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Friday,
March 14, 2003, Chandigarh, India   |
Indians out to seek revenge
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Supporting bowlers’ role will be crucial |
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Sri Lankan hopes rest on India BCCI largesse for the team
FACE TO FACE Waqar, Inzamam may be axed
Work begins on semifinal pitch Let’s hope cricket flourishes in Kenya Kenya restore faith in romance of cricket Hero’s advice spurs Kenya Pollock ducks for cover
Harinder Gupta leads on day one Dope testing at World Cup shooting Pbi varsity honours sportspersons
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Indians out to seek revenge Centurion, March 13 India finally have a chance to avenge the humiliating and demoralising defeats on tailor-made wickets for pacemen in New Zealand which completely upset their preparations for the World Cup. Though no one in the Indian camp is describing it as a grudge game, there is no doubt India would be out to seek revenge against a team whose survival in the competition hinges on the result of tomorrow’s game. “There are a few points to prove,” said Indian captain Saurav Ganguly, who was one of the biggest failures on that tour. “I have been waiting for this match for quite some time now.” India have already qualified for the semifinals where they face an unexpected opponent in Kenya, while New Zealand must win tomorrow’s game to ensure their progress to the last four stage. Indian coach John Wright, a former New Zealand captain, did not suffer from any split loyalties when he said that the Indian players would be spurred by the fact that they are in a position to dump the Kiwis out of the tournament. “If we beat New Zealand, they would no longer be a part of the competition. So we are going all out to win the game,” Wright said, but was quick to add that it was not a revenge match. “There is no gruge. We just have to play as well as we have been playing in the last few games,” Wright said. Not that New Zealand are going to act as fodder for the hungry Indians. They have had a few outstanding performances even though their passage to the Super Six was through the backdoor. They very nearly pulled off a coup against Australia in their previous game before surrendering to the world champions. But most important of all, they think the psychological advantage of having beaten India comprehensively just two months back would continue to work in their favour.
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Indians’ form would worry Fleming THREE of the four semifinalists have claimed their places, and the last one could be decided tomorrow, if New Zealand beat India. Recent history would suggest that it is a distinct possibility, but the present form of the Indians would be worrying Stephen Fleming and his men. Their disastrous tour to New Zealand would be fresh in the minds of the Indian players, and they would be aware that denying the Kiwis a place in the semifinals would be a fine way of avenging those defeats. Moreover, the players who were on top in that series, Jacob Oram, Andre Adams and Daryl Tuffey are now struggling on pitches that are more suited to cricket than the graveyards that were dished out to the Indians a couple of months ago. The Indians on the other hand have shaken off the trauma of that tour, and are now enjoying batting on good one-day wickets. Under these circumstances, I would say that India start as favourites. Hunger and desperation sometimes make a team lift their performance. The Indians are already assured of a semifinal spot against Kenya, and the result of tomorrow’s game will not affect them, either way. The New Zealanders have everything to gain, and will be playing with a lot more at stake. Very often, the hungrier team wins, and that is the only reason why I would refrain from completely writing off the Black Caps. This is the third game India is playing at the Centurion, and this could prove crucial. They are now familiar with the conditions, and the wicket is to their liking. New Zealand on the other hand might struggle with their bowlers because, once India get past Shane Bond, the rest of the bowlers will be pretty innocuous on a wicket that offers little sideways movement. Bond will hold no worries for an Indian line-up that battered the other pace demon Shoaib on the same wicket. The wicket at Centurion remains batsman-friendly right through the day, so I don’t think the toss will prove crucial unless the weather takes a turn for the worse. I don’t think India would want to change or experiment with their playing eleven at the moment, they are much too focused on keeping the winning trend right now. In fact, they must guard against the feeling that they just need to land up in the next two games, because they are assured a place in the finals. I’m sure they are elated at having to play Kenya at Durban, but one just has to look at the Italy-South Korea game in the football World Cup to realise how things can go wrong in any sport.
