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Fulton, Vettori lead rout
Border writes
Last chance for hosts to stay afloat
Australia regain top ODI spot
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Only Test players should be selectors: Ex-captains
FIFA chief to arrive on April 16
Sania slides to 48th place
Haryana athletics calendar released
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Fulton, Vettori lead rout Georgetown, April 9 A late run flurry helped New Zealand post 263 for eight from their 50 overs before they bowled out Ireland for 134 with more than 10 overs to spare. Opener Peter Fulton led the Black Caps’ innings with 83 before Brendon McCullum made 47 from 37 balls in the closing overs and put on 71 with James Franklin (34 not out). New Zealand scored 59 from the last five overs. In reply, Ireland were always off the run rate after two early strikes from strike bowler Shane Bond but spinner Daniel Vettori finished top wicket-taker with 4-23. Earlier, Ireland, a team of mostly amateurs, reduced the Black Caps to 83 for three in the 17th over and then 118 for four as the New Zealanders struggled for long periods. The Black Caps were seeking to cushion their passage through to the semifinals while Ireland were striving to emulate the shock win by unfancied Bangladesh on Saturday over South Africa at the same ground. Captain Stephen Fleming was first to depart for 10, when he tried to punish fast bowler Boyd Rankin's erratic line and length but only managed an uppish square drive to William Porterfield at point. He was Rankin's ninth wicket of the event. The score was 59 when Hamish Marshall (16) charged medium-pace swing bowler Dave Langford-Smith and was brilliantly caught by Eoin Morgan running back at extra cover to take the ball over his head. Langford-Smith was able to repeat his bizarre dance move celebration when he had Scott Styris (10) caught behind six overs later for 10. Craig McMillan threatened the Irish briefly with an innings of 22 from 29 balls before he was caught at backward point off spinner Kyle McCallan. Fulton, known as ‘Two-metre Peter’, and Jacob Oram, an inch shorter at 6ft 5in (1.96 metres), represented what must be the tallest batting combination in international cricket as they consolidated the innings for the Kiwis with a stand of 54. Fulton’s 110-ball innings was halted when he missed a sweep and was lbw to the impressive off-spinner McCallan, who finished with two for 35 from his 10 overs. An out-of-sorts Oram was well caught low by Morgan off spinner Andrew White for 20 without hitting a boundary. Daniel Vettori then made five before being caught behind off White and at that stage the Kiwis were 189-7 before Franklin and McCullum came to their rescue. Scoreboard New Zealand Fulton lbw McCallan 83 Fleming c Porterfield b Rankin 10 Marshall c Morgan
Styris c NJ O'Brien b Langford-Smith 10 McMillan c Johnston b McCallan 22 Oram c Morgan b White 20 McCullum c Morgan b Johnston 47 Vettori c NJ O'Brien b White 5 Franklin not out 34 Bond not out 0 Extras
(b-3, lb-1, w-12) 16 Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 263 Fall of wickets:
1-35, 2-59, 3-83, 4-118, 5-172, 6-181, 7-189, 8-260. Bowling: Langford-Smith 10-1-41-2, Rankin 8-0-55-1, Johnston 10-0-63-1, McCallan 10-0-35-2, White 10-0-45-2, KJ O'Brien 2-0-20-0. Ireland Porterfield c Styris b Bond 11 Bray c McCullum b Bond 1 Morgan c McCullum b Oram 15 NJ O'Brien c Oram b Patel 30 KJ O'Brien run out 49 Johnston lbw Patel 13 White lbw Vettori 0 Gillespie lbw Vettori 2 McCallan b Vettori 0 Langford-Smith not out 0 Rankin lbw Vettori 0 Extras
(lb-3, w-8, nb-2) 13 Total (all out, 37.4 overs) 134 Fall of
wickets: 1-5, 2-22, 3-35, 4-110, 5-125, 6-127, 7-133, 8-133, 9-134. Bowling:
Franklin 8-1-27-0, Bond 5-0-18-2, Oram 6-2-15-1, Patel 7-1-32-2, Vettori 8.4-1-23-4, Styris 3-0-16-0.
