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| Wednesday,
April 25, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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BCCI asks govt to clear stand Walsh ends on winning
note Uncertainty over Pakistan squad Besides Lewis many took it on the chin GCA may be derecognised |
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India
overcome Luxembourg East Bengal on track
for title with win We will spare no effort :
Bhutia Complete betrayal by Milkha: Paramjit
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BCCI asks govt to clear stand New Delhi, April 24 The working committee authorised the BCCI President, Dr A.C. Muthiah, to constitute a committee under his chairmanship to take up the matter with the Sports Ministry, and other ministries to find out what exactly the government meant by “non-regular cricket venues”, and to get a policy decision so that the board could carry on with its international cricket commitments. “We want clear cut policy guidelines (from the government)”, asserted the board chief. Dr Muthiah said till the government makes its stand clear, the board will not be fielding the Indian teams in the Asia Cup, the ICC Knock-out Tournament and the World Cup “as we don’t know whether we can play against Pakistan in these tournaments”. Dr Muthiah said the working committee also decided to leave the affiliation issue of Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Pondicherry and Uttaranchal to the general body meeting in
September, while a BCCI team would visit Jharkhand before recommending its case to the general body for affiliation. Dr Muthiah said another decision taken at today’s meeting was to give the go ahead for the five zonal academies to start functioning from May 1, while the National Academy based in Bangalore has completed one year of its existence. He said the board would give guidelines to those associations who wanted to start cricket academies for under-14 and under-16 though no subsidy would be given by the Board “for the time being”. Dr Muthiah said the board would be filing an appeal against the Rs 10 crore fine slapped on it by the Income Tax Department for the assessment year 1997-98 as “we have utilised our funds only for the development of cricket”. He refuted the allegations made by the Goa Cricket Association (GCA) that additional tickets were printed for the board’s requirement in the last one-day match between India and Australia at the Nehru Stadium in Margao. “We are issuing a show-cause notice to GCA to give us their reply”. He said the match observer’s report contained nothing about the ticket scam as he was not “aware of what was happening outside the stadium”. (The GCA had sold (duplicate) tickets excess of the capacity of the stadium, and as a result, thousands of genuine ticket holders could not gain entry into the stadium). “As a responsible regulator, we want to take some action (against the GCA)”, Dr Muthiah said. BCCI inquiry commissioner K. Madhavan, who had been rushed to Goa to probe the matter, has submitted his report to the board. He said Mr Madhavan, who had also been appointed to further probe the role of Kapil Dev and Ajit Wadekar in the match-fixing scandal, would be submitting his report soon, as he wanted to talk to a few more players, who were busy in the series against Australia, before finalising his report. Dr Muthiah said the board has received four bidders for the sponsorship of the Indian teams as the BCCI contract with ITC will expire by April end. They are the Delhi-based 21st Century Media, reportedly backed by Pepsi, Mumbai-based Gayatri Arts, Hero Honda and Sports Frontiers. |
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Walsh ends on winning note Kingston, (Jamaica), April 24 Walsh captured three for 62 as the touring team were bowled out for 255 in pursuit of a victory target of 386 on the fifth and last day of the fifth and final Test yesterday. South Africa won the series — their first in the Caribbean — 2-1 after victories in the second and fourth Tests. World Test record wicket-taker Walsh added two more wickets on the final afternoon to take his career tally to 519 in front of his adoring home crowd at Sabina Park. The first West Indian Test victory in 14 attempts since they beat England at Edgbaston in June last year seemed anything but certain when they claimed only one wicket in the morning session as South Africa moved from 140 for three overnight to 209 for four at lunch. Neil Mckenzie (55) was brilliantly caught at silly point by Leon Garrick off leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine but Jacques Kallis was in belligerent mood, reaching 51 not out at the break in the company of the dangerous Lance Klusener, who was unbeaten on four. The match turned decisively the way of the home side in the first over after lunch, however, when Ramnarine struck twice to remove Kallis and Mark Boucher. That was the start of a dramatic collapse in which the South Africans lost their last six wickets for 46. Kallis attempted to pull a short ball through mid-wicket but dragged the ball onto his off stump, then Boucher received a superb leg-spinner that flicked the outside edge on its way to wicketkeeper Ridly Jacobs. Although Klusener remained in vigorous mood until the end, finishing 31 not out, West Indies captain Carl Hooper’s sense of occasion persuaded him to take the new ball and give it to Walsh to apply the coup de grace. He duly did. Walsh trapped Justin Kemp lbw first ball to complete a pair for the latest of South Africa’s all-rounders and then bowled Allan Donald, sending the crowd into a