The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Maddy sends Lions crashing to defeat Gopal Sharma Tribune News Service Panchkula, December 2 Darren Maddy, one presumed, was an experienced opening batsman. How effective a bowler he can be became known this evening when he halted Chandigarh Lions in their tracks as the latter were inching towards a possible victory. With his gentle medium pace, Maddy wrecked his rivals with a four-wicket burst, sending them crashing to a 43-run defeat in the ICL Twenty20 match at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium here today. Batting first, Kolkata Tigers posted 124 on the board before being bowled out in 19.3 overs. Chasing this seemingly modest total, the Lions were never in the race and Maddy hastened the slide as they were bowled out for a meagre 81 runs in 17.3 overs. So complete was Tigers bowlers’ domination that only two players, Imran Farhat and TP Singh, could reach the double-figure mark. While Farhat scored a 19-ball 23, Singh contributed 15 runs. Hamish Marshall and skipper Chris Cairns were the next highest scorers with 7 runs apiece. The Lions could not get off to a good start losing opener Hamish Marshall to Nantie Hayward in his second over. The former South Africa fast bowler troubled batsmen with the good pace that he generated. The twin dismissals of Sarabjit Singh and Chetan Sharma off successive deliveries, both run out by an athletic Jhunjunwala, jolted the Lions. With three wickets down for 39 on the board, the target suddenly started looking tough. A lot depended on Farhat, who was looking good, having played a couple of powerful hits to the fence and sending Eklak Ahmid over the ropes for a towering six. Maddy got into the act at this stage, sending back Farhat. He next befuddled Cairns. Getting the ball to move out, when the batsman was expecting it to come in, the bowler induced an outside edge off his blade for a jubilant Craig McMillan to take a comfortable catch at point. With half the side back in the pavilion, a lot depended on hard-hitting South African all-rounder Andrew Hall. When he was soon done in by an agile Upul Chandana, who hit the stumps well, the Lions’ innings was in complete disarray. The Lions lost the rest of their wickets in a jiffy to be bowled out for a measly 81. Reetinder Sodhi was left stranded on 5. Earlier, the Tigers innings was not based on a substantial individual total from any one batsman. Skipper McMillan with 20 was the highest scorer from the side, while Maddy, Klusener, Jhunjhunwala, Chandana and Diwakar all contributed their bits as Tigers put 124 on the board. Seamer Daryl Tuffey gave virtually nothing for the two crucial scalps that he took, while off -spinner Rajesh Sharma bowled a nagging line and length, claiming three wickets. TP Singh stood out with his agility in the field, first finding McMillan short and taking a breath-taking catch at long-on to send back Chandana. With this win, the Tigers got their name on the points tally to be on a par with the Lions, who have also two points with their victory over Delhi Jets in the opening match. Scoreboard Kolkata Tigers Maddy c Sodhi b Rajesh 19 Klusener b Hall 12 Jhunjhunwala b Tuffey 11 SG Das c Hall b Tuffey 0 McMillan run out 20 Dasgupta c Rajesh b Singh 11 S Singh run out 10 Chandana c Singh b Rajesh 12 Diwakar c Imran Farhat b Rajesh 10 Ahmid run out 2 Hayward not out 2 Extras (b 1, lb 12, w 2): 15 Total (all out; 19.3 overs): 124 Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-42, 3-42, 4-50, 5-8, 6-83, 7-108, 8-110, 9-115. Bowling: Hall 4-0-37-1, Tuffey 4-1-8-2 , Uniyal 4-0-16-0, Sodhi 1-0-5-0, Rajesh 3.3-0-23-3, TP Singh 3-0-22-1. Chandigarh Lions Marshall lbw b Hayward 7 Farhat c Eklak Ahmid b Maddy 23 Sarabjit run out 8 Chetan run out 0 TP Singh st Dasgupta b Klusener 15 Cairns c McMillan b Maddy 7 Hall run out 1 Sodhi not out 5 Uniyal c Dasgupta b Ahmid 2 Tuffey st Dasgupta b Maddy 6 Rajesh lbw b Maddy 0 Extras (lb 2, nb 5): 7 Total (all out; 17.3 overs): 81 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-38 , 3-39, 4-51, 5-63, 6-65, 7-70, 8-73 , 9-81. Bowling: Hayward 3-0-14-1, Ahmid 4-0-26-1, Diwakar 2-0-7-0 Klusener 4-0-18-1, Maddy 2.3-0-6-4 , Chandana 2-0-8-0.
