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Stars dedicate shirts to charity auction
Taibu defies Bangladesh
Lara powers Windies win
Pak cricketers to arrive on February 25
Friendship triumphs in cricket contest
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Srichaphan beats Zib, enters final
Bhupathi-Bjorkman duo enters final
Dementieva wins Hong Kong title
CRPF clinch Phagwara Cup
Sasikiran, Kunte share lead
Hundreds attend bhog ceremony
PAP Zone lift overall trophy
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Stars dedicate shirts to charity auction
Sydney, January 8 Run in conjunction with online auction specialists eBay, the auctions would begin at 15-minute intervals from today and conclude on January 11, Cricket Australia said in a statement here today. Various other events, including celebrity Kanga cricket matches and Hercules flyovers would take place during the cricket match between World XI and Asian XI at Melbourne on Monday. The next game of the two-match series is to be played in Asia sometime next month. Prime Minister John Howard will toss the coin before the start of the match, along with team captains Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly. ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed would then be involved in a brief ceremony, which will be followed by team photographs and a moment’s silence. Sold as separate lots, the auctions are open to bidders in any part of the world, the statement said. “The shirts will be match-worn, personally signed and un-mounted, packaged with a Cricket Australia letter of authenticity. The coin used to start the match is a 40mm pure silver proof dollar coin from the Royal Australian Mint’s ‘Masterpieces in Silver 2004’ limited edition set, and will be auctioned with an additional mint condition ‘Masterpieces in Silver’ set,” CA Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland said. Players’ messages
London: Five ICC World XI players, who would be taking part in the tsunami charity match against ACC Asia XI in Melbourne, have sent out messages of hope to the countries devastated by the disaster. Darren Gough, Daniel Vettori, Chris Gayle, Chris Cairns and Dwayne Bravo pledged their support to the cause while urging survivors “not to give up”. “It will be a brilliant game of cricket played in a good spirit and all to support people who really need our help,” England fast bowler Darren Gough was quoted as saying by an ICC media statement here on Saturday. Gough mentioned that the disaster had moved his children who had contributed their pocket money to the relief fund. “Cricket fans across the world have always enjoyed seeing players from Sri Lanka and India in action, now it is time cricket gave something back to these tsunami-hit parts of the world,” he added. New Zealand allrounder Chris Cairns said the “world must unite to assist the victims of the disaster”. Joining in the appeal to people worldwide to donate for the relief efforts, his compatriot Vettori said recovery was going to be a long haul, and “this appeal is not for one day or one week, it’s about being there for as long as it takes”. Charity match
New Delhi: Not to be left behind the ICC and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has decided to join the tsunami relief effort by staging a charity match and a fund-raising event besides donating 25,000 pounds. BBC Sports reported that Lord’s would stage the charity match while the MCC would give an initial amount of 25,000 pounds to reconstruct the Galle Stadium in Sri Lanka which was ravaged by tsunami.
— Agencies |
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Taibu defies Bangladesh
Chittagong, January 8 Taibu made the most of being dropped three times to dampen Bangladesh’s hopes of a first Test victory in their 35th match. The skipper shared a stand of 119 for the seventh wicket with Chigumbura, who hit 10 boundaries and a six before being caught behind by Khaled Mashud off Mohammad Rafique. Taibu, having guided Zimbabwe past the follow-on target of 289, fell eight runs short of a first Test century when he was trapped lbw by Rafique, who finished with 4-64. Zimbabwe, who started the day on a precarious 84 for four, reached 154 for six at lunch. Bangladesh, seeking their first win since gaining Test status in 2000, went wicketless in the afternoon session as Taibu and Chigumbura both batted sensibly. Earlier, fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza grabbed both wickets in the first session to put pressure on Zimbabwe. He struck in the day’s third over when he bowled Hamilton Masakadza, who added just one run to his overnight score of 28. Taibu and Brendan Taylor then defied the Bangladeshi attack on a slow track for more than an hour, adding 66 for the sixth wicket. Zimbabwe are playing their first Test since they were suspended by the International Cricket Council last June for fielding a weakened team after a dispute between their board and several leading white players. Scoreboard Bangladesh (1st innings) 488 Zimbabwe (1st innings) Matsikenyeri c Bashar b Baisya 28 Rogers run out 5 Sibanda lbw Rafique 12 Masakadza b Mortaza 29 Cremer lbw Rafique 0 Taylor lbw Mortaza 39 Taibu lbw Rafique 92 Chigumbura c Mashud Nkala not out 20 Hondo not out 0 Extras (b-1, lb-1, nb-9, w-1) 12 Total
(8 wickets, 122 overs) 308 Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-48, 3-59, 4-59, 5-86, 6-152, 7-271, 8-308. Bowling:
Mortaza 26-10-56-2, Baisya 24-5-87-1, Rafique 37-16-64-4, Haque Jnr 26-9-55-0, Ashraful 5-0-19-0, Saleh 4-0-25-0.
