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India under pressure to level series Risky to play with four bowlers Odds stacked heavily against Indians
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Bowling worries plague both captains
Fake tickets flood market Mistaken identity
Warne spins Aussies to victory
Bhupathi-Mirnyi lose in semis Czech Republic rafters excel
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India under pressure to level series Lahore, March 20 Down 1-2 in the five-match series after their defeat in the third one-day cricket international at Peshawar yesterday, the Indians were focussing on their bowling shortcomings with coach John Wright saying the bowling has to be “more clinical”. The team came to this country without two of its top bowlers, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, and the spearhead of the opening attack Zaheer Khan recovering from injuries sustained in Australia. Ashish Nehra was again grounded by injuries after bowling splendidly in the first two matches. Zaheer is back but struggling. That has left the bowling attack in the inexperienced hands of combative Irfan Pathan, newcomer L Balaji and debutant Ramesh Powar. Pathan bowled well at Peshawar when he was finally given an opportunity, Balaji did not give away too many runs and gutsy Powar was given no more than four overs by Sourav Ganguly. The bowling attack is expected to remain unchanged for tomorrow’s match with the latest recruit, medium-pacer Amit Bhandari, unlikely to find a place. The same bowlers who did the duty at Peshawar will now be asked to be more clinical on what is expected to be a batting paradise at the Gadaffi Stadium where the Indians amassed 335 runs and yet lost to a Pakistani team in the tour opener 10 days ago. The Indians would do well to focus the searchlight on their batting also. That splendid wrist artiste VVS Laxman, who weeks ago was belting away the Australian bowlers, has failed in both the second and third one-dayers, having missed the first because of a stiff knee. Skipper Sourav Ganguly has not touched 50 yet in the tour opener and the three one-dayers. Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh have all failed twice in the three ODIs. Tendulkar scored a brilliant hundred at Rawalpindi but that came in the middle of his failures at Karachi and Peshawar. Rahul Dravid has been more consistent with innings of 99, 36 and 33. Yet, everyone is talking about bowling shortcomings. The Indians have no doubt put up big scores in the first two matches but the less famed and inexperienced Pakistani batting has matched them.
— PTI |
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Risky to play with four bowlers The composition of a team is heavily dependent on four regular bowlers while a few non-regular bowlers mostly take the slot of the fifth bowler. It is always a big risk if one or two of the regular bowlers concede a few extra runs. Ideally, the four bowlers should bowl really well in order to give that extra cushion to the fifth bowler. As it is, extreme domination of batsmen in one-dayers these days has put the bowlers under enormous pressure. When the regular bowlers are struggling to keep the batmen quiet, the role of the non-regular bowlers can only worsen the situation. To me, the Indian plan of going with seven batsmen, that too on subcontinent wickets, seems luxurious. The problem with the current Indian team is that neither do they have an experienced fifth regular bowler, nor they can rely on the current crop of bowlers. While Murali Kartik is hardly inspiring, newcomer Ramesh Powar’s off spin is not in the same league that of Harbhajan Singh. The absence of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan has multiplied the bowling worries not only in the fifth bowler’s slot but also the place of the fourth bowler. The opponents straightaway get 20 easy overs. And if one of the three fast bowlers concedes too many runs, then the entire bowling department looks pathetic. When Pakistan were struggling at 65 for four on Friday, a regular bowler running in to get wickets would have been more purposeful than Sachin or Sourav chancing their arms. Indians definitely lost the game missing out on the regular bowlers. Let me also tell you this is not the first time such things have happened. We have lost so many games in the recent past because of non-regular bowlers. Only a bowling department, working independently within the team, can find solutions to these problems. Shoaib Akthar’s action once again became a point of discussion after the Indian captain made some comments on it. But then, Ganguly was only answering to a question put across by the media. This topic, perhaps, will be debated forever. Sourav also is well aware of the authority, who gave Shoaib’s action a clean chit after it had come under scrutiny a few years ago. Moin Khan kept his cool and allowed Abdul Razzaq to be more aggressive. Moin’s experience took the game away from the Indians, who fought back so well at one point of time. The wicket had something in it for both bowlers and the batsmen. After the fall of Younis Khan’s wicket, Indian should have applied pressure by operating through Zaheer or Balaji. Ganguly relied on Sachin a lot. It only took the pressure away. Ganguly will have to rethink about Powar’s inclusion. Powar was not able to bowl his full quota of overs in both the matches. Although Powar has shown some fighting character overall, he has to contribute more with his bowling. Ganguly is not converting his initial 20s to big ones. In my opinion he should come at No 3. Having opened the innings successfully for long, Ganguly coming in at No 3 can create problems for the Pakistan bowlers in finding the right length and line for the right-hand and left-hand combination. With the Indians trailing in the series, it is time to level it first and then going for the kill.
