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Middle overs an area of concern: Wright
President Kalam
lauds Indian win NOTES FROM PAKISTAN Cricket too batsman friendly Laxman expected to play second ODI |
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Akram granted bail Test drawn; Kallis eyeing Bradman's record Dharmasena out Munaf Patel, Bahutule
wreck Hyderabad E.
Bengal, Dempo split points
Hewitt
triumphs Rafting meet at Tattapani
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Middle overs an area of concern: Wright Rawalpindi, March 14 “The bowling has been a problem. We bowled well in the first 15 overs but the middle overs is an area of concern and we have to address that problem quickly,” Wright told reporters here. “The bowlers know about it and we have to sort out the problem in this area in the coming matches,” he said. Wright said the bowlers bowled poorly in the first 15 overs during the tour of Australia but now the problem has shifted to the middle overs. “We used to bowl poorly in the first 15 overs in Australia, but here the problem is in the middle overs. Overall we need to get better in that area,” he said. The coach said it was a good feeling to start the high-profile series with a win but admitted it had become “too close for comfort” in the end. “Yes, it is great to start the series with a win. Our batting was excellent but it became too close for comfort in the end. It was a feeling of delight and relief,” he said. India registered a sensational five-run win in the opener at Karachi yesterday to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The Indians play their second match, a day-night affair, here on Tuesday. Wright predicted the one-day series to be a close affair and cautioned his players to keep their focus going right through the series. “It is going to be a close series. The second match here will be a key game for both the sides. Some of the nerves may have gone out after the first match and both the sides now have had their chance to look at each other’s strength and weaknesses.” Asked whether he was surprised by Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss, the coach said: “We would have batted first. but that was his choice and he very nearly got the result he wanted.” On whether an Indo-Pakistan match puts additional pressure on the players, he said “the players are the best judge. Attitude in such a clash is very important and I think it is necessary to remain calm. “It is all very good to have passion but it has to be directed properly. Calmness and ability to handle pressure is the key.” “There are a lot of emotions involved. The players have to embrace this opportunity and enjoy the tour. It is important to do that but enjoyment would be proportional to results.” Wright also said the team will persist with Rahul Dravid as the wicketkeeper in the next couple of matches. “He will play the next few games as wicketkeeper. Parthiv (Patel) has immense potential. We rate him very highly but he will have to wait for his chance,” he said. Asked whether the Indians missed the services of their two experienced spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, he said: “It is irrelevant to think about whether we are missing them or not. The fact is that they are not here, and we have to play the matches without them. We have two spinners in the side, they have to do the job”. The Indians had an optional practice session late in the afternoon at the Rawalpindi cricket stadium. VVS Laxman, Parthiv Patel, Ramesh Powar and Irfan Pathan came for the practice under the watchful eyes of the coach.
— PTI |
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President Kalam
lauds Indian win NEW DELHI: President APJ Abdul Kalam on Sunday congratulated the Indian cricket team on its memorable victory in the Karachi one-day international against Pakistan, on Saturday. In a letter addressed to Indian captain Saurav Ganguly, Dr Kalam said the wonderful game played by Saurav and his team had brought happiness to the whole subcontinent. ‘’My hearty congratulations on your well-deserved victory. I wish you and your team all the best.’’ he said in the letter.
— UNI |
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NOTES
FROM PAKISTAN
Pakistan cricket team manager Haroon Rashid on Sunday described his team's performance in the first one-dayer against India as ''fantastic and incredible.'' ''What my boys did was to raise the game to unprecedented heights and even in defeat, made the country proud,'' Rashid told mediapersons here this afternoon. ''How many teams could have even thought of chasing 350, leave alone attempting to get past that
target?'' Rashid asked and added: ''Nobody thought that we will battle it out till the last ball of the game. Though we missed it by a whisker, we are happy and proud.'' ''The Karachi one-dayer was one of the best matches played or seen in recent memory. It justified the famous saying that cricket match is not over till the last ball is bowled. Well, we had a chance till the last ball.'' Asked why his bowlers conceded so many runs, the manager said ''They (bowlers) were over-enthusiastic and tried to put everything in every delivery they bowled. But that was understandable because it was the series opener. Now the match is behind us and I am sure they will calm down and make introspection.''
