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India keep series alive
Dravid’s Disclosure |
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Watch this quartet
Federation Cup begins tomorrow
Jeev finishes tied 53rd
Surinder shines as eves drub Malaysia
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India keep series alive
Leeds, September 2 A blistering 57-ball 72 by Yuvraj Singh, after Sachin Tendulkar (71 in 59) and Sourav Ganguly (59 in 79) had compiled 116 off 118 balls for the first wicket, pitch-forked India to an impregnable 324 for six in 50 overs. Under scowling skies, the Indian quicker bowlers - swinging the ball more than their English counterparts - then got to work, before the spinners partook of the spoils. Paul Collingwood, unbeaten on a 71-ball 91, which included four sixes - three off them of Tendulkar - waged a heroic battle in vain. Matt Prior, who eventually scored 46 in 45 balls, was dropped by Tendulkar at first slip when he was two, Zaheer Khan being the sufferer. Ganguly parried a chance at second slip to extend a life to Ian Bell before he had opened his account; the Warwickshire batsman proceeded to peg a 38-ball 44. The 90 runs between Prior and Bell for the second wicket surfaced at just 68 balls. Prior was smartly stumped and Bell caught behind, both off Ganguly. Kevin Pietersen had departed in between and Mahendra Singh Dhoni had been involved in each of the first five dismissals. He later equalled the ODI record of six scalps for a wicketkeeper. The rotund Ramesh Powar extinguished England’s hopes by deceiving Owais Shah with a straighter ball and Ravi Bopara with a slower one. Collingwood won the toss for the first time in the series. Tendulkar, whose only stint in the English domestic scene was for Yorkshire, and Ganguly accumulated a mere seven runs in the first five overs. But as the sun broke through, so did they into a gallop to post 58 by the 10th over. Ganguly, playing his 300th ODI, set the tone with lofted drives. A backfoot cover drive at the expense of the England captain and a straight drive and on-drive off Stuart Broad - all to the fence - from Tendulkar were a treat. The capacity crowd cheered him lustily after medium pacer Jon Lewis induced an outside edge. With the Mumbaikar’s exit - after he and Ganguly had recorded their 19th century partnership for the first wicket, their 24th altogether and their second of the series - the Bengal left-hander exquisitely cover-drove Collingwood to the boundary. He had earlier despatched the same bowler to long-on for six. Later, he pulled Lewis to midwicket for equal purchase below the glass-fronted hospitality suites on the eastern section of the stadium. But an attempted encore to greet Monty Panesar triggered his downfall. Gautam Gambhir, who filled the breach after the fall of Tendulkar, was dropped at short extra cover - to Collingwood’s mortification - and by Bopara off his own bowling. To add injury to insult, the latter dislocated and fractured his right thumb.He and Yuvraj realised a rollicking 94 runs in 91 balls for the third wicket. The piece de resistance was unequivocally Yuvraj’s knock. Entering at number four, he recaptured his form of 20 months ago with a repertoire of strokes both immaculate and sumptuous. Cuts and cover drives streaked to the billboards. Panesar and Lewis were pulled over the ropes to midwicket. Eventually, he accomplished more elevation than distance to hole out at long-on.Dhoni and Rahul Dravid persisted in brutalising the English attack. Scoreboard India England
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Dravid’s Disclosure
London, September 2 Dravid said both Chappell and Wright had difficulty in coming to terms with certain aspects of the Indian dressing room, but while the New Zealander was willing to compromise a bit, the Aussie wanted to rule with an iron fist. "Tension is a good thing within a team, but it needs to be creative, not destructive. John Wright had similar problems at the start but unlike Greg he was prepared to adapt. By the end he (Wright) was more Indian than the Indians," Dravid said in an interview to former England captain Michael Atherton for 'The Sunday Telegraph' here. Dravid, who shared a cordial relationship with Chappell, drew flaks from ex-players in the past for allowing the Australian to call the shots on important issues. The 34-year-old became only the fifth Indian captain to lead his side to a Test series triumph in England but he maintains that a defeat in the one-day series could invite the daggers again. Asked if he found captaining India a burden in such a scenario, Dravid said, "burden is too strong a word and people say that because of how I look. I'm not naturally a cheery-looking soul on the field. "I do enjoy it but there are aspects I find tough. What I find hardest is the absolute lack of proportion. It makes it very hard to build a team when two or three bad games provoke such an extreme reaction." Dravid suggested changes for Indian cricket, which he felt was the need of the hour. "Our cricketing culture has to change to some extent. It is an athletic game now and we have to instil these processes into our young cricketers. — PTI
