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India take 54-run first innings lead
Team’s selection today
Ruthless Aussies wrap up series 2-0
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BPCL, IA earn full points
Bagan march into semifinal
Naveen Jindal bags shooting title
Indian Punjab win third volleyball Test
Olympic Bhavan’s inauguration today
Surjit Academy lads post 5-0 win
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India take 54-run first innings lead
Kolkata, November 30 The Indians could not really gather the momentum as they lost their top batsmen at regular intervals before some defiant batting by wicketkeeper Dinesh Kaarthick and Irfan Pathan took them to 359 for six at close on an eventful third day. The home team lost the flamboyant Virender Sehwag (88) in the third over of the morning and could not force the pace of scoring against a disciplined South African bowling on an Eden Gardens track which had slowed down quite a bit. Kaarthick was batting on a gutsy 35 and Irfan Pathan
was giving him company on 21 when play was called off because of fading light. Rahul Dravid was the other notable contributor with a sedate 80, but captain Sourav Ganguly (40) and VVS Laxman (38) could not capitalise on the starts on a day which saw the visitors peg back the Indian charge to some extent. The morning session saw Dravid play a typically solid innings to keep the Indian innings steady against a determined South African bowling. The South Africans bounced back from a miserable day on the field yesterday to remove the dangerous Sehwag and star batsman Sachin Tendulkar. Resuming at a comfortable 129 for one, the Indians lost Sehwag in the third over of the day when Makhaya Ntini produced a snorter of a delivery to consume the opening batsman. Sehwag looked in a punishing mood when he hit Pollock for a six in the second over but he had little time to react to the sharp-rising delivery from Ntini, which climbed on him at an awkward height. The right-hander tried to fend it, but could only glove it to Graeme Smith at first slip. Sehwag's 88 came off 118 balls and contained 11 fours and two sixes and his partnership with Dravid for the second wicket was worth 127 runs from 34.4 overs. Tendulkar then walked in to a standing ovation, but he seemed as though he was still smarting under the first Test dismissal in Kanpur, when Andrew Hall exposed a huge gap between bat and pad. He was cautious against the incoming deliveries and offered dead bat to deliveries on the off stump. One such gentle glide to a delivery from Hall went abegging between wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile and Smith at first slip. Tendulkar was on nine then, but he did not last long. After a delectable turn off his hips to the fine-leg boundary off Hall and a lofted stroke over mid-on off leg-spinner Justin Ontong, the Mumbai batsman dragged one wide ball from Zander de Bruyn on to his stumps. Tendulkar's 54-ball 20 spanned a little more than an hour and fetched 45 runs for the third wicket. Dravid at the other end was rock solid. Ntini and Hall adopted the same strategy the Australians employed against him, that of attacking his stumps and covering the leg side with three fielders. But Dravid was too good to be lured into the trap again. After getting his eye in, the Karnataka batsman began to find the gaps on the on side and was even prepared to play the cross bat when the bowlers dug in occasionally. South Africa, however, kept coming at the Indians. They removed Dravid and captain Sourav Ganguly in the post-lunch session and chances of a huge score by India seemed to fade away. Hall succeeded in inducing an inside edge from Dravid. The Indian stalwart's 80 came off 247 balls with eight fours. Ganguly, who had an answer to all that the South African seamers threw at him, was ruled leg before by Simon Taufel although television replays showed the ball pitched outside leg stump. The captain, who played in the Test after the ICC upheld his appeal against a two-Test ban, made 40 from 73 balls and struck five boundaries. At 267 for five, the Indians were still 38 runs behind and only Laxman remaining as the recognised batsman. Scoreboard South Africa (1st innings): 305 India (1st innings) Sehwag c Smith b Ntini 88 Gambhir lbw b Pollock 7 Dravid b Hall 80 Tendulkar b De Bruyn 20 Ganguly lbw b De Bruyn 40 Laxman c Ontong Kaarthick batting 35 Pathan batting 21 Extras: (lb-18, nb-7, w-5) 30 Total
(6 wkts, 125 overs) 359 Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-144, 3-189, 4-238, 5-267, 6-308. Bowling:
Pollock 33-10-81-1, Ntini 32-7-85-2, Ontong 18-1-79-0, Hall 26-5-64-1, De Bruyn 16-4-32-2.
