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Sunday,
November 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Expert comments Vivian Richards |
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Chetan Sharma writes
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Yousuf Youhana steers Pak to 7-run win
JCT go
down to Salgaocar BSF,
Punjab Police to clash in semis
Refreshing
break for CM in bridge Stage set
for volleyball nationals Chandigarh,
HP defeated in soccer
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Depleted India face tough task Vijayawada, November 23 ‘YAGNA’ HELD
Vijayawada The sides are locked 3-3 and they have everything to play for tomorrow. West Indies would be desperate to salvage some of their pride after the battering they received in the three-match Test series while India, braving the absence of key players, would be keen to keep their record at home, as well as their impressive run in the shorter version of the game this year, intact. Rahul Dravid, the stand-in Indian skipper in the absence of
Saurav Ganguly who has been rested, has another record to keep into account. He has won all the three one-dayers that he has skippered and would not like to break that trend in what promises to be a thriller of a contest. Though Dravid played it down as purely “incidental” saying it was too early to read much into it, he admitted that he was keen to keep the slate clean here as well. “Its just been three matches. So we can’t read too much into it. The fact is that we have been batting quite well in this series. I think we have a very good chance of winning the decider,” he said. But Dravid knows the task would be far from easy as the side is without batting mainstay Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan. Also, they would have to counter an increasingly aggressive opponent. West Indies have surprised even the cynics by their performance in the one-dayers where they started as underdogs. They not only took a 2-0 lead in the series, but also gave India a run for their money in other matches as well. Their openers Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds have given the side a flying start more often than not and the side has gelled well as a team. Though the hosts have been plagued by inconsistency, the one thing that weighs in India’s favour is the fact that someone or the other has stood to the task and delivered the goods when it mattered to gift the side a victory. And the duo who has impressed all and sundry is Dravid and Sanjay Bangar, hailed by many as the revelation of the series for India. Undoubtedly, together they have provided the side with a heady mix of solidity and flamboyance. Dravid, enjoying a terrific season having completed 1000 runs in Test cricket, has worked on his one-day game and the result is there for everybody to see. It is surprising that he compares with the hard-hitting Gayle in this series with his strike rate. Dravid may not be thrashing sixes and fours but he has been quick between the wickets and has paced his innings well. Having led by example, it is only proper for him to expect his boys to peak in tomorrow’s final. The outcome of the match would depend a lot on the bowling attack of either sides. The first five matches were all high-scoring ones with the bowlers often reduced to watching the run-feast helplessly. Even a Mervyn Dillon or an Anil Kumble with all his experience behind him failed to trouble the batsmen on placid Indian pitches. While Dillon, reportedly nursing an injury, has not played in the last two matches, a woefully out of form Kumble has missed the last three. But the previous match at Jodhpur saw a departure from the trend and bowlers did manage to make a mark — Ajit Agarkar being declared the man-of-the-match standing testimony to the fact. West Indies skipper Carl Hooper admitted the pitch at Jodhpur had something in it for the bowlers and had they managed to bat out their quota of 50 overs and scored a 20-30 runs more, they were in with a chance of victory. But a West Indies victory would have meant a reversal in the trend that has seen teams batting second winning in the series. Given this trend, the toss would be vital tomorrow though the teams would like to be prepared for any situation in the all-important match. Both sides are expected to retain more or less the same playing eleven. India may drop Reetinder Singh Sodhi, recalled into the side after almost an year, after the all-rounder failed with the bat at a crucial juncture in the Indian innings. Though Sodhi did not get to bowl in the match, it is likely that India will include the more trusted bowler Harbhajan Singh. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik is certain to play after his disciplined bowling contributed to India’s victory in the fourth and sixth matches of the series. Teams (from): India:
Rahul Dravid (captain), Virender Sehwag, V V S Laxman, Dinesh Mongia, Sanjay Bangar, Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra, Sarandeep Singh, Parthiv Patel. West Indies:
Carl Hooper (captain), Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ricardo Powell, Ridley Jacobs, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Pedro Collins, Vasbert Drakes, Jermaine Lawson, Daren Ganga, Corey Collymore.
