Tuesday, January 2, 2001, Chandigarh, India |
Aussies look for clean sweep Cricket Round-up-2000 |
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| Gibbs recalled for 2nd Test
Absence of stars puzzles Gambill |
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Millennium Super Soccer Cup Fazal goes down tamely Hoogenband stole Thorpe’s thunder East Bengal edge out Mahindras Haryana XI beat SAIL eves Zaheer Khan, Kotak in West Zone squad Pak reserve keeper for NZ tour NCA meeting today
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SYDNEY, Jan 1 (Reuters) — With a 4-0 lead and the Frank Worrell Trophy safely in their keeping, Australia’s all-conquering cricketers are confident of completing a historic clean sweep in the fifth and final Test against the West Indies starting in Sydney tomorrow. Only seven sides in 124 years of Test cricket have managed to win every match of a five game series but Steve Waugh’s team expects to join that elite club by the end of the week. Waugh’s men have crushed the hapless tourists in each of the four previous Tests and set a world record sequence of 14 consecutive Test wins and the captain said he expects to make it 15 with victory in Sydney. "I expect we’ll win this Test match," Waugh said. "The West Indies are really struggling. "Things have been going our way, we’re playing well and we’re very confident." After four heavy losses, West Indian captain Jimmy Adams is hoping, rather than expecting, that his team will rediscover their form. "We need to pull up our socks and start playing some decent cricket," Adams said. "It’s been a tough last month but we’re international cricketers and this is what we live for." With the series decided, both teams are already looking ahead to their next challenges even though there is a month-long triangular one-day tournament including Zimbabwe to come. Despite all their recent success, the Australians have not won a series in India for 30 years and Waugh said he is already eyeing off their upcoming tour of the subcontinent as the team’s final frontier. To help prepare for that series, Australia’s selectors have opted to use two slow bowlers on Sydney’s spin-friendly wicket by recalling leg-spinner Stuart MacGill for Andrew Bichel even though the paceman took career-best figures of 5-60 in last week’s crushing fourth Test victory in Melbourne. "It doesn’t matter what 11 (players) we put out there on the park, we’ve shown that in the last couple of Tests when we’ve had injuries and changes in personnel and we’ve still played really well," Waugh said. "We’ve got an excellent bowling attack and we’ve got to play to the conditions. "If it’s going to turn then two spinners will suit our attack for this match and obviously it might help us looking down the track to the Indian tour." Despite winning the first two Tests by an innings inside three days and taking the fourth Test by a massive 325 runs, Waugh said his team still had room for improvement. Three times this series, Australia have captured the first five West Indian batsmen before the total had reached 30 only to let them recover and make it past 100. "We’ve let them get off the hook with a few runs at the end...so that’s one area we might improve," Waugh said. "If we want to be totally professional and totally ruthless we probably should have wiped them out for 50 or 60." With just one victory from their last 17 Tests away from home, it’s not surprising that the West Indies are also eagerly looking ahead to their next series when they host South Africa in the Caribbean. "We still have five weeks of pretty intense cricket. We have a Test match we desperately want to win then a month of tough one-day games first," Adams said. Waugh deplores “negative” tactics SYDNEY, Jan 1 (Reuters) — Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has attacked the way other international teams play, saying they regularly employ “negative” tactics that prevent them from winning more often. Waugh cited the recent drawn matches between South Africa and Sri Lanka and New Zealand against Zimbabwe as cases where teams played to avoid defeat rather than pursuing victory. “I think a lot of sides don’t play to their ability because they’re not really letting themselves go,’’ Waugh said. “Every time we go to play a Test match we try and encourage the other side to play positively and play for the win and get a result. That’s the idea of the game. “Besides us, I don’t know any other side that looks like they’re going to win...Or prepares to win from ball one.’’ Waugh said Australia’s positive approach to the game was the key to their unbroken world record sequence of 14 consecutive Test wins. |