frenzy of excitement at the prospect of imminent victory. Mervyn Dillon removed last man Paul Adams thanks to his slog and a catch by Marlon Samuels at cover. However, the entire West Indian team turned and ran towards Walsh, who was swamped by a tidal wave of emotion and relief as West Indies regained some pride after losing the series before the fifth test had even begun. Attention now turns towards the seven-match one-day series which begins at Sabina Park on Saturday. First, though, the party to celebrate Jamaica’s favourite cricketing son will have to blow over, and that may take several days. scoreboard West Indies (1st innings): 225 South Africa 1st innings: 141 West Indies 2nd innings: 301 South Africa 2nd innings: Kirsten C Jacobs B Dillon 14 Gibbs b Hooper 51 Mckenzie c Garrick b Ramnarin 55 Cullinan lbw b Walsh 18 Kallis b Ramnarine 51 Klusener not out 1 Boucher c Jacobs b Ramnarin 0 Pollock c Jacobs b Dillon 3 Kemp lbw b Walsh 0 Donald b Walsh 10 Adams c Samuels b Dillon 4 Extras (b4, lb13, nb1) 18 Total (110 overs) 255 Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-102, 3-124, 4-190, 5-209, 6-209, 7-235, 8-236, 9-250. Bowling: Walsh 22-6-62-3, Cuffy 10-3-13-0, Dillon 19-3-59-3, Ramnarine 31-6-61-3, Hooper 28-8-43-1.
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Decision to retire final, says Walsh Kingston, (Jamaica), April 24 Walsh (38) who finished his Test career with a world record 519 wickets said after the final Test against South Africa that he would be prepared to play if there was “a real emergency — but I hope that won’t happen.” Hooper earlier said he had tried to persuade his champion fast bowler to stay on for forthcoming tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. “They are both short tours and I would like him to be part of them,” said Hooper. Walsh said he would consider Hooper’s request out of respect but said: “I’m very happy with my decision. I’m very happy with what I’ve achieved. What I will do now is take a long break and spend some time with my family.” Hooper and West Indian coach Roger Harper paid tribute to Walsh’s contribution. “His retirement is a big blow to us which is why I am trying to persuade him to go to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka,” said Hooper. “He has been a tremendous servant to West Indies cricket and he was always willing and able to make a contribution.” Harper said: “His retirement is a huge loss. He seemed to get better as he got older. He took 182 Test wickets in 39 Tests after the age of 35. He leaves a big gap but the other bowlers did well in this Test. “Mervyn Dillon has shown that he can take wickets and he has become more consistent, while Cameron Cuffy showed he could put pressure on batsmen.” Harper said it was an opportunity for other bowlers as “they can’t hide behind Courtney Walsh any more. It is up to them to step forward.” Walsh said he was glad to have finished his career as part of a winning team. “I was just going to enjoy every moment of the five days,” he said of plying in front of his home town crowd. “I have no regrets, no sadness.” Walsh paid tribute “to every other fast bowler I ever played with for the West Indies. I learnt something from every one of them.” He will also get more involved in a sports shop he owns in Kingston.
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Uncertainty over Pakistan squad Karachi, April 24 When contacted, Chief Selector Wasim Bari said the selectors had not yet submitted the list of the squad to the Board. “I don’t know when they plan to announce the squad to the press,” said Bari. However, sources say that he has already finalised and submitted the list to the board after indepth discussions with the people concerned in Sharjah last week and a decision has been taken on the touring line-up. Owing to the latest stand taken by the Board on fitness of players and its insistence that senior players like Wasim Akram, Moin Khan, Azhar Mehmood and Shoaib Akhtar appear before its medical panel for final scrutiny, there has been some speculation on the makeup of the touring squad, particularly on the selection and exclusion of some main players. PCB director Munawwar Rana when asked about rumours that some of the players might not be considered for the England tour, stated that the PCB was trying to establish a policy on fitness of players under which this decision had been taken. “Even if a player is fit, it does not guarantee automatic selection. It is intriguing that in recent days all of a sudden doubts are being raised over the selection of Moin Khan and Wasim Akram for the Test series. And after spending three years in the wilderness the name of Rashid Latif as a replacement for Moin is being bandied about, though he himself is not sure if he would be selected. Moin insists that he is fit and has played in the last three matches for PIA in the national one-day championship scoring a half century against NBP. Which in a way confirms his fitness. But the new stand of the Board and selectors is that fitness of a player cannot be judged in a one-day game. Meanwhile, Wasim Akram flew into Karachi on Monday in an apparent bid to stave off any plans to sideline him for the England tour. Though the official version was that he had come to Karachi to attend some urgent domestic matter, sources stated he had actually come to meet a high profile cricket personality, whose advice and suggestions have always been taken seriously by Tauqir Zia. Sources said Wasim had apparently got wind that he might be dropped for the England tour and had decided to meet the above personality to persuade him to prevail on the Chairman.
