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Friday,
June 7, 2002, Chandigarh, India
  
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Eto’o strike eliminates Saudis
Depleted
Senegal force draw |
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Germans
thrive under pressure President
Bush ‘encouraged’ by US victory Beckham
optimistic about spirit of youngsters England's captain David Beckham spins a ball on his finger during training in the Sapporo Dome stadium
on Thursday. England are due to play Argentina in their group F World Cup Final match on June 7.
— Reuters photo Spain
ready to settle score with Paraguay Chilavert
plays down ‘boast’ Make-or-break
match for Super Eagles
Maldini
warns Italy against complacency No more
faking, Rivaldo told What
they are saying at the World Cup
Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain reacts during his
quarterfinal match against Andre Agassi of the USA at the French Open tennis championships at the Roland Garros stadium
on Thursday. Rain
saves Kiwis India
‘A’ win series India beat South Korea
in hockey
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Eto’o strike eliminates Saudis
Saitama (Japan), June 6 The Saudis, beaten 8-0 by Germany on Saturday, put up much stiffer resistance against the African champions but were undone by a 65th minute Samuel Eto’o strike. Germany are top of group E with four points, the same tally as Cameroon but with a much better goal difference. Ireland, who have drawn 1-1 against both of them, are third on two points with the Saudis out of contention on zero. The victory kept Winfried Schaefer’s Cameroon side in with a good chance of reaching the second round, although they have a tough last game against the Germans. Saudi coach Nasser al-Johar said: “In the first match we were all shocked but today we showed more the real picture of the Saudi team.” “The Cameroon team are one of the favourites of the cup and have a great chance of going through to the next round.” “We promise to do our best in our final match (against Ireland) and say goodbye to the World Cup with a good picture.” The German-born Schaefer said: “We have to beat Germany. I didn’t really want it this way but it is now this way.” “Germany will be the favourites, of course, they have more experience, more great games (behind them).” “But I’m a Lion, I am coach of the Cameroon team and I really want to get to the second round...even against Germany.” Cameroon striker Patrick Mboma and midfielder Lauren both had headed efforts ruled out for offside but after a nervous start Saudi Arabia held their own in a tepid first half. Nasser al-Johar’s side improved after almost conceding a first-minute penalty, with the lively Nawaf al-Temyat going close several times. Striker Obeid al-Dossary, later carried off with a worrying-looking knee injury, headed over their best early chance after nine minutes. The Africans started the second half clearly invigorated by German coach Winnie Schaefer’s halftime talk, and substitute Salomon Olembe, Lauren and Raymond Kalla all threatened to break the deadlock. Al-Temyat hit back for the Saudis with a scintillating run and shot that was well saved by Boukar Alioum. But Cameroon deservedly grabbed their winner soon after when Eto’o raced on to a through ball and beat Mohammed al-Deayea, the Saudi captain in the absence of injured striker Sami al-Jaber, with a low finish. The striker celebrated his crucial winner by stripping off his shirt and running to embrace his blond-haired coach on the touchline. The match was a fascinating clash of styles between the Cameroonians who all play in overseas leagues and the Saudis who all turn out for teams in their homeland. Mboma said: “They surprised us. They played in a different way to how they did against Germany. They are not a bad team. We didn’t think they were and they confirmed it tonight.”
Reuters |
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Uruguay
hold 10-man France
Busan (S Korea), June 6 France, who lost their opening match 0-1 to Senegal, must now play for their World Cup survival against Denmark in Incheon on Tuesday, while the South Americans take on the west Africans the same day in Suwon. Denmark and Senegal both have four points after drawing 1-1 earlier in the day, while France and Uruguay have one each after this, the first goal-less match of the tournament. France’s challenge had suffered a huge setback when striker Thierry Henry was controversially sent off in the 26th minute for a challenge on Marcelo Romero and will miss the next match as will Emmanuel Petit who picked up a second yellow card.
