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Dravid keeps cards close to his chest
Pakistan may go in with three pacers
Moin rubs Sachin the wrong way
ICC, BCCI vow to resolve issues
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Mauresmo breaks Grand Slam jinx
Melbourne, January 28 French third seed Amelie Mauresmo won her first Grand Slam title today after her eighth seeded opponent Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium retired from the Australian Open women’s singles final because of injury.
Two Indo-Pak hockey Tests in Chandigarh
Mohammedan Sporting beat JCT
Popat doubtful for Uber Cup qualifiers
Anand
draws with Topalov
Rural Olympics from Feb 16
Punjabi varsity win two gold
It’s a great honour, says Bahadur
Atwal flies with three eagles
Irina retains all-India title
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Dravid keeps cards close to his chest
Karachi, January 28 The team management has shortlisted 13 players for the game which it said would give them the flexibility to weigh various options for the contest, reduced virtually into a finale after the two drawn encounters. “I do not want to lay my cards on the table. We have shortlisted 13 players. We will select a team that we feel can win us the match,” Dravid said at a pre-match press conference today. Left out of the squad were the two openers — Gautam Gambhir and Wasim Jaffer — and wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel. This decision meant doors were open for Sourav Ganguly to sneak into the playing eleven after missing the previous Test at Faisalabad. However, Dravid refused to commit whether the former Indian captain would find a place in the side while justifying the decision to go in with five bowlers in the previous match. “In the last match we saw the wicket and decided to play five bowlers. Our assessment of the wicket was correct. We thought we needed five bowlers as the wicket was pretty flat and it was difficult to get a result on it. We also had another Test (Karachi) coming in three days after that.” “Our bowlers had to bowl close to 250 overs and it was a good thing to have a fifth bowler whom we could rotate around. And they are not as tired as the case would have been if there were only four. Hopefully we will play our best composition for this track,” Dravid said. On whether the team would retain the five-bowler attack, he was not forthcoming. “We will keep our options open. We had that option in the last game. We might use it or might not use it. We will try and pick a bowling attack that can hopefully get us 20 wickets, that's the whole objective. In some conditions four can do the job and in some others five are needed.” Dravid also sounded pleased with the track prepared for the match at the National Stadium. “It looks a very good wicket. It’s a bit grassy and there might be a bit more for the bowlers. There might be a little bit of bounce early on but as the game goes on it should develop into a good wicket for batting. “But when I say good for batting, I am not saying it’s a flat track. There will be a bit more help for the bowlers definitely and hopefully a result can be forced by the team which plays good cricket on this one,” he said. Dravid also felt that the toss would not make much of a difference. The Bangalore batsman brushed aside the on-field exchange of words between the two teams at Faisalabad, saying that it should not be blown out of proportion. “The match referee and umpires are very much in control. That’s not an issue between the teams. We get along pretty well, both on and off the field. “Sometimes in a cricket match tempers can flare a bit. We played on two flat wickets. Everyone knows what's right and wrong. The game has been played in the right spirit. It was played in good spirit in the last two series and it should continue,” Dravid said. Dravid said he was satisfied with the way his bowlers had performed in the first two Tests which have been high-scoring draws.
— PTI |
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Pakistan may go in with three pacers
Karachi, January 28 Inzamam, racing against time to be fit for the crucial tie, said the wicket prepared for the Test here looked much better than the flat track at Faisalabad and fielding three seamers could be a viable option. “It looks better than the Faisalabad one. It would be good to go in with three fast bowlers. It looks like a result-oriented pitch,” he said at a pre-match press conference. Inzamam also confirmed that his team’s bowling spearhead Shoaib Akhtar, who had strained his ankle during the second Test, was fit. But as far as his own availability was concerned, he said he had given himself time till the morning of the match to decide whether he would take the field. “I am much better and want to play, but will decide only tomorrow morning,” said Inzamam who has been troubled by his back since the second Test at Faisalabad. Asked who would open the innings in the absence of Shoaib Malik, Inzamam said, “We have certain options, Imran Farhat for one,” he said. Asked to comment on Moin Khan’s observation that Sachin Tendulkar was on a decline, Inzamam said, “He has played only one innings in the series so far. It is not enough to judge a player’s form. “I don’t read newspaper columns by former players. There are too many of them around,” he said.
— PTI |
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Moin rubs Sachin the wrong way
After two of the most dreary Test draws in recent times, we are compelled to hang on to history. Is historical knowledge relevant or not? Let me see if I can tread on a few more toes! Not that it is going to matter much to the
drafts involved in an intellectual activity like cricket!
Anyway, the last two matches in Pakistan have done little to enhance the image of Test cricket in the subcontinent. Quite a few PCB officials have given reasons for the lifeless tracks, graveyards for the bowlers. But not a soul has picked up enough courage to say a simple “sorry” to the players or the paying public. Yet the gullible amongst the cricket followers will throng the Karachi stadium hoping for a result. Now this is one mighty big hope that the series will be decided for or against the home team. I would be damned with all my cricket information and experience to back Pakistan taking any chances. Karachi is the home of all great Pakistani Batsmen,
Hanif, Mushtaq, Zaheer, Miandad and Sadiq to name a few, and we all know what a batsman’s mindset is. As for the record books, Pakistan has lost only one Test in Karachi. So the common sense of a layman would suggest that the stalemate should prevail. Without getting into any lengthy debate, Moin Khan has to be bereft of all cricket sense to pronounce that Pakistan has found something as frightful as a chink in Sachin Tendulkar’s
armoury. Well done Moin, even if your discovery comes in thirty-five Test centuries too late! Instead of applauding Sachin’s ‘walk’ in Faisalabad, Moin rubs him the wrong way. I am afraid somebody in the Pakistani attack will pay heavily for Moin’s ill-timed remark. And I dare say with or without beamers or bouncers. While the latter is a legitimate weapon (of an illegitimate fast
trundler!), the beamer surely is an outlaw and must be condemned most harshly.
— UNI |
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ICC, BCCI vow to resolve issues
New Delhi, January 28 BCCI President Sharad Pawar and ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed, who met here at the former’s ministerial office, said both sides had a “much better understanding” of each other’s issues. “The BCCI and the ICC now have a clear understanding of each other’s point of view. We hope to solve the issues as soon as possible so that we can concentrate on the preparation for the 2006 Champions Trophy,” Pawar, also the Union Minister for Agriculture, said after the meeting with Speed. The BCCI finds itself in a tricky situation with regard to signing the host nation agreement with the ICC since two of the three venues — Mumbai and Delhi — have their own agreements with various corporates. Speed said one of the issues arising out of the existing contract it had with Global Cricket Corporation, who hold the rights for all ICC events till 2007, was that “we require clean cricket venues.” “The grounds must be free of any ad signages so that we can maximise the revenue for our sponsors,” the ICC chief said. Pawar said Delhi had a contract with ITC who had been supporting them for long and similarly Tatas had been lending big support in Mumbai. Speed said such problems had been overcome during past events.
— PTI |
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Mauresmo breaks Grand Slam jinx
Melbourne, January 28 The win, which came when the scores were 6-1, 2-0 in Mauresmo’s favour, makes up for her devastating loss in the 1999 final, when she lost to Martina Hingis. She was totally dominating an out-of-sorts Henin-Hardenne before the French Open champion and four-time Grand Slam winner retired 52 minutes into what had been one of the most lopsided finals in the tournament’s recent history. Henin-Hardenne called for a trainer when the score was 2-0 in the second set, holding her hand to her head. The 2004 Australian Open champion tried to continue but told the umpire she could not go on and slumped into a seat, a towel draped across her head to hide her tears. “It’s been a very long time, but I still don’t know what to say,” said the French power-hitter. “My first words are for Justine, it’s disappointing for everybody for the tournament to end this way, so I’m hoping she will get better and recover quickly. “All the people who still believed in me after seven years it’s a long time, but all the people who have been working with me still believed in me and really pushed me, even when I was down.” It was the second match in a row that Mauresmo has won on a retirement after injured second seed Kim Clijsters failed to finish their semifinal. Mauresmo also went through on a retirement in the third round when Michaella Krajicek pulled out suffering heat exhaustion. Henin-Hardenne, 23, who missed much of 2005 because of injury and a debilitating viral illness, said she was devastated to lose in such a fashion. “I am feeling so sick,” she told the crowd at the Rod Laver Arena, where the roof was closed because of heavy rain. “I’m feeling very disappointed for ending the tournament this way, I feel very sorry for you guys (crowd) that I couldn’t find a bit more today, but I am feeling so sick and I couldn’t stay longer on the court.”
