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| Monday, December 11, 2000, Chandigarh, India    |
India enjoy psychological advantage We will be
ruthless, says Ganguly Khalifman
holds Anand again Irina
shows her best |
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Tiger Woods, Duval
forge ahead Hamirpur college win
overall trophy Spain
take 2-1 lead with double success Enlarged
field sought for World Cup IT
authorities set to submit reports on 6 cricketers Madhavan
to quiz Wadekar, Kapil & Chopra
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India enjoy psychological advantage KANPUR, Dec 10 (UNI) — Having stumbled at the finishing post in Jodhpur after performing admirably in the first two encounters, Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly and his team would be hoping to avoid any last-minute lapse to wrap up the one-day series against Zimbabwe in the fourth contest at the Green Park Stadium here tomorrow. In fact, a lot will be at stake for both India and Zimbabwe with the hosts looking to get their act together to hit the bull’s eye and the visitors wishing to repeat their heroics and verdict of the third one-dayer to stay in the hunt. The workouts of both the teams stretched for more than four hours and this keeness was comprehendable as the two sides do not want to leave any stone unturned to finish their tasks at hands in fashion. India still have a candid psychological edge over Heath Streak-led Zimbabwe with a 2-1 lead in the five-match one-day series, but the clobbering and scare that they received in the pulsating Jodhpur tie, where the hosts lost the game by one wicket and one ball to spare, do not augur well for the battle ahead. Okay, the loss looked more a case of having one bad day or opponents proving to be better team on that day. But what would you say for a team which is notorious for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Though the national squad has refused to wilt under pressure and shown tremendous temperament in crunch situations, they should not forget a fact that the Africans have a habit of upsetting the apple-cart. Thus, cautious execution is the buzzword for the Indians. “This match is very, very crucial for us. After doing all the hard work to win at Cuttack and Ahmedabad, we could not do the same in the sun city as our bowlers failed to protect a hefty total. We have to complete the series win at any cost tomorrow,” says a determined Ganguly after nets. Blaming poor bowling for team’s defeat on Friday as all frontline bowlers went for runs galore except Zaheer Khan, who also served with the bat hitting four consecutive sixes in the last over of the innings, Sourav and team coach John Wright rightly instructed bowlers to tighten the belt and discipline their proceedings. Wright
said, " There is a positive sign as boys accepting their mistakes and not making any excuses. The lads want to learn and improve. But they have to lift their bowling and fielding standards.” About the team composition, Ganguly announced the 13, keeping out allrounder Reetinder Singh Sodhi, and assured that two young chaps will figure in the final eleven. The only point of interest is whether the hosts will go in with two specialist spinners, which means Tamil Nadu tweaker Aashish Kapoor will accompany left-hand spinner Sunil Joshi, or have a toss between Delhi batsman Virender Sehwag and Tamil Nadu allrounder Sridharan Sriram, who claimed three wickets in the 61-run Ahmedabad victory, in place of Sodhi. For India, whether batting first or second, much will again depend on the ‘big three’ of the team — Sourav, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, to be strengthened by the ‘second string’ comprising young guns like Yuvraj Singh and Hemang Badani, who played a poised knock to earn a three-wicket victory in the first tie at cuttack. However, the failure of left-handed sensation Yuvraj Singh, who scored only 33 runs in the last three matches, must be a cause of worry for his skipper. But Ganguly showed enough confidence in the Punjab batsman. It is high time Yuvraj delivered the due. On the other hand, the Zimbabweans are bound to have a string in their stride after the Jodhpur victory and there is understandable fillip in the confidence level. Besides the first win on Indian soil, Streak is more happy for the way his crew bounced back to stay alive in the
