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Bangladesh stun South Africa
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‘Pak team preferred religion to cricket’
Jamaica Police to send team to Pak
Shastri keen to do his bit for Team India It’s a great honour: Prasad Robin gears up
for challenge No more World Cup
post-mortems: BCCI Dhoni blasts 33-ball
73
Haryana defeat Delhi in Twenty20
Massa grabs pole position
Davis Cup
Athlete’s murder
Okerie quits as Bagan coach
Churchill beat JCT
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Georgetown, April 7 In reply to Bangladesh’s fighting total of 251 for 8, the Proteas were bowled out for 184 in 48.4 overs. Earlier, Mohammad Ashraful cracked a stylish 87 from 83 balls to help Bangladesh post their highest World Cup total. Bangladesh fought back after being 84-4. Ashraful scored 12 fours in an exciting and often improvised knock. Pace bowler Andre Nel marked his first match in three weeks with career-best figures of 5-45 after Bangladesh, put into bat, had blunted the threat of Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini. Nel first dismissed Javed Omar (17) as he square cut straight to Graeme Smith at backward point. Bangladesh then slumped to 59-2 when captain Habibul Bashar was caught and bowled for five. Two balls later, in his next over, he secured an edge to the wicketkeeper from impetuous opener Tamim Iqbal (38). Aftab Ahmed came in and attacked anything wayward, striking Justin Kemp for two sixes in three balls in the 36th over. He was eventually run out for 35. Ashraful, aged 22, continued the charge, reaching his half-century with a lofted drive for four off Ntini. Bangladesh scored 80 from the last 10 overs. Scoreboard Bangladesh Omar c Smith b Nel 17 Iqbal c Boucher b Nel 38 Bashar c&b Nel 5 Saqibul c Smith b Kallis 9 Ashraful c Langeveldt Aftab c Nel b Ntini 35 Rahim run out 6 Mortaza b Nel 25 Rafique not out 3 Razzak not out 2 Extras (lb-7, w-12, nb-5) 24 Total
(8 wkts, 50 overs) 251 FoW: 1-42, 2-59, 3-69, 4-84, 5-160, 6-179, 7-233, 8-248. Bowling: Pollock 10-1-25-0, Ntini 10-1-61-1, Nel 10-1-45-5, Langeveldt 10-0-57-0, Kallis 6-0-27-1, Smith 3-0-16-0, Kemp 1-0-13-0. South Africa Smith b Rasel 12 De Villiers b Razzak 15 Kallis c Iqbal b Rasel 32 Kemp c&b Saqibul 7 Prince run out 1 Boucher c Rasel b Saqibul 12 Gibbs not out 56 Pollock run out 17 Nel c&b Rafique 1 Langeveldt lbw Razzak 9 Ntini c Mortaza b Razzak 8 Extras (lb-2, w-12) 14 Total (all out, 48.4 overs) 184 FoW: 1-18, 2-63, 3-64, 4-67, 5-87, 6-87, 7-132, 8-137, 9-162. Bowling: Mortaza 9-0-45-0, Rasel 10-0-41-2, Razzak 9.4-1-25-3, Rafique 10-2-22-1, Saqibul 10-0-49-2.
— Agencies
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It’s now or never for England
St John’s, April 7 England desperately needs a win to stay put in contention for the last-four berth while a win for Australia will assure them a place in the semis. A defeat will mean the end of the road for England while a loss is not going to make much of a difference to the fortunes of Australia. The defending champions have an all-win record at this World Cup, and are one victory away from sealing a place in the semi-finals. But for the Aussies it is more than that, they are itching for revenge, having suffered three humiliating defeats on home soil, earlier this year against England. England came into the Super 8s as the second placed team from their group behind New Zealand, and with zero bonus points. A lone win — over lowly Ireland — and a defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka here on Wednesday means that they simply have to beat Australia to stay alive in the World Cup. Australians have adopted well calculated psychological media war against England. Coach John Buchanan and World Cup record holder Glenn McGrath have been more ballistic in their approach as they have harped on just one point that beating England is high on their agenda. McGrath, is keen to erase the humiliation heaped on Australia by the old enemy and launched the “mental disintegration” process by forecasting that they would wipe England out of the showpiece event, come Sunday. Ricky Ponting has just the one worry — who is to play in for the injured Shane Watson. At nets, Andrew Symonds bowled seam-up in addition to his more usual off-spin, which gives the skipper and coach Buchanan the option of fielding Brad Hodge instead of having to bring in the comparatively raw pace of Mitchell Johnson. “We know England is a very determined side,” said Ricky Ponting and added “we have respect for them.” On the other hand, England are a transformed side. They lost narrowly at Sri Lanka’s hands but the manner in which Ravi Bopara and Paul Nixon battled it out and took them within two runs of victory despite a middle-order slump, has revived morale in the team. However, England do have problems and opener Ed Joyce may well have to sit out for fellow Middlesex opener Andrew Strauss. Also, to get the better of Australia — and thereby keep their hopes of moving up in this tournament alive — England need more than a rookie’s cameo and rearguard actions. They need the big guns to fire — Vaughan himself, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff in particular. Flintoff is a key player in his captain’s plans and blotted his copybook with a binge midway through the group qualifiers. Since then he has been out of sorts but this is his big opportunity.