Henry had lost the ball and slid in with a desperate two-footed attempt to win it back, prompting Mexican referee Felipe Ramos Rizo to reach for the red card to the disbelief of the Frenchman. But in the second half, France, seeking to avoid becoming the first World Cup holders since Brazil in 1966 to go out in the first round, overcame Henry’s absence to dominate. In a dramatic end to a game that neither team could afford to lose, Sylvain Wiltord was denied in stoppage time after being played in by Bixente Lizarazu and at the other end French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez kept the world champions in the competition with a superb stop with his legs from substitute Federico Magallanes. France, still playing without the injured Zinedine Zidane, had a frustrating night in front of goal. Striker David Trezeguet was denied at close range by Uruguayan keeper Fabian Carini after blasting a shot goalwards and Johan Micoud’s curling free-kick was beaten away by the ‘keeper. Trezeguet later threw his head back in frustration after rolling the ball just wide with 20 minutes remaining. He was replaced by the new star of French football, Djibril Cisse, in the closing minutes. The untried youngster injected pace to the attack and his shot in the closing minutes tested Carini. French right-back Vincent Candela, a first-half substitute for veteran defender Frank Leboeuf, almost caught out Carini with a clever lob and Marcel Desailly headed over the top despite being completely unmarked. Uruguay’s most potent attacking threat came from Inter Milan midfielder Alvaro Recoba. He wasted a golden second-half chance when he could only drive into the side netting after French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez had charged out of goal. Within minutes Uruguay missed another chance to take the lead, Sebastian Abreu heading just wide of the post and later driving another shot from a tight angle which Barthez collected easily. A timely tackle denied Trezeguet with 15 minutes left to play and the Uruguayans cleared the lines in the subsequent scramble. Trezeguet was thwarted again two minutes later and Micoud, occupying Zidane’s playmaking role, could do nothing with the rebound. Uruguay, who lost their opener to Denmark, showed their nerves as the first half deteriorated. The South Americans resorted to rash challenges and earned yellow cards for Romero, Pablo Garcia and Sebastian Abreu while Petit picked up a costly second booking of the competition. Petit it was who came closest to giving France a first-half lead when his curling free kick over the wall forced a lunging save from Carini after 35 minutes. The French midfielder Patrick Vieira twisted his ankle after Dario Silva’s boot made contact with his shin, yet Silva was not booked and Vieira limped back on to the field after treatment. Silva was eventually booked early in the second half for tripping Lizarazu and was later substituted by coach Victor Pua as it seemed he might earn a sending-off. Henry just missed Micoud’s curled pass into the penalty area after six minutes and Trezeguet was twice poised to score but was caught offside on each occasion. But after soaking up the early pressure, Uruguay eased back into the first half as Recoba began to run the midfield. Recoba’s powerful drive was deflected by Lilian Thuram but Barthez managed to change direction and save with his right foot.
AFP  |
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Depleted
Senegal force draw
Daegu (South Korea), June 6 A superb goal by midfielder Salif Diao on 52 minutes levelled the scores for Senegal after sharp-shooting Jon Dahl Tomasson had put Denmark 1-0 up from the penalty spot after 15 minutes. The match left Denmark and Senegal, who stunned world champions France 1-0 in last week’s opening game, level on four points at the top of the group. France and Uruguay play later today and this result means a defeat for either side will see them eliminated from the tournament. A physical clash at the Daegu Stadium saw four Danish players booked while Senegalese goalscorer Diao was sent off 10 minutes from time by Guatemalan referee Carlos Batres for a dreadful tackle on Rene
Henriksen.
