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| Thursday, April 20, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Surprises unlikely in report |
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Sonal, Sai win; Radhika shocked
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Tendulkar, Kambli prop up Mumbai MUMBAI, April 19 (PTI) — Mumbai were propped up by a very responsible knock of 108 by Vinod Kambli, his fourth ton in the national championship this season, as the hosts ended at 303 for 6 at stumps on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy cricket final against Hyderabad here today. Put in to bat on a pitch which assisted the seam bowlers initially, Mumbai were in some sort of trouble at 72 for three before Kambli, who struck 15 fours in his 225-minute innings, and Sachin Tendulkar (53 in 106 minutes with 7 fours and a six) came to the home team’s rescue. The fourth-wicket pair was associated in a rollicking stand of 104 off only 69 minutes when left arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju, who bowled beautifully, sent back maestro Tendulkar just when he looked to have moved into top gear. But Kambli, who was batting belligerently with Tendulkar at the other end, changed his approach after his childhood chum’s dismissal at 176 and held the innings together with some responsible batting while adding an invaluable 81 runs for the sixth wicket with Paras Mhambrey (38 batting). Kambli was dismissed by left-arm medium-pacer Fiaz Ahmed in the last hour of the day before Mhambrey, lucky to be dropped twice in close succession early on both off Raju, and Ajit Agarkar (14) saw through the closing minutes without being separated while adding 20 runs for the seventh wicket. Raju, who mixed his deliveries superbly, was the most impressive bowler with a haul of two for 100 while Ahmed ended the day with good figures of three for 46. Hyderabad skipper Mohammad Azharuddin’s decision to field seemed to have paid rich dividends when Fiaz Ahmed, who mostly slanted the ball away from the right handers and but also brought the odd ball in, got rid of the home team captain Sameer Dighe (3) caught by Azharuddin in the slips. The other medium-pacer Narendra Pal Singh struck a timely blow when it seemed opener Wasim Jaffer (32 in 76 minutes) had seen off the danger from the shining ball in the company of Jatin Paranjpe (10). Jaffer needlessly cut a wide ball from Narendra and was caught at gully to make the hosts 51 for two. Then left handed Paranjpe, who looked unduly subdued, fell leg before to a sharply incoming ball from Fiaz Ahmed. Tendulkar, who started off as if he was continuing from his unbeaten essays of 233 and 13 against Tamil Nadu in the semifinal, was joined by Kambli and the duo took the attack to the rival camp as Mumbai adjourned for lunch at 116 for three. Both excelled in drives in front of the wicket and Raju got the stick from both the batsmen with Tendulkar clobbering him for a straight six too before the interval. Runs came at a fast clip when these two batsmen were at the crease with the 50-run stand being raised in only 9.3 overs and the next 50 runs being completed in only 5.2 overs during which Tendulkar reached his half ton in 96 minutes, off 67 balls. But Tendulkar’s dismissal by Raju, when the master batsman edged a ball slanted into him by the left-arm spinner to keeper Riaz Sheikh while trying to drive away from body, brought Hyderabad firmly back into the match. Scoreboard Mumbai (1st innings): S. Dighe c Azharuddin b Fiaz Ahmed 3, W. Jaffer c Raju b Narendra Pal Singh 32, J.Paranjpe lbw Fiaz Ahmed 10, S.R. Tendulkar c Sheikh b Raju 53, V. Kambli c and b Fiaz Ahmed 108, A. Muzumdar c Satwalekar b Raju 13, P. Mhambrey batting 38, A. Agarkar batting 14, Extras (b 8, lb 8, w 2, nb 14) 32. Total (for 6 wkts, in 90 overs) 303. Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-51, 3-72, 4-176, 5-202, 6-283. Bowling: Narendra Pal
Singh 14-4-54-1, Fiaz Ahmed 14-2-46-3, Raju 34-10-100-2,
Satwalekar 4-1-16-0, Vanka Pratap 2-1-8-0, Kanwaljit
Singh 22-0-63-0. |
