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| Tuesday, February 27, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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India may go for pace attack CAPTAIN’S COMMENTS Sir
Don Bradman is no more Production of Wisden halts |
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What they said about Don ‘Bradman owed
me a drink’ Sri Lanka beat England Bela Singh steals the show Liberal grants
for Punjab sports clubs Germany beat India 1-0 Mumbai, Chennai zones score wins Bholu,
Virender share title
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India may go for pace attack Mumbai, February 26 Belying speculations that India would opt for a spinner-friendly wicket to ‘tackle’ the Australians on the sub-continent, coach John Wright indicated today after the team had net practice that he might go in for pace attack. Pacemen Javagal Srinath, Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan are likely to find place in the playing eleven when India lock horns with the Australia at Wankhede Stadium. With a lot of grass on the pitch till this afternoon the Indian think-tank are likely to be tempted to go in with just two spinners — leg spinner Narendra Hirwani and off spinner Harbhajan Singh. Skipper Sourav Ganguly, however, said the final eleven would be announced only tomorrow morning. “I am satisfied with the pitch and it looks good. I think you can get a lot of runs on it, if you can stay at the wicket. I am pleased with whatever wicket they have given us”, he added a little reluctantly. After facing a scare of being injured ahead of the Test, top order batsman Mark Waugh looks recovered and his twin brother and captain Steve Waugh said “Mark is fit and will play tomorrow.” “I am surprised to see so much of grass on the wicket,” a bewildered Waugh said. “Mark did not feel any discomfort while batting in the nets and will surely play tomorrow. However, he may not field in the slips as we have many specialist fielders for that position and it will not make much of a difference to stand in the slips as all of them are good,” Steve Waugh said. Australia too will announce the playing eleven tomorrow but are more likely to depend on their pace battery rather than on their two spinners — leg spinner Shane Warne and off spinner Collin Miller. Ganguly said he was waiting for all the five selectors to assemble here before finalising the eleven names. The Indian combination could be three pacemen, two spinners, a wicket keeper-batsman (Nayan Mongia) and five specialist batsman in Shiv Sunder Das, Sadagopan Ramesh, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly himself. Wright said, “the boys had learned a lot and are raring to go. It was good to be together and we are looking for the series to start though it is difficult to predict the outcome of the series”. “I can assure you that we will play hard cricket and give the Indian supporters their money’s worth. There is a bit of grass on the wicket but overall I think it is good wicket to bat on,” Wright said. Ganguly was reluctant to comment on whether Ranji Trophy winners’ Mumbai’s performance against Australia had boosted India’s morale, saying “Test cricket is a different ball game. Though Mumbai played well, it was just a first class game. It will not have much bearing on the Test matches”. The teams (from): Australia: Steve Waugh (capt), Adam Gilchrist (wk), Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Slater, Damien Fleming, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, Michael Kasprowicz, Justin Langer, Damien Martyn, Glenn Mcgrath, Shane Warne and Collin Miller. Umpires: David Shephered of England and S. Venkatraghavan of India. Third umpire: Narendra Menon.
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CAPTAIN’S COMMENTS The first Test match starts tomorrow at the Wankhede Stadium. It is a series about which so much has been said, and that is quite understandable. After all, the Aussies have won 15 Test matches in a row, and that is a remarkable achievement. On the eve of the match itself, one could feel the buzz in the stadium. You just had to be out there to realise that Test cricket will be on from tomorrow. The ground at the Wankhede is lush green and it looks like the groundsman has spent a lot of time over it. The wicket is hard and has a greenish touch, which is quite a departure from the wickets we normally get at home. However, it will start out as a good batting wicket, which might also assist the seamers. Traditionally, Wankhede wickets progressively deteriorate as the match progresses, making it spin-friendly. Therefore, it is imperative for us to bat well and put up a good total in the first innings. We are well-prepared for the series — the camp in Chennai and a four-day work-out in Mumbai have helped the boys to get into the groove. The entire team is raring to go and is eagerly waiting for the Test to start. We have a lot of respect for the Australian team. Their performance demands that. The Aussies have high-quality players in their team. Moreover, they have performed well all over the world, which is the true test of any team’s ability. However, I am sure we will give them a good fight and the forthcoming series will be a good challenge for them. I was very happy the way India ‘A’ and the Mumbai teams have played against Australia. The Indians have a very good side this time round. The batting looks absolutely formidable, and special mention must be made of the spinners who are looking determined and focused. I feel that with the absence of Anil (Kumble), they are really keen to make a mark. I am also happy with the pacemen, who are bowling very well. Srinath and Ajit (Agarkar) are looking in good rhythm, especially Agarkar, who is bowling as quick as anybody. He is a much-improved cricketer in the last six months, and exudes an air of confidence when he is on the ground. It is also good to have Nayan Mongia back in the side. It will definitely increase the depth in the batting.
