 |
Sunday,
June 22, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
|
Prakash powers to 2nd successive title ICC withholds India’s World Cup payment Collymore sparks Lanka collapse
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
India ‘A’ well balanced: Das Latif not perturbed by defeat
Sampras’ absence leaves a gaping hole
Women’s hockey team
for Russia Test series Southpaw aiming to make it big Match drawn
|
|
Prakash powers to 2nd successive title New Delhi, June 21 Prakash, expectedly made it a double triumph as he and cousin Stephen Amritraj had laid low the third-seeded pair of Rishi Sridhar and Manoj Mahadevan in straight sets in the doubles final yesterday. The pleasant natured Prakash, who puts on no airs, though he is the son of the legendary Vijay Amritraj, and himself is player of great promise, played with a cool countenance to subdue Simpatiaji, the fourth seed, to fully justify his top billing here. Prakash broke the Indonesian in the third and fifth games of the first set to ensure a smooth victory. In the second set, Prakash got the break he was looking for in the fifth game, when Simpatiaji, in his bid to hit deep to fox Prakash, ended up spraying the ball out. Though Prakash himself struggled with his serves at times, he held his ground with ruthless and mesmerising efficiency to upset the apple cart of Simpatiaji. The Indonesian youngster too is a solid player, who hits stunning ground strokes, and engages his opponent in rallies with scorching returns. But none of his ploys worked against Prakash, who could have wrapped up the second set and the match a bit earlier than he did, had he seized his chance to break his opponent in the seventh game. Prakash enjoyed three break points as the game went to
deuce four times, but every time he was down, Simpatiaji fought back to keep himself afloat and then managed to hold serve. An occasional double fault put Prakash too in a spot of bother and a couple of volleying errors almost cost him heavily when serving for the set and the title. Down a break point, Prakash roared back with
characteristic efficiency, as he came up with lightning strokes, and then finished off the contest in style, with a stunning cross-court forehand winner. Prakash termed his title victory on this fast court as “very special” and thanked the tennis-playing kids who thronged the stands to root for him. His mesmerising performance had kept the spectators in a thrall, and after three weeks of magnificent tennis, Prakash Amritraj has emerged as a name to reckon with. A semi-final place in the first leg in Mumbai, followed by title victories in Chandigarh and Delhi, have established him as a top-ranked junior. No wonder, he will be the cynosure of all eyes, in the Masters Tournament for the best 16, to be played at the DLTA courts from Monday. Prakash earned $812 for his singles victory. |
|
ICC withholds India’s World Cup payment London, June 21 Though the exact figure withheld has not been specified, it is estimated to be about $ 9 million. After a one-day meeting of the board of the ICC (Development) International (IDI) at Monaco yesterday, the ICC’s new president, Mr Ehsan Mani, said “In relation to the Indian board, it is not possible at this stage to assess the likely maximum claims and all countries made the prudent financial decision to continue to withhold the Indian board’s World Cup distribution at this stage.” Indian players refused to sign the original tournament contracts saying these would place restrictions on their personal endorsements during the World Cup. They agreed to participate in the tournament only on an amended players’ terms which severely diluted the original clauses. The Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), which was sold the rights of all ICC events till 2007, gave a briefing on its claim for compensation at yesterday’s meeting. The IDI meeting, however, decided to return the entire $ 0.5 million withheld from Sri Lanka and part of the money held back England and New Zealand after the World Cup in South Africa. While England will get $ 1.5 million out of $ 3.5 million withheld, New Zealand will be returned $ 0.5 million of $ 2.5 million held back. “The decision comes after the board of ICC (Development) International was briefed on the claim for compensation by its commercial partner, Global Cricket Corporation,” an ICC press note said. “After examining the claim, the board was able to make an informed judgment on the likely maximum claims that would be made against these countries and it was apparent that these were unlikely to exceed the amounts