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Thursday,
May 23, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Indian dream in tatters as batsmen disappoint Sachin
completes 8000 Test runs Snedden happy with security on tour |
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Day of reckoning looms large for Africa in World Cup Henry ready to stamp his class Cole ready to follow in Pele footsteps Rebel Nakata can be Japan’s saviour India hope to cash in on heat factor Gopi to spearhead Indian challenge Coaching camps from June 1
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Indian dream in tatters as batsmen disappoint
Kingston, May 22 The defeat was evident yesterday itself when India slumped to 237 for seven while chasing 408 runs to win. It was formalised on the fifth and final day today with the remaining three Indian wickets falling for the addition of 15 runs. India were all out for 252 in their second innings less than an hour into the morning session following their first innings score of 212. West Indies made 422 and 197 in their two innings. The 1-2 series loss meant India will have to wait for some more time to try and win their first series win outside the subcontinent since defeating England in 1986. India’s next overseas tour is to England later next month. Faint hopes greeted the Indians in the morning when mild showers began just when play was about to start. But the rains were not heavy enough to disrupt the entire day’s play and the game started after about 20-minute delay. West Indies, who had completed 80 overs yesterday, took the new ball straightaway and preferred to bowl their lead bowlers, Mervyn Dillon and Cameron Cuffy, instead of Pedro Collins and Adam Sanford who had taken three wickets each to bring their team within sniffing distance of victory. Overnight batsmen Ajay Ratra and Zaheer Khan survived the first three overs before Cuffy struck in his second over of the day. Ratra, who had batted for 86 balls and 111 minutes for his 19 runs, was adjudged leg before wicket by umpire Russel Tiffin of Zimbabwe with the ball coming in sharply and hitting the batsman’s pads in front of the leg-stump. New batsman Javagal Srinath drove Cuffy in the same over for a boundary to long-off and Zaheer Khan glided Dillon to the third man fence in the next over to bring up the 250 for India. That was about all for the Indians as Srinath was repeatedly troubled by the short-pitched deliveries. He was also hit on his shoulder while trying to duck a delivery from Cuffy. Srinath became the second victim of Cuffy when he left a lot of gap between bat and pad to allow the delivery to pass through and hit the middle stump. Srinath scored just four runs. The last wicket fell in the form of Zaheer Khan in the next over giving Dillon his first wicket of the innings. Zaheer, who scored 12, attempted a wild heave and offered a high catch to Collins at mid-off. The match was over in the ninth over of the day. This was India’s fifth defeat in eight matches at this ground. They have never won at the venue, the remaining three matches ending in draws. India and West Indies now go into a five-match one-day series starting on May 25. The match was practically over for the Indians, who were 237 for seven at close on the fourth day yesterday while chasing 408 for victory. With 171 more required to win, India only have the tailenders to battle it out. Ajay Ratra and Zaheer Khan were at the crease, on 16 and four respectively, while Javagal Srinath and Ashish Nehra were to follow. With one full day’s play left, it seemed only rain gods can prevent India from losing the match and the series 1-2. India bowled out the West Indies for 197 in their second innings earlier in the day, but the 210-run first innings lead ensured that the hosts had set a target that had never been successfully chased before. And India never really looked headed for rewriting the record-books except for a brief period when Sachin Tendulkar was at the crease. Tendulkar produced a brilliant 86 with 13 fours and added 52 for the third wicket with Rahul Dravid and 93 for the fourth with Saurav Ganguly to keep India in the hunt after the openers had been dismissed cheaply. In the process, he also became only the second Indian and 10th in the world to score more than 8000 runs in Test cricket. He reached the milestone when he moved to 82 with his 12th boundary. Sunil Gavaskar, with 10,122 runs, is the other Indian to have scored more in Test cricket. Once he was out, clean bowled by Pedro Collins with a delivery that kept a bit low, the Indian challenge fizzled out with the last two recognised batsmen, Ganguly and VVS Laxman, getting out without making much impression to leave India in deep trouble at 209 for six. This was the third time in last five innings that Tendulkar was out to Collins. The left-handed seamer, who came into the West Indian side in the third Test, also dismissed the master batsman in the first innings of the Barbados Test and the only innings in the fourth Test at Antigua, both times for a nought. It capped a wonderful day for Collins, who finished with figures of three for 48 after dismissing both the Indian openers. Earlier in the day, he also had a good run with the bat, frustrating the Indians with his career-best 24. Gloom descended over the Indian dressing room while the West Indian fielders and the crowd rejoiced at the dismissal of Tendulkar who appeared in a punishing mood yesterday. Coming in at 25 for two, Tendulkar had a watchful start as his partner Dravid played a few attractive shots and looked in good touch. Dravid hit Collins for three boundaries in an over and then pulled the bowler imperiously to the mid-wicket fence to quickly move into his 20s.
