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Phir Gambhir Gautam Gambhir celebrates after completing his century in Colombo on Thursday. — AFP
Murali highest ODI wicket-taker
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KP gifts wicket as England fight back
It’s do or die for Germany
Lucas knows it’s now or never
Dutch striker Lucas Judge. Tribune photo: Vinay Malik
Ad-hoc panel to look into coach-selector row
Clarke chickened out fearing no takers for him: Modi
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Phir Gambhir
Colombo, February 5 The Indian victory also spoiled Muttiah Muralitharan's party as the Sri Lankan spin wizard today became the highest wicket-taker in one-day cricket. Apart from Gambhir's scintillating knock captain MS Dhoni scored 94 to propel India to an imposing 332 for five, after winning the fourth successive toss. The visitors then skittled out the hosts for 265 in 48 overs to take a 4-0 lead in the five match series. Kumar Sangakkara played a defiant innings of 56 from one end but perished while attempting to put the accelerator button on, in the wake of mounting required run-rate. Indian spinners, led by Pragyan Ojha, bowled in tandem and played an important role in keeping the Sri Lankan scoring rate quite low. Paceman Irfan Pathan, playing his first match in the series, emerged as the most successful bowler with three wickets while Virender Sehwag and Praveen Kumar took two wickets apiece. The last match of the series will be played on Sunday at the Sinhalese Sports Club and the brief tour will come to an end on February 10 with a Twenty match. Jayasuriya and Dilshan had provided the hosts a fiery start as they race away to 50 in just 43 balls. However, both openers could not build on to their good starts and it was left to skipper Jayawardene and Sangakkara to romp home the hosts. The Lankan batsmen though failed to up a good partnership and lost wickets at regular intervals which only helped the Indian cause. The left-handed Jayasuriya looked in sublime touch as he took the comeback man Irfan Pathan for some special treatment hitting him for a four and a six in the sixth over. Jayasuriya welcomed the left-armer Pathan with a powerful flat six off his first ball in eighth over but the Indian had the last laugh when he saw dismissed him in the next ball. Pathan pitched one short and Jayasuriya while attempting a big one miscued the shot and Rohit Sharma at short extra cover took a smart catch, bringing relief in the Indian camp. Sangakkara joined Dilshan in the middle but paceman Praveen Kumar did not let the pair settle as he dismissed the latter when he had him caught by Yuvraj. Skipper Jayawardene forged a 61-run stand with Sangakkara to revive the innings but the scoring rate was no where near to what was required. At half-way mark, Sri Lanka had not even touched the 150-run mark and then Sehwag dealt a severe blow to the hosts when he dismissed Jayawardene. Jayawardene failed to negotiate a sharp-turning ball and edged the ball towards Dhoni, who on his second attempt caught the ball to see the back of his counterpart. India extends unbeaten run to nine matches Mahendra Singh Dhoni led cricket team today created a new Indian record of winning nine one-dayers on the trot after defeating Sri Lanka by 67 runs in the fourth match here tonight. The winning streak had started with the home series against England in November last year. India had blanked England 5-0 in the seven match series, which was cut short due to Mumbai terror strikes. India has convincingly beat Sri Lanka in the all four ODIs in the five-match series, improving the prospects of grabbing the number one ranking. Prior to this record, India had established the eight-match winning streak four times, last being under Rahul Dravid in 2006.
