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Sussex escape by the skin of their teeth
India will be tougher than Windies: Vaughan
BCCI threatens action against Kapil
Money made Kapil go Essel way
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Women hockey probables announced
‘Sania can crack top 20’
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Sussex escape by the skin of their teeth
Hove, July 10 At lunch, India had an overall lead of 204 runs with four wickets in hand. Skipper Rahul Dravid, who missed the last two days of play due to a strain on his left calf muscle, came out to bat at number seven with Dinesh Karthik as his runner. He was 12 not out while Anil Kumble was on 9. India had made 388 for 7 declared in the first innings while Sussex replied with 300 for 6 declared. Resuming at 21 for 2, Karthik and Yuvraj Singh were given a soul-searching examination by James Kirtley, Robin Martin-Jenkins and Jason Lewry. Kirtely finally got the reward when he made the first breakthrough in the day, having Yuvraj Singh caught at the wicket by Andy Hodd for 18. That was also the 600th first class wicket for the former England pace bowler. Karthik, who again impressed with his pluck, struck a few handy fours before being trapped leg before by Martin-Jenkins for 33. He faced 81 balls and hit six fours. Gautam Gambhir never looked comfortable and was given the marching orders against Martin-Jenkins when he flashed outside his off stump to Hopkinson at slip for just 7. VVS Laxman played a glorious on-drive off Marti-Jenkins and square drove Saqlain to the fence but was out in an unfortunate manner. He became a victim of a freak dismissal when his backfoot drive off the same bowler hit the silly point fielder on his boot and ballooned up for Hodd to complete the catch. Scoreboard India (1st innings) 388/7 dec Sussex (1st innings) Nash c Karthik b Bose 28 Montgomerie c Karthik b Sreesanth 18 Yardy c Laxman b Kumble 53 Hopkinson lbw RP Singh 5 Thornely b Kumble 2 Hodd not out 106 Martin-Jenkins st Dhoni b Kumble 42 Rayner not out 19 Extras (b-7, lb-7, w-9, nb-4) 27 Total (6 wkts dec, 85.1 overs) 300 Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-66, 3-75, 4-105, 5-144, 6-269. Bowling: RP Singh 18-4-66-1, Sreesanth 20.1-7-52-1, Bose 18-4-60-1, Kumble 22-3-66-3, Yuvraj 7-0-42-0. India (2nd innings) 184 for 8 dec Sussex (2nd innings) Nash c sub b Sreesanth 0 Montgomerie lbw Kumble 59 Yardy c Karthik b Singh 5 Hopkinson c Gambhir b Bose 6 Thornely b Kumble 11 Hodd run out 4 Martin-Jenkins not out 45 Rayner b Singh 3 Saqlain Mushtaq c Laxman b Sreesanth 9 Kirtley lbw Kumble 8 Lewry not out 8 Extras (b-10, lb-9, w-3, nb-10) 32 Total (9 wkts; 55 overs) 190 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-18, 3-46, 4-96, 5-106, 6-120, 7-123, 8-152, 9-173. Bowling: Sreesanth 14-3-47-2, RP Singh 11-4-28-2, Bose 8-2-26-1, Kumble 20-4-57-3, Yuvraj 1-0-5-0, Gambhir 1-0-8-0. — PTI
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India will be tougher than Windies: Vaughan
London, July 10 Back in the side after a nagging knee injury that kept him out of action for a whole year, Vaughan refused to bask in the glory of the 3-0 win against a depleted West Indies and felt his side would need to raise the bar if they were to beat Rahul Dravid’s men in the three-match Test series. “They bring a batting line-up that’s formidable and full of experience.” “The bowlers - there are a couple of left-armers (Rudra Pratap Singh and Zaheer Khan) and the young S. Sreesanth, who I think is a real quality seamer, and (Anil) Kumble with all his experience,” Vaughan said in an interview with Sky Sports. “They will pose probably a little bit of a bigger threat than the West Indies. We might have to raise our bar just a little bit to ensure we get a good series victory against the Indians,” added Vaughan. The Yorkshire batsman also sounded wary of Team India’s middle order, which sports an aged look with the trio of Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly being on the wrong side of the 30. “You’ve got no chance of getting me to say Sachin Tendulkar is ageing,” Vaughan said. “I think they are all quality players and experience is a great thing.” Vaughan said he was looking forward to an exciting series played between two quality sides in electrifying atmosphere. “It should be a great series as they always bring plenty of supporters, there are plenty of Indians living in England, and they always cram the grounds and make plenty of noise. “It should be a great atmosphere for our team to play in,” Vaughan said. Lord’s hosts the first Test starts from July 19, while Trent Bridge (July 27-31) and the Oval (August 9-13) are the venues for the subsequent matches. Test of England revival: Botham
Sir Ian Botham feels England’s pace attack needed to be more aggressive as the cricket team goes into the “sterner Test of their revival” against India from July 19. “England’s Test side has rebooted promisingly since the Ashes horror show. But sterner tests of their revival under new coach Peter Moores lie ahead against India, starting at Lord’s,” Botham said. The legendary all rounder praised coach Moores for his job during the series against the West Indies but said the fast bowlers needed to be consistent and more aggressive. “Although there were some cheap runs and wickets on offer at times against the West Indies, I have no problem with England’s 3-0 win in the Test series and Moores scores high marks there. “Some of our pace bowling will need to be more aggressive and consistent when India’s formidable top order come to town,” he was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror today. Botham, however, lashed out at the one-day side, saying they could not have given a worse performance than what they put up against the West Indies. “And as for the one-day team... we are still bloody woeful. England’s one-day cricket is another kettle of fish, however. I didn’t think it was possible for them to play any worse than they did at the World Cup, but somehow they managed to by losing the NatWest Series against the Windies. “Let’s not mince words: We are going backwards and sliding down towards the bottom of the pile. Right now, England’s level of performance in limited overs cricket is so bad the Eskimos would beat us... our whole approach is embarrassing.”