tournament. “We were in dire need of a win. This gain has led a fresh surge of activity to better the drill,” he added. The Zimbabwe captain hoped that his batsmen would rise to the occasion and play to their potential. Streak said a score of 250-260 should be a competitive one on this bald track. The tourists have a strong batting line-up with the Flower brothers profusely among runs. Besides, Alistair Campbell, Stuart Carlisle, Streak and surprise inclusion Mluleki Nkala are all capable of putting a productive show. It is in the bowling department that the visiting team need to pull up their socks. Looking worried for its pedestria bowling stuff, Streak as usual advised his bowlers to maintain their line and length and compel the batsmen to play. It is a ground that holds special significance for batting maestro Tendulkar who rained seven sixers in his fiery century against Australia here two-and-a-half years ago, breaking Kapil Dev’s record of six skiers against Zimbabwe in 1983. The locals will be hoping that Sachin, who tormented the Zimbabweans to hit his 27th one-day century in their last encounter, springs to life again in vintage style. Statistically, Green Park has been a happy hunting ground for the Indians winning four of the six one-dayers
allotted to the venue. The hosts defeated Zimbabwe by 40 runs on this ground in the 1996 Wills World Cup. The lush green outfield and a promise of a pitch full of runs raise a vision of a lively humdinger. Teams (from): Zimbabwe: Heath Streak (captain), Guy Whittal, Andy Flower, Stuart Carlisle, Alistair Campbell, Grant Flower, Brian Murphy, Trevis Friend, Henry Olonga, Dirk Viljoen, Gavin Rennie, Douglas Marillier, Mluleki Nkala, Trevor Madondo and Bryan Strang. Umpires:
C.K. Sathe and Devendra Sharma. Third umpire: G.A. Pratap Kumar. Match refree: Barry Jarman. |
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We will be ruthless, says Ganguly KANPUR, Dec 10 (UNI) — Indian captain Sourav Ganguly today said that his team will be ruthless and clinical, but not vengeful, to clinch the one-day series against Zimbabwe. “True, we have an edge over the visitors with a modest 2-1 lead but the way the Africans played and composed their proceedings under tremendous pressure is commendable, giving a wake up call for us to be alert on each move of the game,” Ganguly told newspersons after the nets here. Having taken a healthy 2-0 lead after performing well at Cuttack and Ahmedabad, India lost to Zimbabwe by one wicket and one ball to spare in a nail-biting finish in the third one-dayer at Jodhpur. The Bengal Tiger cautioned his teammates against complacency on the eve of the fourth of the five-match one-day series. “Every team wishes to win, but we want to start playing some consistent good cricket and click in each department of the game,” he said hoping that the Indian bowling attack, which failed to protect a big aggregate in the last match, would not be wayward on the morrow. The skipper pointed out that the team would field three medium-pacers, though there was a consideration underway to opt for two specialist spinners or a tweaker and an all-rounder. Since Reetinder Singh Sodhi is already out of the announced 13, Sourav hinted that two young fellows would figure in the playing XI. This raised a hope for Delhi batsman Virender Shewag, Tamil Nadu off-spinner Aashish Kapoor and all-rounder Sridharan Sriram. About the failure of Nairobi discovery Yuvraj Singh who has not been in a good nick of late, Ganguly said: “I do not have any doubt about Yuvraj’s merit. He is a great performer and it is just a matter of chance that he could not gather runs in the last three matches. Young guns in the team are very talented. Do not expect them to perform world class all the time. Give them time to show their expertise and no pressure, please...” |
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Khalifman holds Anand again NEW DELHI, Dec 10 (UNI) — Playing a tough and tense chess match on your birthday can hardly be an ideal celebration. But what else would you expect of a professional like Viswanathan Anand who completes 31 years tomorrow. After his second successive draw against Alexander Khalifman here today, Anand will cherish only one present and that will be a win over Alexander Khalifman and entry into the semi-finals of the FIDE World Chess Championships sponsored by NIIT. Having drawn with white pieces in the first game, Anand had black in the second. And he was engaged in an English Opening and he handled it ever so well, showing he has a wide repertoire. With Khalifman looking fairly solid, it was expected that Anand would not try any heroics and be happy with a draw, unless of course the defending champion himself gave away chances. Following a bookish line for the first few moves, Khalifman introduced a novelty of sorts on the 13th move by castling. It deviated from the game Anand had played as a black with Vladimir Kramnik for a draw in 20 moves at Dortmund two years ago. But clearly Anand was prepared for some surprises and he handled it well and Khalifman, realising that it was no use trying to force things, decided a draw was a good enough result. The players agreed to split the points after 17 moves, which in retrospect can be, called a dead draw. So, the