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PCB may boot out Miandad,
ban Shoaib, says report Akram willing to coach Pak bowlers Shoaib hopes marriage will mellow down Sehwag
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Dravid tops ratings
Tejbir admits positive test, IHF says not aware Sandeep’s double hat-trick stuns Lanka
Kahlon putts his way into lead Maradona still in intensive care
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PCB may boot out Miandad,
ban Shoaib, says report
Islamabad, April 22 A Pakistan Cricket Board official was quoted as saying by ‘The News’ that the Board was thinking of replacing Miandad with Australian Dav Whatmore while banning Akhtar for a “few matches” since the paceman had let the team down by opting to sit out in pretext of injury in the Rawalpindi decider. “Basically, the situation with Miandad is that there is a feeling he has been given enough time to prove that team has developed and improved under him. “Secondly, the feeling is that he (Miandad) is not willing to accept the responsibility for any shortcomings against India and is opposed to introduction of modern technology in the team,” said the official. The former captain had recently met PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan and had insisted that he was not to be blamed for the debacle as he had tried his best. “When Shaharyar spoke about making more use of computer technology in the team, Miandad opposed the idea and felt having a computer analyst would serve no purpose as the players were not willing to listen and improve.” The official said there was a general feeling in the board that efforts should be made to approach Whatmore, who is curently coaching the Bangladesh national squad, to take charge from Miandad. “Whatmore is regarded with great respect in Pakistan cricket circles and the talk is that he should be approached to end his contract with Bangladesh and take over the Pakistan team in the next few months. But everything depends on whether he makes himself available,” he said. Recently another newspaper had
reported that PCB Chief Executive Ramiz Raja had sounded former Australian cricketer Dean Jones for the job. Under Whatmore, Sri Lanka emerged as a strong cricket team winning the 1996 World Cup and also improving their Test rankings. “The PCB chief also believes that the team needs to have a full time bowling coach and a fitness trainer and for this purpose the board might seek the help of Australian bowling coach Daryl Foster and Australian trainer Dennis Waight, who was attached with the team during the World Cup when no major injury problem occurred in the seven-week tournament,” he said. The source also said Akhtar was clearly in trouble. “There is pressure from people in the government to take action against him as they feel for too long he has been given a free reign. It was the final straw when he let the team down in the series against India because of problems with Inzamam-ul-Haq.” The official said even if Akhtar did not appear before the medical commission formed by the board for some reason, action would be taken against him. “The idea is to ban him for a number of matches so as to make him unavailable for a long period for Pakistan cricket. “But to do this obviously the board and medical commission will have to tell the people his injury was not so serious that he couldn’t bowl at all in the third and final Test in Rawalpindi,” he said.
— PTI
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Akram willing to coach Pak bowlers
Islamabad, April 22 “I am willing to render my services to the Pakistani team as bowling coach if I am offered to do so and definitely that will be my priority,” Akram was quoted as saying by a local news agency today. Akram said changes in the trend of international cricket had rendered the role of a bowling coach “inevitable”, adding that the exercise was being successfully implemented by many teams. There has been a growing voice in support of appointing a bowling coach in the country recently, although coach Javed Miandad and PCB Chief Executive Rameez Raja have not expressed keenness for such a move. While Miandad had openly hinted that appointment of a bowling coach would marginalise his job, Raja said there was limited scope for a bowling coach as Pakistan bowlers were already established. Akram, who claimed record 502 wickets in limited-overs cricket and 414 wickets in Test cricket, retired from international cricket after the debacle of the Pakistani team in World Cup 2003. Commenting on the performance of Pakistani bowlers in the recent Indo-Pak series, Akram said it was not at all impressive. He did not single out at any bowler but said players should concentrate on their performance rather than making huge claims. On the Indian team, he said they played well despite facing pressure as touring team. “I know the pressure which the touring team faces as I was the member of Pakistani team which visited India and defeated them on their home ground.”
