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India’s tour of Australia
R P Singh, Ishant impress Srinath
Bond set to join ICL
ICL pique: BCCI ‘spoils’ Kiwi trio’s Bollywood dreams
Prince, Boucher prop up South Africa
Nadal cruises into Chennai quarters
Salgaocar hold JCT in thriller
Jones asks judge for leniency
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Laxman torments Oz again
Sydney, January 3 At 216 for three - after a thundering 175-run association for the 2nd wicket - the Indians trailed by 247 runs in the 1st innings hand, still 48 short of avoiding a follow on. A near capacity crowd greeted Sachin Tendulkar with a burst of applause. There is hope yet of an Indian resistance as long as he and the in-form Sourav Ganguly are in harness. Laxman remarked: “As of now, the match is evenly balanced.” But rain is forecast on Friday afternoon, followed by heavy showers on Saturday, while the picture unclear for Sunday. Steve Bucknor’s indifferent patch continued when he failed to refer an appeal for a leg-side stumping by Mahendra Dhoni against Andrew Symonds off Harbhajan Singh to the third umpire. Thus reprieved, the athletic Australian proceeded to post a career-best 162 not out. Before Anil Kumble wrapped up the Kangaroo tail with an analysis of four for 106, Symonds’ contribution, together with his 114-run stand for the eighth wicket with Brett Lee, helped to hoist the home side to 463 at 4.11 runs an over. They would probably have struggled to reach 300, for the former was only 30 when Bucknor was unmoved by a thick edge to the wicket-keeper off the luckless Ishant Sharma on the 1st day. Spectators basked is balmy weather, as willow talk dominated the day. Australia added 87 runs to their overnight total in fairly quick time, before India replied with a run rate of 3.48, buoyed by fourth hundred in Australia by Laxman, his fifth against the world’s toughest opposition altogether. A lack of seam movement rendered it an excellent batting track, but one which was exploitable by the extra pace of Lee and Mitchell Johnson. Indeed, Wasim Jaffer, pegged back with a couple of bouncers, was cleaned up by an express yorker from the experienced Lee. Throwing caution to the wind, Laxman sprinted to 50 off a mere 43 balls. He began with a trademark whip through midwicket off Lee, thereafter greeted Stuart Clarke with a gliding on drive to the long on fence, before tearing apart Johnson, who matched Lee for speed, but conceded 75 runs in his 18 overs. Three cover drives and a flick to square leg screamed to the fence in one over as India plundered 19 runs off it. Earlier, a cover drive off the back foot at the expense of the same bowler was an absolute treat, while a pull off Clarke to the midwicket ropes, which he executed with a delectable roll of the wrist, was not far behind. The only real blemish in a sublime display was a snick to Adam Gilchrist off Lee when he was 77. Amid such an avalanche of shots, Rahul Dravid remained interminably stationary on 18, in course of which he also gloved to Gilchrist off Clarke. Otherwise, he worked Johnson away off the pads, off drove and cover drove him and square cut Clarke into the billboards. But having pegged his half-century, he perished to the slingy left-armer, who had troubled him with deliveries slanting away, cutting thoughtlessly to 1st slip. The second wicket recorded the first century partnership for India on this tour. But the virtuoso performance that ensured this did not see out the day either. Throughout Laxman’s essay, the Australians tried to tempt him into an uppish cover drive, but he made them pay. Ultimately, pushing against a chinaman from Brad Hogg, he was beaten by the bounce to spoon the leather into the hands of close cover. Scoreboard Australia (1st Innings): Jacques c Dhoni b RP Singh 0 Hayden c Tendulkar b RP Singh 13 Ponting lbw b Harbhajan 55 Hussey c Tendulkar b RP Singh 41 Clarke lbw b Harbhajan 1 Symonds not out 162 Gilchrist c Tendulkar b RP Singh 7 Hogg c R Dravid b Kumble 79 Lee lbw b Kumble 59 Johnson c S Ganguly b Kumble 28 Clark lbw b Kumble 0 Extras (b-2, w-4, lb-9 nb-3): 18 Total
(all out in 112.3 overs): 463 FoW: 1-0, 2-27, 3-119, 4-119, 5-121, 6-134, 7-307, 8-421, 9-461. Bowling: Rudra Pratap Singh 26-3-124-4, Ishant Sharma 23-3-87-0, Sourav Ganguly 6-1-13-0, Harbhajan Singh 27-3-108-2, Anil Kumble 25.3-0-106-4, Sachin Tendulkar 5-0-14-0. India (1st Innings): Jaffer b Lee 3 Dravid c Hayden b Johnson 53 Laxman c Hussey b Hogg 109 Tendulkar batting 9 Ganguly batting 21 Extras (b-4, lb-8, w-3, nb-6): 21 Total (3 wkts, 62 overs): 216 Fall of wickets:
1-8, 2-183, 3-185. Bowling: Brett Lee 15-4-34-1, Mitchell Johnson 18-2-75-1, Stuart Clark 11-3-28-0, Andrew Symonds 7-1-19-0, Brad Hogg 11-0-48-1.
