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Thursday,
June 20, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Germany recapturing winning ways Senegal a perfect match for Metsu English defenders ready for game of their lives Brazil must attack, says
Ronaldo
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Pele fires Ronaldo back to greatness ‘Korea-mania’ scales new heights Italians graceless in defeat Spain plan to stay out of trouble Turkish miracle from ‘Hell’
Akhtar wrecks Aussies
Acid test for youngsters, Saurav BCCI to implement gradation
system New format for Ranji
Trophy Punjab, HP beaten Shruti in
semis Coaches’
clinic ends in Patiala
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Germany recapturing winning ways Sogwipo, South Korea, June 19 “We all stand closely together and we all share the same dream,’’ Germany captain Oliver Kahn said as the triple world champions were warming up for Friday’s quarter-final against the USA. The troubled heavyweights had entered the tournament with lower expectations than usual, coach Rudi Voeller naming the knock-out stages as their minimal aim after they struggled to qualify and then lost a handful of valued players through injury. Polls kept showing that many fans in the soccer-mad nation feared another early exit after the team disappeared from the last two World Cups in the quarter-finals and made an embarrassing departure after the first round of Euro 2000. “Many players in the team were at Euro 2000 and were eager to show that it was not the real Germany then,’’ said goalkeeper Kahn. “There are also several players who will never play a World Cup again and want to make the most of it. That’s a great motivation.’’ Just as that famous Gary Lineker phrase about football being a game between two teams over 90 minutes which the Germans win at the end no longer seemed to apply, the traditional powerhouse recaptured their winning ways and are now dreaming aloud of making the Yokohama final on June 30. “That’s what we all want and we all believe we can make it,’’ said midfielder Jens Jeremies, who had made unwanted headlines by describing the state of the national team as “miserable’’ in the build-up to Euro 2000. Germany’s run so far strongly suggests that they are a merciless winning machine again, like in the good old days. First came a record-breaking 8-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia, followed with a 1-1 draw with a battling Ireland side. Then they fought with 10 men for a brave 2-0 win over Cameroon before proving they could also win ugly like in the past with a sluggish performance for a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the second round. Few observers had expected such a campaign after Germany reached a depressing low with a 5-1 thrashing by old rivals England last September in Munich — their worst home defeat in 70 years and only their second in a World Cup qualifier. But that defeat and the dismal draw with Finland that followed left them facing playoffs against Ukraine which proved to be the turning point. At risk of failing to qualify for a World Cup for the first time, Germany salvaged a 1-1 draw in Kiev before sealing victory with a brilliant 4-1 win in the return leg in Dortmund. “The pressure we had to bear was enormous and the fact that we were able to cope with it brought the players closely together,’’ said coach Rudi Voeller. ‘’I think it has made us stronger.’’ Unity has ruled since and the internal squabbling that hampered Germany at previous major tournaments has been absent so far, as striker Oliver Neuville noted. “I’ve never seen such a good atmosphere in my entire career,’’ he said. “After the Ireland game we all went out for dinner and nobody wanted to leave. We were just happy to be together.’’ Team spirit alone does not win matches and the contribution of Miroslav Klose, the tournament’s revelation with five goals so far, has been crucial. Voeller, who had no coaching experience when he took charge two years but was immediately accepted because of his pedigree and calm authority, also played a decisive role with several clever training moves. “The coach has done everything right,’’ playmaker Michael Ballack said of the popular former World Cup striker. Having no genuine world class player except Ballack at the heart of their team and no true leader has not stopped Germany from surviving while several teams blessed with more talent are already home. “The best team do not always win the World Cup,’’ said Voeller, hinting Germany’s long-awaited revival might take them all the way to a fourth title.
