to seal a last four berth here. But Zimbabwe dished out a pathetic batting performance to be bundled out for 123 runs in 40.3 overs to scotch hopes of an upset win over Pakistan, struggling for survival after three defeats in a row including two in the second stage of the tournament. The victory helped Pakistan aggregate six points and ensure a semifinal spot along with South Africa while Zimbabwe, who have five points in their kitty, will await the outcome of the India-New Zealand tie tomorrow. The Kiwis have three points and only a victory will bring them into reckoning. Off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq (3/16) claimed the second hat-trick in World Cup history to polish off the tail after young speedsters Abdul Razzaq (3/25), Shoaib Akhtar (2/22) and Azhar Mahmood (2/14) demolished Zimbabwe’s batting line-up. Zimbabwe, failed to come to terms with the tight Pakistani bowling and capitulated meekly with the only resistance coming from the consistent all-rounder Neil Johnson (54). Saqlain drew Henry Olonga and Adam Huckle out of the crease to be stumped by Moin Khan and then trapped last-man Mpumelelo Mbangwa leg before in the 40th over to emulate India’s Chetan Sharma who claimed the first hattrick in World Cup against New Zealand in 1987 at Nagpur. Zimbabwe began their reply on a disastrous note losing the first four wickets for 50 runs with Akhtar dislodging the stumps of Grant Flower, while Razzaq sent back Murray Goodwin, Andy Flower and skipper Alistair Campbell. Johnson, who carried through his bat for a valiant but vain 132 against Australia, waged a lone battle. He got brief support from Guy Whittal (16) to raise 33 runs for the fifth wicket but once Azhar Mahmood accounted for both the batsmen, the match was over for all practical purposes. Earlier Anwar (103 - 144b, 11x4) shared a 95-run opening stand with Wajahtullah Wasti (40 - 42b, 1x6, 3x4) to lay a solid base but Pakistan appeared to lose momentum in middle overs as wickets fell regularly before Shahid Afridi (37-29b, 2x6, 1x4) provided the late flourish to post a big total. Wasti was sent back by Guy Whittal in 19th over and Ijaz Ahmed was run out soon after by Goodwin, but Anwar made most of dropped chances to complete his 16th one-day hundred and end his lean patch when his team needed most. He got a respite when
skipper Alistair Campbell dropped him at the slips and
wicket-keeper Andy Flower floored another when the
batsman was on 85. Anwar fell soon after reaching his
ton, top-edging paceman Henry Olonga to Andy Flower
before a freak dismissal saw the end of Inzamum-ul-Haq
(21). |
India out of race for title LONDON, June 11 (UNI) — Pakistan had far too many big guns in their fast bowling armoury. With such artillery they knocked the stuffing out of Zimbabwe’s batting and in the process qualified for the semifinals. Much to their delight, their win also means India are out of the World Cup because they will be eliminated in a straight two-way tie with Australia anyway. In that sense they have avenged their defeat at Old Trafford. In effect, Pakistan knocked down two birds with one stone and if the results in the remaining two matches in the Super Six go according to form with India beating New Zealand and South Africa beating Australia, they would have set up a semifinal clash with Zimbabwe. A return match with the second team from the African continent might be very much in Pakistan’s favour which means that they can realistically expect to be at Lords on June 20. May be, they killed three birds with one stone, a feat which might go down in the Guinness Book of Records rather than the Wisden Almanac. Saeed Anwar laid the base for the win at The Oval with a form and feet finding century which augurs well for the 1992 champions because they look a better side when their attacking opener is making runs. Anwar’s century was followed up by a classic exhibition of fast bowling by Shoaib Akhtar and by the skipper Wasim Akram who got everything right today save in his own batting. There were only two slips and a gully on such an afternoon which was a dead give away that this was limited overs cricket and not a Test match. But the batsmen were so much on the backfoot this could well have been a Test match or at least the fast bowlers bowled that way, with no holds barred but with very few wides and no-balls. In such a