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Natwar’s visit will melt the ice, hopes Mani
Shoaib to depose before
disciplinary committee
Nehra sends West reeling
JP Yadav wrecks East Zone
Jennings looks for players support
End of road for tsunami-hit stadium
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Gill’s name forwarded
to IHF as coach
Veteran athletes sore at govt attitude
Women’s soccer at Imphal
Simarjeet makes most of rain-drenched day
Coaches deserve Padma awards, says
D.P. Azad
Shikha Uberoi ranked 143
Conference of sports ministers
Manipur pip Punjab
for hockey title
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Natwar’s visit will melt the ice, hopes Mani
New Delhi, February 15 “The matter can get sorted out in the meeting of Mr Singh with Pakistan officials, who will voice their own concerns,” Mani, who is here to meet BCCI officials, told BBC. “Security is an issue which cannot be handled by anyone except the government. Moreover, cricket and politics cannot be separated in this part of the continent,” the ICC chief observed. After Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) proposed Ahmedabad as the venue for the second Test between the arch-rivals, Pakistan cited security apprehensions and refused to play at the Gujarat city which witnessed post-Godhra communal riot in 2002. “We are working behind the scenes to come out with a solution and I am hopeful it will be sorted out within a few days,” Mani said. The BCCI Working Committee is meeting here on February 17 to finalise the tour itinerary. Referring to India’s reluctance to play Test matches at Karachi and Peshawar last year, Mani said, “A similar situation had arisen when India went to tour Pakistan last year.” Mani, who arrived in Delhi on Sunday, has several issues to address including tax exemption for 2006 Champions Trophy scheduled to be held in India during his stay in the city. The ICC chief is expected to talk to top government officials, including Sports Minister Sunil Dutt, whom he will meet on February 18, and former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya. Even though Mani would be present in Delhi when the BCCI’s Working Committee meets on Thursday to decide the itinerary for the Pakistan series, the ICC chief made it clear that he would not interfere with it. “It’s a matter between the two countries — India and Pakistan. It’s a bilateral issue and ICC will certainly not interfere in it. I hope things will be sorted out in a couple of days,” Mani said. Although the BCCI has already shortlisted the venues, the stalemate over Ahmedabad, which witnessed communal riots in 2002, has delayed finalising of the itinerary. Mani agreed that the dispute concerning BCCI’s telecast rights had come as a dampener with just 10 days to go for the start of the “biggest” cricket series. “Of course, this is (a dampener). But the matter is in court and I am not supposed to comment on it. But whatever the case, this is the biggest series in the world. The cricket following in the two countries is fantastic. This is a great series which will generate a lot of goodwill,” he said.
— PTI |
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Shoaib to depose before
disciplinary committee
Lahore, February 15 Meanwhile, Shoaib yesterday requested an appointment with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan and briefed him about his fitness and issues of his alleged violation of code of conduct. According to PCB sources, the ''Rawalpindi Express'' will appear before a four-member disciplinary committee on Friday to explain charges of contractual violations levelled against him. Headed by Justice Amir Alam Khan, the committee also includes Abdul Salam Khawar, Maqbool Elahi Malik and PCB legal adviser Syed Asghar Haider. PCB deferred the selection committee meeting by a day to February 19 so that the Board gets the committee's view before announcing the squad. Shoaib would have little respite after that as the pacer, along with three other bowlers Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed and Mohammad Khalil would have to appear before a joint medical team comprising PCB medical commission and foreign experts on February 19 to get final fitness certificate. Both the PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan and chief selector Wasim Bari have made it clear that Pakistan would not carry an injured Shoaib to the high-profile tour of India and Shoaib would have to prove his fitness to be part of the squad. ''Foreign medical expert of the team are due to arrive on Friday from holiday and Shoaib would have to appear before them and convince them that he is fit enough for the tour,'' the source said. However, a lenient disciplinary committee would probable refrain from taking a stern stance against the bowler, the source added. ''In all probability, the committee might let him off the hook with something like a fine for his erratic behaviour,'' he said. Meanwhile, chief selector Wasim Bari insisted that fellow selectors would not be convinced unless they receive comprehensive medical reports about the fitness of each player. ''We will not accept any verbal assurances or reports. We want everything in writing about the fitness position of every player including Shoaib and Mohammad Sami. Only then we can consider them for the Indian tour,'' Bari said.
