The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Dravid decision ‘unanimous’ New Delhi, October 28 The decision to leave out former captain Rahul Dravid from the Indian team for the first two one day internationals against Pakistan was "unanimous" and was a part of a strategy to give a break to the senior players, said a selector today. The national selectors yesterday dropped a bombshell by leaving out the 34-year-old Dravid from the squad and recalling opener Virender Sehwag. But, a selector said that the former captain would get a chance in the remaining matches of the five-match series. "Leaving out Dravid was a unanimous decision. We felt he needed a break so that we get a chance to groom the youngsters," a national selector told PTI on condition of anonymity. He said other senior players like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly would also be given short breaks during the upcoming series. "Our idea is that two seniors will play at a time so that the young players can slowly get a chance to be with the team. It will be unfair on the young players if we choose them for a tough away series against Australia. "This is something we have thought out well and much should not be read into Dravid being left out," he said. The selector also denied that there were differences among his colleagues about omitting Dravid. "When the national selectors meet, we discuss many things but it is all for the interest of the team. It is not proper to say that there were any differences," he said. The selectors will meet in Mohali on November 8 to pick the squad for the remaining three one-day matches against Pakistan and also choose the Test captain. — PTI
	Dravid declines to comment New Delhi, October 28 After being dropped from the Indian cricket team for the first two one-day internationals against Pakistan, former captain Rahul Dravid today declined to make any comment on his omission. "It's a long season ahead of us," was Dravid's reaction while leaving the city after flagging off the Delhi Half Marathon here. Dravid, who was the centre of attention at the marathon here, tried his best to avoid the mediamen as he did not want to speak anything on his much talked-about axing from the national squad. The 34-year-old flagged off the Great Delhi Run and cheered nearly 20,000 participants by waving at them. His presence ended up creating a halt as the participants stopped to have a look at the revered cricketer. Ultimately the organisers stepped in and urged the runners to start the race. The former skipper, however, was in no mood to entertain the waiting media and successfully managed to keep the hacks at bay, on one occasion by literally sprinting off after the flag-off of the Wheelchair Run. — PTI
	Selection purely on merit: Vengsarkar New Delhi, October 28 Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar may be drawing criticism for being too harsh to Rahul Dravid by dropping him from the squad for the first two ODIs against Pakistan, but the man on the hot seat insisted that he picked the team "purely on merit". "You cannot make everybody happy. Every time you have to pick the best combination, a winning combination. If we pick somebody, we are asked, 'Why did you pick him?' If we drop somebody, we are asked, 'Why did you drop him?' (But) it's how you take it. You must have the courage of conviction," Vengsarkar said. "We pick a player on his form and fitness. And purely on merit. You watch cricket and you know how well the person is batting, whether he is in form or not," he was quoted as saying by 'Cricinfo'. He, however, refused to elaborate what he meant by out-of-form. "When you pick a player it means you believe in him, unless he proves you wrong. But that is very rare," he said, adding "you can't put numbers to it. For instance, say that if the player does not perform for five games, he is out. You cannot do that". Asked if it was difficult to drop a senior player, Vengsarkar said, "there is nothing like senior, junior or middle-aged guys. Just because someone is a youngster, he won't be getting half-volleys in international cricket. Everyone has to be picked on merit, form and fitness." On who would take the place of Rahul Dravid, who was a regular in the middle order, Vengsarkar said, "at this stage Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir are there and waiting in the wings are Manoj Tiwary, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma. So we have a lot of options". — PTI
