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Ganguly issue to be taken up
MCC victorious
England win
Warne trying to regrow hair
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BCCI chief demands cricket stadium in Haryana
Germany have a lot to prove
Argentina probables eye World Cup places
Henin hungry for Wimbledon crown
Navratilova loses in first round
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Ganguly issue to be taken up this month
Thiruvananthapuram, June 14 “We are going to take up the issue strongly. The BCCI working committee meeting held here earlier this month had decided to pursue the matter vigorously as the board is of the view that the six-ban match was a severe step,” said Nair. Ganguly was banned for six one-day internationals by the ICC match referee Chris Broad after he was found guilty for his side’s slow over rate during the one-day series against Pakistan. The Asian Cricket Council meeting would also be held
along with the ICC executive meet, Nair said. BCCI President Ranbir Singh Mahendra and the board secretary would be representing the country at the ICC meet. The BCCI has asked Sri Lanka’s Cricket Interim Committee to advance by a week the triangular series involving India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies scheduled to start on July 26. The advancement is being sought to enable some of the Indian players to take part in the Asia-XI versus Africa-XI matches scheduled in August for raising funds for the welfare of players in the two continents and development of infrastructure for the newly-formed Afro-Asian Cricket Council, Nair said. “We have already faxed the request to the Sri Lankan cricket authorities seeking advancement of the dates. We have said the convenience of the West Indies should also be taken into account. If the proposal is not acceptable to the West Indies, the series could be held as scheduled earlier.” The benefit matches for Afro-Asian Cricket Council has been scheduled for August 15, 18 and 21. The venues will be decided later, Nair said. The BCCI is yet to finalise the number of ODIs to be played during Sri Lanka’s tour of India later this year, Nair said. “The South African team is expected to arrive in India in November for playing five ODIs. Sri Lanka’s request for seven ODIs would be considered only if the South African team is unable to make it here due to other commitments. Otherwise the series would be limited to five ODIs and three Test matches,” Nair said. Sri Lanka had requested for seven ODIs on the ground that would square the backlog of matches to an extent, Nair said. The first coaching camp of the season for the Indian cricket team after the appointment of Greg Chappell as coach, is expected to start in the first week of July in Bangalore, Nair said. The camp was meant to equip Indian players for the coming tri-series matches involving Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Chappell would be arriving in Bangalore tomorrow from Sydney. Officials of the Bangalore Cricket Academy would extend all assistance to the Indian coach, he said.
— PTI |
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MCC victorious
London, June 14 Kumble took 3 for 49 in his eight overs while Harbhajan, also playing his maiden English county season for surrey, chipped in with 3 for 32 as the Brian Lara-led side collapsed to 215 all out in 35 overs. Scoreboard
MCC: Gayle lbw b Vaas 4 Fleming c Ntini b Cairns 62 Ganguly b Vaas 14 Kallis c Lara b Ntini 62 Laxman c Dravid b Cairns 47 Flower c Ntini b Warne 55 Sangakkara c Lara b Warne 46 Pollock not out 9 Harbhajan Singh not out 1 Extras (b-3, lb-3, w-19, nb-2) 27 Total
(7 wickets, 50 overs) 327 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-52, 3-115, 4-187, 5-220, 6-304, 7-317. Bowling:
Vaas 7-2-19-2, Mohammad Sami 7-1-43-0, Ntini 6-0-41-1, Cairns 7-0-50-2, Warne 8-0-64-2, Jayasuriya 4-0-18-0, Chanderpaul 2-0-15-0, Smith 2-0-13-0, Sehwag 5-0-39-0, Lara 2-0-19-0. International XI Jayasuriya c Harbhajan Sehwag lbw b Pollock 5 b Kumble 68 Dravid c sub b Harbhajan 19 Cairns st Sangakkara Warne c sub b Gayle 17 Sami st Sangakkara Ntini b Gayle 0
Extras: (b-1, lb-9, w-6, nb-7) 23 Total: (all out, 35 overs) 215 Fall of wickets:
1-10, 2-66, 3-141, 4-168, 5-171, 6-175, 7-188, 8-201, 9-215. Bowling:
Pollock 5-0-33-1, Akhtar 5-0-31-0, Kumble 8-0-49-3, Kallis 3-0-33-0, Harbhajan 9-2-32-3, Gayle 5-0-27-3.
