 |
Saturday,
May 10, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
|
Atapattu doubtful for Pak clash Aussies 175 for four at tea
Indian hockey team to be
selected on Mixed luck in doubles |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Government to upgrade
SAI lab
Tough without dad, says beaten Dokic Slow cycling meet at Ludhiana INTER-DISTRICT CRICKET
|
|
Atapattu doubtful for Pak clash
Dambulla (Sri Lanka), May 9 A lone one-day international has so far been played at this venue in central Sri Lanka, famous more for rock-cut caves, temples and meditation centres than cricket. Dambulla, declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO, hosted its only match in March 2001 when Sri Lanka thrashed England by five wickets in the opening game of a three-match series. The hosts look forward to a similar start in the tri-series, also featuring New Zealand, in order to put their rebuilding process on the right track. Sri Lanka have been passing through a lean patch since their World Cup semi-final finish in South Africa in March. Prolific batsman Aravinda de Silva has retired, coach Dav Whatmore has been removed and Sanath Jayasuriya has quit captaincy. A four-nation one-day tournament in Sharjah last month was a wake-up call for Sri Lanka, who failed to qualify for the final after losing to Pakistan and Zimbabwe in league matches. Yet, the hosts could not return to their winning ways even at home under new captain Hashan Tillakaratne as Stephen Fleming's New Zealanders put up gutsy performances to draw a two-Test series. Veteran opener Marvan Atapattu is the new one-day captain on whose shoulders lies the burden of redeeming the team's image. He, however, is a doubtful starter for tomorrow's match as he has yet to recover from a head injury sustained in a collision with New Zealander Daniel Vettori while trying to run the batsman out in the second Test at Kandy. Vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene will lead the side if Atapattu does not regain fitness. Pakistan also find themselves in a more or less similar situation despite winning the Sharjah tournament in April after beating a none-too-formidable Zimbabwe in the final. Senior cricketers, including fast bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq, have been axed following the World Cup debacle when Pakistan failed to qualify even for the Super Sixes. The Sharjah success was an encouraging beginning, but skipper Rashid Latif has said the new-look team still has a long way to go before becoming a force to reckon with in international cricket. Equally eager to perform well in this tournament is Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who has already been warned that this series could make or mar his career. "This is his last chance to revive his career," Pakistan cricket board chief Tauqir Zia has said of Shoaib. Shoaib, with 133 wickets in 81 one-day internationals, was a disappointment in the World Cup despite having the pace and bounce to unsettle the best in the world. Of the three teams, New Zealand appear to be at peace with themselves. They came here without ace all-rounder Chris Cairns and experienced batsman Nathan Astle, but still managed to overcome off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan's threat to draw a two-Test series in hot and humid conditions. New Zealand did what India, the West Indies and Zimbabwe could not do in recent years, as all of them had failed to read Muralitharan before losing Test series in Sri Lanka. The Black Caps owe their success to Fleming, who led from the front with an unbeaten double-century in the opening Test at Colombo to set the tone for the short series. With the return of Cairns, Chris Harris and Andre Adams for the one-day series, New Zealand appear to be the most settled team in the fray and could put pay to hopes of both Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
AFP  |
|
Aussies 175 for four at tea St John’s, May 9 Australia lost the wickets of both their opening batsmen Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer on the opening session. Paceman Jermaine Lawson picked up both wickets, getting the misfiring Hayden out for 14 and Langer for 42. The Australians, batting on a slow, flat pitch, were 87 for two at lunch with Martin Love on 26 and Darren Lehmann not out two. Love came into the Australian XI for indisposed Ricky Ponting, who was considered not sufficiently recovered from a virus which had laid him low this week. Lawson surprised Hayden with extra bounce and the left-hander was cramped for room to dolly an easy catch for Vasbert Drakes at mid-on. Langer, who was dropped three times on his way to 78 in the first innings of the last Bridgetown Test, was fumbled again by Chris Gayle at first slip off Mervyn Dillon here when on 14. But the Windies finally got his wicket nearing lunch when he cut uppishly to Omari Banks in the gully to leave the Australians 80 for two. The Australians are shooting for a record 4-0 win in the series to become the first touring side to sweep a series in 73 years of cricket in the Caribbean. The West Indies made two changes from the team that was beaten by nine wickets in the last Bridgetown Test with senior pace bowler Dillon ousting Tino Best and Ridley Jacobs taking up the wicketkeeper’s gloves from youngster Carlton Baugh. The Aussies were forced to omit their No. 3 batsman Ricky Ponting. The prolific athlete has been out with flu-like symptoms since the final day of the third Test in Barbados on Monday. Jacobs has recovered from a groin strain that kept him out of the last two matches. Dillon, the only West Indies bowler with more than 100 Test wickets, returns at the expense of Tino Best, who had a rocky debut in Barbados. SCOREBOARD Australia (Ist innings): Langer c Banks b Lawson 42 Hayden c Drakes b Lawson 14 Love b Banks 36 Lehmann c Jacobs
b Lawson 7 Waugh batting 41 Gilchrist batting 28 Extras (lb-2, w-2, nb-3):
7 Total (in 53 overs for 4 wkts): 175 Fall of wickets:
1-27, 2-80, 3-93, 4-128. Bowling: Dillon 12-0-41-0, Lawson 16-2-63-3, Drakes 15-2-42-0, Banks 10-0-27-1.
