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Dravid hints at opening again
Haq wanted flat wicket at Lahore: PCB
Lee, Jaques power Aussie win
Paes, Bhupathi advance
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Serena crashes out
Anand takes sole lead
FA Hoshiarpur, JCT (B) win titles
Malveen strikes third gold
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Dravid hints at opening again
Faisalabad, January 20 Dravid neither confirmed nor denied as to his opening the innings once again and kept the cards close to his chest regarding the team combination. But the Bangalore batsman gave enough hints that his successful partnership with Sehwag, which raised a near-world record 410 runs in the weather-hit drawn first Test in Lahore, would continue in the Test here. “No, I don’t think so (whether Ganguly would open). We have some other options as well. We have got a couple of openers in the side. “I opened in the first game and had a good partnership, so we are not looking at the option of Ganguly opening the innings,” he said at the pre-match media conference. On the chances of his opening the innings, Dravid said, “My innings of 128 has certainly given us certain options in the short term. We will take it as a positive and view it as an opportunity for us to try and get something out of the situation, try and utilise it in such a way that it may give us a chance to play well in the series.” Like on the eve of the first Test, Dravid was non-committal on the team composition. “There are some thoughts in our minds and there's some clarity but obviously from the strategic point of view we have decided to announce the team only tomorrow morning,” he said. Dravid said the wicket at Iqbal Stadium did not seem very different from the one at Gaddafi Stadium which produced a draw in the first Test at Lahore. “It looks a slightly different wicket to Lahore, but not very different. There’s a slight difference in the appearance, but not by much,” the captain said. “As far as my judgement goes it will be good for batting and then as the match progresses, hopefully, there will be some help for the bowlers if it acts a bit up and down.” Dravid felt that, like in Lahore, toss would not make much of a difference. “It would be a good wicket. As we saw in Lahore there was no difference about winning the toss or losing it. “I don’t think it will make much of a difference here too, except may be on the first morning when there's some help for the fast bowlers. After that I think for 2-3 days it would be a good wicket to bat on.” Asked if people were seeing a different Rahul Dravid after his eye-to-eye confrontation with Pakistani pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar during his innings at Lahore, he laughed and said, “I did not even think of it, but just reacted.” “It’s not the first time I have seen a bowler in the eye. But probably people are taking notice of it now as I am the captain. Dravid said the team did have had a look at past records at various grounds it was to play on this tour, but they were just indicators and not definitive of how the wicket would behave and who would succeed. Teams: India:
Rahul Dravid (capt), Virender Sehwag, Wasim Jaffer, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh and Parthiv Patel. Pakistan:
Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Mohammed Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Muhammad Sami, Shoaib Malik, Salman Butt, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Kamran Akmal, Arshad Khan, Danish Kaneria, Imran Farhat and Muhammad Asif. — PTI |
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Haq wanted flat wicket at Lahore: PCB
Islamabad, January 20 “Inzamam does not like grass and an in house inquiry conducted by the board revealed that the Pakistan Captain had instructed for a grassless pitch in Lahore,” local daily “The News” quoted an unnamed PCB official as saying. The official said Pakistan skipper opted for a flat pitch as Pakistan batsmen were not well equipped to play the swinging ad seaming deliveries and a grassy pitch could have made life difficult for them. Asked why the curator prepared a good sporting wicket for the recently concluded series against England which Pakistan won and a bland wicket against India, he said “the curator acted on Inzamam’s instructions.” The newspaper quoted a former Pakistan cricketer attached to the PCB as saying “every captain wants to exploit the home conditions and before preparing the wickets curators always consult the home captain. If the grassless dull wicket was prepared for the Lahore it is not possible without the home captain’s consent.” Branding Inzamam as a “defensive captain”, he said the curators could blamed for not being able to prepare a good track. But you cannot remove the grass altogether without the home captain’s consent. Before preparing a pitch the curators have to consult the team management and are supposed to act on their instruction,” he said. “I do not think Inzamam will opt for a green top wicket in Faisalabad,” he said.
