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Ganguly will be back after ban: More
ICPA rallies behind Ganguly
Sehwag’s style resembles Bradman’s
I have gained a lot from series: Inzamam
Kanpur knock most memorable, says Afridi
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India sink to new low in ratings
No takers for Team India bat
Lehmann not in new contract list
Narain Karthikeyan happy with his fitness
Fed Cup: Uzbekistan blank Philippines
Sania Mirza ranked 73rd
Johl, Randhawa gear up for tough battle
Sasikiran wins, joins leaders
Haryana, Punjab boys lose
Patiala beat Ludhiana
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Ganguly will be back after ban: More
Kolkata, April 19 Asked to react on the ban appeal being rejected by the ICC, he said, “I am sorry I can not comment on this issue as its sub judice.” Reacting on whether his poor form had anything to do with his being dropped, he said, ‘’Absolutely not. Sourav is a great player and the number of runs he has scored in both forms of the game speak for themselves.” “He is going through a lean phase and I am sure he will come back stronger. He is a very talented cricketer. As soon as the ban is over he will be back in the side,’’ he added. Former BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya said the match was far from over when asked about the progress in the Sourav Ganguly ban case. Mr Dalmiya said, “It is going to take some time. It may take days.’’ “The match is not over yet. We are looking into the details of the rejection paper,” he said. 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 the 50 overs in the next match at Ahmedabad as well. Match referee Chris Broad handed Ganguly a ban for six ODIs for slow over rate in second consecutive match because of which the offence became a level three offence. Ganguly appealed for lifting the ban, but it was upheld by ICC Appeals Commissioner Michael Beloff.
— UNI |
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ICPA rallies behind Ganguly
Kolkata, April 19 Arguing that the player should have been given a hearing after he filed his appeal, ICPA vice-president Arun Lal said in a press note that while the ICC had to ensure over rates, a six-match ban could impact a cricketer’s career. “We feel that the six-match ban is excessive. We realise that the ICC has to ensure over rates, but a six-match ban could impact a players’ career — surely, that is not the intention of the ICC,” Lal said. The ICPA also lauded the BCCI for standing by Ganguly. Ganguly, struggling to come out of a prolonged batting slump, was banned by match referee Chris Broad following India’s slow over rate in the fourth ODI against Pakistan in Ahmedabad. Following Appeals Commissioner Michael Beloff’s decision to reject his appeal, Ganguly would have to sit out the next four one-dayers as the ICC had said the ban had come into force from the fifth match of the just-concluded six-match India-Pakistan ODI series as the Indian skipper had not played the last two matches.
— PTI |
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Sehwag’s style resembles Bradman’s
Sir Donald Bradman must have been a genius. He averaged 99.4 in Test cricket and by all accounts decimated attacks showing them no mercy. Today Virender Sehwag must come close to resembling a modern-day genius because of his unerring and unnerving ability like Sir Donald to manhandle attacks and make Test match bowlers look like pop gun attacks.
For me, he has redefined how an opening batsman can approach an innings. His performances in this recent series have been quite phenomenal, we helped him at Mohali by dropping him early on, but then that is the game, and it is not Sehwag’s fault if the opposition would not accept chances. He is effortless, with sublime timing, he is destructive, often able to score over 10 in an over, he puts the bowlers under severe pressure often until they crack. He hits sixes as though the ground is only the size of a postage stamp. He gave us grey hairs trying to find ways to dismiss him! I would often sit in front of the computer with Sehwag’s innings on the biomechanics screen searching for the weakness, looking for the line and the length that would give him most difficulty. In the end we settled for a short ball targeted into his chest, while this stunted his run scoring we did not get him out this way. Early on in his innings his strength is his weakness, the short ball swinging away but on a tight line to the off stump might induce a nick to the slip cordon, if he tries to hit it harder it often flies over the slip cordon or if you are lucky he drags the ball off the inside edge onto the stumps. They are not conclusive ways of bowling to him, however. We were able to run him out occasionally and at times he gets careless, we did not see much of that in this series unfortunately. What makes him so good? He follows the most important basic principle of batting; he is still when the ball is released and is therefore able to judge length early and then make the shot timorously without flaw. His balance when he hits the ball is a joy for any coach to study as he transfers his weight perfectly, makes contact with an ability to hit the ball extremely hard but look as though he is just caressing it. It is the wonderful gift of timing, pure timing, that makes him so dangerous. When I watch him he seems to have no regard for a bowler, it is the presence of a man who does not believe he can get out. Viv Richards had it, Graeme Pollock had it and Barry Richards had it and Adam Gilchrist has it. While unique in appearance (every individual is different) the result is the same. Yet despite all the above Sehwag’s results in the limited-overs matches are significantly poorer than his Test match record. The white ball is not his favourite; he plays