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England set Aussies 423 to win
News Analysis
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Seminar on hockey
Anand in sight of win
Bhupathi-Damm crash out
India lose to Fiji
Bhatia is Haryana tennis body chief
Chinese shuttlers on medal quest
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India go down 0-1 to Spain Amstelveen, August 14 The Pool A encounter saw India being kept on the tenterhooks in the first half by a rampaging Spain, who scored through Pol Amat in the 25th minute. The Indians put up a much-improved show after the lemon break, but the Champions Trophy holders proved a tough nut to crack and held on to their slender lead to gain three points from the match played at the Wagner Stadium. Earlier, Asian Games champions South Korea comprehensively beat England 5-1. Jang Jong Hyun dominated the match with two goals (in 13th and 51st minutes) while Seo Jong Ho (33rd), Kang Seong Jung (35th) and Lee Sung Min (66th) added to Korea’s tally. Ben Hawes converted a penalty stroke for England (22nd min). Spain started the game with a purpose and caught the Indian defence napping on several occasions. One such lapse by the Indians saw the Maurits Hendriks-coached team surge into lead when Amat slammed in a powerful shot from the right of the goal post after Ignace Tirkey lost the ball in the middle. Ignace was not the only culprit as mistrappings and poor possession marked India’s show in the first half. Had it not been for a couple of good saves by goalkeeper Devesh Chauhan, they would have gone down by a bigger margin. However, the former Olympic champions regrouped after the break to dominate the proceedings, but in vain. Forward Deepak Thakur and Gagan Ajit Singh, playing in his first tournament after Olympics last August, built up a good move, but were thwarted by an alert Spanish defence. Luck also seemed to desert the Indians as they missed several chances to equalise, the most prominent being in the 62nd minute when Rajpal
Singh’s gallant effort was padded away by the rival goalkeeper and Ignace Tirkey failed to make most of the rebound, his reverse flick going over
the bar. India earned their second penalty corner of the match three minutes from the close, but made a mess of the chance with skipper Dilip Tirkey shooting way off the mark. India would next play against Germany on Tuesday after a rest day tomorrow. The Koreans dictated terms from the outset. They took the lead with a well-directed dragflick from Jang
Jong Hyun giving no chane for England goalkeeper Jon Ebsworth. England played patchily and lacked the penetration with their young midfielders lacking imagination in setting up things for the forwards. However, they found their celebration moments after two penalty corner attempts were foiled by Korean custodian Ko Dong Sik, the latter
leading to a stroke, which Ben Hawes converted to restore parity. But this was about the only bright moment for England as Korea took control with two goals in quick succession beforethe half time. It was a rasping reverse shot from Seo Jong Ho, followed by Kang Seong Jung’s penalty corner. After the changeover, Korea continued with gay abandon, pumping in two more goals against the hapless substitute England goalkeeper Nick Brothers. An unmarked Jang Jong Hyun sent one crashing through from the top of the circle and Lee Sung Min rounded off the tally four minutes from the end to complete the rout. Rajinder blames seniors A hapless coach Rajinder Singh Jr. today blamed the senior players for India's loss to Spain. Without taking names, the coach said it was these well experienced forwards who faltered and played below their potential. "There was mispassing and faulty trapping," Rajinder said. He further stated that he was not averse to the idea of playing the relatively junior players in the starting eleven during the course of the eight-day
tournament. Spanish coach Maurits Hendriks was also surprised at the Indian forwards performance. "I think they played well below par and we were
