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Coach
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Don’t link game with corruption: ICC
Thank God, it’s over: Pak players
Seshaiah defends murder theory
Kashmiri cricketer shines in England
Indian archers to compete at Lord’s
Paes-Damm advance
India jump four places
Rookie Hamilton puts pressure on Alonso
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Hunt An Aussie can do it for India: Ponting
Bangalore, June 13 “I think Tom Moody has done some terrific job in Sri Lanka leading them to the World Cup final and I can’t see why an Australian coach could not fit and do a good job here”, Ponting, who was here to participate in a training programme for children, told reporters. On Sunil Gavaskar reportedly being opposed to having an Australian coach for Team India, he said, “It is up to those guys. But if you look around us, you can see a lot Australian coaches doing pretty good job with teams around the world”. On BCCI’s efforts to find a coach for Indian team, he said, “it is important that they get a coach on board” and end the current “dilemma” on the issue. Referring to the current Indian team, Ponting said it was important that all “senior players really make sure that they stick together”, leading the way and providing directions to the younger lot. “That is what has been the Australian strength”, he said. To a question on the role of the coach in a team, he said, “cricket is run by the captain while the coach takes care of the technical side. But with the game getting as hectic as it was at the moment, the coach was important in mapping out programmes well, organising training session and ensuring a happy environment”. “We were lucky to play under some good coaches”, he said while naming stalwarts like John Buchanan. “They made the job of the players much easier”, he added. Reacting to changing rules of the game, Ponting said, “whenever the rule changes are made, it would be nice if the actual players are consulted”. Most of the players had a pretty good idea of what the rules of the game should be, he said. But, the Australian stalwart did not appear to be in favour of the Twenty20 matches. “Though currently there appeared to be no threat of the Twenty20 matches taking over the one-day games, care had to be taken to ensure that it did not occur,” he said. “Twenty20 cricket has its own place,” he said, adding more and more cricket was making it more difficult for the players. The increasing cramped schedule of matches also did not find favour with the ace cricketer, who said, “it has been an issue that players have been battling for some years. It is the hardest thing in the world of cricket. We should agree on 15 Test matches and 35 one-day internationals (in a year). If it is so, players will be pretty happy”. On his take at being an Indian coach, he said, he was not thinking of retiring yet and taking up the job of a coach but added it would be a great job to be an Indian coach. — PTI
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Bangalore, June 13 ODI squad vice-captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Ramesh Powar, Rudra Pratap Singh and Piyush Chawla missed the first day of the four-day camp and are expected to be present on the second day tomorrow after arriving here tonight, camp co-ordinator Ramesh Rao said. The camp began without the presence of tour manager Chandu Borde too who will not attend it at all, according to officials of the BCCI. “No, he (Borde) will not be at the camp. It will be overseen by bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fielding coach Robin Singh,” said BCCI’s chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty from Mumbai. Skipper Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir and S. Sreesanth were the players who went through the drills assisted by Prasad and Robin Singh. Trainer Gregory King and physio John Gloster were also present. The nine players present on the first day practised for two and a half hours against mostly junior bowlers from the Karnataka state side. To a query, whether he anticipated any difficulties in getting along with senior players in the team, Borde laughed it off. “I have been chairman of BCCI selection committee and most of these senior players were chosen by me. I am sure we all would vibe well to achieve our goal,” he said. Borde, who is flooded with calls wishing him good luck for the new assignment, said “I am now waiting for BCCIs official letter on appointment detailing my job.” I can contribute with ball: Sourav
New Delhi: Recalled to the Indian one-day side, Sourav Ganguly says that apart from his regular role with the bat, he could also be useful as a bowler in the favourable conditions of England and Ireland. “I think I can contribute with the ball. It (conditions) will definitely help the ball to move around in England. We are going in the second half (of the summer) and I hope everyone lifts their game,” Ganguly told CNN-IBN. Ganguly felt England would miss Andrew Flintoff in the ODI and Test series if the talismanic all-rounder fails to recover from the ankle injury. “Obviously they’ll miss Flintoff, who is not a part of their team. Flintoff makes a lot of difference to their squad. But it will be a good series,” he added. Ganguly, along with Sachin Tendulkar, was included in the ODI squad that will play threa matches against South Africa in Ireland (June 26-July 1) and another against Pakistan in Glasgow, Scotland (July 3). —
PTI
