 |
|
|
ICC panel slams ODI overkill
Kuruvilla to coach UAE
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Sania out of women’s doubles
Jankovic ousts Venus
Indian men enter C’wealth TT final
Shiv, Jyoti make modest start
Indian hockey team to train in Germany
Dismal show by archers
Dhoni’s fan takes plunge
Punjab girl sets new national record
|
|
Dubai, June 1 “The committee expressed concern about the congestion in the international calendar in particular the addition of many ODIs which, it felt, may have a severe impact on the quality, intensity and standard of international cricket and may result in injuries to players and a dearth of fast bowlers,” the ICC said in a statement. The Committee, which met here over the last two days under the chairmanship of former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, recommended against allowing Zimbabwe to return to Test fold. It said that the African team must “demonstrate its ability to perform at a standard that does not risk undermining the integrity of the game” before being allowed to play the longer version of the game. It also proposed significant changes to the ODI playing conditions, including change of ball after 35 overs in an innings and allowing a free hit off the delivery that follows a no-ball. Permitting three fielders to be placed outside the inner circle during the second or third power plays, discontinuing the use of adhesives on pitches, stretching the boundaries wherever possible boundaries to a maximum of 90 yards - were among the other changes recommended by the Committee. The committee gave a thumbs-down to a trial of player appeals to TV umpire at the inaugural Twenty-20 World Cup in South Africa in September. It, however, gave a go ahead to the concept being tried out in domestic championships. The Committee included former Australia captain Mark Taylor, Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene and Michael Holding, the ex-West Indies fast bowler. It also featured Umpire of the Year Simon Taufel, chief ICC match referee and former Sri Lanka captain Ranjan Madugalle, Craig Wright, the former Scotland captain, Tom Moody, the ex-Australia all-rounder who recently coached Sri Lanka to the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean and Tim May, former Australia off-spinner and the Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations. The ICC Cricket Committee is empowered to make recommendations which then go forward to the Chief Executives Committee (CEC) for approval. If that approval is forthcoming then the decisions can be ratified at the ICC Board. As such, any recommendations made by the ICC Cricket Committee will not take effect until they are ratified and/or approved by CEC and the Board. Both CEC and the ICC Board are scheduled to meet in London from 24 June. — PTI
|
|
Karachi/New Delhi, June 1 Pawar said the post, which became vacant after the death of Percy Sonn, should go to a South African. “Sonn had a tenure of two years and since it was not completed, we feel another South African office-bearer should get the post. This is because Sonn’s tenure belonged to his country,” Pawar said. “The ICC president’s seat did not come to BCCI and if someone other than South Africa claims it, it is wrong,” the BCCI chief told NDTV. Pawar had earlier been pitted as a candidate to succeed Sonn against England Cricket Board chief David Morgan but the ICC board saw a split vote between the two and consequently extended Sonn’s tenure till 2009. Sonn, a former South African board chairman, died on May 27 after developing complications from a colon operation in Cape Town, South Africa. The ICC was to appoint an acting president to chair its annual meeting in the third week of June. Meanwhile, the Asian Cricket Council has decided to press for a early election and backed Pawar’s candidacy again. A Pakistan Cricket Board official in Karachi said Sir John Anderson of New Zealand was likely to get this short-term assignment until a new president is elected. “There has been talk of Malaysia’s Prince Tunku Imran being considered as acting president but the ICC history is that the members always back a representative of a full member country for any prime posting not anyone from an associate country,” the official said. Pawar said the BCCI would take a policy decision on whether to allow Kapil Dev hold two conflicting posts after the former skipper was appointed chairman of the executive board of the rival Indian Cricket League. “We will have to take a policy decision on it and everybody will have to agree to it. Those who don’t will have to chart their own course. A decision in this regard will be made in the next 10-12 days,” Pawar said. Kapil is the chairman of the National Cricket Academy. — PTI
|
|
|
Ganga to lead Windies
London, June 1 Daren Ganga, the vice captain who took over West Indies in the second Test at Headingley after Sarwan damaged his shoulder in the field last Friday, was named captain. Samuels has played in 23 Tests for an average of 28 runs. His last Test was a 49-run defeat to India in Jamaica in July 2006. He played at the recent World Cup in which the Windies finished sixth. Without Sarwan, West Indies batted one man short and fell to its worst Test defeat, an innings and 283 runs on Monday. Sarwan was ruled out of the rest of the West Indies tour of England and returned home on Wednesday. “It’s unfortunate for Sarwan to get injured but it’s an opportunity for us to rally around each other and make West Indians proud,” Ganga said. “I did not really think about (the captaincy) while being vice captain but these things happen in cricket and its an opportunity for me. It’s not going to be any different in terms of how we operate.” West Indies trail 1-0 in the four-Test series. The tourists meet Marylebone Cricket Club in a three-day match starting on Friday in Durham. The third Test starts on June 7 at Old Trafford, Manchester. The fourth begins on June 15 at Chester-le-Street in Durham, followed by two Twenty20 matches and three one-day internationals.
