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| Sunday, April 23, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Mumbai in sight of victory PCA chief alleges threat to
life
Donald
to play until 2002 |
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Arantxa advances to semis Nirupama bags golden double
Ratti selected in Indian team Roshan, Rupinder shine Cabinet ordered to watch match Kuruvilla calls it a day
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Mumbai in sight of victory MUMBAI, April 22 (UNI) — Hyderabad were sliding towards defeat against Mumbai after seven of their batsmen were shot down for a meagre 251 in the second innings on the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy final here at the Wankhede Stadium giving hosts celebrations one day early. Hyderabad were given a Herculean target of 591 for an outright win after they had conceded a huge lead of 181. They were still 340 runs short with their last hope captain Mohammed Azharuddin, forced to bat at number seven, out cheaply for 11. Only V.V.S. Laxman shone like a beacon in a storm recording his 18th career hundred and eighth three figure mark of this season including that fabulous Test hundred in Australia early this year, a double hundred against Uttar Pradesh and a triple against holders Karnataka in the Ranji semifinals. He made 111 and was out after raising a rare hope for his side to make history. He and Daniel Manohar frustrated Mumbai with a second wicket stand of 188. The left handed Manohar made 71. Tiny leg spinner Rajesh Pawar rose to further heights with four for 96 while Ajit Agarkar shone in a supporting role of three for 46. Their bursts after tea sent Hyderabad from a cozy 198 for one to the present sorry state in which the guests lost five wickets for 42 runs off 20 overs. Mumbai invited to bat had made 376 to which Hyderabad had replied with 195. Mumbai then were all out for 409 yesterday in the second knock. Laxman and Manohar joined hands after Agarkar had forced opener Nand Kishore to edge a rising delivery in the safe hands of first slip. While Manohar kept a close watch on his wicket, Laxman produced a touch of class in his 264-minute and 192-ball innings. Yesterday Sachin Tendulkar showed a grim-faced brutality then the Hyderabadi today matched him with silken grace and smiling face. He caressed 13 hits to the fence and even the two straight sixes off Pawar were hit as if using a feather. He gave a half chance at 95 when he mistimed a drive off Pawar and substitute Amit Dani could not catch the ball going away from him. At his score of 111 Wasim Jaffer took a drive at half volley but in the same over of Pawar he gave an easy catch to long off. After him Venka Pratap (2), Riaz Sheik (1) and Parth Satwalekar (22) chickened out but the bigger blow was the dismissal of Azharuddin for eleven at the score of 239. Mumbai (first innings): 376 Hyderabad (first innings): 195 Mumbai (second innings): 409 Hyderabad (second innings): Nand Kishore c Tendulkar b Agarkar 9, D. Manohar b Pawar 71, V. Laxman c sub Dani b Pawar 111, Venka Pratap lbw b Agarkar 2, Parth Satwalekar lbw b Pawar 22, R. Sheik b Agarkar 1, M. Azharuddin c sub. Pagnis b Pawar 11, F. Ahmed batting 11, V. Raju batting 0. Extras: (six nb, six lb, one b) 13. Total:251 for seven off 90 overs. Fall: 1/10, 2/198, 3/202, 4/202, 5/212, 6/239, 7/240. Bowling:
Kuruvilla 9-1-24-0, Agarkar 21-4-46-3, Pawar 30-7-96-4,
Saxena 8-2-26-0, Mhambrey 8-2-26-0, Tendulkar 13-2-26-0,
Jaffer 1-0-1-0. |
Arantxa advances to semis HILTON HEAD ISLAND, South Carolina, April 22 (Reuters) — Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario was looking like a winner again after surviving a marathon 7-6 (14-12) 3-6 6-3 victory over Amanda Coetzer to advance to the semifinals at Hilton Head. The 28-year-old Sanchez-Vicario, four times a Grand Slam tournament champion and the 1996 Hilton Head winner, has won only one tournament in nearly two years. But yesterday she thrilled a crowd of about 7,000 attending this clay court event in the 86-minute first set by matching Coetzer point-for-point until Coetzer finally committed two successive errors from the baseline after the tiebreak had gone to 12-12. Coetzer controlled the second set, but the fourth-seeded Spaniard came out firing in the do-or-die third set, breaking out of a 3-3 stand-off as the normally solid Coetzer began misfiring in a match that lasted two hours and 55 minutes. The victory earned Sanchez-Vicario a berth in Saturday’s semifinals against fellow Spaniard Conchita Martinez. "We were expecting long rallies,’’ said Sanchez-Vicario, recalling her matches against Coetzer, including two victories in three previous meetings here on the