 |
Monday,
March 11, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
We never felt threatened: Ganguly |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Curator ensures play begins on time
Kirsten, Smith lead SA fightback Ronaldo
fit to play: Doctor
Anand
settles for dull draw Punjab book semifinal berths CRZC
Sonepat defeated FC
Kochin hold JCT Jalandhar
win hockey titles
|
|
India win by 64 runs
Chandigarh, March 10 The Indians were led ably by Saurav Ganguly, who grabbed the man of the match award with a masterly 86 (83 balls, eight fours, three sixes) after doing a good turn to his team by winning the toss. That Saurav did not come on to ball even when Zimbabwe were trying to claw back into the game only underlines the fact that his knee injury is yet to fully heal. But when on the field, and specially when batting, the Indian skipper showed no signs of any discomfort. One felt sad that he could not complete what would have been a well-deserved century, but then his dismissal was only a rerun of what has happened any number of times in the past. Useful half centuries also came off the blades of VVS Laxman (52 off 72 balls) and Rahul Dravid (66 not out off 59 balls). More important, these knocks proves once again that when threatened with the sack the Indian player can perform to his full potential. For Laxman in particular, today’s knock, coming after 75 he score at Faridabad must have added a lot to his self-belief, especially since he was asked to sit out in the Test match at Delhi due to poor form. Egged on by a capacity crowd at the floodlit stadium the hosts could do very few mistakes today. But even in defeat, Zimbabwe did expose quite a few chinks in the Indian squad, which obviously needs the attention of everybody. These problem areas of the Indian team, brought into sharper focus by the forced absence of Sachin Tendulkar and his clone Virender Sehwag due to injury, only proved that some of the young players still have a long way to go. Though India scored 319, some more runs could have come if only the batsmen were willing to play straight instead of trying to hit across the line. It was these types of strokes which brought the downfall of Dinesh Mongia, Mohammad Kaif and also Sanjay Bangar. While the latter two might have the excuse that they attempted these strokes since they were running out of overs, one felt particularly upset that Mongia could not go to make a good score after having made a compact 45 after some initial hesitation. The national selectors are scheduled to meet at Kochi to pick the team for the remaining two matches and it is obviously that one of these three is likely to be axed to make place for Sachin since Sehwag is likely to take some more time to fully recover. Mongia did make some effort to add to his reputation by grabbing three of 31 when asked to bowl a few overs. He, however, must be ruing the fact that today could have been his day.
The PCA strip, played true and firm and was ideal for strokeplay. The fact that India’s score today was their highest on the ground, surpassing the score of 289 for six which they scored against Australia in November 1996 only proved that the curator had given a true surface for today’s match. Though defeated by a huge margin Zimbabwe were certainly not disgraced. Till the fall of the third wicket, that of Alister Cambell, at 143 they were able to match India in the run chase which was over six an over at the start of the innings. But the dismissal first of Travis Friend, who was stumped by Ajay Ratra off Harbhajan Singh, after he had scored 63 (59 balls, seven fours, one six) at 138 and Cambell changed the whole complexion of the Zimbabwe innings. The run rate started creeping up and as the latter batsmen tried to accelerate the scoring they fell in a heap. Cambell scored 62 before he was trapped leg before by Harbhajan and if the visitors had not lost these wickets today’s story could well have an altogether different ending. It was only after the fall of their third wicket could India breathe a little easy. Earlier, showing no signs of his knee injury which raises speculation that he may miss that match, India’s skipper Saurav Ganguly scored a brilliant 86 (4x8, 6x3) of just 83 balls to help India post 319 for six in 50 overs. India: Mongia c Friend b Marillier 45 Ganguly run out 86 Laxman c Ebrahim b Friend 52 Dravid not out 66 Kaif b G. Flower 15 Agarkar c Marillier b Brent 6 Bangar c Wishart b Brent 0 Harbhajan not out 15 Extras: (b-2, lb-5, w-25, nb-2) 34 Total: (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) 319 Fall of