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Match-less mob plays with fire
Past greats to reap BCCI’s
windfall
Minnows feast on mighty Aussies
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Sania-Huber enter
final
Life ban slapped on Raju, Tejinder
India bow out of AFC Challenge Cup Dempo ground Air-India
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Match-less mob plays with fire
Guwahati, April 9 Spectators threw missiles on to the field and set advertising hoardings on fire after umpires decided to call off play due to “unplayable” ground conditions following continuous rain over the past few days. The umpires — Rudi Koertzen and A V Jayaprakash — carried out five inspections of the ground before calling off the match at 1.15 pm after consulting rival captains Virender Sehwag and Andrew Flintoff. The decision of the umpires to call off the match was met with disapproval by the fans who had waited patiently since morning in the hope of catching some action at the Nehru Stadium. The police lobbed teargas shells to disperse a section of the crowd which had turned unruly, burning posters and banners in the gallery. Two policemen and a spectator were injured as bricks and bamboo were hurled at the policemen. India, who have already clinched the seven-match series after winning the first four games, will now travel to Jamshedpur for the sixth match on April 12 Trouble first started in the eastern stand before spreading quickly to a few other galleries and
intensified when four cameras of Nimbus production unit were damaged. While one, used for the Hawk Eye, was burnt, two others were damaged beyond repair and the fourth was partially damaged. “It has been a security disaster, the police should have acted in time,” a Nimbus official said. Assam Cricket Association Secretary Bikash Barooah said, “We are not satisfied with the umpires’ decision, we will write to the ICC about it.” Indian and England teams had to be whisked away to the team bus by armed escorts. The spectators started losing their cool shortly after noon as the decision of the umpires was made known. They threw water bottles and stones on to the ground and pulled down vinyl boards and other in-stadia advertisements. A section of the crowd gathered posters and banners and put them afire. Earlier, the authorities exhausted all options, even going to the extent of deploying a helicopter to fan the outfield dry after conventional mopping-up operations and use of the super sopper proved ineffective.
— PTI |
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Past greats to reap BCCI’s
windfall BCCI President Sharad Pawar (centre) flanked by Working Committee members at a press conference in Mumbai on Sunday. — PTI
photo
Mumbai, April 9 The likes of Kapil Dev and Mohinder Amarnath, who led India to 1983 World Cup triumph, will receive up to Rs 35,000 as monthly pension. This was decided by the board’s working committee, which met here. The committee decided to extend the existing pension scheme, which covered those who played before 1975, to include those who represented India in Tests and one-day internationals till December 31, 1993. Accordingly, those who have played in 25 Tests or more would be eligible for Rs 35,000 each while those who played in less than 25 Tests would be eligible for Rs 25,000. Besides, umpires who stood in more than 25 Tests or one-dayers would receive a pension of Rs 10,000 each. The board also decided to set aside a corpus of Rs 50 crore for the development of other sports. “The BCCI has decided to do something for other games. It was decided that training and coaching, both in India and overseas, of promising under-15 players in other disciplines which are part of Asian Games and Olympics,” BCCI President Sharad Pawar said after the meeting. Among other decisions at the meeting today, the committee authorised the President to select eight centres to host 2011 World Cup ties, which India is jointly bidding with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The board also resolved that only players could wear the India caps and not the working staff. Pawar said the special committee headed by former chief I.S. Bindra would give suggestions about optimum usage of the board’s funds and that the committee’s recommendations on the Talent Research Development Wing and other such matters would be placed before the working committee when it meets next. The BCCI chief also said that a special committee headed by vice-president Chirayu Amin and comprising Arun Jaitley of the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association, another vice-president Lalit Modi, Bindra and Maharashtra Cricket Association president Ajay Shirke had been formed to come up with proposals to develop the 30 acres land given by the Delhi Development Authority to the board. “The committee headed by Chirayu Amin would come up with proposals for the land for which the board has already paid the DDA Rs 25 lakh,” Pawar said. Pawar to decide Dalmiya’s fate
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today deferred any action against former chief Jagmohan Dalmiya for his alleged misuse of BCCI funds, leaving the matter to be decided by its President Sharad Pawar. The BCCI Working Committee authorised Pawar to take suitable action against Cricket Association of Bengal president Dalmiya, who is alleged to have misappropriated Rs 21.74 lakh from the 1996 World Cup funds. Dalmiya did not attend the meeting and was represented by Chintan Mitra. “Further information along the same lines as we got earlier was placed before the committee by me,” board Treasurer N Srinivasan told a press conference. “It was discussed by the members who have decided to leave it to the President to take suitable action as he deems fit and appropriate. “I don’t want to go into details as this matter is in the Bombay and Kolkata High Courts.”
