 |
|
|
Ganguly denies talks of joining ICL
Problems galore for England, Windies
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
FICA poll: ICC is incompetent
FBI may probe Woolmer’s death
Delhi Commonwealth Games
Sania knocked out in first round
|
|
Ganguly denies talks of joining ICL
‘ICL not meant to confront BCCI’ Jaipur:
Asserting that the Indian Cricket League was not meant to antagonise the BCCI, former player and one of the directors on ICL’s executive board Kiran More said the planned series would contribute to the game’s growth in the country. “We should see the ICL as an opportunity which will provide few more matches. There is no question of any confrontation. The BCCI has still not said anything against it. The ICL should be seen like just another tournament,” he said. “There are a number of private tournaments being organised in India,” he added. More also refused to compare ICL with Kerry Packer’s rebel series and said, “It is not right to compare ICL with Packer’s cricket. It is an opportunity for those who could not play for country due to one reason or the other.”
Chittagong, May 16 “It’s not true. There are too many stories going around. It is time that we clarify things. I did not have any discussion with anyone. Not signing any such thing in future also,” Ganguly said reacting to a question on ICL after his net session. “There is no chance of any discussion with anyone at any stage in future also. I am not joining anything or any league. I am honoured to play for my country,” he said. The controversy was created when Ganguly was reported to have signed for Indian Cricket League. Zee TV Chairman Subhash Chandra recently announced the separate cricket league offering a winner’s purse of $1 million. The league will be launched with a Twenty20 championship that will feature two overseas stars as well as four current or recent Indian internationals. When the question veered on to the topic of a sting operation undertaken by a private channel, Ganguly said, “I have been around for the last 12 years. I am again saying such things need clarification. They don’t work on our mind. “There are too many sources doing the rounds. If you do a story, you need the sources. There is too much of competition I understand, and you are doing your duty. But please don’t quote us out of context,” he said. The sting operation quoted the selectors saying that Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly had their own followers during the World Cup, which affected the team’s prospects in the event. On the India-Bangladesh Test series, Ganguly said he would try to convert his 80s into hundreds if he got a chance here. “I was the highest run getter in Tests in South Africa recently. The good thing is I have been consistent. Here if I get to the eighties I will surely try to convert them into 100s,” Ganguly told reporters after the nets. Asked how was he feeling on his “comeback”, Ganguly said “I don’t think of it as a comeback. We (Sachin Tendulkar and he) were not dropped, but officially rested. This also gave a few youngsters to perform.” Ganguly said he had no preferences for batting order or bowling during the Test. “I always work hard at the nets. It’s the decision of the team and what the situation demanded,” he said when asked if he would bowl in the Test. About opening the innings, he said “that is again up to the team management. If they deem fit I’m game.” On his huge popularity in Bangladesh, Ganguly said, “I don’t consider Bangladesh as a different country. I captained in my first Test here. So Bangladesh will always be special.” Cricket manager Ravi Shastri stood all along watching Ganguly. At first, he stood at the umpire’s position and then watched him from the point region. Ganguly also bowled at the nets to Wasim Jaffer and Sachin
Tendulkar. — PTI
|
|
Problems galore for England, Windies
London, May 16 For the West Indies, this opening match of a four Test series will be their first since the retirement of former captain Brian Lara, Test cricket’s leading run-scorer. It also represents a chance to restore some pride after the team’s lacklustre performances during the recent World Cup in the Caribbean compounded for many fans by reports of ill-disciplined player behaviour. As a result, officials have imposed an 2230 GMT curfew on a squad now captained by Ramnaresh Sarwan. For all that opening batsman Chris Gayle dislike the move - the fact a curfew has been imposed says much about the collapse in personal standards, although whether it will reverse a trend that ought to start and end with the players’ themselves remains to be seen. But stand-in coach David Moore, who succeeded Bennett King after his fellow Australian was axed following the World Cup, was in unapologetic mood. “Everyone needs to improve their work ethic in this team. I think there’s a level we’ve been used to, and we are eighth in the world - so we’ve got to do something better to get higher in the world. We want to get through this tour not just by the skin of our teeth - but with some very good results - and leave the coach, whoever it may be, with something to work on.” West Indies preparations for a match that comes barely a fortnight after the end of the World Cup were not helped when two days of the scheduled three-day encounter against Somerset, their only warm-up game before the first Test, were washed out. During the 48 overs that were possible, Runako Morton scored a century that came after a worrying top-order collapse that saw West Indies slump to 44 for four. West Indies haven’t won a Test against England, home or away, since 2000, something that would have been regarded as unthinkable during their glory days of the 1970s and 1980s. England’s 3-0 and 4-0 successes in the Caribbean owed much to the form of fast bowler Stephen Harmison. Durham quick Harmison, who during the course of England’s 5-0 Ashes thrashing in Australia announced his retirement from one-day cricket and so missed the side’s woeful World Cup campaign, has been in fine form at the start of the county season. England though still have problems of their own. All-rounder Andrew Flintoff has suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury and is doubtful for Thursday’s match where West Indies will look to Gayle, Sarwan and the experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul to bolster the batting.
