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Monday,
June 23, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Agassi, Hewitt set for battle of ages Serena wants to bury Paris nightmare Brazil pip USA; Cameroon triumph
Manipur, Bengal in title clash |
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Younis, Razzaq rescue Pak
West Indies' captain Brian Lara hits a boundary off Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka on the second day of the first Test in Gros Islet, St Lucia, on Saturday. — AP/ PTI photo BCCI to
move after ICC makes claims Stress on uniformity in coaching
Pillay to lead team to Germany
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Agassi, Hewitt set for battle of ages
London, June 22 Hewitt is the defending champion while Roddick has been installed as the bookmakers favourite after winning the traditional warm-up tournament at Queen’s. But Agassi has just overtaken Hewitt at the top of the world rankings and, at the age of 33, is revelling in his new-found status as the oldest raquet-swinger in town. The 22-year-old Hewitt romped to victory over Argentina’s David Nalbandian in the final 12 months ago and the All-England Club’s centre court will see tomorrow once more reverberating to the cries of “c’mon Rocky.” A successful defence would put Hewitt in exalted company. The last Australian to achieve back-to-back titles on the hallowed turf was John Newcombe in 1970 and 1971. Rod Laver did the double twice — in 1968 and 1969 as well as in 1961 and 1962. Roy Emerson was champion in 1964 and 1965 and Lew Hoad won in 1956 and 1957. Hewitt has a long way to go before he can match the performance of a less well-remembered star from Down Under, AF Wilding, who won the trophy four years in a row from 1910. But there is no mistaking his appetite for another taste of glory at the world’s biggest tournament. “The nerves will be flying the most on Monday,” Hewitt admitted last week. “You get a bit sick of talking about it and want to get on with the first match.” Hewitt, who will open up against a qualifier, has seen his path to the second week eased by the withdrawal of 1996 champion Richard Krajicek. The Dutch giant, who had been due to face Hewitt in the second round, announced his retirement last week after injury problems and three years without a trophy. But Hewitt still has plenty of dangerous potential opponents in his quarter of the draw, including American Taylor Dent, Max Mirnyi of Belarus, Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan, and Roddick, whom he is scheduled to meet in the quarter-finals. If he is daunted, Hewitt is not admitting it. “I’m not afraid of being on centre-stage and playing big matches,” he said. “It is what I’ve lived for and dreamed of doing. To have won it means there’ll be special memories every time I come back.” Agassi, like Hewitt, found the slow clay of the French Open a drag as both men failed fully to do themselves justice. But the Las Vegan remains convinced he can complete another chapter of his stellar career at the venue where he broke his Grand Slam duck 11 years ago. Then, his long hair and extrovert nature shocked the traditionalists but he returns to the fray as the game’s elder statesman. Agassi opens up against British wildcard Jamie Delgado, ranked just 456 in the world and the American star is set to face Belgium’s Xavier Malisse in the quarters. Assuming he makes it that far, Agassi then would have every chance of landing a ninth Grand Slam title. “Wimbledon has it’s own magic ... it would be incredible to win it again,” says the man who let slip he hated grass the first time he showed up in 1987 and suffered a beating from Frenchman Henri Leconte, then known as something of a showman himself. Agassi warmed up for this year’s event with a run to the semis at Queen’s Club — where Roddick beat him in three sets before going on to win the title at the expense of Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean. Despite having tucked another Australian Open title under his arm in January, Agassi knows that time is running out if he wants to turn the wheel full circle and land a second Wimbledon crown. It would be a spectacular way to bring down the curtain on a spectacular career. But Agassi insists retirement is not on his agenda. “People ask me whether I am considering retirement, but my belief is that if I can still do it, even potentially, then it feels like an obligation, a responsibility to myself.” — AFP