wickets: 1-109, 2-190, 3-243, 4-276, 5-290, 6-291. Bowling: Streak 10-0-72-0, Friend 10-0-57-1, Brent 9-0-60-2, Marillier 10-0-51-1, G Flower 9-0-56-1, Campbell 2-0-16-0. Zimbabwe: Campbell Ibw b Harbhajan 62 Ebrahim c Laxman b Agarkar 1 Friend st Ratra b Harbhajan 63 A Flower b Mongia 29 G Flower run out 9 Carlisle c Ratra b Agarkar 25 Wishart b Mongia 14 Marillier c Ratra b Mongia 2 Streak c Bangar b Kumble 14 Taibu not out 6 Brent lbw b Harbhajan 7 Extras: (lb-17, w-5, nb-1) 23 Total: (all out, 43.3 overs) 255 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-138, 3-143, 4-166, 5-204, 6-212, 7-219, 8-229, 9-245. Bowling: Zaheer Khan 7-0-42-0, Agarkar 8-0-44-2, Bangar 4-0-32-0, Kumble 10-0-49-1, Harbhajan 8.3-0-40-3, Mongia 6-0-31-3.  |
|
We never felt threatened: Ganguly SAS Nagar, March 10 “It was a matter of getting a breakthrough. We knew if we are able to break this partnership we would have a chance,” he replied when quizzed in reference to the 134-run second-wicket stand between former skipper Alistair Campbell and pinch-hitter Travis Friend as both looking untroubled scoring runs at a fairly fast clip as Ganguly changed various bowling combinations to achieve crucial wicket. Ganguly praised the bowling of Chandigarh’s Dinesh Mongia who unexpectedly took three wickets, including the key scalps of Andy Flower and dangerous Douglas Marillier, who snatched a victory from India in the series opener at Faridabad. Asked whether if Mongia was some ‘hidden weapon’ the skipper said that the team did not have any left-arm bowler. “I told him to just bowl wicket to wicket at a decent line and length and the move paid off,” he said. “We dropped a couple of catches. Had we taken these it would have been a different ball game altogether,” when asked about the slack Indian fielding, which resulted in additional runs accruing to the rival total. About his becoming the second highest scoring Indian captain during the course of his valuable knock today which took him past the tally of Sachin Tendulkar, the elegant left-handed batsman replied that team victory was more important. Former skipper Mohammed Azharuddin with 5239 runs in 174 matches is the highest scoring captain, while Ganguly now has 2450 in 59 matches. “It was a freak knock. We dominated in nearly 90 overs of the match but lost it in the last seven,” he said when asked whether he had any special plan to check Marillier after his assault at Faridabad. About the selection dilemma when maestro Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag return to the squad Ganguly said the best possible eleven would be chosen to do the duty. Indian team coach John Wright was all praise for new faces Dinesh Mongia, Mohammed Kaif and Ajay Ratra, saying that they looked all promising. “Mongia’s batting, Kaif’s fielding and Ajay Ratra’s work behind the stumps has contributed for the team success. They have got nice opportunity during the remaining matches to gain valuable experience.” Mongia’s bowling was quite useful. It is nice to see youngsters do well,” he said. Zimbabwe skipper Stuart Carlisle described too many extras conceded during the Indian innings as one of the key reasons responsible for defeat. Zimbabwe bowlers whopping 25 wides in a total of 34 extras. “You take away extras and the total would be fighting,” he said. Carlisle said it was in fact a good batting track. Had the bowlers been able to cut down the number of wides things might have been easier. “Had we won the toss we would have loved to bat first,” he revealed. “India got a very good total and brought us under pressure,” he said. “We lost wickets at the wrong time,” he said adding that the fielding was not up to the mark. |
|
Curator ensures play begins on time Chandigarh, March 10 Daljit Singh said most of the area was covered with the super sopper last night when it started raining heavily. The ground was covered more near the players lounge side. Daljit left the stadium at 10.30 pm and was back at 7 am in the morning. The ground was ready by 11.30 pulling all the fears to rest. The players had a feel of the pitch and the ground at 1 pm. At the PCA, an exhibition by Kamal Sharma, a well-known photo journalist, was inaugurated by Anil Kumble. Sharma said the photographs of the World Trade Center in New York on September 11 came about as he was present there on that day. He had clicked around 600 frames. The exhibition was earlier put up at six places, which were inaugurated by Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Steve Waugh, Stephen Fleming and Uma
