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Sehwag sizzles as India rout Zimbabwe
India to
play 1st tie in Pak from March 7 Kiwis romp to 8-wkt win, clinch series
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Another close defeat for India
Anand settles for an easy draw Bagan return to winning ways Mahilpur academy win
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Sehwag sizzles as India rout Zimbabwe
Hobart, January 14 Sehwag struck five fours and five sixes as he dominated the 130-run first wicket stand with Sachin Tendulkar (44) as India comfortably overhauled Zimbabwe’s modest total of 208 in 37.4 overs to collect the maximum six points. Tendulkar scored his runs at faster rate, his 44 coming off 60 balls, but the 30-year-old maestro was content to give the major portion of the strike to his junior partner. Zimbabwe owed their respectable total to some bold hitting in the final overs from Streak (59 not out) Sean Ervine (48 not out). The duo added 93 runs in the last 12 overs for the unfinished seventh wicket partnership. The bowlers made an earnest effort but on a placid track their trundling pace turned out to be easy meat for the Indian strokemakers. The win left India with seven points from two matches and were second behind Australia with 11 points on the table. Zimbabwe, having allowed both Australia and India to collect the bonus points, were yet to open their account. Zimbabwe’s batting performance must have disappointed their captain Streak. Just like in the previous match against Australia when they folded up for 126 while chasing a modest 225 in Sydney, Zimbabwe batsmen cut a sorry figure. They had a disastrous start when Vusi Sibanda was run out and Stuart Matsikenyeri was caught by Hemang Badani off Irfan Pathan with the scoreboard reading only 36. Mark Vermeulen was a pathetic sight when his defence was once again broken through by a Kumble top spinner. Stuart Carlisle was adjudged leg before to Sehwag before the experienced Grant Flower got out to a poor shot when he spooned a simple catch to the part-time bowler. So, as it was on Sunday, Zimbabwe’s fortunes again depended on the young Tatenda Taibu and Streak. The two had added 66-runs for the sixth wicket while losing to Australia but their burgeoning partnership today was cut short when Badani rattled Taibu (16) with a faster one. Streak, dropped by Yuvraj Singh at point early in his innings, made the most of the reprieve to carve out his 11th half-century. But Ervine was impressive as he used the blustery wind conditions to get the better of the slow bowlers. He first played an inside out shot to lift part-time bowler Hemang Badani over the cover boundary. Ervine clubbed two sixes off Agarkar who was even more expensive in giving away 20 runs. Streak reached his fifty in the same over with a thundering strike to the midwicket fence. That stroke also brought up the 200 which had looked improbable at one stage. Zimbabwe’s third fifty came off 56 balls and the fourth from only 29 as 100 runs off the last 14 overs. Streak’s 59 came off 68 balls and contained four fours while Ervine needed only 33 balls for his 48 which was studded with three sixes and a four. India’s batting juggernaut, which had ended on the losing side in the first match against the world champions, did not falter this time though. Sehwag rattled up 90 from 102 balls. The Indian openers shared their second successive century stand of the series as Indian batting continued to enjoy a golden summer in Australia. Sehwag, playing his 81st match, was reprieved on 24 by wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu when he slashed a hard chance off Sean Ervine in the 12th over. He celebrated the reprieve with a soaring six over long on off Ervine and followed it up with one another as he reached his half century off 67 balls with three fours and two sixes. Sehwag then hoisted left-arm spinner Raymond Price beyond the ground and very nearly into the Tasmanian sea as the Indians raced towards the target. Sehwag moved into 80s with another six, again off Price and into square leg stands. He hit his fifth six in the same over before an uppish drive into covers terminated his innings. His partner Tendulkar had set the early pace by crashing medium-pacer Douglas Hondo through the covers and then flicking him sweetly behind backward of square leg. Tendulkar was let off on 42 at extra covers off Price but departed in the very next over when he attempted a lordly drive off Ervine and was clean bowled for 44, made from 60 balls with five fours. Scoreboard Zimbabwe Sibanda run out 12 Carlisle lbw b Sehwag 36 Matsikenyeri c Badani b Pathan 9 Vermeulen b Kumble 2 Flower c & b Sehwag 15 Taibu b Badani 16 Streak not out 59 Ervine not out 48 Extras:
(lb-4, w-6, nb-1) 11 Total: (6 wickets, 50 overs) 208 Fall of wickets:
1-14, 2-36, 3-48, 4-78, 5-83, 6-114. Bowling: Agarkar 8-2-39-0, Pathan 8-0-30-1, Balaji 7-2-26-0, Kumble 10-1-38-1, Sehwag 10-0-40-2, Badani 7-0-31-1. India Sehwag c
Flower b Price 90 Tendulkar b Ervine 44 Badani c Taibu b Hondo 15 Laxman not out 13 Ganguly not out 32 Extras:
(lb-4, nb-6, w-7) 17 Total: (3 wkts, 37.4 overs) 211 Fall of
wickets: 1-130, 2-158, 3-172. Bowling: Heath Streak 5-2-23-0, Douglas Hondo 8-0-39-1, Sean Ervine 8-0-42-1, Andy Blignaut 5-0-28-0, Ray Price 10-0-67-1, Grant Flower 1.4-0-8-0.
