The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Pak clinch consolation win Jaipur, November 19 Pakistan managed to salvage some pride defeating India by 31 runs in the fifth and final one-day cricket international here last night. Despite the defeat in the dead rubber, India won the five-match series 3-2, ending a 24-year drought for an ODI series win at home against the traditional rivals. Batting first, Pakistan amassed 306 for six, riding on the 168-run stand between Shoaib Malik (89) and Mohammad Yousuf (74). The visitors then did well to shoot out the hosts for 275 in 49.5 overs and chalk out a win that would lift their morale ahead of the Test series. For India, Rohit Sharma (52) and Yuvraj Singh (50) hit half centuries but that was not enough to avert defeat. The fact that neither team took the match seriously was more than evident from the fact that both sides made wholesale changes to their line-up resting some of the regulars and trying out a few bench-warmers. Sourav Ganguly joined Zaheer Khan, RP Singh and Harbhajan Singh on the sidelines, paving way for Rohit Sharma, Murali Kartik, S. Sreesanth and Uttar Pradesh all-rounder Praveen Kumar, who made his ODI debut. Pakistan also made wholesale changes leaving out Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Shoaib Akhtar and Kamran Akmal and bringing in Fawad Alam, Imran Nazir, Yasir Hameed and rookie stumper Sarfraz Ahmed, who also earned his first ODI cap. India were reduced to 62 for four when Yuvraj joined Rohit Sharma. Rohit (52 off 61b, 3 fours, 1 six) and Yuvraj (50 off 62b, 3 fours, 1 six) decided not to do anything silly and were cruising along. The Mumbai right-hander helped himself to his maiden fifty in 58 balls and added two more runs before holing out to Yasir Hameed off Malik. Yuvraj poked and missed and was hit in the helmet and looked in all sorts of troubles before finding his feet and racing to 50 in 61 balls. — PTI Scoreboard Pakistan: 306 India: Gambhir lbw Tanvir 12 Tendulkar c Misbah b Tanvir 30 Uthappa c Misbah b Iftikhar 1 Sehwag c Sarfraz b Tanvir 10 Rohit Sharma c Yasir Hameed b Malik 52 Yuvraj c Sarfraz b Umar Gul 50 Dhoni c Imran Nazir b Malik 24 Pathan b Tanvir 44 P Kumar c Tanvir b Malik 12 Kartik c Imran b Iftikhar 16 Sreesanth not out 10 Extras (lb-3, w-11) 14 Total (all out, 49.5 overs) 275 FoW: 1-15, 2-26, 3-57, 4-62, 5-143, 6-188, 7-195, 8-214, 9-238, 10-275. Bowling: Umar Gul 10-0-50-1, Tanvir 9.5-0-53-4, Iftikhar 10-1-52-2, Fawad Alam 10-0-56-0, Malik 10-0-61-3. Man of the match: Shoaib Malik Man of the series: Yuvraj Singh.
	Yuvraj fined for dissent Jaipur, November 19 Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh was fined 20 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent at the umpire's decision of giving him out during the final one-dayer against Pakistan here. The punishment was handed down by ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama following a hearing after the match. It related to the aftermath of Yuvraj's dismissal, caught behind off Umar Gul while attempting a hook shot. The left-hander stood his ground despite being given out by umpire Suresh Shastri and then appeared to indicate that the ball hit his shoulder rather than the bat before leaving the crease. Yuvraj was charged under clause 2.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct which refers to "Showing serious dissent at an umpire's decision." He pleaded not guilty and apologised for any offence he may have caused the umpires. — PTI
	Lee’s double strike dents Lanka hopes Hobart, November 19 Brett Lee undermined Sri Lanka's hopes of chasing down a history-making 507 runs against Australia in the second cricket Test with two crucial wickets late on the fourth day here today. The pace spearhead lured Marvan Atapattu into a trap for his favoured hook shot and then bowled first-innings centurion Mahela Jayawardene next ball to put the Australians in the box seat for victory on Tuesday's final day. Sri Lanka's hopes will now rest on Kumar Sangakkara, who reached his 15th Test hundred late in the day. The Sri Lankans still need 260 runs with seven wickets in hand for a stunning come-from-behind win. The Australians are looking for another convincing victory to wrap up what has been a lopsided series after romping to an innings and 40-run win in Brisbane. Australia are closing in on their 14th consecutive Test victory, the sequence beginning against South Africa in Melbourne in December 2005. At the close, Sangakkara was unbeaten on 109 in 292 minutes with Sanath Jayasuriya not out 33 in an unbroken 89-run stand. Sri Lanka were 247 for three. Lee, Australia's outstanding bowler of the two-match series with 14 wickets so far, broke Atapattu's stubborn 143-run second-wicket partnership with Sangakkara. He set up Atapattu on 80 for the hook shot and the batsman hit the ball straight to the safe hands of Phil Jaques, positioned on the square leg boundary. Lee galloped down the pitch in elation when he bowled Jayawardene with his next ball for a duck with a swinging delivery that collected off-stump and left the Sri Lankan skipper shaking his head in disbelief. Jayasuriya saw off Lee's hat-trick ball. Atapattu, 36,defied the Australian attack for 215 minutes, hitting nine fours off 164 balls. His partnership with Sangakkara had stabilised the innings on a benign pitch after opening partner Michael Vandort made a hash of a pull shot and was easily caught for four before lunch. Scoreboard Australia (1st innings) declared for 5: 542 Sri Lanka (1st innings): 246 Australia (2nd innings): Jaques c Vandort b Malinga 68 Hayden lbw b Muralitharan 33 Ponting not out 53 Hussey not out 34 Extras (lb1, b2, nb19) 22 Total (2 wkts dec, 46 overs): 210 Fall of wickets: 1-83, 2-154 Bowling: Malinga 12-0-61-1, Fernando 12-1-50-0, Muralitharan 20-1-90-1, Jayasuriya 2-0-6-0. Sri Lanka (2nd innings): Atapattu c Jaques b Lee 80 Vandort c sub b Johnson 4 Sangakkara batting 109 Jayawardene b Lee 0 Jayasuriya batting 33 Extras (lb6, nb10, w5): 21 Total (3 wkts, 70 overs): 247 Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-158, 3-158 Bowling: Lee 16-2-40-2, Johnson 19-3-65-1, Clark 13-4-33-0, MacGill 16-0-93-0, Clarke 6-1-10-0. — AFP