Earlier Diao, who is expected to complete a move from French side Sedan to Liverpool after the World Cup, had scored a contender for goal of the tournament. Henri Camara dispossessed Martin Jorgensen with a superb tackle near the Senegal penalty area and the ball was swept up-field through several players with lightning precision to Souleymane Camara. Monaco-player Camara threaded a wonderful pass to Diao, who finished deftly with the outside of his right foot past the advancing keeper Thomas Sorensen. The goal was just reward for Senegal coach Bruno Metsu, who opted for a more attacking line-up in the second half by bringing on the two Camaras in place of Pape Sarr and Moussa Ndiaye. As the second half wore on in warm late afternoon sun, Senegal took control, with their speedy forwards led by African Footballer of the Year El-Hadji Diouf keeping the Danes on their toes. The Senegalese should have gone 2-1 up after another swift breakout saw Diouf put Souleymane Camara through on goal in the 70th minute. But with only Sorensen to beat, Camara blasted his shot into the side netting. Earlier Tomasson gave the Danes the lead in a low-key opening half. A quick Danish thrown-in fell to the AC Milan-bound striker, who got goal-side of the Senegal defence inside the penalty area only to be brought crashing down by midfielder Diao. Referee Batres had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, and Tomasson picked himself up to bag his third goal of the tournament and 18th at international level. Senegal came close to equalising moments later, when Diao saw his header cleared off the line by Danish skipper Jan Heintze, before a shot on the rebound was ruled offside.
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Germans thrive under pressure
Miyazaki, June 6 There is a twist, though: no German team has ever failed to advance from the preliminary phase at the World Cup finals and that fact could multiply the pressure on Rudi Voeller’s men. “This is something we expected, an all-or-nothing situation in the last group match,” midfielder Michael Ballack said today. Germany would have been the first team to qualify for the second round had it beaten Ireland in a group E match last evening in Ibaraki. Instead, Germany conceded a goal in the closing seconds and was held to a 1-1 draw by the fighting Irish. When Germany left for the World Cup, no one back home harboured any illusions that the team could come back with its fourth World Cup title. The Germans have been struggling the past few years and the expectations were not very high. Reaching the second round was the team’s proclaimed goal. But the 8-0 rout of Saudi Arabia in the opening round whetted the appetite, despite Voeller’s warnings that much more difficult matches were coming up. “The disappointment is still great, I had a sleepless night,” the team chief said. “But life goes on and we now have to prepare for Cameroon.” “Our position is quite good. Many top teams would like to be in our position. We need a draw. We’ll rebound.
AP |
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President Bush ‘encouraged’
by US victory Washington, June 6 “The President is fully supportive of the USA soccer team, and was encouraged by their first round victory,” said Bush spokesman Scott McClellan yesterday. Earlier, chief Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said he didn’t believe that Bush had watched the match — the President normally has his intelligence briefings at the time when the game was broadcast here — but that he “noted” the win. “I assure you he has noted their victory and has already remarked on it,” said Fleischer. The President talked about how good the USA is at sports.” The US side came in to the finals as 300/1 outsiders.
AFP |
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Beckham
optimistic about spirit of youngsters
Sapporo (Japan), June 6 The eagerly-awaited clash is not just another chapter in the two countries longstanding and frequently bitter World Cup rivalry. It is also rich in sub-plots, not least of which is the way Beckham has bounced back from the ignominy of being ordered off when the two countries met in Saint Etienne four years ago and the subsequent experience of being made the scapegoat for England’s exit from the tournament. For a player who loves nothing more than to perform on the biggest stages, what better chance could there be to complete his redemption by leading England to victory over an Argentina team widely regarded as France’s
main rivals to win the tournament? As Beckham himself observed: “England against Argentina in the World Cup finals, it does not get much bigger”. “Everyone knows what happened the last time we played Argentina in the World Cup so it will be nice to go into this one and being captain makes it extra special.” How much Argentina’s victory on penalties four years ago meant to them was underlined by their jubilant celebrations after the match, when England’s beaten squad were jeered by Argentina’s players as they boarded their team bus. For the handful of current England players who were there that night, the Argentinians perceived lack of respect has stuck in the memory, adding an extra little twist to a contest that was hardly in need of spicing up. “That was painful to watch,” recalled Sol Campbell, the Arsenal defender who had what would have been a winning goal disallowed on that fateful night. “It was difficult for us because we knew we were so close. They were all enjoying themselves and those moments really stick in your mind. We very nearly beat them but it wasn’t meant to be, but we now have a chance to show what we can on Friday do and we’ll be ready.” Juan Sebastian