clay. "This was a good warm-up for me ... A good match,’’ she said, looking ahead to a similar encounter against Martinez. "We’re very similar,’’ she said about Martinez, against whom she enjoys a 12-3 lifetime edge. Martinez, the second seed, ended Jana Nejedly’s string of upsets by pinning a 6-2 6-1 defeat on the unseeded Canadian who had upset fifth-seeded Austrian Barbara Schett and 12th-seeded American Lisa Raymond. Top seed Mary Pierce of France powered home some big serves and held her errors to a minimum against error-prone 17-year-old Australian Jelena Dokic to advance to the semifinals with a 6-3 6-1 victory. Dokic, who upset then top-ranked Martina Hingis and Pierce last year at Wimbledon, went for too much, missing badly in critical situations. Dokic had a chance to
come back from a 5-2 deficit in the first set when she
gained a break-point against Pierce’s big serve
while down 5-3. But the youngster swatted a pair of long
balls, including one when she had an open court. |
PCA chief alleges threat to life CHANDIGARH, April 22 — The President of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), Mr Inderjit Singh Bindra, who has stirred a hornet’s nest with his allegations that senior functionaries of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were involved in match-fixing, today challenged the President of the International Cricket Council, Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya, to an open debate at a time and place of his choice to discuss the issue threadbare. Mr Bindra, who was President of the BCCI at the time when Mr Dalmiya was the Secretary of the board, today said that Mr Dalmiya had been invited by a number of television channels for a face-to-face debate with Mr Bindra on the whole issue of match-fixing and other related issues, but time and again he (Mr Dalmiya) wriggled out after giving a commitment to attend such a debate. Admitting that Mr Dalmiya and he had been closely associated in the board for over two decades, he said now was the time for the ICC President to "clean the whole mess afflicting international cricket." Mr Bindra said he was not interested in mud-slinging. He refused to comment on the remarks attributed to Mr Dalmiya in today’s newspapers, who had reportedly said that Mr Bindra "has lost his balance". The PCA President said his interest was only to cleanse the system and he had nothing personal against Mr Dalmiya. "Mr Dalmiya should have replied to the issues raised by me instead of saying what he did. He should confine himself to the issues of betting, match-fixing and the role of middlemen in international cricket (which the PCA has raised time again in BCCI meetings) instead of making personal remarks," Mr Bindra remarked. Earlier, Mr Bindra in a typed statement distributed by Mr M.P. Pandove, Secretary of the PCA, said: "Ever since the present controversy which has rocked international cricket broke because of my honest outspokenness, I have been living with threats to my personal being. It was no coincidence then that just before the start of the Delhi press conference called by me on April 19, that me and my wife separately received threats aimed at my young children." It was at the Delhi press conference that Mr Bindra had said that Mr Dalmiya was in the grip of the mafia and "every match in international cricket is fixed in one form or the other." Appealing to the media for support and cooperation in this issue, Mr Bindra insisted that the matter had been brought to the notice of the authorities concerned. While saying that he had taken adequate precautions, "the best security is not to yield to threats." He said he could not identify the voice of the caller but had informed the agencies involved. Also, it seemed, that the call had come from outside the country. Also, the matter had been raised in Parliament but he admitted that no formal complaint had been filed with the police. Mr Bindra once again referred to his earlier allegation that an India versus New Zealand match, played at Sharjah in 1997, had been fixed and said the ICC President was still not replying to the specific issue raised by him. He also referred to the statements given by Mr Jyoti Bajpee, now a functionary of the board, Mr Venkat Rao and Mr Sunil Dev who in their reports as managers of Indian teams had alleged that issue of match-fixing and betting needed a deeper study. "Globalisation of cricket is fine," Mr Bindra said,"but the money the game is generating is going to middlemen instead of being ploughed back into the game." Mr Bindra questioned the reason of playing so much international cricket in Bangladesh or at a place like Sharjah . On the one hand both the PCA and the Orissa Cricket Association were