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ICC puts Akhtar under scanner
Harbhajan returns
I am here to stay: Greg Chappell
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Olympians to be honoured
Haryana down services
Himachal thrash Delhi
Circuit meet to act as selection trials
Punjab in final
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Aussies clinch tri-series
Brisbane, February 14 Gilchrist thrashed a spectacular 122 off 91 balls and shared in a 196-run opening stand with Simon Katich to set up the Australians for an overwhelming nine-wicket victory in the third match of the finals’ series. The Australian vice-captain raised his 14th ODI century off just 67 balls, the fastest by an Australian in terms of balls faced, as the home side easily chased down Sri Lanka’s 266 for nine off 50 overs. It was largest successful chase by Australia in Brisbane surpassing their 235 in defeating the West Indies in 2000-01. Man of the match Gilchrist profited from a ‘life’ on 20 when he was fumbled by Sanath Jayasuriya in a two-handed skied chance to smack 13 fours and four sixes and completed an emotional hundred by wildly waving his bat to the crowd. Gilchrist, who emerged from a troubled home summer and an under-achieving Ashes series in England, was finally out when he was bowled by Muttiah Muralitharan with his team well in command, needing only 71 runs from victory. Sri Lanka, who looked to have presented Australia with a challenging target after scoring 266 for nine, in the end were battered out of it by the ballistic Gilchrist. Three batsmen scored half-centuries, Mahela Jayawardene 86 (91 balls), Russel Arnold 76 (71 balls) and Kumar Sangakkara 59 (85 balls), to take advantage of winning the toss. Scoreboard
Sri Lanka Atapattu c Symonds b Bracken 7 Jayasuriya c Symonds b Bracken 6 Sangakkara lbw Clarke 59 Jayawardene c Katich b Clark 86 Arnold c Ponting b Bracken 76 Dilshan c Hussey b Clark 3 Kapugedara c Symonds b Lewis 9 Vaas run out 11 Muralitharan run out 3 Fernando not out 1 Extras (lb-2, w-2, nb-1) 5 Total
(for 9 wkts in 50 overs) 266 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-28, 3-128, 4-204, 5-213, 6-238, 7-259, 8-265, 9-266. Bowling: Lee 10-0-58-0, Bracken 10-1-44-3, Lewis 10-1-52-1, Clark 10-0-45-2, Symonds 5-0-39-0, Clarke 5-0-26-1. Australia Gilchrist b Muralitharan 122 Katich not out 107 Ponting not out 28 Extras (lb-5, w-4, nb-1) 10 Total (for 1 wkt, 45.3 overs) 267 Fall of wicket: 1-196. Bowling: Vaas 10-0-45-0, Perera 8-1-50-0, Fernando 6-0-45-0, Dilshan 3.3-0-21-0, Muralitharan 10-1-50-1, Bandara 6-0-36-0, Jayawardene 2-0-15-0.
— AFP |
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ICC puts Akhtar under scanner
Lahore, February 14 “Apparently but I can’t confirm this. The ICC has asked for the video footage of his action, which has been sent to them,” ‘The News’ quoted a source in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as saying. The daily reported that Shoaib, who has been ruled out of the ongoing ODI series against India, is once again under the scanner after the Faisalabad Test during which Chappell raised questions on the legality of his action saying there was something “seriously different” about it. The India coach had complained to the umpires that Shoaib had bowled an “impossible ball” to Sachin Tendulkar which hit the little master during the match. Thereafter umpires were asked to keep a close eye on the express bowler’s action. Shoaib reacted angrily to the whole matter asking Chappell to respect the ICC which has cleared his action after testing him. The matter took a serious turn when the ICC Technical Committee head Sunil Gavaskar said that no bowler could claim to be cleared forever as umpires had the right to call anyone with a suspect action even if that bowler had been cleared before. Afridi out of ODI series
Pakistan suffered a major blow as all-rounder Shahid Afridi was ruled out of the remaining two one-day cricket matches against India after being diagnosed with a rib injury. Afridi took pain-killers to play in the third ODI at Lahore yesterday, which Pakistan lost by five wickets, but scans after the game revealed that he had bruised ribs that required two weeks to repair. Afridi’s absence from the last two games is disappointing news for Pakistan, who lost the services of paceman Shoaib Akhtar 48 hours earlier and trail 2-1 in the five-match series with the fourth match in Multan on February 16 and the final tie in Karachi on February 19. Afridi’s replacement, whose name has not been declared so far, would join directly in Multan. Afridi said he was devastated with the news. “I am utterly disappointed. I desperately wanted to play in all the games but this injury turned out to be more serious than thought earlier.” Afridi, who stroked two centuries and a half century in the Test series, has been struggling to play up to his reputation in the one-dayers.