	Aussies deny Murali record Hobart, November 19 Australia's second innings declaration here today ensured Muttiah Muralitharan's quest to claim Shane Warne's Test wicket-taking record will not end in Australia. Australian skipper Ricky Ponting set Sri Lanka an improbable 507 runs to win the second Test in Hobart and square the two-match series after declaring his team's second innings at 210 for two before lunch on Monday's fourth day. Before the series Ponting expressed a desire for the freakish off-spinner to leave Australia without Warne's Test record of 708 wickets. Muralitharan will now chase the five wickets he needs to pass Warne's haul in this month's home Test series against England. It has been a exasperating series for Muralitharan, mauled by the Australian batsmen and receiving minimal support from his bowling teammates. In his three bowling innings of the series the 35-year-old contortionist spinner took 2-170, 1-140 and 1-90, leaving him with 4-400 at a profligate cost of 100 runs a wicket. That contrasts with his 115-Test career bowling average of 21.77. "In Brisbane I thought I bowled well but the batsmen play well. Sometimes it happens. You can't do much else but put it in the right places. Some days it works. That's the way a career goes," Muralitharan said. Muralitharan has had little support from his fellow bowlers during the series. Paceman Farveez Maharoof only bowled 23 overs and then sat out the remainder of the second Test with an ankle injury, while the other pacemen - Dilhara Fernando, Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga made little impression in the two Tests. The Australians amassed a total of 1,303 runs for the loss of 11 wickets in the two Tests - 118 runs per wicket. In Australia, Muralitharan has claimed 12 wickets overall for 905 runs in his five Tests at 75.42. "We played him very well," Ponting said after the first Test. "I knew that if we played him well that we would go a long way to having our noses in front right the way through the series." After Muralitharan's 1-140 in the first innings in Hobart, his captain Mahela Jayawardene spoke up for his star bowler. "It is a tough place to come here and perform, everyone knows that. Australia have been the number one team for the last 10 years," he said. "When you come here, you challenge yourself. Murali has found it difficult to pick wickets up purely because these guys are playing good cricket and they do play him pretty well. But Murali has taken 700 wickets." "It doesn't matter where he takes those wickets, that fact remains, so the due recognition for him will be given." — AFP
	ZAHEER ABBAS WRITES Morale-boosting win for Pak I must give credit to Pakistan for the way they fought back at Jaipur. They may have lost the ODI series but they took to the field in the final match with purpose and determination, and the results were there to see for all. Test cricket is a very different ball game but there is nothing like a win to boost a team’s morale. Victory is always good and especially when a team has been down like Pakistan were till the fourth game, it was pleasing to see the way they fought back. Let me also say that both teams rested key players, so to say that India gave away the advantage is not correct or a fair assessment. If Pakistan were without Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar, India, too, were missing Sourav Ganguly, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and RP Singh. It was a test of the bench strength on either side and I was pleased to see the way Pakistan’s boys rose to the occasion. Which brings me to the point that, I for one, could just not understand what was the Indian team’s think-thank aiming at? In today’s highly competitive cricket, why did they not play their best side? It is far better to see a 4-1 score against your name than 3-2, as has happened. When you have the enemy down, it is better to drive the advantage home. India did not do that and I am surprised that they opted for such tactics. Pakistan will not complain. The win will have been a huge morale-booster for them and they will go into the first Test at New Delhi with that in the bag. Shoaib Malik has been under tremendous pressure but he came good at just the right time. It was a captain’s knock in every way. When you are not delivering yourself as a player, it is difficult to ask your team-mates to step up. And when you start to perform, the team also undergoes a change. A captain can then guide his players. Malik looked good and the scenario for his team changed altogether. Pakistan were also fortunate to have found another pitch to suit their strength. Both matches they have won in the series were on quick and lively tracks - Mohali and Jaipur. Once their batsmen had put on over 300 runs, India were always going to be under the hammer and the four early wickets India lost surely played a major role in Pakistan’s win. Overall, I would say Pakistan at last looked like a cohesive unit. It may not make a very big difference in the Test series but I am glad that they won the Jaipur game. Simply put, it is better to win than it is to lose. I now look forward to the Tests with interest, for Pakistan have somewhat closed the gap on India. — News Watch Asia
