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Thursday,
August 14, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Camp will be fitness
specific: Wright England must unsettle Smith ‘Shame’ Warne soap opera unending Patiala’s link with the Pulitzer girl
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Top shuttlers lack drive, says coach AICS
CONGRESS Advani books berth in world championship Dullet finishes on top JCT defeat RCF
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Camp will be fitness
specific: Wright
Bangalore, August 13 The probables would start arriving here today in batches for the camp that coach John Wright says would be fitness specific. Wright, the former New Zealand captain, newly recruited physical trainer Gregory Allen King and physio Andrew Leipus are holding forte at the National Cricket Academy here where the probables would slug it out in the camp. “The probables would have an hour-long yoga session each day from 7.30 am. They will have training sessions in the morning and afternoon,” chairman of the selection committee Brijesh Patel said today. The camp, concluding on August 26, will focus purely on physical fitness, and the probables would have nets only in the six-day preparatory camp starting on September 1, Patel said. Wright said the 36 probables offered him and the selectors a wide pool of talent and would give them a good indication of who was keen on working harder. BCCI had made it mandatory for the probables to attend the camp, and Patel said none had sought exemption from it. Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif, currently playing county cricket, have been allowed to skip it but they would have to report for the second stint. “While India did reasonably well in the World Cup, there are certain areas where we need to do better,” the coach said. Wright said the camp would give an opportunity to the probables to interact with King for the first time. Three teams would be picked from among the probables for the Challenger Trophy to be held here from September 10 to 14, and Patel said the selection was slated for August 26. There is still a question mark on the availability of veteran speedster Javagal Srinath for the series against the Kiwis. Srinath has opted out of the camp as he is recovering from a knee injury sustained during his stint with Durham. In his absence, L Balaji, Irfan Pathan (Jr.), Amit Bhandari and Avishkar Salvi, who are being talked of as future pace replacements, are expected to be under closer scrutiny. Ajit Agarkar and Gujarat medium-pacer Siddharth Trivedi are also attending the camp.
— PTI |
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England
must unsettle Smith
London, August 13 Smith, at 22 South Africa's youngest captain, has been in supreme form, scoring 621 runs in three innings with two double centuries while his team, after an innings-and-92-run win in the second Test at the Lord's, are 1-0 up in the five-match series. But despite that personal and collective success Western Province left-hander Smith told yesterday's The Guardian newspaper: "I haven't slept well... Not even for one night. My mind is just too active. "I fall asleep fine but I wake up around 4.30am and that's it, no more." For England the lesson is clear: if Smith is struggling to sleep now just how much more difficult will it be for him to rest if his team are put under pressure. But so far England have not looked like dismissing Smith let alone South Africa for a reasonable score. Their pace bowlers, Andrew Flintoff on occasion excepted, have lacked the discipline to contain Smith, a predominately legside player with a watchful defence. Darren Gough's Test retirement following Lord's leaves England with an inexperienced attack whose novice look will be reinforced by the debut of either James Kirtley or Glen Chapple at Trent Bridge. Kirtley, England's long time reserve quick will feel his chance is overdue but Chapple, a seasoned county performer at Lancashire, could yet cause the Sussex quick, already a one-day international, more Test frustration. What England need right now is a player in the mode of South Africa's Shaun Pollock — someone, who even if he is not taking wickets himself can at least give his captain a measure of control from one end. Fast bowler Stephen Harmison is quick but unlike his South Africa counterpart Makhaya Ntini, who took 10 wickets at the Lord's, he rarely gives the impression that he is bowling with a particular strategy in mind. Left-arm spinner Ashley Giles has been employed in a defensive role. But he has so far taken just five wickets while failing to exert a stranglehold on South Africa. Off-spinner Gareth Batty has been called up and given that his stock ball turns away from the left-hander (South Africa have three in their top order) he could at least present Smith with a different challenge. Meanwhile, England's batting remains a cause for concern after the team were bowled out for a mere 173 at the Lord's. In-form Kent batsman Ed Smith, who has made six centuries this season, is set to make his Test debut in place of the dropped Anthony McGrath. England are set to face an even stronger South African side this time with the return of all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who missed the first two Tests of the series following his father's death. After the Lord's, England captain Michael Vaughan, thrust into the job at short notice following Nasser Hussain's resignation, said his team were "not as hungry as South Africa". With the fourth Test at Headingley starting just days after the match at Trent Bridge, England must recover quickly if the series is not to pass them by. But if their fielding — always a good indicator of any cricket team's performance — is as shoddy as it was at the Lord's they can expect another gruelling and fruitless match. — AFP