— UNI, PTI |
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Harbhajan returns Wagah, February 14 Authorities concerned kept the gate on zero line open for an hour more than the scheduled time after the Retreat ceremony to facilitate smooth arrival of
cricket fans. Harbhajan played in the first two Tests against Pakistan in the current series. Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag were ruled out for the remaining one-dayers to be held at Multan and Karachi on February 16 and 19, respectively. Harbhajan was omitted from the team owing to an injury to the index finger of his right hand while Sehwag injured his right shoulder in the second one-dayer. In a damage control exercise, the Customs Department set up 20 additional counters for early clearance. This was also done in expectance of arrival of about 4,000 fans. The Border Security Force set up stalls of water and tea. The cricket fans found the authorities at the international border offering better facilities than what they had to go through on their departure. Although they had to face numerous inconveniences at the border yet they were jubilant at the experience of watching the
match at Lahore. Vijay Bajaj of Rohtak, who injured his leg during the chaos at the checkpost on February 12, said upon his arrival that he had to spend Rs 8000 at Lahore for the treatment. He was in a wheel chair.
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I am here to stay: Greg Chappell
Lahore, February 14 The tough-talking Australian, who has found himself at the centre of a row over Sourav Ganguly’s place in the team after he took over as the coach eight months ago, said here that “there have been people around the team and outside the team who have tried to make issues much bigger than they have really been”. Given the controversies did he ever think that “it may not be worth it”, Chappell was asked during an interview with PTI that covered the Ganguly issue, his coaching methods and India’s preparations for 2007 World Cup. “It has probably flashed across my mind once or twice but I have never actually got to the stage where I thought it is not worth it,” he replied. “You think is it worth it? Then I ask myself that question and the answer is always yes, it is. I have an unflinching commitment to the job. I am more committed today than I was the day I started because I have seen what can be done, I have seen what can be achieved if we get the right people with the right commitment together,” he explained. When he accepted “one of the most challenging and demanding jobs in cricket” he knew “some feathers would be ruffled along the way to make the changes that were necessary”, Chappell said pointing out that from time to time any coach will be required to take tough decisions, pull the players aside and talk to them about developing their game and their focus. Nevertheless he describes his experience so far as “fascinating” and by and large “wonderful”. “The more important side is that we have made some wonderful progress and seen some wonderful change in individuals, the way they have gone applying themselves to their cricket”. “We are seeing results of that on the field. The job is only partly done. It is probably not even half done in the sense of what we need to be able to do on a consistent basis to win cricket matches.” Controversies: “I knew to make change was going to be difficult. To change the way people perceive things, the way people think, whether it is the players, the media or general public takes time. Along the way there are bound to be some fluctuations. I cannot get involved in that and cannot get distracted by that. On Ganguly: Does the former Indian Captain figure in his plans for World Cup, 2007? “I am not able to say at this stage who will be in that squad. As I said to the group of 30 odd players when we started in Bangalore in June, who plays in 2007 World Cup has nothing to do with me, nothing to do with selectors. In any case I am one of the seven people involved in the process. It is actually up to each individual to either select themselves in or select themselves out and that will be by performance, by their attitude, by their ability to fit into all the criteria that are needed to be a Test cricketer or a one day international player.” “It has less to do with the runs made and wickets taken. It has to do with having everything that makes up the individual who blends into a group that can be a successful team. It has a lot to do with individuals and their commitment to getting better as a person, getting better as player... it is not just about batting or bowling, fielding is a very important part of it. Then there is attitude --- your attitude towards the team, towards your team mates... there is a checklist of about ten points each individual needs to be able to meet to fit into the future of the Indian cricket”. In other words was it up to Ganguly? “It is up to all of us. It is up to any individual who is playing cricket to display qualities that are necessary to meet the requirements of a successful team.” World Cup 2007: “I do not have worries as such. I have some focuses. There are some areas we need to develop such as our batting, bowling and fielding, our flexibility, our ability to handle all types of situations that can come up on the field during a cricket match. If we keep developing in all these areas we will be a competitive team that will have a chance to win the World Cup. If we can get to semifinals anyone can win from that point.” Indian dressing room: “We have a very happy and committed dressing room. We have a bunch of cricketers from Sachin Tendulkar who has played numerous Test matches and hundreds of limited over matches to cricketers who have played two or three one day games. We have a good blend of personalities, good blend of talent, youth and experience.”
