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Badani likely to replace Bangar
Price keen to resume duel with Tendulkar
Look after fast bowlers, Ganguly tells BCCI Lee needs to relax, says McGrath |
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Kale episode a black spot: Prabhakar Bangladesh cricketers ‘need exposure’
Tennis among cleanest games: Agassi HOA bonanza for sportspersons Indoor swimming pool at Malerkotla
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Badani likely to replace Bangar
Hobart, January 13 The performance of the lower-order batsmen, who have failed to contribute much to the total, has been a worrying factor for the Indians right through the tour and captain Saurav Ganguly has already made it clear that his tailenders need to show more character. The Indians lost their last six wickets for just 13 runs in the opening match against Australia to blow away a winning opportunity at Melbourne after being comfortably placed at 257 for four at one stage to lose the game by 18 runs. Ganguly was livid with the pathetic batting display and the team will be determined to make amends for the defeat at MCG against a team which does not have enough firepower to counter the Indians. The Indian top order has been firing on all cylinders and the team could definitely gain a lot if the tailenders also chip in with some runs. The Indians were expected to bring in left-handed batsman Hemang Badani in place of utility player Sanjay Bangar who failed to make much of an impression in the first match at Melbourne. The Indians are hoping to cash in on a flat batting track at the Bellerive Oval which may, however, provide some assistance to the bowlers in the early stages of the game. The mighty Indian batting will be eager to roll against the African minnows, who despite their heroic performance against Australia at Sydney on Sunday, do not have the bowling quality to test possibly the world’s best line-up. The top five Indian batsmen, who did a sterling duty against Australia in the recent Test series, would be relishing the prospect of facing Zimbabwe even though the latter possibly possess the best fielding unit in the competition. Badani is likely to come at number six and is seen as a better bet than Bangar because of his wristy strokeplay, not to forget his usefulness as a left-arm spinner. The Indians would look to bat at full throttle to make up for some conspicuous weaknesses in their bowling and fielding departments. They will again go in with a largely lightweight bowling attack since neither Laxmipathy Balaji nor Irfan Pathan are yet to tune-in to the demands of one-day cricket. The fifth bowler worries are also present for India and Saurav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and possibly Badani will be asked to fulfil the duty. Indians could also be exposed in the field by the Zimbabweans, given the way they fielded in the first game at Melbourne. The Indian ground fielding was terrible and Ganguly has asked for an improved performance from his players. Zimbabwe are not exactly downcast at their debacle at Sydney for they know that they had been able to restrict the mighty Australians and if their batting could come up to expectations, they could be a match for their strong rivals in the series. Visu Sibanda is a young opener who draws much praise from his captain Heath Streak but with only six internationals behind him, the 20-year-old will face a daunting task tomorrow. Stuart Matsikenyeri is another 20-year-old who made his international debut last season and his poor returns of 102 runs from 14 matches is understandable. Mark Vermuelen is seen as a batsman of immense potential and at 24 years with 16 one-dayers behind him, has a bit of experience behind him. He is still quite raw and has a highest of 79 in his turn-outs. Otherwise, the Zimbabwean line-up is quite solid with Grant Flower, Stuart Carlisle, Sean Ervine, Heath Streak, Andy Blignaut and Tatinda Taibu all capable of striking big blows. Australia are on top of the chart with two wins from two games while India and Zimbabwe, the other two teams in the competition, are still looking to record a win. Teams: India: Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Saurav Ganguly (captain), VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Hemang Badani, Yuvraj Singh, Laxmipathy Balaji, Irfan Pathan, Murali Kartik, Anil Kumble and Ajit Agarkar. Zimbabwe: Visu Shibanda, Stuart Carlisle, Mark Vermuelen, Grant Flower, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Heath Streak (captain), Tatinda Taibu, Sean Ervine, Andy Blignaut, Raymond Price and Douglas Hondo. Hours of play (IST):
4.30 am to 8 am; 8.40 am till close of play. — PTI |
