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Friday,
December 27, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Ganguly,
Fleming slam wicket |
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‘Top-level
dope testing lab soon’ Punjab Police,
CRPF enter last 8 From Ropar
to Pune by bus Digvijay takes
lead Longest drive
golf contest Madhya Pradesh,
TN move ahead Mankad emerges
winner Rural soccer
results NFL:
Tollygunge upset Mohun Bagan
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Oram helps Kiwis clinch a thriller Auckland, December 26 Playing without Sachin Tendulkar, the Indians were shot out for a mere 108, their lowest-ever score against the Kiwis with opener Shiv Sundar Das, who was virtually taken off a home-bound flight, top scoring with 30. Seamer Jacob Oram ripped through the Indian batting with five for 26. But the Indian bowlers, who did very well in both the Tests that India lost prior to this seven-match one-day series, struck back reducing New Zealand to 52 for six at one stage. The home side hung on grimly thereafter to win with 12.2 overs to spare. Oram showed his prowess with the bat too, defying a charged-up Indian attack for nearly one-and-a-half hour to carve out a gritty 27 not out and anchor his side to victory, just as he had done in the second Test at Hamilton. The effort won him the Man of the Match award. The result negated a highly inspiring bowling performance by Javagal Srinath, coming into the team after being “rested” for the Test series, whose four-wicket haul was the main reason why India could stage a fightback. But even as the bowlers delivered, the batsmen were found wanting yet again in their effort and application. The pitch, even though helpful to the seam bowlers, was nowhere as bad as the ones used for the Test matches but the Indians caved in to a disciplined bowling performance by the New Zealanders. Apart from Das, only Rahul Dravid could reach 20s. The Indian vice-captain, the only saving grace for Indian batting on this tour, was once again left waging a lonely battle in the company of
tailenders. He was the last man out, caught brilliantly by Daniel Vettori at mid-on while attempting to clear the in-field, after making exactly 20 runs. But Das, who was asked to stay back in New Zealand after injuries to three players, was the surprise top-scorer. The man who was not even considered fit enough to play in the Test series for which he was on the tour, suddenly found himself being asked to open in the
one-dayer which he had not played for over a year. Playing in just his fourth match, his previous three innings against South Africa having produced a total of just nine runs, Das tried to make maximum use of this opportunity after he received a life from Shane Bond who clean bowled him off a no-ball. He hit a couple of good shots, including a four and a six against Daryl Tuffey in one over, to add 35 runs for the third wicket with skipper
Sourav Ganguly after India had lost their first two wickets for 28 runs. But just when the two were looking to stabilise the Indian innings, Das chased a wide delivery from Mills and gave a regulation catch to Stephen Fleming in the slips to bring an end to his 70-ball innings that included two fours and a six. The dismissal of Das triggered a middle order collapse that saw India lose six wickets for the addition of just 11 runs. From a comfortable looking 63 for two, India slipped to 74 for eight. Dravid and Zaheer Khan, who made 14, put on 34 runs to take India past the 100-run mark before Vettori got the opportunity to bowl for the first time against the visitors. The left-hand spinner, who did not get a single over in the two Tests, struck in the only over he bowled by trapping Zaheer Khan leg before wicket. When Dravid was out in the next over, India had been dismissed for their lowest-ever score against New Zealand, falling five runs short of the 113 they had managed against the Kiwis at Perth in 1985-86. The Indians had also scored 112 for nine against New Zealand in a 34-over a side match at Melbourne in 1980-81. New Zealand also lost an early wicket, with Srinath sending back Nathan Astle for nought in the very first over. Scoreboard India Das c Fleming b Mills 30 Sehwag b Bond 0 Laxman c Mills b Tuffey 9 Ganguly b Oram 14 Dravid c Vettori b Tuffey 20 Yuvraj c Astle b Oram 2 Kaif c Fleming b Oram 6 Kumble lbw b Oram 0 Srinath c Sinclair b Oram 0 Zaheer lbw b Vettori 14 Nehra not out 0 Extras:
(lb-6, w-5, nb-2) 13 Total: (all out, 32.5 overs) 108 FoW:
1-5, 2-28, 3-63, 4-63, 5-65, 6-74, 7-74, 8-74, 9-108. Bowling:
Tuffey 6.5-0-23-2, Bond 7-0-32-1, Mills 8-1-20-2, Oram 10-3-26-5, Vettori 1-0-1-1. New
Zealand Fleming lbw b Nehra 12 Astle c Laxman b Srinath 0 Sinclair c Ganguly b
Zaheer 15 McMillan c Dravid b Srinath 4 Vincent lbw b Nehra 13 McCullum c Dravid b
Srinath 4 Oram not out 27 Mills c Dravid b Srinath 21 Vettori not out 5 Extras:
(lb-2, w-3, nb-3) 8 Total: (7 wkts, 37.4 overs) 109 FoW:
1-1, 2-29, 3-29, 4-48, 5-52, 6-52, 7-86. Bowling: Srinath 10-3-23-4, Zaheer Khan 9-1-43-1, Nehra 10-3-16-2, Kumble 7-1-15-0, Ganguly 1.4-0-10-0.
