Monday, December 30, 2002, Chandigarh, India




National Capital Region--Delhi

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
S P O R T S

Sehwag’s century goes in vain
Virender Sehwag acknowledges his century during their one-day international against New Zealand Napier, December 29
The Indians finally found a proper batting wicket, Virender Sehwag hit a century, and yet, they handed over the second one-dayer to New Zealand here today to remain winless on a disastrous tour.



Virender Sehwag acknowledges his century during their one-day international against New Zealand in Napier on Sunday. New Zealand defeated India by 35 runs to lead 2-0. — Reuters photo

Seniors need to justify their roles
Of the two teams, Indians deserved the least to win the match and it was justice that New Zealand won in the end. Baring Virender Sehwag and Javagal Srinath’s performances today, the Indians put up a pathetic bowling, fielding and batting show.

India’s top order exposed again
New Zealand continued their domination of India by winning the first two games of the one-day series. Their disciplined bowling and brilliant fielding thwarted any comeback by India.


 

EARLIER STORIES
 

England’s Michael Vaughan acknowledges his century on the fourth day of the fourth Test against Australia England set 107-run target for Aussies
Melbourne, December 29
Michael Vaughan’s sixth century of the year today helped England set Australia the relatively small target of 107 to win the fourth Ashes test. Australia, who lead the five-match series 3-0, faced two overs before the close of the fourth day’s play, reaching eight without loss.

England’s Michael Vaughan acknowledges his century on the fourth day of the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne on Sunday.
— Reuters photo

South African players who were named in the World Cup squad for the first time
South African players who were named in the World Cup squad for the first time in their careers, with captain Shaun Pollock at the announcement of the final squad in Durban, South Africa, on Sunday. (L-R) Makhaya Ntini and Robin Peterson, and in the front row (L-R) Andrew Hall, Shaun Pollock and Boeta Dippenaar. — Reuters

Manchester United's Juan Veron leaps over the challenge of Birmingham City's Robbie Savage for the ball
Manchester United's Juan Veron leaps over the challenge of Birmingham City's Robbie Savage for the ball during their English Premier League soccer match at Manchester United's Old Trafford ground, Manchester, England, on Sunday. United defeated Birmingham 2-0. — AP/PTI

Tennis player Maria Sharapova of Russia plays with a fan
Tennis player Maria Sharapova of Russia plays with a fan during an event promoting tennis in Hong Kong on Sunday. Sharapova, 15, the latest young player to be saddled with the title "the next Anna Kournikova," will participate in the Hong Kong Ladies Challenge which will begin on January 1, 2003.
— Reuters

SA cruise to 10-wicket win
Durban, December 29
South Africa cruised to a 10-wicket win on the fourth day of the first cricket Test against Pakistan at Kingsmead today, taking them to within one match of claiming the world’s top ranking. Pakistan were bowled out for 250 in their second innings, adding 32 runs for their last two wickets, leaving South Africa with 44 to win.

‘Boycott matches, forfeit points’
Melbourne, December 29
Cricket’s world governing body said today Australia and England would forfeit match points if they boycotted World Cup matches in Zimbabwe on political grounds.

Dissent increasing: ICC chief
Melbourne, December 29
International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Malcolm Speed will write to Test match captains to address what he believes is a growing element of dissent and a lack of respect for umpires.

Shakti Singh wrecks Hyderabad, puts Himachal Pradesh on top
Hyderabad, December 29
Veteran Himachal Pradesh paceman Shakti Singh wrecked Hyderabad middle order as the latter were skittled out of 262 on the second day of the Ranji Trophy elite group match here today.

SGFI Secy-Gen clarifies
Chandigarh, December 29
Reacting to a statement of Dr (Mrs) Rupa Saini, Deputy Director, Physical Education, Punjab Education Department, blaming the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) for creating problems in intimating dates about different tournaments, the SGFI Secretary-General, Mr P.S. Chhabra, has issued the following clarification:

Sahil upsets Ram Lakhan
Chandigarh, December 29
Unseeded Sahil Arora of Jalandhar upset seasoned badminton player Ram Lakhan of Punjab State Electricity Board, to secure a berth in the last four of the men singles section of the Senior Punjab State Badminton Championship being played at Rajindra Gymkhana Club, Patiala, this evening.
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Sehwag’s century goes in vain

Napier, December 29
The Indians finally found a proper batting wicket, Virender Sehwag hit a century, and yet, they handed over the second one-dayer to New Zealand here today to remain winless on a disastrous tour.

