Cape Town, January 1
In the vicinity of the Cape of Good Hope – the mythical meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans – Indian cricketers come with expectation of clinching a first ever series win in South Africa. But it won’t be rudimentary, for ample live grass has been retained to bind the pitch and prevent it from cracking. This is likely to initially assist seam movement, though not with exceptional bounce.

Obviously, both pace attacks stand a sporting chance of bowling the opposition out twice in the match; and it will demand application and superior technique from batsmen, especially over the first one-and-a-half days.

Both teams were equally baffled by the surface; and postponed announcing even a short list for the game. But Munaf Patel is almost certain to replace VRV Singh, but the Indian think tank is yet to concur on dropping Virender Sehwag. The fitness of wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni, who was struck on the finger in the previous Test, is also being closely monitored.

It is, of course, a disadvantage for India that they can no longer bank on a big innings from Sachin Tendulkar, whose sparkling 169, albeit in a losing cause, lit up this fair cape in 1996 much like the fireworks at the waterfront here on New Year’s Eve. However, Sourav Ganguly is a better player of swing than he is of sheer pace. Yet, an extended occupation of the crease by Dravid would hold the key.

Freak weather lashed this Western Province Region last week. It even snowed in some parts of it, while Newlands, venue of the match, received a severe drenching. Only tomorrow will indicate how well the track has been rolled since!

In 2006, the pitches for the Australia and New Zealand Tests were diametrically different. The first turned out to be modelled for the metronomic Stuart Clarke and the match ended in three days; while the other resulted in a run fest.

Jacques Kallis is expected to reclaim his place in the South African XI, with Hashim Amla possibly receiving the chop. But with Andre Nel not fully fit, South African captain Graeme Smith confirmed that a spinner, either Paul Adams or Paul Harris, is being considered. It is doubtful if the wicket will develop into a turner; but if it’s sunny for the duration of the match, some of the crack could become inviting for Anil Kumble.

Newlands has been a test centre since staging a match against England in 1889. Nestling below the famous Table Mountain (appropriately christened, for some parts of its summit literally has a flattish top), it was given a majestic makeover in 1992, with aesthetically designed new galleries and suites constructed around the plush green outfield, with grass banks, too, pleasingly landscaped between the stands. The only eyesore is a brewery to the west of the premises, which, though, churns out the beverage of the series sponsor, Castle.

India’s record here is identical to Durban before this series – a defeat and a draw in two appearances. The South Africans have won 11 of their 16 Tests this august turf post-isolation (winning the toss each time) and only lost three times to Australia during this period.

Cape Town, January 1
Rahul Dravid today sought to stir up his team-mates ahead of the series-decider against South Africa, saying they had the ability to bounce back and it was only a question of putting plans to work.

Dravid also said that his team had appeared capable of beating the hosts at different stages in the series but it was now imperative for them to perform at the optimum level.

“If we can put some of our plans to work, we would be good. We have the ability to bounce back and we have appeared pretty capable at various stages of the series,” Dravid told reporters on the eve of the third and final Test.

“We responded better in the Wanderers than at Kingsmead and now it’s time to perform when the situation demands it,” he said before nets here this morning.

Dravid felt the wicket at Newlands ground had a little moisture but he would not mind if the track ended up helping the bowlers.

“It looks a good wicket but I have always believed that our best chance is not in this but in those kind of wickets which help our seamers. Those are the tracks where if we can put on 250 runs on the board, it gives us a good chance as well.

“I am not the kind who worries too much about the pitches. It’s how you play cricket for five days which is important. It’s important that we bat for four sessions and we would aim so here.”

Dravid was non-committal when asked if Virender Sehwag would be rested for the Test. “We would not mind a hard decision if it is in the interest of the team but obviously we have to look at different conditions as well before deciding our composition.”

Dravid has been central to India’s plans and his failure in the first two Tests has not helped the team’s cause. It was absolutely the key on the fourth evening when India was trying to bat out time in the second Test which they went on to lose by 174 runs. It hurt all the more since it appeared to be a dodgy decision.

“You have to accept the umpiring decisions. Sometimes you get the rub of the green and sometimes you don’t. I am generally happy with the standard of umpiring around the world. It’s a good panel and they do a good job. They will make mistakes as they are humans. But there are a few pretty committed umpires.”

