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Wednesday,
March 5, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Emphatic 142-run victory for Windies ‘Revamp Kenyan cricket’ Indians not to take
Kenya lightly Rain curse returns to haunt SA
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South Africa players ‘were in tears’ SA come up one short again
Where does this leave SA cricket? A cruel joke on South Africa
World Cup a nightmare: Akhtar What is it that makes Tendulkar so good
One-day cricket has no respect for hard work Bangladesh to sack coach
Bindra shoots perfect 600 BSF, J&K Bank earn full points College athletics meet
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Emphatic 142-run victory for Windies Kenya, March 4 The West Indies opener Chris Gayle hit a solid if unspectacular century as his team performed the last rites on their miserable World Cup campaign. Electing to bat first in what is a ‘dead’ match, the West Indies reached 246 for seven off their 50 overs in a tired, laboured performance. Gayle hit 119 off 151 balls to register his fifth career one-day ton as the 1975 and 1979 champions went through the motions in a match where only their pride was at stake having already been eliminated from the tournament. Kenya had already guaranteed their place in the Super Sixes as one of the three qualifiers from group B but were keen to ensure their form here is not a fluke as they went seeking their second win over the West Indies to follow their shock win at the 1996 World Cup. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who had been promoted to open the batting, put on 122 in 28 overs before he became Kenya’s first victim when he top-edged leg-spinner Collins Obuya to Joseph Angara for 66 off 72 balls with seven fours and two sixes. Scoreboard West Indies: Gayle c D Obuya b Angara 119 Chanderpaul c Angara
b C Obuya 66 Lara c D Obuya b Tikolo 10 Samuels c Patel b Odumbe 14 Powell c Otieno b Odumbe 8 Hooper st Otieno b Angara 6 Hinds b Suji 10 Jacobs not out 9 Drakes not out 1 Extras:
(w-3) 3 Total: (7 wkts, 50 overs) 246 Fall of wickets: 1-122, 2-158, 3-182, 4-196, 5-222, 6-224, 7-245. Bowling: Suji 10-1-38-1, Angara 7-0-53-2, Ongondo 5-0-17-0, Odumbe 10-0-62-2, C Obuya 10-0-48-1, Tikolo 8-0-28-1. Kenya: Otieno c Dillon b Drakes 3 Shah c Gayle b Dillon 12 Patel c Lara b Drakes 11 Tikolo lbw b Drakes 12 Modi c Jacobs b Drakes 0 Odumbe hit wkt b Lawson 0 D.Obuya c Powell b Drakes 4 C.Obuya c Powell b Lawson13 Ongondo b Powell 24 Suji c Chanderpaul b Hinds 13 Angara not out 0 Extras: (lb-3 w-8 nb-1) 12 Total: (all out, 35.5 overs) 104 Fall
of Wickets: 1-8, 2-26, 3-34, 4-34, 5-43, 6-43, 7-54, 8-62, 9-102 Bowling: Dillon 10-1-31-1, Drakes 10-2-33-5, Lawson 8-0-16-2, Powell 4-2-8-1, Chanderpaul 2-0-6-0, Hinds 1.5-0-7-1.
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‘Revamp Kenyan cricket’ Cape Town, March 4 Tournament minnows Kenya made history by qualifying for the Super Sixes with a 32-run victory over Bangladesh. No side without Test status has previously got beyond the first round. But Tikolo said a revamp of the Kenya Cricket Association’s (KCA’s) leadership was urgently required if Kenya’s impressive achievement at the World Cup was to be translated into long-term success. “Right now, you can pick your team of 15 from Nairobi, and that poses problems of depth,” said Tikolo. “The game has to spread across the whole country for us to start seeing a proper transformation, and that will partly require transforming the KCA.
