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Pervez keen to invite Manmohan Singh
Dungarpur does a volte-face, praises Ganguly
Ganguly ready for big fight
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Ponting on top of the world
Centre of Excellence, SRC in pre-quarters
Negi goes down fighting
Rohan-Prakash in doubles final
JCT-East Bengal tie on Jan 31
Atwal-Randhawa win fourballs match
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India’s top order makes merry
Lahore, January 7 When bad light shortened first day’s play by six overs, India had piled up 297 for four, with each of the top four batsmen scoring half centuries. At close, VVS Laxman was not out on 25, while Yuvraj Singh was giving him company with 11. Tendulkar played true to his reputation to entertain the 1,000-odd spectators at the Bagh-e-Jinnah Stadium. Having got off the mark with a cover drive off the second ball he faced, Tendulkar played some classy drives to top-score with 74 from 102 balls with 10 boundaries. Tendulkar was out when he tried to cut Yasir Arafat, got an inside edge and was caught by wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider. Earlier, India won the toss and elected to bat first in the 12-a-side contest. After openers Gautam Gambhir (53) and Wasim Jaffer (58) had made light work of the Pakistan A bowling by cracking half centuries in contrasting styles, seasoned pros Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar piled on the agony for the Pakistan A bowlers. Both Gambhir and Jaffer batted patiently in the opening session, adding 81 runs without much discomfort. With the pitch playing true, the Indian openers fancied their chances of getting a big score. Gambhir was his usual self, cutting and pulling anything short and wide, racing to his half century with eight fours. However, just before lunch, Gambhir slashed at a delivery from Irshad and was caught by Iftekar Anjum at deep point. He made 53 off 84 balls in 114 minutes. Jaffer, returning to the Indian side after three years, displayed admirable patience and discipline to score a compact half century. He saw off the new-ball bowlers and opened up to play a few handsome cover drives later. But then, having done all the hard work, he fell to a poor shot chasing a ball outside his off stump when Umar Gul came in for a second spell. Jaffer was caught by the wicketkeeper for 58. He batted for 169 minutes, faced 102 balls and hit eight fours. Skipper Rahul Dravid batted positively and looked in fine form. And, in much the same way, Sachin Tendulkar looked in great touch right from the word go. Unfortunately for Dravid, he fell just before tea when he was beaten in flight by Imran Farhat and was caught at cover by Hasan Raza. He made 63 from 126 minutes, facing 100 balls and hitting six fours. Tendulkar fell in the final session before Laxman and Yuvraj came together under fading light. Scoreboard
India (1st innings) Gambhir c Anjum b Jaffer c Zulqarnain b Dravid c Raza b Farhat 63 Tendulkar c Laxman batting 25 Yuvraj batting 11 Extras
(lb-4, nb-10) 14 Total (4 wkts, 77 overs) 298 Fall of wickets: 1-81, 2-153, 3-220, 4-279. Bowling: Gul 13-1-40-1, Anjum 10-2-33-0, Arafat 17-3-61-1, Irshad 13-2-44-1, Farhat 8-0-36-1, Amjad 16-0-80-0.
— UNI, PTI |
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Pervez keen to invite Manmohan Singh
Islamabad, January 7 “Let me say I would like to invite him (Manmohan) to Pakistan to watch any part of the series,” the General said. He said the Indian premier’s visit to Pakistan was due. “He is supposed to visit us. He said so in New York (last year when they met in September at the UN) and he has not come as yet,” he told Karan Thapar in an interview to be telecast tomorrow on CNN-IBN channel. In the same breath, General Musharraf said any such visit should be productive and take the peace process forward. “I do not mind inviting him at all. I want the peace process to move forward. If he comes here and we do nothing about the peace process, I am afraid we are wasting our time.” General Musharraf’s comments follow remarks by Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam that Pakistan would invite Mr Manmohan Singh if he wished to watch one of the matches. “On its part Islamabad would welcome a visit by Mr Manmohan Singh...If the Prime Minister wishes to come, an invitation will be extended,” she had said two days ago. India had invited General Musharraf last year during the tour of the Pakistan team after the General said in a newspaper interview that he was not averse to going over to watch a match if he was invited. As the invitation followed, he converted the visit into a major political tour with the issuance of a joint statement listing various CBMs, including reopening of the Consulate in Karachi, starting the Munabao-Khkhrapar train service as well as bus services between Lahore and Amritsar, and Poonch and Rawalkot. He watched the one-dayer in New Delhi along with the Indian Prime Minister.
