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Sunday,
March 9, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Astle, Cairns star in Kiwis’
victory
We were lucky to pull through: Ganguly If only Collins Obuya had the googly Sehwag a disappointment |
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Kenya got a dose of their own medicine ‘Time for Harbhajan to leave his mark’ 13TH MAN Bhimsen Joshi prays for India Indians wary of Murali’s magic Jayasuriya may miss India tie Ruthless Aussies open another front Aussies can’t lower guard: Ponting We had the best performance against Lanka Taking off Murali proved costly
We’ll bounce back: Whatmore Allan Donald announces retirement Pybus quits as Pak coach Wasim Akram not to quit
Chandigarh cops whip Him Club India defeat Scotland in hockey Linares chess: Anand back in lead
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Astle, Cairns star in Kiwis’
victory
Bloemfontein, March 8 Astle, New Zealand’s leading scorer in one-day cricket, took his total past 5,500 with a patient unbeaten 102. Cairns, who took his first wickets of the tournament with two for 16 from four overs, was equally restrained with 54. The pair added 121 for the fourth wicket. New Zealand were set a competitive target of 253 after Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak and Sean Ervine produced some of the most extraordinary late-hitting ever seen in a World Cup. Streak, after rebuilding the innings patiently during a 68-run stand with Tatenda Taibu (53) after his side had slumped to 106 for six then teamed up with Ervine. A savage assault resulted in 62 runs, almost a quarter of the team’s score, coming off the last 18 balls. Streak, who ended on 72 not out, and Ervine, who made 31 from 14 balls, hit eight fours and three sixes in those final three overs. Captain Stephen Fleming led from the front as New Zealand set off in pursuit of Zimbabwe’s 252 for seven. Fleming stroked 10 fours in his 46 from 42 balls, including three in a row from Streak. After his dismissal, Astle took responsibility for the innings, against an attack lacking leg spinner Brian Murphy who tore a calf muscle practising in the break between innings. Earlier, Tatenda Taibu and Heath Streak scored fighting fifties as Zimbabwe recovered from early setbacks to post a healthy 252 for seven . Electing to bat, Zimbabwe found themselves in a spot losing six wickets for 106 runs before young Taibu and skipper Streak joined hands for the rescue act.
Reuters Zimbabwe: Wishart c Styris b Cairns 30 Ebrahim b Adams 0 A. Flower run out 37 G. Flower c Cairns b Oram 1 Whittall c McCullum b Cairns 0 Taibu lbw b Harris 53 Blignaut run out 4 Streak not out 72 Ervine not out 31 Extras: (lb-9, w-13, nb-2) 24 Total:
(7 wkts, 50 overs) 252 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-59, 3-63, 4-65, 5-98, 6-106, 7-174. Bowling:
Bond 10-1-37-0, Adams 5-0-54-1, Oram 10-4-28-1, Cairns 4-0-16-2, Vettori 10-0-52-0, Harris 10-0-45-1, Astle 1-0-11-0. New Zealand: McMillan c Taibu b Hondo 8 Fleming lbw b Blignaut 46 Astle not out 102 Styris c zub (Friend) b Cairns b Ervine 54 Harris not out 14 Extras:
(lb-5, w-10, nb-1) 16 Total: (4 wkts, 47.2 overs) 253 FoW: 1-27, 2-72, 3-97, 4-218. Bowling: Streak 10-0-59-0, Honda 8.2-0-52-1, Blignaut 10-0-41-2, G. Flower 10-0-33-0, Whittal 3-0-19-0, Ervine 6-0-44-1.
