The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	South Africa ease past Bangladesh Cape Town, September 15 Hosts South Africa outplayed Bangladesh by seven wickets in their Twenty20 World Cup Group A match here tonight. Bangladesh paid the price for some reckless batting as they were restricted to 144. The Proteas replied with 146 for 3 in 18.5 overs. Skipper Graeme Smith and Albie Morkel scored 41 runs each. Electing to field after winning the toss, the South African bowlers struck early and were also aided to some extent by the poor shot selection of Bangladeshi batsmen, who were bowled out in 19.3 overs. Shaun Pollock picked up three wickets in 3.3 overs, conceding 40 runs. For Bangladesh, Aftab Ahmed was the star performer with his enthralling 14-ball 36, which included five fours and two sixes. However, the rest of the Bangladeshi batsmen failed to make much impact and perished while attempting reckless shots. The Asian giant-killers were dealt the first blow early when Makhaya Ntini trapped Nazimuddin lbw for a duck in the second over. Nazimuddin’s departure brought in Ahmed, who struck two back-to-back sixes and a four off Ntini. But as was the case with their entire innings, Bangladesh lost a wicket soon after with Tamim Iqbal (8) holing out to Graeme Smith while trying to loft a Shaun Pollock delivery over mid-off, leaving the team at 24 for 2. Next man in Mohammad Ashraful (10) did not last long either and after smashing a six and four off Pollock, he mistimed a pull shot to give Smith a simple catch at mid-on. The 21-year-old Ahmed was castled by Morne Morkel while attempting to hit across the line. The rest of the innings failed to hold after his departure as Bangladesh squandered an opportunity to post a bigger total. — Agencies Scoreboard Bangladesh Iqbal c Smith b Pollock 8 Nazimuddin lbw Ntini 0 Ahmed b M Morkel 36 Ashraful c Smith b Pollock 10 Shakib run out 19 Kapali c De Villiers b M Morkel 14 Mortaza c Duminy b Philander 12 Reza c Kemp b Philander 19 Rahim c Pollock b Van der Wath 4 Razzak not out 2 Rasel b Pollock 6 Extras (lb-10, w-3, nb-1) 14 Total (all out, 19.3 overs) 144 Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-24, 3-34, 4-58, 5-77, 6-101, 7-119, 8-131, 9-134. Bowling: Pollock 3.3-0-40-3, Ntini 2-0-31-1, M Morkel 4-0-21-2, Van der Wath 4-0-13-1, Philander 4-0-23-2, A Morkel 2-0-6-0. South Africa Smith c Rahim b Shakib 41 Duminy lbw Razzak 36 A Morkel c Reza b Razzak 41 De Villiers not out 14 Kemp not out 12 Extras (lb-1, w-1) 2 Total (3 wkts, 18.5 overs) 146 Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-108, 3-123. Bowling: Mortaza 3.5-0-33-0, Rasel 4-0-28-0, Razzak 4-0-26-2, Ashraful 2-0-17-0, Shakib 4-0-28-1, Reza 1-0-13-0.