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PCB efforts come a cropper
Karachi, September 2 Sources in the board confirmed that the chairman, Nasim Ashraf, had spoken to Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Farhat in the last 48 hours but failed to get any positive response from them. "None of them have said they would drop their ICL contracts. They have not even said they would reconsider their positions. Farhat and Razzaq, in fact, outlined some of their complaints against the attitude of the board and selectors in general to the chairman," one source said. Interestingly, the board chairman has not bothered to speak to former captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, who is in England playing for Yorkshire. "I don't think until Inzamam is taken into confidence the other three players would respond to the board or reconsider not playing in the ICL," the source said, adding "All the three are loyal and close to Inzamam and will follow what he says." While Razzaq and Inzamam are in England, Yousuf is on a religious tour in the northern areas of Pakistan. Only Farhat has been available in person. "I don't understand this fuss over the ICL. It is just a private league and there is nothing wrong with it. Why can't we play for it and our country as well? Why to face any conditions?" said Inzamam from England. "We are committing no crime and doing nothing wrong. Where does the question of patriotism creep up from? When the board is not selecting us for national duty why can't we go and play in the ICL and earn some good money? What is wrong if there is more cricket?" he said. Other sources said the board found itself in an awkward position because the ICL was not even officially banned by the Indian Cricket Board. "It is an unofficial and private league but not anything illegal. So if the board implements any policy of not picking players for national team who go and play in the ICL, the move could backfire if any of them drag the PCB to court," one source explained. "Secondly and more importantly, the PCB is wary of accusations that it is towing the Indian board line when other cricket boards have largely played down the ICL issue. "Thirdly, the board desperately wants Yousuf to play in the coming Test series and they don't want to lose him. But they can't just single him out and they have to deal with other three players as well," the source stated. "And don't forget the league is also eyeing more Pakistani players who are not happy with the board and selectors. A prime example being Asim Kamal, the left handed batsman who has even been ignored for selection for a one-day series against the Australia A side." The PCB, two days back, announced special bonus for players who had signed central contracts with them, a move seen as an attempt to counter the threat of more players defecting to the ICL. — PTI
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Watch this quartet
Chandigarh, September 2 Uttar Pradesh’s Praveen Kumar, Rajasthan’s Pankaj Singh, Hyderabad’s Pragyan Ojha and Tamil Nadu’s Yo Mahesh, apart from leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who left Nairobi early to play one-dayers against England, dished out virtuoso performances. Praveen was a revelation and showed glimpses of being a promising all-rounder. Though far from being a finished product, Praveen demonstrated his cricketing prowess in no uncertain terms. Batting at the top, he showed how clean a hitter of the ball he was; while bowling his seamers, Praveen proved that he could be relied upon to get crucial breakthroughs. Bhupinder Singh Sr, North Zone selector of the BCCI, had no hesitation in saying: “He could be an asset to the team. In fact, the Uttar Pradesh player could well be the all-rounder the Indian team has been looking for so long,” the former India seamer observed. “As a bowler, he keeps on experimenting. Even with the new ball, he would bowl a slower one or a bumper. He keeps trying to perplex batsmen with something new.” “As a batsman, Praveen is more successful as an opener and not when batting at No. 7 or No. 8. Somewhat in