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Dogged Pietersen salvages draw
Follow-on not enforced as bowlers were tired: Dravid
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Rs 1 cr bonanza for team
Sania now at
29th slot
World Badminton Championship
Murali mulls suit against Bedi
Woods wins 13th major
Nehru Cup
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Dogged Pietersen salvages draw
It will doubtless be eternally debated whether Rahul Dravid should have applied the follow on in the just concluded 3rd Test against England. He was clearly unwilling to chance the uncertainties of cricket, give England even a sniff, having taken a crucial 1-0 lead in the second Test. England, set an impossible task of scoring 500 runs to win and square the series, battled out a draw, thanks to Kevin Pietersen’s match-saving 101, which contributed to England coasting to 369 for the loss of six wickets. Demonstrating a new dimension his batting, Pietersen, quite remarkably, recorded his 10th hundred in 30 Tests – before he edging Sreesanth, the pick of the Indian bowlers, to 1st slip. Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood all dropped anchor, but thereafter lost their bearings – the last mentioned leg before wicket as soon as the second new ball was summoned. He had, however, stitched together an invaluable 114 runs for the 4th wicket with Pietersen. In the first 39 years of touring England, India returned empty handed. The next 36 have now unearthed three series victories – this the first after 1986. As a result, Dravid squad have lifted the Pataudi Trophy, donated by the Marylebone Cricket Club to commemorate 75 years of India in Tests. His caution notwithstanding, it’s a eulogy to Dravid’s leadership that he has now joined Ajit Wadekar to win away series against two respectable cricketing sides – the West Indies and England, who are still 2nd in the LG ICC ranking. A battle of attrition for the English batsmen in a day of suspense for both sides began with an excellent, unrewarded spell from Sreesanth. But it was R P Singh who separated the openers, inducing an injudicious slice from Andrew Strauss into the hands of second slip. It being the 5th day, a lot rested on spinners. Not surprisingly, Anil Kumble was introduced well within the first hour and he struck almost immediately as Cook, another left-hander, inside edged to backward short leg. This Essex man, reluctant to sweep and inclined to position his front foot far too much across, is vulnerable around the leg stump. With England now on 86 for two, another success before lunch may have put the cat among the pigeons. In the event, Kumble extracted an outside edge from Michael Vaughan with a leg spinner, but the chance popped out the otherwise safe Dravid’s hands at slip. A short interruption due to bad light (which created controversy for visibility was far better than at Lord’s in the 1st Test, when India were compelled to continue batting in extremely gloomy conditions) probably upset the England captain’s concentration. Soon after resumption, he was caught behind, flashing at Sreesanth to one that seamed away. Briefly, hopes ignited for India, especially among their supporters in a half full stadium on a working day. But they swiftly faded as Pietersen, in an unfamiliar role, and Paul Collingwood, more in keeping with his character, dug in. The former’s 108 ball 50 was testimony to his doggedness. In the absence of a second specialist spinner, Dravid, not unexpectedly, turned to Sachin Tendulkar, who bowled leg spin before luncheon, off spin after it. Indeed, he forced a snick with a straighter ball from Collingwood only to endure the misfortune of Mahendra Dhoni deflecting the sharp chance to a vacant gully area. As the whimsical English weather wafted clouds overhead to alternate the light and moisture in the air, the Indian quicker bowlers were granted a fair crack at the whip. In fact, they performed quite economically, though Zaheer Khan, the kingpin, with a strapped thigh, was lacking the venom of Trent Bridge or the England 1st innings. In the ultimate reckoning, the wicket, despite throwing up puffs of dust from the first day and appearing to have developed loose craters, neither turned disconcertingly nor generated unpredictable bounce common on a final day of a Test and not untraditional at this ground. Scoreboard India (1st innings): 664 England (1st innings): 345 India (2nd innings): ( 6 wkts dec, 58 overs): 180 England (2nd innings) Strauss c Laxman b Singh 32 Cook c Laxman b Kumble 43 Vaughan c Dhoni b Sreesanth 42 Pietersen c Karthik b Sreesanth 101 Collingwood lbw b Sreesanth 40 Bell lbw b Kumble 67 Prior not out 12 Sidebottom not out 3 Extras (b 2, lb 4, w 9, nb 14) 29 Total (6 wickets; 110 overs) 369 Fall of wickets: 1-79, 2-86, 3-152, 4-266, 5-289, 6-363 Bowling: Zaheer 20-3-59-0; Sreesanth 21-7-53-3; Kumble 37-9-123-2; RP Singh 13-2-50-1; Tendulkar 19-0-78-0.