withheld,” it said. England and New Zealand had their money withheld as they refused to play matches in Zimbabwe and Kenya, respectively citing security concerns. Sri Lanka’s money was held back because they did not return signed player contracts by the ICC deadline. Mr Mani said the specific nature of the issues relating to England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka allowed their money to be released. “The nature of the claims allowed us to return money to three of our Boards,” he said. The IDI board also confirmed its policy of not withholding members money unless absolutely necessary. After discussing the GCC claim, the board agreed to move forward by authorising management to finalise a comprehensive response to the claim as soon as possible, the note said. —
PTI |
|
Collymore sparks Lanka collapse
Gros Islet (St Lucia), Jun 21 The 25-year-old took 5 for 62 as Sri Lanka slipped to 309-8 in their first innings at lunch on the second day after resuming at a healthy 250 for 4. Chaminda Vaas (13) and Muttiah Muralitharan (9) were at the crease. Collymore did not allow Sri Lanka to strengthen their position with two quick wickets in his incisive opening spell with the second new ball taken after two overs in the morning. The fast bowler, who had bagged just one wicket in his only Test in 1999 against Australia, trapped hard-hitting Romesh Kaluwitharana (2) leg-before and had Kaushal Lokuarachchi (15) caught by a diving Brian Lara in the slips. It was part-time seamer Wavell Hinds who provided a vital breakthrough when he had Sri Lankan opener Marvan Atapattu (118) caught by Lara in his first over of the day. Atapattu was beaten by a delivery that moved away a bit and edged a drive straight to the West Indies captain. The Sri Lankan opener had started with a cover-driven four off Collymore, but could add only 10 runs to his overnight score. Atapattu hit 15 fours in his 11th Test ton, the first against the West Indies and the fourth overseas. The big moment for Collymore came when he got rid of Thilan Samaraweera (11) for the fifth victim in an innings in only his second Test. The 32-year-old Atapattu struck 13 fours in his 11th Test century as Sri Lanka posted 250 for 4 at stumps in their first innings yesterday after electing to bat at the Beausejour Stadium, hosting its maiden Test. Atapattu reached his hundred in the closing overs when he hit debutant fast bowler Jerome Taylor for a four. Playing his 64th Test, Atapattu put on 108 for the second wicket with Kumar Sangakkara (56) to prop up the innings after Sri Lanka had lost out-of-form opener Sanath Jayasuriya (8). West Indies skipper Brian Lara then failed to find wicket-taking bowlers for nearly three hours as Atapattu and Sangakkara applied themselves well to consolidate their team’s position. Lara used seven bowlers, but none could strike at the right time on an easy-paced track as one wicket each fell in the first two sessions and two in the last. SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka (1st innings): Atapattu c Lara b Hinds 118 Jayasuriya c Banks b Collymore 8 Sangakkara lbw b Gayle 56 Jayawardene c Lara b Banks 45 Tillakaratne b Collymore 13 Samaraweera c Jacobs b Collymore 11 Kaluwitharana lbw b Collymore 2 Lokuarachchi c Lara b Collymore 15 Vaas not out 13 Muralitharan not out 9 Extras: (b-4 lb-2 w-5 nb-8) 13 Total: (for eight wickets) 309 Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-127, 3-195, 4-228, 5-266, 6-269, 7-285, 8-288. Bowling:
Dillon 22-6-39-0, Collymore 26-3-62-5, Taylor 24-1-93-0 (nb-1), Hinds 5-2-15-1, Banks 26-5-63-1, Gayle 8-0-22-1, Samuels 3-0-9-0. —
AFP |
|
India ‘A’ well balanced: Das Bhubaneswar, June 21 “I am leading a well balanced side and several players have played for the country at the senior level either in Tests or one-dayers. I will be happy if we can win 70 per cent of the matches there,” Das told PTI in an interview. Das said the team was upbeat about the tour and confident of performing to everyone’s expectations. “I am confident of the team performing well during the tour although the conditions there are quite different,” he said. Having opened for India in 23 Tests, Das was hopeful of doing well personally and setting an example for his team-mates. “I have returned from England recently where I was playing for Newton Le Willows, a Lancashire team, and I hope it will not be much difficult for me to adapt to the conditions,” he said. The diminutive India opener, who left for Mumbai this afternoon en route to England for the 45-day tour beginning tomorrow, picked the three-day match against South Africa at Arundel from July 19 to 21 next as the biggest challenge of the tour. Das, who had captained the Indian under-17 team on its tour of England in 1996-97 and won their matches played against England and Scotland, said he was honoured by the responsibility bestowed on him once again. “I consider it (being chosen to lead India-A) as a big honour,” he said. He had also led the Elite-C team to victory in the Duleep Trophy tournament recently. Das, whose debut in Tests was against Bangladesh in November 2000, played 23 Tests as a specialist opener scoring 1326 runs at an average of 34.89 with two centuries and nine fifties. —