Bharti, the Union Sports Minister. It was about 12.30 pm, when people started to form queues outside the stadium at various gates. But to the dismay of many, even those with the BCCI passes, they were stranded outside till 5 pm. Dinesh
Anand, Deepak Khosla, and Anil Malik, who had come from Delhi as guests of Anil Khanna of Delhi, were allowed entry only at 5.10 pm. Kulwinder Singh, who had a BCCI pass from the Assam Cricket Association quota, was also allowed entry later. Advocate Ms Jagdeep
Bains, along with wife of Mr Manjit Singh, cricket coach, were also denied entry even after repeated requests to the gate authorities. |
|
Lanka dethrone Pak as Asian Test champions
Lahore, March 10 After bad weather halted their victory march on the fourth day, the second new ball did the trick for the visitors as they wrapped up Pakistan’s second innings for 325 with experienced batsman Inzamam-ul Haq dismissed on 99. That left them needing just 32 to win. Mahela Jayawardene hit pacer Shoaib Akhtar to the cover boundary to conclude an emphatic victory after Pakistan had claimed the wickets of openers Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya. Placed fourth on the International Cricket Council’s Test ratings, Sri Lanka recorded their ninth consecutive win and move to England in a month’s time with their tails up. “Yes, it’s a morale boosting win for us and would help us go to England with big hearts,” Sri Lankan captain Jayasuriya said. “It’s a team effort that helped us win this Test and we were never in doubt we would win this Test although one day was lost due to rain.” Sri Lanka dominated the match right from the word go after winning the toss and dismissing Pakistan for 234 on the first day. Man-of-the match Kumar Sangakkara scored 230 to help Sri Lanka notch 528 in their first innings. A debatable decision by Australian umpire Daryl Harper brought Pakistan’s downslide in the fourth over with the new ball as he adjudged the home team’s last hope Inzamam-ul Haq leg before off Chaminda Vaas for 99. Inzamam, Pakistan’s vice-captain, fought a lone battle for his team for 300 minutes and hit six fours and a six during his 228 balls stay at the crease. It was the sixth time that he had been dismissed in the nervous nineties in 80 Tests. Television replays clearly showed the ball hit Haq above the knee roll and Vaas had also overstepped the crease. Inzamam’s departure heralded doom for Pakistan however, as they lost Rashid Latif in Vaas’s next over when Latif failed to keep down a drive and was caught at mid-off by Muralitharan for 2. Pakistan suffered their first defeat after winning six Tests in a row but their pathetic home record continued as they have lost six of their last 14 Tests on home grounds. Resuming under bright sunshine, Pakistan saw off the first four overs without facing any problems as Inzamam hit Muralitharan for two fours and a six to race to 91. Jayasuriya took the second new ball with Pakistan 270 for five and was soon rewarded for the decision as Vaas claimed the wickets of Inzamam and Latif in successive overs. Nuwan Zoysa removed the stubborn Shoaib Malik when he forced an edge to Kumar Sangakkara for 21 leaving Pakistan three runs short of averting innings defeat. Pakistan captain Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar ensured Sri Lanka would have to bat again. Waqar used his long handle effectively hitting four boundaries and a six in his 25 before he edged Muralitharan to Hashan Tillekeratne at silly point. Vaas returned to remove Mohammad Sami for nought to finish with four for 85 while Muralithan took four for 72, taking his tally to 412 wickets in 73 Tests. SCOREBOARD Pakistan (1st innings): 234 Sr Lanka Ist innings: 528 Pakistan 2nd innings: (overnight 248-5) Afridi st Sangakkara b Murali 70 Umer b Vaas 19 Khan c Samaraweera b Zoysa 19 Haq lbw b Vaas 99 Waqar c Atapattu b Murali 7 Razzaq lbw b Murali 5 Malik c Sangakkara b Zoysa 21 Latif c Murali b Vaas 2 Younis c Tillekeratne b Murali 25 Akhtar not out 4 Sami c Sangakkara b Vaas 0 Extras: (b-12, lb-2, w-1, 54 Total: (all out, 101.5 overs) 325 Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-66, 3-150, 4-166, 5-181, 6-281, 7-285, 8-291, 9-321. Bowling: Vaas 22.5-3-85-4, Zoysa 21-3-54-2, Fernando 14-2-68-0, Muralitharan 34-8-72-4, Jayasuriya 1-0-7-0, Samaraweera 9-1-25-0. Sri Lanka (2nd innings): Atapattu c Latif b Sami 1 Jayasuriya c Youhana b Akhtar 1 Sangakkara not out 14 Jayawardene not out 12 Extras: (lb-1, w-2, nb-2) 5 Total: (for 2 wkts, 6.2 overs) 33 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-14. Bowling: Akhtar 3.2-0-17-1, Sami 3-0-15-1.