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We were lucky to pull through: Ganguly
Cape Town, March 8 Man-of-the-match Ganguly conceded that the lowly-rated Kenyans had given his fancied team a “scare” and that India were lucky to win by six wickets after losing three top order batsmen for 24. “They gave us a scare. I would say we were lucky enough to pull it through,” said Ganguly. The Indian skipper rated his unbeaten 107-run knock as a “good one” under pressure but wished the fielders had not done so poorly to create it in the first place. “The fielding was not good at all. We were just not there. The intensity wasn’t there... We gave a lot of twos and boundaries. And then there were dropped catches. Our fielding was much below par,” he said. “I hope it was just one of those days. It’s got to do with the mind of the players. If Mohammad Kaif, who is among the best in the team drops a catch, if Dinesh Mongia, who is as good as anybody drops a catch, then we do not have much to say,” Ganguly said. “They know it themselves what they have done. They were not the hardest of chances and they went to the best of fielders.” India dropped no less than four catches in the field, including two against the top-scorer Kennedy Obuya. Kenya skipper Steve Tikolo, satisfied with the “excellent performance” put up by his team, said their performance would silence critics who feered at them earlier. “The critics have been talking about is getting the four points from New Zealand. But they are forgetting that we had to win three other games to get to the Super Sixes. So, it is painful to hear those kind of remarks. But again we are trying and hopefully we will shut our critics up,” he said. But Ganguly did not think his team was complacent and took it easy against the greenhorns after a thumping victory against Pakistan at Centurion Park last week. “We had six days after the game. So, whatever the mental tiredness or stress, we should have got over it. I simply think the boys were not up for this game this morning. “These small teams have always given some of the better teams a scare. Kenya beat Sri Lanka the other day and they gave us a scare today. “If we had not beaten them, we would have had to beat either Sri Lanka or New Zealand and it would have been a huge, huge risk,” he said. Ganguly spared his bowlers for conceding Kenya the highest total they have managed so far in this World Cup. “(Ashish) Nehra bowled well and Dinesh Mongia did a particularly good job as a fifth bowler. If we had taken our catches, it would have probably looked better.” Ganguly admitted he felt the pressure at the loss of three early wickets but realised he needed to take a bit of risk to ensure the run-rate did not become too steep. “I began taking risks because you could chase till it is six but not when it is seven. Once it had gone to six, we had to do something to keep it below six,” Ganguly said. Praising Yuvraj Singh’s resourcefulness, Ganguly said the young left-hander kept the pressure off him with his hectic hitting. “Yuvraj is a match-winner. He does it day in and day out. He has won us games for us from nowhere. He had to go through a lot of tough time for various reasons but all of us in the team have a lot of faith in him. “The way he bats he takes the pressure off you. He keeps taking singles and hitting boundaries. I knew if I could just hang around, we would see it through. Yuvraj has a great, great future for India,” the Indian skipper said. In contrast to Yuvraj, dashing opener Virender Sehwag has failed to get going in the World Cup but Ganguly lent his full support to the Delhi cricketer. “He is a top class player and there is still lot of cricket left in this tournament. If he fires in the main games, he would have done his job. We have full faith in him.” Ganguly said the wicket favoured swing bowling under lights but was a belter of a strip under hot sun in the afternoon. “It did swing around a bit under lights. But it was a beauty of a wicket when you bat first in a day-nighter.” Ganguly praised the young leg-spinner Collins Obuya for initially conceding only five runs from his four overs.
PTI
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If only Collins Obuya had the googly Amidst the huffing and puffing, you could detect the occasional sigh of defeat from India. It was that close. Had the Kenyan cricketers been as adept as their athletes are at finishing a race, they would have been, deservedly, in the semifinal. Indeed, if they had played more games since the 1999 World Cup, they might have too. Winning needs to be a habit, not an acquaintance. It was the ball that did it. Till the 34'th over, when India were struggling at 116 for four, it was Kenya's game. A soft ball and a slow pitch, honest bowlers and predatory fielders, it was all too much for India. Then the ball was changed, Ganguly charged Collins Obuya, who in two years will be one of the top leg spinners in the game, and the shackles were broken. Soon, heads were dropping, shoulders were sagging and India had won the game about 50 runs before they actually did. If only Obuya had the googly.... It was a good scare for India for they gave the impression that they were merely turning up. Their catching in the first few overs was shocking and a stern schoolmaster would have penalised smaller fielding offences with stronger rebuke. It took Ashish Nehra to provide the spark on a day when Srinath and Zaheer Khan were running their engines on reserve. He charged in, he hit the deck hard and he was the best bowler. These are slow tracks now, unrecognisable from the fiery decks of the early summer and the bowlers will have to put in more from here on. Nehra showed that. Clearly Kenya had set themselves a target of 230 on winning the toss. It was a modest target, the kind an unsure schoolboy would aim for. But it ensured that they did not lose too many wickets. At this World Cup wickets have proved to be an invaluable resource but Kenya hoarded it for far too long. They should have made 240 and that might have been enough. Odoyo at No 4 might have pressed for more for he is a fine striker. A total of 225 was a challenging score and to their credit, Kenya made it look like much more. Martin Suji and Odoyo, and briefly Ongondo, bowled the right pace for the track. They bowled just short of a driving length and made the batsmen wait for the ball. Neither Sehwag nor Tendulkar like that too much and both had to get out of their comfort zones to search for runs and were scalped. But India will take much out of this too and the form, and composure, of the captain must rank high. It was an innings to feel proud of but he will owe much to Yuvraj Singh, who is fast becoming a favourite to bat alongside for he takes so much of the pressure off. He is now a mature match-winner, the indiscretions of youth having given way to more focussed adulthood. It was a good win for it kept India on its toes. Now, they must finish second behind Australia in the Super Six. But let us not look there yet.
