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We have the firepower to beat Oz: Kumble
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Lions face tough task against Jets
Tait ready to prove his action’s clean
Warne to be highest paid star in IPL
BCCI hikes allowances of selectors
8 Pak players for PHL
‘Spygate’
Youngmen record win
Police Hockey: Punjab, J&K enter semis
JCT, Dempo in Capital
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We have the firepower to beat Oz: Kumble
New Delhi, December 14 “We have the potential to beat Australia because we have the batting line-up to put the runs on the board,” Kumble said. “And once we have the runs on the board, I believe we have the ability to get 20 wickets,” he told CNN-IBN. The 37-year-old leg-spinner said the captaincy came at a time when he thought he had given up hopes of leading the side. “I thought the chance had passed me, I thought there was a chance when I was vice-captain in 1996,” said Kumble, adding that he didn’t expect to be made captain even as recently as two months ago. “When I became captain was not in my control, and I think it has come at the right time,” said Kumble who recently pipped Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the Test captaincy, after Rahul Dravid had given up the job. Kumble revealed that he had contemplated retirement several times in the past and that Test captaincy was a “shot in the arm.” The veteran spinner said post-retirement, he would prefer taking up coaching in Bangalore to touring as part of the media. Team to depart on December 17 Mumbai: The 16-member Indian cricket team will leave for Australia by a morning flight on December 17 to play four Tests and a Twenty20 match against the hosts and a triangular ODI series with Sri Lanka as the third team. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said the team members would assemble in Mumbai a day ahead of departure on December 16 and would fly off the next day for the tour. India will open their campaign with a three-day fixture against Victoria at the Junction Oval ground in Melbourne from December 20 to 22. The first Test will begin at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day (December 26). The Twenty20 match will be held on February 1, while the tri-series starts on February 3.
— Agencies
Ganguly back in ICC top 20 after 7 years Dubai: Following his outstanding performance in the series against Pakistan, Sourav Ganguly entered the top20 of the ICC Test rankings for batsmen for the first time in seven years. The left-hander notched up 534 runs at an average of 89 to earn the Man of the Series award and jump four places to 20th on the ICC list. However, Sachin Tendulkar dropped a rung to 19th. On the bowling front, India’s Test captain Anil Kumble is relishing his time in charge and the veteran leg-spinner took 18 wickets in the three-Test series to move up two places to fifth on the bowlers’ list. Meanwhile, pace spearhead Irfan Pathan’s maiden Test hundred has pushed him to the sixth spot in the rankings for all-rounders, behind Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka. The other big mover from the India-Pakistan Test series is Misbah-ul-Haq. The right-hander began the series in 88th position but is now ranked 25th after scoring 464 runs in six innings at an average of 116. At the top, Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara and Australia’s Ricky Ponting are sharing the number one position in the rankings for batsmen. The two are locked on 936 ratings points each but Sangakkara has the first chance to move ahead again when Sri Lanka and England take the field for the third and final Test of the series, starting in Galle on Tuesday.
— PTI Test schedule Dec 26-30: 1st Test, Melbourne Jan 2-6: 2nd Test, Sydney Jan 16-20: 3rd Test, Perth Jan 24-28: 4th Test, Adelaide
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Adelaide, December 14 Man-of-the-Match Ponting was as at his mercurial best to notch his 24th one-day international ton, while Gilchrist, who cracked six fours and two sixes before being dismissed for 51, took the game away from New Zealand, who made 254 for seven off 50 overs. Ponting also combined with Michael Clarke (48) for a 135-run match-winning partnership after Matthew Hayden (17) and Gilchrist were dismissed in quick succession, though Gilchrist’s onslaught had put Australia firmly in control. Clarke was caught by Lou Vincent off Kyle Mills with just 46 runs needed for victory before Ponting and Andrew Symonds (28 not out) saw Australia home with 7.3 overs to spare. “Gilchrist took the momentum away from us,” said New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori. Earlier, Brendon McCullum fell four runs short of his maiden one-day century as New Zealand scored 254 for seven. The belligerent wicketkeeper-batsman, opening the innings, hit 12 boundaries and a six off 103 balls before he holed out to Nathan Bracken off wrist-spinner Brad Hogg for 96. Ross Taylor (50) also made his presence felt off 52 balls with three sixes before he found a leading edge off Brett Lee and was well caught by Shaun Tait. Clean hitter Jacob Oram (32 not out off 38 balls) rounded off proceedings with his customary power, clubbing three boundaries. Tait (3-59) was the best of the Australian bowlers, while Lee (2-48) and all-rounder James Hopes (1-40) bowled steadily. The next game in the three-match Chappell-Hadlee series is in Sydney on Sunday.
