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Aussies storm into final Shoaib handed 2-yr ban, Asif banned
for one year
Performance, not money, matters: ICC
No problems with India over MPA: ICC
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BCCI’s carrot-and-stick policy on cards
Mumbai, November 1 Against the backdrop of the Indian team’s poor performance in the Champions Trophy, the BCCI is considering a carrot-and-stick policy of rewarding performance for the players when it revamps the match fee structure.
It’s Windies batsmen vs SA pacers
Zimbabwe cricket team’s kit reduced to ashes
K. P. S. Gill, President, Indian Hockey Federation, addresses a press conference in Jalandhar on Tuesday.
— A Tribune photograph
Saudi Arabia beat Malaysia
Punjab on top against J&K
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Aussies storm into final
Mohali, November 1 In a match of changing fortunes, Daniel Vettori led a valiant fightback for New Zealand with a gritty knock of 79 runs. In fact, Vettori waged a lone battle for the Kiwis which was good enough to give the Australians the scare. When Vettori arrived at the crease, New Zealand had lost six wickets for 35 runs. He launched a fine rearguard action. Until then the Australians were in virtual cruise mode. But the left-arm spinner along with all-rounder Jacob Oram added 103 runs for the seventh wicket which gave the Black Caps some hope. Some lusty blows by Mills in the end kept the Aussies on the tenterhooks. But Brett Lee kept his nerves well as Australians reached home by 34 runs. Put in to bat by Stephen Fleming, Australia headed into trouble at the start of the innings. Seamer Kyle Mills struck twice in his second over, scalping Shane Watson and dangerous Adam Gilchrist with just four runs on the board. But skipper Ricky Ponting was in a fine nick. He was supported well by Hussey as both contributed crucial runs to the total. Ponting fell after scoring a compact half century, his second in two matches. After the departure of Ponting, burly all-rounder Andrew Symonds displayed a lot of character. Playing some bold strokes and running hard, he chipped in with run a ball 58 as the Australia posted 240. Mills bowled an impressive line and with a four-wicket haul played a major role in pegging the mighty Australian batting to reasonable total. After bowling an ordinary opening spell, fast bowler Shane Bond returned back in the slog overs to strike crucial blows. Pace spearhead Glenn McGrath proved, as the chase by the Kiwis started, that any rustiness on account of his long lay-off from the game was a thing of the past. As is his wont, McGrath bowled a nagging line and ripped apart the rival batting line-up. Constantly at the batsmen’s throat with his line and awkward bounce that he generates, McGrath with the support of Bracken and Lee rendered the contest lopsided. McGrath bowed his 10 overs on the trot. And by the time he was through with his quota, New Zealand were stuck in a hole at 35 for 6. Daniel Vettori served a lesson to the top order batsmen with his grit and determination. The lanky batsman had answer to virtually whatever was thrown at him by the bowlers. Rotating the strike and scoring occasional boundaries, Vettori just kept going. He found an able ally in Jacob Oram as both kept on frustrating the world champions. Both were involved in their highest partnership against their neighbours before Oram fell after making 43. After the fall of Oram’s wicket, Vettori kept his cool and along with Franklin and Mills kept on adding runs to the total, even forcing misfields from the otherwise unflappable Australians. Mills enlivened the proceedings hitting Symonds for a scorching four and a mighty six. But the bravado proved shortlived. Australian seamers stuck to their task and emerged winners. The second semifinalist will be decided after the West Indies-South Africa clash at Jaipur tomorrow. Scoreboard Australia Gilchrist c Oram b Mills 3 Watson c Fulton b Mills 0 Ponting c Vettori b Mills 58 Martyn lbw Vettori 26 Hussey c H. Marshall b Franklin 35 Symonds b Bond 58 Clarke c Vettori b Mills 14 Lee b Bond 5 Johnson run out 3 Bracken not out 15 McGrath not out 0 Extras (lb-6, nb-3, w-14) 23 Total (9 wkts, 50 overs) 240 Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-4, 3-70, 4-123, 5-188, 6-211, 7-220, 8-223, 9-236. Bowling: Mills 10-1-38-4, Bond 10-0-55-2, Franklin 8-1-48-1, Oram 10-1-43-0, Vettori 10-0-41-1, Astle 2-0-9- 0. New Zealand Vincent c Ponting b McGrath 1 Fleming c Ponting b Bracken 15 Astle b Lee 0 Marshall c Gilchrist b McGrath 5 Fulton b McGrath 2 Oram st Gilchrist b Symonds 43 McCullum c Martyn b Bracken 1 Vettori b Johnson 79 Franklin c Gilchrist b Watson 8 Mills c Gilchrist b Lee 21 Bond not out 9 Extras: (lb-7, w-13, nb-2) 22 Total: (all out; 46 overs) 206 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-20, 3-30, 4-30, 6-35, 7-138, 8-159, 9-180. Bowling: Lee 8-0-31-2, McGrath 10-2-22-3, Bracken 7-1-36-2, Johnson 7-0-38-1, Watson 7-0-27-1, Symonds 7-0-45-1.
