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Africa edge out Asia in cliffhanger
Tendulkar starts mild practice
Twenty20 set to make India debut
Thumping win for New Zealand
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Ashes reignites England’s cricket passion
Momentum back on our side: McGrath
Pay raise for Younis, Afridi
India desperate to stem the rot
FIH warns Pak team
Neelam yet to approach AFI
Top runners for Delhi Half Marathon
Athletics meet begins tomorrow
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Africa edge out Asia in cliffhanger Centurion, August 17 Chasing 199 for victory, last man Ashish Nehra was bowled by South African paceman Dale Steyn off the first ball of the penultimate over when only three runs were needed for victory. The Asians got off to a brisk start with Virender Sehwag and Kumar Sangakkara having things their way against Shaun Pollock and Dale
Steyn. They added 50 runs for the opening wicket in 10 overs before Pollock showed why he is regarded as one of the great seam bowlers of the current era. In one over, the African skipper removed Sehwag, Yousuf Youhana and super-sub Mohammad Ashraful to reduce the Asians to 52 for three. Asia XI was looking towards its captain Inzamam-ul Haq to bail them out but, for once, he fell to a mistimed pull off the African substitute Justin Kemp. Shahid Afridi hit out for a while but it was too good to last and when Sangakkara also played on to Kallis, the visitors were reduced to 96 for
six. It needed the experienced campaigner Anil Kumble, left out of the Indian one-day squad for the Zimbabwe tri-series, and Abdul Razzaq to steady the ship with a 56 run partnership which brought the Asians back into the game. With the asking rate never really a concern, it seemed that the Asians will reach the target, but Kallis trapped Kumble in front for a well-made 24 with 47 still required for victory. Zaheer Khan joined Razzaq and they took the team to within 30 of victory before the Pakistan all-rounder nicked left-arm spinner Nicky Boje to Boucher for 38, the highest individual score for the Asians. Shoaib Akhtar and Zaheer then chanced their arm to take the team to within touching distance of the target. The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ lifted Kemp over long-off for a six to bring Asia XI within a hit of victory. But Shoaib was dismissed off the very next ball and last man Nehra could not see the team through. Earlier, put in to bat, the Africans relied on Ashwell Prince’s unbeaten 78 to recover from early jolts and post a fighting total. Africa XI had crumbled to 57 for five at one stage before recovering through an 84-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Prince and Mark Boucher (42). The team had managed to get off to a decent start with openers AB de Villiers and Boeta Dippenaar adding 39 runs in 6.4 overs before Shoaib Akhtar got the breakthrough, trapping de Villiers in front of the stumps. Zaheer Khan then struck three quick blows getting rid of Boeta Dippenaar, Justine Ontong and Jacques Kallis in the space of nine runs. Ashish Nehra then dismissed Steve Tikolo for a duck. Boucher and Prince then steadied the ship and worked on singles and two to bring the innings back on track. But the spin legends Mutthiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble put paid to African ambitions of a bigger total by tightening the screws in the later overs to restrict them to less than 200. Scoreboard Africa XI: De Villiers lbw Shoaib 24 Dippenaar c Sehwag b Zaheer 14 Kallis c Nehra b Zaheer 4 Ontong lbw b Zaheer 0 Prince not out 78 Tikolo c Sangakkara b Nehra 0 Boucher lbw Muralitharan 42 Pollock b Kumble 2 Boje c Sangakkara bAfridi 3 Kemp lbw Shoaib 4 Steyn run out 3 Extras
(lb-7, nb-6, w11): 24 Total (all out in 44.3 overs):
198 Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-44, 3-44, 4-53, 5-57, 6-141, 7-152, 8-164, 9-174. Bowling:
Shoaib 7.3-0-40-2, Zaheer 8-0-37-3, Nehra 5-12-19-1, Razzaq 3-0-17-0, Kumble 10-0-39-1, Muralitharan 9-1-26-1, Afridi 2-0-13-1. Asia XI: Sangakkara b Kallis 35 Sehwag c Boucher b Pollock 21 Youhana c Boucher b Pollock 1 Ashraful c Tikolo b Pollock 0 Inzamam-ul-Haq c Dippenaar b Kemp 6 Afridi c Boucher b Kallis 13 Razzaq c Boucher b Boje 38 Kumble lbw Kallis 24 Zaheer not out 20 Akhtar c Ontong b Kemp 15 Nehra b Steyn 1 Extras
(lb-2, nb-4, w-16): 22 Total (all out, 48.1 overs):
196 Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-52, 3-52, 4-59,5-89, 6-96, 7-152, 8-169, 9-193, 10-196. Bowling:
Pollock 10-1-32-3, Steyn 9.1-2-40-1, Kemp 9-0-40-2, Kallis 10-2-42-3, Boje 10-1-40-1.
