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Tough to beat Aussies
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TN beat Punjab, win Twenty20 meet
Jung finishes 5th
Fed Cup
Colts advance
Bhupinder wins twin title
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Bridgetown, April 21 If Lara failed to sparkle, Chris Gayle (79 off 58 balls), Devon Smith (61) and later Marlon Samuels (51 off 39 balls) set the stadium afire putting up the best score by the hosts in this World Cup. Although West Indies were all set put up even a bigger total at one stage, a disciplined bowling in the death by England got them all out with a ball to spare. After losing Lara and man-in-form Ramnaresh Sarwan in the middle over, the West Indies innings at middle got bogged down a bit before being rescued by Samuels but not before part time off spinner Michael Vaughan picking up three wickets to emerge as the surprise best bowler of his team. Earlier this morning, Chris Gayle put it upon himself to pay special tribute to his departing captain. Gayle, who has had a forgettable World Cup, made his intention clear from the very beginning and launched himself taking advantage of a depleted England bowling attack, which did not have Sajid Mehmood and Monty Panesar. After digesting the first over from James Anderson, he specifically targeted Stuart Broad and Liam Plunkett and played one of the most memorable attacking innings from any West Indian batsmen in this World cup. He overcame his sluggish foot movement with long handles and using the field restrictions to his advantage, he blazed away, enthralling the full house with ten fours three huge sixes. In fact such was the ferocity of his innings that West Indies 50 came in the eighth over and twice umpire Simon Taufel had to save himself from being in the line of fire. He picked up 22 runs from Plunket's fourth over which included the mightiest of sixes in the Kensington Oval as he slammed the upper stairs of the 3Ws stand. He ended his innings at 79 when he tried to slash Flintoff's express delivery giving a hard-running catch to Stuart Broad at deep point. But by the time Brian Lara walked into the wicket amidst the guard of honour from England and standing ovation from the admiring crowd, Chris Gayle and Devon Smith amassed 131 runs for the first wicket, the best opening partnership of the West Indies in the tournament so far. Devon Smith was much quieter with Gayle and kept one end up solid, as Gayle was merciless from the other end. But he too went on to complete his half-century quietly although the cynosure of all eyes was Brian Lara. Smith was removed by Flintoff when Collingwood took arguably the best catch of the tournament. As Smith slashed hard over point and ball was flying toward the boundary, Collinwood flung himself and in a gravity defying effort, plucked the catch with one hand from thin air to bring back England again to the match as the West Indies were threatening to shut it on their face within 30th over. And then came the inevitable. Lara, who was laying well and was looking to present a memorable innings to the West Indian crowd, had to return dejected as Samuel stopped midway and Kevin Pietersen's accurate throw found him taking the final long walk back to the pavilion. Lara was clearly disappointed being run out although he acknowledged the crowd twice from the boundary line while his team mates came down to receive him at the boundary line. Scoreboard West
Indies Gayle c Broad b Flintoff 79 Smith c Collingwood Lara run out 18 Samuels c Collingwood Sarwan c Nixon b Plunkett 3 Chanderpaul c Plunkett Bravo c Dalrymple Ramdin not out 10 Taylor c Dalrymple Powell run out 0 Collymore run out 1 Extras (lb-1, w-14, nb-3) 18 Total (allout; 49.5 overs) 300 Fall of wickets: 1-131, 2-168, 3-173, 4-181, 5-258, 6-276, 7-277, 8-296, 9-298. Bowling:
Anderson 6-0-39-0, Plunkett 7-0-71-1, Broad 6-1-32-0, Flintoff 9.5-0-59-2, Dalrymple 3-0-19-0, Collingwood 8-0-40-1, Vaughan 10-0-39-3.
— UNI
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Tough to beat Aussies
It is hard to see who will beat the Australians, given the kind of form they are in at the moment. I suppose a team will have to have a really ‘fantastic’ day to put it across Ponting and his team.
