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Experiments to continue, say Dravid, Chappell
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India, Pakistan worst-behaved sides
Shobha leaps to gold
Bangalore varsity rule the pool
Dutch eves win World Cup
Eves beat SA, finish 11th
Indian Oil win Shastri hockey title
Haryana eves lift hockey trophy
Suresh Rana wins Raid-de-Himalaya
Navy, Cavalry Red to clash in final
Azad nominated to Vizzy panel
Chopra jumps to tied sixth
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Windies make mincemeat of minnows
Ahmedabad, October 8 After bundling out Zimbabwe for a pathetic 85, the lowest team total in the shorter version of the game at the Motera ground, the Caribbeans cantered to victory in only 14.2 overs to keep themselves in line for one of the two berths up for grabs from the qualifying round. Nothing seemed to go right for Zimbabwe during the qualifying match, as they put up a shoddy batting display and followed it up with an ordinary bowling performance. To make matter worse, the butter-fingered fielders dropped the rampaging Chris Gayle twice in quick succession. Gayle, who had emerged the most successful of West Indies bowlers with highly impressive figures of 3.1-1-3-3, seemed determined to end the game in a flash as he let loose an array of scintillating shots on his way to scoring 41 to bag the man-of-the-match award. The left-handed opener played 34 balls and squandered seven fours and a six of Anthony Ireland during his 47-minute stay in the middle before perishing in the 10th over to a catch by Tafadzwa Kamungozi at mid-on of Elton Chigumbura. The game was over even before the scheduled dinner break as the Caribbeans raced to 90 for two in only 65 minutes in what could be regarded as one of the most one-sided matches in the history of ODI cricket. West Indies captain Brian Lara (24 not out) ended the match with a bang, hoisting his Zimbabwean counterpart Prosper Utseya for two back-to-back sixes over long-on, drawing huge cheers from the couple of thousands of spectators in the stadium. The Zimbabweans, however, could have got rid of Gayle a little earlier. E. Rainsford was the unlucky bowler on two occasions, as Utseya and Ireland dropped easy catches. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who opened the innings with Gayle, remained mostly a witness to the heroics at the other end and remained unconquered on 14. Earlier, Zimbabwe gave a listless batting performance to be bundled out for one of the lowest scores in ODIs. There was no devil in the pitch but the Zimbabwean batsmen showed an uncanny ability to play the wrong shots and went for non-existent runs to fold for a pathetic 85 handing an advantage to the title holders. The Zimbabwe innings tottered from the start after young skipper Prosper Utseya won the toss and elected to bat before a small crowd. The 0-5 decimation in the Caribbean earlier this year seemed to rankle the Zimbabweans, who lost opener Justice Chibhabha (1) in the fourth over when he played all over an incoming ball from pacer Ian Bradshaw and saw his middle stump uprooted. Hamilton Masakadza (1) was bowled out in the very next over as he failed to negotiate a late swing from Jerome Taylor and Zimbabwe were reduced to 10 for 2. The Africans never really recovered from the poor start, and seven of their batsmen fell for single-digit scores. Utseya top-scored with 27 as he hit a couple of delightful boundaries before being the last man to get out, as Zimbabwe’s nightmarish stay in the middle came to an end in 30.1 overs. To add to Zimbabwe’s woes, wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor (7) and H P Rinke (1) got themselves needlessly run out. Taylor tried to steal a single by placing the ball to point, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul had no trouble in throwing down the stumps at the non-striker’s end as Zimbabwe became 31-4. Rinke, on the other hand, played the ball to mid-wicket and set out for a run, but Wavell Hinds did a smart pick-up and throw to run him out. The team’s most seasoned player Stuart Matsikenyeri returned for 7 as the Zimbabweans saw half their team back in the pavilion with only 39 on the board. The West Indies bowlers gave a disciplined performance, maintaining a good line and length, and left the Zimbabwean batsmen to do the rest to accelerate their downfall. Taylor and Dwayne Smith picked up two victims each, but part-time spinner Chris Gayle proved the most successful as he took the last three wickets. While the West Indies got two vital points, Zimbabwe need to go back to the drawing board before their next qualifying game at the same venue two days later against another formidable side Sri Lanka. Scoreboard
Zimbabwe Mufambisi c Baugh b Taylor 18 Chibhabha b Bradshaw 1 Masakadza b Taylor 1 Taylor run out 7 Matsikenyeri c Baugh b Smith 7 Chigumbura c Taylor b Smith 10 Rinke run out 1 Utseya lbw Gayle 27 Ireland b Gayle 6 Rainsford c Bravo b Gayle 0 Kamungozi not out 0 Extras (lb-1, nb-3, w-3) 7 Total (all out, 30.1 overs) 85 Fall of wickets:
1-9, 2-10, 3-31, 4-31, 5-39, 6-46, 7-58, 8-82, 9-84. Bowling: Taylor 6-0-19-2, Bradshaw 8-1-20-1, Smith 6-2-14-2, Bravo 7-0-28-0, Gayle 3.1-1-3-3. West Indies Gayle c Kamungozi Chanderpaul not out 14 Lara not out 24 Extras
(b-4, lb-2, nb-4, w-1) 11 Total (1 wicket, 14.2 overs) 90 Fall of wicket:
1-66. Bowling: Rainsford 5-1-21-0, Ireland 4-1-27-0, Chigumbura 3-1-17-1, Utseya 2.2-0-19-0.
