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India look to wrap up series
Harbhajan hopeful of clearing tests
Pakistan can bounce back,
says Woolmer
Miandad threatens to sue PCB
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Himachal Pradesh defeat Jharkhand by 22 runs
Basketball nationals commence today
Air Force edge out IHF Juniors
French hockey team to play in Delhi
Maninder Singh felicitates students
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India look to wrap up series
Dhaka, December 25 Although the Indians were not really tested at Chittagong en route the 11-run win, they now know that the hosts are capable of a fightback in the shorter version of the game. However, such is the gulf between the two sides that the Indians appeared completely unrattled on the eve of the back-to-back matches at the Bangabandhu Stadium. In fact, the visitors seemed more worried about connecting flights on their return journey than the prospect of taking on a side that did manage to give them a scare in the previous one-dayer. Bangladesh made a valiant effort to pull off an upset win but the experimental Indian side still proved to be too good for them at Chittagong on Thursday. India have decided to rest Sachin Tendulkar, Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh for the match. The trio will make way for Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan, who sat out of the first match in
Chittagong, while Murali Kartik will get to play his first game on the tour as he comes in for Harbhajan. Captain Sourav Ganguly said Dinesh Mongia would also find a place in the eleven for the day-night encounter although a final decision was yet to be made. “We have to decide as to whom to leave out,” Ganguly said. Ganguly had said before the one-day series that he would give the youngsters in the side a chance as the team prepares for the Pakistan series at home in February-March next year. The newcomers proved a bit of a success. Sridharan Sriram made a good comeback to pick three for 43 but he might have liked to score a few runs with the bat. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who replaced Dinesh Kaarthick as wicketkeeper-batsman, had an ordinary debut as he was run out after facing just one ball. Joginder Sharma of Haryana did reasonably well to pick 1-28. Bangladesh’s case seems to be more complicated. The hosts are expected to include paceman Mashrafe Mortaza in place of Mushfiqur Rahman but skipper Habibul Bashar is still not clear on his batting line-up. Bashar said Javed Omar, who was not in the team for the first match, might play but he might not open the innings. Rajin Saleh, who failed to produced runs in Chittagong after being dropped from the second Test, might also face the axe. “We have been making progress step by step in every match. Winning or losing is not in our minds, we are trying to improve,” said Bashar who would be playing in his 100th one-dayer tomorrow. He said the team needed more than one player to deliver. “So far in the series, in Tests and the one-day match, it has been one player producing the runs. We need two or three batsmen to do well. The idea is to keep wickets in hand and attack in the later stage of the innings.”
— PTI |
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Harbhajan hopeful of clearing tests
Dhaka, December 25 Harbhajan said he had not changed his bowling action since being reported during the second Test in Chittagong against Bangladesh and he had bowled the ‘doosra’, the delivery that moves way from right handers, in the first one-dayer at the same venue later. “I have not stopped bowling my ‘doosra’. I have been bowling as I have done before,” said the spinner. “Anyway, I have been reported and I cannot be reported again (for the next six weeks).” Under ICC regulations, Harbhajan would have to work with an ICC-approved biomechanic expert for corrective measures on his action within six weeks, and he cannot be reported again during that period. Harbhajan seemed to draw hope from the fact that the intense debate on the issue of suspect bowling would find a way out for him too. “I am not worried at all. I am confident there is nothing wrong with my action,” he said. “Every Test bowler is now being tested, even fast bowlers like Glenn McGrath and others. It has become routine. I have taken 300-plus wickets in international cricket. I am confident that the tests will prove there is nothing wrong with my action. “If it is found that I have to make some changes, I will do so. But I don’t think there will be a need for any change in my action,” Harbhajan said. When asked if he saw any pattern in the bowlers from the subcontinent being reported, Harbhajan said, “I don’t know. We all bowl the ‘doosra’, and not many bowlers from the other countries bowl it. “The ICC is conducting tests, so let us wait and see. They talk of 15 degrees... Hopefully I will be cleared,” he said referring to the suggestion by the ICC’s Cricket Committee that all bowlers be allowed to straighten their arm up to 15 degrees. When pointed out that the latest suggestion was yet to be ratified and made a law, the ‘Turbanator’ said, “Yes, they are still discussing it. Hopefully they will implement it.” Harbhajan was reported for a suspect action in 1998 also, but he made a brilliant comeback in 2001 to pick 32 wickets in three Tests against Australia at home. “Then, I was very young, didn’t know what to do and was tense. But the cricket board supported me, I went to England and came back. “This time I am confident. The team is behind me, all of India is with me. By the grace of God, I will come back again.”