Other members of both the teams were fined 10 per cent of the match fees, the match referee announced here on Sunday. During the Indian innings, an indisciplined Pakistani bowlers conceded 38 extra runs that included 10 wide and 20 no balls which meant India eventually batted five extra overs that made the visitors' innings quite prolonged. Indian bowlers, however, put up a better show, conceding half the extra runs and they bowled two no balls and seven
wides. However, eventually both the teams were found two over short and the fines were announced in accordance with the new ICC rules. — UNI |
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Cricket too batsman friendly Indians held their nerves together in the final hour to make it a great victory in the first one-dayer against Pakistan in Karachi. While I agree that all of us witnessed a great game of cricket, a few concerns about the actual role of the bowlers in the game is becoming increasingly evident. An imbalance has surely set in between the bat and ball. The game, at least its one-day version, appears so one sided at times that I often heard people asking questions like “why didn’t he hit this ball for a six or at least for a four”? The game has gone to a level where every ball should be played for runs. When a batsman misses the ball, everyone around feels that the batsman was unlucky not to have hit the ball. The flat wickets have badly infected the one-day format and the bowling fraternity in large. The rules of the game have only added to the woes of the bowlers. The red normal cricket balls played in the day games can still bring some respite to the bowlers. But at present, the game has become more colourful with the white balls virtually replacing the bowler-friendly red balls. Replacing the white balls in the midst of a game at the behest of batsmen is a ridiculous rule. Bowlers’ art is to maintain a good shine on the ball to achieve the desired movement and deceive and challenge the skills of the batsmen. It is common sight to see the batsmen seeking change of balls when the ball starts doing reverse swing. The reason for the change of ball is supposedly the poor colour of the ball. The bowler, having worked on the ball all the while, remains a hapless spectator when the umpires change the ball. It makes the bowlers clueless, especially at the crucial juncture of the game. It would have been a world record had the Pakistanis managed to chase 350 runs successfully. Now the Indian team must be wondering what should be a real good score to be on the safer
side.? Batting dominated the game no doubt, but at the end, it were our bowlers who won the match. Pakistani bowlers were again up to intimidation and were guilty of giving away too many
wides, no balls and short pitch deliveries. It is hardly possible for a team to win a game in which it has thrown away so many extras. The Pakistani intimidation policy not only made them bowl all over the place but gave enough opportunity to our batsmen to pounce on it. In contrast, our new ball bowlers were excellent as they stuck to the basic discipline of bowling in the right areas. Balaji has understood the line with the new ball very well and was rightly chosen by the skipper to open the attack. In such tall scoring games, it is important to have initial tight spells with the new ball as that sets the tone for the opponents. Balaji has good slower deliveries, which he has not used effectively. Once that is sorted out, he could be the best bowler in the side. The last over bowled by Ashish Nehra must have done a world of good to his confidence. Zaheer Khan and Ashish didn’t appear to be at their best .I hope both get better as the tour progresses. Inzamam-ul-Haq was little too worried about the Indian batting. The reason for opting to bowl first baffled many of us. Although Pakistan came close enough to steal the game, it’s the pressure that undid their batsmen. Miandad played his innings quite well from the dressing room but it wasn’t good enough for Pakistan to win. Ganguly’s imaginative captaincy paid off in bringing Murali Kartik into the attack at a very crucial
stage. Inzy was too eager to capitulate the spinner. So was Yousuf Youhana, who underestimated the change that was brought about when Sehwag was introduced. Kaif was spectacular and so were others. Kaif has reminded us of his value to the team time and again and it was no different in Karachi on Saturday. His fielding ability instantly lifts the spirits of the bowlers. He did contribute to the team in saving at the least 30 runs.