— PTI
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Tendulkar starts mild practice
Mumbai, August 17 The master batsman also sounded cautious about whether he would be able to play in the two-Test series against Zimbabwe next month, for which he had been selected, subject to getting fit. “I started practising yesterday. It was not a full session. I batted against season balls bowled at a slow pace of 40 mph and not 90 mph, which I have to face in matches. I faced around 35 or 40 balls,” Tendulkar said today. “I have to take gradual steps (to get fit). The next step would be to practise longer with the season ball. I used to practise with a special ball, something which is in between (in hardness) a tennis and season ball so that the impact (on elbow) is not too much,” the ace batsman said. Asked whether he would be fit for the second half of the Zimbabwe tour, Tendulkar said, “It is too early to say as I started practising only yesterday,” he said. Tendulkar said he had not rushed his comeback into the national team last time around, when he played two Tests against Australia and then took part in the full series in Bangladesh as well as the home rubber against Pakistan. “Last time, I did not have surgery. This time, I had a tendon tear and had to undergo surgery. I do not think I rushed my comeback (last season),” Tendulkar said. “I had played in the 2003 World Cup with an injured finger, which was later operated upon. I was eager to play and contribute to the team. Sometimes it clicks, sometimes it does not,” said the master batsman. Tendulkar, who spoke to reporters at a function to unveil mobile games for Nazara Technologies, said he was looking at long-term goals and not short-term gains on the fitness front. “It is important I look at long-term plans instead of short-term goals. That is why I feel even if it takes a couple of weeks more (in making the comeback), it is okay,” he said. “I will know how much impact my elbow is going to take only when I practise and play more,” Tendulkar added. Tendulkar has been troubled by the elbow injury since August 2004, when the team went to play a tri-series in Holland, featuring India, Australia and Pakistan. He did not play a single match in that rain-marred event. He travelled with the team, hoping his elbow would improve, to England for the NatWest Challenge one-day series against the hosts, followed by the ICC Champions Trophy, but was not fit enough to take part. Tendulkar missed the first two Tests of the four-match home series against Australia that followed, but came back into the team in the third Test at Nagpur. He underwent surgery at the end of the home series against Pakistan and missed India’s tri-nation engagement in Sri Lanka. He would miss the tri-series in Zimbabwe commencing later this month and was fighting to get fit for the two-Test rubber commencing on September 13.
— PTI |
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Twenty20 set to make India debut
Bangalore, August 17 From Friday, six teams will slug it out in the Unibic Twenty20 cricket championship for the Bradman Cup here. They are Karnataka State Cricket Association KSCA, Bradman World XI and Chemplast in Group A, and New South Wales (NSW), Air India and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) in Group B. The tournament will feature many of the known names of international cricket, with
the three-day contest promising to throw up some pulsating duels. Bradman World XI appear to be the favourites on paper. They boast of the likes of Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal and Mohammed Sami from Pakistan, Romesh Kaluwitharana and Russel Arnold from Sri Lanka and Ajit Agarkar, M.S. Dhoni and Javagal Srinath. Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka, scheduled to take part, is not coming. Also missing from the list is South Africa’s Lance Klusener. Chemplast will feature speedster L. Balaji. The six teams will play on a league-cum-knockout basis a twenty-over game. The first day
will see three matches: CAB vs Air India (11.30 am), NSW vs Air India (3 pm) and Bradman XI vs KSCA (6.30 pm); on Saturday NSW will take on CAB (3 pm), while Bradman XI will clash with Chemplast (6.30 pm). KSCA is pitted against Chemplast on Sunday (3 pm), followed by the final at 6.30 pm. According to the rules for TWENTY20 matches, duration of each innings is 75 minutes; teams will incur a six-run penalty if they fail to bowl the full 20 overs; fielding restrictions apply for the first six overs of each innings; each bowler is allowed a maximum of four overs; a five-run penalty is incurred for time-wasting by batsmen; no-balls will be penalised by a free-hit next ball; a batsman cannot be out from a free-hit delivery unless he is run out. Coinciding with the event, sponsored by Australia’s biscuit-maker Unibic, Bradman Foundation, a non-charitable trust, is slated to be launched here, officials said. |
Bulawayo, August 17 The visitors won by an innings and 46 runs when Zimbabwe, who needed 253 to make New Zealand bat a second time, were dismissed for 207 in their second innings at Bulawayo’s Queens Sports Club. New Zealand were bowled out for 484 earlier in the day in their reply to Zimbabwe’s first innings of 231. Bond, who returned career-best figures of six for 51 in Zimbabwe’s first innings, took four for 48 to finish with match figures of 10 for 99.
Opener Brendan Taylor top-scored for Zimbabwe with a gutsy 77 but also featured in two runouts while number nine Blessing Mahwire struck eight fours and two sixes in a 34-ball 50 not out.
New Zealand, who had dominated the first two days, resumed on their overnight 454 for seven but were dismissed in the 12th over of the day’s play. Nathan Astle underpinned the innings with 128 and fast bowler Heath Streak took four for 73. Zimbabwe made a poor start to their second innings when Dion Ebrahim, who scored two, sent a looping catch to Scott Styris at second slip off Bond in the third over. The home side slipped to 19 for two in the third over before lunch after Stuart Carlisle was run out for 10 by James Marshall’s direct hit from short mid-wicket. Carlisle drove a delivery from medium pacer Chris Martin and set off on a single only to be sent back by Taylor. Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza shared 50 in a brisk stand for the third wicket before Masakadza, having hit left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori for two sixes in the over, played back to an arm-ball and was bowled for 28. Five balls later, the dangerous Craig Wishart was run out by Bond from mid-off without having faced a ball. Wishart stayed put at the non-striker’s end even as Taylor drove a delivery from Martin and sprinted for the single. Bond’s throw to wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum found Wishart well short of his ground. Zimbabwe’s fourth successive Test defeat loomed large when Taylor and captain Tatenda Taibu were both removed with the score on 146. Taylor drove loosely at a ball from Bond to be caught by Vettori at mid-on in the third over after tea. Four balls later Taibu, who scored a gritty 25, was trapped in front by Vettori. Bond removed Streak, for two, and Keith Dabengwa, for four, caught behind by McCullum but Mahwire’s belligerent maiden fifty lifted Zimbabwe above 200. The match ended when Christopher Mpofu was run out for three by Vettori’s throw from deep midwicket after he aborted a second run with Mahwire focused on celebrating his half-century. New Zealand won the first Test by an innings and 294 runs in Harare. Scoreboard Zimbabwe Ist innings
(231) New Zealand (Ist innings) Marshall c Carlisle b Streak 10 Vincent b Streak 92 Marshall run out 13 Fleming c Taibu b Mahwire 65 Astle b Streak 128 Styris c Taibu b Mahwire 45 McCullum c Taylor b Dabengwa 24 Vettori c Taibu b Dabengwa 48 Franklin lbw b Streak 19 Bond b Mahwire 8 Martin not out 0 Extras
(b-6, lb-6, nb-18, w-2): 32 Total (all out, 111.1 overs):
484 Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-48, 3-185, 4-205, 5-292, 6-346, 7-439, 8-475, 9-484, 10-484. Bowling:
Streak 22-6-73-4, Mahwire 25.1-2-121-3, Mpofu 15-1-80-0, Cremer 24-1-111-0, Dabengwa 25-2-87-2. Zimbabwe
(2nd innings) Ebrahim c Styris b Bond 2 Taylor c Vettori
b Bond 77 Carlisle run out 10 Masakadza b Vettori 28 Wishart run out 0 Taibu lbw Vettori 25 Streak c McCullum b Bond 2 Dabengwa c McCullum
b Bond 4 Mahwire not out 50 Cremer lbw Vettori 1 Mpofu run out 3 Extras
(lb-2, nb-3): 5 Total: (all out, 61.1 overs):
207 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-19, 3-69, 4-69, 5-146, 6-146, 7-153, 8-164, 9-173, 10-207. Bowling:
Bond 14-1-48-4, Franklin 10-3-24-0, Martin 12-2-47-0, Vettori 22.1-8-66-3, Styris 3-0-20-0.