Veron, Beckham’s team-mate at Manchester United, has also not been adverse to throwing a little bit of petrol on the fire with veiled references to the two countries’ dispute over the Falklands islands in the south Atlantic which Argentina claims as its territory. “This match is about more than the men on the pitch —it’s also important in a historical context,” Veron said this week. Argentina’s “little witch” also has his own personal score to settle after a difficult first season in England in which he has been made the scapegoat for his team’s lack of silverware. Both coaches, Marcelo Bielsa and
Sven-Goran Eriksson, have sought to rise above the verbal sniping. Bielsa has been talking up his admiration for all things English while Eriksson, a Swede, has bluntly told his players that they must forget about notions of revenge and concentrate on the less glorious task of making sure they do not give the ball away as soon as they get it. Sloppy passing was England’s undoing in their opening match, when they let Sweden back into a match they appeared to have under control, and there are few teams in world football was likely to take advantage of that as Argentina. “We are aware of what went wrong against Sweden and we have worked hard to put it right,” said Beckham. “Now we have to take that into the game on Friday and prove that we can play football.” Whether England can do that could in large part depend on whether Beckham, who describes himself as 95 per cent fit, is really that close to full match fitness after a seven-week layoff recovering from his broken metatarsal bone. Against Sweden, Beckham looked sharp for the first half hour but faded badly before he was pulled off just after the hour mark. In the absence of Liverpool’s Steven
Gerrard, England are clearly short of a quality passer of the ball in central midfield to complement Beckham’s efforts on the right. But the England captain is optimistic that the spirit of the young squad can compensate for its technical shortcomings. “We were a good team in 1998 but I feel like the spirit in this team is better than any England team I’ve played in and also being such a young team they are not afraid to go out and play football and that is what we need to do.” England are expected to start Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer on the left of midfield and move Emile Heskey up front alongside his Liverpool striking partner Michael Owen. Roberto Ayala, Argentina’s regular skipper, is a doubtful starter following a thigh strain which kept him out of his side’s 1-0 win over Nigeria in their opening match.
AFP |
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Spain ready to settle score with Paraguay
Jeonju (South Korea), June 6 A strange quirk of fate at the World Cup finals draw last December put Spain in the same group again as Paraguay, after the two rivals had faced each other in the first round - and also in the second match - at France 98. “How times have changed,” has been the phrase on the lips of anyone associated with the Spanish camp who was also present on that dismal night in Saint-Etienne. In France, Spain lost their opening match to Nigeria and had to get a victory over Paraguay to retain a good chance of progressing but the South Americans were the better side in the encounter and unlucky to only end up with a 0-0 draw. This time around, Spain are on the crest of a wave after winning their first World Cup opening match in 52 years on Sunday, a convincing 3-1 triumph over Slovenia, and it is Paraguay who must go for the win after only drawing 2-2 with South Africa in their first match. “They (Paraguay) can definitely cause us problems, you only need to look at what happened four years ago, but things have changed enormously in this team since then, although one thing that has stayed the same is that it’s still three points for a win,” said Spain’s Miguel Angel Nadal. The veteran Real Mallorca defender, at 36 the oldest man in the Spanish squad, was at the last two World Cups and has followed Paraguay closely since the morale-damaging draw as several of their men, including the influential Real Zaragoza midfielder Toro Acuna, have played club football in Spain. “Roque Santa Cruz is their danger man, especially when they are counter-attacking. What we have got to do is hang onto the ball for the maximum amount of time,” added Nadal, referring to he old adage that possession usually wins games. Santa Cruz himself has added to the war of words instigated by their goalkeeper and captain Jose Luis Chilavert last week. Chilavert suggested that Spain had been lucky to qualify so easily and that they were internal disarray, allegations he has repeated almost daily since, much to the amusement of the Spanish squad. “We can beat anyone in the world, and that includes Spain,” said Santa Cruz bullishly on Tuesday. “Spain have good players but are still not very together as a team, and we also have players who can change the course in an instant,” added the Bayern Munich striker, who was one of the goal scorers against South Africa. “We threw away 50 per cent of our scoring chances against South Africa but we are still very confident we can qualify and the way to do it is to beat Spain,” added Francisco Arce, the other man to find the net on Sunday. If Deportivo La Coruna striker Diego Tristan and Celta Vigo defender Juanfran Garcia are fully fit after twisting ankles against Slovenia, then Spanish coach Jose Antonio Camacho is not expected to make any alterations to his winning combination. However, earlier this week, the Paraguayan coach Cesare Maldini admitted that he was toying with some tactical changes although he would not make any decisions over who will start until after training tonight. Chilavert is set to return after serving his four-match ban for spitting at Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos in a recent international, and his presence will be welcome after a less-than convincing display by his replacement Ricardo Tavarelli.