Scoreboard New Zealand Vincent c Hopes b Lee 5 McCullum c Bracken b Hogg 96 How c Hayden b Tait 20 Styris c Gilchrist b Tait 5 Taylor c Tait b Lee 50 Oram not out 32 Sinclair c Hogg b Hopes 2 Vettori b Tait 18 Mills not out 7 Extras (b-1, w-8, nb-5, lb-5) 19 Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) 254 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-155, 3-123, 4-175, 5-197, 6-201, 7-241. Bowling: Lee 10-0-48-2, Bracken 10-3-52-0, Tait 10-0-59-3, Hopes 10-0-40-1, Hogg 10-1-49-1. Australia Hayden c&b Mills 17 Gilchrist c Taylor b Martin 51 Ponting not out 107 Clarke c Vincent b Mills 48 Symonds not out 28 Extras (w-1 nb-3) 4 Total (3 wkts, 42.3 overs) 255 Fall of wickets: 1-69 2-75 3-210, Bowling: Mills 10-1-68-2, Gillespie 10-0-72-0, Martin 9-1-52-1, Oram 4.3-0-25-0, Vettori 8-0-32-0, Styris 1-0-6-0.
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Superstars sail into final
Panchkula, December 14 In keeping with the trend, the contest at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium this evening between the two semifinalists was expected to an exciting affair. But the Tigers, while chasing, failed to pose any challenge at any stage of the game. In pursuit of the target, the Tigers never really get going. The first five overs produced 19 runs as the two openers returned to the pavilion. The match continued to progress in the same vein as the Tigers kept losing wickets at regular intervals. A tentative Craig McMillan survived a close caught-behind call. But he failed to capitalise on the reprieve. The first lofted stroke McMillan attempted off canny Thiru Kumaran landed in the safe hands of Tamil Kumaran at deep square leg, triggering widespread celebrations in the rival camp. The fall of captain’s wicket seemed to have a demoralising effect on the rest of the batsmen. Lance Klusener, the next big hope, fell to R Sathish after scoring four runs, to leave the innings in tatters. The twin dismissals proved too much for the side. The Tigers kept losing wickets sooner than expected as the side was eventually bowled out for 74. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Anshu Jain, who scored identical 18, were the highest scorers from the side. Most of the bowlers returned with flattering figures. Pace spearhead Shabbir Ahmed bowled an impressive spell (3-1-5-1), while Harvey, two Kumarans and R Sathish scalped two wickets each, giving away virtually nothing. Earlier, Chennai Superstars got a late boost through a scintillating 51 by Sathish. The batsman was in superb nick and played some glorious strokes. The Superstars, at one stage, looked like putting a below 150-run total on the board as none of the earlier batsmen, barring Harvey and Read, to some extent, failed to come good. It was the 24-ball knock studded with six fours and three huge sixes from Satish that enabled the Superstars put up a decent score. Sathish was backed up well by Vasanth Sarvanan, who played a breezy 24-run cameo. For his all-round efforts, Sathish was adjudged the Man of the Match. Scoreboard Chennai Superstars Harvey b Ahmed 23 Vignesh c Ahmed b Tarafdar 4 Read lbw b Tarafdar 28 Arnold run out 2 Law st Dasgupta b McMillan 9 Badani run out 15 Sathish c Ahmed b McMillan 51 Saravanan not out 24 Thiru Kumaran run out 0 Tamil Kumaran b Hayward 0 Shabbir run out 1 Extras (b-4, w-6) 10 Total (all out, 19.5 overs) 167 Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-63 , 3-65, 4-71, 5-78, 6-104, 7-165, 8-165, 9-165. Bowling: Nantie Hayward 3.5-0-24-1, S Tarafdar 4-0-28-2, Ahmed 4-0-38-1, Lance Klusener 4-0-30-0, Craig McMillan 3-0-26-2, Darren Maddy 1-0-17-0 Kolkata Tigers Maddy c Badani b Shabbir 9 Dasgupta c Law b Tamil Kumaran 1 Jhunjhunwala b Thiru Kumaran 18 Rajiv c Read b Sathish 8 McMillan c Tamil Kumaran b Thiru Kumaran 6 Klusener c Tamil Kumaran b Sathish 4 Jain c & b Harvey 18 Chandana run out (Sathish) 1 Ahmed lbw b Harvey 0 Tarafdar not out 2 Hayward c Law b Tamil Kumaran 0 Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-5) 7 Total (all out; 15.3 overs) 74 Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-12, 3-31, 4-42 , 5-52 , 6-70 , 7-72 , 8-72, 9-72. Bowling: Shabbir Ahmed 3-1-5-1, Ian Harvey 3-1-12-2, Tamil Kumaran 2.3-0-18-2, Thiru Kumaran 3-0-16-2, R Sathish 2-0-8-2, G Vignesh 2-0-13-0. — Agencies
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Lions face tough task against Jets
Panchkula, December 14 True to his reputation, Cairns has led the side from the front. With a couple of explosive knocks and wickets at crucial junctures, the former all- rounder has played a key role in his side entering the semifinals. Farhat at the top has been outstanding, while Tuffey and Hall have made their presence felt with decent contributions. Blame it on the lack of adequate playing opportunities or whatever, the rest of the players (mainly those who played Ranji matches for Punjab and other states) have yet to perform to their optimum level. Among such players perhaps all-rounder TP Singh is the only one to have shown sparks of brilliance with his fielding as well as a couple of little camoes. TP was at his best against Chennai Superstars, notching up 47, his best