 |
|
|
Sohail claims record as Pak clinch series
Aussies firmly in driver’s seat
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Sad day for Indian cricket, says Bindra Time to end losing streak: Taibu Aqeel Khan to meet Vinod Sridhar in final Punjab Police lifters impress
Ashok equals course record Vidya Devi school lose
|
||||||
|
Sohail
claims record as Pak clinch series Amritsar, October 8 Having already equalled the legendary Dutch defender’s record in the fifth Test at New Delhi on October 4, Sohail achieved the milestone today with his 268th goal which came in the ninth minute off a penalty corner taken by Rehan Butt. Pakistan now lead the series 4-1. No sooner did Sohail pierce the net with his dreaded drag flick, his team-mates rushed to congratulate him even as the ace drag flicker knelt on the pitch and kissed the ground in a unique gesture of thanksgiving. Goalkeeper Salman Akbar was seen rushing down the middle to hug and pat Sohail for his historic feat. Later, in a unique tribute befitting the occasion, the Pakistan players raised their sticks in salutation as the capacity crowd cheered the 27-year-old Karachi boy for joining the group of hockey legends of whom Pakistanis can legitimately be proud of. "I am grateful to Allah for bestowing this honour on me," Sohail Abbas told The Tribune soon after the match ended. Sohail Abbas was indeed basking in glory, and the unforgettable moment reminded many a spectator of T.O. Mordaunt verse that “one crowded hour of glorious life, is worth an age without a name.” The historic goal, nevertheless, was not without a minor controversy. As soon as Sohail’s powerful drag flag pierced the roof of the net and the player exulted in joy, umpire Amarjeet Singh of Malaysia appeared to be in doubt whether it was actually a goal. He later consulted his colleague Satinder Sharma and then together they were seen consulting officials on the technical table. It was only after a few minutes that the goal was allowed. Facing a must-win situation, India did offer plucky resistance but that was not enough to halt the Pakistanis’ march to glory. Taking the field without injured skipper Dilip Tirkey, India were served well by officiating captain Viren Rasquinha, whose dual role as defender and midfielder, came in for praise from various quarters. India were on the offensive in the first quarter with Vikram Pillay and Ignace Tirkey initiating a good move which, however, was thwarted by the Pakistan defence. A free hit by Prabodh Tirkey from the 25-yard line also went waste. In the ninth minute Pakistan earned a short corner. Following Rehan Butt’s push, Sohail Abbas’ struck like lightning and catapulted into the realms of fame with his 268th goal, a world record (1-0). A penalty corner earned by Pakistan a few minutes later was wasted as skipper Wasim Ahmed erred in stopping the ball. India counter-attacked through Vikram Pillay who put Arjun Halappa in possession. Halappa dispatched a powerful hit parallel to the goal-line from the right but unluckily no Indian player was present inside the ‘D’ to tap the ball home. A penalty corner earned by India when Sandeep Singh was on the bench went waste as Vivek Gupta’s push was wide off the mark. Shortly before half time, Arjun Halappa fed an accurate pass to Ignace Tirkey who sought to put Sandeep Michael in possession but unluckily Sundeep failed to tap the ball into the goalmouth. On changing ends, India brought in right back Harpal Singh. The young boy from Sirsa, who made his debut in the national team during the Afro-Asian Games at Hyderabad last year, was running high fever but still he managed to ward off danger through effective tackling. Two minutes into the second session, India were awarded a penalty corner but faulty stopping of the ball deprived them an opportunity to restore parity. A short corner earned by Pakistan a few minutes later saw the rivals attempting a different variation but Indian goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza was alert enough to thwart the attempt. It was in the 47th minute that Pakistan buttressed the lead. Having latched on to the ball inside the ‘D’, an unmarked Rehan Butt took a rasping hit which caught Adrian on the wrong foot (2-0). India hit back with a counter attack and a few moments later were awarded a penalty stroke after Ignace Tirkey was stick-checked by Zeeshan Ashraf inside the striking circle. Arjun Halappa took the stroke and beat Salman Akbar with a scoop which found the right corner of the net (1-2). A penalty corner, incidentally the fifth for Pakistan, later went waste as Adrian D’Souza padded Sohail Abbas’ flick out of danger zone. India also earned a short corner at the fag end but off the push by Sandeep Michael, Sandeep Singh’s carpet drive was saved by Salman in the nick of time. Sohail Abbas, who was declared ‘man of the match’ earned a cash prize of Rs 25,000 for his record-breaking feat. The two teams will now travel to Hyderabad for the last match of the series, which though inconsequential, will certainly be watched with interest by hockey lovers all over the country.