— Reuters
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Ashes reignites England’s cricket passion
Manchester, August 17 But they have already won a notable victory. The England XI have made their country fall in love with cricket again. Of course, in its birthplace, the game had its faithful suitors, but they were often made to feel decidedly old-fashioned in a nation where football dominates the sporting culture. Not anymore. Cricket is ‘cool’, indeed it might just even be ‘sexy’. However, after England’s 239-run first Test defeat at Lord’s, there were many who warned it had been a great mistake in scheduling the series to coincide with the start of the football season. Yet, those who turned up at Old Trafford on Monday’s final day found themselves taking part in a scene that belonged to the era of black and white newsreels. “It is incredible, we have turned 10,000 away from the ground and the police tells us it stopped about the same coming to us from Manchester,” Jim
Cumbes, the Lancashire chief executive said. “I have never seen anything like it in 23 years of cricket administration,” he added, as replica shirt sales rocketed. “I could not believe how many people were outside the ground,” added England captain Michael Vaughan. “It is fantastic. It does show a respect for the two teams who are playing out there. It is great entertainment and the nation is talking about it.” On the field, England did everything but win at Old Trafford, where Australian captain Ricky Ponting’s seven-hour 156 kept the hosts at bay until the final four overs, when tailenders Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee held out to deny them the one wicket they craved. But it is a measure of how things have changed that while there was a sense of what might have been in the home camp, Australia were delighted to get away with a draw after England’s equally dramatic two-run second Test win at Edgbaston. And whatever else happens in the series, England have at least shown that their all-conquering opponents are human. There was a telling moment on Sunday, when the umpires intervened to tell Shane Warne to stop wasting time while he was bowling. Warne was only doing what many players from other sides would have done, but that was the point. It just seemed ‘un-Australian’, in much the same way that former captain Steve Waugh banned the use of nightwatchmen because it smacked of weakness. Now, under Ponting, Australia have reverted to both practices, although they remain a fine team. But Australia are being put under pressure in what is turning out to be the most exciting Test series since their 2000-01 series in India, where the hosts — thanks mainly to V.V.S. Laxman and Harbhajan Singh — overturned a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 in a three-match encounter.
— AFP |
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Momentum back on our side: McGrath
London, August 17 The tourists looked on course to suffer their second successive defeat to England during the closing stages at Old Trafford on Monday with last pair Brett Lee and McGrath at the crease and with four overs to survive before the close. But they scrambled to safety to ensure the draw and leave the series perfectly balanced at 1-1 going into next week’s fourth Test at Trent Bridge. Australia’s scenes of celebration were in stark contrast to the despair they experienced just eight days earlier, when they lost at Edgbaston by two runs. But despite being dominated throughout the third Test, they remain positive they hold the upper hand as series reaches its climax. “We have not been surprised by England,” seamer McGrath said yesterday. “We knew they were a quality team and they have proven that over the last 18 months”. “We have been a bit disappointed by our form. We have worked well in certain sections, but we have not really put a full Test match together.” “I thought the Lord’s Test was as well as we have played since we have been here and since then for whatever reason we have not done it,” McGrath said. “But the one thing we can take out of the last two Tests is that we have not been on the top of our game and they were two matches England should have won very convincingly. Instead of that they have walked away having just scraped a win at Edgbaston and got a draw at Old Trafford.” “They must be wondering what they have to do to beat these guys, which I guess is good from our point of view, because they are playing some very good cricket and we have got a bit of a way to go to improve.” McGrath and Lee, both rated as doubtful for the Old Trafford Test through injury, should be fitter while captain Ricky Ponting’s defiant innings of 156 on the final day has given a clear indication to the rest of the team how best to approach an innings in English conditions. Should they need any further advice, they could also turn to McGrath, whose ankle injury a year ago provided the catalyst for his vast improvement as a batsman after years of being regarded as a figure of fun. “I have been asking Ricky quite a bit this series about moving up and when I came off, I actually asked the rest of the boys what it is like to get out in this series,” smiled McGrath who has been undefeated four times in the series. “I have been working pretty hard on my batting and I feel reasonably confident in the middle, which is something that is quite new to me,” McGrath said. “When I had the ankle operation I was probably having two sessions of batting a week just facing the bowling machine. I probably faced 500 balls a week and in the past 500 balls was probably two years worth of practice.” “When you start practising regularly, you can improve and I feel comfortable with the technique I have got out there at the moment. I feel I am watching it a lot better than I used to and the head is a lot stiller. It is amazing when you actually watch a ball you can actually see it a lot better.” Lee is also confident of producing an improved display at Trent Bridge, having spent the build-up to Old Trafford in hospital for two nights being treated for an infection in his left knee. “It was not the best preparation for a Test match, to have two nights in hospital and then basically come straight out, have a two-hour drive and then go straight into training and play the next day,” added Lee, who still managed to claim five wickets in the match and survive for 44 minutes at the crease to save the match. “I bowled 40 overs and I feel like I have not even bowled a ball which is a really good sign. Maybe I was well rested from not having two days of training, but the body feels really good and the knee feels fantastic. It will be great now to fine tune it for this next Test coming up.”