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Senegal a perfect match for Metsu Osaka (Japan), June 19 In Senegal, he appears to have unearthed an entire squadful. Under the relaxed gaze of their long-locked French guru, Senegal have dazzled the 2002 World Cup with a series of stunning results. Undaunted by an opening match against holders France, Metsu's enterprising but disciplined side shocked the soccer world by winning 1-0. Since then, the World Cup debutants have proved that result was no fluke, holding experienced Denmark and Uruguay to draws and then beating Sweden in the second round. Blue-eyed Metsu is now staring at a place in African football history, if he can inspire his players to beat Turkey in the quarterfinals. ''Turkey could be very difficult but we are fighting for Africa,'' the 48-year-old said. ''We will do everything to become the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals.'' Metsu played for, among others, Belgian side Anderlecht and French team Lille before taking up coaching in 1988. Following spells at Beauvais, Lille and Sedan in France, took over as Senegal coach in October 2000. A host of European trainers have steered the fortunes of African national sides over the years, among them co-host Japan's coach, Philippe Troussier. Metsu set about raiding the French leagues for players of Senegalese origin and almost everything he has touched since has turned to gold. Senegal qualified for their first World Cup and reached the final of this year's African Nations Cup, where they lost to Cameroon on penalties. All that pales into comparison with Senegal's wonderful displays in South Korea and Japan, where their combination of European know-how and African flair has set them apart. At the moment 22 of Metsu's 23 players earn their club wages in France. That won't be the case for long after the World Cup, with Europe's top clubs already circling the squad. Striker El Hadji Diouf and midfielder Salif Diao are both bound for English club Liverpool, while Henri Camara, the two-goal hero of the Sweden victory, seems unlikely to remain at Sedan for long either. That leaves Metsu himself, of course. European coaches in Africa have always been open to charges that they are there to exploit the local talent in order to better their careers. Media reports have suggested Metsu, who has married a Senegalese woman and has a contract until November 2003, may take up a lucrative coaching post in, of all places, Turkey, after the World Cup. He rejected the suggestion, though not without a degree of qualification. ''Not true'' he said. ''I'm remaining in Senegal at this stage.''
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Bush hopes for
USA-Senegal final Washington, June 19 “The USA and Senegal, as everybody may be aware, are in the quarterfinals and the two presidents said that they look forward to the two teams possibly meeting, which, of course, would be in the finals,” said Bush spokesman Scott McClellan. Although diehard US football fans — “soccer” fans here — have packed bars where games are shown live from Japan and South Korea, Bush has shown little interest in the US team’s stunning progress. He called the squad to wish them luck against Mexico — who they beat 2-0 — and earlier declared himself “encouraged” by a 3-2 victory over Portugal in the first round. However, aides have yet to disclose whether or not he watched any of their games.
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English defenders ready for game of their lives Higashiura (Japan), June 19 Centre-backs Sol Campbell and Rio Ferdinand will bear the brunt of the onslaught in Shizuoka. “We’ve got to play the game of our lives, really, to win the game,” Campbell told mediapersons at England’s Awaji Island training camp today. A free-scoring Brazil, the top scoring team of the tournament with 13 goals, are likely to use forwards, midfielders and defenders to strike at the heart of England’s
defence. Ronaldo and Rivaldo, both former FIFA World Player of the Year winners, are both on the scoresheet in every game at these finals. They will be supported by the explosive
Ronaldinho, with playmaker Juninho running in from midfield and wingback Roberto Carlos hurtling down the left flank. “If we get the numbers right when we’re defending, there won’t be too many problems,” Campbell said. “But we have to understand what they’re trying to do and the movement.” Though underdogs against the four-times world champions, England will take heart from having already defeated another of the pre-tournament favourites in the first round. “We beat Argentina,” said Campbell. “That was a big game for us, and gave the whole squad the belief that we can do something.” “And that’s what you need — to win those big games and go on from there.” England’s defence are currently the best of the tournament with Germany — both teams having conceded just one goal each. England conceded their goal on a difficult road to the last eight, after surviving the Group of Death with Argentina, Sweden and Nigeria, and then hammering a highly-fancied Denmark side 3-0 in the second round. Sweden put the one goal past them in their opening game, which the two teams drew 1-1. Ferdinand believes the experience has prepared them for dealing with the likes of Ronaldo and
