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Aussies’ unbeaten run continues
MIANDAD WRITES
Ireland graduate to big league
Ricky stars in Punjab win
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2014
Asiad
Fed Cup
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Aussies’ unbeaten run continues St George’s, April 16 A late-order collapse left Sri Lanka all out for 226 on a flat batting track. Without the rested Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas, the Sri Lanka attack lacked the teeth to worry Australia who cantered home. Earlier, Sri Lanka middle order collapsed inexplicably after skipper Mahela Jayawardene and Chamara Silva's solid 140-run fourth wicket stand and were all out for 226 in 49.4 overs. Sri Lanka suffered early setbacks when they lost three quick wickets in the space of 6.4 overs and team total of 27 but Jayawardene and Silva stabilised the innings and thereby negating the early damage inflicted by Nathan Bracken (2 for 8) and Glenn McGrath (1 for 22). Opting to bat first in a game that has no real bearing on the respective standings of the two sides, Lanka played a physiological game against their opponents by resting old warhorses Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan while Lasith Malinga was ruled out due to an injury. Legspinner Malinga Bandara and seamer Nuwan Kulasekara were brought in their places alongside Dilhara Fernando and Farveez Maharoof. Bracken was impressive in the first spell of six overs that went for just six runs and scalped the wickets of openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Thranga as the new ball expectedly proved difficult to negotiate. The lanky left-armer had Jayasuriya (12) trapped plumb leg before and then removed the tentative Tharanga (6), who was well taken in the slips by Matthew Hayden. In between, McGrath continued to increase his record World Cup tally when he removed Kumar Sangakkara for a four-ball duck. McGrath was brought on earlier than planned as Shaun Tait was even more wayward than usual and went for 18 runs from his opening two overs. Jayawardene and Silva were circumspect initially, as was only to be expected after three batsmen returned to the pavillion with just 27 runs on the board, but once they had settled, the bowlers started to feel the heat. Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting pressed as many as six bowlers into service, but the two right-handers batted comfortably as the track eased out more and more. The Lankans seemed set for a big score but a mistimed sweep by Silva led to his downfall as he was caught at fine leg by Clarke to give Brad Hogg his first wicket of the match. The batsman scored 64 (107 balls, 6X4). Playing his 22nd One-Day International, this was Silva's fifth half century. And Sri Lankans were 167 for four after 37.2 overs when Silva was out. Seven runs and eight balls later, Hogg struck again when he got rid off well-settled Jayawardene who was superbly stumped by Adam Gilchrist. The Lanka skipper,playing is 244th one-dayer scored 72 (88 balls, 5x4, 1x6), hit his 38th half century. And then the Lankans lost three quick wickets to be 184 for 8 but Maharoof's 22-ball 25 (4x4) and Bandara's 17 with two sixes enabled their team score to reach 226. Australia, who have not lost in a World Cup match since going down to Pakistan by 10 runs at Headingley back in 1999, have won 41 of their 62 ODIs against Sri Lanka, and four of five at previous World Cups. Scoreboard Sri Lanka Tharanga c Hayden b Bracken 6 Jayasuriya lbw Bracken 12 Sangakkara lbw McGrath 0 Jayawardene st Gilchrist b Hogg 72 Silva c Clarke b Hogg 64 Dilshan c Hodge b Tait 7 Arnold b Tait 3 Maharoof c Symonds b Bracken 25 Kulasekara c Hayden b Bracken 1 Bandara c Hogg b McGrath 17 Fernando not out 0 Extras:
(lb-5, w-11, nb-3) 19 Total (all out; 49.4 overs) 226 Fall of wickets:
1-26, 2-27, 3-27, 4-167, 5-174, 6-178, 7-183, 8-184, 9-218. Bowling:
Bracken 9.4-3-19-4, Tait 10-0-68-2, McGrath 9-1-48-2, Hogg 10-0-35-2, Symonds 3-0-15-0, Clarke 8-0-36-0. Australia Gilchrist lbw Arnold 30 Hayden c Dilshan b Arnold 41 Ponting not out 66 Clarke c Dilshan b Bandara 23 Symonds not out 63 Extras:
(w-4, nb-5) 9 Total (3 wkts; 42.4) 232 Fall of wickets:
1-76, 2-79, 3-126. Bowling: Fernando 6-1-36-0, Maharoof 7-0-52-0, Kulasekara 4-0-20-0, Arnold 4-0-20-2, Bandara 9.4-0-53-1, Jayasuriya 6-0-32-0, Dilshan 6-0-19-0.