— AP
|
|
|
Dubai, June 1 Kuruvilla will take charge of the team from today to prepare the boys for a busy season ahead, which will see the UAE embarking on an 18-day tour of Ireland and Scotland starting on June 24 before taking part in the qualifying matches for the 2011 World Cup in Namibia in November. The 6’6” beefy bowler led the Indian pace attack during the West Indies tour in 1997 after Javagal Srinath pulled out due to an injury. But despite a good performance, Kuruvilla was dropped from the team after the series. However, the 39-year-old, who took up coaching after his retirement in 2000, doesn’t have any regrets. “I have no regrets. I am happy that I played for India at least for a year. There are so many good cricketers who don't get to play even one game for India. I will not complain on that count,” Kuruvilla was quoted as saying in Gulf News. Kerela-born Kuruvilla, who made his Test debut against the West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica, played 10 Tests and 25 one-dayers taking 25 wickets on both form of the game at an average of 35.68 and 35.60, respectively. — UNI
|
|
|
Dravid in fray for Khel Ratna
New Delhi, June 1 The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also recommended the names of middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh and former women’s team captain Anjum Chopra for Arjuna Awards. Incidentally, Yuvraj, too, was recommended for the same award last year. The Khel Ratna is given for the most outstanding performance and it carries a cash award of Rs 5 lakh. The Arjuna Award, given for good performance consistently for the previous three years, carries a cash award of Rs 3 lakh. Dravid (34) has been the Indian team’s backbone for years now, averaging 57.46 with 9,366 runs, including 24 centuries in the Test arena. He also aggregates 10,189 runs in ODIs. Woman boxer Mary Kom and tennis Grand Slam winner Mahesh Bhupathi are the other sportspersons who have been recommended for the Khel Ratna this year. Sachin Tendulkar is the only cricketer so far who has been received the honour. Dravid played a key role in India’s historic Test win against Australia in Adelaide in 2003-04 and also shared a marathon partnership with VVS Laxman in the 2001 Kolkata Test against Australia. Yuvraj, 25, has emerged as a vital cog in the Indian line- up since making a memorable debut against world champions Australia in 2000. Anjum, a left-handed batter from Delhi, played in 12 Tests and scored 548 runs. She also featured in 105 ODIs scoring 2,465 runs.
— PTI
|
|
|
Sania out of women’s doubles
Paris, June 1 The 20-year-old Indian had earlier bowed out of singles in the second round, with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Serbian Ana Ivanovic. Mahesh Bhupathi and Czech Radek Stepanek cruised into the second round of men’s doubles with a 6-4, 6-0 win over the Polish pair of Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin
Matkowski. — PTI
|
|
|
Jankovic ousts Venus
University student Jankovic, the hottest player on the woman’s tour this year, probably cringed when she saw Venus on her horizon so early in the draw. Her dominant 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory, however, justified her pre-tournament billing. Venus, runner-up here in 2002, was in one of her more self-destructive moods, spraying 52 unforced errors in the contest. “I just went long, long, long but it’s only a matter of time before it goes in, in, in,” the 26-year-old Venus, looking for some encouragement before Wimbledon later this month, told reporters. “She was a bit more patient than me but at least I played with courage,” added the American. The 22-year-old Jankovic, born in Belgrade but another graduate of the Bolletieri Academy in Florida, has now beaten Venus three times in a row and this latest triumph propelled her into the fourth round here for the first time. Sixth seed Nicole Vaidisova reached the fourth round with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Samantha Stosur. The tall Czech, who reached the semi-final here last year, ended Australian interest in the women's singles with a powerful display which included 10 aces. The 17-year-old world number 10 has now won all four meetings with Stosur who was playing in the third round for the first time. Vaidisova will face Italy’s 19th seed Tathiana Garbin for a place in the last eight. Meanwhile, as the temperatures in the French capital nudged upwards after a cool, rainy start to the championship, world number one Roger Federer also warmed to the task of bagging the only major to