— UNI |
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Nehra sends West reeling
Lucknow, February 15 In reply, North Zone were comfortably placed at a first innings total of 114 for the loss of two wickets when the first day’s play ended here at the K.D. Singh Babu Stadium. Test discard Parthiv Patel was the lone saviour for West Zone with 55 runs that included six boundaries. Ramesh Powar with a hard hitting 35 runs (eight fours) and Satyajit Parav with 31 were the only other West Zone batsmen to contribute to the team score. At one time, the West Zone score stood at 87 runs for five, but a 52 run partnership between Parthiv and Ramesh elevated the team’s score to comfortable heights. West Zone skipper Zaheer Khan made 12 runs while opener Dheeraj Yadav contributed 17. North Zone players missed couple of chances with Parthiv getting a life twice. Nehra took 6 wickets in his spell of 19 overs after giving away 57 runs. Out of the total 12 no balls by North Zone bowlers, seven were conceded by Nehra. Gagandeep Singh was the other successful North Zone bowler and claimed two wickets for 28 runs while Amit Mishra and Vishal Bhatia claimed one scalp each. The whole West team were out before the tea break for 201 in 65.1 overs while they were 83 for four in 38 over at lunch. North Zone opened the innings in style with opener Gautam Gambhir hitting two boundaries in the first over bowled by Zaheer. However, in the next over Zaheer rattled his off stump when he had scored 13. North skipper Virender Sehwag played some beautiful off side shots in his short span of 33 runs which included 6 boundaries. He was caught by wicketkeeper Parthiv in the first over of spinner Rajesh Pawar. After the fall of two wickets, Akash Chopra and Navneet Ricky played a very patient game with
occasional shots to fetch them boundaries. Akash also lofted a huge six off Rajesh, the only over boundary of the match today. Parthiv also missed a hard chance of Akash when he could not hold a leg side ball. Akash with 44 and Ricky with 19 were at the crease when stumps were drawn after completion of 90 overs. Meanwhile, Indian team coach John Wright along with two national selectors Yashpal Sharma and V.B. Chandrashekhar watched the entire day’s proceedings. The outright winner of the match would get four points while team getting first inning lead in a drawn match would bag two. Scoreboard West Zone (Ist innings): Dheeraj Yadav B Nehra 17 Satyajit Parab lbw Amit 31 Wasim Zafar c Bisla b Nehra 8 Neeraj Patel b Gagandeep 21 Kiran Pawar b
Nehra 0 Parthiv Patel b Gagandeep 55 Ramesh Pawar lbw Vishal 35 Rajesh Pawar b Nehra 4 Zaheer c Gagandeep b Nehra 12 Rajesh Patel lbw Nehra 3 Sidharth Trivedi Not out 0 Extras:
(12 no balls, Total: (all out) 201 Fall of wickets:
1/48, 2/55, 3/58, 4/58, 5/87, 6/139, 7/149, 8/179, 9/190. Bowling:
Ashish Nehra 19-4-57-6 Gagandeep Singh 12.1-3-28-2 Amit Mishra 15-3-43-1 Vishal Bhatia 13-2-45-1 Virendra Sehwag 6-0-25-0. North zone (Ist) innings: Gambhir b Zaheer 13 Sehwag c Parthiv b Rajesh 33 Chopra not out 44 Riky not out 19 Extras:
5 Total: (for two wickets) 114 Fall of
wickets:
1/15, 2/74. Bowling: Zaheer Khan 8-0-42-1, Rakesh Patel 4-0-42-0, Rajesh Pawar 6-1-17-1, Ramesh Pawar 6-1-12-0
— UNI |
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JP Yadav wrecks East Zone
Gwalior, February 15 Towards the end, Shiv Shankar Paul’s three-wicket burst helped East Zone restrict their opponents to 74 for four with S. Abbas Ali (7) and Naman Ojha (0) at the crease as Central Zone finished 120 runs short of their opponents’ total with six wickets in hand.
Just when Test discard Shiv Sundar Das (34) and Arindam Das (31) seemed to have vindicated skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla’s decision to bat first, Yadav struck with his medium pace, first trapping Shiv Sundar leg before and then getting Indian wicketkeeper M.S. Dhoni (5) caught behind.
This opened the floodgates and wickets started tumbling at regular intervals even though Sanjib Sanyal (62 not out) played a lone hand.
Shukla led the side in absence of Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, who opted out of the match due to an injury.
Sanjib tried to forge a partnership, but the East Zone middle order was a complete letdown. Realising that he was running out of partners, Sanjib started belting bowlers with some lusty hits. Only S.K. Satpathy (21) tried to defy the Central Zone bowlers till Yadav had him caught by Abbas Ali.
