Barbados/Melbourne, April 30
International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed has apologised for the farcical end to the World Cup final but ruled out blacklisting the erring officials.

“It was an unnecessary error, a fundamental error. It was made under difficult circumstances at the end of the match. “It was unfortunate, a very sad way to finish the World Cup. I hope we can recall the great day’s cricket we had before this very unfortunate ending,” Speed told reporters at the Kensington Oval yesterday.

Meanwhile, the BCCI has slammed the ICC for the fiasco and threatened to bring a no-confidence motion against its office-bearers, who have become “more and more bureaucratic”.

In a scathing reaction to the goof-up in the final which ended on a farcical note on Saturday, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said there would be quite a few things to be “sorted out” at the next ICC chief executives meeting in June.

“We are not that satisfied. It (ICC) is becoming more and more bureaucratic. My board is of the belief that cricket is a simple, enjoyable game, but that is not how it appears at present,” “The ICC has so many staff members. It is unnecessarily employing so many people and that costs the other members. The ICC should move away from the bureaucracy and become more simplified,” he added.

Asked whether the BCCI’s discontent could manifest into a vote of no-confidence against the ICC, Shah said “Why not? It is something we will discuss with our board. Some of it will depend on how other boards are feeling.”

However, Speed, flanked by ICC general manager David Richardson, said, “David and I are here today on behalf of the ICC to say to the wider stakeholders of the game that we too are very sorry this incident occurred at the end of what, on any view, had been an outstanding day of cricket.”

In the rain-marred clash, on-field umpires Steve Bucknor, standing in his record fifth World Cup final, and Aleem Dar overlooked the fact that once 20 overs had been bowled in both innings, a result should have been declared under the Duckworth/Lewis method.

Instead, they made the teams return to the field to play another three overs in semi-darkness at the end of which Australia won the match, beating Sri Lanka by 53 runs.

Despite the embarrassing goof-up, Speed, however, ruled out an immediate censure for the playing-control unit, which also included third umpire Rudy Koertzen, reserve official Billy Bowden and match referee Jeff Crowe.

“They certainly do have a future in the game. We are not going to over-react to this. The umpires and Crowe, they had earned the right to umpire in the World Cup final because they are outstanding umpires and an outstanding referee, respectively.

“I saw Crowe this morning, he came up to me and said ‘I am very sorry about the end, we are all very sorry about it, it shouldn’t have happened’,” Speed said.

Richardson also had no explanation for the gaffe. “We’ve tried to come up with an explanation and we can’t. We’ve spoken to them (the officials) and they are at a loss to try to explain,” he said.

Crowe has revealed that Koertzen had initiated the confusion which led to the entire fiasco and Richardson said, “I think that’s quite correct.”

Though Speed said there won’t be any over-reaction to the issue, Richardson said, “Malcolm has said we are not going to over-react but we are certainly going to take it very seriously and look at how it could have happened.”

Amid all the chaos, Speed, however, found a silver lining in the fact that the World Cup had left an enduring legacy of new cricket grounds across the Caribbean.

Speed also welcomed the idea of hosting other sports at the venues to make the stadia financially viable.

Speed also hoped that the World Cup would have wiped out the debt of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). I don’t know how great that surplus is, but WICB President Ken Gordon believes that it will wipe out the debt. That’s one of the legacies I am very happy about.” — PTI

Barbados, April 30
After his team’s loss to Australia in Saturday’s rain-marred World Cup final, Sri Lanka’s coach Tom Moody has made a pitch for full overs, instead of curtailed ones, in future summit clashes of cricket’s biggest extravaganza.

“You wait for two months to be there in the final and if you can’t play 100 overs, then it’s a puzzle. For all you know, it could have been a Twenty20 tournament and that doesn’t seem right,” Moody said.

The final was initially reduced to a 38-overs-a-side affair, before another rain interruption saw Sri Lanka being set a revised target in 36 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis system. Mahela Jayawardene’s side eventually lost by 53 runs.

Moody also couldn’t help but comment on the farcical finish when stumps were drawn and then rearranged to bowl the remaining three overs in semi-darkness.

“We were under the impression — and rightly so — that if 20 overs are gone, it’s a completed match.

“It seems all of us knew about it but those who should have known, didn’t.”

Despite the defeat, Moody is inclined to believe that his side was only “half a yard away” from winning the final.

“Australia felt threatened at some time. Even heading into the final, they were aware of what Sri Lanka was capable of,” said Moody.

He believed his side, at one stage, was eyeing an upset win under the Duckworth-Lewis rule.