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Wake up to reality, Ganguly tells Fleming Centurion, March 13 Ganguly took serious exception to Fleming’s statement two days back that New Zealand would look to “open up some of India’s wounds we opened up in New Zealand”. “He can say whatever he wants to. At the end of the day the whole world knows where the two teams stand. That’s a reality he has got to accept,” Ganguly said. “The pressure is on him to win tomorrow and then play the best team in the world (Australia) in the semi-finals.” Ganguly reminded Fleming that India had annihilated much better pace attacks than what New Zealand possessed, and there was no point in talking big about Shane Bond and company. “Pakistan has a better attack than New Zealand. England has a good attack but we beat them in Durban. There are better attacks and there is no reason why we can’t get them (New Zealand pace attack) tomorrow,” he said. Ganguly was, however, pleased with New Zealand all- rounder Chris Cairns’ assessment that the Indian pace attack was the best in the competition, at par with the Australians. “At least we have one person speaking sensible things. It’s good to hear Cairns give respect to opposition. Ganguly said his side was not looking to settle scores against New Zealand but there were plenty of reasons for India to win tomorrow’s game. “We are not here to settle scores. We don’t want to get into that frame of mind. We just will try to play our game and win every contest. “We want to win this game and try out a few things. If New Zealand is beaten tomorrow than Sri Lanka has a chance for the semi-finals. They are a handy side at Port Elizabeth (where they would then face Australia) where the ball has turned a lot. “So we have a lot of things to get out of this game. It’s not just another game considering we have qualified for the semi-finals,” he said. “But the pressure is on them (New Zealand). They have to qualify and it is a must-win situation for them.” Ganguly acknowledged the fine performance of Bond in the match against Australia but said the wicket here at Centurion Park was good for batting. “Anyway he will only have 10 overs to bowl. But he is leading their attack and we would have to play him well. It’s a
better of a wicket though and ground is not the biggest so there is always a chance of batsmen scoring quick runs. You get value for your shots here,” he said. Ganguly also admitted that he considered Kenya to be an easier opposition than any other team in the semi-finals of the World Cup. “I have to be honest. It is better (for us) than (facing) any other side. But still we would have to play well because they have done well and the luck has also gone their way,” Ganguly said. “We really, rely have to be on top of our game because it’s a World Cup semi-finals and we don’t want to get surprised.” Ganguly felt one of the biggest lesson his side had learnt in this World Cup was to treat every game as a do-or- die match. “Every game is like a do-or-die situation and how to raise ourselves in every game is an important aspect we all have learnt on this tour.”
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Kiwis to target Tendulkar Centurion, March 13 “Sachin must be due for failure — hopefully, that’s on Friday. He’s batted very well. If we bowl in the right areas we could put him under pressure. “We will be doing our work to make sure he doesn’t get runs on
Friday,” said Aberhart admitting that the batting maestro would be the biggest hurdle in New Zealand’s path to the semifinal stage. Stressing that his side could not afford to lose against India, he urged the players to be focussed for the match. “We have to keep focus on beating India to get to the semifinals. They would also like to beat us - but it’s not going to be a grudge match.” Though the Kiwi coach termed the wickets for the World Cup games in the country as “slow and low” but expected the one at Centurion Park here to carry good bounce and pace. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s leading all-rounder Chris Cairns also said his side must find a way to stop Sachin Tendulkar if they nurses hopes to stay alive in the World Cup. “Sachin has got probably 75 per cent of India’s runs, he’s the guy we need to stop,” Cairns said. “He is in magnificent form. He’s playing some excellent cricket and he looks amazingly hungry,” said Cairns, whose figures of 203 runs and two wickets in 2003 World Cup is no reflection on his overall Test figures of 2852 runs and 197 wickets from 55 games and 3866 runs and 156 wickets in 161 one-day internationals. Cairns said the Kiwis also needed to be careful of India’s pace attack, “The way the Indian bowlers have performed, it is on par with the Australians. They have knocked down three or four batsmen within 15 overs in every game”. Cairns appreciated the excellent work of India’s three medium-fast bowlers and said “India’s fifth bowlers have not been exposed yet.”