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Laxman expected to play second ODI Rawalpindi, March 14 Team physio Andrew Leipus has been working on the stylish batsman, who has shown some improvement since sustaining the injury on the eve of the Karachi encounter. "We anticipate Laxman to be ready for the second match. He has no problem in batting now, but fielding will be a problem for him," Indian coach John Wright said. Wright said the physio will have another close look at the batsman tomorrow before a decision can be taken on whether to include him in the team. "We will have to see how it goes tomorrow. We are hoping that he will be fully fit," he said. Laxman turned up with three of his teammates for the optional practice session at the Rawalpindi Stadium, the venue of the second game of the five-match one-day series. The middle-order batsman had a long session at the nets and did not seem to be in any discomfort while batting.
— PTI |
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Akram granted bail Islamabad, March 14 Akram surrendered to the court yesterday as it declared him an absconder for failing to respond to its summons in connection with a criminal case filed by an old acquaintance, Saadat Hussain, who claimed that the former pace bowler had taken his jeep in 1996 and failed to return it.
— PTI |
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England gain edge on Windies Kingston, March 14 In between dodging the raindrops, and some fireballs from Tino Best, England were bowled out for 339, replying to West Indies first innings of 311, before bad light stopped play 9.4 overs early with the home team eight without loss in their second innings yesterday. Fortunes shifted regularly during a day in which one and a half hours were lost to the rain and Best, thrust into the role of spearhead after Fidel Edwards broke down with a lower back strain, captured three wickets for 57 runs from 19 overs to keep West Indies in the hunt. England continued from their overnight position of 154 for three, but rain badly disrupted the first hour of cricket. After the showers, Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe looked to be in control, but the departure of Edwards and the introduction of Best completely changed the complexion of the match. West Indies (first Innings): 311 England (first Innings): Trescothick b Edwards 7 Vaughan c Lara b Edwards 15 Butcher c Jacobs b Edwards 58 Hussain c (sub) Bernard b Best 58 Thorpe c Sanford b Best 19 Flintoff c Hinds b Sarwan 46 Read c Hinds b Best 20 Giles b Sanford 27 Hoggard not out 9 Jones c Sanford b Hinds 7 Harmison run out 13 Extras: (b7, lb28, w7, nb18) 60. Total: (all out) 339. Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-33, 3-152, 4-194, 5-209, 6-268, 7-278, 8-313, 9-325, 10-339 Bowling: Collymore 26-7-55-0, Edwards 19.3-3-72-3; Best 19-1-57-3; Sanford 22-1-90-1, Hinds 11.5-2-18-1, Gayle 1-0-6-0; Sarwan 4-1-6-1. West Indies (2nd Innings): Gayle not out 8 Smith not out 0 Total: (without loss) 8 Bowling: Hoggard 2-0-8-0; Harmison 1.2-1-0-0.
— AFP |
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Test drawn; Kallis eyeing Bradman's record
Hamilton, March 14 Kallis's unbeaten 150, his fifth century in as many Tests, was the highlight of today's play as South Africa drew the first Test in Hamilton. ''I'm really proud of the achievement and am greatly honoured to be named in the same company,'' Kallis said. ''I'll be making a sixth hundred as my next goal for Auckland. I'm really enjoying my cricket at the moment and when you have some good form it is important to keep going.'' South Africa (first innings):
459 New Zealand (first innings): 509 South Africa (second innings): Smith c McCullum b Tuffey 5 Gibbs c McCullum
b Wiseman 47 Rudolph b Cairns 0 Kallis not out 150 McKenzie c Richardson
b Wiseman 52 Kirsten not out 34 Extras: (b-12 lb-5 nb-8) 25 Total: (for four wkts declared, 116.1 overs) 313 Fall of wickets:
1-15, 2-16, 3-108, 4-215 Bowling: Tuffey 15-3-28-1 (nb-3), Oram 15-4-29-0 (nb-1), Cairns 15-3-48-1 (nb-3), Vettori 34-11-79-0 (nb-1), Wiseman 19-4-68-2, Styris 13-4-29-0, McMillan 5.1-0-15-0. New Zealand (second innings): Papps c Boucher b Nel 12 McCullum not out 19 Styris not out 3 Extras: (lb-1 w-1 nb-3) 5 Total: (for one wicket, 16 overs) 39 Fall of wickets:
1-34. Bowling: Pollock 4-2-5-0, Ntini 4-0-15-0, Nel 4-0-15-1 (nb-1), Adams 3-1-2-0, McKenzie 1-0-1-0.