— Agencies
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Miandad writes
That Bangladesh took on Ireland instead of Pakistan clashing with India , illustrates the fact that no one can take anything for granted in this wonderful sport. I do hope that the men who failed to take their respective teams through to the Super Eight would have thought long and hard about what went wrong. They can make the most of this “crisis” by introspecting and analysing their mistakes, and then resolving never to be in such a situation again. Two sides that have traditionally been as unpredictable as the game itself are England and South Africa . They will play each other later today in do-or-die circumstances. Both sides need to win to keep their hopes alive for a semifinal berth. England haven’t been as consistent as the South Africans of late, but Michael Vaughan’s side has managed to hang in there. They are a side of extremes, in that they can be marvellous one day and mediocre the next. They have been plagued by injury problems in recent times, and their supporters would hope that there aren’t any scares at this stage of the tournament. But it has to be said that the England players should and must take a share of the blame. They need to be more professional in their outlook towards the sport. You can do the most remarkable things if you maintain a disciplined approach off the field, especially during a tournament as prestigious as this. Cricket has undergone several changes over the years, and in modern times, it is fitness — physical as well as mental — that makes the biggest difference between success and failure. A desire to “recharge the batteries” and a reluctance to go over the top between matches will have a positive impact on a player’s performance on the field. Against the South Africans, who until recently were ranked number one in the ICC ratings, England will need to deliver in every department. Vaughan’s side might just have Lady Luck on their side, if a particular World Cup tradition is maintained. What happens to South Africa at critical stages of the World Cup of all events is one of the game’s unexplained mysteries. It’s a pattern that is more or less set in stone: a rousing take-off and then turbulence. In tournaments other than the World Cup, they have managed to bail themselves out, but in the big event itself, they have invariably crashed. The “chokers” tag has haunted them since their return to international cricket in 1991, and happenings in the ongoing tournament seem to suggest that they are still struggling to shake it off. Take their game against Sri Lanka for instance. A walk in the park was made to look like a climb up a steep cliff. Then came the unexpected loss to Bangladesh and later a poor performance against New Zealand . Graeme Smith will do his players a big favour if he impresses upon them the fact that no match is won or lost till the last run is scored or the last wicket taken. Every cricketer worth his salt has heard this maxim at some point in his career, but there are times when he needs to be reminded of it. Every member of the South African team should resist the temptation of leaving to others what he can himself accomplish. The same applies to England. — PMG
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Ireland graduate to big league
Bridgetown, April 16 Ireland, who had pulled off a major upset against Pakistan in the league stage, prevailed over another Test-playing nation as they beat Bangladesh by 74 runs. Defeating two Full Members of the ICC gave them the right to qualify for the ODI ranking chart. “Ireland’s name will appear in the official rankings table following their final game in the Super Eight stage, which will take place in Grenada against Sri Lanka on Wednesday,” the ICC said in a press note. “Having made up part of the ICC Associate ODI Rankings Ireland now graduates to the LG ICC ODI Championship after defeating two Full Members, in accordance with the qualification regulations,” it said. Once an Associate has played at least 10 ODIs in total, it has the opportunity to be promoted to the main table. To gain this promotion, the Associate must either achieve two wins against Full Members, as Ireland has done against Pakistan and Bangladesh, or achieve one win against a Full Member and also have won more than 60 per cent of matches against other Associates. Currently, the table is made up of the 10 Full Members plus Kenya. In accordance with a previous ICC Board decision, Ireland has ODI status until 2009, a status also enjoyed by the top six Associate Members. Kenya, Scotland, the Netherlands, Canada and Bermuda are the other teams in this list. Perfect game for us, says Johnston
Ireland skipper Trent Johnston said his team played a “perfect game” to romp to victory against Bangladesh. Johnston, who played a cameo innings of 30 runs from 23 balls and captured two important Bangladeshi wickets, expressed satisfaction over his team’s performance after their defeat to Australia. “We more or less played a perfect game today and are happy to come out on top,” the Irish skipper, who is known for his chicken dance on the field, said after their win. Showering praise on William Porterfield, who was adjudged the man of the match, Johnston said the left-handed opener set the stage for their win. “Porterfield set the foundation and we tried to put up a competitive score and did it,” he said. Looking forward to the next match against the powerful Sri Lankan side, Johnston said Ireland would give their best in the honour of their outgoing South African coach Adrian Birrell. “That’s a big game, the last game for our coach. Hopefully we can do it again. We will work hard against Sri Lanka,” he said. Giving full credit to Ireland for the victory, Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar blamed the top order batting failure for the defeat. “Our performance was pretty ordinary, we deserved to be beaten. Full credit to Ireland,” he said. Bashar said the top order was not able to set the chase as the team lost wickets at the start of the innings. “We kept losing too many wickets early and that was the reason why we lost.