— AFP |
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Paes-Damm fall at last hurdle
Melbourne, January 28 Paes has won six Grand Slam titles, including three in mixed doubles, but is yet to win a men’s doubles title since his French Open triumph with Mahesh Bhupathi in 2001. Bob and Mike, only the second team to appear in six successive Grand Slam finals in the Open era, collected the winners check of $440,000 while Paes and Damm earned $210,000. Leander and Damm sneaked into the top seeds serve in the seventh game of the first set. Paes hit a reflex pick-up to earn triple break points off right-hander Mike Bryan. A charged up Paes then hit a return winner to go 4-3 up and finally won the first set 6-4. Stung by the reversal, Bryan brothers hit back with vengeance in the second set as they crashed through the service of Paes in the eighth game. The American twins got three break points off Paes but Damm hit two volleys to save two of them. Left-handed Bob hit a fine forehand winner down the line to restore parity. In the decider, the Bryan brothers managed to convert their crucial break point in the fifth game.
— PTI
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Dynamos enter final Chandigarh, January 28 Warriors took the lead in the 13th minute with a superb field goal. Old warhorse Dhanraj Pillay’s free hit from near the 25-yard line was deflected in by Vijay Alphonso from close range between a diving goalkeeper Kamaldeep Singh and defender Jugraj Singh. The Dynamos drew parity in the 29th minute by making the most of a defensive lapse. Inderjit Chadha latched on to a rebound from the left post and found the target without any fuss. The Dynamos took a 2-1 lead in the 48th minute through a quick counter-attack. Midfielder Inderjit Chadha made a quick move on the right flank and gave a cross into the circle to Deepak Thakur. With the defence completely caught unawares and Warriors goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza rushing out, Deepak hit home to make it 2-1. Thereafter, the Warriors played a very attacking game. A brilliant move by Dhanraj Pillay and Shivender ended in a goalmouth melee but to no avail. The Dynamos wrapped up the match in the 57th minute. A shot into the circle by Deepak Thakur was blocked by the goalkeeper and Baldar Bomans relayed the rebound to an unmarked Mudasar Ali Khan, who sounded the board and guided his team to a 3-1 win. Dynamos finished with 14 points from eight matches to top the table. Tomorrow, Sher-e-Jallandhar take on Bangalore Lions in the last league match at 7 pm.
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Two Indo-Pak hockey Tests in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, January 28 Confirming that Chandigarh would hosts two Tests, Chandigarh Sports Department Joint Director J.P. Sidhu said: “We have received a communication from the Indian Hockey Federation to host the second and third Tests in Chandigarh on February 18 and 20. The Tests in Chandigarh would be played under lights.” According to the new schedule, the first Test will be played at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar on February 16. During the Pakistani leg of the series, the three Tests would be held at Rawalpindi (February 22), Faisalabad (February 24) and Lahore (February 26).
— UNI |
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Mohammedan Sporting beat JCT
Kolkata, January 28 Bijen Singh and Md Muktar found the target for the winners, who now have 10 points from five outings. For the losers, Parveen Kumar scored from a spot kick in the Salt Lake Stadium match as the millmen remained on five points for the same number of matches. Sporting went into the lead in the 26th minute when their Zimababwean defender David Mkandwire received the ball near the mid-field, and sent a square pass to Madhab Das onto the left who gave a long ball to in-form striker Patrick Okonji inside the rival box. Despite being hemmed in by two defenders, Patrick controlled well and promptly fed Bijen Singh who was in the clear. Bijen, with goalkeeper Kalya Chaubey at his mercy, shot in. Sporting widened the margin in the 71st minute. Patrick essayed a fine pass through to Bijen Singh, who shot straight to the goalkeeper’s body. The rebound went to Md Mukhtar who put the ball home. JCT, however, managed to narrow the gap within two minutes. Madhab Das needlessly held on to the ball near his own box and the wily Marcos Perira dispossessed the defender and moved into the box. Sporting defender Madhusudan Majumder brought down the advancing Pereira and the referee P Bhaskar had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. Parveen Kumar made no mistake in converting the easiest of set pieces.
