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Security our sole concern, says Pakistan board
Pak afraid of defeat in Gujarat: Modi
India A win by six wickets
IOA told to get its act together
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Randhir Singh receives OCA
Order of Merit
Grapplers win C’wealth Cup
Punjab volleyball teams for
jr nationals
Zakir Husain College retain soccer title
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Security our sole concern, says Pakistan board
New Delhi, February 7 The PCB, reacting to comments attributed to PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan in some sections of the Indian media with regard to the forthcoming visit of the Pakistan cricket team to India from February 25 to play three Tests and five one-day internationals, said “With reference to speculative reports regarding the choice of venues for Pakistan’s forthcoming tour of India, the PCB hereby clarifies that after receiving the report of the two-member security team that recently visited India, the PCB has requested the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) to change the venue of the second Test from Ahmedabad to any other venue of Test status in India on grounds of security”. The PCB made it clear that this request was intended to “preserve and strengthen the bilateral relations that have been enhanced at the public and government levels after the resumption of cricketing series between the two countries”. The clarification also noted that the “PCB has all along maintained that the venues issue should be amicably resolved between the two boards and that it was the privilege of the host country to select the centres for the matches”. Pakistan had reportedly sought a change of the second Test venue from Ahmedabad to Chennai and the ODI venue from Delhi to Mumbai as the Ferozeshah Kotla ground was under renovation and the stadium might not be ready to host the fifth ODI in Delhi in the first week of April. The two-member PCB team, comprising general manager (operations) Zakir Khan and Lahore Senior Superintendent of Police Sohail Khan, were unhappy with the condition of the Ferozeshah Kotla ground when they visited it recently and had reserved their comments, with the observation that they would make their position clear after visiting the venue three weeks later. BCCI official leaves for Pakistan
A top cricket board official today left for Lahore to convince Pakistan that Ahmedabad was a safe venue for hosting one of the Test matches during the Indo-Pak series. Although BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla was on a private visit, the trip assumed importance in view of the stalemate over Ahmedabad, a venue which the PCB wanted to avoid because of “political reasons”. Shukla would attend the wedding reception of the son of former Pakistan Prime Minister Shujaat Hussain and would take the opportunity to discuss the issue with PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan. A BCCI source said Shukla would meet Shaharyar and other top PCB officials on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Shukla could also call on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, patron-in-chief of the PCB. “The occasion will give Shukla the opportunity to discuss India’s viewpoint on the Ahmedabad issue. We are hopeful of an amicable solution,” the source said. AHMEDABAD (PTI):
The Gujarat Cricket Academy (GCA) on Monday said the Pakistan cricket team should either agree to play in Ahmedabad or call off their upcoming tour of India. “I will raise this issue at the next BCCI meeting on February 16. Our message (to PCB) is clear — either play in Ahmedabad or call off the entire series,” GCA president Narhari Amin said. Amin said the GCA was yet to get an official intimation about the Pakistan Cricket Board rejecting Ahmedabad as a Test or one-day venue for the much-awaited series between the archrivals. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan on Sunday cited “political reasons” for not wanting to play in Ahmedabad. “What kind of political reasons are they citing? If it is the post-Godhra communal riots that he (Shaharyar) is indicating, then I will like to know as to after how many years will they pardon Gujarat,” Amin asked. On being asked if the Pakistan Government could have a ‘personal score’ to settle with Gujarat as Chief Minister Narendra Modi had often criticised General Pervez Musharraf during his election campaigns, Amin said: “Yes, Modi can be the reason behind their decision as there does not seem to be another reason.” The GCA, however, would continue with its preparations for the series till it got an official word from the BCCI, he added. The GCA, along with senior police officers, showed all facilities at the Sardar Patel ground at Motera and all related arrangements for players to Zakhir Khan and Sohail Khan, the two-member security assessment team of the PCB, on January 29. |