lucky to get three points," he said. Hendriks further stated that it appeared to be a different Indian squad in the second half with more ball possession, but their star forwards need to find their flow and rhythm if they are to win. — PTI
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England set Aussies 423 to win
Manchester, August 14 England declared their second innings on 280 for six from 61.5 overs, leaving the world champions around 40 minutes to survive before the close at Old Trafford. Strauss scored 106, his sixth Test century and his first against Australia, and put on 127 for the third wicket with Ian Bell (65) before England called a halt. Geraint Jones put the finishing touches with two huges sixes in the final over. He slogged 27 not out off 12 balls. Glenn McGrath, back after missing the second Test with an ankle injury, took five for 115, going at five runs an over. Australia were booed and jeered for their go-slow tactics during England's second innings. Australia in reply were 24 for no loss in their second innings at stumps. Simon Jones Test-best return strengthened England’s grip on the third Test against Australia at Old Trafford here today. Australia, who dropped four catches in England’s first innings, missed another chance when Strauss, on one, edged fast bowler Brett Lee between slips Warne and Australian captain Ricky Ponting, with the score on 14 and neither fieldsman going for the opportunity. Following a rain-marred third day, when only 14 overs were possible, Warne started Sunday on 78 not out and Jason Gillespie unbeaten on seven. But leg-spin legend Warne, who earlier in this match became the first bowler to take 600 Test wickets, should have been back in the pavilion after twice being given reprieves yesterday by England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones. On 55, Warne was enticed down the pitch by left-arm spinner Ashley Giles, only for Jones to fumble the stumping. With the batsman on 68, the keeper dropped a routine waist-high chance off Andrew Flintoff. After some steady play today by both batsmen, Warne, in his 126th Test, cut first change Jones first ball for four to go to 90. But Jones second ball saw Warne hook a short-pitched delivery straight to Ashley Giles at deep square leg. Warne, whose forlorn expression indicated he could barely believe what he had done, faced 122 balls and hit one six and It was a desperate way for the 35-year-old, who had made 99 against New Zealand at Perth in 2001-02, to exit. However, Warne, the scorer of 2,688 Test runs, the most without a hundred, could take some pride in being the only Australian batsman in the innings to score more than 34. His eighth-wicket stand of 86 with Gillespie took Australia to 287 for eight, still 157 in arrears. Warne’s departure brought Lee, whose 43 not out almost saw Australia home at Edgbaston, to the crease. But this time, Lee managed just one before he edged reverse swing specialist Jones to first slip, where Trescothick took a fine two-handed catch diving to his left. Gillespie, now with last man Glenn McGrath at the other end, pulled Jones for six before the son of former England left-arm quick Jeff had him leg before for 26. McGrath was one not out. Scoreboard England 1st innings 444 Australia
1st innings Langer c Bell b Giles 31 Hayden lbw b Giles 34 Ponting c Bell b S. Jones 7 Martyn b Giles 20 Katich b Flintoff 17 Gilchrist c G. Jones Warne c Giles Clarke c
Flintof Gillespie lbw Lee c Trescothick McGrath not out 1 Extras
(b-8, lb-7, w-8, nb-15) 38 Total (all out in 84.2 Fall of wickets:
1-58, 2-73, 3-86, 4-119, 5-133, 6-192, 7-201, 8-287, 9-293. Bowling: Harmison 10-0-47-0, Hoggard 6-2-22-0, Flintoff 20-1-65-1, S. Jones 17.5-6-53-6, Giles 31-4-100-3. England 2nd innings Trescothick b McGrath 41 Strauss c Martyn Vaughan c sub b Lee 14 Bell c Katich b McGrath 65 Pietersen lbw McGrath 0 Flintoff b McGrath 5 G. Jones not out 27 Giles not out 0 Extras
(b-5, lb-2, w-1, Total
(6 wickets declared, Fall of wickets:
1-64, , 2-97, 3-224, 4-225, 5-248 , 6-264 . Bowling: McGrath 20.5-1-115-5, Lee 12 0-60-1,Warne 25 3-75-0, Gillespie 4-0-23-0.