— Reuters |
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Tait pick of the lot
England had several chances to put the game out of their opponents’ reach. They were 2-164 in the 30th over, with Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell going great guns. Given that sort of start, they ought to have reached a total of 280-300. But once the partnership snapped, the latter batsmen struggled to maintain the momentum. A score of 247 was at best “competitive”, and England needed to grab every single opportunity that came their way. They needed a bit of luck as well. But the umpires turned down a couple of leg-before shouts against Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist that could have easily gone the other way. Australia would have been two down for not much had the umpires ruled in the bowlers’ favour, and it would have been anybody’s game. The injury to Shane Watson apart, Australia do not seem to have too many worries at the moment. They will be conscious of the fact that the likes of Mike Hussey and Brad Hodge still haven’t had a decent hit in the middle. Even Andrew Symonds hasn’t spent a great deal of time at the crease. So well has the top order batted that the subsequent batsmen haven’t been required to sweat it out. But it surely won’t stay the same way for the entire duration of the competition. There might well be a situation wherein the middle and lower order might be required to score at around seven or eight runs an over. For the batsmen to do so, it is necessary that they get to spend some time in the middle. The bowling has been top-class, with Shaun Tait and Brad Hogg being the best of the lot. Nathan Bracken has been impressive with Gilchrist standing up. This particular tactic, which the duo started in Australia last summer, has been picked up by teams like Sri Lanka, England and Bangladesh. It is a consequence of the amount of cricket that is played these days, wherein each team gets to observe its opponents’ strategies over a period of time. A tactic that works for one side is immediately picked up by the others. No batsman likes to be in a situation wherein he is forced to restrict the movement of his feet. The proximity of a wicketkeeper can constrain a batsman, especially if the bowler keeps things tight. Bracken and Chaminda Vaas have been outstanding on this front. In my view, England need to change their batting order. It is imperative that Pietersen, their premier batsman, comes in at No. 3. On the slow and low wickets in the Caribbean, strokemakers are better off facing a new, hard ball, which they will only get in the first half of the innings. A batsman like Pietersen should get as many overs as possible on surfaces like these. England may well have got closer to 270 had he come in at No. 3 against Australia. The Super Eight stage has now reached the halfway mark. The way they have been playing, it will be safe to assume that Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka will make it to the semifinals. South Africa have also looked good, but their performance against Bangladesh would not have pleased them and their fans. England are still in it, and the West Indies have an outside chance of sorts. The Bangladeshi players will also be very confident after beating South Africa. The next few days will witness some frantic jostling for the fourth spot. It will be interesting to see which side pushes and prevails. — PMG
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Last chance for hosts to stay afloat
The hosts got a virtual lifeline when Bangladesh surprised mighty South Africa and now the hosts will be hoping to swing their wayward World Cup campaign back on track. The West Indies have lost their first three matches of the Super Eight league but with a nine-day break behind them, the home side will now have a chance to put it across the unsettled South Africans. Bangladesh’s shock win over the Proteas has not only thrown the qualifying race for the semifinals wide open but have also demoralised Graeme Smith’s men badly. And if there are no further upsets, three teams are in the fray for what should be one remaining semifinal berth. England did themselves in by going down tamely to Australia in Antigua yesterday and now the last slot for the semifinals could be down to either of these two teams in action here tomorrow. The West Indies have been under tremendous fire from former players and the public but the team received a big support from two legends of the game. Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Everton Weekes have come out strongly for Brian Lara’s side and described the captain as being the best available at the moment to do the job. After a long break, the hosts are hoping to put their traumatic opening week of the Super Eight behind. In contrast, for South Africa, it is going to be a herculean task to overcome the shock of losing to the so-called minnows. Not surprisingly, skipper Smith was a shaken man after the defeat. “We lost two points we were banking on but the opportunity still lies in our hands to go forward in the World Cup. There are three big games ahead of us and it’s important that we regroup and move forward to the West Indies game. “We need to get a fresh environment that supplies a bit more energy but the main thing is to discuss where we went wrong and how we’re going to tackle the games ahead,” he added. The West Indies have been let down by their top order in the Super Eight, and Chris Gayle and Lara in particular will be keen to get among the runs. They know Bangladesh have thrown them a lifeline in this tournament and they must make the most of it. After this game, the Windies play Bangladesh and finally England, at Barbados on April 21. Teams (from): West Indies: Brian Lara (capt), Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Corey Collymore, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Devon Smith and Jerome Taylor. South Africa: Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis, Loots Bosman, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Hall, Justin Kemp, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Robin Peterson, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince and Roger Telemachus. — UNI
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Australia regain top ODI spot
Dubai, April 9 Australia outplayed England in their Super Eight yesterday to easily displace South Africa and regain the top spot with 128 points. The Proteas had dropped two points to 125 following their defeat at the hands of Bangladesh. When South Africa went on top of the ODI Championship last month, it had been the first time a side had overtaken Australia since the listings began in October, 2002. And South Africa had timed their run to perfection as they managed to pass the cut-off date of April 1 in front, thus winning the $175,000 prize. Australia were awarded $75,000 for being runners-up. But Australia have dominated the ongoing World Cup so far, boasting a 100 per cent record to date with three games remaining for the team in the Super Eight stage. A good finish to the Super Eight for the Proteas will keep the pressure on the Australians and if Ponting’s team slips up, it could be South Africa that goes into the semifinals as the number-one ranked team in the world. The top spot could change hands several times before the end of the World Cup on April 28.