ANI Karachi, April 24 “Moin Khan has been dropped because he has not been consistent behind the wickets in the recent past,” Chairman of selectors Wasim Bari told Reuters. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director Munawwar Rana said the party of 16 players would be finalised within the next 48 hours. “The announcement has been delayed because the fitness report on some of the players is still awaited,” Rana said. The omission of wicketkeeper Moin, who skippered Pakistan on their recent tour of New Zealand, was the major surprise. Rashid Latif, another former captain, took his place. The 29-year-old Moin was replaced as captain earlier this month by Waqar Younis, with the PCB saying he had been advised to take a six-week rest because of a knee injury. Moin, who holds the world record for the highest number of dismissals in one-day cricket (256), was passed fit earlier this month. Latif (32) who last played for Pakistan in Zimbabwe in 1997-98, was the first player to accuse his team-mates of deliberately throwing matches on the 1994-95 tour of South Africa. Controversial paceman Shoaib Akhtar was named in the squad after the PCB received an “encouraging” report from the University of Western Australia, where he went for remedial work on his bowling action. Akhtar was reported for a suspect bowling action in the fifth and final one-day international against New Zealand in February.
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Besides Lewis many took it on the chin New York, April 24 Lewis lost his World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titles and a projected huge payday against former undisputed champion Mike Tyson in a fight many people expected would take place early next year. In addition, the 35-year-old Londoner received a battering to his reputation, which he had painstakingly built over the years as he gradually won converts to his cautious but effective style. “Lennox Lewis was an embarrassment,” said one person close to Lewis’ advisers. “Lewis destroyed his future in terms of any legacy in boxing and his marketability after he quits fighting. Now he’s just a footnote in boxing’s history books,” said the Lewis-connected boxing expert, who requested anonymity. One of the biggest losers is the cable television broadcaster HBO, which has Lewis under contract and missed out on the possibility of making big money selling Tyson vs Lewis. Over one million pay-per-view buys at about 50 dollar each for Tyson-Lewis had been predicted. Estimates for Tyson-Rahman are between five and seven million purchases. HBO also does not now possess a top 10 contender in its fold. Rahman’s promoter Cedric Kushner, originally from South Africa, is very close to HBO and there is speculation that he could sign Rahman up with the cable network. But that again would raise the problem of which cable company would broadcast a Rahman-Tyson fight - it was the same issue that kept Tyson-Lewis apart. Kushner already has set up meetings with Showtime. One boxing insider said that Rahman could easily receive $ 10 million putting his two titles up against Tyson. That is a huge rise from the estimated $ 1.5 million Rahman earned for the Lewis fight. Lewis’ U.S. Promoter Main Events also loses its 10 per cent cut of the fighter’s take from a Tyson fight. Estimates were that Lewis could have received $ 20-25 million and Tyson 15 $ million for the bout. Rahman’s punch also jarred the reputation of Emanuel Steward, the Hall of Fame trainer who guides Lewis. Steward also took a hit earlier this month when Prince Naseem Hamed suffered the first defeat of his career. Another figure on the boxing landscape who could be a loser is David Izon, who is scheduled to fight Tyson in Washington D.C. in June. Tyson’s adviser, Shelly Finkel, said yesterday that there was a clause in the contract with Izon that allows his man to pull out of that fight. “If Rahman says cancel the fight, I’ll fight you in July, of course we’ll cancel,” said Finkel, adding that he will know by the end of the week if Tyson-Izon will be scrapped. He added: “I’m not sure that legally Rahman can fight anyone before taking on Tyson.’’ Finkel said Tyson was the WBC’s next mandatory opponent when Lewis held the title and Rahman inherited that obligation. The biggest winner, in addition to Rahman himself, is Showtime. Tyson, although he will not have the big payday against Lewis, would appear to have a better chance of beating Rahman than Lewis. Tyson, particularly in recent years, has had trouble against big men. At 6ft 2ins (1.89 meters), Rahman is shorter than the 6ft 5ins (1.96m) Lewis. A Tyson victory would mean that Showtime could make considerably more money from broadcasting his fights. In addition to having Tyson in its fold, Showtime also has top contender David Tua of New Zealand under contract. Tua lost on points to Lewis last November but did knock out Rahman in 1998. Showtime does not have the little-known World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Johnny Ruiz under contract but “we have a relationship with him”, said the cable television company’s spokeswoman Marina Capura. “He wants to fight here.” She also said that Showtime has the same relationship with former champion Evander Holyfield, who lost the WBA title to Ruiz last month.