	Delhi Jets get going Akash Ghai Tribune News Service Panchkula, December 2 Pakistan batsman Taufeeq Umar slammed the first half-century of the ICL Twenty20 tournament as Delhi Jets outplayed Hyderabad Heroes by five wickets at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium here today. This was also the first win for a team while chasing a target in the tournament. Southpaw Umar, who was declared the Man of the Match, helped the Delhi side register their first win with an unbeaten 52 off 41 balls with four boundaries and a six. Delhi, led by JP Yadav in the absence of regular skipper Marvan Atapattu, overhauled the target of 142 with 14 balls to spare, scoring 143 for 5. Chose to bat first, Hyderabad got off to a shaky start with the loss of opener Azhar Mahmood (0) in the second over. After Anirudh Singh (8) fell in the fourth over, Nicky Boje (South Africa) and skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) steadied the innings with a 52-run partnership. Inzamam despatched Murtaza for three fours and a huge six, but the bowler hit back by taking his wicket. During his sparkling 24-ball 34, he slammed five fours and a huge six. Boje, who seemed in good nick, missed his half-century by five runs. He was run out for 45 off 44 balls. Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq was the other notable contributor with 29 off 21 balls. Domestic players Taduri Sudhindra (MP) and Murtaza (UP) claimed two wickets each, conceding 25 and 24 runs, respectively. Chasing the target, 26-year-old Umar, who played 25 Tests and 29 ODIs for Pakistan, started the innings with a bang and stayed till the end. Abbas Ali contributed a valuable 43 runs to put his team in a strong position. Umar hit the winning runs in the 18th over. Razzaq finished with figures 2-31 in 3.4 overs, while Mahmood and Absolem snapped one wicket each. Scoreboard Hyderabad Heroes Anirudh c Nixon b Sudhindra 8 Mahmood lbw Sudhindra 0 Rayudu st Nixon b Murtaza 16 Boje run out 45 Inzamam b Murtaza 34 Razzaq not out 29 Harris not out 0 Extras (b-2, lb-1, w-3, nb-3) 9 Total (5 wkts, 20 overs) 141 FoW: 1-8, 2-17, 3-45, 4-97, 5-135. Bowling: Srivastava 4-0-24-0, Sudhindra 4-0-25-2, JP Yadav 4-0-26-0, Benkenstein 3-0-36-0, Murtaza 4-0-24-2, Abbas Ali 1-0-3-0. Delhi Jets Umar not out 52 Mishra c Reddy b Mahmood 23 O’Brien c Khaleel b Razzaq 1 Abbas c Khaleel b Absolem 43 Benkenstein run out 11 JP Yadav c Reddy b Razzaq 6 Nixon not out 0 Extras (lb-3, w-3, nb-1) 7 Total (5 wkts, 17.4 overs) 143 FoW: 1-32, 2-35, 3-113, 4-127, 5-134. Bowling: Razzaq 3.4-0-31-2, Mahmood 3-0-21-1, Sahabuddin 1-0-9-0, Reddy 4-0-22-0, Harris 2-0-16-0, Boje 1-0-11-0, Rayudu 1-0-11-0, Absolem 2-0-19-1.
	Kumble under-bowled himself All credit to Kamran Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq for their splendid fightback on the third day of the Kolkata Test. It was a very good innings from both. Kamran in particular, I thought, played superbly and with a very straight bat. Four of his five Test centuries have come against the Indians and I suspect he really loves their bowling. On Pakistan’s last tour of India, too, Kamran played a similar innings at Mohali where he helped to save the match. Clearly, he has a good inkling of the measure of the Indian attack and even on a pitch that was helpful to the spinners, he presented a straight bat and took the runs as and when it was possible. Misbah plays in his own fashion and though his technique can be faulted on occasion, what cannot be faulted is the way the two buckled down to the task of keeping an upbeat Indian attack at bay. The 207 runs these two have put on have brought Pakistan back into the match. Pakistan are still away from avoiding the follow-on, but this match now bears a very different complexion from the one it did even at the end of the morning’s session. Unless India bowl Pakistan out quickly tomorrow, I would say this game is headed for a draw. If Pakistan can bat on till lunch tomorrow, no other outcome looks likely. The Indians did not help their cause by dropping a few chances but that is how it goes. Still, I would say that Pakistan will need to bat the way Kamran and Misbah did today in their second innings — with commitment and courage — to make the game absolutely safe. I also thought Anil Kumble under-bowled himself today. The pitch was taking some turn and he is India’s premier strike bowler, especially under such conditions. Unless there is a physical problem that we do not know about, the 24-odd overs he gave himself were a few less than he would have bowled otherwise. But then, that is the beauty of captaincy. It always looks very easy when things are going your way. It is when your team is in trouble that you are really tested. Good captaincy always emerges under pressure, in rough weather. My feeling is that If India strike early, they will ask Pakistan to follow on. In one sense, India can be at ease. This is a match they really cannot lose and Pakistan will, at best, be hoping to draw. Given the fact that they are already leading in the series, it would be better for India to play safe and bat a second time and completely shut Pakistan out. I mean, why lose the initiative in the context of the series? Rahul Dravid came under such a storm of criticism when he did not enforce the follow-on against England this summer even with India leading in the series, it could well be weighing on Kumble’s mind too. It is a catch-22 situation for the India captain. Given the option, I think he should impose the follow-on if Pakistan are bowled out quickly tomorrow, but then I am also glad that it is not a decision that I will have to make. — Newswatch Asia