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NEW DELHI, April 19 (PTI) — The much talked-about Chandrachud committee report which the cricket authorities have promised to make public soon, is unlikely to spring any surprises about betting and match-fixing as key extracts from it published in newspapers two years ago show. The 94-page report prepared by the former Chief Justice of India, Justice Y.V.Chandrachud, was submitted to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in November 1997. The report had indicated that Indian players could be involved in laying an occasional bet, but dismissed it as a “law and order” problem. “India Today” weekly in its latest issue quotes former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin as having told Justice Chandrachud: “I don’t think any match can be fixed... I don’t know if there is betting on cricket. But I know it for certain that none of my team-mates bet”. Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, who was the captain during the inquiry period also was convinced there was nothing amiss. He told the commission “I do not believe that matches can be fixed.... In my knowledge, no match has ever been fixed... A batsman who can deliberately get out would be a super technician”. But Sandeep Patil, former India batsman and coach of the team that toured England in 1996, however raised doubts whether all was clean. Patil told the committee he had seen “one of the leading players in the Indian team talking on a mobile phone for long periods from the balcony of the Lord’s dressing room... I also wrote to Mr Dalmiya (then the BCCI Secretary and subsequently the ICC President) that I suspected that two persons, one of them a player and the other closely connected with him, were leaking important information”. Former skipper and current coach Kapil Dev had told the panel “There is large-scale betting on cricket. Fixing a match does not mean fixing all the players in the team. A couple of players are enough to fix a team. The evil of betting can be dealt with only by the police.” “I am of the opinion that the board should set up a private agency to find out the assets of the players. That will give some clue whether players lay bets or agree to fix matches,” he told the inquiry committee. Stumper Nayan Mongia and batsman Ajay Jadeja also denied any knowledge of match-fixing or betting in Indian cricket, but Sunil Dev, administrative manager in the 1996-97 South Africa tour, told Justice Chandrachud he suspected Indian players laid bets “to lose”. “Betting on cricket takes place heavily in India. I cannot identify any particular player but I am certain some members of the team lay bets and one can bet only to lose,” he had told the commission. Justice Chandrachud, who
took depositions of 27 persons, only concluded there was
betting in cricket. “There is undoubtedly
large-scale betting on cricket but that is a law and
order problem...,” he had said while absolving
Indian players of any wrongdoing. |
Harsimran
qualifies for semis NEW DELHI, April 19 — Harsimran Singh Brar of Chandigarh qualified for the semifinal of the 3km individual pursuit for boys under-18 when he clocked 4:14.48 in the qualifying heat on a day of qualifying events in the 53rd Senior, 30th Junior and 16th Sub-Junior National Track Cycling Championships at the Yamuna Velodrome here today. On a day when three Punjab cyclists also made it into the semifinals of various age-group events, Manipur cyclists continued to hold their sway for the third day running. In the 3km individual pursuit, N Budha Singh (4:15.90) and M Premchand Singh (4:20.50), both of Manipur, and Nazer Singh (4:24.36) of Punjab also qualified for the semis. Harsimran and Nazer Singh will fight it out in one of the semifinals, while the two Manipuris will clash in the other semifinal for a slot in the final. Gurmeet Singh of Punjab qualified for the last four in the 2km individual pursuit for boys under-16 with a time of 2:56.00. He meets H Lenindro Singh of Manipur, who finished first in the race with a time of 2:48.49, in the semifinal, while the other semifinal will be contested between L Budha Singh of Manipur (2:50.09) and Uttam Nale of Maharashtra (2:53.60). Gurpreet Kaur of Punjab clocked a time of 3:24.90 in the 2km individual pursuit for girls under-16, to finish second in the race, and qualify for the last four, where she will meet Pratina Lonari (3:26.30) of Maharashtra. K Naocha of Manipur, who topped the race with a time of 3:23.02, will clash against T Neeta Devi (3:26.31) of Manipur in the other semifinal. In the 3km individual
pursuit for women, SAARC gold medallist Ch.Rameshwori
Devi topped the chart with a time of 4:29.40 to setup a
semifinal showdown with Amrita Andrews (4:50.84) of