— PTI
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Experiments to continue, say Dravid, Chappell
New Delhi, October 8 Dravid said there was no clear-cut point where a team could stop experimenting, which he said was necessary to build a side. “Winning is important, results are critical. But you can't take away the fact that you have to develop the squad,” Dravid said. “You cannot say this is the point where you stop. Building a side is always important and so it has to continue. Else you will fall backwards.” Chappell was more forthright. “The World Cup is still far off. The experiments will continue till around the time of the World Cup,” he said. “If other teams feel that they have settled on their combination, it is their issue. We will continue with what we have set out to do.” Dravid said the word experimentation was a misnomer. “I would call that strategising. If you want to call it experimentation and be negative about it, I can’t change it,” he said. “The idea is to get the best team on the field to win. I have never taken my eyes off that (to win). Whatever it takes to achieve it, we will do that. “It depends on a variety of factors. Form and fitness of the players and the conditions.” Chappell said he was confident about what he was doing with the team. “I am happy with the way how things have gone so far. The players know their job, they know why they have been asked to do certain things,” the former Australian captain said. “Till we have evaluated the opposition, we won't know the combination. If there is any team who say that they have that combination, then it is wonderful. Good luck to them.” The 58-year-old Aussie said the failures in the West Indies and Malaysia did not prove what the team management had tried out was wrong, nor would it affect the team’s performance in the future. “What happened in the past two months will have no bearing what is going to happen tomorrow,” he said. “It is the performance on the day that matters and the failures in the past won’t matter in the next tournament.”
— PTI
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Gaekwad slams Chappell
Ahmedabad, October 8 “Too much of experimentation is affecting the team. I understand that a coach from a foreign land has to do it because he needs to form a clear idea about the capability of his players. But I think he has carried it too far,” Gaekwad told PTI here. Gaekwad, a former national team coach, also felt that Chappell’s preference for juniors over senior players had cost India some games in the past. “A good team needs to have a perfect balance between juniors and seniors. But Greg went overboard with juniors. One has to keep trying juniors along with the senior pros,” said Gaekwad, who served India with distinction as an opening batsman from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s. Gaekwad said the side which played the Champions Trophy in 2000 at Nairobi under him was more formidable than the present bunch as the team management had stuck to a set combination. “My team was stronger. We had a nucleus in place much ahead of the tournament and stuck to a set combination. and we did well,” he said. Then, India had reached the final where they went down to New Zealand, despite a fine hundred from skipper Sourav Ganguly.
— PTI
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I am playing my natural game: Sachin
New Delhi, October 8 Tendulkar enthralled his fans when he scored a blistering century in the recent tri-series in Malaysia on his return to international cricket after an injury lay-off and struck another aggressive ton in the Challenger Series at home to silence critics who had wondered whether the best was behind the champion batsman. Had he stumbled upon a magical formula to find back his form of yore? “I am basically playing my game. I decide what my approach should be according to the team’s requirements,” he said here today. “I cannot say today I am not in a mood to (play in a particular way). It is a team sport, you have to figure out the team’s requirements and play accordingly.” How he bats on a day depends on a lot of factors, said the 33-year-old prolific right-hander. “You have to see if the body is moving the way you want, whether there is more help from the bowlers, how the wicket is behaving. You have to constantly communicate with the team management, send a message to the dressing room on what score you think can be made on this kind of wicket. You cannot score 285 everyday.” What does Tendulkar think about his role as a mentor in the side? “I am a player. I’d like to be a player first. It is nice to share your thoughts with youngsters. Having spent so much time playing international cricket, it is good to share your experiences with the youngsters. But it is not a one-way traffic. I also like to know from them how they feel.” On the Champions Trophy, Tendulkar said it was the “second best” tournament after the World Cup and very important for the entire team. “It is a very important tournament, second best to winning the World Cup. We would have to plan well for it. It is not like a tri-series, you have to play each match against different opposition. “In such an event planning is very important. If we are successful against a particular opposition, we have to immediately think about our next rival and take next step.” The highest run getter in one-dayers, Tendulkar said his team will have to ensure it gains early momentum. “As a team we want to put the right foot forward, go in the right direction right from the start and keep that going throughout the tournament. Early momentum can do wonders.” Tendulkar also said the tournament would help the team assess its strategies ahead of the World Cup next year.
