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Hogg likely to get nod ahead of Tait
Home advantage squandered: Clark
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Clarke looking to attack Kumble
PCB cracks whip on ICL players
ICL seeks Rs 4 cr from Yousuf
Cricinfo institutes awards
Ronaldo guides Man U to victory
Garhwal Heroes in Super League
Punjab enter b’ball quarters
Ropar Hawks, SRC register wins Steelers slump to third defeat
Sania sets eyes on Australian Open
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Melbourne, December 24 "Whether be it at home or away, we are the only international side who have competed well against Australia in the last few years. I expect this to be no different," Ganguly, on the verge of playing his 100th Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, said. Australia have won 14 Tests in a row and are just two short of equalling their own world record, but Ganguly was confident that the visitors would present their strongest challenge in the recent years. "We are a good side. We all know they're a good side but we also have the side to beat them," he said. Ganguly put faith in the vast experience India possessed. "Most of the boys in the team have the experience of winning abroad. We've won against every country over the last six-seven years. They know what it takes to put runs on the board and take wickets. "We probably have a better bowling attack (compared to the last tour) and with Mahendra Singh Dhoni at number seven, we have a strong batting line-up too. But it's about performing in the middle though," the left-hander said. Ganguly was encouraged by the nature of wickets expected in Australia, though he said his team was capable of coping with the pace and bounce if so was the case. "I heard the wickets have slowed down but they still would have carry for the seamers. Sydney and Adelaide will spin and Perth will bounce," the Bengal batsman said. "Most of our players have been around for 12-13 years and have fantastic records. They will expect bounce and pace." Ganguly took heart from India's stellar performance on their last tour Down Under when they gave the hosts a scare before settling for a 1-1 draw. "Last time around, we played in Brisbane first and did well. We have to learn to adapt. There is not much difference," Ganguly, who played a captain's knock of 144 to set the tone for the 2003-04 series, said. "It has fraction more bounce in Brisbane. It's a matter of getting used to the pitch in Melbourne." The Australian attack has Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait bowling at more than 90 miles an hour but Ganguly did not seem fazed. "Not for the first time we will be facing someone bowling at 90mph. We just played Shoaib Akhtar who's probably the fastest in the world. It will help us in this series," he said. On a personal note, Ganguly said he was enjoying his cricket more now that he was no longer captain. "The last few months have gone well for me. Obviously, not being captain has taken the responsibility away from me. (As a captain), you have to do quite a lot of things. Now I can just concentrate on getting in and scoring runs. "These days when I'm in, I look to make the most of it," Ganguly said while returning the compliments of old adversary Steve Waugh, who recently expressed a great deal of respect for his bete noir. —
PTI
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Hogg likely to get nod ahead of Tait
Melbourne, December 24 ''My basic philosophy is that it's always nice to have a spinner in your side because a lot of Test matches go late into the fourth and fifth days, when spinners really come into their own,'' Ponting said. Gilchrist endorsed the views of his skipper.''We've got a world-class spin bowler in Brad Hogg,'' he said. ''He's proven that in one-day cricket. He's now very excited about the opportunity to try to prove he deserves to play Test cricket. ''It depends on the conditions but, as a general rule, I've always thought a spin bowler in a Test team is very well-balanced as an option.'' The Australian selectors have their task cut out after torrential rain for the past few days forced ground staff to keep the covers on, interrupting the pitch preparations. ''The important thing in this selection will be trying to sum up the conditions as best as we can,'' Ponting said. ''Do we try to blast them (India) out with pace and a little bit of reverse swing, or is it better to use a spinner later in the game when the wicket might wear.'' ''Captains of the state sides have been pretty negative towards the MCG wicket,'' he stated. ''It's been too flat and too easy to bat on. It's too hard to get people out. ''We're going to have to have a real good look at the conditions and, if they look that way, then we have tough decisions.'' Left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson, who consistently claimed top-order wickets during the recent ODI series in India, is likely to get the nod ahead of Shaun Tait. —
