SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI


THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
S P O R T S

Bad light saves Pakistan
Kumble, Yuvraj take seven wickets in post-tea session

Anil Kumble (2L), Yuvraj Singh (C) and Sourav Ganguly (R) celebrate the dismissal of unseen Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal during the fifth day of the third Test match between India and Pakistan at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Wednesday. Bangalore, December 12
India very nearly snatched a dramatic victory in the third and final Test against Pakistan but their late bid to push for a historic 2-0 series triumph was thwarted by bad light here today.

Anil Kumble (2L), Yuvraj Singh (C) and Sourav Ganguly (R) celebrate the dismissal of unseen Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal during the fifth day of the third Test match between India and Pakistan at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Wednesday. — AFP photo


EARLIER STORIES


Sehwag recalled for Oz Test tour
Bangalore, December 12
India recalled attacking opener Virender Sehwag to the 16-player squad today for the four-Test series in Australia starting on December 26.

Ganguly really special: Kumble
Bangalore, December 12
Indian skipper Anil Kumble today described the historic Test cricket series win against Pakistan as 'special' and heaped praise on Sourav Ganguly for his stupendous all round show in the series.

Lanka pile up huge 548
Colombo, December 12
England’s openers survived a tricky final session after fine batting from Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene and Prasanna Jayawardene had put the hosts in charge on day four of the second Test.

Man of the Match Marvan Atapattu celebrates with his team mates after the match. Jets, Tigers sail into semis
Panchkula, December 12
Delhi Jets took off in style and made a perfect landing at the top. Getting the better of Chennai Superstars by six wickets, the Delhi Jets stormed into the last four of the ICL Twenty20 tournament at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium here today. On a pitch, which is getting better and better for batsmen, Jets’ bowlers did well to restrict Superstars to 174. Chasing this target, Marvan Atapattu led from the front.

Man of the Match Marvan Atapattu celebrates with his team mates after the match. — Tribune photo by Vinay Malik

Punjab-Baroda match ends in draw
Amritsar, December 12
Displaying far better cricketing sense and discipline, Baroda with 17 points topped Group B and qualified for the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy.

Tamil Nadu beat Himachal
Chennai, December 12
Former champions Tamil Nadu scored a 180-run victory against Himachal Pradesh and secured full five points in the Ranji Trophy Super League cricket match here today.

Man of the Match Sujay Tarafder ‘A dream come true’
Panchkula, December 12
“It was a dream come true,” seamer Sujay Tarafder, Man of the Match, said after the match. “Leave apart the award, I had never dreamt of playing along side such big stars of the game. To play with them and win this award is really wonderful,” the seamer hailing from a nondescript district in Assam stated.
                                                  
Man of the Match Sujay Tarafder

MP manage draw against Haryana
Rohtak, December 12
Madhya Pradesh qualified for the knock-out stage of the Ranji Trophy even though it earned just one point from their drawn Plate League match against Haryana, who got three points, here today.

Beigh takes 6 wkts
Jammu, December 12
The Ranji Trophy Plate League Group B between Jammu and Kashmir and Goa being played here ended in a draw.

I-League
Dempo beat Mohun Bagan
Margao, December 12
Riding on a splendid brace by medio Nicolau Borgues, defending champions Dempo humbled fighting Kolkata's Mohun Bagan 2-0 and kept their unbeaten record intact in their 5th round ONGC I-League championship match played at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, here today.

JCT hold Air India
Mumbai, December 12
Air India playing on home turf dominated the match against JCT but could not find the back of the net as the fifth round I-League match between the two ended in a goalless draw at the Cooperage Ground here today.

JCT-Dempo tie in Delhi
New Delhi, December 12
JCT and Dempo will play their first match of the ONGC I-League at a neutral venue when they meet at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi on December 16.

Punjab Police rout RPF
Jalandhar, December 12
In a one-sided match, Punjab Police routed RPF 13-0 on the fifth day of the 56th All-India Police Hockey Championship-being held at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium here today.

