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Kiwis beat India by 4 wkts
Indian colts Asian cricket champs Pak leave out Latif, Moin |
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Kapil yet to get promised land for academy New point system for Ranji Trophy Olympic qualifying meet: India, Pak in same pool Men only for ancient Olympics’
revival THG on banned list, says IOC Impressive start by Jeev
East Bengal, A-I in Durand Cup semis Monaco make history in Champions
League Easy Masters draw for Roddick Signals move up in Surjit hockey Jignesh, Uday to clash in TT final Trials for u-16 girls’ teams
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Kiwis beat India by 4 wkts
Cuttack, November 6 Chasing a competitive target 247 for victory, the Kiwis found themselves on the mat to give the hosts an early control of the game but Scot Styris and Craig McMillan showed remarkable resilience to steer the team to victory with 2.3 overs to spare. After leaving the visitors gasping at 68 for four at one stage, the Indians had themselves to blame for letting the Kiwis fly out of the nest under the Barabati Stadium floodlights as they ran out of steam when it mattered most on a slow track. New Zealand, who desperately needed a win to keep themselves afloat in the series, have caught up India on the points table with both the teams having garnered nine points from four outings so far. Australia, the third team in the fray, have already romped into the final with 18 points from four matches The majestic clock tower at the far end of the picturesque Barabati Stadium, hosting its first-ever floodlight encounter, stood witness to the Indian debacle as McMillan (82 not out) and Styris (68) led the spirited Kiwis fightback with a 127-run fifth wicket association to tame the hosts in their own den. The New Zealand run chase began with a flourish as their captain Stephen Fleming turned on the heat with a barrage of boundaries but the innings plunged into disarray after his dismissal with the fall of four quick wickets. The Kiwis rattled up 39 runs in just over five overs but the home side bounced back to reduce the visitors to 68 for four with speedster Zaheer Khan doing the bulk of the damage. Fleming, who seemed to be in a punitive mood slamming five boundaries during his 14-ball 24, was the first to depart leading to a top order collapse as Chris Nevin (29), Chris Harris (0) and Lou Vincent (1) joined him in the dressing room in quick succession. Paceman Ajit Agarkar got rid of the dangerous Fleming trapping him leg before wicket much to the delight of the Indians while Zaheer Khan, who proved very expensive in the first two overs, accounted for Harris. Harris was also adjudged leg before wicket to a sharp incoming delivery from Zaheer but was distinctly unhappy with the decision. Zaheer, who seemed to get his rhythm right after taking his first wicket, struck another blow for the Kiwis by evicting Lou Vincent, who has been having a rather disappointing triangular series. Vincent became the third leg before victim for the Black Caps who suddenly found themselves in a precarious position with Nevin also gifting away his wicket for a 45-ball 29. Earlier, Zaheer Khan provided the sparks with a blistering assault as India overcame a mid-innings slump to score a respectable 246 for nine. After India were struggling at 207 for eight in the dying stages of the innings, Zaheer struck an unbeaten 13-ball 33 to take the hosts to a decent total which also had a determined 64-run contribution by Mohammad Kaif. The last over from Jacob Oram fetched as many as 20 runs as Zaheer launched a brave counter-attack which included two sixes on a slow track which was hardly conducive for strokeplay. Electing to bat, the Indians went into the match with a brand new opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, who took up the new role in the absence of an injured Virender Sehwag. The new opening pair launched the innings with a flourish by maintaining a reasonably brisk run rate before Tendulkar’s belligerence was cut short by a rather decision by umpire A.V. Jayaprakash. The pair had put on 27 runs on the board when Tendulkar was suprisingly adjudged leg before wicket by the umpire off a Kyle Mills delivery which appeared to be going down the leg stump. Tendulkar, who seemed to be in ominous form slamming two exquisite boundaries, returned to the pavilion for a run a ball 14 much to the jubilation of the Kiwis who could not have asked for a bigger scalp. Scoreboard India: Laxman c & b Styris 31 Tendulkar lbw b Mills 14 Kaif b Styris 64 Dravid c Styris b Vettori 31 Yuvraj c Mills b Vettori 0 Badani c McCullum b Tuffey 41 Bahutule lbw b Styris 11 Agarkar c McMillan b Tuffey 7 Harbhajan b Tuffey 5 Z. Khan not out 33 M. Kartik not out 1 Extras: (B 4, LB 2, W 2) 8 Total: (9 wkts, 50 overs) 246 FoW: 1-27, 2-77, 3-136, 4-136, 5-169, 6-194, 7-206, 8-207, 9-224. Bowling: Tuffey 10-1-31-3, Mills 8-0-51-1, Oram 10-0-68-0, Styris 10-0-38-3, Vettori 10-0-39-2, Harris 2-0-13-0. New Zealand: Nevin C Yuvraj b Harbhajan 29 Fleming lbw b Agarkar 24 C Harris lbw b Zaheer Khan 0 L Vincent lbw b Zaheer Khan 1 S Styris lbw b Kartik 68 C McMillan not out 82 J Oram run out 6 B McCullum not out 19 Extras: (b-1, lb-6, w-12, nb-1) 20 Total: (for 6 wkts, 47.3 overs) 249 FoW: 1-39, 2-40, 3-44, 4-68, 5-195, 6-214. Bowling:
Zaheer Khan 9-1-49-2, Agarkar 8-0-41-1, Harbhajan Singh 10-0-41-1, Kartik 10-1-34-1, Tendulkar 3-0-25-0, Bahutule 3-0-24-0, Badani 3.3-0-21-0, Yuvraj Singh 1-0-7-0.
— PTI |
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Indian colts Asian cricket champs Islamabad, November 6 After restricting the Lankans to a modest 225 in 49.4 overs, the Indian colts rode on unbeaten half centuries from Rakesh Solanki and captain Ambati Rayudu to achieve the target in 44.4 overs. Uthappa, whose 86-ball 88 at the top laid the platform for India’s chase, was declared ‘man of match’ while left arm seamer Irfan Pathan, who came up with another excellent bowling performance claiming three for 33, was named ‘man of the series’. This is the first official visit by an Indian cricket team at any level to Pakistan since 1998 when a junior side toured the neighbouring country. The quadrangular event between teams of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is part of the initiative by the Asian Cricket Council to promote the game in the continent at junior level. In August, a triangular tournament featuring academy teams of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka was held in Colombo. India’s victory in the final avenged its four wicket loss to Sri Lanka in the round-robin clash. The Indians, however, scored sensational victories over hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh in league matches.
— PTI |
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Pak leave out Latif, Moin Karachi, November 6 The Kiwis are returning to complete a one-day series abandoned in May last year when a suicide bomber killed 14 people, including 11 Frenchmen, outside their hotel in Karachi. “We are looking to the future as far as one-day cricket is concerned and since Kamran Akmal has been playing well he has been preferred as wicketkeeper,” chief selector Aamir Sohail said as he announced the probable lineup. Pakistan play the first of five matches against New Zealand at eastern industrial city of Faisalabad on November 22, Rawalpindi on November 24 and 25 and the final two matches in Lahore on November 29 and December 1. Latif’s career hit a snag following his pullout from the two Tests against South Africa last month due to family commitments, a week before he was reportedly forced to resign from captaincy. In July this year, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reprimanded Latif on writing a letter to the International Cricket Council revealing match-fixing was still being practiced in international cricket. Latif (35), who played 166 one-dayers and 37 Tests and claimed 182 catches and 38 stumpings, also lost favour with the PCB after he was banned for five one-day matches for claiming an unfair catch in a Test against Bangladesh in September this year. Although Latif made himself available for the one-day series, the selectors opted for young Akmal. Moin (32), who replaced Latif in the two Tests against South Africa, was also discarded but said he doesn’t think his career is over. “I never lose hope and I would definitely come back to play for Pakistan,” he said. Opener Salim Elahi and all-rounder Azhar
Mahmood, discarded after Pakistan’s first round exit from the World Cup this year, were recalled in the list of
probables. — AFP |
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England hope to crush Bangladesh Dhaka, November 6 “My goal is to win the series 3-0,” England captain Michael Vaughan said late yesterday ahead of the three-match limited-overs series. The opening match will be played in Chittagong, where England last week won the second Test against Bangladesh. Vaughan expects a similar result in the shortened version of the game from his young team comprising several one-day specialists. “We still have to play well and we still have to put the hard work in,” said the Yorkshire batsman, preparing to lead his team for tomorrow’s opener. “It’s possible to win 3-0 if we really work hard.” Going by Bangladesh’s poor record the visitors can look forward to a clean sweep of the one-day series. Bangladesh have so far played 70 one-day matches against other Test-playing nations and won only once — in their 1999 World Cup victory over Pakistan in England. The home side has also lost 25 of their 26 Tests, 15 of them by an innings since gaining status in 2000. They drew one rain-hit match against Zimbabwe in Dhaka two years ago. Under Australian coach Dav Whatmore, Bangladesh have begun to improve. They came close to winning a Test match against Pakistan but for last wicket resistance from Inzamam-ul Haq.
