The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Irked Indians lodge complaint ‘Aussies have provoked our players in last 2 games’ Hobart, February 25 The bitterness in the relationship between Indian and Australian cricketers has again crept in with the Indian team management today lodging a written complaint with the match referee about the provocative behaviour of the home team. The Indians, whose tour of Australia have been marked by a racism row and a series of on-field altercations, have threatened to take a "befitting action" if Ricky Ponting and his men persisted with such behaviour. "We have written to the match referee Jeff Crowe and we will take a befitting action if it continued," Indian team manager Vimal Soni said. Young fast bowler Ishant Sharma this morning was docked 15 per cent of his match fee for finger-pointing a departing, abrasive Andrew Symonds from the middle in yesterday's tri-series game in Sydney. It led the Indians to draft a strongly-worded letter to Crowe in which they have mentioned specific incidents of "provocation" by the Australians. "We accept the match referee's decision for Ishant to have transgressed the Level 1.6 ICC Code of Conduct," Soni said, adding "we also wanted him to have a look at the provocation which Australians have been repeatedly providing in the series." "Much has happened in recent past and we didn't want to open up old wounds by making a complaint against the Australians. But we have mentioned specific incidents in the letter to match referee," he said. The specific incidents, it is learnt, concerned the repeated jabbering which Ponting reportedly kept directing at Harbhajan Singh in yesterday's game as well as left-handed opener Matthew Hayden being accused of constantly calling Harbhajan a "mad boy." Harbhajan, along with his skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, drew the attention of two umpires at Hayden's specific provocation when the big stand between Hayden and Ponting was taking place in the first half of yesterday's match. Another incident which came up for mention in the match referee's hearing this morning was the gloves Dhoni wore in the initial part of Australia's innings. "We changed the gloves once. Crowe pointed it out to us (during the Australian innings), even though according to rules the particular gloves completely met the specific regulations," said Soni. As for Ishant-Symonds spat, the Indians were adamant it happened as a result of the provocation by the Australian allrounder. "Our plea was Symonds provoked Ishant and that's why he did what he did," said Soni. "The match referee has promised he would have a word with the Australian captain on the matter." Ishant was called up for hearing by Crowe this morning in Sydney after the two umpires lodged a complaint about the Indian's gesture towards Symonds, who was bowled for 59 in the 45th over of the Australian innings in yesterday's match at the SCG. Crowe found the young fast bowler guilty of transgressing ICC Code of Conduct, a Level 1.6 breach of rules, which relates to an uncalled for aggressive gesture or action by the bowler towards a batsman pointing towards the pavilion. "The umpires, based on what they had seen in the middle, reported the incident to the match referee," said Soni. Even though Crowe has promised to have a word with Ponting, the latter unequivocally, had said last night that Symonds had not started the argument with the Indian fast bowler. "He (Symonds) said in response to what was said to him -- he didn't start the incident," Ponting had flatly said after his side had won a cliff-hanger by a narrow 18-run margin. Soni, on his part, clarified that he didn't want the matter to escalate and become a full-blown controversy. "We could have filed another complaint but we did not want to start another hearing. Instead, we made the match referee aware that the Australians have provoked our players in the last two matches and cited specific instances, which is not good for our players," he said. — PTI
	Lankans tricky opponents: Dhoni Hobart, Febraury 25 Ahead of their vital CB Series tie against Sri Lanka here tomorrow, a cautious Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has alerted his troops about the task, terming Sri Lanka ''very tricky'' opponents. ''We wouldn't like to wait for the result on February 29,'' Dhoni said. ''We would like to seal the match against Sri Lanka and not leave it to the last game between Australia and Sri Lanka. This game is very important for us.'' Dhoni has to plug a few loopholes in his team, one of which is the failure of his opening pair, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. The other matter is that of fatigue. Some of the Indian players have been playing non-stop from the start of the Test series against Australia and India's inability to qualify for the finals means they have had no time to rest. When asked whether a 36-hour break was enough for the team to bounce back after yesterday's game against Australia, Dhoni said, ''It's tough on guys like Ishant and Gautam, but we have some time to recover and we need them.'' Meanwhile, Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene was in a positive mood ahead of tomorrow's match. — UNI
