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Ganguly may go for another appeal
Sourav case: CAB to move court
Ganguly to practice hard to regain form
Penalise whole team for slow over rate, says Inzamam
India will have to start from scratch
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Kotla pitch below par: Woolmer
Early result scuttled Musharraf’s plan
Media, ex-players hail Pak team
Korean eves rout India
Nadal clinches title
Vasco hold Bagan
Inter-college meet held
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Ganguly may go for another appeal
Kolkata, April 18 "We have to examine various options. The match is not yet over," Jagmohan Dalmiya, former BCCI president, told newsmen here today after holding a one-and-a-half-hour meeting with Ganguly and noted lawyer Siddhartha Shankar Ray, who had represented the Indian skipper. The meeting was held at Ray's residence after it was learnt that ICC Appeal Commissioner had rejected Ganguly's appeal for lack of "sufficient merit." Dalmiya, who is the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, however, indicated that the Appeal Commissioner's verdict was not proper while referring to a similar situation five months ago when a two-Test match ban on Ganguly had been removed. "The decision of the Appeal Commissioner is identical to what Chris Broad (who slapped six-match ban on Ganguly) had said, but to me the case this time appeared like what was before Tim Castle the last time around. However, this time the verdict has been different," Dalmiya said. Castle was the Appeal Commissioner in November last year when he overturned the two-Test match ban slapped on Ganguly by Clive Lloyd for a similar offence. To a specific query whether Ganguly would be going for another appeal, he said, "Now what is going to happen you have to wait for that." Asked what are the options being examined by the Indian skipper after his appeal was rejected by the Appeals Commissioner, Dalmiya said, "I can't tell you now." But he asserted, "We don't want somebody to take an inch." Dalmiya, however, rejected the notion that the board had taken a more active role in getting the ban on Ganguly removed when he was its president, saying, "the BCCI President has already said that the board will go all out to defend Ganguly." When Ray was approached for comment, he said, "Ganguly is my client, he has raised some points to which I have given answers. Now it is upto Ganguly and the board to decide." Ganguly, who is struggling to come out of a prolonged batting slump, was banned by Broad following India's slow over rate in the fourth ODI against Pakistan in Ahmedabad. Following the Appeals Commissioner's decision Ganguly will have to sit out four one-dayers as the ICC has said in a statement that the ban had come into force from the fifth match of the just-concluded India-Pakistan series. LONDON:
Beleaguered Indian captain Sourav Ganguly’s career was thrown into jeopardy after the ICC’s Appeal Commissioner Michael Beloff rejected his appeal against a six-match ban for lacking “sufficient merit” to overturn the initial decision. After considering comprehensive written submissions from Ganguly and the match officials, Beloff endorsed the decision of ICC match referee Chris Broad to find the player guilty and imposed a six-ODI match ban. Since the suspension will continue to the next series, the Bengal cricketer’s participation in the triangular series in Sri Lanka in early August also appears to be doubtful. In his 23-page-judgement, Beloff said, “The appellant was notified that India bowled with no energy; and he was, as captain, clearly being held responsible for that under-performance which itself was said to be the cause of the failure to achieve the minimum over rate”. Beloff also did not accept the argument put forward that heat was the reason for the failure to achieve the minimum over rate. “Cricket is a game played in all kinds of climates; it cannot be right that the mere fact of the heat and humidity will excuse a failure to achieve the minimum over rate,” he said.
— PTI |
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Sourav case: CAB to move court
Kolkata, April 18 The CAB’s legal adviser, Mr Ushanath Banerjee, said Sourav had a strong legal ground in his favour. He said he was keen to plead his case in the Supreme Court. He hoped legal experts like Mr Siddhartha Sankar Ray and Mr Arun Jaitley would also come forward to plead Sourav’s case. Criticising the match referee’s judgment and the Appeal Commissioner’s decision, former cricketer Sambaran Banerjee wondered if henceforth the cricket-loving people in the world would have faith in the ICC. Meanwhile, Sourav’s fans here today took out processions in protest against the verdict. |
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Ganguly to practice hard to regain form
Kolkata: India skipper Sourav Ganguly today said he would have to talk to BCCI office-bearers before deciding on the future course of action after ICC rejected his appeal against the six-match ban.