the mould of a slogger, though not exactly one, Praveen can give the ball a real whack. He loves to score runs at a fast clip and can be a useful one-day player,” Bhupinder said. Twentyone-year-old Praveen showed in Nairobi what he was capable of. In the match in which Kenya were bowled out for 99, Praveen, chasing the meagre total as an opener along with Yousuf Pathan, used the long handle to devastating effect. Clearing the fence as if it was the easiest thing to do, he unleashed a sensational assault, notching up an unbeaten 27-ball 57 as India overhauled the target in just 7.4 overs. The all-rounder deservedly was adjudged the Man of the Series. The 22-year-old lanky pacer Pankaj Singh caught the eye with his ability to extract awkward bounce off the track. More often than not, it was the sturdy Rajasthan bowler who provided an early breakthrough to the team. The bounce he extracted off the wicket due to his 6’ 4’’ frame and the adequate pace he bowled with thwarted many a batsman. “Just three years into the domestic circuit, Pankaj has progressed well and is a good bowling prospect. Not an express pacer, he operates in between 130 and 135 kmph. The best thing about him is that he has good control and puts the ball in the right areas. A team man to the core, he should to be handled by a good trainer so that he can realise his true potential. Pragyan Ojha, the 21-year-old left-arm spinner, also had a fruitful outing. After taking quick strides in the domestic circuit, Ojha bowled with enough guile and control to keep the batsmen guessing. For a country earlier known to be the nursery of spinners, the absence of a good left-arm spinner in the Indian team has been just like an aberration, particularly after the success achieved by the likes of Daniel Vettori and Monty Panesar. The emergence of Ojha as a left-arm spinner has thrown up an interesting option. Bhupinder said young Tamil Nadu seamer Yo Mahesh was another fine prospect, while saying that Cheteshwar Pujara showed that he was a special batting talent. Technically sound, he was more suited to the longer version of the game. The success of these youngsters bodes well for the future, particularly when there is talk of Indian cricket facing dearth of quality youngsters.
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Osaka, September 2 The Ethiopian-born runner struck for home with 300 metres to go but Russian Yelena Soboleva stayed with her and Jamal needed every ounce of strength to hold her lead, crossing the line for gold in three minutes 58.75 seconds. Blanka Vlasic won the women’s high jump to become the first Croatian to claim a medal at the 11th World Championships. The 23-year-old from Split won the competition with a best clearance of 2.05 metres. American Bernard Lagat became the first man to win the 1,500m and 5,000m titles at the same World Championships with a stunning victory in the longer distance today. The Kenyan-born 32-year-old stormed through the last 200 metres to cross the line in 13.45.87 and claim the 5,000m gold after breaking a 99-year drought for his new country in the 1,500m earlier in the week. Kenya’s Alfred Kirwa Yego won the men’s 800 metres final by the smallest of margins. The 20-year-old timed his run to perfection to sneak past Canada’s Gary Reed with his final stride and take the gold by just 0.01 seconds in one minute 47.09 seconds. Jeremy Wariner anchored the USA to victory in the 4x400 metres relay in the third fastest time in history for his second gold of the World Championship. — Reuters
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London, September 2 Two goals ahead at half-time thanks to an eighth-minute penalty from Togo striker Emanuel Adebayor and a 35th-minute close-range finish by Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal lost Swiss stopper Philippe Senderos after 52 minutes when he was sent off for a clumsy tackle on Nigerian forward Kanu. Tomas Rosicky, their fluent Czech Republic midfielder, added a third from close range after 59 minutes. Portsmouth replied when Kanu managed luckily to flick the ball into the net as he tried to control it just 18 seconds late. The result took Arsenal to 10 points from four games and extended their unbeaten run to 11 league games. Chelsea missed a chance to return to the top of the Premier League when they crashed to their first defeat of the season, going down 2-0 at Aston Villa. Chelsea struggled for any attacking rhythm and were beaten by second-half goals from debutant central defender Zat Knight and striker Gabriel Agbonlahor. Liverpool brandished their credentials with a 6-0 demolition of Derby, as champions Manchester United United ruined Sunderland boss Roy Keane’s return to Old Trafford with a 1-0 win . Liverpool’s romp lifted Rafael Benitez’s side to the top of the league for the first time in five years. — Agencies