Cricket Round-up-2000 THE new millennium year began with India trying to save some face having already lost the Test series to Australia. The final Test was at Sydney which has been a good ground for the Indians in the past and it was hoped that they would be able to pull off a win and make the series scoreline look a little more respectable. Instead they lost in a manner that suggested that there was little spine in their cricket. This was reinforced by the way they played the one-day games where they hardly looked like winning a game. Still when the team returned to India it was hoped that they would continue to win at home as they had done in the past and give some cheer to their supporters. But the unthinkable happened and South Africa won both the Tests quite comfortably. A change in captaincy brought about a change in fortunes as India chased a target of over 300 and won the first one-day game against the Proteas and went on to win the one-day series as well. There was promise after a good start in Sharjah but that was belied in the later matches. Then the storm broke as the Delhi police uncovered the deeds of Hansie Cronje and that was followed by the government ordering a CBI inquiry into the match-fixing saga, which continues even as this is being written. Cricket, however, has lost and the perception of the average follower has changed. He now looks at every match with suspicion, every bad shot, every bad ball, every misfield or dropped catch or for that matter a bad umpiring decision is looked at with the match-fixing episode at the back of the mind. Even the glorious uncertainty of the game has become suspicious, which is a real pity. The Indians had little cricket between Sharjah and the new season which began with the ICC Knockout in Kenya. The first signs of some resurgence were seen here as the team reached the final against all expectations. Then against all expectations they lost the final to a determined New Zealand side but in the wake of the match-fixing scenario that did not go down well with some followers. The fiasco of a final in Sharjah that followed Kenya sent the spirits down in the dumps again as the Indians were bundled out for a paltry 54. It seemed as if all the good work of Kenya had come to nought. Fortunately the next opponents were Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Bengladesh were playing their first Test match and though they lost they showed up the Indian attack in the first innings to post 400 runs and only a casual attitude in the second innings cost them the match. Zimbabwe were the next to suffer as the Indian batsmen made merry against a mediocre attack and poor captaincy by Streak. Credit though has to be given to the Indian captain Ganguly for his bold declaration that put pressure on Zimbabwe’s batsmen and resulted in an unlikely victory. Though Zimbabwe batted with spirit in the second Test to ensure a draw it was obvious by this time that they had one of the friendliest attacks in the world. The one-day series was also won with a great deal of ease where again some individual batting bests were recorded which was the sensible thing to do. After all in cricket you have to score for the rainy day which may come up against tougher opponents where it may be difficult to get a run, so why not score when the opportunity presents itself. So if the year started with defeat after defeat it ended with victory after victory. The Indians proved that they are tough at home but crack overseas. It was a bad year overall not just on the field but off the field too. Indian cricket not only lost some players but a great deal of its credibility and it will take a huge effort from everybody, players, officials to get it back on keel again. — PMG |
Seles, Gambill give USA 3-0 victory PERTH, Jan 1 (AFP) — World number four Monica Seles and fast-improving Jan-Michael Gambill gave the USA a great start to the New Year when they beat the Slovak Republic on the third day of the million dollar Hopman Cup mixed teams tennis tournament at Burswood Dome here today. Seles, though below her sizzling best, wore down a game Karina Habsudova to win the women’s singles and give the USA a flying start before Jan-Michael Gambill overcame Dominik Hrbaty in the men’s singles to give his country an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the tie. The Americans made it a clean sweep when they also won the mixed doubles. Seles won in three sets, 6-3 3-6 6-1 in 80 minutes. Gambill won 6-3 3-6 6-4 in a slogging 104 minutes. In the mixed doubles, Seles and Gambill had to work hard before winning 4-6 6-2 7-6 (7/4). Seles, 27, admitted that she could not find her best touch in the New Year’s Day tie. “I was not really pleased with my singles form,” she said. “It was a very slow — really sluggish — start. I just could not find my rhythm. It was as if it took me a while to wake up. “But at least I was able to put it together in the third set. “Coming indoors from outdoors, where I have been practising - sometimes in a high wind — made it a bit difficult, too. “Added to that, Karina gives me trouble because she likes a bit of pace.” Gambill had his difficlties against the tenacious Hrbaty, ranked 17th in the world — compared with the American’s 33rd ranking — and saved some of his best tennis for the final game of the third set, in which he recovered in spectacular fashion to win after trailing 0-40. “That does not happen very often,” Gambill said. “I served pretty well and was able to pull it out. It was a good start for me.” The third-seeded Americans now have their eyes on Wednesday’s tie against the second-seeded Russians, represented by men’s world number two Marat Safin and 21st-ranked Elena Likhovtseva. The Russians were scheduled to have their opening tie tonight against Belgium’s Olivier Rochus and Kim Clijsters. The USA have won the Hopman Cup once — four years ago when Justin Gimelstob and Chanda Rubin guided them to victory in the final over South Africa’s Wayne Ferreira and Amanda Coetzer, the current holders of the Hopman Cup. |