— PTI Salgaocar lose Margao: Goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee’s error enabled a nervy Sporting Clube de Goa get past Salgaocar Sports Club 1-0 in an NFL match at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, tonight. Salgaocar goalkeeper Mukherjee made a mess of an innocuous looking Rajesh Meetei free kick, sending it in his own goal while trying to clear it off the line.— Agencies
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Popat doubtful for Uber Cup qualifiers
New Delhi, January 28 Popat, the nine-time national champion, has already missed nine days of the ongoing camp at Jalandhar and has extended her leave by another 10-days, citing a leg injury. “We received a letter from her (Aparna) yesterday that she will not be able to attend the camp for another 10 days due to a leg injury,” BAI secretary L.C. Gupta said today. This means the Maharshtra girl would be able to resume the practise at the camp that started on January 20, only a week before the competition, which is slated to begin at Jaipur on February 14. Gupta said they would discuss the issue tomorrow and could also look for a suitable replacement. “We will discuss the matter with president V.K. Verma, who is coming tomorrow,” he said. |
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Anand draws
with Topalov
Wijk Aan Zee, January 28 Topalov moved to 8.5 points after playing it safe in the key encounter against Anand. Peace was signed after just 23 moves. Anand inched to eight points after the draw and maintained his sole second position in the category-19 event. Earlier, Anand was held to a draw by Russian-turned-Dutchman Sergei Tiviakov in the 11th round of the tournament.
— PTI
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Rural Olympics from Feb 16
Chandigarh, January 28 The games would be dedicated to the memory of former Union Minister and noted film star Sunil Dutt and hockey Olympian Tarsem Singh Kular. Besides cash awards of Rs 1 lakh each to the winners of bullock cart race, kabaddi, loading and unloading of tractor-trailer and wrestling, there will be several new additions to the games this year. Mr Grewal said the annual sportsman of the meet award, instituted last year to commemorate the memory of Olympian Balkishen Singh, would also carry a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. The organisers have decided to organise competitions in seven events for men and five events for women. The events are 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m (both for men and women) and long jump, shot put for men. Hockey will witness top teams, both in seniors and juniors sections. |
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Punjabi varsity win two gold
Patiala, January 28 Only the road races were held today on the Rajpura-Sirhind road, while other track events were re-scheduled for tomorrow. In the 25 km mass start, Amandeep Kaur of the hosts won the gold by clocking 52 minutes 21.64 seconds. She was followed by Navdeep Kaur of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar (52 minutes 22.50 seconds) and Rajeshwari Kadam of Pune University (52 minutes 22.81 seconds). The 50 km road team time trial saw little competition as the hosts’ quartet of Harpreet Singh, Amandeep Singh, Tarunpreet Singh and Kamalpreet Sharma pedalled their way to victory by clocking 1 hour 9 minutes 17.60 seconds. The Bikaner University foursome of Jitendra Chowdhury, Ram Narayan, Sagar Mal and Dayala Ram Jat stood second, while the third place went to Kurukshetra University, who were represented by Nirmal Singh, Narinder Kumar, Neeraj Tanwar and Gurbaz Singh. |
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It’s a great honour, says Bahadur
Jalandhar, January 28 Born on May 7, 1973, Bahadur was inspired to take up sports by his brother Sukhbir Singh, who was the national champion in triple jump. He won the discus throw event at the Junior Punjab State Championsip and also established the state record in 1988. He switched to shot put later and won the gold at the 1995 South Asian Federation Games, setting a games record and beating top Indian shot putter Shakti Singh. The winner of 11 international medals, Bahadur took part in the Sydney Olympics (2000) and the Athens Olympics (2004). He has won 35 national gold medals and broken the national record 21 times. |
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Atwal flies with three eagles
San Diego, January 28 Atwal is tied fifth in a bunch of seven players that also includes his friend, Daniel Chopra. Chopra went on a birdie spree and made good use of the scoring opportunity at the North Course with a six-under 66 and was at seven-under for 36 holes.
— PTI |
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In video: Shoaib Akhtar to play in
third Test match. (