effort in the tournament so far, while Dinesh Mongia, barring a good spell in his first match he played in which he took two wickets against Hyderabad Heroes, has nothing to show in the other two matches he has played so far. Talented off-spinner Rajesh Sharma bowled beautifully (3-23, the best figures from the side) in the team’s second match against Kolkata Tigers. Ironically, he did not figure in the playing eleven in the last three matches! Reetinder Sodhi’s case has been curious. The former India all-rounder played the first two matches, while spending his time on the sidelines in the next three. Coming in to bat at No. 7 towards the fag end of the innings in his first match and the tournament opener against Delhi Jets, he was caught at the boundary when he attempted an expensive lofted stroke. He conceded five runs in the lone over he got to bowl. In the second encounter against Kolkata Tigers, in which the team crashed to 81all out, Reetinder batted at No. 8. Not many overs at his disposal, the all-rounder remained unbeaten on 5. He again got just one over to bowl in which he conceded five runs. Lions would do well to have a well-defined strategy in place and be on guard, as having gained the momentum, Delhi Jets are sure to come out hard on their rivals, seeking to avenge the loss they suffered at the hands of Lions in the tournament opener on November 30.
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Malik to stay captain
Karachi, December 14 “We will stick to our decision to name him as captain for the year (2008). We will give him our full backing and we feel he can mature into a good captain in time,” Ashraf told reporters. The 25-year-old Malik’s captaincy and own form have come under the microscope after Pakistan’s one-day and Test series defeats at home to South Africa and then the disappointing showing in India. Vice-captain Younis Khan was the captain for the last two Tests as Malik was ruled out with an ankle injury. Ashraf said Pakistan’s Australian coach Geoff Lawson had been asked to give a detailed report on Pakistan’s first Test series loss in India since the 1979-80 rubber. “The team appeared to lack in mental toughness at times and professionalism,” Ashraf said. “I am not satisfied with Lawson’s performance,” he added while addressing a press meet in Lahore. — Agencies
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Tait ready to prove his action’s clean
Melbourne, December 14 “That’s a disgrace. They can question me and I can go and do the tests but I can’t see a problem with my action at all. Maybe they should watch the ball more,” said Tait, whose action had never been questioned at any level of cricket. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland was also baffled by the accusations. “This is the first time I’ve heard Shaun’s action called into question and I don’t regard it as an issue he needs to worry about,” Sutherland said was quoted as saying by The Australian. “I’ve always subscribed to the theory that you shouldn’t make a fast bowler angrier than he already is,” he added. Tait, who has recently recovered from an elbow surgery, was impressively fast in the Twenty20 international in Perth on Tuesday. The accusations will add a nasty edge to what has been a low-key build-up to the series. However, match referee Roshan Mahanama claimed no concerns were raised regarding Tait in Perth. “It’s nothing that we have discussed,” Mahanama said yesterday. Meanwhile, Australian captain Ricky Ponting wants in-form Tait in his team to fight India in their Test series beginning later this month despite the paceman’s bowling action being questioned by New Zealand team. Ponting today urged the national selectors to consider Tait, who claimed a five-wicket haul in the Twenty20 match against New Zealand at Perth on Tuesday, saying that he was capable taking wickets in any format of the game. “He might be one of those guys that when he is fit and firing like he is we have to play him because it probably doesn’t last forever,” Ponting said before the Chappell-Hadlee opener against New Zealand. “Whatever form of the game he plays, he’s good enough to knock batsmen over at any time. It doesn’t just apply to one-day cricket. If his fitness is good and he can back up and bowl a number of spells... he could easily slot into our Test team as well,” Ponting was quoted as saying by The Age. Shane Warne may have voiced his choice of Michael Clarke as the vice-captain ahead of veteran Adam Gilchrist, but Ponting feels the youngster did not really need to be his deputy before taking over reins of the team. Warne yesterday suggested the name of close friend and “maturing” batsman Clarke to replace Gilchrist as Ponting’s deputy. “I went pretty much from nowhere to the captaincy role and that seemed to work quite well, so there’s no rush for Michael,” Ponting said. “As long as he’s thinking like a vice-captain should around the group, then you get as much experience doing that as you do being vice-captain anyway. The vice-captain of a cricket team doesn’t really do a lot, he’s really there for me, to be a bit of a sounding board and bounce ideas off,” he was quoted as saying by the Herald Sun. Ponting said the 26-year-old Clarke was growing into a leader and would get his due at the appropriate time. “The day will come when Michael gets his opportunity, it might not be right now, might not be six months, but I think the opportunity will come. “I think it’ll happen if he stays in the side and stays playing the way he has for the past 12 months. He’s really growing into a leader around the group and that’s what you need.”— PTI
