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Pak push for series-levelling win
Kaneria hopeful of bowling out India
India to go for victory: Laxman
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Kotla VIP box to be ready for Pervez
Ponting’s century props up Aussies
Indian eves beat S. Africa
Lankan cricket officials elect new panel
Anand suffers shock defeat
to Bareev
Gagan accused of beating up player
Indian Airlines, PSB in semis
Mohun Bagan hold Dempo
JNST, Trinidad enter final
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Pak push for series-levelling win
Bangalore, March 27 A blazing half century by the swashbuckling Shahid Afridi, followed by another defiant innings from vice-captain Younis Khan, saw Pakistan declare their second innings at 261 for two. Younis, with a record-breaking double century in the first innings, was unbeaten on 84 from 98 balls while young opening batsman Yasir Hameed came into his own at the right time to anchor the visitors’ second essay with a valuable 76. Having conceded a first innings lead of 121 after being dismissed for 449 earlier in the day, the hosts now face a daunting target of 383 which no team has successfully chased in India so far. At stumps, India were 25 for no loss with Virender Sehwag on six and Gautam Gambhir on 19. Afridi (58) set up the perfect launchpad for his team with an explosive innings. Afridi and Yasir scored at a scorching pace and they shared a 91-run partnership for the first wicket in 78 balls. Afridi struck the fastest fifty by a Pakistani when he reached the mark in 26 balls. The cavalier batsman, however, was tied down by Sachin Tendulkar who ripped huge leg breaks from the bowlers’ footmarks around the batsman’s legs. Trying to break the shackles, Afridi stepped out to Tendulkar, missed and was stumped. His 58 came in 61 minutes from 34 balls with eight fours and two sixes. Hameed then put on 92 runs for the second wicket with Younis before he was adjudged leg before wicket to Anil Kumble. Thereafter, captain Inzamam-ul-Haq (31 not out), who hit 184 in the first knock, and Younis drilled a few boundaries that had the Indians completely on the mat. If Inzamam was on the ball from the outset, pulling Kumble disdainfully to the midwicket fence, Younis was audacious in playing a reverse sweep-drive against India’s leading wicket-taker. The shot also brought up the team’s 250 in the 49th over. The duo brought up their 50-run stand in mere 45 balls. Earlier, VVS Laxman struck a timely 79 and shared a 50-run partnership with Kumble for the last wicket that helped the hosts reduce the deficit to 121. Resuming at 379 for six, India were 396 for nine at one stage after losing three wickets for 10 runs in the morning. Danish Kaneria picked up his 10th five-wicket haul for figures of 5-125 as he sliced through the Indian tail. Mohammad Sami (3-106) provided the first breakthrough of the day for his team when he had Irfan Pathan (5) caught by Yousuf Youhana in the fifth over. Kaneria then removed Harbhajan in the next over and four overs later Laxmipathy Balaji was back in the pavilion. Laxman earned a reprieve when he was on 70, with Younis Khan dropping an uppish shot at slips off Sami. Kumble was dropped by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal when he was on six off Razzaq after Pakistan took the new ball in the 115th over. The duo then frustrated the Pakistani bowlers, who were on top earlier. Kumble hit a boundary off Kaneria to help the home team reach the 400 mark. Afridi, out for a first-ball duck in the first innings, responded for the faith reposed in him with a blistering knock. The team’s 50 came up in 6.5 overs as Balaji and Pathan conceded 26 and 45 runs in their first spells, respectively. Kumble was brought on in the seventh over but it was not until the introduction of Tendulkar in the 11th over did things begin to change. Afridi, spilled by Pathan at fineleg boundary, missed out on the fastest-ever 50, by Jacques Kallis in 24 balls. His hurricane knock was brought to an end by the guiles of Tendulkar. Scoreboard Pakistan (1st innings) 570 India (1st innings) Gambhir c Younis b Sami 24 Sehwag c and b Kaneria 201 Dravid lbw b Kaneria 22 Tendulkar c Younis b Afridi 41 Laxman not out 79 Ganguly st Akmal b Kaneria 1 Kaarthick c Kamal b Sami 10 Pathan c Youhana b Sami 5 Harbhajan c Razzaq b Kaneria 1 Balaji c Akmal b Kaneria 2 Kumble b Afridi 22 Extras
(b-5, lb-17, nb-18, w-1) 41 Total (all out, 128.4 overs) 449 Fall of wickets:
1-98, 2-172, 3-257, 4-337, 5-343, 6-374, 7-386, 8-388, 9-396. Bowling:
Sami 34-5-106-3, Razzaq 17-0-77-0, Kaneria 39-7-127-5, Arshad 28-3-87-0, Afridi 10.4-3-30-2. Pakistan (2nd innings) Hameed lbw b Kumble 76 Afridi st Kaarthick b Tendulkar 58 Younis not out 84 Inzamam not out 31 Extras
(b-5, nb-2, w-5) 12 Total (2 wkts dec, 50 overs) 261 Fall of wickets:
1-91, 2-183. Bowling: Pathan 5-0-45-0, Balaji 3-0-26-0, Kumble 21-1-88-1, Tendulkar 15-1-62-1, Harbhajan 6-0-35-0. India (2nd innings) Sehwag batting 6 Gambhir batting 19 Total
(no loss, 6 overs) 25 Bowling: Sami 3-0-18-0, Razzaq 3-0-7-0.
— PTI |
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Kaneria hopeful of bowling out India
Bangalore, March 27 “I do have the confidence in me to bowl India out. I will give 101 per cent to give Pakistan victory. I should do it because people in Pakistan and my team-mates believe in me,” Kaneria told reporters after the fourth day’s proceedings here. India, chasing a victory target of 383, were 25 for no loss at stumps today still needing 358 more to win the match. Kaneria said he was hoping the pitch to assist the spinners on the fifth and final day. “There was turn in the pitch today but it was slow. If you put in extra effort, it will spin better. The track has undergone wear and tear in the first four days and it seems it will assist spinners tomorrow,” he said. When asked whether Pakistan could bowl out the strong Indian batting line-up in 90 overs tomorrow, he said: “Why not? I hope the day will go with us and luck will favour us.” He said 383 was a very good and fighting target. “It would be a good day to watch.” Kaneria said Rahul Dravid’s wicket would be crucial tomorrow but added: “Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are in good nick. We have to get out 11 players. Everybody is important to us.” He said while five-wicket hauls always gave him confidence, playing county cricket gave him a lot of experience. “God is helping me all the way,” he said. Kaneria heaped praise on the Pakistani batsmen saying that they played some “extraordinary” cricket. On his dismissal of Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, who was stumped in the first innings, Kaneria said “I had no plans for Ganguly. He had a chance in the first ball. “I thought he might come out to play a big shot to mess up with my line and length. I just bowled a googly. It’s good for me”, he said. Kaneria, who said the Bangalore track suited him well, said he had a tough time in the second Test in Kolkata since he suffered dehydration there. “I was not feeling well there. But I worked hard here,” he said.
— PTI |
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India to go for victory: Laxman
Bangalore, March 27 “We will definitely go for a win. It is very important how we start the day. Luckily for us, throughout the series we have had a very good start. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have done a real good job,” Laxman told reporters after India finished the fourth day at 25 for no loss. Laxman admitted that though the target appeared to be a difficult one, anything was possible when Sehwag was around. “350 to 360 is a difficult target. But the way Sehwag is playing, nothing is impossible for us,” said the stylish batsman from Hyderabad, who made a classy unbeaten 79 in India’s first innings. “The wicket hasn’t deteriorated as much. And it is a good wicket to bat on. It’s very important how you start on. If we start off well, then we can put pressure on Pakistani bowlers.” Laxman said his side knew that Pakistan would come hard at them since “they have nothing to lose”. “They have got nothing to lose. They have already lost the second Test. They are going for a win.” Laxman said he was disappointed to miss out on scoring a century. He was also not happy with the way the tail-enders — Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh and L Balaji — lost their wickets. “You want the tailenders to play proper cricketing shots. But sometimes that’s the kind of shots the cricketers play and it works out because they are all stroke-players. “Sometimes, it can release pressure on the side. But sometimes it’s very disappointing when they throw away wickets.” Asked if it was difficult to play with tailenders, Laxman said “It’s a different kind of a experience batting with the tailenders. But I have adjusted to that kind of a situation. “I totally believe you have to give confidence to the lower-order batsmen as well. Because all of them have done well in Test matches earlier.” On his innings, he said, “I am quite happy. It was definitely not a free-flowing innings. But the situation demanded that I play more number of overs and occupy the crease.”
— PTI |
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Kotla VIP box to be ready for Pervez
Bangalore, March 27 This nugget of information surprisingly came not from the Delhi and District Cricket Association, which controls Kotla, but from Pakistan Cricket Board chief (PCB) Shaharyar Khan. “The Board of Control for Cricket in India has told me that the stands would not be completed in time for the match,” he told Pakistan’s Geo TV here during the third and final Test. “But they have told us that the VIP enclosure would be ready, as President Musharraf would be coming to watch the match,” said Shaharyar Khan, former Pakistan foreign secretary. New Delhi: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Commissioner Rakesh Mehta will inspect Ferozeshah Kotla on Monday to assess whether the under-construction stadium can host Inzamam-ul Haq’s side along with their President Pervez Musharraf when Pakistan take on India in the sixth one-dayer. DDCA president Arun Jaitley will accompany the Chief Minister and the MCD Commissioner when they arrive at the stadium on Monday.