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Pak afraid of defeat in Gujarat: Modi
Ranchi, February 7 Dismissing the “political reasons” cited by the PCB for not wanting to play in Ahmedabad, Mr Modi linked the PCB decision to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, saying that the neighbouring country was “resorting to excuses as it was scared of defeat of its cricket team in Gujarat.” Mr Modi, who was in Jharkhand today to canvass for BJP candidates, devoted a considerable portion of his election speech in Ranchi to the cricket controversy. He repeatedly referred to the Pakistan president as “Mian Musharraf.” “If Musharraf announces that they will not play in Gujarat, we will force him to also announce that they will not play with blood in Kashmir. That day will come,” Mr Modi said. “Mian Musharraf, why are you so afraid of defeat? Winning and losing are part of the game,” he said. Mr Modi said a Pakistan contingent was in Ahmedabad last month to take part in the Special Olympic Games. He said many delegates from Pakistan attended a Lions International meeting in Ahmedabad recently. “A team of gynaecologists from Pakistan was in Ahmedabad for three days for a conference,” he said. The Chief Minister also had a dig at the Centre for its “quietness” over the Pakistan response on the Ahmedabad issue. “Why are our friends in Delhi quiet? Gujarat’s insult is the country’s insult,” he said. SONEPAT (PTI) : Taking strong exception to Pakistan’s reservations about playing at Ahmedabad, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday urged the government not to allow their cricket team to play any match in the country. The Indian Government should not allow the Pakistan cricket team to play matches in the country if they failed to play at Ahmedabad, Haryana unit VHP president Rampal Gaur said while addressing the activists here. Gaur also alleged that some vested interests were trying to create panic for their selfish ends and said Pakistan should cancel the tour if they had any fears in playing at some places in India. If Pakistan thought that there was any danger in playing in some parts of the country, they should not come and play here, he said, adding that the city of Ahmedabad had remained peaceful over the years and the people of all communities were living peacefully there. |
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India A win by six wickets
Mumbai, February 7 Jadhav scored 79 while Mongia hit 51 as India A reached the target of 281 with two balls to spare. Earlier, Yuvraj Singh hit a 91-ball 100 to lift India Seniors out of early trouble following a triple strike by Zaheer Khan. Electing to bat, Seniors were reduced to 52 for three by the 11th over with Zaheer picking three for 22 in his six-over spell. Yuvraj shared century and half-century stands for successive wickets to pull the team out of trouble. Scoreboard India Seniors Dhawan c D.Kaarthick b Zaheer 23
Dhoni b Zaheer 0 Ganguly c Y. Pathan b Zaheer 10 Rao c Jadhav b M. Kartik 55 Yuvraj c Agarkar
b Mongia 100 Raina c Y. Pathan b Mongia 26 Patel c RP Singh b Mongia 18 Pawar c Jadhav
b Mongia 15 Kumble not out 13 Balaji run out 1 Extras (b-1, lb-10,
w-6, nb-2) 19 Total (9 wkts, 50 overs) 280 Fall of wickets:
1-3, 2-23, 3-52, 4-168, 5-218, 6-237, 7-255, 8-271, 9-280. Bowling:
Zaheer 10-1-44-3, Agarkar 8-1-57-0, RP Singh 5-0-29-0, Yusuf Pathan 10-0-52-0, Murali Kartik 7-0-39-1, Dinesh Mongia 10-1-48-4. India A Jadhav c Dhawan
b Pawar 79 Parab lbw b Pawar 36 Mongia c Rao b Kumble 51 Dravid not out 45 Agarkar st Dhoni
b Kumble 5 Kaif not out 49 Extras (lb-7, w-8, nb-6) 21 Total
(4 wkts, 49.4 overs) 286 Fall of wickets: 1-70, 2-169, 3-196, 4-204. Bowling:
Balaji 10-0-64-0, Gagandeep 9.4-2-57-0, Kumble 10-0-57-2, Pawar 10-0-55-2, Rao 5-0-23-0, Ganguly 5-0-23-0.