Yadav finished with figures of 15.4-5-29-5. Sanjay Bangar claimed two for 46, while Harvinder Singh and Kulamoni Parida claimed one wicket apiece. Scoreboard East Zone (1st innings): S S Das LBW b Yadav 34 A Das c Fazal b Yadav 31 M S Dhoni c Ojha b Yadav 5 P Jaychandra c Ojha b Bangar 1 L R Shukla c Ojha b Bangar 1 R Satish c Parida b Harvinder 12 S Sanyal not out 62 S Satpathy c Ali b Yadav 21 Shahid Khan c Ali b Parida 2 S S Paul run out 0 R Bose LBW b Yadav 0 Extras
(b-1, lb-6, nb-15, w-3) 25 Total (all out in 51.4 overs) 194 FoW:
1-66, 2-83, 3-84, 4-86, 5-87, 6-124, 7-179, 8-188, 9-194. Bowling:
Rudra Pratap Singh 8-1-26-0, Harvinder Singh 15-2-59-1, J P Yadav 15.4-5-29-5, Sanjay Bangar 8-0-46-2, Murali Kartik 3-0-26-0, Kulamani Parida 2-1-1-1. Central Zone (1st innings): F Fazal c Dhoni b Paul 0 S Bangar c Dhoni b Paul 5 M Kaif LBW b Bose 31 S Raina c Dhoni b Paul 26 A Ali batting 7 N Ojha batting 0 Extras
(lb-1, nb-4) 5 Total ( 4 wkts in 27 overs) 74 FoW:
1-0, 2-9, 3-60, 4-66. Bowling: Shib Shankar Paul 10-4-11-3, Ranadeb Bose 11-3-44-1, Sanjib Sanyal 5-0-14-0, Sanjay Satpathy 1-0-4-0.
— PTI, UNI |
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Jennings looks for players support
Durban, February 15 Jennings, under whom South Africa lost the Test series against England before bouncing back to win the one-day series, said having done “a lot” for the national cricket team, he expected the United Cricket Board (UCB)to retain him as the coach. “The team has shown a great deal of improvement under my tutelage and I hope the players will want me to stay on,” Jennings said today. “It does not help if I waste my time and energy and the people around me do not support me. I will talk to the players in the next two or three weeks and ask them, because I am still in the dark at the moment,” he said. Captain Graeme Smith, who had been quoted in British newspapers as saying he would like Steve Waugh to take over as coach, said it was for the UCB to decide on the issue. “Jet (Jennings) is very important, but we will have wait and see what the United Cricket Board decides. It is a difficult situation,” said Smith, scheduled to undergo treatment for an ankle injury in Cape Town. The coach’s position will come under review after South Africa complete their tour of the West Indies following a series against Zimbabwe starting this month. UCB spokesman Gerald de Kock said the board had not taken any decision as yet on appointment of a coach. “All applicants will be considered carefully before a decision is made”, he said.
—PTI |
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End of road for tsunami-hit stadium
Galle, February 15 Cricket officials are looking for another location near here, 115 km south of Colombo, for an alternative venue to Galle, a stadium which the national team had considered lucky. They had won seven out of 11 matches played here while drawing two and losing two since the first Test match here in June 1998. Curator Jayananda Warnaweera said he did not have state clearance to start reconstruction after the grounds were devastated by the December 26 tsunamis that lashed much of Sri Lanka’s coastline and killed nearly 31,000 people. “We cannot redo some of the nets because they come within a 100-metre buffer zone from the sea,” Warnaweera said, referring to regulations preventing any rebuilding within a strip of sea-front land reserved as a “green belt.” “We want to put up a five-storeyed air-conditioned grand stand, but have not got permission for that either,” he said. The stadium is at the foot of the historic Galle Fort, built by the Portuguese who turned the island into a colony in 1505. Much of the structures in the fort were added by subsequent Dutch and British invaders. Development of the stadium is restricted because the authorities are keen that no neighbouring structures end up dwarfing the historic site. Cricket officials said they were not allowed to put up covered stands at the grounds and establish the internationally accepted safety standards because it would mean blocking the view of the ramparts. The fort itself is a world heritage site and Sri Lanka maintains strict laws to protect its beauty. Ticket sales at the cricket venue have usually been less than they could have been because the ramparts offer a better view at no cost. When a foreign television crew was once denied access to the stadium because another network had been given broadcasting rights, they clambered on the ramparts to have an even better camera view. Sri Lankan cricket officials said Galle would still be retained as a venue for premier league matches, but would no longer be classed as a Test venue. “We will not be able to have the international safety standards that are required because of the restrictions on new constructions,” said Thilanga Sumathipala, a special envoy of Sri Lankan cricket. “We also have to take into account what goes on in the minds of players when they are in the middle and hear the sea lashing in the background. It is not going to be the same again,” he said. The stadium here had 10 metres of water when the tsunamis struck the 10,000-capacity grounds. At least one man was killed. Warnaweera said it could take up to a year to remove six inches to a foot of the top soil and replant. “The reconstruction is going to cost about 300 or 400 million rupees (three or four million dollors),” Warnaweera said. Sri Lanka’s national team drove to the grounds on Sunday to play softball cricket with some 300 local children and 300 from the neighbouring district of Matara who survived the tsunami.
