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Australia choke Kiwis Ganguly keen to make up
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Andhra Pradesh face uphill task Punjab’s tie heading for draw Arjun Atwal wins Hero Honda Masters
Salgaocar start favourites
Olympians XI settle for draw Oilmen enter quarter-finals Sports varsity at
Jind planned
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Australia choke Kiwis
Guwahati, November 9 Chasing a modest target of 226 for victory, New Zealand could never really find their bearings after a top-order collapse to fold up for 181 in 45.3 overs and give the Aussies their fourth consecutive victory in the series. The Black Caps, who desperately needed a win to bolster their chances of making it to the final, enjoyed an upper hand in the early stages of the contest by reducing the Aussies to 61 for four but the world champions fought their way out with characteristic grit to maintain their supremacy over their trans-Tasman rivals. The Aussies, who have already assured themselves of a berth for the November 18 final in Kolkata, widened the lead atop the points table with 23 points from five outings. New Zealand, who managed to gain a bonus point today, climbed to the second position on the table with ten points from five matches. The Kiwis will now have to battle it out for the other finalist’s spot with India who have nine points from four outings. Put in to bat, Australia weathered an early storm to post a modest 225 for seven, mainly built around a resolute unbeaten 84 by Michael Bevan. Skipper Ricky Ponting was the other notable contributor with an 84-ball 52. The Kiwis’ run chase began on a disastrous note as they lost opener Chris Nevin when the score was on seven and could not really recover from the early jolt as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals. Speedster Nathan Bracken, who has been quite impressive right through the series, put the world champions in control by getting rid of Nevin with a gem of a delivery which saw Ponting taking a smart catch in second slip. Captain Stephen Fleming and Lou Vincent tried to steady the ship by negotiating the two Aussie new ball operators Bracken and Michael Kasprovicz without taking too many risks. Fleming executed some glorious shots picking up Bracken for some special treatment by clobbering him for two consecutive boundaries. The second wicket pair put on 31 runs before Bracken struck again by evicting Vincent who has been struggling with the bat right through the triangular series. The right-handed Vincent was foxed by a slower delivery by Bracken as he attempted to play on the leg side and Brad Hogg gleefully held on to a simple catch at point. A big blow awaited the Black caps six overs later when captain Fleming was deceived by a slower ball by Ian Harvey, much to the jubilation of his teammates. Fleming, who appeared quite comfortable in the middle, failed to read the slower delivery and offered a simple return catch to the bowler. His 46-ball 29 contained four boundaries. The dismissal of Fleming triggered off a collapse as Craig McMillan (0) and Jacob Oram (14) returned to the pavilion in quick succession. Speedster Andy Bichel, who was introduced into the attack in the 13th over, accounted for the hard-hitting McMillan who had guided New Zealand to a stunning four-wicket victory with an unbeaten 82 against India in the last match in Cuttack. McMillan was a trifle unlucky to be given out by umpire K. Hariharan as the ball appeared to hit his pad before sailing into the hands of Jimmy Maher behind the stumps. Left arm spinner Brad Hogg then compounded New Zealand’s misery by plotting the dismissal of the lanky Jacob Oram to leave the Kiwis tottering at 88 for five in the 22nd over. Hogg found success in his very first over as he trapped Oram plump in front of the wicket with a flipper, allowing the Aussies to tighten the noose around their rivals. The experienced Scott Styris and Chris Harris then made a valiant effort to put the innings back on track in the face of some tight and disciplined bowling by the Aussies. The sixth wicket pair raised hopes of a spirited fightback by stitching 55 runs before Hogg broke the partnership by sending Styris (54) back to the dressing room with Ponting taking the catch at short mid-wicket. SCOREBOARD Australia: Harvey c Nevin b Tuffey 25 Maher lbw b Tuffey 3 Ponting c McMillan b Vettori 52 Martyn c McCullum b Mills 0 Symonds c McCullum b Mills 18 Bevan not out 84 Clarke c McMillan b Vettori 2 Hogg c Styris b Harris 9 Bichel not out 15 Extras: (b-4, lb-9, w-3, nb-1) 17 Total: (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 225 Fall of wickets: 1-33, 2-33, 3-34, 4-61, 5-139, 6-141, 7-164. Bowling: Tuffey 10-1-60-2, Mills 8-0-36-2, Oram 10-0-47-0, Vettori 10-0-20-2, Styris 9-1-38-0, Harris 3-0-15-1. New Zealand: Nevin c Ponting b Bracken 2 Fleming c and b Harvey 29 Vincent c Hogg b Bracken 12 Styris c Ponting b Hogg 54 McMillan c Maher b Bichel 0 Oram lbw Hogg 14 Harris run out 38 McCullum c Maher b Kasprowicz 7 Vettori run out 0 Mills c Maher b Bracken 4 Tuffey not out 0 Extras: (b-4, w-9, nb-2, lb-6) 21 Total: (all out in 45.3 overs) 181 Fall Of Wickets: 1-7, 2-38, 3-66, 4-68, 5-88, 6-143, 7-169, 8-170, 9-181. Bowling:
Bracken 7.3-0-34-3, Kasprowicz 8-0-28-1, Bichel 7-0-21-1, Harvey 4-0-14-1, Hogg 10-0-39-2, Symonds 4-0-14-0, Clarke 5-0-21-0.
