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India in must-win situation
Lanka wreck Bangladesh
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Pakistan upset Australia
Coach by Sept 27: Shah
South Africa ‘A’ keen to level series
Indian Asia Cup win due to biased umpiring: PHF
Allegations a bundle of lies: IHF
Ghei set to defend title
Athletic squad
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India in must-win situation
Durban, September 18 After beating Pakistan in a thriller at Kingsmead via bowl out, India lost to New Zealand at Wanderers by 10 runs. And now, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side must win its last two games against England and South Africa to stay alive in the tournament. On their part, England too went down to South Africa in their first game of the second round before bouncing back in style at Kingsmead by beating New Zealand. "We lost to New Zealand by a narrow margin and though the boys are disappointed not to win, they are determined to learn from their mistakes to move on," said India's cricket manager Lalchand Raput. "The loss against New Zealand will put us under a bit more pressure, but the boys know that if they do well as a unit, they can get the desired results." Then again, while the Wanderers has been known to produce high-scoring games, things might be different at Kingsmead where the wicket has more pace and bounce. And since India will be playing under lights, the bowlers can certainly look forward to exploiting the conditions to their advantage. Indian skipper, Dhoni minced no words when he blamed losing too many wickets and poor bowling at the 'death' for India's defeat against New Zealand. However, the team is still undecided on how to address these issues. "We still have some time before making up our mind. We'll have a look at the conditions and then pick the combination that will suit us best," explained Rajput. Ajit Agarkar's indifferent form with the ball puts a big question mark against him while India will need men who can wield the willow with authority in the lower order too. Leg spinner Piyush Chawla has a good record against England while the likes of Yusuf Pathan or Rohit Sharma can shore up the batting. However, whatever side they pick, India must bat well and deep, bowl intelligently, take their catches and keep a decent fielding standard. Besides, it is important to have the right man batting at the right place. Teams: India: Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain-wk), Irfan Pathan, Joginder Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Piyush Chawla, Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, RP Singh and S Sreesanth. England: Paul Collingwood (captain), James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Andrew Flintoff, James Kirtley, Darren Maddy, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (wk), Chris Schofield, Owais Shah, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Jeremy Snape, Vikram Solanki, Chris Tremlett, Luke Wright.
— PTI
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Johannesburg, September 18 Bangladesh bowlers did well to restrict the explosive Sri Lankan batsmen to a modest 147 for five and gave themselves a good chance of winning the game but their batsmen could not complete the task and were bundled out for just 83 runs in 15.5 overs. After being sent in, Sri Lanka lost their way against some tight and disciplined bowling from Bangladesh. But their bowlers stood counted and gave no sniff of victory to Bangladesh. Chaminda Vaas (2-14), Dilhara Fernando (2-21) and Sanath Jayasuriya (2-5) all chipped in with the ball. Bangladesh batsmen went down to some reckless hitting, and with wickets falling in heaps, they were never really in sight of a victory. In the end, it turned out to be a one-sided affair. Aftab Ahmed (18) and Shakib-al Hasan (18) were the top scorers for Bangladesh. Fernando and Vass did not allow Bangladesh a good start and scythed through the top-order. Vaas struck in the very first over and trapped Nazimuddin in front. Tamim Iqbal tried a big shot but was caught at the third man region by Lasith Malinga off Fernando. Aftab Ahmed and skipper Mohammed Ashraful tried to hit their way out but did not succeed and Bangladesh were soon down to 4-31. Sri Lanka also fielded well and executed two run-outs as wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Earlier, Bangladesh bowlers kept Sri Lanka on a tight leash and restricted them to a modest 147 for five.
— PTI Scoreboard Bangladesh:
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Durban, September 18 The batsmen let down England once again as they failed to reach 165 set by Daniel Vettori's team at Kingsmead. England were in with a chance when they had to get 20 runs from the last two overs with Owais Shah and Twenty20 specialist Luke Wright at the crease. But the penultimate over by speedster Shane Bond spelt disaster for England as they lost three wickets and their way. They needed 15 off the final over from Mark Gillespie and it proved to be too much for the tail-enders. After New Zealand managed 164 for nine in their 20 overs, England got a flying start with Darren Maddy (50 in 31 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes) and Vikram Solanki, brought into the team in place of the injured Matt Prior, (24 in 25 balls, 4 fours) adding 62 in less than eight overs. But the later batsmen failed to get the job done. Kevin Pietersen scored 24 off 16 deliveries with two fours and a six, but England were hoping for more from their best player. Vettori, who halted India's charge in New Zealand's last game, again came up trumps taking 2 wickets for 20 runs in his four overs. Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff also did not come to the party for England. — PTI Scoreboard England:
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Johannesburg, September 18 Chasing 165 to win, Pakistan bounced back from a disastrous start as skipper Shoaib Malik (52) and Misbah-ul Haq (66) tore through the Australian attack to post their second victory, with five balls to spare, in as many matches in Group F of Super Eights. Pakistan have one match left against Bangladesh. Australia with one win against Bangladesh will have to beat Sri Lanka to stay in contention for the semi-finals. Misbah-ul-Haq and Malik combined for a dazzling 119-run unbroken fifth wicket stand in 78 balls after Pakistan were left reeling at 46 for four at one point. Stuart Clark (3-27) did the damage and took three wickets in his first seven deliveries. Man-of-the-match Misbah smashed 66 off 42 balls that included seven boundaries and one six, while skipper Malik chipped in with 52 in 38 balls, cracking four boundaries and one six. The nerve-wracking match was going at run-a-ball equation till the second last over when Misbah chose to hit the tournament's longest six off Nathan Bracken that brought the equation down to five runs in nine balls. Earlier, young left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir claimed 3-31 in four overs to keep restrict the Australia to 164-7.
