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Ganguly not convinced
with Akhtar’s action Tendulkar relishes return to Pak
SRINATH COLUMN Bhandari to replace Nehra Make-or-break series for me, says Bhandari |
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Umer included
Notes from Pakistan Visa seekers a harassed lot
Pakistan to tour
India for a full series ICC involved in match-fixing, alleges Sarfaraz Nawaz
Mahindra thrash Sporting 5-1
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Ganguly not convinced
with Akhtar’s action The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ generated a lot of pace to return with figures of 9-1-49-3 to help Pakistan win the second one-dayer against India by a slender 12-run margin but his bowling action again came up for discussion. Asked whether he felt that all of Akhtar’s deliveries were legal, Ganguly said: “What do you think, watching on TV? I think we all know the answer, don’t we?”. Although Ganguly left it to the media to make its own judgement, it was bound to fuel yet another debate on Akhtar’s controversial bowling action. The Indian captain said the five-match one-day series would turn out to be a very high-scoring and closely fought contest on such batting-friendly tracks. “It will be very difficult for any side to contain the opposition between 275 and 300,” he said. “The way this one-day series is going, it will be very difficult for any side to contain the opposition between 275 and 300. Whichever side is bowling first or second should make sure that they don’t give more than 280 runs. “Once the score gets to 330 it’s very difficult for the side batting second. Unless something drastic happens this is going to be a series of big scores,” Ganguly said. On what was the turning point of the match, the Indian skipper said it was difficult to pin point the turning point in such a close match. “You can’t say what the turning point is. You have to fight till the very end. But it was not an easy track to bat on”. “It’s been tight so far. I cannot predict, but the way it’s going, looks like it’s going to be a tight series”. Ganguly also cleared the confusion over Ashish Nehra’s
availability for the second one-dayer after vice-captain Dravid said that he would not play because of a swollen left ankle. “His ankle was swollen the day before the match so I was a bit surprised that he said that he would not play. But obviously with all the treatment he recovered. His ankle responded well and he was able to play,” he said. “It was good for us because he bowled outstandingly. I did not know when Rahul made the announcement yesterday. I was not there. You also have to realise that some injuries may heal up or improve overnight. So it’s not always possible to make the right statement at the right time,” he said.
— PTI |
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Tendulkar relishes return to Pak
Rawalpindi, March 17 Nearly 15 years down the line, Sachin Tendulkar returns to the country to establish another important milestone that few batsmen in contemporary cricket can hope to achieve — scoring a whopping 13,000 runs in one-day cricket. His nearest rival in the batting honours list — Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq, who watched the genius unfold his mastery last night, is 3393 runs behind at 9,607 from 309 outings. The batting maestro also created history by becoming the first Indian to score a one-day century on Pakistani soil, crafting a classic 141 off 135 balls in the second One-Day International which India lost narrowly by 12 runs. This was his 37th ODI century in his 330th match but like a true team man, he declared that centuries had more value if the team wins. “I have always said that a century has greater value when the team wins. Scoring a hundred is nice. But it is a greater feeling when the team ends up winning.” Although he keeps the statisticians and fans busy, he does not himself keep track of the records he keeps shattering every other day and believes in doing his job quietly. On returning to Pakistan and achieving the milestones, he said, “to let you know what has happened all the way is a bit difficult. I am happy to be here and to become the first Indian to score a hundred in ODI cricket in Pakistan. I didn’t know about my 13,000 runs, so thank you so much for letting me know.” Adored in Pakistan as he is the world over, Tendulkar said he felt “good being in Pakistan. The hospitality is great and I am enjoying it.” Tendulkar may not have scored too many runs on his first trip to Pakistan in 1989, but now holds most of the batting records, having an aggregate of 13,090 runs in 330 matches with an impressive average of 45.13. Besides the 37 centuries, he also has 66 half centuries to his credit. His record in the longer version is equally phenomenal having compiled 9265 runs, which includes 32 centuries, at an average of 57.19. For a batsman who makes news even when he does not score enough runs, Tendulkar has always believed in playing his game and using his bat to silence his critics. On the suggestion that he is not a great finisher, Tendulkar said, “Well, you’ve got to go back and have a look at the scorebook.” He admitted that batting second on the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium track under floodlights last night was difficult as the ball was not coming on easily to the bat. “I thought it was a difficult track to bat on. The ball was stopping and coming. So we had to take our time before playing big shots. We had to be a little more selective. “I think they bowled pretty well. They did not give us enough time in the air to decide what to do. They pushed the ball through quicker and made our lives a bit more difficult,” he said. — PTI