— PTI |
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Shoaib hopes marriage will mellow down Sehwag Mumbai, April 22 At the receiving end of Sehwag’s fury for most part of the just-concluded Indo-Pak cricket series, Shoaib said Sehwag’s marriage to his long-time sweetheart should “mellow down” the batsman who created history in Multan by slamming the first ever triple century by an Indian. “I hope Viru (Sehwag) will mellow down a bit after his marriage and stop attacking the bowlers world over as he has been doing,” he told reporters in a lighter vein while expressing his inability to make it to the marriage function in Delhi today. The speed demon, who was here to shoot a commercial alongwith Sachin Tendulkar, also took the opportunity to wish the batting maestro happy birthday in advance. Tendulkar turns 31 day after tomorrow. Showing his concern for larger issues, Shoaib said India and Pakistan should stop waging wars and become friendly neighbours instead as the two countries had similar culture and traditions.
— PTI |
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Kalam’s greetings
for Sehwag NEW DELHI: Extending his greetings to Virendra Sehwag on the occasion of his marriage, President APJ Abdul Kalam on Thursday sent a bouquet to the star cricketer. Alongwith the bouquet, the President also sent a letter to Kishan Sehwag, the cricketer’s father, conveying his best wishes to Sehwag and Aarti and to all his family members. The President wished them happiness and prosperity. Both the bouquet and the letter were delivered at Sehwag’s residence in Najafgarh. On Tuesday, Sehwag had gone to the Rashtrapati Bhavan where he invited the President for his wedding. Kalam greeted Sehwag and wished him all the best, Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman S.M. Khan said.
— PTI
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Lanka race to nine-wicket win
Harare, April 22 Zimbabwe were dismissed for 136 after being put in to bat. Sri Lanka replied with a whirlwind 139 for one in 20.5 overs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Veteran left-hander
Jayasuriya, out for 31, had gone into his 315th one-dayer needing 28 to pass Aravinda de Silva's milestone of 9,284, scored in 308 matches.
Jayasuriya claimed the record in the ninth over of Sri Lanka's reply when he drove a delivery from medium pacer Douglas Hondo over the cover boundary for six. The innings also put Jayasuriya in fifth place on the list of all-time run-scorers in one-day internationals. Zimbabwe
Sibanda lbw b Vaas 0 Taylor c Jayantha b Vaas 2 Ebrahim c Dilshan b
Taibu run out sub 35 Chigumbura c
Matsikenyeri st
Maregwede lbw b
Nkala b Jayasuriya
6 Utseya not out 25 Hondo lbw b Murali 12 Panyangara b Murali 0 Extras:
12. Total (all out, 36.4 overs) 136. Fall of wickets:
1-0, 2-20, 3-27, 4-27, 5-76, 6-80, 7-95, 8-108, 9-134. Bowling:
Vaas 10-1-38-4, Zoysa 6-2-21-0, Chandana 5-0-20-0, Muralitharan 8.4-2-32-4, Jayasuriya 7-0-22-1. Sri
Lanka Jayantha not out 74 Jayasuriya c Utseya b Panyangara 31 Atapattu not out 21 Extras
(nb-1 w-12) 13 Total (1
wkt, 20.5 overs) 139 Fall of wicket: 1-84 Bowling:
Hondo 8-1-51-0, Panyangara 6-1-40-1, Chigumbura 2-0-17-0, Utseya 2.5-0-11-0, Matsikenyeri 2-0-20-0.
