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Nel rocks Australia after Ponting ton
Ganguly saga: hailed, hanged and rehabilitated
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Punjab on the brink of defeat
Mithali Raj to lead
Indian veterans win by four wickets
Ljubicic to replace Nadal in Chennai Open
India slips to second place Hari draws with Cheparinov Chandresori shines in weightlifting meet
PSB enter last eight
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Nel rocks Australia after Ponting ton
Melbourne, December 26 Ponting scored 117 and was looking to guide his side to a commanding total before South African pace bowler Andre Nel grabbed four late wickets, including two in a row, to wrest back the advantage at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Mike Hussey was 23 not out while Brett Lee was trapped leg before for four in the final over of the day. Opening batsman Matthew Hayden had quietly accumulated 65 before he was caught behind off the bowling of Shaun Pollock. Nel finished with four for 58 while Pollock finished with three for 46 off 20 overs. “I was disappointed and thought I let the side down early,” said Nel, who had dropped Ponting on 17. “It could have changed the game. I wanted to hang myself at lunch time. “But I think the best way to respond to the dropped catch is to keep bowling your heart out for your country. “I think we’ve got a chance. That dropped catch could have been vital ... (the middle order) could have been exposed a lot earlier. But we’ll take 230-8.” Ponting has now scored 1,533 runs at an average of 69.68 this year. The record for calendar-year runs is the 1,710 scored by Viv Richards of West Indies scored in 1976. He and Hayden combined in a 152-run second-wicket partnership after debutant Phil Jaques was dismissed for two off Pollock’s second over of the morning. The pair were circumspect before lunch after they had initially been under pressure from South Africa’s bowlers, who made the most of the moist pitch, which had delayed the start of play by 30 minutes. Hayden brought up his 23rd half century when he smashed a delivery from Jacques Kallis to the cover boundary though he was dismissed 10 minutes before tea when he edged Pollock to Graeme Smith at first slip. Brad Hodge, who scored his maiden Test double century in Perth and was making his first appearance on his home ground, received a tumultuous welcome, with many of the 71,910 crowd still standing and applauding as he reached the wicket. However, he was well caught by Smith at slip for seven shortly after tea to leave Australia 176 for three. Nel then atoned for his earlier bungle, forcing Ponting to spoon a catch to Hershelle Gibbs at point for 117. He had Andrew Symonds caught by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher off the next ball. Adam Gilchrist survived the hat-trick delivery but fell to Nel shortly after when he was caught by Gibbs for two, leaving the home side 213 for six. Nel also had a strong lbw appeal against Hussey turned down, though television replays suggested the ball would have hit the stumps, before he had Warne caught by Nicky Boje for nine. Lee was then trapped in front by Ntini on the first ball of the last over of the day, though Ponting said the total was not as bad as it appeared. “The wicket was difficult and the outfield wasn’t lightning fast, so that total’s probably worth more anyway,” said Ponting. “It’s going to be interesting to see how our bowlers bowl on that wicket and how their batsman bat. The ball was still swinging at the end of the day. “If we can get a few more runs and bowl well early, that total might look really good.” Scoreboard Australia
(1st innings) Jaques c Rudolph b Pollock 2 Hayden c Smith b Pollock 65 Ponting c Gibbs b Nel 117 Hodge c Smith b Pollock 7 Hussey not out 23 Symonds c Boucher b Nel 0 Gilchrist c Gibbs b Nel 2 Warne c Boje b Nel 9 Lee lbw Ntini 4 Extras (b-2, lb-3, w-2, nb-3) 10 Total
( 8 wkts, 89.1 overs) 239 Fall of wickets: 2-1, 154-2, 176-3, 207-4, 207-5, 213-6, 227-7, 239-8. Bowling: Pollock 20-5-46-3, Ntini 12.1-2-34-1, Kallis 18.5-3-59-0, Nel 22-5-58-4, Boje 16.1-3- 37-0.
— Reuters |
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Ganguly saga: hailed, hanged and rehabilitated
But life came full circle for Sourav Ganguly this year as one of the most hated cricketers, he rode an unprecedented sympathy wave to force his way back to Team India.