— PTI
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Only Test players should be selectors: Ex-captains
Mumbai, April 9 “We had suggested at our meeting that only Test cricketers be named in the selection committee as only they will know the pressure of playing at the highest level,” former captain Chandu Borde told PTI today. “Even though first-class cricketers have good knowledge of the game, Test players know better how to go about the job,” he said. The current senior selection panel has only chairman Dilip Vengsarkar and Venkatapathy Raju as members with Test experience. Borde was among the seven former captains who attended the meeting along with Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Kris Srikkanth and Ravi Shastri, who has been appointed manager for the tour to Bangladesh next month. The BCCI’s Working Committee decided on April 7 to appoint selectors on a non-zonal, full-time basis for a two-year term on remuneration. Borde also gave the thumbs up to the board’s decision to appoint a manager instead of a coach. “There’s no point in teaching these players who have played so many years at the international level on how to play. The need of the hour is a person with man management qualities and Shastri is ideal,” the ex-skipper said. “He’s respected by the cricketers, knows the laws of the game and also is in the thick of action as a TV commentator and expert.” On the raging issue of a cap on endorsements, Borde said the former captains, including himself, had given a slightly different suggestion to the board on the matter. “We had suggested that cricketers be barred from shooting for advertisements during a coaching camp or on the day of nets so that their concentration is fully focused on cricket and the matter at hand.” he said. Borde was also pretty happy with the decision to do away with appointment of selectors on zonal basis, which used to bring pressure on those persons appointed from the respective zonal associations. The Pune-based former middle order mainstay was pleased with the decision to appoint a review committee to check the progress of the team, of which he is a member, on a quarterly basis. “I am sure cricketers will benefit and performance of the team will improve if these things are implemented properly,” he said. — PTI
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New Delhi, April 9 A day after captain Rahul Dravid proposed a “healthy” dialogue between the players and the BCCI to sort out the “irksome issues”, the BCCI said a date for a meeting with the players could only be fixed after it received a representation. “No date has been fixed. I can’t understand the hue and cry on the issue. The existing contracts of the players are still running,” BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said. Shah said the BCCI would decide its next course of action after it received a representation from the players. “First, let there be a representation from the players, then BCCI Chief Sharad Pawar will decide what to do,” he said. The BCCI Working Committee, which had met on Saturday to review India’s disastrous World Cup campaign, had decided to limit the endorsements to three per player and scrap the graded system of contracts under which senior players were paid more than others. The drastic measures by the BCCI had caused a stir among the players, their business managers and sponsors. Meanwhile, the BCCI said today that even domestic players would have to get their sponsorship contracts cleared by the BCCI. “We will ask all the units affiliated to the BCCI to find out how many of their players, if any, are having endorsement deals with sponsors and copies of these would have to be sent to us,” a board source told PTI. “Copies of any future sponsorship deals will also have to be sent to us,” he said. The all-powerful Working Committee of the board, while deciding to put a cap on players’ endorsements at its meeting here on April 7, had also directed the players to submit a copy of their existing contracts with sponsors to the BCCI. “We are not against players earning money through these deals but there’s a strong feeling that the agents are exploiting some of these young cricketers and we want to prevent this from happening,” he explained. “Catch them young” seems to be the idea, with players in domestic cricket — perceived as potential India material — being induced to sign a contract that the agents feel will bear fruit multi-fold when the cricketers go on to play for the country, according to the source. — PTI
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New Delhi, April 9 “It’s a joke the way the BCCI is limiting players from signing endorsements. You can’t be treating senior players like Sachin Tendulkar as kids,” said Akram. The former fast bowler said such suggestions could be made only out of jealousy. “If some senior players have advised the board to stop endorsements, then it is wrong. The jealousy factor is very clear. “As a cricketer, I looked forward to playing for my country. If you are good enough, endorsements will come. It’s not the money but the recognition that matters. Of course, money should not affect your game, but form and endorsements are not related. Can you tell David Beckham that all your endorsements are being withdrawn because you haven’t scored a goal in two years?” he said in an interview