	Super 8 tie vs Kiwis today Chawla may replace Agarkar Openers Sehwag and Gambhir need to fire Johannesburg, September 15 After a breath-taking start to their World Twenty20 Championship campaign, India will look to continue the momentum when they take on New Zealand in their Super Eight match at the Wanderers here tomorrow. India kept themselves afloat in the tournament with a dramatic win against Pakistan after their opening match versus Scotland was washed out due to rains. Indications are that India may replace pace bowler Ajit Agarkar with Piyush Chawla, given New Zealand's weakness against spin. The thrilling win against Pakistan may have served as a great morale booster for the team, which has little experience in the shortest version of the game, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men have their task cut out against the Kiwis. India's top order will have to put the runs on board, the fielding has to be sharp and the bowlers need to be consistent against a well-balanced team like New Zealand. The Indian skipper has already made it clear that "more than the batting order or the bowling order, it's important to understand the responsibility (given to a player). A player should know what the captain expects of him in a particular situation and in a particular position." Openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who got out cheaply against Pakistan, will need to be more assured in their mind about the methods they employ. But Irfan Pathan, who is doing well, gives the team a good balance. "It was very pleasing to see Irfan bowl the way he did. The way he responded when he was given the ball... And he also contributed with the bat," said Dhoni. It is important for India to dish out a high quality performance because they will also be playing some tough opponents in South Africa and England, later. And every point gained will come handy in their desire to qualify for the semi-finals. Although the wicket here may not be as favourable to the bowlers as Kingsmead, Durban, in terms of pace and bounce, Shane Bond would be a threat to tackle as he has enough pace, fire and accuracy to blast the opposition. New Zealand has also been enterprising when it comes to the shorter version of the game. Led by the brilliant left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, New Zealand has always thrived on collective effort, great team spirit and a never-say-die attitude. They give more than 100 per cent in the field. Possessing a good number of utility cricketers in all rounders like Jacob Oram, Craig McMillan and Scott Styris, New Zealand's openers Lou Vincent and Brendon MuCullum will look to do a lot of damage early on. The teams (from): India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt), Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Joginder Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Piyush Chawla, Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, RP Singh and S Sreesanth. New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Brendon McCullum (wk), Lou Vincent, Peter Fulton, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Crag McMillan, Shane Bond, Mark Gillespie, Chris Martin, Bradley Scott and Gareth Hopkins. — PTI
	Bowlers turned it around: Dhoni Durban, September 15 Mahendra Singh Dhoni might have led India to a famous win through a 'bowl out' against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Twenty20 World Cup, but the dashing wicket-keeper would not like to see cricket matches ending in such a fashion. A beaming Dhoni was all praise for his side for snatching a thrilling 3-0 win via 'bowl out' after their inaugural Twenty 20 World Cup match ended in a tie. It was only the second instance when a match has been decided in 'bowl out', which requires five players from each side aiming the stumps and the number of hits decides the winner. "It really amuses you. Winning a cricket match 3-0! It doesn't happen every time," said Dhoni, who was leading India for the first time. "But I won't want to see a cricket match decided on a bowl out. The team plays so hard to get a result and it should always be decided on the field." Dhoni showed some smart cricketing brain in preferring three slow bowlers in Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthappa for the 'bowl out' and they all hit the stumps. Asked about his bowlers' amazing strike-rate in the 'bowl out', Dhoni traced down their effort to some vigorous practice in the last 48 hours. "Whatever they (the bowlers) did, they were picked for that. They had practised a lot for such an eventuality. Dhoni admitted that, despite the batting not measuring up to the expectations, the bowlers turned it around for his team. The Indian captain also made a special mention of Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh, both of whom were making their comebacks. "It was very pleasing to see Irfan bowl the way he did. The way he responded when he was given the ball. It was moving a bit and he knew where to bowl. The way he bowled in each of his four overs was amazing. And he also contributed with the bat. "Harbhajan is my trump card. He's ready to bowl whenever you want him to bowl. It's very hard to control (Shahid) Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq. They are very good against spinners and he did a great job under pressure." — PTI
	Pathan has come back — and how! Gopal Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, September 15 Right from the first ball he bowled in the Twenty20 match against Pakistan yesterday, it was obvious that Irfan Pathan meant business. Pathan struck in his first over when Younis Khan chopped one onto his stumps to trigger celebrations in the Indian camp. Having been thrust into a hole by an incisive spell from Pakistani spearhead Mohammad Asif, India had just recovered somewhat to post a modest total on the board. Overhauling the target looked like a formality for Pakistan as long as Younis, their best middle-order batsman in the side, was there at the crease. Younis had tormented India bowlers on numerous occasions in the past. But Pathan, who was on target right from the first ball, pitched one perfectly. It cut in sharply at an adequate pace which the batsman played on to leave his stumps in disarray. And it was the loss of this wicket which probably set the panic in the rival camp. A key scalp in the bag, comeback man Pathan was off to a perfect start after being in the wilderness for long. He grew in confidence thereafter. Bowling his in-swingers with greater vigour and purpose, young Pathan kept the batsmen quiet. Primarily a rhythm bowler, he induced a couple of inside edges off the blade, which, unfortunately missed the stumps. The Baroda seamer also sent back skipper Shoaib Malik, emerging the most successful bowler (2 for 20) from the side. Incidentally, Pathan was only bowler from either side to bowl a maiden over, a rarity in a Twenty20 game. During the match, Pathan gave glimpses of why he was once dubbed the most talented youngster to emerge in the country a couple of years ago. It was the time when under Greg Chappell, he looked like the possible all-rounder India had been looking for so long. Besides bowling and batting well, Pathan was energetic in the field. The twin sixes Pathan hit off Shahid Afridi should have gladdened many a heart. The strokes were reminiscent of some of the fine knocks he played at the start of his career while batting up the order. The little cameo points to the fact that Pathan could be the answer to the dicey No. 7 spot, especially in the shorter version of the game. The odds were not in favour of Pathan as he went into the key contest against the arch-rivals. On the earlier tour to Zimbabwe and the tri-series played in Kenya for India A, Pathan had not set the stage on fire. In fact, it were relatively unknown youngsters who had fared better. A stint at the MRF Pace Foundation under Dennis Lillee and TR Shekhar seems to have done Pathan a world of good. Besides, he always had rich international experience to draw strength from. Pathan coming out with flying colours augurs well for the Indian team.
