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Laxman
lets out secret of success Injury
not due to grip, says Harbhajan Year
that belonged to Team India Rain thwarts Pak in drawn match
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Arnold
again to Lanka’s rescue National
Football League: JCT, Vasco settle for draw Sporting
beat Tollygunge ITBP
beat Thapar Academy
Punjab
basketball squads Haryana
athletes lift U-16 title
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Laxman lets out secret of success with Dravid
Melbourne, December 23 Dravid and Laxman have had numerous big stands in their careers at various levels but none more famous than the two they created in Kolkata in 2001 and in Adelaide just over a week ago. The pair scripted a mammoth 303-run partnership in Adelaide to fashion India’s historic Test win on Australian soil after a span of 22 years. Their 376-run association in the Kolkata Test had also resulted in an Indian victory. “It definitely helps when I bat alongside Rahul, a guy who is so intense and is concentrating at all times kind of inspires you at the other end,” said Laxman at the end of a practice session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. “The team needs us to get going and the confidence we carry from previous games obviously helps in the next innings,” he said. “I learn from and admire his consistency. We have been together for four-five years and it is a great learning process to bat with him,” Laxman said, looking forward to another long association with Dravid in the Melbourne Test as India try to stay ahead of the Australians in the four-match series. Laxman was expecting the Australians would hit back with a vengeance in the third Test but said they would rather do their stuff than worry about their rivals’ tactics. “We are not really thinking what the Australians are thinking. We are just concentrating on improving our game and try to be the best we can be. “It is going to be a tough match... we are looking forward to the challenge.” Laxman said his team was striving all the time to improve in the areas in which they were lagging. “There are lot of aspects of the game which we try to improve. We usually discuss those targets after a Test match.” Laxman said his team-mates know that they have to keep their feet on ground to concentrate on the challenge ahead. “The boys were glad we were able to achieve a win in Australia after 22 years. But we know we are competing against the best side in the world. There is no room for complacency.” Laxman had a look at the pitch and found it an interesting deck but did not elaborate whether it would offer pace and bounce. “It seems a good wicket but we can only assess the conditions when we have a feel of it. We would then play accordingly.” Australia have learnt their lesson from their shock defeat by to India in last week’s second Test, vice-captain Ricky Ponting said. “I think we’ve learnt from it. We have to be a bit tougher this week,’’ Ponting told reporters at Melbourne airport before the third Test which starts on Friday. Ponting made a majestic 242 in Australia’s first innings of 556 in the second Test in Adelaide. The dashing right-hander was out for a duck in the second innings with Australia collapsing to 196 all out. India were set 230 to win after what Australia coach John Buchanan said was an “immature’’ and “soul-less’’ batting performance by the home side. “If we had batted for one more session, things could have been a lot different,’’ said Ponting, who has hit 19 centuries in 73 Tests. “I think you’ll see a lot more determined team this week.’’ Melbourne Cricket Ground’s capacity has been reduced to 70,000 as part of renovations for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. However, Ponting said the Melbourne Test had lost none of its excitement. “This is my favourite cricket ground in the world and Boxing Day (December 26)is traditionally a big Test match,’’ Ponting said.