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Serena wants to bury Paris nightmare
London, June 22 The younger of the Williams sisters was left in tears after being booed and jeered by the crowd at Roland Garros on her way to a shock defeat at the hands of Belgium’s Justine Henin-Hardenne. But as she practiced here under the watchful gaze of father Richard, Serena said she was too busy working on her service action to dwell on events in Paris. “I couldn’t get my serve right in Paris so that is what I’ve been working on. “My confidence is high now. I’m always a perfectionist — I want everything to be just right but I feel like I’m ready and I’m in good shape.” Richard Williams was absent from Wimbledon last year following an acrimonious divorce from his former wife, Orecene. But both parents are expected to be in London supporting their daughters as they attempt to make it through to what could be an all-Williams final. Current form, however, suggests Venus will struggle to keep the date. Her fourth round exit at the French Open was her worst performance in eight Grand Slam tournaments. In the aftermath there has been much speculation that she is growing disenchanted with a tennis career increasingly being played out in the shadow of her younger sister, who has beaten her elder sibling five times in finals at the Grand Slams. But even if her enthusiasm for playing second fiddle is waning, Venus insisted she had no intention of retiring at the age of 23. “I have a lot of years left in me because I’ve paced myself,” she said. Henin-Hardenne suffered an injury scare at the weekend when she was forced to concede the final of a pre-Wimbledon tournament in the Netherlands to her compatriot Kim Clijsters. Henin had won the first set on a tiebreak 7-6 (7/4) but trailed 3-0 in the second when she slipped and injured her left hand. “Fortunately it wasn’t the right one,” Henin said. “But I don’t think the injury was too serious. When I went to start playing again the pain persisted so I thought the best thing was to stop. “I won’t be playing Wimbledon till Tuesday so that gives me three days to recover and I hope to be able to hit a few balls on Monday. I think it will be okay.” Henin, seeded third at Wimbledon, meets Ukrainian Julia Vakulenko in her first match. Serena Williams will open up tomorrow against her compatriot Jill Craybass, ranked 66 in the world. — AFP
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Brazil pip
USA; Cameroon triumph
Lyon (France), June 22 With Cameroon, 1-0 winners over Turkey in Paris earlier in the day, assured of a place in the last four the second Group B spot will be taken by either Brazil or Turkey. But for the USA, quarter-finalists at last summer’s World Cup, their second straight loss spelled elimination. After a sleep-inducing first 20 minutes the game suddenly woke up after a blunder by US defender Gregg Berhalter gifted the ball to Adriano in the box. The Parma striker’s first attempt ricocheted off Tim Howard straight back to the 21-year-old who wasted no opportunity in finding the net second time around. Ten minutes from the break Ricardinho, left clear in front of goal, would have doubled Brazil’s lead but for a sterling save from Howard who is having a good tournament. Earlier, Cameroon beat Turkey with a controversial injury-time penalty at the Stade de France to maintain their unbeaten record in this year’s Confederations Cup. In the last seconds of the second half, Joseph-Desire Job charged into the penalty area and was pulled down by Turkish defender Servet Cetin’s arm, although the contact was unclear. Paraguayan referee Carlos Amarilla Demarqui pointed to the penalty spot without hesitation and Geremi slotted the kick to the left of Rustu Recber’s dive, although the keeper got a hand to the ball. The champions of Africa put Turkey under the hammer from the start, attacking down both wings. Marc-Vivien Foe was particularly impressive, heading narrowly past the post in the best chance of the first period. — AFP
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Manipur, Bengal in title clash