— AP |
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Kapil yet to get promised land for academy New Delhi, November 6 For, a cricket academy run by Kapil Dev would have been a great asset to the state. But the powers that be have not yet lived upto their promise, and Kapil is now resigned to the fate of consigning his ambition of opening a cricket academy to the recess of his memory. “I am not interested in keep on knocking at the doors of the authorities for the land”, Kapil
said. Kapil revealed this information at the launch function of the Dronacharya Cricket Academy at the Delhi Public School ground in Ghaziabad, near Delhi. Countering the criticism of the New Zealand cricket team that they were given sub-standard pitches to play their matches, Kapil defended the pitches committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI), saying that when he was the Chairman of the “grounds committee”, the preparation of the pitch was undertaken by the respective local cricket associations. He said the BCCI committee was responsible for ensuring that the ground conditions adhered to international standard.
Kapil exhorted the trainees of the Dronacharya academy to always concentrate on the job at hand, whether it was studies or sports, to reach the top, instead of thinking about something while doing something else. He also extracted a promise from the gathered students never to ask for an autograph, but always strive to attain a position whereby they would be sought after for autographs! Disclosing a well-kept secret, Kapil said he had sought autographs only thrice in his life-first from former Indian cricket captain Gundappa
Viswanath, then from Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. A galaxy of former cricketers were present at the launch of the academy, which will be run under the guidance of Dronacharya cricket coach Gurcharan Singh. |
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New point system for Ranji Trophy Rohtak, November 6 The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has devised a new point system for this year’s championship. An outright victory in a Ranji Trophy match will fetch the winners four points. The team completing victory with a margin of an innings or 10 wickets will earn one bonus point under the new system. Two points will be added to the points tally of a team getting a first innings’ lead. No point would be given to the team losing the match or conceding a first innings lead. The BCCI has also defined the procedure of giving points in the weather-affected ties. In a match where 90 overs of play is lost due to bad weather conditions and the first innings of both the teams are not completed, each team will be entitled to get one point. A section of experts feel that the new points system is likely to enhance the level of competition besides generating more interest in the Ranji Trophy which saw the introduction of new two-tier format last year. Another section of experts believes that keen encounters are likely to take place in Elite Group-A only as it
contains several heavyweights of domestic cricket. There are three such teams in this group which have repeatedly won the coveted Ranji Trophy. The title of the championship, which was started in 1934-35, has been won by Mumbai 35 times whereas Delhi and Karnataka have bagged the Ranji title six times each. Baroda has emerged winners of Ranji Trophy on five occasions. Interestingly, all the three teams form a part of Elite Group -A. The
return of Ajay Jadeja on domestic field will be another factor of public interest in this year’s Ranji Trophy. |
