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No age limit for retirement: Inzy
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Guwahati ODI to begin early
No plan to disrupt ODI: ULFA
Vatekar hits ton against Punjab
Warne-Murali trophy announced
Durand Cup
Chandigarh to host PHL again
Strenuous exercise can be fatal: Expert
Yuki wins ITF junior title
India win kabaddi gold
Punjab beat Haryana by an innings
Iqbal Kaur bags 800m gold
Mini-stadia to tap talent: CM
Kapur jumps to 7th spot Roller skating final today
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Sizzling Fours
The first thing that Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson did after landing in Delhi added more spice to what is expected to be an intense and demanding series between the arch-rivals involving five one-dayers and three Tests. Lawson made it clear that Pakistan were itching to avenge the recent twin defeats at the hands of India in the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa. Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik earlier did his bit after his team lost the ODI home series 2-3 to South Africa. Malik was probably speaking keeping the ensuing India series in mind when he remarked that the series defeat would help his team in the contests ahead. As the nail-biting rivalry between the two neighbours begins with the first ODI at Guwahati on November 5, the focus will primarily be on players who are expected to chart the course for their
teams.
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No age limit for retirement: Inzy
New Delhi, November 3 “I think all teams are balanced,” he said, adding that “it is difficult to say who will have the upper hand in the series as no team can be called weak, particularly in ODI cricket.” Recalling the 2005 series in India, when Pakistan were led by him, Inzamam said critics had described his team as one of the “weakest” Pakistan team to tour India. “But we did well, proving the critics wrong,” he noted. Inzamam, who has called it quits from international cricket, has come to India in his new avatar as a television commentator for the India-Pakistan series. He expressed his surprise at the exclusion of an “experienced batsman” like Rahul Dravid from the Indian team for the first two ODI matches. He said Dravid’s presence would have served the cause of the Indian team well as in a “high-pressure series like this, you always look up to experienced players (like Dravid) because they know how to handle pressure.” Inzamam said he was not in favour of forcing senior players to retire. “There is no age limit for retirement. It depends on the player’s fitness and desire to continue,” he said. He felt that Indian senior pros like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Dravid had plenty of cricket left in them to “continue playing.” He stated that the Pakistan team led by Shoaib Malik may look young and inexperienced on paper, but warned that India would underestimate the visitors at their own peril. “I am confident that they will do well in this high-pressure series,” he remarked at a crowded media interaction here this afternoon. Referring to Shoaib Akhtar’s potential to deliver for the team’s cause, Inzamam said the temperamental fast bowler could turn out to be dangerous for India “only if he plays.” Inzamam’s inference was that Akhtar will have to show consistency and application to derive maximum mileage in Indian conditions. Inzamam said in the absence of fast bowler Mohammad Asif due to injury, the burden will have to be shared by Akhtar, Umar Gul and Rao Iftikhar. “I think they will be able to fill the gap,” he observed. He said in Malik, Pakistan had a “young and aggressive captain with a positive approach.” He also saw nothing wrong in players’ aggressive onfield stance if “it is within limits as onfield aggression is an effective mode for players to put their rivals under pressure.” But he cautioned that “aggression should not lead to tension on and off the field.” He said because of the frequent interaction between Indian and Pakistani teams, there was no tension between them “on or off the field,” though there was unique charm to an Indo-Pak series. When asked why captains were changed so frequently in Pakistan, Inzamam replied that not only captains but even board officials were changed frequently there. He did not commit himself as to which professional league - the BCCI’s Indian Professional League or the rival Indian Cricket League - he would turn out for. “I want to play in both leagues,” he said lightly.