— AFP |
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Gill’s name forwarded
to IHF as coach
Patiala, February 15 Top SAI sources reveal that the name of Mr Gill, who at present is posted as hockey coach at the Centre of Excellence here, has almost been cleared by both the SAI and the IHF for the post of coach of the national squad. The post fell vacant after German Gerard Rach quit. Mr
M.P. Ganesh, Executive Director (Teams wing), SAI, who is also officiating as the ED of the NIS here, disclosed that SAI had recommended the names of at least half a dozen coaches to the Indian Hockey Federation. He refused to pinpoint any names. Mr Ganesh was at the Institute recently on an official visit. Mr Gill was Assistant Coach to Mr G.S. Bhangu when the Indian women hockey team lifted the goal in the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games. Mr Gill was also the Assistant Coach of the women’s team that took part in the 14th Asian Games held at Busan in 2002. Prominent among Mr Gill’s trainees is Deepak Thakur. His another prominent protege is Prabhjot Singh, who apart from playing in the Athens Olympics was also a prominent member of the team that took part in the senior World Cup held in Kuala Lumpur in 2002. |
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Veteran athletes sore at govt attitude
Sangrur, February 15 Talking to The Tribune here today, B.S. Punia, general secretary of the Punjab Veterans Athletics Association, said despite winning laurels for the country at the international level in various veteran athletics championships, veteran athletes of the state were not being given due recognition by the Punjab Government, as the government had “failed” in recognising them till date. In these circumstances, it was a matter of “shame” for the state government that at a time when Haryana had not only recognised veteran athletics, but also announced awards and incentives for veteran athletes, the Punjab Government had done nothing for veteran athletes so far, he added. He said the Punjab Veterans Athletics Association would send a contingent of 120 veteran athletes to Chennai on February 21 to participate in the 26th National Veteran Athletics Championship, to be held from February 24 to February 27. He said the entire expenditure to be incurred on this sports tour would be met by the veteran athletes from their own pockets, as they had no financial support from the Punjab Government. He urged the Chief Minister to extend financial support in the form of TA and DA to the participants of the championship. He demanded recognition for veteran athletics from the Punjab Government. He also sought the announcement of cash awards and incentives for those veteran athletes of the state who had earned fame at the national or international level. Ranjit hockey
NEW DELHI: The inaugural Maharaja Ranjit Singh Hockey Tournament will be held from February 21 to March 2 at the Shivaji Stadium. All the leading Indian teams, as well as a team each from Pakistan and Malaysia will be participating in the tournament. The tournament will be conducted by the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Hockey Trust.
— OSR |
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East Bengal thrash Tollygunge 5-0
Kolkata, February 15 Leading 1-0 at the breather, the winners pumped in four more goals during a second half blitz to clinch their sixth consecutive victory and consolidate their position atop the table with 20 points from eight outings. East Bengal controlled the proceedings from the start, carrying on a series of raids into the opponent territory in the early minutes, but slowed down the game in the opening half after taking the lead. Tollygunge, who remained on 10 points after eight games, tried to go on the counter intermittently in the first 45 minutes, but their attacks lacked sting as they failed to push the extra man forward during their moves. East Bengal were all over their opponents in the second half as Bhutia played a stellar role upfront, combining his lethal scoring ability with superb game-making skills.
— PTI |
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Women’s soccer at Imphal
New Delhi, February 15 The other teams in the fray are last year's semi-finalists Bihar and Kerala, Meghalaya, Delhi, Karnataka, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Orissa, Haryana, Uttaranchal, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Chandigarh and Assam. Madhulika Singh will lead a 20-member Delhi team with Anju Gusain as vice-captain. The team, announced here today by Delhi Soccer Association secretary N K Bhatia, are: Goalkeepers: Hemlata and Richa Bisht. Defenders: Manjeet Saini, Priyanka Singh, Madhulika Singh, Anjali Kumar, Shweta Kaushik and Sapna Ghelot. Mid-fielders: Mamta Rautela, Jyoti Tripathi, Megha Sen, Deepika, Sonia Gaur and Sucheta Bisht. Forwards: Anju Gusain, Vinita Baloni, Amrita Bisht, Ruhelika Bikash Guha, Sharda and Pooja Rawat. Former international Tarun Roy will be the coach and Nagendra Singh the manager. |
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Simarjeet makes most of rain-drenched day
Chandigarh, February 15 Just one stroke behind the leader at 73 was Gaganjeet Bhullar while Shaurya Singh was placed third with a card of 74.