two will be back tomorrow for the tie-breaker. Khalifman has been through a couple of tie-breakers in these championships. Against Peter Leko of Hungary he went in for a long duel before emerging winner in the second of the sudden death games. That win was in the third round. For Anand it will be the first tie-breaker of the championships, but it is not an area he is particularly apprehensive about. After all in this calendar year alone, he has won the World Blitz Cup this year in Poland and also the World Cup in Shenyang and most recently emerged winner in a Rapid event in Corsica. Meanwhile Michael Adams became the first player to enter the semi-finals after a 41-move draw with Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. Adams had won the first game and a draw in the second sufficed for him to progress into the last- four stage. Adams had lost in the final of the Groningen event to Anand in 1998 and last year in Las Vegas he went down to Vladimir Akopian of Armenia in the semis. This time he will be up against the winner of the Anand-Khalifman match. Russian teenager Alexander Grischuk and Vladislav Tkachiev of France drew for the second time and took their game into the tie-breaker. Alexy Shirov, who like Anand lives in Spain, rallied from his loss yesterday to beat Evgeny Bareev of Russia to take the match into the tie-breaker. So three of the four quarter finals will continue into the tense tie-breaker matches tomorrow. |
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Irina shows her best CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — Irina Brar has done it again. Yes, this 17-year-old Plus-1 student of Vivek High School is just back after clinching the title in the Eastern India Ladies Amateur Golf Championship held at the Tollygunge Golf Club, Calcutta, on Friday. And this time Irina had a fabulous four-day plus one aggregate of 281. This has been her best performance to date and probably it may go down as the best by any lady golfer. She left her nearest rival, Parnita Garewal, another Chandigarh girl, a good 14 strokes behind. It was a grand victory. So far Irina has emerged winner in three of the women's tournaments in the circuit and has finished runner-up in one tournament. Four more tournaments are still to go. She is the leader with 55 points with Shruti and Parneeta tying at the second spot with 34 points each. A sports apprentice with Indian Oil, Irina started the Calcutta tournament with an opening round score of four over in the 70 par golf course. Parnita did a better job on the first day returning a par score of 70. But the second day saw Irina in her best form. Scoring birdies in the second, fourth, eighth and ninth holes and losing a stroke in the fifth hole, she had a three-under score in the first nine. And with a birdie in the 14th also she had a four under card. It is at this stage Irina became conscious of her good performance and missed a small putt in the 16th hole. The first day's leader Parnita had a second-day card of four over. Irina returned a two over card of 72 on the third day. But she came back with a vengeance on the last day to return a two -under card . It was a similar start as on the second day. She scored birdies on the second, sixth, seventh and ninth holes and dropped a stroke on the fifth hole for a three under score in the first nine. She had three more birdies in the return nine. But then the number of bogeys in this half also went up to four. She had a two-under card of 68. Her total aggregate was 295. Vandana and Shruti had identical scores of 297. Despite running fever , Irina said she was all set for the West Bengal Ladies Open to be held from January 2 to 5. With four more tournaments in line Irina will concentrate on her playing till the middle of February. Then it will be examination time, said Irina , who has been a topper in her class right through. Throughout the tournament Irina remained in constant touch with her mother, Madhu Brar, whom she considers her mentor and guide. |
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JAMMU, Dec 10 (PTI) — Railways and Punjab and Sind Bank today stormed into the semifinals of the 60th Senior National Hockey Championship as both the team kept a clean record in their super league matches here today. A star-studded Railways team romped to their third straight win, beating Central Reserve Police Force 2-1 to book the last four berth from Pool A. CRPF, with two wins were the unlucky losers and were left to rue their missed chances in today’s match against Railways. PSB, who drew their first match against Indian Oil before scoring a thumping 7-0 win over Hyderabad, today crushed the hopes of Air India with a 2-1 triumph. PSB tallied five points, ahead of AI (4) to make it to the semis from Pool B. Railways had opened their campaign defeating last