AFP |
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Chilavert
plays down ‘boast’ Chonju, June 6 “Clearly the Press is the same throughout the world. They make things up,’’ said
Chilavert. “Since I arrived in Korea I haven’t spoken to the Press so I don’t see how I could have said those things.’’
Reuters |
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Make-or-break match for Super Eagles
Kobe (Japan), June 6 The Super Eagles 1-0 defeat by Argentina in their opening game has left them facing certain elimination if they do not claim at least a point in the Kobe Wing Stadium. Sweden’s position is less desperate after a 1-1 draw with England but coach Lars Lagerback believes his side cannot afford to come away from the Nigeria match with nothing. “In a tough group like this, you never know what will happen,” Lagerback said. “But if we want to go through, I think it is important that we take at least a point from this match.” The Swedes have been encouraged by the way they came from behind against England to dominate the latter stages of the match. “Our second half performance against England has given us a lot of confidence,” said Celtic striker Henrik Larsson. Both sides have doubts over the availability of key players. For Nigeria Nwankwo Kanu is
unlikely to play, suffering from a swollen ankle and bruised ribs while Sweden’s skipper Patrik Andersson is struggling to get over a thigh strain. If Andersson loses his battle for fitness, Andreas Jakobsson will start in the middle of defence, as he did in Sweden’s opener. “Andreas did a very good job against England so I am not too concerned about that,” Lagerback said. “But, of course, Patrik is one of our most experienced players and our captain. If he is fit, it is very good news for our team.” Southampton’s Anders Svensson is expected to start for Sweden in the middle of midfield after his impressive second half display against England with his namesake Magnus making way. Kanu, who has emerged as the fulcrum of the Nigeria side in the last few months, had to go off early in the second half of the match against Argentina and is unlikely to play. Efe Sodje is also expected to miss out through injury. Greek-based Ifeanyi Udeze will regain his place after serving a one-match suspension while Qatar-based John Utaka and Rabiu Afolabi of Standard Liege of Belgium are also expected to make their World Cup debut. Since taking over in the aftermath of their failure to reach the final of the African Nations Cup in Mali at the start of the year, Nigeria coach Adegboye Onigbinde has rebuilt his side around Kanu. The prodigiously talented but inconsistent forward has been pulled back into a deeper role behind the young strike force of Bartholomew Ogbeche, (18) and 20-year-old Julius Aghahowa, and has become a much bigger influence as a result. Lagerback sees similarities between the Nigerian strikers and England’s Michael Owen and Darius Vassell — not something he will be too concerned about given the way his defence snuffed out the English pair. “In many ways, Nigeria play a similar style to England but they are more unpredictable. They have some very gifted players who can really do a lot of damage if we are not very careful.” A sudden rise in the temperature in Kobe this week could make life easier for the Nigerians. The match kicks off at a time when it is expected to be nearly 30 degrees.
