The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Injuries plague Pak; Murali takes a blow on nose Kolkata, November 28 Comeback man Murali Kartik took a knock on the nose while fielding during India's first practice session here today, while Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik sat out while the visitors went through the paces at the Eden Gardens ahead of the second Test which begins from November 30. Both teams arrived at the Eden Gardens a little after 1 pm and sweated it out for the next three and half hours. The Indian team began their practice session with a warm-up and fielding session, before the players retired to the nets. Murali took a knock on the nose when Dinesh Karthik's elbow buried on his face while they were playing handball during their warm-up session. He was attended to by John Gloster, Indian team's physio. Later team sources said his injury was not serious. Newly appointed skipper Anil Kumble not only had a longish bowling session at the nets, but also batted with great concentration. At the nets, Dinesh Karthik and Wasim Jaffer opened the batting, followed by Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. Next to bat were Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman and M.S. Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. While Zaheer bowled sparingly at the nets, Munaf was in full flow. Ranadeb Bose and Shib Shankar Paul were called in to bowl at the nets to the Indian batsmen. On the other side of the ground, the Pakistan team, plagued by injuries and indisposition, began their practice. Their cup of woes was already overflowing with Shoaib Akhtar not full recovered, Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammed Sami down with viral. Skipper Shoaib Malik had come to the venue but sat it out on a chair for the three hours as his team practiced. To make matters worse, Umar Gul finished his bowling and immediately went in for medical attention to Dr Faizal Hyat Khan. However, the team management said there was nothing to worry. While Yasser Hamid and Salman Butt began the batting for the visitors, they were followed by Md Yousuf and Younis Khan. All bowlers including Danish Kaneria and Sohail Tanvir bowled at the nets. Malik also informed that both Mohammed Sami and Misbah-ul-Haq, who had blood tests done last evening, were getting better. Though it was too early to confirm the their participation in the Eden Test, the team manager was hopeful of their being match fit. — UNI
	Vengsarkar asked to select team over phone New Delhi, November 28 Another controversy surrounded chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar tonight following reports that he had been directed to select India’s team for the third Test against Pakistan after discussions over telephone, a move he says has humiliated him. Vengsarkar, who had a run-in with the BCCI last week over his newspaper columns, has reportedly been told by the BCCI to discuss the team selection with four other selectors over telephone ahead of the third Test beginning in Bangalore from December 8. No one from the board was willing to confirm or deny reports about this directive to Vengsarkar, who was quoted by a TV channel as saying that he was humiliated by the board’s behaviour and that it would be the first time that a team would be selected over phone. “I have no comments to make on this,” BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said when asked about the development. The reports also said that Vengsarkar had requested the BCCI to shift the venue for the selection committee meeting and the board responded with this directive. The apparent reason for the BCCI’s unprecedented directive was that selectors would end up missing the ongoing Ranji matches if they gathered for the selection committee meeting in Bangalore. The latest development marked a new twist to the ongoing tussle between Vengsarkar and BCCI officials. — PTI
	Fitness test for RP, Sree today Kolkata, November 28 Injured pacers R.P. Singh and S. Sreesanth will undergo a fitness test here tomorrow under the observation of Indian team physio John Gloster. “They will come here by tonight and undergo the fitness test tomorrow morning when the Indian team will practice here at the Eden Gardens,” team manager Lalchand Rajput told reporters after Indian team’s practice here today. BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah yesterday said Gloster would give an update on the status of the pacer duo’s recovery. Sreesanth sustained injury while fielding in the fifth and final ODI match between India and Pakistan at Jaipur on November 18 and had to miss the first Test held in Delhi, along with left armer R.P. Singh who suffered a side strain. — UNI
	Shoaib Akhtar better Kolkata, November 28 Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar, recovering from a chest infection, was discharged from hospital this evening. "He is much better. He had good rest. The fever has subsided. The infection is very much within control. The soreness in the throat is also gone. So we decided to discharge him," said Apollo Gleneagles medical director Dr V.R. Ramannan. The decision was taken after the attending doctor Shyamasish Banerjee examined Shoaib and was satisfied with his progress. "He has been advised a night's rest and to continue with the medicines. He can gradually start normal activities from tomorrow," he said. Shoaib was admitted to the hospital with fever yesterday. The tearaway bowler has been advised to drink plenty of water as his body was dehydrated. — PTI