South African skipper Graeme Smith said his side was highly motivated going into the final Test. He was also happy that his side was able to keep the “dangerous” Sehwag in check in the series.

If at all Gautam Gambhir is played, Smith said his bowlers knew what line and length to bowl to him. “We have seen Gautam (Gambhir) play in India and we know what line and lengths to bowl to him.”

Smith expressed concern over the bruised foot of Andre Nel going into the Test while also hinting that spinner Paul Harris could come into the side. — PTI

Sydney, January 1
The retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer have added an emotional incentive to Australia’s bid to win the fifth Ashes Test, starting at the Sydney Cricket Ground tomorrow.

Ricky Ponting’s Australians were already salivating at the prospect of a rare 5-0 series sweep, but the departure of three of their greatest players has only increased their determination.

Australia’s only previous whitewash against their oldest rivals was back in 1920-21 and Ponting said there could be no better way to farewell their famous trio than by emulating that feat in Sydney.

“There’s a lot riding on this game with all the retirements and the possibility of a 5-0 result,” Ponting told a news conference after training today.

“It’s a big game for Australian cricket but we won’t be focused on the result, we’ll be focused on playing well throughout the game. That’s what we’ve done all summer and if it means we end up winning the game then it’s going to be a perfect scenario for all these guys.”

Australia easily won the first four Tests of the series, including last week’s fourth Test in Melbourne by an innings inside three days, to regain the Ashes in emphatic style.

The odds are heavily stacked in their favour to win in Sydney as long as the weather stays fine and the players do not become too distracted by the party atmosphere surrounding the mass farewells.

Former captain Steve Waugh’s retirement against India three years ago was tinged with disappointment when the match ended in a draw while another ex-skipper Mark Taylor made just four runs in his farewell against England eight years ago.

“It’s going to be an emotional Test with these three guys going, but I don’t think that will effect us,” Ponting said.

“We had a big build-up for the last match in Melbourne and it didn’t effect us down there. We had a good training session today and as long as we keep our emotions in check I’m sure our performance will look after itself.”

This week’s Test marks the end of an era in Australian cricket and has evoked concerns of a repeat of the bleak years that followed the simultaneous retirements of Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh from the SCG 23 years ago.

But McGrath said the trio were all leaving confident in the knowledge that Australian cricket was in safe hands and the stage was set for their perfect farewell.

“Both Shane and Justin are two blokes I’ve played most of my career with so it’s like losing part of the family,” McGrath said.

“To finish off 5-0 would be a perfect way for Shane, myself and Justin to finish and a true indication of where the teams are and how the series has been.”

Australia spurned the chance to call up SCG specialist Stuart MacGill by retaining the same side that won in Melbourne but England are considering calling up Middlesex off-spinner Jamie Dalrymple to join Monty Panesar in a twin-spin attack.

England captain Andrew Flintoff said the tourists would wait until the morning of the match before finalising their team but were desperate to avoid losing again.

“It’s disappointing the way the Ashes have gone but the mood is positive,” he said.

“It’s Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer’s last Test so that is another incentive to do well against legends of the game, but most importantly we don’t want to go down 5-0.

“One of England’s strengths is we always come back from these sort of situations. As a team we’re still very positive, there is still plenty of energy in the camp and we’re still upbeat about the next game coming up.” — Reuters

Melbourne, January 1
Justin Langer, another Australian cricketing pillar after Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, fell today as the veteran batsman announced his retirement after the last Ashes Test beginning tomorrow.

The 36-year-old Langer, who will take guard in his 105th Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, said he wanted to retire at the top of his game.

“I know that I am on top of my game. Statistically it has not been a great (Ashes) series, but I know how that I am hitting the ball and catching the ball as good as ever,” Langer told reporters in Sydney.

“As hard and emotional as it is to not wear the baggy green cap again I know in my heart it’s the right thing to do,” he said adding “they say to go out on your own terms and when you’re on top of your game and I feel as if I’m doing that.”

Australia’s Ashes whitewash campaign against England at Sydney is all set to turn into a emotional cauldron as it marks the swansong of McGrath, Warne and Langer—the trio who played a major role in making Australia a team of invincibles which ruled cricketing world for almost a decade.

Langer is the sixth highest Australian run-getter with 7,650 runs, which includes 23 Test centuries.

Langer and Matthew Hayden has been Australia’s most prolific opening partners with a joint account of 5,574 runs at an average of 51.61, the second best behind Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes of the West Indies.