— PTI |
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Pakistan can bounce back,
says Woolmer
Melbourne, December 25 Pakistan received criticism from all quarters for their abject 491-run loss to the Australians before lunch on the fourth day of the first Test, but have to face the music again in the second game of the series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Amid a flood of offers for help from outside the team, Woolmer said the most constructive session the side had was an honest self-appraisal the day after the Perth capitulation. “They’re not down, they’re very hurt,” Woolmer said today when asked if his players could bounce back. “I’ve seen them rebound from situations like this. They’re very disappointed in themselves and they now know they have to come out and fight hard and make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Pakistan are yet to finalise their side, but paceman Shoaib Akhtar, who suffered a shoulder scare in Perth, will play although Pakistan must find another way of accelerating his over rate as he is not prepared to shorten his lengthy run-up. Woolmer said the team would put an emphasis on jogging between overs in the field to ensure the over rate did not crawl. The English coach said Pakistan’s batsmen did not need to adjust their techniques against Australia’s bowlers, but instead needed to show more care outside the off stump than they did in Perth. Ten of the 13 Pakistanis out caught in the first Test were snapped up behind the wicket as Glenn McGrath and Michael Kasprowicz exploited the touring batsmen’s inability to cope with the extra bounce and pace of the WACA Ground wicket. But Woolmer expected his batsmen to cope better on the MCG’s drop-in pitch, which should play much slower and lower. “Nothing’s changed, the game doesn’t change, it was just on a particular situation in Perth we played loosely outside the off stump and paid dearly for it and that was the difference,” he said. “So there’s not massive technical changes, we’re not changing people’s techniques. “There’s a lot of ‘We’re doing this, this, this and that’, but we’re just trying to keep it very simple.” Haq ruled out
KARACHI: Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has ruled himself out of the second Test against Australia due to a back injury. Inzamam said he was not yet sure about playing in the third and final Test in Sydney. Pakistan are then due to take part in a triangular one-day tournament against Australia and the West Indies.
— AFP, Reuters |
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Miandad threatens to sue PCB
Islamabad, December 25 The PCB chief had said on Thursday that Pakistan’s defeat at the hands of India early this year was not the only reason for sacking Miandad. Reacting to the remark, Miandad said the statement had badly tarnished his image. “This kind of statement from a veteran diplomat and a senior administrator has created a lot of doubts in the mind of cricket followers, my fans and badly tarnished my image,” the former batsman was quoted as saying by the official news agency APP. “The PCB Chairman should make those other reasons public for my ouster as coach of the Pakistan team. He should come out with those other things and reasons. “It (the remark) creates an impression in the minds of followers of the game that I could have been involved in betting and match-fixing... and I am considering taking legal action against the PCB,” he said.
— PTI |
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Himachal Pradesh defeat Jharkhand by 22 runs
Jamshedpur, December 25 Jharkhand, who scored 218 in their first innings in reply
to Himachal’s 275, could manage only 155 in their second essay after
bundling out the visitors for 120 in the second innings. Resuming at
110 for six, the overnight unbeaten pair of skipper Sumit Panda and
Santosh Lal could not face the onslaught from left-hand medium pacer
Ashok Thakur for long under overcast conditions even when the hosts
needed only 68 run for a win this morning. Panda, who was batting on 11
overnight, could add only four runs before he edged a catch behind the
wicket off Thakur for 15. Lal, who resumed at a well-made 32, followed
him to the pavilion after just eight deliveries and adding six runs to
his overnight score when he was bowled by Thakur. The Panda-Lal pair
fetched 55 runs, the highest stand for the innings, for the seventh
wicket as Jharkhand were reduced to 142 for nine at lunch. Mihir
Diwakar (19, 3x4) and S.S. Rao (14) resisted the Himachal attack for