— PTI
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Dubai, April 16 Razzaq, who missed the World Cup due to injury, said he knew it was not right to pass adverse remarks on a dead person but he had no regrets in stating the truth, although it may sound unkind, according to a newspaper report. “In my opinion, Bob was a very shrewd operator. He was a coach just by the nature of his job. Bob knew how to spend his time. For me, he must surely be one of the cleverest Britons. On the surface he acted as an Asian but inside he was only interested in keeping his job irrespective of victory or defeat,” Razzaq was quoted as saying in Khaleej Times, published from Karachi. “Bob knew the art of how to get his way out. His main objective was to earn money and nothing else. His being a coach made no difference to the team,” he said. Razzaq was also critical of the 2003 team coach, South African Richard Pybus, under whom Pakistan had performed poorly in the last World Cup. “Richard was not a coach. He was merely a trainer and got the job through manoeuvring,” he said. He believed that Pakistan should have a local coach because the experiment of hiring foreigners had failed miserably despite spending huge sums of money. Razzaq admitted that the team’s performance in the World Cup has caused immense damage to the game in the country and it might take sometime to regain its past status as one of the best teams of the world. — PTI
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St Philip, April 16 With Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka already through to the final four, the Super Eight clash in Barbados is almost a knockout game. Pietersen grew up in South Africa but moved to England to play international cricket after becoming frustrated by the lack of opportunities because of a quota system designed to boost the number of players of colour. The 26-year-old, who received constant crowd abuse when he hit three centuries on his first tour of South Africa in 2005, is keen to remind his former countrymen what they are missing. “It’s probably just a switch inside me that gets me going. It is something that triggers inside me that makes me want to give it an extra special go,” he told reporters yesterday. Pietersen and Proteas skipper Graeme Smith have both made derogatory comments about each other in the past but the England batsman wants to avoid a new feud. “Everybody knows that we don’t get on, for whatever reason,” Pietersen said. “It’s a closed chapter now, the game tomorrow is not about me and it’s not about Graeme Smith. What has been said has been said. It’s done and dusted. We are grown adults now.” South Africa will secure a semifinal spot with a victory, while an England win would mean they could afford to lose to the West Indies in their final match as long as their net run rate remains superior. “Whoever wins will probably find themselves in St Lucia the following week facing up against Australia in the semis, so it is going to be a big game with a lot of ‘needle’,” added Pietersen, who is ready for a bowling onslaught. — Reuters
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Ricky stars in Punjab win
Mumbai, April 16 Punjab, chasing Kartanaka's 142 for 7, finished with 146 for three in 19.5 overs. Ricky, who faced 50 balls and hit two sixes and eight fours, and Bipul Sharma (5 not out) remained unconquered at the end with a stand of 27 runs. Punjab, who beat Railways in their opener yesterday, needed 11 off the last 12 balls. Things looked good for Karnataka when B Akhil gave away only one single in the first five balls of the 19th over. But Ricky scooped the last ball over the 'keeper's head for a timely four and then, with a run needed off two balls in the last over, hit a boundary to emerge the hero for his team. Earlier he put on 48 runs with Yuvraj Singh (25 off 21 balls with one six and three fours) for the second wicket and 69 runs in 48 balls with Dinesh Mongia (35 off 30 balls with 2 sixes and 1 four) for the third to keep up the run-rate. Karnataka, without India skipper Rahul Dravid who is to play his first match tomorrow, owed their total to opener Devraj Patil (31 in 26 bals), Akhil (33 of 23 balls) and C Raghu (32 off 31 balls). Scores: Karnataka: 142 for 7 (Patil 31, Chougule 20, Akhil 33, Raghu 32; Abhilish 2 for 23) lost to Punjab 146 for 3 in 19.5 overs ( Ricky 76 not out, Yuvraj 25, Mongia 35).
