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Friday,
February 28, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Records tumble as Aussies rout Namibia Best bowling figures in World Cup Lacklustre South Africa stay in the hunt Lanka, Windies clash today
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Zimbabwe face Netherlands British media plays up ‘unplayable Nehra’
India were ready for kill
India’s fielding a revelation
Pace trio our strength now FACE TO FACE The best and the worst of the World Cup
SGPC to field teams in national meets
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Records
tumble as Aussies rout Namibia
Potchefstroom, February 27 Darren Lehmann earlier smashed a World Cup record 28 runs in the final over of Australia’s innings to lift his side to a total of 301 for six, and Adam Gilchrist took six catches to equal the best haul by a wicketkeeper in one-day internationals. The victory confirmed that Ricky Ponting’s side would finish top of group A with one match still to play against England on Sunday. Lehmann’s big-hitting brought him 50 from only 31 balls and inflicted on Rudi Van Vuuren the fourth worst bowling figures in one-day history as he finished with no wicket for 92 runs from 10 overs. Lehmann clubbed 4, 4, 4, 6, 4 and 6 from the over to take Australia past 300. His effort improved the previous World Cup best in an over, the 26 plundered by Brian Lara off Canada’s Barry Seebaran earlier in the tournament. When Namibia batted they were humiliated by McGrath, who eclipsed his previous best figures in one-day internationals, the five for 14 he captured against the West Indies at the 1999 World Cup. Only West Indies fast bowler Winston Davis, with seven for 51 against Australia at Headingley in 1983, had previously taken seven wickets in a World Cup innings. McGrath and Brett Lee, who bowled at express pace throughout his spell, were irresistible, with only one player, Namibia captain Deon Kotze, reaching double figures as extras top-scored with 15. Australia: Gilchrist b Van Rooi 13 Hayden b L. Burger 88 Bevan c & b L. Burger 17 Symonds run out 59 Ponting c Kotze b L. Burger 2 Martyn b Kotze 35 Lehmann not out 50 Hogg not out 19 Extras: (lb-8 w-6 nb-4) 18 Total: (6 wkts, 50 overs) 301 Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-104, 3-140, 4-146, 5-230, 6-231 Bowling: Van Vuuren 10-0-92-0, van Rooi 6-0-24-1, Kotze 10-0-62-1, L. Burger 10-139-3, Kotze 10-0-54-0, J. Burger 4-0-22-0 Namibia: Burger c Ponting b McGrath 4 Swanepoel c Ponting b Lee 2 Karg c Gilchrist b McGrath 4 Keulder c Gilchrist b
McGrath 3 Murgatroyd lbw b McGrath 0 D Kotze c Gilchrist b
L Burger c Gilchrist b
Van Schoor c Gilchrist b
B Kotze b McGrath 0 Van Rooi not out 0 Van Vuuren c Gilchrist b
Extras: (lb-4, nb-5, w-6) 15 Total: (all out, 14 overs) 45 Fall of wickets:
1-5, 2-14, 3-16, 4-17, 5-28, 6-34, 7-45, 8-45, 9-45. Bowling:
McGrath 7-4-15-7, Lee 6-1-26-1, Bichel 1-1-0-2. Reuters, PTI |
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Best bowling figures in World Cup
Glenn McGrath (Australia) 7-15 v Namibia, P’stroom, 2003. Winston Davis (West Indies) 7-51 v Australia, Leeds, 1983. Gary Gilmour (Australia) 6-14 v England, Leeds, 1975. Ashish Nehra (India) 6-23 v England, Durban, 2003. Chaminda Vaas
(Sri Lanka) 6-25 v Bangladesh, P’maritzburg,
2003. Ken MacLeay (Australia) 6-39 v India, Nottingham, 1983. Glenn McGrath (Australia) 5-14 v West Indies, Manchester,
Alan Hurst (Australia) 5-21 v Canada, Birmingham, 1979. Paul Strang (Zimbabwe) 5-21 v Kenya, Patna, 1996. Lance Klusener
(S. Africa) 5-21 v Kenya, Amstelveen, 1999. |