situation with the pace bowlers running in and letting it rip, the Zimbabwean batsmen were seen to be way out of their depths. Neil Johnson was just about coping while Grant Flower’s bat was not in time to come down on a near yorker length delivery from Shoaib Akhtar. So far behind were they placed after the opening spells of the two that Zimbabwe had to take all kinds of chances and they perished. Their five points may have already fetched a place for Zimbabwe in the semifinals. The scenarios that can be drawn up now are for India to beat New Zealand and South Africa to beat Australia for the following semifinal line up of South Africa vs Australia at Old Trafford on June 16 and Pakistan vs Zimbabwe at Edbagston on June 17. But there are several other possibilities. If New Zealand beat India, they eliminate Australia, if Aussies lose to South Africa. But if New Zealand beat India and Australia beat South Africa then the tie breaker between New Zealand and Zimbabwe, both on five points, for the fourth will be on the basis of net run rate which makes this scenario tricky. Australia can beat South Africa on Sunday and get to the top of the group on net run rate which means they would earn the privilege of playing Zimbabwe or New Zealand in the more unlikely scenario of New Zealand beating India and Australia beating South Africa. There is much left over the weekend. The only certainty at
the end of seven of nine super six matches is India are
out of the World Cup and what a poor picture that paints
of a side which can draw some consolation only from the
fact that they beat their arch rivals Pakistan in the
cricket match of the millennium which is what their clash
at Old Trafford last Tuesday was made out to be. |
New Zealand vs India form guide TRENT BRIDGE, June 11 (AFP) — India v New Zealand form guide: India: coach — Anshuman Gaekwad, captain — Mohammad Azharuddin. New Zealand: coach — Steve Rixon, captain — Stephen Fleming. 1999 World Cup results: India — group stage: lost to South Africa by 4 wickets, lost to Zimbabwe by 3 runs, beat Sri Lanka by 157 runs, beat Kenya by 94 runs, beat England by 63 runs. Super Six: lost to Australia by 77 runs, beat Pakistan by 47 runs. New Zealand — lost to Pakistan by 62 runs, beat Australia by 5 wickets, lost to the West Indies by 7 wickets, beat Bangladesh by 6 wickets, beat Scotland by 6 wickets. Super six: no result against Zimbabwe, lost to South Africa by 74 runs. Recent head-to-heads: India lost a three-Test series in New Zealand 1-0 in January. Their recent one-day confrontations have left them with three wins each. Last April in a Sharjah tournament also featuring Australia, they came out with a win apiece, then drew 2-2 in the one-day series in New Zealand. That series was notable for two fine centuries, one from Rahul Dravid — his third in six days against New Zealand after he hit two tons in the Tests — and one off 75 balls from Chris Cairns, the 13th fastest in limited-over history. Previous World Cups: New Zealand have won three of their five World Cup meetings. Their last encounter was at Dunedin 1992 when the Kiwis won by four wickets. India, batting first, made 230 for six through Azharuddin’s 55 and Sachin Tendulkar’s 84. Both will be playing tomorrow. Mark Greatbatch overshadowed them with a quickfire 73 and Andrew Jones made 67. Neither of them will be at Trent Bridge. Venue: Trent Bridge, the
home of county side Nottinghamshire, it has been a
regular Test venue for 100 years. West Indian all-rounder
Sir Garfield Sobers, rated the greatest all-round
cricketer ever, played for Notts, as did Richard Hadlee
of New Zealand, Test cricket’s second highest
wicket-taker with 431. |
Ganguly likely to replace Ramesh TRENT BRIDGE June 11 (PTI) — India take on New Zealand in their last Super Six tie tomorrow with their fate in the World Cup clear. After their exhilarating 47-run victory over Pakistan to keep their faint qualifying hopes alive, India were hoping for a miracle to prevent their early exit before taking on the Kiwis in the crunch tie at the Trent Bridge ground. Both India and New Zealand are now aware of the outcome of today’s Pakistan-Zimbabwe tie at the Oval which was won by Pakistan. This has rendered their contest meaningless. The Pakistan victory straightaway eliminated India but the Kiwis can hope to beat India and pip Australia — in case they lose