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Follow-on not enforced as bowlers were
London, August 13 "I can understand disappointment of the people in their living rooms. But I have seen the bowlers from close quarters and could read their body language," Dravid said after the drawn encounter at the Oval today. "They had just bowled 90-odd overs and they were tired. Even I would have been disappointed with the decision not to impose follow-on had I been in the living room. "I am aware of the public disappointment but at the end of the day I have to take my decisions and (facing criticism is) part and parcel of the captain's job in India." The result meant India won the three-Test series 1-0, their first win in England in 21 years. Following in the footsteps of Ajit Wadekar (1971) and Kapil Dev (1986), Dravid said he was proud to lead the team. "We came here to win the series and at the end of the day that's what matters. It was a complete team effort and everyone, the players and the support staff, did their bit." Anil Kumble was named Man of the Match, largely for his maiden Test ton, while James Anderson (England) and Zaheer Khan (India) were adjudged Man of the Series of either sides. England captain Michael Vaughan said he was happy with the performance of his inexperienced pace attack but admitted India played better cricket. "We played good cricket at Lord's and I'm very proud the way my young bowlers played in the series. But India was just the better team," he said. "Both their left-arm bowlers (Zaheer Khan and RP Singh) bowled well and produced angles that made life difficult for us. Full credit to India," Vaughan said. For Anil Kumble, it was a special occasion after the leggie won the Man of the Match award and it was not for his bowling. Kumble confirmed having played his last Test on British soil and said, "I'll go back with fond memories. We have won a series after 21 years and we deserved it. It would be wonderful to go home victorious." — PTI
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New Delhi, August 13 "I would like to congratulate the Indian contingent for their excellent team work and performance against England in the Test series. I am sure every Indian will feel proud of our players who have won a series in England after a gap of 21 years," BCCI President Sharad Pawar said in a statement. "As President of the Board I am happy to announce a prize money of Rs. 1 crore to the 16 players, the Cricket Manager and the two coaches. A separate amount would be provided to other cricketing staff." India won the three-Test series against England 1-0. They won the second match at Trent Bridge and drew the first and the last at Lord's and The Oval respectively. Their previous series win in England, a 2-0 success, came in 1986. — PTI
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Montreal, August 13 The Indo-Czech pair, seeded eighth, overwhelmed fifth seed Australia’s Hanley and Zimbabwe’s Ullyett 6-4, 6-4 in a fiercely contested battle, which lasted one hour and eight minutes. The win was Bhupathi’s 40th career doubles title and the seasoned Indian said he was now aiming to win 10 more before deciding on his future. “I guess four, five years ago I set the goal at 50, so 80 per cent there. And see how long I can play, as long as I can enjoy it. At some point I would like to get there, but one step at a time,” he said after the match yesterday. The two teams matched each other shot for shot for most of the match, but Bhupathi and Vizner converted a couple of crucial break points, while their opponents were unsuccessful on their only chance. Although they were pairing up for the first-time, Bhupathi and Vizner were a well-accomplished team thanks to their individual careers. Bhupathi had 39 career ATP doubles titles to his credit, including four Grand Slams, while Vizner held 14 ATP doubles titles. “I was looking for a partner so I sent him a message a few weeks ago, and he was already playing with somebody else. And we just got really lucky, because they were not going to get in last minute. And then a week ago he sent me a message, and wham-bam,” Bhupathi said. The Indo-Czech duo had ousted a trio of higher seeds, including Number one Bob and Mike Bryan of the US in the semifinals, en route to the summit clash. Bhupathi said he would look to continue the partnership with Vizner. “Winning a super nine is always special. Especially the way we did it, beating three of the best teams in the world, so we’ll just enjoy it now,” he added. — PTI
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Sania now at
29th slot
New Delhi, August 13 Sania, with 915 points, is now perched at 29th spot. In doubles, Sania also moved up one place to be 25th with 1321 points. The Hyderabadi and her American partner Bethanie Mattek's quarterfinal feat at East West Bank Classic was good enough a performance to improve her doubles ranking. Sunitha Rao, who lost four spots to be 222nd with 124 points, remains the next best Indian in WTA rankings. Shikha Uberoi gained three spots to be 330 with 66.75 points. In the ATP doubles rankings, Mahesh Bhupathi's title-winning performance at Montreal Masters propelled the Indian two places up to be 19th. Rohan Bopanna also moved up to 89th after gaining three places. Meanwhile, Leander Paes continued to be in the top 10 despite losing one place to be ninth. In singles, Bopanna remained the top ranked Indian though he slipped one place for the 223rd position. Prakash Amritraj also slided two places to be 270th. Karan Rastogi gained one place to be 339th.