	Ishant fined 15 pc match fee Sydney, February 25 Team India continued to be dogged by controversies Down Under as young speedster Ishant Sharma was found guilty under Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct by Match Referee Jeff Crowe following an incident that took place during their CB series' match against Australia here. Sharma was caught in camera while he gestured towards Andrew Symonds after dismissing the Australian all-rounder in the 47th over with the home team's score being 296 for 4 yesterday. The 19-year-old pacer was reported by on-field umpires Daryl Harper and Tony Hill and third umpire Bruce Oxenford and was charged under rule 1.6 of the Code of Conduct which deals with pointing or gesturing towards the pavilion in an aggressive manner by a bowler or other member of the fielding side upon the dismissal of a batsman. Explaining his decision, ICC Match Referee Jeff Crowe said, ''The gesture was a direct breach of the ICC Code of Conduct. I took into account the fact that Sharma may have been provoked and that this was his first offence and hence the penalty was at the lower end of the scale.'' ''Clearly both teams are still sensitive to each others' actions in the middle. ICC has recently reiterated that a zero tolerance attitude will be shown to abusive or insulting language and actions,'' he added. ''So, hopefully, the teams in these remaining matches in the CB Series will focus on the business of playing and entertaining.'' The penalty range for a Level 1 offence is between an official reprimand and a fine of up to 50 per cent of the player's match fee. For Level 1 offences, there is no right of appeal and the referee's decision is final. Apart from Ishant Sharma, Match Referee Jeff Crowe, umpires Daryl Harper, Tony Hill, Bruce Oxenford and Darren Goodger, Team India manager Dr B R Soni, Interim coach Lalchand Rajput were present at the Code of Conduct hearing. — UNI
	SA win first Test, go 1-0 up Dhaka, February 25 Inspired by Jacques Kallis, South Africa wrapped up the opening Test against Bangladesh with a five-wicket victory on the fourth day here today. The South Africans, who resumed at 178 for 4, collected the required 27 runs while losing the wicket of Ashwell Prince (38) in 10.4 overs in the morning. The win saw South Africa go 1-0 up in the two-Test series. The second match begins in the port city of Chittagong on Friday. A. B. de Villiers remained unbeaten on 19 while Mark Boucher, who surpassed the world record of Adam Gilchrist (416) for most number of Test dismissals on the third day, was not out on two. It was the 46th defeat for Bangladesh in 52 Tests and the fifth on the trot against South Africa who defeated them by innings margins in all their previous encounters. Scoreboard Bangladesh (1st innings): 192 South Africa (1st innings): 170 Bangladesh (2nd innings): 182 South Africa (2nd innings): McKenzie c Bashar b Hossain 26 Smith lbw b Rafique 62 Amla c Siddique b Rafique 46 Kallis c Mortaza b Hossain 7 Prince lbw b Hossain 38 A.B. de Villiers not out 19 Boucher not out 2 Extras: (b 2, lb 2, w 1): 5 Total (for 5 wkts in 67.5 overs): 205 Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-125, 3-144, 4-144, 5-193 Bowling: Mortaza 12-0-47-0, Hossain 19-0-70-3, Rafique 27.5-6-54-2, Shakib 7-0-24-0, Ashraful 2-0-6-0. — AFP
	Focus on own performance: Oz coach Melbourne, February 25 Australian coach Tim Nielsen today said India should stop concerning themselves with Oz's behaviour and focus on their own performance as they try to secure a spot against the hosts in the CB Series finals. Nielsen said he had no problem with the way his players were acting on the field. ''It's interesting how much the opposition teams are talking about what we're doing and at the moment as far as I can see we're the only team that's in the finals,'' Nielsen said here as the team gathered ahead of Tuesday's Allan Border Medal. ''It might be time for them to start looking in their own backyard.'' Nielsen said Ishant's actions were understandable given the pressure of the situation and he hopes India retain their fiery, spirited style of play. However, he wants players from both teams to ensure they do not cross the line if they meet in the finals; India will secure a place in the deciders if they beat Sri Lanka in Hobart on February 26. ''It's a difficult one because there is so much emotion going on,'' Nielsen said. — UNI