to South Africa in the last tie on June 13 — on points. India will be determined to beat New Zealand immaterial of the interest in the tie and expect their batting might and the new found bowling verve to carry it past their opponents, reeling after a 74-run defeat against South Africa yesterday. The tie will bring face to face the best batsman — Rahul Dravid — and the best bowler — Geoff Allott — though the contests in the last few matches have been veering towards the batsmen as the summer wears on. Dravid has aggregated 432 runs from seven innings, with two centuries, while the left arm seamer has captured 19 wickets to emerge the highest wicket-taker in a single World Cup. Indian skipper Mohd Azharuddin will hope his team gets a chance to fight for a last four berth after marking a big turnaround in fortunes by beating arch rivals Pakistan at Old Trafford on June 8. Saurav Ganguly has recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of the Pakistan tie and looks all set to replace S. Ramesh as opener, but the man who will be all geared up to leave his stamp of authority would be Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar, who blasted a 140 not out against Kenya but since has been relatively quiet by his own lofty standards, will be keen to take the Kiwi attack apart whether or not India are alive going into the match. India really put up a consolidated show in their superb 47-run victory over Pakistan and the bowling has cast aside their early problems to present a formidable look. Pace spearhead Javagal Srinath and the five-wicket hero Venkatesh Prasad alongwith young Debashish Mohanty, who has provided excellent support as the third seamer, and leg spinner Anil Kumble will look to exact some revenge for the Test series loss in New Zealand. Azharuddin himself was among the runs in contributing a vital 59 against Pakistan and will be looking to maintain his winning leadership. New Zealand, who upset Australia at the outset, have not really shone much. Their washed out tie against Zimbabwe and subsequent defeat to South Africa has left them with only three points. The Kiwi batting has struggled with opener Nathan Astle unable to produce the same form that fetched him lot of runs against South Africa earlier this year. With skipper Stephen Fleming too out of touch, they will be looking upto allrounder Chris Cairns, Chris Harris and Gavin Larsen for weighty contributions. The 29-year-old Geoff Allott like Dravid has emerged an unlikely hero in the tournament, but his team looked Jaded against South Africa, neither managing to clinch early breakthroughs nor chasing a huge score well. India's biggest problem has been their inconsistency. With a tail that seldom wags, fall of early wickets has seen them struggle though the bowling problems seem to have been sorted out with veteran all-rounder Robin Singh also contributing his mite as the fifth bowler. Debashish Mohanty, who bowled superbly against Pakistan despite being unlucky not to take a wicket, will again share the new ball with Srinath. New Zealand hold a 3-2 edge over India in World Cup head-to-head clashes going into tomorrow’s tie. Teams: India (from): Mohd Azharuddin (capt), Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Ajay Jadeja, Robin Singh, Nayan Mongia, Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble, Venkatesh Prasad, Debashish Mohanty, Sadagopan Ramesh. New Zealand (from): Stephen Fleming (capt), Nathan Astle, Matt Horne, Craig McMillan, Roger Twose, Chris Cairns, Adam Parore, Chris Harris, Dion Nash, Gavin Larsen, Geoff Allott, Simol Doull. Umpires: Darrell Hair (Australia) and David Shepherd (England). Third umpire: Rudi Koertzen (South Africa). Match referee: Talat
Ali (Pakistan). (PTI). |