PTI |
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Ganguly keen to carry on momentum
Hobart, January 14 But the win today does not seem to have erased the bad memories of the tournament opener against Australia and Ganguly was still rueing the collapse which led to India’s 18-run defeat. “We did pretty well today. We played pretty well at the MCG (in the first match) too but for the last few overs,” Ganguly said while admitting the defeat had left a bad taste in his mouth. However, the Indian skipper felt the team was improving in the one-dayers and hoped it would “get better” in the next few weeks. Ganguly, who looked in great touch during his cameo unbeaten 32-run knock, said he would look to carry on his form in the remaining matches. “It is good to score runs in this part of the world,” said the skipper. Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak said his team needed to put on the “thinking cap” and devise ways to put pressure on the opposition. “We did not put enough runs on the board. We struggled from the beginning and never really got on top of India,” Streak said. Man-of-the-match Virender Sehwag said he followed the team plan in being cautious in the first five overs and then opening up. “The white ball, when it is new, swings for the first five overs. So we decided that we will not hurry up things in the first few overs and wait to play our shots later,” said the right-hand batsman who scored a 102-ball 90 with five fours and five sixes. The two Indian openers — Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar (44) put on 130 runs in 24 overs to lay the foundation for a comprehensive Indian victory. Sehwag, who hit three of his five sixes to off spinner Raymond Price, said he was content playing his natural game and opening the innings. “I don’t want to change my mind. Whether I am opening or coming out to bat in the middle it does not matter. Neither does it matter whether I am playing Tests or one-dayers,” said a confident-sounding Sehwag. Ganguly was pleased that he did not really miss the services of a regular fifth bowler in the match and praised his bowling attack for restricting Zimbabwe to a modest total. “I am particularly pleased with Irfan Pathan who bowled with the breeze his seven overs. (Laxmipathy) Balaji could have bowled better because he has the potential and he is a wicket-taking bowler.” — PTI
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Batting has flowed for India Down Under ‘Indian Tigers maul Zimbabwean Lions.’ It is really very easy to get carried away by such headlines. More so when we watch the virtuosity of Sachin Tendulkar combine with the restrained optimism of Virender Sehwag that gave way soon to the impish abandon of his extraordinary strokeplay. Much like water down the Derwent, batting has flowed for India down under. So much so, there has been a dream-like quality to the cricket whenever Indians have featured at the batting crease, their artistry being a thing of beauty and their opportunism an ideal to be aimed for in the one-day game. The cricketing intelligence of Sachin in reallocating his priorities in the limited-overs game came through as he played freely on the off side to gather safe runs through untenanted real estate. This was in stark contrast to the extreme discipline with which he eschewed strokes through that half of the field in the Sydney Test in which he scored more than 80 per cent of his 300-plus runs on the on side. Sehwag is improving with each outing on this tour. Against a small target he knew he had the space to work himself into the innings before switching to the mood to strike. And when he started hitting the ball, he left Sachin behind. The two have been combining so well as to begin to threaten the statistics of the other great opening partnership for India in ODIs that was between Sachin and Sourav. Well, everything is hunky-dory when we look at the batting end of the spectrum. What is not so impressive is the fielding. I know Team India is desperately keen to live up to their true ranking which should be somewhere between Australia and the rest of the world. Unless the team improves its fielding standards it cannot hope to match Australia in the limited-overs game in the long run. To have run Australia close in the opening game was a fine enough achievement. There is really very little between the World Cup finalists now. What mattered in the first game was the fielding and catching. Ricky Ponting put behind a nightmarish Test series by way of catching for his team (at a conservative estimate, 15 chances were put down by the Aussies) by creating that outstanding catch to send back Sachin and that changed the entire complexion of the game. Look at the way India fared on the field against Zimbabwe, a side from a nation that has been torn asunder by the ill political winds sweeping it. This is a team that has lost almost its entire top order to the compulsions of individuals moving to greener and safer pastures. Neil Johnson left Zimbabwe four years ago. Andy Flower had to leave after his black and white armband protest in the World Cup. Alistair Campbell does not figure in national team plans anymore. Guy Whittal is not around and Guy Wishart is injured. Without Andy’s fraternal guiding presence, Grant seems lost. Henry Olonga had to flee and that has weakened the bowling. India had this apology for a Zimbabwean top order back in the pavilion well under the 30-overs mark. But what were the last 13 overs allowed to produce but 94 runs while the last 10 overs fetched 81. Credit is certainly due to the all-rounders Streak and Ervine for giving the innings a cloak of respectability once again. Truth to tell, India should not have allowed Zimbabwe to cross 160 which means that almost 50 runs were gifted. The problem is obviously one of focussing on the game for the entire length of 50-over innings. For instance, Yuvraj’s commitment in the circle was great in the first 15 overs, his run out of Sibanda stemming from great work. But, later, Yuvraj dropped a sitter at point, chucked one wildly for an overthrown five and resurrected himself only in ground fielding in the deep in the slog overs. The others were slack in the outfield, there being easy twos for one and even a three to deep mid wicket in the smallish Bellerive Oval. It is clear the Indians are not sustaining their efforts on the field for the duration of an innings. Unless they change their mind set and give more on the field, the Indians may struggle to run Australia close again unless, of course, they go in first and the batters pile on the runs. But for how much longer can Team India expect the batsmen to produce the extra runs to cover up bowling and fielding deficiencies? In the Test series Team India was a conspicuous success. But that is to be viewed only as a beginning and not as an end in itself even if the events were possibly epochal. If the visiting Indians are to challenge the world champions they would have to pick up on their ground work by Sunday.