— UNI
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‘Pak team preferred religion to cricket’
Lahore, April 7 “I told the committee that the players were not focused on cricket in the World Cup. They were more into religion,” Mir, also a former Pakistan player, said. “The boys were in the West Indies to play in the most prestigious cricket tournament but I am sorry to say they lacked determination for the games they played. And when you are not focused on your original mission then you cannot achieve success,” a PCB spokesman told Daily Times yesterday. Mir said the players, led by Inzamam-ul-Haq made a public show of it rather pray privately and in the process compromised with their primary duty of playing cricket. “I told the committee that Pakistani players, rather than pray privately, tried to make it a public spectacle,” he was quoted by Daily Times. Mir had cited incidents to highlight his point and added that some players, led by captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, even made it a point to pray in the galley of aircraft on flights rather than privately in their seats. “Mir told the committee members that the players were not fully focused on cricket in the World Cup. They were more into religion. This lack of focus was responsible for defeats against the West Indies and minnows Ireland,” the board official said. The performance evaluation committee, headed by Test cricketer Ejaz Butt and Salahuddin Ahmad and Salim Altaf has been constituted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to look into the disastrous first-round exit from the ongoing showpiece event in the West Indies. Inzamam, who stepped down as captain and retired from One-day Internationals (ODIs) after the World Cup, had been criticised for using the team platform for religious activities. Pakistan’s late coach Bob Woolmer had also complained to the board that he found it frustrating to see the players taking part in religious activities after matches when he wanted to discuss cricket with them. Mir said every Muslim had to offer prayers but it was an individual act and for his own interest, and no one could object to it. But every action had a limitation.
— UNI
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Jamaica Police to send team to Pak
London, April 7 Jamaica’s Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields has said a close examination of the players’ statements has revealed “inconsistencies” but denied any of the Pakistani cricketer was being viewed as a suspect. “Having reviewed the witness statements it is probable that we will need to clear up further ambiguities. We may have to take further statements,” Shields told ‘The Daily Telegraph’. Shields, however, refused to confirm the strength of the team that would go to Pakistan and also did not specify the exact time of their leaving for the subcontinent. The former Scotland Yard also did not elaborate on the nature of “ambiguities” in the statements but said they may just be nothing more than “innocent mistakes”. “It may be those ambiguities are cleared up by the Pakistan liaison officers (arriving in Jamaica), but I’m saying that it’s probable that at some point we may have to go and take further statements,” he said”.
— PTI
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Shastri keen to do his bit for Team India New Delhi, April 7 “It did surprise me but having said that if you look at the state of Indian cricket at the moment, I thought it was a good time to put your hand up and asked to be counted,” Shastri was quoted as saying by ESPN-Star Sports. Shastri, who was offered the job yesterday at the BCCI meeting, said, “For the years I have played the game and the years I have been part of the media, I do believe I have the experience to contribute,” he said. Shastri also said that the World Cup debacle did not make the Indian team bad overnight. “You are not going to change the team overnight and I do not believe this Indian team can be bad in seven days. I don’t think this team can be a very good team in 14 days,” he said. “There is lot that can be done to make sure that the path is being set for the team to move forward,” he said. Shastri, who was on the committee to select Greg Chappell as coach, also expressed happiness with the board’s offer to the Australian to continue his association with Indian cricket. “His presentation was outstanding. I am so happy that the BCCI has offered Chappell a role in Indian cricket. The man has tremendous knowledge, he might not be happy with the way things have gone for the last year and half, two years. But I still believe he has still a lot to offer for Indian cricket,” he said. — PTI
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Bangalore, April 7 Reacting to his appointment by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), he said, “It is indeed a great honour. I am looking forward to the opportunity of interacting with the Indian players, especially the bowlers.” Prasad, who is currently with the Karnataka team in Twenty20 tournament in Vishakapatnam, said, “It gives me an opportunity to use all the coaching experience I gained over the years.” Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) honorary secretary Brijesh Patel welcomed the board’s decision to appoint Prasad as the bowling coach. Speaking to UNI here, he described the BCCI decision as a “good one” and it was a great opportunity for the former pacer from the state to contribute to the Indian team. The experience of Prasad, having played so many matches for the country, would definitely come in handy for the Indian team, especially the bowling attack, he added. Patel also welcomed the BCCI’s decision to opt for a fielding coach (Robin Singh).
