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‘Fit’ Jugraj called for Barog camp Gill not amused by ‘bring back Pillay’ campaign Pillay being victimised, says Baskaran
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Rebels agree to mediation Cricketers’ behaviour
leaves media stunned It was certainly not cricket when some of India’s top players dismayed the media today with their boorish behaviour. Mediapersons were treated with sheer disdain and their queries with sneers by the players who refused to talk to the reporters until some cajoling by the organisers and sponsors.
Cronje crash Overlooking advice proved costly for Maradona Krishnan doubtful of Indian duo’s chances Mukesh bowls Chamba to victory |
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‘Fit’ Jugraj called for Barog camp
Jalandhar, May 7 The talented youngster, whose promising career was derailed when he suffered multiple fractures in a road accident last September, said the doctors at the Batra Hospital in Delhi, where he had undergone specialist therapy, have also declared him completely fit. Jugraj said he got a call from Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) general secretary K Jothikumaran who asked him to join the camp beginning on May 13. “I got a call from Jothikumaran yesterday, who instructed me to join the fitness camp in Himachal Pradesh and I am going to join the camp,” he said. The Punjab Police player also expressed confidence that he would soon make his comeback to the Indian team ahead of the Athens Olympics in August. “I have already joined practice on the ground and hope that very soon I will be fit to rejoin the Indian hockey team well before the Olympics in August,” Jugraj said. He ruled out that his penalty corner conversion skills would suffer due to the injuries he suffered. The player also wanted to stay away from controversies and declined to comment on the furore over veteran striker Dhanraj Pillay’s omission from the probables list.
— PTI
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Gill not amused by ‘bring back Pillay’ campaign
New Delhi, May 7 Speaking to various news channels after journalists, former players and hockey lovers in the city demonstrated at the national stadium here yesterday, Mr Gill said “deliberate misinformation” was being spread by the media. He accused the media of making a controversy out of the issue and said the IHF had made clear even earlier that the list of probables was not the final list for the Athens Olympics. Mr Gill was also quoted as saying that Dhanraj Pillay and Baljit Singh Dhillon will be “considered at the right time” and added that the team would be finalised after the trip to Holland starting June 27. “I am surprised at the demonstrations by the senior players. Had they utilised the same energy for checking the slide in the standard of their respective teams or groomed some players, I could have understood their action,” Gill told a television channel. He said the team bound for the four-nation tournament in Japan was a young side and “there is nothing else” in this. “It will be a sad day if some other external considerations force the team selection,” he said. — UNI
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Pillay being victimised, says Baskaran
Chennai, May 7 Bhaskaran, who worked with the Indian team for over 10 years as its coach, told PTI here that instead of the Olympians taking up the cause of both Pillay and Baljit Singh Dhillon, who have also been left out for the Athens Olympics, the government should intervene in the matter as the IHF “has never been transparent in their functioning”. “The Union Government should conduct a probe into the whole affair, including functioning of both the IHF and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), a government undertaking, who were responsible for such pathetic treatment meted out to best players in the country,” he said. The former Indian captain sought to know from the IHF the names of members of the selection committee and who were the two government nominees attended the meeting to pick the 30-players for the ongoing camp. “I am sure the norms set by the Union Sports Ministry have been flouted. No selection committee exists in the IHF ever since the present office bearers were elected in Hyderabad,” he claimed and accused SAI officials of having “turned blind” while clearing the team to tour Australia last month and the present list of players for the camp. Bhaskaran also alleged that Olympian M.P. Ganesh, in-charge of teams as SAI Executive Director, had “ignored” the norms that were adhered to before the team was sent to Australia for the four-nation tournament. “How did Ganesh clear the team for the tour without these two best players. He could have put his pen down and asked the IHF to send Pillay and Dhillon at no cost to government,” he said adding the SAI official should have asked the federation for reasons for their omission. Bhaskaran claimed Ganesh had also not questioned the IHF before clearing the team without physical fitness