The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	RP, Sreesanth out; Munaf in New Delhi, November 20 A day before the start of the Test series against Pakistan, India suffered a jolt with two strike bowlers R P Singh and S Sreesanth being ruled out of the first match at the Feroz Shah Kotla here on Thursday. A brief BCCI press release said due to injury, Sreesanth and R.P. Singh have been ruled out of the first Test and Munaf Patel has been drafted into the team. Indian team cricket manager Lalchand Rajput said R P Singh had a sprain below the right armpit area. R P Singh took part in the team practice session this evening for a while but left for the dressing room earlier than other team members. He was in his paces along with the other team members in the light work out for around 30 minutes and later bowled to Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik and Sachin Tendulkar before abruptly leaving for the dressing room. Sreesanth, on the other hand, had a shoulder injury which it seemed he had picked up at Jaipur during the final ODI against Pakistan. The Kerala pacer did not accompany the team for practice session at Kotla this evening. Meanwhile, one-day captain M S Dhoni's chances to take the field at Kotla on Thursday was kept a secret and none from the team was willing to shed light on the matter. Dhoni twisted his ankle at Jaipur. He took part in the light work out without any apparent trouble just like any other team member and later had keeping practices with fielding coach Robin Singh. He also had around 30-minute batting practice at the nets facing Yuvraj, Murli Kartik, Zaheer Khan and Delhi Ranji players. Dhoni, though, seemed to take care that he did not exert himself to the full. Dinesh Kartik, who can wear the glove in case Dhoni do not play on Thursday, was among the first, along with Wasim Jaffer and Sachin Tendulkar, to have batting stint at the nets. He did not undergo any keeping practice. The Indian team had a two-and-half-hour practice session, with a light work out followed by fielding practice at the main ground and later batting session at the nets outside the main ground. First to pad up for batting were Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik and Sachin Tendulkar followed by Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni in that order. Laxman was also given slip fielding practice by Robin Singh. Dinesh Karthik and Wasim Jaffer later joined Laxman. Captain Anil Kumble and his spin partner Harbhajan Singh bowled at tandem seperately at the main ground at a pitch adjacent to the playing pitch. The duo later joined the other members and bowled at the nets. Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid batted the longest. Dravid almost batted for the whole practice session while Tendulkar also rolled on his arms to Ganguly and Dravid. — UNI
	Vengsarkar bows to BCCI diktat Selectors not to be sent abroad Mumbai, November 20 After being on collision course with the BCCI, chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar seems to have bowed to the Cricket Board's diktat and has stopped writing columns for a Marathi daily owned by BCCI chief Sharad Pawar's brother. "Vengsarkar has stopped writing his column 'Cover Drive' that used to appear as a preview before a ODI played by India. The last one was scheduled on the day of India's fifth and final ODI against Pakistan at Jaipur (Nov 18) but did not appear," said a source in 'Sakal' newspaper today. Vengsarkar and four other selectors have been banned from writing columns or talking to the media by the BCCI but the chief selector defied the gag order and continued to write his column in "Sakal". When it was brought to BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah's notice, the official promptly sent a missive to the former India skipper seeking explanation for defying the order. Miffed at the board's directive, sent as a seven-point dos and don'ts, Vengsarkar and a few of his colleagues threatened to quit the post. "We are not servants, we cannot be treated in such a way. If such a gag order continues, some of us may step down", one of the selectors told PTI yesterday on condition of anonymity. He said Vengsarkar, who has been writing newspaper columns for nearly 15 years, was "extremely angry" with the gag order and two of his colleagues also shared his views. "The selectors have been made to look like jokers. While we have been banned from interacting with the media, the BCCI officials have been selectively leaking news. We cannot compromise with our dignity," the selector had said. Vengsarkar, who took over as the chairman of the selection committee from Kiran More, has often found himself at the centre of controversy for his statements which ultimately prompted the Board to issue the gag orders. Among the guidelines, the selectors were not allowed to attend customary press conference to announce the team or interact with media in any way and go to players' dressing room. Vengsarkar was conspicuous by his absence in a press conference last week to announce the Test team for the Pakistan series. The selectors have also been asked to watch the players in domestic matches as they would not be sent on the foreign tours as per the new guidelines issued by the BCCI. — PTI
