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Pak to play one-dayer
in Ahmedabad
No option but to
cancel TV rights proceedings: BCCI
Shoaib out of Test series
Harbhajan ‘cleared’
for Pak series
Youhana plays down rivalry with Pathan
Dharamsala gears up for 3-day tie
All set for Indo-Pak Punjab match
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Need to revamp BCCI: Kapil
ICC suspends Project USA
Punjab institutes five awards
Gaganjeet overcomes royal challenge to lift Sahi Cup
Athletics meet at Govt College begins
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Pak to play one-dayer
in Ahmedabad
Islamabad, February 18 “We have accepted the proposal to play in Ahmedabad,” Pakistan Cricket Board’s media adviser Abbas Zaidi told PTI from Lahore after a high-level meeting of the board formally cleared the proposal. Asked whether the PCB had any objection to a possible delay in the start of the tour, he said “whatever has been proposed by the BCCI has been accepted by us”. The Pakistan cricket team was earlier scheduled to leave for India on February 25 to play three Tests and five one-dayers. But with Pakistan accepting the fresh proposal made by the BCCI yesterday, the start of the tour could be delayed by a week and the Test that was earlier proposed to be held in Ahmedabad would now be played in Kolkata. Zaidi said the PCB was appreciative of BCCI for accepting its reservations over playing a Test match in Ahmedabad and coming up with a solution for the problem. “We appreciate BCCI efforts for showing understanding to some of our reservations,” he said. PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan said their approval had been sent across to BCCI. “The proposal of shifting Ahmedabad Test to Kolkata and playing an additional one-day international in Ahmedabad is acceptable to us. We have sent our approval to the Indian Board,” he said. “We have enjoyed excellent working relations with the BCCI and this is yet another example. We have salvaged the tour which is so very important because we both showed flexibility,” the PCB chief said. Shaharyar hoped that the tour itinerary would be finalised by India by tomorrow. “The tour may be delayed by a few days because we understand the logistical problems India might be facing. We faced a similar crisis last year. But we are flexible,” he said. Later, in a press statement, the PCB said it greatly appreciated the “understanding and cooperation shown by the BCCI by coming up with an amicable and positive response to some of the PCB’s earlier reservations on venues.” “The PCB Chairman would like to acknowledge the statement of Mr Natwar Singh, Indian Foreign Minister, categorically stating in Islamabad that sports should not be politicised and that the postponement of the tour was not an option. The two boards have resolved the issue in the same spirit, demonstrating cooperation and sportsmanship,” it said. The PCB was also indebted to Ehsan Mani, President of the ICC, for extending a helpful hand in resolving the issue during his recent visit to India, the statement added.
— PTI |
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No option but to
cancel TV rights proceedings: BCCI Chennai, February 18 Arguing on behalf of the BCCI, on a petition filed by Zee Telefilms India Pvt Ltd challenging the arbitrary cancellation of tender proceedings, senior advocate K K Venugopal contended in the court of Justice K P Sivasubramanian that the Board was in a tight spot with Cricket Australia threatening to call off the series in October last year if the issue of telecasting rights was not resolved expeditiously. He claimed that had Australia abandoned the series, ICC would have blacklisted the BCCI. Besides, arguments on a petition filed by ESPN-Star Sports in Mumbai High Court against the award of contract to Zee had not even commenced, while the question of sponsorship and distribution of revenue slots was yet to be resolved, he said and claimed that the decision was taken keeping in mind the overall interest of cricket.
— PTI
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Shoaib out of Test series
Karachi, February 18 Shoaib’s pullout came a day after he was fined $ 500 and reprimanded for “erratic behaviour” during the tour of Australia, leading to speculation that the bowler’s withdrawal was a protest against the penalties imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The star player, however, stated that his decision was based purely on concerns over the hamstring injury which he sustained during the Australian tour. “I aggravated my injury a couple of days ago and now it seems that I will take four to five weeks to recover and play any competitive match,” Shoaib told reporters in Lahore. The paceman, however, said he would consider playing the one-day series that would follow the three Tests provided he regained his fitness. “I am certainly not a candidate for the Tests but if I recover by the time the one-day series begins, I will inform the cricket board. They can then select me if they feel the team requires me,” said the 29-year-old. Pakistan, who are scheduled to play three Tests and six one-dayers against India, are already struggling in the bowling department with a host of frontline pacemen sidelined due to injuries. Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed and Umer Gul have already been ruled out of the tour because of injuries while the spin attack also appears weakened by the absence of Saqlain Mushtaq, saddled by a knee injury. Useful part-time spinner Shoaib Malik will also not be able to perform bowling duties following a sanction by the International Cricket Council over his bowling action. Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq admitted that Shoaib’s pull-out was a “terrible blow” to the team ahead of a tough tour. “It’s a terrible blow for us because it’s difficult to go on a tough tour like India without your premier bowler. But I think Shoaib is at a stage in his career where he is the best judge of his fitness. I hope he makes speedy recovery and makes himself available soon,” he said. The Pakistani skipper also said he would like to talk to Shoaib but admitted that if the bowler felt he was unfit, there was little he could do.