— PTI |
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Ganguly keen to make up Bangalore, November 9 Having missed action in the second Test and the first four matches of the tri-series due to an abscess in his left thigh, Ganguly is now set to join his teammates for their clash against Australia here on Wednesday. Ganguly, who arrived here today, admitted the forced lay-off had been frustrating and he missed being in the thick of things especially so as the Indians have been pushed on the backfoot after two defeats on a trot. “Yes, it is (frustrating). I was injured... can’t help when you are injured,” he told reporters at the airport. But now that he was fit, he was raring to have a go, the Bengal Tiger said. “I want to play. I am here and raring to go,” he said. The team is looking up to its inspirational skipper to sail through to the final of the series on November 18 in Kolkata and coach John Wright has said the players were looking forward to Ganguly’s return to the squad. Meanwhile, most of the players, including master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, have already arrived in the city for the day-night clash.
— PTI |
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Cricketers to tour Pak in March
Kolkata, November 9 Announcing this here today the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jagmohan Dalmiya said that the Indian team’s tour would be followed by the Asia Cup. Dalmiya, who returned from Barbados after attending a crucial meeting of the Board of International Cricket Council
(ICC), said that he already had initial discussion with the Pakistan Cricket Board chief General Tauqir Zia in this regard. “The details of the itineraries of India’s tour of Pakistan as well as the Asia Cup are being worked out”, the Board President said. To a query about when the much-awaited Pakistan tour is going to take place, he said that after the Indian team’s return from Australia, it would be ready for the challenge after a rest of a fortnight. The Indian team returns to the country in the middle of February after a two and half month tour Down Under. Dalmiya said it would be a full-fledged tour during which India would play Test matches as well as one-day internationals against their arch-rivals. The Asia Cup, to be held immediately after the series in Pakistan, will also feature India and Pakistan besides four other teams. He said that it was reported to the ICC Development (International) Ltd
(IDI), the business arm of ICC, that the Indian Government had cleared bilateral tours between India and Pakistan at all levels and the decision had been appreciated by all. The Indian government had earlier allowed the country’s participation in junior tournaments featuring Pakistan and the Indian under-19 team had just returned champions in the Asian U-19 tournament in the neighbouring country, he said. Before that the two teams had played in an Asian Emerging teams’ tournament in Sri Lanka. Next month Pakistan ‘A’ team would be visiting India to take part in a tournament being played among ‘A’ teams of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Dalmiya said.
