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Pak pacemen likely to train in India
Pathan slams 68 at Lord’s
Play like Aussies to topple them,
Argentina down Brazil, qualify for World Cup
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Asian heavyweights sail through
Ukraine stun Greece; Dutch rout Finland
Villeneuve’s outburst irks Karthikeyan
Recruit quality foreign players: Dasmunsi
Zee launches sports channel
Advani falters; allows Pak
to crawl back
Pak team for prize money squash
Eight Sangrur swimmers in
Punjab team
CCE win in Delhi soccer league
Punjab softball from today
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Pak pacemen likely to train in India
Islamabad, June 9 "The matter of sending bowlers to train in India has been discussed in the PCB top brass meeting and most of the PCB officials, including the selectors, favoured the idea of sending the bowlers to the Lillee run academy," The News quoted a PCB official today. For a country that has pioneered the art of reverse swing and produced fast bowling legends like Sarfraz Nawaz, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, this would be the first time that it has considered sending its talent abroad for training. "There is no doubt that when it comes to talent, Pakistan pacers are much higher placed than India. However, what they need is proper coaching and guidance from a renowned coach and expert in the field. If we consider this aspect then there is no better place around than the academy run by Lillee in India," the official said. The MRF Pace Foundation imparts training to different age groups, including under-15, 17, 19, and 22. However, Pakistan is only considering sending upcoming bowlers from the Pakistan A squad and the national junior team. "Those who are knocking at the doors of Test cricket or played one or two Tests and are improving day by day would be sent for training," he said. Though the PCB initially considered sending the bowlers to the Australian academy at Adelaide, cheaper costs settled the issue in favour of the MRF Pace Foundation. "Training three or four fast bowlers at the Australian academy and looking after all their expenditure would definitely be expensive. However, the training expenditures at the MRF academy would be cheaper in comparison," he said. Though Pakistan has its own National Cricket Academy in Lahore, the lack of an expert bowling coach has left its current crop of youngsters wanting for guidance.
— IANS |
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Shabbir to undergo tests
Karachi, June 9 The tests will determine if he is exceeding the tolerance level of 15 degrees allowed for bowlers to straighten their elbows. “We are concerned with the fact that Shabbir has been reported for the third time in his career,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director of cricket operations Salim Altaf said today. Shabbir was also reported in September, 1999 and January, 2004.
— Reuters |
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Pathan slams 68 at Lord’s
London, June 9 “It's a good feeling to score my highest first class score,” the Baroda pacer said. Pathan's innings took the Middlesex score to 380 for eight, after the side was tottering at 148 for five yesterday. Pathan hit 11 boundaries in his 93-ball knock at Lord's — mostly drives on the off-side that were compared to Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly's famous off-side strokes. His knock included a partnership of 47 with top-scorer Jamie Dalrymple (77), before digging his heels in with wicketkeeper batsman Ben Scott. Both Scott and Pathan scored freely against a Surrey attack that was unable to extract either swing or turn on a warm, sunny day. Pathan, who survived some hairy moments against Surrey seamers yesterday, played with a mixture of aggression and caution today, showing particularly good technique against the short ball, before suddenly losing his head and his wicket. Harbhajan was brought on late in the morning session by Surrey skipper Mark Ramprakash, after the seamers had gone wicketless. In the off-spinner's very first over, Pathan greeted the second ball with a mighty heave to the long on boundary that fetched him a four. His downfall came when he went for an uncharacteristic charge-and-slog in Harbhajan's second over —only to be deceived by a slow ball. “I played across the line, but that's how I play spinners,” said Irfan, cheekily. Although it lasted for only two overs, the contest between the two Indian teammates was the highlight of the match — much anticipated and enjoyed by commentators, including former test players Michael Holding and Nasser Hussain. Harbhajan, making a comeback after a six-week layoff , was still looking to find his form, but both Indians had the advantage of knowing the other's game. On this occasion the honours were even: Harbhajan won the battle and Pathan won the accolades for his delightful knock.