finding it difficult to organise their golden jubilee tournaments which had been allotted to them by the BCCI but on the other the national squad was busy playing matches in distant places of the world. Mr Bindra revealed that the Indian team was paid a pittance of Rs 27 lakh for every match played at Sharjah (which till last year was just Rs 10 lakh) while for the five-match series at Toronto the BCCI was paid Rs 7 crore. "Therefore, it is wrong for the CBFS of Sharjah to say that their tournament was just breaking even." Mr Bindra said:"It has never been my intention to cast aspirations on players although there is no doubt there are some bad fish who have polluted the environment. I reiterate that the real people behind the scam are a handful of cricket administrators and others with vested commercial interests. None of them has yet replied to or denied any of the charges I have made." Reiterating that he would continue to work for cleansing the game and restore its glorious traditions and image, Mr Bindra said that stopping the playing of international cricket would not solve the problem and in fact might prove to be counter-productive. Referring to Mr
Dalmiya’s statement issued yesterday against him, Mr
Bindra said: "We reserve the right to claim
defamation or launch criminal proceedings against the
people concerned in consultation with our
solicitors." |
Nirupama bags golden double NEW DELHI, April 22 (UNI) — Playing to plan top seed Nirupama Vaidyanathan executed clinical efficiency to achieve a golden double winning the singles and doubles titles in the $ 10,000 ITF Circuit Tennis Tournament here today. Nirupama Vaidyanathan, who was given the wildcard entry for this tournament totally dominated the court and routed Sai Jayalakshmy 6-3,6-2 in 115 minutes to claim the singles title. Late last evening Nirupama had teamed up with Sai Jayalakshmy to outlast Rushmi Chakravarthy and Radhika Tulpule 6-4,6-2 to win the doubles title. Nirupama, ranked 223 in the world towered over her rivals in the singles and doubles. The stocky Coimbatore girl turned both the finals into no contest. Fourth seed Sai Jayalakshmy, winner of the Mumbai leg of this circuit last week, caved in without much fight. In fact Sai had no answer to Nirupama’s service or returns. Sai hit short and Nirupama had no problem in turning the returns in to the winners. Sai lost her very first
game but managed to break Nirupama in the fourth but then
failed to hold on to her seventh game as the US based top
seed clinched the set 6-3. |
Donald to play until 2002 JOHANNESBURG, April 22 (AFP) — Fast bowler Allan Donald will be available for South Africa until April 2002 after agreeing a new contract with the United Cricket Board of South Africa. The fast bowler’s decision came as a ray of good news for the beleaguered UCB in the wake of the Hansie Cronje scandal. Donald (33) will only be available for South Africa from October, when he has completed a sabbatical from international cricket while he is playing for English county Warwickshire. The decision to agree to a new, tougher contract with the UCB could mean that Donald’s county career will end this year. Donald’s current one-year contract with Warwickshire was on condition he was available for all the county’s matches. "Allan spoke to me today and confirmed he would be available for all Test and one-day international matches if required by the selectors," said Dr Ali Bacher, the Managing Director of the UCB. Donald is poised to become the first South African to reach 300 Test wickets, needing just two more. While Donald’s decision was welcomed by Dr Bacher, the UCB boss was less delighted by newspaper reports that opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs had been at a Cape Town night-club until 3 a.m. Last Friday, just hours before playing in a day-night international against Australia at Newlands. "I have a meeting
with Herschelle next week to discuss the terms of his new
contract. I will ask him about the incident and if
necessary the matter will be referred to the disciplinary
committee," said Dr Bacher. |
Ronaldo returns MILAN, April 22 (Reuters) — Inter Milan’s Brazilian striker Ronaldo returned to Italy yesterday, nine days after undergoing surgery on his right knee in Paris. Ronaldo flew from Paris to Milan on a private jet belonging to Inter president Massimo Moratti. He landed at the city’s Linate Airport and left immediately in a jeep that pulled right up alongside the plane. He did not talk to reporters. Inter said last week Ronaldo would need between seven and eight months before making a return to full-time competition, even though the operation on his knee-cap tendon went well. Ronaldo, (23) first tore the tendon in his right knee in a minor injury in an Italian league match in November. His comeback at