—PTI |
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Harbhajan ‘cleared’
for Pak series
New Delhi, February 18 Harbhajan was reported for his action while bowling the ‘doosra’ by match referee Chris Broad during India’s series against Bangladesh in December. He subsequently went to Australia for testing and, if required, corrective measures. Harbhajan, who underwent biomechanical analysis at the University of Western Australia, has been cleared to play the series, sources said today. The results of the biomechanical analysis, however, are yet to be released officially. When contacted, ICC spokesman Jon Long said they were still awaiting the BCCI report on the issue. “Under the process in which Harbhajan was reported, the procedure is that the ICC will receive a report from the player’s home board, in this case the BCCI, approaching the end of the process they have undertaken. In this case the deadline is February 25. The ICC is in no way involved in the process that the home board undertakes,” Long said. However, he did not confirm whether Harbhajan had indeed been cleared at this juncture. “I can’t say anything unless we receive the report from the BCCI. I can’t make any comment on the outcome.”
— PTI |
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Youhana plays down rivalry with Pathan
Karachi, February 18 “As far as I am concerned, there is no rivalry between me and Irfan but I can’t say for him. Yes, he got me a few times when India were in Pakistan but that doesn’t mean that the forthcoming series will be a tussle between Yousuf and Irfan,” the Pakistan vice-captain told PTI from Lahore. Youhana became Pathan’s bunny last year when the left-armer had the stylish batsman thrice in five one-day internationals, once in Peshawar and twice in Lahore. Later, in two of the five Test innings, Youhana fell to Pathan in the second innings at Multan after hitting 112 and in the second innings in Rawalpindi after scoring 13. “Like any committed cricketer, Irfan likes to take wickets while I try to make runs. That’s our job. Sometimes Irfan will succeed and sometimes I will dominate. I think it should be kept this way instead of labeling the series as a battle between Youhana and Pathan,” said the player who averages 47.47 in 56 Tests and 42.19 in 189 one-dayers. Youhana felt Abdul Razzaq recently had Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar on a more regular basis while Saqlain Mushtaq, during his playing days, made many cricketers his bunny. “Irfan troubled me with his inswingers because he was in good form (in Pakistan) and the conditions were also in favour of his type of bowlers. But the coming series will be a new series, will be played under different conditions and with SG balls. So I would like to leave it right here,” Youhana, who has scored 420 runs in six Tests and 682 runs in 20 one-day internationals against India, said. On the forthcoming series, Youhana felt India were favourites because they had a balanced, experienced and a mature team. “If you compare player-to-player, you will find that India has a very experienced team. And naturally recent victories have given them more confidence and self-belief. “But we have won four straight matches against India and that too by big margins in one-sided contests. So that gives us the advantage. The tour of India will be difficult as always but I believe that the team playing better cricket on those playing days will emerge winners,” Youhana said. Youhana, looking back at the 1999 tour, said he had just stepped into international cricket and was “lost” in the company of legends like Saeed Anwar, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saleem Malik. “In those days, I was in a different orbit — playing with these stalwarts was like a dream come true. But now, I feel I have the same role as they had on that tour — lead from the front and by example. Haq and I are the seniormost players and have to shoulder most of the responsibility but the youngsters cannot be absolved of their responsibilities”, Youhana said. “Cricket is a team game in which everyone is expected to perform or contribute. There will be one or two major innings or bowling spells but rest of the players will have to rally around those performances and make useful contributions to earn domination in the match,” he said. Youhana dismissed suggestions that Pakistan would be looking to avenge their last year’s defeat in Pakistan. “It’s just a sport and we would like to keep it that way but yes, we would like to win all eight international matches and we think we have a realistic chance of doing that.”