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Indians not to take
Kenya lightly
Cape Town, March 4 India are refusing to take Kenya lightly given the spirited performance of the African nation in the World Cup, not the least because of its propensity to pull the carpet from under the feet of elite Test playing nations. Kenya have already scalped former champions Sri Lanka in the league stage but it is not the first time they have dumped a Test giant as they beat the West Indies in Pune during the 1996 World Cup in the sub-continent. India too have been at the receiving end against Kenya on more than one occasion, the last defeat at Port Elizabeth during the 2001-2003 Standard Bank triangular series in South Africa being a particularly bitter one. India were shocked by Kenya in an upset result in that tri-series which led to the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the International Cricket Council (ICC) seek the videotapes to ensure nothing undesirable happened. India, fresh from their back-to-back triumphs against England and Pakistan, are unwilling to treat Kenya with disdain and trust the rival coach Sandeep Patil to plan something outrageously intelligent on Friday. India are planning a trick of its own against Kenya and the early indications suggested both Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble might be included in the playing eleven to test the Kenyans with high quality spin bowling. Harbhajan and Kumble played together in the first two games of the competition against Holland and Australia but since then have been involved in a roulette-type of selection method. Harbhajan played in the next three league games before Kumble returned against Pakistan, albeit not successfully, conceding 51 runs for no scalp.
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Rain curse returns to haunt SA Johannesburg, March 4 Pollock appeared on the front of all of the country’s newspapers after his team’s cruel first-round exit from the tournament after their rain-affected group A match against Sri Lanka ended in a tie. The Star displayed three pictures of Pollock under the banner headline “Heartbreaking”. In the first, he stared out blankly at the Durban rain which was to kill off both the day-night game and his side’s hopes. The next photograph had him with his head in his hands and the third looking away to the side, as if for help. “Shock. Horror. Despair,” said the three captions. “Polly devastated by another tied exit,” ran the Citizen’s banner headline after the hosts were knocked out of their second World Cup in a row after tying their final match. In Monday’s defeat the South Africans, among the pre-tournament favourites to challenge champions Australia, reached 229 for six in 45 of their allotted 50 overs as they chased Sri Lanka’s 268 for nine. With all-rounder Lance Klusener and wicketkeeper-batsman Mark Boucher at the crease, they looked well-placed to launch a final assault which would take them into the Super Six stage of the competition. Boucher had been told by his dressing room that 229 was enough for victory and, after hitting a six off Muttiah Muralitharan to get to that score, had blocked what was to prove the final ball of the game when one more run would have ensured victory. The Citizen called it a “terrible breakdown in communication”. The Star’s main sports headline blamed cricket’s “Weather gods”. “It seemed as if vice-captain Mark Boucher, who was batting with Lance Klusener, was given the wrong message when light drizzle started falling,” it said. The disappointment echoed not only the 1999 tournament, when the team was knocked out of the semifinals after a tied match against Australia, but also 1992, when rain had also left them cruelly short during a run chase, again in the semifinals, against England. “Last night the nightmares of 1992 and also the 1999 World Cup returned to haunt them and it will remain with them for many years to come,” said The Star. South Africa had hoped to become the first host nation to lift the trophy. Had they won on Monday, they would not only have qualified but also taken 10 points with them, leaving them in good position to reach the semifinals. Their failure to reach the second round represented their worst result in the tournament. Pollock’s picture even made it to the front of the Business Day newspaper, even if he couldn’t quite push an article on telecom share prices out of prime spot. “Dumped by Duckworth-Lewis”, the back page headline said, referring to the complex scoring system used to revise victory targets in rain-affected matches. South African television, meanwhile, replaying cricket highlights of Monday’s matches on Tuesday morning, ran a string of email messages from fans at the bottom of the screen.
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South Africa players ‘were in tears’ Durban, March 4 South Africa, who began the tournament as one of favourites, were eliminated when their crucial day-night match against Sri Lanka at Kingsmead yesterday ended in a rain-affected tie. "There were tears in that dressing room last night," Simons told the SAPA news agency. "I think everyone is experiencing a rollercoaster of different emotions. It's going to be a long, difficult trip home and it's going to take a while for it all to settle in. "At the moment I'm almost angry at the way it has all turned out." Simons added that he has no intention of stepping down as coach but could understand peoples' frustrations at once again seeing their World Cup hopes disappear in the most cruel of circumstances. In 1992, they were denied a semi-final win in Sydney by the rain while their 1999 semi-final against Australia also ended in a tie before they were eliminated due to their poor Super Six placing. "The guys were saying that it simply can't happen again," said Simons who conceded that he hardly slept the night before. "There was this sense that it couldn't be decided by a tie again." He said he was aware that the huge expectations that came with hosting cricket's premier competition may lead for calls of some bloodletting. "People are always looking to blame things on and I suppose I'll just have to wait and see," Simons said. "I'm not going to walk away from the job. The powers that be must decide whether or not we did a good job and I'd like to believe that we did." Simons also expressed the hope that Shaun Pollock would not step down as captain after facing a barrage of criticism. "I'd be extremely disappointed if Shaun went. But I don't think he would. Shaun's the kind of bloke who will take something like this on the chin."