Inter’s Italian Cup match against Lazio last week
lasted just six minutes. |
PCB rejects allegations KARACHI, April 22 (AFP) — The Pakistan Cricket Board today rejected match-fixing charges levelled by South African board chief executive Ali Bacher, saying the accusations were unacceptable unless backed by concrete evidence. "The charges about Pakistan’s World Cup match against Bangladesh are baseless, full of contradiction and lack credibility," PCB Manager Yawar Saeed said in a statement. The Managing Director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa Ali Bacher had told Australian newspapers that two of the 1999 World Cup matches, one in which minnows Bangladesh upset formidable Pakistan, were fixed. Bacher also expressed suspicions about Pakistani umpire Javed Akhtar over his handling of the Leeds Test during South Africa’s 1998 tour of England. Umpire Akhtar has also refuted allegations of involvement in any wrongdoings. "It was amazing that Mr Bacher has remained silent on this issue for nearly one year and now suddenly comes out with these allegations," Saeed said. The pandora’s box of match-fixing and betting reopened on April 4 when South African captain Hansie Cronje and fellow players were charged by Indian police with involvement in match-fixing during the one-day series last month. Cronje was subsequently sacked as Captain after he admitted to taking some $ 10,000 to $ 15,000 for providing match information during the tri-series held in South Africa. "It is
disappointing that Dr Bacher has chosen to go public with
these allegations rather than sharing the information
with the PCB or International Cricket Council (ICC) under
the code of conduct," Saeed said. |
Ratti selected in Indian team CHANDIGARH, April 22 — Sachin Ratti, of Jalandhar, former junior national badminton champion, has been selected in the Indian men’s team for the final rounds of the Thomas Cup tie scheduled to be held from May 12 to 20 at Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Four players who played earlier in the Delhi qualifying rounds in February, were unfit. Hence, three other players have been included in the nine-member team. It may be recalled that Sachin had won the New Zealand Open at Wellington (New Zealand) last year but due to lesser ranking points, he was dropped from Indian team. Son of a senior badminton coach Ustad Chaman Lal, Sachin had been shaping well and the present selection for the top-level tournament will further improve his ranking. Another player from Patiala and present national men’s doubles champion Vijaydeep Singh is already in the team. The team is: Gopi Chand, Sidhharth Jain, Chetan Anand, Nikhil Kanetkar, Sachin Ratti, Markose Bristow, Vijay Deep Singh, George Thomas and Jassel P Ismail. The boys who were not
well and were dropped are Abhin Shyam Gupta, Ajit
Wijetilak, Vincent Lobo and Jose. In the above eight-team
final rounds, India have been grouped with Denmark, Korea
and hosts Malaysia. |
SA police to assist in Indian probe JOHANNESBURG, April 22 (PTI) — The South African police today agreed to assist their Indian counterparts in investigating the sensational cricket match-fixing scandal, 15 days after the Delhi police case rocked the game world over. But a police spokesman told reporters in Pretoria that they had not been given copies of the tapes purported to be conversations between sacked South African skipper Hansie Cronje and an Indian bookie. The Delhi police has registered a case of cheating, fraud and criminal conspiracy and named Cronje, team-mates Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje, Pieter Strydom and Henry Williams besides two Indian bookies. Meanwhile, the South African Government today announced that the judicial inquiry into the match-fixing allegations would be instituted soon and the name of the Judge to head the panel would be announced "within the next few days". Cronje has denied any
involvement in match-fixing and returned about $ 8000
which he reportedly received from the bookie to the South
African Reserve Bank. |