	Shoaib fit as a fiddle: physio New Delhi, November 20 Shoaib Akhtar may not have looked his menacing best in the just-concluded one day series but the 'Rawalpindi Express' is fit as a fiddle, insists Pakistan trainer David Dwyer. Dwyer laughed off suggestions that Shoaib was yet to regain his peak fitness and said there should not be any doubt with the speedster. "Maybe he does not look the same person but still he is bowling and bowling consistently at 150 kph. I think he is in great shape," Dwyer said after Pakistan team's practice session at the Feroze Shah Kotla here ahead of the first Test against India that gets underway on November 22. Dwyer, however, was candid enough to admit that it took lot of effort to keep Shoaib in shipshape. "Oh yes, it takes hell lot of effort to make him fit. We have looked at his history of injuries and so far he looks good. You have to consider that a lot of force goes through his body and it's same with other pacers as well. "In that respect, (Glenn) McGrath was the ideal pacer. He worked so hard on his fitness. I can’t really remember the last injury he picked up," he said. Shoaib has often been seen sniffing inhaler during the one-day series but Dwyer said it had nothing to do with any breathing problem. "Yes, he sniffs it to clear his lung. It's just a medication, nothing else," he said. Dwyer also claimed that Akhtar was physically good enough to survive the wear and tear of a full tour. — PTI
	Lee leads Aussies to series sweep Hobart, November 20 Brett Lee finished off Sri Lanka's prolonged resistance today, leading Australia to a series sweep and a 14th consecutive Test win. Lee clean bowled Muttiah Muralitharan after lunch on the final day - immediately after the Sri Lankan No. 11 upper cut him for six. That ended Sri Lanka's innings at 410 and secured Australia's 96-run win in the second Test. Lee finished with 4-87, giving him 16 wickets for the series. The result was closer than expected, with Kumar Sangakkara scoring 192 before he was controversially dismissed and the last two wickets adding 120 runs. Sangakkara's plucky innings ended when umpire Rudi Koertzen ruled that he edged a Stuart Clark delivery onto his helmet before it rebounded to Ricky Ponting at second slip just before lunch on the last day. TV replays showed the ball crashing into Sangakkara's shoulder, not the bat. It was a disappointing end for the 30-year-old Sri Lankan No. 3 after his sixth big hundred in his last seven Test matches. He put on 74 for the ninth wicket with Lasith Malinga to keep the match alive long after Sri Lanka lost five wickets for 25 to slip to 290 for eight, chasing 507 runs to win. Malinga, who contributed only nine to that partnership, slogged Clark for consecutive sixes in the over before lunch and again down the ground for another six just after the interval. He finished not out on 42 after dominating the 46-run last-wicket stand with Muralitharan (15). With heavy rain forecast for later in the day and smoke from a far away forest fire drifting over Bellerive Oval and reducing visibility, the Sri Lankans were clinging on for breaks in play and a draw. Sri Lanka needed a world record in its second innings here to level the series - the West Indies' 418 against Australia in 2003 is the highest winning total ever achieved by a team batting fourth. — AP Scoreboard Australia (1st Innings) declared for 5 wickets: 542 Sri Lanka (1st Innings): 246 Australia (2nd Innings): declared for 2: 210 Sri Lanka (2nd Innings): Atapattu c Jacques b Lee 80 Vandort c (sub) b Johnson 4 Sangakkara c Ponting b Clark 192 M Jayawardene b Lee 0 Jayasuriya c Gilchrist b Lee 45 Silva c Ponting b Johnson 0 P Jayawardene lbw b Johnson 0 Maharoof c Lee b MacGill 4 Fernando run out (sub) 2 Malinga not out 42 Muralitharan b Lee 15 Extras (nb-13, w-6, lb-6, b-1): 26 Total (all out in 104.3 overs): 410 FoW: 1-15, 2-158, 3-158, 4-265, 5-272, 6-272, 7-284, 8-290, 9-364, 10-410. Bowling: Brett Lee 26.3-3-87-4, Mitchell Johnson 28-4-101-3, Stuart Clark 24-5-103-1, Stuart MacGill 20-1-102-1, Michael Clarke 6-1-10-0. — AP