some time and fetched 35 runs for the last wicket before Thakur teased
Rao to play an outgoing delivery only to see the ball land in the hands
of the wicketkeeper. While Himachal Pradesh, who have won five matches
in a row to cull 20 points, qualified for the knockout stage, Jharkhand
also made it to the next round despite the loss today as they finished
with 11 points from five matches. Delhi win KOLKATA: Gautam
Gambhir hit a quick-fire hundred helping Delhi script an eight-wicket
win after seamers Amit Bhandari and Kunal Lal ripped through the Bengal
second innings on the final day of their four-day Ranji Trophy Elite
division Group A match at the Eden Gardens here on Saturday. Gambhir
struck a crackling 126 (153m, 111b, 20x4, 1x6) and added 170-run for the
opening wicket with Aakash Chopra (62 not out; 207m, 165b, 8x4) to pave
the way for an eight-wicket victory for the visitors. Chopra played the
anchor while Gambhir toyed with the Bengal bowling to enable Delhi reach
their second innings target of 222 in just 49.5 overs, wrapping up the
game shortly before tea. Earlier, Delhi pacers Lal and Bhandari created
havoc in the Bengal second innings as the hosts, who resumed at 190 for
3, managed to add only 42 runs to their overnight total before being all
out for 232 in less than an hour’s play this morning. Lal (4 for 72)
and Bhandari (5 for 61) bowled unchanged for the 11.3 overs that the
Bengal batters could survive. Bhandari, who had scalped five in the
first innings as well, had a match haul of 10 wickets for 116 runs. The
tourists bagged four points for their first outright victory this season
to increase their tally to 12 points from six matches, thus brightening
their semifinal prospects. Bengal, on the other hand, remained on four
points from six games, facing relegation risk after conceding
back-to-back defeats in four outings. Brief scores: Bengal 240
and 232. Delhi: 251 and 222 for 2 (Gambhir 126, Chopra 62 not
out. Mumbai triumph
MUMBAI: Ramesh Powar and Nilesh Kulkarni
spun Karnataka out for a paltry total for the second time in the match
to bowl holders Mumbai to a comprehensive 205-run victory on the fourth
and final day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A cricket
tie. Off-spinner Powar was the wrecker-in-chief in the meagre Karnataka
second innings total of 185, chasing 391, with a haul of 5 for 84. It
was his third such display this season and added meat to his first
innings figures of 4 for 70. Gangling left-arm spinner Kulkarni, who
had taken five wickets in the Karnataka first innings total of 166, gave
his younger partner good support with figures of 3 for 53. Barring
skipper Sujith Somasunder’s knock of 40 in 120 balls with five fours
and a defiant, hard-hitting unbeaten 45 from Sunil Joshi, there was
little of note in the Karnataka second innings. Joshi, in particular,
played with ease on the spinning track against a Mumbai attack weakened
by the absence of captain and leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule who could not
take the field because of a hamstring. Earlier, Mumbai declared their
second innings at their overnight score of 264 for eight. Mumbai
secured four points and increased their tally to 21 with a match in hand
against Delhi while Karnataka went out of contention for a semifinal
berth after failing to get a point. Brief scores: Mumbai 292 and
264 for 8 dec. Karnataka: 166 and 185 (S Somasunder 40, S Joshi
not out 45; N Kulkarni 3 for 53, R Powar 5 for 84). J&K lose
Palakkad:
Kerala’s star leg-spinner KN Ananthapadmanabhan played a stellar role
in his team’s 161-run win over Jammu and Kashmir, capturing five
wickets for 51 runs in the second innings in the Ranji trophy cricket
plate A match here today. Resuming at overnight score of 119 for 1,
the visitors found it tough to negotiate Kerala spinners, especially
Ananthapadmanabhan, who has announced his retirement from first-class
cricket after this match and left-arm spinner Sreekumar Nair. J&K’s
overnight not out opener Sajjad Sheikh could add only four runs to his
overnight score, before he was out to a brilliant bit of fielding by
Sorab. Sajjad faced 165 deliveries and struck 10 boundaries. Ananthapadmanbhan
captured the wickets of Majid Dar, Arshad Bhat, Hunaid Ronga, Abeed Nabi
and Sameer Khajuria to end up with figures of 5 for 51. Brief
scores: Kerala 391 and 281 for 7 dec. J&K 140 and 299 (Sajjad
Sheikh 79, D Mahajan 33, Majeed Dar 33, Arshad Bhat 28 Fayaz Hazari 45,
Hunaid Ronga 32; Ananthapadmanabhan 5 for 51, Sreekumar Nair 3 for 49).
