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India overcome spirited Bangladesh
Punjab concede 128-run lead
Kenya’s Peter wins Chamkaur Sahib marathon
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Marathon attracts athletes, residents alike
Punjab Police go down to IA
France beat India 2-1
Greek sprinters suspended
Punjab dominate School Games
CISF advance
Renuka scores easy win
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India overcome spirited Bangladesh
Chittagong, December 23 Chasing a target of 246, the hosts relied on a blistering unbeaten 50 by Khaled Mashud to stage a remarkable comeback before the Indians restricted them to 234 for eight to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The home team paid the price for launching the onslaught a little too late against an Indian bowling attack which lacked discipline, bowling as many as 17 wides and seven no-balls. The visitors had the game under control right through before Mashud’s 39-ball 50 very nearly turned the contest on its head with captain Habibul Bashar (65) being the other notable contributor. Put in to bat, middle-order batsman Mohammad Kaif rose to the occasion with a well-paced half century that helped India recover from a top-order collapse and post a competitive 245 for eight in the face of some disciplined bowling by the hosts. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mashud then led the hosts’ fight in the final stages as Bangladesh, needing 45 runs off the last two overs, plundered 33 runs to reach 234 for eight. Mashud hit four fours and a six as he shared two vital partnerships that took the team closer to the Indian total. He added 40 off 33 balls with Khaled Mahmud for the eighth wicket and then 34 off 16 balls with Tapash Baisya (7 n.o.) for the unfinished ninth wicket. Sridharan Sriram picked up three for 43 with his left-arm spinners even as Bangladesh showed temerity in the face of consistent pressure applied by the experienced visitors. Till Mashud came along, however, captain Bashar had to wage a lone battle with a composed 65 as wickets kept falling at regular intervals at the other end. In the end, it was not a meek capitulation like in the second innings of the second Test at the same venue earlier this week. Bangladesh showed more toughness as they kept themselves in the reckoning till the skipper’s fall at 156 for five in the 41st over. Bashar himself was guilty of a reckless shot as he tried to heave and ended up top-edging Sriram for a simple catch to Rahul Dravid at long off. Mashud made a last-ditch attempt as he plundered 14 runs with two fours and a six off debutant Joginder Sharma in the penultimate over. But 28 runs off the last six balls proved too big a task. For Sriram it was a fine comeback since he last played in a one-dayer in 2000 in Sharjah. As a paradox, Sriram began as a spinner in his junior days before graduating to the opener’s role. The experiment of promoting Mohammad Rafique as a pinch hitting opener came a cropper as the batsman was gobbled up by a spectacular catch by Yuvraj Singh. Nafis Iqbal then ran himself out when trying to take advantage of an overthrow. Mohammad Ashraful also could not live up to the expectations that had risen sky high following his brilliant century in the second Test. And there was a rush of blood in his and all other dismissals of the young team. Bashar, who had a nightmare of a time with the bat in the two Tests, finally began to show some form and it came at the right time for his team. The captain took his time to settle down but once the ship was steadied he began to play some exquisite shots. A flick off Sourav Ganguly brought the first boundary after a period of lull. Bashar seemed more at ease against the left-arm spin of Sriram, as he lofted over the head and even an inside out cover drive. He became the second Bangladeshi to cross the 1,000 mark in one-dayers when he reached 42. Aftab Ahmed provided good support with 30 off 48 balls and the fourth wicket was worth 64 runs. But the chase was dented as Sriram bowled a teasing line to induce the errors and keep the run flow in check. The required rate began to creep above six and it began to play on the batsmen’s nerves. Earlier, a well-paced half century from Kaif and some lusty hitting by the tailenders helped