Gaekwad hits out at points system TRENT BRIDGE, June 11 (PTI)— With the Indian fate almost sealed at the World Cup, coach Anshuman Gaekwad today slammed the points system by saying that Super Six qualifiers should have started afresh. "Overall, the points system was very encouraging. But that should have been left at the league stage itself. Once the teams have qualified for Super Six, they should have started afresh," Gaekwad said as Indian hopes hung on the slender thread of a Zimbabwe win over Pakistan at The Oval. "In this respect the format was found wanting. Look at South Africa winning four matches in the league stage yet crossing over to the super six with only two points. I don’t know what sense it makes," Gaekwad said. But skipper Mohammed Azharuddin and Gaekwad defended India’s performance at the World Cup, saying the team was paying the price for their one defeat to Zimbabwe in the league stage. "We’ve played pretty well through the whole tournament. It’s just the Zimbabwe game where we let ourselves down and now we are paying the price," Azhar said. India take on New Zealand in their last Super Six tie, but a Pakistan victory will eliminate India. "I am optimistic we can win and win well. But we’ll just have to wait and see what happens elsewhere," Azhar said. Gaekwad said the points system, which enabled Super Six sides to carry forward points earned against fellow qualifiers, was "too harsh" on performing teams. "I think it was just, if I may say so, one game where we played badly and we are paying the penalty throughout the tournament. I thought it was a bit too harsh," Gaekwad echoes Azhar’s words referring to the three-run defeat at Leicester on May 19. Gaekwad said India beat both Sri Lanka and England, who in turn had beaten Zimbabwe quite easily. "And yet we are struggling to qualify. And to think of, we defeated England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who were said to be the contenders for the Cup. We not only beat them, we beat them well," he said. "I don’t want to take the credit away from Zimbabwe. But we have beaten the teams they lost to convincingly," Gaekwad said in a resigned tone. The coach said the Indians were a "bit unfortunate. The Zimbabwe-New Zealand tie rained off and they landed up with an extra point," he said about the African team gaining five points to be virtually assured of a semifinal berth. "It ruined the calculations. These things happen in cricket I understand, but it is a little too much for us," he added. What are India’s chances? "the weather, the calculator and a bit of luck," Gaekwad said. The Indian team sported
resigned look as their World Cup aspirations no longer
depended on their performances alone. |
Tendulkar has ‘the best’ technique NOTTINGHAM, June 11 (UNI) — Former West Indies opener Allen Rae today described Sachin Tendulkar as the batsman with the best technique in the world. "He is the best batsman in this tournament, I just love him seeing batting". Allen Rae, who made his debut against India in 1948, gave his reason for calling Sachin as the best batsman "he (Sachin) has total grasp on the technical aspect of the batting, he moves his feet well and correctly and his head is firm while batting". Rae, who was also the president of the West Indies Cricket Board from 1981 to 1988 said amongst the contemporary batsmen Sachin stood "head and shoulder above others". "He is a beautiful player and I wish I could film his batting or bring up children from my native place in Jamaica to see him in action" he told UNI at Lord’s early this morning. He compared Sachin with former West Indian opener George Headlee and said: "I consider Headlee the best player of his era, because I have not seen much of Sir Don Bradman. Headlee never made the same error twice. He was a brainy cricket, I find Sachin his mould." Rae said inspite Sachin’s non-too-impressive performance here, "I have no hesitation calling him the best because he is a complete batsman who ought to make least amount of errors". Rae also praised Indian seamers Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad. The other Indian batsman to have caught his eye was Saurav Ganguly who according to him "looks better equipped player who plays with straight bat". "I only watch Sachin on the television and once he is out I switch off, so my knowledge of other Indian players is incomplete" he admitted. Asked why he was such a keen observer of Indian cricket, 77 year old Rae said: "Well, I started and ended my Test career against India. Of the 15 Tests I played, seven were against India, four against England, three against Australia and one against New Zealand." "It was against Lala Amarnath’s side that I made my debut and it was agaisnt Vijay Hazare’s side that my career ended at Barbados" he said. Rae said he very much hoped that India will make the last four grade of this tournament, but predicted South Africa and Pakistan final. In his view, South Africa is likely to win the Cup, because it is a good all round and well organised side. Their batting is solid and have the best bowling attack. Asked about the India-Pakistan match, Mr Rae said "the result did not surprise me, but I was surprised the way Pakistan caved in, India batted steadily and then bowlers-Srinath and Prasad bowled superbly. He did not seem to be very much impressed by Shoaib Akhtar saying he "only has a pace and I don’t think only pace can make a bowler. Wasim Akram is a bowler, who is a lesson for the seamers." "Yes it is always difficult to play a left-handed seamer, but then Wasim also uses his brain while bowling" but added Imran Khan was a better bowler like his cousin Majid Khan, who was a terrific batsman. Asked about the dismal showing of West Indies in this World Cup, Mr Allan Rae candidly said: "Well I never had much expectations. I don’t think much of this lot. They lack a solid opening pair." "Apart from Walsh and Ambrose, we don’t have match winning bowlers and both of them are at the end of their carrer." About Brian Lara, the former West Indies board president said "Lara has made enormous runs, but he makes as many bad shots as he makes good shots, he has too many technical flaws. He is a gifted ball players and a good timer of the ball. Mr Rae said the reason for the decline of West Indies was that "We do not give much attention to players in the age group of 12 to 14. There is no use of emphasising on the age group of 18 or 19 because at the age you can’t expect a player to adopt new methods." About Indian players of his era, Mr Rae said Lala Amarnath was a very lively and crafty captain. "Lala made 200 against us at Patiala, we were youngsters then but I noticed he was very clever" and said in a jest "I hope he will not sue when I say I thought he used himself very cleverly as a bowler, being a captain, he bowled in very short spells, three overs to begin with, three before the end of the session. Then again a few short spells in between to end the day very economically without taking wickets." He remembered Vinoo Mankad and Dattu Phadkar as very successful bowlers and said "I can’t recall any other name". "I scored 109 at Madras, 106 in Bombay and again 97 in the last Test at Bombay when I hooked Phadkar only to be caught by Vinoo Mankad. "In my first Test
at Delhi I did not score more then 10 but definitely not
a duck" he recalled and added "in all my 15
Tests I opened with Geoffrey Stollmeyer. In Delhi I think
Hemu Adhikari scored 100 and Rusi Mody 60 but we scored
around 600 and it was a draw". |
Pollock hopes to end famine LONDON, June 11 (AFP) — Luckless South African Shaun Pollock will be hungry for success when he takes on Australia in the cricket World Cup on Sunday, according to his captain. Famished might be more accurate. The 25-year-old Pollock, regarded as one of the best bowling all-rounders in the world, has taken just four wickets in seven games, at an average of over 50. Yesterday, he bowled Zimbabwe tail-ender Dion Nash after almost 40 overs without a victim. Pollock, who cuts the ball both ways at a brisk pace and who had a successful season in England with Warwickshire, was expected to be one of the men to fully exploit the conditions and the tournament’s white swinging ball. Instead, he has passed the edge on countless occasions without making contact while his allrounder team-mates, Lance Klusener and Jacques Kallis, have hogged the limelight, sharing six man-of-the-match awards between them. Yet Pollock’s economy rate reflects how well he has bowled. His 64 overs have gone for 202, at a fraction over three runs an over. Pollock has success in his genes — his father Peter played for South Africa, as did uncle Graeme, regarded as one of the best left-handers ever to pick up a bat — and he is clearly struggling to mask his frustration with his current bad streak. Pollock, who chipped in with 52 runs against Zimbabwe and 30 against Pakistan, said: "I’d like a few more wickets, but I’m still doing a job with regards to the economy rate even though that gets frustrating after a while. "It’s nice to get a few high fives when you pick up a couple of wickets. "I’m still doing a job for the side which is the main thing and I’ve worked on a few things in the nets, so hopefully my luck will improve during the rest of the tournament. "I think it’s
important to look at things like that positively...
