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Saturday,
March 29, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Indian team to be selected on April 2 Contract issue set to resurface ICC may reopen
probe against Pak |
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Pak players set to lose 50 pc earnings Caddick quits one-day cricket Anand regains Amber chess title
Germans pin hopes on Hamann, Frings
Smooth sailing for Sodhi group likely Setback for
AG Punjab Punjab fencers
in final Patiala beat
Bathinda BSF edge past
Air-India
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Indian team to be selected on April 2
Mumbai, March 28 India will take on the hosts in the opening match on April 11, according to the Indian cricket board sources today. Kolkata: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning to extend the contract of coach John Wright and other support staff till the tri-series in Bangladesh scheduled to be held early next month. Board President Jagmohan Dalmiya told PTI today that the final decision on the coach would be taken at a meeting of the board in the next few days. “Though Wright’s contract was till the World Cup, he continues to be the coach of the Indian team until the board decides otherwise,” Dalmiya said. Dalmiya said since there was a long gap after the tri-series next month, the three support staff of the Indian team may be retained as an interim arrangement. Besides Wright, the coach of the side for more than two years, others who helped the team in their World Cup campaign were physio Andrew Leipus and physical trainer Adrian le Roux. Dalmiya said the only uncertainty at this stage was Wright, who rushed home immediate after the World Cup final as his father was seriously ill. It was to be seen whether he could join in case the Bangladesh tournament came through. The tri-series involving India, South Africa and Bangladesh is scheduled to be held from April 11 and 20. But a question mark hangs over the tournament following South Africa’s decision to pull out of the Sharjah Cup in the first week of April due to the Iraq war. The South Africans were to play in the tri-series after the Sharjah Cup.
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Contract
issue set to resurface
Kolkata, March 28 “The contract issue was temporarily put on the back-burner because of the Cup. But now that the Cup is over, the process to sort out the matter has to start once again,” BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya told PTI here. The disupte figured prominently during the ICC executive board meeting in South Africa last week, with some of the members trying to pin India on the controversy. Though Dalmiya remained tight-lipped on deliberations at the Executive Board, sources said the meeting was “stormy” and at one stage ICC chief executive officer Malcolm Speed even proposed that the BCCI heavyweight be banned from all its meetings. Speed was apparently peeved by a PIL filed in the Delhi High Court against the ICC, and made a scathing attack on the BCCI in his report before the executive board. In his report, Speed reportedly claimed that two directors had asked him to report to the executive board on the role played by the BCCI in that litigation. Speed, however, failed to garner much support for his proposal to keep Dalmiya out of the board mainly in the face of strong opposition from South Africa and Zimbabwe, while other members rallied behind them. Only New Zealand board provided some degree of support to Speed. The contract dispute generated much heat before the World Cup, after the Indian cricketers refused to sign ICC’s Players’ Terms containing some restrictive clauses on personal endorsements. To ensure their participation in the tournament, the ICC had accepted substantially relaxed terms offered by the players on the condition that it would not release India’s guarantee money, in the range of $ 8 to 9 million, till the issue was resolved by arbitration. Dalmiya said that the matter would now be sorted out through arbitration by the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne, or “we can sit togther and sort out the matter.” As for the cost factor, a BCCI source said it was forced to move towards arbitration as it could not sacrifice players’ rights only to pave the way for granting some unilateral privileges to Global Cricket Corporation, which holds the marketing rights of the ICC events till the next World Cup in 2007.
PTI |
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ICC may reopen
probe against Pak
Islamabad, March 28 The ICC may seek another inquiry because submissions from its investigative body - the anti-corruption unit - were not included in his report by Justice Bhandari, who was appointed by the Pakistan government to probe into the allegations that the players took bribe to lose matches, Bloomberg news agency quoted a source familiar with the case. However, Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board Tauqir Zia said that much evidence was not available to establish the match-fixing allegations against the players. “The code of conduct commission (the ICC’s disciplinary body) said we have not looked into this and not looked into that but not much evidence was available,” Zia said in a telephone interview. “It’s just a misunderstanding in my opinion.” When contacted, the ICC and ACU declined to comment while Justice Bhandari could not be reached for comment, the agency said. Justice Bhandari, in his January 31, 2002, report, said the ACU “had no material in support of the theory that the (Bangladesh) match was fixed.” Justice Bhandari added that his commission had an “enlightening” meeting with ACU officials in Sharjah, the UAE, in November 2001. “The commission pointedly asked for material relevant to the subject but the answer was in the negative,” Justice Bhandari said.
