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Can India cross Adam’s bridge?
Dhoni, Yuvi to face fitness tests
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India have adjusted well to T20
Young brigade has clicked
Landis loses appeal, title
Simi survives scare to clinch title
Anand regains sole lead
Ferrari champs as McLaren accept verdict
Taiwan not to host Olympic torch
British Masters
All-India basketball
Kirilenko in Sunfeast Open semis
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Can India cross Adam’s bridge?
Durban, September 21 In a clash of teams led by wicketkeepers, Dhoni will look to upstage his idol Gilchrist. For a team that came to the competition with the experience of just one international game in this ‘slam bang’ format, the Indians have exceeded expectations by finishing on top of Group
E.
India had a sensational start to the championship when they scored a heart-stopping win over Pakistan via bowl-out. The 10-run loss to New Zealand put them in a do-or-die situation for their last two Super Eights engagements against England and South Africa, but India have gone from strength to strength thereafter. They beat England by 18 runs and eliminated the hosts from their own party by a 37-run margin to book a spot in the last four. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have been giving useful starts for the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni to display their customary fireworks at the death. And Rohit Sharma’s invaluable half-century against South Africa in his first outing at the crease highlights the emergence of the young batsmen in the side. As much can be said about India’s seamers RP Singh, Irfan Pathan and S. Sreesanth, who have stuck to their task wonderfully and have relished bowling at Kingsmead. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been mean and crafty and has made a bold statement of intent bowling at the death and enjoying his tussle with the batsmen. Add to that India’s new-found resolve and athletic brilliance in the field and Dhoni’s inspiring and hands-on captaincy, and you have a picture of a brave and young Indian side brimming with self-belief and confidence, daring and aggressive enough to take on the best. Australia, on the other hand, started with a shock defeat against Zimbabwe in the first round before they regrouped to beat England and Bangladesh. However, they lost their second game of the competition to Pakistan in the Super Eights before routing Sri Lanka in a must-win game to end up as second qualifiers from Group F. The Indians have thrived on the conditions at Kingsmead and all their victories in this competition have come at this venue. On the other hand, Australia had to play in Johannesburg and Cape Town and the semifinal will be their first game in Durban. India’s knowledge of the conditions will come in handy. “We definitely know the wicket and the conditions better,” Dhoni said. “We know how the pitch behaves when there is grass on it, so we won’t really panic. To that extent, we do have an advantage, yet everything still depends on how you play on that day.” Then again, being a champion side, and unperturbed by the fact that their captain Ricky Ponting has been ruled out, Australia is still a strong all-round side with plenty of class, experience and depth. They have shown that they usually raise their game by a few notches in big matches and on big occasions. The presence of Dhoni’s idol Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey and Brad Hodge in the batting department and Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Hogg in the bowling line-up give the Aussies an awesome look. They are also backed by an amazing track record over the years in major competitions. And yet, the very nature of the Twenty20 format makes even a side like Australia look vulnerable. The fact that they come to Kingsmead having already lost to Zimbabwe and Pakistan underlines the fickle nature of this brand of cricket and it should be a good reason for the Indians to believe that they can still upset the applecart of their strong opponents. Teams (from): India:
MS Dhoni (capt), Yuvraj Singh, Ajit Agarkar, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Joginder Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Rudra Pratap Singh, S. Sreesanth, Robin Uthappa. Australia:
Adam Gilchrist (capt), Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Mike Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Brad Hogg, Ben Hilfenhaus.
— PTI
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Dhoni, Yuvi to face fitness tests
Durban, September 21 Yuvraj missed Thursday’s match against South Africa due to an elbow strain. Dhoni emerged from Thursday’s game with a painful back. Indian manager Lalchand Rajput told a news conference in Durban today that both players’ fitness would be assessed before the scheduled start of play. Australian all-rounder Shane Watson was earlier ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a hamstring injury. Both teams were bullish going into Saturday’s match. “We’re gelling together well, and we’re pretty confident,” India pace bowler Irfan Pathan told a news conference in Durban today. India have lost just once in five matches at the tournament, while Australia have gone down twice including in a shock defeat by Zimbabwe in their first match. Australia coach Tim Nielsen said his charges were geared up for Saturday’s match. “We feel as though we're getting better every day,” Nielsen told a news conference in Durban.