AFP |
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Maldini
warns Italy against complacency
Sendai, June 6 Italy won their opening group G game 2-0 against Ecuador on Monday but Maldini said it would be a huge error for Italy to think that passage to the second round was in the bag. “We haven’t got to think that we have already done it,’’ left back Maldini, playing in his fourth World Cup, told reporters on today. “We had a good first game and we need to carry on like that.’’ Croatia disappointed in their first game in Japan, a 1-0 defeat to Mexico. Maldini recalled the European championship in England in 1996 when, after Italy had won their opening game against Russia, coach Arrigo Sacchi rested several players for the second game against the Czech Republic which the Italians lost 2-1. That result left Italy needing victory against Germany in their third group match and a goal-less draw meant the ‘Azzurri’ made a surprise early exit. “At Euro ’96 we underestimated the Czechs and that is an experience we need to remember,’’ said Maldini. The Croatians are the only team in group G to have beaten the Italians in the past, enjoying a 2-1 win in a European championship qualifier in Palermo in 1994, a game in which Maldini played. “They beat us at Palermo and they finished third in the World Cup four years ago so they are an important team that is full of international experience,’’ said Maldini, who is Italy’s most capped player of all time with 123 caps.
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No more faking, Rivaldo told Seoul, June 6 Rivaldo was fined 11,500 Swiss francs ($7,350) for faking an injury when Turkish defender Hakan Unsal had kicked the ball at him, hitting him on the leg. The Brazilian covered his face with his hands and fell to ground as if he had been seriously injured. Unsal was given a red card. “It is regrettable that a world class such as Rivaldo has to resort to this type of subterfuge,” complained Marcel Mathier, chairman of the disciplinary committee. “The referee had not been able to see the incident as clearly as the FIFA disciplinary committee, who on the grounds of the television images provided, could determine Rivaldo had faked when pretended to have been hit in the face,” he said.
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What they are
saying at the World Cup Seoul, June 6 “When those come off then you go from being a buffoon to one of the world’s great strategists” - relieved Irish coach Mick McCarthy on his late triple substitution which led to the equaliser against Germany. “They will show that the English are absolutely terrified, they are quaking in their boots” — Argentine legend Diego Maradona on Friday’s grudge match with England. “England against Argentina in the World Cup finals, it does not get much bigger” — England captain David Beckham looking ahead to the clash at the Sapporo Dome. “We’re lacking a leader, a voice on the field. Oliver Kahn is a world class player but he’s too far away in goal to sort things out” — German great Franz Beckenbauer breaks down his nation’s weakness. “No-one thought we could win this game and Portugal were the favourites on paper, but at the World Cup you have to win it on the field” — US coach Bruce Arena after his team’s shock 3-2 win.
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Ferrero, Safin in last four
Paris, June 6 Second seed Marat Safin swept aside France’s Sebastien Grosjean 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to reach his first
French open semifinal today. The Russian outclassed his 10th-seeded opponent throughout the 103-minutes. Corretja, the 18th seed and last year’s runner-up, had earlier booked his spot in just 12 minutes completing his match which had been spread over three days against Romanian Andrei Pavel. He will next meet 20th seed Costa, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final appearance on Tuesday. It is only the second time that Spain have had three players in the semifinals after Corretja, Felix Mantilla and Carlos Moya reached the final four in 1998. Ferrero booked his third straight semi-final here and will challenge Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean or second seed Russian Marat Safin for a place in his first Grand Slam final. The 11th seed Spaniard had built up a 6-3 1-0 lead against fourth-seeded Agassi in their clash which began early yesterday with only 36 minutes being played over two periods before it was halted by rain. It was the first meeting between Agassi, who at 32 years was the oldest player left in the tournament, and Ferrero ten years his junior and the youngest. But it was the young Spaniard known as ‘Mosquito’ because of his speed, who proved the swifter coming away 6-3 5-7 7-5 6-3 winner in 2hr 45min apparently unconcerned by an ankle sprain picked up in training. Meanwhile, proud new father Pavel drove through the night, made a round trip of 1400 km to see his new-born son, grabbed two hours sleep and then spent just 12 fruitless minutes on centre court.