— Reuters |
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Lara powers Windies win
Hobart, January 8 Lara's majestic innings was highlighted by one awesome six off speedster Brett Lee which sailed high over the wide mid-on fence, through a tree and onto the road alongside Bellerive Oval. The West Indies also got good batting performances from opener Chris Gayle (40 from 32 balls) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (42) in a match they needed to win after being well beaten by Victoria in the first warm-up game last Wednesday. "Against Victoria everyone got into the 20s and nobody carried on," Lara said after his side reached the target of 266 for six today with eight balls to spare. "It's very important to understand that if you get a start, if you get into the groove, you've got to try as much as possible to do the job yourself. "It's nice to do it in the second match, to get a hundred and show the guys what is necessary for us to win." The victory will lift spirits with the international triangular one-day series opener against Australia in Melbourne on January 14. "We've always had the players but it's about harnessing the talent and getting it working cohesively towards winning and hopefully (new coach Bennett King) will be capable of doing it," added Lara. No bowler emerged unscathed from the Lara onslaught although Tasmanian Damien Wright's 2-40 from 10 overs came before the chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns. Along with the massive blow off Lee, there were three other sixes and 12 boundaries in the Lara innings which stunned Australia A centurion David Hussey. "I've seen a bit (of Lara) on telly but that was unbelievable today," said Hussey. "He just hit the ball unbelievably into places where you don't expect him to hit it. "He came out there and struck the ball superbly from ball one. I'm still just amazed that we lost." Hussey (128 from 123 balls) and fellow Victorian Cameron White (61 from 57 balls) rescued Australia A with a 152-run stand for the sixth wicket after skipper Brad Haddin had won the toss and elected to bat first in overcast conditions. The home side slumped to 25 for three and 102 for five before the rescue mission. The bowling honours went to Dwayne Bravo (4 for 42) and Reon King (2 for 44). It was the second time in four days that Hussey had taken full toll of the West Indian attack, having made an unbeaten 83 for Victoria in last Wednesday's game at the MCG
.— AFP |
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Pak cricketers to arrive on February 25
Thiruvananthapuram, January 8 Pakistan, touring the country for the first time since 1999, would also play two practice matches before returning home on April 10, cricket board Secretary S K Nair said here today. "The plan is to hold a three-day practice match before the Test matches begin and another one before the start of the ODI series," Mr Nair said. The BCCI's Programme and Fixture Committee would meet shortly to finalise the venues and the dates. However, sources said tentative dates had already been sent to the Pakistan Cricket Board for approval. According to the tentative schedule, the first Test would be played from March 4 to 8, second from March 12 to 16 and the third from March 20 to 24. The one-dayers would be played on March 28, March 31, April 3, April 5 and April 9. Mr Nair said Kolkata would most probably be the venue if India got a chance to host the second of the two tsunami relief charity matches. Kolkata was considered the preferable venue as that was the place that could fetch handsome collection for the charity match, he added.
— PTI |
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Friendship triumphs in cricket contest
Chandigarh, January 8 From start to the end, the spirit of friendship remained in command, lasting well beyond the moment that saw the Indians wresting the winning trophy. The guests were equally awarded with a trademark PCA reception, loads of genuine attention and a sparkling silver trophy that looked grand as the one that the victors’ held. Mesmerised by fine batting and bowling performances by the Chandigarh team led by Prabhjot Singh, the Pakistani players actually vowed to come prepared the next time. All of them went in for a series of clarifications behind their not-so-convincing score (112 all out). “We have not practiced at the nets this season, the field is all new to us and we have not been all that resistant. Your wicket keeper Prabhjot Singh was outstanding,” admitted Rana Ikram of the Daily Din who is a regular member of the Lahore Press Club cricket team. Back in Lahore, cricket is not played all that professionally by full time journalists. As Rana Ikram explained, “Few of us are professional players and have played significant matches, including the one against the politicians led by Nawaz Sharif in 1992. We, however, have regular trials in which cricketers like Mohsin Khan and Abdul Qadir come. Here we have not been able to match the energy of Indians.” Low on practice and resistance, the Pakistani team gave in fast, as Indian bowlers began the damage in the very first over when Maneesh Chhibber took two wickets. Kamleshwar Singh bowled an exceptionally good line, claiming three wickets. Spinner Sanjay Kalia proved to be the most economical