After being ambushed on seamer-friendly strips in the two Tests and the first one-dayer all of which they lost, the visitors batted irresponsibly on a good track here to manage only 219 runs against New Zealand’s 254 for nine, to end up losers by 35 runs.

Opener Sehwag put behind his failures on this tour to bat brilliantly for his 108 off 121 balls but he ran himself out at a crucial stage to compound another poor outing for the Indians who fielded badly and whose batting was marked by suicidal tendencies. Another top player Rahul Dravid was also needlessly run out and in the end skipper Sourav Ganguly admitted that the two run outs had cost India the match although his own continued failure with the bat did not help.

For the first time on this tour, Ganguly won the toss and promptly put New Zealand in to bat. The home team did well to post a competitive total on the board with Nathan Astle and Mathew Sinclair putting up 136 runs for the second wicket.

Astle made 76 off 95 balls with five fours and a six while Sinclair scored 78 from 126 balls with four boundaries and a six. Apart from these two, Lou Vincent was the only batsman to have made a significant contribution, scoring 34 off just 32 deliveries.

India lost Ganguly to the third ball of the day, clean bowled by Tuffey for nought.

Sehwag, who struck nine fours and two sixes in his knock, kept the team in the hunt with a few good partnerships but key wickets at crucial junctures saw India releasing their grip on the match.

V.V..S Laxman edged a catch to wicketkeeper Brendan McCullam after adding 57 runs for the second wicket with Sehwag in which his own contribution was 20.

And when Dravid and Yuvraj Singh fell in quick succession to leave India at 104 for four in the 24th over, Sehwag found an able partner in Mohammad Kaif who batted sensibly to put on 78 runs for the fifth wicket.

Just when the duo looked set to anchor India to safety, Daryl Tuffey, New Zealand’s most successful bowler on this tour, struck by inducing an outside edge off Kaif’s bat for McCullam to take a simple catch. Kaif scored 24 runs.

When Sanjay Bangar was out in the same fashion six balls later after making just four runs, India’s run-chase was all but over since Sehwag was left only with the tailenders to score 68 more runs at more than six runs an over.

Harbhajan Singh played a cameo knock of 16 off 17 balls that included a stunning six over point off Tuffey but that was hardly enough for India’s cause. The tourists, who had been docked two overs for slow bowling rate, lost their last four wickets within a space of 15 runs to be all out in 43.4 over and give a 2-0 lead to New Zealand in the seven-match series.

But Sehwag had the consolation of becoming only the second Indian to score a one-day century in New Zealand, the other being Dravid who made 123 in 1998-99 in Taupo.

The dashing opener who had struggled on this tour so far, played a balanced knock today. He restrained his big-hitting tendencies during the initial part of his innings and concentrated hard on getting a partnership going with Laxman.

It was only after he had crossed his half-century that he opened up to play some big shots. Repeatedly coming down the track to spinner Daniel Vettori, he hit the bowler for 13 runs in an over including a four and a six over long-on.

He also hammered Paul Hitchcock for an astonishing six over point region as he raced into his nineties. He brought up his fourth one-day century with a boundary to the third man.

NEW ZEALAND

Fleming c Kaif b Srinath 1

Astle c Zaheer b Ganguly 76

Sinclair c Dravid b Harbhajan 78

McMillan lbw b Srinath 5

Vincent b Srinath 34

Oram run out 4

McCullum c Yuvraj b Zaheer 7

Mills b Zaheer 5

Vettori not out 9

Tuffey b Zaheer 5

Hitchcock not out 2

Extras: 28

Total: (for 9 wkts, 50 overs) 254

Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-146, 3-157, 4-199, 5-204, 6-224,

7-233, 8-237, 9-252.

Bowling: Srinath 10-0-34-3, Zaheer Khan 10-0-47-3, Nehra

8-0-42-0, Harbhajan Singh 10-0-56-1, Bangar 7-0-34-0, Ganguly 5-0-23-1.