— PTI |
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Minnows feast on mighty Aussies
Fatullah, April 9 The left-hander scored 138 and was associated in a record stand with captain Habibul Bashar (76) that helped the home side reach 355-5 at stumps on the opening day of the first Test. Rajin Saleh (35) and Khaled Mashud (two) were the not out batsmen, with Bangladesh looking determined to inflate the total further on a pitch expected to help spinners as the match progresses. The bowling attack of pacemen Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Stuart Clark and leg-spinners Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill were left frustrated against a side which has in the past struggled to bat a full day in Tests. Bangladesh have lost both their previous Tests to Australia by innings margins. But taking inspiration from their shock victory over Australia in a tri-series one-dayer in England last year, the home side took the bull by the horns and played aggressively after electing to bat. Nafees led the charge with a well-paced knock that was the third-highest individual effort for Bangladesh, during which he drove and cut the pacemen with ease and swept the spinners at will. Nafees, whose previous best in four Tests was 51, struck 19 fours during his 189-ball knock and got to his century with a four to fine-leg off Warne. The 20-year-old added 187 for the second wicket with Bashar, which broke the previous Bangladeshi record of 167 for any wicket — between Bashar and Javed Omar against Pakistan at Peshawar in 2003. Scoreboard Bangladesh (1st innings) Omar lbw Gillespie 27 Nafees b MacGill 138 Bashar c Lee b MacGill 76 Saleh not out 35 Ashraful lbw Gillespie 29 Ahmed c Hayden b MacGill 29 Mashud not out 2 Extras (lb-10, nb-8, w-1):
19 Total (5 wkts, 88 overs): 355 Fall of wickets:
1-51, 2-238, 3-265, 4-295, 5-351. Bowling: Lee 15-2-65-0, Clark 12-1-43-0, Gillespie 16-4-36-2, Warne 20-1-112-0, MacGill 22-1-82-3, Clarke 3-0-7-0. — AFP, Reuters |
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Paes braves cramps to help India win
Mumbai, April 9 The 33-year-old Indian captain, hero of many a cup campaign against stronger teams in the past, took a gamble and played the fifth rubber of the tie in place of his younger teammate Rohan Bopanna to carve out a memorable 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 0-6, 6-1 victory in three hours and 40 minutes at the Cricket Club of India lawns. The win helped India remain in Group 1 while Pakistan will play China in the relegation play-off in September. The loser of that tie would be demoted to Group 2 next year. Paes, going into the deciding tie after India’s number one player Prakash Amritraj had been beaten by his Pakistani counterpart Aisam Qureshi in four sets, 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, was up by two sets with his inimitable serve-volley play before he suffered a severe bout of cramps. The affliction occurred when the score was 1-1 in the third set and Paes looked severely restricted in his movements after receiving on-court medical attention. He had clinched the first two sets comfortably with the help of a single break of service in the first and via the tiebreak 7-4 after leading 4-0 in the second. The Indian skipper lost the third set after being broken once in the fourth game by his rival and was mostly rooted to his spot in the fourth and tried to conserve his energy after falling 0-4 behind. Paes gave away the last two games of the set, a wise move, in order to go all out against his rival in the fifth set which he did with aplomb and carved out his 47th singles victory in his illustrious cup career. The veteran stormed his way in the deciding set with his passing shots and volleys to stun his younger rival into submission by breaking his opponent’s serve twice, in the second and sixth games, before serving out the set, the match and the tie when Khan hit a backhand return wide. Paes, playing in Davis Cup singles after a long gap, went down on his haunches even as his teammates rushed to congratulate him after the triumph. Earlier, Qureshi fired in 21 aces against the hapless Amritraj to bring Pakistan level in the tie at 2-2. Qureshi took on-court medical attention for cramps but quelled a strong fight-back from his prodigal Indian rival, who committed as many as 12 double faults, to carve out a convincing 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory in two hours and 35 minutes. Qureshi, who had beaten number two Rohan Bopanna in three sets on the opening day, broke Amritraj’s serve twice, in the third and firth games, to clinch the first set in 34 minutes. He then broke his Amritraj’s serve once in the third game to win the second set in 35 minutes and take a commanding 2-0 lead. — PTI |