PTI Scoreboard West Indies 1st innings: 422 India 1st innings: 212 West Indies (2nd innings): 197 India (second innings overnight) 237-7) Das lbw b Collins 10 Jaffer c Hinds b Collins 7 Dravid lbw b Sanford 30 Tendulkar b Collins 86 Ganguly c Sarwan b Sanford 28 Laxman c Dillon b Sanford 23 Ratra lbw b Cuffy 19 H. Singh c Cuffy b Gayle 17 Khan c Collins b Dillon 12 Srinath b Cuffy 4 A.Nehra not out 0 Extras: (b-5 lb-1 nb-9 w-1) 16 Total: (88.3 overs) 252 Fall of wickets: 1/19, 2/25, 3/77, 4/170, 5/176, 6/209, 7/228, 8/242, 9/252 Bowling: Dillon 22.3-6-77-1, Cuffy 18-6-34-2, Collins 17-4-60-3 (nb-7 w-1), Sanford 19-8-48-3 (nb-2), Hooper 5-1-15-0, Gayle 4-2-7-1, Sarwan 3-0-5-0.
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Sachin completes 8000 Test runs
Kingston (Jamaica), May 22 Tendulkar reached the landmark when he moved to 82 with his 12th boundary during his 86-run knock in the Indian second innings on the penultimate day of the fifth and final cricket Test against West Indies yesterday. Tendulkar now has 8,004 runs from 96 Tests and 154 innings at an average of nearly 58. He has scored 29 centuries and 32 half-centuries. He is the highest scorer in the one-day cricket, having more than 11,000 runs to his credit. The following is the complete list of players with 8,000 or more runs in Test cricket (number of Tests in brackets) 1. Allan Border (Aus) 11,174 (156), 2. Sunil Gavaskar (Ind) 10,122 (125), 3. Steve Waugh (Aus) 9,600 (148), 4. Graham Gooch (Eng) 8,900 (118), 5. Javed Miandad (Pak) 8,832 (124), 6. Viv Richards (WI) 8,540 (121), 7. David Gower (Eng) 8,231 (117), 8. Geoff Boycott (Eng) 8,114 (108) 9. Gary Sobers (WI) 8,032 (93), 10. Sachin Tendulkar (Ind) 8,004 (96). PTI
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Snedden happy with security on tour
Islamabad, May 22 In a letter sent to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director Munawwar Rana, Snedden appreciated the security provided to his team on the recent Pakistan tour. The New Zealanders aborted the second and final Test against Pakistan on May 8 and returned home the same evening after a suicide bomber killed 14 people just outside the team hotel in Karachi. Expressing satisfaction with the security provided to his team, he also made it clear he did not think his players were the targets of the suicide bomber. “The board and management and members of the New Zealand team are of the unanimous opinion that the Pakistan Government and the PCB did everything reasonably possible to protect our players during the tour,’’ The News, quoting a PCB spokesman, said today. Releasing the contents of the letter, the board stated that it was a positive gesture on part of New Zealand cricket. “We appreciate the gesture of New Zealand cricket to highlight they had no problems with security on the recent tour,’’ the spokesman added. UNI
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First day’s play washed out
Moratuwa (Colombo), May 22 The umpires called off play after several inspections, amidst intermittent spells of rain. Play will now begin 30 minutes early for the remaining three days. The teams drew their first unofficial Test of the three-match series at the SSC stadium in Colombo last week. PTI
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Day of reckoning looms large for Africa in
Johannesburg, May 22 But whether Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia can fare better than Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay is doubtful with none of the African quintet certain of places in the knockout second phase. A belief among many African football followers that Cameroon, who this year became the first country to retain the biennial African Nations Cup since 1965, are heading for the semifinals seems fanciful to say the least. Drawn with three-time winners Germany, the Republic of Ireland and Saudi Arabia, the ‘Indomitable Lions’ will have their work cut out just to finish among the top two and book a second-round place. And Germany-born coach Winfried Schafer must be furious that the old bogey of African World Cup competitors, cash bonuses, has reared its ugly head, delaying the departure of the squad from France to Japan by several days. Nigeria, the great African hopes of 1998, did get past the first round after overcoming Spain in their opening match, but made a humiliating second-round exit, crumbling 1-4 to unheralded Denmark. Just reaching the last 16 will be a major achievement for the ‘Super Eagles’ this time round as they have been drawn in the Group of Death with co-favourites Argentina, England and Sweden. While the chances of Cameroon surviving the first round cannot be more than even and those of Nigeria considerably less, the odds are heavily stacked against Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia progressing. Appearing at the finals for the first time, Senegal must have wished for a gentler baptism than World Cup holders France, considered by most observers as joint favourites with Argentina to lift a trophy that symbolises world football supremacy. Ironically, while many ‘Terenga Lions’ play in France, French stars like Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry perform in other European centres. Denmark and Uruguay are the other group A teams. As they did four years ago, South Africa made a late change of coach, dropping widely travelled former Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz for international novice Jomo Sono ahead of clashes with Paraguay, Slovenia and Spain. While there is no doubting the inspirational ability of Sono, a star in the 1980s when government-backed racism prevented South Africa competing on the world stage, his coaching track record is distinctly modest. Tunisia, partly of their own making, appear no-hopers in a group including Belgium, Russia and Japan, who will be guided by Philippe ‘White Witch doctor’ Troussier, an eccentric Frenchman who cut his coaching teeth in Africa. The ‘Carthage Eagles’ followed the African tradition of panicking when results turn sour and, by firing his assistant, left vastly experienced French coach Henri Michel with no option but to resign and open the door for two unknown locals. Cameroon are regular qualifiers for the World Cup and have gone further than any other African nation, reaching the 1990 quarter-finals in Italy before bowing to England after extra time in a five-goal thriller. Roger Milla was the unlikely hero then. Surprisingly recalled from semi-retirement on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, the striker provided the goals and the inspiration for victories over Argentina, Romania and Colombia. Goalkeeper Alioum Boukar, defender Rigobert Song, midfielders Marc-Vivien Foe and Lauren Mayer and strikers Patrick Mboma and Samuel Eto’o form a formidable spine for the present pride of Lions. But the opposition is formidable. Germany may be at a low ebb by their lofty standards and the Irish infrequent World Cup performers, but African hopefuls have traditionally come off a poor second best against European opposition. There will be no braver coach in the Far East than 64-year-old former schoolteacher Adegboye Onigbinde, who axed long-serving midfielders Finidi George and Sunday Oliseh from the Nigerian squad. In doing so, he changed course dramatically as, in the past, coach after coach succumbed to political and media pressure ahead of major tournaments and recalled big names, irrespective of fitness or form. Onigbinde succeeded Amodu Shaibu after the ‘Super Eagles’ could finish only third two months ago behind Cameroon and surprise packets Senegal at the Nations Cup in Mali. He will be encouraged by wins in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland and, in almost any other group, Nigeria would have a chance. But against Argentina, England and Sweden, even their best is unlikely to be good enough. Just reaching the finals was an amazing achievement for Senegal as they topped a pool including Morocco and Egypt, countries with far more impressive World Cup pedigrees. Most Senegalese watchers will have their sights focused firmly on El-Hadji Diouf, who stands out in any crowd with his closely cropped, peroxide blond hairstyle. France-based Diouf was recently voted African footballer of the year, much to the annoyance of favourite and Ghanaian defender Samuel Kuffour, and his winner at home to Morocco was ultimately critical. South Africa went to France four years ago dreaming of the second round, but a three-goal hiding by France set the tone for a disappointing tournament as draws with Denmark and Saudi Arabia led to an early exit. Several of the squad remain, including goalkeeper Hans Vonk, defender Lucas Radebe, midfielder Quinton Fortune and striker Benni McCarthy, a continual disappointment since