|
|
Aussies firmly in driver’s seat
Bangalore, October 8 After conceding a 228-run first innings lead, India hit back to reduce Australia to 127 for four in their second innings but with the middle order defending stoutly, the world champions remained in the driver's seat. Damien Martyn was unbeaten on 29 with first innings centurion Michael Clarke on 11 at stumps after the visitors decided not to enforce the follow on despite India falling 28 runs short of the mark. India's defiance after a top-order slump was personified by the tailenders who resisted the Australian attack for close to four hours, forcing skipper Adam Gilchrist to decide against enforcing the follow-on. Indian bowlers then did well to get the regular breakthroughs and not allow a big partnership to build up. With two full day's play left, and the pitch holding better than expected, Australians can look to add some more runs to pile on the misery on the Indians.
Parthiv Patel (46) and Irfan Pathan featured in a 60-run partnership for the seventh wicket before India were bowled out for 246 with 20 minutes to go for tea in reply to Australia's first innings score of 474. Resuming at 150 for six, India added only 49 runs in the opening two hours but it was a frustrating session for the Aussies. The visitors had a lucky break when Pathan, after making a discipline 31 from 96 balls, was ruled caught behind by Billy Bowden moments before the break. Television replays, however, showed a huge gap between bat and pad as Pathan stretched forward to defend against Shane Warne's leg break. The Aussies had to withstand another partnership between Patel and Anil Kumble before the second new ball did the trick. Patel showed gumption in handling the Aussie quicks who got little help from the slow pitch, and played Warne with a broad bat. His 46 came off 125 balls and contained five fours. His innings came to an end when Jason Gillespie made the new ball skid through and take the inside edge off his angled bat before hitting the stumps. Glenn McGrath foxed Harbhajan Singh with a slower one before Gillespie uprooted Kumble's off stump. Australia lost Justin Langer in the very first over to Pathan but still maintained a brisk scoring rate. Matthew Hayden (30) and Simon Katich (39) pushed the total to 65 in 16 overs. Hayden once again fell after being in good touch, having struck four boundaries in his 53 ball knock before he was run out. But Katich, who in the first innings had handled the spinners comfortably, was guilty of a casual shot. After an attacking innings in which he hit five fours, Katich tried to hit Kumble across and popped a simple catch to Rahul Dravid in the first slip. Scoreboard Australia (1st innings): 474 India (1st innings): Chopra lbw b McGrath 0 Sehwag c Langer b Kasprowicz 39Dravid b McGrath 0 Ganguly c Gilchrist b Kasprowicz 45Laxman b Warne 31 Yuvraj c Gilchrist b McGrath 5 Patel b Gillespie 46 Pathan c Gilchrist b Warne 31 Kumble b Gillespie 26 Harbhajan c Lehmann b McGrath 8Zaheer not out 0 Extras (nb-3, w-5, b-5, lb-2) 15 Total (all out in 89.2 overs) 246 FoW: 1-0, 2-4, 3-87, 4-98, 5-124, 6-136, 7-196, 8-227, 9-244. Bowling: McGrath 25-8-55-4, Gillespie 16.2-3-63-2, Warne 28-4-78-2, Kasprowicz 20-4-43-2. Australia (2nd innings): Langer lbw b Pathan 0 Hayden run out 30 Katich c Dravid b Kumble 39 Martyn batting 29 Lehmann c Chopra b Harbhajan 14Clarke batting 11 Extras (nb-1, w-1, b-2) 4 Total (for 4 wkts in 42 overs) 127 FoW: 1-0, 2-65, 3-86, 4-104. Bowling: Pathan 9-2-29-1, Zaheer Khan 7-1-27-0, Harbhajan 15-2-43-1, Kumble 11-2-26-1.— PTI
|
|