Kerala while another Manipuri, O Bina Kumari Devi
(4:37.59), meets another Keraliite, R Seema (4:50.25) in
the semis. |
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DUBAI, April 19 (UNI) — Former Indian cricketer Manoj Prabhakar has disputed Justice Y.V. Chandrachud’s statement that he declined to reveal the names of Indian players involved in match-fixing and said he was ready to identify them if the government could provide him with legal support. “I am willing to reveal the names of Indian cricketers involved in match-fixing if the government can provide me with legal support’’, he told Gulf News in an interview. Prabhakar said Justice Chandrachud, who conducted an inquiry into allegations of match-fixing against Indian cricketers, did not ask him to reveal the names of the players. “Though I had stated that players are involved, Chandrachud did not bother to ask me for names. I was present at the inquiry with my lawyer and asked Chandrachud if he was recording my disclosures. Chandrachud said “no”. I could not understand why he did not want to record my revelations’’. Asked if the Chandrachud inquiry was a whitewash conducted by the BCCI to hide the truth, Prabhakar said: “I don’t have to say it. Now the whole world is saying that and I have already seen many reports calling it a whitewash’’. Responding to Sports Minister S.S. Dhindsa’s reported statement that the government was willing to provide him with legal support if he disclosed the names of the cricketers, Prabhakar said, “I will reveal all the names. So far, I have only read the statement of the minister in the newspapers. The government has not approached me with this offer’’. On Justice Chandrachud’s statement that Indian players were not involved in match-fixing, Prabhakar laughed and said: “How will there be any names when he did not even ask for’’. On whether he felt any of the matches in which he played were fixed, Prabhakar said: “Yes, I feel a Sharjah match in the early nineties was rigged. The match continued despite bad light. Even the street lights were on and the match continued in virtual darkness. I mentioned this in my inquiry’’. Reacting to recent
developments surrounding cricket, he said “When I
first pointed it out, people did not believe me. Many
questioned my motives behind my statement. I had nothing
to gain. I was doing it for my country. I repeat I will
help my country in this but I should be provided with
adequate protection by the Indian Government. I am not
going to give out names just based on statements by
ministers. I want them to approach me
officially’’. |
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NEW DELHI, April 19 (PTI) — Ace cricketer Kapil Dev today proposed that India should stop playing international matches for the next six months or till the cloud over the country’s cricket cleared. The India coach, who returned here from abroad this morning, also demanded a CBI probe into the match-fixing and betting allegations saying the whole atmosphere should be cleaned so that “we can give the younger generation a better environment to play in”. He told PTI the self-imposed exile from international cricket for India was needed for sometime as it would be difficult to answer charges of match-fixing everytime India lost a match. “Let us come clean and sort out this matter once and for all,” he said. Asked about allegations of match-fixing against him, Kapil Dev said: “my request to all those who have any proof is please go and give it to the board or the investigating authority concerned”. “If it is proved
that any player had indulged in match-fixing in the last
six months (since he took over as coach), I will resign
as coach,” he added. |
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KARACHI, April 19 (ANI) — The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has adopted a wait-and-see policy over the Hansie Cronje match-fixing affair. The media manager of the board, Mr Khalid Butt said no official statement would be issued as Pakistan had nothing to do with it. “We like the rest of the cricket world are watching closely the events unfolding at every level, but since Pakistan has nothing to do with the recent revelations, the board prefers to keep silent on it.” He stressed that the Hansie Cronje affair was basically an internal matter between the South Africans and the Indians, but Pakistan would be represented at the special meeting called