(TCM)
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Sehwag a disappointment This was just the kind of match India needed for the big games in the Super Six and beyond. Kenya was expected to be easy meat, but India had to struggle to win, which was just as good to shrug off complacency and lethargy. Chasing a decent total, India’s start was poor. The law of averages caught up with Sachin Tendulkar; and, with Sehwag and Kaif falling either side of him, the innings was in a crisis of sorts. The next three batsmen, led by captain Saurav Ganguly, pulled the side out of trouble and on to a well-deserved win. The big disappointment from the Indian point of view was Sehwag’s failure to get going. I believe runs are not too far away from him, but Sehwag will have to be a little circumspect early on in his innings and not play too many shots. In any case, given Sachin Tendulkar’s form, he does not need to. For India, this match was valuable practice under lights. Had Ganguly won the toss, he would probably have batted first. It is quite different batting at 2.30 in the afternoon and at 6 in the evening, so it was just as well that the Indian batsmen got a sense of this difference. It can help them for the remainder of the tournament. I thought Saurav Ganguly had showed a lot of character in buckling down to the task on hand and not allowing the Indian innings to get off the rails. At the half-way stage, the Kenyans had their nose in front, but the captain and Yuvraj batted sensibly to wean away the advantage. Yuvraj at No. 6 has been fantastic. Everything about him caters to the modern game — his body language, his ability and temperament — which has had a positive rub-off on the seniors too. Three games in a row, Yuvraj has proved his mettle. On the whole, it was a decent performance from India, though I still feel that the No. 7 spot should be given to an all-rounder like Agarkar or Bangar. Mongia, who is short of confidence, is almost like a passenger and the team would be better served by a bowler who can bat and field. Kenya may have lost the match, but have no reason to feel beaten. The Kenyan players can hold their heads high for competing well and giving India tough time. They have done superbly to reach this far; and, on the basis of their performance against India, have the talent to do better.
Gameplan
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Kenya got a dose of their own medicine I
was mighty impressed with the way India improved their tally by another four points against Kenya, and this statement does not contain any degree of sarcasm. The Indians did well, a feeble bowling attack can be deemed negligible, to get a feel of what it takes to chase under lights, especially when they look all certain to play the day-night semi-final. That they did it when Sachin Tendulkar had one of those rare off-days in the tournament was just as credible as seeing skipper Saurav Ganguly giving proof of his calibre. There has been a tendency among us, for which I squarely put the blame on the media and fans, that winning against Pakistan is the ultimate thing. Remember, we are here to win the World Cup where beating Pakistan was just a necessity and things should remain in that order only. Time and again we have gone overboard with the celebrations and the players too tend to gather the same feeling. I am not saying that this was the case why Indians appeared rusty in their first match after the win against Pakistan but there have been examples of this before which cost us dear, something we can do away
with. Battingwise, I feel that India gave Kenya a dose of their medicine. To put it straight, India were on target without being too threatening and pulled the trigger at the right time to seal the victory. The dismissal of Sehwag has been pretty similar to what we are used to seeing, fishing outside the off-stump, and his failure at the top of order must be worrying for John Wright. As far as Sachin Tendulkar is concerned, every batsman does take a small break inbetween before resuming the hectic work of dispatching balls to the fence and it is good that Sachin interrupted his streak here. I have been very vocal in giving the number four spot to Mohammad Kaif but he has to perform consistently to cement that slot in the team. He has the temperament to do it. Rahul Dravid, despite the fact that he has been among runs, is not comfortable in his tenure at the wicket. It was shocking to find Dravid wanting against the spinners. The vice-captain's foot movement has been patchy, he is unable to rotate the scoring and is content to drop the ball in front of him before scampering for a single instead of hitting the ball firmly from the sweet part of the bat. Saurav Ganguly and
Yuvraj, too, enjoyed their share of luck before settling down to play some pleasing shots. Ganguly, in particular, has to be patted on the back for a sensible approach in the middle. Forced to consolidate the innings, the left-hander never really allowed things get out of hand. His sense of judging the quick singles and running hard between the wickets gave that extra little cushion to a struggling Dravid at the other end while a little aggression took care of the run-rate worm from crawling high. Seeing Yuvraj getting two consecutive innings right for the team means that youngsters are ready to shoulder the responsibility, a sure sign associated with a champion team. Things are looking bright for the Indians at present but a few niggles still trouble me. It's been a more than a while since Dinesh Mongia got a knock in the middle. This, I feel, can be an 'Achilles heel' for the Indian team and it would be good to see India working on that front in future matches. Also seeing Kumble sit out on a wicket where Collins Obuya got the ball to turn and bounce was a bit baffling. What Dinesh Mongia did with the ball, I am sure Kumble can do better. India have to be rational in picking the eleven, judging by the nature of wicket and the opposition rather than playing musical chairs in the bowling
section.