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Lacklustre South Africa stay in the hunt
East London, February 27 But the tournament hosts, who have to beat Sri Lanka in their final group game to have a chance of advancing to the next stage, dropped five catches as Canada, chasing 255 to win, finished on 136 for five after 50 overs. Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini was the pick of South Africa’s attack, completing figures of two for 19 from 10 overs, but left-handed opener Ishwar Maraj, dropped four times, anchored Canada’s reply with an unbeaten 53 off 155 balls. He became only the eighth man to carry his bat through the full quota of overs in a World Cup innings, while his fifty, which included six fours in 148 balls, was the third achieved by a Canadian at this tournament. Earlier, Boeta Dippenaar rode his luck to rescue South Africa as Canada embarrassed the hosts with a determined bowling performance. Dippenaar made 80 as South Africa struggled to 254 for eight from their 50 overs after being put in. Opener Graeme Smith also contributed a half century. South Africa, though, made the worst possible start, crashing to 23 for three as debutant medium-pacer Ashish Patel picked up two early wickets. After starting with a wide, Patel, who ended with three for 41, settled into a good rhythm, moving the ball through the air. He conceded just one run in his second over and then struck in his third, Herschelle Gibbs well caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Ashish Bagai. Patel’s 39-year-old strike partner Davis Joseph picked up the wicket of Gary Kirsten for a duck six balls later, Bagai again the catcher as Joseph seamed a delivery sharply across the left-hander. Things got worse in the next over when Patel struck for a second time, Jacques Kallis mistiming a pull straight to Nick Ifill at mid-on. It could have been even more humiliating, Dippenaar dropped at slip by captain Joe Harris with the score on 40. The miss proved costly as Dippenaar and Smith then put on 109 for the fourth wicket. Smith was particularly powerful off his legs but, on 63, played down the wrong line to off spinner John Davison’s arm ball just as he looked set to capitalise on a solid start. He faced 79 balls and struck six boundaries. Mark Boucher made 21 before chopping Nicholas de Groot onto his stumps and Dippenaar’s defiance ended shortly afterwards when he paddled the same bowler straight to short fine leg. He faced 118 balls and found the boundary ropes seven times. Captain Shaun Pollock (32 off 23 balls) hit De Groot back over his head for consecutive sixes to wade in with quick runs at the death, while Andrew Hall (22 not out off 11) hit Joseph for six over midwicket and Makhaya Ntini drove Patel out of the ground in the final over. The last three overs cost 46 runs. South Africa: Smith b Davison 63 Gibbs c Bagai b Patel 8 Kirsten c Bagai b Joseph 0 Kallis c Ifill b Patel 1 Dippenaar c Seebaran b Boucher b De Groot 21 Pollock c Bagai b Joseph 32 Hall not out 22 Ntini b Patel 14 Zondeki not out 1 Extras:
(lb-3 w-8 nb-1) 12 Total: (8 wkts, 50 overs) 254 FoW:
1-19, 2-22, 3-23, 4-132, 5-174, 6-197, 7-227, 8-249. Bowling: Joseph 9-1-42-2, Patel 7-0-41-3, Ifill 7-0-35-0, Davison 10-1-45-1, Seebaran 10-0-43-0, De Groot 7-0-45-2 Canada: Maraj not out 53 Davison c Zondeki b Ntini 1 Chumney c Smith b Pollock 2 Billcliff b Zondeki 9 De Groot c Boucher b Hall 16 Harris c Boucher b Ntini 15 Bagal not out 28 Extras:
(1b-6, w-4, nb-2) 12 Total: (3 wkts, 50 overs) 136 FoW: 1-2, 2-8, 3-28, 4-58, 5-84. Bowling:
Pollock 8-5-13-1, Ntini 10-2-19-2, Donals 10-2-27-0, Zondeki 9-1-24-1, Hall 7-1-26-1, Kallis 5-1-11-0, Smith 1-0-10-0.