Sad day for Indian cricket, says Bindra Chandigarh, October 8 Reacting to the directions of the Madras High Court in superseding the board, Mr Bindra told The Tribune that “the game is certainly much greater than individuals. I have been really pained and anguished at the developments.” Such wounds at this crucial juncture may prove fatal,” he said. “I have not read the court order as yet,” he said, holding that he was reacting on the basis of news reports and interaction he had with certain members of the board. “I cannot comment about the status of office-bearers and various committees that were constituted at the Kolkata meeting. Now the ball was in the court of Justice S. Mohan to decide the future line of action. Anyway, it brings disgrace as we have Australians visiting us and the board stands superseded,” he added. He hoped that now better sense would prevail and the matter would be soon adjudicated judiciously so that the game did not suffer. Never before the board had been superseded and the elections set aside within 10 days of the general house meeting. Mr Parminder Singh, a life member of the Punjab Cricket Association, said that the orders of the Madras High Court were “welcome” as certain irregularities
committed in the Kolkata general house meeting needed to be corrected. “How could the outgoing BCCI chief cast four votes in the election of office-bearers,” he said, maintaining that “morally casting vote is for a person who is seen to be neutral and uses his discretion in the interest of the board as well as the sport. But after casting his vote as the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), National Cricket Club (NCC) and the outgoing board President, he used his discretion to cast yet another vote.” |
|
Time to end losing streak: Taibu
Rawalpindi, October 8 "It's time now for us to break the ice and win a game," Taibu told reporters here. Pakistan has already qualified for the October 16 final after beating Zimbabwe twice and thrashing Sri Lanka by eight wickets in Karachi on Wednesday. Zimbabwe has lost all its one-day internationals since leading white players revolted against the Zimbabwe Cricket Union over its selection policy in April 2004. However, under Taibu, Zimbabwe gave Pakistan a scare in the first two games last week. It narrowly lost the second game at Peshawar by three wickets after posting a fighting target of 252 for four. "The boys really performed well in certain areas in which we were struggling before, so we've taken lots of positives from the game in Peshawar and hopefully put them into the game tomorrow," Taibu said. Zimbabwe also put up a spirited fight against Sri Lanka at the ICC Champions Trophy in England last month before lost went down by four wickets, mainly due to the inexperience of its backup bowlers. "Experience can't be bought in a shop," Taibu said. "I know the more games we play against the tougher teams the more experience we get, so it's only a matter of time." Sri Lanka's middle-order batsmen failed to capitalise on a solid century partnership between captain Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya in Karachi, as Pakistan restricted it to 232 for nine off its 50 overs. A double century partnership between Yousuf Youhana and Shoaib Malik earned the home team a convincing eight-wicket win and also a place in the final. "We did not play well (at Karachi). We made lots of mistakes and we want to rectify them tomorrow," said Sri Lankan vice captain Mahela Jayawardene. Sri Lanka was the first team to compete against a weakened Zimbabwe in April and won all the five one-day internationals. "They (Zimbabwe) have improved a lot. We have played them maybe in 10 one-day games in the last 12 months and they have gotten used to playing against us," Jayawardene said. Squads: Sri Lanka (from):