— IANS, UNI |
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Ponting’s century props up Aussies
Auckland, March 27 However, Australia’s frantic scoring ended when Ponting went after scoring 105 off 110 balls, and the run rate slowed from more than five an over to 3.4. At stumps Australia were 219 for four after dismissing New Zealand for 292 just at lunch. In a whirlwind session between lunch and tea, Australia overcame a shaky start to put on 143 for two, with Ponting blazing 76 to breath life into a game which had suffered from New Zealand’s pedestrian progress at 2.5 an over. Ponting opened with a six when he came to the crease in the second over with Australia one for eight, and added three more sixes along with 13 fours as he cashed in on the small Eden Park boundaries. Earlier, Australia wrapped up New Zealand’s first innings, capturing the last five wickets for 64 runs with only Vettori offering any resistance, reaching 41 not out when the innings ended. Glenn McGrath was again the standout performer, taking three for 49 off 34 overs, including 20 maidens. Shane Warne ended with three for 63 off 23 overs, while Michael Kasprowicz and Gillespie took two wickets apiece. Scoreboard New Zealand (1st innings) Cumming lbw Gillespie 5 Marshall c Hayden b Marshall c Ponting b Warne 76 Fleming b Kasprowicz 65 Astle c Langer b McGrath 19 Vincent b Gillespie 2 McCullum c Gilchrist Vettori not out 41 Franklin c Katich b Warne 3 Wiseman c Gillespie b Warne 8 Martin b Kasprowicz 0 Extras
(b-4, lb-13, nb-2) 19 Total (all out, 116.2 overs) 292 FoW:
1-15, 2-53, 3-179, 4-183, 5-194, 6-228, 7-247, 8-262, 9-288. Bowling:
McGrath 34-20-49-3, Gillespie 25-8-64-2, Kasprowicz 30.2-7-89-2, Warne 23-4-63-3, Ponting 4-1-10-0. Australia (1st innings) Langer b Franklin 6 Hayden lbw b Franklin 38 Ponting c McCullum Martyn b Wiseman 38 Clarke batting 18 Gillespie batting 1 Extras
(b-2, lb-5, nb-6) 13 Total (4 wkts, 65 overs) 219 FoW:
1-28, 2-84, 3-187, 4-215. Bowling: Martin 11-3-53-0, Franklin 10-1-49-2, Astle 16-5-44-1, Vettori 12-3-31-0, Wiseman 16-3-35-1.
— AFP |
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Indian eves beat S. Africa
Durban, March 27 Player of the match Marathe claimed four wickets in her six overs while giving away just one run in the bargain while David returned with figures of 2 for eight as India skittled out the hosts for 80 runs in 34.3 overs. Medium pacer Amita Sharma, who claimed three for 23 in 7.3 overs, gave good support to the two left-arm spinners as South Africa lost their last eight wickets for just 28 runs with three of them failing at the score of 66. Johmari Logtenberg was the only batswoman to show any resistance, scoring 26 runs for South Africa. The Indians also had an indifferent start to their run chase as they were struggling at 37 for 4 at one stage, with none of their top four batswomen reaching double figures. But Rumeli Dhar (33 not out) and skipper Mithali Raj (11) ensured that the Indians overhauled the total in 25 overs and take full points from the match. Alicia Smith took 4 for 19 from her 10 overs, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Indians. In other matches, Sri Lanka lost to New Zealand by seven wickets. Sri Lanka scored just 58 in 34.3 overs which the defending champions overhauled in 18.4 overs. England continued their winning ways, too, when they trounced Ireland by 128 runs. England scored 221 for six in their 50 overs, and then managed to restrict Ireland to 93 for eight. In another match at Rustenberg near Pretoria, Australia defeated the West Indies by 79 runs.
— PTI |
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Lankan cricket officials elect new panel
Colombo, March 27 The administration of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was taken over on Friday by a committee appointed by the government, which said the board had mismanaged funds and did not follow government laid guidelines. The new committee included Aravinda de Silva, Duleep Mendis and Romesh Kaluwitharana, all former Sri Lankan players.