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Shoaib handed 2-yr ban, Asif banned
for one year
Karachi, November 1 The two-year ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) could effectively mean the end 31-year-old Shoaib’s international career. In a lengthy statement, a three-member drug inquiry tribunal of the PCB said it had heard both players and medical experts in its deliberations and reached the conclusion that both players had committed a doping offence. “They have been informed off the decision and have the right to appeal for a review of the bans,” the tribunal said in Lahore. The bans are effective from October 15 on both and they cannot participate in any level of cricket organised by the PCB or international competitions. The bans mean both are out of the World Cup to be held in the West Indies in March-April, and it is also a probable end to Shoaib’s controversial career unless his appeal is upheld. “We are not convinced that there was no fault of negligence on part of Shoaib Akhtar. We hold he has committed a doping offence as defined in clause 4.1 of the PCB anti-doping regulations,” the statement read. “The case of Mohammad Asif, 23, is somewhat different with regard to his level of responsibility. He only became a regular member of the team in March, 2006. “There is some doubt whether he was even handed over the WADA list of prohibited substances and WADA athletic guide prior to his departure for England in August 2006,” the statement signed by all three members, Intikhab Alam, barrister Shahid Hamid and Dr Waqar Ahmed said. The players and the Board have seven-days’ time to appeal the decision, a PCB official said. Shoaib, who made his Test against the West Indies in 1997, has picked 165 wickets in 42 Tests at an average of 23.33. — PTI
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Performance, not money, matters: ICC
Mohali, November 1 Under constant attack by a few top BCCI officials on various issues in the last few weeks, the ICC said it was happy that India had the money but it should also be reflected in the team’s performance. “I have read a lot about India’s money power. But we don’t judge sporting organisations on the basis of how much money they have. What matters in the end is performance,” ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed told a press conference. “The criteria for judging organisations is how their team has performed, how well they look after their stakeholders and how many good cricketers they produce. I am not trying to be critical of India, but the last time they have won a major title was in 1983,” Speed said. “At the end, it is performance which counts. We have the ICC rankings to know the performance level. New Zealand may not have a lot of money or a big population, but they are in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy,” he said. On BCCI Vice-President Lalit Modi’s sharp criticism of the ICC on marketing issues, Speed said, “we have heard a lot from Modi. He is entitled to his opinion but we are interested in facts. There are a lot of factual errors in what he says”. “He has never attended ICC meetings and is also not a senior BCCI functionary. If he feels, he is qualified to give such opinions, we can’t do anything. “We have a transparent process for everything and all the documents are made available to all the members. “There are a lot of write-ups and articles about the ICC’s functioning. But we have said very little. We have not said anything on Modi, it is deliberate. “It is in line with our policy. We are not interested in litigating matters.” Asked whether the ICC was contemplating lodging a formal complaint against Modi to the BCCI, ICC President Percy Sonn said, “ICC does not lodge complaints.”