— PTI |
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Lee, Jaques power Aussie win
Melbourne, January 20 Lee sparked a massive middle-order collapse, claiming 5-22 from 10 overs as South Africa surrendered meekly to reach just 186 with three overs remaining in reply to Australia’s 245. His inspired spell, aided by Brad Hogg who claimed 3-32, saw the Proteas plummet from 114-3 to 124-8 as Australia took the game by the throat. Only a dogged late stand by veteran Pollock, who hit 46 off 32 balls, including successive sixes off debutant Brett Dorey, added respectability to the total. Australia’s innings had been saved by opener Jaques who blasted the country’s highest one-day debut score of 94 off 112 balls, surpassing Keppler Wessels’ 79 against New Zealand in 1982-83. South Africans, who beat Australia by five wickets in their previous match, had seemed on top after dismissing Australia for a modest total on a good wicket. Jaques, brought in for the rested Adam Gilchrist, was the only batsman to make a big score, with six of his colleagues dismissed for single figures. Andrew Hall was the best of the South African bowlers with 4-35 off 9.2 overs while Shaun Pollock took 2-31 from 10. The Proteas have now lost two of their three matches so far in the series, which also features Sri Lanka. Scoreboard Australia Martyn b Pollock 11 Jaques c Boucher
b Van der Wath 94 Ponting c Smith b Hall 9 Symonds c Prince b Steyne 7 Clarke c Boucher
b Van der Wath 34 Hussey c Kruger b Hall 18 Haddin b Pollock 1 Hopes c Botha b Hall 38 Lee b Smith 6 Dorey c Kemp b Hall 2 McGrath not out 2 Extras
(lb-3, w-13, nb-7) 23 Total (all out, 49.2 overs) 245 Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-55, 3-85, 4-172, 5-177, 6-181, 7-208, 8-221, 9-238, 10-245. Bowling: Pollock 10-2-31-2, Steyne 5-0-58-1, Hall 9.2-0-35-4, Kruger 6-0-35-0, Botha 10-0-47-0, Van der Wath 5-0-21-2, Smith 4-0-15-1. South Africa Smith c Haddin b Lee 9 Dippenaar b Lee 41 Hall b Lee 1 Gibbs lbw Hogg 39 Prince b Lee 21 Boucher lbw Hogg 5 Kemp b Lee 3 Van der c Haddin b Hogg 0 Pollock c Haddin b Dorey 46 Botha not out 15 Kruger c Symonds
b McGrath 0 Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-2, nb-1) 6 Total (all out, 47 overs) 186 Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-16, 3-84, 4-114, 5-119, 6-123, 7-123, 8-124, 9-185, 10-186. Bowling: Lee 10-1-22-5, McGrath 9-2-35-1, Dorey 9-1-51-1, Hopes 7-1-28-0, Hogg 10-0-32-3, Symonds 2-0-15-0. — AFP |
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Former umpire blasts Ponting
SYDNEY:
They might be world champions but when it comes to behaving like ones “they are disgraceful” and their captain is nothing but “a disaster as leader,” so feels former Test umpire Lou Rowan about the Australian cricket team and captain Ricky Ponting.
“Ponting is a disaster as leader,” Rowan said in an interview to Fox Sports, adding, “The conduct of him and his players is absolutely disgraceful.” Rowan, who stood in 25 Tests between 1963 and 1971, said the Aussie captain had “no class” as a leader. “He has no control over his players. It is an insult to former players and people associated with the game.” — UNI
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Paes, Bhupathi advance
Melbourne, January 20 Bhupathi and Martina Hingis registered a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 win over Yeu-Tzuoo of Chinese Taipei and Na Li of China in the first round. The Indian doubles star and the Swiss Miss, on a comeback trail, were in awesome form, winning 80 points in the match and breaking their opponents four times. Bhupathi and Hingis now await the winner of Jurgen Melzer/Anastasia Myskina vs Jonas Bjorkman/Lisa Raymond match in the second round. Paes and Czech Republic’s Martin Damm were once again made to work hard before they prevailed over Czech duo Lukas Dlouhy and Pavel Vizner 7-5, 6-3. Paes and Damm were broken once in the first set but made up for the setback with a double break of their own. With Dlouhy and Vizner making no unforced errors, there were no free points on offer for the Indo-Czech pair. The winners face either Bhupathi and Wesley Moodie of South Africa or Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra of France.
