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Malik vows to make up for loss
Series bigger than Ashes: Lawson
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A ploy to sell book: Boycott
WICB
told to probe Samuels case
Morale down after defeat: Zaheer Abbas
Younis Khan named vice-captain
BCCI puts off coach selection meeting
Dogra hits ton for J&K
Pugilist Lakra books Olympic berth
Jalandhar lads win Nehru hockey title
JCT
ride on Escobar blitz
Bhullar faces tough line-up at Singapore Open
Governors Gold Cup
Shokeen, Sipaeya in second round
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Malik vows to make up for loss
Lahore, October 31 The Pakistan cricket squad leaves tomorrow for what is expected to be a highly charged and exciting tour of India with Malik promising an inspired performance from his players. "We know people are disappointed at the way we lost the final one-dayer to South Africa and also the series. But we also know a repeat performance against India will not be acceptable to the people," Malik said a day before the scheduled departure from Lahore to Delhi. Pakistan will play five ODIs and three Test matches with the first one-day international scheduled in Guwahati on November 5. "We all felt bad at the way we had gifted the match to South Africa and we want to make amends in India," Malik said. The young Pakistan captain assured he had played enough international cricket to be able to handle the pressures that comes with an Indian tour. "I have played against India and been there before, so I know what it is all about. So I am not going to take any extra pressure on this tour. We had a brain storming session yesterday and we all know that whether we play India or any other team we have to give our best," he said. Malik said he was disappointed at losing the home series to South Africa but dispelled the impression that his team, still trying to establish themselves in international cricket, could not handle the pressure in the big matches. "Look we handled the pressure games in the Twenty20 World Cup. The final was a close affair and it could have gone either way," Malik said. "Even against South Africa we came back to level the series 2-2 and controlled 90 per cent of the game but lost because of irresponsible and poor cricket. I am confident my players can handle the pressure well in India." Pakistan has picked a 16-member squad for the five one-day games in India. The squad include three openers, Imran Nazir, Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed with Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal also having opened against South Africa. Malik conceded the form of openers would be the key to the performance in India. "If the openers do well we have the depth in our middle and lower order to get big scores. I am counting that since the pitches are similar in Pakistan and India the openers will settle down quickly and get the runs." Critics, however, remain sceptical pointing out that Nazir, Butt and Yasir have all failed in recent matches and they also question the necessity of taking three specialist openers to India for a five-match series when this job can be done by Afridi and Akmal. Malik said if required even he was not shy of opening and would bat at any position for his team. Younis Khan named vice-captain today for the tour said that in India bowlers and batsmen can both do well. "They use the SG balls which grip well and help the pacers and spinners well while the pitches are good for the batsmen as well. Once you settle in you can get runs. So it should be an evenly contested series," Younis said.