Reuters
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Lanka, Windies clash today
Cape Town, February 27 New Zealand, who defeated Bangladesh yesterday, joined Sri Lanka and Kenya on top of the group with 12 points each, two ahead of the West Indies and four clear of hosts South Africa. Any of these five teams could take the three Super Six berths from the group depending on how the result of the remaining six matches go. Sri Lanka dug themselves into a hole following their shock 53-run defeat at the hands of Kenya in Nairobi on Monday, while the West Indies appear to have slipped after defeating South Africa in the tournament opener. The brilliant 67-ball century by Canada’s John Davison, the fastest hundred in the history of the tournament, exposed the limitations of the West Indian bowling attack. Captain Carl Hooper, however, dismissed suggestions that the bowling should be beefed up by the inclusion of seamer Jermaine Lawson in place of the out-of-form Chris Gayle. Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Aravinda De Silva, Russel Arnold, Jehan Mubarak, Avishka Gunawardena, Hashan Tillakaratne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, Pulasthi Gunaratne, Prabath Nissanka, Charitha Buddhika. West Indies: Carl Hooper (capt), Ridley Jacobs, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Mervyn Dillon, Vasbert Drakes, Chris Gayle, Ma rlon Samuels, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Jermaine Lawson, Nixon McLean, Ricardo Powell, Ramnaresh Sarwan. AFP
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Zimbabwe
face Netherlands
Bulawayo, February, 27 When they played their first ever World Cup in 1983, they beat the Australians and now, as a Test-playing nation themselves, they are in the position of being moving targets. After beating Namibia and claiming the four points when England forfeited their scheduled game in Harare, Heath Streak’s side have since lost consecutive matches to India and Australia. If Zimbabwe do lose, it would make the outcome of their finals match against Pakistan here next Tuesday academic as far as they are concerned. Streak knows that the Dutchmen, who have lost their four World Cup matches, will be looking at the example of Kenya for inspiration following the Africans’ shock win over Sri Lanka. “We don’t know the meaning of the word ‘complacent’,” said Streak who gave his team the day off after their defeat against Australia and they responded by getting up at 4.30 in the morning to go fishing. Yesterday, their training session was interrupted twice by rain and the unsettled weather over the Matabeleland Bush could lead to a no result tomorrow which would be just as demoralising as defeat. Zimbabwe’s squad are all fit, except Grant Flower, who is still nursing his spinning finger with four stitches inserted after a fielding mishap. He will probably play, but only as a batsman and field outside the realm of the specialists where he is usually to be found. The Dutch, although not expected to rival the victory of the Australians here, have at least imitated the world champions in one respect by delaying their arrival for a day. AFP
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British
media plays up ‘unplayable Nehra’
London, February 27 England now are under pressure to beat Australia but “England are not yet in their class and with Nehra bowling like Wasim Akram only three days after spraining his ankle against Namibia, they never got close,” Derek Pringle wrote in the Daily Telegraph. The Times wrote that England’s brief bubble of hope seems to have been burst by “a performance of fast left-arm-over bowling by the 23-year-old Nehra reminiscent of Wasim Akram at his most inspired”. The Guardian wrote: “Pitter-pattering in Akram-like from Kingsmead’s Umgeni End, Nehra found pace and, most crucially, movement that, for the most part, had eluded England’s bowlers before the daylight went and the pitch greened up in the evening air.” England were reeling under the shock of what hit them. The news of England’s defeat came from tight-lipped newsreaders on television while radio commentators sounded aghast as England wickets fell. But England came second best in all departments, Pringle wrote. They were hit first by the “lightning reflexes of Mohammed Kaif, whose pounce and direct hit from extra cover (that ran out Nick Knight) were in the Jonty Rhodes class”. He added: “With India’s bowlers bowling consistently quicker and more accurately than their England counterparts, batting looked a completely different prospect.” By contrast “England’s new ball pair, so persuasive in Cape Town against Pakistan, fairly leaked runs here, with Andrew Caddick in particular getting some fearful tap from Tendulkar...who proceeded to go through most of his repertoire of amazing shots”. The Times said the quality of all three fast bowlers from India was “superb”. It wrote that Nehra “could easily have taken all eight of the wickets that remained once his spell started from the Umgeni End, so often did he hit the seam at speed around the off stump and zip the ball past the outside edge of both defensive and offensive bats”. Nehra looked “positively unplayable”, The Times added.
In a report “Nehra Smokes out Sorry England” The Guardian wrote that the “stupendous spell of fast-medium bowling by India’s
left-armer Ashish Nehra last night sent England to the brink of World Cup elimination”. “The anti-doping unit should be alerted immediately: a cricketer surely could face suspension for having traces of a performance-enhancing drug in his name
(Ashish for Hashish). “If England made a ham fisted start, when Nick Knight was needlessly run out by Mohammad Kaif’s electric fielding, then India’s new-ball pairing of Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath sent ball after ball past probing England bats. These bowlers deserved greater reward but it was to be Nehra’s day. Bowling from close to the stumps — a rarity among many modern left-arm pacemen who do little other than slant the ball across right-hand batsmen — and finding movement both ways, he took the next six wickets in his 10-over spell.”