India blunt a spirited performance by Bangladesh. The Indian total owed to the two half centuries from middle-order batsman Kaif and vice-captain Rahul Dravid, supported by good use of the long handle by Ajit Agarkar and Irfan Pathan in the closing stages. Kaif (80) and Dravid (53) added 128 runs for the fourth wicket that lifted the Indian innings from 45 for three before Agarkar provided the late thrust with his 24-ball 25. Pathan (21) rounded off the innings with an effortless six to square leg as 42 runs came in the last four overs. Scoreboard India Ganguly b Baisya 0 Tendulkar c Mashud b Hossain 19 Yuvraj lbw Rahman 21 Dravid c Mashud b Mahmud 53 Kaif c and b Hossain 80 Sriram st Mashud b Rafique 3 Dhoni run out 0 Agarkar c Rahman b Baisya 25 Pathan not out 21 Sharma not out 5 Extras
(lb-6, w-11, nb-1) 18 Total (8 wickets, 50 overs) 245 FoW:
1-0, 2-37, 3-45, 4-173, 5-180, 6-180, 7-203, 8-232. Bowling: Baisya 10-0-67-2, Rahman 6-0-29-1, Hossain 9-1-39-2, Mahmud 10-0-43-1, Rafique 10-0-39-1, Ahmed 5-0-22-0. Bangladesh Iqbal run out 9 Rafique c Yuvraj b Pathan 8 Bashar c Dravid b Sriram 65 Ashraful c Ganguly b Sharma 2 Ahmed c Harbhajan b Sriram 30 Saleh c Sharma b Sriram 14 Mashud not out 50 Rahman lbw Agarkar 2 Mahmud c Kaif b Agarkar 21 Baisya not out 7 Extras
(lb-2, w-17, nb-7) 26 Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 234 FoW:
1-11, 2-40, 3-44, 4-108, 5-143, 6-156, 7-160, 8-200. Bowling: Pathan 9-0-45-1, Sharma 8-2-28-1, Agarkar 10-0-51-2, Harbhajan 10-1-46-0, Ganguly 4-0-19-0, Sriram 9-0-43-3.
— PTI |
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Punjab concede 128-run lead
Hyderabad, December 23 After gaining 128-run first innings lead by
skittling out Punjab for a paltry 105 runs, Hyderabad were 147 for six
at close. VVS Laxman (59 batting) once again came good with a
responsible unbeaten knock. Earlier, A Kakkar (48) topscored for the
visitors. HP grab lead
JAMSHEDPUR: Despite an unbeaten captain’s
knock of 83 by allrounder Sumit Panda, Jharkhand were all out for 218 in
their first innings, conceding a deficit of 57 runs to Himachal Pradesh
on the second day of the four-day Plate Group A Ranji Trophy tie at the
Keenan stadium here today. At stumps, Himachal were 35 for one in their
second innings after losing opener Ankur Bassi (6). Captain Sandeep
Sharma and Sangram Singh were batting on 19 and 7.
respectively. Earlier, Jharkhand resumed at four for no loss but could
not negotiate the pace attack of Himachal on a green top as Vikramjeet
Malik and Ahok Thakur ran through the home team. While Malik claimed a
five-wicket haul giving away 30 runs, Thakur bagged three for 45. The
other two wickets were picked up by the allrounder Sangram Singh, who
also bowls medium pace. J&K in trouble
Palakkad: Captain
Sreekumar Nair and Sureshkumar shared seven wickets among themselves as
Kerala took control of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group A Ranji cricket
match here today. The hosts, who had scored 319 runs in their first
innings, dismissed Jammu and Kashmir for 140 and then consolidated their
position and were 109 for 3 in their second innings. They have now an
overall lead of 288 with seven wickets in hand. Brief scores: Kerala
319 and 109 for 3 (Sreekumar Nair batting 29, Sunil Oasis batting 16;
Pranav Mahajan 2 for 28); J&K 140 (Dhruv Mahajan 78, Sajjad Sheikh
29; Sreekumar Nair 3 for 5, Sureshkumar 4 for 25). Delhi 184 for 3
KOLKATA:
An unbeaten 133-run fourth wicket stand between Mithun Manhas and
Vijay Dahiya bailed Delhi out as the visitors finished the day at 184
for three after Bengal were bowled out for 240 on the second day of the
Ranji tie here on Thursday. Manhas got two lives en route his unbeaten
79. When on 40 he was dropped by Deep Dasgupta off Murtaza Lodhgar,
while again on 61 he was dropped by R Krishnen off Ritam Kundu with the
team on 148. At close of play, Manhas remained not out on 79 with 12
hits to the fence off 175 balls. Giving him company was keeper Dahiya,
on 68 off 142 balls that included 13 hits to the fence. Mumbai on
top
MUMBAI: Spinners Nilesh Kulkarni and Ramesh Powar ran
through the Karnataka batting, skittling them out for a paltry 166 and
giving Mumbai a 126-run first innings lead on the second day of the
four-day sixth Group A league match of the Ranji Trophy Elite Division