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Simian calls the shots at Eden
Kolkata, November 3 The Indian players arrived at the field at around 8 a.m. and started practice. When Sachin and Sourav were batting, a monkey was seen perched atop a nearby tree. Sourav was facing Harbhajan, while other cricketers like Yuvraj, Dhoni, Gambhir and R P Singh were undergoing usual fitness drills as the monkey kept sitting on the tree enjoying their batting from a distance. But after some time, suddenly, it jumped down to the field and started running here and there around the cricketers. The players initially ignored the monkey but as the animal jumped down to the field and started running, they all got panicky. They stopped their practice mid-way and hurried to the pavilion one after another. Spectators, mostly school boys and girls present at the club house shouted in merriments. The CAB president, Prasun Mukherjee, who is also the city police chief, was nowhere in the Eden. Some of the CAB officials including the secretary, Samar Paul, however, came to the field but returned soon helpless. They did not know what to do. Paul regretted CAB could do nothing to protect the cricketers. But senior police officials present at the Eden at that time soon phoned Lalbazar and sought help in sorting out the problem. A cage was sent to the field along with the officials of the Calcutta Zoo, for catching the monkey. A two-hour battle to catch the simian was not successful. However, when the darkness set in, the money jumped back on to the tree and hid himself not be seen again. The Team India’s net practice, however, was abandoned for the day.
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Guwahati ODI to begin early
Guwahati, November 3 As a safety measure, the start of the match has been advanced by half an hour to 8:30 am. "We have to start play at 8:30 am sharp. Because it will be very difficult to continue the game beyond 4:15 pm. In other venues we can comfortably go on till 4:45 pm," umpire Ian Gould of England told newspersons after seeing the conditions late in the day. Gould and his fellow umpire Amir Sahiba, who inspected the match venue Jawaharlal Nehru stadium during the day, were seen using the lightmeter to make an estimate of the light conditions at around 4:15 pm.
— PTI
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No plan to disrupt ODI: ULFA
Guwahati, November 3 In a statement e-mailed to the media, ULFA chairman Arabindo Rajkhowa stated that attention of the outfit had been drawn to apprehension raised by various quarters about possibility of the outfit trying to cast its spell on the cricket match and assured all concerned, including security agencies, that the ULFA was not going to do any harm to the ODI match or players. The ULFA leader stated, “We have great respect for sports and sportsmen in general and particularly for internationally acclaimed cricketers of both the teams that are going to play the match at Nehru Stadium in Guwahati on Monday. We welcome the hugely talented international cricketers to the state.” The ULFA chairman further said such international level sports event were most welcomed in the state in the interests of local budding sports persons as such an even would facilitate them to watch their idols performing from a close quarter. Meanwhile, as part of the security arrangements for the ODI, cricketers from both the teams would be kept out of bounds for anyone including even media persons after their arrival here on Sunday noon. The Deputy Commissioner Avinash Joshi informed that players would be ferried to the stadium by special buses straight from the air strip in Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport here. No media persons will be allowed to go inside the hotels where the players will be lodged.
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Vatekar hits ton against Punjab