— PTI |
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Serena crashes out
Melbourne, January 20 The seven-time Grand Slam winner went down “I just made a lot of errors today, I just couldn’t find my shots at all,” Williams said after the defeat, her worst performance at Melbourne Park since 1999, when she also fell at the third hurdle. Maria Sharapova didn’t waste time in the heat, routing Jelena Kostanic 6-0, 6-1 and will now play Hantuchova in the fourth round. Sixth seed Nadia Petrova cruised into the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-2 thrashing of feisty Italian Maria Elena Camerin. Petrova wrapped up a comfortable victory in 72 minutes to advance to the fourth round against fellow Russian Elena Vesnina, who beat Ukraine’s Olga Savchuk 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. Top seed Lindsay Davenport survived a tough match and extreme heat, to beat Russia’s Maria Kirilenko 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the third round today. Eighth seed Justine Henin-Hardenne eased into the fourth round with an impressive 6-4, 6-1 win over France’s Virginie Razzano today. Former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova crushed Italian Mara Santangelo 6-3, 6-1 to enter the fourth round. Roddick wins
Andy Roddick fired 17 aces in a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win over French qualifier Julien Benneteau today, hustling through the third round as temperatures started rising at the Australian Open. Roddick’s next opponent is Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, who beat Denis Gremelmayr 6-2, 6-1, 6-2. No. 11 David Ferrer beat No. 18 Mario Ancic 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 and Fabrice Santoro overcame No. 8 Gaston Gaudio 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 1-6, 6-4 in an entertaining 3-hour, 47-minute match. —
Agencies |
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Anand takes sole lead
Wijk Aan Zee, January 20 The revenge also earned Anand four points and placed him in a good position to win a record fifth title at Corus, his favourite hunting ground. Last year Leko beat Anand to gain a decisive advantage in the race for the title. Meanwhile his arch-rival, Veselin Topalov was unable to overcome the tenacious defence of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in an interesting fight and split the point. Vassily Ivanchuk crushed Gata Kamsky to join Topalov at second place. In group B, India’s Koneru Humpy drew with higher rated Brazilian GM, Giovanni Vesconi, and is now in sole seventh place with three points.
— PTI |
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Didar strikes for Hyderabad Sultans
Chandigarh, January 20 Star striker of Sultans, Didar Singh, scored both the goals and once again gave his team a chance to come back in the league. He is now the top scorer in the league with five goals. Riding with image of being a leader of tournament, Dynamos lost their temperament in the initial stages of the match when Didar Singh was successful in converting a penalty corner. Injury of Jugraj did dampen the spirits of Dynamos but the second quarter of the tie could not give much delight to the spectators. Till halftime score was 1-0. Finally in 67th minute, Sultans, led by Dilip Tirkey, were in full throttle when Sardara Singh created a move and gave pass to Didar Singh who further consolidated the lead to 2-0. Hyderabad Sultans were awarded five penalty corners while Chandigarh Dynamos got two. Dazzlers down Rangers
Delhi Dazzlers registered a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Imphal Rangers in a Tier II encounter here today. The entire match was bereft of any strategic moves and both teams wasted many chances. But Dazzlers won the match by a solitary goal in the first quarter of the play. Dazzlers scored the goal in the 12th minute. This move was through midfielder Harwinder Singh along with Ajitpal Singh assisting the move. With rival custodian Herojit Singh charging out, Kulwinder rushed in and dived to send the ball into the open goal. In the second half, Dazzlers forced four penalty corners in 40th, 51st, 59th and 64th minute but could not convert any of them. During the dying moments, Dazzlers had two more chances, but skipper Raju and Ajitpal failed to score. |
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FA Hoshiarpur, JCT (B) win titles