by the ICC in the first week of next month to discuss the match-fixing issue. Pakistan has been one of the countries, whose players have been suspected of match-fixing and this even led to a year-long judicial inquiry between September 1998 to October 1999’, after which Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum submitted his findings to the government. Justice Qayyum has come out with statements on the match-fixing affair and minced no words in saying that he had recommended action against seven players, but did not name them. He has also said it was saddening that some of the players whom he had found guilty were still playing. Mr Khalid Butt when asked for his comments on the statement of Justice Qayyum said the board would see the report and respond accordingly. The PCB’s cautious stance towards the Hansie Cronje affair is also reflected in the fact that the captain Moin Khan, coach Javed Miandad and other players have been told strictly not to speak on this issue to the press at all and only manager Brig (retd) Khawaja Nasir or the board would give a policy statement when felt necessary. The PCB chairman, General Tauqir, meanwhile has been requested to include the umpires fraternity in the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) beneficiaries scheme. Mahboob Shah, one of the most respected and senior Test umpires, in a paper submitted to the board Chairman has asked him to consider nominating umpires for the CBFS minor beneficiaries scheme, which at present is only reserved for former Test cricketers. Shah, who has also headed the Pakistan cricket umpires association, has pointed out that umpires were an important part of the game and those who have given great services for the country required to be rewarded financially. For this he has suggested that umpires should be selected for the CBFS minor beneficiaries scheme. While the CBFS announces major benefit purses in consultation with the Pakistan board, however the latter is allowed to nominate former cricketers independently for the minor beneficiaries scheme for which the CBFS directly dispatches a cheque to the PCB. Mahboob Shah was asked
by General Tauqir recently during a meeting to submit a
paper on umpires and to suggest measures to raise their
prestige and improve the standard of umpiring in the
country. It was apparently on the recommendation of the
paper, that the board has already started providing
airfare tickets to umpires supervising outstation
matches, though previously they were only permitted
railways air conditioned travelling. There is also a
proposal to raise the match fees of the umpires
supervising first class and international matches. |
Valencia, Barcelona advance to semis ROME, April 19 (AFP) — Lazio beat Valencia 1-0 but it was the Spanish side who booked their place in the European Champions League semifinals last night. Juan Sebastian Veron broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute with a stunning drive from nearly 30 metres but Valencia’s resounding 5-2 victory in the first leg a fortnight ago saw them through. The Italian side went out heads high after dominating a tie they could have won by a bigger margin were it not for a mixture of bad luck and great goalkeeping by Valencia’s Santiago Canizares. The Spaniards could regret a ‘goal’ that was disallowed by Dutch referee Dick Jol midway through the second half. The Spaniards showed their trademark sharpness and one-touch football moving forward but the first real threat came in the eighth minute when Lazio’s Czech midfielder Pavel Nedved smacked a half-volley wide. Urged on by the home crowd, Lazio started to haul themselves back into the match and Argentinian Matias Almeyda nearly scored a stunner in the 27th minute. Canizares punched away a cross and Lazio’s Argentinian midfielder chested the ball down before lifting a first-time volley just beyond the far post with Canizares completely stranded. Team-mate Marcelo Salas could also have scored five minutes later after Portuguese winger Sergio Conceicao broke towards the right-hand goal-line, screwed the ball back and the Chilean striker sent his reflex shot wide. Canizares was soon back in action as Conceicao smacked in a searing drive from deep inside the area which the Valencia keeper punched a way in the 35th minute. The Spaniards were on the ropes and struggling to even clear the ball, let alone mount a counter-attack, and