IANS
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India eyeing Pak scalp
Durban, February 27 Hussain blamed the conditions for putting the team in a disadvantage but had to admit that India proved to be better side. “They outplayed us. Their discipline was very good,” Hussain said but added “the conditions did help (India) a little bit under lights”. “Under lights it just zipped off the wicket a little bit quicker. It’s no excuse but a fact,” Hussain said after England were bundled out for 168 in 45.3 overs in reply to India’s 250 for nine. India walloped England to claim their fourth win in five World Cup games to almost assure themselves a berth in the Super Six while England will now have to defeat Australia to entertain any hopes of further progress in the tournament. Ganguly said the win against England had lessened the pressure to qualify for the next round. “The win here has probably given us a very good chance to qualify for the Super Six. So obviously the pressure is a bit less for us in terms of qualification. But that’s one big game (against Pakistan) we want to win.” The Bengal southpaw also saluted his fast bowler Ashish Nehra for overcoming the pain barrier and returning the third best figures ever in the history of World Cup. “He had to go through a fitness test in the morning. He came through the pain barrier and produced a spell which I rate as the best from a fast bowler I have seen during my tenure as captain of India,” said Ganguly. Nehra took 6 for 23 from his 10 overs and routed the Englishmen with a superb spell of controlled, hostile fast bowling. He bowled his quota of overs in a stretch and vomited in his final over before going down on his knees twice but by then he had done his job. Ganguly said it was a great show of character from Nehra. “A physio can put in an effort, the coach can do his bit and a captain can exhort his team. But at the end of the day, it is the player himself who has to make the decision.” “At the end of the day it was a great show of character,” Ganguly said. Ganguly also had a word of praise for his batsmen, especially Sachin Tendulkar and the way he batted at the start of the Indian innings. “I think he trusted the bounce of this wicket a lot more than he trusted in other games. That’s why he could bat so freely. It was the best I have seen him bat right throughout the tournament.” “We batted outstandingly well to get to 250. We were a little slow in the middle overs but then Yuvraj and Dravid played outstandingly well to get to 250.” But the Indian skipper did admit his batsmen were losing a bit of momentum in the middle of the innings. “It’s happened in the last couple of games that we have lost a little in the middle. That’s what we have to work on.” “But we also have this plan to conserve wickets in the final overs. As the wickets go in South Africa, the new ball does a little, there is a bit of bounce and carry and as it goes older, then the runs come a lot easier,” Ganguly said. Hussain felt the first 10 overs were the best period to bat as the sun was out and winds were gusty. Things changed, Hussain said, when the cloud cover came and the ball zipped around. “But we showed a little bit of inexperience in the last 10 overs. We have lacked a death bowler for a little while now... we were lucky in Cape Town but we were unlucky here,” Hussain said referring to their previous league game against Pakistan in Cape Town where his team batted first and made 246 runs and then bundled out the opposition for 134 runs.” Hussain was full of praise for Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid and then said the Indians’ lower half invariably does well against them. “Sachin Tendulkar was brilliant and so was Rahul Dravid. Their lower middle order has always done well against us in the past. To have Yuvraj come at number six and Mohammad Kaif at number seven is a big bonus.” “We tried our hardest and we were probably one-wicket away from exerting pressure and that’s why I kept Andrew Flintoff on. He bowled impeccably. He does things what other people can’t do. To run in and bowl 2 for 16 against that line-up was very good.” Hussain said there was no disgrace for his fast bowler James Anderson to come off second best in the contest against Tendulkar. “I am not worried about Anderson. He bowled a couple of good overs to Sehwag. He will have days like this. He’s got to learn and there’s no better stage to learn than to bowl to Tendulkar. When you have a player like Tendulkar batting like that, it’s a big test for everyone,” Hussain conceded. Hussain also praised man-of-the-match Ashish Nehra. “He hit the deck hard, nibbled a little both ways and is a little bit quicker than he was in England,” he said. “The two left-armers bowled very well and didn’t give us any free balls,” a disappointed Hussain said. PTI
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India were ready for kill This was a vintage performance by India and England were beaten into submission quite easily. The margin of victory reflects India’s domination, and happily it was a superb team effort which made this possible. What I liked most about India’s performance was the sense of self belief. There was an electricity about the ground when they took the field to defend 250. The players all looked charged up and ready for the kill, which is how it should be in a big match. There was just the right amount of aggression to avoid mistakes and everything fell into place once the England lost their openers cheaply. The Newlands wicket has always helped bowlers, especially under lights, and India’s batsmen did well to make 250. It was a very good toss to win, and the Indian batsmen did not squander this luck. Sachin Tendulkar, playing the best I have seen from him in the last 12 months, gave the side a rousing start, hitting Caddick and Anderson out of the attack. This is the kind of Tendulkar who can win matches single-handedly. The middle-order struggled a bit, but Rahul Dravid played a gem of a knock to hold the innings together. He brought all his experience into play and saved the big hitting till the very end. It was important from India’s point of view to get to 250 to put psychological pressure on England. Under lights, the wicket seemed to have more juice than in the first innings, and the England batsmen never got going against an inspired seam attack. Both Srinath and Zaheer had the openers on tenterhooks without getting adequate reward for their efforts. Then came Ashish Nehra to bowl out of his skin, and decimate the batting. In the match against Zimbabwe, Nehra was the pick of the bowlers without having the luck. This day his luck supported his form and by the time he had finished his quota of overs, the England innings was in a shambles. This was a fabulous win and should help the side enormously in the key match against Pakistan. The Indians are looking a good side now — batting, bowling and fielding well. I would opt for a few changes — Bangar or Agarkar for Mongia being one — in the next game. But it is more important that the players keep the energy levels high.