differently as though he is a loose cannon, his discipline that he shows in the multi-day game seems to go out of the window and it looks as though he is in a competition to see how far and how often he can hit a boundary. While he is still very dangerous he gives the bowler more chances, I guess that is also the nature of the game. It is interesting why though he cannot just bat normally for 45 of the 50 overs as he is such a good player that he would still ensure a big score. If I were to have a criticism of the Tendulkar-Sehwag partnership neither seems prepared to go the distance and both want to outscore each other! His off spin bowling is totally under-utilised and it staggers me that he does not bowl more. He is excellent in the field takes catches in the deep and close with relative ease. He is a very complete cricketer. His batting definitely takes on the qualities of a genius, like Bradman used to he is able to dominate attacks and will do so all the while that he is prepared to be hungry at the crease. I cannot imagine a better technique and he could perhaps play the short ball better, but there have been a lot of batsman who have played the same way, hooking too early can lead to dismissal and stern and angry looks from coach, captain and team-mates. He is so confident in his ability that he was quoted as saying that if he had not been run out he would have won the game for India at Bangalore, we shall never know if that would have been the case. He was certainly a threat and Inzamam delayed his declaration because of that threat. In conclusion, India have unearthed a jewel, amazingly he learnt his cricket as a middle order batsman but has taken to opening like a duck to water, his technique is one to copy his propensity to go on and on after scoring a hundred makes him a modern-day great. However, and most remarkably it is his sublime timing that for me makes him a genius.
— PTI |
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I have gained a lot from series: Inzamam
Karachi, April 19 "I would only say that this tour has helped me tremendously and I have gained what I might not have learnt in 50 Tests as captain," Inzamam told PTI from Lahore. "I kept revising the gameplan according to the situation that kept changing probably every over. I made regular changes in the batting order, kept running the fielders here and there and experimented with regular bowling changes. It has been a tough but great learning series as a captain," he said. Inzamam's men, who were virtually written off as pushovers when they landed in India, drew the Test series 1-1 and went on to record a remarkable come-from-behind 4-2 series win in the one-dayers. The 35-year-old veteran of 100 Tests said his players deserved all the praise and they should enjoy the moments after the tension filled 50-day tour but should not get overwhelmed with the win. "The team should enjoy and celebrate these moments because they deserve it. But they can't live on these laurels forever. It's a performance and result-oriented world and we can only survive by maintaining consistency in our performances. "We have to keep our feet on ground, stay humble and collect all the praise, well-wishes and prayers because these will help us in future," Inzamam said. Inzamam admitted that he was feeling much lighter after the gruelling tour. "I admit that after nearly three months, I slept tension-free and there were no nightmares haunting me in my dreams. It's feeling like I am reborn". He added with a laughter: "I don't want to leave the bed. I have hardly laid on it to relax in the last couple of months." Inzamam's men were not given even a half chance on the tour as the team had no star players, they had been thrashed on the previous tour of Australia, India were a much experienced team playing in their own backyard and lastly, that Shoaib Akhtar was grounded with a hamstring injury. By all means, this was the weakest ever team to leave shores. "It has been an extremely tough and tension-filled series and only those involved in it can feel those pressures. "My boys have gone through tough times and now they richly deserve the praise, rewards and appreciations because they have earned it through a dedicated and committed performance," Inzamam, who won his first one-day series as captain since taking over the charge in October 2003, said. Inzamam now has drawn Test series against Sri Lanka and India while he has suffered defeats against India and Australia. He has won against Graeme Smith's South Africans and Stephen Fleming's New Zealand.
— PTI |
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Kanpur knock most memorable, says Afridi
Lahore, April 19 Talking to reporters on his arrival from India where his side won the six-match one day series 4-2, Afridi said,''The century I made in Kanpur is the most memorable one of my career. Not just because I had scored the second fastest century in history but because it helped Pakistan take lead in the series and that proved decisive.'' Afridi scored a 45-ball century in the Kanpur tie before getting out in the next delivery. The swashbuckling batsman also promised to be more consistent in his batting and said the India tour had come as a great boost for him. ''I know that if I apply myself, I can play big innings more frequently,'' he said. Talking about the one-day series triumph, Afridi said, ''By winning the series we have avenged the defeat at the hands of India last year.'' India had won both the Test and the one day series here in Pakistan last year. Looking forward to the tour of West Indies, Afridi said, ''I'm in fine nick and will look forward to give an improved performance in the West Indies. ''I want to cement my place in both the one day and the Test squads and for that I would also work on my bowling,'' Afridi added.