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SA come up one short again Deja vu. Third time unlucky. A Mozambican cyclone this time. Lance Klusener was at the crease, without a run in six balls, and the recipe for another disaster was complete with those modern rain dancers, Messrs Duckworth and Lewis, lurking in the gloom, raincoats on, computer printouts in hand. This is modern cricket. It is amazing how South Africa always manage to come up one run short with the regularity of a suburban train arriving at a platform. There are no professors of mathematics in the home team but the least anyone could have done was to convey properly the ball-by-ball scenario sheet of the rain men. Cricket has been suffering an eternal curse from Pluvius and Varun, the rain gods. Having had over 1500 days to plan this World Cup, the organisers were unable to put in a rain day in the preliminary league because the logistics would be more complicated than the rain sheets generated by a computer programme no one understands fully. The one run they did not make will continue to haunt the South Africans. The best part of the Duckworth-Lewis system is it tells you ball by ball where a team has to be in the chase. But it cannot predict the human factor behind decision-making. It does not foretell when the umpires are going to order the covers on. The game itself must have some kind of masochistic streak. How else could rainfall of half an hour be allowed to determine the whole outcome of the league in one group? Short of playing all games at the Colonial Stadium in Melbourne or the SkyDome in Toronto, cricket cannot battle the unkind elements even in this modern age where so much else in life is weather-proof. The net result is Sri Lanka, Kenya and New Zealand come through as teams 1-2-3 from group B and will play Australia-India-England (or Pakistan or Zimbabwe) as their counterparts from group A in the Super Sixes. A fair enough result in the end considering those who will miss out on the party are those who must have mismanaged their cricket somewhere. The port-mortems will go on forever, especially in South Africa where anyone can make a career agonising over what may have been. From Sydney in 92 through Edgbaston in 99 to Kingsmead now, a curse has stalked the South Africans. Or, maybe, the troubles lies in them and not in their stars. The tarot card reader on television had predicted somewhat intriguingly to expect the unexpected. But, given South Africa’s record in World Cups where twice they have failed to make one vital run to progress to the next stage after having once faced the impossible target of 22 runs in one ball because of an ancient rain rule, what happened could have been expected. To put it simply, Australian teams have generally proved smarter in withstanding the hazards in the rough-and-tumble of the one-day game in the showpiece event. They would have died rather than be in the ignorant position Mark Boucher had been put in because somebody could not distinguish what target had to be met to win rather than tie. So much so, the South African batsmen were like blind men who had wandered into a nudist colony. Pakistan may not have been there this time since their task against Zimbabwe was huge. “We didn’t come into the World Cup wanting to become maths professors but that’s the way it’s ended up,’’ wrote Shoaib Akhtar ahead of the Bulawayo game. India and Sri Lanka will carry the Asian banner against the Australia-New Zealand duo from the Antipodes, who may be beginning to believe they will be there at the summit. It is interesting how Sri Lanka topped the group even as World Cup venues lurched from assistance to seamers to slow wickets more suited to the piling of runs. Marvan
Atapattu came out at the right end of a regular mix-up with skipper Sanath Jayasuriya, whose calling must be more complicated than old Indian smoke signals or the boy scouts’ semaphore. Atapattu provided the dynamic of the Lankan innings in a classy exposition of well-paced batsmanship while Aravinda de Silva proved the dictum that old is gold. The off-break that Murali bowled with a wet ball (penultimate delivery) that was smacked for six by Boucher may never have been sent down if not for the umpires staying on as stodgy flag bearers for the fight for cricket matches to be settled the natural way. Had they stayed on for much longer, a bias in favour of the home team may have been seen in their actions. Yet, Pollock criticised Bucknor and Venkat, quite unfairly it must be said, for not starting play again. Fielders may have demanded raincoats while bowlers may have had to wear Macintoshes and gloves to grip the wet ball. Would Pluvius pitch covers have sponsored the cricket in the rain? The verdict is South Africa came up short one more time, with a tie instead of a win. The hosts have been sent out of their party. What irony!
