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Saturday,
August 2, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Smith
continues wonder run South Africa's captain Graeme Smith (R) smiles as teammate Gary Kirsten runs by after scoring a double century during the second day of the second Test against England at Lords cricket ground
on Friday. — Reuters photo Hussain a
very good captain: Tendulkar BCCI
blunder could cost Sehwag dear BCCI
objects to order on Jadeja Sledging
on since W.G. Grace: Lillee |
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Olivier Mutis of France returns a ball to Argentina's player Guillermo Coria during Prokom Open
tennis tournament in Sopot, Poland,
on Friday. — Reuters
photo Roddick,
Agassi advance Michael
Chang ready for swan song World badminton meet
Fredericks
wins in Austria India to
host 2005 Champions Trophy Anand
settles for a draw Bagan blank JCT, move into semis Surjit
Academy win hockey league
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Smith continues wonder run
London, August 1 The left-handed Smith had made a national record 277 and 85 in the drawn first Test. At close, Smith was batting on 214, his second double century of the series. Starting from their overnight score of 151 for one, the visitors gave an excellent batting display. Veteran batsman Gary Kirsten was also in good form and completed his century before he was cleaned bowled by McGrath on 108. If Smith was impregnable — there was a huge cheer when he missed a ball just before tea — the English bowling was a woeful mix of leg-stump half-volleys and wide long hops. Smith, with a wide bat and relentless determination, stuck to a carefully thought-out repertoire of leg-side shots punctuated by occasional cuts. In contrast, England strike bowlers James Anderson and Steve Harmison, so impressive in bursts in their short careers, simply could not put the ball on a length. South Africa were soon sprinting along after a 75-minute delay for rain and bad light. Smith saw no need to delay in rejecting England’s early generosity. He clipped Anderson’s second ball off the leg stump for four to the vacant fine-leg boundary. Next over, Harmison offered him a short, wide ball first up which Smith cut for another boundary. The 21-year-old Anderson, clearly frustrated with his own lack of direction, fielded off his own bowling and shied at the stumps, almost hitting Kirsten and prompting an angry reaction from Smith. Smith, on 98, almost offered a catch to short midwicket before reaching his fourth test century from another gift, turning away a leg-stump half-volley from Anderson for his 16th boundary. He was only the fourth South African captain to score a century at Lord’s. He had also become the quickest South African to reach 1,000 test runs, right at the start of his 17th innings. Later in the afternoon, hungry for more landmarks, he boasted the highest score by a South African at the venue. The little drama on offer during the afternoon came from fellow left-hander Kirsten. On 54 and with the score on 256 for one, he edged Andrew Flintoff to second slip where Mark Butcher juggled and dropped the catch. Moments later, he repeated the shot, but the ball this time fell just short of Butcher. The first Test of the five-match series was drawn, although England only escaped after more than a day’s play was lost to rain. Scoreboard England (1st innings): 173 South Africa (1st innings): Smith not out 214 Gibbs b Harmison 49 Kirsten b McGrath 108 Dippenaar not out 11 Extras (b-8 lb-8 nb-9 w-5) 30 Total (two wickets) 412 Fall of wickets: 1-133 2-390 Bowling: Gough 21-3-87-0, Anderson 17-3-73-0, Harmison 16-3-64-1, Flintoff 25-5-71-0, Giles 20-1-64-0, Butcher 6-1-19-0, McGrath 5-0-18-1.