— PTI Scoreboard India: Sehwag c Jayasuriya b Kulasekara 5 Gambhir c Sangakkara b Murali 150 Dhoni c Fernando b Jayasuriya 94 Yuvraj b Kulasekara 5 Y Pathan b Kulasekara 0 Raina not out 49 Rohit not out 4 Extras (lb 9, w 15, nb 1) 25 Total
(5 wickets; 50 overs) 332 FoWs: 1-14, 2-202, 3-207, 4-207, 5-310. Bowling:
Kulasekara 10-0-63-3, Maharoof 10-0-60-0, Fernando 9-0-64-0, Mathews 3-0-24-0, Murali 10-0-66-1, Jayasuriya 8-0-46-1. Sri Lanka: Dilshan c Yuvraj b Praveen 38 Jayasuriya c Rohit b I. Pathan 27 Sangakkara c Gambhir b Sehwag 56 Jayawardene c Dhoni b Sehwag 28 Kandamby lbw Y. Pathan 10 Kapugedera b Ohja 16 Mathews c Dhoni b Yuvraj 6 Maharoof c Rohit b I. Pathan 28 Kulasekera not out 39 Muralitharan c Raina b I Pathan 0 Fernando b Kumar 9 Extras
(3-lb, 5-w) 8 Total (all out, 48 overs) 265 FoWs:
1-55, 2-79, 3-140, 4-163, 5-174, 6-183, 7-207, 8-220, 9-220, 10-265. Bowling:
Praveen 9-0-38-2, I. Pathan 7-0-58-3, Ishant 5-0-39-0, Ohja 10-0-34-1, Sehwag 9-0-43-2, Y Pathan 3-0-13-1, Yuvraj 5-0-37-1 Player of the match:
G. Gambhir |
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Murali highest ODI wicket-taker
New Delhi: Proud owner of the unique record of being the highest wicket-taker in both Test and ODI formats of the game, Sri LankaN spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan said it was his self-belief which kept him going. The off-spinner put behind chucking allegations and cleared umpteen bio-mechanical tests before establishing himself as an all-time great spinner.
Already the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket with 769 scalps under his belt, Muralitharan today achieved the ODI feat as well when he dismissed Gautam Gambhir. It took him past Wasim Akram's record of 502 ODI wickets and the Lankan spinner said it could not have been possible but for his self-belief.
— PTI |
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KP gifts wicket as England fight back
Kingston, February 5 Pietersen was dismissed for 97 as England reached 236 for five in their first innings when stumps were drawn on the opening day of the Test at Sabina Park. No England batsman looked to have mastered the steady, if not menacing West Indies attack which featured a marathon 33-over spell from Sulieman Benn. But Pietersen showed his class in three and a half hours at the crease and looked set for another Test hundred, after clattering two fours and a six off successive balls from Benn. Pietersen told Sky Sports at the close: "The wicket was tough, some balls spun, some didn't and I think we are in a good position on 236-5," adding he was just loving getting out there and playing. "I came out here to play cricket, and now I'm playing cricket again, I'm happy." The former England captain appeared to have the beanpole left-arm spin bowler at his mercy, when he tried to clear the wide long-on boundary with another slog/sweep, top-edged, and was caught by the keeper. His dismissal brought West Indies back into the match, after Pietersen had added 86 for the fifth wicket with Andrew Flintoff to rescue England from a shaky 94 for four. But Flintoff put his head down and found Matt Prior a steady ally, and they batted through the 1-1/2 hours to add 56 and save England from desperation. It had looked desperate for England, as they stumbled to 73 for three at lunch after they chose to bat on a hard, easy-paced pitch. The visitors lost their captain Andrew Strauss for seven, their vice-captain Alastair Cook for four, and Ian Bell for 28.