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‘Time for Harbhajan to leave his mark’
Johannesburg, March 8 "Harbhajan Singh vs Muttiah Muralitharan should provide some high quality spin to this World Cup which is still missing the presence of Shane Warne," said Kirsten who, despite the lost years of apartheid, managed 626 runs from 12 Tests at 31.30 besides knocking off 22,635 first class runs in his career spanning 24 years. The former South African player termed Harbhajan as a key player in India’s campaign for the remainder of the tournament as conditions were likely to favour his brand of off-spin. "He is likely to play an important role in India’s campaign as the summer is now lengthening and wickets are getting drier," said Kirsten. "His spin can prove an important weapon in India’s armoury." Kirsten said while both Harbhajan and Murali are quality off-spinners, they provide different challenges to the batsmen. "Harbhajan spins it from the stumps but Murali prefers pitching it way outside the off-stump to control the degree of his huge spin." Harbhajan and Murali have so far had a relatively average World Cup but the prospects of key games coming up should see these two champion bowlers raise their game by a notch or
two. PTI
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13TH MAN JOHANNESBURG: The get-together of Indian cricketers and media in Cape Town was entertaining. Everyone mingled freely, including Sachin Tendulkar, who, for a change, didn’t mind uncomfortable questions. As soon as the journalists pushed Tendulkar into a corner, accolades began to flow in profusion, till someone asked him if he thought Shoaib Akhtar had chucked that delivery that lifted off a length, took the edge of his bat and lobbed into gully. “Now you will get me into trouble,” said Tendulkar, with a twinkle in his eye, which suggested he actually didn’t mind the uncomfortable question. Tendulkar would’ve loved to get his first hundred against Pakistan on a stage as big as the World Cup and, the way his looks lingered at the giant screen, it suggested a disappointment beyond words. Manager Jyoti Bajpai is an excellent raconteur, with a good taste for ghazals; and he regales everyone with some tasteful jokes as well. In attendance are assistant manager Venkat Rao and media manager Amrit Mathur, whose powers have been curtailed, following some backroom politics. Mathur, it is learnt, has been stopped from attending team meetings and even asked not to face the press with the captain after match. Anil Kumble, meanwhile, is getting sulkier by the day. The team prefers Harbhajan to him and it’s for obvious reasons — ‘Bhajji’ is far more potent and his fielding and batting give him an edge. Kumble caused an embarrassment for the team management on the day before the Kenya game when he refused to face the press. Mathur pleaded with him, but Kumble would not budge. He walked off with an air of disdain, even as the press kept waiting for the genial leg-spinner. Kumble is bitter and it’s sad to see one of the genuine persons of Indian cricket act so distastefully. Krishnamachari Srikkanth, it is learnt, is being kept away from the games involving India in the World Cup. Sony Max has put the former Indian skipper on the bench, lest the row between a few commentators and Indian cricketers get out of hand. The issue gets complicated when one learns that Rahul Dravid is close to signing a big deal with the television network he and the other senior cricketers are against. It is the same network that has Sachin Tendulkar in its stable. The restriction on cricketers’ wives has been lifted, but it doesn’t seem likely that anyone will turn up. Tendulkar, too, is skeptical if his family would join him for the semifinals. There is just too much travelling and the boys realise that they are closer to fulfilling a dream. They don’t want a distraction. Only Ajit Agarkar has wife accompanying him, but then, the slim medium-pacer hasn’t played a game in the World Cup, so far. The likes of Sanjay Bangar, Parthiv Patel and Agarkar would, perhaps, go home without a hit in the middle, but then, Indian cricket has always been littered with passengers in the team.