— PTI
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India, Pakistan worst-behaved sides
Sydney, October 8 According to a Daily Telegraph report, quoting the ICC rap sheets, Ganguly, in his playing days before being sacked of both his captaincy and the membership of Team India, along with Inzamam, serving a four-ODI ban for bringing the game into disrepute are reported more often then under-fire Australian skipper Ricky Ponting. The governing body’s records suggest that the Indo-Pak duo have been reported for misbehaviour 12 times each, compared to the seven instances on which Ponting has been reported since the code’s inception in 1992. Apart from the individual standing, the sub-continental neighbours also seem to be competing for the worst-behaved’ team tag with Pakistan reported 53 times and India 44. Australia, considered to be the bully-boys of the game, are at a much lower fourth with 38 reportings behind South Africa, who have been reported 41 times. When it comes to good behaviour, the West Indians set the standards with only 13 reportings so far and skipper Brian Lara remains the best with only occasional on-field controversies. — UNI
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Panesar clinches £ 300,000 book deal
London, October 8 According to reports, seven months into his Test career, 24-year-old Panesar has achieved cult status that led to the book deal with Hodder and Stoughton, the publishing group. According to The Sunday Telegraph, some may wonder whether Panesar, who has played just 10 Tests, can find enough material to fill the autobiography. A little more than 12 months ago, the cricketer, whose parents moved from Punjab in India to England in the late 1970s, was completing a degree in computer science at Loughborough University. But Roddy Bloomfield, Hodder’s sports editor, said the company — which is said to have beaten off 14 other publishers — was keen to make the most of Panesar’s sudden fame. The bowler is regarded as one of the world’s best young spinners and is expected to play a key role in England’s battle to retain the Ashes against Australia later this year. Bloomfield said: “He will talk about his upbringing, how he fought his way up in unlikely circumstances, how he went to see a guru in Canada to get a better perspective on his life.”
— PTI
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Alonso records surprise win
Suzuka, October 8 The 25-year-old Renault driver trailed the German for 36 laps of the 53-lap contest before taking the lead when the retirement-bound seven-time champion was forced to retire with engine problems for the first time this year. Alonso went on to cruise to an unexpected victory and now requires just one point in the final race of the season, in Brazil in a fortnight, to clinch his second championship. It was his first win in eight races since the Canadian Grand Prix in June, his seventh victory this year and the 15th of his career. Alonso now leads Schumacher by 10 points in the drivers’ standings and they are level on seven wins apiece this season. Schumacher can only claim an unprecedented eighth crown if he wins and Alonso fails to score a point in Sao Paulo. Brazilian Felipe Massa, in the other Ferrari, came home second ahead of Italian Giancarlo Fisichella in a Renault, a result that lifted the French team back on top of the Constructors’ championship. Briton Jenson Button in a Honda finished fourth ahead of Finn Kimi Raikkonen in a McLaren, Italian Jarno Trulli in a Toyota and his team-mate German Ralf Schumacher, who was seventh.