— Reuters |
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Dharmasena out KANDY: Sri Lanka have dropped off spinner Kumar Dharmasena from their 15-man squad for the second Test against Australia that starts on Tuesday. Dharmasena took two wickets in the first innings in the first Test in Galle, which Australia won by 197 runs, but failed to make an impression in the second innings. Orthodox left-arm spinner Rangana Herath has been called up as his replacement. Herath, 26, played the last of his three Tests for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in June 2000.
— Reuters |
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Munaf Patel, Bahutule wreck Hyderabad Mumbai, March 14 Leg spinner Bahutule was well supported by paceman Munaf Patel (3-40) and spinner Nilesh Kulkarni (2-45). In reply, Mumbai were comfortably placed at 84 for no loss when stumps were drawn for the day. Electing to bat after winning the toss, Hyderabad batsmen could not withstand the accurate line and length of the hosts’ bowlers and lost wickets at regular intervals before being bundled out for 166, just 22 minutes before tea. The only resistance came from young A.T. Rayudu who hit a masterly 95 before gifting his wicket. Rayudu was the last man to be dismissed. The visitors lost their first wicket in the seventh over of the day when opener Arvind Shetty was bowled through the gates by a beautiful Munaf Patel delivery. Shetty made 15 runs which included three boundaries. Scoreboard Hyderabad (Ist innings): Daniel Manohar b Patel 13 Arvind Shetty b Patel 15 Vinay Kumar c Mane b Patel 0 A.T. Rayudu c Joglekar b Kulkarni 95 Anirudh Singh c Joglekar b Bahutule 17 Ibrahim Khaleel c Kambli b Bahutule 9 Faiz Ahmed c Joglekar b Bahutule 1 Yadav c and b Kulkarni 1 Vishnu Vardhan c Salvi b Bahutule 6 N.P. Singh run out 1 V. Raju not out 0 Extras: (lb 2, nb 4, w 2) 8 Total: (All out in 59 overs) 166 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-16, 3-34, 4-94, 5-126, 6-134, 7-138, 8-159, 9-166. Bowling: Avishkar Salvi 14-6-23-0, Munaf Patel 11-2-40-3, Nilesh Kulkarni 14-2-45-2, Bhavin Thakkar 4-1-14-0, Sairaj Bahutule 16-4-42-4. Mumbai (Ist Innings): Vinayak Mane batting 42 Wasim Jaffer batting 33 Extras: (lb 2, nb 7) 9 Total: (For no loss in 31 overs) 84. Bowling:
N P Singh 6-1-26-0, Vishnu Vardhan 5-1-6-0, Faiz Ahmed 2-0-13-0, Venkatapathy Raju 10-2-18-0, Shivaji Yadav 8-0-19-0.