UNI
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Home advantage squandered: Clark
Melbourne, December 24 Clark said it would have been ideal for the world champions to have their tour opener at bouncier wickets like Brisbane and Perth. "That way, we could really ram home our advantage. The conditions in Brisbane and Perth are so different to what you find in the subcontinent, and it would obviously be ideal from our perspective to play the first Test of series in places like that. "From the team's perspective, it would be great if we were able to start series against the Indians and the Sri Lankans of world cricket at grounds like Brisbane and Perth and get the full advantage of our unique pitch conditions," Clark was quoted as saying in' The Age' today. Pitch curator Tony Ware has said that the MCG pitch would favour spin as the match progresses and Clark too said that he was not expecting any help from the wicket. “The Indians don't get a lot of exposure to our bouncier surfaces and you'd probably say Melbourne isn't one of those. “I'm not going into the match with any expectations for a fast bowler-friendly wicket, but we'll just roll up on the day and see what we're presented with. “We're all well aware that scheduling these days isn't a simple matter, but I suppose you'd just like to get that real home-ground advantage if it was possible," Clark said. Clark said that his teammates had answers to India's new found aggression. "There has been a fair bit of talk from them about being aggressive, and that's fine by us. We are more than capable of fighting fire with fire." The preparations for the big series were in full flow and Clark said the on-field duel against India's formidable batting line-up would be challenging for the home team. "We've been doing our homework on them. There's been quite a lot of video analyses and today we had our first big discussion on the plans we have for them, and different ideas. We can't wait to get out there. "It's going to be a great challenge for everyone, because they have some truly great players in their line-up and, in Sachin, one of the all-time greats," he said. —
PTI
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Clarke looking to attack Kumble
Melbourne, December 24 The New South Wales youngster said he would use his quick footwork to negate Kumble's accuracy. "Kumble has been a great one for a long time. His line of attack implies that you have to be patient against him. "But I will try to put the pressure back on him. I'll have to move my feet and play my natural game," Clarke said ahead of the four-Test series starting on Wednesday at the MCG. Much has been said about India's inexperienced bowling but Clarke felt that left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan, along with Kumble, were part of a potent attack which could capitalise on the conditions. "I wouldn't say it's an inexperienced attack. Zaheer certainly has some experience and if they bowl well, they'll get the opportunity to take wickets. The conditions will suit India here, with it being a little bit slower," he said. But the right-hander had no doubt that the batsmen from both sides will hold the key to the series. "The batting form of both the sides could set off a great Test series. If the runs are offer, it said. Australian middle order batsman cautioned India that the verbal battle can boomerang for the visitors as both the teams prepare themselves ahead of the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne. He added that every time the Australians have been challenged verbally, they have avenged that on the cricket field and said this Australian side is least bothered about such tactics. Clarke said, ''I don't think verbal aggression will affect any player in the Australian team.'' ''We've all coped it before and I believe you would've seen in the one-dayers in India, when they (the Indians) showed verbal aggression to the Australian players, they (the Australians) reacted pretty well. ''Guys love that, they sweat on that. Andrew Symonds - if somebody says something to him - that gees him up, it makes him play better,'' he said. Clarke made his debut in India against the home side and was confident of carrying forward his great form in the upcoming Test series against the same team. He has a very impressive batting average against India. In four matches against India, he has averaged 57.14 in eight innings. His best bowling figures of 6 wickets for 9 runs in Tests too came against India at Wankhede Stadium. ''Definitely thoughts come back into my mind as to how I was successful, or how I have been successful against India, and without doubt it's been because of my preparation,'' he revealed. The newly appointed captain of Australia's Twenty20 side, Clarke made it clear that the Indians can not be taken lightly but he along with his team members are prepared to break the opponents' continuity. ''It's going to be different. I haven't played India in a Test series in Australia, so that's obviously been different for me. ''I have made sure I have done the work, I have looked at the bowlers I was going to face, I have assessed the conditions and played the way I love playing, aggressive and positive.'' —