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Price keen to resume duel with Tendulkar Hobart, January 13 “It is special to bowl to the world’s best batsman. But my philosophy is do not be afraid of anybody, enjoy yourself as much as you can,” Price said on the eve of the India-Zimbabwe clash at the Bellerive Oval. Price stifled Tendulkar completely when he bowled to him in two Tests in India in 2001, claiming him three out of three times in Tests and choking him to the extent that the maestro scored only 36 runs from 119 balls in the Delhi Test. Price felt all batsmen, including Tendulkar, are vulnerable at the start of their innings, when they are in the process of getting their eye in and feet moving. “All batsmen are vulnerable between nought and 15, no matter who they are. That is the period when you should attack them a lot.” Price is mindful of Tendulkar coming into to his own with unbeaten knocks of 241 and 60 in the Sydney Test and a fluent 63 in the series opener against Australia at Melbourne. “He struggled in the beginning but has done so well now. But that is the kind of batsman he is, a very special player and one who I was dreaming to dismiss even when I was six or seven years old,” he said. “It will be a different experience for me to bowl to him on these wickets. But it is a pleasure to bowl to the world’s best batsman and a challenge I am looking forward to.” Price is aware that his task against the Indian batsmen in true batting conditions is not going to be easy, especially given the way they went after Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill in the Test series. “You got to watch them all the time, catch them with your variations and generally give no width and angle,” Price said. “They were hitting MacGill against the break, When you do it against leg-spinners on the onside, hitting against the break, you become a very hard batsman to bowl to. MacGill turns a long way and they were still hitting against the spin.”
— PTI |
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Look after fast bowlers, Ganguly tells BCCI Hobart, January 13 “They go and play a lot of first class cricket for their states, that is where the board has to get into the picture and say well you have played a lot of cricket and you need a break,” Ganguly said at the Bellerive Oval here ahead of the tri-series match against Zimbabwe. “We have got to have a system to look after our fast bowlers. We have to find a system where they are well looked after in terms of their fitness, their rest period. They play a lot of international cricket, as does everyone else, but they do not get enough time to recover because of state commitments,” Ganguly said. Ganguly has had a pretty successful run as Indian captain in both the Test and one-day arena since he took over the reins in 2000, but it has also been a period when he has hardly gone into a series without injury to one or two of his key bowlers. “Missing out on Zaheer (Khan), Ashish (Nehra) and Harbhajan (Singh) has been a blow specially since they have been key in the last two-three years. But then the younger guys need to put up their hands and be counted,” he said. Ganguly was referring to Laxmipathy Balaji and Irfan Pathan who have shown promise but are short on experience. “I hope these boys can stand up and deliver. They need to bowl just the right line and length and not worry about how many matches they have played. They are a bit short on experience but I hope we find more guys on the tour,” Ganguly said. “If we can produce quality fast bowlers for the next three to four years, and if your batting and spin department is well taken care of, it will definitely help our team to become a very, very good side,” he said. With his frontline bowlers struggling to go through their overs economically, Ganguly said the pressure on the fifth bowler was greater and they did not do the job well enough at Melbourne. “I have to bowl better. I did bowl at the MCG but the last over cost me a few runs. I did not bowl in the Tests so that could be a reason. The fifth bowler cost us a few in the last game. It is important that me, Veeru (Sehwag) and Sachin (Tendulkar) do the fifth bowler’s job well here.” Ganguly also looked at India’s worrisome tail which has failed to contribute with the bat, particularly at Melbourne where the last six wickets were gone for 13 runs. “They need to back themselves more. People like Ajit (Agarkar), Anil (Kumble) and (Irfan) Pathan have the ability to bat. You can spend hours at the net but when the pressure comes, as it was in the last game, when you needed eight an over, the key is to think the right things in the centre. “It is also important that one of your top seven batters is with them. It was unfortunate Yuvraj (Singh) and me were gone off