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Focus
on building the team The Indians were found wanting at Rawalpindi. It is now quite obvious that this series is all about sustaining the pressure. If the intensity of the series continues in the same manner, then both the teams will be completely stressed out before the Test matches could start. Winning is extremely important in such pressure-cooker situations. When some fail to deliver their best under extreme pressure, then issues like self-doubting, insecurity, and even trying to find escape routes to miss out the games start propping up. The team management should be extremely vigilant to make sure that players are well counselled to get on with the game and remain in the positive frame of mind. There are many youngsters in the Indian side, who are still inexperienced to come to terms with the pressure and expectations of cricket. Players like Hemang Badani and Irfan Pathan, who are in and out of the playing eleven quite often, are the ones at high risk. Pathan, who is tipped to play in place of Ashish Nehra, should be handled with care. One thing I must point out that in the quest of winning the games, the efforts of building the team should not lose focus. The result follows only when you manage to build a good team. I am sure that the seniors would be stretching that extra bit to address such issues. Conscious effort should be made to keep the boys in the right frame of mind. The Indian team is sorely missing out on the services of a sports psychologist at this hour. I vividly recall how Sandy Gordon was useful in the early part of the World Cup. Even the senior cricketers need help at times. The transfer of knowledge and confidence is very effective when the seniors in the side make an attempt to address the boys. The return of Zaheer Khan to form is important for the team to do well. The bowling department can effectively operate only when it freezes on to the three fast bowlers. The same three fast bowlers should play in all the games. Chopping and changing will not give the team a proper measure of its bowling resources. What is baffling is Nehra’s consistent breakdowns and injury problems. This only adds to the problems of Indian bowling. A bowler learns a lot from each game and he has to carry forward the experience of the previous game to the next one. Nehra’s exit will bring Pathan, who now has to start from the scratch to understand the nature of the wicket and the batsmen. The time is very short for this young lad to comprehend. The untimely dismissals of Tendulkar and Dravid saw the game going to Pakistan. To my knowledge, Sachin is fatigued. It could be the result of years of cricket, carrying too much expectation on his shoulders and the pressure that has made him a bit tired. But the master batsman still played his part on sheer experience. One could tell that he was exhausted by the end of his innings. He is a die-hard fighter, who knows how to manage and will last this tour for sure. I thought Kaif and Yuvraj could have won the match for India. The youngsters should have applied themselves till the end. The problem was that none of the regular batsmen stayed till the end of 50 overs. For Pakistan, Shahid Afridi laid the foundation. The Indians cannot introduce spinners when he is around. Afridi’s vulnerability for short pitch bowling was not fully tested by the Indian bowlers. Skipper Saurav Ganguly was over dependent on Sachin in the end overs. Fast bowlers are better than spinners in the slog overs. Even if the fast bowlers go for runs, the experience is always a gain for them.
— Chivach Sports |
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Bhandari to replace Nehra New Delhi: Delhi seamer Amit Bhandari will replace left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra in the Indian cricket team for the rest of the series in Pakistan, the Indian Cricket Board said today. The decision to send Bhandari was taken after the board got a request from the team management asking for a replacement for Nehra, who was ruled out of the remaining matches against Pakistan after he cut the webbing on his left-hand in the second one-day match at Rawalpindi yesterday. “The team management today requested for a replacement for Nehra and the selectors have decided to send Bhandari,” BCCI secretary and selection committee convener S.K. Nair told PTI over the telephone from Thiruvananthapuram. “The selectors had already decided that Bhandari would accompany the team if Nehra was found unfit even before the Indian team embarked on the 40-day tour. He was the first choice replacement,” Nair said. He said Bhandari would join the squad at the earliest once his visa formalities were over. “He should be there before the third one-dayer to be held at Peshawar on March 19,” the Nair said.