“We ran them a close race. We were on target when the overs were reduced. We knew what we needed to be up under the rule. In order to up the scoring, we lost a couple of quick wickets, including Sanath Jayasuriya, which was the key.”

Moody, though, was in no mood to deny Australia of their overwhelming superiority even as he doubted if they would sweep their opponents as summarily in future.

“They have been professional and exceptional. It was no different on Saturday.

“However, the absence of Glenn McGrath would have a real impact on their Test cricket. In McGrath and Shane Warne’s absence, they would be successful but it would be that much harder. It’s natural also if you take away that strike rate from your attack.”

The lanky Australian, however, didn’t throw much light on his future plans except that he needed to speak to his employers, Sri Lanka Cricket, first before deciding on his course of action.

“For the time being, it’s on the backburner and it’s only professional if I speak to the Sri Lankan board first.”

Moody partially agreed that it had become difficult for him to balance his international travelling schedule with his family life.

“My make-up has been that your family is of equally high importance (as is career). It’s a case of how far you can adjust to give your best to both roles.”

Moody, who hasn’t been approached by any country yet, gave an insight into how he adjusted himself to Sri Lankan conditions to do justice to his role.

“I wouldn’t have acted in that manner as a coach, to say an Australian team, as I would did with the Sri Lankan one. In that sense, it was a spell of growth for me as a coach.

“As an Australian, I thought differently but after six months of knowing how the Sri Lankan players thought and reacted, I adjusted myself,” he said.

“There is enormous depth in talent in Sri Lanka. I just helped create the environment for them to flourish. If there is enough support by way of infrastructure and other areas, which the Sri Lankan board is aware of, it would remain an upward curve.

“Sri Lanka has made significant progress as a group. There is more professionalism and not with just 11 players. If they continue to address major issues, they would do well,” Moody added. — PTI

All those who nurtured the hope that the Australians would have a bad day at the office were left disappointed in the end. Nobody from the Australian team took sick leave, privilege leave or casual leave as they went about their work in real earnest to stamp their authority on the game and show the rest of the cricketing world who was the boss. That, the number nine, ten and eleven never had to bat even once in the entire tournament indicates how good the top order did its job.

There was invariably some batsman or the other who played a capital innings to ensure there was never any tension in the dressing room. It was not just the runs that they got but the manner in which they got them that left the opposition flummoxed and bamboozled.

It was deliberately done to destroy the spirit of the opposition and to not even let them have a sniff in the game. Even Ireland was not spared. So what if they are minnows? They were shown what a world of a difference there is between their game and Australia’s cricket. It was jaw dropping stuff and the standard and intensity at which the Australians played this World Cup, begs the question whether there is any team that is capable of coming anywhere near them in the foreseeable future.

South Africa who had displaced them as the number one team in the ICC rankings just before the World Cup began, were the ones who fancied their chances, especially after their memorable chase of the Aussie target of 434 the previous year. New Zealand too were on a high after their 3-0 win in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy and England who had beaten them in the tri-series were also looking confident with the return of Kevin Pietersen in their ranks.

In the end, they were only blips on the radar, as the Australians blew them away in their group matches or Super Eight encounter. The South Africans had given a hearty chase of the Australian total in their group game but in the semifinals found that preconceived plans count for nothing against the Aussies who have the enviable ability to adjust and adapt to the situation.

As soon as the Australians realised that the South Africans were going to rush down the pitch to their new ball bowlers, he line and especially the length, was changed to defeat that. To see Graeme Smith, South African skipper, and Jacques Kallis swishing at thin air and missing the ball and losing their stumps showed what a suicidal tactic it was. The game was over before the spectators had settled down and showed that the Aussies have a counter for anything that the opposition springs upon them. The middle overs are crucial and here the Aussies were well served by Brad Hogg who mixed his googly very cleverly and had good players of spin like Jayawardene searching for the turn.

Sri Lanka looked confident in the final till Gilchrist recaptured his form. There is no doubt that after he finishes with cricket, Gilchrist will be a good player in golf. His bat swing is so natural that even good deliveries are taken on the rise and hit into the stands. It is a special ability and makes him a player to be feared, for irrespective of form, the bowler is aware of it and is thus already unequal before he bowls to Gilly. That’s what happened even to the experienced Vaas as he was bewildered as to what line to bowl after Gilly took after him.

The Lankans were by far the best team in the tournament after the Australians, for they had a well-balanced side. The batting was aggressive and in the skipper, Jayawardene and Sangakkara, they had batsmen who could play according to the situation. Chamara Silva shows potential of being an exciting batsman and Dilshan was fiercely competitive as always.