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Sir Don Bradman is no more Sydney, February 26
Sir Bradman was born at Cootamundra in southern New South Wales on August 27, 1908, but grew up in the southern highlands town of Bowral, about 100 km south-west of Sydney.His wife, Jessie Menzies, whom he married in 1932, died in 1997. The couple had two children, John and Shirley, and Sir Bradman had three grand children — Greta, Tom and Nicholas. Mr John Bradman said in accordance with his father’s wishes, a private funeral service and cremation would be held in Adelaide over the next few days, followed several weeks later by a public memorial service, also in Adelaide. “The family asks that the privacy of the funeral be respected,” Mr John Bradman said. “The memorial service will be open to the public.” Sir Bradman said his father had also asked that instead of sending flowers, mourners should send donations to the Bradman Foundation in Bowral for a special Bradman Memorial Fund. In Canberra, Prime Minister John Howard said he visited Bradman a week ago in Adelaide. “It was always going to be a shock when Don Bradman died because he has really been the most dominant figure in Australian life now for decades,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio. “He was very ill, I saw him last Friday week. I paid a special visit to Adelaide to see him and I knew he was in very poor health.” Mr Howard said he had spoken to Mr John Bradman today morning to express sympathy on behalf of all of Australia. AP
Production of Wisden halts London, February 26 Sir Bradman, 92, was the only player to receive a vote from each of the 100 judges in Wisden’s “Five Cricketers of the Century’’ poll published in last year’s edition. He died in Adelaide yesterday. Wisden is due to go on sale in early April.
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Bradman: sports world’s true immortal Sydney, February 26 The most efficient run-gatherer the game has ever seen, Bradman was the country boy made good. Born at Cootamundra, New South Wales, on August 27, 1908, he spent most of his formative years close to Sydney in the rural town of Bowral, where a museum of cricket memorabilia now stands in his honour. As a boy he spent hours single-mindedly hitting a golf ball against a brick wall with a single stump for a bat. They were hours well spent, honing his reflexes for the years ahead when a willow bat would become a magic wand in his hands. Bradman burst onto the first-class cricket scene in Sydney in 1927 as a promising boy from the bush. Over the next 21 years he completely rewrote the record books, scoring a century on average every third time he went to the crease. He retired from Test cricket in 1948 with a record that is never likely to be challenged. In 52 Tests for Australia, Sir Donald amassed 6,996 runs at an average of 99.94 from 80 visits to the crease, with 10 double centuries and two triple centuries among his Test knocks. Only a handful of modern cricketers have made more runs — at about half Bradman’s average and from twice as many Tests. Had World War II not deprived him of his best years, he would doubtless have set yet more records. In all first-class cricket, Bradman scored 28,067 runs at 95.14, including a staggering 117 centuries, 31 double centuries, five triple centuries and one innings of 400-plus. Knighted after finally hanging up his bat in 1949, Sir Donald retained close contact with cricket for nearly four decades as an administrator, selector and trustee. Throughout this time, “The Don” as he was almost universally known, remained an intensely private man. He rarely gave interviews, burying himself instead in his various business interests and his other passion, golf. Bradman was like a breath of fresh air to Australians during the Depression years of the 1930s. The words “he’s in” were enough to prompt a rash of absenteeism as cricket-lovers downed tools to go and watch him bat. He rarely let them down, failing to score only 16 times in 338 first class innings, including his celebrated last Test duck in England when he needed only four runs for a lifetime Test average of 100. “Of course it was an emotional occasion,” Sir Donald