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Sania-Huber enter
final
Amelia Island (USA), April 9 The straight-set victory came in just over one and a half hour and has given Sania a chance to win her first WTA title this year. Sania and Huber will take on the Japanese-Slovenian pair of Shinobu Asagoe and Katarina Srebotnik in the final, who moved ahead after their opponents — the Czech-Italian pair of Kveta Peschke and Francesca Schiavone — retired with the score at 6-7 (2), 6-4. The Indo-South African pair had it surprisingly easy against their seeded rivals, who could not break them even once during the match. Sania and Huber stood up to Shaughnessy and Pascual from the very start and broke them once in the first set. The second seeds also had their share of chances but failed to convert any of them and lost the set 4-6 to Sania-Huber. The Indo-South African pair came into the second set with renewed confidence after sealing the first and broke Shaughnessy and Pascual again. Shaughnessy and Pascual were clearly out of sorts after losing the opening set and failed to grab their chances once again to go down to Sania and Huber.
— UNI |
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Life ban slapped on Raju, Tejinder
New Delhi, April 9 The IWF also suspended women lifters Shailaja Pujari and B. Prameelavalli, who returned positive in an out of competition test by WADA, for two years. Raju and Tejinder will also have to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 each, the IWF announced after its Executive Committee Meeting here today. “The ban will come into effect after the verdict of Court of Arbitration for Sports which is hearing their case,” IWF President H.J. Dora said. “The decision was taken in accordance with the anti-doping rules adopted by the national body in September, 2004,” he said. All four lifters were found to have traces of stanozonol, a banned steroid, in their
samples. Tejinder pulled out of the 85-kg event while Raju finished fourth in 56-kg contest. Shailaja (75kg) and Prameelavalli (63kg) were withdrawn from the Melbourne-bound team. The four positive cases within a space of two months led to the International Weightlifting Federation provisionally suspending the IWF, the duration of the suspension to be decided in May. The Indian lifters served a 12-month ban from all international events after three of them
Dora said the Committee would also consider the suggestion of banning the weightlifters testing positive at international competitions, as deterrent. “Some members of the Executive Committee suggested that hereafter all the weightlifters responsible for positive test which resulted in the ban of the Indian Weightlifting Federation from the International events should be banned for life as a deterrent measure. This suggestion would be placed in the next General body meeting of Indian Weightlifting Federation,” he said. —
PTI |
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India bow out of AFC Challenge Cup
New Delhi, April 9 A brace from Pradeep Maharjan in the 15th and 26th minutes of the game and Basanta Thapa’s scorcher from about 20 yards found the back of the net in 28th minute paved the way into the semifinals for the team from the Himalayan Kingdom and they will face Sri Lanka on Wednesday for a spot in the final. It was Nepal’s first victory over India in their last nine meetings. India missed midfielder Xavier Vijay Kumar because of a thigh injury. The All-India Football Federation fielded a junior side in
the tournament unlike the other 15 nations who put out their full international teams. —
PTI |
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Dempo ground Air-India
Duler (Goa), April 9 For Dempo Isfaq Ahmed scored a brace while Roberto
Silva and Ranty Martins scored a goal each. For the Airmen Bashir Abbas
reduced the margin. The play, which was confined to midfield initially,
saw Air-India taking the lead in the 26th minute when Bashir Abbas fired
home a pass by Succor Velho. Dempo regrouped and found the equaliser in
the 33rd minute when Isfaq Ahmed scored off a pass by Roberto
Silva. The change of ends saw Dempo dictating terms to the Mumbai
league champions after both the teams were 1-1 at half-time. Martins
was declared the man-of-the-match. The win took Dempo tally to 16
points from 11 matches while Air-India who suffered their fifth loss
remained on 13 points from 11 matches. — PTI |
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Guwahati, April 9
Fatullah, April 9
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Samresh wins title with ease