test. The captain of the Moscow Olympics gold medal-winning team said that “former players and people connected with the game, including past sponsors, are spitting at the way the IHF is being run and feel that government and SAI are only dancing to the tunes of the IHF.” Stating that he and several former players, who had served the country as coaches, had not been paid their dues, Bhaskaran said the IHF, however, gave all these expenses in the projection bill submitted to the government”. He said that there was nothing wrong in Pillay seeking more money for the players for their toil on the field due to which the IHF was getting financially sound. “Sport like cricket is flourishing in the country because the BCCI is transparent and there are graded payments for players based on seniority,” he said. According to the former coach, Pillay and Dhillon were solid players and many notches above the lot picked for the ongoing camp. “Let the IHF test the fitness of the campers and Pillay. I am confident Pillay will emerge fastest amongst the others as he did prior to the Sydney Olympics in 2000,” Baskaran said. He said SAI Centre in Bangalore had the best facilities to analyse the fitness levels of sportspersons and demanded the IHF to conduct tests for players publicly. He also demanded the IHF to make public the assessment reports of national coach Rajinder Singh. “I am sure the IHF cannot come out publicly because no such assessment reports were submitted by the coach for the last two years,” he claimed. Baskaran alleged that the IHF had never been submitting accounts to government or to its general body. “One does not know the quantum of money collected from sponsors Sahara and Indian Oil. But the IHF representatives are going abroad at government expenses.” According to him, the IHF had sent two persons to Barcelona (Spain) in March for the Champions Trophy only to collect the video cassettes of matches. “These would have been available with the FIH and it would have extended them without any money,” he added. — PTI
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Atapattu builds Lankan lead Harare, May 7 Atapattu had faced 235 balls, hit 19 fours and shared 42 runs for the unbroken third wicket with Mahela
Jayawardene, who was 30 not out. He offered a difficult chance on 59 when he drove a delivery from medium pacer Douglas Hondo to mid-on, where Brendan Taylor dropped the dipping catch. Sri Lanka resumed on 67 without loss and Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya established their dominance with a stand of 281 for the first
wicket. Jayasuriya batted aggressively for his 157, facing 147 balls and hitting 19 fours and three sixes. He reached his 12th test century off 90 balls, scored many of his runs square of the wicket with searing cuts, hooks and
pulls. Atapattu had a more measure innings and reached his 13th century four balls before lunch. The partnership ended in the 10th over after lunch when wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu stripped off his pads to
bowl. Taibu claimed his first Test wicket when his third delivery angled across the left-handed Jayasuriya and was edged to Hondo in the gully. Kumar Sangakkara (11) sent a simple catch to Taibu at short fine leg off the occasional off-spin of Stuart
Matsikenyeri. Zimbabwe fielded a weakened team after 15 experienced players made themselves unavailable in a dispute with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.
— Reuters+ |
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Just another record: Murali Colombo, May 7 “I didn’t feel anything when I equalled it because to me it was just another record,” Muralitharan told the Colombo-based ‘Daily News’ after reaching the mark of retired West Indies paceman Courtney Walsh at Harare yesterday. “I didn’t think about the record when I came into this Test. I thought I’d bowl my usual way. At one time I thought I might not even get a chance to bowl as wickets fell early.” With another innings to go in the first Test and two more in the second and final Test, Muralitharan was confident of setting a new world record ahead of Australian spinner Shane Warne, who is close on his heels with 517 wickets. “I have nothing personal against Warne but I will be happy to get to the world record before him,” the 32-year-old said. Warne’s Australia is also due to play two Test matches in Zimbabwe later this month. “A bowler has to concentrate more on line and length to take a wicket, so you cannot be thinking of only the one wicket which is going to get you to the world record,” Muralitharan said. Muralitharan, who is playing his 89th Test, said as a youngster he dreamt of playing at least one Test match for his country. “As a schoolboy I didn’t think I would get this far and take so many wickets. I thought I will play in one Test match,” the off-spinner told the newspaper. “But when I started taking wickets from my first Test I knew I had a career ahead of me. I thought if I took 100-200 wickets I would be happy. But eventually everything came together.”