PTI |
|
Latif not perturbed by defeat London, June 21 Pakistan were bowled out for just 185 with England fast bowler James Anderson finishing the innings with a hat-trick. “It’s a very inexperienced side,” said Latif. “England bowled and fielded superbly. I’m satisfied with the batting,” the wicket-keeper added. In reply Marcus Trescothick’s 55-ball 86 saw England to victory with 28 overs to spare as they squared the three-match series at 1-1 ahead of tomorrow’s finale at Lord’s. Pakistan, with fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar back in the side after missing their victory in Tuesday’s opener at Old Trafford — where he completed a two-game ban for ball-tampering — were always up against it after being dismissed with six overs of their innings left. “The difference was our bowlers tried to bowl fast but the England bowlers relied on line and length, a little bit of swing and they were successful,” Latif explained. Anderson, 20, who also took a wicket with the first ball of the match, finished with four for 27, his best figures in one-day internationals, surpassing the four for 29 he took against Pakistan in Cape Town at the World Cup. “Anderson is a good prospect for England,” Latif added. “He struggled a bit early on in the first match but he’s bowled superbly in both matches.” Vaughan, savouring his first one-day international win as England captain, was understandably pleased by the team’s display. “It was probably a 100 per cent performance. There was not much wrong with it.” “We got a little momentum from the second half of the other day (Pakistan scraped home by two wickets at Old Trafford) and I told the lads we had to maintain it.” “You can’t maintain it better than taking a wicket first ball.” But Vaughan said Anderson needed no morale boosting words from his captain. “You don’t say too much to him. He’s got the knack of being able to bowl the right delivery at the right time. He’s got a good cricket brain on him and takes everything in his stride,” Vaughan explained. “He’s a pretty cool character and only speaks when he wants to.” Somerset left-hander Trescothick, England’s hero with the bat, said of his innings: “It was just a case of getting on top of the bowlers.” “That’s my job in the side the first 15 overs,” the opener added. Trescothick hailed Shoaib and Mohammad Sami as the fastest new-ball attack in world cricket today. “They bowled some quick deliveries. Shoaib’s very aggressive. “If you let him into the game he can dominate,” insisted Trescothick after the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ finished with an expensive two for 69 from nine
overs. — AFP |
|
|
France ensure a berth in semifinal Saint-Etienne (France), June 21 Now that France has two straight wins and a guaranteed spot in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, the local critics might not be satisfied but the team is. “We are qualified and that was our goal,” captain Robert Pires said after a 2-1 win against Japan yesterday. Like its 1-0 win against Colombia on Wednesday, France was outplayed for long stretches by the Asians. But the end result is what counts, Pires reminded. “Two matches, two victories and we are in Paris for the next match,” he said. The Stade de France on Paris’ outskirts is where France won the 1998 World Cup. Attempting to defend that title, Les Bleus exited last year’s Cup without scoring a single goal. Yesterday, Sidney Govou found the net for France in the 65th minute to decide the match. The Olympique Lyon striker took a pass from Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre just a few metres out, turned and fired past goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki with several defenders draped over him. With six points, France is assured of a top-two finish in Group A. Japan is tied with Colombia, a 3-1 winner against New Zealand yesterday, for second place with three points. Those two teams will play for the group’s other semifinal berth