at the Wankhede Stadium here on Thursday. Kulkarni (five for 39) and
Powar (four for 70) gave a torrid time to the visitors, who need an
outright victory to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the
semifinals along with Mumbai from Group A. At close of play, Mumbai had
lost Wasim Jaffer in their second inning, reaching two for one with
Vinayak Mane (2) and night-watchman Nilesh Kulkarni (0) at the
crease. The reigning champions are thus 128-run ahead with nine second
innings wickets left. — UNI |
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Kenya’s Peter wins Chamkaur Sahib marathon
Chamkaur Sahib, December 23 The main attractions of the event were 93-year-old Fauja Singh, who came all the way from the UK to participate, and 83-year-old Kartar Singh Gufa from Chamkaur Sahib. “This not my first marathon. I have won several events in UK and other places. I left India 13 years ago and always miss my country. When I got an invitation, I was not well but as the event is associated with the 300th anniversary of martyrdom of Sahibzadas I could not stop myself,” said Fauja Singh. Sunita
Mailk, a girl from Panchkula, was not allowed by the Sports Department to participate. “It was a men’s event. But as I came to know that a marathon was being organised to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the martyrdom, I came from Panchkula to participate. But despite my repeated requests to senior officials, I was not allowed to participate” she lamented. As many as 894 persons of different age groups from India and abroad participated in the marathon which was flagged off by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. from the Sports Stadium here this morning. Besides the two participants from Kenya, Chandler and Alit from Sri Lanka were among the foreign participants. A large number of renowned sportspersons from Punjab Police, CRPF, Railways, BSF and students from schools and colleges also took part in the marathon. On the occasion, Parminder Doomcheri won the championship title of
Rustam-e-Hind by defeating a wrestler from Patiala. Capt Amarinder Singh said a sports centre would be set up here to promote sports activities among the youth as a befitting tribute to the
Sahibzadas. Later in the evening the top 10 in the marathon were awarded prizes by Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal at Fatehgarh Sahib.
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Marathon
attracts athletes, residents alike Chamkaur Sahib, December 23 Despite it being a cold day, there was a huge rush of people on both side of the roads in all villages through which athletes passed. Beside, professional athletes, students from schools, and colleges and local people took part in the marathon. It was organised by the Punjab government to commemorate the 300th years of martyrdom of the Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh. Fauja Singh, 91, from the UK got warm welcome from spectators and runners who stood in his honour as he entered the stadium in the morning. Despite being not well, he participated in the marathon to express his love for the country. Even Capt Amarinder Singh, when he saw such an old man participate in the event, came down from the stage and welcomed him. Peter and Jibion both from Kenya, managed to steal the show. Peter secured the first position while Jibion came second. Both were far ahead of other athletes. They left other runners around 10 km behind. While people were feeling cold, these two marathoners were seen pouring water on themselves to beat the heat. James Mutisya, coach of the two Kenya athletes was also a world champion. James said Peter and Jibion who had won a number of international events, were confident of their victory here. Although 894 persons from India and abroad participated in the event, less than 100 managed to complete the event. First 10 were awarded trophy and cash prizes. Mr Peter was given a cash prize of 1 lakh, Jibion got 75,000 K.L. Raju from the Army was given Rs 50,000 by Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal at a function organised at Fatehgarh. Many of the students left the marathon after 5-10 km and boarded the bus that was moving along. Due to marathon hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on roads for more than two hours.