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India’s fielding a revelation Few burdens are heavy when everyone lifts it. The Indian team underscored that tellingly with a command performance against England in the World Cup league game in Durban on Wednesday. It was triumph of the collective spirit, with India playing as a cohesive unit. And, India banked on ruthless aggression in pulverising England by 82 runs to virtually assure itself of a place in the Super Six. After Saurav Ganguly won a great toss, the Tendulkar-Sehwag blitzkrieg nullified the threat that young James Anderson represented. It was nice to see the arrogance back on Tendulkar’s countenance, the master stamping his authority on the English attack. His strokes of Andy Caddick were the sort that would destroy any bowler’s psyche. The good thing about the rest of the Indian batting is that none of them tried to emulate the frenetic pace with which Tendulkar picked up the runs. It would have been a folly to ambitiously attempt sustaining the momentum. Instead, they played to their own strengths and within their limitations in rebuilding the innings from the scratch. It was a sensible game plan to have wickets in hand in the death. To have tried to keep the scoreboard ticking at the same breezy pace would have seen the Indians courting trouble,
particularly when Andrew Flintoff seemed to be landing the ball in the right areas. The ball had lost its shine and the track turned out to be sluggish, calling for an industrious approach. There was a spell when the question begged asking - why was Dinesh Mongia slotted to bat at No. 4. Common sense must prevail and he must be sent back to No. 7 where he has done reasonably well, with Dravid batting at the critical No. 4 spot. With his industrious attitude at the crease, Dravid restores balance and provides a solidity to a line-up that is so full of exciting strokeplayers. On Wednesday, he held fort and helped India set its stalls. The Dravid-Yuvraj combo was the perfect pair at the crease in the final overs, one typically aggressive and the other tempering things with a steady approach. The England captain Nasser Hussain found himself on the other side of the equation, his side having to chase a challenging total under lights and a track that freshened up a bit because of the dew. The moisture in the air offered the ball resistance and allowed it to swing and the three Indian pacemen rose to the occasion. Mohammed Kaif’s effort to run out Nick Knight in the opening over was the spark which ignited the Indian team. Despite not making a contribution with the bat, he created an opportunity for the team with his fielding. The doors of opportunity are opened by pushing. India’s fielding, as a whole, was a revelation, with each man working as if he were possessed. Nehra eased into a great start by the Srinath-Zaheer combination rocked England on the backfoot. His was a wonderful example of putting mind over matter. Inspite of limping out of the match against Namibia after one delivery with a twisted ankle, Nehra’s commitment and passion to do well in the big game was there for all to see. Character is not made in a crisis, it is only exhibited. He got the ball to swing at a pace which showed the rhythm that he has now got into. If India’s third seamer has shown himself up as a match-winner, it only means that the attack has now got an incisive edge and wears a well-settled look. Viewed against the backdrop of this victory and the pressure-cooker atmosphere that can dominate India’s final league game in Centurion on Saturday, it can be said that India has eased a truckload of stress off India’s back and has shifted the pressure right back to Pakistan. Yet, the Indian team will do well to remember that one joy can wash away all the grief. For all of India, a win over Pakistan is as big, if not bigger than, a World Cup conquest itself.