— AFP
|
|
FICA poll: ICC is incompetent
Melbourne, May 16 The survey also said 89 per cent of players found the recent World Cup in the Caribbean as either average (44 per cent), below average (38 per cent). FICA’s chief executive Tim May said the players’ responses were “disturbing” and should be of “great concern” to the
ICC. ICC dismisses survey
Dubai: The ICC has dismissed the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association’s (FICA) claims that the governing body was unpopular with players, saying a sample survey could not provide a real picture. ICC spokesman said FICA only represented players from five Full Member countries and none of the Associates. “Given that 240 players, plus replacements, took part in the event it would be interesting to know how many of them were polled to produce this result,” he was quoted as saying by Cricinfo website. “Does the survey take any account of the fact that players’ attitudes to the game, its administrators and the tournament are almost certainly bound to be affected by their own and their team’s performance at the World Cup? “... Thanks to the way the game is being administered the players were able to share in a prize pool of $5 million, including $2.24 million for the winners,” he said.
— PTI
|
|
|
FBI may probe Woolmer’s death
London, May 16 Scotland Yard is of the view that Woolmer might have had a heart attack. Jamaican cops, however, are still saying that they are treating his death as a “murder”. Forensic and toxicology tests found a broken bone in his neck and a weed killer in his blood. Yard detectives, according to The Sun, say that a seizure may have made Woolmer fall awkwardly, while the weed killer could have been inhaled from cricket pitches.
— ANI
|
|
|
Delhi Commonwealth Games
New Delhi, May 16 After concluding the three-day stock taking tour, chairman of Commonwealth Games Federation Coordination Commission Austin Sealy had a mixed opinion of the ongoing preparation for the 2010 Games. “In our first tour in November last year, we had provided the organising committee with some targets. We can’t say they met all because there are some grey areas,” Sealy said. “You have three-and-a-half years to go and the organising committee immediately needs to build a team to deliver the Games. Development of skilled managers can’t be delayed and this should be the highest priority,” he said. The organisers should remember that the Commonwealth Games is the most important sports event after the Olympics and they have a reputation to maintain, he said. Sealy also gave a thumbs down to the planning. “Games planning, at an international standard adopting best practice for the Commonwealth Games, is behind the schedule and must be accelerated immediately. “While the CGF remains confident of Delhi’s ability and commitment to deliver outstanding Games, progress is required on all front in the near-term,” added Sealy, also the CGF treasurer. Sealy also took the occasion to remind that India could not ignore the necessity of training its athletes so that they do well in 2010. Chairman of the 2010 organising committee Suresh Kalmadi promised things would change before the next visit of the coordination commission and said with the funds being allocated, work would go on war-footing. “All major venue construction will start by the end of this year and by December, 2009, all construction would be completed. All the stadia would be handed over to the
committee by January, 2010, so that we can host international tournaments, which would serve the double purpose of testing the venues and giving our athletes the top-level competition,” he said. Uncertainty over dope centre
Approximately Rs 3,900 crores will be spent to build flyovers, widen roads, construct stadia and an airport but India is not sure whether it would have a full-fledged, WADA-accredited dope control laboratory when the capital hosts the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Chairman of the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi today said he had requested the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to get the accreditation at least before next year’s Commonwealth Youth Games but he was not sure whether it was a possibility. “We are concerned by the fact that we still don’t have it. I have told them (SAI) that we need it before October 2008, when we host the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune.” Kalmadi told reporters. Delhi pollution worries CGF
Vice-president of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Bruce Robertson, part of the CGF Coordination Commission, felt Delhi would have to bring down the pollution level before the 2010 Games. “CGF does care about pollution and it can really affect the athletes, especially in the long-distance events. Certainly you need a plan to reduce the pollution level. Incidentally, fearing the air pollution in Beijing might cause respiratory problem for its athletes, Australia has asked its athletes to stay away from the Chinese capital and train elsewhere.