— PTI |
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Team’s selection today
Kolkata: The Indian cricket team for the 22-day tour of Bangladesh from December 7 would be picked by the national selectors here on Wednesday.
The team was earlier scheduled to be selected here today, but it has been deferred by a day, a BCCI source said. All the national selectors including the chairman of the selection committee Kiran More have arrived in the city, the source said. The Indian team is scheduled to leave for Bangladesh on December 7 to play two Tests and three one-day internationals against the neighbouring team.
—PTI |
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Ruthless Aussies wrap up series 2-0
Adelaide, November 30 Australia opener Justin Langer was made man-of-the-match for his knocks of 215 and 46. Paceman Glenn McGrath, who took six wickets in Adelaide and three in the first Test in Brisbane, was man-of-the-series. Captain Ponting said his side had played brilliant cricket in the series. The home team won the first match in Brisbane by an innings and 156 runs. The Australia skipper heaped praise on his front-line bowling quartet of Warne, McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz. “The way we were able to build pressure and maintain pressure on a very good batting wicket was something very special in itself,” said Ponting. “Our batting was pretty relentless as well,” he added in reference to Australia’s first innings of 575 for eight declared. Ponting’s counterpart Stephen Fleming said his team had performed below expectations and deserved criticism, even though they were up against the world’s top-ranked side. “It was a comprehensive display from Australia, one of the better displays throughout a series that I have seen,” Fleming said. Daniel Vettori offered the most resistance for New Zealand today. He hit 59, including seven fours, in 111 minutes before being caught by Gillespie at mid-off off part-time spinner Darren Lehmann (2-46) from the last ball before lunch. The tourists resumed on 149 for five and lost four wickets for 94 in the morning session. Jacob Oram was the first to go, caught behind by Adam Gilchrist off McGrath (2-32) for his overnight 40. Wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, who added 53 for the sixth wicket with Oram, fell 10 runs later when he was lbw to Gillespie (2-41) for 36. Vettori and James Franklin delayed the inevitable with a 46-run partnership for the eighth wicket before Franklin was caught behind off Kasprowicz (2-39) for 13. Scoreboard Australia (1st innings): 575-8 New Zealand (1st innings): 251 Australia (2nd innings): 139-2 New Zealand (2nd innings): Richardson c Sinclair lbw b Gillespie 2 Fleming b McGrath 3 Styris c Clarke b Warne 8 Astle c Langer b Lehmann 38 Oram c Gilchrist b McGrath 40 McCullum lbw b Gillespie 36 Vettori c Gillespie b Lehmann 59 Franklin c Gilchrist Wiseman not out 15 Martin c Ponting b Warne 2 Extras:
(nb-5, lb-12, b-1) 18 Total: (all out, 82.3 overs) 250 FoW:
1-11, 2-18, 3-34, 4-34, 5-97, 6-150, 7-160, 8-206, 9-243. Bowling:
McGrath 12-2-32-2 (nb-3), Gillespie 16-5-41-2, Kasprowicz 14-4-39-2 (nb-2), Warne 27.3-6-79-2, Lehmann 13-0-46-2.
— Reuters |
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Aussies ready for Akhtar's antics, says Ponting
Adelaide, November 30 The Pakistanis arrived in Perth yesterday armed with the 'Rawalpindi Express', who along with Australian Brett Lee, ranks as the fastest bowler in world cricket. Ponting said the Australian batsmen were looking forward to the tougher assignment of facing the searing pace of Akhtar on the fast bouncy WACA pitch in the first Test at Perth, starting on December 16. "Akhtar tries to get under your skin a little bit, as he did in the last tour of Australia but the good thing is that we've had some good success against him, so we don't need to build it up too much or say too much back to him," Ponting said. "He can do whatever he wants to put us off but it will be a challenge for us to be as strong as we can and to make sure we're doing the job with the bat. I'm sure all those antics will continue on in this next series and I'm sure we'll enjoy it as well." Ponting said his team were excited at the prospect of facing the young Pakistan team, which has never won a Test series in Australia. "They have got a very good pace attack, they've got a young, unpredictable side," Ponting said. "We've played on two pretty good batting surfaces over the last couple of weeks in these Test matches (against New Zealand) and we're going to have a fast bouncy one in Perth against two of the fastest bowlers in the world, said Ponting referring to Akhtar and his pace partner Mohammad Sami.