— UNI |
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India sink to new low in ratings
London, April 19 According to an ICC press note here, India's rating fell by one point due to the defeat and the new rating of 97 was the lowest the team had been since the official table was introduced in October 2002. India remained in eighth place while Pakistan stayed fourth. Pakistan reached their highest one-day international rating since December 2003 in the ICC ODI table, improving by one point from 109 to 110. For India, disappointed in defeat, there was at least the good news that vice-captain Rahul Dravid had climbed seven places to sixth, and Virender Sehwag had gained five places to 25th over the series.
— UNI |
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No takers for Team India bat
Kolkata, April 19 While another bat bearing the signatures of the entire Pakistan team, fetched Rs 40,000, silence descended on the glittering banquet hall of a five star hotel when the Team India bat went under the hammer last night. Despite repeated coaxing by the auctioneer, none of the celebrities and industrial barons present gave a bid for the willow and the organisers were forced to withdraw the bat. A six-ODI ban notwithstanding, regular team India skipper Sourav Ganguly’s popularity in his own city was proved yet again as his cricketing gear fetched the top three prices in the auction where Rs 5.15 lakh was raised for the welfare of distressed groundsmen and coaches. Accompanied by danseuse wife Dona and daughter Sana, Ganguly sat through the function and even handed over his bat, which attracted the highest bid of Rs 1 lakh. The bid for a bat jointly signed by Ganguly and legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar reached upto Rs 75,000 while a pair of gloves donned by the left hander collected Rs 65,000. A jersey, worn by Ganguly in the just-concluded one-day series, attracted a top bid of Rs 25,000, while a Tata Indicom phone bearing the cricketer’s autograph fetched Rs 10,000. The outfit put up by Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq in his 100th Test at Bangalore was lapped for Rs 50,000 while a pair of gloves belonging to the burly batsman fetched Rs 35,000. — PTI |
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Lehmann not in new contract list
Sydney, April 19 Selectors opted to bring fresh faces into the 25-man group of contracted players, which formed the core of Australia’s Test and one-day squads. They axed ageing fringe players Martin Love, Ian Harvey, Matthew Elliott, Jimmy Maher and Brad Williams, who had failed to pressure the incumbent starting line-up. Instead, selectors opted for Victorian allrounder Cameron White, 21, South Australian off-spinner Daniel Cullen, 21, Queensland allrounder James Hopes, 26, New South Wales wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, 27, and Victorian quick Michael Lewis, 30. New South Wales fast bowler Nathan Bracken, 27, found his way back into the fold after being dropped in 2004-05. aLehmann, 35, was the highest-profile casualty, with chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns confirming that his international career was over after 27 Tests (1798 runs at 44.95).
— AFP |
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Narain Karthikeyan happy with his fitness
New Delhi, April 19 “It looks like I will need to use the kerbs a lot to get a good time, which will probably be a bit tricky. But having said that, Malaysia was also difficult. I did well there, so I am ready for the challenge and I will give my best,” he
said. Karthikeyan and Tiago Monteiro carried out two days of testing for the Jordan grand prix on the Circuit Paul
Ricard, in the south of France, on April 14 and 15, contributing to the team’s preparations for the San Marino Grand Prix. The drivers’ schedule consisted of intensive work on Bridgestone’s tyre test programme, set-up work and potential modifications for forthcoming
races. Karthikeyan completed the greatest number of laps on Thursday with 183 laps. Between them, the drivers clocked up a total testing mileage of over 1000 km and fastest lap time was on the last day with Monteiro’s time of 1.00.505 (66 laps). The rookie Indian driver, who failed to finish the last grand prix in Bahrain, was hopeful of another decent finish at Imola next Sunday and was happy with the progress. “The test at Paul Ricard last week went very well. We did a lot of work trying to find the right Bridgestone tyres for San Marino but also for the next European races. We have also tested some new parts for the car and we are definitely making some progress,” Karthikeyan said in a press note by Jordan. Jordan grand prix was looking forward to the first European race of the 2005 season after a productive test at Paul
Ricard, in which the team’s two drivers completed more than 1000 km of test mileage. Their schedule concentrated on race simulation work for reliability testing along with further work on Bridgestone’s tyre programme and some developments with the car, contributing to the hope for improvements in performance for the San Marino Grand Prix and forthcoming races. “It was definitely a good test and a good motivation to move on and push harder every time. Imola is not an easy circuit for the kind of car we have at the moment, but generally I like this type of track”, Monteiro said. “It will be very bumpy on the kerbs and very violent. Reliability throughout the weekend will again be very important and we will make sure we will keep on doing a good job as we have done since the beginning of the season and have a good result at the end,” Monteiro said. Jordan sporting director Trevor Carlin, who was happy with the test, was now looking forward to
Imola. “We had a very successful test at Circuit Paul Ricard last week, where the drivers learnt a lot about the car and the team made a few improvements,” Carlin said. “Hopefully we can keep on building on our promising start to the season and keep improving in general on all different aspects,” he added.