PTI |
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Expert comments Vivian Richards THE West Indies would have ideally wanted to come to Vijayawada after winning the series in Jodhpur itself. However, the pendulum swung the other way with India ensuring that the hosts remained in the running. It’s good for cricket when a series is alive till the last match. It’s very rare to see that happen in a seven-match series, but since both teams seem to be sparring without being able to land the knockout blow, we now have a final on our hands. We have a few injuries in the squad with Mervyn Dillon yet to be fully fit. Germaine Lawson has joined the squad, and this means we still have some options in the bowling department even if Dillon is not available. I spoke to Carl Hooper and he said that the facilities and conditions are similar to the ones you find elsewhere in India. I guess both captains are too preoccupied with the business of finishing the series on a winning note to be worried about other stuff. The game at Jodhpur brought some sanity back into the series. The bowlers had the upper hand for a change and with the wicket being a little slow, bowlers from both sides varied their pace quite expertly. The bowlers felt that the slower they bowled the more effective they would be. Such wickets are the true test of a batsman. It tests your ability to adapt your style, restrict some strokes and also redetermine your target score. I think the West Indies batsmen took a little too long to figure it out and fell short of the ideal target by 30 runs. This was a little disappointing, but the bowlers did bowl well to make the Indians fight for their win. Once again both sides dropped crucial catches. This is one area that needs to be addressed by the management of both teams. We have seen for too many chances go down at important moments. Eventually, I think tomorrow’s match will be won by the team that manages and plans their innings better. The West Indies have played great cricket in the series so far, and if they do win tomorrow, they will be deserving winners. For the Indians the road has been much tougher than they expected, especially after trouncing us 2-0 in the Test. However, West Indies have been doing quite well in one-dayers this year, with a win over New Zealand before coming here. They will be very eager to win an away series before the World Cup. They are just one match away from claiming the TVS Cup. I known they can do it, but it remains to see whether India will allow them to.
(Gameplan) |
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Chetan Sharma
writes WEST Indies have done very well to reach a stage where they have an equal chance of winning the one-day series. If they win tomorrow, they would have created an upset of sorts because beating India in India is not the easiest of things. If the Test series was any indication, it was expected that India would make a clean sweep of the one-day series. But, I must say, the Indian team didn’t reckon with the fight West Indies put up. So, both the teams have much to play for in tomorrow’s final match at Vijaywada. I would back India to win the match and series but in one-day cricket you never know what can happen and when. The way the West Indies batsmen have batted in the series, they cannot be underestimated. Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan have been in tremendous touch and the Indian bowlers will be looking to make early inroads into their batting. It remains to be seen whether Javagal Srinath, Ajit Agarkar and Murali Kartik are able to repeat their showing of the Jodhpur tie. In my mind, I am clear that bowlers will decide the fate of the match. The side which bowls better on the day should win the match. India have found two able players who will now have to be given permanent roles in the side. Kartik has shown what a left-arm spinner can do to a side while Sanjay Bangar has been the silent hero of the series. He was a different player in the Test series but in the one-dayers he has come of age. His bowling has been steady while his batting in the late stages of the innings has been instrumental in India winning at least two of the three matches they have won so far. Both Bangar and Kartik are now on the verge of selection for the World Cup and credit for this goes to their hard work only. Rahul Dravid has been another player who has shown his class. Without any doubt he is the man every captain would want to have in his team because he is selfless. He is keeping wickets so that the balance of the team is not disturbed while his batting this year has been a revelation. Well done Dravid but you have to complete the task in front of you. |
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Aussies in control after Ponting’s 154 Adelaide, November 23 The Australians, who comprehensively won the opening Brisbane
Test by 384 runs inside four days, looked poised for another massive win
on the fourth day here on Sunday after declaring with a first innings
lead of 210 runs. Australia called a halt to their run spree at 552 for
nine late on a long, hot day in the field for England and then had the
tourists on the run in the 12 remaining overs. At stumps, England were
on the ropes at 36 for three with captain Nasser Hussain bowled by Andy
Bichel four balls from the end of the day’s play. First innings
centurion Michael Vaughan was 17 not out. Australia batted themselves
into an impregnable position on a baking day with Ponting scoring 154,
his fifth century in his last seven Tests. He shared in a record
third-wicket stand of 242 runs with Damien Martyn (95) to establish the
platform for some lusty hitting by Adam Gilchrist and Andy Bichel. Bichel
crashed 48 off 56 balls and the ever-dangerous Gilchrist smacked 54 off
67 deliveries with four fours and two sixes. Their eighth-wicket
partnership yielded 77 runs in 61 minutes. Gilchrist was throwing his
bat at everything when he was caught behind signalling an innings
closure by Steve Waugh in order to have a crack at the weary
Englishman. There was instant reward for Australia with Jason Gillespie
trapping Marcus Trescothick lbw for a duck and Mark Butcher (4) lasted
four balls before he fell lbw to Glenn McGrath in the third over leaving
England at 17 for 2. Just when England looked like they could negotiate
to stumps without further loss Bichel came on for his first over and
with his second ball clean bowled Hussain.
