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SAFARI:
1st Test
Australia regain Ashes
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Punjab in command
India beat Lanka
Punjab clinch Umrigar Trophy
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SAFARI: 1st Test
Johannesburg, November 18 On Monday, India corrected this anomaly by not merely completing the unfinished task of winning a Test match in all countries, but accomplishing this spectacularly by thrashing the South Africans by 123 runs. The hosts were bowled out for 278 in the second innings, notwithstanding a pugnacious 97 from Ashwell Prince. It was a marvellous team performance, with Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, though he was wicket-less on the fourth day, spearheading the display with career-best match figures of eight for 99, which deservingly clinched the Man of the Match award for him in only his sixth appearance at the highest level. Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble were level pegging with him in the South African second venture. The slide for South Africa started early, with the experienced Mark Boucher trapped leg before wicket in the second over of the morning by Khan. But Shaun Pollock, attacking from the outset, hooked the same bowler over backward square leg for six, apart from otherwise clipping a half a dozen boundaries. Batting conditions had eased immeasurably since tea on the third day — as was reflected by the fact that the highest total of the match surfaced in the fourth innings. Not surprising, Prince and Pollock stitched together a 66-run seventh wicket partnership on a flat pitch and against tiring fast bowlers operating with an old ball. But Rahul Dravid had a potent, under-utilised weapon up his sleeves — Anil Kumble. Pollock is not endowed with the technique to defend against quality spin. Predictably, he executed a fine on-drive off the wrist spinner, but then attempted a cow shot against a slower ball to signal the death rattle. Andre Nel was typically outwitted as Kumble pushed the tail-ender on to the back foot with a couple of shorter deliveries before slipping one through faster on a good length to trap him lbw. But the icing on the cake for the indefatigable Indian wrist spinner was his removal of Prince. This compact left-hander had set out his stall to hang in no matter what. But just when a well deserved hundred was within his grasp, Kumble flighted one to him from around the wicket. Prince stepped out only to be beaten in the air as well as play inside the line of a straightening delivery. Dravid now summoned the new ball; and Khan induced an easy catch for Virender Sehwag in the covers to hoist the historic moment. Even the generally phlegmatic Dravid uncharacteristically clenched his fist, punched the air and made a rugby tackle for a stump as a trophy. To complement this, an assembly of Indian fans waved the Tricolour in the welcome Jo’burg sun. The Greg Chappell-Dravid double act, misguidedly maligned by people with little knowledge about cricket, has now established a 5:2 win:loss record in 14 tests. Indeed, the pace option created by this duo is potentially the most incisive in Indian cricket history. But India must beware the springbok attempting to strike back on the fast pitch at Kingsmead in Durban’s humid conditions. A paucity of runs from openers can be an ominous portent. Also, a wicket-keeper needs to be an all-weather specialist batsman. I am proud of the team: Dravid
PTI adds: Jubiliant skipper Rahul Dravid today credited India’s historic Test victory against South Africa in their own backyard to combined effort of the team which fought back superbly after the one-day series whitewash. “I am proud of the team. It’s a great team effort — the way we fought in Test after the one-day loss. Credit to ourselves and the nation,” Dravid said. “We will enjoy this proud moment and get back to the next game,” he added. Asked if there was any extra pressure on him as captain after the one-day thrashing, Dravid said he was confident about his team. “When the whole team backs with performance, it reflects well on yourself,” he said. Scoreboard India (1st innings) 249 South Africa (1st innings) 84 India (2nd innings) 236 South Africa (2nd innings) Gibbs c Tendulkar b Zaheer 0 Smith c Sehwag b Sreesanth 10 Amla c Dhoni b Sreesanth 17 Kallis c Ganguly b Sreesanth 27 Prince b Kumble 97 De Villiers run out 17 Boucher lbw Zaheer 23 Pollock b Kumble 40 Nel lbw Kumble 6 Steyn not out 6 Ntini c Sehwag b Zaheer 8 Extras (lb-8, nb-19) 27 Total (all out, 86.5 overs) 278 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-22, 3-34, 4-84, 5-120, 6-164, 7-231, 8-245, 9-264. Bowling: Zaheer 22.5-5-79-3, Sreesanth 25-8-59-3, VRV 18-4-67-0, Ganguly 1-0-11-0, Kumble 20-4-54-3.
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History made
As
Virender Sehwag took the skier that got rid of Makhaya Ntini, there were whoops of delight from the Indian players on the field as well as in the commentary box, as I am sure would have been the case all over India . This was one special win as with it, history was made. India have never won a Test in South Africa on the past three tours and to do so after the defeats in the one-day series shows the character of the team.
