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LICENCE TO THRILL
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Dravid pats Patel’s back
Easy wins for Aussies, Pakistan
Sporting Clube hold Bagan
Anand remains on top
Jyoti Randhawa squanders lead
AITA meet at Jassowal
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WC ‘007 set to get cracking
Ashis Ray
A
kinda hush has descended on the West Indies. A lull before the countries here erupt into celebrating the 9th cricket World Cup. The carnival of willow and leather commences on Sunday with an opening ceremony at Jamaica’s Trelawny Stadium - scene of India’s tour de force over the home side on Friday.
As India sleeps, the West Indies will awaken to a two hour 45 minute treat, which, interestingly, will include a rendition of reggae by a South African artiste, Lucky Dube in the land of the late Bob Marley. The West Indies entered the international consciousness with the legend of Learie Constantine - a son of a plantation worker, who was a genuine fast bowler, could reputedly hit sixes over extra cover, was an athletic fielder and led his region to their first Test victory in 1930. And there was, of course, the batsman extraordinaire, the Jamaican, George Headley. In 1960, the West Indies appointed an erudite non-white Frank Worrell as captain for the first time. He united disunited cricketers and established them as supreme, without sacrificing the beautiful cricket they exhibited. Circa 2007 is, however, different. Cricket in the Caribbean has been in freefall for a while. The West Indies Cricket Board, though, hope that magnetic vibes generated by the staging of the World Cup will inspire youngsters and generate a revival. In London, where betting on cricket is legal, the general odds on the Windies are 7-1, with Australia, who stemmed their recent rot by eclipsing England on Friday, still the favourites at 2-1. But as a punter put it: “Rahul Dravid’s side are good World Cup value”. The prices on India are 7-1. Grapevine has it that the wickets for the tournament will be slow turners. Consequently, with Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh in their ranks, the Indians are assessed to enjoy an advantage. But with Mohammed Kaif overlooked and Yuvraj Singh’s agility slightly impaired, there isn’t a single outstanding fielder in the Indian squad - unequivocally a cause for concern. Quite honestly, any of the top eight ranked teams can snatch the xx million winners’ cheque. As for individuals, Ricky Ponting is tipped as the leading run scorer, followed by Sachin Tendulkar. Sourav Ganguly, in the wilderness until recently, makes the cut at 12-1. Muttiah Muralitharan is the bookies’ choice as top wicket taker. The white Kookaburra ball, which will be in use in the competition, generally swings for less than 10 overs. Besides, often in the Caribbean the ball deviates in the air only when the tide comes in. Thus, pitching the ball on the seam — better still, deliberately delivering cutters — could pay rich dividends. The tracks at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad - where India engage in their first three encounters at the Group Stage — and the new Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana — where India play South Africa - could be slow, but not necessarily respond to spin. However, if pensive wickets co-operate more with medium pacers than express traders, as they did in 1983, India could benefit. Warming up in Jamaica for fixtures in Trinidad was not ideal preparation, as wickets in the latter island are slower; and Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have a head start in terms of having had their workouts in similar conditions. Besides, Virender Sehwag is yet to rectify opening the gate with his penchant to give himself room or not getting into line; while a combination of accuracy and pace is still eluding Irfan Pathan’s bowling. A recapture of this could instil India with a perfect balance, although Sehwag, Tendulkar and Yuvraj can quite capably handle 10 overs between them. While the holders of live television rights in India, Sony Entertainment Television, may not sleep soundly until India beat Bangladesh in the opener on March 17 — as their handsomely pre-sold sponsorships time could turn turtle if India don’t last the course — it’s hard to visualise the men in resplendent, new lighter blue attire falling at the first hurdle.
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Kenya’s dream run
Gopal Sharma
Everybody remembers that India entered the final of the 2003 World Cup. But not many remember that India clashed with minnows Kenya in the semifinals for a berth in the final. The red and green brigade was a revelation in the tournament. On a giant-killing spree, they registered a string of victories, some of them convincing, over formidable rivals en route to the historic journey to the semifinals.