— PTI |
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Fed Cup: Uzbekistan blank Philippines
New Delhi, April 19 Ivanna Israilova put the Uzbeks ahead with a 4-6 6-2 7-5 win over Anja Vanessa Peter before Akgul Amanmuradova smashed her way to a 6-0 6-2 victory against Czarina-Mae Arevalo for an unbeatable 2-0 lead in a Group II clash at the R K Khanna stadium. Amanmuradova then combined with Dilyara Saidkhodjaeva to round off a perfect day at office with 6-4 6-4 defeat of Arevalo and Denise Dy in the doubles match at the centre court. In the side courts, Syria clinched the crucial doubles tie for a come from behind 2-1 victory over Turkmenistan. Group I matches, including India's opening tie against Singapore, start tomorrow. Uzbekistan had a disastrous outing last year, losing all their group league matches and ultimately the relegation play-off match to lose their Group I placing at the same venue. This time, however, things have been more positive. The 1.9 metre tall Amanmuradova, their number one player with a career-high ranking of 278, was coming back from a strong showing in a $ 75,000 event in France where she reached the round of 16. And the 19-year old Israilova, who had ranked as high as 316 before, set up the perfect platform for her big serving compatriot with a victory in the first singles. Israilova's performance was not clinical and was marred by an array of unforced errors including 16 double faults. The 16-year-old Anja played an uncomplicated baseline game and flourished with her opponent mired in her own problems. Two double faults in the second game by the Uzbek saw Anja go up 3-0 before Israilova reduced the margin with a breakback in the seventh game. But another error-ridden service game saw Israilova face a double breakpoint situation, and she surrendered the serve with a long forehand. Israilova woke up from the sluggishness to force breaks in the third and seventh games to pocket the second set. Anja, the Saudi-born and Germany-based girl, however, kept her hopes alive even as tentativeness returned to haunt Israilova. Sania ruled out Teen star Sania Mirza was tonight ruled out of Fed Cup women's team tennis competition with an ankle injury. "The doctor said the injury is progressing well. But we need another 10-12 days to decide whether she can play or not," Sania's father Imran Mirza told PTI here. Sania's participation in the Fed Cup was already doubtful due to the ankle injury.
— PTI
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Sania Mirza ranked 73rd
New Delhi, April 19 According to information received here, Sania totalled 464 rank points that saw her jumping from 75th to the 73rd place -- thus inching closer to her dream of breaking into the top 50. Sania, who won the Hyderabad Open in February in her hometown to become the only Indian with a WTA title under her belt, nurses an ankle injury and that might rule her out of the Fed Cup. Since her spirited fight against Serena Williams in the Australian Open, Sania has been moving up the rankings and the high point of her career was her splendid win against US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Dubai
Open.— UNI |
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Johl, Randhawa gear up for tough battle
Beijing, April 19 The Asian contingent will be a strong force at the event, as 11 of the 12 members in the Asian team will be seen in action here too. In this tri-sanctioned event with European and Australian Tour, the championship will also feature five of Europe’s Ryder Cup-winning team members. India’s strong contingent will be led by Randhawa, who despite some fine play against Shingo Katayama in the singles in Dynasty Cup, was unable to win any of his three matches. Johl, who won the fourball and halved his singles, is the other man in form. India’s other challengers at this event will be Jeev Milkha Singh, who has been in top 10 in both his appearances in Japan Tour this season, Harmeet Kahlon and Rahil Gangjee. Barring Johl, all other Indians have won on the Asian Tour. The cast at the event will also include Ernie Els, the world number three, and Retief Goosen, world number five and current leader of The European Tour Order of Merit, as the tournament visits mainland China for the first time. Els, winner of back-to-back titles in Dubai and Qatar last month, and Goosen, the reigning US Open champion who finished joint third in the Masters Tournament earlier this month, are joined by Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Australian Adam Scott from the world’s top 10 on the Jack Nicklaus-designed Pine Valley Golf Resort.
