 |
|
|
Ponting promises to improve team’s
Jaffer clicks, Yuvi doesn’t
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Symonds broke pact with Bhajji: Chauhan
‘ICC won’t bend rules for India’
Perth pitch to be world’s fastest
Steve Waugh bats for referrals
Pollock, Smith put SA on top
Sania seeded 31st at Australian Open
I-League
Naib, Paramjit joint chess champs
|
|
Ponting promises to improve team’s image
Melbourne, January 10 Ponting said he would go through the highlights of the controversial Sydney Test against India to analyse the home team’s behaviour. “I think it’s important that we sit back and look at that footage. Look at our body language. See if there are areas that we can improve on,” Ponting, who till recently strongly defended his team’s behaviour, said. “We’ll look at some of the footage, its perception and the way people see things when they’re off the field,” Ponting was quoted as saying by Herald Sun. Australia won the ill-tempered match but far from being celebrated, the victory was heavily criticised by former players, fans and the media, who lambasted the team’s “win at all costs” attitude. “I might be talking to opposition players on the field but it might be construed by people watching on television that you’re in a slanging or sledging match when that’s not the case,” he explained. Ponting said the criticism has left him shocked as his side has never intended to be seen as too aggressive. “What I want is for the Australian cricket team to be the most loved and the most respected sporting side in this country. That’s always been one of my aims and it will continue to be,” he said. “One thing I’ve been conscious of over the last five years I’ve been captain is that this team is going to be recognised as one of the all-time great Australian cricket teams.” “But what I’ve also been conscious of is making sure the guys are remembered as being good people to go along with being great cricketers,” he added. The right-hander said since taking over captaincy he has made every effort to make his team look friendly and well-behaved. “In the last two or three seasons especially, we’ve actually started to change the perception, the way in which the public see us. There have been less (players reported). We’re ultra-conscious of how we play the game and the spirit of cricket which we all signed on to,” he said. Looking back at the acrimonious week, Ponting said he first realised the gravity of the situation when his concerned wife Rianna called up to check whether he still had his job. “‘Have you seen the papers?’ she asked and said ‘Is everything OK with your job?’. She was a bit worried and a bit shaken. I said everything will be OK,” he revealed. On his own behaviour during the match, Ponting said he regretted a few instances like standing too long at the crease after being given out lbw in the first innings. “There’s no doubt I stood there for a second or two too long and I shouldn’t have done that. And it probably didn’t help that I was shown throwing my bat when I got back to the rooms,” he said. “Some of the guys mightn’t have shaken (Indian skipper Anil) Kumble’s hand after the game. But we were so wrapped up with the end of the game that they were already off the field. And we all walked along when it was over and shook their hands,” he added. Let’s talk, says Kumble Canberra: Anil Kumble will speak to Ricky Ponting to ease the tension between the two sides. “It’s important that Ricky and I get together and speak,” Kumble told mediapersons here. “We are equal partners in ensuring that cricket is played in the right spirit, and I’m sure moving forward, everybody can stick to that,” he added. Kumble, who was a dejected man after a string of umpiring howlers led to his side’s defeat in the second Test, said the visitors have put the bitterness behind and were ready to move
on.— PTI
|
|
Jaffer clicks, Yuvi doesn’t
Canberra, January 10 Jaffer put his hand up for an extension to his job as opener with his 191-ball knock against the lesser-known opponents as the visitors scored 325 for nine declared in the first
innings here today. Yuvraj Singh (2) did his cause no good as the left-hander again disappointed with a loose cut which went to gully. More than his dismissal, it was his indifferent attitude which must be a cause of concern for the team management. India’s best moment in the day was when Jaffer and Rahul Dravid (62) combined for a 93-run stand. Yuvraj’s dismissal started the collapse as India lost six wickets in the final session. Medium pacer Adam Perera accounted for Yuvraj and Rahul Dravid (62) in quick succession to go with the scalp of Jaffer by slow bowler Mark Higgs as the hosts made a roaring return to control the proceedings. Both Mahendra Singh Dhoni (38) and Irfan Pathan (33) got a start but by now the hosts were on a roll. Harbhajan Singh came to a tumultuous welcome with some boos to go with it and was brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper Croswaithe, who picked up the chance diving to his right. Jaffer himself was not without discomfort in the initial stages of his innings and was once hit painfully on his fingers by a rising delivery from Richard Sherlock. The Mumbai batsman, however, settled down to play some attractive shots on either side of the wicket and even hit two sixes. Jaffer, in all, played 191 balls and hit eight fours and two sixes. Dhoni just did enough not to be classified as a failure but his 38 also hardly represents a return to form. He hit six fours. Dravid batted aggressively for his 62 runs, made from 91 balls with nine fours. Scoreboard India (1st innings) Jaffer c Ritchard b Higgs 92 Sehwag c Higgs b Swards 24 Karthik c Perera b Swards 25 Dravid c Crosthwaite b Perera 62 Yuvraj c Dean b Perera 2 Dhoni c&b Ritchard 38 Pathan c Bulger b Swards 33 Harbhajan c Crosthwaite b Bulger 0 RP Singh c Crosthwaite b Ritchard 12 Pankaj Singh not out 5 VRV Singh not out 4 Extras (b-5, lb-9, w-8, nb-6) 28 Total (9 wkts dec, 84 overs) 325 Fall of wickets: 1-66, 2-117, 3-210, 4-220, 5-233, 6-288, 7-291, 8-304, 9-321. Bowling: Richard Sherlock 17-4-72-0, Ashley Perera 15-3-40-2, Luke Swards 17-2-45-3, Adam Ritchard 18-1-71-2, Ryan Bulger 12-0-70-1, Mark Higgs 5-0-13-1. ACT XI (1st innings) C Rogers batting 2 E Cowan batting 8 Total (no loss, 4 overs) 10 Bowling: Pathan 2-1-5-0, Ishant
|
|||
|
Hearing may be delayed
Canberra, January 10 An ICC spokesman said it was “possible” Harbhajan’s hearing would not be held until after the third Test, beginning on January 16 at Perth. The spokesman did not elaborate whether it could be delayed until after the Adelaide Test — a situation that would allow the heat of the Harbhajan issue to die down. “It should be held within seven days of a Commissioner being appointed but that can be extended depending on circumstances,” he said. New Zealand High Court judge John Hansen was yesterday appointed Commissioner for the hearing.
— PTI
|
|||
|
Symonds broke pact with Bhajji: Chauhan
Canberra, January 10 The former Test opener revealed that Symonds broke an agreement between the two players, which was reached in Mumbai during last year’s one-day series, and said it was the Australian who was responsible for the controversy. “They had a pact in Mumbai after incidents during that series and the person who started the row was the one who broke the pact by reporting the incident,” Chauhan said. He suggested that Symonds was not totally innocent in the whole controversy. “He has admitted that he had said something to provoke Harbhajan. So there was a cause and an effect,” he said. “We tried our best to scale down the controversy but were told that the Australian players were adamant to press charges.” The Indians have lodged an appeal against the three-Test ban slapped on Harbhajan by ICC match referee Mike Procter and Chauhan was reluctant to say more on the matter which was now sub-judice. One of the major sticking points from the Sydney Test were the contentious low catches and Chauhan said the issue was not part of the official memorandum of understanding between the teams. “It was not part of the MoU between the sides but as both captains agreed, I went along with it even though I had some reservations. But we assured that we will play according to the traditions and conventions of the game,” Chauhan said. But incidents during the match have convinced the Indian team management to think again about trusting the fielders in the matter. “Some catches and appeals in Sydney were unreasonable. We will think about it and have a re-look at the agreement,” he said. The umpiring blunders which played a major role in India’s 122-run defeat had resulted in frustration and anger within the team. “We were trying to make a comeback after the loss in Melbourne resulted in a criticism of our play and attitude. But we got the rough end of most decisions, otherwise the result would have been different,” Chauhan said. Umpire Steve Bucknor has since been replaced for the Perth Test, but the Indian team manager said the visitors were not singling out any one official. “Umpires can have a bad day but there’s a limit,” he added.