it’s only a matter of time before it clicks." |
Fazaluddin wins ITF Masters title NEW DELHI, June 11 (PTI) — India’s Syed Fazaluddin triumphed in an unlikely manner to win the MTNL- ITF Satellite Masters Tennis title when top seed Prahlad Srinath withdrew from the contest after being down by one set here today. India number three Fazaluddin won the first set 6-4 before the intense heat conditions took toll of Srinath and the two-leg winner conceded the final after fighting stomach upset and ankle cramps. Mustafa Ghouse and Vishal Uppal then caused another upset of the day when they beat top seeded doubles combination of Kirtane cousins — Sandeep and Nitin — to lift the Masters doubles crown. Ghouse/Uppal pair won 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 for their first doubles title on the ITF Satellite circuit. The Kirtane cousins won in Bangalore and Mumbai while Srinath and Reddy triumphed in Delhi last week. "It was not the best way to win a title," Fazaluddin said after his win against compatriot Srinath. Besides (approx Rs 34,000) prize money, Fazaluddin earned massive 42 ATP ranking points that should shoot his world rankings up by an astonishing 200 placings. At present ranked 579, Fazaluddin will be close to 395 when the new rankings are issued on Monday. Srinath, who settled for the runners-up trophy, collected 49 ATP points. Fazaluddin started in right earnest — playing agressively by approaching the net often. "My gameplan was to put pressure on him (Srinath) right from the start. It (satellite circuit) is the survival of the fittest and since we both were tired after four weeks of tennis, I decided to take chance early on," Fazaluddin said. He was, however, aghast at the way Srinath conceded the match. The top seed was never in the game and looked too tired even to start the match. "I did not expect Srinath to be so drained out after yesterday’s semifinals. He got tired up before I expected him to." Fazaluddin will fly out tonight to Europe, where he plans to play in satellite tournaments in Germany and the Netherlands during the Wimbledon fortnight. The India number four will then meet his friend and compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in England where they both would participate in challenger tournaments in Bristol and Manchester. As for Srinath, he heads for Germany to play for his professional club. With both earning a
handful of atp points and their ranking getting better,
Fazaluddin and Srinath were looking forward to making it
to the qualifying round of the year’s last Grand
Slam — the US Open. |
India go down to Germany BONN, June 11 (PTI) — India faced its second straight defeat to Germany, losing 1-2 in the second tie of the four-match hockey Test series here today. The Indians took early lead when Gagan Ajit Singh drew first blood and put the visitors ahead in a well executed 16th minute goal, but their perennial inability to convert penalty corners again showed up. German full back Michael Bjorn scored both the goals for the hosts by successfully converting penalty corners as the tourists failed to convert any of the three penalty corners. Bjorn got the equaliser six minutes before the lemon break when he successfully converted the second penalty corner earned by the Germans. The star player struck again in the 45th minute, to put the hosts in the command. The Germans, however, failed to convert their five penalty corners. India lost first match of the series 1-4 at Frankfurt on June 9. India play the third
match tomorrow at Mayen and the last encounter is at
Mainz on Sunday before leaving for Belgium for another
four-Test series from June 15 to 20. |
Pete Sampras back at the top LONDON, June 11 (AFP) — Pete Sampras ensured a pre-Wimbledon return to the top of the ATP Tour ranking table on Monday as he notched a 7-5, 6-3 win over Australian Wayne Arthurs to move into the quarter-finals at Queen’s Club yesterday. The American world number 3, yet to win a title this year, had to receive on-court treatment three time on his shoulder, but played through to the victory over the modest world number 182. "I felt a twinge in the second game. But the trainer told me it wouldn’t get worse," said Sampras. "I expect it may get a little stiff, but there’s no way I won’t play on Friday." The victory will put Sampras as world number one on Monday, the day the Wimbledon seedings are announced. But the stay at the top of the table during the Grand Slam fortnight, ATP tour calculations show he must make it to this weekend’s semi-finals at the $ 725,000 event on grass. Sampras will on Monday begin his 268th career week at the top spot and needs two more weeks after that to level the record 270 set by Ivan Lendl in the 1980s. "I’m more pleased with how I’m playing than with the ranking," he