	Australians plan ‘pacy welcome’ for India Sydney, November 28 Australia is all set to unleash 'pace' as their main weapon against India in the upcoming Test series, with the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch indicating a 'four-man' pace attack for the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne. A day after leg-spinner Stuart MacGill's intention to undergo a career-saving knee surgery, which will rule him out from the home series against India, made the headlines, the chief selector stated that though Brad Hogg is the likely option to replace MacGill, using four specialist quicks could not be ruled out along with with part-time spin option in Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke. ''We made it pretty clear before first Test selection that we consider our best balance will contain a spinner but there are going to be various conditions where a four-pronged pace attack will not be ruled out,'' Hilditch was quoted as saying in 'The Age'. ''It will all come down to the conditions at that particular time, and where we are playing,'' he added. Interestingly, Hilditch's intention to opt for an outright pace attack might have been influenced by the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) official's decision to use a drop-in pitch for the opening Test. However, if the Kangaroos' decide to play four seamers then the experienced Indian batting line-up might have to counter the raw pace of Shaun Tait, who has not played for his national side since his breakthrough World Cup campaign in April due to an elbow injury. Speedster Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clarke would be Australia's frontline seamers in the Test series. However, 24-year-old Tasmanian, Ben Hilfenhaus and Queenslander Ashley Noffke might give Tait a run for his money as they are also in calculations for the fourth seamer's place. But Tait said he was pushing speeds of 150 km/h before his recent setback last month and his elbow would not come into the way of his pace, which according to him provides him an edge over his competitors. ''It is pain-free at the moment, which is the first time in over a year. It's brilliant. It's just getting my body back to match fitness, basically,'' he said. ''They (the selectors) might do something like that (play four quicks), and that would work in my favour if I am performing at the time. ''Ben Hilfenhaus is around the place and Ashley Noffke is dominating at the moment, so it's not going to be that easy, but if I can come back and bowl full pace again and take wickets, there is no reason why I can't be a chance to get picked again,'' he added. — UNI
	Buchanan’s blueprint to restrict Tendulkar Melbourne, November 28 Former coach John Buchanan has handed Australia a blueprint to rock Sachin Tendulkar in the forthcoming series, saying the Indian batsman is susceptible to short-pitched bowling early in his innings. Operation "Get Tendulkar" will be the key plank of Australia's plan for the four-Test series this summer and Buchanan's video analysis of the Indian provides crucial intelligence. He has noticed Tendulkar's footwork has become sluggish, especially early in his innings, making him vulnerable to quicker and shorter bowling followed by the sucker punch of a fuller delivery. "What I've been seeing for a while is that his feet don't move early in his innings and he is not very fluid early on," Buchanan told 'The Advertiser.' "That makes the good-pace short ball a great weapon. It's something that Australia should be very conscious of this summer." The short ball should be followed by a full one for a favourable result, he said. "It doesn't necessarily mean you will get Sachin out with the shorter ball. But you can push him back on his crease and then look for a full ball, which he can tend to squirt to the slips early in his innings when he doesn't have great control," Buchanan said. Tendulkar boasts a similar Test average (54.16) in Australia as he does elsewhere and his statistics do not give weight to the theory that the 34-year-old is a fading star, because his Test average of 55.38 in 1989-1999 is similar to his 54.43 return since the turn of the century. However, Buchanan feels Tendulkar is not playing with the same consistency. "He still has greatness within him like all great players. It is still there but it does not appear as regularly," he said. Buchanan has also noticed the Little Master is often uncomfortable against left-arm pace. — PTI
	India-Oz series at par with Ashes: Lee Melbourne, November 28 Australian paceman Brett Lee has put the forthcoming four-Test home series against India at par with an Ashes contest. The series starts on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Lee has fond memories of facing the Indians at the famous venue where he took 5-47 on debut against Sachin Tendulkar's side eight years ago. "Time has flown by so quickly and there are some absolutely great memories playing at the MCG, on a team basis and an individual basis," Lee was quoted as saying by 'The Age' newspaper. "We have always said that playing against England in the Ashes is where it's at, but I also think now playing against India is one of our greatest challenges as far as Test match cricket goes." Lee hopes for more assistance from his fellow bowlers this summer as the home attack badly missed the injured Glenn McGrath and suspended Shane Warne when the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was last contested in Australia in 2003-04, with the series finishing 1-1. But the fast bowler has come a long way since and proved himself a worthy leader of the attack in the recent series win over Sri Lanka, when he took 16 wickets and was named the player of the series. — PTI
	MacGill may retire if not selected: Waugh Sydney, November 28 Former Australian batsman Mark Waugh feels leg-spinner Stuart MacGill, who is contemplating a knee surgery, might retire from international cricket if he is not selected for the first Test against India beginning December 26. “I have a feeling he would call it a day,” Waugh, who has the same manager as MacGill, said. “I think he is 50-50 at the moment, just getting vibes through different people. Who knows what he is thinking? But just from the outside, I think he is on the cusp of retiring. But if he gets himself fit and gets some wickets there, that will re-energise him and he could go for a couple of years.” — UNI