Garhwal Heroes, City Club win
New Delhi, December 12
Garhwal Heroes struggled to eke out a 1-0 victory against Shahdara in the Delhi Soccer Association (DSA) Senior Division League at the Ambedkar Stadium here today.

Shirov to meet Kamsky in final
Khanty Mansiysk (Russia), Dec 12
Latvian born Spaniard Alexei Shirov earned the right to meet Gata Kamsky of the United States in the final of the chess World Cup following a 1.5-0.5 victory over Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine in the rapid tie-break games of the semifinals.

 

 


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Bad light saves Pakistan
Kumble, Yuvraj take seven wickets in post-tea session

Anil Kumble with the winner’s trophy after India won the Test series against Pakistan 1-0 in Bangalore.
Anil Kumble with the winner’s trophy after India won the Test series against Pakistan 1-0 in Bangalore. — Reuters
photo

Bangalore, December 12
India very nearly snatched a dramatic victory in the third and final Test against Pakistan but their late bid to push for a historic 2-0 series triumph was thwarted by bad light here today.

After setting a stiff victory target of 374 in 48 overs, the Indians had the visitors gasping at a precarious 162 for seven on a rapidly deteriorating track before bad light forced an anti-climactic end to the match.

Though the match ended in a draw, the Indians clinched their first Test series win on home soil against Pakistan in 28 years with a 1-0 verdict but the margin could have been 2-0 had the hosts not delayed their declaration till one hour after the lunch break.

Just when it seemed that the game would peter out to a dull draw, the home team injected some life in the last session of play which saw as many as seven wickets fall in quick succession with the M Chinnaswamy stadium pitch becoming quite unplayable.

Mohammed Yousuf and Mohammed Sami promptly walked back to the pavilion after the umpires offered them the light, though the Indians stayed on the ground hoping for the light to improve.

It was captain Anil Kumble who turned the game on its head as he ripped through the Pakistan top order by scalping the first five wickets while Yuvraj Singh chipped in with two wickets.

India won the first Test in Delhi and dominated the next two as well but the Pakistani side showed characteristic fighting spirit in both Kolkata and here in Bangalore to manage a draw despite being pushed to the brink by India's prolific middle order.

The end could not have been more agonising for the Indians and particularly for Kumble who lost an opportunity to win a Test in his home ground, which has not been a happy hunting ground for the home team.

The Indians probably did not expect that the pitch, which offered virtually no assistance to the bowlers for four and half days, would behave so erratically in the last session with many of the balls staying low.

Resuming at their overnight score of 131 for two, India declared their second essay at 284 for six, setting Pakistan a target of 374 runs in 48 overs.

Sourav Ganguly (91), adjudged the man-of-the match and series, missed a ton that was there for grabs but he managed to score 500-plus runs for the series and completed 1000 runs in this calendar year as well.

Dinesh Karthik too struck a brisk 52, with eight fours and a six off Kaneria, to silence his critics.

The lone worry for the hosts was when VVS Laxman retired hurt off the third ball after lunch while fending a short pitched delivery from Shoaib Akhtar. He eventually underwent an x-ray but there seems no reason to panic about his fitness.

Pakistan were comfortably placed at 23 for one at tea but on resumption skipper Kumble had other ideas as he quickly snatched his 34th five-wicket haul in Tests. Before the mandatory overs began, Pakistan had collapsed to 148 for six.

While Kumble, captaining India on his home ground for the first time, removed the first five Pakistani batsmen to finish with figures of 14-2-61-5, birthday boy Yuvraj (3-0-9-2) took the next two wickets before bad light stopped play with 13 overs still remaining.

The artificial lights at the Chinnaswamy Stadium were switched on immediately after the two Pakistani batsmen returned to the pavilion in poor light conditions.

But as per the playing conditions, floodlights cannot be used in this series as both the Cricket Boards had agreed not to do so since Delhi, which hosted the first Test, was not having lights.The last time India had won a series against Pakistan was in 1979-80. India had then won the third Test at Mumbai by 131 runs and fifth Test at Chennai by 10 wickets while Bangalore (1st), Delhi (2nd), Kanpur (4th) and Kolkata (6th) Tests had ended in a draw. — PTI

Scoreboard

India (1st innings) 626

Pakistan (1st innings) 537

India (2nd innings)

Jaffer lbw Arafat 18

Gambhir b Akhtar 3

Dravid lbw Kaneria 42

Ganguly c Iqbal b Sami 91

Laxman retired hurt 14

Yuvraj c Akmal b Sami 2

Karthik c Akmal b Arafat 52

Pathan not out 21

Extras: (b-9, lb-24, nb-7, w-1) 41

Total: (6 wkts decl, 76.3 overs) 284

Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-26, 3-178, 4-178, 5-184, 6-284.

Bowling: Akhtar 17-5-43-1, Sami 20-2-63-2, Arafat 13.3-3-49-2, Kaneria 26-2-96-1.

Pakistan (2nd innings)

Butt c Karthik b Kumble 8

Hameed b Kumble 19

Younis c&b Kumble 0

Iqbal c Ishant b Kumble 51

Misbah b Yuvraj 37

Akmal b Kumble 0

Yousuf not out 10

Arafat b Yuvraj 0

Sami not out 4

Extras (b-12, lb-1) 13

Total (7 wickets, 36 overs) 162

Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-44, 3-73, 4-144, 5-144, 6-148, 7-154

Bowling: Pathan 7-4-30-0, Ishant 6-3-22-0, Kumble 14-2-60-5, Harbhajan 6-1-28-0, Yuvraj 3-0-9-2.

Man of the Match: Sourav Ganguly

Man of the Series: Sourav Ganguly

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Sehwag recalled for Oz Test tour

Bangalore, December 12
India recalled attacking opener Virender Sehwag to the 16-player squad today for the four-Test series in Australia starting on December 26.

Sehwag, discarded for the last two Test series against England and Pakistan due to poor batting form, was included after an injury to his fellow Delhi batsman Gautam Gambhir.

The selectors retained Irfan Pathan, recalled for the drawn final Test against Pakistan, and impressive teenager Ishant Sharma and called up uncapped Pankaj Singh while naming five specialist new ball bowlers.

Left-armer Rudra Pratap Singh also returned after missing the home series against Pakistan due to an abdomen injury, shoring up the pace department which has been hit by fitness woes.

Second wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik retained his spot despite struggling as a makeshift opener against Pakistan, after hitting a 50 in the final Test which ended in a draw today.

India play four Tests in Melbourne (December 26-30), Sydney (January 2-6), Perth (January 16-20) and Adelaide (January 24-28). The series will be followed by a one-day tri-series also involving Sri Lanka.

The squad: Anil Kumble (captain), Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ishant Sharma, Pankaj Singh, Dinesh Karthik. — Reuters

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Ganguly really special: Kumble

Bangalore, December 12
Indian skipper Anil Kumble today described the historic Test cricket series win against Pakistan as 'special' and heaped praise on Sourav Ganguly for his stupendous all round show in the series.

"It's great feeling. When you win against Pakistan it's special and it has come at my home ground so really very special," Kumble said after India drew the third and final Test here to clinch the series 1-0.

Kumble singled out Ganguly, who scored 239 and 91 coupled with crucial wickets at appropriate times to be adjudged man of the match and series, for a "special" praise.

"It was team effort. But it was a brilliant batting by Ganguly and Yuvraj (who scored 169) in the first innings and then Ishant came up with five wickets. Ganguly did well with both bat and the ball. He was really special (in the series)," he said.

On his own fiver, Kumble said he bowled fast after a long time in his career.

"There was nothing in the wicket. I have not seamed a ball in last many years. I never realised that I'll have to seam at my home town," he said.

Kumble also showered praise on Pakistani batsman Misbah-ul-Haq, saying he played a major role in the visitor's stiff resistance to Indian attack.