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Warne to be highest paid star in IPL
Mumbai, December 14 The BCCI managing committee announced the names of 34 cricketers, including Warne, who have signed the contract and would be competing in next year’s league. Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Yousuf will earn $350,000 and $330,000, respectively, BCCI treasurer N Srinivasan said here today. Former Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming has been offered $350,000, while 10 other cricketers were offered sums in the $225,000 bracket. However, the board did not mention the names of any Indian cricketers who had been offered a contract amount. Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar ($2,25000) and captain Shoaib Malik ($300,000) have also confirmed their participation in the league along with retired Sri Lankan star Sanath Jayasuriya. Jayasuriya’s team-mate Muttiah Muralitharan has been offered $250,000. — UNI
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BCCI hikes allowances of selectors
New Delhi, December 14 The BCCI finance committee today decided to hike the allowances of board members and selectors. Board secretary Niranjan Shah announced the hike of dearness allowance from Rs 5,000 to 10,000 and traveling allowance from Rs 7,000 to 10,000. After the selectors were banned from writing syndicated columns in newspapers, Vengsarkar had asked for a compensation from the board. BCCI chief Sharad Pawar promised that proper compensation would be given. — PTI
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Karachi, December 13 Khalid Mehmood, PHF secretary, however, said the decision was taken after some reluctance as there were doubts that India might not be able to send their players for Pakistan’s Super Hockey League (SHL), which the PHF is planning to host in March next year. “Since India are to feature in the Olympic qualifier in March, we feared that they might decide against sending their leading players for our league to shield them from injuries,” Khalid said. “But we have received assurances from India that they would be sending top players for our league,” he added. Pakistan could not host the SHL this year because of financial constraints but are making efforts to host it early next year. — Agencies
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‘Spygate’
London, December 14 The team confirmed data from Ferrari penetrated the team more deeply than revealed. “As a result of the investigations carried out by the FIA, it has become clear that Ferrari information was more widely disseminated within McLaren than was previously communicated,” said a team statement. “McLaren greatly regret that their own investigations did not identify this material and have written to the World Motor Sport Council to apologise for this. “McLaren now wish to put these matters behind them and to move forward focusing on the 2008 season.”
— AFP
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Youngmen record win
New Delhi, December 14 In a hard-fought match, Youngmen scored the lone goal in the 28th minute of the first half when their Nigerian striker Uyiosa Kelvin Osadolor tapped the ball into the net over advancing custodian Mohammad Atif. Ahbab put up a relentless fight in the second session to wipe out the deficit but without success. Earlier, Tarun Sangha defeated Shahdara 2-0, with Srikanto Das scoring a brace, once in either half. There will be no league matches on December 15 and 16 on account of the I-League tie between JCT and
Dempo.
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Police Hockey: Punjab, J&K enter semis
Jalandhar, December 14 Star-studded Punjab Police rained goals in the quarterfinal. Kanwalpreet Singh converted three penalty corners in the 5th, 37th and 58th minutes, while Jugraj Singh converted two and Gagan Ajit Singh converted one in the 12th, 60th and 22nd minutes, respectively. Amit Singh and Satwinder Singh fired one field goal each in the eighth and 10th minutes for Punjab. In another quarterfinal, Maharashtra beat Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) 2-1. In the third quarterfinal, Jammu and Kashmir beat Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) by a lone goal that was scored by Jolen Topno in the 64th minute. In the last quarterfinal, BSF defeated Karnataka 4-2.
— UNI
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JCT, Dempo in Capital
New Delhi, December 14 Both teams had a light workout at the stadium where they had been knocked out before the title round in the Durand Cup in October. The match will start at 2 pm.
Tickets have been priced at Rs 20 and Rs 10.
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