said. "If I win my matches, there’s a good chance I’ll be ranked high." The American is trying to shake off the disappointment of a second-round defeat at the French Open and is aiming to train his year around on the grass as he did in 1998 when he claimed a fifth Wimbledon trophy. "I was miserable after losing in Paris, but it was something I had to go through. It’s one of the worst feeling you can have as an athlete. But at least I cared enough to be miserable." He added: "The only good thing about losing at the French is that Wimbledon comes along a few weeks later." The 1995 Queens winner was the only one of five former champions who won on a cloudy, chilly day in west London. Defending champion Scott Draper of Australia led the parade of high-profile losers. The Queenslander, seeded 15th was beaten by Armenian outsider Sargis Sargsian 6-3, 6-2 just a day after the world number 74 had upset outgoing world number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Draper was joined on the sidelines by 1997 winner Mark Philippoussis, 1994 winner Todd Martin of the USA and 1993 trophyholder Wayne Ferreira of South Africa. Philippoussis was upset by 14th seeded teenager lleyton Hewitt, who won a battle of Aussies 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-2. Brit Greg Rusedski knocked out number 10 seed Ferreira 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, while Frenchman Cedric Pioline eliminated American Martin 1-6, 6-3, 7-5. Croatian Goran Ivanisevic, last year’s losing Wimbledon finalist to Sampras, struggled against Canadian Sebastien Lareau but managed a 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 win after one hour, 34 minutes. His win insured him of a
Wimbledon finals repeat against Sampras. |
H
Panjab
University trounce BHEL The contest was marked by a series of raids by the two teams. BHEL had as much of the play as their young university opponents, some of whom had helped the university claim the inter university title last season. Panjab University were the first to swing into offensive as Sukhdev advanced from the rear to have a shy at the goal but his kick hit the outer edge of the net. BHEL, which had a sharper attack early on replied through a shot by Rahmat Baig. Another Bhopal raid was foiled by Harinder when Pravin Nair broke through. There was a chance for Bhupender in the 20th minute following a cross by Aushotosh Gupta. The university goalkeeper Subhash was fairly active in dealing with shots from the Bhopal forwards and saved a header from Prashant Nair. Before the interval Panjab University struck the decisive blow as Pinka headed in a flag kick from point blank range. There were quite a few threats to this slender lead in the second half but Subhash never faltered. An attempt by Rahmat also failed to help BHEL. Towards the close, the university team survived a sharp scramble and managed to cling to the lead. In another match, District Football Association, Mandi, failed to cross the first hurdle as they went down to D.F.A. Rewari 1-2. The Mandi team raised visions of victory when they set up a fast pace and gained the lead through Ritender who deftly placed the ball past the Rewari goalkeeper. On resumption, the Rewari team called the shots, recovered not only to draw level through Praveen but snatch the winner through Vivek. Ricky’s ton
helps Amritsar win Yesterday, Ravneet had scored a brilliant unbeaten 180 to beat Jalandhar by nine wickets. Brief scores: Jalandhar: 241 all out in 43.1 overs (Vivek Mahajan 100, Amit Sharma 53, Tejinder Pal 3 for 17, Sarandeep 2 for 50). Amritsar: 244 for 3 (Ravneet 111 not out, Devinder Matoo 67).
Khushwinder Singh secretary of the association said the tournament which is sponsored by the State Bank of Patiala is dedicated to tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa. He said 10 selected players from each district will compete in this tournament. A selection tournament for choosing players from Patiala will be organised at Dhudial Khalsa school from June 15 to 17. Reetinder helps
Patiala win Brief scores: Patiala: 262 for 8 in 50 overs (R. Sodhi 60, Harman Harry 40, Munish Bali 37, Pankaj Dharmani 29; Mohit Khanna 2 for 38, Ankur Kakar 2 for 28, Gagandeep 1 for 36). Ludhiana: 211 all out in 45 overs (Ankur Kakar 47, Devinder Singh 45, Mohit Khanna 37; Gautam Manodora 3 for 32, Ranjeev Sharma 2 for 35, Rajesh Deegia 2 for 40). B’ball
tourney The three-day meet will be for players below 22 years. The team for boys: Sonepat, Hisar, Rewari, Bhiwani, Kaithal, Yamunanagar, Ambala, Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Gurgaon and Panipat. The girls teams: Panchkula, Ambala, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar and Bhiwani. Punjab Police,
RCF enter last 4 |
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