	Now watch your players, real time Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service Panchkula, December 2 Sitting at home, you will now know the fitness and stress levels of cricket players on the field at any point during the match. The Indian Cricket League (ICL) is for the first time using global positioning system (GPS) technology in domestic cricket anywhere in the world. The facility is not just tracking players’ exact position on the field, distance travelled, speed kept and direction of travel, but will also shortly broadcast the entire real time data to millions of TV viewing people across the world. Developed recently by GPSports, Australia, this device combines global position system and heart rate technologies to even calculate players’ body loads (stress levels on the field) and is being used by top sports science institutions in the world. At Tau Devi Lal stadium, this technology has been in operation since yesterday; broadcast will begin in two days. The device is being worn by two players on each contesting sides. GPSports has already profiled two players yesterday using what they call “Wi SPI” GPS units. Till now, Shreyas Khanolkar, a bowler with Mumbai Champs, has turned out the fittest player, speed wise. “During fielding, he touched 29.3 kmph, very fast for a cricketer. He however ran only 3.6 km. His heart rate average was only 127 where the maximum is 180,” said Cameron. Subhojit Paul, wicketkeeper with Mumbai Champs, surprisingly ran 3.4 km on the field; his top speed during fielding was 23 km per hour. On the batting side, too, the players’ profiles offered interesting information which GPSports has stored. The idea, says Adrian Faccioni of GPSports, is to watch every move the cricketers make on the field and share it with people in the stadium and homes. “Our technology can simply broadcast entire fitness information in text and graphical form on the screen,” he said. The technology, he claimed, has never even been used for broadcast in international cricket. “We have only used it for Australian Football League. The facility is extremely important for elite and professional sporting events. It has many inbuilt smarts to ensure that no data is lost. Unlike other real time systems, our Wi SPI GPs units are accurate and reliable up to 200 metres in the field,” he said. The facility is being keenly watched by coaches and trainers as it offers immediate real-time feedback on athletes and enables storage of group inputs which further facilitates improvement. “This helps the team improve by helping the athletes train smart. For us, it is very important because with this we will offer a far better digital experience to our TV viewers,” said Ashish Kaul, executive vice-president of Essel Group. “We brought this technology to revolutionise TV viewing in domestic cricket. Our viewers will now know who is running how much on the field and who is lethargic,” he added.
	Murali = Warne Takes 29 Tests less to equal record of most Test wickets Kandy, December 2 Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan equalled leggie Shane Warne’s world record for the most number of Test wickets on the second day of the first Test against England today. His four dismissals also led a Sri Lankan fightback. Rain stopped play shortly before tea and day two was subsequently called off by the umpires with England at 186 for six wickets, having been a healthy 145-3 at lunch, replying to the hosts’ first innings score of 188. Paul Collingwood was unbeaten on 14 and Ryan Sidebottom on one at close. After lunch, Muralitharan broke a flourishing partnership of 38 between Kevin Pietersen and Collingwood when he trapped Pietersen lbw for 31 runs. Later, he had Ravi Bopara caught by wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene off a leg-side edge to equal the retired Warne’s record tally of 708 wickets. Warne had played 145 Tests, while Muralitharan is figuring in his 116th match. Wicketkeeper Matt Prior was then out caught at mid-wicket off Dilhara Fernando for a duck. — AP
	Harbhajan’s action suspect: Bedi Melbourne: After criticising Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan as a “chucker”, India’s former left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi has trained his guns at compatriot Harbhajan Singh, saying that “he is no different”. Bedi also lashed out at the International Cricket Council for “turning a blind eye to this (chucking) monstrous problem”. “Harbhajan is not any different. The ICC is turning a blind eye to both of them. They are blind to this monstrous problem and it is unfair and undesirable,” Bedi said. “It is not something to be ignored. A lot of people have questioned Harbhajan’s action and they are right too. He has the same problem as Murali,” the former Indian captain and coach was quoted as saying by The Sunday Age . — PTI