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Olympic qualifying meet: India, Pak in same pool New Delhi, November 6 The first seven teams from this tournament will join the five teams who have already qualified for the Athens Olympics. The qualified teams — South Korea, Australia, Argentina, Germany and Egypt — are champions of their respective continents. As per the draw released by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) the 12 participating teams have been divided into two pools ‘A’ and ‘B’. Besides Pakistan, India and Malaysia, other teams of pool ‘B’ are New Zealand, Belgium and Canada. Sydney Olympic gold medallists and Champions Trophy winners Holland, 1996 Atlanta Olympic silver medallist-Spain and 1988 Seoul Olympic gold medalist England have been drawn together in pool ‘A’ along with Japan, South Africa and Poland. Canada has been included in the qualifiers after Cuba refused to take part. France are the first reserve entry in case another country fails to participate. Cuba advised the FIH that it did not wish to exercise its right to compete in the qualifying tournament. As a result, Canada, the first reserve country, accepted an invitation to participate in the tournament. Pakistan are currently fifth in the world ranking, while India are sixth. Canada are ranked 11th in the 12-team Olympic qualifying tournament as a result of their 15th place world ranking — the world rankings only being used to establish the pools. Therefore Canada, as the 12th ranked qualified team will play Greece at least one week prior to commencement of the qualifier tournament in a play-off competition (best of three games). In principle these matches will be played in Madrid unless other arrangements are made between the two teams. The pools for the Olympic qualifying tournament will be based upon the FIH tournament regulations for a two-pool competition, namely: Pool A (ranking in bracket): Holland (2), Britain (8), Spain (9), Japan (12), South Africa (13) and Poland (17). Pool B: Pakistan (5), India (6), Malaysia (10), New Zealand (11), Belgium (14) and Canada (15). This will be the third tournament in sixth months that India and Pakistan will be playing in the same pool. The teams were drawn in the same group in the Asia Cup (Kuala Lumpur) and Afro-Asian Games (Hyderabad).
— UNI |
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Men only for ancient Olympics’
revival Athens, November 6 “In ancient times, women were barred from taking part in the games,” an ATHOC source explained yesterday, although he stressed the women’s discus would still take place in the Olympic Stadium in Athens. But Anna Karamanou, a Greek deputy in the European Parliament, told AFP she was “totally opposed” to the proposal. “I’m against the revival of ancient traditions which clash with human rights and womens’ rights in particular,” said Karamanou. “In ancient times, no women, not even the mothers of the athletes, were allowed to watch the Games. Do we want this tradition revived too?”
— AFP |
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THG on banned list, says IOC Lausanne, November 6 The organisations said in a joint statement yesterday that THG, or tetrahydrogestrinone, is a steroid covered by the present banned list as well as the recently approved list for 2004. The statement noted that gestrinone is included by name on the present list of banned anabolic steroids. “THG, which has a similar chemical structure, therefore must be considered as an analogue and as a consequence is a prohibited substance,” it said. “THG will be analysed as part of the steroid class of substances both in competition and out of competition.” THG was unmasked last summer after a tip-off from an anonymous track coach who provided the US Anti-Doping Agency with a used syringe containing the substance. The UCLA doping control laboratory identified the drug as a steroid deliberately modified to evade detection.
— AP |
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Impressive start by Jeev New Delhi, November 6 Jeev, looking to end a title drought that has stretched way back to October 1999 when he won the Lexus International title in Thailand, opened a two-stroke lead over the field. Former Indian Open champion Vijay Kumar and Mexican pro Pablo del Olmo were tied second at four-under 68, while current Order of Merit leader Arjun Atwal was among the six tied for the fourth place at three-under 69. Favourite Jyoti Randhawa, winner of the Hero Honda title in 1998 and 1999, started his campaign with a one-under 71. Only 23 players managed to break par as the 122-strong field struggled to come to terms with the new greens and the threatening bushes lining the