Talking to reporters at his residence here today, Ganguly said ''I have received a copy of the letter sent by the ICC and I am sure the BCCI also has. I have not got the chance to talk to anyone.'' ''I can only decide on my future course on action after talking to BCCI office-bearers,'' he added. Ganguly, in the meantime, looked extremely focused to get back his form . ''I will use this period to do my best to regain form. I will practice hard,'' he said. ''I would like to take a break for a couple of days and take up the matter from then on,'' Ganguly said while getting into his red convertible Mercedes. Ganguly was docked 70 per cent of his match fees for slow over rate at Jamshedpur in the third one-dayer of the recently concluded six-match series against Pakistan. India exceeded the allotted three-and-a-half hours to complete 50 overs in the next match at Ahmedabad as well. This time, match referee Chris Broad handed Ganguly a ban for six ODIs, the slow over rate penalty having automatically become a level three offence. Ganguly appealed for a squashing of the ban, which was rejected last evening by ICC appeals commissioner Michael
Beloff.
— UNI |
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Penalise whole team for slow over rate, says Inzamam
New Delhi, April 18 “One person should not be responsible for bowling slowly. If the whole team is made responsible for this, there are chances that it (the issue of over rate) would improve,” Inzamam said here minutes before leaving for the airport to catch a flight home. “If all the players know that their 100 per cent match fees would be cut if they bowled two-three overs short, then instead of one all 11 players would make an effort to finish the quota within the time period,” he said. Ganguly was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after India’s slow over rate in the fourth one-day international against Pakistan at Ahmedabad on April 12. He had appealed to the ICC to have his ban overturned, but it was rejected. He had also been warned for slow over rate in the third one-dayer at Jamshedpur. Ganguly missed the last two matches of the six-match one-day series, which Pakistan won 4-2 on Sunday. The ban came as a double blow for Ganguly as he was struggling to score runs. In the first four matches of the one-day series, Ganguly’s scores read 0, 9, 4 and 18. Earlier in the drawn Test series, he scored 48 runs in five
innings. Inzamam advised Ganguly to concentrate on the basics to emerge from his lean form. “It is a difficult thing to come out of this lean form. I have heard from my seniors that you should go back to the basics. It would help him,” he said. “There is time, months, when not everything goes in a batsman’s favour,” Inzamam said.
— IANS |
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India will have to start from scratch
Clearly India’s one-day cricket has gone to pieces. The tag of World Cup finalists has rarely been so ill-deserved. Now they have players who are playing only for themselves. There is so much uncertainty that several Indian players look to be emerging from a revolving door.
India will have to start from scratch. They have to be honest and ask themselves if they can afford selfish players. Such men might survive to play the next match but the Indian team would not move an inch forward. By now, it is such a bedraggled unit that even in-form batsmen are losing their plots. Virender Sehwag is now trying to play a mixed game of attack and defence. It would never carry him forward for he doesn’t have the technique of a defensive batsman. In Pakistan last year, as well as during the early part of this tour, he was smashing hits in the cover-to-third man region. Now he was trying to play ground shots. Consequently, with rolled down wrists the catches are going into the hands of fielders. The second in-form batsman, Rahul Dravid, too showed the effect of pressure. There was no reason for him to go for that run. A premier batsman should never open himself to a situation where a decision on his run-out is being judged by the third umpire. It implies that a decision is too close for comfort. His was the most valuable wicket and he risked a perfectly avoidable situation. Yuvraj, too, was an unnecessary waste. It reflected the team’s state of mind. Ashish Nehra, after that splendid first-up delivery to Shahid Afridi, bowled a few freebies down the leg side. This team’s confidence is completely dried up. If a team, from being 2-0 up, goes on to lose the series, it means drastic measures can no longer be avoided. Pakistan, on the other hand, were so sure of their combination and ability. If you trust the next man, automatically you perform a notch higher than your ability. It showed in the way Rana Naved-ul Hasan bowled. He is not superior to India’s Nehras and Zaheers but he is now confident since he has had success against Indian batsmen. Sachin Tendulkar, after that carefree hundred in Ahmedabad, is back to his cautious ways. It is never going to help the team and sooner than later, he would be open to scrutiny by the public. Pakistan’s batting worked so well in tandem despite two atrocious umpiring decisions. I just couldn’t believe when Yousuf Youhana was given out. I really thought the umpire had pressed the wrong button. They batted with confidence and it was this ingredient which was reflected in two run-outs they managed in the field. In hindsight, Pakistan’s saving of the Mohali Test was the defining moment of the series. Two irregular batsmen showed the rest if they could do it in a losing cause, the others too could pull their weight in the days ahead. As the series progressed, Pakistan kept drawing confidence from that singular moment of defiance. It is instructive for India to remember they couldn’t beat a side which was without their star striker Shoaib Akhtar. The rest of the bowlers were not better than the Indian ones. But by the end, the lapses of the rest proved too much to bear even for them. Inzamam-ul-Haq now goes back home with his stature enhanced. To overcome deficit in Tests and one-dayers, team bonding played a critical part. India missed that selfless spirit in their ranks. Now they need to identify a pool of 20-30 cricketers and start to finetune a stuttering engine. They also need to rotate their men. It is the only way to stir a few settled men out of their slumber. At Kotla, it was the return of that sickening feeling when a section of the crowd held up the play. One felt frustrated and helpless: two premiers in attendance, scores of celebrities and dignitaries, packed stands, a glorious finale all but accomplished. Then some stupid people got into the act. They didn’t appreciate the moment and let down the whole of India. If they were unhappy with the team, they chose the wrong way. Improve your team rather than bark up the wrong tree.