Absence of stars puzzles Gambill PERTH, Jan 1 (AFP) — Budding USA tennis star Jan-Michael Gambill declared here Monday he was puzzled why some American superstars did not play in the Davis Cup competition. “To tell you the truth, I can’t understand it, but I am not in Andre (Agassi) or Pete’s (Sampras) place — they are at a different level,” said Gambill, competing with Monica Seles in the Hopman Cup mixed teams event here. “They are the superstars of the world and they have played tennis a long time — and quite a bit of Davis Cup for their country. “I think that what they have brought to the game, what they have done for tennis, is incredible. I cannot possibly judge them. “For me, it is a big deal and I think it always will be, but things change and you never know. Unfortunately, they don’t want to play. It would be good if they did because we would be a very strong force and I think we still can be.” Gambill and Seles both deplored the poor crowd support for the Davis Cup and Fed Cup in the USA. “Two years ago at Stanford we got a really weak crowd,” (for the Fed Cup) Seles said. “It does not help that we keep changing the format. “From a player’s point of view, I do not even know what next year’s format is. We had one format, then we changed it last year, and then here is a new format again. There is no continuity.” Gambill said that in some countries the Davis Cup was one of the biggest events. “In Australia, you guys are hugely behind the team, and in Spain there was like a whirlwind of people watching us, 13,000 people really out there just to kill us — and it helped the team,” he said. “When I played in the States — in Milwaukee — there was a really weak crowd the whole time. It is very disappointing. “What it should feel like — the Davis Cup — is a fifth Grand Slam. That is the kind of support you want to get. “It is disheartening to say the least. Unlike Monica, I think we need to re-format somewhat. People have said we need to go for two years, like with the Ryder Cup in golf. | |
Millennium Super Soccer Cup NEW DELHI, Jan 1 — Chile will meet Bahrain in the opening match of the Millennium Super Soccer Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta on January 10 at 2.45 pm followed by a match between Uzbekistan and Japan at 5 pm, both in group 4. On the same day at Cochin in group 1, Yugoslavia will take on Iraq at 7 p. m. The group 1 (Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Iraq and Bangladesh) and 2 (Uruguay, Iceland, Indonesia and India) matches will be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Cochin, while group 3 (Rumania, Cameroon, Jordan and Hong Kong) matches will be played at the Nehru Stadium, Margao, Goa. Calcutta will host the group 4 (Chile, Uzbekistan, Japan and Bahrain) matches. India play their first match against Indonesia on January 11 at 7.30 pm, preceded by a match between Uruguay and Iceland at 5.30 pm. The campaign in Goa will begin on the same day with a match between Rumania and Jordan at 3.45 p. m. Following is the schedule of other matches: Jan 12: Bosnia vs Bangladesh (7.30 p.m.); Cameroon vs Hong Kong at 5.30 p. m.; Chile vs Japan at 3.30 p. m.; Jan 13: India vs Iceland at 3 p m; Uruguay vs Indonesia at 5 p m; Uzbekistan vs Bahrain at 7 p.m.; Jan 14: Yugoslavia vs Bangladesh (5.30 pm), Iraq vs Bosnia (7.30 pm); Rumania vs Hong Kong (3.30 pm). Jan 15: Iceland vs Indonesia (5.30 pm); India vs Uruguay (7.30 pm); Cameroon vs Jordan (5 pm), Chile vs Uzbekistan (3 pm); Jan 16: Iraq vs Bangladesh (5 pm), Yugoslavia vs Bosnia (7 pm); Jan 17: Cameroon vs Rumania (5 pm), Bahrain vs Japan (7 pm); Jan 18: Winners of 2 vs runners-up of 1 (7 pm); Jordan vs Hong Kong (5 pm); Bahrain vs Japan (7 pm). The last league matches in Goa and Calcutta will be played on Jan 20. |
Hoogenband stole Thorpe’s thunder PARIS, Jan 1 (AFP) — Dutch swimmers ruled the pool last year with Pieter van den Hoogenband the major revelation as he stole Australian golden boy Ian Thorpe’s thunder during the Sydney Olympics. Dutch team-mate Inge de Bruijn was the female star as she added three world records in Sydney to eight she bagged earlier in the year to complete an extraordinary sequence of performances in the increasingly hi-tech sport. A total of 15 world records were set or equalled in eight days of Olympic competition where the result was credited to everything from the so-called fast pool, ozone-filtered water and suits that mimic shark skin. But it was 22-year-old Van den Hoogenband, with his 100m and 200m freestyle golds, two world records and bronze in the relay and 50m, who crashed what had been billed as Thorpe’s pool party. Thorpe (18) may have recorded the highest men’s medal tally with three gold (400m freestyle, 100m and 200m freestyle relays) and two silver (200m freestyle and 100m medley relay), but Van den Hoogenband got the vote as the new king of sprint after proving Thorpe beatable in the 200m and defeating legendary Russian Alexander Popov in the 100m. “I did one step in