— Reuters
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India have adjusted well to T20
London, September 21 Now, in their first participation in the Twenty20 World Cup, they have entered the semifinals, that, too, with a young and relatively inexperienced side, which is creditable enough. In the Super Eight stage, they beat England, who on paper were the most experienced squad in the tournament, and South Africa, also quite seasoned, in addition to enjoying the advantage of playing at home. The causes of India’s failure in 1975 and 1979 and their success at present is easy to define. In the 1970s, the BCCI made no effort to promote one-day cricket within the country and several of the Indian players were also of a mindset which was resistant to the lesser form of the game as compared to Test cricket. By 1983, when India actually won the World Cup, they were not only more attuned to the art and craft of over-limit engagement, but had in their captain, Kapil Dev, a cricketer who was naturally gifted and inclined towards the instant version. As is well known, following India’s victory in the 1983 World Cup, the BCCI went berserk in staging ODIs, thus injecting the Indians with sufficient knowhow, which has obviously made them more accustomed to this type of cricket than Tests. This, though, hasn’t helped much, as India have failed to repeat their triumph of 1983 and, in fact, not reached the last four at any of the events held outside the subcontinent, other than in 2003. Indeed, one hardly needs reminding that this year they crashed out as early as in the preliminary phase. Again, the reasons for India’s debacle in the Caribbean and pleasant progress in South Africa are not a subject for rocket scientists. Advance in limited-overs cricket is impossible without a top-class fielding side. India’s Dad’s Army of fieldsmen in the ODI World Cup were directly detrimental to their campaign. Similarly, their high-quality fielding in the current championship has had a decisive impact. The catch that Dinesh Karthik took at second slip, the run out that Rohit Sharma affected, not to mention the general running, pick-ups and throws, were a vast improvement on their recent showing in England. Also, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s style of cricket is tailor-made for the limited-overs game. Consequently, he is able to lead as much by example as with tactical inputs. And he also has in a deputy, Yuvraj Singh, a man with a distinct flair for the shorter versions of the game, though he must beware that firing six bullets to celebrate his six sixes - even if this was a joke about his father - is not a particularly tasteful way to express exultation. Such slips on live TV, with tens of millions listening, could cost him an elevation to the captaincy in future.
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Young brigade has clicked
Chandigarh, September 21 Purists will argue that Twenty20 is an altogether different ball game from the more traditional Tests and one-dayers. Maybe they are right, but then all versions of cricket are played with the same bat and ball. In the traditional game, the same bunch of players will probably go on and play in the times ahead. The experience gained from this tournament will only help the players when they are inducted into the national squad in the longer versions. The young brigade in South Africa time and again has done more than expected, epitomised so well by the ground fielding in the match against the hosts yesterday. As cricketer-turned-commentator Sunil Gavaskar said on television, the Indians outfielded a team trained by Jonty Rhodes. True, in the course of the event some catches were spilled and balls were allowed to get past outstretched hands, but then at time blinders were held and run-outs were executed with great agility, proof enough that the fielding had come of age. India’s campaign started on an exciting note as they bowled out tradition rivals Pakistan in the group match after their lung opener in the tournament, against Scotland, was washed out. In the Super Eights, they did lose the first match against New Zealand but made amends by notching up back-to-back wins against England (who had just defeated them 4-3 in the seven-match one-day series) and South Africa to set up a semifinal clash against Australia, who have been struggling to live up to their top billing in the tournament. The wins against England and South Africa, two teams with the most experience in this version of the game, must have been very satisfying for India, who came to the tournament after playing just one Twenty20 international match. One reason why India is playing so well in the tournament is the fact that the team is not burdened by any expectations. With the “Big Three” missing from the team, the players, marshalled so well by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who seems to be enjoying his new role, have batted with vigour, bowled to a plan (in most games) and fielded with energy and vigour. Dhoni will definitely improve as he leads India in more matches. India’s progress in the tournament (whatever be the outcome in the subsequent matches) must have gladdened the hearts of the selectors who opted for youth while selecting the squad. Players like Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik or even Haryana’s Joginder Sharma will have a greater role to play in Indian cricket in the months ahead with so many matches scheduled to be played. They should be encouraged and nurtured with an eye on the future. The return of the “Big Three” into the squad should not be an excuse for allowing players of such calibre to languish on the sidelines.