— PTI |
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England win
Southampton, June 14 Australia were chasing 180 to win after England captain Michael Vaughan won the toss and chose to bat at the Rose Bowl yesterday. Opener Marcus Trescothick scored 41, man of the match Kevin Pietersen grabbed 34 off only 18 balls, and Paul Collingwood had 46 runs before being caught by Ricky Ponting off fast bowler Glenn McGrath. England endured a collapse of its own from 100 for two to 109 for five. But a 49-run sixth-wicket partnership between Collingwood and Andrew Strauss gave England a respectable total. Brett Lee was Australia’s costliest bowler at 31 runs off only three overs, while McGrath took three for 31 in four overs. Australia showed trademark confidence at the start, reaching 23 runs after two overs, before slumping to 31-7. Darren Gough dismissed Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, who were looking for some quick runs, but missed a hat trick. Bowlers Lee and Jason Gillespie mounted a mini-recovery. Gough ended up with 3-16 while Lewis grabbed 4-24. Scoreboard England: Trescothick c Hussey G. Jones c Kasprowicz Flintoff c Symonds Pietersen c Hayden b Clarke 34 Vaughan c Ponting Collingwood c Ponting Strauss b Gillespie 8 Solanki c Hussey b McGrath 9 Lewis not out 0 Extras
(lb-1, w-3, nb-2) 6 Total (8 wickets, 20 overs) 179 Fall of wickets:
1-28, 2-49, 3-100, 4-102, 5-109, 6-158, 7-175, 8-179. Bowling:
Lee 3-0-31-0, McGrath 4-0-31-3, Kasprowicz 3-0-28-1, Gillespie 4-0-49-1, Symonds 3-0-14-2, Clarke 3-0-25-1. Australia Gilchrist c Pietersen b Gough 15 Hayden c Pietersen b Gough 6 Symonds c Pietersen b Lewis 0 Clarke c Jones b Lewis 0 Hussey c Flintoff b Gough 1 Ponting c Solanki b Lewis 0 Martyn c Trescothick b Lewis 4 Lee c Harmison Gillespie c Trescothick Kasprowicz not out 3 McGrath b Harmison 5 Extras
(b-1, lb-2, w-1, nb-2) 6 Total (all out, 14.3 overs) 79 Fall of wickets:
1-23, 2-23, 3-23, 4-24, 5-24, 6-28, 7-31, 8-67, 9-72. Bowling:
Gough 3-0-16-3, Lewis 4-0-24-4, Harmison 2.3-0-13-1, Flintoff 3-0-15-0, Collingwood 2-0-8-2. —
AP, Reuters |
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Warne trying to regrow hair
Sydney, June 14 The notoriously image-conscious Warne, never afraid to test the boundaries of what is acceptable in the often macho forum of Australian cricket, discovered he was losing his hair during a recent trip to a hairdresser. The 35-year-old Australian leg-spinner, who holds the world record for most Test wickets at 583, signed up with a hair replacement company, that had previously featured retired international cricketers Graham Gooch and Greg Matthews in its advertising.