earned them a respite only at the half-time whistle. Their defence finally admitted defeat six minutes and five seconds after the break when Veron took possession and smacked an unstoppable shot into the top right-hand corner. Substitute Simone Inzaghi kept up the pressure minutes later with a looping header which Canizares tipped over bar. But it should have been 2-0 in the 59th minute when the overlapping Conceicao was given a free shot from a dozen metres out but sent his daisy-cutter straight against the Spanish keeper’s legs. Valencia’s token response was a curling shot from Argentinian striker Claudio Lopez in the 62nd minute. Two minutes later, Lazio were again unlucky not to be 2-0 up when defender Paolo Negro hammered a loose ball from inside the area which Canizares dropped like a stone to smother. Valencia midfielder Gerard Lopez, who scored a hat-trick in the home leg, steered home Kily Gonzalez’ cross from the left from point-blank range in the 67th minute but the would-be equaliser was ruled off-side. The Spaniards started to recover their poise and attacking flair, but the hosts seized back the initiative for the final 10 minutes, laying siege in vain to Canizares’ goal, although Gerard missed an open goal in injury-time. DPA adds: Barcelona stormed into the European Champions League semifinals for the first time since winning the competition in 1992, but after a 5-1 romp over Chelsea face Spanish rivals Valencia, against whom they have lost five of the last six meetings. Rivaldo struck in the 24th and 99th for a campaign-high 10 goals. Captain Luis Figo (45th), substitute Dani (83rd) and Patrick Kluivert (104th) scored other goals in front of 98,000 delighted Nou Camp fans. Tore Andre Flo was on target for Chelsea, who had defender Celestine Babayaro dismissed for a last-man foul on Figo in the 99th minute. The semifinal pairing already assures Spain of one place in the May 24 final in Paris’ Stade De France. Furthermore, Spain may even have a third team in the semifinals if Real Madrid produce a miracle at Old Trafford against title holders Manchester United after a goal-less first leg. Bayern Munich and Porto are locked at 1-1. In the 24th, Rivaldo fired a curling 25-metre freekick which took a deflection off the head of Babayaro. Barcelona doubled the lead seconds before halftime when Figo drilled the ball home on the rebound after Kluivert fired against the left post. Chelsea’s hopes were revived on the hour when Flo was gifted a goal by a terrible blunder from Barcelona keeper Ruud Hesp, who passed the ball right to the Norwegian. Now it was up to Barcelona to score again and the substitute Dani responded headed home their third goal in the 83rd off Josep Guardiola’s freekick. The Spaniards were heart-broken in the 86th when Rivaldo sent his first spot kick wide left. But the Brazilian dared to attempt, and converted, a second penalty in the 99th for a 4-1 advantage and Kluivert’s header in the 104th ended Chelsea’s hopes. The only bad news for
Barcelona is the fact that Fifo will be suspended for the
first leg in Valencia. |
Ganguly shines in Lancashire win LONDON, April 19 (PTI) — Sourav Ganguly put up a fine all-round display to help Lancashire to a comprehensive nine wicket win against Durham in a rain-hit Benson and Hedges Cup north division match at Riverside yesterday. The Indian skipper, Lancashire’s new overseas player, claimed three wickets for seven runs in two overs as Durham were restricted to 53 for eight in 10 overs. The Calcutta southpaw then scored an unbeaten 22 runs, including a four and a six off the last over by Neil Killeen to finish the match, as Lancashire overtook the target in 6.5 overs losing just one wicket. Ganguly earned the gold award for his sterling performance. Brief scores: Durham: 53 for eight in 10 overs (J.J.B.Lewis 10; Ganguly 3 for 7, Martin 2 for 6). Lancashire: 55 for one
in 6.5 overs (Ganguly 22 n.o., J.P. Crawley 20). |