successive balls when we were cruising along comfortably. If one of us had batted with them, it would have been easier for us,” Ganguly said. One of the top seven batsmen who did not do well in the game was Sanjay Bangar who also was ridiculed for not backing Ganguly and getting his captain run-out at the MCG. “It happened at the flick of the moment. Before Bangar could react, I had come down too far,” he said. Though Ganguly gave a vote of support to Bangar, the Railways player had been omitted and Hemang Badani preferred in his place in the 12 for tomorrow’s game. “Badani is in because our fielding was not up to standards in the last game. We want some quick fielders around, with Kaif not around we did not have lot of guys who were very quick in the field. It cost us 18 runs so that is one aspect we need to improve,” he said. With additional seamer Amit Bhandari due to join the squad only tomorrow, Ganguly said it was between Balaji and Pathan to support Ajit Agarkar, if he was not to pick Murali Kartik as the second spinner in the side. “Ajit has taken his responsibility well and it boils down to Pathan and Balaji. I have got a lot of faith in Pathan because he has shown a lot of character, lot of belief. “He was good in the two Tests he played. In Melbourne, he was up against a very good line-up on a good wicket. You have got to give him a bit of breathing space. He is a hard worker and I am sure he would come back strongly.”
— PTI |
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Lee needs to relax, says McGrath Sydney, January 13 McGrath, who is recuperating from an ankle injury, said the key for Lee to reverse his recent poor form was to take the pressure off himself and start enjoying cricket again. “I think everyone is just expecting too much too soon,” McGrath said. “He has come from a big layoff and gone straight into four matches, which is hard work at the best of times. It does take a few matches to get back firing and I have got all faith in Brett. I think he just needs to go out there and enjoy himself,” McGrath told Australian Associated Press a day after Ponting suggested that physically worn out Lee needs rest to get back to his best. Lee, though part of the one-day squad, did not feature in Australia’s first two matches against India and Zimbabwe. The tearaway bowler is yet to find sustained rhythm after a double injury blow last year.
— PTI |
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Kale episode a black spot: Prabhakar Panchkula, January 13 Only the best talent in the country should make it to the Indian cricket team, Prabhakar said while talking to reporters here. Regarding allegations of match-fixing against him, Prabhakar said the charges could not be substantiated. He never moved the court as the “an individual could not fight against the
system". He said he planned to coach youngsters after the five-year ban imposed on him by the BCCI expired next year. Answering a question, the former
cricketer said the foreign coaches were more professional and committed to the game and there was nothing wrong in appointing them. |
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Bangladesh cricketers ‘need exposure’ Rohtak, January 13 Talking to ‘The Tribune’, Mr Alam said ‘Everyone seems to be pointing fingers at the results that the Bangladesh team has achieved so far. But you have to give it some time because things take time and it has to happen very gradually”. Defending Bangladesh’s unsatisfactory performance in Test cricket Bobby said: “You have to look behind and see what other Test playing nations have done. New Zealand took 27 years to win first Test. India took 22 years for first victory.” He said that in recent times, Bangladesh Cricket Board has initiated some programmes aiming at all round development of the game. Briefing about the measures adopted for the upliftment of standard of the game in Bangladesh, Mr Alam said that a good system and a well spread network of grounds specially dedicated to cricket were prevalent in the country. He informed that there were six divisions in Bangladesh and stadia exist in each and every district headquarters besides traditional cricket playing centres like Kulana and Jassaur. Giving detailed account of coaching facilities, he said that professional coaches were imparting training to the youngsters throughout the country. He said that besides programmes for under-15, under-17 and under-19, Bangladesh Cricket Board has been in the process of training coaches and organising camps for umpires. “Even there have been attempts for creating new grounds staff who would be preparing grounds and keeping them in shape,” said Bobby. Bobby said that Bangladesh Cricket Board and cricket in general was having its own sponsors. This was the most encouraging feature of cricket in the country. In Bobby’s words: “We don’t have to borrow money or look for grant from the government. We are in a position to generate our own resources.” However, he also conceded that sometimes through the change in political power things go back to ad hocism which, according to him, was not the answer for Bangladesh cricket or sports. He described the presence of this problem as “inherent and peculiar” with the region. |
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India go down to Australia Kuala Lumpur, January 13 Skipper Dhanrab Pillay ended a long goal-drought with a double-strike in the 15th and 16th minutes to put India ahead 2-0 at the National Stadium. However, the Indians failed to drive home the advantage and allowed the Australians back into the match. Tristram Woodhguse (27th), Troy Elder (42nd), Ben Taylor (50th) and Grant Schubert (70th) ensured an Aussie success, their second in four outings. After an excellent workout in the first-half, the Indians gradually faded as the Aussies, enjoying considerable space and freedom in the midfield, made the best of The situation. The Indians, thus, continue to occupy the last spot with just one point from the drawn game with Malaysia. The first-half more or less belonged to India whose players showed considerable skill as well as gumption in standing up to the Aussies. The deep defence, marshalled by William Xalco, put in a fine performance to repeatedly thwart the Aussies. Up front, the Indian counter-attacks assumed dangerous proportions thanks to some intelligent off-the-ball running on the wings that stretched the Aussie defence. India left out injured Baljit Singh Dhillon and Len Aiyappa for the game. Their early pace rattled the Australians and gave some indication that an upset might be on the cards. India shocked Australia by netting two goals in as many minutes through skipper Dhanraj Pillay. The stunned Aussies hit back and virtually laid siege on the Indian defence and their efforts were finally rewarded when Tristram Woodhouse scored in the 26th minute to reduce the deficit. It was all Australia in the second d half as they continued to torment the Indian defence. Troy Elder put them on level terms in the 42nd minute before Ben Taylor finished off a sweeping move out of defence in the 50th minute to give Australia a 3-2 lead. India put in every thing they had as they launched frontal counter attacks in the final minutes in desperate search for an equalizer put paid a heavy price for the gaps in defence, which allowed Grant Schubert to score seconds before the end of regulation time. The Indians also gave their second goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza a try out in the second half after the Australians had scored their third goal. There was not much that he could do and he too conceded a goal in the last minute of the match. Indian coach Harender Singh was not happy with the performance as he felt that they should have taken advantage of the two goal lead. “We controlled the match in the early part and were two goals up. But in the second half we gave away too much space and also allowed the Aussies to get back their rhythm. It is inexperienced that cost us this match.’’ “Overall the players could have done better with a little better marking at the back. Now we have to try and get a result in the remaining two matches. No two ways about it,’’ he said.
— PTI, UNI |
Kuala Lumpur, January 13 The defeat dented the aspirations of Spain who were hoping to and put themselves into contention for a place in Sunday’s final. Lee Jung-seon (18, 67),Seo Jung-ho (43) Yeo Woon-kon (65) scored for the winners, who led 1-0 at half time. For Spain, Juan Escarre (41) reduced the margin. The Spaniards who gave a lacklustre display now must not only beat Germany whom they meet tomorrow but hope that Australia do them a huge favour by defeating the reigning world champions Germany on Friday as well. The victory was a sweet revenge for Korea as they had lost 3-7 to Spain in the final of the Champions Challenge in Randburg South Africa in July last year. Playing fast and attacking game, Koreans opened the lead through Lee Jung Seon in the 18th minute when he was put through by Yoo Hyo Sik and sent the ball past Spanish keeper Bernardino Herera with relative ease(1-0). The Asian Games champions should have doubled their advantage but the forwards failed to capitalize on several chances created by their German-based player Song Seung Tae. Spain got the equalizer six minutes into the second half when skipper Juan Escarre Uruena sent an unstoppable shot past Korean keeper Ko Dong Sik after the latter had saved well from the initial shot by Santiago Freixa Escude (1-1).