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Aussie media commiserates with India
Sydney, January 3 In a hard-hitting column, 'Sydney Morning Herald' cricket writer Peter Roebuck said Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson spoilt what was a superb day of cricket. "Alas, their errors changed the mood of the match. As usual, the weaker side suffered the rough end of the stick. It is hard enough to win in Australian without standing helpless as players of the calibre of Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds are given a second opportunity to build a substantial score," he wrote. Umpires made four blunders yesterday and India were the worst hit with three of them going against them. Roebuck wrote that Bucknor was past his prime and should have retired after the World Cup in West Indies. "Indeed, he was expected to retire after the World Cup. Those responsible for allowing him to linger were also partly responsible for a decision that changed the course of the day and possibly the match and series," The 'Herald Sun', meanwhile, said yesterday's incidents brought the "dwindling umpiring standards" into focus. "Symonds' heroic knock of 137 not out rescued Australia from serious trouble in the second Test in Sydney against a resurgent India, but not without a controversial helping hand from umpire Steve Bucknor," wrote the newspaper. The paper has even launched an online poll asking its readers to give their opinion on whether batsmen should walk when they know that they are out. Another reputed Australian daily 'Courier mail' said the game needs better umpires and not increased use of technology. "Cricket's man versus machine debate has flared again. Two bad decisions from English umpire Mark Benson - one for and one against Ricky Ponting - started talk at the SCG this morning over whether umpires need more help from technology," the paper said. "The temptation is to say cricket needs more technology to help its umpires. It just needs better umpires. No technology currently available can help an umpire when he is faced with a leg-side edge like Sourav Ganguly's," the paper said. "So may be the answer is to just leave the game as it is but work on improving the standard of the men who do the job. Umpiring standards - like wicket-keeping - are the two key areas of the game which do not seem to be improving," it added. — PTI
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16th win may still happen: Lee
Sydney, January 3 "We don't want to lose our focus. It's important we go out and enjoy ourselves in the middle and try to do our best. If we play well and enjoy, we might still see the 16th Test win happen," Lee said after India finished the second day at 216 for three in reply to the hosts 463. VVS Laxman was the player largely responsible for the Indian fightback and Lee was lavish in his praise for the stylish Hyderabadi batsman. "He has made a habit of scoring well against Australia and we all hold him in a very high esteem. He batted brilliantly in the middle." However, he noted that Laxman and Dravid, who made 53 in a second wicket stand of 175, were reprieved by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. "Yeah, he (Gilchrist) dropped a few but everyone can have an off-day. Like a batsman or a bowler, even a wicketkeeper can have an off-day. "But I am sure he wouldn't be thinking a lot about it tonight and come back to do well tomorrow," the fast bowler said. Sachin Tendulkar would be looking for a big score tomorrow and Lee was looking forward to the duel on the third day. "Tendulkar is a brilliant batsman, perhaps in the top two or three in the world. I have always looked forward to testing myself against him and am looking forward for tomorrow," he said. The Test has been mired with several umpiring blunders but Lee stood up for the officials saying the mistakes should be treated as human errors. "So much is being said about it but I really feel that it all evens out. Some days I find batsmen being reprieved after they have nicked me and on other days they are given out when they haven't played me. It all balances out in the end," he reasoned. — PTI
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India’s tour of Australia I think it's been two fascinating days of cricket with one major disappointment - the umpiring blunders. Who knows where the match would have gone if the umpires had gotten most of the decisions correct? Perhaps India would have been in the driving seat had Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds were not allowed to add almost 150 runs after they were adjudged not out despite edging the ball to the wicketkeeper. Symonds' decision, when he was on 30, turned out to be vital. Had he been given out instead of being asked to carry on off the youngster Ishant Sharma, Australia would have been reduced to 7 for 190-odd. And then on, there was no way they could have scored more than 400 runs in the first innings. That would have meant India, who had an exceptional day with the bat, would have almost levelled the first innings score at the end of the second day. And given the way India batted on Thursday, it would