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Oram, Kumble in
on-field spat Auckland, December 26 The altercation came just after Kumble had appealed on five occasions in one over for leg-before decisions against
Oram, who was on his way to steering New Zealand home after earlier taking five for 26 with the ball. He was later named man of the match. All were turned down by Sri Lankan umpire Asoka de Silva, much to the anguish of Kumble. Asked about it afterwards, Oram diplomatically said: ‘’I was just saying how close his leg before decisions were and commenting on how well he was bowling. “He agreed, and he said I was going all right and I’m seeing him later,’’ he joked. While it appeared an angrier confrontation from the sidelines, Sri Lankan match referee Ranjan Madugalle said what was said would stay on the pitch.
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Ganguly, Fleming slam wicket Auckland, December 26 “It doesn’t help anybody. It doesn’t help the batsmen on either side. It doesn’t help people who come to be entertained. It doesn’t help cricket,” Ganguly said venting his annoyance after his side crashed to a three-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the first of the seven-match one-day series. “The Test matches have finished in two and a half days and now you see 100 runs scored by each side in a one-day game. You would have people not turning up if cricket goes this way,” said a visibly annoyed Ganguly. Fleming too was not happy with the pitch on which his bowlers shot out the Indians for 108 but then the home batsmen also struggled as they managed to reach the target in the 38th over losing seven wickets. “We don’t want wickets like this. It is not ideal for one-day cricket,” said Fleming. “In a way the bowlers may look to work hard and test themselves.” Both Ganguly and Fleming were of the opinion that wickets such as this could give bowlers a “false” impression about their ability. “It’s a false confidence to the bowlers. We might be getting false impression of how good the bowlers are bowling and it could cost us in South Africa,” Ganguly said with Fleming nodding in agreement. Ganguly said it was wrong to blame his batsmen when even the rival batsmen were finding it difficult to come to terms with the pitches. “It’s not only our batsmen. It’s even those who have been brought up on these wickets. “There have been just three fifties in the last five or six innings. I don’t think anywhere in the world you get pitches which do so much,” the Indian skipper said. “It (pitch) was two paced, it had bounce, odd balls kept a bit low and it did a bit and shot making wasn’t easy.” Fleming felt the Indian batsmen did too much with their wrists which could explain why they were short of expectation in this series. “They are very talented players and they do a lot with their hands. It has often been their downfall overseas. “It’s probably been highlighted on these wickets we have played on by the modes of their dismissal,” Fleming said. “There is now a fair bit of negativity which is as damaging as the wicket which is seaming and bouncing. This one was also two-paced.” Fleming wanted his bowlers to continue their domination of Indian batsmen but said he was worried they could be just one innings away from hitting a low.
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Srinath
was a revelation There are two ways of looking at today’s one-dayer between India and New Zealand at Auckland. Either, the Indian bowlers were the villains in the piece or valiant heroes. As it was the second time in succession that the Indian bowlers failed to finish off the match, there would be temptation to criticize them. But in my mind they were always fighting a losing cause and it was the batting which failed to play its part. If you are defending scores like 108 in a
one-dayer, it is not everyday that you are able to save the skin of your team. That’s why the Indian bowlers should be credited with bowling their hearts out despite of a lackluster batting. Yes, at one stage it seemed as if India could win today’s match when New Zealand were reeling at 56 for 6 but it was clear, the moment Javagal Srinath and Ashish Nehra bowled out their quota of overs, the task would ease for the hosts. And that is exactly how it went. Srinath was a revelation. For those who had thought he was finished as an international fast bowler, Srinath showed how he was a cut above the rest of Indian bowlers. He appeared motivated and was bowling with good rhythm and for now, he seems to have settled the debate over his selection for World Cup. On some days Srinath may go for runs, or may not pick too many wickets, but there is no substitute for his experience. What can one say of the Indian batting, which is not enjoying the best of days. They could not bat out their 50 overs and, but for Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan’s small stand, may not have even got to the 100 mark. Sachin Tendulkar was not playing but that should not be an excuse for others. First, the Indians tinkered with the batting order when Saurav Ganguly sent out Shiv Sunder Das to open on his place and then, an out of form V.V.S. Laxman came out at No. 3, rather than Dravid. Ganguly himself lacked application and I must confess that some of the Indian batsmen seem scared of facing upto fast bowling. If this is the way they are going to bat in the World Cup, I am sorry, they may not even go beyond the league round. They have six more matches left in the series to get their act together. It is still not too late. |
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Hayden, Langer hit centuries
Melbourne, December 26 Australia, already with the Ashes tucked away after carrying off first three Tests in just 11 days’ play, ruthlessly took to the threadbare England bowling attack in what is shaping as an inexorable advance on a 5-0 Ashes series sweep, the second since 1920-21. In-form Hayden clouted three sixes on his way to his third century of the series, while Langer clubbed a six off spinner Richard Dawson over long-on to raise his 13th Test century. But for the 64,189 Boxing Day crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, it was the belligerent innings by under-fire captain Steve Waugh that had them spellbound. Waugh, batting for his cricket life after selectors said he would not be guaranteed future selection beyond next week’s final Sydney Test, strode to the crease to a sustained ovation. He carved up the attack with 12 vintage boundaries and reached his 46th Test half-century off 49 balls in just under an hour. Waugh had a scare on 56 when he edged the second new ball to Mark Butcher in the slips off Andy Caddick, but Butcher sportingly conceded that he was not sure of making the catch and Waugh batted on and was on 62. At stumps Australia had moved to a formidable 356 for three, the most runs in a day’s play at the MCG, bettering the 355 for 8 Australia scored against India in 1948. Langer batted all day to be unconquered on 146 with 19 fours and a six, while Waugh remained defiant on 62 off 78 balls. Scoreboard Australia (1st innings): Langer batting 146, Hayden c Crawley b Caddick 102, Ponting b White 21, Martyn c Trescothick b White 17, Waugh not out 62. Extras
(lb-3, w-1, nb-4) 8. Total (for 3 wkts, 90 overs) 356. FoW:
1-195, 2-235, 3-265. Bowling: Caddick 24-5-89-1, Harmison 26-5-86-0, White 21-4-77-2, Dawson 14-1-67-0, Butcher 5-1-34-0.
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‘Top-level dope testing lab soon’ Indore, December 26 “India has applied for lab certification of the standards of 17025 specifications to International Olympic Committee (IOC), whose team has recently conducted an inspection of the laboratory in the country and we will be able to get it soon (four-five months)”, the minister said. “Once we get this certification, our lab will be sixth of its kind in Asia and nobody will be able to challenge our doping tests,” he said while addressing the inaugural function of a cricket and table tennis tournament for sports journalists. On the Sunita Rani doping controversy, the minister said the country is awaiting the clean chit from the IOC. “Once she gets that, it will automatically prove her innocence.” Criticising the media for not highlighting the positive developments in the field of sports, he said in Busan Asian Games where India performed so well, the media instead of writing positive news about it was more interested in highlighting the doping controversy surrounding Sunita Rani. Verma also took the media in Andhra Pradesh to task for criticising the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s decision to invite star sportpersons from outside the state for representing Andhra Pradesh. “The decision was justified as it not only brought laurels to the state, but also the athletes have got nearly Rs 3 lakh each. There is no harm in it as the players are after all playing within the country only,” Verma said. The successful organisation of National Games in Andhra Pradesh has boosted the morale of the state to such an extent that it has requested the Prime Minister to urge the IOC to allot Olympic Games to
Hyderabad in 2012, he said. However, in spite of having sporting environment, the country is far
behind in terms of achieving success in Olympics and other international events, Verma said adding the country must focus now on winning a medal in Olympic Games. The Centre has made a special allocation of Rs 200 crore in the 10th Five-Year Plan for developing infrastructure facilities for sports, he said. With this fund, the Government plans to construct sports academies with participation of private sector and state governments in 50:25:25 ratio with a focussed approach, he told reporters here. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has also asked Sports Ministry to submit a plan within two-three months for achieving top honours in Olympic Games, he said.