PTI
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Series bigger than Ashes: Lawson
Lahore, October 31 Pakistan fly out to India tomorrow to play five one-day internationals and three Tests. It will be only the fourth Test series between the cricket-obsessed neighbours since they resumed sporting ties in 2004. "Having toured India on a number of occasions I know people follow an Indo-Pakistan match with extreme passion and at times it is little bit more than the sport, bigger than the Ashes, so I look forward to it," Lawson told AFP in an interview. The former paceman, who played in five Ashes series between Australia and England in the 1980s, took over as Pakistan coach in July. He replaced Englishman Bob Woolmer, who died during the World Cup in Jamaica in March. Lawson, 49, said Pakistan "would have been better off" for the India tour had they beaten world number two team South Africa in their recent home one-day series. Pakistan also lost the Test series, one-nil. South Africa won the one-day series with a sensational 14-run victory in the fifth and final match in Lahore on Monday. Chasing 234 to win, Pakistan were cruising nicely at 199 for 4 before losing their last six wickets for 20 runs. "Five overs of bad cricket spoiled our good work in the series, but it gave us lessons which we need to learn and work hard on the India tour, which will be tough," said Lawson.. Lawson said both Pakistan and India had progressed well after their disastrous showings in the 50-over World Cup in the West Indies, in which both were knocked out in the first round. "India played tough cricket on their tour of England and both Pakistan and India did well in the Twenty20 (world championship)," said Lawson of September's event, which India won by beating Pakistan in the final. "The exciting thing is that new stars are replacing the superstars in both the teams. There are a couple of exciting newcomers, so all in all it's good progress for both the teams," said Lawson. Lawson predicted a close one-day series between the arch rivals. "India have a balanced squad with a combination of good spinners and fast bowlers and Pakistan match them. I think a good bowling spell, a great innings or a few good catches can make the difference in the one-day series." Lawson praised both Pakistan's Shoaib Malik and India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captains of Pakistan and India. "Both bring fresh ideas, which is great for their teams and you need that. Both have brought their teams forward and are doing great work, performing well and both are learning as captains." Lawson said the return of paceman Shoaib Akhtar, after ending a 13-match ban for hitting teammate Mohammad Asif with a bat last month, is a good omen. "Akhtar realises it is his last chance. If he is fit and at the peak of his form then he will be a dominant force in the India series." He described coaching Pakistan - a talented but often fractious side that has been constantly embroiled in controversy over the past 18 months - as an adventure.
AFP
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London, October 31 Describing Fletcher as a "hypocrite" and "a sour man", Boycott said he was not surprised by the allegations Fletcher levelled at the likes of Andrew Flintoff and Ian Botham which is a marketing ploy to sell "Behind the Shades", in which Fletcher made these claims. "I was expecting it. I expected him to name well known people from English cricket so he could sell his book. Who the hell wants to read about what Duncan Fletcher says unless he talks about the likes of Ian Botham, myself and Andrew Flintoff," he said. "He's a sour man and from what I've read of his book it's a sour book," Boycott added. Fletcher revealed in his book that Flintoff's drinking binges had let him down but Boycott felt it was the other way round. "I believe when you are coach and you are captain it is better kept within the team and it would be better if he'd dealt with Andrew Flintoff and whatever problems he had there and then it was his duty; it was his responsibility as coach to deal with the team and he didn't," Boycott told 'The Daily Telegraph'. "He not only let himself down but he let Andrew Flintoff down," he added. The former opener maintained that Fletcher should have been sacked long back as he was never the right man to coach the English side as he did not know how to handle it. "He used to come along with a face like thunder, he gave the impression he was walking around with piles he was terrible," said Boycott. "If you're the face of English cricket dealing with the media then you ought to be showing a bit of a smile and enjoyment and he never did," he added. Boycott said Fletcher has no right to take a moral high ground. "Everybody writes books, me included, I have no problem with people writing books if he tells the truth and makes a few bob; we've all done that.
PTI
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WICB told to probe Samuels case
Dubai, October 31 ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, led by the chairman of the Code of Conduct Commission, Michael Beloff QC, after looking into the matter felt that Samuels has breached the ICC Code of Conduct Regulations. "The board considered the report and the recommendation of Beloff and has instructed the WICB to carry out an investigation into the matter, and then to report to an official inquiry," ICC said in a release. "Such a report is to be compiled in a timely manner and to be submitted no later than the 31 January 2008," it said. The official inquiry to receive the WICB report will comprise the chairman of the Code of Conduct Commission and two Code of Conduct Commission members not connected with the WICB. "The official inquiry will then review the findings of the WICB investigation and make recommendations to the executive board." The Nagpur police had revealed that Samuels had passed on team information on the eve of the Nagpur ODI on January 21 to Mukesh Kochar, an alleged bookie.