	Malik didn’t know about bowl-out Durban, September 15 Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik's has admitted he was not aware that their Group D match against India would be decided via bowl-out after it was tied and said he would not blame his team for the loss as it gave its 100 per cent. Pakistan managed to tie the match in their stipulated 20 overs but lost 0-3 in the bowl-out in their Group D World Championships match at Kingsmead yesterday. "When the match ended in a tie, only then we came to know that this (bowl -out) would happen. I just told my bowlers not to take pressure and try and hit the wickets but they were not successful," Malik said. "The match ended in a 'tie', so none of my players should be blamed (for losing)," said Malik. "Any loss against India hurts, but we will take lessons from this game. My team gave 100 per cent. And we didn't lose it on the field, we lost it on bowl-out," he added. Malik said his team had recovered well after initial hiccups in the match. "We lost early wickets but we still recovered well and needed 1 off the last two balls with three wickets in hand." Asked whether Shahid Afridi would have been more useful at the top of the order, Malik replied in the negative. "We needed 1 off the last 2 balls. Anyway he's more useful to us after 12 overs," Malik said. Mohammad Asif, who was adjudged 'Man of the Match' for his brilliant figures of 4 for 18, echoed his captain's sentiments. — PTI
	Ojha bowls India ‘A’ to thumping win New Delhi, September 15 Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha ripped through the South Africa ‘A’ batting line-up as India ‘A’ inflicted a humiliating defeat of an innings and 242 runs on the visitors on the penultimate day of the four-day match here today. Ojha returned a match tally of 8 for 95. He scalped three wickets for 29 runs in the first innings and had a haul of five wickets for 66 runs in the second. India ‘A’ had declared their first innings at 588 for 4. In reply, South Africa scored a paltry 145 runs in their first essay. Forced to follow on, they could make only 201 runs before being all out. The South African batting line-up collapsed like a house of cards as they lost 17 wickets for 252 runs in 78.1 overs. Brief scores: India ‘A’ (1st innings): 588 for 4 dec; South Africa ‘A’ (1st innings): 145 all out in 45.4 overs (M van Wyk 67, Boeta Dippenaar 26; A Mishra 3-10, Pragyan Ojha 3-29, Ishant Sharma 2-48); South Africa ‘A’ (2nd innings): 201 all out in 68.2 overs (T Tsolekile 63 n.o., J Ontong 35, Dippenaar 29; Pragyan Ojha 5-66, Pankaj Singh 2-17, A Mishra 2-62). — UNI
	Punjab to amend rules for players: CM Amarjit Thind Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 15 Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced that rules would be amended to facilitate the recruitment of deserving sportspersons in the police force as well as for reservation in promotions at all levels every year. Badal made the announcement after giving away lifetime achievement and excellence awards in various disciplines to former and current sportspersons at the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) Grounds here today. The Chief Minister noted that the sportspersons being awarded at the function included five Padam Shris, nine Arjuna awardees and three Maharaja Ranjit Singh awardees. He announced that the government would give Rs 1 crore to any sportsperson who won an Olympic gold. Olympic silver and bronze winners would be given Rs 50 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, respectively. He also stated that sportspersons would be given pension. Badal announced Rs 5 lakh for the purchase of training kits and Rs 10 lakh for the setting up a state-of-the-art shooting range at the PAP. The CM honoured 103 sportspersons, of which 58 were given the lifetime achievement award, while 25 received the excellence award. He also honoured 20 coaches for their excellent performance. Among those felicitated were Pargat Singh, Sunita Rani and Gagan Ajit Singh. Those who spoke on the occasion included Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, MP, and NPS Aulakh, DGP. Others present included mayor Rakesh Rathore, parliamentary secretary Avinash Chander and MLA Jagbir Brar. Rajan Gupta, ADGP, proposed the vote of thanks.