	Beckham leaves lasting legacy Sydney, November 28 Australian football may be forever in the debt of David Beckham after 'Becksmania' enticed 80,000 fans to watch an international club friendly. Los Angeles Galaxy's 5-3 loss to Sydney FC was immaterial. It was the prospect of watching the international football phenomenon strut his stuff for the first time in Australia that attracted the fans in their droves to Sydney's Olympic stadium. Only Australia's World Cup final eliminators have drawn more home fans than the 80,295 at yesterday's exhibition. Charismatic Beckham didn't disappoint his legion of admirers, stroking home a signature "Bend it like Beckham" free kick in the first half and even getting steamed up enough to earn himself a yellow card for a square-up tackle. Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley declared it as the night football, jostling for media exposure with the rugby codes and Australian Rules, came of age in this country. "The true value in this event is the legacy to the game," Buckley said today. "The thing about athletes like David Beckham is that they transcend their sport and get a much broader group of people interested in the game in some shape or form. That can only be a positive and only a handful of athletes have been able to achieve that. "It might not have satisfied some of the purists in the football world, but it will certainly leave a lasting legacy for those 80,000 fans to get excited about the game and either come out and support A-League or national team matches after this," he said. Former national coach Rale Rasic believes, on a marketing level, the David Beckham experience is so powerful the English superstar's Sydney visit will create a new wave of young players across Australia. "It is going to have a tremendous effect on the game in Australia for many years to come," said Rasic, who took Australia to the 1974 World Cup finals. "The effect has already begun, because people have been talking about the Beckham visit for months. I don't think you can underestimate the power, in a marketing sense, of this one man. The effect we're going to see in Australia, from him being here, is that all these seven-, eight-, nine- and 10-year-olds will be playing football long after he has left the country because they will have been touched by the excitement of it all. "I really believe that in eight or 10 years from now, we will get players coming through to the professional level who will have been sparked by what they saw when Beckham came out here - and that some of them will be stars. That's how powerful he is as an influence." The appeal of the former Real Madrid and Manchester United superstar, who earns $ one million a week playing for Galaxy, is widespread with youngsters, women, families, football fans all in his thrall. And even when there were fears that he might not see out the game after injuring his ankle in a tackle in the 28th minute, the 32-year-old icon toughed it out for the fans, who had paid big money to watch him play. "I always try to stay on the field whether I'm injured or get kicked in games, it's part of the game," said Beckham, who lasted the whole game. — AFP
	I-League Dempo pip Sporting Clube Margao, November 28 Brazilian Roberto Mendes Silva (Beto)'s spectacular second half goal was enough for defending champions Dempo Sports Club to get the better of Sporting Clube de Goa 1-0 and earn full points in their second round match of the ONGC I-League championship match played at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, today. The all-important goal for the winners came in the 79th minute which ultimately turned out to be the match winner. Later, medio Roberto Silva, who scored the goal, was adjudged the man of the match for his fine performance. Dempo could have romped home with a much bigger margin had they utilised the chances before them, especially in the second half. It was Dempo's second consecutive win and Dempo leads the table with six points from two wins. Sporting have lost both their matches so far. After a barren first half, Dempo regrouped themselves well and attacked vigorously and came up with three splendid opportunities. In the 60th minute, Edeh Chidi's long ranger shot missed the target narrowly. Then, in the 71st minute, Roberto Mendes Silva missed an easy chance. He had only the rival goalkeeper to beat but he did not get a clear look at the goal and his hasty shot went wide. It was a well measured pass from Nicolau Borges. Dempo shot into the lead in the 79th minute through Roberto off a free kick. The rasping shot landed straight into the goal giving no chance to the rival goalkeepr. Roberto, thus, made amends for his earlier lapse. Inspired by the lead, Dempo continued to attack and could have increased their lead in the 81st minute when Anthony Pereira after collecting a pass from Jerry Zirsanga, unleashed a shot from close range. But, Sporting's goalkeepr Luis Baretto brought off a fine save. Earlier, in a dull and drab first half, both teams were trying to find their bearings but play was restricted to the midfield for the major part. Both had a couple of chances to score. Sporting Clube came near scoring in the 22nd minute of the first half but Micky Fernandes' attempted shot sailed over the bar. In the 30th minute, Dempo were almost in the lead had not the Sporting defender Danzil Franco timely cleared the attempted shot of Edeh Chidi off a fine cross pass from Niccolau Borgues. Dempo had another chance to move ahead three minutes before the breather, but Sporting goalkeeper beautifully fisted over Roberto Mendes Silva's 25-yard powerpacked shot to safety. — UNI