— Reuters  |
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Hussain
a very good captain: Tendulkar
New Delhi, August 1 "India and England have had some interesting duels on the field recently... and he (Hussain) was a very good captain, he was always up to something," Tendulkar was quoted as saying by CricketNext website. Hussain stunned the cricketing world when he announced his resignation immediately after England’s first Test against South Africa early this week. "I felt I was a bit tired and stale," said Hussain who had opted out of one-day captaincy at the end of the World Cup in South Africa early this year. Hussain, who was born in India before his parents moved to England, will be remembered as a shrewd captain who had the measure of Tendulkar. He caused a huge rancour when he asked left-arm spinner Ashey Giles to bowl around Tendulkar’s leg-stump to curb his strokeplay during a Test series in India two years ago. Giles was successful in his task of keeping India’s strong batting line-up under check and had Tendulkar stumped in the third and final Test in Bangalore, the only time when the star batsman was dismissed in such fashion in his 14-year long career. But Hussain drew widespread criticism for damaging the spirit of the game by resorting to negative tactics. Recalling the incident, Tendulkar said Hussain’s efforts were within the laws of the game. "Every captain has his thinking, his tactics. And Nasser had his ideas. In cricket, sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don’t.
— PTI |
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BCCI blunder could cost Sehwag dear New Delhi, August 1 Sehwag, the only cricketer name recommended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the prestigious annual award, could be denied the accolade as the board's recommendation of his name reached the sports ministry over a month late, according to sources in the sports ministry. The last date for receiving recommendations from various national federations and states was May 30. But the BCCI's letter reached the ministry only on July 3 — one month and three days late. Now the Arjuna Award committee members, mostly former greats who are headed by former India football captain P.K. Banerjee, are opposing the BCCI recommendation tooth and nail. “We are totally against giving the complacent cricket board any discount for committing this monumental blunder,” a member of the 12-strong panel that met for the first time here Thursday told IANS. “We are not against Sehwag, but the board should be punished for the delay, though former India cricketer Chetan Chauhan, also a panel member, is seeking concession for Sehwag,” added the former great. An Arjuna Award winner receives Rs 300,000, a ceremonial uniform, a statuette of the great warrior Arjuna, and a certificate for performing consistently for three successive years.
— IANS |
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BCCI objects to
order on Jadeja New Delhi, August 1 “It amounts to virtually lifting the ban on Ajay Jadeja,” BCCI counsel Kapil Sibal told a Division Bench of Justice B A Khan and Justice O P
Dwivedi, which had on May 28 last passed an ex-parte interim order in favour of Jadeja. He pointed out that the Justice J K Mehra Award setting aside the five-year ban imposed on Jadeja has been challenged and the same was pending before a Single Judge Bench of the High Court. However, the court refused to pass any orders and said the May 28 order would continue. Expressing the hope that the challenge to the Award would be decided within a month, the court posted the matter for September 3.
— PTI |
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Sledging
on since W.G. Grace: Lillee
Melbourne, August 1 Gavaskar, 54, called for "verbal bouncers" to be stopped to prevent damage to the game. "Sledging has gone on since W.G. Grace and it will go on as long as any sport is played, not just cricket," former Australia paceman Lillee, 54, was quoted as saying by Melbourne newspaper The Age on Friday. "If they think it’s too bad, the authorities are there to stop it." "I think it’s funny coming from someone who took his bat and went home when an umpire’s decision went against him," added Lillee. Gavaskar protested after being given out lbw for 70 off Lillee’s bowling during the Melbourne test in February 1981. The India captain led his batting partner Chetan Chauhan off the ground. They were met at the gate by a team official and Chauhan was sent back out. "There are perhaps not even 15 (in Test cricket) who indulge in this verbal abuse and intimidation," Gavaskar said while giving the Colin Cowdrey lecture for 2003 at Lord’s on Tuesday. "But unfortunately most of these belong to a champion side (Australia) and it makes others believe that it’s the only way to play winning cricket," added the former opener, who holds the world record for Test centuries with 34. "Unless something is done quickly about it, the good name of the game that we all know will be mud," cricket’s third highest run-scorer said.