bowler with his five overs for just 15 runs. He took two wickets. Jaipal Singh, Rohit Awasthi and Gagan Sethi took a wicket each. Indians managed a comfortable score, with their strong batting line up by Captain Prabhjot Singh. In fact, Pak Captain Moeen Ahmed’s decision to bat first on a moist wicket did not yield much benefit as the wickets fell very quickly. Least disheartened by the defeat, the Pakistanis took the occasion to celebrate the spirit of sport. Exchanging notes with Indian journalists, the players talked of how very important were indoor games in Lahore. Lahore Press Club regularly organizes sports tournaments including those of cricket, carrom and table tennis. Rana Ikram, one of the Lahore Press Club members who played at PCA today, has been a carrom champion with 13 centuries to his credit during the last year’s competition. As for performance by the Lahore team today, most players said they were out of practice and were not accustomed to the wicket. Some said their shoes were not very friendly on the ground, and losing grip. The guests were however elated to have sports kits, arranged at the drop of a hat. They were equally smitten by the PCA hospitality and of course its lush field. |
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Srichaphan beats Zib, enters final
Chennai, January 8 Srichaphan was meeting the unseeded Zib for the second time in five years with Srichaphan leading the head-to-head count. Zib had lost to Srichaphan 4-6, 5-7 in a first round tour match in Ho Chi Minh city in 1999. The Thai was thoroughly tested in the first set which went to the tie-breaker. Zib was faster on court and in his shot production, and Srichaphan was in a spot of bother. The Czech went into the lead 3-1 with a second game break. Though, Zib was broken back in the sixth, he never relented. In fact, Zib accounted for 20 winners in the match compared to just 12 by Srichaphan. Both were equal to the task but Zib rarely failed with his eye-catching deep returns and on a few occasions, Srichaphan played into his hands by serving and returning wide, giving leeway for the Czech to attack. Zib almost came up with double breaks in the ninth and eleventh. On both occasions, Srichaphan had to dig deep and raise his game. He managed to save a break point each and then managed to hold on to his service games. Zib, ranked way down at 150 to the Thai's 27th rank on the ATP list, played flawlessly and gave a fright to Srichaphan in the 11th game where the latter managed to save two break points, winning the game on the fourth deuce. In the tie-break, Srichaphan was under pressure when he surrendered the initiative of 4-1 lead and then allowed Zib to level 5-5 before winning the next two points including an ace for the set. Srichaphan was never given any liberty in the second set as well as Zib constantly counterattacked from the edge of the baseline, except on a few occasions, when the Thai came up with intelligent lobs to bamboozle Zib. However, the Asian number one, supported by a partisan crowd, secured two breaks in the 5th and ninth games, to win the set and match, realising his goal of making the final this year also.
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Bhupathi-Bjorkman duo enters final
Chennai, January 8 The potent Indo-Swedish combination survived some anxious moments in the second set before wining against the scratch pair of Kevin Kim (US) and Jiri Vanek (Czech) 6-2, 6-3 in an hour and 10 minutes at the centre court here. In the final tomorrow, the duo would meet the winner of the other semifinal between Leander Paes and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia and Yen Hsun (Taipei) and Rainer Schuttler (Germany). It was quite an easy
outing for Mahesh and Bjorkman, before they drowned themselves in errors in the second set. However, they struck a purple patch
when it mattered most and wrapped up the contest on the second match point when the Swede came up
with a superb backhand drop volley. Mahesh and Bjorkman won the first set 6-2 rather easily, before the Indian dropped serve in the first game of the second set. The US/Czech pair found Mahesh’s backhand as the weak link and went on to win points. This put additional burden on Bjorkman, who had to run around a lot. Either in intercepting the ball at the net or
finishing the rallies with fine work at the net, Bjorkmann proved his class. Mahesh, too, on his part came back on his own with superb lobs, testing the patience of Vanek and
Kevin. Mahesh and Bjorkmann found the much-needed break in the sixth game to draw level at 3-3 before reeling off the next three games in a row, with yet another break this time, breaking Vanek’s serve at love in the eighth game to seal the issue. Mahesh had some problem in his first serve and double-faulted on a couple of
occasions. He nearly lost serve before the Indo-Swedish pair staved off two break points. They lost a match point when Bjorkman missed a drop volley at the net before he made amends with a superb volley to seal the issue.
— UNI |
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Slovakia win Hopman Cup
Perth, January 8 Former world number five Hantuchova recovered from a terrible start to beat Gisela Dulko 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 and put the third seeds ahead.