—PTI |
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Dharamsala gears up for 3-day tie
Dharamsala, February 18 Talking to The Tribune, Mr Anurag Thakur, president of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, said that they hoped that the weather would clear up and become conducive for holding the match. “Preparations are being done on a war footing and a sum of Rs 40 lakh has been spent on the renovation of the ground. More than 10,000 spectators are expected to come every day during the match,” he said. Mr Thakur, who attended the meeting of the working committee of the board held in Delhi yesterday, said the match, which was earlier scheduled to be played from February 27 onwards, might be delayed by 4 to 5 days in view of the issue of telecast rights. The main team of Pakistan would play the match against India’s Board president’s XI team. The local inhabitants are keen to see the key Pakistani players in action “Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar would be someone to watch and I would try to get his autograph a day before the match,” said Satinder Bansal, a student at the local Degree College, said. “The stadium is surrounded by the Dhauladhar hills on three sides and the view is unmatched. We plan to get pictures of the Pakistani players clicked with the stadium in background,” he said. Considering that fans of the Pakistani team would come all the way to Dharamsala, the board is also in contact with the local Beopar Mandals, asking them to give maximum discounts to the Pakistani fans so that they enjoy their stay here. Ashok Raina adds from Kangra: The HPCA reviewed security, boarding, lodging and transport arrangements for the two teams and cricket fans in this hill town, with the local administration. Mr Anurag Thakur said that the meeting of three sub-committees of the HPCA under his chairmanship was held at Dharamsala and the arrangements for the security, transport and boarding and lodging were reviewed. He said that a meeting was also held with the Deputy Commissioner Dr Shrikant Baldi and Additional Superintendent of Police to review the security arrangements. Police personnel had been deployed around the stadium for the security of the stadium and the pitch. He said 1500 tickets for the students at a nominal charge of Rs 60 for all the three days would be made available in colleges and schools on first-come-first-served basis. He said the stadium had a sitting capacity of 10,000 to 12,000 persons. Mr Anurag Thakur stated that the HPCA was ready to accommodate 2000 Pakistan fans comfortably, adding that Pakistani spectators will be provided with free transpiration from Wagah border to Dharamsala and hotels will also charge subsidised rates. The HPCA would provide free lunch on all three days. |
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All set for Indo-Pak Punjab match
Patiala, February 18 PCA officials were giving last-minute instructions to workers at the stadium this evening to ensure that the contest went off smoothly. Mr M.P. Pandove, Secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), said the trip had been cleared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) yesterday. To ensure that no bottlenecks are created for the tourists, the PCA has stationed a liaison officer, Mr A.K. Behl, at the MEA, New Delhi. Following the incident of vandalism at the PCA stadium in Mohali, the hosts are taking no chances on the security front. The pitch is being guarded round the clock by the local police and it will be under heavy security cover till tomorrow morning when the ground will be handed over to umpires H.S. Sekhon of Patiala and Jasbir Singh of Mohali. The Pakistani team, led by former Test batsman Ijaz Ahmed, crossed the Wagah check post in the afternoon today. The team also has in their ranks opener Imran Nazir. The top players in the Indian Punjab team are Dinesh Mongia, Yuvraj Singh and Gagandeep Singh, who till yesterday were in Lucknow playing in the Duleep Trophy match for North Zone against West Zone. Barring Mongia and Yuvraj, both of whom will be coming tomorrow morning, the rest of the Punjab (India) team had arrived and many of them had net practice under manager Intikhab Alam. Free passes for the match are available from select outlets across the city. The match will be inaugurated by the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, at 9 am. The teams: Pakistan Punjab:
Ijaz Ahmed (captain), Imran Nazir, Naveed Latif, Ali Naqvi, Qualsar Abbas, Kashif Siddique, Kashif Raza, Jaffer Nazir, Zulquarnain Halder (wicketkeeper), Fahad Masood, Tariq Masood, Rizwan Akbar. Punjab (India):
Dinesh Mongia (captain), Yuvraj Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Pankaj Dharmani, Reetinder Sodhi, Ravneet Ricky, Amit Uniyal, Vineet Sharma, Rajesh Sharma, Vipul Sharma, Munish Sharma, Sandeep Sanwal, Ankur Kakkar, Gaurav Gupta and V.R.V. Singh. |
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Need to revamp BCCI: Kapil
Varanasi, February 18 The ‘Haryana Hurricane’ said the present constitution of the BCCI offered little scope for former players to contribute towards it. “Politicians, industrialists and non-players are charting the future course of cricket, which does not augur well for the game,” he said. However, Kapil admitted that the BCCI had contributed immensely to popularise the sport, but felt a change was overdue in keeping with the times. — UNI
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ICC suspends Project USA
LONDON: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the suspension of the Project USA initiative due to concerns over the governance of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA).
ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said, ‘’The ICC is not satisfied that the USACA is meeting its obligations to review and restructure its governance to meet the needs of Project USA and as a consequence the project is now suspended.’’ The future of the tripartite initiative between the ICC, the West Indies Cricket Board and the USACA would now be discussed by the ICC Board, a statement said.
— UNI
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Kila Raipur Games begin
Ludhiana, February 18 The sun played hide and seek for the better part of the day and it also started drizzling during the morning which gave some anxious moments to the organisers, the Grewal Sports Association. The organisers had already delayed the games by one day, following the rain which lashed the area during the past week. As the day progressed, the sun came out and the villagers began to throng the Grewal Stadium. By the evening, the stadium was occupied by a sizeable number of spectators. Balbir Singh, a young man from Manak Dheli village in Hoshiarpur district, gave an exhibition of passing through a burning cycle tyre while another participant, Subhash Chander Sharma (39) from Shahpur Kandi laid down on a ‘nailed’ bed and two persons weighing more than 100 kg sat on his belly for quite some time. Then, Subhash broke 22 marble tiles with his head. Shamsher Singh, a 72-year-old man from Teja Mauri village in Ambala, a regular visitor to this festival for the past 40 years, rotated two wooden ‘moonglis’ 100 times without a break. He threw a challenge to equal his feat during the event. Another regular participant to this mega event, Maghar Singh, a nihang, gave a spectacular performance. While riding simultaneously two horses, Maghar Singh kept his balance and received applause from the crowd. Jagmohan Singh Dhanola, a trainee from the India National Paragliding Institute of Pune, flew over the venue in his glider. Jagmohan (24) is the youngest glider having a record of flying at a height of 2500 ft for more than three hours. Dhanola threw petals over the ground to mark the begining of the games. The main attraction on the opening day were bullock cart race heats. As many as 77 participants enrolled themselves with the organisers. The following 20 made it to the next round — Jagtar Singh of Dhoolkot, Sarwan Singh of Garur, Jeewan Singh of Jhand, Darshan Singh of Bassian, Raja Singh of Gindhali, Sukhi of Kila Raipur, Rajvinder Singh of Raikot, Malkit Singh of Jhand, Darshan Singh of Chanarthal, Shingra Singh of Sarvarpur, Jyoti of Dhano, Sardara Singh of Hussanpur, Parveen Singh of Chhappar, Darshan Singh of Dhoolkot, Bela Singh of Lang and Bobby, Simranjeet Singh of Ranwa, Babli of Kalakh, Labh Singh of Raja Majra and Pritam Singh of Kheri. In hockey( junior), PAP Academy, Jalandhar, beat DHA Sangrur, 3-0; Ropar Hawks drew (0-0) with SPDA, Patiala; Grewal Academy, Kila Raipur, beat Ladhowali School, Jalandhar, 2-0. In kabaddi (62 kg), Sihan Daud beat Lohgarh 19-8 and Jodhan beat Dhatt 23-11. In regular events, girls (u-19), Sukwinder Kaur of Sunam 1, Kulbir Kaur of Ludhiana 2 and Narinder Kaur of Patiala 3; 200 m (Boys u-19) — Surjit Singh of Ludhiana 1, Jaswinder Singh of Khanna 2 and Shashi Bhushan of Ludhiana 3; 200 m (girls u-19)- Harpreet Kaur 1, Kulbir Kaur 2 and Rajwinder Kaur 3. Mr S.S. Virk, DGP, Punjab who was scheduled to inaugurate the games, failed to turn up and in his absence, Mr Chander Shekhar, ADGP, Director, Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur and vice-president, Indian Hockey Federation, declared the festival open. |
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Punjab institutes five awards
Chandigarh, February 18 “This will not only help in making the competition in these five categories stiffer but also encourage youngsters to take to sports in a big way. Mr Singla said, “There will be Chief Minister’s citation with each award highlighting the outstanding performance of the awardee.” “Since Kila Raipur has pioneered rural sports movement in the state, we have decided to introduce these five awards from this year,” said Mr Singla. Mr Singla said he would visit Kila Raipur on February 20, the last day of the four-day festival. The Directorate-General of Tourism, Union Government, has already included Kila Raipur in its calendar of national festivals. The major attraction of the festival this time would be a competition between marathoner Baba Fauja Singh of England and K.S. Punia of Canada. Both have won many honours in various international events for veterans. “We may also consider introducing a special award for veteran rural sportsperson of the year,” said Mr Singla. |
