The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Ponting unhappy with his ‘price’ Melbourne, February 21 The money in the Indian Premier League (IPL) players’ auction amazed some of the foreign players, but Australian skipper Ricky Ponting was disappointed at his low price in the high-profile event. Ponting was secured by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for his Kolkata team for $400,000. “I thought I might have been able to attract a little bit more than that,” Ponting told Australian Associated Press (AAP). “The fact I haven’t made a lot of runs over the past couple of weeks probably hasn’t helped much. But realistically, we as Australian players probably won’t be able to take part in the first couple of years of the event anyway,” he added. “There would be no friction in the dressing room following the bidding war, rather we would have light-hearted banter among ourselves.” SYDNEY: Yuvraj Singh, an “iconic player” in the IPL, is shocked at the low price Ricky Ponting commanded and said the latter’s unavailability in the first season may be one of the reasons. “Surprised? Shocked is a better word for it. One of world’s best player has gone for only $400,000. But may be it was thought he was going to Pakistan so he wouldn’t be available,” said Yuvraj. On what could be the reason behind Ponting’s compatriot Andrew Symonds proving to be the second most expensive player at the auction, Yuvraj felt the all-round ability of the the lanky player might have tilted the scales in his favour. “Symonds is an allrounder, he can hit big, clear the stadium and that perhaps could have helped in his bid,” he said. Yuvraj also said the Indian cricketers in Australia had moved on from the news on the auction front and their focus was back on doing well in the tri-series. “The general reaction among cricketers was that it was bound to happen. For us the CB series is very important, then the finals, then the series against South Africa, and then the IPL will come into the picture. “The young players, though, are very happy to have received such good money so early in their careers,” he said. Yuvraj, who scored a cracking 76 to help India secure a nail-biting win over Sri Lanka in the last game, said he was happy to have commanded a million-dollar plus price in the auction. “I had a decent Twenty20 World Cup, so I guess I deserved the price,” said Yuvraj, the captain of the Mohali team. The Punjab batsman believed his team had a good blend of experienced cricketers from different countries though he termed bowling as his side’s great strength. “Obviously, the format of the auction was such that you could either have good bowling or batting strength. Hopefully, we will have a good group of domestic cricketers to make it a very good side,” he said. Mohali will have the services of Brett Lee and S Sreesanth, among others, to have a go at the rival teams. Yuvraj looked forward to the help experienced cricketers like Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Lee would provide to him in running the team. — Agencies
	JD(U) calls auction ‘national shame’ New Delhi, February 21 Terming the auction of cricketers a “national shame”, Janata Dal (U) president Sharad Yadav today demanded that the government take over the BCCI and regulate cricket for promotion of sports and not use it as tool of the market forces. “It was a day of national shame when cricketers were put on auction for sale. It was a gross violation of human dignity and shameless demonstration of money power. A civilised society must condemn it,” Mr Yadav said here. Pointing out the “gross corruption” prevailing in the BCCI, Yadav said its autonomy must be curtailed as it had turned cricket into “a big business where money is flowing freely.” He said what was more shocking at this auction was that it was done in public view in a very shameful manner. “We demand the withdrawal of all medals, citations and freebies given to all those Indian cricketers who have put themselves in the market.” — UNI
	Prefer cricket to cash, parents urge Dhoni Mumbai, February 21 Mahendra Singh Dhoni's parents have urged him to forget about the cash from his bumper Indian Premier League (IPL) contract and concentrate on cricket. The Chennai franchise of the money-spinning Twenty20 tournament lavished a $1.5 million per year contract on the dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman at a player auction in Mumbai yesterday. "He should keep his feet firmly on ground," Dhoni's father Pan Singh and mother Devki Devi told a newspaper website. "It's no doubt a matter of pride but more than the monetary aspect, it is important that he lives up to the expectations of his fans, supporters and the country." The teams will pay the winning bid to the player annually. The contracts are for a three-year period and are guaranteed by the Indian cricket board. Nearly all of the world's top players will participate in the 44-day league, which will feature 59 matches among eight franchises. The tournament gets underway on April 18. — Reuters