— PTI
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Kotla pitch below par: Woolmer
New Delhi, April 18 Saying that winning the toss was important, Woolmer said, ''Inzamam (-ul Haq) had to win the toss on a Delhi pitch that was far from satisfactory and below par for an important one-day international. The square did not have a blade of grass on it and resembled a beach by the end of the game.'' ''The pitch was never easy as the day progressed. So it became harder to bat on and so the fact that Pakistan were able to reach a total of 300, I felt it (was) an extremely creditable performance.'' Hailing Afridi for his quickfire knock that gave Pakistan a flying start, the Englishman, in his website, pointed out that this was the second occasion in the series when Afridi was out defending. ''His blistering start allowed Shoaib Malik and Yousuf Youhana the base to put together a match winning partnership. The real joy of watching these two play is the way that they run between the wickets and place the ball,'' he remarked. ''India were always going to struggle batting second on this pitch and it was great to see some lively and innovative captaincy from Younis Khan (who took over after Inzamam had injured himself). This augurs well for the future of Pakistan cricket. The combination of Inzamam and Younis has been an important factor linking the old with the new,'' Woolmer said. Describing the series win as ''...a pay back in a small way for the visit of India to Pakistan this time last year'', the Kanpur-born Pakistan coach said, ''We will go away extremely proud of drawing the Test series and winning the one day series. The progress made has been heartening there is always room for improvement and a team must never stand still. ''
— UNI |
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Early result scuttled Musharraf’s plan
New Delhi, April 18 “Having seen the exciting start of the match, I asked Dr Manmohan Singh if he was willing to return to Kotla to watch the last half an hour of the match. He readily agreed to the idea. We had also planned to take part in the prize distribution, stepping out at the last moment in view of security concerns,” the Pakistan President today said. “Magar natija gadbad ho gaya (the result ruined our plan),” he said at his breakfast meeting with editors here, referring to the one-sided match in the final phase. President Musharraf and Dr Manmohan Singh had yesterday witnessed the opening hour and a half of the match from the VVIP enclosure at the Ferozeshah Kotla. After arriving at the stadium, the General, clad in a grey suit, and Dr Manmohan Singh, in a white
kurta-pajama and blue turban, were introduced to both teams. Fully conversant with the technicalities of the game, General Musharraf enlightened Dr Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur on abbreviations like ‘LWF’ and ‘LWS’ displayed on the television screen, saying these stood for ‘Last wicket fell’ and ‘Last wicket score’. As Pakistan batsmen sent Indian fielders on a leather hunt, General Musharraf had jokingly expressed his desire to delay his departure for Hyderabad House for his crucial talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “The match was at a very interesting stage...it is difficult to leave the ground at such exciting moments,” he had told waiting reporters at Hyderabad House.
— UNI |
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Media, ex-players hail Pak team
Lahore, April 18 The Nation described the come-from-behind series win as “a resounding bashing in the face of biased umpiring.” It also mentioned the “great allrouond display” by the Pakistanis in the endeavour. The Dawn quoted former coach Javed Miandad as saying, “It’s a fantastic and historic win and Inzamam and his team deserve the applause for coming from behind.” Former Pakistan captain-turned-commentator Waqar Younis also praised the accomplishment saying, ‘’It is a great achievement for a team that came to India as the underdogs. They played remarkably in the Tests as well as the ODI series.” Besides taking a potshot at the umpiring standard in the last match of the series yesterday, the media here also cried down the bottle-throwing incident at Ferozeshah Kotla. “Even this snag didn’t prevent Pakistan’s march to victory and they proved a lot of their critics wrong and will return home with their heads high and with a lot of pride,” The News said.