	Dhoni’s gloves ruled illegal Dubai, February 25 The wicketkeeping gloves that Mahendra Singh Dhoni wore during the ODI loss to Australia in Sydney were today ruled illegal by the ICC, which warned the Indian skipper of a penalty if he uses them again without inspection. “Dhoni has not been penalised on this occasion but he has been advised that if he uses the gloves again before they have been modified, inspected and cleared, he could be charged for a breach of Clause C1 of the Code of Conduct,” match referee Jeff Crowe said in a statement. Dhoni, on his part, has agreed not to use the gloves after being found to be breaching the “Laws of Cricket”. “After I raised my concern in the Indian dressing room, Dhoni immediately changed his gloves on the advice of the team management, which was a reasonable thing to do,” Crowe said. The on-field umpires, Daryl Harper and Tony Hill, third umpire Bruce Oxenford and Crowe gave the ruling after inspecting Dhoni’s gloves following Australia’s 18-run victory yesterday. The match officials found that Dhoni’s gloves had extra webbing between the thumb and the forefinger, which was a violation of Law 40.2, which relates to gloves. “The wicketkeeper’s gloves shall have no webbing between the fingers except joining index finger and thumb, where webbing may be inserted as a means of support,” the ICC said. — PTI
	BCCI hits out at Aussies Mumbai, February 25 The BCCI today hit out at the Australian cricket team for indulging in sledging and provoking the Indians, saying that such behaviour by the hosts was unnecessary and not good for the game. “The way the Australians are behaving is not good (for the game). They should not sledge our team members. It’s not necessary,” BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said today. Shah was reacting to the happenings during the Sydney tri-series match yesterday in which Andrew Symonds provoked Ishant Sharma for which the latter was docked 15 per cent of his match fee by ICC match referee Jeff Crowe. “They (Aussies) should restrain from such things and not get into another problem,” the BCCI official said. But he did not comment on the complaint lodged with the match referee by Indian manager Vimal Soni about the Aussies’ behaviour. Shah defended Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his comments after yesterday’s loss to Australia wherein the wicketkeeper had asked the senior players to start delivering the goods. He also said the under-19 team which has reached the semifinals of the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur would be protected from being distracted by franchises eager to recruit them for the April 18-June 1 Indian Premier League. — PTI
	Stanford offers $20 m for one T20 tie Melbourne, February 25 Apparently trying to compete with the lucrative IPL, maverick Texan billionaire Allen Stanford has offered the Australian, English and Indian cricketers $20 million from a single Twenty20 match next year in the West Indies. He is wooing Australian and English cricketers to play against an all-star team from around the West Indies for a winner-takes-all prize of $20 million. "If enough players in Australia or England or India know they have a chance to come down here to the Caribbean and walk away, each one of them, with millions of dollars in their pocket, I think it will probably happen," Stanford said. "The project is too big now. So I think next year it is absolutely certain to happen," he was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald. The BCCI had snubbed a similar invitation after its cricketers won the Twenty20 World Cup last year and has since trumped Stanford by launching the IPL. The Texan suggested that the IPL tapped into the mercenary instincts of the modern sportsman. By contrast, he is adamant that in Stanford Twenty20, the domestic competition involving 21 Caribbean nations, cricketers will represent only their own islands. — PTI
	Under-19 World Cup Pak, Kiwis reach last four Kuala Lumpur, February 25 Defending champions Pakistan beat Australia by six wickets, while New Zealand stunned Sri Lanka by 80 runs to complete the semifinal line-up in the U-19 Cricket World Cup here today. New Zealand will face India in the first semifinal on Wednesday, while Pakistan clash with South Africa in the second one on Friday. Put in to bat, Australian batsmen put up a poor show and were bundled out for 129 in 47.1 overs. Pakistan reached the target without much ado, scoring 130 for 4 in 37.5 overs. Meanwhile, New Zealand produced a classy performance against Sri Lanka in the other Super League game. Brief scores: Pakistan beat Australia by six wickets Australia: 127 in 47.1 overs (James Pattinson 34; Adil Raza 3-26, Umar Akmal 2-20, Imad Wasim 2-21, Azhar Attari 2-23) Pakistan: 130 for 37.5 overs (Ahmad Shahzad 40, Ali Asad 63 not out; Josh Hazlewood 2-28) New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 80 runs New Zealand: 213 all out in 49.5 overs (George Worker 48, Fraser Colson 39, Kane Williamson 34; Umesh Karunarathna 3-38, Roshane Silva 3-39) Sri Lanka: 133 all out in 42.1 overs (Sachith Pathirana 42; Nick Beard 3-15, Tim Southee 3-25, Anurag Verma 2-22). — UNI