year’s runners-up Tamil Nadu 1-0 and then edged past Karnataka 3-1 before scoring today’s win. It was a 6-2 overall goal average for Railways while the bankmen finished with an impressive 11-2. CRPF’s Jolen Topno had put his team ahead through a penalty corner conversion in the 55th minute, but Railways equalised through Chander Pal’s field goal in the 59th. D. Suleman struck the winning goal in the 64th on a penalty corner conversion much to the jubilation of railwaymen. In the PSB-AI match, the bankmen took the lead in the 10th minute through Parminder Singh. A fast-paced AI equalised in the 29th through their star striker Kishore Kumar, but PSB surged ahead again in the 31st minute when Rajinder Singh struck home the winner. In other inconsequential matches, TN ended on a miserable note losing all the three matches as they were humbled 3-7 by Karnataka today. Indian Oil, after a win and a draw, found the winning touch but it was little too late. They defeated Hyderabad 6-0 in another Pool B condemning the team from the south to their third loss. |
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SINGAPORE, Dec 10 (PTI) — India’s Jyoti Randhawa lifted the $ 400,000 Singapore Open title today for his fourth career Davidoff Tour victory, but only his first outside his country, after firing a closing five-under-par 67 at the Singapore Island Country Club. The 28-year-old Randhawa celebrated a dominating three-stroke triumph at the Island Course over South African Hendrik Buhrmann with his 20-under-par 268 winning total, which tied the third lowest score on the Asian PGA circuit. Randhawa, the 2000 Indian Open winner, collected $ 64,600 and moved from fourth to second place in the Davidoff Tour Order of Merit behind Yeh Wei-Tze of Taiwan, with the season-ending $ 500,000 Omega Hong Kong Open remaining next week. England’s Simon Dyson kept himself in the hunt for the money list crown after the day’s best of 65 earned him a joint third finish with Gerald Rosales of the Philippines (72), India’s Amandeep Johl (69), and Korea’s Charlie Wi (70) on 14-under-par 24. Yeh ended a disappointing equal 24th after posting his worst round this week with a three-over-par 75. "I’ve won three times previously on Tour but all of them were in India. So, it’s good to finally win one outside my country. My fellow players were telling me that I had to get the monkey off my back and I’m glad all doubts have been finally put aside," said Randhawa, winner of the 1998 and 1999 Hero Honda Masters in Delhi. "I’ve come close a few times with some seconds and thirds outside India but I know what the secret is now. "I’ve got to bring my new wife to tournaments abroad! I’ve felt so at home with her around on the golf course and in the hotel this week, and emotionally, it’s helped a lot. I used to get homesick but if I miss her now, I’ll just look for her in the gallery and I’ll then get a smile," added a jubilant Randhawa, with new bride Tina by his side. Four birdies on the front nine and a brilliant three wood tee shot at the 294-yard par four 10th hole, which set up a 20-foot eagle putt, virtually sealed the tournament for Randhawa. After draining the eagle putt, his lead soared from four to six strokes over Johl. A lone bogey at the 14th did not matter as none of his rivals challenged him down the stretch. The 37-year-old Buhrmann was resigned to being second at the Singapore Open again after finishing runner-up in 1998 as well. But he paid tribute to Randhawa. "Mentally, he’s such a strong guy and I wasn’t up to the job. Scores: 268 — Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 72-64-65-67; 271 — Hendrik Buhrmann (Rsa) 66-66-70-69; 274 — Amandeep Johl (Ind) 68-68-69-69, Gerald Rosales (Phi) 69-71-62-72, Simon Dyson (Eng) 73-66-70-65, Charlie Wi (Kor) 69-68-67-70: 275 — Pablo Del Olmo (Mex) 70-68-69-68, Ted Purdy (USA) 67-68-68-72, Mardan Mamat (Sin) 67-69-70-69, Kang Wook-Soon (Kor) 69-70-70-66: 276 — Des Terblanche (Rsa) 71-69-68-68, Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) 67-72-71-66; 277 — Arjun Atwal (Ind) 68-70-68-71; 278 — Wayne Bradley (Rsa) 74-65-69-70, Mo Joong-Kyung (Kor) 71-67-70-70, Ahmad Bateman (USA) 68-67-71-72; 279 — Richard Kaplan (Rsa) 74-68-67-70, Yang Yong-Eun (Kor) 70-69-70-70; 280 — Simon Yates (Sco) 72-66-71-71, Marciano Pucay (Phi) 72-67-69-72, Danny Zarate (Phi) 69-69-66-76, Ross Bain (Sco) 68-70-70-72, Chung Joon (Kor) 71-72-69-68. |
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karachi
(Pakistan), Dec 10 (Reuters) — A gutsy stand spanning almost an hour and a half between England’s last wicket pair Ian Salisbury and Darren Gough stole the initiative from Pakistan in the third and final Test today. Salisbury and Gough put on 39 to cut the deficit on first innings to just 17 runs and then England forced Pakistan further on to the back foot by reducing them to 24 for two in their second innings. Pakistan recovered to reach 71 for three, a lead of 88, by the close of the penultimate day. A third draw in the series is the most likely result. England had spent 179.1 overs compiling their 388 and it was not until the 138th over that opener Mike Atherton surrendered his wicket. scoreboard Pakistan (1st innings): 405 England (1st innings): Atherton c Moin b Razzaq 125 Trescothick c Imran b Waqar 13 Hussain c Inzamam b Afridi 51 Thorpe lbw b Waqar 18 Stewart c Youhana b Saqlain 29 Hick c Afridi b Waqar 12 White st Moin b Kaneria 35 Giles b Waqar 19 Salisbury not out 20 Caddick c Moin Khan b Kaneria 3 Gough c Youhana b Saqlain 18 Extras (b-12 lb-9 nb-24) 45 Total 388 Fall of wickets:
1-29, 2-163, 3-195, 4-256, 5-278, 6-309, 7-339, 8-345, 9-349. Bowling:
Waqar Younis 36-5-88-4, Abdur Razzaq 28-7-64-1 (nb-8), Shahid Afridi 16-3-34-1 (nb-1), Saqlain Mushtaq 52.1-17-101-2 (nb-15), Danish Kaneria 47-17-80-2 Pakistan (2nd innings): Anwar c Thorpe b Caddick 21 Imran c Stewart b Gough 4 Elahi not out 14 Inzamam b Giles 27 Saqlain not out 0 Extras (lb-2 nb-3) 5 Total (for three wickets) 71 Fall of wickets:
1-24 2-26 3-71 Bowling (to date): Gough 7-2-17-1 (nb-2), Caddick 8-1-27-1 (nb-1), Giles 6-2-13-1, Salisbury 3-0-12-0, White 1.3-1-0-0. |
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Tiger Woods, Duval forge ahead BUENOS AIRES, Dec 10 (AFP) — Tiger Woods and David Duval moved into top gear in the World Cup firing a four-ball 12-under-par 60 to give the USA a three-stroke lead heading into the final day’s foursomes. It was a majestic performance from the defending champions and hot favourites with Woods playing his best golf of the week for an eagle and five birdies. Duval, his putting stroke as sure as ever, chimed in with five birdies. They never even hinted at a bogey in the birdie-rich, better-ball format custom-made for attacking golf. The Americans had started the day two behind joint first and second round leaders New Zealand and Argentina, but Woods eagle at the 14th hole with a driver and an eight-iron to 12 feet put them ahead for the first time in the competition. They finished the day three clear of Argentina and New Zealand who shot matching 65s, their third day of identical scores. With the Australian duo of Lucas Parsons and Peter O’Malley all but dropping out of contention at 19-year-par, it was down to these three teams for the World Cup title. “It was a pretty good day out there today and I was hitting the ball crisply and solid which you needed to do in the windy conditions,” said Woods. “More than anything we really hubby-wifed it. When one person was in trouble the other would bail him out and we did it all day long,” he added. On a course when water comes into play on 12 of the holes, one of Woods’ shots ended up in a watery grave and two of Duval’s did likewise. But on each occasion the second US player either saved par or made birdie. Woods is defending the title he won for the first time last year with Mark O’Meara in Malaysia. It is his last tournament in what has become one of the great year’s in golfing history. The Kiwis and the Argentinians were in the last grouping for the second day in succession with Nobilo and Turner getting on top early with three birdies in the first four holes to none for the
Argentinians. |
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Hamirpur college win
overall trophy HAMIRPUR, Dec 10 — Four new meet records were created in the 26th HP University Inter-College Athletic Championship that concluded here today. Aman Saini, a junior international athlete, created new meet records in 1500 m and 5000 m race. A new record was established in 4x100 m relay race for women by Dharamshala team while 4x400 m relay race also saw new record by the Dharamshala college team. Government Post Graduate College, Hamirpur, won the overall trophy in the men’s section and Government Post Graduate College, Dharamshala, in the women’s section. Hamirpur team won this trophy for the second time in succession. Poonam of Government College, Dharamshala, was adjudged the best athlete among girls, whereas Anil Sharma of Hamirpur College and Aman Saini of Bilaspur College jointly shared this honour in men’s section. A special prize of Rs 1000 was also given to Anil Sharma of Hamirpur team on behalf of the Hamirpur College Parent Teachers Association. Kripal Parmar, Rajya Sabha member, gave away prizes and trophies to the winners and runners-up. He announced that adequate funds would also be provided for the construction of the stage of the college in front of the college campus. He exhorted athletes to do hard work and bring laurel to the state at the national and international level. Dr Narendra Awasthi, Principal of the college, welcomed the chief guest and other participants.