Roshan, Rupinder shine ANANDPUR SAHIB, April 22 — Himachal Pradesh, wrestler, Roshan, defeated Haryana wrestler, Pawan, while Punjab’s Rupinder Kaur beat Rajasthan’s Anju, in 46 kg (freestyle) in the boys and girls sections, respectively, of the Sub junior National Wrestling Championship for boys and girls here today. The following are the results: Freestyle (boys): 46 kg — Munish (MP) b Naresh (Raj) on points; Roshan (HP) b Pawan (Har) by fall. 54 kg — Pardeep (Delhi) b Shobh Chander (Manipur) by fall; Hawa Singh (Chd) b Ram Chand (Maharastra) on points; Sanjay (Har) b Tara Singh (J&K) by fall. 63 kg — Rajinder (J&K) b Kiran (Kerala) by fall; Hira Singh (Punjab) b Devinder (Gujarat) on points. 76 kg — Sanjay (HP) b Kartar (Chd) by fall, Ram Hari (Mah) b Sukhvir (Pb) on points; Manjit (Har) b Rishi Pal (J&K) by fall. 85 kg — Dhanneshwar (Mah) b Sanjay (Har) on points. Freestyle (girls):- 40 kg — Reenu (Pb) b Dimpal (Chd) on pts, Nitu (Har) b Jishu (Kerala) by fall. 46 kg — Rupinder (Pb) by Anju (Raj) by fall; Meena (Har) b Ranjita (Orissa) by fall. 52 kg — Ranjna (West Bengal) b Varsha (Mah) by fall; S. Bijinu Devi (Manipur) b Nieymol (Kerala) on pts. 60 kg — Manisha (Delhi) b Baljinder Kaur (Pb) by fall; Raman Preet (HP) b Ravita (UP) by fall. +65 kg — Sonika (Har) b Arashpreet (HP) by fall; Gursharan Preet (Pb) b Roshni Devi (Manipur) by fall. The results of
third round of Greeco Roman style (boys):- 42 kg
— Sanjay (MP) b Vikram Singh (MP) by fall; Sanjay
Patil (Maharastra) b Sonu Singh (Chd) on pts 7-1; Sonu
(Har) b Jayantha (Manipur) on pts 12-5, Sukh Raj (Raj) b
Ashok (WB) on pts 5-0. 50 kg — Rohit Kumar (Pb) b
Udey Bhan (UP) on pts 5-2, Mohd. Asif (MP) b Ajit Pal
Singh (Raj) by fall; Anurag (Har) b Harsimharan (HP) by
fall; Ravinder (Delhi) b M. Ibomcha Singh (Manipur) by
fall. 58 kg — Swarup Singh (Pb) b Kapil Dev (HP) by
technical superiority; Vinod Kumar (Chd) b Abhilash
Sharma (MP) by fall. 69 kg — Vikram Sharma (Pb) b
Narender Singh (J&K) by fall; Narender (Har) b Sardar
Varute (Mah) on pts 9-4; Vinod Kumar (HP) b Rakesh Kumar
(Orissa) by technical superiority; Sher Sikander (Chd) b
Mukesh Kumar Yadav (MP) by fall’ 85 kg — Udey
Partap (UP) b Buta Singh (WB) on pts 5-3; Dalip Bharne
(Mah) b Manjeet Kumar (Har) on pts 3-1. |
Another feather in Bhutia’s cap GANGTOK, April 22 (UNI) — Baichung Bhutia has followed up his achievement of being the first Indian to be signed by an English professional soccer club by adding another feather to his cap. He is now the first sportsperson from the sub-continent to have scored for an English team. According to the latest information reaching here, Baichung scored in a match against Chesterfield. This is only his second outing for the A-team in more than six months that he has been with Bury fc. The joy of having broken his dry spell and establishing himself as a striker of worth is evident in Baichung’s new-found confidence. It has also come as a relief as sitting on the benches was not something that the Indian star is used to. "It is such a great
relief to score after a long time. In fact, this was only
my second outing. It does give me confidence and secures
my place in the playing eleven," Baichung told UNI
from England. |
Cabinet ordered to watch match MONROVIA, April 22 (Reuters) — Liberian President Charles Taylor ordered his entire Cabinet to attend tomorrow’s World Cup soccer qualifier against Chad. "Any government minister who is not at that field that day will be in trouble,’’ Mr Taylor yesterday said at a lunch given at his executive mansion in honour of the West African country’s national team. Mr Taylor did not say what would happen to ministers who failed to turn up at tomorrow’s second leg match. Last May, Mr Taylor
dismissed 11 Cabinet ministers for not attending a prayer
meeting. They were reinstated just over a week later. |
Kuruvilla calls it a day MUMBAI, April 22 (PTI) — Former Test pace bowler Abey Kuruvilla today announced his retirement from first class cricket at the end of the Ranji Trophy final between his team Mumbai and Hyderabad here tomorrow. The gangling Kuruvilla,
who made his first class debut in the final of the
memorable clash against Haryana in 1990-91 which the home
team lost by 2 runs. |
Tennis tourney CHANDIGARH, April 22
— The All India Ranking Tennis Association (AITA)
tournament for boys and girls in under 14 and under 16
section will be held at CLTA courts, Sector 10, from May
1 to 5, according to a press release of the Chandigarh
Lawn Tennis Association. The qualifying rounds will be
held on April 29 and 30. |
Kalra’s bail plea rejected NEW DELHI, April 22
(PTI) — A city court rejected the bail application
of Rajesh Kalra, the first accused arrested in the
match-fixing case, saying granting him bail at this stage
would hamper the probe. |
Selection trials CHANDIGARH, April 22
— The Haryana sports and Youth Welfare Department
will fill up the vacant seats in the sports hostel,
Gurgaon, by holding selection trials from May 8 to 11 at
Nehru Stadium, Gurgaon. The trials for 15 vacant seats in
athletics and one in gymnastics will be conducted on May
8 and 9 while the trials for four vacant seats in hockey
and six in volleyball will be held on May 10 and 11,
respectively. |
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