 |
|
|
Zaheer puts India in sight of victory
Taufel ‘upset’ about Tendulkar decision
Sania loses in singles final, wins in doubles
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Beckham battles to shrug off ankle injury
Asian Cup
Asian Athletics Championship
RCF upset Punjab cops, jump into lead
Portugal Tour
Badminton
Manav, Ajeetesh ready to take on top amateurs
|
|
Zaheer puts India in sight of victory
A lion-hearted performance from left-arm medium pacer Zaheer Khan thrust India to the brink of a major Test triumph in England. They were left requiring another 63 runs to win with all 10 wickets in hand when play resumes on Tuesday. As long as Michael Vaughan occupied the crease, England exhibited a Churchillian defiance. The moment he departed - in the third over of the second new ball - the floodgates opened for India. The Englishmen collapsed from 287 for three to 355 all out in a matter of 131 balls in their 2nd innings. Rarely in his career has Zaheer Khan bowled with as much penetration and purpose as he did in this match. And he produced it when his side were looking askance at him to deliver, with the rest of the bowlers, including Anil Kumble, mostly innocuous against the specialist batsmen. It was a credit to folks in this part of England that another capacity crowd surfaced despite it being a working day. Numerous young people enjoying their school or college holidays filled the stands. Test cricket for some in England is a fancy dress party. The inspiration for some is national heroes. This neck of the woods being in the vicinity of Sherwood forest, several turned up in the likeness of Robin Hood. In the middle, though, Vaughan showed a bulldog spirit. Alastair Cook departed early, trapped plumb in front. But Andrew Strauss and Vaughan dug in to deny India further success in the morning. They mustered a mere 26 runs in the first hour — as Zaheer Khan conjured a fine spell of 6-3-9-1 — but were more forthright in the second. They added 81 runs for the second wicket before the former was induced into a snick in the second over after lunch. Kevin Pietersen may have established himself as England’s premier batsman in the past two years, but fighting with his back to the wall is not his forte. A backfoot drive to long on off Sreesanth was a beauty, but in defensive mode, he looked a fish out of water. He was lucky not to make contact as he slashed at Rudra Pratap Singh, only to perish lbw off the very next delivery. At the other end, it was old-fashioned Yorkshire grit. Vaughan has drawn comparisons to the legendary Sir Leonard Hutton, a fellow Yorkshireman, for the balance and composure of his batting. His latest heroism appears to have been in vain. Beaten a few times by the quicker bowlers, a little uncertain when Khan and Singh operated around the wicket, he overcame the challenge with a sound temperament. Indeed, he was on song against Kumble, whom he confidently worked away through midwicket, once earning two fours in one over. The Karnataka spinner was uncommonly expensive, haemorrhaging over four runs an over. Paul Collingwood lent Vaughan sturdy support. After the latter signalled his second hundred against India at this ground and fourth altogether, the pair plundered 13 off Khan’s first over with the new ball, which brought up the hundred partnership for the 4th wicket as well as wiped out the 1st innings arrears. In Khan’s next over, though, Vaughan, in a freakish dismissal, played on attempting to glance. Two balls later, Ian Bell was trapped lbw. Singh, then, slanted one through Matt Prior’s gate, before Khan completed his tally with Collingwood’s scalp. Scoreboard England (1st innings): 198 India (IInd Innings):
|
|
Taufel ‘upset’ about Tendulkar decision
Nottingham, July 30 However, Taufel has backed his decision to give out Ganguly saying that he would give that out every time. Taufel's comments were conveyed to the viewers of Sky Sports by its commentators David Lloyd and David Gower who discussed the controversial decisions on the fourth morning. "I always look at the big screen after giving a decision. And the minute I saw the replay of Sachin's dismissal, I knew I got it wrong," Taufel is reported to have told the Sky Sports commentators. "However, I would have given Ganguly out every time," added Taufel. Lloyd explained that even VVS Laxman - who was at the non-striker's end when Ganguly was batting - agreed that there was some sound as the ball passed Ganguly's bat. "The big disappointment is that people come to watch the top players and I gave him out wrongly. That upset me," opined Taufel. — PTI
|
|
Sania loses in singles final, wins in doubles
Stanford (USA), July 30 Sania, who had tasted defeat at the hands of the Russian in the Cincinnati semifinals last week, once again surrendered to the might of Chakvetadze, who notched up a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory for her second title in as many weeks. However, some consolation in store for Sania who combined with Shahar Peer of Israel to grab the doubles crown. In the final, the Indo-Israeli pair defeated Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Chakvetadze 6-4, 7-6 (5). Sania, who had upset two top-20 players, Patty Schnyder and Tatiana Golovin, on her way to the final, was tired enough to pose any threat to the superior Chakvetadze. After the match, Sania admitted that she was completely drained and could not give her best. “Yes, I am (tired). Both mentally and physically. In the first set, I was there but I just could not string games together. I was a little tentative, hoping she would make mistakes. Today I was not hitting the ball as clean as I was this week. After I lost the first set, she just dominated the match.” “Even on changeovers, we were sitting there and you could just tell how tired we both were. But I played consistent tennis this week and I am confident that I can continue to do that in future tournaments,” she said. — PTI
|
|
Beckham battles to shrug off ankle injury