India

Sehwag run out 108

Ganguly b Tuffey 0

Laxman c McCullumb Mills 20

Dravid run out 18

Yuvraj st McCullum b Vettori 0

Kaif c McCullum b Tuffey 24

Bangar c McCullum b Oram 4

Harbhajan c McCullum b Hitchcock 14

Srinath c Oram b Mills 3

Zaheer c McMillan b Mills 11

Nehra not out 0

Extras: 17

Total: (all out, 43.4 overs) 219

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-57, 3-104, 4-104, 5-182, 6-187, 7-204, 8-206, 9-217

Bowling: Tuffey 10-2-35-2, Mills 9.4-0-45-3, Oram 8-0-50-1, Vettori 8-0-48-1, Hitchcock 8-0-38-1. PTI
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Seniors need to justify their roles
Chetan Sharma

Of the two teams, Indians deserved the least to win the match and it was justice that New Zealand won in the end. Baring Virender Sehwag and Javagal Srinath’s performances today, the Indians put up a pathetic bowling, fielding and batting show.

I am sorry to say that the Indian team has been going to pieces now. A side which had played so wonderfully well in one-dayers this year doesn’t have a clue as to when it will win its next game. Today was a good chance, especially till Sehwag was in the middle as he had the run rate under control and the New Zealanders were a worried lot, but his rash run out dismissal ended India’s game. Everything just seemed to go wrong for India.

It wasn’t a very stiff target to chase but deduction of two overs from India’s batting, for slow over rate, was playing on the minds of the Indian batsmen. Most of the wickets were thrown away, be it Saurav Ganguly’s bat coming down late, VVS Laxman fiddling at a ball outside the off-stump, Yuvraj Singh jumping out impetuously without getting his eye in or the uncalled for run outs of Rahul Dravid and Sehwag. This way, I won’t give the Indians much hope for World Cup.

Some of the senior players in the side have to justify their roles in the side. What use is a big name if he can’t win a match for the team?

Our fielding was the worst I have seen in the last year or so. There were fumbles galore while Dravid had a poor day behind the wicket. With so many extra runs gifted to the rivals, the pressure Srinath had built on the New Zealanders at the beginning was frittered away. And, worse, Ganguly has to share the blame for not being able to lift the over rate and when teams are docked two overs in an international match, you know what difference it can make to your challenge.

Sehwag played a solid knock and hats off to him for replying to his critics with the best possible manner. What was so good about him was that he was willing to abandon his slam-bang approach, trying instead to build his innings. It was a century worth watching but, unfortunately for him and the team, it couldn’t win India the match. 
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India’s top order exposed again
Ravi Shastri

New Zealand continued their domination of India by winning the first two games of the one-day series. Their disciplined bowling and brilliant fielding thwarted any comeback by India. Though New Zealand’s batting is also brittle, their players have been able to hold their nerve better, which is what matters at this level.

On wickets which continued to assist the seamers, India’s top order was exposed again, in both matches. In the first game, on a track with juice and bounce, India could manage only 108, which was disgraceful considering the batting line-up. Though the Indian bowlers fought back gamely, this score was never going to be enough. In the second game, while chasing 256 on a fairly plumb wicket, the batsmen — barring Sehwag — showed no pluck, and hopes of victory faded rapidly once the aggressive opener was dismissed. This shows that the lessons of the Test series have not been learnt.

New Zealand’s seamers have stuck to their task admirably. They have bowled an excellent line and length and let the wickets do the rest. They have compelled the batsmen to play, and the compliant Indian batsmen have obliged with sometimes reckless, sometimes panicky strokes. Stephen Fleming has managed his bowlers and field placements very well, and never let the pressure relax. His worry is obviously the batting. But with the Indians themselves batting so poorly, New Zealand’s weakness has not been exposed. India’s problems start right at the top.

Sehwag’s hundred in the second match was a marvelous effort, but the rest of the batsmen have been all at sea against the seaming deliveries. I thought Ganguly had erred in not opening the batting in the first match, but his woeful form continued in the second though he walked out first this time. He is too good a player to be out of runs for too long, and I think he needs to just relax, open his shoulders and play some shots to get his confidence back.