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Punjab Police, CRPF enter last 8 Patiala, December 26 Besides Punjab Police and CRPF, the other teams to have made the quarter final stage were Tamil Nadu XI who downed Central Railway 2-0 and BSF who got the better of EME , Jalandhar 1-0. For the Punjab cops, the good work in the midfield, notably by Avtar and Parmeet Singh, sustained the frontline to a large extent. Equally energetic was centre forward Sarabjit Singh who put the cops ahead in the 16th minute sending home a blinder taken from top of the striking circle. Minutes into the second half, the cops enlarged the leeway by virtue of Kulbir Singh’s goal scored off a goalmouth melee. If the cops played with fluency, the Kapurthala railmen seemed to be a disjointed lot and once the cops had scored their second goal the railmen simply ran out of steam. They had their chances to score and two successive penalty corners awarded towards the end of the match went
abegging. The duel between Rock Rovers and the CRPF turned out to be a fascinating one and was played at a fast pace. Olympian S.S. Gill was the livewire in the Chandigarh boys attack and he fed his forwards with some good passes. Junior World cupper Rajpal Singh also made some incisive runs down the middle but failed to translate them into goals mainly due to some superb saves made by the custodian Y. Rabindra Singh. In the second half, umpire P. Junaid awarded a stroke to CRPF and this decision infuriated the Chandigarh players who even surged forward towards the umpire in a menancing manner. After the umpire was pushed and jostled around for quite some time, S.S. Gill intervened and physically separated his team-mates from the umpire. However, much to their relief, S. Tete flunked his stroke. Goalless at the end of regulation time ,the tie-breaker rule came into play in which Rock Rovers missed one stroke while CRPF converted all their attempts giving them a 5-4 verdict. BSF made the quarter-final grade by virtue of their 1-0 win against EME in a match which never rose above mediocrity. TN XI, who had the versatile international Dinesh Nayak in their ranks, scored on either side of the breather through L. Nagendran and Prabhakaran to notch up a 2-0 win against Central Railways. |
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From Ropar to Pune by bus Chandigarh, December 26 And this team which started from Ropar around 1 a.m on December 24 reached Pune — about 1400 kilometers away — today at noon. The games started this morning. How the children will fare after such a journey is anybody’s guess. The ‘‘costly’’ and hectic route has raised questions about the security of the young children, especially young girls, as the road route crosses through the dreaded Chambal ravines. Despite all this, parents have raised issues as to why the department thought it prudent to send the team in two buses from Ropar to Pune. Mr K.K. Bhatnagar, Principal Secretary, Education, Punjab, admitted that sportspersons had to experience this difficulty. Mr Bhatnagar said he too received phone calls from various parents from Pune, who showed their anxiety. He said as he was told by the Deputy Director, Physical Education, that they got the information of the above national meet only on December 15, enough time was not there for reservations. He said the waiting list number in the train for Pune was beyond 75, so the department chose to send them by tourist bus. When asked how swimmers from 17 states reached the venue in time which included even states like Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, who all reached the venue well before the scheduled date and that too by train, he promised to hold an enquiry into the entire matter and said this negligence would not be repeated again. Since morning, parents of the participating swimmers from Punjab, who had already reached Pune by train, called up The Tribune to air their grievances against the lethargic and negligent attitude of the department. They demanded action Ms Rupa Saini, Deputy Director, Physical Education, Punjab who was responsible in making arrangements for departure of the team. Incidentally, one of the buses met with an accident near Kurali at 1.30 am on Tuesday (December 24). A new driver was arranged . They said the swimmers who were to compete today in various competitions finally reached around 1 pm. Till that time parents pleaded with the organisers to allow some more time for their children to arrive. |
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Digvijay takes lead Chennai, December 26 Teeing off from the ninth, Digvijay, a professional from Meerut, sank his birdie, the first one of the day, on the 11th and followed it with another birdie on the 13th. He dropped a stroke on the 17th hole where he hit his second shot to front edge of the green and missed a chip and putt for par. D.S. Raghuvanshi and Sanjay Kumar carded three-under 67 today and are placed three strokes behind the leader. Playing alongside the first round leader, Raghuvanshi was five under in first five holes but went onto card a three-under 67. Teeing off from the ninth, Sanjay Kumar carded a birdie on the 11th, followed by an eagle on the 12th hole and another birdie on the 15th before dropping a stroke on the 17th hole. Sanjay then dropped yet another stroke on the sixth, but recovered with a birdie on the 7th to tie for the second place with a similar score of 67. “The course is playing well and I am satisfied with my game”, Sanjay said. Jumman, Firoz Ali, S. Murthy and V. Arumugam are tied fourth with their scores of two-under 68. Order of merit leader, Mukesh Kumar, who had carded a 66 yesterday, failed to impress with his round of one-under 69 and is tied with Shamim Khan, S Madaiah, Amritinder Singh and R. Murthy.