Chennai, June 22 In contrasting semifinals at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here today, Manipur, helped by a brace by N G Baladevi, pole-axed a listless Bihar by three first-half goals, while Bengal ended their fairy-tale run of Kerala with a hard-fought 1-0 win to make it to the final. The all-important goal for Bengal was scored by wily striker Swapna Guria in the 37th minute. Gunning for a record ninth title triumph, Manipur owed a great deal to striker Baladevi, who scored in the ninth and 39th minute to fashion a comfortable win. Her twin-strike was interspersed with a penalty-kick conversion by the experienced Lokeshori Devi in the 22nd minute. Later, in an absorbing tussle, in which no quarter was asked nor given, Kerala and two-time champions West Bengal played their hearts out before the latter hung on to the lead given by Swapna to emerge unscathed. The Bengal side was the best of the lot in the tournament. But the gritty Kerala girls proved that they were no pushovers. The exchanges were fairly even and action switched ends frequently. However, poor finishing let them down. — UNI
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Younis,
Razzaq rescue Pak
London, June 22 Pakistan, put in and in deep trouble at 117 for five, reached respectability thanks only to contrasting half-centuries from Younis Khan and the explosive, if unconventional, Abdul Razzaq. Razzaq hammered 64 off 53 balls. Flintoff, who replaced Darren Gough in the 10th over, had removed Imran Nazir (eight) and then accounted for Yasir Hameed (five) as he took two for five in his opening five overs. Nazir slogged wildly and was caught off the bottom of his bat at mid-off while Hameed sent a leading edge back to a delighted Flintoff, who caught the chance high above his head. When the all rounder returned, he saw Shoaib Malik dropped at gully before inducing him to edge behind for 23. Everything England captain Michael Vaughan tried appeared to pay off. When he switched Gough to the pavilion end, the strike bowler took three deliveries to dismiss Mohammad Hafeez for 19, flicking straight to square leg. Scoreboard Pakistan: Hafeez c Clarke b Gough 19 Nazir c Vaughan b Flintoff 8 Hameed c and b Flintoff 5 Youhana c Read b Clarke 5 Younis c McGrath b Anderson 63 Malik c Read b Flintoff 23 Razzaq c Trescothick
b Flintoff 64 Mahmood not out 20 Akhtar not out 0 Extras: (lb-15 nb-1 w-6) 22 Total: (7 wickets, 50 overs) 229 Fall of wickets:
1-29 2-38 3-44 4-61 5-117 6-165 7-225. Bowling:
Anderson 10-1-52-1, Gough 10-1-45-1, Flintoff 10-2-32-4, Clarke
6-0-29-1, McGrath 5-0-21-0, Giles 9-0-35-0. — Reuters |
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Hinds, Lara put Windies on top Gros Iselt, St Lucia, June 22 In reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings of 354, the home side finished the morning session on 253 for three, left-handers Hinds and Lara having shared in a stand of 174 for the third wicket. Hinds hit eight fours and four sixes in a solid 113 before he was run out by Marvan Atapattu in the 56th over of the innings, following a mix-up with Lara. The left-handed Hinds had fallen out of favour with the West Indies selectors, but was recalled for the Sri Lanka series after Shivnarine Chanderpaul was ruled out with a broken finger. He fully justified his recall with his fourth test century, and helped put the home side in control following the loss of openers Chris Gayle, for 27, and Daren Ganga, 12, shortly before the close of play on day two. Hinds survived an early scare on Sunday, having added 13 to his overnight 74 not out, when he spooned a Chaminda Vaas delivery to mid-off where Prabath Nissanka spilt the simple chance. Lara was on the receiving end of several noisy appeals for lbw by spin bowlers Muttiah Muralitharan and Kaushal Lokuarachchi, but relentlessly built his innings. In partnership with Ramnaresh Sarwan, not out six at lunch, he ensured that West Indies reached the interval with comfort.
— Reuters Scoreboard Sri Lanka (1st innings): Atapattu c Lara b Hinds 118 Jayasuriya c Banks Sangakkara lbw b Gayle 56 Jayawardene c Lara Tillakaratne b Collymore 13 Samaraweera c Jacobs Kaluwitharana lbw Lokuarachchi c Lara Vaas c Jacobs b Gayle 38 Muralitharan lbw b Hinds 14 Nissanka not out 12 Extras:
(b-4, lb-5, nb-8, w-5) 22 Total: (all out, 143.2 overs) 354 Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-127, 3-195, 4-228, 5-266, 6-269, 7-285, 8-288, 9-326. Bowling: Dillon 29-7-48-0, Collymore 29-5-66-5, Taylor 27-3-97-0, Hinds 11-4-28-2, Banks 33-8-74-1, Gayle 9.2-1-22-2, Samuels 3-0-9-0, Sarwan 2-1-1-0. West Indies ( 1st innings): (overnight 161-2) Gayle lbw b Muralitharan 27 Ganga lbw b Vaas 12 Hinds run out 113 Lara not out 80 Sarwan not out 6 Extras:
(lb-3 nb-12) 15 Total: (for three wickets) 253 Fall of wickets: 1-18 2-66 3-240 Bowling:
Vaas 20-4-53-1 (nb-4), Nissanka 12-0-69-0 (nb-4), Samaraweera 4-0-31-0 (nb-2), Muralitharan 21-2-82-1 (nb-2), Lokuarachchi 9-3-15-0.