— PTI |
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Dungarpur does a volte-face, praises Ganguly
Lahore, January 7 Apparently aware that his stinging remarks against Ganguly last night could have serious repercussions ahead of the crucial series, Dungarpur spoke highly of the left-hander and sought to put the lid on the controversy. “Sourav is a tremendous batsman and his off-side play is simply great. His vast experience should help the Indian team in the series against Pakistan,” he told reporters at the Bagh-e-Jinnah ground where the visitors are playing their only warm-up game before the Test series. Dungarpur, perceived to be against Ganguly during the time of the acrimonious cricket board elections, got angry when one TV scribe asked him whether he changed his opinion of the former India captain after having made the disparaging remarks to a TV channel yesterday. “My integrity to Indian cricket has never been questioned in the 30-year-long association I have had as an administrator. Ask any of these journalists who know me,” he fumed at the scribe. “If someone known to me comes and asks some questions I might have said something in private, but to show it on TV seems like the instructions have come from the Eden Gardens (headquarters of the Cricket Association of Bengal, whose chief is Jagmohan Dalmiya),” he said. In the controversial television comments last night, Dungapur had called Ganguly as one of the laziest cricketers and even claimed that former coach John Wright did not want him as captain but could not get him removed. “Sourav is not a student of the game. He is also not a role model for a captain. A captain cannot be the laziest and possibly the worst fielder of the side”, Dungarpur had said. The former BCCI chief said Wright had “expressed his frustration several times” to him about Ganguly but he was too “mild” to succeed in getting Ganguly out. Talking to PTI later, Dungarpur said the Indian team was a happy unit and credit needed to be given to captain Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell, besides the mentoring role being adopted by Sachin Tendulkar in moulding the outfit. “It’s going to be a tremendous series between India and Pakistan, but I suspect the batsmen from both sides would dominate the show and I’m speaking from a bowler’s heart,” he added.
— PTI |
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Ganguly ready for big fight
New Delhi, January 7 The former captain refused to comment on team manager Raj Singh Dungarpur’s disparaging remarks that he was “laziest and possibly the worst fielder” in the team but said his recent performance in domestic matches would give him the confidence to do well in the series against the arch-rivals. “I performed well in Ranji Trophy matches and will try to do well in the series against Pakistan. I am confident of doing well,” he told reporters at the airport. Refusing to comment on the controversies surrounding him, Ganguly said he just wanted to concentrate on the game. “These things are not in my hands. My job is to play cricket and concentrate on the game. There will always be pressure while playing at the international level,” he said. The left-hander said that he had played enough cricket at the top level to be able to cope with a bad phase in international cricket. “It is just a phase and it comes in every sportsperson’s life. You just have to overcome it and fight it out. The future will be better,” he said.
— PTI |
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Ponting on top of the world
Dubai, January 7 And as if that was not reason enough for him to celebrate, the 2-0 series win over South Africa by Ponting’s side has reinforced their position as the top Test team in the updated LG ICC Test
Championship. Ponting’s scores of 120 and 143 not out in Australia’s eight-wicket win against the Proteas in Sydney have lifted him through the 900-point threshold in the rankings. To put that into context, only Matthew Hayden among current Test batsmen has achieved a higher rating than Ponting’s new mark of 922 points. The big left-hander reached 935 points in 2002 after twin hundreds of his own, against England in Brisbane, continued a golden run of form. Australia’s series win has lifted their lead at the top of the LG ICC Test championship table to a healthy 14 points, completing a highly satisfactory home Test summer for Ponting’s men. They started the season with a lead of just eight points over England but five wins and a draw in six matches against the West Indies and South Africa, together with England’s 2-0 series loss in Pakistan have dispelled fears they may have had of being overtaken. Australia’s nearest challengers are now India after their recent series win against Sri Lanka.