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Spain take 2-1 lead with double success barcelona, Dec 10 (afp) — Alex Corretja and Juan Balcells moved Spain to the brink of their maiden Davis Cup success here by beating Australian pair Mark Woodforde and Sandon Stolle in straight sets to give their team a 2-1 lead in the final. Corretja had won Olympic bronze alongside Albert Costa in Sydney but here Balcells got the nod as he had throughout the competition and he played his heart out as the host pairing ousted Woodforde and Stolle in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in 2 hr, 20min. The result means defending champions Australia now have to win both reverse singles today if they are to capture their 28th title. But yesterday’s encounter was marred by a row about the over-enthusiastic Spanish crowd, who booed the Aussies at every turn. That, and the result, made it a sad exit for Woodforde, retiring at 35. “I thought the crowd were pretty disgraceful — I felt like a caged animal out there,” said Woodforde. The row spoilt a colourful occasion as some of the Spanish supporters turned up dressed as helmeted legionnaires while the 1,500 or so Aussie fans waved a forest of model kangaroos every time their men won a point. Spain now can rest up overnight ahead of the final day secure in the knowledge that the team winning the doubles rubber has gone on to lift the ‘salad bowl’ trophy every year since the inception of the world group in 1981. After winning the toss and electing to receive, the Spaniards broke the Solle serve with a brilliant Corretja backhand return down the line and that was enough for a set lead as they finally converted a fifth set point. The match really began to catch fire in the second set as Spain squandered five break points on the Woodforde serve in the fifth game. Aussie coach John Newcombe then broke into a grin as Corretja dropped serve to love to put the visitors 4-2 ahead. But two Woodforde errors ensured a breakback on the Stolle serve and Stolle then fired long as Woodforde conceded his own service to put the Spanish 5-4 up. Corretja, roared on by cries of “Alex, Alex”, then saw his partner put away an overhead volley despite falling backwards to send his team two sets clear. In the seventh game of third set the Spaniards broke Woodforde again as the Aussie netted but a Stolle volley at the net produced the immediate rebreak for 4-4. However, Balcells engineered a break for 5-4 and the cries of “campeones” (champions) rippled once again around the packed arena. Appropriately, it was Balcells who again brought his serve through when Stolle netted a forehand to concede the match. The tie had been finely poised after the opening day, with Hewitt edging Costa in five sets before Rafter was forced to concede his match against Ferrero as the Aussie was suffering from severe cramp in the fourth set. But the pendulum swung in Spain’s favour as they moved within a single point of an eagerly-anticipated victory. Home skipper Javier Duarte was jubilant — and dismissed the crowd issue as whining. “We have a good relationship with the Australian team,” he insisted. “It’s part of the captain’s role to fire up the public. “First the Australians brought up the issue of the balls — (the Australians thought at first a different ball to the one used in training was to be used in the final); then it was the surface; the next day the crowd. “If we go to Australia we won’t ask them to cut their grass,” said Duarte in allusion to the 1965 and 1967 finals Spain lost Down Under on Aussie grasscourts. Corretja, surprisingly left off the roster for the opening day singles, voiced similar sentiment. “The crowd was behaving well - with the exception of three occasions maybe in the first set,” he said. “They were enjoying a tennis match and that’s all.” Duarte refused to give anything away when asked if Corretja now might play the final day rather than either Juan Carlos Ferrero, scheduled to face Lleyton Hewitt, or Albert Costa, scheduled to take on Pat Rafter. “We’ve got three players who can play. We’ll talk it over,” he said. Corretja said the tie’s outcome was still nowhere near decided. “It’s still in the balance — it’ll be a long day tomorrow.” Balcells, the hero of the hour, was a little
restrained. “We’re about to make a dream come true. It’s a very
important win and puts us in the driving seat,” he said. |