— PTI
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No problems with India over MPA: ICC
Mohali, November 1 “I don’t believe that there are any substantial issues with the BCCI. We will work through their problems and see what can be done,” ICC’s Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed told a press conference here. “We have reached an agreement with most of the countries. Some of these countries had problems with some of the clauses, which we have amended in the subsequent drafts. It is a normal procedure and we regret that the Indian board had not dealt with in April.” Speed said five or six drafts have already been prepared taking into account the concerns of all member countries. “We will talk with the BCCI officials in this regard,” he said. All the ICC member countries are required to sign the
MPA, a document that imposes certain marketing and endorsement restrictions for the teams, to be eligible for participation in the ICC events from 2007 to 2015. Asked whether there were any deadlines for India to sign the
MPA, Speed said, “There is no deadline as such. We hope all countries sign it by the end of the year”. On whether the BCCI was eligible to bid for rights for ICC events to be held from 2007-2015, Speed said the matter would come up for discussions during the Executive Board meeting in Mumbai on November 3-4. “The correspondence between the ICC and the BCCI on these issues have been made available to all Executive Board representatives and they will decide on the matter,” he said. Speed said a decision on umpire Darrel Hair will also be taken up by the Executive Board along with issues like the Pakistan Cricket Board’s letter seeking investigation into Hair’s conduct during the Oval controversy. “We have received a letter from the PCB asking for an investigation into Hair’s conduct during and after the Oval incident. The PCB is entitled to lay a charge but I can’t comment on the likely outcome at this stage. “We want to resolve the Hair issue once and for all in the next three days. He still has a contract with the ICC and we would like to find a way so that he can continue,” he said. On the compensation dispute between the PCB and the England Wales Cricket Board
(ECB), Speed said there was a procedure in place to handle such issues. “We have a ICC Dispute Resolution process. We have not received a formal request yet. In case such a request comes, we will appoint a three-member committee which will be empowered to take decisions”. Asked what the ICC had learnt from the Oval fiasco, which saw Pakistan forfeit their match against England after the ball-tampering charge, Speed said the game’s governing body would take corrective measures to ensure that such incidents were not repeated. “We reflected on it and we are awake now. We have to see whether the rules are appropriate to deal with such situations or we need to make certain adjustments”. On reports that World Anti-Doping Agency officials were not provided with proper facilities during the Champions Trophy, the ICC Chief Executive said, “There are no issues with WADA. They are not familiar with cricket and the problems could have arisen because of that. I have met the WADA officials and everything has been taken care of”.
— PTI
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BCCI’s carrot-and-stick policy on cards
Mumbai, November 1 “The minimum match fees for the players would in all probability remain the same as it’s at present,” said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah today. “Only a lot of board members feel that performance-linked bonus payments should be introduced that will be disbursed among the various players as part of the 13.5 per cent distribution of the board’s revenue to them every year. Those who perform well will get more from this share.” The board has formed a panel consisting of secretary Shah, chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty, vice-president Shashank Manohar and treasurer N. Srinivasan to finalise the modalities of this scheme in a couple of days. At present, the cricketers contracted with the board get Rs 2.5 lakh per Test and Rs 1.6 lakh per ODI, while those not contracted get Rs 3.2 lakh and Rs 2.2 lakh, respectively.
