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Friday,
June 20, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Brian Lara, Murali set to renew rivalry
Mani —
right man to tackle contracts issue Vaughan wary of returning Akhtar
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Sehwag fails with bat again France scrape past Colombia; Japan win
Ex-Wimbledon champion Krajicek retires Prakash, Kannan to clash in semis
Wrestling teams for Commonwealth, Canada meets Amritsar win by six wickets
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Brian Lara, Murali set to renew rivalry
Gros Islet (St Lucia), June 19 The two were involved in a mouth-watering duel in Sri Lanka two years ago, when West Indian Lara managed to solve the Muralitharan puzzle by notching up 688 runs in three Tests. The gifted left-hander became the second-highest scorer in a three-match series after Englishman Graham Gooch, who amassed 752 against India in 1990. Lara’s heroics, however, failed to stop a Muralitharan-inspired Sri Lanka from completing their maiden whitewash. Off-spin wizard Muralitharan was the key to his team’s success on home pitches as he bewildered the West Indians with his huge turn and bounce to finish with 24 wickets. Lara has already won the first round against Muralitharan as he scored a half-century in the opening one-dayer and followed it up with a hundred in the second in Barbados during a recent three-match series, won 2-1 by Sri Lanka. “Lara has been in a very good form and we’ll have to find ways to stop him,” said Muralitharan, who has so far taken 450 wickets in 80 Tests. Only former West Indian fast bowler Courtney Walsh (519) and Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne (491) are ahead of the Sri Lankan. Lara has been in ominous form since taking over the captaincy from Carl Hooper after the World Cup. He was the top run-getter against Steve Waugh’s Australians with 533 in a four-Test home series and appeared to be continuing in the same vein against the Sri Lankans. Muralitharan said he was looking forward to bowling against Lara and keen to win the duel. “It’s a challenge to bowl to him because he reads the spin better than any other batsman and he’s willing to play strokes. He’s a great batsman, but I want to win the battle,” he said. Lara denied that the West Indies were a one-batsman team, saying they had talented players in Ramnaresh Sarwan, Wavell Hinds and Marlon Samuels. “I think the West Indies batting relying on me alone is not true,” said Lara. “The situation where I alone carry the batting does not exist now because the competition in the team is very healthy.” Lara expected consistency from his young team in a bid to clinch the first Test series during his second stint as captain. The West Indies lost the first three Tests against Australia, but did the incredible by successfully chasing the highest-ever total of 418 in the fourth and final match in Antigua. They were plagued by inconsistency in the one-day series against Sri Lanka as they failed to chase 201 in the first match and then could not defend 312 in the second. The West Indies’ bowling lacks experience. Mervyn Dillon is the only veteran in the pace attack picked for the match. Vasbert Drakes has played just six Tests, Corey Collymore one and Jerome Taylor none. Teams: West Indies (from): Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Omari Banks, Carlton Baugh, Corey Collymore, Mervyn Dillon, Vasbert Drakes, Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ridley Jacobs, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor. Sri Lanka (from): Hashan Tillakaratne (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardena, Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thilan Samaraweera, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Kumar Dharmasena, Prabath Nissanka, Darshana Gamage, Dinusha Fernando, Thilan Thushara. — AFP
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Mani — right man to tackle contracts issue New Delhi, June 19 Mani (58) also continues the rich tradition of ICC presidents who have not only excelled in their professional careers but also made name in cricket administration. London-based Mani succeeded Malcolm Gray, who has built a successful real estate empire in his native Australia, while Gray’s predecessor Jagmohan Dalmiya is one of the top names in the construction business in India. Mani is the third Pakistani to head an international sports body after Anwar Chowdhry, President of the Amateur International Boxing Association, and the legendary Jahangir Khan, who heads the World Squash Federation. Mani comes to power when the ICC badly needs a quick solution to the raging the contracts issue. Experts feel that with his expertise in financial matters, he will be able to tackle the situation better than his predecessors. Mani