— PTI Scoreboard Pakistan:
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Mumbai, September 18 Speaking to mediapersons after the selection committee meeting here today, Shah said they had asked interested candidates to submit their applications to the board by September 15. “We have received around 20 applications which would be forwarded to the committee set up to select a new coach.” The committee was likely to meet on September 27 and the applications would be scrutinised. Selection committee chairman Dilip Vengsarkar, who was also present at the media briefing, intervened and said “Whoever it will be (foreign or Indian), I assure you that the person would be the best suited for the job”.
— UNI
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T20 to make debut in Asiad
New Delhi, September 18 Over 14,000 athletes and sports officials from 45 countries will participate in the 2010 Asian Games. The 42 sports disciplines will be held in 62 venues spread across Guangzhou city. China had hosted the Asiad for the only time in Beijing in 1990. The organisers of the Guangzhou Asian Games, who were in Delhi to launch a media and promotional tour across South Asia, have promised a spectacular show when cricket makes its bow in the Asian Games. Test-playing countries like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh would be among the contestants vying for the cricket medal. Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) secretary-general Randhir Singh, who along with Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi and Fang Dae, director of marketing, Guangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee, addressed the media here today, said the OCA, in its general assembly in Kuwait earlier this year, had approved the introduction of cricket in the Asian Games, taking into the consideration the enormous popularity of the game in the continent. He said Asia's best cricketers would be representing their countries in the 2010 Asian Games. Randhir Singh said though China was not a cricket-playing country, the organisers of the Guangzhou Asiad were keen to host cricket and this will be a wonderful way of continuing to promote cricket in China and across East Asia.
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South Africa ‘A’ keen to level series
Dharamsala, September 18 The visitors had faced a humiliating defeat in the first of the three-match series at New Delhi last week. Talking to The Tribune, Dippenaar said that Dharamsala pitch was almost the same as in Cape Town. “Our players are used to the grassy pitches like the one which is here and, therefore, we are confidant of winning the match”, he said. He said that all his players had practised hard in the morning conceding that victory in this match was very important for them to level the series. After the Twenty 20 World Cup, the South Africa team is going to Pakistan and five of its players Hashim Amla, Charl Langeveldt, Ashwell Prince, Andre Nel and Dippenaar were looking for a comeback to the main team. Therefore, for them, the win here at Dharamsala would go a long way in boosting their chances of inclusion in the main team. However, their hopes of win would largely depend upon weather conditions. It has been continuous raining here everyday for the past over three months. Yesterday also light to moderate showers poured in forcing the players of both the sides to turn away from match practice. Today, the weather conditions at Dharamsala were a little hot and humid in the afternoon. In the morning and in the evening clouds hovered over the town. The team members of India-A including were disappointed over not getting a berth in the country’s one-day team. The Indian team had been announced by the BCCI this morning. No one was willing to comment anything on not getting a place in the main team even as Mohammad Kaif, Parthiv Patel, Suresh Raina and Manoj Tiwary had hopes of inclusion in the team.
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Indian Asia Cup win due to biased umpiring: PHF
Karachi, September 18 In an unusually hard-hitting statement, Pakistan Hockey Federation spokesman Altaf Sabir said India can gloat over its victory but the result could have gone in favour of other teams if the umpiring had been fair and just. India won the 11-nation tournament held in Chennai by beating South Korea 7-1 in the final although the match was marred by a walkout by the Koreans who protested the umpiring decisions. "The final between Korea and India was the glaring example of this show which was tainted by biased decisions," he said. "Such was the state of umpiring that at one time the Korean team walked off the field and refused to proceed further because the umpire from Ghana had disallowed their goal which could have put them back into contention," he added. Sabir claimed umpiring was at its lowest ebb in the tournament and it was quite apparent that there was some understanding between the FIH appointed technical director and the Indian hockey officials that a weak umpire from Ghana was given such an important assignment. Sabir noted that a South Korean delegate had to come down from the VIP stand to exhort his team to resume the final. Sabir alleged that Pakistan had also suffered at the hands of poor and biased umpiring. Pakistan were beaten by Japan and China and held to a draw to finish a disappointing 6th position in the Asia Cup. Giving examples of the biased umpiring, Sabir said "the appointment of a raw hand Korean umpire in Pakistan's crucial match against Malaysia smacked of intrigue to oust the three times Asian Champions." "This worked according to plan the debutant Korean first denied Pakistan a penalty stroke and then in the dying moments of the match when Pakistan were ensured a semi-final place, flouted all rules and awarded a penalty stroke which was not at all there at the first instance." Sabir said this decision effectively put Pakistan out of contention. The PHF said it had strong reservations over the way the Asia Cup was organised. Tension is simmering between the Pakistan and Indian federations after indications the International Hockey Federation would allow India to organise the Champions Trophy, which was shifted from Lahore by the FIH on security grounds. "Effusive in their praise, the Indian media put a blind eye to these facts since Indian hockey had tasted victory after decades and they didn't want to spoil the show. "But unfortunately the rest of the media didn't care either. At least there should have been some words written to expose the Indian manipulations that paved the way for an their team's victory," Sabir said.