But the Caribbean duo accumulated 6,482 runs after playing together for 13 years while Langer and Hayden’s partnership is just five-year-old.

“I have had the same baggy green cap for 13 years. It is a game of cricket, the greatest game in the world, and I will be involved in it probably till my last breath,” Langer said.

“It’s not just a game for me. It’s been the vehicle that I’ve learned how to handle success, criticism, failure, how to fight back from adversity. I have learned about mateship, leadership, I have learned so many things.

“And hopefully I have forged a strong character and that’s all because of the baggy green cap and it’s going to be hard to not wear it again after this Test.” Langer said he would finish the season with his stateside Western Australia and play for Somerset in the next English county season.

“There’s an amazing challenge at Somerset. They are at the bottom of everything, and I’ve got a great regard for the coach over there and I’m looking forward to that challenge.

“It would be impossible for me not to play cricket. I love the game and that’s why it was so hard to make this decision not to play Test cricket any more, but I love cricket and I am certainly going to play it for the next eight to 10 months and then see what happens after that.”

Australia have lost four cricketers in a month’s time. Damien Martyn starting the exodus after the second Ashes Test followed by McGrath and Warne. — PTI

Dubai, January 1
With the Duckworth-Lewis system completing its 10 years of existence, founders of the “ingenious” solution to interrupted one-day games recalled that it was a comment by a radio broadcaster that prompted them to work out a mathematical formula for deciding the outcomes of such matches.

It was on January 1, 1997 when Zimbabwe beat England by six runs, after the target had been revised, in an ODI at Harare when the very first ICC-sanctioned match applied the Duckworth-Lewis method.

And the formula, despite being debated off and on, is still very much in use after 10 years.

When New Zealand play Sri Lanka in the third ODI of their current series in Christchurch tomorrow, the method would have entered its second decade in the top flight.

The system was devised by UK-based statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis and was formally adopted by the ICC in 2001, firstly on a trial basis, and from 2004 on a more permanent basis, being subject to three-yearly review.

“I recall hearing Christopher Martin-Jenkins on radio saying ‘surely someone, somewhere could come up with something better’ and I soon realised that it was a mathematical problem that required a mathematical solution,” Duckworth said in a statement released by ICC today.

The ICC adopted this system for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1999 in England, although remarkably it was not necessary to implement it throughout the entire tournament.

Since then, whenever there is an unscheduled interruption in play, Messrs Duckworth and Lewis—or at least the results of their calculations—take centre stage.

The main impetus for the development of what became known as the Duckworth-Lewis method was the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal fiasco when, after a short rain delay at the Sydney Cricket Ground, South Africa went from needing 22 runs to beat England from 13 balls to needing the same 22 runs, but from just one ball.

A good measure of the fairness of D/L system is the fact that the proportion of matches won by the team batting first is virtually the same (at 52 per cent) for uninterrupted and interrupted matches using the D/L method.

“It is very satisfying when watching matches that players generally accept revised targets now as fair, in contrast with the previous systems, and that we have made a significant contribution to the history and development of the game,” Lewis said.

According to Bob Woolmer, former ICC High Performance Manager and now Pakistan’s national coach, the Duckworth-Lewis method is the best that anyone had managed to come up with so far.

“Ever since the ICC Cricket World Cup 1992 in Australia when South Africa were set 22 runs to win off one ball, I believe that the revised version of the Duckworth-Lewis method has been the fairest system yet for interrupted cricket matches,” Woolmer said.

“I believe there will be moments in one-day cricket which will test any system and as long as the D/L method is monitored, it will remain the fairest system. The inventors should be congratulated for arriving at this formula,” Woolmer said in the release.

David Richardson, ICC’s General Manager Cricket, said: “The D/L method has been adjusted and amended over time taking account of the changing scoring trends in ODI cricket. The lack of a serious controversy surrounding the result of a rain-curtailed match is indicative of the method’s proficiency.

“No one likes it when the result of a game has to be settled by the mathematicians. Cricket, by its nature, is unpredictable and fortunes can fluctuate extravagantly during the course of a match.

“However, if one is forced to find an answer to the question ‘who is winning’ at a particular time during a match, the D-L method gives you as fair a method of doing so as you are likely to get,” Richardson said.