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Federation Cup begins tomorrow
Chandigarh, September 2 The football extravaganza, which kick offs on September 4, will be something which Ludhiana has never seen so far, although the city has hosted JCT’s matches in the National Football League. The teams taking part in the Federation Cup represent the best of Indian football and the recent win of the national team in the Nehru Cup has helped to increase the interest in the game. All players who donned India colours in the Nehru Cup are expected to be seen in action in the inter-club tournament. The Federation Cup will be the biggest football tournament to be held in Punjab. The only time the state has independently held a football tournament of this magnitude was the Santosh Trophy at Jalandhar in 1974, when Punjab handed out a 6-0 drubbing to Bengal, then considered as the powerhouse of Indian football. Among the star-studded teams will be Punjab’s JCT. Coach Sukhwinder Singh believes that the team can do really well given the fact that they will be playing in front of a home crowd in all matches. Other team in the fray for the Rs 12 lakh winner’s purse are last year’s winners Mohun
Bagan, East Bengal, Mahindra United, Dempo, Salgaocar, Viva Kerala, Air India, Mohammad Sporting, Sporting Clube de
Goa, Churchill, Chirag United, HAL, Vasco Club, ONGC and Army XI. JCT would be banking on their skills as also their home support to do well in the tournament. The Guru Nanak Stadium has been the venue of some of their most outstanding wins in the National Football league. Sixteen matches will be played over 10 days. Two matches will be played every day from September 4 to 8, with the first kicking off at 4 pm and the second at 7 pm. Subsequently, one match will be held every day at 7 pm, with the final on September 15. All matches will be shown live by Zee Sports in India and by Ten Sports abroad. Doordarshan will show the opening and closing ceremonies on the basis of deferred telecast.
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Srinagar, September 2 The match was decided on penalty shootouts. Both the teams were locked at 1-1 by the end of 90 minutes. Jammu and Kashmir bank took the lead in the 27th minute of the game when Bilal netted the goal. The equaliser from the Jammu and Kashmir police came from Zubair in the 41st minute. The match was finally decided on penalty shootouts in which the Jammu and Kashmir bank netted four goals while the Jammu and Kashmir police score three. The final score read 5-4. This was the third time that the Jammu and Kashmir bank won the championship organised by Jammu and Kashmir police. — UNI
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Jeev finishes tied 53rd
Chandigarh, September 2 Jeev lost a stroke each on the fourth and fifth holes and then double-bogeyed on the seventh. But then he sank birdies on the eighth and ninth to be two-over after the first nine. The bad patch continued in the return nine with the Chandigarh golf icon losing three strokes for a card of 78. His final tally was 293. Twentyfive-year-old Shiv Kapur had a better outing, shooting four birdies. A single bogey on the par-four 14th hole saw him return a three-under card of 70. HIs overall tally of four-under 288 saw him finishing tied 26th. Chowrasia 16th Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia, the only Indian to have made the cut in the $3 lakh Brunei Open Asian Tour event, played a two-under 69 card to finish tied 16th on the Empire Country Club greens at Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei today.
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Surinder shines as eves drub Malaysia
Hong Kong, September 2 In the one-sided Pool A encounter at the King’s Park Hockey Ground, India proved too strong for their 24th-ranked rivals and exhibited their skills to provide adequate entertainment. In the initial stage of the match, Deepika Thakur opened the scoring for the 13th-ranked Indians. Later, Jasjeet Kaur sounded the board once and Surinder then brought her foursome to seal the win. The Malaysians closely marked the Indian forwards in the early stages but could not prevent them from taking a 3-0 lead at the lemon break. Surinder, who was the second highest goal scorer in the World Cup last year, went on to fire three goals in the second half. India will take on 55th-ranked Thailand tomorrow.
— PTI
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