— UNI
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India
to play 1st tie in Pak from March 7 Islamabad, January 14 According to the itinerary proposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board, India would play their first Test on Pakistan soil in 14 years at the National Stadium in Karachi. “Though the itinerary is yet tentative, it has been decided that the Indians would play the first Test at Karachi followed by Tests at Lahore and Faisalabad,” a board source was quoted as saying in ‘The News’. “The first two one-day internationals would be held in Lahore followed by matches at Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Karachi,” he said. The itinerary has already been sent to the Indian cricket board for consideration. Karachi and Peshawar were the two venues which were rejected by South African and New Zealand cricket teams on their tours to Pakistan this season due to security concerns. But the board official said Karachi had been given special place in the coming series and the Indian team would arrive and exit from this city.
— PTI |
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Kiwis romp to 8-wkt win, clinch series
Napier, January 14 After producing one of their finest one-day bowling efforts in recent years to dismiss Pakistan for a cheap 126, New Zealand were able to bat at leisure as they picked off the target in the 23rd over. There was some movement off the pitch, but nothing to suggest it was as calamitous as Pakistan’s batsmen found it when their top order was routed in the space of four overs, with five wickets falling for just eight runs. The meagre target helped New Zealand opener Craig Cumming, who has been the least effective of a sometimes brittle batting line up, as he had time to play himself in and ended with an unbeaten 45 to repay the selectors faith in him. Captain Stephen Fleming was full of elegance, particularly with his flowing cover drives, but he appeared to come unnerved when peppered three times on the body in one over from Shoaib Akhtar and he was dismissed by Azhar Mahmood in the next over. New Zealand exacted revenge after losing a one-day series in Pakistan last month 5-0, and the recent home Test series 1-0. Pakistan: Hameed c Styris b Mills 9 Farhat c McCullum b Oram 16 Elahi c McCullum b Mills 11 Youhana b Oram 4 Inzamam lbw Cairns 0 Khan c Cairns b Tuffey 15 Malik c Tuffey b Cairns 0 Razzaq c Styris b Tuffey 9 Mahmood lbw Tuffey 9 Akhtar not out 27 Sami c Marshall b Vettor 6 Extras: 20 Total: (a36.3 overs) 126 FoW: 1-20, 2-49, 3-49, 4-53, 5-53, 6-57, 7-75, 8-84, 9-87 Bowling: Tuffey 10-3-35-3, Mills 8-1-17-2, Oram 10-2-24-2, Cairns 7-1-38-2, Vettori 1.3-0-3-1. New Zealand: Fleming c Malik b
Mahmood 29 Cumming not out 45 Marshall st Khan b Malik 2 Cairns not out 25 Extras:
26 Total: (2 wkts, 22.5 overs) 127 Fall of wickets:
1-84, 2-87. Bowling: Akhtar 7-1-27-0, Sami 6-0-35-0, Malik 4.5-2-19-1, Mahmood 5-0-32-1.