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Injury not due to grip, says Harbhajan
Melbourne, December 23 Harbhajan believed that gripping the ball tightly or giving his wrist a snap every time he ran up to bowl had nothing to do with his injury, which has ruled him out of action for nearly five months. “I have been injured, that’s it. It could be for bowling long overs and consistently and all that but I don’t think one can bring the grip factor into it,” he said. “I am very sad at not being a part of the Indian team. I really wanted to prove myself in Australia. I didn’t think this would happen to me when I left home with the team. But now that it has happened, I must give myself chance to recover.” The spinner was also sad that he would not be able to make it for the historic Pakistan tour. “It would have been great to play against Pakistan in a Test. It would have been my first such occasion”, he said. Harbhajan, his right arm in a sling, joined his team-mates today after undergoing the surgery on Friday. All the spinner could do was to watch his colleagues practice at the Melbourne Cricket Ground this afternoon. Those used to watching “Bhajji” dash around the field, pluck catches and generally being a livewire, it was a sorry sight. He will stay back till his doctor Greg Hoy has cut the plaster and had another examination of the injured finger. Meanwhile, it is learnt that Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has requested the Indian cricket board to give a few extra days between the end of the Australian tour and start of the Pakistan tour. India were expected to embark on their trip to Pakistan on February 26 but it appears the tour might be delayed by a few days. — PTI
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Year that belonged to Team India As he chases the ball on cricket’s green fields, he often reveals the speed of a plump matron participating in a lime-and-spoon race on sports day at the local school. A cruel description of our desi Brearley? Well, Sourav Ganguly is not in the team for his fielding. As we near the end of one of Indian cricket’s finest years, Ganguly can look back with pride and say he has contributed a great deal to making 2003 as significant a year in the history of Indian cricket as 1971 and 1983. Three years in about 33 or in the 75 years since the BCCI was born do not represent a statistical mountain. But the rarer the great years are, the more we tend to celebrate them. There are particular reasons for solemnizing 2003 regardless of what the result will be in the Melbourne Test. First, the fact that this Indian cricket team is fighting as a well-knit unit for a nation that unites to a man once a Kargil war or so. There must be something to Ganguly’s inspirational leadership for this team to have come around twice in the year - from the depths of a damp and dank New Zealand tour and a drubbing by Australia in the league game to get to the final of the World Cup and from a precipitous 88 for four in the face of 556 to win the Adelaide Test. Seen at the beginning of the year as Dollar chasers at the expense of a national cause when the row over contracts raged ahead of the World Cup, the cricketers of Team India have displayed their talent on the field to rebut all criticism. More, they have won our hearts by exorcising the ghost of Australia down under. Now they stand on the threshold of a historic series win over the world’s best team. The transformation in fortunes, brought about by good solid cricket, could not have come about at a better time than when the whole nation is bullish, as symbolised in the rising stock market indices, about its prospects as a world class provider of IT skills and services. And cricket has always played its bit as an index of the feel good factor, if not of national well being. Team India was drubbed in the final after a certain negative mindset saw Ganguly put Australia in. But what shame did lie in being beaten by the world’s best one-day team? Earlier, our cricketers had warmed the cockles of our heart by that memorable victory over Pakistan as Sachin Tendulkar’s bat put to sword the thunderbolts of Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Even the Dravid and Goliath drama of Adelaide may seem to pale in the mind’s eye when it sweeps the year and up comes the vistas of Sachin and Sehwag’s upper cuts sailing into the stands over point at the Centurion. Sachin’s 98 outshone all the centuries he made in the one-day arena that he continued to dominate even in a year of such self doubts in the Test match format. Indian cricket was not all about the feel good factor in the year. The Kale cash-for-team spot scandal rocked the board. Yet, it was hard to comprehend why such a fuss was being made about a bribe offer when the cricket board’s vote pattern has always been so riddled with corruption as to make the Telgis of this world look like small fry. L’affaire Kale and Ganguly’s decision to bowl at the Wanderers were forgettable events in a year that was so good for Indian cricket much as the year was a great advertisement for world cricket despite Shane Warne’s shenanigans. Young India’s performance in the Asia Cup was another good sign that promises a rich lode in an assembly line of talent. The significant development is Indian cricketers are prepared to fight, from the very top occupied by Team India down to the largely neglected domestic circuit in which many a player may toil without any great hope of recognition. A nation without bowlers is now filled with trundlers and spinners who have at least imbibed the work ethic.