fairways. Among those who have made the grade, 17 are Indians. Jeev started with a birdie and never looked back. Except for a bogey on the tenth, where his tee shot went into the right bushes, the ace pro was consistency personified. He made birdies on the first and eighth — both par 5s — to be two-under at the turn. The bogey on the 10th was followed by a birdie on the 11th, which was setup by a stupendous nine-iron second shot to less than five feet. He then saved a great par on the par-3 12th before reeling in a birdie on the 13th, where he drained an 18-footer, and an eagle on the par-5 14th. “I have been playing very well for the past couple of months but haven’t been able to hold it together for four rounds. I did not hit the ball as well as I can, but my putting was satisfactory. I also made some great saves. I just hope I can keep the momentum going for the next three days”, Jeev said. Pablo Olmo was happy with the start and the four-under fitted in well with his plans which will be high enough for him to retain his Asian PGA Tour card. Vijay submitted a bogey-free card of 68 with birdies on the eighth, 12th, 17th and 18th. Atwal, who can become the first player to earn more than a
million dollars on the Asian PGA Tour, with a second-place finish here, put himself in position with a 69. However, he was disappointed on finishing with a bogey on the par-5 18th. |
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East Bengal, A-I in Durand Cup semis New Delhi, November 6 Requiring just a draw to advance, Dempo held the defending champions goalless till the 51st minute when Mike Okoro put the Kolkatans ahead but wasted a golden opportunity to draw level two minutes later when Prakash blasted a penalty kick wide. East Bengal then survived several attacks by the Goans before Malsawmtluanga (81st) and K. Kulothungan (89) put the match beyond the reach of Dempo. Earlier in the day, Air-India came back from a 12th minute goal by Dennis Cabral and equalised through Suprit Jathanna in the 56th minute to pip Vasco to second place in group D. East Bengal and Air India, the two group winners, will now clash in the second semifinal on Saturday after Salgaocar meet Mahindra United tomorrow in the first semi final. In what was the best match so far in the 116th edition of the tournament before a sizeable red and yellow supporters, Dempo matched East Bengal move to move. Till they faded away in the last 10 minutes, Dempo held the edge over their rivals which had India’s best player Baichung Bhutia in their eleven.
— PTI |
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Monaco make history in Champions
League London, November 6 Juventus, last season’s beaten finalists, joined Real Madrid in the last 16 after a 0-0 draw at Real Sociedad but elsewhere the goals flew in. Monaco’s victory was the highest scoring match in elite European competition for 23 years and the highest since the Champions League started 11 years ago. No other team in the Champions League had scored eight goals in one match before either. Monaco’s Croatian striker Dado Prso celebrated his 29th birthday with four goals — only the third player in Champions League history to do that after Marco Van Basten (AC Milan) in 1992 and Simone Inzaghi (Lazio) in 2000.
— Reuters |
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Easy Masters draw for Roddick New York, November 6 Roddick, the current number one and US Open champion, was the only 2003 Grand Slam winner in the red group, being drawn alongside Argentine Guillermo Coria, Germany’s Rainer Schuettler and Spaniard Carlos Moya. Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero, the world No 2 hoping to dislodge Roddick at the season-ending championship, was automatically kept apart from Roddick at the head of the blue group. But French Open champion Ferrero nevertheless has the tougher challenge ahead after being pitted against big guns Roger Federer of Switzerland, American Andre Agassi and Argentine David Nalbandian. Wimbledon champion Federer, third in the Champions Race and the entry system rankings, also has an outside chance of finishing 2003 at the top, according to the ATP Tour.