Considered next only to God on the off-side by his long time deputy, who later wore the crown, Ganguly’s blade was clearly tentative at anything outside the off stumps and cagey on the leg for the major part of the recent past. So knives were out baying for blood and notions were doing the rounds that Team India could afford separate captains for both versions of the game. Meanwhile, John Wright’s decision to return home and spend time with children had left the coach’s post vacant and Greg Chappell’s anointment in the four-horse race owed part of it to Ganguly. Ironically, a spat with the same Chappell during the Zimbabwe tour cost Ganguly his captaincy and place in the side, despite leading the team to a 2-0 win against Zimbabwe, India’s first series win outside the continent since 1986. After his revelation that Chappell had asked him to step down, Ganguly’s patch-up with the Aussie was short lived as Chappell’s leaked e-mail alleged the southpaw was physically and mentally unfit to lead India and he was in fact a corruptive influence on the side. Subsequently, Ganguly was chucked out of the ODI series against Sri Lanka before picked for the first two Test matches against Sri Lanka. While the Chennai Test was a washout, Ganguly looked serious about the job in the Delhi Test and his insecurity brought out the best in him as he played twin 40-odd knocks to help the side see through couple of torrid sessions. Minutes after captain Dravid praised his knocks, selectors dropped a bomb by dropping Ganguly from the third Test and that unhinged a barrage of criticism of unprecedented magnitude. The outrage after Ganguly’s dropping from Test squad went far beyond Maharaj’s Kolkata and the refrain of the resentment was: “This is not the way to treat a former player”. Irate at Ganguly’s exclusion after Zimbabwe series, irate Eden Gardens crowd had switched loyalty and cheered for South Africa in the one-dayer and Chappell apparently reciprocated with a finger salute to Kolkata. But this time the anger was palpable in other parts of the country as well. Road blockades, effigy burning, sloganeering apart, the issue also made its way to Parliament. Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee defended the fellow Bengali cricketer while Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee too spoke for him. There were efforts to get political mileage out of the issue as well with firebrand VHP leader Pravin Togadia claiming Ganguly’s exclusion and Wasim Jaffar’s recall was in fact a ‘minority appeasement’ exercise by the Sharad Pawar-led BCCI. The issue snowballed into a national outrage and got some weird manifestations also. While Ganguly’s fans performed the ceremonial ‘last rites’ for Chappell and chief selector Kiran More, the Cricket Lovers Association of Kerala (CLAK) outdid others, asking CPM leadership to nominate Ganguly to the Rajya Sabha. Ganguly’s subsequent closed-door meeting with BCCI President Sharad Pawar at the latter’s Delhi residence fuelled speculations. Despite reports that neither More, nor Chappell nor Dravid wanted Ganguly to board the Pakistan-bound train, the southpaw eventually made it to the side and it was again a matter of debate whether any Pawar-play was behind his recall. In the wake of the tumultuous episode, his secluded presence in the dressing room is sure to leave many people, including Ganguly himself, uncomfortable in Pakistan. Though the saga had a happy ending for the beleaguered cricketer, whether he lives happily with Chappell and Dravid thereafter remains a million dollar question. — UNI |
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Sourav resumes practice
Kolkata, December 26 Ganguly spent one and half hours at the Eden Gardens and the adjoining Pankaj Gupta Indoor Training Centre for a rigorous workout in the gym. He also had a session in the nets at the PGITC. Hordes of print and electronic mediapersons were left disappointed as Ganguly refused to speak. Mumbai: The BCCI is not planning to seek an explanation from Sourav Ganguly over his decision to skip the last two Ranji Trophy ties of Bengal. “We are not going to write to anyone seeking explanation. What can we do if he doesn’t play,” said BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah, reacting to reports that Selection Committee Chairman Kiran More was unhappy with Ganguly’s decision of not playing in Ranji matches. More could not be contacted on the issue.