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Supporting bowlers’ role will be crucial IN my last article I had mentioned that poor bowling at the death could cost us dearly. Sadly, my words came true as we threw away a golden opportunity to defeat Australia and get into the semifinals in style. We have another chance against India, and the result of that game depends on how well our supporting bowlers back Shane Bond. I know that we got the better of India at home only two months ago, but the scenario will be very different tomorrow. These wickets are more comfortable to bat on, and we know that the Indians will come hard at us. While tomorrow’s game will not be a grudge match, I’m sure the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly will be eager to avenge their string of defeats in New Zealand by putting our bowlers to the sword. We simply have to bowl well under pressure, plan for each Indian batsman, and make sure we execute these plans well. We are exploring various bowling options, and Daniel Vettori might have to make way for another seamer in this game. In Port Elizabeth, our bowling lacked the firepower once Bond was bowled out by the 29th over. This might seem a tactical blunder, but we got to 84 for seven only because I used up Bond’s overs. Many teams rely on one bowler, Sri Lanka on Muralidharan, Pakistan on Wasim Akram and South Africa on Shaun Pollock. Therefore, I’m not worried by the fact that we depend on Bond to account for the top order. The area for concern is that the back-up bowlers are not even being able to contain tail-enders at the death. As I mentioned we are trying new combinations all the time, and hopefully everything will click tomorrow. It must also be said that Michael Bevan and Andy Bichel both batted really well to take their score past 200 at Port Elizabeth. However, I thought 209 was an achievable target, and if we had had even one good partnership, we would have won. Unfortunately, our top order caved in and we lost wickets at regular intervals after that. Tomorrow’s game will be the first time we are playing at the Centurion in this tournament, and the batsmen are looking forward to playing on this wicket. While out batting did fail in the last game, it has been pretty consistent right through this tournament, so I am not particularly worried about this area of our game. We have had one light practice followed by a recreation and recovery break in the afternoon. I’m going to the movies to watch “Catch me if you can,” but right now, it’s tomorrow’s match rather than Tom Hanks and Leonardo di Caprio’s cat-and-mouse games that is occupying my mind.
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Indian team has seven ‘skippers’ Centurion, March 13 As commentators the world over analyse the remarkable resurgence of the Indian team, the official website of the tournament today came out with an unusual explanation for India’s march into the semifinals. Players encouraging each other and the ‘Great Indian Huddle’ after the fall of every wicket are just the visible features of their campaign. What remains hidden from the public is that the team is, actually, being led not only by Saurav Ganguly, but also by six other players. The team, after long deliberations, has appointed two “batting captains”, two “bowling captains” and two “fielding captains”, the website says. These six “captains” convey to the rest what is expected of them in the next game as the players do their nets. Senior members Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid head the batting department, while Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble oversee the bowlers’ performance during the training sessions. Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif take care of the fielding department. As the squad takes the field for training and nets, young turks Yuvraj and Kaif do not hesitate to pull up the seniors for any loose fielding, while Srinath and Kumble become the bowling coaches of the side. Sachin and Dravid give tips to their teammates on batting. The final meeting on the eve of every match is, however, supervised by skipper Saurav Ganguly and coach John Wright, the website says. These innovative techniques introduced by Wright and Ganguly have definitely worked wonders for the team.