	Exclusion surprises Pak players Lahore, October 28 Several Pakistan players believe that the decision to drop former Indian captain Rahul Dravid for the first two one-day internationals against them will give the visitors a big advantage. The Indian selectors have left out Dravid for the games in Guwahati and Mohali on November 5 and 8 after he had a poor series at home against Australia. Senior batsman Younis Khan said Dravid was a fantastic player who had always led from the front. "The advantage is for us. Because if India don't perform well or lose the first two games, the pressure will increase on their selectors and captain and management that they dropped someone like Dravid," Younis told PTI today. "The pressure which is already on India as they are playing at home, will only increase for their selectors and team management and that will benefit us in the long run." Pacer Mohammad Asif said he was looking forward to the Indian tour but was surprised Dravid had been rested for the first two games. "The first two matches of any series are always important. His absence will make a difference to our attitude because he is a world class player and one of the best in the world, Asif told PTI. Asif said Dravid's absence will put more pressure on their younger players to perform well. Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who is making a comeback to the team in the final one-dayer against South Africa, said he was happy he did not have to bowl to Dravid. "He is a very difficult batsman to dislodge and as a bowler I never enjoyed bowling to him and his wicket was always a prized one for me." "I was not expecting their selectors would drop him so soon because he is such a quality player." Batsman Yasir Hameed said he had always tried to emulate Dravid and was surprised to learn he was not picked for the first two one-dayers. "He is such an experienced player and has scored so many runs. His presence has always been invaluable to the Indian team. So I am surprised they should drop him for the first two games which eventually will set the pace and mood of the coming series." — PTI
	Akhtar to bolster Pak in decider Lahore, October 28 Pakistan's captain hopes returning paceman Shoaib Akhtar can bowl the team to victory in the final match here tomorrow to clinch their first-ever one-day series against South Africa. South Africa beat Pakistan in the fourth match in Multan on Friday to level the series 2-2 and set up a nail-biting finale in Lahore. Pakistan recalled the controversial Akhtar on Friday after he finished serving a 13-match ban for hitting a teammate with a bat during practice. "It is a great opportunity to win a series against South Africa for the first time and we will use Akhtar as our main bowler in the hope of bringing the best out of him," said captain Shoaib Malik after practice on Sunday. The 32-year-old Akhtar was suspended and given a Rs 34 million ($ 56,000) fine for hitting fellow bowler Mohammad Asif ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa last month. Malik said a fit Akhtar, who has been plagued with injuries this year, was an asset for the team as Pakistan looked ahead to the tour of India. The team will fly there on November 1 ahead of five one-day internationals to be followed by three Tests. "If fit, Akhtar is an asset and has done well for Pakistan for so many years now. But we will need a team effort to win the last match and if we win we will go on an important tour of India with more confidence," said Malik. However, the Pakistan captain's counterpart Graeme Smith warned that the pressure was on Akhtar to perform after such a long absence. "Akhtar is the one who is making a comeback not us. Certainly, we know what he is capable of. We are prepared for him in this game because we always knew he was available for the fifth game so it's not a surprise for us," the South African skipper said. "He is short of cricket, it's the first game for him in a very long time so whether they will risk him or not is the key in such an important game." South Africa, who won the earlier Test series, clinched the first one-day match in Lahore by 45 runs before losing the next two by 25 runs and six wickets respectively. Smith remains confident of clinching the series but he described the Lahore wicket as "a touch underprepared" ahead of the decider. "How it's going to play will be interesting to see but our confidence is good and that's always the key going into important games," he said. "So far it's been a very successful tour for us, we played some really good cricket. "We are confident ... it will be fantastic to finish off on a high note and then catch a nice flight back home," he added. — AFP
	When ‘invincible’ Aussies turned ‘unloveables’ Sydney, October 28 Australia's cricketers rediscovered sportsmanship after a barrage of callers complaining about their behaviour reduced Cricket Australia's receptionist to tears, a new official history says. Authors Gideon Haigh and David Frith were given complete access to Cricket Australia's archives for the book "Inside Story" and the governing body told them to produce a warts-and-all account of its activities. "We ask the cricketers who wear the baggy green to play hard but fair and it was only logical to ask our historians to do the same," chairman Creagh O'Connor said. The book gives insights into events that have shaped the game here since 1905, using both the archives of Cricket Australia - formerly the Australian Cricket Board - and interviews with players and officials. It recounts the controversial "Bodyline" series against England in 1932/33, cricket's move to commercialism in the 1970s and