— AFP Scoreboard England first innings: Strauss c Ramdin b Taylor 7 Cook c Sarwan b Powell 4 Bell c Smith b Gayle 28 Pietersen c Ramdin b Benn 97 Collingwood lbw b Benn 16 Flintoff batting 43 Prior batting 27 Extras
(b-5 lb-2 nb-7) 14 Total (five wickets, 88 overs) 236 FoWs:
1-8, 2-31, 3-71, 4-94, 5-180. Bowling: Taylor 13-2-56-1, Edwards 10-1-43-0, Powell 14-5-31-1, S.Benn 33-10-64-2, C.Gayle 18-5-35-1. |
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IPL auction today
Panaji, February 5 Spelling out the details of the auction, IPL chairman Lalit Modi today revealed plans about extending the franchisees’ catchment areas to neighbouring countries and announced One Over Eliminator would replace Bowl-Out to determine the outcome of a tied match. Among other things, Modi said franchisees affected by the Pakistan government’s decision to bar its players from the second IPL could rope in replacements once the auction is over. Accordingly, Kolkata Knight Riders can bring in Umar Gul’s replacement, Bangalore Royal Challengers can recruit another to substitute Misbah-ul-Haq while Rajasthan Royals can draft in a couple to make up for the absence of Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal. Modi also ruled out mid-season replacements this time. “In tomorrow’s auction, 18 players from Australia, seven from England, five from Sri Lanka, three from New Zealand, seven from South Africa, six from West Indies and four from Bangladesh would be up for grabs. This time 17 slots are available and a total of $13.59 could be spent tomorrow,” Modi told reporters. Modi said IPL governing council has obtained No Objection Certificates from ECB. “We have successfully negotiated with the ECB and the English players would be available for the first three weeks. Among others, players from New Zealand, Sri Lanka and most of the West Indians would be available for the entire duration. The South Africans would be available only after the first week, while Australians are yet to confirm,” Modi said. He said Kolkata Knight Riders has decided to shift some matches to Cuttack while the Rajasthan Royals would have a few games in Ahmedabad. “We have left it to the franchisees to take the call. If they want, they can have all the matches in their new catchment areas or none at all. “We are also trying to expand the catchment territory to the neighbouring countries, subject to approval from other boards. For instance, the Knight Riders can have some matches in Bangladesh, the Chennai Super Kings in Sri Lanka and the King’s XI Punjab in Pakistan. Whether it’s possible or not is a million dollar question but this is our long-term plan to expand the base,” he said. Introducing the One Over Eliminator rule, Modi said, “The ICC gave us two options - One Over Eliminator or Bowl-Out and we opted for the Eliminator.” — PTI
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It’s do or die for Germany
With New Zealand and Olympic champions Germany languishing at the bottom with two points apiece, India and Holland have virtually assured themselves of a place in the final. Most surprisingly, the Olympic champions have been a let-down in the 10-day competition. Without a win so far even after playing four games, they are, quite unexpectedly, in an unenviable situation. All the talk of giving exposure to greenhorns in preparation for the World Cup next year in this country will be rendered meaningless if the Germans continue to dish out mediocre fare in the next couple of matches. They will only be too eager to pull up their socks and register a maiden win to make their presence felt in the competition. New Zealand are in the same boat with just two points from four games as a result of two draws. They will also be under tremendous pressure, seeking an elusive win. They have their task cut out, given that they face mighty Holland in their next game tomorrow. If Holland have proved to be the best team in the competition so far, India are not lagging behind. They have been well served by forwards like Shivender Singh, veteran Prabhjot Singh and Tushar Khandekar. Their midfield, more or less, has been steady. Vikram Pillay, Man of the Match in yesteday’s game against Holland, has played a crucial role with his accurate passing and neat interventions near the goalmouth. In defence former skipper Dilip Tirkey has been as dependable as ever, while skipper Sandeep Singh has been impressive with one Man of the Match award under his belt. But it is Baljit Singh who takes the cake for being outstanding while safeguarding the citadel. The Indian custodian was at his best and thwarted many a moves in both the games against Holland. India would do well to keep up the momentum and guard against any complacency creeping in against Germany as the two sides square off tomorrow. In the previous match between the two teams, it were Germany who were a shade more dominant. Their man-to-man marking was impressive. It was so good that Indian forwards were rendered ineffective as they hardly got ball possession. Germany were, in fact, let down by their lack of proper finish, which saw them squander at least half a dozen penalty corners in the first match against India. If they are able to take care of this aspect, they have the wherewithal to upset the hosts’ applecart.