—AFP |
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Another close defeat for India
Kuala Lumpur, January 14 This being their fourth defeat in five matches, the Indians now lie at the bottom of the table with just one point from the draw with Malaysia. The Koreans now have seven points from five matches. Just for a brief moment, the Indians appeared to be on top following Len Aiyappa’s 17th minute penalty corner conversion, but the Koreans swung into action and pumped in three goals to seal the fate of the Indians. Yoon Young Sik (25th) Yeo Woon Kon (29th, 37th) ensured the Koreans a comfortable ride to their second win though India managed to salvage some pride with a 64th minute penalty stroke goal by Arjun Halappa. The Indians, without their two most experienced forwards — Dhanraj Pillay (knee injury) and Baljeet Singh Dhillon (fractured nose) — failed to build on a good start that Aiyappa gave them with the penalty corner conversion. Though they had more of the ball, India could not convert the advantage into goals after forcing a few openings. The Koreans launched a couple of typical counter-attacks, but Lee Jung Seon’s reverse hit was well stopped by goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza and then the same forward saw his attempt from first penalty corner bouncing off the post. Thereafter, the Koreans gradually began to dominate the proceedings and the penalty corner goals through Sik and Kon in a four-minute spell saw the Asian Games winners take the breather with a 2-1 lead. Malaysia hold Pak Pakistani forwards came up with a listless display as they settled for a 1-1 draw against Malaysia. The hosts, in fact, raised visions of a victory when Kuhan Shanmuganathan put them ahead with a 43rd minute penalty corner conversion, but the Pakistanis replied in like manner through Sohail Abbas in the 48th.
Germany salvage draw Three penalty corner conversions in the final 18 minutes saw Germany pull off a sensational 4-4 draw with Spain after trailing 1-4. World champions Germany, still smarting from their 3-4 defeat to Pakistan in their previous game, gave a mediocre performance in the first-half as the Spaniards raced to a 4-1 lead at the break on goals by Santiago Freixa (4th, 31st, 35th) and Pol Amat (28th). But Germany came surging back late in the game as Florian Kunz (52nd and 66th) and Bjoern Michel (69th) scored off penalty corners to add to Christoff Eimer’s 11th minute strike. The draw took Germany’s tally to 10 points from five while Spain moved to five from as many outings.
— PTI |
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Anand settles for an easy draw Wijk Aan Zee, January 14 Anand, Peter Leko of Hungary and Russian champion Peter Svidler share the lead with 2 points each from three games and are followed by a pack of 8 players, including top seed Vladimir Kramnik of Russia and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, on 1.5 points apiece. The 12-14 position is shared by Evgeny Bareev of Russia and Dutchmen Loek van Wely and Jan Timman on one point each. Yet again the day featured only one decisive game with Svidler striking it big in just 17 moves against 2002 winner and compatriot Evgeny Bareev.
— PTI |
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Bagan return to winning ways Kolkata, January 14 Leaving behind a jinx of three consecutive defeats and the turmoil in the club over the Jose Barreto issue, Bagan footballers played an inspired game to dominate the Goans at the Salt Lake stadium. Ashim Biswas, who had additional pressure on his young shoulders in the absence of Barreto, did the spadework for the all-important goal in the 56th minute. Biswas ran a solo down the right, then cut in and centred for skipper Renedy Singh, who headed home from top of the six-yard box. The Dempo defenders were partly to be blamed for the goal as Renedy did his job virtually unchallenged. Bagan, who looked desperate to come out of the shadow of Brazillian Barreto and the turmoil centering him, played their hearts out, combining well in the middle and carrying out quick raids to unsettle the visitors every now and then. The hosts, in fact, could have won by a bigger margin but for the woodwork, which intervened twice, besides some easy misses. In the 29th minute, Renedy’s free kick from the right was headed well by Brazilian Leonardo, but the ball hit the post. Again in the 47th minute, Ashim’s shot off Hardip Gill centre rebounded off the bar, much to the relief of Dempo custodian Abhijit Mondal, who otherwise had an excellent outing today. With this success, Bagan improved their tally to 14 points from 10 matches while Dempo, who suffered their maiden defeat, remained on 20 points from nine games.
— PTI |
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Mahilpur
academy win Chandigarh, January 14 While Football Academy, Mahilpur, outplayed Amardeep Singh Shergill Memorial College, Mukandpur, 4-0, Guru Nanak College, Phagwara, prevailed over Khalsa College, Garhshankar, 3-0. The Mahilpur team dominated the proceedings although the tight Mukandpur defence left them a bit frustrated in the first half. However, in the second half Sakatar Singh of Mahilpur’s Football Academy broke the deadlock with a solo effort in the 49th minute. A long-range shot by Mahilpur’s Asim made it 2-0 while Harmanjot’s header off a cross from the left made the score 3-0. Another goal by Sakatar Singh in the 70th minute boosted Football Academy’s tally to 4-0. Guru Nanak College, Phagwara, who defeated Khalsa College, Garhshankar, 3-0, owed their success to Yarwinder, Amandeep and Manpreet Singh Parmar. Earlier, the tournament was inaugurated by Mr Gurmail Singh Gill of Norway. Competitions are being held in the college and club categories. This year the prize money has been hiked to Rs 45,000 and Rs 35,000 for the winners and runners-up in the club category and to Rs 23,100 and 15,100 for the winners and runners-up in the college category. The tournament will conclude on January 19. |
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