— PTI
|
|||
|
‘ICC won’t bend rules for India’
Melbourne, January 10 It has said rules are same for all teams sending an apparent message that India should accept the decision on Harbhajan Singh’s appeal and not pull out of the tour. “We can’t have one set of rules for the Indian team and another set for everyone else. We will follow the process and I hope whatever the outcome, all parties will be able to say they have had a fair hearing,” ICC’s CEO Malcolm Speed was quoted as saying in a report on Times Online. “India have signed off on the appeals process. They were there when all the discussions took place,” he said. Speed insisted that Harbhajan’s appeal against a three-Test ban for alleged racial abuse would be heard before the end of the series. “I am very pleased the tour is going ahead, there is a process in place for appeals and Harbhajan Singh has appealed,” Speed said. He said the logistical issues of gathering all the required players to give evidence was the only matter of concern, denying suggestions ICC may want to put off the problem until after the Test series was over. The BCCI had said after its Working Committee meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday that it would “continue with the tour for the present” but would review the developments from time to
time. This was an indication that it could still exercise the option of calling off the tour if the verdict went against Harbhajan.
— PTI
|
|||
|
Perth pitch to be world’s fastest
Melbourne, January 10 “From what we have seen so far and the reports from curator Cam Sutherland, it is certainly getting back towards what it used to be like,” said fast bowling legend Dennis Lillee, also the Western Australia Cricket Association president. The selectors are expected to consider unleashing Shaun Tait as part of a four-man pace attack in Perth as the conditions suit pace over spin, The Age reported today. “I wouldn’t tell (the selectors) what to do. All I know is it should be fast and bouncy, and certainly a whole lot better than what we have had for a long time there now,” said WACA chief executive Graeme Wood. Perth was the scene of Australia’s most recent draw, in December 2005, on a low, slow pitch that moved former swing bowler Terry Alderman to call for authorities to “dig the thing up”. Though the Test pitch is not one of the four that have been re-laid, it has been revitalised with some of the original soil more conducive to the pace and bounce of the 1970s and ’80s. “I think they will have to look at the composition of the side because if you look at the history of this year, it has certainly been the quicks who have been getting most of the wickets,” said Wood.
— PTI
|
|||
|
Steve Waugh bats for referrals
Melbourne, January 10 Waugh, himself a big advocate of sticking with the human errors in cricket and restricting the use of technology for umpiring decisions, said issues related to umpiring blunders will have to be seen in a new light post the Sydney Test between India and Australia. “This has always been a grey area and while I have been a great believer in human error being part of cricket because it grounds the game by sticking to its original principles, it also creates talking points and ensures players learn to take the good with the bad in the same manner as life unfolds,” Waugh wrote in his column in The Daily Telegraph. “However, the time now seems right for a player challenge system, which the MCC cricket committee has endorsed and hopes to work in conjunction with the ICC to put in to action shortly, particularly now as the TV viewer is exposed to advanced technology that leave umpires exposed and scrutinised as never before,” he said. The challenge system will be tried out at this year’s Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan, with three referrals allowed per team.