have put India in the driver's seat. However, let's not talk about ifs and buts. But that doesn't mean we should leave the umpiring standards' issue as part of the game. With the technology that we have right now, tools like the slow-mos and snicko and hawk-eye, just highlight the difficulties of maintaining high standards for umpires. As the game becomes more and more professional, it's important for the umpires to keep up the pace with it. To do this, maybe they need more help of technology. Referrals, just like in case of tennis, would be a step in the right direction. I know that the ICC is already considering a proposal where both the teams will be given three appeals per match. If their appeal turns out to be valid, they wouldn't lose out on the number of appeals left. For instance, had India appealed against Ponting caught behind decisions to the third umpire, they would have still had three referrals remaining had the third umpire given the decision in their favour. Similarly, when Ponting was given out unfairly, the same rule would have applied to the batting side. Enough of umpiring now. Despite these blunders, the Test match is poised very well after two days. And as so many Test matches are decided on the third day, this one would also be one of them. I think India should at least get very close to Australia's first innings score, if not get a lead. I think the wicket will be difficult to bat on later in the match. So Harbhajan and Kumble come into play in the second innings. But for that it's up to Tendulkar and Ganguly to give India a sizeable total. I would be disappointed if India don't get between 400 to 500 runs during the first innings. To conclude, let's applaud the innings of VVS Laxman. He loves playing at the Sydney Cricket Ground for sure. I watched his third century at the very same venue in as many tours. And he was surely in scintillating form. He got India going after another slow start. Tragedy for India perhaps was to see him return to pavilion in no time after Dravid's dismissal. Dravid again looked out of touch for a better part of his innings. But his second wicket partnership with Laxman was very crucial. And he eventually crossed the landmark of a half-century. This innings would have done him a lot of good considering the rest of the series. — PMG
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R P Singh, Ishant impress Srinath
New Delhi, January 3 "The wickets at the Ranji Trophy level should be fast, bouncy wickets for fast bowlers to take wickets", Srinath said at a media interaction to introduce two of the three fast bowlers spotted through the Gatorade pacers scheme. The budding pacers unearthed through the scheme are Ravi Kant Sharma, Abhishek Kumar Singh of Delhi and P.K. Dhama of Chennai. These three were chosen from 4,000 boys across 1,000 schools in the four metros of the country. Srinath said the bowling performances of the Indian quickies in the on-going Test series against Australia were very encouraging, and he was particularly impressed with R.P. Singh and Ishant Sharma. He said though Ishant's lack of experience did show up, he nevertheless maintained a good line and length, and had a great action. But Srinath expressed concern at the recurring ankle injury of Zaheer Khan. "Ankle injury is the worst, which could be very dangerous, as ankle absorbs much of the load of a pacer", he pointed out. Srinath said seamers pick up such injuries due to faulty training at the beginning of their career. Without pacing out the load-taking capacity, if a player attempts to put maximum effort later in his career, as Zaheer Khan had done, then the outcome would be serious injuries to ankle etc. Srinath said there were instances of players hiding their injuries for short-term gain, but such cover up would do no good to any player's career in the long-run. He said it would be better for a cricketer to understand the physiology of his own body, and come clean when injury occurs, instead of relying on ill-advised methods of healing which could prove dangerous. Srinath and another former India seamer, and presently chief coach of the MRF Pace Academy T.S. Sekhar, agreed with Indian team physio John Gloster's observation that the rehabilitation method for injured players in India was "not up to the mark". Srinath said fast bowlers dread the Twenty20 version of cricket, but success in this shortest version of the game should be encouraged by captains to quell the fear-factor. "If a seamer does bowl well, he could be invaluable as the format of the game energises youngsters", he averred. He said a bowler, who does well in Twenty20, would be "invaluable for any team and any format of cricket". Srinath said pace alone was not enough for a player to make it big at the India level, and what mattered most was consistency with line and length, physical and mental fitness. "It is not the prettiest sight to watch fast bowlers doing the short balls", Srinath said. Referring to former captain Rahul Dravid's difficulty in adjusting to the role of an opener in the difficult conditions in Australia, Srinath said what he needed was an aggressive partner like Virender Sehwag.