	SC relief for Yuvi S.S. Negi Legal Correspondent New Delhi, February 25 Yuvraj Singh might be struggling for runs on the tour Down Under, but he had a reason to celebrate today as the Supreme Court freed him from all obligations with his former event managing company after his agreement with it was over. A Bench of Justices HK Sema and Markandey Katju rejected the petition of Precept Talent Management Ltd (PTML) seeking to enforce a clause of the agreement with Yuvraj even after the contract had come to an end on October 16 last year. The clause provided that if Yuvraj got an endorsement offer higher than that of PTML from another company, he had to give the former a chance to match it with the same offer before signing the new deal. The apex court, particularly Justice Katju, came down heavily on PTML for coming up with such a plea and told the company’s counsel AM Singhvi that trying to bind a professional player with such conditions was a violation of Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, which gives professional freedom to every citizen. As per the October 17, 2003, agreement between PTML and Yuvraj, the former was appointed his sole agent for media management and endorsement of advertisements with a minimum guarantee money of Rs 1.05 crore to him. But if he was appointed vice-captain of the Indian team, the minimum guarantee money was be enhanced to Rs 1.50 crore. However, PTML wanted that as per the “first option” and “right of refusal” clause, Yuvraj should give it an opportunity to match the offer of his new event manager. And if that happened and PTML was able to pay him the same amount of money, he could enter into fresh contract with it for all future endorsements instead of the any new company.
	Ranjit Singh Hockey BP, Army XI reach semis New Delhi, February 25 Bharat Petroleum (BP) and Army XI chalked out contrasting wins over their respective opponents to reach the semi-finals of the 4th Maharaja Ranjit Singh Hockey Tournament here today. In a Pool I match, a star-studded Bharat Petroleum downed Punjab National Bank (PNB) 2-0 while in Pool II, Army XI waged grim battle before stroking out Punjab and Sindh Bank (PSB) 5-3 via the tie-breaker. After a goalless first half, the match sprung into life in the second half when Pundulik Bellary scored a fine goal in the 48th minute to put BP in the lead. Sabu Varkey (52nd) soon increased the lead to make it 2-0. PNB were unable to score despite some fine moves as BP held on to their lead to emerge victorious. In the other match, PSB snatched the lead just before the stroke of half-time as Tassavarjit Singh (35th) slammed home a penalty corner. The bankmen increased their lead in the second half through a fine field goal by Kulwinder Singh (44th). However, the armymen staged a superb comeback and soon drew level through goals by Eliazer lakra (53rd) and Dhananjay Mahadhik (57th, PC). In the tie-breaker, Eliazer Lakra, Anil Ekka and Chittranjan Singh hit the target for Army XI while Dhananjay Mahadhik and Sunil Ekka failed to score. However, except for Mandeep Singh, all the PSB players failed to convert their chances as Army XI emerged deserving winners. Army XI will take on Bharat Petroleum while Air India (North) will face favourites Indian Oil in the semi-finals to be played tomorrow. — UNI
	World TT Sharath leads India to victory New Delhi, February 25 National champion Achanta Sharath Kamal led the charge as India rallied to beat Argentina 3-1 in a Group E encounter in the World Team Table Tennis Championship in Guangzhou, China, today. India, who lost 2-3 to Egypt yesterday, were 0-1 down today after two-time national champion Soumyadeep Roy lost the opening match 4-11, 9-11, 11-3, 5-11 to Song Liu. However, Sharath Kamal and Subhajit Saha ensured that there were no further hiccups, notching up smooth victories. Sharath thrashed Gaston Diego Alto 11-5, 11-9, 11-5, before Saha got the better of Pablo Tabachink 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9. Sharath then came back in the reverse singles to beat Liu 7-11, 11-5, 5-11, 11-9, 11-6 in a close match to guide India, placed in the second division, to their first win of the tournament after getting a walkover from Kazakhstan in the first match. India will take on Norway tomorrow. — PTI
	Kapil, Paes for celebrity golf meet Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 25 Cricket legend Kapil Dev will head the star cast in the Johnnie Walker Classic Pro Celebrity Tournament to be held at the DLF Golf Course and Country Club in Gurgaon tomorrow. The other celebrities who will be pitting their golfing skills with Kapil are Leander Paes, Atul Wassan, Ajay Jadeja, Nikhil Chopra, Irina Brar, restauranteur A.D. Singh, Hero Honda MD Pawan Munjal, Robert Vadera, Shivani Wazir and international golfing stars Manuel Angel Jimenez, Colin Montgomerie, Ian Poulter, Sam Torrance and defending champion Anton Haig.