swimming and Pieter did another one, so we’re moving forward,” said 28-year-old Popov, who failed in his bid to win the 50m and 100m freestlye in three consecutive Olympics when Americans Gary Hall Jr. and Anthony Ervin tied for 50m gold. It was a similar changing of the guard in women’s swimming, and De Bruijn, who had to fend off persisent innuendo that her late blossoming was drug-related, may find that at 27 years old her first Olympic gold medal haul is her last. De Bruijn simply said of her success: “People should know that I train like an animal. The progress is the result of a lot of factors and when you put them together, things happen.” Contemporaries Jenny Thompson of the USA, Australia’s Susie O’Neill and South Africa’s Penny Heyns all bid bittersweet farewells to the games in Sydney. Thompson won three relay golds to take her career total of Olympic titles to a stunning eight, but failed to capture the individual gold that has always eluded her. O’Neill won the 200m freestyle, but the Australian could only manage silver in her trademark event, the 200m butterfly. Heyns, winner of both the 100m and 200m breaststroke in Atlanta four years earlier, felt lucky to come away with a bronze in the 100m breaststroke. Dara Torres, meanwhile, who came out of a seven-year retirement, won two relay golds and three individual bronze medals at the age of 33. Rising stars in women’s swimming are 18-year-old Ukrainian Yana Klochkova, who completed a medley double, setting a world record in the 400m medley before adding silver in the 800m free, and 16-year-old Romanian Diana Mocanu, winner of both backstroke titles in Sydney. Klochkova also pocketed the largest sum of money ever won in world swimming, $ 91,500, after winning the 400m medley at the European short-course championships in Valenica, Spain in December. The Ukrainian picked up the prize after recording four 400m medley wins in four events — the 1999 and 2000 European short-course championships, the 2000 European long-course and the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, Dutch swimmers were not the only ones who had to fend off accusations of doping because of their successes this year. Massimiliano Rosolino, winner of Olympic 200m individual medley gold, 400m freestyle silver and 200m freestyle bronze, was alleged to be among five Italian Olympic medallists who failed Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) doping tests prior to the games. The 22-year-old Rosolino, who went on to win four gold medals at the European short-course championships, brushed aside the allegations, stating: “My only doping is with spaghetti and parmesan cheese.” While the unlikely star of world swimming this year turned out to be Equatorial Guinea’s “Eric the Eel” Moussambani, more for his lack of speed than his exploits in the super fast Olympic pool. Moussambani was a wildcard entry in the 100m freestyle, part of a programme of swimming’s governing body that encourages the sport in countries where it is not traditionally practiced. The 22-year-old, finished the race more than a minute outside the top preliminary time but won the hearts of people around the world. |
East Bengal edge out Mahindras MUMBAI, Jan 1 (PTI) — Kingfisher East Bengal edged out Mahindra United 2-1 and Zee Churchill Brothers scraped past Jagatjit Cotton and Textile Mills (JCT) by a solitary goal in the Rovers Cup Football Tournament at the Cooperage here today. Mahindra, desperately needing a win to remain in contention for the semifinal berth, played their hearts out but finally it was East Bengal who emerged the winners. East Bengal took the lead in 20th minute when Olim Talliaev headed the ball into the goal after Dipankar Roy missed it. Dipankar hit the ball directly into the hands of Mahindra goalkeeper S. Rajan, but Rajan could not collect it neatly and as a result the ball slipped from his hands. Talliaev, who was standing very near to the goal post, received the rebound and headed the ball into the net. Mahindras were stunned by the goal but equalised soon, in the 24th minute when Habib Adekunle netted the ball from a pass from Naushad Moosa. The equaliser put the much needed energy into the otherwise demoralised Mahindra bench. But their joy was shortlived when Suley Mussah scored a briliant goal from the corner in 30th minute. Olim Talliaev gave a fine pass to Mussah, who didn’t disappoint the fans and delicately pushed the ball from goalkeeper’s left into the net. Mahindra tried their best to level the score but all their efforts went in vain. The teams took break with East Bengal leading 2-1. The other match between Churchill and JCT was expected to be a tough one but turned out to be otherwise. Goa team, with their morale high after the big win over Mahindras, looked a bit confused side today and lacked coordination and also missed easy chances. It was in the 24th minute when Farooq Haider lobbed the ball into the penalty area to Francis Silveira who missed the header. But Edson Jaden, who was standing next to Silveira, put the ball into the net to put Churchill ahead. | |