— PTI |
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Shafiq’s unbeaten ton rescues Haryana Pune, March 14 It was the stoic unconquered ton, the first ever this season by Khan, which was studded with 13 hits to the ropes in a stay of 213 minutes after having faced 144 balls, helped the visitors recover and gave some
semblance of respectability to their otherwise mediocre display. Earlier, Jitendra Singh won the toss and chose to bat on the placid Nehru Stadium track. Haryana Ist innings: Jitendra C Kanitkar b Khirid 29, Chetan run out 14, Sunny b Sidiqui 18, Ishan b Adhav 23, Shafiq batting 103, Ratra c Godbole b Adhav
9, Joginder b Adhav 1, Mishra batting 14 Extras: (LB 2, NB 5)
7 Total: (for six wickets in 90 overs) 218 Fall of wickets:
1/36, 2/52, 3/66, 4/104, 5/152, 6/154 Bowling: Iqbal Siddiqui 20-7-43-1, Ranjit Khirid 19-4-47-1, Charu
Kulkarni 12-3-34-0 (1 No), Kiran Adhav 25-12-40-3, Hrishikesh Kanitkar
7-1-23-0 (4 Nb), Kashinath Khadkikar 7-0-29-0. — UNI |
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E. Bengal, Dempo split points Kolkata, March 14 The city giants, who missed sensational Brazilian striker Cristiano Junior, sitting out with a red card, dominated the proceedings for most part of the game and created chances galore but failed to convert any, much to the dismay of the sizeable crowd at the Salt Lake Stadium. The defending champions, however, maintained their standings at the top with 31 points from 15 matches and their three-point margin with the second placed Goans, who now have 28 points. Dempo, who had won the first leg tie 3-2, took the early initiatives and wrested midfield control to keep the hosts under pressure but failed to create positive chances during the first 20 minutes. East Bengal, on the other hand, launched their maiden foray only in the 24th minute before sweeping across the rival defence with waves of attacks during next 10 minutes, when they bagged four corners and wasted three scoring chances. Sur Kumar Singh set the tone for his side with fast overlaps down the right to feed Bhutia, Alvito D’Cunha and Mike Okoro with accurate crosses, but none were able to translate the chances into goals. With the match heading for a draw, East Bengal made a last ditch effort towards the end but proved distinctly unlucky when Okoro’s deflection off a substitute Bijen Singh corner hit the post minutes before the long whistle.
— PTI |
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Hewitt
triumphs INDIAN WELLS: Lleyton Hewitt launched his defence of his Indian Wells title, winning his opening round match over Thomas Johansson and extending his California desert win streak to 13 straight. The two-time defending champion Hewitt fired off a 6-2 6-3 win over Sweden’s Johansson at the 4.9 million dollar ATP/WTA Master Series event. “I am happy where my game is,” said the 23-year-old Australian eighth seed. “That’s one down and five to go.”
— AFP |
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Rafting meet at Tattapani Shimla, March 14 With numerous rapids , holes, rocks and boulders the 20 km stretch of the river between Pandoa and Tattapani presents an enormous challenge to the participants. It provides a world-class venue in one of the finest white water rivers on the globe. Out of the total 12 teams, as many as six are from abroad, which is quite remarkable as a competitive rafting event is being organised for the first time in the country. The championship will comprise raft sprint, raft slalom and aft downriver and the teams will be judged on points earned during the three events. Held over 1500 m of continuous grade of three to four white water, the raft sprint is a head-to-head knockout race comprising fours heats. It is the most exciting event. The raft slalom will test the skills of river reading and
maneuvering the raft upstream and downstream while negotiating through 12 gates. The downriver rafting requires cautious navigation of holes waves and rocks. There are two men’s teams from Austria, one women’s team from Slovakia, two (one men’s and one women’s) teams from the Czech Republic, one from Nepal, two from the Indian Army and one each from the Indian Air Force, Punjab Police and Himachal Pradesh. The teams assembled at Pandoa this evening at a tent colony. The rafters will recce the river tomorrow and have a trial run. The competitive events will be held from March 16 to 19. Col Balwant Sandhu, president of the Indian Rafting Foundation which is organising the event , said that the objective was to promote rafting as a competitive sport by holding the international event annually. The
foundation chose Himachal Pradesh for the biggest rafting event of the country as it had some of the best white water rivers in the world. Unlike mountaineering and tourism, which created environmental problems in the hills, rafting had the least impact on the environment. Promoting such a sport would help generate economic activities in the interior areas of the state. |
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Rawalpindi, March 14
Rawalpindi, March 14
In video:
Ashish is very positive, claims his
family. (