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Bhimsen Joshi prays for India Aurangabad, March 8 Suddenly, he was prodded by his friends to swap chairs to bring luck to the team and he immediately obliged. The tables turned and India cruised to a victory, he said. Asked for his favourite cricketers, he said: “Nobody bats like Sachin”. He said he prayed for the team and hoped India would lift the prestigious cup. UNI
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Indians wary of Murali’s magic
Johannesburg, March 8 There has never been a more destructive bowler in the game than Muttiah Muralitharan and the Indians have reasons to remember him bitterly as he skittled them out for 226 in Sharjah in 2000, returning figures of seven for 30 from his 10 overs. Murali can be a nightmare for somebody who has not faced him before and Yuvraj Singh would testify it readily as he became a nervous wreck to Murali’s bewildering variety, getting scores of 7,7 and 10 against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in 2000. If Murali needs to be stopped and youngsters shielded from his preying skills, seniors need to show the way and there is nobody better than Sachin Tendulkar to don the mantle. Tendulkar has rarely been deceived by Murali’s bag of tricks but it must be said he has not faced him at all in the last three years which is surprising given the pace and crammed schedule of the two nations. Tendulkar had pulled out of the tour to Sri Lanka in 2001 because of a foot injury as India finished second best to the island nation in both Tests and the one-day series. Muralitharan himself was missing because of a shoulder injury when India made a triumphant tour to England last summer. India beat Sri Lanka in all their match-ups before winning the NatWest Trophy in stirring manner at the Lord’s. Tendulkar was in the team when India took part in the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka last September. He even played in two matches against them but before Murali could come on to bowl, rain intervened and the games had to be abandoned twice. Tendulkar can take comfort from his records against Muralitharan but he hasn’t played him in the critical last three years when the Sri Lankan off-spinner has added a few almost unplayable deliveries in his repertoire. Murali, all this while, has worked on a ‘wrong-un’ which completely befuddles the batsmen. Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly had ruefully acknowledged it when India were beaten 1-2 in the three-Test series in 2001. "Murali has developed an away-going delivery which has added to batsmen’s confusion," Ganguly had said. "In a way it has made him a more complete bowler." Murali has refined his drifter beyond recognition in recent times. It no longer travels at a different pace and trajectory than the rest of his fizzing, dipping, sharply turning balls. Says John Buchanan, coach of Australia: "He has refined his wrong-un now. It used to be one that came out a little bit slower or a littler bit higher but he’s now seemingly able to deliver that as quick as his other deliveries, so it is well disguised." PTI
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Jayasuriya
may miss India tie
Johannesburg, March 8 He was in considerable pain and he needs time to recover,” a team source told AFP today. “The aim is to get him ready for the game against Zimbabwe next Saturday.” Jayasuriya suffered bruising to the left forearm and a fracture in the thumb after being hit by a 150kmh thunderbolt from Lee in the second over of Friday’s game against the reigning champions. Having retired hurt for one, Jayasuriya was taken to hospital for x-rays and returned to the SuperSport Park in Centurion just before Australia completed an emphatic 96-run victory. But the Sri Lankan camp is relieved that Jayasuriya, the team’s highest scorer in the tournament so far with 270 runs, was not ruled out for the rest of the World Cup as initially feared. “His forearm is badly bruised and x-rays revealed a slight fracture,” team manager Ajit Jayasekera said. “We will have to wait and see what happens. It is not as bad as we first thought.” Even if the inspirational captain and all-rounder is available for the match against Zimbabwe at East London next Saturday, his absence against India at the Wanderers on Monday will be a major blow. Sri Lanka, who carried forward 7.5 points from the preliminary league, must defeat both India and Zimbabwe to ensure a place in the semifinals. They could go through with one victory, but only if the results of the other matches go their way. Sri Lanka have Avishka Gunawardena in the squad to take Jayasuriya’s place as opener, but the hard-hitting left-hander has not played a game since Sri Lanka arrived here in the first week of February. “Let’s see what happens,” Jayasuriya said. “I would love to play against India but it all depends on my fitness. “I always try my best and would have given it a shot against Australia had I been fit. It was disappointing to see from the outside but I was helpless. “We know the game against India is very vital now. We have had some very good matches against India and hope everything will fall into the right place for us in the second match.”