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Sachin bent upon proving a point THE first two chapters (the match against Netherlands and Australians) of the Indian cricket book 2003 did not exactly excite the readers but anyone who had read the preface to this book (India’s tour to New Zealand) would not have been too shocked at the quality of play dished out by the Indians. It definitely takes time to emerge out of the deep trauma of meeting face to face with some of the quicks in the world on half-prepared green-top wickets. The recovery period over, Sourav Ganguly’s boys have made it a pleasure reading. Once again, we are staring at the same Black Caps but rest assured there would be no more twist in the storyline of the Indians. The Men in Blue have been a transformed lot since the Namibia match and the likes of Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka have being mowed down with disdain. Sachin Tendulkar is bent upon showing the world all the more evidence they need to acknowledge the premier batsman in the world while Sourav and Dravid have been quietly yet effectively contended themselves of playing the supporting cast behind the aggressive willow of Yuvraj and Sehwag. The bowling, especially the seamers have proved that they can be relied upon in time of distress and in the company of the veteran Srinath, Zaheer and Ashish have been a revelation. In short, they have come out with a single-minded objective of winning the Cup and nothing at present looks likely to stop Sourav and his team from painting South Africa blue. No captain likes to irk the Indian team before a match but rival skipper Stephan Fleming is one steely character. He does not fear calling a spade a spade and often in the past he has lifted his team to heights from edgy situations. The Kiwis need to win this match against India to enter the semi-final of the World Cup and the platform is all tailor-made for them. But there are a few problems in between. The Indian team, of course, is the biggest hurdle. No prizes for guessing why we can see Sourav Ganguly is rubbing his hands in glee. He has got the chance he was looking for. Ganguly would be asking his boys to train all their guns at the Kiwis with vengeance. After all, there were responsible for the early season mess. And the boys have it all in the mind. It could be another cracker of a match with fireworks from both sides setting things up.
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Sri Lankan hopes rest on India Johannesburg, March 13 All they can do till then is pray — for India’s success. Sri Lanka’s only hope of staying in contention for the semifinals is if India continue their good form and crush New Zealand in their last Super Six game at Centurion tomorrow. If the Kiwis win, the Sri Lankans may as well not take the field against Zimbabwe in East London on Saturday, for Stephen Fleming’s men would already have taken the fourth and last semifinal spot after Australia, India and Kenya. Sri Lanka’s agony is both of their own making and Kenya’s surprise entry into the last four after defeating Zimbabwe by seven wickets at Bloemfontein yesterday. “There is little we can do, but wait and see how our luck holds,” Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore said. “We’ll obviously have an eye — probably both eyes — on the India game tomorrow, but there’s no question we also have to train for the game the next day.” If India oust the Kiwis, Sri Lanka will have to beat Zimbabwe to qualify for the semifinal against reigning champions Australia at Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. Whatever the outcome, skipper Jayasuriya knows he will have to play the rest of the tournament with a broken thumb, the legacy of a Brett Lee special last week. “Sanath’s forearm is not a problem but the left thumb is broken right at the tip and he will fully recover only after the World Cup,” said team physiotherapist Alex
Kontouri. “He is taking mild pain-killers, but can manage the pain for the time being.” Batsman Hashan
Tillakaratne, however, will be fit to play against Zimbabwe after missing the 183-run defeat against India on Monday. However, it may already be too late for Sri Lanka, after having lost to Kenya in the preliminary league and going down in both Super Sixes games to Australia and
India. Whatmore said the players had themselves to blame for facing the prospect of an early flight home. “It is difficult to have sympathy for the boys when they play like that,” Whatmore said after the heavy defeat against India at Centurion. “It’s a problem of our own making,” said
Whatmore, the former Australian Test batsman who guided the Islanders to their World Cup triumph seven years ago. “The boys got themselves into this situation and now they must get themselves out of it. “We’ve had a talk about it already. We can assist all we, can but they know that, ultimately, you win or lose by what happens in the middle,” Whatmore said. Memories of Jayasuriya’s century against the Kiwis, Marvan Atapattu’s strokeful hundred against South Africa or Chaminda
Vaas’ hat-trick against Bangladesh with the first three deliveries of the match have receded to the background.
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BCCI largesse for the team Kolkata, March 13 “Reaching the semifinal is no mean achievement and therefore the Board of Control for Cricket in India will pay Rs 1.87 crore to the 15 players of the team as reward,” board President Jagmohan Dalmiya announced here. Dalmiya said the reward would be doubled to Rs 3.75 crore if the team reached the final and increased to Rs 7.50 crore if India regained the World Cup after a gap of 20 years. As per the award details, each of the 15 players of the Indian team would get Rs 12.5 lakh for reaching the semifinal and an additional Rs 12.5 lakh for the team’s entry into the final.