— Agencies |
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IOA told to get its act together
New Delhi, February 7 The city had to catch up on “sports, venues, sports officials, technology and dope testing to name a few,” he said. “Some of the things should have been done by now. Some are being done and some have to be done in the future,” Fennel said, as if hinting at the delay in the setting up of the Games organising committee. “It is important for the Indian Olympic Association to understand its responsibility, though others like the government have an important role to play,” he said. “The Games have been entrusted to the IOA and the IOA is responsible for setting up various venues,” he said here after a visit to the IOA headquarters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. “It is important to clarify these issues at the start for the successful celebration of the Games. I am here to assist and clarify and work with the government,” he said. Fennel also said the IOA was accountable to the CWG like the respective national olympic associations were to the International Olympic Committee for the conduct of the Olympic Games. Fennel, here to monitor the work Delhi had done to host the Games, said his visit was also to prepare the IOA officials to face the CGF General Assembly in April. Earlier, Fennel, along with IOA President Suresh Kalmadi and secretary general Randhir Singh, had a meeting with Delhi Lieutenant-Governor B.L. Joshi where Chief Minister Shiela Dixit was also present. “I had an excellent meeting with the LG and left with a very good feeling. Now we need to get on with the building of the village and other structures,” he said. Fennel also called on the media “to come up with critical evaluations in the run-up to the Games to ensure that a very, very successful international event is hosted in Delhi.” “You are expected to give critical analysis so that the Games are held properly,” he said. Upset over the International Cricket Council’s cold-shouldering of sporting extravaganzas like Commonwealth and Asian Games, Fennel on Monday said cricket’s world governing body had never understood these Games. “The ICC has never really understood the Asian or
Commonwealth Games,” Fennel said, when informed about the possibility of the ICC approving the entry of juniors or U-19 cricketers for next year’s Doha Asian Games. “The Games are not for juniors, but it is meant for seniors. The junior tournaments are held for development purposes,” he said. Cricket would make history as one of the 40
disciplines in the Doha Asian Games after the Asian Cricket Council decided to accept the invitation of the organising committee last December. Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi told Fennel “Going by the experience of Kuala Lumpur in 1998, New Delhi will include cricket in the 2010 Games only if the top players are sure to compete”.
— PTI |
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Randhir Singh receives OCA
Order of Merit
New Delhi, February 7 As the Secretary-General of the OCA and member of the IOC, Randhir Singh had played a vital role in helping India bag the 2010 Commonwealth Games. President of the Commonwealth Games Federation Michael Fennel, who is currently on a visit to Delhi to inspect the facilities, is happy with the preparations being made by India to host the games. A five-time Olympian and Asian Games gold medallist, Randhir Singh is the vice-president of the Commonwealth Games Federation and also the founder secretary-general of the Afro-Asian Games Council which comprises 98 member-countries from Africa and Asia. Son of Raja Bhalendra Singh, who served as a member of the IOC for over 44 years till his death, Randhir Singh is one of the very few sports administrators to receive the OCA honour. “I am happy with the honour conferred on me by the OCA. I am delighted to note that the Olympic fraternity has taken note of my contribution to sports”, Randhir Singh said modestly. He is presently busy canvassing support for India’s bid for the 2014 Asian Games. Randhir Singh had played a key role in starting the Indo-Pak Punjab Games which were successfully conducted in Patiala a few weeks ago. The games brought together the sportspersons of both Punjabs for the first time after Partition, which would now be an annual event. |
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Top seeds advance in ITF tournament
Chandigarh, February 7 Jeevan and Vivek won by an identical margin — 6-3, 7-5. With a break in the sixth game of the first set, Jeevan won 6-3. In the second set, he committed three double faults before winning with an ace to make it 2-2. Jeevan committed five double faults as compared to two by Williams. In the first game of the second set, Williams struggled to hold his service after deuce. Then it was the turn of Jeevan to toil in the fourth game. In the 11th game, Jeevan got the vital break to take the 6-5 lead. He held his serve to clinch the set and the match. Akash Wagh of India went down fighting to qualifier Hoshiba Yoshimasa of Japan in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 in 75 minutes. Navinder Pal Singh of India justified his wild card as he prevailed over Aleksay Namozov of Uzbekistan in a rain-interrupted first-round match Navinder broke his opponent’s serve in the first game of the first set. Maintaining his pressure, the Indian again broke Aleksay in the third and fifth games for a 6-0 win. The Uzbekistan player, however, matched his opponent in the second set before winning in tie-breaker (7-6). The players were tied 6-6. With one set all, Navinder mounted pressure in the third set. Navinder broke Aleksay in the fourth and sixth games to win 6-2. When Navinder was leading 4-2, rain interrupted the match, which was completed in the evening. All girls’ singles matches except one were put off for tomorrow. Chandigarh lad Kinshuk Sharma, defeated Kinshuk Raju 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Results: boys singles (first round):