first came into cricket administration in 1989 when he attended ICC meetings on behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). That he was a master at financial matters and was based in London helped the PCB. His proficiency at accountancy also came in handy for the ICC and he quickly became an indispensable part of the world body. Mani was a member of the ICC chairman’s advisory committee, formed to assist Lord Colin Cowdrey, a former England captain, and Sir Clyde Walcott, the great West Indian batsman. Mani was also a member on the ICC’s rules review committee and the ICC governance and organising committee. He authored a policy paper on sharing of the 1996 World Cup revenues between joint hosts India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which had a major impact on the financial arrangements of the ICC and its members. The same year, Mani became chairman of the ICC’s finance and marketing committee and remained so till last year, when he was elevated as Vice-President of the world body. Mani’s other significant contribution came during the sale of ICC’s media rights for all major tournaments up to 2007 that guaranteed $550 million to the game’s apex organisation. In 1998, Mani served on the organising committee of the ICC Knockout Tournament at Dhaka and was also on the advisory committee of the 1999 World Cup. Besides, Mani has been a Treasurer of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and drafted its new constitution, management and governance structures and helped set up its permanent office in Kuala Lumpur. Mani’s good work at the Asian and ICC levels culminated on Thursday, when Gray handed over the reins to him. Besides cricket administration, the bearded Mani has served on the boards of diverse firms from a shipping company that runs a community development and reforestation programme in Hazara, Pakistan. Born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on March 23, 1945, Mani went to a local school before heading for England in 1965 to study accountancy. After representing Rawalpindi Club from 1959 to 1965 and the Government College Lahore XI as a left-arm pace bowler and right-handed batsman, he started his career as an article clerk from 1965 to 1970 and then as a manager from 1970 to 1972. For the next three years he was a partner in an accounting firm and became a Director of the Associated Shipping Services Limited. Mani has also been a member of the advisory board of Pakistan’s Task Force for Human Development. Since 1983, Mani has been involved in real estate projects in the UK.
— IANS |
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Vaughan wary of returning Akhtar
London, June 19 ‘The Rawalpindi Express’ missed Pakistan’s two-wicket victory in the opening match of the three-game series at Old Trafford on Tuesday, where he completed a two-match ban for ball tampering. But Shoaib is now available for Friday’s match and could form a potent new-ball attack with young paceman Mohammad Sami. “We faced Shoaib in Cape Town (where England beat Pakistan by 112 runs in a World Cup match in February) and he was getting it around the 100 mph mark,” Vaughan told reporters today. “With Sami at the other end that will be a challenge. But Shoaib went for a few (runs). “Sami is short and the ball skids on. He was bowling around the 90 mph mark but he only took one for 53. They are top class bowlers but our batters have played them pretty well.” England’s major problem at Old Trafford was their batting. After Vaughan had won the toss and seen his openers get off to a flier, the middle order collapsed as England finished on a below-par 204 for nine from their 50 overs. “The key to one-day cricket is that the team where one batsman gets 100 usually wins. We had three or four guys who got into the 30’s but Mohammad Hafeez made 69 for them.” — AFP
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Sehwag fails with bat again London, June 19 Sehwag, who had made nought in his previous outing against Yorkshire, could manage only 14 in his team’s score of 168 for nine in 20 overs with Brad Hodge saving the day for the foxes with a quickfire 64 at the Riverside. Opening the innings, Sehwag faced 11 balls and hit three boundaries before falling to N. Killeen, caught by N. Peng. He shared 11 for the first wicket with D. Stevens (5) and 27 with Hodge for the second wicket before being dismissed with the score reading 38 for two. Hodge blasted a 44-ball 64 with seven fours to help the side post a healthy total. Chasing 169 for a win, Durham lost wickets at regular intervals and could manage only 122 in 20 overs with Sehwag emerging the most successful bowler with three for 14 from three overs. I. Hunter, with an unbeaten 25, was the top scorer for the losers. The win put Leicestershire on top of the north division in the Twenty 20 Cup.