Agencies
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PCB cracks whip on ICL players
Karachi, December 24 A top official of a leading bank confirmed to PTI that they had got a letter from the general manager, Domestic Cricket, instructing all affiliated departments and regions not to select players who had appeared in the ICL. The PCB had announced that it would not consider those players for national selection but the ban on them appearing in domestic cricket is clearly a new development. “The letter says that the board has added a new clause 2.2 to the domestic cricket playing conditions under which all players who violate PCB regulations and play in unauthorised leagues should not be considered for domestic selection,” the bank official said. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shabbir Ahmed, Abdul
Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Taufiq Umar and Azhar Mahmood took part in the ICL and some have decided to challenge the instruction in court. —
PTI
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Mumbai, December 24 Yousuf had signed up for the rebel league's T20 championship which concluded earlier this month in Chandigarh, but later backed out. ICL took the dispute to the arbiter, B P Saraf, a retired High Court judge. Yousuf was not present before the arbiter, but his lawyers sent an application from Pakistan seeking time. The hearing has been adjourned till January 28. — PTI
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Bangalore, December 24 Nominees for the awards, to be presented in six categories, have been compiled and shortlisted by Cricinfo’s global staff and the winners will be selected by an expert panel, Sambit Bal, editor, Cricinfo, told reporters here today. The jury comprises former Test cricketers Geoffrey Boycott, Ian Chappell, Daryll Cullinan, Tony Greig, Michael Holding, David Lloyd, Sanjay Manjrekar and Rameez Raza, he said. The awards would be announced in the second week of January in Perth, Australia. The Cricinfo awards would be based on performance and would not carry any cash prize. “It would be a citation,” he added. The nominees for best batting performance in one-day internationals are Sachin Tendulkar, Jacob Oram, Paul Collingwood, Ross Taylor, Mathew Hayden, AB de Villers, Adam Gilchrist, Mahela Jayawardene, Craig McMillan, Ian Bell, Owais Shah, Andrew Symonds and Niall O’Brien. Nominees for best bowling in ODIs are Murali Kartik, Lasith Malinga, Andrew Hall, Boyd Rankin, Mashtrafe Moratza, Shaun Tait, Glenn McGrath, Shane Bond, Shaun Pollock, James Anderson, Mitchell Johnson, Dilhara Fernando and Nathan Bracken. For best batting in Tests, Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, Michael Vaughan, Mohammed Ashraful, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq are the contenders. India’s Yuvraj Singh, who scored 169 against Pakistan in the Bangalore Test, also features as one of the nominees. Kumar Sangakkara has been nominated for his 152 against England at Colombo and 192 versus Australia at Hobart. In the best bowling performance category in Tests, the nominees are Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Dale Steyn, Monty Panesar, James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom, Mohammad Asif, Paul Harris, Makhaya Ntini and Brett Lee. For the best batting performance (Twenty20), the contenders include Yuvraj for his 70 off 30 balls against Australia in the World Cup semifinal and 58 off 16 balls against England. Other nominees in this category are Brendan Taylor, Mohammad Ashraful, Chris Gayle, Misbah-ul-Haq, Justin Kemp and Andrew Symonds. The nominees for best bowling performance in Twenty20 are S Sreesanth, Umar Gul, RP Singh, Stuart Clark, Daniel Vettori and Mohammad Asif. Cricinfo will also announce a different set of awards called the Statsguru Awards in January, said Bal. — PTI
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Ronaldo guides Man U to victory