Amritsar, November 3 Andhra Pradesh were 294 for six at close with Shankara Rao (21) and Mohammad Faiq (23) at the crease. AP won the toss with little nip in the air due to overcast sky lost three quick wickets. They were reduced to 19 for 3 with some excellent swing bowling by Gagandeep, who scalped all the three wickets in the first hour of the match. Hemal along with skipper MSK Parsad joined together and started to pick up the pieces with some patient and occasional audacious batting. The fourth-wicket partnership resulted in 142 runs with Hemal being the dominant partner well supported by skipper who anchored the inning well and sported the youngster to score a brilliant hundred. Hemal was watchful in the beginning with three quick dismissals but kept his cool. Scores: Andhra Pradesh: Hemal Vatekar lbw Karan Goel 137, Parsad Reddy lbw Gagandeep 8, Satya K Verma c Pankaj Dharmani b Gagandeep 6, Gnaneswar Rao c Karan Goel b Gagandeep 1, M S K Prasad b Ankur Kakkar 51, B. Sumant c Karan Goel b Amanpreet 35, Shankra Rao not out 21, Mohd Faiq not out 23. Extras: 12. Total 294/6. Fall of wickets : 1/9, 2/17, 3/19, 4/161, 5/244, 6/258. Bowling: Gagandeep 17.4 - 6 - 28- 3, Manpreet Goni 23-4-92-0, Amanpreet 21-3-76-1, Sarabjeet 10-0-52-0, Ankur Kakkar 17-6-34-1, Karan Goel 1.2-0-6-1 Saurashtra 262-6 against HP Dharamsala: Saurashtra scored 262 for the loss of six wickets against Himachal Pradesh on the opening day of the four-day Group A Ranji Trophy Plate league match at the HPCA Stadium here on Saturday. Scoreboard: Saurashtra (1st innings): SD Jogiyani b Malik 32, KM Vaghela c Dogra b Thakur 40, SH Kotak c Sandeep Sharma b Thakur 38, C Pujara c Bhatia b Thakur 64, JN Shah c Dogra b Sarandeep Singh 23, PS Mehta c Bisla b Sarandeep Singh 8, FU Bambhaniya not out 13, RV Dhurv not out 21, Extras (b-15, lb-2, nb 6) 23, Total (6 wickets, 90 overs) 262, Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-110, 3-196, 4-205, 5-228, 6-237; Bowling: AK Thakur 24-7-62-3, VS Malik 18-5-50-1, Sangram Singh 6-1-20-0, Sarandeep Singh 29-8-67-2, V Bhatia 13-4- 46-0. Dravid scores 40 Mumbai: Off-spinner Ramesh Powar took five wickets for 69 runs to put Mumbai on top against Karnataka. Karnataka reached 189 for nine in 91 overs. Rahul Dravid made 40. Scoreboard: Karnataka (1st innings): B Rowland c V Samant b Agarkar 0, KB Pawan c A Rahane b Agarkar 11, Dravid c A Muzumdar b Powar 40, C Raghu c V Samant b A Nayar 31, Yere Goud st V Samant b Powar 5, T Naidu c V Samant b R Varma 33, B Akhil batting 53, S Joshi lbw Powar 6, Kumble c A Rahane b Powar 0, R Vinay Kumar c V Samant b Powar 4, NC Aiyappa batting 1, Extras (lb-2, nb-3) 5, Total (9 wickets, 91 overs) 189, Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-23, 3-72, 4-78, 5-97, 6-145, 7-164, 8-166, 9-172, Bowling: Agarkar 14-3-24-2, R Varma 19-6-38-1, Powar 29-7-69-5, A Nayar 12-4-17-1, I Abdulla 17-4-39-0. Arun steadies Goa Margao: Arun Kumar and Aditya Angle helped Goa score 258 for loss of eight wickets against Haryana on the opening day of the plate `B' Ranji Trophy league match here. At the end of the day, Aditya Angle (54) and Ryan D'souza (21) were the not out batsmen. Scoreboard: Goa (Ist innings): Sagun Kamat c Sunil Vishwanathan b Gaurav 40 Rohit Asnodkar c Sachin Rana b Sanjay Badhwar 20 Aniket Desai c Sachin Rana b Sanjay Badhwar 00 J Arun Kumar b A Mishra 55 Manoj Joglekar lbw Joginder Sharma 04 Ajay Ratra b Amit Mishra 15 Robin D'souza c K Sandeep Singh b A Mishra 10 Shadab Jakati c Sachin B Joginder Sharma 25 Aditya Angle not out 54 Ryan D'souza not out 21 Extras: (B-2, LB-2, NB-6, W-4) 14 Total: (For 8 wkts in 90 overs) 258 Fall of Wickets: 1-55, 2-56, 3-76, 4-81, 5-119, 6-154, 7-159, 8-201 Bowling: Joginder Sharma 20-4-59-2, Sanjay Badhwar 14-04-38-2, Sachin Rana 10-04-40-0, Gaurav Vasnisth 15-07-49-1, Amit Mishra 25-10-52-3, Priyank Hooda 5-01-16-0.