Scoreboard England
(1st Innings): 342 Australia (1st Innings): Langer c Stewart b
Dawson 48 Hayden c Caddick b White 46 Ponting c Dawson b White 154 Martyn
c Hussain b Harmison 95 S Waugh c Butcher b White 34 Lehmann c sub b
White 5 Gilchrist c Stewart b Harmison 54 Warne c and b Dawson 25 Bichel
b Hoggard 48 Gillespie not out 0 Extras (b-1, lb-17,
w-7, nb-18) 43 Total: (for 9 wickets dec, overs 139.2) 552 Fall
of wickets: 1-101, 2-114, 3-356, 4-397, 5-414, 6-423, 7-471,
8-548. Bowling: Andy Caddick 20-2-95-0, Matthew Hoggard
26-4-84-1, Steve Harmison 28.2-8-106-2, Craig White 28-2-106-4, Richard
Dawson 37-2-143-2. England (2nd innings) Trescothick lbw b
Gillespie 0 Vaughan batting 17 Butcher lbw b McGrath 4 Hussain b
Bichel 10 Extras (lb-4, nb-1) 5 Total (for 3 wkts in
11.2 overs) 36 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-17, 3-36 Bowling: McGrath
4-1-14-1, Gillespie 5-1-17-1, Warne 2-1-1-0, Bichel 0.2-0-0-1. AFP |
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Yousuf Youhana steers Pak to 7-run win Bulawayo, November 23 Youhana scored an unbeaten 141 off 147 balls with 13 fours and a six as Pakistan totalled 302 for four on a flat pitch after winning the toss and choosing to bat. Zimbabwe battled to 295 for nine with Andy Flower topscoring on 77 and Craig Evans hitting 68. The second game in the five-match series is in Bulawayo tomorrow. Yousuf Youhana confirmed his status as Pakistan’s top batsman in the first of five one-day internationals against Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club here today. He coasted to 141 runs against a hapless Zimbabwe in 147 balls and his classy contribution produced a total of 302 for four wickets which was almost certainly beyond Zimbabwe’s reach. It was Youhana’s highest one-day international score, beating his previous 129. With Shaheed Elahi, who stroked 53 from 69 balls, Youhana put on 126 for the second wicket and with Inzamam ul Haq he added a further 109. Scoreboard Pakistan: Taufeeq Umar lbw b Ervine 1 Elahi c Sims b G Flower 53 Yousuf Youhana not out 141 Inzamam-ul-Haq
c Blignaut b Olonga 55 Afridi c Evans b G Flower 4 Younis Khan not out 33 Extras:
(lb-4, w-10, nb-1) 15 Total: (for 4 wkts, 50 overs)302 FoW:
1-1, 2-127, 3-236, 4-241. Bowling: Blignaut 10-0-52-0, Ervine 10-0-71-1, Olonga 5-0-46-1, G Flower 10-0-33-2, Sims 9-0-49-0, Rogers 4-0-30-0, Evans 2-0-17-0. Zimbabwe: Campbell b Waqar Younis 4 Matsikenyeri c Kamran Akmal b Wasim Akram 1 A. Flower c Taufeeq
b Wasim Akram 77 G. Flower run out 0 B. Rogers b Waqar Younis 13 C. Evans run out 68 A. Blignaut c Shahid Afridi b Shoaib Akhtar 55 T. Taibu b Waqar Younis 35 S. Ervine run out 0 R. Sims not out 7 H. Olonga not out 13 Extras:
(lb-5 nb-4 w-13) 22 Total: (9 wkts, 50 overs) 295 FoW:
1-11 2-16 3-17 4-32 5-167 6-185 7-257 8-262 9-276. Bowling: Wasim Akram 10-0-57-2 (nb-2 w-7), Waqar Younis 10-0-50-3, Azhar Mahmood 9-0-48-0 (nb-2), Shoaib Akhtar 10-0-57-1 (w-4), Shahid Afridi 7-0-50-0 (w-1), Taufeeq Umar 4-0-28-0 (w-1).