— PTI |
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Easy sailing for Sania
Bangalore, February 14 Earlier, Isha Lakhani advanced to the second round while fourth seeded Sybille Bammer of Austria and eighth seeded Emma Laine of Finland made first round exit today. Lakhani, a wild card entrant, was leading 4-1 in the first set when her Slovakian unseeded rival and the world number 296 Katarina Kachlikova pulled out after aggravating an eye infection. Third seeded Mara Santengelo of Italy secured a berth to the second round with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Henrieta Nagyova (Slovakia) in the Tier-III event at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association courts. The Italian, who reached her first tour quarterfinal in singles at Pattaya last week, was joined in the round of 16 by unseeded American Vania King, who put out qualifier Tatiana Poutchek of Belarus 6-1, 6-3. Lakhani, ranked 488 in the world, now clashes with Ukraine’s Yuliana Fedak for a place in the quarterfinal. Fedak accounted for Laine, 19-year-old from Helsinki, who retired after complaining of acute tonsillitis. Fedak was leading 6-3, 3-1. Russia’s Anastassia Rodionova shocked Bammer 6-5, 6-4, 5-7, 6-0. Though Bammer pulled one back in the second set, she could not stop the Russian, who was on a roll in the final game. It was Lakhani’s first win in a WTA event. “I am lucky,” she said. “The win would have been more credible had I won playing.” Lakhani, taking part in her fourth WTA tournament, said: “I have nothing to lose. All I can gain is experience.” Meanwhile, Tzipora Obziler of Israel moved into the pre-quarter-finals beating Chinese Taipei’s Su-Wei Hsieh in a match between two unseeded players.
— PTI |
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Olympians to be honoured
Chandigarh, February 14 According to Mr Sukhvir Singh Grewal, chief organiser of the festival, folk singer Karamjit Dhuri and a former champion of camel races, Teja Singh, will also be honoured during the festival. The main attractions of the festival this time, he said, would be participation of leading hockey teams, including Punjab Police, Border Security Force, Faridkot Raiders, Patiala XI, Surjit Academy and teams from Mithapur, Sangrur, Ropar and hosts Kila Raipur in the Bhagwant Singh Gold Cup Tournament. Wrestlers from Patiala, Border Security Force, Punjab Armed police, Alamgir, Malikpur, Doomcherri and other akharas would also compete for honours during the festival. The winner of wrestling events gets a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, Mr Grewal said. Top athletes would also be seen action during the four-day festival. Track and field teams from BSF, Punjab Armed Police, Physical Education College (Bhagomajra), Sports Authority of India Academy, and also teams from Ludhiana and Sangrur have confirmed their participation. In the kabaddi competition, each participating village team would be permitted to field two outsiders. Winners will get Rs 1 lakh as cash prize. The cultural part of the festival will witness performance by some eminent folk singers including Ranjit Mani, Durga Rangila, Suchet Bala, Surjit Khan, Surinder Shinda, Gurkirpal and Mintoo besides others. Cultural troupes from Rajasthan and other states would also be present to enthral the audience during the conduct of various competitions, Mr Grewal added. |
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Jaswinder wins gold
Patiala, February 14 The competition, being held with active collaboration of the Equestrian Federation of India, is a part of the Patiala Heritage Festival and will conclude on February 18. Riders of four teams, India A, India B, Pakistan and Oman, are taking part in the event. War cries and thundering hoofs set the tone as some achieved the targets while others missed the mark. Riders Nihal Singh, Prithvi Jeet Singh, Jaswinder Singh and Simranjeet Singh are representing India A while Yakub Ali, Ram Lal, Jaswinder Singh and Gumaan Singh make up the India B team. Results: Lance & peg: Jaswinder Singh (India-B, 30) 1, Malik Harooh Banpial (Pak, 28) 2, Naeem Akram Khan (Pak, 27.5) 3; Lance, rings & peg: Malik Harooh Banpial (Pak, 25) 1, Jaswinder Singh (India-A, 24) 18, Jaswinder Singh (India-B, 23.5) 3, Ali Saleh Al Balushi (Oman, 23) 4. |
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Services bag overall trophy