— Agencies
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Melbourne, November 3 The two countries will fight it out for the first trophy in the upcoming two-Test series, beginning next week. Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said the naming of the trophy after two spinners is a tribute to their awe-inspiring achievements. "Both Shane and Muttiah have broken the 700-wicket barrier and inspired young cricketers around the world to try their hands at spin bowling. "We think it's a fitting tribute to both players by naming the perpetual Australia versus Sri Lanka Test Series trophy after them," Sutherland said in a press statement. Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Duleep Mendis said the trophy would provide lustre to future on-field action between the two nations. "We are proud of the rivalry between our nation and Australia and think this trophy will help add to the sense of occasion every time we do battle," Mendis said. Shane Warne, who holds the World Record of 708 Test wickets, he and the Sri Lankan spin wizard inspired each other to raise their games. "We have had some great battles in the past and helped raise each other's game to the heights that we have reached," Warne said. "The rivalry between Australia and Sri Lanka has grown immeasurably over the last decade and I know my former Australian teammates will be super keen to be the first country to win the trophy when they do battle this November," said Warne, who retired from Test cricket early this year. Muralitharan, who is just nine wickets shy of breaking Warne's record, while praising the Aussie-leggie said he felt honoured. "I have enormous respect for Shane Warne and I consider it a great honour to have a trophy named after both of us. The coming Test series is a great opportunity for our team against Australia and I am looking forward to bowling in Australia again," Muralitharan said. The Test series begins on November 8 in Brisbane and the trophy will be unveiled by Warne and Muralitharan before the second Test in Hobart. — PTI
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Durand Cup New Delhi, November 3 In a pulsating encounter, Sanju Pradhan (third minute) and Santosh Koli (75th) found the net for the airmen, while Nicolau Borges scored for last season’s national league champions in the 43rd minute. Earlier, Nigerian Odafe Onyeka Okolie hammered in five goals as Churchill Brothers trounced Central Railway 6-1. Okolie found the target in the 13th, 40th, 54th, 58th and 82nd minutes with substitute Thangjam Singh getting on the scoresheet in the 84th after Kasif Jamal had given the railmen a surprise lead in the seventh minute. The Dempo-Air India match was the best game of the tournament so far with two evenly matched sides going full pelt at each other with the balance regularly shifting from one side to another. Armando Colaco’s talented bunch was shocked early on when a free kick from outside the area by Samson Singh hit the crossbar. Before custodian VP Satish Kumar or any of his fellow defenders could react, Pradhan headed in the rebound in the empty net. Air India were clearly the dominant team in the early exchanges as their defence held firm with the rattled Dempo players forced to take shots from distance and, as a result, Raju Ekka in the Air India goal was hardly troubled. But as the half wore on, Dempo got into its stride and skipper Ranti Martins went close when he headed a cross from Valeriano Rebello just wide. But their sustained pressure bore fruit just before the break when a free kick from Samir Naik was headed back in the danger area by Nigerian striker Chidi Edeh. Nigerian Roberto Silva missed the first header but Borges found the target to send the teams level at half-time. Coach Colaco had not started with his midfield dynamos Clifford Miranda and Climax Lawrence, with Mahesh Gawli manning the defence. Miranda entered in the second half as Dempo piled up the pressure by almost camping in the Air India half. The airmen, though, held firm. Ekka came to their rescue when he made a double save from attempts by Borges and Rebello. The winner came courtesy a beautifully flighted cross by Nepoleon Singh from the right flank which did not allow the goalkeeper to attack the ball. Koli made a great late run into the box and capitalised on being unmarked by slamming home. But Air India had to ensure some anxious moments as Dempo threw everything at them in the final quarter of an hour. Immediately after going behind, Chidi hit the upright while a strong shot from inside the area by Silva was palmed away by a diving Ekka. Dempo had another cause for worry as Miranda suffered an ankle injury soon after coming on and had to be replaced by Lawrence, who himself is recovering from a knock. Central Railway took an early lead when Govin was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area off a corner and referee Pratap Singh pointed to the dreaded spot. The penalty was converted by Kasif Jamal beating Vinay Singh in the Churchill goal but the Goan outfit did not trail for long. — PTI
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Chandigarh to host PHL again
Chandigarh, November 3 “It has been decided that the prestigious event will be hosted by Chandigarh but the announcement will be made a few days later,” the IHF official said on the condition of anonymity while talking to TNS on the phone. “Three venues - Rourkela (Orissa), Guwahati (Assam) and Chandigarh - were discussed. Of these, Chandigarh has been finalised,” he added. The PHL will be held in mid-December this year as the Olympic qualifiers will start in March next year. “To select the team for the qualifiers, a national camp is also scheduled to be held in February. Therefore, the domestic league will be played in December,” a source said. The organisers are not only contemplating increasing the number of teams but the change of rules is also on the cards, the source added. Two editions of the league have been held at Sector 42 Hockey Stadium in 2006 and early 2007. The event drew large crowds on both occasions.