Rivaldo. “They’ve scored nine goals between them, which is a great achievement and it’s going to be a test for us,” he said. “But we’ve had a test every game. We’ve just got to make sure we take them on, step into every tackle 100 per cent and make sure we come out winners at the end.” Along with their work in the final third, the other key to England’s bid for a clean sheet against a team comfortably averaging three goals a game will be to break up their attacking manouevre in midfield. That responsibility will largely fall on Manchester United trio Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and skipper David Beckham, who must go about a difficult job without getting pulled out of position. “Once it gets to this stage, the quarterfinals of the World Cup, every player has got to be concentrating for the whole 90 minutes,” Beckham told mediapersons. “If we don’t, when you play against these sort of players, they can break away from you at any time.” Butt is on the same wavelength. “First and foremost you’ve got to get your shape and keep position and don’t get goals against you,” he said. “Brazil pass the ball very slowly and then are explosive up front...I think they will keep the ball, hope to try and get us out against them, and then get behind us using their pace up front.” A place in the semifinals against either Senegal or Turkey would be the reward for another tight defensive performance from England. A single lapse, against the most formidable strike force in world football, and the result could be a plane ticket home.
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Brazil must attack, says
Ronaldo Shizuoka (Japan), June 19 The tournament’s joint top-scorer with five goals said that it would be a mistake to adapt the way they play to counter the main English threat from David Beckham or Michael Owen. “We shouldn’t worry ourselves too much about how the English are going to play against us,” he said. “At the end of the day it’s up to us to go out there and win the match on the field.” “We must go on to the attack and keep them under pressure and not get too concerned about the players that are on the other side and what they are going to do to us,” said the Inter Milan forward. “England have made a lot of progress in the last few years. They have a talented midfield with good ball-winners and they are capable of quickly moving from one end of the field to the other.” “I think it looks like being a very open game and as for me what matters is that the team scores not that I finish as top
scorer.” Ronaldo has scored in every game so far and is progressively looking more like the player he was two years ago before he ran into a succession of injuries that sidelined him.
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Big Phil puts his own show from touchline Hamamatsu (Japan), June 19 Of the 32 coaches at the World Cup, none seem to live the tensions of the touchline with such intensity as Brazil’s Luiz Felipe Scolari, known to most of his compatriots simply as Felipao (Big Phil). A charming, likeable man off the field, Scolari — who has rescued Brazil from the doldrums and turned them into World Cup favourites — is transformed as soon as the referee’s whistle starts a game. His theatricals are a show in themselves, so much so that Brazilian television stations often keep a camera focused on him for the entire game. Yet the sanitised surroundings of the World Cup, combined with the responsibility of leading his country, appear to have taken the wilder edge off Big Phil. Back in his native Brazil, Scolari earned a reputation as a master of gamesmanship and for pushing the rules to their limits. When he was a club coach at Palmeiras, he was once accused of ordering the club’s ball boys to throw spare balls onto the field. The idea was to disrupt the opposition’s attacks as they pressed for an equaliser late in the match. Scolari was also a specialist in standing on the touchline and bullying referees and linesman, who are subject to political pressures behind the scenes in Brazil and are more easily intimidated than when the entire world is watching. On one of the occasions that Scolari was sent off for his behaviour, millions of television viewers witnessed him inviting the referee to settle matters in the car park afterwards: "I’ll wait for you outside, mate," he yelled as the touchline cameras homed in. Mediapersons were also fair