— PTI
|
|||
Durban, January 10 South Africa were 213 for one, a lead of 74 runs after they had bowled out the tourists for 139, when bad light ended play 10 overs early on the first day. Smith reached 122 not out in a chanceless innings, sharing an unbroken stand of 160 with Hashim Amla (55 not out) to record South Africa’s highest second-wicket partnership against West Indies. Shaun Pollock led the home side’s attack with his return of four for 35. Fast bowler Dale Steyn made the initial breakthrough when he had Daren Ganga caught by Smith at first slip for three. Pollock struck for the first time by trapping Runako Morton in front for just one. Herschelle Gibbs took the first of three catches in the gully when he leapt high and to his right to remove debutant Brenton Parchment (11) off an edge from Pollock’s bowling. Makhaya Ntini struck in consecutive overs to have Marlon Samuels caught behind by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher for six and Shivnarine Chanderpaul snapped up by Kallis at second slip for a duck. South Africa wrapped up the innings in the ninth over after lunch with Nel having Darren Sammy (25) caught by Smith at first slip and Pollock completing his haul when Fidel Edwards (0) edged to Boucher. Smith and Gibbs started the reply with an aggressive stand of 53 that was ended in the ninth over when Daren Powell bowled Gibbs (27) off the bottom edge of his bat. Scoreboard West Indies (1st innings) Ganga c Smith b Steyn 3 Parchment c Gibbs b Pollock 11 Morton lbw Pollock 1 Samuels c Boucher b Ntini 6 Chanderpaul c Kallis b Ntini 0 Bravo c Gibbs b Pollock 13 Ramdin c Gibbs b Nel 30 Sammy c Smith b Nel 28 Taylor c Steyn b Pollock 25 Powell not out 15 Edwards c Boucher b Nel 0 Extras (b-1, lb-6) 7 Total (all out, 34.3 overs) 139 Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-11, 3-22, 4-26, 5-33, 6-57, 7-74, 8-116, 9-139. Bowling: Steyn 8-2-18-1, Ntini 7-1-30-2, Pollock 11-2-35-4, Nel 6.3-0-45-3, Kallis 2-1-4-0. South Africa (1st innings) Smith not out 122 Gibbs b Powell 27 Amla not out 55 Extras (b-4, lb-5) 9 Total (1 wkt, 43 overs) 213 Fall of wicket: 1-53. Bowling: Powell 12-1-60-1, Edwards 11-0-74-0, Taylor 9-3-21-0, Sammy 9-2-40-0, Samuels 2-0-9-0.
— Reuters
|
|||
|
Force India pick Fisichella, Sutil
Mumbai, January 10 Fisichella, who drove for Renault last season, will team up with German driver Adrian Sutil, who was a rookie last year with the Spyker team that billionaire Vijay Mallya bought into and renamed. “He is somebody who has raced with the best in the business,” Mallya told a press conference after unveiling the drivers. Fisichella has won three F1 races in his career and his highest championship placing was fourth in 2006. The team also named Vitantonio Liuzzi as the test and reserve driver.
— Reuters
|
|||
|
Sania seeded 31st at Australian Open
New Delhi, January 10 Sania has been seeded according to her position on the Women’s Tennis Association ranking charts. Being seeded would help the Hyderabadi girl avoid facing stronger opponents in the opening few rounds. World number one Belgian Justine Henin has been given the top billing, while defending champion American Serene Williams is seeded seventh.
— PTI
|
|||
|
I-League
Mumbai, January 10 With this win, Mahindra have moved to 14 points from 10 matches, while JCT remained at 19 points from an equal number of matches. It was JCT who shot into the lead as early as the seventh minute when Eduardo Escober found the net. Mahindra, who have been lacking in finishing this season, however, saw their import Andrew Pomeyie make no mistake with just the goalkeeper to beat in the 10th minute scoring the much-needed equaliser for the jeepmen. In the second half, Mahindra took the lead in the 65th minute when Pomeyie caught the JCT defence napping. With just three minutes to go, Douhou Pierre got on the scoreboard for the jeepmen to secure a 3-1 win. Pomeyie was adjudged the Man of the Match. Margao: Dempo Sports Club whipped Churchill Brothers 4-1 in an I-League match here on Thursday. Edeh Chidi gave Dempo the lead at the stroke of half time, and they pounded Churchill in the second session with goals from Ranty Martins, Anthony Pereira and Joaquim Abaranches. Mboyo Iyomi reduced the margin for Churchill.
— Agencies
|
|||
|
Naib, Paramjit joint chess champs
Nangal, January 10 Varinder Kumar from Chandigarh secured the second spot while Bhupesh Vashisht of Sundernagar came third. In the team event, Nangal stood first while Sundernagar secured the second
spot. It was organised here at the officers club of organisation.
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Returning to cricketing action after an acrimonious week which almost derailed their tour, opener Wasim Jaffer struck a polished 92 as India sought to get back into the groove on the first day of the three-day practice game against Australian Capital Territory XI.