	Jaipur franchise fined New Delhi, February 21 The Jaipur franchise has been penalised for spending less amount than the mandatory sum set by the Indian Premier League organisers for players’ auction in Mumbai. The Jaipur team was required to spend $3.3 million (approx Rs 13.17 crore) but they ended up shelling out only $2.9 million (Rs 11.8 crore) for eight players. “The Jaipur team has been penalised for spending less than the mandatory amount at yesterday’s players’ auction,” IPL chairman Lalit Modi told PTI today. “In penalty, they will have to pay the difference to the organisers,” he said. Five of the eight franchises, however, spent more than the maximum limit of $5 million. — PTI
	Ishant’s life changed forever Sydney, February 21 The morning after the Indian Premier League auction, when their phones did not stop ringing, most Indian cricketers stayed put in their hotel rooms and reflected on the seismic event which has changed their lives forever. For long, they hankered with their board about suitable gradations and now an open market has reflected their true worth. Or has it? For young Ishant Sharma fetched a price in the auction ($950,000) which outstripped the likes of Anil Kumble and Muthiah Muralitharan; Chaminda Vaas and Brett Lee; Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. Sharma, all of 6'4" and still growing, is not yet 20 and in five Tests and seven one-day internationals, has only 12 and eight wickets, respectively, to boast. Yet his $950,000 is nearly twice the amount which his captain Anil Kumble has commanded. Kumble has spent as many summers in the field as Sharma has seen in his young life. It is the brand value and saleability among youth, rather than quality and longevity, which has dictated the market. Sharma, the success story of the present tour, is reaping beyond his wildest dreams. A destiny's child, he cooled his heels in the Melbourne Test despite picking a five-wicket haul in the previous game for India. Injury to Zaheer Khan marked his return in Sydney. Kumble's words "Ek Aur Over Karega" in Perth when he clearly already had overbowled an over or two, was the cataclysmic moment of his life. He kept getting the big wickets, Ricky Ponting all the time, and reviews only got better. Javagal Srinath has no doubt Sharma was better than him at his age. He predicted the young Delhi fast bowler could be the best in the world in due course. Australian Damien Fleming had a similar refrain on the young beanpole of a bowler. Steve Waugh, Terry Alderman, Kapil Dev - everyone kept gushing and it seems all such praise was adding those extra thousands of dollars to his worth. Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar, who would now bowl along with him for the Kolkata franchise, wants India to use him sparingly. Son of an air-conditioner seller, Sharma first marked his run-up on a cricket field only four years ago. In terms of staggering success, it does not get better than this. But he has come a long way to bowl the fastest delivery ever by an Indian - 152kmph - on a cricket field. — PTI
	SA look to subdue B’desh Dhaka, February 21 South Africa will look to brush off an ugly selection controversy and continue their winning run as they go into the first Test against Bangladesh here tomorrow. A spat between coach Mickey Arthur and president of Cricket South Africa (CSA) Norman Arendse over selection policies marred the lead-up to the two-Test series which will be followed by three one-dayers. Arthur was part of a selection panel that reportedly picked four black players for the Bangladesh tour, against CSA guidelines that sets a target of picking seven in a squad of 15. Arendse wanted youngsters be given an opportunity against Bangladesh, while Arthur was after a full-strength squad which could adjust to subcontinental conditions ahead of the following tour of India. The row was resolved after CSA issued a statement in which Arendse apologised to chief executive Gerald Majola for the public spat. However, the wrangling may have affected the players, most of whom appeared off-colour in a three-day warm-up game that ended a draw at Fatullah Stadium yesterday. The South African seamers struggled to find their rhythm against a local Council XI which piled on 412-8 in reply to the visitors’ first-innings score of 397. Captain Graeme Smith however sought to draw positives from his team’s performance and said he hoped for a sporting wicket at Sher-e-Bangla Mirpur Stadium, venue for the first Test. South Africa’s recent run of form must also infuse confidence in the skipper as the Proteas go into the series on the back of wins in the Test series against India, Pakistan, New Zealand and West Indies. Bangladesh have not had much to rejoice after their recent 2-0 drubbing in the Test series against Kiwis. — AFP
	Tri-series: Australia vs Lanka Lanka can’t afford another loss Melbourne, February 21 Faced with the stiff task of winning at least two more matches to secure a place in the tri-series finals, Sri Lanka will need a spark of inspiration when they take on Australia in a crucial game here tomorrow. Languishing at the bottom of the points table, Sri Lanka just cannot afford yet another defeat tomorrow and as outlined by their captain Mahela Jayawardene, every match is a semifinal for the islanders, who have been lacklustre in the tournament so far. Jayawardene did not find much solace in the fact that Australia would rest spearhead Brett Lee tomorrow. He refused to lower his guard and insisted that even without Lee, Australia would prove a formidable side. “I’ve played Australia quite a few times and they don’t take any game lightly,” Jayawardene said, as if warning his teammates. Despite their fierce on-field rivalry with the world champions, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team would love to see Australia win tomorrow, an outcome that would ease India’s passage to the best-of-three finals of the tournament. As of now, the hosts lead the table with 17 points from five matches, while India are a distant second with 12 from six games. The Lankans have six points from five games and they need to win two of their remaining three games to reach the finals. The Jayawardene-led side has not lived up to the expectations, with batsmen and bowlers failing to make much of an impact so far. The batting order looks brittle and the attack, despite having the likes of Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, lacks teeth. Even their reputation as one of the better fielding sides took a beating and Jayawardene did not hide his disappointment after Tuesday’s defeat against India. “We were 20 runs short in our total. In the fielding, we gave at least 15 extra runs and in bowling, we bowled too short and wide at times. “We were not very consistent with our line and length and bowled a bit short and wide. Our fielding was not up to scratch,” he said. — AFP
	PCB keen on ODIs with India Karachi, February 21 A Pakistan Cricket Board official today disclosed that they have sent a formal proposal to the BCCI for a short series of three one-day internationals against India in mid March. The official said Pakistan was keen to host India for the one-day series to fill in the free time as Cricket Australia have shortened their scheduled tour of Pakistan by 18 days and will tour Pakistan from March 29. The official said the proposal was sent after the PCB held talks with their Indian counterparts recently and proposed the series tentatively scheduled from March 12. Besides, such a series would be financially beneficial for the Board. "We are pretty confident the Indians will squeeze in the tour. They have assured us they will try to make it possible," he said. If the tour does go ahead, the PCB official said, it would last for just a week from March 12 onwards and all matches would be played in Lahore to reduce the burden and stress on the Indian team. But a senior official of the Indian Board said on telephone that the tour was still not confirmed. "We have a lot of problems because of our hectic international programme. And while the Pakistan Board believes the tour is 90 per cent done this is not the case so far." — PTI
	Symonds softens stand on Pak tour Sydney, February 21 Softening his stand on the Pakistan tour, allrounder Andrew Symonds said there was still time to change his mind if the situation improved in the volatile South Asian country. “The door is ajar but you know where I stand on it,” Symonds was quoted as saying by the Herald Sun. He said he had long held the stance that safety was the most important issue and he was against going on the tour. However, Symonds asserted that if CA’s security experts gave the all-clear and administrators urged him to make the tour he would have to make a decision at the time. “At the time that happens I’ll have to make a decision that I have to stand by,” he said. Symonds had been outspoken about his concerns over the tour, which was this week shortened to 30 days after a meeting between Pakistan Cricket Board and Cricket Australia officials in Kuala Lumpur. Meanwhile, Symonds’ team-mate and opener Matthew Hayden said he was yet to make up his mind on the issue and would wait to see what various security experts said. “We need to go through the process,” Hayden said. “We need to go through that for cricket and we’re going to get the best information, independent information as well on security which allows us to make an informed decision.” — UNI