confirms that Shane Warne's off-field behaviour was the reason he never captained the Australian Test team. The book also details how in 2003 a humble receptionist shamed Australia's all-conquering cricketers into becoming better sports. Undisputed masters of the cricketing world, the Australian Test team in the early years of the millennium alienated even some of its own fans through a mixture of excessive sledging and boorish behaviour. While successful Australian teams of the past had been lauded as the "invincibles" and "unbeatables," this one was dubbed the "unloveables" because of its snarling attitude and strutting manner. The 2003 World Cup win was overshadowed by Shane Warne's drugs ban, Darren Lehmann was suspended for five games for yelling a racist term after being run out against Sri Lanka and other players were reprimanded for abuse and dissent. The flashpoint came in the West Indies in May 2003, when paceman Glenn McGrath baited Ramnaresh Sarwan with a lewd taunt. The batsman had the temerity to respond in kind, at which the Australian paceman exploded with rage, looming over the diminutive Sarwan and threatening to "rip your throat out." The image was flashed around the world and the sporting reputation of Australia's players sank to a new low, reinforcing the impression that they could dish out abuse but not take it. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said he knew the unsporting behaviour was damaging players' reputations, but reining it in was posing a problem. "What became obvious in conversations with the players was that they were in denial, and they were in denial because they were insulated from the consequences of the fall-out from that sort of behaviour," Sutherland told the authors. Cricket Australia's solution to the dilemma was simple and effective. At a function in Sydney, officials took aside senior players, including Steve Waugh, Lehmann, McGrath and Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting. They confronted them with footage of recent incidents, along with comments from sponsors saying they were uncomfortable to be seen as supporting such behaviour and read letters and emails from outraged fans. "Most effectively, they saw an interview with Emma Hopley, the Cricket Australia receptionist for the past year, who told of how she had been reduced to tears by fulminating members of the public," the book says. It said Waugh was soon drafting a "Spirit of Cricket" manifesto that set guidelines for the players' on- and off-field behaviour. "I wanted us to be remembered for the right reasons," he said. The Spirit of Cricket programme, extolling the virtues of playing "hard but fair" was launched in October 2003 and the history book says it soon had an impact. "Instances of truculence and petulance became more noteworthy for being rarer," the authors wrote, with Australia sustaining only one International Cricket Council charge in the next 28 Tests and one in the following 96 one-day internationals. — AFP
	Oz stars queue up to sign for IPL Sydney, October 28 The newly-acquired glitter of Indian rupee seems to have attracted a number of Oz players as they are queuing up to sign multi-million dollar deal with the BCCI backed Indian Premier league (IPL). Several frontline Australian players - Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Michael Hussey, Adam Gilchrist, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden and Mitchell Johnson - have signed up a two-million dollar deal with the League. Retired greats Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer have already joined the IPL, while Simon Katich and Jason Gillespie are also believed to have joined the IPL bandwagon. Chief cricket executives from the four countries involved in the international Twenty20 tournament - India, Australia, South Africa and England - will be thrashing out a solution to the potential conflict of one of their contracted stars playing against them. Chief executive of Cricket New South Wales (CNSW), David Gilbert is worried that his ward Brett Lee may end up playing against his own state team. In Dubai, player agent Neil Maxwell will present the Australian stars' signed contracts to BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi, who is representing the IPL board. Apart from the timing of clash for next year's IPL, organisers must also decide on another major point of contention: who the Australians will represent in the event that both their Indian franchise and their home state qualify for the Champions Twenty20 League, the lucrative international leg of the four domestic Twenty20 tournaments. — UNI
	Hong Kong Sixes Lankans beat All Stars for title Hong Kong, October 28 The All Stars team consisting of some of the greatest names in world cricket was beaten in the final of the Hong Kong Sixes today by a squad of little-known Sri Lankans. The All-Stars - featuring captain Shane Warne, Brian Lara, Glenn McGrath and Anil Kumble - had produced explosive cricket in the two-day tournament’s unique five-overs-an-innings format. But their run of success came to end when the young Sri Lankans refused to be intimidated and posted 127 for three after five eight-ball overs, a total that proved too much for their illustrious opponents, who made 111 to lose by 16 runs. Also in the All Stars squad were Zimbabwe’s Heath Streak, England’s Geraint Jones and Craig McMillan of New Zealand, who won the man-of-the-tournament award for his brutal batting, though he went for a golden duck in the final. Sri Lanka’s surprise star was captain Indika De Saram who, under the Sixes’ quirky rules, scored 40 in the final after returning to the wicket having earlier retired not out for 32. Kaushalya Weeraratne (32) and Jeewantha Kulatunga (28) also helped carry the side to their first-ever Hong Kong Sixes victory, which brought with it a winners’ cheque of $100,000. In the All Stars’ final innings, Test cricket’s top scorer Brian Lara reminded the crowd of his glory days with four sixes lofted over the hospitality marquees. The weekend saw nine national teams compete against the All Stars in 21 matches that lasted fewer than 45 minutes each. With the game’s big hitters letting loose at the tiny Kowloon Cricket Club, 275 sixes were scored and at least 40 balls were lost. India had earlier crashed out at the qualifying stage to the disappointment of their vocal supporters and the Sixes’ organisers, who are keen to boost the event’s TV audience in the massive South Asian market. New Zealand and Pakistan were the losing semifinalists. — AFP
	Delhi Half Marathon Rwandan runs away with glory Our Sports Reporter New Delhi, October 28 The little known Rwandan athlete Diudone Disi scorched the roads of New Delhi to emerge the men's winner with a meet record time of 60:43 minutes in the Vodafone Delhi Half Marathon here today. His time was a few seconds faster than the 61:36 clocked by Kenya's Francis Kibiwott while winning the title last year. Kibiwott had pulled out of the event this time with a tendon injury, though it was doubtful he could have matched Disi even if he was around. Disi, who had clocked 59:32 minutes at Udine (Italy) to finish sixth in the World Half Marathon two weeks ago, said this win was a very satisfying. Though thousands of people joined the marathon in various age groups, and thousands of others had packed the streets to cheer the runners, Disi's was a class act as he paced himself to ease past the rest of the field with fast, smooth strides. He earned $20,000 for his hour-long labour while Issac Macharia of Kenya posted 60:48 minutes and Dickson Marwa Mkwami of Tanzania clocked 62.03 minutes to finish second and third and pocketed $12,000 and $8,000, respectively. Alembu Deriba of Ethiopia emerged the winner of the women's title with a time of 70:30 to storm yet another Kenyan bastion and earn $18,500. She beat off the challenge of compatriot Habtamu Atsede who clocked 70:36 minutes and Alice Timbili of Kenya (70:40m) to breast the tape first. The second and third-placed runners earned $12,500 and $8,000 respectively. Defending champion Ram Singh Yadav proved invincible among the Indian participants with a time of 66.09 minutes while Deep Chand Saharan (66:10 min) and Mukesh Kumar (66:12) finished second and third, respectively. In the women's section, Kavita Raut returned a time of 78:34 minutes to finish top while L Preethi Rao (80:38 min) and Vaishali Chatare (81:58 min) took the second and third position, respectively. The Indian toppers received $2,500 each while the second and third place winners earned $2,000 and $1500, respectively. In all, four Indians managed to finish among the top 20 in the men's section.
	Indian Oil whip SAI Amarjit Thind Tribune News Service Jalandhar, October 28 The experienced Indian Oil hockey team trounced Sports Authority of India (SAI), Delhi, 7-1 in a league match of the 24th Indian Oil Surjit Hockey Tournament here today. All matches today were held during the day since the floodlights developed a technical fault yesterday. The oilmen got off to a shaky start and were under pressure from their opponents. However, the presence of more experienced players tilted the scales in their favour. Olympian Prabhjot Singh struck thrice (56th, 67th and 68th minutes), while Bharat and Rajpal Singh scored one goal each. After putting up a brave fight in the first half, the SAI team lost their tempo in the second. Abhiseesh (41th minute) was the lone scorer for the losers. In the second match of the day, Bharat Petroleum beat Punjab National Bank, Delhi, 2-1. The scorers for the winners were Hari Prasad and Puddalik. Ajitesh Rai scored for PNB. This match had remained incomplete yesterday due to the lights failure. The encounter witnessed great stick work from both sides. Although many of the moves by the winners could not be converted into goals, the excellent passes between the players were a treat to watch. In the third match, Air India defeated Border Security Force 2-0. Girish and Len Ayyappa got one goal each. Later, the organisers announced that the floodlights had been repaired and from tomorrow the matches would be held under lights.