— UNI
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Rain thwarts Pak
in drawn match
Hamilton, December 23 Sami destroyed the top order as New Zealand collapsed to 52 for seven in their second innings before struggling back to 96 for eight, a lead of 196 before the rain intervened with 35 overs left in the day. In a game that had been dominated by New Zealand for three days and then appeared destined for a draw on the fourth, Sami rewrote the script with a withering spell of pace bowling in the dying hours. “There were a lot of jitters and the game was definitely in the balance,” admitted New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, who won the Man-of-the-Match award for his first innings 192. With the morning session lost because of the weather, New Zealand abandoned hopes of scoring quick runs in search of a result and the afternoon loomed as a batting exercise. After 10 overs the score had edged up from four to 13 when Sami struck, dismissing Lou Vincent (4) and Stephen Fleming (0) in the space of five balls. In a 13-over spell, in which he fired the ball down repeatedly in excess of 150 kilometres an hour, Sami took four for 32. He then took another wicket after tea to finish with remarkable figures of five for 44 from 16 overs. Sami’s midas touch extended to the field where a brilliant throw from the deep had Craig McMillan run out at a time when New Zealand needed to survive rather than pick up stray runs. Scoreboard New Zealand (1st innings): 563 Pakistan (1st innings): 463 New Zealand (2nd innings): Richardson c Khan b Gul 15 Vincent c Farhat b Sami 4 Fleming c Khan b Sami 0 Styris c Umar b Sami 20 McMillan run out 2 Cairns b Gul 0 Oram not out 23 Hart b Sami 0 Vettori c Umar b Sami 20 Tuffey not out 1 Extras:
(lb-4, w-1, nb-6) 11 Total: (for 8 wkts, 40.1 overs) 96. Fall of wickets:
1/13, 2/13, 3/42, 4/42, 5/42 6/47, 7/52, 8/95. Bowling: Sami 16-4-44-5, Shabbir 10-7-10-0, Gul 7.1-2-25-2, Kaneria 4-2-6-0, Razzaq 3-1-7-0.
— AFP |
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HAMILTON: Pakistan coach Javed Miandad said he was surprised with the defensive tactics New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming used during the first Test. “In my opinion, when you are defending 563 you have to attack more,” Miandad said after the match ended in a draw. ‘’But he let our batsman settle down and we took the time and got past the follow-on mark (364). “I feel the bowlers didn’t attack the stumps enough and they bowled a line just waiting for our batsmen to make a mistake and that was to our advantage, because at one stage we were 285 for six. They didn’t try to make our batsmen play. — Reuters
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Arnold again to Lanka’s rescue
Kolkata, December 23 Chasing Pakistan As 300, they reached 304 for five wickets in 49.1 overs, a day after humbling hosts India by seven wickets. The pillar of the Lankan innings was Arnold who remained unbeaten on 100 off 104 balls with 12 flowing boundaries and two sixes. The Sri Lankan captain looked invincible, adding a ton to his undefeated 96 against India yesterday. He now has an average of 196 from two games. The best part of Sri Lankan batting is the clinical execution and the professional attitude with which they went about their job. Arnold, who came in at the fall of Mubarrak, paced his innings to perfection playing each ball by its merit. He never looked hesitant coming on to the front foot and cut and pulled with raw power. He has added a delicate glance to his weaponry that has given him five boundaries this innings. Russels only blemish was a sharp catch he had given at 87 off Asad. Given a life, Arnold raced from 93 to 99 hitting a six off Rouf Khan and then stole a single to reach his century. This also brought the team within two runs of victory in the 49th over. Zoysa with a boundary off the first ball of the 50th over brought up the winning runs. SCOREBOARD Pakistan A: Nazir c Jayawardene b Zoysa 11 Afridi b Herath 63 Batt lbw b Lakshita 29 Hafeez st Jayawardene b Herath 28 Iqbal c Jayantha b Kulasekara 50 Latif c Kalavitigoda b Arnold 17 Asad not out 52 Rehman st Jayawardene b Herath 4 Zia c Arnold b Kulasekara 4 Amjad run out 7 Rouf Khan b Lakshita 7 Extras: (b-2, lb-4, nb-14, w-8) 28 Total: (all out, 49.5 overs) 300 Fall of wickets: 1/40, 2/113, 3/119, 4/180, 5/217, 6/230, 7/236, 8/243, 9/272. Bowling: Zoysa 10-0-62-1, Lakshita 9.5-1-68-2, Kulasekara 10-0-65-2, Herath 10-1-52-3, Jayantha 7-0-33-0, C. Silva 1-0-9-0, Arnold 2-0-5-1. Sri Lanka A: Kalavitigoda b Afridi 74 Jayantha b Zia 14 Mubarak c Rahman b Hafeez 42 Arnold not out 100 Nawaz c Nazir b Hafeez 24 Silva b Afridi 11 Zoysa not out 6 Extras: (lb-14, nb-1, w-18) 33 Total: (for five wkts in 49.1 overs) 304 Fall of wkts: 1/32, 2/109, 3/190, 4/252, 5/286. Bowling: Rouf Khan 9-0-67-0, Zia 5-0-24-1, Afridi 10-0-56-2, Hafeez 10-0-46-2, Asad 6-0-32-0, Amjad 7.1-0-47-0, Butt 2-0-18-0. — PTI