— AFP, Reuters |
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Laxman, Kumble deserved the axe
Abhijit Chatterjee The three-nation tournament in Sri Lanka (where India finished a poor second after having lost all their three matches against the hosts, two in the league and then again in the final) might have dented Greg Chappell’s plans of building up team India for the 2007 World Cup, but the stress on youth is fairly evident in the team selected for the tri-nation tournament in Zimbabwe, starting later this month. Even in Zimbabwe the tournament has probably already been reduced to a two-horse race given the fact that the game is in tatters in the host country. This makes the task of Greg Chappell a little easier. But given the inconsistency of the Indian cricket team, the Australian will probably be always sitting on the edge of his seat everytime his team goes out to play. The axing of Anil Kumble and V.V.S. Laxman from the one-day squad is along expected lines. While age is definitely catching up with the former, the latter has never shown the urgency needed of a No. 3 batsman. Both got their chances in Sri Lanka but failed to capitalise on them. Kumble played two matches in Sri Lanka but looked jaded and worn out when it mattered, the final against the hosts. More than going wicketless, his bowling failed to keep the Sri Lankans on a leash, once his hallmark in international cricket. Picking Kumble for Sri Lanka was a sure sign that the selectors had him in reckoning for the next World Cup but now it could well be the end of the road for him, specially if his replacement in the one-day squad, Murali Kartik, comes good as the second spinner in the squad. But then Kartik has been in and out of the Indian team so many times that he must be wondering what he can do to cement his place in the squad and this question mark is bound to affect his bowling, specially in the crunch situations. Laxman, however, can have few complaints for being axed from the squad. He has been given a number of chances but except for a few purple patches here and there he seldom looked confident. Even in Sri Lanka he had his chances but failed to grab them. He will probably remain an enigma, an excellent Test cricketer who could never make it in the shorter version of the game. Age is on his side, but one-day cricketing talent isn’t. One feels sorry for Laxmipathi Balaji. Not so long ago, in India’s historic tour of Pakistan, he was the hero not only for the Indians but also of the Pakistanis who in spite of losing the one-day series were willing to lionise the Tamil Nadu fast bowler. Balaji did nothing of note in Sri Lanka in his one outing where he finished with one wicket for 48 runs from 10 overs. Maybe, he has to return to the nets to hone his bowling skills again because India can ill-afford to see a player of his calibre on the sidelines. The weak opposition which India will face in Zimbabwe should give Greg Chappell to give more matches to the likes of Suresh Raina, Venegopal Rao and J.P. Yadav — the only member of the team in Sri Lanka who could not play a single match during the tour. Yadav could well be the elusive allrounder Indian cricket is looking for ever since the retirement of Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar but then time is slowing running out for Yadav who is already 30 years old. For Raina and Rao, who did well in the limited opportunities they got in Sri Lanka, the tour of Zimbabwe may well be the turning point in their career. The inclusion of Uttar Pradesh’s 19-year-old Rudra Pratap Singh in the squad in place of the out-of-form Zaheer Khan, who had a very horrible time in Sri Lanka, should be welcome because it has given yet another left arm option to the team. Also, even if Zaheer is able to make a comeback, Rudra Pratap, who has age on his side, could be a very serious contender for he World Cup bench strength if not a place in the actual playing eleven.
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Seminar on hockey
Chandigarh, August 14 The meeting, attended by senior sports journalists of various newspapers and office-bearers of the CSJA, also decided to invite Olympians, coaches and others associated with the game to the seminar. The meeting also mourned the untimely demise of veteran sports journalist Darryl Crasto, who passed away in Mumbai this morning. Terming his death as an irreparable loss to the fraternity, the CSJA, while lauding his services, offered condolences to the bereaved family. Crasto, who was a former president of the SJFI, was also the president of the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai. |
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Anand in sight of win
Mainz, August 14 Even with Anand going a bit haywire, the lead remained unchanged in this high-profile contest, being also touted as the world rapid championship. With 4 points in his kitty, Anand was still in command, needing just half a point from the last two games as Grischuk, having two points so far, had a daunting task on hand to beat Anand twice before forcing a playoff for the crown. Interestingly, the Russian decided to play the Ordix Open, another rapid event which was a part of the Classic, earlier in the day. Grischuk, the defending champion in this section, probably considered the match against Anand already over and decided to play the open section, where he started off with five victories on the trot to share a six-way lead. Grandmaster and world junior champion P. Harikrishna was on four points in this section. Anand drew the fifth game of the match without much ado in just 22 moves, but failed to keep the balance ticking in the next one and went down after an intense struggle, leaving Grischuk in with a chance to come back in the match. The fifth game saw Grischuk up against the same variation that Anand had employed in his previous black game, but could not do much as Anand liquidated the centre in quick time. Grischuk was a pawn less at the time of draw agreement, with enough compensation. However, the white pieces, for once, became a cause of concern for Anand. It was another Sicilian defence with a twist in the tale as Anand’s idea of transposition to less trodden paths in the opening did not come good. Sacrificing a pawn early in the opening, Anand had sufficient piece play, but Grischuk’s timely strike in the centre as well as on the queenside forced trading of queens. Further liquidation at regular intervals led the game in to a minor piece endgame, that was child’s play for Grischuk. Anand called it a day after 49 moves. Speaking about the sixth game, Anand said, “It was one of those games, where you know you should not do it but you still play the bad moves.” Grischuk was in a fine mood after five victories in the Ordix and the first one against Anand. “I had not won any game for about three months now and I just wanted to score some victories, so I decided to give it a shot,” the Russian said.
