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Aussies prove their mettle
Shastri slams Dravid’s style
of captaincy
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Nishit steers MCA to victory
IPSC girls’ cricket meet from Sept 26
SRC, Central Railway register wins
Powell disqualified after second false start
Ganjee finishes tied third
Chhattisgarh thrash HP
Women Sports Festival begins today
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Aussies prove their mettle
Kuala Lumpur, September 24 The Aussies, who fielded their best eleven, put up a commanding all-round performance on the big day by posting a challenging 240 for six and then skittling out the Caribbeans for a paltry 113 in the day-night clash at the Kinrara Oval. After Damien Martyn and Andrew Symonds set the stage for three-time world champions with timely half-centuries, Brett Lee turned in a powerful fast bowling performance of 4-24 to blow away the Windies line up. It made Lee the most successful bowler of the series with 12 wickets. Nathan Bracken was equally impressive with figures of three for 15 while all-rounder Shane Watson chipped in with 2-30. The Windies, holders of the Champions Trophy, suffered their fourth successive batting failure, triggered by the leg before dismissal of Chris Gayle to a toe-crusher from Lee off the first ball of the innings. Only three batsmen, Ramnaresh Sarwan (36), Dwayne Smith (30) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (12), made double digit scores while four were out for nought. It was the third lowest total and the margin of win was the second highest in terms of runs in matches between the two teams. India, the third team in the fray, failed to make it to the final after registering one win in their four league matches. The teams now move to India for the Champions Trophy from October 7 to November 5. Australia have never won the biennial event since its inception in 1998. The Aussies, electing to bat, rode on the back of identical scores of 52 by Martyn and Symonds to set the West Indies a challenging target. Martyn and Symonds helped the team overcome a tentative start after the loss of Simon Katich (25), Shane Watson (18) and Ricky Ponting (6) with only 80 on the board. The duo added 73 runs for the fourth wicket in what turned out to be a match-winning partnership. Michael Clarke (23), vice-captain Michael Hussey (30 no) and Brad Haddin (17 no) then boosted the innings with some energetic batting towards the close. Martyn was his stylish self, driving through the off side confidently despite an “indentation” in the good length area that claimed Ponting leg before wicket. Symonds, on the other hand, displayed his power hitting with two meaty sixes off Bravo and Gayle on way to his 19th ODI fifty. Clarke’s run-a-ball 23 was crucial in turning on the momentum for Australia from a sluggish 3.33 an over run rate till the 30th over to close to five in the end. Hussey and Haddin provided the late thrust with a six each and saw 40 runs come from the last four overs. West Indies skipper Brian Lara might have been a bit unlucky to be given caught behind as television replays showed the ‘snick’ actually was bat hitting the pad, but there was no questioning the fact that the rest of the batsmen wilted under the relentless pressure applied by the Aussies. And that pressure came from not only Lee’s blistering pace but comeback man Glenn McGrath’s exceptional line and length. The Windies were also guilty of getting out because of ill-judged shot selection. If Gayle was out to first ball he faced, Runako Morton went back for no score after playing 32 deliveries, leg before to Bracken. After Lara's fall, Dwayne Bravo and Sarwan added 23 before two wickets, that of Bravo’s and Hinds’, were consumed in the space of one run. Then came the best phase of the Caribbean innings when Sarwan and Smith stitched a 50-run partnership for the seventh wicket before the former was run out to a superb throw by Ponting. Scoreboard Australia Watson c Gayle b Bradshaw 18 Katich c Samuels b Gayle 25 Ponting lbw Taylor 6 Martyn c Morton b Bradshaw 52 Symonds c Morton b Sarwan 52 Clarke c Gayle b Sarwan 23 Hussey not out 30 Haddin not out 17 Extras (lb-7, w-9, nb-1) 17 Total (6 wkts, 50 overs) 240 Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-37, 3-80, 4-153, 5-173, 6-200. Bowling: Bradshaw 10-2-30-2, Smith 8-1-35-0, Taylor 10-1-36-1, Bravo 9-1-65-0, Gayle 9-0-46-1, Sarwan 4-0-21-2. West Indies Gayle lbw Lee 0 Chanderpaul c Katich b Bracken 12 Morton lbw Bracken 0 Sarwan run out 36 Lara c Haddin b Bracken 5 Bravo c Ponting b Watson 8 Hinds b Watson 0 Smith c Ponting b Lee 30 Baugh c Haddin b Lee 3 Bradshaw c Haddin b Lee 0 Taylor not out 0 Extras
(b-2, lb-7, nb-7, w-3) 19 Total (all out, 34.2 overs) 113 Fall of wickets:
1-0, 2-16, 3-20, 4-32, 5-55, 6-56, 7-106, 8-112, 9-112, 10-113. Bowling:
Lee 8.2-1-24-4, McGrath 6-2-6-0, Bracken 7-0 -16-3, Watson 6-0-30-2, Symonds 3-0-15-0, Clarke 4-0-13-0.