"Misbah was the one guy who did not give us a 2-0 victory in Kolkata. He is a great potential. He showed character," Kumble said. — PTI

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Lanka pile up huge 548

Prasanna Jayawardene plays a shot during the fourth day of the second Test match between Sri Lanka and England at the Sinhalese Sports Club Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday.
Prasanna Jayawardene plays a shot during the fourth day of the second Test match between Sri Lanka and England at the Sinhalese Sports Club Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday. — AFP photo

Colombo, December 12
England’s openers survived a tricky final session after fine batting from Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene and Prasanna Jayawardene had put the hosts in charge on day four of the second Test.

Michael Vaughan (28 n.o.) and Alastair Cook (19 n.o.) took England to 48 without loss when bad light stopped play after the Sri Lankans had amassed 548 for nine declared for a first-innings lead of 197.

Vaughan again showed his touch from the first innings and helped England reduce the deficit to 149 runs with Sri Lanka eyeing a final-day push for victory and a decisive 2-0 series lead.

Mahela Jayawardene fell five runs short of a double century in the morning session, finishing with 195 from 422 balls with 16 fours and a six, after Sri Lanka resumed on 379 for four.

He top-edged a slog-sweep off Monty Panesar and was caught at slip by Paul Collingwood.

Wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene then scored 79 from 161 balls with six fours before edging a catch behind off Steve Harmison.

Jayawardene then added 108 for the ninth wicket with Dilhara Fernando, who scored a career-best 36 not out. — Reuters

Scoreboard

England (1st innings) 351

Sri Lanka (1st innings)

Vandort lbw Sidebottom 138

Tharanga c Prior b Sidebottom 10

Sangakkara c Prior b Sidebottom 1

M. Jayawardene c Collingwood b Panesar 195

Silva c Bopara b Harmison 49

Mubarak c Bell b Harmison 9

P. Jayawardene c Prior b Harmison 79

Vaas c Bell b Broad 4

Malinga lbw Panesar 9

Fernando not out 36

Extras (b-7, lb-9, w-1, nb-1) 18

Total (9 wkts, 186.5 overs) 548

Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-22, 3-249, 4-377, 5-399, 6-420, 7-425, 8-450, 9-548
Bowling: Sidebottom 36-4-100-3, Broad 36-5-95-1, Harmison 41.5-9-111-3, Panesar 50-7-151-2, Pietersen 15-0-57-0, Collingwood 1-1-0-0, Bopara 7-2-18-0

England (2nd innings)

Cook not out 19

Vaughan not out 28

Extras (nb-1) 1

Total (no wkts, 13 overs) 48

Bowling: Vaas 6-0-22-0, Malinga 2-0-10-0, Fernando 2-0-6-0, Mubarak 1-0-8-0, Muralitharan 2-0-2-0.

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Jets, Tigers sail into semis
Gopal Sharma
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 12
Delhi Jets took off in style and made a perfect landing at the top. Getting the better of Chennai Superstars by six wickets, the Delhi Jets stormed into the last four of the ICL Twenty20 tournament at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium here today.

On a pitch, which is getting better and better for batsmen, Jets’ bowlers did well to restrict Superstars to 174. Chasing this target, Marvan Atapattu led from the front. He notched up an unbeaten 64 as Jets coasted home at the start of the 20th over.

Delhi Jets were provided an ideal start by Taufiq Umar and Monish Mishra. In fine nick, both got into the act without wasting any time. Mishra was more dominant of the two as runs flowed freely from the willows of both openers.

By the time Mishra was out after making a breezy 37, the team was well on course with 62 on board. Mishra scored 20-ball 37 and hit two sixes and four fours. Umar followed him soon to the pavilion with the addition of just two runs.

Atapattu and Abbas Ali then took charge with the former taking the lead in making runs. The ex-Sri Lanka skipper faced no problem in finding the gaps as well as playing big strokes, while Ali was content to play second fiddle as Atapattu did the bulk of the scoring.

Jets suffered minor hiccups when they lost the wickets of Ali and J.P. Yadav in quick succession. But an unfazed Atapattu went about the job in a professional manner in the company of Paul Nixon. He hoisted Thiru Kumaran delivery which landed outside the deep mid-wicket fence to bring the 150 of the innings. He next ran a single to complete his half century.