— PTI |
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France scrape past Colombia; Japan win
Paris, June 19 The host nation barely got by Colombia 1-0 on a contentious penalty in Lyon, while Japan soundly defeated New Zealand 3-0 in Saint-Denis. After failing to score a single goal in defence of its 1998 World Cup title at soccer’s showcase event last year, France finally found the net on Thierry Henry’s powerful penalty blast in the 39th minute. A couple minutes earlier, Sylvain Wiltord snaked his way through on the right, ran into the penalty area and tried to pass past Velasquez. Wiltord immediately claimed a hand ball, but referee Lucilio Cardoso waved play on until the linesman started waving his flag for an infraction. Replays showed the penalty could easily not have been given. “We didn’t see much. The referee was not well placed and it had to be pointed out by his assistant,” France coach Jacques Santini said. Vehement protests from the Colombian players didn’t matter to the Portuguese referee. Shunsuke Nakamura and Hidetoshi Nakata led the way for Japan. Nakamura scored twice and fellow Italian league player Nakata found the net once. Only 36,038 fans showed up in the 78,000-seat Stade de France just outside Paris, while France played Colombia in front of a capacity crowd of some 42,000 in the late match. Tournament officials were not expecting a big turnout for Japan-New Zealand, however, as was evidenced by the fact that the opening ceremony preceded the France match instead of the actual opener. “It’s a bit strange, to be honest,” New Zealand fan Murray Chesterman said. “Why didn’t they have the ceremony here?” Along with France, the other favourite to win the eight- nation competition is current World Cup champion Brazil. The South Americans made news yesterday when they decided which striker would start in the place of the absent Ronaldo, who is finishing his club season with Real Madrid. Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira settled on Parma’s prolific scorer Adriano, who finished fifth with 15 goals in the Italian league this past season. Parreira was also considering Fabiano, a 22-year-old forward with Sao Paulo. But Fabiano was diagnosed with a thigh injury yesterday and ruled out. Brazil face Cameroon in the Stade de France later today. Yesterday, South America’s defensive leaders nearly shut out France. If Colombia’s strikeforce had been half as efficient as its defensive line, the South American champion could well have scored a major upset. Belying his age of 26 and with a series of timely interventions, Inter Milan stopper Ivan Cordoba kept the pressing European champions at bay. Together with Mario Yepes, he frustrated Henry to the level of recklessness around the half hour. For Japan, the story was in midfield, where Nakamura and Nakata helped the co-hosts of last year’s World Cup set off national celebrations by reaching the second round. “This was critical for us to start well and have one win beside our name right away,” said Nakamura, who scored in open play for the first time in more than a year. — AP
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Ex-Wimbledon champion Krajicek retires Den Bosch (Holland), June 19 Reading from a carefully prepared statement, the 1996 Wimbledon champion fought back tears as he explained his reasons. “I don’t think it will come as a surprise to most of you that I have decided to stop tennis with immediate effect,” the 31-year-old told a crowded press conference. “After my match on Tuesday, I said I wanted to play on until the US Open, but in my heart I knew it was the end. “For the last few years I have been fighting with my body and I have lost. “Tennis was everything I ever wanted to do and winning Wimbledon was the crowning moment of my career. “I won 17 tournaments, reached No 4 in the rankings and won Wimbledon in 1996. No one can ever take those things away from me.” An emotional Krajicek said the decision, when it finally came, had been an easy one. “I wanted to play Wimbledon, but I only wanted to play if I thought I could win. At Queen’s it all went well but when I arrived here in Rosmalen the pain started again.
