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Friday,
September 6, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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England heading for huge
total
Chetan Sharma writes Tendulkar presented salver Run-up to Sachin’s 100th Test — 3 |
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Australia made to work by Kenya
India clash with Korea today
TT meet results National karting
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England heading for huge total London, September 5 Vaughan hit a near-chanceless unbeaten 182 for his third century of the series as England closed out day one at 336 for two after electing to bat. India, who are angling for their first series win outside the subcontinent in 16 years, had a pretty ordinary day in the field as the celebration of Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th Test appearance turned into despair. The bowlers unable to trouble the Englishmen and the fielders put up a sloppy performance. In contrast, England batsmen made merry throughout the day with Vaughan and comeback man Marcus Trescothick putting up a solid 98-run stand for the opening wicket at a blistering pace. It set the momentum for the remaining day which saw Vaughan and Mark Butcher being associated in a 174-run partnership for the second wicket. The two successes coming India’s way were claimed by Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh. Zaheer Khan sent back the dangerous looking Trescothick for 57 while Harbhajan Singh dismissed Mark Butcher for 54. But Vaughan, who had scores of 100 and 193 earlier in this series, continued to haunt the Indians and put up another fine partnership with John Crawley. The two have so far added 64 runs for the third wicket with Crawley unbeaten on 16. England captain had no hesitation on electing to bat on a surface that did not have much pace or bounce and was well suited to batting. With the Indian bowlers not entirely disciplined, both Vaughan and Trescothick indulged in attacking strokeplay and were off to a flying start. Boundaries came almost at will and for the first hour and a half, England were scoring at nearly five runs an over. Indian captain Saurav Ganguly tried all his bowlers in short spells but not one could make much of an impression. With not much bounce in the pitch, the short-pitched deliveries were promptly despatched to the boundaries. Ajit Agarkar was especially guilty on this issue and was taken for three fours in an over by Trescothick, all off short balls. Ironically however, it was a bouncer that got rid of Trescothick sometime later. The England opener, playing his first match of the series, miscued a hook shot against Zaheer Khan and Sanjay Bangar came up with a well-judged catch at deep square leg. Trescothick, who played even though his thumb injury had not healed completely, batted for 100 minutes and faced 76 balls while hitting nine fours. Vaughan, who was reduced to playing second fiddle by the power hitting of Trescothick, came into his own after the dismissal of his opening partner and took charge. He slipped into the role of Trescothick and toyed with the Indian bowling attack even as Butcher took his time to settle down. England (1st innings): Trescothick c Bangar b Zaheer 57 Vaughan batting 182 Butcher c Dravid b Harbhajan 54 Crawley batting 16 Extras: (b-8, lb-12, w-1, nb-6) 27 Total (for 2 wkts, 90 overs) 336 Fall of wickets: 1-98, 2-272. Bowling:
Zaheer Khan 15-1-49-1, Agarkar 15-1-72-0, Bangar 14-3-31-0, Harbhajan Singh 22-3-76-1, Kumble 20-7-80-0, Ganguly 2-0-4-0, Tendulkar 2-0-4-0.
PTI
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Chetan Sharma writes It wasn’t the kind of day the Indians had bargained for. In a single day’s play, the advantage of victory in the third Test evaporated in thin air as England set about their task of going from strength to strength. India were unlucky to lose the toss but it was their unimaginative bowling against a resurgent England batting which turned the tide against us. The key to Indian performance in the last Test was discipline and patience and today, the team displayed none of the two qualities. I think they were expecting too much to happen in the first session, just the mistake England had made at Headingley. Saurav Ganguly pulled Zaheer Khan out of the attack when he had just bowled four overs this morning, replacing him with Sanjay Bangar. Now when the ball is new and the Test has only started, a medium pacer needs time to settle down. Ganguly was guilty on this count as he didn’t give Zaheer a spell long enough to warm himself up. Our bowlers were also trying too many things when all they needed to do was to bowl straight without giving batsmen any runs. Instead they kept on experimenting, giving away too many loose balls. Once the batsmen were set, they could dictate terms according to their will. At the same time, I must say Michael Vaughan has come of age. This was his third century of the series and looking at his past record, this achievement is really incredible. He is a sweet timer of the ball and he kept on playing his strokes once he realised the pitch wasn’t very difficult to bat on. But Indians allowed Marcus Trescothick, who had been out of cricketing action for about two months, to find form straightway. It wasn’t sensible cricket by the Indians considering the background. England’s total is gaining dangerous propositions and they have shown that they are going to play positive cricket in this Test. Whereas all the pre-match discussion was about India winning the series, England skipper Nasser Hussain quitely worked his team into the groove. From here, there are more chances of India running around to save the match than England. The Indians cannot afford to lose heart at this stage. They had a bad day and they should think about the mistakes they made. Eveything is not lost for them and if they can pick up wickets tomorrow morning and dismiss England around 400-425 there will still be something for them to play in this Test.