AFP |
|
Indian hockey team to be selected on May 13 Bangalore, May 9 The 18-member team would be picked up from among the 31 probables currently attending a coaching camp at the Sports Authority of India South Centre here. Besides India, other teams in the event to be held from May 28 in Perth and from June 8 in Sydney are Australia, Australia ‘A’ and Pakistan. The tournament is considered to be important for India as they are aiming to regain their glory in the Olympics in Athens next year. The list would be forwarded to Indian Hockey Federation president K.P.S. Gill who was expected to announce the team on May 13. Indian Hockey Federation has appointed Karnataka State Hockey Association president R.K. Shetty, secretary K. Krishnamurthy and the KSHA coaching vice chairman Ramesh Parameshwaran as selectors. The camp is being held under the watchful eyes of national coach Rajender Singh and assistant coaches Harender Singh and Baldev Singh. A.B. Subaiah has been coaching goalkeepers. Deepak Thakur, who suffered a knee injury during Mumbai Gold Cup hockey tournament, was not attending the camp which began on April 28. The camp will conclude on May 24.
UNI |
|
Pargat for revival of
India-Pak hockey ties Jalandhar, May 9 Addressing a Press conference here today, Pargat Singh said hockey as a game had suffered a lot in the Indian subcontinent due to adverse relations between the two
neighbouring countries even as the last India-Pakistan Test match series was played in 1998. “In fact, artistic hockey is only being played in these two countries and it is the need of the hour to save “artistic” hockey by resuming sporting ties in the light of the recent statement of the Union Sports Minister Vikram Verma,” he said, adding that the future of hockey in the Indian subcontinent totally depended on the progress on diplomatic and political fronts. The former Indian skipper, getting a bit emotional, said: “We really miss watching two hockey playing countries joining the battle on the fields. All the hockey veterans are keenly monitoring the progress on the diplomatic fronts with an eye on resumption of hockey ties.” “You see, India and Pakistan used to play attacking hockey with a positive attitude as compared to their European counterparts, who had adopted totally different techniques in the present context. Moreover, the young hockey players can have exposure of “artistic” hockey if they are allowed to visit Pakistan,” he said, urging the IHF to take up the issue with the Union Government to expedite the resumption of hockey ties. Meanwhile, the president of Punjab Amateur Athletics Association, Mr Umrao Singh, said that the time had come to strengthen friendship with Pakistan by reviving historical hockey ties. “Hockey, being a traditional game of undivided India, should be promoted as it had witnessed a sharp downfall in the subcontinent during the past one decade,” he added. |
|
Mixed luck in doubles New Delhi, May 9 Paes and Rikl, fourth seeds, went down to Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan 4-6, 3-6, according to information reaching here today. There was some good news for Indian fans, however, with Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi of Belarus, seeded second, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (8/6) victory over Argentine pair Augustin Calleri and Guillermo Coria. Both Paes-Rikl and Bhupathi-Mirnyi had a bye in the first round of the Italian clay court Masters, a tune-up event to the French Open which begins on May 26. The sine-curves of Bhupathi and Paes always seem to be at opposite nodes. Paes began the year 2003 with a spectacular mixed doubles crown at the Australian Open with the legendary Martina Navratilova. He went on to win two ATP doubles titles in Dubai and Delray Beach in February. Bhupathi, on the other hand, had a rusty start to the new season when he struggled to strike the right combination with new partner Joshua Eagle of Australia. But now that Bhupathi has returned to his winning ways, thanks mainly to his rejoining Mirnyi with whom he won the US Open crown last year, Paes seems to have hit a bad patch. Bhupathi and Mirnyi were also named April’s Doubles Team of the Month by the ATP after winning the previous Masters event in Monte Carlo and also the Estoril Open. In contrast, Paes and Rikl are yet to clinch a title since winning at Dubai in February, although Paes won the Delray Beach event the following week partnering Ninad Zimonjic of Serbia. Paes and Rikl are fourth placed on the ATP Doubles Race as against the seventh position of Bhupathi and Mirnyi. In the Doubles Entry Ranking, which gives individual rankings of the doubles players, Mirnyi and Bhupathi are third and fourth with 4590 and 4485 points, respectively. Rikl (2750) is at tenth while Paes (2310) is further down at 16.