	Thanks mates, says a delighted Warne Sydney, November 20 Spin legend Shane Warne will keep his world record of most Test dismissals for some more time as Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan failed to surpass the feat in the 'Down Under' Test series which ended today. Warne thanked his former teammates for allowing him to hold the record for some more time. The Hampshire captain was delighted that Australian batsmen tamed Murali, but conceded it was only a temporary reprieve. Warne said,''It was nice the Australian boys have allowed me to hold on to the record for an extra week, but It's only a matter of time before Murali gets it.'' ''Hopefully the England boys make him work hard in Sri Lanka as well. But as I said, with Murali it's only a matter of time. ''The boys played him extremely well in this series, but he will go on and get a 1000,'' Warne was quoted as saying by 'Herald Sun'. Before the start of the series Ricky Ponting's men vowed to deny the off-spinner the chance to surpass his Aussie bete noire. Muralitharan began the two-Test series against Australia needing just eight wickets to equal Warne's record haul of 708 but only managed four victims at an average of 100. — UNI
	Aussies At It Again Kumble will be under pressure: Ponting Melbourne, November 20 A month to go before the Indians land in Australia for a Test series, skipper Ricky Ponting has started the usual mind games, saying Anil Kumble will find it very hard to cope with the pressure of captaincy like his predecessors Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. "Kumble will be under pressure coming to Australia. Anyone who captains the Indian cricket team is always under a lot of pressure. A lot of very, very good players in the past haven't been able to cope with that.” “Tendulkar probably didn't ever really wanted to do it, I don't think," Ponting was quoted as saying by the 'Australian Associated Press' after the 2-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka at Hobart. "Rahul Dravid did it for a short period of time. When he resigned, he said he just wasn't enjoying the role. There's no doubt that he (Kumble) will be under some sort of pressure. But they are only under pressure if we play well enough. That's the thing," he added. Australia will play a four-Test series against India starting December 26 and although Kumble has only been appointed for the series against Pakistan, Ponting seems to have presumed that the veteran leg-spinner will be given the reins for the tour Down Under as well. — PTI
	Atapattu announces retirement Hobart, November 20 Former Sri Lanka captain Marvan Atapattu announced his retirement from international cricket after his team lost the second Test to Australia today. The 36-year-old sent a statement to Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Duleep Mendis announcing his immediate retirement. ''I write to inform you that I will be retiring from international cricket for Sri Lanka with effect from November 21st 2007,'' the statement, released to the media, said. Atapattu scored 16 centuries in 90 Tests for Sri Lanka but was expected to face disciplinary action on his return home after criticising the national selectors, describing them as ''muppets.'' ''Sri Lankan cricket, I think at this moment in time, is not going the way, the direction, it should be going,'' Atapattu told reporters during last week's first Test in Brisbane. ''Especially with the muppets, basically, headed by a joker.'' Atapattu also played 268 one-day internationals for Sri Lanka but his greatest performances were in Tests. He converted six of his 16 Test hundreds into double-centuries, a fear bettered only by Don Bradman (12), Wally Hammond and Brian Lara (seven each). — Reuters
	Contempt plea against Pawar New Delhi, November 20 The Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) has filed a contempt petition against union minister and BCCI president Sharad Pawar, secretary Niranjan Shah and others, for "violating" the apex court's order on constituting a committee to resolve a dispute between the BCA and the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA). An apex court bench of Justices B.N. Aggrawal and G.M. Singhvi, however, declined to entertain the plea for early hearing of the matter after senior counsel P.S. Mishra appearing for the BCA mentioned the matter before it today. The contempt petition alleged that the BCCI and other officials had committed contempt of court by purportedly according recognition to the JSCA even when the dispute is pending before the apex court. — PTI