	HP bowl out Delhi for 75 Dharamsala, December 2 Despite having star batsmen Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in their ranks, Delhi suffered the ignominy of being bowled out for 75 on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Super League match against Himachal Pradesh here today. Replying to the hosts’ first innings total of 341 all out, Delhi lasted just 23.3 overs and were made to follow on. Only Gambhir could get into double figures scoring 13, while captain Sehwag was bowled by pacer Ashok Thakur for nine. Thakur and fellow pacer Vikramjit Malik ran through the Delhi batting taking four and six wickets, respectively. Delhi ended the day at 38 without loss in its second outing. Gambhir and Sehwag were at the crease with three and 31, respectively. Earlier, Himachal ended their first innings at 341 with Paras Dogra scoring 81. Brief scores: Himachal Pradesh (1st innings): 341 all out (Paras Dogra 81, Navneet Bisla 50; Chetanya Nanda 4-74) Delhi (1st innings): 75 all out (Gautam Gambhir 13; Vikramjit Malik 6-25, Ashok Thakur 4-45) Delhi (2nd innings): 38 for no loss (Virender Sehwag 31 n.o.). Punjab in trouble Siliguri: After restricting Punjab to 241, Bengal replied strongly with 231 for 1 on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Super League match at the Kanchenjunga Stadium here on Sunday. Anustup Majumdar missed his ton by one run, while fellow opener Arindam Das was unbeaten on 93. Earlier, Ashok Dinda took 4-42 as Punjab were bowled out for 241. Brief scores: Punjab (1st innings): 241 (Karan Goel 56, Pankaj Dharmani 42; Ashok Dinda 4-42, Ranadeb Bose 3-56). Bengal (1st innings): 231 for 1 (Anustup Majumdar 99, Arindam Das 93 n.o.) — Agencies
	Overage cricketers ACC disqualifies eight U-15 teams Bishnu Budhathoki writes from Kathmandu Cricket in Nepal suffered a setback after the disqualification of its under-15 team by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on the charge of fielding overage players. The ACC also disqualified seven other international teams, including semifinalists Afghanistan, Hong Kong and UAE, who are taking part in the 10-nation Elite Cup here, according to a report posted by The Kathmandu Post, a leading English Daily in Nepal. The remaining two teams, Singapore and Kuwait, which were found to be fielding less than three overage players in their squads, will vie for the title tomorrow, an ACC press release said. The ACC had taken this difficult decision after the results of the age verification programme conducted on 140 players of the 10 countries concluded that the eight teams including Nepal had fielded players above 15 years of age. “In instances where more than two players in each squad (consisting 14 players) have been found to be overaged, the teams have been disqualified from the competition,” the ACC said in a release issued to announce its decision. According to the ACC, some teams were found to have seven, eight or nine overage players. “140 radiology examinations have been conducted in Nepal since the team’s arrival with all the players from the 10 participating teams,” the release said. Before taking the decision, ACC chief executive Ashraful Haq met managers of all teams individually. However, Binaya Raj Pandey, president of Cricket Association Nepal (CAN) said, “It came as a big surprise to us because we had provided all necessary documents of players to ACC prior to the even and they didn’t say anything on that.”
	Jeev finishes tied third Donald Banerjee Chandigarh, December 2 Defending champion Jeev Milkha Singh played a two-under-par 68 to finish tied third in the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup at the Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club in Japan today. His nine-under-par 271 was his best performance this season and came on the course where he had clinched the title last year. Jeev could have done better. In fact, he was sharing the lead till the 15th hole with a three-under card. But then some difficult putting on the last hole saw him concede a double bogey to finish tied third. He pocketed a prize money of 51 lakh yen. Brendon Jones of Australia, who was trailing till yesterday with a poor two-under-par total after the third round, came up with some good driving and putting to clinch the title with a 11-under-par 269. He played a record nine-under-par 61 today. Kahlon joint 10th Harmeet Kahlon finished tied 10th in the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open, playing a two-under-par 70 today at the Phokeethra Country Club in Siem Reap. His overall tally of seven-under-par 281 fetched him a prize money of $5,910. Gaganjeet Bhullar returned his best card of the tournament firing a five-under 67 for an overall tally of two-under 286 and the tied 29th spot. This was a vast improvement over his tied 48th slot yesterday. His earnings from the tournament was $2526. Gurbaaz Mann and Amandeep Johl finished tied 55th and tied 67th, respectively. American ace Bryan Saltus secured his maiden Asian Tour title after a solid five-under-par 67 in the final round.