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Lucas knows it’s now or never
Chandigarh, February 5 Striker Lucas Judge, Australian by origin, for instance. Lucas has been in terrific form throughout the tournament and is, no wonder, loving every bit of his time in India. “It has been an incredible experience. I have been able to play my game. As a striker when you do you primary job well, i.e. to score goals, rest is easy.” Speaking about the tournament Lucas says, “It seems like it might be an India-Holland final. Both teams have played some good games and we are sure that the crowd will want this line up in the final too. “India anyways were expected to do well as being the home team they are big favourites. The crowd gets right behind them and you can feel that their legs get going with that.” Lucas feels that although the hosts have done well in the tournament, the real test comes after this as they go to New Zealand later in the month. “They have a talented squad. Guys like Prabhjot and Vikram Pillay can be a handful for any team. They are doing good here, but playing at home is bound to be easier. When the play teams like New Zealand and Australia away, that is when you should actually gauge the team’s development.” Lucas, who plays for Oranje-Zwart (Orange-Black) club in Netherlands feels that the club culture is a must for Indian hockey to grow. “Holland has a fabulous club structure with 12 teams fighting it out in the top division. I had heard about the PHL in India and the amazing response it had received. I know that not just me, but a lot of other players would love to be a part of such a setup in India. But it is disappointing that there is no trace of the
PHL. A sound club structure can ensure that quality talent keeps coming through. “I am more focused on how we beat India in this tournament as we have been unable to do that till now. If we play well enough, for all you know, the crowd might just switch their loyalties,” he adds with a wink. |
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Ad-hoc panel to look into coach-selector row
Chandigarh, February 5 “Indian Olympic Association president and ad-hoc committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi has been apprised of the incident. The committee will discuss it internally and appropriate action will be taken so that such incidents do not occur in future," a senior member of the ad-hoc body told PTI. Harendra broke into tears at the post match press conference yesterday after India's 2-0 victory over Germany while reacting to a report published in a section of the media which quoted Sher Khan as saying that “national selectors are ready to take a call on some senior players, recalled recently for the ongoing tournament”. Convenor of the ad-hoc panel Mohammad Aslam said they were apprised of the incident and the final call in the matter would be taken by Kalmadi. “The committee will see to it that things settle down. The entire issue will be discussed thoroughly,” he said. Asked what action would be initiated against the offender, Aslam said, "It is an internal matter and we will not like to go public in what we are going to do.” Sources, however, said that the ad-hoc committee will seek Sher Khan’s views on what prompted him to make such comments in the middle of the four-nation Punjab Gold Cup. — PTI
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Clarke chickened out fearing no takers for him: Modi
New Delhi, February 5 Clarke, who preferred to take rest and spend time with family instead of playing in the IPL ahead of the busy international season, was tagged a whopping USD one million for tomorrow’s auction where now 42 players, including England's Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, will go under the hammer. “I don’t think anybody is ready to pay that kind of price,” Modi said. “The reality is in front of him. He didn’t want to be unsold in the auction and so decided to pull-out,” an upset Modi told 'NDTV'. “We asked him to reduce price but he was unwilling,” he added. Clarke had given a miss to the inaugural season of the IPL as well owing to a hectic international commitment. — PTI
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Colombo, February 5
New Delhi:
Proud owner of the unique record of being the highest wicket-taker in both Test and ODI formats of the game, Sri LankaN spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan said it was his self-belief which kept him going. The off-spinner put behind chucking allegations and cleared umpteen bio-mechanical tests before establishing himself as an all-time great spinner.
No Taeke Takeme and Teum De Noiijer but the Dutch are still on a roll. And they know what they are doing for future’s sake - blood young men when you can. The absence of the big two has meant a good run for the fringe players and the Dutch benchwarmers have scorched the field.
Striker Lucas Judge, Australian by origin, for instance. Lucas has been in terrific form throughout the tournament and is, no wonder, loving every bit of his time in India. “It has been an incredible experience. I have been able to play my game. As a striker when you do you primary job well, i.e. to score goals, rest is easy.”
Chandigarh, February 5