— PTI |
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Punjab on the brink of defeat
Vadodara, December 26 Punjab, who conceded a huge 132 runs first innings lead to Vadodara 30 minutes before the tea break, are still 63 runs in arrear with five more second innings wickets in hand. At close, the visitors were tottering at 69 off 20 overs, losing half of their side to Zaheer alone, who returned an impressive figure of 9-2-41-5. In the Punjab first innings, Zaheer, who has been recalled to Team India for next month’s Pakistan tour, had snared four wickets for 46 runs. Earlier, Zaheer (not out 23, 3x4), in association with skipper Jacob Martin (80, 7x4) helped the hosts take the vital first innings lead of 132 runs as Vadodara folded up their innings at 262 in reply to Punjab’s 130.
— UNI |
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Prasad, Venu vex Haryana
Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh), December 26 Andhra, pressing to gain the vital first innings lead were 196 for the loss of four wickets at
the stumps. Earlier, Andhra medium pacer Shahabuddin, who took two wickets yesterday to trigger the Haryana collapse, claimed
two more. Haryana, resuming at 196 for the loss of six wickets, lost the remaining four wickets for just ten runs. — UNI |
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Mithali Raj to lead
Pune, December 26 Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) Honorary Secretary Shubhangi Kulkarni today announced a 14-member team here for the Asia Cup, being organised in Pakistan for the first time. The last edition of the Asia Cup was hosted by Sri Lanka. Team: Mithali Raj (Cap), Anjum Chopra, Karuna Jain, Neetu David, Jaya Sharma, Julan Goswami, Amita Sharma, Nooshin Al Khadeer, Rumeli Dhar, Asha Rawat, Monica Sumra, Varsha Raffel, Devika Palshikar, Reena Malhotra.
— UNI |
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Indian veterans win by four wickets
Sirsa, December 26 Pakistan captain Rashid Latif won the toss and elected to bat. Ghulam Ali and Ashraf Pankhali started the Pakistan innings at a brisk pace. Ashraf was first to go, caught by Vivek Razdan off Wasan. Azam Khan, who came at the fall of Ashraf, was next to go, he scored 30 runs. This wicket fell with the team total at 118. The third wicket fell soon after with the total reaching 120. This time opener Ghulam Ali fell after scoring well-made 60 off 64 balls. For India, Wasan, Vekatpatti Raju, Rajesh Chauhan and Vivek Razdan took one wicket each. Manoj Prabhakar and Atul Wasan started the Indian reply. Wasan was particularly severe on the Pakistani bowlers. He was the first to go after scoring 68 runs. Prabhakar scored 29 runs off 65 deliveries. Gursharan was dismissed cheaply for three runs by Naveed Anjum. Surinder Khanna scored 35 off 31 balls and Vijay Yadav 31 off 23 balls. Sanjeev Sharma (26) and Vivek Razdan (14) saw India home. For Pakistan, Ali Zia, Naveed Anjum, Mohsin Kamal, Manzoor Elahi and Rashid Latif took one wicket each. Atul Wasan, who scored 68 runs in 46 deliveries with 11 fours and two sixes, was declared man of the match. |
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Ljubicic to replace Nadal in Chennai Open
Chennai, December 26 Croatia’s No. 1 player Ivan Ljubicic, who led his country to its first-ever Davis Cup title in 2005, will take Nadal’s place, according to Vice President of the event manager IMG Ravi Krishnan. Nadal, who had to pull out reluctantly, had also missed the year-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai. Ljubicic has been awarded a wild card to facilitate his entry into the singles draw of the Chennai Open. “It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce my inability to play. I was eagerly looking forward to come to Chennai again and was very excited about playing there and trying to win the season’s opening tournament,” Nadal said, speaking from Spain. “Both my medical team and I have been working very hard during the last few weeks so that I could participate at Chennai. But my doctor has now said that I should not play,” Nadal said. Ljubicic said, “It is great to participate at the Chennai Open. I have heard excellent things about the tournament, the city and its tennis fans from various players on the tour and am looking forward to play in this leading event. Though it is my first visit, I am hopeful of getting a good start to the ATP Champion’s race in the New Year.” Nadal donates $ 25,000 for tsunami relief