— PTI
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BCCI threatens action against Kapil
New Delhi, July 10 The BCCI said it had made it very clear that no cricketer or official should be part of the ICL and it was for Kapil to relinquish one post. “The BCCI does not recognise the ICL. It was a decision of the working committee that any cricketer or official being involved with the ICL would have no role to play in the BCCI. It is for Kapil Dev to decide what he wants to do,” BCCI joint secretary MP Pandove told PTI, reacting to Kapil’s outburst against the board. Asked specifically what the BCCI would do if Kapil did not relinquish the post of NCA chairman, Pandove said, “We will discuss the issue and take appropriate steps.” After BCCI had shot a letter to Kapil asking him not to align with the ICL, the former all-rounder sent his reply and also dared the board to sack him from the NCA post. “They can remove me from the NCA if they want to. They only wanted me to contribute to the game of cricket and when I am doing so they cannot challenge me. If I can do something for the game and the young cricketers through Indian Cricket League, I will not budge,” he asserted. Pandove said the BCCI chief Sharad Pawar had authorised one or two officials to talk to Kapil Dev on this issue. “He is a respected cricketer and we wanted to know his views. But we have not still got any feedback from those officials,” he said. Kapil was not cowed down by the fact that siding with ICL might cost him pension. “I did not go to them asking for pension and if they want to stop it, what can I do? Let them stop it,” said country’s lone World Cup winning captain. Recently, former stumper and ex-chief selector Kiran More quit the secretary’s post at the Baroda Cricket Association to join Kapil at the ICL executive board. Another former Indian player Sandeep Patil has also joined ICL. A few months back, the Essel Group had launched the ICL with much fanfare, announcing that some top names of world cricket would take part in it. Speculation is rife that legends like Brian Lara, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath will join the league that promises a huge prize money. — PTI
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Money made Kapil go Essel way
New Delhi, July 10 Whatever Rajsingh Dungarpur and a few former stars may scream, the Essel Group’s ICL (Indian Cricket League) has a ‘hidden’ agenda. It will not promote cricket but it will sell cricket and make money. The Essel is not a body to help produce champions but to gain ‘commercial mileage’, just as Kerry Packer did in 1970s. Then the scene was ‘world stage’ and time was ripe and world’s 35 best signed in the ‘breakaway cricket’. Now the time is inappropriate and stage is puny. Let former stars keep their hands on their hearts and say whether they have joined Essel to promote cricket at junior levels or make money as sun shines. Let Kapil Dev and his illustrated colleagues spell out their ‘contracts’ with the Essel, as Kapil Dev has released his letter to the board to a section of the Press. Kapil Dev has been India’s most versatile all-round product. Self-made, he has been one of the finest ball-players (cricket to golf to any other ball discipline) in the world. No one grudges him to become a Tata or a Birla or an Ambani. But let him be honest to say whether he would have joined Essel if the group had not presented him lucrative contract? It is no act of ‘bravery’ for Kapil Dev ‘to dare board to take action against me’. He is fully aware that board and Essel are on two different wavelengths. Why can’t he be man enough to stay with board or join Essel after resigning from the National Cricket Academy? Indian cricket is currently ‘rocking’ because of too much money. More stalwarts like C.K. Nayadu, Vijay Hazare, Mohd Nissar, Amar Singh, Polly Umrigar, Vinoo Mankad, Mushtaq Ali and host of others were produced when there was no money at all. They rose through their efforts and discipline. Then there was a stream of players, like Sunil Gavaskar, Mohd Azharuddin, Gundappa Vishwanath, Chandra, Prasanna and several others when there was some money. Now there is too much money and talent is virtually disappearing. Discipline, devotion and dedication are keys to success. Organised competitive cricket is better than too much quantum of cricket. The ICL’s effort, promotional and otherwise, will add confusion and chaos in the already rocking Indian cricket.
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Kandy, July 10 The hosts, who won the previous two Tests by innings margins and plenty of time to spare, are firm favourites to secure their 10th successive victory over Bangladesh despite the threat of rain. The tourists are under no illusion they can prevent a clean sweep. All they want to do is bat out the opening day if they are again given first strike on a pace-friendly Asgiriya stadium wicket. Bangladesh were shot out for 89 and their lowest total of 62 on the opening days of the previous two Tests after being sent in to bat by Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene. Bangladesh’s young skipper Mohammad Ashraful, who turned 23 on Saturday, admitted he was worried by the way his team surrendered at the start of both Tests. “Few teams have recovered after making just 89 or 62 in the first innings, so the big defeats that followed did not surprise me at all,” said Ashraful. Bangladesh managed 254 and 299 in the second innings of the two Tests to raise hopes that all is not lost against one of the most formidable attacks in world cricket, led by the prolific Muttiah Muralitharan. Ashraful and teenager Mushfiqur Rahim softened the second Test defeat by their record partnership of 191 for the sixth wicket, Bangladesh’s best ever in the 48 Tests they have played so far. Bangladesh have been let down by the poor performance of the two senior pros, former captain Habibul Bashar and left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique. Bashar, who was sacked as captain for this tour, gets a final chance to save his international career after making just 36 runs in four innings. Rafique, just six scalps away from becoming the first Bangladeshi to capture 100 Test wickets, has managed just one wicket in the first two Tests at the cost of 272 runs. Off-spinner Muralitharan, who took 14 wickets in the first two matches, begins his home town Test just 20 scalps away from equalling retired Australian spinner Shane Warne’s world record tally of 708. Sri Lanka will be without veteran seamer Chaminda Vaas, who has rejoined English county Middlesex after being given permission by Sri Lanka Cricket to miss the final Test. — AFP
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JCT suffer exodus in inter-state transfer
New Delhi, July 10 However, JCT have managed to retain their core group comprising Karanjit Singh, Mukhwinderjit Singh, Jaspal Singh, Shivraj Singh, Daljit Singh, Harish Sharma, Anwar Ali, Narinder Singh, Taranjit Singh, Baldeep Singh Sr., P Renedy Singh, Rakinderjit Singh, Ram Pal, Baldeep Singh Jr., Jaswinder Singh, Yadvinder Singh Bajwa, Sunil Chetri, Praveen Kumar, Skatar Singh and Amrinder Singh. Sukhwinder Singh will continue to be the chief coach. But the Punjab club are unfazed as they have enough in-house talent to take care of the shortfall, as they would be filling some key positions with players from the JCT Academy. JCT’s new recruits are Gurwinder Singh, Palwinder Singh, Asim Hassan and Baljit Singh Sahni (all JCT Academy), Julius Irabor Akpele (Salgaocar), Pawan Kumar (Chandigarh Football Academy) and Mike Okoro (Mohammedan Sporting), though his transfer is yet to be cleared by the All-India Football Federation.
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Asia Cup
New Delhi, July 10 The women’s Asia Cup will be held in Hong Kong from September 1-9, while the Olympic qualifiers will be played during April and May next year. All the probables joined the camp in Lucknow on Sunday. They will train there till August 27. Meanwhile, the u-16 coaching camp scheduled to be held at SAI sub-centre, Lucknow, from July 14 to September 2 has been postponed and fresh dates will be announced later, an IWHF statement said. Probables: Goalkeepers: Dipika Murthy, Poonam Toppo, Rajni Bala, Marita Tirkey, Jasdeep Kaur, Suniti Kispotta; Defenders: Binita Toppo, Pushpa Pradhan, Nilima Kujur, Suman Bala, Rajwinder Kaur, Anjana Barla; Mid-fielders: Subhadra Pradhan, Gagandeep Kaur, Th. Ranjita, Iti Shrivastava, Mukta P. Barla, Asunta Lakra, Joydeep Kaur; Forwards: Deepika Thakur, Saba Anjum, Ritu Rani, Binita Xess, Rijuta Mullick, Mamta Kharab, Surinder Kaur, Th. Anuradha Devi, Rosalin Ralte, A. Manorama Devi, Lalremruati, Harpreet Kaur, S. Ranjita, Poonam Singh, Simerjeet Kaur, Jasjeet Kaur, Kirandeep Kaur. — PTI
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Chennai, July 10 “She is having a great year. Clearly she has left behind the blues. With a little bit of luck, she can crack the top 20,” Bhupathi said while speaking on the sidelines of a promotional event for the Sunfeast Open 2007 to be held in Kolkata from September 17-23. On his partnership with Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles category, he said, “Hopefully we will play for a long time and hope to win a couple of Grand Slams.” The two, pairing for the first time, reached the second round of Wimbledon this year. Bhupathi added that ‘there were only a few junior players who were ‘good’ and it will take them at least five to six years to mature.’ — Agencies
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