Superlative efforts of man of the tournament Sachin Tendulkar, in-form Sourav Ganguly aided by good bowling from the fast bowling trio of Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra meant the end of the road for the gritty Kenyans when they were two wins away from the title. Kenya were well served by Kennedy Obuya, Ravindu Shah and Maurice Odumbe in the batting. A reliable all-rounder, skipper Steve Tikolo proved a handy off-spinner and chipped in with valuable contributions from the bat. Young leg-spinner Collins Obuya was a revelation. The amount of control he displayed made one sit and take note his craft. He was at his best in the match against 1996 champions Sri Lanka. Obuya bowled a dream spell (10-0-24-5). After suffering a reverse against South Africa, Kenya started their incredible run with a win against Canada. Seamer Thomas Odoyo bowled an inspired spell. He (4-28) was instrumental in pegging Canada down to modest 197. Opener Ravindu Shah compiled 61 to see Kenya home by four wickets. Next in the giant-killing act were 1996 Cup winners Sri Lanka. Thanks to Kennedy Obuya’s 60, Kenya were able to put 210 on the board. Unfortunately, they ran into an in-form leg-spinner Colin Obuya, who bowled the spell of his life as former champions were bundled out for 157. Kenya were brought to earth by India in the Super Six match at Cape Town. Kenya, however, did not go down without fight. Riding on the brilliance of Kennedy Obuya’s 79, Kenya scored 225 for six. Ganguly bailed India out with an unbeaten 107 as Kenyans lost by six wickets. Kenya added a golden chapter in their cricket history. Striking back with a vengeance, they recorded a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Zimbabwe with 24 overs to spare to force their entry into the semifinal. However, Kenya found in-form India too tough to handle in the semifinal. Tendulkar (83) and Ganguly (111 not out) enabled India piled up 270 for four. The target proved too tough for Kenyans and managed only 170 in the face of some impressive spells from Indian seamers and went down by 91 runs. Coach Roger Harper said before the departure of Kenya for the West Indies that the team had turned the corner and he was confident that the team was ready to repeat the previous performance. Kenya are the winners of the World Cricket League, an ICC tournament for associate members. This time Kenya will have do without the services of Maurice Odumbe, their key batsman. Odumbe, a fierce striker of the ball, was reportedly banned for five years for his alleged nexus with bookmakers. It was under swashbuckler Sandeep Patil that Kenya were superb in South Africa. In the pre-World Cup warm-up game against the Netherlands yesterday, Kenyan batsmen looked in form as the team recorded victory. They are a team having exciting batsmen and talented bowlers like leggie Obuya. Their performance will be watched keenly during the mega event.
— TNS
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Dravid pats Patel’s back
Trelawny, March 10 Riding on superb bowling by Patel (4-10) and Irfan Pathan (3-25), India crushed the West Indies by nine wickets with 31.3 overs to spare yesterday. Chasing a paltry victory target of 86, India lost Virender Sehwag for a duck, but Robin Uthappa (35) and Dinesh Karthik (38) put up an unbeaten 86-run partnership to secure a facile win. “It is a good win for us. We can get a lot of confidence from the clinical and professional performance today,” Dravid told mediapersons after the game. “We can build on this performance, coming here and beating West Indies in their own conditions is indeed a big thing.” He praised his seamers who ripped apart the West Indian batting line up saying “seamers bowled well. It was a disciplined effort by the bowlers.” He had a special word of praise for Munaf, who took four wickets conceding only ten runs. “I thought Munaf was exceptional. I’m very happy with the way he bowled,” Dravid said adding Irfan also bowled well. Dravid described Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar as the two most experienced bowlers in the line-up. “Its nice to see they’ve started well. We’re looking at them to get us the early breakthrough. I think they have a very crucial role to play in our campaign in this World Cup,” the skipper said. When asked about the possibility of two spinners, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, being included in the eleven for the World cup matches, he said, “It is an exciting option but we will have to see because the pitches here help the pacers and our fast bowlers are bowling well. All not lost: Lara
Montego Bay: West Indian captain Brian Lara admitted that the nine-wicket loss to India in the practice match on Friday was “devastating” but refused to believe his side was down and out even before the World Cup started. “We are not exactly down in the dumps as the tournament hasn’t even started yet. We know what we have to do and it’s to avoid such situations again,” said Lara. Still Lara couldn’t hide the disappointment at the sudden collapse his side suffered after a decent start. “From 53 for two, nobody could have seen a collapse coming to the extent that the team was all out for 85. So in that sense the collapse was devastating. It’s definitely something we are worried about.” Lara didn’t think there was an over-reliance within the team on two or three senior players and the rest simply didn’t respond to challenges. “We have a lot of experience but what we would like to have is more match winners,” he said. “It isn’t as if youngsters haven’t got runs. Dwayne Bravo has got a century batting at number three and Marlon Samuels too has sparkled. It’s just that they have to get it consistently.” Lara said his side needed more practice games to sort out their batting blues but since it’s not possible, they would just have to move on. “In the nets, you don’t concentrate, get out two or three times and carry on.