The other sides in the tournament had their moments, especially Bangladesh and Ireland. The Bangladesh team beat India and South Africa but then went on to lose to Ireland and showed that there is inconsistency in their game. Ireland caught Pakistan on a dodgy wicket and held their nerve to record their finest win. The passion with which the Irish played was to be seen to be believed and if only other Test playing countries showed a fraction of that then they could raise the level of their game and be far more competitive.

Tempered aggression, unbridled passion, great determination and unflinching self-belief were the characteristics of the Australian team. It will be a long time before any team comes anywhere close to the world champion. Till then, lets enjoy the champions and raise a toast to them. — PMG

Barbados, April 30
Seasoned middle-order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan has been appointed the new West Indies captain, succeeding Brian Lara who quit international cricket after the World Cup.

According to a CMC report, Sarwan was the unanimous choice during the West Indies Cricket Board’s special board meeting yesterday and the chairman of the selection panel Gordon Greenidge, along with Andy Roberts and Clyde Butts recommended his name for the job.

Sarwan served as Lara’s deputy in the World Cup and the 26-year-old Guyanese, who is reportedly in Miami, will join the selectors in Antigua to pick the team for the tour of England. The West Indies are scheduled to play four Tests, two Twenty20 internationals and three ODIs during the May 12 to July 7 tour.

At yesterday’s special meeting, the WICB also discussed issues like appointment of a new coach following Bennett King’s resignation after the World Cup, besides its negotiations with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).

WICB President Ken Gordon’s offer to resign also featured in the agenda. — PTI

Chandigarh, April 30
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge’s recent visit to India after more than three decades would give a fillip to Indian sports, says Randhir Singh, who has been elected secretary-general of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) for the fifth consecutive term.

“The support assured by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would strengthen India’s bid for the 2020 Olympics,” he said.

Speaking to The Tribune on the phone from Delhi, Randhir Singh, the lone IOC executive member from India, said the country’s chances were bright as Rogge had indicated during his visit that the IOC wanted to allot the games to different continents, and the Asian subcontinent could get the nod.

Randhir, who is also the secretary-general of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), said, “Rogge expressed happiness with the sports infrastructure in India. He also agreed that India had the capability to host the coveted games. He also said the IOA should develop the sport education programme in schools under the guidance of the IOC.”

Terming Rogge’s visit as a proud moment for the country, Randhir said, “During his visit, Rogge met top-level government officials and had detailed talks on the sports scenario here. Getting the chance to host the Olympics would help in the overall development of the country, besides providing an opportunity to build top-level sports infrastructure and produce top-notch sportspersons.”

Randhir, who is also the vice-president of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), stated that hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010 at New Delhi would test India’s organisational abilities. Randhir’s father, the late Raja Bhalendra Singh, was a member of the IOC for 45 years.

The experienced sports administrator, who was instrumental in starting the Indo-Pak Punjab Games, said India was likely to host the 2011 Afro-Asian Games. On the preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Randhir said New Delhi was gearing up for the event to help make India a stronger sporting nation. 

Sydney, April 30
Indian shooters continued their dismal outing at the ISSF World Cup here, as Gagan Narang and Olympic qualifier Sanjeev Rajput both failed to qualify for the final in the men’s 50m rifle three position event.

Narang finished a disappointing 23rd in the event with a score of 1,161 (prone 394, standing 385, kneeling 382), while his compatriot Sanjeev Rajput who booked an Olympic berth earlier this month in the World Cup at Fort Benning, finished two places behind him with a score of 1160 (prone 397, standing 381, kneeling 382). The third Indian in the event, Imran Hassan Khan, shot 1,157 (prone 392, standing 379, kneeling 386) to finish 32nd in a field of 56 shooters.

The gold was won by Anti Michael of the USA with a score of 1,278.1 (1,181+97.1), the silver went to Debevec Rajmond of Slovakia with 1,274.2 (1,178+96.2), while Emmons Matthew of the USA took the bronze with 1,272.7 (1,171+101.7).

Meanwhile, in the women’s category of the event, India’s Meena Kumari secured the 33rd position with a total of 571 (prone 195, standing 188, kneeling 188), Deepali Deshpande finished 52nd with a score of 559 (prone 187, standing 182, kneeling 190), while Tejaswini Sawant finished a poor 53rd with 559 (prone 186, standing 186, kneeling 187) among 56 shooters. — UNI

Barcelona, April 30
Spain’s Rafael Nadal overpowered Guillermo Canas 6-3, 6-4 to win the Barcelona Open for a record-equalling third time and extend his claycourt winning streak to 72 matches.