Kurukshetra, February 14 Punjab were placed second in the pecking order followed by Railways. Services bagged the title with 18 points while Punjab accumulated 14 points. The third place was bagged by Railways, who despite having international rider Sukhjinder Singh in their ranks, managed to have just 12 points in their kitty. Results: Senior men: Services-1, Punjab-2, Railways-3. Senior women: Punjab-1, Manipur-2, Andaman and Nicobar-2. Junior boys: Rajasthan-1, Punjab-2, Karnataka-3. Junior girls: Punjab-1, Maharashtra-2, Andaman and Nicobar-3. Sub junior boys: Delhi-1, Karnataka-2. Sub-junior girls: Karnataka-1, Manipur-2. |
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Haryana down services
New Delhi, February 14 Both the teams have played three matches each. Haryana have so far won two matches while Services have recorded one win. Haryana made 271 for eight in 50 overs and in reply, Services were all out for 228 in 45.4 overs. Haryana skipper Amit Mishra won the toss and elected to bat. His openers Sumeet Sharma and Mahesh Rawat gave the side a solid start by putting up 110 runs for the first wicket in 21.5 overs. Sumit scored 52 while Rawat made 66. The middle order batsmen Shafiw Khan (20), Siddharth Verma 41and Sachin Rana 30 further boosted the visitors’ score as they scored 271 for eight off 50 overs. Services began their reply disastrously losing their first wicket when the score was only five. Only Yashpal Singh put up good resistance, but did not get enough support from other batsmen. His 75 were studded with seven boundaries and he faced 97 balls.
— UNI |
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Himachal thrash Delhi
New Delhi, February 14 Chasing a target of 249, the Delhi batsmen put up a pathetic display to be bundled out for 108 in 34.1 overs. For the visitors, Sandeep Sharma (78), Sangram Singh (58) and Manvindra Bisla (54) helped the team put on a challenging score on the
board. Shikhar Dhawan was the highest scorer for Delhi with 31 runs. Left-arm spinner Vishal Bhatia was the pick of the Himachal bowlers, taking three wickets for 17 runs. In another one-sided affair, Punjab thrashed Jammu and Kashmir by 76 runs to keep their perfect record in the zonal competition intact. Punjab tallied 327 for three in their allotted 50 overs on the back of captain Dinesh Mongia’s 135-ball 159 containing 20 boundaries. The skipper was ably supported by debutant Uday Kaul who scored 105. In reply, J-K finished on 251 for five, thereby handing Punjab a bonus point. In another match, Haryana got the better of Services by 43 runs. Electing to bat, Haryana scored 271 for 8 in 50 overs with contributions from Sumit Sharma (52) and Mahesh Rawat (66). Services were all out for 228 in 45.4 overs.
— PTI
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Circuit meet to act as selection trials
New Delhi, February 14 The athletes have been training at Patiala in preparation for the two circuit meets before the Federation Cup, which will now be held from February 28 to March 3, instead of February 24. AFI secretary Lalit Kumar Bhanot also indicated that the Patiala Circuit meet, to be held on February 19, may be deferred by a day if the Heritage Festival, currently on there, poses any problem to the athletes. Meanwhile, Mr Bhanot clarified that thrower Harwant Kaur was not on the run or missing, as is being made out, to escape from the clutches of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) sleuths, but is training at her village in Sabhra in Punjab, after taking due permission from the International Athletics Federation (IAF) through the AFI. Both Harwant and Anju Bobby George, who were training in South Africa along with other athletes from India, had informed the federation about their plans to train elsewhere well in advance. He said she had no intention to train in Patiala in any case, where the WADA officials had swooped down in search of athletes who are supposedly on dope. |
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Punjab in final
Ludhiana, February 14 The second semifinal played between last year’s runners up Services and Chhattisgarh turned out to be a mismatch as the former came out triumphant easily 28-12 after establishing eight goals lead (19-11) at half time.
— OSR |
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