PTI
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Morale down after defeat: Zaheer Abbas
Karachi, October 31 Zaheer, who was a nemesis for the Indian bowlers in the 70s and 80s, said he was devastated with the manner in which Pakistan had lost the final one-day international to South Africa on Monday. "We had a wonderful opportunity to win the match and series and get a big stepping stone for the India series. But the players displayed a non-serious attitude," he claimed. "It was like our players handing over the match to South Africa from a winning position on a platter," he said. Zaheer, known as the 'Asian Bradman' for his scoring feats, said the players would now have to work very hard to get over the defeat and perform in India. Zaheer said the board now needs to consider that despite the team being coached by foreigners in the last eight years, there had been no real change in their performances or attitude towards the game. Former Pakistan captain, Javed Miandad also lashed out at the selectors for not having the courage to try out new players and depend on the same old lot for the tour to India. Miandad said the inconsistent selection policies of the selection committee had led to the defeats to South Africa and were bringing cricket at par with hockey. "The selectors have repeatedly been trying the same players who have failed to fulfil the expectations of the nation." The former Pakistan coach said India would start off as favourites for the one-day and Test series.
PTI
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Younis Khan named vice-captain
Lahore, October 31 Younis replaces out-of-form opener Salman Butt as vice-captain. Interestingly, the batsman had earlier refused to lead the national side after the World Cup debacle in March. Butt was not even selected for the five one-dayers played against South Africa this month. In a brief statement here this morning, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Younis will be the deputy to Shoaib Malik for the whole series (five ODIs and three Tests) in India. Younis is not new to this position. He was deputy to Inzamam-ul Haq, when Pakistan last toured India for a Test series in 2005.
UNI
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BCCI puts off coach selection meeting
Mumbai, October 31 "Sunil (Gavaskar) will not be available on that day and we had to postpone the meeting until further notice," said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah here today. However, another BCCI source revealed that the absence of a suitable candidate from the list of persons who have approached the board as the prospective national coach was the main reason for the postponement of the meeting.
PTI
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Dogra hits ton for J&K
Srinagar, October 31 Resuming at the overnight score of 224 for 4, the hosts were all out for 372. In reply, Himachal Pradesh suffered early setbacks and were 102 for seven at stumps. Brief scores: J&K: (1st innings): 372 all out (Manish Dogra 168, Ubaid 64 and Rishi Dawan 6 wickets) Himachal Pradesh: 102/7 (Barun Sharma 44, Zahoor Sofi 5 wickets)
UNI
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Pugilist Lakra books Olympic berth
Chicago, October 31 Lakra outpunched Shahin Imranov of Azerbaijan 15-9 in a 57kg bout to advance into the quarter-finals at University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion yesterday to become the first Indian pugilist to qualify for Beijing. Making it to quarterfinals of the championship - the largest ever in history - is enough to secure a berth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the quarter-finals tomorrow, Lakra takes on Yang Li of China who outplayed Carlos Zambrano Cordova of Peru 13-4 in another pre-quarterfinal bout. Two other Indians - Jitender Kumar (51kg) and Jai Bhagwan (60kg) - have already advanced in the pre-quarter finals and are just one step away from joining Lakra for an Olympic berth. Jitender will take on Russian Georgy Balakshin, while Bhagwan will be up against Darley Perez of Colombia in the round of 16. Lakra, who fell out of medal round in the World Military Games in Hyderabad this month, began with a bang with some solid punches and took a 3-1 lead at the end of first round. But, his Central Asian opponent fought back on equal terms in the next two minutes though Lakra was still 6-4 up after the second round. The Indian was at his best in