to ESPN. Akram said cricket was a mental game and players needed to feel secured about their financial stability. “Financial stability is important for athletes. Cricket is a mental game and a player will only perform only when he is mentally comfortable that his efforts are being rewarded. The BCCI must rethink its decision,” he said. Akram, however, lauded the idea to persist with Rahul Dravid as captain for the next three tours, starting with Bangladesh on May 10. “It’s a bold decision. The two senior players who were dreaming to be captain again in place of Dravid have been put in their places. Winning and losing is part of the game and the BCCI has taken a good decision to retain Dravid. “Dravid is a good captain and he is improving. He may be lacking in confidence but he will get better. Under him, India will settle down as a team. It might take a couple of years but eventually the results will be good.” Akram also praised the BCCI for making Ravi Shastri the manager for the Bangladesh tour. “Players like Ravi should be more actively involved. He is a players’ man, likeable and knows what to do with players. His 15 years in the media will be an advantage. Whatever happens, happens for the better and Ravi’s coming, even for a short span, will help. Maybe in future, there is a bigger role for him in Indian cricket.” Akram also said the decision to offer Greg Chappell the directorship of the National Cricket Academy was brilliant. “So what if he failed as Team India coach? Greg has a lot to offer. He is an organised man and young players will learn Aussie aggression and passion from him. Indian cricket needs the hunger for success and who better than Greg to instill that,” he asked. — PTI
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Augusta, April 9 A series of mistakes led to a calamitous eight for the Asian Tour No 1. A quadruple bogey after criss-crossing the green three times took his focus away and from there on a frustrated Jeev was battling with himself. Not even four birdies during the rest of the round could save him as he ended with a seven-over 79. Zach Johnson emerged the champion as he held his nerve in the closing stages. Starting the day at four-over and two behind the leader Stuart Appleby, Johnson, 31, won his first Major with two shots to spare. Johnson shot a final round of 69 to finish one-over and two clear of the bunch of three players, including Tiger Woods (72), Rory Sabbatini (69) and Retief Goosen (69), all of whom finished at three-over 291. The steady Johnson has only one previous PGA Tour win, which came at the 2004 Bellsouth Classic and before that won twice on Nationwide in 2003. A downhill skiing fan and a Nationwide Graduate from 2003, Johnson was also third at the WGC-Accenture Matchplay this year. Jeev’s performance, playing in his first Masters and on a course that was not kind to anybody, was indeed creditable according to most who watched Jeev for the first time at the Masters. Jeev was crushed by the big number on the first hole and two other double bogeys, besides three bogeys, negated the four birdies he made. For three days, he had been patient and managed the course so well, but lost his focus on the final day. “I learnt a few things, but frankly I am really disappointed. I enjoyed everything except for the last round at the Masters. I don’t normally take things too hard and often take it as another round but this last round hurt me,” Jeev said. “Maybe I will learn something from here. I started off badly and did not get back into shape after that,” said Jeev, who totalled 14-over-par 302 in the year’s opening Major. “I could not get my focus back after that bad start. I kept trying hard on every shot but I could not do anything. I had some bad breaks as well but that’s golf. “Hopefully I will be back soon at Augusta. I am not proud with the way I finished. I am happy that I made the cut and I would love to come back as I like the course. It’s set up perfectly for my game. We’ll see what happens next year,” added Jeev, who next week plays the Verizon Heritage. World number one Woods had never before failed to win a Major when starting in the final pairing. He was 12-for-12 before yesterday’s loss. — PTI, Reuters
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FIFA chief to arrive on April 16
New Delhi, April 9 The FIFA chief will first land in Kolkata before coming to Delhi. He will have a hectic schedule during his two-day stay in the Capital, including the formal inauguration of AIFF’s headquarters “Football House” at Dwarka on April 17 in the morning and an address of a congress of the AIFF Executive, representatives of state football associations and the National Football League clubs at Vigyan Bhavan in the afternoon. It will be the first-ever visit of a FIFA chief to India and perhaps for the first time, a head of an international sports body would be given an opportunity to address a gathering from the pulpit of the prestigious Vigyan Bhavan, which is normally used only for government functions. Blatter’s visit to India assumes great significance as the FIFA sees huge potential in India for the development of the game. He will have a series of meetings with football officials to give them an insightful view of how the FIFA is run, and give suggestions and ideas for India to take the cue and try to make a turnaround.