— Chivach Sports |
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Odds stacked heavily against Indians As India approaches the Lahore double-header, it is obvious that the odds are stacked heavily against them. They have lost two straight games which means that Pakistan have got a bit of momentum going for them. Add to that the fact that their bowling is really lacking in penetration, and the scenario becomes a little more grim for captain
Sourav Ganguly. Both teams are so evenly matched that a slight slip from one could prove costly, and the situation is far more precipitous for the visitors right now. India’s only hope lies in the placid Lahore wicket. However, after seeing the fine bowling of the pacers in Peshawar, I would not be surprised if the curators leave some grass on the wicket this time as well. The unprecedented heat in Lahore could also be a factor since the Indians will know that the bowlers will tire faster than they did at Peshawar. I know that victory absolves a captain of everything, but I still feel that Inzamam erred in sending the Indians in at Peshawar. I think the Pakistan bowlers would have been even more lethal if they had been defending a total. The hosts should have taken the risk of seeing off some early movement from the Indians, and then they would have been able to capitalize on the weak back-up bowling of the Indians. However, the bowlers responded well to Inzamam’s call and thanks to it being a cool day, they bowled with vigour and intensity right through. The hero of the day was Shabbir Ahmed, who was bowling some unplayable deliveries in between a barrage of wides and no-ball. I have always said that a captain should handle his attacking bowlers well, by turning a blind eye to some wild deliveries. Inzamam did that on Friday, which is why Shabbir did not lose confidence in spite of being all over the place. It must be a happy thought for the captain that each match is seeing a new pacer doing well, so if it was Sami in the last game, it was Shabbir in this one. While Yasir Hameed’s knock was a good one, I still think it was Shabbir’s bowling that won the day for Pakistan. The only positive that the Indians can take to Lahore is the fact that they showed tremendous resilience to go from 160 for 7 to 244. Their tail showed great spunk and fight in the face of some fearsome bowling, and that would give the team confidence. All
Sourav’s problems revolve around his bowling right now. If he had had one quality bowler, Pakistan would have found the going tough once they were 60 for four. However, there is a hole in the middle overs, and Ganguly relied too much on himself and Tendulkar to get the Pakistanis out. He should have removed Tendulkar from the attack as soon as Inzamam was given out (I thought he was not out), and brought in a strike bowler. The main bowlers are also struggling. Though Irfan Pathan has tremendous potential, he is still young and raw and Zaheer Khan is taking a little time to get back to his best. However, it is the spinners whose absence the Indians are feeling most. Had either Kumble or Harbhajan been around, Pakistan would not have found life so easy. I still feel they should have brought a spinner in place of Nehra, as slow bowling has been pretty hard to get away in the series so far. Tomorrow will be a do-or-die game for the Indians and I will watch how they respond to the situation with some interest. It is moments like these that finally define a team, so if Ganguly’s men come out of this test shining, it might do wonders for their self-belief and confidence in the rest of the tour.
(Gameplan) |
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Bowling worries plague both captains
Lahore, March 20 Who will be under more pressure is a question on which the rival captains differed strongly today but both confessed to problems, the Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq saying he was worried by the wide and no balls which had made significant contributions to the Indian totals in the first three ODIs. For the Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, bowling is a worry and he pointed out today that his team was without three of his frontline bowlers — Nehra, who bowled splendidly in the first two matches, and Kumble and Harbhajan who could not make the tour. Down 1-2, it will be the visitors who will be under more pressure according to Inzamam-ul Haq who told reporters at the Gadaffi Stadium that with his team ahead in the five-match series, Indian fans would expect their team to win and thereby create additional pressure. But the combative Ganguly dismissed this view saying that international cricket was all about pressure. “There is bound to be pressure on both teams. There is always pressure in international cricket and tomorrow’s match is crucial,” he said. Asked whether the presence of a few thousand Indian fans at the Gadaffi Stadium would put pressure on his team, Ganguly said, “it is good for us but we have to play good cricket. That is important”. Ganguly believed that his team had the ability to come back into the series as they have done so on a number of occasions in the last two and half years. “Yes, we are lacking in giving the finishing touches here. We have come back from such situations earlier in the past. We are hampered by the absence of Harbhajan and Kumble. We missed at least one of them in the last match.