tomorrow. Italy-based midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura had drawn Japan even on a spectacular free kick in the 59th, his third goal in two matches. France took its first lead on a 43rd-minute penalty by Pires. Les Bleus ended the match with only 10 men after Bayern Munich defender Willy Sagnol was sent off for a rough tackle a few minutes from time. Yasuhito Endo nearly drew Japan even again in the 74th, when his free kick ricocheted off the post. “This Japanese team proved here it came to win the Confederations Cup,” France coach Jacques Santini said. “When we beat such a good team it means that both individually and collectively, our players are at their best.” Govou’s goal made Santini’s major lineup changes seem like a good move. Trying to gain some rest for his team in a tournament with only one day off between matches, Santini benched stars such as Thierry Henry, Bixente Lizarazu, Marcel Desailly, Sylvain Wiltord and Lilian Thuram. Goalkeeper Fabien Barthez and midfielder Pires returned as starters for France. No one but Santini knows what tomorrow’s lineup against New Zealand will look like. In contrast, Japan coach Zico kept with the same starting lineup from his squad’s 3-0 win against New Zealand on Wednesday. “These are the players I have, and that’s all I can put on the field,” Zico said. Playing the largely same squad for the third time in five days though could be asking a lot. “We’ll approach it just like we approached the game tonight,” Nakamura said of the Colombia match. “We want to play Japanese soccer and win with Japanese soccer.” —
AP |
|
Sampras’ absence leaves a gaping hole
London, June 21 The seven-times champion tops a list of notable absentees from this year’s event but having ruled the grasscourt grand slam for almost a decade, the American’s non appearance has left a gaping hole in the men’s competition. Two other previous champions — injury-prone Goran Ivanisevic and Richard
Krajicek, who retired on Thursday — have also joined the missing list. Other major winners staying away from London over the next fortnight include 2000 U.S. Open champion Marat
Safin, former French Open winners Carlos Moya and Albert Costa, and 2002 Australian Open champ Thomas Johansson. With Germany’s Tommy
Haas, twice Roland Garros runner-up Alex Corretja, former world number one Marcelo Rios and Magnus Norman also absent, it is the first time since the 1973 Wimbledon boycott that so many top players are missing from the men’s field. Thirty years ago more than 70 contenders skipped the event in protest over the Nikki Pilic affair but in 2003 the excuses run from the birth of a new baby, for
Corretja, to a lack of expertise on the slick surface. The women’s competition has also been depleted with the withdrawals of nine-times grand slam winner Monica
Seles, last year’s semi-finalist Amelie Mauresmo and Russian media darling Anna
Kournikova. Sampras, who captured his last Wimbledon title in 2000, decided in May to skip the tournament as he felt his form was not up to standard. The American was left shattered 12 months ago when he was beaten in the second round by lucky loser George
Bastl. At the time Sampras vowed that he was not prepared to leave the Wimbledon stage after such a demoralising loss on court two. But following an unexpected and emotional charge to his 14th grand slam title at the U.S. Open last September, the 31-year-old has lacked the motivation to play competitively. Having been beaten only once from 1993 to 2000 — in the 1996 quarter-finals by eventual champion Krajicek — Sampras’s place in Wimbledon history is assured. “When Pete started his run at Wimbledon, you weren’t convinced he was going to win the next year,” said Andre
Agassi, who was beaten by Sampras both times the pair met at the championships. “It wasn’t till he won two or three that you started to realised this guy is a bit of a problem now...but what he’s done is
unbelievable.” Kournikova, who is more renowned for her looks than her on-court prowess, aggravated a back injury two weeks ago while Seles has struggled with foot problems all season. Despite Kournikova’s absence, the glamour quotient at the tournament should be fulfilled by her compatriot Maria Sharapova and American teenager Ashley
Harkleroad, who are set to make their Wimbledon debuts. — Reuters |
||
|