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London, June 13 Lara, who surprised everyone by calling it quits in the wake of his team’s dismal performance in the World Cup, could be back playing international cricket in the coming months, according to the latest issue of The Wisden Cricketer. “I think I am going to play cricket again. If I go six or eight months without cricket I would lose it and I don’t want to lose it yet,” Lara said. Asked if he meant playing for celebrity team Lashings, he replied: “No, no,” leaving county cricket or the proposed breakaway Twenty20 Indian Cricket League as intriguing possibilities. Lara expected and hoped to be playing Test cricket in England this summer but claimed he left the West Indies cricket on his own terms. Asked if he felt fulfilled, Lara said, “I’ve done what I could do, so I’m happy with me. As a team, we’ve not been able to climb out of the doldrums so that will remain on my mind. That does not rest well with me. I leave West Indies cricket with my head held high. “I’ve tried my best. Maybe I could have done things differently but I’ve done things my way - that’s the most important thing,” he said. Despite the second-innings heroics at Old Trafford, the decline in the West Indies cricket has been laid bare so far this summer. Lara insisted that the West Indies’ problems ran very deep. “It’s that we don’t have a good infrastructure for young guys to develop. The West Indies have a great under-15 side. I know a 16-year-old guy in Trinidad who’s awesome but I worry for him because of the facilities.a“A mediocre Australian cricketer at 17 to 18 will be slapping everyone all over the world five years later. If you don’t have facilities and you don’t have employment then you have a negative atmosphere,” he added. — PTI
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Don’t link game with corruption: ICC
London, June 13 “To those who suggest that corruption is still widespread throughout the game of cricket - and there have been plenty of people who have peddled such comments to anyone prepared to listen in the aftermath of Bob’s unfortunate and untimely death, we have one clear message: put up or shut up,” the head of ICC’s anti-corruption unit Lord Paul Condon said. “The reputation of both the World Cup and the game has been unnecessarily tarnished as the theories about Bob’s death became wilder and more bizarre with many of those suggesting a link to corruption and match-fixing,” he said in a statement. “Now that the truth has been established, hopefully some balance will be restored and the efforts the ICC has made to clean up the game will be recognised,” he said. Condon said, “from the outset, the ACSU counselled an open-minded approach to Bob’s death as, based on their cumulative police experience and knowledge of the alleged crime scene, the death and the location had none of the obvious hallmarks of a murder. It remains a concern that the murder theory was so readily embraced.” He said that people could feel confident that they are watching a genuine contest unaffected by outside “In terms of cricket’s ongoing fight against the corruptors, the game is now certainly in a much healthier state than it was seven years ago thanks to a raft of measures that have been introduced,” he said. “Let us now focus on events on the field and have cricket back in the headlines for all the right reasons.” — PTI
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Thank God, it’s over: Pak players
Karachi, June 13 Though, the news that Woolmer was not murdered and died a natural death brought relief to the players but it seems, only time can heal their wounds of humiliation and anger. The Pakistani players were questioned, finger printed and had to give DNA tests and were only allowed to leave Kingston by authorities 11 days after Woolmer’s death. Inzamam-ul-Haq who stepped down as captain during the World Cup shortly after Woolmer’s death said the scars will not go away so easily as the players had been through a lot in Kingston. Inzamam, who retired from one-day internationals after the World Cup said, he and the other players had always believed it was a natural death. Inzamam, however, said filing a legal case against the Jamaican police for messing up the case would not help anyone. “What has happened has happened. The trauma we suffered cannot be erased from our memories.” “But in future I would definitely ask the board to handle such things more sensitively. For a while in Kingston we felt we were alone with no one to support us in trying circumstances,” Inzamam said. The Jamaican police, who brought the curtains down on the nearly three-month-old murky investigations yesterday, appreciated the co-operation extended by the Pakistan team and board in helping them in their probe. “We are relieved that the truth has been admitted by the Jamaican authorities. But it is not going to be easy forgetting the nightmare period we went though after Woolmer’s death in Kingston,” Shahid Afridi said. “We cooperated since we wanted the truth to be known to everyone. We were convinced Woolmer could not have been murdered as there was no reason for such a terrible thing to happen,” Afridi said. “But it was terrible when we learnt that we were being looked at as prime suspects by the Jamaican authorities after a few days. We had lost someone with whom we were very close and we had this situation of being treated like murder suspects,” he said. Pakistan captain, Shoaib Malik said he was happy the ordeal was over. “I am just relieved that is all. Because at least now the truth is out and those people who pointed fingers at us should be ashamed of their conduct,” he said. Senior batsman, Mohammad Yousuf said he would still press the board to at least seek some compensation and apology from the Jamaican authorities for making such a big mistake. Pakistan’s manager, Talat Ali, the first man called to Woolmer’s room where he was found unconscious in his bathroom, said he still felt a void after Woolmer’s death. “I can feel for his family. You are in and out with a person for so many days and then all of a sudden such a tragedy occurs. It is not easy to accept,” — PTI
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Seshaiah defends murder theory