	Jitender, Lakra in pre-qfinals Chicago, October 28 Vijender Singh's quest for an Olympic berth went up in smokes while Jitender Kumar and AL Lakra were just one bout away from booking a place for Beijing olympics on the fifth day of the World Boxing Championship here. Vijender, who won bronze in Doha Asian Games in December last year, was considered the best bet for India in the first qualifying event of next year's Olympics. But, the Haryana lad bite the dust against Blanco Alfonso of Venezuela 8-13 in a 75kg second round bout. The Indian camp was, however, got the boost after victories by Jitender Kumar (51kg) and Anthresh Lalit Lakra (57kg) who stormed into pre-quarterfinals, coming out 29-10 and 25-6 winners against Ronny Beblik of Germany and Karimov Bahodir of Tajikistan in their second round bouts at the at the University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion yesterday. In the pre-quarter finals on Wednesday, Jitender will take on Russian Georgy Balakshin who outpunched Nurlan Aidarbek of Kyrgyzstan 25-11 in another second round bout. Lakra's opponent in the pre-quarter final on Tuesday would be Shahin Imranov of Azerbaijan who beat Latvia's Valentine Morozov 19-14 in the second round. Making it to quarterfinals of the championship - the largest ever in history - would be enough for the Indians to secure a berth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Two other Indians - Jai Bhagwan and Dilbag Singh - are still in the fray in the championship and they have their second round bouts against Georgia's Vasil Qazishvili and Zoran Mitrovic of Serbia. Balbir Singh (48kg), Jasveer Singh (81kg) and Suresh Singh (54kg) have already crashed out of the championship in the first round. — UNI
	Ronjon settles for silver New Delhi, October 28 Double trap shooter Ronjon Sodhi won the individual silver and helped the Indian team bag the bronze at the Asian Clay Championship at Manila, Philippines, today. Sodhi missed the gold by a whisker as he lost to Hu Binyuan of China in the tie-shoot after the two shot an identical total of 187. Among the other Indians in the fray, Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore failed to reach the final as he finished ninth with a score of 134 (44, 47, 43), while Vikram Chopra ended up 13th with a score of 126 (37, 41, 47). India’s team bronze came for a score of 400/450. China won the gold with a score of 419, while Kuwait claimed the silver (404). — PTI
	Bhullar misses title by a whisker Our Golf Correspondent Chandigarh, October 28 Nineteen-year-old Gagandeep Bhullar of Kapurthala narrowly missed his first Asian Tour title today when Filipino Juvic Pagunsan shot an eagle on the last hole to pocket the prize money of $92,027 in the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitation Tournament at the Damai Indah Golf-BSD Course in Jakarta. The Filipino blasted a seven-under-par 65 on the final day for a winning total of 19-under-par 269. Pagunsan romped home with a birdie on the 17th and an eagle on the final hole as he pushed Bhullar to the second position a stroke behind after a 69. Harmeet Kahlon of Chandigarh finished tied fifth returning a 15-under aggregate of 273. Digvijay Singh and Arjun Singh finished with aggregates of 277 and 281, respectively.
	WC qualifier shifted Chennai, October 28 The India-Lebanon FIFA World Cup football qualifier here could not be held today due to incessant rain. It will be played in Goa on October 30. It was decided to shift the venue from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as the forecast promised more rain for the city, an official of the All-India Football Federation said. The kick-off time would be decided later. Earlier, players of the two teams returned to their hotels after the referee, following the inspection of the ground around 4 pm, concluded that no game was possible. — PTI
	Haryana tourney inaugurated Our Correspondent Ambala, October 28 The 42nd Haryana State Tournament was inaugurated by Ambala deputy commissioner Mohammad Shayin at the War Heroes Stadium, Ambala Cantonment, here today. About 3,000 players from various schools across the state will take part in gymnastics, handball and kabaddi during the four-day tournament. The Haryana government has announced incentives for the winners.