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Tiger Woods’ dismal run continues Miyazaki (Japan), November 23 Woods posted a two-under par 69, but his inability to master the undulating greens at Phoenix Country Club at Mizayaki, southern Japan, may have cost him the chance of adding Asia’s richest tournament to his six victories this year. Local hero Yokoo fired three birdies and one bogey in a stiffening breeze to match Woods’ round of 69 to lead by a shot from Darren Clarke at 13-under par after 54 holes. “I was struggling to make pars on the front nine. The wind was giving me problems and I let my rythmn get too fast,” said Yokoo. “Tiger was hitting it good on the range and I expected him to make a run but it was Darren Clarke, which comes as no surprise as he is a good player.” Clarke had two eagles - including a seven-iron second shot to the par-four fifth that flew straight into the cup - in his six-under par 6 5 and is one ahead of Myanmar’s Zaw Moe, with Spanish ace Sergio Garcia a shot further adrift. “I swang the club really poorly yesterday but I went down to the range and worked on my posture for about two hours and felt better,” said Clarke. “Sixty-five was possibly the worst score I could have shot today with the chances I had. I played a lot better today for 65 than I did for 64 (in the first round).” However, Woods, the best golfer in the world, did not fare as well as the Ulsterman and continued to suffer a torrid time on the slick greens. The world number one played superbly from tee-to-green but for the second day in succession, the putts refused to drop. Asked the reason behind his putting woes, Woods, the winner of eight major championships on the world’s most challenging courses, replied simply: “I don’t know.” “I’ve hit good putts but the good putts don’t go in and the bad putts aren’t even close. But I have actually hit some really good putts that have just skirted the edge,” he said. After three-putting the fourth hole for par, Woods hit back with a superb six-iron second shot to eight feet of the hole at the 521 yard par-five seventh hole, but missed the eagle putt. A sand wedge to six feet on the eighth moved him to two-under par but a missed birdie putt on the ninth and a three-putt on the 10th knocked the wind out of his sails. “I was about two feet (away on 10), if that, and I just hit a bad putt and blocked it,” he said. With his temper simmering close to boiling point, Woods hammered a 363 yard drive on the par-five 560 yard closing hole and nailed an eight iron to seven feet — but again failed to find the bottom of the cup. Woods refused to make excuses or find fault with the golf course or the greens. “The greens are in absolute perfect shape and after the rain they got a couple of days ago they’re still really quick.” Woods, who is famous for his final-day charges, warned against writing him off too soon. “I just need to make a few putts in the round early on to get going and hopefully I can get up there,” he said. “If I have a reasonable chance on the back nine, then anything can happen. But obviously I need to get off to that good start on the front nine. I just haven’t been able to do it so far.”
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JCT go down to Salgaocar Margao, November 23 The all-important goal for Salgaocar came as early as in the seventh minute of the first half through Tomba Singh, when JCT defender Daljit Singh back-passed the ball to goalkeeper Arvind Kumar. He was bit late to clear it but Tomba Singh who was lurking inside the goal pounced upon the opportunity and shot into the net 1-0. Salgaocar with this win increased their tally to four points from three outings with a win, draw and defeat. This was JCT’s first match of the championship and failed to open their account. Earlier in the very first minute, JCT could have been in the lead had not Salgaocar goalkeeper Juje Siddi brought off a fine save off a power packed left footer carpet drive shot from Jaswinder Singh off a pass from I.M. Vijayan. Salgaocar then took over and made raid after raid in the visitor’s citadel and could have been up by at least three goals at the breather had they utilised the gilt-edged opportunities before them. In the very second minute of the first half, Salgaocar’s Dudu Omaghemi missed a sitter. Dudu, only had to tap the ball into the net when JCT goalkeeper was out of his position but he shot wide.