New Delhi: Even though the fans were disappointed by Rafael Nadal’s pulling out of the Chennai Open, the World No. 2 Spaniard still won their hearts by announcing $ 25,000 to the tsunami relief fund today. Ruthless in dismantling his opponents on the court, the 19-year old star showed the humane side of his personality. “It’s been a year since the devastating tsunami rocked Chennai and other parts of the world. I was especially looking forward to being present at the fashion show and charity auction to raise monies for the rehabilitation of those affected by this natural calamity,” he said in a statement issued today. “Even though I am unable to be present for it, I would like to offer $ 25,000 towards the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund for this cause. I hope this contribution will help many families return to normalcy,” added Nadal. — UNI |
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India slips to second place
Isfahan (Iran), December 26 National Champion Surya Shekhar Ganguly and Sandipan Chanda scored victories while Krishnan Sasikiran and S Kidambi drew effortlessly to come out with a good overall result. Other joint leaders Vietnam emerged as the sole leader after blanking Afghanistan 4-0 for the second successive time in the double round-robin event played between six teams. The victory helped Vietnam surge to 22 points wherein the Indian men remained on their toes with 21 points in their kitty. Iran ‘A’, however, maintained their place at third spot on 17 points where they are now followed by the Iran ‘B’ team on 11.5 points. Turkmenistan is next in line on 10 points while Afghanistan remained on 2.5 after another debacle against Vietnam. In the women’s section being played simultaneously, the Indian eves kept themselves ahead with another fighting draw with Vietnam. Again, the efforts of youngest Indian team member Mary Ann Gomes were noteworthy in this section as she won an engrossing game against Luong Minh Hue on the second board. On other boards for India, Woman Grandmaster Nisha Mohota drew with Nguyen Thi Thanh An on the top table while on the third board Swati Ghate lost to Hoang Thi Bao Tram. With just two rounds to come in the four-team women’s event, nothing changed as the other encounter between Iran ‘A’ and Iran ‘B’ also ended in a 1.5-1.5 deadlock. The Indian eves remained on top having 6.5 points where they are followed by Vietnam and Iran ‘B’ having six points each. Iran ‘A’ is at the bottom of the tables 5.5 points. —
PTI |
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Hari draws with Cheparinov
Pamplona (Spain), December 26 Harikrishna’s second draw in three games also came with white pieces after he had drawn the first round game against Jan Timman of Holland. The Indian had scored a fine victory as black against tail-ender Oscar De La Riva Aguado of Andorra in the second round. Like in the first round, the third round also provided just one decisive game with Jan Timman bowing to HB Global champion Izoria Zviad of Georgia. Former World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov was held to a draw by Russian turned Dutchman Sergei Tiviakov while Aguado opened his account after drawing with Laurent Fressinet of France. With the drawn results in the games of overnight leaders, nothing changed at the top of the tables and Harikrishna remained in the company of Ponomariov, Fressinet and Cheparinov — all having 2 points each with four rounds to go in this category-16 round robin event between eight players. Backed by his victory, Zviad moved to joint fifth spot along with Tiviakov on 1.5 points while Timman and Aguado are at the bottom of the tables having just half a point each. Cheparinov’s working with compatriot and world champion Veselin Topalov is no secret. And the Bulgarian is now often resorting to the favourite openings of Topalov also time and again.