With 150 on the board, Atapattu and Paul Nixon cut loose in the 18th over of Thiru Kumaran, the best bowler from both the sides in the match. Both batsmen played some delightful strokes as the 18th over cost the seamer 15 runs, which took Jets’ closer to victory.

After a quiet 19th over from seamer Tamil Kumaran, in which he conceded just two singles, the batting duo completed the formalities in Harvey’s 20th over to clear Jets’ passage to the semifinals.

Tarafder wrecks Heroes

It was supposed to be a cracker of a contest between two star-studded teams. Both had been vying for a berth in the semifinal and the increasing totals being put on the board pointed to an exciting contest.

But the contest turned out to be damp squib in which Hyderabad Heroes went down to Kolkata Tigers by 53 runs in the ICL Twenty20 tournament at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium here this evening. With the victory, Kolkata Tigers have entered the semifinal.

Unknown seamer Sujay Tarafder, playing his first match, and destroyed Inzaman-led Hyderabad Tigers, when they started their run chase, in one over. Needing 169 for a win, slender seamer Tarafder struck thrice in his first over, second of the innings, to leave Heroes reeling at seven for the loss of four wickets (Hayward had castled Ibrahim Khaleel in his first over).

Already in dire straits, Hyderabad suffered a hefty blow, when skipper Inzamam was adjudged lbw off Haward soon there after. The verdict left Inzamam stunned who, palpably annoyed with the umpire’s decision, started his trudge back to the pavilion. With five wickets down for a paltry 23 runs, the chase was as good as over.

Brief scores: Kolkata Tigers: 168 for 5 in 20 overs (D Maddy 32, A Jhunjhunwala 33, C McMillan 50, Lance Klusener 24, A Razzak 1-13, I S Reddy 1-32)

Hyderabad Heroes: 115 (A T Rayudu 14, Inzamam 13, Razzaq 37, Azhar Mahmood 24, Sujay Tarafder 3-20, N Haywards 2-15, L Klusener 3-27).

Scoreboard

Chennai Superstars

Harvey run out 30

Vignesh c Sudhindra b Nabi 18

Read c Yadav b Benkenstein 37

Badani st Nixon b Murtaza 14

Hemanth st Nixon b Murtaza 9

Sathish run out 29

Saravanan not out 20

Sriram not out 6

Extras (lb-2, w-9) 11

Total (6 wkts, 20 overs) 174

Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-66, 3-100, 4-115, 5-122, 6-160

Bowling: SJ Srivastava 4-0-47-0, TP Sudhindra 2-0-6-0, Abid Nabi 3-0-34-1, JP Yadav 4-0-32-0, A Murtaza 4-0-24-2, DM Benkenstein 3-0-29-1

Delhi Jets

Umar st Read b T Kumaran 20

Mishra c Vignesh b T Kumaran 37

Atapattu not out 64

Abbas Ali b Sriram 17

J P Yadav c Jesuraj b Badani 11

Nixon not out 18

Extras (lb-2, w-8, nb-1) 11

Total (4 wkts, 19.2 overs) 178

FoW: 1-62, 2-64 , 3-11, 4-124

Bowling: R Jesuraj 3-0-25-0, DT Kumaran 4-0-37-0, G Vignesh 1-0-16-0, IJ Harvey 3.2-0-35-0, T Kumaran 4-0-31-2, S Sriram 2-0-14-1, SV Saravanan 1-0-5-0, HK Badani 1-0-13-1

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Punjab-Baroda match ends in draw
Ashok Sethi

Amritsar, December 12
Displaying far better cricketing sense and discipline, Baroda with 17 points topped Group B and qualified for the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy.

On the last day of the four-day match against Punjab being played at the Gandhi Ground Cricket Stadium here today, Baroda finished the day at 583 for five to collect three points as a result of the first innings lead.

Punjab with one point from this tie and with a total tally of eight points have dropped to lowest rung in the group and would have to compete in the preliminaries to qualify for the Ranji Trophy tournament next year.

Man of the Match Conners Williams scored a brilliant 185 and was associated with two 100 plus partnerships — first with Satyajit Parab and then with Azar Bilakhiaya.