A light shower that gradually turned into a heavy downpour marked the beginning of the day’s proceedings making playing conditions extremely tough for the amateurs.
Simarajeet, however, overcame all obstacles to play a consistent round that comprised two birdies and an equal number of bogeys. The Oil India Limited employee was concentration personified as he played some calculated shots to make pars on the first seven holes. He then followed it up with a birdie on the par-3 eighth hole when he sank a 15-foot putt from the apron of the green. However, he faltered on the very next hole, the par-4 ninth as he recorded his first bogey of the day to finish the front nine on an even note. It was a similar combination on his return journey as he recorded a bogey on the par-3 14th hole, the result of bad judgement on the green as he three-putted from a distance of 20 feet. This bogey was soon compensated by a birdie which came on the 17th, a par-4 hole. On this particular hole Simparjeet’s second shot landed just three feet from the cup from where he easily tapped the ball in. “This is probably one of my best rounds ever and I am glad it came on a day like today. The rain made the course longer and tougher to play and I am naturally delighted with my performance”, said the golfer from Noida who is currently in second place on the Royal Challenge Indian Golf Tour’s Order of Merit. Meanwhile, Gaganjeet Bhullar, who leads the Order of Merit, lost a chance of sharing the lead along with Simarjeet when he bogeyed the finishing hole. On the 18th he hit a good drive which left him with about 122 yards to the pin. His next shot however found the bunker, from which recovery cost him a stroke. His round of 73 comprised four bogeys and three birdies. Scores ( after 18 holes ): 72 Simarjeet Singh; 73 Gaganjeet Bhullar; 74 Shaurya Singh; 75 Jasjeet Singh, Balwinder S. Mattoo and Vikram Rana; 76 H.S. Kang, Gagan Verma, Jaskirat
Dullet, Rahul Bajaj and Amardip Sinh Malik.
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Coaches deserve Padma awards, says
D.P. Azad
Chandigarh, February 15 In a letter to Dr Manmohan Singh, Mr Azad, who has produced cricket stars like Kapil Dev
Nikhanj, Yog Raj Singh, Ashok Malhotra, Chetan Sharma and Harbhajan Singh, said “I wish to bring to your kind notice that Arjuna Awardees are also given Padma Awards. However, the Droncharyas or other outstanding coaches have so far been ignored’’. Mr Azad has further requested the Prime Minister that ‘‘it is the high time that this disparity is removed and the contributions made by the coaches is recognised.’’ It may be recalled that the Government of India instituted the Arjuna Award in 1960-61 for sportspersons bringing laurels to the country. “However, it took 25 years for the government to recognise the services of coaches by
introducing the Dronachaya Award in 1985. The initiative was taken by the late Rajiv Gandhi who was a great lover of sport,” says Azad in his letter, dated February 11, 2005. |
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Shikha Uberoi ranked 143
New Delhi, February 15 Sania’s year ending singles rankings has been 987 in 2001, 837 in 2002 and 399 in 2003. This is Sania’s highest singles rankings while her highest doubles
rankings is 166, which she attained on October 25 last year. For Shikha, who recently got the ITF nod to represent India and was made part of the Federation Cup team, progress had been a bit inconsistent as her year-ending singles rankings suggested. She finished 912 in 1999, 841 in 2000, 924 in 2001, 754 in 2002 and 308 in 2003.
— UNI |
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Conference of sports ministers
New Delhi, February 15 The conference, to be inaugurated by Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Sunil Dutt, will also discuss the sharing of legislation/guidelines to support and assist State-level sports federations. The Centre has already set up a national
inter-sectoral committee, chaired by the secretary of the Youth Affairs and Sports, for finalising a national plan of action under the National Youth Policy. |
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Manipur pip Punjab
for hockey title
Imphal, February 15 In a closely contested battle last evening, Manjit scored the first goal for the hosts in the 48th minute, followed in the 60th by Y. Joychandra and N.
Abung. All three field goals were scored beautifully. Both goals for Punjab were scored by Ranender Singh. N. Abung of Manipur was declared man of the tournament. Uttar
Pradesh finished third, defeating Himachal Pradesh 7-0. The match for
the third spot was played this morning. — UNI
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Waugh discusses
business, sports Hayden cleared Ra W Pak
crick 2 lakh for Sania
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