	SA players defy board, head for ICL Johannesburg, November 19 Unperturbed by warnings of legal action against them, six South African cricketers have defied Cricket South Africa to join the Indian Cricket League (ICL) that starts November 30 in Chandigarh. Lance Klusener, Nicky Boje, Andrew Hall, Johan van der Wath and Dale Benkenstein have already joined the league while former Proteas paceman Mornantau Hayward has confirmed his participation. The rebel players have decided to pursue legal action against Cricket South Africa after the controlling body slapped a ban on all players participating in the ICL. Speaking to the Afrikaans weekly Rapport here Sunday, Van der Wath said he is confident that planning for the ICL series is going well and that it would become an annual event. Van der Wath said: "It is unfortunate that things had to turn around like this, because we are very keen to continue playing in South Africa." Boje said he was looking forward to the opportunity of rubbing shoulders with likes of Inzamam-ul-Haq of Pakistan, Brian Lara of the West Indies and Marvan Atapattu of Sri Lanka. Hall said he is looking forward to the exposure to international talent proving valuable to the young players. "It will be good for the development of young and up coming players (in India) to be in the same squad as international players. We all have considerable experience at the highest level and would like to share this with them." While the six South Africans are united in their fight against the cricket bosses, it will be fierce competition against each other on the field as they will be part of separate teams. Boje will play for Hyderabad Heroes, Klusener for Kolkota Tigers, Benkenstein for Delhi Jets and Andrew Hall for Chandigarh Lions. Van der Wath and Hayward for the Mumbai Champs. — IANS
	England A team here for practice Akash Ghai Tribune News Service Mohali, November 19 A development squad of 14 players under the England Performance Programme (EPP), accompanied by four specialist coaches, arrived here today to attend practice sessions in subcontinental conditions. The EPP team will serve as England’s back-up squad, should any senior player get injured during the three-Test series in Sri Lanka next month “These players can be used as replacements, if required, during the England-Sri Lanka series. They have been brought here to become familiar with the conditions. Also, it was not possible to practise back in England at this time due to severe cold there,” said an official. The team members today took part in a practice session at the PCA Stadium. They will stay here for two weeks before leaving to Chennai for another two-week training programme. The 14-member England A team consists of top players like Luke Wright, Graham Onions, Chris Tremlett and Jonathan Trott. The other players are Moeen Ali, Tim Ambrose, Tim Bresnan, Michael Carberry, Steven Davies, Joe Denly, James Hildreth, Adil Rashid, Chris Schofield and James Tredwell. Ashley Giles (spin bowling coach), Kevin Shine (fast bowling coach), Guy Richards (head coach) and Martyn Moxon (batting coach) are accompanying the squad.
	RP gets Merc New Delhi, November 19 India pacer Rudra Pratap Singh was today gifted a Mercedes Benz car by Neo Sports. The private cricket broadcasters gave the Uttar Pradesh bowler a silver Merc C 200K as a gift for his contribution to India’s victory in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. With 12 scalps at an average of 12.66, RP was one of the outstanding performers for India. — UNI
	2010 C’wealth Games Sports medicine centres may be outsourced M.S. Unnikrishnan New Delhi, November 19 With about two and a half years remaining for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the Capital, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee is running short of time, and many aspects of the games are likely to be outsourced, including the setting up and running of the sports medicine centres. This was stated by chairman of the Games Technical Conduct Committee, Brig KP Singh Deo (retd), at the concluding function of the three-day National Congress on Sports Medicine held here. Quoting the example of the 2006 Doha Asian Games in Qatar, where the actual conduct of the games was handled by experts from the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, Singh Deo said India would also outsource many things, including scientific back-up, sports medicine, dope testing and other aspects of the Games due to shortage of time to recruit medical and paramedical personnel and train them for their jobs. Singh Deo said about 8,000 athletes and 5,800 technical personnel from 71 countries would be participating in the Games. The chairman of the NCSM, Dr PSM Chandran, said the three-day conference threw up interesting ideas and information which would be very useful while planning medical facilities for the Commonwealth Games. The head of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (health services), Dr N.K. Yadav, lamented that no step had been taken so far for preventive medical health care. London to support India’s Olympic bid The UK, hosts of the 2012 Olympics in London, have pledged their support to India’s bid for the 2020 Olympics. Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, at a meeting on “London and Delhi: Host cities — unlocking opportunities” held here today, said major sporting events provided opportunities for development of infrastructure and transportation. An MoU in this regard was signed between Livingstone and Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi.