 |
|
|
Gibbs overshadows imperious Gayle
Malik banks on Afridi firepower
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
ICL can end ICC's monopoly: Gilchrist
U-19 tie marred by ‘ball tampering’
‘Terrorism biggest threat to Olympics’
Olympians back IOA on sports policy
East Bengal edge out Mohun Bagan
Three DAV soccer players get gold
|
|
Gibbs overshadows imperious Gayle
Gayle slammed 117 off just 57 balls, with a record 10 sixes, as the West Indies posted a challenging 205 for six after being sent in to bat in the Group A match. But Herschelle Gibbs put on 54 off 37 balls with captain Graeme Smith (28) for the first wicket before he and Justin Kemp guided South Africa to a comfortable victory with 14 balls to spare. Gibbs batted with a runner but it had no effect on his dazzling strokeplay as he blazed 90 not out off 55 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes, as he and Kemp added 120 in 9.2
overs. Justine Kemp proved an able partner to Gibbs, scoring 22-ball 46 not out as South Africa got off to rollicking start to the tournament with 14 balls to spare. New ball bowler Rampaul conceded 52 runs off his quota of four overs. Earlier, Gayle opened the innings and hammered a creaking South African attack for a record 10 sixes as he made 117. South Africa went wicketless until the 14th over as Gayle and Devon Smith put on an opening stand of 145 off 86 balls, the highest in Twenty20 history — beating the unbroken 132 made by South Africa's Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman against Pakistan in Johannesburg earlier this year. Smith was caught behind off a cramped slash off Vernon Philander for 35 that included just three boundaries. The left-handed Gayle preferred the aerial route, hitting seven fours and his 10 sixes doubled the record of five shared by Australians Ricky Ponting, Damian Martyn and Adam Gilchrist. Gayle was eventually dismissed in the 17th over when an attempted hook off Johan van der Wath went straight up in the air, gifting wicketkeeper Mark Boucher with a simple catch. South Africa's bowlers came back well to limit the West Indies to 38 runs in the last five overs with Van der Wath taking two for 33 and Morne Morkel one for 30 in their four-over spells.
— Reuters Scoreboard South Africa: |
|
Malik banks on Afridi firepower
Durban, September 11 After the disastrous World Cup in the West Indies, in which both India and Pakistan made first round exits, the two sides are ready to square up against each other, and Malik is banking on Afridi’s firepower to notch up a win against the arch-rivals. “For us, any game against India is very special. My team is working hard and they are keen to go out and give their best against India,” Malik told reporters here today. “Actually, anyone can be a trump card in this version of the game. If a bowler gets two wickets in an over, or if a batsmen gets you 15 runs in an over, he could turn the game on its head. But, having said that, we do have an advantage in having a player like Afridi in our ranks because getting a good start will be
important.” Hosts South Africa will be hoping to make an explosive start when they face West Indies in the first match of the inaugural World Twenty20 tournament today. The match will be preceded by an opening ceremony described by Cricket South Africa as ''a musical celebration of South Africa and Twenty20 cricket'', which will involve the crowd. The 20-over format has been embraced enthusiastically at domestic level in South Africa, and Tuesday's match is among several in the tournament that have been sold out for the past month. All nine current Test-playing countries will feature in the tournament along with Kenya, Scotland and Zimbabwe. The 12 sides will play 27 matches in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town over the next two weeks. The final is scheduled for Johannesburg on September 24.
— Reuters
|
|
|
Johannesburg, September 11 Dhoni said the players had to approach the tournament with an open mind as the pressing schedule had left little time for preparation. "To be open minded is very important. We will plan with help from support staff. If you are playing for India, you are always busy. We had a long tour to Ireland and England. It is taxing, it's the World Cup. That itself brings the freshness and the excitement, the confidence. "We have just one Twenty20 game. We will have to adapt and adapt quickly," Dhoni told reporters here yesterday. The Indian captain said the team had a few tactics up its sleeve, but the players had to be smart thinkers to click in the slam-bang version of the game. "Three or four plans are ready. But the game changes every couple of overs. You have to do your homework fast. It's important to plan and be ready to think on your feet," he said. The Jharkhand player said he would not crumble under the pressure of captaincy and would look forward to his team's support to be a successful skipper. "If you have played a for a while, sub-consciously you tend to read the game; what the opposition captain is planning, what the bowlers are planning or what a batsman is thinking. That's what a captain does. You need to back yourself, back your instincts," he said. "It's very challenging. I never even dreamt of playing for India, so to be actually leading the country is a huge thing for me. Of course, I will take my decisions, back myself but ultimately it's up to the team to execute the plans. Good captains are made by the teams!" Dhoni said. Dhoni said he would try to get the best of every player so that India dished out good performances in the World Championship.
— PTI
|
|
|
Johannesburg, September 11 Ponting was joined on the winners' list by Australia team-mates Matthew Hayden, who took the ODI Player of the Year award, and Shaun Tait, who was named Emerging Player of the Year. India's Jhulan Goswami followed in the footsteps of former Australia captain Karen Rolton to become the second ever Women's Player of the Year. She beat Australia's Lisa Sthalekar and Claire Taylor of England to that honour. For the first time, there was an award for the Associate ODI Player of the Year to mark the contribution that the non-Full Member teams are making to the world of cricket. Kenya all-rounder Thomas Odoyo became the inaugural winner of this award, having a fine year with both bat and ball. In total, there were eight individual awards handed out, a Spirit of Cricket Award and the two ICC Teams of the Year - for Tests and ODIs - were also announced. Pakistan run machine Mohammad Yousuf scooped the Test Player of the Year award and Sri Lanka took the Spirit of Cricket Award. ICC President Ray Mali said, ''The past year has been another exciting one for cricket fans around the world in a time that included the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Cricket World Cup. These players have contributed hugely to our enjoyment. This is the fourth annual ICC Awards night and each year it is gaining in prestige. ''It is also a pleasure that for the first time we will be presenting the award for the Associate ODI Player of the Year. We saw in the inaugural ICC World Cricket League Division 1 and at the ICC Cricket World Cup that the top Associates are capable of being competitive at ODI level, even against the best sides and we are committed to promoting cricket beyond its traditional boundaries,'' he added. The full list of winners: Cricketer of the Year Award: Ricky Ponting (Australia) Test Player of the Year Award: Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan) ODI Player of the Year: Matthew Hayden (Australia) Women's Cricketer of the Year : Jhulan Goswami (India) Emerging Player of the Year: Shaun Tait (Australia) Associate ODI Player of the Year: Thomas Odoyo (Kenya) Captain of the Year Award: Ricky Ponting (Australia) Spirit of Cricket Award: Sri Lanka Umpire of the Year Award: Simon Taufel (Australia) The World ODI Team of the Year: (in batting order): Matthew Hayden (Australia), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Ricky Ponting (Australia, captain), Kevin Pietersen (England), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Mark Boucher (South Africa, wicketkeeper), Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka), Shane Bond (New Zealand), Muttiah Muralidaran (Sri Lanka), Glenn McGrath (Australia), 12th man: Michael Hussey (Australia). World Test Team of the Year: (in batting order): Matthew Hayden (Australia), Michael Vaughan (England), Ricky Ponting (Australia, captain), Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan), Kevin Pietersen (England), Michael Hussey (Australia), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, wicketkeeper), Stuart Clark (Australia), Makhaya Ntini (South Africa), Mohammad Asif (Pakistan), Muttiah Muralidaran (Sri Lanka), 12th man: Zaheer Khan (India).
— UNI
|
|
|
ICL can end ICC's monopoly: Gilchrist
Johannesburg, September 11 "I think the International Cricket Council does have a monopoly on the game, and it's nice for the players to have more opportunities and to have more control of their futures," Gilchrist was quoted as saying in the South African media. "It's quite a good thing for guys like me who are at the back end of their careers. I'm 10 years older than guys like Graeme (Smith), and about eight years older than Daniel (Vettori), so it's a great opportunity," he said at the Captain's Breakfast at the Sandton Sun on the eve of the Twenty20 World Cup. The wicketkeeper-batsman, who substituted captain Ricky Ponting at the function, however, did not say whether he would sign up with the League. Brian Lara, who has already signed for the League, said the ICL had clean and clear motives about improving the game of cricket.