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‘Shame’ Warne soap opera unending
Sydney, August 13 The statement by Aleasha Black was heard as her uncle, Gold Coast businessman Christopher Kent, was contesting allegations he tried to blackmail the Australian cricket Baord, since named Cricket Australia, for $ 5000 after the alleged kiss. Aleasha took the stands briefly at the Melbourne Magistrates court to confirm her statement and recount her Surfers Paradise encounter last year with Warne and Brett Lee. She described how she was cruising with friends in the Southport area when they saw a small crowd clustered around an Audi convertible with Warne and Lee inside. Soon after Aleasha and her friends drove alongside the cricketers and the teenagers yelled encouragement for the team’s next match, according to her statement which comes at a time when Warne is embroiled in yet another sex scandal with a South African woman. Aleasha, then a 16-year-old, said Warne asked them to follow his car. When both cars pulled up at a nearby hotel, the cricketer beckoned Aleasha to approach his car. She introduced herself and the pair chatted before Warne said he had to return to Brisbane but wanted to see her again and asked her for her phone number. "At this time I asked Shane if I could get a kiss goodnight. Shane looked around and said `yeah, all right’." Aleasha then put her head into the car and presented her left cheek, expecting a kiss on the cheek, the court heard. "As I did this Shane grabbed the side of my face and stuck his tongue down my throat. I did kiss him back but this only lasted for about 30 seconds until I eventually pulled away," she said. Aleasha drove away with her friends and was later rebuked by her shocked mother that "this would teach me to talk to strangers". During preliminary investigation into the matter both Warne and Lee denied the teenager’s version of the incident. Kent was later accused of blackmailing the ACB, a charge he denied in a secretly recorded tape of the conversation played in the court today. — PTI
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Patiala’s link with the Pulitzer girl Patiala, August 13 US-based Geeta Anand, who shares the 2003 prize with other reporters of the prestigious Wall Street Journal, was a member of the Indian swimming team which took part in the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games and the Brisbane Commonwealth Games held in the same year. Geeta’s coaches at the NIS remember her as a “shy, tall and reticent girl with a ponytail, overflowing with ambition” when she first arrived at the institute with her Anglo-Indian mother in tow, to attend the six-month preparatory camp here prior to the Asian Games. NIS chief swimming coach Sucha Singh, who was also the camp in charge, has fond memories of the Mumbai girl who according to him was the “slimmest and tallest of all the 90-odd probables selected by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) for the Asiad camp.” Sucha Singh recalls that when Geeta came to the NIS for the first time her confidence, for some reason, was at a low ebb. However, after two months of intensive training under German coach B. Johnke, gradually her confidence returned and she shattered both the 100m and 200m national records in her favourite breaststroke event during the trials for the Asiad held in November 1981. Once Geeta rewrote the records, there was no looking back for her as she went about her task with a renewed vigour. The inexperienced 15-year old Geeta was in the exalted company of some highly experienced swimmers. She shared a room with Anita Sood, the second Indian to swim across the English channel, Bula Chowdhury, the only Indian woman to have taken part in two Asian Games (1982 New Delhi and 1986 Seoul) and about 12 other girls, all of whom had represented India in various international tournaments. Once the evening sessions were over, Geeta would stroll around the campus in the company of her Mumbai colleagues Persis Maiden, Mardula Shastri and Lawrence Verghese. The German coach was instrumental in imparting the finer points of the ‘wib kick’ (or veg kick) technique to Geeta, who managed to use it to near perfection during her record-breaking effort during the trials. In fact, Geeta became famous among the campers for having learnt the ropes of this difficult, but highly effective, technique. Geeta had an inclination for ball games and according to Sucha Singh, she could have easily walked into the junior basketball team, given her height and, more significantly, aptitude for the game. The coaches had chalked out a rigorous programme for the campers and Geeta was among those swimmers who religiously adhered to it. Once a week the campers would be asked to swim for 6 km at a stretch and even famed swimmers like Khazan Singh, who later won a silver medal in the Seoul Asiad, would shirk this part of the training. However, Sucha Singh remembers that Geeta along with Persis Maiden and another south Indian swimmer would regularly complete the arduous schedule. She was very close to Raja Laxmi, Mumbai-based coach attached with the camp. By the time the national camp was shifted to SAI’s Gandhinagar centre, Geeta had become an accomplished swimmer and she was ranked as a potential medal winner in the 200m breaststroke for the Asian Games. However, Sucha Singh says that she ‘peaked’ a bit too early and her form deserted her on the day of the reckoning. Despite this abrupt loss of form, she still managed to finish among the top eight in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke event — a creditable performance going by the standards of Indian women swimmers at that time. Sucha Singh says that on her day off while other campers would go shopping, Geeta and her friend Lawrence Verghese would spend the time scanning newspapers and magazines in the NIS library. |