The interim period between the one-dayers and the start of the first Test was a bit too long since there was only one warm-up game and that was not enough to give an idea of what the team balance should be. The openers had failed in the warm up game and apart from Pathan and Ganguly nobody had looked in any sort of touch. Pathan did not even figure in the playing eleven for this Test which seemed a bit harsh on a player in form and though there’s been concern about his bowling form, the one thing to remember is that these are Test matches and being played with a red ball which stays shiny a lot longer and also can swing after 60 overs if its maintained well. Not that VRV Singh did anything wrong in the Test match. In fact his style of hitting in the first innings would not only have added to the frustration of the South Africans but gave his teammates something to cheer about and go in to field with boosted spirits. If Munaf Patel is fit for the second Test then he should be seriously in the reckoning for a place in the side and if the Indians look at Pathan as an opening batting option then India can have four new ball bowlers on a pitch that usually helps the seamers. That is of course a week or so away and in the meanwhile India will be looking to get a two day game organized if only to see if players like Gambhir and Munaf can get some match practice. It won’t be easy going into a Test without any match practice under the belt especially on pitches that are so different from India . India have certainly panicked the South Africans for in the morning before they resumed the chase of the target set by the Indians, the Proteas were talking about trying to get as many runs as possible before the second new ball became available and that’s a fine tribute to Zaheer and Sreesanth. Both bowled brilliantly on a surface that gave them help and exploited the conditions well. On the final day, Sreesanth seemed a bit off colour after his super human efforts in the days earlier but Zaheer rose to the occasion and the utterly reliable Anil Kumble too came to the party and enjoyed himself as he got the important wicket of Ashwell Prince. The left hander showed the application that was needed for the situation and unfortunately for South Africa nobody wanted to learn from him. There were too many preconceived plans in the South African dressing room with no back up plans and that’s where they floundered. The Indians deserve every praise for the manner in which they came back after the losses in the one-dayers and the way they picked themselves up from the floor and stood up to be counted. It was great team effort with everybody chipping in though of course the star performer was Sreesanth but even he will agree that if there was not the fightback by Ganguly and Laxman not to forget the gritty efforts of Dravid and Tendulkar, there wouldn’t have been a total good enough to defend. It’s a win to cherish but the crucial thing is for the team to stay focused and look to hit back for the one day loss by winning the Test series 3-0. That would be the apt way to come back for the humiliation suffered in the one dayers. Well done India!
— PMG
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Perth, December 18 The victory gave Australia an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-Test series, with two Tests to go in Melbourne and Sydney. There were jubilant scenes as the Australians atoned for losing the Ashes 1-2 in England last year. Set an unlikely 557 to win after Australia declared at 527 for five late on the third day, England looked to have some hope of at least saving the match, and the series, when they were 336 for five shortly before lunch on the last day, with both Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff at the wicket. However, champion leg-spinner Shane Warne once again struck with telling impact, bowling Flintoff for 51 to spark an English collapse that saw them lose their last five wickets for just 14 runs. Warne ultimately ended the resistance two balls after lunch when he bowled Monty Panesar for one, with England all out for 350. Warne claimed 4-115 from 39.2 overs in the England second innings to take his career tally to 699 Test wickets and he now looks certain to become the first bowler to reach 700 Test wickets in front of his home crowd at the MCG in the fourth Test starting on December 26. The loss of opener Alastair Cook and nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard in the last three overs of the fourth day’s play had rocked England’s hopes of saving, or even winning, the Test. However, Pietersen (60 not out) and Flintoff started the final day with intent, the latter bursting out of a form slump with some aggressive shots as they built a partnership before lunch. Scoreboard Australia (1st innings) 244 England (1st innings) 215 Australia (2nd innings) 527-5 dec England (2nd innings) Strauss lbw Lee 0 Cook c Gilchrist b McGrath 116 Bell c Langer b Warne 87 Collingwood c Gilchrist b Clark 5 Pietersen not out 60 Hoggard b McGrath 0 Flintoff b Warne 51 Jones run out 0 Mahmood lbw Clark 4 Harmison lbw Warne 0 Panesar b Warne 1 Extras (nb-5, w-6, lb-8, b-7) 26 Total (all out, 122.2 overs) 350 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-170, 3-185, 4-261, 5-261, 6-336, 7-336, 8-345, 9-346. Bowling: Lee 22-3-75-1, McGrath 27-9-61-2, Clark 25-7-56-2, Warne 39.2-6-115-4, Symonds 9-1-28-0. — AFP