— PTI |
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Bjorn ties with Mickelson
Springfield, August 14 Bjorn began a sweltering hot day at the Baltusrol Golf Club at two over par yesterday, 10 strokes behind overnight leader Mickelson, whose rousing 65 on Friday put him at
eight-under 132.
The 34-year-old Dane blistered the famed Lower Course with eight birdies against a lone bogey for a seven-under 63, that left him at five-under 205.
The Dane then watched from the clubhouse as Mickelson fell back towards him on a steamy day with temperatures hovering above 100°F.
Mickelson bogeyed the second, fifth and sixth holes to yield sole possession of the lead as the American left-hander struggled to keep his tee shots out of the rough. Davis Love, the 1997 US PGA champion, got to six under after opening with two birdies, but bogeyed back-to-back holes from the sixth to drop to
four under. Mickelson’s travails also brought world number one Tiger Woods back into the picture. Woods, who had to birdie his last hole on Friday to make the cut, shook off the disappointment of his first two rounds to fire a four-under 66 and reach even-par 210. Other players were also making a charge. Briton Greg Owen birdied the ninth hole to reach four under and then had a birdie putt at the 10th, that would have given him a share of the lead, graze the edge of the cup. In the clubhouse at four-under 206 was unheralded American Pat Perez, who used four birdies on the back nine to post a 67 as he sought his first victory on the US Tour. At three under were twice US Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa (through 16), defending champion Vijay Singh of Fiji (12) and Australian Stuart Appleby (12). Woods could have moved closer to contention, but had to settle for pars on the two finishing par-fives, considered possible birdie holes for the long hitters. “It is disappointing because I had opportunities on the back nine and could have been three shots better,” said Woods, who had come to Baltusrol in the hunt for his third major win of the season after victories at the US Masters and British Open. Other early starters also found the scoring good on the 7,392-yard layout. Charles Howell posted the first ace of the tournament when his ball hopped into the hole at the 194-yard, par-three fourth. The lanky American, who began the day at one over par, shot a two-under 68 for a one-under 209 total. Bjorn, coming off a missed cut at the British Open and a tie for 52nd place at the US Open in his last two Majors, surprised himself with his Baltusrol performance. “I came in here without many expectations,” he said. “It was just one of those days. I got the breaks and I got the putts rolling in. It was just a special day.” The Dane’s 63, the 22nd recorded in a Major, also matched the record for the low round at the club’s classic Lower Course, shared by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf.
— Reuters |
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Dibaba clinches historic double
Helsinki, August 14 The 19-year-old led home an Ethiopian clean sweep yesterday, as they had done in the 10,000m, on a day that saw several other athletes celebrate double titles. Moroccan Jouad Gharib retained his marathon title while Dwight Phillips of the USA held on to his long jump crown.Phillips’ compatriot Lauryn Williams won her second gold of the championships in the women’s 4x100m relay while French 110m hurdler Ladji Doucoure also won a second title as France won their first-ever world title in the 4x100m relay. Yulia Pechonkina ascended into maiden title territory as Russia’s world record holder finally translated that success into gold in the 400m hurdles while hosts Finland celebrated their first medal when Tommi Evila won the long jump bronze. Tanzania celebrated their first-ever World Athletics Championships medal as Christopher Isegwe took silver behind Gharib and Great Britain won their first medal of the 2005 event as the 4x100m relay team, Olympic champions last year, took bronze behind France. Dibaba’s elder sister Ejegayabu took her second bronze of the championships to make it a family affair. “I am happy and content with my medals, but even more delighted with what Tirunesh has achieved here. It is a success for her and also for our family,” said the 23-year-old. Their success was rubber-stamped by the manner in which they ran the race tactically and learning from the mistakes they made in the Olympic 10,000m final, when they thought they had lapped the eventual winner Huina Xing. This time, she was left for dead on the final lap. “We were cleverer this time round,” admitted Dibaba senior. Marathon man Gharib too was impressive, breaking clear just before the 30km mark, and never to be challenged again. The race took its toll, with both Olympic champion Stefano Baldini and bronze medallist from Athens, Vanderlei di Lima, failing to finish. Gharib, 33, threatened to carry on and go for another gold in two years’ time. “I will see if I can continue and win a third title in Osaka in 2007,” he said, which would make him the first man to do so. For Williams, victory in the relay meant redemption after last year’s Olympics, where a mix-up with former golden girl Marion Jones left the baton on the ground. Williams said the victory was important not only to them, but to the men’s relay team, who had failed to make their final after they dropped the baton in the heats. “The atmosphere was really bad after the men’s race on Friday, so it was important we came through and raised the morale,” said Williams. “I always hoped for two gold medals the whole way through. This is particularly sweet after what happened in Athens last year.” While Pechonkina produced a truly champion performance to make up for two minor medal placings in previous World Athletics Championships, and last place in the Olympic final, there was an equally impressive showing by bronze medallist Sandra Glover of the USA. At 36, and the oldest member of the team, she ran a personal best to add bronze to the silver she won in 2003.