— Reuters |
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Henin-Hardenne rallies to avoid upset
Carlsbad, August 1 The third-seeded Henin-Hardenne trailed 4-2 in the second set and appeared to be in danger of failing to reach the quarterfinals of a tournament for the first time this year before rallying for the 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory yesterday. “I was in trouble at this point of the match,” the reigning French Open champion said. “I wasn’t finding the solution. She was being aggressive. I had nothing more to lose.” Henin-Hardenne ran off four straight games to take the second set. She stormed through Dementieva in the third set to advance. Second-seeded Kim Clijsters, the highest remaining seed since top-ranked Serena Williams withdrew with an injury, easily advanced to the quarters with a 6-1, 6-1 win over unseeded Marion Bartoli. Fourth-seeded Lindsay Davenport of the beat unseeded Russian Lina Krasnoroutskaya 6-0, 7-6 (2). Davenport took just 14 minutes to win the first set. Krasnoroutskaya did not score a point on Davenport’s serve and had only five in the set. Krasnoroutskaya played much more aggressively in the second set and forced a tiebreaker. But after she scored the first point on her serve, Davenport reeled off six straight points, which included consecutive double faults by Krasnoroutskaya. “I started putting in a few more errors (in the second set),” said Davenport, who will face sixth-seeded Chanda Rubin in the quarterfinals. “All of a sudden, she started playing better, and it became a much tougher set.” The match between Henin-Hardenne and Dementieva turned around in the sixth game of the second set. The game lasted 12 points with numerous long rallies in the hot, humid conditions. After one long exchange, Henin-Hardenne dropped her racket and was bent over with her hands on her knees for about 15 seconds. But despite winning the game and holding a 4-2 lead, it was Dementieva that came out worse in the situation. Henin-Hardenne allowed just five points in winning the final four games to win the set 6-4. The players were then given a 10-minute heat break after the second set. When play resumed, Henin-Hardenne took a 4-0 lead and finished off the obviously tired Dementieva in the 2-hour, 18-minute match. Nadia Petrova will play Henin-Hardenne in the quarterfinals after beating No 7 seed Daniela Hantuchova 6-1, 6-3. Clijsters dominated play as she took just 53 minutes to finish off
Bartoli. — AP |
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Roddick, Agassi advance Washington, August 1 World No 1 Andre Agassi also progressed, charging past Armenia’s Sargis Sargsian 6-3, 6-2 in 58 minutes to take his career record to 6-0 against his regular practice partner. Rusedski let rip with a string of expletives as he questioned the umpire’s decision during their second-round match at Wimbledon but there were no verbal fireworks this time — only power tennis from two of the game’s hardest hitters. Roddick saved three break points in the opening game of the match and broke Rusedski in the next game for the only service break of the night. “I think the first two games of the match were quite important,” Rusedski told reporters. “But he’s the one who broke me and it set the tone for the first set. The difference in the match was just one or two points here and there — that’s tennis.”
— Reuters |
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Michael
Chang ready for
swan song Los Angeles, August 1 Chang, who gained glory with his 1989 French Open title at the height of the Tiananmen Square troubles, is retiring at the US Open when a year-long farewell tour concludes at his home Grand Slam. The one place in Asia that the wildly popular Chang never played over the course of a 16-year career was in Thailand, which now boasts the world No. 11 in 24-year-old Paradorn. The Bangkok big-hitter, a tennis idol in a nation just discovering the game as a result of his success, is lined up as the heir apparent to Chang’s mantle of king of Asian courts. Chang remains optimistic for the future of racket sports - especially his - in Asia.
