Georgetown, April 3
Medium pacer Shaun Pollock led a hostile performance by South Africa’s attack in their rain-affected World Cup Super Eights match against Ireland in Georgetown today.

Pollock, who was under pressure after poor performances in his last two matches, rediscovered his accurate line and length and took two for 17.

Ireland, who were put in to bat, totalled 152 for eight after rain reduced their innings to 35 overs.

South Africa’s winning target was adjusted to 160 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis system.

Andrew White top-scored with a cameo innings of 30 off 30 balls which included five fours.

Pollock struck in the third over when he trapped Jeremy Bray lbw before Ireland had scored a run.

William Porterfield (14) became Pollock's second victim in the 13th over when he misread the length and drove uppishly to point, where Jacques Kallis held a tumbling catch.

After a slow start complicated by interruptions for rain, the Irish met South Africa’s aggression with attacking strokes. That approach brought runs at a steady rate but it also cost wickets.

White’s dismissal in the 29th over, when he slapped a full toss from part-time off-spinner Graeme Smith into the hands of Herschelle Gibbs at mid-on, helped South Africa re-establish their grip on the innings.

The dismissal ended Ireland’s biggest partnership, 39 shared by White and Andre Botha (14) for the fifth wicket, and it started a slide that saw four wickets fall for eight runs in three overs.

Medium pacer Andrew Hall and fast bowler Charl Langeveldt profited from the injudicious strokes played by Ireland's middle and lower order batsmen.

Hall took two for 37, while Langeveldt claimed three for 41.

Three interruptions and regular revision of overs permissible left Ireland with only 35 overs during which they made a spirited attempt on a stop-and-start day.

Early drizzle delayed the start of the game by 20 minutes and Ireland didn’t have the luck of toss either as they were sent in to bat.

They were 16 for one when rain held up the play for 10 minutes, 17 for one after just seven further balls had been bowled and then 23 for one after another 13 minutes of play was possible.

Then came the longest break before the umpires decided only 35-overs-a-side could be allocated today.

South Africa achieved an early breakthrough when Shaun Pollock won a leg before shout against the prolific Jeremy Bray for nought. The ball shaped to go away but held its line to rap the batsman in line of stumps.

William Porterfield was steady during his knock of 14 from 33 balls with one four before he became Pollock's second victim at 31 for two in the 13th over.

Eoin Morgan (28) and Niall O’ Brien were then engaged in a hectic stand of 32 for the third wicket before Morgan skied Andrew Hall for Ashwell Prince to complete the catch inside the circle.

Morgan faced 50 balls for his 28 runs and hit four fours.

O’ Brien continued his good form with 25 runs before he scooped Charles Langeveldt for Herschelle Gibbs to complete the catch at the short fine leg position.

Andrew White (30) was another one to chip in with a useful score but he failed to carry on as he picked up a full-toss from Graeme Smith and sent it straight Gibbs at short midwicket.

New Delhi, April 3
An undeclared war of words between coach Greg Chappell and India’s bruised cricket stalwarts intensified today in the run-up to the BCCI meeting on Friday to conduct a post-mortem on the team’s World Cup debacle.

Neither the blunt Australian nor the senior players, whom he had reportedly accused of “behaving like the mafia” are coming out in the open but the battle is being fought through the media.

A number of television channels have been quoting “sources” close to the coach as saying that the unnamed senior players were “hammering” juniors and denying them opportunities. The “sources” were also quoted as saying that Chappell was of the view that “some people” in the BCCI wanted to tarnish his image.

To counter unnamed source-based attack on them, senior players in turn have been quoted to say that if the coach rubbished them, they would hit back and give their version to the Board.

Like their coach, these cricketers also took refuge behind anonymity and were not named.

Stories continued to circulate that Chappell was trying to shift the entire blame to the players but the Australian, never normally short of words, has chosen to lie low and has not even rebutted the sensational stuff attributed to him.

This has strengthened suspicion that he may have been the source of the “sources”.

The players have been invisible barring skipper Rahul Dravid, who has chosen time to introspect on Kerala’s beaches.

Sachin Tendulkar, subject of much debate, continues to stay behind heavy security at his Mumbai residence — even the TV ads in which he was selling a variety of products from biscuits to cars have been taken off the screen.

When the BCCI working committee meets in Mumbai, there is a possibility that some senior players could be called to give their views on the World Cup debacle.

The BCCI, on its part, said it would give a “fair hearing” to every one before deciding the future course of action.

“We will first discuss the World Cup reports submitted by Chappell and Jagdale in detail along with former Indian captains. If the need arises, we will definitely call senior players to hear their version,” BCCI joint secretary M P Pandove told PTI today.