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FACE TO FACE Centurion Park Last year, Hadlee sought out the young man for his autograph after he had annihilated the Australians with 18 scalps and bagged the player of the series award in a triangular series Down Under. There was a delicious irony to it all when during that tour to Australia, Hadlee and Bond bumped into each other at a restaurant at Hobart. “Table Mr Bond?” the waiter asked, having just seen the bowler make his Test debut. “Certainly.”
Hadlee, on the other hand, went unrecognised and was asked to wait for his turn by the waiter in the overcrowded restaurant. There was a time when Bond would have done anything to emulate
Hadlee. Having represented the same club side, Old Boys, as the legendary New Zealand all-rounder, he had hung on his every wicket. “It was only because of him that I ever wanted to be a fast bowler,” Bond once said. Bond, who had once struggled to reach 75mph — indeed had taken seven years to take his first five-wicket haul in senior club cricket - added pace and stamina to his bowling on a piece of advice from
Hadlee. “He came to me before I played my first Test and asked what I wanted to do in cricket,” Bond recalls. “I said well, ‘I want to play as long as I can and do OK and just contribute best I can’. “He said, ‘Nup. That’s not good enough. You want to be the No 1 bowler in your country and eventually the world and that’s your whole focus.’ “He turned me around” After all, Hadlee had starred against the one team that every New Zealand schoolboy dreams of beating, taking 33 wickets at an average of 12.15 during the country’s first Test series victory on Australian soil in 1985-86. The rest of the team took only 22 wickets between them. Against Australia at Port Elizabeth, Bond surpassed even Hadlee by taking six for 23, the best figures by a New Zealander in one-day internationals. In six games against the world champions, Bond has now taken 22 wickets at 10.45. The bond between the two has only grown. Hadlee rates the present New Zealand team as their best-ever one-day side and Bond an important cog in the wheel. Bond still can’t get over Hadlee and gushes praise whenever the great man crops up in a conversation. Bond finally is hitting his straps after an indifferent start to the World Cup and Hadlee is at hand to offer whatever help he could to the young man. Now the Chairman of selectors, Hadlee was a welcome visitor during the New Zealand nets at Centurion Park on Wednesday, wearing team colours and evoking expectations the famous cocked-up-wrist action would once again be seen by the assembled media. To their disappointment, the only thing Hadlee did was to stand in a corner and speak to Bond from time to time. The way Bond went about nodding his head, indicated the pupil has still not stopped learning from his master. |
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Waqar, Inzamam may be axed Islamabad, March 13 The PCB officials appear to have decided to drop some of the senior members of the World Cup squad for the Sharjah meet that also involves South Africa and Sri Lanka, according to media reports. The board, initially, toyed with the idea of appointing middle-order batsman Younis Khan the captain, but his recent brawl with Inzamam while playing football before the crucial World Cup match against Zimbabwe came in the way, the reports said. Latif’s name was reported to have been cleared by the selection committee headed by former cricketer Wasim Bari. Latif changed his plan to retire after the World Cup perhaps after receiving hints that he had a chance to lead the team in the immediate future. His decision will hurt the return of former skipper and wicket keeper Moin Khan, who has been waiting in the wings. Waqar, who led the team in the World Cup, apologised for the team’s poor performance, but declined to quit, saying he had some years of cricket left in him. Inzamam, however, stepped down as vice-captain and vowed to improve his form. The PCB is in a fix whether to consider the senior players for the Sharjah Cup or build a new team with sight on the next World Cup. After the World Cup debacle, no senior player has so far, announced his retirement, which has created a problem for the PCB as to how to “sideline them forthwith”. The board also has to appoint a new coach, as Richard Pybus of South
Africa, who had a contract till the end of the World Cup, has decided not to continue. The board was expected to recall former Pakistan cricketer and coach Javed Miandad, even though a number of senior players were not in favour of it. Meanwhile, the PCB is waiting for the three member inquiry committee to complete its review of the team’s performance in the World Cup and come out with its report. The committee has been given 15 days to complete its inquiry and is expected to come out with a report by the end of this month.