Bengal get past Haryana Ahmedabad: An explosive half-century by middle-order batsman Rana Choudhary helped Bengal register an 18-run victory over Haryana in a Group B match of the All-India Inter-State Twenty20 Championship at the Sardar Patel Stadium here today. Rana, who came into bat in the eighth over with Bengal precariously placed at 52 for four, made a breezy 67 in just 36 balls and helped Bengal score 171 runs for the loss of seven wickets. Rana hammered five sixes and five fours and forged a 102-run partnership with skipper Manoj Tiwary to help his team sail over the 150-run mark. Haryana, who had comprehensively beaten Madhya Pradesh in their opening encounter, looked completely clueless against the hard-hitting Rana, who sent the bowlers on a leather hunt. Rana finally fell after he skied a catch on the last ball of the 19th over bowled by Amit Mishra. This was Rana’s second consecutive half-century. Yesterday, his quick-fire 57 had helped Bengal win their match against Tamil Nadu. Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, who had missed the first match, could not make much of an impression. Sourav, who opened the innings with Subhomoy Das, was run out for 26 runs. Skipper Tiwary (40) was the only other notable batsmen for the team. Railways beat Gujarat
Mumbai: Riding on a brilliant unbeaten half-century by Shreyas Khanolkar, Railways recorded an emphatic six-wicket victory over Gujarat in a Group A Twenty20 match at the Wankhede Stadium here on Monday. By virtue of this result, Central Zone winners Railways have got their campaign back on track after they had suffered defeat in their opening match on Sunday against Punjab. Put in to bat, Gujarat once again let themselves down with a ordinary batting performance, managing just 115 for 9 against a disciplined Railways attack. In pursuit of the modest target, Railways got off to a shaky start, losing two wickets by the fifth over before Khanolkar (66) completely shifted the momentum with some dazzling strokeplay. Brief scores: Gujarat: 115 for 9 in 20 overs (Bhavik Thakar 32 n.o., Parthiv Patel 31; Harvinder Singh 2 for 23, Sanjib Sanyal 2 for 36, G Shankar Rao 2 for 19); Railways: 117 for 4 in 13.4 overs (Shreyas Khanolkar 66 n.o., Amit Pagnis 25).