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Wellington, January 3 Although Bond, currently recovering from an abdominal strain, has chosen to remain mum on the issue, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Justin Vaughan has admitted that Bond was all but lost to the ICL. "I can't say for certain he has signed but I understand that is what his agent is saying," Vaughan was quoted as saying by the 'Dominican Post' here. However, Vaughan said the NZC would do all it can to bring Bond back into the fold even if it meant fighting an expensive legal battle to wriggle him out of the ICL contract. "Even if he has signed with the ICL, we'd love to see if there was a way to get him out of that contract. We'll fund all the support to get him out of it, similar to what Pakistan has done with Mohammad Yousuf," he said. — PTI
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ICL pique: BCCI ‘spoils’ Kiwi trio’s Bollywood dreams
Melbourne, January 3 According to a report in the 'The Age', three New Zealand cricketers - Nathan Astle, Daryl Tuffey and Craig McMillan - who came back after participating in the inaugural edition of the ICL, were stopped from doing cameos in the cricket-based film 'Victory' reportedly at the behest of the BCCI. The trio is furious and Astle lambasted the BCCI for interfering with their off-field life. "To me it's a bit farcical, really; they're just being silly. It is out-and-out wrong," Astle was quoted as saying in the daily. "The thing is it's starting to affect our earnings off the field. The big issue is that I don't think anyone, no matter how significant their standing in the game, should have a pull over our capacity to earn off the field," he added in disgust. Astle and his teammates were set to earn $ 13,000 each for their small roles. "They have had the hard word put on them by the BCCI to stop us from playing. I understand if they want to take that stance on the cricket field but this goes beyond that, and I think it's quite ridiculous, actually. "I mean, this has nothing to do with playing - it's a movie about cricket. I was just supposed to rock up and bowl a few deliveries," he said. The film also stars several Australian cricketers, including pacers Brett Lee and Stuart Clark. — PTI
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Prince, Boucher prop up South Africa Cape Town, January 3 Prince was 55 not out, having shared an unbroken partnership of 87 for the sixth wicket with Mark Boucher (35). Earlier, West Indies were bowled out for 243 in their first innings. South African openers Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie, playing his first Test since 2004, put on 46 before McKenzie (23) edged paceman Jerome Taylor to Chris Gayle at first slip. Taylor struck again after lunch when Smith was caught behind by Denesh Ramdin for 28. Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla then shared a stand of 59 before Dwayne Bravo removed both in consecutive overs. Kallis played a limp drive off the back foot and was caught by Ramdin for 36 while Amla was trapped lbw for 32 by a full delivery. Bravo, who bowled unchanged from before lunch until after tea, added a third wicket when AB de Villiers pushed at a wide ball and was snapped up by Ramdin for two. Prince and Boucher batted with patience and took few risks to nurse South Africa to the close without further loss. West Indies were bowled out in the third over of the day after resuming on 240 for eight, with fast bowler Andre Nel claiming both wickets to finish with three for 61. Nel had Daren Powell caught by Kallis at second slip for a duck before last man Fidel Edwards offered a catch to de Villiers at third slip and was out for two. Fast bowler Edwards suffered further misfortune when he left the field with a suspected hamstring injury in his fifth over. Brief scores: West Indies (1st innings): 243 (Chanderpaul 65 n.o, Samuels 51, Gayle 46, Steyn 4-60) South Africa (1st innings): 218 for 5 (Prince 55 n.o, Kallis 36, Boucher 35 n.o, Bravo 3-46, Taylor 2-45).
— Reuters
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Perth, January 3 India, knowing that even a win in the last league encounter was not enough to make the title clash, later lost 1-2 to the Czech Republic. When the day started, India needed a win against Czech Republic combined with a US defeat in their last Group B tie, to make their first Hopman Cup final. Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna were outplayed in singles though they were successful in stretching their unbeaten run in the mixed doubles as Indians finished second in the group. Sania went down fighting against world number 23 Lucie Safarova and Bopanna failed to counter the class of Tomas Berdych. Sania recovered from a sloppy first set but failed to sustain the momentum and eventually lost 2-6, 6-4, 3-6 in 110 minutes to hand the Czechs a 1-0 lead. All responsibility of a comeback fell on the shoulders of Bopanna, who was outclassed by Berdych 6-4, 6-0 in just 58 minutes. The Indians, however, combined well to earn a 6-3, 6-2 win in the dead mixed rubber. The Indian pair's victory was their sixth on the trot in the Hopman Cup having won all their three mixed doubles ties last year. India lost 1-2 to United States, won 2-1 against Australia before today's defeat. Sania managed just one singles victory this year while Bopanna is yet to win one at the event. — PTI
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Nadal cruises into Chennai quarters
Chennai, January 3 The French Open champion and world number two staved off two break points in the fifth game of the second set before ending the mild challenge of his 26-year-old rival of Indian origin. Nadal broke his opponent in the sixth game before serving out for the match under light drizzle, adding momentum to his build-up for the Australian Open starting on January 14. The Spaniard will next face compatriot Guillermo Garcia-Lopez after the unseeded player upset seventh seed Werner Eschauer, rallying to win 4-6, 7-5, 7-6. Croatian teenager Marin Cilic, ranked 71 in the world, knocked out fifth seed Nicolas Mahut of France 6-2, 6-4 in a clash between two tall and aggressive players as five seeds made their exit from the tournament. — Reuters
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Steelers show Shers the door
Finishing third with the margin of more goal difference in the league round, Steelers will now face the second ranked Bangalore Hi-Fliers, while topper Chandigarh Dynamos will face Hyderabad Sultans (fourth position) in the semifinals. Steelers and Sultans accumulated equal 11 points in their six matches but Steelers clinched the third spot because of more goal difference than that of Sultans. Shers, who needed to win the match by minimum four goals in the regulation period to qualify for the semifinals, even failed to open their account in the match. It was a major disappointment for the crowd that their favourite players did not even show killing instinct in the crucial match and gave up with so much ease. It seemed that the Shers had given up even before the start of the proceedings. The golden chance came the Shers' way at the start of the match, when Gurpreet Singh had to push the ball in the empty post after getting a clean pass from Ranjodh but he squandered it by not aiming properly. The first jolt came in the 22nd minute of the game through Ignace Tirkey. Showing brilliant dribbling, Roshan Minz took along the ball from the centre line and sent a cross to Ignace Tirkey, who collected the pass while entering the striking circle. He shot a beautiful reverse hit to net a on-the-run goal. In the third quarter, Roshan Minz latched on to the ball in the striking circle and passed it to Birender Lakra, whose hit was stopped by custodian but the ball slipped and went into the post to make 2-0.