	Duleep Trophy VRV helps North Zone tighten grip Mumbai, February 21 VRV Singh took his second five-wicket haul of the match as North Zone dismissed West Zone for 231 runs in the second innings on the third day of the Duleep Trophy final at the Wankhede Stadium here today. Set a target of 166, North Zone were 75 for 3 at close of play. They lost Aakash Chopra (12), Karan Goel (1) and Mithun Manhas (1) cheaply, but Shikhar Dhawan (44 not out) was holding the fort when stumps were drawn. Earlier, VRV Singh claimed 5-86 to add to his first-innings figures of 5-91. Yusuf Pathan top-scored for West Zone with 61. Brief scores: West Zone (1st innings): 274 North Zone (1st innings): 340 West Zone (2nd innings): 231 (Yusuf Pathan 61, Ajinkya Rahane 43, Rakesh Dhurv 41; VRV Singh 5-86) North Zone (2nd innings): 75 for 3 (Shikhar Dhawan 44 not out). — Agencies
	Anand takes sole lead Morelia, February 21 Viswanathan Anand continued his amazing run with the dark pieces as he beat Peter Leko to register his third successive win in the fifth round of the Morelia-Linares Grandmasters Chess Tournament here in Mexico. The win late night also put him in sole lead after five rounds of the category-21 tournament, which is played in two legs, in Mexico and Linares in Spain. The world champion has now won all three games with black, while with white he has lost one and drawn another. Now Anand is in the lead with 3.5 points and Aronian is in second place with three. Anand’s win over Leko was the first game to finish on a day when two of the four games produced results. Anand escaped with a victory after he was engaged in a Sicilian Najdorf with Leko. The Indian capitalised as Leko, trapped in time trouble, missed a possible win or at least a draw. Making good use of that, Anand grabbed a full point. The other result came from young Magnus Carlsen who beat Veselin Topalov. Carlsen also won with black pieces as Topalov lost his second game in a row. With today being a rest day, Anand is looking well set to move into a commanding position before the second leg. Carlsen nicely converted an extra pawn against Topalov to a win after adopting the Alekhine’s defence. — IANS
	Indian Oil defeat PSB New Delhi, February 21 Indian Oil pipped Punjab and Sind Bank 2-1 in a Group I encounter, while Air India (Mumbai) outstroked Army XI 5-4 via sudden death in the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Hockey Tournament here today. Hamza Mustafa scored in the 50th minute to put Indian Oil in the lead. Vikramjit Singh slammed home a penalty corner in the 54th minute to help the Punjab team draw level before Deedar Singh struck in the 65th as Indian Oil emerged victorious. A spirited Army XI waged a grim battle to hold Air India to a goal-less draw in the stipulated 70 minutes. The match was decided via sudden death as the tie-breaker failed to produce a result. In Group II, Air India (North) downed Punjab National Bank 3-2. Sandeep Singh (29th) opened the scoring for Air India. Brojen Singh (39th) and Sandeep Michael (42nd) struck for Air India, while Damandeep (49th) and Jatinder Saroha (50th) reduced the margin for PNB. — UNI
	J&K Bank enter semis New Delhi, February 21 Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Srinagar, defeated State Bank of Travancore 2-0 to sail into the semifinal of the All-India Prize Money Lt-Governor’s DDA Football Tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here today. Putting up an impressive performance compared to their earlier outings, the Srinagar bankmen scored the first goal through S Rizwan in the 20th minute, while Badru Keke Ibrahim struck the second goal a minute before the final whistle. Last year’s runners-up Indian National of Delhi scored two goals in 15 minutes in the last quarter through Lalit Rawat and Ifeanyi to quell the challenge of Garhwal Heroes 2-0 and enter the last-four stage. — TNS
	Bahadur sets record in 50km walk Patiala, February 21 Unheralded armyman Basant Bahadur set a national record in the men’s 50 km walk in the 1st Indian Athletics Grand Prix here today. Bahadur clocked 4::10:42, bettering Gurdev Singh’s three-year-old record (4::16:22) by six minutes. Babu Bhai (4::15:50) also bettered the record. However, the much-hyped meet turned out to be a lacklustre event with a slew of top-notch athletes, including Anju Bobby George, K.M. Binu and Vikas Gowda, conspicuous by their presence at the NIS floodlit synthetic track. In triple jump, Amarjit Singh of Railways (16.30m) won the gold by beating national record holder Renjith Maheswary (15.83m). In women’s 400m, Chitra Soman won the gold clocking 53.19s. Mandeep Kaur (53.47) managed to clinch the silver ahead of Manjit Kaur (53.62). Neelam Jaswant Singh was back on the throwing circle after serving a two-year ban for failing a dope test at the World Championships in Helsinki in 2005. She performed poorly with a throw of 47.63m. The event was won by Harwant Kaur (58.54), while Seema Antil finished second. — UNI