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Afridi punished for sledging Islamabad, March 13 The punishment was handed down by the Pakistan Cricket Board yesterday, a media release said today. Afridi was found guilty of sledging Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sewhag and also English umpire David Shepherd during the match played in Centurion on March 1. “We received an official complaint from the International Cricket Council (ICC) supported with evidence. The players were told prior to their departure for South Africa that no indiscipline will be tolerated. Unfortunately, Shahid Afridi breached the players Code of Conduct and had to be penalised,” a PCB spokesman was quoted as saying. Afridi has, however, been allowed to represent his team in the ongoing National Bank Patron’s Cup one-day tournament. The two-day meeting of the PCB also decided to name the team for the Sharjah tournament on March 24 after the completion of the Patron’s Cup. “No decision on the future of the senior players has been taken as the selectors are still in discussion and would only finalise the 15-men team once they watch the matches,” said PCB chief Lt Gen Tauqir Zia. The PCB has also not decided about the captain of the team.
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Work begins on semifinal pitch Port Elizabeth, March 13 The review of the pitch, which hosts the semifinal on Tuesday, follows criticism from Australian captain Ricky Ponting after the defending champions escaped defeat twice against England and then New Zealand on the bowler-friendly surface. The review is being carried out by Hilbert Smit, chairman of the South African groundsmen’s association, and Brian Basson, the South African cricket board’s director of cricket operations. They are assisted by Adrian Carter, the groundsman at the venue, and Neil Tainton, a World Cup consultant on wickets, in a bid to prepare a good batting surface. “Last year’s match between South Africa and the Aussies produced in excess of 650 runs, so let’s hope it’s another belter on Tuesday,” he said. It was on the same wicket last year that Pakistan posted their highest one-day score of 335 for six. Australia are due to play their semifinal at the St George’s Park against either New Zealand or Sri Lanka. India will feature in the second semifinal against Kenya under the Kingsmead lights in Durban next Thursday after their request to make it a day game was rejected. Australia squeezed out a narrow two-wicket win over England and were then rocked by Kiwi paceman Shane Bond on Tuesday as he grabbed six for 23 on the damp wicket.
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Let’s hope cricket flourishes in Kenya WHO would have thought it, Kenya are through to the semifinals of the World Cup and still with a game to play in the Super Sixes. Before the tournament, they thought to themselves that it would be a great achievement to get into the Super Sixes. Though they could be considered to have been helped by the forfeiting of points by New Zealand by not appearing for the Nairobi fixture, they have certainly played some good cricket along the way. The secret to Kenya’s success has been their ability and willingness to stick to the basics and just try and do what they do best. The seam bowlers haven’t bowled a ball above 140 kph, but shown an admirable control of line and length, using which, they frustrated the Zimbabwe batsmen into playing some ill-advised strokes. Collins Obuya has been a revelation in the tournament with his legspin. He is not a big spinner of the ball and he doesn’t have the repertoire of a Shane Warne, but has good control of his leg breaks, which saw him reaping another three-wicket haul. Another positive aspect of Kenya’s cricket has been their fielding. They have put many Test-playing nations to shame with their commitment and skill in the field, leaving their coach or coaches with a lot to be proud of. Where do Kenya go from here? No one expects them to beat India in the semifinals, but, then, no one expected them to get as far as the Super Sixes either. Even if they lose their last Super Six game against Australia and lose their semifinal against India, they would have had a great World Cup campaign. They will go back to Kenya much richer and much proud. Let’s hope this performance by the team will create a lot of interest in the game in all of Kenya, not just the capital Nairobi, and that the cricket authorities there will get the financial and other support necessary to take the game forward. Who knows, maybe, by the next World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007, they will be able to nominate their 30 cricketers a couple of months before the tournament, as, this time, they could not find that number — so few play the game in Kenya. They have played the game with great enthusiasm, spirit and enjoyment, much like a team with nothing to lose; and they have, indeed, lost nothing, but gained a lot. Congratulations and good luck to them.