Reuters
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GCA may be derecognised Panaji, April 24 The decision to issue a show-cause notice to the GCA was taken at an emergency meeting of the general body of the Sports Authority of Goa, which was presided over by state Sports Minister Sanjay Bandekar. The meeting decided to ask the GCA to submit its reply within 15 days even as it discussed the ways and means to formulate stringent guidelines for various sports associations to avoid recurrence of incidents occured during the one-day international match on April 6. For the purpose, the SAG constituted a five-member committee comprising Sports Minister Sanjay Bandekar, All-India Football Federation (AIFF) Secretary Alberto Colaco, Goa Swimming Association President Anil Madgaonkar, Goa Taekondo Association President Mr Raju Mangueshkar, and SAG Executive Director V.M.Prabhudesai. Besides, the meeting also decided to send a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), expressing their displeasure over the incidents during the one day international which, most of the members felt, had tarnished the image of the state. Official sources said the SAG general body was informed the GCA was yet to pay up Rs 9.52 lakh towards the conduct of the one-day international cricket match in December 1997. The meeting decided to initiate an action against the association to recover the dues as early as possible. Though the SAG had earlier agreed to charge Rs 10 lakh from the association for the use of Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, for the one-day international, the general body has now decided to withdraw the offer and charge 20 per cent of the gate collection of ODI as the GCA had failed to properly manage the affairs of the one dayer, which led to financial and other irregularities. However, some of the general body members criticised the SAG officials for agreeing to provide concessions to the GCA, despite the fact that it did not pay the dues of the one day international organised three years ago.
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India overcome Luxembourg Osaka, April 24 After S. Raman lost the first singles to Traian Ciociu 21-15, 17-21, 14-21; Chetan Baboor drew the score level beating Sandro Caenaro 21-16, 21-7 in a one-sided match. But Baboor failed to sustain his momentum and succumbed in a keenly-contested fourth singles match to Ciociu 18-21 19-21. Soumyadeep Roy had won the previous match to take India 2-1 outlasting Daniel Wintersdorff 23-21, 21-12. In the crucial last singles match, S. Raman came up with a spirited performance to beat Caenaro 14-21, 21-8, 22-20 to give India the winning 3-2 lead. India had yesterday defeated Saudi Arabia 3-0 in another second division match. China’s young guns and the wily veterans of Sweden were on course for a final-round showdown for the men’s team prize. China’s all-conquering women’s table tennis team swept into the second stage, pummelling Lithuania with hardly a sweat raised. The Chinese rested world No 2 Li Ju for the tie, substituting her with sixth-seeded Yang Ying. Yang, alongside double Sydney Olympic gold medallist Wang Nan and world No 3 Zhang Yining, thumped the Lithuanians 3-0 in just over an hour by which point ties on neighbouring tables had barely played their first match. The Chinese now take their place as top seeds in the next round, playing, via the complex draw system, either a lower-placed first division group or a winning second-division team who win a qualifying match.