— Reuters
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Prakash, Kannan to clash in semis New Delhi, June 19 Prakash, who played his first full-length match in the third leg, after Vishal Punna and Vishal Uppal had thrown in the towel mid-way through the contest in the earlier rounds, found sixth-seeded Sridhar a hard nut to crack. But the relentless pressure mounted by Prakash with his athletic, power-packed tennis had the desired effect in the 11th game when Sridhar lowered his guard, and Prakash attacked like an hungry lion to subdue his prey, to gain a vital break. Prakash built on this gain with his all-round game never to look back. Though Prakash had to bring out his best to win the first set, he found the going rather easy in the second set. Sridhar could not cope up with the electrifying tennis of Prakash and was broken in the first and third games. The 3-0 lead early in the set made top-seeded Prakash a little complacent and he paid the price when he was broken in the fourth game, for the first time in this tournament. But he broke back in the very next game to quickly wrap up the match. His serve and charge game is a treat to watch, something modelled after his father, the legendary Vijay Amritraj, and the reigning star Leander Paes. Prakash attacks with ferocity, and his quick reflexes and solid ground strokes, give him a definite edge. It was a remarkable feat for the young Prakash to make his third consecutive semifinal round in the ITF Circuit. He had crashed out in the semifinal in Mumbai, but progressed to lift the title in the second leg at Chandigarh. Prakash has set up the semifinal clash against third-seeded Vijay Kannan, and it will be a sort of revenge clash for the latter, in a bid to avenge his defeat in the challenge round at Chandigarh. Vijay Kannan posted a quick 6-3, 6-1 victory against Jakeshi Itoh of Japan, while the other two quarterfinal clashes also coursed through on expected lines, to hold the seedings true. The first four seeds have made it into the semifinal round as second-seeded Daniel Kiernan of the UK crushed seventh-seeded Febi Widhiyanto of Indonesia 6-1, 6-3 while fourth-seeded Prima Simpatiaji of Indonesia disposed of qualifier and giantkiller Brian Hung of Hong Kong at 6-3, 6-1. Kiernan, who won the title in the first leg, will take on Simpatiaji in the second semifinal tie. Both the matches will be played tomorrow.
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Wrestling
teams for Commonwealth, Canada meets Chandigarh, June 19 The selected teams — ‘A’ and ‘B’ — for Free Style men and women would be provided intensive training and efforts made to provide maximum exposures to the wrestlers. Yogeshwar Dutt (55 kg), Sushil Kumar (60 kg), Sokender Tomar (66 kg), Sujit Mann (74 kg), Anuj Kumar (84 kg), Bharat Singh (96 kg) and Palwinder Singh Cheema (120 kg) will from A team, while Kirpa Shankar Patel (55 kg), Krishan Kumar (60 kg), Pawan Kumar (66 kg), Jai Bhagwan (74 kg) and Amandeep (84 kg) will be the members of B men’s Free Style teams. For the first time, coaches will also be sent abroad for exposure to the latest techniques in wrestling. ‘A’ team will have Jagminder Singh and Kuldeep Singh as coaches while Padmashree Kartar Singh will accompany the team as referee. Parkash Dahiya and Yashvir Singh will be coaches with ‘B’ team, while Prem Nath will go as referee. This was stated by Mr M.S. Malik, President, Wrestling Federation of India, in a press note issued here today. He said keeping in view the performance of female grapplers, two teams of all seven weights categories have also been selected. ‘A’ team comprises Sumel (48 kg), Neha Rathi (51 kg), Alka Tomar (55 kg), Manju (59 kg), Geetika Jhakhar (63 kg), Kiran Sihag (67 kg) and Gursharan Preet Kaur (72 kg). ‘B’ team has Kamini Yadav (48 kg), Renu Bala (51 kg), Seenu Jain (55 kg), Gurmit Kaur (59 kg), Poonam (63 kg), Suman Preet Kaur (67 kg) and Sonika Kali Raman (72 kg). Both the women teams would also be sent to participate in the commonwealth wrestling championship to be held at London from July 5 to 6 and for Canada Cup from July 11 and 12, 2003. Sohan Singh and Usha Sihag will join the ‘A’ team as coaches while Pawan Kumar Gupta will be referee. Balbir Gulia and Mrs Roshni Devi will be the coaches for ‘B’ team and Shiv Lal as referee. |
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Amritsar
win by six wickets Amritsar, June 19 For the hosts, Sunny Khosla claimed four scalps. Gurjit Singh took two wickets giving away 40 runs. Rakesh and Jitendar managed to get one wicket each. Chasing the target, Amritsar made 181 runs in 38 overs by losing four wickets. Vipan Chauhan remained unbeaten on 106 runs while Rakesh scored an unbeaten33. For the visitors, Sanjay Trama got two wickets. Vinod Minhas and Saurav Ratan took one wicket each.
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