— AP |
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Anand suffers shock defeat
to Bareev
Monaco, March 27 The defeat did not hamper Anand’s sole lead but certainly dented an otherwise flawless performance by the Indian ace thus far. Anand, who had dropped just one point in his first 12 games here, easily drew the blindfold game against tail-ender Bareev with black pieces but in the rapid, which is his forte, he missed some chances and lost a long drawn battle. Even though the Indian could not maintain his grand three-point lead, the difference between him and nearest rivals remained fixated at 2.5 points, a huge gap with just four rounds to come in this unique event that carries a total prize pool of 193250 euros. However, the tournament standings did not see any great reversal in fortunes of other hopefuls. It was an identical 1-1 result on all remaining matches of the day. Anand, now with 10.5 points in his kitty, is followed by Hungarian Peter Leko, Ukrainian Vassily Ivanchuk and Russian duo of Peter Svidler and Alexander Morozevich, who all have eight points apiece. Another Russian, Vladimir Kramnik, is next in line on 7.5 points.
— PTI |
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Gagan accused of beating up player
Hyderabad, March 27 According to officials of the state hockey association, Gagan Ajit had engaged in a war of words with Vikramjit Singh during the match which IOC won 2-0. Soon after the match, Vikramjeet alleged he was beaten up by Gagan Ajit and another Punjab player, Daljit Singh, with hockey sticks near the teams’ dressing room. The officials stated that the matter had been referred to the tournament director. “Tournament Director Peter Menses will make a decision after hearing arguments from both sides,” they added. Gagan Ajit, however, denied the charges, saying that no such incident happened after the match. “We went to our respective dressing rooms and there was no scuffle,” he said.
— PTI |
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Indian Airlines, PSB in semis
Hyderabad, March 27 Indian Oil, Services and Punjab and Sind Bank were the other three teams to make it to the last-four stage by topping the table in their respective Pools. Hardeep Singh (11th) opened the account for Air India while Mayur Subbaiah (25th) increased the lead only to see Lazrus Barla (36th, 65th) and Brojen Singh (68th) scoring to keep the defending champions’ reputation intact. Down by 0-2 at half time, Barla converted both penalty corners for Indian Airlines to draw parity while Brojen Singh netted the winner to lift Airlines on top of Pool A. Kamlesh Singh (49th) and Prabjot Singh (68th) netted for the Oil
Cooperation, sounding marching orders to the power-packed Punjab team. IOC will play Indian Airlines in the semifinals on March 29. In other matches, Services defeated Namdhari XI by a solitary goal while Punjab and Sind Bank outplayed Chandigarh 5-2 to enter the semifinals. Cyprin Aind put
Services in the lead in the 5th minute when he drove home a pass from the flank. Baljit Singh (6th) put Punjab and Sindh Bank (PSB) in the lead while Satwinder Singh drew parity the very next minute in the PSB-Chandigarh encounter. Ajit Pal Singh, Parminder Singh and Saranjeet Singh sounded the board as PSB finished the first half with a 4-1 lead. The second half was not very eventful though SS Gill converted a penalty corner and reduced the margin 4-2 but Ravi Paul struck in the 63rd minute to give PSB and resounding a 5-2 victory and a berth in the semi-finals.
— PTI |
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Mohun Bagan hold Dempo
Kolkata, March 27 The draw increased Bagan’s tally to 16 points from 14 games. Dempo, on the other hand, moved to the top with 28 points from 14 matches. Meanwhile, Sporting Clube de Goa stunned title holders East Bengal 3-2 in a fast, thrilling encounter of the ninth ONGC National Football League here on Saturday. Nigerians Dudu Omagbemi, Edeh Chidi and Adewusi Adebayo scored one goal apiece for the Goans, while Rahim Nabi and Bhaichung Bhutia reduced the margin. Margao: An injury time controversial goal helped Mahindra United, who were reduced to 10 men, to rally from behind to hold Salgaocar to a 2-2 draw. Leading 1-0 at half time, Salgaocar scored through Bernard Pires (43rd) and Bello Rasaq (82nd). Mahindras, who shone in patches, scored both goals through penalties by Flavio Deo Rodrigues (64th, injury
time).— PTI |
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JNST, Trinidad enter final
New Delhi, March 27 In the second semifinal at the Nehru Stadium, Ministry of External Affairs conceded the match to JNST after the latter had scored 346 for one in 35 overs (Suresh Kohli 177 n.o., Dhanraj 144 n.o.) and MEA were struggling at 75 for 1. Brief scores: SAI: 228 for 7 (Amrish Gautam 69, Mohan Sharma 53, Pradeep Jain 26; Kamal 2 for 25). Trinidad and Tobago: 229 for 8 (Zaheer Khan 81, Babu John 37, Tushar Pant 24, Kamal 25, Ajay Handa 24; Sibal Mukherjee 3 for 14, Sandeep Joshi 2 for 33, Pradeep Jain 2 for 57).
— OSR |
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