— IANS |
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Play like Aussies to topple them, says Chappell
New Delhi, June 9 In an interview to 'Sportstar', the Australian batting great referred to his presentation “A commitment to excellence to the BCCI” and said, “If anyone wants to replace Australia as the best team in the world, then they are going to have to work as hard as the Australians and be creative. Be as well prepared, plan well and then execute the plans and skills well. That will mean a commitment to doing the basics well and learning the lessons Australia has shown India over the years.” Insisting talent-wise India did not lack, the former Australian captain said, “India have probably four of five of the best players in the world in batting. In the bowling you have Harbhajan (Singh) and (Anil) Kumble. On the batting side they have as much talent as anyone going around. Getting 20 wickets is the critical thing. Thats an area that will need some work.”
— UNI |
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Argentina down Brazil, qualify for World Cup
Rio de Janeiro, June 9 Meanwhile Paraguay, thumped 4-1 by Brazil on Sunday, reversed the scoreline against Bolivia to stay in contention. Argentina stunned their opponents in Buenos Aires by rushing to a 3-0 halftime lead with two goals from striker Hernan Crespo, who took his tally in the qualifiers to seven, and a world-class strike from Juan Roman Riquelme. Brazil recovered to dominate the second half, pulling one back with a trademark Roberto Carlos free kick and hitting the post through Adriano in the 84th minute. Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said: “Beating Paraguay wasn’t paradise, so this isn’t hell. Our target is still intact.” Argentina lead the standings with 31 points from 15 games and secured their place in Germany with three matches to play. Brazil, the only country to have played at all 17 World Cups, are second on 27 and need only three more points to maintain their proud record. Ecuador (23), Paraguay (22) and Colombia and Chile (20) appear to be fighting for the other two direct places or the fifth spot, which earns a two-leg play-off against the winners of the Oceania region. Uruguay (18), who drew 0-0 in Peru on Tuesday, still have an outside chance while Peru (15), Venezuela (15) and Bolivia (13) are effectively out of the running. Brazil paid dearly for a shoddy start when they left Crespo all alone to open the scoring in the fourth minute. That was followed by an unstoppable second from Riquelme in the 18th minute, when the Villarreal player slipped past Roque Junior and scored with a rising shot from 25 metres. Crespo added the third in the 40th minute when he beat Roque Junior to Javier Saviola’s near post cross to head the third. A rocketing Roberto Carlos free kick brought Brazil to life in the 72nd minute and the River Plate crowd held their breaths when Adriano had a clear-cut chance with six minutes left but fired against the post. There were also some quality goals in Barranquilla where midfielder Tressor Moreno scored twice in the first 10 minutes to spark Colombia’s win. He rifled home a loose ball in the sixth minute and produced a 25-metre scorcher three minutes later after Juan Pablo Angel chested the ball into his path. Martin Arzuaga, who plays for local club Atletico Junior, added the third in the 70th minute, two minutes after coming on as substitute. Luis Jimenez scored in the 30th and 60th minutes to put Chile in command against Venezuela, but the visitors pulled one back with Ruberth Moran’s sixth goal of the qualifiers with seven minutes to go. The defeat virtually ended Venezuela’s brave attempt to reach their first World Cup. Carlos Gamarra, Roque Santa Cruz, Julio Cesar Caceres and Jorge Nunez shared the goals as Paraguay sent hapless Bolivia to their eighth straight away defeat in the group. Bolivia, however, produced the best goal of the night, a 30-metre first-time effort from Gonzalo Galindo.