— UNI  |
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Tennis among cleanest games: Agassi Melbourne, January 13 The spotlight in Sydney has been on Greg Rusedski after the Briton’s admission last week that he had tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone. But Agassi, one of the biggest names in the sport, told reporters ahead of an invitational tournament in Kooyong that he was convinced tennis did not have a problem with doping. “Well, one of the things we can say for sure is our sport is the leading, if not the top, sport in drug testing in both its intensity as far as what they test for.” “It’s a very extensive list, probably more extensive than any other sport, and how often they test.” “Last year I played 13 tournaments. I was tested (via a) urine sample 11 times, I was tested (via a) blood sample eight times, which includes three out of competition testings.” “It’s not possible to get more aggressive with the goal of maintaining the integrity of our sport,” he added. Rusedski last week admitted he tested positive during the RCA Championships in Indianapolis last July but said he would be cleared of any wrongdoing at a hearing in February. World number four Agassi applauded Rusedski and the ATP’s efforts to get to the bottom of the issue. “We need to get to the bottom of something that’s crucial to our integrity and that’s going to require everybody accepting responsibility and it’s going to require keeping useless... and irresponsible quotes out of the headlines.” “I can’t speak for his (Rusedski’s) situation because I don’t know it. Again, I think that the right thing to do for Greg, as well as the governing bodies, is to be responsible and diligent in their efforts to get to the bottom of it.” World number one Andy Roddick, who is also playing in the Kooyong Classic that starts on Wednesday, agreed with his fellow American that the ATP was doing a good job keeping tennis drug free.
— Reuters |
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HOA bonanza for sportspersons Chandigarh, January 13 Disclosing this, Mr Chautala said that in order to accelerate the pace of development of sports in Haryana several important decisions were taken. Mr Malik said that for giving practical shape to the decisions the matter would be taken up with the state government soon and these decision would be incorporated in the sports policy of the state government. Mr Chautala said that those physically handicapped and mentally challenged sportspersons from Haryana who win medals in Special Olympiad would be given cash award of
Rs 5 lakh for winning gold medal, Rs 3 lakh for silver medal and Rs 2 lakh for bronze medal. He further said that Rs 1 lakh, Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 would be given as cash awards to the physically handicapped and mentally challenged sportspersons for winning medals in Asia Games or championships. He further said that the committee unanimously decided to recommend to the state government institution of special awards for coaches. To be known as Lord Krishna Award, these would carry cash award of Rs 1 lakh and a scroll of honour. Cash prize for Bhim awardees has been doubled from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. A sub-committee would be constituted for the selection of Bhim awards and Lord Krishna Award, he added. The committee has also recommended cash awards to the sportspersons who win medals in national women tournaments and all-India rural sports tournaments. Besides, the enhancement in the scholarship money has also been recommended for the colleges and schools sportspersons who win first and second positions at national and state level championships. |
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Indoor swimming pool at Malerkotla Sangrur, January 13 The Malerkotla Stadium already has an indoor badminton hall with wooden flooring and a wrestling hall. With the commissioning of this indoor pool the stadium has become a complete sports
complex. The construction of the swimming pool started four months ago and has been completed in four months at a cost of Rs 32 lakh. This swimming pool has all facilities like filteration plant, bathrooms and changing rooms. The swimming pool is the result of efforts made by the sports loving Deputy Commissioner of Sangrur, Mr Sarvjit Singh, himself a swimmer of national repute and Ms Razia Sultana, MLA. The local SDM, Dr Indu, took keen interest in getting the project completed in record time. The moving spirit behind this infrastructure being created in Sangrur district during the past one and a half years is the District Sports Officer of Sangrur, himself a sports person of international repute. With the pool ready for use at Malerkotla, all that is required is the posting of a coach here who can produce results. |
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Melbourne, January 13
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