Although the great majority of these have been because of rain or bad light, D/L has also been used for stoppages due to 14 cases of floodlight failure, three of crowd disturbances, and one each for sandstorm (Rawalpindi), snow (Durham) and sun (Derby). — PTI

Patiala, January 1
Black Elephant Cricket Club, Patiala, defeated DMW, Patiala, by 17 runs in the final of the sixth Dhruve Pandove Memorial Cricket Tournament (under-14) here at the Army ground yesterday.

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Black Elephant Cricket Club scored 146 for seven in 40 overs. At one stage, they were 60 for five but thanks to a brilliant unbeaten knock of 45 by Karan Kaila and a cameo innings of 26 by Kanwarpal Singh, helped the Black Elephant Cricket Club to post a respectable total.

For DMW, Inderveer Yadav took two for 16 and Anmolpreet Singh and Ravikant bagged a wicket each, conceding 24 and 14 runs, respectively.

In reply, DMW scored 129 for six in the allotted 40 overs and narrowly lost the match. Inderveer Yadav played a fine innings of 33 and Anmolpreet Singh scored an unbeaten 36 but could not save their team from defeat. For Black Elephant Cricket Club, Ajay Bharti captured two wickets giving away 29 runs.

At the prize distribution ceremony, Karan Kaila was declared the player of the tournament. — UNI

Perth, January 1
A classy performance from Tommy Robredo provided the highlight as Spain won its opening tie against Croatia at the mixed teams Hopman Cup here today.

Robredo, a past winner of the event in 2002 with Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, won a high quality singles clash with fellow top-10 player Mario Ancic in three sets to secure victory for the second seeds.

Earlier, Anabel Medina Garrigues had given Spain the lead in the tie with an easy straight sets win over Ancic’s teenage sister Sanja.

In the dead mixed doubles rubber, the Spanish pair completed a clean sweep of the tie with a 6-4, 6-2 win.

With the three other seeded teams facing shock defeats on the first two days of the tournament, the win puts the Spanish in an ideal position to claim their third Hopman Cup title. Much was expected of the men’s singles clash, with Robredo and Ancic the two highest-ranked men in the event and the match didn’t disappoint.

Robredo is ranked seventh in the world and Ancic ninth, and the quality of tennis reflected their lofty status in the game as they enter 2007.

The taller Ancic looked in control when he claimed the first set, but Robredo lifted his rating and was playing superlative tennis by the end of the match as he won 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and four minutes. Robredo broke Ancic in the 12th game of the second set to level the match and then one more break in the last set was enough to secure victory.

The Spaniard’s groundstrokes in the last two sets were exceptional and he finished the match with 27 winners, to Ancic’s 18.

The 24-year-old Spaniard admitted he started the match slowly, but said beating such a highly-rated opponent was a perfect start to the year.

“Beating him is a pretty good start to the year,” Robredo said.

“(In the second set) I tried to hit harder and be a little bit more aggressive. I could do it and got my rhythm and won the second and the third (sets).”

Robredo said he was looking forward to 2007, after finishing in the top 10 for the first time at the end of last year. He reached the fourth round at three of the four Grand Slams in 2006, won his first ATP Masters Series title in Hamburg and also triumphed in Bastad.

“Last year gives me a lot of confidence,” he said, with the Australian Open only a fortnight away.

“I finished seventh in the world and after that year I am pretty confident in myself.

“Starting with a victory is always nice, if I keep focused and keep playing at my level, hopefully I can keep being like this all year.” Although beaten, Ancic played some fine tennis himself and showed why he is regarded as one of the most promising young players on the tour.

Ancic had a break point at 2-2 in the third set, but couldn’t convert and Robredo then broke in the following game for a 4-2 lead.

Earlier, Medina Garrigues was far too good for her teenage opponent, winning 6-3, 6-1 in just over an hour.

Ranked 27th, the Spanish woman was always expected to account for the 167th-ranked Ancic and never looked troubled. Medina Garrigues was pleased with the effort, although fronting up early on New Year’s Day was a minor issue.

“When I got the schedule in Spain I looked and said, ‘no not at 11 on the first day of the year, I can’t believe that’.” “But it’s okay, if I win I’m always happy.” — AFP

Chandigarh, January 1
Chandigarh golf star Harmeet Kahlon, who ruled the national amateur circuit from 1993 to 1997, is back in the reckoning as a pro with a fine win in the Rs 50 lakh prize money MGF PGTI Championship held in Bangalore last week.