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Tendulkar presented salver
London, September 5 Though his team-mates deliberately kept it low key in keeping with Tendulkar’s wishes, they took turns to greet the maestro at the team hotel on the morning of the fourth and final Test against England at the Oval. “It wasn’t much different to what we usually have on a typical morning of Test cricket,” said manager Ranga Reddy. Tendulkar, who needs another 144 runs to become the first cricketer ever to score 20,000 international runs, was his usual modest self and thanked everyone for their gesture. “There was no such thing as Sachin getting on to the bus first or being the first to get down at the Oval,” Reddy said. Ganguly, however, made the moment special by presenting Tendulkar with a silver salver — with all the team members’ autographs inscribed on it - just before the team took the field against England. The formal function to celebrate the moment though took place at the ground when Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president Sharad Pawar presented a plaque to Tendulkar on behalf of Cricket Club of India whose president Rajsingh Dungarpur was at hand to greet the little genius. Praveen Barve, vice president of the MCA said, the state association, along with the Indian Cricket Board, would celebrate the occasion in a big way during the first home Test against the West Indies in Mumbai in October. Tendulkar became the 26th cricketer, and the fourth Indian, to reach the milestone of playing in 100 Tests. Tendulkar, who at 29 years is the youngest ever to play 100 Tests, needs just 68 more runs to complete his 1000 runs for the year for only the fourth time in his illustrious career. Previously he managed the feat in 1997 (1000 runs from 12 Tests), 1999 (1088 from 10 Tests) and 2001 (1003 from 10 Tests). Tendulkar is currently 153 runs shy of scoring 500 runs in the present series, something which he hasn’t done before and only 190 runs short of relegating Vivian Richards of West Indies (8542) to the seventh spot in the all-time list of run- makers.
PTI |
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Run-up to Sachin’s 100th Test — 3 The year 1989 was crucial for me because I had just moved from the country into Sydney to play first-class cricket. That was the time I heard of a teenager called Sachin Tendulkar who had burst on to the scene and was being anointed as successor to the great Sunil Gavaskar. Three years elapsed and after a century at Perth, he was being earmarked as the next best thing to Sir Don Bradman. Australia is a country where they love sportsmen of high quality, and I have no doubt that outside of India, you will find Tendulkar’s greatest admirers among my countrymen. His centuries in Sydney and Perth in India’s 1991-1992 series at age 19 ensured that his career would be one that all cricket lovers in Australia would follow closely. Interestingly, I did not witness either innings, but many of my team-mates who did swear that it was batsmanship of the highest quality — high praise for a bloke who had not celebrated his 20th birthday. By the time I made my international debut Tendulkar was already being counted among the best batsmen in the world. Most bowlers knew that his was the crucial wicket in an Indian batting line-up that boasted of many talented batsmen. I enjoyed some beginner’s luck against the little man when I first bowled against him. It was at Sharjah in 1994 when I first claimed Tendulkar who chased a short ball and pulled it straight to mid-wicket where Mark Taylor took the catch. It was not a brilliant ball but the jubilation among my team-mates made me realize it did not matter. When Tendulkar is out, you don’t quibble about the means, you just celebrate the end result. That was the first of many contests we have had. It is interesting to note that every India-Australia match is heralded as a Warne vs Tendulkar duel. This has worked to my advantage because I am away from the spotlight and this has helped me get the champion’s wicket on quite a few occasions. However, I have by no means got Tendulkar’s number and I think the scoreline of our encounters is 50-50. I might have a slight edge in Australia, but in India Tendulkar is truly unstoppable. I have never made a secret of the fact that I rate Tendulkar the best batsman in the business. As far as I am concerned he is technically the most sound player I have ever bowled to. Add to that the manner in which he plays, always trying to dominate the bowler. Among his contemporaries, Steve Waugh, Brian Lara and Inzamam ul Haq are often compared to the little maestro. Each has his trademark but Tendulkar combines all of their qualities to make him the best of the lot. Steve is all about determination and making the bowler earn his wicket. Inzamam possesses a good eye and his lazy elegance makes him one of the best players to