recalled in a series of tapes he made to mark Australia’s bicentennial in 1988. “But to suggest I got out, as some people said, with tears in my eyes is to belittle the bowler (Eric Hollies) and it is quite untrue.” For all his batting prowess and popularity with the sporting public, Sir Donald was not always popular with his team-mates. “He never dallied in the dressing room after play to have a sing-song or a glass of beer with us,” recalled one of his contemporaries Jack Fingleton in his book “Batting from Memory.” “After play he would be dressed and away, the first out of the room to meet, as we thought, some business acquaintances.” Sir Donald did have a shrewd eye for finances, and at the end of his playing days stepped straight into a successful business career on the stock exchange and as a company director. Fingleton had no qualifications, however, about Bradman’s ability with the bat, describing him as “undisputably the greatest batsman in the history of cricket.” Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke described Sir Donald as undoubtedly the “greatest sporting figure to have emerged in this nation of great sportsmen and great sportswomen.” Sir Donald’s old adversaries, like England fast bowler Harold Larwood, were equally lavish with their praise. “They said I was a killer with the ball,” said Larwood, England’s main strike weapon during the controversial bodyline series in which his captain Douglas Jardine adopted dangerous bowling tactics aimed specifically at neutralising Bradman. “But Bradman with the bat was the greatest killer of all,” Larwood said. Everywhere Bradman went hordes followed him. People waited for hours at outback train stations just to catch a glimpse of him hurtling past. Even when he retired, the adulation and the aura remained, so much so that it proved too much for his barrister son, who changed his name by deed poll. More than 40 years after his retirement, Bradman would still receive up to a couple of dozen letters a day from his faithful fans, many from India where he never even played. Modest to a fault, he was once asked to comment on his cricketing career. “I suppose I have done a couple of respectable things in my life,” he said.
AFP Leading averages
Sydney, February 26
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Cricket world mourns icon’s death Sydney, February 26 ACB Chairman, Denis Rogers, said it was with great sadness that he learnt of the death of Sir Donald and that, despite his passing, his legacy to Australia and to cricket he would remain unsurpassed, an ACB statement said here. “To Sir Donald’s children John and Shirley, and his grandchildren, Greta, Tom and Nicholas, the Australian Cricket Board extends deepest sympathies on the death of their greatly loved father and grandfather.” JOHANNESBURG: Sir Donald Bradman’s status as the world’s greatest cricketer has never been queried, South Africa’s top-scoring batsman Graeme Pollock said today. “Bradman was unique,” Pollock, whose Test average was second only to the Australian’s, said: “He was the greatest batsman that’s ever played. People become sceptical whenever a sportsman is hailed as ‘the greatest’, but Sir Donald’s stature has never been doubted or queried,” Pollock told website CricketLine.com today. The United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) described Bradman as “the game’s greatest player and ambassador”. KARACHI: The cricket world has been orphaned by the death of Sir Donald Bradman, Pakistan cricket chief Tauqir Zia said today. “The cricket fraternity has become orphaned. Bradman was the father, inspiration and role model for all the cricketers. It is the saddest day for cricket,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zia said. Pakistan’s state-run television interrupted programmes to carry news of Sir Bradman’s death at the age of 92 yesterday and newspapers carried banner headlines about the Australian. Pakistan’s greatest batsman Hanif Mohammad said Bradman’s death had come at a bad time for cricket. Zaheer Abbas, who played in Australia for a number of years and toured with Pakistan team, said: “There are thousands of cricketers but Bradman will remain the greatest”.