— Reuters |
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LONDON: Talks between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) ended here with the world governing body promising to monitor the player dispute which threatens the sport in the troubled African state. Fifteen white cricketers, led by former captain Heath Streak, are refusing to play for Zimbabwe, amidst claims a racist selection policy is in place. ICC chiefs, in a statement, said they would be holding more talks on the issue after a meeting here on Wednesday involving ICC president Ehsan Mani, chief executive Malcolm Speed, ZCU chairman Peter Chingoka and board member Ozias Bvute. — AFP
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Dravid tops ratings Dravid’s performance against the Pakistanis, which helped India beat Pakistan 2-1 in the three-Test series, has given him this new high, said a press release by ESPN-Star Sports here today. With 156 points to his credit, ‘The Wall’ leads Lara by 10 points. Following Dravid and Lara at the top in world Test batting are Jacques Kallis (143 points), Herschelle Gibbs (138 points) and Matthew Hayden (129 points). Three more Indians figure in the top ten — Virender Sehwag (128 points) at sixth spot, VVS Laxman (102, eighth) and Sachin Tendulkar (94, ninth). South African captain Graeme Smith shares the ninth place with Tendulkar. In Test bowling, Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan tops the list with 149 points. Aussie Shane Warne (130 points) shares the second spot with England’s Stephen Harmison (130 points). India’s Anil Kumble (124 points) shares the fourth spot with Makhaya Ntini of South Africa. In Test team rankings, India (60) are placed third behind Australia (80) and South Africa (64).
— PTI |
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Tejbir admits positive test, IHF says not aware
New Delhi, April 22 But the Indian Hockey Federation President K.P.S. Gill expressed complete surprise and said he was not aware about any player testing positive. “I have not been in Delhi for a long time and I am not aware of such a development. We will look into the matter,” Gill said over phone. The player, however, said he was administered an injection by a doctor in Amritsar for an injury he had sustained during the Nehru hockey tournament, a month before the Olympic qualifiers and it could be responsible for his positive test. “I will soon get another test done and sort out the matter,” the Punjab Police player said adding that he had not received any communication from the IHF. “I was informed about it (test) in Madrid by coach Rajinder Singh and had to return home,” he said. IHF secretary K. Jothikumaran said he would “not react” on the matter despite persistent requests for his comment. If the second test also confirms the presence of the banned drug, Tejbir would earn the dubious distinction of being the first Indian hockey player to test positive for a banned drug. Tejbir’s positive result has come into light more than a month after the test, raising speculation that the IHF may have tried to hush up things in the Olympic year. Sources in the IHF said the player was recalled from Madrid because of a “hamstring injury and severe cramps”. As per the International Hockey Federation (FIH) anti-doping rules, players testing positive for a steroid are liable to be suspended for upto two years. Rules also require the national federations to forward any positive test to the game’s world governing body for action. — PTI
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Sandeep’s double hat-trick stuns Lanka
Karachi, April 22 Sandeep continued his immaculate conversion and scored almost at will as India secured their second comfortable win after they beat China 10-0 in their opening Group B game of the regional qualifying rounds. In the only other match on day three, defending Asian junior champions South Korea registered a convincing 5-0 win over Singapore. Three top teams from the Asia Cup will qualify for next year’s Junior World Cup in Amstelveen, Netherlands. India, who now meet Bangladesh on Saturday, also beat hosts Pakistan’s biggest win of 15-1 against Chiense Taipei in the tournament while Sandeep became the tournament’s top goal scorer with 10. The 19-year-old Sandeep, younger brother of Jugraj Singh who made his mark in international hockey last year before suffering a near fatal accident, said he wants to keep the momentum going. “I want to keep the momentum in the crucial matches and help India win this tournament,” he said. The lithe penalty corner expert scored in the very first minute and then continued his conversion in the 11th, 20th and 25th minute as India romped to a 7-0 lead after the first half. Sandeep added three more in the 46th, 48th and 57th minute to take over from Pakistan’s Imran Warsi as the leading scorer of the tournament. “It was again a fantastic show of penalty corner conversion by the Indians and scoring nine out of 17 penalty corners is a good rate,” said coach Harendra Singh. Hari Prasad, Tushar Handker and captain Sandeep Michael scored a brace each while William Xalxo, Girish Pimpale, Nitin Kumar and Muthuselvan scored one each. South Korea showed poor finishing in their match and could have scored a dozen had they availed the chances.