— AFP |
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Pay raise for Younis, Afridi
Karachi, August 17 The one-year contracts offered last month by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to a total of 20 players award the elite group a monthly salary of Rs 2 lakh on top of match and
tour fees. “Younis and Afridi have performed outstandingly since last winter and deserved this promotion,” PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan said today.
— Reuters |
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India desperate to stem the rot
Amstelveen, August 17 India have already lost both their games in the tournament to European powerhouse Spain and world champions Germany and will now play classification matches for the fifth to eighth places in this eight-nation tournament. Their body language so far has suggested that there is something grossly wrong somewhere. Most senior players look stale and jaded and there seems to be no motivation for the sparks to fly. The
players need to get out of their shackles and be given the feeling of self-belief by the team management before the match against Pakistan, who played a goal-less draw with Spain yesterday. Even though India are not in contention for the top slots, a win over Pakistan can put them in the third place of their pool. India’s coach Rajinder Singh Junior has expressed his displeasure at the showing of his senior players here. He is not the only one, as many of their Dutch fans here feel that perhaps the Rotterdam Junior World Cup squad may have given a better account. Pakistan coach Asif Bajwa is all fired up after the draw against Spain and was exuding dollops of confidence, saying, “We will win tomorrow”. Pakistan possess a couple of world-class strikers in Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi. The forwards, coupled with sturdy midfielders like skipper Mohammad Saqlain and Ghazanfar Ali, are capable of ripping open any defence. Also goalkeeper Salman Akbar appears to be on the way to join the world’s best, the spectacular saves against Spain yesterday bearing testimony to the fact. A do-or-die effort has to come from India, with a coordinated and combined display of aggression by their forwards Deepak Thakur, Prabhjot Singh, Gagan Ajit Singh and Rajpal Singh. The midfielders, particularly Bimal Lakra and Viren Rasquinha, also need to put in something extra to make up for the deficiencies of Prabhdeep Singh and Davinder Pal Singh. Skipper Dilip Tirkey must find his rhythm and flow if the Indians are to keep their heads high, at least for the moment.
— PTI |
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FIH warns Pak team
Amsterdam, August 17 The report sent to the FIH by tournament director Alain Renaud said in the incident, facial injuries resulted to Australian striker Craig Victory, which required the player to seek immediate hospitalisation and dental treatment. The FIH held a meeting between FIs van Breds Vriesman (FIH President), Tony von Ondarzar (FIH Vice-President), Saeed Khan (Pakistan team manager) and Steve Catton (tournament director, Rabo Trophy) where the Pakistan team was cautioned about this and informed that further investigation would take place in due course. The FIH also said it was expected that a team captain should play an exemplary role at all times during the game. Saqlain was dropped on disciplinary grounds before the Athens Olympics and was issued a red card during the last Azlan Shah Cup in May at Kuala Lumpur for frayed tempers and attack on a
rival player. — PTI |
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Neelam yet to approach AFI
New Delhi, August 17 Neelam had complained of an unsympathetic attitude by the federation in defending her case, but AFI Secretary Lalit Bhanot clarified that the procedure demanded that Neelam appeal for a hearing within 14 days of receiving the federation’s letter, which has already been despatched to her. He said the date of her hearing would be kept a “confidential matter” as required by the IAAF, though the inquiry panel would have two months time to unravel the “truth”. Mr Bhanot said the AFI would follow the rules laid down by the IAAF in inquiring Neelam’s case. Neelam, having failed the dope test in her A and B samples for stimulant pemoline, faces a two-year provisional ban imposed by the IAAF. |
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Top runners for Delhi Half Marathon
New Delhi, August 17 Athletics Federation of India President Suresh Kalmadi said at a press briefing here today that at least 40 of the top marathoners of the world would race in Delhi, which would be a precursor to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games next year. The half marathon will cover a distance of 21.097 km while the other competitions like a ‘Great Delhi Run’ will cover 7 km and a ‘Senior Citizen Run’ will course through 4.3 km. In all, around 25,000 runners, including celebrities and renowned sportspersons, are expected to take to the streets of Delhi for the races. Mr Kalmadi said the race would be an annual feature till the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. He said stringent dope testing would be held at the event. |
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Athletics meet begins tomorrow
Patiala, August 17
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Surya Shekar in joint second spot Pugilists in semis Aparna advances Dar to return Kipketer retires Scorers’ exam |
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Mumbai, August 17
In video: BCCI to finalise venues for India-Sri Lanka
series. (
Bulawayo, August 17