— Reuters |
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Asian heavyweights sail through
Nicosia, June 9 Japan secured a 2-0 victory over fierce rivals North Korea yesterday, although celebrations were muted with the match played behind closed doors in Bangkok. Strikers Atsushi Yanagisawa and Masashi Oguro were the heroes for Japan, securing their team’s tickets to Germany with second-half goals that ensured their team would finish in the top two of the Asian zone’s Group B. Yanagisawa struck first with a stretching toe-poke in the 73rd minute, while Oguro capped the night with a delightful solo effort, driving down the right to beat North Korean goalkeeper Kim Myong-Gil in the 89th minute. The celebrations were far from mute in Tehran where Iran’s 1-0 home win over Bahrain sparked mass celebrations across the Islamic republic. The win put Iran — the top Asian side and 18th in FIFA’s world rankings — on top of Asian qualifying Group B with 13 points followed by Japan with 12 points. Bahrain have four points and the North Koreans none. The match saw Iran get off to a strong start, with two chances in the third minute, and defender Mohammad Nosrati hitting the post in the fourth. In the first 15 minutes, Iran had seven corners. But Bahrain were no pushovers, quickly managing to assert themselves and had several strong chances in the first half — exposing weaknesses in Iran’s defence. But just seconds into the second half, a free kick from near the corner spot from Fereydoun Zandi found the six-yard box and Nosrati headed the ball into the lower right hand corner of the net. In Group A, South Korea, 2002 World Cup semifinalists, secured their entry into the World Cup for the eighth time and the third time in succession, with a 4-0 drubbing of Kuwait. South Korea went ahead in the 19th minute, virtually from their first organised attack, when unmarked Kim Dong-Jin received the ball on the left flank and sent a neat pass for Park Chu-Young who scored from close range. In the 28th minute, Park Chu-Young broke the offside trap for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper but was brought down in the box by Mesaed al-Enezi. Lee Dong-Gook converted from the penalty spot to put the Koreans 2-0 up. Angered by the result, fans started throwing bottles onto the pitch which forced the Thai referee to stop the game for seven minutes. Ten minutes after the interval, Kim Sang-Sik fired a powerful shot from the edge of the box to beat diving Kuwaiti goalkeeper Shehab Kankuni. Park Ji-Sung sealed Kuwait’s fate by scoring the fourth goal in the 62nd minute when he deceived Kankuni after penetrating deep into the Kuwaiti area. But it was Saudi Arabia who topped the group, one point clear of South Korea after a 3-0 win over Uzbekistan. Inspirational Saudi captain Sami al-Jaber scored twice for the hosts, in the 9th and 60th minutes. Saad al-Harthi, who came on as a replacement for Jaber in the 68th minute, grabbed a third for Saudi Arabia three minutes from full-time.
— AFP |
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Ukraine stun Greece; Dutch rout Finland
Athens, June 9 Ukraine, boxed in their half for most of the match, managed to score when Andriy Gusin intercepted a ball outside the box eight minutes from time and curled it past helpless keeper Antonis Nikopolidis. Helsinki: Substitute striker Robin van Persie came on to help create two goals and score one himself as the Netherlands beat Finland 4-0 away to remain top of World Cup qualifying Group One. Ruud van Nistelrooy opened the scoring against the flow of play in the 36th minute when he caught a long ball inside the penalty area and outsmarted the Finnish defence before striking a high shot. The Dutch struggled to impose themselves until Van Nistelrooy was replaced by Van Persie, who immediately linked with Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuijt with 13 minutes left to create the second for Kuijt. Van Persie, in his second international appearance, then set up Philip Cocu for the third before running through to drive home the fourth. The Netherlands top Group One with 22 points from eight games, one point ahead of the Czech Republic, who hammered Macedonia 6-1. Tallinn: A 33rd minute header from Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo gave Portugal a 1-0 win over Estonia to keep them three points clear at the top of European World Cup qualifying Group Three.