Henin injury hands Clijsters win Rosmalen, June 21 Henin-Hardenne won the first set 7-6 (4) and was trailing 0-3 in the second when she quit. The grasscourt rematch of the French Open final earlier this month was an evenly-matched duel, until Henin-Hardenne stumbled at the end of the second game of the second set. She rose up wincing and the game was paused while her trainer taped her wrist. After losing the following game, she decided to forfeit in order to be ready for Wimbledon next week. “I don’t know exactly what’s wrong, but my fingers are hurting, and it wasn’t good for me to continue this match,” she said. “I could not be focused on what I want to do.” She said she expected to play at Wimbledon. Clijsters, who had three set points in the first set before losing, said she didn’t want to win by forfeit. “I had a lot of chances,” she said. “I was playing aggressively and I feel good.” —
AP |
|
Women’s hockey team
for Russia Test series New Delhi, June 21 The team was announced after a two-day selection trial which concluded at Bangalore today. The Test matches are a part of the preparation for the first Afro-Asian Games later this year and the Olympic qualifying event next year, a press release said here. Team: Helen Mary, Deepika Murthy, Suman Bala, Kanti Baa, Pushpa Pradhan, Subhadra Pradhan, Gurpreet Kaur, Manju, Suraj Lata Devi (Capt), Fulmani Soy, Neha Singh, Samggai, Ibomhal Chanu, Surinder Kaur, Adline Kerketta, Annarita Kerketta, Meenakshi, Masira Surin Jyoti, Sunita Kullu (Vice Captain). Chief Coach: M.K. Kaushik. Coach:
M.R. Negi. Manager: P.K. Ramesh. — PTI |
|
|
Southpaw aiming to make it big Patiala, June 21 Manish, announced his arrival in style two years ago with a flamboyant 82 against Haryana in a league match of the North Zone inter state (u-14) tournament played at Rohtak. He batted with a rare degree of assurance and it was this innings that caught the eye of the powers- that- be. He followed this with an equally elegant 87 against J&K and the youngster finished the league engagements with an impressive average of 63.94 from six innings. These two innings and a couple of other sweetly timed knocks, like the 38 he scored against heavyweights Delhi the same year, only went to prove that he is a crafty cricketer. He seems to enjoy the exhaustion and exhilaration of the game. He is an outgoing cricketer with a will to win hidden under a happy- go-lucky approach. At the crease his confidence is what stands out in his countenance as he remains calm and often steers his team to victory. That the youngster is confidence personified the moment he steps on to the crease was much in evidence when he scored 96 in against the visting Himachal Pradesh under-19 team at Amritsar yesterday. Even at this tender age, when youngsters tend to fumble and are still grappling against the glaring contradictions of life, he bats with a silken grace normally associated with left-handed batsmen like him. The Amritsar schoolboy is an exciting batsman and does not tend to lose his wicket in the early exchanges against bowlers. He uses his bat as a delicate, almost surgical instrument than as a weapon of destruction. Tall and sturdy, Manish plays most of his shots by putting his height to use. Like most left handers he favours to execute shots that go square of the wicket. A stealthy southpaw, he has proved on numerous occasions that he has the ability to remain calm when things are boiling and bursting all around. The youngster, whose father was a fast bowler of some repute, having represented GND University, is strong of sinew and overflowing with ambition. Manish knows that his severest test is yet to come. He also knows that the grind of the domestic circuit takes a heavy toll. He has to remain focussed on the job at hand and it is imperative that young cricketers like him have their feet firmly rooted the ground. Cricket in the senior category is entirely a different ball game. It will be here where virtues like courage and skill, wisdom and character, will be put to test. Manish is ready for his baptism in senior cricket. And this is reflected from the confidence he exudes both on and off the field.
|
Match drawn Amritsar, June 21 The rain left puddles all over the ground. Thus the match ended in a draw. In the last day’s play Amritsar playing first after winning the toss garnered an impressive 355 with the help of knocks by Manish
Bhatia, Vipan Chouhan and Mayank Sharma. Manish Bhatia was the highest scorer with 97 runs, while Vipan Chouhan and Mayank Sharma contributed 62 and 55 suns, respectively. Rahul Mattu and Harmanjit Bajwa scored 26 runs each and Gagandeep made 25 runs. For the visitors, Saurav Ratan claimed three wickets, while Vinod Minhas and Sanjay Trama managed to get two and one wicket, respectively. |
 |
| 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 | |
New Delhi, June 21
TYSON
ARRESTED