Pandove said the BCCI will have separate interactions with Chappell, manager Sanjay Jagdale and Dravid on April 6.

“The opinion and assessment of the former captains will also play an important role. We will analyse everything properly before taking any decision”, he said.

Pandove dismissed media reports of a rift in the team as “mere speculation” and said the BCCI will only take note of the reports of Chappell and Jagdale.

“There are a lot of things appearing in the media. As far as we are concerned, we will go by the contents of the reports”, he added.

Meanwhile, former BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur said the manager's report would be treated as “authoritative” and serve as the basis for remedial measures.

He said Jagdale was the BCCI representative in the World Cup squad and his report would give an “impartial” analysis on the debacle.

“As far as the BCCI is concerned, Jagdale’s report will be authoritative. He was the BCCI representative and his report will be paramount,” Dungarpur said. — PTI

New Delhi, April 3
The BCCI may call a few senior players of the Indian cricket team to “give their views” on the World Cup debacle after discussing in detail the reports of coach Greg Chappell and manager Sanjay Jagdale.

As reports of a rift between the senior players and coach Chappell continued to come out in the aftermath of the World Cup fiasco, the BCCI said it would give a “fair hearing” to every one before deciding the future course of action.

“We will first discuss the World Cup reports submitted by Chappell and Jagdale in detail along with former Indian captains. If the need arises, we will definitely call senior players to hear their version”, BCCI joint secretary M.P. Pandove told PTI today.

Pandove said the BCCI will have separate interactions with Chappell, Jagdale and captain Rahul Dravid on April 6.

“The opinion and assessment of the former captains will also play an important role. We will analyse everything properly before taking any decision”, he said.

Pandove dismissed media reports of a rift in the team as “mere speculation” and said the BCCI will only take note of the reports of Chappell and Jagdale. — PTI

Sri Lanka will go into the encounter against England as the overwhelming favourites. They are playing fantastic cricket at the moment, and that is putting it mildly. Every single member of the side looks focused. They seem reluctant, in fact hardly interested, in resting on their laurels. It appears that ‘taking it easy’ is a phrase they haven’t heard of. They don’t seem to operate to a fixed strategy.

They have defended pretty well so far, but I cannot imagine them finding it very difficult to rise to the challenge of chasing a target. They are playing as well as New Zealand, South Africa and of course Australia. It is more than likely that these four sides will make it to the semifinals.

England have been bothered by injuries, and things have almost got to a stage wherein one leading player is unavailable if the other is available. This doesn’t augur well for the balance of the side. That they struggled to beat Ireland the other day will also be at the back of the players’ minds. However, it won’t be a cakewalk for the Sri Lankans. Not that Mahela Jayawardene and his team will expect it to be one.

It is unfortunate that Brian Lara, whose side is all but out of it, has criticised the schedule of the tournament. He ought to have remembered that the format was the same for everybody else. Professional cricketers cannot and should not complain about such matters. In any case, they were not playing everyday, were they?

He and his players have figured in Test matches, which go on for five days at a stretch. To blame the schedule for the fast bowlers’ exhaustion is way off the mark. Most of the bowlers in the West Indian team are relatively new. It’s a young team, and the guys shouldn’t have had any problems playing a competition as big as the World Cup, and that too at home.

The fact is that they are virtually out of it because they were not good enough. It’s a highly talented side, but I don’t think they had it in them to win the World Cup.

But the West Indian supporters were at least fortunate to see their side qualify for the second stage, which isn’t something you can say about fans in Pakistan and India. It is time for the players of our countries to take a cue from the Sri Lankans.

Those running the game in Pakistan and India also need to adopt a tougher posture. One-day cricket today is dominated by the two Fs: fitness and fielding. It is hence necessary to think seriously about doing away with players who might be excellent batsmen or bowlers, but poor fielders.

Sanath Jayasuriya’s remarkable hundred against the West Indies prompted many people to compliment him for ‘defying age.’ But ‘age’ is something that shouldn’t really come into the equation, if the player concerned is fit. There cannot possibly be a better gift that a captain can receive, than having under him a senior and seasoned player who is supremely fit.

I can imagine Indian and Pakistani cricket-lovers being envious of their Sri Lankan counterparts. People are still very angry and hurt. They have every right to criticise the players. But what I cannot comprehend is fans posing a threat to the families and houses of the players. That is just not on.

The players did fail, but their close relatives have had absolutely noting to do with it. What people don’t seem to realise is that we might soon find ourselves in a situation wherein no parent will encourage his/her child to become a cricketer, for fear of such a backlash.

For god’s sake, let’s exercise some restraint. Let’s not discourage our fledgling cricketing talent. — PMG

Karachi, April 3
Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan met PCB chairman Naseem Ashraf and agreed to take over the captaincy following the team’s World Cup debacle, sources said today.