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Where does this leave SA cricket? To go out of the World Cup via the route we did is probably the hardest thing to accept for any cricket lover. It is cruel to say the least. Many will believe that the Proteas never deserved to get into that position in the first place after losing to the West Indies and New Zealand. Whatever the pundits may say I think the first thing that needs to be said is that the batting department never let the side down. The totals that had to be chased against the top sides were never easy and they got so close. The bowling was the problem throughout. Getting the right combination was a tough ask and I'm sure blame will apportioned to many quarters. The change room must have been similar to Edgbaston in 1999 and no doubt the players that were there will feel cheated. Needing 40 runs to win off 30 balls with Boucher going well and Lance Klusener in, no cricket
'funda' in his right mind would have written South Africa off. History told us that the host nation were always going to have a tough time of it and no matter how the team and administrators tried to deflect the reality of the pressure, it finally took its toll. Unfortunately, it is part of the deal of playing at that level and it had to be embraced successfully for the team to do well. Clearly it was not. I do believe that the injury to Jonty Rhodes was a huge blow to the dynamics of the team. His experience and expertise is not something that is replaced overnight. Where does this all leave South African cricket? I suppose the usual scrutinising of every detail will be done by both the qualified and unqualified critics and the young men that gave their all and failed, will feel the brunt. The average South African does not easily lend support to a losing team and the United Cricket Board will now have their hands full keeping the system intact. Sometimes losing opens up issues that are easily overlooked and not dealt with while the system is successful. The fact that the team that represents every single aspect of cricket in the country, from school cricket to provincial cricket and then to every coach at all levels, the performance of the tem will be felt throughout the system. Even the preparation of the pitches needs some discussion. Finally, the team had its destiny in their own hands at the start of the tournament. They lost to the West Indies and New Zealand in critical games and will look back on the critical aspects that could have changes their fortunes. Dropped catches, extra deliveries via wides and no-balls, as well as soft dismissals at vital stages, are part and parcel of the game and more often than not lead to poor results. They are aspects of the great game that are within the control of the player. The rain is not. I think credit must be given to the Sri Lankans who showed great courage and character to come back and beat the West Indies and South Africa in back-to-back games after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Kenya. That in itself was a special feat. Sadly for many South Africans the World Cup 2003 will not be the same from now on.
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A cruel joke on South Africa Chandigarh, March 4 In the 1992 edition of the tournament played in Australia, the South Africans, taking part in the World Cup for the first time after the end of apartheid in the country and their readmission into the International Cricket Council (thanks largely to the efforts made by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and its principal office-bearers Inderjit Singh Bindra and Jagmohan Dalmiya), had looked on course for victory against England in the semifinal with 22 runs needed for victory off 19 balls only for the rain to begin falling. Under the rain rule of the time the target remained unchanged but the not out batsmen had only one ball to face to score the improbable 22 runs when play resumed. Four years ago, South Africa again started the World Cup as one of the favourites for the title only to lose to Australia, the eventual winners, on the basis of a loss to the same team in the Super Six stage after their semifinal match at Edgbaston was tied. In spite of the fact that South African captain Shaun Pollock later revealed that the team was under the impression that 229 was actually the winning target (the actual target was 230) it is indeed a tragedy when cricket has to be played with the batsmen having to keep one eye on the bowler and the other on the sky and the third eye on the calculator. The tragedy is further compounded by the fact that the South Africans play very entertaining cricket and try hard on the field. One feels sorry for Allan Donald and Jonty Rhodes (who had to pull out after playing one match in the tournament after sustaining an injury), who had announced prior to the commencement of the tournament that this would be their last World Cup. The two South African veteran campaigners therefore will never be able to savour the thrill of laying their hands on the World Cup. For other South African players like skipper Shaun Pollock and Lance Klusener (who was also actively involved in the tied match against Australia in the tournament of 1999) this was probably the last chance for a World Cup win since the West Indies 2007 is still four years away. |
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Nasser Hussain quits
Port Elizabeth, March 4 Hussain, who had earlier hinted at taking such a step when the ICC decided to allot four points to Zimbabwe after the England team refused to travel to Zimbabwe over security concerns, finally made the announcement today, though emphasising that he was ready to lead the side in Test matches. Hussain's decision came just after the unfancied Zimbabwe became the third team from Pool A, after Australia (24) and India (20), to move into round two with 14 points. Zimbabwe made an almost sweatless entry into the Super Six, also moving ahead of favourites Pakistan which had a devastating Cup with near humiliating defeats at the hands of Australia, England and India, managing only two wins against minnows Namibia and Holland. The 34-year-old Hussain made the announcement soon after his team's elimination was confirmed. “I believe it is in the best interests of the one-day side if I step down as captain... though I would like to stress that I am keen to carry on as Test captain but that will be for other people to decide. “I believe I don't warrant a place in the (one-day) side any more and it's time England moved on,” he said.