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Ruthless
Aussies open another front
Johannesburg, March 8 Chasing 320 to win, Jayasuriya retired hurt after being hit on the forearm with a 150kmh special and before they had time to recover, they were shaking at 48 for four on their way to a 96-run defeat. “You don’t want to see anybody getting seriously injured, but it is the World Cup and if it’s going to stop him scoring runs, then we’ll bowl there,” said Australian captain Ricky Ponting in no mood to be contrite. The x-rays did not reveal a fracture but a chipped bone in the thumb kept Jayasuriya out of the rest of the game and possibly the rest of the tournament. “We’re trying to bowl where their batsmen are least likely to score. If that happens to be at the body then it will be at the body. We knew Jayasuriya is weak in that area and when you bowl at his body he tends to wriggle. “We’re not going to go out there and bowl him wide ones because he’s going to smack us over cover or point every time — that’s a weakness in his game and we’ve picked up on that of late. “That is one main things in our approach — target the weakness of the opponents and we did the same against Sri Lanka.” Lee is used to the role as a strike weapon. Now, next in the firing line will be Stephen Fleming, the skipper of New Zealand who face the world champions at Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. “We need to put pressure on Stephen Fleming. He made a sensational century against South Africa,” said Ponting, promising no let-up in his team’s efforts despite a place in the semifinals already being assured. “Fleming is playing well at the top of the order. New Zealand have played some good cricket and we have a rivalry with them.” Despite a record run of 13 successive one-day international wins under their belts, Ponting has demanded more of the same against the Black Caps on Tuesday and again against Kenya in Durban next Saturday as they go through the motions of completing their Super Six campaign. “We will pick the best side for Port Elizabeth,” said Ponting. “Although we haven’t spoken about winning all the matches in the World Cup, it would be nice if we could do that. It might not happen, but our preparations will be excellent. “We are always striving to improve and we have the individuals here who are inclined to improve all the time whether it’s in the nets or in the match. “Of course, we can be beaten. We could have lost to England last week and if we don’t capitalise on our chances, then we can lose.”
AFP
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Aussies can’t lower guard: Ponting
Pretoria, March 8 Australia has now stretched its unbeaten World Cup run to 14 matches, including the tied semifinal against South Africa in England four years ago. It has also won every game in the past two months, but Ponting said the Aussies could be beaten. “We can, of course, be beaten,” he said. “We came very close to it against England last week. It didn’t happen then, but probably will, if we don’t keep working on our game,” he said. Ponting said the Australian side was playing near its best. “It’s a great team, but then, the 1999 side was pretty good,” Ponting said. “I’m not going to go into comparisons with past teams,” he said. Ponting said the Aussies would keep up the attack in the remaining Super Six matches — against New Zealand and Kenya — in spite of being guaranteed a semifinal spot regardless of results. “We’ve still got to keep doing our things, execute the plans and keep the opposition under pressure,” he said. Australia has now avenged its loss in the 1996 final at Lahore against Sri Lanka, but Ponting said he was expecting a keen contest in the next game against trans-Tasman rival New Zealand at Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. “New Zealand have been playing some good cricket,” Ponting said. “They’re a good side with a number of allrounders and potential match-winners.” AP
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We had the best performance against Lanka At the start of the tournament, the doomsayers predicted that if injury came back to claim Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie or me, Australia’s campaign at this World Cup would end. A couple of days ago, Dizzy (Gillespie) had to put an end to his World Cup because of a strained tendon at the back of his heel. Warne, of course had to leave without a single game. Yet, we have continued winning, and have won our second game in the absence of these two wonderful bowlers with style. My statement at the start of the tournament that we would like to go through this tournament undefeated, was seen as an idle boast before we took the field. Six games down the line, everyone agrees that it is a distinct possibility. In this scenario, I would say that our performance against Sri Lanka has been our most accomplished one so far. There was concern whether my workload would increase in the absence of Dizzy. However, Andy Bichel’s seven-wicket haul put those doubts to rest. Bichel has been at the edge of the team for quite some time now, and has filled the shoes of the third pace bowler with remarkable efficiency. Brad Hogg, who had a baptism by fire in this World Cup, has made crucial breakthroughs in virtually every game, and his fielding square of the wicket has been a huge bonus. This is where the Australian team has an advantage over teams like Sri Lanka. If Muthiah Muralitharan is ruled out of a game, the attack would be hugely affected. For Australia, when Warney withdrew, Hogg did the job and ensured that the team did not suffer at all. However, I do feel for my mate Dizzy. His right leg has been giving him trouble ever since that terrible collision with Steve Waugh in 1999. Steve got away lightly with a broken nose, but Dizzy has had a tough time with injury. While this proves that Steve has a tough nose to have damaged Dizzy’s leg so badly, it’s also misfortune that this injury cropped up during a World Cup. Preliminary reports suggest that the strain is not on the Achilles, but on a rare tendon that exists in only 20 per cent of mankind. Fortunately, it is not serious enough to keep him out of the West Indies tour. That will be consolation to the mild-natured fast bowler. We go to Port Elizabeth for our next Super Six game, against New Zealand. The trans-Tasman run-ins in cricket have always been exciting, and a World Cup encounter would be even more so. We did not do too well in Port Elizabeth against England, but that game has given us a feel of the slow wicket, and this should help us against the slower bowlers in the Kiwi side, who might relish the conditions. This time round we will be able to adjust better to the lack of pace, but I hope we are provided with a wicket that is better than the one we played on against England. Our batting looked at its best in this tournament, with Adam Gilchrist launching the offensive in grand style. He was desperately disappointed not to have got a century, and being run-out in the non-striker’s end on 99 is pretty unlucky. It was only a matter before Gilly (Gilchrist) got his crisp timing and explosive strokeplay going. Chaminda Vaas was bowling with plenty of confidence, and once again Gilly showed that he is one of the few players in modern-day cricket who can demoralise bowlers within the span of a few overs.