PTI |
|
Government to upgrade
SAI lab New Delhi, May 9 Besides, a provision of Rs 1.5 crore has been made in the Budget for 2003-04 for a scheme on dope tests at the centre, he told the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour. Mr Verma said the Centre obtained ISO 9001:2000 certification on December 12 last year. It is currently gearing up for ISO 17025 certification which is a mandatory requirement for accreditation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This is likely in the next one or two months. After that, the matter will be taken up with the IOC medical commission for accreditation of SAI’s existing dope control centre.
UNI |
|
|
Tough without dad, says beaten Dokic
Berlin, May 9 The eighth-seeded Serb was beaten 6-4, 2-6, 6-7 (0/7) by Iroda Tulyaganova, the former top 20 player from Uzbekistan, though in truth Dokic did much to beat herself. Under the tutelage of new coach Heinz Gunthardt, she is trying to add new attacking options to her game to respond to the ever-rising standards of the Williams sisters. But Dokic acknowledges that she finds it different from the way dad Damir handled things, and admits that the new policy is for the time being increasing her ratio of mistakes. “Maybe if you have done as well as I have in the last few years you get to a stage where you slow down a bit and don’t have such a good year,” the 20-year-old said. “Your confidence goes a little and you take a step back.” Nevertheless the former world number four looked likely to complete a great comeback when she came from 3-5 down in the final set, saved two match points at 4-5, 15-40 and advanced to within a point of leading 6-5. However, Dokic went for an over-ambitious backhand on that point, launching it over the baseline, and followed by over-pressing with her serve. This produced two double faults in the next four points, the second of them at break point saw her deliver a second serve which sailed fully five feet long. Tulyaganova next meets Amelie Mauresmo, the former finalist, who quelled the threat from the 16th-seeded Israeli, Anna Pistolesi, for the loss of only five games. Later another title contender almost departed, when Daniela Hantuchova was within two points of defeat. The seventh-seeded Slovakian fell behind 3-5, 15-30 in the final set to Marie-Gaianeh Mikaelian before focussing her mind admirably on a step by step recovery against the Swiss. The important strides to safety were taken with the help of solid serving in that all-important ninth game, providing chances to apply steady pressure. When Mikaelian served for the match she also served well for the first four points only for Hantuchova to find her best returns, and on break back point the teenager double faulted. Hantuchova’s main failing was over-hitting while striving for pace, something she will need to rectify if she is to survive a quarter-final against the top-seeded Kim Clijsters who recovered impressively from 2-5 down in the first set to win 7-5, 6-3 against Colombian qualifier Fabiola Zuluaga. Her Belgian compatriot, Justine Henin-Hardenne, was also in good form. The second-seeded titleholder outplayed the left-handed Swiss player Patty Schnyder for the loss of only five games and now plays the improving Vera Zvonareva. The 19-year-old Russian followed the conquest of her ninth-seeded compatriot Anastasia Myskina by bringing down another of the lesser seeds, the 12th-rated Eleni Daniilidou, from Greece, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. Jennifer Capriati, the former world number 1, defeated France’s Nathalie Dechy 6-2, 6-3 to set up a quarter-final clash against Elena Likhovtseva, of Russia, who survived a hard three-set encounter with Spaniard Magui Serna.
AFP |
|
‘Dokic abandoned family’ Sydney May 9 Damir’s comments came just a day after Jelena told reporters at the German Open that she was struggling to adapt to life without the influence of her father. She lost in Berlin to Uzbekistan’s Iroda Tulyaganova. Jelena, ranked 11 in the world, reportedly banned her father from attending her matches after a row over her relationship with Bernoldi. The 20-year-old also dumped her father as coach for Swiss Heinz Gunthardt. The family feud is just the latest brush with controversy for the Dokic family. Damir has been expelled from both the Wimbledon and U.S. Open tournaments and once accused Australian Open officials of rigging the draw to ruin his daughter’s chances of winning.
Reuters |
|
Slow cycling meet at Ludhiana Chandigarh, May 9 The company is adopting a pro-active approach to promote acceptability of bicycle as an environment friendly means of mobility. In order to form a matching perception and influence public attention in this respect, the company decided to target school children as the most effective carriers of their message. |
|
INTER-DISTRICT CRICKET Amritsar, May 9 Vipen Kumar struck 87 comprising 16 boundaries and one six. Earlier, Minor Districts won the toss and decided to bat first. But the effective bowling by Amritsar gave early blows to the visitors and they collapsed for 138 in 50 overs. Left arm spinner Sohit Khajuria claimed four wickets for 26. Charanjit Singh got three and Tarun Sharma two wickets. For the visitors the highest scorer was Pardeep Singh (22 runs) while Deepak Gatta contributed 18 and Dinesh 16. Amritsar were 156 for two in 42 overs at close. Manish Bhatia was batting on 45. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