Ponting’s scores, his 27th and 28th Test hundreds (with the first of them helping to ease him past 8,000 Test runs), were needed to retain his lead in LG ICC player rankings because Jacques
Kallis’ scores of 111 and 50 not out lifted the South African back up three places to
second. Kallis, the ICC’s Test Player of the Year, started the series in the top spot in the batting list but, after missing the Perth Test through injury, twin failures in Melbourne dropped him to the fifth place and not even a return to form in Sydney could help him regain the lead. India’s Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar occupy the sixth, seventh and ninth spots. In the bowling department, Glenn McGrath has regained the top spot from Shane
Warne, who slipped to third position. — PTI |
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ECB delegation visits PCA Stadium
Mohali, January 7 After visiting Faridabad and Jaipur, The ECB officials — Andy Allman and Sean Gallagher — were accompanied by Sushil Kapoor, Liaison Officer of PCA. They inspected the ground conditions, net practice area, dressing rooms and enquired about the security and medical facilities. Brig G.S. Sandhu, the CEO of the PCA, apprised them of the arrangements at the stadium, whereas Varinder Singh, SP, Mohali, briefed them about the security arrangements. Later, they visited Hotel Taj GVK, where the teams will be put up during the match. “The officials of the ECB expressed their satisfaction over all the arrangements and facilities provided here,” said Kapoor. |
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Warriors gun down Shers Chandigarh, January 7 Despite the presence of Gagan Ajit Singh, Mohammad Saqlain of Pakistan and Pau Quemada of Spain, the Jallandhar team could not do much against the spirited Maratha Warriors. The Jallandhar players lacked coordination and this proved to be their Achilles heal. This coupled with a solid defence and good teamwork displayed by Viren Rasquinha-led Warriors proved to be the undoing of Sher-e-Jallandhar. Shivender Singh and Sunil Yadav were the star players for the winners. With today’s win, Maratha Warriors now lead the pool with six points from two straight wins. Hyderabad Sultans are at number two with 2 points while Bangalore Lions have one point. The Jallandhar boys could not match the rhythm of Maratha Warriors and it was the pass of Shivender Singh that enabled Adnan Zakir of Pakistan in giving his side a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute. The Warrior’s were well served by Sunil Yadhav in the defence as he thwarted several moves by Sher-e-Jallandhar. The five penalty corners awarded to the Shers were also wasted. The half time score read 1-0. The second half also saw Maratha Warriors dominating. Shivender Singh scored a magnificent field goal in the 54th minute. This goal further dampened the spirits of Sher-e-Jallandhar. Mohd Saqlain of Sher-e-Jallandhar was shown the red card. Sher-e-Jallandhar will now have to pull up their socks tomorrow when they play Chandigarh Dynamos at 6.30 pm. Dazzlers rout Rangers Skipper Raju scored three goals as Delhi Dazzlers routed Imphal Rangers 5-1 in a Tier II match of the Premier Hockey League II at the Sector 42 Hockey Stadium here today. Both teams failed to open their account in the first two quarters. Rangers defended well to ward off dangerous moves by Dazzlers forwards Raju, Ravinder, Mukesh and Mandeep. Rangers, too, had their chances with captain T Brojen Singh being prominent in the attack, but they failed to convert two short corners in the 22nd and 34th minutes. However, the scenario changed in the third quarter with Delhi Dazzlers scoring three goals in five minutes. In the 39th minute, following a move from the right flank, Ravinder Singh sent a pass to Raju who deflected the ball home to draw first blood. Two minutes later, Delhi Dazzlers increased the lead when Ajitpal Singh gave a pass to Ravinder, whose fierce reverse hit beat Rangers’ custodian Herojit Singh (2-0). In the 44th minute, Ravinder was in the thick of things once again. His shot was deflected off a defender’s stick but Sanjeev Kumar sounded the board to make it 3-0 by the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Dazzlers earned a penalty corner in the 53rd minute which went abegging. One minute later, Rangers were awarded a penalty corner. Instead of taking a direct hit, Rangers’ defender Tomba Singh gave a short pass to Brojen Singh, who sent the ball into the net to reduce the margin (1-3). The Dazzlers earned a penalty stroke following a stick-check in the goalmouth and Raju made no mistake from the spot in the 62nd minute. Four minutes later, Ravinder moved down on the right and gave a pass to Raju, who struck to make it 5-1. Tomorrow, the first Tier II tie will be played between Lucknow Nawabs and Imphal Rangers at 11.30 am while the second match will be between Orissa Steelers and Chennai Veerans at 2 pm.