— UNI, PTI |
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Kings of the world
I
was convinced that we had the makings of a champion side when we arrived in England for the inaugural World Cup. The 40-year-old Rohan Kanhai’s decision to make himself available for the event made our side an enviable combination of experience and youth. At the forefront of the young brigade were Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge and Andy Roberts, all of whom had excelled on our tour of the subcontinent just prior to the tournament.
We started with a bang, dismissing Sri Lanka for 86 and overhauling the target with ease. Our first big challenge of the tournament was the next game against Pakistan. With every team playing the other three sides in its group just once, it was almost like a knockout event. One mistake, and we would be looking down the barrel of the gun and hoping that someone else botched up. Pakistan set us a target of 267, and our worst fears were realized when we came up against Sarfraz Nawaz at his best. His colleagues sustained the pressure, and we lost wickets steadily until the last pair of Deryck Murray and Roberts came together in the middle. We needed 64 at that stage, a tall order by any standards, but the duo batted coolly and calmly to win us the game. Our dressing room, which resembled a morgue when the ninth wicket fell, was one of the noisiest places on earth when they completed the winning run. The commitment displayed by the duo rubbed off on the entire team, and we steamrolled our next two opponents — Australia in our last round-robin game and New Zealand in the semifinal — to enter the final. Although the Aussies had their share of supporters, they were clearly outnumbered by those who had arrived at Lord’s to root for us on the morning of June 21, 1975. We had lost three wickets for not many, when Kanhai and I put together a productive partnership. It was the perfect setting in which to play cricket; the Lord’s bathed in glorious sunshine, packed to capacity with screaming and singing spectators, and the ideal wicket, giving equal purchase to the batsmen and bowlers. It also happened to be my day. I scored 102, and we finished with 291-8, a huge total. Remember, there were no field-restrictions and the term Powerplay was unheard of. You could set Test fields and command your bowlers to go for the kill. Australia began well, but they were undone by some brilliant fielding. We had discussed their dodgy running between the wickets, and it was a pleasant surprise to discover that the discussion had been worth it. Viv Richards was a livewire, and his run-outs of the Chappell brothers swung the match in our favour. It has been suggested that the last pair of Lillee and Thomson could have won them the game, but we never really considered that possibility. The deliveries were fast running out. They needed 18 from eight balls when Thomson was run out. To be the first winners of cricket’s version of the Olympics was an exhilarating feeling. I think we had a much better team when we successfully defended our title in 1979. We had played a lot more one-day cricket in the interim, and the experience of playing World Series Cricket had helped us acquire a more professional outlook. We won our league games and the semifinals quite easily, and came up against the hosts in the final. The game against England was made memorable by a partnership between Collis King and Richards. King got 86 and Viv, who had promised to score “big” in the final, finished with 138. Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott got England off a solid start in response. We could not quite believe it, as they pushed and prodded along in pursuit of a target of 287. Even as the required rate kept rising, I failed to hold on to a firm, flat drive by Boycott. It was later claimed that I had dropped him deliberately, so as to keep him in the middle on account of his slow batting, but it’s time to set the record straight. It was a genuine “drop”. As we had expected, the innings fell apart after both batsmen fell. “Big Bird” Joel Garner took five wickets, and the Cup was ours for the second time. Those were great days for us. We were the kings of the game. Those of us who played a part in both victories are looking forward to experiencing a sense of déjà vu. Our best wishes are with Brian Lara and his boys.
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Easy wins for Aussies, Pakistan
Kingstown, March 10 Left-hander Gilchrist, back from paternity leave, put on 140 with fellow opener Shane Watson (55) as reigning world champions Australia, chasing 198 for victory, finished on 200 for five with more than nine overs to spare. England had been well-placed at 122 for one at the half-way stage of their innings yesterday but then lost five wickets for 46 runs. Left-arm wrist-spinner Brad Hogg started the slump by removing England captain Michael Vaughan (57) and Ian Bell (56), who’d shared 116 for the second wicket. Paceman Shaun Tait (four for 33) and Stuart Clark (three for 16) mopped up rest of the players. Gilchrist completed a 64-ball fifty with four fours and next ball struck paceman Liam Plunkett for a huge six over mid-wicket and onto the roof of the stand. Port of Spain: Younis Khan overcame a controversial pitch with an attractive half-century as Pakistan whipped South Africa by seven wickets in the final warm-up match here. The top-order batsman smashed 79 to help his team surpass South Africa’s modest total of 199 with more than five overs to spare in a match which was held up for nearly 10 minutes in the morning due to poor pitch conditions. Bridgetown: New Zealand pegged back Sri Lanka’s rapid start and held on for an 18-run win in a warm-up match, making amends for an upset loss to Bangladesh. New Zealand set Sri Lanka a challenging 286 to win, with Stephen Fleming, Lou Vincent and Peter Fulton scoring half centuries. Fleming (65) and Vincent (70) had a 131-run stand. Fulton (59) took up the task in the middle to guide New Zealand to 285. Upul Tharanga got the Sri Lankans off to a brisk reply, scoring 106 and sharing a 115-run opening stand with Marvan Atapattu. However, the chase ran out of steam after his dismissal.