— AFP
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Shobha leaps to gold
New Delhi, October 8 But Shobha was lucky to escape with the gold as she could only manage just two correct jumps, after fouling her first, third, fourth and sixth leaps. Her next best jump was 5.94m. The sheen of Shobha’s gold was evident from the fact that silver medallist G G Pramila, also of Railways, could clear only 6.19m on her fifth attempt. Shalu Choudhary of Delhi with 5.92m took the silver. On a night of mediocre displays, Saroj Sihag of Police won the women’s shot put gold with a distance of 14.52m which was far below the national and meet records of Harbans Kaur, which stands at 17.40m plus. Manpreet Kaur spread some cheer in the Punjab camp when she collected the silver with a throw of 13.99m on her last try. Saraswathy of Railways claimed the bronze. Rajeev R of Railways sped like a superfast express to push the rest of the field behind him to garner the men’s 800m gold with a time of 1:48.89 secs while the second-placed Sajeesh Joseph, also of Railways, could post only 1:50.34 secs. Jaskaran of Haryana annexed the bronze. In the women’s 800m final, S Shanthi of Tamil Nadu turned the corner at the final bend to push behind leader Pinki Pramanik and then accelerate forward to breast the tape first in a time of 2:02.21 while Pramanik followed closely at 2:03.37 for the silver. Sinimol Paulose of Steel Plants ran away with the bronze. Women’s 400m hurdles was one of the most keenly watched track events when P.T.Usha and M.D. Valsamma were around. But now times have changed and the new pack of girls trying to surmount the hurdles are no patch on the old girls. Pooja Jakhar of Delhi annexed the gold by clocking 59.28 secs which was at least five seconds more than P.T.Usha’s existing national record. Baljeet Kaur of Railways won the silver while it took Babita Singh of Railways one minute and 6 secs to clear the hurdles for the bronze. But the men hurdlers were a faster lot as Joseph Abraham of Police took the 400m hurdles gold in 51.48 secs while his team-mate Ranjodh Singh accounted for the silver with 52.28 secs. Satinder Singh of Punjab salvaged the bronze clocking 52.50 secs. The longer sprint events witnessed electrifying action though the timings were nothing much to crow about. Railways swept the 200m medals with Vishal Saxena claiming the gold (21.33) while B G Nagraj (21.35) and Aravind A (21.46) lifted the silver and bronze, respectively. Chitra Soman of ONGC prevented a Railway sweep in the women’s 200 when she bolted like a gazelle to pluck the gold in 24.08 secs. Rakhi Saha and H.M.Jyothi of Railways, who took the silver and bronze respectively, were far too behind to give any meaningful challenge to Chitra. Those who could not make the cut for the Asian Games here will get another chance in the Inter-State meet in Chennai.
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Bangalore varsity rule the pool
Chandigarh, October 8 Calcutta University bagged the All-India Inter-University Water Polo Championship. Pune University and Amravati University secured second and third positions, respectively. The results: Men: 100 m breaststroke: 1. Puneet Rana (PU, Chandigarh) 30.32 sec; 2. Sandeep Sejwal (Delhi University) 31.06; 3. Harpreet Singh (PU, Chandigarh) 32.60. 100 m freestyle: 1. Aniketh Albert D’Souza (Mangalore University) 56.30 sec; 2. Rehan Poncha (Bangalore University) 56.58; 3. Shrinand Srinivas (RGUHS, Bangalore) 57.66. 100 m backstroke: 1. Rehan Poncha (Bangalore University) 1:02.24; 2. Nalang Kapil A. (Shivaji University) 1:03.02; 3. Srinand Srinivas (RGUHS, Bangalore) 1:04.25. 100 butterfly: 1. Rehan Poncha (Bangalore University) 59.33 sec; 2. Aniketh Albert D’Souza (RGUHS, Bangalore) 1:01.10. Women: 100 m breaststroke: 1. Mini M (Calicut University) 37.39 sec; 2. Divya MS (Bangalore University) 37.53; 3. Madhura Patil (Pune University) 38.40. 100 m freestyle: 1. Praykata Khargoo (RTM Nagpur University) 1:05.52; 2. Manusha M (Calcutta University) 1:06.00; 3. Rohini AR (Kerala University) 1:06.89. 100 m backstroke: 1. Sony Cyriac (Kerala Agriculture University) 1:11.61; 2. Amreen Mauk ( Andhra University) 1:13.68; 3. Gurbinder Kaur (PU, Chandigarh) 1:17.60. 100 m butterfly: 1. Ghorpade Pooja (Pooja University) 1:11.68; 2. Parveena B. (Kerala University) 1:11.82; 3. Monika Mondal (Calcutta University) 1:15.15. Water Polo (Men): Calcutta University b Pune University 11-9; For 3rd-4th place: Amravati University b Kerala University 9-7. Diving: (Men): 1. Calcutta University (10 points); 2. Delhi University (7 points); 3. Mumbai University (6 points). Diving (Women): 1. Devi Ahilya University, Indore (16 points); 2. Maharashtra University of Health Science, Nasik (8 points); 3. Delhi University (2 points).
