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Ranji Semis
Siddle’s five-for gives Oz edge
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Sri Lanka pile on huge lead
Remove Moores and KP & make a fresh baggage-less start
Chennai Open
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Ranji Semis
Chennai, January 5 Tendulkar, who faced 166 balls in 178 minutes for his knock which was studded with nine fours and five huge sixes, retired perhaps not being able to withstand the heat in the middle due to running temperature. The batting maestro stitched a 226-run stand off 410 balls with Jaffer. Jaffer amassed his second triple ton both against Saurashtra this season. After a fabulous innings of 635 minutes at the crease, Jaffer was out to a tired looking shot when he played Rakesh Dhruve towards on-side on the toss of the ball but gave a leading edge in offering a simple return catch. Jaffer continued to be in his elements and in the company of Tendulkar, who showed aggression from the word go and kept the board ticking at a faster pace. It was an emotional walk to the middle for Tendulkar, who opted to assist his state in their hunt for the 38th Ranji title. — PTI Scoreboard
UP restrict Tamil Nadu to 445
Chandigarh: Praveen Kumar took three wickets as Tamil Nadu were restricted to 445 on Day two of their Ranji Trophy semi-final match against Uttar Pradesh at Nagpur today.
Praveen took the key scalp of S Badrinath after the batsman had added just six runs to his overnight score. Badrinath scored 65. He also sent back skipper Dinesh Karthik and S S Kumar to help Uttar Pradesh stage a smart recovery as Tamil Nadu started from their overnight score of 296 for 2. Former India wicketkeeper Karthik fell to Praveen when the batsman was batting on 72. C Ganapathy came up with timely unbeaten 67 as Tamil Nadu put a heathy score on the board. Imtiyaz Ahmad was the other successful bowler claiming too wickets. Tamil Nadu (1st innings): (overnight 296 for 2) Uttar Pradesh (1st innings): |
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Siddle’s five-for gives Oz edge
At stumps, both the Australian openers Matthew Hayden (23) and Simon Katich (9) were still at the crease, taking the home team's second innings total to 33 without loss. South Africa was hampered by the injury to their captain Graeme Smith (30) who could not come to bat again after he was retired hurt yesterday. Australia, which took the field in this match with one of its most inexperienced bowling attack in almost a decade, was helped by Siddle's fiery bowling spells as he sent half of the Proteas' team back to the pavilion. A resilient knock of 89 from wicketkeeper Mark Boucher failed to take the visitors' score past Australia's first innings score of 445 as they fell short by 118 runs. Boucher, whose 170-ball innings had eight fours and a six off Nathan Hauritz, tried his best to defy the Aussie attack as he stood firm on a pitch that served a fair amount of variable bounce. Siddle made the crucial breakthrough to end a 115-run sixth wicket stand between Boucher and Morkel (40), who had defied the Australian bowling attack for almost three hours. Next batsman, Paul Harris (2) failed to contribute much to his team's cause when he was trapped leg before by Siddle who was on a rampage and was using the uneven bounce of the pitch to great effect. Boucher, meanwhile, was trying to keep most of the strike with himself but trusted Dale Steyn's batting form, who scored a crucial 74 runs in the Melbourne Test, only to see Siddle striking once again with Steyn having no idea of the delivery that rattled his stumps. — UNI Scoreboard Australia (2nd innings):
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Chittagong, January 5 Dilshan, who top-scored with 162 in the first innings, hit 81 while Samarweera scored 72 as the visitors reached 296-4 in their second innings at close for a massive overall lead of 472 runs. Kumar Sangakkara also played a vital knock of 54 to tighten the screws on the hosts, who had scored 208 in their first essay in reply to Sri Lanka's 384. The day's final session belonged clearly to Sri Lanka with their batsmen adding 109 runs without losing any wicket. Dilshan, dropped on 55 off Mashrafe Mortaza, hit nine fours in his 114-ball knock and dominated the 131-run unbroken stand for the fifth wicket with Samarweera. Sangakkara initially paved the way for the middle-order with his sensible 103-ball effort containing four fours. He reached his 28th Test half-century with a pulled four to the midwicket before playing on to his stumps off part-time spinner and captain Mohammad Ashraful (2-29). Sangakkara also shared a 68-run stand for the third wicket with skipper Mahela Jayawardene after the visitors had lost both their openers with 55 on board. Sri Lankan captain failed with the bat in his 100th Test, tamely chipping left-arm spinner Enamul Haque to short cover after making 22 off as many as 92 balls. — AFP Scoreboard