AFP |
|
Kirsten, Smith lead SA fightback
Cape Town, March 10 South Africa reached 307 for four wickets in their second innings at the close of the third day, a lead of 164, with Neil McKenzie unbeaten on 28 and Ashwell Prince five not out. Kirsten, Jacques Kallis and 20-year-old debutant Graeme Smith all fell frustratingly short of three figures while Shane Warne’s ability to gain prodigious turn rescued Australia on an otherwise mediocre day for the tourists. Warne picked up three wickets in a sustained spell of quality leg spin bowling as the seamers toiled in temperatures that reached close to 40 degrees Celsius at Newlands. Not for the first time, Kirsten was the linchpin of the South African innings, falling 13 runs short of what would have been his fourteenth test century when Brett Lee trapped him lbw for 87 off 182 balls. Most of his runs came with trademark cuts and drives although he twice advanced down the wicket to loft Warne over mid on. Kirsten added 99 runs with Smith for the second wicket, the youngster growing in confidence after lunch when he took 11 runs off the first over bowled by Warne and then cracked Glenn McGrath through point for four. Smith was somewhat unfortunate to be out for 68, umpire Steve Bucknor deciding he had edged a Warne delivery through to Adam Gilchrist, but replays suggested the ball struck pad rather than bat. Smith’s runs came from 147 deliveries. Jacques Kallis wasted no time in taking the attack to the Australians, reaching a half-century in just 55 balls and looking in imperious form. He was advancing to what appeared to be a certain century when he played down the wrong line to a Warne delivery which went straight on and departed leg before for 73 from 96 balls with 12 fours. Warne, playing in his 100th test, continued to bowl right through to the close, completing a remarkable 42 of the 100 overs bowled in an extended day after the bad light which curtailed play on Saturday. South Africa (Ist innings): 239 Australia (Ist innings): 382 South Africa (2nd innings): (overnight 7-0) H.Gibbs c Ponting b Warne 39 G.Kirsten lbw b Lee 87 G Smith c Gilchrist b Warne 68 J Kallis lbw b Warne 73 N McKenzie not out 28 A Prince not out 5 Extras (lb-3 w-2 nb-2) 7 Total (4 wickets, 105 overs) 307 FoW: 1-84, 2-183, 3-254, 4-284. Bowling: McGrath 18-4-41-0, Gillespie 18-7-49-0, Warne 42-9-100-3, Lee 15-3-61-1, M.Waugh 5-2-22-0, Martyn 4-0-15-0, S.Waugh 3-0-16-0.
Reuters
|
|
Ronaldo
fit to play: Doctor Rio De Janeiro, March 10 “I shall tell Scolari Ronaldo is now fit to play for Brazil,” Runco told CBN radio yesterday after he and Inter Milan doctors put the player through a rigorous test. “He felt no pain (in the workout) and is free to get back on the pitch,” insisted Runco, who has been treating the player for more than a month. Speaking from the Brazil side’s training centre outside Rio, a smiling Ronaldo said he was keen to get back in action for both club and country.