— AP |
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BCCI chief demands cricket stadium in Haryana
Chandigarh, June 14 Participating in the debate on the Budget presented by the Finance Minister, Mr Birender Singh, on June 9, Mr Mahendra said Punjab had such a stadium in Mohali. He said the only cricket stadium in Haryana at Faridabad “was dead”, due to high pollution in the industrial township. England and Australia had refused to play in Faridabad. Mr Mahendra demanded land in Gurgaon for setting up of a cricket stadium. He said a multi-purpose sports stadium should also be set up in the state, preferably in
Karnal, which should be named after the India-born astronaut, Ms Kalpana
Chawla. He said the government should not allow “goonda tax”, which was being charged by lease-holders of quarries in Bhiwani district, to be reimposed in a different shape. Mr Mahendra also urged the state government to approach the Centre for reviving the scheme of setting up mini-stadiums in villages. |
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Agassi pulls out
of Wimbledon
London, June 14 Agassi said in a statement released by the organisers that it was a regrettable decision and he would miss playing in the tournament. The exact nature of his injury was not disclosed. Agassi, 35, who is ranked sixth in the world, won his first grand slam title when he defeated Croatian Goran Ivanisevic in a five-set Wimbledon final in 1992. The American has since won four Australian Opens, two US Opens and one French Open. Women’s world number 14 Elena Bovina of Russia has also withdrawn from Wimbledon because of a shoulder injury. — Reuters
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Germany have a lot to prove
Frankfurt, June 14 Germany need to convince local supporters that they have a chance of winning the World Cup they are hosting next year, while showing the world that the country will be up to the demands of staging the 32-team tournament. For coach Juergen Klinsmann, the match at the new Waldstadion in Frankfurt is a chance to put his faith in the team's aggressive style to the test, after a diet of friendly matches since he took over in late July. ''Our philosophy is very clearly weighted towards attack, with our speed and readiness to run at our opponents,'' said Klinsmann, who can look forward to further group games against Argentina and Tunisia. ''We'll continue to
practice all the things we've been working on for the past 10 months and we won't change our plans if we make one or two small mistakes. ''The players have worked hard and that brings you self-confidence.'' Klinsmann needs a good start in Germany's first competitive action since a deflating first-round exit at Euro 2004. The defence has been criticised after a 2-2 draw with Russia in the side's last friendly. Klinsmann must decide whether to play Patrick Owomoyela at right back or bring in Bernd Schneider to give an inexperienced backline more authority. Bastian Schweinsteiger secured his place in midfield with a two-goal performance against Russia and Lukas Podolski, the other exciting young prospect in the squad, should start up front alongside Kevin Kuranyi. Australia have played well in the Confederations Cup on two previous occasions, reaching the final in 1997 and finishing third four years later. Coach Frank Farina is hoping to have Mark Viduka fit enough after a hamstring injury to lead the forward line, with John Aloisi pushing hard to partner him. ''The Germans are in a similar position to us,'' said Aloisi from the team's hotel in Frankfurt. ''They haven't played proper international games for the last year or two so they'll be looking forward to showing everyone that they'll be ready for the World Cup. Let's just hope they're not ready against us.'' World champions Brazil are in Group B along with Mexico, Greece and |
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Argentina probables eye World Cup places
Berlin, June 14 Argentina have already qualified for the 2006 finals in Germany and coach Jose Pekerman is resting more experienced players such as Hernan Crespo, who scored twice in the 3-1 victory over Brazil last week that secured their place. Defender Roberto Ayala and midfielder Cristian ''Kily'' Gonzalez are also rested while Boca Juniors goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri and River Plate midfield duo Luis Gonzalez and Javier Mascherano are not included because their teams are involved in the Libertadores Cup. Their absence gives fringe players such as defenders Gonzalo Rodriguez, Gabriel Milito and Martin Demichelis, midfielder Lucas Bernardi and forwards Cesar Delgado, Mario Santana and Luciano Galletti a chance to stake a place in the squad. Others, such as Real Madrid defender Walter Samuel and Valencia midfielder Pablo Aimar, will hope to relaunch their international careers after absences during the last year. Tunisia arrive in Germany fresh from a 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Guinea on Saturday and determined to create an upset. ''We are not here to make up the numbers,'' Tunisia's French coach Roger Lemerre said of his team's Confederations Cup debut. ''We aim to trouble the big teams.'' However, Lemerre will also have Tunisia's bid to reach the World Cup finals for a third successive time on his mind. Hampered by a strong run in their group by north African rivals Morocco, whom they trail by a point with three games to play, Tunisia play their next qualifier against Kenya in August. French-born Rangers striker Hamed Namouchi has joined the squad and is one of several late additions in recent months to a Tunisian side who have benefited greatly from the inclusion of foreign-born players in their team. Argentina and Tunisia also face Australia and Germany in group A. The tournament runs until June 29.
— Reuters |
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Dutch striker held on rape charge
Amsterdam, June 14 The 21-year-old Van Persie was arrested yesterday following an alleged incident over the weekend. He could be held for a maximum of three days without a formal charge. Arsenal refused to comment on the report. Van Persie, born in Rotterdam, was in the Dutch national squad for World Cup qualifiers against Romania and Finland last week. He joined Arsenal last year from Feyenoord and had a mixed first season in England under manager Arsene Wenger. Sent off in a 1-1 Premier League draw at Southampton in February, which he described as his absolute low point last week, Van Persie’s form improved in the latter stages of the season. He scored twice in a 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers, that sealed Arsenal’s place in last month’s FA Cup final against Manchester United. Arsenal won the cup following a penalty shootout, in which Van Persie converted one of the spot-kicks, and he made his international debut as a substitute against Romania.