(Gameplan)
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Taking
off Murali proved costly On all evidence of this World Cup, Australia are miles ahead of the rest of the field in both performance and intensity. They came into this first Super Six game on a roll of 12 consecutive wins and, if they were to be stopped, the team to stop them would have to be at the top of its game. Sri Lanka should have come into the encounter with a fair amount of confidence, having recently done well against South Africa and beaten Australia on the last two occasions the teams had met in Australia. To say that they were outplayed would be an understatement; they were blown away. It started with Australia winning the toss and posting an enormous score that looked beyond the reach of Sri Lanka, especially with Mahela Jayawardena badly out of form. However, it could have been different, if Sri Lanka were on top of their game. Sure, Adam Gilchrist is a difficult batsman to bowl to when he is in good form, but there didn’t seem to be a specific plan to get him out. You are much better over-pitching than under-pitching when bowling to him, yet he was fed quite a few short balls early in his innings that he had no hesitation in dispatching to the boundary. They set him alight early on and he had no intentions of taking his foot off the accelerator. Another tactical error was removing Muttiah Muralitharan from the attack too early. He got the first wicket to fall when Sanath Jayasuriya had to resort to bringing on his spinners within the first 15 overs because of the waywardness of his seamers, yet his first spell was only two overs. At the end of his second over, his figures read 2 overs and one wicket for 7 runs, after which, he was removed from the attack. It was important for Sri Lanka to take wickets to retard the progress of Australia and Muralitharan was the best man, if not the only one, for doing so at that point. When he was, belatedly, brought back into the attack, he should have had Ricky Ponting out stumped almost immediately, but Kumara Sangakarra missed the stumps in his attempt to take the bails off. It proved to be a costly miss, as Ponting went on to complete another One-Day-International century, his fourth as captain. Muralitharan ended up as the most economical of the Sri Lanka bowlers, but more important for Sri Lanka is that he takes wickets at the top of the order, so that, the lesser bowlers don’t have to bowl to top batsmen. Jayasuriya may well think that Australia would have just tried to see him off had he kept him on at the top of the innings, but that would have been fine. He could, then, have kept an attacking field, with men around the bat and Muralitharan would certainly have reveled in those conditions.
TCM |
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We’ll bounce back: Whatmore Pretoria, March 8 Sri Lanka were outclassed by defending champions in Centurion yesterday. The bowlers were plundered for 319 runs in 50 overs and the batsmen, with the exception of veteran Aravinda de Silva, struggled in reaching 223. “They gave us a bath, but we have the ability to bounce back,” said Whatmore, a former Australian Test cricketer, who shaped Sri Lanka into world champions seven years ago. “It’s going to be a test of character for our boys to come out of this. We’ve got to see how well and soon they recover.” After Australia got off to a flying start, Sri Lanka was always trying to catch up, but Whatmore said that was not easy against the best team in the world. “Australia is a strong and tough team, playing with a lot of confidence,” he said. “We gave them a lot of chances and paid for it.” Skipper Sanath Jayasuriya said Sri Lanka needed to regroup itself for the game against India. “The match against India is another big game and we need to get going for this one,” said Jayasuriya, who’s a doubtful starter.