— UNI |
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Chennai, April 7 Describing his new role for the team as a “new challenge” and not an easy assignment, he said, “I am not in a position to say anything now. I am trying to understand the situation,” said the former right-arm medium pacer and left-handed batsman. Robin, who before this assignment had served as the coach for India A, said he would not go about his new assignment going by the reports in the wake of Team India’s debacle in the World Cup. He said there was no doubt that a lot of attention needed to be given to the all important aspect of fielding. “It is one of the key areas,” he opined. He said he wished to look at things objectively before finalising any specific programme. “I am trying to understand the shortcomings,” he added.
— UNI |
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No more World Cup post-mortems: BCCI Mumbai, April 7 “We have to look to the future... how many times you can do a post-mortem. The loss against Bangladesh put India at a disadvantage,” BCCI treasurer N. Srinivasan told reporters here. Defending Dravid’s leadership, he said, “It was not that we were down in the dumps. He was the captain when we won 17 matches chasing. We had a successful tour of Pakistan, we won in the West Indies, beat South Africa (in a Test) in South Africa. “We should be sporting enough to accept victory and defeat,” he said, adding that let us accept that Bangladesh played well (in the league match against India). Asked why Dravid had been appointed captain a month ahead of the tour of Bangladesh, Srinivasan stated, “It was mainly to end speculations in the media.”
— PTI |
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Kolkata, April 7 Dhoni went all guns blazing to plunder an unbeaten 73 off 33 deliveries as Jharkhand piled up 190-4 before restricting Tripura to 154-7 at the Eden Gardens. — PTI
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Haryana defeat Delhi in Twenty20
New Delhi, April 7 Electing to bat, Delhi made 152 runs for loss of seven wickets with Virat Kohli (35) and Mithun Manhas (30) being the top scorers while Virender Sehwag once again failed to click. In reply, Haryana opener Sunny Singh smashed an impressive 55 and shared three crucial partnerships to help his side reach the paltry target with three balls to spare. In another match of the day, Punjab enhanced their chances to qualify for the inter-zone stage with their seven-wicket win over Services. Opener Karan Goel struck an unbeaten 66 to help Punjab achieve the target of 112, set by Services for loss of eight wickets in their stipulated 20 overs. Yashpal Singh (26) and Satish Upadhyay (29) were main scorers for
Services after electing to bat at Palam ground. Punjab now have 12 points from their four matches with three wins and one loss. They next play Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow and are unlikely to be troubled. Nischal Gaur's allround performance proved handy for Himachal Pradesh in the last match of the day. Gaur took four wickets and then scored quick fire 46, utilising a couple of dropped chances against him in facilitating Himachal's victory.
— PTI
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Jeev makes cut, history
Augusta, April 7 The 35-year-old braved rather chilly conditions in the morning to stroke a 75 that saw him finish 36 holes in three-over 147, which put him among top 44 and ties who make the cut. Also making the cut will be all those within 10 shots of the leader, which at the time of writing was only two-under. Brett Wetterich at two-under after 36 holes was the clubhouse leader, though Tim Clark and Zach Johnson were also at three-under midway through their second round. Tiger Woods was three-over with one hole left to play. Playing in extremely cold and demanding conditions, Jeev said, “my course management was the key. I kept telling myself to be patient and that paid off. Though I enjoy playing in the cold, I had to use warmers in my pocket for the first few holes.” Jeev started with a bogey and had three bogeys and two birdies on the front nine for a 37, which given the other scores did not look bad at all. But misses on small putts and a couple of bad breaks meant he dropped shots on tenth, 14th and 16th at which point he was four-over and then he found himself facing a difficult shot out of the bunker on the par-4 17th. Jeev played an intelligent shot above the hole and then rolled in a tough 12-footer for par. “That was a huge putt,” admitted Jeev. Buoyed by that putt, he bombed his driver down the fairway on the 18th and followed up with a 9-iron to come within 12 feet for a closing birdie. He nailed it and suddenly he was only three-over for the tournament. “That sure was big. Those two putts and earlier two fine chips on eighth and 12th were the shots that really set me up for a good day,” said Jeev. “I expected to be better, but I will take this. I am in the action for the weekend and I hope to do better.” Jeev is now three out of three in terms of making the cut at the Majors. His earlier two successes came at the US Open in 2002 and 2006. “Playing at the Masters was a dream and now after the first two rounds, I want to do well. It will mean a lot for Indian golf,” said Jeev. Jeev had bogeys on the first and fourth as both times he hit par putts to the left. “I was not going through the stroke full,” said Jeev. Then a birdie on the fifth made up a bit as he sank a downhill putt from almost 18 feet. Another bogey on sixth came as he missed a putt from five feet after leaving his 25-foot first putt short. “I had a few three putts out there today,” said Jeev later. A birdie followed on the eighth as he smashed his driver and then chipped beautifully to set up a 10-foot birdie, which he nailed. On the back nine, he dropped a shot for the second day running on 10th despite a fine drive off the tee. Another three-putt on 14th took him down to three-over. On the 16th, where he had hit the traditional ‘hop, skip and jump’ over the water so well on practise day, he found the top of the bunker and the ball went into the rough. “I was unable to save par from that difficult position,” said Jeev. At four-over things looked tense, when he went into the deep bunker on 17th. But Jeev pulled himself out well and then putted perfectly to save the par and on 18th, he showed great course management to keep the ball right and land his birdie to finish in 75. “It has been great so far, now I need to improve on this,” said Jeev, while waiting for the second round to finish.