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What they said about Don Sydney, February 26 “He is probably the most important Australian of all time.” Former Australian captain Richie Benaud. “I saw much better batsmen than I was. Lots of them...they just kept getting out.” — Bradman, during a rare television interview in 1996. “No other batsman, surely, has ever been able to score so fast while at the same time avoiding risk.’’ — R.C. Robertson-Glasgow in his oft-quoted 1949 tribute to Bradman in Wisden. “Poetry and murder lived in him together. He would slice the bowling to ribbons and dance without pity on the corpse.’’ — R.C. Robertson-Glasgow again. “Despite recent sad developments, cricket will survive and remain our most noble game and I shall always remain proud of the part I played in its history and development.’’ — Bradman on match-fixing, August 2000. “Nobody will ever emulate the feats of the Don again. He would have
been supreme in any era and had he played in the modern game, would no doubt have topped the lists of all batting achievements.’’ — Former England captain David Gower. “No one doubted his ability but playing under him was different to chaps like (Bill) Woodfull or (Vic) Richardson. One sensed (they were) playing for Australia; with Bradman it seemed like for his own personal glory. This, perhaps, was not altogether his fault but that is how the players felt.’’ — former Australian batsman Jack Fingleton. “He was the best.’’ — former English fast-bowling great Fred Trueman. “He was a genius. It is a massive blow to cricket.’’ — ex-Test umpire Dickie Bird. Reuters |
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‘Bradman owed
me a drink’ Sydney, February 26 Former team-mate Jack Fingleton, who died in 1981 at the age of 73, alleged in his autobiography ‘Batting from Memory’ that Bradman was tight-fisted because the batsman accepted a 1,000 pound gift from an industrialist for a record score at Headingley, Leeds, in 1934 and then did not buy his team-mates a drink. “Bradman never bothered to stand his team-mates a pint to acknowledge their part in aiding him or to toast his good fortune,” wrote Fingleton, “1,000 pounds was big money in those days.” Fingleton’s ill-feeling towards Bradman was further highlighted by letters released in 1994.
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Sri Lanka beat England Galle, Sri Lanka, February 26 The tourists, 217 behind after their first innings and resuming on 118 for two, lost by an innings and 28 runs as they collapsed to 189 all out. Their last seven wickets went down for 44 and their last five for 13. Sri Lanka had dominated the game after winning a vital toss on a pitch designed to turn from the first day and making an impressive 470 for five declared, with man-of-the-match Marvan Atapattu making 201 not out. A string of decisions, however, went against Nasser Hussain’s tourists throughout the game, with Michael Atherton and Craig White the main victims on the final day. The opener departed, caught behind in the second over, without adding to his overnight score of 44. Angling his bat, he edged to Kumar Sangakkara, the ball appearing to graze the ground as it disappeared into his gloves. Atherton batted for four-and-a-quarter hours and England had hoped that he would form the mainstay of their rearguard action. White, England’s last recognised batsman, was the eighth man to go, given out sweeping off the front foot against off-spinner Muralitharan. The full toss seemed to strike the all-rounder outside the off stump. Scoreboard Sri Lanka (Ist innings):
470-5 decl England (Ist innings): 253 England (2nd innings) (overnight 118-2): Atherton c Sangakkara b Vaas 44 Trescothick c Sangakkara b Jayasuriya 57 Hussain lbw b Muralitharan 1 Thorpe lbw b Dharmasena 12 Stewart not out 34 Hick c Jayawardene b Jayasuriya 6 White lbw b Muralitharan 3 Caddick b Jayasuriya 1 Giles lbw Muralitharan 1 Croft lbw b Jayasuriya 2 Gough b Muralitharan 0 Extras: (b-11 lb-6 nb-11) 28 Total: 189 Fall of wickets: 1-101, 2-105, 3-121, 4-145, 5-167, 6-176, 7-182, 8-183, 9-188. Bowling: Vaas 15-6-29-1, Fernando 4-0-10-0, Jayasuriya 32-13-44-4, Dharmasena 16-6-21-1, Muralitharan 42.3-14-66-4, Arnold 1-0-2-0.