Hrbaty, who had not lost a set in his three singles matches in the group stages, then upset world number seven Coria 6-4, 6-1 to help erase the memories of 2004 when the Slovaks lost to the USA in the final. ‘’I would like to congratulate
Daniela,’’ Hrbaty said. ‘’I was so nervous watching her today, I almost had a heart attack. ‘’I also feel a little sorry for Guillermo today because I get very excited whenever I play for my country. I show lots of emotions and played such good tennis today.’’ World number 14 Hrbaty was in imperious form as he sauntered past Coria in just 58 minutes. The Argentine struggled with a sore back in the second set but Hrbaty showed no mercy in wrapping up victory with another backhand winner. World number 31
Hantuchova, ranked two places above Dulko, had won two of her three matches in the run-up to the final but looked nervous as she dropped the first four games of the match.
Dulko, who had lost all three of her singles matches in the group stages, grew in confidence and took the first set in just 27 minutes before Hantuchova hit back in a second set littered with breaks to draw level.
Dulko had an early chance to break in the second game of the deciding set, but the contest stayed with serve until the seventh game when a double fault from the Argentine gave Hantuchova the vital break. With Coria nursing his back, the walkover completed a 3-0 win, although Hrbaty and Hantuchova beat Dulko and her brother Alejandro 8-4 in an exhibition pro set. Slovakia won the cup on their first appearance in 1998, when Karol Kucera and Karina Habsudova led them to victory over France.
— Reuters |
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Dementieva wins Hong Kong title
Hong Kong, January 8 It was Dementieva’s first win since her victory at Hasselt in Belgium last year, and it boosted her confidence ahead of this month’s Australian Open. “It’s really a great start to the year no matter whether it’s an exhibition or not. I was trying to play my best and I really did it,” said
Dementieva.— AP |
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CRPF clinch Phagwara Cup
Phagwara, January 8 Somarjeet scored both the goals for the CRPF. The first goal was scored in the 43rd minute of the first half, while the second in the 40th minute of the second half. The JCT Academy made several brilliant moves but their players fumbled in front of the rival goalmouth. Local team squandered several chances of scoring. The CRPF got the Cup and Rs 25,000 cash prize.The JCT Academy got Rs 11,000 as prize for the runners- up. In the college category, both Layallpur Khalsa College and DAV College Jalandar were draw after the conclusion of the regular time. Sunil of Lyallpur Khalsa College Jalandar scored the winning goal in the 10th minute of the first half of the extra time,enabling his team to retain the title in the college category. The winners were given a Cup and Rs 11,000 as cash prize while the runners- up got Rs 5,000 as cash prize. Mr Raj Mohan Singh, Director (Operations) JCT Limited, gave away the prizes to the winning Clubs. Sant Baba Malkiat Singh Padhianawale gave prizes to the winning college teams. |
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Sasikiran, Kunte share lead
New Delhi, January 8 In a stunning upset, K. Ratnakaran beat Grandmaster Dmitry Kayumov. In a Gyuicco Piano game, Ratnakaran had early success and the game, was heading towards a draw when the Uzbek GM went for a queenside pawn wave, and Ratnakaran sacrificed an exchange, before going for a kingside attack to Pocket full points in 53 moves. Top-seeded Sasikiran was pushed to the wall before he regrouped himself, saving a precious half a point against International Master Enamul Hossain of Bangladesh. In a Slav game, Sasikiran went for an early assault as both players had castled on the opposite sides. But the Bangladesh player put up a spirited defence and in the ensuing tussle, called the shots to emerge triumphant. Hossain tried a few endgame tricks before signing peace after 60 moves. Abhijit Kunte moved on to the leaderboard with a quick victory over Grandmaster-norm holder Deep Sengupta. In the longest game of the event yet, B S Sivanandan drew with K Visweswran after 163 overs and six hours of play. |
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Hundreds attend bhog ceremony
Patiala, January 8 Prominent among those attended the ceremony were Patiala MP Mrs Preneet Kaur, ADGP and President of the Basketball Federation of India Mr Rajdeep Singh Gill, three-time Olympian Balbir Singh (senior), SAI Executive Director (Teams Wing) M.P. Ganesh, Mayor Vishnu Sharma, Assistant coach of the Indian Hockey team in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Sukhvir Grewal, hockey olympians Ms Rupa Saini, Mukhbain Singh, Harmeek Singh, Hardeep Grewal and former chief coach of the women’s national squad Mr G.S. Bhangu. |
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PAP Zone lift overall trophy
Jalandhar, January 8 Gurdev Singh of Ferozepur Zone was adjudged best male athlete, who secured first position in shot put event with a distance of 17.73 mtrs while Navjot Kaur of Jalandhar Zone was adjudged best female athlete, who won gold medal in 100m run in 13.13 seconds. The Punjab Power and Irrigation Minister Mr Lal Singh gave prizes to the players. |
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In video: Ganguly plans auction to help tsunami victims.
Henin-Hardenne pulls out