Marvan Atapattu (captain), Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Saman Jayantha, Avishka Gunawardene, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Chandana, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Zoysa, Dilhara Fernando, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Thilina Kandamby and Rangana Herath. Zimbabwe (from):
Tatenda Taibu (captain), Dion Ebrahim, Brendan Taylor, Mark Vermeulen, Alester Maregwede, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Tawanda Mupariwa, Mluleki Nkala, Tinashe Panyangara, Douglas Hondo, Edward Rainsford, Elton Chigumbura, Prosper Utseya, Alexandar Graeme
Cremen.—AP |
|
Aqeel Khan to meet Vinod Sridhar in final New Delhi, October 8 Sridhar outgunned three-time title winner Nitin Kirtane 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 to give himself a chance to regain the title he had won two years ago. Aqeel Khan rallied from a break down in the third set to leave Karan Rastogi in the lurch. The 24-year-old Aqeel Khan from Karachi stuck to the basics to quell the challenge of the Indian junior, who, at one stage, had threatened to pack off the top seed earlier than expected. Vinod Sridhar did not have to sweat much to outwit the ageing Nitin Kirtane, though the left-handed former champion from Pune gave off his best before bowing out. After being a break down in the second set, he managed to pull himself back and stretch the fitter Sridhar into the third set. In the women's singles semifinals, third-seeded Sonal Phadke exposed top-seeded Isha Lakhani’s inadequate fitness to record a straight-set 7-5, 7-5 victory while second-seeded Sana Bhambri of Delhi ended the dream run of Sandhya Nagaraj of Tamil Nadu with an effortless 6-1, 6-1 victory. It will be an interesting match when Sonal crosses racket with the left-handed Sana Bhambri. Sana Bhambri also put herself in line for a double crown when she set up the title clash against Parul Goswami in the under-18 girls final, in an all-Delhi affair. Top-seeded Sana defeated GK Shwetha of Karnataka 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 while second seed Parul Goswami beat sixth-seeded Preethi Subramaniam of Tamil Nadu 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. In the boys under-18 singles semifinals, top seed Rupesh Roy of Bengal defeated Rahul Makharia of Maharashtra 6-2, 6-4 while Vivek Shokeen of Delhi got the better of compatriot Siddarth Gulati 6-0, 6-3. |
|
Punjab Police lifters impress Jalandhar, October 8 Gurmit Singh of Punjab Police won the first position by lifting 145 kg weight in snatch and 180 kg in clean and jerk to secure 28 points in 105 kg weight lifting event. Closely following behind, M. Srinivas Rao of CRPF also lifted 145 kg in snatch but managed to lift 177.5 kg in clean and jerk to bag 25 points for the second slot. Kulwinder Singh of Punjab Police secured third position with 23 points. In women’s section, Bela Rani of CISF bagged 28 points to win gold medal in 75-kg category while Sumati Devi (25) and Sonia Prabha (23), bagged second and third positions, respectively. Similarly, in over 75-kg weight category, Geeta Rani and Romi Devi of CRPF won gold and silver medals, respectively, while K. Narsamha of CISF was placed third with 23 points. In open weight category of judo, CRPF’s Pradeep Kumar Tokka stood first while BSF’s Ravinder Kumar and Ashwini Kumar of Punjab Police secured second and third positions respectively. |
|
Divya, Mahesh win in judo Panchkula, October 8 Anil Kumar of Sonepat was second in the 100kg category while Chetan of Kaithal was third. Amit of Mahendragarh was fourth. In the 90kg category, Sumer of Sonepat was first, Narender of Hisar, Jasbir of Rohtak and Sandeep of Bhiwani were second, third and fourth, respectively.
In the 81kg category, Anil Kumar of Kaithal bagged the first place, followed by Harbir of Mahendragarhat second, Vinod Kumar of Hisar at third and Rajiv of Kurukshetra at fourth place.