— PTI |
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Chandresori
shines in weightlifting meet
Yamunanagar, December 26 However, on the second day, most of the weightlifters, both in men’s and women’s categories, failed to improve their earlier performances and no new records were set. Players, who had been busy throughout the year participating in various international and national events, did not appear very optimistic about the chances of the Indian team — which will be selected after the conclusion of the meet — at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games and the SAF Games because the team will not get ‘enough’ time for preparing for the two events. A.K. Pandian (62 kg), five times national champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist is of the opinion that as the team for the Commonwealth Games is to be selected in February, the players will get very little time to practice. G. Veerabhandran, Commonwealth champion in 56 kg category, said the sport is very costly and players do not get proper diet. He also feared that the medal prospects during the forthcoming Commonwealth Games will not be very good. On the other hand, Sqd Ld B.R. Gulati, Vice-President, Indian Weightlifting Federation claimed that the selected team will get sufficient time (8 to 10 weeks) for preparing for the games. “The selected team will be given full coaching either at Patiala or Bangalore,” said Sqd Ld Gulati. When asked why the players are not bettering their previous performances, he said the cold weather was a big factor. “Most of our champions are from the southern part of the country and the weather difference between here and the South is quite significant,” said Sqd Ld Gulati. He said the normal period for recovery from injuries in the sport is about six weeks. “During the past two months, the players have been participating in various events and probably did not get the proper time to recover and this may be also the reason for their poor performance,” he said. Results (in order of position): Men 62 Kg: snatch: M. Arun (Railways) 117 kgs; N. Tiru Murugan (SSCB) 116 kg and V.Velu (Tamil Nadu) 115 kg; clean and jerk: M. Arun (Railways) 142 kg; Kailash Pujari (Arunanchal Pradesh) 142 kg and V. Velu (Tamil Nadu) 140 kg; Overall: M. Arun 259 kgs; V. Velu 255 kgs and N. Tiru Murugan 253 kg. Inter-state medal: V.Velu 255 kg; Kailash Pujari 253 kg and S. Srinivasan (West Bengal) 252 kg. Men 69 kg: snatch: C.P.R. Sudhir Kumar (SSCB) 127 kg; G. Vadivelu (SSCB) 125 kg and M. Rajkumar (Maharashtra) 123 kg. Clean and jerk: G. Vadivelu 162 kg; C.P.R Sudhir Kumar 160 kg and M. Rajkumar 152 kg. Overall: G.Vadivelu 287 kg; C.P.R. Sudhir Kumar 287 and M Rajkumar 275 kg. Women 53 Kg: snatch: H. Saya Devi (Manipur) 81 kg; W.Nandini Devi (Manipur) 81 kg and Chandresori (Haryana) 80 kg. Clean and jerk: Chandresori (Haryana) 104 kg; Monitombi Devi (Delhi) 102 kg and K. Nirmal (Andhra Pradesh) 100 kg. Overall: Chandresori 184 kg; H. Saya Devi 181 kg and K. Nirmala 177 kg. |
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PSB enter last eight
New Delhi, December 26 Ajitpal Singh scored the first goal in the seventh minute, but the last two goals came only at the fag end when Parminder Singh and Kulwinder Singh hit target in the 59th and 60th minute respectively. Punjab Police defeated Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 3-1, after leading by 2-0 at the interval. Daljit Singh scored the first two goals while Olympian Gagan Ajit Singh struck the third one in the 70th minute. Rajender Singh scored the consolation goal for the CRPF. Bharat Petroleum downed Indian Airlines in the day’s last match. Internationals Amar Aiyamma amd William Xalco were the marksmen. |
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APJ school sports meet concludes
Kharar, December 26 It was inaugurated on December 24. Almost all students of the school participated in a number of games and sports events. All the participants were enthusiastic and played in the true spirit of sportsmanship. The chief guest, Chaudhary Balwant Singh, former Deputy Secretary and president of the school management, distributed the prizes and appreciated the talent of the students. The Principal, Mr Jasvir Chander, in his speech, urged the students to improve their performance in sports also. |
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PDCA win in u-12 cricket
Patiala, December 26 Scores:
PDCA 135 for 7 (Karan Goyal 40, Ashish 26, Ankush 26, Ashish Srivastva 3 for 18, Karan Kumar 1 for 18, Arjit Bakshi 1 for 28). DMW, Patiala: 88 all out (Anmol Preet Singh 33, Amarinder Singh 12, Gaurav Kalia 2 for 16, Shubham Rana 2 for 14, Ankush 1 for 3, Karan Goyal 1 for 13). |
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Taekwan-do team selected
Parwanoo, December 26 The association president, Mr Rajinder Guleria, and the director of Grauer and Weil
Limited, Barotiwala, presented belt grading certificates and tracksuits to players. Those selected for the state team from Solan district inlcude Poonam Rani, Kanchan Rathode, Anirudh Saddi, Deepak Kumar, Chandan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Kartik Prashar. Others included Bhim Singh , Vijay Verma and Yograj Chauhan from Shimla district and Akshita Negi from Kinnaur district. |
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Melbourne, December 26
New Delhi, December 26