elude him with another majestic display. The Swiss moved menacingly into the fourth round with his third straight-set victory, this time a 6-2, 6-3, 6-0 rout of Italian claycourter Potito Starace. “It came naturally today, especially in the third set. I was playing well, my serve was working well. I’m happy to have won in straight sets,” Federer said. Federer is favoured to challenge world number two Nadal in the final on June 10, but he could be tested in the next round by 13th seed Russian Mikhail Youzhny, who advanced by overcoming 2003 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in four sets in the third round. Ferrero, the 17th seed, was beaten by Youzhny 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, 6-2, while Juan Monaco of Argentina beat French wildcard Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. — Reuters
|
|
|
Indian men enter C’wealth TT final
Jaipur, June 1 Singapore topped Group E by beating Scotland 3-0 and the summit clash will be a repeat of the Commonwealth Games final in Melbourne last year where India had pulled off a major upset to win the gold. Australia and Nigeria will clash for the third place. The men’s team impressed with their spirited display in their last Group F match. Australian took a gamble by playing Kiet Song Tran in the first singles but could not get the desired result. Shubhajit Saha beat Song 11-8, 8-11, 11-3, 11-6 to give India a 1-0 lead. Sharath Kamal was up against world number 101 William Henzell whom he beat in the Commonwealth Games final to win the bronze. But as Sharath had to struggle in Melbourne last year, the Indian ace was all fired up against Henzell this time and unsettled the Australian right from the world go. Sharath mixed his serves well and did now allow Henzell to engage him into rallies. Fast and crisp, Sharath raced to a 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 win to give his team a 2-0 lead. Soumyadeep Roy faltered a bit but ultimately clinched the issue with a fighting 12-10, 12-5, 8-11, 6-11, 11-7 win over Kyle Davis.
Eves settle for bronze
Despite a 0-3 defeat against Singapore in the semifinal, the Indian women team finished their campaign with a bronze in the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship here today. As there was no playoff for the third place, the Indian eves shared the bronze medal with Australia. The Indian women paddlers lost to much higher ranked Singapore but they did trouble the rival camp. For Singapore, world number 8 Yue Gu Wang gave them a good start by taming K Shamini 9-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-4. National champion Poulomi Ghatak, however, gave a scare to world number 19 Sun Bei Bei before she went down 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8, 11-3. In the third singles, Mouma Das also gave a good fight to Paey Fem Tan before losing 11-7, 11-8, 5-11, 14-12. Earlier, Poulomi Ghatak displayed immense grit and determination as she led Indian eves to a thrilling 3-1 victory over Nigeria in a Group E rubber. It was yet another tough outing for the Indian women, who had to fight tooth and nail to beat the African nation. Mouma Das started the day’s proceedings on a rather disappointing note as she went down 5-11, 9-11, 12-10, 5-11 to Funke Oshonaike. Ghatak drew parity beating Bose Kaffo 11-4, 11-4, 5-11, 11-5. Kumaresan Shamini then beat Cecillia Otu Offiong in a keen struggle. The Tamil Nadu paddler lost the opening game 3-11 and trailed 4-9 before winning 12-10 in the second. With the score at 2-2, Shamini opened up a lead right from the start in the decider and sealed the issue by pocketing the game 11-5. Shamini’s 3-11, 12-10, 5-11, 11-5, 11-5 victory gave India the lead. In the return match, Poulomi was stretched to some extent by Oshonaike but the Indian produced good spinning serves at crucial junctures to wriggle out of trouble and notch up a 10-12, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 victory. — PTI
|
|
Celtic Manor, June 1 Kapur was three shots behind the nine co-leaders, who shot 65 each in the first round of the competition at the par-69 Roman Road course. Kapur, starting on the back nine, shot birdies on the 16th and 18th, but he began the day with a string of pars and a double bogey on the 14th. Between the birdies on the 16th and the 18th, he had a bogey on the 17th. On his second nine, he birdied the fifth and seventh and had no bogeys. Jyoti Randhawa had four each of birdies and bogeys in his 69 and he was tied 52nd. Randhawa started on the 10th and birdied the 10th, 13th and 14th, where he was three-under. But then bogeys on the 15th, sixth and seventh and no more birdies brought him back to par. On a day hit by torrential rain, which led to a stoppage of two hours, the huge bunch at the top included England’s Paul Broadhurst, Scotland’s Paul Lawrie, Stephen O’Hara and Gary Orr, New Zealander Steve Alker and Australia’s Brett Rumford, Spain’s Josi Manuel Lara, Argentina’s Ricardo Gonzalez and Dane Soren Kjeldsen. Another 13 players lay one stroke back at the end of the first day. Jeev, Chopra struggle