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Salgaocar hold JCT in thriller
Margao, January 3 Eduardo Da Silva, Marcos Pereira (49th) and Anwar (63rd) scored for JCT, while Felix Chimaoku (40th), Joe Rodriguess (61st) and Nicholas Rodrigues (67th) scored for Salgaocar. Salgaocar have themselves to blame for not collecting full points as they missed couple of easy chances especially Felix Chimaokwu and Milagres Gonsalves. JCT, who finished their first leg, kept their unbeaten run intact and are on top of the table with 19 points from nine matches. While Salgaocar have collected 4 points from as many matches. Salgaocar's Medio Rocus Lamare was declared the Man of the Match. JCT, who were pushed on the back foot in the first half, took the lead in the ninth minute through a penalty, after referee Dinesh Nair awarded the penalty for a foul on Sunil Chetri by defender Hery Habimana inside the box. Eduardo Da Silva who took the penalty made no mistake to find the net. Salgaocar who needed a win badly after a series of defeats started aggressively from the start probing into the rival half with a series of raids, and created lot of scoring chances but their strikers wasted the chances particularly Felix Chimaokwu who missed an open chance to find the equaliser in the 20th minute. However, he made amends to his earlier lapse to find the equaliser in the 40th minute when send an angular left footer to find the far post off a pass from Joe Rodrigues to have both teams 1-1 at half time. JCT who are looking to end the first leg with their unbeaten run intact raised their game in the second half and again took the lead in the 49th minute when Marcos Pereira beat Salgaocar keeper Milagrio Medeira with a glancing header off a centre by Eduardo Da Silva. Salgaocar retaliated and restored parity in the 61st minute. Accepting a ball on the left, Nicholas Rodrigues send a measured cross deep into the box for Joe Rodrigues who headed in. — PTI
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White Plains (New York), January 3 In court papers filed on New Year's Eve, Jones' lawyers asked a US judge to give her probation when he sentences her next week. "She has been cast from American hero to national disgrace," the memo said. "The public scorn, from a nation that once adored her, and her fall from grace have been severe punishments. She has been stripped of her gold medals, her accomplishments, her wealth and her public standing." Jones admitted in court in October that she lied to government investigators. Outside court, the former athletics champion announced her retirement and said through tears, "It's with a great amount of shame that I stand before you and tell you that I have betrayed your trust." She has since relinquished her five Olympic medals. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors suggested she be sentenced to six months in prison at most. In pre-sentencing papers filed December 21, prosecutors said anything between no time and six months would be appropriate. That filing included a doping calendar from the files of the San Francisco-based Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative indicating Jones used several performance-enhancing drugs. Prosecutors said the evidence shows "a concentrated, organised, long-term effort to use these substances for her personal gain." They said her false statements "derailed the government's investigative efforts." In the cheque fraud scheme, Jones admitted lying about her knowledge of the involvement of fellow athletics champion Tim Montgomery, the father of her older son, in a scheme to cash millions of dollars worth of stolen or forged cheques. Montgomery, who once held the world record in the 100 meters, pleaded guilty in the conspiracy. Jones' papers include letters from friends about her good works improving sports facilities in Belize and working to immunise infants in Ghana. They said she is devoted to her two children and is essential to their care "in every way that a mother can be." — AP
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Chandigarh, January 3