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Pace trio our strength now The tournament has been indeed, bizarre. Apart from the usual World Cup upsets, this edition has seen some outstanding individual performances. Ashish Nehra’s six-wicket haul, for sure, will stand tall among them. To be frank, Nehra’s effort did not come to me as a surprise for two reasons. Seeing Nehra amongst the top four fastest bowlers was a pleasant surprise— an indication that the youngster had put in some hard work in respect to his overall fitness and it’s a known fact that hard work always pays. Secondly, I had said before that toss will play a crucial role and maintain the same words. Bowling second under lights in conditions enjoyed by seamers had much more role to play than the lack of application shown by the English batsmen. Seeing the Indian pace trio bowl in this tournament, especially the way Zaheer and Nehra backing Srinath, who too is making the most of his last stint in the Cup, they have no doubt become a strength for this Indian team. A far cry from the start of the tournament, which put the likes of Sachin, Sehwag and Ganguly as crucial to India’s fortunes. They still are, no two ways about it, but are just relegated into the background by the seamers’ heroics. Indians were upto the task yesterday when they came out in the field. Their bowling was penetrative, sticking to a nagging line outside off-stump and used the heavy conditions to their advantage. Their incisive bowling at the start of the innings have also lifted the pressure of Harbhajan and he gives his best when the limelight and pressure is off him. The fielding was extraordinary to say the least. In fact, this is another area where the Indians have developed as a emerging force and Sehwag’s catch to get rid of Vaughan or Kaif’s breath-taking dive to run out Nick Knight was another shot in that direction. I just get the feeling that the Indians are peaking at the right time and the dream of “Bees Saal Baad” is getting realistic. But Indian fans can do better than jump the gun. We have to take one match by at a time and the next one against Pakistan is, well, important. England would be disappointed with themselves. They lacked an approach to reach the target and went about strolling in the middle without purpose. What else could have explained Nick Knight’s call for a run and Trescothick’s attempted hook off Zaheer? Their batsman gave up hopes of chasing as soon as their openers joined them in the pavilion and despite all those thoughts about the conditions, England never looked to size-up to the situation. Flintoff was an exception and it’s a pity that such an all-round performance had to be second best on the day. His batting came good at last but it couldn’t save the English ship from sinking. And just as I am signing off this piece, the news that Glen McGrath has got a record seven for 15 against Namibia only justifies my introduction. Everything is just bizarre out there.Dronacharya Sports Promoters
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FACE TO FACE DURBAN: Saurav Ganguly says he doesn’t like arrogant people. Many claim Hussain has a touch of arrogance. By inference it’s easy to understand if Ganguly and Hussain are not the best of friends. Surely, these two are not the captains you would find in the parking lot, chatting away merrily. The two almost played spoilsport at the start of the Durban game on
Wednesday. The toss was coined up in the air and there was some confusion as to who had won it. The impression got credence when Hussain appeared to be checking it again with Ravi
Shastri, the television guy at the point of toss. Hussain dispels the impression he was confused as to who had won the toss. He says he only wanted to hear again if Ganguly wanted to bat or bowl. Says Hussain: “I didn’t hear at first as there was such a cheer when India won the toss. There was such a roar I didn’t hear what Saurav said. “I didn’t speak to him at the toss as you only speak to Ravi Shastri or whatever you call him. I have no problem with that. I guess he said we would bat and I just wanted to make sure.” Hussain was a tad jealous as hooters from Indian camp went up at the end of the game and Indian supporters worked up a great noise. “Obviously the whole of India is celebrating as they are now through to next round. We would like to be in the position,” said Hussain. “We enjoy playing against India. We enjoy playing in front of our crowd, their crowd. I am sure everyone was nervous. The Indians were nervous, we were nervous but that’s game. The more nervous you are the bigger the game.” As questions came thick and fast, Hussain appeared to lose his cool. A television reporter asked a question which acted as a fuel to fire “Were you complacent?” asked the lady reporter in her husky voice. “Yes we were very complacent. It’s unfair really how complacent we were. We just didn’t take this game as important. We would like to lose to India every time. So thanks a lot for that question.” Hussain doesn’t suffer fools and he can put people off-guard. He doesn’t mind taking on opponents