Kingston, June 13 “I am sticking to my findings. He was murdered,” Seshaiah was quoted as saying by the Jamaica Observer. “I am confident he was murdered. Woolmer is not a first for me, I have been doing autopsies here since 1995,” Seshaiah said. Woolmer died of heart failure
Pakistan’s World Cup cricket coach, Bob Woolmer, almost certainly died of heart failure, Jamaica police said today, a day after ending a high-profile investigation into his murder. “Determining the cause of death is the remit of the coroner but we are 99 per cent sure that Woolmer died of heart failure,” said police spokesman Karl Angell. — Agencies
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Kashmiri cricketer shines in England
Srinagar, June 13 The fast bowler from Kashmir, who can bat as well, had been signed by Tickhill Cricket Club in Yorkshire to play division one cricket in the United Kingdom. In all matches he has played so far, Abid has made a huge impact on the minor counties. In his last match played against Denaby and Cadeby Cricket Club, he took five wickets and scored explosive 37 runs. Abid has played four matches so far, taking 22 wickets and scoring 135 runs, remaining unbeaten twice. In his debut match, the talented Kashmiri cricketer, who has now become an important component of his club, took eight wickets and scored 34 runs in 14 balls. Abid will return to India in September to play Ranji Trophy matches for Jammu and Kashmir. — UNI
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Glasgow, June 13 India, who beat Finland 4-1 in their first group rubber, were the overwhelming winners against the Kiwis at the Scotstoun International Sports Arena. Clubbed in Group B of Division III with Finland, New Zealand and Scotland, India are on top of the group. They will play Scotland in their last group match tomorrow. The mixed doubles pair of V Diju and Aparna Balan gave the Indians a perfect start with a 27-minute 21-14, 21-18 victory over Daniel Shirley and Renee Flavell. Saina Nehwal then sent Michelle Chan packing 21-13, 21-12 in just 25 minutes to put India 2-0 before Anup Sridhar thrashed John Moody 21-7, 21-13 in 29 minutes. In the last two games, the men’s and women’s doubles pairs dropped one set each but coasted to easy victories in the end to round of the 5-0 annihilation. Sanave Thomas and Rupesh Kumar faced the strongest challenge from their rivals and the duo had to come back from behind to prevail over Daniel Shirley and John Gordon 17-21, 21-15, 21-16 in 48 minutes. The women’s doubles pair of Aparna Balan and Saina Nehwal completed the formalities by defeating Rachel Hindley and Renee Flavell 21-18, 16-21, 21-14 in 41 minutes. — UNI
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Indian archers to compete at Lord’s
Kolkata, June 13 With the venue, which has hosted four World Cup cricket finals, being selected to host the archery event of the 2012 Olympics, the authorities have decided to organise a one-day quadrangular meet on experimental basis. The United Kingdom (Scotland, England and Ireland), Australia, India and Canada would vie for honours in the meet organised by the Grand National Archery Society. The competition would be limited to recurve category, which is played in the Olympics, Archery Association of India vice president Paresh Nath Mukherjee told PTI. A six-member Indian team, comprising three boys and same number of girls, would take part in the meet. The team would be selected after the ongoing third national ranking meet. —
PTI
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New Delhi, June 13 The Indo-Czech duo scored a 6-4, 6-2 win over the Swiss-German pair of Yves Allegro and Michael Kohlmann in their opening round match of the 680,250 euro event yesterday. Paes and Damm were ousted in the second round of the French Open in Paris. The third seeded Indo-Czech pair were upset by unseeded Germans. — PTI
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India jump four places
New Delhi: For the first time in three months, India moved up four places to 161st in the latest FIFA rankings issued on Wednesday.
India, who remained stuck in 165th spot since March rankings, had not played any international A level matches in the past one month to add to its current 76 points. India is ahead of Bangladesh (172nd), Pakistan (178th) and Nepal (182nd) but below Maldives (157th) and Sri Lanka (159th). — UNI
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Rookie Hamilton puts pressure on Alonso
London, June 13 The 22-year-old Briton is on a high after celebrating the first victory of a debut season in Formula One that is already exhausting the stock of superlatives with just six races completed. “Going into Indy, obviously I go there with great confidence,” said Hamilton after winning in Canada last weekend. “We have to try and continue with the performance that we have and I have no doubt we can do that.” Hamilton has never raced at Indianapolis before but Alonso knows the same applied to Montreal, where the youngster led from pole position. The double world champion is eight points behind and, judging from comments to Spanish reporters this week, not enjoying the experience. Indianapolis has done Alonso no favours in the past and is the only circuit on the current calendar where he has yet to stand on the podium. Last year’s fifth place was the first time the Spaniard had finished at The Brickyard but McLaren are dominant at present and Hamilton, with six podiums from his first six races, expects his team-mate to be fired up. “At the end of the day, he’s the two-time world champion and he’ll bounce back without a doubt and I’m sure he’ll be extremely quick in the next race,” said the Briton. Indianapolis last year also heralded the start of an aggressive fightback by Ferrari and now-retired seven times champion Michael Schumacher, who went on to wipe out a 25-point deficit before Alonso finally prevailed. — Reuters
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