The sources in the board told PTI that Younis met Ashraf last night and had a detailed discussion over captaincy and the future vision of the national team.

Contrary to reports that Younis was not interested in taking up the captaincy, the sources said he had told Ashraf he would accept the responsibility if offered by the board.

“Younis said he had no problems captaining the side but the board should keep some things very clear in their mind. Younis made it clear that he was prone to speaking his mind if he felt any player was not giving his 100 per cent or if the team was not responding to the captain,” the source said.

“He told Ashraf that the board should keep this in mind when appointing him as captain as he would not compromise when it came to the national team’s performance,” the source disclosed.

Ashraf had called the meeting to discuss the short-and long-term future plans for the team. Inzamam-ul Haq stepped down as captain after Pakistan were shocked by Ireland and eliminated from the World Cup.

Inzamam said at a recent press conference that according to him Younis was the automatic choice to become captain since he had been vice-captain for last two years now.

But some media reports had suggested that Younis was not interested in the post after having a bad experience in the Champions Trophy in India last year. — PTI

Kingston/London, April 3
Even as Jamaican police denounced the poison theory behind the murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, a team of Scotland Yard investigators was reaching the island to review the probe.

Jamaican police are standing by their account of asphyxiation being the cause of Woolmer’s death and denounced reports that he may have been poisoned.

It was reported that an ancient drug, aconite, could have been used to kill Woolmer. The police here had earlier said that the cause was asphyxiation, owing to manual strangulation.

Karl Angell, director of communications of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, stood firm Monday by police reports that Woolmer was strangled.

“Thus far we have to work with what is at hand. At hand is the pathologist report that he (Woolmer) died from asphyxiation as a result of manual strangulation,” Angell was quoted as saying by Jamaica Gleaner.

Meanwhile, a superintendent from the homicide and serious crime command, two detectives and a crime scenes officer from Scotland Yard were expected on a British Airways flight to Kingston, The Guardian reported.

A forensic expert from the Interpol will also join the investigation team and will be reviewing the pathologist’s report and other details.

The Jamaican authorities requested the assistance to bring fresh eyes to an inquiry, which has yet to identify suspects in the apparent strangling of the Pakistan coach.

The Scotland Yard detectives will review dozens of witness statements as well as forensic evidence and CCTV footage from the 12th floor corridor leading to Woolmer’s room in the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica.

A statement from Scotland Yard said this was normal practice. “In the UK we actively encourage that investigations of this nature are reviewed periodically, and throughout the investigation. The Jamaican constabulary force remains the primary investigating force.” However, there is also growing speculation that Woolmer may have died of natural causes.

A diabetic, Woolmer reportedly drank from a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label whiskey before retiring to his room at 7.30 p.m (local time) March 17.

The chambermaid discovered his body the next day at 10.45 a.m.

Tariq Malik, a Kingston-based Pakistani businessman who was close to the Pakistan team and at the hospital where Woolmer was pronounced dead, said the coach’s blood testing kit was discovered on the floor.

“Can you imagine a big man like Bob falling in a tiny bathroom - he would have got a bad blow,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “I don’t think he was murdered. Maybe he felt he was going into a diabetic coma.” — IANS

St John’s, April 3
England head into their Super Eight clash with Sri Lanka here tomorrow knowing defeat could all but end their chances of reaching the World Cup semifinals.

Michael Vaughan’s men, handicapped by a six-wicket loss to fellow Group C qualifiers New Zealand during their opening match, which meant they didn’t carry forward two points to the second round, face a make or break week.

England, after playing Sri Lanka, return to the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Sunday to take on reigning champions Australia, who’ve won five out of five at this World Cup.

Although it’s mathematically possible for England to lose both games and still reach the semi-finals, realistically they need to win at least one of their two matches this week to have a hope of reaching the last four for the first time since 1992.

However, Sri Lanka is doing well. Last year Mahela Jayawardene’s team beat England 5-0 in a one-day series, culminating in an extraordinary eight-wicket triumph at Headingley.

Set 322 to win, Sri Lanka made 324 for two after a world record opening stand of 286 between Upul Tharanga (109) and Sanath Jayasuriya (152).

Since that match in July, England have tinkered with their side to such an extent that top-order batsman Ian Bell is likely to be the only survivor come tomorrow although Andrew Strauss, captain that day, could come in for fellow opener Ed Joyce.

Whoever England field as a first-wicket partnership, they don’t have a pair to match the rapid scoring of the Sri Lankan duo and no-one near the class of experienced left-hander Jayasuriya, who made 115 in Sunday’s 113-run thrashing of hosts West Indies.