	Force India to test Ralf Schumacher, Fisichella London, November 28 Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella, former winners in search of a Formula One lifeline, will be among seven drivers testing for Force India in Spain next week. The renamed team, formerly Spyker, said today that the two would each have a full day of testing in Jerez from December 4-7, joining fellow-hopefuls Christian Klien of Austria, Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi and France's Franck Montagny. Dutchman Giedo van der Garde and Spaniard Roldan Rodriguez, neither of whom have any Formula One race experience, complete the testing line-up. A team spokeswoman said Adrian Sutil, the German rookie who competed for Spyker this year, was confirmed for next season and had no need to take part in the test. Compatriot Schumacher, younger brother of retired seven times world champion Michael who will be testing for Ferrari in Jerez the same week, left Toyota in October after three generally lacklustre years. The 32-year-old, winner of six grand prix for Williams in a 179-race career, has sounded confident about continuing in Formula One but has attracted little interest in his services. Testing for Ferrari-powered Force India takes the German, who started his career at Jordan in 1997, full circle with that team being renamed Midland and then Spyker before being bought by Indian billionaire Vijay Mallya and Dutch entrepreneur Michiel Mol. Mallya was a sponsor of Toyota this season through his Kingfisher Airlines while technical head Mike Gascoyne has worked with Schumacher at Jordan and Toyota. “I have known Vijay for many years over my time with Toyota. I fully understand his passion for the sport and know that he will put this drive into Force India to make it a success,” said Schumacher in a team statement. — Reuters
	Chess World Cup Sasi draws with Zvjaginsev Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia), November 28 Krishnan Sasikiran split points in the first game of his second round match against Russian GM Vadim Zvjaginsev to continue moving ahead in the here. Sasikiran, the only Indian to have advanced to the second round, was playing with black pieces in the first game of the two-game match and equalised easily in the Alapin variation against the Sicilian defence. The position was of a closed nature and the players agreed to a draw on the 21st move in a dynamically balanced middlegame. Third seed Teimour Radjabov's loss to Polish GM Bartlomiej Macieja was the big surprise of the day. Top seed Vassily Ivanchuk played solidly with the black pieces and drew his game against Russian GM Alexander Galkin. Second seed Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan played brilliantly to score over Croatian GM Zdenko Kozul. Armenian GM Levon Aronian, who is the fourth seed in the World cup, outplayed GM J. Gustaffson to win in 37 moves. Peter Svidler (Russia), Gata Kamsky (USA) and Etiennie Bacrot were other prominent winners in their respective first games of the second round. Chinese GM Wang Hao created a flutter by beating former World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov. — PTI
	Netherlands, Australia favourites Champions Trophy from today Kuala Lumpur, November 28 The Champions Trophy which gets under way tomorrow will give the world's two top teams, the Netherlands and Australia, a chance to gauge each other's strength before next year's Beijing Olympic Games. European champions the Netherlands and world number one Australia start as clear favourites, with world champions Germany going through a slump and having had little time to prepare for the tournament. The Netherlands team manager Robert van Maasakker said that as well as aiming for victory, the tournament's defending champions intended to gather information on their rivals ahead of Beijing. "This is a very nice tournament and a good tournament to prepare for the Olympics," he told a press conference. "Still a long time away but will be an interesting tournament with a lot of teams." After a poor performance at the 2006 World Cup where they finished a lowly seventh, the Netherlands bounced back with some stirring displays which propelled them back to third in the world rankings. In August, they were in fine form as they won the European title, crushing Belgium 7-2 in the semifinals before a 3-2 win over Spain in the final. That win also ensured them an automatic spot for the Beijing Olympics. Van Maasakker said they retained some 15 players from the last World Cup and that the team was improving. — AFP
	Jeev begins title defence today Donald Banerjee Chandigarh, November 28 Jeev Milkha Singh will tee off tomorrow in a bid to defend his title in the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup on the par-70 greens of Yomiuri Country Club, Tokyo. Jeev had clinched the Nippon Series JT Cup last year when he catapulted to the top 50 position in world golf ranking. This year has not been good for the Chandigarh golf icon. His ranking in world golf has fallen to 80. But is still the best by any Indian golfer. His best card this season was in the Dunlop Phoenix when he finished tied seventh barely 10 days back. In his last outing at the Casion World Open, he showed his class in the second round carding a four-under par 68. But then he played miserably on the last day returning a three-over par 75 to finish tied 45th. His better performances this season were in the BMW PGA Championship and Open de France in where he finished tied 12th. He finished tied 13th in the Hero Honda Indian Open and missed the cut on 10 occasions. The Nippon Series will be his penultimate outing on the Japan golf tour.