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Injured Asif doubtful
Karachi, September 21 The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf said Asif had sustained the injury during net practice before the game against Australia and has been in pain since then. “He played because of the importance of the game against Australia but I think the team management should have given him rest for the match against Bangladesh,” Ashraf said. Asif has been in tremendous form in the tournament.
— PTI
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Rain plays spoilsport again
Dharamsala, September 21 Early morning rain had raised doubts about the start of play on schedule. However, even though delayed, a start looked very much on the cards. But the weather took a turn for the worse around an hour before the lunch break. Soon, there were dark clouds overhead and torrential rain immediately thereafter put paid to the hopes of commencement of play during the day. The rain was so heavy that the ground was completely soaked within no time. Strong gushes of wind along with the rain made matters worse as they sent the cover protecting the mid-wicket area from the pavilion side flying. Though the ground staff was quick to put the cover back in place, whatever little time they took would have been enough for the rainwater to reach the wicket or the areas around. The torrential rain that lasted for well over half an hour convinced umpires to call off the day’s play around noon. Enough water on the areas near the boundary, chances of water having reached the wicket or around it and the weather continuing to be dicey mean that the chances of play to start even on the last day tomorrow look bleak. Those present at the stadium said rain lashing Dharamsala at this time of the month was not unusual and the weather remained as such till the month-end. So, if matches are scheduled from the beginning of the next month, they were unlikely to be disrupted by bad weather. Continuing disruption of play should be a setback to the Boeta Dippenaar-led South Africa ‘A’ squad. The visitors had lost the first match in New Delhi badly after India ‘A’, thanks to double centuries by Akash Chopra and S Badrinath and a century by Parthiv Patel, had put a mammoth total on the board. The visitors were buried under the immense pressure of the big total to make an unhappy start to the series. Dippenaar made his intention clear before the start of the second match here that his team would go all out for a victory to level the series. They had included nippy Dale Steyn, who has played for South Africa at the highest level, in the squad. With only academic interest remaining in the match, the visitors, desperate to restore parity, would be focusing on the next game. South Africa ‘A’ were sitting pretty at 264 for 4 at close of play on Day One.
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Landis loses appeal, title
Los Angeles, September 21 US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) officials and Landis’ attorneys gave evidence to the three-man arbitration panel over nine days in May, the US cycling star maintaining his innocence despite testing positive for synthetic testosterone. “I am innocent and we proved I am innocent,” Landis said in a statement yesterday. Landis now has only one possible path to regain his crown from the 103rd Tour and avoid a suspension through the end of January of 2009 - appealing the verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Pearl Piatt, a spokeswoman for Landis, said there had been no decision by the US cyclist on whether or not to press his case before CAS, which has jurisdiction to render a final verdict. “We’re still digesting the report,” she said. “They are still reading the opinion closely and looking at it.” At one stage, Landis had said the cost of making such a fight might be more than he could afford, with the US arbitration appeal reportedly costing more than $2 million. But Landis might not be able to afford not clearing his name given his new status as the first Tour champion stripped of his title for doping. USADA chief executive officer Travis Tygart said the ruling “was a victory for all clean athletes and everyone who values fair and honest competition.” The International Cycling Union, the sport’s global governing body, declared Oscar Pereiro the 2006 Tour de France champion. The Spaniard finished second, 57 seconds behind Landis.