game, and at least two complained that they have been punched by him in separate incidents. Brutally honest, Scolari publicly berated his players for not committing enough fouls and said his fellow coaches all did the same. "The truth is that I’m stupid because I tell the truth while the others lie," he said. Scolari has already been sent off since becoming coach of Brazil. During a Copa America match against Paraguay, Scolari celebrated a Brazilian goal by making an offensive gesture at the referee and was ordered from the bench. But in typical Scolari style, he wriggled out of having to watch the game from the stands. Instead, he hid on the stairs that lead down to the dressing rooms with only the top of his head above the surface and scuttled inside like a giant crab every time officials looked in his direction. Since then, he has mellowed so much that one reporter asked him what had happened to the old Scolari. "Do you want me to pull some faces," he replied, before insisting he was still the same. It is not just Scolari’s behaviour that has been transformed. As a club coach, Scolari had a reputation for turning workmanlike teams into title-winners through dedication, hard work and tactical obedience. When he picked his squad for the finals, Scolari said he wanted his team to be a family — from which veteran striker Romario, who has a reputation for being a disruptive influence, was left out. He is also protective of his ‘family’. He may give his players hell from the touchline but when the media criticises them, he defends them to the hilt. Scolari, however, has done something at the World Cup that he has never tried before in his career — gambled on the individual talents of his players. His Brazil team look excellent going forward and shaky at the back. But rather than a change in philosophy, Scolari is simply proving once again that he is a pragmatist who will use whatever method he considers most suitable to win a tournament — be it good, bad or ugly.
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Pele fires Ronaldo back to greatness Kobe (Japan), June 19 As Brazil sweep towards a record breaking fifth World Cup Ronaldo admits it was thanks to Pele that he was able to cope with two years on misery caused by serious injuries. Plagued by knee problems, Ronaldo was at his home in Brazil, recovering when he was visited by the greatest player to play the ‘beautiful’ game. "Pele told me that during the 1966 World Cup in England he got badly injured and that everybody told him he would be never able to play again," explains Ronaldo. "And two or three years passed and still nobody believed he would ever play at his best level again. But he did. He played in another World Cup in 1970. He won the World Cup, he was chosen the competition’s best player. Pele gave me the courage to perserve," he added. The change in Ronaldo is clear to see. The smile is firmly back on his face. He is enjoying being back on the world stage, attempting to wipe away the nightmare of Paris in 1998. But he admits that he suffered moments of despair as he sat on the sidelines. "Despair, at the begining. Because after a couple of very serious injuries like mine you are obviously very worried. But I never lost hope," he said. "We know when we begin our footballing careers that something like this can happen to us. We’ve had lots of examples of great players who were seriously injured but made a complete recovery." Ronaldo knows he is still a fraction short of peak condition, but every new match Brazil play takes him one step closer to what he hopes will be an appointment in the final on June 30. After being pulled off in their opening game against Turkey, Ronaldo admitted he was exhausted. He was clearly not fully fit then, lacking the extra yard of pace that characterised his game at his peak. But muscle toning in the gym and pool at their training camp in Ulsan and lengthy run-outs on the practice pitch have paid dividends. "It was great fun to run the entire 90 minutes," he said after Brazil’s 5-2 beating of Costa Rica. "There are many things we need to work on but in the game, it was a fun match to play," he said. "I believe I can now score a goal in every match. I feel great. "Although the coach had some initial worries I think I can now score more goals." Dubbed "The Phenomenon" in Brazil, and twice FIFA’s footballer of the year, Ronaldo said his confidence was running high and he believes Brazil have what it takes to win the World Cup for a fifth time. "I want to go to the final and I think the team is getting better," he said. "I believe we can go to the final match." Nothing would be sweeter for the 26-year-old than to follow a disaster, Brazil’s defeat to France in the 1998 final, with a World Cup triumph in 2002. Pele was taken out in ’66 and became champion four years later. Ronaldo plans to follow his idol.