UP beat Maharashtra
KOLHAPUR: Uttar Pradesh beat Maharashtra
by five wickets on the fourth and final day of the Ranji Trophy Elite
group B match at Chhatrapati Shivaji Stadium. Brief scores: Maharashtra
394 and 119. Uttar Pradesh: 282 and 234 for 5. (Jyoti Yadav 50,
Rizwan Shamshad 78, Shivakant Shukla 40; Ranjit Khirid 2 for 58). —
PTI |
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Basketball nationals commence today
Ludhiana, December 25 The teams have been divided into six pools. The hosts men’s team, which had finished fifth in the last edition of the championship held at Cuttack, Orissa, have been placed in Pool A with defending champions Tamil Nadu, besides Karnataka, Uttaranchal and Haryana. Pool B consists of last year’s losing finalists Indian Railways along with Kerala, Services, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. All these teams have been grouped in the super league phase of the tournament. Punjab have some international players such as Parminder Singh Sr, Snehpal Singh and Harmander Singh in their ranks, besides trainees of the local Baba Lodhiana Academy being run by the Punjab Basketball Association like Talwinder Singh, Yadwinder Singh and Jagdeep Singh. Dr S. Subramanium, former Director, NIS, Patiala, and senior basketball coach, who has been training the Punjab men’s team for the past many months, expressed confidence that the Punjab cagers would emerge victorious in the championship. “In the last edition at Cuttack, Punjab was without star players Snehpal Singh, Yadwinder Singh, Talwinder Singh and Jagdeep Singh, who had gone to Malaysia, and the team had to be content with the fifth position. But this time the boys are determined to achieve their goal,” Dr Subramanium said. Punjab men begin their campaign with a match against Karnataka. In the women’s section, Punjab, who secured the ninth spot at Cuttack, were also confident to finish among the first four this time. Mr Teja Singh Dhaliwal, honorary secretary, Punjab Basketball Association, said the girls were keen to make their presence felt during this championship. The matches will begin at 8 am while the formal inauguration is slated for 3 pm. The pools: (men): Pool A: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Uttaranchal and Haryana; Pool B: Kerala, Services, Rajasthan, Indian Railways and Andhra Pradesh; Pool C: Jharkhand, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh; Pool D: Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal; Pool E: Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Pondicherry; Pool F: Assam, Chandigarh, Maharashtra and Manipur. (Women): Pool A: Indian Railways, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra; Pool B: Delhi, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu; Pool C: Punjab, Karnataka and Orissa; Pool D: West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Pondicherry; Pool E: Assam, Haryana and Rajasthan; Pool F: Chandigarh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. Meanwhile, the executive committee of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) will meet here on January 1. Giving this information, Mr Harish Sharma, secretary-general, BFI, said the main agenda of the meeting would be to confirm the minutes of the previous meeting of the committee held at Cuttack last year, besides receiving and adopting the annual report for 2003-2004, and to consider and approve the budget estimates for 2005-2006. He said the other agenda items included considering the participation of the Indian (men) team in the 23rd FIBA Asia Basketball Championship and the Indian (women) team in the 21st FIBA Asia Championship.
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Air Force edge out IHF Juniors
Nabha, December 25 In other matches of the day, Friends Club, Rumi (Jagraon), rode roughshod over Liberals XI, a scratchy local outfit which had to take the field in the absence of the Lahore-based Ideal Hockey Club. Friends Club, who had pulled a surprise yesterday when they managed to get the better of CISF, New Delhi, beat Liberals XI 3-1 while SC Railway downed SRC, Ramgarh, 2-1. In the day’s last match the Patiala-based Centre of Excellence played aggressive hockey to show the door to Central Railway, Mumbai, 1-0. The IHF (Juniors) were thinking of giving themselves a wonderful Christmas gift but their aspirations were cut short when, in the second half, their goalkeeper Jasbir Singh inexplicably allowed a soft indirect penalty corner shot to float over his head even as he made no effort whatsoever to block the line of the ball. After being 1-1 at half time, this second-half blunder was enough for the airmen to register a somewhat scratchy 2-1 victory over their better-organised rivals who, in fact, had been practising at the venue for the past week. IHF opened the first half by playing aggressive hockey and in the first quarter of the match, which had all the ingredients of an intense contest, could have gone up but for some poor finishing by the strikers. In the third minute, the hardworking IHF skipper Sandeep Singh dribbled his way into the striking circle but instead of shooting into an empty goal, he shot straight in the custodian’s pads who was lying spreadeagled on the ground. Minutes later, striker Kuldeep Singh collected a through pass from Sandeep and as he was all set to score he was fouled. The resultant penalty corner, however, went abegging. Midway into the first half, the airmen changed gears and went on the offensive. This move paid immediate dividends when their striker N.Kujur was felled in the striking circle and it was Kujur himself who put Air Force into the lead. With just minutes to go for half time, IHF equalised when deep defender Harjit Singh sounded the board off a penalty corner. However, their joy was shortlived as Kujur pumped in another penalty corner to make it 2-1 for Air Force. Specks of rough play surfaced in the second half but the game was well controlled by umpire GS Sangha, an international, who flashed the green card to two players from either side. |
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French hockey team to play in Delhi
New Delhi, December 25 |
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Maninder Singh felicitates students
New Delhi, December 25 Maninder, himself a former student of AFBBS, which has produced many outstanding sportspersons, presented trophies and cash awards to Narender Singh, Swati Ahuja and Gulnoor Ghuman, who excelled in sports. — OSR
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