—AFP |
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Katich in team
Adelaide, November 30 Australia:
Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Michael Kasprowicz, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson.
— AFP
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India defeat Spain, level series
Chandigarh, November 30 A few controversial umpiring decisions failed to mar the spirit of the game which was played at an exceptional pace with both sides working out their moves intelligently. India led 2-0 at the breather. Besides the win, India had the consolation of testing physical fitness of both Dilip Tirkey and linkman Vikram Pillay as the duo virtually lasted the entire game. Vikram Pillay may have some regrets as the goal he had scored from the rebound of the first penalty corner earned by the home team in the 23rd minute was annulled and retake was ordered after two neutral umpires from Pakistan consulted each other. This time young Sandeep Singh did not leave any scope for any doubt with a thumping grounder that beat Kiko Cortes, the reserve Spanish goalkeeper, high and dry. Ignace Tirkey, making amends for his lapses in the first Test, scored a brilliant goal from the top of the striking circle with a shot that hurled into the roof of the net after Tushar Khandekar's from the right flank move had met the pads of Cortes. India's third goal came when the visitors were threatening to neutralise the lead with a flurry of raids spearheaded by Juan Escarre, Santiago Freixa, Ramon Alegre and Rodrigo Garza. Substitute Adam Sinclair, put through by Vikram Pillay ran down the right flank and was about to take a shot at the goal when he was pushed by a defender forcing umpire Rashad to award a stroke. Arjun Halappa made no mistake as he slammed the ball in the roof of the goal. Though India and Spain shared honours, recording identical 3-2 wins against each other, the morale of the home team got a boost as it is still to put behind its dismal performances both in the Athens Olympic Games as well as eight-Test series against Pakistan. Incidentally, it was India's maiden win at the newly laid synthetic pitch at the Sector 42 Stadium. India had drawn 1-1 against Pakistan and lost the first Test on last Sunday to Spain 2-3. Though both Spain and India are taking a blend of youth and experience to Lahore for the elite Champions Trophy, both will have an arduous task on hand to equal their previous best performance of finishing third in the tournament. Today, the home team enjoyed an upper hand, managing to cling on to 3-2 lead for the last 11 minutes of the game. It had the satisfaction of scoring once each from both penalty corners and a penalty stroke after taking lead by a field goal. On the other hand, the Spaniards scored both their goals from four penalty corners they earned during the second half of the game. And scorers were young Pua Quemada and experienced Albert Sala. Santiago Freixa, Man of the Match of the first Test, remained goalless despite masterminding several intelligent and defence-splitting moves. Indian skipper Dilip Tirkey was deservingly given Man of the Match award. |
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BPCL, IA earn full points
New Delhi, November 30 BPCL went ahead in the 27th minute when Amar Aiyamma slotted in a flashy field goal. Three minutes into the second half, Navdeep Singh enhanced the lead while two minutes later, M K Prakash converted a penalty stroke to take the score to 3-0. As BPCL relaxed their attacking tempo, after taking a comfortable lead, ONGC mounted a few raids and one of them fetched them a consolation goal, with Mohd Fahed hitting the target in the 45th minute (1-3). S S Gill, who put up a stout defence for BPCL, was named the Man of the Match. In a Pool B match, Indian Airlines struck two goals in two minutes to seal the fate of the Russian XI. Airlines, packed with a number of star players, including Dhanraj Pillay, played a steady and calculated game, though they could score the first goal only in the 26th minute when Altaf-ur-Rehman, wearing jersey no 26, hit home true and hard, off a penalty corner. Two minutes later, Dhanraj Pillay displayed his magical scoring skills to power in the second goal (2-0). Though the rest of the match produced fast-paced hockey with the Russians working hard to score a goal, the Airlines defence held out as did the visitors defenders to deny either team any more goal. The Russian medio Gevorkyan Arsen, who was the livewire of their moves, was adjudged the Man of the Match. |
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Bagan march into semifinal
Bangalore, November 30 Bagan will now meet the winner of the last quarter-final between East Bengal and Sporting Club de Goa. In a fast-paced encounter, Silva scored in the 29th minute to put the Kolkatans ahead. JCT's Nigerian goalie Ajani Ayoade Ibrahim failed to cleanly collect Silva's long shot and the ball slipped through his hands into the net. A minute before half time, Sunil Chettri scored Bagan's second goal with a header off a Tomba Singh cross. Changing ends, JCT tried desperately to come back into the game and their efforts paid off when Jaswinder Singh
scored in the 64th minute. But it remained JCT's consolation goal as Bagan changed gears
again. Dulal Biswas made it 3-1 in favour of Bagan and Silva put the verdict beyond doubt with his superb second goal in the 86th minute.