— PTI |
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Notes from Pakistan
Lahore, March 20 For once the “invaders” are welcome, wherever they go they are greeted by the Pakstanis with a warmth which does not betray even a trace of the bitter, and mostly hostile, ties that have bedevilled the neighbouring countries. The hotels in this cultural capital of Pakistan have never had it so good. The room rates have gone up very substantially but rooms are not available. It is truly a friendship series. The crowds in the first three one-dayers have been sporting and supportive of good cricket. The Lahore matches are expected to be played in the same spirit. *
The series is proving to be a big business boom for bookmakers and punters in the subcontinent as bets in millions of rupees change hands in every match. But the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) officers of the International Cricket Council deputed for the series are satisfied that the security protocol put in place to keep corrupt elements away from the players, has so far proved successful. Colonel (Retd) Nur Muhammad of Pakistan and Martin Hawkins of England are the ACU officers keeping a close watch on the two teams but as the series progresses, the ACU would rotate the officers. The protocol includes a complete ban on mobile phones in the dressing rooms and issuance of special identity cards to visitors of the players after thorough checking of their background. *
Amidst the hype about how fast Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar bowls, team-mate Mohammad Sami’s 100 miles an hour feat barely created a ripple. Television speed guns clocked two deliveries by Sami at over 100mph (160 kmph) during yesterday’s one-day international at Peshawar. Yet, few took notice of the rare feat that is not recognised in the record books of the International Cricket Council (ICC), but generates a lot of interest among cricket lovers. So far, only Akhtar had been timed at that pace in a one-day international when he clocked 100.2 mph in the World Cup game against England at Cape Town last year. But the ‘Rawalpindi Express’, as Akhtar is nicknamed, clocked only around 90 mph yesterday even as Sami gained in pace. Even Sami himself was not aware of what he had achieved. “I don’t know, I am not aware of any records,” the slim fast bowler said. *
Pakistan coach Javed Miandad virtually read a riot act to his players cautioning them not to be complacent after two victories over India saying, ‘’You can be complacent at your own peril.’’ Miandad was of the view that Pakistan might have won the battle but the war was yet to be won. “Two successive wins should not lead us to lower our guards,” he told the players on the eve of the fourth one-dayer which is to be played at Gaddafi Stadium here tomorrow.
— Agencies |
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Fake tickets flood market Lahore: The Indian team, desperate to draw parity in the series, will be cheered by country’s top
industrialist —Ambanis, Wadias and Munjals, as they take on Pakistan in the fourth one-day cricket match here tomorrow. “According to the information we have got, Reliance’s Ambani family and the Wadias will be here to watch the match. Also some Indian ministers are likely to come,” PCB CEO Rameez Raja told mediapersons here today. He said as per his information, 8,000 Indians have been given visas for the matches. “I cannot tell you how many will be there tomorrow but it will be a big number.” Meanwhile, the organisers here are in tizzy as fake tickets have flooded the market on the eve of the fourth one dayer forcing the PCB to make repeated
announcements that those caught selling fakes will be dealt with severely. “We have come to know that fake tickets are in circulation and I want to warn all those who have bought them that they not only will be barred from entering the stadium, action can also be taken against them,” Rameez Raja said.
— UNI
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Mistaken identity Lahore: Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid must not have thought in his wildest dreams that his failure to recognise Yasir Hameed at Rawalpindi would serve as a “wake-up call” for the young opener who emerged as the hero in Pakistan’s back-to-back wins in the ongoing one-day series. Yasir was irked when Dravid mistook him for a nets bowler before the Pindi match.
He then asked whether Yasir was Saqlain Mushtaq’s brother and was he also an off-spinner. “He didn’t recognise me and I didn’t say anything. But yes it was a sort of wake-up call for me. I wanted to score runs and stay long enough at the wicket to enable the Indians to recognise me throughout the series,” he told ‘The News’.
— PTI
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Warne spins Aussies to victory
Kandy, March 20 With the win, Australia lead the three-match series 2-0. The 34-year-old Warne finished with 10 for 155 in the match, his second consecutive 10-wicket haul in his second game back for the national side after a 12-month drugs ban. Warne extended his series tally to 20 wickets at 15.7 and his career haul to 511 scalps, giving him a chance of breaking Courtney Walsh’s 519-wicket world record during the third and final Test next week. Coach John Buchanan paid tribute to Warne. “I think he’s done an absolutely fantastic job. Not just the wickets he’s taken, but his control, his demeanour, the way he goes about his work ... everything,” Buchanan said. “He’s obviously looked after himself and really jumped back on the bike where he hopped off before the World Cup. He’s been able to sustain that from game to game and I think that’s a real credit to him.”
Scoreboard Australia (Ist innings): 120 Sri Lanka (Ist innings): 221 Australia (2nd innings): 442 Sri Lanka (second innings) Atapattu lbw b Gillespie 8 Jayasuriya c Gilchrist
Gunawardene lbw
Sangakkara c & b Warne 29 Jayawardene c Gilchrist
Dilshan b Warne 43 Tillakaratne c Ponting
Vaas c Langer b Warne 45 Lokuarachchi lbw
Zoysa c Gilchrist
Muralitharan not out 4 Extras
(b-4 lb-14 nb-1) 19 Total (all out, 73.1 overs) 324 Fall of wickets:
1-17, 2-36, 3-98, 4-174, 5-218, 6-239, 7-274, 8-319, 9-320. Bowling:
Kasprowicz 17-1-55-1, Gillespie 20-1-76-4, Warne 21.1-2-90-5, Symonds 3-0-16-0, MacGill 12-0-69-0.