Rakesh Solanki also scored a fine century to help his team overhaul Punjab’s total of 496 for 8.

Baroda, resuming their overnight score of 251 for 2, lost Azar Bilakhiaya to the first ball lbw to VRV Singh.

Conners was joined by Rakesh Solanki and both batted brilliantly and hammered the Punjab bowlers with a flurry of fours all round the ground.

The partnership for third wicket between Conners and Solanki added 184 runs and ended when Conners was bowled by Charanjit Singh at his individual score of 185.

The match was called off half an hour before close of play with Baroda declaring their first innings at 583 for 5.

Scoreboard

Punjab (1st innings) 496 for 8 decl

Baroda (1st innings) 583 for 5 decl

Satyajit lbw Manpreet 80, Conners Williams b Charanjit 185, Azar Bilakhiaya lbw VRV Singh 47, Rakesh Solanki b Charanji 111, Yousuf Pathan c VRV Singh b Ankur Kakkar 20, Penal Shah n.o. 53, S Gaekwad n.o. 54

Extras (b 10, lb 8, w 4, nb 11) 33

Fall of wickets: 1-124, 2-251, 3-435, 4-468, 5-484

Bowling: Gagandeep 27-5-94-0, VRV Singh 28-0-115-10, Manpreet 27-4-93-1, Charanjit 36-4-133-2, Ravi Inder 5-2-17-0, Ankur Kakkar 21-5-76-1, Karan Goel 12-1-42-0.

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Tamil Nadu beat Himachal

Chennai, December 12
Former champions Tamil Nadu scored a 180-run victory against Himachal Pradesh and secured full five points in the Ranji Trophy Super League cricket match here today.

After mixed performances in their earlier four outings, the hosts came up with superb all-round performance to put it over Himachal Pradesh.

With this win, Tamil Nadu have taken their tally to 12 points while HP, who failed to score any point from this match, remained at ten from five matches.

Facing a victory target of 308 runs, Himachal wilted under pressure and were bundled out for 127.

They were 73 for 5 at one stage unable to negotiate off-spinners Ramkumar and Suresh Kumar.

The highlight of Himachal's innings was a 42-run stand for the sixth wicket between Mannu (24) and Sarandeep Singh (19), both falling to Suresh Kumar.

Earlier, the second wicket pair of Manish Gupta (23) and P Dogra (19) put on 29 runs.

Suresh Kumar was the main wicket-taker with 4 for 31 while Ramkumar claimed 3 for 26.

Tamil Nadu declared their second innings at 296 for six late yesterday to set a challenging victory target of 308 runs to the visitors.

Brief scores

Tamil Nadu (1st innings) 234

Himachal Pradesh (1st innings) 223

Tamil Nadu (2nd innings) 296 for 6 decl

Himachal Pradesh (2nd innings) 127 — PTI

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‘A dream come true’
Gopal Sharma

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 12
“It was a dream come true,” seamer Sujay Tarafder, Man of the Match, said after the match.

“Leave apart the award, I had never dreamt of playing along side such big stars of the game. To play with them and win this award is really wonderful,” the seamer hailing from a nondescript district in Assam stated.

Sharing the new ball with Nantie Hayward, Tarafder was off to an amazing start. Claiming the key scalps of frontline batsmen Shashank Nag, Nicky Boje and Chris Harris in his first over, Tarafder effectively shut the Hyderabad challenge before it could really take off. These were the blows from which Hyderabad Heroes could never recover, eventually being bowled for paltry 115.

Asked which dismissal he enjoyed the most, Tarafder said the catches he took off Klusener resulting in the twin dismissals of Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood were very crucial.

Tarafder said he owed his success to bigger names in the game who always kept on guiding and encouraging him. “Team-mates like McMillan, Klusener and all others have been very helpful,” he said.

Victorious skipper Craig McMillan said there was no dearth of talent in the squad. “Virtually every player sitting out on the bench is as good as that playing in the middle.”