Jeevan M. Nedunchezhiyan (Ind) b Rihus Devillers (Rus) 6-3, 705,Brad Brinkhause Williams (SA) 6-3, 7-5, Vivek Shokeen (Ind) b Ned Boone (Great Britain) b Shiva Sangwan (Ind) 6-0, 6-0, Ronald Chow (Hong Kong) b Christian Hodel (Rom) 6-3, 6-3, Ayrton Wibowo (Indonesia) b Navaneetha Kannan (Ind) 6-4, 6-3, Faisal Aidil (Indonesia) b Honey Rana (Ind) 6-3, 6-1, Nithyaesh Nataraj (Ind) b Tariq Jacob (Ind) 6-3, 6-1, Hoshiba Yoshimasa (Japan) b Akash Wagh (Ind) 6-3, 6-4, Xiao-Peng Lai (Hong Kong) b Christopher B Rungkat (Indonesia) 6-1, 6-1, Navinder Pal Singh (Ind) b Aleksay Namozov (Uzb) 6-0, 6-7 (6), 6-2. Vaja Uzakov (Uzb) b Sidharth Alapati (Ind) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, Stas Zhuravaski (Rus) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7-4), Agung Bagus Dewantoro (Ina) b Bassam Beidas (Lib)7-5,6-4, Angel Gladwin (Ind) b Andrel Plotnyl (Rus) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. |
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Grapplers win C’wealth Cup
Chandigarh, February 7 India defeated Canada 5-0 in the team event to claim the honours, winning three gold, one silver and one bronze medals in the individual events. Shokinder Tomar (66 kg), Ravinder Kumar (84 kg) and Rajiv Tomar (120 kg) won gold medals, Narender Tomar (74 kg) won the silver and Naveen (96 kg) the bronze medal. Wrestling Federation of India President M.S. Malik congratulated the wrestlers on their achievement. Canada won two gold medals (74 kg and 96 kg), one silver (66 kg) and two bronze medals (84 kg and 120 kg) to finish second while Great Britain won three silver medals in 84 kg, 96 and 120 kg categories and one bronze medal in the 74 kg to be third.
— PTI |
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Sania-Shikha enter second round
Hyderabad, February 7 Sania and Shikha defeated the Chinese pair of Chin-Wei Chan and Na Li 6-4, 7-5 at the SAAP tennis complex. Wild card entrant Shahar Peer of Israel caused a major upset of the tournament in the singles, defeating third seed Tatiana Panova of Russia 6-3, 7-6 (7-2). Another wild card entrant, India’s Ankita Bhambri, was knocked out in the first round. Ankita, ranked 430 in the world, lost 3-6, 2-6 to Ukraine’s Alyona Bondarenko, ranked 107, in the inaugural match at the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh tennis complex. The Delhi girl struggled throughout the match and could not raise her game when it mattered to go down in a one-sided encounter. Ankita was originally scheduled to meet fifth seed Marta Domachowska of Poland in the first round. But Domochowska pulled out of the event last evening after aggravating a shoulder injury. Italy’s Roberta Vinci and Israel’s Zipora Obziler, both unseeded players, advanced to the second round after scoring easy victories. Vinci defeated Emilia Salerni of Argentina 6-3, 6-1, while Obziler beat Lubomira Kurhajcova of Slovakia 6-2 6-2. Earlier, the third edition of the Hyderabad Open, a tier-4 event, was declared open by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy.
— PTI |
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Punjab volleyball teams for
jr nationals
Ludhiana, February 7 Girls: Pawandeep Kaur, Hukamjeet Kaur, Navjotinder Kaur, Baljeet Kaur, Karamjot Kaur, Jasjeet Kaur, Sumita Sharma, Ruchi Rani, Neha, Sukhwinder Kaur, Parneet Kaur and Pallavi. Boys:
Shamsher Singh, Amritpal Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Jagjeet Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Navjeet Singh, Jaspreet Singh, Mahavir Singh, Manish Tiwari, Vijay Kumar, Kulwant Singh and Kamalpreet Singh. |
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Zakir Husain College retain soccer title
New Delhi, February 7 In a slow-paced match due to the slippery ground conditions following rains in the morning, Jamia Millia took the lead in the 24th minute when Ravi’s lofted kick went through the hands of Zakir Husain custodian Lokesh. But Zakir Husain equalised in the 77th minute, after missing several
chances, through J Kabui, and the regulation play ended in a 1-1 deadlock. In the tie-breaker, G Kamei, Rakesh Palmei, J Kabui and Fardeen Quraishi hit the target for Zakir Husain while only Phea and D J Varte found the mark for the losers. IGIPESS won the Fair Play Trophy. |
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Hawks Academy win hockey title
Ropar, February 7 |
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Jalandhar college enter semis
New Delhi, February 7 Ravinder Singh and Jarnail Singh scored a brace each and Rajwinder Singh accounted for the other goals for the winners while S Heartlin James scored the consolation goal for Loyola. Faculty of Social Sciences, Varanasi, defeated Faculty of Youth Affairs and Adventure Sports, Gwalior, 4-0 to qualify for the semis.
— OSR |
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