Los Angeles, July 30 The England midfielder was restricted to a brief cameo role for his Galaxy debut against Chelsea eight days ago and his new employers do not want him to return unless fully fit. Although the Major League Soccer club need to win or draw against FC Dallas in Frisco to reach the SuperLiga semi-finals, head coach Frank Yallop will decide on Monday whether Beckham will travel to Texas with the squad. "He wants to get healthy and fit and play properly," Yallop told reporters after the Galaxy were beaten 2-1 by Mexican side Chivas de Guadalajara in their second SuperLiga fixture. "There's no way that we're going to send him out when he's not ready to play for us. He wants to play properly and prove to the guys why we brought him over." Asked if his high-profile signing would be with the Galaxy in Frisco, Yallop replied: "We'll have to see in the morning (on Monday) when he comes in for treatment. But it's too early to say." Although Beckham was one of seven substitutes for Saturday's SuperLiga match against Chivas at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Yallop never considered sending him on to the pitch. Team morale "He wanted to be on the bench and be involved in the locker room and it's obviously good to have him around," Yallop said. "Just having him there is good for morale. "Plus this is a good learning experience to get him used to the players, when they get ready for matches, how they react and all that sort of thing. "So, when it (Beckham's return) comes along, it won't be a surprise about how we prepare for games, my team talks and half-time talks as well. He kind of knows how we operate." — Reuters
|
|
|
Asian Cup
Baghdad, July 30 Thousands of Iraqis, including members of the security forces, defied a strict government ceasefire order to welcome the team's 1-0 victory over local rivals Saudi Arabia with an intense barrage of gunfire. Soldiers, police and civilian gunmen loosed off long volleys of automatic fire skywards and into the waters of the Tigris within seconds of the final whistle in Jakarta beamed live to cafes and homes across the country. The Iraqi victory against the three-time Asian Cup champions was a precious moment of shared national joy in a country beset by civil strife. "Now it is our right to enjoy this victory that our heroic team has brought to us. They have brought us joy that we never experienced in the past, when we suffered greatly," said Haidar Mustafa, a Baghdad student. Around him in a downtown coffee shop, dozens of fans leapt and sang with joy after seeing skipper Younis Mahmoud's powerful header seal a first Asian Cup victory for his mixed team of Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs and Kurds. From the southern Shiite port city of Basra, to executed Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein's northern hometown of Tikrit and even to Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region, flag-waving crowds celebrated. Earlier, Baghdad security authorities had imposed an overnight vehicle curfew in order to prevent insurgent car bomb attacks and ordered police to arrest anyone who took part in the traditional celebratory gunfire. In the hours leading up to the match there were reports that two foreign Arab fighters had been apprehended while trying to move car bombs into Baghdad's Zayuna district, which has been targeted by Sunni extremists. Zayuna was struck by one of two car bombs that went off following last week's semi-final victory against South Korea, shattering the celebrations and killing at least 50 people. A senior interior ministry official strongly advised Iraqis to hold their celebratory fire and to stay in their own areas of the city. Nevertheless, troops and cops were among the first to start pumping out rounds from their AK-47 assault rifles and Glock pistols at checkpoints and barracks in the centre of the war-torn capital. — AFP
|
|
Asian Athletics Championship
New Delhi, July 30 With the final tally of five gold, silver and bronze each, India finished second behind China (7 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze) in the continental event. In the last edition of the meet at Incheon, Korea, in 2005, they were fourth with a haul of four gold, five silver and four bronze medals. The final day of the championship proved to be the most beneficial for the Indian contingent as the athletes brought cheers for the camp by winning three gold medals. Renjith Maheshwary won the men’s triple jump event with a distance of 17.19 m, while Sinimol Paulose clinched the women’s 1500m gold with a timing of 4 minute and 25.67 seconds. The women’s relay team, comprising Manjeet Kaur, Mandeep Kaur, Sini Jose and Chitra K. Soman, then came in front in 3:33.39s to give India a final tally of five gold, silver and bronze each. Shot putter Navpreet Singh fetched gold by throwing the iron ball to a distance of 19.70 m. Chitra was the first to earn the yellow metal for India in women’s 400 m as she clocked 53.03 minutes to win her first Asian championship individual title. Preeja Sreedharan also had a creditable performance as she snatched two silver medals in women’s 5000 m and 10,000 m. Sinimol and J. J. Shobha returned with a silver each, while Susmita Singha Roy bagged a bronze on day two of the championship. Sinimol’s medal came in women’s 800 m race with a timing of 2:06.15s feat. Shobha accumulated 5356 points to finish second and ahead of compatriot Susmita, who totalled 5154 for the bronze in women’s heptathlon event. Susmita came third in high jump, leaping 1.69 m, while Shobha was fourth (1.6 m). In shot put, Shobha hurled a distance of 12.56 m to finish second, while Susmita came fourth clearing 10.54 m. The biggest heartbreak for the Indians came from Anju Bobby George. Though she improved upon her recent slump in form to leap 6.65 m to collect a silver, her effort could not win her a World Championships berth. List of medallists: Gold: Navpreet Singh (shotput), Chitra K. Soman (400 m), Renjit Maheshwari (triple jump), Sinimole Paulose (women 1500 m), Women’s 4X400 m (Mandeep Kaur, Manjit Kaur, Sini Jose, Chitra K. Soman). Silver: Preeja Sreedharan (10,000 m), Preeja Sreedharan (5,000 m), Anju Bobby George (long jump), Sinimole Paulose (women 800 m), J. J. Shobha (women heptathlon). Bronze: Krishna Poonia (discus throw), Joseph Abraham (400 m hurdles), Susmita Singh Roy (women heptathlon), Bibu Mathew (triple jump), Men’s 4X400 m (Sarish Paul, Joseph Abraham, Sheikh Mortaza, K. M. Binu).
— PTI
|
|
RCF upset Punjab cops, jump into lead
Chandigarh, July 30 The all-important goal was scored by RCF's star marksman Pankaj Sura in the 56th minute. With this creditable triumph, RCF jumped into the lead with nine points after completion of 13 matches in the seven-team league. It was RCF's third win out of the four matches they have played so far. They were beaten in one match. Interestingly, Pankaj Sura had scored all three goals for RCF in four matches RCF have played so far. Punjab Police have also played four matches, with two wins, one draw and one loss to their credit and garnered seven points to occupy the second position. Meanwhile, in another match, Border Security Force and Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) played one-all draw and split points at the Youth Sports Complex, Rurka Kalan. The powermen have so far secured six points from four matches (two wins, one draw and one defeat).
— UNI
|
|
Portugal Tour
New Delhi, July 30 Thanks to custodian Subrata Paul’s two brave saves in the first half and the brilliant work by the defence led by Mahesh Gawli, India kept their nets untouched in the match played at the city of Torres Novas yesterday. The draw was significant as star striker Bhaichung Bhutia, who scored four goals in the last two games, did not take the field due to a minor injury. Besides, India played most part of the match without striker Sunil Chetri, who was substituted in the first half. Tarif Ahmed and Manjit Singh kept penetrating the Monsanto defence but were unable to get any breakthrough. In previous matches on the tour, India scored creditable victories against Recreative Agueda (3-0) and AC Marinhense (3-2) apart from playing out a 1-1 draw against Odivelas FC. — PTI
|
|
Badminton
Bangalore, July 30 Arvind rallied from 8-13 down in the decider to post a 21-15, 12-21, 21-19 win, a Tata Paudkone Badminton Academy release said. The win will be a morale booster for the Karnataka-lad who suffered a severe ankle injury last year. Arvind, who was ranked number one in the country and within the top 40 in the world rankings, scored incredible wins over world number four Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark, world number 11 Bjorn Joppien (Germany) and number three Simon Santoso of Indonesia.. He also won the doubles event, partnering another Bangalore boy and the BPCL mate Ajit Wijetilekk. Arvind earlier played in the Victorian International in Melbourne and North Shore International in Auckland where he narrowly lost to top seeds Ervin, Kelhoffner (France) and John Moody (New Zealand) respectively in the second round. — PTI
|
|
Manav, Ajeetesh ready to take on top amateurs
Chandigarh, July 30 Lahiri of Bangalore will be playing his second last event on the LG Indian Amateur Golf Tour before he turns pro in October. Another Chandigarh lad Ajeetesh Sandhu, who finished second in the Noida Open, will also provide serious competition to the seasoned amateurs. Apart from Lahiri, the LG Jaypee Open Amateur will witness the likes of three-time Sri Lankan Open winner Simarjeet Singh, who is currently No. 2 on the LG Indian Amateur Golf Tour merit list, third ranked amateur Jasjeet Singh, No. 4 amateur Gagan Verma, No. 5 Saurabh Bahuguna, No. 6 Abhishek Jha, No. 7 Vikram Rana, No. 9 H. S. Kang (Chandigarh) and No. 10 Moin Malak among others. Dubai’s Shezad Lakdawala, Bayhan Lakdawala and Andy Andrews and Sri Lankan duo of Mithun Perera and all-India amateur champion K. Prabagaran will add foreign flavour to the event. Bangalore’s Chikkarangappa, who finished third in the Nomura Cup trials, and Jaipur’s Amanjyot Singh, who finished tied fifth at the LG Eagleton Amateur Golf, will also provide competition to the seasoned amateurs.
|
| 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 | |
Los Angeles, July 30