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Bela Singh steals the show Kila Raipur, February 26 It was indeed a revelation, in fact a reality, to see thousands and thousands of spectators sitting patiently for hours on end without once causing disorder. It was a just tribute both to the discipline of the ruralites and the organisers who controlled every minute of the grand show with aplomb. Not once during the three-day meet did any curious spectator stray into the arena and not one behest over the public address system was disregarded. It was a forceful contrast to many high profile sports events held in urban towns. Amidst the roar of thousands of throats, the coveted crown came Bela Singh’s way when he won the bullock cart race, the ‘piece de resistance’ of the ‘rural Olympics’, in a tight finish when he just managed to relegate fancied Mohan Singh to the second spot. Competiting in the rural sports circuit, Bela Singh, for the better part of the year quietly performed in the shadows away from the glare of the spotlight. Today, the humble farmer from Dehlon basked in glory awash in twilight. Like natural-born show-stealers and blessed with all the right dramatic instincts, Bela Singh admirably goaded and guided his pair of bullocks to the finish line with the 35,000 crowd vociferously backing him. In fact, his feat coming in the face of adversity as one of the beasts got slightly injured just before the crucial final was to begin, greatly retrieved the final day’s fare which anyway was being pushed into the very pits of tedium as various endurance events already held over the last two days were being performed with monotonous regularity. The only jarring note struck was when owners of bullocks were seen unabashedly giving an assortment of intoxicants to the beasts and this despite repeated warnings from the organisers prohibiting them from doing so. Taking a break from tradition, which in any case is a rare phenomenon at the games, the organisers beautifully blended the modern with the ancient. To the surprise of the overflowing stadium, a paraglider after floating in the air for quite some time landed right where a kabaddi match was being played much to the delight of the spectators. In hockey, Sports School, Jalandhar, and Grewal Academy, Kila Raipur, were declared joint winners of the 100 tolas pure gold Bhagwant Memorial Gold Cup played at the Kila Raipur Senior Secondary School grounds — the alma mater of many hockey Olympians. The prizes were distributed by the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, who also doled out a Rs 5 lakh grant to the organisers of one of the worlds most famous rural sports meets. |
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Liberal grants
for Punjab sports clubs Kharar This was announced by Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Finance Minister, Punjab, while presiding over a rural sports tournament in nearby Saneta village yesterday. He said that the Punjab Government had instructed the Sports Department, Punjab, to formulate necessary rules and conditions for the same. He said that the motive of the government was to popularise sports in rural areas. He distributed prizes to winners and announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh for drains in the village, Rs 50,000 for a Harijan
dharamshala, Rs 25,000 for the Mahila Mandal and Rs 50,000 for the sports club of the village. |
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Germany beat India 1-0 Mumbai, February 26 The matches are being held as part of German festival in India and the remaining two fixtures will be played at Hyderabad (March 1) and Chennai (March 4). Both the teams applied defensive strategies and the ball kept rolling in the midfield. Indians could have taken an early lead when in the 20th minute Prabhjot Singh had a chance on receiving a cross pass from Bipin Fernandez. But Prabhjot hit the ball outside and missed the opportunity. Germans also had a chance in the 26th minute as Justus Scharuwsky hit a powerful shot from outside of the penalty area only to be saved brilliantly by Indian goalkeeper Jude Menezes. Opportunity again came for the home team in the 32nd minute. Young Tajbir Singh gave a brilliant cross pass to Prabhjot Singh and captain Baljit Singh Dhillon, who were well-placed in the penalty area but they both failed to collect the ball. The Germans had the easiest of chances in the 35th minute when they were awarded a penalty stroke following a mess in the Indian penalty area. Nicolas Emmerling took the stroke and suddenly changed the angle only to hit out. PTI |
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Mumbai, Chennai zones score wins Chandigarh, February 26 After winning the toss, Mumbai Zone decided to bat first and set a towering score of 261 runs in stipulated 35 overs with a brilliant knock of 76 by Rohit Rane in just 47 deliveries, which included 12 shots to the fence. He was declared man of the match. Sachin, Jagtap and Sunit Pokle contributed 32 and 29 unbeaten runs, respectively. MP Singh took 2 for 18 runs, Ajay Sharma 2 for 37 and Ujjal Chatterjee 2 for 42. Chasing the North-East Zone were102 all out with Raja making 28, Manoj Arora 22 and Mayank Saxena scoring 21 runs for Mumbai Zone, S. Pokle claimed three wickets for 15 runs and K. Kotian took two wickets for nine runs. In the second match played at DAV College grounds, Chennai Zone thrashed South-Central Zone by eight wickets. |
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Bholu, Virender
share title New Delhi, February 26 The Rs 5,100 prize money bout between Sanjay of Badri Akhara and Devender of Captain Chandroop Akhara (Delhi) also ended in a tie, and the wrestlers were declared joint-winners. More than 100 wrestlers from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh participated in the tournament. Local MLA Moola Ram gave away the prizes. Results: Shakti Singh b Gian Singh, Paramjit b Channi Pandey, Pawan b Devender, Devender b Satish, Subhash b Somveer, Satbir b Vinod while Chandan and Bharat Singh were declared joint-winners. |
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Rural meet ends Fatehabad, February 26 |
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Sydney, February 26