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Enlarged field sought for World Cup KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 (UNI) — Hosts Malaysia has indicated its liking to have 2 x 8 format involving an enlarged field of 16 nations for World Cup 2002 while the world body (FIH) will like it have on 4 x 4 basis. The Malaysia Hockey Federation (MHF) has sought a 16-day tournament duration, even if the 4 x 4 format is adopted. The 2002 tourney, if played on the sanctioned dates (first week of March), will be held on hot and humid conditions here. As per the tentative schedule eight matches will be played daily at two stadiums, with the first afternoon match beginning 3.30 pm and another at 4 pm under the sun. The morning matches that begin at 8 am will also be played under hot conditions. According to MHF sources, if the tournament is held over 16 days, teams will have longer breathers in between matches. The MHF is of the view that if the 4 x 4 system is adopted, the World Cup will be held from March 4-16 with all teams playing seven matches each overall. The sources are of the view that the 2 x 8 format will see the tournament beginning a day earlier (March 3-16) with all teams playing a total of nine matches each. The hosts assert that the 2 x 8 format will help teams as they will get to play seven matches in the round robin and two more in the classification play-offs. Under the 4 x 4 teams play three matches in the preliminary stage and four more in the crossovers. The matter was discussed at a meeting between top ranking MHF officials and Mr Peter Cohen, the FIH liaison officer to the 10th men’s hockey World Cup here today. Also present at the meeting was Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar and OCM secretary Sieh Kok Chi. Cohen was appointed by the FIH to assist the MHF in organising the World Cup. The MHF officials said the FIH would monitor the 4 x4 format to gauge its suitability as opposed to the 2 x 8 system during two tournaments next year. They are the World Cup qualifier in Edinburgh where 16 teams will vie for seven places in Kuala Lumpur and the men’s junior World Cup in Hobart. There is a feeling among some game lovers and administrators that the FIH should not be too hasty in implementing the 4 x 4 format for the World Cup without assessing the financial implications and interest possibly waning mid-way through the tournament. They say the qualifier in Edinburgh and the junior men’s World Cup would not give a true picture of the overall situation, especially since there is a huge disparity in spectator and sponsor interest in both the countries and Malaysia. So far, nine teams have already qualified for World Cup 2002. They are: hosts Malaysia, holders Netherlands, European winners Germany, Asia Cup title holders South Korea, African champions, South Africa, America winners Cuba, Australia, Pakistan and England as they finished third, fourth and sixth, respectively, at the Sydney Olympics. |
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IT authorities set
to submit reports on 6 cricketers NEW DELHI, Dec 10 (PTI) — Close on the heels of cricket board’s action against the “tainted” players, Income Tax authorities are all set to submit their appraisal reports on six cricketers this week. Meanwhile, cbi said it “would not act in haste” to prosecute two of the five players named in its report under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Highly-placed it sources today told pti that appraisal report on Kapil Dev, Ajay Sharma, Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar and Nikhil Chopra would be completed this week after which these players would have to submit their block returns to the taxmen for the period of 1990-2000. The appraisal report of Navjot Singh Sidhu would also be completed by this week at the Ludhiana Directorate and he would be also issued notice for submission of the block returns, the sources said, adding the report on each cricketer is voluminous running into 80 to 90 pages. The Income Tax authorities had centralised the cases for players in Delhi and one Income Tax Commissioner would be assisted by two assessing officers for speedy disposal of the cases, the sources said, adding appraisal report of bookies would be completed by next week. Raids were carried on the premises by taxmen on July 20. The cbi, meanwhile, said it would not act in haste in prosecuting the two cricketers — Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma — under the Prevention of Corrpution Act. Cbi sources said they would wait for the final report of the Income Tax authorities before initiating any action on the two cricketers, who are public servants. |
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Madhavan to
quiz Wadekar, Kapil & Chopra CHENNAI, Dec 10 (PTI) — BCCI Anti-Corruption
Commissioner K. Madhavan today said he would examine former Indian cricket team coaches Ajit Wadekar and Kapil Dev and off-spinner Nikhil Chopra in the match-fixing and betting allegations. Madhavan, who is here to hold discussions with International Cricket Council investigation team led by Sir Paul Condon tomorrow, told mediapersons that “I will submit my observations on Chopra to the BCCI within three days.” He said though Wadekar, Kapil Dev and Chopra had been cleared by the CBI, BCCI (after its November 29 special general body meeting in Calcutta) had advised him to examine them for any further information on match-fixing allegations. On punishments meted out to Mohd Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma (life ban) and Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar (five-year ban), he said “I was assigned to examine them and found them guilty. I have nothing to say on punishments”. On the players seeking legal redress, Madhavan said “it is left to them”. |
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