— PTI
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It’s Windies batsmen vs SA pacers
Jaipur, November 1 Having lost their last league match to England, the Caribbeans, who had come through the qualifying stage, would have to put up a inspired show against Greame Smith’s outfit who has steamrolled opposition like Pakistan and Sri Lanka to make their way to the last four. Both teams have relied heavily on their fast bowlers in the championship so far and with the Jaipur track looking to offer help to new-ball bowlers, pacers should rule the roost again. The onus will certainly be on the batsmen on both sides to come good, and more so for the West Indies line-up which has cracked in crunch situations. West Indies had almost made a mess of their run chase against India but Brian Lara would draw solace from Chris Gayle’s century at the top of the order in the last match against England. The South African pace attack led by Makhaya Ntini has worked wonders so far and Smith would hope that they exploit the chinks in the West Indies batting line-up tomorrow. South Africa shrugged off their loss to New Zealand in the first match and changed their game plan to play like a champion outfit from then on. West Indies have taken most by surprise by their showing in the mini World Cup so far and barring a glitch here and there, the team has looked like beating any side on their day. Gayle has been at the forefront of their resurgence with the dashing opener excelling both with the bat and the ball. With 302 runs, inclusive of two tons, and eight wickets in his kitty, he has shown that success cannot elude a player if he sticks to the basics. Gayle appeared confident when he said he would look to give another good start to his team. “It is very pleasing to be among runs. We know what to expect tomorrow. South Africa have won their last two games and they were quite impressive,” said the 27-year-old Jamaican. “They will come hard at us but we are also prepared.” Also contributing to West Indies’ success has been the inspirational leadership of Brian Lara who took the field in the game against India despite suffering from a back spasm. That he came down the order and could not do much with the bat was of little significance as his mere presence inspired the team to upset the Indian applecart and assure themselves of a place in the semi-final. Although West Indies lost their last league match against England, it counted for little. By their own admission, the defeat did not come as a “major setback” to the players. South Africa too would be keen to add a major title to their kitty after their World Cup disappointments. Significantly, they won the inaugural edition of the Champions Trophy by beating none other than the West Indies in 1998 in Dhaka. Both teams almost match one another in batting and bowling but in fielding the South Africans have an edge over their rivals, thanks to the efforts of their fielding coach Jonty Rhodes. Coach Mickey Arthur, who is quick to give credit to the former batsman for lifting their fielding standards, said even 10 runs saved could end up to be the difference between winning and losing, a fact also not lost on his players. With the matches that have been played here mostly being low-scoring affairs, the bowlers on either sides must be drawing a lot of confidence. After all, they key to winning would largely be in their hands.
— PTI
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Zimbabwe cricket team’s kit reduced to ashes
Harare, November 1 Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) said in a statement that the fire had destroyed computers, office files and video equipment after the roof of the two-storey building caved in. “Also burnt was the playing kit and equipment for the national team that is in camp for the tour of Bangladesh later this month,” the association said, adding that the fire could be an act of arson. An AFP correspondent saw charred cricket balls and remnants of computers, documents and furniture among the debris while academy staff were dousing smouldering grass. The fire came a day after a mysterious fire broke out in the ZC boardroom at the main cricket arena, the Harare Sports Club. Curtains and carpets went up in flames before municipal fire-fighters arrived. “The coincidence is just too much that we can have the fires on consecutive days on ZC premises,” said ZC president Ozias Bvute. “Investigations are under way and if these fires are acts of arson, then we are confident that the police will apprehend the person or people behind them.” Bvute, an ally of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, has stirred widespread controversy in his time at the helm of the ZC amid allegations that he has been interfering in team selection and the
administration of the local boards. The incident is the latest blow to Zimbabwe cricket, which has been rocked by a string of crises since co-hosting the 2003 World Cup with South Africa and Kenya. Since then, the team have lost their Test match status while other top players such as captain Heath Streak have quit the team.
— AFP
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Dilip Tirkey in FIH’s All Star team
Chennai, November 1 “Only the best players of the world are selected for the All Star teams (men and women). This has been created for the first time and 18 players and two coaches have been selected for each team,” said an FIH release. “Journalists present at both men and women World Cup tournaments held in Germany and Spain, respectively, and the visitors to the FIH website voted for their favourite stars. After counting hundreds of votes, the FIH announced the two teams,” the release added. All Star teams: Men: goalkeepers: Stephen Mowlam (Aus) and Ulrich Bubloz (Ger); forwards: Jamie Dwyer (Aus), Santiago Freixa (Spa), Christopher Zeller (Ger), Pol Amat (Spain) and Shakeel Abbasi (Pak); midfield: Teun De Nooijer (Ned), Brent Livermore (Aus), Yong Bee Kim (Kor), Jeroen Delmee (Ned) and Tibor Weissenborn (Ger); and defenders: Taeke Taekema (Ned), Philipp Crone (Ger), Bevan George (Aus), Hayden Shaw (NZ), Richard Mantell (Eng) and Dilip Tirkey (Ind); coaches: Barry Dancer (Aus) and Bernhard Peters (Ger). Women: goalkeepers: Amy Tran (USA) and Maria Jesus Rosa Duran (Spa); forwards: Nikki Hudson (Aus), Bao Rong Fu (Chn), Sylvia Karres (Ned), Natascha Keller (Ger), Kaori Chiba (Jpn), Midfielders: Luciana Aymar (Arg), Mi Hyun Park (Kor), Silvia Munoz Escude (Spa), Fanny Rinne (Ger), Miek Van Geenhuizen (Ned) and Defenders: Minke Booij (Ned), Magdalena Aicega (Arg), Akem Kato (Jpn), Angie Skirving (Aus), Christa Cullen (Eng), Janneke Schopman (Ned); Coaches: Marc Lammers (Ned) and Frank Murray (Aus).