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Centre of Excellence, SRC in pre-quarters
Nabha, January 7 While Centre of Excellence laboured to a 6-5 victory in the tie-breaker against Friends Club, Raikot, SRC, Ramgarh, registered a fluent 2-0 win against Thapar Academy, Sansarpur. The other teams to reach the pre-quarterfinals were Artillery Centre, Hyderabad, who got a walkover against BEG, Pune, and Air Force, New Delhi, who grounded PSEB 6-5. Despite having confirmed their entry, BEG failed to turn up at the venue which left the organisers no time to call in a substitute team. Apart from these teams, the outfits which have been seeded directly into the pre-quarterfinal stage are MEG, Bangalore, EME, Jalandhar, Punjab and Sind Bank, Jalandhar, BSF, RCF, Namdhari XI, CISF, New Delhi, Punjab Police, Northern Railway, Rock Rovers and CRPF. The Centre of Excellence lads took the lead when Hardev Singh sounded the board from the team’s first penalty corner. Ranjit Singh converted a penalty corner for Friends Club to restore parity. After being tied at the end of regulation time, Centre of Excellence made it to the next round mainly due to some superb goalkeeping by Jarnail Singh, who blocked two shots. |
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Negi goes down fighting
Hastings, January 7 Having made his maiden Grandmaster’s norm after the nerve-racking penultimate round against GM Yuriy Kuzubov of Ukraine, 12-year-old Negi was taken to task by the experienced Belov in the final round and the Russian eventually registered a smooth victory. GM Valerij Neverov of Ukraine expectedly won the tournament after a quick draw against Merab Gagunashvili of Georgia. Neverov scored eight points out of a possible 10 in the event and went home richer by £ 2,000 after his fine performance. Negi finished with a tally of six points out of a possible 10 and emerged as the biggest gainer from the tournament in terms of rating points as he stands to add a whopping 45 ELO points from the event which will see him go way past the 2400 mark in the next FIDE list. The young Delhi-based had earlier secured the IM title from the tournament and is expected to play in the Parsvnath International Open Chess Tournament at New Delhi later this month.
— PTI |
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Rohan-Prakash in doubles final
Chennai, January 7 In a pulsating one-hour and three-minute contest, the wild-card Indian pair were staring down the barrel trailing 5-9 in the tie-breaker, before regrouping themselves to post a sensational 6-1, 3-6, 11-9 win over the second seed German pair of Rainer Schuettler and Alexander Waske and enter their maiden ATP final. After getting a walkover in the quarterfinals yesterday, the Indians, cheered by a near full house in the stadium, were on the verge of being swept away as the German pair fought their way back after losing the first set. The Germans, who won the second set, gained the upper hand in the tie-breaker running up a 8-3, 9-5 lead. But the Indians showed enough gumption, saving four match points and leading 10-9 before winning the contest when Schuettler sank a forehand into the net.
— UNI |
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JCT-East Bengal tie on Jan 31
Chandigarh, January 7 According to Arjuna awardee Inder Singh, secretary, Punjab Football Association, JCT will launch their campaign at Goa with a match against Fransa Pax on January 11. Thereafter, JCT will meet Sporting Clube de Goa on January 15, Mohun Bagan at Kolkata on January 19, Mahindra United at Mumbai on January 23 and Mohammedan Sporting at Kolkata on January 27. Thereafter, JCT’s home engagements will commence with a match against East Bengal at Ludhiana on January 31. The mill men will then meet Dempo Sports Club on February 3, Air-India on February 9 and Salgaocar on March 10. The All-India Football Federation has finalised the draw for the first nine rounds and the draw for the remaining rounds will be announced later. |
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Atwal-Randhawa win fourballs
match
Bangkok, January 7 Seve Ballesteros-led European team won three of the four foursomes matches in the morning and repeated the feat in fourballs as well and they need just 2.5 points from tomorrow’s single matches to pocket the title. Europe had grabbed a two-point lead over Asia on the opening day’s foursomes. Europe struck first blood when the Irish partnership of Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell recorded a convincing four and three win over the Indian pairing of Atwal and Randhawa. The English duo of David Howell and Kenneth Ferrie managed a two-hole victory against S.K. Ho of Korea and Japan’s Keiichiro Fukabori. Asia’s home heroes Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wiratchant, the reigning Asian Tour number one, earned Asia a precious point by demolishing major champions Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam six and five for their team's only point. In fourballs, Randhawa-Atwal proved Asia’s saving grace and poor show by David Howell and Kenneth Ferrie saw them losing to the Indians Ferrie missed a 10-foot putt on the 18th green for birdie.
— UNI |
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Video: Fans pray for the success of the Indian cricket team.