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‘Korea-mania’ scales new heights Seoul, June 19 Hundreds of thousands of people, most of them teenagers or under 25, ran screaming through the capital after the golden goal winner from Ahn
Jung-hwan in the 2-1 upset of Italy yesterday. Up to four million people, most dressed in red T-shirts and headbands, had taken to the streets to watch the match on huge television screens erected in squares across the country. Fanatical home fans have been a characteristic of previous World Cups. But throughout the first tournament to be held in Asia fans watching these screens have created an atmosphere of fevered excitement usually associated with teenage pop bands. “It has been extraordinary,’’ FIFA communications director Keith Cooper said. “I remember well the public enthusiasm in 1986 at the finals in Mexico and people lining the streets. “But I think this has surpassed even that in sheer numbers.’’ At previous World Cups the streets have tended to be deserted during games as fans watched at home or in bars or restaurants. It was only after matches that wild celebrations began in public. Children as young as seven or eight were joining in the chanting yesterday night but the majority were teenagers or adults under 25. They jumped up and down shouting madly every time the Koreans got the ball near the opponents’ goal. When pictures of Korea’s coach Guus Hiddink appeared on the screen they screamed as if the 55-year-old Dutchman were a member of a boy band. There has been a curious discipline amid the madness. Hooliganism, a problem at previous World Cups, was nowhere in sight yesterday night. Alcohol was available but few people were drinking to excess. The drama of the football was giving them their kicks. “Last night proved that you can enjoy football and you don’t have to act violently or extremely,’’ Cooper said. In one square in Seoul, the fans, sitting hundreds of rows deep, were disciplined enough to sit down during the game so that everybody could see the screen, which was at least 100 metres away for those at the back of the throng. Many fans had stood in line before dawn to get their place in front of the screens. Now they must prepare for another emotional day on Saturday in Kwangju when the team play Spain. The whole nation will be transfixed again.
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Italians graceless in defeat Taejon (South Korea), June 19 Few of those attributes were in evidence last night as they slid out of the World Cup, beaten 1-2 by co-hosts South Korea in extra time. Coach Giovanni Trapattoni spent much of the match throwing touchline tantrums and complained afterwards that Italy, not the Koreans, should have gone through to the
quarterfinals. Raffaele Ranucci, the head of the Italian soccer delegation to the World Cup, suggested South Korea had used influence off the pitch to win and described the refereeing as a disgrace. The players were just as irate. They harassed Ecuadorean referee Byron Moreno after he sent off Francesco Totti in extra time and were still complaining long after the final whistle. Midfielder Angelo di Livio was particularly incensed, eyeballing the match officials on the pitch before he marched off to the changing rooms. Italian soccer has always had a fixation about referees which peaks during World Cup tournaments. But Ranucci’s comments were inflammatory even by Italian standards. ‘’Korea is a powerful country. It’s clear that they would have done something,’’ he told Italy’s RAI state television, without elaborating. ‘’I’ve never in my life seen refereeing that bad.’’ ‘’The referee was a disgrace. It was like something out of a comedy film.’’ At one point during the match Trapattoni turned and smashed his fist against the perspex window behind him, apparently furious with a FIFA official standing on the other side. ‘’I’ve seen certain things which have penalised us,’’ Trapattoni said immediately after the match. ‘’I’d say we’re going out with our heads held high but with a lot to be bitter about.’’ ‘’We had a player sent off — I don’t know why,’’ he said, referring to Totti’s dismissal for simulation, his second bookable offence. ‘’If there was to be one winner in this match I think it should have been Italy.’’ To be fair to
Trapattoni, he had calmed down by the time he spoke to reporters later and batted back a series of inflammatory questions from furious Italian journalists. Despite the
furore, it is difficult to see what the Italians found so scandalous in the refereeing of yesterday’s
match. Totti’s dismissal was harsh, but not unexpected in the light of FIFA’s vow to crack down on players going down in the box in search of penalties. Where the Italians had more cause for complaint was over a goal scored by Damiano Tomassi in extra time but ruled out for offside. It would have been the match winner.