— PTI
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Djokovic stuns Federer in final
Montreal, August 13 Federer, who made a host of uncharacteristic errors throughout, lifted his game in the second set, breaking the Serb twice to force a third set. Djokovic, who had attacked the Federer backhand, let slip a 4-2 lead in the decider as the Swiss hit back to 4-4, but the Serb held his nerve to win the tiebreaker 7-2 and seal his second Masters Series title. Ivanovic win singles
Los Angeles: Ana Ivanovic continued her impressive form with a powerful 7-5, 6-4 victory over Nadia Petrova in the Los Angeles Classic final. The 19-year-old Serb, who reached this year’s French Open final and Wimbledon semifinals, will move up to a career high number four when the world rankings will release today. She joined compatriot Novak Djokovic in the winner’s circle on Sunday after her childhood friend upsets World Number one Roger Federer to secure the Montreal Masters title. Ivanovic initially had trouble finding rhythm on her serve, but once she located the corners of the court, she began to control the rallies. The fourth-seeded Petrova tried to punch holes in Ivanovic’s backhand, but the Serb moved quickly to utilise her huge forehand. Ivanovic broke Petrova to 5-4 when the Russian missed a forehand down the line, but Petrova broke her back to 5-5 when Ivanovic erred on a backhand. But Ivanovic kept going for her shots and broke Petrova again to 6-5 when she powered an inside out forehand return of serve winner. Petrova said she could not cope with Ivanovic’s forehand. “She just rips it off without thinking, sometimes I think she has no idea where it’s going to go, but compared to other players, it’s by far the best forehand out there,” Petrova said.
— Reuters
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Big blow for United and England
Manchester, August 13 "Wayne Rooney has suffered a hairline fracture of his left foot," said a statement released yesterday by the English champions on their official website. The 21-year-old lasted just 45 minutes of yesterday's 0-0 Old Trafford draw against Reading, the team's opening league match of the season, before being replaced by Nani following a collision with Michael Duberry. Rooney almost missed last year's World Cup with a broken metatarsal in his right foot and his involvement in Euro 2004 was ended after a metatarsal injury to his left foot. The news will be a devastating blow for United as well as England who face crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel on September 8 and Russia, four days later, at Wembley. The club didn't comment yesterday on how long the star striker would be sidelined but it's expected to keep him out for at least a month making him unavailable for the next two Premier League encounters with Portsmouth and Manchester City, plus England's friendly with Germany on August 22. Yesterday's injury came in accidental circumstances when Duberry trod on the 27-million-pound striker's foot. It was clear Rooney had a problem, as he went down and removed his boot. Although he was able to continue briefly, he did not reappear for the second half, with Ferguson sending the 21-year-old for a scan.