The absence of Tendulkar has been a big blow in the circumstances, but on paper this Indian team looks so solid that this can hardly be trotted out as an excuse. It’s just bad cricket and poor thinking that has caused so much grief. I for one was never convinced about Shiv Sundar Das’ selection for this series. Since he is not in the list of 30 announced for the World Cup, his playing here makes little sense. Instead, I would have opted for Ajit Agarkar who can bat a bit, fields brilliantly and provides an extra seam option. Had India played an extra seamer in the two matches, they would probably have won. Just look at the difference Srinath made to this side.

But more than the choice of players, and top order of the Indian team needs to focus on application, curb their natural inclination to play shots and look to master the conditions. A score of 250 would be challenging for New Zealand to top given the brittleness of their batting. That is what India should aim for. Psychologically, New Zealand have the edge in the one-day series now. India simply have to pull up their socks. The time for experimentation, for moaning and groaning about the conditions is over. With the World Cup round the corner, they must look to get a few wins under their belt. (Gameplan)
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England set 107-run target for Aussies

Melbourne, December 29
Michael Vaughan’s sixth century of the year today helped England set Australia the relatively small target of 107 to win the fourth Ashes test.

Australia, who lead the five-match series 3-0, faced two overs before the close of the fourth day’s play, reaching eight without loss.

Yorkshire opener Vaughan hit 145 before Australia dismissed England, who had been asked to follow on, for 387 in their second innings 18 minutes before the scheduled close of play.

Leg-spinner Stuart MacGill took two for 108 from 36 overs in the first innings and five for 152 from a marathon 48 overs in the second.

Australia (1st innings): 551 for six declared

England (1st innings):

Vaughan b McGrath 11

Trescothick c Gilchrist b Lee 37

Butcher lbw b Gillespie 25

Hussain c Hayden b MacGill 24

Dawson c Love b MacGill 6

Key lbw b Lee 0

Crawley c Langer b Gillespie 17

White not out 85

Foster lbw b Waugh 19

Caddick b Gillespie 17

Harmison c Gilchrist b Gillespie 2

Extras (b-3 lb-10 nb-14) 27

Total (all out, 89.3 overs) 270

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-73, 3-94, 4-111, 5-113, 6-118, 7-172, 8-227, 9-264, 10-270.

Bowling: McGrath 16-5-41-1, Gillespie 16.3-7-25-4, MacGill 36-10-108-2, Lee 17-4-70-2, Waugh 4-0-13-1.

England (2nd innings):

Trescothick lbw b MacGill 37

Vaughan c Love b MacGill 145

Butcher c Love b Gillespie 6

Hussain c & b McGrath 23

Key c Ponting b Gillespie 52

Crawley b Lee 33

White c Gilchrist b MacGill 21

Foster c Love b MacGill 6

Caddick c Waugh b MacGill 10

Dawson not out 15

Harmison bowled Gillespie 7

Extras (b-3 w-2 lb-21 nb-6) 32

Total (all out, 120.4 overs) 387

Fall of wickets: 1-67, 2-89, 3-169, 4-236, 5-287, 6-342, 7-342, 8-356, 9-378, 10-387.

Bowling: McGrath 19-5-44-1, Gillespie 24.4-6-71-3, MacGill 48-10-152-5, Lee 27-4-87-1 (6b 1w) Waugh 2-0-9-0

Australia (2nd innings):

Langer not out 4

Hayden not out 1

Extras (lb-2 nb-1) 3

Total (no wicket, two overs) 8

Bowling: Caddick 1-0-5-0, Harmison 1-0-1-0 (1nb). Reuters
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SA cruise to 10-wicket win

Durban, December 29
South Africa cruised to a 10-wicket win on the fourth day of the first cricket Test against Pakistan at Kingsmead today, taking them to within one match of claiming the world’s top ranking.

Pakistan were bowled out for 250 in their second innings, adding 32 runs for their last two wickets, leaving South Africa with 44 to win.

Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs took South Africa to a comfortable win against a Pakistan attack that was without captain Waqar Younis, who did not take the field after being struck on the right forearm while batting.

Unless Pakistan win the second and final Test which starts in Cape Town on Thursday, South Africa will be world Test champions.