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MP manage draw against Haryana

Rohtak, December 12
Madhya Pradesh qualified for the knock-out stage of the Ranji Trophy even though it earned just one point from their drawn Plate League match against Haryana, who got three points, here today.

Madhya Pradesh made it to the knock-out stage getting 15 points against 14 of Haryana.

With an 87 run first innings lead in hand, Haryana resuming at the overnight score of 75 for seven were all out for 114 on the last day today setting a target of 202 before Madhya Pradesh for a win.

The visitors were 169 for nine at close of play with J.T. Billa with bowling figure of four for 52 being the main wicket taker for Haryana.

Rahul Bakshi (27) and A Jadhav (26 not out) were the main scorers for Madhya Pradesh in the drawn match.

Brief scores

Haryana (1st innings) 302

Madhya Pradesh (1st innings) 215

Haryana (2nd innings) 114 

(A Lavasa 22, S Pandey 5-38, Sunil Dholpure 3 for 49)

Madhya Pradesh (2nd innings) 169 for 9

(Rahul Bakshi 27, JT Billa 4-52) — PTI

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Beigh takes 6 wkts

Jammu, December 12
The Ranji Trophy Plate League Group B between Jammu and Kashmir and Goa being played here ended in a draw.

The third day’s play yesterday had been washed out due to rain and poor light.

Resuming at the score of 104 for 4, Goa scored 141 in their first innings.

At close of play, J&K had scored 59 for the loss of three wickets.

Brief scores: Jammu and Kashmir (1st innings) 147

Goa (1st innings) 141 (A Ratra 42, S Beigh 6-50, VK Sharma 4-47)

Jammu and Kasmir (2nd innings) 59 for 3.

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I-League
Dempo beat Mohun Bagan

Margao, December 12
Riding on a splendid brace by medio Nicolau Borgues, defending champions Dempo humbled fighting Kolkata's Mohun Bagan 2-0 and kept their unbeaten record intact in their 5th round ONGC I-League championship match played at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, here today.

Borgues scored once in each half — in the 15th minute and in the 71st minute. He was later adjudged man of the match.

With this win, Dempo maintained their position at the top with 13 points from five outings with four wins and a draw. Mohun Bagan remained on the same 4 points from five outings with a win, a draw and three losses.

In a fast-paced first half, Dempo held an edge. The home team got off to an aggressive start and came with the first good move in the 14th minute when Nicolau Borgues gave a pass to Roberto Mendes Silva whose rasping shot crashed against the frame work and rebounded back into the play.

Dempo shot into the lead in the next minute through Borgues who, after collecting a good pass from Anthony Pereira, unleashed a shot from close range which found the net, giving no chance to Bagan goalkeeper Shilton Paul.

Stung by the early reverse, Mohun Bagan accelerated the pace of their game and came with some splendid attacks on the rival citadel and could have levelled the score in the 20th minute. Peter Siddique, after collecting a free kick pass from Baichung Bhutia, switched the ball to better-placed Dharamjit Singh whose header was smartly punched away by Dempo goalkeeper Satish Kumar.

Bagan had another chance to equalise in the 30th minute but Bhutia's powerpacked shot hit the goal-post.

Dempo increased their lead in the 71st minute, again through Borgues, off a good pass from Valerian Rebello to make it 2-0 and sealed the fate of Mohun Bagan.

Dempo could have increased their lead a minute before the long whistle but Renty Martin's attempted shot sailed over the bar. — UNI

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JCT hold Air India

Mumbai, December 12
Air India playing on home turf dominated the match against JCT but could not find the back of the net as the fifth round I-League match between the two ended in a goalless draw at the Cooperage Ground here today.

JCT with this draw moved to 11 points with three wins and a draw, while Air India moved to four points with four draws and a loss.

Air India have to blame themselves for not having picked up three points as they missed gilt-edged chances to allow JCT to hold them to a goalless draw.

The match started with Air India on the attack and in the early moments of the match itself they should have been 1-0 up but Njon Jean failed to trap the ball properly inside the penalty box resulting in a weak shot which the rival custodian had no trouble in saving.