— PTI
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Make-or-break series for me, says Bhandari
New Delhi, March 17 “I look forward to the upcoming series against Pakistan. It will be a challenging tour for me... you can say a make-or-break series for my career,” Bhandari, who will join the Indian squad on Friday told UNI here. The Delhi seamer, however, feels sorry for his teammate Ashish Nehra, who injured his bowling finger and aggravated his ankle problem during the second one-dayer against Pakistan in Rawalpindi last night. “Ashish bowled brilliantly in the two matches and was key to India's victory in the first one-dayer. I hope to match his standards,” he said. India lost the cliffhanger to Pakistan by 12 runs. Bhandari said he was looking forward to play well against the arch-rivals and would play his best. “It is always great to play against Pakistan... but to play and do well against them in their soil is probably an aim of every cricketer,” he added. The Delhi pacer felt that he was rightfully chosen for the job as his performance in the domestic cricket in the last two series spoke for itself. Bhandari, who was called up to the VB Series squad to bolster India's injury-hit bowling ranks, made his debut against Pakistan in the Asia Cup at Dhaka in 2000. He took two wickets for 75 runs in 10 overs but Bhandari emerged as India A's leading wicket-taker on the 2003 tour of England. Bhandari (25) has taken five wickets for 106 runs at an impressive average of 21.20 in two matches played so far. — UNI
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Umer included Islamabad:
Pakistan today included prolific left-handed opener Taufiq Umer in the squad for the third one-day cricket international against India to be played in Peshawar on Friday. The selectors also pruned the 16-member squad to 15, dropping rookie fast bowler Rao Iftikhar Anjum and batsman Misbah-ul-Haq without giving them a look-in in the series. The 22-year-old Umer, who has played 17
One-Day Internationals, is the first choice opening batsman for Pakistan in the longer version of the game but has been out of the one-day squad since last year's World Cup. Squad:
Inzamam-ul Haq (capt), Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Hameed, Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Moin Khan, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq, Rana Naveed-ul-Hassan, Taufiq Umer, Imran Farhat.
— PTI
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Inzamam fined for slow over-rate
Islamabad, March 17 Match Referee Ranjan Madugalle also docked the other Pakistan team members 15 per cent of their fees for bowling three overs short in the day-night tie yesterday. It is not the first instance of the Match Referee slapping fine for slow over-rate in this series. Both India and Pakistan teams were fined after the first match in Karachi. Inzamam faces a ban of two to four Tests or four to eight One-Day Internationals if found guilty of a similar offence over the next 12 months, Madugalle said. "If under Inzamam, Pakistan again fall short by three or more overs in any game for the next year, he could be banned for a specified number of matches," he said. Pakistan, bowling under lights, won the match by 12 runs to level the five-match series 1-1. Ganguly had slammed the new ICC rule for slow over-rate which imposes only fines instead of the earlier practice of docking overs as "ridiculous" after the Karachi match. — PTI
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Notes from Pakistan
Islamabad, March 17 “Fired up Pakistan avenge Karachi defeat” was how local daily, ‘The News’, headlined its story, highlighting how Sachin Tendulkar’s century failed to save India from defeat. Interestingly, the newspaper raked up a controversy over India’s decision to play Nehra in yesterday’s match after the bowler was ruled out for the match by vice-captain Rahul Dravid a day earlier. “India playing mind games” read the head line of a separate story in the newspaper. The scribes were surprised to see Nehra figuring in the final eleven half an hour before the match. One wonders what kind of medicine Indian team has invented that saw Nehra getting fit in hours rather than days,” it said. *