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Strenuous exercise can be fatal: Expert
Amritsar, November 3 In an interview with The Tribune, Michael Kalinski, professor of sports physiology, Kent State University, Ohio (USA), said athletes tended to go overboard with their training schedules and ended up doing excessive, repetitive exercises. “It has been seen that modern and elite sports exercises may become damaging, taking a toll on the skeletal muscles. This is when the role of the immune system begins. It removes the muscle debris and repairs the damaged areas,” he said. Moderate exercise like walking stimulates the hormonal system, which in turn activates the immune system, said Prof Kalinski, who was in the city recently to deliver a lecture on “Effects of exercise on immune functions” at the national workshop on sports excellence. In case of aged persons, the number of muscles can decrease and at the age of 80 they are left with only 50 per cent of it. Moreover, the muscles turn weaker and less flexible, increasing the risk of injury during strenuous exercising. It, therefore, becomes all the more important to take breaks at regular intervals for walking, he said. “However, sport immunology being a relatively new area of research, most health-conscious people still overdo their fitness exercises, which eventually worsens their health,” he added.
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New Delhi, November 3 Seventh seed Yuki beat Wu, who had upset top seed Bernard Tomic, 6-3, 6-1. Yuki was the only Indian player left in the tournament after Poojasree Venkatesh had lost her semifinal match in the girls event yesterday. The 15-year-old Yuki said he was prepared for a tough match. Divij falters
Divij Sharan squandered a one-set lead to concede the final against Pakistan’s Aqeel Khan at the $10,000 ITF grasscourt event in Lahore on Saturday. The fourth-seeded Indian lost 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 in the final against fifth seed Aqeel. Earlier, Divij and national champion Ashutosh Singh had crashed out of the semifinal of the doubles event.
— PTI
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Macau, November 3 Formidable India trounced Pakistan 35-17 in the kabaddi final but missed another gold when the chess team lost its last-round match against Malaysia to settle for the silver. The chess team thus ended their campaign with five gold, two silver and a bronze. The other medal of the day came in muay (Thai boxing) where Sandeep Shukla lost to Mustafa of Iran in the final in the 71-75 kg category after the referee stopped the contest. Muay fetched India one silver and three bronze medals. — PTI
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Punjab beat Haryana by an innings
Patiala, November 3 Resuming at 39 for 2, Haryana were bowled out for 171 in 68.3 overs. Though Divendra scored a brilliant century (101), hitting 17 fours, he could not save Haryana from defeat. For Punjab, Arjun Kumar captured four wickets for 24 runs. V Choudhary and Sumit bagged two wickets each. — UNI
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Iqbal Kaur bags 800m gold
Amritsar, November 3 Earlier, the games were declared open by minister of sports Gulzar Singh Ranike. Over 1,800 sportswomen are taking part in the event.
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Mini-stadia to tap talent: CM
Sonepat, November 3 Addressing the annual day function of Moti Lal Nehru School of Sports, Rai, in the district, he said the government was constructing mini-stadia in villages in order to tap the talent of rural youth. The Chief Minister said the government had sanctioned the construction of a modern sports complex in around 83 acres at Rohtak and had also decided to set up a sports academy in about 125 acres at Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak.
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Kapur jumps to 7th spot Chandigarh, November 3 The 25-year-old local lad had slipped to the tied 54th spot yesterday. Today, he had birdies on the seventh and 18th, but then he conceded bogeys on the first and eighth and gave away two strokes on the 16th. Shiv Kapur, who concentrates more on the European Tour, played a two-under-par 69 today to leap to the seventh spot from yesterday’s tied 26th spot. Kapur shot birdies on the first, fourth, 15th and 17th and conceded two bogeys on the first nine. His overall tally after round three was one-under-par 212. Vijay Singh, Fijian of Indian origin, returned a steady one-under-par 70 card for the third successive day to be tied fourth with a three-round three-under-par 210 score. SSP Chowrasia, Gaurav Ghei and Arjun Singh were tied 30th, 43rd and 57th, respectively, with scores of 218, 220 and 223. Gaganjeet Bhullar, who missed the Indonesian President Invitational title by one stroke last week, failed to make the cut playing a six-over par 77 yesterday to be eight-over 150 at the midway stage. Also failing to make the cut were Amandeep Johl and Harmeet Kahlon, who finished at 14-over-par 156. US Open champion Angel Cabrera, the big-hitting Argentine, was sitting pretty with a nine-under-par 204 after the third round.