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World Cup a nightmare: Akhtar London, March 4 “Well you never know in cricket. In 1992, the Pakistanis won the World Cup after losing three games and being written off early in the tournament,” Akhtar, the fastest bowler in the world, wrote in a column in Britain’s The Guardian newspaper today. After Saturday’s defeat against India at Centurion in a high pressure Group A game, Akhtar hopes to restore his team chances of winning the World Cup by helping them beat Zimbabwe today. So far Akhtar and his team have not had an easy time in the tournament. On Monday skipper Waqar Younis said that Pakistan had failed to perform in all departments. Akhtar agreed. “I don’t know what’s gone wrong with me in this World Cup. I went for 72 off 10 over against India. I was trying hard and doing everything I could think of, but I just couldn’t get the ball in the right place...the whole thing was a nightmare,” Akhtar said. “I take the blame. But you have to pick yourself up and keep on learning. I’m still a match-winning bowler,” he said. Bowling against England last month, Akhtar was clocked at a record 161.3 kph, just over 100 mph, but his efforts were in vain with Pakistan collapsing to a 112-run defeat. Before the tournament started, the 1992 winners and 1999 finalists were ranked as the side most likely to challenge world champions Australia, along with South Africa.
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What is it that makes Tendulkar so good He is one of the best four batsmen I have seen and he is the best player of his generation. What is it that makes Sachin Tendulkar so good? He has an exceptional physical talent. He has outstanding balance. He is very competitive. He is very strong. He has exceptional speed. He has great presence and an excellent temperament. He has a huge desire to be the best and he has an extraordinary mental ability. Batting at the highest levels of the game is as much about mental skills as it is about physical talents. The better players may have a greater range of strokes than the rest but you can bet they also have a greater mental capacity. Sir Donald Bradman was the best batsman of all time because he was the most determined and mentally strong batsman there has ever been. I am sure I have seen batsmen who have had as much physical talent as Bradman but they have not had the same ruthless drive to make big scores. Bradman had the ability to treat batting in matches the same way as he batted in the middle. He seldom felt the same pressures of batting that mere mortals feel. This allowed him to concentrate for long periods. What exactly is concentration? Concentration is the ability to focus on the important things at the right moment while blocking out the rest. Some things are more relevant than others at different times. At the point of delivery the only thing that a batsman should see in his field of vision is the ball leaving the bowler's hand. Just prior to the point of delivery the batsman should see the full view of the bowler as he folds up into the delivery position. The ability to be able to track between the two at the appropriate times separates the men from the boys. Testing that was done with Bradman concluded that his eyesight and reflexes were within the ‘normal’ range. What he did better than the rest was to pick up the cues from the bowlers' action just prior to, and at the point of, delivery better than all the rest. I have no doubt Bradman, a well organised man, had a process of concentration for each and every delivery. His instincts were well trained from hours and hours of hitting golf balls with a cricket stump as a young man. His brain will have had a greater capacity for storing information than the most complex computers that man can build. The most important part of a batsman's development happens in the early stages of learning the game. The instinctive skills that are learnt at this stage are relied upon when under pressure in a match situation. These instinctive skills are learnt rather than taught. A good coach will create the environment in which the young player will train these instincts. The early environment in which Sachin learnt his skills must have been excellent. His instincts are outstanding. I have been lucky enough to see all of the best batsmen of the past 50 years. Some of those whom I rate in the very top bracket of the elite group of players in that time would be Peter May, Ken Barrington, Neil Harvey, Garfield Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Graeme Pollock, Sunil Gavaskar, Clive Lloyd, Barry Richards, Doug Walters, Viv Richards, Javed Miandad, Gordon Greenidge, Ian Chappell, Allan Border,