— PTI
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Shastri slams Dravid’s style
of captaincy
Dubai, September 24 “It’s time Dravid exerted himself and told Chappell that in future he will call the shots,” Shastri said in the wake of India’s debacle in the cricket tri-series in Malaysia. “A coach must only help the captain but the final decision must rest with Dravid. He should decide who should bat at No. 3 and not the coach,” he was quoted as saying by the Gulf News today. The cricketer-turned-commentator said Dravid should be allowed to field an eleven of his choice. “Dravid should stand up and say that he is the boss and that he controls matters once he crosses the boundary line. He should get an eleven of his choice,” he said. Shastri also slammed Chappell’s experiments with the batting orders of Virender Sehwag and Dravid which, he believed put paid to India’s chances in the triseries. “It’s time Chappell stopped his experiments with the team. I cannot understand how he could send Virender Sehwag at No. 4. I will always prefer Sehwag as an opener. If he gets going even three out of 10 times, it would bring victory to the team,” he said. He said Chappell’s decision to make Dravid open was shocking. “To ask Dravid, known as the world’s finest middle order batsman, to open the innings, is a big blunder. One must have a solid batsman like Dravid coming in at No. 4.”
— PTI
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Hingis wins Sunfeast Open
Kolkata, September 24 The world number nine Hingis, now on a comeback trail after an injury-induced three-year sabbatical, won 6-0, 6-4 in the 57-minute final to win the title without losing a single set in the tournament. The 26-year-old former world number nine player blew away Poutchkova in the opening set which was over in only 19 minutes. However, the 18-year-old Russian put up a markedly improved performance in the second set as she let loose several excellent backhand shots to stretch the tournament top seed before running out of steam. Hingis, who won her second title of the year after the win in Rome and the 42nd of her career, gained 120 WTA points besides being richer by $28,000. Poutchkova, who made her debut on the tour earlier this year, bagged 85 points and $15,000. In the first set, Hingis came out with some unbelievable returns and seemed to do everything right as Poutchkova simply could not fathom what hit her. With the 3,000 odd spectators at the Netaji Indoor Stadium rooting for her, Hingis broke her teenaged rival in the second fourth and sixth games. — PTI Sania-Huber clinch doubles title Giving the home crowd something to cheer about, Sania Mirza partnered South African Liezel Huber to a comprehensive doubles victory at the Sunfeast Open here today.
Top seeds Sania and Huber scripted a convincing 6-4, 6-0 win in just under an hour against Ukrainian duo of Yuliana Fedak and Yulia Beygelzimer in the final to clinch their third career title on the WTA Tour.
The pair, who had won at Hyderabad in 2004 and at Bangalore this year, pocketed a winners’ cheque of $8,250 and 120 WTA points.
It was Sania’s fifth appearance in a doubles final this year, having also ended runner up at Amelia Island (with Huber), at Istanbul (Alicia Molik) and Cincinnati (Domochowska).