PTI |
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Pak players set to lose 50 pc earnings Islamabad, March 28 “This was an agreement signed before the World Cup and the players agreed to performance-based terms and conditions,” Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Samiul Hasan was quoted as saying by the BBC Sports website today. “The agreement was that if they failed to go beyond the preliminary rounds, they would face 50 per cent deductions from their total earnings from the tournament,” Hasan said. The accounts department of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has completed paper works on the amount to be deducted from each player’s total earnings in the World Cup. PCB officials here said the players could not complain about the deductions as they had agreed to the performance-based formula.
PTI |
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Caddick
quits one-day cricket
London, March 28 Caddick said he hoped
his decision would prolong his Test career and give England’s
younger pace bowlers the chance to establish themselves before the
2007 World Cup. “My age is against me,” Caddick said. “There is
no point in continuing. It is time for the youngsters to gain
experience and get ready for the next World Cup.” AP |
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Anand regains Amber chess title
Monte Carlo, March 28 This was Anand’s third title in this unique tournament that has one blindfold and one rapid game in each round. The Indian ace had earlier stamped his superiority here in 1997 when he won all the three titles at stake — rapid, blindfold and combined, and in 1994. Anand finished the tournament with a tally of 14.5 points, a full point ahead of nearest rivals Peter Leko of Hungary and 2001 champion Alexander Morozevich of Russia. Though Anand did not finish first in the individual rapid and blindfold categories, his steady performance in both was enough to net him the champion’s crown. Braingames champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia won the blindfold title after he drew his last round game with Ljubomir Ljubojevich of Yugoslavia. Kramnik had a full point lead in this section and he achieved the just result in the last round. Anand tied for second along with Morozevich in blindfold with a fluent victory over Topalov. Russian Evgeny Bareev won the rapid title after agreeing to a quick draw with world championship finalist Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine. Like Kramnik, Bareev also scored 8 points out of a possible 11 and was half a point clear of Anand and Leko in this section.
PTI |
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Serena overpowers Clijsters
Key Biscayne, March 28 “I’m really excited to be in the final here again,” said Williams. “Three out of six (appearances here) isn’t bad, but I could do better. I was surprised I played this tournament six years - that seems like forever.” The match was the only singles completed on a day when heavy storms caused delays and, finally, the cancellation of play with one men’s quarterfinal in progress and two more matches yet to go on court. Men’s fourth seed Roger Federer of Switzerland and ninth seed Albert Costa of Spain were near the end of their quarterfinal nail-biter when thunderstorms halted play. Costa won the first set 7-6 (7/4), Federer the second set 6-4, and they were tied at 5-5, deuce in the third set when play stopped. Up a service break at 5-4 in the third set, Federer failed to take advantage of two match points on his serve in the 10th game to finish the match before it began raining. The Costa-Federer match will be completed later. The women’s semifinal between sixth seed Jennifer Capriati and 12th seed Chanda Rubin, as well as the other men’s quarterfinal between second seed Andre Agassi and Younes El Aynaoui never made it to court and were also
rescheduled.
Top seed Williams (21) will be seeking her second-straight title here, having beaten Capriati in last year’s final. Williams lost in the final here four years ago to her older sister Venus. The No. 2 seed Venus failed to make the quarterfinals this year after being beaten by Meghann Shaughnessy. Clijsters, whose only victory in eight matches against Serena Williams was in the 2002 year end WTA Championships final, squandered a 5-1 lead in the third set of their semifinal at the Australian Open in January. Clijsters, of Belgium, is widely viewed as the player with the best chance to challenge Serena but there was no hint of that yesterday. Williams is hoping to win her third title in three tournaments this year. She won her fourth consecutive Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open in January and then scored the victory at the Open Gaz de France in February. Serena Williams posted a total of 22 winners to only six for Clijsters in the 54-minute match. In the first set alone, Clijsters had a scant two winners to 15 for Williams. Clijsters offered up break point opportunities and Williams jumped on five of the offerings - in the first, fifth and ninth games of the first set and the first and third games of the second set. In contrast, Clijsters was able to play break serve on two of nine chances, in the second and eighth games of the opening set.