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Spain plan to stay out of trouble Ulsan (South Korea), June 19 In their final group D game with Portugal on June 14, South Korea finished the game playing against nine men, and won their second round game against Italy yesterday after their opponents were reduced to 10 in extra time when Francesco Totti was dismissed. "We will try not to get any (yellow cards), but when you are playing you can’t dwell on that. If you get a yellow card, you have to watch out, and then the game takes its course," Spanish defender Carles Puyol said after a training session on Wednesday. Puyol declined to comment on any refereeing decisions taken in the World Cup so far, saying, ‘’Refereeing is difficult’’ The Barcelona player said his side were also prepared for the extraordinary vociferous support given so far by Korean fans in Saturday’s quarterfinal match in
Kwangju. "We know there is a lot of atmosphere when Korea play, which is normal for a home team. We will have to sidestep that and play our own game," Puyol said. The Spanish side had keenly watched yesterday’s Korea-Italy game, but had no preference over who they would face in the quarterfinals. "It was all the same to us. Both are tough teams," Puyol said. "We will have to play the way we know how, defending together and keeping the ball, which is how we can do them some damage and they can’t do us any," he added. "We have seen that they’re a good side which works very hard, runs a lot and fights to the very end. But we now have a few days to finish preparing for the Korea game." "I think the Spanish side is fit too, so I don’t think we need to change, although that depends on the coach." Asked about the own goal he scored in Spain’s group B match against Paraguay, which his team won 3-1, Puyol put it down to bad luck. "It was a chance move. I didn’t have time to react, the ball bounced off my foot and went in. It was bad luck," he said. "At first you’re not happy. The only thing to do is forget it and keep playing, because there is still a lot of the game left and you certainly can’t help your team-mates if you only think about having put the ball in your own net," he added.
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Turkish miracle from ‘Hell’ Miyagi (Japan), June 19 Eight of the starting Turkish line-up for their 1-0 second round win over Japan yetersday either play or have played for Galatasaray, and of those, seven were in the squad that lifted the 2000 UEFA Cup for the Istanbul side. Their success for club and country is something of a mirror of the West German 1974 World Cup-winning side which was built mainly around the Bayern Munich team of the mid-70s which won the European Cup from 1974 to 1976. If Emre Asik and Emre Belozoglu, both rooted in Galatasaray, had not been suspended, there could have been more than eight. As it was, Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Yildiray
Basturk, Aston Villa defender Alpay Ozalan and goalkeeper Rustu Recber, of Galatasaray’s arch-rivals
Fenerbahce, were the only Turkish players against Japan never to have worn the yellow-and-red strip of the side known to its fans as
"Cim Bom". Defender Bulent Korkmaz and midfielders Ergun Penbe and Hasan Sas are still with Galatasaray, who play at Ali Sami Yen, a dilapidated cauldron in the Mecidiyekoy area of Istanbul that fans affectionately call "Hell". Umit Davala has recently moved back there on loan from AC Milan after failing to secure a regular place in Italy. The rest have moved on to pastures new from the club that has often struggled to pay players despite making the second group phase of the Champions League and securing a record 15th Turkish league title last season. Right-back Fatih Akyel has even committed the sin of moving across the Bosphorus straits to
Fenerbahce, the big-spenders from the Asian side of the city who revelled in denying Galatasaray a fifth consecutive league title the season before last.