— PTI
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Indian football can turn the corner: Blatter
New Delhi, April 16 He said though India had a great football tradition, it was high time the country came out of its past and started living in the present for a bright future. Blatter said it was imperative for India to develop technical infrastructure as the country had immense potential for the development of the game. He said FIFA’s long-term policy was to fully involve India in every aspect of the game so as to make it self-reliant in a “win in India with India” campaign, as it took years of hard work and planning to make things happen. Exuding great wit and charm, the 71-year-old Blatter, who has been associated with FIFA for the past 32 years, after starting as a development officer, said he did not see any reason why India’s flag should not be flying in the 32-nation World Cup. “If not in the final stage, India should be playing in the preliminaries of the World Cup,” he suggested. He conceded that India had a long way to go “but it’s a way possible to go.” Blatter said during his meeting with the President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the latter was optimistic that India would be a football powerhouse by 2020. “The economy (of India) is doing well, the country is going well, and there’s no reason Indian football cannot do well,” noted Blatter, who is also an economist. The FIFA chief said, “Now’s the opportunity for FIFA to participate in the development of your country where sport will play a major part, and football will be one of them.” He said one-sixth of the world’s population played soccer and India, with a population of over a billion, should be having more players than what they presently had. The FIFA chief suggested that the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) should completely reorganise its set-up, from top to bottom, improve infrastructure, stadiums and involve human resources to their optimum potential, as the country had the advantage of having a young population for the total “recharge” of the soccer battery. He said the involvement of the Central Government was an essential perquisite for soccer renaissance as every school in the country should be given the facility to play the game. Blatter said, “Value in kind, value in cash” was FIFA’s policy regarding the development of the game worldwide, and it was ready to offer the platform for India to develop the game. He said the world body would be only too happy to oblige if the AIFF staked claim to host any of its many championships, starting from the Under-17 tournament to the World Cup. Blatter, who met the President in the morning and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the evening, addressed a gathering of industrialists in between, and said whatever little soccer he saw in Kolkata before coming to New Delhi was quite impressive, though he could not say the same about the facilities at the oldest club in the eastern metropolis, which seemed to have been caught in a time wrap.
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India hopes to outbid South Korea
Sheelpa Kothari
Kuwait, April 16 The 45-member OCA, headed by council president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, will announce their decision tomorrow after conclusion of its two-day general assembly. South Korea’s Incheon and Delhi are in fray to win the bid for the games but India sounded confident of bringing back the Asiad after a long gap of 32 years. “We are doing our canvassing very well. Many Asian countries are backing us,” Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi told reporters here. “South Korea are increasing their bid every now and then. They have increased their bid to $25 million for training, equipment and various other facilities. This is careful 24-hours. We are noting what they are doing and we will do everything needed at the floor tomorrow,” Kalmadi said. India’s cultural show here last night, exhibiting country’s rich heritage, got a tremendous response from the members. “It got overwhelming response from all centres. They got a taste of all the colours of India. There were so many children who presented the show. They will grow up and represent the country in the 2014 Asian Games,” Indian Ambassador to Kuwait M. Ganapathi said. Prominent faces of Indian sports — Olympic silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, tennis ace Leander Paes, long jumper Anju Bobby George and former hockey player Aslam Sher Khan are part of the delegation present here to help Delhi’s win the bid. Besides, business tycoon Rahul Bajaj is representing the CII and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will present the government side. Delhi is frontrunner for landing the Games ahead of Incheon as South Korea had already hosted the Games in 2002 in Busan. India hosted the Games’ inaugural edition in 1951 and got the opportunity again in 1982. Delhi was the venue in both the occasions. Kalmadi said that since Delhi is hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010, the infrastructure needed for the Asian Games would be in place. — PTI
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Indian eves rout Kazakhstan
Christchurch, April 16 While Shikha thrashed Tatyana Ignatchenko 6-0, 6-0, Sunitha beat Mariya Kovaleva 6-4, 6-2. In the doubles encounter, Ankita Bhambri teamed up with Tara Iyer to outplay Mariya and Yekaterina Morozova 6-1, 6-4 to round off a brilliant day for the Indian team. Both Sunitha and Ankita were doubtful starters for today’s encounter. While Sunitha had pulled a stomach muscle, Ankita was battling fever. However, the duo recovered in time for the matches to record easy wins. Shikha, one of the three US-based players in the team, did not put a foot wrong as she blanked Tatyana to make it 1-0 for India. Sunitha, the Indian-born American who got the chance to play for India in the absence of an injured Sania Mirza, consolidated the lead. Sunitha was bit rusty in the opening set and was broken twice but the 21-year-old ultimately proved to be too good for Mariya, who was simply blown away in the next set as India took their lead to 2-0. After the singles domination, Ankita and Tara made it an all-win day for the Indians with their triumph over Mariya and Yekaterina in doubles. The duo, which had come to the tournament without any match practice, gave no chance to their opponents and wrapped up proceedings without much trouble to seal India’s win in their first rubber of the Asia-Oceania group tie of the women’s team competition. — PTI
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