The fast-developing rapport between the people of India and Pakistan got a boost when captain Sourav Ganguly gave Pakistani security personnel passes for the second
One-Day International played here Tuesday. Ganguly gave at least two match passes to securitymen assigned to look after the Indian team at the Marriott Hotel, where the Pakistani team is also staying. “We got these two passes from your captain Ganguly,” an officer belonging to the special branch of Islamabad Police told IANS on condition of anonymity. The two officers went to the Pindi Stadium, the venue of the second of the five
One-Day Internationals, only after the Indian team had left for the stadium for the day-night encounter. While getting down from the car outside the stadium, they apologised to a friend of theirs who had come to drop them saying: “Dear, I’m sorry Ganguly gave only two passes to us. Had I known that you needed one, I would have asked him for one more.” This, however, is not likely to be the first or the last instance of players helping their acquaintances or even unknown people with match passes. With the ongoing matches — aptly promoted as ‘Jeet Lo Dil’ by the title sponsor Samsung — billed as the friendship series, gestures such as these help Indian cricketers make new friends in Pakistan, and vice-versa. *
For ‘Rawalpindi Express’ Shoaib Akhtar, Sachin Tendulkar might be his betenoire on the field. But his elder brother Shahid Akhtar is all for India-Pakistan friendship and says the steps taken by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf would go a long way in cementing warm relations between the two peoples. “I appreciate the moves made by the two leaders in fostering friendly relations between the people of the two countries,” Shahid Akhtar said. “This will help in establishing new bonds between the two nations and encourage people to come closer,” said Shahid, who is assistant director in a private firm here. “Cricket can play a big role in these confidence building measures.” Shahid said he was also the first coach-cum-manager of his younger brother, who played his 100th
One-Day International at the Pindi Cricket Stadium Tuesday. “I am very happy that by brother has played 100 matches,” he said. “When he was very young, I used to take him to the nets and make him practise.”
— Agencies |
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Visa seekers a harassed lot Amritsar, March 17 Initially, the Pakistan High Commission was to open the special visa camp here on March 17, which was widely reported in media. However, the date was changed. Adding to their woes, the district authorities failed even to put up a notice board to inform the visitors about the change of date at the irrigation rest house, where visa camp is to be housed. Expecting heavy rush of visa seekers, Mr Seeraj Sharma said he and his friend reached the venue from Mohali as early as 5 a.m. to get a visa issued. However, he was surprised to note that nobody was present in the visa camp and their repeated calls yielded no response. Many like him who reached here were kept in the dark about change in dates of the opening of the visa camp. “No notice board was put up to inform the public who had come from far-flung areas”, he added. Charanjit Singh who came from Jalandhar, said that they came to know about the postponement at around 11.30 a.m. He said an official of the district administration later announced about the change on the loudspeaker. “We were shocked to learn that the date had been changed.” Swaran Singh of Jalandhar said that no arrangements for drinking water or an eating outlet was made near the office. Mr Raminder Singh, Deputy Commissioner, could not be contacted as he was not in the city. |
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Pakistan
to tour India for a full series Islamabad, March 17 According to Chief Executive Officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja, talks are going on between PCB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the tour that would see Pakistan playing five one-dayers and three Tests in India. “The Pakistan team will tour India to play five ODIs and three Test matches. Discussion is going on with the BCCI to finalise the logistics and it’s going to be tentatively in February-March,” he said.