being voted best player at the 1998 African Nations Cup. However, Bafana Bafana (The Boys) can ill afford the loss through an ankle injury of captain and leading scorer Shaun Bartlett, and even a relatively favourable draw may not be enough to see them through. Tunisia performed disastrously two months ago at the Nations Cup, failing to win or score a goal before departing the scene, and nothing has happened since to suggest they can succeed at a far tougher level. Goalkeeper Chokri al-Ouaer was ruled out by a back injury, robbing the North Africans of crucial experience as they seek to improve on the 1998 World Cup when they fell to England and Colombia before holding Romania. Defenders Khaled Badra and Tarek Thabet, Midfielders Kais Ghodhbane and Zoubeir Beya and striker Adel Sellimi form the backbone, but it may prove too brittle and three losses loom. AFP
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Henry ready to stamp his class Paris, May 22 Raw talent saw a then 20-year-old Henry score three goals in ‘Les Blues’ triumphant march to victory last time around but it was not enough to earn him a place in France’s starting line-up for the final. Used as winger by coach Aime Jacquet, no-one thought Henry could possibly be the answer to France’s goal-scoring problems up front. A disastrous move to Juventus following the World Cup appeared to bear out Jacquet’s doubts, with Henry out of sorts and out of the team at the Turin Club. But rescued from his Juventus nightmare by Arsenal, Henry rediscovered the spark that had been missing. The glorious confirmation of Henry’s talent came when manager Arsene Wenger decided to play him as a striker. Electric pace and exemplary technique saw him terrorise defence in the English Premiership and by the time of Euro 2000 Henry had secured his place as France’s first-choice centre-forward. He finished this season as the tops corer in England, with 24 goals and as Wenger said “for someone who was initially convinced that he is not a typical goal scorer, that is amazing.” Wenger, who has played a crucial role in nurturing Henry’s talent, believes his protege is the finest forward in Europe. “Some strikers who have not scored for a while make you play as if you have 10 men but with Thierry it’s always as if you have 11 as he provides so much. “For me, Thierry is the best there is, I wouldn’t swap him for anyone.” Henry’s blossoming has also coincided with the development of his friend and former Monaco team-mate David Trezeguet. While Henry struggled at Juventus, Trezeguet has flourished and is now France coach Rogar Lemerre’s preferred choice in the central attacking role. There is no chance of Henry being left languishing on the bench this time around, however, and if anything he is even more dangerous in his current role, roaming from flank to flank and popping up through the middle. “I’ve never seen a player in France like him. He is able to do everything,” the legendary Michel Platini enthused after Euro 2000. Henry was involved in a rare moment of controversy this season when he had to be restrained from confronting referee Graham Poll in the wake of Arsenal’s 1-3 home defeat to Newcastle in December. He was later suspended because of the incident but finished the season on a high with plaudits raining down again. “It’s great to hear what the manager and other people say about me,” Henry said modestly. “But I can still improve my game and would never start thinking I’m the best.” AFP
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Cole ready to follow in Pele footsteps
London, May 22 Twenty-year-old Cole is three years older than Pele was when he appeared in his first World Cup, and his manager at West Ham Glenn Roeder believes the talented midfielder is ready to make a name for himself on the international stage. “There are always one or two new faces or surprises at a World Cup, someone who goes into the finals and has a tournament which nobody was really expecting,” Roeder said. “You could make a case that Joe, at 20 years old, will be one of those players. “If you go back long enough to the days of black and white pictures, you will find Pele first made an impression at the age of 17 in the 1958 finals in Sweden. “At every World Cup you will probably find there was a young, fairly unknown player, who had a starring role in the tournament.” If given a chance by coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, Cole could follow in the footsteps of another inspirational England midfielder, Paul Gascoigne. ‘Gazza’ was only 23 when he made his name on the world stage at Italia ’90 with a string of stunning displays. Many believed the tournament had come too early for Gascoigne, but he showed maturity beyond his tender years to become one of the stars of the World Cup. Blessed with impudent skill and a creative touch he helped England all the way to the semifinals, where they lost to Germany in a penalty shoot-out. However, Roeder is reluctant to liken his young star to ‘Gazza’, now in the twilight of his career and who finished last season at first division side Burnley. “Other people will compare Joe to Paul Gascoigne, but I don’t believe in comparing players from different eras,” he said. “The only similarity in my opinion is that they both like to run with the ball. “Joe has played in all midfield positions for us this season — wide right, wide left, or in the centre in a 4-4-2. People said you cannot trust him in a 4-4-2 but he has proved them wrong because he is versatile.”
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Rebel Nakata can be Japan’s saviour
Tokyo, May 22 The first Japanese player to establish himself in one of Europe’s top leagues has spent most of the last two seasons on the bench at AS Roma and Parma. But that has not prevented him from taking centre stage in crucial games. At Roma, his performances in the 2000-01 championship run -in helped clinch the club’s first league title in 18 years. Most memorably, Nakata came off the bench to score one goal and make another as Roma overturned a 0-2 deficit to earn a draw with Juventus that was seen as the decisive game of the season. It was not enough to prevent Nakata being offloaded to Parma last summer and, with his new club struggling, it has been another frustrating season for the Japanese star. But once again he came good when it really mattered, his away goal securing Parma’s victory over Juventus in the two-leg final of the Italian Cup. The bigger the stage, the better Nakata seems to perform. At France 98, Japan lost all three of their matches but their 20-year-old playmaker still caught the eye, a shock of dyed red hair making sure the watching scouts did not miss his evident vision, remarkable speed on the ball and his pinpoint passing. Perugia saw enough to gamble $3.5 million to bring the 1997 and 1998 Asian player of the year to Italy. Two years later they sold him to Roma for $ 26 million. That Nakata has not only survived but thrived in the pressure-cooker environment of Serie A for four years is testimony to a fierce individualistic streak that, as much as his exploits on the field, has helped make him a national icon. At school he was a talented mathematics student and thought one day he might become an accountant. But he was always determined not to be shackled by the constraints of Japan’s salary-man culture. “In Japan, seniority is all important,” he recently told Time magazine. “It is a vertical society. You must constantly pay respect to the person above you. From the time I was a boy, I didn’t feel like this.” Nakata’s rebel spirit, his constantly evolving hairstyles, vintage jeans and rhinestone-studded sandals have made him a hero of Japan’s new generation of football fans, many of them girls for whom “Hide” is the last word in cool. His personal website gets more than a million hits a day in Japan alone. New Chinese and Korean-language editions were launched last year. His style has not always been to everyone’s taste however. Japan’s French coach Philippe Troussier warned earlier this year that Nakata’s “egotistical” attitude could cost him a place in the World Cup. But the Frenchman is also acutely aware that a moment of magic from Nakata could make the difference between first-round survival and elimination and, as the tournament has grown closer, both men have been at pains to play down their differences. In a recent interview with AFP, Troussier made a point of praising Nakata’s resilience and his status as the team’s leader. “In four years playing abroad, he’s never been injured and he has the human, tactical and physical potential we are looking for,” he said. Nakata, meanwhile, has been working hard to prove himself a dedicated team player, taking time out to work with the likes of Alessandro Santos, a Brazilian-born winger drafted into the squad just months after obtaining his Japanese citizenship. AFP