However, England coach Duncan Fletcher said there was no point trying to make the likes of Vaughan and Joyce play someone else’s game.

“We mustn’t ask players to do things that are foreign to them, because that could really be pretty disastrous. All our players must play to their strengths,” he said.

By contrast, Sri Lanka look to have a far more balanced team with left-armer Chaminda Vaas and the unorthodox Lasith Malinga, whose four wickets in four balls almost set-up a stunning win against South Africa, a handful for any batting side long before off-spin maestro Muttiah Muralitharan comes.

“One of the great things about our side is that we have a variety and balance,” said wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara.

“We’ve got three different types of fast bowlers, four different kinds of spinners and then when it comes to the batters we have variety there as well.

“Sanath at the top, workers in the middle and then guys who can finish off with a bang at the end.”

And Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody, long touted as a contender to replace Fletcher in the England job, added: “We are very excited about the game, we’ve done well against them recently.

“We’ll feel it’s a game that we can win,” said the former Australia international. “And that’s the frame of mind we need to have.” — AFP

New Delhi, April 3
Nischal Gaur’s splendid all-round show scripted Himachal Pradesh’s comprehensive seven-wicket win over Delhi in the inaugural North Zone Twenty20 cricket match at the Ferozshah Kotla ground here today.

Nischal took five wickets in four overs removing Delhi’s middle order and then the opener carved a short but impressive innings of 26 runs.

Electing to field, Delhi could not capitalise on good start it made through Shikhar Dhawan (38) and Virat Kohli (35) and were bundled out for 136 in 19.5 overs.

After opener Gautam Gambhir’s (6) cheap dismissal, Dhawan and Kohli stabilised the innings and Delhi looked heading towards a big score but Gaur foiled their chances.

The off-spinner began weaving the magic with the wicket of Kohli and never looked back. Though he proved costly in his four overs, giving away 28 runs but poured water on Delhi’s hopes of big score breaking their batting spine.

Skipper Virender Sehwag (4) struggled again to wield the magic of his willow and was dismissed by Sarandeep Singh.

Chasing 137 to win, Gaur supported skipper Sandeep Sharma (45) in laying the foundation for easy victory and shared a 74-run opening wicket partnership.

Himachal Pradesh never looked troubled by Delhi bowlers and built upon the strong opening partnership. Paras Dogra remained unbeaten after playing a blazing knock of 35.

Sehwag raised hope of a close finish when he had M Bisla stumped in the penultimate over with Himachal Pradesh needing nine runs from 10 balls. But Dogra hit a towering six in the same over that landed on the under-construction second floor of the stadium sealing Delhi’s fate. — PTI

Bangkok, April 3
Thai inmate Samson Sor Siriporn boosted her chances of freedom by beating Japan’s Ayaka Miyano to win the vacant women’s WBC light-flyweight title at the notorious “Bangkok Hilton” prison today.

Under the gaze of dozens of prison guards, Siriporn, a convicted drugs dealer, battled through the unforgiving Thai heat to score a unanimous points victory and kick-start parole proceedings for her early release.

“I’ve been in jail for a long time now, I hope this will see me released early,” said Siriporn, flanked by mean-looking guards and surrounded by photographers.

“When I’m free I’ll carry on fighting. I want to fight all over the world.”

Fighting in a makeshift ring in the grounds of the infamous Klong Prem prison with the Thai crowd chanting “fight, fight”, Siriporn was on the attack from the start and repeatedly forced Miyano on to the ropes with a barrage of punches.

The intense afternoon heat took its toll on Miyano, who twice fell to the canvas as a result of Siriporn’s relentless attacks, which drew rapturous applause from the few thousand prison staff, factory workers and taxi drivers who flocked to see her fight for freedom.

Siriporn’s sparring partners also watched the fight, while glamorous transvestites in high heels and skimpy outfits were allowed out of their cells to parade around the ring with placards at the beginning of each round.

Siriporn fended off a brief fightback in the penultimate round to outpoint her opponent 97-93, 98-92, 100-91 and become the first prisoner to win a world boxing title.

“I’m so happy with the way I performed today,” she said. “I’m very proud.”

Siriporn, 24, was jailed seven years ago for selling “ya ba” methamphetamine pills and took up boxing to pass the time and to protect herself from violent inmates.

Thai corrections department chief Natti Jitsawang said Siriporn’s criminal days were over and her victory would likely see her freed three years early.

“We will start the process for her parole immediately,” Natti told reporters just moments after the fight.

“I think it’s very likely she will be released as a result of this victory, maybe in a couple of months. We gave her a chance to show us her talent, and she has done that.

He added: “She is a changed woman, and now she has the chance to be free and fight around the world.” — Reuters