the crucial third round at the end of which he had taken an important four point lead which proved decisive at the end. Smelling victory after taking 11-7 lead, Lakra played defensive in the final round but at the same time scoring points. He kept a distance from his opponent to consume time even as landing some fine punches in between to walk away 15-9 winners. Eight Indians took part in the championship and five have crashed out before reaching round of 16. Vijender Singh (75kg) and Dilbag Singh (69kg) had exited from the championship in the second round while Balbir Singh (48kg), Jasveer Singh (81kg)and Suresh Singh (54kg) had crashed out in the first round. More than 650 top pugilists from 120 countries are vying for honours in the championship, making it the
largest ever boxing championships. UNI
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Sandeep puts IA in semis
Jalandhar, October 31 The Airlines men will face Bharat Petroleum, Mumbai, tomorrow in the semifinal. Surjit Hockey Academy, Jalandhar, and Punjab and Sind Bank Hockey Academy, Delhi, entered the final of junior section of the tournament which will be played tomorrow. In the first half of the game, Indian Airlines dominated the proceedings. Sandeep Singh converted three penalty corners in a row. He scored in the 15th, 25th and 28th minutes. The fourth goal was scored by Sandeep Micheal from the left flank. In the 51st minute, the powermen got a penalty corner and the hit taken by full back Amrik was intentionally blocked by the right full back on the goal line. The umpire awarded a penalty stroke in favour. Jatinder Kumar made no mistake to reduce the margin to 1-4. In the 57th and 62nd minutes of the game, the airmen again increased the lead to 6-1 when Sandeep Michel and Kulbhushan converted penalty corners. In the 67th minute of the game, Osaf-ul-Rehman scored a fine field goal to complete the tally of 7-1. In the pool A match, Surjit Academy, Jalandhar, thrashed RCF Academy, Kapurthala, by 11-1. With this win, Surjit Academy earned six points from two league matches. In the second match of the category, Punjab and Sind Bank Academy beat Maharaja Ranjit Singh Hockey Academy, Amritsar, 3-0 in pool B. Sajjan Singh of Sind Bank Academy scored a hat trick for the team by a field goal and two penalty corners. Meanwhile, Iqbal Singh Sandhu, organising secretary of the tournament, said that that DD Sports would telecast the final of the mens section on November 2 from 6 pm. All India Radio, Jalandhar, has also made arrangements to broadcast the running commentary of the final, he added.
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Jalandhar lads win Nehru hockey title
New Delhi, October 31 Earlier, Rupinder Singh slammed three goals as Spring Dale, Amritsar, staged a dramatic comeback to beat Malwa Khalsa School, Ludhiana, 4-2 to take the third place. Birsa Munda boys were unlucky not to have scored in the regulation period despite having major share of the ball. Jalandhar boys adopted defensive tactics and managed to ward off several incisive moves by the rivals. The winners also made some good counter attacks which rattled the Birsa Munda defenders. The Rourkela team had few good chances but their forwards could not get past the crowded defence. As there was no goal till the end of the regular period, the tie breaker was enforced in which Jalandhar team emerged victorious. The winners converted four strokes in a row while the losers could convert only the second and third strokes in the tie breaker. As the result was clear (4-2), the fifth stroke was not taken. For Jalandhar, Gursahib Singh, Gaurav Sehgal, Satbir Singh and Sukhmanjeet Singh converted their strokes. Arbin Barla and Amonmius Tirkey converted for the losers while James Munda and David Minz muffed the first and fourth strokes respectively. The victory earned the Jalandhar team a cheque of Rs 96,000 while the runners up received Rs 64,000. In the match for the third place, Spring Dale after trailing 0-2 till the 44th minute staged a superb rally and scored four goals in a space of 22 minutes to overpower Malwa Khalsa School 4-2. Gagandeep Singh scored a brace for the losers. However, Rupinder Singh drew parity for Amritsar by converting penalty corners in the 45th and 49th minutes. Harmeet then put Spring Dale ahead in the 55th minute and Rupinder converted another penalty corner in the 67th minute to seal the match in Spring Dale's favour.