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BCCI to move after ICC makes claims
Kolkata, June 22 He was reacting to the ICC’s decision of withholding India’s full guarantee money related to World Cup 2003 amounting to around $ 9 million. India’s money has been held back because of Global Cricket Corporation’s claim amounting to somewhere around $ 50 million. According to reports here, the BCCI chief said today: “The World Cup finished three months ago but till now a specific claim has not been lodged. We will have a response once that is done. And as I have said we reserve the right to challenge the GCC’s marketing strategy.” “Those claims can be quantified... Yet how is the one against India going to be done?” Dalmiya said. Stating specifically BCCI’s point of view, Mr Dalmiya reportedly said: “I made two points. That our money cannot be withheld indefinitely and secondly we reserve the right to file a counter claim that the GCC’s marketing was not proper.” Regarding the Mike Denness affair, the board president said: “Denness is keeping very poor health after last year’s heart surgery. Everyone felt he may not survive regular appearance before the four-member commission. So when the request came to drop the matter I could not disregard it and dropped it on humanitarian grounds.” Mike Denness was in the eye of the storm after imposing a ban on Virender Sehwag for one Test and find five others, including captain Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar after the Port Elizabeth Test against South Africa early last year. — UNI'
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Stress on uniformity in coaching Chandigarh, June 22 Mr M.P. Pandove, secretary of the PCA, speaking to the media stated that through the seminar it was sought to ensure that methods as prescribed in the coaching manuals were followed during the course of training. “A
batsman can be good while playing a particular stroke as he may have
played it throughout his playing days. But that may not be a
technically correct stroke, not worth emulating by youngsters,” Mr
Pandove pointed out. Through the services of Dronacharya awardee Gurcharan Singh, R. Bhatnagar (senior coach with the PCA) and Daljit Singh (chief coach) an effort has been made to see that correct coaching methods are adopted by the coaches on the PCA panel as well as the PCA coaches on the Indian cricket board panel, he said. Besides, apprising the coaches and umpires with the latest techniques and the enhancement of their sphere of their knowledge was also the objective of the seminar which concluded today. Mr Pandove stressed that the aim of the PCA was to ensure proper coordination among all the 10 regional coaching centres as well as providing guidance to them. He said the PCA would prepare a pool of 30 to 40 players each in various age groups. After their selection the players would be imparted vigorous training at SAS Nagar stadium before they are sent back to
practice what they had been taught at the PCA. “Through
the coaches attached to these centres we would continue to get the
feedback in relation to the progress made by them,” he said. Reciprocal 15-day visits by Punjab u-19 and u-17 squads to Hyderabad and Mumbai, respectively, were on the anvil, while such exchanges would also be arranged for U-15 players, he added. Videos highlighting the nuances of batting, bowling and wicketkeeping were also shown. The role of a coach in shaping a player was discussed by Gurcharan Singh. As demanded, the names of four PCA coaches would soon be sent to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore for giving them level II training. Coaching literature meant to be studied by the coaches would soon be arranged, Daljit Singh said. S. Karan, a physiotherapist, sent by the BCCI on deputation has been attached to the state squad. |
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Lewis survives bloody battle
Los Angeles, June 22 In one of the most brutal and exciting world heavyweight bouts in recent years, Lewis and Ukrainian Klitschko staged a gladiatorial battle, the two giants standing toe-to-toe trading blows through six tough rounds. But as the bell rang to start the seventh and Klitschko’s left eye sliced opened, referee Lou Moret stopped the fight, Lewis raising his arms and thumping his chest in victory. “I was getting to him, look at his face, just look at his face,’’ Lewis told American television. “I was going to stop him. “He’s a legitimate number one contender...but I hurt him more than he hurt me. It was only a matter of time. “He has an unusual European style and it took me a while to figure it out. He woke me up but he could not go the distance with me. I wanted to dog him, I wanted a dog fight.’’ When the bout was halted, Klitschko was ahead 58-56 on the cards of all three judges and charged across the ring towards Lewis amazed at the stoppage. The near-capacity crowd of 15,939 at the Staples Center was also surprised, booing loudly before cheering Klitschko as he remained in the ring soaking up their applause. “Right now I feel like the people’s champion,’’ said Klitschko. “I did not want them to stop the fight under any circumstances. “I felt like I was winning, I knew I was hurting him with my punches. I controlled the fight but he is not so easy to fight, he is very good. “But it is difficult for him now, time is against him. I hope there will be a rematch.’’ With the eye wound flapping across Klitschko’s battered face, Dr Paul Wallace said he had no choice but to halt the contest. For one of the few times in his career, Lewis met a taller opponent but the 6-foot-7 Klitschko, a late replacement for injured Canadian Kirk Johnson, could not put his opponent away despite hurting him with a crunching right in the second round. Sensing he had Lewis in trouble, Klitschko stepped up his attack and landed several ferocious combinations to buckle the Briton’s knees. Lewis charged out for the third, landing a sharp right and opening a vicious cut over Klitschko’s left eye. With the challenger now in trouble, it was Lewis who surged forward, rocking the Ukrainian with two left jabs. In the fifth, Lewis opened up another cut, this time under the left eye. The brawl continued in the sixth, the champion taking control as Klitschko attempted to protect his damaged eye. It was only the second defeat for Klitschko (32-2). — Reuters
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Pillay
to lead team to Germany New Delhi, June 22 The following is the team: Devesh Chauhan and Kamaldeep Singh
(goalkeepers), Dilip Tirkey, Kanwalpreet Singh and Jugraj Singh (full backs), Ignace Tirkey, Viren Rasquinha, Vikram Pillay, Bimal Lakra, Vinay V S and Baljit Singh Saini (half backs), Gagan Ajit Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Tejbir Singh, Deepak Thakur, Sandeep Michael, Baljit Singh Dhillon and Dhanraj Pillay (forwards). Officials: Rajinder Singh (chief coach), Baldev Singh (coach), Sampath Kumar (physical trainer) and Suresh Bhatia (umpire). |
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London, June 22