the Waughs, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Brian Lara and Tendulkar. Each one of these players had slightly different methods and styles but each had great instincts. If I had to pick the best of all of these I would choose Sobers, closely followed by Pollock, Viv Richards and Tendulkar in no particular order. They all possessed ‘genius’ quality and could win matches on their own. Each hit the ball with incredible power. Sobers' record has stood the test of time for he made runs under all conditions against all types of bowling. Tendulkar's record is also exceptional and he has played well against quality pace and spin. His clashes with Shane Warne in recent times, especially the past two Australian tours of India, have provided some excellent theatre. I have also seen him take on Saqlain (Mushtaq) and (Muttiah)
Muralitharan in Sharjah and Sri Lanka respectively and he has taken them on and come out on top nearly every time. Tendulkar's record in the games India must win is excellent and stamps him as a true champion. His footwork and brute force are awesome to see and his range of strokeplay makes him the most awkward of customers against whom to bowl. I love to watch him bat because he has two or three options to the same delivery and he is just as likely to hit the best balls for four, or six. If there were a weakness in his armoury some would say it is against quality fast bowling on the bouncy wickets of Australia. If that is true it doesn't make him Robinson Crusoe! All good players have been troubled by quality fast bowling on bouncy wickets at one time or another. As the pre-eminent batsman of his time, Tendulkar is always targeted by the opposition and has been tested on innumerable occasions. He has come out on top more often than not and his successes have usually carried India's fortunes with them. Few of Tendulkar's predecessors have played as much one- day cricket as he has and few, Bradman apart, have had to endure the pressure of mass adulation at home as he has. The fact that he has endured the adulation, and the pressure of expectation of one billion fans, and has been able to maintain his equilibrium and his passion for the game is a great credit to him and his parents who obviously set an excellent foundation for him. He cannot last forever so I make every effort to see him bat whenever I can for he is a rare gem, the like of which does not come along very often. India's fortunes in the remainder of this World Cup campaign will no doubt parallel the vicissitudes of the 'little master's' fortunes.
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DIARY OF THE WEEK CAPE TOWN: The wish of Sourav Ganguly has been
granted. The Indian captain has been telling everyone how dearly he
wants to meet New Zealand in the World Cup. "Maa (Goddess Durga),
ek baar New Zealand se khila do," said Ganguly the day after
India had beaten Pakistan and emerged as the second qualifiers from
group A. Now the two sides will clash at Centurion Park on March 14.
Stephen Fleming and his men could face an extremely aggressive bunch
of Indians on that day. India, hopefully, would have made sure of a
semifinal berth by then—they need to win only one game in the Super
Sixes to ensure it and Kenya should prove an easy meat at Newlands on
Friday. No need to know why Ganguly wants to settle account with
Fleming. The Indian tour to New Zealand before the World Cup was
disastrous on all counts as the visitors lost overwhelmingly in Tests
and one-dayers on wickets which were tailor-made for home fast
bowlers.
*** It is also now out in open the level of
sledging between India and Pakistan cricketers at Centurion Park last
Saturday was extremely high. Nobody came out better or worse from the
exchanges. Virender Sehwag heard a few murmurings when he came out to
bat but he didn’t last long to feel the intensity of it.
"Before the Pakistani cricketers could sledge Veeru, it was
already 50 on the board from five overs and they were rattled,"
remarks a senior Indian cricketer dryly. *** Despite
India’s overwhelming wins, not everything is quiet on team’s
front. It is learnt media manager Amrit Mathur would be disassociated
from the team in a day or two. Mathur, a savvy presence in the board
set up, was first to end his contract on February 19 but it was
extended till March 1 looking at the team’s requirement. Now it
seems the board politics has tolled the bell for him. He would try to
stay put in South Africa as a journalist but would be asked to
distance himself from the team. Mathur’s was a no-win situation.