AFP |
|
Anand settles for dull draw Linares, March 10 Kasparov (7 points) regained the sole lead after a thorough drubbing of world champion Ruslan Ponomariov and is now a clear point ahead of the young Ukrainian. Anand, GM Michael Adams of England and GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine are locked in a tie for the third position with 5.5 points each in their kitty. The outcome of the tournament is almost decided as Kasparov plays Shirov in the last against whom he has an enviable record in head to head encounters. Anand’s draw against Adams left a feeling of deja vu amongst the followers of the game. It was a near replica of an earlier game in the tournament played between Kasparov and Adams where Kasparov had come up triumphs following a tactical oversight by the Englishman. The players followed the same game until the 26th move when Adams deviated and produced a safer option than in his game against Kasparov. Many were shocked to see Anand repeating the same game. Anand, who had probably worked up an idea in the later stages of the game, was in for a surprise and could not work out anything that would have yielded an advantage. On the 27th move the draw was agreed to. Kasparov proved that he is still the best. Taking on Ponomariov with white pieces, it was a matter of honour for the highest rated player of the world as his opponent was leading the tournament jointly with him. The opening was a French Rubenstein and Kasparov obtained a vice like grip on the position right from the word go and sacrificed a pawn on the 10th move to ensure a bloody battle. Ponomariov accepted the sacrifice and was saddled with underdeveloped pieces on both flanks while Kasparov’s force made merry with a lasting attack against the king. Three minor pieces got exchanged by the 16th move itself but Kasparov was undeterred and continued his demolition job with excellent deployment of his pieces. Trying for counter play, Ponomariov’s defensive resources did not materialise when Kasparov won back the pawn on the 30th move and still continued his menacing attack. Time pressure crept in and there was just a semblance of complacency that was witnessed on Kasparov’s part. However, for good measures, he finished the game in style with a tactical stroke on the 38th move. GM Francisco Pons Vallejo of Spain struck at last and defeated his compatriot Shirov from the white side of an irregular Sicilian defence game. Shirov got a comfortable position after the opening and was even seen pressing for an advantage in the later stages of the middlegame when suddenly, he took the bait and found himself in an inferior queen and knights endgame. Vallejo cashed in on a blunder soon after and penetrated the opposition camp to force resignation in 54 moves.
PTI |
|
Punjab book semifinal berths Ludhiana, March 10 Meanwhile, Punjab eves rode on a combination of luck and pluck to book a semifinal berth by outwitting Madhya Pradesh 63-59. Punjab will now square off with Kerala, who got the better of Chhattisgarh 65-56, for a spot in the final while Railways, who downed Uttar Pradesh 63-37, will take on Tamil Nadu. Trailing for the major part of the match, the Punjab girls, led by their irresistible skipper Kiranjit Dhillon, put their act together in the last quarter to avoid the blushes of missing out a spot in the last four. When ever the hosts found themselves in a spot of trouble they would look forward to Kiranjit, who worked in tandem with Mandeep Brar, to come up with a disciplined performance. Both sank in basket after basket to tie the scores at 58-58. With tension thick in the air, Mandeep Khaira cut in from the right and scored a three pointer. Once in the lead and with just a few seconds to go for the hooter, the Punjab girls managed to keep their nerves and tenuously hung on to the lead to close the contest at 63-59. In the men’s section, Railways became the first team to book a berth in the semifinals, when they downed an off-colour Rajasthan 86-69. The dice started rolling favourably for the railmen in the first quarter itself as they notched up a 14-point lead. There was a sense of urgency in their approach and kept on increasing the lead till the Rajasthan players ran out of ideas. With their key players M. Ishlahuddin and Ram Kumar striking form at the right moment, the railmen never had to exert themselves to stay in the reckoning for the title. Services men also sailed into the semifinals by notching up a facile 107-77 win against Karnataka. Skipper Phool Singh and Peter John excelled for Services and both combined beautifully in the defence to give little or no elbow room to the opponents. Results: Women (quarters): Punjab b MP 63-59, Tamil Nadu b AP 75-72, Railways b UP 63-37, Kerala b Chhattisgarh 65-56.
Men (pre-quarters): Jharkhand b UP 82-41, Delhi b Kerala 94-75.