New Zealand have been one of the better sides in this competition, and even their staunchest hater could not have possibly imagined the manner in which they were crushed by the Australian juggernaut. Three of the four semifinalists have had their share of hiccups in the tournament. New Zealand lost to Sri Lanka and now Australia, Sri Lanka lost to South Africa and Australia, and South Africa were trounced by New Zealand and Bangladesh. But Australia haven’t been stretched. Matthew Hayden’s hitting has been nothing short of outstanding. Ponting, who is easily the best batsman in the world at the moment, has been in tremendous form as well. The bowlers in the team wouldn’t be complaining too much, what with a mountain of runs to bowl with. The way Hayden and Brad Hogg have silenced their detractors should be an inspiration for all those who are itching to prove their critics wrong, as should Shane Watson’s remarkable return. His performance with bat and ball after a long layoff was unbelievable. There were several question-marks over Hogg’s presence in the side, but he has suddenly become a key player. It is best to let your performances do the talking, and Hogg and Hayden have done exactly that. The woes of their opponents have been compounded by the form of virtually the entire team. Every single player has done the job assigned to him, and done it rather well. As for New Zealand, they ought to take heart from the fact that they are still in the race. They are a talented and hardworking side, and have it in them to go the distance. A critical factor is Shane Bond, who they missed against the Australians. The Kiwis will feel a lot better in the semifinal against Sri Lanka if their spearhead strikes early. It would not be too much of an exaggeration to say that Australia will start the second semifinal as the favourite. They have the wood over South Africa. The Australia-New Zealand encounter was preceded by an announcement that took everyone by surprise. It’s always a sad day when a legend decides to quit. I was the Australian captain when Brian Charles Lara scored 277 at the Sydney Cricket Ground back in January 1993, and it was obvious then that the guy was going to torment bowlers for years to come. It has been a privilege to have played against him and later watched him. I remember waking up sometime in mid-1994 and reading in the newspaper that he had scored an unbeaten 501 in a county game. Frankly, I just could not contemplate how any batsman could post such a score in a cricket match! His individual performances only got better as the years passed, and bowlers the world over would have heaved a huge sigh of relief after his decision to hang his boots. During the course of his extraordinary career, Lara was maligned on quite a few occasions for different reasons. However, that doesn’t come into the equation as far as I am concerned. He was a genuine gentleman on and off the field, one of those who ‘walked’ if he thought he was out. He surpassed my tally of 11,174 runs to become the highest scorer in Test cricket, and that was just one of the many records under his belt. Will anybody break the records he has established? We will have to wait and see. He will be missed.
— PMG
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TN beat Punjab, win Twenty20 meet
Mumbai, April 21 Following the fine job done by the bowlers, things were superbly set for Tamil Nadu who almost made a hash of the simple run-chase before Yo Mahesh performed the rescue act, remaining calm under pressure to see them through to claim the Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Needing 10 runs to win off the final over, which was bowled by Yuvraj Singh, tailender Yo Mahesh produced a six through the mid-wicket region on the second ball to shift the complexion before guiding them home with two balls to spare. Batting first after winning the toss, Punjab made a extremely confident start with openers Ravneet Ricky (24) and left-handed Karan Goel (26) putting on 43 in just six overs, however thereafter they lost their way with wickets falling at regular intervals. Here credit should go to the Tamil Nadu bowlers who came back strongly after the early onslaught as they pulled back things considerably by keeping things tight with their mix of medium-pacers and spinners, which restricted Punjab to 134 for 8. Crucial run outs of key players Yuvraj Singh and skipper Pankaj Dharmani in the middle of their innings denied Punjab from maintaining the same momentum which they earlier. R Prasanna was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2 for 12 while new ball bowler C Ganapathy also chipped in with two wickets. Tamil Nadu, who were extremely disappointing in the field, made a bright start to their reply with openers S Anirudha (19) and Y Devendran (24) rattling 42 runs in just four overs, providing the luxury to the other batsmen to take their time and settle in. At the half-way point of their innings, when skipper Dinesh Karthik (19) and left-handed S. Vidyut (27) who shared a 35-run stand for the third wicket, were at the crease, Tamil Nadu looked in complete control of the run-chase. However, the final which witnessed fluctuating fortunes, saw another twist with a major collapse ensuing as Tamil Nadu explicably slid from 89 for 3 to 125 for 8, while losing three wickets in the penultimate over bowled by off-spinner Karan Goel (4 for 13). The winners, Tamil Nadu were presented the trophy by former India captain Sunil Gavaskar. — PTI
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JCT hold Sporting Clube
Ludhiana, April 21 Having gone into arrears late into the second session when Sporting Clube de Goa skipper Macpherlin Dudu Omagbemi put his side ahead following a move by Joseph Pereira, JCT mounted pressure at the fag end and succeeded in restoring parity following a defensive lapse, much to the relief of the JCT camp. Dudu was later adjudged ‘man-of-the-match’ The Goan outfit’s coach, Clifford Chukuwama, appeared frustrated at the end of the proceedings. “The result is as good as defeat. The misunderstanding on the part of the defenders undid all the hard work,” he said while talking to The Tribune. The match was well contested with action shifting rapidly from one corner to the other. While JCT’s attack was spearheaded by internationals Sunil Chhetri and Rennedy Singh with Baldeep marshalling the midfield, Sporting Clube relied on foreign recruits Ernest Jeremiah and Dudu Omagbemi who posed constant threats. JCT custodian Karanjit Singh’s heroics under the bar also denied the visitors an early breakthrough. JCT inducted international Parveen Kumar to bolster the attack in the absence of star Nigerian striker Edeh Chidi who was out following two yellow card bookings. Parveen did try to liven up the proceedings upfront and a few minutes after the kick-off, his cross from the right was sought to be headed by Sunil Chhetri who leapt high but missed the flight of the ball. A minute before half time, JCT almost succeeded in forging ahead when Sunil Chhetri, having controlled the ball near the 25-yard line, dodged past a defender. However, his snap shot aimed at the far corner struck the upright. The second half witnessed a strong Sporting Clube resurgence with Dudu playing a dominant role. On one occasion, Dudu’s power-packed grounder was saved by the JCT custodian who dived full length to punch the ball out for a corner. JCT also made a counter attack with Harish Sharma relaying the ball to Sunil Chhetri whom raced into the box and put Parveen in possession. However, the move fizzled out. Thereafter, Parveen was replaced by Sakatar Singh who later turned out to be the saviour. Sporting Clube shot into the lead in the 82nd minute following a move by Joseph Pereira on the left flank. Having beaten Shivraj with a fine body swerve, Pereira put Dudu in possession who got past JCT stopper back Anwar before calmly putting the ball in the goalmouth (1-0). Just when it appeared that all was lost for JCT, substitute Sakatar Singh, in a unique display of opportunism, found the equaliser following a throw-in by Jaswinder. Right back Samananda’s failed to clear and Sakatar Singh, lurking in danger zone, booted the ball home, sending a wave of joy in the JCT camp. With today’s draw, Sporting Clube now have 18 points from 15 outings.