— Reuters |
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Styris, Cairns hit big centuries
Auckland, March 20 New Zealand posted their highest score in Tests against South Africa for the second match in succession as Cairns made 158, Scott Styris 170, Jacob Oram 90 and Craig McMillan 82. The New Zealand total surpassed the record mark of 509 established in the drawn first Test at Hamilton, which stood as a national best for barely seven days. Styris’ score, improved upon today after he had been 118 not out overnight, was the highest by a New Zealander against South Africa and the third-highest by a Kiwi on Eden Park. The all-rounder, who had come to the wicket when New Zealand were 12 for two and saw them to safety at 201 for three by the end of the second day, set in motion events which Cairns continued. Cairns reached his fifth Test century, his highest score in all first-class cricket, and shared a partnership of 225 with Oram for the seventh wicket which was a record for New Zealand against all nations. He set the tone for a day of unprecedentedly rapid scoring, one in which New Zealand scored 383 runs, including 187 between tea and stumps. Scoreboard SA (1st innings): 296 New Zealand (1st innings): Richardson c Gibbs b
Papps c Boje b Pollock 0 Fleming c Kallis b Ntini 4 Styris c Pollock b Boje 170 McMillan b Pollock 82 McCullum b Ntini 13 Cairns c Kallis b Smith 158 Oram b Ntini 90 Vettori not out 2 Tuffey not out 5 Extras:
(lb-10 nb-5) 15 Total: (8 wkts, 144 overs) 584 Fall of wickets:
1-5, 2-12, 3-137, 4-285, 5-314, 6-349, 7-574, 8-578. Bowling:
Pollock 30-5-111-2, Ntini 34-7-101-3, Terbrugge 22-4-93-0, Kallis 23-1-108-1, Boje 22-2-108-1, McKenzie 2-0-8-0, Rudolph 6-0-26-0, Smith 5-0-19-1.
— AP
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Port of Spain, March 20 In between two stoppages for rain yesterday, Harmison, whose seven wickets in the previous Test catapulted England to a sensational 10-wicket victory, captured five wickets for 48 runs from 17 overs as the West Indies struggled to 189 for eight in their first innings when bad light stopped play 10 overs early. The West Indies might have felt their decision to bat on a hard, true pitch under sunny to overcast skies was correct when they benefitted from a century opening stand between left-handers Chris Gayle and Devon Smith. Michael Vaughan, however, swung Harmison to the southern, or Queen’s Park Cricket Club end, for a second spell and his introduction transformed the complexion of the match. Gayle, Smith and West Indies captain Brian Lara, all departed in a sensational 15-minute period just prior to lunch in the space of 13 balls and the rot continued, although the rains offered the home team temporary respite. Scoreboard West Indies (1st innings): Gayle c Read
Smith lbw b Harmison 35 Sarwan c Flintoff
Lara c Giles
Chanderpaul c Read b Jones 2 Smith c Hussain
Jacobs not out 29 Best c Read b Hoggard 1 Sanford run out 1 Collins not out 6 Extras
(lb-7, w-6, nb-3) 16 Total (for 8 wkts, 54 overs) 189 Fall of wickets:
1-100, 2-110, 3-110, 4-113, 5-142, 6-143, 7-148, 8-165 Bowling:
Hoggard 15-3-38-1, Harmison 17-5-48-5, Flintoff 10-3-38-0, Giles 3-0-20-0, Jones 9-1-38-1.
— AFP |
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Bhupathi-Mirnyi
lose in semis New Delhi, March 20 Black and Ulyett were among the some of the probable Olympic combinations playing in the tournament. Leander Paes, paired with David Rikl of the Czech Republic was seeded seven. The duo lost to another Athens prospects, wild card Yves Allegro and Roger Federer of Switzerland, in the opening round. Next up on the ATP calendar is the Nasdaq-100 Open Tennis Masters in Miami beginning March 24, where Paes and Rikl finished runners-up last year.
— PTI
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Czech Republic
rafters excel Shimla, March 20 Austria bagged the second position, while India finished at the third place in the men’s event. In the women’s section the Czech team edged out the Slovakian team by mere three seconds. The Indian women team got the third position. Women from Slovakia won the sprint raft gold medal, while in men’s sprint raft Czech Republic bagged the first position. The slalom raft and down river races for both women and men were won by the Czech Republic |
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Lahore, March 20
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