— PTI |
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Andhra Pradesh face uphill task New Delhi, November 9 Railways, who resumed at 192 for one, went for brisk scoring on day three to declare their innings at 441 for 8 wickets, 20 minutes after the tea break, to take a 179-run first innings lead. Andhra Pradesh, who were all out for 262 in their first innings, were 72 for one at the draw of stumps. Amit Pathak returned to the pavilion after making 39 off 64 balls with seven boundaries when he was caught leg before by Tejinder Pal Singh just six minutes before close of play. M Suresh was batting on 29 and Hemal Watekar was not out on 4 at close. Andhra face a daunting task of avoiding an outright defeat as they need to make 107 more runs to wipe off
Railway's first innings lead. With the Railways boasting of a variety in bowling, and home ground advantage, they will go all out to exploit the moist conditions in the morning to make life miserable for the Andhra batsman unless opener Suresh and company apply themselves and see through the morning hours to take the match to a draw to earn some valuable points. Either way, Railways stand to benefit as they have nothing much to worry, having taken the first innings lead. India discard Sanjay Bangar, who resumed at 72, stayed on to record a well-crafted century. Tejinder Pal Singh, who was unbeaten on 52, added 25 more runs to his overnight total before falling to D Kalyan Krishnan, caught at gully by Fayaz Ahmad. Railways were 286 for three at lunch, and they could have been a much more stronger position, but for the quick blows inflicted by G Shankar Rao, who got Yere Goud stumped, and then trapped J P Yadav and S Khanolkar lbw. Bangar’s was the fifth wicket to fall, caught at long on by substitute Y Gyaneshwar off M N Vikram Verma, but even after the departure of Bangar, Andhra’s worries were far from over. |
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Punjab’s tie heading for draw Palakkad, November 9 Skipper Sunil Oasis was unbeaten on 50 and Sreekumar Nair on 10 were at the crease at close of play. Earlier, Oasis and Hemanth Kumar (61) put on 89 for the fourth wicket. For Punjab, Vineeth Sharma and Rajesh Sharma scalped two wickets each. The day’s play had started 30 minutes late due to overnight rain. Bengal face daunting task JAIPUR: Rohit Jhalani hit a solid 85 as Rajasthan set a daunting target before Bengal on the penultimate day of the four-day Elite B Ranji Trophy cricket match here today. Rajasthan, who had taken a first innings lead of 135 over their opponents, declared their second innings at 268 for five with Vineet Saxena (59) and Anshu Jain (53) notching up half centuries. Chasing a victory target of 404, Bengal lost an early wicket to be at nine for one at stumps on the third day with Devang Gandhi (4) and Amitava Chakroborty (4) at the crease. Earlier, resuming their second innings at 32 for one, Rajasthan consolidated their position further with Jhalani dominating the opposition bowlers with some fine strokes all around the ground. Except for S Lahiri, who returned with figures of three for 69, no other Bengal
bowler could put any pressure on the Rajasthan batsmen as the home side piled on runs before declaring their innings.
Parab slams ton MUMBAI: Baroda opening batsman Satyajit Parab slammed 121 to help his team reach 219 for four in their second innings on the penultimate day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group A cricket match against defending champions Mumbai here today. The visitors, who had
conceded 111-run first innings lead, were just 108 runs ahead with six second innings wickets intact and the whole day to go tomorrow.
UP struggling KANPUR: Responding to Delhi’s huge first innings total of 478, Uttar Pradesh were struggling to avoid the follow-on, ending the third day on 206 for seven in an Elite Group A Ranji Trophy match at the Green Park stadium here. Resuming on their overnight score of 19 for no loss, the hosts lost wickets at regular intervals as the Delhi bowlers came up with a collective effort to rock UP, who need 123 runs more to avoid the follow-on. Their hopes now rest on former skipper Gyanendra Pandey who was batting on 60.
— Agencies |
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Arjun Atwal wins Hero Honda Masters New Delhi, November 9 The 31-year-old Atwal closed with a one-under 71 to aggregate seven-under 281 for the tournament, one better than Jyoti Randhawa, Pablo Del Olmo (Mexico) and Gary Rusnak (USA). The victory earned him $ 48,450 to take his career earnings to $ 1,016,352. The win almost sealed Atwal’s bid to win the Asian PGA Tour Order of Merit crown in 2003. He now leads second placed Zhang Lian-Wei of China by over $ 126,000 with four events to go this season. The final round saw lead changing hands dramatically and overnight leader Digvijay Singh failed in his bid to secure his maiden Asian PGA Tour title and finished tied 10th at three-under 285 following a round of 78. Atwal himself went up to nine-under after a monster 50-footer eagle putt on the par-5 eighth, but fell back with bogeys on four of the next five holes. However, the only Asian to win twice on the European Tour, forced himself back into contention with birdies on the 14th and 17th, where he chipped-in, and a measured par putt on the 18th from 10 feet. First two day leader Jeev Milkha Singh had a poor one over par 73 last round and ended joint eighth. Uttam Mundy had two under 70 and was placed joint 13th. |
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Salgaocar start favourites New Delhi, November 9 Baichung, who skipped the semi-final match against Air-India due to a calf muscle injury, was
unsure whether he would play or not. "I am really not sure. I have to wait till
tomorrow morning and the team’s coach (Subhas Bhowmick) will decide then," Baichung told UNI. On current form and confidence level, Salgaocar holds the edge over the national league champions, as their forward and mid-field looked much sharper with an organised defence. The Kolkata giants, who have to their credit 15 Durand titles and have entered the finals 25 times, are a tired bunch of players.