London, December 24 Ronaldo fired the spot kick past former United goalkeeper Tim Howard in the 88th minute, having seen his 22nd-minute long-range strike cancelled out five minutes later by Tim Cahill’s header, yesterday. The victory — United’s ninth in a row at Old Trafford in the league - gives Alex Ferguson's team 42 points from 18 games. The Gunners edged Tottenham 2-1 on Saturday and lead with 43 points from 18 games. “With the next games, there is not too much time to rest, so it was important to win to stay near the top,” Ronaldo said in a reference to the busy Premier League spell of four games in 11 days. Joe Cole fired third-place Chelsea to a 1-0 victory at Blackburn and Newcastle’s Mark Viduka scored a second equaliser three minutes from the end to make sure the Magpies avoided a major upset, drawing 2-2 at home with last-place Derby. Ronaldo now leads the Premier League scoring list with 11 goals this season — and 16 in all competitions. While the decider came from the penalty spot, the first was a standout strike. Receiving a pass from Carlos Tevez 25 metres from goal, Ronaldo cut inside Lee Carsley and, while the ball took a slight deflection off the Everton midfielder’s toe, it flew so fast past Howard that the goalkeeper didn't even dive for it. The Toffees, who had gone 13 games unbeaten ahead of this match, drew level in the 27th when Cahill out jumped United defender Patrice Evra to meet Steven Pienaar’s cross from the left. With four yellow cards in the first 14 minutes, it was a typically fiery meeting of the two northwest England neighbours. United midfielder Anderson was shown a yellow card for indicating to referee Howard Webb that Everton midfielder Phil Neville, a former United player, should have been cautioned for a foul on Ronaldo. Making his first appearance against United after his move to Everton during last season, Howard blocked a deflected shot from Anderson with his chest and then dived low to his right to make a low save from Tevez as the home side put together a spell of pressure. Wayne Rooney clipped the crossbar with a shot from just outside the area and forced Howard to make another blocking save with five minutes to go. The winner came after a needless foul by Pienaar on Ryan Giggs and Ronaldo guided his spot kick into the net with Howard guessing the wrong way with his dive. Everton manager David Moyes faulted Pienaar for the foul but praised the overall performance of the South Africa midfielder who arrived on loan from Borussia Dortmund. “I thought it was a penalty. It was just a moment of madness for Steven,” Moys said. “He’s been excellent today and excellent since he’s come. It was one of those things, the players worked really hard to get something out of the game.” Cole scored Chelsea’s match winner in the 22nd minute on a fast, two-pass counterattack at Ewood Park, where Blackburn goalkeeper Brad Friedel twice denied Frank Lampard with top quality diving saves. Chelsea now has 37 points, still six behind Arsenal. — AP
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Garhwal Heroes in Super League
New Delhi, December 24 Gamlung struck the first goal with a solo effort in the 13th minute and added the second with a long range shot on resumption. Garhwal Heroes finished second in Group A with 13 points from six matches. Indian Nationals Tarun Sangha and Shahdara were the other teams from the group to enter the Super League. In a Group B match, which became rough and tough when scoring chances for both the teams went abegging, New Delhi Heroes were held to a goalless draw by City Club, though both qualified for the Super League.
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Puducherry, December 24 Punjab were off to a flying start racing to a 15-2 lead, catching the Kerala cagers napping in the first few minutes. But the latter part of the quarter saw the Punjab players committing too many mistakes, including missing easy points. Kerala fought back and even went ahead 28-27 midway through the next quarter with Edurick, Manoj and Ajith VG penetrating the Punjab defence with ease and took the break at 33-28. The absence of a tall player in their ranks came to the fore again and Kerala could not sustain the momentum. Punjab stepped up attack in the decisive third quarter and their forwards led by captain Gagandeep and towering Jagdeep Singh, who was also effective in the defence, turned the heat on Kerala to take complete control of the match. Going into the last quarter with a 61-41 scoreline, Punjab never looked back. Punjab, who have defeated Rajasthan and Chandigarh, will now clash with Tamil Nadu, who also have three wins from as many matches, to decide the pool topper. In a Pool A match, Karnataka kept themselves on course for a quarterfinal berth defeating Assam 86-61. S Naik (24), Tinu Joseph (19) and Srinivas Gowda (11) scripted the win for Karnataka, while Vinod Hooda (23) was the top scorer for Assam. Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh qualified for the pre-quarterfinals defeating Delhi 87-61 and Madhya Pradesh 90-68, respectively. In the women’s qualifying league, Kerala and Karnataka qualified for the quarterfinals. Kerala edged out Uttar Pradesh 69-63, while Karnataka prevailed over Madhya Pradesh 60-43. — PTI