So huge is the media presence on this tour that it was impossible for
any media manager to measure up to everyone’s request. He was also
accused of showing bias to a few journalists, which might be true or
not, but what hasn’t gone well with the board members are his
interviews on television networks. Except for captain and coach, the
rest are not supposed to speak to the media and Mathur might have
exceeded his brief on it. *** Rahul Dravid is extremely
relaxed and so is Sachin Tendulkar—a welcome departure from the grim
visage the Indians sported in the first week of this World Cup. Dravid
chats up to a BBC reporter in the hotel corridor, stating how he
enjoys playing in England. "It has made me a better person
because you have to attend to most of your need", states Dravid.
Washing, cleaning and managing your apartment has all been a good
learning experience for the Indian vice-captain. His Karnataka
team-mate Javagal Srinath meanwhile is set to play for Durham in the
coming county season. The county hopes to claim the Indian speedster
as their overseas choice, Martin Love, is likely to be selected for
the Australian team’s tour to the West Indies. That would rule him
out of county action until the end of May, but Durham have decided to
use the opportunity to bring in bowling cover with Steve Harmison also
likely to have England commitments. They hope Srinath will be able
to sign a short-term contract to join the club from the start of the
season after his involvement in the World Cup.
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One-day cricket has no respect for hard work That damning look on Shaun Pollock's face, hands on the head and drooping shoulders said it all. South Africa, once again had their brush with the elements and finished, not unexpectedly, on the losing side of the contest for the umpteenth time. After Monday's game, I will make sure that the next time I give a tip to youngsters about the game, I would suggest that they get the basics right, concentration going and study maths well! That South Africa was done in by some miscalculation of runs might make an interesting reading for us, but just spare a thought for the Proteas. It's cruel for some nation like South Africa, who have worked a neat map for the tournament with a clear mindset of winning it, only to see rain drain their hopes mercilessly. When the host nation was knocked out, it clarifies that one-day cricket does not respect hard work and efforts put in before the game or probably after, what you do in those seven hours in the field on that particular day matters. I feel that although South Africa gained a lot of public sympathy for the exit path they were forced into, it has largely being their own doing. Same goes for England and Pakistan. Both teams had a golden chance of pulling off an unlikely win against Australia but inexplicably eased the gas on the defending champions and helped them recover to gain four points each time. Pakistani skipper Waqar Younis might go around the town clapping loudly that his side is capable of pulling off that impractical target of qualification while Nasser Hussain bites his nails waiting for the outcome of the match but deep inside they know, and knows well, that a public backlash isn't undeserved. Then this news seeps in that rain has forced a no-result and by virtue of two points Zimbabwe sneaks into the super Sixes. Bitter but true. England, Pakistan and South Africa have been sidelined within the first phase of the tournament along with West Indies. Yes, the West Indies are another one who flattered to deceive. After that stupendous start to the campaign, the former heavyweights only found new inventive ways to dig their own grave before rain slammed the final nail on their coffin in the match against Bangladesh. Watching West Indies yesterday, I was really feeling sorry for the players for having to go out and play for virtually nothing except that self-imposed term called pride. Anyhow, Carl Hooper needs to clarify why he was intent in keeping Jermine Lawson hiding till the last inconsequential match against Kenya. He clearly looked much sharper than Collins and I think, after all that hue and cry for Marlon Samuels' dramatic re-entry into this tournament, he deserved an earlier look-in in place of possibly one of the openers. Emotions apart, frankly did anyone of the teams really looked worth going into the next grade? That's a one to ponder over. Why is that we are brooding over the exit of these teams and refuse to look into the other side of the coin. That Zimbabwe and Kenya qualified for the Super Six stage is worth celebrating. They have proved once again that minnows is not the word for them. Agreed that both teams were helped by the two default victories in the prelims but they did not beg for the generosity shown. We need to stand up and appreciate the efforts of the two nations and I think Andy Flower, Andy Blignaut, Heath Streak, Steve Tikolo, Obuya and Odumbe are equally capable like Wasims, Flintoffs and Laras to provide exciting stuff in cricketing terms. So let's not cry over spilt milk and promise to enjoy the future fun fare the tournament will provide.