AFP
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East Bengal on track
for title with win
Kolkata, April 24 Required to put their best foot forward, the glamour club lifted their game to dazzling heights, rarely seen in their last few outings, and consolidated their position atop the points table with just one match to go. The home team fired in two goals in the first session through defender Falguni Dutta and striker Dipendu Biswas while Suley Mussah sealed the fate of their third-placed rivals in the action-packed second session which saw East Bengal miss chances galore. East Bengal, leading the table with just a one-point lead over traditional rivals Mohun Bagan before the kick-off, have not only boosted their chances of the coveted title with this convincing win but also managed to increase their lead. The local team has now collected 43 points from 21 matches and will clash with State Bank of Travancore in their last outing at Thiruvananthapuram on April 30. F.C. Kochin remained static on 34 points from 21 encounters. Mohun Bagan, who have also put themselves within sniffing distance of what could be their third national league title, have logged 39 points from 20 matches. They will clash with Vasco on April 26 and complete their engagements with another away match, taking on ITI on April 30. MARGAO: Mohammed Najeeb struck a brace as Mahindra United (Mumbai) outplayed Salgaocar Sports Club (Goa) 2-1, at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda here on Tuesaday. After a barren first-half Mahindras regrouped well and played with renewed vigour and drew first blood in the 48th minute through Mohammed Najeeb, who shot over the head of advancing Salgaocar goalkeeper Juje Siddi after receiving a well-measured pass from Anthony Pereira (1-0). Inspired by the lead, jeepmen continued their attack and increased their tally in the 63rd minute again through Najeeb, who struck his brace. It was a cross from Davoud Hussain. Najeeb could have made it a hat-trick in 69th minute had his try not been saved by Salgaocar custodian. Salgaocar reduced the margin in the 84th minute through Bruno Coutinho, when jeephmen goalkeeper Sunderrajan failed to collect properly a long ranger from Augustin Rodrques and went towards unmarked Bruno Coutinho, who pounced upon the opportunity slammed in 2-1.
PTI, UNI |
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We will spare no effort : Bhutia Dubai, April 24 “In football, no one can safely predict what would happen, but we have good chances to prove ourselves,” he told reporters soon after the team arrived here, en route to Al Ain in Abu Dhabi, where the crucial match is to be played. “We appreciate that the UAE is a very strong side and definitely their minds are still fresh with their 0-1 defeat to India in Bangalore earlier this month.” He said: “We also know that the UAE have prepared well for the match as things did not go according to their wishes in Bangalore.... It is a tough clash and UAE are aware of everything.’’ The head of the Indian delegation Mohammed Shamsuddin said the team would do its best to improve its chances of moving into the second round. Indian ace Bhaichung Bhutia said he would like to see the Indian fans at the stadium. “We will spare no effort to boost our chances in the tournament,” he said. Speaking about India’s 1-1 draw against Yemen at home earlier this month, Bhutia said” “The result of our clash against Yemen was disappointing. We squandered many scoring opportunities and one of our shots hit the cross bar.” Veteran striker I.M. Vijayan said the Indian team was coming up very strongly and would be hard to beat. The top team in each of the 10 Asian groups advances to the final qualifying round. Two or three teams from Asia will qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals in South Korea and Japan. UNI |
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Complete betrayal by Milkha: Paramjit Patiala, April 24 Paramjit, who is attending the ongoing senior National athletic camp at the NIS here, termed Milkha’s decision as “complete betrayal” from a man whom he regarded as his “childhood hero”. Seething with anger, Paramjit said that this was the most oppurtune time to air his pent up feelings as he felt that “had Milkha wanted to give the cash reward he would have done so by now.” While Milkha set the record in the 1960 Rome Olympics by clocking 45.73 seconds, the lean and lanky Paramjit Singh lowered the record twice by clocking 45.70 seconds in the Kolkata Open Nationals in 1998 and then bettered this effort in the inter-state meet at Chennai last year by clocking 45.56 seconds. Paramjit Singh, irked by the ‘Flying Sikh’s’ flat refusal to acknoweldge both of his record breaking efforts said: “It’s a question of ethics, not of any monetary consideration. When I shattered the record in Kolkata, Milkha said that he would pay the cash award if I managed to do it a second time. At Chennai, I once again put to shade the record, yet Milkha’s silence is baffling.” Paramjit discounted the theory propounded by Milkha that his effort at the Rome Olympics was `hand timed’, while Paramjit’s feat was electronically timed, thereby giving him a distinct advantage. All hand-timed races were converted into electronically timed ones by the IAAF by adding 0.14 seconds and these were now universally accepted. Paramjit’s contention is that Milkha had announced the award only after the converted timings came into effect. Hence, his logic that Paramjit had an advantage does not hold much water, countered Paramjit. Sources close to Milkha Singh say that since he owed the record for nearly four decades, it had become a sort of obsession for him and now he is finding it difficult to part away with the record as well as the money. Interestingly, the Indian Tobacco Company (ITC) had also promised to pay a whopping Rs 20 lacs to any athlete who shattered Milkha Singh’s record. However, when Paramjit contacted ITC, he was informed that the award was to be considered only during the firm’s contract with the AAFI which expired in 1997-98. Milkha has gone on record as saying that records set in India do not merit much recognition since the dope testing mechanism is ‘dubious’. However, Paramjit Singh said that he was confident of eclipsing the record abroad. |
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