Scoreboard

South Africa (1st innings): 368

Pakistan (1st innings): 161

Pakistan (2nd innings):

Umar lbw b Boje 39

Elahi c Smith b Ntini 18

Khan c Boucher b Kallis 30

Inzamam c Gibbs b Boje 13

Youhana c McKenzie b Hayward 42

Iqbal b Kallis 17

Razzaq c Boucher b Hayward 22

Akmal c Boucher b Ntini 29

Mushtaq c Boucher b Pollock 4

Younis c Kirsten b Pollock 15

Sami not out 11

Extras (lb-2, nb-7, w-1) 10

Total (all out in 87.3 overs) 250

Falls of wickets: 1-50, 2-64, 3-88, 4-132, 5-156, 6-184, 7-199, 8-216, 9-226.

Bowling: Ntini 21-2-73-2, Pollock 17.3-4-29-2, Kallis 17-5-30-2, Hayward 13-1-63-2, Boje 19-2-53-2.

South Africa (2nd innings):

Smith not out 13

Gibbs not out 25

Extras (lb-1, nb-6) 7

Total (for no loss, in 9 overs) 45

Bowling: Mohammad Sami 5-0-36-0, Saqlain Mushtaq 4-2-8-0. AFP
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Boycott matches, forfeit points’

Melbourne, December 29
Cricket’s world governing body said today Australia and England would forfeit match points if they boycotted World Cup matches in Zimbabwe on political grounds.

International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Malcolm Speed also criticised senior English official David Graveney for urging the national team not to play in Zimbabwe.

British newspaper The News Of The World quoted Graveney, the national chairman of selectors, as saying he would not seek assurances from players that they would play in Zimbabwe before the final Cup squad was named, due by December 31.

Speed and ICC chairman Malcolm Gray said the ICC board had decided only safety and security concerns — not political ones — could warrant a World Cup match being moved. “If the ECB (English Cricket Board) said they weren’t going to play that game because they’d been told by the government they were not to play that game, they would forfeit the points,” Speed said during the fourth Ashes cricket Test between Australia and England here.

“If they were to say `we won’t play that game because we believe it is unsafe for players and officials to play that game’, there is a process that has been put in place and is being finalised over the next couple of days.

“They could obtain a ruling as to safety and security — if the ruling was in their favour, they would share the points with Zimbabwe.” England are scheduled to play Zimbabwe in Harare on February 13. When Graveney’s comments were brought up at the media conference today, Speed curtly responded: “This is the same man who managed a rebel tour of South Africa.” AFP
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Dissent increasing: ICC chief

Melbourne, December 29
International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Malcolm Speed will write to Test match captains to address what he believes is a growing element of dissent and a lack of respect for umpires.

Speed, speaking at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ahead of the fourth day’s play of the fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England, today said he was also concerned about excessive appealing.

‘’I don’t think the players show enough respect for the umpires,’’ Speed said in an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corp. Radio.

Speed later told reporters: ‘’My major concern is the celebration going ahead of the appeal. The players gather, they are celebrating the dismissal, and they turn and the umpire says not out and then they trudge back to their marks. That’s not the way it should be. The players know that the first step is to appeal to the umpire, get the umpire’s decision and then if the celebration is in order, go ahead and celebrate.

‘’I will be writing to the captains, the umpires, the referees in the course of this week and ask them to address this issue. We are concerned generally that there are elements of dissent creeping back into the game where batsmen are standing their ground and shaking their head.” Reuters
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Shakti Singh wrecks Hyderabad, puts Himachal Pradesh on top

Hyderabad, December 29
Veteran Himachal Pradesh paceman Shakti Singh wrecked Hyderabad middle order as the latter were skittled out of 262 on the second day of the Ranji Trophy elite group match here today.

Shakti Singh emerged with a satisfying haul of six of 75, while other seamer Ashok Thakur claimed two wickets.

Hyderabad (1st innings): Nanda Kishore b Ashok Thakur 13, Daniel Manohar c Ajay Kumar b. Ashish Kapoor 62, Anirudh Singh b Shakti Singh 19, AT Rayadu c Rajeev b Shakti Singh 4, D Vijay Kumar b Shakti Singh 0, N. Arjun Yadav not out 72, Ibrahim Khaleel c Sangram b Shakti Singh 23, J. Shivaji Yadav c. Nischal Gaur b. Vishal Bhatia 2, L. Venkatapathi Raju b Shakti Singh 24, Indera Shekar Reddy b Ashok Thakur 9, NE Singh b Shakti Singh 5. Extras: 29 (b 14, lb 3, w 3, nb 9). Total: 262 (104.5 overs 416). Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-52, 3-56, 4-56, 5-140, 6-186, 7-203, 8-240, 9-259. Bowling: Ashok Thakur 28-7.76-2, Shakti Singh 34.5-8-75-6, Ashish Kapoor 8-1-23-0, Sandeep Sharma 21-4-47-1, Vishal Bhatia 13-4-24-1.