— AFP |
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Rebels agree to mediation
Harare, May 7 “It’s going to go through mediation,” the player said. “We met this morning and it was made clear to us that legally this should go through a mediation process first and hopefully that will lead to arbitration. “That’s where we’re heading for now and the players will make themselves available now.” The players had threatened to cancel their contracts with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) unless the board agreed to binding arbitration.
— Reuters
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Cricketers’ behaviour
leaves media stunned New Delhi, May 7 Organisers said there was not supposed to be a press conference but hastily apologised upon realising that the invite clearly mentioned that a press conference would be held. Visibly disinterested, the reluctant players — led by vice-captain Rahul Dravid — obliged, albeit for a few minutes. But questions were summarily dismissed or received crisp replies and when one scribe asked why this disdain for the fourth estate, Yuvraj Singh said: No it is not so. It is very important to deal with the media. But sometimes they ask questions that can be harsh. They should have a decent way of asking things.” A harmless query by a reporter saw Harbhajan Singh burst out into sarcastic laughter and was joined in by Yuvraj. A protest against such humiliating behaviour only saw them reacting angrily and retorting: “What is your problem. We want to laugh, that’s it.” Another scribe was asked by Rahul Dravid to “go home and do some reading first” before putting questions to him. When one reporter tried to say something, he was asked sternly by Dravid not to interrupt. “Don’t speak in between. Don’t give me ideas. I know what I have to say.” Earlier, the “press conference” was delayed by more than an hour and cluless reporters were kept waiting on the pretext that Dravid’s flight was delayed. It was later learnt that they were very much present at the venue but busy shooting for a commercial.
— PTI |
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Cronje crash Durban, May 7 Two pilots also died when their Hawker Siddeley aircraft crashed into the Outeniqua mountains outside the town of George in the Western Cape province. The CAA report said it had concluded its investigations into the crash. It found that the pilots had to execute an instrument-guided approach due to overcast conditions and rainy weather. “The pilots did not follow the correct procedure after executing a missed approach and became lost. They flew the aircraft into a valley and crashed into the side of the mountain range,” the report said. Cronje was one of the most successful cricket captains in South Africa but became involved in match-fixing during a tour to India three years before his death. He was banned from cricket for life and he had to seek employment in the private sector.
— PTI |
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Overlooking advice proved costly for Maradona
Buenos Aires, May 7 A friend of the player, quoted in the local press yesterday, gave an insight into Maradona’s hedonistic lifestyle since his release where he has been staying at the home of a business friend at General Rodriguez, a town 50km to the north-west of Buenos Aires. “Diego was very anxious and wanted to leave. They even had to hide all the keys of the cars around the place to stop him escaping,” the friend said. Just days after hovering between life and death, Maradona was reportedly tucking into a diet of grills and pasta, washed down with red wine, and welcoming a stream of visitors between stints of playing golf and football. “He was re-admitted to hospital because he was doing everything that he shouldn’t have been doing,” medical sources claimed. They said Maradona was put on sedatives to prevent him from checking out early. The 43-year-old 1986 World Cup winning captain is breathing with the help of an oxygen mask. Maradona’s entourage, meanwhile, which includes former wife Claudia Villafane and his private doctor Alfredo Cahe, want to transfer him to a specialist drug rehabilitation centre, the sources added. “We’re waiting for a sign from the family — for them to take the bull by the horns,” one source told the Clarin newspaper. Dr Cahe suggested the player’s switch to a detox unit would come in the next two or three days. He told Chilean television that Maradona’s second visit to hospital was due to the effects of too much activity and the player “eating too much”. Dr Cahe confirmed that Maradona’s urine tests were “negative” and that doctors had found no traces of drugs. Maradona has been battling his cocaine addiction at a specialist drugs centre in Cuba for the past four years. — AFP
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Krishnan doubtful of Indian duo’s chances