Sonal, Sai win; Radhika shocked NEW DELHI, April 19 (PTI) — Teen sensation Sonal Phadke continued her giant-killing run dumping fifth-seeded Japanese Satomi Kinjo but junior national champion Radhika Tulpule crashed out of contention at the ITF Women’s Circuit Tennis tournament here today. Sonal, runner-up at the first leg last week, cruised into the quarterfinals with an impressive 6-0, 6-1 win in under an hour over highly-rated Satomi to setup a rematch of Mumbai final. The rising star, who meets Mumbai winner Sai Jayalakshmi in the quarterfinals, will have an opportunity to avenge her defeat at the DLTA courts tomorrow. Fourth-seeded Sai was stretched in the first set by compatriot Tara Kanbargimath before closing out the affair 7-5, 6-0 in the bottom half of the draw. With only four Indians making it to the last eight stage, Radhika’s loss to Maja Mlakar of Slovenia dampened the home spirits after Sonal had given a reason to celebrate. Radhika, a member of
Indian Federation Cup team for zonal competition in Osaka
next week, succumbed 1-6, 1-6 to the strongly-built
Slovenian under searing conditions. |
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GURGAON, April 19 (UNI) — Rookie professional Digvijay Singh of Meerut shot two under par 70 second round to maintain his lead with an aggregate of seven under 137 in the Rs 12 lakh J.Hampstead Open Tournament at the par-72,7070 yard, DLF Golf and Country Club here today. At joint second spot were S.S.P.Chowrasia and Amateur Ashok Kumar with five under 139. Gaurav Ghei, Shiv Prakash and Uttam Mundy were placed at joint fourth with four under 140. Digvijay Singh lorded over the leader board for the second day in succession. Despite carding birdies on the sixth and 17th and an eagle on the 18th, the Meerut based professional had a bad second hole, where he missed a one and half feet par putt. He carded bogeys on the seventh and 11th holes. Chowrasia followed up his first round of 69 with a fine two under par 70 today. The diminutive golfer from Calcutta birdied the fourth, eighth, 10th and 14th holes, however a double bogey on the par-three 16th denied him the chance to tie up with Digvijay at the lead. The cut was applied at nine under 135 with 53 professionals and seven amateurs making it to the money winning rounds. Gaurav Ghei had a roller coaster round. He carded birdies on the first, fourth, ninth, 10th and 17th, bogeys on the third, 10th and 13th, a triple bogey on the 14th,where he twice went out of bounds, then three putted on the green and finally an eagle on the 18th thanks to a strong drive and a fine approach shot to return with a score of two under 70. Shiv Prakash has rediscovered his touch after his victory at the Eicher Central India Open 2000, at Mhow, in March the stocky professional from Kanpur recorded birdies on the third and ninth with his bogey coming on the seventh. He carded one-under 71 for the day. Uttam Singh Mundy’s one-under 71, included birdies on the first, second, fourth and 17th and a hat-trick of bogeys on the 11th, 12th and 13th. The two-time Honda Siel PGA Championship winner has not won a title since his ’98 Honda Siel victory. Good scores over the next two days can help end his title drought. Feroz Ali birdied the 10th, 14th, 17th, 18th, second and ninth with bogeys on the 13th and seventh, Feroz is the top ranked professional on the Wills Sport Golf Tour and is the leading contender for the year ending Mahindra ‘Player of the Year’ award which carries a prize of Rs 7.5 lakh. Feroz posted four-under 68 for the day. Raju Ali was the other
golfer to card a four-under 68 today. The 20-year-old
nephew of Feroz had a blemish-free round of golf with
birdies on the 11th, 17th, first and sixth studding his
day’s card. |
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LUCKNOW, April 19 (UNI) — Indian Railways and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) won their league matches of the 50th All-India Sheesh Mahal golden jubilee prize money cricket tournament here today. Indian Railways defeated Cricket Association of Lucknow by six wickets while Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association defeated Central Coal Field, Ranchi by 69 runs. At the K.D.Singh Babu
Stadium here the UPCA won the toss and elected to
bat,they piled up 233 for five in 40 overs. Mohammad Kaif
(63) and Gyanendra Pandey (77) put up 147 runs for the
third wicket. UPCA lost two wickets of Nasir Ali (2) and
Jyoti Yadav (3) at a score of 14 runs. Gyanendra
Pandey’s 77 was scored in 102 balls, including five
boundaries while Kaif made 63 in 77 balls with one six
and five boundaries. P. Singh (30) and Mritunjaya
Tripathi (19) added unbeaten 45 runs for the sixth
wicket. Tripathi hit one six and one boundary in 19 runs
off 16 balls. P.Singh also played 16 balls scoring 30
runs with three boundaries. |
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