— Reuters |
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Signals move up in Surjit hockey Jalandhar, November 6 CISF dominated the proceedings and went ahead in the seventh minute through a penalty corner by Bharat Kumar. In the 17th minute, CISF again scored through Major Singh whose deflection from a cross by Cyril Ekka made it 2-0. In the 30th minute, Signals earned the first penalty corner and Nabhin Lakra sounded the board with hard shot. In the second half CISF again increased the lead with field goal by Cyril Ekka. The last 15 minutes were for the Signals who struck thrice to edge out CISF. In the 55th minute, S.K. Tigga netted the ball with a gentle push after dodging the goal keeper. In the 61st minute, D.N. Kushwara scored while in the 67th minute, the winning goal for Signals was scored by Pawan Verma. In the last match EME beat Rail Coach Factory 2-0. Kindo and the Jeron were the scorers. Earlier, BSF derailed Concordia Hockey Club, Croatia 13-0. The winners were leading by 9-0 in the first half. The scorers were international Harbhajan Singh (3), Sushil Kajur and Merius Lakra (2 each), Sandeep Singh and Peter Tirkey. In the second half, the scorers were Tirkey and Lakra (2 goals each). |
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Jignesh, Uday to clash in TT final Patiala, November 6 In the semi-final matches, Jignesh got the better of Vaneet Chopra of State Bank of Patiala 11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 11-4, 14-12 13-11 in a hotly contested encounter while Uday
Attray, too, had to cross many a hurdle before he finally conquered his more famed rival Deepak Thukral of Dena Bank 11-4, 11-8, 10-12, 6-11, 11-9, 13-11. In the women’s section, S.Presanna of Dena Bank will slug it out with K.Shamini of Indian Bank in the final. In the semi finals, S.Presanna downed Suchitra Narkar of the Union Bank of India 9-11, 11-4, 11-13, 15-13, 11-8, 11-7 while K.Shamini beat Sherry Crawford of Dena Bank 11-8, 9-11, 11-1, 6-11, 11-13, 11-3. At the end of the sixth day, Indian Bank were topping the points table with 34 medals while Allahabad Bank with 27 and Canara bank with 25 medals were placed second and third, respectively. The Union Bank of India and Syndicate Bank were placed a joint fourth by winning 21 medals each. For all their efforts, the hosts, the State Bank of Patiala could manage a measly four medals. In chess, where some high profile players are taking part, G.B.Parkash and K.V
Shantaram, both of Indian Bank, were leading by winning 4.5 points each at the end of the fifth round. Parvin
Thipsay, Sharad Tilak and Ravi Hegde, all three of the Union Bank of India and all of whom have earned the grandmaster norm, N.Sudhakar Babu of Indian Bank, Moti Ram of the State Bank of Patiala and N.Neel Kanthan of the Central Bank of India had pocketed four points apiece. Close behind with three points each were V.P Manoharan and Samir
Vyas, both of the Central Bank of India, V.Hariharan of Indian Bank, S.K Sinha of Punjab National Bank, Romesh Hade and Kamal Verma, both of the Bank of Baroda, Shyamal Dutta of UCO Bank, K.B Hari Kumar of the State Bank of
Travancore, Raminder Bir Singh of the State Bank of Patiala, A.J Naik of Syndicate Bank and U.V Diwaker of the State Bank of Hyderabad. In hockey, favourties Punjab and Sind Bank blanked Canara Bank 9-1 while Punjab National Bank scrapped past the Bank of India 2-0 in their last league matches. In the women’s section of the carrom event, Kavita
Somnachi, Sangeeta Chandolkar and Shobawati Kumari, all three of the Reserve Bank of India and National champion Rashmi Kumari of the Union Bank of India made their way into the last four stage. In the men’s section, the pair of
S. Nagaonkar and N.Etambe of Bank of India beat R. Arokiaraj and P.Veermani of the Central Bank of India 25-6, 25-0 to enter the semi-final stage in doubles event. They will take on Jagan Bengle and Neeraj Kumar of Punjab National Bank for a spot in the final. Jagan and Neeraj outclassed the pair of Roshan and Puniya Koti of the Union Bank of India 25-20, 25-11 in a quarter final match. In the quarterfinal matches of men’s singles, Venkat Raman of Indian Bank downed Neeraj Kumar of PNB 23-20, 25-7 while Raju Katare of Bank of India beat A. Dominic Raj of Indian Bank 25-16, 20-16. In other quarter final matches, Sanjay Nagaonkar of the Bank of India downed Shashi Kant of the Bank of Maharashtra 25-8, 19-8 while Niranjan Nimkar of the State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur beat Suresh Kumar of PNB 9-25, 15-13, 22-10 in a tight contest. In the women’s doubles event, the pair of Kavita Somanchi and Sangeeta Chandodkar of RBI downed Rashmi Kumari and Komal Kajrolkar of UBI 25-10, 25-8 to lift the title. |
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Trials for u-16 girls’ teams Amritsar, November 6 Trials for athletics will be held at Guru Nanak Stadium on November 10, for kho-kho and kabaddi on November 11 at Harkrishan Public School and for hockey on November 11 at Guru Nanak Dev Stadium. |
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Islamabad, November 6
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