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Punjab Police go down to IA
Jalandhar, December 23 In a high-voltage encounter, Indian Airlines opened their account in the sixth minute when VS Vinay’s hit was deflected into the goal by Ravinder Singh. Punjab Police equalised in the 25th minute when Gagan Ajit Singh scored a field goal. The policemen were awarded three penalty corners in the 32nd, 33rd and 34th minutes but to no avail. Both teams were level at half time. In the second half, Indian Airlines made some hostile attempts to take the lead. They succeeded in the 44th minute through a penalty corner conversion by Sandeep Singh. Indian Airlines struck again in the 51st minute as Vinay scored a field goal. Punjab Police reduced the margin the 52nd minute through a penalty corner conversion by Jugraj Singh, but it was not enough to avoid defeat. In other matches, Malaysian XI lost to Canada XI 1-2 while Shahbad XI defeated Sukhjit Starch Mills XI 3-0. |
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France beat India 2-1
Hyderabad, December 23 Nitya Jayanand reduced the margin in the 68th minute but the Frenchmen went on to win the second Test, two days after they thrashed the hosts 5-0 in the first Test. Improving the game by a few notches, India rose to the occasion and held the French in the first half to return tied goalless at the breather. At a time when the match appeared to be closing, a late resurgence from the Indian camp saw Jayanand breach the French defence to find the net in the dying moments. This was the only goal scored by the Indians in the two-Test series. France converted one of the four penalty corners it was awarded while hosts squandered away all the eight chances it got in the scramble at the scoring post.
— PTI
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Greek sprinters suspended
Paris, December 23 The suspension is provisional pending the completion of their cases, the IAAF said in a statement released from their Monte Carlo headquarters yesterday. “In each case, the IAAF has concluded that the explanation provided is unacceptable in response to the charges made,” the IAAF statement reported. “Accordingly, the IAAF has notified the Greek Federation that both athletes and the coach are provisionally suspended pending the resolution of their
cases.” Kenteris, the 2000 Olympic 200 metres champion, and Thanou, the women’s 100m silver medallist in Sydney, also face a criminal hearing in Greece over the missed tests.
— AFP |
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Punjab dominate School Games
Ludhiana, December 23 The results: Boys: Softball (u-19): Punjab b Goa 7-1; (u-17): Punjab b Delhi 3-0; (u-14): Delhi b Punjab 11-2; Hockey (u-17): Punjab b Uttar Pradesh 1-0; (u-14): Punjab b Delhi 2-1; Handball (u-17): Punjab b Gujarat 37-28; Kho-kho: (u-17): Punjab b Madhya Pradesh; (u-19): Punjab b Maharashtra. Girls: Softball (u-14): Punjab b Chandigarh 11-8; (u-19): Punjab b Rajasthan 13-3; Hockey (u-14): Haryana b Rajasthan 6-1; (u-17): Haryana b Punjab 3-0; (u-14): Haryana b Rajasthan 6-1; Kho-kho: (u-14): Maharashtra b Punjab; (u-17)- Punjab b Delhi; Handball (u-17): Punjab b Kerala 22-16; (u-14): Punjab b Delhi 23-16.
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CISF advance
Nabha, December 23 Centre of Excellence downed SAI, Chennai, 2-1 while CISF outplayed Eastern Railway, Kolkata, 4-2. In the third match of the day, Jagraon Police, winners of the 1999 edition of the tournament, beat Artillery Centre, Hyderabad, 3-1.
— OSR |
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Renuka scores easy win
New Delhi, December 23 In other matches, Baljinder Kaur defeated Sunanda Rana 6-1, 6-4, G Megha Rao defeated Aaaran Asha Punj 6-0, 6-1, Disha Saigal beat Aakriti Chand 6-1, 6-3 and Garima Singh beat Tarrannum Handa 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. |
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