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Remove Moores and KP & make a fresh Hugh Morris, the managing director of the England cricket team, is in danger of setting an extremely dangerous precedent this week should he decide to relieve him of his position at the behest of Kevin Pietersen, the captain, who maintains he is unable to form a constructive working relationship with Moores. Pietersen spoke yesterday for the first time about his ongoing rift with Moores. "Obviously the situation is not healthy," said Pietersen. "We have to make sure it is settled as soon as possible and certainly before we fly off to the West Indies (in three weeks' time). Everything has to be hunky dory, everybody has to have the same aims and pull in the same direction for the good of the England team." Pietersen and Moores have never got on. They are continents apart, not just in birth but also in their views on cricket and life. When Pietersen was named captain in August 2008 both claimed they asked for a "clear the air meeting" before making their final decision and the lack of time each has for the other was noticeable to everyone within the England set-up on the recent tour of India. The row and its inevitable fall-out could undermine a huge year for English cricket. In the next 12 months, England will compete for the Ashes and the Twenty20 world cup, as well as play several important Test and limited-over series. How the Australians must be laughing. Ricky Ponting's side, like Pietersen's, might be losing Test series, but at least their dressing-room does not appear to be imploding. But while Australia are in apparent disarray, England are at civil war. Moores and his coaching methods may not be popular with Pietersen or his predecessor, Michael Vaughan, whose non-selection for the tour of the West Indies brought the situation to a head, but there were several members of the Ashes-winning side who thought little of Duncan Fletcher. The difference is that Fletcher fawned over England's big players and they spoke positively about him. There are many in the England set-up who like Moores and favour the coaching staff he has put in place. How many of them remain, and how those that do regard Pietersen is anyone's guess. Pietersen, who sidestepped Moores, his line manager, and complained to Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, has treated the coach shabbily. If Pietersen gets his way, as it appears he will, should the next England coach be rubber-stamped by him? It would be a ridiculous decision because it will be nigh on impossible to find someone who can work with and satisfy Pietersen on a daily basis. Pietersen is a magnificent cricketer but his personality is flawed. He is an ambitious, calculated individual, known more for his petulance than his tolerance. He expects the world to be run to suit his needs and woe betide anyone who does not agree with his views. It was the case when he left South Africa in the late Nineties. Pietersen switched allegiances because he was not prepared to tolerate the positive-discrimination policy adopted in a country that had previously employed the brutal apartheid regime. In 2002, he acrimoniously left Nottinghamshire for Hampshire, where his actions have created more than the occasional issue. Even so, Pietersen's time as captain has started well, and his position was made even stronger when England returned to India after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Returning was the right decision but Pietersen's motives have been questioned by several of those who travelled with him. No player was set to financially benefit more from the return than him, and now England's players have been told they can play in the Indian Premier League for 15 days, a lucrative contract must be in the post. The situation is not helped by Pietersen's close friend Vaughan spinning yarns behind the scenes. Vaughan is not happy but his time would be better spent scoring runs than playing politics. But Pietersen wants him in Jamaica to hold his hand and teach him how to captain. It seems inevitable that one of Moores and Pietersen has to go but perhaps the bravest and best decision Morris can make is to remove both. Then England can make a fresh baggage-less start. — By arrangement with The Independent
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Chennai Open
Chennai, January 5 Amritraj, who had been taking part in this tournament since 2003, had practised ahead of the draw-ceremony of this tournament with Schuettler, had no answers to the tactical play of the German. Amritraj, who does not hold an Indian passport and has been favoured with a wild card entry for the tournament for the last seven years, has already evoked criticism for his continued poor show at the lone ATP event in India. Bopanna proved that he still has the venom for singles play as he remained the lone Indian to make the main round among 18 others who took part in qualifying. Playing the final qualifying round, Bopanna, who had a strenuous preparation of three weeks of physical conditioning in Bangalore under Shyamal Pallabje, withstood the pressure to bounce back after losing the first set to Michael Berrer of Germany. Bopanna, who had refused a wild card entry in doubles event of the tournament, tightened his grip on his baseline game and then maintained it to win the decider and the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. “I have improved on my game and strategy. When I was down 1-3 in the final set, I was a bit tired but still got back into the game. People think I have given up singles play but it is not like that,” said Bopanna on today’s win. As for the main draw, the season’s opener started on a sour note for the Spaniards as three of former champion Carlos Moya’s countrymen were sent packing after losing their respective first round matches. Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ranked 90) was the first to go, going down to Simon Greul (126) of Germany 3-6, 4-6. Germany’s Bjorn Phau (120) then accounted for another Spaniard, Santiago Ventura (123) 6-2, 7-5. On the centre court, third-seed Marin Cilic (ranked 23) faced little difficult in moving to the next round with a confident 6-4, 6-4 win over Spain’s Alberto Martin (100). Main draw (First round): Marin Cilic (Cro) bt Alberto Martin (Esp) 6-4, 6-4; Simon Greul (Ger) bt Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Esp) 6-3, 6-4; Bjorn Phau (Ger) bt Santiago Ventura (Esp) 6-2, 7-5; Rainer Schuettler (Ger) bt Prakash Amritraj (Ind) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. — PTI
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Sydney, January 5
‘Akhtar is up for sale’