— AFP |
Montreal, August 14 The 35-year-old Agassi would be bidding for his third Canadian crown. Agassi won previously here in 1992, 1994 and 1995. Nadal, the reigning French Open champion, moved another step closer to his first career hardcourt title by defeating Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 7-5 in the other semifinal. Nadal, who won his 15th straight match, was serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, but was broken at love. But the left-hander broke back in the next game and saved a break point in the final game to improve his ATP-best record to 64-8 this year, including 15-4 on hard courts. Nadal, who dropped to his knees and pumped his arms after the victory, had won eight titles this year, tying with world number one Roger Federer for the ATP Tour lead, but all had come on clay. The Spaniard claimed Masters Series titles in Monte Carlo and Rome, but lost in a thrilling five-set final to Federer in the hardcourt event in Miami. LOS ANGELES: Belgium’s Kim Clijsters maintained her bid for a fourth US hardcourt title of the season with a comfortable 6-2, 6-4 victory over Italy’s Francesca Schiavone to ease into the Los Angles Open final on Saturday. The fifth-seeded Clijsters would line up against Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova, who reached her first final in more than a year with a 6-3, 6-4 upset of Russian third seed Elena Dementieva. Clijsters improved her 2005 record on American hardcourts to 24-1 by frustrating the Italian with her dogged retrieving and hard, well-placed groundstrokes. Despite delighting the crowd with her stylish play and loud yells, Schiavone was unable to offer enough variation to keep Clijsters at bay. The 22-year-old Hantuchova cracked 20 winners and won 85 per cent of her first serve points. STOCKHOLM: Russia’s Anastasia Myskina reached the final of the Stockholm Open on Saturday with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Emilie Loit of France. The former French Open champion found her stride after a tentative start, in which she struggled to fend off her left-handed opponent in the opening games of the match. The world number 14 would next face Slovenian fifth seed Katarina Srebotnik, who beat Russian Vera Douchevina in a semifinal match interrupted by rain. Srebotnik rubbed out her 19-year-old opponent 6-0 in the opening set and went on to win a tight second
set 7-5. — AFP, Reuters |
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Bhupathi-Damm crash out
New Delhi, August 14 Bhupathi and Damm played some ordinary tennis in the first set, but raised their game in the next to stretch their rivals. Their effort was not enough as they lost the match in 110 minutes, according to information received here today.
— PTI |
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New Delhi, August 14 Irungbam Surkumar Singh’s goal in the 10th minute put the visitors ahead, but the side failed to maintain the lead for long as Luke Vidovi netted the equaliser 15 minutes later, according to information received here. Seasoned campaigner Esala Masi, who scored the lone goal in Friday’s match, did the trick for the home side this time as well, slamming home the winner in the 61st minute, helping Fiji make a 2-0 clean sweep. The defeat for India, 10 places ahead of Fiji in the FIFA rankings, came close on the heels of the 1-1 draw to lowly Pakistan in a three-match away series in June.
— PTI |
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Bhatia is Haryana tennis body chief
Chandigarh, August 14 Former Haryana Finance Minister Sampat Singh was elected Chairman of the association. The other office-bearers are: R.K. Sharma (Senior Vice-President), D.R. Jain and Raman Saluja (Vice-Presidents) Suman Kapur (Secretary), and S. Marriya (Treasurer). Mr Bhatia said the Haryana Tennis Association would host the ITF Junior Tournament either at Panchkula or at Gurgaon. |
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Chinese shuttlers on medal quest
Anaheim (California), August 14 China head to the International Badminton Federation World Championships as the top seeds in men’s singles, women’s singles and women’s doubles. “We will not set any gold medal quota on the team, instead we only require them to do their best,” Chinese chef de mission Liu Feng-yan has said.
— AFP |
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