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Longest
drive golf contest Chandigarh, December 26 The competition, organised by Seagram, is to be held for gents (up to 50 years, 50 to 65 years and above 65 years) and ladies. Each competitor will be given two golf balls for driving. Thereafter the distance of the drive will be measured. Prizes will be given to the longest hitters. The competitors can use any club for driving from the tee. The competition will be held on Tee No. 1 at 10 a.m. |
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Madhya
Pradesh, TN move ahead Chandigarh, December 26 Haryana eves got over Andhar Pradesh in a one-sided contest 15-9, 15-1. Sandeep Kaur, Parvesh Kumari and Isha Dhandkar contributed for Haryana victory. Haryana, however, went down to Delhi 9-15, 7-15 in another league match of the day. Hosts Chandigarh girls downed Gujarat 15-2, 15-4 and Punjab outclassed Himachal Pradesh 15-7, 15-5. Delhi defeated Tamil Nadu 15-2, 15-7, Uttar Pradesh beat Rajasthan 15-4, 15-2. Chandigarh beat Uttaranchal 15-3, 15-2, Madhya Pradesh beat Punjab 15-7, 15-3 and Bihar outplayed Rajasthan 15-1, 15-0 to enter the second round. In men’s league matches, West Bengal got over Karnataka 11-15, 17-15, 15-9 in a very tough contested match. Tamil Nadu defeated Delhi 15-11, 17-15. Delhi beat Bihar 15-5, 15-10, while Orissa beat HP 15-0, 15-8. Pondicherry beat Gujarat 15-1, 15-4, West Bengal beat Andhra Pradesh 15-1, 15-0, Rajasthan beat J and K 15-7, 15-5. Tamil Nadu beat HP 15-1, 15-11, Orissa beat Bihar 15-6, 15-11, Rajasthan beat Uttaranchal 15-9, 16-14 and MP beat Pondicherry 15-2, 15-3 to make their way in the second round. |
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Mankad
emerges winner Chennai, December 26 Ajay made a valiant fight back in the second set but his own poor serve after breaking Harsh cost him the match. In the first set, which he won easily dropping just two games, Harsh broke Ajay in the second and eighth games. However, Ajay showed signs of making a match of it when he broke Harsh in the first game for a 1-0 lead. But Harsh broke back in the second game to level 1-1. They were level 2-2 again, each holding serve. Ajay broke his opponent again in the fifth for a 3-2 lead but failed to hold serve, double faulting. Harsh broke back to be on par 3-3, broke Ajay again in the sixth for a 4-3 lead.
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Rural soccer results Chandigarh, December 26 In keenly contested quarter-finals today, Bharta beat Thuhana 2-1 after leading 1-0 at the interval while Meghowal defeated Langeri 2-1 after trailing 0-1 at lemon break. The semifinals will be played on Saturday and the final on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, will preside over the concluding function. |
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NFL: Tollygunge upset Mohun Bagan Kolkata, December 26 Nigerian Akeem Abolanle did the spadework from the left and essayed a fine cross to Moses Oweera, whose right footer was deflected into the net by Biswas with a fine diving header, which caught the entire Bagan defence, including goalkeeper Bivas Saha, on the wrong foot. Bagan paid the price for being a man short in their defence as stopper Isha Musah Eroje was given marching orders after being shown his second yellow card of the day, seven minutes prior to the goal for deliberate handling of the ball. Eroje had earlier been booked in the Salt Lake Stadium outing for an infringement. Bagan, who had the major share of the exchanges throughout the game, were unlucky not to have taken the lead in the first half, when Lolendra Singh’s header rebounded off the post. They stepped up the accelerator after the breather, but failed to capitalise on the couple of chances which came their way. Tollygunge, on the other hand, played a good passing game and attacked on the counter with their foreign recruits Akeem, Isiaka Abayomi and Moses serving the side well. After today’s result, Bagan remained on 12 points from eight matches, while Tollygunge’s tally went up to seven from six matches.
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