	J&K Bank bag soccer title New Delhi, February 25 Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Srinagar, edged out Indian National, Delhi, 1-0 to clinch the title in the 4th All-India Prize Money Lt-Governor’s Cup DDA Football Tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here today. The win fetched the bankmen Rs 2 lakh, while the Delhi team earned Rs 1 lakh. The semifinalists were given Rs 50,000 each. J&K Bank had to battle hard to overcome last year’s runners-up Indian National with a fag-end goal through S Rizwan. Badru Keke Ibrahim of J&K Bank was adjudged the best player of the tournament and was given a prize of Rs 5,000. Rajat Guha of Indian National was adjudged the best goalkeeper, Shariyat Raza of ND Heroes the best defender and Harpreet Singh of BSF (Jalandhar) the best forward. They were given Rs 5,000 each. — TNS
	Judo player in jail for possessing drugs Rajneesh Lakhanpal Ludhiana, February 25 Once a top sportsman who won laurels for the Punjab police, Ranjit Singh is presently behind bars at the Central Jail here for possessing narcotics. Ranjit, a national-level judo player who also excelled in weightlifting and boxing, was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by additional sessions judge AK Mehta recently. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him. Ranjit had joined the Punjab police as constable under the sports quota. Later, he was promoted as head constable. He performed well in super heavyweight boxing at the 7th Inter-district Police Sports and Athletics Meet, Ludhiana Range, in 1999. He also participated in the National Judo Championship organised by the Judo Federation of India at Mumbai in 1992-93. According to the prosecution, he was arrested on November 23, 2004, and 520 gm smack was recovered from his possession.
	Rathore comes a cropper Jaipur, February 25 Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore failed to qualify for the final of the double trap event during the Asian Clay Shooting Championship at the Jagatpura Shooting Range here today. Rathore, who is preparing for the Beijing Olympics, finished ninth, while Ronjan Sodhi also failed to secure his place in the final as he ended seventh. “This is a very dismal performance from Rathore,” Rajasthan Shooting Association president and organising committee member Sushil Choudhary said. Saif Al Shamsy emerged the champion with a score of 183 out of 200. He got 45 target out of 50 in the final. Mashfi Al-Mutairi of Kuwait won the silver with a score of 176/200, while Qatar’s Rashed Al Athba (175/200) got the bronze. Mariya Dmitrmenko of Kazakhstan won the women’s double trap title. Noora Al Ali of Qatar and Anastassiya Davydova of Kazakhstan won the silver and bronze, respectively. The Indian men’s trap team secured the bronze. Kuwait and Qatar won the gold and silver, respectively. Indian women won the silver in the trap event. Kazakhstan and Qatar got the gold and bronze, respectively. Saif Al Shamsi of UAE, Rashed Al Manee of Kuwait and Vikram Bhatnagar of India won the gold, silver and bronze, respectively, in the double trap Grand Prix Championship. Indian men finished fourth in the Grand Prix team event, while the women won the silver. — UNI