— PTI
|
|
Creating hockey history
Karnal, May 16 In total, five girls, including one each from Chandigarh and New Delhi, will play in the European Club Hockey Championship, scheduled to start from May 23 in Azerbaijan. The players selected are: Simarjit Kaur, Ramnik Kaur, Sarabjit Kaur (all from Shahabad), Nishi (Chandigarh) and Manju (Delhi). It was celebration time at Shahabad as it was for the first time that women hockey players from India will play for an overseas club. Talking to The Tribune here today, veteran player and coach at the hockey nursery in Shahabad, Baldev Singh, said the girls have made the country proud. “It is just a beginning of new era for Indian women’s hockey. The selected girls are indeed talented and playing for an European club will boost their morale,” he said. Thanking the IHF, he said talented players should be encouraged so that they can emulate what the five girls have achieved. The Tribune had first reported on April 25 that former hockey player from Pakistan Tahir Zaman had flown to New Delhi to select girls to play for the club in Azerbaijan in the European Club Hockey Championship. He was appointed director of the tournament by the Federation of International Hockey (FIH). Impressed with the talent on display, Zaman had visited Shahabad to select the players. The selected players will attend a camp in New Delhi from tomorrow before taking off to participate in the tournament. Initially, the players will be hired for 20 days and each player will be paid between Rs 45,000- Rs 50,000, revealed Balbir.
|
|
Sania knocked out in first round
New Delhi, May 16 The top seed, who was playing her first singles match after a two-month-long injury layoff, lost 2-6, 5-7 to make a humiliating premature exit from the $145,000, tier IV event. “Of course it is disappointing; it was frustrating to be there knowing what I wanted to do, but not being able to execute like before the injury. But that’s what lack of match play will do. I knew I’d been quite rusty and wouldn’t be anywhere close to what I wanted,” Sania said after the match. The Indian ace was let down by her serve and was broken early on as she dropped the opening set in under half an hour. The 20-year-old showed some resilience in the second set and trailing 1-5, she staged a mini-comeback to level the scores 5-5. However, the effort proved too little and too late as Salerni broke the Indian yet again to seal the issue in her favour. “There’s a world of difference between your practice sessions and matches. But I was definitely getting into the match in the second set more,” Sania said. “Any other time you come from 5-1 down to 5-5 you feel you are absolutely on top of the game mentally; because of my lack of match play I still didn’t feel like I was playing great, and the confidence I needed at the end of that set wasn’t there,” she added. The world No. 51, however, was happy to have survived the match without having any trouble in her operated knee. “It was obviously good to be back on the court again feeling healthy; my knee didn’t hurt one bit. Clay isn’t my favourite surface, but I’m kind of glad I came back at a clay court event because it’s much easier on the knees, as is grass. So it’s a good time for me to come back in terms of my knee, for sure,” she explained. With her singles hopes dashed, Sania is now pinning her hopes on doubles where she and her American partner Vania King meet Christina Horiato Poulos (Australia) and Ahsha Rolle (US) in the second round.
— PTI
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Video