AFP |
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Germans
pin hopes on Hamann, Frings
Berlin, March 28 With Bayern Munich dynamo Michael Ballack injured, the Germans, back in the vanguard of the world game after their run to the World Cup final, see Hamann and Frings as the men to impose the requisite discipline on the squad and ensure there is no group five upset. By the time the game starts the Germans will know the fate of rivals Scotland, who face Iceland in Glasgow three hours earlier and coach Rudi Voller is adamant that three points are a must as he hands
goalscoring duties to Miroslav Klose and veteran Fredi Bobic. Bayer Leverkusen’s Bernd Schneider will look to act as link man between the rest of the midfield and the strikers, whipping over a constant supply of trademark crosses from the right flank as the Germans chase a third straight win in the group. The injury loss of defender Christoph Metzelder and also defensive midfielder Jens Jeremies has upset Voller’s plans - but he is not going to let a need to make some forced changes deflect his focus. Bochum midfielder Paul Freier, who could fill the Jeremies role, is still facing a battle for fitness after a toe operation but according to Voller’s
assistant Michael Skibbe “we are assuming he will be able to play on Saturday.” Should he not make it Hertha Berlin’s Marko Rehmer and Arne Friedrich are standing by. Hamann, who is set to win his 49th cap — he last played in the 2-0 win away to the Lithuanians in September since when injuries have hampered his progress — says that a win is vital to send the Germans into a June 7 meeting with the Scots brimming with confidence. “We are all hopeful we will sort out the win this Saturday with something to spare compared with the 2-1 knife-edge affair against the Faroe Islands — but we have seen how the small fry can be good for a surprise,” said Hamann. The 29-year-old is pleased to see the emergence of Frings, particularly in the absence of Ballack. “He has really made progress and has gone up a level recently,” Haman said admiringly. Keeper Oliver Kahn made the news on Thursday for the wrong reasons as he was clocked doing 154km an hour in an 80km zone and had his licence withdrawn for two months. Kahn split up with wife Simone a week ago just following the birth of their second child after he admitted an affair with a younger woman. But the 33-year-old retains his place in the team.
AFP
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Smooth sailing for Sodhi group likely Chandigarh, March 28 Today in a press briefing, Rana Sodhi even hinted the possibility of unanimous elections. Hectic activity is on over the past few days. Rana Gurmit Sodhi, a reputed International clay pigeon shooter had gradually shifted to active state politics. Being Political Adviser to the Chief Minister, he is a big gun in the region. Another factor which is giving him edge over his rivals was that he is quite close to Raja Randhir Singh, Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association. Rana Sodhi claimed that he was a sportsman first and a poltician later. On being asked about his priorities, Mr Sodhi said, he would like to see to it that sportspersons of Chandigarh had the best of infrastructural facilities and every possible assistance in the form of funds. Mr Sodhi said, one should not remain dependent on government funds and expressed the hope that the private sector would come forward in a big way. Mr Sodhi said, since he represented India, he knew the genuine problems of sportspersons. Mr Sodhi underlined the need for a Chandigarh Olympic Association bhavan. He said if he took over as new president, there would be rooms for every sports association and sportspersons. On the composition of his new team, he sad, it would be known by tomorrow. Mr Ravinder Talwar, a seasoned sports organiser, is likely to be elected
secretary-general. Reliable sources indicate that, the group led by Mr Rajan Kashyap was backing the candidature Mr Reet Mohinder Singh as secretary-general from their group. The previous secretary-general Mr K.S. Sahota has been abroad for quite some time. At present the Sodhi group claims the support of 52 members out of a total 62. |
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Setback
for AG Punjab Chandigarh, March 28 A.G. Rajasthan who were runners-up in their zone, got control of the ball in the very first minute and were rewarded with a penalty corner but could not succeed in converting it. In the second half, A.G.