In the below 78kg Seema Gill and Sukhvir of Sirsa were joint second while Rekha of Bhiwani was third. In the 63kg category, Kusum Saini of Sirsa was first while Shokila of Bhiwani was second. Neelam Grewal of Hisar bagged the third place while Gurjeet of Sirsa was placed fourth. In the badminton men’s event, Bhiwani outplayed Ambala 2-0 to reach the semifianls. Yamunanagar outplayed Faridabad 2-1, Sonepat downed Rohtak 2-0 and Panchkula defeated Kurukshetra 2-0 to take the other semifinal slots. In women’s section, Faridabad, Sonepat and Panchkula made it to the semifinals. Earlier, Devender Singh of Haryana Police won the 40km road cycling event, clocked 58 minutes, 22.93 seconds. Swaranjit Singh bagged the second place, clocking 58 minutes,31.06 seconds. Third place went to Gurbaz Singh with a time of 59 minutes and 22.18 seconds. In kabaddi, Sonepat, Rewari and Haryana Police entered the semifinals. In kho-kho, Bhiwani, Rohtak, Hisar and Jhajhar men entered the semifianls. In the women’s section, Rohtak, Jhajhar, Bhiwani and Panipat secured semifinal berths. |
|
Ashok equals course record New Delhi, October 8 Shiv Kapur and Shamim Khan were joint second with a three-day total of 202, four strokes behind the leader. While Shiv Kapur returned a card of six-under for the day, Shamim kept up pace to card a creditable five-under today. Bangalore professional C Muniyappa played a superb round of five-under to lie at the fourth position with a three-day tally of
203. Ashok’s birdie streak started on the second hole and continued on the third, fourth and sixth holes on the front nine, which left him at four-under at the turn. He started his back nine with three consecutive birdies and then recorded two more on the 14th and 15th. He came within one-and-a-half feet of shattering the course record, but failed to when he missed a putt on the ninth.
|
|
|
Vidya Devi school lose New Delhi, October 8 GV Raja, who trailed 1-2 at half time, fought back on resumption to gain full points. Karthika (2), Rajiv Krishna, Aswathy and MC Thomas were the scorers for GV Raja while Pushpa Mathur scored all the three goals for Hisar. In other matches, St Ann’s School, Goa, beat NM Wadia School, Gujarat, 2-0; Government School, Dhar, (MP), beat Government School, Jammu, 11-0 and Kreeda Prabodhini, Pune, defeated Government School, Chhattisgarh, 13-1. |
|
|
Malaysian
school in final New Delhi, October 8 Scores: School Sports Australia:
137 for 8 in 50 overs (Nathan Mazzeo 53 n. o., Brady Jones 32; Zamir Yusof 2 for 38, Abdul Rashid Ahad 2 for 24). School Sports Council, Malaysia:
141 for 8 in 46.2 overs (Shafiq Sharif 31, Ahmed Faiz Mohd Noor 29, Aminuddin Ramly 25; Luke Sheridan 3 for 25, Johann Brohier 3 for 34).
|
|
|
Mansa, Moga win in kho-kho Bathinda, October 8 In girls section (under 14), Ropar got a walkover over Kapurthala, Bathinda defeated Mansa 9-5, Sangrur beat Ludhiana 11-01, Amritsar crushed Muktsar 6-4, Moga routed Fatehgarh Sahib 12-02, Moga trounced Gurdaspur 14-03, Bathinda got the better of Ferozepore 21-4, Patiala won over Jalandhar 11-01, Sangrur thrashed Hoshiarpur while Faridkot downed Gurdaspur 8-1. In (under 19 boys) category, Jalandhar defeated Kapurthala, Faridkot trounced Gurdaspur, Amritsar beat Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar overwhelmed Ropar, Sangrur got the better of Fatehgarh Sahib 12-05, Ludhiana downed Ferozepore 10-03, Moga packed down Mansa 17-14 and Muktsar trounced Nawashahar 21-05. In the girls section, Patiala crushed Muktsar, Jalandhar defeated Faridkot, Patiala beat Mansa, Hosiarpur routed Fatehgarh Sahib 21-03, Ropar defeated Kapurthala 14-02 and Bathinda shut the door on Muktsar 13-04. Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr K A P Sinha, inaugurated the games. The games here are being held in kho-kho and badminton for boys and girls (under 14 and under 19). |
|
|
Pbi varsity cricket tourney gets under way Patiala, October 8 Inaugurating the tournament, Dr.
S.P.S. Virdi, Dean Academic Affairs, said cricket had become so popular that it had become the game of the
masses. The university was committed to providing all sort of sports facilities to its employees. Dr. Param Bakhshish Singh, Registrar presided over the inaugural function. Earlier, welcoming the guests Prof Gulshan Rai Kataria, Director (Sports) of the university, said 12 teams from the region were participating in the tournament. Dr Jasbir Singh, Joint Director (Sports), proposed a vote of thanks.
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In video (