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India hope to cash in on heat factor New Delhi, May 22 The winners of the three-match series will qualify for the 10th Women’s World Cup to be held in Perth (Australia) from November 25 to December 8 this year. Though the US team arrived to a quiet welcome in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, the intimidating security checks and the cocky attitude of the Indian Women Hockey Federation (IWHF) officials added a jarring note to the US women’s first practice session at the National Stadium here this evening. The tough and powerfully built US women project an intimidating picture in comparison to the ‘undernourished’ Indian women, but when the two teams last clashed in an international match, in the Champions Challenge Cup in South Africa in February this year, it was honours even as the teams battled to a one-one draw. India hope to cash in on the heat factor in Delhi to upstage the US in the three-match series, but US coach Tracey Belbin, a former Australian international, who was a member of the Australian gold medal winning team in the 1988 Olympic Games at Seoul, said that her team would take “each game on merit” though she admitted that the soaring Delhi temperature will be one of the deciding factors in the final outcome of the series. Tracey Belbin, who has played international hockey for Australia for over 10 years before becoming a professional coach to land up her present lucrative assignment as the US coach, pointed out that the strong points of the US team were speed and the strength of the players, and their rather flawless record in penalty corner conversion. Captain Tracey Fuchs, the half back, who is the most capped player in the US team with 210 internationals behind her, and full back Lucas Antoinette with 152 internationals, are the penalty corner specialists. But the US coach has also been quite impressed with the traditional, oriental style of hockey played by the Indian girls when they met in the Champions Challenge Cup in South Africa. Tracey Belbin, who hails from Queensland, has very rich experience as a player, which includes the Olympic Games and the World Cup. She quit international hockey in 1993, to take up coaching. She was attached to the Australian team and the South African squad, before moving onto the US. The US team has come from the cold of New Zealand where they played a a four-match series, winning two, drawing one and losing one. But before going to New Zealand, the US women had played in a six-nation tournament in Japan and ended up last. Hosts Japan mauled them 6-1 in the opening match, then Korea beat them 1-0, lost to Russia 1-2 before chalking out a 2-0 victory against Germany. The well-tuned up US women may pose a formidable challenge to the Indian eves in their own back yard in the play-off matches, which were earlier scheduled to be held in January this year. The US had refused to come to India then as the state department had supposed to have advised them that the situation was “not normal” to travel to India. US could not take part in the World Cup qualifiers held in France in September last year following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11.
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Gopi to spearhead Indian challenge Hyderabad, May 22 The other members of the team: Men: Abhinn Shyan Gupta, Nikhil Kanitkar, Markose Bristo (all from Petroleum Sports Board), Sachin Ratti (Railways), V. Diju and Sanave Thomas (both Kerala). Women: Aparna Popat, B. R. Meenakshi, Sruti Kurien, G. Jwala (all PSB), Trupti Murgunde (Air India), Ch Deepti and Neelima Choudhary (both AP). Chief national coach S. M. Arif and L. d’Sousa (Railways) would accompany the team as coaches.
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Coaching camps from June 1 Chandigarh, May 22 Haryana Olympic Association General Secretary M.S. Malik said here today the coaching camps had been jointly planned by the HOA and the department in a meeting held at Karnal. The HOA had emphasised on scientific and result-oriented coaching to the probables for achieving better results in the coming National Games, he added. |
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PJA AGM Chandigarh, May 22
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