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Ropar Hawks, SRC register wins
Nabha, December 24 In other matches of the day, Ideal Hockey Club, Lahore, an outfit which turned out to be the cynosure of all eyes, rode on a solitary second half goal to beat J&K police 1-0 while Rock Rovers ,Chandigarh downed RCF, Kapurthala 2-1. Ropar Hawks started with a lot of flourish and their wingers moved intelligently to open up space in the middle enabling their forwards deep forays into rival territory repeatedly. Minutes into the first half, nippy forward Vikram Saini collected a wayward ball and steadily made his way into the striking circle. Once there, Saini hoodwinked two defenders before sending the ball home. Saini could have increased the margin for Ropar hawks but for some outstanding work under the bar by AOC custodian Binay and a robust display by full back J. Topno. Ropar hawks made it a comfortable 2-0 cushion when centre half Varinder Singh received a defense splitting pass from Vikram Saini before sending ball home. SRC, Ramgarh Cantt made full use of their vast experience before they scampered past Thapar academy, Sansarpur 2-1. The SRC gained the early initiative when centre forward Suman Kumar dashed into the striking circle in the first minute of the match. Suman capped his solo run by scoring off an acute angle drawing applause from all and sundry. Jagir Singh, who was brought in as a substitute, drew second blood for his team when his hard shot deflected off a defender’s stick to roll inside the goal. Try as they did, the Sansarpur lads failed to score and the only goal they managed through left in Ajaib Singh turned out to be a consolation effort.
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Steelers slump to third defeat
Chandigarh, December 24 At the end of the regulation time, both teams were locked 1-1. The extra time failed to break the deadlock and the match went into the tiebreaker. For the Sultans, Dutch custodian Oscar Tar Weme, who was declared the Man of the Match, stole the limelight with three brilliant saves in the shootout to notch up the win. He stopped the first two strokes of Steelers’ Prabodh Tirkey and Ajitesh Roy, while Sardara Singh and Pramod Kumar got their shots on target for the Sultans. Steelers’ goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh managed to stop shots from Didar Singh and Chengappa, whereas South Korean Kim Chul and Roshan Minz netted the ball for the Steelers to make the score 3-3. After Pawal Lakra successfully converted the final stroke, Oscar rose to the occasion by padding away Joga Singh’s hit to seal a 4-3 victory for his team. The Sultans who opened their account first through Diwakar Ram, who converted the first penalty corner earned by the team in the 40th minute. Orissa, who wasted three penalty corners (25th, 28th and 64th minutes), came back into the game with their equalizer just five minutes before the end of the stipulated time. Jatinder Saroha converted a penalty corner in the 65th minute. With three defeats in as many matches, Steelers have two points (two of their matches went into extra time), while the Sultans, who earned two points today, have boosted their tally to five from three matches.
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Sania sets eyes on Australian Open
Mumbai, December 24 Sania said she has recovered from her injuries and raring to go all out at the season's first Grand Slam — Australian Open, where she is eyeing an upset. "I feel fit right now and is good to start off the year without any injury. Many players, playing the Australian Open (next month) start off after a long break and this is the place where one can expect the most number of upsets," Sania said here today. Sania said her win over Martina Hingis has boosted her confidence to take on the best and she even fancy her chances against current world number 1 Justin Henin of Belgium. "If I have a choice I'll beat Henin. After defeating Martina (Hingis, at Los Angeles) you feel that you can beat the best in the game," she said after signing a contract with sports goods major Adidas. Having missed the action for two months due to a knee injury this year, Sania said her priority in the new season would be to stay fit. "My first goal is to remain injury-free throughout the season and avoid getting involved in any freak accidents. I feel fit right now and is good to start off the year without an injury," said Sania who reached a career high of 27 this year. Sania also said she was eagerly waiting to play in her first Olympics. "I have never played in China before. Hopefully, I will continue to keep playing well and keep the form going ,” she said. — PTI
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