— UNI |
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New Delhi, April 18 Though the Indians held their much superior opponents goal-less in the first 25 minutes at the Sports Park, the flood gates opened after Korea went ahead through Hah Nul Kwon in the 28th minute. India conceded two more goals to trail 0-3 at the break. Changing ends, the Koreans continued their overall supremacy and pumped in four more goals, according to information received here. Earlier, India went down to Thailand in an exciting match after leading 4-3 at one stage in the second half. The Indians were off to a disastrous start and were down 3-0 by the 17th minute before striker Bala Devi Ngangom reduced the margin in the first half injury time. The second half saw India coming back in full force and level the sore 3-3 with Bala scoring again in the very first minute after resumption and Suganya Raju in the 46th minute. Bala then completed a hat trick to put her side 4-3 ahead in the 51st minute but Thailand restored parity after 14 minutes. Thailand then put the issue beyond India’s reach with two more goals in the last 10 minutes. India’s last match is against Indonesia on April 20. The top three teams in the groups plus the best runner up will qualify for the semifinals which will begin on April 24.
— PTI |
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Disappointing seasonal debut by Jones
Raleigh, North Carolina, April 18 The race was Jones’s first since a poor Athens Olympics, in which she failed to win a medal after picking up five — including three golds — at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Jamaican Novlene Williams won the race in 51.49 seconds, followed by American Lashinda Demus in 51.79 seconds. Australian world 400 metres hurdles champion Jana Pittman took third in 52.33 seconds. Jones’s boyfriend, world record holder Tim Montgomery, also was unsuccessful on his 2005 debut. Montgomery anchored a 4x100 metres relay team that finished third. He awaits a June hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on doping charges by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in connection with the BALCO drugs scandal. Jones also has been under scrutiny by the USADA although she has not been charged with a doping violation and has denied using performance-enhancing drugs. Like Montgomery, she has never failed a doping test. Last December, Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) founder Victor Conte accused Jones of using performance-enhancing drugs. In a television interview, Conte said he devised a drugs programme for Jones and watched her inject herself. Jones has denied the allegations and has filed a $ 25 million defamation suit against Conte. In other events, US indoor record holder Wallace Spearmon ran the year’s fastest 200 metres when he clocked 19.97 seconds, and Jamaica’s Olympic 200 metres gold medallist Veronica Campbell won the women’s 100 metres in a wind-assisted 10.98 seconds. American Aaron Armstrong topped US Olympian Coby Miller in the men’s 100 metres in a wind-assisted 10.00 seconds.
— Reuters |
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Nadal clinches title
Monaco, April 18 The 18-year-old left-hander, seeded 11, also collected his third title of the year and took his record on clay to 20-2 to hammer home his credentials as a firm favourite for the French Open which gets under way in five weeks’ time. At 18 years and 10 months, Nadal is just five months older than America’s Michael Chang who remains the youngest winner of a Masters when he took the Toronto title in 1990. Nadal was two points from victory against world number one Roger Federer in the Miami Masters final two weeks ago before losing and overcame a third set wobble here yesterday. Nadal, dressed in three-quarter length white pants, took the first set after 53 minutes when the Argentinian netted a forehand. He broke immediately in the first game of the second set and when he went to 2-0, he had taken seven games on the trot. Another Coria double fault handed him a 4-1 lead. Nadal then broke to take the second set after another 38 minutes when Coria coaxed a tired forehand wide. But Coria staged a battling comeback in the third set, taking it 6-0 after another 32 minutes. Nadal came back at the start of the fourth, breaking Coria with a sweet volley and then held for 3-0 with a running backhand. The Spaniard then went to 4-1 with a wrong-footing lob but squandered two break points in the sixth game and was then broken himself as Coria came back to 3-4 and then 4-4 with a confident service game.
— AFP |
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Vasco hold Bagan
Margao, April 18 After a barren first half, both goals came in the second. Mohun Bagan shot into the lead in the 68th minute through Robert Mendes Silva Beto. Jerry Zir Sanga, from the right flank, had sent a cross to Beto, who banged the ball into the net. Vasco restored parity in the injury minute when Coelho’s header found the net following a goalmouth melee. With the draw, Mohun Bagan increased their total to 18 points but remained on the eighth place, while the Arlem-sponsored Vasco increased their points tally to 14. Mohun Bagan’s Mehtab Hossein was adjudged the man of the match.
— UNI |
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Inter-college meet held Patiala, April 18 Results: Poster making: Chandigarh College of Architecture,-1. Rangoli: Lovely Institute, Jalandhar-1. Sketching: Chitkara School of Planning and Architecture, Jhansla-1. Cartoon making: Chandigarh College of Architecture,-1. Antakshari: Giani Zail Singh Institute of Architecture, Bathinda-1. Design: Chitkara School of Planning and Architecture, Jhansla-1. Mudra: Chandigarh College of Architecture-1. Paint the face contest: Chandigarh College of Architecture-1.
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