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Bangladesh to sack coach
Dhaka, March 4 Mohsin Kamal, who is Pakistani, will be asked to quit before his one-year contract expires April 30, Dhaka’s Ittefaq daily reported. “We don’t need anyone who can’t perform,” head of the Bangladesh Cricket Board Ali Asghar Loby was quoted as saying by Prothom Alo newspaper. “It does not matter when the contract ends.” Kamal, a former Pakistani Test player, replaced Australian Trevor Chappell last year. Bangladesh, the newest Test playing nation, began the World Cup with a shock 60-run defeat by minnows Canada and ended its tournament with a 32-run loss to Kenya. Bangladesh would most likely have lost all its six Group B matches but for a rain-forced sharing of points with the West Indies. The loss to Kenya was Bangladesh’s 29th consecutive defeat in limited over internationals. Bangladesh have also lost 15 of its 16 Tests since they gained the Test status in 2000. The other match was a draw in a rain-affected match. Some former Bangladeshi cricketers called for resignation of Loby and other cricket officials. “All the BCB officials must quit after such a humiliating failure of our team,” said Minhazul Abedin, a former Bangladeshi cricket captain.
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Anand held; Kramnik leads Linares, March 4 According to information reaching here, earlier in the eighth round, Anand failed to convert his advantage into a meaningful win against Ruslan Ponomariov, against whom he held a good position. With these two successive draws, Anand has now slipped to joint third position. Vladimir Kramnik leads the table with five points from eight games, while Peter Leko has 4.5 from seven games. Kasparov and Anand have 4.5 points each from eight games. The Anand-Vallejo Pons game was a Ruy Lopez Berlin and even though it was not a short grandmasters draw, it did not offer any clear chance to Anand, who had white pieces. The duo agreed to split the points after 28 moves.
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Bindra shoots perfect 600 Chandigarh, March 4 In the second match of the three-match series in Colarado Springs, Abhinav shot a perfect series of 100, 100, 100, 100, 100 and 100 for the magic 600. It may be noted that the national record standing against Abhinav’s name is 598. |
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BSF, J&K Bank earn full points New Delhi, March 4 BSF trounced Chandigarh Police 5-1, after leading by 2-0 at half time. Ph. Boy Singh put BSF in the lead in the 28th minute while Jaswant Singh enhanced the lead two minutes later. In the second half, Sarbjit Singh slotted in the third and fifth goals while Prasanta Das accounted for the fourth goal. Jagmohan Singh pulled off the consolation goal for Chandigarh Police. Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Bank routed Him Club, Himachal Pradesh 6-0. Though the Bankmen led by a lone goal in the first half, scored by Ashishm M Bhoir in the 23rd minute, they went on a scoring spree in the second session, with the Him Club defence caving in like a wet mud wall. Inside-left Deepak Sangral added the second goal a minute after resumption while Ashishm added two more goals to his tally when he scored the third and fourth goals in the 47th and 48th minutes, respectively. Mid-fielder Razwan Sheikh made it 5-0 while substitute Kamaljeet Kumar completed the tally in the 81st minute. Punjab State Electricity Board will take on Rewari Football Club and Hindustan Club of Delhi meet UP Police in tomorrow’s matches. |
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College athletics meet Fatehgarh Sahib, March 4 NCC cadets of the college presented a guard of honor. All five departments of the college participated in the march past, which was presided over by the member secretary of the college, Mr Kirpal Singh Libra, during the inaugural ceremony of the meet. Mr Libra said a swimming pool would soon be constructed on the college campus. Dr Dilbagh Singh Hira, Principal of the college, read out the annual report of the college. Dr Hira said the management was committed to improving sports faculty in the college. Results (Boys category): 100 mtr: 1. Som Raj, 2. Parmpreet Singh, 3. Pardeep Singh;
800 mtr: 1. Parmjeet Singh, 2. Amarinder Singh, 3. Gurpreet Singh;
5,000 mtr: 1. Parmjeet Singh, 2. Harpreet Singh, 3.Kuldeep Singh;
Shot put: 1. Simar Gill, 2. Nirjan Baba; Tug of War: 1. Electronics Engg., 2. Mechanical Engg., 3. Computer Engg.;
(Girls category) 100 mtr: 1. Harpreet Kaur, 2. Sukhbant Kaur, 3. Satwinder Kaur;
Long Jump: 1. Sukhpreet Kaur, 2. Harpreet Kaur, 3. Gagandeep Kaur;
Shot Put: Jagdev Kaur, 2. Sukhpreet Kaur, 3. Harmeet Kaur. |
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Kenya, March 4
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