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Prabodh to lead India
Chennai, April 21 According to a press release by the Indian Hockey Federation here today, Vikram Kamath would substitute Ignace Tirkey, if the latter is found wanting on fitness. The selectors have also named goalkeeper, Sreejesh, defender Sunil Yadav and attackers Somanna and Bruno Logun as stand byes. The 18-member team was picked in Bangalore by Gurbax Singh and Harmik Singh, IHF selectors, Ajitpal Singh, government nominee, M.M. Somayya, technical director, Joaquim Carvalho, chief coach, and coaches, M. Ramesh Parameswaran and M.P. Singh, besides R K Shetty, camp coordinator of the IHF. K Jyothikumaran, secretary, Indian Hockey Federation, said Dilip Tirkey and Gagan Ajit Singh, who were supposed to join the Bangalore camp, could not attend because of their engagements in the Netherlands professional league. They would be considered for selection for future tournaments, he said. Meanwhile, Carvalho had earlier this morning told PTI that Logun has pulled his muscle and it would take some time for the dependable and nippy forward to recover fully. Goalkeeper Adrian D’souza and forward Hari Prasad who were part of the Asian Games team that performed badly, were left while Jharkhand boy Bimal Lakra made a comeback. Team: goalkeepers: Bharath Chetri and Baljit Singh; defenders: William Xalxo, Raghunath V.R. and Harpal Singh; midfielders: Ignace Tirkey (subject to fitness) or Vikramkanth, Gurbaz Singh, Bimal Lakra, Prabodh Tirkey (capt.) Sardara Singh and Didar Singh; forwards: Sarwanjit Singh, Shivender Singh, Prabhjoth Singh, Rajpal Singh, Bharath Chikkara, Roshan Minz and Tushar Khandekar. Stand byes: Sreejesh-goalkeeper, Sunil Yadav-defender, Somanna and Bruno Logun- forwards.
— PTI
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Jung finishes 5th
Sydney, April 21 In women’s 10m air pistol, Anisa Sayyed shot 475.9 (377+98.9) to finish fourth. Sonia Rai finished seventh with 471.3 (375+96.3) while Annu Raj Singh finished 12th with a score of 370. — UNI
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India finish 4th
Christchurch, April 21 With seniors Shikha Uberoi and Sunitha Rao resting due to injuries, the inexperienced Tara Iyer and Ankita Bhambri proved to be mincemeat against the seasoned Uzbeks. Tara went down 4-6, 6-7 to Albina Khabibulina before Ankita lost to Dilyara Saidkhodjaeva 4-6, 4-6 in the singles. In the doubles rubber, the Indians staged a brilliant rally but lost a nail-biting tiebreaker in the deciding set 6-3, 5-7, 6-7. Captain Enrico Piperno had mixed emotions about the team’s performance in the tournament. “I said before the start that our priority was to stay in the group and I am happy we achieved that,” he said. “I would say we played to our potential. It was unfortunate that we had some injury problems. We lost to the best team (Chinese Taipei in the league stage) in the tournament.” — PTI
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Colts advance
New Delhi, April 21
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Ambala, April 21 In the discus throw event in the under-19 boys category,
Bhupinder was the winner, Gurvinder was second and Nashatra was third.
In discus throw u-19 girls, Rashmi was first followed by Manisha and
Komal. In shot put u-19 boys category, Bhupinder was first, Gurvinder
was second and Nashatra was third. In shot put u-19 girls, Sushmita was
first, followed by Rashmi and Rupa. Other results: 3000 m u-19 boys:
1 Amit, 2 Gulshan, 3 Ravinder. 3000 m u-19 girls: 1 Shilpa, 2
Pooja, 3 Meena . 200 m u-16 boys: 1 Vishal, 2 Deepak 3 Ravinder
and Gurpreet. 200 m u-16 girls: 1 Mandeep, 2 Nidhi, 3 Nitu. Long
jump u-19 boys: 1 Mandeep Singh, 2 Shakti, 3 Deepak. Long jump
u-19 girls: 1 Alka, 2 Manjeet, 3 Rashmi. Long jump u-16 boys:
1 Dinesh, 2 Pankaj, 3 Aman. Long jump u-16 girls: 1 Neha, 2
Babita, 3 Nidhi. 400 m u-19 girls: 1 Alka, 2 Meena, 3 Pooja 400
m u-19 boys: 1 Raju, 2 Sunil 3 Shakti. — TNS
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