— UNI |
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ICC involved in match-fixing, alleges Sarfaraz Nawaz Islamabad, March 17 “I think in given situation it will not be possible to clean the game,” Sarfaraz said and added “International cricket can never be clean because too much money is involved in it.” Asked whether he doubted the going India-Pakistan series, Sarfaraz said: “When I say International cricket, I think India-Pakistan also form a part of that'' but he refused to elaborate. He went on to allege that even ICC is involved in fixing “ICC is itself involved. Look how they have treated the people who were suspected in such activities. In England, Australia and New Zealand, they (ICC) have rehabilitated the people suspected in these activities without any inquiry.” “Dean Jones has been made coach, Alex Stewart is a respected retired cricketer. Hansie Cronje is dead but others in South Africa are enjoying. In Sri Lanka, two ministers were given cars, and in India, though one former captain is still serving the ban other player has been allowed to play by the court.” When asked who was going to clean the game, he said: “There are far too many vested interests involved. It is no longer a gentleman's
game.” Sarfaraz claimed that the underworld was actively involved in these scandals. “Previously, they used to invest in films now they have diverted their money in cricket,” he alleged. He made light of the ICC's Anti Corruption Unit
(ACU) saying “it consists of cigar and pipe smoking easy-going people, who enjoy lavish hospitality
wherever they go and are given expensive gifts.” The former Test star did not substantiate his charges but insisted that the cricket boards of all the countries are well aware of the situation. “It is just not possible to do these things without the active knowledge of the Boards. Can one (underworld) invest so much money without getting some assurances and insurance from authorities running the game?” he asked. Asked if he has any proof, he said “It is obvious, you don't need to have proof for
everything.” Sarfaraz alleged that Wasim Akram, who was named in the Qayoom report and was asked to stay away from the game, is being given privileged position. He is moving with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Sheryar Khan and is being
considered for the coaching assignment. “It is strange. Wasim was responsible for the removal of Javed Miandad as a coach thrice but he is again being thrust on the team. Everybody knows his differences with Miandad but he (Wasim) is still around (the team).” He asserted that the board is also involved. “Without the board gambling, fixing cannot happen. When the players give under par performance, the team
management and the board knows what is happening.” — UNI |
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Gilchrist smashes unbeaten 140
Kandy, (Sri Lanka) March 17 Gilchrist added 195 for the third wicket with Damien Martyn to give Australia a lead of 130 runs after they had trailed by 91 on first innings and then slumped to 26 for two. Gilchrist, who scored just four runs in his first three innings of the series, rediscovered his touch after being promoted up the order because of a back injury to captain Ricky Ponting. Martyn, missed at second slip before he had scored, provided patient support with an unbeaten 64 as Sri Lanka’s bowlers toiled on a pitch that had lost its early venom. The pair came together after Matthew Hayden (five) chipped back a return catch off bat and pad first ball after lunch and Justin Langer (nine) nicked a catch behind. Gilchrist cracked three sixes and 19 fours in his 175-ball knock, his 10th test hundred, while Martyn stroked eight boundaries. Australia (1st innings): 120 Sri Lanka (1st innings): Atapattu c Gilchrist
b Kasprowicz 9 Jayasuriya lbw
Gunawardene lbw
Sangakkara c Symonds
Jayawardene c Symonds
Tillakaratne c
Dilshan lbw b Warne 0 Vaas not out 68
Zoysa c Gilchrist
b Kasprowicz 4 Lokuarachchi c
Muralitharan c
Extras: (b-8, lb-9, nb-3) 20 Total:
(all out, in 63.1
Fall of wicket: 1-6, 2-34, 3-39, 4-49, 5-67, 6-67, 7-88, 8-111, 9-132. Bowling: Gillespie 12-4-25-1, Kasprowicz 24-5-83-4, Warne
20.1-3-65-5, Symonds 2-1-1-0, MacGill 5-1-20-0. Australia (IInd innings): Langer c Sangakkara
Hayden c & b Vaas 5 Gilchrist not out 140 Martyn not out 64 Extras:
(lb-2 nb-1) 3 Total: (for two
Fall of wickets: 1-11 2-26 Bowling:
Vaas 14-3-55-1, Muralitharan 22-2-81-0, Zoysa 9-2-35-1, Lokuarachchi 8-1-26-0, Jayasuriya 5-0-16-0, Dilshan 1-0-6-0.
— Reuters
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Mahindra thrash
Sporting 5-1 Kolkata, March 17 Nigerian Felix Aboagye slammed a hattrick while Raphael Patron Akapko struck once and rival defender Madhav Das netted an own goal to complete an impressive scoreline for the Mumbai outfit at the Salt Lake stadium.
— PTI
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New Delhi, March 17
Rawalpindi, March 17