— PTI |
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Kahlon putts his way into lead Chandigarh, April 22 The overnight leader, amateur Harinder Gupta, managed to stay in the limelight returning a hole in one on the par-3 eighth hole. Harinder’s effort saw him tally seven-under 137 for the third place with Kolkata’s Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia making the second spot at nine-under 135. The cut was applied at seven-over 151, with 51 pros making it to the week-end rounds. Kahlon’s putting was unbelievable. The India Cements sponsored golfer just couldn’t miss from even 40 feet. The defending champion returned 25 putts to his round including astonishing 11 single putts. Kahlon’s round started with a par. But he struck form early with a birdie on the very next hole. On the fourth Kahlon sank a left-to-right 25 feet putt for his second birdie and another birdie on the fifth. Later the stocky golfer landed a 40-footer birdie on the seventh. On the very next hole, riding on his new-found form on the greens, Kahlon once again found the cup through a 25 feet left to right uphill putt. On his back-nine, there was another successful 25 feet birdie effort, this time right-to-left on the undulating 11th green. A birdie on the 16th placed him at seven-under but his only bogey of the day on the following hole forced him to settle for a card of 66. “It was just one of those days. I just couldn’t miss,” said Kahlon. “My feet was there right through and it also helped that I know the Chandigarh Golf Club greens very well,” added the Oil India employee. Chowrasia’s effort was more an act of will considering the fact that the diminutive Kolkatan suffered a serious motorcycle accident barely a month back. It happened on his way back home from practice in Kolkata, when a stray dog emerged from under a car so suddenly that Chowrasia had no choice but to try and skid away. Bruised wrists, elbows and knees and fractured fingers on his left hand were the result of his adventure. Today, Chowrasia used those very fingers to birdie five holes on his way to a card of 68. The 25-year old birdied the second, fifth, sixth, 12th and 13th with a bogey on the 15th taking away to an extent the sheen on his card. ‘‘ I am extremely pleased with my game after a long time. A title here will be just the confidence booster,’’ he said. Harinder’s round started with a bogey. “I was not too worried at that stage but there were times when I felt a bit concerned,” said the youngster who is chasing the dream of becoming the first amateur to win a pro event on the Hero Honda Golf Tour. His card contained birdies on the fourth, 10th, 13th and 17th, bogeys, on the first, fifth and 12th, a double bogey on the sixth and a hole-in-one on the eighth. On that occasion, Harinder used an eight iron to ace the third hole of his career. Scores ( after 36 holes): Harmeet Kahlon ( 68+ 66 = 134); Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (67+ 68= 135); C Muniyappa ( 67+71= 138), Amandeep Johl (70+ 68 = 138); Gurbaaz Mann (70+69 = 138); Randhir Ghotra (69+71 = 140); Uttam Mundy (70+ 71 = 141); Shiv Prakash (71+ 71 = 142), Mohd Maqbool ( 74+ 68= 142), Mukesh Kumar (67+ 75 = 142), K P Sekhon ( 75+ 68 = 143), Yusuf Ali ( 71+72 = 143), Bhoop Singh (71+ 72 = 143)
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Maradona still in
intensive care
Buenos Aires, April 22 His condition was still under “guarded prognosis,” the statement said. Maradona, who led Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title, looked pale and overweight Sunday at a football stadium. He was rushed to the private clinic in downtown Buenos Aires hours after watching the Boca Juniors match, complaining of chest pains and having difficulty breathing. Dr Alfredo Cahe, Maradona’s personal physician, has suggested that Maradona could be in for a long stay, but he refused to elaborate. Outside the clinic, hundreds of fans lit candles, taped Maradona posters to the clinic’s entrance and raised banners wishing him well. “Diego, you are immortal!” some chanted as motorists slowly passed the clinic in snarled traffic. Only Maradona’s closest family has been able to visit him, including his former wife, Claudia, and his daughters, Giannina and Dalma Nerea..
— AP
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New Delhi, April 22