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National Football League:
JCT, Vasco settle for draw Ludhiana, December 23 Smarting from the 0-2 defeat against Goa’s Dempo SC here the other day, the Punjab outfit were extra cautious in the midfield and defence. Defensive lapses were hardly evident as JCT’s stopper backs KV Dhanesh and Nigerian Musa Aliu kept the Vasco forwards on a tight leash. Amaechi Tochukwa, who has inflicted damage on well-known opponents like East Bengal and Salgaocar with his lethal strikes, hardly got an opportunity to test JCT custodian Mansuru Mohammed. On the few occasions that Vasco posed danger, Mansuru displayed fine anticipation making acrobatic saves. JCT, too, got some chances but Vasco custodian Rogerio Ramos was equally alert to thwart the moves. In fact, Vasco were lucky to escape unscathed in the absence of Brazilian recruit Edson Crasto, who was out of action today after earning the red card in the match against Mohun Bagan. In Edson’s absence, a lot depended on Denis Cabral and Amaechi and the former did appear dangerous with his lightning runs on the right flank but the JCT defence kept him in check. For JCT, Nigerian striker Stephan Abarowei was named in the starting line-up along with IM Vijayan with Jaswinder moving in tandem on the right flank. Jaswant Singh was also fielded in the first half. While a lot depended on star midfielder Joe Paul Ancheri, Vijayan and Stephan, the trio proved rather ineffective. In fact the partially-fit Ancheri and Stephan Abarowei were substituted in the second half with newcomers Baldip Singh and Manjit Singh. In a fast-paced game, Vasco posed the first serious threat in the seventh minute when Amaechi moved in dangerously and was soon in a one-to-one situation with JCT goalkeeper Mansuru but the latter displaying fine anticipation rushed out of charge to thwart the move. Midway through the first half, JCT’s Sukhjinder Singh sent a cross to Jaswinder who centred for Stephan but the latter’s header was off the mark. Vasco’s Denis Cabral appeared to be in control on the right but he failed to get a close look. Deep defender Seby Dias, who did a commendable job along with skipper Selwyn Fernandes, was hurt during a collision but he was soon back with a bandaged forehead. Vasco made a close call when Thomas D’Cruz attempted a bicycle kick inside the penalty area off a cross from the right but he missed the flight of the ball. In a counter-attack, JCT’s Jaswinder Singh managed to cut in from the right but his powerful shot struck a rival defender. On changing ends, JCT brought in Ram Pal in place of Jaswant Singh but he failed to utilise a pass by Vijayan effectively. Newcomer Baldip Singh, who replaced Ancheri, did show some promise and on one occasion he looked threatening inside the box but unluckily his shot sailed over. Substitute Manjit Singh’s powerful left-footer was saved by Vasco custodian Rogerio Ramos, who dived to his right to make an acrobatic save. IM Vijayan’s cross for Manjit also went waste as Manjit only managed to baloon the ball high over the bar. With the blowing of the long whistle, the two sides appeared satisfied having secured one point each. |
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Kolkata, December 23 The only goal of the match came in the 87th minute of the game when following an Amandeep Singh centre, Chide back-headed the ball to Sheikh Sanjiv whose volley on a half turn defeated Tolly-gunge keeper Chinmay Banerjee. The game never rose to great heights as both the teams displayed scrappy football. The play was mostly confined to the midfield with none of the teams showing any purpose in their moves. — UNI