— Agencies |
Sporting Clube hold Bagan
Margao, March 10 With this result, Sporting took their tally to nine points from eight matches, while Bagan have to eight from as many games. Both teams started at a fast pace and the visitors, despite the absence of some key players, held sway, putting the Sporting defence under pressure. They had the best chance to break through in the dying minutes of the first half when Dulal Biswas laid a square pass to Lalawmpuia inside the box, who shot straight at goalkeeper Luis Barreto. Biswas, who overlapped often on the right flank, tested keeper Luis Barreto with a long ranger, but the keeper was equal to the task. Sporting, who found their groove in the latter part of the first period, twice came close to scoring. Joe Rodrigues’ shot from inside the box deflected out off defender Mehrajuddin Wadoo’s leg in the 31st minute, and a minute later, Dudu Omagbemi’s header off a Nicholas Rodrigues flag kick went inches over. Sporting coach Clifford Chukwuma introduced Nicolas Nath to give thrust in their attack, but the striker failed to impress. Nicolas had the best chance for Sporting in the dying minutes but the striker failed to cash in as he drove the ball wide from close range.
— PTI
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Anand remains on top
Linares (Spain), March 10 The draw, his eighth in the event so far, took Anand to eight points out of a possible 13 and now the Indian ace is only a draw away from regaining the crown in this category-20 event, which is the strongest tournament of the year. Half-a-point behind, 16-year old Magnus Carlsen of Norway remained within striking distance of Anand after drawing with Russian Peter Svidler. But the fact that the youngest participant in the event will have black against Leko in the final game makes Anand a huge favourite for the crown in this eight-player double round-robin event, which started at Morelia in Mexico in mid-February. For the records, Anand meets Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in the final round game. The penultimate round was in fact devoid of much excitement and all but one game ended in draw. The lone attraction was a long drawn affair between Alexander Morozevich of Russia and top seed Veselin Topalov that lasted over six hours with the former coming out victorious from a nearly drawn endgame. As a result of drawn games at the top, Svidler continued to hold the sole third spot on seven points. A half point adrift are Levon Aronian of Armenia and Morozevich on 6.5 while Ivanchuk is in sixth position on six points. Topalov is now seventh on 5.5 points and with just one round to go, Leko is at the bottom of the table having just five points in his bag. Anand expectedly did not take many chances against Leko in another Anti-Marshal of the event and the Hungarian was also quick to neutralise white’s initiative from the black side of this quite popular opening these days. Quick exchanges in the middle game saw the queens being traded along with a couple of minor pieces and the peace was signed in just 26 moves. Carlsen did not get much with his white pieces either against Svidler. Starting with the queen pawn, Carlsen avoided main variations and found Svidler quite well armed.— PTI
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Jyoti Randhawa squanders lead
Singapore, March 10 After enjoying a smooth going for two days at the par-72 Languana National Golf and Country Club, Randhawa had a roller-coaster ride under tough scoring conditions as he nullified his two eagles and as many birdies with three bogeys and a triple bogey on the par-three 11th. Very much in the hunt nonetheless, Randhawa, 11-under 205, goes into the last round just a stroke off the lead held jointly by Englishman Gary Lockerbie (69) and Wen-Chong Liang (68) of China. Randhawa’s illustrious compatriot and last year’s Asian Tour Order of the Merit winner Jeev Milkha Singh overcame a horrible start to card a decent two-under 70 and jump to tied 32nd spot. Jeev now aggregates four-under 212 in three rounds played so far.
— UNI
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AITA meet at Jassowal
Ludhiana, March 10 This tournament is being conducted by Harvest Tennis Academy under the aegis of the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association and the All-India Tennis Association. Players from all over India are expected to participate in this national-level tournament. The main draw for boys and girls will be of 32 players (24 direct entries, four wildcards and four qualifiers) while for doubles event there would be 16 players with 14 direct entries and two wildcards.
Interested players are required to get their names registered in the office of Harvest Tennis Academy by 6 pm till on March 26 by fax at 01624-271480 or by post.
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