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Akhtar wrecks Aussies Brisbane, June 19 A late rally from Yousuf Youhana and Wasim Akram steered Pakistan to 256 for seven wickets in their 50 overs — and the visitors then dismissed Australia for 165 in just 40 overs to clinch the series 2-1. “It was a total team effort,” said Pakistan captain Waqar Younis after the victory. Akram trapped Matthew Hayden, returning to the Australian team after the birth of his first child, for just five, to give the visitors a bright start — and the Australian batsmen never really recovered from the early setback. Scoreboard Pakistan: Nazir c Warne b Lehmann 66 Anwar lbw Warne 26 Youhana not out 61 Inzamam lbw Warne 13 Khan c Gilchrist b Gillespie 2 Latif c Gilchrist b Bichel 2 Mahmood run out 6 Afridi run out 14 Akram not out 49 Extras (4lb, 11w, 2nb) 17 Total (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 256 Fall of wickets: 1-94, 2-108, 3-133, 4-136, 5-139, 6-153, 7-168. Bowling: McGrath 10-3-48-0, Gillespie 10-0-43-1, Bichel 8-0-47-1, Watson 5-0-46-0, Warne 10-1-42-2, Lehmann 2.3-0-7-1, Martyn 4.3-0-19-0. Australia: Gilchrist run out 20 Hayden lbw b Wasim 5 Ponting b Shoaib 14 Martyn c Saeed b Shoaib 10 Lehmann b Shoaib 0 Bevan c Rashid b Shoaib 10 Watson not out 44 Warne b Afridi 31 Bichel c Shoaib b Afridi 0 Gillespie lbw Shoaib 0 McGrath c Rashid b Waqar 3 Extras (b-9, lb-7, nb-7, w-5) 28 Total (all out in 40 overs) 165 Fall of wickets:
1-17, 2-44, 3-44, 4-52, 5-65, 6-83, 7-140, 8-142, 9-142. Bowling: Wasim Akram 7-0-27-1, Waqar Younis 8-0-41-1, Shoaib Akhtar 8-1-25-5, Azhar Mahmood 7-0-26-0, Shahid Afridi 10-2-30-2.
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Acid test for youngsters, Saurav Chandigarh, June 19 But things might be different in England. For one, the conditions in India were totally different from what the visitors will encounter in the island nation. Secondly, India will be greatly handicapped by the absence of seasoned pace bowler Javagal Srinath, who announced his retirement from Test cricket immediately after returning from the tour of the West Indies last month. More important, the hosts have just completed a 2-0 win over formidable Sri Lanka and this alone is enough indication that India might well find the going tough in the Test series which commences with the first match at Lord's from July 25. And to add to India's woe is the fact that the seasoned Darren Gough, who missed the series against Sri Lanka due to injury, is expected to return to give further fire power to an attack which had caused a lot of problems to the Sri Lankans. Prior to the Test series India are scheduled to take part in a triangular one-day series which will also see Sri Lanka in the fray. India have not won a Test series outside the Indian sub-continent since their 2-0 victory in England in 1986. Will history repeat itself this time around? A difficult question to answer. Last month India returned home after losing a five-game Test series in the West Indies 2-1 after leading 1-0. What India seemed to lack in the series in the West India is consistency both among the top-order batsmen as well as among the front-line bowlers. However, it must be added that India bounced back to win the limited-over series 2-1with the first two matches being washed out. How skipper Saurav Ganguly galvanises his young team, specially his fast bowlers, to rise to the occasion remains to be seen. This series could well prove to be an acid test not only for the youngsters in the squad but also for the captain in the team's run-up to the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. The England batsmen have traditionally struggled against left-arm pace and this is the best opportunity for Zaheer Khan as well as Asish Nehra to prove that they have attained the maturity and class which should make them permanent fixtures in the Indian squad in the years to come. They might miss the reassuring presence of someone like Srinath at the other end but then this is the time for these boys to grow up into men. Indian players normally struggle to come to terms with the seamer-friendly conditions as well as with the cold weather in England. But the one thing which can work to India's advantage is the fact that in the latter half of the English summer the conditions may well suit the spinners and in Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh India have two bowlers who are among the best in the business and can cause enough problems to the English batsmen. And both these Indians have to prove a point or two and what better place can it be than England. |
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BCCI to implement gradation system Kolkata, June 19 The players would be divided into four categories - A1, A, B and C, with players giving “extraordinary performances” being put in A1 and paid a retainership amount of Rs 75 lakh annually. Those in A, B and C categories would be paid Rs 60 lakh, Rs 30 lakh and Rs 15 lakh annually respectively, board President Jagmohan Dalmiya said after a crucial working committee meeting here. “To be selected in the A1 category, a player will have to perform extraordinarily,” Dalmiya said. “But these are mere proposals. We will take the final decision after consulting the players once they return from the English tour,” he said. The match fees would be doubled if India defeated a higher-ranked side while for a victory against a lower-ranked team, the players would be provided a bonus of 50 per cent of their match-fees. However the board also proposed to dock match fees by 50 per cent in the event of India finishing on the losing side. “This reduction of match fees will be applicable for matches against any team because you are not being paid to lose,” Dalmiya said.