	East Bengal win Federation Cup Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Ludhiana, September 15 East Bengal beat Mahindra United 2-1 in the final to win the 29th Federation Cup football tournament at Guru Nanak Stadium here today. In the first half, East Bengal made the most of the opportunities, with Brazilian Edmilson Marques scoring both goals. Mahindra’s Manjit Singh reduced the margin by converting a penalty kick. The winners led 2-1 at half-time. Just two minutes into the game, East Bengal wasted their first corner. Three minutes later, Mahindra’s Steven Dias dribbled past defenders and managed to sneak into the box. However, Dharamaraj Ravanan failed to collect the pass. In the 34th minute, Edmilson scored the first goal for East Bengal through a penalty kick earned following an obstruction by Mahindra players. About 11 minutes later, Edmilson ran down the right flank and unleashed a kick that landed into the net (2-0). Mahindra United reduced the lead in the dying moments of the first half when Manjit Singh scored through a penalty. Mahindra played aggressive football in the second half. Their repeated raids forced the East Bengal players to play a defensive game. Manjit Singh, Andrews, Noel Fernandes and Krishnan N. Ajayan made several moves but to no avail. Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, union minister for information and broadcasting and president of the All-India Football Federation, and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, former union minister, were present on the occasion.
	Abhishek shines for Oil India ‘A’ Donald Banerjee Chandigarh, September 15 It was Abhishek Jha all the way. This Bangalore-based India's No 2 amateur gave a display of his cool temperament as he outholed yesterday's leader Vikram Rana on the sixth hole in the play-off, after the two golfers were tied at 138 to clinch the individual title in the 28th PSPB Golf Tournament that concluded here today. Oil India's Simarjeet Singh fired the best card of the day, a three-under 69, to finish tied third with Manav Das of Ambala and Joseph Chakola at 141. Das shot a level par 72 today. Then Abhishek, along with Manav Das and Karan Vasudeva got together to help Oil India "A" clinch the team championship.The winning team ended with a tally of 420. This was six strokes better than the ONGC 'A' team who finished runner-up. Indian Oil 'A' finished third with a score of 431. Jha who returned a four-under card yesterday, but trailed the leader by three strokes, sank birdies on the first and fourth for a two-under score in the first nine.On the back nine, Jha shot birdies on the 14th, 16th and 18th but dropped shots on the 13th, 15th and 17th for a card of 70. Rana found conditions tough and had to settle for a card of 73 today. He started his round with a bogey on the first followed by another on the ninth to take the turn at two-over. On the back nine, he bogeyed the 11th but fired birdies on the 13th, 15th and 17th. He could have sealed the title in regulation play but a bogey on the 18th where he missed a three-foot par putt cost him the individual title. Oil India ended the tournament with a tally of 420, six strokes clear of ONGC 'A' team who finished second at 426. Host Indian Oil 'A' finished third at 431. For Oil India 'A' team, Abhishek Jha and Joseph Chakola shot 70 each while Manav Das brought in a card of 72. ONGC's Saurabh Bahuguna shot a 70 while Vikram Rana and JS Dullet carded rounds of 73 and 75, respectively.
	Raid de Himalaya from Oct 2 Tribune News Service Shimla, September 15 The ninth Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya 2007 will be held from October 2 to 8. Stating this here today, Ashok Thakur, Principal Secretary, Tourism and Youth Services, said that the rally is being organised jointly by the Department of Youth Services and Sports and the Himalayan Motor Sports Association. The rally will be flagged off from Shimla on October 2 and would conclude at Srinagar on October 8. The event will be sponsored by Maruti Udyog, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism and Himachal tourism department. The rally would run seven legs from Shimla via Manali, Kaza, Tabo, Dhankar, Komic, Leh, Kargil and Srinagar. He said the rally would cover a distance of 2,400 kms and more than 140 teams were likely to take part in the rally. He said the rally attracted adventure sports lovers from all over the country and helped in boosting tourism activities in the area.