Dublin: Ace golfer Jeev Milkha Singh returned a poor four-over 76 to be placed tied 99th, while Indian-born Swede Daniel Chopra carded a modest one-under 71 for the tied 48th spot after the opening round of the Memorial Tournament here. Jeev sank in three birdies against five bogeys and a double bogey, while Chopra was slightly better with five birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey. Jeev made a poor start as he bogeyed the third hole before dropping three shots in a row from sixth to eighth. Four-over at the halfway mark, the Indian birdied the 10th before stumbling to a double bogey on the 11th. He managed a couple of birdies on the 13th and 14th but a dropped shot on the 17th saw him end on a disappointing note. Meanwhile, Chopra birdied the third, fifth, eighth, 10th and 11th but bogeys on the first, sixth and 12th and a double bogey on the 14th denied him a better standing on the leaderboard. At the top, the lead was held by Sean O’Hair, who shot an opening seven-under 65. Playing alongside Charles Howell III and Ted Purdy, O’Hair made the only bogey in the threesome. Purdy and Howell shot bogey-free 68 and 69, respectively. Winner of John Deere Classic in 2005, O’Hair shares the lead with Rod Pampling (65) and Nick O’Hern (65). Five players, including Ernie Els and Aaron Baddeley, were tied fourth with cards of 66 each. World number one Tiger Woods shot a 70 for a share of the 30th place. — PTI
|
|
Indian hockey team to train in Germany
New Delhi, June 1 Indian Hockey Federation Secretary K Jothikumaran said the national team would play some practice games during the camp in Dusseldorf. “Our team will have a 10-day training camp in Germany before the Champions Challenge meet. During that period it will play some warm-up matches against four high quality clubs available at the time,” Jothikumaran told PTI today. The selection trials of the 32 probables, now attending a camp in Bangalore, will be held tomorrow and the Indian team will leave for Germany on June 11. The side will camp there till June 20. On the reported pull-out of Pakistan from the Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in Chennai in September this year, Jothikumaran said it was surprising and the IHF was yet to receive any official communication about this from PHF. “A meeting of the Asian Hockey Federation is to take place in the second week of June where everything will be finalised on the Asia Cup,” he said. — PTI
|
|
New Delhi, June 1 The men’s recurve team competition, the Indians crashed out in the second round as they lost to Malaysia narrowly. The Indian team of Rahul Banerjee, Tarundeep Rai, Priyanka had a tie with Malaysia, consisting of Chu Sian Cheng, Muhammad Marbawi Sulaiman and W. M. Khalmizam Wan Ab Aziz, on 214 points. But in the tie-breaker, India lost 24-26 to bow out of the tournament. Earlier, they beat the USA 224-222 in the first round. The women’s recurve team’s performance was even worse. The team of Dola Banerjee, L Bombayla Devi and Chekrovolu Swuro was outplayed by China’s Ling Chen, Dan Guo, Juan Zhang (216-203) in the first round. — PTI
|
|
|
Bhopal, June 1 Security personnel swooped down on Priya Yadav and removed her from the car’s path. “I wanted Dhoni to meet me. I watch his every match,” Priya told UNI. She was moved to tears after her desire to shake his hand remained unfulfilled. Priya hails from the cantonment town of Jabalpur. Another fan of Dhoni recently broke a security net and hugged him in Kolkata.
|
|
|
Punjab girl sets new national record Bangalore, June 1 Manpreet's effort was way beyond Steffi Cardozo's previous record of 13.23m set in Delhi last year. Meanwhile, Haryana's Virender Kumar set a meet record in the u-18 javelin throw when he hurled the spear to a distance of 65m to better the mark set by state mate Sandeep who managed 63.46m last year. However, Virender was still some way behind the national record in his category which stands in the name of Gurkirat Singh (68.47m), set in 2002. — 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
Paris, June 1