— PTI Allegations a bundle of lies: IHF
New Delhi: The IHF today reacted sharply to PHF’s allegation that India won the Asia Cup hockey tournament due to biased umpiring, saying the accusations were "a bundle of lies."
Outrightly rejecting the claims made by the Pakistan Hockey Federation, Indian Hockey Federation secretary K. Jothikumaran said the accusations did not have any factual basis. "I can only say that this is a bundle of lies. I have never heard of the person (PHF media manager Altaf Sabir) who has issued the statement. Who is he to talk about this? Either it should come from the president or secretary of the PHF.” "What is the meaning of linking India and Pakistan? We did not even played in the same group in the Asia Cup," Jothikumaran said. "It is India which usually becomes the victim of poor umpiring. If you analyse, some decisions went against us in the Asia Cup," he added. The IHF official said such a statement from PHF only indicated the poor state of hockey in Pakistan. On the possibility of the Champions Trophy, which was shifted from Pakistan, coming to India, Jothikumaran said the IHF was hopeful of getting it. "I feel we will get it. Going by the successful conduct of the Asia Cup, the FIH should allot the Champions Trophy to India to keep up the momentum in India," he said.
— PTI
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Sachin rues missing chance to play Sania
Kolkata, September 18 After clobbering the bowlers round the globe for 18 years, Sachin donned an unfamiliar role, but something close to his heart - sporting a head-band and tennis racquet during a fun match at the Sunfeast Open. The veritable god of cricket Sachin Tendulkar and pin-up boy of Indian soccer Baichung Bhutia put on their shorts and picked up the tennis racquet for a game of mixed doubles with regulars on the circuit, Mahesh Bhupathi and Maria Kirilenko. Sachin partnered the newest glam-babe of world tennis Kirilenko, while Mahesh had Baichung as his mate. For an icing on the cake, Sania Mirza crooned perched atop the chair-umpire's seat. The match did have a winner, 3-1 in favour of Sachin and Maria. Tennis has always been close to Sachin’s heart and as a child, he wanted to be a John McEnroe, sporting a headband so that people identified him with the left-handed American. Sachin rued the fact that Sania would not be able to take court today in the mixed doubles fun match. “She is a fine hitter of the ball. I often see how well and hard she hits. It’s a lot faster when she hits on the court. It's a sad thing that she can't play today.” Sachin was in the city to promote the Sunfeast Open. At a media meet, he put his hand imprint on a plaque that is going to be at the Avenue of Stars at Millennium park in the city. The park already has hand imprints of Martina Hingis, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza. “I have followed tennis very closely. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have always excited me. Now with Sania, my following of the sport has gone to another level,” Sachin said, when asked if he followed tennis. A big fan of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, Sachin refused to decide a winner if the two were pitched on either side of the court. “They are both great players and one has to lose in a match. I don't want to decide that. I would be enjoying that match for sure. It will be wrong to compare one with the other,” he added. Sania Mirza at this point added, “I am so biased. I would pick Roger Federer. He is a perfectionist. And in sports, it's such a rare quality.” Asked what she would have been, if she was not a tennis player, Sania said, “I would have become a swimmer. And had I been a boy, I would surely have been a cricketer.” Sania, who looked flushed with excitement, said, “Sachin has always been my hero. In India, growing up and not loving cricket is impossible. It's no different for me. I have simply admired the way he has played all these years and the way he has handled pressure .”
— UNI
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Ghei set to defend title
Chandigarh, September 18 Carrying a prize of money of US $ 5 lakh, the Asian tour event of last year was won by Gaurav Ghei with a 10-under overall score. Finishing second, just one stroke behind Gaurav Ghei was Rahil Gangjee, also from India. But last year's Mercuries Taiwan Masters is rememberd most for the unlucky disqualification of India's S.S.P. Chowrasia It was a cruel exit for Chowrasia as he had taken a five-stroke lead at the halfway stage. The Indian rookie was disqualified for failing to sign his scorecard, one of the greatest sins in golf. Gaurav was among the first to console Chowrasia. However, two days later he was celebrating a second career victory, 11 years after his maiden success. While Chowrasia was in the depths of despair, it was jubilation for Ghei as he ended his title drought with rounds of 71, 72, 69 and 66 for a 10-under score. He finished with a stunning round of 66 to pip compatriot Rahil Gangjee by one stroke to pocket the first position cash prize of $ 1
lakh.
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