The Arjuna awardee’s nine-under score of 279 saw him pocket the prize money with Digvijay Singh finishing three strokes behind. Back in Chandigarh before moving to Dubai for the Desert Classic, Harmeet talked about the refresher course he had gone through under the guidance of Jonathan Yarwood, a British coach based in Florida.

Jonathan, who is also the coach of US Open champion Michael Campbell, told Harmeet that he should get out of the copybook perfection and just play the game in a relaxed atmosphere. He was having a problem with his swing. Jonathan told him to get onto the course. And within a week he was driving hard and long. Consistency had returned.

Armed with this mantra, Jeev played the MRF and returned scores of 67+72+68+72=279. This change of game and a new start to his pro career has come about after the birth of his son Aval on October 9, 2006.

Now a much bigger challenge awaits him at the Dubai Desert Classic, where he will rub shoulders with Tiger Woods, Chiranjeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa. “This will be my first pro event with Woods”, said Harmeet.

The Asia Pacific Amateur champion of 1997, Harmeet represented India in the Asian Games in 1994 and 1998. Both times the team finished fourth. He clinched the eighth international amateur spot in the Eisenhower Cup held in Chile in 1998. The Pakistan Amateur title and the All-India Amateur title in 1997, got him the Arjuna Award in 1998.

Turning pro soon after the 1998 Asian Games, Harmeet got training from Italian coach Donato Di Ponziano, but his game remained inconsistent. During one of his bright displays, Harmeet clinched the Hero Honda Masters event in 2002, pocketing a prize money of Rs 25 lakh. The Asian tour victory gave him the exempt card. He became a permanent invitee on the Asian tour.

Inconsistency continued to bother him. Then he met Jonathan. The coach told him that he was a perfect player. But what he needed was more of the game and less of practice. That started showing. He also had a chat with Jeev at Bangkok after the latter’s China Volvo win. Jeev presented him with a cassette of positive thinking. Jonathan’s advice saw him clinch the Bangalore title convincingly.

Shalini, his wife, who has been with him on most of his tours, will have to stay back to look after Aval. But she has seen the sparkle in Harmeet’s eyes which speaks of the new-gained confidence in him.

Chennai, January 1
India’s wild-card entrant Prakash Amritraj played his heart out, but that was not enough to stop big-serving Ivo Karlovic of Croatia from winning the first-round contest in the Chennai Open ATP tennis tournament here tonight.

In a close contest that fizzled out towards the fag-end, Prakash tackled the booming serves of Karlovic well, but could not match the powerful ground strokes of the 6 ft-10 inch Croatian, and lost 6-7 (3), 6-3 in 80 minutes.

The defeat of Prakash came as a double blow to the home crowd as the lone Indian pair of Vishal Uppal and Ashutosh Singh crashed out earlier, losing 4-6, 4-6 rather tamely to Tomas Behrend (Germany) and Robin Vik (Czech) in 65 minutes.

With the exit of Prakash, the Indian challenge now lies in the hands of ITF Futures winner and another wild-card entrant Karan Rastogi, who would be taking on Thiago Alves of Brazil tomorrow.

New Delhi, January 1
Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran became the second Indian ever after Viswanathan Anand to join the 2700 ELO rating club in the FIDE ranking list announced today.

Sasikiran gained a whopping 25 points in October-December, 2006, with the major chunk coming from the recently concluded Asian Games where the Chennai-based player helped his team win the gold medal with a huge margin.

The sharp escalation helped Sasikiran also move to his career-best 21st ranking in the world. In the previous list Sasikiran was ranked 31st.

The world rankings also saw some major changes at the top with Russian Vladimir Kramnik expectedly jumping to the third spot on 2766 points ahead of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan and Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Veselin Topalov remained atop despite his dismal show in the last few months. From 2813 in October list, Topalov now stands at 2783, which means a decline of 30 points coming in just two events the reunification world championship match against Kramnik and a forgettable Essent 2006 tournament.

Anand remained at number two on 2779 points without playing a single rated game since the last list.

From the Indian perspective, not much changed for P. Harikrishna though as he slipped to 33rd from 32nd losing one point in the 15 games he played since the last list.

GM Koneru Humpy gained 22 points to be at 2567 to remain the second highest-rated girl in the world and the fifth ranked Indian after Anand, Sasikiran, Hari and GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly. — PTI