— DPA |
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World badminton meet
Birmingham, August 1 The unseeded former world No 1 achieved this by following his victories over his brother Hafiz Hashim, the All-England Open champion, and the 12th-seeded Boonsak Polsana, with another by 15-10, 13-15, 17-14 over the eighth-seeded Korean, Lee Hyun-Il yesterday. However, it required Roslin to survive the longest match of the tournament so far — a one-hour 42-minute encounter which finished with him rolling over on his back in relief. “This is for Hafiz — it is for both of us,” the elder brother said. “I know he could have won this tournament if he had not met me in the second round. I don’t know quite how I feel — I just know that at the end of the match I was screaming.” To survive, Roslin had to overcome the disappointment of losing a 13-6 lead in the second game and to halt another Korean revival from 8-12 to 14-13 in the third. The other Malaysian star was Wong Choon Hann, the ninth-seeded former Commonwealth champion, who was far too good for the fourth-seeded Dane, Anders Boesen, whom he overwhelmed 15-6, 15-6. But this was not such a surprise as it seemed, for Wong’s lower ranking was due to his having competed in two tournaments all year, while late in 2002 he had won the China Open beating world No 1 Chen Hong. Boesen won the first three points and three rallies in a row near the end, but otherwise was hardly in it. Wong plays Sony Dwi Kuncoro, the sixth-seeded Asian champion from Indonesia, who beat his former compatriot Romald Susilo, now of Singapore, 15-9, 15-13. Roslin next plays Bao Chunlai, the unseeded Chinese player who caused an upset by defeating the former All-England finalist from Indonesia, Taufik Hidayat, 15-9, 15-4. But Bao always looked the more likely winner as he had the answers to the third seed’s attempts to attack him. From nine-all in the first game he took five points without reply and from 8-4 in the second game got completely on top, winning eight rallies without the serve changing hands. Both the singles top seeds progressed to the quarterfinals without alarms. Chen Hong of China won 15-7, 15-9 against the 11th seeded Japanese player, Hidetaka Yamada, while Wang Chen of Hong Kong beat the unseeded Korean Jun Jae-Youn 11-1, 11-8 in the women’s. Meanwhile Denmark’s Camilla Martin, the former world champion, and China’s Zhang Ning, the second seed, came through for a repeat of their encounter in Tokyo in April. Martin, who won it en route to the Japan Open title, is trying to win the world title back in her last championship before retiring next year.
— AFP |
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Fredericks
wins in Austria Linz (Austria), August 1 Fredericks (35), a four-time 200 metre Olympic silver medallist, won both the 100 and 200 metres events, raising his tally to a record five wins in the Austrian town. In the women's competition, Austria's Karin Mayr-Krifka surprisingly defeated Olympic and world championships medallist Merlene Ottey, who was born in Jamaica but now runs for Slovenia. Later in the event, under-23 European champion Martin Proell of Austria, who had surprised the athletics world coming second in Linz last season, managed to top his previous best, winning the 3,000 metres steeplechase race.
— AP |
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India to host 2005 Champions Trophy
New Delhi, August 1 This is the second time that India will be hosting this trophy and Chennai will have the distinction of holding it both the times, having held it earlier in 1996. The silver
jubilee edition of the Champions Trophy is slated to be held in Amstelveen, Holland, from August 16 and Lahore will be next year's venue. The Champions Trophy was conceptulised by former Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) chief Noor Khan and was originally slated to be held only in that country. But soon the PHF found it hard to sustain the yearly tournament financially and asked the International Hockey Federation to rotate it among other countries. Only top six teams in the Olympic or World Cup get to play in the Champions Trophy but the FIH amended the rules when Malaysia held the trophy in Kuala Lumpur and allowed the host to play in it despite Malaysia not being among the top six teams making it a seven-nation tourney. India has qualified for this year's Champions Trophy and will have to be among the first six team in the Athens Olympics to be
considered for the Lahore edition. However, being the hosts, India will automatically play in Chennai, even if it does not qualify for the event and then the FIH may have to make the 27th edition as the seven-nation tourney as well. Interestingly, India had also made a bid for hosting Junior World Cup, but that event has been allotted to Holland. India's bid for the Champions Trophy was approved but the international body has recently informed the IHF that its bid for the junior World Cup has not been accepted. The Champions Trophy, which returns to India after a gap of nine years, will be held in November-December while the junior World Cup is scheduled for August-September.