The 28-year-old Romanian had made an emergency dash by car to his home in Borgholzhausen in Germany hoping to make it in time to see wife Simone give birth to their second child. On Tuesday night, the 22nd seed came off court trailing Corretja 6-7 (5/7) 5-7 5-4 in his first career Grand Slam quarter-final appearance which he was making at his 20th time of asking. Two hours later, after holding little Marius in his arms, Pavel then got back in the car and headed back to Paris, this time sharing the driving with his physio who had made the trip with him. Just three games and it was all over with Corretja going into the semifinals with a 7-6 (7/5) 7-5 7-5 win in a three hour 23 minute match. AFP |
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Paes, Bhupathi
among losers New Delhi, June 6 At Roland Garros, the third seed pair of Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi of Belarus were defeated in three tough sets 6-7 (1/7) 7-5 6-2 by the combination of Paul Haarhuis of Netherlands and Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia, according to information received here. In the other semi-final, the 14th seed pair of Paes and Tomas Cibulec of Czech Republic went down 6-7 (5/7) 5-7 to the second seed team of Mark Knowles of Bahamas and Daniel Nestor of Canada.
PTI |
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Rain saves Kiwis
Kingston, June 6 “We’ve probably been saved by the weather in this game. This is probably the best scenario for us,” said New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming after his team was skittled out for. Players and umpires had just re-taken the field for the West Indies innings at Sabina Park when the heavens opened. There has been criticism about staging five limited internationals and two Tests in the Caribbean during the rainy season. New Zealand: Fleming c R Hinds b Dillon 0 Astle c Hooper b Dillon 1 Nevin c Sarwan b Cuffy 8 McMillan c Gayle b R Hinds 69 Harris c Collins b Gayle 8 Vincent lbw b Cuffy 20 Styris c and b Collins 9 Vettori b Hooper 15 Tuffey c Chandrapaul b R Hinds 1 Bond not out 19 Hitchcock b Gayle 7 Extras (w-4, nb-5, lb-10) 19 Total (all out in 49.4 overs) 176 FoW: 1-1, 2-5, 3-14, 4-37, 5-104, 6-132, 7-134, 8-135, 9-155, 10-176. Bowling: Dillon 10-1-33-2, Cuffy 10-1-28-2, Collins 10-31-1, Gayle 9.4-2-27-3, Hooper 6-0-28-0, Hinds 4-0-19-2.
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India ‘A’ win series Dambulla, June 6 Chopra played a sheet-anchor role as the visitors chased a modest target of 224, but was out when victory was just two runs away. Indian bowlers had earlier helped the cause by restricting the hosts to 223. The picturesque Rangiri Dambulla Stadium, the centre of a controversy last year due to the Sri Lanka cricket board’s politics, was the real winner, as it was the only venue where cricket was possible while the monsoon set in early in the rest of the island. It hosted three matches in the expanded five-game series after the first two were washed away by rain. The India juniors emulated their seniors in a series that ran to the same pattern as the one-day series that India won recently in West Indies, frustrated initially by two matches being rained off, taking a lead in the third, surrendering it in the penultimate match and walking away with the honours in the decider. Chopra, who made an impressive 70 in the previous match, took the game away from the Sri Lankans, who got an early breakthrough when lively medium pacer Akalanka Ganegama broke through the reliable Gautam Gambhir’s defence. Chopra, who put on 49 with skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar, added 116 for the fourth wicket with Jai Prakash Yadav (55 off 52 balls, three fours and a six).
PTI |
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India beat South Korea
in hockey Melbourne, June 6 India, who were beaten 3-2 by Malaysia yesterday, bounced back with a fluent win over South Korea. Gagan Ajit Singh put the Indians ahead in the eighth minute and Tejbir Singh doubled the lead through a second-half penalty stroke after Korean Seong Hwan-Ji was penalised for touching the ball with his hand at a penalty corner. Tomorrow is rest day with play resuming on Saturday when South Korea face Malaysia and Australia play India in the final series of round-robin
matchs. AFP |
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Rain came to the rescue of the
tourists yesterday after a storm ended the first one-day international
cricket match between New Zealand and West Indies here at Sabina Park,
preventing the hosts chasing a modest target of 176.