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Gaganjeet overcomes royal challenge to lift Sahi Cup
Chandigarh, February 18 Gaganjeet failed to impress on a windy day returning a six-over card of 78 for a four-day tally of 294. Amardip came very near to tying with the leader misssing the target by just one stroke. He returned a two-under card of 70. Gaganjeet, who is now assured of finishing his rookie season as the winner of the Royal Challenge Indian Golf Tour’s Order of Merit, had a none-too impressive round today. The Kapurthala boy began his day with two consecutive bogeys with his second shot landing in a bunker in both instances. However he was quick to bounce back with two birdies, the first of which came on the fourth hole. On this particular hole his approach shot with a pitching wedge landed 10 feet away from the hole which he duly sank. He birdied the next hole as well when his lob-wedge shot left him with just a 7 ft putt. The rest of his round was punctuated with errors as he faltered on the sixth, ninth and 10th holes to record bogeys. The 17th witnessed him run into some more bad luck as his drive ricocheted off a tree and went out of bounds. He dropped three strokes on this hole. “I am happy at winning the title and want to thank Royal Challenge for giving me this opportunity”, said a visibly elated Gaganjeet. On a day that saw most players struggle with the strong winds at the Chandigarh Golf Club, Amardip Sinh Malik played an inspired round which comprised four birdies and two bogeys. The Oil India Ltd employee birdied the first, 15th, 16th and 18th holes while making bogeys on the third and 11th. In third place was Simarjeet Singh with a round of six-over 78.With a tournament total of 299 the 29-year old tied with brother Jasjeet who had an identical gross score but was awarded the second runner-up tag on the basis of a better final day score. Jasjeet shot a 79 today. “I am delighted with Gaganjeet’s performance at the Royal Challenge Samarvir Sahi Amateur. His splendid performance along with that of the other players has proven yet again that there is immense talent on the Indian amateur circuit and we at Shaw Wallace are proud to be associated with it”, said Mr A.K.M.A Shamsuddin, President, Shaw Wallace, in his congratulatory note to the winner. SCORES (After 72 holes): 294 Gaganjeet Bhullar (73,73,70,78); 295 Amardip Sinh Malik (76,72,77,70); 299 Simarjeet Singh (72,78,71,78) and Jasjeet Singh ((75,71,74,79); 300 Vikrant Chopra (73,74,73, 75); 301 Gagan Verma ((76,75, 77,73), Jaskirat Dullet (76,78,72, 75) and Manav Das (82,70,72); 306 Chiragh Kumar (78,76,76,76) and Rahul Bakshi (79,78,72, 77). |
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Athletics
meet at Govt College begins Ambala, February 18 In 800 m race (m), Noordin was first, Vinod Kumar was second while Rohit was third. In 800 m race (w), Sonia was first, Karamjit Kaur was second and Malkiat was third. In 200 m race (w), Karamjit Kaur was first, Kulvinder Kaur was second and Amana was third. In shot put (m), Rajesh Chawla was first, Arvind Kumar was second and Harishwinder Singh was third. In 200 m race (m), Mukul Lakra was first, Rohit Kumar was second and Chander Pal was third. In long jump (m), Mukul Lakra was first, Narender Kumar was second and Shiv Sharma was third. In long jump (w), Karamjit Kaur was first, Sonia Rani was second while Kulwinder Kaur was third. In 400 m race (w), Sonia Rani was first, Karamjit Kaur was second and Malkiat Kaur was third. In 400 m race (m), Rohit was first, Parveen Kumar was second while Rajiv was third. In javelin throw (m), Kamaldeep Singh was first, Naresh Kumar was second and Yogesh was third. In 5000 m race (m), Parveen Kumar was first, Ram Karan was second and Mukesh was third. In 1500 m race (w), Sonia was first, Jaswinder Kaur was second and Amana was third. In javelin throw (w), Karamjit Kaur was first, Malkiat Kaur was second and Amana was third. In 1500 m race (m), Sunil Kumar was first, Gurcharan was second and Virender Kumar was third.
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In video: Indians unhappy with the PCB
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