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Wednesday,
August 14, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Ganguly disappointed with bowlers Parthiv steals the show among giants
Expert comments: Ian Botham Contract issue may snowball into row |
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ICC confident about Zimbabwe Cup ties Match-fixing case: 2 discharged Norman enters second round Kournikova cruises past qualifier
Pak ‘main contender’ for Champions Trophy
Bhutia for Mohun Bagan POA seeks awards for sportspersons Haryana swimming
at Kurukshetra
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Ganguly disappointed with bowlers
Trent Bridge, August 13 “I don’t want to believe they are not capable of picking up 20 wickets but the way it is going, at some stage, we would have to think about our options,” Ganguly said. Indian bowlers conceded 617 runs to England at a rate of over four runs an over and it created a situation where the batsmen needed to play at the top of their form to draw the game. “Fortunately we stuck up pretty well and did what a team should do in a professional sport if your bowlers fail. It is the job of your batsmen to make up and vice versa.” Ganguly was disappointed with the indisciplined bowling but said as a captain he needed to support his men. “I would say we are a better side than what everyone has seen in this Test. As a captain, it can be hard on a cricket field but at the end of the day it is your team and you got to be behind them.” Ganguly then made a specific mention of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh who picked up three wickets but conceded 175 runs in the first innings. “He (Harbhajan) had an ordinary game by his standards as the wicket had something for him. But then he hasn’t had much cricket before this Test but for 15 overs against Worcestershire in a rain-affected game,” he explained. The Indian captain himself was disappointed with getting out on 99 on the last day of the Test yesterday but said he preferred to look at the brighter side of the game. “Obvisouly, to get out on 99 in a Test is disappointing but the good thing is that I could score that many in difficult circumstances”, he said. Ganguly didn’t fail to mention the positives which his team had from this game. “I think Sehwag has been a big plus. He has been asked to open the batting, he has never done that in his career and he played splendidly in both the Tests.” “Wasim (Jaffer) hasn’t done badly from the time he has come into the team. You have got to give young players some time,” he observed. England captain Nasser Hussain didn’t blame it on the weather for his side’s inability to force a win in the second Test. “We lost 60 overs from the game. The conditions suited us on the first day but we didn't quite pitch it up. We picked Dominic (Cork) ahead of Ashley Giles and in the end lost them both”, he lamented. “Dominic’s absence put a lot of extra load on Matthew Hoggard who bowled beautifully but without luck.” Hussain didn’t think he had made a mistake by not picking left-arm spinner Giles in the playing eleven. “The thing about spin bowling in England is that five wickets for a spinner doesn’t happen too often,” he said. The England captain gave credit to India for saving the Test and lamented that the wicket was flat on the last day. “But their top players, when they needed to come to the party, they came to the party”, he remarked. Hussain praised man-of-the-match Michael Vaughan’s off-spin bowling on the last day when he claimed the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar. “It is not just getting Sachin out, but the ball he bowled to get him out was something special.” Hussain also praised Andrew Flintoff for carrying on the bowling load despite carrying a groin niggle. “I think it is coming to a stage where we are beginning to get slightly unprofessional. You can’t keep playing him with a niggle”. “It would not happen in any other sport. But unfortunately, the list of injuries and Flintoff’s exuberance keep us picking him,” he added. PTI
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Parthiv steals the show among giants
Trent Bridge, August 13 The big three of Indian batting - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly - all performed brilliantly to enable India to hold England to an honourable draw in the second Test here yesterday. Between them they made 306 runs. But in the dying moments of the Test, it was a baby-faced, diminutive Indian who stole the show and the hearts of a big crowd and the hard-boiled English players. Parthiv Patel looks shorter than his 5 feet 3 inches and even younger than his 17 years. In fact, England captain Nasser Hussain thinks he is only 12! Yet for 82 minutes, he defied everything that England’s five fast bowlers threw at him to deny the home team even an outside chance to snatch a thrilling victory. The debutant wicket keeper made 19 unbeaten runs but from the praise he received from the captains of both teams, it would appear as if he had made 119 on his debut. Standing behind the Gujarati lad as he battled on was the England wicket keeper Alec Stewart, the veteran on the verge of his 40th birthday and old enough to be his father. In a game blotted in modern times by sledging, it was heartning to see not only Stewart pat Patel on the back and say plenty of encouraging words but also all the England players led by Hussain clap him as he walked back into the pavillion with the match drawn. Patel, the youngest ever wicket keeper in Test history, showed that he could indeed play with the big boys. “He (Patel) showed a lot of character in difficult time. When Harbhajan was out, I really thought we could lose the game”, Ganguly said about the youngster. “He fought on well and has done well for India in what is his only first Test,” he said. Ganguly said when the youngster walked past him on to the ground after he was out for 99 and returning to the pavilion, his only advice to Patel was to do his best. “He looks good with his batting and technique against fast bowlers. I hope he gets better and better in every game.” England captain Nasser Hussain was similarly effusive in his praise saying that he not only played well but showed no signs of nerves. “He not only played well but behaved impeccably as a person and showed no nerves. He just got on with his game and has been very impressive,” Hussain said. “I thought it was great for world cricket today with our young fast bowler Harmison running in to bowl at this lad. It is great for world cricket when you see these youngsters coming on though it may make us feel a little bit old,” commented Hussain. “It is especially great for Indian cricket and there must be people out there in India watching this, kids and all, who would get inspired. I hope India sticks with him, whether it is for this series or for the future,” he remarked. PTI