— UNI |
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Reunion with a difference Sansarpur, November 9 Besides, they also had a word of encouragement for hundreds of youngsters, who after revival of this game in the village nine years ago, have taken to the sport under the watchful eyes of not only the coaches of the Karam Chand Thapar Hockey Academy but also of some former stalwarts, who after retirement from defence forces or the police, have taken to coaching voluntarily. The cynosure of all eyes was former Test star and Indian captain Bishen Bedi, whose love for hockey is well known. “I want all these former hockey stars to play today,” he equipped as he was greeted by former Indian captain Ajit Pal Singh, Col Balbir Singh (Services) and Tarsem Singh, all of the Sansarpur Hockey Association. Others who came in were Col Harcharan Singh, Jagjit Singh, MP Ganesh, Charles Cornelius, MP Singh, Rajinder Singh Sr, Rajinder Jr, Madan Mohan Singh, Resham Singh, Jagdeep Singh Gill, Sukhvir Grewal, Edward Alloysius, Sanjeev Kumar, Ajit Singh and his son Gagan Ajit Singh, Jagdev Singh, Baldev Singh, Gundeep Kumar, Baljit Saini, Ramandeep Grewal, Pargat Singh and many more. Oldest of them all was Harbhajan Singh Bhajo, a former trainer at Rashtriya Military Academy at Dehra Dun, who helped many Sansarpurians in sharpening their skills in the finer points of the game. Though not from Sansarpur, he did represent the village in the prestigious Brighton Cup Hockey Tournament more than half a century ago. The cynosure of all eyes were the Kulak family members from Canada whose three generations were represented by Olympian Bindsi (Sydney 2000), father Pal Singh, and grandfather. They are here as a part of the visiting Canadian team. Also accompanying the visiting team is Hargurnek Sandhu, a Canadian Olympian. Unfortunately, Olympians from Kenya could not stay for the diamond jubilee celebrations as they — Hadev Singh and Jagjit Singh, brothers — had to rush back only last week because of their other commitments. No one from England could also make it this time. For Sansarpur, it was a special day. A festive look was not the only thing that attracted attention. It reminded one of an army reunion function as special canopies were raised and red carpets unrolled to receive the guests. An army band was in attendance. When Jagjit Singh walked in from his ancestral home across the road, the party had begun. Greetings, old nick names and some nostalgic moments were enough to give one the idea of warmth and
camaraderie these players must have enjoyed several decades ago. Before the exhibition game between Olympians and visiting Canadian team started, it was time for tiny tots to display their newly acquired skills in the sport. |
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Olympians XI settle for draw Jalandhar, November 9 The first half of the match was dominated by the foreigners as the veterans studded Olympians XI was seen running to catch hold of the ball from the rivals. The Canadian boys made an early strike in the 10th minute when Bindi Singh scored a field goal to open their account 1-0. The equaliser for Olympians XI came in the shape of a field goal through Sanjiv Kumar, who netted the ball into box in the 14th minute 1-1. Canadian boys made some hostile attempts on the rival’s box and
succeeded in consolidated the lead to 2-1 in the 16th minute, when Ranjeet scored a field goal. Though
Olympians XI tried their best to score an equaliser by moving the ball very close to the rivals’ defence circle on several
occasions, but of no avail. The score was 2-1 till the lemon break. In the second half, Canadian XI took control of the ball most of the time while Indian hockey stars Gagan Ajit Singh and Baljeet Singh Dhillon made some hostile attempts to score an equaliser. Finally, it was Baljeet Singh Dhillon, who used the opportunity of a penalty stroke in the 47th minute to settle for a draw 2-2. Later, the association honoured former Olympians and veteran hockey players for their contribution in the promotion of Indian hockey. |