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ITBP beat Thapar Academy Nabha, December 23 In other matches, the smooth flowing boys of Air India Academy outclassed Artillery Centre, Hyderabad 2-1 while Ropar Hawks smothered the challenge of BEG, Roorkie by a similar margin to complete the day’s programme. ITBP should consider themselves lucky to have entered the next round as they survived several chance. That they played with resilience is reflected from the fact that they trailed during almost the entire course of the match but managed to bounce back in style. Two fluent goals by strikers Yadvinder
Singh and Rakesh Kumar saw the Sansarpur lads take a comfortable 2-0 lead. They hung on tenaciously to the two-goal cushion till ITBP pulled one back through centre half Satvinder Singh late into the second half. Ropar Hawks seemed to be on their way to the next round but their plans were put on hold by striker Bir Singh who scored a brilliant goal off a penalty corner in the last minute of the intensely fought match. The thud of the board just about coincided with the final hooter leaving the two teams deadlocked 2-2 at the end of regulation time. In the penalty shootout, both teams converted four of their five strokes leaving them evenly balanced at 6-6. The sudden death rule was brought into play in which ITBP scored off both their attempts while the Sansarpur lads failed to covert their second chance enabling ITBP to romp home with a 8-7 margin. The second match saw Jagraon Police giving a tough fight to Indian Postal XI before they finally wilted under the sustained pressure built by their rivals during the fag end of the match and went down 2-3. Air India Academy boys packed enough power and punch into their game to chalk out a 2-1 victory against Artillery Centre, Hyderabad. The academy boys could have convincingly increased their victory margin had it not been for some fine goal keeping by the Hyderabad custodian L. Nagesh. In the last match of the day, Ropar Hawks rode on a brace by right in Amit Sandhu to notch up a 2-1 win against BEG, Roorkie. For the losers L. Mukeshwar scored a goal midway in the second half but this effort came too late in the match. |
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Punjab Police enter final Jalandhar, December 23 Punjab Police settled for a 1-1 draw with BSF to enter the final on points basis. In a high-voltage encounter, former Indian captain Pargat Singh came to the rescue of his team by converting a penalty corner to finally settle for a draw against the BSF. The match was started at a fast race as both teams attacked from the beginning. In the 23rd minute, BSF opened their account through penalty corner conversion by Raj Singh (0-1). Though Punjab Police were awarded three penalty corners, they failed to avail of the opportunities. In the 68th minute, Pargat Singh took command and easily converted a penalty corner for an equaliser (1-1). Punjab Police entered the final with 10 points. Meanwhile, Army XI defeated Namdhari XI 2-0 while in the women’s section, Sukhjit Starch Mills, Phagwara lost to Haryana 0-4. |
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Punjab basketball squads Ludhiana, December 23 Men: Preetinder Singh, Prithpal Singh, Harminder Singh, Jasjot Singh, Sharanjit Dhaliwal, Amit Prashar, Snehpal Singh, Gurpal Singh Pali and Manpreet Singh of Punjab Police, Damandeep Singh of Amritsar, Jagdeep Singh and Yadwinder Singh of Baba Lodhiana Academy of Ludhiana. Dr S. Subramanian and Mr Harjinder Singh will accompany the team as coach and assistant coach
respectively while Mr B.S. Brar will be the manager of the team. Women: Kamaljit Kaur, Manpreet Kaur and Taranjit Kaur of Ludhiana, Paramjit Kaur and Surinder Kaur of Faridkot, Rajwinder Kaur and Balwinder Kaur of Hoshiarpur, Rajnarinder Kaur and Maninder Kaur of Jalandhar, Mukti, Pooja and Reena of Kapurthala. Mr Satish Sharma and Mr Devinder Pal Singh will accompany the team as coach and assistant coach, respectively. Dr Suman Sharma will be the manager of the team.
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Haryana athletes
lift U-16 title Kollam, December 23 Kerala, with 83 points, were declared the champions in the under 20 boys category. Uttar Pradesh with 78 points became the champions in the under-18 boys section. Haryana got the under 16 boys title while Tamil Nadu boys with 19 points finished on top in he under 14 category. In the district side, Tamil Nadu were declared champions in under-20 and under-14 categories with 106 and 19 points, respectively. Kerala won the U-18 and U-16 categories.
— UNI |
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Melbourne, December 23
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