— PTI
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Massa grabs pole position
Sepang, April 7 Massa's Ferrari team mate Kimi Raikkonen, who won the season-opening race from pole position in Australia, will start in third place on the grid at the Sepang circuit on Sunday alongside McLaren's British rookie Lewis Hamilton. "Obviously tomorrow I want to finish the race in the same position in which I start it," said a satisfied Massa after claiming his fourth career pole position. The Brazilian, who had to settle for sixth place in
Australia after an engine change forced him to start at the back of the grid, said the steamy conditions made handling a challenge. In a scintillating final lap of qualifying under dark and
threatening skies, Raikkonen and Alonso briefly held pole before Massa seized it from them. Spaniard Alonso said he was delighted to claim a place on the front row in his McLaren for the second consecutive race, especially as Ferrari looked to have the edge on straight-line speed.
— Reuters
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India take 2-1 lead
Paes-Bopanna win doubles match
New Delhi, April 7 The doubles victory meant that a win in tomorrow's reverse singles will clinch the issue for India in the first ever tie between the two countries in the history of the men's team tennis competition. Bopanna will take on Kedryuk in the first reverse singles while Karan Rastogi plays Makeyev in the second tomorrow. Twentyseven-year-old Bopanna was in great touch in his 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 demolition of Makeyev yesterday and he continued his good form today, pairing with the veteran Paes who is also the captain of the team. But, Karan Rastogi, who lost to Kedryuk 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) yesterday will have to put up an improved show tomorrow against Makeyev. The winner of the tie stays in Group 1 for next season while the loser is pushed to a final round of play-off in September. India had to feature in the play-off after their 1-4 loss to Uzbekistan in away tie in February. — UNI
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SAI coach gets life term
Tribune News Service
Yamunanagar, April 7 On March 26 additional district and sessions judge Darshan Singh had found SAI coach Parminder Singh Bajwa and Rakesh, Ajay, Sunil and Narinder, all residents of Yamunanagar, guilty of murder of Vikram (22) under Sections 302, 120B and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The five had attacked Vikram near Tejli Sports Stadium here on September 8, 2005. Vikram had sustained serious head injuries and died on September 14, 2005. The prosecution told the court that the five killed Vikram because the latter had started taking training from a private coach. Vikram was selected for All-India Inter University Championship four days before the attack.
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Okerie quits as Bagan coach
Kolkata, April 7 Disclosing this club General Secretary Anjan Mitra told PTI today that Cheema gave no reason for his resignation. “He only wrote a one-line resignation letter,” Mitra said. However, sources said that difference of opinion with some senior players and his inability to arrest the side’s declining fortune seem to have largely contributed to Cheema’s decision. Assistant Coach Bernard would fill in the vacant slot temporarily with the club scheduled to leave for Thailand tomorrow for the AFC cup fixture against Ostpao at Bangkok on April 10.
— PTI
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Churchill beat JCT
Margao, April 7 Churchill scored through George Ekeh (78), Odfe Okolie (81th, 87th) and substitute Louis Martins (89th). JCT scored through Sunil Chetri (43rd), Edeh Chidi (68th, 82nd). The win took Churchill to fourth place with 16 points from 12 matches while JCT remained on 15 points from as many matches. Churchill’s Odafe Okolie was named the man of the match. — PTI
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