— UNI |
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Anand settles for a draw
Dortmund, August 1 World number two Grandmaster Vladimir Kramink of Russia emerged as the early leader along with GM Viktor Bologan of Moldova as both scored emphatic victories over GM Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan and local hope Arkadi Naiditsch of Germany respectively. The tournament is being played on a double round-robin league basis and all the six contestants will play two games against each other. Anand, who had the advantage of playing white, tried hard to convert his miniscule material advantage into a full point against Linares champion Leko. In their last mini-match at Linares earlier this year, Anand and Leko had shared honours with a 1-1 result after two games. The players debated a long time over the middle game arising out of one of the popular main variation and in the end Anand thought it better to try the endgame. The Queens got traded on the 27th move and Anand managed a slight advantage thereafter, thanks to his better-placed pieces. But the game never really left the boundaries of a draw as the rooks and opposite coloured bishops endgame guaranteed Leko sufficient counter play. Though Anand had the upperhand for most part of the game, Leko held his inferior position together after losing a pawn as the peace was signed after 57 moves. Kramnik got off to the best-possible start recording a smashing victory over dark horse Radjabov in a fantastic game arising out of another Sveshnikov of the day. Playing white, Kramnik was in for a surprise in the initial stages as Radjabov played a variation. However, Radjabov obviously had found some new ideas in the middle game after he sacrificed a pawn. The Russian, however, quickly shrugged off his doubts and gobbled the offered material to work his way towards glory. The turning point of this game was on move 21 when Kramnik sacrificed his queen to maintain his superior control of the chequered board. An ensuing tactical skirmish resulted badly for Radjabov as he lost his queen for not enough material. After just 31 moves, the Azerbaijani called it a day. Talented German GM Arkadi Naiditsch fought bravely against GM Viktor Bologan but finally caved in to the pressure after a spirited performance. The two reached a heavy pieces endgame after Naiditsch erred in the opening allowing Bologan to take control of the proceedings. After subsequent exchanges, a rook and pawns endgame was reached where Bologan’s superior technique did the trick.
— PTI |
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Bagan blank JCT, move into semis
Kolkata, August 1 The winners led 2-0 in the first half with Brazilian Jose Barreto opening the day’s account. Skipper Renedy Singh scored once in each half. Even though poor condition of the stadium turf posed difficulties for the visitors, the Punjab outfit played an attacking game initially and their defence line-up, comprising Randhwa, Mosa Alio, Dhanesh and Baldeep singh, thwarted the Bagan attacks till 33rd minute. The Mohun Bagan upfront — comprising Renedy-Barreto-Marcos combination — maintained their supremacy with repeated raids on the rival citadel. It was in the 33rd minute of the first half when Bagan struck their first as a Barreto back-volley off a Renedy miskick from the top of the penalty box entered their rival’s net defeating JCT’s Nigerian custodian Mansuru Mohammed. The home team surged ahead scoring their second a minute before the lemon break as the unguarded Renedy did no mistake to tap an advancing Harpreet Gill centre from the right side of the penalty area over JCT mideo Jaswinder Singh trying to intercept. On resumption, JCT, led by an experienced Joe Paul Ancheri, tried hard to fight back but their efforts were in vain except a few attacks on the Mohun Bagan goal mouths. JCT striker Harbinder Singh shot was held by Bagan custodian Arindam Ghosh who was hardly tested during the 90 minute with almost no serious attacks from the rivals.
— UNI
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Surjit
Academy win hockey league Jalandhar, August 1 In a high-voltage encounter, the champions scored in the opening minute of the match as forward Ranjodh Singh drove the ball straight into box (1-0). Chandigarh lads made attempts to level the score but were thwarted by excellent defence of the rivals. In the second half after missing an opportunity to level scores, Chandigarh boys finally managed to open their account in the 44th minute through Sandeep Singh, who made no mistake in converting the penalty corner after getting a pass from Dupinder Pal Singh (1-1). They then quickly took the lead as Sandeep Singh, again converted a penalty corner 1-2. However, champions equalised in the 59th minute through a field goal by Sukhdeep Singh (2-2). Both the teams failed to take the lead during the extra seven minutes awarded to them under the golden goal rule. Surjit Academy finally emerged as champions, after winning the penalty strokes 7-5. Ranjodh Singh of Surjit Academy was declared the player of the tournament for scoring 13 goals during the championship. Meanwhile, Ropar Hawks defeated Border Hawks, Amritsar, 1-0 to secure the third position. |
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London, August 1
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New Delhi, August 1