— PTI
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More astroturfs need of the hour: Gill
Jalandhar, November 1 Ignoring work at the grassroots was a big drawback which needed immediate attention. He said places which had the right potential and real enthusiasm for hockey remained ignored and instead, astroturfs had been provided at certain places where they were no takers for the game. Mr Gill said the state governments were spending abysmally low on sports. The budget for sports in Punjab, for example, he said can be borne by the output of a couple of big ‘panwalas’. He said hockey in Punjab was an example of “khooh de daddu”. The country has a big potential everywhere and the IHF was looking into the issue of expanding the vision of the IHF. He said astroturfs were the biggest need of the hour and the IHF has planned to install at least 14 next year. He said government effort was needed in ensuring an astroturf is installed in each district of Punjab. The other big reason for the slide was that the number of enthusiasts for sport had gone down. Mr Gill said it was unfortunate that different departments were taking away the incentives offered to sportspersons like promotions. It was encouraging that companies like Indian Oil, Indian Airlines and certain others were helping the cause of hockey. Mr Gill was very critical of the role of media towards promoting the cause of the national game. “Show me one constructive article,” he demanded. He was also critical of certain players who make big comments by virtue of their past status which was being lapped up by the press. He also agreed that the format of the championship needed a change and the IHF was working on it. When questioned about the health status of Sandeep Singh, Mr Gill said, “I talked to him yesterday. He is unlikely to recover fully for the Asian Games. I told him to relax and prepare for the future.”
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Saudi Arabia beat Malaysia
Bangalore, November 1 Saudi Arabia was in total control of the match whereas Malaysia were sluggish. The team could have boasted an enlarged kitty of goals but for their poor finish and a couple of good saves by Malaysian custodian Mohammad Sabre Mat Abu. For Malaysia this was second defeat in the league. In the first encounter it had tasted defeat at the hands of Vietnam (1-2). With this win Saudi Arabia, with one draw, increased its points tally to four from two matches played so far, while Malaysia is yet to open its account. Aussies win
Kolkata: A brace from Nathan Burns saw a 10-man Australia shut out Thailand 3-1 in their second Group B game in the AFC Youth Championship at the Salt Lake stadium here today. The victory threw the group wide open with China, who will play UAE in another match later today, Australia and Thailand having three points each. UAE are yet to open their account. Burns scored in the 26th minute of stoppage time while Dario Vidosic added their third goal from the spot in the 32nd minute. Thailand pulled one back through Suttinun Phukhom seven minutes later.
— UNI
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Punjab on top against J&K
Patiala, November 1 J&K won the toss and elected to bat on a placid wicket. The Punjab bowlers bowled aggressively and the wickets fell like nine pins. For Punjab, Gurinder Singh took 3 for 14; Bhavish Goyal took 2 for 10 and Sandeep Singh captured 2 for 13 to demolish J and K team. In reply, Punjab piled up 261 for 2 and sent the J&K bowlers on a leather hunt. Pargat Singh scored a breezy century and his 116 was a treat to watch.
— UNI
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) today used the Indian team’s recent poor form to fire a fresh salvo at the BCCI, saying that sports bodies were not judged by “money power” but by their ability to bring results on the field.
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