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Expert comments: Ian Botham Nasser Hussain tried very hard to win the Trent Bridge Test on the final day. However, three factors went against him: the weather, the mistake of keeping Ashley Giles out of the side, and most importantly, the resolve of the Indian middle and lower order. Hussain kept effecting bowling changes and moving fielders around, something that often annoys commentators but which I find perfectly acceptable. But the absence of a spinner in his ranks deprived him of the breakthrough he was trying so hard to get. Michael Vaughan bowled extremely well, but he can hardly be expected to spin his team to a win. The so-called chokers in India’s middle order showed they are not so brittle after all. I find it amazing that so many experts write obituaries after just one failure from batsmen of the caliber of Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly. Even Dravid, who did score some runs in the Lord’s Test was not spared the murmurings over whether he can pull his weight around when the chips are down. These “experts” are obviously not very good readers of the game if they cannot recognise class and ability when they see it. The second Test will give a lot of encouragement to the Indian team. Their top batsmen have come good, bating out 100-plus overs after being 11 for two in 12 balls. Sure, there’s plenty of work to be done in the bowling department — Ganguly’s comments prove he is aware of that — but at least the batting has come good in the last three innings. There are good tidings for the Indians as far as the wicketkeeper is concerned , too. I’ve seen a fair bit of the Indian team in the last 10 months and young Parthiv Patel certainly looks the most accomplished behind the stumps. His glovework is assured and he can be proud of his debut performance. One must remember that when Patel came in to bat on the fifth day, England could still have won the match. He batted for almost 90 minutes and showed plenty of grit and character during his vigil at the crease. If there is some good news for India after Trent Bridge, there’s plenty of it for England. Hussain’s men seem unstoppable at the moment. There is no arguing that they were always on top during this Test. Vaughan’s 197 was a majestic knock. He is obviously in a rich vein of form, and right now can put the ball away as well as anybody. Matthew Hoggard took a few steps more towards being reckoned as a frontline bowler for England, while Steve Harmison got better and better as the Test progressed. But for the time lost on the first and second day, England could well have gone 2-0 up in the series. Hoggard was very unlucky not to have got a caught behind verdict when Dravid edged one soon after lunch. That decision might just have altered the course of the match. India may have saved the game in Trent Bridge, but England certainly are favourites as the teams move to Headingley for the next Tests. (Gameplan)
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Contract issue may snowball into row New Delhi, August 13 ICC refused last night to change the marketing protection given to its sponsors which bars cricketers from endorsing any product which is potentially conflicting to the interests of the official sponsors for the ICC tournaments till 2007. The players are not supposed to endorse such products one month before and after the tournament. The reluctance of the players to sign on the dotted line has forced the cricket boards to withold the announcement of their teams for Champions Trophy. The Indian board asked its cricketers to reply on the issue by tomorrow while leading Australian players’ unions have advised their members not to sign the agreement. BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah told PTI that he would speak to Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and other cricketers before taking a decision and hoped that the issue would be resolved before the Friday deadline for signing the participating nations agreement for Champions Trophy. Shah said the players were unable to devote attention to the issue because of the second cricket Test against England. "The players have not been able to apply themselves to this matter due to the Test. They will go over the matter today, and we expect an answer from them tomorrow," Shah told PTI. A decision on the issue would be arrived at after taking into consideration the players’ reply, Shah said. He said "the decision will then be conveyed to ICC... We expect the process to be completed by Friday," the deadline set by ICC to confirm that all players selected for the Champions’ Trophy will abide by contractual obligations. Shah said the board was aware of the ICC deadline "but we know that Australia, England and Sri Lanka are also yet to sign the agreement". "As far as player’s individual endorsements are concerned they have to fall in step with the terms and conditions if they have to take part in the Champions Trophy and 2003 World Cup at South Africa," he added. Meanwhile, the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) urged its members not to sign the ICC agreement. "It isn’t about a money grab, it’s about a fundamental principle," ACA chief executive Tim May said in Sydney today. "A player is not being allowed to endorse any product or service where that product or service conflicts with that of an ICC major sponsor. That would mean a player would have to breach an existing contract and that’s not only unreasonable, it’s unlawful," May was quoted as saying by AFP.
PTI
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ICC confident about Zimbabwe Cup ties
Tangier (Morocco), August 13 South Africa is the main host of the tournament, with Kenya also staging some of the early games. Zimbabwe has been beset by internal problems since President Robert Mugabe introduced plans to evict white farmers from their land and after disputed elections held in March. “At this stage the matches are scheduled for Zimbabwe,” Speed said. He said there were “no plan to remove those games but we will watch the situation in Zimbabwe very closely as it develops.” Speed met government and cricket officials in Zimbabwe and said the government was very keen to hold the matches. Speed is here to attend the first international cricket event held in north Africa - the Morocco Cup, a one-day series involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Tangier Cricket Stadium has been suggested as a possible venue for the Test series between Pakistan and Australia, following the security fears of the touring Australian team. But Speed said it was unlikely the series would be held in Tangier because of difficulties preparing a pitch suitable for a five-day Test. “It’s one of venues being looked at, but I don’t think it’s the favourite venue at this stage,” he said. Speed said it was up to the Pakistani and Australian cricket boards to decide where to hold the series, but added that the Test matches should go ahead as scheduled. “I think it’s better if the series can be played when it’s scheduled to be played because that means there’s no vacuum now and, correspondingly, there’s no large volume of cricket in future years.” Foreign teams have stayed away from Pakistan since a bomb exploded in Karachi in May, killing 11 French naval technicians. New Zealand’s cricket team was about to leave its hotel in the port city for the second Test as the bomb went off. The Kiwis immediately cancelled their tour. AP
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Match-fixing case: 2 discharged
New Delhi, August 13 Discharging accused Rajesh Kalra and Kishan Kumar in the case, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) V K Maheshwari said “they are discharged in the case as ED has failed to file complaints against them within the two-year time frame.” However, they are still being investigated by Delhi Police for their alleged involvement in the scandal. The duo had moved an application before the court seeking discharge in the controversial case on the ground of ED’s failure to file complaints against them within the prescribed statutory period. They had also sought lifting of restrictions on their movements abroad, imposed on them during the investigation. The ED had alleged that the accused illegally transferred crores of rupees to accounts of some South African players in violation of Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) for having fixed matches at their instance. PTI |
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Norman enters second round
Indianapolis, August 13 The wild card entry beat Robby Ginepri 7-6 (7/0) 6-4 yesterday. The Swede, a former world number two who set a torrid title pace in 1999 and 2000 with 10 trophies in two seasons, is taking it slow and easy as he aims to regain a place in the tennis elite. In the night match, Germany’s Rainer Schuettler defeated Australian Mark Philippoussis 7-6 (7/2) 7-6 (7/4). After first-round defeats at the previous two Masters over the past fortnight, Norman is pleased. “I’ll do whatever it takes to come back. I’m not the guy who wants to sit around. I want to grind it out. I’m glad for this win, which helped my confidence a lot.” Norman now stands 6-11 this season. It was a year ago that he played his last event in Cincinnati before finally packing it and undergoing surgery in Memphis, Tennessee. But recovery was a battle in itself. “I was on crutches for three months. I couldn’t do anything with my leftleg for months. But now I’m back on court and proud of what I’ve done to come back. Washington: America’s Michael Chang, who hasn’t won a tournament since 2000, beat Britain’s Martin Lee 6-4 4-6 6-3 on Monday to advance to the second round of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. The 30-year-old Chang jumped to a 3-0 lead in just 11 minutes, but Lee fought back to tie it at 4-4. Chang then broke Lee’s serve to take the first set. “I’m just trying to change things around a little bit,” Chang said. “I had my opportunities, and I’m not getting any younger, so I might as well go for them. You’ve got to take it to these guys.” Chang trailed 4-0 in the second set and rallied to pull within 5-4, but Lee served out the set, finishing with an ace up the middle. “I think (in) the second set I lost my way a little bit. I hit a patch where I was making quite a few errors, but Martin started to play better in the second set too,” Chang said. “I think it was good that toward the end of the second set I actually had an opportunity to get back into the set. I think that helped me going into the third.” Jerome Golmard of France overcame a shoulder injury to beat 11th-seeded American Jan-Michael Gambill 7-6 (7/1) 1-6 6-4.
AFP/AP |
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Kournikova
cruises past qualifier
Montreal, August 13 Kournikova reached her third semi-finals of the season two weeks ago in San Diego. She beat then-No.18 Anna Smashnova in the quarter-finals, but fell to No.5 Jelena Dokic after holding two match points in the second set. A week before, Kournikova snapped a five-match losing streak in Stanford, where she reached the quarter-finals. She did not play last week’s event in Los Angeles. The 21-year-old Kournikova was out eight months last season with a broken foot, but has shown improvement since hooking up with new coach Harold Solomon, who helped revive Jennifer Capriati’s career. Before crossing the Atlantic, Elia had played in a pair of European claycourt events after reaching the third round of Wimbledon, losing in the second round in each. A trio of seeded players fell yesterday. Clarisa Fernandez of Argentina toppled No.11 Anastasia Myskina of Russia, 6-3 6-1. Alexandra Stevenson of the USA eliminated Smashnova, the 13th seed from Israel, 6-2 7-6 (7/4) and Spanish qualifier Virginia Ruano Pascual crushed No.14 Anne Kremer of Luxembourg, 6-1 6-0. AFP
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Pak ‘main contender’ for Champions Trophy
Islamabad, August 13 ''Pakistan are among a list of three or four nations who are being considered as hosts for the 2003 Champions Trophy by the International Hockey Federation (FIH),'' The News today quoted Khan as saying. He said Pakistan had given a bid for the tournament but there were a couple of factors still going against them. 'Security concerns are still high and then the FIH is also adamant that it will not change the dates of the tournament in July. “That means that it will be the peak of summer in the country at that time and conditions will not suit to teams coming from Europe,'' he added. Khan said he has told the FIH that weather should not be a problem for the competing nations because if Pakistan could compete in the event in ''freezing conditions'' than other teams should also be ready to play in hot weather in Pakistan. Pakistan were forced to brave chilly weather in Rotterdam last November when the Champions Trophy was shifted from Lahore to the Dutch city following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the USA. Khan also pointed out that only European teams — Germany and Holland — would face difficulty in playing in the Pakistani summer as other sides — Australia, Korea and India — would not be too affected by hot and humid conditions. Pakistan already has the rights to hold the 2004 Champions Trophy - launched by Pakistan in 1979 in Lahore - but showed interest in hosting it next year as it would be the event's 25th edition. Apart from Pakistan, Spain and Holland are the other nations who have shown an interest in holding the 2003 tournament. Holland have already played host to the previous two editions of the Champions Trophy. The 2003 edition was initially sanctioned to England but now up for grabs after the English Hockey Association was forced to pull out because of financial problems earlier this summer. The FIH bosses are likely to decide England's replacement sometimes during the Women's Champions Trophy to be held in Macau from August 24 to September 1. To a question, he said the PHF has already given the tentative dates of the 2004 Champions Trophy to the FIH. UNI
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Bhutia for Mohun Bagan
Kolkata, August 13 Bhutia, accompanied by senior Bagan officials, went to the Indian Football Association office here in the afternoon and completed the formalities much to the delight of a substantial number of club supporters who thronged the IFA premises. The nimble-footed Sikkimese, who became the first Indian footballer to play in the English professional league when he registered with second division side Bury FC three years back, was earlier presented the club’s number 15 jersey at a function in the Bagan tent. Bhutia, who would partner Brazilian upfronter Jose Ramirez Barreto lending an awesome look to the Bagan forwardline, said he had signed a one-year contract with Bagan in his maiden season with the national league champions. Speaking to newspersons, Bhutia said it was an honour to play for Bagan. “My association is in line with the core values of the team, spirit of the game and my love for the people of Kolkata.” Bhutia had last month sent a letter to the All India Football Federation seeking international transfer from Bury FC after the expiry of his three-year contract with the club. Incidentally, Bury has been relegated to the third division of the English professional league this season.
PTI |
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POA seeks awards for sportspersons Chandigarh, August 13 According to Mr K.S. Sidhu, secretary general of the association, it was a great honour for the state and therefore the sportspersons should be encouraged. Meanwhile, the secretary, Punjab Rifle Shooting Association, informed that the rifle of the ace shooter Abhinav Bindra got damaged in transit. He had impressed upon the secretary-general of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) Mr Baljit Singh Sethi, to allow the purchase of a rifle for Abhinav, for which he agreed. This will now help Abhinav to start regular practice in a few days. |
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Haryana
swimming
at Kurukshetra Chandigarh, August 13 Entries, which close on August 23 should be sent to Mr Randhir Singh, secretary-cum-treasurer, A-3, HSIDC Officers Apartments, Sector 14, Panchkula. Haryana teams (men and women) which will take part in the 56th Senior National Aquatic Championships to be held at Trichur (Kerala) from September 10 to 15 will be selected during the meet. |
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Gold medallists honoured Amritsar, August 13 |
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