HP (1st innings): Vikram Rathore b Daniel Manohar 4, Sandeep Sharma c Nanda Kishore b NP Singh 23, Rajeev Nayyar not out 25, Shakti Singh not out 1. Extras: 11 (b 3, lb 5, nb 3). Total: 64 (2 wickets, 36.5 overs). Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-63. Bowling: NP Singh 9-3-15-1, Daniel Manohar 11-3-19-1, Indera Shekar Reddy 3-2-1-0, J. Shivaji Yadav 6-1-13-0, L. Venketapathi Raju 7.5-3-8-0.

235-run lead for Delhi

JAIPUR: A brilliant ton by Mithun Minhas (101) and useful half centuries by skipper Vijay Dahiya (74) and Akash Chopra (73) moved Delhi to a position of strength with a solid 235-run lead on the second day of their elite group ‘A’ league match here today.

Rajasthan (1st innings): 145

Delhi (1st innings): (overnight 92 for 2): A. Chopra lbw b Sumit 73, G. Gambhir N, Jhalani b Kishan 30, S. Rauff c Doru b Sanjeev 2, M. Minhas c Krishnakumar b Aslam 101, Varun Kumar c Vinit b Rahul 32, V. Dahiya c Khoda b Sanjeev 74, A Sharma c Vinit b Rahul 5, Sarandeep Singh c Vinit b Aslam 16, Arun Singh run out 0, Amit Bhandari not out 0, S. Gill b Krishnakumar 21. Extras (b-9, lb-13, nb-3, w-1) 26. Total (all out 111.1 overs) 380. Fall of wickets: 1-89, 2-92, 3-163, 4-235, 5-259, 6-270, 7-297, 8-298, 9-380. Bowling: Kishan Choudhary 14.2-3-33-1, Sumit Mathur 16-7-37-1, Sanjeev Sharma 11-1-34-2, Mohd Aslam 23-4-75-2, Rahul Kanwat 27-2-96-2, P Krishnakumar 16.1-7-71-1, Anshu Jain 1-0-4-0, Gagan Khoda 1.4-0-5-0, Vineet Saxena 1-0-3-0.

Rajasthan (2nd innings): Vineet Saxena batting 22, Gagan Khoda batting 18. Extras (b-4, nb-2)6 . Total (for no loss in 17 overs) 46. Bowling: Amit Bhandari 7-2-23-0, Sanjay Gill 4-2-5-0, Arun Singh 2-1-2-0, Sarandeep Singh 4-1-12-0.

Karnataka hit back

FARIDABAD: Karnataka enjoyed the upper hand scoring a strong 372 before dismissing Haryana for 147 in their plate group ‘B’ league match here.

Karnataka(Ist innings): J. Arun Kumar c Khan b Mishra 28, R. Barrington c Singh b Mishra 32, R. Uthappa lbw b Vashist 40, V. Bharadwaj b Sharma 53, T. Naidu c Narwal b Vashist 30, D. Chougle lbw b Mishra 66, B. Akhil lbw b Sharma 4, S. Joshi lbw b Mishra 84, D. Ganesh c Puri b Sahu 24, B. Prasad lbw b Sahu 0, S. Vadiarai not out 0. Extras (b-5, lb-6) 11. Total : 372. FoW: 1-55, 2-72, 3-113, 4-171, 5-208, 6-224, 7-327, 8-352, 9-353. Bowling: Joginder Sharma 25-7-58-2, Sumit Narwal 13-2-34-0, Amit Mishra 38-5-123-4, Pradeep Sahu 19.4-2-67-2, Gaurav Vashist 30-7-79-2.

