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Raja, Miandad may be axed; Inzamam to continue No love lost between Inzy, Akhtar Fiction turned real as Sourav and his warriors played in Pakistan Balaji credits Wright for right advice
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Lara’s record may never be broken, says Ponting Murali exceeds ICC guidelines on ‘doosra’ Maradona fighting for life after heart failure
Fed Cup: winning start for India
Attacking JCT rout Mohammedan Sporting Rajiv to play Leicestershire
league cricket
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Raja, Miandad may be axed; Inzamam to continue
Islamabad, April 19 “Inzamam has been appointed as captain till the end of 2004 and board chairman Shaharyar Khan has informed him about the decision to let him continue,” PCB spokesman Sami-ul Hasan told PTI from Karachi today. “Now he can concentrate on the efforts to rebuild the team.” The decision to continue Inzamam would be a big boost for the burly right-hander as local media had denounced his captaincy during the India series as “lacklustre” and “uninspiring”. Although the PCB is yet to take any decision on Raja, Miandad and team-manager Haroon Rashid, there have been feelers that the trio may be on their way out. On Miandad, whose contract lasts till 2005, Hasan evaded a direct reply, saying only that the PCB chief had taken a “favourable view” of the achievement of the coach. But he declined to comment on media reports that the board had approached Australian cricketer Dean Jones for the coaching job. A section of the media here speculated that PCB was considering appointing Jones, who did TV commentary during the Indo-Pak series, for the post as he has a good rapport with the PCB establishment. Local daily ‘The Nation’ reported that the PCB has already informed Jones about the offer. As far as Raja was concerned, Shaharyar has appreciated his organising skills, but has had reservations about him continuing as the CEO as well as a TV commentator. Raja was appointed directly by President General Pervez Musharraf, who is also the patron of the PCB, and his services were appreciated by PCB chief himself. “Raja was appointed with a brief to organise the Indo-Pak series in a befitting manner and he was quite successful in that,” Hasan said. — PTI
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No love lost between Inzy, Akhtar
Islamabad, April 19 A player was quoted as saying by local daily ‘The News’ that Shoaib had wanted to pull out of the Lahore Test after he learnt that Inzamam did not want to include him in the playing eleven. “The truth is there were on and off communication problems between the two. After the Multan Test, Shoaib only offered to step down after he learnt that Inzamam did not want him for the Lahore match and was adamant about it even with the selectors,” the player said on condition of anonymity. “It was only on the insistence of chief executive Rameez Raja that Inzamam agreed to play Shoaib in Lahore which is why Rameez is so upset with Shoaib’s behaviour in the Pindi Test. “Rameez had backed the pacer despite the wishes of Inzamam and even coach Javed Miandad who believed he (Shoaib) was not committed enough to give his best in the series,” the player said. He said there was a lot of tension between Inzamam and Shoaib after the latter “claimed” he had sprained his back muscle and could not bowl at all because of extreme pain. “Inzamam did not speak to him after that and when Shoaib went out and batted so freely on the fourth day, Inzy gave him a piece of his mind and told him he had insulted him and the team with his attitude and behaviour,” the player said. “There was a lot of tension in the dressing room after Shoaib returned from his batting cameo.” Afterwards when Shoaib realised that the public opinion was turning against him, he went into the washroom, where Inzamam normally goes to have a smoke, and started apologising to him but the captain would not listen to anything, the player claimed. “Inzy was already upset with Shoaib during the one-day series, blaming him for not trying hard enough and making things difficult for the team. And the moment he came to know that he (Shoaib) had called up Rashid Latif and another former player and complained to them about his captaincy, he further distanced himself from the fast bowler. “The captain was also upset before the Pindi Test when he realised that it was Shoaib who had leaked out the story about (trainer) Tauseef leaving the team before the match,” the player said. He said Shoaib’s attitude changed for the worse during the second Test in Lahore when Inzamam gave Tauseef Razzaq a piece of his mind when he had misbehaved with Miandad after one of the net sessions. “Dr Razzaq had actually misbehaved and argued with Miandad over the fact that Shoaib and the other fast bowlers were being made to bowl a lot in the nets between matches. When Inzamam learnt of this he confronted the doctor who was then told to leave if he wanted to,” the player said. — PTI