— PTI |
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Nishit steers MCA to victory
Chnadigarh, September 24 MCA, which decided to bat first after winning the toss, lost their first six wickets for a meager 88 runs in 15.3 overs. But Shetty and Ankit Redkar (30 off 39 balls) helped the team to post a respectable total of 227 in 50 overs. Sandeep Singh and Alind Naidu claimed three wickets each for 50 and 25 runs, respectively, while Akshay Wakre finished with figures of two for 20 for WCA. However, WCA bowlers gave 54 extra runs (36-w, 2-nb, 5-b and 11-lb). In reply, WCA lost their first wicket when the score was just one. Though the second wicket stand of 81 runs between Faiz Fazal (59 off 62) and Alind Naidu (30 off 50) provided some respite, but they could not save the team from losing as WCA innings wrapped up at 193 in 46.2 overs. Vijay Singh (49) was the other notable contributor. Iqbal Abdullah, who was declared man of the match for snapping four for 17, was the most successful bowler followed by Abhishek Nair, who took 3 for 21. This win took the Mumbai Cricket Association to the top of pool C and a set up a quarterfinal clash with another start-studded outfit ONGC tomorrow at DAV School, Sector 8. Brief scores: Mumbai: 227 all out in 15 overs (Shetty 66 no, Redkar 30, Naid 3 for 25); WCA: 193 all out in 46.2 overs (Fazal 59, Vijay 49, Iqbal 4 for 17).
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IPSC girls’ cricket meet from Sept 26
Chandigarh, September 24 The tournament will be played on a league-cum-knockout basis. This year eight teams divided into two pools will compete with each other for the top honours. Pool A consists of DPS, RK Puram, Delhi; Ashoka Hall, Nainital; Mayo College Girls’ School, Ajmer; Yadvindra Public School, Patiala, and Pool B consists of Maharani Gayatri Devi School, Jaipur; Yadavindra Public School, Mohali; Daly College, Indore, and the host school. Capt V. K. Verma (retd.), Acting Chairman, IPSC and Principal of Moti Lal Nehru Sports School, Rai, said, “The team representing the IPSC will be selected during the course of the tournament. The selected team will play in the forthcoming SGFI National Tournament to be held at Hisar in October.”
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SRC, Central Railway register wins
Chandigarh, September 24 SRC, Ramgarh, owed their success to Harjit Singh, the tall Havaldar from Gurdaspur who has also attended two national camps. Harjit not only scored a hat-trick for his team today but also lent strength to the defence. Western Railway made a promising start when a gentle scoop from the left was easily connected by Jayesh Yadav in the second minute (1-0). However, SRC hit back with the equaliser two minutes later when Harjit found the target in a melee off a short corner (1-1). Western Railway again forged ahead in the sixth minute through a field goal by Jayesh Yadav (2-1). On changing ends, SRC restored parity when Harjit’s rasping hit from just inside the circle beat the goalkeeper hands down (2-2). A few minutes later, Harjit was once again on target for SRC when he latched on to the ball and beat the goalkeeper from close range to put his side ahead (3-2). Soon after, the lead increased to 4-2 when a cross from the left was deftly converted by Mangra Minz after Satnam Singh had failed to intercept the ball. A field goal by Western Railway’s Jasdev Singh (3-4) midway into the second session had the match tantalisingly poised. However, SRC hung on to the lead and goalkeeper Gurwinder Singh even blocked a penalty stroke by Western Railway’s Rajneesh at the fag end to keep his team’s hopes alive in the A grade tournament. Earlier, Central Railway struggled to down EME Jalandhar 1-0. The all-important goal was scored by Sanjit Kumar in the 21st minute. Both the sides were awarded two penalty corners each. In the last match, Chandigarh Hockey Academy beat South Central Railway, Hyderabad, 4-2 with goals through Dharamvir Singh (21st, 43rd) and Deepak Kumar (62nd, 70th). For the losers, Chengappa and Mohammed Aleem were on target. Monday’s fixtures: Ropar Hawks vs COE Patiala: 2.45 pm; PSEB vs Canara Bank: 4.15 pm; RCF vs CISF: 6 pm.