— AFP
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Simi survives scare to clinch title
Chandigarh, September 21 The one-stroke victory earned Simi Mehra the first prize of Rs 48,000 in the Rs 1.7 lakh third leg of the championship. Nitika, who was leading by one stroke after the second round yesterday, started badly with bogeys on the third, fourth and seventh holes. She blundered on the ninth hole, conceding a triple bogey for a six-over 42 on the first nine. Simi bogeyed twice and shot a birdie for a two-over 38 as she overtook Nitika and built up a three-stroke overall lead after nine holes. But the Jaipur teenager fought back with a birdie on the fifth hole. On the other hand, Simi just could not find her strokes as she double-bogeyed on the 12th hole. Nitika caught up with Simi as the seasoned golfer bogeyed the 15th hole. Both Simi and Nitika bogeyed the 16th hole. The tie continued into the 17th hole with both playing par. On the 18th hole, the big-match temperament of the seasoned Simi was visible as she played a par for an overall 230. Nitika fumbled with a putt and paid the price, losing by one stroke (231). Chandigarh’s Irina Brar gave a semblance of a fight on the return nine after losing six strokes in the first nine. But her effort of a one-over 37 in the return nine was not enough as she finished two strokes behind Nitika at 233. Shalini Malik (238), Seema Sobti (245) and Parnita Garewal (249) finished in that order. Preetinder Kaur of Chandigarh shot a card of 83 today to clinch the Class B Professional title with an overall score of 246, leaving her nearest rival Rukmini Mehta six strokes behind with a score of 252.
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Anand regains sole lead
Mexico City, September 21 Boris Gelfand, who was sharing the lead with Anand after the sixth round, drew his game against defending champion Vladimir Kramnik and slipped to the second spot. The seventh round brought to the end of the first leg of the tournament. The players will now play each other once again in the second leg, but with colours reversed. The other games in the seventh round were hard fought, but failed to produce decisive results. Peter Leko played solidly with black to draw against Alexander Morozevich while Svidler drew his game against Levon Aronian. Anand has made winning with white in the Spanish opening look very easy. Today it was Grischuk’s turn to be at the receiving end. Anand decided to go for the Anti-Marshall variation which avoids the Marshall attack. Anand gained an advantage in space and Grischuk had difficulty finding good squares for his pieces. The exchange of queens brought Grischuk some relief, even as Anand kept up the pressure by advancing his kingside pawns. For some time, it looked as if Grischuk may manage to draw the game, but Anand broke through the king side after Grischuk weakened his position. The endgame was conducted with energy and precision by Anand and Grischuk threw in the towel after 50 moves when he could not stop Anand’s passed queen pawn from promoting to a queen. The game between Kramnik and Gelfand was the most exciting encounter of the day. Gelfand failed to make the most of his chances and allowed Kramnik to escape with a draw. A long-drawn encounter between Morozevich and Leko ended peacefully after 60 moves. Leko, playing the black pieces in a scotch game, obtained a slight advantage in the middle game but was unable to find a way to increase it.
— PTI
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Ferrari champs as McLaren accept verdict
London, September 21 “McLaren Racing has notified the FIA (International Automobile Federation) of its intention not to appeal the verdict of the World Motor Sport Council," the Mercedes-powered team said in a statement. The Paris-based governing body had set a deadline for McLaren to appeal against a sentence meted out last week at a hearing into a spying controversy that has clouded the sport since July. McLaren had been leading Ferrari in the constructors' standings before the Paris hearing. The decision left Ferrari on 161 points, with BMW Sauber second with 90 and a total of 54 remaining to be won. The constructors' title is Ferrari's first of the post-Michael Schumacher era. They won six in a row between 1999 and 2004 when the great German was at his most dominant. McLaren still lead the drivers' championship, with 22-year-old British rookie Lewis Hamilton two points clear of Spanish team mate and double world champion Fernando Alonso. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, winner in Belgium last weekend, is third and 13 points adrift of Hamilton. The next race is in Japan on September 30. McLaren said it was clear from the full judgement that the World Motor Sport Council had concluded that the charge that one of the team's employees had unauthorised possession of confidential Ferrari information was proven. "Having now had the time to study the judgement, McLaren thinks it is in the best interest of the sport and its goal of winning races and world championships, not to appeal," the statement said.