— PTI
|
|
|
U-19 tie marred by ‘ball tampering’
Ludhiana, September 11 The four-day match of the Punjab state inter-district cricket tournament for the Katoch Shield began at the Punjab Agricultural University campus ground here today, in which Sunny Sohal, captain of Mohali district was allegedly involved. Fielding in the slips, Sunny, who represented India (u-19) in the recent tour to Sri Lanka, was noticed tampering the ball with his ring. Umpires, Ranjeev Sharma and Gurpreet Singh, both from Patiala, issued warning to the player and also brought the incident into the notice of match referee Umesh Sharma, former Punjab Ranji player. After the day’s play, umpires informed that they would send their report to the Punjab Cricket Association for ‘necessary action’ against the player. Meanwhile, Ludhiana were well placed at draw of stumps on the first day. After restricting Mohali to 92 runs, Ludhiana were cruising well at 71 for 3 after 53 overs. Mohali won the toss and chose to bat, however, their decision appeared to be a miscalculated one as the first innings folded at a paltry total of 92 runs after 39.2 overs. Ludhiana pace bowlers Jagarpreet Singh and Sunny Kumar gave a fine performance to reduce the visitors to a meagre total. Jagarpreet sent down 13 overs and took five wickets for 17 runs, while Sunny captured four wickets conceding 45 runs. Brief scores: Mohali (Ist innings) - 92 all out ( Ishan Dogra 26, Manvneet 14 and Harmeet 14; Jagarpreet 5 for 17, Sunny Kumar 4 for 45 and Gurtej Gill 1 for 26 Ludhiana (Ist innings)- 71 for 3 after 53 overs (Geetansh Khera 43 n.o., Bharat Malhotra 5 n.o., Karan Goel 7, Gaurav Marwaha 6 and Tarun Passi 2; Amanpreet 1 for 12, Varun Khanna 1 for 16).
|
|
|
‘Terrorism biggest threat to Olympics’
Beijing, September 11 ''Although the general security situation for the Beijing Olympics remains stable, we still face the challenges of terrorism, separatism and extremism,'' the official China Daily quoted Minister of Public Security Zhou Yongkang as saying. ''Terrorism, in particular, poses the biggest threat,'' he told a conference, the newspaper said. Interpol would help organisers by providing details such as fingerprints and photographs on international criminal suspects, Xinhua news agency added. ''Terrorists will not use their real names, so they will use documents that were stolen or lost in order to conceal their identities,'' it quoted Ronald K. Noble, Interpol's Secretary General,
as saying. ''Our system will permit automated screening of thousands of individuals against Interpol's global most-wanted databases at the time of their visa application, which will provide China with the most advanced early detection system of fraudulent travel documents and criminals currently available,'' Noble said. But regional and ''ethnic'' conflicts around the world could spill over in the Games, ''and some international terrorist or extremist groups might make use of the event to launch attacks for their own purposes'' added deputy security minister Liu Jing. ''The Olympic Games is a happy gathering for people from all countries, but it's also a big target for terrorism,'' Liu said.
— Reuters
|
|
|
Olympians back IOA on sports policy
New Delhi, September 11 They said: “If the policy is approved the way it has been intended, then it will severely tarnish the image of India in the world of sports. If it is implemented, then India’s participation in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, 2010 Commonwealth Games and other major international events will be affected.” The former Olympians said they were not against bringing changes in the sports policy, but it should be for the overall benefit of sports, and not for creating confrontation between the government, the IOA and the national sports federations. The National Sports Federations and the State Olympic Associations have already pledged their support to the IOA for its vocal stand against the policy, which they argue will only stifle sports and not foster its growth.
|
|
|
East Bengal edge out Mohun Bagan
Ludhiana, September 11 East Bengal will play the final on September 15 against the winner of the second semifinal to be played between Dempo Sports Club and Mahindra United tomorrow. Star player Bhaichung Bhutia, who had missed the last match due to stomach bug, played in today’s contest. Bhutia scored the first goal of the match, utilising a quick pass from Jose Barreto in the 10th minute. Thereafter, they could not score any goal in the remaining time of the first half. For East Bengal, Sur Kumar Singh scored the equaliser by kicking the ball diagonally into the opponent’s net after collecting a pass from Jayanta Sen in the 21st minute. Dipendu Biswas of East Bengal collected a cutback from Syed Rahim Nabi and scored an excellent goal to put his side ahead. In the second half Mohun Bagan players dominated the proceeding till the end, but could only reduce the lead. However, East Bengal increased the margin to 3-1 in the 50th minute. Ashim Biswas dribbled the ball into the D and finding enough room, kicked it into the net. Subsequently, East Bengal were forced to play defensive game as the rivals got their act together and mounted spirited attacks. Bhutia collected the ball through a pass from right flank, but failed to control it and fumbled near the goalmouth. Mohun Bagan reduced the margin 2-3 when Jose Barreto pushed the ball into the net through a header after collecting a midfield cross from Lalkamal Bhowmick in the 71st minute.
|
|
|
Three DAV soccer players get gold
Ambala, September 11 School principal Dr Vikas Kohli today said three students had won gold medals, three had won silver while two others had won bronze medals in the tournament. The winners are: Gold: Rohit, Parvinder and Gurleen; silver: Davish, Rahul and Aditya Mathur; bronze: Kulkin and
Rajat.
|
| 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 | |
Durban, September 11
Johannesburg, September 11