Haryana XI beat SAIL eves JALANDHAR, Jan 1 — Former champion in the women’s section Haryana-XI began their campaign in style by defeating SAIL 1-0 on the fifth day of the 17th Indian Oil Surjit Memorial Hockey Tournament here today at Ashwani Stadium BSF Complex. In the men’s section SAIL defeated IAF 6-3 in a battle of strokes. SAIL girls, who had earlier stunned Pepsu, failed to impress where as Haryana-XI displayed a good combination of defence and attacking game. Haryana team got the lead in the fifth minute of the play. The lead came through Davinder Kaur, who sounded the board with her angular hit (1-0). They missed three penalty corners in the 14th, 18th and the 24th minutes, respectively. On the other hand, SAIL, who were looking for an equaliser, missed two penalty corners in the 16th and the 28th minutes in the first half. After the breather, Haryana girls seemed more determined but they failed to convert penalty corners in the 58th, 63rd, 64th, 66th and 68th minutes. In the women’s sections league system will be applied. Out of four teams, Haryana-XI, SAIL, and Pepsu-XI have already register a victory each while RCF yet wait for a victory. SAIL and IAF match was full of action with the two teams sharing the honours at the end of regulation period (2-2). IAF launched several raids in the first half and their efforts bore fruits in the 19th and 24th minutes of the game. For IAF Balbir Singh scored the first goal while Satbir Singh added another goal for their side. Till halt time the score was 2-0 in favour in IAF. However, as soon as the game resumed after half time, SAIL team, in the 36th minute, scored their first goal through by Samsher Singh. Eventually it was Satwinder Singh who brought SAIL on even terms with rivals with his angular hit. With the draw, the tie-breaker was applied in which Gurinder Singh, Sunil Kiro, Mahabir Singh and Harman Preet Singh successfully converted their strokes while for IAF Balbir Singh was on target. With today’s victory SAIL entered in the quarterfinals. |
Zaheer Khan, Kotak in West Zone squad MUMBAI, Jan 1 (PTI) — India's new fast bowler Zaheer Khan of Baroda and middle order batsman Sitanshu Kotak of Saurashtra will replace injured Rakesh Patel of Baroda and southpaw Vinod Kambli of Mumbai, respectively, in the West Zone Duleep Trophy squad for the first two matches. Mumbai Cricket Association Secretary Prof Ratnakar Shetty told PTI here today that the West Zone selectors summoned Khan and Kotak to join the team for the first two matches against Central Zone at Nagpur (January 4 to 7) and against North Zone at Mohali (January 11 to 14). “The selectors will also meet here on January 15 to pick the team for the next two Duleep Trophy ties to be played against South Zone at Surat (January 18 to 21) and against East Zone in Mumbai (February 1 to 4),” he added. |
Pak reserve keeper for NZ tour KARACHI, Jan 1 (ANI) — Pakistan cricket national selection committee headed by Wasim Bari has decided to send two wicket keepers with the Pakistan squad for the two-month tour of New Zealand starting in February. The decision was taken in principle since the selectors are not happy with the present form of wicket keeper captain Moin Khan. “The News” reported on Sunday that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), of which Bari is a part, felt that Waqar Younis would be a better choice to lead the Pakistani squad after the home series loss to England. The board felt that it would be better to relieve Moin of the responsibility of leading the team since he was feeling the “pressures” of captaincy and his own form as keeper and batsman had “suffered drastically”. Bari and others pushed for Waqar Younis to be appointed captain pointing out that he had led the side with responsibility and flair in the triangular tournament held in Singapore last August when Moin, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq and Inzamam-ul-Haq were all not available for selection. However, PCB chief Lt. General Tauqir Zia and Pakistan coach Javed Miandad, who is also a member of the Advisory council, rejected the idea while highlighting his form and performance throughout the year in Sharjah, West Indies, Asia Cup in Dhaka, Sri Lanka and Nairobi. They insisted that though he had not had a very successful time as captain and keeper in the home series against England, he was a good investment for the future and the next World Cup in the year 2003 in South Africa. However, due to the opposition against retaining Moin as captain, it was agreed at the meeting that it would be better if the selectors sent two wicket keepers to New Zealand in order to make-up for any more poor performances from Moin behind the stumps. Pakistan does not have a consistent selection policy on sending two keepers on tours abroad even involving Test matches. For example in October-November 1999 though Pakistan went on a long tour of Australia, Moin was the only specialist keeper in the side while batsman Muhammad Wasim was selected as the back-up keeper. It is learnt that the advisory council agreed that since the New Zealand tour was a long one, involving a triangular series, three Tests and number of side games, there should be a reserve keeper in the touring side. Rashid Latif and youngsters Atiq and Humayyun Farhat would be considered for the reserve spot. |
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