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Powell disqualified after second false start
Yokohoma, September 24 Russian Andrey Yepishin had left the blocks too quickly moments earlier. Under IAAF rules, any athlete responsible for a second false start is disqualified. “I’m very disappointed,” Powell told reporters. “After the first false start the only thing going through my mind was to be patient. “I guess I was a little bit too anxious. I never thought this would happen. It makes me a little upset but that’s how it goes.” Japan’s Shingo Suetsugu profited from Powell’s misfortune, winning the race in a modest time of 10.12 seconds with national team mate Naoki Tsukahara second in 10.26. Australia’s Patrick Johnson finished third in the same time as Tsukahara. Powell has had an electrifying year, racking up 12 legal sub-10 second runs and equalling his own world record of 9.77 seconds in June. The 23-year-old promised to make up for his disappointing first appearance in Japan at next year’s world championships in Osaka.
— Reuters
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Ganjee finishes tied third
Seoul, September 24 Ganjee scored five birdies in the first 15 holes but then as he looked like making it closer, he dropped two shots on last two holes for a bogey-bogey finish that saw him drop to tied third after seeming to be in a position to challenge the eventual winner Korea’s Yang Yong-Eun. Gangjee’s two bogeys and some steady play by Yang made him a comfortable winner by three shots. He shot a final round of three-under 68 and totaled nine-under 275, the same as David Oh (67) and Kang Kyung-Nam (72). The Indian ended in a three-tie for third for $ 33,162, his best payday since his win in Beijing two years ago. He also moved to 29th on UBS Asian Tour Order of Merit. Top-10 finish for Jeev
Ibaraki: Jeev Milkha Singh found his touch late with three birdies in last four holes which propelled him to tied 8th at the $ 120 Million Acom International at the Ishikoka Golf Club today. Jeev’s final round of two-under 69 saw him finish eight-under 276 and six shots behind winner Mamo Osanai, who had to go through a lay-off to beat Taichi Teshima for the title. It was Jeev’s eighth top-10 finish in 12 starts in Japan and once again underlined his awesome form this season. He has 13 top-10s on three tours this year. Jeev, starting the day at seven-under and in tied sixth place, began with three pars and bogeyed the fourth as his putts just did not fall. He hung on but needing birdies, he kept falling off the pace. Then towards the end, the touch returned as he had a series of single putts on the greens and birdied 15th, 16th and 18th to come to two-under and inside top-10 yet again. Jeev shared the eighth place with SK Ho (69) and Yoshikazu Haku (70). Atwal makes small recovery
San Antonio: Two birdies on either side of the turn and just one bogey during the round helped Arjun Atwal make a small recovery from tied 66th to tied 45th after three rounds of the Valero Texas Open golf tournament. The Indian ace needing some good finishes to ensure a full PGA Tour card for 2007, shot a three-under 67 and is now two-under 208 after 54 holes. Atwal, who is lying 143rd on Money List needs to get inside top 125 to keep his card for next season.
— PTI
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Chhattisgarh thrash HP
Gurgaon, September 24 Chhattisgarh, who led 4-0 at half time, dominated the match from the beginning and scored through Abid Khan (24th minute), Kulwant Singh (35th and 88th), Subeer Maji (40th), Tajuddin (42nd) and Ram Chandra Murmu (53rd and 61st). After today’s matches, Manipur and Chhattisgarh have four points each from two matches with Chhattisgarh having better goal difference.
— UNI
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Women Sports Festival begins today
Ropar, September 24 Players from all over the state are taking part in athletics, basketball, hockey, handball, volleyball, kho-kho, kabaddi, weight-lifting and badminton, said Ms Chanchal Randhawa, Joint Director, Sports, here while addressing a press conference. — TNS
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