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Fiction turned real as Sourav and his
Lahore, April 19 Never before has any cricket team played anywhere under the shadow of the gun as Sourav Ganguly and his warriors did in places like Karachi and Peshawar, shunned by other cricket-playing nations as being among the most dangerous spots in the world. Safe-houses were identified to shelter the cricketers in the event of danger to their lives, helicopters were on standby for evacuation, flights were delayed on purpose, dummy convoys moved on the roads and elite commandos stood guard round the clock. Unknown to the players, during the one-day international at Lahore, credible intelligence was received about a possible threat at the hotel where they stayed. The hotel was sealed for a while, an intense security check carried out and extra commandos were deployed to thwart any mischief. That the tour went off without any incident is a tribute to the skills of Pakistani security establishment and its Indian counterpart who coordinated an unprecedented security operation during the series, the significance of which went far beyond the playing fields. “It was a security nightmare. Much was riding on this tour and even a small incident could have had huge political and other ramifications. But once the go-ahead for the tour was given, security arrangements had to be put in place. It was like protecting 15 heads of government,” said a Pakistani official involved in the task. At some of the venues, particularly Karachi and Peshawar, safe houses had been identified in case the Indian team required to be evacuated from a stadium. Helicopters were on standby to pick up the Indians if trouble erupted but “fortunately trouble did not erupt,” says Yashowardhan Azad, Inspector General of Police, who had been deputed by the Indian Home Ministry to this country to ensure foolproof security for the team. Azad travelled to Pakistan well ahead of the arrival of Ganguly and his boys on March 10 and visited all the venues along with his Pakistani counterparts led by Sohail Khan of the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) who had been appointed national security coordinator for the tour. Karachi and Peshawar topped the list of potential trouble spots as far as the Indian officials were concerned and therefore they ruled out any Test matches. Only one-dayers were played there to reduce the period of stay for the team. 15 million people, 18 towns and 18 police districts make Karachi Pakistan’s biggest city. Besides being home to India’s underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, this teeming metropolis is also regarded as the country’s drug capital. The radical Lashkar-e-Jaanvi group also posed a potential threat here. Therefore, Azad and his Pakistani counterparts identified safe houses, had one helicopter hovering near the Karachi Stadium while India and Pakistan played the first one-dayer on March 13. Another helicopter was on standby. The Indian team was whisked to the airport immediately after the match and flown to Islamabad. But the flight out of Karachi was purposely delayed to thwart any potential mischief. Three identical buses were lined up for the Indian team to drive to the airport under heavy police escort. All traffic on the roads traversed by the team was stopped and high-rise buildings monitored. Two different routes were prepared for the team’s movement in Karachi and decisions on the road to be taken were made at the last minute to reduce the risk. Dummy buses with proper police escorts were sent on the routes 45 minutes ahead of the team’s actual travel. Similar security arrangements were in place at Peshawar where teams from South Africa and New Zealand had refused to play. Peshawar is the capital of volatile North West Frontier Province and the city’s police boss Rafat Pasha took personal charge of the team’s security. The hotels where the Indian team stayed were put under security befitting heads of government. Sniffer dogs went round the hotels particularly the rooms where the Indian players stayed. All food supplied to the Indian team was prepared under supervision and checked. X-ray scanners were installed at the hotels and special checks introduced to guard against car bomb attacks. Police spotters were placed on all the routes taken by the Indian team. Last-minute changes were made in the team’s travel plans. For instance, it was first decided that the team would travel by air from Islamabad to Peshawar, but this was changed to road travel. Yet, the team finally flew to Peshawar. In Lahore, the route of the team’s motorcade was altered suddenly. Special squads of commandos were deployed at the team hotels and the playing arenas everywhere. The floor, where the Indian team stayed, was made out of bounds for everyone except those who had security clearance. The cooperation of the Pakistani security agencies is handsomely acknowledged by Azad who said that both sides