The two-time Roland Garros champion kept the Real club trophy safely in home hands for the fifth year in a row, and became only the second man after Swede Mats Wilander (1982-1984) to win three straight editions of the tournament.

The 20-year-old, who remained a perfect 15-0 in claycourt finals after collecting his 20th career title, has now defended his first two claycourt trophies from last season with the Rome Masters starting in a week his next objective.

Canas, the 12th-seeded battle-hardened veteran back in form after serving out a doping ban, rallied briefly in the last two games of the one-hour, 40-minute clash, saving three match points before going down yesterday.

It was the third defeat against Nadal for the 29-year-old Argentinian, who came to the court with a 21-4 record this season, a title in Brazil and a final a month ago in Miami.

But his pedigree counted for little as Nadal continued his streak with one break per set enough to see him through.

“It’s great to win again at home,” said Nadal. “This streak is not a normal thing, and I know it will end some day. But I’m only thinking about playing each match well.

“I’m very happy after winning here three times at my club,” said Nadal. “Canas is one of the best players in the world on clay, and he’s having a fantastic start to the season.”

Canas joked: “Congratulations to Rafa for this season.. and the previous one, and the one before that.”

The victory marked his third 2007 trophy after Masters sweeps at Indian Wells and Monte Carlo where he beat Roger Federer for the fifth consecutive time on clay.

Canas got the Swiss player’s number in March, defeating him at Indian Wells as Miami.

Nadal moved ahead of Djokovic on 27 match wins, the most this season on the ATP Tour.

The Spaniard last lost on clay in April, 2005, against Russian Igor Andreev in the Valencia quarterfinals. Nadal stands 16-1 in Barcelona, his only loss coming to countryman Alex Corretja in the 2003 second round. — AFP

Brands Hatch (UK), April 30
Narain Karthikeyan came tantalisingly close to a podium finish in the A1GP only to miss it by three-tenths of a second in what turned out to be Team India’s best show in the spectacular season finale.

Karthikeyan seemed at home at the Brands Hatch circuit, where he had won a couple of F3 titles earlier.

The former Formula One racer drove a fantastic Feature race to take India from seventh to fourth place to secure the team’s best finish in this World Cup of Motorsport.

Team Germany won the Feature Race, followed by Great Britain and Italy, with just three-tenths of a second separating Karthikeyan from a third-place finish after 70 minutes of racing.

A1 Team Italy, however, were under investigation for pitting after the safety car had been called.

Karthikeyan was pleased to secure seven points but also frustrated to have missed out on a podium finish.

“We were fourth, we could have been third, we had the pace for third place and it would have been great to get to the podium in the last race of the season.

“There was some controversy as to whether Italy pitted under the safety car, which is against the regulations, but in this instance, no action was taken against them, so we have to be happy with fourth,” a dejected Karthikeyan said.

“When I closed up on Italy, I started suffering from understeer which made it difficult to stay close. But it was a decent result today and that’s good for the future.”

A1 Team India seat-holder Yohann Setna shared the racer’s feelings and said, “I’m pleased with the result; fourth is India’s best-ever finish, but I’m sad to have missed out on a podium finish.” — PTI

Wellington, April 30
Dick Motz, the first New Zealand bowler to take 100 Test wickets, has died.

Motz, 67, was found dead at home yesterday in the South Island city of Christchurch by his former New Zealand captain Graham Dowling, The Press newspaper reported today.

“He was a great fast bowler who never knew when to stop,” Dowling said. “Although he had back trouble, he kept on going.”

The beefy fast bowler and big-hitting lower-order batsman played 32 Tests during the 1960s and finished with exactly 100 wickets. He took 19 wickets in South Africa on his first tour in 1961-62. — AFP

Ambala, April 30
Local wushu players have performed well in the 13th junior wushu state competition held recently.

The players won two gold, one silver and four bronze medals. Around 150 players from 16 districts had participated in the tournament.

Saurabh Kumar (70-75 kg) won the gold medal, Meenakshi (38-42 kg) won the gold medal, Ankit Singh (up to 40 kg) won the silver medal, Sonika Chaudhary (38-42 kg) a bronze medal, Mamta (44-48 kg) a bronze medal, Sonia (56-60 kg) a bronze medal and Abhishek (up to 40 kg) won a bronze medal.