— TNS
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Madrid, October 8 Argentina won the bronze medal when they trounced hosts Spain 5-0. Earlier, India finally tasted victory as they pipped South Africa 1-0 to earn their first win in seven matches and finish 11th in the tournament. In the 11th-12th place classification match played last night, Indian women, who had lost five matches and drew one in this edition of the tournament, were propelled by skipper Jyoti Sunita Kullu’s lone goal in the 28th minute to emerge victors and escape the ignominy of finishing with a wooden spoon. A lacklustre Indian team heaved a sigh of relief when the ace forward put the team ahead through a field goal minutes before the lemon break. — Agencies
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Eves beat SA, finish 11th
Madrid, October 8 In the 11th-12th place classification match played last night, Indian women, who had lost five matches and drew one in this edition of the tournament, were propelled by skipper Jyoti Sunita Kullu’s lone goal in the 28th minute to emerge victors and escape the ignominy of finishing with a wooden spoon. A lacklustre Indian team heaved a sigh of relief when the ace forward put the team ahead through a field goal minutes before the lemon break. Though the Indians could not bank on several chances afterwards, they managed to hang on to the lead. The only consolation for India in the tournament was the performance of striker Surinder Kaur, who scored five goals to be among the top goal-scorers in the tournament.
— PTI
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Indian Oil win Shastri hockey title
New Delhi, October 8 In a fast-paced match, it was BPCL who called the shots for the most part, especially after forward Amar Aiyamma put them in the lead in the 26th minute. The ball was mostly in the Indian Oil half as the BPCL forwards attacked from the wings and through the middle to keep the rival defenders on their toes. But it was to the credit of the Indian Oil defenders that they withstood the assaults to keep their goal from falling yet again, and to the surprise of their rivals, even managed to pull off the equaliser.
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Haryana eves lift hockey trophy
Kapurthala, October 8 Monica, Raman and Meenakshi scored for Haryana, while Divyawanti Kumari got one for Jharkhand. In the match for the third place, Delhi beat UP 2-1. While Bhawna and Monica scored for Delhi, Kiran Kumari of UP struck for the losers. Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner Raminder Singh handed over the trophy to the Haryana team.
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Suresh Rana wins Raid-de-Himalaya
Manali, October 8 Himachal boy Rana drove his Maruti Suzuki Gypsy, with 02:09:20 penalty points beating his close and arch rival Sunny Siddhu in a nail-biting finish, who clocked in second with 02:16:32 penalty points, an official release said. Sqn. Ldr. Ashish Kumar of the Indian Air Force came third with 03:20:31 penalty points. In the two-wheeler category, British national I’anson with 02:36:20 penalty points gave a close fight to Ashish Moudgil to claim the title. Ashish closed in second with 03:32:27 penalty points while Yogesh Lakhani came in third with 04:16:19 penalty points. Rajesh Chalana and Farhan Vohra claimed the first positions in the Car and SUV category of the Reliability trial with 00:32:25 and 00:26:46 penalty points. The rally flagged-off from Shimla on September 30 with nearly 92 motorsport enthusiasts, had a total prize money of Rs 6 lakh. In the last seven days, the rally covered a distance of 2,139 km with 725 km in the 16 competitive stages running across six of the world’s highest mountains passes some well over 5,500 meters. The rally traversed through Gramphoo, Kaza, Dhankar, Patseo, Leh before ending here. — PTI
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Navy, Cavalry Red to clash in final
Chandigarh, October 8 In a closely contested match today, Cavalry Red defeated the joint Patiala and Sehgal Stud Farms team by nine goals to eight-and-a-half goals to secure their berth in the final. In the second match today, the Navy’s team defeated the joint Cavalry and Army Riding and Polo Club, New Delhi team by eight goals to three-and-a-half to sail their way to the finals.
— TNS
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Azad nominated to Vizzy panel
Chandigarh, October 8 Informing Azad about his nomination, Prof Shetty said the “scope of work” of the Vizzy panel would be told to him soon. D.P. Azad was on the Technical Committee of the board and his suggestions were not only appreciated but also translated into action.
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Chopra jumps to tied sixth
Greensboro, October 8 At eight-under 208, Chopra, who just made the cut in the 56th place, is just two shots off joint leaders Davis Love III (68) and Chris Couch (69). Arjun Atwal continued to stay in there with his second eagle of the week and two birdies in his even-par round of 72 that pegged him at tied 37th after being 28th overnight.
— PTI
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