Mahilpur, January 20 In the college category, Football Academy, Hoshiarpur, prevailed over hosts SGGS Khalsa College, Mahilpur, by a similar margin to clinch the title. While the senior JCT Mills team is currently engaged in the National Football League, the JCT (B) team came up with a creditable show to win the title as well as a cash prize of Rs 50,000. The proceedings were initially confined to the midfield though JCT held a slight edge intermittently. Among those assisting the Phagwara outfit were Surjit Singh, Taranjit Singh, and Charanjit Kumar, all of whom played in the National Football League last year, and TFA recruit Bimal Birua. After a barren first half JCT (B) shot into the lead in the 55th minute following a measured pass by the experienced Surjit Singh to Amarinder. The latter struck like lightning to beat the Punjab Police goalie, giving his side the vital lead. Punjab Police fought back and launched several counter-attacks but unluckily, the equaliser eluded them. However, they were assured of a cash prize of Rs 40,000 by virtue of finishing runners-up. Earlier, in the college category, Football Academy, Hoshiarpur, edged out a fighting SGGS Khalsa College, Mahilpur, by a solitary goal to emerge champions. The all-important goal came through a penalty at the fag end of extra time after the two teams were locked goal-less in the stipulated period. Just as the match appeared to be heading for the penalty shootout, deep defender Kulwarn Singh of SGGS Khalsa College brought down Jagpreet Singh of the Hoshiarpur outfit inside the box. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the dreaded spot. Off the resultant spot kick, Sehajpal Singh intelligently sent Mahilpur goalkeeper Sandeep Singh to the wrong side to affix his squad’s stamp of superiority on the trophy. By virtue of the title win, the Hoshiarpur team were also assured of a cash prize of Rs 20,000. Coached by former JCT star Sukhdev Singh, the Mahilpur lads played a fast-paced game but Hoshiarpur Football Academy, comprising mostly of school boys of DAV Senior Secondary School, Hoshiarpur, matched them move for move. Coach Jhalman Singh remained on his feet to encourage his boys, who were not overawed by the reputation of the local favourites. The SGGS Khalsa College team with as many as eight Panjab University probables who are likely to play in the Inter-University Football Championship at Srinagar next month, faced a tough challenge from the outset. The Hoshiarpur lads made the first serious move in the 27th minute when Dilshad Ahmed sought to capitalise on a chance with a header but his feeble attempt was thwarted by the goalie who made a neat collection. A counter-attack by Khalsa College fetched them a corner and off the flag kick, Satwinder Singh back-heeled with his back to the goal but missed the target. The second half again saw the two teams making some close calls without success. The Hoshiarpur team were awarded a corner late in the second half but Gurwinder Singh misdirected his header. The match stretched into extra time and it was in the second half of this period that the Hoshiarpur lads were awarded a penalty following Kulwarn Singh’s unfair tackle inside the box. The subsequent conversion by Sehajpal, who also played in the National School Games, eventually tilted the scales in favour of the Hoshiarpur team. Mr Varinder Singh Bajwa, MP, who was the chief guest, gave away the prizes. |
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Malveen strikes third gold
Patiala, January 20 Malveen, a student of the local DAV school, has already bagged six medals, including three golds in the championship. Malveen, who also won two medals, a silver and a bronze, in the previous edition of the meet held at Hyderabad in 2004, has enabled Punjab to triumph in the three-km team pursuit (u-19) and 1,500m team time trial (u-19). In individual races, Malveen has bagged a silver in olympic sprint (u-19) and a bronze each in olympic sprint (u-17) and individual pursuit (u-17). In today’s scratch race, Malveen showed a lot of tactical acumen when the odds were stacked heavily against her. Trailing for most part of the race, the talented Patiala rider held her nerves in the last 100 metres and accelerated past her rival who was left unawares by the speed generated by Malveen. Results:
1000m scratch (girls, u-17) — Malveen Kaur (Punjab)-1, Priyanka Desai (Maharashtra)-2, Magie (Anadman and Nicober)-3; 1000m scratch (boys, u-14) — J. Nishant Kumar (AP)-1, J.Lohit (AP)-2, Jugnu Kumar (Rajasthan)-3; 1,000m scratch (girls, u-14) — T.L Chanu (Manipur)-1, TH Indra Devi (Manipur)-2, Megha Krishan (Kerala)-3; 2 km team pursuit (boys, u-17) — Punjab-1, AP-2, Maharashtra-3; 3-km team pursuit (girls, u-19) — Punjab-1, Kerala-2, Maharashtra-3; and 4-km team pursuit (men) — Railways-1, Punjab Police-2, Punjab-3. |
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