Haryana (Ist innings): J. Singh lbw b Ganesh 11, P. Prajapat lbw b Ganesh 9, S, Sharma c Naidu b Ganesh 36, R. puri b Ganesh 6, Shafiq lbw b Ganesh 23, A. Ratra lbw b Joshi 7, J. Sharma c Uthappa b Prasad 20, S. Narwal c Bhardwaj b Joshi 2, P. Sahu not out 11, A. Mishra c Akhil b Ganesh 9, G. Vashist lbw b Ganesh 3. Extras (b-5, lb-5) 10. Total (58 overs) 147. FoW 1-11, 2-20, 3-26, 4-90, 5-95, 6-117, 7-119, 8-119, 9-139. Bowling: Venkatesh Prasad 15-5-42-1, Doda Ganesh 15-6-36-7, Sunil joshi 21-8-38-2, Santosh Vadiarai 7-1-21-0.

J&K follow on

INDORE: Forced to follow-on, Jammu and Kashmir were 11 for no loss after Narendra Hirwani (51/5) helped bundle out the visitors with a first innings score of barely 122 in reply to Madhya Pradesh’s grand total of 562 for seven on the second day of a league encounter at the Usha Raje Cricket Ground here.

MP (1st innings): S. Dholpure c G.P. Singh b S. Singh 131, N. Ojha b S. Singh 9, A. Khurasia b S. Khajuria 108, D. Bundela lbw b J. Singh 102, A. Ali lbw b S. Khajuria 48, N. Patwardhan not out 54, B Tomar run out 41, S. Pandey run out 26, H.S. Sodhi not out 6. Extras 32. Penalty runs 5. Total in 133 overs for 7 wickets 562 (declared). FoW: 1/18, 2/181, 3/339, 4/434, 5/436, 6/521, 7/552. Bowling: S. Singh 27-7-116-2, V. Sharma 13-3-046-0, S. Khajuria 41-4-146-2, A. Salam 19-2-107-0, J. Singh 33-6-127-1.

Andhra score 371

VIJAYAWADA: Railways bowled out hosts Andhra Pradesh for 371 and were 91 without loss in their first innings on the second day of their elite group match at IGMC stadium here.

AP (1st Innings): (Overnight 226 for 4): A Pathak c Khanolkar b Yadav 80, MSK Prasad b Yadav 9, M Suresh lbw Raja Ali 46, YV Rao lbw Khanolkar 39, I Srinivas c and b Khanolkar 97, Md Faiq lbw Yadav 10, SK Varma c Yadav b Harvinder 1, RV Ch Prasad lbw Parida 18, K Shabuddin c H Singh b Parida 31, H Vatekar not out 4, D K Krishna c H Singh b Parida 1. Extras: (b-6, lb-11, nb-18) 35. Total: (all out in 154.1 overs) 371. Fall of wickets: 1-63, 2-132, 3-194, 4-216, 5-233, 6-250, 7-298, 8-358, 9-366. Bowling: Harvinder Singh 22-6-75-1, S Saxena 14-2-43-0, J P Yadav 29-6-79-3, K Parida 55.1-29-73-3, S Kanolkar 14-1-37-2, S Raja Ali 20-2-47-1.

Railways (1st Innings:) J P Yadav batting 62, A Pagnis batting 27. Extras: (lb-1, nb-1) 2. Total: (For no loss, 25 overs) 91. Bowling: K Shabuddin 8-2-22-0, D Kalyan Krishna 4-0-21-0, RV Ch Prasad 5-0-15-0, H Vatekar 2-0-17-0, M Suresh 4-0-12-0, Y Venugopal Rao 1-0-2-0, Md Faiq 1-1-0-0. PTI
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SGFI Secy-Gen clarifies
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 29
Reacting to a statement of Dr (Mrs) Rupa Saini, Deputy Director, Physical Education, Punjab Education Department, blaming the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) for creating problems in intimating dates about different tournaments, the SGFI Secretary-General, Mr P.S. Chhabra, has issued the following clarification:

“As per the policy, every year the SGFI allots various sport disciplines to its affiliated units. Then it becomes the prerogative of the respective host state to fix the dates, venue and communicate it to the SGFI. The SGFI is a large sports body next only to the IOA in the country and it has under its ambit 28 disciplines in three age-groups — 14 yrs, 17 yrs and 19 yrs — to conduct competitions in different parts of the country in one year keeping in mind the dates of other important events. Advancing and postponing the dates is decided by host units. In the case of Pune swimming nationals, when players from 17 other states, could reach in time, why could not Punjab?