UNI
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JCT ride on Escobar blitz New Delhi, October 31 Though the scoreline suggests a lop-sided fight, it was not that easy for the Punjab team as the young and fast-moving Assam Rifles boys gave them a good run. But the tall and sturdy JCT players held the advantage in tackles, ground and aerial balls, thanks mainly to their foreign players, to keep the Assam Rifles from harm's way. Baljit Sahni and Escobar kept the JCT attack well-oiled, but if the Assam boys could not make inroads into the JCT goal area often, it was due to the rock-like presence of their captain Julius Irabor Akpele, who ensured that Assam Rifle's most dangerous player, Akum Ao, was kept completely bottled up. And Akpele also did the honours of scoring the first goal for JCT in the 15th minute when off a flag kick floated by Marcos Pereira from the left, Akpele headed home in his second attempt after his first header was pushed forward by Assam custodian Lokeswer Singh. Fourteen minutes later, JCT played an encore when Escobar headed in off a flag kick by Marcos from the same spot to complete the first half scoring. Seven minutes into the second half, Escobar slotted home his second goal when he converted a spot kick. JCT got the penalty when Praveen Kumar was felled by Assam captain and defender Noaba Singh. Escobar scored his third goal for the first hat trick of the tournament when his free kick from just outside the box sailed in. The freekick was awarded when the custodian came out of the box and handled the ball when it was still in play. Escobar got his fourth, and the team's fifth goal, two minutes before the final hooter with a brisk placement. Earlier, Salgaocar drubbed Viva Kerala 4-1, in yet another high-scoring match. The Kerala outfit, mostly consisting of players from the North East, put up a stiff fight in the second session, but with not much success in penetrating into the goal box. Malswamt Lunga opened Salgaocar's account and also booted home their last goal while Felix Chimaokwu and Nicholas Rodrigues knocked in the second and third goals, respectively. Saikhom Santa Singh scored the consolation goal for Viva
Kerala.
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Bhullar faces tough line-up at Singapore Open
Chandigarh, October 31 Harmeet Kahlon, who was tied fifth in the Jakarta event, and two other Chandigarh players Amandeep Johl and Gurbaaz Mann will also tee off along with four of the world's top golfers who have converged on the Serapong greens for the major Asian event. Leading the Indian fight will be Gaurav Ghei, who is in good form. The other Indians are Shiv Kapur, Rahi Gangjee, S.S.P. Chowrasia, Digvijay Singh, Arjun Singh, Uttam Singh Mundy, Vivek Bhandari and Rahul Ganapathy. But the fight will be a tough one for the Kapurthala teenager who played a grand game at the Jakarta tournament. Gaganjit was in such good form that he sealed his play every day with a birdie on the last hole. And had it not been an eagle by the Philippine golfer Juvic Pagunsan, the two would have tied for a play off.
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Governors Gold Cup
Gangtok, October 31 Both teams were locked in a goalless draw till the stipulated 90 minutes. Punjab Police would now face Mumbai United on November 2 for a berth in the semifinal. The second pre-quarterfinal match between Bhutan XI and Tibetan National Football Academy (TNFA) ended in 2-2 draw. The match could not progress beyond 15 minutes in extra time due to bad light. NRT Nepal will be taking on JCT Academy in the pre-quarterfinal match to be held tomorrow. The first quarterfinal match will also be played tomorrow between Nigerian Eagles and BJS, Bangladesh.
UNI
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Shokeen, Sipaeya in second round
New Delhi, October 31 Seventh seed Shokeen rallied to beat Igor Shelyakin of Uzbekistan 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-2 while third seed Sipaeya overcame a stiff resistance from Gleb Alekseenko of Ukraine 7-6(3), 7-5. National champion Ashutosh Singh, who had made a surprising first round exit in singles event, reached the doubles semifinal partnering compatriot Divij Sharan. The second seeded Indian pair defeated the English pair of Kyle Brassington and Andrew Fitzpatrick 4-6, 6-3, 10-4. Sipaeya also booked a last four berth in the doubles event pairing with Aqeel Khan of Pakistan,
as the Indo-Pak pair shocked third seed Taipei pair of Hsin-Han Lee and
Hsien-Yin Peng 7-6(5), 7-5. PTI
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