on the field even if it means commenting on someone as gracious as Sachin Tendulkar. There was an incident when England toured India in 2001-2002 when Hussain mouthed a few chosen words at Tendulkar. The Indian maestro was batting along with Shiv Sunder Das and Hussain, time and again, would go to Das and tell him to stand wider at the non-striker’s end as he didn’t have a clear view at mid-on. As Hussain’s sledges became dirtier, Tendulkar tried to intervene. Hussain then became equally untasteful for Tendulkar. That’s why perhaps Ganguly doesn’t like what he sees. He lost a bitter one-day series in India at the start of last year. In Tests too, the margin of win was 1-0 only as Hussain tried unorthodox, even unfair, means to curb Indian scoring. Men like him, and Steve Waugh, bring the worst out of Ganguly. Often, it works to India’s advantage! |
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The best and the worst of the World Cup The best ball: A three-way tie. Zimbabwe’s Grant Flower, bowling his left-arm spin wide of the crease, tempted Sachin Tendulkar half forward before the ball turned and clipped the off bail. “I got one to turn for a change,” he said. Tendulkar’s 81, however, won the group A match in Harare for India. England’s James Anderson, exploiting Cape Town’s evening conditions, swung a yorker from leg stump to off to bowl Yousuf Youhana first ball. The 20-year-old’s previous delivery dismissed Inzamam-ul-Haq. Anderson’s four for 29 set up a shock win over Pakistan. When left-armer Chaminda Vaas had Bangladesh’s Ehsanul Haque caught at second slip with a ball angled across the batsman, the Sri Lankan completed an unprecedented first hat-trick from the first three balls of an international match. The best innings:
Canada’s John Davison, an off spinner who bats at nine for South Australia, hit the fastest century (8x4, 6x6) in World Cup history with a 67-baller against West Indies. He completed it with a towering six off Mervyn Dillon. “I had no idea (it was the fastest cup hundred)...it sent a shiver down my spine.” he said. Four days earlier, Canada had been bowled out for 36 by Sri Lanka. Stephen Fleming’s 134 not out off 132 deliveries was also worthy of mention, helping New Zealand to beat South Africa. “I’ve waited a long time for an innings like that,” he said. The best catch: Brett Lee’s dismissal of Andy Blignaut after the Zimbabwean had smashed a 25-ball half-century in Bulawayo came close. Blignaut cross-batted a lightning full toss straight back at the bowler who somehow reacted fast enough to catch the ball. Lee himself could not believe it. Lip-readers would have had no problems identifying his expletive. The best celebration:
The best quote:
The worst innings:
The worst celebration:
The worst drop:
Pedro Collins made as bad an error against South Africa, when he sauntered nonchalantly backwards to catch Lance Klusener at square leg only to realise he had stepped on the rope. Klusener, however, with 57 from 48 balls, was caught in the deep by Carl Hooper in the final over as West Indies sneaked home by three runs. The worst quote:
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SGPC to field teams in national meets Anandpur Sahib, February 27 It was against this background that Mr Badungar had called a meeting of the sports committee, which comprised principals of all SGPC-run colleges, here yesterday. Due to his pre-occupation, the meeting was
hastily shifted to Kiratpur
Sahib, near here. In this new venture, the SGPC seems to follow a two-way pronged strategy. It is, first, to create sports awareness among the Sikh youth and secondly, it is to bring back those young Sikh boys, who have gone astray, those not following the basic Sikh tenets like the unshorn hair, to the mainstream and foster Sikh spirit among them. The meeting was well-attended in which the whole project was discussed threadbare. Principal Walia explained to Prof Badungar that to train 20 boys in football, the SGPC will incur an expenditure of Rs 7.2 lakh per annum. It will include hostel fee, a scholarship of Rs 500 for each trainee besides the fee exemption. The coach in charge will be paid Rs 6000 per month. Similarly, on the same lines, a basketball wing having 12 boys will incur an expenditure of Rs 12 lakh every year. The volleyball wing will also cost Rs 12 lakh whereas for the athletics wing, the SPGC will have to cough out more, Rs 11 lakh every year. Once this is done, the SGPC will have nurseries prepared which will feed players, who will then don SGPC colours. Meanwhile, Mr Badungar as chairman of the Sports Committee, announced to hold the Khalsa Games at Anandpur Sahib from October 3 to 5 this year. Dr Chanan Singh, Principal of Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College, Anandpur Sahib, has been appointed nodal officer for these games. About 60 teams from all over the country, in football, hockey, volleyball, basketball, kabaddi (Punjab style), fencing, table tennis, badminton and athletics, will participate in the competitions.
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Potchefstroom, February 27