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Kenya restore faith in romance of cricket BY winning their battle of Africa in Afrikaner heartland, Kenya may have helped restore faith in the romance of cricket. The unsung heroes out of Africa have made it to the last four, shutting up on their way many a critic. However divided Zimbabwe may have been with a selection problem over Dion Ebraim adding to the considerable discord in the team, it still needed a command performance from Kenya to score a maiden win over their southern neighbours. They say the meek shall inherit the earth. Kenya, thought to be the cradle of the human kind, has at least inherited a cricketing repation by playing the game in modest fashion and well within limitations. The cash-strapped Kenyans have now earned half a million dollars, the kind of sum that could even boost the national economy. Their red and green uniforms are not adorned with the symbols of any sponsor. What the men in those colours have displayed is a love of the game and an ability to translate their togetherness into winning cricket. Their victory over Zimbabwe in their 15th attempt said it all. When talking of team chances ahead of the World Cup, no one would have given a thought to the most minor of three African nationhosts making it to the third stage, a rarified place where only the Test nations have got to before. Nothing could have been more ironic than the likes of South Africa, dyslexics in the matter of Duckworth-Lewis arithmetic, and Zimbabwe, a house divided over race and politics, being cast aside while the minnows have made it to the big party. The Kenyans played their cricket in the simplest form as recommended in the coaching manuals and by the advice of their Indian coach, Sandeep Patil. The Mumbai batsman has also been one of the romantics of cricket, his idea of a party venue being a plane he has parked on his verandah at home
facing the sea. As a member of a World Cup winning side, Patil should know the intrinsic values of getting the basics right. He was wearing flannels for India in the famous triumph in which an underdog turned the entire cricket world upside down in 1983. Patil’s wards have shown right through the competition that they have learnt a lot while retaining the simplicity of approach. Their unabashed love of the game is reflected in the celebration of the fall of opponents’ wickets in a collective jig that would put to shame John Travolta. Collins Obuya does not boast of a googly in his armoury of looped leg spin. But he has become the second biggest wicket-taking spin bowler of the tournament with 13 in his bag as compared to Muttiah Muralitharan’s 16, a number he can hope to build upon even if he has to show his wares against India in the semifinal. And this World Cup has not exactly been a picnic for spinners. They have displayed their cricket credentials in unquestionable style in this World Cup. Besides the Indians, they are the only ones to have chased and won under lights, that too in Cape Town where a lit up target is surmounted only as often as Mt Everest is in the summer. Their handling of the chase against Zimbabwe’s paltry 133 revealed a cricketing merit that comes only with high motivation levels. Safety is fine as a concept against such a target but no team can get there in a passive way without leaving the doors open. No one would have rated them after they were crushed by the South Africans by 10 wickets and by the West Indians. Cricket is the great leveller. It reserves its wickedest smile for those who mock.
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Hero’s advice spurs Kenya Bloemfontein, March 13 The secret of their success lies in loads of advice from various quarters — and the one on fighting against all odds from Kenya’s fabled sprinter Kip Keino, reports Sydney Morning Herald. Keino addressed the Kenyan side during the World Cup opening ceremony at Newlands last month and is understood to have inspired the players immensely. “It was great to meet a hero who you have grown up idolising your whole life. He told us to keep believing in ourselves and that’s what we have done,” Kenya skipper Steve Tikolo said. Keino, a medium distance sprinter, knows much about overcoming all odds. The athlete, when caught in a traffic jam during the Mexico Olympics in 1968, ran 1.6 km to the stadium and later won the gold and set a new record.
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Pollock ducks for cover Johannesburg, March 13 Pollock was widely criticised after the Proteas, who began the tournament as co-favourites, failed to get beyond the first round and he was expected to attend a meeting of the national selection committee yesterday. Committee convenor Omar Henry refused to pile more problems onto the shoulders of Pollock who is away on holiday with his wife. “With all the emotion of the World Cup, the fact that his wife is pregnant, he felt he would rather just stay on holiday with her,” Henry told the Business Day newspaper.