UNI |
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BSF, Punjab Police to clash in semis New Delhi, November 23 BSF topped pool I after drawing with Air India 3-3 and beating Tamil Nadu XI 4-0 while Punjab Police topped pool II, after crushing Railways 7-3 and Rock Rovers, Chandigarh 6-0. Indian Airlines emerged on top of Pool III, after beating Bharat Petroleum 4-0 and Sports Authority of India Centre 3-2 while Punjab and Sind Bank beat Karnataka XI 5-0 and drew with CRPF 3-3 to top pool IV. All the four teams are packed with India players, though Punjab Police, in particular, have a profusion of them. In an inconsequential match today, Karnataka XI beat Central Reserve Police Force 4-1, after leading by 3-0 at half time. Laxman Rao, Kavin A K (two) and Ajay Aiyappa were the marksmen of Karnataka while Prabhakar Singh slotted home the consolation goal for CRPF. |
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Refreshing
break for CM in bridge Ludhiana, November 23 He was pairing with the Finance Secretary K.R. Lakhanpal while playing against the pair of Hem Lata and Krishen Goyal. His two other team-members included the Chief Secretary, Mr Y.S. Ratra and Mr RN Gupta, General Manager, The Tribune group of publications. The latter pair was playing against Mr R.C. Goenka and Mr Mukul Chatterjee. The Chief Minister had no qualms about admitting that he was an amateur at bridge. He had learnt it way back when he started his career in the Indian Army on the China border. The Chief Minister, who was in hurry, remarked: “It will not take much time for my opponents to defeat me. “But at bridge only”, he remarked jokingly. And it was not certainly easy to beat him with a strong team comprising Mr Ratra, Mr Lakhanpal and Mr Gupta, the old warhorses at bridge. But despite, that as predicted by him, his team lost although it played well. And the Chief Minister appeared quite happy about it, saying the game was played in the true spirit of sportsmanship and all ethics were maintained. |
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Stage set for volleyball nationals Chandigarh, November 23 According to Mr Abhay Singh Chautala, chairman, organising committee, the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr Vikram Verma, will inaugurate the championship at 3 p.m. while Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister, Haryana will preside over the function. Mr Chautala said six courts with floodlights were ready and four courts had been prepared in the main stadium. Two courts were ready at the local Youth Club Mini Stadium. International volleyball stars Amir Singh, Raghubir (Haryana), Tom Joseph (Kerala), Jobi Joseph, Rajesh (TN), Ravi Kant Reddy (Railways), Abhijeet Bhattarcharya, Suba Rao (Uttaranchal), Kapil Dev (Railways), and Kashivishava Nath (AP) will be seen in action. He said the championship was being organised for the first time in a rural area. The board and lodging arrangements for players and officials had been made at Sangria town, 5 km from here. A games secretariat has been set up which includes VVIP lounge, player’s lounge, officer’s lounge and conference hall. A photo exhibition of outstanding sportspersons, sports activities of the state, sports incentives and various sports schemes of Haryana Government are being highlighted. Giving further details of the various team competitions, Mr V. Kamraja, chief coordinator, said six pools in men’s section and four in women’s section had been formed. In the women’s section, Railways, West Bengal, MP, UP, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh comprise pool ‘A’ Kerala, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Goa pool ‘B’; TN, Punjab, HP, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan and J&K pool ‘C’; and Karnataka, AP, Haryana, Chandigarh, Orrisa and Jharkhand pool ‘D’. In the men’s section, Railways, Karnataka, Haryana, Kerala, MP, Delhi are placed in pool ‘A’, TN, Chhatisgarh, Services, Uttaranchal, Punjab and HP are in group ‘B’, WB, Rajasthan, Jharkhand in pool ‘C’; Uttaranchal, Maharashtra, Assam, Gujarat in pool ‘D’, AP, Orrisa, J&K and Goa in pool ‘E’, and Chandigarh, Bihar, Pondichery and Arunachal in pool ‘F’. |
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Chandigarh, HP defeated in soccer Chamba, November 23 Manmohan Singh scored two goals while Raman Singh and Wasim Ahmed scored one each. In other match, Uttar Pradesh beat Chandigarh by 2-0 by Parkash Kumar and Satyendra Kumar could score one each goal. Punjab will play against Delhi tomorrow. |
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Butterfly
record NASSAU: American Natalie Coughlin broke the women’s world record in the short course 100 metres butterfly at the FINA World Cup meet at the Nassau Aquatic Center on Friday. The 20-year-old, a student at the University of California, clocked a time of 56.34 seconds. She beat two previous world record holders in the event, Slovakia’s Martina Moravcova and Jenny Thompson of the USA, who finished second in 58.30. Coughlin became the first woman to crack the one-minute barrier in the long course 100 m backstroke when she clocked 59.58 seconds at the U S nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in August.
Reuters |
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