— Reuters
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Taiwan not to host Olympic torch
Taipei, September 21 International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials had wanted Taiwan and China to reach a verdict by yesterday, sports officials in Taipei said, which meant the matter was now closed. Thomas Tsai, president of Taiwan's Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee, told mediapersons that Beijing had “belittled” Taiwan throughout the negotiation process and insisted Taiwan could only use the flag and anthem as sanctioned by the IOC. The organisers of the Beijing Games expressed “deep regret” at the decision. Tensions over the island’s sovereignty are a source of acrimony between Taiwan and China, and have affected agreements from trade to sports, especially as independence-minded Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian leverages anti-Beijing sentiment before his term ends in May. China has claimed self-ruled Taiwan since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. It has vowed to bring the democratic island’s 23 million people under its rule, by force if necessary. Tsai said Beijing had insisted that Taiwan follow IOC rules that limit the use of Taiwan’s flag and anthem at Olympic events, including a torch stopover. The separate anthem and flag symbolise Taiwan's estrangement from China. Beijing's proposed 130-day, 137,000-km route is set to be the longest ever. It will include five continents and an attempt to take the flame to the top of Mount Everest. Taiwan first rejected the torch route in April because it linked Taipei to Hong Kong, implying that Taiwan was part of China, sports authorities said. The torch was set to reach 22 cities around the world before kicking off the Games in August.
— Reuters
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British Masters
Belfry (UK), September 21 Things, however, did not look good for Shiv Kapur as he stumbled to four double bogeys in a round of 78 to be placed a lowly tied 131st. Sweden’s Martin Erlandsson held a two-stroke lead after firing a superb nine-under 63 - a course record. Randhawa had five birdies against one bogey and one double bogey. Two of his birdies came on the front nine and remaining three on the back nine. Jeev, meanwhile, had a roller-coaster round round with six birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey. In contrast, Kapur had a disastrous day with four double bogeys, three of them in a space of five holes. Former Asia No. 1 Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand also fired a two-under 70to share the 41st spot with Jeev. Chopra stumbles Verona (USA):
Daniel Chopra had a rather lacklustre start in his latest start on the USPGA Tour, turning in a one-over 73 in the first round at the Turning Stone Resort Championship to be lying 105th after the opening day. The Swede of Indian origin will be hard pressed to make the cut unless he shoots a very low round on the second day. Jeff Gove and Chad Campbell each shot a seven-under 65 yesterday to tie for the first-round lead. They finished a stroke off the Atunyote Golf Club course record. The duo was a shot ahead of Steve Flesch, John Senden, Matthew Goggin and Brendon de Jonge. John Daly, coughing and ailing, withdrew after seven holes due to flu.
— PTI
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All-India basketball
Gidderbaha, September 21 Inaugurated by Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal this evening, the five-day tournament has a prize money of Rs 1.25 lakh for the winners. In the men’s section, ONGC Dehra Dun, Customs from Kochi, Western Railways Mumbai and the India Junior Red have been kept in Pool A, while Punjab men would be rubbing shoulders with Army, Indian Navy and India Junior Yellow in Pool B. Punjab eves would face Southern Railways Chennai and South Central Railways Secunderabad in Pool A, while the Pool B teams are Western Railways Mumbai, MTNL Delhi and Southeast Central Railways
Bhillai.
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Kirilenko in Sunfeast Open semis
Kolkata, September 21 Kirilenko won the 72-minute tie 6-3 6-1 to set up a last four date with the winner of the quarterfinal clash between second seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova and Taipei’s Yung-Jan Chan. The other women's singles quarterfinal results were: Anne Keothavong (Britain) beat Tzipora Obziler (Israel) 6-1, 6-3 and Mariya Koryttseva (Ukraine) beat Tatiana Poutchek (Belarus) 6-4,6-2.
— PTI
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Ambala, September 21
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With their bowlers and batsmen hit- ting form in the nick of time, a
buoyant India will seek to maintain the momentum in the semifinal of the Twenty20 World Cup against Adam Gilchrist-led Australia tomorrow.
Floyd Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title and can receive a two-year ban after losing his appeal of a positive doping test on a 2-1 decision by US arbitrators.
US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) officials and Landis’ attorneys gave evidence to
the three-man arbitration panel over nine days in May, the US cycling star
maintaining his innocence despite testing positive for synthetic testosterone.