Air India had another opportunity to shoot into the lead in the 27th minute when a long pass from the centre found an unmarked Njon Jean but, again he could only manage a weak shot on goal which did not trouble the JCT goal.

JCT, who along with Dempo are the only unbeaten team in the I-League this season, had a chance themselves in the 37th minute when a free kick taken by Marcos found Abdul Lateef Seriki, whose header just missed the goal and went out for a goal kick. After the change of ends, JCT missed the best chance of the game when in the very first minute of the second half Baldeep Singh's curling kick from the top of the box hit the woodwork and fell out of harm's way. — UNI

Semifinal line-up

December 14 (Friday)
1st semifinal: Chennai Superstars v Kolkata Tigers at 6 pm
December 15 (Saturday)
5th place play-off: Hyderabad Heroes v Mumbai Champs at 12.30 pm
2nd semifinal: Chandigarh Lions v 
Delhi Jets at 6 pm

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JCT-Dempo tie in Delhi
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 12
JCT and Dempo will play their first match of the ONGC I-League at a neutral venue when they meet at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi on December 16.

JCT’s home matches at Ludhiana has been drawing sparse crowds, which is a reason for shifting this crucial tie to Delhi.

The match between JCT and Dempo is expected to attract a packed house as this will be the first I-League match to be held in Delhi. No Delhi team figures in the National Soccer League.

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Punjab Police rout RPF
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 12
In a one-sided match, Punjab Police routed RPF 13-0 on the fifth day of the 56th All-India Police Hockey Championship-being held at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium here today.

Punjab Police succeeded in converting six of the total seven penalty corners they got. Punjab Police captain Kanwar Preet Singh scored first goal by converting a penalty corner in the 12th minute. He scored another goal in the 62nd minute.

Jugraj Singh converted four penalty corners in the 17th, 31st, 33rd and 69th minutes, while Amit Singh scored two field goals in the 36th minute and 52nd minutes.

Gagan Ajit Singh scored three field goals in the 41st, 46th and 55th minutes. Daljit Singh and Kuljeet Singh scored field goals in the 37th and 43rd minutes respectively.

In another match, Manipur defeated Andhra Pradesh in a close contest 4-3. Tarun scored three goals for Manipur in the 15th, 54th and 58th minutes whereas Adeva scored the field goal in the 43rd minute.

On the other hand, D. David Raj and Sanjeev of Andhra Pradesh scored one each field goal in the 47th and 49th minutes respectively whereas Aflal Khan converted the penalty corner in the 65th minute.

CISF outplayed Bihar 13-1. Pervez Ahsan of CISF scored the first goal in the ninth minute. Besides GV Khakha scored three goals including the conversion of a penalty corner. Naved Jamal scored another field goal in 12th minute.

Cykil Ekka, Bharat Kumar and Major Singh converted one penalty corner each in the 16th and 23rd and 29th minutes respectively.

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Garhwal Heroes, City Club win
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 12
Garhwal Heroes struggled to eke out a 1-0 victory against Shahdara in the Delhi Soccer Association (DSA) Senior Division League at the Ambedkar Stadium here today.

After a goalless first half, inside-right Pramod Rawat slotted home the match-winner ten minutes before full time.

Later, City Club swamped Youngmen 3-0. Youngmen played well, but their custodian Ankit let in easy goals by displaying a pair of porous hands.

Nigerian Musibav Adebayo struck a brace, scoring once in either half through solo efforts, while another Nigerian import, Ola Tadeek, completed the tally a few minutes before full time when he powered in a rebound from the custodian.

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Shirov to meet Kamsky in final

Khanty Mansiysk (Russia), Dec 12
Latvian born Spaniard Alexei Shirov earned the right to meet Gata Kamsky of the United States in the final of the chess World Cup following a 1.5-0.5 victory over Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine in the rapid tie-break games of the semifinals.

It turned out to be a rather one way battle for Shirov in the tie-breaker after first two games against Karjakin ended in draws yesterday.

Playing black in the first game, Shirov warded off some dangerous threats from Karjakin and came close to winning before signing peace. — PTI

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