	Sampras sparkles in defeat Seoul, November 20 In an exhibition match between the present and past giants of tennis, world No. 1 Roger Federer defeated Pete Sampras in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. The match in Seoul is the first of three Asian exhibition matches the two legends will play. The pair meet again on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur before heading to Macau two days later. Sampras, 36, retired in 2002, a year after the only previous meeting between the pair at Wimbledon 2001. Federer won that fourth round match in five sets. If the Swiss star - who lifted his fourth Masters Cup title on Sunday in Shanghai - expected an easier ride against the ageing American he was in for a shock. Sampras brought cheers from the crowd at Seoul's Olympic Tennis Arena as he fired down two fierce aces in his first service game. The balding Sampras proceeded to break his opponent's serve and then moved 4-2 ahead courtesy a delightful drop shot. "I feel pretty good," Sampras told Korean television after the game. "I made it competitive, which was my goal. Obviously Roger is the best player in the world and I retired five years ago. I am grateful that he invited me." Federer was equally happy with the workout. "Pete was one of my idols growing up and it's great to play him," Federer said. "It wasn't easy for me, it wasn't easy for him as he's been retired five years. I am number one and everyone expects me to win." All the familiar trademark volleys and serves were on display but Sampras, who has won 14 Grand Slams to Federer's 12, was slower around the court than in his 1990s heyday and made a number of unforced errors. Federer took advantage of those to break Sampras' serve and take the first set 6-4. Apart from three successive lobs that Federer served up to his opponent in the second game of the second set, the game was a competitive, though light-hearted affair. By that time, Federer was hitting his stride and took the second set with a minimum of fuss. "I have no plans to come back from retirement," said Sampras. "You have to come back for a reason. I just stay home and watch Roger win on television." — AP
	Gurpreet sinks Indian Oil New Delhi, November 20 A four-goal burst from Gurpreet Singh guided Bharat Petroleum to a 4-2 victory over a strong Indian Oil side in a super league encounter of the 44th Nehru Hockey Tournament here today. After drawing first blood in the 16th minute, Gurpreet single-handedly scripted the result by converting three penalty corners (22nd, 39th, 51st) in a row. Viren Rasquinha (18th) and Didar Singh (66th) sounded the board for Indian Oil. In other matches of the day, Punjab and Sind Bank registered a 4-1 victory over PNB, while Indian Airlines drew 2-2 with Namdhari XI. Star drag-flicker Sandeep Singh's brace (28th, 46th) put the Airlines team ahead twice, but Namdhari XI scored through Harpal Singh (31st) and Gurbhej Singh (52nd) to prevent their rivals from taking full points. PSB rallied to post a dramatic win over PNB. Jatinder Saroha's goal in the 34th minute helped PNB go into the lemon break with the lead. PSB came back with vengeance to pump in four goals through Kulwinder Singh (39th), Sarvanjit Singh (46th), Mandeep Singh (58th) and Vikramjit Singh (69th). — PTI
	Rai school win u-19 hockey title Tribune News Service Nabha, November 20 The team from MNSS, Rai (Haryana), clinched the 21st All-India IPSC Boys (under-19) Hockey Championship being hosted by Punjab Public School, Nabha. Hosts PPS, Nabha, won the runners-up trophy. In the last match of the tournament, PPS Nabha defeated YPS Patiala by a solitary goal. Karanbir Singh of PPS was declared the best defensive player and Amit Kumar of MNSS, Rai, was adjudged the best player of the tournament. Ajay Kumar of MNSS Rai was the top scorer while Rajinder Pal Singh Brar of YPS Patiala was declared the best goalkeeper. Former captain of Indian Olympic hockey team and Arjuna awardee Ramandeep Singh Grewal, deputy director sports, PAU, Ludhiana, distributed the prizes. In his address, he appreciated the efforts of schools like PPS, Nabha, and MNSS, Rai, where sports are considered part and parcel of education.
	National Kayaking and Canoeing Services, Kerala win Bilaspur, November 20 Services bagged the men's national kayaking and canoeing championship while Kerala walked away with the title in the women's category here today. The five-day championship ended at the Govind Sagar Dam here. A total of 800 players from 25 teams representing states, defence and paramilitary forces participated in the championship held for the first time in Himachal Pradesh, organising secretary P.S. Guleria said. — PTI