watch. Lara has flamboyance, and when he gets in, he always scores big centuries. But Tendulkar possesses determination, a good eye and has a very high rate of consistency as far as centuries go. This puts him on top of my list along with Waugh. Mind you, Steve is at the top by virtue of his performances in the last nine years, that is between age 28 and 37. Tendulkar has just entered that phase of his career. As I have mentioned earlier, Tendulkar and I have had many interesting encounters. Of these I rate his dismissal at Adelaide as the most controversial one so far. It may be recalled that Tendulkar, anticipating a bouncer, had ducked into a ball that kept low, and was hit on the shoulder. Umpire Daryll Harper had no hesitation in giving the batsman out, lbw. I did feel for Tendulkar because I had meant to bowl a bouncer, but the ball had pitched on an odd spot and kept really low. Since Tendulkar is not the tallest guy around and because he was not offering a stroke, he was out in my opinion. Had he been standing up, the ball would have crashed into his pads and there would have been no controversy. But the world’s greatest batsman had been hit on the shoulder and commentators and journalists debated on the decision for the rest of the tour. The incident became infamous as the shoulder-before-wicket dismissal, but Tendulkar never made a fuss about it and went on to score a century in the next Test. Another interesting episode was during the India-Australia one-dayer in Kenya during the last ICC Mini World Cup. Tendulkar was really pumped up and was going after me from the start of the innings. For a change I was not doing the talking! The little champion was hitting me all over the place and giving me a verbal dose as well. I remember being hit for two sixes over my head, but what surprised me more was that Tendulkar, who is normally unflappable, gave me quite a mouthful between the two shots. I could tell he was really pumped up and determined to have a go at me. That was the first and last time I saw him take on a bowler verbally. Even though we have played a fair bit of each other in the last three years, I have hardly ever spent any time with Tendulkar outside of a cricket field. Like me he has a son and a daughter though my kids are a little younger. From all accounts he is a family man like me who spends every minute he can at home. It’s not easy to be a cricket icon in India where cricketers are idolized more than film stars are. I can’t even start to think how I’d have coped with the kind of attention Tendulkar draws. That is what makes his humility and patience with fans even more admirable. Tendulkar now has 30 centuries in 99 Tests, which makes it a 100 in a little over every three Tests. Assuming he plays another 70 Tests — that is the bare minimum knowing what the itineraries are like these days — he will score 20 more centuries. It’s not just a mathematical deduction that makes me certain he’ll get 50 hundreds — I’ve bowled to the man in almost all parts of the world and I am convinced that for him the impossible number is attainable. (Gameplan)
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Australia made to work by Kenya Nairobi, September 5 All-rounder Shane Watson hit an unbeaten 77, including two sixes, to secure victory with five balls to spare after Kenya had scored a spirited 204 for nine. Australia, who rested several players for the game and also juggled with their batting order, play Pakistan in Saturday’s final. Off-spinner Nathan Hauritz was the other main man for the world champions, taking four for 39 off 10 overs. Watson stepped up after Australia lost Jimmy Maher and Michael Bevan, both to pace bowler Thomas Odoy, in the space of three runs to leave them on 27 for two. Watson, though, put on 79 with Andrew Symonds for the fourth wicket to secure the result. After winning the toss, Kenya put on a spirited performance, Maurice Odumbe scoring a 54-ball 55 batting at seven to claim the man-of-the-match award. He hit seven fours. Kenya: Otieno lbw b Watson 21 Obuya b Bichel 0 Kamande b Lee 5 Patel run out 42 Tikolo lbw b Warne 35 T. Odoyo c Maher b Hauritz 11 M. Odumbe c Hayden b Hauritz 55 Obuya c Symonds b Hauritz 9 Ongondo c Hauritz b Hauritz 2 Suji not out 7 Onyango not out 1 Extras
(lb-6 w-8 nb-2) 16 Total (9 wickets, 50 overs) 204 FoW: 1-1 2-32, 3-46, 4-111, 5-119, 6-161, 7-193, 8-195, 9-202. Bowling: Lee 7-2-19-1, Bichel 7-1-22-1, Watson 9-1-38-1, Symonds 8-0-33-0, Warne 9-0-47-1, Hauritz 10-0-39-4
Reuters
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Agassi, Hewitt to clash in semifinals
New York, September 5 Hewitt is 4-2 lifetime against Agassi, having won three in a row and four of six over the 32-year-old American. Hewitt beat Agassi at last month’s Cincinnati quarter-finals, in March’s San Jose final and at the 2001 Masters Cup. Hewitt’s 52 match victories this year equal Andy Roddick for the most in men’s tennis and his four titles match him with Agassi and Carlos Moya for the ATP lead. “I’m playing well,” Hewitt said. “I’ve played a lot of hard matches under pressure. That gives me a lot of confidence.” Two-time US Open winner Agassi beat 32nd seed Mirnyi in their first meeting six weeks ago in the Los Angeles semifinals and withstood 19 aces from Mirnyi here by hitting 76 winners and converting six of 17 break points. Mirnyi became the first man of the fortnight to swipe a set from Agassi when he claimed the tie-breaker. Agassi saved two break points on his own serve but Mirnyi smashed a service winner that Agassi could only deflect into the net. “The first set I let slip away,” Agassi said. “I had a couple of opportunities. The second set he donated a few opportunities back to me. At one set all, I stepped it up a little bit, which I thought I had to. Venus downs Seles Defending champion Venus Williams overwhlemed former world number one Monica Seles to reach her sixth consecutive US Open semifinal, where France’s Amelie Mauresmo awaits. Second seed Williams routed sixth seed Seles 6-2 6-3 in just 57 minutes here yesterday after Mauresmo ended host-nation hopes for an all-American final four by ousting Australian Open champion Jennifer Capriati 4-6 7-6 (7/5) 6-3. Williams, seeking her third Flushing Meadows title in a row, is 4-0 against Mauresmo, including triumphs last February in Paris and Antwerp semi-finals. But Mauresmo has earned respect with her second consecutive Slam semifinal trip. Sania-Isha duo wins HYDERABAD: Scoring a thrilling victory, Sania Mirza and Isha Lakhani of India entered the pre-quarterfinals of the US Open junior doubles championships. The sixth-seeded pair beat Sarah Fansier and Allesandra Jordan of the USA 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in a 150-minute marathon encounter. The Indians came from behind after losing the first set 4-6 and was 2-3 down in the second set to record a memorable win. After missing a set point in the second, Mirza and Lakhani showed a lot grit of clinch the tie-breaker and went on to win the third set 6-4. The Indians will now play another American pair of Jennifer Heinser and Alex McGoodwin, who beat Nicole Leimbach and Alexandra Podkolzina 6-3, 6-3, according to a press release.
AFP, UNI
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India clash with Korea today Cologne, September 5 Coach Rajinder Singh had rightly put the India-Pakistan match in perspective when he said. “I am more concerned in winning as many matches in this Champions Trophy to equal if not better our best result of 3rd place. Today I am very happy that all the boys from the Junior World Cup team played well against Pakistan,” he said here in Cologne. “It was the combined efforts of the great Dhanraj, skipper Dilip Tirkey and goalkeeper Chauhan and the younger players which won us the match yesterday,” Rajinder said before leaving to watch the matches today. Manager Aslam Sher Khan, who was a member of India’s World Cup winning side in 1975, said “The India-Pakistan match yesterday was as good as any that the best Indian sides have played. “The boys definitely made us proud in front of the Indians gathered from all over Europe and all those that watched it at home on TV.” The Indians now face a final match in the league phase against the Koreans tomorrow. The Indians have been going from strength to strength. Experts like the German coach Peters agree, “India is looking to be one of the best sides in this Champions Trophy and I am sure they will figure in the top three teams in this edition.” World champions Germany pulled off a 3-2 victory against Australia to cement a place in the finals of the six-nation Champions Trophy hockey here today. Down 1-2, the Germans thundered back with a Oliver Domke goal in the 67th minute and then snatched a dramatic match-winner through Matthias Witthaus with just four seconds to go for the hooter.” The fourth straight win put the Germans on the top spot with 12 points and ensured them a place in the Sunday’s final. The hosts will play their last match tomorrow against Holland. Australia, yet to score in the tournament, played their best game but just couldn’t keep the Germans away when it mattered, in the last few minutes. Taking advantage of a defensive lapse, Germany scored in the 11th minute when Sascha Reinelt trapped neatly just inside the circle to flick home in style. Australia equalised in the 27th minute through Jamie Dwyer. After dominating most of the initial play in the second half, Australia shot in a perfect penalty corner. Andrew Smith came up with a superb shot to beat the goalkeeper after three Aussie players had sold the dummy to the Germans defence. But with three minutes left in the game, Australia lost focus and let in Bjorn Michel, who tapped it forward for Dumke to run in and push for the equaliser.