(Quarters): Services b Karnataka 107-77, Railways b Rajasthan 86-69. |
|
CRZC Sonepat defeated Mandi, March 10 The Haryana team put up a stout opposition but ultimately failed to prevent fourth defeat in a row to finish at the bottom of the five-team league. The BMFC carried out a series of attacks in the first half but were able to score only in the 40th minute when Peter Chidi crossed from the right flank and Adesinha Sadiq
stretched himself low to head the ball into the net Sadiq again kicked the ball into the top corner of the net for the second goal within a minute of the interval. The struggle remained hard and tough and it was only in the closing stages that the BMFC made the margin of victory impressive by scoring two goals through Peter Chidi and Email. In another match home challangers Himalayan tigers lost to Central Railway, Jabbalpur by three goals to nil. Central Railway got six points and Tigers three from four outings. Central Railway led 2-0 at the interval though the Tigers could have changed ends with even honours had they converted two easy chances. First Hitender Sharma shot over and then Prashant Sharma sent the ball wide from close range. For the Jabbalpur side both goals were scored by Charanjit Kumar in the 15th and 30th minute. While Hitender’s left foot volley sailed over, Rahamat Baig made it 3-0 with a sharp shot. |
|
FC Kochin hold JCT Ludhiana, March 10 JCT looked comfortably in charge of the proceedings in the first session. Their forwards managed to puncture regularly their rivals citadel, especially in the initial stages of the contest but failed to get the desired
results. They did make forays thrice during the first 20 minutes of play into Kochin outfit’s territory, but on each occasion fumbled at the goalmouth. JCT turned on the heat in the 30th minute, when medio Ranjit Singh found the target from just outside the striking circle. Following a free kick, experienced Stephen’s powerful kick landed into the Kochin’s custodian Ali Abu Baker’s hands, who failed to hold on to the ball and off the rebound, Ranjit’s swift grounder put JCT into the lead. Four minutes later, JCT could have
consolidated the lead but Hardip Saini’s header missed the target by a whisker. After the interval, FC Kochin got their act together and made their first serious attempt in the 49th minute when medio Kulothungan in a solo effort, tormented the JCT defence and stormed into the danger zone but his sizzling shot sailed over the bar. This was followed by a flurry of attacks by the Kochin players and in the 53rd minute, they forced their first free kick but attempt made by Suresh L failed to beat JCT goalkeeper, Arvind Kumar. Needing the equaliser, Kochin players went all-out and their pressure tactics paid dividends in the 79th minute, when Kulothungan’s header went into the net to make it one-all. Both the teams struggled hard to take lead which resulted in foul play. Kochin’s two players, Sushanth Mathew and Kulothungan were shown yellow cards. The Kochin goal had a close shave with just one minute to go for the buzzer when Shaminder Singh’s booming long ranger flew over the crosspiece by a
narrow margin. JCT now play their next match against Mohun Bagan here on March 20 and FC Kochin take on Punjab Police at Jalandhar on March 13. |
|
Jalandhar
win hockey titles Jalandhar, March 10 In today’s hockey final Jalandhar took the men and women’s title as they beat Ludhiana in both the sections. Jalandhar men had a close win (2-1) while eves thrashed Ludhiana 4-0 in a one-sided match. In boys, Amritsar in the men’s section and Moga in women’s section took the third position. In wrestling hosts took gold in 54kg, 58kg and 63kg today. Jalandhar were the best in wrestling with a total of 77 points compared to Amritsar, who were way behind with 54 points. Kapurthala took the third position with 47 points. Jalandhar eves also seized the team championship with Patiala and Amritsar lagging behind in that order. In athletics, Satnam Singh of Gurdaspur clocked 15.27.23 to claim the first position in the 5000 m, whereas Kuldeep Singh of Jalandhar and Rajesh of Kapurthala came second and third respectively. In girls, Surjit Kaur of Gurdaspur, Rajni Rani of Ludhiana and Paramjit Kaur of Gurdaspur came in that order. In shot put, Amandeep Singh threw the farthest distance and Manjit Kaur in girls threw 9.86m. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Rio
De Janeiro, March 10