— PTI |
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Sasikiran wins, joins leaders
Malmo (Sweden), April 19 With his second victory in the event, Sasikiran took his tally to three points out of a possible four and joined overnight leaders Hikaru Nakamura of the USA, Jan Timman of the Netherlands and Viorel Iordachescu at the top of the table after all of them were held to draws on day four. After a few stormy sessions that gave as many as 11 decisive games in first three rounds, the players eventually decided to calm down a bit and the day’s only victory was carved out by Sasikiran. In the previous round the Indian was involved in the lone drawn encounter. With five rounds still to come in the category-13 round-robin tournament between 10 players, it had become a race between the leaders as the nearest contender Hansen was already a full point behind with a few tough games still lined up. Swedish duo of Tigar Hillarp Persson and Jonny Hector were next in line on 1.5 points along with Dane Sune Berg Hansen while Davor Palo was in ninth position on just one point. Interestingly enough, young Swede International Master Emil Hermansson eventually opened his account in the event after three successive losses, holding the mighty Nakamura to a creditable draw. Sasikiran displayed top form with white pieces against Hansen who seemed out-of-sorts in this very important game. Up against the Queen’s Gambit declined, Sasikiran employed a popular variation and quickly seized the initiative with fine deployment of pieces on the king side. Hansen was pushed to the wall in the ensuing endgame as he was saddled with a bad bishop and Sasikiran’s king quickly added to his woes with a direct march in the centre. The Dane made a desperate bid for counter play after losing a pawn but thoughtful moves in the final stages kept him at bay and Sasikiran clinched the issue in 49 moves. Nakamura remained as committed as ever in his duel with Hermansson but for once the Swede showed his grit in a difficult situation in the endgame. However much before that Hermansson was on top in the Maroczy bind set up after Nakamura parted with a pawn to complicate matters. Subsequent exchanges in the middle game led to a pawn-less ending for Nakamura, but the position was such that only the US champion was trying to win with his superior pieces. Hermansson, to his credit, found a fantastic piece sacrifice and steered the game to a theoretical draw. The battle lasted 74 moves. Iordachescu failed to get a desirable position against Sune Berg Hansen in a Sicilian Nazdorf game where the former played white. Opting for one of the less played variations, Iordachescu allowed Hansen to get an easy equality and the players repeated moves to sign peace in 31 moves.
— PTI |
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Haryana, Punjab boys lose
Mumbai, April 19 Tamil Nadu’s Sridhar, with an overall All-India Tennis Association (AITA) points tally of 268 going into the Rs 4-lakh prize money event, whipped Haryana’s Bishnoi 6-2 6-4 in one hour and 15 minutes in their singles encounter at the suburban Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana courts. Sridhar would now meet qualifier Aniket Sudhir of Maharashtra, who rallied from a set down to shock another Tamil Nadu player V.M. Ranjeet (seeded 10th) in three sets, for a place in the quarterfinals. Sridhar broke his rival’s serve twice — in the 1st and 3rd games — to clinch the opening set. The title-favourite then swept to victory by breaking his opponent in the 9th game of the second set. Joining Sridhar in the round of 16 were fourth seed Kamala Kannan (Tamil Nadu), who was stretched in the first set before defeating Delhi’s Gurmehar Singh in straight sets, sixth seed Gautam Arjun of Karnataka and seventh seed Vishnu Vardhan of Andhra Pradesh. Arjun and Vardhan notched straight-set wins over Punjab’s Gursharan Singh and Pritish Kumar of Karnataka, respectively. In another interesting first round clash, local qualifier Arnav Jain surprised direct entrant L S Ananth Bhaskar of Tamil Nadu 1-6 7-6 (1) 7-6 (0) after a long drawn-out struggle in hot and humid conditions.
— PTI |
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Patiala beat Ludhiana
Patiala, April 19 Chasing the hosts’ first innings total of 351 for 8 declared, the visitors were all out for 178, with the main damage being inflicted by young fast bowler Prince Rana (6 for 39) and leg-spinner Bhavish Goel (4 for 43). Following on, Ludhiana could manage to score just 52 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Earlier, fine centuries by Jeewanjot Singh and Mohit Mohindera enabled Patiala to score 351 for 5 declared Brief scores: Patiala: 1st innings: 351 for 5 declared (Jeewanjot Singh 128, Mohit Mohindera 100 n.o, Preet Kamal 47, Amandeep Singh 24, Rahul Garg 26) Ludhiana: 1st innings: 178 all out (Geetanj Khera 86, Salil 45, Prince Rana 6 for 39, Bhavish Goel 4 for 43); 2nd innings: 52 for 6 (Amaninder Singh 3 for 16). |
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Kolkata, April 19