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Harinder Gupta leads on day one Chandigarh, March 13 On a course that played a par of 72, Harinder Gupta of the Chandigarh Golf Club shot a gross score of 68 (four under par). He has a handicap of one. He was followed by Sandy Lehal, who scored a gross score of 69 (three under par) and Keshav Mishra of the Delhi Golf Club, who had a gross score of 71 (one under par). The highlight of the day was eight birdies by local lad Sandy Lehal — on the second, sixth, seventh, eighth, 12th, 13th 15th and 18th hole. The seventh hole is par five and measures 613 yards, which makes it one of the toughest holes in the country. The top three net scores were as follows: Deepak Kumar (Noida Golf club) 66, Harinder Gupta (Chandigarh Golf Club) 67 and Sandy Lehal (Chandigarh Golf Club) 67. The top 10 gross scores on the first day were as follows: Harinder Gupta 1 (68), Sandy Lehal 2 (69), Keshav Mishra 3 (71), Vikrant Chopra 4 (72), Manav Dass 5 (72), Jaideep Patwardhan 6 (72), Anitya Chand 7 (73), Arjun Singh 8 (73), Deepak Kumar 9 (73) and Karanjit Singh 10 (74). The top 10 net results on the first day were as follows: Deepak Kumar 1 (66), Harinder Gupta 2 (67), Sandy Lehal 3 (67), Arjun Singh 4 (69), Keshav Mishra 5 (70), Vikrant Chopra 6 (71), Anitya Chand 7 (71), Karanjit Singh 8 (71), Manav Dass 9 (72) and Jaideep Patwardhan 10 (72). |
Dope testing at World Cup shooting New Delhi, March 13 Sports Authority of India director of sports medicine Dr PSM Chandran said the dope testing of the urine samples of the shooters would be done at an International Olympic Committee-approved laboratory in Malaysia. The World Cup has attained great importance as three quota places as well as the Minimum Qualifying Score for the Olympic Games in Athens next year, will be decided here. National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary-general Baljit Singh Sethi said many renowned shooters from the world have confirmed their participation in the trap, double trap and skeet events for men, women and juniors. He said shooters with Minimum Quota Place are also participating in this World Cup, which would be much more thrilling than the earlier two World Cups held in India in 1997 and 2000. National shooting coach Prof Sunny Thomas said Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who has been in fine form, was in line to clinch a quota place in the double trap event while Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Mansher Singh are vying for a quota place in the trap event, along with Anwer Sultan. Anwer Sultan had earned a quota place for the Sydney Olympic Games. Prof Thomas said Manavjit Singh has been in excellent form while in skeet, Rao Inderjit Singh has done exceedingly well in the trials, shooting 147 out of 150. Meanwhile, with the arrival of a large number of foreign participants, the stage is set for the mega event, which received a shot in the arm when the ONGC presented a cheque for Rs 15 lakh, thanks to the initiative NRAI president Digvijay Singh, who is also a Union Minister.  |
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Pbi varsity honours sportspersons Patiala, March 13 The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Dr R.N. Pal, gave away prizes and medals to the winners. Government Mohindra College, Patiala, was awarded the Overall Championship (men) trophy for 2001- 02 and 2002-03, while Government College for Women, Patiala, bagged the Overall Championship Trophy (women) for 2002-03. Government College for Physical Education for Women, Patiala, lifted the Overall Championship trophy for 2001-02. Players who bagged gold, silver and bronze medals in inter-varsity tournaments were awarded Rs 1,600, Rs 1,300 and Rs 1,100, respectively. Players who won laurels in the all-India inter-varsity cycling (Women), gymnastics (men and women), athletics (men), boxing (men), judo (men and women), weightlifting (men and women), powerlifting (men and women), kabaddi (national style men), kho kho (women), korfball (men and women) and netball (women) were also honoured. Earlier, the Director Sports, Dr
G.R. Kataria, presented the annual report of the department. |
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