— AFP
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Saina, Sridhar in 2nd round
New Delhi, August 13 Sridhar got the better of Austria’s Juergen Koch 21-15, 21-19 in 36 minutes, while Saina beat Switzerland’s Jeanine Cicoginini 21-12, 21-12 in first round matches today. Sridhar, however, will have a tough challenge ahead as he faces Olympic Champion Taufiq Hidayat of Indonesia in the next round. Country’s top women’s pair Jwala and Shruti went down fighting 22-20, 15-21, 18-21 against the Swedish pair of Elin Bergblom and Johanna Persson. In other singles encounter, national champion Chetan Anand will take on ninth seed Sony Di Kuncoro of Indonesia in the first round tomorrow. In men’s doubles, Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas faced Svetoslav Stoyanov and Mihail Popov of France. — PTI
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Murali mulls suit against Bedi
Colombo, August 13 Comparing the Lankan star to a “shot putter,” Bedi had recently said Muralitharan was taking advantage of his physical deformity and the International Cricket Council (ICC) had “created a monster” by allowing him to continue to bowl. Muralitharan’s manager Kushal Gunasekara had sent a letter of demand to Bedi. Sources said Murali was hurt over Bedi’s “disrespectful” remarks, which was nothing short of “character assassination.” Colombo’s leading law firm Sudath Perera Associates, along with leading lawyers Romesh De Silva and Dinal Phillips, have been reportedly hired to handle the case. Sri Lankan cricket board had also come out in support of Muralitharan and said Bedi’s remarks were made with an intention to “harm the bowler’s reputation and achievements.” — UNI
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Karachi, August 13 Akhtar was fined 5,000 dollars for two breaches of the players' code of conduct. He left a training camp in Karachi earlier this month without informing the team management. He was also docked 1.5 points from the total of 20 points available to the players for discipline in their central contracts. ''We have got an appeal from Shoaib in which he wants the penalties imposed on him reviewed again,'' PCB chief executive Shafqat Naghmi told Reuters today. ''He says he had informed the team captain about his departure for Lahore because of a stiff neck. But he has admitted to not getting permission from the team manager as required in the rules.'' — Reuters
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Tulsa (Oklahoma), August 13 Three strokes clear going into the final round, the world number one fired a one-under-par 69 for an eight-under total of 272, finishing ahead of fellow American Woody Austin (67) at Southern Hills Country Club yesterday. South African Ernie Els birdied four of the first 10 holes on his way to a six-birdie 66 and third place at five under. Atwal jumps to 21st
Moosec: Arjun Atwal carded a three-under 68 on the final day and vaulted to tied 21st at the Northeast Pennsylvania Classic on the Nationwide Tour in the United States. Atwal birdied the fourth, sixth, 10th and 16th and his sole bogey of the day came on the ninth.
— Reuters, PTI
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We have a realistic chance to win title: Bhutia
New Delhi, August 13 "We are looking forward to winning this tournament and we have a realistic chance of doing so. But it would certainly be a tough ask and we have to perform really well," Bhutia told IANS. Besides hosts India, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Syria and Kyrgyzstan are the other teams in the 13-day tournament to be played at the refurbished Ambedkar Stadium. Bhutia added that the Nehru Cup would be a good preparation for the 2010 World Cup Asian qualifiers that start in October. In the first round of India face Lebanon, ranked 135, in the away and home matches slated for Oct 8 and 28 respectively. The Nehru Cup has been revived by All India Football federation (AIFF) and the Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) after a gap of 10 years. The Nehru Cup was launched in 1982 as an annual international football tournament and from 1989 was held every alternate year until the last edition at Kochi in 1997. India has never won the tournament, which has been claimed by the erstwhile Soviet Union on four occasions and twice each by Iraq and Hungary. Poland, Romania, North Korea and Uruguay have won it once. "It is important for the national team to perform well in this tournament. If we win, it would be fantastic for the game in the country," said Bhutia. The last time India won an international tournament was in 2005 when they lifted the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup in Pakistan. The winning team's coach Syed Nayeemudin, now in charge of the Bangladesh national squad, was removed unceremoniously after the players revolted against his allegedly dictatorial attitude. Bhutia, also the captain then and one of the first to raise his voice against Nayeemuddin, now feels that much has changed since Englishman Bob Houghton was appointed chief coach in May 2006. "A lot has changed in Indian football after Houghton took over as chief coach. I have played under a lot of coaches but I feel he is the best we have ever had. "The important practice sessions are ones that are a learning exercise and under Houghton we experienced just that. Practice sessions should also be fun and he is also the one who made us realise this," said the Indian captain. Till recently the Indian team used to revolve around Bhutia and he feels that the notion is changing slowly. "Now each player knows what his role is on the field, again courtesy Houghton. He has made all the players think on the field," he added. Goal scoring has always been a worry for the Indian team and the captain, who is also the lead striker, feels that the issue has been handled well. The only thing that worries him is the psychology of the players. "The problem of scoring goals has been handled well and we have worked hard to change the psychology of depending solely on the strikers for goals. Everyone must work hard to make the goals possible," he said. "I have good strike partners in Sunil Chetri and Abhishek Yadav and I am also in a good shape compared to last year," he said. — IANS
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