— Reuters |
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Henin hungry for Wimbledon crown
London, June 14 A fractured knee in November drew a depressing line under a year that had begun with victory at the Australian Open and included an unlikely gold medal at the Athens Olympics, but was mostly spent dealing with an energy-sapping viral infection. When she returned to the circuit in April in Miami her ranking was down in the 40s, Serena Williams had taken her Australian Open crown and a legion of hungry Russians seemed set to take the game by storm. Since her defeat to Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals at Miami, however, the petite Belgian former world number one has looked unstoppable, and unbeatable. At Roland Garros earlier this month, she battled past US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova after saving two match points in the fourth round, obliterated Wimbledon champion Sharapova in the quarterfinals and then humiliated home favourite Mary Pierce to win the title for the second time. Now the steely 23-year-old is setting her sights on completing her set of all four Grand Slam titles by winning Wimbledon, having fallen at the last hurdle four years ago against Venus Williams. She is leaving nothing to chance this time. After her French triumph she withdrew from the traditional warm-up event in Eastbourne, on England’s south coast, preferring to rest so that she arrives at the All-England Club firing on all cylinders. “You have to be realistic,” said Henin-Hardenne, explaining why she had opted not to play any competitive matches on grass before the championships begin next Monday. “What I did two years ago, going to play two weeks after winning the French Open was crazy. “In spite of the euphoria, I have to be realistic. Maybe if I prepare for Wimbledon not as well as that time it will work out better for me.’’ The fact that Henin-Hardenne has won 24 consecutive matches on clay, the most gruelling surface in the sport, is proof in itself that there is nothing wrong with her stamina. While she is still a self-confessed workaholic on the practice court with coach Carlos Rodriguez, the difference now is that she knows when to stop. “I will not play three weeks in a row now,” she said. “It’s been a lot of matches in the last few weeks. I won’t do the same mistakes as in the past. I want to be ready for Wimbledon.” On the evidence of Paris, a fresh Henin-Hardenne will take some stopping. With a beefed-up serve and a backhand that is the envy of everybody in the sport, Roger Federer included, she will start at the All-England Club as one of the prime contenders to knock Sharapova off her throne. “I think I can fight a lot on the court and I’m feeling better and better each week,” said Henin-Hardenne, who has bounced back up to world number seven. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to be at my best level any more but I think I proved it many times in the past few weeks that I’m back.” At 1.67 tall, Henin-Hardenne is dwarfed by some of her rivals but after she cut her last 24 opponents down to size few will relish standing in her way.
— Reuters |
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Navratilova loses in first round
Den Bosch (The Netherlands), June 14 The 48-year-old American reached the second round at Wimbledon last year but lost to Gisela Dulko 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. In her first-round victory last year, Navratilova became the oldest woman since 1922 to win a singles match at Wimbledon. Organisers said Navratilova could still get a wild card to play singles at this year’s tournament, but the nine-time Wimbledon singles champion said she had no plans to play.
— AP |
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Sasikiran suffers shock defeat
Paks (Hungary), June 14 |
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Narang finishes eighth
New Delhi, June 14 Narang was in excellent touch in the preliminary round as he shot a series of 99, 100, 99, 100, 99 and 99 for a total of 596/600 to be sixth among the eight finalists. But in the final, his form suddenly dipped as he came up with the worst score of 99.6 points for a total of 695.6 points. Among the other Indians, Manoj Kumar finished 48th with a score of 590 while Abhinav Bindra did not start, according to information received here. The gold medal went to Ryan Tanoue of USA with a total of 699.5 points (597 + 102.5), the silver to Romania’s George Alin Moldoveanu 699.4 (597 + 102.4) and bronze to Young Sueb Lim of Korea 698.5 (597 + 101.5). Narang’s fine show, together with that of Samresh Jung (50m pistol men) and Sushma Rana (25m pistol women), who both finished 15th in their respective events, were the highlights of the 19-member Indian contingent’s show in the tournament, which was on from June 6 to 13. In the women’s 10m air rifle, Deepali Deshpande was unlucky to miss a place in the final despite ending with a total of 396/400.
— PTI |
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