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Roller skating final today Pinjore, November 3 The final will be conducted tomorrow. Dharamveer Singh, chief Parliamentary secretary, Vidhan Sabha, Haryana, declared the championship open. The opening ceremony’s highlights were dancing and pyramid formation skills by children.
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni: The memories of the cracker of a knock (148) that Dhoni played only in his fifth ODI at Vishakhapatnam comes alive whenever arch-rivals India and Pakistan resume their rivalry in one-dayers. That was the knock that announced the arrival of the dreaded Dhoni on to the international stage. Dhoni has come a long way since then.
Gautam Gambhir: The Delhi batsman is finally doing justice to the talent he has as a batsman. The highest scorer from the Indian side in the Twenty20 World Championship and the second highest after Matthew Hayden overall, Gambhir has of late emerged the best Indian batsman. Somewhat in the mould of Delhi team-mate Virender Sehwag, Gambhir has morphed into a mature batsman.
Yuvraj Singh: The dashing Chandigarh batsman is enjoying the form of his life. Having played some superb knocks of late, the six sixes he hit off England new-ball bowler Stuart Broad in the Twenty20 World Championship game being the standout performance, Yuvraj provides solidity to Indian batting. Now the vice-captain of the side, Yuvraj understands the role he is expected to play for the team.
RP Singh: The emergence of RP Singh as a reliable seamer is perhaps the best thing to have happened to Indian cricket. The rapid strides the 23-year-old Uttar Pradesh quick bowler has made on the international stage has given the India bowling attack an entirely different look. The bowling star took wickets in plenty in the Twenty20 World Championship and was the bowling hero in the final against Pakistan along with Irfan Pathan. He continued the good work against Australia and played a significant part in the upsets the world champions suffered in India.
Shoaib Akhtar:
Ever since he burst on to the international stage in the 1999 Chennai Test when he castled Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid with searing yorkers in the same over, Shoaib has hogged the type of limelight probably no other cricketer has. When fully fit and in rhythm charging in to bowl, Shoaib is a sight to behold. The tag of the fastest bowler on the planet under his belt, Akhtar is capable of stirring performances.
Umar
Gul: He is probably the most dependable seamer Pakistan
have at the moment. Gul has come a long way after he made a
memorable debut against India at Lahore in 2004. As he has proved,
the lanky fast bowler can be a tough customer. A good outswinger,
searing yorker, pinpoint accuracy, ability to extract bounce,
nippy pace and sound temperament make Gul a bowler on whom the
skipper would rely on during a crisis. During the Twenty20 World
Championship final, Gul gave some hope to Pakistan by evicting
in-form Yuvraj Singh and skipper M S Dhoni in the same over. Gul
emerged as the most successful bowler in the tournament. Malik
would expect Gul to carry on in the same vein on the tour.
Mohammad
Yousuf: Easily the best batsman Pakistan have at the moment. He will have added responsibility on his shoulders after the retirement of burly
Inzamam-ul-Haq. Responsibility is one thing that the technically sound batsman has been taking with aplomb. The purple patch that he struck last when he overshadowed peerless Vivian Richards as the highest run getter in a calendar year is showing no signs of abating. That the Pakistan Cricket Board went all out to persuade him back to the national squad after Yousuf had joined the Kapil Dev-backed Indian Cricket League underlines the importance Pakistan attaches to
Yousuf.
Younis Khan:
He was deemed a natural skipper after Inzamam retired. After Pakistan fared disastrously in the World Cup earlier this year, Younis surprised one and all when he declined captaincy. Younis is the type of batsman who makes batting looks easy. He has the ability to play virtually every stroke in the book. More of a dasher than a grafter, Younis is a lively and a busy character on the field and keeps pepping up bowlers and fielders. Having played several priceless knocks for the team, the flamboyant batsman along with Yousuf will be the lynchpin of Pakistan batting.