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New format for Ranji Trophy Kolkata, June 19 As per the new structure, 15 teams, three from each of the five zones, would be placed in the elite ‘A’ division of the Ranji trophy, and 12 teams in the ‘B’ division, BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya told a press conference here. “The teams in the ‘A’ division would compete with each other on league basis and the team with the highest points will be adjudged Ranji trophy champions,” Dalmiya said. Similarly, the teams in the ‘B’ division would play a league and the team emerging leader on points would be declared `Ranji Plate champion’, he said. However, the final details of the entire format would be worked out by the Board’s Tour, Programme and Fixtures Committee next month. Every year, three lowly placed teams of ‘A’ division would be relegated to the ‘B’ division, while the same number of top sides in the lower tier would move up to the elite division.
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Bharati’s no to India-Pak series New Delhi, June 19 Cricket will have its role during the time of peace but one could not expect both the countries to play together in such a volatile situation, according to Sports Minister Uma Bharati.
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Punjab, HP beaten Pondicherry, June 19 Results: Boys: Maharashtra b Himachal Pradesh 56-8, Orissa b Delhi 56-23, Andhra Pradesh b Punjab 40-21, Gujarat b Jammu and Kashmir 24-8, Mizoram b Tripura 29-8. Girls: Chhattisgarh b Delhi 27-8, Chandigarh b Orissa 15-9, Andhra Pradesh b Jammu and Kashmir 22-4, Delhi b Gujarat 31-2, Punjab b Rajasthan 41-5, Andhra Pradesh b Uttaranchal 30-5.
UNI |
Shruti in semis New Delhi, June 19 Shruti faced a stiff resistance from Geeta in the first set but cruised past her in the second to set up a semifinal clash with fourth seed Radhika Tulpule, who registered a convincing 6-0 6-2 victory over Liza Pereira in another quarter-final match. Top seed Sheethal Goutham, however, had to battle it out with Archana Venkataraman for a place in the last four. Sheethal, after conceding the first set, had to play near perfect tennis to win the next two sets before carving out a 4-6 6-4 6-1 victory. She will take on third seed Ankita Bhambri for a place in the final. Ankita demolished Medini Sharma 6-2 6-1 in the fourth quarter-final.
PTI Chandigarh, June 19 Coaches of athletics, boxing, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, gymnastics, hockey, judo, swimming, tennis, wrestling, weightlifting, table tennis and volleyball participated. The clinic was divided in two batches. The first batch ended their schedule on June 14 while the second batch reported on the same day and was relieved on June
17. Kartar Singh, Director, Sports, Punjab, expressed his gratitude to the experts of SAI and the NIS in making allout efforts to acquaint the coaches with the required and latest techniques and to impart latest knowledge to all the attending delegates. Eminent
sports personalities who paid the visit during the coaches clinic
included Brig. Labh Singh, a former Asian gold medallist and Olympian
in athletics; Dr P.C. Kashyap, Regional Director, SAI, Chandigarh; Mr
K.S. Kang, President of the Punjab Archery Association; Mr GS Anand,
Regional Director, SAI, NIS, Patiala; Dr Hardial Singh and Dr G.S.
Bawa, according to a press note issued by Mr R.K. Rishi, District
Sports Officer, Patiala. |
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