“The official intimation regarding any change in dates has always been sent well in time.

“Punjab swimmers reached Pune on December 26 and not on December 25. I, as Secretary-General, SGFI, persuaded the organisers to delay the draws so that Punjab players could take part”.

Regarding calender of the SGFI at Surat, Gujarat, the dates were postponed due to the death of a candidate during the Assembly elections, he added.
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Sahil upsets Ram Lakhan
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, December 29
Unseeded Sahil Arora of Jalandhar upset seasoned badminton player Ram Lakhan of Punjab State Electricity Board, to secure a berth in the last four of the men singles section of the Senior Punjab State Badminton Championship being played at Rajindra Gymkhana Club, Patiala, this evening. Sahil made the short work of Ram Lakhan 15-11, 15-1. Earlier in the quarterfinals, Ram Lakhan had upset fourth seed Lakhwinder Singh 13-15, 15-4, 15-9 while Sahil had thrashed Sandeep Kumar of Amritsar 15-7,15-12.

The women singles final will be a clash between Navita Thakur of Jalandhar and Aarti Verma of Ropar. In the semifinals played today, Navita got the better of Heena 10-13, 11-4, 11-6. Top seed in the men’s section, Jaideep Kohli of Jalandhar defeated Harinder Singh of Patiala 8-15, 15-5, 15-1, Mayank Behl of Amritsar beat Ashish Laroya of Jalandhar 15-4, 15-10 while Mohd Saleem of PSEB downed Rohit Kapoor of Jalandhar 15-2, 15-8.
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 SPORTS BRIEFS


Sven Hannawald, Germany's ski jumping star, soars over the city of Oberstdorf
Sven Hannawald, Germany's ski jumping star, soars over the city of Oberstdorf during the practice for the first jumping of the four hill tournament at the K 115 ski jump on the Schattenberg hill in Oberstdorf
on Sunday. Hannawald, who was the first ski jumper ever to win all four jumpings of the prestigious four hill jumping tournament in last year's competition, places first in the practice session ahead Poland's Adam Malysz. — Reuters

NEPAL STUN INDIA
KATHMANDU:
India came in for a shock when they were handed out a 0-3 drubbing by Nepal in the final of the Asian Football Club’s South Asian Under-14 Football Championship here on Sunday. Bangladesh took the third spot in the six-nation tournament held at the Dasarath Stadium here. Besides India, Nepal and Bangladesh, three more countries of the SAARC region — Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka — participated in the competition. PTI

SHOAIB AKHTAR
LONDON:
Even as Pakistan faced defeat at the hands of South Africa, their ace pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar was busy bending it, not on the cricket field but on the dance floor of a luxury hotel in Durban. Akhtar, known as Rawalpindi Express for his tearaway bowling, was reportedly unfit for the first Test against South Africa and supposedly back in Pakistan receiving medical treatment. However, according to a report in The Observer here on Sunday, Akhtar looked out from the pages of a Durban newspaper on Friday, standing beside Indian film star Amitabh Bachchan, who was in Durban to present a concert. PTI

HENMAN OUT
LONDON:
British tennis No 1 Tim Henman has withdrawn from next month’s Australian Open because he believes he will not be fully fit following shoulder surgery in November. AFP

KHO-KHO TEAMS
ROHTAK:
The Haryana men’s and women’s teams for the 38th National Senior Kho-kho Championship, scheduled to be held here from January 1 to 5 next year, have been announced. Vikas and Poonam, both from Rohtak, will lead the men’s and women’s kho kho teams, respectively. Thirty teams each in the men’s and women’s section will participate in the championship. Men: Vikas (captain), Satish, Sunder, Deepak, Pankaj (all from Rohtak), Dharambir, Ajay, Shrawan, Satyavan, Suneel, Rajpal, Krishan, Nitin and Manoj (both stand-bys). Women’s: Poonam (capt), Savita, Susheela, Rakhi, Manisha, Susheela, Pooja, Maya, Mohini, Sushma, Rekha, Phool Kumari, Geeta and Deepa (both stand-bys). UNI
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