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Chandhok ready for GP2 series
New Delhi, April 9 Karun will be driving for Italy-based Durango Racing team for the championship, which kicks off in 10 days time in Bahrain. Apart from his long-time principal sponsors JK Tyre, Karun is being backed by Amaron Batteries, ICSA Logistics and Red Bull. Karun has the advantage of age, as he is only 23, whereas Karthikeyan was around 28 when he made his F1 debut. At a media interaction here today, Karun said the GP2 series, owned and run together by Bernie Ecclestone of Formula I management and Flavio Briatore and Bruno Michel from Renault, was recognised as the best feeder series to Formula One with cars competing closest to the category of F1, with lap times within five seconds of the F1 cars. Karun said coming to Asia last year, after spending three years in Europe, was a risky business but has now realised that it was essential to compete in the GP2 series, which is a stepping stone to Formula One. He said there were already nine drivers in F1 who had graduated from the GP2 series. Karun quoted Bernie Ecclestone, president and CEO of Formula One Management, as saying that the GP2 series was conceptualised two years ago to create a highly competitive series for drivers which prepares them in the best way possible for Formula One. Karun, winner of the Asia Renault V6 2006 Championship, said he had set a two-year target to break into Formula One. “GP2 is the biggest platform for exposure,” he added. He said his career has been on the right path, right from winning the National Championship, followed by Formula Asia Championship, then on to Formula 3 and winning the Renault V6 series last year. “With the support of my sponsors and some very strong advisers and backers, we are now just one final step away from F1,” he noted. He said with the likes of Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Heikki Kovaleinnen and Nelson Piquet Jr (Renault), Nico Rosberg (Williams), Scott Speed and Neel Jani (Rorro Rosso) all making that leap into F1 from GP2 in just the two seasons that the series has been running, “it really proves that GP2 is the place to be for drivers looking to get into F1.” He said the GP2 series was incredibly competitive, having the strongest pool of talent outside of Formula One. “The drivers competing all come with a massive pedigree behind them, with a lot of them bringing Formula One experience, which will undoubtedly be beneficial. My aim for the season is certainly to score the odd points in the first half of the season and then aim to be a regular point scorer by the end,” he concluded.
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Sania slides to 48th place
New Delhi, April 9 The Indian tennis ace, who continues to be out of action since picking up the injury last month, also slipped in the doubles rankings. She slid from her career-high 31st position to be 38th. In men’s doubles, Leander Paes, who scripted India’s hard-fought Davis Cup win against Kazakhstan, clings on to his eighth position, while his estranged partner Mahesh Bhupathi continues to languish at the 22nd spot. In women’s singles, the US-based Shikha Uberoi follows Sania at a lowly 239th, a drop of two places from her last week’s standings. Rushmi Chakravarthi came next at 400th, up two spots. Ankita Bhambri slid to 476th from 445th.
— PTI
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Haryana athletics calendar released
Chandigarh, April 9 The calendar: Off-season coaching camps from May 15 to June 15 at Panchkula and Hisar; District Athletics Championship from August 6-10 at district headquarters; Junior State Athletics Championships from August 22-24 at Nidani; Senior State Athletics Championship from September 1-3 at Sirsa; Sub-Junior District Athletics Championship (Under 14-16) from September 25-30 at district headquarters; State Cross-Country Championship from January 19, 2008, at Panipat; Participation in Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championship from May 10-13 at New Delhi; Participation in Youth (U-18) Athletics Championship from June 1-2 at Bangalore; Participation in Federation Cup Junior Athletics Championship from July 1-2 at Madurai; Participation in National Inter-State Senior Championship from September 17-20 at Bhopal; Participation in Inter-Zonal Junior Athletics Championship from October 11-13 at Guntur; Participation in National Open Athletics Championship from October 24-27 at Ranchi; Participation in National Inter-District Jr Championship from October 31- November 2 at Hardwar; Participation in Junior National Athletics Championship from November 24-28 at Vijaywada.
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Grenada, April 9