had cooperated with each other very smoothly. If security weighed on the minds of the Indian players, they did not show it. Vice-captain Rahul Dravid found it safe to travel to Taxila, the archaeological site near Islamabad and also visited the famous Anarkali bazaar in Lahore. Ganguly was relaxed enough to go to the food market in Lahore, Sachin Tendulkar visited a music store in Islamabad and Virender Sehwag purchased Pakistani dresses, all with securitymen in tow. In the end the Indians took the security concerns in their stride and performed brilliantly on the field. But even they did not know the full extent of the unprecedented security steps that had been taken for them. No wonder, Sohail Khan thanked Allah when the Indian team left for home on Saturday. — PTI
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Balaji credits Wright for right advice
Chennai, April 19 Talking on his return from Pakistan, the 22-year-old Tamil Nadu star attributed his performance to Wright’s “fatherly advice” and useful tips from senior colleagues. “Wright in particular motivated me often with his pep talks like ‘you are too good a bowler. You are better than others’.... Apart from motivating me with such words, he also taught me to bowl differently to different batsmen,” Balaji said. The youngster emerged as a key strike bowler for India in the absence of injured Zaheer Khan, taking six wickets in the one-day internationals and 12 in the three Tests against Pakistan. He also came good with useful knocks on a couple of occasions in the one-dayers, including the memorable six of Shoaib Akhtar, which won him praise from none other than the Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Balaji, whose childhood dream was to play for the country, is well aware of the need for a fast bowler to maintain fitness. He also wants to focus on improving his batting skills, apparently setting sights on emulating the legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev. “Hard work on fitness by running and physical exercises keeps me fit. At this level only the fittest survive and I say this to myself when I retire to bed every night,” Balaji said. Stating that there was no substitute for hard work, he said he had been following the rigid schedule of physical training laid down by the team trainer. Balaji, whose absence in the Tamil Nadu team was felt very much in their Ranji final against Mumbai last month, was also very appreciative of his seniors. He said the frequent bowling tips from seniors like captain Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble helped him to remain focussed. “As for the Pakistan tour and the seniors’ tips, I was gaining ground and confidence match by match. With confidence level improving, the rhythm and motivation also improved. These gave a boost to my performance everytime I bowled,” he said. On his interaction with former Pakistani speedster Waqar Younis, Balaji said: “I spent just about two minutes with him. I sought suggestions on how to maintain a tight line and length while bowling to right-left combination of batsmen and also on strengthening my leg.” Dedicating his success to all his well-wishers, Balaji, who was lucky to have won the berth in the Indian team for the Australian tour after Mumbai’s Avishkar Salvi pulled out due to injury, said he was able to show maturity thanks to the advice and tips from seniors. For Balaji, being a member of both the ODI and Test squads that registered memorable series win in Pakistan is more than a dream come true. “My mother used to tell me that India should defeat Pakistan. To be actually part of the series winning team has made be very happy,” he said. He also said the 15-day fitness camp in Bangalore where the focus was on physical training and no cricket had helped him. “I always follow the same schedule to be always fit.” Asked about his future plans, Balaji said after a fortnight’s rest, he would resume the rigorous practice and physical exercises. — PTI
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No regrets, says Chopra New Delhi: Opener Aakash Chopra today said even though he was “disappointed” at being dropped for the series-decider against Pakistan, he did not have any regrets as the decision had been taken in the best interest of the team. Chopra was ignored for the third and series-deciding Test at Rawalpindi to accommodate Yuvraj Singh who had substituted for Sourav Ganguly, returning to the side after missing the first two Tests due to an injury. “I was disappointed but I never felt that I was done in. I have no regrets at all for missing the Test as the team’s interest is more important than individual feelings. I am happy that we could win the series,” Chopra said here. But Chopra was undaunted, saying “they (selectors) know my capabilities and my strengths. So I won’t go beyond what the captain told the media yesterday,” the 26-year-old opener said referring to Ganguly’s comments in Kolkata that Patel would not open the innings heceforth.
— PTI
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Read spurs England to sensational win
Georgetown, April 19 The 25-year-old wicketkeeper pasted 18 runs from Corey Collymore’s penultimate over as the tourists passed the West Indies’ total of 156 for five off 30 overs with three balls remaining. With England needing 21 runs from two overs, Read smacked six, four, six off Collymore’s third, fourth and fifth deliveries to tilt the balance in favor of the visitors. West Indies: Gayle b Gough 2 Chanderpaul c Clarke
b Gough 84 Powell c and b Flintoff 10 Sarwan lbw b Flintoff 0 Smith c Flintoff bClarke 16 Joseph not out 23 Jacobs not out 2 Extras:
19 Total: (5 wkts, 30 overs) 156 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-25, 3-25, 4-64, 5-151. Bowling:
Gough 6-0-22-2, Harmison 6-0-34-0, Kirtley 6-0-28-0, Flintoff 6-2-22-2, Clarke 2-0-16-1, Trescothick 3-0-9-0, Coillingwood 1-0-17-0 England: Trescothick b Bravo 26 Vaughan c Jacobs
Strauss b Bravo 29 Flintoff c Jacobs b Gayle 8 Collingwood c
Blackwell b Rampaul 27 Clarke run out 1 Read b Gayle 27 Gough not out 9 Harmison not out 0 Extras: 20 Total:
(8 wkts, 29.3 overs) 157 FoW: 1-1, 2-60, 3-75, 4-75, 5-108, 6-119, 7-120, 8-154. Bowling: Dillon 6-0-35-1, Collymore 6-1-35-0, Bravo 6-0-31-2, Rampaul 6-0-32-1, Gayle 5.3-0-20-3.
— AP |
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Lara’s record may never be broken, says Ponting
Sydney, April 19 Lara’s quadruple century for the West Indies against England last week in Antigua — the first in Test history — eclipsed Australian Matthew Hayden’s former world mark of 380 and took nearly 13 hours to complete. As captain, Lara batted until after lunch on the third day as the West Indies amassed 751 for five declared. It left the hosts without enough time to win and the match was drawn after England won the opening three Tests. Ponting said Australia’s desire to secure victory as quickly as possible would make it difficult for any of the batsmen, himself included, to beat Lara’s feat. “It’s hard to imagine an Australian player doing it, just because of the way we play our cricket. It’s generally not the way we play,” said Ponting. “I’ve read some of the reports in the paper over the last couple of days about Lara’s innings. Their whole first innings might have been geared around one individual performance and they could have let a Test match slip because of it. “They ran out of time in the game — that’s not the way the Australian team plays.” Hayden’s 380 against Zimbabwe in Perth last October took just over 10 hours in a match Australia won by an innings and 175 runs early on the fifth day. — AP
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Murali exceeds ICC guidelines on ‘doosra’ Colombo, April 19 The report said the Sri Lankan’s arm straightens by about 10 degrees, five more than allowed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), when bowling the doosra, a delivery that turns in the opposite direction to his normal off-break. The report was sent to the Sri Lanka board last week and then circulated among members of a bowling review group. That group are due to meet tomorrow to finalise their own report. Sources confirmed the doosra exceeded the ICC’s ‘’levels for tolerance’’ guidelines. The ICC introduced the levels after research showed nearly 100 per cent of fast bowlers partially straightened their arm in their delivery. Pace bowlers are allowed 10 degrees of flex, medium pacers 7-1/2 degrees and spinners just five.
— Reuters |
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Maradona fighting for life after heart failure
Buenos Aires, April 19 The Suizo-Argentina clinic said in a statement the 43-year-old former captain of the Argentine national team was unable to breathe by himself. Buenos Aires swirled with rumours about the cause of the illness, with the TN television channel saying Maradona had a drug overdose. Maradona, who is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, has been battling drug addiction for years. He was suspended while playing in the Italian championship in the 1990s after testing positive for cocaine. The Buenos Aires clinic said Maradona was admitted after suffering “congestive heart failure” caused by high blood pressure. It said Maradona “is receiving medication to strengthen the heart; and as he developed acute respiratory failure he was put on a ventilator and therefore is heavily sedated.” “The reaction to the medication has been favourable, and he is stablised.” But the statement said doctors gave only a “reserved” assessment of his condition. Cahe told reporters outside the clinic “we will have to wait 24 to 48 hours to know the evolution.” Cahe refused to answer questions about whether Maradona had had a drug overdose. Cahe accompanied Maradona when he was taken to the clinic. The TN report quoted members of Maradona’s “intimate circle” as saying the former footballer was rushed to hospital following an overdose. Maradona’s father, Diego, his former wife, Claudia Villafane, and their two children, Dalma and Gianina, had been at the hospital. This heightened the speculation about the condition of the former skipper of Argentina’s 1986 World Cup-winning team. “He wanted to have a few health check-ups,” one of the former footballer’s close relatives told reporters as rumours mounted that Maradona was in intensive care. The clinic released the statement as it became the subject of international attention. Maradona’s recent return to Argentina from Cuba on March 22 had prompted concern and speculation about his health because of the excess weight he has put on. Maradona had earlier watched his former club Boca Juniors play league rivals Nuevo Chicago but left during the second half and was later admitted to the clinic. Since January 2000, Maradona has spent a lot of time in Cuba where he has already made attempts to kick his alleged drug habit. Maradona played 91 matches for Argentina and scored 34 goals, including his infamous “hand of God” goal against England when he fisted the ball into the net.
— AFP
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Fed Cup: winning start for India
New Delhi, April 19 Ankita recovered from a sluggish start to beat I-Ting Wang 6-3, 6-1 before a pumped-up Sania scored a thrilling 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) victory over Chia-Jung Chuang as India took a winning 2-0 lead against Chinese Taipei in the opening rubber of the Asia-Oceania zone Group 1 tie. In the dead doubles match, Sania and Manisha Malhotra will take on Chaung and Wang. Ankita went up 4-1 but her lack of match practice showed as she allowed the 536th ranked Wang to close the gap to 4-3 in the first set. In the eighth game, she was down 0-30 before pulling up her socks in time to hold serve. As the match wore on, her game improved and the local lass was able to hit winners at will. She uncorked a double break of serve in the second set to go up 5-1 and closed the match with a strong forehand winner. Sania on the other hand was for the most part fighting her own self. Although the Indian’s WTA ranking of 411 was well below Chuang’s 311, there was no doubt as to who was the crowd favourite. But the 17-year old doubles champion at Hyderabad was too excited to channel her energy and kept missing her targets. At times when she got the radar working, her shots did explode. Also, Sania had her problems with serve throughout the match. Although she hit a few aces, there were some double faults, too, that came at crucial junctures. A poor service game saw her go down 3-0 in the first set but she regained ground to break the Taipei girl twice in the fifth and seventh game to take the set.
— PTI
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Victoria discovered our
secret: Marbeck
Sydney, April 19 Malaysian-born Sarah Marbeck (29) alleges she and the Real Madrid midfielder exchanged hundreds of text messages using the code names Peter Pan and Tinkerbell after they met in July 2001 in Singapore.
Marbeck was the second woman to sell a story of alleged infidelities by Beckham to the British tabloids after Rebecca Loos, the footballer’s former personal assistant. Beckham has denied all the allegations and he and his wife, formerly known as Posh Spice, have taken legal advice over the reports. Marbeck, who admitted she had been paid for the television
interview, said she kept three diaries containing text messages including comments like: “Baby I want you so much.” She alleged she first met Beckham in Singapore in 2001 when he invited her back to his room. “My heart was thumping ... he’s a great lover,” she said. “He’s an amazing guy ... not sleazy at all.”
After she returned to Australia, she said she was thinking: “I don’t know what’s going on in his marriage but he’s calling me, texting me to come to England.” “I was getting text messages from someone who was so powerful, so romantic, someone so great,” she added. But then Beckham stopped contacting her, Marbeck said. Marbeck sobbed when she was asked how Victoria Beckham would have felt on learning of the affair but said she still wanted to know why Beckham had stopped calling her. However, the boss of an escort agency where Marbeck worked said she had confessed that she never slept with Beckham. David Wade, who runs the Miss Fleiss escort agency in Sydney, said: “She said to me: ‘I never had sex with him, I wanted him to think I was a good girl and not like that.”
— AFP |
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Attacking JCT rout Mohammedan Sporting Ludhiana, April 19 Playing an attacking game from the kick-off, JCT went all out to subdue the rivals from Kolkata, who had surprisingly beaten the Punjab outfit 3-1 in their home match on January 19. After diminutive winger Baldip Singh put JCT ahead with a superb volley in the very second minute, JCT consolidated the lead in the second half through Harvinder, whose brace piled further misery on Mohammedan Sporting. The Kolkata outfit are now dangerously close to relegation while JCT have brightened their chances of finishing among the top six. The match was off to an
explosive start when
Baldip, fielded on the right wing, latched on to the ball on top of the box and unleashed a
powerful volley which caught Mohammedan Sporting goalie Gumpe Rime hands down (1-1). Mohammedan Sporting hit back with a couple of counter attacks mainly through Zahir Abbas and Syed Rahim Nabi. On one occasion Nabi did manage to beat a defender but he shot over the bar in haste. JCT kept up the pressure and a pass by Jaswinder from the left wing to Manjit Singh saw the latter attempting a piledriver which narrowly missed the mark. Five minutes before the interval, JCT could have added another goal. The hard-working Baldip raced down the right flank and after outpacing a defender, shot
goalwards. But as luck would have it, the ball struck the upright and bounced back into play. Mohammedan Sporting made two attempts through Okoli Onyeka Odafa but both his shots were misdirected. In the second half, JCT were again on the offensive. Jaswinder initiated a move on the left flank and managed to cut into the box. Off his attempt, the ball came to Harvinder after striking the goalkeeper who capitalised on the rebound to slot home with relative ease (2-0). Thereafter JCT made several close calls. First Sukhjinder’s piledriver was collected by the goalkeeper with some difficulty and then Manjit Singh was physically prevented from moving in by a defender. In the 60th minute, JCT missed a golden chance after Harvinder had managed to race into the box but instead of making an attempt he chose to give a pass to Manjit. Despite an open goal in front, Manjit failed to tap the ball into the goalmouth. Star medio Joe Paul Ancheri marshalled the midfield well although he was eventually substituted by Surjit Singh midway into the second session. In the 71st minute, JCT missed another good chance when Harvinder shot goalwards and the goalkeeper failed to collect the ball. However, off the subsequent rebound, Harvinder shot over. Mohammedan Sporting also had a good chance when Odafa’s cross to Syed Rahim Nabi looked dangerous but Nabi only managed to shoot wide from close range. Towards the end, JCT effected a substitution bringing in Charanjit Kumar in place of Manjit Singh. The move paid off as Charanjit’s back pass to Harvinder in the rival box saw the latter slotting the ball home sending a wave of joy in the JCT camp
(3-0).
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Rajiv to play
Leicestershire league cricket Chandigarh, April 19 During his stay there, Rajiv will play 24 50-over matches, 12 Cup games and 24 Sunday League games. Besides, the agreement stipulates, he will coach junior as well as senior players. Rajiv has been a regular to the England club cricket for the past eight years. He had to skip the gruelling session last year due to injury. Rajiv, who was not selected to play for Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy matches in the session which concluded recently, has been keeping himself match fit, practising daily at the Sector 16 cricket stadium. Rajiv said that he was confident of doing well in England and be in good touch for the domestic cricket season slated to get under way after that. |
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Islamabad, April 19
The seeds of differences between captain Inzamam-ul Haq and bowling spearhead Shoaib Akhtar were sown as early as the start of the second Test, a team member has disclosed, sparking off fresh speculation over a rift in the Pakistani side.
Lahore, April 19
In video: Irfan Pathan says team spirit key to good performance.(
Chennai, April 19