Rajasthan managed to take the lead when Mohit, a centre forward, dodged two defenders in the 57th minute and pushed the ball into the goal post. A.G. Punjab tried to fight back in the dying moments but lost 1-0. In the second match, A.G. Orissa outplayed A.G. MP 4-1. Ajay of A.G. MP gave the vital lead to his team in the 13th minute when he converted penalty corner. Four minutes later Abhoja Kumar scored the equalizer through a penalty corner. Santosh Yadav of Orissa put his team ahead by scoring a field goal in 24th minute. A.G. Orissa further increased their tally by scoring two more goals in the 45th and 50th minute through Bijoy Kumar and Abhoja Kumar and took the game away from A.G. MP. In another match A.G. Jharkhand defeated A.G. Andhra Pradesh 2-1. A.G. Jharkhand struck early when Alois Bhengra converted a penalty corner in the fourth minute. Mambahal scored a field goal after he got a pass from Zavier Gadh in the 18th minute. A.G. AP reduced the margin in the 20th minute when Karunakam scored a field goal. In the last match of the day A.G. Tamil Nadu edged past A.G. Delhi 3-0. Earlier, Mr M. Deena Dayalan, Accountant General (A&E), Haryana, inaugurated the five-day meet. |
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Punjab
fencers in final Patiala, March 28 The Punjab men had gone down narrowly to Manipur in the final of the previous edition at Pune last year. The hosts will have the advantage as the Manipur selectors have left out the country’s best fencer, Hemjit
Meetai, from their squad. In the women’s section, young Karamjit Kaur, a BA-1 student of the local Government College for Women, led the charge by scrapping past a fighting E.Geeta Devi of Manipur 15-13 in the epee individual event. Karamjit will square off with M.Usha Rani of
Manipur, who downed Rukmini of Maharashtra 15-7 in the other semifinal. The hosts quartet of Karamjit Kaur, Amandeep Kaur, Sarabjit Kaur and Gurdeep Kaur sailed into the final of the foil team event for women by getting the better of Karnataka 15-4 and similar was the margin of victory recorded by Manipur against Maharashtra in the other
semifinal. |
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Patiala
beat Bathinda Patiala, March 28 In the first quarterfinal, it could not have been more exciting for the Patiala cagers and more excruciating for the Bathinda boys as the former just about managed to down the latter 68-64. For the winners Gurpreet with 18 points and Pawandeep with 14 points played a dominant role. In a one-sided match, the fast moving Ludhiana boys easily downed Faridkot 53-36 to book a berth in the last four. For the winners both Tejpal Singh and Jagdeep accumulated 12 points apiece. So agile were the Ludhiana cagers that by the end of the second quarter, the winners were already leading by a comfortable 18-point margin. Mansa, who created a ripple in yesterday’s match when they turned the tables on strong contenders Jalandhar, led 24-10 at the end of the first quarter against Moga and finally closed the contest at 55-40. Amritsar cagers completed the semifinal line up by outclassing Ferozepore 59-46. In the women’s section, Ludhiana outplayed Hoshiarpur 36-19 with Kamaljit Kaur being the main scorer with 14 points. Jalandhar women set up an emphatic 32-16 victory over Kapurthala and for the winners the spotlight was on Asha and Rajnarinder, who scored 10 and 9 points, respectively. |
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BSF edge past
Air-India Kolkata, March 28 The all important goal was scored by BSF’s centre half Marinus Lakra in the sixth minute of play, which gave all three points in the group league encounter. After a good one to one move, Lakra made good of a chance in the danger circle hitting a grounder defeating Air-India’s goalkeeper Mallan Gowda. Air-India after the breather put tremendous pressure on the BSF goal but they could not achieve anything apart from some penalty corners, which were also wasted.
UNI
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Mumbai, March 28