AP
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Allan Donald announces retirement
Donald, 36, the only bowler to take more than 300 wickets for South Africa, said he would play for two more seasons for his province Free State. “It’s been a wonderful time,” he said, “I’ve gone around the world, playing against the best players. To have achieved what I have achieved as a professional sportsman and a South African cricketer, I am very, very proud of it. I can walk out of this room today and say I’ve done my absolute best. I’ve got no regrets.” Allan Donald had a wretched World Cup. Clearly short of form, he was only selected for three of the team’s six matches, taking a lone wicket at a cost of 133 runs. He was not chosen for the final game against Sri Lanka, that ended in a tie and sealed the hosts’ first-round elimination. “I’ve played in four World Cups and we have had a bit of a tough time in this World Cup,” he said, “My philosophy about it is that it wasn’t meant to be.” Donald, who has not played a Test for a little over a year after saying that he wanted to concentrate solely on one-dayers, played much of his domestic cricket in Goodyear Park for Free State. A fine athlete who was nicknamed ‘White Lightning’ in his pomp, Donald played 72 Tests, taking 330 wickets at 22.25 apiece. He took 272 One-Day International wickets at 21.78. He spearheaded the South African attack when the team returned to international cricket in 1992. His best performance came in Harare in October, 1995, when he took eight for 71 in the second innings against Zimbabwe to seal a seven-wicket win. Reuters
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Pybus quits as Pak coach
London, March 8 Pybus, a South Africa-based Englishman, said he was taking the decision due to fractured relationship with some members of the team and blamed the cricket coaching set up in Pakistan for the side’s debacle in the tournament. “I tried my best but it was difficult. Some guys wanted to learn but some were not at all interested,” the 38-year-old was quoted as saying by the BBC. Declining to name the players with whom he failed to strike a rapport during his stint, he said they were reluctant to learn anything in the better interest of the team. “I won’t name any individual but they get to the park as part of the team but not of the plan.” “They have old habits, they don’t want to change. There is a reluctance to learn and change.” Pakistan players failed to fire in their crucial World Cup matches in South Africa and did not even qualify for the super six stage after suffering losses against Australia, England and India. Pybus said he could still contribute to Pakistan cricket if the set up in the country was overhauled.
PTI
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Wasim Akram not to quit
After vouching to hang his boots and formally announce his retirement once he reached home after his team’s ignominious exit from the World Cup, Akram said he had no intention of retiring now. "Cricket is not finished in me and I have no intention of quitting the international scene, particularly when the team is in a bad shape after being dumped out from the World Cup," he told reporters on his arrival at the Lahore airport late yesterday. Accompanying Akram on the same flight were Inzamam-ul Haq, Abdur Razzaq, Saleem Elahi and team manager Shahryar Khan. "I believe that the team needs senior players who could lift its morale. That’s why I have decided to change my mind in the best national interest," he said. Akram said the continuous change in the batting order blocked the formation of a team combination and added "if our batting had clicked, the results could have been different." He declined to answer when asked whether the results would have been different had he been the skipper. The former captain and one of the world’s greatest fast bowlers said defeat and victory was part of the game. "The nation should not get emotional at the defeat and should realise that teams like the West Indies, England and South Africa are also out of the World Cup." Akram admitted that the team’s poor performance must have disappointed a large number of fans but asserted that the boys too were dejected and felt sorry about the whole thing. "We worked very hard for the World Cup but even then we lost," he said. All-rounder Razzaq said Pakistan had a good chance to win the World Cup but "we failed to convert the team into a winning
combination." PTI |
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Chandigarh
cops whip Him Club New Delhi, March 8 Chandigarh Police, who had lost their first match, scored three goals each in either half to notch up a standout victory. Inside-left Manish Kumar started the goal-glut when he hit the target in the 19th minute. He also scored the second goal a minute before half time while Jatinder Singh slammed home the third goal at the stroke of interval. On resumption, Manish Kumar and Jatinder Singh played an encore, scoring two goals and one goal respectively. Him Club thus suffered their second straight defeat. Jammu and Kashmir Bank were lucky to secure full points against Indian Nationals as the Delhi Club put up a stiff fight and even took the lead when Harish Bisht scored off a goal-mouth scramble, just seconds before the half time break. The bank men, however, charged in like wounded lions to score a brace through Razwan Sheikh, as Nationals’ custodian Jasmeet Singh lowered his guard and committed silly mistakes. Jammu and Kashmir Bank have collected 12 points from three matches. |
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India defeat Scotland in hockey New Delhi, March 8 In the seven-nation tournament match played yesterday, Rajpal Singh scored in the first half while Gurcharan Singh and Tushar Khandkar scored for India in the second half, according to information received from the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF). All three were field goals. India take on Pakistan today in a crucial match. Other teams in the fray are hosts Egypt, France, Greece and Poland.
UNI
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Linares
chess: Anand back in lead Linares, March 8 With two more rounds remaining in this seven-player category 20 tournament, both Anand and Vladimir Kramnik of Russia have amassed six points from their 10 games and the battle for the crown is like to be between these two. The third place is jointly held by top-rated Garry Kasparov of Russia and Hungarian Peter Leko on 5.5 points apiece and these two are the only ones in with a chance for top place.
PTI |
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