— PTI |
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Naveen Jindal bags shooting title
New Delhi, November 30 In the table tennis doubles final, Suresh Pachauri and B.J. Panda defeated R.S. Reddy and Sharad Joshi. However, the most representation was at the shooting range where 19 MPs vied for honours. Naveen Jindal hit 155 out of 200 targets to lift the air rifle event while Jyotiraditya Scindia bagged the silver with a score of 113. Dr Prabha Thakur took the bronze with a hit of 76 targets.
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Indian Punjab win third volleyball Test
Faridkot, November 30 Later, addressing a gathering, the president of the district volleyball association, Mr Kumandar Singh Brar, said that matches like these would strengthen Indo-Pak ties. Mr Khalsa said that such events should be organised more often.
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Olympic Bhavan’s inauguration today
Chandigarh, November 30 The HOA will probably be the first in the country to have its own Olympic Bhavan, HOA President Abhey Singh Chautala said here today. He said that the Bhawan under construction within the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex on three acres of land would cost over Rs 7 crore. It would have the facilities of gym, a multi-purpose hall, a club, a library, a media centre and HOA's secretariat besides rooms for office-bearers and leading sports personalities. He said the first phase had been built at a cost of Rs three crore. The foundation stone for this prestigious building was laid by the Chief Minister in June 2002. —UNI |
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Surjit Academy lads post 5-0 win
Ludhiana, November 30 Kila Raipur players were no match for the Jalandhar Academy lads as they failed to deliver the goods and bowed out rather tamely. Surjit Academy boys exhibited fine stick work and gave no chance to their opponents to settle down. The only sliver lining in Kila Raipur outfit's performance was a penalty corner, which they forced midway through the second session. Otherwise, it were Jalandhar lads who dictated the terms. Other scorers were Deepak and Raminder Singh. In the second match, thanks to Daljeet Singh's hat-trick, Namdhari XI trounced SAI, Kurukshetra 6-2. Gurcharan Singh scored a brace while Karamjit accounted for one goal. For the losers, Jatin and Vikas found the target once. The third match was played between Sukhchain Academy, Faridkot and DAV Club, Chandigarh in which the formed emerged winner with 4-1 verdict. Faridkot lads drew the first blood in the 11th minute through Paramjit Singh and Vikramjit Singh made it 2-0 in the 30th minute. After changing ends, Vikramjit Singh again sounded the board to read it 3-0. Stung by it, Chandigarh lads went all out and weaved some good moves. Ultimately, their tactics paid dividends in the 41st minute when Ravinder Singh managed to pierce through rivals' defence to reduce the margin 3-1. Just a few minutes before the long hooter, Surinder Singh of Faridkot scored a fine goal to enable his team wrap up the issue 4-1. In the fourth match, Ropar Hawks beat Prithipal Academy, Ludhiana 5-3.
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Indo-Pak meets Indian doctor Rural games
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