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Wellington, December 18 Muralitharan finished with six for 87 to claim an impressive ninth five-wicket haul for the year, as Sri Lanka wrapped up the Test with four sessions to spare. They had set New Zealand an improbable target of 504, but the home side had never batted with authority in the series and the outcome always seemed inevitable. Despite a defiant eighth-wicket stand by Daniel Vettori and James Franklin who put on 96, New Zealand were unable to cope with Muralitharan’s mesmerising spin backed by Lasith Malinga’s slingshot speed. Scoreboard Sri Lanka (1st innings) 268 New Zealand (1st innings) 130 Sri Lanka (2nd innings) 365 New Zealand (2nd innings) Cumming c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 20How lbw Malinga 33 Sinclair c P Jayawardene b Muralitharan 37Fleming c Sangakkara b Malinga 27Astle lbw Muralitharan 9 McCullum b Muralitharan 17 Oram lbw Vaas 4 Vettori lbw Muralitharan 51 Franklin c Silva b Muralitharan 44Bond c Sangakkara b Maharoof 6Martin not out 4 Extras (b-9, lb-7, w-11, nb-7) 34 Total (all out, 85.1 overs) 286 Fall of wickets: 1-56, 2-60, 3-115, 4-139, 5-156, 6-161, 7-163, 8-259, 9-278. Bowling: Vaas 18-2-64-1, Malinga 16-1-62-2, Maharoof 11-1-47-1, Muralitharan 34.1-9-87-6, Jayasuriya 6-3-10-0. — AFP
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Punjab in command
Kolhapur, December 18 Resuming the second day’s play at overnight score of 278 for five, Punjab added 272 runs before the end of their first inning two minutes after tea. The highlight of the second day’s play was Punjab nightwatchman Bipul Sharma scoring 93 runs, while captain Pankaj Dharmani, who retired yesterday on 71 due to injury, made 123 runs. Dharmani completed his second century in current season and recorded his 20th Ranji century. He hit 12 fours, one six in his knock. In reply, Maharashtra lost opener Harshad Khadiwale (5) when the team score was 15. Then onwards, Dheeraj Jadhav and Hrishikesh Kanitkar played without losing any further wicket till the end of the play with 27 and 15 runs, respectively.
— UNI
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India beat Lanka
Jaipur, December 18 Mithali smashed a 68-run knock in 108 balls, sealing the match in India’s favour with her seventh boundary as her team chased the victory in 47.2 overs in the showdown which was just a dress rehearsal for the final. Indian eves made 172 for 3 in reply to Sri Lanka’s modest 171 in 49.3 overs after their captain Shashikala Sriwardane elected to bat.
— PTI
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Punjab clinch Umrigar Trophy
Patiala, December 18 Brief scores: Delhi (1st innings) 119 all out; Punjab (1st innings) 552 all out (Mandeep Singh 165, Pankaj Chowdhury 115; Manoj Chowhan 4 for 58, Vikas Singh 2 for 74); Delhi (2nd innings) 95 for 2 (Mohit Sharma 45 n.o., Manoj Chowhan 30 n.o.; Sandeep Sharma 2 for 30).
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Selected, then discarded — IGU style
Chandigarh, December 18 Ajeetesh, ranked 47th among juniors in the USA, was discarded from the Indian team for the Eisenhower Trophy in October after finishing second in the selection trials held in Noida in May. Last month, Irina had virtually been shunted out of the Indian team for the Asian Games. Ajeetesh, who is studying at the David Leadbeater Golf Academy in Florida, is in Chandigarh for the Christmas vacation. During a conversation at the Chandigarh Golf Club, the golfer said he had won the FCWT Open with a seven-under score of 137 recently. But the mere mention of the Eisenhower Trophy is enough to provoke him. “Disgusting” .... “I was more than shocked”....”I can’t describe my feeling in words”, said Ajeetesh. His father, Mr S.M.S. Sandhu, was equally vocal: “When Ajeetesh fulfilled the criterion for the selection of the Eisenhower team, finishing second in the trials, how come he was left out? If he was ‘not in good form’, why was he asked to travel all the way from Florida to Cape Town for the event?” Ajeetesh, who took to golf when barely four, was ranked the No. 1 junior national golfer by the Indian Golf Union in 2003-04. After that, the reigning junior champion joined the academy in Florida. That year, Ajeetesh had a ranking of 160 in the USA. Today, he has improved threefold to be ranked 47th. Ajeetesh flew down from Florida for the trials to select the Indian team for the Eisenhower Trophy in Noida in May. He finished second. Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar finished first and third, respectively. The fourth player was Joseph Chakola. Mr Sandhu and his wife, Kirandeep, flew to Cape Town to watch their son play. Little did they realise that their son would be a victim of IGU’s “discretionary powers”. The second-placed Ajeetesh was relegated to the fourth spot. The teenager, who took time off from the Florida academy to play for the country, reached Cape Town on October 20. The kit and the uniform were issued to him. Two days later, he was told that he was a non-playing member of the squad. The reason given by one of the members was that there was a “change in his swing”. This was the discretion of the selection committee. But his coaches feel otherwise. However, despite the setback, Ajeetesh has set his sights on the US PGA. “It is a tough path. But I am determined to cover it”, he says. Flying back to Florida after the Cape Town fiasco, Ajeetesh played in a pro event in north Florida. Rubbing shoulders with pros, Ajeetesh returned scores of 67, 71 and 69, to finish second. In contrast, the Indian team finished a poor 37th in the Eisenhower Trophy.
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Johannesburg, November 18
Perth, December 18