PTI, UNI
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Gill praises Pillay for
superb show New Delhi, September 5 “Everyone in the team contributed. But Dhanraj was outstanding as ever. He has always been an excellent performer and he shone once again,” Mr Gill told reporters after the Asian Games torch lighting and relay ceremony here on Thursday. “So far the performance of the team has been satisfactory. Conceding goals in the last minutes is something we have to rectify. But the display give hopes for a medal at the Asian Games,” he said.
PTI |
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Asian Games torch lit
Seoul, September 5 One torch was lit at the summit of South Korea’s highest peak Mount Halla on the southern island of Jeju for a near month-long journey to Busan, the venue for Asia’s biggest sports festival, Asiad organisers said. The organisers said they believed, with no confirmation as yet, that a second torch-lighting ceremony had taken place on the Changun peak of Mount Paekdu on the border between North Korea and China. The Changun (general) peak is the North’s most sacred location and is the birthplace of North Korea’s late supreme leader Kim Jong-Il, according Pyongyang historians. The plan, devised by the Busan Asiad organising committee following inter-Korean talks, provided for the two torches to come together at the border truce village of Panmunjon in a ceremony on Saturday. Then a united torch would be carried by 7,457 people over 4,294 km to Busan for the opening ceremony on September 29.
New Delhi: The torch of the forthcoming Asian Games at Busan, South Korea, was lit by Vijay Kapoor, Lt-Governor of Delhi, and handed over to former Olympic athlete Gurcharan Singh Randhawa at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here today. Randhawa was joined by Olympic medal winner Karnam Malleswari as they relayed the torch together out of the stadium. The torch was carried around the city by Arjuna Awardees — Bhuvaneshwari Kumari, Manjit Dua, Ashok Kumar, Satish Kumar, Jaspal Rana, Khazan Singh, P.K. Garg and Sriram Singh — covering about 10km before being brought back to the stadium. It will remain there in a pocket warmer till September 22 when it will be taken to South Korea by the chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent. It was in this historic stadium that the first Asian Games was held in 1951 and its torch first lit. It was also here in 1997 when the Olympic Council of Asia was born and its flame still lies enshrined here. The Games torch itself was lit by bringing these two flames together by IOA president, Suresh Kalmadi, and the OCA Secretary General, Randhir Singh. PTI
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TT meet results Abohar, September 3 Results: junior boys (under 14) singles; 1. Harish Balana 2. Abhinav Dahuja, doubles: 1. Harish Balana and Harleen Singh, 2. Ratandeep and Amandeep, Junior girls (under 13) singles 1. Harkanwalpreet 2. Ginny Nagpal, Double: 1. Minti Bansal and Niyati Chugh 2. Ginny Nagpal and Sarvpreet. Boys (above 14) singles: 1. Gurpreet Singh 2. Ashutosh Double: 1. Ashvtosh and Gurpreet Singh, 2. Surender and Sahil. Girls (above 13) singles: 1. Minti Bansal 2. Niyati Chug, Men (singles) 1. Manish Sharma 2. Mukesh Rajoria Doubles: 1 Mansih Sharma and Laykesh 2. Mukesh and Sandeep Rajoria, Lucky double: 1 Gurpreet Singh and Ashutosh, 2. Harcharan Singh and Jawahar Bhandari Veterans: 1 Jawahar Lal Bhandari 2. Harcharan Singh. |
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National
karting New Delhi, September 5 Announcing this at a press conference here today, Marketing Director, JK Tyre, T.K. Banerjee, said the championship would witness the introduction of specially customised genesis sport karts for the
participants, which would be carried across the nation. The championship which will be presented by Maruti Suzuki, will have Amaron Batteries and Indiatimes as sponsors. Another highlight of the championship this year is overhaul of championship rules. Against the earlier rules where the minimum age level started from 12 years, this year it is eight years. |
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London, September 5
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