	ATP Challenger Bopanna-Aisam storm into semis New Delhi, November 28 Second seeds Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi beat Adrian Cruciat and Adrian Menendez 6-3, 7-6(6) to storm into the semifinals of the ATP Challenger tennis tournament here today. The Indo-Pakistani duo broke their Romanian-Spanish opponents early in the first set to take it 6-3 in quick time but had to stave off a late challenge in the second set before coming out 7-6 victorious in a tight tie breaker in a quarterfinal match at the DLTA Complex. In the semifinals, they will meet the pair of Benjamin Balleret (Monaco) and Sebastien de Chaunac (France) who got the better of the Indo-American pair of Mustafa Ghouse and Patrick Briaud 6-3, 7-5 in another quarterfinal match. Bopanna remained the only Indian left in the tournament with all of his compatriots having lost in the first round in both the singles and doubles. — UNI
	Golf festival begins today New Delhi, November 28 As part of the "Incredible India campaign" to make Delhi a golf destination in South East Asia, the Airtel India Golf Festival will be played at the Qutab Golf Course here from tomorrow to December 2. The festival is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism. The tournament consist of simultaneous team and individual competitions in which 100 players will participate on each of the four days. An open junior golf clinic will be conducted by Gaurav Ghei and well-known American coach Claude Harmon, who was part of the team which trained Tiger Woods for ten years. — OSR
	PNB record big victory Our Sports Reporter New Delhi, November 28 Punjab National Bank (PNB) trounced Army XI 7-2 in the 18th Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey Tournament at the Shivaji Stadium here today. Jitender Saroha, who opened the account in the 12th off a penalty corner, also scored the third and fourth goals. Bikas Topo struck the second and sixth goals while A.K. Ekka reduced the margin for Army in the 50th minute. Rajwinder Singh and Navdeep Singh added the fifth and seventh goals for PNB while D. Mahadik added the second goal for Army XI. In the second match, Namdhari XI blanked Indian Oil 3-0. Karamjeet scored the first goal off a penalty corner and rounded off the tally with a field goal. Sukhvinder Singh scored the second goal. In a close encounter, the star-packed Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) edged out Indian Airlines 3-2. International Amar Aiyamma netted the first and second goal while Gurpreet Singh got the match-winner for BPCL, after Indian Airlines twice came back to draw parity through Pawan Bassi and Osaf-ur-Rehman. Air India and South Central Railway drew 4-4. Len Aiyappa, Ajmer Singh, Dilbagh Singh and Girish Pimple scored for Air India while B.K. Bharat, Amit Srivas, Prabhakar Singh and Mayur Subbaiah found the target for South Central Railway.
	UP triumph Our Sports Reporter Patiala, November 28 Uttar Pradesh registered a comprehensive 10-wicket win against Railways in a plate group match of the All-India Cooch Behar Cricket Tournament (u-19) today. Brief scores: Railways: 1st innings: 137 all out UP: 1st innings: 326 all out Railways: 2nd innings: 220 all out (Prashant Awasthi 85, Gaurav Kumar 66, Mohammad Khalid 4 for 43, Babneshwar Kumar 3 for 61) UP: 32 for no loss.
	Korfball trials today Our Sports Reporter Patiala, November 28 Trials to select the Punjab team which will take part in the 3rd North Zone National Korfball Championship to be held at Mandi from November 30 to December 2 will be held at the Polo grounds here at 3 pm on November 29.
	Haryana in jr national soccer final Gurgaon, November 28 First timers Haryana will take on former champions Bengal in the final of the 44th Junior National Football Championship for Dr BC Roy Trophy here. In the first semi-final at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex today, Haryana beat Orissa 4-2 via tie breaker after the regulation and extra times failed to produce any goal. — UNI