Chennai, May 7 “I think that they may not win a medal in the Athens Games. Three years before you could have put your money on them. They are also getting older and have not played together for some time now,” Krishnan said during an interview here. “However, you cannot rule them out completely. I will put it this way. They should not have broken in the first place.” Paes and Bhupathi have not played together on the ATP circuit since their second split in 2002 but are expected to join hands a month before the Athens Olympics which begins on August 14. The 67-year-old former world No. 3 was also very critical of the pair’s split and said the country was suffering because of it. “Tell me who is the loser. It is the country first. Other people are just laughing at it (split). Paes and Bhupathi have lost a lot of opportunities. We all feel sorry for the situation. It should not have happened. I do not believe in talking on reunion. “Why at all the union broke? Just like in any walk of life, egoism could be the only root for such a split. It is a sad and unfortunate atmosphere now.” Krishnan, who led India to many a memorable Davis Cup victories, said the recent loss to Japan was a “major fall” in the team’s performance and lamented that India did not have the necessary back up for Paes and Bhupathi. “A tennis player of Paes or Bhupathi’s calibre is not going to be born. It is a sorry state of affairs that we do not have anybody now as far as the second string of players is concerned. “There is a big gap between Paes and Bhupathi and others. They are also ageing and have to quit sometime. They cannot go on forever. After them, there is a steep difference in standards. “We are forced to carry on with these two as others are far behind them. I do not expect anyone amongst the seniors, who is 20-24 to play for India in Davis Cup and make it big,” he added. The legend, who reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon singles in 1960, said he cannot see any Indian player making a mark on the world stage in the near future. “I cannot think of it now. It is not looking bright. Some of the young players — under-14, u 16 — might be able to make a mark in the international scene. “I cannot say the same looking at the present performance of Indian players of 21-24 years of age. But the junior players could blossom on the same lines like what Paes did.” Insisting that more and more international exposure was the only remedy to bring back the old glory for Indian tennis in the team championship, Krishnan said it was essential to pick up junior players with potential and help them financially to play in tournaments abroad and mould them for Davis Cup. “We should analyse the talents, give them international tournament exposure. It should be a two-year plan and a continuous process. “We should not look for results for the first two years. If we do that, from 2006, there will be players of calibre to win Davis Cup matches for India,” he added. Krishnan said at present everything depended on how Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj shape up to support Paes and Bhupathi. “Right now, a lot depends on Bopanna and Prakash. There is a time limit and it is a question of now or never. They have to make up this year itself. “They cannot say that I am good enough, I will make it up. Much more hard work is necessary for it. The duo was concentrating on competing only in Satellite, Grand Prix and Futures tournaments and if they really want to improve their game they need to play more and more higher level events abroad, Krishnan said. Krishnan, a former Indian captain, who runs a tennis academy for under-11 players in Chennai, also lauded the initiative of All India Tennis Association to have more and more ITF tournaments in the country but added that our players had failed to make optimum use of these events. “It is a good idea in running these tournaments in India. It has helped our players to improve their ranking. The other part of it is that the overseas players have taken advantage of it. They have improved their rankings more that of Bopanna and Prakash.” When asked whether he would like to take up the task of coaching the Indian team if approached by the authorities, Krishnan’s answer was a firm “no.” “No. I am outdated. I belong to a different era. I do not fit in at all. About 15 years ago, I was asked but I said I am outdated.” Krishnan, who held the record for highest Davis Cup wins for India before Paes surpassed him last month, said he was very happy for the current Indian captain. “He is such an excellent player to watch especially whenever he plays for India. I feel very happy for him... He is a good ambassador for India.” — PTI
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Mukesh bowls Chamba to victory Chamba, May 7 Chamba won the toss and elected to bat first. At one stage, Chamba were 40 for no loss. But Saurav, when on 27, was run out. It was Himanshu who averted the collapse, scoring 56 runs in 40 balls with 8 fours. Chamba were all out for 158 in 44 overs. Sumesh Thakur, who batted well and scored 80 runs with 6 fours and one six, fought a valiant battle but that did not prove enough for Bilaspur. Brief scores: Chamba:
158 all out (Himanshu 56, Saurav 25, Rohit 20 not out, Yatan Chadha 2 for 30, Sat Pal 4 for 20). Bilaspur:
152 all out (Sumesh Thakur 80, Sat Pal 20, Yatan Chadha 20, Mukesh 5 for 20, Summit 2 for 31, Rohit 2 for 22). |
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Jalandhar, May 7
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