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Top shuttlers lack drive, says coach
Bangalore, August 13 “Most of the players are not showing real drive or matching the performance they were putting up a year, or year-and-a-half ago,” Vimal Kumar, told PTI here. “They have been getting continuous exposure... playing international tournaments. Of late, we have not been very happy with the performance of the players,” he said without naming anyone. Defending the Badminton Association of India’s decision to sponsor upcoming talent Anup Sridhar for the Singapore Open starting next week, Vimal said “he is the most promising player among the young brigade.” In the last six months, the 20-year-old has beaten top players like Nikhil Kanetkar, Sachin Ratti, Arvind Bhat and J.B.S. Vidhyadhar, he pointed out. “The view of the selection committee is that we need some back-up players and we need to give exposure to promising players,” Vimal said, noting that tournaments like Singapore Open were basically “exposure events”. Vimal said the decision to sponsor Sridhar was taken a month ago. However, Sridhar, ranked 458 in the world, is on the waiting list in the Singapore Open starting on August 18 and is still waiting to know whether he will find a place even in the qualifiers. On the BAI not sponsoring India’s top doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurien for the Singapore Open, Vimal shot back: “They have been playing since 2000. If you really go into their fitness, they are not fit to play at this level of competition”. Meanwhile, besides Sridhar, national doubles champions Markose Bristow and Rupesh Kumar, sponsored by the BAI, may also not travel to Singapore Open as they were on the waiting list and did not get an entry in the qualifying draw. National champion Abhinn Shyam Gupta, ranked No 68 in the world, got into the main draw on Monday, Vimal said. On the distaff side, the BAI was sponsoring Aparna Popat, ranked No 26 in the world, and B.R. Meenakshi, ranked No 78. The BAI has a mandate to sponsor only four men and two women shuttlers, he said, that adding other Indian shuttlers were taking part in the tournament at their own expense. —PTI
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AICS
CONGRESS New Delhi, August 13 AICS president Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra disclosed here today that over 1600 delegates from all over the country, including sports ministers of various states, sports officials, representatives of national sports federations and all sports promotion boards, services and vice-chancellors of various universities will attend the congress. Prof Malhotra said Arjuna Awardees, Dronacharya, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Dhyan Chand award winners have also been invited. Prof Malhotra said the recent successes of Indian sportspersons and teams in various international events have given a big boost to sports and created a mass awareness in the country. He asserted that some of the proposals to be put forward in the Congress will bring about a sea-change in the sports scenario in the country. A brochure will also be brought out during the Congress, highlighting the achievements of Indian sportspersons in international competitions over the years. Prof Malhotra is particularly elated as both the Indian men and women archery teams have qualified for the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. Prof Malhotra has been heading the Archery Association of India since the early seventies, and has fashioned the growth of the game to the present stature. |
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Advani books berth in world championship New Delhi, August 13 Asian Games gold medalist and two-time Asian snooker champion Yasin Merchant will take on Alok Kumar in the other semi-final tomorrow to decide the second participant for the championship. The 18-year-old Advani adopted an aggressive approach from the beginning as he played all the shots in his repertoire to completly outplay his opponent. Advani made his intensions clear in the very first frame as he registered a break of 45 to take the frame 68-5. But the local lad levelled the score in the next, 20-54.
— PTI |
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Dullet finishes on top Bangalore, August 13 Dullet carded a under 71 on a day when most of the players found it difficult to read the greens. But Manav Das (Kharga Golf Club) shot four under 68 and Jaideep Patwardhan (Poona Golf Club, Pune) two under 70 to stay in the top ten. Das, who had the only hole-in-one on the four par eighth hole, played six under until the eleventh hole. —
PTI |
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JCT defeat RCF Chandigarh, August 13 Persistent efforts by RCF bore fruit as they scored an equaliser through Namjinder Singh. Their joy was shortlived as Jaspal Singh slotted home a few minutes later as JCT emerged winners by 2-1. |
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London, August 13