— Reuters |
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Villeneuve’s outburst irks Karthikeyan
London, June 9 Both Narain and Villeneuve went wheel-to-wheel during the European Grand Prix at Nurburgring, Germany, following which the Sauber Petronas driver confronted the Indian much to the latter’s chagrin. Refuting the blocking allegations, Karthikeyan said he might have come in front of the Sauber in Germany but there was nothing wrong in it and went on to add that he would repeat it if needed. “I didn’t block — maybe once on a straight — but he thought differently,” Karthikeyan said. “I was angry (with Villeneuve’s outburst). You don’t expect him to (confront) like that. We’ll see. I’m here to race and I’ll do the same next time,” said an undaunted Karthikeyan. “You need to race, especially if you have half a chance. Villeneuve’s car wasn’t two seconds faster than mine. I thought I was doing the right thing and I still think so,” he added. Sticking to his gound, the Jordan driver, however, suggested he and Villeneuve should talk over the issue to clear the air. — UNI
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Recruit quality foreign players: Dasmunsi
New Delhi, June 9 “There is no sense in bringing substandard players from abroad who would only help to deny opportunities to talented players in the country,” Dasmunsi told reporters here last night while announcing the executive committee’s decision to lift a ban on foreign players in the second division National Football League (NFL). To argue his point he took the NFL as a case study. The AIFF president noted that except for Brazilian Jose Baretto, other foreign recruits in the recent past failed to impress. “If you look at the performance of foreign players in the NFL in the last two-three seasons you can see that there were only a few who excelled,” Dasmunsi said. He recalled that India had seen a number of skilful foreign players even before the start of NFL like Musa and Fakri in the 1950’s and later Majid Bhaskar and Jamshed Nassiri in the early 80s. But of late the number of quality players from overseas is coming down and “last season only (Macpherlin) Dudu Omagbemi impressed among the foreigners,” he said. According
to the AIFF statistics, a total of 33 foreign players registered to play in the ninth NFL. Dudu emerged as the best among the lot as the Nigerian, who almost won Sporting Clube the title, ended as the best player and best forward scoring a record 21 goals. The leading Indian goal-getter was
Baiting Bhutia with nine goals. Concerned about the mediocre foreign talent that comes in, Dasmunsi said the AIFF will now ask clubs to check the background of every foreign recruit to find out his true value. “We would ask them to find out their backgrounds. At what level they played — whether in A, B or C division and also to find out whether they had previously landed in any trouble,” Dasmunsi said. He said to educate clubs in this regard, the Federation would be conducting a workshop for clubs. Reeling out the numbers Dasmunsi said nearly 75,000 spectators watched the 132 NFL matches last season. “The highest turnout was for the opening match on January 12 between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in Kolkata. On an average 5,700 persons were present for every match,” he said. Margao: The AIFF’s decision to revoke ban on foreign players playing in the second division of the NFL had an immediate impact on the Goa Football Association (GFA) as Cabral Sports Club, the only Goan club to qualify for the second tier, submitted a letter to the GFA informing their decision to disband the team. In a letter to the GFA, president of the club, Francisco Cabral, stated that the earlier decision of the AIFF to ban foreign players from playing in the second division had deprived them of a chance to qualify for the premier league as they had two good foreigners who are now playing for Fransa Pax, also from Goa.
— PTI |
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Zee launches sports channel
New Delhi, June 9 “What we felt was missing was content relevant to the average Indian apart from cricket. With that in mind, we aim to bridge gap by providing a programming mix that is entertaining, relevant and catering to our core viewer base,” Goenka said at the function to mark the launch of the channel last night. The channel asserted that it had not given up the hope for cricket telecast rights but made it clear that in future it would make ‘’best but not outlandish’’ bid.
— PTI, UNI |
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Advani falters; allows Pak
to crawl back
Karachi, June 9 India had entered the last singles match leading the host nation 12-8. But Advani, former world snooker champion and reigning world billiards champion, failed to sink the green in the centre pocket, blue in the bottom left pocket and pink in the bottom right pocket that would have won him the frame. Instead, Imran potted the green, brown and blue and then sunk the decisive pink in the top left to win the nerve-wrecking frame 54-43.
— PTI |
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Pak team for prize money squash
New Delhi, June 9 Other members of the Pakistan team are world No. 10 Umer Balaj, Wajid Khan, Aman Gul, Faizan Nawaz and Afsand Yar Khan. The event will see the participation of over 240 players from the country, including India No. 1 and world No. 59 Ritwik Bhattacharya. |
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Eight Sangrur swimmers in
Punjab team
Sangrur, June 9 The selected players are Mankiran Kaur, Arpanjit Kaur, Sehajbir Kaur, Amrinder Singh, Simarvir Singh, Damandeep Singh, Harroop Singh and Mumneek Singh. Balbir Singh of Sangrur will accompany the team as coach.
— OSR |
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CCE win in Delhi soccer league
New Delhi, June 9 Meanwhile, Oriental Bank failed to turn up for the match against holders Zakir Hussain College in Group A.
— OSR |
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Punjab softball from today
Sangrur, June 9 The Panjab teams for the National Junior Championships being held in Delhi from June 21 will be selected during the championships. |
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New Delhi, June 9