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Oilmen enter quarter-finals Jalandhar, November 9 In the women’s section, Danoa Punjab Club crushed Air India, Mumbai 2-0 to earn three points out of the victory. In the last match of the pre-quarterfinal league, Indian Oil, Delhi, easily defeated EME, Jalandhar, to enter the quarterfinals. Indian Oil gained an early lead in the 12th minute when Bikramjit Singh made no mistake in converting a penalty corner 1-0. Though EME were awarded three penalty corners in the 10th, 24th and 28th minutes, but they failed to use the opportunity. The score was 1-0 till the lemon break. In the second half, Indian Oil further
consolidated the lead in the 53rd minute through a field goal by Inderjit Singh 2-0. Full back Bikramjit Singh struck again in the 61st minute by easily converting a penalty corner to finally seal the fate of the opponents 3-0. |
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Sports
varsity at Jind planned Chandigarh, November 9 Official
sources said that the decision has been taken following protests by
students against setting up Devi Lal University at Sirsa. Protests by
students against affiliating their colleges to the new university at
Sirsa was particularly strong in Bhiwani and Jind districts. The
colleges of Jind were earlier affiliated to Kurukshetra University,
which, the agitating students claimed suited them because of its easy
accessibility. Such protests have reportedly prompted the Chief
Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, to shift the venue of the proposed
university to Jind from his very own Sirsa district. Incidentally, the assembly constituency represented by Mr Chautala also falls in Jind district. The sports university is likely to projected by the ruling party as a gift of Mr Chautala to the voters of the Narwana constituency. The
sources said that a team of officers led by Mr D.S. Dhesi, Secretary,
Sports and Youth Welfare Department of Haryana, will go around Jind
district on November 13, 14 and 15 to identify a site for setting up
the university. “ It will be a multicrore rupees venture set up over
a huge area. Local people will also find employment when it comes up”,
they said. |
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Punjabi varsity win
judo championship
Patiala, November 9 Speaking on the occasion, Dr U.C. Singh said such championships were not merely meant to award medals but their main aim was to produce good sportspersons. Punjabi University (Men) team won the championship while Ch Devi Lal University, Sirsa, got the second position and Pune University finished third. In the women section, Ch Devi Lal University, Sirsa, bagged the top position while Punjabi University was second and Delhi University third. Pawandeep Kaur of Punjabi University was awarded Judoca for her best performance in women section and Yashwant Navelkar of Pune University got Judoca from men’s side. |
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HP varsity
basketball results Kangra, November 9 MCM DAV College Kangra defeated Government College Sarkaghat 76-24. Government College Sanjulle defeated Government College Hamirpur 70-18 in a one-sided game. |
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Guwahati, November 9
New Delhi, November 9
KOLKATA: After having a housing complex named after him, Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly may now have his own brand of cricket ball as a local sports goods manufacturer plans to roll out ‘Maharaj’ deuce balls for promotion of the game in his home state.
Mullick Enterprise, which set up its first cricket ball manufacturing unit in West Bengal at Howrah, is planning to market its ‘Maharaj’ brand of deuce balls later this month.
“We are looking for branding the balls after Ganguly. This will also inspire Bengal cricketers, who have Sourav as their idol,” company proprietor Seema Mullick said.
— PTI
ISLAMABAD: Breaking his silence on the selection controversy, Pakistan cricket coach Javed Miandad has said he was unhappy with chief selector Aamir Sohail's arbitrary style of working and threatened to resign if he did not mend his ways.
After remaining tight-lipped for the last two days, Miandad admitted he was not happy with the chief selector's decision to name the probables for the New Zealand series without consulting either him or captain Inzamam-ul Haq.
"Neither was I consulted nor Inzamam by Aamir Sohail or any other selector when they finalised the 22 players for the series against New Zealand.
"We did not know about it till it was in the press," he was quoted as saying by local daily The News yesterday.
— PTI